I am sorry I have been so long in forwarding this to you. I have had so many other important duties on hand since I returned to this city, which required immediate attention, that I could not possibly accomplish it sooner. I hope that the matter of it will meet the approbation of your congregations, and that you may be able to carry it into effect. Then may we expect that the Belfast congregations will adopt, as their own, Mr. Leslie, our new missionary from Ireland to Jamaica, and thus the way will be prepared for the Scottish Missionary Society sending forth additional missionaries from the Presby terian Churches in Ireland, that are willing now to offer themselves, if the Society were able to receive them. Had the brevity, necessary in a statement of this kind designed for circulation, permitted, there are several other particulars respecting Jamaica missions, that I had wished to mention. I hope I will have future opportunities of drawing your attention to them. I must now bid you and my many kind friends in Dublin, farewell. I expect to sail on the first week of June; and, indeed, I am wearying to be back among the negroes of my charge. I will be delighted to hear from you there or here, if you can write ere I leave ;-direct here, care of Dr. Brown, 13, Queen-Street; if Jamaica, direct, Little River Post-Office, St. James'.

Believe me, dear brother, in Christian love, yours sincerely, HOPE MASTERTOWN WADDELL.

CHURCH MEMBERSHIP.

The Sins most incident to the Members of particular Churches, plainly forbidden in the Word, and for which God sets marks of his displeasure on them.

1st Sin. THE first, and more general sin of church-members, is, a defect in their care and circumspection, to pre vent all just offences to them that are without; forbidden, Col. iv. 5, "Walk in wisdom towards them which are without." By a careless disregard of this rule, we harden the wicked in their sins, bring guilt upon ourselves, and reproach upon the name and ways of God,

2d Sin. The second, and more particular sin of some church-members, is idleness, and neglect of their civil callings; against the express rule, 2 Thess. iii. 11, 12, "There are some which walk among you disorderly, working not

* Mr. Waddell has since sailed for Jamaica.-ED.

at all: such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread." This brings poverty on themselves, and scandal on religion.

3d Sin. The third sin is tale bearing, and revealing the secrets of families and persons; whence many strifes arise, to the cooling and quenching of mutual love; expressly forbidden, Lev. xix. 16, "Thou shalt not go up and down as a tale-bearer among the people." And 1 Tim. v. 13, "Not only idle, but tattlers also, and busy-bodies, speaking things which they ought not."

4th Sin. The fourth sin is an easy credulity of private whispers, and rash censures thereupon. This we ought not to do against the meanest member. 2 Cor. xii. 20, "Lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings," &c. Much less against church-officers. 1 Tim. v. 19, "Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses." This strikes at the bond of peace.

5th Sin. The fifth sin is in their neglect of God's ordinances upon slight diversions, when they are neither disabled by works of necessity or mercy; contrary to Heb. x. 25, "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is." Trivial occasions should divert no Christian from attending upon God's ordinances.

6th Sin. The sixth sin is a defect in zeal for God's ordinances, manifest in their dilatory attendance; contrary to Psal. xcii. 1, "I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord." And unsuitable to their first practice. Gal. iv. 5, "Where is then the blessedness ?" &c.

7th Sin. The seventh sin is irreverence, and want of se riousness under ordinances; contrary to Psalm lxxxix. 7, "God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints; and to be had in reverence of all that are round about him." And this is manifest in vain attires. 1 Cor. xi. 10, "The woman ought to have power on her head, because of the angels." And unseemly postures and gestures. Eccl. v. 1, "Keep thy foot, when thou goest to the house of God; and be more ready to hear than to give the sacrifice of fools."

8th Sin. The eighth sin reprovable in them is, the neglect of giving and taking due reproofs from each other; contrary to Lev. xix. 17, "Thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him." And Christ's own rule. Matth. xviii. 15, "Go, and tell him his fault

between thee and him alone." And so for taking reproofs, see Psal. cxli. 5, "Let the righteous smite me," &c.

9th Sin. The ninth sin is, mutual strifes and animosities, not seasonably and prudently composed among themselves, but scandalously exposed to the view of the world; contrary to the Apostle's rule, 1 Cor. vi. 5, 6, "Is there not a wise man among you? &c. But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers. Now, therefore, there is utterly a fault among you."

10th Sin. The tenth sin is, the privateness of their spirits, centring too much in their own concerns; expressly condemned, Phil. ii. 21, "All seek their own, not the things that are Jesus Christ's." And contrary to Scripture example, 2 Cor. xi. 29, "Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is offended, and I burn not?"

The Duties enjoined on them in the Scripture, in the conscientious discharge whereof, they receive signal fruits of his favour .

1st Duty. Their first duty is, to be often together in acts of Christian communion. Mal. iii. 16, "Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another," &c. Such meetings, prayer, repetition of sermons, and Christian conference, greatly conduce to mutual edification, which is the principal intention of Christian fellowship, Eph. iv.15,16. 2d Duty. Their second duty is, to follow and back the great design of the gospel in the world, and therein assist the public ministry, by their private and prudent helping on the conversion of the carnal and careless world. Phil. iv. 3, "Help those women that laboured with me in the gospel, &c. For the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, strive together with me, Rom. xv. 30.

3d Duty. Their third duty is, humble condescension to the infirmities of their weaker brethren, and denying themselves in what they can, without sin, that they give them no offence. Rom. xv. 1, "We then that are strong, ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please our. selves." And ver. 2, "Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification."

4th Duty. Their fourth duty is, to be exceeding tender of the church's unity, both in judgment, love, and practice, avoiding (as much as may be, and as far as the gospel-rule allows) all calls and occasions of division and separation.

Rom. xvi. 17, Mark them which cause divisions and offences, and avoid them. And Phil. ii. 1, 2, "If there be any consolation in Christ, &c. be ye likeminded."

5th Duty. Their fifth duty is, a respectful carriage towards the meanest Christian, and to have a higher esteem of others than themselves. External things make no difference with Christ. Rom. xvi. 10, "In honour preferring one another." Gal. iii. 28, "Ye are all one in Christ Jesus.' Yet a decorum is to be kept suitable to civil differences. Eph. v. 21, "Submitting yourselves to one another in the fear of God."

6th Duty. Their sixth duty is, meekly to receive reproofs from each other for their sins, especially when the matter is just, and the manner of delivering it regular. Psal. cxli. 5,"Let the righteous smite me, it shall be a kindness; and let him reprove me, it shall be an excellent oil," &c.

7th Duty. Their seventh duty is, to communicate their spiritual flock of gifts, graces, and experiences, not interfering with public offices, nor by sinful partiality including some, and excluding many others (to whom it is as due, and who may have more need) from the benefit thereof. 1 Pet. iv. 10," As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another." 1 Tim. v. 21, "Observe these things, without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality."

8th Duty. Their eighth duty is, cheerfully to communicate their outward good things for the relief of their brethren. Heb. xiii. 16, "To do good and to communicate forget not." And, the better to enable them hereunto, to be diligent in their calling. Eph. iv. 28, "Working with his hands, that he may have to give to him that needeth." And especially to make comfortable provision for their ministers, not by way of courtesy, but delay. 1 Cor. ix. 14, "Even so hath God ordained, that they which preach the Gospel, should live of the Gospel."

9th Duty. Their ninth duty is, not only to relieve the distressed members of Christ, but to seek out and visit them; to know their spiritual and temporal wants, in order to a full discharge of that duty. James i. 27, "Pure religion, and undefiled before God, and the Father, is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction," &c. 10th Duty. Their tenth duty is, to put charitable con. structions upon doubtful words and actions; and, if either will admit a double sense, always to take it in the fairest,

according to the law of charity. 1 Cor. xiii. 7, "Charity beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things." And such a charity will defend and maintain church peace and unity.

580

Six Benefits of walking by these Rules.

1st Benefit. Strict and heedful attendance to these rules, will put a lustre upon religion before the world, and make it glorious in the eyes of such as now despise it. Tit. ii. 10," Adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things." Which he here speaks, to encourage all to ordinate walking.

2d Benefit. This will allure and win the world over to Christ, and wonderfully prosper and further the design of the Gospel. Phil. ii. 15, 16, "That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, &c. That I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that 1 have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain."

3d Benefit. This will effectually stop the mouths of all the detracting and blaspheming enemies of religion. 1 Pet. ii. 15, "For so is the will of God, that with well-doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men."

4th Benefit. This will eminently glorify God, which is the ultimate end of our beings. Matth. v. 16, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

5th Benefit. This will fill the people of God (by way of evidence) with much inward peace. Gal. vi. 16, "And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and upon the Israel of God."

6th Benefit. This will secure the presence of God with, and among us; whence results both the efficacy of ordinances, and the stability and glory of the churches: for Christ walks among the golden candlesticks, and threatens the churches, in case of defection from gospel rules, "to remove the candlestick out of his place, except they repent," Rev. ii. 1, 5.

INSPIRATION OF THE BIBLE.

(From the "Pilgrim's Progress of the Nineteenth Century.")

THE Bible is the word of God, being written by his direction, or it is a forgery. If it is a forgery, it was made by