on this point is introduced in the Sermon on the Mount where the Lord says: "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy." Matt. 5, 43. The Pharisees discriminated between neighbor and enemy, and they taught, a man should love his neighbor, but to his enemy he owed neither love nor help. This doctrine afforded opportunity in most cases to claim that one in need was not their neighbor, and in the light of this doctrine it is easy to understand the conduct of those two men in the parable which the Lord here introduced. When the priest saw that wounded man he muttered: An unfortunate traveler; needs help, but I can not tarry in this unsafe region. Probably his friends will look after him.' The Levite, coming near, said: 'I must go and look on him and see if I have any duty of love toward him. If he is an enemy of mine, I will rejoice over his misfortune; if a friend, then he is my neighbor and I must help him; but no, he is an utter stranger and I have no obligations whatever toward him.' So we can picture the thoughts of those two men, because this was in keeping with their doctrine and belief. But in a masterly manner did the Lord refute the lawyer by simply inverting his own question, and saying: "Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves?" Put in this form the question comes home to each and every one. Rather than seek an excuse to ignore the poor and needy we should ask ourselves: Am I a neighbor to others, loving them as I ought and helping them as I should? and putting this question to yourself you will soon come to see that you have not come up to the command: "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."

Finally, I ask you to consider the awful consequences, if you fail in the very least. The condition is: "This do." Hence, if you undertake to get to heaven by the way of the law and are found lacking in any particular, you shall not live, but die, as the law says: "Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them." Gal. 3, 10. All those who attempt to gain heaven by doing these commandments will fail; they will not enter the new Jerusalem;

the curse will fall upon them; for as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse." Gal. 3, 10. The Lord says: "This do," and no one that has not done it will live thereby. The way of the law is truly a way to possess eternal life, and the angels of heaven do walk in this way and live by their own righteousness, because they have never violated the law, but for sinners it is out of the question to reach heaven in this way. Why then did the Lord say this? Why did He tell this lawyer to do what he could not do? Simply to convince him that in this way he could not be saved. If a man has the idea that he can walk on the water, then surely the strongest argument which I can bring to cure that man of his fancy is to tell him to go and do it. If you think that you can do this impossible thing, that you can keep the law, then go and do it. If words. can not convince you of your error, experience will, and God grant that this may be before you are summoned to appear before the judgment-seat of God.

But as to you who even now ask in the spirit of those three thousand at Pentecost: "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?" let me tell you: There was a man rich before God, pleasing to God in all things, but a thief came upon him, stripped him of his treasures, and wounded him and left him half dead, bodily alive, but spiritually dead. A lawyer came along, and seeing the man and his position, began to give him commandments: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and thy neighbor as thyself," and gave him the promise: “This do, and thou shalt live," but the half dead man could not begin to do it and it helped him nothing. Another came along and seeing the wounded man had compassion on him, went to him, opened his treasures and poured healing oil into the wounds, lifted up the wounded man and took him to his own house. You are the half dead man. You were born in the likeness of your father Adam; you came forth from your mother's womb half dead, bodily alive, spiritually dead. Moses came along and tells you: This do, and thou shalt live," but the law is spiritual and you being spiritually dead can not begin to do it and it helps you nothing. But Another comes along, and see

ing you lying in your blood has compassion on you and without requiring any thing of you, solely at His own cost and risk, binds up your wounds and takes you to the house of many mansions. It is He of whom Paul writes: "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ esus came into the world to save sinners." 1 Tim. 1, 15. To this Savior of sinners resign thyself and thou art saved. AMEN.

KIV. SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY,

TEXT: And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that ne passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off and they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering, said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way thy faith hath made thee whole.-Luke 17, 11-19.

Of the latter days of the world our Lord Jesus Christ prophesied and said that faith would diminish and love grow cold; for thus He asks: "When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" Luke 18, 8. And again, speaking of the last times, He says: "Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold." Matt. 24, 12. As the Lord 'foretold even so it is in our days. Infidelity, skepticism and selfishness are predominant in the midst of Christendom and even with the true children of God faith is little and love weak.

This littleness of faith and weakness of love is manifested in the fact that there is so little giving of thanks and praise of God. Where there is much faith and love there is much giving of thanks, but we children of these latter evil days are slow to give thanks unto God, and quick to complain and murmur. This ought not so to be. Our Lord Jesus Christ set us a very different example. He was not slow in giving thanks and praise unto God. In the 11th chapter of Matthew He says: "I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth;" and at the grave of Lazarus He "lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank

thee that thou hast heard me." John 11, 41. Jesus sought not His own honor, His whole life in the flesh was to glorify the Father. The apostles, as faithful disciples of the Lord, walked in His footsteps and were instant and fervent in giving thanks unto God. All his letters to the churches does Paul begin with thanks and praise. To the Romans he writes: "First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all;" to the Corinthians he says: "I thank my God always on your behalf;" to the Philippians: "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all, making request with joy." The primitive Christians faithfully imitated the apostles in giving of thanks. From heathen historians we know that in times of persecution the Christians would assemble in cellars, caves, forests and like places jointly to give thanks and sing praises to God.

Should I begin to quote from the inspiring songs of the man after the heart of God? Open the book of Psalms and you will find it full of thanksgiving and praise. At all times from the beginning of the world the children of God have been wont to give thanks to God daily, and the lips of many were open unto praise while their bodies were writhing under the hand of the executioner. The giving of thanks will also be the occupation of the saints in heaven. In the kingdom of glory there will be the rendering of thanks to the King of glory; they will sing praises unto God and the Lamb, and will not tire of it from eternity to eternity.

If we would be one with all the saints in heaven and upon earth we must give thanks to our God. All the children of God give thanks unto God, and if we would be one with them we must unite with them in giving of thanks. Is it right and comely if we Christians day by day are groveling in the pit of despondency and low-spiritedness, never able to lift up the soul unto a hymn of praise? Is that becoming to the children of the Most High? Do not honor, and praise, and glory, and thanksgiving belong to Him for evermore? And how could we be His children if we do not give unto Him that which is due His holy name? Let me to-day set before you: