trayed in this Scripture truth: "And you hath he quickened, who were DEAD in trespasses and sins." (Eph. ii. 1.) No animal body in which life is extinct, is more insensible to every function of animal life, than is the spirit of man to a holy, spiritual life before the Lord. And until he knows and feels somewhat of the spirit of Job, when he was brought to confess this humiliating truth, "I have said to corruption, thou art my Father; and to the worm, thou art my Mother, and my sister," (xvii. 14) man knoweth nothing yet (comparatively) as he ought to know. (To be continued.)

THE POOL OF BETHESDA.

TO THE Editors oF THE GOSPEL STANDARD.

Sirs,-Through your valuable Standard, an impotent body, who is hungry and thirsty, and whose soul at times fainteth within her for a ray of hope in the manifestation of an interest in a precious Redeemer's blood, is desirous of having a few words from a "Lover of Zion," on the 7th verse of the 5th chapter of John; "The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me." Does he, as a valiant soldier of truth, who has experienced the workings of God the Holy Spirit upon his own soul, think it possible for a poor, weak, feeble sinner to come to that pool, waiting there for the moving of the waters, who is walking in darkness and having no light, and who, feelingly a dog, would gladly eat of the crumbs which fall from the children's table, and living and dying in that state, does he think there is any hope for such a soul?

May the Lord enable a Lover of Zion to drop a few hints on the foregoing passage, for the comfort and consolation of, I trust, a mourner, though perplexed with innumerable doubts as to the reality, and for the building up and establishing of the wavering.

May your Standard be the bearer of the truth as it is in Jesus, and may it be a means, in the Lord's hands, of dispensing the bread of life freely to poor, perishing sinners, who desire not only a head knowledge of the sovereign grace of God, but a feeling sense of the divine power working in the heart, is the sincere and earnest petition of, I would hope,

Manchester, Aug. 26.

A BROKEN HEARTED SINNER.

STRONG FAITH.

TO THE EDITORS OF the gosPEL STANDARD.

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Sirs,-In looking over the first number of the Gospel Standard, I was certainly gratified to perceive the confidence with which some of the writers assert their certainty of salvation, &c. &c. The most valuable legacy which Jesus, the true God and eternal life," has left to them who believe in his name, is, "good hope, through grace" which enables them to look beyond the cares and sorrows of a vain world, rejoicing in the hope of a glorious immortality beyond death and the grave; and the highest attainment which the humble Christian, walking in the light of his Father's countenance, can arrive at on this earth, is, when he attains to that "assurance of faith," which enables him to " rejoice all the day" with undisturbed confidence in the smiles of his Redeemer's face. The promises of God are all Yea and Amen, to the believer in Christ. Every word of the Messiah, and of his appointed messengers to the churches, is calculated to give strong consolation,” and full assurance of hope even to the end, to those followers of the Lamb who, by grace, are taught to yield obedience to the doctrines of the cross.

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I should certainly be the last person in the world to detract one iota from the assurance, or confidence, of the strongest believer; but I would humbly suggest that, having a strong faith in the testimony of God is one thing, and boasting of our individual confidence and security is another. Of late years, I have been especially disposed to think with great caution respecting those persons who make this boasting, or vaunting, or talking with dogmatical confidence, about their certainty of salvation, as the reward of their strong faith; and I have met with many who make no scruple about dooming the whole human race to eternal damnation, except the few who are disposed to adopt their own peculiar strong language. It is true, that Job is represented as being enabled to say, whilst suffering under the severest agony of mind and body, magnified into torture by the keen reproaches of his friends, in spite of his accumulated sufferings, "I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth; and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God, whom I shall see for myself, and not another," &c. It is true also, that the Apostle Paul, in the probable prospect of being torn to pieces by wild beasts, for bearing testimony in support of the truths of the gospel,

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in the immediate prospect of a cruel death, was enabled to say, "I am now ready to be offered, and the hour of my departure is at hand: I have fought a good fight; I have finished my course; I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day," &c. These are glorious examples, and calculated to encourage the weak believer to emulate the Apostle's faith, and practice of obedience; that he also may be able to look death in the face with humble resignation, and say, Welcome, thou king of terrors.' The enthusiasm of these inspired writers is most sublime; but it is humble. None of that bombastic vapouring that would attempt to crush and trample upon the more timorous of Christ's flock. None of that" man-glorifying" spirit which would say, "Stand by, for I am holier than thou;" or, what is, if possible, more wicked; "Stand by, for my faith is stronger than thine." It is the privilege of every Christian to believe implicitly in the testimony of Jesus; to rely with confidence on the fulfilment of his promises; and to be ready at all times to give a reason to every man that asketh him, of the hope that is in him, with meekness and with fear. The stronger that a Christian's faith really is, the less will he be disposed to boast of it; but he will become the more disposed to manifest, by its effect upon his conduct, that faith is not with him a mere profession. Alas for them who say, Lord, Lord, and do not those things which he has commanded." Liverpool, August, 1835.

J. WOODROW.

A SAINT INDEED.—-No. III.

(Extracted from Letters.)

My very dear friend, for Jesus' sake,-Our dear brother wished me to write to you, after he received your letter, which I should have done before now, but have been hoping every post would bring me a letter from you, which your last valued epistle gave me reason to hope.

The health of Mr. is better-indeed, much better than could have been expected, considering he has been obliged to take to his bed again, for the last three weeks, in consequence of a violent inflammation in his toe, which threatened mortification, but which, I am happy to say, is something better; so that danger is not now apprehended. Though he has suffered greatly, yet, on the whole, he has been powerfully supported, and has found the love of his covenant God to be an all-suffi

cient support in this time of need. One day I was there while they were fomenting his toe. Being asked if it hurt him, he replied, "All is right; I am the charge and care of heaven and God." He said he felt himself in the hands of his covenant God and Father, and that nothing but love was in his cup, and in his heart. He fully justified all the dealings of God with him. I asked him what he wished me to say to you. He replied, "Give my love to him; tell him no man is so much on my mind as he is, and has been many years; that I can say. Tell him the Lord comes again and again, and seals me his for ever and ever." He farther desired me to say, you would be the first person he should write to. I thought, at the time, he would never see to write to any one again; but last Lord's Day, we were rejoiced to find he could tell the time of day by his watch, and was attempting to, and indeed could read a little. This alteration made me very glad, for his case had been much on my mind before God, the preceding week. Mr. favoured me with your last letter to him, and truly precious it was to us. I can truly say, I found it a word in season, and my whole heart and soul join with you in your remarks: "What an indescribable blessing it is that such filth as we are by nature, are brought, under the glorious unction of God the Holy Ghost, to see and feel that the Lord is our portion, life, light, bliss, and blessedness for ever and ever." O, my dear friend! filth indeed we are. For myself, I must say, I feel my vileness more and more, and as if I could creep into the dust under a sense of my defilement and nothingness; and with dear Mr. did feelingly add my Amen to that part of your valued letter where you say, "Let men talk of their duty faith, moral obligations, &c.; let my dear Lord but favour me to hold glorious intercourse with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, and I am satisfied. They are welcome, heartily welcome, to all their creature goodness, &c."

I have been much profited by the conversation of Mr. My faith has appeared to get fresh strength in the faithfulness of the Lord Jehovah. In our brother's experience, we have had another proof of the reality of the religion of Jesus Christ, that it is not a cunningly-devised fable, but what will do to live and die by. Never had I such views of the emptiness of all things below as I have had in his room. I have felt thankful that he has wished to have me so often with him, for such a testimony for Jesus I never before witnessed, nor can I ever forget the seasons we, have had. I have often longed for you to rejoice with us. This, I know you have

done, though at a distance; but, had it been the Lord's will, I could have rejoiced for you to have been present.

My dear husband unites with me in love to you. Were I near our dear friends, to say I am writing to you, I should have many love messages.

May the dear Lord bless your soul and your ministry more and more, and incline your heart to write very soon to Your truly affectionate friend, for Christ's sake.

H-, Nov. 23, 1835.

ON THE LAW OF MOSES, AS THE MINISTRATION OF DEATH AND CONDEMNATION.

After having many thoughts revolving in my mind upon this important subject, I trust I am brought, through the teaching of God the Holy Ghost, experimentally, to understand the law as the ministration of death and condemnation, and the gospel, as the ministration of life and liberty, in my soul. This I believe to be the experience of every one taught by the Spirit of God, however Pharisees and hypocrites may be ignorant of it, and dead to it. It is a mercy, peculiar to the church of God, to understand our sin, and feel our utter ruin and helplessness, as transgressors of God's holy law; and it is as much the Spirit's work to make it known, as it is the poor sinner's mercy to experience a feeling sense of it, before a heart-searching and rein-trying God. These things must be known, and known, too, by the teachings of God the Spirit, before a poor sinner can enter, by faith, into the riches of a Redeemer's love and grace, as his salvation. Paul makes some very important observations upon the holiness and glory of God, revealed in the law, in 2 Cor. iii.; and I believe the apostle speaks from his own experience, as much as he admired the language and conduct of Moses, the servant of God, in the receiving of the law upon Mount Sinai; for while the Lord thunders from his presence, Moses is confounded, and made to feel his own guilt in the presence of God, and to act and speak like a poor criminal. He puts a veil over his face, and, by his conduct, says, Lord, I am vile and sinful, being guilty of those things that thou in thy law forbiddest; and whatever the law was in the experience of Moses, it was the same in the experience of Paul, when the Lord Jesus uttered his voice in the midst of glorious light, above the brightness of the sun, crying, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" (Acts ix. 4.) Seized with conviction,