Nov. 25. "We pray always for you." 2 THESS. i. 46 11. "THERE was a husbandman,” says Flavel, "that always sowed good seed, but never had good corn. At last a neighbour came to him, and said, 'I will tell you what probably may be the cause of it. It may be,' said he, 'you do not steep your seed? No, truly,' replied the other, 'nor did I ever hear that seed must be steeped.' Yes, surely,' said his neighbour, and I will tell you how: it must be steeped in prayer. When the party heard this, he thanked him for his counsel, reformed his fault, and had as good corn as other persons." Those who sow the good seed of the gospel may obtain instruction here. John Owen somewhere remarks, that, "to preach the word, and not to follow it with prayer constantly and frequently, is to believe its use, but to neglect its end, and to cast away all the seed of the Gospel at random.” And Leighton observes beautifully on the same point, that, "In the 10th of St. Luke, the disciples are sent forth and appointed to preach; and in the 11th we have them desiring to be taught to pray; Lord teach us to pray. And without this there can be little answer or success in the other: little springing up of this seed, though ministers sow it plentifully in preaching, unless they secretly water it with their prayers and tears." Whene'er the heavenly seed is sown, Thy heavenly blessing to bring down, Nov, 26. "Remember Lot's wife." LUKE xvii. 32. SEMEMBER HER CHARACTER, OR, WHAT SHE Religion is not a REMEMBER HER WAS. She was a wicked woman. We read of Lot's piety; but, not a word of his wife's. All that is recorded of her, leads us to conclude that, although her husband was a righteous man, she was an unrighteous woman. family, but a personal matter. CONDUCT, OR, WHAT SHE DID. upon Sodom. This was, probably, unbelieving conduct. She hoped and thought that God would not inflict his threatened judgment. It was worldly conduct. Her heart lusted after her house and goods, and after the society and sins of the guilty city. Jt was disobedient conduct. God had expressly forbidden any looking back. She was therefore guilty of open, defiant rebellion against her Maker. REMEMBER HER CURSE, OR, WHAT SHE SUFFERED. She was immediately destroyed. This was destruction richly deserved. She had been warned. She had been dragged out of the place. She had been put in the way of escape and safety. Yet she looked back; and thus sinned against the richest forbearance and the tenderest mercy. It was destruction marked by discrimination. Lot was spared, though she fell beneath the Divine curse. The righteous do not perish with the wicked. It was destruction admonitory to all. Her case stands as a beacon of warning. be of use to you, my friend! wife." As such may it "Remember Lot's O hasten, sinner, to be blest, And stay not for the morrow's sun; Nov. 27. "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." JAMES iv. 7. T 'HE devil never will flee, until he sees on our part resolute resistance. "If you would not be foiled by temptation," observes an old writer, "do not enter into a dispute with Satan. When Eve began to argue the case with the serpent, the serpent was too hard for her; the devil, by his logic, disputed her out of Paradise. Satan can mince sin, make it small, and varnish it over, and make it look like virtue. Satan is too subtle a sophister to hold an argument with him. Disnute not, but fight. If you enter into a parley with Satan, you give him half the victory." How the truth of this is proved in every tempted Christian's experience. Who has not fallen, as the result of parleying with the tempter. Let us listen to the warning voice of God; and henceforth, in every time of threatened danger, resist the devil, that he may flee from us! O gracious God, in whom I live, My feeble efforts aid; Help me to watch, and pray, and strive, Nov. 28. "Sanctified through the truth." xvii. 19. JOHN HE Word of God, whether heard or read, is the grand instrument employed by the Holy Spirit, in renewing the hearts and lives of men. Its effects survive the remembrance of it, oftentimes. Hence, you should not conclude that, because you do not remember all you have heard or read, therefore you are none the better for it. Bishop Hopkins, in his striking way, in "A Discourse concerning the Use of the Holy Scriptures," thus illustrates this fact:-"Scripture truths when they do not enrich the memory, yet they may purifie the heart. We must not measure the word according to what of it remains, but according to what effect it leaves behind. Lightning you know, than which nothing sooner vanisheth away, yet it often breaks and melts the hardest and most firm bodies in its sudden passage. Such is the irresistible force of the word; the Spirit often darts it through us; it seems but like a flash and gone, and yet it may break and melt down our hard hearts before it, when it leaves no impression at all upon our memories. I have heard of one who returning from an affecting sermon highly commended it to some, and being demanded what he remembered of it, answered; Truly I remember nothing at all, but only while I heard it, it made me resolve to live better than I ever have done, and so by God's grace I will. Here was now a sermon lost to the memory, but not to the affections. To the same purpose, I have somewhere read a story of one that complained to an aged holy man, that he was much discouraged from reading the scripture, because his memory was so slippery he could fasten nothing upon it that he read. The old hermit (for so as I remember he was described) bid him take an earthen pitcher and fill it with water; when he had done it, he bid him empty it again, and wipe it clean that nothing should remain in it, which when the other had done, and wondered to what this tended; now, saith he, though there be nothing of the water remaining to it, yet the pitcher is cleaner than it was before: so though thy me mory retain nothing of the word thou readest, yet thy heart is the cleaner for its very passage through." Cleansed by this word, let all our days With various holiness be crowned; Let truth and goodness, prayer and praise, Nov. 29. "In that day sing ye unto her, a vineyard of red wine. I the Lord do keep it; I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day." ISA. xxvii. 2, 3. OD'S church is his vinegard. It has been enclosed by him. The vines are of his right hand planting. He is the sole proprietor; having purchased his church at a most costly price. It is precious in his estimation, and of the highest and most extensive use. God takes care of this vineyard. Many would waste and destroy it; but his purposes-providences—and grace protect it from harm. In the night of persecutiontemptation-affliction-poverty-and spiritual darkness, and in the day of health-ease-prosperity-and wealth, he keeps it. When necessary he prunes the vines, that they may bring forth more fruit. He also waters them continually, that they may be refreshed. By the ordinances of his house, by the truths of his word, by the out-pourings of his spirit, he revives the souls of his people, and makes their graces thrive. May I rejoice, O God, in thy protecting care-thy pruning providences-thy heavenly and refreshing rains! Each moment watered by thy care, |