Pray without ceasing. 1 THES. v. 17. Men ought always to pray and not to faint. LUKE Xviii. 1. Continuing instant in prayer. ROM. xii. 12.

IF

F we have not got grace enough, it is because we do not pray enough; for most true it is, we need not strive to move GOD to compassion, and extort, as it were, the blessings from him by our prayers, which he has promised. Very far from it. He is every minute communicating himself to us; in every word he holds forth CHRIST and every good thing to us; but we must always have a soul hungering after CHRIST, and by incessant prayer stretch out the hand of Faith to receive him. This is chiefly to be understood of the inward desires and groanings of our spirit; but we must not omit to pour out our supplications daily, as often as we can, by words, else our secret mental prayers at last may become so secret as to cease perhaps entirely. We must always remember that we are dependent on GOD for every good; without him we can do nothing. Let us feel that dependence at all times, and we shall always be in the spirit of prayer. Nor let us cease praying till we have received a full answer to our prayers. "Ye people, pour out your hearts before him: GOD is a refuge for us." Psal. lxii. 8.

Holy Father, lend an ear

Whilst I sue in Jesu's name;
Surely, thou wilt kindly bear,
Since I bring no human claim
Let me for adoption stay,
Only give me power to pray.

Grant me comfort or deny;
Visit, or from me depart,
Only let thy Spirit cry

ABBA, Father, in my heart!
ABBA, Father, would I say,
Only give me power to pray.

Abide in me. JOHN XV. 4. Lord, to whom shall we go?-thou hast the words of eternal life. JOHN vi. 68. It is good for me to draw near to God. I have put my trust in the Lord God. PSALM 1xxiii. 28.

то abide in CHRIST, who is our righteousness and strength, and not to be moved from him, is the very life and power of Christianity; we do this when our thoughts are going out after him, our hearts cleaving to him, and our minds stayed upon him. Now, to know CHRIST, and thus to abide in him, as our righteousness, brings peace and joy; which joy in the LORD is certainly followed with strength to overcome sin and the world, which believers renounce the more readily, as they have found something better in CHRIST. May the LORD give me grace likewise immoveably to abide in him! May he strengthen me with might in the inner man, even with the might of the Holy Spirit, that I may not only abide in CHRIST while here, but may abide with him for evermore in the New Jerusalem which is above.

CHRIST is my light, my life, my care,
My blessed hope, my heav'nly prize;
Dearer than all my passions are,

My limbs, my bowels, or my eyes!

The strings that twine about my heart,
Tortures and racks may tear them off;
But they can never, never part

With their dear hold of CHRIST my love.

My GoD, and can a humble child,

That loves thee with a flame so high,

Be ever from thy face exiled,

Without the pity of thine eye?

Impossible! for thine own hands

Have tied my heart so fast to thee,
And in thy book thy promise stands,
That where thou art thy friends must be.

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree; that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. GAL. iii. 13, 14.

THE spirit of sanctification is the gift of Christ. "Elect according to the foreknowledge of GOD the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of CHRIST." 1 Pet. i. 2. Consequently, there is a great difference between moral actions done by our own strength, and true sanctification of the spirit. The latter cannot take place before the soul truly receives CHRIST, and abides in him as its only propitiation, righteousness, and peace; for he being first made to us of GOD our righteousness, will then be made our sanctification likewise (1 Cor. i. 35), and the kingdom, work, and image of GoD will go on best when we trust least to our own strength. Sanctification is now become a more easy task, since CHRIST lives and works in us, and we in a child-like temper live henceforth to him. who died for us. Let me always be as a little child, as a new-born babe, with a heart hungry for the sweet milk of the word of God, without malice, without guile, without hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings. 1 Pet. ii. 1, 2.

The law commands and makes us know
What duties to our God we owe;

But 'tis the gospel must reveal

Where lies the strength to do his will.

The law discovers guilt and sin,

And shows how vile our hearts have been,

Only the gospel can express

Forgiving love and cleansing grace.

Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. ROM. x. 4. See Rom. viii. 1-17.

W

THERE the law ends CHRIST begins. The law ends with representative sacrifices; CHRIST begins with the real offering. The law is our schoolmaster to lead us unto CHRIST; it cannot save us, but it leaves us at his door, where alone salvation is to be found. Gal. iii. 24. The law calls for a perfect righteousness, which in ourselves never will be found; but all its demands were fulfilled by our surety.-Every true believer finds that righteousness in CHRIST which he stands in need of; and is enabled, through the Spirit, to rest upon it for sanctification; he faithfully endeavours to obey the law, as the great rule of his duty both to God and man; yet is so sensible of his own manifold defects, that he would utterly despair, if he could not look up unto JESUS, and say, "Thou shalt answer for me, O LORD, my GOD."

Lord, when my thoughts with wonder roll
O'er the sharp sorrows of thy soul,
And read my Maker's broken laws
Repair'd and honour'd by thy cross;

When I behold death, hell, and sin,
Vanquish'd by that dear blood of thine;
And see the Man that groan'd and died
Sit glorious by his Father's side;

My passions rise and soar above;

I'm wing'd with faith and fired with love;
Fain would I reach eternal things,
And learn the notes that Gabriel sings.

But my heart fails, my tongue complains
For want of their immortal strains;
And in such humble notes as these
Must fall below thy victories.

But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto Noah into the ark. Then he put forth his hand and took her, and pulled her to him into the ark. GEN. viii. 9.

THAT dove-like spirit communicated to the soul in regeneration, can find no rest for the sole of its foot until it brings us to JESUS, who is the great ark of the covenant. Many, on their first awakening from sin, apply themselves to very hard works and rigorous duties, thereby expecting to find rest for their wounded consciences. But though the right and diligent use of all the means of grace is absolutely required, yet great care must be taken not to quiet ourselves by that only. We should not place any confidence at all in our own doings, but only look for rest through the blood of CHRIST. To be found in him justified and accepted would soon fill our hearts with peace, nay, encourage and enable us to do good works. And in the doing of good we must always cherish a meek and grateful spirit, knowing that all is of the infinite grace of GoD.

In vain the trembling conscience seeks
Some solid ground for rest;

With long despair the spirit breaks,
Till we apply to CHRIST.

Just as we see the lonesome dove

Bemoan her widow'd state,

Wand'ring she flies thro' all the grove,
And mourns her loving mate.

Just so our thoughts from thing to thing
In restless circles rove;

Just as we droop and hang the wing,
When JESUS hides his love!

While JESUS shines with quickening grace,
We sing and mount on high;

But if a frown becloud his face,
We faint, and tire, and die.