thou hast exonerated me from the debt incurred by Adam's transgression, but I have myself contracted debts, yea exceedingly enormous debts, which I shall never be able to pay. I now acknowledge my fol. ly; my sins press heavily upon me; they overwhelm me; as an oppressive burden they are too grievous to be borne: Ithought at first I would recompense thee with service and satisfy thee with worship; but I now see that neither circumcision nor uneircumcision availeth any thing, but a new creature, or the faith that worketh by love. O poor sinner that I am! I find I am destitute of all things; I have consumed thy substance which was divided unto me. I have nothing in wbich my soul taketh delight. I am poor and miserable; I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son; therefore I beseech thee with Ma. nasseh, Pardon my sins, O Lord! pardon me and let me find grace in thy sight. Hasten, O Jesus, and carry on thy work with. in me: save me, not for the sake of my own righteousness, which is but an unelean and filthy rag, but for thy great mer. cy through the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit. Lord

a

Jesus! with a broken spirit and a contrite heart I prostrate myself before thee. I am sensible of thy clemency, patience and long suffering towards me.

I find I can enjoy no consolation but in thee; I discover salvation in no other name but thine; therefore my soul hungereth and thirsteth after thee. O fill me with good things, that my soul may revel in spiritual enjoyments; permit me to taste thy mercy; 0 grant me a pure heart, that I may see God and discern and realize how gracious thou art; that I may be able with thee to bear thy cross with all patience and meekness. Instruct me in the way of thy knowledge, and write thy law in my heart, and let it sink deep in my mind, that I may walk uprightly before thee all the days of my life. This I ask of thee, O Jesus! be merciful unto me for thy promise sake; be merciful, O my Jesus! be merciful unto me for thy great name's sake, and let me know thy will, Amen. Amen, O Jesus, Amen.

Beloved reader, humble thyself in this manner, and Jesus will exalt thee; come unto him thus, and he will in no wise cast thee out.

O poorness of spirit, despised condition,
O lowly humility, glorious place,
Divested of all and entirely denuded,
That thou mayst have access to heavenly grace.
O happy beginning of pure christian day,
By anguish of mind thou exaltest thy soul
To Jesus, and findest in meekness the way,
By which thou again this wide earth canst control,
And thus thou true righteousness thirstest to find
With longing and weeping and sorrow of mind.
O dear happy soul, do not afflicted repine,
For here on this earth thou canst find nothing higher,
But seek thou thy food in eternity's clime,
Thy heart to supply in its every desire.
Thy neighbors and friends thou desirest now to go,
And buy such delicious and sumptuous food;
Thou prayest and longest, yea e'en for thy foe,
That he may soon travel the heavenly road.
Compassion of spirit! O happy condition !
Wherein thou a pure heart obtainest from God,
To see through thy Jesus, by Heaven's agnition,
Sweet comfort and peace in thy soul shed abroad.
O glorious peace! O favor of Heaven!
Art higher than all the great counsels of man,
Thou art the consoler, through grace thou dost even
Give sweetness to crosses and render them bland.
Thou dost us assist amidst dark times to guard,
Thou mak’st us in sorrow that joyful we be.
O happy the patient, thou shalt them reward,
And set them from sorrow eternally free.
Now haste, sons of men, O haste and arise,
O sinners, O mortals, from sin now awake,
Commence ye the journey that leads to the skies,
Your sins and your habits resolved to forsake.
O hearken and hear ye the peace-trumpet's sound,
Intended to give you to Canaan a start.
Peruse holy writ with devotion profound,
Observe whether Jesus dont knock at your heart.
As poor, at his feet all things earthly cast down,
Lay hold e'en to-day of the heavenly crown.
Oh happy this life, when our Jesus is near,
He cancels our sins and sets the soul free,
He renders mild, righteousness strict and severe,

The person who feels this, O happy is he.
O love without bounds, without end or control,
I thank thee, my God, from the depth of my soul,
Because thou hast cloth'd us with love from on high;
No devil shall harm us, for Jesus is nigh.

Amen.

CHAPTER SECOND Embraces a portion from the 20th to the 26th verse. 1. Of

the righteousness of the pharisees. 2. Of the righteousness which exceeds that of the pharisees. 3. Of the manner in which a person should conduct himself towards his breth. ren or fellow men. 4. Of the prison of hell. 5. A well grounded exhortation to all men.

1. Cbrist Jesus, our Saviour and Redeemer, has shown us the way which leads to his Gospel through the eight different blessings, and his doctrine was quite a different one from that of the scribes and pharisees; for the scribes preached up the law, and sought righteousness as it were by the works of the law. Rom. 9, 31. 32. But Christ rejected in his doctrine all the righteousness and meritoriousness of the law, as was shown in the first chapter in treating of the eight blessings.

Nerertheless, he declared to the people, that he was not come to destroy the law but to fulfil it; for he has brought to light a complete spiritual dispensation which lay concealed under the shadow of the

law; this new dispensation, which lay concealed in the law, the pharisees did not perceive nor observe; they looked entirely to the works of the law, and consequently did not attain to the law of righteousness, Rom. 9, 31. For we know, says Paul, that the law is spiritual, (Rom. 7, 14.) and being spiritual it must be understood in a spiritual manner; that is to say, all the ordinances of the ceremonial law were but types of Christ, and the accomplishment; for in him they are all fulfilled, he

; was the body itself, he hath abolished the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances ; for to make in himself of twain (namely the Jews and Gentiles) one new man, so making peace, (Eph. 2.); yea he hath blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to the cross, (Col. 2.); for he hath brought in a better hope, by which we draw nigh unto God. Heb. 7, 19. Notwithstanding, the righte. ousness of the law is not destroyed, but fulfilled in them that are partakers with Christ; and all the types and shadows of the law are perpetual evidence of Christ, always pointing unto him; as Christ him.