hope is the more weighty, and sometimes that of fear and doubt. And thus he is kept, till Wisdom suddenly comes to her temple, and causes her voice to be heard in the deliverance which she brings. Wisdom can speak by an angel; by the ravens and brook; by a prophet; by fire from heaven; by preserving her children unhurt in the flames; by shutting the mouths of the lions; by slaying Goliath by the hand of a stripling, armed with a sling and a stone; by multiplying the loaves and fishes; by restoring the sick child to health and the dead to life; by healing the sick, opening the eyes of the blind, making the lame man to leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb to sing. Wisdom never wants for means, nor can any deafness prevent her voice from being heard when she designs to speak. Sweet is her voice to those who hear it; powerful is her arm unto those in whose behalf it is revealed; loving is her heart to those who lie near her bosom; and full of consolation are her breasts to those whom she causes to seek and be satisfied therewith. Wisdom's voice, then, drives fear away and brings comfort and thankfulness, in providential things; and does it not effect the same in spiritual concerns? Yes; here too she speaks; here is she heard. When bowed down under an accumulation of guilt, sin, and misery, and the soul is faint within, because Wisdom has so long kept silence, and has seemed inattentive to the groaning and sighing of the prisoner; when fears of destruction are many, and the cable is strained to the utmost, and seems just ready to snap and sever the vessel from the anchor by which it is held; then does Wisdom speak; then her "fear not is heard; then does she sprinkle her peace-speaking blood upon the guilty conscience, or give power to the faint to lay hold upon some merciful declaration, gracious invitation, or cheering promise. She speaks away all the guilt, and fills the soul with joy and peace in believing, or helps it with a little help, and strengthens it with a little strength, as she sees good. To some she speaks with more, and to some with less power. Some hear her voice of love and mercy frequently and clearly, and some rarely and faintly. But all her children do hear her voice, and experience, in measure and degree, the blessedness of her words to the weary, heavy laden, destitute, guilty, and forlorn. Some hear it on their knees, and some when walking by the way and conversing or meditating on the things pertaining to salvation. Some hear it under the preached word, and some in reading the word. Some hear it in a text applied verbatim, and some in the substance of a text gradually distilling its dew upon the soul. But in whatever degree or in whatever way Wisdom's voice is heard, the like effects are produced, the like spices flow out; sensible relief, grace, mercy, and goodness are felt, which lead the soul to repentance; brokenness of heart, humility, and abasement of self are found; the sinner is brought low, and the Saviour is exalted; the creature lies in the dust, and the Creator fills the throne; unbelief is 'silenced, and faith is heard; pride is stained, and a meek and lowly spirit is put on; fear and torment are cast out, and love is shed abroad in the heart; Christ is All and in all, and the creature is nothing in nothing. O blessed is the man that hears this voice,

that is come to the blood of sprinkling, which speaketh better things than that of Abel; for, says Wisdom, "Blessed is the man that heareth me." None but the blessed long to hear this voice; they alone hear Wisdom speaking, in reproofs and pardon, in chastisement and mercy, in darkness and in light, in sorrow and in consolation, in warnings and in promises, in death and in life. (To be continued in our next.)

BOUND UP IN THE BUNDLE OF LIFE.

My dear Brother in the Lord Jesus, who is our only hope, help, salvation, shield, hiding place, and strong tower, to whom be glory, dominion, wisdom, riches, power, thrones, crowns, and eternal hallelujahs from all the countless myriads of redeemed sinners. O the spotless purity, ravishing beauty, and transcendent excellency of his adorable person! Yes, my dear brother, he is altogether lovely, but it is no good to tell you anything about my wretched and execrated self, and I am truly sorry that I can say so very little to the honour of my great All in All. It is really a wonder to me that he puts up as he does with my crooked and perverse ways, and yet it is with difficulty that I am led to see and believe that he is so kind and constant a friend to me as he is in truth. Since I last saw you I have been greatly sunk with heavy loads of woes. I could tell some of them if required, but of others I could not for shame tell you or any other creature under heaven. But these heavy burdens are the means, through grace, of making prayer my daily work and my meat and drink. I talk more to my dear Lord than any other creature, and I make free to tell him my very worst. He condoles with me in the afflictions which I, in my own folly, procure to myself, and sometimes gives me such an unspeakable glance of his free mercy towards such a ten times worse than brute, that he ravishes and melts me to nothing; yet still does he often leave me like a silly dove without heart, for I have no heart for my Bible, nor for my family, nor for my friends, nor for my food, nor for my lying down or rising up, for going out or coming in, for talking, praying, or for singing. When my dear Jesus is thus gone away from me,

"I tire, and faint, and mope, and mourn,

And am but barren still."

But keen necessities, through grace, urge me to earnestness in seeking him again. I often think of you, and amidst my many cares I heave a sigh to our dear Friend for you. I had a sweet season at your house, and I felt that our redeeming God was there indeed. O, bless his name, my heart warms when I think of it! I was filled with fear before I went that all would turn out to no profit; but it was not so, for He melted my hard heart, and filled it with love to his dear children there assembled. I felt such things there as I can neither write nor forget, and my solemn conviction is that you are a highly favoured man indeed, and that the King of kings and Lord of lords is with you, resides in your heart, and is graciously present

at your meetings. Moreover, I am constrained to say that I feel such a knitting of soul to the little knot that were present that day, that I think I could live and die with them. God, my dear brother, has done great, yea, very great things for you. He tries you, but he loves you; he chastens you, but it is for your profit; he hides himself from you, but it is to exercise your faith, your hope, your love, your patience, and your prayers; he shuts you up, but not into the hand of the enemy, and does it that he may make his mercy shine the more in setting you free; he straitens you, that he may enlarge you; he sinks you, that he may lift you; he wounds you, that he may heal you; he gives you pain, that he may give you ease; he makes you poor, that he may make you rich; he makes you roar, that he may make you sing; he sends you all your crosses, that he may make you like himself; he kills you to this life, that you may live a life eternal; and he will take you out of this world, wherein you are a poor beggar, that you may reign with him eternally in in the world above. The devil and cursed unbelief shall not in this make me a liar, although I can assure you that at the present I know not how to think for myself; but if they are believers to whom Christ is precious, as doubtless they are, then am I a believer, for at times he is indescribably precious to me, and the solemn verity of God's word is, "He that believeth in the Son of God hath eternal life, and they shall never perish.

My dear friend, I cannot but think it proper that I should write to you at this time, as I feel so very comfortable whilst doing so, yet I dare say I shall regret it ere long. Please to give my very kind love to all those who met me at your house, yea, and to all others who may, for the truth's sake, love such an unworthy worm. Remember me very kindly to your wife, and, if it be the Lord's blessed will, may he reveal himself unto her. Bigot as I am thought, I really love all whom God loves, known or unknown, and that is enough for me to love; so let worldlings love the rest.

May the God of all grace preserve you from falling, and fill you with joy and peace in believing. So prays your unworthy brother, Stratton, near Swindon, Wilts, June 30, 1842.

CHRIST IS ALL AND IN ALL.

J. S.'

Dear Friend,-May the tender mercies of a covenant God be with you. Through mercy, I arrived safe at home, but very poorly, and I have since been quite laid up, My complaint, which I had when I was at your house, kept getting worse until I reached home, and last Sunday I was unable to preach; but I now trust that I am getting better. What poor worms we are! The blessings of health are sovereign favours from our covenant God; not one breath we draw, nor one pulse beats, but at his disposal; and truly he is too wise to err, and too good to be unkind, notwithstanding all the fretfulness and rebellion of corrupt nature. Many are the devices of a man's heart, nevertheless, the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand." Bless his dear name, "he is of one mind, and none can

turn him." If he did not rest in his love, there would be no more hope for worthless me than there is for devils; for if I am left to myself, the scenes which pass through my heart are shocking; and this brings me to loathe myself in dust and ashes; and, as Hart says,

But blessings and honours for ever be to his holy name, be gives me again to prove in my soul that "grace reigns through righteousness anto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord;" and then my soul can exclaim, "Rejoice not against me, O my enemy,, for when I fall I shall arise, when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light unto me." How sweet it is to find and prove our dear Lord and Saviour to be our salvation to save, our strength to support, our wisdom to guide, our light to shine, our fulness to supply, our righteousness to cover, our fountain to wash and cleanse, our Husband to succour, protect, and defend, our Friend that sticketh closer than a brother; our King, who rules over us, in us, and for us; our Captain, who has fought all our battles, conquered all our enemies, external, internal, and infernal; our glorious and great High Priest, who has offered up himself, obtained an eternal redemption for us, and entered into the holy of holies, by his own blood. Christ is our everlasting All in all, and it is of him, and to him, and through him are all things, to whom be glory for ever. Amen. When my soul is fafoured with sweet moments of communion and fellowship with Him, I envy no man in the world, I fear no devil in hell, and the only thing that my soul trembles at is a fear of offending my Lord, and I beg from my very heart that I may be kept from sinning against him. O precious Jesus, lovely Jesus, adorable Jesus! well might the church of old cry out, "His mouth is most sweet, yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my Friend, and this is my Beloved, O ye daughters of Jerusalem!" There is nothing wrong, either within or without, when Jesus is there. What a glorious eternity it must be for all the household of faith, to dwell at the Fountain-head, to see him as he is, to be for ever with him, and to be like him! O wonderful home! never to sin against him. O happy mansions of eternal rest! no noise of archers there; no cloudy, stormy days there; no long nights of dismal fears and anxious cries, "Watchman, what of the night?" no sinking with tremendous fears from the fiery darts of the devil, crying out, "O Lord, I am oppressed, undertake for me;" no afflictions, griefs, nor pains of either body or soul there; for "the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick." Happy place of rest! where the wicked cease from troubling, and where the weary are for ever at rest. O that my soul may be kept looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ!

ino

My dear friend, at times my soul can sing and triumph, exclaiming, God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." Indeed, there is no peace nor rest but in him. I don't wonder at David exclaiming," Return unto thy rest, O my soul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee." Many will say, Who will show us any good?" but, O Lord, lift thou up the light

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of thy countenance upon us. This was the desire of Moses when he said," If thy presence go not with us, carry us not up hence." I can assure you, my friend, that there is nothing so cutting to me as the hiding of the light of the loving countenance of him who is the chief among ten thousand, and the altogether lovely; for I am daily more and more convinced that without him I can do nothing. He is the strength of the needy in his distress, and when he is withdrawn, I feel myself a worm and no man; he is the light of Israel, and when he is withdrawn I am a poor blind bat, groping for the wall; he is the Resurrection and the Life, and when he is withdrawn I am in the midst of death; he is the consolation of Israel, aud when he is withdrawn, sorrow fills my heart; he is the great Captain that gains all my victories, and when he is withdrawn, the enemy is roaring, "Pursue him and take him, for God has left him;" he is the only Husband that can succour, protect, and defend, and when he is withdrawn, I am a widow forsaken, and grieved in spirit; he is the only Shield that can with safety defend, and when he is withdrawn, the fiery darts of the devil split, cut, and chop my poor soul till I cry out, My soul is scattered at the grave's mouth;" in a word, he is All in all, and if he is withdrawn, there is nothing left but an aching void, let my soul look where it may. If Jesus has hidden his face, all is gone that is worth having, for it is of him, and through him, and to him are all things, to whom be glory for ever. Amen. O how my soul dreads to be left alone, especially in the ministry of the word! O the importance of standing up in the name of the Lord, professing to be God's mouth to never-dying souls! How my poor soul has many times staggered into the pulpit like a drunken man, fearing that the Lord had entirely left me, and that my preaching was nothing but an empty noise, which went no farther than the ears of the people. My preaching sound doctrine does not satisfy my soul, except I can perceive some satisfactory testimony that God the Holy Ghost is bearing witness, by signs following, that it is of God; and I can assure you that when the Lord's presence is withdrawn from me, and I am obliged to go and speak in the dark, I experience terrible scenes of misery in my soul. O the many times I have been determined to give it up, and never to go into the pulpit again. I cannot take a text, and divide it, and subdivide it, and write it down, and commit it to memory, and then fill it up with a few other texts. My study is chiefly wrestling with God in prayer and tears, begging of him that he would provide me with a message, that he would bless me with light to see, with life to feel, with memory to contain, and with liberty to express, and, above all things, that he would with power carry it home to the hearts of his own people. If there is no power, all is valueless; for "the kingdom of God is not in word but in power." Paul says, "My preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God." And O how I have been astonished to see the mighty-power of God attending his word, when my soul has been full of confusion! and I have been 20 ashamed