ing unto Jesus to fulfil them; but human faith can reap no profit from them. Let me suppose you in distressful circumstances, and while musing on them with an anxious heart, you cast a look upon a distant Bible. The book is fetched and opened, and this passage meets your eye, "Call upon me in the day of trouble, I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me" (Psalm 1. 15). Here you view a gracious promise, made by a faithful God, and made without limitation or condition, directed unto every one that reads or hears it, applicable to every time of trouble, and requiring only prayer of faith for deliverance. Yet, sir, it is possible this blessed promise might not even draw a prayer from you; perhaps it gains a little musing, and the book is closed. Or if it should extort a feeble cry, the prayer does not ease your heart, nor fetch deliverance, for want of faith.

You know the word of Jesus, "All things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer," believing, "ye shall receive" (Matt. xxi. 22). But for want of faith, your reasoning heart will ask, "From whence can this deliverance come ?" What is that to you, sir? God keeps the means of deliverance out of sight, on purpose to exercise our faith, but promises to "make a way for our escape," though we can see none (1 Cor. x. 13).

Or perhaps you may surmise, "This promise was not meant for me; I am not worthy of it." Sir, God's promise is not made to compliment your worthiness, but to manifest the riches of his grace in Christ Jesus. Did you mind how the promise runs? It is not said, "Glorify me first, and afterward I will deliver thee;" which would be making man's worthiness a foundation for God's blessings. But he says, "I will deliver thee, and then thou shalt glorify Me."

Faith considers all the promises as freely made to supply our wants, and rests upon the Lord's faithfulness to fulfil them; and when a promise is fulfilled, adores the mercy, and glorifies the Lord for it. In this way, and this only, he gets some

hearty rent of praise. Such free deliverance wins the heart, and binds it to the Lord, and makes obedience cheerful.

I know a man who spends his income yearly, because he has no family; as little as he can upon himself, and the rest upon his neighbours. He keeps no purse against a rainy day, and wants none; Jesus Christ is his banker-and a very able one. Sometimes, by sickness or unforeseen expenses, he gets behind hand, and greatly so. At such times, he does not run about among his earthly friends to seek relief, but falleth on his knees, and calls upon his banker, saying, "Lord, I am in want, and Thou must help me. Here I bring Thy gracious promise; look upon it, Jesus. It says, 'Call upon Me in the time of trouble, I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me.' Lord, I call, and Thou dost hear; I believe, and Thou art faithful ; be it now unto me, according to Thy word." Such prayers, he said, never failed to bring supplies: some, from those who cared for him; and some, from such as did avoid his company. For Jesus Christ has every heart and purse in his own hand; and often makes a raven feed his prophets, or makes the "earth to help the woman," to shew His finger clearly in such deliverance.

Scripture promises are real bank-notes of heaven, and the true riches of believers, who do not live on stock in hand, but traffic with this paper-currency. Where divine faith is found it takes the notes to Christ's bank, and receives the cash. But human faith cannot traffic with this paper; it reads the notes, and owns them good, but dares not take them to the skies for payment. No faith can truly act on God but that which comes from God.

Prayer of faith, exercised with perseverance, surely brings deliverance, if not immediately, yet at a proper season; and till deliverance comes, the "mind is stayed on God, and kept in perfect peace." Faith picks the thorns out of the flesh, and takes the rankling pain away, before the wound is healed.

Farmer.-Truly, doctor, now you make me thoughtful. I begin to see my rusty bonnet, and confess it would fit a friend's head as well as mine. My faith will not produce the precious fruit you have mentioned. It brings no peace, passing all understanding; affords no real victory over the world; and yields no sweet relief in time of trouble. It picks no thorns out of my flesh; it must be counterfeit. My support in trouble arises from my purse, or from my friends, and not from faith. Yet I cannot comprehend how a mere reliance on God's promise can charm away our grief, and set the heart at rest before deliverance comes. This seems a charm indeed!

Physician. So it is, sir, and a most delightful charm; yet not fanciful, but real, having good foundation in our nature. Where divine faith is given, it will act on God, as human faith will act on man, and produce the same effects. A case will make my meaning plain.

I suppose you, as before, fallen in great distress, and a lawyer's letter is received, bringing doleful tidings, that your person will be seized, unless your debts are paid within a month. While the letter is perusing, an old acquaintance calls upon you, sees a gloom upon your face, and asks the cause of it. You put the letter in his hand: he reads, and drops a friendly tear. After some little pause, he says, “Old friend, I have not cash at present by me, but engage to pay your debts before the month is out." Now, sir, if you thought this person was not able to discharge your debts, or not to be relied on, because his mind was fickle, his promise would bring no relief, because it gains no credit. You have no faith in him. But if you knew the man was able, and might be trusted, his promise would relieve you instantly. A firm reliance on his word would take away your burden, and set your mind at ease, before the debt was paid.

Well, sir, if a firm reliance on the word of man has this sweet influence on the heart, a firm reliance on the word of

God will have the same. deserveth as much credit able to perform, and as faithful to fulfil His promise, as your neighbour. "No one ever trusted in Him, and was confounded." And where the "mind is stayed on God, it will be kept in perfect peace," before deliverance comes. Such may

Why should it not? God's word surely as the word of man. He is

say, with David, "God is our refuge, therefore we will not fear, though the earth be removed, and the mountains carried into the midst of the sea" (Psalm xlvi. 1-2). Or with Habakkuk, "Though the fig-tree should not blossom, nor fruit be in the vine; though the olive too should fail, and the fields yield no meat; though the flock be cut off from the fold, and no herd be found in the stalls, yet will I rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation." The prop of God's faithful word cannot break; and a human heart, resting firmly on it, never can sink. And men might learn to feel their unbelief from want of this support in trouble. The prop stands ready on the king's high-road, to support all weary passengers; but they have not faith to lean upon it, else they would find

rest.

In speculation, it seems as easy to trust a faithful God as trust an upright man; but in practice, it is found otherwise. When trials come, men cannot trust a faithful God without divine assistance; so trust Him as to cast their burden on Him, and obtain His perfect peace. Here the charm of faith ceaseth, because there is no faith to charm.

WILLIAM ROMAINE.

Gospel Obedience.

Put

Consider, O my soul, those motives to an holy walk. them all together; weigh them carefully again and again; do it faithfully, as in the presence of God; and then try whether thou art walking in the way of duty with a free spirit. Dost

thou proceed upon evangelical or upon legal principles? Dost thou serve God for wages or for love? Examine thy heart. God looks chiefly at it. How is it in duty? Is thine obedience to justify thee in the least, or does it spring from thy sense of being justified freely and fully? Art thou going about to establish thine own righteousness, or dost thou submit to the righteousness of God? Art thou working from life, or for life? I require thee to examine diligently, by the light of the Word, and by the teaching of the Holy Spirit, what thy motives are; for there is no acceptable obedience but what is done in faith. Whatsover is not of faith, is sin. If thou art acting aright, the love of Christ is constraining thee to obedience. Thou art living under the influence of free grace. Thy conscience is at peace with God. Thou hast sweet liberty to serve Him without fear. Thy heart delights in His service, and love makes His ways the joy of thy soul. Thou knowest what Jacob felt when he served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed 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. 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 grace, and the believer receives it 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