David's Declaration.-In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee, for thou wilt answer me. PSALM lxxxvi. 7.

Divine Answer.-Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. ISA. lviii. 9. The Lord is rich unto all who call upon him; and it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved-(this, to the comfort of the weak, is several times repeated in Scripture) JOEL ii. 32. ACTS ii. 21. x. 12, 13, 19.—Therefore when the righteous cry, the Lord heareth them, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. PSALM Xxxiv. 17, and cxlv. 18. JAMES V. 16.

Roм.

GLORIOUS promise! how can GoD deny me anything now that I pray for? He has passed his word for it; his Son has purchased it; the Holy Spirit inspires the prayer; the word holds it forth; and the prayer of faith lays hold of it, and actually receives it. Prayer is the mouth of faith. If thou wilt have much, "open thy mouth wide, and it shall be filled." Who then should not be stirred up to pray much! O what foolishness in this, that we have nothing, but may obtain all from GOD, and yet are so loath to pray much and pray right. O thou Hearer and Answerer of prayer, pour out upon my soul the spirit of prayer. Give me assured trust in thee, that thou wilt hear my prayer, and O let not my hope of an answer rest on anything but the all-prevailing merits of my Redeemer.

GOD knows the pains his servants feel,

He hears his children cry;

And, their best wishes to fulfil,

His grace is ever nigh.

Swear not at all: neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; neither by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. MATT. v. 34-37. See also JAMES V. 12.

SWE

WEAR not by the creatures; that in effect is swearing by their Maker. Neither swear by thy Maker, unless called to it by authority for the putting an end to strife; swear not falsely, that is calling the GOD of truth to witness a lie; swear not needlessly or rashly, as Saul did. 1 Sam. xiv. 39. Such oaths or vows are insnaring; better broke than kept, but best not made at all. Swear not idle, common oaths, such as, O CHRIST! O GOD! Faith and troth! By my soul! As I live! God bless me! If we must give account for every idle word, much more for every idle oath, and most of all for horrible cursing and blasphemy, that profanes God's name, and is the very language of hell. He that is guilty of perjury, not only is destroying his own soul, but is seeking to ruin his neighbour, by perverting justice, and robbing the innocent of his right. Yea, sometimes GOD takes a false-swearer and self-curser at his word, and strikes him dead on the spot. LORD, help the guilty to repent of their sin, and help all to watch and pray against it.

From false, and rash, and idle oaths,

Defend my tongue, O LORD;

Let salt of grace hang on my lips,
To season every word.

Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath; for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. ROM. xii. 19. Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me; I will render to the man according to his work. PROV. xxiv. 29. See also LEV. xix. 18. Recompense to no man evil for evil. Rom. xii. 17.

JUDGE ye then, my brethren, would it be wise

to snatch the rod out of the all-powerful hand of God, to take it into our own, even was it in our power to do it? We are taught by the holy prophet not to avenge ourselves, it being daring presumption to usurp GoD's province, and to step into his throne. He that chastiseth the nations, shall he not correct? Might may overcome right for a time, to try GoD's children; but whether that is done with a close hand so as not to be discovered, or with a high hand, so as not to be controlled, GoD will, in his due time, show himself, and assert his right of vengeance against all that would take it from him. It is therefore our wisdom to call to mind our blessed LORD's silence when he suffered, 66 who when he was reviled, reviled not again, when he suffered he threatened not," and to copy after it, committing ourselves to him that judgeth righteously.

Grace dwells with justice on the throne,
And men that love thy word

Have in thy sanctuary known
The counsels of the LORD.

When GOD, in his own sov'reign ways,
Comes down to save th' opprest,
The wrath of man shall work his praise,
And he'll restrain the rest.

If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. 2 COR. v. 17.

ET no man be discouraged from coming to CHRIST, because he finds not in himself that godly sorrow for sin, that ability to repent, that disposition of heart which he desires to have: we must first be in CHRIST before we are new creatures. This is a common fault among us; we would fain have something before we come. We think God's pardons are not free, but we must bring something in our hand; whereas the proclamation runs thus: "Buy without money;" that is, come without any excellency at all; because we are commanded to "come, and take the water of life freely." Therefore do not say, I have a fretful disposition, and a hard heart, and cannot mourn for sin as I should, therefore I will stay till that be done. It is all one as if you should say, I must go to the physician, but I will have my wounds well, and my disease healed first. The end of going to CHRIST is, that this very hardness of thy heart may be taken away; that this very deadness of thy spirit may be removed; that thou mayest be enlightened, quickened, healed; that thou mayest hate sin, for he is thy Physician; look not for sanctification, nor for genuine fruits of righteousness, till thy soul is united unto CHRIST by a living faith; for it is faith that purifies the heart and works (i. e. produces good works) by love. Thou must first be in CHRIST, grafted into CHRIST by faith, before thou canst be a new creature.

LORD, graft me in thyself the vine,

And feed me from thy root,

So shall I in thine image shine,
And bear much heavenly fruit.

All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient; all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. 1 COR. vi. 12. See Chapters x. 23, and viii. 8.

MANY
ANY that are well affected to religion, and

receive instructions of piety with pleasure and satisfaction, often wonder how it comes to pass that they make no greater progress in that religion which they so much admire. Now, the reason of it is, because religion lives only in their head, while something else has possession of their heart, and therefore they continue from year to year mere admirers and praisers of piety, without ever coming up to the reality and perfection of its precepts. If it be asked why religion does not get possession of their hearts? the reason is, not because they live in gross sins or debaucheries, for their regard to religion preserves them from such disorders, but because their hearts are constantly employed, perverted, and kept in a bad state by the wrong use of such things as are lawful to be used; for our souls may receive very great hurt, merely by the abuse of innocent and lawful things. What is more innocent than rest and retirement? and yet what more dangerous than sloth and idleness? What is more lawful than eating and drinking? and yet what more destructive of virtue than sensuality and indulgence? How lawful and praiseworthy is the care of a family? and yet what so prejudicial as an anxious worldly temper? Reader, follow the apostle, and beware of lawful things; keep thy heart free from the power of them.

O LORD, direct me in the use

Of things that lawful are;
For lawful things may have abuse,
And prove a fatal snare.

N