and holier hill, may survey, in all its breadth and all its extent, the heavenly Canaan. And each of us may become a denizen of the celestial Jerusalem, a city whose builder and maker is GOD. No irrevocable decree shall bar our passage of that river, whose type was Jordan. And then seeing as we are seen, we shall fully know that GOD is a Spirit, and thankfully acknowledge the mercy, that we have been enabled, through the merits of CHRIST'S atoning sacrifice, to worship Him in spirit and in truth.

THE BACKSLIDER.

BY

THE REV. E. J. SHEPHERD, M.A.,

RECTOR OF LUDDESDOWNE, KENT.

II. PETER II. 20, 21.

For, if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world, through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein and overcome; the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.

YOD has said to each of us, "My son, give me thine

GLOD

heart." This is the substance of the first and great commandment; and while we, through his grace assisting us, do this, all is well with us. We love Him, and therefore it is our delight to set Him always before us. We fear Him, and therefore count all the advantages or losses of this life as trifling, when compared with his displeasure. The heart which we have given to GOD is inhabited by his Blessed Spirit, moulding all our desires and affections according to his own most holy will. Our life, therefore, is spiritual peace and joy, and our hope-immortality. Happy-most happy would it be for us, if having attained this blessedness, we always preserved it! But alas! this is not the Christian's constant experience. We are at the best but fallen creatures, beset with enemies; and it has pleased GOD that our life here should be a state of

trial. Although, through the blood of CHRIST, the kingdom of heaven is now accessible to fallen man, the enjoyment of it is made, under GOD, to depend upon our own exertions. While it is true that we can do no work at all pleasing to GOD without his preventing and assisting grace, still, having this grace now given to us through CHRIST, we are to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, and yet with full hope, because He worketh in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure. It is the part allotted to us to labour-to strive to wrestle -to fight, and to perfect holiness-all in the fear of GOD, and in dependence upon Him for strength. This is our state upon earth. It is manifest, therefore, that we may rise and we may fall. Moreover, to add to our difficulties, our enemies are not common enemies; we wrestle not against flesh and blood; our warfare is against spiritual wickedness in high places-against evil spirits, powerful and wise-wise to destroy. They seem to know either by experience or otherwise our several weaknesses; and they present to us those temptations which are most likely to prevail against us. Their one object is to separate us from GOD. The means, however, are various. Sometimes we are beguiled even by our duties. It is our duty to love our husbands, our wives, and our children. It is our duty to get our own living, and to provide for the wants of our families. It is the duty of some of us to employ ourselves in the cultivation of our own minds, in the pursuits of learning and science. It is the duty of all of us, according to our several conditions in life, to employ ourselves for the benefit of our neighbours. These feelings and pursuits are not only lawful, but they are obligatory. They are duties which in our various stations we are bound to fulfil. In the earnest discharge of them we are often ready to think that we are beyond the

tempter's reach; but, sad to say, he sometimes appears. even as an angel of light. He tempts to the love of

there is no space left in our He takes advantage of the respective worldly employ

husband, wife, or child, till hearts for the love of GOD. necessity and duty of our ments, and induces us to make them the main objects of our attention, even to the neglect of our soul's welfare. At other times he meets us in a bolder way. He seeks to justify the indulgence of a forbidden temper, or to inflame us with a forbidden lust. And oh! that the Christian life only knew of temptation, dangers, and conflicts, that it knew of no falls! But we are so weak and sinful, so ready to call evil good, that we too often yield to the assaults of our enemy, even when we are the least expecting it.

To show you more plainly what I mean, let us take our employments, whatever they may be, either in the busy world or in thoughtful retirement, for the study no less than the market is within the tempter's domain, and see how he makes use of them for our ruin. These employments we know are to be entered upon and pursued with zeal, and if they are performed as an act of religion, if they never interfere with the higher duty which we owe to GOD, they will, so far from being a hurt, become a blessing to us. We shall be fulfilling the will of God, we shall be benefiting our neighbour, we shall ourselves be placed by active employment out of the reach of many temptations which accompany idleness, and we shall at the same time be giving to GOD, our jealous GOD, that higher place in our hearts which He imperatively requires. But these employments may, and often do become, owing to our want of watchfulness, a snare,they obtain an undue influence over us, which, if not checked, will in time cast a chill over the warmth of our