And so, we here learn, that we ought to guard against exemplifying this want of confidence in God,-this heartless desertion of his cause, and inactivity in duty. Who can calculate the injurious effects of these on others? How many in the churches of Christ have suffered a blight in their souls, from observing a want of decision and lukewarmness in professed brethren; by refusing to follow Christ when personal inclination opposes his will. Let us beware of casting stumbling blocks in the way of any by an untender walk, or by discouraging them because of the difficulties of the conflict. Let us rather lead them to a dependence on divine grace, and encourage them to pursue an onward course, by ourselves acting in the spirit of Caleb, "who wholly followed the Lord." He wholly followed the Lord by implicit confidence in his word. He was an exception to the number of those "who believed not," being persuaded, that "what God had promised, he was able also to perform." But the faith of Caleb was influential. It led him resolutely to obey. It determined him to comply, in the most unhesitating manner, with the divine command; hence the earnestness of his remonstrance (Numbers xiii. 30), and also in connection with Joshua (Numbers xiv. 8, 9), "If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us; their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not." With unbending firmness did he follow the Lord; there was on his part no unworthy compromise; the will of God was his rule, and his promised presence the source of encouragement and hope. Let us seek to follow this pattern of decision, in following the Lord fully. It stands opposed to mere partial compliance with his commands. There must be a surrender of the heart wholly to him, without any secret reservation, or an attempt to unite the friendship of the world with the friendship of God. Such is the demand which the Saviour makes of all who would be his consistant and true disciples. Whatever he says must be Cordially received. Whatever he enjoins conscientiously obeyed. "Whosoever will be my disciple, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.' 2. This decision of character "in following the Lord wholly," is the object of divine approval. Caleb makes an appeal to Joshua in regard to what the Lord had spoken by Moses, in reference to them both. At Kadesh Barnen it was said by divine authority, "Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance and thy children's for ever; because thou hast wholly followed the Lord thy God." The place where this was spoken, we find in Numbers xiv. 24; But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit in him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it." The same expression of approbation was bestowed on Joshua (verse 30). Another spirit than that of the unbelieving, and disobedient, and fearful Israelites, pervaded these two men. We have seen that the principles of holy love and confidence in God actuated Caleb. The very same had been manifested by his aged friend Joshua. When sorrowing over the defection of many, he nobly said, "But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." "The Lord has pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his mercy." He himself spoke of Caleb, and also through his servant Moses, that he would give him the land, because he "had wholly followed the Lord." The tokens of the divine favour had rested on these two devoted followers of God's will. One became the successor of Moses, and received the high honour of conducting the Israelites to the promised land. The other recounts the blessings he had received from him whom he served (verse 10): "And now, behold the Lord hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the Lord spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day four score and five years old." Forty-five years had now rolled away since the words of divine approbation were uttered. How many events! What numerous changes occur during this period of human existence! All who can look back this day to such an extended period of their pilgrimage, find many dear friends gone from the present scene; a new generation performing their part on the theatre of life; mercies mingled in the cup; delivering and sustaining grace enjoyed; and the unmerited goodness of the Lord preponderating, and calling for the tribute of gratitude and praise. Caleb had seen much; he beheld the commencement and termination of Israel's journeyings in the wilderness, with all the displays of the Lord's goodness, mercy, and power there; he had witnessed the carcases of the unbelieving fall in the desert; but himself had been kept alive by the Lord, as he said; his natural strength still unabated, and brought to that good land, of which God had said, “I will give it thee." We learn from this, that Jehovah will never fail in his faithfulness; that he regards constancy in following him wholly, and will reward it with his promised favour. To do so, we may have to meet with desertion on the part of men; with difficulties in maintaining a course unspotted from the world; with disfavour from those who make not the will of God their supreme law. But He on whom our eternal happiness depends will be with us, and give us to realize in his approbation that safety and blessedness which the smiles of the whole unbelieving world cannot supply. "Whosoever confesses me," said Jesus, "before men, him will I also confess before my Father and his holy angels." 3. The final result of the divine approbation, in the inheritance which Caleb obtained in the land of promise. That portion for which he applied, was received (verse 13): "And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh, Hebron for an inheritance. Hebron, therefore, became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite, unto this day, because that he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel." We are not told how long he continued personally to enjoy this earthly inheritance, or the time and manner of his death. But we may infer that having been a true and faithful follower of the Lord God of Israel, he would but regard it as a type of that "heavenly and better country,' -the inheritance free from all the defects of worldly possessions, inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away." an Such will be our end if we fully follow the Lord to our journey's close. The one is inseparably united to the other. "Let us hold fast, therefore, the profession of our faith without wavering; for he is faithful who pro mised." If we cleave with purpose of heart to the Lord, he will never forsake us, "He will be our guide, even unto death," in death, and for evermore. Seeing, then, that there is so glorious an inheritance in prospect, "A land of pure delight, Where saints immortal reign;" a land which casts all the glory of this passing world into the shade; "let us fight the good fight of faith, that we may lay hold of eternal life." To retreat would be most dangerous, to take part with the enemies of Christ, fatal to our peace. Let us hear the voice of the Captain of our salvation, the Leader of all his people to glory, "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." Follow me fully, and "where I am, there shall also my servant be." Let us listen to the exhortation given by Paul to the Corinthians, after expatiating on the certainty and glory of the resurrection from the dead. "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." Edinburgh. THE MEETING-PLACE. BY THE REV. H. BONAR. The ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their beads."-Isaiah xxxv. 10. Where the faded flower shall freshen, Freshen never more to fade; Where the shaded sky shall brighten,- Where the morn shall wake in gladness, Where the daylight dies in fragrance, Brother, we shall meet and rest, And the dreamer dreams no more; Brother, we shall meet and rest, Where the hidden wound is healed, Brother, we shall meet and rest, Where a blasted world shall brighten And a softer, gentler sunshine, Sheds its healing splendour here; Where earth's barren vales shall blossom, And a purer, fairer Eden, Be where only wastes have been; Such as earth has never known, Brother, we shall meet and rest, Tales and Sketches. THE CLOAK LEFT AT TROAS. Philip Grey was a hard working man who loved his Bible. In the evening, when his labours were over, and he sat himself down to rest for an hour or so, his usual companion was a large printed and well-used copy of God's Word. And Philip was not satisfied, as some persons are, with simply reading the Bible; he always tried to understand what he read, and to receive the truths which it taught him. One evening he had been pondering over Paul's Second Epistle to Timothy, and he lingered a long time over one verse. It was this: "The cloak that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest bring with thee" (ch. iv. 13). Nothing very difficult, you think, in that simple and straightforward message. No; and yet it seemed to puzzle Philip. I will tell you why. Joe Wilkins, his fellow-workman, who did not like the Bible, and therefore endeavoured to disbelieve it, had brought forward this passage as one proof that the Scriptures were not inspired. "For if they were," he argued, "such a trifling matter, such a domestic detail as this, would have been omitted." "Well," said Philip to himself, as he gazed upon the words, "it does seem a rather insignificant and unedifying subject for the apostle to mention. I don't think there is anything instructive to be gathered from it." Just then there was a gentle tap at the half-opened door, and the next minute Mr. Howard, the minister, came in. When he came to see Philip, he always called in the evening, because he knew that Philip was quite at leisure then; and they often had very nice conversations together and Mr. Howard was always ready and glad to explain anything which Philip wanted to know: So, as you will imagine, this verse about St. Paul's cloak was soon alluded to, and Philip's little difficulty frankly stated. "Well," said Mr. Howard, "this verse, Philip, appears to me a most touching and instructive one. St. Paul had lost everything. In his youth he was great among men; favoured by princes, admired of all, --but he left all for Christ. During thirty years and upwards he had been poor; in labours more abundant than others, in stripes above their measure, and in prisons more frequent; of the Jews he had five times received forty stripes save one; thrice he had been beaten with rods; once he had been stoned; three times he had suffered shipwreck; in journeyings often; in perils of waters, in perils in towns, in perils in deserts, in perils by sea, oft in watchings, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness. These are his own words. (2 Cor. xi. 23-27.) He is now Paul the aged, in his last prison at Rome, expecting sentence of death; he has fought the good fight; he has finished his course; he has kept the faith; but he is suffering from cold as the winter sets in, and lacks clothing. Thrust into a dungeon of the prison, he bore a name so vile that even the christians of Rome were ashamed to acknowledge him, so that on his first arraignment no man stood with him. Ten years before this period, when a prisoner at Rome, and loaded with chains, he had at least received some relief from the Philippians, who knowing his miserable condition, had, notwithstanding their own need, laid themselves under restraint in order to minister to his wants. But now he is almost friendless; Luke only is with him; he is forsaken of all others; and the winter is about to set in. He would need some additional clothing; he had left his cloak with Carpus at Troas, two hundred leagues away; there is ro one in the chilly dungeons of Rome to lend him one. How affecting the picture! I was myself in Rome last year, and at the commencement of Novem. ber, on a cold and rainy day, I recollect with what vivid reality I imagined the apostle Paul down in the deep dungeons of the Capitol, dictating the last of his letters, regretting the absence of his cloak, and begging Timothy to bring it before the winter !" Philip's honest sunburnt face expressed the emotion which he felt on listening to this account. "I never thought of all this, sir!" he exclaimed; "I had no idea that the apostle, when he wrote to Timothy, was in such want and distress. Oh, how different the verse looks to me now! It brings St. Paul in his prison, cold and friendless, right before me. What a noble character he was!" "Yes, Philip; and these few words of his, thrown as it were negligently among the closing commissions of a familiar letter, shed a glancing light upon his ministry; and a passing remark enables us to see the character of his whole apostolic life." "They do indeed, sir; and it comforts and encourages me to think how patient and cheerful the apostle was in the midst of his poverty and privation." "And who can tell, Philip, the power and consolation which this portion of his history has imparted to many of the Lord's tried and even martyred servants? I remember hearing twenty years ago, of a christian pastor in Switzerland, who was refused a blanket in the prisons of the Canton de Vaud. There is also the instance of Jerome of Prague, who was immured during three hundred and forty days in the dungeons of Constance, at the bottom of a dark and fetid tower, which he only left to be transferred to the hands of his murderers. And you have read yourself, Philip, of Bishop Hooper, led from his damp, unwholesome cell, covered with tattered clothes and a borrowed cloak, passing to the stake resting upon a staff. Ah, such men would doubtless call to mind their brother Paul, shut up in the dungeons of Rome, suffering from cold and lack of raiment, and asking for his cloak! They would not consider this verse too trifling or too undignified for the page of Scripture." "Nor do I now, sir," said Philip. "And 1 am much obliged to you," he added, earnestly, "for helping me to see so much meaning in it. I shall never forget, I think, in future, that 'all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness"" (2 Tim. iii. 16). "I hope you will not, Philip. Settle it down in your mind that there is not a chapter or verse in the Word of God, from first to last, which is not in some way profitable. If you and I do not see its use, it is because we have not eyes to see it. But all, we may rest assured, is precious. All is very good.' Well said Bishop Jewel,There is no sentence, no clause, no word, no syllable, but it is written for thy instruction.'” THE YOUNG PASTOR'S TEMPTATION. Eleven years ago, in the commencement of his ministry, a young pastor entered his pulpit with more than usual trembling. He had endeavoured carefully and prayerfully to prepare himself for the solemn services; and he had selected his text from one of the most interesting portions of the evangelical prophet, in which the richness and the freeness of the provisions of the gospel are foretold, in the glowing language of him "whose hallowed lips were touched with fire." The herald of mercy anticipated for his own soul "a feast of fat things," and a joyful season in preaching Christ, the bread of life, to his perishing fellow-sinners. It was a beautiful morning in midsummer; the grove in which the temple of God was situated was melodious with the songs of birds, which dwelt in safety there; the zephyrs that played through the courts of the Lord came perfumed with the fragrance of meadow and field; the hush and quietness of the Sabbath morn were over all; nature itself seemed subdued, and a holy awe and calm serenity to impress. every pious heart. A large and solemn congregation waited upon the ministry of the youthful pastor. The service commenced; and with the anthems of praise and the offered prayer his confidence increased, his fears subsided, and with calm assurance he rose and announced his text,-" When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water" (Isaiah xli. 17, 18). On reading these words. he cast his eyes over the congregation, when, in a distant part of the house, he noticed the intelligent countenance of a gentleman from the city of B, whose position in society and cultivated mind he knew were such as would qualify him to notice and appreciate the deficiencies of the speaker. Impressed with this thought, Satan, always ready for our halting, took advan tage of his weakness; and the fear of man, which bringeth a snare, took possession of his mind. He commenced his sermon with hesitancy, and although he used every effort to overcome his embarrassment, it was some time before he could rise superior to the depressing influence of fear. It was a barren season. Dissatisfied with himself as he came down from the pulpit, he felt ashamed |