patiently bear the due punishment of all our sins at his Father's hands, according to that of the psalmist, "I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because thou didst it." Therefore, the prophet immediately subjoins that of his silent carriage to that which he had spoken concerning the confluence of our iniquities upon him: "As a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth." And if our sins were thus accounted his, then, in the same way, and for that very reason of necessity, his sufferings and satisfaction must be accounted ours.Leighton.

CHRISTIAN PITY.

The Jews would not willingly tread upon the smallest piece of paper in their way, but took it up; for, possibly, said they, the name of God may be on it. Though there was a little superstition in that, yet much good may be learned. from it, if we apply it to men. Trample not on any; there may be some work of grace there that thou knowest not of. The name of God

may be written upon that soul thou treadest on; it may be a seal that Christ thought so much of, as to give his precious blood for it therefore despise it not. Christian pity is divine. There is of natural pity most in the best and

most ingenuous natures; but where it is spiritual, it is a prime lineament of the image of God; and the more absolute and disengaged it is, in regard of those towards whom it acts, the more it is like unto God, looking upon misery as a sufficient incentive of piety and mercy, without the ingredient of any other consideration. God is our pattern in love and compassions; we are well warranted to endeavour to be like him in this. Men esteem much more of some other virtues that make more show, and trample upon these love and compassion and meekness; but though these violets grow low, and are of a dark colour, yet they are of a very sweet and diffusive smell, odoriferous graces; and the Lord propounds himself our example in them.—Leighton.

GOD'S WORKS TO BE VIEWED AS A WHOLE.

Be not sudden, take God's work together, and do not judge of it by parcels. It is, indeed, all wisdom and righteousness: but we shall best discern the beauty of it when we look on it in the frame, and when it shall be fully completed and finished, and our eyes enlightened to take a fuller and clearer view of it than we can have here. Oh! what wonder! what endless wondering will it then command!-Leighton.

THE BASEMENT AND THE BUILDING

Some are all their days laying the foundation, and are never able to build upon it to any comfort to themselves, or usefulness to others. And the reason is, because they will be mixing with the foundation, stones that are only fit for the following building. They will be bringing their obedience, duties, mortification of sin, and the like, into the foundation. These are precious stones to build with, but unmeet to be first laid to bear upon them the whole weight of the building. The foundation is to be laid in mere grace, mercy, pardon in the blood of Christ; this the soul is to accept of and to rest in, merely as it is grace, without the consideration of anything in itself, but that it is sinful and obnoxious to ruin. This it finds a difficulty in, and would gladly have something of its own to mix with it: it cannot tell how to fix these foundation-stones without some cement of its own endeavours and duty; and because these things will not mix, they spend a fruitless labour about it all their days. But if the foundation be of grace, it is not at all of works; otherwise grace is no more grace. If anything of our own be mixed with grace in this matter, it utterly destroys the nature of

grace, which, if it be not alone, it is not at all. -Owen.

TRUE FAITH.

Saving faith is our believing the record that God hath given us of his Son. This is the testimony which God gives, that great and sacred truth which he himself bears witness unto-namely, that he hath freely prepared eternal life for them that believe, or provided a way of salvation for them. Upon our acquiescing in this testimony, on our approbation of this way of saving sinners, or our refusal of it, our eternal safety or ruin doth absolutely depend. And it is reasonable that it should be so; for in our receiving of the testimony of God, " we set to our seal that God is true;" we ascribe unto him the glory of his truth. By a refusal of it, we do what lieth in us to "make him a liar ;" and by thus acting, we virtually renounce his being. Bring your faith to the trial on this principle: What do you judge concerning God's way of saving sinners by Jesus Christ, as proposed in the gospel? Are you satisfied in it, that it is such as becomes God, and answers all the glorious attributes of his nature? Would you have any other way proposed in the room of it? Can you, will you, commit

the eternal welfare of your souls unto the grace and faithfulness of God, in this way, so as that you have no desire to be saved in any other way? Doth the glory of God, in any measure, shine forth to you in Jesus Christ? Do you find a secret joy in your hearts upon the satisfaction you take in the proposal of this way unto you by the gospel? Do you, in all your fears and temptations, in all approaches of death, renounce all other reserves and reliefs, and betake your whole confidence unto this way alone, and the representation of God made therein? Herein lies that faith and its exercises, which will be an anchor unto your souls in all your trials.—Owen.

THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT.

Sanctification being opposed to our impurity and corruption, and answering fully to the latitude of it, whatsoever is wanting in our nature of that holiness and perfection must be supplied by the Spirit of God: wherefore, being by nature we are totally void of all saving truth, and under an impossibility of knowing the will of God; being as "no man knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of a man which is in him, even so none knoweth the things of God but the Spirit of God ;" the Spirit "searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God,'