to move the hearts of all peoples, from that time to the end of the world; and yet without a quiver they stood there and said, "Let be ! let be!" When all the powers of hell were in league to destroy Him; when He seemed forsaken of God and man; when the cry of His anguish was moving heaven and earth,— why! if there had been any feeling left in their cold hearts, or any strength in their vile bodies, they ought to have been fired with indignation, should have rushed to the rescue and dragged Him down from the accursed tree. But no! coldly they gazed on, marble-like they stood by, and unmoved they exclaimed, "Let be!" They were heartlessly inactive.

They were heartless in their interference. Not only did they remain inactive themselves, but they try to prevent this soldier from administering what would give Him relief. With him they interfere. To him they say, "Let be ! "

And mark their spirit. You have seen a poor brute tormented by cruel hands. A whole gang has been at it, buffeting, stoning, kicking the poor dumb thing. At last, one, a little more tender-hearted than the rest, cries out, "That is enough; the poor thing has been sufficiently tortured; we have had enough buffeting; not another stone is to be thrown. Let be now!"

They did not interfere in that spirit. No! When Christ was led like a lamb to the slaughter, when He was oppressed and afflicted, and when, as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth, they did not interpose and say. "We have had enough of this mockery. We have spat in His face, we have smitten Him on the cheek, we have nailed Him to the cross, we have covered Him with ridicule, we have endeavoured by all means to heighten His sufferings. 'Let be' now! No more scoffing, no more torturing. We are sick of it all. Let be!" They did not speak in that spirit. They intended rather to crown Christ with greater shame when they said, “Let be. Let us see whether Elias will come to save Him.".

Their cry, uttered in ridicule or otherwise, savours of two mistakes—a mistaken view of Christ's want, and a mistaken

view of Christ's power. Christ did not want to be saved. He came to save others, not Himself. These men knew not what was contained in that exclamation of His. Christ saved, meant a world lost. Taking Him down from the cross involved the taking down of every crown adorning the brow of every glorified saint in heaven. Better were it for the natural sun to be taken down from his throne in high heaven, and the earth enveloped in gloom, than that; because in Christ crucified is the hope of the world's salvation.

He re

There was also a mistaken view of Christ's power. Physically, He could have saved Himself, had He needed that. quired not the interposition of any Elias to take Him down. They laboured under the same error as the disciple who drew his sword and smote off the ear of the High Priest's servant; and the best answer is the one then given: "Thinkest thou that I cannot even now pray to My Father, and He shall presently give Me more than twelve legions of angels."

The cross has a voice still, and its cry is still misconstrued. What was then done in ridicule is now done in reality. Though the appeal of the cross is not the same, the evil of misconstruing it is similar, and even worse. We have all deserted our Maker, and there are men among us who have renounced Christ; and His cry to you is, "My son, My son, why hast thou forsaken Me?" and many of you, in conduct, if not in words, say, "He calls for some one else. He cannot mean me. I am too young, too guilty, too unworthy, to go to Him. Were I like So-and-so, I should go." What is that but saying, "HE CALLETH FOR ELIAS"?

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He calls you, and says, My son, give Me thine heart," and the utmost many of you do is, only to present Him with your money, and favour Him with your good wishes. And what is that but offering Him "VINEGAR"?

He appeals to you for assistance in connection with His work. There are posts which you alone can occupy, positions which you alone can fill. He wants members in His Church, teachers in His schools, ministers in His pulpits, and you stand aloof, and coldly look on, till some one else comes to perform

these duties; and what is that but saying—“" Let be; let us see whether Elias will come and save Him"?

Thus has Christ been treated for eighteen centuries! Thus have individuals spent a whole life-time in mocking Him. But enough of this! Crucify not again the Lord Jesus! Let the cry of the cross have its due effect on your hearts! Attend to it; obey it. But, if not, then remember that the time must come when "you also shall cry, but He will not answer. also will laugh at your calamity. He will mock when your fear cometh."

T. DAVIS.

He

Death

The Preacher's Finger-Post.

an Unpreventible Exit of the Spirit.

"THERE IS NO MAN THAT HATH POWER OVER THE SPIRIT TO RETAIN THE SPIRIT."-Eccles. viii. 8. Two preliminary remarks are suggested by the words,

First: It is implied that man has a spirit. Who doubts this? Even scientific materialists, in their thinkings and writings, reveal, not only the fact, but their consciousness of the fact. Philosophically, man has stronger evidence for the existence of his spirit than for the existence of his body.

Secondly: Man's power over this spirit is not absolute. He has some power over it; power to excite it to action, direct its thoughts, control its impulses, train its faculties, and develop its wonderful resources. This he should

exert; self-government is the duty of every man. But whatever the amount of power he may have over his spirit, he is utterly unable to " retain" it here, to keep it in permanent connection with the body. Almost all the men that have gone have striven hard to do it; and all men now living are exerting themselves to the utmost for

that purpose. Every effort that human skill could suggest, every means that wealth could purchase, every attention that human affection could bestow, have tried the utmost, but always failed. The fact is so patent, that it requires no argument or illustration to enforce or impress. From this fact I deduce three practical lessons. I. THAT WE SHOULD TAKE PROPER CARE OF THIS SPIRIT

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