March 1

You have heard of his patience; and you have been accustomed from your infancy to consider him as the most patient of all men. And this is just if his patience is to be estimated as it ought to be by his sufferings. Miseries of every kind fell upon him—and they fell upon all his comforts. They fell upon his estate—and deprived him of all his substance; upon his family—and his servants were slain; and all his children were crushed to death; and his wife urged him to curse God and die; and his friends mistook his case and reproached him with hypocrisy and wickedness; upon his body—and he had no case from pain; was covered with sore boils from head to foot, so that he said, "I am made to possess months of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed to me. When I lie down, I say, When shall I arise, and the night be gone? and I am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawnings of the day. My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust; my skin is broken and become loathsome." All this came upon him at once—and it was all enhanced by his previous condition: for he had seen better days: he had been indulged by every kind and degree of prosperity; and he presumed he should "die in his nest"—vain hope! How well could he say, "My complaint is bitter: my stroke is heavier than my groaning." "I was not in safety—neither had I rest—neither was I quiet—yet trouble came." And

Yet "in all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly." Yet he said, "the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away: blessed be the name of the Lord." Yet he said, "what! shall we receive good at the Lord's hand, and shall we not receive evil?" Yet he said, "though he slay me, yet will I trust in him."

But by nature he could not have thus endured. And we here see what the grace of God can effect. Let us remember that he is called "the God of patience"—and not only because he requires it—but because he produces it, sustains it, perfects it. With him is the residue of the Spirit. Look to him; repair to him, ye sufferers. Honour him not only by your application, but by your confidence. Despair! YOU HAVE HEARD OF THE PATIENCE OF JOB.

MARCH.

MARCH 1.—"Ephraim shall say, what have I to do any more with idols? I have heard him, and observed him: I am like a green fir-tree. From me is thy fruit found."—Hosea 14:8.

THE announcement represents Ephraim in his return to God: and God in his reception of Ephraim.

In his return to God, Ephraim should say, "What have I any more to do with idols?" The language owns his former attachment, while it expresses his present aversion and rejection—"I have had too much to do with them. O how degrading and painful to look back on years of folly and of guilt! Behold, I am vile, what shall I answer thee? I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes. O Lord, other lords beside thee have had dominion over me: henceforth by thee only will I make mention of thy name."

This was very proper for him; but what is that to us? Are persons here chargeable with idolatry even before conversion? Not indeed as to the grossness of the offence. When we consider idola-

try literally, it would seem impossible that a rational being should bow down, not only to the sun, moon, and stars, but to his fellow creatures, to animals, to reptiles, to wood, and stone, to the work of his own hands. Yet what says all history?—And not only were the heathens thus besotted, but the Jews also. Ephraim worshipped the calves. And if we advert to the refinement of these abominations, and pass from literal to spiritual idolatry, every man by nature is an idolater. What was the fall, but a defection from God? What is sin, but the transfer to the creature of the regard due to the Creator? And it matters not whether the rival and engrosser be a worm, or an angel. Whatever we fear or value more than God, is to us an idol. Thus we read of "lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God;" and of some "who make gold their hope, and fine gold their confidence;" and of others "who make flesh their arm." God alone can heal us; and yet we seek to the physician, and not to God. His blessing alone maketh rich; and yet we form our plans without him, and ascribe our successes to our own skill and care. He is the God of our salvation; and yet we depend on our own worthiness and strength, instead of saying, In the Lord I have righteousness and strength. "Little children," says John, "keep yourselves from idols." We may make idols of our relations, idols of our opinions, idols of our religious parties, idols of our ministers, idols of the means of grace—What is heaven? A state in which God is all in all. What is the effect of growing sanctification? Our waiting on God all the day. What is conversion? A turning away from the world to God, saying, "Whom have I in heaven but thee, and there is none on earth that I desire besides thee."—"It is good for me to draw near to God"—"What have I any more to do with idols?"

And observe the disposition of God towards the repenting Ephraim.

He observes the workings of his heart—"I have heard and observed him." This is to be restrained to the nature of the case. It is an awful reflection, that God is in every place: he hears and observes all his creatures. But much more is here intended than mere observation; it is observation accompanied with approbation and delight. Such a penitent is either disregarded or despised by the world. At best he is considered as the subject of a weak mind or a disordered imagination. But truth assures us that he is now coming to himself; that the angels rejoice over him; while God himself says, "to that man will I look, even to him that is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and that trembleth at my word." "I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus: Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the Lord my God. Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he a pleasant child? For since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore my bowels are troubled for him; I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the Lord."

He presents himself as his shelter and refreshment—"I am like a green fir-tree." Is not this image below God? So is every comparison. Figures taken from the sublimest objects in nature come infinitely short of his glory. Yet such allusions are useful and necessary. In the east too, a fir-tree is far more than we see it here; beautiful in its appearance, growing to a great height, yielding a