not stumble, either in his practice or profession. "When Ephraim spake trembling he was exalted:" he was, at that time, too strong for earth and hell. So, he that in renunciation of his own strength, has learnt to depend on Jesus Christ, shall be too strong for his ene mies. "A feeble saint shall win the day, SPIRITUAL REVIVAL. Wilt thou not revive us again, that thy people may rejoice in thee? It is supposed that this psalm was written on account of some calamitous dispensation, some token of God's displeasure. The public interest lay near the Psalmist's heart, and his plea for present deliverance is based upon former favors shown to God's Israel. The dispensation under which we live, may lead us to apply the subject as it regards spiritual revivals, under seasons of spiritual decay; and, with this view, I would lay down the following proposition, namely, THAT A SPIRITUAL REVIVAL WILL BE THE OBJECT AND PRAYER OF EVERY RENEWED MAN'S HEART, Under a sense OF A SPIRITUAL DECAY. A true Christian, under a sense of spiritual decay, will not be turning to the creature for happiness, any more than to the chariot and horse for safety. He has known the value of spiritual health, laments the loss of it, and prays, "Wilt thou not revive us again?" A man may be sincere in his profession, and yet there. may be a decay: the holy fire may be almost extinguished; and in such a case we are directed where to look for the re-kindling of it. "All my fresh springs are in thee." Look at the state of a plant, in a garden, not duly watered; drooping, and languishing! This may remind us of our own resource. "I will," says God, "pour water on him that is thirsty, and floods. upon the dry ground;" and this water is conveyed through the golden pipes of the ordinances; and, frequently, through affliction and trouble. God sends this gracious encouragement to his returning people : "I will be as the dew unto Israel . . . . They shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine." It is easy to put on the appearance of religion, it is easy to set up family worship, it is easy to understand doctrines; but the heart and core of religion, which is the life of God in the soul of man, may, after all, be wanting. To walk with God, like Enoch, is something more. The text seems to express some such request as this; May we not again taste of the well-spring of life? The fifteenth chapter of St. John, directs us what to pray for: "I am the Vine," says our Lord, "and ye are the branches. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me." Again, when Jesus appeared to his disciples after his resurrection, it is said, "He breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost." So we see, the Holy Ghost is the immediate agent of spiritual life. The Prophet Ezekiel was asked, "Can these dry bones live?" and he replied, " O Lord God, thou knowest:" q. d. Thou art the great Agent of all life! But it may be asked, How is the Christian made to revive and grow? If we were to examine the means, we might show largely how God alarms, awakens, rouses. But whatever means it pleases him to make use of, they are only the channel by which the water is conveyed; wherever this is done, there will be motion if there is life in the soul, there will be a holy wrestling with God. The language of such a heart will be, "I will not let thee go, except thou bless me." I dare not let thee go! If I can do nothing but mourn, I will mourn till thou comfort me. There will be also fear of sin, and indignation against it: St. Paul says to the Corinthians," Behold this self-same thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear." There is a continual propensity in us to turn away from God. When there begins to be a revival, there will be a turning to God: then a man begins to find out idols he did not before observe, and sees what it is that steals his affections from God. Some say, "What harm is there in this and that?" If there is not any other harm than this, that it indisposes you to the means of grace, and that it separates from God, and that it leaves the heart dry and dead, there is harm enough. People in general are apt to affix gross ideas to idolatry. If a man goes to China, he is astonished at the horrid and absurd things that are the object of their worship: he is not aware that his own idol is his cargo. But when God speaks to the heart and conscience, he must be heard: and he says to the merchant, to the miser, to the man of pleasure, and of business too, You are turning from the fountain of living waters to broken cisterns, that can hold no water. If the Christian, under decays, is led to offer the prayer in the text, and if God hears his prayer, it may be expected that one of his first strokes will be at the idol upon which his heart is set, to get rid of that: God will thus withdraw the deadly influence which causes him to wither, and lead him to say, "What have I any more to do with idols?" A true revival is a Divine operation, and will producé true fruit. There will be thirsting after a heavenly taste-a hungering and righteousness. Another sign of a revival of religion in the heart, is when, like Abraham, we not only follow God ourselves, but endeavor to command our household after us; when, like David, we are earnestly desirous to walk before them with a perfect heart. There will be a beneficial effect on society in the soul that is truly renewed there will be no more need to explain that it is revived, than to say that a tree is laden with fruit: it will be seen and expressed in a thousand ways. For a man to talk of a revival because he has had some sudden impression, some extraordinary vision, who yet does not evince it by his life and conversation, is to prove himself deceived. The ground on which the Psalmist urges this revival is in order to obtain the end of all spiritual life, true joy and peace: "Wilt thou not revive us again, that thy people may rejoice in thee?" It is a matter of experience, that when idolatry, unbelief, or sin of any kind, enters the soul, we find our hearts sink, and sensible ôbjects soon draw off the mind from God; spiritual objects become strange and irksome; we try to feed upon husks, as we formerly did upon the bread of life: but if Christ has designs of mercy, if he seeks his lost sheep, our cry will be, "Oh that it were with me as heretofore! Oh that thou wouldst revive me again!" The restless, comfortless state of a backslider may distinguish him from an apostate. Joy is not essential to the existence of Christianity a man may be united to Christ, and yet, through declension, infirmity, or heavy crosses, he may hang down his head like a bulrush. It was a sad sign that something was the matter when the Lord came down to Adam, and called to him and said, “Adam! were art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid." Guilt had defiled his mind, and he became afraid of his best friend. If a man would have the flower of religion, which is spiritual joy, he must pray for the invigorating influences of the Holy Spirit. Else every thing withers in our hands, like the cropped flower. The branch cut off from Christ will wither under any ministry, or under any ordinances no book, no ministry will be of use, without "an unction from the Holy One." But where there is a vital principle implanted in the heart, it will maintain a continual struggle against spiritual decays. Dr. Owen remarks, that "sometimes this struggle seems to exhaust all the grace a man possesses; so that, for the time, he can make no attainment or progress in spiritual things." Such a secret struggle is a more noble sight, before God and angles, than all that has ever been celebrated before men. The language of grace is," My soul followeth hard after thee." The unbelieving king might say, "What should I wait for the Lord any longer?" 2 Kings vi. 33; but grace teaches a man to say, I must wait. This is one peculiarity of Christianity. Every season has its duty: a man must not say, Because my mind is dead and dry, I must wait till I can pray with more fervor. The winter season has its work. A Christain should learn the necessity of abounding in duty, as well as of desiring holy comfort. Like Habakkuk, he should say, "I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower: and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved." In dry seasons we should |