IV. Fourthly, we remark that we are indebted to the same grace for the preservation and increase of the divine life: sanctification also is of grace. It is with the work of the spirit in the soul, just as it is with the works of the divine power in the outer world. The universe of matter possesses in itself no principle of self-support and perpetual growth. On the other hand, the same divine power which at first created it from nothing, is momentarily exercised in its maintenance. The laws of nature, as we call them are nothing but the chosen modes of the Almighty's operation. Were that operation to cease for an instant, "the round globe and all which it inherit" would sink to wreck, or to nonentity. The preservation of the universe, therefore is nothing less then a continued creation. It requires the constant exercise of the very same power which spoke organized matter into being, to maintain it from falling back again to its original nothing. Precisely in the same way, the sanctification of the believer is nothing less than a continued conversion. As it required the same power which raised Christ from the dead to quicken his soul and inspire it with the breath of spiritual life, so it requires the very same power, in momentary exercise, to preserve that life from extincton and to promote its increase. Without Christ he can do nothing. It is not I that live said Paul, but Christ that liveth in me. Every grace of the Christian character-so far from being due to any innate or interior principle of life or to any agency of the man himself-is the direct fruit of the Holy Spirit; and that Holy Spirit is the gift of God. This condition of dependence upon gracious assistances and supplies, is at once the believer's necessity, privilege, security, and happiness. That he has neither strength nor wisdom in himself is no disadvantage, for he is connected with infinite wisdom and Almighty power. If he forgets his true state and thinks himself to be something, he presently finds he is indeed nothing; but if he is content to be nothing and to have nothing, he is sure to find a seasonable and abundant communication of all that he wants. Thus he lives, like Israel in the wilderness, upon mere bounty; but then, it is a bounty unchangeable, unwearied, inexhaustible, and all-sufficient. Moses, when speaking of the methods the Lord took to humble Israel, mentions his feeding them with manna as one method. This is not so easy to be understood. One would think they were rather in danger of being proud when they saw themselves provided for in such an extraordinary way. But the manna would not keep; they could not hoard it up, and were therefore in a state of absolute dependence from day to day. This was well suited to humble them. Just so in spirtual things. We should be better pleased, perhaps, to be set up with a stock or sufficiency at once; but His way is best. The Lord's glory is most displayed, and our safety is best secured, by keeping us quite poor and empty in ourselves, and supplying us from one minute to another, according to our need. And what are we that the Most High should thus notice us-should visit us every morning, and water us every moment? Oh, it is a most astonishing thought, that the mighty God should thus stoop and accommodate himself to the situation, wants, and capacities of the weakest, meanest, and poorest of his children!" Praise to his glorious grace! V. Lastly, the Christian's admission to heaven is also of grace. By nature he deserved the very opposite of heaven, even the wrath and curse of God forever. Conversion and sanctification, as we have seen, are the gifts of God's grace, and therefore lay not one partical of merit to the account of their subject. Not all his tears of penitence, and exercises of faith, and works of love, invest him with the least claim upon heavenly rewards. They are the gracious products of the Holy Spirit, and could never have been performed by his unaided powers; they are stained with imperfections, then, and far from acceptable on their own account in the eyes of a Holy God; and were they original and perfect, even then they would only be the proper duty of the creature, and would possess nothing of absolute merit. It is true, indeed, that the Christian becomes an heir of heaven, and holds a claim upon his place in heaven; but that heirship, that claim, are not his own, but Christ's -Christ's, who has graciously conferred them upon him. It is in that Saviour, alone, and on account of his vital union with that Saviour, that he possesses all things; and since that union was consummated by grace, all the privileges to which it introduces him are gracious, too. Yes, my brethren, as it was grace that led our wandering feet into the heavenly way, and grace that defends us from dangers, supports us under troubles, and supplies us in our necessity upon the road, so it is grace that shall open to us the the portals of the celestial city, and welcome us to the abode of God. "Blessing and honor and glory and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever. Amen." A ready response this doctrine finds in every pious heart. This it is that shall wake our gratitude and love, through all eternity. Hark! how the echoes roll around the corridors of heaven! "Now unto him that loved us, and washed us, from our sins in his own blood, be glory, honor, and dominion, for ever and ever. Amen." THE PRAYER-MEETING. For the Prayer-Meeting. ceremonies. It is the heart which gives life and character to true devotion, What multitudes in Chris Pulpit Prayer Answered. MANY years ago a very learned minister of England was in the tian lands, even among the habit of preparing his sermons educated and refined, are put to very carefully, and he used to read shame by the pious simplicity of them very accurately. He did so Icelanders. for years, but there was never It is said of the Icelanders that known to be a sinner saved under they scrupulouslyobserve the usage him-never such a wonder. The of reading the sacred Scriptures poor good man-for he was an ear- every morning, the whole family nest man, and wished to do good- joining in the singing and prayers. was one day at prayer in the pul- When the Icelander awakes, he sapit, praying to God that he would lutes no person until he has saluted make him a useful minister. When God. He usually hastens to the he had finished his prayer, he was door, adores there the Author of stone-blind. He had sufficient self- Nature and Providence, then steps possession to preach the sermon back into the dwelling, saying to extempore, which he had prepared his family: "God grant you a good with notes. People did not notice day!" What a beautiful illustra his blindness, but they never heard tion is this of the Christian obligathe doctor preach such a sermon tion on the part of households to as that before. There was deep recognize and worship God! attention; there were souls saved. He found his way from the pulpit. and began to express his deep sorrow that he had lost his eye-sight, when some good old woman present said, perhaps a little unkindly, but still very fruthfully: "Doctor, we have never heard you preach like this before; and if that is the result of your being blind, it is a pity you were not blind twenty years ago, for you have done more good to-day than you have done in twenty years." Holy Salutation. There is a beautiful simplicity in all pure religion and pure worship, very far removed from forms and Frugal of Prayer. If prayer is the "Christian's vital health," then he might as well try to be frugal of his physical health as to be frugal of prayer; by which he would soon become weak and faint for want of strength for the ordinary duties of life. No Christian, then, can afford to be frugal of prayer, in the intervals of daily business and amusement. Enjoyment of all communion with God must be impaired by the loss of these little tributaries. A Christian's life, so conducted, must languish as a tree does whose fibrous roots are stripped off, leaving only its truncal roots, possibly cay & tap2006, for its nourish- observation. What multitudes of ucht. That Christian is hoping families and persons sit down to ts. impossibilities who thinks the well-spread tables of their daily to enjoy a life of intercourse with meals without one word of thanks God in any such way. to God for his bounties, or even thought of the giver of all their We are opposing God's method of working if our life has a ten-› comforts! dency to incapacitate us for the enjoyment of prayer at all times. If The pious John Newton closes by needless excess of worldly An Incurable Disease. cares; if by inordinate desires, which render it impossible for us a letter to friend in the following to accomplish our object in life truly instructive language: " You without such excess of care; if by kindly inquire after my health; frivolous habits; if by the reading myself and family are, through the of infidel or effeminate literature; divine favor, perfectly well; yet, if by an indolent life; if by any healthy as I am, I labor under a self-indulgence in physical regi- growing disorder, for which there men-we render the habit of is no cure-I mean old age. I am fragmentary prayer impracticable not sorry it is a mortal disease, or unatural to us, we are crossing from which no one recovers; for the methods of God's working, who would live always in such a Something has gone wrong in the world as this, who has a scriptural life of that Christian who finds hope of an inheritance in a world himself thus estranged from filial of light? I am now in my sevenfreedom with God. ty-second year, and seem to have Such a Christian must, sooner or lived long enough for myself. I later, be brought back to Christ, have known something of theevils and must begin life anew. He of life, and have had a large share will come back heavy laden and in of the good. I know what the tears. No words express more be- world can do, and what it cannot comingly the wail of his spirit, do; it can neither give nor take whenever he comes to his right away that peace of God, which mind, than the plaint of Cowper: passeth all understanding; it can "Oh for a closer walk with God!" not soothe a wounded conscience, nor enable us to meet death with comfort. That you, my dear sir, Ingratitude to God. may have an abiding and aboundSome years since an humble but ing experience that the gospel is a pious and devoted colored minister catholicon, adapted to all our was preaching to a congregation, wants and all our feelings, and a in one of the cities of New-England suitable help when every other and took occasion to illustrate help fails, is the sincere and ardent man's ingratitude to God. He prayer of your affectionate friend." said in quaint language; "Mankind be just like de hogs. Dey go under de acorn-tree, and dey cat de acorn, but dey neber once look up to see where de acorn comes from." And so it is as a matter of common The Earnest Preacher. Many years ago, two young men were strolling, on a Lord's day, through the streets of London. One of them, named Henry Bar- his rebukes against sin, and punrow, was a barrister of fine talents gent warnings of the judgment to and good education, but given to come, startled Barrow's slumberreckless dissipation, and by his ing conscience. The man of pleasjovial humour and rare social gifts ure was sobered, and went from enticing others into vice. His com- the church to his room to think panion, named Sutton, gave evi- of his ways. The arrow of truth dence that he had spent the pre- had reached its mark. The provious night in debauchery, and fligate was tortured by the agony had not recovered from its in- of shame and remorse. His days fluence. He was in a half-penitent were full of gloomy unrest-his mood, and, suffering keenly from nights were sleepless. At length the effects of vice, was prating of he could not bear the burden alone, reform. Barrow, whose strong con- but sought for Christian counsel, stitution was yet unharmed by went often to the house of God, indulgence, could not resist an read diligently the Bible he had inclination to banter his moody scorned, and, like the pardoned comrade. He made sport of his prodigal, found peace in the blood serious words and inward remorse; of atonement. The gay worldling asked him if he had turned from that casual attendance on an preacher and taken orders; threa- earnest preacher, became one of tened to complain of him to the the most earnest and useful ⚫ church authorities, and have him preachers of his age, an able leader apprehended for heresy; and finally of the Nonconformists, and sealed advised him, like Falstaff, to take his testimony by an exultant another bottle of sack, as a potent martyr-death. medicine. While using his sharp wit, to the great discomfort of the unhappy Sutton, they passed an open church, from which rang out the voice of an earnest preacher. Barrow stopped to listen. "Let us go in," he said. hear a man rant ?" 66 Yes," was the reply; "this man is worth hearing, for he is evidently in earnest. I don't care for the priests who repeat their lessons parrot-like-but a live man is always worth listening to." Sutton would not be persuaded, but went in search of more sack, muttering something about "mad freaks," but Barrow kept to his purpose of hearing the earnest preacher. He heard to some purpose, for the minister was a man of fervid zeal, and by the sharpness of Christ the light of the World, "I AM the light of the world: he that folshall have the light of life.”-JOHN viii. 12, loweth me shall not walk in darkness, but GOD is light, and Christ is "the image of the invisible God ;" God of God, light of light... The visible light of the world is the sun, and Christ is the "Sun of Rightcousness." One sun enlightens the whole world; so does one Christ, and there needs no more. It is the happiness of those who follow Christ, that they "shall not walk in darkness." Follow Christ, and we shall follow him to heaven. -M. Henry. "Lord, be it mine,, like thine elect, to choose The better part; like them to use The means thy love hath given; |
