pre~ent century, under modern conditions. It has grown in wealth. It has bccomo ci,·ilized and refined. LRw hns become a mightier thing. The glory of science wa~ never half so bright. Dut, looking close in, we still fiud the old facts-a dislike of God and love of fin, pride and self-sufficiency, a godless and selfish use of thin"S 0 men I hating one another,' selfishness fighting selfishness, an infinite mass of misery." 1 "Neither the things that are in the world, ... the lustoftheflesh, the lust of the eyes, and the vaiu-glory of life." Dy "the lust of the flesh" we understand the inordinate desire for scnsunl indulgences, the longing for the grntitication of the carnal appetites. How prevalent is this lust! \Ve see it in the epicure, iu the wine-bibber nn<l in others in still coarser and more degrading forms. It is most terrible in it; effects upon the soul. "The lust of the eyes," interpreted by the aid of other Scrip- tures, . seems to mean the eager desire of possession directed towards temporal nnd mater.al goods, or covetousness. It is not the desire to look upon pleasin", or beautiful, or sublime things, which is here condemned, but the sinful look of avar~e. In confir- mation of this view, sec Prov. xxiii. 5; xxvii. 20; Eccles. iv. 8; v. 10; Luke xiv. 18, 19. Probably there is also a reference to the feeling of hatred and the desire of revenge, as irnlicat<'d in Ps. xvii.11 ; liv. 7; xci. 8; xcii. 11. "The vain-glory of liff)" is "the lust of shining and making a b0asting display." It points to that which is Ro 11revalent in our day-the desire for grand houses, and costly furniture, and fine horses and carriages, and rich and fashionable dresses; the effort to give luxurious parties and splendid entertainments, and to outshine our neighbours in our mode of life. These things are of the world, worldly; and these things Christians are exhorted not to love. II. Tin: REASO~ OF THIS PROIHBITION. The reason is twofold. 1. Because the love of the world excludes the love ef God. "If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." Man cannot love the holy Father and the unchristian world. 'l'hcse two affections cannot coexist in one heart. Either of them, by its very nature, excludes the other. And "the things that are in the world," the love of which is prohibited, are "not of the Father, but of the world." They do not proceed from him; they are utterly opposed to his character and will; and, therefore, affection to them cannot dwell in the heart that loves him. Sensuality and covetousness and vain-glory are irreconcilably opposed to love to God. 2. Because the world and worldly things are transient. "The world passeth away, and the lust thereof." 11 '!'he world " is still the unchristian world. It has in it no elements of permanence. 'l'he darkness of moral error and sin must recede before the onward march of the light of trnth and holiness. The principles and words which oppose the Church of God are transient; they are passing away. Shall we set onr hearts upon such fleeting things? And the lusts of the world are evanescent also. '!'he gratifications of the flesh and of the senses quickly cease. The things which many so eagerly desire and pursue, the pleasurt:s and 1iches, the honours and vain. shows of this world, a_re pas~ing away !ike dreams of the night. And even the appetite for some of thesa things fails. The time comes when the desire for sensual gratifications ceases. Indulgence in the pleasures of the world tends to destroy the capacity for enjoying them. When that time comes, the man of the world, sated, wearied, disappointed, regards these things bitterly and cynically, finding that he has wasted heart and life upon them. Therefore let us not love them. But on the other hand, 11 be that doeth the will of God ahideth for ever." The doing of bis will is the evidence and expression of our love to him. Here, aR so frequently in the writings of St. John, we see the importance of action. It is not love in profession that is ble~sed, but love in practice. "If ye love me, ye will keep my commendruents." It is not the creed that is commended, but the conduct. He who thus acts out his love to God abides for ever. He is connected with a stable order of tbinrrs,0 He is vitally related to God himself, and is an heir of immortal and blessed life. He is now a participator in the life of Christ; and to all his disciples he gives the great assurance," Because I live, ye shall live also." By all these consideratioos let us not love the unchristian, unsatisfying, and perish- ing world; but through our Lord Jesus Christ, let us seek to love the Father with nu ever-growing affection.-W. J.
Vere. 20, 27 .-The unction from the Holy One. " But ye have an uriction from 1 'Johu, whom Jesus loved,' eh. v. Oil. II. 1-2!l.J THE FIIlST EPISTLE GENERAL OF Jomr. 59