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Consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds....Heb. xii. 3.

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COME, christian, look up, look forward, and be of good courage. Though thy exercises are many, and thy conflicts great, though weary IN, yet grow not weary of, the ways of the Lord. Verily, in due time we shall reap an harvest of eternal felicity, after all our present toil and labour. Faint not; continue to the end; persevere in the work of faith, labour of love, and patience of hope. The battle is the Lord's; thy foes are all conquered; victory is obtained; the crown is held forth by thy conquering Lord. Press on. But alas! thou findest contradiction and opposition from every quarter, from within and from without: numerous are thy foes which rise up against thee; thy strength is small; thy power weak: most true; but know thy calling; study thy privilege; behold thy comforter holds forth a reviving cordial this day to thy drooping spirits: "lest thou be weary and faint in thy mind," consider JESUS. Here is faith's mystery, the christian's triumph: hence derive fresh life and vigour to thy fainting mind. Consider Jesus: in his divine nature, thy covenant GoD: in his human nature, thy redeeming brother: as God and man in one Christ JESUS, thy salvation; thy Almighty Saviour. Consider Jesus in his innocent life, enduring contradiction of sinners against himself on thy account; fulfilling all righteousness for thee; that thou art perfectly righteous before God IN HIM. Consider Jesus, on the cross bearing thy sins; amidst taunts and jeers, while making atonement for thy transgressions. Consider Jesus entered into heaven, and appearing in the presence of God FOR Us. Consider Jesus infinite in wisdom to know thy wants; infinite in love to sympathize with thee in all thy sorrow: infinite in power to support and strengthen thee under them: consider what infinite riches of grace he has in glory to supply all thy need. O, consider the fulness of grace that dwells in him for needy sinners; live upon his fulness day by day, so as to receive out of his fulness grace for grace. Is it said "the blood of martyrs was the seed of the church?" Confident we are, the life and death, the blood and righteousness of Jesus are the life of our graces, the spring of our comforts, the support of our weary minds, and the only reviving cordials for our fainting spirits. Are we panting sinners at his footstool? Considering Jesus makes us joyful before his throne now, soon we shall stand eternally happy in his presence. Imitate the Father of the faithful; be not weak in faith; consider not thy own body, which is "dead because of sin. Know the Spirit is life, because of the righteousness of Jesus."....Rom. viii. 10.

And they laughed him to scorn....Matt. ix. 24,

WONDERFUL indeed is our master in patience, meekness, love, and goodness, under such insult and scorn. "When Herod saw Jesus he was exceeding glad: he desired to see him of a long season, for he hoped to see some miracle done by him." Miracles may satisfy the curiosity; they do not of themselves convert the heart to the truth. This is plain. Herod saw in Jesus a most astonishing miracle. Behold innocence itself arraigned and accused....death in its most cursed and ignominious form threatened. Amazing to consider! Jesus stood mute; his tongue locked up in silence. His mighty arm, which could have dealt destruction at a blow, he suf fered to be bound; himself set at nought, mocked, and in derision arrayed in a robe of mock royalty....WHITE, saith Beza. So Herod, though undesigned, gives him a token of his innocence; as Pilate, contrary to his judgment and intention, gives him a title, "This is the King of the Jews." Though requested to alter the words, he was constrained to be inflexible; replies, "What I have written, I will not revoke."

See your calling, brethren: it is to confess and follow a once laughed at, scorned, ridiculed Jesus: never once dream of being excused pledging our Lord in the same cup. So sure as thou dost "witness a good profession" of faith in Jesus and conformity to him, thou also shalt not escape laughter and scorn from the carnal world, nor of being arrayed by them in the contemptible garb of a fool's cap and a madman's coat. Time was when we acted as they do. Think of this, and be humble. Give him the glory who taught us better. But what harm can this do us? Harm! it is our greatest glory on earth. "Such honor have all his saints." An honor angels share not in. Sinners only are called thus to glorify their master. True, it is galling to the flesh; but "they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts." By the world's scorn, pride is mortified, while the soul is joyful; and the Spirit of Christ and glory rests upon us. The world laughs us to scorn; Jesus smiles and approves. Shall we be uneasy and grieve at it? No; our master bids us rejoice, and be exceeding glad. Thus, follow Christ and fear

not men.

In former times it was a proverbial expression, to shew the impossibility of a thing, "You may as soon turn a christian from Christ as do it." Stedfastness here is our glory. In the things of God, said Luther, I assume this title, CEDO NULLI, "I yield to none.” As God's election is irrevocable, so let our confession of Christ be: striving to imitate him in love and patience. "Put on (as the elect of God, holy and beloved) humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering."....Col. iii. 12.

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Thou hast received gifts for men....Psalm Ixviii. 18.

THE dedication of this Psalm, according to Beza, is to him that excelleth, even Jesus, the excellent one. It contains a glorious dis play of the Redeemer's kingdom. The royal prophet was highly favored with clear and comfortable views of the ample provision which is made for poor rebellious sinners in the settlements of the everlast+ ing covenant of grace and love. Jesus is the rich treasury; all grace is laid up in him. So it pleased the Father, so it rejoiced the heart of all his member's like Joseph's brethren, to receive all gifts from his hands. Jesus is the unspeakable gift of God the Father to us....John iv. 10. All his members were given to him: in him Jehovah loves, us, delights in us, and rejoices over us to do us good. Alas! too, too often we are apt to think vainly, and talk arrogantly; to ascribe what we are, and what we hope for, to something in us, or done by us.. So we lose sight of our own poverty, forget our kind benefactor, and presently this fever of pride is succeeded by an ague of heartless dejection: our hands hang down and our knees grow feeble. For ever blessed be God, salvation from first to last is all of free gift by free grace, secured by free promises in Christ. So it is effectual to the hearts of sinners; so believers ascribe all the glory to the ever-blessed trinity by Jesus. Are mine eyes opened to see the exceeding sinfulness of sin? Am I sensible of my deserts, my ruined, helpless state as a sinner? Do I see the purity and spirituality of God's righteous law? Do I despair of all hope and help in myself? Is Jesus my refuge? Do I see the glory of his righteousness, and perfection of his atonement? Is the triumph of his crqss, the victory of his death, the foundation of my faith, the support of my hope from day to day? These are love-tokens from Jesus. He sheds them on us as the free gifts of the Holy Spirit. So our hearts are enamoured with him, and knit to him in love. And, for our farther consolation and joy, he still lives to bestow innumerably more and infinitely greater gifts than what we have yet received; for if we have received the first fruits of the Spirit the harvest is sure: every enemy shall be conquered, every lust subdued. Nothing less than perfect holiness and perfect happiness await us. Is sin atoned for by the blood of Jesus; and shall his members live without a sense of pardon? No: "Ask," says our munificent benefactor, "and receive, that your joy may be full."....John xvi. 24. Jesus is glorified; the Spirit is given to bear witness of love and salvation to us, to comfort and sanctify us. This is the joyful reasoning of faith. "If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely GIVE us all things?"....Rom. viii. 31, 32.

Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone: because I am a man of unclean lips....for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts....Isa. vi. 5.

WHEN the glory of Jesus is manifested to the soul in the light of the Spirit, how doth it stain the pride of all human glory! The prophets of the Old Testament, and the apostles of Jesus under the New, were men of like passions, sinners like unto ourselves: by nature there is no difference: they were all saved by the same precious Saviour of sinners: a sight of themselves in the light of truth humbled them to the dust. "O wretched man that I am!" cries Paul the apostle. "Woe is me; I am unclean, I am undone!" cries Isaiah the evangelical prophet. "God will suffer no flesh to glory in his presence." Jesus the Saviour alone shall be exalted; man, the sinner, though the subject of grace and salvation, shall be laid low; every hope in himself cut off; the exceeding sinfulness of sin, and his deserts as a sinner confessed. Such are the saving effects of Jesu's love; such the humbling views of his Spirit. But it is very natural for the sensible sinner to write bitter things against himself; to pronounce a woe upon himself, and to cry out of his own undone state, and unclean, polluted condition as when the sun shines we see innumerable motes and atoms which were invisible before. But do we think this strange, after a soul has been favored with a spiritual sight of Jesus, faith in him, and hope from him, to be sensible of, and cry out of our undone state? We should not think it strange. We shall carry this view of ourselves with us all our journey through, even till we come to the the banks of Jordan's streams.

The most exalted saint, while in the body, is in himself, according to the flesh, carnal, sold under sin; burdened with a body of sin and death. But though, as thus considered in himself, he is in a woeful, undone state, yet being in Christ Jesus, a member of him, a believer on him, a new creature in him, there is no woe, no wrath, no condemnation; but peace, pardon, love, and salvation from God the Father to him. This is manifested to our souls by the ministry of the word of grace; the Spirit of truth, like the seraphim, by the prophet, takes a live coal from off the altar, the sacrifice of Christ, and saith, "Lo! this hath touched thy lips, thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin is purged." Let this comfortable truth ever dwell in thy heart, make confession with thy mouth unto salvation; the bloody sacrifice of Jesus hath purged thy sins. "Be not faithless, but believing,"....John xx. 27.

A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flux shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.... Matt. xii. 20.

THROUGH a sight of their sinful state, a sense of strong corruptions, weakness of faith, and small degree of the knowledge of Jesus, young converts, like David just come to the throne, are apt to say, "I am this day weak, though anointed king ;" and to fear with him, "the sons of Zeruiah be too hard for me,"....2 Sam. iii. 39. The accuser of the brethren is ever an adversary to Jesus and the truth; he is always busy with souls, to stamp upon their minds the blackest impressions. He paints the Saviour, not as loving, gentle, and merciful to relieve distressed and comfort wounded, afflicted consciences; but as a rigid, austere, and cruel exactor. When car- ›. nal reason joins in with false accusations, it is sore distress and conflict to the mind. But to the law and to the testimony. How readest. thou, O soul? "It is right thou shouldst bear the indignation of the Lord, because thou hast sinned against him."....Micah vii. 9. The Saviour sees it fit. By this he teaches the exceeding sinfulness of sin, that thou shouldest abhor it, be humbled for it. Yea also, as the greatest blessing above all, that thou shouldest look to him, believe on him, and love him. But this thou never wilt do, while thou dost not consider him as a precious Saviour for the lost and guilty. True, in thyself thou art like a bruised reed, shaken with the wind of temptation; oppressed with sin and distress; weak and helpless, ready to fall into despair, and perish without hope. As smoking flax, thou seemest to smoke, but not burn; rather offensive to thyself, because of the va pours of corruption: these blind thine eyes, and are a stench in thy nostrils: and so poor sensible souls are apt to think themselves to be to Jesus. But saw he any amiable dispositions in the sinner's character to invite him from heaven to earth? Being come to seek and to save the lost, and to be the physician of sin-sick souls, waits he for their health and soundness ere he reacheth forth his healing hand? Doth the friend of sinners break in pieces with a rod of iron the sinwounded, heavy laden soul? That be far from the loving heart of Jesus; far be that from any poor sinner's heart to conceive. Nay, but he pleads thy cause, he will execute judgment for all such over every adversary. He shall not break, he shall not quench, till judgment is denounced and victory proclaimed. Satan's accusa tions, unbelieving suggestions, shall be condemned and cast out by the word of truth, and the power of the Spirit; and the weakest believer "shall overcome and obtain victory by the blood of the Lamb and the word of the testimony of Jesus."....Rev. xii. 11.

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