that had reC'ent.ly occurred and argues from tl1em, much as a modern lawyer docs from the "cases" be can cite. Precedents are often very valuable. They are often snd hi11dra.11ce.s to enterprise. They arc always most annoying to thoso who are of impulsive temperament.. They are_ a very doubtful good to men of faith in a living God, who may be pleased to work m fresh and surprising \\'ays. u. Tim OAUTIOUS MAN RAS CONl'IDEKCE IN THE won.KING OF NATURAL FOROEB, Gamalicl says-Wait and \\'O.tch the working of these things, Religious excitements tend to exhaust themselves. Mountebanks have no staying power, Leaders of sects want money support, and as soon as this is maco apparent their followers dwindle away. There is little need for any interfrrencc, tho natural process of exhaustion will <'ffcct all you w1mt. So, still, the cautious man often ch<'cks the energy that would deal ,·igorously with social and moral evils, such as drinking and vice. Earnest men c:mnot wait for the long outworking of natural forces. With faith in the God of righteousness, they must enter and deal with the evils as a new redeeming force. III. THE CAUTIOUS MAN RELIES ON TITE EFFECTS OF TIME. '!'hough allied to the previous consideration, this somewhat differs from it. Time allays excitement; time tests the '\'alue of e.ll things. And the very brads of the Jewish religious system might surely be satisfied that time would be on their side. But men nre "perishing in their sins" while we wait; e.nd the earnest man hears God inspire him to active endeavour when he says, "Now is the nccepted time." IV, TBE CAUTIOUS MAN FEARS TO AilOUSE OR TO MAINTAIN PUDLIO EXCITEMENT, And no doubt much evil attends such excitement, but worse evils attend stagnation. Public excitement only alarms those who do not want anything done. The cautious among us are always seeking to repress special missions, revivals, and reformations, and fear that the blaze blown up so high will soon burn out, and leave only bare cold ashes. Men of faith will ever plead that, maybe, the fire so lighted will burn on for ever. Cautious men may sometimes do good work by wisely checking over-impnlsivc- nP.ss nnd unduly considered schemes. Dut they may also check enterprise. '!'hey who would do noble work for God must often do as did the great general-land on the enemy's shores and burn the boats.-B. T.
EXPOSITION. CHAPTER VL e.t the common cost. We find them in the Church of Joppe. (eh. ix. 41), and in the Ver. 1.-Now in tkeeo for and in those, Church of Ephesus (1 Tim. v. 3, 9, 10, 11, A.V. (it is not i1«lva,s, answering to 16). They guve themselves to pre.yer and c-:i;:i c•::i,~, but Ta6-rcus); multiplying for multi- to works of mercy. Daily; ica.611µ,p,v&, only 1ilied, A.V.; G-rc~an Jcu:; for Grecians, A.V. occurs here in the New Testament, and rarely The Grecian Jews; the Hellenists, for this in Greek writers; ltp11µ•pw&,, of 11, daily fever, is the appellation of them in the Greek; it is used by Hippocrutes, and may possibly means properly thoee who spoke Greek or have suggested the use of this rue word to otherwise followed Gredk usag-es, 11pplied Luke the physician. to foreigners, here of course to Jews. Of a Ver. 2.-And for then, A.V.; fit for eimilar form and meaning is the word "to retuon, A.V.; forsake for lea11e, A.V. It is Judaize," translated "to live as do the Jews" not fit; literally, pleasinr,; ap<<TT&v is often (A.V., Gal. ii. 14), and the forms" to Demo- the rendering of ::i\u in the LXX. ; e.g. Gon. ethenize," "to Platonize," ••to Atticize,'' cto. xvi. 6; Deut. xii. 28. In Exod, xv. 26, The Hellenists were those Jews of the dis- Dcut. rl. 18, etc., it stands for ,r.;,, that persion who lived in countries where Greek which is right. Berve tables. The English wns spoken, and who themselves spoke reader should remember that the "ministra- Greek. It was for the sake of such that the tion " of ver. l, the "serve" of this verse, Ale:z:andrine Version of the Scriptures, com- and the" deacon" which was the name of the monly called the LXX., was ma.de. Hebrews; new officers, 11re all forms of the same Greek Palestinian and other Jews, who spoke Ara.- word (5,aKovla, li1rucov,iv, liufxovos). In Vllr, mean (2 Cor. :z:i. 21 ; Phil. iii. 5; eh. x:z:L 40), 4 "the ministry of the Word" ie opposed to as opposed to the Hellenists. Their widows. "the daily ministration" of meat. The We lt:e.m incidentally by this phrase that passage gives a necessary warniug to the one of the earliest Uhristian institutions ministers of God's Word not to spend too 1faB e.11 order of'l"idow~, w4o werii ma\ntained IIjqph iiJ!le 1u1d stren~th upo11 any 11ecq)a,r C,H, VI, 1-16.] THE AC'l'S OF THE APOSTLES.