June 4

Matthew xii.—31. Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men; but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.

32. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

33. Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.

34. O generation of vipers! how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

35. A good man, out of the good treasure of the heart, bringeth forth good things; and an evil man, out of the evil treasure, bringeth forth evil things.

36. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

37. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

Isaiah i.—11. To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord: I

am full of the burnt-offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he-goats.

12. When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?

13. Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sab-baths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with: it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.

14. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.

15. And, when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you; yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.

16. Wash ye, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;

17. Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

18. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

The "sin against the Holy Ghost" has been the occasion, to sensitize consciences, of a solicitude which the expression does not call for. The despair and anguish with which persons sometimes imagine themselves to have committed "the unpardonable sin" is itself evidence to the contrary; this sensitiveness of conscience toward sin being a token of the Holy Spirit's presence. The Pharisees, being confounded by the miracles of Christ, malignantly imputed these to the power of Satan. This wilful resistance of the highest evidence of the presence of God and the work of his Spirit indicated a state of mind that nothing could change,—a hatred of good, a stubbornness in evil, a contumacious disregard of the advances of divine truth and love, which mark an affinity

with the spirits of darkness. This deliberate and determined opposition to the manifestations of the Divine Spirit was the sin against the Holy Ghost, which Jesus here condemned, and which the Pharisees had aggravated to the pitch of blasphemy. It was this awful hypocrisy that led him to use such strong denunciation. He read their hearts; he knew the malice that had prompted their taunts. A word, even lightly spoken, may be an index of the heart: an oath, a lie, a vulgar jest, reveals corruption within. Wherefore let us take heed to our ways, that we sin not with our tongues. It was such hypocrisy that called forth the denunciations of Jehovah by the prophet Isaiah; yet these were attended with the fullest, freest offers of forgiveness to the penitent.

APPROPRIATE HYMNS.]

Prayer.

[Nos. 21, 90, 95.

O God! cast us not away from thy presence, and take not thy Holy Spirit from us. Create within us clean hearts, and renew right spirits within us.

Almighty God, who givest us all things richly to enjoy, we bless thee that thou hast made us capable of knowing thee as our Father, and of holding communion with thee through thy Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. We come to thee with the opening day, giving thanks for light and life, for reason, for the affections that bless our home, for the bounties of thy providence, and the riches of thy grace. Acknowledging our unworthiness, we implore the forgiveness of our sins, and the gracious, comforting, sanctifying presence of thy Holy Spirit. Even as now we ask, do thou, O Lord! send forth thy Spirit in our hearts, crying, Abba, Father, and witnessing that we are thine.

Help us this day to walk before thee in lowliness of mind, and in all holy conversation. Give to us wisdom in our affairs, and success in our undertakings; the spirit of good will toward our fellow-men, and an unworldly, unselfish mind in all things. May we keep our tongue from evil, and our lips from speaking guile, and rejoice in every opportunity of doing good to others! May this home be sanctified by thy presence, and our hearts filled with thy love! and may the homes to which our hearts go out in loving remembrance be likewise the habitations of thy grace! O Lord! save thy people, and bless thine heritage; govern them, and lift them up forever. Fill all lands with thy glory, and all hearts with thy grace, through Jesus Christ our Lord; who, with thee and the Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth evermore. Amen.