ENDEAVOURING TO KEEP THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT IN THE BOND
OF PEACE.-Eph. iv. 3.

HOWEVER numerous may be thy fears, poor depressed reader, canst thou not adopt this language? If so, we tell thee for thy comfort, that though thou art disposed to regard it as the prayer of very weak faith-if of any faith at all-it is in one sense the cry of strong faith. It is faith's expression of confidence though not of appropriation; it is the faith of ability though not of willingness; it springs from a faith which honours thy blessed Lord and Master, though it at present brings no comfort to thy poor sin-burdened, doubting soul. But this it shall surely bring in the Lord's own good time, for the one is the stepping-stone to the other. The desire and the cry of faith are as much from the Lord, and the work of his own Spirit in the heart, as the assurance of faith. Of this thou wouldst be more sensible wert No. XI. Vol. I.-New Series. 20

thou in the position of some of thy poor brethren, who are so shut up in hardness of heart and a seemingly total indifference to the things of God and to their own souls' peace and welfare, that if you would give them ten thousand worlds, they cannot adopt thy present language so as to express it from their hearts. Poor souls! we feel for such; we know what it is to be apparently given up to such coldness, deadness, and awful rebellion, as secretly to exclaim, "Well, damned or saved, we care not; he is only trifling with us-wearying us-and has no design or intention of mercy towards us." A soul under these fearful exercises cannot exclaim, " Say unto my soul, I am thy salvation." He would give the world if he could do so; and envies such, and sees clearly how safely they are under divine guidance and teaching, who can make use of such language. He then sees that it is not the product of poor fallen nature, but the cry of the new man of the heart; and he looks back to those seasons in his own experience when he could thus wrestle, and, notwithstanding all his present rebellion, there is a secret cry at the bottom, "Oh! that it was with me as in days and months that are past." Does one of our readers happen to be in this spot? Ah! dear soul, it is well with thee. 'What now, when I expect some heavy judgment or destruction momentarily to fall upon me? Such are my awful exercises, that I tremble from my inmost soul, fearing that the Almighty will strike me dead for my impiety and rebellion; and yet say you, it is well?" Yes, indeed we do; thou lovest him from the very bottom of thy heart; and though thou now seemest nothing but a putrid mass of sin and rebellion, only fit fuel for the bottomless pit, thou wouldst sooner die a thousand deaths than dishonour him. Such expressions may stagger thee, and cause thee to question and to doubt; but they are nevertheless true. These exer

cises are the exercises of the Lord's family; they are to be met with in the experience of nearly every Bible saint, though under thy present feelings thou art disposed to think it presumption to look for such waywardness in the Bible as that thou art the subject of. One look-one soft word from Jesus, will make all matters straight with thee, poor soul; and if thou canst not sigh, nor cry, nor groan-all of which thou art continually doing, though thou heedest it not-we say unto thee wait, wait until Jesus returns ; make no rash resolve; come to no hasty conclusions. Jesus is still thy Lord; and though thou art unfaithful to him, he has been, still is, and ever will be, faithful unto thee. He will return unto thee, and give thee another song of triumph, gratitude, and praise; and when he does return, and again causes his most glorious voice to be heard in thy poor sin-affrighted, devil-hunted soul, the sound thereof shall frighten every devil back to hell, there to await another opportunity to worry and torment thee; for

"He worries whom he can't devour,

With a malicious joy."

But let us endeavour to enter a little into the words before us, unto my soul, I am thy salvation."

Now, first, here is personality; and religion is indeed a personal

thing. The psalmist does not here supplicate in behalf of his neighbour, his friend, or even his nearest kin; but it is for himself—" Say unto my soul." From the moment the Holy Ghost begins his work in a man's heart, he makes that work a personal work; he implants a new principle of grace-and does not as some, nay most, say, work upon the old nature, and patch up and repair that which can never be made better until the period to which the apostle refers in the fifteenth chapter of the first of the Corinthians, when this natural body, which is sown in corruption, dishonour, and weakness, shall be raised a spiritual body, in incorruption, glory, and power. Oh, blessed day! Who cannot but long for it? Surely there can be no sin in a captive desiring liberty-in an exile wishing to get home to his Father's house! Reader, turn to the chapter referred to, and, as thou readest, see if there be not a holy longing kindled in thy heart, which is the sure earnest and pledge of thy personal interest in the glorious transactions therein recorded.

Secondly, the language of the text is that of confidence; "Say unto my soul, I—I am thy salvation." It bespeaks the utmost sense of the power of Jesus to perform all that the soul can possibly require to be performed-yea, that the salvation which he has wrought out, is a finished, a complete salvation.

Thirdly, it is confiding in the truth and veracity of Jesus; and this also gives honour to him—" Say," only say that thou art my salvation. The same soul could readily add, "If thou art pleased thus to speak to my trembling doubting soul, I can depend upon thee for the truth of it. I know that thou wilt be faithful in the accomplishment of it; I am sure that thou canst not deny thyself, nor prove worse than thy word. Only say, thou art my salvation."

Fourthly, let us consider a little what is included in this word salvation-rescuing or saving from.

First, it is a salvation from the condemning powers of a broken law; for says the apostle, in the eighth chapter of his epistle to the Romans, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus." Consider a soul out of Christ, and to that soul our God becomes a "consuming fire." The thunderings of Sinai peal in terrific majesty over his unsheltered head, and threaten every moment to crush him under their power. But view that soul as based upon the Rock of Ages, and taking shelter in that tower into which "the righteous runneth and are safe;" and you behold him secure from the accusations of divine justice, the condemnation of the law, or the successful assaults of death, hell, or sin. The man is safe, eternally secure; for Jesus, his divine surety, who has honoured the law, satisfied the claims of divine justice, overcome death, and vanquished the powers of hell, has espoused his cause, taken him in hand, and, according to his eternal purpose, become his everlasting salvation. Oh, blessed! blessed Immanuel! what a revenue of praise shall, through an endless eternity, redound to thee, from the grateful songs of ten thousand times ten thousand tongues!