of the evil with the good is the work of the "enemy " who sows the tares, not of the oridnal formation of the Church. fr. Th"FLUENCE OF THE SPillITUAL VIEW OF CHURCII LIFE. 1. On tboso who "feecl the Church," helping them to tnke heed to themselves and their flocks. 2. On tho individual members of the Church in the assurance of Divine grace, in tho maintenance of vigilance. 3. On the world, b~th in " warning" away those who would defile the Church, and in inviting those who would enter in at the open gate into eternal lifo. The apostle's words regarded as prophetic. The greatest dangers of the Church havo always arisen from lowering the conception of what the Church is. In our proneness to error, let us turn" to the Law and to the testimony."-R.
Ver. 85.-The Divine secret of a blessed life. "Remember the words of the Lord J csus," etc. Interest of the saying as not found in our Gospels. The life of J esns said iL. Possibly preserved traditionally. Summary of many recorded sayings. Christ his own interpreter. I. AN INSIGHT Th'TO THE NATURE OF TBUE BLESSEDNESS. Not in external thinas not in a passive state, either intellectually or morally. As we give out from ourselv~s: we grow in kno'"°ledge and enjoyment. Especially true of the active efforts of Christians for the world. To teach is to be taught. To comfort is to be comforted. To sacrifice self is to be rewarded with inward peace and strength. II. A HELP TO THE CULTIVATION OF PRACTICAL CHRISTIAN LIFE. 1. Remember Christ's care of the poor. The Church an organization for the help of mankind. The poor should see that Christianity is on their side. 2. Remember Christ's zeal for the 1,ouse of God. The passive state unworthy of God's children. Scanty giving a great discouragement to zealous workers; a great hindrance to the progress of the gospel. 3. Remember the claims of the world. The example of the Lord Jesus in laying down life, not to be remembered only by missionaries, but to teach all his disciples to " count all things but loss for his sake."-R. l Vers. 6--12.-17ie seven days' halt at the gateway between Europe ancl Asia. This seven days' stay at Troas may be safely presumed to have had points of special interest about it.. The seven (ver. 4) who accompanied Paul into Asia were here found awaiting him and Silas and the historian. These ten, beside any others possibly with them, must have been the welcomed visitors of the disciples at Troas. Memory dwelt upon Troas, for it was the place where, in the vision of the night (eh. xvi. 9), Paul ha<i. received his call into Europe by the man of Macedonia. And after this visit how many fresh memories would cluster around the place and the people and that seven days' halt I We may, amid the exceeding brevity ofrecord here, be nevertheless reminded- L How TO THE HARDEST LIFE THE MASTER DOES NOT FORGET TO GIVE SOME :KEEDFUL INTERVAL OF REPOSE .AE) REFRESHMENT. No life is more wearing than that which men live who think for nothing, caro for nothing, but making wealth. '£his life often kills the best of the heart, the best of the mind, and the best of even the bodily constitution. In this sense, men work themselves harder and more mercilessly than ever God works them. God never works us mercilessly. But in the hardest work he gives, he mingles much mercy. Yet his work in a healthy sense is hard, will match any for hardness, nor probably did the bardes~worked slave of self or Satan ever work harder than Paul did. But now, so far as we can see, the seven days at Troas, undisturbed by persecution from without or dissuasion from within, must have been days of happy converse and of peaceful rest. How much this party of ten would have to sa.y to one another, to bear of the people at Troas and to tell to them I JI. How THE BOLIEBT SERVICE ON EABTJI )UY BE EXPOSED TO THE INTERRUPTION OF APPARENT .ACCIDENT, ANYWAY TO INTERRUPTION WELCOME TO NO ONE, The cause of the interruption on this occasion probably infers a very minimum of blame to Eutychus. Some one has spoken to this effect-that hours of sleep are rarely broken by devotion, often enough for light causes. But it may be added that hours of sleep are rarely forfeited, indeed, for hours of devotion, but hours of professed devotion are often broken by sleep, or by what in the long run is even more disastrous-by sleepiness. Dut as we are t.old more than once that Eutychus was " overpowered" by sleepiness, a,Id that tb.ere wePe even physical reasons &eparate from his individual self to increi,.sa 011, ll, 1-38,] THE AOTB OF THE APOSTLES. 161