you say, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me." Prayer. Он blessed Lord Jesus, Who art Lord over the invisible world, in Whose presence the spirits and souls of the righteous, departed this life, are awaiting in peace and joy the resurrection-morning; hear our prayers, we meekly beseech Thee, on behalf of this our brother, who seems to be near the end of his earthly pilgrimage. Enable him to commend his immortal spirit to Thy gracious care and keeping. Fill his soul, in departing, with the same blessed assurance wherewith Thou didst raise the drooping spirits of Thine apostle, in the anticipation of his martyrdom, who cried, "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day." Let him now rest on Thee for support, even as he trusts in Thee for the pardon of all his sins. Let not the enemy distract and distress him with doubts or fears. May he, even now, be enabled, with the strong gaze of faith, to see beforehand, that, in Thee, his redemption from death is certain: -established for him on the ground of Thine own faithful promises. Oh that Thou wouldest now impart to our brother such comfortable anticipations of bliss with Thee in Thy kingdom and glory, as shall, by Thy grace, enable him to triumph over the fear of death, and establish the hearts of those from whom for a little season, he is departing. And, blessed Jesus, in life and in death be with us all. Seal us all for Thine own, against the time when Thou wilt come to make up Thy jewels. Save us all from ourselves, from an ungodly world, from the devices of Satan. Grant that we may live here below obedient to Thy heavenly will in all things, and that, finally, together with this our brother, we may dwell with Thee in life everlasting Hear us, we beseech Thee, oh Lord, for Thine own precious merit's sake alone, Who with the Father and the Holy Spirit, livest and reignest ever one God, world without end. Amen. XIV. THE LORD'S DEALINGS, IN GRACE, WITH A SINNER, ZECHARIAH iii. Ir must have struck you, my dear friend, while you were listening to the chapter just read to you, containing a most comforting exhibition of the Lord's grace towards rebellious sinners, that it seems to have entire reference to the restoration of the Jews alone. You may perhaps imagine, that, as such, it is not so applicable to our relief as Gentile sinners. In order, then, that there may be no impediment whatever in the way of your receiving, if God will, the fulness of comfort conveyed thereby, let me put side by side with it a passage from another portion of holy writ, whence you cannot fail to learn that you are entitled, through God's grace, to an equal share in "the unsearchable riches of Christ" with the Jew. May God the Holy Spirit stablish your heart with the unspeakable consolation flowing from both passages, that, in the gloom of your sickness, the great light may shine upon you, springing from a sense of complete reconciliation with God through the alone merits of the Lord Jesus Christ and Him crucified. St. Paul writes in his epistle to the Romans (x. 8-13)-who, we must recollect, were Gentile Christians" The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him. For whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved." : Provided with this warrant, which entitles us to extract for our own benefit from the chapter before us all the comfort and joy it is capable of giving, let us now go through it together. The prophet Zechariah says (i. 8), "I saw by night, and behold" "the Lord shewed me" (i. 20) "Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him." In the chapter as it stands, Joshua the high priest is introduced to our notice as the type of the guilty Jewish Church. But as we have authority from another portion of the inspired word, to regard God as dealing with all sinners in restoring them to His favour, in precisely the same way, we will, for the sake of a closer application, regard Joshua throughout as a type of you and me. The Jewish high priest stands in the presence of the Most Holy God, as one summoned thither, or, perhaps, simply as one always there, for it is certain that all men at all times are in the Divine presence, and cannot escape the Divine scrutiny of their thoughts, words, and works. You and I then are before the Lord at this moment, and Satan stands at our right hand to resist us. This is not the only passage in God's word in which Satan, our bitter enemy, is introduced to us as taking up this hostile attitude before God against His people. Twice, at least, in the book of Job we read of his presenting himself before the Lord together with the sons of God, for the purpose of seeking to effect the ruin of those who dwell upon the earth. And in the book of The Revelation, we have the following testimony to the same deadly malice of Satan (Rev. xii. 10)"I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before God day and night." How can you and I escape from the malice of this |