this rest is promised, and it is to them alone that it will be ac ceptable: "To him that is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and that trembleth at my word.' To them will the Lord speak, even unto them who are full of doubts and fears, desiring to read their interest in a Saviour's blood, but tremble as they read the word, not daring to believe that they are vessels of mercy, yet force to cry out for mercy; and though unable to obtain evidence of interest, yea, though all things appear against them, they cannot draw back, for they are the Lord's own, and presently it shall be said unto them, "Hear the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word; he shall appear to your joy.” (Isaiah lxvi. 5.)

any

May the Lord grant that we may become nothing, and He be all in all; that we may become low, and He be exalted in our hearts; that in all his dispensations, both in providence and in grace, we may lie before his throne with a humble and a contrite heart, giving up all things into his hand, and saying, "Thy will be done."

London, October.

VERICULTOR.

ABOUNDING GRACE.

"By grace ye are saved."-Eph. ii. 5.

TO THE EDITORS OF THE GOSPEL STANDARD.

Dear Sirs,-I humbly give you to understand, that I have been much comforted and edified in perusing your short commencement on the last Gospel Standard, proposed to those depicted churches which it maintains, being the blessed saints in Christ Jesus. And do hereby joyfully give you my prayers and thanks, with the greatest anxiety that you may receive the blessing of God to your soul-comforting undertaking, in those glorious truths which it sets forth and supports, for the encouragement and consolation of Zion. Neither pride nor ambition has puffed me up to write these few unadorned lines; no, for sometimes truth sparkles in unlearned expressions, and unflowered phrases; still, what I am in possession of, as to learning, I have here appropriated, and you will expect no more; but as to learning, touching what Christ has done for my soul, I am certain he has taught me to abase myself as an unworthy sinner, and blessed me with the living testimonies of sweet communion with the living witness in the life and power of his Holy Spirit; so I hope you will, my beloved, look through the killing letter, as the kingdom of God stands not

in word only, but in power. I trust, through grace, these few words will be blessed to some of God's dear children, if you please to insert them in the Standard; for be it known unto you, that through the mercy and grace of God, who accepts the will with the deed, that a little Elihu has undertaken to show his opinion.

I am sure, if I was not saved by grace, I should never be saved at all; for God has, according to his eternal purpose, broken up my heart of sin, corruption, and evil concupiscence. So that sin has reigned in my flesh unto death, under the law, but now my life is hid with Christ in God, and as I have been led to see it impossible to save myself, at last it pleased God to show me that I was saved by grace, that not of myself, it is the gift of God; for boasting is excluded, and by "the law no flesh living can be justified;" for "if righteousness came by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." So then, "I through the law am dead to the law," and by the resurrection of life, I am under the power of grace, so led by the Spirit of Christ; and I find I can do nothing without Christ, for he is my soul's standard. In him I have eternal life, and no where but in him I have strong consolation. Therefore, the life I now live is by faith in the glorious standard, the covenant of grace, being justified freely by the same; and this grace reigns eternal upon all the heirs of promise, who are ordained unto eternal life, being chosen by grace before the world began. He has designed to give grace and glory to all his predestinated children; and this I know, had I not been predestinated unto life in Christ, my soul's standard of immortal truth, I should never stand a saved sinner through the riches of this grace imparted to my soul; for, through the grace of the covenant, Christ becomes the eternal standard of his elect, in the powers of immortal life, having made with them an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure; and so he gives "unto them eternal life, and no one shall ever pluck them out of his hand." Now this grace is my standard in the life of Christ, and he becomes my rock and surety, as an eternal salvation. As to nature, I dare not say anything of good report concerning that; "for I protest by your rejoicing in Christ Jesus, I die daily;" for in my flesh dwelleth no good thing; therefore, I know not how to look for it from nature; only I will say, this body of sin and death is a clog to my soul, and this many more know without rehearsing it. It often hinders my peace, and makes me cry, "O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this sin and death?" But God is acquainted with our fleshly nature, and all its infirmi

ties; therefore, he is touched with compassion for us, and will heal all our diseases; for he knows nothing will satisfy our inward man but the comfort of his Holy Spirit, and the joy of his salvation; for the flesh is weak, and naturally prone to do evil. But this I would say, what I have learnt of Christ's grace pleaseth me so well, that I have been led by the life and power of it to walk according to my calling, ever after the law of grace constrained me. Though I am often cast down by sin, hunted about by the devil, I thank my God he can never destroy my soul, being hid with Christ in eternal life, and the immortal glory of the covenant standard. Therefore, when Christ shines in my soul by mutual love, I, being "born not of corruptible seed, but of the incorruptible, of the word of God that liveth and abideth for ever," matters go on well, and I am bold to say, that through him I can do all things, because he strengthens me; but when he withdraws, I am forced to stand trembling and cry, "Without him I can do nothing." Again, when through the light of my dear Saviour's countenance, I get up on Peter's mount, I think nothing of coming down again. Still this is not to be always the case with God's elect, while in this lower world, for they must have winter as well as summer; and when I am down in the dark, I then begin to think I shall not get up again, yet cannot doubt but all will be well with my soul and Christ at last; for he can never reject those "which were born not of flesh nor of blood, nor of the will of man, but of God;" for he saith, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." I am sure it is because he loves me with an everlasting love, nor can he forget the covenant in which I am saved with the elect family in him with an everlasting salvation, and he himself lives in me, and is formed in my heart the hope of glory; so he becomes the eternal prop and standard of my soul, in that righteousness he hath clothed me with in the power and glory of the covenant of grace. Any other doctrine short of this tends to the religion of the times, and not to the glory of God, for fleshly religion will not do for him; therefore, Arminian Legalists are laying a foundation that they will never be able to build upon; for when the power of God's justice shall come upon them, then down they go, and are awfully crushed together. Fare thee well, dear reader, only God comfort thy soul in the grace of life, which is the desire of, your unworthy stripling in Christ,

Wicklewood, Sept. 16, 1835.

B. TAYLOR,

F

A SAINT INDEED.-No. IV

(Extracted from Letters.)

My dear Friend and Brother, in the only hope and helper of the poor and needy,—We were very glad indeed to receive your letter, but sorry to find you had been unwell, but rejoiced to hear the Lord had been with you, giving you a rich enjoyment of his favour, which is better than life. We have proof upon proof of the ever mindful care of a covenant God, who stands by the furnace while his elect family endure the trial of faith, which, under the sweet workings of God the Holy Ghost, they find, by blessed experience, to be precious. I can look back to many a trial in my pilgrimage at which my poor nature has shrunk at the beginning, but afterwards have found how a faithful God has taught me thereby more of the rebellion and shameful distrust of my unbelieving heart, and brought me with self-abhorrence to his feet, given me a spirit of supplication, answered my poor petitions, delivered my soul, and taught me, not only to say God is faithful, but in some little measure to know him as such, by blessed experience, and to give him all the praise. Our dear brother

has received your valuable letter: he kindly sent it to us, on the Lord's Day evening; we had been confined at home by weather, or rather by roads. I had felt much deadness in my soul; no access to God, no light into his word, no cheering ray from his throne; but your letter was quite a refreshing cordial : : a sweet quickening power did indeed attend the reading of it, so that I had quite a heart-warming, and I am sure the Lord was with you while composing it, and hope he will soon pay you another such a precious visit, and that you may be again willing to communicate to us. Our friend, Mr. is getting on well in his health; his toe is so well that he came down stairs again on Christmas-day; he his still happy in the Lord. I spent yesterday afternoon with him: generally some one passage of the Word seems to rest particularly on his mind; he was much impressed yesterday with, "You hath he quickened." His faculties and memory fail exceedingly, so that, from what his housekeeper says, his poor mind appears at times reduced to childhood; but he is a father in spiritual things. His case is the most remarkable we ever heard of. I believe his mind is too weak to state any one doctrine of his faith, and yet the very marrow and fatness of all the doctrines of free and sovereign grace are richly enjoyed in his soul. O! my dear brother, how I see in him, and admire, the difference between a real child of God, however marred

his intellect through bodily infirmity, and the empty_trash of
the day which arrogates to itself the name of religion. It makes
me, with all my heart, which God knows, long, and desire, and
beg, and pant after more real heart-work, more of Christ in my
heart, the hope of glory; nothing but this will stand free,-a
religion that lives under trials, and stands firm when friends.
yea, when heart and flesh fail. Mr. particularly desires
his love to you, and thanks for the poetry: he says he does
not know when he shall be able to write to you himself, but
loves to hear from you, and begs I will acknowledge your
letters for him. He is desirous of having me with him, and
says he has more enjoyment in conversing with me than any
other friend. For this I am thankful, as it has been a great
blessing to my soul. Owing to his weakness of mind, his
conversation is very simple; I mean, godly simplicity, the
same thing often repeated; but after a few words respecting
his health, on going in, then Jesus, dear Jesus, is all his theme,
and the fullest confidence expressed of interest in him. He
said, "Whom have I in heaven but Jesus, and there is none
upon earth I desire besides him. I won't have it altered to
there is none in comparison of him. O! no; there is none I
desire besides him; he is my all in all:" then said, “There are
no ifs, nor peradventures, in God's creed, so there are none in
mine. All is settled, and my soul approves it well" and I
added my hearty Amen with his My dear husband unites
with me in love to you; we shall be glad of a letter from you
as soon as you can find opportunity. I hope you have had
no return of your affliction, but if you have, as you sweetly
observe, "Afflictions, what are they? The servants of the
Lord," &c. We wish you not to take any notice, either in
your letter to us, or Mr.
of what I have said respecting
his faculties failing. He has all our letters to read as well as
we, and he is so very happy, and unconscious of this weakness,
which only shows itself in natural themes, not spiritual, we
should be sorry to give him the idea of it.

Nothing but love is in his cup,
For Jesus Christ drank every drop
Of wrath on Calvary's tree:
And now he gives him precious faith
To triumph in his love and death,
And say, "He died for me."

Right well our brother might exclaim—
"If I should cease to praise his name,
The stones would surely speak!”
So much of glory felt, his soul
Must vent its joys without control,
Or else the walls would break: