of the ee.bba.th would be very comprehensive, and that it would win its way with the low on lower grounds even, with the high on the highest. 1. Of the millions careless to use it to highest gain, ce.n there be fonnd one willing or anxious to spare it for himself and for his own particular private purpose? .All want what they think the gain of it I Who can count the advantage to man of even the inferior ends of the sabbath? For one day's rest out of seven the tool does not rust, nor does its edge grow blunt. but he who uses it does renew his strength, doe, repair his lost energies, doe, refresh his spirit, Macaulay wrote of it, "That day is not lost while industry is suspended, while the plough lies in the furrow, while the Exchange is silent, while no smoke ascends from the factory, A process is going on quite as important to the wealth of the nation as any process that is performing on more busy days, Man, the machine of machines, the machine compared with which the contrivances of the Wattses and the Arkwrights and the Bessemers are worthless, is repairing and winding up so that he returns to his labour on Monday with clearer intellect, with livtlier spirit, and with renewed bodily vigour." It is not to be believed that the sabbath is a day out of which a growing world will grow, but one into which it will grow more and more, in this one direction to begin with only. 2. Its wide sweep of nobler use for the highest glory of man-in the exercise of his faculty of worship; in meditation, faith in the Unseen, prayer, praise, and in the natural conditions of the growth of Christian love and brotherhood on earth. Few things can strike the devout as more really beautiful, impressive, or cheering than the vision of 'the faithful in church, as they present a sight so grandly distinct from any other. Every day of the week finds every one of us in different place, in different thought, in different work, in different attitude, different aspiration, and with all the varieties of character, age, position, and necessity-pressing heavily on us, and sundering us even, however unwillingly; but this day the opposite! One place holds all, irrespective of every one of these differences. One God attracts us all. One Saviour's love meeta us all. One Holy Spirit's energy draws, enlightens, cheers us all. We all have one thought, one hope, seek one heaven, sing one song, bow down together before the Unseen with one penitent confession. .And however slowly, and therefore betimes discouragingly, the Church of Obrist is restoring even now, and immensely by aid of the se.bbath day, the unity of God's great family of man so long, so sadly astray I 3. The se.bbath day is mighty, indeed, in its very highest sweep of influence, when it is intelligently and devoutly used as the solemn and most grateful memorial of the resurrectiou of tbe Lord Jesus Christ, with all else that flows therefrom in strict relation to it-the sacrament of his body and blood, e.nd the holy communion which comes of it. The coronal fact of Christianity is the t'l!Surrectionfact, It shows no longer man's hope sowed in the ground like a" corn of wheat," but appeared above ground, grown up some way, radiant with light and colour, full of promise, and the undoubted earnest of joy beyond all thought. For all such as are thus minded the day is stamped with highest and most reviving joy. It is "Morn of morns and de.y of days." It says, "Christ the Light of lights bath risen." The Church Eings with one bee.rt and tone, "Welcome, sweet day of rest I" And i\ deliberately says, while it muses with burning bee.rt- "Bleat de.y of God, most ce.lm, most bright, The first and best of days; The labourer's rest, the saint's delight, The day of joyful praise I "My Saviour's face did mnke thee shine, His rising thee did rafae : This made thee heavenly and Divine, Above the common days." B. Vera. 9-14 (see also Mark iii. 1-6; Luke vi. 6-12).-The efficacyofrlghteom wrath. This occasion, apparently belonging to the same sabbe.th as the incident preceding in our Gospel, of the blame laid ostensibly on the disciples of Christ, really on himself, on account of their plucking the ears of corn on the eabbath day, did really belong, &8 we learn from the account of St. Luke, to the following sabbath, The present passage, is 512 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MAT1HEW. [cH. xn. 1-60.
may also be observed, is one of those which most fully Illustrate the advantage of comparing with one another the accounts of the three synoptic evangelists. There is double or tenfold advantage in doing this when the first comparison seems simply to 1'b.ow variations, but the task does not come to its end before those very variations are shown to corroborate and to complete the account. Thus, e.g., ihe narratives of St. Mark and St. Luke would at the beginning of them actually seem to proceed on the very showing for part of their efficacy that the enemies of Christ had not asked Christ in the fir.,t instance the question of shallow cleverness only," Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?" But the words at the close of St. Luke's account, that Jesus said, "I will ask !f01/, one thing," make all plain and certain. Again, the mention on the part of St. Mark of the righteous "anger" of Christ adds an important touch to the scene, and fills the gap in St. Luke following the words, " And looking round about upon them all ; " and find their place in St. Matthew after the word ••then" in ver. 13. Notice- !. THE BARE SHIFTS TO WHICH THE DISPOSITION AND THE WICKED WISH " TO ACCUSE" TEMPT MEN TO RESORT, II. How THE SIMPLEST SUBSTITUTION OF A PLAIN WORD FOB AN AMBIGUOUS WILL BE SUFFICIE:s'T TO CONFOUND .ALIKE THE 0ASE .AND THE FACE OF MEN WITH TIDB SORT OF EVIL IN THEm BE.ABT. Fon THE WOBD "TO HEAL," JESUS OFFERS THE ALTER- NATIVES "TO DO GOOD" .AND "TO SAVE LIFE," .AND THEY HAVE TO BE ACCEPTED, FOR THE SUPPRESSED "NOT TO HE.AL" JESUS OFFERS THE ALTERNATIVES "TO DO EVIL " .AND "TO KILL." AND THE TRIUMPHANT VICTORY IS HIS, WITHOUT ANOTHER SENTENCE, lll. How .ALL E~"MITY, .ALL MALIGNITY, ALL Slll.ALLEST PASSIONS RAGING BOUND ABOUT, AND DEEP JUST ANGER KINDLED IN THE HEART AND LOOK AND WORD OF JESUS, NONE THE LESS LEAVE UNHURT, UNP0ISONED, UNTOUCHED, EVEN UNDELAYED, THE FLOWING FORTH OF HIS PITY, MERCY, POWER, .AB SAVIOUR1-FOR THE BUFFERER BIMSELF.-B.