mercy for him, and his fitness, as a needy convinced sinner, for it. He is then strengthened to embrace it, like a poor creature who must perish without it, but who shall never perish with it. And, at length, God's grace seals itself upon the soul, by giving a true taste of joy and peace in believing; insomuch that the broken, drooping heart revives, and is able to say, "I do humbly venture to believe that Christ died for me, and will save me for evermore.'

Now, through all the course of this gracious work, which, according to the will of God, is slower in some than in others, there is often much doubting and disputing in the man's own conscience. It is a sore struggle, at times, to quell the clamours of unbelief, and the suggestions of Satan; and at last, perhaps, the soul embraces the reality of God's love in Christ, with a trembling kind of hopeless hope, and doubting believing. These things often puzzle the understanding, and perplex the whole will and affections. A true believer is like Rebecca labouring with twins, a faithless Esau, and a trusting Jacob; and so, like her, he cries out, "If it be so, why am I thus ?" Whereas, if it were not so, if he were not of God, it could not be thus. Nature alone would not struggle; nor can what is dead strive against the stream. The whole bent of nature is against grace. So again, if he were all grace and no sin, he would feel no trouble; for the opposition of grace is made to nature and to the sin which is in

it.

And it is a good sign, though not a pleasant feeling, that there is this conflict: it demonstrates the life of God to be within.

In this way, the Christian embraces the gospel. He is enabled in hope against hope to believe it, as the grand charter of his salvation. And this very act of believing is the evidence within, concurring with the evidence of the written word without, that his name is enrolled in the charter, and that he is consequently entitled to all its blessings.

Take heart, therefore, thou child of God, and fear not. Thou hast the promise, the power, the mercy, and the truth of Jehovah on thy side; and who can prevail against him? If thou dost not wholly believe, or art not perfectly cleared from all doubts, be not however dismayed. The faithfulness of thy Lord is not grounded upon the perfect exercise of thy faith, but upon his own sovereign grace and love. Thou desirest to trust him with thy whole heart; but thou never couldst have desired this, if he had never wrought that disposition within thee. He was the Author, and he will be the Finisher, of all in thee, as well as all for thee. If God did not spare his will he spare beside? any thing to the charge of God's elect?

own Son for thy sake, what Who shall, or who can, lay

It is God

himself, with whom there is neither evil nor folly, that justifieth thee from both. Who can condemn thee? It is Christ who blotteth out thy sins by his precious blood, or rather is risen again to present thee faultless in his righteousness before the throne, and to plead for thee as that Advocate who never lost a cause. Who shall separate thee from the love of Christ? Shall the evils of life, all the distresses of time, all the rage of the devil? Nay,

in all these things thine almighty Saviour will render thee a conqueror, and more than a conqueror, because he hath loved thee. O divine words that follow! From thine inmost affections, from the very ardour and spirit of faith, mayest thou breathe them forth! "I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate me from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus my Lord."

CHAPTER V.

On Communion with the Divine Persons in Jehovah.

CURIOUS speculations upon the Trinity profit not. There is a sort of knowledge in this, as in other things, which betrays its own falsehood by puffing up the soul. Much time hath been lost, and many hurtful disputes have been raised, concerning the mode of the Son's generation from the Father, and the manner of the Spirit's procession from both points which have not been revealed, and which, therefore, are not necessary to faith. It is sufficient for us to apprehend, that there are three equal persons in one Jehovah, or self-existent Godhead, and that this Godhead is one: that we are privileged to have communion with these Divine Persons in their several offices of salvation; and that, by the

unction of the Spirit, we come into the grace of the Son, and possess the love of the Father, now and for evermore. "Through Christ," says the Apostle, “we both,” that is, Jews and Gentiles," have an access by one Spirit unto the Father." And thus,

"the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost," are with all true believers in every age of the world. He, therefore, that doth not thus apprehend the doctrine of the Trinity, only apprehendeth the phantom of his own imagination, and is never the better for his speculation, be it ever so abstruse or refined.

Of what avail to my soul are all the nicest disquisitions of men? I want food and light, reality and enjoyment. These do thy word, O Lord, afford in plentiful measure, when thy grace opens the well-spring to my heart. I am there taught to pray for that anointing of the Holy One, which shall lead and guide me into all thy saving truth. By him I am both instructed, and enabled to renounce myself; to put on Christ, and to cleave to my Redeemer as my only portion and hope. By the Spirit and Son of God, I am led up to fellowship with the Father, and to call upon him as my Father, even mine. O my blessed God, my Abba, my Father, my Life, and my All, what hast thou revealed to my poor soul; and how much more hast thou done and prepared than thou hast hitherto revealed to men, or than men in this state are able to conceive! O thou Fountain of unutterable blessedness, thou unfathomable Height and Depth of love, help me thus to know thee in the secret of my soul; and may all

for I am thy salvation."

grace increase this inWhile others dispute, precepts to my mind, "Peace be unto thee,

One spark of this life is of more worth than the whole universe of notions; for this not only brings an understanding of divine things superior to all speculations, but gives with it a fulness of satisfaction, arising from the very taste and perception of the things themselves. Faith takes them for realities, hope is enkindled by them as such, and love finds them to be so, and embraces them with joy to the end.

CHAPTER VI.

On the Incarnation of Christ, by which he became Emmanuel.

WHO shall unfold this mystery, or unfathom this love of my God? The Ancient of days became a child of days, and the Lord of all would be the servant of all, that he might be a Redeemer, a Brother, a Friend, of poor unworthy mortals, of vile apostates and rebels, such as I am, and such as, without him, I and all others for ever must have been.

He took our nature without sin, that he might bear our sin. If sin had been in that which he took for himself, it would not have been possible, that one, who was equally sinful, should have taken