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veyed) was verily fore-ordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for his church." 1 Pet. i. 20.

Secondly. As those waters which become rivers are first carried from the ocean, imperceptibly through the cavities of the earth, to their appointed place; so there always is a spring or fountains where these waters discover themselves, and make a visible flow. In like manner Christ is the spring and fountain, in whom all the blessings of grace break forth, through whom all the counsels of the Father are made known, and the depths of his love discovered; none else being able to discover these glorious mysteries, and deep things of God, but he alone who was in the beginning with God; being in all respects equal with the Father and his counsellor, for it is to him alone, that the Father makes known all things which himself doth; therefore all the prophets and apostles, were no other than subordinate messengers, to declare what Christ had made known to them. None but the Lamb of God could prevail to open the book of the Father's counsel, or to loose any of the seals thereof. "No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him;" "Neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him." Neither were the angels able to make the discovery, or penetrate into this surprising mystery until it was made known to them by the church, and they are still desiring to look into it, it being only the prerogative of the Son of God, who " hath by inheritance, obtained a more excellent name than they," and who hath not only made a discovery of the unsearchable treasures of the love of God, but hath actually performed the mercy promised, "having made peace through the blood of his cross,"

having finished the transgression,

made an end of sins, made reconciliation for iniquity, and brought in everlasting righteousness." So that Christ alone is the fountain opened, through whom the love and grace of God flows in such abundance, that it may truly be said, in him are all the fountains of the great deep broken up.

Thirdly. Another property of rivers is, that when the water has broke forth in the fountain, it is from thence carried away in streams to water and replenish the earth. So the riches of grace discovered in Christ, in his incarnation, in his doctrine, in his death and resurrection, in his ascension, in his glorification and intercession, with all the fulness of covenant blessings which dwell in him, are carried on in streams of life and salvation by the Holy Ghost to the enriching of his church. It is the Holy Ghost who is the author of the scriptures, in which these great truths are revealed; it is he that qualifies minis. ters to preach the gospel; it is he that blesseth the word (when read or preached) and makes it effectual to the souls of them that hear it; causing it to come not in word only, but also in power, which otherwise would not profit. For (in a spiritual manner) No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost." And none can see the kingdom of God but those that are born of the Spirit." But when the kindness and love of God appears, it is by the Holy Ghost shed forth abundantly, through Jesus Christ our Saviour." The Holy Spirit is equally engaged with the Father and the Son, to bless the elect with all special blessings; and being a divine person, equal with the Father and the Son, both in his essence and his gracious operations, doth effectually communicate the grace of God to the soul, and shed abroad the love of God in the heart, enriching his children with all comforting and sanctifying grace. Thus the rich blessings which proceed from the Father's bosom, through Christ the living foun

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tain, are by the Holy Spirit carried forward to his people in living streams; and become one entire, and perpetual flowing river.

Fourthly.-Rivers which are full of water make a strong current, which loosens and carries away all before it ; whatsoever grows or lies in its way is washed along with the stream. So this pure river of God operates to set souls free from reigning sin, from the love of the world, from a vain confidence in their own righteousness, and from the terrors of a guilty conscience; for "where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." These streams carry the soul away with delight in the ways of God, and make it willing to "follow the Lamb whithersoever he goes." Such an one finds himself powerfully drawn with cords of love, supported by faith, and comforted in hope, which cause him to run the way of God's commandments with an enlarged heart; esteeming all his ways pleasantness and all his paths peace. Such a soul

need not be driven with terrors to perform duties as a task, for the love of Christ constrains him; yea, God's loving kindness (to that soul) is better than life; his will is involved in the will of God; and nothing can satisfy him short of a full enjoyment of God, and a likeness to him, "whom his soul loveth." Because there the glorious Lord is to him a place of broad rivers and streams;" where the soul is not forced along by the strength of legal oars, but is sweetly carried down the streams of love and grace, by the delightful gales of the Holy Spirit.

Fifthly.-Rivers cease not flowing till they arrive at the sea, whence they had their original; so likewise the grace of God ceaseth not in its operations till all his people be completely brought to himself.

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For as

God hath chosen his people" for his own inheritance," so Christ suffered for our sins, that he might bring us to God;" and when he shall come

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the second time, he will gather together his elect, and they shall be for ever with the Lord. And to this end, Ihe which hath begun a good work in them, will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ;" for by this rich and powerful grace, all obstacles are removed which impeded our peace with God, our access to him, our enjoyment of him. And by this grace, souls are brought to the knowledge of God, delight in him, and conformity to his will, and shall at last be brought to behold his face in glory, through Christ our Mediator; and when this great work shall be completed, all things shall resolve into himself, 66 and God shall be all in all." This is that river, which for its unsearchable original, its abundant overflowings, its uninterrupted streams, its wonderful effects, and its glorious end, is by way of pre-eminence called the river of God; as well as to show that all the blessings of grace and glory are alone from God, who is the "First and the last, and beside him there is no saviour."

[To be concluded in our next.]

LETTER FROM MR. JOHN RUSK TO HIS DAUGHTER.

Dear T.

As it was your desire if I got worse thatwe should let you know, I therefore with difficulty, and in much pain, attempt to write you a few lines. Last Monday and Tuesday I walked a great deal, and all day Tuesday felt I was getting very bad, and got home at night, before ten o'clock; but it increased more and more, insomuch as I have not been able to walk across the room; in such violent pain, that I have hardly kept from screaming; could neither lay in bed nor sit up, but in agony. O, what nights, to be sure! neither is the complaint at all removed. Mother has been very sadly, but keeps about. Saturday night she com

plained a good deal, and was in great fear of the spasms. And now I will drop a line or two about spiritual things, as I know you will not be against that; and it shall be a brief account of what I believe a minister of the Spirit must experience. 1st.

He must know experimentally the Adam-fall transgression. He must, in God's light, see and feel himself to be from the sole of the foot to the crown of the head, full of wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores-as a stinking putrified carcass would literally be in our eyes and nostrils so God shews us we are by the fall. Hence Paul agrees with the prophet I have quoted, and says: I am the chief of sinners. Now, after labouring long under this teaching, striving to break the power of sin, but in vain, the Lord is pleased to put a cry in the heart to the Lord Jesus for mercy; but to us, it appears impossible, because we are so unspeakably vile. However, at last, when bordering upon black despair (like the publican) he is pleased to appear, and turn our captivity; and now we find a great change, darkness made light, and crooked things straight; the Holy Spirit leads us to Jesus Christ, as a fountain opened to cleanse us from all sin. Now, all this the prophet Isaiah experienced before he went to preach, read chap. vi. But this is not all for the Holy Spirit testifies of Christ's righteousness to all such as feel that they are naked, or clothed with filthy rags, as says the same prophet, and you read that Noah was a preacher of righteousness-i. e. the imputed righteousness of Christ. Now, these two things are essential to salvation, and both must come into the conscience. 1st. The blood of Christ. Hence St. Paul says-He hath sprinkled our hearts from an evil conscience. 2nd. The righteousness of Christ; with the heart, man believeth unto righteousness, and by his (Christ's) obedience shall many be made righteous. Now, let a man

preach whatever he may, yet if he never got at his religion this way, he is a deceived soul, and not fit to teach others; and all he has got is head notions, and he is only a sounding brass, and a tinkling symbol; although, as Paul says, he may understand all mysteries-yea, and speak with the tongue of men and of angels. Bbelieve me, Jane, the way to glory is very narrow. Take it from our Lord's mouth, "Strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth into life, and few there be that find it."

Now, although such a real preacher is pardoned and justified, as I have shewn, yet it is not all sunshine; and therefore he will have to go through scenes of affliction, in order that he may be made useful to God's family. Hence Paul says, whether we be afflicted or comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. 1 endure all things for the elect's sake. Some go to hear such a preacher only out of curiosity; but God's time being come, and they being chosen of God, God attends the word with power to quicken them, the word is quick and powerful in the hand of the Spirit; others shall go to deep conviction, expecting nothing but ruin and destruction, and God shall set their souls at liberty; others, after having enjoyed these things, shall have backslidden, they shall conclude that they are hypocrites, but God speaks a soft word which breaks the bone, and true repentance follows, as you may see in Ephraim. Thus God's work is going on and the preacher is a very tried man, he sometimes doubts and fears that he is deceived himself altogether, he is not like those presumptuous men that make it out that people might believe if they liked; such men are destitute of the teaching of God's Spirit, and never were convinced of the power of unbelief. However, Jane, may the Lord lead you and me in the narrow way as I have shewed, for to such the kingdom of heaven is opened, hence

they sing in glory "unto him who hath loved us and washed us from our sins, &c.;" here is pardon, secondly, righteousness, Then shall the righte. ous shine forth as the sun in the glory of their Father's kingdom for ever and ever." God bless thee, so prays your affectionate father,

JOHN RUSK.

THE WAY OF THE LORD'S LEADINGS.

My dear T-, I AM at Oxford, and from what I see and feel, I find it a barren place to my soul. I have found one or two that appear to be seeking the things of the kingdom, but the hail has not swept away their refuges of lies, nor the waters overflowed their hiding-places. so that I cannot feel a heart-felt union to them as yet. We are taught of God to love one another. We must drink into each other's spirit before we become as the heart of one man. I heard that there was a little people at Walling ford, thirteen miles from Oxford; I accordingly went over last Thursday. I found one or two of them, and truly they are blessed of the Lord, a savoury, unctuous, and deep led people. I met with an old shoe-maker, and we could hardly part; he came with me six miles on the road, and truly my heart and soul is one with him. It is the same cause as Mr. Huntington speaks of in his Tidings from Wallingford. They have no stated minister. Mr. Gadsby, Mr. Warburton, and a gracious man of the name of H-, have each spoken to them occasionally if I am spared I intend hearing either of them when they come. They read Mr. Huntington's works when they have. no preaching.

My wife and self would very much like you to come down to Oxford for a day. I should like to see you and

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talk to you; I have much to say. There are coaches from London three or four times a day. I do hope the Lord will enable you to come: I will meet you at the coach. I wish you to write me soon and tell me.

I had a severe loss in selling all my furniture before we left, and the very great expense in our moving left us very low though we are not bad off, mind that, we have plenty of food and raiment. My business here is extremely heavy, I have not a minute to spare; it sadly disturbs our family order, and the work within: I am generally dry, barren and lifeless, and my mind dark and confused; but this I do know, that in the multitude of all my thoughts, the Lord's comforts alone delight my soul.

I very much dislike Oxford, and I believe I always shall. Could I see the Lord's hand, I would ask for London immediately, but until then I am afraid; though to outward appearance the way is open, as I have a promise from a friend at that he will do what he can for me to assist in my coming to London, if I wish to come. When you come down we will talk it over. Give my love to Mr. Hobbs and all my dear friends.

And now I must conclude this confused jumble, with a hope in my soul that the Lord will preserve me in his fear, and keep me alive to himself. And I have a persuasion that the Lord will in the end bring the matter to a final issue. even to his eternal glory, and the everlasting salvation of my worthless soul. I know he has broken my league with hell, and he often declares my covenant with death shall not stand. Oh, what a sweet support is this to our unstable souls. May the Lord God Almighty bless thee and keep thee. Oh, what a mercy, he will never, no, never leave us, nor will he let us quite leave him.

NATHANIEL MARRINER.

A FEW NEW THINGS FOR THE NEW
YEAR.

DEAR READER, Time is ever on the wing. Our days are swiftly passing away; death, the grave, and eternity at hand, or fast approaching. Are we prepared to die and appear before the Lord? Are we inter

are

ested in the atonement and righ

teousness of Christ? Are we born

again of the Spirit? Solemn questions; what answer can we give? By the time you read this, another year will have passed away. How have its days been spent? Have

they been spent in the fear of God? Let conscience speak, let its voice be heard. If it condemns, let us fly to the cross and cast the burden of our

guilt upon our sin-bearing Surety, and beg of him to sprinkle our souls with his precious blood, and to manifest himself unto us as a God of sin-pardoning love and mercy, that being constrained by his love we may

be devoted to his fear.

The past has been a year of mercies, for which we have cause to be thankful. We have great reason to be thankful for temporal favours, but more especially for the gift of God's dear Son, for his gospel, for the Spirit of his grace, for the means of his appointment, for the hope of his glory, and that such unworthy cumberers of the ground, are still the living to praise the goodness of the Lord. Come, let us magnify the Lord, let us exalt his name together." When we consider the various ways in which

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we have revolted from and dishonoured our God, we feel that we have abundant reason to praise his everblessed name, “ Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name," Psa. ciii, 31.

There a few new things, spoken of in the word of truth, the consideration of which may tend to refresh our minds while entering upon the

new year.

I. "The Lord hath created a new
January, 1846.]

This was

thing in the earth, a woman shall compass a man," Jer. xxxi. 22. By the woman here, I understand the Jesus; this glorious man was conceived, virgin Mary, and by the man, her son contained and encompassed in the womb of the virgin, Isa. vii. 14. a new, unheard of, extraordinary thing. The human nature of Christ was prepared by the Holy Spirit, as the angel said to Mary: shall come upon thee, and the power "The Holy Ghost of the Highest shall overshadow thee; therefore also thatholy thing which shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of God." Luke i. 35. Here we fulness of God shining with beams see the love, wisdom, power and faithdivinely bright, John iii. 16. Here we behold also, the condescending grace of the incarnate Lover," who though he was rich, yet for our sakes verty might be rich," 2 Cor. viii. 9. became poor, that we through his po"Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift," 2 Cor. xi. 15.

II. We read of a new heart; "A new heart also will I give you," Ezek. xxxvi. 26. The old heart is a heart of stone, a deceitful heart and desperately wicked, Jer. xvii. 9. This be ing the case, every unregenerate sinner needs a new one. Well, God has promised it, and he will give it to all his redeemed family. By the new heart, we are to understand a new principle, a principle of life, a gracious disposition, a new creature, called the new man, which is created in righteousness and true holiness. Hence the apostle says, "If any man be in Christ Jesus, he is a new creature, old things are passed away, and all things are become new," 2 Cor. v. 17. This is one of God's gifts, and a gracious one it is; it is the work of the Spirit in regeneration and sanctification. The new heart is a heart to fear God, and to obey his will, and like its gracious giver, it is meek and lowly. It may also be known by its daily conflict with unsanctified nature. Rom. vii. 24. Dear reader,

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