Our course is always influenced by our faith, and our faith is influenced by our fellowship with God. He says, "Accept the Lord's invitation to come to him and walk with him." The voice of God cries, "Come unto me." Jesus adds, "Abide with me." Distance from God is the source of all our misery, and nothing but nearness to God will make us truly happy. How long has God been calling to some of us in his blessed word, and saying, "Come unto me;" and we have not come yet? Let us delay no longer, but at once do as Enoch did, come to God, and keep with God. He says, "Trust in the Lord's gracious and most faithful promises." He did so, and proved the Lord's words to be true. The promises of God to us are exceeding great and very precious; but they do us no good, except we believe them, trust in them, and expect the Lord to make them good. Except we receive the promises as from God's hand, and place our trust and confidence in them, we shall not be properly affected by them; but if we do, they will draw us near to God, lead us to repose in God, and teach us to walk with God.

He

says, "Realize the presence of God as with you. Walk by his holy word. Aim singly at his glory." God, as our father, goes every step with his children, gives them the precepts of his holy word to direct them, sets his own glory before them to be aimed at by them, and so secures them safety, holiness,

and happiness. Dear friends, we all walk with God, or we walk away from God; which is it? every step we take is in the right or wrong direction; which is it? If we would walk with God, we must converse with him daily; do you? Have you been in his company to-day? Has he heard your voice at the throne? and have you heard his voice in his holy word? If God is not your compa nion, Satan is. If you walk with God, you are going to heaven; if you walk with Satan, you are going to hell! A man is generally known by the company he keeps, for we insensibly imbibe the spirit of our companions; if we walk with God, we shall imbibe the spirit of God, and the spirit of God is holy. "He that walketh with wise men will be wise;" but he that walks with the infinitely wise God will be more so; wise to salvation, wise to escape danger, wise to secure good, wise to gain honour and renown, wise to win souls. Walk, then, with God, and peace at present, and glory for ever, shall be yours.

True faith's the life of God,
Deep in the heart it lies:
It lives and labours under load:
Though damp'd, it never dies.

True faith refines the heart,
And purifies with blood;
Takes the whole gospel, not a part,
And holds the fear of God.

JOSEPH; OR, THE YOUNG MAN'S.

TRIAL.

"The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot
at him, and hated him."- Gen. xlix. 23.

JOSEPH is a beautiful example for the young, and his history is full of important instruction. His birth was a joyous occasion in his father's house. His mother was a favourite, and he was her first-born. His birth was a bright page in her history, and inspired her with hope for the future; therefore she called him Joseph, which signifies addition, or increase, or fruitful. She knew that God's mercies were seldom units, that they rather came in troops than as solitary travellers. Having received this favour, she expected more. This is just what we should always do, seeing our God is most willing to give whatever is really for our good. Joseph became a favourite with his father. He was beloved for his mother's sake, no doubt for his own also. He appears to have been a very virtuous, amiable youth. He won his father's love, and won it to the grief of others. Favouritism in families is wrong, and generally injurious to the favourite; yet some children

will have more love than others, nor can their poor imperfect parents help it. God smiled upon him as well as his father, and made special communications to him. His dreams were from God, and full of meaning. Being naturally unsuspecting, he told out all. His father's love had awakened envy and jealousy, this kindness from God increases it. Favoured ones are sure to be envied, and are generally hated. Joseph hated sin; and at seventeen years of age was so grieved with his brothers' improper conduct when from under their father's eye, that he could not but in. form his father of them. This added fuel to the evil fire which was already burning in in their breasts. We must not suffer sin in a brother; but if we try to remove it, our conduct will perhaps be misrepresented, and our love repaid with enmity. This was Joseph's case. Now his trials began. He was early put into the crucible, because he was intended to be a vessel on which God would confer especial honour.

His brethren hated and envied him so much, that they would not speak kindly to him. This must have deeply afflicted his loving heart. Eleven brothers, and not one seemed fully to sympathise with him; most of them were positively his enemies! How very painful it is, when a man's enemies are the men of his own house. This was Joseph's first trial, and it must have been severe. His father sends him to visit them, and inquire

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after their welfare; he goes forth full of love, misses his road,-wanders about until weary, comes to them exhausted and faint, -and they no sooner see him than they propose to murder him. What an awful thing is sin! In what a fearful state is the human heart! These men were religiously brought up, they were the children of many prayers, and yet the sight of their brother produces fratricide in their hearts. Lo," they say, "this dreamer cometh. Come now, therefore, and let us slay him." How cool, how deliberate, how awful! Well may it be said that the heart of man is desperately wicked. They cast him into a dry pit; what were his reflections there? Young man, fancy yourself in his place, surrounded by the same circumstances, and say, what would be your reflection? They drew him up again; but what are they going to do with him? Who are those strange, hard-featured persons standing by? They are slaves-dealers. What, are they about to sell him? To make their brother, their father's tenderly beloved son, a degraded slave? Yes, the tender mercies of of the wicked are cruel. They bargain for his price, they strip him of his beautiful coat, and part with him without a sigh. But look at the anguish of his soul as it appears in that afflicted countenance, in those weeping eyes! Hark, hear how earnestly, how pathetically he begs, prays, and beseeches them? He pleads for his father's sake, his own sake,