"And there were great multitudes with Christ, and he turned and said unto them, if any man come unto me, and hate not his father and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, he cannot be my disciple." The disciple gives up himself to the master's disposal to learn of him to be lieve in him—and to love him., My Son,"

says he, give me thy heart." He has a right to it, and he will admit of no rival. It is his temple and his throne, in which he alone will be worshipped and honoured.-He is a jealous God; and if any love hinder love to him, it must be torn from the heart. O disciple! read this scripture, study it carefully, and it may be the means of showing thee the true cause of thy great sorrow about worldly relations: it is because thou hast so little love to thy best relation and friend, Jesus Christ. If thy love to him was what it should be, thy heart would not be so grieved at those losses; but would, in patient submission, acknowledge-It is the Lord--let him do what seemeth him good. Perhaps thou art mourning for the loss of

living friends. They have forsaken thee. Old connexions, as dear to thee as thine own soul, are broken. Persons whom thou hast known from thy childhood, and with whom thou hadst grown up in strict friendship, are now thine enemies, and become so without any offence or fault of thine. They hate thee, because thou art a real Christian; and their hatred is harder to bear, because the world joins with them in it, and thy name is every where cast out with contempt.

&

It must be so. The decree cannot be altered-I WILL PUT enmity between the seed of the woman, and the seed of the serpent. God put it, and put it for ever. The enmity broke out, as soon as there were two born into the world. Cain hated Abel, and slew him. Ever since, he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the spirit. There has been one, and but one, perfect man upon the earth since the fall; and the enmity of the world followed him unto death. Lest we should marvel at its following us, he has forewarn"If the world hate you, ye know

ed us :

that it hated me before it hated

you: if. ye were of the world, the world would love its own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." What a strange reason is this! Because I love you, therefore the world hates you. What God chooses, the world rejects. Why then, O my soul, dost thou court its smiles, or fear its frowns? The world, which lieth in wickedness, cannot love thee, and its enmity cannot hurt thee. Remember the words of Jesus: "These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace: in the world ye SHALL have tribulation; but be of good courage; I have overcome the world." I have overcome it for you, and I will overcome it in you: tribulation from it shall not hurt your peace in me, but shall increase it: I will make my love the sweeter for its enmity: troubles from it shall be well repaid with my joys: and when it quite casts you out, then will I take you into my bosom, and let you know what the affection of the heavenly bridegroom is.

*

Why then, O my soul, art thou afraid of such an exchange? Is it not for thy profit to part with the world for Christ, and to give up its joys for his? What greater gain canst thou expect, than to win Christ, and by him to be crucified to this present evil world? Dying to it, thou wilt be more alive to him, and therefore happier in him. As other ties are dissolved, thy heart will be knit closer to thy divine lover. Warmed with his precious love," clothed with the sun, and the moon under thy feet," thou wilt hasten thy steps heavenwards; yea, thou wilt be ready to take wing, and to fly to the. embraces of thy dear, ever infinitely dear Jesus. Thou wilt want no comment upon the words of the bride, the Lamb's wife, but wilt gladly use them after her: haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe, or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices."

"Make

In former ages, the children of God were often deprived of their liberty, cast into prisons, and bound in chains. This seems to us a heavy cross. To be shut up in a dark

dungeon, put into fetters, and deprived of every worldly comfort, requires great patience but even this did not stop them in their way to heaven, nor in the enjoyment of God by the way. Paul, the prisoner of the Lord, often mentions it among his highest honours, that he was accounted worthy to suffer for the name of Christ. He and Silas were cruelly beaten with many stripes, at Philippi; were put into the inner prison and their feet fastened in the stocks; but the Lord was with them, and he turned their prison into a paradise; his joy made them forget their wounds and pains; for, at midnight, Paul and Silas prayed, and SANG PRAISES unto God. This has often been the case since their time; the Lord has often visited his prisoners, and the light of his countenance has made them happy in their bonds, Indeed, we are not called to this kind of suffering at present; thanks be to his grace. This is a day of such uncommon mercies, that we have more to fear from our want of thankfulness, than from our want of liberty. I pray God we may