and yet, O God, thou hast in some measure sanctified me; I have sinned against my sanctification, and yet, O God, thou hast not forsaken me; I have sinned against the continuance of thy mercies, yet hast thou not confounded me. The whole practice of my life is nothing but rebellion, and the imaginations of my heart are evil, and that continually: wherefore I wholly renounce myself, O God, and utterly disclaim the works of mine own hands. In thy goodness, O Lord, I build my confidence, and in thy mercy I seek for refuge. Grant me the power to do what thou commandest, and then com`mand me what thou pleasest; crucify the flesh within me, and deliver my soul from the spirit of bondage; free me, O Lord, from the oldness of the letter, that I may serve thee hereafter in the newness of the spirit. Let the rebellions of old Adam be lost in thy remem

brance, and let the obedience of the new Adam be ever in thy sight; purge from my heart the dregs of unbelief, and kindle in my soul the fire of devotion; quicken my spirit with a lively faith. Lord, I believe: Lord, help my unbelief; that so being faithful to the death, according to thy command, I may receive the crown of life according to thy promise.

THE FEARFUL MAN.

His Conflict.

How potent are the infirmities of flesh

and blood!

How weak is Nature's

strength! How strong her weakness! How is my easy faith abused by my deceitful sense! How is my understand

ing blinded with deluding error! How is my will perverted with apparent good! If real good present itself, how purblind is mine eye to view it! if viewed, how dull is my understanding to apprehend it! if apprehended, how heartless is my judgment to allow it! if allowed, how unwilling is my will to choose it! if chosen, how fickle are my resolutions to retain it! No sooner are my resolutions fixed upon a course of grace, but nature checks at my resolves; no sooner checked, but straight my will repents her choice, my judgment recalls her sentence, my understanding mistrusts her light; and then my sense calls flesh and blood to counsel, which wants no arguments to break me off. The difficulty of the journey daunts me; the straitness of the gate dismays me; the doubt of the reward diverts me; the loss of worldly pleasures here, deters me; the loss of earthly honour there, dis

suades me; here the strictness of religion damps me; there the world's contempt disheartens me; here the fear of my preferment discourages me. Thus is my

yielding sense assaulted with my conquering doubts; thus are my militant hopes made captive to my prevailing fears; whence, if happily ransomed by some good motion, the devil presents me with a bead-roll of my offences. The flesh suggests the necessity of my sin, the world objects the foulness of my shame; where, if I plead the mercy and goodness of my God, the abuse of his mercy weakens my trust, the slighting of his goodness hardens my heart against my hopes. With what an host of enemies art thou besieged, my soul! how art thou beleaguered with continual fears! how doth the guilt of thy unworthiness cry down the hopes of all compassion! Thy confidence of mercy is conquered by the consciousness of thy

own demerits, and thou art taken prisoner, and bound in the horrid chains of sad despair.

BUT cheer up, my soul, and turn thy fears to wonder and thanksgiving; trust in Him that saith,

Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you a kingdom. Luke, xii. 32.

Col. i. 13.

He hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.

Acts, xiv. 22.

Exhort them to continue in the faith, and. that we must, through many tribulations, enter into the kingdom of God. James, ii. 5.

Hath not God chosen the poor of this world, that they should be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to them that love him?