standing, and opens the heart with his sword, which is the word of God. And then the man attends to the things which were spoken by Paul. This is a high and holy calling, that he may know the Lord, and hold communion and fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And no stranger will ever enter the kingdom of heaven, let him make as much noise as he will. There must be a calling to the acknowledgment of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; and to a knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus. It is written in the prophets, "They shall be all taught of God," and "They shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest." And the declaration of the faithful betrothment of the church is accompanied with this promise, that she shall know the Lord, and she shall also see with the eyes of her understanding, and look upon and handle by faith and experience of the word of life, which was with the Father, and is manifested unto us. There is a striking and prominent exhibition in the volume of inspiration of this truth, that the trials, conflicts, fires and furnace, are to purge the dross and purify and refine the soul, to hold communion with, and know how to address the Most High. The waves of trouble are to effect and bring about a calling upon the Lord, that there may be a better understanding between the Father and the child. "Call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me." And when he is tried he shall receive the crown of life; but not before he is tried. The Lord does not throw away his blessings upon those who do not know how to value them. He will bring the third part through the fire, to refine them and try them; and they shall call, and he shall hear. "He shall say, It is my people; and they shall say, The Lord is my God." And again, how will it be in the great day of decision? "Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name done many wonderful works?" But the reply is, "I never knew you." Again, "Lord, Lord, open unto us." But the answer is, "I never knew you." "I know my sheep, and am known of mine." The song of grace thousands would not be prepared to sing; and the wedding garment and robe of righteousness, they could not prize, nor wear; and none are to have them but those who are taught to esteem them very highly, and whose nakedness and unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God. I have tried now and then to apply a promise, but always discovered that it would not stick unless there was a sore place, and it were applied to it.

Now, what conclusion can I and my reader come to, but that one half of the noise made in this our day is only the noise of strangers, who, like Eli's sons, know not the Lord? Preachers and professors of every denomination are making a noise like the rushing of many waters. Men are labouring in the vineyard before first partaking of the fruit. I have seen men with a painted stick acting as stewards over a charity feast, and perhaps a ten pound note attached to their names, between whom and the Lord there has never been the least acquaintance. Others mourn and cry under a sermon, whose members would be joined to a harlot the next day. Others confess their sinnership and say, Lord, Lord; but they would not

come to him only to be seen of men, and verily they have their reward. There are large meetings also for the cause of truth, (pro- fessedly,) where each in turn pays off his friend by proposing a vote of thanks; but (the question,) is it the voice of strangers, or of children? But to come home. I have found in keeping a little on the watch towers, some who hold the blessed doctrines of grace, (very many,) whom the doctrines never held; who will spend their wages in drink at the alehouse, and then cry out about their poverty at home; and put their foot into the fire, and charge God with burning it. This is throwing their delinquency upon the Lord. These, if I mistake not, will receive a double damnation. These eat the children's food, by thinking their trials are appointed by God. Paul did not say so. He said, "Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and gained this harm and loss." Many who hold the doctrines which declare a free-grace salvation to the church, serve as a handle for the devil and his emissaries to reproach the church of the living God by. But there is one fire, and only one, to purge out this leaven, which is the work of the Spirit; and he theu engraves it upon the tablets of the heart. It is this which brings down the noise of strangers, and establishes the children's claims to the kingdom of Jesus Christ.

G. M.

THE MINISTRY.

(Extract from a Letter.)

Dear Brother,-May constant love and mercy be multiplied unto you, and grace to help in every time of need.

I am still hobbling on in this vale of tears. Sometimes I am quite at a stand, and wondering where the scene will end. But, thanks be unto the Father of all my mercies, it always ends well, for our God can turn a curse into a blessing. "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing, but the honour of kings to search out a matter." We have passed through a deal of strange things since we first saw each other, many dismal, gloomy nights and dreadful storms; but hitherto the dear Lord has helped us. Yes, having obtained help from God, we continue unto this day. I am still proving that he leads the blind by a way they know not, and leads them into paths they have not known. I am confident of this, that I am a bigger fool than ever I was in all my life, and formerly knew nothing of the weakness and helplessness that I now daily find myself the subject of.

My dear friend, I wonder hundreds of times whether it is possible there can be such an ugly, foolish, ignorant, matchless, devilish wretch in all the family of God. Talk of "cultivating grace, living up to our privileges, taking God at his word, and not dishonouring God by disbelieving him!" why, my dear friend, where must I look if I had all these things to do? I must sink into despair, and never rise up again. I am confident of this one thing, that I have no more power at my command to raise up one thought to God, than I have

power to raise the dead.. I know it, for I have tried it thousands of times within these forty years, and never could perform it; still, an old fool as I am, I am trying at it yet. There is a something in me that keeps striving to do something, and yet it keeps proving that flesh is flesh, and will never be anything more than flesh. I do know at times that what Paul said is true; "To will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good I find not." But, bless the dear Lord, he does appear for me again and again, when driven to my wit's end, not knowing what to do; stripped of every human prop, and brought as a poor beggar into the dust, and sometimes able only to whisper, "I will lift up my eyes unto the hills from whence comes all my help, for my help comes from the Lord which made heaven and earth." I have been sorely afraid hundreds of times that I had quite worn out his patience, and so abused his tender mercies that he could not bear with me any longer. Then I have sobbed and cried, "Where can I go? for there is no other name under heaven that will do for me but the name of a dear Jesus;" and here my poor soul has been obliged to lie in the dust, till the dear Lord has come again, and set all right; for there is nothing short of himself manifested in my soul as my God and portion that can set all right. ** That God may bless you and be with you, is the heartfelt prayer of your unworthy brother,

Trowbridge, July 10, 1838.

(Extract of a Letter.).

J. W.

I have had some refreshings from our God since I saw you, but these two or three days back the arch enemy of my soul has been attempting to do me out of them all. My soul has again been exceedingly sorrowful, and I now feel an impatient craving and longing for a fresh revelation of Jesus to my soul by the almighty power of the Holy Comforter. Lately, I have had a blessed access into the mysterious character and office of Jesus as the eternal High Priest of his people; and, O it suited and pleased my soul well; it softened and comforted my heart, and though a little of the scent yet remains, the substance is gone, and I am again an empty vessel.. Every day I more sensibly prove the necessity of the Holy Comforter's sweet and independent communications to the soul; but when trials and darkness come upon me, you could not believe what an impatient and restless fool I am; to my shame be it said, I am one of the most awkward and cowardly soldiers. In fighting the good fight of faith, all my fighting is running away, and even running to the enemy's ranks. When war is declared, I never fail to do this, unless the Lord strengthens me with all might according to the glorious working of his mighty power, and then there is "strength to turn the battle to the gate," and the time for "them, that tarry at home to divide the spoil."

Preston, August 23, 1838.

J. M'K.

A FEW FACTS.

Our Lord declares (Matt. ix. 37) that "the harvest is plenteous, but the labourers are few."

If Jehovah, in his all-wise providence, opens up a way, and enables a poor, tried servant of God to go forth preaching Jesus Christ to the people, having no confidence in the flesh, he is led by the Spirit of all truth to see that the doctrines of the day, the bare word, I mean in the letter of it, is the sum and substance of three-fourths, (should I say?) yes, it is to be feared, of almost all the preachers in this great metropolis. This, of course, includes those who call themselves, and are called by others, high Calvinists; high indeed in doctrine; and it appears to be, I believe, an undeniable fact, that the higher they go in preaching the doctrines of the gospel, the less they have of experience, as regards the preaching of it to the hearts of the people. And if any dare to go forth as Paul did, not conferring with flesh and blood, and preach Jesus Christ, in power, to poor sinners, insisting that the mere doctrines of the gospel, the word, in the letter of it, will, of itself, be of no avail, he is sure to be shunned. A man may have a sound creed, and know the word, in the letter of it, from Genesis to Revelation, and yet have no saving knowledge of the truth; for with the heart man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. While all the doctrines of the gospel are great and glorious truths, the manifestation of Christ's imputed righteousness is the stay, solace, and comfort of every truly poor, contrite soul; but the mere doctrine will be a savour of death unto death to all those whom the Lord, by his Spirit, hath not humbled and brought down to the dust, and set anxiously inquiring, as feeling their lost, ruined, undone condition, if their name is in that covenant ordered in all things and sure, and if the righteousness of Christ is imputed to them. When a man thus preaches Christ, those whose heads are full of doctrine, and hearts void of power, cry out, "Ah, the poor man is in bondage."

Poor sinner, "is my name in the Lamb's book of life?" should be thy inquiry. "Hath Christ died for me?" If so, thou wilt not be always on the mount; therefore, may the Lord humble thee, and bring thee down to where Mary sat, with thy soul hungering and thirsting after righteousness; then the blessing will be thine, for thou wilt truly feel thy need of it. "Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled." If vitality and the power of the Holy Ghost are insisted upon, up start our Calvinistic doctrine men, saying, "Ah, I wonder who sent such a one to preach; there are too many preachers already." While this is an awful truth, it is no less true that the labourers are few; yet it is to be feared that many, in our day, labour too much, not in the things of God, but after the wisdom of men, being immured in their studies, in the midst of the works of Hawker and Crisp, with Hebrew and Greek lexicons, and a variety of mongrel and Arminian commentators, perhaps a work or two of some good old divine, with a vast variety of ancient history; from which aforesaid books and authors, they collect a few bones and bring them before their hearers,

hard of digestion to the poor, hungry soul, and quite destitute of nourishment. These things do very well for head-knowledge, mere doctrinal professors, who go forth with, "O what a wonderful sermon; what a great preacher!" and these poor bones are banged about till they really sometimes make as much noise in a place as that unmelodious music of marrow bones and cleavers; but after all, may we not fear that such preachers and such hearers, are but as sounding brass and tinkling cymbals. I cannot agree with those preachers who think so much erudition is necessary before a man can preach the gospel. And sure I am that such must have forgotten that some have been brought from the Carpenter's bench, or the Cobler's stall. He who fitted and qualified that great man of God, W. Huntington, to preach the gospel, can qualify, call, and lead forth any other as easily as he called a Paul and a Peter, and qualified and commanded them to go forth and preach the gospel; but it was to be the gospel; for our blessed Lord knew that there would arise many who would say, "Lo, here is Christ, and, Lo, there is Christ, and deceive, if possible, the very elect." Let us, therefore, give the right hand of fellowship to all who preach the gospel, not merely in the letter of it, but with the power of the Holy Ghost sent down from above, and pray the Lord of the harvest that he will send forth more true labourers into his vineyard; for the harvest is plenteous, but the labourers of this kind are few.

London.

Z.

A LETTER.

May the ever gracious Redeemer of ruined, helpless, lost sinners, manifest himself by the power of his Holy Spirit, in all his love, pity, and kindness, his willingness and ability to save to the uttermost all that come to God by him, unto the heart and conscience of my dear young friend.

Having occasion to write to your father, I inquired after your health, as both my wife and myself, when we saw you, thought you appeared very delicate. Your father, in reply, observes, "Sarah felt much disappointed because she did not see you the morning you were to leave us. This remark produced an inclination to write to you, desiring that the good Lord would so direct my pen, and bless what he enables me to write, that you may receive spiritual profit by it. God's elect, my dear friend, are to be judged in this world, that they may not be condemned with the wicked, that is, at the day of judgment hereafter. To accomplish this his gracious purpose, he, by his good Spirit, puts his vicegerent, conscience, in authority, enlightening and renewing it to bring our sins to remembrance, to show us the exceeding sinfulness of sin, accuse and condemn us for it, and leave us helpless and hopeless in ourselves. By this searching, whether it be gentle and gradual, or sudden and severe, our mouths are stopped, and we are brought in guilty before God. This is done that we may be brought to cry for mercy and salvation while they are to be had, and to seek the Lord for pardon and peace while he is to be