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against God, who is not on speaking-terms with him? Are you a prayerless man? And is not that man an enemy to his own soul who never speaks to it? Never asks his soul if it be well? Never says, soul! art thou converted to Christ? Art thou saved from thy sins? Has it been well with thee? Is it now well with thee? Would it be well with thee for ever,-if this night dismissed from the body? Canst thou answer, as a female did this morning (May 23rd, 1813), on my asking, how is it with you?" Well," she exclaimed, with a smile, "well;-in body and soul!”

No. XCIX.-BREVIARY OF THE GOSPEL.

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The Gospel is a system of TRUTH: divine, pure, revealed, suitable ⚫ and interesting truth. The truth, as it is in Jesus;" discoveries of the nature, attributes, and providence of God. Redemption! forgiveness! the Holy Spirit! eternal life!

Truth in the type, prophecy, promise, the Saviour, and in his people. The Gospel is a system of GRACE. The law is truth, not grace, John i. 17; 1 Tim. i. 15; Ps. cxxx. 4; forgiveness with God---what grace! and it is true!-Witness the promises and privileges of the Gospel.

The Gospel is a system of DISCIPLINE teaching self-governmentsubordination in relative, social, and public life. Purity, meekness, kindness, sympathy, mercy, temperance, justice, liberality, peace, and contentment are its fruits.

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The Gospel is a system of HAPPINESS. It relieves us here by pardon, power, and prospects of life-life to the body and soul; "life eternal!" Bodies---like that of Jesus. No clog to devotion→→ no snare to integrity-no source of pain and disorder-no seat of death. Bodies shining as stars.

As "the Gospel of salvation," it is a deliverance from the tyranny of Satan, from the reign of ignorance, from the dominion of guilt and from the empire of evil passions."

The Gospel is a DIVINE system.
Its Author, is "the blessed God."

Its Source, the grace of God.

Its discoveries, the things of God.

Its evidences, the effects of the power of God.

Its model, or pattern, the Son of God.

Its triumphs, supernatural.

Its genius, spiritual.

Its scope, salvation to man-glory to God.

No. C.-A DEATH-BED.

I visited Mrs. — in her affliction, so threatening, that she took her leave of her husband and children every evening as her last. And although I never knew a family more affectionate, nor a more reserved Christian than this good woman, I never saw a soul more raised above the distressing effects of relative affection. She resigned her family to God, calmly waited her dismission, rejoicing in hope. Her conscience entirely relieved from guilt; her affections weaned from life; her hopes centred in Jesus; her tongue expressing patience, gratitude, and joy; her countenance was "as the face of an angel." "O the blessedness of the woman to whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile!" Here was a soul in full triumph over the world, life, sin, self, fear, death, Satan, her own imperfections, and her afflictions! I departed from her bed-side secretly exclaiming, her religion is a reality, the grace of Christ is sufficient-God is faithful to his promises-prayer is not a vain thing; rouse my soul! pray, believe, read, act, live on Jesus, live to God, and die in faith.

In the meantime, let me anxiously visit the afflicted, and if they do not feel the need of my counsel and prayers, let me learn to live, to suffer, to die, to pray, and preach. Here I learn my defects, the pains and pleasures of sympathy in their joys and sorrows. Here I see heaven opened, the veil rent, and the prospects of heaven filling the soul with "unspeakable joys!" Here I see death killed, "swallowed up of life." Here I have seen the kingdom of heaven;" the glory of the Lord revealed, "Christ all in all."

No. CI.-SECRET THINGS UNREVEALED.

How does God exist-how did he create the world-how is he immense without extension, or eternal without succession?

Answer-It is not revealed.

How are souls united to bodies-how do they enter them-how do they operate on them?

Answer-It is not revealed. These are "secret things which belong to God."

No. CII. THE COMING OF THE BRIDEGROOM.

"Behold the bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him!”

Many are not prepared to go forth this day to meet him in his ordinances, to rejoice in the union of Jesus and his church, to pay him the service he demands and deserves, and to partake of the entertainments prepared by him.

Can such be ready to meet Jesus in DEATH? Is not death

near, and hastening towards us? Must not such souls be startled and terrified, if it should come suddenly? And yet Jesus has threatened the unwatchful soul so to come.

How awful the surprise to the secure sinner! how distressing to the dreaming formalist! how degrading and alarming even to the real believer, if found sleeping

No. CIII.-PRAYER.

No one,

Prayer is a privilege of inconceivable importance. whose soul is not " alive to God," can form an idea of it; and yet, to the truly spiritual mind, nothing is more simple in its nature. And what is prayer? The "cry" of a creature in distress, or in want, or danger,-to God for relief, support, or protection. A criminal asking pardon; a slave asking for liberty; a perplexed man asking counsel; a beggar asking alms; a child asking bread. Can any act be more simple? Can any act be more solemn, in a creature, than that of speaking to his maker? How did Abraham feel, in his approaches to God? Abraham was "the FRIEND of God!" Hear him: "O let not the Lord be angry, and I, who am but dust and ashes, will yet speak." Angry? with the request of a Friend? What an exalted thought of the glory and purity of God! What humbling views of himself! After this, who can endure to hear the low familiarity, the irreverence, the levity, the impudence called boldness, expressed by some persons in prayer? Equally distant from a suitable posture of soul, is that man, who, before his fellow creatures, seems to display the prayer of a gentleman,—a scholar,— or an orator, rather than that of a christian. To say fine things of God, as if he could be pleased with compliments; to teach his fellow-creatures when he should be imploring blessings for them; to set off his own understanding and memory, rather than " pour out his heart" to the Lord :-is this prayer? A man may pray to exalt himself, as well as "preach himself." For my own part, I hear such prayers with pain and disgust; but the simple cry of "Lord help me," " God be merciful to me a sinner," breathed from the heart of an unlettered christian, edifies, elevates, and charms me.

When I hear a Christian in prayer, filling his mouth with arguments from "the Word of God," it greatly increases my happiness; for "it drops as the rain and distils as the dew," on my soul. As a minister, I am encouraged that my ministry leads to the study of the Scriptures. I am enlivened as a Christian; "the word quickeneth me." I am relieved from the dull quotation of a few petitions from the Prayer-book, for years in succession, which proclaims idleness and barrenness.

Such persons improve others while their "own profiting appears to all." They "stir up the gift that is in them," and attend to prayer as a serious business. Kindling their own affections at the

sacred altar, they feed the devotions of others by the "live coals" taken from thence. They spiritualize the judgment, the heart and devotions of the hearers, and "quicken them to call upon God's name."

No. CIV.-MOTIVES JUDGED.

When a proud man cannot attack a minister's actions, he slanders his motives. This is unjust, spiteful, and awfully rash. Surely, it violates the Saviour's charge, Mat. vii. 1.

To convince such a slanderer may be difficult; but it is not difficult to confound him. Only touch the motives of his charity, his religious duties, his commendations, his professions of friendship, as ostentatious, vain, flattering, and hypocritical, and he will charge you with the presumption of invading the judgment-seat. How, he asks, can you possibly know my heart? How indeed! Why, then, partial man, dost thou judge the heart of thy brother? Is not this returning thine own measure and thine own judgment on thyself? "With what judgment ye judge, YE shall be judgea."

You have been reproved by your minister or brother, and you assign a bad motive for his reproof: and what is your motive for so doing? Probably, to conceal your own sin, by imputing sin to him.

Should you even guess his motive, it does not clear you; but proves your wish to intimidate others from reproving your faults, by resentful and unjust retaliations.

Would you "tempt the Lord" to say, "let him alone?" Or provoke him to reprove you by leaving you to disgrace your character, or sending a mortal disease on your body?

Suppose you should excite the fear of man" in your minister, and shut his mouth, will it not render you a partaker of his unfaithfulness?

If you do not make restitution by revoking your rash judgment, do you not fix guilt on your conscience and destroy your own peace?

"He that confesseth and forsaketh his sin, shall find mercy;" can you expect to find mercy without confessing your fault to your brother?

Suppose the motive you impute to your reprover be false, have you not added to this fault the sin of slander? Will not this "sin find you out," by the slanders of others against you, the prejudices of the injured, the retaliations of him and his friends, and the torments of conscience, in your enjoyments, your afflictions, and the awful terrors of death?

I am, at this moment, inclined to write on the most glorious truth of the gospel; but, alas! the unjust and unkind treatment of a fellowcreature gives a bias to my mind, and would lead it to vent its complaints of human nature. Could I describe a fallen creature,—a fallen

creature in his converted state,-a fallen creature in all the forms of hypocritical profession,-I should do no more than the Holy Spirit has already performed. And were I to illustrate the most interesting and sublime truths of revelation, in all their happy influence on Christian experience, I should only repeat what is already recorded. Why then write? why burden society instead of recommending the Bible? "In writing many books there is no end; and much reading is a weariness to the flesh."

No. CV.-THE BIBLE SOCIETY.

The Bible Society harmonizes with every other benevolent institution.

The systems of education for teaching children and aged persons to read, derive their principal importance from the qualification they impart to search and understand the Word of God. Each institution contributes to make men "wise unto salvation, by faith in Christ Jesus." This is the grand end of learning to read-of multiplying Bibles, and of preaching the Gospel. And the Bible Society itself, so pre-eminent in importance, prepares the minds of men for missionary exertions.

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It is true, the preaching of the Gospel is the principal means of saving souls; and millions have heard and believed the word preached, who could not procure a Bible, or read one if they had it. Happy people, to whom we can say, To you is the word of this salvation sent." This ordinance of teaching is of universal importance;"Go ye into all the world, and PREACH the Gospel to EVERY CREATURE." "For whosoever shall CALL on the name of the Lord, shall be SAVED! But how shall they call on him, in whom they have not BELIEVED? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not HEARD? And how shall they hear without a PREACHER? And how shall he preach, except he be SENT?" I would not run to the extremes of those whose judgments are misled by the novelty of a plan. Such persons exclaim, according to the impulse of the moment-"The Adult School is the best thing in the world!"

One year before the institution of schools for teaching aged persons, they exclaimed," Sunday-schools for teaching children to read and catechising them, are the best institutions of the day!" Let the same persons attend the anniversary meeting of the British and Foreign Bible Society, and hear the report of its extensive influence, and they return home, exclaiming, the Bible Society is the most important institution in the world! The same good men, after reading the report of the Missionary Society, and hearing the sermons and speeches of its advocates, are impressed with the superior worth of the Missionary Society.

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