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And what produced this prayer? "Therefore" "For thou, O Lord of Hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build thee an house:" "therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee." He had refused him the pleasure and honour of building the Temple which he had purposed. But he should be no loser. The will should be taken for the deed. Though he did not build God a house, God would build him a house-and except the Lord build the house they labour in vain that build it. But all things are possible with him: and them that honour him, he will honour. What the king said to his prime minister-"You mind my affairs, and I will mind yours" he says to each of his servants: Serve me yourselves, and be persuaded that my blessing is upon my people, and that the generation of the upright shall be blessed.

But see-the certainty of a thing does not supersede the use of the means in attaining it. Why should David pray for it, when God had pledged himself to do it? So some would argue: but it would be the arguing of folly. The Scripture, the wisdom of God, knows nothing of this perversion. No doctrine there leads to enthusiasm. There the means and end are connected. There activity grows out of dependence; and zeal, out of confidence. There God says, after he has promised the thing, "I will yet be enquired of by the House of Israel to do it for them." Yea, we see prayer is not only consistent with the promise, but derived from it. It is this that furnishes the matter of our petitions, and gives us all our encouragements.

Therefore, let us be thankful for the promises. Let us search them out. Let us place them opposite all our wants. Let us plead them, and say, Remember the Word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused him to hope. And, as then we can

ask in faith, so we may pray with confidence: for whatsoever we ask according to his will, we know he heareth us.

MAY 7.-" The Sun of Righteousness shall arise."
Mal. iv. 2.

He is called the Sun of Righteousness, to intimate that he is the same in the righteous world as the orb of day is in the natural. The importance of the latter is acknowledged by all; but the value of the former is infinitely greater: for what are the interests of time and sense, to those of the soul and eternity!

We know there is only one sun in our system: and there is one Mediator between God and man. Neither is there salvation in any other-I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.-The vastness of the sun is surprising: but Jesus is the Lord of all. His greatnses is unsearchable. The beauty and glory of the sun are such, that, in the absence of Revelation, and when creatures were idols, we can scarcely wonder that this illustrious display of Deity should have been adored. But He is fairer than the children of menYea, he is altogether lovely; and all the angels of God are commanded to worship him.-But consider the inestimable usefulness of this luminary! How he enlightens! warms! fructifies! adorns! blesses! What changes does he produce! How he fills the air with songs, and the gardens with fruit and fragrance! How he clothes the woods with foliage, and the meadows with grass! How he fills the valleys with corn, and makes the little hills rejoice on every side; and crowns the year with his goodness!-And this he has always done. The sun that ripened

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Isaac's corn, ripens ours; and, though he has shone for so many ages, he is undiminished, and is as allsufficient as ever. What an image of Him, who is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever! who has always been the source of light, life, relief, and comfort! the hope, the consolation of Israel! the desire of all nations! Truly light is sweet; and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun. But he that seeth the Sun of Righteousness, and believeth on Jesus, hath everlasting life.

The rising of the sun is the finest spectacle in the creation. I fear some never saw it; at least at the most interesting season of the year. What, to them, are a thousand rising suns, to the sublimity of lying late in bed! But when and how does this Sun of Righteousness arise? His coming was announced immediately after the Fall, when God said, the seed of the woman should bruise the Serpent's head. This was the very first beam of the early dawn of that light which was to shine more and more unto the perfect day. His approach obscurely appeared in the types and services of the Ceremonial Law. In the clearer discoveries of the Prophets, the morning was beginning to spread upon the mountains. But to the Jews he was below the horizon: they longed to see his day; and kings and righteous men pressed forward to the brightness of his rising. At length, he actually arose; and when the fulness of time was comeGod sent forth his Son. A messenger from heaven proclaimed him to the shepherds, and said, I bring you glad tidings of great joy. The Saviour is born! Oh! the splendour of that morning!-It brought glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men-GoD WAS MANIFEST IN THE

FLESH.

He rises in the dispensation of the Gospel. Whenever this enters a nation or a village, He is evidently set forth, and the savour of his knowledge

diffused. It is then said to the place, and to the people, Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.

He rises in spiritual illumination. Then he is revealed in us. He is presented to the eye of the soul. He is seen in a new manner, so as to fix and fill the mind, and govern the life.

-He rises in renewed manifestations. For sometimes he hides his face, and we are troubled. Then we anxiously ask, O when wilt Thou come unto me? Then we wait for him more than they that watch for the morning-and when we behold him again, find a brighter day.

He rises in ordinances. What fresh and enlivening views of him have we often in meditation, and prayer; in his own Supper; in reading and hearing his Word!

"Sometimes a light surprises

"The Christian, while he sings; "It is the Lord that rises

"With healing in his wings."

But how will he arise in the irradiations of heaven -in the morning of immortality; making a day, to be sullied with no cloud, and followed with no evening shade! Then their sun shall no more go down

"God shall rise, and, shining o'er you,
"Turn to day the gloomy night;
"He, your God, shall be your glory,
"And your everlasting light."

MAY 8.-"I will look for him."

Is. viii. 17.

THIS is peculiar language. It is the language of none in heaven. There all have found him, and are for ever with the Lord. It is the language of

none in hell. There they are only concerned to escape from his hand, and to elude his eye. It is not the language of any in the WORLD. There they are sufficiently active and eager; but they rise early, and sit up late, and eat the bread of sorrow, to glain some temporal advantage, honour, or pleasure -but none saith, "Where is God my Maker, who giveth songs in the night?" It is not the language of all in the CHURCH. There are some happy souls who know the joyful sound, and walk in the light of God's countenance: in his Name they rejoice all the day, and in his righteousness they are exalted. But there are others, whose desire is to his Name, and to the remembrance of him; whose wish is, "O that I was as in months past, when the candle of the Lord shined upon my soul, and the Almighty was yet with me." These, these are the persons who are saying-and they cannot do better than say—“I will look for him."

It is here supposed that God may hide himself from his people. Indeed it is expressly asserted in the former part of the verse, "I will wait upon the Lord who hideth himself from the house of Israel." Sometimes he does this as to providential dispensations, suffering them to fall into trouble, and for awhile leaving them, as if he had no regard for them, and had forgotten to be gracious. But

Some

now refer to spiritual manifestations. times they are so in the dark, that they are unable to perceive their condition, or enjoy the comforts of the Holy Ghost. God loves them always, and they cannot serve him in vain; but they cannot always see this, as they once did. The sun is as really in his course, in a dark day, as in a bright one, but his face is hid by fogs and clouds: and, says David to his God, "Thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled." For when we are in the dark with regard to him, other things come forth and dismay us-and it is true, morally, as well as physi

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