vi sweat of his brow and receiving little more than daily bread, is taught by the circumstances in which he is placed to feel his dependence; and, by the unforeseen way in which his dread of want is relieved, to acknowledge his : But dependence and sometimes, (alas, not always!) sometimes an almost irresistible impulse, after some surprise of mercy in the way of relief, constrains him to thank God for His goodness. He had been brought to a state in which he saw no prospect of relief, and thus had been led to spread the burden of his cares before God in prayer. His prayer has been answered, and he cannot but feel grateful and express his thankfulness. these trying times, as he deems them, pass away, and he begins to thrive in the world, and to rise above the world, and the dread of want is gone. He is now in what are called easy circumstances, but the sense of entire dependence upon God is now also gone. He has become in every sense independent; or rather he has exchanged a humble dependence upon God for His blessings on his own exertions, for a God-forgetting self-confidence, Years pass on, and he becomes a rich man. He has now received unnumbered bounties from God. One might suppose that as the mere circumstances of want and distress almost forced him to his knees and prompted the prayer for relief, so the circumstances of abundance and prosperity would fill his heart with gratitude, and draw from his lips the tribute of praise and thanksgiving; but is it so? We know that usually it is not. Well might the prayer of a wise man be: "Give me not riches, lest I be vii full and deny Thee, and say, Who is the Lord ?" The very abundance, therefore, of God's gifts to man is so perverted by the cold, hard hearts of His unconverted creatures, that they often harden their hearts to an awful forgetfulness, nay even to a denial of the great Giver. Alas! what is so common as a spirit of unthankfulness, even among those who are not forgetful of God; or if there is not a positive unthankfulness, how seldom do we find a spirit of direct thankfulness! In the ungodly this is not to be wondered at. Where there is not a sense of God's goodness, there will be no love towards Him; and where there is no love, it naturally follows there is no thankfulness: if unholy, then unthankful. Such, alas! is the state of society in a Christian country. But we speak not only of the unholy and ungodly. We would say to the children of God, Need we remind you that the whole dispensation of the Gospel is a system of free, unsought grace and unlimited mercy to a race of fallen and undeserving rebels; and that when we thank God for all the blessings of this life, and above all for the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ, for the means of grace and for the hope of glory, we do so confessedly as His unworthy servants, offering most humble as well as hearty thanks? This is the language of the believer's lips, and we pray that it may be the language of our lives; but is it so? Instead of honouring Him with our thanks and praise, how many dishonour Him by their unthankful and murmuring spirit! The Lord our God has graciously con viii descended to assure us that, Whoso that offereth Him thanks and praise, he honoureth, nay glorifieth Him. But, unmindful of all His goodness, even some earnest believers pass their lives in murmuring and grumbling : discontent has become their habitual frame of mind. Everything-anything-one might almost say a mere nothing, gives rise to a murmur. They seldom pass an hour without murmuring; a word-a look disturbs their peace, or frets their temper. Nothing pleases them; they murmur even at a change of weather-it is too hot or too cold, too wet or too dry. Alas! ought this spirit ever to be met with in a child of God? The pure, calm blessedness of heaven can never be ruffled by a single breath of discontent; how then can the wildernessway be made to the followers of our Blessed Lord the path to that heavenly rest, if it resound with the murmurs of the heavenward pilgrims? If really a pilgrim, you can have no cause for murmuring, but every reason to sing as you go forward; for who has cause for thankfulness if you have not? The following pages may tend in some manner to illustrate the above remarks, and to prove the gracefulness and happiness of the life of a thankful Christian, and the fresh springs of joy which open perpetually upon his onward path through this fallen and ungodly world. May God give His grace and blessing with them to the reader, for Jesus Christ's sake. OTLEY RECTORY, January 17, 1848. THANKFULNESS. "I will offer to Thee, sacrifices of Thanksgiving." Two roads are before me; and who is this, whose gentle voice breathes in my ear,-Do I not know that countenance? It is not to me, that it hath no form, no comeliness, no beauty. No: He is altogether lovely. I hear what He says to me: "Strive to enter in at the strait gate." But do I really hear this voice? does it penetrate deeper than into the mind? does it sink into my very heart, brought thither by the guidance of the Spirit -the Spirit that quickeneth, and brings the word, not merely as an intelligible sound, but with power? "O Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to Thy voice, cause me to hear it." I hear, and I obey; I turn from the wide gate, and from the multitude who throng its stately portals; for is it not written by the wise man : "Enter not, and go not in the way; avoid it; pass not by it; turn from it, and pass away?" 66 This is the strait gate! there are but few companions for me here a little company. Singly and separately they draw nigh: they are warriors, but pilgrims. What an expression is there on every countenance ! what mingled firmness and gentleness! They have set their faces like a flint, and yet a divine sweetness shines forth from the spirit within them. B There is, I now see, a running pattern of letters, forming a rich tracery round the portal. This is the inscription: "The path of the just-The way of holiness." And above the gate this invitation meets the eye: "Enter ye in at the strait gate." On the gate itself, are these words: "We ought so to walk, even as He walked." This is the gate of which the Lord has said, "Few there be that find it." But I have found it, because He has led me, and guided my steps; and I hear him saying, "This is the way; walk ye in it." I will thank God, and take courage, and go forward. It My choice is made, my course is taken. Oh thou most gracious Lord, whom we profess to serve; who, that really loves Thee, can turn from the loving invitation Thou hast given? It is to follow Thee-to walk where Thou hast walked. Was not the gate straight to Thee—shall we desire that it may be wide to us? was not the way narrow to Thee-shall we wish it to be broad to us? is the way that leadeth unto life, and I know that it is through much tribulation that we must enter into life: Oh let not the soul of Thy servant be discouraged by reason of the way. It is only by the way that discouragement can meet me, and whatever the trials of the way may be, I shall come forth from them at length struggling successfully through every cloud. It will, it must be so, if I am indeed Thy servant; for "the path of the just is as the shining light, shining more and more unto the perfect day." I may be sometimes sorrowful, but I will, by Thy grace, be always rejoicing, and I will in every thing give thanks. The following pages contain the narrative of a life which, in some respects, was a bright illustration of the foregoing remarks. How it has fallen in my way, and whether the history of the Revd. Allan Temple is that of a real individual, I do not |