name given under heaven whereby we must be saved; ho the tried and sure Founda- 1-ion-stone, elect, precious. Are we resting on him? 2. He is the chief Oorner-sto'll6, determines the lie and direction of other stones. We must be in harmony with Christ, our wills, notions, taste, habits. There may be secondary corner-stones; comp. Ps. cxliv. 12, "That our daughters may be as corner-stones, polished after the similitude of a palace." Reference here to the high polish as well as true position of a temple corner-stone. Records of Christian Church present many such women. From tbe Marys of the Gospels, the Priscillas and Lydia.s of the Acts, the Phrebes and eled ladies of the Epistles, through all the trials and struggles of the Church, down to the present day, in all which none have shown more of the true polish of corner-stones, more sympathy for the lo,;t, more zeal and self-denial and devotion to God and man, than earnest Chris- tian women. Blessed ambition for all young women, to be placed in such a relation to Christ, and vital oommnnion with him, as to help to square and polish others, and thus make their lires likewise beantiful and blessed! 3. In Christ, the whole building is filly framed t-Ogether. Every one gets stability and adaptation to his neighbours- angles rubbed off; each gets and gives support. Stones are not all alike; not a brick building. Different talents, gifts, and graces : some Christians excel as speakers, some in prayer, some in praise, others in visiting sick, or in teaching the young, or in collecting contributions, or in speaking to strangers; some can write books, others can translate; some can guide the Church at home, others go to the heathen. Iu Christ, all work together to a common end. Out of Christ, strifes and divisions arise, ending in schisms and ruptures. Let each try to ascertain his part, and patiently and conscientiously to fulfil it. 4. In the Lord, the building grows to a holy temple. Two ideas. (1) Growth. Christian Church a growing Church. Where .there is life there is growth. (2) Towards a temple which is holy, or consecrated to God. .All its members are thus consecrated; let each realize this. It is by each carrying out his own consecra- tion that the building grows toward the dimensions of a complete temple. 5. It is a habitation of God through the Spirit. Its collective qualities serve to indicate the pre- sence of the living Spirit; it is a kind of incarnation. Historically this is a delightful view. Bring together all the holy qualities of the Church from first to last-the simple trust of the hnndred and twenty in the upper chamber; the warm brotherly love of the Pentecostal converts; the missionary ardour of Paul and his companions; the faith and constancy of the noble army of the martyrs; the seraphic spirit of many a man &rLd wolD3.D '11,ho has dwelt at the gate of heaven; the steadfast devotion of "\\""alder.sea and Cnldees, of Lollards and Wickliffites and Hussites, of reformers and Hu,,,<rUenoUI and confe;;.sors of every clime ; the consistent godliness of many a humble cotr.ager ; the brilliant service of the Christian philanthropists and the glorious st~uggl~s of all the champions of freedom who have fought the battle of the cro~s 1~ evil times ;-in all this we have a vision of the glory of the Church as the ha:b1tat1on of God through the Spirit. .Alas! there have been so ~any corruptions t~at thIS glory has been sadly tarnished. Let each one resolve by God s grace to fulfil his part, and so to live that, so far as his life and character are concerned, they may show the result of God dwelling in them through the Spirit.
HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHOR$. Ver. 1.-Spirit'll,(],l death. The apostle sets forth the greatness of Divine power in man's salvation by setting forth the greatness of his sin and misery, represented under the aspect of spiritual death. Let us understand the nature of this death. L M..uiK THE EXPRESSIVENESS OF THE TERM. It is strange to find it applied to livincr men. But there are certain suggestive points of similarity between natural and spiritual death. 1. The de,a,d have all the organs of sense, but 110 sensibility. .As the psalmist said of the idols of the heathen, so are the dead: "Eyes have they, but they see not: they ha,·e ears, but they hear not" (Ps. cxv. 5, 6). So the spiritually dead have no s~scel-'tibility in re"ard to the things of God; they see not tho beauties of holiness; they see not Godo~ Christ. 2. The dead have all the machinery of motion, l,u.t the r,,,,cl.i.M is at rest. So the spiritually dead have all the natural faculties of life -jucigrr.ent, memory, imagination, feeling, conscience-but they are unable to renew OU, ll, 1-22,] THE El:'lSTLE TO 'l'llE EPHESIANS. 71