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The nature of this vow was equally a proof of the moderation of Jacob's desires, asking only "bread to eat and raiment to put on," and of the reality of his faith in the promises which had just been vouchsafed him. The vow was in fact an echo of the promise, not intending to be merely conditional, and to say, "If God will keep me, then will I serve him ;" but evidently implying, "since God has pledged himself to keep me, therefore will I devote myself wholly to his service; since God has promised to be with me, therefore shall the Lord be my God." It was not then, as has been falsely represented by the enemies of Revelation, the shrewd compact of an avaricious man to bind the Deity to his interests, but the overflowing of a grateful heart anxious to bind itself to its God; that love of God which proceeds from the conviction that he first loved us.'

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The lecture concludes with the following solemn appeal :

My brethren, we have endeavoured to apply the spiritual lesson taught by Jacob's pillar, more especially to you who have passed through trouble, or sickness and sorrow; to you, then, we would also desire to apply Jacob's vow.

Did your hour of trouble, your chamber of sorrow, your bed of sickness, witness no vows? Have you never, in adversity, said, "If the Lord will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on ;" or, in sickness, If the Lord will raise me up again; or, in spiritual despon dency, If the Lord will keep me in this way, that I may come to my father's house-the house with many mansions, " then shall the Lord be my God?" And were not yonr petitions heard, and the solicited blessing vouchsafed, and the hour of spiritual despondency, or of natural terror and alarm, permitted to pass away? How, then, have these vows been kept? Have they been "as a morning cloud, and as the early dew?' When the terror of the grave departed, did the resolutions of sickness depart with it? and are you now eagerly seeking the giddy bustle of the world, to brush away the few lingering remains of broken vows and frustrated intentions? Suffer, then, the present example to act as a solemn memento to your conscience; believe that the God of all your mercies, who answered your prayers, has also registered your vows, and now grieves over the neglect of them; he, of whom you once said, "Then shall the Lord be my God," sees with a parent's feeling, that you have forgotten him, and sends this message of love to your soul, still willing to recall his wandering child, still desirous of bringing you to himself. Remember those hours of affliction and of weakness; remember what you would then have felt, could you have been assured that you should have been in this place, in your accustomed health, to-day. Twenty years after Jacob had vowed, God expressly reminded him of that vow. He is now mercifully doing the same to you. O let it not be in vain! the solemn season which is before you, be employed in regaining the vantage ground upon which, by the mercy of God, you once stood; retrace your steps; recall the feelings and the resolutions of those long past hours; dedicate yourself anew to the service of God; come once more to the fountain opened for sin and for uncleanness, and devote "yourself, your soul and body," to the glory of your Redeemer. Then,

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indeed, shall the Lord be your God, equally present to bless and comfort you in health and sickness, in sorrow and in joy, in time and in eternity! Then shall you find, even while on earth, that " peace of God which passeth all understanding ;" and when you have departed hence, "an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom and joy of your Lord." But if you still turn a deaf ear to him that speaketh from heaven; if you still forget what God has done for you, and neglect what you have promised him; we would solemnly charge it upon your conscience, that this is not the last time that you shall think of your wasted resolutions, and of your broken vows. You shall be reminded of them upon another day! in another place! by another speaker!'

The subjects of the remaining lectures are taken from-Gen. xxix. 20., Jacob serving Laban; Gen. xxxii. 11, Jacob in fear of Esau; Gen. xxxiii. 4., Jacob and Esau reconciled; Gen. xxxv. 2. Jacob reforming his household; Gen. xlv. 26, Jacob bereaved of his children, and incredulous as to Joseph's message; Gen. xlvii. 8. Jacob's answer to Pharaoh.

The lectures upon the history of Peter, illustrate the following circumstances in the Apostle's history.

I. Peter brought by Andrew to our Lord Jesus. His confession of sinfulness. II. Peter walking upon the water. III. Peter's confession of faith. IV. Peter's rebuking Christ. Present at the transfiguration. V. Peter's inquiry, "What shall we have therefore? VI. Peter refuses to have his feet washed by Christ. VII. Peter present at our Lord's agony. VIII. Peter's denial of his Lord, and his repentance. IX. Peter's interview with his risen Saviour. Peter's death.'

An extract or two, without comment, will sufficiently speak for the merit and interesting character of this volume. In the third lecture, Peter's confession of faith is thus strikingly introduced.

The inspired historian having mentioned this fact of the departure even of "many of the disciples", immediately adds our Lord's own affecting comment upon it. "Then said Jesus unto the twelve, will

ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life, and we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God." How near do such little incidents as these appear to bring us to the heart of Jesus, and of him whose life we are considering; we can almost behold the affectionate Redeemer looking round upon his "little flock", and while marking their diminished numbers, making that inquiry which must have touched the hardest heart; we can imagine we see the zealous Peter pressing forward from the circle, and almost interrupting the reproachful inquiry, eager to disclaim for his brethren and himself the possibility of such an act, burning to relieve his own bosom by a voluntary confession of a faith already matured into certainty, and a regard which even then had ripened into love. Who can read his answer, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life", 3 L

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VOL. II.-N.S.

without rejoicing that a reply so encouraging to the heart of every believer was thus elicited, and without sincerely desiring to appropriate it to himself? Be assured, my brethren, that there are states of mind in which these incidents, which the careless reader of his Bible is apt to consider trifling and unimportant, come home with the most irresistible energy and power-times when we are unable to apprehend the blessed doctrines, or to apply the precious promises of Scripture; but when a single brief and touching sentiment like this, will carry balm to the wounded spirit, or suggest a prayer to the prayerless heart. Often have I heard one of the most interesting writers of the present day declare, that at a period of his life, when his soul was powerfully tempted to " deny the Lord who bought him", and to fall back into the mazes of infidelity from which he had even then but partially escaped; the only declaration of Scripture upon which he could find a momentary resting-place, was that which we are now considering. That during this awful and long-continued conflict in the solitude of a sick room, a prey to pain and weakness, greatly needing those consolations which the errors of a false religion, and the heartless dogmas of scepticism never could supply; unable to close with the blessed offers of salvation through the blood of Jesus, and yet willing to cling, as with a dying hand, to his cross; the affecting exclamation which burst continually from his lips, and alone imparted even a hope of peace, was this:- Lord, to whom shall I go? thou hast the words of eternal life." A cry of faith, faint and imperfect indeed; so imperfect and so faint, that had man been judge, it never would have reached the mercy seat; and yet a cry which, presented by a merciful High Priest, entered into the ears of the Lord God of Sabaoth, and brought "help from the sanctuary and strength from out of Zion."

But, my brethren, melancholy is the state of those who leave the great question undecided till such an hour as that; with a body weakened by suffering, and a mind impaired by disease, to have to struggle against our mighty enemy, and to seek, for the first time, a refuge from his attacks-To be asking, "to whom shall I go?" when you ought to be saying, "I know in whom I have believed"; to be preparing for the conflict, when you ought to be ready to say, "I have fought the good fight, I have kept the faith"; to be putting on the helmet at the very hour when you ought rather to be looking for the crown.'

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You do not know, God grant you never may know, by experience, the miseries of the chamber of sickness when unillumined by the ray of the gospel of peace; the agonies of a dying hour with the great work of salvation left undone. A God to go to, but no Father,-a Judge, but no Saviour, an eternity opening before your eyes, but no heaven in which to spend it. Oh, to whom shall you go at that hour, if you do not now flee to the Saviour of sinners, and find pardon for your sins, and peace for your souls!" pp. 60–67.

In the fifth lecture, Peter's question, 'What shall be the sign of thy coming?' is made the occasion of some admirable practical remarks on the temper in which the Christian should be awaiting the coming of his Lord.

'Observe for a moment the manner in which we act under similar circumstances in the common affairs of life. The friend you most love has gone to some far distant clime, but he has promised to return; you believe his promise, the time is fixed and is unquestionably certain, but he has not mentioned to you the day. During the interval, in what manner do you conduct yourselves? As the term of his long absence wears away, does he not engross every thought, and occupy every feeling, and form a prominent part in every arrangement? You recollect every thing which used to afford him pleasure, and you prepare it for his reception you remember every thing that gave him pain, and you most cautiously, most scrupulously avoid it; you think no sacrifice too great, no recollection too minute, if it may but enable you to minister to his delight, and to gratify him on his arrival. Your heart is so occupied with his promised return, that it is far less delightful to you to associate with others, than to think of and remember him. Every morning sees you at the throne of grace, praying that another sun may not set before your anticipations have been realised; and you are not, you cannot be satisfied with any thing short of the fulfilment of this prayer.

Now, my Christian brethren, I would ask you to apply this to the state of your minds with respect to the promised return of your Lord. Do you know any thing of such feelings as these? Do you in any respect so feel, and so think, and so act with regard to his arrival? If not, what further proof do we require, that either you do not believe him, or you do not love him, as you ought? If you believed him, you would live as those who were expecting his coming; if you loved him, would live as those who longed for it. In every act of your life, there would be a reference to this wished-for event. In your most sorrowing hours, you would "weep as though you wept not ;" and in your most joyful hours," rejoice as though you rejoiced not; " in your busiest hours, you would buy as though you possessed not," and every day and every hour you would use this world as not abusing it." You would be careful to allow yourselves in no posture of mind, in no indulgence of tempers, in no occupations or amusements, in which you would blush to be found by your Lord.

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You acknowledge, you cannot but acknowledge, that all this is perfectly true if applied to the return of an earthly friend: what argument then will you use to prove that it does not, and ought not to be applicable to the return of that "friend who sticketh closer than a brother?" Will you say that you have no such love for him, who so loved you as to give himself for you; that the Bible requires no such love, that his people have never felt such love, that you cannot be expected to desire his presence with the same feelings with which you desire the presence of those you love on earth. So saying, you would only demonstrate that at least one of the signs of our Lord's return is sufficiently visible-"the love of many shall wax cold." It was not so with the holy men of old; it was not so with David, for he expressly said, "there is none upon earth whom I desire in comparison of thee." Although the mutual love between him and Jonathan was, as he himself expresses it, "wonderful, passing the love of women," it was as nothing, and less than nothing in comparison of his love to

God. In this love, be assured, every true child of God, in every age, has partaken; in this desire for the Saviour's return, his true people have in all ages united: in this anxiety to keep themselves unspotted from the world against his wished-for coming, all his redeemed servants sympathize. Try then the state of your spiritual affections by this test; observe what would be the effect upon your heart, and mind, and expectations, if you were assured that the day of the Lord was even now about to dawn upon you. If the reply to your enquiry, "what is the sign of thy coming?" were to be, "behold I come quickly," would it sound the knell of your departing pleasures, of all in which your hearts, and minds, and thoughts are now engaged? Or could you really welcome it as the fulfilment of every prayer, the completion of every hope? Could you reply from your heart "even so, come Lord Jesus," this is the hour which I have prayed for, hoped for, lived for; " even so come, come quickly."

This, and this alone, is the reply of those who with their loins girded and their lamps burning are waiting for the return of their Lord. This, then, be assured, is the reply of all those who shall go in with him to the wedding, and shall sit down for ever at the marriage supper of the Lamb.'—pp. 111-116.

We can spare room for only one more extract, and we must take it from the lecture on Peter's fall and recovery.

"Immediately while he yet spake," continues St. Luke, "the cock crew." Surely no malefactor condemned to suffer for the violated laws of his country, ever heard his last hour strike upon the prison bell with half the agony of feeling with which that cock-crowing rang upon the ears of Peter. Still was there a sight which smote far deeper than that sound: "The Lord turned and looked upon Peter." Who can portray the silent eloquence of that last look? What volumes must it have spoken to the heart of the fallen apostle! Could he behold that well-known countenance, and again repeat, "I know not the man?" Could he see his divine Master "as a sheep before her shearers is dumb," and again break forth into oaths and imprecations? Could he bear the reproach of that meek eye, and yet remain in the guilty scene amidst these enemies of his Saviour and of his own soul? No! that single glance was all that was required to send home the arrow of conviction and repentance to his bosom; he instantly "remembered the word that the Lord had spoken, and he went out and wept bitterly."'

Blessed be God, that such an act of sovereign grace and pardoning mercy has been bequeathed to us; that as we have witnessed Peter's fall, the fruit of his own presumption, we are enabled also to witness Peter's recovery, the fruit of his Saviour's love. It was that single

look of his Redeemer which brought back the erring sheep to the fold of the good shepherd. Have you, my brethren, and who has not, in thought, or word, or deed, by your worldliness or pride, by your unchastity or uncharitableness, virtually denied a spiritual and humble, a pure and merciful Saviour? Then while you receive the solemn warning, receive also the blessed encouragement of the scene before you. The Lord amidst all his sufferings took not his thoughts of mercy for a single moment from his sinning disciple. Be assured, he has not taken

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