was a time, when you these blessed truths.

did not know But the Lord has had mercy on you, changed your heart, the current of your feelings, the bent of your mind. Thus I have in a brief manner, endeavoured to say a little upon the preaching Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumblingblock, and to the Greeks foolishness; of his calling, and what the soul is called from, and called to. What this preaching Jesus Christ has accomplished by the Holy Ghost, that it is the way of salvation, these things God has done, is doing, and will do, until he has separated his church from the world; then he will shew the wicked a solemn separation, they will be sent into eternal perdition. You that have the Spirit bearing witness in the heart, that you are born of God, bless his name for this fa

vour.

"'Tis grateful, 'tis pleasant,

To sing and adore ;

Be thankful for present,

And then ask for more."

ourselves on the Lord's side; his admirers, his sincere followers and his friends. O may we be found sincere in that day, when divine omniscience will impartially scrutinize every character with just severity; and, in union with infinite justice, will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and make manifest the counsels of all hearts. Nominal preachers and professors, who have much of this world's goods, are worse enemies to real religion than professed infidels, and generally the most bitter persecutors the tried ministers and people of God meet with. Such men the truth, not having it in their hearts count it enough to be professors of in reality; they have not received the Lord Jesus by the revelation of the Spirit and with power, but by the relation of others only; and so have no other witness but the history of the word, and the exposition of others concerning the truths contained in it, without having the Spirit to confirm these things effectually in them by

FOOD FOR WEARY PILGRIMS, AND A WHIP OF SMALL CORDS FOR EMPTY PROFESSORS.

(Continued from page 275.) We are at present in a world of trial, where sins and sorrows grow thick and rank, left to bear the heat and burden of the day, and to wrestle with flesh and blood, with principalities and powers, with the rulers of the darkness of this world, and with spiritual wickedness in high places. O that we may always endure the fatigues, and brave the dangers of our warfare with becoming fortitude and courage, as good soldiers of Jesus Cnrist. We have professedly embraced the cross, and have declared

to be covetous, they need but look to the popular ministers and professors of this awful day, who run greedily for reward in the way of Balaam, whose heart went after his covetousness, under a cloak of pretended holiness. But as for these, without true repentance, they shall go to their place in their time, with the curse of the Almighty poured out upon for their hypocrisy, deception, per secution and cruelty towards his tried servants and people of God.

them

which we have espoused; and never, May we be true to the sacred interest for a single moment, desert the royal standard of divine grace, unfurled and displayed in the gospel; nor di vide, in the least, from the wise instructions of our Captain, the illus trious Prince of peace, nor be deaf to his gracious promises. We hear

I

him address us from his imperial throne, in language the most condescending and sweet: look unto me and be ye saved hear, and your souls shall live: follow me: take to you the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand: fear not, for I am with you: will not fail you, nor forsake you: when you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you: when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon you: no weapon that is formed against you, shall prosper: fear not, be not dismayed, I am your God: I will strengthen you; yea, I will help you; yea, will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness: behold, all they that were incensed against you, shall be ashamed and confounded; they shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought stand fast, therefore; quit yourselves like men, be strong. Can any thing be more endearing, more encouraging, more animating, than this language from the lips of him, who has bought us with his own blood; who ever lives to plead our cause, against them that strive with us; who fills the throne of heaven, holds in his hand the keys of hell and death, and treads on created power? Divine truth is an eternal rock, founded upon the being and perfections of God; no power can move it. God, the foundation of all divine truths, is the ground of our confidence; we know his name, and are firmly persuaded that eternal selfexistence can never decay that infinite perfection cannot be mutable; that the plan which infinite wisdom has devised, can neither be defective in itself, nor be disconcerted by a power; that God eternal and unchangeable, self-sufficient and allsufficient, must be absolutely and eternally independent, and supremely competent to the execution of his

finite

grand and mysterious designs, and therefore, that his work ever honourable and glorious, goes on unimpeded, amidst all the wickedness of the world, the corruptions of churches, the backslidings of the saints, the apostacy of empty profesors, the cunning craftiness of Satan's ministers, and all the malice and rage of hell; and will be consummated, amidst the shouts and songs of the heavenly hosts, in the glorification of the whole election of grace, the general assembly and church of the first-born, whose names are written in heaven. We want our souls to be imbued more with those precious truths, which constitute the glorious gospel of the blessed God, to feel their healing, sanctifying, consoling, nourishing, and fructifying power; so as to live upon them by faith, so as to enjoy the consolation, which they convey freely to our unworthy souls, from the God of all grace. We want to be filled with the Holy Ghost, and all his heavenly fruits; to be all glorious within, and all beauteous without, to have our conversation in heaven, and to walk in the highway of holiness, in all respects worthy of our high calling, for the glory of God. We want to rise above the earth, and ascend in holy contemplations on the wing of faith and love; leave behind this poor world and all its beggarly elements, and enter within the vail, pass all the ranks of angels, reach the throne divine, and there, with extatic joy, hold converse with our God; Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; and feel our minds absorbed iu the fulness of his eternal love. To strengthen us in our journey to the heavenly country, God sends us grapes from the Canaan above, not to detain us in the wilderness, but to allure us out of it, and to make us hasten our steps towards that country of which they are the natural and spontaneous product. But do not flatter yourselves with the sudden prospect of uninterrupted

66

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ease and enjoyment,for it is a solitary, rough and rugged way that leads to the city of habitation. Many waters cannot quench love:" that is, the eternal, abiding love of God the Father to his dear children, manifested in and through his equal coeternal Son, by the teachings of the Holy Spirit, nor can the floods drown it," Canticles viii. 7. Rivers may overwhelm for a time; waves may, and will in succession roll; floods will gather around you upon every side; but it cannot be quenched; if it is once there, it is there for ever; it is lasting as it is powerful; its duration is eternity, and its power is victory over death, hell and the grave and though we are not yet arrived on Canaan's happy shore, we shall, as sure as the earnest is given. The stream of death's cold flood, however formidable it may be, or however terrific it may appear, is only like some canal, that, seemingly, wanders, impedes, and obstructs the weary traveller; and while sense and reason are at a stand how to contrive or form a plan by which we may safely cross; faith, like the vessel that brings the anxious mariner to his native shore, will bear our spirits up, and gently waft our souls to the harbour of our eternal home.

"Yet a little while, saith Christ, and I will see you again, and I will come and receive you unto myself." O believer, your lovely Bridegroom will keep his word and his day, he will come and marry you to himself for ever therefore ever stand upon your watch tower, wishfully looking for his appearance; never slack thy watch, nor let thy expectation cool, till he come and take thee home to himself, where he shall for ever lay aside his vail, and his amiable countenance never more be clouded, where you shall have a beatifical vision; where you shall see him as he is; where you shall feed on him without signs, and see him without a vail;

where all your sorrows shall be turn-
ed into joys; where for every re-
proach you meet with in your Lord's
service, you shall reap eternal ho-
nours, and for every hour of sorrow
you shall enjoy endless ages of trans-
port. In the next world there will
be a vast difference between persecu-
tors and sufferers. The pride and
cruelty of the one will be paid for in
torments and ceaseless misery in the
prison of hell, and the patience and
sufferings of the other will be re-
turned in joy and eternal felicity in
"Make haste,
the blessed heaven.
my Beloved, let the day break, and
the shadows flee away: even so,
Lord Jesus, come quickly." Take
me to that place where mysteries are
turned into revelations. faith into
vision, hope into fruition, espousals
into embraces, sorrowful sighs into
nuptial songs, drops of tears into
rivers of pleasures, transient glances
into the radiant and direct beams of
the Sun of Righteousness, short
tastes into everlasting feasting and
fulness. Hallelujah! Amen.

Parting soul! the flood awaits thee,
And the billows round thee roar :
Yet look on the crystal city
Stands on yon celestial shore !
There are crowns and thrones of glory,
There the living waters glide;
There the just in shining raiment
Wander by Emmanuel's side.

LEBANON LEAVES.

THE LORD'S PRAYER.-NO. IX.

That we may bend the knee, and utter words, Raise and attenuate the face, what time The heart is unsubdued, and wandering wide.

the glory."

GRAND truth, and most encouraging; worms of earth

Swaying a sceptre o'er a tiny speck

Of the same dust they are made from, may assume,

Look big and talk like destiny: punier still
In the contracted circle which contains
The narrow fellowships of private men,
One 'mongst the rest, because his purse is
full,

May swell and threaten, and perhaps oppress ;
But tyrants, whether kingly, or of home,
Are neither more nor less than instruments,
Used for wise ends, by the one only King.
Whose is the kingdom and the power, and
whose

At last shall be the glory. We may fear,
Tremble with apprehension, and turn pale,
When fellow worms menace, but could we
lift

The of faith above the mists of earth, eye We should behold our heavenly Father sit, Calm on his ivory throne, observing all. And so arranging each coincidence,

That man's free will, still unconstrained performs

His sovereign pleasure. The rich oppressor

By thy good Spirit teaching us to pray
To cause from the poor altar of our hearts,
An offering to ascend, thou will accept ;
We look to thee, thou true Melchizedec,
Thou great High Priest, who doth within the
vail,

Present and plead for Israel; Lord, be thou
Our Intercessor and our Advocate !
And when in penury, in care, in pain,
Spiritual or temporal, we seek thy throne,
Narrating all our sorrows and our needs,
And craving that relief, and that supply
Which none but God can give us; then
Pronounce thine acquiescence in thy name,
And with thine own Amen fulfil the prayer,
Giving renewed occasion to our souls
To wreathe renewed thanksgivings.

PRAISE TO THE INCARNATE LOVER.

Hark! the Saviour from on high,
Speaks and brings salvation nigh;
Loud let us praise his blessed name,
And spread abroad his wond'rous fame.

From Bethlehem's fields and all around,
We hear a voice of heavenly sound;
Mountains and vales with music ring,
With glory to our new-born king.
Adorn'd with light and wing'd with flame,
Adoring hosts in raptures came;

To unfold the tale by prophets told,
Whose theme was more than heaven conld
hold.

Let christians lift the raptured eye,
And view the great salvation nigh;
Lo, Salem's prince is come to reign,
And souls are brought to God again.
Performing all his heavenly will;
He reigns on Zion's glorious hill,
By which he saves and brings to God,
His ransom'd church by precious blood.
Now mercy from her heavenly store,
Through the rich blood of purple gore;
Dispenses favours all around,

There sin and wretchedness abound.

The blessed day-star gilds the gloom,
And makes the flowers of Eden bloom;
As they in swift succession rise,

Within the courts of paradise.

Arise ye saints, with wonder trace,
The footsteps of transforming grace;
Adore the love, so rich, so free,
And praise the incarnate mystery.
Great mystery of surprizing grace,
The Saviour takes the sinner's place;
Beneath the fiery law he stood,

Then on the cross pour'd forth his blood.

In him his saints do now possess,
A justifying righteousness;
Atoning blood and quickening grace,
A shield, a tower, and hiding place.

Come, christian reader, let us praise,
The Ancient of eternal Days;
Who to make his salvation known,
Join'd our poor nature to his own.

Let God the Father's name be prais'd,
And Jesus' sacred honours rais'd;
Tell of the Spirit's wond'rous fame,
Who hath reveal'd the Saviour's name.

Incarnate Love, with thee I'd dwell,
Beyond the rage of angry hell;
To sing thy love, to view thy face,
And swell the triumphs of thy grace.

LINES

A COUNTRY MINISTER.

WRITTEN WHILE CONTEM-
PLATING THE EXQUISITE SCENERY
FROM F VILLA, D—.

If scenes so lovely, that all language fails
To pourtray half their beauty; if sweet vales,
And hills magnificently wooded; streams,
Meandering gently thro' the dewy mead;
And gently purling rills, and rustic cots,
And trees luxuriant, rushing waterfalls,
And the sweet melody of nature's choir :-
If from such scenes as these my soul can
catch

The breath of inspiration, my poor harp
Should burst at once into melodious song,
And each vibrating chord breathe harmony.
But mine's no master hand, and tho' my
mind,

Is filled almost to bursting, while I gaze With high imaginings and lofty thoughts, Yet when I strive to bring them forth in words,

My trembling fingers prove the attempt too high,

And no responsive sounds delight my ear.
Well, be it so, go harp, tho' fondly lov'd,
To worthier, abler hands, I thee resign,
But thankful am I, still I view my God,
My Father, in his works, and praise him too;
Tho' weak the strain, the lowly contrite
heart

He'll not despise, and he that offereth praise, Him, clothed in bright effulgence, dread in - power,

Glorious in holiness, doth glorify.
My Father! precious name, thy child would
bring

A tribute to thy goodness, deign to hear,
And merciful accept it in thy Son.
Thou seest my heart, the adoration there,
And all my innermost desires, my hopes,
Are all before thee undisguised; thine eye
Can read, though unexpresssd, my every
thought,

Th' obscure, the dark, the undefined, thou know'st.

Oh, hide me in the hollow of thy hand,
Keep me from present evils, and from those
That in futurity unseen may he;
Oh keep me walking in thy holy fear,
And, since the little sparrow fluttering by,
Can perish not unnoticed, watch o'er me.
Thou cloth'st the land in beauty, waterest all
With bealthful showers and soft distilling
dew;

So, Lord Almighty, deign to smile on me,
And on my thirsty, often fainting soul,
Descend in plentitude of blessings; shower
Upon my head thine own attractive grace,
And oft refresh me with reviving dews;
Then shall I praise thee here, and trust ere
while,

Thee to extol in nobler, sweeter song.

A HYMN.

EMMELINE.

GREAT God to thee my voice I raise,
To thee my thanks belong;
Attune my heart to sing thy praise,
And consecrate the song.

Thy strength thou 'st promised to the weak,
When most their need shall be;
Teach me, O Lord, aright to seek,

And grant that strength to me.

This morn more ease dost thou impart
Than I have lately known;
Oh grant to me a grateful heart,
To tune thy praise alone.

For thou canst render my sick bed,
A school for human pride;
To teach me all the way I'm led,

And how thou 'st been my guide.

Refined from dross by thy free grace,
My willing soul accept;
And living on in death's embrace,
Receive what thou hast kept.

S. H. R.