or indirectly against sin. He either prays to God for his Spirit, or relies upon the promises, or receives the sacrament, or goes to his bishop for counsel and a blessing, or to his priest for religious offices, or places himself at the feet of good men to hear their wise sayings, or call for the Church's prayers, or does the duty of his calling, or actually resists temptation, or frequently renews his holy purposes, or fortifies himself by vows, or searches into his danger by a daily self-examination; so that upon the whole he is ever upon his guard "." To watchfulness must be added earnest striving in the way of duty. "Strive, says our Lord, to enter in at the strait gate." Mark the word "strive." It is most expressive; implying determined resolution, strenuous exertion. Weak and occasional endeavours will not suffice. If we would enter in we must "strive," strive as wrestlers and combatants do for victory, that is, employ our best force and circumspection. In a word, repentance, reformation, and practical godliness must be our objects; the performance of duty to God and man. Vol. vi. 261. Bp. Heber's Edit. X Luke xiii. 24. : Enquire now, reader, art thou a penitent? That thou art a sinner thou wilt not deny; and know, assuredly, that, if thou art not a penitent sinner, thou art deluding thyself, if thou cherishest hopes of acceptance with God. The last important conclusion which we draw from the history of Rehoboam is, that sin, truly repented of, will be forgiven. "They have humbled themselves, said the Lord, therefore will I not destroy them." Did God see the sin of Rehoboam and his people? He saw too their humiliation, and sorrow,—and he exercised mercy and the whole tenor of his word tends to establish the truth of the conclusion, that the true penitent shall not be cast away. Reader, rejoice in this consolatory truth; but delay not thy repentance. Depend upon it, that he who now devotes himself to the service of sin, in preference to the service of God, has no sincere intention of ever becoming a faithful servant of Jesus Christ. But, were it otherwise, is life in thy power? Art thou secure No. Then how of its continuance for a day? is repentance, in thy power? There is only one wise, one safe, one Christian course to pursue. It is this; "to-day, whilst it is called to-day, harden not thy heart." Dream not of more convenient seasons; "Behold, now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation." Turn then to-day from thy transgressions, to the service of God in Jesus Christ, that" iniquity may not be thy ruin." ASA. THE explicit declarations, and the general tenor of the Sacred Writings, proclaim these important, these momentous truths, "Verily there is a reward for the righteous";""Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished "." Now, though it be true that the recompence of the one, and the condemnation of the other, will not be announced, or have respectively its complete establishment or infliction, till the great and terrible day of the Lord, when he "shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel, and when he shall come to be glorified in his saints";" yet it is true, that the judgments of God often overtake Psalm lviii. 11. Prov. xi. 28. a 2 Thess. i. 8. sinners in this world: yet it is true, that, even in the life that now is, God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him". These momentous truths are not properly regarded; and hence it is that the wicked, on the one hand, encourage themselves in their wickedness, whilst, on the other, the righteous lose much of that support and consolation which they are entitled and privileged to enjoy. St. Paul distinctly recognizes one of the truths in question, in his Epistle to the Corinthians . Some of those whom, he addressed had profaned the solemn ordinance of the Lord's Supper, by eating and drinking at it, not only irreverently, but intemperately, and "for this cause," he writes, "many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep." The Psalmist recognizes the other. "The Lord," he says, "upholdeth the righteous :" and the wise king affirms, "Behold the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth ." Among other instructive lessons, the history of Asa, king of Judah, tends to illustrate these truths. Reader, consider it e d b Heb. xi. 6. |