believe them.

Sometimes he suggests that

they are too great and too good to belong to such poor, mean, and worthless worms as we are; as if anything was too good or too great for God to confer on us, for whom he has delivered up his own Son. Providence has frowned. True, providence seems often to work in order to try our faith in the promises. But we may rest assured of this, that the work of God's hand will never run counter to the word of his grace. The promise is the staff on which we are to lean, the compass by which we are to steer, the manna on which we are to live. Providences change, but promises are immutable-providences are intricate, but promises are plain. We cannot tell what a providence means until we get to the end of it, but we can see the meaning of the promise at once. Though we have doubted, though Satan has suggested, though provi dence has frowned, yet God has kept his word, and there hath not failed one word of all his good promise.

He calls

Brother, let us witness for God. to us, and says, "Ye are my witnesses." And are we not? Have we not proved him faithful? Have we not found his promises true? We have been in difficulties and dangers, we have been tempted and tried, we have doubted and feared, we have listened to Satan, and judged by appearances; but, notwithstanding, all the promises have been made good. We must say, with Paul, "Having obtained

help of God, we continue unto this day." We have often broken our word, but our God has never broken his. Let us, therefore, not only witness for him, but give thanks unto him. All he asks of us for all the favours he confers on us, is to praise his name. Let us then unite heart and voice in praising and thanking the Lord. Having praised him for the past, let us ask of him more for the future. "He giveth more grace." What he has already given us, is but a pledge of what he will give us ; his promises are true this day-never more true. God is willing to make them good in our experience, he never was more willing. We know not what a day may bring forth, but let it bring forth what it will, the grace of Jesus will be sufficient for us, and we have his word that as our day so shall our strength be. Jesus is saying to us at this moment, “Whatsoever ye ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full." Let us renew our confidence in God. Never, never had we so many reasons, or so much cause, to be confident in God as now. We have received so much mercy; he has answered so many prayers; he has kept his word during so many years. Oh for confidence, strong confidence in God! May the Holy Spirit work it, both in the writer's and the reader's heart. Let us, in conclusion, consecrate ourselves afresh to the service of our God; he never has failed us, he never

will; he has used us, he will use us still. Let us, then, seek grace that we may afresh consecrate our persons and powers, our time and our talents, all we have, all we are, and all we can do, entirely and for ever to the service of our God. If we think, let us think for God; if we eat, let us eat for God; if we give, let us give to God; if we speak, let us speak for God. Never were we under such powerful obligations as at present, to dedicate ourselves, and our all, to the service and praise of God. Witness for us then, ye angels of God, ye servants of Jesus, that we bear our testimony for God, that "there hath not failed," in our experience, " one word of all his good promise," and that from a sense of his great love to us, and unquestionable right in us, we dedicate ourselves body, soul, and spirit, to his service and praise for

ever.

Why should I doubt his love at last,
With anxious thoughts perplex'd?
Who sav'd me in the troubles past,
Will save me in the next.

Will save, till at my latest hour,
With more than conquest blest,
I soar beyond temptation's power,
To my Redeemer's breast.

LIVING TO PURPOSE.

I TOOK up an old book the other day, written by one Samuel Slater, and glancing over the preface, my eye caught these words, "My DESIRE HAS BEEN TO LIVE TO PURPOSE. I immediately felt that I had met with the production of a brother-one with whom I could sympathize. Live we do, live we must; it is not a matter of choice with us; but, do we live to purpose? Is the life we are living worthy an immortal soul? Is it becoming a probationer for eternity? What is our aim? What will be the end of our life? My soul, see to it that you live to purpose! Reader, let me exhort you to live to purpose. Live while you live. Live as you will wish you had lived when the glories of eternity are bursting upon your view.

If we would live to purpose, we must live a life of faith. Faith brings us to Jesus, leads us to renounce everything at the feet of Jesus, and to venture on Jesus to save us with an everlasting salvation. Faith takes the promise of God, and trusts it; the precept of Christ, and obeys it. Faith rests upon God's word, watches God's providence, and strives to glorify God's name. If I have

faith, I have Jesus: for faith brings the soul and Christ into union. If I have faith, I am holy; for faith purifies the heart, works by love, and consecrates the person to God. If there is no faith there can be no good works; and if there are no good works, there is no faith. Or, if there is what is called faith, it is a dead, a useless faith; for "faith without works is dead, being alone." live by faith, then, is to live believing God, trusting in Jesus, doing the the will of God from the heart, and seeking to do good to all around us.

To

If we would live to purpose, we must live a life of prayer. Prayer is the outgoing of the soul to God, as the effect of communications of grace from God. Prayer eases the heart, relieves the mind, and animates the soul. It seeks from God, that it may employ for God. Without prayer there can be no life in the soul. Without habitual prayer there can be no spiritual health. Prayer brings God and the soul together. It opens God's resources to supply the pleader's needs. Prayer, as it brings us constantly into the presence of God, gradually conforms us to the moral image of God. We become godlike. There is a resemblance to God in our spirit, object, and actions. And, as it is impossible to be like God and not live to purpose, so it is impossible to live to purpose if we are not like God. The man of faith is the