times leads by a rugged but always by a right path. We should never expect a situation without its peculiar trials. I am sure I can say for my. self, that I have so often been disappointed in this respect, that I cannot look for a situation on this side of the grave without being assailed by some particular trials. It is, however no small comfort to me, and it will be so to others, if they get this truth rivetted on the mind, that all our trials are dealt out by weight and measure by the hand of our heavenly Father; so that we shall not have one grain more than weight, nor one inch more than measure. The whole course of our sublunary life does not afford us one single draught of joy without a mixture of wormwood in the cup. That which makes the draught peculiarly nauseous is the consideration that our trials often come from a quarter that we little anticipated. Where we expect the greatest comforts there we frequently meet with the greatest crosses. Many things will occur that we are not aware of: peculiar circumstances to pain us, peculiar troubles to perplex us, peculiar injuries in secret to ruffle us by slanderous tongues from preachers and professors, under the garb of religion and professed friendship these will require great grace to bear with them. Satan delights in evil speaking, therefore the Syrians call him Akal-kartza, that is, an eater of slanders; and indeed in this particular professors are too fond of his diet: now such as feed upon slanders are fattening for hell and growing ripe for destruction. Base minds feed on calumny and slander, as contemptible flies feed on carrion; but a spiritually minded man delights in heavenly things, and this is for a man to eat angels' food. We should never judge of men by mere appearance: a red coat is not courage, nor is a black one religion. We may as well expect to find reason in a bat as to find spirituality in an unregenerate man, however high he may stand in

:

the estimation of his fellow mortals in a profession. There is as vast a difference between the knowledge of God by the letter of his word, and the knowledge of God by the Spirit of his Son, as there is between a marble statue of an angel in Westminster Abbey and a living angel in the heaven above. As it respects God, may we be preserved from murmuring against him; watch his hand in every thing, and live under the force of this assertion, "It is the Lord; let him do what seemeth him good." Oh for a meek and quiet spirit! it is in the sight of God of great price, and to us will be great peace. Above every thing may we live near to God, yea live in him, bear every trial in him, and regard him in every thing. Thus we shall pass safely through this vale of tears; and if not free from troubles, yet we shall enjoy God in them. speak by experience, when I say, that great trials, if the Lord be in them, are better than great worldly comforts without him.

I am sure I

To conclude on this particular : expect trials; may we be submissive to the will of God in them, and then I am certain that some day or other we shall thank him for them all. Here we are prone to err as in the first case. There we expected less trials than we met with, and here we often expect more enjoyment than we really find. We should remember that the cup of creature comfort is not very deep; we soon come to the bottom of it; and unless we enjoy the almighty in it we soon exhaust it. We must remember that there is no creature comfort but what hath much mixture of nauseous ingredients in it; and that which makes the sweets of life doubly sweet, is the enjoyment of God in them; yea, I may say that the presence of God makes the bitter sweet, and the sweet trebly so. The Lord will sweeten the bitterness of life, strengthen us when weak, comfort us when sad, nourish us when

sick, and help us forward in the ways of God. Happy will it be for us if we are thus favoured. The gracious God has tempered the bitterness of life with much sweetness, that, taken altogether, it becomes bearable and sometimes palatable. If it were all bitter, we should get tired of life before we saw half of it; if it were all sweet, we should make a home of this life therefore there is a happy mixture in the cup of providence, so that it is neither a state of bondage nor a bed of sloth. We may gather the honey of comfort from the bitterest flowers. We rejoice in tribulation. "As unknown and yet well known; as dying and behold we live; as chastened and not killed; as sorrowful yet always rejoicing; as poor yet making many rich; as having nothing and yet possessing all things.

There is a secret in the ways of God
With his own children which none others
know,

That sweetens all he does; and if such peace
While under his afflicting hand we find,
What will it be to see him as he is,
And past the reach of all that now disturbs
The tranquil soul's repose; to contemplate
In retrospect unclouded, all the means
By which his wisdom has prepared his saints
For the vast weight of glory which remains?
Come then, affliction, if my Father bids,
And be my frowning friend: a friend that

frowns

Is better than a smiling enemy!

The misery that we are exposed to when left to ourselves is, that we sink into the creature instead of rising into the Creator; we look for that in the creature which is only to be found in God. But we may take this as an incontrovertible truth, that if any thing is put in competition with God, it will be torn from us, though it should be the darling idol of the heart; therefore if we should wish to have our comforts continued, may we be enabled to keep them in their own place, enjoy God in them, and bless God for them, and like the church keep the moon of creature comforts, where it should be, under our feet.

Rev. xii. As it respects creature comforts, expect them sparingly, use them subordinately, enjoy them thankfully, and resign them willingly, that we may with Job say, "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord." God humbles those first with his frowns, whom he intends to honour with his favours. Ah, it is easy to advise; but I find it hard indeed to bless the hand of God, when that hand strikes my greatest comforts dead. It requires great grace; but no more than the Lord hath given, and promised to give. May he help us to act as a people dependent on the hand of God. The children of God have some peculiar sorrows, they have sorrows of spirit; they have afflictions and oppressions of soul, to which the unregenerate are utter strangers. And yet I know with all these peculiar trials, the true believer has secret springs of joy and consolation, which men of the world know nothing of. He has in his darkest hour, a happiness which the ungodly experience not in the summit of their prosperity. Though he be an outcast in the wilderness, there is one who can turn him to the well of water; though he have no human friend to sympathize with him, there is One who can say to him "What aileth thee?" one who can lead him to a river, "the streams whereof make glad the people of God." The people of God are often at their wits' end; they know not where they are going; they know not why they are in the circumstances they feel themselves to be in; they know not either how they may get out. So dark and mysterious are the Lord's ways at times, that it may be well said, "Thy way is in the sea." What he does we may not know now, but we shall know hereafter." Has God led you a thorny way, believer? Remember that the thorns of eternal justice pierced your Redeemer's brow, that they might only wound your feet,

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mortal glory. The word depart, applied to death, seems, according to some, to be an idea taken from a vessel at a foreign port. Having accomplished the end of her voyage, and taken in all her lading, she weighs her anchor, and leaves the distant climes, in hopes of soon arriving at her native shores. See her sails expanded, the winds favourable, and the sea placid. Under the protection of a strong convoy she ploughs the fluid element, and speeds her course to the desired haven. Immortal spirit, full of faith and the Holy Ghost, possessed of a plenitude of divine love, what hast thou to do any more in these regions of sorrow? Heaven is thy native place, thy portion, thy felicity, and thy final home. Death has loosed thee as from a prison. Thou

hast embarked for Immanuel's land. Happy soul! thou hast weathered the storm, thou hast braved the seas, and now thou hast safely arrived in thine own country. We, thy late companions in tribulation, are speeding our way, with eager desires, upon the wings of time, and hope ere long to be happy with thee to all eternity. Hallelujah.

Through the long and lonely night,
Amidst languor and pain and fear,
The darkness is turned to light,

My Saviour, if thou art near;
And I feel I can patiently suffer still,
Ann my only prayer is, to do thy will.

But e'en when the mind is worn

By the pressure of long disease,
And the feeble frame is torn

With anguish no med'cine can ease;
If thy presence be granted the soul is blest,
She flies to thy bosom and there finds rest.

And then her one desire

Is to be conformed to thee; And to pass through the furnace fire, For if with them there as of old thou wert, Thy children can pass through the fire unhurt.

That her dross consumed may be :

And oh, when the heart is taught
That in mercy affliction is sent;

Thy tenderness changes not,
But is proved by chastisement;

It is a small matter with you and I what judgment men may pass upon us. But it is a sweet mercy that we are judged of the Lord, and then be assured that we shall not be condemned, because we know that the dear Lord hath loved us; and this we are assured of, by being brought to love him. 66 Blessed are they who have part in the first resurrection (regeneration), over such the second (eternal) death hath no power."

What a precious, precious friend hath Christ been to you and I. Wave after wave of trouble hath rolled over us, but we have ever found the Lord faithful to his promise, and as our days so hath our strength been. We can speak of the precious promises of the Lord, experimentally, having realized their preciousness. And we shall never be forgotten of the Lord. The devil may hate us, and I am glad he does, for it is a convincing proof

the Lord loves us; if the Lord did not love us Satan would not worry us as he does, but would let us be in quiet as he does his own children; but knowing his time is short with God's children, he embraces every opportunity to annoy, till they are taken home to their everlasting rest and out of his reach.

The world may cast out our names as evil, and mere nominal professors may despise us, but what matter is it to us as the Lord says he will never leave nor forsake ns. Oh, then, we may boldly say that we will not fear what man can do unto us. Woe to them who fight against God's dear children, for the Lord says that those who touch them, touch the apple of his eye. Oh, when I think of the deathless fame of our precious Christ, it makes my very heart to leap for joy, he is so altogether lovely to our poor, weary souls. Truly there was never such a brother as Christ, never such a friend, never such a shepherd, never such a prophet, never such a king, never such a priest, never such a counsellor, husband, law-fulfiller, advocate, surety, redeemer and lamb. Precious foundation, precious hidingplace, precious rock, precious tower, precious sun, precious bread, water, shade, life and shield! Glorious inheritance! sweet peace! delightful love! fragrant rose !

Oh, my dear friend, there are so many beauties embodied in the Lord Jesus Christ which we can only view now by precious faith, but when we step out of time into eternity, then will they be unfolded to our wondering view to everlasting: we shall have immortal eyes strengthened to gaze upon immortal glory, and immortal glorified bodies with strength enough to sustain the eternal weight of glory that awaits us. Farewell, for ever farewell then to Satan's temptations. Farewell to all the hard speeches of the ungodly. Farewell to all the empty shews and vanities of the world. Farewell to rebellious children, bodily

pain, mental anxiety, and sinful self, which is the greatest of all burdens. Well may we say with the poet,

If in my soul such joy abounds,
While weeping faith explores his wounds,
How glorious will those scars appear
When joyful bliss forbids a tear.

May the dear Lord grant you much of his dear presence in your affliction while, as the chief of sinners, I remain,

Your's, in the heavenly union,

J. S.

Give my christian love to all, and may they and you enjoy the sweet peace of God in your souls.

LETTER FROM REV. W. BIDDER TO

A CHRISTIAN FRIEND.

Dear Friend,

GRACE and peace be multiplied, &c. Many thanks for your kind remembrance of me. I was indeed glad to hear from you, and to find that you are in the same respecting God's truth. Well aware I am that as certainly as the Holy Ghost plants truth in a sinner's soul, so sure is that truth therein planted, an "incorruptible seed which liveth and abideth for ever." And I feel persuaded that thus my dear friend has received it, while I rejoice that it is that good part which shall never be taken from her.

You complain of a legal ministry in the place where you are; ah, my friend, the pure, unadulterated gospel is a rare thing to be met with in this awful, compromising day; and where it is to be met with, there all the powers of darkness are up in arms against the word preached, the man who fearlessly declares it, and the people who hear and love it. Nevertheless the Lord's rich blessing rests upon his truth.

My dear friend, your glorious Lord will not suffer your soul to starve, for