It is the language of a Jew. Though the Jews lived under a dispensation abounding with carnal ordinances, some of them were far from being carnal men. Many of the promises addressed to them regarded the life that now is, and they had an obscurer revelation of a future state than we. Our Saviour tells his disciples that many prophets and kings had desired to see the things which they saw, and did not see them; and Paul says that life and immortality were brought to light through the Gospel. But this is to be taken comparatively, and not absolutely. In Judah was God known; his name was great in Israel. Jacob said, "I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord; but what salvation could he look for in death, unless a salvation beyond the grave. Moses "had respect unto the recompence of the reward." And David said, "As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness."

The source from which he derived his prospect of blessedness was God, in whose presence there is fulness of joy. If we do not make him the strength of our heart, and our portion forever, we may seek happiness, but we shall never find it. Had a capacity to make us happy been placed in any creature, we should have been necessarily attached to idolatry, by the very law of our being.

The beholding of God's face signifies two things. First, the enjoyment of his favour. In the Scripture, to seek his favour is to seek his face and for God to make his face to shine upon us, is to be gracious unto us. Hence, says David, "there be many that say, Who will shew me any good? Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us." What can equal the expression of his love? In his favour is life. Secondly, Intimate communion with him. David was so far reconciled to Absalom as to allow of his return to Jerusalem; but he said, "Let him turn to his own house, and let him not see my face. So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, and saw not the king's face." Angels are represented as "always beholding the face of our heavenly Father." And thus it is said of the glorified saints, "They shall serve him, and they shall see his face." That is, they shall enjoy the most perfect acquaintance and intimacy with him.

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Of this beatifical vision we know very little, and very we know till the voice cries, "Come and see." But one thing we know-It is the way in which the blessedness will be realized: "I shall behold thy face in righteousness." Righteousness is not a casual or usual concomitant of the privilege, but an essential requisite to it. It is indispensable in two respects-as to merit or titleand as to meetness or preparation. The former is derived from the righteousness of another, in which Paul wished to be found, and which he calls the righteousness of God by faith; and which is for all and upon all them that believe. The latter is from a righteousness of our own; by which we mean, not that it is ours derivatively, but subjectively, being wrought in us by the influence of the Holy Spirit. The one is the righteousness of justification, the other the righteousness of sanctification: the one is a relative change, or the change of our state; the other a personal change, or the change of our nature. They are very distinguishable from each other, but they are always united, and they are equally necessary. A title to a thing is not a meetness for it: but the Apostle blesses God who

had made them meet for the inheritance of the saints in light. That can never make us happy which is not adapted to our disposition. We cannot even hope for an object unless we value it and desire it: but our wishes follow our convictions and our feelings. No one longs for the heaven of a Christian but he who is renewed in the spirit of his mind; and he alone is capable of enjoying it-Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Therefore the decision is, Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God: without holiness no man shall see the Lord. And the subjects of Divine grace do not feel this a hardship: they do not groan. What a sad thing it is that we cannot go to heaven unless we are sanctified: they love sanctification, and pray to be delivered from all their iniquities. Suppose a man had the promise of an estate, and was assured he should be put in possession of it as soon as ever he was recovered from sickness, would he, while - suffering the effects of his vile and painful disease, say, How lamentable it is that I cannot be put into the enjoyinent of my estate till 1 am well. He would feel that he could not enjoy it while the malady continued; and would long for his health, even for its own sake, if no inheritance followed the invaluable blessing itself.

OCTOBER 2.-" And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's Bon!"-Luke iv. 21, 22.

This is all we have of his wonderful sermon at Nazareth. And who can fill up the outline? But while we want the matchlessness of his own exemplification, we have the text, and are able to discern something of the truth and force of the words in their bearing on him who spake as never man spake-" And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”

It is useless to inquire, because it is impossible to determine, whether this scripture was one of the appointed lessons for the day, or whether he chose it purposely for the occasion, or whether it was the first passage that presented itself to his eye when he unfolded the roll. The latter would seem probable; yet, were this to be conceded, we must remember that he did nothing casually; accidental circumstances subserved his pleasure and were parts of his plan. But he asserts his qualification for his work and the design of his office. His mission was all mercy. He came not to condemn the world, but to seek and to save that which was lost. The statement more than implies the fallen perishing condition of mankind. The truth of the humiliating fact is the dark ground on which alone the glory of the Gospel can be displayed to advantage. If we deny it, the Gospel has nothing to do with us, and we shall have little to do

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with the Gospel. But happy are they, however painful the conviction, who feel that they are in the state of wretchedness which the Gospel is intended to relieve. To them it will be indeed glad tidings. They will see that it is every way suitable to their woes and wants, and entirely adequate to their relief.

Draw near, and lay open your complaints. Are you poor ?" Envy not those who have an abundance of this world's goods. Let not your privations induce you to murmur or despair. You may be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. The poor have the Gospel preached unto them and if you receive the message, it will bless your bread and your water; it will turn your humble dwelling into a heavenly palace; it will fill you with all the fulness of God-"He hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor."

Are you "broken-hearted ?" pressed down, crushed with fear and sorrow, arising from a sense of sin and guilt? A wounded spirit who can bear? But he healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up all their wounds. In other cases people are said to die of a broken heart; but here they will only die of a whole one. He is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit-"He hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted."

Are you enslaved? There is no bondage like the bondage of corruption: no vassalage like the slavery of the soul under the dominion of sin, and when taken captive by the devil at his will. Have you felt the degradation and misery, and do you sigh for deliverance? Turn, ye prisoners of hope, to him who can make you free indeed-He is sent "to preach deliverance to the captives." Are you "blind" as well as bound? This was the case with Sampson and Zedekiah; their oppressors having put out their eyes. We have known persons deprived of bodily sight who were able to see clearly the things of God: but multitudes who have corporeal vision are alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart. They see no beauty nor comeliness in him who is fairer than the children of men. But he can open the eyes of the understanding, and make us wise unto salvation-He is sent "for the recovering of sight to the blind."

Are you not only bound, and blind, but "bruised?" Here is no tautology or excess-every word adds to the picture. Joseph's "feet were hurt with fetters; he was laid in irons." The magistrates commanded Paul and Silas to be "beaten ;" and they were not only cast into prison, but "had many stripes laid upon them." Who can describe the injuries and sufferings of sinners! But he "sets at liberty them that are bruised."

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Or are you in the condition of any or of all those among the Jews who were compassionated by the Jubilee, which returned every fiftieth year; when silver trumpets proclaimed through the land, ye servants, you are now free from your masters. Ye debtors, you are now discharged from your creditors. Ye forfeiters of your estates, you have now your inheritances restored ?” How would such an announcement be longed for-how acceptable" would such a season prove to all who were to be relieved and enriched ? "Blessed are the people that know the joyful sound"-He preaches

"the acceptable year of the Lord." The whole continuance of this dispensation, however, is only a year-and each of you has only a day of it-"Behold now is the accepted time; Behold now is the day of salvation."

What effect has this discourse upon the audience? They were struck with admiration. But it is feared with nothing else" all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son?" They seem not firmly to have believed his declarations, or seriously to have considered his doctrine, or to have received the love of the truth, that they might be saved. If they had convictions they were ineffectual ones; or if their feelings were excited they were overpowered by their vain and worldly prejudices and passions: and therefore they begin cavilling, not indeed at his teaching, but at the meanness of his extraction. "Have we not lately seen him labouring like one of us? Are we to bow to his authority ?"

"Lord, what is man!" How are the best means and opportunities rendered useless! Is it strange if modern ministers should complain of the want of acceptance and success, when even he could say, "I have spent my strength in vain ?"

Yet we sometimes hope, though outnumbered by a vile majority whose astonishment soon issued in malignity, a few admired from other and better principles, and were ready to lift up their voice and cry, "Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked." So must it be with us, if we would not "wonder and perish." How glorious his person! how divine his condescension! How full of grace and truth! We must love him. We must confide in him. We must apply to him for every purpose he is appointed to accomplish. We must feel the tendency of every view we take of his character, changing us into the same image, from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord.

The gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth are enough to relieve every perplexity, to banish every fear, to surpass every hope, and to fill us with joy unspeakable, and full of gloryBut they cannot profit, unless they are mixed with faith in those that hear them.

OCTOBER 3.—" Upholding all things by the word of his power.”—Heb. i. 3.

THIS is unquestionably spoken of the Lord Jesus. It shows us what is the nature and condition of creatures: they cannot subsist without support. They can no more of themselves continue in existence than they could give themselves life. In him they live, move, and have their being. "Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust." Preservation therefore is a divine work; and in a sense it is a continued creation. Yet he is equal to this; he does it; and observe

The extent of his sustentation: he upholds "all things." This takes in nothing less than our earth and the multitudes of beings attached to it. And what myriads of these are there! And the

eyes of all wait upon him; and he openeth his hand and satisfieth the desire of every living thing. Yet what is our earth compared with the immensity of space? And what is the aggregate of creatures adhering to this mole-hill globe to the inhabitants of all other regions in the universe? Yet all-every worm-and every world is from him, and by him all things consists.

And see the ease and efficiency of his agency: he upholdeth all things "by the word of his power." A man, however powerful, can do but little. A complication of concerns perplexes and bewilders him. The exertion of a few hours wearies and exhausts him. Impose upon him an increase of burden, and he founders and sinks. But "is any thing too hard for the Lord ?" "If it be marvellous in your eyes, should it be marvellous in mine eyes, saith the Lord ?" Rulers accomplish their wishes without moving; they can act by an order. The centurion was only an inferior officer, yet he could say to one of the soldiers under him, Go, and he went; to another, Come, and he came; and to his servant, Do this, and he did it. And he spake this in reference to the Lord Jesus with regard to a particular case, and to show his confidence in his powerfulness-that disorders come and go at his bidding. We read that "he sent his word and healed them," that is, he commanded the cure, and thereby produced it. "At my rebuke," says he, "I dry up the sea." "He rebuked," it is said, "the winds and the waves, and there was a great calm." With the same facility and majesty he made the world; "He spake and it was done, he commanded, and it stood fast." "He said, Let there be light, and there was light." So will it be hereafter with all the millions of the dead; "all that are in their graves shall hear his voice, and come forth." What difficulty, then, can lie in his way? Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain. It is only for him to speak, and the heathens shall cast their idols to the moles and to the bats, and Mahometanism shall perish, and the Jew look upon him whom he has pierced, and mourn, and the man of sin be destroyed, and in the churches of the faithful, every plant which our heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up-And "he that sitteth upon the throne saith, Behold, I make all things new."

And is this spoken of him who lay in the manger and died upon the cross? Can he then be any thing less than "the Lord of life and glory," "in whom dwelleth all the fulness of the godhead bodily?”

It is this that displays and magnifies his condescension. His greatness was unsearchable, but he made himself of no reputation. Widows ministered to him of their substance. "Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor, that we through his poverty might be rich.”

OCTOBER 4.-"Is this thy kindness to thy friend?" 2 Sam. xvi. 17.

THIS was the inquiry or complaint of Absalom, addressed to Hushai, because he went not with him. Let us transfer it to a nobler being, and apply it to a juster occasion.

Jesus sustains the character here expressed, towards all his people. He gives them numberless proofs of a friendship the most sincere, VOL. II.

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