jumping ever since I was born into this world, and I am so tired." A kind friend throws an obstruction across its bosom, and makes a dam across it. And it stops still to pile its placid waters up, and I see it resting as quietly as a forest on a summer's afternoon. Then I see the water piling higher and higher, and the little streamlet is sleeping so nicely, and it sleeps on and on, and by and by it breeds miasma, mosquitoes, and frogs, and a great many things; and it says: "I have slept too long; turn me loose and let me go again." And they open the dam and the brook rushes on and turns the factory wheels, and runs on and on, doing its work and making music as it goes.

Brother, a few years ago I was so tired, I had run so long, and had been a sinner so long, when the Lord Jesus Christ laid his hand lovingly upon me and said: "Have rest!" And soon my soul was bathed in the sea of heavenly rest, under the powerful influence of his love. He removed all obstructions, and turned me loose to preach the Gospel to every creature, "that he that believeth on the Lord Jesus Christ may be saved." Thank God, he bids us go on our way rejoicing every day.

"Take my yoke upon you, for my yoke is easy." The yoke is an emblem of subordination, of servitude. See that wild ox roaming out in the forest. He comes when he pleases, and he goes when he pleases and where he pleases. He eats and drinks when he wants to. But go out there and bring that ox in, and let man control him; then, when his master says go he has to go, and when he says stop

he has to stop; and he permits him to eat and drink when he thinks it proper to do so. When his master bids him to lie down he lies down. Look here!

that ox has changed his whole nature. He is now submissive under the yoke. Look at that man. He won't work; he will do as he pleases; but now he takes the yoke of Christ upon him, and says: "Speak, Lord, thy servant heareth."

There is the difference between the Christian and a sinner. "Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest for your soul; for my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Thank God that there are so many to testify to that!

Religion! If I were young, or if I were old; if I were rich, or if I were poor; if I were living, or if I were dying; if I were in heaven, or if I were on earth, I would want religion. Religion is the best thing on earth, and there is nothing in heaven that will surpass religion. Let's have it now, and let's have it every day, and work our way to the better world. Religion is like a beautiful casket. A man takes one home to his wife, and she puts it on the center-table in the parlor, and friends come in, and she shows it to every one, and they say, "O, how beautiful it is!" But one day the woman picks it up and touches a secret spring, and when the lid flies open for the first time she sees that it is not the inlaid casket on the outside, but the gem inside, that makes it lovely. Religion, with love, joy, peace, long-suffering, is like so many diamonds inclosed in this old, wretched nature of

ours. It is beautiful to the world in its outer appearance; but, when Christ touches the hidden spring, then heaven itself opens up in all of its glory to the eyes of the faithful. Glory to God for it! May God give it to you, and may he bless every one in this house.

SAYINGS.

He has either a mighty long head or a mighty short creed who believes only what he understands.

MANY a fellow is praying for rain with his tub the wrong side up. God can not fill a tub when it is wrong side up without inverting the law of gravity. God is holding up his clouds for you while you are holding your tubs the wrong side up. Turn them up and push them under the eaves if you want them to be filled, for the shower is coming.

LIFE, with its three-score years and ten, is said to be like a tale that is told; like grass that groweth up in the morning, and is cut down and withereth. Life is but one step from the cradle to manhood, but one step from manhood to old age, and but one step from old age to the grave. The few moments spent here to-night are but a few moments we spend on our way to the bar of God.

SERMON VI.

GOD'S GRACE SUFFICIENT.

"And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness."-2 COR. XII, 7-9.

WE

E ask your attention, especially to these words: "My grace is sufficient for thee." The devil is a cunning and an artful adversary. His first effort on humanity is to make us believe that we are strong enough and that we are good enough without any religion, that we are all right, and we need n't give ourselves any trouble; we're as good as any body; a first-class fellow; but by and by we become possessed with an idea that we are not so strong, and not so good, and not so pure. The fact of the business is that when we reach the conclusion of a sensible and wise man, we say, "I am not good at all-I am not strong at all," and then the devil takes that fact and works on it and says: "You're too mean and too weak to travel and to talk about being good."

How many thousand men who walk the streets of this city have been possessed of one of these ideas. to their ruin and to others' ruin! The first thing a man so possessed says, is: "I'm all right-I don't need any help-I don't want any Christ to die for

me. I don't ask odds of any body. And the next thing you see, the poor fellow has jumped clear over on the proposition, and says, "Now, there is n't any use of my trying; I'm the meanest man in the world, the wickedest and of the least account. If I just thought there was any chance for me I would n't mind starting. The fact is, I'm so low down, and so weak, there's no chance for me at all."

Now, I want to say to you, brother, that of the two cases I prefer the latter. There is no hope at all for a fellow who believes he is all right, when he is n't. That man is hopelessly lost while in that condition, but I have great hopes for a fellow that has touched bottom on the other side, and who feels, "I am not right, I'm not pure, nor good, and I have n't strength to be so, though I want to be right."

I sat this morning a half-hour talking to an honest man. I believe he was an honest and a true man. He said, "Mr. Jones, I have indulged in sin and been so depraved that I have lost my will power. I want to be good. I want to be a Christian and to abandon my sins. I want to live right and get to heaven. But, Mr. Jones, my will power is gone." I wish every Christian in this house and all these preachers could say, "I have lost my will power." Their case is mighty hopeful then. They can then say, "All my will is swallowed up in Thy will. Now I will consult the will of God and bid good-bye to my will and accept the will of God and the truth of God." I wish the whole universe would lose its will and have its will swallowed up in the will of God.