v. 6); and fulfils all righteousness (Matt. iii. 15). The Lord grant his people more and more of it.

But thou must be up and doing, for "if thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustest, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan" (Jer. xii. 5)? Some of God's own people, even in their last moments, have had no comfort, and yet have they not doubted his love to them; and wilt thou doubt? It is recorded of the excellent Gillespie, who was one of the learned Selden's opponents at the Westminster Assembly in 1643, that during his last illness he enjoyed little comfort, but was strong in the faith of adherence to the divine promises—a subject on which he insisted much in his sermons. When asked if he had any comfort, he said, "No; but though the Lord allow me no comfort, yet I will believe that my beloved is mine, and I am his."* Was he right to do so? Assuredly he was; for although it would be presumption to rely upon election itself, independent of evidence, yet it would be manifestly sinful not to rely upon the divine promises. We do not say, then, rely upon your election, but rely upon Christ and his promises to you in the gospel. We are told we are to be "confident of this very thing,

* Vide notices prefixed to Bonar's edition of Rutherford's Letters, p. 266.

that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil. i. 6). "These things have I written unto you," saith the apostle John, "that believe in the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe (i. e. continue to believe) on the name of the Son of God" (1 John v. 13): "for he hath said, I will NEVER leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me" (Heb. xiii. 5, 6). "My sheep" says Christ, "hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand" (John x. 27, 28). We are told that "God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath that by two immutable things (i. e. the promise and the oath of God), in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil ; whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec" (Heb. vi. 17-20). O weak trembling believer! rise up to the height of your amazing pri

vileges, and plead this mighty promise with your Lord, and prevail: "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive” (Matt. xxi. 22).

But we must hasten onwards. Let us give you, then, some few hints, which may serve as preservatives from apostasy.

In the first place, dread leaving your first love; remembering that it is at all times easy to fall away from Christ, but always difficult to return to him. In a measure your walk (if we may so speak) is in your own hands: for when Christ upbraided "the church of Ephesus," "because it had left its first love," bidding it "remember therefore from whence it had fallen, and repent, and do the first works" (Rev. ii. 1, 4, 5); he not only charges this upon it as its sin, but his language necessarily implies that it might have avoided this sin if it would. Dread therefore the first approaches to lukewarmness and indifference to Christ, as you would dread the plague itself. It is true that in many of your approaches to Christ in prayer, you may have occasion to mourn over much deadness, and lukewarmness, and emptiness; and you may often return from prayer empty and discouraged but this is not what is meant. No, it is indifference and carelessness to Christ, which affects you not, that is intended. Downcastings, and sense of deadness, and emptiness, mourned over, are sometimes much better for the

soul than comfort, for this is but too often rested in instead of Christ, and begets self-complacency; while the former humbles, and drives the soul nearer to the Lord who bought it. Did not our dear Lord himself say, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness” (Matt. v. 6)? But hungering and thirsting are longing, painful feelings, which imply emptiness and an aching void. And is not this sometimes thy feeling after prayer? Cheer up then, for the Lord says that thou art blessed," aye, and "shalt be FILLED" (Matt. v. 6) "For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness" (Psalm cvii. 9).

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In the second place, ever act up to the light you have; never go against the dictates of your conscience; and take care that sins which have been discovered, and are known to you, be forsaken ; and in God's strength determine to forsake all sin. "Esteem" God's "precepts concerning all things to be right;" and "hate every false way" (Psa. cxix. 128): for you may rest assured that nothing blinds, or hardens the heart more surely, or more securely, than acting against light, or allowing known and discovered sins to lie in the heart without being forsaken. And for the purpose of discovering your sin, exercise an habitual spirit of self-examination in the sight of God, with prayer for his illumination, using his word, of course, as the grand means under the teaching of his Spirit, for that purpose;

man's works, and men themselves, as secondary means. Thus, when you have discovered anything, note it down for use; and when you see sin in others, use them as a glass, and turn your eyes inwardly upon yourself (looking up to God the mean while), to see if the same sin exists not in yourself. "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts; and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psa. cxxxix. 23, 24).

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In the third place, to enable you to do these things, ever keep near to Christ: for "without him you can do nothing" (John xv. 5). Set him always before you, and ever press after conformity to his image and likeness. He is the "vine, you are the branches." What can you then do without him? He is "the head," you are his "members." How can you, therefore, live apart from him? Nay, he life itself. "Because I live," says he, "ye shall live also" (John xiv. 19). Ever, therefore, keep near to him, and live as in his presence. Do not think that religion consists in a mere form of doctrines. No; it is something far more precious than this: it is a living, vital union and communion with a living, life-giving God. "I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Gal. ii.