1834.] A MINISTER'S VISITS TO A PARISHIONER. 187 fidence; though, as she said but a short time before she died, she could not feel as she had felt in times past, and about an hour before her soul left her exhausted body, she told her afflicted family, with some degree of confidence, that she was no longer afraid to go.-She died in peace. Now let me, from this little history, draw your attention to one or two points. 1. Let those who have already really entered on a Christian course derive from it a very useful lesson. Consider, I beseech you, what a warning is here given you, to beware of falling from your stedfastness. Beware of being too confident. I have no doubt there was a time in which, had any one spoken to this person of the danger of her falling away, she would have been quite hurt at such a supposition. Yet she did fall. And so may we fall. Taking example, then, from her, let us learn to fear for ourselves, lest we also in like manner be tempted. We may have been, for some time, the true disciples of Christ; we may have renounced and forsaken the follies and the vices of the world, and followed Him "through evil report and good report," and yet there clearly may be danger still. Let us then be humble, and "watch unto prayer. Let us not be "high-minded, but fear." Let us tremble for our own weakness, but let us be confident in God, ever striving against sin, ever persevering in godliness, and ever hoping that "He which hath begun a good work in us, will perform it until the day of our Lord Jesus Christ." But" let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." 2. Let us learn from this to beware of the temptations which arise from things in themselves lawful, as well as from those which are decidedly unlawful. It was not any vain, or sensual, or mere worldly pleasure which led this poor woman to go astray and forget God. No. It was the giving way, in excess, to a feeling of fondness, which, in a proper degree, would have been right and proper. There was nothing at first but what was just and commendable in her being delighted with her little grandchild, or in her feeling for it the warmest and ten 1 Phil. i. 6. derest affection. But the moment her love for it became greater than her love towards her God, from that moment. it became idolatry and sin, as she afterwards most bitterly felt. Let us, then, remember, that we are expected to love God with all our heart, and soul, and strength, that is, with a supreme and unreserved devotion, above all persons or things, whether in heaven or in earth. Let us examine ourselves well, whether there be not some person, which it is natural for us to love, which it is even right for us to love, but not beyond due bounds, which has already gained, or is gaining, such a possession of our hearts, as to prevent us from loving God as he requires. Is there no near relation or connexion, a husband, or a wife, or a child, who more than divides our heart with God? Or, is there no dear friend who holds a too engrossing interest there? If this be so with us in any of these cases, let us remember that Christ has said, that he that loveth father, or mother, or brother, or sister, or of course any other creature more than himself, cannot be his true disciple; and not to be Christ's true disciple is to be lost indeed! 3. Let us mark here the value of a constant and regular attendance on public worship. Some people may perhaps imagine that if they are devout in private prayer at home it will be enough. But this decidedly was not enough in the poor woman whose case is before us. She did not omit her own prayers;" but yet she fell; whilst had she continued constant in public worship, and in using the means of grace, as before, no doubt that, when thus walking in the Gospel way, and adopting God's appointed course, she would, in the mercy of God, have had some wholesome warning from Scripture brought home to her heart, which might, by God's help, have preserved her from all her misery. Let us, then, be constant, not only in private, but also in public devotion. Let us not by any thing be tempted to "forsake the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is." (Heb. x. 25.) 4. Lastly, let us learn from this the dangerous state of those who have never entered at all on their Christian course. If it be so difficult a labour, even for the best, to 1834.] THE DUTY AND PLEASURE OF DEVOTION. 189 work out their salvation, as we know it is; and as there is such danger of the most faithful failing in their work, if they presume to rest in themselves, or to relax in their endeavours, what must be the fate of those who never enter on the great work at all? In the awful words of St. Peter, "If judgment must begin at the house of God, what shall be the end of them that obey not the Gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?" (1 Pet. iv. 17, 18.) May God be pleased to grant grace, and repentance, and faith, to the impenitent, and by His Holy Spirit "to strengthen such as do stand, and to comfort and help the weak-hearted, and to raise up them that fall, and finally to beat down Satan under our feet," through Jesus Christ our Lord. D. I. E. THE DUTY AND THE PLEASURE OF DEVOTION APPLICABLE TO ALL. (Continued from page 111.) THE most gracious God "would have all men to be saved," and is most unwilling that "any should perish." In whatever station of life we may be placed, we are equally called to the duties of devotion, and invited to be partakers of its joys and blessings. No living soul is, or can be hindered, by any power on earth, from loving God; from loving Him who is "the God and Father of us all," the blessed Fountain of all Goodness, in whom every one "lives, and moves, and has his Being." Every one, therefore, should, and every one may, offer and present himself, soul and body, as "a living sacrifice," with that most "reasonable service," of performing the several duties of his station, as a servant of Christ, in obedience to the Holy Will of God. It is, indeed, the grace of God alone which can lead any one to such love of Him, as shall make the devout worship of Him a delight; but this grace is promised to all who seek it; and this devotion of the heart is the greatest blessing and enjoyment that any mortal can possess. Every one may receive this, whatever be his station in life. The master and his servant, the maid and her mistress, the rich and the poor, are, in this respect, equal. Each of them have their difficulties and their hindrances, nor is it easy to say which have the most, and the greatest; but both are inexcusable, if they do not strive to overcome them. The poor may be more taken up with business; but the rich are more exposed to vanities and follies of several sorts. These are not a little dangerous, they "drown men in destruction and perdition," saith the Scripture: nor are they easily restrained, resisted, and overcome. They certainly prove as great hindrances to devotion as any sort of labour or worldly business does. But, be they what they may, they may, by divine grace, be resisted and overcome. In every temptation, and in every condition, "God hath made a way for us to escape." Riches may tempt, and much worldly labour and business may lead men to forget God, and to think but little of Him and His commandments. But if men will earnestly desire and sincerely strive to live by the rule of Christian duty, if they will seek for a spirit of devotion to the divine will, the rich will find that their temptations may be overcome; and the men of labour and worldly business will find that there is no real necessity for them to be, at any time, unmindful of God, or forgetful of His presence. Themselves, and their substance too, the rich may offer to God, in a sober and thankful use of His blessings, and in a ready and charitable distribution to those whom they have the opportunity of helping. The poor also, may offer themselves and their labours to Him, in a willing submission to the order of His wise providence, which has appointed to them their lot, and in a faithful discharge of their several duties. If they do thus, in sincerity of heart, they both may be said to be in a state of devotion to God, and to be following the guidance of his Spirit: the benefit and pleasure of it they will both find, even in this world, but their blessing will be complete,-when their day of trial is over, and when their Lord will "render to every man according to his works." In whatever place or station our heavenly Father hath set us, however irksome or unpleasant the duties of that place may be, in themselves; nay, how much soever they may take up our time, and hinder our more immediate 1834.] RELIGIOUS QUESTIONS. 191 attendance on His service, in prayer, and other exercises of devotion; yet still, the thought that we are serving Him in our vocation, doing His work, and in His way, working that which He hath appointed for us, and glorifying Him to the utmost of our power in our condition and circumstances; this thought will sweeten all our toil, will lighten all our labour, and give us the pleasures and comforts of devotion, in the midst of all our worldly employments. And he who thus serves God in his daily occupation, will delight also to draw nigh unto Him in the holy offices of public prayer and praise, where the soul is more peculiarly devoted to the worship of God. : While at the plough, in the shop, or in any kind of daily labour, if it be our calling, and we are necessarily there, we may think with comfort that we are doing and fulfilling His will, who hath made this our needful duty and we may raise to Him our hearts and minds, and look up to that blessedness which is laid up for, and will be assuredly given to, those who "serve the Lord Christ," doing His will, for His sake. He loved us, and He redeemed us with His own blood: we are His purchased possession, that we should not live any longer unto ourselves, but "unto Him that died for us and rose again." If we believe this in our hearts, it will appear in our lives, and shed comfort over our souls. In whatever state we are, every thing we do, and the manner in which we do it, will testify that we know ourselves to be, "not our own," but "bought with a price," that exceeding great and precious price which redeemed a whole. world, and would be the salvation of a whole world, if men did not "choose darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil." Living and dying let us strive to 66 glorify God, both in our bodies, and in our spirits, because they are God's." "Knowing that our labour shall not be in vain, in the Lord." RELIGIOUS QUESTIONS. (Continued from page 115.) C. P. F. Q. How may our depravity be corrected so that we, who are by nature the children of wrath, (Ephes. ii. 3.) may become the children of grace? |