The Master And His Brethren.

atoms which compose that mass . No frigid law of selfishness or superiority must stiffen or restrain our action . " Loving as brethren , " rendering the service we owe to our common master ; the kindness we owe to our fellow-servants ; we shall neither boldly stand aloof , nor proudly rebuke sin . The Master whom we serve might have raised us from the pit by a word

or by a look ; but he chose to take on Him our nature , and to stand on our level , and thus as one like ourselves to exercise His mighty purpose , and execute His gracious plan . Let us copy , so far as the finite can the infinite , and as members of His bod y , " macle through baptism fellow-heirs with Himselfso walk

, as He walked , so work as He worked ; not , indeed , raising the dead to life , or giving sight to the blind , but comforting His afflicted ones , teaching His ignorant ones , reclaiming the wanderer , raising the fallen , helping the struggling , cheering the faint-hearted , and confirming the feeble . Truly , the Master whom we

serve is worthy of all honour , without doubt the work to which he calls us is noble ancl worthy of all the highest powers of our nature , ancl a work which in the end shall be triumphant . Each in his own sphere , let us be sure we are working for him ; not courting the world ' s favour or applause , but living

to have the pre-eminence , and yet each striving who can be most loving , most diligent , most faithful . Thus shall we commend to others the principles which should ever actuate and distinguish our order . Thus shall we be , indeed , workmen that need not to be ashamed , lively polished stones , ourselves the workmanship of God , and all built up into the walls of His glorious temple , which He , the Heavenly builder , is raising to the honour of His

name . Thus , too , shall we be helping forward the completion of the work , squaring other rough stones , and adapting each to take its place in the wondrous fabric , of which we ourselves form part , moulded to His grand design ; fashioned like unto His glorious body until , at length , stone after stone having been built up , until the whole shall be perfectedand the

, head-stone " shall be brought forth with shoutings of grace , grace unto it . " Now , we "see in part and we know in part , " but let us not , therefore , love in part . "Let brotherly love continue . " A new commandment I g ive unto you that ye love one another " as I have loved you ; " and surely , if we love the Master ,

we shall lore his servants . Here , then , brethren , we have the test of the truth of our profession , of our discipleship—let us try ourselves thereby , and wherein we have been heretofore found wanting—let us seek to be more faithful for the future . We need not look only to other countries for objects on which to

work . Andrew first found his own brother Simon and brought him to Christ—let us do likewise ; and whilst we help to evangelize and civilize the heathen , let us not forget we have those at our very doors who need teaching , comforting , reclaiming—yea , even feeding ! The time during which we can do our

Master ' s work is short ! Much has to be done . Oh ! let us see to it , that our individual work is not done in a fainthearted , niggard , slothful manner . Soon shall the darkness be past , ancl the true light shall be revealed . Soon shall the full glory of the Master shine forth upon His friends and on His enemies ; then , if now faithful , we shall see that brightness , and not be dazzled b y it . We shall gaze upon Him and live ! " Therefore , my beloved brethren , be ye stead-

The Master And His Brethren.

fast , immovable , always abounding m tlie work of the Lord ; for as much as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord . "

Fine Arts.

FINE ARTS .

POE . TKA . IT OP LOED LEIGII , PllOV . GKAXD MASTER OP WARWICKSHIRE , BT SIR JOHN WATSON GOKDON . A new work from , the easel of the veteran President of the Scottish Academy , the portrait painter par excellence of the Northern Athens , ancl limmer of half the native notabilities of the nineteenth century— -from Sir Walter Scott to the Prince of AVales—is a matter of

young sufficiently general interest to claim early notice at our hands , even were the subject one of loss immediate concern to this locality than the portrait of the respected Lieutenant of the fair county of AYarwick , the noble owner of Stoneleigh Abbey , and Prov . Grand Master of the venerable Order of Freemasons . It is more particularly in his last-mentioned capacity that the great Scotch

painter has been called upon to pourtray his lordship in the picture which we had yesterday the gratification of inspecting at the Masonic Rooms , Newhall-street ; and , if the result is to present us rather with the man than the Mason—the familiar Lord Leigh of every day public life rather than the mystic dignitary of private Masonic festivals—the subscribers may console themselves with the reflection that the presentation gains in popular interest and art-worth at least as much as it misses in

Masonic significance . The painting , which is of life size , represents his lordship in ordinary morning costume , seated in front of a richly carved library table , over the ledge of which hangs the compass and square , ornaments denoting his office . The attitude is in the highest degree simple and unconstrained . The face , slightly averted from the spectator , instead of staring him out of

countenance in the stereotyped manner of presentation portraits , reveals enough of the profile to materially enhance the vraisemblance of the portrait while presenting the features under their most fovourable aspect . Indeed the effect of the painter ' s skill in pourtraying the natural advantages of his sitter under the happiest circumstances of light , position , and expression , is to

impart to the portrait a more youthful and flattering appearance than a superficial observer might think quite consistent with actual truth . On closer examination , however , it will be found that this impression is not irreconcilable with perfect fidelity in every detail of complexion and feature and is but another evidence of the mastery of his craft possessed by the artist , who , though he " nothing extentuate , "

is yet privilleged to epitomise in the facial expression as much of the " inward beauty " of his subject as may be deisrable to stamp the character ancl assist recognition . In the right hand , which falls naturally upon the corresponding knee , his lordship holds a plain walking cane ; ancl in . the other hand is his hat , more picturesquely and gracefully disposed , let us add , than

is common in actual life with that very ungainly article of male attire . The hands , equally removed from the clumsiness ancl effeminacy which are the Charybdis ancl Scylla of so many portrait painters of the clay , are skilfully drawn , and , like the face , of a lustrous and life-like flesh colour . A couple of books on the floor on the right foreground—intended probably for the Masonic

charter and book of constitutions—help to fill a vacancy and point an application , which is still more plainly suggested by the old black letter Bible by which the pendant emblem is upheld on the table . The absence of any striking effects of light or colour , and the generally low tone of the dress and furniture , thoug assisting sensibly to throw up the features , deprive the picture of much of the attractiveness , which the excellence of its composition and the scrupulous painting of the accessories ,