Lord has nothing else to fear : and the man who " sanctifies the Lord," may be assured, that under all circumstances God will preserve him even as the apple of his eye. But take eternity into the account, and how happy is the Believer then . O what a sanctuary is the Lord to him from the terrors of a guilty conscience, and from the fears of God's wrath ! The Believer, and he alone, understands the true import of these words, " I will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is staid on me, because he trusteth in me"." Yes, even at the day of judgment may the Believer stand before the Lord with great boldness^, whilst the unbelieving world are "crying to the rocks and to the hills to fall upon them, and to hide them from his wrath." Make then the Lord Jesus your sanctuary here, and he will be your portion for evermore.]
" Isai. xxvi. 3. '^ I John iii. 21. and iv. 17.
Isai. viii. 18. Behold, I, and the children whom the Lord hath given me, are for signs and for ivonders in Israel, from, the Lord of hosts which dwelleth in Mount Zion.
FROM the time of Cain and Abel to the present moment, there have existed upon earth two classes of men, essentially distinct from each other, and indeed opposed to each other, even as light and darkness: the one of these consists of men " born after the flesh only ; the other, of persons born after the Spirit also." Unhappily, it is to the former of these classes that the great majority of mankind have at all times belonged: the latter class has been composed of only a small remnant, who, on that account, have been, to all the rest of the world, objects of reproach and contempt. The Prophet Isaiah complains of this, in his day : and from his complaint I shall take occasion, I, To confirm his statement —
There is, in the special case before us, a reference probably to the prophet's own family at that time —
[The prophet had two sons; to whom, by God's special direction, he gave very peculiar names. The name of one was " Shear-jashub^';" the name of the other was " Maher-shalal- hash-baz''." These names were given for the purpose of
^ Isai. vii. 3. "" Isai. viii. 3.