maketh intercession for us. Who shall sepa rate us from the love of Christ? We are His if we do His will, and by that only, not by any outward profession of any formal creed, can we know ourselves to be His. Our souls must own Him as their element of life, even as our bodies own the air we breathe. If evil befal us not, if no plague come nigh our dwelling, or if the shadows of the valley of death lie damp on our souls, and our God appear as though he would slay us, we must love Him still, and bless His love, though behind a frowning Providence. If these prayers be deemed wanting in attempts to express this love, let each individual provide for himself the language calculated for the utterance of his own feelings. Our Common Prayer supplies an admirable proof how the strongest words may be used without departing from respect and sobriety of thought. There is a strong evidence of the corrupted state of our hearts in the multitude of meanings imposed upon one word, and the vague ness of all language. Words will not exactly and truly set forth one full and one only meaning in matters of religion without the greatest care. And after all this care, they must be taken in a certain sense, and for that purpose, they who speak, and they who are spoken to, must be of a particular character. The want of allowance for this defect of language has led to much idle dissension, and to disputes more resembling that about the black and white shield, than any reasonable argument. It must be kept in mind always, that our conduct is the only evidence of our faith to mortal eyes, which cannot read our hearts; and that any discussions about a faith which cannot be traced in our conduct, are unprofitable. The general difficulties which harass a Christian's mind to any grievous extent occur to him at the beginning of his Christian life. As he advances in his career, they haunt him less and less; and instead of being sorely perplexed in mind, he feels embarrassed in the conduct of himself through the passing day. His heart acknowledges the truth of his rea soning, yet his life does not correspond with such acknowledgment. He finds a law within him warring against his better purposes, whereby he sometimes does that, which he cannot but disapprove. If then the Gospel statement be so true, why should we not give credit to the Gospel remedy, so far as to try to the last its healing powers. It is very worthy of remark, that few of those who have been brought up in practical Christianity have found it difficult to understand: and to this remark, if true, parents and guardians should give especial attention. When the natural reluctance of the heart has been made more obstinate and wilful by long indulgence, when evil passions have " grown with our growth and strengthened with our strength," when the Christian life has to begin long after the natural life, when men will understand Christianity before they adopt it, and adopt it because they understand it, when they will receive as matter of right to the helpless, that, which is offered as matter of grace to the sinner, indeed then, are their |