temple, "Know thyself; " but that is precisely what the people, who walk the pave- ments below, are not interested in doing. We all prefer to keep our self-delusions concerning our own excellences. A man must deal resolutely with himself who means to know the truth about himself. Honest self-estimates prove (1) surprising; (2) humbling; (3) they culture gentleness and charity toward others. Every man has his failing-h1s "beam in the eye." II. HoNEBT BELF-ESTIMATES ARE INFLUENTIAL WHEN MADE. What our Lord intimates is that, if a man discovers bis own beam, he will be so concerned about it, and so busy over it, that he will pay no particular attention to his neighbour's mote. And if it should come to be his duty to point out that mote, he will remember that it is but a mote in comparison with his own beam. The man who sees bis own sin aright, and reads it in the light of its inspiring motives, can never see his brother's sin to be as big as his own. "Men who see into their neighbours are very apt to be con- temptuous;" that is, when the feeling of their own beam does not hopefully influence their vision.-R. T. Ver. 6.-Piety in the restraint of prudence. Doge are treated throughout Scripture as unclean animals. The usual thought is evidently of the pariah dogs, which are the scavengers of Eastern towns. Little is said of trained shepherds' dogs; and nothing is said of pet dogs. Swine are, by emphasis, the unclean creatures. Our Lord bas spoken of carefulness in judging others. But hie disciples are required to exercise discrimination. They should prudently estimate situations, opportunities, and occa- sions. The guilelessness and simplicity of the Christian disciple is quite different from incompetency and foolishness. Prudence should guide all the expressions of piety. "That which is holy" refers to flesh offered in sacrifice. This must not be treated a.g if it were refuse, and given to dogs. Pearls may look like peas or beans, but if you give them to swine, and so deceive the creatures, you may expect them to destroy the pearls, and turn the anger of their disappointment on you. In the ordering of Christian conduct there is hardly a more complex and difficult subject than the restraints in which piety should be held by prudence. I. PIETY IB EVER SEEKING TO GAIN EXPRESSION, Both in word and in conduct. The activity and energy partly depend on natural disposition, and partly on the vigour with which the Christian responsibilities are taken up. Some Christians must be always speaking, ever finding or forcing opportunities. They easily come to think all self-restraint is sinful yieldin~ to self-indulgence. No word can wisely be spoken that even seems to check the activity of sincere piety. It ought to be weighted with responsibility for conduct. 11. PIETY MAY BE UNDULY CHECKED BY PRUDENCE. Perhaps more among us are exposed to this danger the.n to the opposite one. So long as prudence deals with reasons, all is well; when it begins to take up excuses, there is peril. Then what we call "prudence" is really self-interest in disguise. Be Hure they are" dogs" or "swine," to whom your good word is to be spoken, before you shelter yourself behind your Lord's carefully qualified advice. Ill. PIETY SHOULD BE WISELY BESTBAINED BY PRUDENCE. Prudence deals with fitting (1) times; (2) seasons; (3) forms; ( 4) degrees. It estimates occasions, sur- roundings, individuals. It aims to secure adaptation. "A word spoken in aeaaon, how good is it! "-R. T. Ver. 7.-The rondition on which answer to prayer depends. The reference to prayer seems to be introduced here as an "aside;" but the connection is not difficult to trace. Our Lord had been calling his disciplr.s to duties which would make the most serious demands on them. Th.ey would be sure to feel the need of sustaining and supporting grace, such as comes only from ~od. Then let them be qui~e sure that they could always have this grace for the askmg; but let them be also qwte sure that they would not get the grace apart from the asking. In dealing with this familiar passage, it is usual to fix attention on the apparently unlimited promises of answer to prayer. "Ye ahall receive." It may, however, be that thus our Lord's point is missed. He put emphasis on the "askiug," the "seeking," the.". kn~king," as i! he had said, "'fou must ask, if yo~ wo~ld have a good hope of recemn~. Compare 'For all these th1n1ts 318 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. [cH. vn. 1-29.
will I be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them;" "Ye have not, because ye ask not." The three terms, "ask," "seek," "knock," have been shown to represent an ascending scale. They are each what the man himself must do; the condition on which a.lone he gains the blessing. Are we ever conscious, then, of failing powers in the Christian life? we may never say that we aro straitened in God: it must be that we are straitened in ourselves. ,ve expected God to give, but we did not meet hie conditions, and ask. An objection should be dealt with, which is perhaps oftener felt than expressed-If God knows everything we need, why does he require us to ask? The answer is twofold. 1. If he does require us to ask, there must be reasons for hie eo doing, in his Divine Fatherhood; and children should obey when they do not under- stand. 2. We can see that the asking becomes an agency of spiritual culture to us. It nourishes that dependence which takes us out of ourselves, and checks self-con- fidence. It might be added that it helps to keep before us the connection between our blessings and God's providings. The condition that we must ask may be shown to work out into (1) we must ask earnestly; (2) must ask persistently. l. HE WHO "ASKS" MAKES REQUEST, II. fu WHO " SEEKS" PRESSES HIS BEQUEST. IIL HE WHO "KNOQOKS" PERSISTS IN HIS REQUEST.-R. T.