ful and honoured will be sure to be hated and opposed. Every Christian has his foe; but the most useful, the most honoured, will have a Saul,-the King over all the children of pride. The chief foe will be his foe; and the bitterest malice of the prince of darkness will be vented at him. Thirdly, God will be sure to raise up a friend in the hour of need. As sure as we are driven into the wood by Saul, so sure will Jonathan arise and come unto us, to strengthen our hand in God. When the three Hebrews were in Nebuchadnezzar's furnace, the Son of God was with them. When Daniel was cast into the den of lions, the Lord sent his angel to shut the lions' mouths. So, poor, tried, troubled, dejected, and perplexed believer, the Lord will raise up and send some faithful friend to thee. He will deliver thee in six troubles, and in seven shall no evil touch thee. Fourthly, whatever wood we may be in, Jonathan will find us out, come to us, and comfort us. He may send his servant, but he will come himself. He has said, "I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honour him, I will set him on high," on the throne, “ because he hath known my name." Finally,

through the wood of difficulty, danger, and perplexity, we pass to the kingdom. It seems a strange way to flesh and blood, and often, very often, we conclude that it is not the right. We fancy we have missed the road. What! a road so lonely, covered with briers and thorns, where there are fiery flying serpents and scorpions, traps, snares, and pitfalls in every direction, is this the way to the kingdom? Yes, this is the way, walk ye in it. But if you would walk in peace, in comfort, and with courage, you must "walk by faith, not by sight." You must travel by your map, for if you trust your eyes, your heart will faint, your courage will droop, and your enemy will gain an advantage over you. Go on, my Christian brother, however lonely thy road, however perplexing thy path, however many thy privations; remember thou art in the wood now, but soon thou wilt reach thy kingdom, thy crown, thy palace; and then thou wilt subscribe right heartily to the fact, that he led thee forth by the right way, that thou mightest go to a city of habitations!

GREAT SEARCHINGS OF HEART.

BEING called upon to attend an association of churches during the past week, I was painfully affected by the fact, that out of more than twenty churches, only four could report an increase of numbers during the last twelve months, and that increase was small. Yet, in every church the gospel is preached, and in most, if not all, prayer-meetings are held. What is to become of the world, thought I, if things go on thus? What will become of our own beloved land? The population is increasing, souls by millions are perishing, and the gospel seems to have lost its power. The churches decrease. What a solemn, what an alarming fact! About three thousand sermons had been preached, about three thousand children had been taught in the Sabbath-schools, a great number of Bibles, tracts, and religious periodicals had been circulated, and yet the majority of the churches had decreased. Surely this is enough to make one

weep, lie low before God, and ask, "Shew us wherefore thou contendest with us." Three questions arose in my mind, and have been exercising my thoughts since: let me invite you, my fellow-Christian, to attend to them with me.

First, Is there not a cause?—Surely we cannot ascribe our present condition wholly to the sovereignty of God. In

Old Testament times the Lord laid the blame on his people, and asked, "Hast thou not procured this unto my thyself? See thy way in the valley ?" And again, by another prophet, "Is the Spirit of the Lord straitened? Are these his doings? Doth not my word do good to him that walketh uprightly?" Many similar por tions may be remembered by the reader, if he is familiar with the Scriptures. In the New Testament, the apostle James tells us, Ye have not, because ye ask not, or because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it on your lusts." Surely there is some worm at the root, that causes the plant of God's right hand planting to wither. There is some wedge of gold and Babylonish garment hidden in some Achan s tent, which causes Israel to turn their backs on their enemies. Yes,

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there must be a cause. We have the same gospel to preach which the apostles had. We have the same promises of suc

cess.

We have the same kind of persons to address. Yet they were successful; they turned the world upside down; they triumphed in Christ, and spread abroad the savour of his knowledge in every place. But what do we? Where are our triumphs? We decrease; what is the cause? Let us then inquire,

Secondly, Can we ascertain the cause ?Methinks we may, if we are hearty in our desire, and are willing to go deep enough. It does not seem to lie on the surface; let us therefore plough up the fallow ground, and look lower. God said that he would search Jerusalem, as with candles, and punish the men that were settled on their lees. Let us who preach, look at our preaching, and ask, Do I preach Christ enough? Is Christ crucified, and Christ glorified, constantly kept before the people? Do I, in my ministry, exalt and extol him? Is it my delight to proclaim Him, in the glory of His person, in the merit of His blood, in the riches of His grace? Do I present Him to my people as the only Saviour to be trusted,