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Go to-day into heathen countries, into Mohammedan lands, and what do you find'? The village on the hill top, the old wails, the spring down near the roost of the hill, the water carried by hand, the pitcher, the goat skin — just as it was in ancient times. The burden is borne by men upon their backs. Go to China, and travel from place to place. It is difficult, and oftentimes the traveller must be carried by men, and, if not by men, by a rude cart. When I was in Palestine, a year ago, there was only one wheeled vehicle in the whole territory, and that had been brought there by the Russian Embassy. Burdens were borne on the back, and in the simplest way-. Turn to Christian lands, and what are they? See what you call civilization — that is, Christianity affecting the minds and occupations of men — how it works! How is this city of a million and a quarter supplied with water? A great engine pumps it up from the river; iron pipes carry it to every house. You turn the tap and have it in almost every room. There is no broken back or burdened frame carrying from some spring this water. Go into countries partly civilized, and you find a few public pumps or wells, and the multitudes go there. It is a mere physical thing, you say. Yes; but it is God working in the subjugation of nature to man's comfort. Moreover, you turn these taps in your room without thinking of it; and yet you have here a proof that God is taking care of the labour-burdened, and ought to remember how Christ has said, "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Go out into the fields. What was the old way? Men, bowed down in the heat of an August sun, took the sickle in hand, and tried to reap the harvest. Now the reaping-machine, drawn by horses, moves into the field, throws out its bound-up sheaves without human toil: and the harvest is gathered without man being bowed down to the earth. What is it? "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Go into the house: long ago, needlewomen, from early morn until night, and late into the night, stitched carefully, slowly, regularly, on their endless task. Now look at the sewing-machine, and see the amount of work that can be done without, comparatively speaking, human toil. Turn your eyes over to this light, and whence comes it, and how? Look at the little lamp of old, with its lard and wick, then the tallow candle; and now, wandering through all these pipes, comes this air or gas to be lighted, and what a change in human labour i From the darkness, from the atmosphere around us, men are gathering this electric fluid, and throwing light over the darkest of streets and alleys of your city, and thus enabling thousands of men to work as by daylight in your manufactories. What a change in human labour! There must still be labour, but it is not to be of that toilsome character that it once was.

(Bishop Simpson.)It is not a local coming to Christ, which is now impossible, but a movement of heart and mind to Him.

I. THE CLASS OF PERSONS that our Saviour wan supposed to have in view.

1. Such as were laden with the burden of ceremonial obedience. The observances of Christianity were few and simple, neither occupying much time, nor incurring much expense. They recommended themselves by their significance and force.

2. Such as are oppressed and burdened with a sense of guilt.

3. Such as are endeavouring to erect an edifice of righteousness out of their own performances.

4. Those who are overwhelmed with worldly calamities — the victims of worldly sorrow.

5. Those who are engaged in a restless, uncertain pursuit after felicity in the present state.

6. Those who are heavy laden by speculative pursuits in matters of.religion.

(Robert Hall, M. A.)

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KJV: Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

WEB: "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest.