joyed. What he saw under a veil, we behold, as it were, with open face ; A God incarnate, taking upon himself the entire care of all his people, standing between them and the curse of the broken law, and engaging to keep them by his own power unto everlasting salvation. For 2is there is " help laid upon One that is mighty :" for us there is all fulness treasured up in Christ, so that we are privileged to say, " In the Lord have I righteous- ness and strength''" Let us then improve this privilege as
we ought to do : let us " be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus," yea, " strong in the Lord and in the power of his might." Then may we be assured of final victory, and now, even in the midst of all our conflicts, exult as already victors, yea, as " more than conquerors through Him that lovfed us*^."]
^ Isai. xlv. 24. See especially Isai. xxv. 4. • ilom. viii. 34 — 39. or Isai. xxvi. 3, 4,
Ps. XXX. 6 — 12. In my prosperity I said, I shall never he moved: Lord, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to staud strong. Thou didst hide thy face, and I ivas troubled. I cried to thee, 0 Lord ; and unto the Lord I made supplica- tion : IVhdt proft is there in jvy blood, when I go down to the pit P Shall the dust praise thee P shall it declare thy truth ? Hear, 0 Lord, and have mercy upon me! Lmd, be thou my helper ! Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing ; thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness ; to the end that my glory may sing praise unto thee, and not be silent : 0 Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.
AMONGST all the friends of vital godliness it is supposed that Christian experience is well under- stood : but it is a lamentable truth, that those in general who think themselves best acquainted with it, are exceedingly mistaken with respect to some of its most important parts. The distinctive offices of faith and unbelief, of confidence and fear, are by no means clearly defined in the minds either of Mini- sters or people: on the contrary, they are often so confounded as to produce very serious evils ; for by the misconceptions respecting them many are in- structed to shun what God approves, and to cultivate
what