not believe that he hears our prayers—that he feels for our sorrows-and that he pities our distress, though we are told, he is "the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever:" we doubt, and we reason, instead of trusting and loving; and because we have not sensible comfort in our souls, we hastily conclude that we are shut out from his presence, and excluded from his love. We find, indeed, but too much cause for this exclusion in ourselves, and therefore we sit down in comfortless, helpless, despondency; whereas, if we simply depended upon the word of that "God who cannot lie," if we meditated on his glorious character as it was manifested upon the earth in the Man Christ Jesus, we should feel compelled to "hope," though it might seem to our unbelieving hearts, "against hope;" and the mists of doubt, and the dark vapours of sin, would melt away before the light of his mercy, and the warmth of his love.

Nothing gives such activity to the soul as a spirit of praise. If we wish to realize the truth of that beautiful promise,

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They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary-they shall walk and not faint;" we must obtain a spirit of praise and thanksgiving. It is this, and this alone, which causes the soul to mount up with wings as eagles. When a fervent spirit of praise has been excited in the soul, it can no longer stay on earth; the Divine Spirit takes it as it were on his holy wings, bears it up to the throne of God, and lays it at the feet, and sometimes even in the bosom of Christ. It is not wonderful then, my beloved friend, that our great enemy should endeavour, in every possible way, to prevent our obtaining this blessed spirit of praise. "We are not ignorant of his devices." Hence, he is ever seeking to cloud our

minds with doubts of the love of God our Saviour; though it would almost seem impossible for any to doubt that love, after the stupendous, unanswerable proof of it to which our Saviour himself refers us, John xv. 13. And when we take a review of the past, of our own individual history, it seems equally impossible to doubt that love, which has patiently borne with such ingratitude— which has so tenderly watched over such forgetfulness-which has healed the sickness, and assuaged the sorrow of the being who cannot trust him,-which has checked in sin, and strengthened in temptation, which has allured by promises, and stimulated by example, till the same doubting, distrusting being has been led earnestly to "enquire the way to Zion." Oh! we wrong, we basely injure our Saviour, by doubting his love, his yearning tenderness to us. Why are we still on mercy's ground? why does the Spirit

still strive in our hearts? why is the gate of heaven still set open before us, if the Lord be not willing and desirous that we should enter there? Oh! my beloved friend, as we love our souls, and as we wish for heaven, let us guard against despondency: it unnerves the the soul-it chills the affections-it clouds the mind-it dishonours God. We shall never be active, zealous, devoted Christians, till we are happy in God; we shall never be happy in God while we give way to despondency. God our Saviour might well address us in these words, "What could have been done more to my vineyard that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should. bring forth" the fruits of praise, and thanksgiving, and joy, brought it forth the poisonous weeds of doubt, and distrust, and unbelief? Oh! my friend, despondency, if indulged, will prove as night-shade to the soul-then root it out;

and more thickly sow instead, the seed of the blessed promises.

I am convinced, that if we were to meditate deeply upon what is related of our Saviour's human life, we should find matter of encouragement from even those words and actions, that on a cursory view seem calculated to have a contrary effect. I have been much struck with the truth of this remark as respects the story of the woman of Canaan. I never felt satisfied with the explanation usually given of our Lord's conduct to her. There always appeared to me something so harsh, so severe in our Lord's answers, something so inconsistent with his usual condesending and gracious words, that my mind was not relieved, and my heart was not comforted by the assurance, that he thus tried the poor suppliant's faith, in order that he might prove it and reward it; and that he thus painfully exercised her feelings to encourage his