stead, and where there is no good there is no salvation. Since temptations are of so great use in the spiritual economy of salvation, every christian should consider it to be his deepest interest to become acquainted with them in all their bearings, and to have a clear discernment of the great uses they are intended to accomplish.

All the blessings of salvation and the felicities. of heaven are only promised to him that overcometh. "To him that overcometh," says the Divine speaker to the Church of Ephesus, "will I give to eat of the tree of life." "He that overcometh" it is Divinely said to the Church of Permagos, "will I give to eat of the hidden manna," and to all the other Churches, salvation and happiness are only promised on condition that they overcome in temptations.

This plainly shews us the importance of temptations, and when we reflect that the seven Churches of Asia represent all classes and denominations of Christians, we find that no individual is exempt from fulfilling this condition of overcoming in temptations, in order that he may enter into heaven. This also is further confirmed by the Lord where he says to his disciples, "Ye are they which have continued with me in my templations, and I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me, that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel." St. Luke xxii. 28-30. The kingdom which the Lord appoints unto those who follow him in his temptations, is the delightful government of all heavenly principles of goodness and truth in the mind, which constitutes the kingdom of heaven. To eat and drink at his table signifies conjunction with him, and the enjoyment of every perception and sensation of love and wisdom from him as its only Source.

The Lord's temptations in which we are to continue with him, had invariably spiritual and Divine ends in view, the subjugation of evil from its inmost ground of existence, because it is contrary to the Divine order, and consequently destructive to the salvation of mankind, which plainly teaches us that our temptations, if they promote our salvation, must be of a spiritual character, that is, must have spiritual ends and purposes in view.

In imitation of our Divine Lord we must combat against evil from the inmost ground of its rankling activity in our hearts, and no victory can be gained over its dreadful influence, and over the wicked spirits with whom it is connected, unless the Lord and his kingdom be the supreme objects for which we combat. Hence the absolute necessity of shunning evils as sins against God, which we have repeatedly urged and enforced.

When the Lord and the holiness and happiness of his kingdom are the objects for which we contend in temptations, then the Lord is essentially present, and he abundantly and mercifully supplies the necessary power to overcome in the contest. Thus respecting man in temptations the Lord mercifully speaks, "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee." Isaiah xliii. 2.

Love

Having made a few remarks on the uses and nature of temptation, it is requisite to see where and when spiritual temptations commence. is the life of man; this is the spring of every motive and intention that actuates his mind; it gives birth to every thought and imagination, and qualifies every action; for out of the heart are all “the issues

of life." Thus the heart, which is proverbially the seat of life, denotes his will, which is the receptacle of his love; from which all his affections proceed.

Whatever does not either directly or remotely affect the love of our will, produces no impression upon us, it leaves no trace behind; whereas if the love be interested in any object or purpose, it is affected, awakened, and aroused precisely in proportion to the interest it feels in the object or purpose it desires to realize and accomplish.

Now, man in his unregenerate carnal state has no perceptions of innocence, holiness, and celestial peace, which acknowledge the Lord as their author, and regard him as their Divine parent, and has, consequently, no spiritual offspring, and no spiritual affection or love for the things of heaven and the realities of eternal life, and therefore he can feel no interest, no concern, in securing those celestial blessings, and will not submit to a single temptation in combating against the concupiscences of evil, that they may be removed, and that heaven with all its beauties may be implanted and formed IN the soul.

From this we see that where a spiritual affection for Divine truth and heavenly things does not exist, no spiritual temptations can arise, nor can we then follow the Lord "in his temptations," nor, as a consequence, enter "into his kingdom, and eat with him at his table."

The spiritual affection for Divine truth and heavenly things, which must arise in the mind before spiritual temptations can be encountered, is always ready to spring up in the soul, it is "the grace of God" wrestling with man and desiring to bless him. It flows into the heart and springs up as soon as the opposing influences of selfish and

worldly loves give place by genuine repentance. "Be on your guard, and strive and pray,

To drive all evil thoughts away."

Temptations are the invariable lot of man; it is impossible to pass through this world and be prepared for heaven without undergoing them, and he is thrice happy who overcomes in temptations For this cause the church on earth is called militant. The reason why temptations are the invariable and necessary lot of man, is owing to his hereditary dispositions being strongly inclined to evil, and as all evil is naturally owing to this native depravity, delightful to many, so these evil dispositions can only be changed and inverted to the love of goodness, or of the Lord and his kingdom, as he resists his wicked delights and concupiscences, takes up his cross of self-denial, and follows the Lord in the regeneration.

Children could be easily trained to practise this most salutary self-denial from a religious principle, because to indulge in disobedience and wicked desires is sinful in the sight of the Lord, their heavenly Father. This is the only path to heaven, which, in the degree we advance, becomes "pleasantness and peace.

"God tempteth no man," saith the apostle; he therefore cannot be considered as the cause of temptation, and although in the Divine prayer it is said, "lead us not into temptation," yet the genuine christian, who is enlightened by genuine doctrine, sees that God cannot lead man into temptation, but that he conducts man, when in temptation, and when relying on him as his heavenly Father and mighty deliverer, triumphantly out of it, and thus "delivers him from evil.' It appears, indeed, as though God leads man into temptation, because he permits infernal spirits to assault him, but this

is only an appearance; for all temptation springs from the bottomless pit of destruction.

"O FOR a heart that's pure and clean,
A mind and will renewed,

A life where no transgression's seen,
But evils all subdued.

Nor will I dream, the heart and life
Are in a moment clean;

For long and painful is the strife,
That must be felt within.

Nobly that strife I would maintain,
And every sin oppose.

Till self and all its loves are slain,
And conquer'd all my foes.

But, LORD, the arduous work is thine;

"Tis thou canst make me pure

My soul to thee I will resign;
In thee I am secure."

Regeneration.-A fully regenerated man looks to the LORD as the source of all his existence and support, and has every faculty both of mind and body properly submitted to the Divine will; ("My son, give me thine heart:") accordingly, every thing he does is actually done for the sake of God, and thence for the sake of his neighbour.

General confessions and acknowledgements will do us no good, unless they are followed with the practical shunning of the evils themselves as sins against God. True repentance is not merely to feel sorrow on account of our sins when we are worshipping the Lord, or meditating on religion; but it consists in really forsaking them, and resigning our hearts and affections unto the Lord. It is not therefore for us to attempt to explore the whole of our hearts at once; our duty is, as soon as we discover any thing which is contrary to the commandments to have a place amongst our practices, or to affect us with delight, immediately to shun it, to strive against its power, and to open our hearts