of GOD's knowledge of all things, if you are not only breaking any one of His laws, but actually becoming satisfied with yourselves because you escape detection here on earth.

I might have told you of many other common sins which may become very bad if persisted in. You see I have simply confined myself to things dealt with by one of the ten commandments. Nor have I told you all these. I might have spoken about the Sixth Commandment and your tempers, or the ninth and your telling stories about other people spitefully or untruly. I might have spoken of many other little sins. But if you will think about them truly you will each know what is your own besetting sin. And this is what I want you to do.

Well, then, try and conquer it. If you don't, it will "become" worse as you grow older.

Ask God's grace to conquer it for Jesus Christ's sake and then get bravely to work against it.

And when new sins come near you, remember GOD's all-watchful eye. "Abstain from every appearance of

evil.”

"Oh, ye that love the LORD, see that ye hate the thing which is evil.” "For the eyes of the LORD are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers."

Mind what that means. GOD tells us these things to encourage us. The Jews who fell away from GOD forgot how much GOD saw, and at last did not care what He thought.

Oh ! if you will keep free from the beginnings of evil, remember what GOD is pleased by a pure and obedient heart, and that His grace can keep that in you all!

Twelfth Sunday after Trinity.

BAD EXAMPLE.

"So the king died, and was brought to Samaria; and they buried the king in Samaria. And one washed the chariot in the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood; and they washed his armour; according unto the word of the Lord which He spake.”—1 Kings xxii. 37, 38.

WE have just read the story of the death of King Ahab. I want to make the story of his life a lesson to-day. Life is always a preparation for death. Ahab's death was a wretched one: but his life was a wretched one too. He had disguised himself when he went into the battle of Ramoth-Gilead, so that no one in the army of the Syrian king should recognise him. But no disguise that he could make before men was able to defeat GOD'S

purposes. His wretched ungodly life had filled up its measure of iniquity. GOD's prophet Micaiah had foretold his death in the battle: and so it came to pass, that what has been called "a bow drawn at a venture" sent the arrow that put an end to his life. "So the king died, and they buried the king in Samaria ;" and all that the LORD had spoken by his prophets Micaiah and Elijah had soon its fulfilment. Here was the end to which the life had led. So it often is with those who are wicked. Their life is seldom happy for long together, and often very, very far from happy at all; and the end is just what such a wasted life would result in.

I suppose you remember the Bible epitaph upon Ahab. We have good epitaphs in the Bible upon the good, and sad ones upon the ungodly. When St. Paul gave in his Epistle to the

Hebrews, a catalogue of GOD's earlier saints, and recounted what by His grace they were able to perform, he wrote also their epitaph. "These all died in faith." Oh! what a blessed thing to have that said of GOD'S servant at any time. We often hear people say very hopeful and happy things about the dead. We have regard to an old saying still that we should not speak evil of those whose places here know them no more—and very rightly; for we can readily enough remember too many sad things about ourselves, to say hard things of others. But yet many people are too ready to speak carelessly about GOD'S honour, when they affirm too much about those they knew in life. What do you think would have been said about Ahab after his death in Samaria?

His people very likely looked very leniently on his faults: they praised