nose (this fair brisk world), wherewith they are bewitched, and so forget or refuse to go forward. 5. Remember, many go far on and reform many things, and can find tears, as Esau did; and suffer hunger for truth, as Judas; and wish and desire the end of the righteous, as Balaam did; and profess fair, and fight for the Lord, as Saul did; and desire the saints of God to pray for them, as Pharaoh and Simon Magus did; and prophesy and speak of Christ, as Caiaphas did; and walk softly and mourn for fear of judgments, as Ahab did; and put away gross sins and idolatry, as Jehu did; and hear the word of God gladly, and reform their lives in many things according to the word, as Herod did; and say to Christ, 'Master, I will follow thee whither thou goest,' as the man who offered to be Christ's servant (Matt. viii); and may taste of the virtues of the life to come, and be partaker of the wonderful gifts of the Holy Spirit, and taste of the good word of God, as the apostates who sin against the Holy Ghost (Heb. vi). And yet all these are but like gold in clink and colour, and are watered brass and base metal. These are written that we should try ourselves, and not rest till we be a step nearer Christ than sunburnt and withering professors can come. 6. Consider, it is impossible that your idolsins and ye can go to heaven together; and that they who will not part with these, cannot indeed love Christ at the bottom, but only in word and show, which will not do the business. 7. Remember, how swiftly God's post, time, flieth away; and that your forenoon is already spent, your afternoon will come, and then your evening, and at last night, when ye cannot see to work; let your heart be set upon finishing of your journey, and summing and laying your accounts with your Lord. O how blessed shall ye be, to have a joyful welcome of your Lord at night! How blessed are they, who in time take sure course with their souls! Bless his great name for what ye possess in goods and children, ease and worldly contentment, that he hath given you; and seek to be like Christ in humility and lowness of mind; and be not great and entire with the world; make it not your god, nor your lover, that ye trust unto, for it will deceive you. I recommend Christ and his love to you in all things, let him have the flower of your heart and your love; set a low price upon all things but Christ, and cry down in your thoughts clay and dirt that will not comfort you when ye get summons to remove and appear before your Judge, to answer for all the deeds done in the body. The Lord give you wisdom in

all things; I beseech you sanctify God in your speaking, for holy and reverend is his name; and be temperate and sober. I will not believe that ye will receive the ministry of a stranger, who will preach a new and uncouth doctrine to you; let my salvation stand for it, if I delivered not the plain and whole counsel of God to you in his word.

Read this letter to your wife, and remember my love to her, and request her to take heed to do what I write to you; I pray for you and yours. Remember me in your prayers to our Lord, that he would be pleased to send me amongst you again. Grace be with you. Your lawful and loving Pastor, Aberdeen, 1637.

SAMUEL RUTHERFORD.

THE WORD OF HIS GRACE.

Lutterworth, July 12, 1850. MY DEAR FRIEND,-I was very thankful to learn this week that you were better. I hope you continue going on towards restoration; health of body is a great mercy; we do not prize it as we ought while we have it; we learn its value from the loss of it, and are reminded of the Lord's past mercies by present pains. Human nature once stood perfect, but Satan and sin ruined it, and affliction and death are the consequences. In Adam all died :' the Lord foresaw all this ruin, and he laid help upon one that was mighty, and exalted one chosen out of the people. In Jesus the Lord from heaven there is no ruin nor death. 'Ye are complete in him,' who is the head of all principalities and powers. We understand a little of Peter's meaning: 'Unto you that believe he is precious;' and the little we have had makes us long for more; and the Lord will give more, for it is said, 'He giveth more grace.' What wonders there are in that one word grace. By grace are ye saved.' The Lord from everlasting planned the great salvation; Jesus, according to the riches of his grace, came down from heaven and finished salvation by redeeming his people; and when he had done his work he went up with a shout, and took his seat at the right hand of the Father, to shew that grace reigns. God the eternal Spirit called us by his grace, and made us willing in the day of his power. Grace brought us to Jesus, because grace gave us to Jesus before the world was; and because Jesus loves the Father's gift and his bride, he will not lose it, therefore we can never perish; for it is grace that gave us an interest in God, and the same grace will for

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ever secure our interest and preserve our souls. What a wonderful book is the word of his grace!' There are doctrines, promises, invitations, exhortations, experiences, ordinances, precepts, and cautions: balm for the wounded and wine for the aged, milk for the little ones and meat for the strong ones, wisdom for fools and deep mysteries for the wise, a word in season to the weary pilgrim and a staff for the support of the afflicted and heavy-laden, a bridle for the proud, rebellious ass, and a rod for the backsliding fool's back: a complete armour for the spiritual warrior, and a crown of immortal glory for the conqueror. The word of the Lord endureth for ever; and this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.' Satan is an enemy to our souls, and takes delight in darkening our minds :

'Ifs, buts, and hows are hurled

To sink us with the gloom

Of all that's dismal in this world,

Or in the world to come.'

Satan loves to worry the blood-bought sheep, but the omnipotent arm of the Lord and Shepherd will for ever defend them from all his malice.

'Grace has redeemed the sheep with blood,
And grace will bring them all to God.'

O for faith to trust in the Lord for ever, for 'in the Lord Jehovah
is everlasting strength!' Alas, how soon we are cast down and
distressed, when dark dispensations are our lot! and when the
Lord hides his face, we are greatly troubled. The Lord has said
for the comfort of his dark children: 'I will see you again, and
your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.'
We are going on in the cause about the same as when you left,
and all the friends about the same. Mrs. De Fraine and I went
over to see Thomas Brodell, of Bruntingthorpe, last Tuesday; the
poor old man was in a very solemn, spiritual, and comfortable
frame of mind. He told us he could meet death with joy, and
gave me a text for his funeral sermon, and some very sweet and
blessed hymns to be sung. I think he is evidently sinking.

You may remember it will be eleven years next Lord's day since our chapel was opened. O, my friend, how many crosses and conflicts we have had since then, and yet, blessed be God, have been upheld till now! and our precious Lord says, 'I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.'

Mrs. De Fraine unites in kind regards. The good Lord bless and keep you. I expect to be in London two or three Lord's days. next month. Our respects to your daughter.

To Mr. Thomas Cumberlidge.

R. DE FRAINE.

GLEANINGS FROM THE EXPERIENCE OF THE LATE MRS. GRACE SOPER, OF PLYMOUTH, A MEMBER OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND UNDER THE LATE DR. HAWKER, VICAR OF CHARLES, PLYMOUTH.

(Continued from vol. v. p. 377.)

One day, when the force of temptation came upon me, I ran to the revealed word for a moment's support, and opened at the sixth chapter of Isaiah, which was an answer to it at once. Spiritual weapons for the spiritual fight were what I wanted. Now, O mine enemy,' said I, 'what canst thou say? This Holy! Holy! Holy! filling the whole earth with his glory, is Jesus, the great and eternal Jehovah; and here there are three Holies! yet one Holy!' This scripture was made at once a healing balm to my poor soul; copying it out, I carried it about with me, and when assaulted by Satan I generally found the reading of it produced a transient relief. As to the accusation of having sinned against the Holy Ghost, the enemy could not make much of it; alas! I had guilt enough without a charge of this kind. The pangs of a wounded nature kept me in constant fear as to what the end of this conflict might be, and often I was driven to the throne with this cry of a poor sinner:

'Mercy, good Lord, mercy I ask,

This is the total sum;

For mercy, Lord, is all my suit,

O let thy mercy come!'

'Deliver me from the snare of the fowler, and let me escape, as a bird unto her mountain; I am stung bitterly by the serpent, and none but Jesus can relieve and heal.'

Like Bunyan, I looked on one hand and beheld, as I thought, the pit of bold presumption (afraid to venture to believe); and on the other, the quagmire of black despair, into which I feared I must at last fall. This was a sore strait, but it was truly my case. My despondency increased, and my bodily health decayed, until I thought myself in the grasp of death; and one night I was seized with a

dreadful trembling, cold shivering and sweat succeeded, and the apparent death rattle in my throat.

And now to my own view I was actually dissolving; to my apprehension all was over with me; but oh! the sudden appearing before the Judge of quick and dead in such a state of awful uncertainty was a thought that sunk my soul into inexpressible dismay, quite inconceivable by those who have not been tried and exercised in a similar conflict.

It was, if I remember rightly, about the present season of the year, twenty or twenty-one years ago. The midnight hour was passed, and towards the morning watch, when-not to say I awaked for I think I had not slept during the night-all was silent and solitary without, but still more solitary within; the Judge seemed to be at the door, and the keepers of my house did shake. To my feelings my breath was leaving me, and so it appeared also to your dear father, who prepared immediately to send for your sister from Roscrow school, that if possible I might see her, and she once more behold me ere I quitted this time-state for ever. 'Oh,' said I, 'I am going, but I fear I shall never behold the good land that is afar off; it seems hard to struggle in the dark; would Jesus but shine I'd gladly go; but should he not, I shall in bitterness of soul sink down into the dust of death. Oh! if I were truly the Lord's, he would now strengthen and comfort me by appearing for my help.' Mr. S. replied that I need not be afraid, if this were to be the time of my dissolution, the Lord would soon remove all doubt, and reveal himself to my soul before he would take me to himself. 'Alas!' said I, 'I fear he hath in anger for ever shut up his tender mercies, and that he is about to cut me off from the land of the living without one cheering ray of comfort.'

It was dead of night indeed. No gleam of light! No spark of hope from the word of life to support my soul, and give me a happy exit out of this world of grief and woe! No sweet, peace-speaking promise to enliven me with spiritual vigour, and quicken me with new life, to enable my spirit cheerfully to take her flight into the unknown regions of immortality!

And let it be understood that before the enemy pressed so very hard, and bore down upon me with such cruel force, it was with me as in the following hymn and words of Newton :

'I ask'd the Lord that I might grow

In faith, and love, and every grace;