in perfect harmony with the divine command : and we should, every one of us, reply, " Thy face. Lord, will I seek." This duty we should execute,
1. With a grateful sense of his condescension and grace —
[How amazing is it that such a proposal should originate with God ; and that Jehovah should " stand at the door of our hearts, and knock" there for admittance! If a permission only had been granted to us to seek his favour, methinks it should have been embraced with all hnaginable earnestness : for sure enough, if such an invitation were sent to those who are now in hell, it woidd not be treated with indifference there. But it is not a mere permission that we receive; it is a call, an invitation, an entreaty: and should we " make light of that?" No : we should turn unto our God with our whole hearts, and avail ourselves, without delay, of the opportunity that is thus afforded us.]
2. With a ready acquiescence in his appointed way —
[God tells us, that it is in Christ alone that he can accept us ; and that we must come to him through Christ, pleading the merit of his blood, and relying altogether on his atoning sacrifice. And shall this appear to us a hard saying ? Shall this be deemed too humiliating for our proud hearts to submit to? Shall we not bless God, that he has given us a Saviour, who shall mediate between him and us, and, like " a days- man'^," lay his hand on both, in order to our reconciliation? Surely we should not hesitate a moment to humble ourselves before him, to acknowledge our desert of his wrathful indigna- tion, and to implore his mercy in the name of his dear Son.]
3. With a determination of heart, that nothing shall ever keep us from him —
[Things there are, without number, which would keep us in bondage, and detain us from our God. But we should be on our guard against them all; and determine to break through every obstacle that the world, the flesh, and the devil, can place in our way. For, what can the world do, either by its allurements or its terrors, to counterbalance the loss of the divine favour ? As for the flesh, neither its weakness nor its corruptions should discourage us in our way to God. Nor should the devil, wdth all his wiles and all his devices, be suffered to divert us from our purpose, or to retard us in our way. We shoidd have our hearts bent upon executing the commands of God. Every object under heaven should be
h Job ix. 33.