peopled, is designed by God to raise his own children into a gospel fitness to do his righteous pleasure. Do not, therefore, be alarmed, ye children of the living God, but lay your case before him. Watch his gracious hand in all things, and you will perceive all things are under his direction working for your good.

The example of Christ will be imitated by the repenting sinner. The apostle John says, " he that saith he abideth in him, ought himself also to walk, even as he walked." It has been said before, the walk of the christian is not to be his justification before God, but to prove his election unto life in Christ Jesus. In the present age of the church, when the great principles of revelation are either denied, or so mutilated in the statement of them, that, they are scarcely to be seen, it is imperatively binding upon us, my brethren, to shun the appearance of evil. The professors of christianity who discard these important doctrines, will catch at any thing they can lay hold of in our lives, nor will they fail to magnify it, attributing it to the doctrines we profess. "Be sober, and watch unto prayer." Cherish a kind disposition towards all men, particularly toward the household of faith by so doing, you will distance all those who conspire against you, and rise superior to all their machinations and mischievous devices.

Before I conclude, I would humbly ask my reader, whether he is living in the daily exercise of repentance toward God? If he is, there is no man out of heaven more honoured by God. To be brought to the feet of Jesus, and to learn of him in this life, is the highest dignity of which we are capable. And O, ye ministers of the Son of God, permit a fellow labourer in the church of the firstborn to say unto you, imitate the conduct of the great apostle of the gentiles; go forth in your several spheres of action, "testifying repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ." May you live to see his kingdom enlarged, his friends visibly multiplied, and every thing which opposes his reign destroyed." Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."

Hartley Row.

J. B. T.

(For the Spiritual Magazine.)

W. N.'S PRINCIPLES AND ACTINGS OF FAITH CONSI

Messrs Editors,

DERED.

PRECIOUS

MUCH has been spoken and written concerning FAITH;" and among the much speaking and writing, various notions

have heen disclosed which have not the holy scriptures for their basis. Among the rest, the sentiments of W. N. are of that cast as to attract attention. (His views are to be seen at large in the fourth volume of this work, 328, and following pages, April number, 1828). He professes to write in agreement with the scriptures, which he says, are very decisive on the subject.' I wonder at his positive way of expressing himself, seeing he brings forward no proofs of their decision: in his favour.

W. N. says, the faith of God's elect bears the appellation of the new man,' 'the new creature.' I should be glad with information where he finds scripture for this idea. He also calls it, the implantation of the incorruptible seed,' which, if scriptural, I am mistaken. The passage as from the mouth of Christ stating what might be accomplished by one having faith as a grain of mustard seed (Matt. xvii. 20.) has no reference to the precious faith of God's elect; but only to the faith of miracles, which many had and used who were not of the number of God's elect. This same kind of faith no doubt Paul referred to in 1 Cor. xiii. 2., which, though he possessed, being destitute of charity, he says, "I am nothing," which could not mean the faith that works by love.

W. N. calls faith, the holy principle,' in opposition to sin, which shews, that in his opinion, faith and regeneration is one and the same thing, whereas, regeneration is a qualification for the spiritual enjoyment of God, and an act of faith is believing in unseen realities.

6

After many unscriptural unintelligibles, W. N. will have it, that faith, (which he calls the new man,') is the eyes, hands, and feet of the new man. How fond are some good folks of metaphors! Metaphors are admissible where they illustrate truth; but in case they are opposed to truth, they are not allowable. The latter is the case in question. If faith is the new man (which will never be proved) why call the new man the eye or eyes, the hands and feet of the new man; otherwise, why not say, that W. N. is N. W., and N. W. is the eyes, hands, and feet of N. W. Again, if the new man be an holy principle, (whether it be faith or not) what hath an holy principle to do with the blood of Jesus for the pardon of sin? or the justifying righteousness of Jesus? Surely, holiness cannot need cleansing!! I think it would have been more intelligible, though less novel, had W. N. asserted, that when the Holy Ghost, in his mysterious work of regeneration, is pleased to shew a poor sinner his lost estate, and cause him to feel his misery, and teach him his utter helplessness in himself, how unspeakably seasonable is the gift of precious faith, whereby the soul can rely without a doubt on Christ alone for righteousness and eternal salvation !

W. N. rightly observes, that faith is an evident token of unseen realities. After which, he says, as it respects the actings of faith, there is a spiritual gradation up to full assurance of faith.' Now, I suppose, that W. N. would have it, that the lowest act of faith is by such whom he says are 'doubting and fearing all their days.' Lest I should offend any of the little ones in the Lord's family, I would state

that no doubt very many real christians live much of their time doubting and fearing; at the same time, I cannot conceive, how doubts and fears can with propriety be called the exercise of faith.

In order to establish the idea of degrees of faith, W. N. produces a sentence spoken by our Lord to his disciples, which had not the least reference to the faith of God's elect, or justifying faith, but solely to the faith of miracles, by which I include a dependence in the providence of God, &c. where he says, "O ye of little faith." In order to get at as clear an understanding of the degrees of faith as we can, observe, faith is proportionate to the probability of the circumstance believed. If the circumstance be probable, it requires little faith; if miraculously improbable, it requires great faith to believe it will come to pass. Now to prove that the faith by which we are said to be justified, and being so justified have peace with God, Rom. v. 1. -and through which we are saved by grace, Eph. ii. 8. is destitute of gradation or degrees, take notlce, all men are on a level by the fall-all are equally law breakers-all deserve eternal damnation— and all truly convinced sinners will allow themselves to be the vilest of the vile, and know that if they are saved it must be entirely through Jesus. The scriptures state, that "he that believes shall be saved, and he that believes not shall be damned." I will ask what degree of faith is required to qualify any one sinner to believe (savingly) in the Son of God? Whether it be great faith or little faith, that is the exact magnitude of faith required for each believer in Jesus; less is not the faith, and more is not required. If we establish the notion of degrees in faith by any other rule than the scriptures, and sound reason corresponding thereto, where are we led?

Does it appear consistent to say, doubt is little faith-desire is little larger-hope is still larger-and so on, till we come to belief or assurance, and that is great faith?

I would rather say, faith, as a grain of mustard seed, is faith-faith is believing faith, as a mountain, yea, as a world, is but faith; and faith is but believing. In the act of believing there can be no degrees but in proportion to the probability of the circumstance believed, so is the degree of faith required.

There are many other assertions in W. N.'s paper, which highly deserves censure; but, perhaps, it would prove tedious were I to enlarge. Such as many acts of W. N.'s faith, as faith revering divine revelation,'- 6 blessing God for his revealed will,'-'faith loving a preached gospel,'- faith desiring to glorify God in this time-state, and that which is to come,'-faith illuminating the understanding,' &c. ; which leads the unguarded mind into such a confused notion of faith, that it stands for almost every thing, in which case he may as well conclude it stands for nothing.

Should you feel disposed to give the above a place in your Spiri-. tual Magazine, as early as convenient, you will much oblige,

Your's in the faith,

DENIZEN.

Malmsbury, April 28, 1829.

(For the Spiritual Magazine.)

AN ATTEMPT TO A CRITICAL ELUCIDATION OF VARIOUS DIFFICULT PASSAGES OF SCRIPTURE, ON THE PRINCIPLES OF MODERN SCIENCE, BY ABRAHAM BOOTH.

No. II.

The text thus signifies, the desolation will be so complete, that the people will all die; . and there being none left to bury them, their bodies will undergo decomposition upon the earth. In the process of time, their houses going to ruin, will fall upon the decayed bodies, and casue the formation of a vast nitre-bed.

"If I wash myself in snow water, and make my hands never so clean." Job ix. 30.

The minuteness and simplicity of its details are a characteristic beauty of the sacred writings. This observation is fully confirmed by considering this passage. The cleansing quality of water is decreased in proportion to the quantity of earthy matters which it contains in solution. Every natural water contains more or less impurities. Rain or snow water, or that which having undergone a natural distillation from the earth, is condensed in this

form, is the purest natural water; and as such is most capable of cleansing. Soap was probably unknown in the time of Job; and if so, the strongest simile which he could use, was that of the purest water.

"For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord God." Jeremiah ii. 22.

The detersive quality of an alkali is owing to its power of dissolving the resinous, glutinous, and vegetable substances which adhere to the skin. In soap the causticity and solvend power of the alkali is weakened by its combination with the oil or fatty matters, but it yet retains a solvend power, which renders it detersive, while it does not affect the animal texture. If instead of nitre (nitrate of potash), we read, kali (carbonate of potash), the meaning of this passage is very obvious. As the kali is much more detersive by itself, than when combined and diluted in soap, the strength of the simile is increased by saying, "Thou hast used much soap, which is very detersive, but that has failed to cleanse you. You may now try the caustic and uncombined alkali, yet you shall not be more successful."

Mr. Editor,

(For the Spiritual Magazine.)

REPLY TO ANDREW.

HAD it not been for illness, you would have heard from me before: although if the tenure of my mind was consulted, I should spurn at the thought of writing any thing more on the subject.

:

Am aware that in thus addressing you, you will need the exercise of patience but such were the operation of my thoughts, when I perused the last paper of Andrew, that in justice to my own ideas, could not suffer so many insinuations, misconstructions, and interpolations, to pass without a further reply.

As Andrew very properly says; It is exceedingly to be desired, in all matters of controversy, meeting the public eye, in a periodical publication, that when each party have fairly advanced their views and opinions, there to end' And I do assure you, if Andrew had fairly answered my interrogatory at the beginning, you would not have been troubled with any more of my observations; but instead of any thing like a fair answer, there has been in all his papers, so much evasion and misrepresentation that has compelled me to do that which I would rather not have done.

But there is another view of this subject, that induces me to a further, and I hope, a final reply: that is, it is a rule when a subject is discussed, for the commencer to have the opportunity of concluding; therefore I claim my right.

Andrew says, The explanation sought for at the onset by Friendly Enquirer, I have plainly given to him, and your readers.' I wish I could see it in any of his papers, which are fraught with circumlocution, and complexity, but as for an explicit answer to my question, they are totally deficient. Let it be remembered, that my only request to it, was to draw a line between the often painful experiences of the children of God, and real christian experience,' and to that sentence my desires were confined, although he has endeavoured to represent it otherwise; and in the very significant words of a quotation, from somewhere, he tells us, what I have written, I have written.' And so he goes on with what he hath written, to endeavour to shew that I have said, his, and his country friend's 'hearers, are fond of speculative notions, have no brokenness of heart, nor ever had any contrition of spirit before God; that they hold the truth in unrighteousness, and are such who may be properly considered antinominians.' Now this I consider a gross misrepresentation for whatever may be the case with the hearers, I had no inclination to particularize them, far be it from me; but was rather desirous of making a general observation, respecting some hearers among the aggregate number who are of that cast or stamp,' and which I most firmly believe, the truth of which may be seen by reference to my words, (page 298.)