The assistance of God's holy spirit is so explicitly declared in every page of the Gospel as one of the blessings purchased for us by our Saviour's death, that it has been established as a leading doctrine of the Christian faith. By persons of warm imagination and weak judgment it has indeed been misrepresented and misunderstood; but the truths of Scripture are not to be brought into question because they have been perverted by the fancies of visionaries and enthusiasts. If we have any faith in the promises made by Jesus Christ, we must believe that this assistance from God will be given to all who piously and sincerely use the appointed means, and for the appointed purposes.

The purposes for which it is appointed, are, in different passages of Scripture, particularly specified. They

are

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are these. To increase our faith, to rectify our wills, to elevate our affections, and to purify our hearts. The fruits of the Spirit are declared to be" love, joy, peace, long-suffering, "gentleness, goodness, faith, meek

ness, temperance." These are the virtues which were exemplified in Him who "had not the spirit given by mea"sure unto him." They are the virtues which he requires; but not the virtues which without the aid of Divine grace are practicable.

Each and all of those I have enumerated are opposed by the pride of the human heart. They are likewise opposed by selfishness and to overcome both pride and selfishness, is a task which we cannot of ourselves perform. We must, however, do our part; and the first step towards it, is to be sensible of our own weakness. If we are truly sensible that we stand

in need of Divine aid, we shall be earnest in our endeavours to obtain it and this we are expressly told is all that is requisite.

But how are we to know that this earnestness is sincere? We are to judge of our sincerity in this, by the same rules that we judge of it upon other occasions. We all know, that when we have truly set our hearts upon obtaining any object which appears desirable to our imaginations, or which we think will materially contribute to our felicity, we spare neither pains nor trouble; that it dwells upon our thoughts, and excites us to active and unwearied exertion. Now if we are as much in earnest to conquer every malignant passion, and to bring all the desires and affections of our heart into subjection to the will of God, we shall seek his assistance with no less anxiety than

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we bestow on the trifling concerns of life.

Whether we have or have not this sincere and hearty desire for Divine aid ought then to be the first, as it is the most important, question we can put to our own hearts. If this desire be kindled in our souls, we shall sedulously employ whatever means God has been pleased to appoint for the accomplishment of our object. Some of these are general, to be applied according to the circumstances in which the individual is placed; other means of grace are special, and resorted to by all who do not wilfully reject the offers of salvation.

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Of those which are general, we must reckon the careful and anxious improvement of every talent trusted to us; external or intellectual, adventitious or inherent. Time, forH 6 tune,

tune, influence, the gifts of the understanding, and the dispositions of the heart, are talents for which we are to be responsible; and as it has pleased the goodness of God to grant a promise of blessing upon the proper use of every talent, the conscientious employment of them becomes a means of grace, and enables us to look up with humble confidence for the assistance of our God.

Whatever tends to cherish the amiable and benevolent affections ought to be considered as a means of grace. Every innocent pleasure and enjoyment will, if viewed in this light, be doubly gratifying; as, while it unbends the mind, and gives elasticity to the spirits, it will excite emotions of thankfulness, which always afford a delightful exercise to the heart.

Far from us be the gloomy bigotry