trouble arises here-each one has his grief, and when one is laid down it is only to take up another about as heavy as we can bear. And so it must be, if we live to fourscore. We disparage not life's comforts. They are many and great; but the bright side of life is made bright by light from heaven, as the sun-kissed side of the fruit is ever the sweetest, and it seems better to be where there is only a bright side, and no shaded surface turned toward us. Oh, what a gloomy world would this be were it not for our religion, and what a bright world must that be where there is only the God, the holiness, the peace, the joy, that the gospel reveals! It is well we have no clearer view of it than we have, or we should hardly be content to abide our time, but should wish to rush down to the gate of death and long to die. But there stands the grim keeper, and there are the fears that we are not quite ready, and there are loved ones, and there is work for Christ to hold us back, and so we conclude it is best to abide in the flesh a while longer, though a step might put us within the Paradise of God. It is all right in the Divine appointments, God doeth all things well. Let us be faithful. Life's mysteries will soon be opened. Life's trials will soon end. And then will follow sleep such as God giveth His beloved, and such as He gave to His holy martyr, St. Stephen.

SERMON IV.

ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST'S DAY.

LOVE.

"The disciple whom Jesus loved.”—St. John, xxi. 20.

HE Church celebrates to-day the Festival of St.

THE

John the Evangelist.

The inspired history of this apostle is more full and complete than that of any other of the twelve; and the uninspired and traditional account of him is also very full. He was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of James. His place of residence was Bethsaida, in Galilee, on the borders of the lake; and his father, who was a fisherman, was evidently a man of some property and prominence. St. John was first a disciple of John the Baptist, and was one of the two that followed Jesus when He had been pointed out as the Lamb of God. He was among the first to be a disciple of Jesus, and was soon called by Him to the apostleship. It is supposed he was the youngest of the twelve, and younger than our Lord, but he soon attained the place of distinction in the sacred band, so as to be called the disciple whom Jesus loved. We can hardly account for special friendships

among men, for often there will be a strong attachment between persons entirely unlike in character, as we can hardly tell why the vine should run up one tree rather than another. But in this case it would seem that our Lord was specially attached to St. John, because he was most like Himself. Jesus was love, and St. John was loving, and so there was the attachment of affinity. It is certain that our Lord had a special affection for St. John. This disciple had place next to Him at the table so that His head, as he reclined, after the Jewish manner, at meals, would be toward or upon Jesus' bosom. Five times is it mentioned that he was the disciple whom Jesus loved, and thrice that he leaned upon His bosom. St. John was one of the three who witnessed the transfiguration-one of those sent to prepare the Passover, and one of the three who were in the garden of Gethsemane. He went into the High Priest's palace at the trial of Jesus. He stood by the cross at the crucifixion. To him was intrusted the care of Mary, our Lord's mother. particulars concerning him in the inspired story, St. John had the honor of closing up the volume of Scripture. He wrote the last gospel, which was evidently intended to supply what had been omitted by the other Evangelists. He wrote the last epistle, for the third epistle of St. John dates as far on as A.D. 90, while the last of St. Paul's was about twenty years earlier. And he wrote the last book of the whole Bible, the Apocalypse, dating as far down as 95 after Christ. Thus, of Scripture, in its three prominent forms or styles, narrative, epistle, and prophecy, the finishing work was given to him. The Master

And, not to mention other

whom he loved kept him on earth to close up the affairs of His Church, and to leave them as they were to be until His own coming again to Judgment. And it was further the privilege of St. John to have as full a view of the glories of heaven as was ever vouchsafed to any one in the flesh.

The accounts given of this apostle in ecclesiastical history are also very full and familiar. It is said that he made his home at Ephesus, taking our Lord's mother with him there, where she died; that his preaching led to the desertion and final destruction of the famous temple of Diana in that city; that he founded the seven churches of Asia: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea; that he was once thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil, but escaped by miracle unhurt; that he was banished to the isle of Patmos; that once, when he met the heretic Cerinthus in the public baths, he would not stay in the building, lest, as he said, the roof should fall on him; that when a young man, who had been a convert of his, relapsed, and became leader of a band of robbers, the apostle went after him to his haunts, and brought him back to his duty to God; and, that when he was so old he could not well speak, he was carried into church, where his whole sermon was, Little children, Love one another.

Greatly was this apostle honored of our Lord, and interesting are these particulars recorded concerning him; but all would say that the highest honor, and the most interesting particular is that recorded in our text-that he was the disciple whom Jesus loved. We may run over the catalogue of earth's proud names and distinctions,

and add to them all of high place in the Church, but higher than all is the glory and blessedness of being highest in Jesus' love. The favor of our Lord is better than life-is life, is bliss, is heaven. Abraham was called the friend of God. Moses talked with God, face to face. David was the man after God's own heart. The angel called Daniel the man greatly beloved. St. Paul was a chosen vessel, and was caught up into the paradise of God. But St. John leaned on Jesus' breast, near to His heart, and was the disciple whom Jesus loved. place or honor would we choose sooner than his?

O that I could, with favored John,
Recline my weary head upon

The dear Redeemer's breast.

From care, and sin, and sorrow free,
Give me, O Lord, to find in Thee

My everlasting rest!

Whose

It seems very evident that St. John stood highest of the twelve in our Lord's affections. He loved them all, but He loved St. John above all. We cannot help having special attachments. A parent may be told he should love all his children alike, but that, sometimes, is simply impossible. How could Jacob love Simeon, or Levi, or Reuben, as he did Joseph? He might have treated them all alike, and ought to have done so; and, very likely, his mistake was that he made too much distinction in his conduct toward them. The coat of many colors, given to the young favorite, was probably only a sample of parental partiality and injudiciousness. There may be a pet in the family, and yet so treated, and so meek under his