more easy than to say that we trust in Christ, and cast the burden of our sins upon Him; and, rejecting our own righteousness, look to Him only for salvation. And the words may come so readily, that we may have no difficulty in persuading ourselves that we have embraced the right doctrine, and that, therefore, our souls are safe. Or we may, under the influence of some sudden impulse or overpowering conviction of our sinfulness in God's sight, grow frightened at the thought of being in any way responsible for our salvation, and turn with thankfulness to the promise, that if we will commit ourselves to Christ, the responsibility will be taken from us. But the formal words, as being mere words, can give no rest to the conscience; and the feeling which has been suddenly awakened may as suddenly pass, and leave us as we were before. The faith which commends itself to God, and finds rest, is faith in the midst of conflict; which does not escape from the struggle with sin, but is exercised in the fiercest hour of battle. The keener, the more constant, are our efforts after holiness, the deeper will be our sense of the rest of faith. We commend our souls to God, because we find that we have no power to guard them ourselves. That is a truth which we can never learn, until it has been taught us by the warfare against the evil in our hearts; but when it is learnt, the battle which we are waging will no longer oppress us. True, the fight must continue unceasingly on this side the grave; but one thought,—that Christ

is guarding us, that we are safe because we pray Him to keep us so ;-and let the trial be what it will, we shall have peace. We may struggle, but when the struggle is over, we shall turn aside from the painful recollection of the weakness we have shown, and, commending our souls to Christ, feel that, whatever may be the infirmity of our purpose, in Christ's keeping we are secure. Even after defeat there is the same comfort, though it may not be found with the same ease. To be defeated implies, at least, that we have in some degree fought; and with this one condition, we can never seek without finding that which we long for. For labour and struggle are essential to the very perception of rest; and as the necessity of faith can only be taught by the experience of our own sinfulness, so as the struggle against evil grows stronger, the power as well as the need of the rest of faith becomes greater.

What words that were ever spoken give so deep, so abiding a sense of security and repose as those of our most Blessed Redeemer, uttered in His last conflict with Satan and with Death? From that overpowering anguish His Spirit turned to His Almighty Father; and when He had commended His soul to Him, He entered upon rest for ever. So may it be, also, even now with ourselves, under the anguish of a reproachful conscience, or the heart-sickening dread of failure. The words, "Into Thy hands I commend My spirit," may at such seasons recur, to tell of love

which cannot fail, and confidence which can never be disappointed; and when the last conflict comes to us, as it did to our Redeemer, we may once more commend our souls to God, to find rest at lengthnot in faith, but in the enjoyment of Love for

ever.

303

TRUE AND FALSE CONSISTENCY.

ST. LUKE, Xxii. 47.

'Now when the centurion saw what was done, He glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man."

THE characteristics of the Roman Centurions, mentioned in the New Testament, are remarkable.* Raised, probably, to their position of authority, on account of well-tried fidelity; they appear to have possessed a peculiar simplicity and integrity of character, which rendered them well-fitted for the reception of the Gospel. Having honestly acted up to the light which they had already received, more was mercifully vouchsafed them. This, which is the general law of God's dealings with man, is, after all, the great secret of improvement:—to have no wilfully indulged bias, whether of feeling or of principle; when we see our path of duty, to follow it in simplicity; and when we do not see it, to pray earnestly that we may be enabled to do so; and above all, to search our hearts, with a true desire to discover whether it is any secret sin or hidden inclination which causes our perplexity.

But how few possess this integrity of heart!

* Blunt's Scriptural Coincidences.

How extremely difficult it is to be thus honest with ourselves; and how rare to find the same honesty in others! One cause of this doubleness of character may be traced to the false estimate which is formed of what is commonly called consistency. Persons who profess high principle, and desire to be outwardly consistent, know that a certain line of conduct is expected of them; it is, therefore, their wish and interest to see things as they have always seen them; to act as they have always acted; and upon this follows the temptation, when other views of duty are suggested, to turn away from them without examining their claims. Now the Roman Centurion was, in a certain degree, inconsistent. He publicly owned the innocence of Him, over whose punishment he had just presided; and laid himself open to the charge of favouring the enemy of his Government, and of bringing, indirectly, an accusation of injustice against the ruler whose sentence he had carried out. And he was

not called upon to bear his testimony to the innocence of Christ; it was too late to save Him; and to own it was but to thrust himself into danger. But the Centurion was evidently what we are accus. tomed to express by the term, "honest-minded." What was before his eyes he saw, and what he saw he acknowledged; and though such a characteristic may not at once strike us as very valuable, or very difficult to cultivate, we should learn deep lessons of wisdom if we were to set ourselves heartily to attain it.