is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved," Acts iv. 12.

Though you prosper in worldly things, if you practise sin, you will be unhappy. "There is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked," Isa. xlviii. 22.

Whether you are young or old, weak or strong, sick or well, death is still standing at your door. "Dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return," Gen. iii. 19. "There is but a step between me and death," 1 Sam. xx. 3.

Death will be unspeakable gain to you, if you are a faithful follower of Jesus Christ. "To live is Christ, and to die is gain," Phil. i. 21. "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life," Rev. ii. 10.

ON

LIVING IN PEACE.

"PAUL, an apostle, not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead." Paul gave this injunction among others to the Corinthians, when he was bidding them as brethren finally farewell, "Live in peace," 2 Cor. xiii. 11.

There is no doubt his brethren at Corinth needed this exhortation, and sure I am that we need it too. Oh the warmth, the bitterness, the fierceness with which the professing followers of the meek, forbearing, and merciful Redeemer attack each other! How is the family of Christian worshippers divided against itself! How is the cup of Christian fellowship dashed with the wormwood and the gall!

Is a burning cheek, an angry eye, a hasty heart, or a clamouring tongue consistent with peace? I have known instances wherein meekness and forbearance, and charity, and brotherly love, have reclaimed a wanderer from his way of error; but no instance has yet reached me of fierceness, and intolerance, and uncharitableness,

and apparent hatred, ever having convinced the judgment, or won over the affections of an offending brother.

Will it be a proper defence to set up at the awful day, when accused of bitterness to a Christian brother, to say, "Lord, I knew that thou commandedst thy followers to love one another; I knew that thou wert a God of peace, and that thou even enjoinedst us to love our enemies. I knew these things, and yet I did well to be angry. My brother believed in thee, and loved thee, and served thee we had one Lord, one faith, and one baptism; we professed to be fellow sinners, bought with the same sin-atoning blood, to be animated with the same glorious hope of everlasting life, and to be journeying onward to the same heaven; but my brother would not worship in the same temple in which I worshipped, he would not use the same words in his prayers and his praises that I used; he would kneel when I stood up, and stand up when I kneeled down; and therefore I felt angry and bitter against him, and I hated him."

Is there no danger of a reply of something of this kind, "Thou wicked, unfaithful, and unprofitable servant, thou knewest the will of thy Lord, but thou preferedst to obey thy own. Thou knewest that I commanded thee to forgive

thy brother his trespasses, and to dwell with him in peace and love, but thou wouldst not forgive him, and wouldst live in discord and hatred; how then dwelleth the love of God in thee! Depart from me, for the unprofitable servant shall be cast into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

When shall we strive to maintain the spirit of the gospel instead of our own spirit? and to obey the will of God instead of our own will? When shall we hold fast the truth without compromise, in faith and in love, fostering the kindest affections, speaking the kindest words, and doing the kindest deeds to every member of the household of faith? When shall we "live in peace," that the God of love and peace may be with us alway?

ON CONSISTENCY.

THERE is a term used among artists called keeping, which means that the tone and effect of the different parts of a picture should be in agreement with the whole; now, keeping is quite as necessary in passing through life, as in painting a picture.

A man who wears a ring and a gold chain should not be out at the elbows; nor would it look well to see a minister of the gospel dressed in a soldier's uniform: these things would be out of order, out of propriety, out of keeping; there would be no consistency in them.

But there is a keeping, a consistency in things, as well as in persons; in books as well as in men. I was led into this train of thinking by taking up a religious magazine the other day, whose outside cover and inside contents were so out of keeping, that, according to my wonted custom, I sat ine down to examine the subject a little more closely.

Though Old Humphrey never willingly gives offence, nor intentionally brings an unnecessary