God bore with you; you bear with everybody! Be gentle in your judgment; speak gently; be gentle in your conduct towards the bad. That is "worthy of the vocation

wherewith you are called."

And never forget what a real, personal, earnest matter between your soul and God, your "call" was. Now take heed that is the language of your whole life. You have nothing to dread more than for religion to become a generality. Immediately your religion ceases to be felt to be an individual concern between your soul and God, immediately that every separate act is not felt in its own distinct importance, that moment your religion will cease to be influential. As many as have felt God's callings, know the exceeding weight and moment of every little thing. By little things you were made, by little things you were called. Every man has had his own call,—and every man must bear his own burden,-and every man must give his own account at last to God. It is strictly personal.

Therefore, again, if you would not frustrate the grace of God, you must be holy. “He hath called you, not to

uncleanness, but to holiness."

Now understand what it is to be holy. It is a grand word,-holy. It is not to keep the commandments,—it is more than that. It is not to do His will,-though that is more than keeping the commandments. But it is more than that. It is to take the whole mind of God into your mind, and then to be always copying it. It is to be getting more and more like God Himself,-inward purity of thought with an outward obedience and sanctity of life. And let mere mind you that it is this by which the world is judging you, and Christ. A thousand eyes are upon every one of you, who has had a call, to see how you walk,

whether you "walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called." Therefore God's honor is committed to you in this matter; and according as you walk, other souls are offended, or God is glorified.

Lastly, be heavenly. Let every one that looks on you see where you are going, and that heaven is a reality to you, a home to which you are travelling. Endeavor to look on things here as they look from that world. O how small will the great things seem, and how great will the little things seem. Then, if you do that, people will see that you do not care for money, and for display, and for amusement, as some people care. You are up too high, you have higher pleasures. A sweeter tone, a larger charity, a loftier bearing will mark you. You will often go back from the distraction of the day that you may get up and hold converse with things unseen. And when you come down

again, there will be a glow of light upon you, and “men will take knowledge of you that you have been with Jesus." Your temper will become amiable, your soul will be subdued into an angelic submission,-your sympathies will be set to the unseen,-your occupations will partake of the nature and the earnestness of the service of the blessed.

Unworthy, brethren, miserably unworthy it will all be. Everything will want to be washed, every day and every moment, in the blood of Jesus. Still, accepted in Him, there will be a fitness between the name you carry, and the life you lead. An humble, tender, earnest, holy, heavenly servant of God, you will "make your election sure," while you "walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called."

XXVIII.

One Thing Needful.

"And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: but one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her."-LUKE X. 41, 42.

WE

́E are quite sure that both Martha and Mary were dear servants of God.

and her sister, and Lazarus."

For "Jesus loved Martha,

But even in two sisters,

in one house, grace worked variously. They are very wrong who expect the Spirit to move everybody exactly alike. Partly, through external circumstances, partly, through natural temperament, the character and the degree of the piety of the one, was more conspicuous than that of the other. If you will be at the pains to follow it a little, you will trace a distinction which pervades the whole of the brief history which is recorded respecting these two sisters.

Martha appears to have been the elder, for it is expressly said that "Martha received Jesus into her house." It may be that this circumstance,-being the elder sister,—had contributed to give that tone of carefulness which attached even to her religious life. However this may be, it is very evident that Martha's characteristic was restlessness,-Mary's, quietness. On the solemn occasion of the death of their brother Lazarus, it was

Martha, who, "as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming," though He was not yet entered into the town, rose up, and "went to meet Him, while Mary,"-true to her characteristic, as Martha had been true to her's," sat still in the house." Arrived where He was, Martha led a conversation amounting almost to argument with our Lord. Afterwards, she returned, and calling Mary secretly, she said, "The Master is come, and calleth for thee." "As soon as she heard that," Mary, too quiet to move till she was summoned, but too fond to delay one moment after she was bidden, "arose quickly, and came unto Him." Jesus was still in the same place where Martha met Him. How remarkably different was the manner in which the two sisters greeted our Lord. Both, indeed, used exactly the same words. Martha, eager and ardent, burst out at once with the uncontrollable exclamation, "Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my brother had not died." But Mary, when she was come to where Jesus was, and saw Him, was first careful to fall down at His feet; and then, in the posture of adoring submission, she repeated the words long familiar to both their hearts, "Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my brother had not died." She did not say another word, but wept. But her silent tears moved Jesus more than all Martha's words. "When Jesus

therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, He groaned in the spirit, and was troubled."

Arrived at the grave, it was Martha's impetuous mind which broke out with the interrupting speech,—"Lord, by this time he stinketh; for he hath been dead four days." While Mary waited and was quiet.

Just in the same character, some time afterwards, when

that memorable supper took place at Bethany, six days before the passover, and Martha served; Mary, too rapt to move, too full to speak, was busy enough with her box of spikenard at Jesus's feet, anointing Him with the ointment; so faithful is the whole delineation of the story to that first scene which brought the sisters of Bethany before our view, when Martha's care brought down the reproof from the lips of Jesus,-"Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things, but one thing is needful, and Mary hath chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her."

It is not for a moment to be supposed that Martha's conduct was not dictated by an earnest love and a sincere desire to glorify God. Neither do I conceive but that she conscientiously thought she was acting in the way that would please Christ best. We have no reason to question but that she felt herself to be more right than her sister when she made that appeal, "Lord, dost Thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.” And perhaps there are very few of us, who, if we had been suddenly introduced into that room, would not have thought the same. Which, however, had most of Christ's spirit, the issue will clearly show.

Now, brethren, the Church of Christ,-and I am not going beyond it, the Church of Christ has still its Marthas and its Marys. Some are always thinking what they are to do for Christ; some are occupied chiefly in what Christ has done and will do for them. Some are always anxious and uneasy; some are able to rest in their calm confidence. Some are full of fever and excitement; some live in the shade. It would be a very beautiful character in which Martha's activity should not interrupt