viour is likely to take in our prayers. It prevents us from imagining that he ever liveth to intercede for those, who never pray for themselves. Thus we are not allowed, for a moment, to suppose that Christ is praying for us, if we dislike or neglect prayer; nor that he takes much interest in our prayers, when we are heartless or heedless in devotion.

nor the pilgrimage of life: it is all phrases without | paternal kindness in it. It enables us to know, in meaning, or facts without interest. Not so to a some measure, what degree of interest the SaChristian; he can hardly believe, for joy, that God is love! He feels so unworthy of any love, and is so ashamed of his ingratitude, that he is afraid of presuming, even when most willing to be an entire and eternal debtor to grace. The words, "God is love," are infinitely more to him than words. He sees in them the face of God smiling on penitents; the heart of God yearning over his children; the wisdom of God guiding, the power It is just as necessary, in order to secure the inof God guarding, and the grace of God sanctify-tercession of Christ on our side, that our prayers ing, all his family. He hears in them promises of be "according to the will of God," as that interpardon, and pledges of acceptance, and assurances cession itself is, in order to secure their acceptof glory. ance: for Christ will no more put heartless prayers This is illumination! True; it is nothing but into his censer, than God will answer Christless the mind of the Spirit in the written word; no-prayers. In this matter, the Son looks as much thing but the meaning of Scripture; but then, to the way in which we treat the Spirit, as the what a meaning it has, compared with what we Father looks to the way in which we treat the used to find in it, and put upon it! It is only old Son. Whoever will not pray in the name of Jetruth; but it is now full and overflowing with new sus, the Father will not answer him; and whoglory, to a Christian. ever will not yield to the strivings of the Spirit, the Son will not own him.

And, who is to blame, because all who read that God is love," do not see so much in it as to be melted or amazed by it? Is the illuminating Spirit "a respecter of persons?" No; but he is a respecter of principles, and a respecter of laws and order: and if any will pay no respect to the word of God, nor to the reproofs of providence, nor to the dictates of conscience, he respects the authority of divine means too much to illuminate without them. It is as "the Spirit of revelation," as well as "of wisdom," that he enlightens the eyes of the understanding in the knowledge of God as love. Eph. i. 17.

No. VII.

THE LOVE OF THE SPIRIT IN INTERCESSION.

And who can wonder at this? Where is the common sense, or the common honesty, of the man who objects to the duty of "praying in the Holy Ghost," or "with the Spirit?" The help of the Spirit is just as open and free to him, as the merits of Jesus. He is just as welcome to ask for the Spirit, as to add to his prayers the all-prevailing name of the Saviour. There is no more obstacle between him and the help of the Holy Spirit, than there is between him and his Bible. He may as soon and easily obtain help in prayer, from the Spirit of grace and supplication, as obtain from his Bible the rules and reasons for pleading only the merits of Christ.

Nor is this all. That man is not to be found under a gospel ministry, or after reading the Scriptures, who is an utter stranger to the strivings of the Holy Spirit. Every such man has felt, again Ir is just as true that the Spirit "ever liveth" and again, convictions of the duty of prayer, and to help our infirmities by suggesting prayer, as impulses to pray. Many, alas, resist them; but that the Saviour ever liveth to intercede for the all who hear the gospel feel them. Yes; and find prayerful. Indeed, the respective offices of Fa- it so difficult to get rid of them, that their ingether, Son, and Spirit, in reference to prayer, seem nuity is put upon the rack, to find out speculative to sustain each other. The Father's readiness to excuses for not praying. None have had such hear, seems to be as much the Spirit's reason for hard work in stifling their convictions of the duty helping our infirmities, and the Son's reason for and necessity of prayer, as those who are most pleading his own merits on our behalf, as their dexterous and prompt, in excusing their neglect. joint intercession is the Father's reason for an- Whenever a man asks, How can I pray in the swering prayer. He answers it because the Spi-Spirit, before I receive the Spirit? he has had rit suggests it, and because the Son presents it; and they promote it thus, because he delights to hear it.

more stirring up from him, than he liked to feel, or cares to confess. He does not wish for any more drawing or driving to the mercy-seat, than This seems the grand moral reason why the he has felt. He has had enough of both, to conHoly Spirit does so much to help our infirmities, vince him, that praying will not fit in with his purand the Saviour so much to insure our success in suits. He has been near enough to the foot-stool prayer. The Spirit knows that supplication has of the throne of grace, to see that he does not like only to be "according to the will of God," in or-it at present: but, as this confession does not der to find a sure place in the golden censer of sound well in words, he sets himself to excuse the Son; and the Son knows that the incense of himself. And if his pretences of wanting time, or his merits can sanctify and sustain it with the Father; and, therefore, both ever live to intercede for us;-the one on earth, and the other in heaven; the one by teaching us to pray, and the other by praying for us.

ability, for prayer, do not silence either his friends or his conscience, he tries to prove that the work of the Spirit is too great, and too good, and too remarkable, to have any connection with what he has felt. It means (forsooth!) every thing, but There is as much holy wisdom in this arrange-"the day of small things," which he wants to dement for the success of our prayers, as there is spise, because he dislikes it. Accordingly, he

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habits of his first love, and become a closet Christian again.

Christ

would be any thing but glad, to have that Spirit, which, he says, he has not got, and cannot command. In a word; he dreads having any more of These sad effects of quenching "the Spirit of his work, at present, than he has had. He saw supplication," will enable us to understand clearits face, and did not like it; and, therefore, hely, how yielding to his intercession with us, sewants to make out that the Holy Spirit has done cures the intercession of Christ for us. nothing for him! will put no prayer into his censer of much incense, which has not been put into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. And, on the other hand, it is just as true, that Christ will not exclude from his golden censer, any prayer which the Spirit excites. It may not be answered at once; but it is sure to be presented, accepted, and remembered. It is as truly filed at the throne of God, as it was felt by the heart or breathed by the lips.

This is the real secret of all the pretences put forward by the delaying and undecided hearers of the gospel. The Spirit of God is doing more for them than they wish at present; doing so much, that the only way in which they can get to the bustle or the follies which quench divine influence, is, to deny the divinity of what they feel at solemn moments. Not a man of them has the shadow of a doubt upon his mind, as to whether he could pray-when he feels thus. He sees clearly that, were he to yield then, he both could and would pray enough to commit himself beyond all retracting or retreating.

If it be thus base and criminal to "resist the Holy Ghost," even whilst he is only convincing of the duty of prayer; how much more, when he has convinced us of the advantages and enjoyments, which may be derived from it, and found in it? And this conviction he has established in the inmost soul of all who have yielded to his first strivings. Whoever has allowed himself to be drawn to the throne of grace, and has there given way to his feelings, until his heart was "poured out" before God, has found by experience, that it is good to draw nigh unto God. He may not have found, at first, all the enjoyment, nor all the relief, which he has heard others speak of: but he did rise from his knees a happier man than he knelt down. He did wonder, after giving way to strong cries and tears, that even he should have disliked to be alone with God in prayer. He did resolve, that he would soon return to the mercy-seat.

What an encouragement this is to pray "in the Spirit," or "with the Holy Ghost!" I do not mean, of course, that we should pray only wher we are powerfully urged to the duty, by a deep sense of want, or weakness, or danger. No. There may be quite as much of both the love and the grace of the Spirit, in enabling us to keep up regular habits of devotion from day to day, as in those powerful impressions, which seem audible calls to extraordinary prayer. Indeed, wherever there is no habit of morning and evening prayer, there will seldom be any compliance with the calls or drawings of the Spirit to special prayer: for if the standing law be disregarded, it is not likely that the occasional impulse will be obeyed. Such impulses, however, ought not to be resisted. There is, depend on it, a strong "needs be," whenever the Holy Spirit bears in upon the mind, the conviction that there must be more prayer than usual, or more fervency than there has been! He foresees some imminent or real danger to our principles, our character, or our peace, whenever he stirs us up to "cry mightily unto God." This is the signal he gives, to forewarn us of approaching The manifestation of the love of the Spirit, trials of some kind. Yes; whenever his voice in which occurs at this point in conversion, is pecu- the heart says, like the Saviour's in Gethsemane, liarly interesting. He may not exactly comfort "Watch and pray, lest ye enter into temptation," nor cheer the soul, when it first yields to him as something is about to happen, which we are not "the Spirit of supplication;" but he either soothes prepared for, by our ordinary devotion. Either it into something like calmness, or excites it to a trouble is coming, which we are not fit to sustain fervency of holy desire, which seems the forerun-in our present strength; or temptations are comner of hope. If he do not reveal at once to the soul, its warrant and welcome to believe on Christ for its own salvation, he does show enough of the sufficiency of Christ, to satisfy us that "he can save to the uttermost, them that come unto God by him." Thus we are made to see and feel, that prayer is not a vain thing; that its efficacy is worth trying; and that the very act of trying it, brings some composure.

Thus a lesson is taught by the first influence of earnest prayer, which is never forgotten. The Spirit lodges and seals a sense of the usefulness of drawing nigh to God, which can never be lost. It may be weakened; but it cannot be erased.Accordingly, the most heartless, yea, the most hopeless backslider, cannot forget nor despise "the days of old," when the candle of the Lord first shone in his closet. He may not dare to pray-he may dread nothing so much as being alone with God in prayer ;-but he has no doubt of the happiness of those who are prayerful. He envies their state. He knows that there is no happiness for him, until he resume the devotional

ing, which we are not able to overcome by it:either our spiritual or our temporal affairs are on the eve of some turn, which will involve serious consequences, perhaps for life; or Satan has taken measures to "sift" us "as wheat:" and, therefore, our faith must fail, unless the Intercessor in hea ven pray for us! All this the Spirit foresees, and thus forewarns us of; and, therefore, he intercedes with us, to watch and pray for ourselves, that Christ may intercede for us. The sufficiency of the Saviour's grace, or strength, for sustaining us in the hour of trial, is, remember, "made perfect in weakness;" and it is by pressing upon us the immediate necessity of praying more earnestly, that the Spirit reminds us of our weakness, and ap prizes us of our danger.

Christian, let no clamor against impulses in general, divert you from obeying the Holy Ghost, when he is impelling you to abound in prayer, or to improve your devotional spirit. You are in no danger of praying too often or too long in your closet. Fanaticism does not send her dupes, nor Fancy her votaries, into the closet to wrestle with

God for grace to help in time of need. Prayer and very prone to desire most what is most withagainst falling or fainting, is not one of the dic-held from us. In regard to temporal things, howtates of a spirit of illusion, or of delusion. There ever, we never desire too little, nor feel indifferent is real need for more than usual prayer, whenever to what is good; whereas, there are many spiyour sense of need is strong. There is a critical ritual blessings which we could but too easily nick of time at hand, whenever your heart tells overlook entirely, or dispense with until the evenyou, that you are too far off from the mercy-seating of life, did not the Holy Spirit force them to be safe or steady. upon our notice, and draw them into our prayers. I am not foreboding evil, if by that you mean For, how few would seek humility, were not pride only afflictions or reverses. I am thinking of far dangerous; or spirituality of mind, were it not heavier calamities than a sick-bed, or than sink-death to be carnally minded; or communion with ing in the world: these are, indeed, trying; but they are not ominous, nor so perilous as they seem. Swimming in the world, is far more hazardous to a Christian than sinking in it. He knows how far he can sink, and yet be safe: but he does not know how far he can rise without losing his piety. He knows the worst that "bread and water" can do to his soul; but he cannot calculate the effect of luxury, nor of money, nor of ease, upon his present character or upon his eternal state.

God, were it not a mark of union to Christ; or the witness of the Spirit, were it not the proof of the work of the Spirit; or the joy of salvation, were it not an earnest of eternal life? Indeed, I dread to look at the long list of promised blessings, which would hardly be prayed for, or thought of at all, were they not brought to our remembrance, and built into our prayers, by the Holy Spirit. Alas, we are so inclined to be contented with, if not to prefer, a mere escape from the wrath to come at last, that, if left to our own This, however, is not exactly what I mean. choice, we should be in very great danger of not Like myself, you may be in no great danger from praying at all for the divine image or presence; abundance. There may, however, be a worldly for the seal of the fruits of the Spirit; for likespirit, without wealth; and a slothful spirit in re-ness to Christ, or for a sense of his constraining ligion, without the snare of leisure to induce it; and a backsliding spirit, without any great falling off of public character. Here is our danger; and it is real. For how many sink and settle into a heartless profession, by which they lose all enjoyment of religion, and are lost to all usefulness! Now, it is to prevent this sad issue that the Holy Spirit is so prompt and pressing, whenever the power of godliness begins to decline in the heart. Then he gives warning at once; and, for a time, haunts the soul with the interceding cry, "Come, my people, enter your chamber; watch and pray, lest ye fall into temptation."

O, what falls, and shipwrecks, and apostacies, and backslidings, might have been prevented, had all who were thus challenged and charged, when they began to decline from their "first love," been obedient to the heavenly vision! Let their folly and fate teach us wisdom. It is infinitely easier to obey these timely promptings of the Spirit, than to extricate ourselves from the entanglements of backsliding. An hour of special prayer then, may save to us, what the disobedient have not been able to recover for years, the presence of God, and the hope of acceptance. It will also prevent us from being, as they all are eventually, "rebuked in wrath, and chastened in hot displeasure," by the strokes of retribution.

A prudent Christian cannot but admire and adore the love of the Spirit, in interfering thus promptly and urgently, to check the first symptoms of declension, by powerful incentives to more prayerfulness. He will also trace his love in drawing out prayer to all the extent of the promised salvation. For, how true it is, even in regard to mercy and grace, that "we know not what we should pray for as we ought." Rom. vii. 26. It is said, I am aware, that our chief difficulty is, to know what temporal things we should pray for. And it is, no doubt, more difficult to choose aright amongst temporal blessings, than amongst spiritual, in one sense; for we are very bad judges of what is best for us in this life,

love. We could make less serve and satisfy us, were we left to our own choice, or to take our own way.

Nor is this all. We have but very inadequate views, at first, even of the extent of our need of mercy to pardon; and much more inadequate views of our need of grace to help. We mean, indeed, much of both, when we begin to pray in good earnest: but still, much less than we really need, even if we feel our need of more than we can venture to hope for at the time.

I do not know that I could have believed this, in reference to my need of pardoning mercy, had the fact been told me when, like the publican, I began to cry, "God be merciful to me a sinner," without daring to lift up my eyes. Then, the fear of not seeing God through eternity, and the impossibility of saving myself from the curse of the broken law, made mercy unspeakably dear to me. But, now that I hope to see God as he is, and dwell for ever in his immediate presence, I see my need of a kind and degree of pardoning mercy, which I had no idea of at first. Then, mercy enough to keep me out of hell was all I thought of: but now I see the need of such pardon,-of such reconciliation,-and of such acceptance, as shall enable me to feel at home with God, in heaven, to all eternity! This is not, perhaps, another kind of mercy than that I began to seek; but it is quite a different degree of it, and leads to as much prayer. For, who can realize, or imagine, and not pray fervently for it, a pardon so gracious and complete-that the soul shall be perfectly at home for ever in heaven, even when it knows as it is known, and when it beholds God in all the majesty of his authority, in all the glory of his holiness, and in all the independence of his blessedness? The bare idea of going up to the eternal throne, even once, without terror or shame, is almost inconceivable for how much is required in order to one welcome? But an eternity of welcome, composure, and joy, at that throne !-What is the mercy which bestows and prepares for that?

We should not appreciate it, nor think of it, did not the Spirit help our infirmities, and teach us to pray for it.

His love is not less conspicuous, in leading us to pray for all the grace we need to help, in this world. Now we have already found out that to be more than we suspected at first. And yet, the conviction, "I shall need much grace to keep me," is, in general, a very deep one in the mind of a penitent, even from the first. Indeed, so deep, that many yield to the temptation of keeping back from the sacramental fellowship of the church, lest they should fall away, or disgrace it. This is a sad mistake: for that fellowship is one of the most effectual of all the appointed means, to prevent falling. It is not, however, sufficient of itself. Accordingly, those who have been longest under sacramental bonds, know well, yea, best, that they have acquired far more grace than they ever thought of needing, when they gave themselves to the Lord and to the church. There have been times of trial and temptation, when we have been ready to give up all hope, and even to throw up all religion. There have been moods of temper or of spirit, when nothing in religion seemed sure, sacred, or interesting. There have been conjunctions of the world and the heart, by adversity or prosperity, which almost produced Atheism, or the wish that there were neither a God nor an hereafter. Oh, had not the Spirit helped us then, when our infirmities were becoming infatuations, where, what, should we have been now? Had he not brought us up from "the fearful pit and miry clay" of such temptations, and put a new song into our lips by putting a new prayer into our hearts, we should have sunk where we fell, and risen no more.

and awaken gratitude. The worth of the soul shines out in this light. The claims of eternity begin to open. Then, the favor of God is so felt to be life, and his loving-kindness better than life, that nothing else is thought of! Time, earth, cares, and comforts, are all forgotten in the absorbing glory of salvation, and in the beaming smiles of the divine presence. The soul finds in communion with God and the Lamb, perfect peace and joy unspeakable; and thus loses time, in eternity; earth, in heaven; the body, in the soul! And the less is really lost in the greater. We come forth, after such "times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord," willing to do or suffer any thing, and prepared to resign all our wishes to the divine will.

Christian let them doubt the actual help of the Spirit, who pray only by fits and starts; and let them overlook his love in helping infirmities, who are satisfied with repeating forms of sound and serious words: we know, that he has enabled us to pray without book at times, as well as with it; and drawn us beyond all that books contained, and all that we ourselves intended. Neither books, nor memory, could have led us into some of the outpourings of the heart, which we have been occasionally drawn into by the Spirit, when we have let him have "free course" in his suggestions, and have followed them up honestly.

No. VIII.

THE LOVE OF THE SPIRIT IN RESTORATION.

It is worthy of special notice and remembrance, But whilst such restorations and deliverances that whatever was the kind or the degree of spishould be had in everlasting remembrance, we ritual declension in any of the seven churches of must not forget how much love there is in the Asia; and however the particular counsels and help we receive from the Spirit, which enables us warnings addressed to them varied according to to keep on praying, in spite of all our hinderances the depth of their fall; still, the great general comand discouragements. I do not think lightly of mand to each of them was one and the same,the injury which sudden and peculiar temptations "Hear what the Spirit saith." This is neither do to piety. I wonder and adore, to see how the accident nor mere form. Attention to the Spirit Spirit repairs and counteracts these injuries: not was the only cure for any of the defections.less, however, to see how he prevents the ordinary Without hearing him, the Ephesians could no tear and wear of the world, and the natural ten-more have regained their "first love," than the dencies of the heart, and the force of prayerless Laodiceans could have thrown off their lukewarmexample, from wasting away both the love and ness. Without help from the Spirit, the "little habit of devotion. Keeping alive the fire of hea-strength" of the church in Philadelphia was as ven upon the altar of the temple, was nothing to this preservation of the spirit of prayer! That fire had many a shelter; but this is like a spark in the ocean, exposed to the waters beneath and to the winds above.

unequal to overcome "in the hour of temptation,” as the Sardians' "name to live," was unfit to strengthen the things which were ready to die. Pergamos would have continued to listen to the false doctrine of Balaam and the Nicolaitanes, and One way in which he preserves the love and Thyatira to the licentious doctrine of Jezebel, had habit of prayer, is, by the remarkable help he not both set themselves to listen again to "what gives at times of peculiar need. It is no uncom- the Spirit saith unto the churches." Accordingmon thing for Christians to go to their closet only, all the return of any of these churches to their one errand, and yet completely to forget it, when they catch the spirit of prayer, or obtain communion with God. Perhaps the original errand is, to plead for the removal of some heavy cross, or for the continuance of some temporal blessing: when, lo, in trying to bring this desire into harmony with the divine will, the thoughts rise amongst the divine perfections which call for submission; and, there, get amongst the perfections which win love

first love and their first works, was in consequence of renewed attention to the Holy Ghost; and only lasted whilst he was listened to in his oracles.

It is also worthy of special notice that the Epistles to the Asiatic churches, although dictated to John by the lips of the Saviour himself, and all opened with proclamations of his own supremacy as the head of the church, are yet invariably closed by the authority of the Spirit, as the author of re

and all" in your salvation. Now in doing that, you search out your legal tendencies; you set them down as refuges of lies; you not only pray that God would sweep them away, but also watch lest they should be swept back again by Satan. You are not easy when you find yourself looking less to Christ. You even become afraid of your sincerity in religion, when you are not conscious of a single-hearted and exclusive reliance upon his merits.

velation, to enforce them. The Saviour does not conclude by saying, "Hear what I say; but thus, "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." Thus whilst he maintains his own office and honor as king and priest of the church, and condescends to act as her prophet too, he asserts and sustains the office of the Holy Ghost, as the Spirit of inspiration.The Saviour makes himself heard, that we may recognise and revere the Comforter, in the lively oracles. The reason of this may not be obvious Well; just such a jealousy and watchfulness at a glance; but the wisdom of it is profound, and should we exercise over our own hearts, in referits design gracious. The prominence and import-ence to the grace of the Holy Spirit. We must ance thus given to the work which the Holy Spirit carries on in the soul, by the truth, like that given to the work of Christ for the soul, is, for the purpose of shutting us up to an entire dependance upon each. Were less said, than that Christ is "all in all" in the work of redemption, we should divide our faith between his merits and our own morals, or seek to be justified partly by law and partly by grace; and thus never come to the point, in penitence nor in humility. For, it is by seeing that we must look to nothing but the blood of Christ, for pardon and acceptance, and that there is nothing else to look to for justification,-that we come to set ourselves in good earnest, to fall fully in with God's plan of saving. Finding that half-measures will not do; or, that God will have nothing to say to us, until we have nothing to say to him, but just that Christ died for the ungodly; we are glad to go any length in abandoning all legal claims and reliances; and become intent upon glorying only in the cross of Christ. We retreat from one thing after another, until we give up every thing but the cross, and say of it alone, Behold, O God, our shield." Indeed, we get no quiet rest, until we cease to argue or plead, by any thing we have become, or intend to be; and begin to confine ourselves to the one plea, "Look upon us in the face of thine anointed."

This is that reception of Christ, concerning which it is said, "as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God." John i. 12. Now, just such a place in our attention and confidence, should he given to the Holy Spirit, in reference to his work. We ought as much to look to him for grace to help, as to the Saviour for pardon and acceptance. Whenever we look into the Scriptures for counsel or consolation, we ought to look up to the Spirit for a heart to appropriate and improve them aright. Whatever means of grace we use for safety or edification, we should never forget that their success depends upon the blessing of the Holy Spirit. In a word, we ought to be as much afraid of overlooking or underrating the Comforter, as of not applying to the Mediator; and as watchful against leaning to our own understanding, or trusting our own hearts, as against self-righteousness or legality for the work of the Spirit is as much intended to shut us out from self-dependance, in the matter of sanctification, as the work of Christ is to shut us out from self-complacency, in the matter of justification.

To concede all this as a point in theology, or to agree to it as a maxim in religion, is, however, not enough. It must just be applied and acted upon, as you do in the case of making Christ" all

no more allow ourselves to forget him when we open the Bible, or enter the sanctuary, or engage in prayer, than we overlook the Father or the Son. We ought to be as much afraid of grieving him, as of dishonoring them: for as we profess to ascribe equal and everlasting glory to Father, Son, and Spirit, we are bound to pay them equal attention. I mean, that the attention given to the Spirit, should not be left to accident, nor paid in formal compliment. And it need not be so. It is just as easy, because as much our duty, to give him his proper place in our confidence, as to give the Father and the Son their place. We took some pains to ascertain, and to fix in our minds, the precise reference which our prayers, our hopes, and our feelings should have to God and the Lamb. We did not leave that to chance nor to impulse, when we became anxious that our fellowship should truly be with the Father, and his Son Jesus Christ and the fellowship or "communion of the Holy Ghost," cannot be kept up by paying him empty compliments, nor by yielding vague honors to him..

I dare not ask yet, whether you feel deeply interested in these hints. They are both too few and feeble to command absorbing attention, or to excite much expectation. Perhaps they do not even suggest to you their precise design which is, to explain how backsliding and declension chiefly arise. Now that it is not fully explained by saying, that some sin of omission or of commission, grieved the Spirit of God, and then the power of godliness declined rapidly. This is, indeed, quite true; but it is not all the truth. The sin, whe ther of omission or of commission, or of both, which led to this sad result, was, itself, preceded and occasioned by inattention to the Holy Spirit, or by expecting help from his grace without hearing his word. For "what the spirit saith to the churches," is as much his means of sanctifying and comforting, as what the Saviour hath done and suffered for the church is God's reason for pardoning. Now we expect no pardon, apart from the cross. We are quite sure that we should receive none, were we to look away from the cross, or even to look to it but partly. Well; it is just as true, that we are not warranted to expect grace to help, apart from an impartial use of the word of grace. The Spirit sanctifies, and sustains, and consoles, "by the truth," just as God acquits and accepts by the atonement. But how few so notice this fact, as to follow up their full submission to the cross, by a full submission to "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

Here is the real secret of backsliding, and of