1111d s<>rvicc, (4) There iefi·ecdom qf thought. The only rMI froo thinker in the world ii; be who has been made free by the truth. He who thiuks without Divine guidance is a slave and a libertine; but the custody of Christ is safo froedom and free so.fety. 3. lntimaf.e fellowship with Christ. How intimate we are with the doors of our houses! ,ve. can neither come in nor go out but by the door-a. faint symbol of believcni' intimate fellowship with Christ. He la the Door. 4. Ample provisions, "And find pasture." (1) It is sought. Finding implies seeking, The sheep go in and out in search of pasture. The soul, by faith in all its movements, seeks spiritual food and support. It is to be found in connection with intense desire, effort, and search. (2) By seeking it is certainly found. "And shall find pasture." In Christ there are i;piritnal provisions for the soul, in abundance, suitability, aud variety; they are as various and abundant as the soul's wants. Supporting grace, Divine forgiveness and peace, etc. (3) It is found without, in the occupations of life, If the Christian is an agriculturist, in the garden the flowers will naturally remind him of the "Rose of Sharon," etc. When following the flock, naturally will he think of the "Lamb of God." The beautiful landscape around will bring to faith visions of a more beautiful land-the fair laud of promise; and even the failure of h.is crops will often give h.im e. rich feast of joy in the Lord. If he is a mariner, the storms of the voyage will make him strive and sigh for the desired haven, where every storm will be for ever hushed. If he is a. mercha.nt, this will bring his mind in closer contact with treasures more to be desired than gold, and more precious than rubies. If he is a man of science, he can hear the heavens declare the glory of God, and see the works of his fingers everywhere; and 6hould the Christian happen to wander into the land of doubt and sin, he will find there the bitter herb of godly sorrow, which will act as a tonic to his soul. And even the valley of the shadow of death to him will not be ba.rren, for even there he will find the comlort of his Shepherd's staff and rod; yea, the Shepherd himself. (4) It is found within. In God's Word; ill private devotion ; in quiet meditations; in Christ's fold; in the fellowship of saillts; in the services of the sanctuary, which is the house of God and the very gate of heaven; snd often in thought and faith he steals away to the happy land, and revels in tbe green pastures beside the still waters. He spends many a happy moment beyond the stars, among the redeemed throng, gazing npon the throne, and on him who sits upon it. Whether in or out, in Christ he shall find pasture, until at last, by Diville invitation, he shall enter into the joy of his Lord, to go out no more for ever. LESSONS. 1. The revel,ation of Chrut as the Door of spiritual blessings ioa, now t1ery natural and timely. He saw the multitudes like sheep without a shepherd. Judaism had become barren and persecuting, and incapable of supplying the spiritual wants of the people. Souls were hungry for food, and longing for shelter. The· healed blind man was among the first to knock for admittance, and, as Christ \\·as the Door, it was now time for him to say so openly. 2. Christ as the Door is a befitting introduction to the blessings within. You can form a fair opinion by the door of what to expect inside. Sometimes we are not illclined to go further than the door. But Christ, as the Door to God and all spiritual blessings, is most attractive and worthy, and when you enter there is no disappointment in it. 3. '1.'he great thing in ordtll" to enjoy the riches ,f Divine grace is to find the door. Christ as the Door is most conspicuous and con- venient. Where the gospel is fully known, the difficulty almost is not to find it. It publishes itself, " I am the Door." 4. There are thousands in &earch for the door and cannot find it. A.nd, alas ! there are thousands in gospel lands dying at the door, and will not enter. There is only a door between them and life eternal,-B, 'I'.
Ver.10.-The two missions. Notice- I. THE M161lION OF HUMAN SELFlSllNESB, We are taught by Christ that there is such a mission in the world. It is as old as the temptation of our firstfarcnts by that evil a.nd selfish spirit, the devil It was active in the world before a.n at the time of Christ, and to a greater extent afterwards. Every false teacher, every one that assumes Christ's position, or leads eouiB from Christ and God either intentionally or uninten- tionally, is pronounced by Christ a thief, and bis mission is that of selfishness. 1. Jes epirit and aim are 6dfish. (1) It is lllllpired by self-advantage, The thief comes to steal. What is the iuspiration of the thief? It is self-advantage and aggrandizement. CJI, X, 1-42,) 'l'HE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. fJ7