ral, zealous, and meek-spirited evil-doer, such as is described in Job viii. These insinuate themselves into the favour and affections of God's living family by their great plausibility and pretended hatred of sin, of themselves, and of all that is not really born of God. And when they have so far succeeded, they soon begin to infuse their venom and to practice their hell-born craft. They are too wise to bring forth their poison at first, or to let it be seen; because they know it would be regarded with horror, and their mask would be torn off, making manifest that they are of their father the devil, who was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth; but they try, though they never can succeed, (John x. 28-30,) to poison God's people, and to slay them by little and little, as I have heard that the savages do those they hate, giving them a slow, imperceptible, and tasteless poison in their food as often as opportunity offers, which begins by making the victim low-spirited and weak, which seems to be only a natural infirmity. But the poison works surely, and they lose their appetite, cannot walk, at times grow dizzy, and pine or waste away so gradually that no one would suppose it to proceed from any thing more than what is common to all in the ordinary course of human affairs. Thus the murderer effects bis vile purpose without suspicion, and gloats over his victim, whom he caresses to the last gasp. Now, can it be thought that the devil is not so wise as a heathen savage; that the father of lies is less crafty than his own children, whom he hath begotten and instructed? Surely not; for the generation of religious vipers could not work if that crooked serpent did not aid them with his infernal wisdom and devilish mixtures. Of all death-plotting savages, the religious, dead-hearted, make-believe, whining, or joy-filled believing-infidels are the worst. Such as "creep into houses, and lead captive silly women, (and men too,) laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, (harboured and transacted in secret,) having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof, ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist (not violently or openly, perhaps, but still as surely) the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further (than God sees fit); for their folly shall be manifest unto all, as theirs also was." (2 Tim. iii. 5-9.) These evils-doers never really feel, or have felt, the plague of their own hearts so as to cry, out of a broken and contrite spirit, unto Jesus for mercy, and so cannot speak faithfully thereof; but they lump up sin in the gross, and bring it forth in well-packed parcels, neatly tied up, and sealed with Scripture proofs. But the weight and burden of sin, the strivings against sin, the groaning and fainting under sin, the filth and the rottenness of sin, the despair it occasions, the self-loathing, the deep humility of soul, the struggling in the mud, "the spreading the hands in the midst while lying in the dunghill, as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim," the binding together and hardening of the spiritual affections, the feeling of a horror of great darkness, the clack overhanging cliff, the strong seal which in vain the soul tries to Freak, the veil on the heart, the misery of unbelief, the sighing and crying for all the abominations done in the vile body, the looking upward for help from on high till the eyes fail, the agony and racking of the mind when all past evidences seem to have been delusions of the devil, the earnestness and longing to be searched, and tried, and led in the way everlasting, the prayers of the prisoner for one drop of atoning blood to be felt, the supplications to have Christ's righteousness revealed, the horror which floods the mind because his chariot wheels tarry so long, because he seems to have cast off the soul, the fear that we know nothing of genuine repentance, that we are bastards begotten by Satan, and not sons of God, the thousand, yea, innumerable searchings, heavings, pantings, hungerings, thirstings, watchings, faintings, hardenings, freezings, shuttings-up, overflowings, cuttings down, self-condemnings, and roarings of the heart, these evil-doers seem totally ignorant of. O how have I felt when those I once thought real believers have appeared to me so widely different; when I have been constrained to be honest when asking myself, "do I believe they are taught and led of God?” and the answer has been, "I cannot believe it, or, if they are, I must be dead in trespasses and sins." They tell us, that talking so much and poring over what is within, is dishonouring Christ; that we should look out of ourselves to him only; that we should not do this and that, but should do this and the other, as though we possessed power to do all this if we chose to use it. O it is horrible, sickening, loathsome, disgusting! What! tell a poor wretched soul, with a mountain on his shoulders, that he ought not to think of its weight, but ought to sing in joy instead of groaning and crying because he feels even ready to be crushed to death! Whence comes all this? It must be from a dead heart. It cannot be from a living soul. Great God, thou knowest it is thy children's desire to be looking solely to Christ, and to roll their burden upon him, that he may sustain them; but they cannot, they are weak and feeble, and sore broken in the place of dragons, and, as dear Hart says, their language is,— "How can a burden'd cripple rise? Thy quick'ning Spirit vouchsafe to send; Apply the reconciling blood, And kindly call thy foe thy friend! Or, if rich cordials thou deny, Let patience comfort's place supply. Let hope survive, though damp'd by doubt; Do thou defend my shatter'd shield; Oh! let me never quite give out; Help me to keep the bloody field. Lord, look upon th' unequal strife; O, if these chiseled death's-head professors knew the burden and misery of a soul thus shut up, and, like David's, overwhelmed with blasphemy, sin, hardness of heart, and despondency, they never would talk as they do; they would sympathize with us, and so bear each other's burden. They say also, when you feel your tongue is tied, you should talk of Christ; for we can never talk too much of him. But sure I am this is false; for there is a great deal too much talking of Christ, and very little feeling. If they said, "We cannot feel too much of Christ," I should say, "Amen; God grant me more feeling, and I shall never complain that thou art too liberal." But talking and jabbering will not fill my soul; it empties it: "The talk of the lips only tendeth to penury." O Lord, I have often found it so, and I have groaned because" I am a man of unclean lips!" I am ofttimes forced to hold my peace, fearing my own words should entangle me. I hear people talk of vital godli ness and of a precious Christ, who, I believe in my soul, never experienced, as I and many others have, the wretched load of dead godliness, (or, properly, ungodliness,) and whose hearts have been so frost-bitten and woe-begone, so stiffened and swooning, that nothing has felt precious at the time; but we could only groan and sigh out our misery because Christ is not more loved, more precious, more enjoyed, and more glorified in our almost insensible hearts, and we have learned what mean these words: "To will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not." What makes a quickened, par doned soul so miserable, if it be not the absence of him in whose smiles alone he has experienced divine, soul-melting joy, and in communion with whom he has eaten the hidden manna of life? Is the land dark when the sun rides high in the unclouded heavens, and shines in full meridian splendour? I ween not. But when it sinks below the horizon, then it is night, and the beasts of the forest creep forth; then the old lion roars, and the way-faring man trembles; then the serpent hisses, and he fears to stir backward or forward, to the right or to the left, lest he should feel its sting piercing him, and the shooting pains of its deadly poison; the wild beasts growl, and the fogs and cold winds chill him through and through; vain then is it for any to say, "Tush! you are as safe as ever you were. What have you to fear?-a pretty soldier in truth-faint-hearted already! Do not heed such trifles; up and be doing, pray, meditate, believe, talk of Christ," &c. O this mum mery, these yelling animals, these always happy, always talkative, Christ-mouthy professors! Never will they know how to comfort others until they have been in like trouble themselves, and have been comforted by God. Then, as the sufferings of Christ abound in them, their consolations also will abound by Christ, and they will profit his people, by God's blessing their tried words to their troubled souls. As surely as any man, woman, or child, makes a profession of Christ, and knows no changes and sorrows, but is always in the light, always rejoicing, always confident, never troubled, never pinched with gnawing hunger and thirst of soul, never sorrowful, never in perils, never in darkness, in the deeps, so surely will they find these words true concerning them: "Can the rush grow up without mire? can the flag grow without water? Whilst it is yet in his greenness, and not cut down, it withereth before any other herb. So are the paths of all that forget (or never knew) God; and the hypocrite's hope shall perish; whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider's web. He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand; he shall hold it fast, but it shall not endure. He is green before the sun, and his branch shooteth forth in his garden. His roots are wrapped about the heap, and out of the earth shall others grow. Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evil-doers." (Job viii. 11-20.) Therefore saith the Lord to his mourners, "Fret not thyself because of evil-doers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity; for they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." ." (Ps. xxxvii. 1-4.) Yes, thou blessed Jesus! I know thou wilt do this; for thou hast made thy servant a living witness to the truth of thy precious promise. Thou dost give thy people their heart's desires, which the blessed Spirit therein, by his grace, awakens. How have I been constrained to acknowledge this! for thou hast suddenly shone into my soul, in all thy love and beauty, when mine eyes failed for looking upward, when thou hast seemed to be regardless of my crying and bitterness of soul, when I have knelt before thee, longng and beseeching thee to appear for my deliverance, to show me some oken for good, to melt or break my flinty heart in pieces, to show me hy hands, feet, and side, which I have pierced. Yes, thou hast granted the requests of a guilty, vile, detestable, proud, filthy worm, who has tasted the riches of thy grace, who has been overwhelmed with lovingkindness by his blessed, ever-loving, and long-suffering God and Saviour, and yet has vexed, rebelled against, and wandered from thee in the folly of his heart. O wretched, wretched man that I am! never was there one so hell-deserving, so crooked and perverse. If Jesus were not Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever, he never could bear with such a base, ungrateful creature of the dust, but would dash him in pieces as the potter's vessel. But no, his ways are not our ways; he is God, and not man only; he is a merciful and faithful High Priest, and can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way. Since I first began to write these lines, what mercy, what great love, what unbounded compassion, what faithfulness have I experienced! He hath restored my soul, refreshed, and comforted me; he hath led me to green pastures, and to the still, never-moving waters of his love and free salvation; he hath shown me that though he did shut me up, it was not in anger, but in mercy, for my good, and for his people's also, over whom I am appointed (though so weak, undeserving, and rebellious) to be an overseer. Yea, and he hath done more than this; he hath done that which, if I spake not of it to his praise, the very stones would cry out and declare it; he hath saved me from what might have ended in a painful and distressing death. My night-cap, as I knelt before my God, caught in a blaze by the lamp which was on my bed sliding down against it; I was so abstracted, and my mind so occupied in pleading with my ever-wakeful, most merciful, and good Shepherd, that although it had been burning for some time, I felt it not until roused by a most acute sense of heat on the top of my head, and putting up my hand, I withdrew it filled with the flaming linen; the fire was in my hand, but it hurt me not, nor was I even frightened; for I was in that hand which secured the Hebrew youths of old from destruction in the fiery furnace, which could not singe a hair of their head. And so it was in my instance; for although the fire had burned upon, and all round my head so fiercely that all the top of my cap was consumed to tinder, yet not even one of my hairs was injured thereby; but the skin of my head was turned a deep yellow, and I still feel a slight pain, just sufficient to keep the circumstance fresh in my memory. O, my soul, is not this a literal fulfilment of thy Lord's own words? "When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour." (Isa. xliii. 2, 3.) This mercy of my God proves what I told some of my people, (this very evening, a few hours before it happened,) who wished me not to go and see a sick person because her complaint was infectious: "Neither the pestilence that walketh in darkness, nor the destruction that wasteth at noon-day" can come nigh me unless my Lord hath so appointed; and if he has appointed it, come it must, whether I go or stay. "O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord all the earth. Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; show forth his salvation from day to day; declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people. Praise ye the Lord. O give thanks unto the Lord, for his mercy endureth for ever." Hallelujah!! Stoke, January, 1839. G. I. SALVATION. (Extract from a Letter.) My dear Sister in Christ Jesus,-Once more my dear Lord hath spared me to take my pen in hand, to write you a few lines; and if spared to fill up this paper, I hope it will be to the glory of God, and the comfort of your soul; and you know, with me, that whatever we may say or do, if it do not bring us to the feet of a precious Jesus, there will be no comfort to our souls, nor glory to the God of our mercies. I find my mind filled with one word, given to me this morning by God himself as a morning portion; and never did I find that word rest with such power on my mind before; and the fulness of that word will not, cannot, be opened to the full by man or angel, in time or to all eternity. It is to the church of God a blessing, an eternal blessing; and I do at times feel confident that if the Lord had not called me by his grace to a knowledge of himself, I should not find that word, yea precious word, SALVATION, a comfort to my soul; and if God the eternal Spirit is pleased to open it to you and me, I know it will be marrow and fatness to our souls. It will give me joy to hear you are rejoicing in God your salvation. I can say, and God is my witness, it gives me joy of heart to hear his dear children singing the high praises of Him who hath done such great things for us, that will be the employ of our souls, in sounding forth his praises, throughout all eternity. It is written in Rev. v. 9, they (the children of God) sing a new song, saying, "Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof, for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation." Do read it, and also in Rev. vii. 10, "Salvation to our God," &c.; also xii. 10, "Now is come salvation;" and xix. 1, "I heard a great noise of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluiah; salvation, and glory, and honour, and power unto the Lord our God." The word of God is full, from beginning to end, with that sweet word salvation. You will find it sweet, I hope, in reading it, and I hope you will write me a letter, filled with the enjoyment you have of his dear salvation in your own soul; for none can give comfort to the child of God but God himself, and nothing will lift a precious Jesus on high but what is brought home by God the eternal Spirit. I know man will advance many things from the pulpit, according to his mind; but it has no power on my mind if not with a "Thus saith the Lord." Although the witness of man is great, yet the witness of God is greater; for when the Lord is pleased to bring home to my soul with power his dear word, it is firm, and, like himself, unchangeable; so that I can rejoice in him with joy unspeakable and full of glory; and it is of no use for man to set up a standard or evidence for me. I bless my God, I have the greatest evidence God can give in my soul. You will no doubt think I wish it. Well, my sister, I hope you will not be too hasty, and say I am wrong, (as many do,) but compare spiritual things with what I shall write. Now, my dear sister, I hope the dear Lord will give you a sweet token of his love, and cause you to rejoice in him for giving you, I trust, the same blessing as to the poor worm that now writes. The first I shall write is one that no man or angel can give: so where it is implanted in the soul, it must be from and by God himself, which is life in my soul, to feel a hungering and thirsting after Jesus Christ, that he only can fill or satisfy; and I will say, without any fear of being made a liar by man or any else, there never was hunger or thirst felt or known without life. I would ask you, my sister, to ponder over these things; for the more simple |