seems to him something much too trifling, to induce him to resign himself to the idea that the God of Israel would com bine a miraculous cure with such an inconsiderable act.

How deeply do the self-righteous ideas of vassalage and reward penetrate even to the very marrow of man, and how little capable as well as inclined he is to believe in free grace! He rejects with disdain the gospel of peace, because instead of imposing labour upon him, it is willing to enrich him gratuitously, and, as it were, whilst asleep. He wishes to do something first, and then let himself be comforted. The proud and beggarly fool! who if salvation depended upon the perfect fulfilment of a single iota of the law, must necessarily remain a debtor to it to all eternity. He is dead in sins. Even under the most favourable circumstances, he can only pay in false coin. Yet still he refuses to let anything be given him, and is even bitterly enraged, as often as forgiveness of sins, the outflowing of unconditional compassion, and the righteousness of Christ is commended to him as the robe in which he ought to envelop himself in prospect of the judgment-day. "I desire not the attire of another," is the language of his arrogant and self-righteous heart. "I esteem Jesus as an example," says he, "but leave Jesus as a Saviour to others. Striv. ing gains the crown, and not an idle resting on the grace of God." How often do we hear such language! It is innate in human nature, which as a born enemy to the Gospel, may certainly boast of seeing in the present day the fallaciousness of her gloomy ideas formed into a system under the well known name of Rationalism, and elevated to be the universal confession of the world.

How difficult is it occasionally even for us to be perfectly reconciled to the Gospel, although the scales of selfdeception may have fallen from our eyes, and the heart,

oppressed by the burden of sin, have decidedly cast anchor upon Jesus! We feel really uneasy at the liberality of the New Testament economy. The easy path to the blessings of the Divine covenant, becomes wearisome to us by its easiness. Even though we possess nothing, yet we should be very willing to pay something for it. To receive every thing gratuitously, seems despicable to our proud nature, and hazardous and critical to its perverted feeling. We are willing to hope that we shall at length depart in peace, but not already to boast of possessing the right of citizenship in the kingdom of heaven. "More repentance," is the watchword, "more previous sanctification, more love, and then rely upon Christ, and call what is his our own!" What a perversion of the peculiar character of that kingdom, which is based on the mediatorship of the Son; in which God, after his justice has been satisfied by the obedience of the Surety, seeks solely to magnify his grace. But grace makes no conditions. Grace seeks sinners, not such as are righteous and pious.

There are two paths, from the termination of which the crown of life beams towards thee. Over the portal of the first thou readest the inscription, " Do this, and thou shalt live." Over the other is written, "Come and buy without money." The one is the path of works, the other of faith. But both the one and the other are in themselves pure and unmingled. Choose therefore! On which of these two paths wilt thou proceed? The first of them is the way of honour. In it thou wilt be the author of thine own happiness; wilt meet, by thine own means, the costs of thy salvation; and wilt receive at the end of thy career, the rewarding palm, not from the hands of mercy, but of justice. But before thou enterest upon this road which promises to be so honorable, know that not indulgence, but

severity rules upon it; that perfect holiness is the price which will be demanded of thee, aye, and that the most faithful labour to escape the curse will not protect thee from it, if at the close of the way thou art indebted to the law a single farthing; and that forgiveness is an idea for which no room is left upon this road. Upon the path of faith, the flesh is not spared. It is a path of humiliation, a path of abasement. It is entered upon, proceeded in, and terminated, with the beggar's badge. Here the crown is not offered as the price of worthiness, but as the bestow. ment of free grace. On this road there is no longer any thing to pay, but only to enjoy. Another has run, and striven, and conquered for thee. Here, the slightest desire to co-operate actively in the acquirement of the prize held out to us, is considered as a depriving the Son of his honor. But he who accommodates himself to gratuitous reception, finds every thing ready for him here-Mary's good part, without Martha's trouble. Choose therefore! On the first of these two roads, thou wilt taste the delights of a manly self-consciousness at the commencement; the vexation of a lamentable want of success as thou adyancest; and the wretchedness of a horrible bankruptcy at the end. On the other, thou wilt experience in the beginning, the pain of a complete impoverishment, according to the Spirit; in the prosecution of the path, the joy of a blissful restoration from the dust in Christ; and at the close, the rapture of an eternal and unspeakable elevation. Upon the first, thou wilt think thyself free, and wilt be nevertheless a tributary servant; thou wilt labour nobly, and yet bring forth fruit only unto death-serving the law and reaping only its curse. Upon the other, an imaginary glory will abandon thee; but thou wilt obtain true glory in its stead; thou wilt depart from thyself, but wilt enter into God; thou wilt re

nounce a self-acquired stately pauperism, and wilt receive the decorations, blessings, and privileges of a king's son. On the first thou wilt spend thy money for that which is not bread, and thy labour for that which satisfieth not, and the clothes at which thou art working, are only spiders' webs. On the other, thou art Jehovah's honourable guest, and wilt continue to be so; thou wilt fare sumptuously every day at his expense, and wilt glitter in the festive attire of thy elder brother. On the first, the officer of justice will accompany thee with the scourge, the creditor with his bill will visit thee, the executioner with his sword will await thee. On the other, thy heart alone will impel thee to holiness, nothing will visit thee but God's love and God's blessing, and nothing await thee but the open gate into the eternal city of God.

Come hither, therefore, whoso loveth his own soul. Bid farewell to all ideas of a covenant of works. Thou wilt not receive salvation from thy own doings. It must not be taken out of the hands of grace. But grace does not deal and bargain. It bestows, and upbraids no one. It is only pleased with the tears of gratitude. The sweat of a reward-seeking labour is expended for nothing.

XIV.

THE CURE.

You are acquainted with the words which are recorded in Mark ii. 17. You know also who uttered them, and where they were spoken. The Lord is sitting at table with a publican, whose character is none of the best, and is surrounded by a number of individuals of a similar description. Consuming fire, however, does not proceed forth from the Holy One of Israel against these thorns and briars; on the contrary, it is only the lustre of his loving-kindness and benignity which he manifests to these sinners. That this occasions no small offence to the fraternity of pious Pharisees, may be easily supposed. These men of the law are almost excusable, if they lose all their faith in him, and in their displeasure call him a companion of publicans and sinners. Were he to manifest at least but a certain reserve, and magnanimously vouchsafe forgiveness only to those sinners who had given proofs of a real amendment, the thing would be perhaps tolerable. But that he confi dentially mixes in their society before they have even manifested contrition, and given vent to noble resolutions, is a mode of procedure which stands in diametrical opposition to all the principles of a rational method of salvation. There the pious gentlemen stand, before the open window of the diningroom, and shake their heads in displeasure, and cannot avoid putting the sarcastic question to his disciples, "How is it that your Master eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?" When Jesus hears this, he casts a significant look on these sneering legalists, and says to them with equal mildness and firmness, from the