quiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation! Let us now look at, THE FERVENT PETITION. Deliver me, by pardoning the past, and so freeing me from the guilt of blood. Deliver me, by preventing me in future, and so preserving me from the crime. Give me sanctifying grace, which will set me apart for thy service, consecrate me to thy praise, and qualify me to pluck sinners as brands from the burning. Fill me with the Spirit of Christ, that my heart may glow with love, that I may be fired with holy zeal, and be prepared to make any sacrifice, in order to save souls from death. Raise me above myself, that I may conquer my_natural shyness, and speak for Christ-that I may overcome shame, and warn sinners of their danger-that I may no more indulge in idleness, but work for God and souls, while it is called to-day-that I may despise indifference, and throw my whole heart into the service of my Saviour that I may no longer consult my own ease, or comfort, or respectability, but be willing to do any thing, be any thing, or suffer any thing, if I may but be clear from the guilt of blood: or rather if I may but win the honour of saving some. ог Ministers of the gospel, allow me to ask you, brethren, beloved in the Lord, are you clear from the blood of all men? Have you been faithful-tender-earnest-persevering -self-denying-accommodating yourselves 66 and your ministry to all men, that you may by all means save some? Can the illiterate understand you? Are the careless aroused by your energy? Are the thoughtless affected by your simplicity? Are the poor attracted by your love? O that we could, each one of us say to our congregations, and to all around us, as Paul did, Remember, that by the space of three years, I ceased not to warn every man day and night with tears." Sunday School teacher, are you free from blood, the blood of every scholar in your class? Have you taught as for eternity? Have you invited your scholars to Jesus, as if you saw the burning lake open just before them? Have you collected them alone and prayed for them, and pleaded with them, as immediately beneath the eye of an heart-searching God! Has the salvation of each child, heen your constant, your highest aim? Church member, are you free from blood? Quite free? Have you seized every opportunity to speak with all about you, especially with such as meet with you in God's house, of the value of the soul, the danger of delay, the pleasantness of religion, the preciousness of Christ, the glory of heaven, and the only way that leads to it? O have you? Can you be quite free from bloodguiltness, if you have not? Parents, are you free from blood? The blood of your children? Father, could you do no more for that son of yours? Could you not have prayed for him more? Could you not have prayed with him more? Could you not have wept over him, have pleaded with him, and have shown him that you were in real earnest for his salvation, more than you have? Mother, could you do no more to save that daughter? Had you been more gentle, or more firm, more devout or more cheerful, more spiritual, or more humble, might not things have been different? A mother's religion, if it be the genuine article, the religion of Christ, making her Christlike, has a wondrous power over the heart of a daughter or a son. Can nothing more be done now? A letter in a different strain, to what you formerly have written, or a course of conduct different to what you latterly pursued, and set times for energetic determined prayer, may yet prevail. Try it, Try it. If by any means you may save your child from hell. Think, friends, O think, how awful to be accessory to the death of souls, the murder of those we love, or in the language of David, to be guilty of blood! Let us look around on our families, congregations, neighbourhoods, and acquaintances, and ask, "Am I guilty, as to any among them ?" If so, let us humble ourselves before God, plead as David pleaded, and seek grace from God, that we may be wise to win souls-at least that we may be faithful, and so be clear of their blood. Think of eternity, an eternity of torment! Think of the wrath of God, which like a consuming fire will fasten and feed upon lost souls! And think, O think, that the blood of souls stains deep! O how deep! WHO CAN TELL ? Gracious God, pardon our want of zeal for thee, and love to our fellow men. Forgive, O forgive us, that we have allowed our gar ments to be stained with the blood of souls! Give, O give us grace, that in future we may live for thee, live like thy beloved Son, live to save souls from death! Lines by a Clergyman, on hearing the bell toll for one of his parishioners. O should he meet me at the bar of God, THE DRY BONES. MANY and striking are the representations given, of the state into which sin plunged Israel of old. But perhaps none are more striking than the valley of dry bones. This shows most clearly that their deliverance must be of God, and of God alone. Means of themselves were wholy insufficient. And this representation suits the state of the sinner, and sets forth most clearly, the true condition of all men in a state of nature, touching spiritual things. We, like the prophet, are in a valley which is full of bones, and like him we may say, "Behold there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. Ezek. xxxvii. 2. Let us consider these words, as giving us, A DESCRIPTION OF THE SINNER'S STATE. He is helpless, for what can dry bones do? But dry bones are not more helpless in a physical sense, than sinners are in a spiritual; for they are totally destitute of all life and power. Being thus helpless, they are considered, in themselves hopeless, for what can dry bones expect? So man, being a sinner, an enemy of God, cannot expect any spiritual good from God. Neither does he, or so |