from the Holy One, that teacheth them all things, 1 John ii. 20. They ought not to hear those who know not the truth. "Them that honour me I will honour, saith the Lord," 1 Sam. ii. 30. He commands us, Hear my beloved Son, Matt. xvii. 5. In the face of all opposition, to believe the word, promises, and oath of the Lord, concerning full and free salvation by his Son Jesus only, is that honour which the Lord requires from his children. And this obedience of faith, God will honour with inward peace, and the sanctifying witness of his Spirit. "Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts." "Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils," Isa. ii. 22.

OCT. 26. Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord. Christ. Col. iii. 24.

Saving knowledge is accompanied with humility, and is productive of love to Jesus and delight in his service. To desire to know more of the truth, in order to gain greater measures of love, and more cheerful conformity to him, this is praise-worthy. For "whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed," James i. 25. Christian, thou art not called to dream over dry disquisitions, and subtle refinements, merely to fill thy brain with nice speculations, but to have thy heart warmed with love, thy practice influenced to obedience, as well as thy judgment established in truth. Remember thy calling. Study thy reward. Glory in being a servant of Jesus: his work is pleasant, his service perfect freedom, his wages infinitely great, reward in thy work, reward for thy work, and an eternal inheritance when thy short day's work is ended. And all of the rich favour and free grace of the Lord Christ.

Shall the pleasures of sin, which are but for a season;

the vile drudgery of Satan, which is miserable bondage; the alluring smiles of a perishing world; shall these be placed in competition with the service of Jesus? "Knowing that we serve the Lord Christ." Oh, how does this sweeten duty, and make every path delightful! Canst thou hesitate one moment, when the question is, "Choose you this day whom you will serve," Christ or Satan? No; verily thou canst not, if so be thou hast tasted of the infinitely rich grace of the eternally precious Christ. Hath he bought us with his blood? redeemed us to God? wrought out a righteousness to clothe and adorn us? and prepared mansions in heaven to receive us? And shall our conduct be contrary to our profession? our practice not conformable to our judgment? or our walk inconsistent with our faith? Where then is the proof that we serve the Lord Christ? What evidence that we know the Lord, are interested in, or may expect the reward of his inheritance? We may well cry out, Woe to our wretched sinful nature, which is contrary to Jesus, and is ever opposing his truth, ways, and love. Shame to us, we love him no more and serve him no better. Blesssed be Jesus for the gift of his Spirit. Oh that through his sanctifying and sin-mortifying operations we may be in love wholly devoted to his service, who in mercy wholly devoted himself for our salvation! "Ye are not your own," 1 Cor. vi. 19.

OCT. 27.--The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.-John i. 17.

It is natural to us all to say of the moral law, as the king of Israel of faithful Micaiah, "I hate him, for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil," 1 Kings xxii. 8. True, God's holy law yields no comfort, hope, or peace to any sinner. Yet believers in Jesus cannot hate the moral law. It is a transcript of our Father's mind and will; his good gift; answers

most valuable ends and purposes to us. We know sin by the law, as we know Christ by the gospel. Though the law was given by Moses, a meek prophet, yet it is full of fiery wrath, condemnation, and curses; yea, denounces damnation to every transgressor. Yet why hate the law? That is not the cause of all these evils, but our violations of its holy, just, and righteous precepts. Here fix thy hatred: here it is just. Believer, the law is thy friend, it shows thee thy duty, cuts off all legal hopes, all trust in thy own righteousness, razes every false foundation. The trumpet sounds its alarm louder and louder. The voice of words is shriller and shriller, and will ever be terrible in its sound to thy conscience, except thou art under that grace and truth, which came by Jesus Christ.

Behold, and admire, the transcendent excellences of Jesus, "full of grace and truth." Grace, even the free favour of God to sinners, came by Jesus Christ. Truth, in every accomplishment of the ceremonial, in perfect fulfilment of every righteous demand, which the moral law could exact. Here is our wisdom, to oppose Jesus' life and death to every righteous demand, terrible threatening, and dreadful curse of the law. As our Husband, all debts, dues, and demands he for ever satisfied. He came, not to destroy the law, but to fulfil it, Matt. v. 17. Says the immortal Hervey, "Jesus is the author of our faith, and the former of our graces. In his unpolluted life we see the path, in his meritorious death the price, and in his triumphant resurrection the proof, of bliss and immortality. If we offend, and fall seven times a day, he is the Lord our peace. If depraved, and our best deeds unworthy, he is the Lord our righteousness. If brutish in heavenly knowledge, he is the Lord our wisdom: his word dispels the shades, his Spirit scatters the intellectual gloom, his eye looks our darkness into day. In short, we are nothing, and Christ is all. Worse than defective in ourselves, we are complete in him. We act by strength, and glory in a righteousness not our own." All is of faith, by grace, Rom. iv. 16.

OCT. 28.-If children, then heirs; heirs of God, joint-heirs with Christ.-Rom. viii. 17.

and

If a child, from a spirit of untowardness, should roll itself in the dirt, would not that parent be a monster of barbarity, who, instead of cleansing it, should dash out its brains? Yet some dare ascribe more cruelty to God toward his children. For they say, a man may be a child of God, by faith in Christ, yet he may so fall into sin, that God, instead of cleansing him, may consign him to hell for it. But such speak "ignorantly and in unbelief." We wish them to be taught better. From such miserable teachers, and such false doctrine, "Good Lord, deliver us." What! can any of God's children be so filthy and polluted, that he wants wisdom to know them? Wants the Spirit, love, or power to lead them to the fountain of Christ's blood, that they may wash and be clean? Or has not the blood of Jesus virtue enough "to cleanse them from all sin ?" It is plain, such notions come from the father of lies ; as they deny the reign of grace, and flatly contradict the glorious truth here asserted.

1. "If children." How come any sinners, who are by nature children of wrath, to be children of God? God predestinated them "unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself," &c. Eph. i. 5. They are begotten and born into this state by the Spirit of adoption; and by faith in Jesus, they enjoy the knowledge and comfort of it. 2. "Then heirs," to an immortal inheritance of free gift, by free grace. 3. "Heirs of God." Marvellous assertion! Legality, stand off! Unbelief, avaunt! Oh, we can never reach the height, fathom the depth, measure the length, comprehend the breadth, of our heirship! In one word, we are heirs to all that God is in himself, has engaged to do, to make us wise and happy in time, and to all eternity. Is God our portion? Then take your pen, ye children of God, and thou, O my soul! and write, All things are ours. I cannot enlarge. Enumerate them at thy

pleasure; dwell on them with joy; that gratitude may fill thy soul to thy God. 4. "Joint-heirs with Christ." If one with Christ by faith, then co-heirs to all that his Father and our Father has to bestow; heirs of all things in God: in earth; in heaven. Oh, what blessed reasoning is here! What a glorious inheritance are we born to! As well might Satan deny the certain perseverance of the Son of God, as soon pluck one of his glorified members out of heaven, as attempt to deprive one heir of God of his heavenly inheritance. "It is of faith by grace, to the end that the promise might be sure to all the seed," Rom. iv. 16.

OCT. 29.-Master, carest thou not that we perish ?— Mark iv. 38.

Saints in all ages have experienced, that their extremity of distress has been God's opportunity to deliver. So these disciples found it. They were in the most imminent danger and the greatest fears. Their vehement cry bespeaks it. "Jesus was asleep." We believe in our Saviour, as a man like unto ourselves. We adore him as the sovereign Lord, whose "eyes are over the righteous, and his ears ever open to their prayers," 1 Pet. iii. 12. Of this we have the clearest evidence and fullest proof. Jesus awakes as a man; and with the power and sovereignty of Jehovah rebukes the boisterous wind; and says to the raging waves, "Peace be still;" and instantly all nature obeys its Creator, all is hushed into a profound calm.

While others are pleased with the feats of a Cæsar, or the conquests of an Alexander; may it be our constant delight to meditate upon the wonderful works of our God-man and blessed Saviour! Transporting to know, this awful God is ours, our Jesus, and our Friend! But art thou not ready, O believer, sometimes to say, "My Lord hath forsaken, and my God hath forgotten me ?" It seems as though he cares not, even though I