LETTER FROM MR. EDWARD PARSONS, OF CHICHESTER, TO A FBIEND.

DEAR brother in the Lord, and in the path of tribulation, and the kingdom and patience of our dear and Almighty Jesus Jehovah; may heaven's blessing rest upon you in this world of sin and sorrow, much sensible light, life, peace and joy, out of the boundless fulness of him that is the same yesterday, to-day and for ever. Yes, my dear brother, he was love and grace from eternity past, he is so to-day, and will be eternal glory to his dear people in that bright world before us, where he is, and where he everlastingly will be, the Lord the endless light, and the eternal glory of his bride. Until, then my dear tried son in the faith, the days of onr mourning will not have an end, death must give the final shock to all our sin and misery; this that we poor fearful mortals sometimes tremble at, will be the outlet from the troubles that we sigh and sink under in this world of sin and woe; surely my poor afflicted fellow traveller to the same eternal rest, our high, mighty, saving and precious Saviour, has turned the king of terrors in a peaceful messenger to us, for the sting is gone out of our conscience, and in some measure we have had a foretaste of that eternal peace that the righteous enter into after death; and as the Lord liveth, I have never found any peace with God, nor in my own soul, but in and through faith in the glorious Mediator, and in his matchless blood. This, my dear friend, is the way of a God of love, mercy and grace, to us poor hell-deserving sinners, and our sure way to the best of Fathers and dearest of Saviours; neither can any thing short of divine love, flowing with all its richness, fulness and freeness from the inexhaustable fountain, the eternal Three in One, through the same dear name, cleanse my affections from January. 1847-1

idols. And this, bless God, at times we have known in our inmost souls, when the blood of the everlasting covenant has purged us from guilt, and love in the power of the Holy Spirit hath been.shed abroad in our heart: no fear in love my brother, no, for it casteth out all fear and torment, turns the shadow of death into the joyful, delightful and peaceful morning. Ah, my dear friend, is it not the morning of eternal life and glory began in the soul. It was these great and undeserved blessings given to me, one that deserved hell more than all creatures, that drove hell and death, the devil and all his infernal tribes out of my guilty conscience, and brought a heaven of peace and love into my poor lost soul in Adam the first, but found in Adam the second, the Lord from heaven. Ah, my dear brother, I went to bed with a firm belief in my heart, that I should soon be in hell's eternal torments, and as wretched as a poor soul this side of hell could be, with no more hope as to sense than devils. But oh to grace what an infinite debtor! for I arose in the morning with heaven in my soul, the heavens declared his glory, and the earth was full of his praise, and my poor heart also, above what words can express. And the love that embraced us from eternity, laid hold of us poor rebellious sinners in time, and will bring us safe to everlasting rest above, to sing for ever the song of salvation to God and the Lamb, who hath loved us and washed us from our sins in his precious blood; this, my dear brother, brightens the darkest day of affliction when believed in; and does it not soften our hard path, and make every cross sit light, take up our souls to high, eternal, unchangable and everlasting things, then we can say, our light afflictions are but for a moment, working for us worthless mortals an eternal weight of glory. But to enjoy this

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great blessing, we must look by faith at the things which are not seen by the eye of sight and sense; and in these great matters I am a dull scholar indeed, for I, poor fool that I am, am too often looking at my sinful self, my trials and man's enemies, and this bringeth into my soul nothing but troubles, gives new life and strength to unbelief and sin, and much dishonour to my gracious Master; may he be continually speaking home upon your heart, saying unto you in all your painful afflictions, "Look unto me and be ye saved." Arise my love, my fair one, and come away, that you may mount up as on wings of eagles, to that everlasting name, that is now, and will be to eternity, your rich and never to be lost portion, for saith our dear Jesus, I give unto you eternal life, and because I live, ye shall live also; and he is the life of his people, and will be the length of their days for evermore; and he that hath the Son hath life, and this blessed Jesus you have in your heart, therefore lose what you may here below, you never can lose him. God bless thee, my brother, so prays in haste, your's to serve in the paths of truth and bonds of love,

sinks but advances not; why is this? approach nearer and you will see. It is fastened to the earth by one slender rope. Here is the secret, a cord scarcely visible, enchains it and will not let it go. not let it go. Now, stationary christian, see here your state, the state of thousands: sabbaths come and go, but leave them as before; ordinances come and go, means, privileges, sermons move them not, yes, they move them, a slight elevation by a sabbath tide, and again they sink, but no onward heavenward movement. They are remote as ever from the haven of rest, this sabbath as the last, this year as the past. Some one sin enslaves, enchains the soul, and will not let it go. Some secret, unseen, allowed indulgence drags down the soul, and keeps it fast to earth. If it be so, snap it

asunder, make one desperate effort in the strength of God. Take the Bible as your chart, and Christ as your pilot, to steer you safely amid the rocks of a dangerous coast, and pray for the Spirit of all grace to fill out every sail, and waft you onwards over the ocean of life to the haven of everlasting rest.

E. P.

THE ONE CHERISHED SIN.

From a Farewell Sermon by the Rev. J. Wilkins, preached in St. James's Chapel, Jersey, Sepember, 1846.

OFTEN from my window on the sea shore Í have observed a little boat at anchor. Day after day, and month after month it is seen at the same spot. The tides ebb and flow, yet it scarcely moves ; while many a gallant vessel spreads its sail, and catching the favouring breeze has reached the haven; this little bark moves not from its accustomed spot. True it is, that when the tide rises, it rises; and when it ebbs again, it

ALL SUFFICIENT GRACE.

Being a New Years' Salutation to the "Faithful in Christ Jesus," dwelling in the tents of Kedar.

GEORGE HENRY GODDEN, a servant of the Most High God, to his dear brethren and sisters in tribu

lation sendeth greeting: with grace, mercy and peace unto all who love our Lord Jesus in sincerity and truth.

Beloved in the Lord, having you much in my heart, from the first day of your fellowship in the gospel untill now, and being affectionately desirous of you, I feel constrained to send the following epistle of love as a token thereof, on the opening of the present year: be pleased therefore to receive this my humble la

found grace in my sight. Now therefore I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight, and consider that this nation is thy people. And the Lord said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest." And the Lord said moreover unto Moses, "I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee, and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.' Without multiplying proofs however on this point, methinks that like Ruth many of us from our hearts can feelingly say, "Lord, why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger." Suffice it therefore just to add, "The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ; and of his fulness have we all received and grace for grace." Did you notice the expression? "of his fulness," and not out of his fulness, as if we had any of this divine perfection given unto us in substance, no indeed. The natural sun from the firmament above shines into our lower world, and we feel and enjoy its cheering and reviving beams; but still the body of light and warmth of heat is where it was before, in the great luminary of the day. So likewise spiritually.

How rich then the grace and how excellent the loving-kindness of our God in Christ towards his sons and daughters. And so to the intent that where sin abounded on their parts, the Lord's grace might much more abound. Hear therefore his own gracious words, ye doubting, weeping and sorrowful children,— "Unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings, and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves of the stall." "Blessed (therefore spoke

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Paul in his hymn of praise) be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace wherein he hath made us accepted in the Beloved." Equal praises also unto God the Son, from whom this perfection of grace shines forth most conspicuously, as "in him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace:' And when they (Jew and Gentile) had nothing to pay, he frankly (mark the grace!) forgave them both: Seeing, therefore, that we have so great a High Priest, who is passed into the heavens, let us hold fast our profession, and let us come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." And once again, the equal favour of God the Holy Ghost is as blessedly enjoyed by us in the day of his almighty power: "For God, who is rich in mercy, for the great love wherewith he lovedus, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places, in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come, He might shew the exceeding riches of his grace also in his kindness towards us, through Christ Jesus. Who then shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who hath loved

us."

In presenting my New Year's to

this of God will sooner or later grace bring a child of God into, but likewise

prove what cannot but be the gracious effects of such blessedness in the living children's experience, Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake, for when I am weak, then am I strong."

First, Then I am to point out somewhat of the royal character, love and favour of this Almighty speaker, together with making plain at the same time both the way and mannner, My God shall supply all your need." And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weak

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ness.

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As touching however the royal and illustrious personage here set forth to the apprehension of faith by the pronoun He, it is none other than the Son of God, or Christ himself, the anointed of Jehovah, full of grace and truth, "the Alpha, the Omega, the beginning, the ending,

while as

the first and the last, which is, which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." Then he is the mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, in whom dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, and in whom we are complete. Truly so, for as God he is one of the glorious Persons in Godhead, co-equal and co-eternal in the unity of the divine essence, over all blessed for evermore; Immanuel, God with us, he is the Head, Prophet, Priest and King in Zion, for we are of his body, his flesh and his bones. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and his church. And moreover, this is he who was set up from everlasting, in the eternal councils of heaven, at the sacred sitting of the Holy Three, when ordering and arranging every event decreed to take place in time and to all eternity.

Again, this is he who came in the fulness of time by water and blood, even Jesus Christ, not by water on"For ly, but by water and blood. as the children were partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself took part of the same, was also delivered for our offences, and raised again for our justification." And not only so, but having "finished the transgression (as our Surety) and made an end of sin, he is now gone up on high, and entered into the holiest of all, there to appear in the presence of God for us. Most blessed, therefore, the glorious proclamation, "If any man sin, we have an advocate with and he is the propitiation for our sins, the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."

"All hail the name of Jesus Christ

Let angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem,

And crown him Lord of all."

Now, then, it was in this, his glorious and exalted character, he con