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and hearty, and bringing blessings to our souls? Do we feel any love to Christ, or is it a thing that sounds strange in our ears, having no experience of what it means? Do we desire nothing so much as to be entirely conformed to God's will in all things, and do we pant after that perfect freedom from sin, and conformity to Christ, which we feel in our hearts will be the only way to perfect happiness? In a word, let us look well into the inner part of our Christian profession. The building may look fair, and we may live in it peacably for a time, but if the foundation be sand, it will surely be overthrown some day, and we shall perish in its ruins. "Not every one that saith unto me Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."

Then a third lesson Joash teaches is this, how a sinner falls by little and little.

Who would have thought that innocent child, so meekly following the guidance of his godly uncle, should ever be steeped in the guilt of murder and idolatry! We are sure that at that time he would have shrunk with horror at the very mention of such things! He would have said with Hazael, if told he would some day do these things,

"But what, is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing?" But the secret of all is, that he got into this state of heart, step by step, little by little, till all became easy and natural. When his uncle died, then we read, "the princes of Judah came and made obeisance to the king: then the king hearkened unto them, and they left the house of the Lord God of their fathers, and served groves and idols." Why did they come to him but to tempt him? First, he only listened to them. Then he was flattered by their obeisance. Then he entertained their proposals. Then he by degrees lost the influence of his uncle, and came under that of the wicked princes. He was afraid and ashamed to stand out against them. Then he learned their ways. Then he followed them from choice. Then when told of his faults by the priest's son, his conscience goaded him the more from once having known and followed what was right.

The next step was easy. The people were willing, if only he would give the command. This teller of faults, this rebuker of sin shall be got rid of: and so Joash signs his death warrant, and thereby involves himself irrecoverably in ruin.

So easy is it to be turned aside by evil

men, if we are not strong in our own principles, and standing by the power of God. A little persuasion, or a little laughter, or a little kindness will do it. And then when

once the sinner's course is begun, it is as a stone rolling down a slope, it gains speed upon speed.

Oh! for grace to be built, and to be building on the right foundation. What we want is a holy faith, a praying in the Holy Ghost, a keeping in the love of God, and a real looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. (Jude 20, 21.)

PRAYER.

O BLESSED Jesus! Thou only Author and Finisher of true and saving faith! I pray that I may be so rooted and grounded in Thy love, that I may never be drawn away from the hope of the Gospel or the paths of holiness. May no fears of wicked men, nor any pleasures of sin lead me away from following after Thee. May I never be ashamed of Thee before my fellow-men. May Thy reproach be to me greater riches than all the pleasures or treasures of this world. AMEN.

AMAZI A H.

"He hired also an hundred thousand mighty men of valour out of Israel for an hundred talents of silver.

"But there came a man of God to him, saying, 0

king, let not the army of Israel go with thee: for the Lord is not with Israel, to wit, with all the children of Ephraim.

"But if thou wilt go, do it, be strong for the battle; God shall make thee fall before the enemy: for God hath power to help, and to cast down. "And Amaziah said to the man of God, But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of Israel? And the man of God answered, The Lord is able to give thee much more than this.

"Then Amaziah separated them, to wit, the army that was come to him out of Ephraim, to go home again: wherefore their anger was greatly kindled against Judah, and they returned home in great anger." 2 CHRON. XXV. 6-10.

AMAZIAH is the next king that demands our attention. Like most before him, there is but little good recorded of him. And as before, so now, our chief instruction must be in the way of warning and not of example.

T

We see more in his character and doings to watch against and to avoid, than we do to admire and copy.

Amaziah was king of Judah twenty and nine years. His is a mixed character in a general way. It is said of him, “He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart." (2 Chron. xxv. 2.) This must mean either that when he did what was right he did it not with a right motive, his heart not influenced after a godly manner, but only his actions happened for some reasons to be sometimes on the side of right and not wrong or it may mean, that while he did some things right, he did many wrong, and so he acted with a divided heart; and perhaps both of these were the case. This we shall see as we proceed to study his actions.

From these we learn he was a man who loved war better than peace; he was a cruel man; he was an idolatrous man; and as a necessary consequence, he hated reproof and despised God's servants who were sent to reprove him. He was moreover a very weak and a vain-glorious character, and because of all this he came to an untimely end, "he ate of the fruit of his own way and was filled with his own devices."

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