Who preach a system by mere man attained, And tends alone their proud hearts to enlarge.

Important thought! whilst mercy fills his throne,

He holds the sword of vengeance in his hand; Destruction by its naked blade is shewn, For those who disregard his great command.

Important thought! ye churches now beware, Whilst men made preachers spring from every source;

Direction seek from God by earnest prayer, And he will bless the object of your choice.

Oh may the happy period soon be seen, When men of God with truth upon their lips, Shall loud and long proclaim the glorious theme,

Of grace, free grace the only source of bliss.

When truth upon the gospel pole shall rise,
And error sink into the pits of hell;
Then joy and peace shall in the church arise,
And harmony in every soul shall dwell.
St. Ives, Hunts.

་་

W. C...

L.

Lord, my soul to praise aspiring,
Grateful owns that It is well;
Keep, oh keep me thus, admiring
All thy ways, while here I dwell.

Thou dost chide thy children often,
Bringing latent sins to view;
But it is their hearts to soften,
To display thy love anew.

This I've proved, and Lord I bless thee,
For each sorrow, for each pain;

Trials brought me to address thee,
And in each thou didst sustain.

While the dew from heaven distilling,
Peace divine within my breast,
Came with joy extatic filling,

Calming each sad thought to rest.

Thou wert all my consolation,
When the threatening waves rose high;
Thou didst bless in tribulation,
Deigning grief to sanctify.

Yes, dear Lord, each balm applying,
Thou didst tune my harp to praise ;
And as then, on thee relying,

I would sing thy matchless grace.

Since, I've learnt this, grace enabling,
Much to prize thy chastening rod;
Which my wandering soul reclaiming,
Closer drew unto my God.

STANZAS

EMMELINE.

Suggested by reading the Pastoral Remains of the Rev. George Comb, in which is recorded, among his last expressions,

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Victory is written upon my shield." King of the cold and clammy brow,

Thou mayest thy fatal dart prepare;
A ransomed one thou com'st to now,
And wilt but little glory share.
See, standing on thy sable flood,

He marks thy approach to set him free; I trust, he shouts, Christ's precious blood, My shield is red with Victo: y!

I would not die the death of those,
Who never tasted sovereign grace;
My breast with holy fervour glows

I would God's many mercies trace:
I would a testimony leave,

I long to tell God's love to me;
I have no fear to cross the wave,
My shield is bright with Victory!

I am no common sinner, Lord,
The Bible which a mother gave*
I once disdained, but now thy word
Illumes my passage through the grave.
Thou mad'st my obdurate bosom yield,
Or I had never thought of thee;
My Captain's triumphs gild my shield,
Emblazoning it with Victory!

Like Hezekiah I would fain

The period of my days extend;
Much should I love to preach again,
The glories of the sinner's Friend:
But all is well, for every soul,

Secured by cov'nant and decree ;
Shall find when death's dark billows roll,
Their shield, like mine, is Victory!

* See Remains pp 113.

REZENEB.

In the former paper it was designed to expose such as made a profession of godliness, while ignorant of the power; so now we would, on the contrary, endeavour to assist those poor trembling hearts whose desires are set upon the Lord Jesus, but whose faith is not yet sufficiently strong to enable them to say with the Patriarch "I know in whom I have believed." And may God the Holy Ghost, who alone can make our endeavours of any benefit, smile upon what may be here set down, and cause it to be indeed to some thirsty soul as a taste of the brook by the way.

Assurance of life eternal! To know Jesus, and to know that he is my Saviour! Oh what can be compared to this unspeakable mercy! And yet there are many who walk on even to the gate of heaven without realizing this blessing. Many secondary reasons might be given for this, but primarily it may be said that it is a jewel out of heaven's treasury, and our God bestoweth his gifts unto his children severally as he will. It is May, 1841.]

however uncomfortable walking in the dark: it is Satan's season for temptation. And although all may not obtain the jewel of a full assurance, yet are all encouraged to come to the glass of Scripture, the only mirror which will truly develop the features of the inner man.

It is a good thing to see a soul willing to come here with the Psalmist's prayer, "Try me, O Lord, and let me know my heart; search me, and let me know my thoughts." Hypocrites do not this: they are like the panther, who, when she goes to drink, that she may hide her own deformity troubles the waters; so do ungodly professors, they stir up unprofitable controversy, that thus they may have little to do with heartwork, or in other words with experimental religion.

Though it is true that any one saving grace whatever is a sure sign that Christ is thine, yea even though thou hast a thousand temptations and doubts which thou canst not answer, yet it is good to gather as it were an abbreviate of evidences, that thy soul may feed upon them in time of trouble. The general sign is, "If any man be in Christ he is a new creature," which is called Regenera

tion, whereby the law is written in our hearts: the strings are the same though the time is changed. But to enter more particularly into the subject, we may I think safely set down these eleven signs whereby a may know that Christ is indeed his Saviour.

man

I. If thy faith was wrought and confirmed by hearing the word preached. Faith cometh by hearing." Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth." Every child hath a father. So the three thousand were converted by hearing Peter. I deny not but that afflictions, losses, bereavements may prepare for Christ, as Paul was by being unhorsed by Christ, yet these do not work faith but that is usually wrought by the word preached: therefore Ananias was afterwards sent to Paul, and Philip to the Eunuch. Now then enquire, Did the word preached convince, humble, and excite you to seek Christ; and doth it confirm and establish your faith.

"I am

II. If thy heart was prepared for the receiving of Christ, as the stones were prepared for the Temple: the mountainous and high thoughts which thou hadst of thyself, like the Pharisee who thought himself not like other men, shall be changed; now thou shalt have low thoughts of thyself, saying, as Jacob said, not worthy of the least of thy mercies;" as the prodigal, "I am not worthy to be called thy son;" as the publican, God be merciful to me a sinner!" as Paul, Of sinners I am chief;" or, as David, "I am a worm and no man." God usually smites the heart with a spirit of bondage, and a fear of hell and damnation before he gives Christ, as the plough goes before the corn is sown. No woman brings forth a child without sorrow and pain, nor are any born again without their spiritual pangs of sorrow, though some feel more and some less, as some children are born with less pain to their mother, yet all

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have so much as to make them let go their sins to receive Christ, as Paul was, who cried out, "Lord what wilt thou have me to do?" and as the thousands who were converted at Peter's preaching cried out, saying, "Men and brethren, what shall we do ?" All believers can call their faith Benoni, the child of their spiritual sorrow, as Hannah said of her child, "This is the child for which I wept, and mourned, and prayed."

III. If thy faith hath these several operations.-1. It is little at the first, like a little child who cannot go alone or speak but is carried in the arms of others, so this weak believer is fain to be carried in the arms of stronger christians, and doth nothing scarcely but cry for his sins, hunger after the word, and long for it. It is a weeping faith; full of doubtings, temptations, and fears; crying, like the poor man, "Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief. It is so weak at first that the poor believer can scarce discern whether he hath any faith or no. But if the child be of a man's stature so soon as it is born it is a monster: so if thou art all of a sudden fully assured that Christ is thine, and no sooner art stept out of thy natural sinful condition but presently thou art so sure that thou canst not be made more sure, thy faith is a monster, soon ripe and soon rotten, like Jonah's gourd that did in a grow night and did perish in a night. 2. It increaseth, however, as a child groweth daily: it doth not lie in the heart like a stone in the earth, but like a seed which groweth. The righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith," Rom. i. 18, that is from one degree of faith to another; as the little grain of mustard seed in time grows to a great tree, so the faith that before could scarcely be discerned is now strong, and the babe helpeth now other children, as Nicodemus, who at first came by night, but afterwards went with Joseph openly to Pilate to beg the body of

Jesus. 3. It opposeth unbelief: if there be no opposition in thy heart, no striving against doubting, no warring against infidelity; there may be bold and strong presumption but their is no faith, for Satan tempted the faith of Christ, and of Peter, and surely he would shake thine if it were of God: that man never believed who never doubted, and that man hath not true faith who findeth not something within his bosom resisting the doubtings of unbelief.

IV. Another sign of a saving knowledge of Christ is repentance. If we carry our sins with a heavy and broken heart, grieving and mourning for the impieties and impurities of our nature, still remaining contrary to the holiness of the Spirit of grace, as fire to water and light to darkness, which made Paul to cry out, "Oh, wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death." But this repentance must be distinguished from that kind of sorrow which laments the sin because of the punishment, like a man who repents that he has eaten rich food because it hath made him sick. This kind of repentance yieldeth salt water-tears of bitterness; but the children of God weep tears of love, grieving more for the sin which is displeasing to God than for the punishment, although they weep as well for the punishment, but not chiefly so, they say, with David, Against thee, thee only have I sinned;' with Joseph, How shall I do this great wickedness and sin against God;" and like Peter, Who went out and wept bitterly," but it was when Christ looked upon him with an eye sparkling full of love. So the prodigal lamented that he had offended his loving father, saying, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee." It is that which grieves me most that I have offended thee. Neither is this sorrow only for outward sins, but it is a mourning spirit for our sinful propensities, for

and

secret thoughts and lusts which the world see not; for even these disquiet a godly heart, as the smallest hair will ruffle a tender eye, and trouble it, and make it weep. Now this repentance and godly sorrow for sin, is a sight of our interest in the Lord Jesus, because corruption and the natural unregenerate heart cannot hate sin nor grieve for it: the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and so, contrary wise, the Spirit of God in us cannot love sin, but must loathe it and grieve for it.

V. The fifth sign that we have our part in Christ is, if we be poor in spirit and hunger and thirst after righteousness. Not after comfort, pardon of sin, or salvation only as Balaam did, and as those did who cried, "Lord, evermore give us this bread, that we may never hunger more!" but after righteousness, to have more power against sin and more grace to love God, and Christ, and his saints more; not so much after happiness as after holiness-not only to be glorified of God as to glorify God. Now these desires are signs of faith in Christ, for they are wrought by the Holy Spirit of God. They cannot come from our own. spirits, but are supernatural desires. If iron move upward, which is contrary to its nature, surely some loadstone hath been there: desires of

grace is grace, because grace is seated in those desires. Such as these are pronounced blessed, and pronounced by God to be satisfied with such measure as God sees meet for them. Because desire of grace is accepted as if we had what we desire: If there be a willing mind, it is accepted. according to what we have, and not according to what we have not," as it appears in the widow's two mites, who on Christ's account cast in more than they all, because her affection was larger than their's. So Abraham is said to have offered his son because he was willing to do it, and David to have built God an house

because he was willing to have done it: thus to will is present with me, saith Paul, but to do good I have no power. On the contrary a natural man's desires are earthly, voluptuous, ambitious; or if he desires spiritual things, it is in a carnal manner and out of self-love, because he is loth to be miserable, and usually his desires are sudden, inconstant, and lazy, not continuing and painful.

VI.

Love is another sign that Christ is our's. "Faith worketh by love." And that consists in five particulars. 1. If we love God: if we love him for his holiness, for the excellency of his nature, and as a Father that hath shewn sweet marvellous love unto us, so that the thoughts of God are sweet and precious unto us. 2. If we love the Lord Jesus with a conjugal love, even as our best Beloved. 3. If we love the saints as members of the body of Christ loving them with an universal love, although they may be poor, or afflicted, or persecuted; loving them as brethren; esteeming them as David did the excellent of the earth, with a readiness also to help them if they be in need, delighting in their company, and sympathizing with them in all their afflictions. 4. If we love the word of God with a sincere love: they that are born of the womb desire the milk of the breast, and the end is that they may grow thereby. 5. There is a love likewise to those who are out of Christ, regarding them with pity, and praying for them before God, Abraham did for the inhabitants of Sodom, and for Ishmael, "Oh that Ishmael might live before thee;" labouring likewise that if it be the will of God they might realize likewise the joys of salvation: as Paul did Felix, and as the woman left her waterpot when she had found Christ and went and told them of Christ who were in the city.

as

VII. Another sign whereby we may know that Christ is our's is, if we

have received the Spirit of prayer. The heart of a believer is divinely moved and excited by the Holy Spirit to be often with God in prayer, running to God in every strait and difficulty, as the child in nature runs to the mother, so that they make conscience to perform it, and cannot live without prayer. The first words the spiritual child speaks is Abba Father: so Paul, as soon as he was converted, got alone and betook himself to prayer: "Behold he prayeth." Natural men usually have no gift in prayer: they can many of them preach eloquently, or speak profoundly even before kings and nobles, but are not able to speak five words spiritually before God in prayer; whereas many a poor simple man, that is scarcely able to speak five wise words, especially if it be before some great men, yet can speak to God by prayer even to admiration. Many of God's people however cannot pray eloquently, nay, some are so weakly gifted that they can scarcely make sense of what they pray, their words have no connection, they seem only to weep and sigh and but groan, these are the strongest prayers, and are indeed still more above the natural man's abilities. The child of God moreover comes to God in faith; with some little confidence, however much it may be shaken by doubts, that he belongs to God. Doubtless thou art our Father. He prays likewise fervently: the affections are as it were set on fire by the Holy Ghost. Thus Hannah poured out her soul before the Lord. Thus Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and wept sore. And Jacob wrestled with God, and our Lord prayed with strong crying and tears. Invention may give us words, but the Spirit will make us cry, which consists not so much in strength of words as of affection. Natural men may have external elocution, but they want inward affection. They are dead and cold in prayer. They usually pray as though