robbery to be equal with God, yet he made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross"-"I lay down my life......No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself." Indeed, his murderous enemies were not more eager to take his life than he was in his love to give it; and the best proof of this is his own memorable utterance: "I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!" And for what end was all this? This is not difficult to perceive. When, before the commencement of a journey, the camel of the desert stoops beside its Arab owners, the reason is obvious. It is their great burden-bearer in the sandy wastes, and only by kneeling can it receive its load. Now even so, but in an infinitely higher sense, was it with our great Burden-bearer, the Lord Jesus Christ. But for his humbling himself as he did, our iniquities could not have been laid upon him, nor could he as the Lamb of God have taken them for ever away, for it was as a man only he could serve and suffer, and give his life a ransom for many. In this way, and as the Father's servant in the great work of redemption, he accomplished everything for which he had come into the world. The full obedience was rendered, the full debt was paid, and the full penalty borne. "Wherefore God hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name." "No word is sung more sweet than this, "A poor landlora," said John Maclaurin, "thinks it a lasting honour to his cottage that he has once lodged a prince or emperor. With how much more reason may our poor cottage, this earth, be proud of it, that the Lord of glory was its tenant from his birth to his death." For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.-2 COR. viii. 9. All things that the Father hath are mine.-JOHN xvi. 15. Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.-LUKE ix. 58. August 2. THE FULNESS THAT NEVER LESSENS. LONG centuries ago, it pleased Pharaoh to commit all the fulness of the land of Egypt into the hands of Joseph, and to the famished people on every side his one word was, "Go to Joseph." A wiser counsel could not have been given; and none who acted on it, whatever their extremities, were allowed to perish. While this was true even of the Egyptians, it was more emphatically true still of the children of Israel; and naturally so. Joseph was their brother; and as the fulness of his power was not greater than the fulness of his brotherly love, so long as he lived they never wanted any good thing. Their corn abounded, their cup ran over, and both for life and property they had absolute security. But everything changed when Joseph died. The fulness ended then, and the freedom and the peace, and many a bitter hour thereafter did his kinsmen experience. Very different is it with the Lord's redeemed; for in Jesus Christ they have an elder brother, infinitely greater and more loving than Joseph-of whom Joseph was but the faintest of types. He ever liveth, and changeth not, and in him all fulness dwells-fulness of grace, of strength, and of joy, infinitely more than sufficient to meet their every want. Their necessities are great and manifold: nevertheless, everything needed by them, whether for duty or trial, life or death, time or eternity, is wrapped up in the divine fulness which dwells in Christ; and it is the will of their Father that out of his fulness they should be ceaselessly drawing. So long, therefore, as there is faith to draw, there never can come a last supply. A benevolent person once gave Rowland Hill a hundred pounds to dispense to a poor minister; and thinking it was too much to send him all at once, he put five pounds in a letter, with simply these words within the envelope, More to follow." Shortly after, the good man received another letter, with the same cheering motto, “And more to follow." And again, a little after, came a third and a fourth, and still the same promise, "More to follow." Now every blessing that comes from God, as has been well said, is sent with the self-same message: "I forgive you your sins, but there is more to follow; I justify you in the righteousness of Christ, but there is more to follow; I adopt you into my family, but there is more to follow; I give you grace upon grace, but there is more to follow; I will uphold you in the hour of death, and when passing into the world of spirits my mercy shall continue with you, and when you land in the world to come there shall be still more to follow." And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for JOHN i. 16. grace. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.-MATT. v. 6. Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.-PHIL. i. 11. August 3. THE PRAYERS OF DYING SAINTS HAVE OFTEN UNDYING POWER. NE day, eighteen centuries ago, an infuriated crowd ONE was seen hurrying through the streets of Jerusalem, dragging along a calm and saintly man, whose name will be held in everlasting remembrance. To mere sense his end was bitter, for he was stoned to death; but ere the holy martyr fell asleep, two touching petitions came from his lips-the one for himself, and the other for his murderers. "Lord Jesus," he said, "receive my spirit." And then, in louder tones, he added, "Lord, lay not this sin to their charge." The first petition was answered at once, for as soon as he was absent from the body, he was found present with the Lord and in joy unutterable. Nor was it otherwise, save in the matter of time, with the other petition. Saul of Tarsus may not have been in Stephen's thoughts when his dying prayer was offered, but very manifestly he was in the Lord's; for in answer to it, as well as in fulfilment of eternal purpose, he was not only forgiven and saved, but made a preacher of the very faith he had done his utmost to destroy. What, in answer to prayer, the Lord did then, he is ready to do again. No prayer of faith is ever lost. It may go up from the lowest depth, or be the last utterance of dying lips, but sooner or later the answer to it will assuredly come. In London, some time ago, on a Sabbath evening, Mr. Taylor observed among the inquirers a man about thirty years of age, with his face buried in his hands, and weeping bitterly. He was the profligate son of a minister, and had just returned from France, where he had for six years served in the French army. "Oh, how I blasphemed God's holy name," he said, "and went greedily into all sin. God's mercy is great, but I am beyond the line; it cannot reach me." It came out, in the course of conversation, that his father and mother had both died during his absence from England, and that on his return he received from a relative his mother's farewell message: "Tell him, if he should ever come back, that I spent my dying hours praying for his salvation." He continued, says Mr. Taylor, for some time much distressed and very hopeless, when it occurred to me to say, "Do you believe that God hears prayer?" "Yes, the prayers of his people; I believe that again now." "What," I continued, "if in you, here humbled and seeking forgiveness, there is an answer to that dying prayer of which you have just spoken!" He became more composed, and after a short silence, said,"I had not thought of that; it gives me hope." "After again reading some of the precious words of grace which have brought peace to so many of the children of God, I offered prayer. When I had prayed, I asked him to pray for himself. I can never forget that prayer. It was the |