Ye were as sheep going astray, but are now returned unto 1 the shepherd and bishop of your souls....2 Pet. ii. 25.

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SCRIPTURE allusions continually remind us, "that salvation is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God who sheweth mercy: therefore, not unto us, not to our free will, but to thy free grace, O Lord, be all the glory. Like that poor silly creature, a sheep, we naturally stray into all kind of danger, but are unapt to return of ourselves. We never should unless the shepherd sought us. "We have turned every one to his own way," have lost ourselves in the wilderness of sin, are wounded by the wolf of prey,' blinded by pride, self-will, and self-righteousness. We delight in our distance from the good shepherd. We please ourselves in feeding on carnal lusts and sensual vanities, while our poor souls are in a starving, perishing condition. Unparalleled love! the sheep's wounds are healed by the shepherd's stripes; pardon is obtained by the bishop's sufferings and death. All this is proclaimed by the shepherd's voice. But, "O! what fools! how slow of heart to believe this!" This keeps many poor sheep from returning to Jesus; and those that have heard his voice, and are returned to him, do not keep so close to him as is their interest and happiness. The loving shepherd complains of this....Jer. ii. 31...." Have I been a barren wilderness unto you, O ye sheep of my pasture?" No, truly: our souls can never be healthy and thriving but while our shepherd is in view, and we are feeding in the green pastures of his love by the still waters of his salvation.

It behoves Christ's sheep to consider daily how dear they are to him; what sweet relation he stands in to them; what love and care he has for them; that so Jesus may be more endeared to them, and his pastoral instructions, cautions, and directions, may influence their walk and conversation; for the adversary is ever working upon our treacherous nature to make us conceive of Jesus otherwise than a faithful shepherd and loving overseer, that so, as terrified sheep, we may fly from him, and cease to love and follow him. Yea, to this end the father of lies thus preaches: "Though you are returned to your shepherd, yet after all he may cease to care for you, and let you perish.' This is the doctrine of devils, let who will preach'it; for it gives the lie to Jesus, THE TRUTH, who says, "I give unto them eternal life; they shall NEVER PERISH, neither shall ANY pluck them out of my hands."....John x. 28. "We are not ignorant of Satan's devices,"........2 Cor. ii. 14....nor "of the cunning craftiness of those who lie in wait to deceive."....Eph. iv. 14.

The Lord my shepherd is,

I shall be well supply'd;
Since he is mine, and I am his,
What can I want beside!

If e'er I go astray,

He doth my soul reclaim,
And guides me in his own right way
For his most holy name.

God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ....1 Cor. i. 9.

WHILE We entertain a notion of a God out of Christ, it affords no comfort to the mind to hear of God's faithfulness. Nay, if we were not blind to our state, as sinners, the thought would fill us with dread and horror. For how awful, how terrifying is this declaration from a faithful God: "I will by no means clear the guilty."... Exod. xxxiv. 7. But we know that the Lord our God, he is God, the faithful God, who keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations."....Deut. vii. 9. O this is the life of poor sinners' souls! this is the joy of their hearts! For whenever one reads of the COVENANT, it reminds of Jesus the surety, the mediator, of God in Christ, the God of love, our reconciled God and Father. We have no immediate access to the Father but by his Son Jesus Christ. When called into fellowship, intercourse, familiarity, and sweet converse with Jesus by faith, then we have free access to the Father's throne of grace, and his heart of love. We glory in his great and precious promises, and triumph in his declarations of faithfulness and truth.

The faithfulness of God is the foundation of all present grace; the security of future glory. Many weak disciples are perplexed with dark and disturbing thoughts in this matter. Their hearts are not carried up to rest in the love of the Father, where all is serene and quiet; but they rest below, in the regions of doubts and fears, storms and clouds. Their souls may be exercised, and often distressed; but they are safe, because called to the knowledge of faith in and fellowship with their elder brother, Jesus. This is by the love of the Father through the power of the Spirit. And God is faithful to his covenant, to his Son, to his people, to his own word to them, and his work in them. "For whom he calls, them he glorifies." Faithful to support them under all present dejections of mind and sinking of spirits: faithful to preserve them in all times of danger, and to give them living comforts in a dying hour.

Now, O believer, thou art called to honor the faithfulness of thy God, by trusting in his word of truth; glorying in his promises of grace at all times. Yea, at thy worst of times and frames, even when sense, reason, feelings, and appearances are all against thee, then the Lord is for thee. "The Lord is faithful, who SHALL stablish you, and keep you from all evil."....2 Thess. iii. 3. Faithful }"to confirm you unto the end, that you may be blameless in the day of the Lord Jesus."....1 Cor. i. 8.

Our God, how firm his promise stands,
E'en when he hides his face!
His trust's in our Redeemer's hands,
His glory and his grace.

Then why my soul these sad complaints,
Since Christ and we are one?
Thy God is faithful to his saints,
Is faithful to his Son.

M.

What shall we say then? shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?....Rom, vi, 1.

BELIEVER in Jesus, what are thy thoughts? what the answer of thine heart this day, in regard to thy walk and conduct in life, from the important doctrines of grace? Canst thou say, the everlasting love of God the Father, reigning through the righteousness of Jesus unto eternal life, manifested in the gospel, and applied by the Holy Spirit through faith, have the least tendency to give reins to thy lust, to open a door of licentiousness, and to encourage thee to continue in sin? Doth the belief of the guilt of sin, being atoned by the precious blood of Jesus, influence thee to the love of sin? Doth the knowledge of Christ's righteousness imputed unto justification of life, tend to make thee delight in unrighteousness and unholiness of life? By no means: God forbid! to bring such an heinous charge against divine truths; O what daring impiety! what horrid blasphemy! Beware of such a thought; indulge it not one moment; it comes from the adversary of all truth; it impeaches the wisdom and holiness of the Spirit of truth; for he reveals these soul-saving, Christ-glorifying, God-honoring truths; and by his gracious gift of faith, sinners receive and embrace them. But to what end? Hereby they see the display of justice; mercy triumphing in righteousness; their souls established in a sense of peace and pardon, and most powerfully influenced to the love of personal holiness and obedience. Sooner ascribe midnight darkness and winter's frost to the source of light and heat of the sun, than once imagine the grace of God leads to sin, or the aboundings of grace to continuance in sin. No; this is through the aboundings of lust...." When LUST hath conceived, it brings forth sin."....James i. 15. But grace conceived in the heart, brings forth holiness.

"Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: Yea, we establish the law."....Rom. iii. 31. How? as a covenant of works to us? No; that it was our dear surety. "Christ is the end (the fulfiller) of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.".... Rom. x. 4. We establish the law, as a rule of duty to us; though not to obtain life, but according to which we ought to walk. So we follow our Lord, and are conformed to him. O may the cheering light of truth be ever accompanied with the warm influences of the sun of righteousness upon the heart! "By the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world."....2 Cor. i. 12.

"Then shall we best proclaim abroad
"The honors of our Saviour God,
"When his salvation reigns within,
“And grace subdues the pow'r of sin."

I cannot love, nor live in sin,
Though sin in me doth still abide:
Though sin's alive, I'm dead to sin,
My Saviour keeps from lust and pride.

M.

God hath chosen us in Christ, before the foundation of the world....Eph. i. 4.

So the apostles wrote and preached, to comfort and establish their brethren in the faith of Christ, in the love of God, and in the sanctification of the Spirit unto all true holiness. The election of sinners, by God the Father in Christ Jesus, from all eternity, is the foundation from which all faith and hope spring. If this truth is rejected, the atonement of Jesus is made precarious, the work of the Spirit uncertain, salvation doubtful, faith void, the promise of none effect, and the hope of eternal life is made to depend on the will and power of weak and vile sinners, instead of the grace and truth of God. But in every age, men of corrupt minds, destitute of the truth, have opposed God's sovereign grace, everlasting love, and eternal purposes. God hath suffered it, "that those who are approved might be made manifest."....1 Cor. xi. 19. Humble, self-emptied sinners, who are poor in spirit, and lowly in their own eyes, plainly discern that systems of human pride, schemes of self-confidence, are set up to establish vain hopes and self-righteous pleas, in opposition to the truths of God: "If it were possible to deceive the very elect of God." ....Matt. xxiv. 24. But his love towards his children is too great to suffer it. And they do well to take heed to the true light of electing grace and love; which shines with such glory in the person of Jesus, to the comfort of their souls, through the faith of him.

"Beware of men; call no man Rabbi," saith our divine teacher. Yet saith Paul to his son Timothy, "The things which thou hast heard of me, the same commit thou to faithful men; who shall be able to teach others also."....2 Tim. ii. 2. So a standing ministry hath been established, whom God hath sent forth in every age boldly to preach the God-glorifying, soul-humbling, faith-establishing, sinsubduing truths of the gospel. Human compositions, agreeable to God's truth, are precious; as they are made establishing to the faithful. Thanks to God for those sweet and comfortable words of the 17th article of the established church. Our pious reformers say, The godly consideration of predestination, and our election in Christ, is full of sweet, pleasant, and unspeakable comfort to godly persons, and such as feel in themselves the working of the Spirit of Christ, mortifying the works of the flesh and their earthly members, and drawing up their minds to high and heavenly things. It doth greatly establish and confirm their faith of eternal salvation, to be enjoyed through Christ. It doth fervently kindle their love towards God.' Here are blessed scriptural marks of a true christian: if thou findest them in thine own heart, give God the glory of electing love, and "hold fast this form of sound words in faith and love.".... 2. Tim. i. 13.

If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous....1 John ii. 1.

In the glass of God's holy and righteous law we see what an unholy and unrighteous thing sin is; it is hateful in the eyes of a pure God; it has separated between God and the sinner, and tends to his eternal destruction. The gospel in no wise renders sin less odious to God, less heinous in his sight; far from it. Yea, rather it paints sin in the blackest colours, and shews its deepest malignancy, by the gracious method of its atonement. View the holy Lamb suffering for sin on the cross; see the streaming blood, and hear the direful agonies of the Son of God on account of sin; and say, O believer, is sin a little matter, a trifling thing? Learn daily sin's evil by its remedy....sin's poison by its antidote....the hell it deserved by, the person who redeems. And ever, O my soul, hold fast this as a sacred truth, though God loves thy person in Christ Jesus, yet he hates thy sins, though reconciled to thy soul through the Son of his love, yet he never can be reconciled to sin, though at peace with thee through the blood of the cross, yet ever at enmity against thy sins. Hence the beloved disciple declares, "These things write I unto you, little children, that ye sin not." Beware of sin as the worst evil; watch against sin as a deadly foe; strive against it, oppose, resist it in the power of the Spirit, as your worst enemy: as most hateful and displeasing to your best friend.

But if any man sin, (for none are perfectly free from sin in their nature, nor wholly exempt from it in their practice), what then? must he lie down and despair? No; "We have an advocate with the Father:" Jesus Christ pleads the cause of sinners, though he is not an advocate for sin; for he is THE RIGHTEOUS. Therefore he doth not deny the charge that we are sinners, guilty in ourselves; he extenuates none of our sins, but owns every accusation brought into court against us by a perfect law and strict justice; with every aggravating circumstance which can be urged. Against all that law and justice can charge upon us, he pleads his own undertaking, his work, his life and death, his blood and righteousness. His people have sinned; his blood hath atoned. They have contracted guilt; he hath suffered the punishment. They have deserved the curse of the law; he has borne it for them. They have deserved hell; he has opened the kingdom of heaven. They are unrighteous in themselves; Jesus hath fulfilled the law for them, and clothes them with his perfect righteousness. Therefore he pleads that sin may not be imputed to them; but that pardon of sin and peace of conscience may be bestowed upon them by the word and Spirit; and that they may be sanctified in him, and glorified with him. Thus saith our dear Lord to us, "I will not leave you comfortless."....John xiv. 18.