tives and allurements to sin. It is to this distinction that the apostle evidently alludes in the following verses :-"Let no man say when he is tempted (ie., tempted to sin), I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man. But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed." God warns men off from sin continually, and, so far as He can, without trenching upon their liberty, He restrains them from it; but, while God tempts no one to sin, He does try men; He puts them and their principles to the test, and these tests are called temptations. Temptation in this sense is a necessary constituent of human life, and the apostle here teaches us that, instead of objecting to it, instead of complaining of it, we should joyfully accept it as the condition under which human life must in this world unfold itself. Throughout this chapter, throughout Scripture, indeed, it is declared, or assumed, that in this life we are exposed to temptations and trials of different kinds. Trial is not an accident, a casualty, something which we may or may not meet with-it is that which we must meet with. We are not to account it a strange thing; when trial comes to us we are not to imagine that our case is exceptional, that something is happening to us which has not happened to others. We are all of us tried in some way or other, weighed in the balances of conflicting circumstances. We have need to be on our guard against taking too limited and restricted a view of temptation. We are tried every moment. Every circumstance of life, however trivial it may seem, has a moral character, and is part of that great probationary course through which we are called to pass. This is a view of life which is too seldom taken. With what solemnity is human life invested so soon as we are taught to regard everything in life as a " trial;" every circumstance as indelibly impressing upon us some character, good or bad; every moment in its silent passage as leaving us better or worse! Is there not something unutterably solemn in the thought that God is continually visiting us, trying us every moment of our lives, finding out, and making it to appear, whether we have it in our hearts to keep His commandments or no? Did we but realise this truth, were it but well inwrought into the very fabric and texture of our nature, from how much evil and triviality would it free us, and to how much that is noble and good would it incite us! We miss the true significance of human life if we fail to observe this feature of it, that it is, down to its minutest circumstance, a trial, a probation, a test. Everything which transpires around us, and helps to make up the sum total of our life, does its part, be it great or small, in impressing upon us a distinguishing character. All things happening around us are trials of character, temper, principle, general disposition, and evoke from latent to active and manifest existence feelings good or bad. This fact should lead us to cherish an intensely vigilant and prayerful spirit, in dealing not only with special temptations, but with those unnumbered and, indeed, innumerable trials of life, individually small, but the aggregate potency of which is well-nigh incalculable. We make a serious mistake if we reserve our religion for great and exceptional occasions. Everything in life ought to have a religious character, and to serve some end of godliness. We have none of us sufficiently considered how great a work lies before us in the way of resisting and overcoming those smaller temptations of life which are perpetually assailing us. We may pass through life without being seriously tempted to commit any great crime-to steal, to kill, to commit adultery, to bear false witness against our neighbour. But every day we live we may be tempted to be hasty in speech or temper, unkind, uncharitable, censorious, insincere, unforgiving, proud, or impatient. Little things are constantly occurring which show that we are not distinguished as we should be by that spirit of love which suffereth long and is kind; which envieth not, vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, thinketh no evil; which rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. In all the business of life, in all its pleasures, in times of activity and rest, in scenes of publicity and retirement, in all the domestic and social relationships of life are we being tried; some test more or less severe is being applied, and character is being developed and determined. Everything shows, in its degree, what we are, and leaves us better or worse. We have referred at length to this class of temptations and trials, partly because they are too little spoken of and too little thought of, and partly because we have reason to believe that those who, by vigilance and prayer, are enabled to deal most successfully with the smaller trials of life will be found most completely and sufficiently armed against its deadliest temptations. But while we should be on our guard against the smaller trials of life, we should not forget that there are more formidable temptations to which, in some form or other, in some degree or other, we are all exposed. In the case of the early Christians whom the apostle is seeking to encourage, we know how great, how severe their trials were. We are not called on to walk in so rough a way; we have not to brave persecution, the loss of goods, imprisonment, death. But we are exposed to temptations which are special to the age and circumstances-in which we live, which grow out of the complexities and refinements of our modern civilisation, temptations which are not less formidable because they are more subtle. Whatever may be the nature of the temptations to which we are exposed, it is inward weakness and depravity which gives to them their power over us, and converts circumstances which should only operate as tests of character into incentives and allurements to sin. Satan had no influence over Christ, because in Him, when He came, the tempter found nothing-nothing which he could use, which he could lay hold of-nothing which would subserve his diabolic purpose. But in us he finds much that is congenial-much that can be easily wrought upon; our natures are like dry combustibles, which will kindle with a spark, and which often burst out spontaneously into flame. There is room, then, and need for that word of warning which our Saviour addressed, not unto one, but unto all, "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation." We learn from Scripture that God's design in making our state here one of trial, of probation, is a merciful, a benevolent one. He has ordered the circumstances of life in such a way that they are, or should be, the means of testing, purifying, and developing character. Happily, we are not left in doubt as to God's merciful purpose in subjecting us to trial, in allowing us to be exposed to temptation. The figurative allusion in this passage is to trial by fire-even as gold and precious metals are tried. This is a trial of the sharpest and most decisive kind. This trial by fire-this trial of the furnace-the crucible, will serve either or both of two ends-it will prove or test the metal-it will improve or purify it. Fire will make evident the real nature of that which is subjected to its action, and by driving off the dross will secure its increased purity. The trials of life-the temptations of life—are designed to operate as a test of Christian character; affliction tries a man, so does exemption from it; adversity is a trial, so is prosperity; one is severely tried by poverty, another more severely by wealth. But the changing circum stances of life not only act as a test of character, they should exert a purifying influence. Is life a state of trial-is it even a fiery trial? Then the result should be the development and purification of Christian character. There is gold cast into the crucible, but not in a perfectly pure form; there is some admixture of alloy, the fire drives off the dross, and the gold comes forth from the furnace pure and unmixed. Just so is it at least, just so should it be-with Christian character which is subjected to the varied trials of life; it is sublimed and purified; only that which is impure, corrupt, unworthy is driven away; every virtue and excellency shines with a brighter glow; everything which tends to the beauty and completeness of Christian character, will be found at the conclusion of life's sharp and fiery trial to the praise and honour of Him, our God and Redeemer, who ordered and presided over the process, and will be certainly glorified in the result. If this be so, we need not wonder as we read these apostolic words, "Blessed is the man who endureth temptation; for when he is tried, approved, he shall receive the crown of life which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him." We see, then, that there is a present blessedness realised by, and a crown of life promised to, the man that endureth temptation, who stands the test to which he is subjected, and who reaps the advantages the trials of life are designed to secure. It is the privilege of the Christian believer, not only to joy in hope of the glory of God, but to glory in tribulations , also. There must be a blessedness growing out of the consciousness that the varied, and oftentimes painful, discipline of life is answering its true end; that Christian character is being strengthened, purified, developed by means of it. And, besides this, we know that seasons of special trial are not only seasons of special advantage, but very often seasons of special privilege and enjoyment. The three recusants of Babylon had no reason to regret being cast into the fiery furnace, when they found that the fire had no power over them but to consume their bonds, and that in the midst thereof there was granted to them the companionship of one having the form of the Son of Man. But the chief reason that the man who endureth temptation is to be accounted blessed is to be found in the fact that, when he is triedi.e., when he is approved, assayed as metals are, when the fiery trial has answered its purpose and perfectly done its work-he shall receive the crown of life which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him. May that blessedness bo ours! Glimpses of Scotland. I. BY THE REV. F. TRESTRAIL, D.D. UST after I had entered on the important duties of the secretariat of our Foreign Missionary Society in the year 1848, I had to attend a series of meetings in connection with our Northern Auxiliary, in company with my revered and honoured friend, the late John Howard Hinton. I shall not soon forget the Lord's-day we spent together at Sunderland. As the services we were appointed to take were in the afternoon and evening, we went in the morning to worship with the church under the pastoral care of the Rev. Mr. Rees. In going up the aisle I was struck with a notice requesting non-communicants not to pass beyond; thus during the public service, as well as at the Lord's Supper afterwards, the two classes were separated. The sermon was founded on Nathan's visit to David, and its subject the various forms of self-deception existing among us; and they were discussed with singular directness, fidelity, and force. One of them was noticed with peculiar emphasis-that of condemning vices in others of which we were not guilty, while indulging in others ourselves. The description of this form of self-deception was capped by a quotation from our great humorist, "Hudibras," uttered with a dash of vehemence "Compound for sins we are inclined to I fairly started from my seat, surprised at the vigour with which this was spoken. I was informed the next day that Mr. Rees had been an officer in the Royal Navy, and had walked the quarter-deck! The next morning we breakfasted together, and the chief topic of conversation was "the second coming of our Lord." Our host and my colleague differed very widely in their opinions. I was merely a listener, and greatly enjoyed the discussion. Mr. Rees had evidently studied the question and was familiar with it, and supported his views with great keenness and ability. I never saw, in private intercourse, Mr. Hinton's intellectual powers, unfaltering logic, and dialectic skill more finely displayed. On leaving, he said to me, "Our friend has grit and grip." We went on to Newcastle, where I had the pleasure of |