the mercy that saved and redeemed us? It was God in Christ that reconciled us to Himself, imputing not our trespasses unto us. And are we at the end of our course in this world, and do the portals of heaven expand before us? It must be unto the Lord Jesus that we commend our spirits. To Him, then, to Jesus Christ, the First and the Last, be all honour and glory. He only is Almighty. Amen and Amen.
September Ninth.
STRIVING TO ENTER THE STRAIT GATE.
"Strive to enter in at the strait gate."—Luke xiii. 24.
IF there were no other passage in the Holy Word beside this, which taught that faith without works is dead, this of itself would be sufficient to convince us, that we must do as well as believe. Were we to see a venomous snake in our path, would our believing it to be a snake be sufficient to escape the deadly bite it might inflict? No;—we must strive to effect our escape, or destroy the life of the reptile. We know that evil exists within us. Everything conspires to convince us of this; but if we would be freed from its venom—for evil is what we would compare with the venomous reptile—we must strive to cast it out and destroy it: seeing it, and believing it to be a snake, will not render the deadliness of its venom of none effect. But evil may exist within us, and may coil itself up as if harmless, or so as to have no appearance of its mischievous qualities; nevertheless, its soul-destroying power is within; and we must be
