had found what to Christ is better than silver and gold, "Take me for a missionary." That is the heart language: "Me to be of some use to Thee, my blessed Lord; any use which Thou choosest. Here am I." That is the voice of love. Love is never content until it says to the loved, "Here am I." The present of a trinket, of even the costliest article, will not suffice. Personal devotion, personal service-"Here am I "—that must be. Who of you has that for Christ ?—your ownself given to the Lord.

Then follows the present of this self once for all. Is it not a shabby thing, when you intend to give a present, to be thinking how much you will need to give, and how much you may keep for yourself? Is it not a shabby thing also, when you have once given a present, to be asking or seeking it back again? There is nothing of that if the gift comes from love. Now let me remind you of a Bible picture of true self-giving; let me remind you of what was done by the priest in the old time to one who was to be cleansed. The priest took some of the blood of the trespass offering and put it on the tip of the right ear, and on the thumb of the right hand, and on the great toe of the right foot. What was that to teach? The right hand or foot, you know, is the strongest: all his strength was to be given. The ear is the organ of knowledge: all his power of receiving is to be given. Hand and foot are the means of serving: all his capacity of serving, of working, of being of use, is to be given. You have seen a crystal glass with a light in the middle. The light shines through every part of the glass. Well, when love to Christ is in the middle of the heart, its light shines through eye, ear, hands, lips, body, soul, spirit, saying, to all, "Whatsoever he sayeth to you, do it." 'Yea, let him take all," is the cry.

"Take myself, and I will be

Ever, only, all for thee."

Do you understand now what you are to do? Understanding it a little, perhaps you are moved to answer, “Oh,

it is far too much. It is quite beyond me. I cannot be so good as all that," I don't doubt that it is beyond you. It is a long, long way beyond me. What I mourn, and many mourn, is that the gift of the self to the Lord is so imperfect; that we are not saying, as we should, every day, and in regard to our whole life-take all We keep ever so much to ourselves, and use ever so much, as if it were our own. Go to the Lord, and say, "Whatever I am or I am not, here at least I am. Thou hast called me." A boy was once asked, "Is it not a poor return to give Jesus our weak hearts?" "Yes," he answered, "but it is all He asks of us." All He asks is, the weak heart, not to wait until it is strong, but to give it when it is weak. That He should accept such selves as ours is His matter. Our matter is to give our ownselves to the Lord.

2. But now there is a little word which I must notice. I have spoken of what; I must speak of why-Why should I do that of which you speak? You may say, When I give a present, there is some reason for it? What is the reason for this? There are many reasons. Let me shortly mention one or two.

To give your ownselves to the Lord is right. Suppose that I have invented some rare and curious piece of machinery, do you not admit that I have the right to it? Who made you the fearful and wonderful person that you are? Has not He the right to what He made? All that takes you from Him, that alienates your life from Him— every bad word, naughty act, unloving thought-is not that therefore wrong? Suppose, again, that I go into a shop and buy something, pay for it with my money, have not I the right to it? Who redeemed you? Who bought you with a price-gave His life a ransom for yours? Has not He the right to His purchase? All that separates you from the Lord Jesus, that practically denies His claim over you -is not that therefore wrong? Suppose, once more, that I have a house, my home, my habitation, meant for me, prepared for me-have not I the right to it? Who sanctifies you? You are intended to be the dwelling-place of God's

good and Holy Spirit. Every untruth in the soul, all that is untrue and unlovely-is not that therefore wrong? Consider: It is a great word of yours, "All right." Then, when you have given your Maker what He has made; your Redeemer what He has redeemed; your Sanctifier what has been prepared for Him-your own living selves: then only is it all right.

To give yourselves to the Lord is your good and happiness. It is your good: it satisfies all your longing; it gives you an object to live for, which ennobles all your energy. You give yourself, and in so doing you have God Himself. When I say that you and I want God, I mean that there is a love absent which ought to be present, without which we are not our very complete selves. In the gift of ourselves to God, we receive that absent love-we are filled according to the fulness of God.

Are you too young, any of you, quite to understand this? Well, at least you can understand that it makes one happy to decide for the blessed Jesus-to be truly, wholly His. I think that any happiness which has not this at its heart, is neither worthy nor lasting. I know that you wish to be happy; and I feel that that cannot be a gospel to a child which does not make sunshine and music for the child. But I am certain that when you yield self to Him who seeks it, and is its perfect love, and therefore only perfect bliss, you are happier in your happiness, and you are supported and cheered in your sadness. "How sweet it is," said one who had given himself to the Lord, in the gloom of the prison, "to have the bird in the bosom sing!" There it is: the bird in the bosom—a song—a singer-a fount of music and joy in the soul itself. Is not that good? A Christian who had great wealth, was asked one day if the wealth was not a snare. "I hope not," he replied; "for I enjoy God in all things." Reverses came, the wealth melted away. "Are not your losses hard to bear?" asked the same friend. "Hard when I think of those dear to me; but for myself, I am enjoying all things in God." The bird in the

bosom sang, you see; for he had given himself to the Lord.

To give your ownselves to the Lord would be for the world's good and happiness. So it was with these Macedonians, as you can find by reading the chapter. No sooner had they given themselves to Christ than they were filled with a new love and desire towards those for whom He died. They were poor enough, but their purses were opened when their hearts were opened, and in their poverty their liberality abounded. And they gave and gave, and then prayed the Apostle with much entreaty, to carry their collection to Jerusalem for the poor saints there.

Oh, believe me, Christ and the world sorely need Christians like these! Think of it: there are hundreds of millions still without Christ-in heathen darkness. Do you imagine that if Christians were really in earnest, if they felt themselves really laid under an obligation by Christ's commandment to go into all the world and preach His gospel to every creature, if they really understood what the very reason of the Church's being, her first great duty to the Master, is, there would be the spectacle of this enormous mass of persons in darkness and in the shadow of death?

Or, again, reflect on the awful misery and sin around us. Do you imagine that this misery and sin would be so awful, if every person who named Jesus' name, truly shed His light around, and did and gave what he could for His dear name? No, no! It is sad, terrible, that there is so much of unconsecrated and so much of only half-consecrated Christianity in our churches and our homes. Self to God, what one is, and then what one has, this is consecration. I hope that you will give for the cause of God a share, truly a share, of all that you have. You should begin doing so now.

Mr. Spurgeon, when a boy, won a money prize: he felt that he must give a fifth of it to God, for the spread of His gospel. And that has been his rule since. Whatever you contribute, do so with your heart and in prayer, like a little girl who put her two pennies into the mission-box, and then

prayed, "Lord, bless my two pennies for Jesus' sake." Would that we had more of that sort of giving! This world of ours would be a wholesomer and happier world if there were more of the love and unselfishness and free-souled giving which flows from the first gift-" their ownselves to the Lord." It was for this, then, that St. Paul mainly laboured. Many a one would have dwelt with satisfaction first on his own influence and the affection of people for him. His chief satisfaction was derived from the fact that the Macedonians looked beyond the teacher-to the Lord—whom they had found. Dear young friends, if I wanted first your love or admiration, I might preach or write, but I would not think much of praying. Because I want you first for Christ, my prayer is, that God may so powerfully send this word about the gift of yourselves home to you, as that all of you, brought to the cross, and your stony heart taken away, may learn the truth of the verse with which I conclude"God's love hath in us wealth un-heaped,

Only by giving is it reaped :

The body withers and the mind

Is pent in by a selfish rind.

Give strength, give thought, give deeds, give pelf,
Give love, give tears, and give thyself.

Give, give, be always giving;

Who gives not is not living:
The more we give,

The more we live."

Upward and Onward.

FOR THE CLOSE OF THE YEAR.

'WELVE months have almost come and gone

TWE

Since last we heard through echoing air

The merry tone of Christmas wish,

The thoughtful sound of New Year's prayer.

When wistful hearts and longing eyes
Would fain have planned our coming way,

One smiling scene of light and joy,

One bright and blissful summer day.