God, is not as formerly in your unconverted state, a spirit by which you were driven by terror, alarm, and slavish fear, which is the spirit of the law, and kept you (as those Israelites at the giving of the law,) afar off from God; but a spirit by which you are led with sweetness, with comfortable assurance, and with willing liberty, and so drawn near as unto a reconciled Father, to serve him with perfect freedom.

Verse 19. "For the earnest expectation of the creature," &c.; so great is the glory that shall be revealed, that even the whole creation may be said to wait in patience under its present sufferings for that glorious time; much more may we then who have so great an interest in that glorious reversion, endure with patience "the sufferings of this present time.”

"The manifestation of the sons of God;" the sons, or children of God, are manifested when they are shewn forth to light in the proper character and privileges which belong to them. Thus the children of God, who are so according to their Heavenly Father's eternal purpose of adoption, are manifested, or shewn to be such, when by his Spirit sent into their hearts, they come forth in the character and privileges of children, in the midst of this sinful world; but as here both their character and privileges are imperfect, their full manifestation is still to be waited for, till in glory these heirs of God are put into full possession of all that is now wanting both in their character and their privileges.

Now as, through the sin in which we, though sons of God by adoption, are involved as children of the fall, "the creature," that is, the whole creation, (natural, i. e. sun, moon, stars, &c., &c., animal,

beasts, &c.,) "was made subject to vanity," corrupted and perverted to different ends from that for which they were ordained; and as this whole creation groans and travails in pain under this same curse, it is to this manifestation of the sons of God, that all eyes are, as it were, directed in expectation of that deliverance which he who hath subjected them under this curse "in hope," hath taught them to expect.

Now as the sons of God are "manifested," the groans of creation begin to cease. The reign of Christ in their hearts is a reign of light, and love, and peace, which has its blessed effect upon all that creation made for the use of man, as well as upon man himself as a part of it. Before the light of that reign the darkness flees away. Love bears the Gospel-Missionary to heathen lands; sun, moon, and stars cease to groan as they cease to be perverted from their original design, by being made objects of the heathen's worship, to the dishonour of their great Creator. The fruits of the earth, the beasts of the field, cease to groan as they cease to be abused by carnal man, to the gratification of his own lusts, and begin to be used by spiritual men, to the glory of his God; while all the horrid passions of man, which make himself and his fellowmen to bow down under the heavy burden of strife and confusion, as they are brought into blessed captivity to the obedience of Christ, give way to the freedom of peace, and happiness, and love.

Verse 23. "The redemption of our body;" the time when the body, being delivered from that part of the curse it must still undergo-the prison of the grave, shall be re-united in its glorified state to the soul, to enjoy with it the fulness of joy in the possession

of the incorruptible inheritance; which is the perfect manifestation of the sons of God which we wait for, when the last groan of creation shall cease for ever.

Verse 26. "The Spirit itself maketh intercession for us;" by suggesting to our minds and stirring up in our affections such desires and petitions as, being according to the will of the Father, will bring down the answer of peace, even the patience and hope needful to carry us through the sufferings of this present time.

Verse 29. "For whom he did foreknow," &c.; and by this those that love God may be comforted in their trials, and assured that "all things do work together for good" to them, because God has decreed by certain means, amongst which "the sufferings of this present time" are one, to bring them to glory; inasmuch as all those whom he hath foreknown, i. e. fixed his knowledge of favour and love upon from all eternity as vessels in whom he would display the riches of his mercy, he has also appointed, from the same period, to be conformed to the image of his Son, i. e. made like to Christ as in grace and glory, so also in sufferings.

Verse 30. "Moreover, whom he did predestinate;" whom he did from eternity appoint to these things, these are called of him effectually from their state of death in trespasses and sins; these who are thus called are justified by faith in that Saviour to whom this calling brings them; and, being thus justified through that Saviour, acquitted from all charge, and made righteous in him, have that inheritance of glory made sure to them, the sure and certain hope of their actual possession of which is to be the stay and comfort of their souls while they are crossing the stormy seas of tribulation which lie between it and them.

Verse 32." He that spared not his own Son," &c. If Christ, the gift of gifts,' hath been freely delivered

up for us all-for all us, whom we have spoken of as being among these that love God, the called according to his purpose-then surely we cannot doubt that we shall receive with him every lesser gift a Father's love knows that we stand in need of.

THE BENEFITS OF AFFLICTION. EXPERIENCE is of great help in suffering times; but it is faith, and only faith, that can gather up experiences. The more any man sees his call clearly, his call to suffer, the more able will he be to encounter with his sufferings. Consider much, and frequently, the great gains of sufferings. Suffering times are gaining times, for,

1. They are teaching times. See the case of Adonibezek, Judges i. 7.

2. They are self-recollecting times. See the case of the Prodigal Son, Luke xv., and 1 Kings viii. 47. 3. They are fruitful and growing times, John xv. 2. 4. Truth-advancing times.

5. They are uniting times. In times of prosperity, professors fall out and divide. In times of adversity, they run together like the sheep, Acts xii. 12.

6. They are praying times. In their affliction they will seek me early, Hosea v. 15.

7. They are soul-assuring times, Hosea ii. 14, Isaiah xl. 1.

8. They are weaning times, Acts xx. 24.

9. They are heavenly and glorious times, I Pet. iv. 14. Then why do Christians startle at sufferings? Because they know not their gains.-Old Author.

"O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me, let them bring me into thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles."

'LIGHT from the' favour'd West,' go forth;
I nstruct poor souls from South to North;
God himself will cheer the way,

He will promote thy genial ray,

To the East his name proclaim,

Far in western climes the same:
Resound his praise from pole to pole;
O comfort thou the sinner's soul;
M ay many still by thee be led

To Jesus Christ the fountain head:
Hence shall the little work procure
E ternal blessings evermore.

When our sins have taken root,

Enter in and pluck them out:

So shall we gain the heights above,

To dwell in everlasting love.

PEN.

REV. H. A. SIMCOE, (Penheale-Press) Cornwall.