such a life, or served God in this or the other manner; I know of no prayer I ever offered, no service I ever performed, but there has been such a mixture of what was wrong in it, that instead of recommending me to the favour of God, I needed his pardon through Christ for the same. Yet I am full of confidence; and this is my confidence-there is a hope set before me. I have fled, I still fly for refuge to that hope."

"My faith looks up to thee,
Thou Lamb of Calvary,
Saviour Divine:

Now hear me while I pray ;
Take all my guilt away;

O let me from this day

Be wholly thine."-Ray Palmer.

QUEST. 87. What is repentance unto life?

ANS. Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavour after, new obedience.

I. The nature of repentance.-It is a change of mind.

II. The means of repentance.-The Word of God by the Spirit.

1. A true sense of sin, as in the case of the prodigal.

2. An apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ. The recognition of

mercy alone is sufficient to occasion repentance unto life. Sense of sin may bring sorrow, but would lead to remorse, not reformation.

III. The fruits of repentance.

1. A sorrow for sin: 2 Cor. vii. 9, 10.

2. A hatred of sin: Ezek. xxxvi. 31.

3. A turning from sin to God; as Saul of Tarsus, Acts ix. 6; as Ephraim, Jer. xxxi. 18.

4. New obedience: Ps. cxix. 59.

IV. The Author of repentance.-God, by his saving grace: Acts xi. 18. Christ is exalted to give repentance: Acts v. 31. God is said to pour out his Spirit to produce it: Zech. xii. 10.

V. The duty of repentance.-God commandeth all men everywhere to repent: Acts xvii. 30. This was urged by Christ and his apostles constantly.

LESSONS.

1. Repentance is essential to salvation: Luke xiii. 3, 5.

2. True repentance is habitual, till sin is for ever removed from the soul. 3. There is great danger in delaying repentance: Heb. xii. 17.

4. There are great encouragements to repentance: Luke xv. 11-24.

ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS.

"The Christian religion, as St. Paul preached it both to Jews and Gentiles, consists of " repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ,' and may therefore be properly called the religion of a sinner; for none but sinners need repentance, or faith in a Mediator, which through him is preached to all that believe. This consideration ought carefully to be attended to: Jesus Christ came 'not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance;' and if men lose sight of this peculiarity of the gospel, they will mistake it in a fundamental concern."-Dr. T. Scott.

"As I walked through the wilderness of this world, I lighted on a certain place where was a den, and laid me down in this place to sleep; and as I slept I dreamed a dream. I dreamed, and behold I saw a man clothed with rags, standing in a certain place, with his face from his own house, a book in his hand, and a great burden upon his back. I looked, and I saw him open the book and read therein; and as he read he wept and trembled; and not being able longer to contain, he brake out with a lamentable cry, saying, 'What shall I do?'"--John Bunyan.

"I pay more attention to people's lives than to their deaths. In all the visits I have paid to the sick during the course of a long ministry, I never met with one, who was not previously serious, that ever recovered from what he supposed the brink of death, who afterwards performed his vows, and became religious, notwithstanding the very great appearance there was in their favour when they thought they could not recover."-Booth.

A pious English physician stated that he had known three hundred sick persons who had professed repentance, and who eventually recovered from their disease; but only ten on recovery gave any evidence of being truly regenerated.

A clergyman who in forty years attended two thousand cases of persons apparently dying, and who professed penitence, stated that not more than two of them ever showed the fruit of repentance on recovery.

"Father," said a little girl, "can you spell repentance?" The simple appeal went to the conscience, and the man was convinced of sin, and turned to Christ.

"I remember reading of a remarkable event that occurred in a place of worship where a Puritan minister-Mr. Doolittle-was preaching two hundred years ago. Just as he was about to begin his sermon, he saw a young man, a stranger, coming into the church. He guessed by the young man's manner that he was anxious about his soul, and yet undecided about religion. He took a remarkable course with him. He tried a curious experiment; but God blessed it to the young man's soul. Before Mr. Doolittle gave out his text, he turned to an old Christian whom he saw on one side of the church. He addressed him by name, and said to him, 'Brother, do you repent of having served God?' The old Christian stood up manfully before the congregation and said, 'Sir, I have served the Lord from my youth, and he has never done me anything but good.' He turned to the left hand, where he saw another Christian, and addressed him in the same way. 'Brother,' said he, 'do you repent of having served Christ?' That man also stood up manfully before the congregation and said, 'Sir, I never was truly happy till I took up the cross and served the Lord Jesus Christ.' Then Mr. Doolittle turned to the young man and said, 'Young man, will you repent? Young man, will you take up the cross? Young man, will you this day begin to serve Christ?' God sent power with these words. The young man stood up before the congregation and said, in a humble tone, 'Yes, sir, I will.' That very day was the beginning of eternal life in that young man's soul."-Rev. J. C. Ryle.

Purge thou my sin away,

Wash thou my soul this day,

Lord, make me clean."-Dr. H. Bonar.

QUEST. 88 What are the outward means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption?

ANS. The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption, are his ordinances, especially the word, sacraments, and prayer; all which are made effectual to the elect for salvation.

MATT. xxviii. 20. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.

ACTS ii. 42. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

1 TIM. iii. 15. But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

2 TIM. iii. 15. From a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

ROM. x. 17. Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

1 PETER iii. 21. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

1 COR. X. 16. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?

LUKE xi. 9. Ask, and it shall be given

you.

1 COR. iii. 6. I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. Ver. 7. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.

I. Christ has appointed means of grace.-He alone has authority: Eph. i. 22. He fully knew what was needed by men.

II. He appointed them for the purpose of communicating the benefits of redemption. He procured redemption: Gal. iii. 13. He imparts its benefits to men: Matt. xxviii. 19, 20; Acts v. 31.

III. The means of grace.-They are three :

1. The Word of God. It is inspired: 2 Tim. iii. 16. It contains the will of God for our salvation: John xx. 31. It builds us up in the faith: Luke iv. 4. It is divinely efficacious to the welfare of the soul: James i. 21.

2. The sacraments. These are visible signs of grace: Rom. iv. 11. They refresh the believer: Acts viii. 39. They present Christ as a Saviour. 3. Prayer. It is appointed by God. He hears it: Ps. lxv. 2. He answers it: James i. 5. It is the cry of his children.

IV. The means of grace are made effectual to the elect for salvation.-There are many who hear the word and do not profit: Heb. iv. 1, 2. God's grace

is given to make the word effectual: Acts ii. 47; xiii. 48; 1 Cor. i. 21.

LESSONS.

1. The means of grace are adapted to our need. 2. Let us make full use of them.

ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS.

"By 'means of grace' is not meant every instrumentality which God may please to make the means of spiritual edification to his children. The phrase is intended to indicate those institutions which God has ordained to be the ordinary channels of grace—that is, of the supernatural influences of the Holy Spirit to the souls of men. The means of grace, according to the standards of our Church, are the Word, sacraments, and prayer."-Dr. Hodge.

Wherever the Word of God is unknown, people are in darkness. When the Bible was brought forth at the era of the Reformation, light spread over nations. Wherever the young are taught its truths, true religion flourishes.

M. le Bantain, a professor of philosophy at Strassburg, said, “A single book has saved me; but that book is not of human origin. Long had I despised it, long had I deemed it a class-book for the credulous and ignorant; until, having investigated the gospel of Christ with an ardent desire to ascertain its truth or falsity, its pages proffered to my inquiries the sublimest knowledge of man and nature, and the simplest and at the same time the most exalted system of moral ethics. Faith, hope, and charity, were kindled in my bosom; and every advancing step strengthened me in the conviction that the morals of this book are superior to human morals, as its oracles arc superior to human opinions."

The late Dr. Kidd, Professor of Oriental Languages in the University of Aberdeen, was originally a poor boy. His mind, taught by a pious mother, caught a flame of love for the New Testament. He reposed with it under his pillow at night. It was his last care when going to sleep, and his first when he awoke. His mind expanded in the knowledge of the Scriptures, and his memory became retentive of their truths. When about eight years of age he went to the Presbyterian meeting-house of Broughshane, in the county of Antrim, Ireland, on a communion Sabbath. His mother was a member of that congregation, and he accompanied her. Agreeably to the ancient usage of the Scottish Kirk, it was at that time customary for Presbyterian clergymen to be habited in blue when dispensing the Lord's supper. The appearance of the minister, the Rev. Charles Brown, in this singular dress, the snow-white covering of the sacramental table, the view of the holy elements, the solemnity of the subjects, and the devotion of the people, made an indelible impression on his young mind; and he frequently declared that on that day and in that place he formed the resolution of using every endeavour to become qualified for being a preacher of the gospel of Christ. It was the pursuit of knowledge under difficulties; but he triumphed. He emigrated to America, and managed to acquire a good education. He learned Hebrew so well as to be elected professor of that language in Marischal College, Aberdeen. He became also a fervent and successful preacher of the gospel.