And Love, unfailing Love3 shall then impart And KNOWLEDGE5 teach thee Heaven's discover'd will. Let deep REPENTANCE10 kiss the chastening rod. Thou shalt see God, and follow GODLINESS; 13 Through Death's dark valley and the' expiring pain. 1 I.-2 Pet. i. 5. 5 V.-2 Pet. i. 6. 7 VII. Matt. v. 5. 9 X. XI.-Col. iii. 12. 2 II-1 Thess. v. 8. 4 6 W. W. P. IV.-2 Pet. i. 5. (virtue) VI.-Gal. v. 23. 8 VIII. IX.-Gal. v. 22. 24 XXVII. XXVIII.-James i. 19. 2 OCCASIONAL MEDITATIONS ON VARIOUS SUBJECTS. UPON THE SIGHT OF A TREE LOPPED. IN the lopping of these trees, experience and good husbandry hath taught men to leave one bough still growing in the top, the better to draw up the sap from the root. The like wisdom is fit to be observed in censures, which are intended altogether for reformation, not for destruction. So must they be inflicted, that the patient be not utterly discouraged and stripped of hope and comfort, but that, while he suffereth, he may feel his good tendered, and his amendment both aimed at and expected. O God, if thou shouldst deal with me as I deserve, thou shouldst not only shred my boughs, but cut down my stock, and stock up my root; and yet thou dost but prune my superfluous branches, and cherishest the rest. How unworthy am I of this mercy, if, while thou art thus indulgent unto me, I be severe and cruel to others, perhaps less ill deserving than myself! UPON A CANCELLED BOND. While this obligation was in force, I was in servitude to my parchment; my bond was doubled to a payment, to a TRACT MAG., THIRD SERIES, No. 86, FEB. 1841. C penalty; now that is discharged, what is it better than a waste scroll, regarded for nothing but the witness of its own voidance and nullity! No otherwise is it with the severe law of my Creator: out of Christ it stands in full force, and binds me over either to perfect obedience, which I cannot possibly perform, or to exquisite torment and eternal death, which I am never able to endure. But now, that my Saviour hath fastened it cancelled to his cross, (in respect to the rigour and malediction of it,) I look upon it as the monument of my past danger and bondage: I know by it how much was owed by me, how much is paid for me; the direction of it is everlasting, the obligation (by it) unto death is frustrate: I am free from curse, who never can be free from obedience. O Saviour, take thou glory, and give me peace. UPON THE CHALLENGE OF A PROMISE. It is true, an honest man's word 'must be his master; when I have promised, I am indebted; and debts may be claimed, must be paid; but yet, there is a great deal of difference in our engagements: some things we promise because they are due, some things are only due because they are promised. These latter, which are but the mere engagements of courtesy, cannot so absolutely bind us, that notwithstanding any intervention of unworthiness or misbehaviour in the person expectant, we are tied to make our word good, though to the cutting of our own throats. All favourable promises presuppose a capacity in the receiver; where that palpably faileth, common equity sets us free. I promised to send a fair sword to my friend; he is, since that time, turned frantic; must I send it, or be charged with unfaithfulness if I send it not? O God, thy title is the God of truth; thou canst no more cease to be faithful than to be. How oft hast thou promised that no good thing shall be wanting to thine; and yet we know thy dearest children have complained of want? Is thy word, therefore, challengeable? Far, far, be this wicked presumption from our thoughts. No; these, thy promises of outward favours, are never but with a subintelligence of a condition; of our capableness, of our experience. Thou seest that plenty or ease would be our bane; thy love forbears to satisfy us with COMFORT TO THE WEARY AND HEAVY LADEN SPIRIT. 23 an harmless blessing. We are worthy to be plagued with prejudicial kindnesses, if we do not acknowledge thy wisdom and care in our want. It is enough for us that thy best mercies are our dues because thy promises; we cannot too much claim that which thou hast absolutely engaged thyself to give, and in giving shalt make us eternally happy. From Bp. Hall. COMFORT TO THE WEARY AND HEAVY LADEN SPIRIT. In the first place I would say unto thee, Do not think that your case is singular. Many have been thus tried before you. God hath not cast off for ever. His mercy is not clean gone. He will be favourable unto thee. Look upon this as his messenger to comfort you. Secondly. Art thou saying, in the bitterness of thy soul, Oh that I could love God, and love him more and more? Well, the way to do this is the same as if you wished to love your parents or any earthly relation. Love is an affection which will not force. Think upon what He is in himself, and what He has done for thee. View Him in the gift of his Son to save thee. God is no where else to be seen but in Christ. He is the image of the invisible God. God stooping to the senses and speaking to the heart of man. Contemplate Christ then: think of Him when on our earth, going in and out among men. Take a particular part of his life, in which he manifested much of his heart. Ponder it. Think of Him at the gate of Nain-at the grave of Lazarus―at the last supper with his disciples-and on the cross, when he prayed for his murderers, and commended his mother to John. Think of the more than human love and tenderness here displayed, and say to your heart, such is God, the God I am called to love. "We love Him, because He first loved us," 1 John iv. 19. Thirdly. You are saying, I desire to Him, to make it my delight to do His will. such desire but a Christian. If you act upon it your state will speedily improve. a master to let his servants work without quire them to make bricks without straw. to His glory in the way of all appointed duty. serve and glorify No one can have upon this, depend God is too good wages, or to reDevote yourself If we mind God's interests, He will assuredly mind ours. We can never attain our own ends by selfishly pursuing them. Fourthly. Remember the ignorance and forgetfulness which keep many wandering in darkness and misery. The ground of hope and comfort is not within, but without you. I may not be authorized to say that you are a Christian; it may not be my duty to do so. You may be an unconverted sinner. What then? There is comfort in the gospel for you just now. You have only to understand and believe the good news in order to have peace and joy, unless your mind be affected by bodily disease. Look away, then, from yourself, and rivet your eyes on Christ and Him crucified. Fifthly. Is your mind filled with atheistical and other evil thoughts? The way to be freed from them is, by keeping in other and opposite thoughts. Keep the mind filled with the things of Christ. Sixthly. Take care of your bodily health. Take air and exercise; be moderate and careful as to your digestive powers, and try to keep your spirits cheerful. Farewell! A FRIEND. CALLS OF USEFULNESS. Call on one ignorant of his own Heart. Visitor. I AM Come for the tract that I left with you, Jeffrey, and hope that you and your wife have read it, that I may change it for another. Jeffrey. Yes, I have read the tract; but it tells me a good deal more than I can take in. It tells me that I have got a bad heart. Now, I don't mean to say that I am better than my neighbours, but my heart is not so bad as this tract makes it out to be. Visitor. If your heart is not bad, it is the only good one, unchanged by God's grace, that I ever heard of. What the tract tells you is quite true, Jeffrey. Jeffrey. I believe that if my heart had anything bad in it, I should know it. Visitor. That is not quite so certain as you may suppose. Many a time have you been in a dark cellar without seeing a single spider or a cobweb there; but if you had taken a candle and searched it well, no doubt you might have found plenty of both the one and the other. Jeffrey. Yes, but my heart is not like a dark cellar, |