noticed, and that God had them in the book of his remembrance. In this faith he met his trials, and came off triumphant. Notwithstanding his many weary steps, and his strong crying and tears under that sorrow, which never had its like, yet he knew that he should be heard and he was heard: his enemies fell before him but they rose and returned to the combat. Upon the word he casts his anchor again. He trusts to it. And he finds it firm and sure still. The storm is great; it continues; it increases; all thy waves and storms, says he, to his God, are gone over me. But, my soul, trust thou still in the Lord: for my hope is in him. His word is my stay. It cannot be broken. I praise him for it; again; I praise him for it. ing in it, now my fears are gone. God is my helper, and I will not fear what man can do unto me. what a pattern is here set for us! May the meditation upon it be useful. May the gracious Lord, who is the author and the finisher of the faith, bless the means of his appointing, for the strengthening of it. And in the use of them, looking up for the constant supplies of his Spirit, may he enable us to go on from strength to strength, keeping this example always in view, until he bring us in peace unto the end of our faith.

Trust

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These are some of the scripture grounds, upon which the Triumph of Faith is built. It stands upon the almighty power of God, as engaged to fulfil his word. For his word is his deed. To take him at his word is the proper exercise of faith. He hath promised and it is done. To rest thus upon it, as what cannot possibly fail, is the foundation of Christian worship: and when it is established in the heart, in the love of the truth, it constitutes the chief of that service which is perfect freedom for God has declared himself well pleased with our trusting to his truth and faithfulness. He has commanded us to do it without doubt or wavering. He has promised grace sufficient to enable us thus to believe, and we cannot put too much tru tand confi

dence in his arm and power.

And he has also given

us examples of those, who honoured him with the fullest reliance of their hearts, and had reason to rejoice in the Lord, who keepeth promise for ever. Glory be to him for such encouragements of our faith. O that they may have their proper effect. May the Holy Ghost apply them by his grace, and give us such a faith, as may be well pleasing unto God; such a faith as he has commanded, and for the full exercise of which he has made exceeding great promises. Help us, O God of all grace, to trust and not be afraid: for thou art faithful: thy word and thy promises give us full security to trust in the Lord at all times; because in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength: and blessed are all they who put their trust in him.

But by what ways and means shall these arguments and encouragements have their full effect? This is the main point; and it is settled beyond dispute upon scripture authority. The same Spirit, who revealed the promises, is also the fulfiller of them: and he is almighty. The blessing on the use of the means is entirely from him: it is he who teacheth man knowledge and from him we are to seek it in prayer. With all our reading, hearing, studying, meditating upon the scriptures, we must look up to him for his divine teaching. If any of you, believers, lack wisdom, let him ask it of God, who giveth to all askers liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him; but let him ask in faith. Here is a command and a promise. When we lack wisdom, which we always do, as much as we want breath, we are to ask it of the Spirit of wisdom, and it shall be given us. He will make us wise unto salvation. He will keep us in the use of means dependent on his leading us into all useful truth, and of his revealing to us the things which are freely given to us of God, to shew them to us, as realities, and to put us into the enjoyment of them, as blessings. In this dependence on him, we live and move, and have our being. Our spiritual life and

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aculties, and the exercise of them, and the improvement of them are entirely from his influence. For the apostle, mentioning the several gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit, says, "All these worketh that one, and "the self-same Spirit, dividing to every man his own gifts according to his own will." To him then we are to look up for every good gift, and every perfect gift. Whenever we open the Bible, we should ask his light and his teaching. He is the chief commentator. He only can put the scriptures into our inward parts, and write them upon our hearts, so that we may experience them to be the power of God unto our own salvation. Our first reformers were of this sentiment, exhorting us to pray, that by the holy inspiration of God's Spirit, we may think those things that be good, and by his merciful guiding, may perform the same. Grant to us, Lord, we beseech thee, the Spirit to think and do always such things as be rightful; that we who cannot do any thing that is good without thee, may by thee be enabled to live according to thy will, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Ninth Sunday after Trinity.

As they prayed, so they sung: For we meet with two hymns, inserted by the reformers in the Common Prayer Book, appointed to be sung at the ordaining of priests, and at the consecration of bishops. The first, begins with these words

Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire,
And lighten with celestial fire, &c.

Out of the second I quote some verses, not for any excellency of the poetry, but for the soundness of the divinity expressed in these lines

Come, Holy Ghost, eternal God,
Proceeding from above,

Both from the Father and the Son,
The God of peace and love.

Visit our minds, and into us

Thy heav'nly grace inspire,
That in all truth and godliness
We may have true desire.

Thou in thy gift art manifold

Whereby Christ's Church doth stand,
In faithful hearts writing thy law,
The finger of God's hand.

According to thy promise made,
Thou givest speech of grace,
That thro' thy help, the praise of God
May stand in every place.

O Holy Ghost, into our souls
Send down thy heavenly light,
Kindle our hearts with fervent love,
To serve God day and night.

Strengthen and 'stablish our weakness,
So feeble and so frail,

That neither devil, world, nor flesh,
Against us may prevail.

Grant us, O Lord, thro' thee to know

The Father most of might,

That of his dear beloved Son,
We may attain the sight.

And that with perfect faith also,
We may acknowledge thee,
The Spirit of them both always,
One God, in persons three.

From these authorities, it appears to be the doctrine of the scriptures, and of our reformers in harmony with them, That spiritual life, and knowledge, and faith in Christ, and hope in him, that maketh not ashamed, and holy love, with every godly motion of the heart, come from the holy inspiration of God the Spirit. It is from him, that we understand the scriptures, in the mind of the Spirit: It is from his grace that we grow in scripture knowledge, and persevere in the use of means, and at the same time in a constant dependence on his presence in them, for the furtherance and joy of our faith.

in his revealed word and will. O that he may make us, and keep us good scholars, in abiding sense of the necessity of his divine teaching: That the Spirit and the word may go together in our Bible studies, and our Bible experience: so that this may be the daily prayer of our faith.

O thou Spirit of wisdom and revelation, who hast taught us that secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us, and to our children for ever, open the eyes of our understanding to understand what is revealed in the scriptures for our use. Dispose us to hear them, read them, and meditate on them, with profit. And help us to mix more faith with them, that they may become more precious: In every day's reading, grant that we may find them to be the ingrafted word, and that we are really branches grafted into the tree of life, and by the rain, and shining of heaven, enabled to bring forth the fruits of the Spirit abundantly. For all these blessings keep us ever dependent on thy divine teaching, that our fruits may grow richer and riper, we may be more humble in our hearts, and more thankful in our lives: And so we who can learn nothing as we ought without thee, may by thy grace be made wise unto eternal salvation, through faith, which is in Christ Jesus-To whom with thee, O Father, and thee, O Holy Spirit, be equal honour and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

CHAP. III.

The believer's triumph in the Lord his righteousness. THE object of his rejoicing is always one and the same, yesterday, to-day, and for ever, without any variableness, or shadow of turning. It is Christ, God in Christ, concerning whom the commandment runs -Rejoice in the Lord Jesus always, and again, I say, rejoice; there being in him a fountain of joy springing