nothing to merit, yea, nothing to recommend you to the divine; and, therefore, is it not great presumption to fancy that God will love such a one as you, whose just desert is wrath and everlasting destruction?

These are some of the depths of satan. He knows how strongly we are by nature attached to the covenant of works; and that if he can get the believer to look off from Jesus, expecting to see something in himself for which God should love him, he shall then weaken his faith, and shake his peace. In this snare he has catched many a child of God. The temptation is suitable to the workings of our legal minds: it flatters our self-righteous hopes; and is vastly pleasing to the pride of our carnal hearts. No wonder, then, so long as there is flesh in us, as well as spirit, this artful suggestion should be sometimes received in this manner-Have I any thing for which God should esteem me and bless me? I wish I could discover some amiable temper, or some praise-worthy deed, which might recommend me to the particular regard of Godr Indeed, at present, I have not any such. But

I hope to attain it some time or other. If I do but use more diligence and watchfulness, and wait more constantly in the means of grace, perhaps I may attain it soon.

How

ever, there can be no harm in trying. I will exert myself. And I hope the day will come, when I shall be some way deserving of the divine favour.

As

Here the temptation has taken place. the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so is this man's mind corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. The subtle serpent has attacked the liberty of the child of God, and has darkened his understanding, and obscured his view of gospel grace. His eye is not now single his heart is not now simple in the finished salvation. He has been deceived into a legal dependence, and is giving way to a spirit of bondage. If he was left to himself, the enemy would lead him captive at his will. Satan desires to have him, that he may sift him as wheat; but he is not suffered to blow any thing away, except a little chaff for the Holy Spirit, in whose keeping he is, discovers and defeats the attempts of

satan. He brings to his mind, and enables him to make use of what he before knew of the doctrines of grace. The present trial requires the practice, and affords occasion for the improvement of his former lessons. He had learnt from Scripture, truths very different from the suggestions to which he was ready to yield. He was therein taught, that the Father's love to his children does not suppose merit in them. Grace does not follow works for then grace would be no more grace. Election is not of him that willeth, or of him that runneth; but of God, who showeth mercy. For we are saved freely by grace through faith, and that not of ourselves; it is the gift of God. The election of grace is from mere love and sovereign favour, and has no motives to influence it, but the good pleasure of the divine will. The objects of it are not the worthy; but the unworthy--not innocent, but fallen man-sinners, as such, no way conditioned or qualified-the lost, the helpless, the ungodly-yea, the chief of sinners-open enemies and rebels against God. They are not saved by works of righteous

ness, which they have done, or can do, lest any of them should boast: for boasting is absolutely excluded. Salvation was so contrived, was so wrought out, and is so applied, that he who gloricth, shall have nothing left him to glory in, but the Lord. No flesh can glory in his presence: for of him, and through him, and to him, are all things; to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

So soon as the Spirit of God opens this view of the exceeding riches of divine grace, the believer sees his mistake. He finds that he was departing from the simplicity of the gospel, by supposing that the love of God followed merit, and that he should be loved more according as his walk recommended him. His eyes are opened. The delusion vanishes. The perfect freeness, and the absolute sovereignty of the Father's love, as revealed in Scripture, is manifested to him. He reads, and mixes faith with what he reads, and so recovers himself out of the snare of the devil. Some such passage as this is made the means of his deliverance, Ps. ciii. 17."The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting

to everlasting, upon them that fear him." Precious words! full of rich consolation to those who have been tempted to seek some qualifications in themselves, on account of which they might be entitled to the love of God, and who have been distressed upon their not finding it. The Holy Spirit teaches such persons to look out of themselves, to an object exactly suitable to their case. He directs them to the divine mercy-a never failing spring of comfort to that mercy, which reacheth from eternity to eternity-and which confers its richest favours, not for the worthiness of the receiver, but to the praise of the grace of the giver. Here he would. have them fix their eyes, and expect relief to their hearts. Out of the fulness of mercy they may always receive grace for grace; for the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him. Every word is weighty. Meditate upon it, O my soul; and may the consideration of each, lead thee to exalt that mercy of God, which is over all his works. shi to arom sút

JEHOVAH is the word here rendered Lord.