guided them along the flinty road; and so gently and tenderly did he lead them, that you would have said, the flock must be his own. They are now feeding in the rich meadow, beside the pleasant

stream.

So tenderly does a good shepherd feel for his helpless charge, that in countries where they are exposed to wolves, or other beasts of prey, he will defend them from such dangers, at the hazard of his life. He knows his sheep by name, and they also know his voice, and are ready to follow him, whithersoever he may lead them.

The Lord Jesus is the good Shepherd; and we are "the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand." We are His own flock: for He bought us with His own blood; and He knows us all by name, and He desires to lead each of us to those pastures which are most suited to our spiritual wants. Especially does He care for the young, the weak, the helpless; and He will, as it were, carry them in His bosom, and guide them to the waters of comfort. He knows that there is a wolf —that is, Satan-ever seeking to enter the fold, that he may carry away the sheep and destroy them; and such was our Shepherd's love for His flock, that He laid down His life for our sake, to save us from that ruin.

Shall we not trust in the mercy and carefulness of this good Shepherd, under every temporal and spiritual sorrow? Shall we not "know His voice,' and follow His blessed guidance, and keep within His happy fold? No wolf can ever pluck us out of His hands, if we thus look to Him for help. Let us be meek, and harmless, and useful. So shall we lack nothing that is really good for us in this

1 Ps. xcv. 7.

world; and even in the valley of the shadow of death, His rod and staff will comfort us.

"What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing."-Luke xv. +-7.-See also Ps. cxix. 176; Isa. liii. 6; 1 Pet. ii. 25.

As I came over the heath, where the rock shows itself under the scanty pasturage, I noticed a solitary sheep, which had evidently wandered from its fold. It bleated piteously, and was scared at every sound, and every shadow. It seemed to be calling for its companions, and vainly trying to recover and retrace the path, by which it had so rashly strayed from its home.

I went towards the poor wanderer; but it fled

from a stranger;' and would probably have perished in that solitude, had not the shepherd missed it from the fold, and come in time to seek it. As soon as he espied it from a distance, he hastened towards it; and the sheep, aware of his kindly purpose, suffered him to come near, and take it in his arms. He raised it on his shoulders, and bore

it away, rejoicing.

And such (as I pursued my path), I said to myself, is the state of one who has wandered from God and happiness, in the maze of sinful lusts and worldly vanities. He finds, at last, that there is no satisfaction in the ways of evil; and that he must have perished in his sin, had not Christ come down from heaven to seek and to save the lost.2 That gracious Saviour seeks the poor transgressor in the desert, and hastens to persuade him to return. He finds him, and guides him into the path which he was too blind and helpless to recover; and rejoices in bearing back the wanderer to His fold.

1 John x. 5.

2 Luke xix. 10.

V. THE POLISHED CORNERS OF THE TEMPLE. "That our daughters may be as the polished corners of the temple." -Ps. cxliv. 12, Prayer Book version.-See also Gal. ii. 9; Eph. ii. 20-22; Rev. iii. 12.

How gracefully is the roof supported by that range of columns! What strength and beauty do they add to the sacred building! Each one follows the other in a perfect order, and an exact proportion to the part assigned to it, in supporting the entire fabric.

Thus fair and glorious is the sight, when the young press forward, with a zeal that is tempered with modesty and reverence, to do their work in the Church of God. What gives such strength and beauty to a Church, as when our sons and

daughters thus bear the part which the Masterbuilder has assigned to each; and when "young men and maidens" alike "remember their Creator in the days of their youth ?" Then is early piety most full of promise, when its fervour is most orderly, and ready to spend itself in lowly services, and a meek obedience.

VI. THE HIRELING LOOKING FOR THE EVENING.

"Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? are not his days also like the days of an hireling? As a servant earnestly desireth the shadow, and as an hireling looketh for the reward of his work: so am I made to possess months of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed to me."-Job vii. 1-3.-See also Job xiv. 5, 6, 14; Matt. xxii. 1-16; John ix. 4.

LET us watch the labourer at his toilsome task for a few minutes. How faithfully does he exert his