unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her. A gospel spirit does the same to God -love makes long service short—and hard service easy. easy. Nothing is pain, which love does. And this is gospel obedience. It is faith working by love, which refines duty into a grace; the commandments are exalted into privileges; the ordinances become happy means of fellowship with God. The believer meets God in them, and by free converse, he exercises and improves his love. He draws near to God, and God draws near to him in prayer, in praise, in hearing the word, at the Lord's supper, and in all sabbath duties. In these ways God manifests his gracious presence, and the believer rejoices in it. God communicates his graces, and the believer receives them with thankfulness. O my soul, pray before duty for much of this communion with God in it. Seek it as the one great end of all duty: and if thou findest it, bless and praise the goodness of thy God. But still seek to be more spiritual and evangelical, that the fruits of thy fellowship with God may appear in thy

practice of the duties of the second table. Love to God will manifest itself by love to men for the holy spirit teaches all his disciples to love one another, and he teaches effectually. He not only makes them understand what brotherly love is, but he also gives it.

They become partakers of the grace, and are enabled to practise it. Thus he recommends and enforces his lessons. He renders his scholars kind to one another, and tender-hearted. He puts forth his mighty power, and subdues the vile selfish tempers of the old man, and brings into use the benevolent tempers of the new man. While he carries on the gracious work, his disciples grow more acquainted with themselves, and learn heart-humility. He makes them feel their fallen state, their sinfulness, and their danger; in the sense of their guilt and of their distance from God, they are willing to receive Christ for their whole salvation, and then to enjoy in him all the blessings of the Father's love in earth and heaven.

If thou findest it difficult, O my soul! to walk according to this rule: if to obey

from love to God-to love men for God's sake-and in the sense of thine own vileness to be humbled to the dust-if these be hard lessons, consider what makes them so.Where is the difficulty? Is it not in thyself? And is it not chiefly in thy not using and not bringing into practice the principles advanced in the former chapters? Duty must be hard if the spring of obedience be not in motion; but if this act freely, then all will go on well.

Thy whole conduct through life depends upon the nature of the salvation, of which thou art a partaker by grace. Consider it attentively. The growing knowledge of it will engage thine affections to a willing obedience. Is it not a complete salvation-an absolutely perfect work-yea, the greatest work of God? because all the rest come from it, and lead to it. Is it not the infinitely wise contrivance of the eternal Three, for which everlasting glory is to be given to every divine attribute? When every other work of God shall cease, for this all heaven will to eternity be ascribing honour, and bless

ing, and praise, to Father, Son, and Spirit. Attend, O my soul! to the scripture account of this salvation. Review the glory of it. Read again and again the revealed descriptions of it, till thy heart be satisfied, that this salvation is as perfect and complete as the Lord God almighty could make it. This is its character. Hast thou studied it well, and art thou well grounded and established in the belief of it? Mind: this is the foundation. If this totter, so will all the super, structure. O pray then, and be earnest in prayer, that God would enlarge thy views of the infinitely glorious and everlastingly perfect salvation, which is in Christ Jesus.

As thou growest more acquainted with it, thou wilt see less reason to be discouraged at the experience of what thou art in thyself. It is a salvation for sinners-such as thou art --and no way differing from thee. Only when they are called to the knowledge of the truth, they are acquainted with their fallen state, are made sensible of their helplessness and of their misery, but are made willing to cast their souls, at God's command, upon the

Lord Jesus, trusting to the peace which he made by the blood of the cross. And art

not thou in the happy number of these redeemed sinners? Dost not thou believe the record which God hath given of his Son, and look upon it as thy lawful warrant—to make use of what is laid up in the fulness of Jesus --thine to take freely-thine to use fully-the more the better-thine for receiving, without any condition or any qualification! He loves to give, and without money or money's worth. He thinks himself honoured by the pensiouers of his grace, who bring nothing to recommend themselves but their sins and miseries, and yet trust in his promised relief. Herein he glories. When they come to him believing, he bestows his royal gifts upon every one of them.

And so far as they be

lieve, he withholds nothing that is needful for their holy walk in the way of duty.

These are the principles which thou art to bring into practice. Carry them, O my soul, into every act of obedience. Go to prayer and every duty with this faith, that thou art in Christ, and in him a partaker of