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Hundreds and thousands of people are showing exactly the same sort of contempt for spiritual privileges which God. extends to them to-day as Esau showed for the birthright. The hundreds and thousands with whom the present overbears the future; who allow the body, with its appetites and passions, to drown the voice of conscience, or obscure the vision of promise; who place things temporal before things spiritual, the world before heaven, the present before the eternal; who say of spiritual privileges, "What profit shall they be to me?" or, "What earthly use are they?" Let us take one or two very common and ordinary examples.

1. How few recognize the privilege of public worship as a privilege, as well as a clear duty! How readily is the privilege exchanged for something else, at the very smallest opportunity! — a country walk, a chat with a friend who happens to drop in just as you are starting for church, a call, some pleasure which might very well wait. A man hears the church bell ringing, and he debates within himself whether he will go or not go. It is just the merest matter of self-pleasing. There is no thought of the duty he owes to God; and as for the privilege, he would stare at you if you suggested it. "Privilege! Where is the privilege? What profit am I going to get out of it? It will not increase my wages, or find me work, or lower the price of bread! Privilege! What are you thinking about?" And so it ends in his finding "something better to do"! Something, that is, that is pleasing to the senses, or which helps him temporally. In other words, "he eats and drinks, and goes his way, and despises his Christian birthright."

2. Or take the case of one's private devotions; the reading of the Bible, and so forth. You are later than you should be in getting up. That puts other things late. There is much to be done which must be done, but something must be sacrificed, something must give way, What is it to be? The adornment of the body must not be neglected; household business must not be interfered with; prayers! they must give way. "I have no time to say any prayers this morning! " "No time! " No time for communion with God; for that which will make all the difference to your whole day! But then, it is a spiritual privilege!

3. I need hardly remind you of the contempt of that greatest of all privileges, which is so sadly common, the Holy Communion.

(J. B. C. Murphy, B. A.)

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KJV: And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:

WEB: Jacob boiled stew. Esau came in from the field, and he was famished.