The righteous is taken away from the evil....Isa. lvii. 1.

WHY then do we not rejoice over the dead, who die in the Lord? Why do we, who profess to be in the Lord, fear to die? Death will be the funeral of all our evils and the resurrection of all our comforts. Why then do we at all dread it? Why so reluctant to be taken from the many evils we suffer here? Why not rather longing to be for ever with the Lord? Plainly, it is for want of faith: the point is not fully settled between our Saviour and our souls, whether we are his righteous members or not, and hence we do not walk closely and comfortably with him, and then the fear of death prevails over us. A believer in Jesus, and a righteous person, are convertible terms. Every believer is a living member of Christ, united to, and one with him. They are righteous as Christ is, as man and mediator: his very righteousness is theirs: they are clothed with it, and stand perfectly righteous before God in it. Hence the holy Spirit is given to us: he enables us to walk in the paths of righteousness, and to bring forth the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory of God....Phil. i. 11. See the blessedness of the righteous: they are "taken away from the evil." The Lord doth this for them because he loves them. TO COME is not in the original. They are taken from all present evil. 1st. They are taken from an evil nature: this is the grief and burden of their righteous souls from day to day; but the death of the body shall quite destroy the body of sin and death: they shall drop this body, and wing their way to endless glory. 2d. From the evil of sin: though this did not reign over them, yet it raged in them: though they were not under its dominion, yet it warred in their members and made them cry out, O wretched! Sin brought death into the world: death shall be the grave of sin: the righteous is not taken away in his sins but from the evil of them. 3d. From that evil of evils, unbelief. This now dishonors God, causes weak hands and dejected hearts; but in death we shall part with it forever. 4th. From all the evil of this present world: all pains, trials, afflictions, &c. from whatever cause, we shall be forever delivered. This is the negative blessedness of the righteous. Who shall describe their positive happiness? It hath not entered into the heart of man to conceive what the Lord hath prepared for them who love him: this we must die fully to know. O, love the Lord all ye his saints.

My Lord, who gave me righteousness, He soon will take my soul by death,

And makes me love his ways; With ev'ry good my soul will bless, Until I end my days.

Should such a man as I flee?.... Neh. vi. 11.

NEHEMIAH was engaged in a great work: his God was with him, and gave success unto him: friends and enemies unite against him: by base insinuation, craft and stratagem, they strove to dishearten and deter him from going on with God's work. Opposition is the christian's lot; courage his honor; perseverance his jewel. Look at this man of God: he boldly repels all fear. Instead of fleeing from his work as advised, he flees to his God, and cries, "O God, strengthen my hands." Faith inspires prayer: prayer brings courage to the heart: then he boldly demands, SHOULD SUCH A MAN AS I FLEE? A man so greatly favored, so highly honored, as to be employed by God to work for him? No; I disdain such mean cowardice: I will work on: it is God's cause: let God see to the event; I fear it not.

Christian, know your calling: it is to work for God: expect opposition from within and without. This may call up fear and dis may; but consider your dignity; maintain and assert it: "Should such a man as I flee?" A man called by the grace of Jesus to resist the devil, to face carnal men, to vanquish sin, to overcome the world, to victory over death, and to receive a crown of righteousness in endless glory: shall I flee? What, I who am called to be strong in the grace which is in Christ Jesus? O, my soul, put on Christ and put off fear: put up prayer and put down dread. From whom should such a man as I flee? Of whom should I be afraid? Doth not my Lord say, my grace is sufficient for thee, my strength is made perfect in thy weakness? O Lord, strengthen my heart to resist satan, that he may flee from me, and to overcome the fear of man, which is a snare to me. I bless thee for thy precious word: strengthen my heart in the faith of it: "Fear not, neither be faint-hearted, for the two tails of these smoking fire-brands."....Isa. vii. 4. Hearken unto me; fear not the reproach of men, neither be afraid of their revilings....Isa. li. 7. I, even I am he who comforteth you. Who art thou, that thou shouldst be afraid of a man that shall die, and the son of man which shall be made as grass, and forgettest the Lord thy maker? "The Lord God will help me : I shall not be confounded: have I set my face like a flint? I shall not be ashamed: the moth shall eat up my adversaries."....Isa. 1. 7.

Courage my friends, Christ's strength is our's,
Though of ourselves we've none :

Why should we dread our hostile pow'rs?
They're conquer'd ev'ry one.

Look up and see our Saviour stand,

Pleading your cause and mine

Before the throne, at God's right hand;

Courage, our aid's divine.

sed: it was not out of the apostle's thoughts: it ought never to be out of ours. Why do we not draw back unto perdition? Is it because of our own might, power and faithfulness? No; "but because we are KEPT by the power of God through faith unto salvation."....1 Pet. i. 5. Why do any draw back unto perdition? Because they do not believe the word of God; do not live upon the power of God: their hearts are not renewed by the grace of God; and they do not choose for their portion, in time and eternity, the Son of God. But they must have made some progress in the way of salvation, else how can they draw back unto perdition? Many go great lengths in profession and expression: they are like a new moon that shines bright at the beginning, but does not last all night: they seem to begin well, to run fast, and to bid fair, with Christ in their hearts and heaven in their view: they talk of the views of faith and the joys of faith: but alas! time discovers that their hearts were not vitally united to Jesus the author and finisher of faith; therefore they obtain not the victory of faith. An unconquered world prevails against them, unsubdued lusts get the dominion over them; and satan makes a complete conquest of them: the lamp of profession goes out and they draw back to perdition. Awful state! How much to be dreaded! How earnestly to be deprecated! O consider, soul, there is perdition in the least drawing back. Though you may be kept so as not finally to perish, yet you will awfully suffer loss, if you lose the presence of Christ, the comforts of love, and the joys of faith. O, this is dreadful loss! Remember, Jesus is a living Saviour: the soul is to be saved from all evil and sin, from day to day : faith is a living grace in the heart; by it come to Christ continually, believe his love, his power, his willingness to save you to the very uttermost, from the power of sin, the corruption of nature, the love of the world, the snares of hell, into all the happiness and glory of heaven. O, may the thought of a possibility of drawing back from Christ quicken us to watch and pray to him to be kept. Study what are the best means of strengthening your faith; use them. What things are contrary thereto, avoid. It is by believing we hold on and hold out; for that brings the grace and strength of Christ into the soul.

God keeps us by his mighty pow'r
Thro' faith eternal joys to see:

Still let our souls be passing on,
Nor ever think of drawing back:
Redeem'd and sav'd by God's dear Son, Tho' hard beset, in some sad hour
Supplies of grace we ne'er shall lack. He'll set our souls at liberty.

M.

1

For the Lord will not cast off for ever.... Lam. iii. 31.

"THEN there is no danger of perishing. Let us live as we list: walk after the imagination of our hearts; and fulfil the desires of the flesh and of the mind." Is this the natural language of such a faith? This the genuine influence of such a hope? This the conduct resulting from the knowledge of God's everlasting love? Yes, say some, if we could believe such doctrine, we should so act. Such sadly betray their ignorance of the sanctifying influence of divine truth upon the heart and life. This day shalt thou be with me in paradise, says our Saviour to the expiring thief....Luke xxiii. 43. Could he hence find it in his heart to say, then will I blaspheme thee again as I did just now? O no: the grace of God which brings salvation to our souls, teaches otherwise; the goodness of God, which keeps us from hell and preserves us safe to glory, leadeth us to repentance; and faith in the covenant-love and gracious promises of the Lord, encourages us to hope for pardon from him, because he will not cast off for ever. This was the glorious confession of the faithful, when under the severe, chastising rod of God: then is the season to call to mind the Lord's everlasting love and covenant faithfulness. He loves as a father, therefore he corrects us as children: he hates our sins at the same time that he loves our persons. If he makes us smart, it is to make us confess and pray: if he puts us into the furnace of afflictions, it is that we may glorify the Lord in the fires....Isa. xxiv. 15. This cannot be done by unbelief, saying, the love of my covenant God and Father is changed into the hatred of a vindictive, wrathful enemy; he has cast me off from being his son and will eternally punish me in hell: such doctrine never brought a soul back to God with genuine humility and godly sorrow. No; it is faith in God's unchangeable love and covenant faithfulness in Christ Jesus that glorifies him, brings the poor sinner to him, humbles the heart before him, and causes the soul to cry out with tears of deepest gratitude, wretch that I am, by any base conduct to offend that. loving Lord, who hates putting away and will not cast off for ever! Lord Jesus, grant that the belief of this truth may bind me closer. than ever to thyself: we can assure our hearts of this precious truth. Ist. "Because we are the children of God by faith in Christ."....Gal. iii. 26. 2d. "If children, then heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ."....Rom. viii. 17. And, 3d. We are kept: by the power of God, through faith unto salvation......1. Fet. i. 56

Who have such glorious cause to sing, Not loved now, cast off anon,

And triumph all their days,
As children of the heav'nly king,

This is not precious faith:

God ever loves us in his Son,

Sav'd by his sov'reign grace ?

LIFE.

become enemies to God and rebels against him, but are also so ignorant of ourselves and so blind to our own state, that we do not see this: we will not own it. An enemy to God! What, to that good and gracious Lord, in whom I live, move, and have my being? I cannot think that any one upon earth can be so wicked as to be an enemy to God: such is the language of blind nature: thou that utterest it art the man. Yea, such is the enmity of thine, of every man's nature against God, that were it possible and in our power, we should KILL GOD. Start not at the thought! horrid as it is, here is proof of it. God was manifest in flesh. How was he received ? How was he treated by sinful man? Let the annals of his holy life speak the base contempt and hellish treatment he met with from man: let the history of his painful and agonizing death proclaim the enmity of sinner's hearts against him. They killed....who? Jesus of Nazareth, a mere man, mighty in word and deed? a great prophet only? Infinitely more, O unparallelled mystery of iniquity! O inscrutable mystery of godliness! They killed the PRINCE OF Such the abominable wickedness of human nature, such the total blindness of the human heart, a murderer is preferred to an innocent man; a vile miscreant is spared, the holy God, the author of life is put to death. Here, O soul, behold the true but horrid picture of human nature: such its enmity to God, as to take away the life of God. Dost thou think in thine heart, surely my nature is not so dreadfully wicked, I could not have done so vile a deed? Thou dost not yet know thyself; thy thoughts proceed from blindness and ignorance of the depth of thy totally wicked nature: as yet thou seest not the amazing heights of the Lord's love. The prince of life dies by the wicked hands of men of wicked hearts. To what end? That by his death his very murderers should live and not die eternally. O matchless love! Learn, O my soul, this night, to fathom the depth of the wicked enmity of the human heart, by the heights of the love of a dying God. Sin has done its worst, slain my God, that I might live; satan, thou hast wrecked thy hellish wrath: but thou art conquered in my Saviour's death. Law, thou hast sheathed thy strongest sting and spent the poison of thy dart in the body of my God: but glory to my prince of life, he lives to love, and loves to save: I am safe. O, may the Spirit make this faith kill legal hopes and self-righteous confidence.

Amazing, wond'rous mystery, [kill;
That men the prince of life should

But God did suffer this to be;
To save our souls from death and hell.