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no sooner violate the laws of grace than the laws of nature, to gratify their indolence or avarice. would be a very comfortable thing, and very profitable, to reap the harvest without these slow and laborious processes of ploughing the ground and sowing the seed. But human inventions find a limit to their success, in the unvarying laws which God has established from the foundation of the world.

Have you, reader, obtained this excellent knowledge of God in Christ Jesus? If you have, hide it in your heart as your dearest treasure. Suffer it not to be obscured. Pray that it may become clearer and clearer, that "beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, you may be changed into the same image, from glory to glory."

In the absence of this, how useless to its possessor will be all other knowledge, when his soul is dragged, shivering with all the horrors of anticipated judgment, before the bar of God.

Stand by the dying pillow of one who has neglected this. His mind is stored with all the treasures of science; he has delighted in profound investigation; philosophy, literature, history, are all familiar to his mind. But he has never sat at the feet of Jesus-has never been made acquainted with the Saviour of sinners—has never felt his need of pardoning love. What does all his knowledge avail him now! As the cold sweat stands upon his brow, how gladly

would he give up all his acquisitions, sacrifice all that he has so laboriously acquired, if he might receive the certain knowledge of some truth which will relieve his mental anguish, and impart hope and serenity to his mind. Man of many sciences, the most important of all sciences he has neglected, the science of his own depraved and perishing soul — the science of God—the science of salvation through the only begotten Son of God. All his wisdom now seems foolishness to him, for it cannot save his soul. It is no preparation for death — none for judgment— none for eternity.

In a neighboring cottage, you may find a scene as pleasant, as this is painful to the eye. A man whose opportunities have been few. Learning he has none, except what he has obtained from his much-used Bible. But though he knows so little of all earthly lore, one thing he knows. He knows whom he has believed, and that he is able to keep that which he has committed to him against that day. He knows the length, and breadth, and height, and depth of the love of Jesus. He sees the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. With his dying breath he cries, Lord Jesus receive my spirit; and his prayer is answered. A few moments, and he is with Stephen and all the martyrs-with Paul and all the apostles-with Isaiah and all the prophets with Abraham and all the patriarchs-with

all that have looked for or rejoiced in the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, from the beginning of the world. Angels are his companions and instructors, and with sight undimmed by the obstructions of earth and sin, he shall go on increasing in all Divine knowledge, forever and ever.

CHAPTER XI.

The Nature of Faith-Appropriation.

WHILE we consider it very important, to keep in view that faith begins with a clear perception of the truth revealed by God for our salvation, or as one of our catechisms expresses it, "a certain knowledge of God and of his promises revealed in the Gospel," far be it from us to convey the idea that this is all of faith. This knowledge must always produce emotions suitable to the nature of the truth known; the fearful, will excite fear; the lovely, love; the joyful, joy; and the faithful, confidence. Two things may be clearly distinguishable, yet never actually separated-the one an invariable cause, the other an invariable effect; the one an invariable means, the other an invariable end.

Now we cannot conceive it possible that communications, such as we have in the Gospel, can be truly

.

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