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In Mark 4: 25 our text is used in refer- ence to the doctrine which is to be heard. The Saviour in the twenty-fourth verse says, “Take heed what ye hear." I would press that important exhortation on you all as most needful at this time. Nowa days peoule do not care what they hear~ If 3 mm can speak fluently, if he can be. rhetorical and sensational, if he can tell many pretty stories, if he can use clap- trap and bombast he will have many auditors. Time was with our fathers when if a man went half an inch astray as to orthodoxy they would have none of him; and though we would not have! yawn-u; LCPLCBUISLG tut: UH'US OI me an: as taking away the seed which fell upcn the roadside and devouring it, and he tells us by way of explanation that Satan comes and takes away the Word, lost in any after time it should obtain an entrance into the heart. of this hearing? The Saviour in parflhle repregexkts the birds of the a by many feet ran from one end to the other, and a handful of seed fell upon it. So the gospel falls upon men who are occu- pied with obstinacies, prefiudices. pur- suits, ambitions, cares, and these take so much traffic through their minds that they are hardened towards the gospel, and it never reaches the inner man, but lies upon the hard surface, .a. rejected thing. When they hear it they do hear it, and that is all: as the saying is, “it; goes in at one ear and out at the other.Ӥ The truth never enters the man. They‘ would not like to absent themselves from religious services altogether, and yet they do much the same thing. for only their bodies are there, their hearts are far away. engaged with very dfiferent themes. What is Our Savioufls first picture in the par- able of the sewer is that of the seed fall- ing upon the wayside or the hardaroad. There was much traffic through the field, a footpath which was THE "SOWER . You will not fail to observe that this say- ing of our Lord occurs in three evan- gelists in connection with the parable of the sewer. Besides our text you will find it in Mark 4: 24. and there it is at the close of the parable of the sewer; you will meet with it again in Luke8: 18, still in connection with the same parable. Each evangelisc has given a shade of difference to his record. In Matthew, whence we take our text, the words stand in connection with the hearing of the worthâ€"not any mode of hearing, but hearing itself. Read the ninth verse: “Who hath ears to hear let him hear.” There are some who hear not, for “their ears are dull of hearing”; and there are others of whom it is written, “Blessed are your ears, for they hear-J” I shall be as the shining light which shineth more and more unto the pefect day. If I am a mere pretender I shall fade away, but if I am a sincere believer I shall become brighter and brighter. This last principle 1 shall endeavor to use at this time for our warning and instruction. I. First, we shall study this principle as it is illustrated in parable of BOTH SIDES OF ONE TRUTH, giving instructions as to the Lord’s deal- ings with two different stages of spiritual condition. Each principle has its own range. Are you as yet unsaved? Then the principle which you have to do with is this, that God will fill the empty and feed the hungry. When a man has re- ceived grace, or when he professes to have done so, he comes under the Seound principle. If I have received the light of heaven into my soul. however small its beginnings, the Lord will add a gracious increase. and as I follow on to know him to {in} mm; receive. He giveth grace to those who have none, and more grace to those whom he has already favored. These two principles do not contradict each other, but help to make each other complete. In their order they exhibit Two great general principles are eon- spicuous in the gospel. The first is that God giveth of his grace to the emptyâ€" “He hath filled the hungry with gnud things, and the rich he hath sent empty away.” The second principle is th-n where God has given a measure of grace it is his wont to give moreâ€"“He give}: more grace. ” There is no stint with the Lord of love, and no limit to the abund- ance of the grace which those who come “ F or whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance : but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.”-â€"Matthew 13: 12. SERMON, PREACHED BY PASTOR C. H SPURGEON, Abundantly, by word and oath, Our anchored hope is sure in thee, We trust. with fear and courage both, Thy full immutabllity. Thou, Jesus Christ, hast entered there. Where cloudless light shines thro’ and thro’ And we to overcome must share Thy kingdom and thy patience, too. If now thy reasons are concealed And justice tarries on her way, All ml! at last be well revealed But on the front of time and space Thy burning prophecies appear Of vindicated truth and grace. And leave that casteth out all fear. Deep clouds thy glorious throne enfold, Thou dost not yet make all things plain, Nor could we now, our God, behold The final issue of the right. â€"M. WOOLSEY STRYKER, in the Interior. THE LAW OF GROWTH. And recompense the long delay. SUNDAY READERS. THE SURF. RESULT WATING. the .11. Let this suffice; and now, dear friends, let us try and bring out the same principle in reference to the EXPERIENCE of all gracious souls. Our experience verifies the truth of the text, “Whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance.” In the world‘ among men it is commonly observed that ‘ it: never rains but it pours. Where you see a. sheep there is generally a flock. Money makes money. Paverty remains poor. Want of capital brings bankruptcy. Ordinarily, prosperity is a. hen which likes to lay where there is a nest egg, and when In connection -with this parable, then, the sum and substance of our text is this: the word must dwell in ustruly, and then it Wlil dwell in us richly; but if it enter lnot in very deed into the heart we shall i lose it altogether before long. the Gospel, but they do not receive it in- 'to their hearts, and therefore after awhile they grow weary of it: they are tired of being perpetually reminded of a danger in which they do not believe, and of be- ing invited to a feast which they despise. and therefore they turn upon their heel, and go. If from force of habit they re-‘ main. the Gospel seems to have lost all power over them, and they have no ap- preciation of its ministry. Her-e stands the inevitable decree: he who has shall have; be who is a mere pretender, and has not shall lose even his power to seem to have. this good seed must not be cumbered with such weeds as ynu are,” then the truth is in you, and shall be more fully apparent within you. bringing forth fruitabundant- 1y after its kind. 1 J ) ) In Luke 3: 18 this grand Irinciple is used in reference to taking heed how we hear. Our Lord gives us this in the picture of the seed among thorns. 'l‘he soil received the good seed after a fashion and then it received the nettles and the thorns; and these nettles and thorns and wheat all began to grow togetherâ€"a happy family some would say, but a devil‘s garden is nearer the truth. In these days such a garden is projected on a large scale by some ofour public writers and speakers. The Church and the world are to become one, and saints and sinners are to blend together in one uni- versal round of play-going. We are actually urged by persons who suppose‘ themselves to be Christians to renew the old league which was established in the days of Noah, and brought on the Flood. when the sons of God and the daughters of men joined in alliance, because the sons of God thought that they should greatly improve the WUI‘ld by uniting with it. At this time we are told that it is wrong on our part to forsake the de-. basmg amusements of the ungodly, for ifl we would join in them we might improve! their tone and quality. If heaven would go down to hell, hell would be greatly im- proved. See how benevolent Satan has turned, and how anxious to be reformed. A CALL TO SEPARATION. Hear ye the voice of God which runs in another manner. “Come ye out from among them, be ye seperate, and touch i not the unclean thing." If any man love lthe world, the love of the Father is not 1 in him.” Let thorns be thorns, and let not ‘ wheat attempt to grow among them. See you that plot of ground, how charming is its aspect, wheat springing .up with its green blades among the thorns and thistles! Is it not a delightful compro- I mine? What was the .end of this con- ‘ glomeration? Why, the wheat died; it was checked and could not grow in such uncongenial society. Take care, then. how ye hear the Gospel; hear it, know- ing it to be the only word which can save your soul. Receive it into your be- ing. to become everything to you; for if you do not there shall he taken away from you that Gospel which you think you have, since you have not afi'orded it the reception which it demands and de- serves. If you say to sin, and self, and all else, “Begone ! my heart is ‘ at once, “Happy day I Happy day ! This is the gospel for .ne. I have found peace and heaven, and will never he anxious- again.” These people have not: Counted the cost, or weighed the truth, or enter- ed into its inner meaning and spiritual certainty. There has been no repent- ance of sin, no sense of guilt, no hum- bling before God. no lirokeness of spirit, no inner Conflict. and no work of the ‘Holy Ghost in the soul. It has been a sort of happy-go-lucky business, in which they caught at what came in their way and promised them fair. They will soon ‘ fling away that which they have so incon- siderately embraCed. l There are many who, when they hear the Gospel, are, according to our Lord’s seconl picture, mere superficial hearers. They take some heed to their hearing, but not to 1hat they lune he«11d;fox if they rewarded the value and (liunity of the Word they Would take it more thor- oughly to heart, and it would permanent- ly etfect their lives. These are they who leceive the word in stony places. When the Gospel Comes to them they catch at it without much Consideration; they are hot and eager for it, and rejoice because it has Come in their my, “Anon with joy they receiw it.’ you so censorious, for we are not to nnme one swallow nt SH 8. man an offender for a word, yet we 1 follow it. CcrHll wonld have you iiu the things 0f : vuArnrvo wnn mnn munmu Ibeen give“ IIIUI'U If an angel from heaven preach any other gospel than that which ye have receiv- ed, I charge ye listen not to it. Be the good sheep of the good Shepherd, of whom it is written, “a. stranger will thy not follow. for they know not the Voice of ssh-auger." You cannot expose the soil of your heart to a continual sowing of taxes but what some tare or other will take root, and by-and-by, instead of hav- ing the good Wheat growing in your soul there will spring up the tarcs whose end is to be burned, (LDC! you will have lost the harvest which should have been pro- duced in your" spirit. Therefore take heed what ye hear. FOB. .CHRIST ALONE JEALOUS FOR THE TRUTH. w SOUIS. Uur experience nth of the text, “Whosoever :hall be given, and he shall aundance.” In the world is commonly observed that THEY SING AND SHOUT THE WATCHMAN. mummy, THURbUAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1892. t Insincere men and women find that what they had is taken away trom thorn. I will :1 illustrate this point very rapidly. It is in this way. Many who hear the Gospel have been brought up to do so from their childhood ; but if they do not heartily receive the Gospel they in many instances give up attendance upon the outward means of grace when they get away from the restraints of religious society. They find it dull work to sit so long and listen . to drowsy prayers and dull prenchings. : They find it uncomfortable to get into crowded congregations, cold to be in small ones, and unhealthy to sit in the close atmosphere of a meeting house. They see many faults in the service, and grumble quite cleverly. At first they stop away one part of the day. Once is quite enough for them, they say: they cannot stand twice. Then, by-and-by, every excuse is made for stopping at home. Sometimes it is met, at another time they feel a. little out of sorts : these things would not keep them from business, but a very little suf. fices to excuse a man’s staying at home on Sunday. At length they do not go at all. Thus there is taken away from them what they really did not have: they did not really hear, and now they DO NOT NOMINALLY HEA R. Here is another form of the same thing. The man keeps on hearing, but not having received the Gospel he loses all power to appreciate it. “I do not know what has co'me over" our minister,” ‘he says, “I used at one time to feel something when he was preaching, but it is not so now. He is getting old, and has about spun himself out.” Other people do not think so, however, for they have been converted and blessed under his ministry. What has happened? Why, this man has lost what he seemed to have. Nothing affects him. Tremble, my hearers if that is your case. for you are going fast to perdition, With nothing to stop you.. Il‘fmr III. I must now conclude with the other side of the truth as exemplified in the experience of we saw in the ground twenty years ago. is the same post still. no bigger, no smaller, and only altered by becoming rotten underground ; but the tree which you saw twenty years ago, what a differ- ence there is in it. It was then a. sapling which you could bend, but now it has be- come an iron pillar. and there is no moving it. So ought it to be with us, and we must aspire to have it so. You, then, who hope that you have a little genuine grace in your soul, may well take courage. Let the truth con- tained in the text cheer youâ€"unto you shall more be given. and you shall have more abundance. Do you think because you have but little faith you are always to be doubting and trembling. You shall grow out of it. my brother, as your faith becomes established. A dead post which A spark of tire is true fire, and is quite enough to begin with. It turns every- thing With which it comes in contract in- to its own nature, and it spreads by the force of its own intensity. The like is true of love. If you have real tire it will burn, but if you have only a painted fire, it will not increase. A painted love to Christ, by which I mean the mere imita- tion of love to hun, will not increase, but will eventually disappear altogether. f I will trust him to save me,‘ that man ',has Something, and he shall have more. 'lDear friendS, if you cannot yet follow ' the Loud into the depth, he will save i you if you follow him in the shallows ‘ as fair as you can. If you. are staggered by anyonetruth, do not therefore reject 1 your Lord, but be willing to aCCept that which does Hut stagger you. Touch the hem of his garment. if you cannot. reach his divine pet-Son. and you shall Soon find that your faith in the elementary truths of the Gospel will, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, lead you to an understand- ingr of the deeper mysteries. Use your starlight and you shall have sunlight. GRO‘VING REPENTANFE. As it is with faith so is it: with the possession of any zeal, genuine grace} Take repcntance, for instance; a man may say, “My heart is hard, and 1 can not repent as 1 would." No, my dear friend, but do you really hate evil, and do you labor to avmd the faults into which you formerly fell '! Do you mourn and regret mistakes, and errors, and l transgressions of which you are Convinced? Well, then, this repentance of yours will deepen: you Wlll come to be very sensi- tiveness which you long for, yet, if your repentance be real, though it be weak at first, to him that hath shall be given. and your repentance shall grow. If there he in your heart. an evident love of sin it is idle for you to hope that your repentance will increase, for you have none. It is so with love to God, Who among us loves God as he Would wish to love him ? But the point you have to watch is not so much the possession of the flaming love of a Samuel Rutherford of a Madame Guyon, as the making sure of even the lowest degree of genuine love to Jesus. See that it be When a man belieVes the Guspcl in its most elementary furm that umu will smm be taught the lllUllez truths. \Vhen we benin with 501116 people by t Hing them the plum way Hf suluitinu they raise doubts and sq nibbles. "But” is tl‘eir f».- vorite wmd. They cry “Icmmnt see this and I cammt mule istaml that. We never thUUiIhT they Wuuld see it 01' u11~ (lerstaml it. f'n' they grim-rally want to understand the must dilli-zult parts (if the (xiispel first. Half the difficulties 0f un- believers me the result of unreadiness to be taught. When a man saith “I under- stand Very little, but I know that I am a sinner, and I pexceive that Christ came into the Wul'ld to save sinners, therefore unc swallow nf sucwss cumcs nthcrs will follow it. Cerululy We haw found it so in the things uf gl'aCe; where gmce has been given mum gnu-c cumus; sluntual capital well worked multiplws the stuck, and spiritual Wealth is neuliZed where there is a sulid basis tn buglz. upuu. TRUE t“.VEN' IF IT BE PEBBLE. TRUTHS IN THEIR ORDER. THE INSINCIRE. ,7 ,7 ,1 ..... I ' . "i ' ' 7° ' ' )lain iiu‘ures but ST. ANDREW‘S (Presbyterian). Wflham of every piece of turnnure and article IS marked in} a , Street Rev-30138” Johnston, 13- A” owing to the widening of Notre Dame street west, which wzll necessx- ' ‘ - - - s v; i - - Eaiior'szifiiiililieSsgolcifwa':'3:311)in 7'30 tate their removal next spring, they are now offering >pLLu’h induce Prayer Meeting Wednesday 51138.901’. ments in the way of Discounts off the marked prices: . The entire es- 1; 'bbYEhniéfr Pe'ome: 1313mm“ 01rd" tablishment is a model 0116, neatness and order pr CValllll§ everywhere; a. a O U a . . . - m m 0 all available space 15 taken up to accommodate the enormous stock ST» PAUL’S (ChDrCh Of England) Russell which they carry, and from which purchasers can select at their liberty. $53: tRRlefbg'E ' 1‘15?r?,;§%‘f38r1),s 3; Their new passenger elevator will be found not only a great covemence, sabbath SCh°°1 “3 2-30- Prayer Meet- but also a luxury in its way to carry their customers to any of their six inc: Wednesday at 7.30 P. M. flats of show rooms. . 9 - . l . . _‘ ' . . .â€" ST Efigis $328353?olighlfeletiePiglig‘i-f The firmly established reputation of this welH‘noun house is a Rev. Father Nolan, Curate. Services ‘ i - show is onl the last thin<r aimed ats at 8.00 and 1030 A. M. and 7.00 RM. suffiaent guarantee that outs de Y :~. Sabbath School at 3.30 p. M. and that stability and good value for money are to be found in the old Y M C- A Rom"q pm, In“ “A m_ established firm of Messrs. BAPTIST, Cambridge Streetâ€"Rev. W. K. Anderson Pastor. Services at 11.00 A.- M. and 7.00 P. M. Prayer Meeting Sab ath morning at 10.30 A. M. Sabbath School at: 2.30 P. M. Young People’s Society of Christian Endeavor Monday at 7.30 P. M. Prayer Meeting \Vednes- day at 7.30 P. M.â€"All seats free. METHODIST, Queen Streetâ€"Rev. Newton Hill, Pastor. Services at; 11.00 A. M. and 7.003. M. _S§bbath School at 2.3L Contentâ€"Young Lady (to newly-engag- ed friend)â€"~“I have come to congratulate you, dear. I have only just heard of your engagement. I hope you will be happy.” Friendâ€"“0h, yes. I think I shall be. You see, George has got plenty of money, andâ€"no mother! What more could I wish I ” METHODIST, Cambridge St.â€"Rev. T. M, Campbell. Pastor. Services at 11 A.M.. and 7.00 P. M. Sabbath School and Bible Class at. 2.30. Classes at 10 A.M. Prayer Meeting, \Vednesday at 8 P. M. Young People‘s Christian Endeavor Society. everv Fridaveveninq at 7.30 A parish clerk was taxed with having misappropriated some of the ofl'ertory money. “You know, John.” said the par- son, “that only you and I have access to it.” “Then, sir, ” replied John, “you pay the one half and I’ll pay the tither. and we’ll say no more about It.” A Scotch judge Ol‘lCe addressed a jury thusâ€"“Gentlemen, having shown to you that the case made for the plaintiff is ab- solutely impossible, I shall now proceed to prove to you that it is in the highest degree improbable.” Evidence of Good Healthâ€"Female Callerâ€"“And how is your father, Mrs. Birch?” Hostessâ€"-“Real well. thank you. I don’t remember the time that father snorcd as healthy as he does now.’ Judgeâ€"“What have you brought that thick stick into Court for?" Defendantâ€"â€" “Well, everybody told me that I must come provided with a means of defence, and I fancy I've brought it.” 'Clmppieâ€"“Do you think your fathaw will look with approval on my suit, Miss Gwace?” Miss Graceâ€" “Not the one you've on. It’s too loud. I heard him laughing at it the other day." M. C. A., Room: Cor. Kent and Cam- bridge sts. Open daily from 9.00 A. M. to 10.00 P. M. Prayer Praise meeting Saturday at; 8 P. M. Young men’s meeting Sunday at; 4.15 P. M. Short addresses. Good singin . Younfiz men always welcome. Dr. fit H. Carke, President; C. K. Calhoun Gen. Secre- The most careful man in the world was about to be hanged recentlyâ€"we forget for what crime. Before stepping on to the platform he enquired anxiouslyâ€"“Is it Safe :1” If a man be very sound in theology, and only muss me nineteen shillings in ex- change for a sovereign, I will not think much of his theology. Why is the letter “0” the most charita- able? Because it is found oftener than any other in “doing good.” \Vhy is a. blacksmith a very wicked man ? Because he is acquainted with all kinds of vices. When a thief has no opportunity to steal he considers himself an honest man. If thou art a master, be sometimes blind; if a Servant, sumetimes deaf. Some people give much thought to the puur. That is as far as they get. More people laugh at us than with us, however it- may appear at the moment. EXTERNAL BEFORDIATION, for they make a public confession of faith in Christ: they pray, and perhaps they preach : their voices are heard in Christian rssemblies, and they appear to the the lives of Christians. I have seen them even become eminent for supposed sanc- tity, but if they have not received the Word really and truly what a miserable life theirs must he '! They do not get the secret comfort of true religion, and yet they have to keep up an appearance of it. Surely, the poorest people in the world are those who have to keep up appearances and have not the means to do it with: they are always getting in debt, and yet they have to look everybody in the face. Just as with a man who continues to live beyond his means, there comes a time when he must be bankrupt, so there Comes a time with 'the spirltual deceiver when he cannot keep it up any longer. Others become grosser sceptics and viler haters t-f Christ than others,â€"-their hypocrisy has curdled into blasphemy. Others have settled down in utter indif- ference, callousness, and carelessness. Where the cheat is kept up till the end, what a waking: awaits the deceiver 3 God Save us from such a doom, for his name’s sake. Amen. .V--- ~v_.- vv- .~v â€"- -v P. M. Praver Meeting Thursday at 7.30P. M. You are dying at the root and Will con- tinue to lose all sensation until death ends in corruption. One more version of this same truth and I have done. Some appear to receive the Word even further than those in whom it produces an The Churches. WIT AND WISDOM 18:1 and 1853 N otre Dame Street, corner of McGill street. On the third floor a fine selection of Rocking, Easy and Reclining Chairs claims particular attention. The celebrated bent wood furni- ture imported from Vienna, Austria, and of which the Messrs. McGar- vey make a specialty, also occupies a prominent position on this floor. On the fourth floor bedroom sets in profusion are to be found frcm the cheap ash wood to the elegantly carved set valued at fifteen hun- dred dollars. Brass and iron furniture, of which they have just receiv- ‘ed a very large consignment from Birmingham, England. is an especial- ly noticeable feature; handsome solid brass bedsteads and pretty cots for children from $30 up to $125â€"there they are of the newest designs : neat iron bedsteads as low as $5, and rising to much higher figures, can also be found here. A great advantage in this house is that the price of every piece of turniture and article is marked in plain figures, but owing to the widening of Notre Dame street west, which will necessi- tate their removal next spring, they are now ofi'ering special induce- ments in the way of Discounts off the marked prices. The entire es- tablishment is a model one, neatness and order prevailing everywhere; all available space is taken up to accommodate the enormous stock which they carry, and from which purchasers can select at their liberty. Tlga:.. _--_-, .__--_,A_A-,, ,1, ,1 on u n 1 . ‘ r-ILJ "l meets the eye, SUCh 35 3, 4, 5, 5 and 7 piece parlor suites. Odd piece suites, gilt chairs, corner chairs, ottomans, divans, tete-a-tetes, piano and foot-stools in plushes, brocatelles and silk damasks of all the newest and latest shades; also a full line of fancy centre, card and work-tables, statuette-stands, ladies writing desks, music stands and easels. Library Tables, Writing Desks. and Easy and Combination all descriptions. PARLOB F Sideboards, Dining Tables, Hall Stands, Bookcases, Wardroba, No one need despair; the millionnai top to bottom with the finest and most c fill his little tenement with useful and pr his more limited means. rc can furnish his house from ostly, and his junior clerk can etty articles at prices to suit On entering: the well-known and e Dame street, the visitor is struck bv the Everything in the furniture line is to be found there five cent chair to a fifteen hundred dollar bedroom set, suit everyone. A walk through those spacious show rooms :5 a revel they really amount in themselves to a Montreal lndustria their line. Such must necessarily be the reflections of pay; a visit to this firm’s prominent establishment and m.’ nspection through their attractive warerooms. Art in the household and beauty in tl life was the gOSpel propounded by the late elevators of the human mind, and to rcaliz made in this direction it is well worth whil nifieent show rooms of the old establishnrl OWEN MCGARVEY Son. 1849-1833 Notre Dame Street. MONTREAL- A Sideboard for $4.50. a J Mattrass and SpIings for do, very low. We are ma gigTHE MARCH 0F EMPRGVEM F411;? YOUR HOMES CAN BE FURNISHED CHEAPEY nowadays compared with the outlay that would Java necessary a few years ago. Well-made Furniture was .7 r “e cheaper in price than it is to-dav-with us. at Ecas.‘ It’s a well recognized fact that daily surroundings have much to moulding of character. If the home be neatly furnished the chances are that the good man will come hflme Search the W GEE? ANDERSON, NUGENT On reaching the second floor a beautiful assortment of A Bed-room Suite for $11 Dealers and Manufacturers, near $4.50. a Bureau for WILL GIVE YOU a Bureau for $4, a Bedstead for for $5. Common Chairs, Hall F making a special drive in Mattrasc ’ URNI'I'URE is to be found there, from . ~ ’ 0 ¢ extenswc warerooms on Rotre v n 2 excellent display of an]... n--l_-__,, m . . fore . ‘11 LGLL Montreal Industrial exhibition in -- ItAlu hat pr 0g rcss has ons 01 am One who and m .kcs a tour of :uaucau 101' $2, or 3.”? irs, Hall Furniture[ in Mattrasses. a reveiatinn; in fact the Market. 'e,1rorn a twenty- , and prices to visit to the )use of Me; surroundings in Chairs of and other An {TERM “At‘v der CI'CJ abL bu: