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man's conscience, were there not a Christ ready at hand to help him, and had not his soul liberty, without any merit on his part, to venture upon him! Had I been sent to work, to recommend me to Christ, to make me welcome to the blessed Jesus, I had been undone! I must have called the man who had preached that doctrine no messenger, no interpreter, one among a thousand, but have judged of him as one sent to torment me before the time. Ministers know not what they do when they send poor souls to the law for life. The law is become weak, through the flesh. No man can keep the law, therefore, none can be saved by it! God's ancient eternal law is, as much as ever, the rule of righteousness, no new law is substituted in the room of it. This law Christ fulfilled; and, by his obedience to it, must the sinner be justified. There is virtue enough in his blood to cleanse from all sin, merit enough in his righteousness to set aside all creature unworthiness! Whosoever applies to Christ, as a guilty, perishing, undone sinner, and relies on him, has eternal life! He that trusts God, honours him; and no one ever gave him credit to his own loss. This, this is the doctrine of the gospel : That there is pardon, righteousness, life, and salvation in Christ, for all that come to him; and that we may come, encouraged, not by any preparatory works of our own, any supposed worthiness we find within, but purely upon the footing of his own promise, upon the credit of his own faithful word, as a God of truth, a God that cannot lie that we come to Jesus for worthiness, for acceptance, for righteousness, for life. We have none of these before the venture of faith is made upon Christ. Blessed be God, for that for which he justifieth the ungodly! The headship of Christ is also a main-spring from which our comforts are to be fetched at all times. This is our safe retreat, and gives quiet harbour under the most gloomy circumstances. Oh, a life of faith, what glory does it bring to Christ! what security and composure of soul to the oppressed Christian! I hope I am kept from despising the chastening of the Lord and from fainting under it. I see, I feel, the rod, and yet I love it. Not one stroke too much as yet; and if he goes on to contend, I will lay my hand upon my mouth. A friend that sticketh closer than a brother, is a mercy that tastes the sweeter the oftener it is observed. The veil is drawn aside when faith is drawn forth into action; and it is no new thing to see an open heart with him, when there is a closed hand. We are not proper judges of our own wants; but we all may joy, and in the Spirit we shall joy.Thou shalt chase our inheritance for us.'

I am your assured Friend,

JOHN HILL.

THE SWEET PSALMIST OF ISRAEL*.

MEN say much, in the course of a life extended to forty, fifty, or seventy, years; but the time will come when their last words will be uttered; and, if those words are wise, they will be particularly noticed. The last words of David are very expressive. This prophet of the Lord was the sweet Psalmist of Israel; and indeed, he was eminently so: he bore a sweet character, a character for warm and undissembled piety. He was a worshipper of the true God, and a true worshipper; he was a man of undaunted courage, and a general of the first abilities he subdued the chief of the Philistine enemies, Goliah, of Gath; he excelled in wisdom and genius, - his words were important and worthy to be written in characters of gold; he was a prophet of the Lord, and a poet of considerable talents; he possessed a sweet spirit. When Shimei cursed him, and one of the servants offered to revenge the insult, he would not suffer him; but patiently submitted, and said, 'Let him curse, for the Lord hath bidden him.' How meek, submissive, and resigned!

He composed sweet psalms for the church of God. The delight and consolation which these have afforded, in all ages, serve to demonstrate their sweetness. The doctrines which they contain are evangelical; the ideas are grand and sublime; and, in point of devotional composition, the book of Psalms has not its equal in the world! David recorded sweet encouragements. He well knew the human heart; he was well acquainted with all the trials and discouragements to which believers are subject. Ye tried and exercised souls, come and drink at these streams, yea, drink abundantly.'

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It is true, that David was the sweet Psalmist of Israel;' yet did he meet with bitter enemies, bitter opposition, bitter trials, and bitter fears. The sweetness of his frame, his character, and his composition, did not secure him from the bitter storms of adversity. Now, if men would avoid bitter words and painful altercations in the family, in the church, and in the world, then let them make David, the sweet Psalmist of Israel, their constant, their bosom companion. If men would possess sweetness in devotion, let them apply much to the Psalms of David. Read them, sing them, muse, and the holy fire will kindle and flame out in lively ardour!-May the writer duly regard this bint, and let no day pass, O my soul, without taking a live coal from this altar! It is said that Bishop Beza learned the whole book of Psalms by heart. Heart-religion makes the sweetest psalm-singer in the world!

* 2 Sam. xxiii. 1.

PHILO-DAVID.

SINKING FUND FOR BUILDING CHAPELS.

Ir is to be lamented that so much time and money are expended by ministers, in going about to collect for the enlargement, or new erection of places of worship; and that, after all, considerable debts remain in many places, the interest of which is generally deducted from the Ministers' salaries. To remedy this evil, and facilitate the progress of the gospel, the plan of raising money, by a separate subscription of one penny to sixpence a week, according to the ability of each stated hearer, affords an easy and certain relief.

Suppose a congregation, finding it necessary to enlarge or rebuild their place of worship, raise, on the above plan, Ten Pounds per annum (previous to the commencement of the building) and add the interest to the capital, it will appear, according to the following scale, that, at the end of twenty years, their subscription of 200 will be increased to the sum of 330 12s.

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The above, with additional donations from the most opulent in each congregation, will enable them to accomplish what they need; if not, the fund may be continued. For chapels erected for newly-raised congregations (if they are approved by the County Associations, and properly recommended) con tributions must be solicited; and, if a debt remains, the sinking fund will be applicable, taking care to raise more annually then the interest of money. Example: if 100 is borrowed at five per cent. Ten Pounds per annum should be raised ; and then the whole of the principal and interest will be dis charged in 14 years.

GOOD ADVICE TO A YOUNG MINISTER.

My dear Sir,

To the Rev. Mr.

I AM Sorry that, during your stay at, I enjoyed so little, either of your society, or that of the church, though I confess, with concern, I then felt too little regret in being deprived of so valuable a privilege. The Lord make me more of holy David's spirit *! Had I been more in your company, I trust I should have sought spiritual improvement from you; but I should also have used the privilege of a friend to you and the gospel, in freely and affectionately pointing out what appeared to me objectionable in your ministry.

Let me, however, assure you, that, through the divine blessing, I have been edified by your public instruction; and the acknowledgment I once made to you to this effect, was from the fulness and in the sincerity of my heart. With respect to my objections, as it is now impossible for me to state them personally, I feel bound to do it by letter; and I know, that if I write under a due sense of the many imperfec tions and infirmities which incessantly cleave to me, I shall It is the general testido it in a loving and humble spirit. mony of your friends here, that you preach the gospel faithfully; and I most cordially agree with them. This seems to be saying all that can be wished; and you will, perhaps, wonder It is then to your manner of where my objection can arise. preaching I allude. This is undoubtedly an inferior consideration; but, my dear friend, I conceive it is very far from unimportant. The friends of the gospel, and those who are personally attached to yourself, can overlook many imperfections; and, to the soul that is hungry for the bread of life, "every bitter thing is sweet:' but the case is very different as it respects the enemies of the gospel: their prejudices take deeper root; and really not without some cause; and, Why should offences to religion be multiplied, and the childrens' bread be made bitter and ungrateful to them? But to come to particulars: I fear you have often degraded the sacred and solemn subjects of which you have treated, by very unbecoming language and an unhappy mode of address.

By wishing to be familiar and plain (which is essentially requisite) you have, in some instances, descended to a coarseness and seeming irreverence, which, I must declare, has shocked me. You have talked upon the awful subject of damnation in a matiner very unlike one who was deeply im

*Psalm xxii. 1, and xvi. 3.

pressed with a sense of its horrors, or with an apprehension that it would be the dreadful doom, of some of your hearers. Your manner has appeared to indicate, that you rather took a kind of horrid pleasure in denouncing the sentence, than that you was affectionately solicitous for the salvation of poor condemned sinners. Far, far be it from me to conceive this of you; but, my dear friend, your unhappy manner and language have often borne strong appearances of such an unchristian temper.

With the same unfortunate levity, you have also degraded the glorious message of grace, which I, nevertheless, believe you have feelingly and faithfully delivered. One would think it impossible that any thing bordering upon merriment could arise from such a subject; but the laugh, which I have seen more than once excited among your hearers, seems to fix this charge upon you. Gloom and melancholy I readily allow are a garb totally unbecoming the religion of Jesus, the natural effects of which are joy and peace;' but I conceive a tendency to the latter evil is far less dangerous and degrading than the former. I shall only mention one cxpression, among many, that might be noticed, which, perhaps, it will shock you to read. My dear Sir, do you conceive you contributed any thing to the dignity and glory of God our Saviour, when remarked, with an air of uncommon levity, That 'Jesus you Christ was a downright Calvinist ?— which, indeed, were your very words!

It is an honour to Calvin, or any other sinful mortal, to be called by the sacred name of CHRIST; but is it not highly degrading and irreverent to put the holy Jesus upon a level with one of his servants? I might notice some instances of story-telling and of coarse expression, very unworthy of your character and office; but the hints I have given, will, I am persuaded, better answer the end proposed. I shall, therefore, decline the painful task; and will only strengthen what I have said, by observing, that it is not among your enemies, but among the most zealous friends both of yourself and the gospel, that I hear these objections started. This I know is touching you in a tender part; but 'faithful are the wounds of a friend.'

In concluding, give me leave to make one proposal, to which I am sure you can have no objection:-That as you zealously conform to the doctrines of Jesus and his apostles, you would likewise conform to their language and manner of preaching; and then, I am convinced, the people of God will never be offended; and whatever offences arise among the enemies of the gospel, you will have the satisfaction of knowing, that their prejudice against its doetrines lis neither been caused nor increased by your mode of treating them. Many of the most bitter enemies of Christ and is religion have admitted, that

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