is not the hope of the gospel, i. e. derived from what is reported from heaven in the gospel, but turns on something else; and accordingly he finds another spirit and another revelation necessary to his peace, than any that is to be found in the scriptures;-a revelation discovering to him that he produces the genuine fruits of faith, and a spirit to make that revelation to him. However, we find that those who of old believed the apostolic gospel, "rejoiced believing in God;" yea, that it was in believing it they were filled with all joy and peace. I have somewhere sufficiently exposed the absurdity as well as wickedness of the idea, that a man may be fully assured of the truth, and yet quite uncertain whether he is a true believer;-the absurdity of saying, I am certain so and so is the truth of God, but I do not know whether I believe it or not! In fact, the man who avows that he doubts whether he is a believer, avows that he is not sure what the gospel is, and in this he avows that he is uncertain whether the God upon whom he calls be indeed God or an idol. But though such a sentiment cannot be deliberately harboured in the believer's mind, it is certainly not from any reflection on his being a believer that his joy and hope towards God sprung, but from the truth that he believes. Of this Mr. B. seems to have no conception. Like all religious teachers of lies in Christianity, he is at no loss for texts of scripture in support of the assured faith of his doubting and joyless professor; and, among others, he brings that abused passage in 2 Pet. i. 10. where the apostle plainly exhorts disciples to give clearer evidence by their fruits that they were indeed the called of God; and I think it might puzzle Mr. B to say distinctly how a man who knew not whether he had faith or not, could be consistently exhorted" to add to his faith virtue"- -or boldness in the maintenance of it.

But here comes in another part of Mr. B's soul-destructive teaching. "Let us," says he, "addressing him as a believer"(namely, that doubting professor who does not know whether he believes the truth or not)-" let us-addressing him as a believer— encourage him in Christ and his promises to all diligence," &c. Aye, Mr. B- - pretends to know better than the man himself what he believes. "I do not think I believe the gospel you have stated to me," says the poor man whom Mr. B- has in religious training. "Nay, but I am sure you do," replies Mr. B-;

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and therefore I know that you are a child of God, though you think not, and therefore all the promises of God in Christ are yours." Such is the use they make of their Christ, and such the awful encouragement which they minister to their disciples walking in the broad way of darkness and of death. All these daubers with untempered mortar agree with Mr. B- in representing the opposite course of Christian fidelity as very cruel and uncharitable. It would be," says he," in some measure quenching the smoking flax, to say such an one was not a believer." As he does quote that scriptural expression, and applies it as is usual in the popular theology, it may be well to remark, that the words in Is. xlii. 3. have really not the remotest relation to what these false teachers apply them. Look at the passage as quoted and applied by the Evangelist, Matt. xii,

VOL. II.

21

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16-20. and you may see that they describe the appearance of the Messiah in these circumstances of lowliness and weakness-(" a worm, and no man")—which were opposed to all the grandeur and noise of earthly kings, as if he were unequal to effect even the smallest object, as the breaking of a reed already bruised, or the quenching of smoking wick-(so should the word be rendered). Compare Ps. xxxviii. 13, 14. with Is. xlii. 19, 20. That He, so poor, so weak, so despised, without form or comeliness, was set forth by Jehovah as the mighty Saviour, his anointed servant ordained to bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. From an examination of the context, and the Evangelist's application of the passage, I am satisfied that such is the real meaning of the words " a bruised reed," &c. But one of the many evidences that the teachers of the religious world have not the fear of God is, their utter want of reverence for his Word. What the real meaning of any text is, i. e. what is the meaning of the Spirit there, they commonly care not a rush, so they can but ingeniously find out a sense in which it may be applied or accommodated in what they call a spiritual and savoury way to some insidious doctrine. Dear H. G, whose case I related in Vol. i. 473, of the Sufficient Reply, did not find that there was any harshness or cruelty in addressing her as an unbeliever, when she came to me lamenting that she was so. But then I had to lay before her that which is adapted and sufficient to convey at once the fulness of joy, and peace, and hope, to one that it finds in the depth of infidelity and darkness: while Mr. B- knows not any gospel of that character, however speciously he may at times talk of its joyfulness. "" It is presumption," says he, and not the assurance of hope, if the believer's certainty of his own safety arises from any other source than the witnessing of the Holy Ghost to his spirit by the unerring rule of the Word, that his fruits or works are the fruits of faith." Now, observe the cruelty as well as wickedness of this doctrine. It would go to shut out the believer from ever having the assured hope towards God, or rejoicing in God, and to incapacitate him from bearing any of the fruits of righteousness. "The joy of the Lord is the strength of his people;" the hope of salvation is the helmet with which the youngest soldier of the cross goes out to fight the good fight of faith. 1 Thess. v. 8. All-including him who but the last moment passed from death unto life, believing the record of God concerning his Son-all are saints of God, and, because they are so, have the spirit of adoption that cries Abba, Father-the spirit by which they know the things that are freely given to them of God. Gal. iv. 6. 1 Cor. ii. 12. So is it according to the apostolic gospel, and effectually does that gospel work in all them that believe it. But not so is it according to Mr. B's gospel : his believer, however assured in faith, must not think of rejoicing in God as his God and Father, and rejoicing in the hope of glory, till, in a course of obedience and fruitfulness, he has got a supposed revelation made to him that he may now venture to conclude that his faith is genuine, and that he may therefore, without presumption, conclude that he is a child of God, and stands fair for heaven. Cruel doctrine, indeed! that sends his disciples indeed to make bricks without straw, to

walk as children of the light of the day, as children of God, under the uncertainty whether they are not children of darkness and of the devil. "They may weary themselves in the greatness of their way" in the effort, and they may at length be encouraged, under Mr. B's wicked consolation, to think that they have succeeded, that their evidences for heaven are clear enough. But vain is the attempt to produce grapes of thorns, or figs from thistles. It is hard to know where to stop on such a subject. I must therefore stop abruptly.

My wife and daughter join in hearty Christian salutation to you, with, &c.

CXLV.

TO MISS T

Nov. 25, 1829.

AMONG the other characters of the God of Israel-the only true God—which are celebrated in the cxxxvi. Psalm, and which his people are called to recollect with thanksgiving and praise, I am forced to think of that mentioned in the 4th verse. "To Him who alone doeth GREAT WONDERS." And is it not indeed wonderful, that you and I should be brought into Christian correspondence on our mutual faith and hope, and into that intimate and endearing connexion which unity in these produces? Yes, we may well confess"this hath God wrought;" and may well join in the corresponding language at the close of the lxxii. Ps. 18, 19. While every instance of the Lord's reigning in the midst of his enemies, and subduing them to him by the sword of his Spirit, affords matter of unspeakable joy, I confess, my dear Miss T, that in your case my joy is greatly heightened from the consideration of our dear, dear sister Land of her joy. She will easily believe that my wife and daughter share in it largely, as I doubt not the whole church will, when they are put in possession of the intelligence. But when I mention the whole church, and think of the materials of which for the most part it is composed, and think of a high-minded young lady like you being made desirous to take part with such a despised set in the fellowship of the despised gospel, I am reminded of old Lear's remark (is it not King Lear's?) that misery makes us acquainted with strange bedfellows." So, indeed, we may say, that the overbearing power of divine truth in the stoutest heart, brings us into strange company. Yet let us ever recollect, that there is only One of whom it can be said-in the most important sense- -that he "humbled himself;" Him who, though the Lord of all, took upon him the form of a servant, and descended indeed that he might exalt the lowest. When we, through the knowledge of

Him, are most "clothed with humility," it is not that we descend from any rank of dignity which really belonged to us—(for all have sinned, and in that have become miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked)—but that we are brought to our senses out of the delirium of blind ungodliness and self-righteousness in which we had imagined ourselves very fine creatures. A patient in Bedlam who had conceived himself an emperor, if cured under the physician's care, would not descend from any real dignity, but only discover his proper character; and if he were then disposed to glory on this account over his companions that remained insane, might it not well rebuke the folly of such glorying to find, that, if he passed for a moment from under the physician's care, he was ready to relapse into his old dreams of imperatorial dignity. So is it with us. Let us but be left any hour to ourselves-to our own hearts-and we are ready to be as proud as Lucifer-proud of our fancied humility! So here am I prating to you on paper just as if we were old acquaintances. But while I have room left, I wish to offer you a few remarks suggested by some expressions in your letter. When you say, that through His righteousness we shall be justified, I doubt not that you will joyfully agree with me in desiring to alter the language to the present tense-" we are justified." I do not suspect you of having meant any thing else; indeed, other passages prove that you did not; but it is delightful and profitable to contemplate the language of the Holy Spirit concerning the present blessedness of all them that believe the testimony of God concerning his Son. "We have peace with God"-" we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins"-" He hath made us accepted in the Beloved"-" He is made unto us of God, wisdom and righteousness"-"He hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling." So that the believer possesses all that righteousness and salvation which the votaries of Antichrist are seeking after and trying to get. Those are labouring to become what they are not as yet-righteous and holy, &c. We are called to walk as what we are-children of God, and " as children heirs-heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ." We have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God-1 Cor. ii. 12; and corresponding with this is the language of the Apostle John-" these things have I written unto you, that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye HAVE eternal life." 1 John v. 13. Surely it is with reason that we are called to " offer the sacrifices of praise continually"-" to rejoice

in the Lord always."

You say—“ I am aware that constant watchfulness must be exercised by me, and probably to my last hour." I am sure you do not mean by this any kind of condition that we have to fulfil; and I dare say, intended no more than is contained in the Apostle's expression of giving earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. Heb. ii. 1. That is blessed watchfulness indeed-being kept awake to the glorious gospel. In none can this watchfulness be found, but in the children of the light and of the day. Observe the striking language of the Apostle in

1 Thes. v. 4, 5, 6. ;-" Ye are not in darkness. Ye are all the children of light and of the day. Therefore, let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch."

If a man lighted a thousand candles at midnight, it would still be night to him: nothing but the appearance of the sun can produce day; and so nothing but the shining of the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the person of his Anointed, can make any sinner cease to be "of the night," and make him capable of watchfulness to that only true light. And it is thus that the Lord keepeth the feet of his saints, and holdeth their souls in that life which he has given them, even by keeping them awake to that glorious truth which they have believed-keeping them to the end by his own power through faith, so that he will not suffer them to depart from Him, as is the perpetual tendency of their own hearts. It is on this character of ourselves as a people, "bent to backsliding" from Him who has made us his people -Hos xi. 7.—ever prone to relapse into sleep by forgetting that truth in which the glory of the Lord is revealed; it is on this, our unchangeable character, that the repeated calls to watchfulness proceed: and we may bless the Captain of our salvation for sending us such animating and awakening calls as that, 1 Cor. xxi. 13, "Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong"-" strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus."

I must hasten to a close. It grieves me to hear that your health is not as we could wish; but I trust that even it will be benefited by the blessed repose of mind which the decision of your late inward struggle tends to produce. Mrs. W and M kindest salutations to you and to our dear Lpeace be multiplied to you both. Yours, dear Miss Ttrue attachment, and in (I doubt not) everlasting bonds.

join me in Mercy and

with

THE following are the leading considerations I would suggest on the subject of your note. The account we read of the first disciples at Jerusalem, that all who believed were together, seems naturally to have arisen from their intimate unity of faith, and from the brotherly love "wherewith they were taught of God to love one another.' Those who are thus united in one mind and one heart (I may say) will naturally aim at being as much together as the circumstances of our present state will admit; and may look forward gladly to that future state of being, when the circumstances that now prevent their being all outwardly together shall end; when, being ever with the Lord, we shall be ever with each other. But that they cannot be so