were ashamed to tell their master what their consciences told them was so contrary to his mind and spirit. It is so with us, whenever we are harbouring desires that we cannot bring to Him. The flesh would conceal its lustings from Him, and obtain their gratification without Him. But He knows all its workings, as he knew the dispute of his disciples; and graciously reproves and corrects our folly. Whatever desire we can bring to Him, as according with his will, we may bring to Him with the fullest confidence of receiving what we ask; and this surely ought to satisfy us-unless we would have something contrary to his will. O! if we had faith but as a grain of mustard-seed, how should we praise him continually who hath dealt wondrously with us indeed, in spreading such a feast for the poor and vile, in bringing the ungodly near to the living God. Our eyes are holden (till he opens them), so that we do not see the well of living waters that is beside us. And the moment after we have seen and drank from it, we would forget that it is there, if we were let. To "know the things that are freely given us of God," 1 Cor. ii. 12. is the work of his spirit: and his word is the sword of that spirit; the word which reminds us continually of the blessedness which we are called to inherit in Him who became a curse for us. "They which believe ARE blessed with believing Abraham.” "Ye ARE blessed of the Lord which made heaven and earth." "Praise ye name of the Lord."

March, 1826. * *

the

While you are exchanging the psalms for hymn-books, I should rejoice if we could get rid of all our hymns for the psalms. feels with me strongly on the subject: I have not talked about it to others. How miserably meagre are all the compositions of men in comparison of the divine word! Have you ever seen the version of the psalms without rhyme which the Glasites use? I do hope that something of the kind will yet be introduced in our churches; though I shall probably not see it.

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June, 1826. The church here goes on much the same way, too contemptible in point of numbers, and every thing else, to excite attention. Yet, occasionally, one or another individual is unexpectedly called, so as to supply the place of others who fall away: and though the instances are very rare, yet they sometimes strikingly exemplify the power of Him who "reigns in the midst of his enemies," so as to cheer us, and remind us "what work he did in the days of our fathers, in the times of old." Ps. xliv. 1. " Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? Arise for our help"-Ps. xliv. 23.-is a suitable prayer for his church; though it will not be fully answered till He come in His glory. Yet, previous to that day, I do look for a greater gathering of his redeemed out of Antichristian Babylon, and a more signal consumption of the man of sin.

CXVI.

10 MR. J. H

Sept. 8, 1826.

DEAR JOHN H—,—I do not wonder that you should be surprised at not having heard from me sooner since I left B—. On my return to town I proceeded to join my wife and daughter at Ramsgate; and both then and since we have again settled in our own home, I have scarcely had a week's freedom from gouty attacks; and even when most free from them, I continue so infirm on my limbs, that I could not possibly walk to the coach office with the parcel for you: that office is above three miles from my house; and I now hire a messenger to leave the parcel there, as I know not when I may be equal to the walk myself, if ever I should again. I am sorry to say that all our stock of tracts is exhausted, except Nos. iii. and vii., some of which I send you along with the Letters on P. C. and Sufficient Reply.

But though I have been long prevented from executing your commission, be assured I have not been unmindful of you. Indeed, it is, and has been, one of my daily petitions to the throne of grace, that ye may be approved to be the Lord's husbandry, a plant of his own planting, by his watering you with that river which makes glad the city of God, the blessed streams of his heavenly truth; and by his causing you, under its blessed influence, to increase in fruit to his glory-not in such spurious fruit as those by which the religious of the world display their zeal and piety-but in the fruits of righteousness, of which the world cannot take cognizance-peace and joy in believing the divine report-steadfastness of adherence to it, as to that which is our life, and abhorrence of all that deceivableness of unrighteousness which is opposed to the sanctity of the divine word.

You know, my dear John, that I aim at not passing by unnoticed any ambiguous language that falls from you. It is one of the most important exercises of brotherly love to watch over each other with that godly jealousy, which takes alarm at any thing that appears opposed to the truth of God.

At the close of your letter, you speak of not forgetting to pray that, "the important truths contained in the word may become the power of God to the salvation of our souls, and the souls of our fellow-sinners." Now, whatever meaning there may perhaps be, in which the prayer described in these words might be scriptural, their most obvious meaning seems to me to describe a prayer very unscriptural;-the prayer of one who professes to believe the divine truth testified in the word, but is looking for something further to make it become the power of God to his salvation. The Gospel of Christ is the power of God unto those that are saved, even to those

who are called to the belief of it, 1 Cor. i. 18. 21. 24. God HATH saved the believer, and called him with an holy calling, 2 Tim. i. 9. ; and how can such an one consistently pray that the Gospel may become to him what it is? This is very consistent with the popular systems, according to which a man may be ever so far from salvation, though believing the divine report: but it becomes not those who are brought out of darkness and death into light and life by the belief of the truth. As to the prayer, that the word may be made the power of God to the salvation "of the souls of our fellow-sinners,” I would remark briefly that we there also need to be kept in remembrance of the revealed will of God, that we may pray according to that will. We shall then not ask for any universal or general conversion of our fellow-sinners; for this would be asking God to act contrary to his revealed counsel—in fact, asking him to falsify his word-it is a remnant that shall be saved-few that are chosen.

But certainly it is most suitable for the believer to pray, that the word of our God may be glorified in being made to work powerfully in those that have believed through grace, and in being made effectual to the calling of those whom he has ordained to eternal life. All this, indeed, is included in the import of that petition which his children are taught, "Hallowed be thy name."

You know, my dear John, that in writing to you as I do, it is not under the supposition of your being any otherwise minded than according to the truth (See 1 John ii. 21.): but no admonition to hold fast the faith in its purity, can ever be unsuitable to those whose own hearts and thoughts are ever and altogether opposed to it. I inclose a few lines to our dear Peter H. My love be with you all.

CXVII.

TO P. H

Sep. 9, 1826.

As I dare say our brother H

will communicate to you my letter to him, I shall not repeat here the account of my long silence. I beg you will never talk or think, as if you used unwarrantable freedom in writing to me. I should not have thought it any freedom, even before we were united in Christian fellowship ;-but now recollect that we are brethren-one in Christ Jesus; our communications with each other cannot be too free. John has given me an intimation of one of the objections which you find brought against us by the religious world-namely, that we do not exert ourselves more to publish our principles, and win converts to them: and this objection is strangely brought against us by men who have heard all that we have to offer, and still remain unconvinced and disobedient to the

word. It does indeed become us to be always ready to give an answer to every one, that asketh us a reason of the hope that is in us; -to contend earnestly for the faith, and against every antichristian corruption of it. But the followers of him, who "did not cry nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street," cannot suitably employ the noisy and ostentatious zeal which the world admires. We have but one simple, though grand topic, to which we can consistently direct the attention of our fellow-sinners; and are precluded by the truth from all that effort of preachers to work upon the passions of their hearers, and to get them into a course of religious training. We have also to remember that those, to whom we speak at any time, have Moses and the Prophets, Christ and the apostles, preaching to them in the scriptures, and that we can but plainly point out what they say, and testify against the false interpretations that are current of their words: nor shall we think this simple reference to the scripture testimony insufficient, while we recollect that God honours his own word, knows who are his, even while they know him not, and will assuredly call every one of them in his own time to the belief of the truth. While I make these remarks, I should be very far from intimating that we have not to take shame for much remissness and indifference to the object of holding forth the Gospel; but I am sure, that when we are most engaged in it scripturally, the religious world will think us quite deficient in zeal and exertion. But in truth we are not to trouble ourselves about their objections and fault-finding. They manifest their blindness and antipathy to the word of God, by urging any circumstances (whether truly or falsely) in the conduct of those, who assert its truths and precepts, in vindication of their own unbelief and disobedience.

CXVIII.

TO MR. J. H

Nov. 9, 1826.

DEAR BROTHER H-I have too long delayed replying to your letter received by Mrs. B—, along with P S's book and letter to S. I have read them both, and to those who are of the truth, his character and spirit are sufficiently manifested in them. The poor man seems quite beside himself with religious vanity. God has revealed many things to me which come to pass according to my predictions"-" my predictions are sure to come to pass"-"the rising generation will see my predictions fulfilled in the family of -," &c.; and then the low scurrility of personal abuse in which he vents his spleen against individuals, and the glee with which he contemplates their final condemnation! All this, indeed, is small

in comparison of his blasphemies against the faith of the gospel-" a moonshine faith"-" a mental way," &c. While he thus rails at the belief of what God has declared in his Word, he no where (as far as I see) distinctly states what he means by faith; and, in general, professors of his class are studious to keep a veil of mystery about that. Yet it is sufficiently evident that here, also, the grand thing in his mind is self. The blessed Spirit revealed the Redeemer's sufferings for my sins." "God revealed his everlasting love to my soul," and that he had "loved ME from everlasting." The Lord shewed me that he had loved ME, and chosen me in Christ before the foundation of the world."

Thus, it is plain that his faith is a confident persuasion that he is one of the elect, and that to produce that persuasion in his mind is what he means by the work of the spirit, or, in other words, to reveal to him a matter about himself which is no where declared in the scriptures. He decries the belief of what is declared from Heaven in the Word, as a "moonshine faith, with which a man may go to hell like Judas ;" and he cries up the belief of what may, indeed, be a mental whim;" what is not to be found in the word of God, and what may be nothing but a suggestion of the father of lies. It is no wonder that such a man as this PS- should make so light of the scriptures in his letter to S;" As to differing from the scriptures, it is according to man's opinions. Some take the scriptures one way and some another." And no wonder he is

so indignant at those who oppose his spirit as delusive and his faith as baseless: he is, in short, a genuine specimen of the so-called high Calvinists of this country. But I am very far from thinking it expedient to meet this pretended prophet (who has such private revelations about himself and others) in the way of public controversy. I think it would be quite unsuitable for our brother Sto pretend to put himself forward in print. It was very well that he should oppose S's errors in the way of private communication either by letter or word of mouth. But when the other so arrogantly spurns that kind attempt, and challenges to a public controversy, I should be disposed to say, "Let him alone." As to myself, I have often thought of writing a tract against that class of professors and perhaps I may yet put it in execution. But I should not think of selecting that man for my antagonist. Doctor Hawker would be a more decent opponent; and though he is one of the reverend gentry, I am sure he has not so much of the high clerical airs and arrogance, as the illiterate P—S. There is but one thing I should wish to have an opportunity of marking to that gentleman: that by the simple belief of the written word against which he rails, we are very far from meaning the mere acknowledgment or belief that the scriptures contain a divine revelation. Of this many are strongly persuaded who yet disbelieve the most important truths declared from heaven in that sacred volume, just as the carnal Jews, &c. But while I should like to mark this distinction to him, I dare say there is no occasion: he probably is well aware that we do not consider the mass of those, who acknowledge the Bible, as partakers of the salvation testified of in the word;