13. Into a far country.-He showed by this that he had no affection for his father, or desire for his presence; but that he had rather be out of his sight and away from his control. The sinner can never get out of the Lord's sight, (Ps. cxxxix. 7-12.) but he does what he can to render himself independent by entirely forgetting his presence. (Ps. liii. 1. Job xxi. 14, 15.)

Wasted his substance.-The men of this world are wasting all that God has given them, time, health, &c. Nothing is used to good purpose which is not spent in God's service.

14. A mighty famine.—Worldly enjoyments are soon gone, and then leave the soul altogether unsatisfied.

15. Citizen of that country.—This represents Satan, the prince of this world, and the chief of those who are at a distance from God. As men depart further from God, they more avowedly join themselves to the service of Satan.

To feed swine.-As the swine was an animal ceremoniously unclean, this would be to the Jew an employment especially degrading.

Husks.-Those who live without God-and especially those who engage in sensual pleasures-seek to obtain satisfaction from the very appetites and passions which they have in common with the brutes: upon these the soul of man can never feed, and therefore must remain empty and unsatisfied.

SUMMARY.

Our Lord describes the state of a sinner alienated from God, under the figure of a young man leaving his father's home, spending his property in foolish extravagance, and reduced to the lowest state of poverty and want.

LESSONS.

I. The prodigal son shows us the character of man in his natural state

1. He wishes to have his good things now. V. 12. (Ps. x. 4.) 2. He has no love for God. V. 13. (John v. 42.)

3. He desires to be his own master. V. 13. (Luke xix. 14.)

4. He uses badly every thing he has. V. 13. (Ps. xlix. 11-13.) 5. When sin makes him unhappy he goes still further in sin. V. 15. (Prov. xxiii. 29–35.)

II. It shows us also his misery. His stock of pleasure soon comes to an end, and then he is wretched and no man can help him, V. 14-16.

EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY,

THE PRODIGAL'S RETURN.

LUKE XV. 17-24.

17. When he came to himself.—His former course was so foolish, that he hardly appeared like a man in his right mind. (Eccles. ix. 3.) 18. Against heaven, and before thee.-I have broken through both the commands of God, and the ties of natural affection.

20. When he was yet.-What a touching description is this of the hearty reception he met with, and how deeply encouraging when we remember that it is given by our Lord himself, on purpose to describe the way in which he will receive every returning sinner! The father saw him in the far country, and was moved with compassion on the very first sign of his return; while the son, through fear and shame, would move but slowly, the father ran to meet him, and instead of telling him to wash himself, and put on better clothes before he came into his presence, he fell on his neck as he was, and gave him the token of forgiveness.

21. The son said.—His father's love, instead of keeping him from confessing his faults, would make him feel them more deeply.

22. The best robe.-This was to cover him, instead of his own ragged and dirty garments. So the righteousness of Christ covers the soul when our own righteousnesses are as filthy rags. (Is. lxiv. 6. Phil. iii. 8, 9.)

A ring on his hand.-This would have on it the seal that his father used; (See Gen. xli. 42. Esther iii. 10–12. viii. 2—8.) to give him this, would be the token of his father's highest regard, and that he was fully acknowledged as a son.

Shoes on his feet.-These would also distinguish the son from the servants, and they would further enable him to walk with comfort, as the grace of God prepares the believer to walk in the path of God's commandments.

23. Fatted calf.-In token of rejoicing, as in V. 6 and 9. Perhaps also it is intended to represent the spiritual food and nourishment with which God abundantly supplies the souls of his believing people.

SUMMARY.

The prodigal is brought to consideration; resolves to retur and humble himself before his father; and on doing so, is received with the most cordial welcome, and restored to his place as a son.

LESSONS.

I. The poorest and weakest believer is much happier than any man can be who is living without God. V. 17. (Ps. cxliv. 15.)

II. If we would return to God, we must humble ourselves on account of our sins, and freely confess them before him. V.18. (Ps. xxxii. 5. Hosea xiv. 2.)

III. Good resolutions are of no use unless they are put in practice. V. 20. (Acts xxvi. 28, 29.)

IV. God is more willing to receive us, than we are to return. V. 20. (Ezek. xviii. 31, 32.)

V. To know that our sins are forgiven us will increase rather than diminish our shame and sorrow on account of them. V. 21. (Ezek. xvi. 61-63. xxxvi. 31.)

VI. God has a full supply of spiritual blessings which he will freely bestow upon each returning sinner. V. 22-24. (John i. 16.)

ILLUSTRATIONS OF SCRIPTURE.

EXTRACTS FROM LAYARD'S NINEVEH.

THE ASSYRIAN FALACE RESTORED.

THE interior of the Assyrian palace must have been as magnificent as imposing. I have led the reader through its ruins, and he may judge of the impression its halls were calculated to make upon the stranger, who, in the days of old, entered, for the first time, the abode of the Assyrian kings. He was ushered in through the portal guarded by the colossal lions, or bulls, of white alabaster. In the first hall, he found himself surrounded by the sculptured records of the empire. Battles, sieges, triumphs, the exploits of the chase, the ceremonies of religion, were pourtrayed on the walls, sculptured in alabaster, and painted in gorgeous colours. Under each picture were engraved, in characters filled up with bright copper, inscriptions describing the scenes represented. Above the sculptures, were painted other events—the king, attended by his eunuchs and warriors, receiving his prisoners, entering into alliances with other monarchs, or performing some sacred duty. These representations were enclosed in coloured borders, of elaborate and elegant design. The emblematic two-winged bulls, and monstrous animals, were conspicuous among the ornaments. At the upper end of the hall was the colossal figure of the king, in adoration before the Supreme Deity, or receiving from his eunuch the holy cup. He was attended by warriors bearing his arms, and by the priests, or presiding divinities. His robes, and those of his followers, were adorned with

groups of figures, animals, and flowers, all painted with brilliant colours.

The stranger trode upon alabaster slabs, each bearing an inscription, recording the titles, genealogy, and achievements of the great king. Several doorways, formed by gigantic winged lions, or bulls, or by the figures of guardian deities, led into other apartments, which again opened into more distant halls. In each were new sculptures. On the walls of some, were processions of colossal figures, armed men, and eunuchs following the king, warriors laden with spoil, leading prisoners, or bearing presents and offerings to the gods. On the walls of others, were pourtrayed the winged guests of presiding divinities, standing before the sacred trees. The ceilings above him were divided into square compartments, painted with flowers, or with the figures of animals. Some were inlaid with ivory; each compartment being surrounded by elegant borders and mouldings. The beams, as well as the sides of the chambers, may have been gilded, or plated with gold and silver; and the rarest woods, in which the cedar was conspicuous, were used for the woodwork. Square openings in the ceilings of the chambers admitted the light of day. A pleasing shadow was thrown over the sculptured walls, and gave a majestic expression to the human features of the colossal forms which guarded the entrances. Through these apertures was seen the bright blue of an eastern sky, enclosed in a frame, on which were painted, in vivid colours, the winged circle in the midst of elegant ornaments, and the graceful forms of ideal animals. These edifices, as it has been shewn, were great national monuments, upon the walls of which were represented in sculpture, or inscribed in alphabetic characters, the chronicles of the empire. He who entered them, might thus read the history, and learn the glory and triumphs of the nation. They served, at the same time, to bring continually to the remembrance of those who assembled within them, on festive occasions, or for the celebration of religious ceremonies, the deeds of their ancestors, and the power and majesty of their gods.-Vol. II. p. 262.

NIMROD IN SPRING.

Its pasturelands (the "Jaip") are renowned for their luxuriant herbage. In times of quiet, the steeds of the Pasha, and of the Turkish authorities, are sent here to graze. Day by day they arrive in long lines. The Shammutti and Jehush left their huts, and encamped on the green sward which surrounded the villages. The plain, as far as the eye could reach, was studded with the black tents of the Arabs. Picketted around them, were innumerable horses in gay

trappings, struggling to release themselves from their bonds; flowers of every hue enamelled the meadows; not thinly scattered over the grass, as in northern climates, but in such thick and gathering clusters, that the whole plain seemed a patch-work of many colours. The dogs, as they returned from hunting, issued from the long grass, dyed red, yellow, or blue, according to the flowers through which they had last forced their way The exhilaration of the air in spring, in the desert, and the feeling of freedom arising from the contemplation of its boundless expanse, must be experienced before it can be understood.

THE PLAIN AT SUNSET.

As the sun

I gazed listlessly on the various groups before me. went down behind the low hills which separate the river from the desert, even their rugged sides had strove to emulate the verdant clothing of the plain; its receding rays were gradually withdrawn like a transparent veil of light from the horizon. The great mound threw its dark shadow far across the plain. Beyond the Zab-Kishap, another venerable ruin rose, indistinctly, into the evening mist. Still more distant, and still more indistinct, was a solitary hill overlooking the ancient city of Arbela. The Kurdish mountains, whose snowy summits cherished the dying sun-beams, yet struggled with the twilight. The bleating of sheep and lowing of cattle, at first faint, became louder as the flocks returned from their pastures, and wandered amongst the tents; girls hurried over the green sward to seek their father's cattle, or crouched to milk those which had returned alone to their well-remembered folds. Some were coming from the river, bearing the replenished pitcher on their heads or shoulders. Sometimes a party

of horsemen might have been seen in the distance, slowly crossing the plain; the tufts of ostrich feathers, which tipped their long spears, shewing darkly against the evening sky. They would ride up to my tent, and give the usual salutation, "Peace be with you, O Bey!" or, "Allah, Allah! God help you!" Then, driving the end of their lances into the ground, they would spring from their mares, and fasten their halters to the still quivering weapons. Seating themselves on the grass, they related deeds of war, or plunder, or speculated on the site of the tomb of Sofuk, until the moon rose, when they vaulted into their saddles, and took the way of the desert. The plain now glittered with innumerable fires. As the night advanced, they vanished, one by one, until the landscape was wrapped in darkness and in silence, only disturbed by the barking of the Arab dog.