be overwhelmed in despair, on account of, as if some strange thing had happened to him, or as if any temptation had come in his way which was not common to all his brethren who are in the world.

But, secondly, this view of the matter not only serves to uphold the peace of a believer, but conduces also to his progress in holiness; for it leads to a most wholesome distrust of himself, under the consciousness that there is still a part about him most alive to sin; and which, if not watched, and guarded, and kept under severe and painful restraint, would be wholly given over to it. And here there is a striking accordancy between the theoretical view which the Bible gives of our nature, and the practical habit it labours to impress upon all who partake of it. An angel, perhaps, does not need to be warned against the exposure of himself to temptation; for there may be no ingredient in his constitution that can be at all affected by it: but not so with man, compounded as he is, and made up as his constitution is here, of two great departments, one of which is prone to evil, and that continually, and in the other of which lie all those principles and powers whose office it is, if not utterly to extinguish this proneness, at least to repress its outbreakings. In these circumstances, it is positively not for man to thrust himself into a scene of temptation; and when the alternative is at his own will, whether he shall shun the encounter, or shall dare it, his business is to shun, and the whole of Scripture is on the side of cautiousness, rather than of confidence in this matter; and we may be assured, that it is our part, in every case, to expose nothing, and to hazard no

thing, unless there be a call of duty, which is tantamount to a call of providence. When the trial is of our own bringing on, we have no warrant to hope for a successful issue. God will grant succour and support against the onsets which temptation maketh upon us, but he does not engage himself to stand by us in the presumptuous onsets which we make upon. temptation. We better consult the mediocrity of our powers, and better suit our habits to the real condition of our ruined and adulterated nature, when we keep as far as in us lies our determined distance from every allurement-when with all our might we restrain our tendencies to evil within, from coming into contact with the excitements to evil that are without -when we make a covenant with our eyes to turn them away from the sight of vanity-and whether the provocation be to anger, or evil speaking, or intemperance, or any wayward and vicious indulgence whatever, let us be assured, that we cannot be too prompt in our alarms, or too early in our measures, whether of prevention or resistance—and that in one instance where we have it in our power, every and no dereliction of duty is implied by it, it is our wise and salutary part, not most resolutely to face the provocative, but most resolutely to flee from it.

But, thirdly, this view of the matter not only leads us to withdraw the vicious and wrong part of our constitution from every encounter with temptation that can possibly be shunned-it also leads us to such measures as may recruit and strengthen the gracious or good part of our constitution for every such encounter as cannot be shunned. For we must, in spite of all our prudence, have many such encoun

ters in the world. Temptation will come to our door, though we should never move a single unguarded footstep towards temptation-and then, What, we would ask, is the armour of resistance? What the best method of upholding the predominance of the good principle over the evil one? We would say, a fresh commitment of ourselves in faith and in prayer to Him who first put the good principle into our hearts-another act of recurrence to the fulness that is in Christ Jesus-a new application for strength from the Lord our sanctifier, to meet this new occasion for strength which he himself has permitted to come in our way, and to cross the path of our history in the world. The humility which leads us to flee whenever we can, and to pray when flight is impossible-this is the very habit of the soul, which removes it from the first set of temptations, and will most effectually strengthen it against the second. To the proud man who reckons upon his own capabilities, God refuses grace. To the humble man, who in himself has no other feeling than that of utter emptiness, God gives grace in abundant measure for all his necessities-and thus it is, that by proceeding, as he ought, on the consideration that there is a part of his nature belonging properly and originally to himself, which he must keep at an assiduous distance from every excitement to evil; and then proceeding as he ought, on the consideration, that there is a part of his nature derived by grace from heaven, and nourished by constant supplies from the same quarter-thus it is, we say, that his knowledge of his own constitution, such as we have endeavoured to unfold it, has a direct tendency both

to deepen the humility of the believer, and to exalt and perfect his holiness.

It is this state of composition, in every one who has been born of the Spirit between the old man and the new creature, which explains the mystery of a Christian being more humble, just as he becomes more holy-of his growing at one and the same time in dissatisfaction with himself, and in those deeds of righteousness which are by Jesus Christof his being both more feelingly alive to the corruption that is in him from one part of his nature, and more fruitfully abundant in all those virtues which have their soil and their nutriment from the other part of his nature, so as to hold out the palpable exhibition of one evidently rising in positive excellence, and yet as evidently sinking into a profounder self-abasement than before; as if it required a so much deeper foundation to uphold the ascending superstructure. The truth is, that wherever there is any real growth of morality, there must be a growth of moral sensibility along with it-and in proportion to this sensibility will there be the annoyance that is felt, and the touching grief and humility wherewith the heart is visited on every fresh evolution of that depraved nature, which is only subordinated, but not yet extinguished and done away. And hence the want of sympathy, and the want of understanding between the children of this world, and the children of light-and the misinterpretation that is sometimes given to the pains, and perplexities, and mental disquietudes which the latter do experience, and the puzzling appearance of inconsistency which is held out by the emotions and the exercises of a

real Christian, who is troubled on every side, yet not distressed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed— bearing about in his body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus might be made manifest in his body, dying unto earthly honours and earthly gratifications, while the life of Jesus is becoming manifest in his mortal flesh.

And it is for the purpose of administering comfort, and inculcating watchfulness, and conducing to the believer's growth in holiness, that we would introduce to the notice of our readers the following admirable and instructive Treatise of DR. OWEN "ON THE NATURE, POWER, DECEIT, AND PREVALENCE OF INDWELLING SIN IN Believers." The writings of this venerable and much-admired. Author form a rich spiritual treasury, suited to the varied needs and conditions of almost every class of men; but perhaps there is no Treatise of this learned and pious Author more fitted to be useful to the Christian disciple, than the one we have now ventured to recommend. And we regard it the more valuable, as the main topic on which he expatiates, though one of no light import to the Christian, is, we fear, by many not rightly understood, or, at least, not sufficiently adverted to. And thinking, as we do, that it possesses a most intimate and decided bearing on the peace and sanctification of the believer, we count it most important to be instructed in the nature and prevalency of Indwelling Sin, and in the means for keeping its operations in check, by one who had reached such lofty attainments in holiness, and whose profound and experimental ac