WORK. I. INTRODUCTORY. "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might: for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the gravo whither thou goest."-ECCLES. ix. 10. "Man hath his daily work of body or mind Appointed, which declares his dignity, And of their doings God takes no account." PARADISE LOST. IDLENESS has no place in the busy and beautiful creation of God; it enters not into His thoughts and ways; it is opposed to all that He has said, and to all that He has done. Work-various, it is true in kind and degree is one of the laws of the universe. In our own planet, at this moment, multitudes of busy hands and busy heads are to be found in all directions. The merchant at the desk,-the laborer in the field,the statesman in the cabinet,-the author in the study, the Red Indian in the hunting ground, the gold digger in the mine,-and a great company whose work as a whole constitutes the very essence of social order. It is true that men have taken advantage of this to hold the scales of work with an uneven hand, and to mete an unjust measure. Hence the cry of the slave, hence the slave,—hence "long hours" of the factory, hence the mournful song of the seamstress. This does not, however, interfere with the fact that work is an element of our being. It is not only a barter for food, and raiment, and gold, but it is intended and fitted to produce happiness;-while the unworking. classes, sensible of the deficiency, are obliged to assume the semblance of work, and toil in their vocation of finding pleasure. Nor is this principle confined to our earth. We know not what passes within the starry mansions; but the planet in its revolution, the satellite in its perturbations, the comet in its eccentric path, are all working their appointed work; while light and heat, snow and vapors and stormy winds, fulfil the word of their Creator. While such is the universal law, its principle and practice have been so marred by the selfishness of man, that we must look to the Gospel for the remedy of the evil, and for those high and holy motives by which the true service of God ought to be characterized and sustained. We accordingly find that there is one great and peculiar privilege amongst many, which God accords to those who, being redeemed by the blood of Christ, occupy the two-fold position of children and servants. He allows such to work for Him. Nor is this a mere nominal position. He condescends to call them to His help. He gives each a different "charge to keep," which if he neglects, God's glory will suffer loss. He gives each a field to cultivate, and if the furrows are thinly sown, where will be the summer harvest? In looking around, however, upon the Christian Church, it is startlingly evident that there is more profession than practice, more words than deeds, more fair green leaves than ripe wholesome fruit. There are indeed many |