A Goodly Heritage

"Lord, if I may not be made glad with the light of thy countenance, grant that I may be made glad with nothing else; for joy without Thee is death."said an ancient believer. Do we know anything of this sorrow? Do we know what it is to sit alone and desolate , because Jesus is out of sight? If we do , then we should rejoice , even in the midst of our sadness; for this sadness is one of the marks of a believer- that we find all our peace and all our joy in union with the Saviour. But how different is this way with most, who know nothing of this sadness. they can be happy and contented with the world though they never had a sight of Jesus. They can have joy with their companions , though the blood of Jesus has never whispered peace to their soul. How obvious that they are hastening to the place where "there is no peace, saith my God to the wicked!"

Christ's teaching sums up and crowns the best thoughts of the wise in all ages and lands . It is throughout in affinity with reason. The just wholesome authority of the Church depends on the measure in which Christ's spirit dwells in her. "The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophesy." Therefore Christianity is the absolute religion. It is indeed God's final word to men. On the simple principle of the survival of the fittest, it is destined to perpetuity and to ultimate universality. Bruce

Faith is the highest star in the firmament of grace . High in its origin - for it is born in Heaven. Lowly in its abode - for it dwells on the earth in the hearts of the redeemed. Mighty are its deeds - for it prevails with God, and over sin and Satan. It treads down seeming impossibilities. It strides to victory over mountains of stupendous hindrance. It speeds to its haven through oceans , in which each billow is an overwhelming difficulty. It braces the Christian warrior for every combat , -giving a shield to screen, and a sword to subdue . It has a keen eye to discern things invisible . It reads the mind of God , as written on the tablets of eternity- as emblazoned on the cross of Christ- as wrapped up in the folds of providence. It enthrones Jesus, as king of the inner man. It kindles and fans the flame of love. It op[ens the lips of prayer and praise. It turns the current of life into a strong stream of spiritual service. It endures , until the gates of light open at

Antonio Guevara used to say , " That Heaven would be filled with such as had done good works, and Hell with such as intended to do them."

The Scottish Reformers were not singular in denouncing the Romish worship as idolatrous, and of the various parts of the worship , the mass was regarded as the most grossly idolatrous . Not to go beyond England , Bishop Bale said the mass is the most execrable idol on earth. "insufferable idolatry", "abominable idolatry" "intolerable blasphemy" and the "most wicked and devilish mass "it was called by Becon. Thomas Wright an eminent antiquary says :- "Nothing was ever more true than the stigma of idolatry applied by the early Reformers to the religion of Papal Rome. The Roman Catholic system was - and continues to be - a mixture of Christianity and Paganism, in which too generally the pure religion of the Gospel is stifled under the weighty superstructure."

" O sweet echo on the pilgrim's way Thrice welcome message from a land of light ; As through a clouded sky the moonbeams stray, So on eternity's deep shrouded night. Streams a mild radiance from that cheering word, 'So shall we be forever with the Lord'." What a volume is contained in these two words,"For Ever.!" To think that after ages have rolled by , still I shall be but on the threshold of immortal being , on the confines and outskirts of limitless life. My lifetime commensurate with that of God Himself. His throne is the centre of my bliss, eternity the circumference. "O Eternity !Eternity! " says one who has now entered on the reality. " it is thine to crown the joys above . Thou art the knot which bindeth the bundle of life together. Without the thought of thee, dim sadness would not spare the faces of the blessed; their songs would be marred with dreadful discordance, and all the blissful bowers would lose their charms."

Eternity. Dr . Chalmers confessed that the great mistake of his life lay in forgetting the greatness of Eternity. "That night, "says Ebenezer Erskine in recording in his diary the greatest spiritual crisis that he ever knew , "that night I got my head out of time into Eternity!" "The vastness of the word Eternity was impressed upon me , " says Andrew Bonar in his diary; and, a few months later , he says again ,"I strive to keep the feeling of Eternity always before me ." "Gentlemen ," exclaims old Rabbi Duncan to his students as he dismisses them at the end of the year's work, " many will be wishing you a Happy New Year. Your old tutor wishes you a happy Eternity.

"Oh, the clanging bells of Time! How their changes rise and fall; But in undertone sublime , Sounding clearly through them all Is a voice that must be heard , As our moments onward flee; And it speaketh aye one word,- Eternity! Eternity ! " Eternity ! Eternity ! It is one of the overpowering immensities of our faith, and preachers must make the most of it . The people are tired of trifles. The man who announces as his theme a subject that is beneath the dignity of the eternal harmonies can never have heard the music of the choir invisible . He can never have seen the Lord high and lifted up . He can never have seen the seraphs that sing continually: " Holy, Holy , Holy is the Lord of Hosts , the whole earth is full of His glory! "The lips that have been touched with the glowing coal from the altar can never again be lent to ecclesiastical frivolity. For the people are impatient with trivialities. The hearts of men are hungry for the most stupendous themes .