FEBRUARY 8.

And there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.-JOHN ii. 1.

AND not only so, but Jesus himself was present on that happy occasion, to turn the water of human hospitality into the wine of the kingdom; and that same blessing still attends on marriage, changing an outward ordinance, into an inward benefit, so that many have been enabled to apprehend more and more of the value of salvation, "and to grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." Marriage is set forth in the Scriptures, as illustrative of the union betwixt Christ and his church, and perhaps, no better similitude could have been adopted, to give us an idea of the closeness of that connection. They that are joined to the Lord are one body, and become partakers of all the benefits of his blood and righteousness, are admitted to all his privileges and honours, and raised to sit together with him in heavenly places. And no one can tell what a blessing it is, where husband and wife are fellowhelpers of each others joy, and made to strive together for the grace of life. The Scripture says, "that where two of us shall agree upon earth, touching any one thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of our Father, which is in heaven." Who then can estimate the benefit of husband and wife being united in prayer, to obtain all the blessings of salvation, and in committing their children, and all that concerneth them to the Lord.

FEBRUARY 9.

The righteous shall compass me about, for thou shalt deal bountifully with me.-PSALM CXlii. 7.

If we wish for religious society, it is by the blessing of the Lord only that we can obtain it.

We may run

after professors, but we shall soon feel our mistake. Yet when it is the Lord's will to deal bountifully with us and to enlarge our souls, it seems as though the righteous should understand the signet, and compass us about. There is a seal of God upon the children of God, a name written which none can read, but those to whom it is given, and these will presently recognize the stamp and impression of the great seal of heaven, which is a seal of righteousness the same which Abraham had in circumcision, and which Christians now obtain by the blood of the everlasting covenant. For their hearts are purified by faith, and being purified they have access unto God, and become the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Let not such doubt that they shall be acknowledged by the children of God, and though professors acknowledge them not, yet God is their Father, Christ is their Saviour, and the Holy Ghost is their continual Comforter.

FEBRUARY 10.

Because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart for the abundance of all things.--DEUTERONOMY XXViii. 47.

FROM this it should seem that it is a great sin not to acknowledge our mercies, and surely, as a nation, we have been very guilty in this respect. For what nation is there that has had the Lord so nigh unto them in all things as this nation has, and yet we are insulting God to his face, and publicly denying his providence, as if all things happened by chance, or by fixed rules called nature's laws. Lord, lay not this sin to our charge, and look upon us, not according to our merits, but in thy great mercy remembering that we are but dust, and that as such, without thy divine instruction we can do nothing and can know nothing, not even discerning our right hand from our left. Yet hast thou them in this land that fear thy name, and speak often one to another, and who are willing to record thy mercies, but for their own evil hearts of unbelief, and those hindrances of the flesh which is ever lusting against the spirit, even as the spirit against the flesh. Yet thou art able to take out of us this heart of stone, and to make us sensible of thy mercies, and we bless thee that we are in our measure sensible of them. Not that we repay thee by our thankfulness, or are more deserving of thy mercy for feeling it, but we would not disguise this greatest of all benefits-a sense of thy mercies; keep us, we beseech thee, in this spirit of thankfulness, and enable us for ourselves and for others, not only to discern thy hand, but to acknowledge it in all things. So shall we understand the loving-kindness of the Lord. Unto thee be glory for ever and ever, Amen.

FEBRUARY 11.

For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.-1 CORINTHIANS ii. 11.

No man is privy to the thoughts of another, nor can any know the depth of misery that is in a man, but the spirit of the man himself. Even so knoweth no man the height of God's mercy, but the Spirit of God who reveals it; and it is by discovering to us the depth of our iniquity that he enables us to take a measure as it were of that mercy. Not that we can apprehend it as we ought, or ever shall in this life, "for we know but in part, and we prophecy in part, but when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away." How humbling will then be the review of our past lives, when we see how shamefully we have distrusted God, and how, notwithstanding his many assurances and our repeated experiences of his delivering mercy, we have yet given way to ease or fear upon every new occasion, and done despite unto the spirit of his grace by perverting the lessons of his love, and mis-applying those very circumstances which he has appointed for our furtherance in faith to the fading of our unbelief, until he, by his Almighty power, has taken out of us the heart of stone and given us an heart of flesh.

FEBRUARY 12.

The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich; and he addeth no sorrow with it.-PROVERBS X. 22.

WHAT a blessing is it to obtain nothing without a blessing, but to possess all things under sanction of the blood and righteousness of Christ, whereby we are saved from all the inherent evil, and are enabled to extract all the real good contained in the things we possess. We are saved too from all the sorrow belonging to them, the care of getting and the fear of losing-yea, from all the anxieties of life, which torment men while they live, and fill them with miserable thoughts when they come to die. A little that a righteous man hath in this way is better than the riches of many wicked, not only than the riches of one wicked man, but of many wicked-because, how great soever their riches may be, they are accompanied only with sorrow. They do not contribute at all to their happiness, for they see no hand of providence in bestowing, and no security for the continuance. he that holds all from God, however ready he may be to give it up, yet sees that none can take it from him. For as Christ said of believers, My father that gave them me is greater than all, and none is able to pluck them out of his hand:" so may we say of God's gifts generally, that none is able to wrest them out of our hands, being his gifts, and secured to us by his covenant love. Neither death, nor disease, nor misfortune of any kind can pluck them out of His hand. They are safe in his care and keeping.

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