FEBRUARY 18.

The liberal deviseth liberal things; and by liberal things shall he stand,-ISAIAH XXXII. 8.

It appears that the liberal man not only doeth liberal things when they fall in his way, but is at pains in devising them. His business is to invent occasions of liberality, and to find opportunities of doing good. "He deviseth liberal things, and by liberal things shall he stand." God is not mocked, "For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. He that soweth to the flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption," mortification, and disappointment: but he that "soweth to the Spirit," and doeth whatsoever he doeth in the name of the Lord, "shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." There is nothing in which we ought to be more careful of our motives than in attempting to do good. The grand principle of all charity is this: "Freely ye have received, freely give." The free grace of God is the foundation of all true liberality. It is a sense of his goodness to us, that alone makes us good to others. We love him, and we love his, because he first loved us. And while this sense of God's love to us is fresh upon our minds, we cannot be otherwise than loving in our measure to all that belong to God. Oh that we lived more continually under such impressions. Then should we indeed become inventors of liberal things.

E

FEBRUARY 19.

But now,

in Christ Jesus, ye who sometimes were far off, are made nigh by the blood of Christ.-EPHESIANS ii. 13.

WHENEVER our souls get at a distance from God we may rely upon it, guilt is at the bottom. The sense of sin draws us from God, and so strengthens the power of sin, for we cannot overcome sin but by the grace of the Spirit: and the Spirit is no otherwise received, but by the gospel of Christ. Lord, keep us in the belief of this truth, “That the blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, cleanseth us from all sin." Lead us not into temptation, we beseech thee; but if Thou see fit that we should be exercised with our own corruptions, deliver us from the evil and curse of sin"For the strength of sin is the law." " By the law is the knowledge of sin." Lord, look thou therefore upon us, exercise thy compassion upon us exactly as our necessities require; keep, O keep us: save us for thy mercy sake, from sin, the world, and Satan. Let us be content to be nothing. Do thou be our all. Let us be content to be nothing in the matter of salvation. Do thou be our wisdom, our righteousness, our sanctification, and our eternal redemption. "Yea, Lord Jesus, our hope and help are in thee; and though we are not sufficient of ourselves, to think any thing as of ourselves, yet thy grace is sufficient for us, to establish our minds in the love of God, and the patient waiting for Jesus Christ."

FEBRUARY 20.

My God shall supply all your need.-PHILIPPIANS iv. 19:

WHAT a mercy is there in the proportioning of our supplies to our wants. "Our heavenly Father knoweth what we have need of." He knoweth the amount of our wants, and the best time of supplying them, and he supplies them accordingly; not so that we should be full and forget him, but to prevent our falling into temptation, through the want of necessary supplies. There is no greater evidence of a supply coming from above, than the time and manner of affording it; God does nothing out of proportion; he knoweth our necessities, and the times and the seasons are in his power. "What shall we render unto the Lord for all his benefits," or how shall we sufficiently appreciate the benefit of having such a God for our Father, one that is intimately acquainted with all our circumstances, and will neither give us more nor less than we require for our happiness, and to keep up our communion with him. Thus we enjoy him in all things, and have fellowship with him both in our wants and in our supplies; in our wants by faith, and in our supplies by thankfulness. Yea, Lord, we acknowledge thee as the author of all our benefits, and the Father day of all mercies. Unto thee be all the glory for this our, and for ever.

FEBRUARY 21.

For I, the Lord, dwell among the children of Israel.—
NUMBERS XXxv. 34.

WHAT a privilege is this that God should dwell amongst us! O that we could keep in mind, who it is that does so dwell amongst us, and endeavour to make his habitation more worthy of him. For we are the temples of the Holy Ghost, and if so, “what manner of persons ought we to be, in all manner of conversation and godliness?" Whereas our hearts are filled with the cares of this world, and we ourselves are slaves to care and fear. "But God, who is rich in mercy," will recover us sooner or later out of every snare, and enable us to glorify him upon earth, even as he hath glorified us in heaven. For he hath indeed made us "to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." If then we are sitting in heaven, is it fitting that our hearts should be upon earth? By no means; our affections ought to be where our treasure is, even with Christ, at the right hand of God. And blessed be God, though we are sometimes enslaved by care, and sometimes by fear, yet he has given us hearts to love him above all things, and to desire above all things, the establishment of his kingdom and righteousness therein. Oh! that we desired it more ardently, and sought it more earnestly, though indeed we have cause to be thankful, that we seek it at all. Let us not complain then, but rather give thanks unto him, who hath called us out of darkness into his marvellous light, and into the kingdom of his dear Son.

FEBRUARY 22.

Desiring the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.— 1 PETER ii. 2.

THE word is compared to milk, from its nourishing qualities and to sincere milk, because all other writings are adulterated, more or less, with carnal wisdom, or the wisdom of the flesh. These will be ever putting their own constructions and limitations on the word of God, hampering his promises with conditions, and so depriving believers of the benefit intended them by the free promises. The greatest difficulty we have to contend with in the christian life, is the getting rid of our own and other people's comments on the word of God; we are prone not to receive it simply, and sincerely, as it is written, but think it necessary to qualify and explain it by some limitation of our own. It is only by the gracious influences of the free Spirit of Christ, that these imaginations can be cast down, and that we can read the Scriptures in a spirit of simplicity. "Except ye be converted," says our Saviour, "and become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of God.” We must unlearn all our own preconceived notions of religion, and become open to the correction of truth, before we can taste" that the Lord is gracious," for our own thoughts upon the subject run in a channel of works.-Lord, grant that we may not only desire the sincere milk of the word, but that we drink, yea drink abundantly thereof.