haracter, an example of
consistent piety.

His last sickness and death were peaceful, yea triumphant. "It is a
glorious thing," said he, "to die. I have been active and busy in the
world--I have enjoyed as much as any one--God has prospered me--I have
everything to bind me here--I am happy in my family--I have property
enough--but how small and mean does this world appear on a sick-bed!
Nothing can equal my enjoyment in the near view of heaven. _My hope in
Christ_ is worth infinitely more than all other things. The blood of
Christ--the blood of Christ--none but Christ! Oh! how thankful I feel
that God has provided a way that I, sinful as I am, may look forward
with joy to another world, through His dear Son."

GOD.

APPROVAL OF GOD.

_In the whole work we desire to stand with God, and not to depend upon
the favourable or unfavourable judgment of the multitude._

CHASTISEMENTS OF GOD.

_Our Heavenly Father never takes any earthly thing from His children
except He means to give them something better instead._

The Lord, in His very love and faithfulness, will not, and cannot, let
us go on in backsliding, but He will visit us with stripes, to bring us
back to Himself!

The Lord never lays more on us, in the way of chastisement, than our
state of heart makes needful; so that whilst He smites with the one
hand, He supports with the other.

If, as believers in the Lord Jesus, we see that our Heavenly Father, on
account of wrong steps, or a wrong state of heart, is dealing with us in
the way of discipline or correction, we have to be grateful for it; for
He is acting thus towards us according to that selfsame love, which led
Him not to spare His only begotten Son, but to deliver Him up for us;
and our gratitude to Him is to be expressed in words, and even by deeds.
We have to guard against _practically_ despising the chastening of the
Lord, though we may not do so in word, and against _fainting_ under
chastisement: since all is intended for blessing to us.

FAITHFULNESS OF GOD.

Perhaps you have said in your heart: "How would it be, suppose the funds
of the orphans were reduced to nothing, and those who are engaged in the
work had nothing of their own to give, and a meal-time were to come, and
you had no food for the children." Thus indeed it may be, for our hearts
are desperately wicked. If ever we should be so left to ourselves, as
that either we depend no more upon the living God, or that "we regard
iniquity