know that we are invited there; we all know who invites us; who said the words, "Do this in remembrance of me." Yet what happens? happens, I will venture to say, in many other congregations besides our own,-happens in most churches where the Holy Communion is administered? Not one in ten remains to partake of it; the rest, without care or scruple, go away!

At such times the gracious Lord looks on, and sorrows as He sees our desertion. And lo! His own words are again brought to mind. Again the ingratitude of men men for whom He has done such great things-calls forth His reproach, "Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger."

Nor is it only by our neglect of this great sacrament, that the reproach of unthankfulness is provoked. We provoke it in many other ways: by our slackness in prayer; by our indulgence in fleshly lusts; by our unkind treatment of one another; by our harsh judgments; by our failures in patience, lowliness, and charity; by thus falling so very far short of the Christian mark, we incur the like rebuke; we provoke the Lord to ask, "Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?" We do not make it enough manifest to the world

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that we have met Him by the way: we do not let it be seen, that we are indeed purged” from 66 our old sins."

And this leads me to remark, in concluding, that the only true, and unmistakable token that we are really healed, is, when the "love of Christ constrains us," not simply to call Him Lord and Master, but to take up the cross, and follow Him.

There were nine lepers who got what they could from Jesus, and then deserted Him, and thought no more of Him. But there was one who, "when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks."

That one, brethren, and not the other nine, is set forth for our pattern. Like him, we, after we are healed, must surrender ourselves our souls and bodies-to Him who wrought the cure. We must come back: yea, though we come back alone, from every evil path, and every evil companion, and place ourselves at the Lord's feet, to serve Him, and to follow Him in the way that he shall choose. We must come back, and take service with Christ, not as though it were a hard thing, but because it is the best and happiest service, the service which alone is perfect freedom.

And, further. As did the cleansed leper, we

must glorify God. His praise must be on our tongue; and not only on our tongue, but in every chief act and aim of our life.

No day must pass in which He is not remembered. No occasion go by without our rendering the homage due unto His name.

"Praise thou the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, praise His holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul and forget not all His benefits; who forgiveth all thy sin, and healeth all thy infirmities; who saveth thy life from destruction, and crowneth thee with mercy and loving-kindness.

speak good of the Lord, all ye works of His, in all places of His dominion: praise thou the Lord, O my soul."

L

SERMON XXI.

THE HARVEST, A WITNESS FOR GOD.

ACTS, xiv. 17.

"Nevertheless He left not Himself without witness, in that He did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness."

BEFORE I enter into an examination of these words, with a view to what they teach us at this time, it may be well to recall shortly the circumstances under which they occur in the Acts of the Apostles.

At the opening of the fourteenth chapter, we find St. Paul, and his companion in travel, Barnabas, suffering persecution for their boldness in preaching Christ's gospel. "The unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles" at Iconium, "and made their minds evil affected against the brethren." After a struggle, for "the multitude of the city was divided; and part held with the Jews, and part with the apostles "the former prevailed; and Paul and Barnabas are driven out of the city with violence, and forced to flee into another.

Their course took them to Lystra, a city of

Lycaonia, the inhabitants of which would seem to have been, not a mixed population as at Iconium, partly Jew and partly Gentile, but all Gentiles or heathen.

At Lystra, St. Paul works a notable miracle. He makes a poor lame man, "a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked," perfectly whole.

The effect of this on the people of Lystra, was to breed in their minds a deep feeling of awe. The Apostle and his companion were, in their thoughts, more than human. Such a work as they had done, had never before been seen: it could only come, they so reasoned, from the presence of a Divine Powerthey lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men."

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And as gods they were about to acknowledge and honour them. "Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people. Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out, and saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and