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living in a state of society. And the interposition of God is to be seen even in the laws and provisions of civil government. A magistrate is a terror to evil-doers. The gallows, the prison, the pillory, the stocks, are not only instruments of justice, but means of grace; and while we lament the necessity, we are thankful for the use of them.

Various are the ways in which God withholds us from sin. He has numberless providential precautions. Sickness has interrupted a course of iniquity which health would have continued. Worldly losses have led to the abandonment of schemes which vanity and pride had been devising. What Christian has not in some instances gone astray, and whose experience has not enabled him to explain the threatening or rather the promise: "Behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and make a wall that she shall not find her paths. And she shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find them: then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now?" A thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet him, saved Paul from being exalted above measure through the abundance of his revelations. David had been insulted by Nabal, who was such a son of Belial that no one could speak with him. He deeply felt the provocation, and was upon the road resolved to avenge himself. But Nabal had a wife who was as kind and prudent as she was beautiful; and upon the report of the approaching danger she hastened to meet David with a present, and a soft answer, which turneth away wrath. And what was the happy result? "And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me: and blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand." How much evil has often been prevented by a wise and seasonable reproof! Faithful are the wounds of a friend. How many have had reason to bless God for a pious education! How much do they owe, in their preservation from sinful courses or actions, to the impressions of early sentiment, the influence of a father's example, the recollection of a mother's tears, and the Scriptures which had been lodged in the memory! There are restraints from domestic discipline and devotion. Can a man who says, with Joshua, "As for me, and my house, we will serve the Lord," and who performs family worship every morning and evening, act like others? Does a man make a profession of religion? He is bound to avoid things which others may think themselves at liberty to indulge in. Is he a minister or an office-bearer in the Church? What a safeguard becomes the reputation, the consistency that he must maintain! Some persons are averse to things which gender an increase of moral obligation; but we ought to value a state or a station in proportion as it tends to rescue us from sin. How often have men been checked on the brink of evil by a passage in some book, or by the address of the preacher in a sermon! How does God withhold men from sinning by the power of conscience! The advantage of this principle which it is so difficult to subdue or to silence is unspeakable. It operates in a thousand instances where human legislation has no effect. Tyrants who have found them

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selves above law, and secret transgressors who have trusted in their concealment, have yet trembled before this monitor of God within. But the chief and the best way in which God restrains us from If a man has a thievish sin is by the operation of his grace. inclination, it is well to put him out of the way of temptation; but this does not make him honest in design, though it keeps him innocent in conduct. The great thing is to have the disposition to sin mortified; and this is the experience of those who are renewed in the spirit of their minds. They are made to abhor that which is evil, and to cleave to that which is good. Some who avoid sin would be glad to indulge in it if their safety or advantage would allow of it. But how shall we who are dead to sin live any longer therein ? "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” We know not how much we owe to God for his preventing and restraining grace; nor can we know while we are in this world. But we surely know enough for two purposes: to make us candid, and to make us thankful. Who can tell how far we should have resembled those we now condemn, had we been placed in the same circumstances, and been exposed to the same excitements; or had 66 There goes John Bradford but for the God left us to ourselves? 66 Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but to thy grace of God." name give glory for thy mercy and for thy truth's sake."

MARCH 14 "I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe."-John xi, 15.

HERE we see, not only that our Saviour is alive to the welfare of his disciples, but that there is nothing he is so much concerned to promote in them as their faith. Some undervalue faith; yea, they seem to be afraid of it, as if it were injurious to holiness and good works! But we here see our Lord's estimation of it. He knows that it is the source from which flow all the streams of consolation and obedience; the tree which bears all the fruits of righteousness. Every thing in religion flourishes only as this prospers. We are also reminded-that we are slow of heart to believe-and that faith is no easy thing. They who think otherwise evince that they have > never yet seriously made the trial. There is not a Christian upon earth, but in the attempt has often cried out with tears, "Lord, I¡ believe; help thou mine unbelief." Even the Apostles, who had been so long with him and had seen his glory, said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. These disciples had already believed, or they would not have left all to follow him: but it seems they did not believe sufficiently. Faith therefore admits of degrees. Accordingly we read of "little faith," and of "great faith;" of those that are "weak in the faith," and of those that are "strong in the faith." We should be anxious that our faith, like that of the Thessalonians, should grow exceedingly, becoming more and more clear in its views, and firm in its reliance, and bold in its professions, and active in its agency, and heroical in its sacrifices-unto the perfect day. The Saviour can accomplish his purposes in a manner peculiarly his own. "I am glad for your sakes I was not there," to the intent ye may believe. They would have said, he ought to have been

there and succoured so dear an object. All the friends of Lazarus would have supposed that as soon as ever he was informed of his affliction he should have hastened to the scene of distress, and at least have expressed his sympathy. How eagerly did the sisters long for him! How did their hearts bleed over his delay! How often, wringing their hands, did they look out of the window; and send a servant to look down the Galilean way-" Where is he? If he comes not soon it will be too late"-And now he has breathed his last-and the house is filled with wonder, perplexity, and grief. Even when he arrives they can hardly forbear reflection-"Lord," said Martha, "if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died"Mary also complained in the same way. But hear him. "All has been proper and necessary. I know what I have done and why I have done it. I know it now; and you will know it soon. Then you will be glad with me. Then you will see that it was far better that Lazarus should be raised from the dead after he had lain in the grave four days, than have been only recovered from a bed of sickness." Thus he brings the blind by a way that they know not. His thoughts are as much above our thoughts as the heavens are higher than the earth. Joseph's case at first seems very hard; and many would have expected that the Lord's love to him would have kept him from being thrown into the pit and sold into Egypt. But I am glad it did nct, for his own sake, and the sake of his father's house, and the surrounding countries, and the Church of God in all ages. What would have been lost by the prevention of his calamity? The God they served continually was able to save the three Hebrews from the fiery furnace. But I am glad he did not-and they are glad now-and were glad after their escape-and were glad even while they were walking loose in the midst of the fire with the Son of God. The same may be said of Job. We have seen the Lord, to use his own language, taking him by the neck and shaking him to pieces: but we have also seen the end of the Lord, how that the Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercies. And with regard to ourselves-Is it not well for us that things were not always according to our mind? Has he not often advanced our welfare by events which seemed perfectly adverse to it? We were tempted to charge him foolishly and unkindly; yet after a while we perceived how in the dispensation his wisdom and kindness were peculiarly at work for our good. And what we know not now we shall know hereafter. Let us therefore, when our notions and his schemes disagree, distrust. our own judgment, and confide in the rectitude of his conduct. Let us not think of regulating his sun by our dial, but our dial by his sun. Let us not judge of his word by his providence, but of his providence by his word. Let us not judge of his heart by his hand, but of his hand by his heart. Where can we find his heart to judge by? In the promises-in the cross-he loved us and gave himself for us. Before we undertake to amend, let us be assured that there is some thing wrong; and before we censure let us at least understand. Who knows what is good for a man in this life? How liable we are to err, from pride, from worldly-mindedness, from impatience, from unbelief! Let us judge nothing before the time. He will give a good account of himself at last; and bring us over to his own mind. But till we walk by sight, let us walk by faith,

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and believe now, what we shall know then-that "his work is perfect, his ways are judgment." "He hath done all things well."

ness.

MARCH 15.-"I have set the Lord always before me."-Psalm xvi. 8. DAVID could only set the Lord before him mentally, or as an object of contemplation; for "no man hath seen God at any time.” And when he says he had always done this, the meaning is, not that he was always actually thinking of him. This would have been impossible. Our powers are limited. We have bodies, we have connexions, we have callings; and these demand a share and a large share of our attention. And we are not to be slothful in busiAnd we are not to abandon society, and retire into cells to be always praying in sight of a skull and a crucifix-This is not to fight the good fight of faith, but to flee from the field: this is not serving our own generation, but deserting it: this is not letting our light shine before men, but putting it under a bushel. Yet it implies the prevalence of a fixed belief of the being and nearness of God-a frequent excitement of ourselves to take hold of God-and the regular use of the means which bring God to remembrance, such as prayer, reading the Scripture, hearing the word, and meditation.. By these, under the Divine influence, a state of mind is produced, in which the spirit of devotion actuates us even in the absence of its forms, and we habitually and easily recur to God in our thoughts wherever we are, and however we are engaged-Thus we can set And there are four ways in which you the Lord always before us.

should do this.

First, set the Lord always before you as your protector. This is the peculiar though not the only reference of David, and therefore he adds, "He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved." The word virtue, which at first signified bravery, valour. is now used for all moral excellence: and the reason is, because it is necessary to it. You have no hold of a man who is destitute of it, either in avoiding evil or doing good. Bunyan therefore, with as much truth as genius, places all his pilgrims for the shining city under the conduct of Greatheart. Courage is not only necessary for a martyr: every y Christian is called to suffer and do the will of God in a thousand cases where cowardice would fail. Perhaps there is not a simpler maxim, or one more readily and universally admitted than this, we ought to obey God rather than men ;" and yet who could fully act upon it for a day together in a world like this without moral heroism? Our religious course is a constant warfare; and when we think of our weakness, and the number and qualities of our enemies, we should tremble: but trembling unfits for action: a soldier must have courage. How is firmness and confidence to be obtained? Set the Lord in his presence and perfections and covenant-engagements always before you: and hear him saying, Fear not, for I am with thee-and out of weakness you will be made strong-and like Moses, you will endure as seeing him who is invisible.

Secondly, Set the Lord always before you as your leader. Your way is not only dangerous but perplexing: and you are not only

weak but ignorant-How much you need a guide! How earnestly did David pray for divine direction; "Lead me in thy Truth and guide me." How did he rejoice in the prospect of it: "This God is our God, for ever and ever; he will be our guide even unto death." The Jews left to themselves could not have found their way in a large pathless desert; but "the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them in the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day or night." Thus his goodness met their necessity, and relieved them from all anxiety. This guide determined the direction, and the continuance of all their journeyings; nor ever disappeared till by a strange and varying but always a right way, it brought them to a city of habitation. Events are not this pillar to us, but the written word. This is "the lamp unto our feet, and the light unto our paths;" to which we do well to take heed. How much depends upon a wrong step! How liable are we to err! How often have we gone astray! How much have we suffered from our perverseness or rashness! How much more should we have suffered had he dealt with us according to our desert in not asking counsel of him! Let us not lean to our own understanding. Here is the commandment with promise; "In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

Thirdly, Set the Lord always before you as your example. The advantages of example are great; and God himself comes down and condescends to go before us, calling upon us to be holy as he is holy; to forgive as he forgives; to be merciful as he is merciful. We were made in his likeness, and our renovation in Christ is our being renewed after his own image. Our happiness results from the perfection of our nature; and the perfection of our nature consists in its resemblance to the divine-"Therefore be ye followers of God as dear children."

Fourthly, Set the Lord always before you as your observer. Nothing escapes his notice. All he sees he records; and all he records he will bring into judgment. Do we believe this? It is true, whether we own it or deny it, that he is about our path and our bed, and understands our thought afar off-But do we believe it? Surely faith in such a truth must have some influence. And how useful must that influence be! A heathen philosopher admonished his disciples to imagine that the eye of some illustrious personage was always upon them. What was the eye of Plato, or Ĉato, to the eye of God? If while you were careless in company some prominent individual should enter, whose approbation it would be important for you to acquire, how would his presence regulate your behaviour, and correct your speech! What a stimulus would it be to zeal; what a check to sin; what a motive to sincerity; what a relief under reproach; what a solace in affliction; what a duty: what a privilege-to realize Hagar's conviction, "Thou God seest me!"

MARCH 16.-"Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner-stone, elect, precious and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded."—1 Pet. ii. 6.

"BEHOLD," is a note of attention and wonder. It shows that the subject introduced is worthy of our regard. The subject here is a

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