sacrifice for sin, margin], condemned sin in the that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit" (Rom. viii. 1-4.)

Reader, we have dwelt at some length upon this subject, because of its vast importance. Justification, or how a sinner is to be acquitted and accepted of God, is of higher moment than any other theme. Nothing can vie with it. And to a want of a clear and scriptural perception of this doctrine is to be ascribed, instrumentally, the want of solid peace, and the very great amount of uneasiness, suspense, and discomfort to which many of the people of God are subject. They look into themselves and at their doings; feeling deeply their own sinfulness, and conscious of the absolute worthlessness of all their works, they regard both the one and the other as a mark of ruin, and of God's utter disregard. Whereas the fact is precisely the contrary. Their felt depravity and conscious destitution is a glorious proof and evidence of Divine teaching, and is only the prelude to a soul-satisfying, heartcheering discovery, that Christ is "made of God unto us wisdom and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: that, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord" (1 Cor. i. 30, 31). "For we ourselves (says the same Apostle, in his epistle to Titus) also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the

kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

"Weary, working, plodding one,
Wherefore toil you so?

Cease your doing, all was done
Long, long ago.

"Till to Jesu's work you cling,

By a simple faith;
Doing is a deadly thing―

Doing ends in death.

"Cast your deadly doing down-
Down at Jesu's feet:

Stand in Him, in Him alone,

Gloriously complete."

CHAPTER XI.

THE TWO DISTINCT NATURES IN ABRAHAM-RENEWED COMMUNINGSABRAHAM LAUGHED: WHY?-ABRAHAM'S PLEA FOR ISHMAEL -PARENT'S PRAYERS-THE APOSTLE PAUL'S SOUL-TRAVAIL FOR

EN

HIS BRETHREN APPEAL TO THE CHRISTIAN PARENT COURAGEMENT- IS ANYTHING TOO HARD FOR THE LORD ?"DANGER OF INCITING CHILDREN TO EXPRESS MORE THAN THEY

FEEL SOWING IN TEARS, BUT REAPING IN JOY-JEHOVAH'S

ABRAHAM-CONTENTION

BETWEEN

TENDERNESS SO RICHLY MANIFESTED IN HIS DEALINGS WITH FLESH AND SPIRIT THE TOTAL DEPRAVITY OF HUMAN NATURE-GRACE NO LICENCE FOR SIN-FAITH A LIVING FRUIT-BEARING PRINCIPLE-APPEAL TO

THE READER.

WE return to the history of Abraham, and we wish the reader most carefully and scrupulously to mark the operation of two distinct principles in Abraham, those distinct principles appertaining to two equally distinct natures. It is necessary to do this in order to see what was of the flesh in Abraham, and what was of faith, what was of God, and what of man. Abraham was not, any more than his seed, perpetually and continuously under the sweet influence and operation of faith. We have seen already how flesh at times gained the ascendancy: and a mercy it is that God has caused this to be left upon record, not only that we may thus have an oppor

tunity of distinguishing between things that differ, but that we may likewise see that it was with one of our own poor fallen race Jehovah had of old to do,

even as now.

"And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her. Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear ?"

Now, a difficulty presents itself here. Did Abraham "laugh" in token of gladness and rejoicing at what the Lord had promised? or did he "laugh" in plain language at the absurdity and unlikelihood of such a thing, as he said in his heart, "Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?" It must be borne in mind, that, though God had graciously promised a vast seed to Abraham, this was the first mention of Sarah being the mother thereof.

Again, another difficulty presents itself as to the spirit in which "Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before Thee!" Did Abraham, when he laughed, doubt the Lord's promise in regard to Sarah, and say, "O that Ishmael might live before Thee!" "O that he who is verily alive, and about whose existence there can be no doubt-0 that he may be the earnest and forerunner of this

numerous progeny ?" And did the Lord, in His pitifulness and forbearance, reassure Abraham of the fact in reference to Sarah, so as to disperse his doubts about the matter, as we read, "And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac, and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him ?"

Was this, we ask, the position of matters, or did Abraham take advantage of the privileged season with which he was indulged, when thus the Lord reassured him of His gracious goodwill towards and loving interest in him, to ask for covenant favours and distinguishing love and mercy on behalf of Ishmael? He loved Ishmael. He was his child. Through his instrumentality an immortal soul had been ushered into being; and now, from the depths of a heart becomingly affected with the solemn responsibility which, as a parent, was entailed upon him, he ardently craves spiritual and eternal blessings on behalf of his offspring. "O that Ishmael may (eternally) live before Thee!"

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The like prayer has burst from the burdened heart of myriads of anxious parents. Of necessity, such must be the case where the heart is rightly affected. We can have no sympathy with those who know nothing of heart-wrestlings and holy importunities at the throne of grace on account of their children. Shall the Apostle go so far as to say, "That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart: for I could wish that myself were