And when the dark Jordan of death we shall pass,

And enter the haven, his love shall surpass Our utmost conception in this land of tears, For Jesus will take us and banish our fears: When there we shall see the blest Lamb as he is,

And ever rejoice in the fulness of bliss; Then for sweet preparation while passing the road,

Set all your affection to the house of your God.

In glory, how sweet, there to join with the throng,

Whose constant delight is to raise the blest

song,

Why weepest thou ye mourning souls,
He hath thy sins removed,
Victorious has ascended high-
Behold his dying love!

For you my friends, this love was shewn,
The Surely paid your debt;

Your names are on his heart engraved,
He'll never thee forget.

He ne'er will break his plighted oath,
What he has said is sure;
Through every trial we must press,
And to the end endure.

Then while in Baca's vale we dwell
Let praise employ our tongues;
Soon we shall mount on rapturous wings,
And mix with with angels'songs.

MOSES G.

66 HE HATH DONE ALL THINGS WELL." Mark vii. 37.

The saints of God in bright array,

his blood,

Come and behold the sacred spot,

Where Jesus once was laid;

When cancelling all thy sins and mine,

The mighty debt was paid.

With richest odours he perfumed

This sacred spot for you;

Come then, my friends, with grateful hearts, And highest praise renew.

Twas Sharon's fair and fragant rose,

Shed here its rich perfume;

When Christ the incarnate God was laid
Within a lowly tomb.

Oh! love amazing, grace divine,

Here take a lengthened view; Here Jesus came from yonder world

And bled and died for you.

Like a victorious hero thence,

He dauntless rushed to save; Triumphant tore the sting from death, And conquered o'er the grave.

Loud, ioud their voices raise, and say,
Our Jesus" hath done all things well."

Sinners, by free and sovereign grace
Snatched from the powers of death and hell,
Shine in the light of Jesus' face,
And own

" he hath done all things well."

The blind rejoice, restored to sight,
The dumb have power his praise to tell;
And deaf, and lame, and halt unite
To own " he hath done all things well."

Let every voice in loud acclaim,
With rapture join their notes to swell;
Shout, shout aloud the Saviour's name,
"He hath indeed done all things well."

EXHORTATION.

Christians, as ye tread the way
Leading to celestial bliss,
Chase each sad complaint away,

Bid each murmur sink in peace · Look to yonder shining home,

Think upon its calm retreat, And when adverse seasons come, Bow before the mercy-seat. What though thistles line the road Leading to eternal rest,

Let them lift the soul to God,

Troubles sanctified are blest. Rudely may they pierce the heart, Briary may the pathway be, What is trouble's keenest smart, To the scenes of Calvary. Islington.

F. S.

ZELIA.

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THE BEST AND ONLY FRIEND.

"This is my Friend."-Sol. Song v. 16. THESE words are a part of the church's song in the wilderness; a note unknown but to those who are redeemed from amongst men. It is the language of a living faith, the expressions of a friendless sinner's heart before the Lord. Many have used them, but few have felt their sweetness, and enjoyed an unspeakable satisfaction in meditating thereon. Reader, can you and I, from an inward revelation of Jesus to our souls, join the redeemed spouse in her heavenly note, This is my Beloved, and this is my Friend."

We notice, first, the character of the Friend; secondly, the nature of the friendship apprehended, "My Friend;" thirdly, the privileges of the befriended.

To speak correctly of Jesus, we must know him by revelation to our hearts; nothing less than the instructions of the Holy Ghost can endear Christ to our souls. In order to a right understanding of Immanuel, we must know ourselves; a mistake at the outset leads us into every thing that is wrong: self-knowledge lies at the foundation of all that is blessed in the christian system. All of the October, 1839.]

redeemed family find the Saviour most exalted, when they are laid low in the dust; and to sit at His feet who loved them with an everlasting love, is to be clothed with a right mind. He who falls at Jesus' feet will never be cast into hell.

In the character of our great Friend we trace almightiness, disinterestedness, endearedness, everlastingness. He is an almighty Friend, since he who is the sinner's Friend is Jehovah, Immanuel "God with us :" he is able to be our friend, to shew forth his friendship in consistency with his character; he blends in his glorious person the complex characters of God and man, and thus as the daysman he can lay hands upon both, and in a marvellous manner bring the offended and the offending together. His love is almighty to conquer, his power is almighty to save; hence in his union of natures we see a dignity incomparable in his person, and an almighty efficacy in his work and worth. None but Jehovah can fully estimate the worth of Christ's doings: we are told that it is pleasing to heaven, the Father is well-pleased, and in the fulness of this expression our little minds are overwhelmed.

His friendship is disinterested, a rare thing amongst the sons of men.

FF

He became our friend in love," He gave himself for his people." Nothing out of himself moved him so to act : "When no eye could pity, nor arm could save, his own arm brought salvation.” It was for enemies of the worst kind that he made his appearance; he came to do that which none but himself could perform, to reconcile a Christ-hating, sin-loving people -to take the prey from the mighty, and to set the trembling captive free. Did the violated law require blood? he took up a life to be able to die. Had sin involved a curse? Upon me (saith the Prince of Peace) let the curse fall.' I come to do thy will O my God." I will give to the law a righteous fulfilment; my life and death shall satisfy its rigorous demands. Are my chosen in a ruined condition? I will take their place. Have they no covering? I herewith present them with an heaven-approving dress. Are they lost? I know where to find them. Is their debt immense, and their insolvency manifest ? I will discharge the whole, my life I gave for their's. Do they deserve an everlasting hell? upon me let their condemnation fall. Are they fitting themselves for the society of devils ? behold in my person, work and worth, a fitness to look upon God, to hope in God's salvation, to have fellowship with Jehovah; to see divine paternity shining forth in the open wounds, and peace-procuring blood of the Mediator, and Friend of poor trembling Zion.

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His very foes bear testimony to the greatness of his friendship: "This man is gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner;" blessed testimony from the mouth of an enemy. Again, they called him a friend of publicans and sinners." Yes, this is thy precious designation, Oh! thou matchless lover; thy love hath snatched many a foe from destruction, and will people heaven with those millions, who shall vibrate round the throne," Worthy is the Lamb!"

"A Friend of sinners:" of helpless, lost, undone debtors; of culprits exposed to merited wrath, who deserved to be frowned into outer darkness for ever, rather than to be welcomed into glory. How disinterested! and nothing to attract him to our world, but his everlasting love, and regard to the church of his choice. His unparallelled sufferings serve to display the greatness of his friendship. He drank the cup of wrath dry. How little do we know of the agonies of our bleeding Friend. We seem almost to sink into the earth at the partial views we have of our inward vileness; but who can conceive the one thousandth part of the sorrows of his agonizing soul in the gloomy garden, when drenched in wrath he utters his soul-piercing exclamation, Oh, my Father, if it be possible let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not my will but thine be done." Ah, my brethren, after all our talk of the sufferings of our Friend, we know but little; but does it not amaze you and I, that we feel so little love to so great a friend.

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His friendship appears still more prominent, in the sympathy he bears for all his members; his little finger is dear to his heart, and oftentimes those who seem the least, enjoy the sweetest nearness to his throne. How he bears with our rebellion and peevishness, and instead of frowning us from his mercy-seat, kindly whispers to our hearts, "Is this thy kindness to thy Friend?”

His friendship is of an exalted character in its everlastingness: "He is a Friend that loveth at all times." His friendship distinguishes betwixt the persons and the follies of his redeemed. The work and worth in which his character shines out, are ever before God; mutation belongs not to Immanuel. The justification, pardon, and sanctification of the peo ple are always in the Father's eye; and although we enjoy these things but in part below, they are all laid up

for us in the adorable person and work of our redeeming Friend and Brother. His friendship will outlive the funeral of time and the crush of worlds; for it is based on what he hath done for us, and not upon what we have done for him.

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We come, secondly, to notice the nature of its apprehension, My Friend." This is the language of a living faith, that lays hold of, cleaves to, and rests upon the great and good work of the Son of God. It is the faith of God's elect produced in the heart by the power of the Holy Ghost. It feels satisfied at the foot of the Rock; at times it traces a Father's smile, and brings in peace to the conscience in believing the record that God has given of Christ. Faith feeds upon Jesus, derives all nourishment from his doctrine, reposes upon his arm.

This queen of graces delights to see Immanuel crowned: it can say "My Friend," at some seasons with holy triumph, but more frequently it is uttered in the trembling accents of a felt repose upon the Lamb.

The faith that appropriates the friendship of Jesus comes from him; he is both the author and finisher of a living faith. Such a faith disowns affinity with the flesh, and disdains a bribe from the world; she is the eye that looks to, and longs from Calvary; she is the hand that feebly grasps the promise, and rests in the omnipotence of her Lord; she is the foot that walks in the narrow path consecrated by the blood of the Lamb. She has accomplished wonders, walked through fire, and upon the flood, in company with her Friend. She inhales the purifying air of the atonement as her delightful element, and with her twin sister hope frequently banquets at the King's table: repels all invasions upon the rights of the sovereign, and waits at the palace gates to do the king's pleasure. Her voice is not of a potential, but of an indicative kind;

it is not he may be, but he " is my Friend."

We now proceed to characterize the people who are befriended; for the friendship of Jesus is real, powerful, and abiding. Without his great grace we are friendless, let us possess what we may. Now the spouse had been contemplating of, and communing with her Lord; his love had ravished her heart. He had found her in the wilderness of wanderings: and when the Lord finds out a sinner, the poor soul is filled with amazement, and with Nathaniel exclaims, "Whence knowest thou me?" Herein the friendship of our heavenly lover is declared. The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost;" and whom Jesus finds out shall never be forsaken.

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The people who have an interest in this great Friend, are brought to know and feel their union to him; they are favoured to hold sweet converse with heavenly things. It is the fellowship of husband and spouse, of the father and the children, the Redeemer and the redeemed. On their path doth heavenly light shine; on their spirits doth heavenly dew descend, in sovereign and saving power; in all their exigencies they have a Friend to go to; in all times of peril and temptation this Friend is their refuge and hiding-place; when parched with thirst, he leads them to living streams; when they are puzzled to trace their path, he mercifully imparts to them counsel; to their groans and sighs he bows a gracious ear; he is gone to heaven on their behalf, and will fetch them home to himself in due time.

How dear is such a Friend, what a treasure laid up in heaven! And will not such friendship break our stubborn hearts, melt our frozen affections, and cause us to love him who first loved us ? Has he not a claim upo. onr whole lives? Should we not live and walk to the honour of such a Friend?

THE BLOOD-BOUGHT HEIR BROUGHT INTO LIBERTY.

ALL God's election shall be forthcoming as the price of Immanuel's blood in the day of his power. When a sinner is brought out of darkness into light, he sees and feels his guilty condition, and acknowledges it before God. He feels himself bound under the condemnation of the law, and owns the propriety of its claims, and the justness of its sentence. Sin, yea ten thousand sins stare him in the face, and divine justice with its drawn sword seems ready to cut him down. He cries and struggles for liberty, but alas, alas, he knows not to whom to look: the heavens gather blackness around him, Jehovah appears to frown upon him, the law condemns him, and conscience bears witness to the justness of the sentence which is brought against him. The louder he cries, the deeper he sinks; the more he struggles for liberty, the heavier his chains appear: reading the scriptures, the prayers of the saints, the sounding of the watchman's bell, all appear to be against him; his misery increases, and he can find no comfort, because instead of looking to Christ for pardon, peace, and liberty, he is looking into self, hoping to find some good thing there, which is only to be found in Him who is the perfection of beauty. Let the poor sin-bound soul look no longer to the law for liberty; but may the Holy Ghost, whose office it is to glorify the Saviour, lead him and all such poor prisoners, to Him who is the end of the law for righteousness to all that believe; and who has said, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are

heavy laden, and I will give you rest," Rom. x. 4.; Matt. xi. 28.

When the holy Comforter comes to liberate the captive, he reveals the Father's love, and gives the soul a view of its relationship to God, and of its covenant standing in Christ from everlasting, as being founded in free, sovereign, and abounding grace; for it is because of prior relationship that the Spirit is sent into the heart (See Gal. iv. 4).

In pursuance of this gracious work, he leads the soul to the blood of sprinkling, knocks off his chains, bids him look to the stronghold, throws open the prison doors, and brings the poor captive out of the pit wherein there is no water. Turn you to the prisoner's hope: :-"Even to day do I declare that I will render double unto you," Zech. ix. 11, 12. The prison dress is now taken off and the robe of righteousness put on, a free, yet blood-bought pardon is brought home to the soul, peace is proclaimed in the cou rtof conscience, and gospel liberty enjoyed. The soul having lost the burden of its guilt in the open fountain of atoning blood, and freely justified by the righteousness of Christ, forgets for a time its miseries, and rejoices in hope of the glory of God, and triumphs in Christ the spring of all its joys, and praise becomes its delightful employ.

Thus gospel liberty is wrought in the soul by a powerful revelation of Christ in all his relative and official characters by the Holy Ghost. The soul is made free from sin; as it is written, "Being made free from sin and become the servants of God, ye have your fruit unto holiness and the end everlasting life," Rom. vi. 22.: not free from indwelling sin, for daily experience teaches us that the Canaanites are yet in the land. Nature is nature still, and is ever hostile to grace; so that the new-born soul cannot do the things that it would, and sometimes can only cry, Oh! wretched man that I am, who shall

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