Brethren! let us be zealous, for Satan is. He never tires, he never rests. Most zealously does he contrive his plans, lay his snares, and watch his victims. He "goeth about seeking whom he may devour." Let us be zealous, for sinners are. See the money they spend, the labour they give, the means they employ in the cause of sin and Satan. Their conduct ought to put us to shame. Let us be zealous, for erroneous men are. How active, how diligent, how persevering they appear in propagating error! They employ the tongue, the pen, the press, and the purse, in the most lavish and unsparing manner. Let their conduct be our model, their success our stimulus, and their zeal our reproof. Let us be zealous, for Jesus says, "I would thou wert either cold or hot." The zealous Christian is sure of God's blessing, the approbation of his own conscience, the opposition of Satan, the reflections of every lukewarm professor, and the commendation of all right-hearted persons. If, therefore, the truth is valuable,-if the saints are the excellent of the earth,-if the cause of God is worthy of our regard, -if Satan, if sinners, if erroneous men are zealous, let us be zealous too. Let us warm our hearts at the fire of God's love, let us quicken our motives by a visit to the Cross, let us sharpen our weapons by the fellowship of the Spirit, let us seek the grace, the courage, the strength necessary at the mercy-seat, and then let us zealously fall to work. Let the Word of God be our light, the welfare of our fellow-men our aim, and the glory of the Lord our highest object. Let us live in earnest. Let us live to purpose. By the shortness of time, by the solemnities of death, by the realities of eternity, by the danger of sinners, by the vigilance of Satan, by the state of the Church, by the character of the present times, by the command of God, by the example of primitive believers, and by the counsel of the Lord Jesus, let us stir up our own hearts, and stir up one another, to "be zealous." "It is good," said Paul, "to be zealously affected always in a good thing." If ever it was good, it is good now. If ever it was cailed for, it is called for now. If ever it was an honour to be zealous for God, it is an honour to be so now. Brethren! the time is short, and "it is high time to awake out of sleep." By the spread of Popery, by the power of Puseyism, by the activity of Infidelity, by the state of our towns, by the condition of our villages, by the wants of the Church, by the woes of the world, by the authority of God, by the blood of the Cross, by the promise of the Spirit, by the prospect of success, by the rest of the grave, by the glories of heaven, by the rewards of activity, and by the condemnation of the lukewarm and the slothful, allow me to beseech you to "be zealous." Be zealous to-day; to-morrow you may die. Be zealous in time, and in eternity you will rejoice that you have been so. DECISION. The DECISION of character is of vital importance. Failing this, nothing great will be ever done or attempted. lack of this powerful principle is the cause of fruitful mischief, and ensures certain destruction. "How long halt ye between two opinions? Choose ye this day whom ye will serve," is the language of Holy Writ, the solemn appeal made by Him who understands the human heart. In a matter where the salvation of the soul stands preeminent to all other questions, connected with eternal weal or eternal woe, it is scarcely to be conceived that any intelligent mind should hesitate to come to a decision promptly, readily, and at once. Safety is essential to the true enjoyment of life, and is the anchor of the soul amid all the turnings and perplexities of the uncertain future. How many seek a compromise between God and the world? They would fain desire to serve God and Mammon; to enjoy unbroken the fleeting pleasures of life, and at the same time lull their conscience asleep by yielding only a fragment of attention to the concerns of eternity. They are sufficiently enlightened to discern that the weighty matters of the soul demand serious and grave consideration, and know full well that nothing short of a surrender of the heart to Him who claims it as his prerogative will suffice as a sacrifice well-pleasing and acceptable in his sight. They assent to all they hear under the faithful ministration of the truth; they are impressed, and feel the powers of the world to come; they talk freely and openly of the things of salvation; they take an apparent interest in the futherance of religion; they give their aid and support to the cause of missions; they are familiar with all the external routine of duties and ordinances; they frequent punctually the house of God; they sanction by their influence and co-operation much that is praiseworthy; they are not behind in benevolence; they appear, indeed, not far from the kingdom; but on closer inspection, one thing is wanting, and that is, decision of character;-no surrender of the heart to God, no self-sacrifice, no separation from the world, no closing with the offers of mercy, no taking up the cross, and following Christ fully. They are in the highest condition of danger, exposed to the wrath of One who declares that nothing but the sacrifice of the heart to Him will be pleasing and acceptable. Such is the case with thousands, who are acting contrary to their conscience and judgment-blindly and wilfully rejecting the only method to ensure their everlasting happiness. Various are the excuses made to delay decision, and freely embracing the offers of Divine mercy. It is no uncommon thing to hear the reason assigned for not boldly confessing Christ, that the finger of scorn would be the certain result of such a step. It does appear marvellous that the fear of man should lead a multitude to peril their souls for ever, and choose rather to encounter the frown of the Judge at the great solemn day of account, than to bear the contempt and scoff of a worm of the dust. Such, however, is the fact, and numbers there are who shrink from making an open profession, because they are afraid of the frowns of those whose society they have cultivated. Strange infatuation, to barter the soul for the mere dread of offending an atom of the dust, of caring more for the displeasure of fallen humanity, than for the anger of Him who "will bring every secret thing to judgment." It affords a lamentable proof how degraded human nature must be, when motives of action such as these should have an influence to the utter disregard of Divine warning and threatening. Let such remember, that unless they take up the cross on earth, they will never see the crown of glory; that except they forsake all and follow Christ, they will never enter the kingdom of heaven. How needful is the exhortation, "Choose ye this day whom ye will serve;""One is your master, even Christ." bushel, and gross darkness envelopes them in a fearful cloud. To become Christians, they must sacrifice the world, its smiles, its pleasures, its allurements; and this is to them a hard saying, a burden too heavy to endure. They are spell-bound, and chained to earth by a gravitation which binds their mental and moral faculties. They rise not to higher and more dignified pursuits; for they are under the potent influence of avarice, gain, and ambition. They prefer the favour of man to the favour of God, and to this ignoble purpose they sacrifice conscience, judgment, reason, as if resolved to act according to the sway of their passions, and indulge the propensities of sensuality, or unbridled appetites. There are moments when the thought of eternity breaks in suddenly on their minds,-when the impression is strong, vivid, and powerful, that there is an account to be rendered; and then it is that conscience cannot endure the light-that the resolve is taken to extinguish the force of truth, and suppress the intrusion of sad and unwelcome warnings. Unhappily it is that the decision taken is adverse to their Others are deterred from making an happiness, and they choose death open profession, because it will inter- rather than life, and madly run on in a fere with their worldly interests. They course which they condemn as unwise, dread loss of business, and advantages unsafe, and desperate. They stifle arising from associations which have conviction, resist the Spirit, drown the grown up by long and intimate inter- awakenings of conscience, and are decourse. They shrink from coming to termined to follow the guidance of a a decision on religion from selfish, low perverted will, in opposition to the and interested motives, regardless of clearer light which has broken on the the responsibility they incur, and of understanding and the heart. Who the awful realities of the judgment- can describe the power which the love day. The light of Divine truth shines of the world exerts over the mind; on their understanding, awakens con- and how many are daily falling a science, and unfolds the way of salva-sacrifice to the attractions which here tion; but the light is put under a presents; to inordinate desire for gain, ambition, and luxurious ease, as if all centred here; as if permanency was inscribed on profit, pleasure, fashion; as if the salvation or perdition of the soul was of little importance? It is a solemn fact that when men trifle with conscience, and wilfully resist the truth after repeated warnings, they are left to themselves, often given up to impenitence and hardness of heart, and become living monuments of a just retribution, without the slightest concern about their eternal welfare. Sin is a hardening process, and when the word of God does not produce its influence, in constraining to love and obedience, it leaves the soul still more dead and indifferent to its highest interests. Another cause of the want of decision may be found particularly in the minds of young persons. They are in the high-day of life, full of health, vigour, and spirit. Their hopes of the future are bright; the sun shines clear on their path; no cloud appears to darken their horizon; all is buoyancy, animation, expectancy. There is time enough to decide to give their hearts to God when age becomes more mature, -when they see the summer of life, when the engagements and pursuits of youth have passed,-when they have reached manhood, and launched into the routine of business. The delusion is great, the temptation to procrastinate strong, the danger imminent. Slight, indeed, is the consideration given to the weightier concerns of the soul, and scarcely a fragment of time is allotted to the searching question, Am I safe for eternity? The influence of inferior objects overpowers the mind, blinds the judgment, subdues the rational and thoughtful spirits. The one idea of long life takes full possession of the heart, and the crowd of images of the uncertain future, with schemes of busy speculation are rife, and hold their sway undisturbed by fear, suspense, or doubt. Strange forgetfulness of the universal law, "Thou shalt surely die," and "after death the judgment!" How many unexpectedly, in the bloom of life, fade as the flower, which in the morning appears in all its beauty and freshness, and in the evening is cut down and withered! Let the young remember, that not to decide to live to God in the springtime of life, is to peril their precious souls, and to incur the frown of Him whose claim on their affections is stronger, greater, and higher, than all the delusive charms which earthly attractions present. What a thought for them through eternity,-deep, poign ant, and fearful,-to have known the way of salvation, to have received the admonition of pious parents, to have listened to the appeals of the faithful ministry, and yet to have stifled conviction, arrested the force of conscience, resisted the voice of truth, and from neglect ruined their souls! Who can tell how many who once were looking onward to a bright and honourable course, without making a right decision, are now reaping the bitter fruits of folly, unbelief, and forgetfulness of God? "Verily there is a God who judgeth in the earth.” Another and a numerous class there are, who come to a decision, but in the wrong direction. They are decided to live for pleasure, and for whom the Gospel presents no charm. They look on all who profess a regard for sacred truth as fools, enthusiasts, and deluded. 66 must be received, eaten, and digested, before it nourishes, Heb. iv. 2. IV. Remember you are naturally an enemy of God, and that the grand purpose of the Bible is to reconcile you to him, through faith in Christ, as "the Lord our Righteousness," Jer. xxii. 6. They despise, and hold in derision, all who join not in their gay and frivolous pursuits. They are "lovers of pleasure, III. Devoutly rely on the influences rather than lovers of God." There of the Holy Spirit as the promised are no bands in their death." They guide into all truth," John xvi. 12, and have deliberately made their choice to "lean not unto thine own understandlive according to their heart's desire, ing," Prov. iii. 5. and are under no law but the law of their own passions." "Behold these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches." These will not believe, until the light of eternity breaks on them; and then "how are they brought into desolation as in a moment, they are utterly consumed with terrors!" How sad to reflect on the consequences which result from not coming to a right decision on the one great and important end of life! How awful to conceive the rapid course in which our fellow-immortals are hurried on to eternity, unprepared, unfit to die! How mournful the spectacle that even one should die and perish; but who can describe the fearful sight which must be presented when multitudes rush on to destruction, without consideration, thought, or reflection? May all who have not yet decided to make God their choice, take up the re solution from this time, "My Father, thou shalt be the guide of my days; thou shalt be my God and my portion for time and eternity." F. S. G. Tiverton, June 2, 1852. RULES FOR READING THE BIBLE. I. Read it in the spirit of earnest prayer, Psa. cxix. 18, 26, 27. Begin, continue, and end, with supplicating the Divine blessing. II. "Mix faith" with all you read. The Word of God is like food, and V. Read with great reverence, and with a humble and teachable mind; not as if it was "the word of men," but "as it is in truth, the Word of God," 1 Thess. ii. 13. Be content to become "a fool" that you may "be wise," 1 Cor. iii. 18. Remember what Christ says, Mark x. 15. See also James i. 21; Isa. lxvi. 2. VI. Read with patient meditation and self-examination. 'Redeem time from sleep or business, to meditate on God's Word, Psa. cxix. 96, 148. Make an individual application of its precepts, warnings, and promises, to your own circumstances. VII. Read with simplicity of mind. Seek not for difficulties to cavil about, but "as a new-born babe, desire the sincere milk of the Word that you may grow thereby," 1 Pet. ii. 2. You are a learner, not a judge. VIII. Read with a heart devoted to God. Practically determine to give up everything which the Bible condemns. David said, "Thy Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee," Psa. cxix. 11. Resolve, in the strength of the Lord, that you will strive to obey all his commandments. "Be a doer of the word, and not a hearer only," James i. 22. |