neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock." It is this that makes a teacher in season and out of season. This is it which makes him with pleasure undergo all labours, even from the watching of one hour, to the imparting of his soul or life. If you exhort a pastor to visit the sick, also to comfort the weak-hearted, you invite him but to two things; but if you would give him love, you give him a spring and incentive that would move him to these and all other good acts, that are for the real benefit of the church of God. But this love is taught by the highest teacher; for He is love in the fountain, and all spiritual love, beside himself, is a stream of this fountain. But, on the other side, where this love is wanting, kind acts are not done at all, or they are done very coldly, and the doers of them are like the wheels of Pharaoh's chariots in the Red Sea, they move very heavily. They have not in them the affections of fathers, and therefore their flocks appear to them in the shape of bastards, and not of sons. If they give them any food, which they have picked up from the writings of good men, their hearts go not with it, neither do they care whether it does them good, or whether they grow and profit by it or not. And though perhaps one of these may act the part of a lover of the church, yet it will only at last shew itself to be artificial, that only being proportionably durable and serious which is natural. Therefore take such an one as Timothy, that naturally (and not artificially) cares for the church (Phil. ii. 19, 20), and there is no artificial that is like-minded to him; for he takes care not only of some party, but for the whole estate of the church. He works not part of the Lord's work, and leaves the rest undone; but the whole work of the Lord, under the power and teaching of the Holy Ghost, as St. Paul did (1 Cor, xvi. 10). And if you will see the root of it, look into his inside, and there you shall see the bowels of Christ Jesus (Phil. i. 8). The bowels of Christ Jesus, that often would have gathered Jerusalem as a hen gathereth her chickens. The bowels of Christ Jesus, that accounted the gain of souls to be his meat and drink, The bowels of Christ Jesus, that have in them the greatest love to the flock: "for greater love hath no man, than he that layeth down his life for the flock." These bowels were in Paul. And therefore no wonder if, having received the bowels of Christ, he by the Spirit of Christ walketh in the steps of Christ, while he walketh by the same Spirit of Christ. Behold here then the most excellent way, even the way of love, which teacheth the teacher, and directs him into all the ways of profiting his flock. And this teaching is taught by the highest teacher, whose name and nature and very being is-Love: and by whom men are taught to love one another. He it was that put an earnest care of the church into the heart of Titus (2 Cor. viii. 16), and therefore he it was also that put the bowels of love into him, from which issued this care. And if thou hast the same bowels, thy flock will be thy children, and thou wilt be a father unto them. In their reigning thou shalt reign; they will be thy joy and thy crown now, and thy great rejoicing in the day of the Lord Jesus, Thou shalt come to him and say, Behold I and the children whom thou hast given me. And he shall say to thee, "Well done good and faithful servant; in that thou hast fed and loved these my lambs, thou hast loved me; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." Amen. When gathering clouds around I view, I verily thought you would not have looked for a letter from me, because all I know of Jesus, I have put into your hand, and set before you in my little book. so that you may clearly see my forbearance in writing was not designed as a slight. Let then this suffice by way of an apology. : I hope you are looking on Jesus, and to none but him for salvation: and that you know his blood and righteousness is the whole of your salvation that the Father saved you freely and fully through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus. I hope you see clearly God's word is a sufficient warrant for your believing in Jesus, and trusting wholly on his finished work; and that you see a glory in Christ, which puts down sin and self, with all on earth and all in heaven. It is a great matter, and of vast importance in experience, to believe the virtue and efficacy of the blood and righteousness of Christ Jesus, and to centre alone in him. To be well pleased with him. To see the everlasting perfection of his finished work, and rest with content and confidence thereon, saying, This is all my salvation: this Jesus is all my desire. This is indeed true blessedness. The generality of professors are most awfully disposed to neglect Christ, and lay a great stress upon things which do not concern the salvation of their souls. When the Holy Ghost is the teacher, he leads to Christ, he exalts Christ, he reveals Christ, he takes of the things of Christ and makes them known, he glorifies Jesus in the word, and by it in our understandings; so that we know him, believe on him, and have communion with him. Then we live on him as our all in all; and live to him in all; receiving out of his fulness every blessing of grace, and many sweet foretastes of eternal glory. Jesus is the glory of his people. The knowledge of him is life everlasting. And to enter spiritually into what the Holy Ghost hath revealed concerning him in the written word, and to receive into our minds, and give full credit in our hearts to the record of God concerning his Son, is the fruit and effect of the supernatural teaching of the eternal Spirit; he is the Anointing which teacheth all things and leads into all truth. So, it is, God's own people are strangely inclined to legality and unbelief. And truly it is the worst evil which belongs to them. Yet there is no evil they are less suspicious of, or any evil they fall more frequently into. So, it is, many of them are really pleased with hearing and reading great gospel truths, yet at the same time they are more pleased with hearing and reading the truths of God, than taken with the reality of them, and believing them as God's verity. May you study Christ, meditate on his love, look off yourself to Christ. Let nothing keep you from closing with him. Let what your own experience of yourself is, be a motive for you to live out of yourself on Christ. If you want encouragement for so doing, look into the blessed Bible, in it there is every encouragement to trust in the Lord for ever, because, in him is everlasting strength. Remember the matter of importance is not what you are, but what Christ is. He is Jah, the Saviour, self-existent, all-sufficient, suited exactly to your case. Not a wound hath sin given but he can heal, not a stain but his blood is all sufficient to cleanse from, not a sin but he can pardon, not a want but he can supply, not a corruption but he can subdue, not a sorrow but he can turn it into joy, not an enemy but he can conquer, not a blessing but he can bestow: oh he is a precious, precious, precious Jesus. Oh that you may be truly alive to him. Oh that you may depend simply on him. Look at him as set forth before you in the word, and trust on him according to the reason you have for so doing it; believe on him by it, hold communion with him in it, and learn to improve it to his glory and your soul's good. May the Holy Ghost shine on what I have written, and speak by it to you, and make Jesus everlastingly precious Oh blessed, infinite, boundless, and incomprehensible love, it is past finding out, for it is love eternal, love almighty. Oh I am lost in this blessed sea of eternal love. For a being to be poor who is possessed by such an eternal and ever-loving Father and Saviour is impossible, as well might it be said that God was poor, as such an one who hath love for his Father, love for his Saviour, and love for his Leader or Divine Teacher. Well might that blessed love-full apostle John, say to his followers, "Love one another," for divine love is all and in all. True religion is love, and divine love is true religion, and the man who is saved with such an infinite salvation as the love-salvation of Christ Jesus, is a true christian, for he who loveth is of God, for "God is love." Jesus saith, of the true christian, he "is bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh." Yes, the child of God is love-natured, for he is born of God, created anew in Christ; he thinketh no evil, is satisfied with all things, loveth his enemies, is not puffed up, hopeth all things. knoweth but those who are saved. Blessed is the man who is love-born, love constituted, for he dwelleth in God and God in him; heaven is his home and eternity his dwelling place. He is not of the world but of God, his conversation is in heaven, his food is from above: he is saved everlastingly. Love divine is his contemplation: love divine his hope. Oh, what can be said of divine love! It can be felt and enjoyed, but never, never fully declared, for it is incomprehensible. My pen faileth to make known the blessedness that is burning within my bosom, when I realize the enjoyment of the same. My God, King, Husband, Friend; my infinite, eternal, inexpressible all; Ŏ divine Love! eternal Love! I must sink into nothingness, yea, cease to be, that Love may be all and in all. Hail blessed, infinite, and eternal Love! Kingston. E. D. SERIES OF LETTERS FROM REV. E. PARSONS, OF CHICHESTER, TO A FRIEND. Letter 4.-To be continued. My very dear Sister in the path of tribulation, and in the best and surest bonds of covenant love: may grace, mercy, and peace be with you, and your's, through our dear Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. I received your kind letter with many thanks to that God who inclined your heart to write to so unworthy a sinner as myself, for it was an unexpected mercy, as I did not look for it, until I had written again to you, the dear instrument, in his hand, of communicating comfort to his poor cast down, dejected servant. Oh, my dear sister, what am I that I should be the highly honoured instrument in setting forth the gospel table with precious provision, even the Lord Jesus Christ with all his saving benefits; and that the ever-blessed Spirit should speak in me, and by me, to your heart, so that you are enabled to sit under his shadowing wings of salvation and redemption with great delight, and thus, with the hand of faith, to pluck of the Tree of Life, whose leaves are healing, refreshing, comforting, and strengthening to our poor souls: and it delights our inmost hearts to be at the feet of our dear Lord, and to draw out of his never-failing fulness all our comfort, "In the multitude of my thoughts within me, thy comforts delight my soul." It is heaven upon earth to hear his well known voice speaking peace and pardon, rest, joy, happiness and love, through every part of the soul. "My sheep hear my voice, they follow me;" with a willing mind, humble heart, and burning affections, to high and heavenly things. Yea, moreover, the happy and justified soul takes its flight, on the wings of faith and love, into the upper regions of eternal bliss, and longs to depart and to be with Christ which is far better, when the blessed Spirit shews us the King in his beauty, and the land that is afar off. Oh, my dear friend, what am I that I should be the happy instrument of emptying the golden oil of his free, unmerited grace, out of my poor earthen vessel, into the hearts of his dear children; and to pour forth, or pour out the wine of his eternal love! and that Jesus should deign to visit us poor ungodly sinners, and be at the head of the table, to feast our souls with the richest repast, even his blessed seif, as the bread that came down from heaven, to give his life for the believing world. Surely when we were together there was everything our poor souls could wish for: Jesus the altogether lovely, and chiefest among ten thousand, to feast our eyes; the bread of life to strengthen our hearts; and wine to cheer our desponding souls. And oh, amazing love that passes thought or sense, that he should say to the like of us, loved, his delight, his portion, his special choice and peculiar care; yea moreover, his joy. Cheer up, my tried companion to the same glorious, heavenly country; Egypt is behind us, and Canaan in front; a dark night here to wade through but a bright day in hope; a veil of tears here, but a God of love to wipe them away hereafter; a wilderness of wild beasts of prey to pass through, with many pricking thorns and briars, to affright, wound and pierce here, but the land to which we are going is a land of pure delight, pleasure, and solid joy, not one barren spot in it, no nor barren heart, and is altogether fruitful, flowing with milk and honey, everlasting love, and flowing mercy, without the least intermission. But here I must stop, for “ eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor heart conceived, the things God hath prepared for them that love him;" but faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen, so that we have them in hope, and see through a glass the promises of God darkly: but when we get to our house above, we shall see face to face, and no more meet the Canaanite for ever. And may the Lord the Spirit give my dear mother in Israel much of the enjoyment of it here. Now as the mother in Israel has written to her son, she must expect that the son will write to his mother; and as it is natural for the child to suck the mother's breasts, so the child often wishes to have a sip, otherwise he will not be quiet, and having been satisfied with the breasts of her consolation, he will be often longing to milk out that he may be delighted with the abundance of her glory; and as it is the mother's place to feed and comfort the child, I shall be expecting food and comfort from her as she is in possession of the same; and not only so, but the mother is generally the first that teaches the child a pure language, this also I shall expect from her; and I am not in the least fear but that she will teach her child the language of Canaan, as she is a citizen of that country, and has long been used to the tongue, and is a good scholar in it: therefore it is a mercy indeed to have such a mother. Moreover, I shall look (as it is common for the child to do) to my mother for counsel and advice, and thank her for that already given; and I hope she will have a wise son, that may make glad her heart, and that she may not get weary in nursing, feeding, comforting, admonishing, and instructing her son; and above all, my mother, go to Him that is indeed made of God unto us wisdom for all, and do not forget thy poor son who is shut up in his closet, very ill. Again, you have a mother's charge upon you, for my poor wife declares you are her mother too, and she loves you as such, and thanks you for your sweet advice. Now mind how you call yourself mother again, except you fullfil your office as such, which I have no doubt you will, if spared. in answer to this poor scribble. God for ever bless my mother; and believe me to remain your's to serve, E. PARSONS. EXTRACTS FROM SERMONS DELIVERED BY REV. J. VINALL, AT JIREH CHAPEL, LEWES. No. 6.-1o be Continued. JER. iii. 22. Return, O backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto Thee, for Thou art the Lord our God." This chapter contains an account of the awful backslidings of ancient Israel, in which the aboundings of sin are set forth by the awful charac ters of a harlot, and that of a wife treacherously departing from her hus band. And yet see the superaboundings of the sovereign, discriminating, and everlasting love of God, past finding out. But will this lead a re |