hese
crowns. Some will be simply crowns of gold, or of glory, without any
gems or jewels to ornament them. Some will have two or three small
jewels shining in them. But, others again will be full of the most
beautiful jewels, all glittering and sparkling with glory. And this
will all depend upon the way in which those who wear these crowns
used their talents while they were on earth, and the amount of work
they did for Jesus. There is an incident mentioned in Roman history
about a soldier, which illustrates this part of our subject very
well.

"The Faithful Soldier and His Rewards." This man had served forty
years in the cause of his country--of these, ten years had been spent
as a private soldier, and thirty as an officer. He had been present
in one hundred and twenty battles, and had been severely wounded
forty-five times. He had received fourteen civic crowns, for having
saved the lives of so many Roman citizens; three mural crowns, for
having been the first to mount the breach when attacking a fortress;
and eight golden crowns, for having, on so many occasions, rescued
the standard of a Roman legion from the hands of the enemy. He had in
his house eighty-three gold chains, sixty bracelets, eighteen golden
spears, and twenty-three horse trappings,--the rewards for his many
faithful services as a soldier. And when his friends looked at all
those honors and treasures which he had received, from time to time,
how well they might have said as they pointed to those numerous
prizes--that he had "received _his own reward_, according to _his own
labor_," and faithfulness! And so it will be with the soldiers of the
cross, who are faithful in using the talents given them by their
heavenly Master.

"A Great Harvest from a Little Seed," Some years ago there was a
celebrated artist in Paris whose name was Ary Scheffer. On one
occasion he wished to introduce a beggar into a certain picture he
was painting. Baron Rothschild, the famous banker, and one of the
richest men in the world, was a particular friend of this artist. He
happened to come into his studio at the very time he was trying to
get a beggar to be the model of one which he desired to put into his
painting.

"Wait till to-morrow," said Mr. Rothschild, "and I will dress myself
up as a beggar, and make you an excellent model."

"Very well," said the artist, who was pleased with the strangeness of
the proposal. The next day the rich banker appeared, dressed up as a