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THE GREAT COMPANY.

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who lived in the patriarchal age, the Jewish age, and the Christian age-not one shall be wanting. Those who lived only a moment, those who lived longer, and those who lived nearly a thousand years-all shall be there. Men of all characters will be there. Christians and hypocrites, indifferent and despisers, learned and ignorant, good and bad, shall mingle in the great convocation, and form the august assemblage.

The great separation.-"He shall separate them." This separation is necessary. The two companies are as different from each other as wheat and tares, as Christ and Belial; and therefore their separation is essential to vindicate divine justice. It will be marked and complete. There will be no confusion, no partiality, and no possibility of any one concealing himself from him whose eye is as a flame of fire. As sheep and goats are different races, and easily distinguishable, the one from the other; so will it be with the righteous and the wicked. It will be final and eternal. Death separates Christians and friends from each other. They will, however, meet again; but after this separation, the righteous and the wicked will never meet again. These go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal.

JULY 30.

God's Unspeakable Gift.

"Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift."-2 Cor. ix. 15.

LET us contemplate the gift bestowed-the gift received— and the gratitude rendered.

The gift bestowed.-"His unspeakable gift." This gift must be the Son of God as no other is worthy of being called unspeakable. He is unspeakable in the glory of his person. He is God manifest in flesh, Emmanuel, God

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with us. Even during his humiliation his glory was manifest at his birth, at his baptism, at his transfiguration, and at his death. He is unspeakable in the greatness of his love. His love was fixed on enemies, embraced every applicant, perseveres in its claims, undergoes no change, and passeth knowledge. He is unspeakable in the value of his atonement. It satisfied divine justice; finished transgression, and made an end of sin; opens the way to heaven; brings men into this way, and keeps them in it, till he calls them to himself. He is unspeakable in the variety of his blessings. Pardon, peace, hope, joy, heaven, are so unspeakable, that an angel's tongue could not describe them, and eternity itself could not exhaust them.

The gift received.-The reception of the gift is necessarily implied, otherwise there could be no thanksgiving. This gift must be received cordially. As Laban said to Abraham's servant, "Come in, thou blessed of the Lord;" so we ought to give Jesus a welcome reception into our hearts. Did Zaccheus and others receive Christ gladly, and shall not I? He must be received without equivalent. We must bring no price in our hand to purchase him; but, sinful and miserable as we are, we must receive him as God's free gift to us. He must be received wholly, as a prophet to teach us, a priest to atone for us, and a king to rule over us. He must be received now. God limits the call of the gospel, and the offer of Christ, to the present time: "Come, for all things are now ready." O my soul, when God says, "Now," wilt thou say, "To-morrow?”

The gratitude rendered.—“Thanks be unto God." It is to God that our gratitude is due. He loved us, he provided this great gift, he offers him freely to us in the gospel, and he bestows him on every believer; and shall our hearts not overflow with gratitude? Our gratitude should be openly expressed. If we feel grateful to God for Christ, we should give utterance to our feelings, and

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own before others our great obligations. Our gratitude should be constant. Shall we forget our Benefactor when we owe him so much? shall we have daily bread and daily water for our souls, and not render daily thanks! Our gratitude should be practical. Thanksgiving is good, but thanks-living is better, inasmuch as it evidences its reality, benefits others, and brings more glory to God.

JULY 31.

The Happy Land.

"Behold, the Lord thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged."-Deut. i. 21.

HERE are a great Provider-a noble possession-a plain duty and great encouragement.

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A great Provider.- "The Lord thy God, the Lord God of thy fathers." God's power is unlimited, and he does what he pleases with his own. He divides to the nations their inheritance, and it is true of nations as well as of individuals, that he fixes the bounds of their habitation. He is a God in covenant with his people. His love flows to us through the channel of Christ's mediation, and we claim him as our portion, and become his. He was the God of our fathers, and the great things he did for them, he is willing to do for us.

A noble possession.-"He hath set the land before thee." Think of its certainty: As sure as Canaan was set before the Israelites, so sure is heaven set before the Christian. Its largeness: Seven nations were to be expelled from Canaan to make room for one. In heaven there is a multitude already which no man can number, yet there is room for more. Its glory: Heaven, as well as Canaan, is a home of rest, a home of plenty, a happy and enduring

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home. Oh, if our ambition is boundless, let it be for the kingdom of glory!

A plain duty."Go up and possess it." Possession is attainable. In a race, only one can gain the prize; but here all may be successful.

Many have attained already, and why may not I? It is our duty to attain it. God commands us to go up and possess; and if any one fail to attain, the fault must be his own. We have a plain warrant, and we have promised aid. The ladder to glory is set, whose foot is on the earth, and whose top reaches to heaven; am I on it, and ascending? The hand of Christ is held out to help and guide; have I hold of it, and am I making progress? The kingdom of heaven is suffering violence; am I importunate that I may take it by storm?

Great encouragement.-"Fear not." Fear not dangers from pits and precipices, from wild beasts and reptiles. Let the Christian keep a firm hold of Jesus, and he cannot sink; let him follow the footsteps of Jesus, and he cannot fall. Fear not enemies. Though numerous, bitter, and well organized, yet God is with us, and on our side. He will chain or destroy our foes, and make us sure of victory. Fear not my forsaking you. "As I was with Moses, so will I be with thee; I shall not fail thee, nor forsake thee." As I was with the fathers, so will I be with the children; and thus aided, we shall be more than conquerors.

AUGUST 1.

The Publican's Prayer.

"God be merciful to me a sinner."-Luke, xviii. 13.

Pow short and expressive is the publican's prayer! Yet it is long enough to be effectual, and comprehensive enough to make known his case.

There was mercy needed. He saw and felt himself a sinner-the greatest of sinners. This alarming truth he doubtless learned from God's word, which concludes all men under sin; and from God's Spirit, who convinces the sinner of sin. Perhaps till now he imagined himself a righteous man, and never felt the bitterness of sin; but an arrow pierces his conscience, and the word of God declares, "Thou art the man. He confesses his guilt. Standing far away from the altar of God, he dares not lift up his eyes to heaven, but smites upon his breast, and confesses, "I am the sinner, I am a Manasseh, I am a Saul of Tarsus, I am the sinner of sinners. Behold, I am vile! How shall I answer to God for my transgressions!" He also felt his danger. Probably death, judgment, curse, hell, rushed through his mind as the merited punishment of a life of guilt. Probably he thought of the holy Jehovah, whose omniscient eye, like a flame of fire, might consume him, and whose omnipotent arm might crush and destroy him. Hence his earnest appeal from merited judgment to unmerited mercy.

There is mercy provided. God is merciful. "The

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