January 31

face? But suppose they had known that he had more than forgiven them; and when he saw them would fall on their necks and kiss them: then they would have gone down, confident, yet feeling much more of their unworthiness than before. Thus should we apply to the Lord Jesus; with hope, rendering us more sensible of our vileness. But let us not keep away from Him. He invites us near. He assures us that while He has plenty we shall not want. Because He lives we shall live also. Let us remember the relation in which He stands to us; and see where and what He now is. In what distress will not this encourage us? "Fear not; I am the first and the last; I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death."

JANUARY 31.—"In many things we offend all."—James 3:2.

To exemplify this in our conviction, we must estimate our offences according to the mind of God, and not by a human judgment. When David says, "Who can understand his errors?" he means to intimate that no one can be fully acquainted with them. We are too full of self-love; and are too averse to dwell on the discovery of our faults. The heart is not only desperately wicked, but deceitful above all things; and has a thousand artifices to delude us into a more favourable opinion of ourselves than we deserve. Hence we excuse many evils; we question the guilt of others; and as to those we consider really sinful, we do not condemn them according to their aggravations. From various causes therefore, we see only a small part of our sins; and we must not suppose we appear in the eyes of God as innocent as we are in our own—In his sight the very heavens are not clean. And does he set our iniquities before him, our secret sins in the light of his countenance?

Neither must we judge of the number of our offences only by our remembrance of them. We are affected with recent transgressions; but we are not struck with those we were guilty of ten or twenty years ago. And wherefore? Though they are past as to us, they are not so as to God. Nothing is future, nothing is past, with Him—With Him every thing is present—and we are at this very moment committing those sins with Him, with whom one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years are as one day. Though we have forgotten a countless multitude of our offences, God has forgotten none of them. They are all recorded in the book of his remembrance—and could we consult this awful register of our lives from the beginning, with all the sins of youth and manhood, of secrecy and openness, of infirmity and wilfulness, of purpose and accomplishment; and could we peruse one chapter, or one verse only, we should exclaim—we cannot answer Thee for one of a thousand of our transgressions. "Innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up: they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me."

Have we not in many things offended all—First, in our disregard of the Lord Jesus? Secondly, in the neglect and formality of our devotion? Thirdly, in the coldness and contractedness of our cha-

rity? Fourthly, in the non-improvement and mis-spending of our time? Fifthly, in our behaviour under the discipline of the rod? Sixthly, in our "temper-flaws unsightly?" Seventhly, in the license of our tongues? It would be easy to multiply the counts in the indictment. Surely a little reflection upon each of these will convince us of the guilt here acknowledged.

But in what manner should we utter the confession? For the words are not always used as James and his brethren used them. Some use them as a kind of censure upon others, rather than as a reflection upon themselves: yea, their aim is to screen themselves as culprits in the commonness of the delinquency. Hence, when their conduct is accused, or a monitor reminds them of their misdoings, O, say they, none are exempt from failings; even the best err; in many things we offend all. Others use them without perhaps a bad design; yet they use them vaguely and unimpressively—it is mere lip-service—it comes from nothing—and leads to nothing. But if we properly feel the sentiment we utter, it will be accompanied with deep repentance and godly sorrow—It will make us sensible of our need of the Saviour, and endear to our souls the cross and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ—It will hide pride from us, and fill us with self-abasement—It will dispose us to receive and invite reproof—It will keep us from murmuring and repining under divine correction—It will make us tender towards the infirmities of others—It will elevate our views to heaven, and send forth our desires after a state in which we shall never, never sin—and—It will awaken us to caution, carefulness, and zeal: for though we cannot attain perfection here, we may much reduce our imperfections; and should be concerned to make all possible progression in the divine life. Here, as all our offence arise from the depravity of our nature, our business must be to seek for more grace to mortify the principle of sin—for how can we that are dead to sin live any longer therein? And as grace uses means, we must inquire where we have most frequently erred, and how we have been most easily overcome; and watch and pray lest we enter into temptation.

FEBRUARY.

FEBRUARY 1.—"At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge."—2 Timothy 4:16.

THIS was a very trying case. He was a prisoner, and had appealed unto Caesar. He had to appear before the tribunal of Nero, the greatest and the most cruel monarch of the earth, to defend himself against one charge, for which he had suffered as an evil doer even unto bonds. His friends should have rallied around him, encouraging him by their kindness, emboldening him by their presence, exculpating him by their testimony, or softening his judges by their tears and entreaties. It was the custom among the Romans for the connexions of the accused to appear in court in mourning, to show their regard for the prisoner, and to influence the tribunal by their depositions, or their importunity; and sometimes the train that attended them was very large and imposing. But Paul appeared on the day of trial like an outcast, entirely disowned—when he looked around, he saw no one in his favour—the abandonment was extreme