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the power of GOD, faid unto the fick man "ARISE"-and he arofe.

AND wilt thou then, O finner, be

made whole? Look unto JESUS, the Author and Finifher of our faith, and thou fhalt be faved. Though thou art bowed down to the earth with infirmity, ftooping under thy grievous burdenthough thy fin hath taken hold on thee, that thou art not able to look up, depriving thee of that privilege which the moft high GOD bestowed on man at his creation-turn not a deaf ear to that gracious voice. Be not too hafty in pronouncing thyself free from all spiritual fickness, when it may be that the deadly contagion is making rapid advances to thine heart. Say not, "there is peace, and fafety," while thou art encompaffed about with an hoft of enemies. What haft thou to do with peace, fo long as the forceries of fin prevail against thee, and her withcrafts are fo many?

How

How dear to human nature is the breath of life! how ftrongly has the Author of our being attached us to exiftence, though accompanied with every circumstance of pain and mifery! O Saviour, if that life which must e'er long be fucceeded by death, is thus precious to us, how precious, how ineftimable is that life which thou haft purchafed for us, the inheritance of eternal glory in thine heavenly kingdom! No grief, no pain approaches, to affect those unfullied joys which are to be found in thy prefence. We embrace, O LORD, we hold faft the bleffed hope of everlafting life, given unto us by thee!

BUT who fhall presume to dictate to the Almighty the precife time or manner in which he fhall work our deliverance? The fufferer before us is not healed by thofe miraculous waters, to which alone he looked for his recovery. Relief and falvation are afforded him in

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ther, and ftill brighter form. Shall we defpair of attaining thofe heavenly gifts, after which we are permitted to afpire? Shall we be petulantly impatient, or as petulantly despairing? Know we not, that tribulation worketh patience, and patience, experience-and experience, hope-and that hope maketh not afhamed? Though the bleffing be for a while delayed-though fpiritual comfort may not be afforded at the moment when our folicitude would expect it, yet fhall it furely come, and fhall not tarry beyond its appointed time. What GOD hath promifed, he is both able and willing to perform. If our earlier days have been vifited with every fpecies of diftrefs-if our fouls and bodies have been brought low unto the earth, yet the clouds which overcaft the meridian of our life may disappear towards its évening, and our fun may go down in brightness and ferenity.

VOL. IV.

E

OSA

O SAVIOUR, thou art no longer converfant in perfon with mankind. Thou art returned to the participation of that ineffable glory, wherewith thou wert invested, "before the mountains were brought forth, or ever the earth and the world were made." But art thou not ftill prefent, in thy holy word, in thy divine ordinances? There doft thou yet call to us-there doft thou address thy fuffering children with the fame mercy, and the fame power, that called the languifhing fufferer at Bethesda from forrow to joy, from weakness to strength, from anguish of heart to transports of gratitude. Wherefore then fhouldst thou be afraid, O my foul, in the day of adverfity? Why do fearfulness and trembling come upon thee, and an horrible dread overwhelm thee? O tarry thou the LORD's leifure-be ftrong, and he fhall comfort thine heart-and put thou thy truft in the LORD.

LXXXIII.

LXXXIII

THE POWER OF CONSCIENCE.

THE life of CHRIST was a life of inceffant labour. In the day he was in the temple-in the night in the mount of Olives. His retirement was for prayer-his public appearance was for preaching. The multitude were yet divided in their fentiments. While fome believed his word, there were too many, on whom no impreffion had been made by the repeated demonstrations of his omnipotence. Among the scribes and Pharifees in particular all was malice and hoftility. Meffengers were fent, and fuborned to apprehend him; nevertheless he returned to the temple. LORD, E 2 thine

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