trial of your faith, or the correction of your folly, he, to whom you have committed the care of your soul, will most certainly rescue you from the mouth of the devouring lion.

PHILOLOGOS.

ON THE EVIDENCE OF AN INTEREST IN CHRIST.

MY DEAR SON,

Your last was a letter of much consolation. It produced a very sensible and pleasing verification of that adage of Solomon, that " a wise son maketh a glad father." Your general regularity indeed, and your apparent attention at times to "the things which belong to your peace," before you removed from your father's house, were to me very grateful and promising; yet they did not altogether prevent a degree of painful anxiety, lest, when involved, as you necessarily must be, in the more extensive commerce, multiplied cares, and promiscuous society of the world, your mind should be gradually warped and seduced, perhaps into certain indulgences, which I know you had seriously regretted, and with seeming resolution renounced. Blessed be God, who, in his sovereign grace, has been pleased thus far to obviate the dangers I so much dreaded, and even more, as I trust, to give you part in that portion, which cannot be taken away from you. Would to heaven, I could say the same of your otherwise amiable brother. But he is indeed too giddy and wild. Our worthy pastor, however, often tells me I must not despair.

From the account which you appear to have so candidly and unreservedly given, of the recently renewed exercises of your mind, it is evident, that the good Spirit of God has been very impressively dealing with you. And I cannot but presume, that he has led you into such views of yourself, of your need of Christ, and of the freeness, riches, and power of his grace, as to induce you to make an entire surrender of yourself unto him, and to resolve in good faith, that, through his grace enabling you, you will henceforth, as a true disciple, " deny yourself, and take up your cross and follow him." For your years, (though your good sense, united with uncommon filial respect, prevented you from the excesses of many others) you had known enough of the ways of vanity and the world. I hope you have now attained to some experimental knowledge of the difference between their pleasures, and those of that wisdom, whose ways "are ways of pleasantness, and all whose paths are peace."

Your question I have considered with a good deal of attention; and regret that my improvement in divine knowledge is so inadequate to the answer I wish you to receive. You have expressed it in terms very usual with persons exercised as you have been: that is, "How shall I attain to a satisfactory knowledge of my interest in Christ?" I rejoice in it, my dear son, as a glorious truth, that all mankind have an interest in him, or in what he has done and provided for them, though all are not, as for distinction's sake I may express it, specially and experimentally interested in him. He has made, if I understand the christian doctrine aright, a deed of gift as it were, of himself and his purchased benefits to all indiscriminately; with this reasonable and necessary article, however, annexed, that to be enjoyed, it must be acceded to on our part, and its benefits cordially desired and embraced; otherwise he can never be essentially beneficial to any of us. As in the case of an estate, by a like instrument made over to me, and requiring my personal acceptance and possession of it, though at any time I may consider myself as having an interest in it, yet before such acceptance and possession on my part, it can be of no material advantage to me. Imagining I can do well enough without it, as the unbelieving world do in reference to Christ and his salvation, I may perish in want, notwithstanding the abundance I might enjoy, would I but possess myself of the bounty so provided.

Your question, at the first view, seemed to amount to this: By what means shall I know, whether I have really so embraced Christ and his benefits, as to be in a state of special grace, and secure, according to the tenor of the gospel, of the special favour and love of God? To the question, thus understood, a general answer immediately occurs: that is, The more heartily and entirely. you embrace the Saviour in your faith and affection; the more you love him, his precepts, his ordinances, and his ways; the more you confide in him, and desire to please him, and to enjoy him, the more clear, distinct, and forcible, will be the evidence that you do so: and as his special favour is inseparably connected with this disposition and character, so you will have proportionable reason to infer, that you are really the object of it. If then, my dear son, you would be ascertained of a special interest in the redemption by Jesus Christ, the means, generally considered, lie plainly before you. Endeavour to attain to yet clearer, more comprehensive, and more impressive conceptions of the wisdom, truth, and grace of the wonderful plan of redemption by him; of its suitableness in every respect to your guilty, depraved and helpless condition; of his complete sufficiency for your salvation,

as to his person, his offices, his character, and his works of rightcousness and atonement: and this, to the intent that you may more fully and firmly confide in him; that you may more unreservedly, satisfactorily, and absolutely give yourself up to him, to be saved in his own most wise and holy way; and that you may more determinately and entirely yield yourself to God in and through him, as a devoted thing, set apart, and consecrated to his use and service, and his alone forever. Whoever is possessed of these, which I call spiritual views of Christ, and of the divine and heart-affecting things of the gospel, and is the subject of their corresponding and inseparable effects in his heart and practice, has a real and special interest in Christ; and in proportion to their amount and his consciousness of it will be his evidence of that interest.

But your question may have a more particular reference: that is, What judgment may you safely form of your character and state, from the change which seems to have already taken place in you? Under this view the answer is not a little difficult. To yourself, with all the knowledge you have of the past exer. cises, or present frame of your mind, it is difficult. How much more so must it be to me, who with all the representation you have so intelligently, as well as candidly given, must know so much less about them. The heart is a deep and dark place; "deceitful above all things; who can know it?" Without descending therefore into particulars, and making a variety of suppositions respecting the scriptural forms, and spirituality of the several exercises, desires and inclinations you describe, I will direct your attention to one or two general characteristics of christian piety. The first is, Sincerity.

This is an essential character of real goodness. For, although the Deity does not demand absolute perfection from imperfect creatures, and although, in our lapsed condition, he expects neither infallibility in our moral determinations, nor indefective ex actness in our conduct, yet he requires the pure, upright, and faithful services of our hearts. He commands us to " serve him in sincerity and truth." Josh. xxiv. 14. In a moral estimate every action must be placed to the account of that principle from which it is derived. Interested motives and wordly views reduce and sink the worth of the best actions; and, on the other hand, a right intention gives value even to the meanest. It turns every thing, I may say, into goodness, specifically at least. When wordly views are prevalent and habitual, there can be no real religion. Our actions, so principled, are at best but prudential,

Yet sometimes religious considerations will coincide and co-ope rate with prudential in producing the same actions. But, in such cases, the test of our sincerity is very defective; and it is in no small degree difficult to determine, whether the love of God, or the love of the world, was the prevailing principle; or whether a regard to duty, or to the will and honour of our God and Redeemer, would have prompted us to the same behaviour in opposition to motives of interest. It is only in this latter part of the alternative, that we can have a clear and decided proof of our sincerity. Again, if our religion is sincere, we are as careful to preserve a good conscience, as to save appearances; and we act with the same integrity in secret, where God is the sole spectator of our purposes and actions, as when they lie open to the view and observation of the world. We will also pay an equal regard to all the prescriptions of Christ. No mistake in religion is more common than the substitution of some part for the whole of his law, and the expectation of compensating for the neglect of some disagreeable duties, by a regular attention to others more suited to our taste and inclination. There can be no plainer indication of insincerity than this. The reverse is a good symptom of the predominancy of a truly religious principle. Again, if our religion is sincere, we will resist, and not resist only, but overcome, temptations. To serve God in those instances where we are not tempted to disobey, may be a real expression of real goodness. It is nevertheless to us a very defective test of our integrity. The most decisive proof is, when we are faithful to our duty in opposition to seducements, and when we reject every solicitation which offers to corrupt us. I will only add on this head, (for the compass of a letter will not permit me to expatiate on particulars as I would wish) that where we are doubtful of the obligation or lawfulness of an action, we will always, if we are sincere, incline to that which appears most conformable to duty, which will best answer the ends of piety, and be most conducive to the interests of religion, and the honour of our Redeemer: that is, in short, we will make it our first care to ensure our integrity, and to avoid even doubtful, and suspected, as well as apparent guilt.

The other general characteristic which I had in view is: A habitually prevailing desire and tendency towards perfection. The christian system does not indeed require absolute perfection, as a term of our acceptance, or as constitutive of the truth and reality of a principle of piety. It nevertheless requires, what is properly enough called, christian perfection: that is, such reformation of the heart and life as implies a fixed disposition, predominantly inclining us to an exact and entire conformity to every requisition of the gospel. In judging accordingly of our real character in a religious view, and in connexion herewith, of our interest in Christ, it is proper that we impartially inquire, whether it be the habitually prevailing desire of our hearts, and tendency of our efforts, to be " perfect in every good work to do his will."

Every principle of the human mind naturally tends to perfection in its way. It is so with the principle of sin. Every sinful affection, how much soever it may conceal its nature and design, does invariably aim at entire possession of, and gratification in, its object. Much rather should it be so with affections that are good, and whose objects are supremely excellent and desirable. This tendency seems to be necessary to their very constitution. Without it, no aim or operation can be expected to be carried into its proper and requisite effect. He who, in any art or design means not to excel, may not presume that he shall ever arrive at mediocrity. So he who habitually means not an entire accommodation to the spirit and precepts of Jesus Christ, may not arrogate the appellation of a disciple, much less may he presume that he has the spirit of Christ, or any special interest in his favour.

I have mentioned this characteristic, partly on account of its obviously intimate connexion with the former, and partly because, where it prevails, it can hardly fail of presenting itself, at least in some comfortable measure, to the reflection of the most jealous inquirer. I have said, at least in some comfortable measure, for, in truth, my dear sir, let us with ever so much diligence and accuracy trace the characters of grace in our hearts and conduct, still if we are honest, we shall consider ourselves as greatly liable to deception; still we shall suspect, that through the partiality of our hearts, and the deceitfulness of sin, we may have been deceived. He only, whose knowledge is infinite, can know the deceitful heart of man. He only can penetrate, dissect, and probe it to the bottom. Independently therefore of his su perior intervention, we never can, nor ever ought we, to depend on any favourable conclusions we may form of our christian cha racter and state, even after the most assiduous, critical, and, as we may think, impartial investigation. For this reason, amongst others, it is, that in the system of grace by Jesus Christ, the illuminating offices of the Holy Spirit are provided and appointed; and that, in pursuance of this appointment, we are told by the apostle, that " the Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirits, that we are the children of God." In this passage there seems to be an allusion to judicial proceedings in civil courts, to the state and