he had meted to Uriah. For thus it reads: Behold I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house; and I will take thy wives before thine eyes and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of the sun. For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun," 2 Sam. xii. 11, 12. What killing work these things must have been to poor David's feelings; but the Holy Ghost saith, If we sow to the flesh, we shall of the flesh reap corruption," Gal. vi. 8. And, If we live after the flesh, we shall die," Rom. viii. 12. 29. How this lust conceived and brought forth in the churches in the days of the apostles. In the church at Corinth there was such fornication com. mitted as was not named among the Gentiles, 1 Cor. v. 1: and drunkenness and gluttony at the Lord's table, chap. xi. 21 : until they ate and drank their own condemnation, not discerning the Lord's body, verse What priding themselves in their gifts, bringing confusion into their places of worship, chap. xiv. So with the Galatians, what folly, and cleaving to the law, and rejection of the true gospel; counting Paul their enemy because he told them the truth, whom to have saved they would at one time have plucked out their eyes, and given them to him, had it been possible. But what did this cleaving to the law do for them; did it make them more obedient to scripture rules? Oh no, it led them to bite and devour one another, and Paul told them to take heed that they were not consumed one of another. Gal. v. 15. But to digress for a little, and look at the state of some of those churches who once held fast the form of sound words delivered to them, and who had amongst them many living souls, but who have now turned aside to error, and have scarcely a vestige of real truth left, either in doctrine, ex perience or practice; fulfilling the predictions of the apostle in Acts xx. 29, 30, "I know that after my departing, shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the sheep: also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. And this know, that in the last times perilous times shall come, and seducers shall wax worse and worse," 2 Tim. iii. "And they shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them; and many shall follow their pernicious ways, by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of: and through covetousness, shall they with feigned words make merchandize of you: but their damnation slumbereth not," 2 Pet. ii. 1-4. What a true picture of many of the professing churches in our land, who once had the truth, and walked in it. But what awful errors have got in; what pride and covetousness, both in ministers and members the minister is looked up to as the only guide, and must not be asked a question about any thing he says, if it be ever so contrary to the word. If there be a poor dissatisfied inquiring soul amongst them, and such an one should ask any question, he will soon be judged a disturber, and watched very narrowly, for fear he should get too wise; and all the answer he can get to his inquiries will be, Our minister must know the best about the matter, and it is quite wrong for us to withhold our implicit confidence from him. What covetous wretches have got into office as deacons, that will oppress the poor as bad as any worldling; and will do things under a garb of religion, that a mere moralist would be quite ashamed of. What lording it over the consciences of the people, for they must have their own way, right or wrong, and the poor must submit to it, if it be ever so contrary to conscience and Scripture. No food for me. living souls in the ministry of the word, as an old member of one of those churches, that once had the gospel in its purity, said to a friend of mine with tears running down his furrowed cheeks, Ah, there is no bread here; the young ones suck it all down, but there is no bread for What death in the pot these wild gourds have produced. And this is the finishing sin with them, to turn out God's real truth, and his own sent servants that preach it; and God says to all such, "Woe to them when I depart from them." Hosea ix 13. Ichabod might justly be written on the door-posts of these chapels, for "the glory of God is departed," 1 Sam. iv. 21. But to return to the true church of God in the present day, and look at the confusion and sin this lust hath conceived and brought forth. What pride, covetousness, evil surmisings, and slothfulness; what seeking, like the disciples of old, who shall be greatest amongst ministers; what coveting after this world's good, and to have the greatest name and the best places. If they hear a brother minister speak, how ready to criticise and make him an offender for a word; how ready to lower him in the esteem of the people, for fear he should be thought too well of by them. And if he is led in a different way to them, Ab, that is not my path, nor does Mr. preach so: for. getting the testimony of truth, "different gifts but the same Spirit," 1 Cor. xii. 4. James and John must be sons of thunder, Barnabas a son of consolation, and this according to the appointment of God. How different some ministers are at home to what they are out. When at home, none more strict on the precept; but when out, scarcely ever mention it. Thus the poor minister who is stated over the church has to suffer for it, and be called legal, if he be kept honest in the truth and then to justify themselves, Mr. does not - preach so. This often causes strife and contention, and quenches the spirit of love to each other, as minis. ters of the same precious Lord and Saviour. So in members of churches, what pride in dress, and conforming to the manners and customs of the world, seeking its friendship; not hearing the word of God, which declares, that "the friendship of the world is enmity against God," James iv. 4. If a minister comes that appears a little more respectable, and some respectable people come to hear, what inquiring to know how they liked him. And if they approve of him, Oh, say they, how suitable he would be for us, we should have so many more respectable people come to hear, and they would be such a help to us. No consulting the Lord about the matter, who hath "chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith, to be heirs of the kingdom." So with poor members, if you do not call on them, Ah, he will not call on me, I am poor, but I think myself quite as good as them. And this is pride with a witness; what striving to be rich in silver, and gold, what mourning and repining because we think we have not enough of this world's good, instead of being content with such things as we have," Heb. xiii. 5., and considering him who had not whereon to lay his head. He whom we call Lord and Master sent out his servants without purse or scrip and they said “ silver and gold have we none," Acts iii. 6. What evil surmising and jealousy and evil speaking one of another and listening to every evil report that is spread abroad by our enemies, what a shyness it produces, and instead of coming to the rule laid down by the Lord to go and tell a brother or a sister of their fault in a friendly way and see if the evil report be true, how ready to make the breach wider and like the fool in the proverb to believe every word of this evil report or ent ear. else to take no notice of it and so suffer sin on our brother or sister and a slander on the cause of God. But if a friend has honesty enough to go in a friendly and scriptural way and tell them of it, how hard to be received so that if he is a wise and friendly reprover, how hard to find an obediWhat sloth and drowsiness in the house of God and in all the means of grace; what trivial things will cause us to neglect them while the world and its concerns must not be neglected on any account, no nor yet its pleasures. And these things bring death in the churches, death in the ministry and death in one's feelings. What is death? It is closing the door of communion and closing the eyes to all the objects around us, in short it is a dropping into a state of insensibility. How insensible the churches appear to the kindness of the Lord for the number of privileges they enjoy to what their forefathers did when driven about by persecution; how insensible to the cautions and exhortations laid down in the word of God to beware of men and not to trust in them because the best of them is a brier and the most upright sharper than a thorn-hedge. What disputing about men and contending for them instead of the truth, how many churches are splitting on this ground, closing the door of church fellowship and communion between those who once walked together in strict friendship and christian love not regarding the exhortation, "let brotherly love continue," Heb. xiii. 1., and to " strive for the faith of of the gospel," and to forgive one another as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven us and not to "forsake the assembling of ourselves together but to provoke unto love and good works." and many more things might be brought forward from the word of truth but it is evident to every living man who has a tender conscience that there is a great dearth in the churches. And so in ministers, how little love one to another and to the church on the ground of truth, bow fearful of offending the rich, fearing we shall lose a little of this world's good, by so doing. What keeping back that part of the truth which is most searching, whether it be in doctrine experience or precept, and instead of strengthening the things which are ready to die Rev. iii. 2, and following the exhortation given to Timothy to preach the word instant in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all long-suffering and doctrine," they counsel whether the people will receive it or no. The doubleedged sword is thus kept partly in the scabbard and this brings death into the ministry. Dry statements of doctrinal truth and the same dryness in relating experience without shewing the effects it must produce in the life and conversation, close the door of communion with the tried people of God and with God himself, for if any thing is kept back he will shew his disapprobation by withdrawing his comforting presence, for he says, "them that honour me I will honour but they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed," 1 Sam. ii. 30. How very like to the church at Sardis. are we,“ having a name to live; but how dead," not in open profaneness but in a profession of truth. We can split a hair upon certain points, but where is the savour and life of truth gone and a real love to each other for the truth's sake which is the only proof of life the word of God af. fords? in every prayer making request with letter of the word, but that is not joy, Phil. i. 1, how dead in our his own, and there are many such feelings, what solemn mockery to teachers, as saith the apostle Paul, pray for God to bless his word, and "For the time will come when they then to be offended when we hear will not endure sound doctrine, but that a blessing has attended it, fear- after their own lust shall they heap ing that a brother minister should to themselves teachers having itching be made a little more useful than ears; and they shall turn away their ourselves. But so it is, how our eyes ears from the truth, and shall be are closed against the light of truth turned to fables," 2 Tim. iv. 3, 4. and the glory of God as our first And what old wives' fables do some aim. How are we seeking our own bring into the pulpit, how many are glory or the glory of men. So here delighted with them! but what death is death in our preaching, death in this brings, how dead they seem prayer, death in communion, and when Christ is preached as the great fellowship with God, and with each salvation of his church, how he loved other; death in our feelings, to bro- her, laboured for and watches overtherly love and sympathy with each her, leads her and teaches her to other, just as it was in the days of know him, by his, blessed Spirit Paul, who says, All seek their own, taking possession of her as the Comnot the things which are Jesus forter, in all the sorrows she has to Christ's," Phil. ii. 21. So that with pass through. May not every sent great truth we may exclaim with the servant of God say with the proapostle, "My brethren, these things phet Isaiah, Who hath believed ought not so to be," James iii. 10. our report," Isaiah liii. 1. But from How many in our day get into what I have written on experimental conversation with the Lord's people, preaching, this is what I mean, that and they tell him their trials and if we have not been brought into fears, and then they go into the liberty we cannot tell what it is, and pulpit and many poor things are if we have not been brought into highly pleased with it, and cry, Oh, bondage we cannot have been liberthat is the man for me, he preaches ated, so can neither describe the just my feelings; and he endeavours effects of felt bondage or felt liberty. to make slavish fear an evidence, Oh, what death in our feelings the as I once heard a man, who, after cares of the world bring! After the he had raked together many of these body and mind have been employed fears, exclaimed: My soul for your's in them through the day, we come if you are not saved if you have to its close without having one had these feelings: language a God- thought of him in whom we live, fearing man would be afraid to use. and move, and have our being, who But if an honest man of God is loved us, and redeemed us from hell. bound to investigate the matter and The poor tabernacle is fatigued, and shew his disapprobation, then he is the mind buried in thought respectcried down as an enemy to experience ing the situation we are placed in, and experimental preaching. No No whether advantageous or otherwise. man can preach the whole truth who It is either elevated by pleasing prosdoes not preach experimentally; nei- pects, or depressed by painful ones. ther can any man preach experimen- If we take up the bible to satisfy tally who has not been experimentally conscience, how dead we feel to its taught by the Holy Ghost. A man sacred contents; the same if we may preach experience without his attempt to pray, how dead we feel teaching, he may preach another's and hardly know how to get through and a scriptural one too from the a few minutes to satisfy the con science; the same at the end of the week, on the sabbath, the world comes in with its buyers and sellers, and the poor soul is all in confusion. How dead in hearing the word of God opened up, and what complaining in the streets of the ordinances, and crying, My leanness, my lean ness. On returning from God's house the poor minister gets blamed, he has not cleared up his points to the satisfaction of some critical hearers, too pointed and personal to please another, and if this is not the case, the world occupying the mind, its affairs are brought forward in the conversation. So here is death in the feelings of the soul, death in calling upon God in the family, death in hearing the preach ing of the word, and death in going to and fro. May we not say with the prophet," Death is come up into onr windows," Cor. ix. 21. Death signfies anything in a withering condition, and what a withering condition we are in. How is our love and joy in the Lord withered like the trees in autumn, both fruits and leaves seem all gone. There is God's word verified, because iniquity shall abound the love of many shall grow cold," Matt. xxi. 12. So this bud having conceived, hath brought forth sin, and sin finished hath brought forth death, yet here is the mercy, it cannot bring eternal death to God's people, but to them death itself must die, for the Captain of our salvation has "swallowed up death in victory," Isa. xxv. 8. when he finished transgression and made an end of sin, for he drank the dregs of the cup of humbling, and wrung them out, leaving not one drop of wrath in the bitter cup of affliction and sorrow which we have to drink of on our journey to the realms above; for he cried, "It is finished." yet it brought his death, though by dying it opened a way for our deliverance,and by the triumphs of his death and resurrection he hath ་་ brought life and immortality to light for his people, His own declaration is, "Because I live, ye shall live also," having risen again for our justification, and now ever liveth to make intercession for us in the ground of his own merit, which is ever prevalent for the worst and most sinful of his family. For the encouragement of poor, tempted souls, I will endeavour to shew that it is no sin to be tempted, though it is very painful to the mind to undergo it, for it is said of those worthies in Heb. xi. 37, "they were tempted." And so is every child of God, in a more or less degree, some with one sin and some with another; and this makes their very soul to groan, so that they cry out, wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death," Rom. vii. 24. This is the language of the heart of every living soul, which shews how disagreeable sin is to the renewed mind, while the carnal mind or flesh cleaveth to it. But they cannot live contentedly in it, nor are they satisfied until fully and completely delivered from it, as says one, "I shall be satisfied when I awake in thy likeness," Psalm xvii. 15. But the poor child of God may be dreadfully beset with a certain sin, and a most awful one too in his own view, he may not see any to equal it, which makes him think there is not such another filthy wretch out of hell as himself, and compels him to cry out, Unclean, unclean. And for a long time he may be tried, afraid of falling into it every day, yet still preserved although he cannot tell how. He may feel at times as though be would rather suffer the most excruci. ating tortures than be left to commit the sin, while at other times he may be so acted upon by the tempter, and the sin itself be so consonant with his fleshly feelings, that he is overcome, and he falls into that which he so much dreaded. But here the Lord supports the soul in a secret or mani |