thought is foolishness. Sin is of a corrupting nature; and carnality is debasing; so that the existence of the fear of God and sin in the same person often bewilder the soul so much that he does not know what to make of himself. It appears, from the anxious desires which are felt to exist in the soul, that there is some good thing therein towards the Lord God of Israel; cleanness is longed for, and a holy indignation is felt against the hateful nature of sin; but yet pride and evil still lurk within, and seem to contradict the thought of any good to be found in the heart. So the child of God frequently is tossed backward and forward, between hope and despair, wondering where the scene will end. Well; if there is any fear of God in the heart, it will end in the perfect reign of grace.

(To be continued.)

"BY FAITH, NOT BY SIGHT."
"Nor by sight" we onward travel,

But" by faith," the Scriptures say.
Human sense cannot unravel
The deep mysteries of the way.
Not by nature these are learn'd,
But by faith alone discern'd.

Not by mortal eyes perceiving
The inheritance above,
But alone on Him believing

Whom, though seeing not, we love;
Faith alone can us assure

That our home is made secure.

Though to human estimation

Jesus has no comeliness,

By the Spirit's revelation,

Faith beholds him full of grace;
And in him do we behold
Treasures better far than gold.

While the carnal man finds pleasure
Only in the things he sees,
We renounce the worldling's treasure,
Having better joys than these.
We by faith to Christ would cleave,
Willing all things else to leave.

Though on earth we're often weary,
While the world enjoy their gains,

Yet beyond this desert dreary

We believe a rest remains;
And we hope for ever there
In that glorious rest to share.

1879.

There we'll bid adieu to sadness,

Freed from sorrow and from sin,
In his presence dwell with gladness,
Where no pain can enter in;

There we hope, through sovereign grace,
Ever to behold his face.

Trusting not to human reason,
May we still by faith discern
God's good pleasure, till the season
When to vision faith shall turn.
May we, strengthen'd by his might,
"Walk by faith, and not by sight."

DEEP WATERS.

R. F.

Dear Mr. Editor,-My object in writing a line or two is to inform you, by way of encouragement, what a help the reading of the first article in the "Gospel Standard" of this month has been to me. I know not who the writer is or was; but I can truly say it found an echo in my heart, and came at a time when my soul was undergoing the very things set forth on pages 486 and 489. It would, I think, be impossible for man to pen words more suitable to my present feelings, and the fiery trials my soul is now passing through. When I read it, it did me good, and brought to my mind the words of Christian in the "Pilgrim's Progress," who, when passing through the dark valley, heard a voice before him which made him glad, "Because," said he, some that fear God are in this valley as well as myself." This was just what I felt. And I thought, if this man that wrote such things be a child of God, and I doubt not but he is, who can tell whether God may not yet bring me out to praise his dear Name again?

O the gloomy fears and dreadful forebodings that my soul has passed through! O the many fears that after all I should provo to be nothing! Never since, as I hope, I have known the Lord, which is now about 30 years, has my religion been so tested as within the last eight weeks. I will tell you a little. Previous to this darkness, I was speaking at Forest Hill, and my soul was much favoured in speaking; and many, I hope, as well as myself, found it good to be there. I retired to rest; but sleep was taken away. I was favoured with one of the most happy and glorious nights of heavenly meditation, and I was led to look over the things I had been speaking about; and I felt I had them in my heart. Such blessed freedom did I feel with God that I could and did, with much humble and childlike feeling, call him my Father; and I had not a doubt of the reality of it. Yea, I could call Christ

"My own in ties of blood, And hold sweet fellowship with God."

Although I was then under a sharp and painful trial, I could live above it, and felt, let what would come, I should, through divine favour, live under that promise: "Say ye to the righteous, it shall be well with him."

Under this sweet feeling, I wrote to several of my dear brethren, and told them of it; for I felt I must spread abroad his dear Name, and tell others that feared his Name what he had done for my soul.

This sweet feeling continued for some days. But O! one night I was suddenly awoke. All my comforts were gone; and a horror of great darkness came upon me, such as, I think, I never felt before. I seemed to be surrounded with a legion of devils, ready to tear me in pieces. My reason seemed as though it was giving way, and I feared I should be left to commit self-destruction. I tried to lisp out a prayer that the Lord would keep me from so rash an act; but my Beloved was gone. I called after him, but he gave me no answer. And now I could no more believe that I was a child of God than before I could raise a doubt as to my being one. Now I felt I was deceived, and had deceived others, and would gladly have called those letters back that previously I had sent to tell the wonders of his love. The most dreadful things were pictured before me, that I should live to prove I was nothing but a deceiver and deceived; that God had left me; the saints would reject me; my mouth would be shut from ever speaking again; providence would frown upon me, and I should be forsaken of all, and left to walk this earth with a mark set upon me, like Cain. Now I was made to prove my inability to pray; and yet I hope I did pray all day long. But when I knelt down, such confusion was my mind in that I could not call to mind words to put them together, nor could I remember the promises to plead with. I had been, as I knew, in many deep waters before, and the Lord had always brought me out of them, and I had thought if ever I got into such deep trials again, I would go to the Lord and pray to him who must deliver me, agreeable to his own Word, which says, " For all these things I will be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them." But now I felt I was as helpless as I could be, and I seemed only to inwardly pray that I might pray.

Now I wanted submission to his will, let that be what it might. All my former evidences were out of sight; and if they did occur to my mind with a little sweetness, it was like the lightning's flash, and left me darker than before. O what a preciousness I saw in Christ! How suitable he seemed to a poor cast-down soul like mine! I would have given all I had could I have been favoured with a felt interest in him; for I saw there was in him such a rich abundance to satisfy a poor, needy sinner, both for time and for eternity. But when I thought of this, it made me feel worse than before; for a something said, You have no part in him. I tried to look at the saints of old, to see if they were tried like me, and verily thought I could see

a likeness, though their trials were much greater than mine. But a something said, They were God's choice, the work of his own hands; but you are not. Your spot is not the spot of his children. Then I tried to look back over the last four years, in which I had hoped I had seen his delivering hand in very many instances. But then a something said, Those things you thought came from God came only in a way of common providence to his creatures; and now you are entangled in your own deceivings. And I can assure you that I could not view myself as one that had grace. Yea, I felt I was hardly a man, and that I had not the knowledge of a man. I felt I was just like what Huntington says in his riddle:

"He's not a man, nor yet a brute,

He's neither reptile, fowl, nor fiend;
Yet has a voice, though always mute;
And God doth oft his cries attend."

And now I would fain hope, as the writer in the " Gospel Standard puts it, that this heavy trial is to enable me to more spread the sweet Name of Jesus abroad. But in this I have had many fears lest it should be to shut my mouth quite, and I have been greatly tempted to give up speaking at once. Ο! Ι do beg an interest in the prayers of all the dear saints, that God would give me grace to hold out to the end. For never was I brought to learn my own inability as now. Every door of hope is shut except one,-the mercy of God; and if he will be graciously pleased once more to appear as my God, I will try and sound his Name and faithfulness abroad, if I have only bread and water to live upon. He is more to me than all besides. O what rich clusters of promises hang in his Word! but I cannot lay hold of them. I feel something like David did when his son Absalom drove him from his throne, and when he sent the ark back into the city, saying, "If I shall find favour in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me again, and show me it and his habitation; but if he shall say, I have no delight in him, behold, here am I; let him do to me as seemeth him good." I saw by this there was an "if" in his experience, and a particular stress was laid upon that little word "if." So I feel,If God be on my side; if God be for me; if the Lord delight in me. These are mighty words to a poor, doubtful, cast-down soul, when in Satan's sieve; yet in the midst of all I can say, "My soul followeth hard after him" in earnest longings and desires; and "though he slay me, yet will I trust in him." "For I have nowhere else to flee;

O God, be merciful to me."

The prayer of dear Jacob, when he vowed a vow unto the Lord, suits me well. The Lord says, "He will not always.chide, neither will he keep his anger for ever;" for the spirit would fail before him, and the souls that he hath made. And so it would be; for I am satisfied no man could endure long under such severe shakings. But the Lord does for a few moments still the avenger,

and bid him keep silence, and let his people renew their strength. "Ye are," says Paul," the temple of the Holy Ghost;" and sometimes he causes a glow of hope to rise up within, which strengthens both body and soul. But such times are of short duration, and then he goes forth for a fresh attack.

I say again, the person who wrote the article above alluded to knew not what benefit it was going to do to the poor tempted souls of God's people. But surely, I must say, the Lord directed his hand. Nor am I careful to know who it was; but if this should reach such an one, I can truly say, The Lord bless thee, and keep thee, for my soul feels a love and union to thee. And I would further say, The Lord enable thee still to send forth what he showeth thee in secret. May both the writer and myself learn, with Paul, to cease to know any man after the flesh. There is indeed too much of flesh-pleasing in this day of profession, strife, and contention. But may we, like Paul, be taught to say, I love all those who love our Lord in sincerity and truth. I write not this to please any man; but, if the Lord's will, to lift up the hands that hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees of God's saints. I have been led to look at the words of Peter to the poor scattered strangers (1 Peter i. 6, 7); for I did, when at Forest Hill, greatly rejoice; but now I am in heaviness through manifold temptations; and I hope the Lord will graciously show me the needs-be for it, and that it may be found to his honour at his gracious appearing. For the trial lies here: "Does the Lord really love me? Am I his, or am I not?" If I am, it will be well with me, and I shall yet praise him for this the sharpest and severest trial that ever I knew.

Yours affectionately,

Westmeon, Hants, Nov., 1879. C. BARNES. [How very remarkable are the Lord's leadings and overrulings, as it respects his children! The very hairs of our heads are all numbered; not a sparrow falls without our Father; and, as the poet says,

"My life's minutest circumstance
Is subject to his eye."

All is ordained and regulated by God. It was, then, not a mere accident that caused our friend's interesting and encouraging letter to lie in a drawer unnoticed and unread until a short time back. We can only account for this through that painful nervous prostration which made us at the end of last year unequal, especially at times, to reading over manuscripts of any length. Probably, feeling too indisposed when this letter came to hand to read it through, we laid it on one side for the time being. When a short time ago we read it through, it did us good. We were feeling much cast down, and in a low place; but this letter tended to revive and raise us up again. Thus, no doubt, it was reserved for a season when it would be needed, in order to do what the writer designed,-prove an encouragement to us in our work. Mr. Hart says truly,

"For 'tis decreed that most must pass
The darkest paths alone."

So it may have been in harmony with this will of God that we should be for a time hindered from writing a line to express our sympathy with the writer in his deep and painful trials. We can now, of course,