sword of Gideon: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host." This was enough for Gideon; and straightway, without fear or misgiving of any kind, he did as the Lord enjoined, and won a victory of unparalleled completeness.

So has it been, more or less, with believers in every age. They may have trial upon trial, but never overtrial; for in due season the Lord, with loving tenderness, either lightens their burden or increases their strength. His promised grace is made sufficient for them. They may be often pressed above their human, but never above his divine and heavenly might.

"Oh cheer thee, cheer thee, suffering saint,
Though worn with chastening be not faint;
And though the night of pain seem long,
Cling to thy Lord, in him be strong:
He marks, he numbers every tear,
Not one faint sigh escapes his ear."

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.-1 COR. x. 13.

The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations.2 PETER ii. 9.

The Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom.-2 TIM. iv. 18.

January 21.

THE SACRED FIRE THAT MUST NOT be quenched.

OHN said of Jesus-" He shall baptize with the Holy

JOHN

Ghost, and with fire;" and on the day of Pentecost the Spirit was so marvellously outpoured, that "there

appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak as the Spirit gave

them utterance."

Here the Spirit is compared to fire; and there is a peculiar appropriateness in the imagery. Where there is fire, there is usually light; so is it where the Spirit of the Lord is. He is the great Enlightener of darkened souls, and so effectually reveals Christ to them, in all the fulness of his grace and glory, that multitudes in every age have been able to say, from blessed experience, " One thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see."

Like fire also, the Holy Spirit softens what is hard Even when all other influences have utterly failed, yet in his hands the very flintiest of hearts become contrite and tender.

Moreover, as fire refines and purifies by separating the dross from the gold, so also is it with the Spirit. He is the great and gracious Refiner, and purifies the soul, and makes it meet for the inheritance of the saints in light. Accordingly, it is ever found that the more we get filled with the Spirit, the more we get free from corruption.

And this purity is ever associated with peace and joy; for as fire imparts warmth and glow, so does the blessed Comforter. He kindles in the soul a zeal, and love, and gladsome hope that are ever precious in themselves, glorifying to God, and helpful to the world.

As we thus owe so much in every way to the Holy Spirit, we must constantly see to it that what he kindles we do not quench, either by worldliness and unbelief or heedless neglect. And we can only succeed in this by much watchfulness on the one hand, and much prayerful

ness on the other.

If we consider," says Thomas Boston, "that our hearts are like wet timber, which is unfit for keeping fire, and that there are so many temptations, like rain from the clouds, we will soon see that there is no keeping the fire in if we give over watching." "Walk with God," he adds, "as if men's eyes were on you, and with men as having God's eyes on you."

Quench not the Spirit.-1 THESS. v. 19.

Grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.-EPH. iv. 30.

My spirit shall not always strive with man.-GEN. vi. 3.

January 22.

SICKNESS AND SIN.

THOUGH all sin is more or less a fruit of transgression,

it would yet be a grievous error to suppose that in every case special sickness is traceable to special sin, and is only laid upon sinners, but never upon saints. Such views find no countenance either in the teachings or facts of Scripture. We are told of Epaphroditus that "he was sick nigh unto death;" yet, instead of being a noted sinner, he was an eminent saint, whose praise was in all the churches, and of whom Paul said, "Receive him therefore with all gladness, and hold such in reputation." We see the same thing in the touching message sent by the sisters of Bethany when their brother Lazarus was at the point of death: "Lord," they said, "he whom thou lovest is sick."

It would preserve us from this error if we would keep

in mind that meanwhile we are under a dispensation of grace, one happy effect of which is, that everything is made to work together for good to those who love the Lord, the dark and the bright alike, the bitter and the sweet, losses and gains, joys and sorrows, health and sickness. Instead, therefore, of fretting and fearing when affliction comes, true believers are enabled to be submissive and trustful; just because, in spite of all its present grievousness, they regard it, not as a judicial infliction, but as a fatherly chastening and blessed privilege of adoption.

A good and faithful preacher of the word was once lying dangerously ill, and the members of his church were praying earnestly at his bedside that the Lord would raise him up and preserve him unto them. In doing so, they made mention, among other things, of his tender watchfulness in feeding the lambs of the flock, and used the expression, "Lord, thou knowest how he loves thee." At this the sick man turned to them, and said, "Ah, children, do not pray thus! When Mary and Martha sent to Jesus, their message was not, 'Lord, he who loveth thee is sick,' but, 'he whom thou lovest.' It is not my imperfect love to him that gives me comfort, but his perfect love to me. 'There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear.""

Plainly, it is not always the worst who are most afflicted, but often the very best, in tenderest love, and for the most gracious ends. The sickness in the outer man tends to give health to the inner, and make that matter of blessed experience which had been before only matter of faith.

When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.-JOHN xi. 4.

Suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.-LUKE xiii. 2, 3.

January 23.

HE IS BEYOND MEASURE RICH WHO CAN SAY, "MY GOD."

NE of the things that give peculiar sweetness to the

ONE

promise," My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus," is the "my" with which it begins. It is not said, "God," or the "great God," or the "gracious God" shall supply, but," my God" shall do it. Before his conversion, the apostle could not in sincerity and truth have so spoken. But it was altogether different after it. His whole relationship became changed, for, having obtained mercy through Jesus Christ, the condemnation without and the alienation within were completely gone, and therefore, like Thomas, he could now say from the very heart, "My Lord and my God!" Having now a soul-satisfying possession of unlimited fulness, mere outward troubles were never allowed to disturb his peace. In every varying circumstance he could still, as it were, say,—

"These surface-troublings come and go,
Like rufflings of the sea;

The deeper depth is out of reach
To all, my God, but thee."

This was Paul's experience; and as it may be ours also, none should be content without it. We do not say that such an assured and appropriating faith is absolutely essential to salvation; far from it. There have often been timid, trembling ones in the Church of Christ,