Review and Herald, Vol. 8, No. 23. (10/9/1856)

Review and Herald

Oct 9, 1856

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Oct 9, 1856

ON KEEPING THE HEART. No. 2.

By Flavel

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.—Proverbs iv, 23. THUS I have briefly considered what the keeping of the heart supposes and imparts. I proceed. Secondly, To assign divers reasons why Christians must make this the great business of their lives. The importance and necessity of making this our great business will manifestly appear from several considerations.

1. The glory of God is much concerned. Heart-evils are very provoking evils to the Lord. The Schools correctly observe, that outward sins are "sins of great infamy;" but that the heart sins are "sins of deeper guilt." How severely has the great God declared his wrath from heaven against heart-wickedness! The crime for which the old world stands indicted is heart-wickedness! "God saw that every imagination of their hearts was only evil, and that continually;" for which he sent the most dreadful judgments that were ever inflicted since time began. We find not their murders, adulteries, blasphemies, (though they were defiled with these) particularly alleged against them; but the evils of their hearts. That by which God was so provoked as to give up his peculiar inheritance into the enemy's hand, was the evil of their hearts. "O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved; how long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?"

Of the wickedness and vanity of their thoughts God took particular notice; and because of this the Chaldeans must come upon them, "as a lion from his thicket, and tear them to pieces." For the sin of thoughts it was that God threw down the fallen angels from heaven, and still keeps them in "everlasting chains" to the judgment of the great day; by which expression is not obscurely intimated some extraordinary judgment to which they are reserved; as prisoners that have most irons laid upon them may be supposed to be the greatest malefactors. And what was their sin? Spiritual wickedness. Merely heart-evils are so provoking to God, that for them he rejects with indignation all the duties that some men perform. "He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrifices a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine's blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol." In what words could the abhorrence of a creature's actions be more fully expressed by the holy God? Murder and idolatry are not more vile in his account, than their sacrifices, though materially such as himself appointed. And what made their sacrifices so vile? The following words inform us: "Their soul delighteth in their abominations."

Such is the vileness of mere heart-sins, that the Scriptures sometimes intimate the difficulty of pardon for them. The heart of Simon Magus was not right, he had base thoughts of God, and of the things of God: the Apostle bade him "repent and pray, if perhaps the thoughts of his heart might be forgiven him." O then never slight heart-evils! for by these God is highly wronged and provoked. For this reason let every Christian keep his heart with all diligence.

2. The sincerity of our profession much depends upon the care we exercise in keeping our hearts. Most certainly, that man who is careless of the frame of his heart, is but a hypocrite in his profession, however eminent he be in the externals of religion. We have a striking instance of this in the history of Jehu. "But Jehu took no heed to walk in the ways of the Lord God of Israel with his heart." The context gives an account of the great service performed by Jehu against the house of Ahab and Baal, and also of the great temporal reward given him by God for that service, even that his children to the fourth generation, should sit upon the throne of Israel. Yet in these words Jehu is censured as a hypocrite: though God approved and rewarded the work, yet he abhorred and rejected the person that did it as hypocritical. Wherein lay the hypocrisy of Jehu? In this; he took no heed to walk in the ways of the Lord with his heart; that is, he did all insincerely and for selfish ends: and though the work he did was materially good, yet he, not purging his heart from those unworthy selfish designs in doing it, was a hypocrite. And though Simon Magus appeared such a person that the Apostle could not regularly reject him, yet his hypocrisy was quickly discovered. Though he professed piety and associated himself with the saints, he was a stranger to the mortification of heart-sins. "Thy heart is not right with God." It is true, there is great difference between Christians themselves in their diligence and dexterity about heart-work; some are more conversant with, and more successful in it than others: but he that takes no heed to his heart, that is not careful to or-

der it aright before God, is but a hypocrite. "And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness." Here was a company of formal hypocrites, as is evident from that expression, as my people; like them, but not of them. And what made them so? Their outside was fair; here were reverent postures, high professions, much seeming delight in ordinances; "thou art to them as a lovely song;" yea, but for all that they kept not their hearts with God in those duties; their hearts were commanded by their lusts, they went after their covetousness. Had they kept their hearts with God, all had been well: but not regarding which way their hearts went in duty, there lay the essence of their hypocrisy.

If any upright soul should hence infer, "I am a hypocrite too, for many times my heart departs from God in duty; do what I can, yet I cannot hold it close with God;" I answer, the very objection carries in it its own solution. Thou sayest, "Do what I can, yet I cannot keep my heart with God." Soul, if thou doest what thou canst, thou hast the blessing of an upright, though God sees good to exercise thee under the affliction of a discomposed heart.

There still remains some wildness in the thoughts and fancies of the best to humble them; but if you find a care before to prevent them, and opposition against them when they come, and grief and sorrow afterward, you find enough to clear you from the charge of reigning hypocrisy. This precaution is seen partly in laying up the word in thy heart to prevent them. "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee." Partly in your endeavors to engage your heart to God; and partly in begging preventing grace from God in your commencement of duty. It is a good sign to exercise such precaution. And it is an evidence of uprightness, to oppose these sins in their first rise. "I hate vain thoughts." "The spirit lusteth against the flesh." Thy grief also discovers the uprightness of thy heart. If with Hezekiah thou art humbled for the evils of thy heart, thou hast no reason, from those disorders, to question the integrity of it; but to suffer sin to lodge quietly in the heart, to let thy heart habitually and uncontrolledly wander from God, is a sad, a dangerous symptom indeed.

3. The beauty of our conversation arises from the heavenly frame of our spirits. There is a spiritual lustre and beauty in the conversation of saints. "The righteous is more excellent than his neighbor;" saints shine as the lights of the world; but whatever lustre and beauty is in their lives, comes from the excellency of their spirits; as the candle within puts lustre upon the lantern in which it shines. It is impossible that a disordered and neglected heart should ever produce well ordered conversation; and since (as the text observes) the issues or streams of life flow out of the heart as their fountain, it must follow, that such as the heart is, the life will be. Hence 1 Pet. ii, 12, "Abstain from fleshly lusts—having your conversation honest," or beautiful, as the Greek word imparts. So Isa. lv, 7. "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts." His way, denotes the course of his life; his thoughts, the frame of his heart; and therefore since the course of his life flows from his thoughts, or the frame of his heart, both, or neither will be forsaken. The heart is the source of all actions; these actions are virtually and radically contained in

our thoughts; these thoughts being once made up into affections, are quickly made out into suitable actions. If the heart be wicked, then, as Christ says, "Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders," &c. Mark the order: first, wanton or revengeful thoughts; then unclean, or murderous practices. And if the heart be holy, then it is as with David: "My heart is inditing a good matter—I speak of the things which I have made, my tongue is as the pen of a ready writer." Here is a life richly beautified with good works, some ready made—I will speak of the things which I have made; others making—my heart is inditing; both proceed from the heavenly frame of his heart. Put the heart in frame, and the life will quickly discover that it is so. It is not very difficult to discern, by the performances and converse of Christians, what frames their spirits are in. Take a Christian in a good frame, and how serious, heavenly and profitable will his conversation and religious exercises be! what a lovely companion is he during the continuance of it! It would do any one's heart good to be with him at such a time. "The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment; the law of his God is in his heart." When the heart is up with God, and full of God, how dexterously will he insinuate spiritual discourse, improving every occasion and advantage to some heavenly purpose! Few words then run to waste. And what can be the reason that the discourses and duties of many Christians are become so frothy and unprofitable, their communion both with God and with one another becomes as a dry stalk, but this, their hearts are neglected! Surely this must be the reason of it, and it is an evil greatly to be bewailed.

Thus the attracting beauty that was wont to shine, from the conversation of the saints, upon the faces and consciences of the world, (which, if it did not allure and bring them in love with the ways of God, at least left a testimony in their consciences of the excellency of those men and of their ways,) is in a great measure lost, to the unspeakable detriment of religion. Time was, when Christians conducted in such a manner that the world stood gazing at them. Their life and language were of a different strain from those of others, their tongues discovered them to be Galileans wherever they came. But now, since vain speculations and fruitless controversies have so much obtained, and heart-work, practical godliness, is so much neglected among professors, the case is sadly altered: their discourse is become like other man's; if they come among you now, they may "hear every man speak in his own language." And I have little hope to see this evil redressed, and the credit of religion repaired, till Christians do their first works, till they apply again to heart-work: when the salt of heavenly-mindedness is cast into the spring, the streams will run more clear and more sweet.

4. The comfort of our souls much depends upon the keeping of our hearts; for he that is negligent in attending to his own heart, is, ordinarily, a great stranger to assurance, and the comforts following from it. Indeed if the Antinomian doctrine were true, which teaches you to reject all marks and signs for the trial of your condition, telling you that it is the Spirit that immediately assures you, by witnessing your adoption directly, without them; then you might be careless of your hearts, yea, strangers to them, and yet no strangers to comfort; but since both Scripture and experience confute this, I hope you will never look for comfort in this unscriptural way. I deny not that it is the work and office of the Spirit to assure you; yet I confidently affirm, that if ever you attain assurance in the ordinary way wherein God dispenses it, you must take pains with your own hearts. You may expect your comforts upon easier terms, but I am mistaken if ever you enjoy them upon any other: give all diligence; prove yourselves; this is the scriptural method.

A distinguished writer, in his treatise on the covenant, tells us that he knew a Christian who, in the infancy of his Christianity, so vehemently panted after the infallible assurance of God's love, that for a long time together he earnestly desired some voice from heaven; yea, sometimes walking in the solitary fields, earnestly desired some miraculous voice from the trees and stones there: this, after many desires and longings, was denied; but in time a better was afforded in the ordinary way of searching the word and his own heart. An instance of the like nature another learned person gives us of one that was driven by temptation upon the very borders of despair; at last, being sweetly settled and assured, one asked him how he attained it; he answered, "Not by any extraordinary revelation, but by subjecting my understanding to the Scriptures, and comparing my heart with them." The Spirit, indeed, assures by witnessing our adoption; and he witnesses in two ways. One way is, objectively, that is, by producing those graces in our souls which are the conditions of the promise; and so the Spirit, and his graces in us, are all one: the Spirit of God dwelling in us, is a mark of our adoption. Now the Spirit can be discerned, not in his essence, but in his operations; and to discern these, is to discern the Spirit; and how these can be discerned without serious searching and diligent watching of the heart I cannot imagine. The other way of the Spirit's witnessing is effectively, that is, by irradiating the soul with a grace discovering light, shining upon his own work; and this, in order of nature, follows the former work: he first infuses the grace, and then opens the eye of the soul to see it. Now, since the heart is the subject of that infused grace, even this way of the Spirit's witnessing includes the necessity of carefully keeping our own hearts. For,

1. A neglected heart is so confused and dark, that the little grace which is in it is not ordinarily discernible: the most accurate and laborious Christians sometimes find it difficult to discover the pure and genuine workings of the Spirit in their hearts. How then shall the Christian who is comparatively negligent about heart-work, be ever able to discover grace? Sincerity! which is the thing sought, lies in the heart like a small piece of gold on the bottom of a river; he that would find it must stay till the water is clear, and then he will see it sparkling at the bottom. That the heart may be clear and settled, how much pains and watching, care and diligence, are requisite!

2. God does not usually indulge negligent souls with the comforts of assurance; he will not so much as seem to patronize sloth and carelessness. He will give assurance, but it shall be in his own way; his command hath united our care and comfort together. Those are mistaken who think that assurance may be obtained without labor. Ah! how many solitary hours have the people of God spent in heart-examination! how many times have they looked into the word, and then into their hearts! Sometimes they thought they discovered sincerity, and were even ready to draw forth the triumphant conclusion of assurance; then comes a doubt they cannot resolve, and destroys it all: many hopes and fears, doubtings and reasonings, they have had in their own breasts before they arrived at a comfortable settlement. But suppose it possible for a careless Christian to attain assurance, yet it is impossible for him long to retain it; for it is a thousand to one if those whose hearts are filled with the joys of assurance, long retain those joys, unless extraordinary care is used. A little pride, vanity, or carelessness will dash to pieces all that for which they have been a long time laboring in many a weary duty. Since then the joy of our life, the comfort of our souls, rises and falls with our diligence in this work, keep your heart with all diligence.

3. The improvement of our graces depends on the keeping of our hearts. I never knew grace to thrive in a careless soul. The habits and roots of grace are planted in the heart; and the deeper they are rooted there, the more flourishing grace is. In Eph. iii, 17, we read of being "rooted" in grace; grace in the heart is the root of every gracious word in the mouth, and of every holy work in the hand. It is true, Christ is the root of a Christian, but Christ is the originating root, and grace a root originated, planted, and influenced by Christ; accordingly, as this thrives under divine influences, the acts of grace are more or less fruitful or vigorous. Now, in a heart not kept with care and diligence, these fructifying influences are stopped and cut off—multitudes of vanities break in upon it, and devour its strength; the heart is, as it were, the inclosure, in which multitudes of thoughts are fed every day; a gracious heart, diligently kept, feeds many precious thoughts of God in a day. "How precious are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee." And as the gracious heart nourishes them, so they refresh and feast the heart. "My soul is filled as with marrow and fatness while I think upon thee," &c. But in the disregarding heart, multitudes of vain and foolish thoughts are perpetually working, and drive out those spiritual thoughts of God by which the soul should be refreshed. Besides, the careless heart profits nothing by any duty or ordinance it performs or attends upon, and yet these are the conduits of heaven, when grace is watered and made fruitful. A man may go with a heedless spirit from ordinance to ordinance, abide all his days under the choicest teaching, and never be improved by them; for heart-neglect is a leak in the bottom—no heavenly influences, however rich, abide in that soul. When the seed falls upon the heart that lies open and common, like the highway, free for all passengers, the fowls come and devour it. Alas! it is not enough to hear, unless we take heed how we hear; a man may pray, and never be the better unless he watch unto prayer. In a word, all means are blessed to the improvement of grace, according to the care and strictness we use in keeping our hearts in them.

4. The stability of our souls in the hour of temptation depends upon the care we exercise in keeping our hearts. The careless heart is an easy prey to Satan in the hour of temptation; his principal batteries are raised against the heart; if he wins that he wins all, for it commands the whole man: and alas! how easy a conquest is a neglected heart! It is not more difficult to surprise such a heart, than for an enemy to enter that city whose gates are open and unguarded. It is the watchful heart that discovers and suppresses the temptation before it comes to its strength. Divines observe this to be the method in which temptations are ripened and brought to their full strength. There is the irritation of the object, or that power it has to provoke our corrupt nature, which is either done by the real presence of the object, or by speculation when the object (though absent) is held out by the imagination before the soul. Then follows the motion of the appetite, which is provoked by the fancy representing it as a sensual good. Then there is a consultation in the mind about the best means of accomplishing it. Next follows the election, or choice of the will. And lastly, the desire, or full engagement of the will to it. All this may be done in a few minutes, for the debates of the soul are quick and soon ended: when it comes thus far, the heart is won, Satan hath entered victoriously and displayed his colors upon the walls of that royal fort; but, had the heart been well guarded at first, it had never come to this—the temptation had been stopped in the first or second act. And indeed there it is stopped easily; for it is in the motion of a soul tempted to sin, as in the motion of a stone falling from the brow of a hill—it is easily stopped at first, but when once it is set in motion "it acquires strength by descending." Therefore it is the greatest wisdom to observe the first motions of the heart, to check and stop sin there. The motions of sin are weakest at first; a little care and watchfulness may prevent much mischief now; the careless heart not heeding this, is brought within the power of temptation, as the Syrians were brought blindfold into the midst of Samaria, before they knew where they were.

I hope that these considerations satisfy my readers that it is important to keep the heart with all diligence.—Flavel.

LOVE TO CHRIST.

"Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity" Eph. vi, 24.

Do you love CHRIST?—I ask not if you feel The warm excitement of that party zeal Which follows on while others lead the way, And makes His cause the fashion of the day; But do you love him when his garb is mean, Nor shrink to let your fellowship be seen? Do you love Jesus, blind, and halt, and maimed? In prison succor him? nor feel ashamed To own him, though his injured name may be A mark for some dark slander's obloquy? Do you love Jesus in the orphan's claim, And bid the widow welcome in his name? Say not, "When saw we him?"—Each member dear, Poor and afflicted, wears his image here; And if unvalued or unowned by thee, Where can thy union with the holy be? And if thou thus art to the body dead, Where is thy life in Christ, the living Head? And if dissevered from the living Vine, How canst thou dream that thou hast life divine?

Sweet is the union true believers feel: Into one Spirit they have drunk; the seal Of God is on their hearts; and thus they see In each the features of one family; If one is suffering, all the rest are sad; If but the least is honored, all are glad, The grace of Jesus, which they all partake, Flows out in mutual kindness for his sake: Here he has left them for a while to wait, And represent him in their suffering state; While he, though glorified, as yet alone, Still bears his Church before the Father's throne.

[Songs from the Parsonage.]

The Sabbath, a Day of Release

How sweetly the Sabbath is to us a day of release; the bonds of the week are broken; the necessary cares of life are lifted from off our minds, and, like freed birds, our souls resume their pinions. Not confined to the use of moments, we use hours in divine employment.

Cheerful Giving and Christian Living

To be charitable to the poor, and to be free and generous in the support of religion, and any good work, is the surest and safest way of thriving.

It is the will of God, that his people should be a cheerful people.

The Coming of Christ.

He shall come upon the wicked unawares.

Proof: "For yourselves know perfectly, that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, and they shall not escape." 1 Thess v, 2, 3. "For in the days that were before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not, until the flood came and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." Matt. xxiv, 38, 39. "The Lord of that servant shall come, in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of." Matt. xxiv, 50.

Remarks: The day of the destruction of Jerusalem, did not come upon the wicked Jews unawares, for they were fully apprised of the intention of the Romans, and made preparation to meet the attack. That day did not come upon them as a thief, in an hour that they were not looking for it, for they knew a long time beforehand, that the Roman legions would certainly appear; and when sudden destruction came upon them, they were not saying peace and safety; for at that time they had internal wars and insurrections, spreading devastation throughout the whole city! Neither were they at that time marrying and giving in marriage; neither were they feasting, as they were in the days just before the flood; or as they will be when the Lord comes; for when the Romans besieged the city, starvation and wretchedness stalked abroad in its most horrid form; and was to be seen depicted in every countenance; whilst the ladies of the highest rank satisfied their hunger upon the flesh of their own offspring! This had not little the appearance of either a wedding or an infare!! But thousands of the Jews escaped, at the time their city was besieged; but this will not be the case with the wicked, when the Lord shall come; for the Apostle says, "they shall not escape," and as the flood came upon the wicked antediluvians "and swept them all away, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." He shall come "with ten thousand of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them, of all their ungodly deeds, which they have ungodly committed; and of all the hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him." Jude 15. Did Christ, in the person of Titus, convince all the ungodly Jews? No, for they fought till the very last. None of them were convinced by the arguments made use of on that occasion! Did he execute judgment at the destruction of Jerusalem, for all the hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him? How about those blaspheming infidels, who now assert that the blood of Christ is no better than the blood of a dog? Was judgment executed upon them at the destruction of Jerusalem?—Universalim vs. Itself.

Meditation on Holiness.

O worship God in the beauty of holiness. Ps. xcvi, 9.

What a delightful theme does this passage of holy writ afford for meditation.

Thy nature, O my God, is essentially pure and holy. It is this that sheds a glorious lustre over all the other perfections of thy nature. Well may adoring angels cry, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty! It is this that renders thee the object of reverence, love and delight. Thy holiness is immutable. Thou art invariable in holiness however thy dispensations may change. While thy works fully proclaim thy power, wisdom and designs—holiness is stamped on all—shines forth in all. Thy Providences are all holy, and tend to promote holiness throughout Creation. Thy blessed word is holy! a fountain of holiness—an overflowing source of holy truth streaming out and beaming forth to illumine our darkness, to cheer our gloom. Although as sinners we fear and tremble at a view of thy holiness—smiting our breasts we exclaim, Wo be unto us, polluted creatures! we have seen the Lord in holiness! whither shall we flee from his presence, or whither shall we hide ourselves from his holy, all searching sight!—yet a voice of mercy comes forth from these holy oracles, holy as cheering, "Be ye therefore holy, for I the Lord your God am holy"—"This is the will of God, even your sanctification." All the divine ordinances are fitted to promote holiness; inward and outward holiness. "O my soul, come and worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness."

Every act of worship should be holy. Well may we pray in the sweet language of the poet—

"Let every act of worship be, Like our e-pousals, Lord, to thee; Like the blest hour, when, from above, We first received the pledge of love."

Inspire thou the thoughts of our hearts, that we may truly worship in the beauty of holiness. Let my heart be pure, my thoughts holy, my feelings and exercises conformable to thy nature, thy heavenly perfection.

O! there is a beauty, an unspeakable and transcendently glorious beauty, in thy manifested perfections, O my God! It shines in its most lovely form in the person and character of my Saviour.

"Here the whole Deity is known, Nor dares a creature guess Which of the glories brightest shone, The justice or the grace."

Truth is holy, justice holy, goodness and grace holy. I must be like him. I must be conformed to the image of the Son of God. I must choose him in preference to all beside; love him as an object of infinite delight. My feelings must center here, and be fixed, "no more to rove." Then shall I worship in spirit and in truth. All my ransomed powers shall be employed to worship in the beauty of holiness. Then will there be a simplicity, a fitness, a symmetry, a moral grandeur, in the motions and exercises of my soul in all its acts of holy worship. A calm and heavenly peace, a self possession, a holy resignation, a steady reliance and unshaken trust in him, who will keep the soul in perfect peace and security. Now, O my God, dost thou not call me from the innermost temple of thy holiness, to come and worship thee in the beauty of holiness. My feeble soul stretches her wings to fly at thy bidding—to come at thy invitation. My first act is to bow to thy mandates, accept the soul cheering invitation. Beautify my soul and all my acts with thy salvation. I will rejoice in thy holiness.—Chris. Perfection.

Scandal.

THE devil has a wonderful penchant for rebuking sin. Eyes which are full of beams have an unaccountable clearness of vision in detecting motes in other eyes. Some people are brought into the world to accomplish a marvelous mission, and that mission is to ferret out obliquities in others. Of course it is not expected that these apostles have any business with themselves; their mission is violent, and does not admit of time to scrutinize their own position. What profit is it that they should consider their own peccadilloes, when the enormity of their neighbors loom up like mountains?

So it goes the world over. Everybody minds everybody's business, and everybody neglects to mind his own. What sort of a world would this be if we were without each other to feed upon? Men have eyes and ears for some purpose, and what else could they find for them to do if not to see and hear of each other's failings, derelictions, errors, transgressions, enormities? They have tongues which must lie uselessly idle if not employed in giving currency to such delinquencies. So it is with man. The obliquities of his offended brother furnish the chief staple of conversational interest. Human error is the current coin of social intercourse, and too often the coin comes from the speaker's brain.—Ex.

Thoughtful Speech and Holy Joy

THINK much and pray much; but let your words be few, and uttered with a holy courteousness, as in God's presence. And yet regard may be had to times and seasons. We may innocently act the child with children, which in the presence of grown persons would have the appearance of thoughtlessness and levity. And may perhaps at times express our gratitude to God and our holy joys, with an increased degree of freedom and vivacity, especially in the company of those who bear the same image, and who know what it is to rejoice in the Holy Ghost.

God our Refuge in Evil Days.

By Leighton

"AmidsT all disorders, God is ordering all wisely and justly, and, to them that love him, graciously; therefore we ought not to be dismayed. Let us calm our thoughts with this, remember who it is that rules all, and disposes of peace and war, and all affairs, and we cannot wish them in better hands. I am persuaded, that in all the commotions of the world, when a believer thinks on this, it cannot but calm and compose his spirit exceedingly—'my Father rules all!' Let this so quiet our fears, as that withal it quicken our prayers, and stir us up to the work of this day—repentant, humble, seeking unto God; seeing all is in his hands—our peace, our liberties, and our enemies that threaten to bereave us of both. O that the effect of all our troubles and dangers were to drive us more to God—to make us throng more about the throne of grace, to draw forth our King for our help! O our impenitence and unreformedness, that turns him to be our enemy, and that only! Men are nothing. And now in so great straits, yet so little calling on him! O my brethren, what are we doing? O pray, pray! It is our God that commands all, and, we may say it upon his own warrant, it is prayer that commands him."—Leighton.

Perilous Times—Our Own Days.

"Only open your ears, and you will hear from the camp of the world the infernal war-cry, 'Away with Jesus and the doctrine of his cross!' Phenomena, such as those which meet us in the present day, were never before seen in the world in such anti-christian atrocity and massiveness. The traitor Judas is again visible on the stage, full of deadly hatred to God, in a thousand colossal antitypes; and if there is one doctrine of the Holy Scriptures which finds in the present day its tangible confirmation, it is that of the existence of a ruler of darkness, and of a kingdom of infernal powers. It is now that the prophetic expression in the Revelation is fulfilled, 'The devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.' The pentecost of hell is being accomplished, and it pours out its spirit over mankind like a shower of fire and brimstone and its shield bearers and apostles shoot up from the earth, like the fungus, in a night."—Krummacher's Suffering Saviour.

WHAT WOULD JOHN WESLEY SAY?

A correspondent of an exchange, writing from Newark, N. J., says: "The N. J. Methodist Conference has just closed its sessions, which drew together a large number of clergymen. This denomination is eclipsing all others, strange to say, in splendid church edifices, having but just completed a second costly house, in which is a profusion of stained glass and elaborate architecture, and, not the least noticeable, a very heavy organ. Whether John Wesley would turn over in his grave at seeing all this, I cannot say, nor is it possible to predict the ultimate effect of this tendency upon Methodism."—Mich. Christian Herald.

COMPARATIVE COST OF SWORDS AND PLOUGH-SHARES.

It is estimated that all the agricultural labor done in England in 1847, cost £18,200,000; and official returns show that the cost of their naval and military establishments for the same year was £18,500,000, that is, 300,000 more than for all their golden harvests and to the 700,000 laborers who produce them. Grave considerations must arise from such a state of things.

Silence Under Unjust Reproach

Be silent when blamed and reproached unjustly, and under such circumstances that the reproachful and injurious person will be likely, under the influence of his own reflections, to discover his error and wrong speedily. In the name of your Redeemer, reply not; but receive the injurious treatment with humility and calmness; and He, in whose name you thus suffer, will reward you with inward consolation, while He sends the sharp arrow of conviction into the heart of your adversary.

Obedience Prepares Leaders

Those are fittest to rule who have learned to obey.

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