blessing to me. For it has certainly taught me to trust less to myself, and more to the word of God; to depend less upon my own doings, and more upon free grace promises. To the word which cannot be broken, I would trust in the time of need. Whoever trusts in it shall never be confounded. This I know to be true by happy experience. I will therefore read, and hear, and study it night and day. By means of it the Lord wrought a great deliverance for My feet were almost gone, my treadings had well nigh slipped; but he sent out his word and saved me. I read and believed, that the Father was not reconciled to me for the goodness of my walk, but that reconciliation was planned in the great covenant before all worlds, and was carried into execution by the life and death of Emmanuel. It was his peculiar, his glorious, his incommunicable work: it was his sole prerogative to make peace by the blood of his cross. O that I may be enabled to maintain it the next time my faith is tried, and to put honour and glory upon the divine record concerning it. I read and believed, that the Father does not love me upon account of my walk, but for his mercies' sake. His mercy was towards me from everlasting. He loved me in his Son-chose me-accepted me in the Beloved and all his dealings with me, since he called me by his grace, have come from the tender mercies of a covenant God and Father. I would not henceforth have one doubt of his being reconciled to me, and of his loving me perfectly in Jesus. My faith herein has been confirmed by my late trials. I have learned by experience to rely upon what God has spoken, for preserving his peace in my conscience, and his love in my heart. Depending on his faithful word and mighty arm, I would walk with him this day for the strengthening and increasing of This is the desire and prayer of my those graces. soul: O Father of mercies, hear me for Jesus' sake. I acknowledge my sinfulness and unworthiness, even in my closest walk with thee. I am less than the least of thy mercies; yea, deserving the heaviest of thy vengeance. It is of the Lord's mercy that it has not fallen upon me long ago, and I trust in his word that it will never fall upon me. Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of thine heritage? Thou retainest not thine anger against them for ever; because thou delightest in mercy.. Glory be to thee for thine unspeakable mercies: for thou hast given me faith in the atonement of Jesus, by whom I have peace with thee my reconciled God, and by whom I have experienced thy great love to me. On thee, O my God, is still my hope. I look up to thee, the giver of those graces, for strength to maintain them in my daily walk. I do believe in the sacrifice and righteousness of Emmanuel; Lord, help mine unbelief. I find it hard to preserve in my practice, what I believe to be true in doctrine: and therefore on thy present help I must continually depend. Lord, strengthen me mightily by thy Spirit in the inner man against temptations. I am daily and hourly called upon to exercise my faith, and when thy grace does not hold me up, I fall. The fiery darts of Satan easily inflame me, when they are thrown at my legal hopes, false dependencies, or self-righteous strong in the tempers. My shield, which should quench them, is ready to drop out of mine hand. I should fall a prey to the enemy, and the fire would consume me, if thy mercy was not over me for good. O my God and Father, strengthen my faith against the wiles and assaults of Satan, and against the workings of mine own unbelief. When these trials come, keep me sensible of my weakness, and dependent on thy promised strength, that I may meet them Lord, and in the power of thy might. trial teach me more of thy peace in my conscience, and more of thy love in my heart, that I may keep on in a steady course, walking humbly with my God. This is the work of thy good Spirit. I cannot preserve nor improve his graces, unless he be every moment present with me. He is the giver, the continuer, the increaser of them all. O God the Holy Ghost, I therefore beseech thee to water thy graces every moment. Lest any hurt them, keep them night and day. Never leave me nor forsake me, but what thou hast graciously begun, that mightily carry on, in my soul. Temptations are strong, and I am weak; stand by me in the hour of need. if And my faith be tried on fiery temptations, let it come out of them like gold out of the fire. O thou almighty Spirit, confirm by trials, improve by experience, my trust in thy promised help. Let me go on from faith to faith. Keep up the confidence of my rejoicing in my reconciled God and loving Father, that I may walk humbly with him in sweet communion, and holy fellowship, in the way everlasting. Grant me these mercies, gracious Father, for thy dear Son's sake, by the influence of the eternal Spi rit, three Persons in one Jehovah, to whom be equal praise for ever and ever. Amen. CHAPTER V. The believer orders his steps according to the word, walking with a free heart in the King's highway of obedience. MEDITATE, O my soul, upon the wonders which divine love hath wrought for thee and for thy salvation. Review the many, many mercies of thy past life; and consider, that thou art called upon to walk this day with thy God. What a privilége is this! He is thy God, and thou art his adopted son. O what a high honour has he conferred on thee! He has taken thee into the most noble family, yea, into the divine household of faith. He has permitted thee to walk with him as thy Father. He has appointed the way, promised to be with thee in it, and every moment, and at every step, to be doing thee good. There can be no happiness superior to this on earth. Prize it: for it is inestimable. Enjoy it for it is heaven begun. Walking with God by faith, is present enjoyment of him, and will infallibly bring thee to the end of thy journey, to full and everlasting enjoyment. Hold fast, then, the confidence of thy rejoicing. What thou hast been taught by the Holy Spirit, depend upon him for confirming and establishing. He has enabled thee to see the glory of the finished salvation of Jesus, and to believe the divine record concerning it. Thou hast renounced every thing for the pardon of thy sins, but the blood-shedding of the Lamb; and every thing for acceptance, but the Lord our righteousness. Thy faith herein has been tried, and the trial ended well. Thy temptations were manifold and violent, but they have done thee good. They have showed thee the necessity of depending upon the perfect work of the God-man -of rejoicing wholly in Christ Jesus, and of having no confidence in the flesh. They have also been the means of convincing thee that thou standest by faith. Be not high-minded, then, but fear. And let thy fear of thyself lead thee to trust more in God. Rely on his faithful arm to maintain and to carry on his own work in thy soul. Remember, he has promised it. Thy sufficiency is of God, and he has engaged to give thee grace sufficient for thee. He has undertaken, as a Father, to supply all thy wants, to deliver thee from all miseries, and to withhold from thee no manner of thing that is good. Thy salvation is safe. It rests upon a sure foundation, as sure as the covenant of the day and the covenant of the night. These succeed each other by the will of their Creator, and have not been out of course not one single moment. The ordinances of day and night are regular and certain. So certain is thy sal vation by the same unerring will. While the belief of this rules in thy conscience and in thy heart, thou wilt be able to resist temptations. None of them will overcome thee, unless they separate between thee and thy God. good, if guilty fears out of thine hand. Nay, they will work for thy do not wrest the shield of faith O beg of God to keep thee and |