By faith the believer is justified; and by faith hẻ receives the Redeemer in all his mediatorial characters and offices, as PROPHET, PRIEST, and KING. Em bracing the fulness of Christ, he takes God at his word, and looks for, and expects eternal life, as a free, and altogether unmerited, gift. Knowing that "there is no other name under heaven given amongst men, whereby he can be saved," he gladly embraces him, who, by "his one offering has for ever perfected them which are sanctified."

The faith of a holy, prosperous soul, does not run into presumption. He looks for a "thus saith the Lord," and rests all his dependence on the promises of God's word. By these, Jehovah has bound himself to help his people in all their afflictions, and to make "all things work together for their good.” The oath and promise of God are indeed " two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie ;" and these are given to promote the prosperity of our souls, that we might fly for refuge, to lay hold of the hope set before us, and enjoy that strong consolation which belongs to those who are "strong in the faith, and give glory to God."

Is the prosperous soul beset with temptations? By faith he resists the tempter, the enemy flees, and the believer comes off more than a conqueror. Faith is his shield, by which he repels the arrows of the foe. This shield should be constantly worn, for we are constantly liable to assaults, nor can we expect any settled rest, free from annoyances and attacks, till we quit the field, and enter into the "rest which remains for the people of God."

Faith bears the prosperous soul through all diffi

culties and dangers. He may for a while seem to sink in deep waters, and in the mire and clay; but faith will raise him up, and "set his feet upon a rock, and establish his goings." "When deep calleth unto deep," and wave suceeeds wave, in rapid motion, he may be constrained to exclaim with the Psalmist, "O God, my heart is overwhelmed within me!" His faith then is weak, and his foes may seem to gain a momentary advantage, he fears he shall sink in sorrow, but the great Author and Finisher of his faith will stand by him, and never suffer his faithfulness to fail. "I will help thee, yea, I will uphold thee, with the right hand of my righteousness." The sorrowful soul catches the divine promise, and faith stays herself upon God. "It is dark at present," he may say; "but, by and by, the light will return. The wind is contrary and has almost laid me waste, and left me destitute; but it will turn soon, and, blowing with a fresh gale, from an opposite direction, shall drive me on the faster to my Father's house. While here, lions may roar, and rocks and dangers fill my path, but the Lion of the tribe of Judah' guards it, and I have nothing to fear."

Thus cheered and encouraged, the prosperous soul pursues a steady course, and outrides every storm, till "an entrance is administered abundantly, into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." Lord, grant that my faith may "work by love, purify my heart, and overcome the world."

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HOPE.

Hope is another grace which is brought into exercise in all cases where soul prosperity is enjoyed. Hope denotes the desire of some good, with, at least, the possibility of obtaining it. It is natural to man; and even those whose souls are as barren of all goodness, as many of the African deserts are of vegetation, still have a hope, though it is false and delusive.

Hope, in a true christian, is a grace of the Spirit, and therefore is sometimes called a gracious hope. It is an expectation of every good in time and eternity, founded on the promises and relations in which God stands to his people, and on the mediation, life, death, and resurrection of Christ, who ever liveth to make intercession for the saints according to the will of God. This hope is a blessed compound of desire, expectation, patience, and joy. There cannot be said to be hope concerning an object, unless there be some knowledge of it, and some desire to possess it. A true knowledge of God through Jesus Christ, renders him the most lovely, and the most desirable of all objects. Still there cannot be any real hope, without such grounds as afford some expectation that one day the object hoped for shall indeed be realized. This will surely be the case with the prosperous soul. His hope will only expire when he is put in possession of " an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and which fadeth not away." The next ingredient is patience. "If we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it." There must be a ploughing in hope, and a sowing in hope, before there can be a joyful reaping. And an assur

ance of such reaping, or what is called in scripture, "a good hope through grace," gives some present delight to the soul, and a sort of joyful, anticipated possession of eternal realities.

This hope derives its origin from God, and centres in him. Thus fixed, it becomes "an anchor to the soul both sure and steadfast, entering within the vail, whither the forerunner is for us already entered." In the prosperous soul, hope sometimes expands into "joy in the Holy Ghost." It renders him content to bear the sorrows and afflictions of life, while he urges on his way, all beset as it may be, with thorns and briars, and beasts of prey, till he reaches the land that" floweth with milk and honey," and enjoys all he hoped for here below.

No soul can prosper without hope. It is a grace of singular use and importance to the christian. We shall always need it, so long as engaged in the christian warfare, and hence "the hope of salvation" is called the helmet. It has been well observed by one, "That the christian is not beneath hope so long as he is above ground, nor above hope so long as he is beneath heaven." When once he enters that glorious city, then he may say with a holy Martyr, "farewell hope, and welcome love for ever." Hope goes into the field and waits till the battle is over, and the victory won. Ah! then come the joy, the shout, and the triumph! Hope is a grace intended for great actions and noble exploits. Hope of success leads to all great enterprises among men. Hope of increasing in knowledge, urges the student through all his toilsome labours; like the traveller, who wears down his strength, and the flesh off his hands and knees, ta

gain some lofty summit; when, "after having wrapped himself in the clouds, his chief reward is that he can see over other men's heads." But the good man's hope is of an higher order, it embraces nobler objects, and grasps with immortal desires the foot of Immanuel's throne. He climbs the heavenly road, through rocks and dangers, till he gains the high places of eternity, beholds the King in his beauty, and

"Walks high in salvation, and the climes of bliss."

The prosperous soul is urged by hope to a bold determination, to engage with all those foes which have held him long in bondage. He buckles on his armour, and says, "I will go in the strength of the Lord, I will make mention of his righteousness, and of his only." Behold, how by his hope, the christian successfully combats with the world, the flesh, and the devil!" His hope is called "a lively hope." You may, without fear of being deceived, expect more from him than you can from others. Good men are dull and heavy in the service of God, because their hopes are so. Where hope is brisk and animated, it enables the christian to run, to strain every nerve, as men running a race, to gain the glorious prize, (viz.) the salvation promised in the gospel. "Begotten again to a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead," what storms of affliction and adversity will he not defy? Hope is the anchor of his soul, fixed on Christ within the veil, and what has he to fear? Defended by this impenetrable helmet, what fight of affliction can he not endure?" The exceeding great and eternal weight of