dated empires, or solitary occupant of the temple of fame, or the popular idol of a hundred worlds. Some derive their honour from beautiful poems, products of imagination; some from discoveries, products of invention; some from philosophical treatises, products of reason; some from victories and conquests, products of valour; but the honour which shall tide the tomb, awake the minstrelsy of angelic choirs, and win the laurel of immortality is that honour which shall come from Christ-likeness, the product of grace.

A word to those to whom these letters are addressed. Do you read them? or, rather, do you not read the perversions which sin has made of them, the postscripts which sin has added, and the forged epistles which the enemy of Christ has perpetrated? I think it a shame that men of the world should make merry over the foul blots which human infirmity has let fall on the fair writing of Christ. Let them learn that the consistency of the consistent is of grace, and cease taunting Christ with the lapses and frailties which erring man is ever falling into. Find somewhere a godly Christian, eliminate the human frailty-the rest is the letter of Christ to you. Read it! It has message of strength and message. of hope for you. The ray, however feeble, which some Christian light emits, may serve to guide your footsteps to Him who is the light of the world; and some epistle, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not upon stone, but upon the fleshly tables of the heart, may be Christ's call to you, summoning you to better things, aye, even to Himself. E. S. P.

Christ the Door.

JOHN X. 9.

"I am the Door."

THIS tenth chapter of John contains some of the most precious

truths of Christ's mediatorial person and kingdom. Among these we will find the figure of the text not the least helpful.

I. A DOOR AT ONCE SUGGESTS THE IDEA OF ENTRANCE INTO AN INCLOSURE.

An inclosure conveys the conception of separation and exclusion from all surrounding space. It may be a home filled with the heart-treasures of a happy household; or it may be a sanctuary of God receiving through its open doors those who "enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise," to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple."

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The inclosure to which Christ declares Himself to be "the Door" is

1. The Church on earth, composed of all believing and redeemed sinners. He declares plainly, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep." "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life." He is the Door of the Church by virtue of His atonement for sin, through whom all must enter to pardon and spiritual life.

2. Christ is likewise the Door of heaven. He is the Door of heaven by virtue of His being the Door of the Church; for the Church and heaven are both in the same inclosure, the kingdom of God's grace and love, with only the partition - wall of time between them. The Church on earth is the vestibule of heaven. The door of the Church is the outer door of heaven. Those who have entered through the outer door into the vestibule will find the inner doors open to receive them when the day of their departure is at hand. Meanwhile they will realize that they have begun the life of heaven on earth, by entering, through Christ, into the Church. "He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life." And to pass from

the Church into the full revelation of eternal life needs but the hand of death to put aside the thin curtain of time, and behold, we are in the midst of the vision of the unutterable glory!

II. A DOOR HAS ITS DISTINCTIVE CHARACTERISTICS.

1. This Door of heaven is both BROAD and NARROW.

Certainly there is this apparent paradox in the Scriptures. In some instances the door to salvation and heaven is represented as very wide, and then, again, as very narrow. "God so loved the world," &c. "Whosoever "-this is a wide door to life. Again, He declares, "Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath cannot be My disciple." This would seem to represent the Door as very narrow. Read the words of Revelation: "The Spirit and the bride say, Come," &c. Broad as the human race is the door in this invitation. But, in seeming contrast with this, read these words of Jesus: "Strait is the gate and narrow is the way," &c. Many other Scriptures could be summoned to bear apparently the same contradictory testimony. The reconciliation is to be found in the fact that this Door is viewed from two different standpoints. One class of Scriptures contemplates it in the light of the ample provisions made for salvation. And this view makes the Door as wide as the world, and as high as all time. But, when viewed in its attitude toward sin, this Door, in one sense, becomes very narrow, for not even the smallest sin can enter. Let the true penitent come, and he will find the entrance as wide as the infinite Christ. But he who comes to enter with his sins will find it so narrow that he shall not be able so much as to thrust his hand within. The rich young moralist found it too narrow to enter with but a

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single sin. But it was broad enough to admit Saul of Tarsus, 'the chief of sinners," when he came with a heart broken with penitence. 2. This Door is both easy and difficult to open. There are gates and doors so skilfully and exactly arranged that the pressure of a child's finger on some spring or latch will cause them to swing wide open, when otherwise all the force of a strong man could not move them. So there is a latch to this Door, which will yield to the weakest touch of faith, and yet will prove an immovable bar to any who would seek to open the Door by any other means. That latch is faith; and prayer is the spring that never fails to lift it. See this illustrated in the case of the publican and the Pharisee. The publican comes in the deepest self-abasement, and but feebly and tremblingly touches the latch of faith, and instantly the Door opens and he enters in justified. Pharisee approaches fully confident that he can open in his own strength. What an array of forces he brings to bear against this Door? But when he has done his best, he has not moved it a hair's breadth upon its hinges. How easy, and yet how difficult to open! The tear of a true penitent falling on it may cause it to swing wide open, when the weight of a throne would not move it.

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III. CHRIST IS THE ONLY DOOR.

His own testimony declares, "No man cometh unto the Father but by Me." Peter utters the same truth: "Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is no other name," &c. And Paul confirms it: "For other foundation can no man lay," &c. Jesus is the one and only Door to heaven. True, John, in his vision of the heavenly Jerusalem, saw twelve gates leading into the city. One Door into the Church, and many doors from the Church into

heaven. From the Church heaven will be open on every side to receive the pardoned and justified believer. John declares: "And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; and every several gate was of one pearl. Each gate of heaven will be some one beautiful pearl of Christ's grace. One gate will be the pearl of His love, another will be the pearl of His wisdom, another the pearl of His faithfulness, &c. "Every several gate of one pearl." And so there will be "three gates" on every side, but all will be one in Christ. Their pearly arches will all centre in Him, and their foundations will all be joined together as they rest in unbroken circle upon Him, "the chief corner-stone." And if the redeemed saint should be the judge, the gate of His love will be the most beautiful. Upon it will rest the brightest sunlight; about it will be gathered the sweetest angel singers; and beneath its shining arch shall pass the happiest souls of the redeemed. Shall we not call it "The Beautiful Gate" of heaven?

IV. THIS DOOR AFFORDS A SURE DEFENCE TO THOSE WHO HAVE TAKEN REFUGE WITHIN IT.

No enemy shall ever be able to force an entrance. The gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” No feudal castle or military fort ever built has been absolutely impregnable. But what enemy of God or man can force or break this Door, which is the omnipotent Christ. "For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,' &c. The people of Gaza of old thought they had rendered their city and its gates impregnable to every attack, when along came Samson, their dreaded foe, and pulled up the gate, posts and all, and carried them to the top of a neighbouring hill, leaving the people to awake in the morning to their humilia

tion and exposure. But no Samson will ever be able to pull down this Door; for its posts and hinges cleave fast to the eternal throne, so that the same omnipotent power keeps the Door that keeps the throne. Hence the words of Jesus: "And I give unto them, My sheep, eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand."

1. Let the truly penitent be encouraged to seek this Door; for he will find it amply wide. But let the presumptive sinner beware; for he will find it very narrow.

2. Let those of timid faith draw near; for they shall find it very easy to open. But let the proud and self-righteous remember that against them it is immovably bolted.

3. Let all be forewarned that this is the only Door of life.

4. And let those who are safe within this Door rejoice in their safety. M. W. HAMMA, D.D.

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Character Building.

JUDE 20.

'Building up yourselves on your most holy faith."

HOLY SCRIPTURE is fond of expressing truth by metaphors drawn from society, from the most common scenes of daily life. From the soldier and the slave, from agriculture, from architecture, especially from the architecture of Greece, has it drawn some of its most beautiful illustrations. cities of Greece had many great edifices. From the great heathen temples it speaks to the Athenians of the Temple not made with hands, and of that God who is Lord of heaven and earth.

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The apostle looks upon men, mentally and morally, as so many structures or edifices in course of erection. Self is identical with character, so a man's true self is his true character.

It is often said that a man is the architect of his own fortune. If a man build a fortune, he has to do it with his own hands and his own brains. One thing is certain, nobody else is going to do it for him. Just so every man is the builder of his own character. Sometimes a fortune may be made suddenly, the result of an accident; but never is this true of character. It is important to distinguish between character and reputation. Reputation is only the opinion that other men hold of us, while character is the actual condition, good or bad, of our moral nature. When the apostle says, build up yourselves, he implies that the work is a man's own.

II. WE MUST NOTICE THE IMPORTANT PARTS OF THIS STRUCTURE.

1. The foundation is essential. If it be ill laid, no subsequent care, toil, or expense can avail. Human nature is a quicksand, in which are thrown all man's efforts, his works, his wisdom, his piety; but all of them put together cannot furnish a sure foundation for character. Builded upon such a foundation, it were sure to fall; but founded upon the solid rock, even faith in Christ, no storms of earth can overthrow it. "Other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus."

2. This foundation Rock once secured, we are to be careful to build upon it not near or about it, but upon it, and upon nothing else. Think of an architect carefully laying a foundation, and then building on one side of it. Let all the overgrowth and rubbish of man's efforts be cleared away till you get right down to this Rock of ages.

3. The position of the superstructure is also important. This you are to build under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Every stone we lay must bear a relation to Christ and Him crucified. The centre of gravity must fall within the base. This principle in physical philosophy is equally applicable to spiritual things. The centre of the heart's gravity must fall within the base, which is Christ. Otherwise, the edifice cannot stand. The great leaning tower of Pisa is a wonder to all who see it, because it does not fall, for it leans fifteen feet over the base. The centre of gravity is still ten feet within the base, hence it cannot fall. It has stood for ages, and will stand for ages to come, if the centre of gravity does not overreach the base. There are some characters that are leaning towers; they are so strange and eccentric in many things, so far out of plumb, that we wonder why they do not fall to utter destruction. Ah, here is the grand secret: the centre of the heart's gravity still falls within Christ.

III. CHARACTER BUILDING IS A PROGRESSIVE WORK.

Character is the result of small actions, the accumulation of long years of labour. In heathen mythology it is said that the goddess Minerva sprung from the head of Jupiter, at once full grown and glorious; but character, like a great edifice, is of slow growth. As the builder lays brick after brick, stone after stone, erects beam after beam, so, slowly and laboriously, this character work advances. There is not an act of our lives, however small, not a thought even, that does not add a stone to that edifice. If it be a false stone, an unworthy beam, you can no more take it out of your character than you can take a stone out of the solid wall of a building. No man can put a bad stone into my house unless

I will it. No evil companions can influence me to do wrong unless I am one of the party. The whole world combined cannot ruin the edifice of my_character or pull it down, unless I will it.

IV. THE MATERIALS TO BE USED ARE IMPORTANT.

The apostle emphasizes the matter of materials. Be the founda

tion never so fine and the plan never so correct, it will all be of no avail if the materials are bad. It is not every quarry that can furnish materials for a cathedral. There are gold and silver and precious stones, and there are wood and hay and stubble. "Every man's work shall be made manifest, for the day shall declare it, because it shall be tested by fire, and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is." I have great respect for the old cathedral builders of Europe; they did not build for their own day or time, but they built for all time.

Character will stand longer than even stone, or gold, or silver. If a man is to build for the future, he must select material that will last. Gold, silver, precious stones-love, faith, hope, self-denial, and patience, these are the materials for a lasting character.

V. WE MUST BUILD FOR ETERNITY.

We must live in the house we build. Character, not circumstances, makes a man happy or miserable. If a man has a pure and holy character, do what you will you cannot make him unhappy. Silvio Pellico, a Catholic priest who lived in the middle ages, was confined twelve years in a dreary prison, and there is nothing more beautiful or affecting than his life; it was the happiest life I ever read. He drew happiness from the sunbeam that came through the bars of his cell, and when he had not that he did not seem to need it. We are building a house that we must live in always, for all

time, and for all eternity. The wicked are not happy because they have such uncomfortable houses to live in.

VI. WE BUILD FOR INSPECTION.

How careful were the old cathedral builders that the most distant work should be as well done as that nearest the eye. The gilded spire on the highest pinnacle was just as carefully finished as the moulding around the altar or the ornaments on the door posts.

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one can understand, who has not seen them, the wonderful beauty and perfection of these old structures. Why is it? Because they were built, not for man's eye, but for the eye of God, who sees all. So in character building this should be our motto, Not for man, but for God, whose eye sees the most trifling act or thought.

VII. WE MUST NOT MISTAKE THE SCAFFOLDING FOR THE BUILDING.

Wealth, position in society, employment, education, are nothing but the scaffolding. The great question does not concern the scaffolding, but it is, How is the building getting on? There is a vast difference between the two. Take away the wealth, position, family, and the building the characterremains.

We meet a friend and ask, How is your business, your health, your family? this is all scaffolding. Instead, we should ask, How is your character getting on, the inner man ?-then we should get at the heart of the thing. Scaffolding may be swept away by the storm, but character remains just as we form it, unchanged for ever.

Oh, may you all so build your houses, not on the sand, but on the sure foundation, that when the floods come and the winds blow and the rains descend and beat upon it, it may not fall, but stand bright in the sunshine of heaven through time and eternity!

JOHN STAMFORD HOLME, D.D.