My first illustrative anecdote shall be one which may be very properly placed by the side of Matthew vi. 6. Thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly. do not find in the Old Testament observation of this kind, I am inmerely what we find so prevailingly duced to offer to their notice a in the sacred books of false reli- few illustrative comments, should gions-a long code of moral pre- you feel disposed to indulge me cepts, and an unillustrated system with an occasional page for their of doctrine: but we read the history insertion. My communications of patriarchs and saints who lived in might, perhaps, appropriately find patience and died in faith; we fol- a place in your alternate Numbers, low them in the course they trod; between the series of Scripture Illussee the hand of their God upon trations of another kind from the pen them all the way, sometimes pour- of another of your correspondents. ing water out of the flinty rock, sometimes raining manna down upon them from heaven, leading them in the day by a pillar of a cloud, and all the night through by a light of fire: we read of their murmurings and their rebellions, their crimes and failings, and also of their troubles and punishments; and at length we are told that these things happened unto them for examples, and were written for our admonition, upon whom the end of the world is come. In the New Testament, again, we find our Lord adopting a similar method of instruction; and his parabolic discourses are but another form of conveying the lessons taught by the histories and biography of the Old. And we learn the good effect of this mode of instruction; for the dulness of the multitude was able to comprehend it: the common people heard him gladly; while the sophistries of the conceited could not elude it, for they perceived that he spake his parable of them. In following out these thoughts, it has occurred to me, that the private histories of Christians, or the public events of life, often furnish, incidentally, useful illustrations of the sacred Scriptures. Sometimes a particular duty, has been discharged under very peculiar and memorable circumstances; sometimes a particular promise has been most mercifully and unexpectedly fulfilled: and if such facts were gathered up as fragments of instruction that ought not to be lost, much edification might ensue. In the hope of encouraging some of your readers to adopt a habit of It has been remarked, that secret prayer is a kind of rehearsal of the duties and conflicts which the mind anticipates in public: and when the Christian is thus faithful to his God, in endeavouring to prepare to glorify him, God will be faithful to him, in imparting strength sufficient both for conflict and duty, and will thus, as in other ways, reward him openly. There are not a few instances of this in holy Scripture. The case of Elisha, mentioned in 2 Kings iv. 33, who "went into his chamber, and, when he had shut the door, prayed unto the Lord;" and the Lord heard him, and granted his petition; and that also of Daniel, who went into his chamber and prayed and made supplication unto his God; and the angel Gabriel was sent to him, and said, that at the beginning of his supplication he was heard; are striking illustrations of this point. But sometimes the reward is apparently of a more incidental kind, of which the following modern anecdote furnishes an instance : John Sharp, archbishop of York (one of the ancestors of Granville Sharp), himself the son of a very pious and devout father, once obtained, when a child, an accidental view of his father's secret devotions: through a chink in the door of an adjoining room he perceived him at his private prayers. Childish curiosity brought him frequently to the spot; and he observed, in his father's manner of addressing himself in secret to his God, an importunate earnestness of devotion, which so forcibly affected his heart that the impression was never effaced. It is said, that to this circumstance he attributed some of his earliest religious feelings and desires. Was not this a portion of the recompence of a parent's prayer? Another interesting practical comment, on another passage, St. John xiii. 16, "The servant is not greater than his Lord," may be furnished from the example of Granville Sharp himself. A more simple and affecting exemplification of the spirit which that passage implies and inculcates could scarcely, perhaps, be found except in that Divine instance of condescending love with which the passage stands connected: "If I, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye ought also to wash one another's feet; for I have given you an example that ye should do as I have done unto you." But it is no mean honour to have followed, though at an infinite distance, this Divine example of humility: and as an instance of the spirit of his heavenly Master, may be cited the following anecdote of Granville Sharp. He was a constant and regular attendant at the holy communion, where spiritually "man doth eat angel's food." One day, however, he lingered for a time behind his fellow-worshippers; and at length was seen advancing, leading along with him a livery servant, newly entered into his service, whose devotions he had till then been assisting for the solemn rite. With a tenderness and simplicity scarcely to be paralleled, he would not advance till he had made his servant first kneel down, and then both master and servant, on their bended knees," did eat of the same spiri "Every priest shall explain to the people, four times a year, the fourteen Articles of Faith, the Ten Commandments, the two Evangelical Precepts, the seven Works of Mercy, the seven Deadly Sins with their consequences, the seven principal Virtues, and the seven Sacraments of Grace. The fourteen Articles of Faith (whereof seven belong to the mystery of the Trinity, and seven to Christ's humanity), are, 1. The Unity of the Divine Essence in the three Persons of the undivided Trinity. 2. That the Father is God. 3. That the Son is God. 4. That the Holy Ghost, proceeding from the Father and the Son, is God. 5. The creation of heaven and earth by the whole and undivided Trinity. 6. The sanctification of the church by the Holy Ghost; the Sacraments of Grace; and all other things wherein the Christian church communicateth. 7. The consummation of the church in eternal glory, to be truly raised again in flesh and spirit; and, opposite thereunto, the eternal damnation of the reprobate. 8. The incarnation of Christ. 9. His being born of the blessed Virgin. 10. His sufferings and death upon the cross. descent into hell. 12. His Resurrection from the dead. 13. His ascension into heaven. 14. His 11. His future coming to judge the world. The Ten Commandments are the precepts of the Old Testament. To these the Gospel addeth two others; to wit, the love of God, and of our neighbour. Of the seven Works of Mercy, six are collected out of the Gospel of St. Matthew; to feed the hungry, to give drink to the thirsty, to entertain the stranger, to clothe the naked, to visit the sick, and to comfort those that are in prison; and the seventh is gathered out of Tobias, to wit, to bury the dead. The seven Deadly Sins are pride, envy, anger or hatred, slothfulness, covetousness, gluttony, luxury and drunkenness. The seven principal Virtues are faith, hope, charity, which respect God; prudence, temperance, justice, fortitude, with regard unto men. The seven Sacraments of Grace are baptism, confirmation, orders, penance, matrimony, the eucharist, and extreme unction." E. FAMILY SERMONS. No. CLXXXIII. Psalm xxiii. 1.-The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. WHAT a delightful description does this Psalm present of the blessedness of true religion! We hear in it nothing but the language of joy and hope, of confidence and thanksgiving. The Psalmist seems to have no want left unsupplied, no wish ungratified. He rejoices in his past deliverances, his present safety, and his future expectations. His Almighty Protector, who had hitherto befriended him, he knew would never forsake him. He might be exposed to the storms of life; every thing might be dark around him; in his family and in his kingdom he might meet with the bitterest afflictions; but he had, amidst all, a peace which, as the world could not give, it could not take away. He was at peace with God; his iniquities were pardoned, and his sins covered; he enjoyed the com forting and sanctifying influences of the Holy Spirit; he walked in the light of the Divine countenance; he knew that all things, even pain, and sorrow, and death itself, worked together for his good: he therefore feared no evil, for God was with him; when he was weary and destitute, his faithful Shepherd would cause him to lie down in green pastures; when he thirsted, and his soul fainted within him, he would lead him beside the still waters; when he wandered from the right way, he would mercifully restore him, and guide him in the paths of righteousness; he would anoint his head with the oil of gladness; he would make his cup to run over with mercies; his goodness would follow him all the days of his life; in the valley of the shadow of death he would support and comfort him, and in eternity he would be his everlasting reward. All this the Psalmist sums up in one expressive image— "The Lord is my Shepherd;" from which Divine relationship, and from his past experience of God's care and protection, he confidently adds, "I shall not want." He reposes in full security upon the power, the wisdom, and the mercy of his God: Jehovah was his strength; his defence was the munition of the Rock of Ages. In contemplating this delightful picture of the Psalmist's happiness, there are three points which especially merit our consideration. First, The character which God bears to his people as a Shepherd; Secondly, The benefit which results to them from this relation"They shall not want;" And, thirdly, The importance of our ascertaining, each of us for ourselves, whether we are a part of his flock. First, We are to consider the character which God bears to his people as a Shepherd. The Bible abounds with allusions expressive of the care and tenderness of God. He is a Master, whose yoke is easy, whose service is perfect freedom, and who will mercifully reward with an abundant recompence the work of faith and labour of love of his servants. He is the Bridegroom of the bride, his church: he regards it with affection and complacency; he protects it in danger, he supports it in weakness, he cherishes it in distress. He is a Father whose eye beams pity on his children; who bears with their failings, forgives their transgressions, provides for their wants, instructs them amidst their ignorance, and receives them with tenderness and compassion, when, after wandering as prodigals from their home, they repent of their folly and ingratitude, and return with humility to his paternal arms. And, not further to multiply allusions, he is a Shepherd; a character well understood by the Royal Psalmist who had himself sustained it, and who frequently brings it forward as an expressive illustration of the relationship which God bears to his people. They are called " the sheep of his pasture." Ignorant of the right way, prone to wander, exposed to innumerable dangers, surrounded by enemies which would find them an easy prey, they need an unerring Guide and powerful Protector. And such is God: he is wise to direct, and patient to guard, and strong to deliver. He is the Shepherd of Israel, that neither slumbereth nor sleepeth. He says of himself," Thus saith the Lord God, Behold I, even I, will both search my sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day." "I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God. I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick." In this tender character, the promised Redeemer was prophesied of many hundreds of years before his birth. "He shall feed his flock like a shepherd; he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom." And he truly fulfilled the prediction. He is spoken of in the New Testament, by St. Paul, as "the Great Shepherd;" by St. Peter as "the Chief Shepherd;" and by himself as "the Good Shepherd." His claim to this title he maintained with his own blood; for "he gave his life for his sheep." He was the Shepherd mentioned in the book of Zechariah, against whom the sword of Divine justice awoke, when he voluntarily bore our sins, and was wounded for our iniquities. In every age of his church he has been faithful to his pastoral character; he has shewn himself deserving of our fullest confidence: we cannot stray so long as we listen to his voice; we cannot be injured when we resort to his protection. He feeds us with the food of eternal life; he brings us back from our wanderings; he leads us in the rich pastures of his word; he strengthens us in his sacred ordinances; he refreshes us with his heavenly consolations. To use the language of the Apostle, he is made of God unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. God hath reconciled us to himself by him: He is the way unto the Father, the door by which we enter into the heavenly fold and are saved. All hopes of salvation are unfounded, except those which rest upon him as their basis. A storm is speedily approaching, which shall sweep away all other refuges; but "there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." "My sheep," he says, "hear my voice, and I know them; and they follow me, and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand.” Such is the character which God bears to his people as their Shepherd: let us now, in the second place, consider the benefit which results to them from this Divine relation, "they shall not want." We are not to understand by this expression that, in this life at least, every wish they may form shall be at once, or literally, gratified: very far from it: indeed such an indulgence of our short-sighted, and often corrupt, wishes, would too frequently be a curse and not a blessing. But what is meant by the declaration is, that they shall not want any thing that is really beneficial for them; as the Psalmist himself expresses it in another passage: 86 They that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing." Whatever is bestowed, or whatever is withheld, shall in the end, in either case, be for their advantage. The word of God abounds with promises of this nature; for "godliness is profitable for all things, having the promise of this life and of that which is to come." The Psalm from which the text is taken, as well as the whole history of David, strikingly illustrates this truth. He was often in want, and sickness, and danger as to his body; often in the deepest affliction, in the mire and clay, in the depths and in the horrible pit, as to the feelings of his soul; yet, amidst all, God supported and protected him, and at length delivered him. As his Shepherd, whatever exertion of care and tenderness is implied in that allusion, was afforded to him in his necessities. The chief offices of a shepherd towards his flock are to protect them and to provide for them; and neither of these was wanting in the case of David, or shall be in that of any who, like him, make God their refuge and strength. First, they shall not want protection. True, they are exposed in a sinful world to innumerable snares and dangers; but the very hairs of their head are numbered. The tempter truly said to God concerning Jab, "Hast thou not made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side?" It was customary for shepherds in countries exposed to ravenous animals, to light fires during the night, to scare away the depredator; and " I, saith the Lord, will be to her a wall of fire round about." Safe in this protection, the Christian commits. his life, his health, his beloved friends and relatives, his property, and all his temporal concerns to the care of his ever - watchful Shepherd. His confiding language is, "Thou, O Lord, art a shield unto me. I laid me down and slept; I awaked, for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people that have set themselves against me round about." His soul, in a still more especial manner, he resigns to his care; he seeks protection against the temptations of the world, the evil tendencies of his own heart, and the assaults of that spiritual enemy who 66 as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour." So also the Christian shall not want any necessary supplies, whether for the soul or for the body. With regard to the latter, he is taught in whatsoever state he is therewith to be content; to know "how to be abased and how to abound; how to be full and to be hungry, how to abound and to suffer need." In every thing he learns to give thanks as the dictate of a contented and a happy spirit. His language is: "Although the fig-tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vine; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the field shall yield no meat; the flocks shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stall, yet will I rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation." And still more with regard to the wants of the soul is he led to trust to his heavenly |