He belongs to the family of heaven, and the church of the first born, and is connected with a people whom the King delights to honour.

I truft, my dear child, with fo many privileges you will advance in divine knowledge, and that I fhall fee the answer of many prayers which have been offered up in your behalf; fome before "your infant thoughts had learned to form themselves in prayer."-Yes, my dear, I blefs God you are the child of many prayers, not only of your parents, but alfo of the Minifters of the gofpel who have been received under our roof, fome of whom are resting from their labours. Our united requests are in part answered, and the reft are on the file to be fulfilled in due feafon. I well remember fome of the petitions which a man of God offered up for you: "God blefs the child thou haft given thy fervants; preserve her to maturity if it be thy will; make her an ornament to her fex, an ufeful member of fociety and the church, a promoter of good, and a receiver of the Prophets of the Lord." As I then faid, fo I now repeat, "Amen, Lord grant it !” Let me advise you, my child, to improve time and opportunity. You will have much leisure and many means of grace: be careful to improve them. Read the Bible much it is the best book. Be frequent in prayer, and above all, hearken to the teachings of Him who hath faid, learn of me; then there will be no need for me to fay much of the duty of your new connexion, for the Lord will incline you to love, honour, and obey, and you will value the gift for the giver's fake.

To you, dear Sir, I have given an only child, who is now your wife, and a more near relation to you than to me. I rejoice that I can fay you know your duty better than I can inform you. Let me remind you, however, of that ftrong expreffion of the Apostle, that a man is to love his wife as Christ loved the Church. Confider it; and under our divine Head endeavour to enrich her foul, that I may fay, "Lord thou haft answered the prayer of thy un"worthy fervant." And now, my dear children, I commend you to God and the word of his grace; may you love one another with a pure affection, referving the chief place for the Lord.

Let us not grieve at parting; we hope to meet again. Yes, I hope to meet you at least twice a day at the throne of grace, and I charge you to meet me there. And will not our heavenly Father smile upon us, while I say, Here I am, and the children thou hast given me: give unto us according to thy gracious promifes, defend us by thy power, inftruct

s by thy wifdom, and poffefs us by thy Spirit?" And while you are praying, "Lord here is my father; thou haft been the God of his youth, be the staff of his old age ;" may we not expect our God will fay, "I will blefs you all; tafte my love and be happy; forget not the fufficiency there is in my Son Jefus; come often and receive much of my grace; live by faith and you are fafe, and in my own time I will take you both to myfelf in glory?"

REFLECTIONS ON 1 PETER ii. 24.

Who his own self bare our sins in his body on the tree, that we, being dead to sin, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

IN is that accurfed thing which has ruined the fons of men, and there is nothing more defirable than to hear of a remedy. Bleffed be God, the Gofpel proclaims that remedy, and reveals the method of recovery from this vile diforder, and all its ruining effects on the life and conftitution of man. The above text is a fmall but comprehenfive fpecimen of what the Gospel delineates at large.

His own self-not an appearance, as has been fondly and foolishly imagined by fome. And that we may be the more certain, the Apostle adds, his own body. The person crucified was Jefus Chrift himself, who was, in his two natures united, at that very time, the Prince of Peace, the Lord of glory, the King of kings, and the Lord of hofts! O! the condefcenfion and the grace! How muft angels wonder and admire !

He bare our sins :-Thefe were imputed to him, thefe were laid upon him: they were placed to his account as debts contracted, and which must be difcharged by the surety, or the original debtors could never be liberated, Our sins-O what a heavy burden! A thoufand worlds would have been light compared with this! What a dishonourable burden! Comprehending the rebellion and treafon, the ingratitude and obftinacy of men. Thus He bare our sins the guilt of them, and the punishment due to them. Then let us never be afraid or afhamed to bear his crofs; it is our highest dignity.

VOL. II.

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On the tree-the ignominious tree! A tree defigned for all forts of criminals, yea for the worft fort-The fatal tree, where virtue and innocence were ftabbed to the heart. A tree, however, immortalized by the death of Chrift: the crofs will never be forgotten. It became the tree of life; all the life with which believers are infpired, is derived from hence, Jefus expiring on the crofs. This tree bears "To man the immortal fruit, delicious and reflorative. bleeding crofs has promifed all." The crofs and loud hallelujahs to the Lamb that was flain, will eternally echo through the vault of heaven.

That we being dead to sin.-Observe believers are dead to fin, they have no taste for fin, no ear for fin, no heart to fin, no activity in fin; the will is motionlefs; "He that is born of God finneth not." No man believes in the death of Chrift for fin, who lives in the practice of it. Now if a man would become dead to fin, he must confider what Christ fuffered for fin-pray for the Holy Spirit-watch and wreftle againft his own corruptions-vifit the house of God-and feparate himself from all ungodly company (in point of choice), as fuch converfe always fans the latent fpark of inward corruption.

Should live unto righteousness-which life is only maintained and promoted by faith in, and union to, the Lord Jefus. An unrighteous life is a certain prelude to eternal death. Righteoufnefs, as it refers to our own life and conduct, includes three things: love to God-knowledge of his will-and a zeal to perform it. True faith is fure to produce righteoufnefs. In every believer principles of a new life are implanted-defires after righteoufnefs fpring upand, as a natural confequence, works of righteousness ap pear and abound in the life. Living to righteousness is not a philofophical, but a divine life. It is not a mere moral, but a fpiritual life, and the true Chriftian is a "fpiritual

man."

By whose stripes ye were healed.-Many and heavy ftripes were inflicted on the Son of God when he became

a ran

"fom" for finners; but from every fripe a balfam is derived of fovereign efficacy to heal a wounded confcience. Too many expect to be healed by their own ftripes, their person al afflictions; but this is erroneous and dangerous. From the fufferings and obedience of Chrift is derived our only relief. My foul hope thou in the wonderful efficacy of his stripes! No difeafe is too inveterate-no conftitution is

too fhattered--no age is any obftacle--no poverty is a dif advantage--no diftance is an inconvenience, in regard to this wonderful remedy. Bleffed be God for Jesus Christ! DALETH.

ON CREATION.

A FRAGMENT.

PERHAPS nothing may appear more furprising than that man should have been fo weak as to imagine that the prefent order of things was the mere operation of chance, and that matter is felf-exiftent, and therefore eternal. In the dark ages of Pagan ignorance, indeed, this may be excufable; but guided by the fuperior light of revelation, we learn by faith that the worlds were created by God. With what this great Being is in his divine effence and nature, we are but little acquainted; but this we know, that this world is a grand demonstration of his power; and the largeft grafp of human and angelic knowledge is no more to be compared with him than one man to the mass of all men, or one atom to the universe. If God is fo great, what then are we ! We are not capable of comprehending the smallest part of his existence, but he can with almighty eafe comprehend all his creatures; and fuch are the adorable perfections of his nature, that he can for millions of ages render happy the enlarged capacity of the brightest angel, and yet remain inexhaustible; and accommodate himfelf to the meanest worm that crawls. Yes; in our God is infinite goodness; and in Jehovah Jefus dwell all the treasures of wisdom and of knowledge.

Birmingham.

MARCUS.

ANECDOTE OF A SAILOR.

HE following anecdote, which feems to me well worthy of being recorded, is fully authenticated by the Rev. John Pyne, an aged minifter of the Baptift deno

mination, who now refides at Bristol, but was formerly paftor of a church at Shrewsbury. Mr. Southey has very beautifully verfified it, in the fecond volume of his Poems lately publifhed, page 107-114, entitling the poem. "The Sailor who had ferved in the Slave Trade." I copy the prefent account from one that was written by a friend, who, after hearing the relation, entered it in a book, and then procured Mr. Pyne's written attestation to be annexed to it.

One afternoon in September 1798, as Mr. Pyne, who lives near the outfide of the city, on Philip's Plain, was was walking towards the fields, for the benefit of the air, leaning over an old wall, he thought he heard fome one moaning and lamenting in a pitiful manner: and on looking about he found that the found came from an old cart-hovel. On this he drew near to the place, and perceived in it a waggon, in which he difcovered a man praying in great agony of fpirit. He repeated fometimes the Lord's prayer, and part of the creed; and then cried for mercy in other words with the most dismal groans. He liftened to him fome time, and at an interval of his mournful effufions, called to him, and asked him what was the reafon that he feemed to be in fo much diftrefs. The poor man rofe up, for before he was proftrate in the waggon, and looking the picture of defpair, came down. He was in a failor's dress, and faid he had retired there, as he did at every convenient place, to confefs his fin, and feek mercy from the Lord; but he feared there was no mercy for him, he had been fo great a finner.

Mr. Pyne asked him what particular crime it was which appeared to lie fo heavy on his confcience; when with much aggitation he gave him the following account : That he had fome time before been employed in a flave-ship, and when laft quitting the coaft with their cargo, there was one woman who feemed to feel the mifery of her fituation more than the reft, and difturbed the repofe of the captain with the noife of her mourning and perpetual lamentations, who therefore ordered her to be tied up and well flogged. The execution of the fe orders fell to his lot, and the captain, ftanding by, obliged him to execute them with fuch feverity, that the poor creature expired in great agonies the next morning. Since that time his mind, he faid, had been overwhelmed with guilt, and the recollection of the poor woman's cries and agonies, fo that he had never known peace or happiness fince. He perpetually imagined that he faw Satan before him, who appeared in various fhapes, fol