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I have all and abound: I am full....Phil. iv. 18.

HAPPY Paul! Infinitely richer than the most opulent monarch under heaven. Ye poor, wretched, covetous worldlings, whose gold is your God, and who are labouring to add heap to heap....how long? till ye drop into eternity, die like fools, and for ever lose the idols of your hearts? behold here a man who has more than ever you possessed: he has ALL; you only obtain a part of what you aim at; you are still in want of more. Rich, happy Paul, possesses ALL. "And," says he, "I abound." Not in want and wish, but in full enjoyment. "I am full." I can contain no more. He had "the unsearchable riches of Christ for his portion:" his wealth consisted in his mind being contented with that as his greatest treasure.

O, thou poor murmuring disciple of Christ, who art often fearing and distrusting, lest thou shouldst want the bread that perisheth for thyself and family; and thou, my soul, who hast often been exercised with this sore temptation, learn a lesson to-night from rich and happy Paul. Of all the men in the world, would you expect to hear St. Paul say, "I have all things and abound: I am full?" What! he who hath been in necessities, destitute, in want, in nakedness, who like his master had not where to lay his head, and was treated as the filth and off-scouring of all things?.... Yet for him to say, "I have all and abound: I am full." O, may the Lord contract our wants! They are most of them more imaginary than real. Lord enable us to be content with such things as we have! What are they? Come, christian, count up your riches; look over the deeds of your inheritance; see what vast possessions you are entitled to: verily, no less than what Paul once had by faith and now enjoys in full possession, even Jesus, the God of his salvation; Christ is all in all: if he dwells in your heart by faith, he filleth all; you have all; you abound in all; you are full of all. The flesh may lust for more; the spirit must be quite satisfied with HIM; for all things are yours; and ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's....1 Cor. iii. 23. Learn hence the use and blessedness of your faith; it brings the unsearchable riches of Christ into your heart. When flesh and sense require to be gratified, here is the work of faith, "Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof."....Rom. xiii. 14.

Jesu, thou art all my treasure:

When fill'd with thee, I want no more:
This is still my greatest pleasure,
To glory in my heav'nly store.
VOL. II.

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Come, come, my Lord, O sweetly come,
And take possession of my heart;
Then other lovers find no room :
Thou, only thou, my portion art.

M.

He that is of God heareth God's words....John viii. 47.

"THE words from Mount Sinai, gender to bondage."....Gal. iv. 24. Some of God's children are kept under bondage by them: they are taught to look on themselves only as SERVANTS, not SONS of God, because they dare not say, they know their sins forgiven. This is a foolish, unscriptural distinction. Paul expressly declares, that every believer is a son of God: "Ye are ALL the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus."....Gal. iii. 26. Can a man be a servant of God without faith? No; without faith it is impossible to please God....Heb. xi. 6. Every one who hath faith in the Son of God, is a child of God; his sins are as surely forgiven, as that Christ died for sinners; he shall never come into eternal condemnation for them, no more than if he had never committed them: “this is God's word."....John v. 24. As many as receive Christ, that is, believe on his name, have the privilege of becoming the sons of God....John i. 12. How came they by this faith? "By hearing the word of God."....Rom. x. 17. Without this what is called faith is only fancy: the knowing one's sins to be forgiven, which some make so great stir about, if not attained through the faith of God's word, is only a vain, confident delusion; at best, with them it affords but sorry comfort: for, they say, a forgiven sinner after all may be damned for his sins. O, most dishonorable to the precious blood which atoned for them! Cease ye from such: hear God's word: that speaks God's truth and displays his glory, while it proclaims his love in the full, free. certain, and absolute salvation of sinners by Jesus Christ. He who heareth this as God's word, receiveth this as God's truth, and believeth this in his heart, is of God; born of God; born to know, love, enjoy, and rejoice in God. Here is a plain mark to know whether you belong to God or not: try yourself by it to-night. Do you love God's word? Is it the delight of your heart and the glory of your soul? Do you believe its truth and love to walk after its precepts? Then, so sure as you are a son of Adam, you are a soN OF GOD: you will assuredly enjoy the comfort of this, 1st. by studying your Father's will. 2d. In walking in the belief of your Father's unchangeable love. And, 3d. In living to your Father's glory: "as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation." O Father, speak this word with power to our souls, "be ye holy, for I am holy."....1 Pet. i. 14, 15, 16.

The hearing ear, the knowing heart,

Come both from thee, O Lord! O keep us that we ne'er depart From hearing of thy word.

Yea, let us know and practice too,
Our Lord's most holy will,
And shew our faith, by what we do,
That love reigns in us still.

M.

Is it true?....Dan. iii. 14.

A QUESTION this from a potent monarch backed with a wrathful threatening: enough to have put Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to the stand; their answer must provoke their God, or their king. But did they hesitate a moment? Were they at all in doubtful suspence? No; they had faith in their Lord, and they boldly replied, "O king, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter." Our cause lies before our God: we are not left to ourselves; our present life, our immortal soul is in his hands. If you command us into the fiery furnace, our God will be with us: we shall be safe: he will deliver us either our bodies that we shall not be burnt; or if they are, the burning furnace shall be only as a fiery chariot to convey our souls to heaven and glory. See the power of faith: according as they believed so it was: the Son of God was with them: the fire could not hurt them. Hence consider, 1st. That God may, and sometimes does suffer his dearest children to be brought into great straits, and threatened with the greatest dangers, so that an answer to a single question, may perplex them. Is it true? Are you one who follow this new way? Do you pretend to be justified by the Son of God only, to be saved by the grace of God entirely, and to have received the Spirit of God freely? On an answer to this, perhaps, depends a parent's regard or a friend's kindness: the one threatens to disinherit, the other to withdraw his favors. Do worldly interest, honor or advantage depend upon the answer of the tongue and the conduct of the life? Do poverty and want seem to threaten, if we declare ourselves for the Lord? Here is the trial of faith. But, 2d. Remember our Lord's declaration: "Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed when he cometh in the glory of his Father."....Mark viii. 38. Therefore, 3d. Put this question to your heart. Is it true that God is my Father in Christ my Saviour? Doth the Spirit bear witness to this in the word and to my heart? Shall I then so fear a worm of the earth as to deny the truth and forsake that Lord who has promised he will never leave nor forsake me, and that they that seek him shall not want any good thing?"....Psalm xxxiv. 10. My soul starts, my heart recoils at the thought; rather say, I will not fear what man can do unto me. Give up and forego all for Christ: soon we shall see these dear children: then they will tell us they never were so happy in their lives as in the fiery furnace: God is most with his children when they suffer most for him.

O give me courage, dearest Lord,
Against my greatest foes,

To tell thy sacred truth abroad,
Nor fear their threat'ning woes.

God left him to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart....2 Chron. xxxii. 31.

HEZEKIAH was a great and good man of God: he had rich experience in divine grace: still he discovers, that he had a sinful nature and a deceitful heart: though an eminent saint of God, yet pride and vain-glory beset him. I have been led to think there seems a little of the spirit of the Pharisee in his "beseeching the Lord to remember how he had walked before him, in truth with a perfect heart and done that which was good in his sight."....2 Kings xx. 3. At least, some of a self-righteous spirit have been led to think from hence that we have somewhat in ourselves whereof to glory. O, if we have walked well and done well, we need not remind our Lord of it if the heart is simple with its Saviour, it will not: for it was by his grace we did so. He who gives us grace can never be un

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mindful of its effects.

O, what

We hear of Hezekiah's sickness, of the Lord's giving him a sign of restoration, of his sudden recovery, of his sweet experience, of the Lord's dealing with him in his sickness....Isa. xxxviii. Should we not next expect to hear of his perfect love, supreme affection to the Lord, and of his deepest humility before him? But alas! we are told, "he rendered not again according to the benefits done unto him:" Why? Astonishing! For HIS HEART WAS LIFTED UP. pride and vain-glory does he discover in shewing to the princes of Babylon his vast treasure! Is this the man who so lately chattered like a crane or a swallow, and mourned like a dove, whose eyes failed and whose tongue cried out: O Lord, I am oppressed, undertake for me? This he, who said I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul? Yes, GOD satan tempts and corruptions rage. What evils may not the best of men fall into? Saint, know yourself; consider this. Why did God leave him? Why does he leave any of his dear children! TO TRY THEM; that they may have full proof of their weakness and vileness; that they may know ALL that is in their hearts. We know but little of the latent seeds of pride and wickedness in us: the Lord withdraws for a season; he suffers devilish pride to rear its cursed head, that he may wound it by the power of his grace and bring the poor sinner to his feet, with Hezekiah "to humble himself for the pride of his heart."....2 Chron. xxxii. 26. Happy those in whom such effects are produced; for in them the grace of God, yea the God of grace is glorified.

My Lord, how wond'rous is thy love,
So long with me to bear:

A wretch so proud, who oft hathistrove,
Glory with thee to share.

LEFT HIM. O, if God leaves,

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Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him....Gen. xlii. 8.

How affecting is the history of Joseph! Who can read it without emotion of soul? What amazing scenes of providence open to our view? Spiritual minds may see many things in it typical of our beloved Saviour. Here Joseph's brethren are introduced to him as governor of Egypt; he knew them; they knew not him. How does he deal with them? Does he instantly make himself known to them? No: though he had the most tender affections of heart to them and wept tears of joy at the sight of them, yet he speaks roughly and to prison sends them. Why this? To bring their sin to their mind, and to affect them for their cruelty towards him with a deep sense of their guilt. See we not somewhat typical of the conduct of Christ our brother in the flesh in all this? 1st. Christ knew us before we knew him: he knew us from eternity, when we were chosen in him and given to him. 2d. We never seek after him, or come to him, unless we find a famine in our hearts and are ready to perish for want of the bread of life. 3d. When we do come to him, does he instantly make himself known to us and assure us that he is our Saviour? No; for a season he speaks with the authority of a GoVERNOR, causes his law to treat us roughly, threatening us with the prison of hell. Why? Deeply to affect our souls with a sense of our sins and deserts. 4th. It was some time, and many trying and afflicting scenes Joseph's brethren passed through, before he said, I AM YOUR BROTHER. Did Joseph do them any real harm by all this? So our Jesus, though he proves us and trys us and shews us what is in us before he gives us full assurance of his love and salvation, intends nothing but real good to us: by all this he teaches us humility. 5th. Joseph's brethren did not at first come to him as their brother, but as the governor of Egypt; so we come as perishing sinners to Christ; not as knowing that he is our brother, but believing him to be a Saviour and praying him to save us : we have faith in him before we have the assurance of his love to us, and know that we are his brethren. Lastly, all the blessings and comforts of Joseph's brethren flowed from his knowledge of them; so does all our safety and comfort in time and eternity spring from Christ's first knowing and loving us as his brethren. Though true faith may be without special assurance of interest in Christ, yet Christ assures us, "I will manifest myself unto you."....John xiv. 21.

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