suit me well I find them precious gems. The "Past Experience" you mention in the December number I particularly enjoyed, and was constrained to fall on my knees before the Lord, and bless his dear name for his leadings and guidance of his child. Not a word could I say, nor a murmur have I since felt at the step he has taken, though a thorough Dissenter I am, but his explanation is unanswerable. Oh, may the great Head of the church abundantly bless his labours. He is unknown personally, but I cordially love him in the Lord, and feel great union in spirit to him. I doubt not but our gracious King in Zion has some special work for him to execute in his name."

To the Editor of the Gospel Magazine.

BELOVED IN The Lord,

I must cry, Hosannah to God in the highest! He hath delivered my soul from hell, and my feet from falling, and hath put a song into my mouth, even praise unto our God. Truly can I say with David," Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name," for I have proved him again and again a faithful and unchanging Friend, that loveth at all times. He is a promise-making and a promise-performing God. This I can testify by my own personal experience. At the commencement of the present year, the Lord gave me the following promise: "Thy shoes shall be iron and brass, and as thy days so shall thy strength be." I related it to some friends, and said, "I shall have a rough path," so I have found it; but the promise of the Lord has not failed. Some friends that were very dear to me have withdrawn their friendship, but the Lord has brought me into sweeter nearness to himself, that is in manifestation ; if he has shut one door against me in his providence, he has opened another, and sometimes two, in its place. Many useful and profitable lessons have I been taught by what has been most mortifying to the flesh. My idolatrous heart is prone to wander from the God I love, but when he takes away the idol, and shows himself the substance, then I say, Take my poor heart, and let it be for ever weaned from all but thee.' For some years I have had the promise that he would give me the desire of my heart. I knew it was from himself by the power with which it was applied. Many times have I pleaded for the fulfilment of it, now I have realized it, but not in the way that I once thought, but in far the best way, for I have been brought into the King's Chambers, and have been favoured with a sight of his personal beauties, and permitted to drink of the good wine of the kingdom. 'Tis this that rejoices the heart and makes the countenance to shine. Does it not, my brother? I think you know what it is, and can rejoice with me, knowing it is an unspeakable favour to be walking with our beloved Lord, and indulged to lean upon his bosom, and` to have an appetite to partake of the rich provision that is abundantly provided for all the family; for he hath said, "Eat, O friends,

eat abundantly, O beloved." But I know that many of the Lord's dear people are not yet brought into the banqueting-house. Many are upon the threshold, and now and then have a peep through the casement. Some are not favoured to approach so far, but like the dove, can find no rest. The world has no charms for them; they feel a love for the Lord's people, but dare not speak to them; if they did, they could not give expression to what they wanted. They groan and sigh in secret. Little do they think they are as much beloved of the Lord as those that can testify of what he hath done for their souls. But so it is. I am glad to find that this part of the Lord's family are not disregarded by you. If it is his will, may you be an instrument to feed the flock of God, and while you are dispensing the word of life to others, may your own soul be fed with the finest of the wheat; may you drink of the wine on the lees well refined, being strong in the Lord, giving glory to God, is the prayer of yours in Him,

Colchester, Nov. 12, 1847.

E. H.

Extracts from Letters Received during the Month.

"In the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established.”

From "S.". -"Oh that there were more real union amongst the children of God-that the eye being fixed upon the real standing of the church in Christ, the little earthly barriers-the separating hedges, as it were might be everlooked! The corn now grows in many fields (as some old writer beautifully observes), but when He, who is the owner of them, gathers the whole produce into his garner, all will be mingled together-no lines of separation known!"

From "J. B."-"It too often happens that men are looking more at their own labours than they are looking unto Jesus; in other words, looking for something to glory in, instead of having a single eye unto God's glory. Oh, it is a hard lesson to learn to be made a fool of; to glory in nothing but the cross of Christ; to be stripped of good-self-bad-self-spiritual-self-learned-self-talented-self-yea, and foolish-self; for what will not man glory in short of Christ ?"

From "G."-" In all these things I have but one Refuge, and that blessed One is the same which has so often covered me in the day of battle, that I cannot but hope He will still show me His way. All I really desire to know is, Am I in the Lord's way? At present 1 cannot doubt but He has brought me thus far, but for the future I am so much afraid of going wrong. What can we do?

'Keep close to me, ye helpless sheep,

The Shepherd softly cries.'"

From

-“I do often derive great support from the hope that these desires cannot arise from any natural conviction; and God has so often made me heavy under his absence, that any secret meltings at his footstool are felt to be from himself! I do indeed often plead with him that he would show me his salvation,' that he would show me his covenant; that a precious sense of sin forgiven might enable me to shelter under the shadow of his wings. You have indeed afforded the Christian church a blessed and clear testimony in the paper, 'Nothing to pay.' How rarely is truth even thus stated to the sinner; and how, in these times, do even the family of God shrink from such stripping. And yet how certainly is each condemned sinner brought to this alternative, 'If God save me not, I perish.' I feel that some truths have reached me, from inward conviction of their reality, and not from human teaching. Happy shall I be when one more lesson is impressed, not only that He is the Sovereign whose right it is to reign, but that He has chosen me among his elect ones, upon whom he has mercy, because he will have mercy.'

From "M. R."-"The longer I live the sweeter is free grace to my soul. No hope in anything save free mercy through Jesus Christ. The sweetest and most melodious sound communicated to the outward ear, dies in utter insignificance compared to the joy, the rapturous delight that thrills through the frame at the music of Jesus' lovely name; and that He came to seek and to save sinners, of whom I am chief."

From "H. B."- "There are some who think that if this peculiar point, or that precise view of Divine truth, be not held, the poor soul is out of the covenant. The more I am led to consider the subject, the more I am constrained to avow, that whenever I hear one speak of his thorough conviction that in his flesh dwelleth no good thing'that in himself he is nothing-that he is helpless, powerless, and cries as Jonah cried, 'Salvation is of the Lord,' assuring me that through the blood and righteousness of the Lord Christ he alone seeks pardon and justification, yet at the same time does not clearly receive the doctrines of election or particular redemption, I cannot say, he is no brother in the Lord.' All I can say to him is, that I trust the Spirit may open them to him, so that he may receive the comfort contained in them, and that his heart may be fully established."

Gospel Correspondence.

DEAR MR. Editor,

I cannot think that the "Shulamite's Crackers," in your December Number, page 601, are adapted to the nut (1 John iii. 9); but without criticising largely upon his reasoning, I shall merely observe that it appears to me that the positive character of the whole verse must

preserve it from such a solution as he has applied; but I would desire to be influenced by a motive similar to the Shulamite, and arise to assist the tender-teethed little ones to come at the preciously sweet kernel the nut contains.

The apparent contradiction of the "beloved disciple" in this Epistle was for a long time too hard for my teeth. "If we say that we have no sin the truth is not in us" (1 John i. 8); and "whosoever is born of God cannot sin" (1 John iii. 9). But the apparent discrepancy vanished when I was led to see the perfect distinction between the old and the new man in the regenerate, which, though like unto the iron and the clay, uniting in the formation of the same member, can never mingle together.

The old man, which is "corrupt according to the deceitful lusts," remains unalterably a whole body of sin and death. "Every thought and imagination of man's (as such) heart is only evil continually;" and again (Rom. iii. 9, &c.), made of the accursed dust, to his origin shall he return (Gen. iii. 19); and it was the revelation of this corruption ever warring against the Spirit or new man, which extorted from our brother Paul, "Oh, wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body (intact) of sin!" And as the first operation of the Spirit is to convince of sin (John xvi. 8), "If we say that we have no sin, the truth (in the Spirit, however much it may be in the letter) is not in us," 99 66 we deceive ourselves." But the new man "which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness," stands perfect, without spot or blemish, "perfect through my comeliness which I have put upon thee, saith the Lord," sin, because he is born of God." And does not the apostle Paul, in Rom. vii., latter part, draw the same distinction between the old and the new man, imputing to the sinful old man all his corrupt doings, whilst his new man, in his closest standing, hates the very motions of sin which work in his members, saying, It is no more I that do it, but sin which dwelleth in me." And has not the Shulamite some experience of this? (Cant. vi. 13, which may be explained by Rom. vii. 15, and Gal. v. 17.

64

""cannot

Sin is hateful to the child of God, because it is that abominable thing which his Father cannot behold (Hab. i. 13). God is a consnming fire to all that would approach unto him in the consciousness of their own suitability, and therefore sinners, as such, can never pray to Him, for Christ is the alone way. "No man cometh unto the Father but by Him." "In Him we have access," and there can be no concord between Christ and Belial. There is something touchingly sweet and encouraging to see how, in every possible direction, we are dependent upon our most glorious Immanuel, and it seems to give intelligence to his loving directions to approach wih "Our Father which art in heaven," for when alone Jesus must be with us. The bride must be found of Him whom her soul loveth, ere she can be received at Court.

The deeper our views of our demerit as sinners, the more "we hate the garment spotted with the flesh," and "abhor ourselves," the more highly is our glorious Substitute exalted, in whom alone we

are

delivered from its consequences, and its abhorrence in the sight of Him, "who will by means clear the guilty," is proclaimed to his wondering church by the hiding of his countenance from his dearly-beloved Son; when the iniquity of his bride was laid upon him, the extorted agonizing prayer, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me!" is no longer a mystery, but is comprehensible by the revealed truth, that He was made sin! And such an accumulation rested upon his sacred head that all creation was convulsed by the spectacle! But, oh! unfathomable love (Ps. cxxxix. 6), "He died, the just for the unjust," and "by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." And this perfection "is the holy seed which remaineth in him. He cannot sin."

Dover, Dec. 6th, 1847.

J. B. K.

To the Editor of the Gospel Magazine.

MY DEAR BROTHER,

In the good old book, which contains the will of our heavenly Father, in the legible characters of our mother tongue, we have all things so plainly set forth, that there can be no mistake made as regards the share and interest each" heir of promise" hath in the property therein bequeathed; nor hath there ever been an occasion to appeal unto the law to decide. The legitimate family, which are "born, not of blood, nor of the will of flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God," who show forth the praises of Him who calleth them, as they pass through the several stages of babes, little children, young men, and fathers-though of the latter there are not many, yet the Lord has not left himself without witness, as we upon whom the ends of the world are come can testify, as we now and then see the fulfilment of that promise, "Thus saith the Lord of hosts, there shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age." The following truly spiritual and savoury epistle, from a mother in Israel, reached me a short time since; and considering the variety of trees bearing fruit" in these days, I thought if you could find a spare page in our "Monthly Repository," it might be profitable to some of the younger branches, to observe the manner of holy women who trust in God; and if haply it might manifest other daughters, who, in well doing, shall not be afraid of any amazement. A STRIPLING.

DEAR SIR,

By the Lord's help, I will try to write you a few lines; and, in the first place would thank you for your kind and welcome letter. It truly came at a time when "my soul was much cast down within me,"