her by his most precious blood, raised her out of the lowest degradation and woe; 66 allured her, brought her into the wilderness, and spake comfortably unto her," (Hosea, ii. 14); spread his skirt over her, (Ez. xvi. 8); betrothed her unto himself in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies; shall he not rejoice over his bride, too? shall his love, which was sovereign, unmerited, and free, be defeated? Having nothing to attract it, unless it were enmity, rebellion, and sin, now that, by the exercise of a new principle of his own implantation, these are in measure subdued, and regarded by his bride as her most inveterate foes, shall his love wax cold towards her? Oh, no! (See Rom. v. 8-10.) He, too, will have a rejoicing—a weddingday; "for as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee; and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee," (Isaiah, lxii. 5.) When thou art least expecting him when the last spark of hope seems all but extinguished-Jesus, thy loving Bridegroom, shall appear; he shall break forth from behind the lattices of ordinances; exhibit himself in the galleries of his grace; and thy soul, that now laments thy base backslidings, and mourns, like a dove, the departure of its mate, shall rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

But, in taking a view of the temporal condition of some of the Lord's family, humanly it may appear as if his hand were gone out against them to a destructive purpose. But "the Lord seeth not as man seeth," (1 Sam. xvi. 7.) Why, in some cases, he leads them forth with the evident tokens of his approbation and favour; why they are led to take "reluctant" steps, such as Moses, when he said, "If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence," (Ex. xxxiii. 15,) and then, though evidently led by the Lord, and leaning upon the Lord, their purposes are defeated - their course hedged up and their pathway rendered more difficult and unaccountable than ever; this, this to the eye of human understanding appears strange; and a thousand constructions would Reason (blind guide!) put upon it. But all we can say to such a poor soul as is thus exercised is, "Wait on the Lord, be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart; wait, I say, on the Lord," (Ps. xxvii. 14.) Thy case is by no means singular it has many a precedent in the word of God. In Isaac was Abraham's seed to be blessed, and yet at the very time the venerable patriarch was rejoicing in the gift so graciously bestowed, and anticipating the rich fulfilment of the promise, the command goes forth from the throne of the Eternal, "Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest [unbelief, carnal reason, self-love, would have said, 'Not so, Lord-spare Isaac, my beloved Isaac; if one must be offered, take Ishmael;' but no, says the Lord]; take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of," (Genesis, xxii. 2.) Is Joseph to rise above his brethren? (Gen. xxxvii. 5-11,) to nip his prospects in the very bud, they sell him as a slave into Egypt, (v. 28.); and then, as if his history were closed, and his memory extinct, the whole of the following chapter is silent respecting

him-death had apparently seized the promise; again, however, we meet with him in the 39th chapter; but here a still deeper trial awaits him, for in a prison he must dwell, and through it he must pass, ere he could fill the high station he was designed to occupy. What a blessed history is that of Joseph! Again, shall Samson be raised up for the destruction of the Philistines? after many mighty exploits, he shall be ensnared by the woman of whom he said, "Get her me, for she pleaseth me well," (Judges, xiv. 3); by her subtility he is prevailed on to "tell wherein his great strength lieth,"-to be shorn, and deprived of his sight, and yet at this very time, when his glory had departed, and he was made the object of their idolatrous triumph, and transient ridicule, a commission had gone forth from the court of heaven, which when fulfilled, should abundantly confirm the promise made in Judges, xiii. 5; for "the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life," (Judges, xvi. 30.) Once more, -David is anointed to be king over Israel (read the interesting account in 1 Sam. xvi.); but it appears by the 19th verse that, instead of immediate promotion, he had returned to the sheep-fold [just so with the ministers of truth now, they receive their divine anointing, known only between God and their own souls, perhaps many years before they go forth in their public ministrations; and, to speak after the manner of men, the longer they are kept in the preparatory school the better; for then will they bring forth more of the pure grain-there will be less chaff and tares among it, and not so much wood, hay, and stubble, will have to be consumed, 1 Cor. iii. 12—15 ;] and even, when called to court, it was but in the capacity of a hireling, from which he was soon dismissed to return to his previous occupation; and then, flattering as were his subsequent achievements, how long and, to human eye, how dubious was the path by which he ascended the throne; how great his depression, how frequent his sinkings of heart, how manifold his fears! still, like an under current, the promise ran on until the set time to favour Zion had arrived, then the sweet singer of Israel takes his seat upon the throne. In the strength of the God of Israel, and not by a single iota of his own strength and wisdom, had he withstood every enemy, and conquered every foe! And so shall you, beloved!

Look up, poor drooping one, whose fears run high-whose despondency is great-and whose faith seems struggling in the agonies of death and despair; 'tis all well yet! Abraham's, and Joseph's, and Samson's, and David's God, is thy God. Perplexing as is thy path, he is able-aye, and he will deliver thee, as assuredly as he did them. Cheer up, poor doubting one, thou who hast a multitude of dark and gloomy apprehensions, who art continually poring over thy sin, thy misery, the painful prospects which present themselves to thy view, and who, in the contemplation of thy condition, art saying to thyself, "I— shall ever I, who am now so low sunk as to think it almost impossible that I shall ever again arise; shall I again behold the Lord in the land of the living? Can it be possible that love shall take the place of enmity? that I shall bless that name which I am now tempted to blaspheme? that my tongue shall be employed in the language of praise

and adoration? that this sin shall be pardoned, and that snare broken? this cross sit light, and that disappointment work together for good? Can it can it be? What! shall ever I again be indulged with a sweet composure-a holy tranquillity-a simple dependence-a patient waiting all the days of my appointed time until my change come,' who am now with suicidal criminality frequently wishing that by some apparently accidental cause my name may be struck out of the land of the living; who could forego the little hope of heaven could I be assured of escaping hell? Hope for me, say you?" Yes, yes, poor soul !

"But my case is more hopeless than you think for; not merely do I seem given over to a reprobate mind; not only am I tempted to put an end to this frail existence, but, oh, sir !-I shudder to mention it-I fear to be left alone with nature's nearest, dearest ties-with those in whom my very life centres, and to whom if anything were to happen, well I know what would follow." What! art thou there, dear brother? Happily, thy case is but one of a thousand even of the Lord's dear family; few but witnesses for the truth-the Lord's finger-posts-that come down here. But the Lord is with thee, poor soul! Still the hedge is about thee, (Job, i. 10). So far, Satan, but not one half-inch farther. He is a chosen vessel, encircled in the covenant, bound up in the bundle of life with the Lord his God; and, with all thine efforts, thou never canst snatch him out of the bond of the covenant, or touch that life which is "hid with Christ in God." He may have sinned, but Jesus is "EXALTED as a Prince and a Saviour to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins," (Acts, v. 31). His own perverseness and self-will may have involved him in many a trouble; his present position may, in measure, be attributable to it; still Jesus, thy Conqueror, lives, nor is he deceived in his poor, short-sighted, changeable creature; he knew that he would be a transgressor from the womb, (Isa. xlviii. 8); that he would go astray, speaking lies, (Ps. lviii. 3); he "knoweth his frame, and remembereth that he is dust," (Ps. ciii. 14); and he loved himwhy? for any good that he saw in him? No, Satan, for he was as black, and is as black in his old Adam nature, as thou couldst make him -earthly, sensual, devilish, (Jas. iii. 15)—but he loved him because he would love him, (Ez. xxxvi. 22), and that too with an unalterable-a never-ending love; for "he is not a man that he should lie, nor the son of man that he should repent," (Num. xxiii. 19); nor could he "see of the travail of his soul, and be satisfied,” (Isaiah, liii. 11), or be happy himself in glory, if every one of these his little ones, the objects of his eternal love, were not ultimately safe home with him.

Come, come, then, poor soul, look not at thyself-thy circumstances -the church-the world-the awful state of the nation; but the Lord enable thee to LOOK UNTO JESUS-that all-lovely, ever-prevalent, and adorable name! Oh, that it may dwell upon thine heart-thy lipsJesus! Jesus! With what a balmy sweetness it drops upon the ear! How it softens the adamantine heart! how it embitters sin! how it calms the raging billow, and silences the storm! Jesus! Jesus! Though my frail bark is tossed to and fro upon this tempestuous sea, methought I saw him approach on yonder billow; --yes-'tis he !-nearer

he comes! he speaks !—I hear his glorious voice!—he says, ""Tis I -be not afraid!"

Ah! poor soul! again shall thy drooping head be raised, and again shall those lips, which seem for ever closed against the accents of praise, be employed in the language of adoration. Thou shalt come again from the land of the enemy. The days of thy mourning shall be ended. Go, confess thy numberless weaknesses, sins, and follies. May he enable thee to plead his blood against thy sins; his righteousness against thine unrighteousness; his strength against thy weakness; his wisdom against thy folly; his covenant oath and promise to afford both temporal and spiritual supply all the journey through, against all the workings of unbelief, and the suggestions of the adversary, respecting the political and commercial state of the country at large. And be assured that he will break in upon thy soul again; that he will scatter thy doubts, dispel thy fears, turn again thy captivity, and cause thee to rejoice in him.

Take dear Naomi's case, for example. She "went out full, and the Lord brought her back empty." She went out in company, she came back comparatively alone. She went out a wife, with a dear comforter, adviser, and friend; she returned a widow, comfortless. But, as is frequently our case, the very means which she had disregarded and set at nought, were to be the means of her deliverance. She besought her daughters to "return each other to her mother's house." Her prospect was dark-gloomy in the extreme; why should they, in the prime of life, partake of her sorrows? "Turn again, my daughters; why will ye go with me?" And they lifted up their voice and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clave unto her." And whilst one with selfishness returned unto her own place, the other, regardless of personal interest or convenience, "clave unto her.” "And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee, for whither thou goest, I will go, and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God. Where thou diest I will die, and there will I be buried." Here was sympathy, affection, indeed ! How evidently of God! And amidst all your sorrows, dear afflicted reader, have you not a Ruth left? What! no sympathising friend? Not one that condoles with you-feels for you -and wrestles at the throne on your behalf? Or are you, like Job, entirely forsaken? Are those that ought to be your greatest comforts become your hindrances? Well then, if it be so-if you have no comfort left-if each and all are swept away; still Jesus-thy Jesus-lives; we love to class thy relationship with his name, as thou art equally dear to him at all times, and as much related to him when thou seest no evidence of it, and art in doubt about it, as when thou art rejoicing in the light of his countenance-calling him thine-and delighting in the prospect of being with him to all eternity.

And then notice how very blessedly the Lord appeared for Naomi. Read from the 19th verse of the 1st chapter onwards. It was in the "beginning of barley-harvest." We can easily conjecture that it was a sorrowing a gloomy morning with Naomi; that her soul refused to

be comforted; that a thousand arguments pressed upon her mind to assure her, with dear old Jacob, that all things were against her—that she should come to nought-that she should be an outcast, and perish in despair. And we can contemplate the kindness with which Ruth approached her sympathised with her-and, at a suitable moment, said, "Let me now go to the fields, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace" (Ruth, ii. 2). Dear reader, mark the apparently insignificant means by which the Lord, in his infinite wisdom, works. What mighty events rested upon this seemingly trifling resolve. Ruth--the generous-hearted, sympathising Ruth-came out of the depraved land of Moab, and was closely allied to the family of Lot, by whose humiliating fall she was brought into existence (Gen. xix. 30-38). Tremble, O man, that rejoiceth in thy pedigree, that saith with the haughty Jews of old, "We have Abraham to our father," (Luke, iii. 8), and despiseth the sovereign dealings of Him "who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will" (Eph. i. 11) causing good to spring out of evil. "And she (Naomi) said unto her, Go, my daughter. And she went, and came and gleaned in the field after the reapers and her hap" (mark the expression of the Holy Ghost to accommodate our finite capacity), her hap, as if it were a mere chance, or accidental circumstance; reader, "Despise not the day of small things." (Zech. iv. 10). However precarious or doubtful, in thy estimation, thy steps may be, yet they are all ordered, and "well ordered" by a wisdom that cannot err, and a love that will not, cannot be unkind. "And her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz." Hence, his inquiry in verse 5, "Whose damsel is this?" and his subsequent intimacy and marriage; and the line through which the promised Messiah should appear. As a piece of human history, it is beautiful; the simplicity and unassuming, kindly disposition of Ruth, coupled with the generous-heartedness and devoted attachment of Boaz, present us with an agreeable subject to contemplate, and an example well worthy our esteem; but how delightful to leave the mere human figure, to think of the love of Him, of whom Boaz was but a type. What was the love of Boaz, compared with that of Jesus, who (as we have before hinted) sought his bride when afar off, and in a state of the greatest infamy and wretchedness, pardoned her, washed her, clothed her, and presented her unto himself without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing?

Dear reader, has the heavenly Boaz-even Jesus-been walking in his field (the church); and, seeing thee glean among the promises scattered up and down in his word, has he inquired, "Whose damsel is this?" Did he, moreover, come and gaze upon thee, did he smile and say, "Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fast by my maidens?" Ah, well, then do as he has said, "Let thine eyes be in the field, that they (his servants) reap, and go thou after them; " for he has commanded that thou shalt "glean even among the sheaves," and they are to "let fall some of the handfuls on purpose for thee, that thou mayst glean them; and they are to "rebuke thee not," for they are intended for thee-even for thee; and