Ah! when all this work of redemption shall be completed,-when there shall be gathered together a multitude which no man can number, each with a crown of life on his head, each with the robe of white as his clothing, each with a golden harp in his hand, each one to live and be blessed for ever,—what a multitude will they be! And as each one comes to the feet of Christ, to cast his crown there, will He not rejoice over His works? Does the mother who has prayed for the conversion of her child, from the very first moment her heart thrilled at the sound of its voice, rejoice when that child is converted and brought into the fold of Jesus? Does the minister of Christ, who has gone forth bearing the precious seed with weeping, rejoice when the Holy Spirit comes down, and his flock are brought to Christ? Does the missionary of the cross, who leaves his country to toil and die in foreign lands, rejoice when he sees newborn souls, from among the poor, darkened pagans, coming and sitting at the foot of the cross, and singing to the name of Jesus? What, then, will be the joy which will fill the heart of God himself for ever? These are His work! Oh, He will burn up gold and silver and jewels and precious stones,-He will burn up the earth; but He will save souls, and rejoice in His works for ever and ever!

"Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness."-JUDGES xiv. 14.

CHILDREN, this is the oldest riddle in the world. A riddle is some truth or thought put into language which would seem to mean something else, and of which the real meaning is to be guessed. In ancient times there were very few books, because men did not know how to print; and, indeed, they had no books except such as were written with the pen. And so they used to teach one another in riddles, songs, parables, and proverbs. Moses wrote his farewell address, just before he died, in the form of a song, so that the people might commit it to memory, and perhaps sing it. Deborah, a prophetess, wrote a song describing a victory which her people

had gained, and which song was to be committed to memory. Solomon gathered up all the wisdom of his age into proverbs, because these could be easily remembered and handed down in families. Parables are a kind of riddle, and were used to engage the attention and excite curiosity. The parables of Christ are the most beautiful in the world. Fables are another kind of riddle. There was once a Grecian slave, named Æsop, who made many choice fables; but the many fables which have come down to us as his, are probably a collection of all the old fables that had been gathered, down to his time. To guess the meaning of riddles has always been the delight of children, and of people who have but few books. Such people, too, delight in songs and short stories. Some of the most bewitching reading for children is little stories put into poetry; and who does not know how eagerly they read the fables in which birds talk, monkeys reason, and squirrels gather together in council!

In the Bible we are taught that God can do great things, not only by weak instruments, but by very imperfect men. All great and good men have had some defects; and to show us that God can use such poor creatures to promote His own glory, the Bible is very careful not to cover up their sins.

Samson, who made the riddle which I have chosen for my text, was a judge or deliverer in Israel. For twenty years, he was the chief magistrate. The nation, who were then troubling

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the people of God, were the Philistines,—a strong, warlike people, who always hated Israel. They would come, sometimes in little bands, and steal the cattle, and sometimes with an army, and burn up towns. Samson was himself

the army to oppose them; and God showed that He could, if He pleased, put a whole army into one man. In one battle, he killed more than two armies often do in a battle. And what was equally strange, he did it all without armour, by picking up a stick, or such a small thing as the jaw-bone of an ass.

Samson was raised up to destroy the Philistines; and, strange as it may seem, he married one of that people in order to do it. At his wedding, according to custom, he put forth a riddle to the company. Once, when on his way, with his parents, to see his intended bride, he turned aside into a vineyard,-most likely to gather some grapes. Here a young fierce lion sprang upon him; but in a moment, unarmed as he was, he tore the cruel beast to pieces. He was not hurt, nor were his garments torn so as to make his parents notice it, and he told nobody about it. Perhaps he felt that nobody would believe the story. There he left the lion dead.

When he went down to be married, he went to the vineyard again to see the lion: and the birds or the beasts had eaten the flesh, and the hot sun had dried the carcass, and the bees had come and made a hive of it, and filled it with honey. Of this honey Samson gathered and

gave to his parents. So that" out of the eater," which was the lion, "came forth meat," or food; "and out of the strong" creature 66 came forth

sweetness," i. e. the honey.

This was the riddle. The people could not guess it; for who would have thought that the sweetest food in the world could have come out of the carcass of a dead lion? A starving man might eat a piece of a lion; but who else ever ate it? And who ever went to the carcass of such a beast for food, and, above all, for sweetness itself? Few things could be more loathsome, few places so unlikely to give out anything pleasant.

Our text teaches us this general truth,—that God can turn into a blessing what seems unpleasant and hurtful. It is this truth I am now wishing to illustrate.

In the bosom of a quiet Christian family God has placed a little boy. The parents receive the child with unutterable joy. He comes as a bright sunbeam into their dwelling, and brings joy and gladness. They give him the most unwearied care, and think over, and dream over, what he will hereafter be. The door is opened and shut softly, lest it should awake him. The air is not allowed to fan his face, and the light is screened from his newly-opened eyes. They plan how they will train him, and how he will become a great and a good man.

As he advances, it is found that the child is uncommonly bright, and his large, laughing,