grace from the terrors of the law, the price of his salvation paid, it is gladness to him that God requires holiness-that he is determined to root out every sin, however hard and painful the excision. It would be small joy to know that he is justified, if he were not sure he should be also sanctified; conformity, exact conformity, is what he longs for; not for worlds would he be excused, and suffered to continue in his sins. On this point, I believe, those that know not Christ will be obliged to convict themselves, and acknowledge that, apart from the consequences, they have more pleasure in sin than in holiness; if God would dispense with obedience, they could enjoy themselves better than they do. Should there be any, as I fear there may, who profess to be followers of Christ, and love his gospel, but who do not love his law-who enjoy very much the doctrines of free salvation, and justification by faith, but disrelish those of sanctification by the Holy Spirit, the growth of grace, and the renewal of the divine image in the soul,-to

such I must remark, that this was not the mind of Christ; He delighted in the law of God, as much as ever He delighted in his mercy or his grace. The unregenerate cannot, because the law is against them, but if we, as Christians, do not, there is something very defective, to say the least, in our religion.

The believer further manifests his delight in the law of God, by the joy he feels in seeing others do it. As he can never behold sin without feeling pain, so does he never see holiness without delighting in it. What exquisite joy, in the darkness of this evil world, to look upon the lights that grace has lighted to hear, to see the works of them that walk according to his law; to find, it may be in some public walk, it may be in some abode of poverty, one who seems living only to fulfil his will: this is a pleasure worthy of Christ to have enjoyed— and doubtless He did enjoy it, when He beheld Mary at his feet, forgetting every thing in her desire to learn of him.

If I speak less of joy in doing the will of

God, than in having it done in us, and seeing it done by others, it is not because I do not know it to be the greatest. But we so seldom attain to it-it is so seldom we are satisfied with any thing we do-we perceive so much. more of defect than of conformity in our best performances, that though I know it may be felt, and be more grateful to us than any other joy, and though I know we may so desire it as to say with our Lord, "My meat and drink is to do the will of God," yet the sense of having done it satisfactorily is so rare, I can say but little about it; it may at least be judged of by the pain of having failed in it.

"The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and my cup." "The lines are fallen to me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage." This is the gladness of him, who having found a treasure hidden in a field, for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Perhaps it would be too much to say the believer is the only contented one on earth. I have seen the chil

dren of this world so well pleased with its perishable possessions, as long as they can keep them, I must suppose they too believe they have a goodly heritage, as he did, who said to his soul," Soul, take thine ease," &c. But when these words applied to Christ, He had no such possessions—He had not where to lay his head; He had stripped himself of infinite wealth, and retained no portion to rejoice in but his God. I shall not err, then, if I say that they who resemble Christ are the only people that rejoice in their portion, and think their heritage good, be their earthly condition what it may. This enjoyment of God, as a present portion, is very difficult to describe, but every experienced Christian knows what it is; it is something quite distinct from the expectation of future blessedness; it is what St. Paul calls "being filled with the fulness of God;" of which David says, " Happy people that have the Lord for their God." And again, "Thy loving kindness is better than life." And in Rev. ii. "I know thy works, and tribula

tion, and poverty; but thou art rich towards God." This is spoken of present good. It is difficult sometimes to separate present enjoyment from eternal hope; but the believer knows that he has both. He as much seeks happiness in God now as he expects to do in heaven, and finds it in him when he has none elsewhere. The moments of greatest delight in God are usually those of greatest destitution : when we look for some to take pity, but there is none; and for comforters, but there is no man. Ask the tried saint which have been the happiest moments of his life, and he will tell you of those in which every earthly good had departed from him-in some deep affliction, some extreme suffering, some pressing danger, when man either could not or would not give him any help. These have been his happiest hours; for then, emptied of every thing else, he was fullest of God; and had such sensible enjoyment of him, as earthly language is not suited to express, nor earth-devoted spirits able to un