season might soothe. There are many straying sheep, who have no one to speak a kind word of counsel to them. There are hundreds-oh, think of this! -there are hundreds who never heard a Saviour's name, whom the glad tidings of the Gospel never reached, and in whose gloomy dwellings the sound of salvation never entered. A great portion of the world-more than one half of your fellow-creatures-are at this moment heathens, worshippers of false gods. I will not say, Go and teach them; for this may not be your calling. But I do say this, Help to send out those, who are able and willing to teach them; for "how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear with

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out a preacher? and how shall they preach except they be sent ?"

Thank God, there are ways enough, through which our love and kindness may flow out to our fellow-men. There is no lack of means, if we have only the will to use them. Boaz had a heart overflowing with kindness; and doubtless many ways were opened to him, by which that kindness might be shown. There was many a one like Ruth, who went away comforted from his presence.

Let us now, before we close this chapter, learn a lesson from Ruth's occupation in the field of Boaz.

Ruth was a gleaner; and so should we be. She came empty-handed to that field; but God sent her away full.

She

She searched, and she found. picked up ear after ear, here a little and there a little, and so added it to her store. And is there not something better than corn, that we may glean? some field that affords better nourishment than the corn-field of Boaz ? The Bible is that field. Search the Scriptures; glean there. Pick up every grain, for it contains precious nourishment. No matter how many gleaners; there is food enough for all. No matter how empty the needier the better for God" satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness." Ah, you may have to toil for it, but not in vain; for "he that seeketh findeth."

Alas, how many careless ones there are, who never glean at all! They

loiter all the day of their life idle. And so, when night comes, they sink into eternity with nothing done: no grace to support their souls has been gathered; nothing laid up for the world to come.

Others again begin, when Ruth left off, at even. All the bright and sunny portion of their lives they give to the world. And then, as evening closes in upon them, they begin to turn to their Bibles for consolation, which they cannot find elsewhere.

Ruth began gleaning in the morning. She felt that every hour must be employed; that every moment was precious. She laboured diligently "for the meat that perisheth." May we labour as earnestly for "that meat which endureth unto everlasting life!"

May we make God's word our daily study! May we prize every verse in it! May we never read it without asking for the Holy Spirit to teach us! That wondrous Book contains a remedy more valuable than gold, and more nourishing than wheat. Oh, why do we not look into it more closely, and read of Him, who says there, "I am the Bread of Life: he that cometh unto me shall never hunge?"