time of the singing of birds had come, Mark, by the doctor's advice, carried his wife downstairs for a little change. When the summer arrived, she was allowed to take an airing in a little hand-carriage which Mark himself had built. It was a proud, thankful day in his history when he was enabled himself to drive her gently through the town to a pleasant eminence, where she could enjoy the fresh air and gaze on beautiful scenery which she had not seen for many months. A tear started in the eyes of many as they watched them go and return. The lion had become a lamb. For months Mark scarcely lifted up his head as he went through the streets. His voice from being loud and boisterous had become quiet and subdued, and it was marvellous with what gentleness he could lay his great brawny hand on a little child's head. It was remarked, after a while, that one object he had set before himself was to be a peace-maker. When he heard of a husband who was ill-treating his wife, he would seize his opportunity, and say quietly, "You don't ought to do that." And the unbidden tear would frequently accompany the admonition and give pathos to it. If he heard of quarrels between brothers, he would say to each of them as occasion served, "You don't ought to do that! If you were to kill your brother, what would be your feeling ?" If he saw boys fighting, he would go up to them, and laying his great hand on a shoulder of each, he would say, "You don't ought to do that! Shake hands and be friends."

From that dreadful day, in which he had nearly become a murderer, it seemed to him that a life-long humility was the grace he ought to cultivate. He could never refer to that day without tears. His wife lived seven years afterwards, and enjoyed a calm and blessed peace in witnessing the stedfastness of her husband to the vow he had made in her sick chamber, and his growth in grace. When she died, rejoicing in Jesus, her husband's arm pillowed her dying head, and he received her last whispers of "Peace! peace! perfect peace!" We all said that it would not be long ere

that newly-made grave would have to be opened to receive another tenant. And we were right. In a few months Mark sickened and died; but ere he departed he showed by the deep tranquillity which had taken possession of his breast, that he was not afraid to die. His end, too, like that of his faithful wife, was "Peace! peace! perfect peace!"

The Glory of the Cross.

HE cross of Christ is an object of such incomparable brightness, that it spreads a glory around it to all the nations of the earth, all the corners of the

universe, all the generations of time, and all the ages of eternity. The greatest actions or events that ever happened upon earth filled with their splendour and influence but a moment of time and a point of space. The splendour of this great object fills immensity and eternity. If we take a right view of its glory, we shall see it completed with attention, spreading influence, and attracting looks, from times past, present, and to come; heaven, earth, and hell; angels, saints, devils. We shall see it to be both the object of deepest admiration of the creatures, and the perfect approbation of the Infinite Creator. We shall see the best part of mankind, the church of God, for four thousand years, looking forward to it before it happened; new generations, yet unborn, rising up to admire and honour it, in continual succession, till time shall be no more; innumerable multitudes of angels and saints looking back to it with holy transport, to the remotest ages of eternity. Other glories decay by length of time-if the splendour of this object change, it will only be by increasing. The visible sun would spend his beams in process of time, and, as it were, grow dim with age; this object hath a rich stock of beams, which eternity cannot exhaust. If saints and angels grow in knowledge, the splendour of this object will be still

increasing; it is unbelief that intercepts its beams; unbelief takes place only on earth, there is no such thing in heaven or hell. It will be a great part of future blessedness to remember the object that purchased it; and of future punishment, to remember the object that offered deliverance from it. It will add life to the beams of love in heaven, and make the flames of hell burn fiercer. Its beams will not only adorn the regions of light, but pierce the regions of darkness. It will be the desire of saints in light, and the great eyesore of the Prince of Darkness and his subjects.

It is impossible fully to describe all its effects, unless we could fully reckon up all the spiritual and eternal evils it prevents, all the riches of grace and glory it purchases, and all the Divine perfections it displays. It has this peculiar to it, that as it is full of glory itself, it communicates glory to all that behold it aright; it gives them a glorious robe of righteousness: their God is their glory; it calls them to glory and virtue; it gives them the Spirit of God and of glory; it gives them joy unspeakable and full of glory here, and an exceeding great and eternal weight of glory hereafter.

The glory of the cross of Christ, which we are chiefly to esteem, is the glory of God's infinite perfections displayed in the work of redemption. It is this which makes any other object glorious, according as it manifests more or less of the perfections of God. This is what makes the works of creation so glorious; the heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handywork. But the effects of the Divine goodness, in the works of creation, are only temporal favours; the favours purchased to us by the cross of Christ are eternal. Here shine spotless justice, incomprehensible wisdom, and infinite love all at once; none of them darkens or eclipses the other--every one of them gives a lustre to the rest; they mingle their beams and shine with united, eternal splendour-the just Judge, the merciful Father, and the wise Governor. No other object gives such

a display of all these perfections, yea, all the objects we know give not such a display of any of them. Nowhere does justice appear so awful, mercy so amiable, or wisdom so profound. By the infinite dignity of Christ's person, his cross gives more honour and glory to the love and justice of God, than all the other sufferings that ever were or will be endured in the world. When the apostle is speaking to the Romans, of the gospel, he does not tell them only of God's mercy, but also of his justice revealed by it.1 God's wrath against the unrighteousness of men is chiefly revealed by the righteousness and sufferings of Christ. The Lord was pleased for his righteousness' sake. Both by requiring and appointing that righteousness, he magnified the law and made it honourable; and though that righteousness consists in obedience and sufferings, which continue for a time, yet since the remembrance of them will continue for ever, the cross of Christ may be said to give eternal majesty and honour to that law which is satisfied; that awful law by which the universe is governed, to which the principalities and powers of heaven are subject; that law which, in condemning sin, banished the devil and his angels from heaven, our first parents from paradise, and peace from the earth. Considering, therefore, that God is the Judge and Lawgiver of the world, it is plain that his glory shines with unspeakable brightness in the cross of Christ, as the punishment of sin. But this is the very thing that hinders the lovers of sin from acknowledging the glory of the cross, because it shows so much of God's hatred of what they love. When God gave us his Son, he gave us an infinitely greater gift than the world; the Creator is infinitely more glorious than the creature, and the Son of God is the Creator of all things. God can make innumerable worlds by the word of his mouth; he has but one only Son, and he spared not his only Son, but gave him to the death of the cross for us all.

1 Rom. i. 18.

2 Isa. xlii. 21.

Maclaurin.

IF God condescends to manage your affairs, you ought to be satisfied.
If you have one promise to rest upon, your soul is safe.

Make Jesus your all, or in a measure you turn your back upon him.
If we grieve the Spirit of God by our lightness, worldliness, or presump-
tion, we do but fill our own cup with wormwood and gall.
Walk, believing God's word, when you cannot see the light of his coun

tenance.

The Lord often crosses our wills for the benefit of our souls.

Darc to be singular, when you see all around you to be wrong: "So did not I, because of the fear of God."

The Lord always pardons freely, but expects confession; and whenever he pardons sin, he imparts a hatred to it.

He that loves sin, and can live in sin, is not in a pardoned state, let him presume as he may.

He that is one with Christ, will certainly in some measure be like Christ.

The Lord's people love the Lord's day for the Lord's sake, and spend it in the Lord's service, with a view to his glory.

The believer cannot sigh without his God observing it.

All things are now at work to produce your future welfare: "All things are for your sakes."

Never fear man if God is on your side.

Watch for the Lord's interference in trouble, and you will not watch in

vain.

The throne of grace is erected for grace-wanting souls.