I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified. 1 Cor. ii. 2. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, a good understanding have all they that do his commandments; his praise endureth for ever. Ps. cxi. 10. The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated; full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. JAMES iii. 17. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth. 1 COR. viii. 1.

CHRIST crucified, and he alone, is the power

and wisdom of GOD; him all Christians, and especially divines, should make their particular practice to study well. Were our faith built on human wisdom, then surely carnal philosophers would be the greatest believers; whereas they are sometimes the worst infidels, or, at best, the most silly and faithless people in times of distress. And besides, their being puffed up is another evidence that they have not the true wisdom; for the wisdom from above is only with the lowly and babes, who pray for it earnestly. Prov. xi. 2; Matt. xi. 25. What would all knowledge avail us then, without the knowledge of CHRIST. One spark of pure love yields more power than all the stores of empty human learning. May the LORD JESUS shed his love abroad in my heart, as, whatever others may do, him have I determined only to know, and him have I determined only serve; his love to the cross I account for my greatest wisdom and glory.

to

They that would grow divinely wise,
Must with his fear begin;

Our fairest proof of knowledge lies
In hating every sin.

Christian's Prayer.—I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. GEN. xxxii. 26. Forsake me not, O Lord, O my God. PSALM Xxxviii. 21. Divine Answers.-Behold I am with thee, and I will keep thee in all places whither thou goest; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. GEN. xxviii. 15. I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. ExOD. xxxiii. 12. I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. HEB. xiii. 5.

OD will have me to be faithful; and should

GOD

not he be so himself? Am I to trust in his word? then, surely, he will not forsake me, but be as good as his word. Heaven and earth must pass away, but his word will not: he is ever faithful. If I do not believe this, I think blasphemously of GOD, and can have no help or comfort from his word; but if I truly believe him to be faithful, I believe enough. This is what he only desires, and if I really do, my faith will not be moved even in the hottest trials; the word will hold me up, though I receive it even in weakness. But my faith must be attended with continual prayer. Begin, my tongue, some heavenly theme,

And speak some boundless thing;
The mighty works, or mightier name,
Of our eternal King.

Tell of his wondrous faithfulness,

And sound his power abroad;
Sing the sweet promise of his grace,
And the performing GOD.

Proclaim salvation from the LORD

For wretched dying men ;
His hand has writ the sacred word
With an immortal pen.

Engraved, as in eternal brass,

The mighty promise shines,

Nor can the powers of darkness rase
Those everlasting lines.

I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. Matt. xii. 36. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good, to the use of edifying, &c. EPH. iv. 29. See also Chap. v. 4.

HERE all corrupt communication, jesting, foolish talking, or whatever is not convenient and good to the use of edifying, is plainly forbidden. But who truly believes the report and the truth of these awful words! Surely the world does not believe them at all. This is quite plain, from that very common and shocking practice of judging, lying, swearing, jesting, and talking all manner of filthiness; yea, even religious people very often do not believe and consider them enough. How many heedless, slanderous, idle, and unprofitable words are sometimes spoken by these! Be therefore careful, O my reader, to weigh every word, and to make light of none; for such will increase thine account. Whenever we are going to speak, let the question be first, Is it needful to speak? does it tend to the glory of God? will it profit me or others? O LORD, grant that never an idle word may drop from my lips. Whenever I am to converse with others, give me grace first to converse with thee by secret prayer. In all companies let thy presence be before mine eyes, always looking upon thee as the chief person in the place, and receiving direction when and what am to speak. May thy good Spirit always teach me, and sanctify all my thoughts and words.

I

And must I give a strict account

Of every idle word?

Then set a watch upon my lips,

And guard my tongue, O Lord.

Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called. 1 COR. vii. 20.

M

OST of the employments of life are in their own nature lawful; and all those that are so may be made a substantial part of our duty to GOD, if we engage in them only so far, and for such ends as are suitable for beings who are to live above the world. This is the only measure of our application to any worldly business; it must have no more of our hands, our hearts, or our time, than is consistent with a hearty, daily, careful preparation of ourselves for another life. For since all true Christians have renounced this world to prepare themselves, by daily devotion and universal holiness, for an eternal state of quite another nature, they must look upon worldly employments as upon worldly wants and bodily infirmities; things not to be desired, only to be endured and suffered, till death and the resurrection have carried us to an eternal state of real happiness. A person's being called into the kingdom of grace, is not designed to make void the duties that arise from his peculiar calling situation in life, but to enforce the practice of them in such a way as may be most to the glory of GOD. He, therefore, that does not consider the things of this life as of little moment, or even nothing, in comparison of the things that are eternal, cannot be said either to feel or believe the greatest truths of Christianity.

LORD, save me from my calling's snare,
From fraud and from the love of gain;
My hand be filled with worldly care,
But all my heart with thee remain.
In honour of thy glorious name
Let all my worldly deeds be done;
And may the thoughts be to the same,
Of all who dwell beneath the sun.

And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down; and the haughtiness of man shall be made low; and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. ISAIAH ii. 17. I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and I will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. Isa. xiii. 11. The Lord God omnipotent reigneth. REV. xix. 6.

"PRIDE was not made for man,” says the son of Sirac; "and the proud in heart are an abomination to the LORD;" and yet what is more common than pride and self-righteousness among the fallen children of Adam? So deeply are they ingrafted in our corrupt natures, that nothing short of Almighty grace can root them up. It is the great design and effect of the blessed. Gospel, wherever it is applied to the heart by the Spirit of GOD, to mortify this cursed temper. In that day the haughtiness of man, his self-will which he set up in opposition to the will of God, shall be brought down; and his self-righteousness, by which he thought to recommend himself to the favour of GOD, shall be made low; and CHRIST and his righteousness alone shall be exalted.

Hath this precious, promise ever been fulfilled in thy experience, O my soul? Is the will of GOD thy rule? is the righteousness of CHRIST thy hope? and is the language of thy heart and life, "Let God in all things be exalted in me, and by me, through CHRIST JESUS?" Without this, O my soul, thy profession is vain, thy faith is also vain, and thou art yet in thy sins. Grant, O LORD, that I may be humble in heart and soul.

Lord, lay my legal spirit low,

And every lofty look subdue;
Bid all my heart to JESUS bow,
Exalt, and love, and trust him too.