my Lord and Husband. May nothing at any time prove strong enough to drive me beyond the reach of Thy love, or estrange my love from Thee-no care, no trial, no temptation, no dispensation of Providence, no circumstance in my experience. Let me be Thine, and Thine for ever." The idea of ever becoming separated from Christ, or falling from Him, is to her most alarming. Blessed be God, it shall never be. "The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear Him."

"They who once His kindness prove,
Find it everlasting love."

3. She desires intimate communion- "Set me as a seal upon Thine heart." Now, the heart is the emblem of love. Anciently, it was supposed to be the seat of the affections. To be set as a seal upon the heart of Jesus is, therefore, to be very near His heart indeed-close to it; nay, stamped upon its very substance. What more could the believer desire than this? In former times seals were suspended round the neck; they would thus hang very near the heart. The Jewish high priest wore upon his bosom a beautiful breast-plate set with twelve precious stones in gold, the stones having engraved upon them the names of the twelve tribes. This is the type; but to be stamped upon the very heart of Christ exceeds, surely, all that the type could set forth. "Set me as a seal upon Thine heart," cries the spouse. "Be Thou my High Priest Condescend to bear my worthless name, not upon Thy bosom merely, but impressed upon Thy very heart itself." Oh, how intimate the communion she desires! How close, how endearing the fellowship she covets! It is a heart union, a most vital union, an indissoluble and interminable union; and such her divine Husband says she shall enjoy.

"I am the Vine; ye are the branches;" "If any man love Me, My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him." Oh, my soul, wonder and adore before such unmerited, unutterable love! "Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you?" are the body of Christ, and members in particular." will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am."

Ye

"Father, I

4. She desires powerful communion- "Set me as a seal upon Thine arm." As a wife has power in her husband, and looks to his superior strength to labour for her, protect her, and, if need be, defend her, so the believing Church of Jesus Christ takes hold of His strength. How gloriously did Abraham take hold of it (Gen. xviii.); and Jacob, when he wrestled and prevailed!

Now, as the heart is the supposed seat of love, and its emblem,

so the arm is the seat and emblem of strength. Hence the Church cries to her Lord to be her "arm every morning." "Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art Thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon? Art Thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over? Therefore, the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion, and everlasting joy shall be upon their head. They shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and mourning shall flee away." And her Beloved replies-"See, I have graven thee upon the palms of My hands; thy walls are continually before Me." "Hold me in Thine arms," she cries, "for I am weak; uphold me with Thy power "

"Bear me, in Thy bosom bear;
Care for me in all my care."

"Hold Thou me up, and I shall be safe." "Yes," replies her Lord, “underneath thee are the everlasting arms. Fear not, I am with thee; be not dismayed, I am thy God; I will strengthen thee, yea, I will help thee, yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness."

The Church knows that if thus loved, she must be well protected, "for love is strong as death." The pains of a disappointed lover, if the love be real and genuine, are strong as death; nay, sometimes stronger, so that death is preferred. The love of Jesus for His Church is strong as death. He "loved His Church, and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing." Thus He "His own Self bare our sins in His own body on the tree." For love of His Church "He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” For her "He endured the cross, despising the shame." "Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich." Thus He loved us and gave Himself for us; and this love for His people was in His heart in eternity, long before we were born, or had done good or evil. And now God hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began." Oh, was not His love strong as death indeed? And what a death! Thus every member of the mystical Church can say

“He bore for me the avenging ire,

And plucked me burning from the fire."

Consider how strong death is. Riches cannot stand before it, nor worldly honour. Health and strength, youth and beauty, are its easy victims. Death strikes with equal blow at the palace of the king and the hut of the peasant. Oh, what a mighty monarch death is! He snatches away our dear ones, our mighty ones, our innocents, our learned and wise. He rejoices as king in all our graveyards and cemeteries; and when we walk through and read the epitaphs, he laughs at us, and says, "Ah! you shall also soon be my prey!"

Well, but love is king, too; yea, "strong as death." The "love of God shed abroad in the heart" of the child of God enables him to "die daily " unto sin, and to say—

"Then am I dead to all the globe,

And all the globe is dead to me."

It has been said that, wherever there is true love, there is also jealousy-not necessarily foolish, scrupulous jealousy, of course; but a fear lest any second party should share in that love. "Jealousy is cruel as the grave," &c. Now, God declares that He is " a jealous God," and that His people shall have no other gods." And as God is jealous over His Church, so is she jealous over the divine Husband of her soul. Thus, the Apostle Paul was jealous for his Lord, for he wrote to the Church at Corinth these words, "I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one Husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." "My Beloved is mine," says the Church," and I am His." She is His peculiar treasure, "for the Lord's portion is His people." "My delights," He says, "are with the sons of men.' "The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing' (Zeph. iii. 17). He is faithful unto her "Having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end." Hence, when she cries, "Leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation," He stills all her anxieties, saying, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." When "sins and fears prevailing rise," He says, "Thou art all fair, My love; there is no spot in thee." Thou art comely with the comeliness which I put upon thee; "How shall I give thee up, Ephraim ? how

shall I deliver thee, Israel? how shall I make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as Zeboim ? Mine heart is turned within Me; My repentings are kindled together."

Does your soul know anything of this mighty love of Jesus

and for Jesus? Is He to you "the Chiefest among ten thousand, and the altogether lovely"? Does your soul yearn for Him, long for Him, thirst for Him, pant for Him, "as the hart for the waterbrooks"? Are you anxious, above all things, for His sweet smiles of love, His graces, His fellowship? "Jealousy is cruel [or hard] as the grave." The grave swallows up all. Do you desire your heart to be "all taken up" with Jesus? In that case you will be very "jealous," lest carnal thoughts, unbelief, the world, or Satan, should come between you and your dear Lord. Oh, you can better afford to part with your right eye or hand than to part with Jesus! "The coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame."

"Ye tempting sweets forbear ;

Ye dearest idols fall;

My love ye must not share,
Jesus shall have it all.

Though painful and acute the smart,
His love can heal the bleeding heart."

THE VALUE OF A TRACT.

AT a recent meeting of the Religious Tract Society, Sir William McArthur, M.P., said that, when travelling from California to New Zealand, he was accompanied by two missionaries who were going to Japan. These missionaries told him that, a number of years ago, a young lad in Japan met with a tract (it was the first time he ever heard of Christianity), and this tract awakened his curiosity to know what this Christianity was. So intense was his desire that he got himself smuggled on board a ship sailing for Boston. The captain took an interest in him, and told a merchant in Boston about him, who sent him to school and then to college. The young man was ultimately converted to God, and was actuated by a great desire to go back to his own country. He was told, "If you go back to your own country you will be beheaded," for the law was that any one going back to Japan, having embraced Christianity, should be beheaded. He said, "I may, but I have gone to the Lord Jesus, and I have asked Him to have that law altered, and He will have it altered." Strange to say, next year the law was altered through the influence of the American ambassador. The young man went back to Japan, and was now at the head of a large institution where there were upwards of one hundred men training for the Christian ministry.

IT is no marvel that the Lord has chosen affliction for His people, seeing that He chose it for Himself.-Wakeling.

"LORD, HOW LONG WILT THOU LOOK ON?"

(PSALM XXXV. 17.)

How long, O Lord, wilt Thou look on,
And see me sore dismayed?

Why dost Thou hide Thyself so long,
When most I need Thine aid?

How long, O Lord, wilt Thou look on,
And see my foes prevail?

Because I'm weak, and these are strong,
Lord, must Thy promise fail?

How long, O Lord, wilt Thou look on,
And hear how I complain?

My hope declines, my comfort's gone,
And all my effort's vain.

Wilt Thou look on, and see my foes

Pursue my soul to death?

Nay, sure Thou wilt their power oppose
When I am tried enough.

Great Yeldham.

ELIZABETH GOODY.

THE SECOND ADVENT.

DID you ever hear the sound of the trumpets which are blown before the judges as they come into a city to open the assizes? Did you ever reflect how different are the feelings which those trumpets awaken in the minds of different men? The innocent man, who has no cause to be tried, hears them unmoved. They proclaim no terrors to him. He listens and looks on quietly, and is not afraid. But often there is some poor wretch waiting his trial, in a silent cell, to whom those trumpets are a knell of despair. They tell him that the day of trial is at hand. Yet a little time, and he will stand at the bar of justice, and hear witness after witness telling the story of his misdeeds. Yet a little time and all will be over--the trial, the verdict, the sentence; and there will remain nothing for him but punishment and disgrace. No wonder the prisoner's heart beats when the trumpets sound. So shall it be at the sound of the archangel's trump. -Ryle.

WE often hear it said by doubting souls, "Oh, I am not worthy of such love!" &c. Quite true, if we speak of our own worthiness. But what place do we think ourselves worthy of -an inferior one? This is not humility, but pride of heart. We are worthy of nothing at all. Sovereign, pure grace is all our ground for hope.

P