the products of the trading should be such spiritae.l things a.s honoUI' him, " What he.et thou the.t thou he.et not received?" II. Oua GIFTS COST ue NOTHING. Reference is to spiritual gifts. God distributeth to every me.n severally as he will. One talent, two, or ten, according as he pleases, No man can purche.se, or earn, or win, e. spiritual gift. This Simon Magus learned by a mo~t severe rebuke. III. OUR GIFTS MUST BE USED FOR NOTHING. Our characteristic spiritual power, to help, heal, inspire,,or comfort others must never 'be sold.-R. T. Vere. 13, 14.-The resp(YTl,SibiUty of opportunity. This direction may be stated in a plain way thus : " Give every man a chance, and let it rest with him whether he takes advantage of it." Moral work can never be done by force. Persuasion of will there should be; constraint of will there should never be. The gospel l3 to be preached, proclaimed, heralded, to all nations, but it must rest with men themselves whether it shall prove to them a "savour of life unto life, or of death unto death." Here our Lord ,gives a great missionary la.w. Keep men's responsibility for moral decisions. Put the truth before them. Speak the message to them, Use all persuasion with them. But if they will not receive your words, pass on to those who will. I. EVERY MAN lIAS HIS MORAL OPPORTUNITY. Just as every man, sooner or later, gets his life-chance. This is enshrined in the familiar Shakesperian sentence about "a tide in the affairs of men." In business matters we often say, "He lost his chrmce." The story of heart-experiences would probably reveal that every man, once at least in his life, stood on the very threshold of the kingdom, and decided whether he would or would not step across. Men's condemnation is this-the gate of the kingdom was opened for you, and you would not enter in. II. IT 18 OUB DUTY TO PROVIDE MORAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR FELLOWS. Thie we do by preaching the gospel to them; by personal influence and persuasion. God makes man his agent, "co-worker together with him," in making supreme moral opportunities for his children, This is the responsibility of the regenerate. III. THE MAN HIMSELF MUST DEAL WITH THE OPPORTUNITY, As is illustrated in the passage, the apostle may come to a man's door, and his asking hospitality me.y be the man's opportunity; but the man must decide whether he will let the apostle in. There must be no dealings with men which even seem to weaken the sense of personal moral responsibility. A common saying illustrates this-::- "H you will not when you mo.y, When you will you shall have nay," IV. Oun OBLIGATION 18 ENDED IN PROVIDING THE OPPORTUNITY, We are respon- aible for skilrully providing it; for wisely following it up, and for persistently renewing our effort to present it. But we are not responsible for results following. The man must bear them.-R. T. Ver. 16.-The law of safety for Christian wc;rkers. It is a law which regul:i.tes their own conduct, "Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmle~s as doves." Living creatures are recognized figures of moral qualities. How the serpent comes to be the figure of wisdom, with the peculiar characteristic of subtlety, is a subject for dispute. Van Lennep, writing concerning Asia Minor, says," The serpent has not the reputa- tion of being ' cunning' or • wise,' nor are such characteristics suggested or sustained by any facts known in Western Asia, Nevertheless, its subtlety has passed into 11, proverb, doubtless by reason of the Mosaic account of the fall of our first parents, and. this is now as generally current o.mong both Christians and Moslems as it was among the Hebrews in the days of our Lord." 'fhere is a kind of paradox in thus associating the serpent and the dove, which is designed to be suggestive and inspirational. I. OUR SAFETY DEPENDS UPON OUR GUILEFULNESS. 'l'his soun<ls bad. Guilefulness, in tho sense of "hypocrisy," receives Christ's most withering denunciations. No such guilefulness can be commended here. But there is a guilefulness which is roally "prudence," and this may very naturally be suggested by the quiet, gliding motion of the serpent. There is II simplicity which is foolishness. '!'here is a simplicity which is prudent, watchful of occasions, skilful of adjustments, knows when to act and whea «o THE GOSPEL ACCORDING '1'0 ST. MATTHEW. [ell. x. 1--42.
to refrain, when to speak and when to keep silence. That "guilefulness" ia the practical skill of ordering wisely our life. A company of hermits discussed which of the virtues waR most necessary to perfection, One said chastity, another humility, another justice. St. Anthony said, "'l'he virtue most necessary to perfection is prudence; for the most virtuous actions of men, unless governed and directed by prudence, are neither plea.sing to God, nor serviceable to others, nor profitable to ourselves." In doing God's work opposition is often needlessly provoked by our imprudence. II. OUR SAFETY DEPENDS UPON OUR GUILELEssm:ss. The dove is the emblem of innocence, artlessness. It has no schemes, no under-intentions, no reserve. What it is you know. All its ways are transparent. If the apostles acted so as to produce the impression that they had ends of their own to serve, they would have set people on the watch lest the apostles should take advantage of them. St. Paul says, "We seek not yours, but you." Prudence and simplicity, guilefulness and guilelessness, can therefore go together, hand-in-hand.-R. T.