art more righteous than I; thou hast rewarded me good for evil: the Lord reward thee for it. Admire and imitate. Love is the weapon of our spiritual warfare; by it thou art sure to prevail against and conquer every enemy. Therefore, "if he hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink; for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head." Thus strive to burn up his wrath, and melt him into affection. But suppose it hath not this effect upon him: it shall turn to the peace and comfort of thy own soul. Thou shalt enjoy that peace and love which is in Christ Jesus. "Walk in love," Ephes. v. 2.

JULY 7.—Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.-Heb. iv. 1.

Fear, without faith, enslaves the soul to wrath and bondage. Faith, without fear, tends to licentiousness. But a loving, filial fear of offending our dear Father and precious Saviour, ever accompanies the grace of faith in the heart. Jesus is the rest of his people. This rest is by promise; and therefore it is sure to all his spiritual seed. They now enter into it and enjoy it by faith. But from awful instances of others falling away from the hope of Jesus, the apostles ever exercised a loving fear and a godly jealousy over their dear converts, lest any of them should even but seem to come short through unbelief. The Lord only knoweth who are his elect according to his covenant of grace. This did not lie open to the eyes even of his chosen apostles. It could only be made manifest by faith and its fruits. Hence they were continually exhorting disciples to give all diligence to make their calling and election sure; to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling; not with a suspicious fear of the love and faithfulness of a covenant God, but nothing doubting the finished work of Jesus' salvation, or the

safety and security of every believer in him. These are truths of the greatest certainty, and are to be held with the strongest confidence. But so to fear, lest their own souls should at any time be captivated by the devices of Satan, enslaved by the snares of the world, allured by the lusts of the flesh and the pleasures of sense, and so kept from Jesus by the workings of unbelief, that their conduct should give sad evidence of their state; lest it should seem they sought other lovers but Jesus, other rest but in him, other hopes and other comforts beside those which the gospel affords.

So the apostles were excited to a godly fear over their professing brethren. Blessed also art thou, disciple, who thus fearest continually. By this evangelical fear, verily thou shalt be kept from departing from the Lord. Count not this fear legal, as though it tended to bondage. Nay, but as a fruit of thy Father's love, a grace of the gospel-covenant, it is essential to the health of thy soul, as faith is to thy being a disciple of Jesus. "Be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long." If, at any time, this fear be cast off, thou art that moment in danger of falling. But "in the fear of the Lord is strong confidence; and his children shall have a place of refuge," Prov. xiv. 26.

JULY 8.-Hear now, ye rebels'; must we fetch you water out of this rock ?—Numb. xx. 10.

It is most probable that this harsh, severe speech of Moses cut many of God's dear children to the very heart, and struck terror to their souls. Here we see the true nature of the holy law. It demands attention with power and authority-Hear. Its voice is of terror, it speaks nothing but wrath to poor sinners' consciences, it calls them by their proper name-rebels. And what can the poor, guilty trembling soul do, to appease its terror, and escape the wrath to come?

Nothing. Alas, it "concludes him under sin," and leaves him as much without hope of mercy, as he has of drawing liquid streams from a barren rock. But, by the eye of gospel faith, we see that spiritual rock Jesus, whom the law struck; and thirsty souls in all ages drink living water from this Rock of their salvation. Jehovah loves his people from the affections of his heart; notwithstanding their murmurings, he commands his servants to procure drink for them. But meek Moses reproves the children in wrath, and in anger strikes the rock twice. The Lord resents his conduct and expressions toward them; because the dear Lamb stood up in their behalf, and spoke, in effect, what Paul wrote to Philemon concerning Onesimus: "What my people owe to law and justice, put that to my account; I will pay all." Therefore the sword of divine justice "awoke against him;" he was struck by the severe rod of the law; and hence cooling streams of mercy, refreshing waters of peace, reviving floods of love, richly gushed out for parched, thirsty, dying souls. Yea, the water of this Rock follows believing souls, as it did the children of Israel, all the way through the wilderness of this world. They all drink the same spiritual drink, at the hand of the Spirit. What consolation to disciples, to consider that our spiritual Rock ever stands steadfast and unmovable! that all who are built upon him are safe and secure from every danger! The storms of temptation, the waves of corruption may dash against them; but can never prevail. Jesus sustains them, everlasting love secures them, omnipotence surrounds them; and even justice and truth are engaged in their defence. Yes, poor believing soul, though the law rates thee a rebel, and speaks in wrath against thee as such, thou dost exceedingly quake and fear; yet ever remember, precious "Jesus hath received gifts for the rebellious." Waters

of salvation flow plenteously from him. It is thy mercy, daily to drink of this Spiritual Rock, 1 Cor. x. 4.

JULY 9. But faith, which worketh by love.-Gal. v. 6.

In the religion of Jesus, every hope of salvation is excluded but what springs from faith. For faith receives every blessing of covenant love from a gracious Lord. The faith of God's elect hath Jesus for its author, his truths for its object, his word for its warrant, his power for its support, his glory for its aim, and love for its inseparable companion. Thus, the faith of the gospel is ever distinguished from natural notions. But it is natural to us all, to mistake error for truth, fancy for faith, the heat of animal passions for love. Yea, and also, to be very confident herein. But true faith ever worketh by love; even that love which "rejoiceth in the truth," 1 Cor. xiii. 6. Jesus is essentially the truth. All the love which God hath to us, centres in, and flows to us through him. Hence, "God hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: having predestinated us to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved," and blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly things in Christ; (Eph. i. 4-6;) and we are "made the righteousness of God in Christ," 2 Cor. v. 21.

Thus faith hath truth for its foundation, and from the knowledge of the truth, it worketh by love; love to the God of truth, and to our brethren, (not as being of this sect or that party, but,) "for the truth's sake that dwelleth in them," 2 John 2. There is no fellowship in love, but what consists with the light of truth. Thus our Lord and we "have fellowship one with another," 1 John i. 7. Take away any part of God's truth, you subvert the foundation of faith and prevent the operations of love. Reject the truth, that we are elected to salvation in Christ, redeemed by his blood, sanctified in him, righteous by his righteousness, and

safely kept by the power of God, through faith in Christ, to eternal salvation; faith is made void; love ceaseth to exist. Truth and love are equally precious. “The belief of the truth" is the precious life of a christian. Love is the blessed fruit of faith. Herein consists thy blessedness, O christian. "What God hath joined together, let no man put asunder." "Hold fast the form of sound words, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus," 2 Tim. i. 13. By "speaking the truth in love, we grow up into him in all things, who is the head, even Christ," Eph. iv. 15.

JULY 10.-I will not leave you comfortless.-John xiv. 18.

We are born into this world crying, live in it complaining, and go out of it sorrowing, for any comfort it can yield us. Says Cardinal Wolsey, when cast off by his king, "Had I served my God as faithfully as I have my prince, he would not have deserted me thus." The more we see of this world, the more we know of its folly and vanity. The more we enjoy of its smiles and friendship, so much the more sorrow and reluctance in leaving it. But with our heavenly Friend it is quite otherwise. "He never leaves nor forsakes; whom he loves, he loves unto the end." Nor will he ever leave us in a comfortless state of sorrow and dejection, like poor orphans, cast upon a wide world of woe, without any loving heart to pity, or kind hand to relieve them. For when all other comforts forsake us, still Jesus abides by us. His Spirit comforts us, by showing what he is to us, has done, is doing, and will do for us. The apostles had full experience of their gracious Lord's promise. "He comforteth us in all our tribulations," 2 Cor. i. 4. "In me ye shall have peace." But why doth he assure us, "In the world ye shall have tribulation ?" John xvi. 33. Truly, he loves us too well to suffer us to take up our rest in it.