his right to it or our right to receive good, let us none of us be so conceited as to flatter ourselves in our own eyes that we deserve any such good. We are Christians, and we know well that we deserve little enough, indeed, but condemnation; for we have all left undone what we ought to have done, and have done what we ought not to have done, and there is no health in us. But, when we think of Christ, and see what He endured for our sakes -that He went about doing good, healing all manner of sickness, appropriating nothing to Himself, but making himself of no reputation, assuming the form of a servant though Lord of heaven and earth, and see the treatment He received-can we any of us say we have met with our just deserts? Alas! we deserve punishments, but He had done nothing amiss! I am not contending that we can any of us be insensible to ingratitude in those to whom we have been kind, and sought in every way in our power to serve them. The turning up of the heels of such ungrateful men made Job's punishment greater than he could bear; and, in some sense, every man, great and small, who meets with ingratitude from those to whom he has been uniformly kind and considerate, must feel the sharpness of the hand which gives the offence: but he has the consolation of knowing that he can fly to God for protection even against the wounds of his enemy, and he will be sure to be comforted. "It must needs be that offences come; but woe be to that man by whom they come." Better is it to be the sufferer, as Job was under the unmerited offence, than to be the vile offender he describes from whom he looked for good and evil came, and waited for light but darkness ensued. An afflicted soul, walking in humility

before God for all its offences, and desirous of doing good in any way God may point out to him, may meet with bitter opposition where he had reason to expect support. In the day of his humiliation he may walk into the lowest places and feel that God has appointed those places for him to walk in, to humble him, to try him as he did the children of Israel in the desert. Those who showed Israel kindness in his humiliation, and bade him God speed, and saw his greatness even through his holy walk, blessings fell upon them from the Lord; but they who, like the Amorites, opposed his progress, cast scorn upon him in his humility, and exalted themselves by treating him with contempt, though their villany prospered for a moment, and the poor broken-hearted man resisted them not, but committed himself to Him who judges righteous judgment, the Lord rewarded them for their wickedness. Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord: I will repay "—for He has promised to defend His servants against unrighteous judges, and every man shall receive his reward for the injury that he hath done. So poor Job could utter his complaint, and feel that he was born to trouble, to meet with ingratitude; yet committed himself to Him who brings about things hidden from the counsels of men. And it is this sure help to which I must direct every suffering Christian. Suffer gladly; but be not glad that men should be offended with you. "What be nefitis it if, when ye be buffetted for your faults, ye take it patiently?" It is no more than we ought to do, and we have no reason but to take it in justice as meant for our good. But if, "when we do well and suffer for it, we take it patiently, this is acceptable with

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God." Every Christian is called to this-to be conformed to the image of Christ; and in nothing more than in being a sufferer for the truth's sake! Job's Redeemer was Jesus Christ, and He is our Redeemer; and to be made like Him, to do good and to suffer for it is the surest sign of Christian grace, provided we do but take the same patiently. Our many sins -our well-known failings-our constant provocations of God's anger-should make us every one more thoughtful concerning our own imperfections than those of others. I know of no man who, if he is made really wise unto salvation, is made to see, as Job did, what a miserable being he is without Christ, but must see his own sins and sorrows to be so great as must make him seem to himself an abhorrence, whilst all his brethren will appear to him comparatively clean for what man is there, knowing the evil of his own heart, but can make excuses for his brother, and at the same time say to himself, "He is more righteous than I am." O, keep humility, true humility, without cant or hypocrisy, and let your faith be lively, always working by love.

Though you look for good and evil come, the evil cannot last for ever, but will give place to the good only let your souls be patient, for if you walk in faith you will see the evil pass away and the good remain, even as we shall all see in the end of Job's affliction. So, though we wait for light, and the darkness of night may come heavily upon us, yet this heaviness shall but endure for a night and joy cometh in the morning. O, let your faith look through your present afflictions; for I count that the sufferings of this present time are not to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us

hereafter. Let us all, therefore, learn a lesson of suffering patience; and when we meet with cruelties, false accusations, ingratitude, reproaches, and even insults, in the course of our calling, let us remember Him who was rich, yet for our sakes was poor, who endured every indignity, and death for us, having in Himself the wisdom of the Godhead and the afflictions of the manhood yet God; making all things as man, suffering as a Redeemer, as a Saviour reconciling us to God, as a Preserver, sanctifying us with His Spirit, making us the salt of the earth that we may preserve souls alive against the day of judgment, that they may not be cast out of the kingdom; as the Restorer of our bodies freed from corruption, made fit to receive our immortal souls --, let these things ever dwell with us in our afflictions, and we shall find a wonderful strength in them to sustain us under them, and to make us meet to be partakers of everlasting life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Believe me, my dear friends,'yours faithfully,

THE COMFORter.

ADDRESS XXVIII.

O LORD GOD, who sparest the penitent and absolvest those who cry unto thee for pardon, mercifully look upon us all; forgive us our sins for thy dear Son's sake, and restore us to thy grace and favour, that we may hope for thy salvation, through the merits and mercies of Jesus Christ our Lord, by whose Spirit we say-Our Father, &c.

He looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned and perverted that which was right and it profited me not, He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light.-Job xxxiii. 27, 28.

MY DEAR FRIENDS "Why will ye die, O house of Israel (Ezekiel xviii. 7). I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord; wherefore, turn ye every one and repent." Such is the language of the prophet who would soften the proud heart of Israel, and bring it down from pride to humility. "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us; but, if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Man has such a natural pride about him that he will, under almost all circumstances, seek to justify himself and his actions before