it is better than ten thousand times ten thousand talents bearing the impress of Satan.

The mourning believer who holds on in the untiring use of all means of grace may be assured that the Lord, in keeping him from turning his back upon His ways when he has no comfort in them, is thereby affording him that secret support of which he takes no notice, and may count this for an evidence that the Spirit is at work in his heart, and for a pledge that He will perfect that work which He has begun. A believer's growing importunity in prayer, or it may be his sorrowful complaint for the want of it, may be accounted a gracious answer to those prayers which he thinks are disregarded; and his watching for a word to direct and support him, as a notable proof of the efficacy of that word which he thinks does him no good. His restless dissatisfaction with everything less than God may be regarded as a love-token from Him to assure him that He will be his satisfying portion. He may have a sorrowful seed-time, but he shall have a joyful harvest.

Grace in the creature is but the expression or imitation of some attribute in God to which it answers; and therefore the more grace a Christian acts, and the more good he does, so much the more he declares the excellencies which are in God. (1 Pet. ii. 9.) The life of a Christian man is a great means ordained of God for convincing sinners, and bringing glory to Himself, and may, therefore, be truly called an ordinance; for whilst ministers preach the Word to the world, Christian men and women are called to preach it by their lives. They owe to their fellow-men the convincing help of a holy, fruitful life; and, in depriving them

of it, they deprive them of a great ordinance of God. Believer! the world will judge of the Scriptures, of religion, and of Christ Himself, by your life. Let them, then, see in you and by you that Christ and His Word are true, and that there is a difference between "him that serveth God and him that serveth Him not."

Thou hast eyes,-ask the blind whether that be not a blessing; thou hast ears,-ask the deaf whether that be not a blessing; thou hast a tongue,-what thinks the dumb of that? thou hast hands, feet, wits, limbs, bones, sinews, veins, mercies enough between head and foot to fill a volume. Is all this nothing? Nay, which way canst thou look, but thou seest mercies ? What canst thou touch, but thou feelest mercies? Where canst thou tread, but thou standest on mercies? Of what art thou compounded but of blessings? Every sense, every limb, every joint, every faculty, a blessing; nay, what is thy house made of, but blessings?-what is it filled with but blessings? Blessings of the barn, blessings of the field, blessings of the womb, all blessings; nay, what's the world made of but blessings? Heavens, stars, fire, air, water, earth, with all in the one, with all in the other-blessings; all things-blessings; all persons-blessings; all estates -blessings; all times-blessings. Now when the Lord so loads us with benefits, and that daily, shall we not be thankful? Bless, saith the Saviour, when thou art cursed; and shall we not bless, being thus blessed?

But what shall we say of spiritual blessings? Ah! no tongue can reach them; we can enclose them all within one word, one syllable; God hath given us-Christ. Oh, what a gift is that! In Him He hath given us a new

world; the old world was forfeited in a day-house, lands, goods, all forfeited in Adam; then came in the blessed seed, Christ, and in Him all things are made new,-new heavens, new earth, new Church, new tenure, all things renewed, bettered with infinite advantage to us, but cost to Christ. What a thing was that, for the Creator to become a creature, for life to die, for happiness to weep, for glory to be buffeted, for immortality to be buried! O Lord Christ, who would have done this for an enemy, for a friend, besides thyself? But 'tis done; He was made flesh, seen of angels, slain of men, laid in the grave, raised to glory; and His people are now redeemed, justified, sanctified, glorified in Him. Redeemed, justified, sancti fied, glorified! What words, what things, are these? No man, no angel, can conceive the worth of them. Sentiri potest dici non potest: they may be felt, but cannot be expressed. When we have said all, it may be summed up in this,-God hath given us Christ; that is, God hath given us Himself, and all the creatures in heaven and earth. God hath delivered us from the evil of all evils, and hath given us the blessing of all blessings, the marrow of all comforts; the earth is ours, heaven ours, the Word ours, the Spirit ours, God ours, all things are ours, because Christ is ours. Now, then, have we not matter of thankfulness? Yes, if we have hearts to feel it.

-Dr. Harris, 1660.

Reverence thyself. Be ashamed-irrespective of all religious considerations-to commit any vile or dishonest action before thyself; for, though no third party be conscious of it, thy soul is. Fall not out with thyself. Be not a traitor to thine own soul.

How often does the believer mourn over the loss of that the possession of which would be a calamity. Mary wept at the sepulchre of her Lord because she found Him not; but alas for her and for you and me had she found Him there! O Christian, is thy cistern broken, thy prospect clouded, and dost thou weep? Look at Mary as she stands without at the sepulchre weeping, and inquire whether, like her, thou oughtest not rather to rejoice than weep.

The authority of Christ over us is the ground of our obedience, but the love of Christ in us is the true principle of that obedience. "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me." (John xiv. 21.) His authority has made the precepts necessary, and what is necessary in the precept the Spirit makes voluntary in the principle; God charges the conscience with duty, and the Spirit enlarges the heart to obedience. (Ps. cxix. 32.)

Happy would it be for the Christian if he had no more corruption than appears outwardly; and wretched would be his condition if he had no more grace than others can discover.

The meek-those whom God has beautified with His salvation (Ps. cxlix. 4)-shall inherit the earth. (Matt. v. 5.) Although this may refer to the future when all things shall be created anew, it undoubtedly has reference to a blessing which stands connected with this life; for in the same manner as the pure in heart shall see God(realize His presence everywhere, discern His hand in all things which happen, and hear His voice in every provi

dence)-so the meek shall inherit the earth as a present possession, with all its capacity of affording enjoyment to a spiritual mind. An inheritance is valuable so far only as it affords the power or means of enjoyment, and no further. A man may be the owner of a large domain, but, however much his heart may be set upon it, he can have no true enjoyment of it so long as he is a stranger to God. The pleasure he takes in it is mingled with cares and anxieties, his joy is alloyed with trouble, and he has no inheritance, in the Scripture sense, in what he possesses. "Omnis copia," says Augustine, "quæ non est Deus inanis egestas est" (all plenty that is not God is poverty). The godly man, however, though he have not one inch of ground in this wide world to call his own, in walking through that domain day by day has more real enjoyment of it than the owner, and therefore more truly inherits it. In all around him he recognises the handiwork and creative power of his Father and his God. His beauty and glory shine in every object. The savour of the love of God which is upon his spirit imparts a sweetness to all he sees far beyond what in its nature it possesses; the breeze that "bloweth where it listeth "speaks to him with a small still voice that none but a believer can hear and understand; and the lark that warbles over his head kindles with her melody a rapture in his soul that lifts it up towards that heaven where he has his citizenship and his home. All he beholds-the hills and vales, the woods and streams, "each herb, tree, fruit, and flower "-speak aloud of Him who called them into being; all are bright with His glory, and radiant with His smiles; all proclaim with one voice, "God is love." This is, indeed, to inherit the earth-this is to see God and live; it is heaven begun