quiring their way to Zion with their faces thitherward. These dear souls often get a little encouragement at the throne of grace, watching at wisdom's gates, and daily waiting at the posts of her doors: "For whoso findeth me, (that is Christ), findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord." So that they cannot give up prayer, though often tempted to do so by the enemy of their souls, and often faint within themselves, perhaps being kept at it for many years, before they obtain that, their poor souls are set upon, to feel assured Christ is formed in their hearts the hope of glory, longing to enjoy the knowledge of salvation by the remission of their sins, that they are forgiven them for his name sake, beseeching his divine Majesty to speak to their hearts: "Son, (or daughter,) thy sins are forgiven thee," or something like this, "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." When the Lord is pleased, in his infinite mercy, to tell us our sins are cast behind his back, for his name's sake never more to be remembered against us for our condemnation ;for he hath said, if the iniquity of Jacob be sought for, it shall not be found, for the Lord seeth no iniquity in Jacob, nor perverseness in Israel, though he often brings former transgressions to our mind, and hath said: "If his (alluding to Christ, our covenant head) children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments, if they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments, then will I visit their transgression --- with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless my loving kindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. My covenant will I not break, nor alter, the thing that is gone out of my lips. Once have I sworn by my holiness, that I will not lie unto David, (that is Christ, who was the son of David,) his seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me."—we can then adopt the language of the Psalmist: "Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with loving-kindness and tender mercies: who satisfieth thy mouth with good things, so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's." We then experience the fulfilment of this precious promise: "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles," soar aloft, feeling absorbed in heaven, and heavenly things; old things are passed away, all things are become new; they shall run in all the commandments and ordinances of his house with alacrity and delight; wisdom's ways will be ways of pleasantness, and all her paths peace, they shall not be weary; they shall walk and not faint, having the good wine of the kingdom, drinking to the full, and then we, for a time. forget our former poverty of spirit, and remember our misery no more, thinking we shall never be moved. Perfect love, then, casts out all fear and torment, B though love is known, felt, and enjoyed, in a measure before; but, until we enjoy perfect love, all fear is not cast out, and, till we are made perfect in love, our obedience is often more like the obedience of a servant than the filial affection, and reverence of a child. But when we are basking in the sunshine of God's favor, and the fruit of Christ's precious redemption is sweet to our taste, we, like the disciples on the mount, say, it is good to be here, and would like to remain here always; but were we always in this highly favored state of mind, we should so far soar above the transitory things of time and sense, that we should not be able to attend to the duties of our calling, and though as a minister, I would like to be here, and say with Peter, "Lord, it is good to be here;" but the dear family under distress of soul, much darkness, suffering from various temptations and trials, and those in the valley of humiliation, would exclaim, "Our parson soars over our heads." They cannot, poor souls, come up to him, and it often excites jealousy, which is as cruel as the grave; and envy, which is as rottenness in the bones. Therefore, down from the mount we must come, and, like the disciples, we meet the devil at the bottom. And it is of that kind, oftentimes, spiritual pride, or presumptive confidence, that can come forth by nothing but by prayer and fasting; and, as the Apostle Paul found it, after he had been favored more than any man we read of: "Lest I should be exalted above measure, through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh; the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, (that is many times), that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, he says, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then am I strong." The apostle would glory in his afflictions, that he might be more useful to the church of Christ; and, when I am in the frame of mind I would desire to be, then I can feelingly say Father, thy will be done, lead me into that exercise which shall be made a blessing to thy people, and make me an instrument in thine hand of teaching transgressors thy ways, that sinners may be converted unto thee, and the dear saints built up and established in the truth as it is in Christ Jesus, by my frail instrumentality, that God in all things may be glorified, and his dear people comforted, as God's glory and his people's good and happiness are inseparably connected together. We that are the conquest of his grace, in the day of his almighty power, are looking forward, and longing for that blessed period when grace shall be consummated in eternal glory; when we shall sit down at the marriage supper of the Lamb, and join the bloodbought throng, unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings B 2 and priests unto God and his Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. 6thly. We are the Lord's by voluntary surrender. "Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power." We are made willing to be saved, in the Lord's own way and time, made willing to renounce every thing of the creature in point of justification before God, made willing to be fools, that we may be made wise; it must be a supernatural power to bring us to be fools for Christ's sake; for we, by nature, are like the wild ass's colt, as saith the Scripture: "For vain man would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass's colt." The poor soul is brought in experience, like Rebekah, when asked, "Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go." For we feel like the disciples, when asked, "Will ye also go away?" "To whom else shall we go," was the answer, "thou hast the words of eternal life." We are not only the Lord's in the first instance, but made willing, through all the vicissitudes of life, to be the Lord's, to be his servants for ever, to fill up that station in life which he has appointed for us, and those who are called to preach the everlasting gospel, are made willing, and are enabled to give themselves up to the Lord, for time and for eternity; and though for a long time their proud nature and stubborn will, may run contrary to his revealed will, yet he will, in his own time, enable us to give ourselves up unto the Lord, to do with us, and by us, as seemeth good in his sight. I objected for a long time, but the Lord brought me to his blessed footstool. I then said |