framed by the knowledge and belief of it, is a whole. It comprises the whole man, soul, body, and spirit, motive, life, and action. Truth alone, therefore, brought to bear upon the soul, can form the character and mould the man. Acting on principles is the only way to strengthen them. No power else can give force to the character. The mind of the strongest wing can find no resting place till it return to its home in the world around it, and to those duties which it is actually required to perform. All the doctrines of Christianity have a practical aspect; and it is not from the heights of speculation, nor the troubled sea of passionate emotion that they are most clearly discerned. Other systems are easiest in theory, but bring them into practice, and the charm is immediately dissolved. There, all their difficulties begin; but there the difficulties of Christians end. The alleged difficulties of Christians are entirely speculative; they are made by men who have no mind to practise the religion they oppose. But none who with intelligence have brought Christianity to bear on life, have ever complained that they found any blank in its action, or any other want unsupplied. If acting, they were abundantly supplied with strength, and if suffering, with consolation. Religion operates on the whole man; "she throws out altogether and at once, the whole system of every being, and the rudiments of all the parts.' In this respect, there is the most perfect harmony between the operations of nature and of grace. It always operates by degrees, and some parts may even approximate perfection before others are touched. It is not so in the Divine operations, whether in the vegetable or the animal world. There is a beautiful, simultaneous development from the essential germ in all its parts at once. Let the

reader, then, study harmony of character. Perfection implies that there is nothing wanting, nothing superfluous. Such are the spirits of the just in heaven. L. T. P.

RUIN PREVENTED. THE Divine writers deal much in analogies, and hence husbandry, natural history, astronomy, navigation, war, together with the arts, are often drawn upon for simile, comparison, and illustration. The prophet Jeremiah

makes a beautiful use of this in the following:-" Thus saith the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. Circumcise yourselves unto the Lord, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem; lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings," Jer. vi. 3, 4.

The prophet's language assumes a particular state, one in which weeds abound, but where there are no fruits. To bring things to rights, therefore, and to render it once more productive, a previous process of breaking up is required. Fallow ground implies ground that has not been sown, and which consequently has obtained rest from cropping. This usage has prevailed in all ages and countries. The state exists for the process; that which requires it is a cold and heavy soil, which does not admit of varied cropping, and which must therefore be allowed to rest from period to period, that in the meanwhile the process of breaking up may go on. The end of this is to prevent the springing up of new weeds, and to kill the old ones.

The soul is a fit emblem of the human heart. Abundant crops of weeds can be obtained without sowing, and without culture; not so with fruits. Now, thus it is with the virtues and the vices. The process of breaking up fallow ground consists in ploughing the field longways, and across, at the same time harrowing it and rolling it. Thus, the several surfaces are turned up to the action of the sun and the atmosphere. The soil becomes dried and pulverised. weeds are then capable of separation. They can be gathered into heaps, burned on the field, or thrown on the dunghill. Where ground is fallow, it were the height of infatuation to attempt to sow it. It were impossible to obtain a crop, and the seed would be thrown away in addition to the labour.

The

While the figure is beautiful, and striking, and full of import, it must not be carried too far. The command is not given to the ground, but to the possessor of it, and hence the injunction is to every man whose heart is in a hardened state, to repent of his ini quities, to break off his sins by rightteousness, and to go to a throne of

grace for mercy. There is no mistaking the prophetic injunction, "Repent; turn you from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin," There is much in these words. Iniquity will inevitably be the ruin of every man who remains impenitent; and salvation will as certainly follow repentance. The fallow field, or the virgin soil, which has never been broken up since the Flood, but too aptly represents the natural condition of the human heart. All is barrenness of good, and abundance of evil. The weeds are thick, even to imperviousness, and the crop is continual. No fruit is brought forth unto God. There is nothing good, indigenous in the soul.

While this language has a pointed and a very pungent bearing on the individual sinner, it also appeals with great force to the teacher, the preacher, and the pastor. When an assembly or a large portion of it continue impenitent from year to year, waxing worse and worse under the still small voice of the Gospel, it is time to resort to other implements, to break up the fallow ground, and to cease sowing among thorns. The change may not be acceptable, but it will be salutary; and if many shall be offended, others will be grateful. They will lay to heart their guilt, confess their sins, and "flee from the wrath to come." The command "sow not among thorns," merits the deep regard of every sower that goes forth to sow." He will lose nothing by desisting for a time, till he has conbatted the weeds and broken up the ground. To the inexperienced, it may seem a waste of strength and labour; but it is not so, and the result will justify the process.

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Never, then, is the Gospel instructor to be satisfied with preaching faith without repentance. Let him not be afraid of being called a "legal preacher," and a herald of wrath, a blind guide," and an "enemy of the grace of God." All this is talk as a matter of course; let him heed it not, but preach the preaching which God hath bid him, and leave it to the Master to defend his character.

It is not only preposterous, but wicked and cruel to keep out of sight the utter alienation of the human heart. Man resents the charge of being an "enemy" to God; but the charge is not the less true, this resentment notwithstanding. His conscience

tells him that such is the fact; and if he has succeeded to stifle her voice, still she records his deeds, and those will stand against him. We may not, to please the flesh, or to obtain the approbation of the ignorant, conceal the purity and the strictness of the Divine law. It must be shown to be "holy, just, and good." Man is beneath it, and he cannot be brought up to it till he hath received the forgiveness of his sins, a new heart, and a right spirit. This is salvation. The law cannot come down to him; he must come up to it or perish everlastingly!

There must be no merging of justice in mercy. Justice and mercy are alike glorious, and the Lord Jesus Christ has harmonised them. Mercy is not permitted to exercise her heavenly vocation at the expense of justice. Justice must be satisfied before mercy is suffered to utter a word. This was done by the Saviour upon the cross, when he magnified the law and made it honourable. We may not conceal that God's word has threatenings as well promises, and on no account is it permitted to the evangelical teacher to merge the former in the latter. Each has its place. Both must be respected. Again, there must be no exhibition of comfort apart from purity. The promises are made to a character, not to a creed. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God;' ""Blessed are the peace-makers, for they shall be called the children of God;""Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."

The teaching of Paul is the best exemplification extant of this doctrine. If any man preach, that he may be correct, he has simply to preach as the "oracles of God,"-to preach as the Apostles preached before him. Paul said, "I taught, testifying both to Jews and also to Greeks, repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ," Acts xx. 21. "I showed first to the Jews, and then to the Gentiles, that they shall repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance,' Acts xxvi. 20.

Such, then, is the lesson the Scripture imparts. Does it seem a hard one? Does the poor trembling sinner cower as he reads these lines? Let him take courage, and hear the Psalmist: "Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved," Psa. lxxx. 3. "Turn thou me, and I shall

1

FULNESS OF PAUL'S PRAYERS. ONE main evidence of Paul's earnestness is deducible from the fulness of expression which forms so marked a characteristic of his prayers. It will be remembered how he supplicated for his believing brethren that they might "abound in hope," Rom. xv. 13; that their love might " abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment," Phil. i. 9; that they might "abound in love toward all men,' Thess. iii. 12; that they might be "filled with the fruits of righteousness,” Phil. i. 11; "being fruitful in every good work," Col. i. 10; established also "in every good word and work," 2 Thess. ii. 17; yea, even “made perfect_in every good work," Heb. xiii. 21; that they might be sanctified "wholly," their "whole spirit, and soul, and body being "preserved blameless," 1 Thess. v. 23, so that they might be "without offence," Phil. i. 10; and "unblameable in holiness," 1 Thess. iii. 13. He prayed also that they might "walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing," Col. i. 10; that they might be "strengthened with all might unto all patience and longsuffering," Col. i. 11; that they might attain "unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding," Col. ii. 2; that God would "fulfil" in them "all the good pleasure of his goodness," 2 Thess. i. 11; that they might have 'peace always by all means," 2 Thess. iii. 16; that they might be "filled with all joy and peace," Rom. xv. 13; "filled with all wisdom and spiritual understanding," Col. i. 9; nay, even "filled with all the fulness of God," Eph. iii. 19. Indeed, so far did he go in the exuberance of his holy desire, as to utter the seemingly self-contradictory request, that they might "know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge," Eph. iii. 9.

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Truly wondrous is the manner in which he heaped adjective on adjective,

verb on verb, clause on clause, petition on petition, and yet maintained the utmost simplicity and lucidness. "He spoke" (to use the words of an eloquent author) "as if economy of expression, measure of feeling, modification of tone, were treason to the claims of Christ;" and yet there is no verbiage, no tautology; every epithet has its peculiar force, and occupies its appropriate niche. There is no semblance of anything strained or unnatural; the copiousness of the language is evidently the spontaneous flow of an irrepressible ardour. Nor is there aught presumptuous; for we find nothing requested that outmeasures either the wide extent of God's promises, or the exceeding breadth of his precepts. Paul's was that lofty devotion,

"in which the tongue

Waits on the freighted heart to unload its
wealth,

And after all its toilings leaves it full."

May we not here pause and take shame to ourselves that our desires have been so scanty and our petitions so feeble? We are not straitened in God, for he has said, "Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it." But we are straitened ofttimes in ourselves, living far, far below the privileges which God has in store for his praying children. "Seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not," is a warning referable only to the spirit of unhallowed ambition and the strivings after earthly greatness. Where there is a holy and a yearning desire after spiritual blessings, it finds ample encouragement in the power and love of Him who says, "Prove me now herewith, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." Till we have asked for more blessedness than our hearts can hold, there is no danger of our petitions being so large as to trespass on the bounty of our heavenly King. The honoured Fletcher, of Madeley, who of all men perhaps approached nearest in his devotions to the large-heartedness of the Pauline prayers, was one so filled with holy joy that he felt constrained to exclaim, "O my God, withhold thy hand, or the vessel will burst; " but on after reflection he was convinced it would have been more honouring to his Master, and more advantageous to himself, had he proffered a petition that God would so enlarge the vessel as to allow

of its containing more.
Such an en-
treaty has been suitably embodied in
the well-known lines-

"Give me the enlarged desire,
And open, Lord, my soul,
Thine own fulness to require,
And comprehend the whole.
"Stretch my faith's capacity
Wide, and yet wider still,-
Then, with all that is in thee,
My soul for ever fill."

STRENGTH AND WEAKNESS. THERE are those in the world who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter; no wonder, then, that some should mistake weakness for strength, and strength for weakness.

I saw a vigorous man walking along with a light step and a laughing eye. The rosy tint of health was on his cheek, and his broad shoulders and muscular limbs were proofs of his bodily strength; but his bold language and self-sufficient look told me that he trusted in himself, and that his heart glowed not with gratitude to the great Giver of the blessings he enjoyed.

I visited a sick man on his couch of affliction; his countenance was pale, and his body wasted by disease. He was as feeble as a child, and could not sit upright without being supported by pillows; but the Bible lay beside him. His lips at times moved in prayer; his looks were resigned and tranquil; and his language was, "God is my refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble," Psa. xlvi. 1.

I met one who had gained riches, and whose heart was lifted up on account of his possessions. Puffed up with pride, he talked scornfully of those who had not fine houses and full purses, forgetful of the injunction, "If riches increase, set not your heart upon them," Psa. lxii. 10.

"Set your

affections on things above, not on things on the earth," Col. iii. 2.

I fell in with a poor man, who worked hard to gain a livelihood for himself and family. No complaint was on his lips when I asked after his welfare. He was thankful for health that enabled him to labour, and praised God for the daily mercies that he enjoyed.

I reflected on what had heard and seen, and pondered on the characters that had occupied my attention. Two of them possessed what most of us desire, while the other seemed lowly

and of little estimation. I compared the healthy and the rich with the sick and the poor, and the advantage was greatly on the side of the cast down and the lowly. The depressed felt their own weakness, and trusted in the Strong for strength, while the proud and puffed up, leaning on uncertain health and riches, were unfit to encounter adversity, and still more so to meet their latter end. They were poor when they believed themselves rich; they were weak while they fancied themselves strong.

And can it be that man, proud man, vaunting himself on his intelligence, can fall into such an error, as to think himself wise when he is foolish, rich when he is poor, and strong when he is perfect weakness? Even so. But now, reader, put the question to thyself, and ask if this error be thine. Art thou trusting in thine own strength, and putting confidence in aught below the skies? Or knowest thou, of a truth, that thy life, with all that it involves, is a vapour that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away?" Jas iv. 14. Put thy trust in Him only who changes not, but is the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever," Heb. xiii. 18.

"Trust in a prince, his word shall fail, In friends, and they shall die;

In health, and wealth, and world's regard,
Alas! how soon they fly!

"Trust thine own heart, 't is faithless all;
Thy life, 't is insecure;
But he who trusteth in the Lord,
For ever shall endure."

PRAYER.

CHRISTIANS ought always to pray. They should pray in prosperity, lest they be proud and forget God: the day of darkness may come. They should pray in adversity, that they may not murmur nor despond. They should pray in the morning, for every day has its trials. They should pray in the evening, for none can say that he may not die before morning. They should pray at home, for God's blessing is needed in every house. They should pray abroad, for God only can preserve the stranger. Men should pray in health, that they may not live like atheists, and in sickness, that they may be able to say, "Not my will, but thine be done, O God." Men should pray always.

But what is prayer? It is calling upon God. It is adoring him for what he is, thanking him for what he has done and promised, confessing our sin and misery before him, supplicating his rich and unmerited blessings, and filling our mouths with arguments drawn from his word. It should be sincere, otherwise we mock God. It must be humble. Praying is the act of the poor; and to be both poor and proud is monstrous. It is better to die crying, "God be merciful to me a sinner," than to die exulting in any false logic. "A proud heart and a lofty mountain are never fruitful." Prayer should be in faith. The stronger the faith, the surer the answer. Faith among the graces, and prayer among the duties, hold a very prominent place. Without faith it is impossible to please God in prayer or in any other duty. Prayer should also be fervent. Languid petitions are but little worth, because they are not the fruit of the Spirit. A prayer that moves not us will not move God. True prayer is accompanied with groanings which cannot be uttered. Prayer should also be importunate. To this end Christ spoke two parables. "Men ought always to pray, and not to faint." The word translated to faint, means to despond, to be timid, to play the coward, to remit attention to duty. Prayer must also be in the name of Christ, with faith that relies on his merits alone, as a reason why we should be heard and answered. If men ought always to pray and not to faint, then those who pray always with all prayer, are safe. Nothing shall harm them. They are princes, and have power with God and prevail. Christ himself prayed much and fervently. "In the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, he was heard, in that he feared." Pray as he prayed, and overcome as he over

came.

ENJOYMENT OF RELIGION.

IT is a blessing, at once precious and inestimable, to enjoy religion in the soul; not merely to possess a theoretic acquaintance with it, however extensive; not merely to converse about it, however pleasing may be the conversation indulged; but to enjoy its Di

vine virtue-to realize its Divine sweetness-to experience its healing and Divine influence-to feel its Divine and transforming power. If religion be enjoyed by us, how lovely does the Saviour appear! The character he sustains, the relations he bears, the work he performs, the mercy and grace he displays, are clothed with powerful and irresistible attractions.

If religion be enjoyed by us, how beautiful and captivating does the word of God appear to us. In the wide range of its doctrines, in the simplicity, adaptation, and fulness of its precepts, in the amplitude and tenderness of its invitations, in the holiness and sweetness of its promises, we go to it continually as to the richest feast, and we feed on its discoveries with ever augmenting delight. If w enjoy religion in the soul, how precious are the ordinances of the Gospel in our estimation; those simple and devout observances, those hallowed and sublime institutions, which the Lord has commanded us perpetually to regard for our increased illumination, our Scriptural edification, our unceasing growth in grace. These ordinances will not be neglected; they will not be undervalued, much less trifled with. We shall esteem them most highly; we shall prize them as some of God's choicest blessings conferred upon us; and we shall never be so happy as when we are engaged in their celebration. If we enjoy religion in the soul, how are we supported under all the trials of our chequered and shadowy existence below! How are we enabled to meet every difficulty, though most formidable; to brave every assailant, though most violent; to encounter every storm, though, perhaps, most raging; to endure every suffering, though sometimes most intense; and to look forward to the closing scene, without being overwhelmed with terror and dismay; but in the swellings of Jordan to be sustained; in the valley of death to be tranquillized; and in the immediate anticipation of eternity, and all its awful disclosures, to be composed, and even joyful. These are the advantages, this is the blessedness, of religion. These are some of the treasures with which it crowns and enriches its truly humble, obedient, and persevering followers.

Reader, may you enjoy the religion of Christ! It will dignify your cha