leave& sugges; similar onee in ,oonduct. 'l'he leaves are the conapieuo111 parts of thQ tree; by their elevation; their colour, their number, their sound, their movements; their beauty, their shadow, and much else. So that everybody notice11 the leavee.' For trnl most part ii is all they can see, and always the most marked feature of ·the ti'e8. - Now, such is the outward life, the conduct, ihe ten thousand common aotion~ tlle innumerable everyday dcings and ssyings, multitudinous as leaves and aa vim"ble, of Christian men.- And suoh leaves have healing power. - It was so at th& first. Rome was converted from paga.uisin to Christ by the silent but mighty force of the pme, beautiful, blamelees, and ·spiritually elevated li vee of the Christians; 'l'h& heathen gazed with wonder, and an ever-increasing number of them tame to desire llttoh :life for tbemselve11. And there is no healing boa anywhePe like·su.oh leaves. - But ·though, in the ble11Sed future oond.ition of the Churoh, the Ii vllS of all her member& will be of so salutary a sort, it is very far otherwise now. Too many Christians an, "llpail treelJ rather than tteea ·of life, and their leaves are deadly rather than healing. - Who dees not· kllO\V this? · And suob sad fact,11hould lead t.o the quest.i:oO-:What is the inlruen08 of my life? are its· leaves he&ling lee.ves,or the reverse? Ahd no more fervent prayer shtiuld we pray 'than t~t we, each one, may becom1fl'1ttnelves -trees of life. · · ; '' V'.,.THB SBOONDABY BEIIULTII OJ! CHRISTIANITY, . Leave& .81'8 not the pnrpose of • tree;, 'fo, have nothing, but le&ns is condemnation, not pt'!lill'e. .l!'ruit is the end of a tree. "I have ordained you," said our Lord, "that ye,.slrould go and bring- forth m~ fruit_" (cf. John xv. 2, "Every branch that be,a~th not fruit," etc.). ,Leaves, thlttel'ore, lLnl-but the accidents, the Bll.boi'diblite purpose, tl:ii.1'seoondary re~lts,-0f the ~ • 'A'Dd our Lord cam~ tha.t we might bring forth fruit nn-to 9od- _·Still, along with th~; •tie ,tree Ima: ~ - Jlre<:ioos leaves. :See the :infi'!6Iitie of- tJhi'!,stianity upon art,: law, l!Ooi'etif, liOmtnett:&-indee\l,-00 all departments of life. 1 W_hat does not art--:mu!ic, pahriing; eoulptUte. arehi-tecture..i.owe to- tthe faith ,of,Christflr:. Thul waa not-c the -main purj)dlle,o{Obtist.: -Thal \lllalf to 1ereate ho1yso1ils; to redeem: men. ifrom all lruquity, :buV_in thncoomplts-hment--Ot"·thi8fin irlnging.forth,tAJ:ni toost preeious frnit, the ~teQ hu yielded lea.vea -.1so, sueli· -as these, and-,yet others;· Sb&l<l1 wef then, listen to specu_.. Jaliona, and argum~nhl; the aim- and too frequent effect:, of· whieh' it to destroy ·the iaith of Christ in men'&' mind&? Shall we· -ltnowingly euHiOWn 11 tree the 'tery leavea ef which have healing power ?-S. 0. _ , - ·· : · , , ;· · 1 :.: ' '; > ·,
'Ver. ~-77ie beatifoi, viirion. ,., They shall iee bis- face." We -0ften, think~ and think truly, that it must hirtre been 11, great joy to see our Lord as 'he Wits here on earell; · Wl:at wdu_ld ~ not gi'll; oould we new see him _~- his apos&lcs d~d ~ Every- tl:!int associated with him hMgamed B&CNld)'.161!8 and sanctity by that assoo:iatloD-. .'file lMtd- where he lived-• - · •- · ' , · . -- - _<,<Those holy fielda; . ·,,,, OVl)1 wh086 acfl!l! walked thlll!8 blessed-feet Whfoh, many hundred JOOI'S ago, were nailed. - For our m~ption, to, ijJ,e cruel CJIQ4lll," -that land we call the Holy Land. - !fhe particular places most cloeely eonnected with his' life on earth we call the holy plaees. .'l'he-men whom he chose to minister-to and for him \lie. call holy ones, or 11&ints; The• <lay on which he rose from the dea<i we obl!erve as a holy day. AU this is but :ttre i/egu)t, of that mighty infin~nce whleh- he exercised over thoge who Q!Ae 'uhder· ihe epell :of -bis wondrous persomlity. Hence one would like to have known him as he was-in his childhood, as ho-~grew in wisdom and in stature, and in favour with God- and mali;" in the midst of his ministry, u he ioiled and taught for tbankleBB men; as- he hung UJll>n the cross; d he 'fflB8 from the dead. But such vision is -impossible to ilB now. AH the more, ther~ foni, do we hail with joy the promise of our tex~ -- Let ua try· and tell a liWe ~f what is contained in it. - ·· L TuAT W& SHALL sn '1'HE LoBD J:8BU5 Cmc1ST RIMBELP. No doubt that in that bleued fature world f 1. T1- i, Wf"Y much l,esult,s that is blened. The scene, how glorious! See St. John's desoriptions. The inhabitants, how illustrious, :bow ld,orious, how holy, how bl89118d I And some of them beloved ones of our own; how Nessed will be the sight of them I But, after all : 2. - The chief Joy will l,e our se-eing Mm. For think what seeing Jesus, even in our present poor and imperfect way, has l:111. un 1-21.J THE REVELATIOS OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE. 681