softly and surely to their fragrant bloom; the birds of the air do not more simply and unquestioningly live by the hourly rule-'That Thou givest them, they gather' (Ps. civ. 28).

It may be more yesterday and less to-day; it may be now dainties, and then but daily bread: yet all coming 'from the good hand of our God upon us,' they have learned 'in whatsoever state' they are, 'therewith to be content.'

Thus they eat their bread with joy,' and their daily path is 'by the waters of quietness.' They do their work with quietness,'-they 'lead a quiet and peaceable life;' and wear 'the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit.'

These are not the prevailing fashions of the day, even among church members. Look at the restless eyes, the anxious faces: note the dull murmur of unsatisfied desire, swelling every now and then into absolute complaint. Hear the Christian women worry over their housekeeping. See the up-town religious man at the down-town Exchange. Hat pushed back, coat thrown open, eyes wild, hands outstretched, voice uplifted; shouting, gesticulating, grasping, with the rest.

'My brethren, these things ought not so to be' (Jas. iii. 10).

Should 'a good soldier of Jesus Christ' put off his uniform and wear a common dress, that he may make a better bargain? Or'an Israelite indeed' be ever seen without the 'ribband of blue,' the royal colours? 'Ye shall wear it,' said the Lord,

'That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God' (Num. xv. 40).

In a great Ward school which I visited once, you could pick out the Jewish children, all over the room, by the little closed mouths and silent lips when the praises of Jesus were sung. Ah, why will not people be as true to the true as they are to the false! For just so, should a believer be known, even on 'Change, as no worshipper of mammon, no truster in 'uncertain riches.' What though, like the three in Babylon, he must stand alone, while all the rest of the world are on their knees before the golden image.

'Let your moderation be known unto all men' (Phil. iv. 5).

'Walk as children of light' (Eph v. 8).

Is it only a woman' n's view'? But there surely must be a righteous way of doing righteous things, and the unrighteous should as

surely be let alone. If that also is a woman's view, it would take a wise man to dispute it. Let the dwellers at home too remember this. For how should a Christian woman fret ?—even over dust and unfaithful service.

'I beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ' (2 Cor. x. 1).

They are genuine annoyances, these things: the host of trifling items in our daily life which ought to be different: the bad fitting of a dress, the imperfections of a cook, the stupidity of a messenger; not to speak of the unreasonableness which now and then crops out in a friend. We have (and should have) an honest dislike to them all. Set them straight if you can,-if a few wise words will do it.

'Ye which are spiritual restore such an one in the spirit of meekness' (Gal. vi. 1).

But if not, take a long breath of silence and press on. 'The talk of the lips tendeth only to penury' both of time and patience. You may soon outstrip the grievance, if you will but leave it where it belongs, by the wayside. Stop to wonder and complain, and it will spring to your shoulders like Sindbad's old man of the sea, and ride you all the day. The mischievous insect horde can do little to hurt a plant that

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is in full rich growth; with head in the sunshine, and roots struck deep by the rivers of water.'

I have called them trifles-for trifles they are, in a world of life and death and souls of men ; but even in the face of much more serious evils, still 'Vor-warts!'--as the German officer said, with kindly quiet firmness, when his little troop faltered before a hail of bullets.

'Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage' (Josh. i. 9).

'Doe the nexte thynge,'-and wait for the next but one till it comes; letting neither the good of something you long for, nor the disagreeableness of something you wish well over, flurry your spirits. Walk round Jericho thirteen times, if need be, but take also for that the allotted hours. If you crowd into one day the work marked out for seven, you will be too much out of breath to shout when the time comes, and the walls will maybe never fall.

'By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days' (Heb. xi. 30).

'Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience

for it, until he receive the early and latter rain' (Jas. v. 7).

And we, poor blunderers, think one rain might do; planting our little seeds deep, and our great ones on the surface; and the length of our patience is not worth measuring. We think everything that will grow, must grow at

once.

Yes, patience does seem very 'long' sometimes; and 'after many days' looks far away : but it will come, and the weary toiler shall return, 'bringing his sheaves with him.' Sheaves from many an unnoted field, trophies from many an unrecorded battle; all won, through the grace of God, by 'patient continuance.'

Then give everything the full time it needs for perfect development. Be as eager as you like, but keep all restless hurry out of your heart and tongue and life: it is the sure cause of many failures, many mistakes. In his haste, David called 'all men liars' (Ps. cxvi. 11), ready to say no one could be trusted. Worse than that, his flurried spirit thought God had forgotten him.

'I said in my haste, I am cut off from before Thine eyes' (Ps. xxxi. 22).

'Seest thou a man hasty in his words? there