the good part remains to us, and accompanies us through death into immortal life, only there to manifest in us its blessed power and glory.

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Contemplative souls like Mary, may also, like her, find their highest pleasures at times, in penetrating in quiet reflection into the unfathomable depths of the will and the grace of God; but let them, like Mary, avoid the by-path of fanatical inactivity; let them never forget that these beautiful, festal hours of still contemplation, become a selfish enjoyment when they do not serve to strengthen them for active life, to inspire them to fulfill, more and more faithfully, their earthly calling. Those souls, however, who, like Martha, never enjoy life, and are never in their element if they cannot work and manage in vigorous activity, need not relieve themselves of their unwearied labor in outward life; but let the consciousness everywhere accompany them which Martha, indeed, lost only for the moment that they walk before God's countenance; let them studiously nourish and strengthen this consciousness out of the living fountain, in earnest, holy contemplation, that their activity may neither be perverted into an empty superficial, nor into an unquiet and passionate pursuit. And if they have become weak, and, troubling and impeding themselves and others have gone out of the right path, let then the word of the Lord, "One thing is needful!" lead them back again, as easily as it did Martha, into their original place, and to the divinelyapproved order of their life. Amen.

DISCOURSE XXII.

THE LONGING FOR HOME.

You are familiar, my friends, with that singular longing which sometimes strongly seizes the mind of a man, especially in the period of youth, and strangely affects his feelings. Human situations and circumstances float before him, such as he is perhaps not able himself very nearly to describe, but which concerning he can say this, that they are much more beautiful and perfect than all that he can see around him, or all that his previous experience has shown him. All the circumstances there, are noble and magnificent. He sees lofty forms walk before him, and a magical radiance rests upon them. Untroubled bliss, deep satisfaction, beckon the longing youth, and in unchecked activity he is to reveal the strength and fullness of his soul. This longing sets him whom it possesses at variance with the outward life, which then appears to him poor and colorless. He would re-make it according to his own ideas; but because he does not succeed in this, he turns away from it, discontented and impatient. All activity in it is repulsive to him. As often as he can, he retreats thoughtfully into the still world of his dreams and fancies.

Men blame the mind that weakly gives up to this longing; and surely with justice. They warn the youth to repress this exaggerated, dreamy feeling-to content himself with the actual world, as it now is-to build up for himself in it, as well as he

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can, his life's fortune, and, at the same time, make himself as useful as possible to others. But this counsel evidently is easier given than followed. Besides, one hardly finds much heed among those whom this longing has once possessed. Yea, the most promising among the youthful minds will generally contend most decidedly against the view of human life which lies at the basis of this advice. They do not willingly submit to come down to the cold wisdom, which once for all renounces everything higher, and more perfect, and only finds itself at home in the narrow limits and poverty of common life. They think that with their longing after something unconditioned and perfect in life, they stand higher than those moderate persons by whom they are pitied as visionaries. Yea, they boast of having on their side the most glorious, the most eminent minds of all times. Ever, they say, has the mainspring of their immortal deeds, the fountain of their lofty works, been a great, bold thought, which appeared to common-place men only as the fruit of a foolish extravagance-the enthusiastic striving after some high goal, whose attainment these held to be absolutely impossible.

We shall not here enter into this dispute for the purpose of accurately dividing the right from the wrong on both sides; but so much is certain, that is a perverse beginning, to repress that dim longing, instead of giving to it the right object; to destroy this obscure and indefinite seeking and striving, instead of guiding it to an understanding of itself, and leading it to its true goal. One should show such souls that what they seek is properly the full revlation of eternal life. For in this alone, will all human life appear in its true, pure, godlike form. In it alone, will all our longing and aspiring find their perfect satisfaction. Not upon the earth, but in heaven, is our home, and therefore is man here a creature who seeks. He finds no rest, so long as he knows not the heavenly home, and even when he has become acquainted with it, his longing is not yet stilled, since the full possession of the heavenly inheritance is still in the future. Let us linger by this truth in our meditation to-day.

"Therefore we are always confident, knowing that whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labor, that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him." 2 Cor. V. 6-9.

With simple and touching words the Apostle, in our text, expresses his longing for the Christian's heavenly home. He regards, however, this longing in no wise as anything peculiar to himself, but speaks of it as a universal attribute of the Christian life. In this he not the less testifies from his own experience, though in the name of all true Christians, to the salutary influence of this longing, to its consoling and cheering power. From these two points of view then, let the longing for Home be the subject of our meditation. When we have first perceived the necessary place of this longing in the inner life of the Christian, it will not be difficult to persuade ourselves of its salutary influ

ence.

I. That the longing for home belongs essentially to the Christian life, is, my brethren, by no means so universally acknowledged, as would be expected by a pious soul which, unconcerned in the strife of opinions, is endeavoring to shape its inner life according to the directions of the Bible. Voices, louder and bolder than ever, are lifted up in our times, which dispute the right of the longing, and the hope from which it springs and with which it is inseparably connected, to a place in the harmonious connection of the inner Christian life. "To afford full satisfaction in the complete knowledge of God," we hear it said, “is the essential design of Christianity." "In Christianity, the Divine has appeared in time, and the soul breaks through, even now, this restricting barrier. Whoever believes in Christ has the eternal life, and needs to long for nothing beyond the present. It is only unbelief, or weakness of faith, which waits for the future, instead of grasping and holding fast the eternal in the midst of the earthly life, and of being perfectly content with its full, living, presence for the soul."

These lofty words bear a certain semblance of strength of faith and fullness of faith, which, however, can deceive only the ignorant. Or has the eternal life in Christ whose perfect possession these persons so confidently ascribe to themselves, just now appeared upon the earth? Has the church of Christ hitherto known nothing of it? There is no one who would venture to make so foolish an assertion. And yet the longing for the consummation of the kingdom of God has ever been earnest in the church. Yea, experience testifies incontestably, that it has everywhere least of all failed where faith and love have been the strongest. Those who have here participated in eternal life in communion with God, have, without doubt, most heartily longed for its fulfillment beyond the present existence. And assuredly if any Christian feelings have found in the songs of the church a sincere, touching, heartfelt expression, they are its glorious hopes; and these are its holy longings.

But whether the church of the Lord has a divine right to such a hope and longing, or whether in this any human fancy, and strange delusion has misled it, let the Apostles of the Lord first decide. Paul has been styled preeminently the Apostle of faith; and this justly. The unconditioned, the justifying and saving power of faith in the grace of God in Christ, is the great subject of his preaching, of which he knows how to testify with words of flame. And yet the same Paul, who possessed in his faith an inexhaustible spring of the holiest peace, according to his own acknowledgment, as our text in the original reads, had a "desire to depart from the body and to be at home with the Lord." Just for the reason that Christ is his life here, even during his stay on earth, is dying for him gain. The life of believers, as he writes to the Colossians, is hidden with Christ in God. Its real nature as it appears to the eye of God, remains concealed from the world by an impenetrable veil, as Christ himself, by his return to the Father, has withdrawn himself from the view of the world. But when Christ, our life, shall appear, then will His disciples appear with Him in glory. Yea, the Holy