and systems, and myriads of existences to manifest Him who dwelleth in the light which no man can approach unto, whom no man hath seen, nor can see.” (2) Christ seeks it now as the incarnate logos. "And now, 0 Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine own self, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was." He would now ascend to the same power and influence that He had before. He "humbled Himself and became obedient unto death." He would have His nature now raised into the full effulgence of eternal excellence. That glory had been, to a great extent, under a cloud during the days of His flesh; the cloud was about breaking, and He yearned for the original refulgence. We are taught here that- · Thirdly In man it is the manifestation of moral excellence. "And the glory which Thou gavest Me, I have given them.". Man is glorious only as he realises, embodies, and manifests the eternal ideal of excellence. True glory, then, wherever it exists, is the same, the same in God, the same in Christ, the same in humanity; there is no other glory worth the name. To be glorious is to be good, and to be good is to be like God. passage suggests in relation to true glory that The II. WHEREVER IT EXISTS ON EARTH IT COMES THROUGH CHRIST FROM GOD. "And the glory which Thou gavest Me, I have given them, that they may be one, even as we are one." How does it come through Him? First: He reveals it to men. "We beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." He revealed the moral perfections of the Eternal, not only in His teaching, but in the whole of His life. He was not only the incarnate logos, reason, but the eternal life-goodness. In Him was "life, and the life was the light of men." He was the express image of the invisible God. All the elements of spiritual excellence were in Him livingly, harmoniously, and constantly. Never did spiritual excellence appear before men in such a radiant and regnant manner. Sages had reasoned about it, poets had sung about it, but it was all in haze and weakness. Secondly: He inspires it in men. He implants its germ in the human soul, or, rather, He kindles its flame. "God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." THE GROWTH OF SPIRITUAL LIFE.-"And he said, So is the kingdom of God," &c. (Mark iv. 26-29). Observe: I. Spiritual goodness is a GROWTH. It springs and grows up. Cut the stone and carve it, so it remains; cut the tree, lop off its branches, and then it will sprout. Man can impart motion and make automata, but not life. The test of real life is growth. II. Spiritual goodness is an INDEPENDENT growth. It grows of itself, it needs no petting, it is not a hot-house plant. Religion is not for the cloister. Ministers need not torment themselves about the issue of the work, God gives the increase. III. Spiritual goodness is a MYSTERIOUS growth. "He knoweth not how." The law of development is hidden, though real. It is marvellous when and where we get our Christian knowledge, not systematically, but here and there. There are Christians who are anxious to see growth. IV. Spiritual goodness is a CONSTANT growth. "Rising night and day." Go and stand in a field by night, men are asleep, but growth and motion are in that field. Our souls do not rest, hearts beat out their life-pulses while asleep. V. Spiritual goodness is a PROGRESSIVE growth. "Blade, ear, full corn in the ear." The "blade" is the mark of tenderness, the "ear" is the mark of full vigour, the "full corn in the ear," the mark of maturity Abstracted from a sermon of Rev. F. W. Robertson. Sermonic Saplings. STEPHEN AND SAUL. "AND WHEN THE BLOOD OF THY MARTYR STEPHEN WAS SHED, I ALSO WAS STANDING BY, AND CONSENTING TO HIS DEATH, AND KEPT THE RAIMENT OF THEM THAT SLEW HIM."-Acts xxii. 20. ASTE to the rescue!" cried the messengers from the Temple, as, almost breathless, they ran to the captain of the military band. "Haste to the rescue! For a lonely man is being sadly maltreated just outside the Temple, and all Jerusalem is in an uproar." The captain, with commendable promptitude, took soldiers and hastened to where Paul was; and, when the people saw the soldiers coming they left off beating the apostle, and his life was saved. The captain, thinking him to be some base fellow, had him bound with two chains, demanded who he was, and what he had done. Then ensued a perfect Babel; some crying one thing, and some another; and the captain, failing to ascertain the cause of the tumult, commanded Paul to be conveyed to the castle, where, upon arriving, he had to be borne up the stairs by the soldiers to escape the violence of the people. The apostle obtained permission to address the infuriated mob, and, beckoning with his hand to arrest attention, in the most respectful and remarkable language, delivered a speech in his own defence. He related how in a trance he was commissioned to proceed to Jerusalem, and bear testimony for the Lord Jesus. He felt both afraid and ashamed to go, remembering how he had persecuted the followers of Jesus; and, the image of the sainted martyr Stephen flitting before his mind, he confessed to the diabolical part he had taken in the death of that holy man. "And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting to his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him." The Lord made known to him that his former badness was no disqualification for future usefulness, and that he was chosen to become the apostle to the Gentiles. In the vivid picture presented in my text, we see I. How SPLENDID ABILITIES MAY BE WRONGLY DIRECTED IN HUMAN LIFE. Saul, of Tarsus, was endowed with good natural abilities, and he had in addition, the advantage of a thorough education. These things opened the way for promotion to positions of influence, and honour. Let us notice (a) His intense conscientiousness. He did not persecute the followers of Jesus in wicked spite or sport, but because he felt he was doing right, and discharging his duty towards the God of his fathers. We learn from this that conscience may mislead, and needs to be corrected and enlightened, or it may become perverted and lead men astray. What seems to be right, is not always so, and conscience may misdirect. (B) His intense religiousness. Earnest and enthusiastic in the Jewish religion, he could claim blamelessness in the observance of the Mosaic law, and adherence to the Levitical economy. Devout religiousness may be wrongly directed, and may degenerate into exclusive bigotry and mischievous fanaticism. (7) His intense earnestness. The redhot passion of his fervent nature gave force and fire to thought and action; and, in persecuting the Christians, he became exceeding mad, and breathed out threatenings, like an infuriated tiger, against them. So, in divine things, energy may be wrongly directed, and the fervour of the soul may run into an unholy channel. The history of the Christian church, in every age, affords sorrowful confirmation and illustration of the foregoing statements, and teaches us to beware how we employ the gifts and graces with which we have been endowed; that conscience needs to be sanctified and guided; that religiousness needs to be moulded according to the character and conduct of Christ; and that zeal needs to be under the control of divine inspiration, and Christian intelligence. We see II. How A DESPERATE ANTAGONIST MAY BECOME A DEVOTED ADVOCATE IN A GOOD CAUSE. Probably Saul had charge of the sentence against Stephen, and was responsible for its execution, as he was the most prominent person among those who stoned the protomartyr. As he stands by, consenting to the cruel act, he was (a) In antagonism to Christ. He may have seen and heard Him; we know he hated Him, and considered Him as a usurper and blasphemer, instead of the prophet, priest, and King of the Hebrew nation, and the world. But, now, instead of being willing to "crucify the Son of God atresh," he was anxious to extend His kingdom among men, and to crown Him Lord of all; and henceforth, he would desire to glory in nothing, but in the name and cross of Christ. (B) In antagonism to Christians. He regarded the sect with bitter hatred, and resolved to do his best to exterminate all the disciples of Jesus from the face of the earth. But now they were his best friends, and most congenial companions, he was not ashamed of |