cries and tears, prayed thrice in vain that the cup might pass from him, was publicly mocked, scourged, sentenced as a criminal, was nailed to the cross, was in deep gloom at the hour of death, was laid in the tomb thence he ascended to heaven, which opened wide its gates in welcome, and poured forth its myriad hosts to hail him with worship; the Father crowned him and seated him upon the throne, and bade heaven, earth, and hell bow in joy or else in terror before him. You see the way Jesus went, and whither it led him. You must go the same way; you must drink the same cup; you must be baptized with the same baptism; self-denial must be yours, the cross must be yours: or you will never go where Jesus is, and see his glory, and share his joy.

We are beginning to solve the mystery of the text, but we have not reached the exact idea yet. I do not feel satisfied with the explanation thus far given, viz: that all things work together for our eternal good, because against whatever is adverse in our lot now, shall be set an abundant compensation hereafter. I would like to know how and why our present afflictions produce such blessed results forever. I wish to see more clearly the connection between our diversified experience here and our eternal happiness. There seems to be too much abruptness in thus contrasting our condition here and that yonder, as though all were bitterness and blackness this side, and all sweetness and brightness the other; an unfilled and unbridged chasm intervening. I would be glad not to put off the results so far - to see that all things work for good even now. And this I believe to be the true doctrine. It will require eternity to develop all the good, and it will be more clear, more conspicuous in the future world; but it is being wrought, being realized already.

We will understand the text so soon as we rightly interpret the good which is intended to be wrought out by all agencies and events. Suppose we conceive good to be not mere comfort, whether temporal or eternal, but something nobler than this, viz: the progressive development and perfection of our own natures after the image of God. Let us agree that evil is more in ourselves, than without us; more in our hearts, than in our circumstances; that a remorseful conscience, and unruly lusts, and raging passions, are greater curses than poverty and bodily pain; that a degraded character is worse than the contempt of our fellows; that the consciousness of our own guilt and vileness is a heavier load than all the abuse and execration the world

can heap upon us. It is a bad thing to have a keen appetite and no food to appease it; but it may be worse amid the greatest profusion to become slaves to our appetites, and to pamper and stimulate them until they are morbid, insatiate cravings, which force us to indulge them, though the momentary gratification is working ruin to soul and body. Our lot may not be an easy one; but we often embitter the waters we drink by our own discontent, and spread for ourselves beds of thorns and thistles, by envy, and jealousy, and wrath, and suspicion. If the flesh has its wants which must be met, or pain will ensue, the soul has deeper and more lasting needs, to neglect which will cause us an ever-guawing hunger and an ever-burning thirst. If the body has its diseases which produce weariness, and depression, and achings, there is a sickness, an unsoundness of the moral nature, which unfits for every proper employment, for all true happiness, which makes the heart sad and gloomy. This is evil. You may put a man with a stained conscience and a mean spirit, with a heart under the tyranny of licentious desires and malicious tempers, sullen and sour, amid the sweets of paradise or on the pinnacle of power, and he will be, he must be, a wretch. Purge away that guilt from the conscience; cure that inward disease, those festering sores of the heart; give the man a new heart and a right spirit; let him be born again, partake the divine nature, and begin a holy life; shed abroad in his soul love to God, love to his neighbor; fill him with thankfulness, resignation, and trust; let every appetite, propensity, passion, · be moderated and controlled by reason and duty; let him enjoy the friendship of God and the approval of his own heart; give him a hope of living with God in spotless purity forever-and do you not confer on him the highest good of which he is capable? The true riches, the true beauty, the true glory, of a man consists in the virtues of his heart. These inhere in himself. These alone are his own. These depend not on shifting circumstances. These are a perennial fountain within-not a cistern which may be exhausted, or from which you may wander. External situation does have some effect. Things without us do affect our comfort. We have wants whose supply is outside of us. But let a man's own body be deeply diseased and violently tortured, in the lassitude, and melancholy, and pain thence resulting, is he not c it off from pleasure in the outward world? What to him are the sunlight on the varied landscape, the delicate viands which the epicure provides, polished mahogany, and

soft carpets, and rich curtains, and a magnificent couch, and sweet strains of music? And how much nearer to himself than the flesh, is his spirit. How much more sensitive. If the heart is sick, if the heart is wounded and bruised and bleeding, if there is derangement in all its parts and functions, how can there be happiness? It is the soul that constitutes himself and his worth, that raises him above the brute, that by its holiness can make him the equal of angels and the image of God. Our good must be found in moral excellence, in purity from all sin, in partaking the divine nature and reflecting the divine glory, in meekness, and gentleness, and temperance, and humility, and patience, and justice, and truth, and generosity, and love. This is the glory that is not artificial, not accidental, not changing but genuine, essential, unfading. It sweetens the waters of Marah. The consciousness of innocence, the approval of our own hearts, unswerving integrity, superiority to all low and mean feelings, submission, confidence, and love, can triumph over all ills, can sing songs of gladness in the prison at midnight, can shout victory amid the agonies of death. Death itself cannot rob us of this good though it takes all else. Gold may be stolen, honor may be wrested. friends may forsake, reputation may be aspersed, health may fail, kindred may be laid in the dust, the body itself may fall off and rot but virtue, holiness, religion, survive every change of life, survive the last anguish of the flesh, bloom with unwithering beauty, shine with fadeless lustre. And thus it is that our good is eternal. Freed from all alloy, no longer liable to any tarnish, perfected, it is "the glory that shall be revealed in us”—a glory that cannot go out, cannot dim, but can and will widen and brighten evermore.

Now this is the good, begun here, perfected in heaven, continued forever, which all things tend and contribute to produce in us. It is the refining of the soul from all dross, its transformation into the divine likeness, the development and maturing of virtue, the glorification of the immortal spirit, its preparation here and now for the presence, sight, fellowship, fruition of God in heaven and forever. Our worldly, our bodily comfort is not a matter of indifference to God; but what chiefly concerns him is our holiness. Are not all things designed to promote in us this growth of virtue, and to result in immortal blessedness Christ gave himself for us, that he might sanctify and cleanse us to be a glorious church, without spot, wrinkle, or any such thing The Spirit is given to hallow and comfort us.

The Scriptures are given that we may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. All orders of the ministry are given for the perfecting of the Saints, for the edifying of the body of Christ, that we may grow up from feebleness to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. The fellowship of the church is provided that we may consider one another, to provoke unto love and good works. God sends. us rain, sunshine, food, friends, health, that his goodness may lead us to repentance, to thankfulness, to imitation of his own benevolence. He gives us talents, that, by employing them aright, we may not only be useful to others, but may exercise and strengthen our own graces. And trials subserve the same purpose. They teach us humility, self-distrust, the vanity of earth, the importance of living for heaven, the value of religion, faith in God, meekness, patience, love. They chasten the spirit. They subdue lust, tame passion, sober frivolity. They drive us to the Word of God, to pious meditation and prayer. They impose on us the necessity of watchfulness and self-control. Trouble is the time for reflection. Darkness is the season to try and to improve faith. When men slander and ill-treat us, we may learn to conquer pride and revenge, to put on long-suffering, gentleness, charity. Go to the sick room, and you will find the best examples of resignation, patience, trust, hope, love, deadness to the world, joy in Christ, heavenly-mindedness. The Captain of our salvation was made perfect through sufferings. We need to be made perfect through sufferings. Often we are straying, and can be brought back only by the rod. Often a toy is charming us to forgetfulness of God, and he breaks it. Often worldly, or sen sual, or bitter feelings are waxing too strong, and they must be curbed and subjected by sorrow. If we do not need punishment, yet our virtues may ripen faster in adversity. Then we think much about God and heaven. Then we prize most highly the consolations of th Spirit. Is there any temptation against which we struggle manfully without profit? Is there any sorrow which we bear patiently, and are not improved? Thus does God choose to work in us substantial and abiding good. Thus does he draw us from the world to the enjoyment of himself, and invest our souls with the glory of holiness, which will outshine the sun in the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, we glory in tribulations, also; they are agencies for our good; they work experience, patience, hope. Therefore do we most giadly glery rather in infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon us.

Therefore it is needful that, for a season, we should be in heaviness through manifold temptations; that the trial of our faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, may be found unto praise, and honor, and glory, at the appearing of Jesus Christ. Thus do these light, momentary afflictions work out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

We now see why those things work good only to them that love God. We are moral beings, and must co-operate with every agency in order to be benefitted. Only to those properly exercised by them, do chastenings yield the peaceable fruits of righteousness. It depends on the spirit with which we receive the gifts and dealings of God, how we shall be affected by them. If we view God in all things, in blessings and afflictions, in providence and grace, in our own business and plans, if we are patient, thankful, and resigned, then do all things contribute to our growth in piety.

We see also the connection of the promise with our calling according to his purpose. God made us to bear his image and show forth his glory. He has redeemed us by the blood of his Son to the same end. He manages his providential and spiritual kingdoms alike for the salvation of his people. We, bought from the power of sin by so dear a ransom, justified, taken into his friendship, taken into his family, and made his heirs must not all things work the divine purpose towards us, the object near his heart-even our glorification? Yes, all things are ours to this end. Earth is ours. See the bounty of God in verdure, fruitage, harvest, flowers, in his care of the least blade of grass and the tiniest insect. Do you think that he will deny one of his own redeemed, beloved children, a share of his bounty? No: he withholds only as our good demands. Angels are ours, ministering spirits to the heirs of salvation. Life is ours, for the culture of piety. Trials are ours, to purge away sin, and invigorate religious principles. Death is ours, to bear away our souls to God. The grave is ours, that, sleeping in weakness like Christ, we may rise like him in power. Heaven is our home and inheritance. He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

We may not see their connecone result. We may not un

All things work together for good. tion, their interplay, their bearing, on derstand how the tangled threads of life are woven into a perfect web. The defect is in our vision; it is too dim and narrow. Had