that fruit spoken of in the scriptures before us. The jailor, likewise, called for a light, sprang in, and came trembling, falling down before Paul and Silas, on another occasion, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" How great the distinction! The accusations of a guilty conscience saith, "Go thy way; when I have a more convenient season I will send for thee:" whereas the poor and contrite spirit calls aloud for mercy, In a breath as it were, suffice it just to add, that a living child of God, is invariably, sooner, or later, brought to rejoice in Christ Jesus with trembling, on account of the woakness or infirmiites of the flesh. "For I know thet in me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good I find not," Rom. vii. 18-25. This is that which often times induced a trembling in the regenerated son or daughter, of the Lord Almighty at his word: whereby we are "humbled, proved, and made to feel what is still within! Wherefore, my beloved, as yet ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence; work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure! Ye see your calling then brethren, how not many wise men after the flesh; not many mighty, not many noble are called. But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty. And base things of the world, aud things which are despised hath God chosen; yea, and things which are not, to bring to naught things that are; that no flesh should glory in his power! Despise not therefore the day of small things in thine experience: being confident of this that he who hath begun this good work in you,

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will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ!" Luke, xvi, 19, 25.

The Lord bless this Bethesda, in her minister and people. Bless, O Lord, his subrtance, and accept the work of his hands; smite through the loins of them that war against him, and of them that hate him, that they rise not again. Vouchsafe likewise, O Lord, unto thy beloved children herein, much of thy presence, that their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding; to the acknowledgment of the mystesy of God, and of the Father, and of Christ. In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom aud knowledge, and to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen." 2 Cor. i. 10.

THE SOUL'S GREATEST AFFLICTION.

Wherefore doth the Lord withdraw himself? Doth he not withdraw himself from them, that he might draw them unto himself? Doth he not therefore hide his face for a moment, that he may not turn his back upon them for ever? Doth he not therefore forsake them for a moment, that they might die unto all the world, and long after heaven, where there Doth he not is no forsaking ? therefore forsake them for a moment, that they might die unto the way of sense, and learn to live by faith, which is the proper work of this life? Doth he not therefore forsake them for a moment, that in this winter of their desertion, the weeds and vermin of their sins may be killed and mortified? Doth he not therefore forsake them for a moment, that he may

see their love to him? In time of his presence we have the sense of his love to us; but in the

time of his absence, then he seeth, and we ourselves have the sense of our love to him. Doth he not therefore forsake them for a moment, that their very joys and comforts may be more fervent, exalted and enlarged? It is our nature to rejoice most in a comfort, when it is redeemed from the hand of death, and recovered from loss. The wise men, when they saw the lost star again, then they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. Did they not rejoice in the star before? Surely they did, but they rejoiced more, even with exceeding great joy, when they had found the lost star. And this is our nature, we rejoice most in the finding of lost mercies. Now the Lord Christ knows our nature, and therefore that he may raise our joy, our praise, our thankfulness, for his presence, face, and manifestation of his love, he doth sometimes withdraw them. So that in all his withdrawings, he hath a design of love upon our souls: have we any reason then to be much discouraged, though deserted?

It must needs be granted, that it is a most sad thing for a gracious heart to want the face and presence of God and Christ, to be deserted and forsaken by Jesus Christ; yea, I do not know any thing, or any affliction, that is so afflictive to a gracious heart, as this: for, take any other affliction, and though it be great, yet it is but a particular affliction, the loss of some particular good and the putting out of some one candle, or the hiding of some one star; but if Christ hide his face, and God withdraw or hide himself, it is the darkening of the sun, which brings an universal

darkness upon the soul; and it embitters all other afflictions, for as the presence of Christ sweetens all other comforts, so the absence, or forsakings of Christ, do embitter all other sufferings, and cut off all our relief and remedy against them. So long as the face of God shines upon a poor soul, he may run to Christ, and relieve and help himself too against his affliction. True, my friends forsake me, my relations forsake me, but Christ hath not forsaken me: but if God and Christ forsake, where shall a man relieve or refresh himself in this stormy day? And as those sins are greatest, that cut off all our relief against other sins; so those afflictions are greatest, that cut off our relief against other afflictions. Such is this: of all afflictions, it looks the most like a judgment to a gracious soul. Lord (saith David), correct me not in thine anger, nor chasten me in thy hot displeasure," Psalm vi.

1. When God hides his face, and forsakes the soul, he seems to correct in anger and in hot displeasure. Herein a christian doth, as it were, combat with God himself: he fights with mortals sometimes, and then he is mòre than a conqueror, because Christ fighteth with him and in him; he fights with Satan, principalities and powers, and then he doth overcome, because Christ is with him: but oh, saith the soul in this desertion, God is mine enemy here I must fight it out hand to hand with divine anger, and what shall I do now, how is it possible that I should now escape? The truth is, this affliction above all others seems to draw a curtain over all our comforts

For the Holy Ghost, by the apostle Paul, declares that the new man is created or made, Eph. iv. 25. He thus writes: "And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Now if Immanuel be the new man, as Mr. Triggs asserts, Jesus Christ is only a creature, and not the Creator: but let God be true, and every man a liar that attempts to debase the Son of God, for the word of God declares, 'that all things were made by Him, and without him (as God, one with the Father and Holy Spirit) was not any thing made that was made," John xvi. 3.

I come now to treat of the new man; and here I would observe, that the new man, no more than the old, is strictly speaking a man, but the Holy Ghost hath used the similitude.

I do not remember reading the phrase, new man, once in the Old Testament, yet the saints of old were neither destitute nor ignorant of what is called in the New Testament, the new man; for David prays, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me," Psalm li. 10. Here David's prayer to God, is for him to create a clean heart within him. And in the 4th verse he prays: "Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin." And Paul, writing unto Titus, in the iiird chapter and at the 5th verse, speaking of what God had done for them, says; According to March, 1844.]

his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost." So that what David earnestly prayed for, and obtained, Paul thanks God he was in the enjoyment of.

Now what is meant by a clean heart, I believe to be a heart purged from sin, guilt and dead works, by faith in the atoning blood of Christ. And David was not destitute of saving faith, which is a part of the new man, for he says, "I have believed, therefore have I spoken." And in the cth Psalm, at the 3rd verse, "Know ye that the Lord, he is God, it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are (by a spiritual birth) his people, and the sheep of his pasture.' Now as the word of God is spiritual, this cannot refer only to our natural creation, but to our being created anew in Christ Jesus.

And in the xxxvith chapter of Ezekiel, the 25th and 26th verses, God thus speaks: "Then will I sprinkle

clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean; from all your filthiness and from all your idols will I cleanse you, a new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh." Now I believe this new heart and new spirit, which God has promised to give his chosen people, to be the new man, and not Immanuel, as Mr. Triggs very falsely writes.

Now I will make a few observations on this blessed promise of a covenant God and Father in Christ Jesus. "I will (says God, for none else can) take away the stony heart out of your flesh." It is well known that the heart, literally, both in man and beast, is flesh; but a stony heart, means a hard. impenitent, unbelieving heart, or a proud, boasting heart, like the pharisee's, who thanked God he was not like other men: and this stony heart is a lively description of the state of man since the Adam-fall

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death, that is, the devil, and deliver them, who through fear of death, are all their life-time subject to bondage." And in 1 John iii. 8, the Holy Ghost, by the apostle, saith, "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil;" and not, as Mr. Triggs asserts, to make himself a new man. or, the new man.

I will now, as briefly as I can, from God's word take notice of what is called the new man. Christ called it the kingdom of God: for when one asked, Master, shew us a sign of the kingdom of God; Jesus answered, The kingdom of God is within you. Now the apostle explains this, saying, "The kingdom of God is not meat or drink, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost," Rom. xiv. 17. Now, I ask, are these things Immanuel, or the blessing of Christ bestowed upon his dear church and family?

The apostle likewise treats of the reign of grace: "For as sin hath reigned unto death, so might grace reign, through righteousness, unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord," Rom. v. 21. I will only add John's testimony: " And of his (Christ's) fulness have all we (apostles) received, grace for grace,' "John i. 16. Now the new man goes by the following names: the inward man, the inner man, and the hidden man. delight in the law of God after the inward man," Rom. vii. 22; and again, "But though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day." Now, I ask, is this inward, or new man, said to be renewed day by day, Immanuel?

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In Eph. iii. 16, Paul's prayer for them is, "That he (the Father) would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with all might, by his Spirit in the inner man," or new man. Now does Jesus our Immanuel want strengthening, which he must do, if he was, as Mr. Triggs asserts, the new man? And

Peter, in his first epistle, the iiird chapter, and at the 4th verse, he calls it "the hidden man of the heart." "But let it be the hidden man of the heart in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price."

Let every man or woman that fears God, compare spiritual things with spiritual, and may God give them a wise and understanding heart, to discern truth from error, is the prayer of

Guildford. AN OLD DISCIPLE.

SPIRITUAL CORRESPONDENCE.

To be Continued.

My dear Daughter in the bonds of Gospel truth and love,

YOUR letter, conveyed to London by brother Reed, came to hand Tuesday evening the 21st. The many calls he has upon his attention, caused him to forget and omit sending it to me sooner; if I had received it in time, I would have endeavoured to have returned you an answer by brother Denham: as it is I must send it by post; I am not willing to delay writing, lest Satan should get advantage by my silence. I can truly say I feel a deep sense of gratitude to our covenant God and Father, for his display of sovereign grace to you. I read your sweet and simple narrative with praise to his dear name. Yes, he has "loved you with an everlasting love, and therefore with lovingkindness has he drawn you." It is now made manifest to your heart, that you have a friend in God for eternity. Christ's heart of love was and is fixed upon you, therefore the Holy Spirit has taken possession of you. The power of Christ is engaged to keep you, whose blood has cleansed you, whose righteousness covers you, whose fulness will amply supply you, whose strength will uphold you, whose arm will defend you,