so Prodigalis thought, and therefore prayed for submission to the will of God, that "whether he lived he might live to the Lord, or whether he died he might die to the Lord; that whether he lived therefore, or whether he died, he might be the Lord's.'

Ahimaaz. That is a most safe and blessed frame of mind, to be resigned to the will of God. There is no galling cross when our wills lie straight with the will of God; it is our perverse will contradicting, or laying counter to God's will, that makes the cross, and the loss is all our own; for when we have made it we are compelled to take it up. In this we act like Haman, who erected his own gallows at his own expense. The Saviour has coupled self-denial and the daily cross together: if self be denied, the cross will lie easy; if self be consulted, then the cross galls us. But, blessed for ever be the dear Redeemer, who knows whereof we are made, and knew the weakness of human nature and confessed it, though his body and soul were perfectly free and pure from that sin and corruption that we feel, yet he complained that "the spirit was truly willing, but the flesh was weak."

The faithfulness of the Saviour appears wonderful in the repeated deliverances of Prodigalis. Well might Eliphaz tell Job that God would deliver him in six troubles, yea in seven no evil should touch him, Job. v. 19. Prodigalis is a living witness of the delivering hand of God, and must be well acquainted: with the blessed Saviour, especially in his glorious office as an advocate.

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Cushi. Yes, the office of Christ as an advocate is precious to Prodigalis, and to other poor tempted

souls, who lie under the accusations of Satan: indeed every poor sinner has three to accuse him; sometimes his sins cry with an accusing voice, as the sins of Sodom are said to do, Gen. xviii. 20, 21. Conscience also will often accuse him, live how he may; and Satan will accuse him, right or wrong; but, blessed be God, " we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and he is the propitiation for our sins." And I believe it is not an easy mátter for Satan to get the ear of God the Father against us, because he has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ: this Prodigalis found by blessed experience, therefore he continually looks to and calls on his Advocate every time he feels an accusation; he sees the need of Jesus Christ in every office-character that he sustains, and is very wise in eyeing the Saviour in them according to the various trials that he passes through.

Ahimaaz. And pray how did Prodigalis manage that text with which Satan so often buffeted him; namely, "He that is born of God sinneth not?" That is a very mysterious text; did he ever make it out? John says that, "If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." James says, "In many things we offend all." And Solomon declares "there is not a just man upon earth that doeth good and sinneth not." Yet John says, "He that is born of God sinneth not." Some say it means that a just man doth not serve, sin, and that he doth not sin with the full consent of his will, as an unregenerate man doth.

Cushi. That is a poor comment. Jonah sinned with the full consent of his will when he chose a voyage

to Joppa rather than a walk to Nineveh. Paul says, "With the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin," Rom. vii. 25. The dreadful evil that Adam contracted by his fall, and which is propagated to us by natural generation, is called the "old man," even in regenerate persons: "That which is born of the flesh is flesh," and will never be mended; it will retain its own devilish nature, devilish motions, and desperate strugglings for mastery, even in the best of men, as may be seen in Paul's complaint in the viith chapter to the Romans. This is called the "old man;" and, like a desperate criminal under sentence, it will oppose that grace that reigns over it; insomuch, that when the believer "would do good evil is present with him, and how to perform that which is good he finds not." It is as binding as a law, and as furious as a hero: "I see another law in my members warring against the law of my mind," Rom. vii. 23.

"If we say

that

This being the case, John says, we have no sin we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." While, on the other hand, spiritual and divine life, which the believer receives from the Saviour's fulness by the word and spirit of grace, is called an "incorruptible seed;" the "new man;" it is called "Christ in us the hope of glory;" "" Christ dwelling in the heart by faith." This "is born of God, and will overcome the world," 1 John v. 4; and the old man too: "Grace shall reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord," Rom. v. 21.

Thus the new man, which is born of the Spirit, is

Spirit, and will never be influenced by carnality; and the old man made up of sin, which is born of the flesh, is flesh, and will never be made holy by divinity: "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin, for his seed remaineth in him; and he cannot sin because he is born of God," 1 John iii. 9. Sin will ever be sin, and grace will ever be grace. death temporal or eternal, and grace will reign to life eternal. The way to get at John's meaning is to compare 1 John iii. 9 with 1 John v. 4, where the poor soul will get full satisfaction.

Sin will end in

Ahimaaz. I believe that to be the real meaning of the text, because it harmonizes with other parts of God's word; and, for my part, I am satisfied with your thoughts on it; and I take it for granted that it was made out in that way to poor Prodigalis.

Cushi. It was; and therefore the devil never offered to give him another lecture on that subject when he found that he understood its meaning. Satan works chiefly in the dark with God's people: when they are in dark frames he comes boldly; but when the rays of God shine upon them he stands at a distance, for he hates the light with perfect hatred.

Ahimaaz. O with what a great salvation are we saved? What potent and subtle enemies have poor believers to grapple with! And what need is there of being fervent in spirit, and diligent in the means of grace, which God hath appointed for our growth and encouragement? Pray how does Prodigalis go on now?

Cushi. He goes on as most of the Lord's people do, I believe. Sometimes he is up, and sometimes

down; sometimes in the light, and sometimes in the dark. He often complains of his wicked heart, and of the weakness of his faith; his short-lived joys, and long-lived corruptions: but "against hope he still believes in hope;" and says that he shall neither believe nor hope in vain. Satan cannot dispute him out of his sonship, nor buffet him with the word of God, as he formerly has done, on account of the corruptions of his own heart. For he says there is not a corruption that he groans under but he can find that some saints in the word of God have also groaned under the same; and while he is in the footsteps of the flock he thinks he is safe. All that he is afraid of is, that God should leave him to himself; he is truly sensible of his own weakness, and at times finds it no easy matter to believe that God will keep him upright even to the end, though he believes he shall be eternally saved. He dreads the thought of falling; the thoughts of broken bones, and of going halting to the grave, are a terror to his soul.

Ahimaaz. The Lord preserve and keep him through this perilous wilderness; and when you see him tell him that Ahimaaz, formerly a tidings-bearer, a Reubenite, one unstable as water, saluteth him, and wishes grace, mercy, and peace to him. peace to him. And now. what shall I say to thee, with whom I have taken such sweet counsel, and with whom I have spent the sweetest moments that I ever enjoyed. The Lord reward thee, my brother, "send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion-accept thin e offerings-grant thee according to thine own heart- and fulfil all thy counsels;" and God forbid

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