les, at the time of his departure. "Ye men of Galilee, why
stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken from
you into heaven, shall _so come, in like manner_ as ye have seen him
go into heaven," Acts i: 11. He said he would return, and so he will.

But, in the meantime, he would have us remember that he is still our
Lord and Master. No master ever had such a right to be Lord and Ruler
as he has. God the Father has appointed him to be "Head over all
things to his church," Ephes. i: 22. He is our Master, because he
_made_ us. This is what no other ever did for his servants. He is our
Master because he _preserves_ us. We cannot keep ourselves for a
single moment, but he keeps us all the time,--by night, and by day.
And he is our Master because, when we had sold ourselves into sin,
and were appointed unto death, _he redeemed us_. He bought us with
the price of his own precious blood. He made our hands to work for
him; and our feet to walk in his ways. He made our hearts to love
him;--our minds to think about him; our eyes to see the beauty of his
wondrous works, our ears to listen to his gracious words, and our
lips and tongues to be employed in speaking and singing his praises.

We cannot be our own masters. "I am my own master!"--said a young
man, proudly, to a friend who was trying to persuade him from doing a
wrong thing; "I am my own master!"

"That's impossible," said his friend. "You can not be master of
yourself, unless you are master of everything within, and everything
around you. Look within. There is your conscience to keep clear, and
your heart to make pure, your temper to govern, your will to control,
and your judgment to instruct. And then look without. There are
storms, and seasons; accidents, and dangers; a world full of evil men
and evil spirits. What can you do with these? And yet, if you don't
master them, they'll master you."

"That's so," said the young man.

"Now, I don't undertake any such thing," said his friend. "I am sure
I should fail, if I did. Saul, the first king of Israel, wanted to be
his own master, and failed. So did Herod. So did Judas. No man can be
his own master. 'One is your Master, even Christ,' says the apostle.
I work under his direction. He is my regulator, and when he is Master
all goes right. Think of these words,--'_He is your Master even
Christ_.' If we put ourselves under his leadership we shall surely
win at last."

And as we cannot be our own maste