one, fear not. Does not Christ dwell in thy heart by faith? Is not "Christ in you" the life of faiththe life of love-"the hope of glory?" Is he not working in you both to will and to do? Then be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Fear not, He is thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

Of Cyrus it is said, that he knew his soldiers, every one by name. But by the Captain of your salvation, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Unbelief dims the eye so that it cannot see Jesus. Faith opens it, and the glorious presence of the Savior is revealed. Where the king is, there also is the court; and where the Savior is, there also is his court. His attendants are all there. Power -majesty-riches and glory, encircle his throne. Stormy winds, lightning and thunder, are ministers of his that do his pleasure.

God is with his people. He is their covenant God. Hence all his attributes are employed for their good. He cares for them. As a father pitieth his children, so he pities them that fear him. He has purchased them by his own blood." They are his " peculiar treasure ;""the lot of his inheritance." Therefore no weapon that is formed against them can prosper. To banish distrust forever from their hearts, he pledges himself never to leave them, never to forsake them.

When thou passest through the waters I will be with thee,
And through the rivers they shall not overflow thee;
When thou walkest through the fire thou shalt not be burned,
Neither shall the flame kindle upon thee,

For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel,
THY SAVIOR.

'will trust in thee.-Ps. lvi. 3. According to your Faith be it unto you. Matt. ix. 29.

VENTURING BY FAITH.

Behold the flames in all their fury roll,
Raging and spreading, spurning all control;
Upward they shoot in many a gleaming spire,
And then rush downward in a flood of fire.
With fiercer heat the burning columns glow,
And soon the building totters to and fro.

But whence that scream that rings upon our ears?
In the high casement see, a child appears!
With outstretched arms, imploring for relief-
The crackling timbers only mock his grief.
"O Father, save!" in piteous tones he cries,
At length his father hears him and replies,

Fly to my arms, my son, without delay-
Fly ere the flames devour their helpless prey."
Death hastes behind, Hope beckons from before;
He ventures freely, and his danger's o'er.

"THE soul of an awakened sinner," says Dr. Coke, "before he ventures on Christ for salvation, may be compared to a person who is in some of the upper stories of his house when he learns that it has taken fire, and that all its nether parts are so far involved in flame as to cut off his retreat." The en

graving shows a young person who has been roused from his midnight slumbers by the raging flames which burst into the place where he was reposing, or perhaps he was awakened by the voice of some friend, who raised a warning cry from without. The child, thoroughly awakened, sees that if he stays where he is, he will perish in the flames; he hears the voice of his father-he flies to the window-he sees the outstretched arms-he is invited to leap or cast himself from the burning house; the attempt seems perilous indeed, but having faith in the word of his father, he takes the perilous leap-he ventures all-he falls into the hands of his father, unharmed; he is saved from death.

This is a good illustration of the act of justifying Faith. The child in the burning house, perhaps made several efforts to escape from the approaching ruin; he attempts to gain the door, but finding the flames increase upon him, he is obliged to give up his hope of escaping this way, and to ascend the stairs before the pursuing fire. His friends without, who ́

know his condition and danger, (particularly his father,) entreat him to cast himself from the upper window, as the only means by which his life can be preserved.

The child hears the earnest entreaties of his friends -hesitates, attempts, retires, approaches the window, calculates upon the fearful height, and dreads to make the effort. His understanding is convinced that the fire will soon overtake and destroy him, yet while the danger appears somewhat remote, he strangely lingers; possibly thinking there may be some other way to escape, besides casting himself from the window.

His friends again encourage him to venture from the window, assuring him that they have provided for his safety by spreading on the ground the softest materials, to break the violence of his fall; full of hesitation, he asks for sensible evidence; they desire him to look-he makes an effort, but the darkness of the night, and the injury his sight has sustained, only permit him to view the object of his wishes obscurely and indistinctly. Belief and doubt contend for the empire of his mind, and by keeping it in an equipoise, prevent it from making any decisive choice.

Thus far the situation of the child resembles that of the soul who feels his need of salvation. The understandings of both are enlightened; the judgments of both are convinced by the force of evidence; they appear to assent to the truths which are proposed for their belief, and still neither of them has escaped to the place of safety, or city of refuge, which lies before him. Both, however, have found the way to escape the impending ruin; and to him who thus spiritually seeks after Christ, it may be said, thou art not far from the kingdom of God; but still one thing is

lacking, that is, to venture on the Savior for salvation.

Thus far, in the allegory, the child has made no effectual effort to escape from within the burning walls; while lingering in his room, in a state of indecision, agonizing for deliverance, without using the means of obtaining it, feeling a measure of confidence in his friends below, but not enough to venture, the flames burst into his apartment and scorch him in his last retreat. Alarmed at the immediate prospect of death, he concludes—if I remain here I shall surely die, and if I cast myself down from the building, I shall but die.

Fully impressed with this truth, he once more repairs to the window; he pays more attention to the call of his friends, particularly to that of his father; the difficulty now appears somewhat less, and the prospect of safety greater, than what he before imagined. Encouraged by these favorable appearances, as well as driven by terror, he commits his soul to God-he casts himself into the arms of his father below. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, he falls! he is caught and embraced by his father; he finds every thing prepared for his reception, as he had been promised, and he now feels himself in a state of safety. With tears of grateful joy, and a heart overflowing with thankfulness for his deliverance, he gives glory to God, and finds his bosom filled with peace.

This is the case of every soul who, by faith, ventures his all on Christ. But who can find words to express all that is conveyed by this simile? Every one who has cast himself into the arms of his heav enly father through the atoning sacrifice, can feel it, but adequate expressions are not to be found. Human language is too poor to unfold in all their