"Not man who chose for the text of his life this verse: slothful in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; and there could not be a better for any of our readers. That same chapter of the Romans, the twelfth, will afford many other mottos, good for every one, and each may choose that which best suits his own particular wants. For instance; if you are addicted to indolence, choose the one just given: if you are of a quarrelsome disposition by nature, take another besides: "As much as lieth in you live peaceably with all men." If you are disposed to revenge take this: "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." If you are envious and ambitious, remember this: "Be kindly affectioned one to another in brotherly love, in honour preferring one another." David said, "Thy word have I hid within my heart, that I might not sin against thee;" and again, "By the words of thy lips I have kept me from the ways of the destroyer." We recommend the practice of "hiding in the heart" some sentence of Scripture as a motto; and if we take as much heed to it as Lord Eldon did to that he found on the stage-coach, it will probably bring us a better reward than the highest honours of the law.-E. STORIES ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE CHURCH CATECHISM. {། *།, (Continued from page 8.) IV. THE FAITHFUL SERVANTS. IN my last sad story I told you how the wicked husbandmen treated their good Lord and Master's Son, and what was the promise which He gave respecting the time when He would call them to account for what they had done. I must now go back a little, to tell you more particularly what were the signs and marks which distinguished the faithful and obedient servants of the husbandman from those who only said they were his servants; for you must not think that all the people in the vineyard were guilty of the sins I told you of in my last. Some really loved their Lord, but were not strong enough to save Him from being killed. Others who once were on his side, left it from fear, and joined the soldiers of the enemy, only because they were not bold enough to face death; and thought as he was for a time the strongest, they should be safer with his soldiers than with those of their slain Master. But there was one sure mark, which, as I before told you, distinguished the true from the false servants; and that was, the true servants kept all their Master's laws. What these laws were I am now going to tell you; because some of the servants fancied they kept them, when they really broke them, and only talked about them instead of doing them. For instance; some of the servants would listen to what the soldiers of the enemy told them, and would follow them to their tents, and sit and speak against their own Master, as if He was hard and severe. They seemed to long to give up serving Him; they only served Him with outward service; their hearts were not entirely given up to Him; in one word, they did not love Him. Another sort of men professed very much to love Him, but in their hearts they had some other thing which they loved better; and if they thought they should be in danger of losing that through their obedience to their Master, they would neglect their work for Him, to take care of this cherished possession. Their whole thoughts were taken up by it. Sometimes, even when they seemed to be working for their Master, they were really only thinking how to increase their own store of wealth or of some other coveted possession. Some, indeed, I grieve to say, only worked for gain, not out of love to their Master, who had given them everything they possessed, and whose favour was of more value than even life. Another sort were given to very disrespectful language. They spoke of their Master in very rude terms, and used his name in their common conversation, without any mark of reverence. They often swore by it in a manner which He had expressly forbidden; and they thus acquired such a habit of irreverence, that they could not check themselves even when they knew He was preYet some of these called themselves his true servants, and would not have been thought to belong to the soldiers of his enemy, though there was no difference at all between their language. sent. There was one day in every week when the Master wished all his servants to meet together for prayer and reading his laws; and they were also told never to do any common work on that day, but to spend it in trying to make themselves ready for the happy time when they were to go to their Master's heavenly home, where He had promised to take all who were faithful in the vineyard: but I grieve to say many never attended the meetings; many forgot there was any difference between that day and other days; many spent it in sinful meetings with the soldiers of the enemy; and only a few thought of it as a blessing, or loved it when it came: yet all owned it was right to keep the day holy, and all knew they were commanded so to do by their Master. And now I have told you the laws which were written for the servants of the Husbandman, concerning their duty towards Him. In my next I will tell you those laws which He gave them, to teach them how to behave to one another. But before I leave off I will just say how all these laws would have been easily kept if the servants had had one feeling in their hearts. Can you tell me what that feeling was?—It was love. If they had really loved their Master as their best friend, they would gladly have done every thing He wished them to do. Therefore, the reason of their breaking his laws was, that they did not really love Him with their whole heart, but secretly loved to have their own way and their own will, without thinking of what was his will. QUESTIONS ON THE FOREGOING. To what part of the Catechism does this relate? To which of them? The four first, which teach us our duty towards God. How do people break the first and second Commandments? By loving any thing better than God,-as riches, honour, worldly possessions, friends, or relatives. How do we break the third? By using God's name irreverently in our common talk, and by profane swearing. How do we break the fourth? By neglecting to observe the Lord's day, for the purposes for which it was set apart. What Scriptures prove that if we have love in our hearts towards God we shall readily keep his command ments. Matt. xxii. 37. Rom. xiii. 10. Gal. v. 6. John xiv. 15. 23. L. S. R. THE PROGRESS OF THE GOSPEL AT JERUSALEM. FOURTH ANNUAL LETTER FROM THE ENGLISH BISHOP OF JERUSALEM. Michael Solomon, by Divine Permission, Bishop of the United Church of England and Ireland, to all the Faithful in Christ Jesus, and especially to all to whom the Lord has given an heart to feel for the desolation of Zion and her dispersed children, Grace, Mercy, and Peace be multiplied. Amen! THE period having again arrived, at which I have on three former occasions addressed you, I feel constrained to do so again, humbly desiring to keep up within your hearts an earnest and prayerful interest in behalf of Zion, the city of the Great King, and of the branch of his true and apostolic Church, which in these latter days He has been graciously pleased to plant in the place of his sovereign choice, destined again to be a praise in the earth, whence his Divine law and word are to proceed. It is with no ordinary feelings of joy and gratitude that I would on this occasion offer you my heartfelt congratulations on the fact, that at length a firman has been granted for the erection of the Protestant Church in the Holy City. Whatever may be the circumstances connected with this firman, however much opposition may, and still will, be raised against the carrying of the same into effect, it cannot and must not be looked upon otherwise than as an additional sign of the further development of the Divine purposes of mercy to Zion. The Protestant Episcopal Church of England will now have "a local habitation" as well as a name" on 66 the rock of Jerusalem; and whatever is ultimately to follow from this planting of the standard of truth in so conspicuous a place, may safely be left to the appointed course of Providence. This fact, then, makes an important era in the history of our present year, which we humbly desire to receive as a Divine token of mercy, and as an encouragement in the midst of our various trials and difficulties. Of these we have again had a considerable share. The enemy, whose name, here especially, is "Legion," will not allow God's work to proceed, without seeking, by various ways and means, to obstruct, if he cannot destroy it. Nevertheless, in the midst of all we are made to experience the blessed and comforting truth, that " Greater is He that is for us, than all that are against us ;" and, as regards our position generally, and the blessed scriptural prospects connected with it, we may truly apply to it the words of the apostle, that our light afflictions, which are but for a moment, are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed hereafter." " At the time when I addressed you, at the close of last year, the country, and the Holy City especially, were under circumstances of great alarm. It has pleased God to allay our fears; and the subsequent arrival of Turkish troops, who have since garrisoned the town, has had the effect of quieting the city and neighbourhood. The state of the country generally is still such as often to cause alarm, and the actual disturbances at Hebron have hitherto prevented any missionary from occupying that station; but, putting our trust in that holy name of the Lord, which is a strong tower, in which his people are safe, we fear no evil: our hopes, moreover, are enlarged, being based on the sure word of promise: and we know that all must work together for the ultimate good of Jerusalem, and the establishment of the Redeemer's kingdom. Our work has progressed as usual during the last year. Our daily and Sunday services continue to be regularly conducted; and, we trust, are attended by the Divine blessing. Some members of the house of İsrael have been added to the Church by baptism, and subse |
