tender Beloved of the other, my intense exercises overpowered my poor frame, and I was like those who dream. But my s sweet Joshua's death affects me With an inexpression vires9 nessuo Oh that its effects may be lasting! may be lasting for art my soul! dears cherished, lamented child! May thy removal rouse up thy afflicted mother to more perseyering and unwavering diligence in finishing her work! Vedi bus -ni January 17, 1822, I spent the evening at Mr. - Dear a affectionate, kind-hearted people De was unworthy woman connected d with 1995 kind offices laid her under more pressing obligations, than myself. But, alas, how little good I do among themam ashamed and confounded at the view of my barrenness and unprofitableness. Do I love this dear people, while I am so neglectful of their best in9V0m9T TO blod. terests? Ob that the Lord would cause me so to feel DTOW 1900 Never what I was last 1 2089 losing ground. It seems, on the whole, as if my zed, and I am found, like Israel of old," faulty." In prayer, I usually have some nearness of access to 1994 often have some sweet sense of my opy to devote all to him, in my poor measure, as the holy angels do, some desires after this, and some n meltings of soul for sin. But, alas! how soon all is gone! My temp tations are many and my strength is perfect weakmessi world! !world! world! I am helpless, and feeble, and tossed on thy dangerous seas; and, of myself, ready, every moment, to make shipwreck of the 1579 bfaith Jesus save or I perish 1992 29 ye I have been en reading our blessed Lord's valedictory address to his disciples, and the texto "Every branch in me that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may esbring forth more fruit," struck more fruit," struck me forcibly felt, bhowever, that I could lay over my into the hands nof the great Refiner with sweet satisfaction. Oh for strength to resist tin, thati mmayi Hoelbe esproften vent snared 19 1979woda dtr 925 9ft ai eidt tot 1997 ewated b919brozib 100 ot od zem 1950e7dm9m91 dɔva medt to compel FRIEND XFC Ho exøde bluode 3s dool ton borsb I n9dw emit edt redmemer low I enog bed dɔidw m1012 & Boston, January 22, 1892,9dt My dear Miss 190b9That propensity to which you allude in your last letter, to dwell on the past and look forward to the future, may be the occasion of much hap↓ piness to us. If properly controlled and balanced by Christian principle, the retrospect of former years and former mercies, will awaken in our souls lively grati tude to Him, who has led us thus far through the hand of our pilgrimage, and cheered the tediousness of the way By the kind communications of his own grace and goodness, and will present as with the strongest mis tives to a course of undeviating future obedience Were our hearts fight, the past would be contemplated With all the fervent emotions of gratitude, and the fail ture with ulinringled desires of glorifying Him, Cons stantly and for ever, who has made us to feel the weight of such immense obligations. But, was too seldom s this the ease! The mma, ever searching for aliment suited to the sustenance of its depravity, disapt fooking backward, to seize on those parts of our ex perience which have Teast of God and holiness 91 awon 9H .mid gaininteue 2199109m -"We dream over the scenes which were pleasant to adt named because our teledove was tattered, or bur pride gratified, our interests promoted, or our happiness sought, and we had them, at this distance of time, still pleasant, because they awaken Kindred feelings with those 'We then experienced. Or, if pride and vanity are not distinctly exercised, we sometimes sit down and Brood over the past with a sort of sickly sensibility Which exhausts our mental strength in useless regrets for the friends or comforts which are no more, and the duces a passive indifference concerning the present, at? them. us, perhaps, terly incompatible with efficient exertion. When we feel that this is the case with us, however engaging such remembrances may be to our disordered hearts, we should shake off, at once, the indulgence of them. I well remember the time when I dared not look at the spast. edt was to look at a storm, which had gone by, and which, though it passed over without destroying me, was too fearful to be unnecessarily dwelt upon. I knew that, though the strength of the Almighty arm had upheld me, when under the immediate infliction of that awful stroke, my heavenly Father had no where promised me strength to sustain me under the self-in flicted agonies of an unruly memory. And at that time, when I dared not contemplate the past, and could not calculate on the future, I felt more, than at any other period of my life; that, to-day was all I could call my own, Present duties and present trials; the one called upon me, to rouse myself, this moment, from the listlessness produced by intense personal sufferings to do something, if I had nothing to enjoy and the other met me as what I did bear then, through God's good. ness, and I could trust him for strength to bear at a fu ture time, if that future time should find me a sufferer on the earth. It is at a moment like this, that we know the blessed efficacy of our holy religion. There is in the Gospel that, which the Christian, at such a mo ment, feels sustaining him. He knows he does not T follow a cunningly devised fable. And had he a thousand souls, he would not be afraid to risk them on the truth of that Gospel, Honorq ate919tai wo bediter obitý You say, "Write me a letter of reproof and instruction," Alas! my dear friend, and do you really consi der me capable of all this? I feel a mere learner of first principles yet, and wholly unfit to reprove and instruct by reason of my unfaithfulness in the practical application of even those first principles. But, much as I must be sensible of my own deficiencies, I believe, I can say, in the sweet language of an Apostles This I 9 wish; evenɔyour perfection;" and were lo noquáinted -with your faults as intimately as you are, tordhadh ever observed any thing, whichastrackie is a peculiar ridesfect, I loveyourwelli enough to risk somethingbinoditrecting your attention to it.malt is very difficult fonas tbojudge ofbeach other's constitutional weaknessesiliuftthess they lie out to the surface of the character, and consequent attending temptations. S Jau0938 Jed Whether there bei some one besetting sin which attends the Christians and exhibits the same, om nearly the same specific form, through the various stages and circumstances of his progress heavensward, de know not. It has appeabed to me, however, that our most distness ing conflicts, dare not always with the same sins,ibut -with different ones, which acquite strength and power by thei change of our pircumstances. As self-elation may be burɛsnare ati one qtime, sa a gloomy depreciation of our own powers may be atoanotherwand; as some! times we are in danger of dooking no higher than earth for comfdity/so, at othed times, we may fretfully refuse the enjoyment of even those mercies which a kind God intends! we should enjoy, and almost be in his case ( yeho chose stringling and death rather than life.zanychi scure Christian could have but dittle idea of the tempe tations another would meet with, thrown into arisin telligent circle, capable of estimating all that was coms manding, and all that was attractive in her character; and whose qualifications would insure her the respect and constant attentions of that circles od Ands though none could envy the humble and more-retired Christian her station, except as it furnished as comparative EXS emption from a long train of the most fascinating temp tations, yet it certainly would not involve such high responsibilities, and draw in its train such a fearful number of mischievous conséquences, in case of declenti sion from duty, as a higher one. But,bLbelieve, it is A houniduppstolreste satisfied, that God has placed us in the situation best for usy and instead of comparing its ad-vantages and disadvantages, with those of other adve -should endeavourlearefully too ifiquire, What are the aemptations to which I am now most exposed?What -facilities does my situation afford me for doing good. How can turnimo present circumstances to the best account? anoisetqmet gnibпette tпeр2п0 -te Iniall our grarioasdsituations indlife, be they What they may, self is the grind hinderance to bar goizigron funto perfections The world flatters, indywerdoves its flatteries sb welly that we feed upon them, as Ephraim szont windlat ilk God trouses us from couredeplorable! de Jusiony and compels us to pronounce them worthless. Not that piety is one form of self-love and that we ennbrited religion merely from oreganotdourgown interest. Self-love,in us is a perverted principle; it is selfishness. It seeks its own good too eagerly and in wrong wayn So far as it porsides its happinesshini that way arid so that extent which are agreeable to the will of Gods it is innocent and lawful But the propermendrofoan intelligenti creature's existence is to promote his owni happiness, in loving and serving God This touranda tural selfishness does notud And it was to this principle Ireferred, when I said that it is our hinderancei in every athing praise worthyes But dlepa south be endued with the benevolent spirit ofwthed Gospely det it feel something of that holy flame which animates the saints above lebit be filled and controlled by desires to serve Godeas they do-toodo his willy and promote his glory. anceasingly, which is the true end of sour being and allthe fascinations of the world would be poured upon it in vainyi Nothing could promote the happiness of such a soul, but what advanced the glory of the blessed God.en And it would find ways to effect its obo ject It would be seeking the advancement of the kingdom of Christ; and, in seeking it, would seek to bring others into that kingdom. May the time come, Բ |