flesh and my heart faileth, but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever."

Here you behold the work of God the Holy Ghost in the heart of this tempted saint. You see it in the humble faith, the simple devotion, and the firm assurance to which he was now brought, and that, in no small measure, by means of the very temptation through which he had passed.

The temptation itself was evil. His own yielding to it was sinful. But out of evil God brings good. He overrules the tempter's snares, and Asaph's own weakness, for the eventual increase of heavenly graces in his servant's soul. And so it is that all things are made to work together for good, in the end, to the children of God. Now, more than ever, did Asaph say, ، My God, Thou art my guide, Thou my strength, Thou my portion; thy word shall teach me; thy Spirit shall lead me; thy love shall satisfy me; thy presence be my comfort now; thy glory my heritage for ever. I now seek none but Thee. I crave nothing more, if but I have thy love. Let others make this world their all, Thou, O God, art the portion of mine inheritance, and of my cup.'

Dear brethren, would that all of us may enjoy this portion. If there are those among us who know not God, O that they may be led to seek Him, to seek Him by prayer, begging of Him to grant them his Spirit, to bring them to Himself, to let them know Christ as their Saviour, and the great Jehovah Himself, as their Father

in Him; thus may they seek Him, and He will be found of them; and then they are blest indeed; blest for time, and blest for eternity.

Christians, ye who know God, study to know Him more and more; keep closer to Him; live more upon his love; follow the counsels of his word; seek and find your comfort, your repose, yonr satisfaction, peace and joy, in his presence with you..

0,

I say, draw nearer and still nearer to your God. Remember He is all your's. Meditate upon Him; what He is in Himself; what he promises to be to you; what you need to find in Him; and go, day by day, and ask, ask largely of Him; God loves that you should do so; even that you should set your hearts upon Himself, and say with Asaph, None beside Thee, O my God, none in heaven, none in earth, can give me what I crave: Thou art my all.'

Blessed are they who thus are athirst for God. Their joy shall in due time be full. Brethren, be it yours to aspire after God yet more than you ever have done. Be urgent for more of his Spirit, more holiness, more peace, more heavenly mindedness, more conscious enjoyment of his nearness to your hearts.

Then indeed you shall feel, and own, that God is good to Israel." The treasures of the world, you will feel, are not his children's portion. They are not your portion: you have a better. If wicked men possess them, you will not complain; only let God be your's, and then all is well. Want, sickness, trouble, sorrows of a

thousand kinds may come, still all is well; yea, a time there is, and it fast draws nigh, when heart and flesh themselves shall fail, still all is well; for "God is the strength of your heart, and your portion for ever."

I

SERMON XIV.

MATTHEW Xv. 23.

BUT HE ANSWERED HER NOT A WORD.

CHRISTIAN brethren, are there none among us this day who are ready to say,' And so it is with me! I pray : I pray daily I pray fervently: I have prayed again and again for a particular mercy, and this for a long time past, but Jesus answers me not.' It is a frequent case. It is a trying case. Let me deal with it for a little while in this present discourse. And may the Eternal Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus, guide our thoughts, and send his word to the hearts that need it.

I do not intend to go through the whole of the narrative to which our text belongs. It is a narrative full of interest, and full of instruction. But at present I propose only to fix upon one point in it. That point is brought before you in the text. Here is a humble, believing, importunate supplicant at Jesus' feet; she is imploring mercy; but Jesus answers not; no, not a word."

I have said that a like case is often found among Christians now. And when a praying soul has

had, or seems to have, no answer from the Lord, then come strong temptations, and fears, and doubts, and soon dejection, and despondency.

Now it is against these that I wish to guard. I wish to shew you that your receiving no answer as yet to the supplications you have offered, is of itself no ground for fear, no warrant for despair. Let me notice a few of the thoughts which are apt to arise in anxious minds on this account. The case of the individual referred to in the text will greatly help to illustrate the subject.

In the first place, it may be suggested by the enemy of our peace, that we have no reply to our petitions, because the petitions themselves are wrong, and not according to the divine will.

But this does not follow. Our petitions may be perfectly right, perfectly in accordance with the divine will, and yet, for a time, we may not see them granted. Look at the facts of the history from which our text is taken. An afflicted mother comes to Christ, intreating his pity for her daughter. Was she wrong in this? Or was the mercy she sought such as Christ considered it not proper to bestow? Just the reHer request was to Him most acceptable. He altogether approved it. And He gave her the best evidence of this in the end, for He granted her all she asked. Yet, however approved her prayer, however acceptable her request, for a time you observe Jesus answered not a word. We say then, it is no sign that you are wrong in your petitions, if for a season the Lord ap

verse.