in sins. There was nothing in the heart of Paul to draw God to visit his soul. But he came because he was rich in mercy, and out of the great love wherewith he loved him, by grace he saved him. There is nothing lovely or attractive about the dead, especially if they have been long dead. The coldness, the want of motion, the paleness, the want of animation, is dreadful. The corruption is abominable. And so Abram says, over the remains of his beloved Sarah, ‘Give me a possession of a burying-place, that I may bury my dead out of my sight,' Gen. xxiii. 4. So there is nothing amiable to the eye of a Holy God in a dead soul. The coldness, the insensibility, the corruption is loathsome, in his pure sight. And yet he came to the dead soul of Paul, and gave it life. And every soul that now rejoices in the love of God can say, I was polluted in mine own blood, when he passed by and said unto me, Live; yea, he said unto me, when I was in my blood, Live, Ezek. xvi. 6. 'Lazarus come forth. And he that was dead | When God came to save Paul he found him dead came forth bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face bound about with a napkin.' This was giving life to the dead. A still more marvellous scene, compared to which this is but as the drop before the thunder shower, shall yet take place upon this earth. "The hour is coming in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth, they that have done good unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation? When the voice of Christ is heard, then from every lonely church yard, from the deep caverns of the sea, and from silent battlefields, the myriads of sleeping dead shall rise and come forth. It will be a day of joy to some, and of woe to others, joy and woe unspeakable. But more wonderful, even than this, is the quickening of the soul in conversion. It is spoken of in these words, 'The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live,' John v. 25. In every part of the world where the Spirit accompanies the There is good news for those who feel thempreaching of the gospel, this secret, silent resur-selves loathsome as the putrid dead. You may rection of dead souls is going on every day, little noticed by men, though well known in heaven, and in hell. When the Spirit comes he gives life to the dead conscience; he makes it accuse and condemn the sinner, so that he feels lost and undone. He gives life to the understanding, anointing the eyes with eyesalve, so that the sinner sees the way of pardon provided by God. He gives life to the heart, melting it, and persuading the sinner to cleave to Jesus; and so he 'quickens us together with Christ.' The Spirit thus raises the soul out of its grave, looses his grave clothes, namely, worldly lusts and attachments, and lets him go free. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us.' If He quickens my soul, then no power can keep it dead. Truly, the guilt, indwelling sin, temptations, and spiritual enemies of my soul often confound me. But I pray to know the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe,' Eph. i. 19. And then I sing "With Christ the Lord I died to sin, With him to life I rise, To life, which now begun on earth, But what is it in the bosom of God that moves him to quicken a dead soul? The answer is to be found here: 'God who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, (by grace ye are saved).' The free rich grace of God is the fountain from which the quickening Spirit flows be quickened, for such were all believers once. Good news for those who feel helpless as the dead. The Lord can quicken such. And he is rich in mercy; He willeth all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.' He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. In him compassions flow. He is ready to forgive. One poor soul who had long been tempest-tossed under the conviction of a life time of sins, was brought to full peace in Christ by meditating on the 1st verse of the fifty-first Psalm: According unto the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.' She said, 'I will just put the multitude of his tender mercies over against the multitude of my sins.' And so she found rest for her soul. Surely this soul, and all who have been thus saved by free sovereign grace, will have cause to join in Rowland Hill's favourite hymn : 'And when I'm to die, For Jesus hath loved me, I cannot tell why. We two are so joined, He'll not be in glory, and leave me behind.' TWENTIETH DAY.-EVENING. 'Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new,' 2 Cor. v. 17. WHAT is it to be in Christ Jesus? It is a very remarkable expression, and occurs very frequently in the word of God. Paul speaks of Andronicus and Junia his kinsmen, 'who also were in Christ before me,' Rom. xvi. 7. He says, that he counted all things but dung, that he might win Christ, and be found in him,' Phil. iii. 9. And he speaks of dear departed believers, as those who 'sleep in Jesus,' 1 Thess. iv. 14. The meaning of this blessed expression is, that those who have fled to Christ, are reckoned with by God as if they were a part of Christ. His crucifixion is reckoned theirs; his spotless obedience is reckoned theirs. God sees no iniquity in them. He looks upon them in the face of his Anointed. Just as Christ was in us when he stood in our place, and was covered over with our sins so completely that none of his holiness appeared, so we are in Christ when we submit to his precious righteousness, and are so covered, that none of our sins appear in God's pure sight. How plainly was this sweet truth taught to our first parents after the fall: "Unto Adam, and to his wife, did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them,' Gen. iii. 21. How plainly did he teach them that they could not come naked and guilty into presence, neither could their own rags of selfrighteousness cover them, but the snowy clothing of a slain Lamb must be their raiment, neither have they strength to put it on themselves, but God must clothe them. Thus they were taught what it is to be in Christ Jesus. his When Jacob came to his father Isaac in the goodly sweet-smelling raiment of his elder brother, and he came near to his father, and his father kissed him, and smelled his raiment, and blessed him, this was a dark shadow of the way in which a sinner comes to the Father, Gen. xxvii. 15. Here only is the great difference: God is not deceived at all, but of his own free will, most truly, righteously, and by consent of our Elder Brother, clothes us in the sweetsmelling raiment of Jesus, so that we can sing, 'He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with jewels,' Isa. lxi. 10. In the parable of the vine (John xv.) Jesus said to the disciples, 'Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.' He teaches us the need of a vital and continued union to himself. It is not enough once to consent to be washed in my blood, and clothed with my righteousness, you must remain thus, even until death. And herein consisted all the peace and joy of the first believers; they constantly abode in Christ. This was their answer to all accusations, 'Christ hath died,' 'I am crucified with Christ.' Herein consisteth all my joy. Blessed be the day when first I was found in Christ. Whenever I am in myself before God, then comes darkness, accusations of conscience terrify me, the curses of the law threaten me, the smallest temptation is too strong for me, my soul is like a rolling thing before the whirlwind. But the moment I am again made willing to hide in the wounds of the great Mediator, to be covered with the bright shining folds of his garment down to the foot,' that moment the accusations of conscience are hushed, the thunders of Sinai die away, I sit like the maniac at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in my right mind, and a still small voice whispers within my breast, 'Ye are become dead to the law by the body of Christ, that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God,' Rom. vii. 4. What is the result of being in Christ Jesus? 'If any man be in Christ Jesus, he is a new creature; old things are passed away, behold! all things are become new.' A divine change takes place upon that soul more wonderful than the creation of the world, a change brought about by Him who calleth the things that are not as though they were. Indeed this change is begun before the soul submits to Christ, for nothing less than Almighty power can melt the rocky heart, and bend the stubborn will to relish the gospel way of salvation. But it is after a man is brought to Christ that the change is manifested. 1. He becomes a new creature in understanding. No man dares to think until he is at peace with God. The mind of a natural man shrinks back from contemplating the realities of God and of the eternal world. The understanding is busied about things seen and temporal, or else about unseen things apart from God; but all that is divine and holy in the universe, or in other words, all that is truly worth knowing, is a field into which the unconverted soul dare not enter. "The natural man knoweth not the things of the Spirit of God.' When a soul is made willing to take Jesus as his mediator, and comes into pardon and peace with God, then he begins to think. A new world is opened up to him, the ocean of divine the new heavens and the new earth wherein truth stretches out before him, and the verdant dwelleth righteousness. hills of immortality rise up to view. The treasures of wisdom and knowledge hid in Christ, and the glories of the three-one Jehovah now fix the heart. The Holy Spirit renews the soul in knowledge after the image of Jesus. A new life of the understanding is begun in that soul. I am unable to express the actings of my soul as I feel them, (says Andrew Lindsay), yet I am helped to conceive a little of them by the springs which are in the way from my home; as those springs, though small, have some water in them, so I trust it is with my soul; the water in some of these springs is covered with grass and weeds, so is the sight of this life hid from me, at times, by the corruption of my heart; but as the water appears on a man's removing the weeds with his hands, so does this life by a new manifestation. And as the water continues in these springs, now in August when great pools are dried up, so I hope the life of God will continue in my soul, because the love of Christ is unchangeable.' Happy soul! This is the experience of a new creature in Christ Jesus. 2. He becomes a new creature in his affections. No man truly loves till he come to Christ. 'Love is of God, and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love. Before Paul fled for refuge to lay hold on Christ, he was an old creature in his affections. I verily thought with myself that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth,' Acts xxvi. 9. His heart was like a bow bent against Christ and his cause. He hated the humbling truths of the gospel. When God's faithful witnesses were put to death, he gave his voice against them. But when he came to Christ he was made a new creature. Never, perhaps, did such burning love to Christ ever glow in a human bosom as in Paul's: What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.' And now what tender compassion breathes through his soul toward the little flock of Christ: 'Being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us,' 1 Thess. ii. 8. He is a new creature in love. He has got the same stream of love in his heart that springs eternally from the bosom of God. O sinner! this is what God will make thee if thou art willing to be found in Christ. Remember, none but new creatures will ever enjoy 'From various cares my heart retires, He before whom the Elders bow TWENTY-FIRST DAY.-MORNING. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation,' 2 Cor. v. 18. In the preceding verse it is written, 'If any man be in Christ Jesus, all things are become new' in that soul, and here we are told whence all this change proceeds: 'And all things are of God.' The beginning, the carrying on, and the perfecting of the glorious work of regeneration in the soul, is the work of Jehovah ; so that every new creature can sing, The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me; thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever; forsake not the work of thine own hands,' Psal. cxxxviii. 8. In a still wider sense these words are true, 'All things are of God.' He is the fountain of being: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And God said, Let there be light, and there was light.' All creatures flow from him, and will ultimately show forth his highest praise. Hearken to the song of the four and twenty Elders, as they cast their crowns before the throne: Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honour, and power; for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are, and were created,' Rev. iv. 11. He is the fountain of providence. Every drop of water in the air, or in the river, or in the ocean, performs its appointed course. The myriads of insects that flutter in the sunshine, all fulfil his will. And every man, angel, and devil, only fulfil the eternal counsel of the blessed Jehovah: All things are of God.' The natural heart rages against this truth, but it is like the raging of the foam upon the everlasting rocksthe purpose of the Lord it shall stand. But the true meaning of the words is, that all things of the new creation in the soul are of God. It is God who freely, sovereignly, and from eternity loves the soul that is to be saved: 'I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.' It is God who guides the soul under the ministry where he is to be awakened, he prepares the way to the The sword of God shall break his arm, His word shall have no power to warm, heart, and at length, when his blessed time is come, | Was not Judas called by Christ to be an apostle? he sends the word home with power. It is God Matt. x. 4. And are there not in all the Prowho keeps the awakened soul from going back testant churches many ministers called to the to the world, from taking rest in any refuge of ministry as Judas was. Woe to that man who lies, or from being offended at Christ. It is God has the office of the ministry without grace in who reveals his Son in the heart, as he did to his own soul. He is of all men the most miserPaul: 'It pleased God, who separated me from able. Like one who carries water, and tastes my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, not of the precious draught. Like the sign post to reveal his Son in me.' This is a work pecu- pointing to the city of refuge, itself immovable: liarly divine; nature cannot help in it. Man 'It had been good for that man if he had not been cannot accomplish it. It is God who now fills the born." soul with the Holy Spirit, and he persuades the sinner most freely and heartily to leave old sins, old habits, old companions, and to follow Jesus in the way. All this amazing change, more wonderful than the creation of the world, more durable than the whole material universe, is the work of God alone: All things are of God.' Ah yes! when my guilty soul shall stand washed, and justified, and sanctified before the throne of God, when I shall see clearly the whole way by which he has led me, when I shall know fully the spring and ocean of that love which is from everlasting to everlasting, when my dark mind shall grasp the whole plan of the universe, by which every atom, and every being, saved or lost, is brought to yield eternal glory to God and the Lamb, then I shall understand the word that is written, Salvation belongeth unto the Lord,' and I shall be enabled to join the new song of the innumerable company before the throne, 'Salvation to our God, which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb,' Rev. vii. 10. In what remains we have a description of the stream of grace which flows from this Fountain of living waters. A twofold stream is here set before us, the one part reconciliation to himself, the other the gift of the ministry. They are mentioned together in like manner: Rom. i. 5, 'We have received grace and apostleship.' These two gifts are not inseparable. Many have been reconciled to God who have not got the ministry committed to them. Women, for example, are made partakers of grace, but never of apostleship; for Paul says, 'I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence, 1 Tim. ii. When these two, grace and apostleship, are united in one man, O! what a gift is this from the God of all grace. What amazing love is it not only to save our guilty souls, but to make us instrumentally the saviours of the souls of others: According to thy manifold mercies, thou gavest them saviours, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies,' Neh. ix. 27. It is Christ alone who gives faithful pastors, and from him they should be sought. This is one of the gifts which he obtained by dying for sinners, 'He gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors, and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,' Eph. iv. 11. It is Christ alone who guides ministers to the sphere where he wishes them to shine. Happy the pastor who allows no hand but Christ's to place or to remove him. It is Christ alone who gives them all their light and brightness, all their gifts and graces, the gifts of prayer, eloquence, knowledge; the graces of faith, love, zeal, perseverance, boldness. All this was taught to John in the island of Patmos, when he saw 'one like the Son of man walking in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, and he had in his right hand seven stars,' Rev. i. 13, 16. It is Christ alone who gives ministers all their success: 'I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase,' 1 Cor. iii. 6. He can take away the blessing from a slothful, self-pleasing, self-conceited minister. He can bless one who is weak in body, weak in argument, weak in everything. When I glance for a moment at the weight, vastness, responsibility, blessedness, and glory of this work, these words rise up before me: Unto me who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.' When I consider the urgent need of unconverted men, the shortness of the time, the awfulness of eternity, and the mercy that has come to my own soul, I am forced to cry, 'Necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel,' 1 Cor. ix. 16 'Chief shepherd of thy chosen sheep, From death and sin set free, His eye intent on thee. 'With plenteous grace their hearts prepare, Compassion, patience, love, and care, 'Inflame their minds with holy zeal, Their flocks to feed and teach, TWENTY-FIRST DAY.-EVENING. 'To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation,' 2 Cor. v. 19. In these words we have an epitome, or short description of the gospel ministry. 1. Observe the manner in which God approaches sinners in the gospel: 'God was in Christ.' If God had come to us without a Mediator, it would have been to destroy. In his unchangeable nature he is holy, sin-repelling, and sin-consuming. This is the glory of God, his moral image, without which he could not be Jehovah. As surely as fire devours wood by its physical nature, so surely God must destroy sinners by his glorious moral nature. Therefore it is written, Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire, and brimstone, and an horrible tempest; this shall be the portion of their cup; for the righteous Lord loveth righteousness,' Psal. xi. 6, 7. And again, 'Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity,' Hab. i. 13. And we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, the Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. For our God is a consuming fire,' Heb. x. 30, 31; xii. 29. If God had drawn near to us without his justice being satisfied in the blood and obedience of the Lord Jesus, his justice must have broken out upon us, and sought its satisfaction in our everlasting punishment. Glory to God in the highest, that God did not come to us without Christ, that he did not come upon us naked, guilty, defenceless, without a shelter for our heavy laden soul. He put the Mediator between him and us: 'For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all,' 1 Tim. ii. 5, 6: 'God was in Christ.' Christ is the meeting place of a holy God, and hell-deserving sinners: Having therefore boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, let us draw near.' When the high priest entered within the vail, on the day of atonement, he carried with him a bason filled with the blood of a bullock, slain as an atonement for himself and his house. He dipped his finger in the blood and sprinkled it upon the mercy-seat, and before the mercy-seat seven times. He then carried in another bason filled with the blood of a goat, slain for the sins of the people. Dipping his finger into the blood he sprinkled it upon the mercy-seat, and before the mercy-seat. The mercy-seat was of pure gold, the floor was covered with gold, yet he did not fear lest he should soil it. The mercy-seat and the golden pavement were wetted with blood. His feet stood upon the blood. That blood represented the blood of Christ. And the high priest standing on the sprinkled blood represented the only way in which a sinner can come to a holy Jehovah. God meets us in Christ. O sinner! hast thou come to God in Christ, hast thou entered into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. If not, thou art yet unpardoned, and ready to perish. Some have very weak notions of conversion. They seem to think that to weep at a sermon, to pray with a glow of feeling, to amend the life a little, is true conversion-whereas it is turning to God in Christ: Ye turned to God from idols,' 1 Thess. i. 9. Except thou be thus converted, thou wilt never see the kingdom of God. One 3. Observe the extent of the gospel remedy: Reconciling the world unto himself.' There can be no doubt that the whole world will not be saved: 'Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.' The awful transactions of the judgment-day are summed up in these solemn words: These shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal,' Matt. xxv. 46. amazing portion of the human race will depart speechless, conscience-stricken, self-condemned, into a hell as everlasting as the heaven of those who are saved. O self-deceived Universalist! it is the same word which describes the eternity of heaven and the eternity of hell. There can be no doubt that God has chosen a peculiar people out of this world: 'Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee,' Psal. lxv. 4. Six times over, in the 17th chapter of John, does Jesus call them 'the men which |