voice in his word, and shall flow together to that goodness of the LORD, (Jer. xxxi. 12.) which is the rallying point for them all. Let all who love the true peace of Zion call upon him, to whom alone the work belongs, to glorify his name by consuming the man of sin with the spirit of his mouth, by gathering his sheep that have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day, "eating that which their shepherds have trodden under their feet, and drinking that which they have fouled with their feet." (Ezek. xxxiv.) Give ear, O shepherd of Israel-shine forth-stir up thy strength-turn us again and cause thy face to shine! Let thy work appear unto thy servants and thy glory unto their children! And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us!" This is our suitable prayer. But that I may not quite fill this paper without a brief allusion to the present bar between our fellowship as brethren,-what think you now of your baptism? if, indeed, you have nothing now to profess but that blessed report in the Word, which you have professed to acknowledge from your infancy. But if it be a profession about your profession, perhaps you should be baptised again. Have you any precedent in scripture for such a baptism as your's? And what think you about the young child brought up in the instruction and admonition of the Lord, and professedly believing that Jesus Christ died for our sins and has risen from the dead? Do you look with scorn now upon the profession, or do you not acknowledge it the same as your own? But I abstain from enlarging; satisfied that the truth about which you appear to write so pleasingly is that which alone can set you to rights on this and every thing. If ever you go to Glasgow, try and make out Mr. J. G. S-- one of the few in Scotland that I have confidence in as a disciple. Most of your professors are to a sad degree theologians. I feel much interest about you, and hope soon to hear more of your course. Have you a family? In what business are you? The good Lord bless and increase you more and more!

LVI.

TO THE PEOPLE CALLED BEREANS, WHO ADDRESSED A LETTER TO THE CHURCH OF CHRIST ASSEMBLING IN STAFFORD STREET, DUBLIN.

March, 1819..

DEAR FRIENDS,-Your letter was put into my hands by A. C, and read to the church last Sunday, after the usual exercises for which we meet. It was heard with pleasure; and I have been directed to communicate with you in reply. If I do not address you immediately by the title of Brethren, it is because we consider the Christian use of that term confined to those, who have

received each other in the Lord, and walk together in one way according to his revealed will. I do cherish the hope, both from your letter, and from what I have otherwise known of your professed principles, that there are among you those who are partakers of like precious faith with us: and wherever I conceive the children of God to be scattered abroad, I look for their being gathered together in outward unity again, as they were of old. Their scattering from each other has been the work of the adversary, acting upon the common ungodliness of our flesh, and turning them aside from the good old paths appointed by their Lord, and marked in his word. Their gathering again must be, like every thing good, the work of the LORD of his mercy and his power. But I see it promised, in the denounced consumption by Him of the man of sin. The instrument, also, which he employs for effecting this, -and indeed every thing else of "the good pleasure of his goodness" that he works in his people, is marked-the spirit of his mouth,—that word which is quick and powerful, the sword of the spirit. And, therefore, any opportunity of communicating with our fellow-sinners on the principles of Scripture, we are accustomed to embrace with joy, in the name of the Lord.-Writing, however, on his truths, and as before Him, I must use great plainness of speech. And, in order to bring what I have to say within the compass of a sheet, I must study brevity. But this may perhaps be but the commencement of further communications on scriptural subjects.

I have already intimated our general satisfaction with the language of your letter, and with your professed agreement with us on the glorious Gospel, which we endeavour to put forward to attention by the circulation of tracts. But when you use the expression-" unto all that believe the record that he hath given of his son, through the holy spirit manifesting the same in their hearts,"-do you mean to intimate that any sinner can, at any time, believe that record without the holy spirit, &c.? We are certain that none can at any moment : though men may profess it with their lips, may talk about it, and even talk quite correctly, while they are still under the power of darkness. We hope you have no false meaning attached to the words you used; though I have thought it safer to inquire.

You express a wish that, in future publications, we should "direct our attention, more particularly, to the nature of the faith which is the operation of God.' Perhaps we may. But our views of the Gospel, and of the nature of faith, lead us in general to say very little on the mere question-what is faith? Every one knows what it is to believe a thing that is told him: and we think it highly important to mark that we use the term faith, or believing, as applied to the Gospel, in no other but that common English sense of the word, which all can understand in a moment. But the matter on which we are led to enlarge is-the truth declared from heaven to all in the Scriptures for the obedience of faith. In that truth "the only true God" reveals his glory: and they who believe that truth know his name, and have eternal life as his "gift in Christ Jesus." And we are sure that, according as that truth dwells in them-they will bring forth "fruit unto God." We have no apprehension or jealousy

upon this head: though we know also with you, that they will ever, from their confession of the Lord Jesus, be reproached by the world, (especially by the religious world) as the foes of all that is reckoned good and excellent by men.

Their own hearts also we reckon to be just as wicked and deceitful, as ever they were before they believed: and, therefore, we look for no good fruit from them; but are sure that every motion and working of them is, to the last, in opposition to the true God. And the new mind in us has no more desire than expectation, that there should ever be any change in this respect, or improvement in our own character, to our dying hour. Such a desire we hold to be but a pious wish, that the word of God may prove false. We know of but One that is good; and with his revealed goodness to the evil and unthankful, we are satisfied. (Jer. xxxi. 14.)—The flesh-ours and yours-would be ever ready to pervert the professed acknowledgment of this abasing truth; and from the unvaried character of evil in it, to say-with those of old-" we are delivered to do all these abominations." (Jer. vii. 10.) But a truth is not the less true for being perverted: and in such perversions of the truth of God, we only see some of the most awful displays of the wickedness of the flesh. We have to own, at once, that "his merciful kindness is great towards us;" (Ps. cxvii. 2.) and that the revelation he has made of it, as flowing to such wicked creatures through the propitiation, is as awful as it is joyful. Every real view of it, according to the Scriptures, teaches his people at once to fear this glorious and fearful name, "THE LORD THY GOD;" and to glory in it.

We have no idea of a man's standing in the truth, and, at the same time, doubting whether he believes or not. This is one of the Antichristian lies which we abhor; and which, indeed, (besides its wickedness) involves a nonsensical inconsistency of terms.-(You will shortly see a series of letters on Primitive Christianity, which I have just sent to London to be printed and in which you will find our views on this, and other subjects, somewhat detailed.) But, indeed, we are sure that the man, who is building his confidence toward God, on the confidence that he is a believer, is building on the sand, and quite aside from the truth. And here I suspect that there is a leaven among you,‚—a leaven alike ungodly in its corruption of the Gospel, and in its consequent influence on the conduct of such of your members as are infected with it. My filial confidence toward God any moment is derived solely from what he testifies in his word to all alike, whether they will hear it or whether they will forbear. Unless he opened my ear to hear what he declares, no doubt, I should not come to the throne of grace crying-Abba! Father! But is it the consideration of my hearing that emboldens me so to come? No: but the consideration of that glorious thing which I hear. The former would leave a man, indeed, walking after the flesh, though perhaps under a form of very sound words, and great decency of life also. The latter is the continued work of God, leading his children in a mind opposite to their own. Do you ask why I suspect any of you on this point? I have always cause to suspect myself on it, (however you may find it with yourselves),-and nothing but divine

mercy and divine power could keep me, at any moment, from turning this short corner upon the truth. But I have met with two men, who called themselves Bereans, in Glasgow, who were manifestly to me infected with this leaven. I know, my friends, the opposition which you make, and rightly make, to the doubting system of some, who use fair words at times about the Gospel, but really blaspheme the truth in denying its sufficiency to afford an ungodly sinner the fulness of assured joy and peace-till he finds this and that about him (if ever he does) to warrant his concluding that he has the faith of God's elect. Far be it kept from me to countenance such blasphemy! But it is our constant common character-in running from one deadly error, to run right ahead upon another. And errors, apparently the most opposite, will commonly, when traced, be found to have a common principle, as they always indeed spring from a common source. I could point out the common principle of the two deadly errors, which I have here noticed, if space allowed. Let not those of you, who are mercifully kept from the error, which I suspect to work among you, conclude that the caution is not needful in the body. With the same plainness with which I have written throughout, I would observe that I recollect, in my first visit to Scotland, two or three interviews with one of your preachers Mr. D; that for a length of time all his conversation delighted me; but that I ultimately parted with him, apprehensive that he was not walking in the truth. With him the immediate ground of this apprehension was my finding that he not only had been a busy meddler in political agitations against the government of the country, but that he was then altogether deaf to the reproof of the word upon the subject. Such a man we would not keep in our fellowship. I tell you plainly, (though it must spoil my political character with him) that the only principles here, which I can acknowledge as consistent with Christian duty, are those stigmatized by the phrase-passive obedience, and non-resistance. Mistake me not, my friends, as if I drew an unfavourable conclusion against you all, from any thing unpleasant I may have met with in some. I have long cherished the hope that there are many disciples indeed among you and with such I look forward to that full union, in which such ought to be outwardly connected. I have my fears that you are at present very lax, and much astray, as to the principles of church-fellowship: but this is a subject on which I would not wish to enter, till other more fundamental matters have been fully treated. I would add, that when I was in Glasgow, in the summer of 1815, I met a dear old Berean, a shoemaker from the neighbourhood of Stirling I think of the name of M'Bean, with whom, as far as I understood him, I think I had perfect unity of mind on the faith and hope of the Gospel. I have lost his address, or mislaid it, among the multiplicity of my papers. But if you should know of such a person, and have any opportunity of communicating with him, it would gratify me that you should send him a copy of this letter, with my love. If you wish for further communication, I hope you will write with all the freedom and openness of which I have set you an example. Peace be with all those of you who love the Lord Jesus Christ in incorruption! Let them say continually, "Let the Lord be magnified!" Amen.

LVII.

TO J. L

March 27, 1818.

WHAT must you have thought, my dear friend, of my leaving both your letters so long unanswered? They were forwarded to me from London; for I have been from various circumstances unexpectedly detained here, and am still uncertain how much longer I may be detained, though I think (if I live) I shall now very soon leave Dublin. But for the last two months or more, I have been so busy

preparing for the press "Seven Letters on Primitive Christianity," that I have got into sad arrear with all my correspondents. I have also, indeed, been very ill (often what is called dangerously) with unsettled gout. I have just sent off the "Letters" to London to be printed; and you are now the second person to whom I have since taken up my pen. I let a party of Bereans in Edinburgh, from whom we received a letter, take precedence of you. By the bye, if you know DK, or whether you know him or not-if you introduce yourself to him as a correspondent of mine, he would probably shew you my letter; and I should be well pleased that you got at their sentiments as much as you could upon its contents. If you see the letter, you will see what I hope and what I fear about the people. Any thing you can communicate to me from your own observation or knowledge I should be glad of. Mere hearsay about them I don't mind. I confess I have long had an eye upon them, and am well pleased at an apparent opening for epistolary intercourse. You will find them holding a most opposite language to that of the Glasites; and yet I fear the mass of both parties are infected with a common error,-namely, deriving their hope from looking at their faith; the one, very confident about their faith, and therefore having a very confident but false hope; the other very doubtful about their faith, and therefore similarly wavering in their hope, but both alike aside from the truth, and from the fulness of divine hope to an altogether sinful creature in believing that truth. However, I look for disciples appearing yet more manifested both from the Bereans and Glasites, though I am sure that any disciples at present among the latter must be very stunted in their growth; and fear that among the former, they must need a great deal of pruning. I know intimately a dear old man in Liverpool, a Glasite elder, whom I have always heard with delight, and always on one theme. But what a contrast between him and his fellow-elder! They are generally all under sad trammels, and as afraid to submit their system to examination as the Papists. Yet one would think that it might strike them as a strange and ugly symptom, that ever since their commencement in the days of Glas and Sandeman, they have not learned an iota more of scripture principle, or found out