DOES IT COME FROM THE HEART? The late Andrew Fuller usually spent several weeks in each year in visiting the churches and collecting money. On a certain occasion, he called on a pious and benevolent nobleman. Having laid before him the operations of the Mission in Hindostan, the progress of the translation of the Scriptures, and the call for aid, the nobleman handed him a guinea. Fuller, observing that it was bestowed with an air of indifference, thus addressed him :-“ My Lord, does this come from the heart?” “What matter is that?” said the nobleman: “suppose it does not come from the heart, it will answer your purpose as well. If you get the money, why do you care whether it comes from the heart or not?” “Take it back, take it back," said the man of God: “I cannot take it. My Lord and Master requires the heart. He will not accept an offering unless it comes from the heart.” “Well, give it back," said the nobleman: “it did not come from the heart.” So he took the guinea, and, stepping to his desk, he drew a check on his banker for twenty pounds, and handing it to Fuller, said, “This comes from the heart. I love and honour the principles by which you are governed. I love the Lord Jesus Christ and his cause; and I know that no offering is acceptable to him, unless it come from the heart.”

THE LOST SHEEP. (Concluded from Vol. II., page 341.) The good shepherd stooped down and spoke softly to it, and told it he would heal its wounds and its bruises, and would love it, and would cherish it in his bosom, and would at the last carry it to the happy valley, where it would enjoy the purest happiness for evermore. “Only come with me now, poor sorrowing one,” said he; "and I will be your friend for ever.” The sheep made no reply, but threw itself into the arms extended to receive it; and the good shepherd folded it to his bosom. “Janet, Janet,” said he, then turning to where she lay trembling and ashamed, “will not you come also; you, who know how much I loved you, how tenderly I watched over you, how fondly I sympathized in all your little griefs until I had removed them, will you not come, that you may be with us hereafter, for ever?” “I cannot go just now," she replied; “but I will go soon : I have made many engagements, and I must break them off gently, and then will I go."

“ Janet," said he, “ you think I was a strict master, but that now you enjoy perfect liberty. O! how you deceive yourself: that chain of roses is a badge of your present slavery, and with it your cruel master drags you wherever he pleases. Janet, you can now break it off your neck, for I will assist you ; but let me depart without tearing it asunder, and it will become a band of iron which you never can loosen.” Janet still hung her head. “Janet,” he continued, “must I leave you? Janet, come: I am willing to receive you, to forgive you entirely, to forget all, and to make you happy for ever.” Janet did not reply nor move, and the good shepherd with a sigh left her.

As may be supposed, she was very unhappy all that night; but in the morning she comforted herself by determining that one day or other she would return home. She was not aware, until the good shepherd pointed it out to her, that she wore a chain of flowers; and though she then perceived it plainly, it was now again become invisible : so she rested satisfied with the hope that it was only a delusion; that she was entirely the controller of her own actions, and had still no master but the good shepherd. After this, Janet found other companions, and formed other friendships ; but, at last, one day, as she was amusing herself by frisking up and down a beautiful green slope, pursued by two or three others, the mountains, and the valleys, and the whole face of nature, became suddenly darkened; and presently, the sheep, one and all, commenced a piteous cry, for they knew that the good shepherd and all his flock were then on their way to the happy valley; that it was then too late for them to seek his favour, for that the darkness had fallen which was to last for ever and ever.

O, Janet, Janet !, where are you now? Ah! there she is; stretched on the earth crying, but her cry is low, for her hope is gone, and she is looking towards a bright light far off, into which she sees the good shepherd and all his flock entering. O! she gave one loud scream as they were disappearing ; but it was in vain ; they heard her not, and presently they were gone. The darkness then began to steal over that spot too, and soon, all around, above, below, was thick, impenetrable darkness.

E.

THE LITTLE THEOLOGIAN.

OF JESUS CHRIST. (Continued from Vol. II., page 336.) Here is a statement, not of hypothesis, not of opinion, not of prediction, but of an historic fact; a great gospel truth: “ The Word was God.” Jesus Christ, then, in the estimation of John, was truly divine, even though he appeared among us às man. “That they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.” (Titus ii. 10.) It is of Jesus Paul speaks, and he calls the Saviour God. “ Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ.” (Titus ii. 13.) No one can, unless wilfully, mistake the plain testimony of this passage. It asserts that Jesus is the great God. More than this we ask not; language stronger we cannot require. “But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever.” (Heb. i. 8.) “Whose are the fathers, and of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever.” (Rom. ix. 5.) If there is any meaning in words, any force in language, any propriety in terms, this latter passage attributes to Jesus supreme Deity. So the opponents of the doctrine feel, though, by various renderings and pointings, they strive to overthrow its testimony. No fair criticism can deprive these words of their energy, and make them say other than that Jesus is the "God over all.” Then he is divine.

But our proof of the divinity of Jesus does not stop here: we have other, and perhaps stronger, evidences than have been produced. As if it were known before that all means would be used to set aside this doctrine, the Scriptures abound with proofs : they make the foundation sure. The incommunicable attributes of deity are said to belong to Jesus. Now, he who has the attributes of God is God; for we can have no conceptions of God apart from his attributes. If, then, the Scriptures say these attributes belong to Jesus, and if we are able to prove the fact that they (some of them, at least) did exist in him, then we shall have another proof that he is divine. None but God knows all things; but Jesus knew all things; therefore, Jesus is God. Read these passages, and see:“In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." (Col. ii. 3.) “Lord, thou knowest all things." (John xxi. 17.) Here is an assertion made, in the presence of Jesus, of his all-perfect knowledge; and, as no correction was made, no reproof given to the Apostle, we are at liberty to judge that the thing was even as he said.—To be