done it, and that for ever. Precious mercy, that sin, with all its power and guilt, is destroyed by our glorious Jehovah Jesus, who trod the winepress alone, and of the people there was none with him; he took the cup from the hand of his divine Father, which might not pass from him, a cup filled with dregs of eternal death, he swallowed up for his dear children. Thus he made an end of sin by the sacrifice of himself, and not a part of himself, but himself, on the tree, who has been the plague of death, and the destruction of the grave, so that sin with all its guilt, death with all its horror, and the grave, is destroyed by Jesus Christ, my Friend and Brother, in dear covenant union, and the knowledge of this in my soul makes me love and adore him who is my all and in all, so that I feel I cannot live enough to his glory, who hath done such great things for me. A knowledge of this will never lead a man into a licentious course of life, for the more I know of it in my heart, the more I hate sin, so that even a word spoken in haste often grieves me, stops communion with God, and leads me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members, but not under it, precious mercy, so that while I groan, under sin, being burdened, from being led captive to it, I can rejoice in that sin is made an end of, and sing with Isaiah,

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Behold God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid, for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song, he also is become my salvation."

I send this forth to you, Mr Editor, whoever you are, for insertion in your Magazine, if you think it worthy your notice, and the notice of the Lord's family, for whom I feel myself particularly interested, having no other aim, but the glory of my God whose I am, and whom I serve, and the welfare of his children; and it is the petition of my heart, that his blessing may accompany it to the hearts of his children; whom he hath made fellow

My dear brother in Christ, passing through the deep waters of tribulation, walking in darkness, and having no bright shining, may the Holy Ghost so strengthen thee with might in the inner man, that you may be enabled to trust in the Lord, and stay thyself upon the God of Israel; and may the great Eternal condescend to bless these few remarks, to the glorifying of his own great name, to the joy and rejoicing of thy heart, and to the confusion of Satan.

I would ask my dear friend, Why is thy countenance so sad-why so despairing why so desponding ? What is thy state and condition? Is there no hope in Israel concerning thee? Art thou beyond the reach of God's mercy Art thou any thing worse than a sinner? If thou paint thyself in colour the most odious. yea, as black as the devil himself, still it can only be said of thee, thou art a sinner. And the only question I would ask thee, is this: Hast thou a feeling sense of thy sinnership-hath the Holy Ghost convinced thee that thou art a sinner? Oh, yes, say you; I feel I am a vile sinner, a depraved sinner, a worthless sinner. Take comfort, then, my brother, thou art the very character for whom Jesus

died; hear his own most gracious words (may the Holy Ghost apply them with almighty energy to thy soul), "I came not to call the righ teous, but sinners to repentance." Again: the Holy Ghost proclaims, "This is a faithful saying"-because it is the words of a faithful God; one who cannot lie, one that never said nay to a poor sin-sick, Christ-seeking soul-" This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation" (and surely of thine my dear brother), that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, of whom," says Paul, I am chief." But no, says my dear friend, I think no one can be so vile as me; I have such hardness of heart, such impenitency, such unbelief; yea, a very mass of sin. Well, I would tell my dear friend, that if he did not thus feel his state as a sinner, he would not be a fit subject to receive a full and free salvation, at the band of God. And I would also ask thee, Do you think that after God has manifested such love and mercy, in breaking up in some measure the depth of depravity and corruption of your heart, and given you a feeling sense of your need of Jesus as your Saviour, that he intends to destroy you? Oh, no; I would say in the language of Manoah's wife, if the Lord had intended to destroy you, he woold not have showed thee such great things as these. How very blessed are these words of the Holy Ghost, as descriptive of a poor, trembling, tempted, distressed, and devil-confused child of God, when he says, "Oh, thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted." Is this, my dear friend, any way similar to the feelings of thy soul? Art thou tossed about with the fierce winds of Satan's temptations, plunged hither and thither, no firm standing, no anchor-hold, not able to lay hold of God's immutable promises in Christ, by reason of the swelling of the mighty waters of temptations, and crying out with one of thy brethren

of old, "I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing, I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.' Oh, my dear friend, this cannot be; they cannot overflow the poor trembling, sinking child of God (although to sense and feeling it may appear so), for Jehovah Jesus says, "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee."

May the Holy Ghost enable thee to discover, that though thou art passing through a tribulated path, it is a right path, and a path through which God's people have passed in all ages. It is no strange way, my dear friend. It is a pathway, the result and end of which shall be most blessed to thy soul. And, though now, from the fierce accusations of Satan, the father of lies, and the power of unbelief in thy soul, thou art writing bitter things concerning thyself, by and by, thou shalt have Jesus speak peace, and pronounce to thy soul, and give thee the rich and blessed enjoyment of them, "I know the thoughts I think toward thee, thoughts of peace, and not of evil." Fully confident I am, from the experimental teachings oi the Holy Ghost, and his divine testimony in the Scriptures of truth, that where he has given a poor sinner a feeling sense of his sinnership, so that the poor soul cries out, "Woe is me, for I am undone; I am a man of unclean lips ;" and also taught that poor soul, that without an interest in the blood and righteousness of the Lord Jesus, his case is hopeless; here, I say, 1 am confident, that God will give that soul spiritual light and life; hence arises the conflict between the two natures, and gives the soul to feel what the apostle did, when he made use of those words, "I find a law in my members warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin, which is in my members." And where there

is not this spiritual light and life, there is nothing known of warfare, there is total darkness, there is no fear of God, there is no longing desires after Christ.

"In thy light," says the psalmist, we shall see light." The light that God imparts, enables the poor soul to see out of obscurity; the light that God imparts, exhibits the darkness, the unclean, and wretched state of man by nature, so that the poor soul, viewing himself in God's light, is frightened at himself, and often wishes he never had an existence; the terrors of mount Sinai alarm him, a guilty conscience condemns him, the extent and spirituality of the law of God is held up to his view, his own impotency, insufficiency, and helplessness is felt; and all hope to merit acceptance before a holy and heartsearching God is banished, his false peace destroyed, and refuges of lies taken away, and the poor soul sinks down in despair, and looks for nothing, neither does he expect any thing, but the curse of God resting upon him through an endless eternity. But even this, my dear friend, is a blessed position for a soul to be brought into, for the Lord by these things stops his mouth of vain boasting, kills him to all creature good, gives him to feel that "by the deeds of the law no flesh is justified in his sight," and in God's own time is delivered from this state, by being enabled to look from self to Christ. And as the Lord is pleased to call forth faith into exercise, and the soul led to see by the eye of faith the allsufficiency of merit in the doing and dying of the Lord Jesus, and the Holy Ghost is pleased to reveal Christ Jesus in the beauties of his person and official character, and also at the same time to create in the soul such longings after him, that nothing for the time being will satisfy the poor soul, but to be enabled to claim Jesus, and say concerning him, "My Beloved is mine, and I am his"-in

consequence of which, the soul is often found crying out in fervent breathings, "Say unto my soul, I am thy salvation." By and by a little hope springs up, and then a promise spoke home to the heart, something of forgiving love sealed home on the conscience, and Jesus's presence somewhat enjoyed in the soul, and the poor soul knows in some measure what it is to bave peace with God through Jesus Christ our Lord; Satan withdraws, corruptions lurk into their dens, and all is calm and tranquil for a season, and the poor soul goes on cheerfully under these feelings, thinking his warfare is all over, and his enemies all slain-expecting to meet with no more difficulties, thinking all his foes swallowed up in the Red Sea, and a fair passage awaits him till he arrives at the Canaan of rest. But alas! his enemies have only retreated for a season, to gain fresh strength, to assault the poor soul with more fury than ever, watching the best opportunity to commence a fresh attack; the poor soul, not expecting this, is off his guard, and by and by barrenness is felt in the soul-no sweetness enjoyed in prayer, no comfort in reading the word of God, the Lord's sensible and supporting presence is withdrawn, worldly mindedness gains upon him, and he is almost choked with anxiety, he begins to feel his darkness, corruptions begin afresh to rage and rave (faithful spies of Satan within the citadel) no comfort under the preached word, and scarcely any disposition to attend upon the means of grace, and when there, the heart wandering, like the fool's eyes, to the end of the earth, and the poor soul left to betray himself, in numberless instances, in thoughts, words, if not in actions, guilt increases upon the conscience, his spiritual feelings become benumbed, all the graces of the new man lie dormant, and to the view of the poor soul, wholly fled;

perience and conflicts of the real child of God, and as space prevents me further enlarging, may it please the ever blessed Spirit, to give thee to see thy case and character set forth, and deliver thy soul from the power of the enemy, by lifting upon thee the light of his countenance, and a Triune God shall have all the glory, Amen. My dear brother, wait on the Lord; be of good courage, wait I say on the Lord, and he shall strengthen thy heart, for weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." One who Feels the Plague of his Heart.

THE EXPERIENCE OF A DEPARTED

SISTER.

If it should please the Lord to bring to my mind, the beginning of his work upon my soul, I will, as the Lord shall enable me, endeavour to send you a short account thereof. At times I had convictions from a child, as I believe most have. But when I was twenty-one, I found a heaviness

come upon my spirits, which I could not account for. I often burst into tears, but for what I could not tell. The follies of my childhood and youth were frequently brought to my mind, and when very sad, my mother's last words would be present with me; The Lord mark you with his grace, if it be his heavenly will.' Often in contemplating the works of creation, I have been so lost as not to know where I was. At

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eleven years of age, I lost my mother; which was a great trouble to me; her last words frequently came to my remembrance, and I wished I had her to give me that counsel, which I began to find I stood in need of. My father was very fond of me when a child, but my leaving home very young and on account of ill health put to a business, which was thought would suit my weak arm, and he having married his fourth wife, paid very November, 1845.]

little attention to me. Therefore I seldom visited home, being more taken with the pleasures of this life, and had as I thought a greater opportunity of enjoying them. But I found a bitter in every sweet, for the thoughts of the pleasnre were more than the thing itself. There was an aching void within, for which I could account. I tried to shake it off, but could not. I left off reading the scriptures, and read other books, more entertaining to me. What a mercy the Lord did not leave me to my own choice. Being now out of my time, and having done more than was agreed upon, I thought I might find a friend through life. But the person with whom I had been, fell very short in giving what he had agreed upon. This to me was a great disappointment, and knocked down this building of friendship in my mind at oue blow. This was I believe overruled by the Lord, that I should not trust in man, but seek a better friend. I often set up late to work upon a dress for myself, but when I got to bed, I could not sleep for such thoughts as these; How do you know you will ever live to wear that? you might die in the night. If you go to sleep you may never wake again. You see how vain it all is.' Soon after I called to see my old nurse, of whom I was very fond. Just before I got to the house, a cold chill seemed to run through my veins, and I thought, if she should be no more! when I went in, I found she was dead and buried. My spirits sunk and I wished I could get by myself to give vent to my grief. I went to chapel and the minister took for his text, 66 Search the scriptures." and he made this remark: Some of you instead of searching the scriptures, have laid your Bible upon the shelf, till you may write damnation on the cover. This to me was a home stroke, and I never forgot it. I now began to search the scriptures, and I heartly repented having neglected them. One day opening the

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