question of Christ, "What think ye of Christ ?" In the history of universal enquiry there is no question that can come up of such pre-eminent moment as this.

First: It is the most important subject in itself. Who is Christ? David's Lord enthroned in the most dignified position in the universe. "He is at the right hand" of THE ABSOLUTE. Christ is the Temple of God, and in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the God-head bodily. Christ is the Organ of God:-"By him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth," &c. Christ is the Revealer of God:"The brightness of the Father's glory," &c. There is no subject of thought throughout the creation, so great in itsself, as this eternal Logos, who was with God, and is God.

Secondly: It is the most important subject in its relation to man. Christ is the subject essential for man. Unless man knows this, he knows nothing, as he ought to know, concerning Providence or the Bible. Who can understand Providence apart from the mediatorial government of Christ? What, too, is the Bible without Him? A printed mass of incoherences ;— nothing more. Take Christ from the Bible and you will take the foundation stone from the temple, and it falls to pieces; the sun from the system, and all is chaos and death. Without a right knowledge of Him, moreover, there is no virtue, freedom, dignity, blessedness, for the human soul. A man may be saved without knowing anything about the poets, philosophers, artists, statesmen, kings, reformers, of the world; but he cannot be saved without knowing something accurately about the Messiah of God. Hence Paul exclaims, "Doubtless, and I count all things but loss," &c. These Pharisees, therefore, ought not to have been ignorant about such a subject as this.

II. THEIR IGNORANCE REFERRED TO A SUBJECT WHICH THEY HAD AMPLE MEANS FOR UNDERSTANDING. Three things are involved in the appeal which the Heavenly Teacher now makes to these assembled Pharisees. (1) It is implied that they, the Pharisees, knew something about

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the Messiah. They could not think at all upon an object of which they knew nothing. Free as thought is, it is ever limited by the known. The Pharisees did know something of the Messiah. The coming Messiah was the great idea of the Jewish people through all past ages;-it had come down to these old Pharisees; it was the very substance and charm of their scriptures. (2) It is implied that the passage quoted from the Psalm, was admitted to be prophetic. Christ assumes that the words referred to, would be readily admitted by the Pharisees as prophetic of the Messiah. (3) It is implied that David spake under the influence of Divine inspiration. David èv zveúμatı, "in spirit, saith," &c. The spirit of God in David suggested these words. The divine spirit of prophecy was in him. Thus they had abundant opportunities of knowing Him. They had the whole scrip

tures. Moses and the prophets were full of the Messiah.

They might have seen Him in the first promise,—“ The seed of the woman," &c. They might have seen Him in the Mosaic ritual as the sense of all the symbols, the substance of all the shadows, the spirit of all the sacrifices. They might have seen Him in all the prophecies which were fulfilled in all the phases of His wonderful life. They had more than the Old Scriptures. John the Baptist had been amongst them, and with a voice of thunder that rang along the wilderness, pointed Him out to them as "the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world." Christ for more than three years had been in their midst, embodying in His own history all that the Old Scriptures had symbolized or stated concerning the Messiah. There is no excuse, therefore, for their ignorance of Him; theirs was an ignorance of a deep dyed guiltiness.

III. THEIR IGNORANCE REFERRED TO A SUBJECT OF WHICH THEY PROFESSED TO BE AUTHORITIES. A coming Messiah had been the reigning thought in the Jewish nation for centuries. It had buoyed them under many a trial; it had nerved them for many a battle. Never was it more active than now.

It was like a "spirit" in all the wheels of Jewish activity at this hour. On this national question the Pharisees professed to be authorities; professed to determine who the true Messiah would be; to know all about him, and be alone competent to guide the people in the matter. And yet they forsooth were "blind guides." It is sad for any class of men to be ignorant of Christ, still more sad for those to be ignorant of Him who have all the opportunities of knowing Him, but sadder still for those to be ignorant of Him who profess to teach Him.

The question which the Heavenly Teacher addressed to these Pharisees, we should take up and press on each other and on ourselves. It is of all questions the most momentous. “What think ye of Christ?" You have, doubtless, entertained some opinions concerning Him, for he has been frequently brought under your attention. What are they? Search them well in the light of His history, I entreat you. "What think ye of Christ?" Inaccurate thoughts concerning Him have given His system corrupt and deleterious forms in ecclesiastic institutions, and theological systems. "What think ye of Christ ?" Erroneous thoughts concerning Him are inimical to the growth of goodness in the soul, and fatal to the highest interests of our being. "What think ye of Christ?" Think upon Him, brother, you must sooner or later. In the agonies of death, in the terrors of judgment, He will force Himself upon your thoughts. But what do you think of Him now? Do you regard Him as a mere subject for theological creed, the mere head of your own sect Church, the Saviour of that select few to whom you belong? Or do you regard Him as the Christ of God, the sublimest expression, the special medium, and the mightiest demonstration, of God's unbounded love to a depraved world? Merciful Heaven, grant us true thoughts concerning thy last and crowning gift to our lost and fallen race!

Germs of Thought.

SUBJECT:-The Harp of the Godly.

"I will open my dark saying upon the harp."-Psal. xlix. 4.

Analysis of Homily the Five Hundred and Thirty-fifth.

It is expres

Let other Tranquillity in

THE 5th verse of this Psalm, "Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil?" &c., is a key to the whole. sive of courage and confidence, in the midst of danger and darkness. He defends his serenity behind the shield of his piety. He boldly defies those who censure his confidence, by pointing them to the rock on which it rests. men fear, says he, but why should I? them would be presumption-in me it is reason. Their despondency is natural, my trust is equally so. With their impiety they ought to fear, with my principles I must confide. Truth, indeed, to me is often a dark thing, and Providence a deep mystery; but neither is the wisdom of the world an antidote for the one, nor the wealth of the world a resource for the other. In the truth of God, however, I can always find light enough to guide me, and in the providence of God, love enough to solace and illumine me; and I will, therefore, open every dark saying upon this as my harp. It shall evoke my prayer-it shall inspire my praise. The harp of devotion shall hear, and shall utter my heart's deepest tones both of sorrow and of joy.

Three questions are suggested to which we shall reply:Why are the words of godly life in scripture, called "dark sayings"? (See Prov. i. 6; Psalm lxxviii. 2, &c.) Why are the details of Providence in scripture, called "dark sayings" ! Why may a Christian " open these upon the harp"? i.e. set them to music, finding in each a lamp to dispel the gloom, and a song in exchange for the groan.

I. WHY ARE THE WORDS OF GODLY LIFE IN SCRIPTURE, CALLED "DARK SAYINGS "" ?

First Because they are so far to seek. We are to gain them from the Creator, not the creature; we must draw them from the deep well of infinite wisdom, not from “broken cisterns; we must fetch them from eternity, not from time; they concern the soul, not the body. Creation has not a ray bright enough to illuminate mortals, nor a tone deep. enough to relieve man's misery with one utterance of mercy. For all that can sooth and brighten fallen man, amidst his guilt, depravity, and desolation, we must go to God's infinite intellect ;-God's deep heart of love. Its provisions alone can suffice. "The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God." How few of us can read "Newton's Principia!" and yet the darkness is not in him, but in us; yet what was his mind to God's? Much in the Bible must transcend our reason, &c. Secondly: Because they are so little known.

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The world disregards them. 'Light is come into the world, and men loved darkness," &c. You may learn science, in any, or all, of its branches readily from men. On this they expend all the opulence of their talent, all the intensity of their passion. Earth is bright and vocal with this. But oh! it is not so in religion. How few, how feeble its true disciples! Hence its sayings are "dark sayings." To the godly man there are few congenial souls, and by the worldling even these few 66 are men wondered at." 1 Cor. xi. 12-14.

We rarely, very rarely, perhaps never, reveal to each other our real deep religious consciousness;-perhaps this is impossible, and mercifully so. Here alone God is and speaks with us. As the High Priest entered alone into the Holy of Holies, so does man, always and of necessity, converse with his God alone. Company would be sacrilege. This necessary privacy shuts out all counsel and sympathy of men. “The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him ;" and oh ! in this secrecy, what stillness and awe! Here we always hear unspeakable words, which it is unlawful, impossible, for man to utter.

Thirdly: Because they meet with so much repugnance. They illumine the reason and stir the conscience, but the