of Sol. 1:12: "While the king sitteth at his
table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof." The king is
Jesus, who sits at the table of our hearts; the sweet spikenard is our
Christian lives. In Rev. 3:20 Jesus says, "I will come in to him, and
will sup with him, and he with me." The Christian's heart is the
dining-room; there is a table spread with the graces of the Spirit, the
fruits of the garden of the Lord. There Christ and the Christian sit
down to dine together. While the glory of the one lights up the room,
the holy life of the other perfumes it. O God, my soul doth magnify thee
for the preciousness of these thoughts.

When Christ was born wise men came and presented him frankincense and
myrrh, and in after-years Mary came and poured upon his head the
precious ointment of spikenard. These things were literally done, and
now when we bring our very best gifts, in the fulness of love, to the
Lord, we are breaking the alabaster box of sweet ointment and pouring it
upon his head. You owe Christ the very best of your life; yea, you owe
him your life. He must have all the affections of your heart. Christ
must have the very best of everything out of your life. Do not use the
dollars for yourself and give him the pennies. Do not sip the honey from
the flower and give him the leaves. Do not eat the fresh bread yourself
and give him that which is stale. Do not give him the well-worn garment
and keep the best robe for yourself.

But how can we now give to the Lord! "As oft as ye do it unto the least
of these ye do it unto me." As you go about your life work as a
Christian always do what you do as to the Lord. When you pray in public
talk to Jesus the same as if he were there in person, and not to be
heard of men. When you give money to the needy do it as if you were
giving it to Jesus himself, for such it really is. If Christ should come
to your door and ask for a drink, how eagerly you would get it for him!
You must remember that to give a cup of water to one of his little ones
is the same as giving it to him. When you visit a sick-chamber and are
invited to sing you should sing just as sweetly as if you were singing
purposely for the Savior, and all your words should be spoken as
tenderly as if you were talking to him.

[Illustration: THE TREE OF LIFE.]

Jesus has given you the purest love of heaven; he has clothed you with
the whitest robe; he gives you the very best heaven affords; and, O
beloved, will you n