world passeth away," and therefore is not worth loving. So merciful art Thou, O my God and Father, so compassionate to our infirmities! Thou dost call us from loving

the world to love Thee; but if that is not enough, and we love the world still, then Thou dost show us the passing nature of the world, and make it plain to us that, love it as we may, we cannot keep it; and further, Thou dost write the lesson on our heartsas on mine now-by actually taking the world away from us, and us from the world; for so I find it at this time; to me the world is almost gone, so little does it now seem, compared with my soul, and eternity, and spiritual things.

Therefore I may humbly thank Thee, and I do thank Thee, for teaching me at last this lesson-not to love the world, because it is passing away.

And now, Lord, teach me further; teach me to love Thee with my whole heart.

"He

that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." This part at least of Thy will I trust Thou

hast taught me to do-to believe in Thy dear

Son, my Saviour, to come to Thee by Him. seeking Thy pardoning mercy and Thy renewing and quickening grace, and earnestly to desire Thy Holy Spirit and Thy presence, help, and comfort. While I do thus look to Thee in Christ my Saviour, I humbly believe that I shall not pass away with this passing world, but that I shall abide for ever. For I remember the words of my Lord, "I go to prepare a place for you: . . . . . that, where I am, there ye may be also " (John xiv. 2, 3). I remember them, and I believe them. Oh, grant that I may abide for ever with Thee! Grant me a mansion, a dwelling, in my Father's house! Grant that, where Jesus my Lord and Saviour is, there I may be ! Grant this for His sake!

The world seems now to be passing away from me, and I from it; but if it should please God to restore me to health-and who knows what He may do ?-then I do earnestly pray that the love of the world may never again get a hold on my heart. O my God and Father, Who hast dealt so graciously with me, let me not rise from this

bed, to go back to the world, and give my heart to it, and love the things I used to love. Help me to set my affection on things above, not on things on the earth; turn my heart from the world to Thee; let not this time pass away, and leave me with a worldly and carnal mind, still caring for a world that is passing away. Henceforth may I love Thee, and live to Thee. This is my heart's desire to-day; oh, let it not pass away, like the passing world.

CHAPTER XXXIV.

THE COMPASSION OF JESUS FOR INVALIDS.

"And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and He healed their sick."-Matt. xiv. 14.

I remember that in this verse the word "sick" is in the Greek a word exactly answering to our word "invalids." In that great crowd, besides those suffering from severe and acute diseases, there were many invalids, weakly people, people out of health. Jesus knew every such case, and had compassion on all.

True, He was moved with compassion. toward the whole multitude, and, just after, we find this compassion leading Him to feed them by a miracle. But He was certainly moved with a special pity for the invalids among them, for He wrought a

special and peculiar miracle for them, "He healed them." And though, even in healing the sick, He showed pity for their friends too, for there was not one case that did not make some others sad beside the sufferer himself, yet for the actual sufferers, for the invalids themselves, in their pain or weakness, we may believe that He felt a peculiar pity.

O my Saviour, Thou changest not; Thou art full of pity still; Thou knowest every case of the weak or sick. Thou knowest mine. For I am now one of this number; in the great multitude of the world I am among the invalids. I humbly believe that Thou art moved with compassion toward me; and this thought comforts me. That Thou, in Thy heavenly glory, shouldest look down and take notice of me lying on my bed or feebly creeping about, and shouldest pity me! This is wonderful; but it is true. I thank Thee, O my Lord and Saviour, for Thy kind compassion, I thank Thee for caring for my illness and weakness. I love Thee for it. And, though I am still weak and ill, yet the very thought does me good.