liberally and upbraideth not, given him." (James i. 5.) thee, and teach thee in the and it shall be I will instruct way which thou shalt go." (Psalm xxxii. 8.) "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Rom. vii. 24, 25.) "Sin shall not have dominion over you, for ye are not under the law, but under grace." (Rom. vi. 6.) "He will subdue our iniquities." (Micah vii. 9.) "The God of Israel is he that giveth strength to his people." (Psalm lxviii. 35.) "He giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might he increaseth strength." (Isa. xxxix. 29.) "A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench." (Isa. xliii. 3.) Say to them that are of a fearful heart, be strong, fear not." (Isa. xxxv. 4.) "I will strengthen them, and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith the Lord." (Zech. x. 12.) "That is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy." (Jude 24.) My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness." (2 Cor. xii. 9.) "The Lord, he it is that doth go before thee, he will be with thee; he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee." (Deut. xxxi. 8.) "God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able, but will, with the temptation, make a way to escape that ye may be able to bear it." (1 Cor. X. 13.) "Seeing, then, that we have a great High Priest that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not a High Priest which cannot be touched with a feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore go boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (Heb. iv. 14-17.) Be careful for nothing, but in every thing by prayer and supplication let your requests be made known unto God." (Phil. iv. 6.) 66 The Lord is faithful who shall establish you and keep you from evil.” (2 Thess. iii. 3.) And now my dear, surely, after perus ing these passages, which are but a few of the very many I might select, none can say, "There is no hope;" such a declaration would imply, that in the scriptures there is no truth. There is no hope for the dead, who hear no more the voice of inviting mercy, and whose state, if they heard it not when living, is fearfully determined. There is no hope for the gay scoffer, for the self-complacent, the indifferent, and the forgetful-no hope at least, so long as they remain such; but for the bowed and broken spirit, that trembles under a combined sense of the evil of sin, the need of holiness, and the impossibility of attaining it by merely human means, there is nothing but hope. The Gospel says to such an one, "Be not fearful but believing; weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning; for who hath made you sorry, but the same who will make you glad?" He has wounded you with the wound, as it seems, of an enemy-dried up the sources of earthly delight, and made you feed upon wormwood, but only that he may restore your soul to more perfect health, to purer and more lasting peace. It is because God loves you that he thus chastens you. Resign yourself into his hands; suffer him to discipline you as he sees fit; let him guide you, though it be through a desolate wilderness; for the day shall come, wherein you shall say, "O Lord, I will praise thee, though thou wast angry with me; for thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me-." Peace is the gift of God, and whilst we seek its possession, we must beware how we seek it. No round of observances, no self-inflicted penance, no devotional duties, will suffice for its purchase; we must solicit it in the name, and for the sake of him who is "exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour." Upon that great and gracious Friend none need fear to rest his hopes, and cast his burdens. He can bind up the broken in heart, for he is love. He can enlighten the bewildered mind, for he is wisdom. He can rescue the oppressed from their oppression, for he is power. "He is a path, if any be misled ; He is a robe, if any naked be; If any be but weak, how strong is he! To dead men life he is, to sick men health; Long as my letter is, I have not said half that the subject demands. Accept it, however, as a proof of sincere regard on the part of Yours, faithfully. G. Fletcher's "Christ's Triumph over Death." |