pre as a "preacher of righteousness" against the vailing iniquity of the age. He walked with God in faith, fear, love, and obedience, and found grace in his sight. But when safe in the bosom of his family, a monument of mercy, after the tremendous deluge; he drank wine and was drunken, and lay uncovered in his tent! Can this be Noah-the holy Noah? then let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall. Lot, whose righteous soul was vexed from day to day with the filthy conversation of the wicked, when rescued by the hand of mercy from the devoted cities of the plain, and safely sheltered in the mountain, fell into the combined atrocity of drunkenness and incest. This speaks with awful voice, "be not high-minded, but fear.” David, the man after God's own heart, who never once defiled his soul by heathen worship, when raised to the throne of Israel, and enjoying rest in his palace, was enticed by deceitful lusts, into the dreadful sins of adultery and murder. Solomon, who was honoured with the name of Jedidiah, beloved of the Lord: who built a splendid temple for the worship of Jehovah, and whose wisdom attracted the Queen of Sheba to Jerusalem: when grown old, and after having witnessed the faithfulness of God in the promises made to him on ascending the throne: "was turned after other gods," through the allurements of "his strange wives ;" and erected "high places" for the abominations of the heathen. Surely we must say, 66 Lord, what is man, that thou shouldest be mindful of him!" Hezekiah, so mercifully raised from a bed of death, was lifted up with pride, perhaps on account of the stupendous miracle wrought on his behalf. Peter, so zealous and confident, denied his Lord with oaths and curses. Abraham, so eminent for faith, betrayed the evil of mistrust, showing that the fear of man bringeth a snare. Jacob, under the semblance of piety and filial affection, with a lie obtained his father's blessing. Moses, so renowned for meekness, was condemned to die in the wilderness, because he spake unadvisedly with his lips. Aaron, the High-priest of the Lord, made a golden calf, around which the people danced to their shame. the very How faithful is the pen of inspiration; what indubitable marks of divinity are stamped upon the holy Scriptures! Here truth with impartial hand dips her pencil, now in the brighter, now in the darker colours, and thus draws her characters to life. Here we see man, just as he is, both by nature and grace. If characters so eminent for holiness, have been stained with sin, where shall we find sinless perfection in this lower world? All need the blood of Jesus; all need the preserving grace of God; all need the constant exercise of watchfulness and prayer. Those who take encouragement from these painful instances of corruption in the best of men, to trifle with sin; who, like Ham, delight to sport with the spiritual nakedness of God's children; who despise the truths of the Bible, because some holy characters recorded in it, have been drawn by Satan and their own hearts into grievous crimes; evidence a total ignorance of their own hearts, and a total destitution of that grace, which, through the blessed truths of Scripture, leads men to holiness, to happiness, and heaven. Whilst infidels tauntingly expose the sins of believers, let them behold with solemn awe the displeasure of the Almighty, as manifested in their temporal afflictions: and those heart-rending sorrows, which, like piercing thorns, sprang out of their iniquities. And when believers contemplate these Scripture characters, let them seek for grace to avoid their falls, and to copy their unfeigned repentance. The all-conquering Lamb, who fought and overcame Satan by dying upon the cross for our redemp tion, will not suffer him to exult with shouts of final victory. He raises the fallen believer through an act of inconceivable, unmerited mercy: fills him with shame and self-abhorrence; leads him to the fountain of his own most precious blood; imparts to him a fresh supply of his Holy Spirit; and thus enables him to renew the conflict with unabated vigour, in deep humility, self-distrust, and simple reliance on his almighty power, combined with constant vigilance against the motions of every inward and outward foe. But the soul which shall dare to presume upon such mercy, and so indulge in sin, is in the utmost peril of falling into perdition; for this very spirit of daring proves a man to be a self-deceiver, an enemy of all righteousness. A true believer may fall into sin; but he cannot sin on principle that grace may abound, or because Jesus hath said, "my sheep shall never perish;" well knowing that the character of Christ's sheep is, that they hear the Shepherd's voice and follow him. A true believer may fall into sin; but he cannot sin habitually, or with continued delight;-well knowing that "whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him, and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." To do so, would prove him a hypocrite, and not a child of God. The grace of the Gospel gives no license to iniquity. To imagine for a moment that it grants the slightest quarter to sin, is to cast a foul reproach upon the spotless purity of that Holy Being from whom all grace proceeds. That evil men should abuse this revelation of mercy, is no more marvellous, than that they do every hour abuse the choicest blessings of providence. It is strange to think how ill men reason in general about spiritual things. They can invent a thousand objections against what they do not love; which objections they would instantly repel, if brought against some favourite worldly scheme. I perceive, then, that there is great need to watch against the sophistry of my own mind. If I feel tempted to parley with sin, to grow lukewarm in religion, or to draw back into the world, let me ask myself these solemn questions:-Is my heavenly Father less kind and gracious than when I first knew the Lord? Is my Saviour less lovely and precious in the eyes of saints and angels? Is the Divine Spirit less holy and comforting to the tried believer? Is sin less hateful in the sight of God and less destructive to the soul? Is Satan less watchful and subtle against the sheep of Christ? Is the world less vain and deceitful in its nature and pursuits? Is the heart less vile and treacherous in its inward workings? Is heaven less glorious and desirable to the weary pilgrim? Is hell less dreadful and tormenting to the perishing sinner? Have any of these objects changed their nature, since first the light of truth broke in upon my mind? If not, then why should I begin to change my views and feelings respecting them? Why grow lukewarm and indifferent? Oh! what need for suspicion, lest all should not be right! What need for watchfulness, self-examination, and prayer. If these realities are still the same-if the truths of God are immutable-then why should I be less vigilant, less praverful, less anxious about these infinitely momentous truths? Time is rapidly receding. Eternity is rapidly advancing. My state must soon be irrevocably fixed in a world of happiness or misery, Then why am I so cold, so indifferent to the highests interests of my immortal soul? Is it not owing to the prevalence of inward corruption, and the workings of Satan in my depraved heart? Blessed Jesus! look in mercy upon a wretched, lost creature. Were I to be crushed as in a moment, and sent quick into hell, it would be righteous judgment. But thou art gracious, thou art full of compassion, thou camest to seek and to save rebellious sinners. Lord, save me-help me-undertake for me. Snatch me as a brand out of the burning. Deliver me from the jaws of that roaring lion, who is ever going about, seeking whom he may devour. Lord, give me not over to him as a prey. Suffer me not to be carried captive by him at his will. Fill me with a constant dread of sin; make me ever watchful and vigilant. Bear me in thy arms of love, through all the dangers of my earthly course, till, safe removed from every storm, I serve thee in thy everlasting kingdom. O! thou gracious Friend of sinners, Speak the word, Almighty Saviour, Save me from corruption's power, Spread thy guardian wings around me, As I wander through the desert, |