through these means of grace, as they are called, this does not often happen. It is the contact of the divine soul with our own, as the sun smites the lilies, and the rain and dew touch them from cup to rcɔt; the love of God shed abroad in the heart, as the Scripture says; and the love of God is the love of goodness. This is God's world; and as it stands today he needs men in it to run with a fire-engine, as certainly as he needs men to preach in pulpits, and set broken limbs; to do the rough work, as surely as the fine work. And as men are made they are pretty sure to take a tang from the nature of the work they have to do, or to bring one with them as the very condition of their taking hold; just as Esau was a wild man, and a hunter, and Jacob a very tame man, and kept sheep. This is God's world, and he needs all kinds, and will have them; and when we come to look on his world with this wide and gracious glance out of the heart of Christ, we shall not be over-troubled about what is going to happen to-morrow, if we manage to do our part to-day. It was in his hands before we came, and it will be in his hands when we have gone away; and his tender mercies are over all his works, and all his children. "How many a father have I seen, A sober man among his boys, Whose youth was full of foolish noise, Who wears his manhood hale and green!" IN MEMORIAM. THE PARABLE OF THE PRODIGAL SON. THE human touches in the story of the prodigal make one feel sure of its essential reality. Jesus must have known the family, or heard of it in some near and neighborly way, so that all he had to do, I suppose, was to take this bit of nature and life for a key to open the truth, and urge home its lesson on those about him. The young man lives in a kindly country-home, with his father, and an elder brother of another turn. There is no sign of a mother or sisters; and this at the first glance seems to be a great pity, and stirs the wonder whether the story in that case might not have taken another turn. It might, and then it might not that would depend in part on the youth himself. If I want to have my fling at the swinetroughs, I shall either get it by breaking away openly from the pure and good women of my house, or by |