confidered, wholly as the happy effect of thy merciful, governing providence. Left to myself, inconfiderate and hardened in fin, without the bleffing of these gracious means, I fhould have perifhed forever in my fins.-How ftrange it is, continued Rofetta, that I have lived fo long in the ty. It was the conference meetings in the neighborhood, which firft awakened my attention to the foul-humbling doctrines of religion. I feel that I have great reafon to blefs God, for the appointment of them. I cannot but hope, they were bleffed by him, as the means of bringing me out of the darkness of my former hard-world, and never have had any ened state into the marvellous light proper fenfe of the evil of fin, or of his gracious kingdom.-Well, of the glory of God, till the late then, replied the clergyman, you revival of religion among us! I fee, from this courfe of provi- frequently think of it with aftondence, how evident God has made ifhment. How blind I have been it appear that the kingdom of the to all that is beautiful and gloriwhole world is his. In this, you ous! How deaf to the voice of fee, how all these things have ta- the charmer, who fo affectionately ken place, and worked together proclaimed love and good will to for your fpiritual good according the fouls of perifhing finners! to his ordering and purpose; and How infenfible of the all-fubduto all appearanoc, among other ing power, fweetnefs and glory of things, for the exprefs end of ma- divine grace!-Oh, how powerking you an heir of his gracious ful is the work of God! I fhall kingdom. Had not God ordain- never forget the memorable time, ed these things-had he not pur- when God impreffed upon my pofed, in this way, to convince heart fuch a deep fenfe of the you of fin, and bring you to re- greatness of my fins, and of his pentance, would you not have still dreadful wrath, as revealed from lived and died in your fins? What heaven againft all ungodlinefs. makes all these things, when laid How like a criminal I then felt. together, appear fo wonderful to Guilty, felf-condemned, my mouth you is, because it has been from was stopped, and I had nothing first to laft the planning and gov- to fay for myself. Language can erning providence of God, and but feebly defcribe the anguifh of not a scheme of your own con- my foul, till, at length, my mind certing. Your ways and your was in the moft furprising mantho'ts were different, and would ner brought to fubmit to God; have ftill remained fo, had not an and fuddenly impreiled with a deholy God mercifully appeared in lightful view of his great goodness drawing your attention to the and forgiving mercy, through the great things of his kingdom. Lord Jefus. And then, how When, therefore, you put the memorable the change! Then, queftion to your own heart, How my mind was filled with inexprefis it to be accounted for, that I fible joy and rejoicing in God. have been brought to fuch an Then, I feemed to be in a new humbling fenfe of my fins, and to world, fo different did every thing fuch a fweet enjoyment of God? appear, as flowing from the goodThis is the proper anfwer, "For nefs of God. O! How could I thine is the kingdom," O my fin as I have done against a God of God. My change of life is to be fuch infininite goodness! O! How vile I felt before God, as a finner dreadfully guilty, and unworthy of his notice! And yet, I felt unfpeakably happy in praifing him, as an holy and righteous God. The forrows of repentance were fweetly mingled in the cup of the most refreshing joys. When I think of all these things, and the fweet enjoyment I have fince found in waiting upon God in the private and public duties of religion, I cannot but think it ftrange, that I should have spent fo many years of my life, in a lamentable forgetfulness of God, infenfible of the great evil of fin, and a ftranger to the refreshing joys of religion.In all this, replied the clergyman, we may learn the greatnefs of divine power in the regeneration of the finner. "For thine is the kingdom, and the power." It is the power of God which delivers his chofen ones not only from penal evil; but from the fad corruption of moral evil. He redeems from captivity, breaks open the prifon doors, and anoints with the oil of joy, the humble mourners in Zion. He not only hath a kingdom to bestow; but power to bestow it upon whom he will, in fuch a divine manner, as to make the happy fubject cordially willing to receive it, and as readily to acknowledge the everlafting debt of gratitude, which is due, in return. After admitting the depravity of your own heart and your paft inattention to the duties of religion, the grand reafon why you never, before, had any proper fenfe of the great evil of fin, nor any knowledge of the foulrefreshing joys of religion is, becaufe, till then, God never fet his word home upon your heart with power. That was to you the happy day of his power. It was then that he hopefully gave you power to become a child of God. As it is written, "As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the fons of God, even to them that believe on his name, which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man but of God."-When God opened your eyes to fee the greatnefs of his power and glorious majefty, how was you ftruck dumb before him! How did you tremble, at the thought of the great day of his wrath -And when you felt the ftroke of the almighty power of his grace, like the hammer breaking the hard rock in pieces, how fweetly did your heart yield in the humbleft fubmiffion before him! It was this divine change, which firft gave you a true fenfe of the loathfome evil of fin, and which laid a foundation in your foul for fuch ineffable and eternal joy in God. You are, therefore, wholly indebted to the mighty power of God, for this deliverance from the darkness of fin, and for all your rejoicing in the pure and foul-refreshing light of the gofpel. How ftrange it is! faid Rofetta, in the moft humble and unaffected manner, more than two years after obtaining a hope of having experienced regeneration, that I have lived fo long, in fuch an high enjoyment of the prefence of God and the fweet confolations of religion. While I feel my own imperfections, and my continual need of divine help to preferve me from innumerable fins, I cannot be fufficiently thankful for the manner, in which I have hitherto been permitted to enjoy the light of God's countenance, and to reap continual pleasure in the fruitful fields of his holy king dom. I can truly fay, I do not feel any wearinefs in public wor fhip, nor in any of the other duties of religion. Many people, once faid, wait a little while, and all this engagednefs in religion will be at an end. O! How little did they know of the power of religion! What strangers were they to its ever refreshing joys! If I know my own heart, I ftill hunger and thirft after righteoufnefs. I ftill love the gofpel and ordinances of Chrift, and have the fame carneft defire, on the fabbath, to wait upon God in his houfe, for divine inftruction, as I then had. I seem to enjoy the happy feelings of David, where, he fays, "The Lord is my light, and my falvation; whom fhall I fear? The Lord is the ftrength of my life, of whom fhall I be afraid? One thing have I defired of the Lord, that will I feek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord, all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple." When I reflect upon my unworthinefs,-what I am and what I have been I feel wholundeferving of fuch great mercies. I cannot be fufficiently thankful for them. I feel my indebtednefs to the grace of God for all my fpiritual enjoyments.-Right, replied the clergyman. Man, left to himfelf, has nothing to glory in. What is man, that he fhould be clean, who drinketh iniquity like water? Behold, God putteth no trust in his faints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his fight. Were all the Chriftian's light, and comfort, and fpiritual rejoicing wholly dependent on the perfection of his obedience, as the meritorious caufe, miferable indeed, would he be in this life. How imperfect are our beft fervices! How many things have we done which we ought not to have done! How little, of what might have been done, have we done towards building up God's kingdom in the world! It will, therefore, always be a matter of admiration to every real Chriftian, when he seriously thinks of his own vilenefs and imperfection in holiness, to realize the daily mercies of God to his foul. The more careful he is to fearch the fcriptures, and to examine his own heart, in the matter, the more deeply will he be humbled before God-the more will he be convinced of his own unworthinefs, and that all the glory of his falvation from first to last belongs to God. This view of things prepares a fallen creature understandingly and feelingly to make use of thefe very instructive expreffions, in the prayer enjoined by our Lord, "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever ;" and to give his hearty confent to them, by faying, "Amen." So be it. Now, I feel and know this to be true by experience. Not only the kingdom, and the power, but the glory too is forever the Lord's, according to the fong of the pious pfalmift, "Ye that fear the Lord, truft in the Lord: he is their help and their fhield. He will blefs them that fear the Lord, both fmall and great. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's fake." ZEPHO. Reflections on Job xiii. 15. "Though he flay me, yet will I trust in him but I will maintain mine own ways before him." weaknefs and imperfec For, how many are our failings: Ttion of even eminent faints, in this ftate of trial, are visible in this venerable character. If in times of tribulation, any are ready to conclude there has been no forrow like their forrow, let them read attentively this book; which alfo vindicates the ways of God to man, in his moft rigorous dealings with us. Job's cafe was very fingular; the Lord had laid his hand heavy upon all he poffeffed. His earthly fubftance and children were taken away with a stroke. His own perfon was grievously afflicted-among his friends he had no comforter, not even the wife of his bofom. His three pretended friends infifted that the peculiar dealings of an holy God with Job, were an evidence of hypocrify; and that he did not deal thus with his own children. This was the point of difcuffion between Job and his friends. Verfe preceding, "Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in mine hand? If in this life of probation, God afflictcth none fo greatly but the wicked, why is it thus with me? You would drive me to defperation; but why fhould I do thus? I have no warrant or reason to conclude as you fuggeft, or to defpair of the mercy of God." The text for confideration follows; 66 Though he flay me, yet will I truft in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him." There are two diftinct thoughts in this text, which, at first view, may feem to be contradictory; but if carefully examined and compared, may be reconciled, as the confiftent language of a child of God, greatly tried, but not wholly forfaken. "He is God will I truft in him. The fecond thought in the text is, but I will maintain mine crun ways before him. The word tranf lated maintain, might be rendered, refor, or expoftulate; which I conceive to be the true import. The fenfe then will be, "Tho' I will truft in him, living and dying, yet, with humble fubmiffion, will I, in prayer, expoftulate with God. To his tribunal do I appeal, making full and free confeífion of the whole courfe of my life; what I have done amifs, Í will freely confefs, and make fupplication to my judge for pardon. Were I confcious to myself that I am only an hypocrite, as my friends infinuate, I could not with freedom and confidence come near and plead with God. But he is my trust and falvation, and will appear for me; if not in this life, yet in another." This fenfe is The first part of the text is juftified by the following context. highly expreffive of a right fpirit;"He alfo fhall be my falvation a fpirit of love to God, confidence in him, and of unreferved fubmiffion to him: Tho' he flay me, yet VOL. III. No. 2. K for an hypocrite fhall not come before him." verfes 21 to 23. "Withdraw thine hand far from me; and let not thy dread make | at all times our indifpenfible du me afraid, then call thou, and I time, fome are ready to fay, " O, ty, even in times of the greatest trials. In no cafe in which we can ever be in this state, with the free exercise of reason, may we be excufed from the prevailing exercife of thefe graces. Surely a fpirit of real piety will thus dictate. The expreffion, tho' he flay me, yet will I truft in him, implies that we freely continue in our entire confidence in God, and walk with him, although it cost all that is dear to us from the world, and even life itself. Heb. xi. 35. "Not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better refurrection." The foul depends on God for the faithful performance of the divine promises, when all the avenues leading to it appear to be clofed up. Rom. iv. 18. "Who against hope, believed in hope." Thus Abraham fojourned in a strange land; and offered up his fon Ifaac, the heir of the promifes, believing him to be faithful who had promifed. Under the governing influence of this grace, the foul rejoices in God, under all trials, living and dying; leaving all with him, with this precious confolation, if it had no other, that God in all things will be glorified.. Surely, to them who love and confide in a holy and faithful God, it is a confolation that he governs the world-that he will do right will bring good out of evilclouds and darkness may be round about him, yet juftice and judg ment are the habitation of his throne. The end is fecure from the beginning, and fhall be glorious. Is not the glory of God incomparably the best end? Should it not be uniformly our highest end, and chief aim? Who can fo well determine how this great end Such a trust and fubmiffion are fhall be in the best manner answer |