CONVERSION.

In thinking of the love of God towards man, love most tender, most wonderful, we are ready to exclaim in David's words, "Lord, what is man, that Thou art mindful of him; and the son of man, that Thou visitest him?" We feel ourselves lost as we endeavour to understand God's love, its very light and brightness dazzle us; it works in so many ways, one act follows so quickly upon another, every fresh instance of love seems so instantly to unfold and open out other instances of love, one way of loving kindness branches out into so many paths, and all those paths seem to be so much broader and better still, the more we trace them out, that the thoughtful Christian is almost bewildered by the exceeding width, and height, and depth, the greatness, and the richness, the varied developments of the love of God. We know not where to stop, how

of the Father in consenting to send His

to become man, and to suffer

the song of death, even the wrath d to the sis of man, we me led to look on from that of the Father's love to the love of the

who would shew no greater love than this He should call us His frends, lay down His for His friends, take our stripes,

to survey it, how to grasp it. If we look at any single act of love, it seems at once to be so united with other streams and channels, that, lo! the brook becomes a river, and the river becomes a sea; the eye of faith beholds a boundless ocean of love, brightened with an everlasting sun, and far as the eye can reach to the horizon of this sea of love it knows that there are waters yet beyond.

Thus if we take that text, " God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life;" though we might spend years on the one truth of this unsearchable love of the Father, in consenting to send His only-begotten Son to become man, and to suffer even the suffering of death, even the wrath due to the sins of man, we are led to look on from that act of the Father's love to the love of the Son, who could shew no greater love than this, that He should call us His friends, lay down His life for His friends, take our stripes, bear our sorrows, endure our death, and suffer Himself for our sakes to be led as a lamb to the slaughter, the one sufficient sacrifice for the sins of the whole world.

Again, though we might spend years in con

sidering this "love of Christ which passeth knowledge," and forget all in thinking of the scene of the cross, we are led on to consider how that cross by its power brought down God the Holy Ghost to be our Comforter, our Guide, our abiding Friend; a Friend not tarrying with us for a few days, but always with us, even unto the end of the world. The Holy Ghost abides with the Church of Christ, is ever working, ever fulfilling His blessed office, ever abounding in love, ever present to shew forth love.

Or further still, if we take this office of the Comforter we see that His one work spreads out into many works, that He works in various ways among us, and in various modes diffuses His heavenly gifts. Long might our souls dwell on the mystery of holy Baptism, that blessed sacrament in which the merits and the atonement of our crucified Lord are applied, so that though born in wrath we are by the operation of the Holy Ghost made children of grace. And yet, while in and by holy Baptism we taste the fruits of Christ's cross, and are made God's children by adoption and grace, the blessed Spirit is not content with working one great change, with translating us once for all from the power of darkness into the kingdom of light;