This is his commandment, that we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ. 1 JOHN iii. 23. For God hath sent his Son into the world, that we might live through him. Chap. iv. 9. HE Father breaks forth, as it were, through the whole Scripture in high praises of his Son; he calls out from heaven, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, hear ye him." Matt. xvii. 5. Nothing, therefore, can be more agreeable to him than to receive this his Son, and to believe his report (John xvi. 27), and on doing this we shall have life; but by omitting it, we look upon him as a liar. Unbelief, therefore, which refuses to accept of this great gift, is, no doubt, the greatest of all sins. O LORD, teach me this, and grant me faith. "Why art thou so backward, O my poor soul, to believe, like the rest of GOD's children, in CHRIST? Hast thou not as good a right to do it as they have? Who can dispute with thee this privilege? It is the express will of the Father; nay, he even commands thee to do it. Has he not given his only Son, by an act of inconceivable love, to die for thee, to the very end that thou shouldst live? O, what a pleasing thing will it be to him, to put thy whole trust upon this his well-beloved Son! This would be the joy of his heart more than anything else: therefore delay no longer to receive what his love has offered thee, but firmly believe that the Father loves thee as well as the Son." Author of faith, to thee I lift D Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. REV. v. 12. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honour, and power. REV. iv. 11. LORD, how mean and slight notions have I often of thy great power! By these I am discouraged, and thou art robbed of thy praise. Grant, therefore, that though I would always be duly abased and convinced of my vileness, in such a manner as never to ascribe any good to myself, or think myself worthy of the least thing in the way of merit, for at the best I am but an unprofitable servant, yet thy grace and power may at the same time appear to me abundantly greater than all my sins, so that I may have always encouragement enough to believe in and praise thy holy name. And grant that the delusive pleasures of this world may never twine so closely round my heart, that thy glory and thy praise do not always occupy my song. Come let us join our cheerful songs Ten thousand thousand are their tongues, "Worthy the Lamb that died," they cry, "Worthy the Lamb," our lips reply, Let all that dwell above the sky, The whole creation join in one, My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips. PSALM lxiii. 5. Allelujah! for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him, for the marriage of the Lamb is come. REV. xix. 6, 7. WHAT tends not to thy glory, O LORD, and WHAT is not thy own work, whatever appearance it may have, is not really good and profitable. Preserve and assist me, therefore, to do all things as of thee, in thy sight, and to thy honour. May my soul be ever magnifying thy name, O my dear Redeemer and Bridegroom, and my whole conversation be directed to thy praise! Grant that my heart and mouth may be ever full of thy great mercies, and overflow continually with thanksgiving, and that in thy worship I may enjoy such a full sensation of spiritual comfort and joy, that no desire shall be left unsatisfied. My GOD, my King, thy various praise Grant, LORD, that ev'ry hour may bear Thy faithfulness endures the same; And who can speak thy wondrous deeds! David's Prayer. Forsake not the works of thine PSALM CXXXviii. 8. own hands. Divine Answer. He which has begun a good work in you, will perform it unto the day of Jesus Christ. PHIL. i. 6. T HE right way to grow in grace is to give up thyself wholly to thy Heavenly Father, who knoweth all thy wants and has engaged to supply them. Then labour diligently to walk with CHRIST, and carefully cherish the new life, which, be it ever so weak and little now, in comparison to the old man, will increase and gradually outgrow him, as a new skin does the old. May the LORD only give us grace to watch against the opposite extreme, so as never to be lulled into a false rest, or a lukewarm spirit, but to be ever diligently and seriously employed in crucifying the flesh, and using all the means of grace, then we need not be anxiously troubled for the growing of the work of GOD in our souls, for "he which hath begun a good work in you, will perform it unto the day of JESUS CHRIST;" that is, till CHRIST shall come to call you home to glory in the happy mansions he has prepared above the sky. My soul lies cleaving to the dust; I need the influence of thy grace Are not thy mercies sov'reign still, The fashion of this world passeth away. S long as we feed on the husks of the world, and are in love with it, we are neither willing nor able to taste the comforts of the love of GOD; but when sin and the world are become an abomination to us, and we desire to be rid of them, and seek diligently unto JESUS CHRIST for the help of his grace and the benefit of his blood, we are then in a right way to receive the love of GOD, and every blessing of salvation; and though we are chastened by the LORD, yet he is not angry with us, but does it to imbitter sin and the world more and more to us, and to make us loathe them, that we may not be condemned with the world; but that we may be kept from the evil that is in the world. John xvii. 15. Let worldly minds the world pursue, It has no charms for me; Once I admired its trifles too, But grace has set me free. Its pleasures now no longer please, Far from my heart be joys like these, As by the light of op'ning day Now, LORD, I would be thine alone, But may I hope that thou wilt own Yes; though of sinners I'm the worst, For, if thou hadst not loved me first, |