arious, than me constitu is so vast e and ina: which Now, fre ve suffers es of intr he laboring ht of the acred real fading into of a future nd the very poreal that is present e mists of e darkness he transi of plain an, Christ aging the clear the es yonder, ves where darkness ends, and light, increasing, boundless, endless light begins! And how lustrous the heaven, where, rescued from death, and redeemed from sin, and mingling with the angels, our race, our entire and happy race, beseige with song and acclamation that lofty throne, where sits the Sovereign, and the Saviour, and the Father God of all! Yes, a glance backward to the life, a recollection of the promises of Christ, and a look to the Cross, where he seals with his blood the truth of all he professed and taught, and the haze of doubt departs, and confidence returns; and while the present world sinks back in shadow, that to which it leads confronts us all a blaze with light, the light which pours from the face of him whom His Son discloses. Dizzy with wild and weary efforts to conceive of God, let us but turn to Christ, and there is such an air of homely and obvious truth in that Gospel life of his, as at once to put to flight all mystical illusions. For, won by the wisdom of his words, subdued by the power of his life, and satisfied by the evidence of his miracles, that he proceeded and came forth from God, when he speaks to us of the nature and design of the Divinity, we feel assured he speaks only that which he had see and heard in the bosom of God. Come to him and cling to him, and no longer, like Job, sha we 'grope and cry, “Oh that I knew where I mig find him, that I might come even to his seat!" Chri disperses the darkness from our minds, Chri furls away the clouds from the face of the Invi ible, and the obscure void is filled with glor Ah! and if we accede to his request, and gi him, not only the assent of our faith, but t custody of our hearts, if we but suffer our fe to follow His along the path he hath opened f us, oh! pardon, peace, and joy, in the true a living God, who occupies the throne to which leads us, we recognize and claim the Father our Spirits, and the Saviour of our souls. May the Holy Spirit of the Father urge into communion with the Son, that through 1 Son, we may reach and rest in the bosom of Father. BY REV. SAMUEL P. SKINNER. "For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope." 1 Cor. ix. 9, 10. THE injunction, referred to in the text, was originally designed to secure humane treatment to the serviceable animal, which was the chief dependance of the Hebrews in their agricultural pursuits. The Apostle employs it, however, to illustrate the care of Providence. He was writing to the Christians at Corinth, who had relapsed into a state of inactivity, and had suspended the measures necessary for the support of the ministry among them,―apparently under the impression that their efforts were thrown away, or, that if the Gospel were really a divine truth, it ought to support itself, and make its way in the worl without human co-operation. The Apost thought differently, and wished to convince th Corinthians of their error. He believed th God is not indifferent to the welfare of his cre tures; and that every well-meant labor of m would be blessed. Hence, he refers to this p vision in the Law of Moses, securing humani of treatment to the ox, and asks, "Does God ta care for oxen?" That is to say, is He especial mindful of His inferior creation, and unconcern in regard to man? And he continues, " whose sake is this written? For ours, no dou that he who ploweth should plow in hope; a that he who thresheth in hope, should be partal of his hope." As if he had said, "God tal care of the lowest order of created beings." D He not also care for man? Is not this writ that we might have hope in our labor, and exp a recompense for our toil? The Apostle had probably in more immedi view, the support and encouragement due to m isters of the Gospel; but his language is not stricted to this application. It applies to effort, by any persons, to sustain the cause of in the world The Apostle convince the elieved tha of his cre abor of m to this pr ng humani Des God tak He especial hope; and his writter and expect immediate ue to min is not re es to any use of re ligious truth, and to give it energy and scope in society. He tells us, that in God's concern for the inferior creation, we have the strongest assurance that the interests of the superior are not left out of view, and that every work of goodness we attempt shall be prospered. The work may seem unpromising to us; it may appear that our labor has been undertaken in vain; yet, it is not so. God takes note of our efforts, and will ripen fruits from what we perform. He who is not forgetful of what is due to the patient labor of the ox, will not be forgetful to compensate the well-directed labors of man. His ar Such is the Apostle's use of the text. gument is of the same character with that of the Saviour, when he refers to the beauty in which God has arrayed the lily, and the grass with which He has clothed the field, drawing from the reference the forcible appeal, "Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, will He not much more clothe you? And another similar instance is, when he directs attention to the birds of the air, saying, "Not a sparrow shall fall to the ground without your Father;" and then |