How truly and how affectingly do we behold set forth in this verse, in the most pathetic manner, the warm feelings of a tender-hearted friend, kindled by the prevailing love of Christ, abundantly shed abroad in his heart. These are feelings which at all times are welcomed among friendly disposed persons, and a great means of influencing those who are not so disposed; feelings which are more particularly welcomed in seasons of affliction and poverty, and which give greater and stronger desires to influence persons by experience to know the value and comfort of that friend, mentioned in Proverbs xviii. 24, "that sticketh closer than a brother." The character of a friend is beautifully described in Prov. xvii. 17, where it says, "a friend loveth at all times." "That friend that sticketh closer than a brother," I take to mean no other than Christ himself; who in the verse displays one of the affectionate feelings of a tender-hearted friend, common to the human nature.which he took upon himself when he became man: Jesus weeps.

The more we ponder over and consider these words, so much the more are we led to see how one part of Scripture bears up and confirms another. Thus we find recorded, in Romans xii. 15, the beautiful exhortation, "Rejoice with them that do rejoice; and weep with them that weep ;" and have, in 1 Cor. xii. 26, an excellent reason why, namely this, "If one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; and if one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it." And what is the reason of this? We have it recorded in the 12th verse: it says, "For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ." This is beautifully confirmed in the 14th verse: "For the body is not one member, but many."

The circumstance that called forth the sympathies of our Lord, in the verse quoted, was the death of Lazarus, or rather as it is stated in the 33rd verse, "that seeing Mary weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in spirit, and was troubled," or, as it is expressed in the margin, "he troubled himself." The reason why he sympathises is beautifully worded in St. Paul's Epistle to the Hebrews (iv. 15.) "For we have not an High Priest which cannot be touched with

a feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." In the 34th verse he still sympathises with them, and asked them a trying question, “Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see.” 35th verse, "Jesus wept." Next verse, "Then said the Jews, Behold bow he loved him." Consider what the Jews said, "Behold how he loved him." He is no less loving to us now. He loves us more than any other friend besides, because he laid down his life for us, and "greater love hath no man than this.” (John xv. 13.) "In that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. v. 8.) Such was his love for us; and shall we, through our sins, cause those eyes to weep again, and on the same principle, though not literally, join with the multitude, and cry, Crucify him! Crucify him? To Christians whose hearts are fired with love to Jesus, and zeal for his cause, such conduct, it is to be hoped, is far from them. But there are some amongst the professors of Christianity who, by their conduct, do plainly prove that such is their sad state. To those who are thus acting, let a few words be addressed. Suppose a kind friend, a friend that had done all that was in his power to assist another, was unjustly brought to be burnt→→→ tied to a stake-do you think that the person he had done so much for could look at him for an hour in that situation? No. Prolong that hour into a day, could he still behold him? No, he could not. Yet this man only did what he could, and lived himself, but Jesus gave his life, "the just for the unjust;" and, as I quoted a little way back, "while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." If this has been the way in which our Saviour has been treated, let it be so no more; but pray earnestly to Almighty God that he would "create in you a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within you." "Jesus weeps" because of the people that kept not his law. Hear how he sobs out, and says, "in Psalm cxix. 136, "Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law." And again, in Jeremiah ix. 1, he exclaims, "Oh! that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people." Hear what Isaiah says, (liii. 3.) "That he was a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief." Truly he was a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; for how often do we read of him "weeping with those that weep," in the instance now before us, and many others. Behold Jesus weeping over Jerusalem, (Luke xix. 41.) It is written, "And

when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it." Oh! what must have been his feelings when he wept over the city, and gave utterance to such language as this, which we find in the next verse, "saying, if thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace, but now they are hid from thine eyes"-but how often has much the same thing been said over us? Lastly, this Jesus, that thus weeps, 66 took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham," as we find written in Hebrews ii. 16, and became that friend " that sticketh closer than a brother." We know that when an earthly friend desires us to do anything which would conduce to our welfare, how exceedingly ready and anxious we are to do it without delay, for fear of disobliging our friend, and losing, it may be, his interest, which might be of great importance to us. Yet, O, how widely different is the case with us when our greatest friend, namely Christ, speaks to us, and exhorts us as he does in Romans xii. 2, where he says, " 'be not conformed to this world;" for which exhortation we have an excellent reason in 1 John ii. 15, namely this, "that if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." We have an excellent reason for this, that if you love the world, you cannot love Christ, as we find recorded in Matthew vi. 24, "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." "Ye cannot serve God and mammon." Listen to what St. Paul says in his Epistle to the Galatians, (i. 10.) "For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men," he says, "I should not be the servant of Christ." St. James strongly confirms this statement, and says, (iv. 4.) "Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world, is the enemy of Christ." Thus plainly and distinctly are we told, that if we are the friends of the world, we are the enemies of Christ. Let us take care and guard against this, by attending to and putting in practice, by the power and with the assistance of the Almighty, that exhortation which he has given us in Romans xii. 2. The case of those who are friends of the world is a lamentable one, but not hopeless; for the Lord is still waiting to be gracious; there is still room; angels and glorified spirits are waiting to have the joyful opportunity of commencing the heavenly song of Moses and the Lamb; for it is written in the Scriptures

that "there is joy in the presence of the angels in heaven over one sinner that repenteth." It is not only the angels that are waiting, the devils in hell are exulting in the prospect that they shall have another spirit as wicked as themselves to join them. Now seeing that both in heaven and hell there are spirits striving which shall have the mastery, oh! choose, choose, ere it be too late, for your day of grace may be almost gone, and future time you are not certain of, and God has put as it were a stop to such expectations as these; for he says, in 2 Cor. vi. 2, "Now is the accepted time; now is the day of salvation." Seeing that now is the time, let us determine, in the strength and with the assistance of the Almighty, to be henceforth wholly on his side, for he assures us, in the words of a most comforting promise and stimulus, to proceed on our journey, which you will find recorded in Rev. iii. 2, “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me on my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father on his throne." In the verse preceeding the one I have just quoted, you will see that he is very near us: he says, “behold I stand at the door and knock." If this were an earthly friend that was standing at the door knocking, you would soon open to him; but, oh! consider how long has Christ been knocking at the door of your heart for admittance; long, I am afraid. Then open the door, and receive your greatest friend, and enjoy his company; for he says, "if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and sup with him, and he with me." Our Lord will pronounce a blessing on the servants that he finds watching when he comes. It is written in St. Luke xii. 37, 38, "blessed are those servants whom the Lord, when he cometh, shall find watching;" and if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. What an unspeakable privilege it is to be blessed of the Lord. Noah preached to the people to repent during the 120 years he was building the ark; that if they would only hear, and do what he preached to them, they might be saved. The ark of the Lord is already made, and ministers are preaching and praying that men should come into it. The burden of the song is, "come"-ministers say, "come"-the word says, "come"and the Spirit says, "" 66 come,' 'come into the ark." Our Lord himself says, come, for all things are now ready." A gracious promise he makes to those that do come, for he says, him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." Lastly,

let the wicked turn from his evil ways, and give the angels joy; and go, and God speed you, and let the eyes of Jesus have no more occasion to weep.

THE DAY OF REST.

Reader, which do you like best; the law of God, or the law of Satan?