to him that needed. The "man that was a sinner "stood forth and said publicly, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold." (Luke xix. 8.)

This is the spirit we should seek, and not be content with saying, "I am not a thief." We are debtors to our fellow men. The love of God in Christ should make us feel this. We owe them the debt of love. All that love would prompt us to do and desire for ourselves, we owe to a brother, and are called upon to pay as opportunity serves. So it is written, "As therefore we have opportunity let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith." (Gal. vi. 10.)

But such debts are only paid by those who feel how still larger a debt they owe to God. With reference to this debt it is asked, "Will a man rob God?" (Malachi iii. 8.)

Yet how much do we rob Him, if we only think what we owe Him, or if we think how all we have is His, and yet how much we use it as our own. We owe Him indeed our ownselves. We owe Him our best affections. We owe Him our service, our strength, our mind. Unless we are Satan's, and choose to serve him,*

we must acknowledge we are Christ's, paid for by His blood, Iwe are not our own."

Are

we paying our debts? Or are we robbing God? Oh! "let him that stole steal no more in this respect. "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey." (Rom. vi. 16.) Do we indeed acknowledge that hell would have been our final dwelling place, Satan our master, sin our service, death our wages, unless bought for ever by the blood of Christ? Oh then, shall we not acknowledge God's right to our persons, our hearts, our all? Let the love of Christ constrain us thus to live to Him who died for us, and now prays for us, and while we seek to pay the debt of love to Him who has forgiven us so much, let us also see how best we can pay the other debt of love to fellow men for Christ's sake, lest indeed, robbing both God and man, it be proved that Redemption be but a name, and not a real blessing to us.

PRAYER.

O Gracious God, who knowest the many temptations to which we Thy creatures are exposed, I entreat Thee to look upon me Thy weak and unworthy child with the eye of pity. Loosen me from those bands of sin by which I am so often bound to this earth, and enable me to rise upon the wings of faith that I may cheerfully run in the way of Thy commandments. Enable me to put far away from me every thing like dishonesty. May I be just and true and honest and faithful in all my dealings. May I keep constantly before me the great day of reckoning. May I labour to be accepted of thee both now and then. May I so act as never to fear the disclosures of that great day. Make me pure in heart and of clean hands. Give me grace to avoid even the appearance of evil. Let thy good Spirit work in me the great end of sanctification, which is Thy will. Lord, I would bless Thee for the unspeakable blessing of redemption, and I pray that I may give myself wholly to Thy service in both body and soul, through Jesus Christ my Redeemer. AMEN.

THE NINTH COMMANDMENT.

"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour." EXODUS XX. 16.

THE eighth commandment forbids our taking away our neighbour's property. This one is to defend our neighbour's name and character, and forbids one man hurting another by bearing false witness, or saying evil things against him.

The most open breach of this law is when a person goes into a court of justice and bears untrue witness against any one accused of a crime. There are not wanting such cases in the world. Scripture History affords instances of it. So alas! would the world's history at all times. Some are utterly careless how much another suffers, so that their own interests are served.

There must have been many such very easy to be found in the days of the wicked Ahab, king of Israel. Many came forward at the bidding of the depraved Jezebel, and bare false witness against Naboth. No doubt their eyes were blinded to the sin they committed, and their ears closed against the cries of poor

N

innocent Naboth, (who by their testimony was stoned to death,) by the money which they received for their evil deeds. (1 Kings xxi. 13.) They who did this deed are well called the "Sons of Belial." None but the children of the devil would be found to soil their hands in such dark and loathsome crimes.

Another instance we have in the case of those by whose witness our Lord was condemned. We are told, "Many false witnesses came."-Many ready to lay charges to His door which they could not prove. "Yet found they none," no charge that could be supported "at the mouth of two or three witnesses." "At the last came two false witnesses; " these perverted the words of the Lord, because they misunderstood him. (Matt. xxvi. 60, 61.)

This sin of course is most hateful in the sight of God. It can be but little removed from murder in many cases. It is lending a helping hand to another's ruin, and that by the foul means of lying. It was severely, but justly punished under the law. "If the witness be a false witness, and hath against his brother, then shall

as he had thought to have brother." (Deut. xix. 19.)

testified falsely ye do unto him, done unto his

We may never be called upon to bear witness at all in a court of justice, and so we may