body, that God in covenant alone can make up its supreme felicity in time and in eternity.

With regard to heaven, he says, Most peaceful region, where dwell all the family of love, how different from what I ever thought it to be, while I was dead in trespasses and sins. Once I imagined it to be a Mahometan paradise, fairy fields of Elysian delights. Now I see that, although in a world like this I must not expect gentle zephyrs, balmy breezes, flowery walks, downy beds, yet that there is a rest which remaineth to the people of God. O what a heaven is reserved for me above! a peaceful country, where fragrant roses bloom, immortal groves ascend; where the everlasting Father smiles upon all his beloved children with inexpressible delight; where the Elder Brother reveals to them all the intimacies of the most endeared affection; where the Holy Ghost the Comforter pours into their hearts the fullest tides of inconceivable consolation; where is the fulness of joy, and pleasures for evermore. Soon shall I exchange the wretchedness of earth for the blessedness of heaven, rise from obscurity to honour, from pollution to purity, from weariness to rest, from sickness to health, from the streams of ordinances below to the fountain head of bliss above. Nor can I conceive the thousandth part of the glory which awaits me in fairer worlds on high. My highest enjoyments here below, my brightest discoveries in this most melancholy vale of sorrow and decay, are but as one spark, compared with the everlasting blaze of rapture which will set my soul in one pure flame of the most ardent devotion in the climes above.

In regard to hell, the new creature says, Once I considered it as the wild chimera of a disordered head, the airy roving of misguided fancy, now I know there is an eternal hell for the wicked, and all the people

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that forget God. I try to look down towards that impenetrable darkness that I may see my deserts and my Saviour's merits ; my misery and his mercy; and am like a man, who has with difficulty escaped from a dous wreck, and having climbed up to the top of some projecting rock, looks down with mingled feelings of gratitude and wonder upon the lashing waves and splitting vessel beneath his feet. While I deserved, by reason of sin, all the punishment which incensed justice can demand, and infinite power can execute, Jesus hath delivered mine eyes from tears, my soul from death, my feet from falling into hell. Halelujah, Praise ye the Lord.

What a change then passes upon the sinner when converted! A man born blind, when restored to sight, could not be more astonished at the surrounding scenery, than the sinner called from darkness to light can be, in the contemplation of Jesu's person, work, and offices, his fulness and suitableness.

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Brethren, can you in your own experience adopt the text, "Old things are passed away, behold all things are become new?" Remember truth says, "" Except a man be born again, he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven." Nothing can be substituted for the birth. You may be well educated, ingenious, moral, civil, and courteous; have the form of godliness, and credit with a religious party; you may have wit, philosophy, and learning; convictions of conscience, and resolutions of amendment; you may be like the way-side, thorny ground, stony ground hearers; but unless you are converted unto God, and by God, you must be lost for ever and ever. May God the Spirit say to your conscience in a voice loud enough to be heard, "" Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light." R. L.

SIR. Having once stated my opinions and the reasons of them, I am more and more disposed to leave them to stand or fall by their own merits, without further controversy. There are however, a few points which it may be necessary to notice in the reply of S. H. S. which I trust, I shall do within much narrower limits than the smallest possible space' (equivalent to ten columns) of my opponent.

1. I must first say that, if S. H.S. can read my name at length under my present signature, he has the advantage of me. I animadvert on no known or suspected individual. At the same time, while I thank him for the respect he expresses-paying me a deference (supposing him right in his conjecture) which I do not claim-he must allow me to say, that I think it should not be thus publicly declared that a correspondent is known, when he writes avowedly under an assumed designation.

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2. S. H. S's second point-that of no compromise'-I will reserve to the last. I will next observe therefore, that he assumes all the injury we apprehend, from the change which he advocates, to be the loss of the subscriptions of the few Socinians who remain in the Bible Society! He argues therefore that the Committee are fending, at no little risk and trouble, what they must consider to be a point of the most trifling importance:' and that they will sacrifice much more from other quarters. These Socinian subscriptions certainly never were an object of any importance in my view, or in that of any with whom I cooperate; but what we contend against is, a change of constitution, which we think is quite uncalled for, and which would be likely to prove, directly or indirectly, subversive of the Bible Society. S. H. S.'s own

principles show what further indefinite tests and changes must follow, if that for which he contends is admitted. He assumes that we ' accept as a Christian offering' the contribution of every subscriber, and 'thank him (for it) as a Christian brother.' Would he himself do that to every one that remained after the last Socinian was expelled. I contend that we pledge ourselves to no such thing towards any one.

3. S, H. S. sets at naught all the arguments of the pamphlet to which I referred your readers. But he totally overlooks all that part for which I specially referred to it: viz. that in which the author shows the utter irrelevancy of all the scriptural passages adduced on your correspondent's side of the question, including that with which he triumphantly concludes his paper, and which refers to heretics, not joining to circulate a pure version of the Scriptures, but travelling about to preach their own heretical doctrines.

4. He says: The money offered by the Socinian to the Bible Society is to all intents and purposes offered to an idol.'!!—It is given to promote the circulation of the Scriptures and this is all that we have to do with it. All the rest is between God and the donor's own conscience: though I observe a strange propensity now to intrude into this department, and to concern ourselves with what belongs not to our province. Not only, it seems, are we to be answerable for our own motives, but we are to

search the hearts of others,' and become partakers of other men's sins,' if those with whom we are associated in a confessedly good object pursue not that object from principles of pure and undefiled religion.' The writer will allow me, without my meaning any personal offence, to say, that

his present position seems to me, when offered as an argument to direct our conduct, to be among the most extravagant of the many extravagant things which have been urged by some, but only by some, of the advocates on his side. The Sackville Street Committee proceed upon no such principle; but propose to receive money from all quarters; only to restrict membership in their new Society.-As to the conclusion drawn from God's having "no respect to Cain and to his offering," that we ought not to suffer the Socinian to join in circulating the Scriptures-I see nothing to bring the two cases together, except that your correspondent has contrived to introduce the term ' offering' into each.

5. Your correspondent charges 'some' on our side with glorying at Bible Meetings in forgetting the little differences' between simply acknowledging, like Cain,

the God of creation and providence, but confessing no sin, and providing no sin-offering,' and coming as devout believers in the Son of God. I will not suppose that he applies this to me or any with whom I act; though it is somewhat indefinitely stated. We are as zealous anti-Socinians as himself: though we do not deem it necessary to preclude the Socinian from joining in the dispersion of that Book which reveals the truths we teach, and exposes his own errors. We contend not for Socinians, but against fatally changing the constitution of the Bible Society.

that book, and that alone, which all acknowledged. The no compromise' related chiefly and almost exclusively to the book itself.-Even there however the Socinian, from the first, to a certain degree compromised his principles in joining us. For he avows his dissatisfaction with our version, and has another to offer of his own. But what was the language of the Society to him from the first? You are at liberty to come among us, if you please, where none are excluded: but, mark, you shall not bring your Scriptures along with you: you shall take our's, and circulate them without note or comment.' He had warning therefore from the first what to expect.-But grant that, as meetings sprang up, the principle of no compromise' was to be extended to them, Still how far was it to be carried? Your correspondent will surely not say, that nothing is to be introduced at any meeting which would be objected to by any absent member of the Society-such a member as perhaps did not exist within a hundred miles. It must be enough if it is not objec⚫ ted to by any member present. Grant this, and nothing more will be necessary in order to our proceeding just as we have done, speaking, I hope, to the edification of multitudes, in 999 cases out of a thousand: and if in the thousandth some good may be checked, evil may on the same grounds be excluded also, and we still remain immense gainers on the whole. And here I have taken much below the real proportion of meetings in which no obstruction whatever will be offered. I never met with one such meeting and a friend, who has attended much above 5000 meetings, tells me he never met with one. 1 remarked before on S. H. S.'s two lame instances. must tell him, they are farfetched and little worth.' There is no call made upon us, nor any likely to be made, to suppress the

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LET me hope that this new year finds you in a prosperous state of soul, that you are abiding in Christ," and bringing forth much fruit to his glory and praise. How full of encouragement are the Holy Scriptures! I hope you feel your love to them daily increase. What a rich cluster of blessings are contained in the first Psalm! can you lay claim to them as yours by the description they give of " delighting in the law of the Lord ? " hope you can; and trust that the

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word of Christ dwells in you richly." If this is the case, then it will be evident to the world and the church by your holy conversation, and fruitfulness in the service of the Lord. Your peace also will be increased, while you meditate in his precepts. Holy peace in the soul will produce a serenity of mind and consistent cheerfulness; you will "rejoice in the Lord; and those who know you best will prove that your religion is not a melancholy subject. That it elevates your mind above the trials of life, gives you support in affliction, and yields you hope, a "good hope through grace" of eternal life.

All these and many others are the blessed effects of a life hidden with Christ in God-of abiding in Christ Jesus-of delighting in the

law of the Lord-of a habit of meditating day and night in his word. Oh! my dear friend, say, are these your present favoured enjoyments; if not press on after them, pray fervently that such may be your portion, "that you may walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and abounding in the knowledge of God." Let soul prosperity be your chief concern; be not contented to live at a distance from the Saviour, but cleave to him with full " purpose of heart," follow him fully, and "press towards the mark, for the prize of your high calling, in Christ Jesus."

But I trust you are rejoicing in Christ Jesus, that your sins and lukewarmness are at all times a grief and burden, and that you

delight in the law of the Lord after the inward man;" if so I congratulate you, and say, "hold that fast which thou hast, let no man take thy crown"-"whereunto you have already attained, walk by the same rule, mind the same thing".

"If these things," my dear friend, “be in you and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the work of the Lord." You will account his service your delightand calling to mind the freeness with which redeeming grace has been made known to you, will long to impart the knowledge of it to others, and "be instant in season and out of season," in trying to do good to all.

The state of the world around loudly calls for such efforts to be made. As Christians we are to be active as well as holy, and our love to God is to be proved to the world by our love to our neighbours. We should feel it a duty to attempt to deliver them from starvation, disease, or suffering; and surely their souls have a stronger claim still on our Christian love and exertions. 'Concert, contrive, devise plans of usefulness,' says Dr. Watts, and be not contented to go to heaven alone,' be ambitious of the honour of taking many with you thither.' Life, the only time in which we can do good to souls, is short at the longest, and perfectly uncertain. The present moment then is a treasure we ought to prize and faithfully improve. We should be prompt and diligent in making every effort to deliver the soul from everlasting misery, and render it meet for eternal happiness.

In the light of eternity we shall wonder, my dear friend, that we thought so little of the worth of souls, and that our efforts were so few and inadequate, and our love so cold to that Saviour, whose love to us led him to lay down his life for our salvation. But then our wonder will not do any good to our souls, our sorrows for past inactivity will be utterly unavailing, for the day of grace will be ended, and means and mercy done with for ever.

But now we are honoured to labour for the Saviour's cause, new opportunities daily occur, in which we may do good to souls; and we may soon find our hands full of work, if we diligently set ourselves to try to do good. Some souls have been converted to God by his blessing attending the labours of a faithful friend in affectionate conversation and social intercourse: others have been brought to the knowledge of the truth by reading admonitory letters warning them of danger, and pointing out the Saviour as a shelter and a refuge. The invitations of friends have induced many to go and hear the word of life, which has become the power of God to their salvation. Packets of religious tracts have been presented, and useful books, such as Pike's Persuasives, Jesus Shewing Mercy, Scott's Force of Truth, Doddridge's Rise and Progress, Boston's Fourfold State, &c. have been blessed to the salvation of souls. Serious consideration will point out the most suitable means, while judgment and affection guide your efforts. Only make a beginning, and devices to do good will increase; every effort will lead to additional exertions, and the grain of mustard seed will produce proof that it was not cast into the earth in vain. O, how will you rejoice both in time and in eternity, to know that your efforts were owned by the Holy Spirit, as the means of saving a soul from the wrath to come; that such may be the case we must labour as well as pray, and pray as well as labour. O that we may be faithful, and that it may appear in the last day that you were blessed, and made a blessing by your holy example and active labours in the world; and may the Judge then pronounce on you the approving plaudit," She hath done what she could."

A. J.