deceived, I could not be a christian, as the Lord would not in that case deal so hardly with me. This was my case for many years: I was up and down like a pair of scales, never fixed. But I desire to bless and praise the name of the Lord, that he hath enabled me to take a different view of things since then; so that instead of looking into myself, and after the minister's experience, he has enabled me for the most part to look out of and away from myself, and to place my whole trust and confidence alone in his immutable oaths and promises, which can never alter. Having first made my calling and election sure, I can stand upon this immovable Rock and defy all the powers of darkness: it is because “I change not, that the sons of Jacob are not consumed." Here is solid rock, and here alone. Here is something for faith to lay hold of; this is a glorious resting-place. This is the resting-place spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, "In that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people: to it shall the Gentiles seek, and his rest shall be glorious." For we which believe do enter into rest." 66 There remaineth therefore a rest for the

people of God." "For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works as God did from his." "Let us therefore labour to enter into that rest, lest any man fail after the same example of unbelief." Unbelief is the strong bolt which bars man out of this rest, and faith is the key which lets him in. Hence the apostle says, "They to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief." This rest is the glorious liberty spoken of by the prophet Isaiah to be proclaimed to the captives, and the opening of the prison doors to them that are bound which is realized by precious faith. This is the garment of praise which is put on by faith, and received for a spirit of heaviness. It is said

"Thy praise shall continually be in my mouth." David says "Trust in the Lord at all times: thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trustethin thee." "Trust ye in the Lord for ever, for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.' "Let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me; and he shall make peace with me." Here some may be disposed to cavil, and say it is a very easy matter to talk and quote scripture, but it is all of no use-faith is the gift of God. This is the very reason that we are com manded to take hold of God's strength, because we have no strength of our own. Your carnal reason may at this seeming contradiction, but that will not alter the case. The invitation stands the same: Let him take hold of my strength,"-and woe be to him that contendeth with his Maker. For my part I am glad to flee to these strong holds. This is God's plan and order of working: "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."

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God's biddings are enablings. Paul may plant, and Apollos water, but God must give the increase. The Lord hath said that his ministers shall be as his mouth. Paul says,"We beseech you, in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." It is no small favour bestowed upon a minister, when the Lord will not suffer him to speak his own words, nor think his own thoughts: when this is the case we do not hear so much trash from the pulpit. A soberminded minister, thus taught, would blush to be left to preach himself, as some do. Paul says, "We preach

not ourselves, but Christ Jesus our Lord." Such ministers live most up to their privileges. Some may be disposed to call this legal stuff, and say they cannot live below their pri

vileges; for if salvation is all of grace, it cannot be of works. But let me tell such, that this is a vague and unscriptural way of arguing; for though works have nothing to do with my salvation, they are inseparably connected with it. It is because men do not live under the influence of grace, that the invitations or exhortations are rejected, and distorted, and twisted about, and made to say any thing but what they mean. Because such persons like to indulge in the gratification of their evil tempers, and thus they make their own weakness the plea, and so they wrap it up. Paul says to such, "Ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children.' All loving and affectionate children will be desirous of attending to the advice and admonition of a kind and indulgent Father: For though I might have faith so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity," or love, all this sort of faith will avail me nothing; for it is very evident that the faith here alluded to is no more than a dead faith, for it is an utter impossibility that the faith of the operation of the Spirit of God should exist without love these are two twin graces which never can be separated; "faith works by love, and purifies the heart.' The apostle James says, Shew me thy faith without thy works; and I will shew you my faith by my works." If James had not been inspired when he wrote these words, how many would have called him legal. Then why may not others be inspired by the same Spirit to use the same sort of exhortations without being termed legal?

It is because we are such poor depraved creatures, that we are too prone to make any excuse for our wickedness, that we do not like to admit this to be the case. But it may be objected that a dead faith should remove mountains: but I should say, that under such circumstances it would remove things which August 1841.]

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might appear as mountains; for it is very evident that a system of divinity may be as easily studied, and assented to with as much ease, as any other system, and acted upon to a certain degree, as far as the depraved and corrupt motives of men may require. A man may read of the fall of man, and assent to the truth of it. He may read of the awful consequences entailed upon Adam's posterity, through his own gression, and believe it; for all men will admit that they are sinners: though they never felt it, they believe it, because the scriptures declare itnot because their experience corresponds with it. They may believe that Christ is the only way of salvation, because they cannot see how God can be just and save the sinner any other way. In fact men may assent to the whole word of God, which may be productive of a false peace, and remove in a manner that mountain of sin which lays upon them, though they never felt the weight of it.

I am now treating of those characters who hold the truth in unrighteousness; who have clear and distinct views of all the doctrines of grace, and presume to think they are interested in all they contain, when at the same time they are rolling sin as a sweet morsel under their tongues, and indulging in all the gratifications of their lusts. Such persons are very comfortable and happy in a calm, when every thing is smooth and easy, and they dream they are all right for heaven: but let a storm come on, let death and eternity stare them in the face, and where then is their boasted confidence? They then become like the man described by our Lord, who built his house upon the sand: and when the winds and the rain descended, it beat upon it, and it fell, and great was the fall thereof; for his supposed superstructure tumbles about his ears, and buries him in the ruins. A dead faith will be sure, to

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give way in the day of trial; the stony ground hearers can never bear the scorching sun of persecution : but the good ground hearers will bring forth fruit, some fifty and some an hundred fold. And what is the nature of this fruit? A trust and confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ in the midst of all opposition and these fruits will be productive of the mortification of the deeds of the body, and the crucifixion of the old man. The apostle says, • If ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live:" which mortification consists in turning our backs upon righteous as well as sinful self, cutting off right hands, and plucking out right eyes, and taking up our cross daily-renouncing the world with all its pomps and vanities.

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But shall I encourage you to nurse your doubts and fears, by telling you that all the Lord's people are the subjects of them more or less. Though this is the fact. I should rather attend to what the Lord says by the mouth of his prophet, "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem; say unto her that her warfare is accomplished, that her sin is pardoned." "Fear not, little flock, it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.' In the last day, that great day of the feast,

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Jesus stood and cried, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink he that believeth on me, as the scriptures hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." Whosoever will, let him come." "He that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out." "Come ye, buy wine and milk, without money and without price." Here is no prerequisite required, it is all as free as the air you breathe. Your doubts and fears arise from pride and unbelief. You are looking into yourselves for what you will never find.

"If you tarry till you 're better,

You will never come at all."

Why not take God at his word; you can take the devil at his word, and you can believe your own deceitful heart; but, he that believeth not God, the scriptures hath said, hath made him a liar, because he doth not believe the record which God hath given of his Son. You may say, I would gladly believe if I could; I have no doubt but faith is the gift of God, and our sufficiency is of him, for "no man (says Christ) can come unto me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him;" what then is to be done? The fact is we can do nothing." for without me ye can do nothing" but rebel. The more the illuminating influence of the Spirit of God shines into our hearts, the more shall we discover the innate depravity and the abominable evils of our corrupt natures; and then, when the fountains of the great deep are broken up, we become suffocated, and exclaim, with Paul, Oh, wretched man that I am."

A corrupt tree never will bring forth good fruit; we must not expect to gather figs of thistles, nor grapes of thorns. Yet how many christians are hungering and thirsting after a righteousness in themselves, but it is like attempting to wash the blackamoor white, on which all the soda and soap in the metropolis would produce no

effect; and it would be equally difficult to eradicate the spots of the leopard and to turn it into a lamb: old nature will always remain. Our righteousness is, at the best, but filthy rags. It was not until the two debtors had nothing to pay that they were frankly forgiven. So with the poor lepers; they were never pronounced clean, so long as there was one spot that was not covered with the leprosy. Now this is the case with the poor sinner; so long as he has one spot of self-righteousness, and so long as he has one farthing wherewith to pay, he can never receive the pardon of his sins, and put on the Lord Jesus Christ, making him every thing. We must be nothing at all before he can be all in all.

But some may be ready to say, I am quite sure I have no righteousness, for I am as black as the devil and sin can make me. This may be a honest statement; but if you could be as pious and as holy, in yourself, as for sin to be no trouble to you, you would not then want a Saviour, for the whole need not a physician, but they who are sick." Thus the Lord the Spirit having convinced such that they are sinners, they must remain so, until the same Spirit is pleased to persuade them that they are saints, for "it is not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord;" the vision is for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak and not lie; though it tarry wait for it, it will surely come." And blessed are they that wait for him, for 86 they shall not be ashamed that wait for me, saith the Lord;" the Lord is good to them that wait."

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What an unspeakable mercy we are not commanded to work for these great and glorious realities:-"not of works lest any man should boast," "the children not being yet born, neither having done good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand;" "not of him

For some time past I have felt toward you as if I had omitted a duty, and I may add a pleasing one, that of sending you a few lines, in the hope that I may, even in any degree, contribute to your comfort and peace of mind.

I address you, hoping that without any apology you will pass over my apparent neglect. Though I did not write to you, your case has been frequently on my mind, and I have often thought with gratitude, of the mercies bestowed on you. To be preserved from an evil world, is an unspeakable mercy; but to be preserved from many evils and vexations, to be found in the religious world. surpasses the highest and mightiest grasp of a sanctified imagination. By reason of our weakness, we are liable to be led astray by many false and strange things; in such cases, we should remember, that our safety is, to follow our heavenly shepherd, closely and submissively. To me it seems unaccountable how any, among the various grades of arminians, can pretend to be divinely taught, to know their own weakness, and after all depend on doing their own part! We should also remember that Paul, speaking of the evils against which christians are to contend, mentions fears; a host of inward and unwearied foes, which often haunt us in prosperity, and acquire peculiar force in our hours of trial and bereavement: but our com