ordinances; but are they prized by thee? Do you frequent the prayer-meeting and the weekly sermon; or will a little weariness, a short distance, or a slight indisposition, satisfy thy conscience as furnishing a sufficient reason for thy absence? If gospel ordinances are important, let them be treated with respect, and be observed with punctuality. Have you been baptized on a profession of your faith? Why not? Do you regularly attend at the Lord's table? Is your place in the sanctuary regularly occupied? If ordinances are means of grace, do you not need grace? If you need grace, ought you not regularly to use the means through which grace is communicated. If you do not regularly use the means, is it not evident that you do not desire the grace you need? If you teach at all, you should teach the value and importance of gospel ordinances; but if you do so teach, you ought to be very careful to corroborate by your conduct what you teach with your tongue. "Teachest thou not thyself?"

Thou teachest that a man should be prepare. for death, or stand ready for the coming of his Lord. But are you prepared to die? Are you ready, if the Bridegroom should come? you watching, waiting, and working? Do you live above the world, distinct from the world,

Are

aiming always to glorify God in the world? Is your hope laid up in heaven? Can you prove that your treasure is there, because your hearty hopes and affections are there? Are you like the loving bride, who sighs, desires, and longs for the return of her beloved bridegroom? Are you looking for that blessed hope, even the glorious appearing of the great God our Saviour, Jesus Christ; or are you living in the world, pleased with the world, scraping together the yellow dust of the world, and feeling the greatest reluctance to leave the world? Would the news of the Lord's coming to-day, or to-morrow, be unpleasant to you? Search, look, and allow me to ask, "Teachest thou not thyself?"

My dear brethren, this subject requires our most solemn and serious consideration. Much that is seen by ourselves, and said by others, demands that we should pay attention to it. How can we teach others consistently, if we do not teach ourselves? How can we reprove others for intemperance, if we take as much or more ourselves? How can we preach, "Owe no man anything," if we contract debts and neglect to pay them? How can we urge others to be meek and lamb-like, if we are passionate and roar like lions? How can we exhort others to self-denial, if we indulge ourselves in pam

pering our appetites, in costly apparel, in expensive journeys, and unnecessary furniture? How can we reprove others for inactivity, if we are dull, lifeless, and dronish? How can we urge others to liberality, if we are close-fisted, covetous, and lovers of filthy lucre ourselves? In a word, how can we reprove any sin, if we indulge in it-exhort to any duty, if we neglect it-urge to the attainment of any excellence, if we disregard it-or be of much use, either to the world or the Church, except we live up to our profession? Holy Spirit, come down in all the fulness of thy power upon all our pastors, preachers, and teachers, and so sanctify, influence, and transform us, that we may teach what is truth, and practise what we teach; that we may profess what we believe, and conform our lives to our profession; for the dear Redeemer's sake!-Amen.

"Great God. who kills and makes alive,
To me the quickening power impart;
Thy grace restore, thy work revive,
Retouch my lips, renew my heart;
Forthwith a fresh commission send,
And all thy servant's steps attend.

"I would the precious time redeem,
And longer live for this alone,
To spend, and to be spent for them
Who have not yet my Saviour known;

Fully on these my mission prove,
And only breathe to breathe thy love.

"My talents, gifts, and graces, Lord,
Into thy blessed hands receive;
And let me live to preach thy word,
And let me for thy glory live,
My every sacred moment spend
In publishing the sinner's Friend.

"Enlarge, enflame, and fill my heart,
With boundless charity divine;
So shall I all my strength exert,
And love them with a zeal like thine;
And lead them to thine open side-

The sheep for whom their Shepherd died."

X.

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE?
"What is your life?"-JAMES iv. 14.

F God ask a question, we should listen
to it, think of it, and prepare an
answer. Here the Lord puts a ques-

tion to us; it refers to the brevity of our mortal existence: he asks each one of us, "What is your life?" We think much of it. We make great provision for it. We spend much thought upon it. We are very careful to preserve it. But what is it? Let us ponder this question. Let us give it the attention it deserves. It is especially suitable to us when shut up in our sick-chamber, when afflicted and tried with losses and crosses, or at the commencement of a new year. Our sufferings may be great, our trials may be many, but they must be short; for what is our life? Let us look

At its duration. It is exceedingly brief. No one figure can set forth its brevity, or suffi