As in his office there he sat and told The glittering heaps of all commanding gold, Drams, shekels, talents, him our Lord did see, And kindly thus accost him, "Follow me"

MATTHEW CALLED.

Struck with his words he runs without delay,
The world has nothing now to bribe his stay.
O! may we imitate his happy choice!

Like him, O Son of God! obey thy voice.

"JESUS saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom; and he saith unto him, Follow me; and he arose, and followed him." (Matthew ix. 9.) Matthew, surnamed Levi, was a native of Galilee. He was called by Jesus Christ to be a witness of his words and works. This sacred penman continued to attend our Lord till his resurrection; and he, with the other apostles, received the gift of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.

Matthew was sitting at the receipt of custom, for he was a publican, or collector of the taxes. He was in is calling, like

the rest were of those whom Christ called. But it was a calling of ill name among the Jewish people, because it was attended with much corruption and temptation, and there were few in that employ who were honest men. Matthew himself owns what he was before his conversion, as does St Paul (1 Timothy i. 13), that the grace of Christ in calling him might be the more magnified.

That word was enough, "Follow me;" that power sweetly inclines, which could forcibly command. We are all naturally averse from thee, O God; do thou bid us follow thee; draw us by thy powerful word, and we shall run after thee. Speak by the effectual word of the Spirit to our heart: the world cannot hinder us; Satan cannot stop our way; we shall arise and follow thee.

A saving change is wrought in the soul

by Christ as the author, and his word as the means. The call was effectual, for Matthew arose, and followed him immiediately; neither denied nor deferred his obedience. The power of Divine grace answers and overcomes all objections. Neither his commission for his place, nor his gains by it, could detain him, when Christ called him. He quitted his post, and though we find the disciples that were fishers, occasionally fishing again afterwards, we never find St. Matthew at the receipt of custom again.

His

Christ, in all his discourses, urges the nature and end of his own commission. errand was to call to repentance. This was his first text, (chap. iv. 17,) and it was the tendency of all his sermons. The gospel call is a call to repentance; a call to us to change our mind, and to change our way. His errand lay not with the righteous, but with