activity he had induced in the self-made skeleton of formulæ and fancies, which he had persuaded himself was the genuine tradition of the fathers. Amid the scepticism of the times, the Pharisees, as a sect, rallied around themselves all the eager and earnest religious spirit which was then to be found in the nation. They were proud of their sect: they identified it with true religion, and considered it to be the glory of their land. We have the same things amongst us now. Men who think more of their party than of their Saviour; more of the modes and usages of their church than of the "Church of the living God" itself; more of the creeds to which they have sworn than of the Bible, which vitalizes all true creeds. Fourthly. Religious earnestness. "Concerning zeal, persecuting the church." This was the highest compliment Paul could pay to his old zeal. It would strike a chord which would vibrate deeply in the heart of a bigoted Jew. It is well to remember the verdict Paul pronounces upon mere earnestness:-It may be " blasphemy." It may be a good thing." Let us not forget that the world is disposed to worship before the shrine of zeal-to substitute earnestness for truth-to estimate enthusiasm in a bad cause as a holier thing than the indolent profession of a good one.

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Fifthly. Ceremonial blamelessness, and legal righteousness. "Touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. Paul could defy the priest to have found him tripping. He had the garment that was unspotted; he enjoyed a name that was unsullied. So far as such righteousness could have quenched his thirst for life, he possessed a full cistern. If, with the law, his spiritual hunger could have been appeased, he had bread enough and to spare. Let us notice

II. The estimate which the apostle was disposed to make of these doubtful advantages. He condemns them all with a word. It is enough with him to say, that to lean upon THEM would be equivalent to putting "confidence in the flesh." He regards the whole thing as carnal. Confidence in any part of it he therefore holds to be purely preposterous. A

reliance upon any, or all, of these things involved no spiritual change. An unspiritual man might possess all that has been described as "great gain." His blood may be pure; his sacramental initiation may be perfect; his religious sect held in high estimation; he may be bigoted in his adherence to a true creed; and as far as his respectability and ceremonial purity may carry him, he may stand the severest test;-yet, with all this, there will be no guarantee whatsoever of a spiritual life. A man may gain all this world of honor, and lose his own soul.

III. The course which the apostle had been prepared to adopt. "What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ." No one could say he underrated them. No one could charge him with ignorance of them. He knew them, and deliberately prepared to forego all their advantages, because he had found Christ, who gave him that which no rank, no sect, no mere earnestness, no legal righteousness, could confer. He felt a love constraining him. He found a life within him—a resting-place for his immortal soul-a home in the bosom of his God! He found adequate coMPENSATION for his loss. The reckoning he had made of loss was not an idle boast: he knew his own history, but was no braggart. For Christ, he says, "I have suffered the loss of all things." The thing is done! But he takes no credit to himself in the matter. "And do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him." The elevation of his taste, the spirituality of his character, prove that his coMPENSATION was sufficient, his substitute divine!

H. ROBERT REYNOLDS, B.A.

Leeds.

Analysis of Homily the Forty-third.

"How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!"-Psa. cxxxix. 17.

SUBJECT:-Precious Thoughts.

We use the term religion in two senses in what metaphysicians would call an objective sense, and a subjective sense. In its objective sense, it designates the system of revealed truth-the facts, doctrines, precepts, and promises, of the Bible. As it lies in the book, we call it a religion; the Christian religion. In its subjective sense, it designates the temper of our thoughts and feelings towards this revelation. When a man believes what is in the Bible, and lives in accordance with it, we call his faith and his life religious; we say that he is a religious man. In other words, this term religion, in its popular use, describes either God's thoughts towards us, or our thoughts towards God. Commonly, we speak of the latter as being the practical duty to which we seek to urge men. Our arguments and efforts are directed to induce in them right thoughts of God. Now, however, we speak of the formerof God's thoughts towards us, inasmuch as the one is dependent upon the other; a knowledge of God's thoughts towards us being essential to produce in us right thoughts towards him. Strictly speaking, the former is theology, and the latter religion.

It scarcely need be explained what is meant when we speak of "thoughts." Thinking is the proper action of the mind; "thoughts" are the result of that action. We receive certain impressions-we begin to muse over them, to combine them, compare them, make deductions from them, see of what they are capable, and whither they lead. We put like things together, contrast different things, and come to certain conclusions: the process is thinking, the result is thought. So that we might define "thoughts" as opinions about facts.

The character of every moral being is indicated by the character of his thoughts. "As a man thinketh in his heart,

so is he." Thought is the offspring of the heart as well as of the intellect; for although it is the latter only that properly thinks, yet the former chooses the subject of thought, puts it into the intellect, superintends the thinking process, and guides it to its conclusions. Hence we always judge a man by his thoughts, as they are expressed to us by his words and actions. Men express their thoughts in different ways. Some men, when they have a thought, speak it; others write it-put it into a book; others act it-embody it in a deed. But thoughts are the seeds of all things, and therefore the foundation of all character.

Hence there is a great difference between great thoughts and good thoughts. Thoughts may be intellectually great, and, at the same time, morally bad. A man may be very clever and yet very wicked; and he may be very weak and yet very good. The bad heart of a man may put evil things into a great intellect ;-hence your profligate poems and godless infidelities literary incarnations of the devil. A perfect moral being is one who combines the great with the good. This is precisely our idea of the Supreme Being-an infinite intellect under the direction of a perfect moral nature. Hence we call him "God." Our conception of the devil-the evil one-is, of a mighty intellect employed by a moral nature thoroughly unholy. Hence the importance of acquainting ourselves with God's thoughts-his thoughts towards us. It will determine our estimation of him, and our reverence for him.

We can, of course, speak of God's "thoughts" only as he has expressed them to us. We can know nothing of the Divine mind-nothing of the Divine thoughts as such-only of their results. We recognise God's thoughts simply in what he has said and done. This opens a very wide field to us; for everything that God has done-everything that is, in the physical and moral universe-is an embodied thought of the Divine mind. In the material world, God has expressed his "thoughts" in actions: in the Bible, he has expressed them in words. The very nature of the case, in each instance, determined this. When, in the former,

I see his actions or works, I infer somewhat of his character. They declare "his eternal power and Godhead.' But as a moral and responsible being, I am chiefly concerned to know his thoughts upon moral subjects-about law, holiness, sin, religion; for upon these his treatment of me depends. The creation cannot tell me of these. I might see a piece of mechanism—a watch or a steam-engine-exquisitely or powerfully made, but it would indicate to me only the skill or energy of the workman; it would be no index to me of his moral judgments or moral character. I turn, then, to the Bible, the book of God's written thoughts -written for the purpose of expressing his judgments upon these things-and these, pre-eminently, I call "precious thoughts." Other thoughts of God may interest me-these implicate me. David's exclamation has reference to God's providential care. It is suggested by a meditation upon his omniscience. God was thoughtful for his human wants. But it may fitly be resolved into a general principle. It is precisely one of those phrases that ought to be taken out of their connexion, and made a general principle of.

What is it that makes "thoughts" precious-any thoughts?

I. THOUGHTS ARE DEEMED PRECIOUS BY US, WHEN THEY REGARD THINGS THAT, EITHER ABSOLUTELY OR RELATIVELY, ARE IMPORTANT. If we have any momentous question to investigate, any weighty matter to determine, we attach a certain value, according to our estimate of their wisdom, to the opinions of others; we carefully collect them, thoughtfully ponder them. If it be a matter that affects our personal interests, we are doubly solicitous; we want to know what our friends think about it, how deeply our interests are involved, in what points they are affected, in which way they will be determined, and, above all, if there be any individual with whom the determination of the matter rests; we are solicitous to know his thoughts. What would not the culprit give to know the thoughts of the judge who is trying him, or of the jury who are to give their verdict concerning him?