grief and from immoderate joy; it is an aid to the Christian virtue of patience and soberness.

IV. A REASON FOR PRESUMING THE EXISTENCE OF SOME

ABIDING STATE. Thoughtful souls in pagan countries and heathen lands, share with us and with the ancient Hebrew the conviction of the text. And this wide unsatisfaction with things temporal, this almost universal craving for a land where we shall not be strangers, is a very strong argument for its existence. It would indeed be a sad, an appalling truth, if all the great souls who have felt life to be only a journey, or a voyage, should after all never reach any haven or home. If there be no land where we shall be strangers no longer, man's hopes are grander than God's plans, man's cravings vaster than God's provisions. But no! Those who have lived the devoutest lives, have been taught to feel even more profoundly than the worldly man, "I am a stranger in the earth ;" and religion has made this sad unrest and earnest expectation of our life here, a prophecy and a pledge of "a continuing city."

V. A REASON FOR OUR SEEKING THE RIGHT GUIDE of life. The musing evidently led the Psalmist to this conclusion, for the remainder of the verse is a prayer :— "Hide not thy commandments from me." As though he said, "I am a stranger in the earth," have so recently come hither, and know so little of all life's mysteries; am so soon going hence, and know so little of all my destiny-that I need, with an overwhelming urgency, instruction and guidance. And more than that, all men around me are strangers, too; I must have higher wisdom than that of earth." Hence, to God he looked, on His commandments he rested. This need we feel not less than the Psalmist. Because we are such strangers here, well may we, imploringly, and, thank God, also confidingly cry, "Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory."

Bristol.

U. R. THOMAS.

SUBJECT:-The Value of Religion.

“The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field," &c.— Matt. xiii. 44.

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Analysis of Homily the Six Hundred and Forty-fifth.

YELL we may say concerning Jesus, "No man spake like this man." He was the Great Teacher of mankind, a Teacher come from heaven, sent by God, to instruct men in the way of holiness, to teach them momentous truths, and to recommend to their affections the infinitely valuable pearl of personal godliness. His teaching

is characterized by infinite wisdom, the most heart-melting tenderness, and the most urgent and forcible persuasiveness. He employs the most striking metaphors, the most happy similes, and the most powerful motives to press mankind to choose the good part, which shall not be taken away from them. The words of the text form a striking illustration of the sentiment advanced. "The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field," &c. To see the beauty and force of this parable, picture to your own mind all the objects mentioned therein: a field—a valuable treasure hid there by some person, perhaps in the time of war, or pestilence, when the possessor was compelled to leave his land, expecting at the time of his much wished and longed-for returning, to find his treasure where it was placed for security's sake. Meanwhile, whilst he was perhaps an exile in a foreign land, or dropped to the regions of mortality-a stranger comes, perchance, and finds the treasure, and rejoices because of the discovery. Imagine the feelings of his heart. Oh, enough for myself and family, if I could but secure this treasure: then, lest any one should find it, and take it away, after seeing its value, he takes every imaginable care to conceal the discovery till he sells all his property, and goes and buys the field-then he lives upon it. This is the literal meaning presented by the parable; and some important lessons are to be had from it, which are

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THAT RELIGION IS VALUABLE. "A treasure." If we were to realize the heavenly emotions, the grateful feelings, the tranquil state, and the lofty and cheering prospects of the Christian mind, we should pronounce religion to be precious. If we were to gaze on the happy scene and listen to the religious conversation of a Christian family, we would say religion is precious. But passing the temporal amelioration of the world, and the moral beauty with which it adorns the national character of every Christian land, by the telescope of Divine truth, let us view the ineffable beauty and eternal grandeur of the paradise of God, and consider that religion brings man! man! thither, and we shall say that religion is precious. But there are three things which renders an object precious

First: Its intrinsic value. When we look at some stupendous building or some extraordinary work of art, such as the Britannia Bridge, the Crystal Palace, the Great Eastern, &c., we pronounce them precious, because their intrinsic value or the expense incurred in their construction, is immense. Look at the expense of Deity in bringing salvation to man; He created with a word, He rules with ease, but redeems man with agony.

Secondly: The universal consent concerning it. It is the common consent of mankind that made the gold-dust of greater value than some other dust. But apply this to religion. All beings in the universe, with the exception of some wicked men on earth and the lost angels-and they soon will give in and confess the value of religion-have consented that religion is the chief thing-it passes so in every country.

Thirdly: Its adaptation to answer some great and important purposes. We can easily conceive of gold and silver, a pearl or a diamond, being of no greater value in the sight of man than the dust on which he treads. Suppose a man cast upon a strange island, where he has no intercourse with his fellow-men-a morsel of bread would be better to him than a mountain of gold, and a drop of water

than a houseful of pearls. Even paper, when it gains currency in the commercial world as money, becomes valuable. Everything around us, such as air, water, which is absolutely necessary for sustaining life, is precious. Suppose a man on the point of being drowned in a wreck. Cast gold at him, he despises it; bring luxury to him, he turns from it; but bring him a boat. Religion only is adapted to man's necessities, and it alone will rescue his soul from death, &c.

II. THAT THE VALUE OF RELIGION IS UNKNOWN TO THE MASS OF MANKIND. It is a treasure "hid" to them. The common pursuits of mankind are a practical proof of this. Men are engaged with the greatest earnestness and zeal in accumulating wealth, in forming friendship, and in obtaining honor. They devote their whole energy, talent and time to the world, and dedicate their existence to mammon, whilst they entirely disregard the pearl of great price. Why is this? What can account for this? It is their ignorance of the preciousness of religion. Since there is so much preaching, so much explaining Scripture, how is it that nfen are so ignorant of the true value of religion?

First Because of their carelessness in not examining it. See its bearings, enjoyments, prospects. Moses examined it and found its value, and so would everyone were he to examine it.

Secondly: Because of the spirituality of its nature. If the things of this world, if wealth and honor were offered to men on the same terms as the spiritual blessings of the Gospel are pressed upon them, they would receive such a ministry, and press for the benefits offered. But they turn a deaf ear to the invitations of the Gospel. discern spiritual things.

The natural man does not

Thirdly: Because her charms are derived from futurity. Her rewards, her prospects, her bliss, are future, not present.

III. THE GREAT REGARD PAID ΤΟ RELIGION BY THE CHRISTIAN. "For joy thereof," &c.

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First: Great anxiety. He hides it, anxious lest it be lost. This he does for three reasons: he will have enough to live on, if he could but secure the treasure, enough for ever. His conduct shows the possibility of losing it. the treasure of personal piety in this world, it for ever.

If we lose will be lost

Secondly: Great joy. A treasure is hid in the field, more than he expected; he had walked over the field many a time before, but never thought it so precious. It may be his, all may be his. All-absorbing subject! Where the treasure is, there the heart.

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Thirdly Great sacrifice. "He selleth all" in order to buy it. This includes three things. An entire renunciation of self-righteousness. Breaking the connexion with every sin, though it be dear and profitable: Matt v. 29, 30. A thing that is sold has no further connexion with its previous owner, he has done with it.

Tredegar, Mon.

DAVID HUGHES, B.A.

Biblical Criticism.

THE CODEX SINAITICUS.

THE manuscript is written on very fine vellum. The page is 13 inches broad, by about 15 inches high; and the number of leaves is 345. The letters are uncial, and closely resemble the style of existing writing of the first century. The lines are so short that there are four columns on every page, the writing being what is termed stichometrical. Where several particulars are recounted, as in Rom. viii. 35, 38, 39, there is often only one word to a line. The manuscript is evidently a close copy of another similarly written, since lines are sometimes omitted, and clauses which happen to end with the same words as those which precede. Thus the sense is often destroyed. In the opinion of