a soul" drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more." "Thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortest me." "His anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." "Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted." That blessed Spirit that convinces them of sin shall be their everlasting Comforter. Ay,' but some poor mourning heavy-laden sinner may say, all this may be true, but it is too high and too great for me, for I feel myself to be a sinner of the greatest magnitude; God never can have mercy for such a sinner as I have been, and am yet. I am fearful that they are out of the reach of his mercy.' Poor soul! do not be so hasty against thyself, for the Father sent Christ to save such as you; Christ is the physician that came to cure such sin-sick souls as you. He did not come to those who were whole; those who think that they have a righteousness of their own;-no, they feel no need of him; but he came to save such as you, who are weary and heavyladen with their sins: he says to such, "Come unto me, and I will refresh you, and give you rest :" and our text says, the Father anointed Christ to preach and declare these good tidings to such heavy-laden sinners; he was appointed to bind up such brokenhearts, and to proclaim liberty to such, and to comfort all that mourn under the burden of their sins. He says, "though your sins be as red as scarlet, they shall, in and through him, be made as white as snow; and though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Let it be remembered, that it is a mercy of the greatest magnitude that God has made you sensible what a great sinner you are! How many does he permit to go through the world without a heart-felt sense of their sins, but go wallowing in them till they lift up their eyes in hell! This would be the case with all, if they were left to their own free-will. Your feeling the weight of your sins is owing to nothing but God's discriminating love and grace; and is the first work of God's Spirit upon the heart; without this you were blind and naked, and knew it not; you were under God's wrath, and under the curse of the law, as all are till God sends forth his Spirit; "we are all by nature," St. Paul saith, "children of wrath." When God sends his Spirit into the hearts of his people, it shews them their sins, with such an impression that never can be forgotten. If you are mourning over your sins, it is God's work began in you, and he will carry it on to the end; put your trust in him, call upon him, he hath bidden you so to do; whatever you feel your wants to be, he hath promised to supply them if you pray to him for them. He says, "ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." O what precious promises are these, with great numbers more, that God hath given to his children! Remember you are continually sinning, you ought therefore to be continually asking forgiveness; you are continually receiving mercies from him, therefore you ought to be continually thanking him for them. You are continually labouring, and must labour so long as you are here, under trials, difficulties, temptations, and troubles; you therefore ought to be continually looking up to God for help, and strength, to enable you to bear up against them; for remember this, the devil will do all he can to lead you from God. Remember that when God puts his Spirit into the heart of a sinner, they are called in our text, "trees of righteousness, of the Lord's planting ;" and he must have all the glory, as it is all his work. Ay,' but the mourning sinner says, 'I have no righteousness at all, I cannot be one of these trees of righteousness, for I am nothing but a sinner!' What a mercy it is that you do see your sins; but let me tell you, that when you come to see that your righteousness is wholly in Christ, you will see your sins clearer yet; the stronger your faith, the more you will be out of self, and the clearer will you see your unworthiness and sins; this it is that will lead you to be more humble and more thankful for God's promises and mercies, and will lead you to rely wholly upon God's righteousness, and put your whole trust in him. All such God hath said are safe from fear of evil. O pray that you may be enabled to apply God's precious promises to your hearts! God's people in our text are called "trees of righteousness of the Lord's planting, that he might have all the glory;" and in his own time, instead of hearts of heaviness, he will give them spirits of praise. Note, they are of the Lord's planting, not their own. They are righteous too. How are they made righteous? Why, through the Lord Jesus Christ, who saith," their righteousness is of me." Every thing that is good in us is not of ourselves, but is of Christ. "He is our wisdom, righteousness, justification, sanctification, and redemption." With these the sinner is clothed, and made acceptable in the sight of God, and no other way can he be acceptable; this is the balm in Gilead that is to heal all the wounds that sin hath made in the hearts of God's people, and nothing else can heal them. These are the trees that are planted by God to praise him in time and eternity! But our text says, that Christ did not come only to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord to his people; but he came also to proclaim the day of the vengeance of God. Christ did do this also. He plainly says, that all who die in unbelief of him are in their sins, whether they know it or not, and must go to hell; for all that believe in him shall be saved, and all that believe not the gospel of Christ shall be damned. If there be any such now here, may this be the time, if it be his blessed will, that such blind souls may be shewn by God's Spirit what a deplorable state they are in; for until this take place in their hearts, they neither will nor can come to Christ for pardon. I can do nothing for such but warn them of their case; for I am sure that all the persuasion that I or all the world can use will have no effect upon the natural hard heart. Nay, it is written, that if there was one to rise from the dead, neither would they be persuaded, until the Lord change their heart! R. B. (For the Spiritual Magazine.) EXTRACTS FROM A MINISTER'S DIARY. SATURDAY Evening.-A dull heavy day-no liberty in study, thoughts rambling, and cannot fix upon subjects for the Sabbath. No prayer so well suits me as that of the monarch of Israel, “O Lord, I am oppressed, undertake for me!" And the Comforter that should relieve my soul seems far from me-very much buffetted by the enemy. Well, who can tell but the great Head of the church may intend that I should speak to the cases of some of his dear children on the morrow, who may be in the horrible pit, in Satan's sieve, or in the furnace of affliction ?—and to fit me for that work, I must descend the pit, and feel its horrors-be shook by the roaring lion, and be oppressed in spirit. Sabbath day. The rays of the rising sun bursting through my window remind me of that sweet promise, "Unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings." Could I but fix upon some mountain-top this morning, and see the moving mass of saints preparing for the solemnities of Zion, all engaged in one eager expectation-some setting out a long journey to crowd the courts of God, the sweet sound of salvation not to be heard near home-others have the gospel sent to their doors-and many pious families are presenting their petitions to their God for a blessing upon the word preached-and many retired saints in secret are crying after communion with the Father and the Son. When I look at the crowded congregation, the hungry souls which want feeding, the many who need instruction, the stout-hearted far from God, the brazen-brow sinner, and recollect my weakness and utter inability to engage in a work so arduous, I am at my wits' end, and know not what to do. But did not my covenant God say to Isaac, "I will be with thee, and will bless thee," Gen. xxvi. 3. And to Moses, Certainly I will be with thee," Exod. iii. 12. He is all-sufficient to bless and to be with me; and so I have proved him this day. I found a holy enlargement while speaking from that most delightful portion, "I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save ;" and I heard after that the dear people of God found it a season of holy refreshing from the presence of the Lord. How very encouraging all this is to my weak faith! O Lord, forbid that I should distrust thee again" thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee;" and I do desire faithfully to feed thy sheep and lambs! O ye praying people of God, into whose hands these lines may fall, let me intreat you never to forget your ministers in your supplications at a throne of grace. But another Lord's day is ended-one the less to live in the church militant. Doubtless, the Wisdom Mediator has forced a way into the hearts of some of his given ones this day; and his ancient electing love has been made known by manifestative adoption. May many be added to the church of God over which I am made an humble overseer, if the Lord will. Monday Evening. How pleasant to have the visits of those whose souls are alive to God, to hear their attempts to tell of the love of Him who has loved them, and that from all eternity! It is delightful to view the various stages of the Holy Spirit's work upon the heart; but he points all to Jesus. His person is the rock on which his church is built; he is the life and soul of all real religion; the truth of the bible; the redemption, justification, and glorification of the church were all laid in him, and every seeking soul is directed to him; and frequently on the second day of the week I am favoured with the company of those who are asking the way to Zion, with their faces thitherward; who are filled with distress and fears arising from a sight and sense of sin and guilt; but we can only follow the good example of an eminent servant of the Lord, and say, "Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world!" His precious blood affords a sovereign and safe remedy for sin and sinners. How very refreshing the prayer-meetings of the Lord's pilgrims, truly heart-warming to hear the humble poor spread their cares before the Lord; it reminds me of the primitive christians, who continued steadfastly in the apostle's doctrine, in fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer. We had a good meeting this evening; the artless eloquence, the fervent desires, the sterling piety, the clear gospel apprehensions of divine truth, the holy loathing of sin and self, and the steady faith in Christ manifested and expressed, kindled a flame of sacred love in many bosoms. It is truly delightful to hear one brother led out to pray for our king and the royal family, whom the Lord in his wise providence has set over these realms; that the king's counsellors may be counselled, and the senators taught wisdom. Another friend seems to have the church of God lay upon his heart; he prays for the prosperity and increase of the Redeemer's kingdom; that the ministers of Christ may be more zealous and useful; that professing people may be more alive in their souls, and less conformed to this world. Another remembers the poor, the tempted, the afflicted, the faint, and fearful. Another is melted down with the mercies of his God in loving, saving, calling, and pardoning and providing for him; and others pray for the minister they sit under, and the church they belong to; and for those who are under a concern about their immortal souls. Tuesday, Church-neeting.-Obliged to exclude a brother for conduct unbecoming the gospel. How painful when Satan hinders the saints from walking well! But it might have been my case-I might have fallen into sin, and have laid in it, and never been enabled to hold up my head again. It becomes us to deal tenderly with the tempted, as we are within the territories of the tempter, and have the seed of all sin within us for him to work upon and to draw forth, and he will besiege us constantly. But we need the power of God to keep us, and that continually, or the most highly favoured saint VOL. VIII.-No. 88.] L will give occasion to the daughters of the Philistines to triumph, and will stumble the weak of the flock of God—cause his heavenly Father to hide his face, and his fellow-travellers to exclude him from their company. Not to dwell any longer gazing at the sad scene of a backsliding brother, I have to introduce to your notice the names of some who have long worshipped with us, but who wish to walk with us in church communion, to sit with us at the Master's feet, and around his table; they profess to have been benefitted and blest under my poor ministry, and it is in their hearts to live and die with us. Thus you see how the Lord blesses his word amongst us, and hears the prayers of his people. Wednesday, our Anniversary.-Another year has rolled around, and I am still spared; and often think, a cumberer of the ground! Death has drifted away many since our last yearly meeting, both saints and sinners; but the spiritual stones that have fallen out of the building have been mercifully replaced by others dug out of the quarry of nature by the Spirit and grace of God. These annual meetings are often made a great blessing to the church; they bring together many ministers of Christ, and subjects are introduced of a useful tendency; the success attending our labours, the discouragements we meet with, and a variety of truths and topics are discussed, that often strengthen our hands, constrain us to thank our God, and take courage. Many of the Lord's family met this day; two delightful sermons were delivered; a sweet savour of life was felt, and many concluded there was no society like that of the saints. We parted, and many to meet no more no doubt until we meet in that general assembly and church of the first-born above. "Could I joy his saints to meet, Choose the ways I once abhorr'd; Found sweet freedom with the Lord this evening at the family altar; the sweet promises crowded in upon my mind as fast as I could give them utterance. O how delightful it is when the Holy Spirit helps our infirmities; and he the Lord directs our hearts into the love of God; raises our souls to a lively hope of an interest in the Saviour, and his merits; and enables us to read our names in the Lamb's book of life; yea, engraven upon the heart of Jesus. But O how different I frequently find it; and constrained to say with the Psalmist," I am shut up, and cannot come forth," at the throne, at the Lord's table, and in the pulpit; and cannot sigh for sin, sing for mercies given, soar aloft and set my affections on things above; but this vile body, this deceitful heart, and my sworn foe confine and confuse me. It will be a happy release when the Conqueror of death shall deliver me! Have just met the Sabbath School Committee. It is a cheering scene to see the babes in grace desirous to do good; to teach poor children to read the best of all books, the Bible; and conduct them |