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The Cabinet.

THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURETH FOR EVER. As all Scripture is given by Divine Inspiration, so every passage must be of importance. There is not anything that God does of which it can be truly said, "This is of no avail." We shall meet with many things, if we devote our time to investigation, which will perplex us, just because they lie beyond the comprehensive range of reason; and if we had keener perceptions we should be able probably to discover a purpose for everything, stupendous and minute. Such is the declaration of the philosopher and theologian; and believing it to be true, we shall now suggest a few ideas emanating from the text.

It may be asked, How do we know that the word of the Lord will endure? We reply, Because God himself declares it. If there are any to whom this answer should not appear satisfactory, we would say, What is the use of philosophising, when we know that all true wisdom and knowledge is but the dim reflex of the Almighty's will, either as described in the marvellous announcements of his written word, or shadowed forth in the majesty of his works? We may speculate, but we cannot arrive at positive proof, unless we take the conclusive evidences to be equivalent to proof, for it is impossible for us to know that which God has not been pleased to reveal. Arguments for the Divine Being never testify to a demonstration his existence; and thus a priori and a posteriori reasonings have been rejected by the Atheist. So with the word of the Lord: we can bring direct and collateral evidences to support its Divine origin; we can show the argument by design in the adaptation of the Scriptures to the wants of human nature; we can refer you to fulfilled prophecy; we can adduce scientific testimony; but even these reasonings have been discarded by many as nonequivalent to justify the assumption that the "word of the Lord will endure for ever." If the channel must be seen by which the stream of inspiration flowed into the minds of the Divine amanuenses; if God must manifest himself in direct communication with his creatures; if some special phenomenon must stretch across the starry vault; or if God, in the voice of thunder, must declare himself to be the Author before you will believe

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that "his word will endure," then we fear that your intellect and senses will never receive that kind of evidence which you require. But as it is useless to attempt that which is impossible, we shall, therefore, proceed to address a few practical thoughts to those who believe that the Bible will endure.

We may learn, in the first place, that amid the changes which daily occur, the word of the Lord is certain. Everything here is transitory. Deaths succeed births in quick succession. Hardly do we begin to breathe when the breath is suspended. As the seasons roll their wonted round, so do they evolve creations and deaths. The solemn lesson that we are taught by nature is that "all flesh is as grass, and the glory of man as the flower of the grass." We are impressed by this truth. Mortality is universal. Almost as soon as the violet rears its head to gaze upon the smiling sun, the inauspicious winds smite it with their arrows, and it droops and dies. This is a characteristic of everything here. Even the granite mountains, which look as if they were everlasting, are not proof against the influences of decay, for they rot and crumble into dust. But the word of the Lord still lasts, and will continue throughout eternity. No blasting and winter cold can affect it; no ocean wave can obliterate it; for whatever God has spoken will survive the desolation of ages, even the conflagration of the last great day.

Secondly, we may observe, that as the word of the Lord will endure, God himself must be unchangeable. This is clearly laid down in Scripture, and is a most conclusive axiom. God is unchangeable. Upon this truth the Christian's expectation rests; for if he thought that God was vaccillating, all confidence would be destroyed. But the Lord ever remains the same. He is not fluctuating, like humanity, but steadfast, holy, and true. His glorious declarations contained in the Scriptures represent himself in this aspect, and the assurance that God is unchangeable is the sure guarantee of the Christian's hope. Now the believer can anticipate the shining shores of the better land, and faith suggests that it is his everlasting home, for God is unchangeable, and the word of the Lord declares that "in his presence there is fulness of joy, and at his right hand pleasures for evermore."

But we remark again, that the word of the Lord will endure as it relates to sin. "The soul that sinneth it shall die." This was true in the early period of the world's history; it is true

now; and it will be true in the future. God's hatred of sin will not change. The sinner who loves his wicked ways may fondly dream, and hope that God will love the thing he now detests. Many buoy themselves up with the foolish speculation that hereafter the sinner will not die. But is not God unchangeable? Is not what he has written written for eternity? Does not "dying, thou shalt die " mean that the condemning sentence of the unregenerate is everlasting? Oh, reader! be not deceived by any foolish hopes; do not imagine that God will love sin, or that you will be saved, unless you believe in Jesus. Remember that God is unchangeable; in eternity he will be the same: sin he will always hate; for the word declares it, and the "word of the Lord will endure for ever."

The word of the Lord will endure concerning salvation. God is love now; God will be love always. He has instituted a plan of redemption, and all that believe in Christ will be saved. Are we sure? Yes, for God is unchangeable. We cannot tell the destiny of each other; we know not what calamities we shall have to endure, but we are assured that "the kingdom is open to all believers." The future of our temporal lives is all uncertain. Clouds of sorrow may shadow our lot, and trying dispensations may successively fall heavily upon us; or the pathway of life may be strewed with the flowers of pleasure, and our journey to heaven be one uninterrupted joy. I cannot predict our earthly destiny, but this, reader, I can say with confidence; if you are a disciple of Jesus, no influences can interfere with your salvation, and no wicked hand can erase your name from the Lamb's book of life; and when your spirit shall have heaved its last mortal breath, it will be wafted to the mansions in glory. God is unchangeable, and he has "so loved the world as to give his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Take consolation, then, from these comfortable declarations, and believing, you can rejoice; for God's moral character being perpetually the same, it is a certain proof that all his promises will be realized. The universe may look dim, and the innumerable hosts of suns and worlds may be driven from their usual march in the azure sky; but not one word as it relates to salvation will change, for the word of the Lord will endure. Let us rejoice that redemption is accomplished, and that God's declaration concerning it will remain unchangeable till time shall be no more.

From the whole we may look forward to the future with certainty. And here I remark: First, that the impenitent will feel hereafter that manifestation of wrath which is only pourtrayed by figure. If they despise the offers of mercy, and refuse to cultivate friendship with Jesus now, then in the future the links of the chain will be broken which connects us now to the eternal throne. God has said that unbelievers will be cast away for ever, and that hell, the residence of Satan, will be their painful home. No power can militate against the dread punishment, for God has decreed it, and the word of the Lord must endure. Secondly, my Christian brother, that God whom you now serve will reign for ever. He will preside in majesty above. What consolation is this for you! The wicked in hell might like to see Satan rule triumphant, but no such change can be effected. If you were assured that a malignant despot would rule the armies of heaven in the future, you would not desire to go to glory; but we know that God will continue the Lord Omnipotent. Look forward with the utmost reliance. Remember that all his plans will be fulfilled in due season. His arm is never weary. He is never faint. He sees all your affliction. He is acquainted with all thy grief, and he will support you through life, and in the hour of dissolution will wing your soul to the beatitudes above. May we not rejoice in the sweet declaration that "THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURETH FOR EVER?"

JOHN S. TURNBULL.

FAITH AND UNBELIEF.

To illustrate the nature of faith and unbelief in particular duties, let us take that of prayer. The great work of faith is to come to Christ, to rest on Christ, to be acquainted with Christ, to realize his preciousness, to have the life hid with him in God. Now this communion of the soul with Christ, and this life of the soul in and upon him, is maintained mainly by prayer. A man comes to Christ by prayer in the first instance; coming to Christ by prayer may be the very first exercise of faith; faith indeed is just a believing look of the

soul to Christ, and this look itself is prayer. The soul may begin the form of prayer without faith, and may continue the exercise of prayer in form without faith; and ordina. rily the soul, when first convinced of sin, does begin in this way, begins prayer ignorantly and in unbelief, before it looks to Christ, and rests on Christ, and finds Christ, savingly and by faith.

The first time a soul cries out, "Lord, have mercy on me!" it does not always see Christ. It may use the language of one looking toward

tian in prayer, has the affections drawn out after Christ in prayer, is educated by the Holy Spirit in prayer, grows up into the Christian life in prayer, becomes exercised, drilled, so to speak, as a soldier in the Christian conflict in prayer, passes the Red Sea, by faith, in prayer.

Christ, but at first it is in great blindness. Nevertheless, the instructions in the Gospel are so plain on this point, every soul is pointed so directly to Christ, and all ministers and Christians and new converts unite with such earnestness in urging the convicted sinner to the Saviour, that a soul with the least degree of sincerity cannot help endeavouring All this discipline, with some, is to find Christ, cannot help looking more gradual, with others more rain that direction, however ignorantly pid; but ordinarily it begins in blind and blindly. Although scarcely and self-despairing efforts, efforts in knowing as yet what to make of which the soul experiences nothing Christ, and feeling as though it were but the sense of sin and unbelief, inaddressing a deity in the dark, a sensibility and blindness, and seems being of whose existence it is hardly to itself, even in the work of prayer, convinced, or has hardly any con- to be almost an atheist, to be praying ception, the wounded soul neverthe-without even believing in the being less cries out in bitterness, "Lord, of a God or a Saviour. It is thus have mercy on me!"

taught how great a thing is faith, Now it is ordinarily while in this how Divine a gift of God to the attitude, while in the repetition of soul, and how much faith it needs these efforts after Christ, while en- simply to believe that God is, and deavouring thus, according to the that he is the Rewarder of all who guidance of the Holy Spirit in the diligently seek him. Ordinarily the word, to look towards Christ, that practical conscious life and comfort the soul of the sinner catches the of the soul in prayer, and the exfirst real, believing, understanding perience of faith in prayer, and the glimpse of Christ. It begins to find growth of the soul in the sight and him in prayer, and in most cases the knowledge of Christ in prayer, are discovery is very gradual; it is not as gradual, and from as hidden, a sudden finding, a burst of light small, and blind beginnings as the from heaven, but a light that comes growth of a plant from the imperlittle by little, often increasing like ceptible and decaying germ in the the dawn. With every sincere effort earth, decaying yet quickening, and of the soul in prayer there is more showing itself to sight, first the little, and more knowledge and comfort, delicate, tender blade, then the ear, more and more spiritual discern- and after that the full corn in the ment, more and more sight of Christ, ear. So the beginnings of Christ in and not a mere feeling after him, if the soul grow out of the decaying of haply the soul might find him. self and the quickening of grace, Thus the soul becomes acquainted and they show themselves and are with him in prayer, learns the lan- found out and developed in the exguage and experience of the Chris-ercises of the soul in prayer.

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