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taking of the oath and the time when Herod's last illness had made some progress, March 13th, 4000, must have occupied about eleven months. Subtract eleven months from that date, and we are brought to April 13th, 3999, as the period of the taxing, and of the birth of the Messiah. This computation assigns to the nativity the very time already named. It is conceded that a little more or a little less time than has been allowed, might have been consumed, and the computation may not be quite free from inaccuracy. But the error is not likely to be material, and the birth of Jesus may with propriety be fixed in the early part of the year 3999.

Christmas day, therefore, is not the day of Jesus' birth. The obscurity in which that day is veiled seems intended to forbid us to pay it homage. When a Christian sees fit, for the sake of personal benefit, to consecrate a period of time to religious purposes, he may doubtless expect a blessing in its observance. But to impose the religious observance of a day which Christ has not enjoined, is a usurpation of his authority, and they who command and they who obey, are alike open to the charge, "In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."

CHRISTIAN ACTIVITY.

THE members of a Christian church, at the beginning of a year, being quickened to renewed consecration of themselves to the Lord, and to renewed exertion for the good of others, made it a subject of earnest prayer, that each of them might be rendered instrumental in the conversion of one soul before the year should close. Amongst their number was a servant girl named Mary, who, though placed under an ungodly mistress, was faithful in her service to the Lord Christ. The desires of the church came to the ears of many of the unconverted inhabitants of the town, and Mary's mistress heard of them. “Well, Mary," said she one day, "I find that at

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all going to do a great deal this year. Pray, who is it whom you mean to benefit ?" The girl was taken by surprise; it was for her who asked the question that her special prayer had arisen.

In a low voice and respectful manner, she answered, “Ma'am, it is yourself for whose salvation I am anxious." Her mistress stood surprised and subdued. Mary perceived that she was touched, and continued to urge upon her the momentous interests of eternity. At last she gained her promise that she would come and hear her minister on the following Sunday evening. She heard him again and again-her husband was prevailed on to accompany her-and the faithfulness of the servant was rewarded by the salvation of both her master and mistress.

My reader, what exertions are you planning? What efforts are you making for your Saviour's glory? Are you standing idle in the vineyard? Standing idle, when Christ calls you to work, and to work to-day! Standing idle, when God promises that the weak things of the world shall confound the things that are mighty, and every hour verifies his word! Standing idle, when your own soul has to be nurtured and strengthened, and one of the surest means of gaining a blessing for yourself is to become a channel of blessing to another! Standing idle, when the world is lying in the wicked one, and the voice from heaven cries," Whosoever will, let him come, and take of the water of life freely!" No, you cannot stand idle. What, then, will you do? Think now. Purpose now. "In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand; for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good."

ON THE DUTY OF RECOGNISING AND FULFILLING THE TRUE END OF OUR BEING.

THE life of the Christian is to be a mission on behalf of truth and goodness, and a crusade against every form of moral or religious error. The chief end of man cannot be more truly or beautifully defined than as the Assembly's Catechism has it:— "to glorify God and to enjoy Him for ever." In truth, did we not recognise the existence of a higher Spiritual Power, we should be utterly at a loss to reconcile or interpret the innumer

able events occurring around us, resulting from differing causes, and from the agency of the most various instruments. Did we not, in like manner, acknowledge a future and higher order of things than that under which we at present live, what probable or possible reason could we assign for man's creation? To those who will look thoughtfully at the matter, how insufficient appear even the highest of strictly earthly objects to fill or employ the mind; how painful are those dark moments when, the faith in another and purer life being temporarily clouded, we are unable to discern anything beyond the present scene, with its change, its doubt, its evil; and how puzzling the questions which arise at such seasons: Whence came I? Wherefore created? Whither am I tending? Why endowed with illimitable desires and nothing to satisfy them? And then the weariness of life, the temptations to the suspension of effort and activity, the morbid longing for annihilation or unconsciousness, that frequently ensue-all point to a state beyond the period of mortality and superior to it, where man's higher destiny will be fully developed, and where the most momentous acts of his life will take place.

The earth is his preparation place for this more noble existence. If such be our expectation, our life here should be actually preparatory, and not regarded as a complete term in itself, while we should walk in constant recognition of our future home. On this point there is something radically wrong in many minds. The fault seems to lie chiefly in a want of earnestness, a want of a distinct realisation of unseen objects. We satisfy ourselves with a formal instead of a real conviction on these subjects, which, while it continues the mere semblance of a conviction, can never have a living influence upon our conduct.

This defect is owing to many circumstances: pre-occupation of mind; the engrossing nature of worldly cares and pursuits; and the remoteness and invisibility of eternal things; to which may be added the tendency of habit to deaden the most vivid emotions, unless they are constantly quickened by an influence from without. Yet of those who have tasted the deep joy of seasons of intense religious feeling, who is there who would not wish to have the whole tenor of his spiritual life made more real, more living? The life of many is a half life; comprehending nothing beyond attention to mere bodily wants and

pleasures. What a fearful and overwhelming awakening will death bring to such; when the soul shall suddenly find itself stripped of the perishable covering for which it has lived, and upon which alone its whole care, and thought, and interest have been spent ; while it has to enter upon a new term of existence for which it is utterly unprepared! "The life is more than meat and the body more than raiment.”

One cause of the prevalence of this evil is that mental childishness is continued and frequently encouraged long after the limit of the years of childhood. That gay, artless unconsciousness which is so beautiful and appropriate in children, becomes inconsistent in youth. “When I became a man," says the apostle Paul, "I put away childish things." Yet these" childish things" are too often encouraged, even by parents, who, having admired them in their children during the season of childhood, are unwilling to see them pass away, not perceiving that they are out of character as those children rise to youth and manhood. Seriousness and thoughtfulness, or what, for want of a better word, we will call depth of character, is not incompatible with the natural fire and ardency of youth; it renders it more earnest, more conscientious, and less superficial. It is unearnestness, "moral thoughtlessness," as it has been happily named by the late Dr Arnold, that makes society into a routine, men into machines, and life into a farce.

Let each distinctly recognise the fact with which we set out: that he is to be at once a missionary and a crusader. Let him feel that he has a work to do in life; a work entrusted to him individually, for the performance of which he will be responsible. He has to lift up a voice against moral evil and religious error in every form; and to wage war against it with all his strength. He has to throw all the weight of his character, his talents, his influence, his means, into the scale of the right; to adorn the profession of godliness, and to extend the kingdom of heaven. Let him get this idea thoroughly worked into his whole being. Let him adopt it as his great object in life, so that every other pursuit shall become subordinate to it. Above all, let him get his heart full of the right leaven. Neither logic nor learning will enable a man to attain to right views of truth or just principles of action, apart from the right state of the heart before

God. Then, if the Spirit of God pervade our whole souls, so that the inward life is, as it were, sustained by the very atmosphere of heaven, all will be easy. We need not fear to go very far wrong on any moral question-whether politics or polemics -for we shall be looking at it through the right medium, that medium through which truth most delights to manifest herself. F. F.

THE SANCTIFICATION OF THE SABBATH.-No. V.

THE MANNER OF ITS OBSERVANCE.

THE manner in which the Sabbath is to be observed demands our attentive consideration; for there is danger here. The Christian cannot separate himself altogether from the world. Not now, as in the days of persecution, are the disciples of Jesus driven into a corner, where, unpolluted by contact with the ungodly, and freed from the distraction of worldly intercourse, they may associate with those only who are like-minded with themselves. The doors are no longer shut for fear of persecuting Jews or persecuting pagans; from morning to evening of the day of rest, unholy associations gather thickly round; the very house of God is filled with the godless. It becomes a momentous question-how shall the faithful be preserved from pollution? The answer is ready.

Let the Sabbath be a day of prayer. The apostle knew his own wants, and the wants of his fellow-Christians, when he said, "Pray without ceasing." The precept acquires additional force, when applied to the Sabbath. That day brings with it peculiar reasons for prayer. Thoughts that, at other times, would be harmless, are now sinful. New and unusual duties bring with them fresh perils. And the foes of the believer know full well that the Sabbath is one of his choicest means of grace, and take care to redouble their attacks. He has need to pray.

Let it be a day of watchfulness. If the garrison sleeps, can the fortress be secure? As it was in the stormy days of the church, whilst the little band of Christians were together listening to their Saviour's word, another band stood watching to guard

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