Timothy's recollections to the de.ye of hie ee.rly fe.ith. Tbe.t there he.d been anything like e. f&lling e.way from the fe.ith in Timothy, e.ny real declension In hiR religious life there is no re&l!On to believe. But the quick eye of the apostle he.d detected som~ symptoms of weaknt1118. The pulee of firm resolution, as dangers thickened around him, he.d not beaten l'O steadily as he would he.ve wished. He did not see the symp- toms of Christian courage rising with the rising flood of difficulty quite so marked aa to set his mind e.t ease as to whe.t might happen if, after his own dee.tb, which he felt we.s near, Timothy were left alone to confront the perils of a fierce persecution, or to guide the wavering purpose of timid e.nd fainting disciples. And so he calls be.ck hi1 dearly beloved son in the faith to the old days of bis first conversion. The lessons of faith and obedience learnt on his mother's knee in the dear home e.t Lystra, whose blt988d fruit had attracted St. Paul's notice; the first appearance of the apostle in those regions in the noonday of his apostolic lllee.l; the bold front with which he had met the storm of affliction and persecution; Timothy's own warm surrender of himself to the companionship of the great teacher, e.nd his exchange of a he.ppy, peaceful home for the wandering life and incessant peril of an evangelist; then the solemn time of hie ordination-the time when, with prayer and fasting, he had knelt t.o receive the laying on of hands, and had exulted in the new gift of God with which he might go forth fee.rlt1118ly and lovingly,and in a strength not his own, to emulate his father in the faith in preaching the gospel of God's saving grace,-Oh, let Timothy cherish those dear memories of former times! And there were later memories still. Their last meeting, and their last adieu. They had parted, under wbe.t circumstances we do not know; St. Paul hastening on to his crown of martyrdom, Timothy remaining at his poet of work and of danger. And Timothy had wept. Were they tee.rs of bitterness, tears of compunction, tears of a heart broken and melting under a gentle loving reproof, or were they only t.ee.rs of sorrow at parting? We cannot ee.y for certain; but St. Paul remem- bered them, and he recalls them to Timothy's memory too. He adds the hope that, e.s they had aown in tears, they would ree.p in joy-the joy, perhaps, of a healed wound and renovaMld spiritual strength, or, at all events, the joy of meeting once more before the fall of the curtain of death to close the drama of Paul's eventful life. The leBBOn left for us by these heart-stirring words is the ve.lue of the memory of the past when brought to bear upon the work of the future. " Bless the Lord, 0 my soul, and forget not all his benefits," is e. sentiment which continually comes up in the varied experi- encee of the psalmist. He quickened hope in the land of banishment by remembering the days of happy worship in the house of God (Ps. xiii.); he added depth to his sorrow for sin by recalling the memory of that joy of ee.lvation which he had forfeited by his fall (Ps. li.). And so we shall do well in times of weakness to remember our former strength; in days of darkness to call to mind the days of light that were of old; in days of slackness and indolence to call be.ck the memory of the time when we were all on fire to do God's work; in days of depression t.o think of old mercies shown and old gre.ce11 given to us of God; to quench the fear of defeat by the recollection of ancient victories; and, in e. word, to make the pa.5t supply the present with incentives to e.n undying llleal, and e. steadfast courage in facing e.11 the afflictions of the gospel according to the unchanging power _of God. Vera. 8-18.-Constancy in the 1wwr of danger. There e.re great di.ff'erencesof nature.I temperament in dliferent men. There are those whose courage is nature.Uy high. Their instinct is to brave danger, and to be confident of overcoming it. They do not know what nervousness, or sinking of heart, or the devices of timidity, mean. Others are of a wholly different temperament. The approach of danger unnerves them. Their instinct is to avoid, not to overcome, danger; to shrink from suffering, not to confront it. There are ever in the Church the bold and dauntless Gideons, e.nd the wavering and timid Peters. But the grace of God is able t.o strengthen the weak he.nds and to confirm the feeble knees. He can ee.y to them that are of fearful bee.rt, '' Be 1trong; fear not." He can give power to the fe.int, and increase strength to them that have no might. And there ie perhaps no more edifying eight than that of the quiet UDbcaeting courage of those whose ne.ture.l timidity has been overcome by e.n onr- powering 11e111e of duty and of Ion t.o Christ, and who have lMrDt, in the exeroiNB of prayer and medite.tioa on the ClOll8 of Christ, to endure hardneas without flinobin1, u OB. L 1-18,] THE SECOND EPISTLE TO TIMOTHY. 7
good 10ldiers of Jesus Christ.. But to yield to fear, and, under its influence, to be ashamed to confess the Name of Jesus Christ, and to repudiate fellowship with those who are suffering for Christ's sake and the gospel's, lest we should fall into the same reproach with them, is sin, and sin most unworthy of those for whom Christ died, and who have been made partakers of so great salvation. No plea of natural timidity can e]!.cuse such unworthy conduct. It behoves, therefore, men of a timid and gentle spirit to fortify their faith by frequent contemplation of the cross of Christ, and habitually to take up that cross, and by it crucify the flesh with its affections and lusts. Let them think often of their holy calling, remember that they are the servants of him who "endured the croMs, despising the shame," and look forward to the recompense of reward. Let them contrast the base, unmanly conduct of the men of Asia, who turned away from the noble Paul in his hour of danger, with the faithful, generous conduct of Onesiphorus, who sought him out in his prison and was not ashamed of his chain. And surely they will come to the conclusion that affliction with the people of God is better than immunity from suffering purchased by shame and BiD.