munion with God, delight in his Word | eternal glory; for the same word deand ordinances, humility, prayer, holy clares that "they shall be forever with confidence, praise, and uniform obedi- the Lord." ence. Being purified and sanctified, we are thus rendered complete in Christ, wo receive Adoption as sons. This is the seventh and highest elevation to which mortals can attain in this life before they enter Glory above. Adoption is defined to be the act of God's free grace, whereby human beings are received into the number,, and have a right to all the privileges of the sons of God. Adoption is a word taken from the civil law, and was much in use among the Romans in the time of the apostles, when it was the custom for persons having no children of their own to adopt one or more of some others, to whom they gave their name, their estates, and were, in all respects, treated and considered as their own children. The privileges of those who are adopted into the family of God are every way great and extensive. They have God's name upon them, and are described as his people, "called by his name." They are no longer slaves to the things of time and sense, but are raised to dignity and honor. They have inexhaustible riches laid up for them; for it is declared that "they shall inherit all things." They have the divine protection; for it is also declared that "they shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings and quiet resting places." They shall have unspeakable felicity and Those adopted into the family of heav en cast off all allegiance to any other; they give up every other interest which interferes with the will and glory of their heavenly Father, saying "Other lords have had dominion over us; but by thee only will we make mention of thy name." These adopted ones feel a supreme affection for their Great Benefactor, and each one of them says from his heart, "Whom have I in heaven but thee, and there is none on earth that I desire beside thee." They have access to God with a holy boldness. Being children by adoption, and joint heirs with Jesus Christ, they can, by the virtue of his merits, come boldly to the throne of grace, that they may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need;" and, in the words of inspiration, they may truly say, "He that spared not his only begotten Son, but freely gave him up for us all, how shall he not with him give us all things." The Christian traveler having ascended to a state of sanctification and adoption into the family of heaven, has arrived at the confines of eternal GLORY. He is now in the land of Beulah, and has glimpses of the heavenly, glorious, and eternal mansions of the blessed, and can say with the Apostle, "Henceforth I know that there is a crown of glory laid up for me, and not for me only, but for all who love his appearing.' SEVEN DOWNWARD STEPS. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving SEVEN downward steps, behold in man's career, The engraving annexed represents a man going down, from bad to worse, a light of steps, reaching to the regions of darkness and despair. He is lured on, perhaps, by some fascinating emissary of evil, who causes the bubbles of fancy and imagination, with their brilliant and Hardness of heart, the heavenly call requite, attractive colors, to dance before him. He is attracted; the cup of guilty pleas ure and intoxication is held out to him; he is lured downward by his deceiver, and, as she descends to lower depths, he follows, till he reaches the utmost depths of wickedness and despair. Man, in this life, is in a state of trial or temptation, and is situated, as it were, between two worlds-the one of light and glory, the other of darkness and despair. He is tempted to take a downward course. The world, with its fascinating objects, is always placed before him in bright and beauteous colors. He is warned by Heavenly Wisdom to turn off his eyes from beholding vanity, but he gives a deaf ear to her entreaties, being lured by the deceitful and lying vanities presented to his view by a demon in the form of a beautiful female. Instead of resisting the tempter, as Divine Wisdom commands, his mind dwells on forbidden objects, and it is filled with the evil desire of accomplishing or obtaining unlawful objects. This is the first step in his downward career. Self-will, the next step downward, is natural to man in his fallen state. Satan has stamped his image on his heart, and, like his master, he is determined to have his own way. The will of God, which is the supreme rule of every intelligent creature in heaven or earth, is discarded. Though warned of the fatal consequences, he braves it all in defiance of the Almighty; though entreated, he turns a deaf ear, and, with bold effrontery, says in his heart, "I will do my own pleasure independently of that of my Creator." The Almighty is dethroned in the sinner's heart, and self is set up, served, and worshiped as Deity. The man who has made up his mind that he will do certain acts forbidden by God's Word, to quiet his conscience, commences a course of self-deception. He reasons with himself that the sin he wishes to commit is but a small affair. He is led, perhaps, to consider it rather as a human weakness than a sin; that he can repent at any time, for which God is bound to forgive. The best of men have their failings-he has his, etc. Forgetting the great truth, that man is in the world on a state of trial, he asks, Why do I have these desires, unless they are to be gratified?" True, the Bible seems to be against these things, but perhaps the Bible itself is not true, and, therefore, it is nothing but priesteraft. By deceptive reasonings like the above, the heart of man is "hardened through the deceitfulness of sin," and he may be considered as having descended to the fourth downward stephardness of heart. He now can violate a plain command of God with but little or no self-condemnation, either doing what he has expressly forbidden or neglecting what he has expressly commanded, and yet without any remorse; and he may, perhaps, glory in this very hardness of heart! Many instances of this deplorable state of mind are to be met with, even among some who call themselves Christians." If any one can break the least of the known commands of God, without self-condemnation, it is plain that Satan has hardened his heart. If not soon recovered from this, he will be "past feeling," and the conscience, as St. Paul says, will be "seared as with a hot iron." After a course of self-deception, and having hardened his heart, the sinner passes on to a state of Blindness, another downward step to perdition. As he had willfully closed his eyes against the light, his mind becomes blinded and insensible to the truth of God. We have an example of blindness of mind among a whole people, the Jews, who willfully closed their eyes against the true light which was exhibited by Jesus Christ, rejected the Lord of life and glory, and preferred a murderer before him. God, in judgment "hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear; let their eyes be darkened," etc. In many individual cases, those who have willfully hardened their hearts, and rejected Jesus Christ, become blind to all moral excellence, "calling darkness light, and light darkness." After the mind, by a course of sin, be comes darkened, the sinner commits | ing the blackness of final despair, may wickedness in a bold and daring man- be called that of Desperate Wickedness. ner, presuming that either God will not The Apostle speaks of those "who, notice his actions, or, if he does, he will being past all feeling, have given thempardon every act he may commit. "Pre- selves over to lasciviousness, to work all sumptuous sins," says one, "must be dis- uncleanness with greediness." This detinguished from sins of infirmity, or cribes one form of desperate wickedness, those failings peculiar to human nature and is a complete finish to the most from sins done through ignorance, and abandoned character. To do a wicked from sins into which men are hurried act is bad, but to labor in it is worse-by sudden and violent temptation. to labor in all wickedness is worse still; They imply obstinacy, inattention to but to do all this, in every case, to the the remonstrance of conscience, and op- utmost extent, with a desire exceeding position to the dispensations of Provi- time, place, opportunity, and strength, dence. Presumptuous sins are numerous, is worst of all, and leaves nothing more such as profane swearing, perjury, theft, profligate or more abandoned to be deadultery, drunkenness, etc. These may scribed. To be desperately wicked is to be more particularly considered as pre- throw off all sense of shame, and to bid sumptuous sins, because they are gener-defiance to all the threatenings of the ally committed against a known law, Almighty against sin; to be desperate and so often repeated. As it re- is to have neither the hope or desire of spects professors of religion, they sin reformation-in a word, to be without presumptously when they take up a remorse, and to be utterly regardless of profession of religion without principle; conduct, character, or final blessedness, when they do not take religion as they find it in the Bible; when they run into temptation, and, at the same time, indulge in self-confidence and self-complacency; and when professing to be Christians, they live licentiously, and when they magnify and pervert their troubles, arraigning the conduct of God as unkind or unjust." The last downward step before enter Thy law and thy gospel they despise, They dare thy wrath-of madness proud; By sin led on, to ruin driven; |