men whose names carry weight against the attempt to limit this to an official class or order. Professor Westcott has well said that it is not to the ministry, but to the Church itself, that this is said. It was not spoken to the apostles merely; all the apostles were not there, some were present who were not apostles. Then, "Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained." What is meant by that? Surely the proclamation of pardon, or of the withholding of it, on God's conditions-repentance and faith.

His so that What is the

Again referring to the parable of the talents. When the lord came back, he inquired as to their trading. One had gained ten pounds, and the other five. Christians gaining thus so many souls by the Gospel committed to them; the knowledge of salvation entrusted to each has won so many souls. But there was one who had gained nothing. He did not trade with his talent, but hid his lord's money. He had knowledge; that is to say, only head knowledge. He had never taken it into his heart: he had not used it, even to his own salvation. lord enquires why he has not given it into the bank, I might have received my own with interest"? interest the Lord may look for from the knowledge of salvation committed to you? Is it not the salvation of your own soul? And if your own soul has been saved, "trade" for the salvation of others. Thus we have the solemn lesson that we are called upon to carry on this work of reconciliation, to win souls to Christ, to use тà vπарxоνта ȧvrov, "His goods;" what Paul calls "the unsearchable riches of Christ" to trade with. May we feel that to every one of us is entrusted the ministry of reconciliation, and that each of us is responsible to the Lord Jesus Christ to make known these glad tidings of full and free salvation through the crucified Saviour. May God help us so to do, and may He bless His own Word. Amen. Hymn No. 58 was sung

"To the work! to the work! we are servants of God;
Let us follow the path that our Master has trod,"

And the proceedings closed with prayer by the Rev. D. B.
HANKIN.

FTER silent prayer hymn No. 10 was sung

"O God of glorious majesty,

Messiah, King of Grace."

Prayer was presented by the Rev. F. A. C. LILLINGSTON, who closed with the general thanksgiving, which was taken up and repeated by the larger portion of the audience.

S. A. BLACKWOOD, Esq., C.B.,

read Eph. ii., and proceeded: We have just joined audibly, and inwardly too, I trust, in the expression of the desire and intention to show forth God's praise by giving up ourselves to His service. It is for that service that, as we read here, we have been created in Christ Jesus unto a service of good works, to walk in the pathway already ordained, or, as in the margin, prepared for us. Now our subject to-night is the "Pathway of Service," and the suggestions that are made

to us.

upon our programme include several features of the pathway, on some of which no doubt the brethren who follow will speak If you look at it you will see the headings of the subject, not necessarily prescribed to be taken up to-night, but suggested for consideration. They are: After Christ; Upright; Spiritual; Bodily; Constant; Thorough; Zealous; So shall they serve.

There is one point not mentioned in the programme for this evening's subject to which I would refer; viz., that the pathway of service is appointed, a prepared pathway. It is not one in which self-will or self-pleasing is to have any part or lot; it is one which is prepared beforehand-of God. Look with me for a few moments at Numbers ii., as throwing some light upon this feature of the Christian pathway of service. Here we have the marching orders of the Lord, and in chapter iv. of the same book we have the rules given for the service of the Levites. Let me point out to you a few verses in this chapter which seem to show very clearly that, as of old, so now also, every step in the path, and every particle of the work, if it is to be the right pathway, is appointed of the Lord. Chapter ii. contains the ordering of the position of the tribes, and their position in the encampment on their march. The order of march was clearly ordained for all the tribes. Every tribe, every family, every man had his place marked out, and it was marked out by reference to the tabernacle in the centre. Therefore in order to ascertain where he was to encamp, where he was to take his place in the march, a man had to keep his eye fixed on the pillar of cloud and on the pillar of fire. All was divinely settled. Is not that most important in these days, when we are so apt to go hither and thither according to our inclination; to linger behind, or to press forward, just as we are inclined, just as we choose? It seems as if in these days that, accompanying all the Christian activity for which we are so thankful, and which may God increase tenfold and a thousandfold, there is at the same time a great deal of, so to speak, will-worship and will-service. There is an absence of that subordination, that regularity, that complete and implicit submission to the will of God in the matter of service, which the hosts of Israel manifested when they encamped and when they set forward. Is it not because our eyes are not constantly fixed on the centre, that we are not looking unto Jesus, that we are not taking our directions from Him, but rather going by

what our own inclinations prompt, and what our own will or sense suggests?

Look at this further for one moment in chapter iv. That chapter describes the work of the Levites, and it is a remarkable thing about that, that it is declared in the 19th verse to be all appointed. "Aaron and his son shall go in and appoint them every one to his service and to his burden;" and in the 27th verse, "At the appointment of Aaron and his sons shall be all the service of the sons of the Gershonites, in all their burdens, and in all their service and ye shall appoint unto them in charge all their burdens." In the margin, instead of "to do all the service," it is rendered "to war the warfare;" so we see that the smallest bit of work about the tabernacle of God was dignified by the name of warfare. A Levite who carried a tent-peg for the tabernacle was as much warring the warfare in the service of God as Joshua when he led forth the armies of Israel That is a very blessed view to take of service, I think.

:

Then again, the burdens were appointed as well as the active work-the bearing of the burdens, and the doing of the service. Every man not only knew his place in encamping and in marching, but every man knew the exact bit of work that he had to do. There was no room for doubt; there was no room for gratifying self. The simple question was, What does Aaron say? As we heard last night, "Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it." Thus we learn how God has indeed prepared beforehand the pathway of service, and appointed the work for everyone of us to do.

But

What, then, is our responsibility in the matter? First of all, Is it not to ascertain what the Lord would have us do? The thought that suggests itself to one is something of this kind: It was easy enough for the Isralites; they walked by sight; they could see the pillar of cloud; they could go to Aaron and could get exact directions as to what they were to do. they were only children compared with those who live in this dispensation. They were under the schoolmaster; we walk by faith, and not by sight. Will the way be less clear now, under the light and teaching of the Holy Ghost, and with a completed Bible, than it was then? No. We may be sure, if the heart is right with God, if the eye is single, the whole body will be full of light.

Here are principles enough for service. Take them; embrace them. The Holy Ghost will apply them, and if we are honest

in asking the question, "Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?" we shall know what it is, and where it is. Depend upon it that it is only as we realize this that the forces of the Church militant, here on earth, will really be effectual in the way that God desires they should be effectual. How much of our service is wasted? How many are working in the same place, when they might be serving more effectually elsewhere? There is a common expression applicable to much of the religious systems of the day-"Every man to his treble and bass." We have regard to our own feelings and wishes, and our own inclination, instead of regulating our path and conduct by keeping our eye fixed on the central object-the person of the Lord Jesus-and by considering our relåtive positions in the Church of God, as the Israelite had to regard his relative position to the next family, or the next camp. It may be that some like to go "in the first rank," and few perhaps like to go “hindmost;" but the rear-guard is as noble a position in the army as the advanced guard. If they are in their proper place, they are doing what the commander-in-chief will have done. To be hindmost with Christ, and under His orders, is as great and as glorious a privilege as to march in the van. May He give us more of that subordination to His will, that, laying aside our own selfish regard to our own feelings and interest, shall make us say day by day and hour by hour, "Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?" Then we shall find what a blessed thing it is to walk in the path of good works which He has before appointed and prepared, that we should walk in it.

In the lines with which I concluded last night I would say"In the service that Thy will appoints,

There are no bonds for me;

For my inmost heart is taught the truth
That makes Thy children free,

And a life of self-renouncing love

Is a life of liberty.'

Prayer was presented by Mr. HENRY EDWARDS, after which the following address was given by the

Rev. J. G. GREGORY, M.A.

We have, dear friends, for our portion to-night a subject of the deepest import, vast in its length and breadth, in its depth and height-the pathway of the service of God. We have