glory in his ignominious yoke. Influenced by victorious faith, he will magnanimously spurn the trammels of sin and Satan, and prove that "whom the Son makes free, they are free indeed." If we are not thus saved, let us attribute it as we ought, to our own unfaithfulness and unbelief; and not to any want of power or willingness in Him who has "all power in heaven and on earth "—whose word expelled demons--cleansed the lepers-and raised the dead; who is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him. "All things are possible to him that believeth." By faith the valleys rise-the mountains are brought low— the difficulties vanish-the giants are subdued, and possession is obtained of “a land flowing with milk and honey. Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain.”

"All things"-poverty, sickness, losses, disappointments, persecutions, bereavements, and all those nameless griefs and sorrows, which prudence, or delicacy, or affection forbid us to disclose. "The heart knoweth his own bitterness, and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy." Great indeed would be our comfort, could we find an affectionate and faithful friend, into whose compassionate heart we might pour our sorrows, without fear of being deemed tedious or impertinent, and who was both able and willing to afford us effectual relief. Though unable to find such a friend on earth, in whom we might with perfect confidence confide, yet we have 9 Father in heaven, ever accessible, ever kind, ever faithful; who when "deep calleth unto deep," and all the waves and the billows go over our soul will graciously say, "Fear not; I am with thee; be not dismayed; I am thy God: I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

“All things work together”—instrumentally, not meritoriously-there is no merit in suffering-we are not to suppose

that great sufferings in the present life will entitle us to heaven. "Together," not separately, but conjointly. There are some medicines, which taken in their simple, uncompounded state, might be injurious to health, or destructive to life; but when compounded by a skilful physician tend to the preservation of both. If infinite wisdom and goodness mix our cup, it cannot be needlessly bitter; and when necessity requires it, we must take what a father's hand has prepared, however unpalatable. "Work together for good." Sometimes they may be overruled for our temporal advantage, but always for our spiritual; and that is better still. As christians we are always to prefer the soul to the body-spiritual blessings to temporal—and heaven to earth! Whatever brings us nearer to God is a blessing in disguise; and that griefs, sufferings, and afflictions frequently have this tendency, is undeniable. "It is good for me that I have been afflicted-before I was afflicted I went astray; but now have I kept thy word. I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me." If we are quickened in duty-and saved from a criminal attachment to the present evil world—if our pride is beat down, and we are stript of all confidence in ourselves-if we are led to place our simple, and entire reliance upon the infinitely meritorious sacrifice of our Great High Priest, we should welcome the means by which such a consummation is effected. "I am not better," said a great and good man, *" than my fathers; I am deeply conscious I am corrected less, yea, infinitely less than my iniquities deserve. I hope I am more anxious to see my heavy affliction sanctified than removed. Whether it would be best for it to be removed, may well be doubted: of the admirable benefits arising from sanctification, both in time and eternity, there can be no doubt. I presume the

* Rev. Robert Hall.

Lord sees I require more hammering and hewing than almost any other stone that was ever selected for his spiritual building; and that is the secret reason of his dealings with me. Let me be broken into a thousand pieces, if I may but be made up again, and formed by his hand for purposes of mercy. I see more and more of the unspeakable blessedness of being made like God, and of becoming partaker of his holiness."

If "affliction cometh not forth of the dust, nor trouble spring out of the ground," we should say, "Lord show me wherefore thou contendest with me?

Surely it is

meet to be said unto God, I have borne chastisement, I will not offend any more; that which I see not teach thou me: if I have done iniquity, I will do no more." In the furnace, if nowhere else, let me be made white and purified. "Use the rod, but not the sword; Correct with kind severity; Bring me not to nothing, Lord! But bring me home to thee. "

"We know; " not we suppose-we conjecture-but we "know." Not I;-for had the apostle spoken in the singular number, some would have taken exceptions, and would probably have said, "yes, a man of the apostle's talents, and learning, and piety, and zeal, and labours, and successes, might be thus favoured-he might know this, but Christians in general, are not to expect this knowledge." But he says, "we know,”—all in every nation-of every sect, who love God, and delight in him, and live to him. It is our common privilege; we may all enjoy this consolation. It avails not to say, we cannot see how all things can work together for good." Is our blindness a proof that God is blind also? He sees our sufferings in their results and consequences, and frequently makes the vale of tears the path to glory. All means are his instruments; and all causes are under his control. "Be not grieved," said Joseph

to his afflicted and astonished brethren, conscious that his sufferings had not been occasioned by his faults, "nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither; for God did send me before you to preserve life." He was anxious to prevent their accusations and recriminations, though they had sold him for a slave; and to prevent envy and malice from inflicting upon them further miseries, he said, "See that ye fall not out by the way." When Jacob said in his haste "All these things are against me"-he might have said "all these things are for me,” as indeed they all were. He lived to see this-he had the unspeakable felicity of embracing his long-lost and beloved Joseph, in the presence of Simeon and Benjamin-and was doubtless prepared to acknowledge, that God had done all things well. He then saw that the privations, and sufferings, and accusations, and temptations, and imprisonment of his son, were preparing the way for his advancement, and formed an important and essential part of the means God employed to make him "lord over all the land of Egypt." "When he saw the waggons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived; and Israel said, it is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die." Job's trials and sufferings were awfully great, but God blessed his latter end more than his beginning-he had as many sons and daughters as in his prosperity, and his property was all doubled.

Independent, however, of these examples from the sacred page, and many others which might be adduced, we contend, that the apostle was fully justified in using the language of the text. He was divinely inspired-he had studied theology at the feet of an unerring Teacher, and could not be deceived. To the great principles of our holy religion we must look for relief—" Whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth;-and were we without chastisement, whereof

all are partakers, we should be bastards, and not sons." We cannot expect God to strike out a new path to heaven for us; the old way is the best way. All who have entered the kingdom of heaven went through great tribulation, and like the Captain of their salvation were made "perfect through suffering." They took joyfully the spoiling of their goods, and patiently endured the loss of all things, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Gloriously triumphant, they said, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors, through him that loved us. For We are persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God,which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." God may lead us by a way we have not known, but he cannot do wrong. He may think it right to keep us out at sea in our poor frail bark—and that sea may be awfully rough and tempestuous-we may mount to the tops of the liquid mountains, and go down again into the deep; but "that God who sends the storm, steers the vessel," and knows when, and where, and how to land you safe on the long-wished-for shore. All the winds, however contrary, shall under his control bring us safe to the port. Faith in God will enable you to say, "Thy will be done," and these four words will cut up by the root a thousand clear and cold reasonings, and supersede whole volumes on fate and necessity.

Death itself, so much and so justly dreaded when unconnected with religion, will by faith be deprived of its sting, and will wipe away all our tears, and end all our sorrows and fightings. We shall exchange the vale of tears for the heights of glory-the sorrows of the wilderness for the felicities of the heavenly Canaan. We shall go where there