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ness before God-he trusts in the Lord—be courageously causes a religious reformation in his kingdomhe appears to have been habitually a man of prayer,and yet when death approaches he is unwilling to depart. Abraham, after having believed unto justification, after having shewed forth his faith by works, leaving, at the command of God, his country and his kindred and his father's house, and going out without knowing whither he went,—Abraham, the friend of God, twice seeks to save his life by disguising the truth and concealing that Sarah was his wife. He certainly had not, at that time, a desire to depart. The righteous Lot, who,“ dwelling among the wicked, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds,” thanks God because he had saved him from the burning of Sodom, and says, “ Thou hast magnified thy mercy which thou hast shewed unto me, in saving my life.” Yea, and fearing lest, ere he reached the mountain, he should be overtaken by the fire and brimstone which fell upon Sodom, he entreated God to spare the little city of Zoar, that he might retire thither. “ Behold now this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one : Oh let me escape thither, is it not a little one ?) and my soul shall live.” Assuredly Lot had not at that time a desire to depart. Often does David in the Psalms thank God for having brought him from the gates of the grave, and from the sorrows of death, Ps. xviii. 3–6; cxvi. 1–5 ; cxviii. 17, 18. Paul himself, who, in writing to the Philippians, evinced such an earnest desire to depart, seems not always to have experienced it. Surely he felt it not at Corinth, when the Lord saw it needful to encourage him against the fear he entertained lest his enemies should lay hands upon him. Acts xviii. 9, 10. Probably he had it not at the time which he refers to when he says to the

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Corinthians, “ When we were come unto Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side ; without were fightings, within were fears.” 2 Cor. vii. 5, comp. 2 Cor. i. 8, 10. Epaphroditus does not appear to have had a desire to depart during his sickness, since the apostle, speaking of his recovery, says,

“ For indeed he was sick nigh unto death ; but God had mercy upon him.” Phil. ii. 27. All this, we repeat, is explained hy that natural desire of life, which is a kind of instinct in all beings clothed witli a. body, and which can only be destroyed by a very lively faith and by very sanctified affections. The Lord himself seems, in a manner, to recognise as natural this desire of life, when in his commendation of the

prayer of Solomon, who had only asked for wisdom, he says, “ Neither hast thou asked for long life," intimating that such a desire would have been quite natural.

From the observations which we have just made, it follows, that there are two dangers against which we must be on our guard concerning this desire to depart; the first is, that of regarding the absence of it as an ordinary weakness, which affords no evil symptom, even when it is habitual; on the contrary, we are of opinion, that such a state is not that of an established Christian, and that we ought to be humbled on account of it, as proceeding from a weakness of faith, and a want of affection for things above. On the other hand, we should guard against desponding, because we do not habitually feel a desire to depart, as if it evinced an entire absence of faith. Surely to doubt that we are children of God is not the way to create in us this desire. Far from it ; to be enabled to rejoice at the thought of death, we must be confirmed in the assurance of our salvation, by a simple faith in the promises made to those who look to Christ.

Then the heart, being established in grace, and having boldness to look steadfastly at death, will come, notwithstanding its infirmities and sins, to long for it, as the moment when 6 mortality shall be swallowed up

of life.” And thus being firmly fixed upon Christ, and having a solid point of support on which to rest its prayers, it will be able, in spite of its weakness, to wait upon the Lord, and to ask of him with assurance, spiritual affections, a lively faith, and an entire uprightness, from which will naturally spring up, as from its source, the desire to depart. For, after all, let us remember, that this desire, like every other grace, must come from God, and that the apostle, after having expressed how ardently he wished to be clothed

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with his house which is from heaven, adds,“ Now he that hath wrought us for this self-same thing is God, who also hath given us the earnest of his Spirit.” 2 Cor. v. 5. If the Lord gives us the earnest of his Spirit in the same measure as he gave

it to St. Paul, we shall desire to depart in the same measure as he did. Let us ask, and we shall receive; for, says the same apostle, “ He who establisheth us and hath anointed us is God, who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.”

Before we conclude what we have to say on this subject, we would remark, that there sometimes exists in believers, and much more in unconverted persons, a false desire to depart. There are persons who seem to desire death, but they wish for it only because they do not find their expectations from the world realized, and because they meet with trials, privations, and disappointments in it. Such was the case with Rebecca, when she said to Isaac, “ I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth: if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these which are

66 To

of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me ?” Gen. xxvi. 46. Such also was the case with Rachel, when, jealous of her sister Leah, and grieved on account of her own barrenness, she said to Jacob, “ Give me children, or else I die.” Gen. xxx. 1. It was also a false desire to depart which Jonah felt, when “ the sun beat upon his head that he fainted, and being angry because the gourd was withered, he said, It is better for me to die than to live.” Jonah iv. 7, 8. Neither was it a pure desire to depart which Elijah felt when he sat under a juniper tree, and requested for himself that he might die; and said, “ It

; is enough ; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.” 1 Kings xix. 4. The genuine desire to depart is that which Paul felt, and which comes from a wish to be with Christ. me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Phil. i. 21. It is the longing after the heavenly country which makes the believing soul say, in the language of Jacob to Laban, “ Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country.” Gen, xxx. 25. It is the desire which is preserved in the midst of a state, which the world would call happy, insomuch that even if we could say to him who feels it, as Pharaoh said unto Hadad, when he asked his dismissal,

66 What hast thou lacked with me, that, behold, thou seekest to go to thine own country,” the believing soul could reply, like him, "Nothing ; howbeit, let me go in anywise.” 1 Kings xi. 22.

When this desire is genuine, it makes us feel like the apostle, 66 in a strait betwixt two." Phil. i. 23, 25. We desire, indeed, to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. But if it appears necessary for the glory of God, or the good of others, we are willing to continue in the body, and can even desire to continue in it for the advancement of those among whom the Lord sees fit to employ us. If we have the happiness of experiencing this desire to depart, we should not speak of it too much ; above all, we should not boast of it, and we should never discourage those who do not yet feel it. It sometimes happens that those who, in health, appeared very strong in faith, become weak at the approach of death; while others, who mourned because they had not a desire to depart, obtain it when they come near to their latter end. In this case, as in every other, let no man glory, let none be discouraged, but let us all press on towards perfection.

THE PROMISE OF RECOVERY MADE TO HEZEKIAH.

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The Lord, who “is nigh unto all them who call upon him in truth,” immediately heard the prayer of Hezekiah. “ It came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, Turn again, and tell Hezekiah, the captain of my people, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the Lord; and I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria ; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.”

The first thing which we notice in this answer of God to Hezekiah, is, that he represents himself to bim as the God of David his father, and gives him to understand that he hears his prayer in consequence of his being a descendant of that “ after God's own heart;" which reminds us of the promise, that God shews mercy unto thousands of

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