sin; and how for us he suffered and bled and died. Jesus does not want any of us to ride up this steep hill. Think of the honor and the privilege of working with the Saviour in the church. The church is represented under the beautiful figure of the bride of Christ. Oh how he loves the church! How he loves you, and with what interest he must watch to see what response you each make when our Father says, "Son, go work to-day in my vineyard."

Again I think the text may have an application to the plans laid and the pledges made in the heat of enthusiasm, at General Conference or New Year's day. Not that we should promise less, but that we should do more. This suggestion will apply to all lines of work, but will have special reference to our financial obligations. We, the people, insist that the Missionary and Tract Societies enlarge their work, holding all the fields occupied and continually entering new ones. We profess to believe that all we have is but given to us by God to hold in trust. We are but stewards of his, we say, to whom belongs all the silver and gold and the cattle on a thousand hills. The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and they that dwell

therein. In all this we say, "I go, sir." Let us recall a single example: At the Conference held. at Alfred in 1896 an effort was made to increase the paid circulation of the Sabbath Recorder to a point where the publication would be selfsupporting. This would require the addition of 800 names. This number was divided proportionally among the churches and in a very few minutes pledges were received from most of the churches that their share would be secured, so that we saw the light. That was before I had learned to analyze Conference enthusiasm. It was not wrong to make those pledges. It was right. It was not wrong for the son spoken of in the text to say to his father, "I go, sir." But he should have gone. The result to the Recorder subscription list was the temporary addition of 66 names, one in twelve of the required 800. What we lack is not so much money as interest and consecration, for a tithe of the incomes of Seventh-day Baptists would probably amount to $200,000 annually.

It would take a brave man to suggest that the Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor would furnish a subject for an application of this text. That the right arm of the church is

paralyzed. The central and distinguishing idea of that splendid organization is the pledge. All honor to the pledge. It is not a promise of an iota too much. It is not wrong to make such a pledge, but―

What is true of the pledge is true of the covenant of the church, copies of which, together with the articles of faith, are upon the table today. Great leaders and large gifts of money are very important; but the church of Christ is most in need of that spirit of consecration that will bring the great mass of people into the Morning Watch and the Tenth Legion. Why can not Seventh-day Baptists have some of the same power that other organizations have where there is certainly less of truth than we possess.

When Jesus applied this parable to two classes of people of his time, he did not, by any means, imply that all men must be included in one of these. There are two other classes to which men may belong. There are those who say, “I will not" and who do not repent, but who defy their Father to the very end. May God grant that none of us may be in this class. Then again there are those who say, "I go, sir," and who obey their Father's call, going to the vineyard

with glad hearts to serve as best they can. The important thing is that having said, “I go, sir," that we do not fall under the condemnation that came to the man spoken of in the text.

There is a proverb that says, "There is a time for the flute and a time for the trumpet." I sometimes fear that your pastor is open to the just criticism of too often sounding the trumpet, but it is love that constrains me till I cannot forbear this call, as I plead with you not to make less New Year's resolutions, but to keep them better; not to talk less about the Sabbath, but to keep it better; not to pledge less money, but to pay more; not to give up the Endeavor pledge and your place on some important committee, but to heed the exhortation of the Apostle James, "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." Not to profess less, but to be more. The sure way for us as individuals, and as a church and denomination to succeed gloriously and quickly is to do all that we promise to do, and to be all that we profess to be.

XI

"He will not suffer thy foot to be moved."-Psa. 121 : 3a

HE 121st Psalm is one of a number of short Psalms that are called "Psalms of degrees." Many of us have wondered as we have seen this title written above each of the fifteen Psalms beginning with the 120th, what the term meant, "A Psalm of degrees." Now it is not positively known what the meaning is, but the explanation usually given seems very reasonable and satisfactory. A song of degrees, or more literally, a song of ascent, is a song of going up. These songs of ascent were the songs that the pilgrims sang as they went up to the great annual gatherings at Jerusalem. As they gathered from all parts of the land, and ascended by easy stages the mountains that were round about Jerusalem, they sang the songs of Zion. The 122d is a song of ascent, a song of degrees, "I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord. Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem . . What more appropriate song for a lot of happy religious pilgrims to be singing. These songs are all short, as