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diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end; that ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Wherefore, brethren, seeing that you look for such things, be diligent that you may be found of him in peace, without` spot, and blameless.

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It needs diligence to keep the conscience clean. "Herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God and toward men." It needs diligence to keep up a happy hopefulness of spirit. Gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end." It needs diligence to maintain a serene and strenuous orthodoxy. "Watch ye; stand fast in the faith; quit you like men; be strong." It needs diligence to maintain a blameless life. "Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin." It needs diligence to lead a life conspicuously useful and God-glorifying. Seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, (as Abel, and Enoch, and Noah, and Abraham, and Moses,) let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus." And it needs diligence to attain a joyful welcome from Jesus and a full reward. And besides this, giving all diligence, add to your faith, virtue (fortitude); and to fortitude, knowledge; and to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness; and to godliness, brotherlykindness; and to brotherly-kindness, charity. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure; for if ye do these things (fortitude, &c.) ye shall never fall: for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ." "And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours, and their works do follow them." "Let us labour, therefore, to enter into that rest.”*

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To labour in the word and doctrine is the business of * 2 Pet. i. 5-7,10, 11. Rev. xiv. 13. Heb. iv. 11.

one; to feed the flock of God and rule the Church of Christ is the business of others; to "serve tables," to care for and comfort the poor, and see that all things be done decently and in order, is the business of yet others; to teach the young and instruct the ignorant is the business of some; and to train up their households in the nurture and admonition of the Lord is the business of others; to obey their parents and to grow in wisdom -in favour with God and mann-is the business of many; and to do work for others, with a willing hand and a single eye, is the business of many more. The work of the day needs diligence; much more does the work of eternity. It needs fervent diligence to be constantly serving our fellows; and it needs no less diligence to be directly serving Christ. To tend the sick, to visit the widows and fatherless in their affliction, to frequent the abodes of insulated wretchedness or congregated depravity, to set on foot schemes of Christian benevolence, and still more to keep them going all this needs diligence. To put earnestness into secret prayer; to offer petitions so emphatic and express, that they are remembered afterwards, and the answer watched for and expected; to commune with one's own heart, so as to attain some real self-acquaintance; to get into that humble, contrite, confessing frame, where the soul feels it sweet to lie beneath the cross, and "a debtor to mercy alone, of covenant mercy to sing;" to stir up one's soul to a thankful praising pitch; to beat down murmuring thoughts, and drive vexing thoughts away; to get assurance regarding the foundations of the faith, and clear views of the truth itself; to have a prompt and secure command of Scripture; to possess a large acquaintance with the great salvation, and a minute acquaintance with all the details of Christian duty; all this needs no less diligence on our part, because God must give it or we shall never shew it. To put life into family worship; to make it more than a duteous routine; to make its brief episode of praise and prayer and Biblereading a refreshful ordinance, and influential on the day; to give a salutary direction to social intercourse, and season with timely salt the conversation of the friendly

‚”* the body, to scenes

circle; to drive that "torpid ass,' of duty difficult and long-adjourned; to make a real business of public worship; to scowl away all pretexts for forsaking the solemn assembly; to spirit the reluctant flesh into a punctual arrival at the house of prayer, and then to stir up the soul to a cordial participation in all its services; to accompany with alert and affectionate eyes the reading of God's Word, and listen with wakeful ear to the exposition and application of its lively oracles; to contribute a tuneful voice and a singing heart to our New Testament offering of praise, and to put the whole stress of an intelligent and sympathising and believing earnestness into the supplications of the sanctuary, so that each petition shall ascend to the throne of grace with the deliberate signature of our Amen—all this requires a diligence, none the less because unless God work it in us, we shall never of ourselves muster up sufficient fervour thus to serve the Lord.

Dear brethren, and Christian friends, consider what I say. There is little time to apply it; but you have heard from this text some hints of important truth— apply them for yourselves. As reasons why we desire to see a Church more industrious and not less fervent and unworldly than the Church has usually been, and as motives why each right-hearted man among you should this night start afresh on a career of busy devotedness and fervent industry, let me remind you,

1. Herein is the Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit.

2. Herein will you truly resemble, and in measure reexhibit the character of your blessed Lord and Master. 3. Hereby will yourselves be made far happier.

4. Hereby will the world be the better for your sojourn in it.

5. Hereby will the sadness of your departure be exceedingly alleviated.

6. And hereby will your everlasting joy be unspeakably enhanced.

*Calvin in loco.

COUNSEL TO SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS.

DETERMINE to make a new and more entire surrender, a fresh dedication of your heart, and mind, and soul, and strength, to the work. Begin again and afresh. With the better understanding you may have acquired, and with the experience you have gained, give up yourselves with new purposes of entire devotedness. Open your heart to receive the subject; let it come in and possess you. In order to do this, surrender your heart more entirely to God; present yourselves to Christ, and let his love constrain you. Pray for a more abundant effusion of the Holy Spirit upon your heart; seek a revival of your own personal religion.

Determine to embrace more intelligently, cordially, and constantly, the great work of Sunday-school teaching. Begin this day to be more intent upon seeking the salvation of the children. Fix your eye upon the soul and eternity.

Determine to qualify yourself more perfectly for your office and its functions: by more intense piety; by the cultivation of your own minds, and by acquiring a greater aptitude to teach. Let it be a study with you how you can awaken, stimulate, and guide inquiry; how you can produce a thirst for knowledge and a desire for improve

ment.

Teaching is a great work. “How vast and abiding the satisfaction which results from calling forth the intellectual and moral resources of your species. Give the immortal mind of man the consciousness of its powers and faculties, invigorating the judgment, regulating the will and purifying the heart." But for such a work you must have higher qualifications than to teach the alphabet, and hear hymns; you must read, think, acquire knowledge, and know how to train the mind. Too many of our teachers are deplorably deficient in all essential qualifications for their office. Aim at completeness, at universal perfection in punctuality, constancy, method, order, submission to the superintendents, harmony with your fellow-teachers, respect and deference for your minister, affection for your children, and everything else

connected with the well-being of the school; look upon the school as a piece of moral machinery, the working of which, as a whole, depends upon the working of each particular part. A single wheel, or pivot, yea, a screw, or pin, that does not work well, impedes all. Will you

be that bad pivot, screw, or pin? In collective bodies, each should be what the whole should be; each should consider himself as the representative of the whole.

Meditate upon the importance of the times in which you are called to live and act. You have entered upon the state when the rapidity with which the scenes are changed, would seem to indicate that the winding up of the plot is approaching. Study the features of the age; open your eyes and ears, and minds, to what is going on around you; man's existence was never more important; know the times, and be up with your age.

Think of the great missionary enterprise. The whole Church is rising up for the conversion of the whole world. Train up your children to feel an interest, and bear a part, in the glorious undertaking; enlarge their knowledge, enlist their hearts, inflame their imagination by missionary intelligence, and qualify yourselves to carry on the great work of evangelizing the world. Fill the land with Bibles, and with Bible readers, and with Bible knowledge: for this is the best defence from Popery. Teach the children the doctrine of regeneration by the Spirit, and justification by faith; train them thoroughly in these momentous truths; render them as familiar with these doctrines as they are with their letters.

CHARACTER FORMED IN EARLY LIFE.

THE idea we wish to impress upon the minds of our readers, and especially upon the minds of parents, Sunday-school teachers, and children themselves is this: that of all periods of our life, that of childhood and youth is by far the most interesting and important. Then character is

generally formed, then the everlasting destiny is not only begun, but often actually fixed, for weal or for woe. What one is in his youth, he is apt to be in his mature years,

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