seeing, hard-headed men of the world, who are continually pointing at these waifs and strays of society and holding them up as warnings to their children, their neighbours, their servants, their apprentices.

"See," they say, "what fools these idle, thriftless men are! how they squander their money, waste their time, throw away their chances, begin life where they ought to end it! If they would only deny themselves for a few years, work with common industry and conduct themselves with common prudence, they might soon win their way and achieve a competency." So moralizes, so judges the prudent, calculating worldling as he hears of the imprudent, uncalculating worldling going fast to the bad; and, as he thus judges his brother, the Spirit of God says to him, "Thou art the man.'

Thou judgest thy foolish brother, who lives as if there were no winter of life to be prepared for; and thou condemnest thyself, who livest as if there were no life beyond the grave to be made good.

Thou judgest thy foolish brother because he has no fear of temporal disgrace, poverty, ruin, and want: and thou condemnest thyself, seeing that thou hast no fear of eternal disgrace, poverty, ruin, and want.

Thou judgest thy brother because he lays up nothing for a rainy day; and so thou con

demnest thyself, who layest up nothing in heaven though thy Saviour has invited thee and urged thee to do so.

Thou judgest thy brother in that he is careless about retaining the favour of his earthly employer, or master, or friend; whilst thou condemnest thyself, seeing thou hast no anxiety about being reconciled to God thy Judge, who can destroy thy body and soul in His eternal prison of hell.

Take another parable with which the world we live in is perpetually presenting us.

How we do upbraid, almost loathe, the man who is insensible to benefits received! What indignation do we feel when one man makes advances, and the man whom he would benefit repels him-gives no thanks, and evidently feels no thankfulness-perhaps is angry that he is put under an obligation! How indignant we are when we hear of the injured man, who has wealth, influence, character, demeaning himself to come to terms, and the injurious man profoundly indifferent to it all! To such a man we generally apply the word "bad," and put as much disgust into the expression of it as we can. “That man has a bad heart," we say; "He is a bad fellow at the bottom."

You will anticipate that I should apply this to the man who is indifferent about the redemption of the human family, and of himself as one of its members, by the Son of God.

But I wish to use no unreal words in doing this. I wish particularly to guard against the too common idea among the religious that warm and lively feelings are the sign of that love which the Redeemer asks for. He says, "If ye love Me, keep my commandments;" but I do wish also to impress upon you this, that there are thousands upon thousands of instances in which the secret voice of God's Holy Spirit has come home to the Christian's conscience with the words, "Thou art the man "-meaning, "Thou art the man who hatest and upbraidest ingratitude, and insensibility to affection, and want of heart, when thou hast seen it in thy fellow-creature, and yet thou hast been cold and unmoved, and indifferent to the love of God as set forth in the gift of Christ, and to the love of Christ as manifested in that He took thy very flesh to save thee; to the tenderness and goodness manifested in every action of His Life; to the love past finding out displayed in His Death upon the Cross for thee."

Yes, it is a fact, that there have been and are multitudes of souls who bitterly upbraid them selves because in past time they have not loved the Son of God, and who now make it a matter of anxious prayer that they should feel that love to Christ which He so deserves from them, and that they may show this love not by animal affection, not by glowing words only, but, as He would have them, Who alone

knows what in each one's case is the best and truest proof of love to Him.

Yes, I say, there are some, perhaps many more than we think, whom the Holy Spirit convinces of sin because they believe not in Christ-believe not in Him, that is, with a hearty, loving faith. "Thou art the man," the Spirit says, "who hast been redeemed with the most precious of all Blood, and yet thou lovest not; and what is worse, thou carest not to love Him Who bought thee at such a price. Thou art the man on whose behalf the Son of God intercedes in heaven, and prays His Father to spare thee yet awhile, and yet thou pleadest not His intercession-thou never namest with any faith His name.”

Thou art the man to whom the Incarnate Son offers His Flesh to be thy true meat, and His Blood thy true drink, and thou turnest away, or comest without self-abasement and prayer, and heavenly desire.

But perhaps thou sayest, "It is not for me to rejoice in the love of Christ. I have sinned too deeply, and with too high a hand for that. I am content to be His servant, but I feel my heart has been too chilled by sin ever to love Him as I ought. Love is for saints, and I am but a sinner.'

Well, but is not this a reason why thou shouldest love Him? The Saviour said of one to whom much was forgiven, "She loved MUCH."

It was this very David who confessed, "My wickednesses are gone over my head, and are like a sore burden, too heavy for me to bear. My wounds stink, and are corrupt through my foolishness." It was no other than he who prayed (and you may assuredly pray with him), "Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation, and uphold me with Thy free Spirit;" and yet this same David was inspired to sing, "I will love Thee, O Lord, my strength;" "O God, Thou art my God, early will I seek Thee; my soul thirsteth for Thee; my flesh also longeth after Thee in a barren and dry land;" "I said I will confess my sins unto the Lord, and so Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sins: for this shall every one that is godly make his prayer unto Thee in a time when Thou mayest be found. Thou art a place to hide me in; Thou shalt preserve me from trouble; Thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance."