time. I am delighted to hear that you are still keeping a little better, and fondly hope the Lord may restore you to us once more, to help us by your prayers in these trying but glorious times. I would like to have seen you once again before going back, but I must just content myself with casting you on the Lord on whom you believe. Precious friend and unchangeable priest, is Christ-sweeter to you than honey and the honeycomb. How great is the goodness he hath laid up for them that fearhim! Just as the miser lays up money that he may feast his eyes upon it, so Christ has laid up unsearchable riches, that he may supply all our need out of them. Unfathomable oceans of grace are in Christ for you. Dive and dive again, you will never come to the bottom of these depths. How many millions of dazzling pearls and gems are at this moment hid in the deep recesses of the ocean caves! But there are unsearchable riches in Christ. Seek more of them. The Lord enrich you with them. I have always thought it a very pitiful show when great people ornament themselves with brilliants and diamonds; but it is the truest wisdom to adorn the soul with Christ and his graces. "Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire, yet my people have forgotten me, days without number." You see my pen runs on, though I fear you will hardly be able to read what I write. The Lord Jesus give you out of his fulness, and grace for grace. In a mirror you will observe that every feature of the face is reflected -both the large and small features. Now our soul should be a mirror of Christ; we should reflect every feature; for every grace in Christ there should be a counterpart grace in us. The Lord give you this; then I can ask no more for you. Your times are in his hand. Psalm xxxi. May you have the blessing of Asher," As thy days so shall thy strength be."

Farewell till we meet. Kindest regards to Miss N. and Mrs Coutts, and believe me ever yours in lasting bonds, &c.

me.

TO MR. J. T. JUST.

How to conduct prayer-meetings.

March 27, 1840.

MY DEAR JOHN-I was glad to receive your letter and am happy to answer you on the matter in which you apply to No person can be a child of God without living in secret prayer; and no community of Christians can be in a lively condition without unity in prayer. In Daniel's time you see how it was. (Dan. ii. 17, 18.) You see what Jesus said to his disciples on it. (Mat. xviii. 19,) and what a sweet promise of his presence and a gracious answer he connects with meeting for prayer. You see how it will be in the latter day, (Zech. vii. 21,) wher

meetings for prayer, or, at least, concerts for prayer, shall be held by different towns. One great rule in holding them is, that they be really meetings of disciples. If four or five of you, that know the Lord, would meet together regularly, you will find that far more profitable than a meeting open to all. In an open meeting you are apt to become teachers, and to be proud. In a secret meeting you feel all on a level, poor and needy, seeking water. If a young man, acquainted with any of you, becomes concerned about his soul, or a lively Christian is visiting any of you, these may be admitted; but do not make your meeting more open.

The prayer-meeting I like best, is where there is only praise and prayer, and the reading of God's Word. There is then least room for frail human nature to pervert the meeting to an improper end. It is well to read regularly through a book of Scripture, or at least to fix the chapter the evening before, that it may be prayed over in secret, before coming to the meeting. If you only read, then two chapters may be read, and then two members pray at a meeting. Each member would take his turn. Let there be no presiding of one over another, for all are brethren. When a godly minister, or elder, or experienced Christian is visiting you, he should be invited to take the whole service.

Many meetings are not contented with merely reading God's Word, they fix upon some verse or two as matter of conversation, and each one gives his opinion round. Some take a question of the Shorter Catechism each evening, and speak on it in the same manner. Some propose cases of conscience, and how Christians ought to act in different cases. Now, I never forbid any of these where the members prefer this; still, I must confess I feel the danger to which they are exposed. You require more grace to be kept humble and meek, and loving, if you engage in this service. You are exposed to the danger of differing from one another-disputing, seeking admiration and pre-eminence, to all which you know, dear John, your hearts are naturally most prone. If you choose any of these, the first appears the best, that of fixing on a verse or two of the chapter read. But do seek meekness in speaking together upon it. Meet weekly, at a convenient hour. Be regular in attendance. Let nothing keep you away from your meeting. Pray in secret before going. Let your prayers in the meeting be formed as much as possible upon what you have read in the Bible. You will thus learn variety of petition, and a Scripture style. Pray that you may pray to God, and not for the ears of man. Feel his presence more than man's. Pray for the outpouring of the Spirit on the Church of Christ and for the world-for the purity and unity of God's children-for the raising up of godly ministers, and the blessing of those that are already. Pray for the conversion of your friends, of your neighbors, of the

whole town. Pray for the sending of the gospel to the Jews, and to the Gentile nations.

Pride is Satan's wedge for splitting prayer-meetings to pieces -watch and pray against it. If you have not the spirit of God among you, you will have the spirit of the devil. Watch against. seeking to be greater than one another; watch against lip-religion. Above all, abide in Christ, and he will abide in you. He is able to keep you from falling, and to make you happy, holy young men. There is no joy like that of holiness. May Enoch's companion be yours.

Write me how you come on, and believe me ever yours affectionately, &c.

TO A PARISHIONER ON A SICK-BED.

How cares and troubles sanctify.

March 31, 1840.

DEAR M.-I may not see you for a little, as I am not strong; and, therefore, I send you a line in answer to your letter. I like to hear from you, and especially when God is revealing himself to your soul. All his doings are wonderful. It is, indeed, amazing how he makes use of affliction to make us feel his love more. Your house is, I trust, in some measure like that house in Bethany of which it is said, "Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus." They had different degrees of grace. One had more faith and another more love, still Jesus loved them all. Martha was more inclined to be worldly than Mary, yet Jesus loved them both. It is a happy house when Jesus loves all that dwell in it. Surely it is next door to heaven.

The message of Martha and Mary to Christ (John xi. 3) teaches you to carry all your temporal as well as your spiritual troubles to his feet. Leave them there. Carry one another's case to Jesus. Is it not a wonderful grace in God to have given you peace in Christ, before laying you down on your long sick-bed. It would have been a wearisome lie if you had been an enemy to God, and then it would have been over hell. Do you feel Rom. v. 3 to be true in your experience? You cannot love trouble for its own sake; bitter must always be bitter, and pain must always' be pain. God knows you cannot love trouble. Yet for the blessings that it brings, he can make you pray for it. Does trouble work patience in you? Does it lead you to cling closer to the Lord Jesus-to hide deeper in the rock? Does it make you "be still and know that he is God?" Does it make you lie passive in his hand, and know no will but His? Thus does patience work experience-an experimental acquaintance with Jesus. Does it bring you a fuller taste of his sweetness, so that you know whom

you have believed? And does this experience give you a further hope of glory-another anchor cast within the veil? And does this hope give you a heart that cannot be ashamed, because convinced that God has loved you, and will love you to the end? Ah! then you have got the improvement of trouble, if it has led you thus. Pray for me still, that I may get the good of all God's dealings with me. Lean all on Jesus. Pray for a time of the pouring out of God's spirit, that many more may be saved. I hope the Lord's work is not done in this place yet. Ever your affectionate pastor, &c.

TO A SOUL WHOM HE HAD NEVER SEEN, BUT WHOSE CASE WAS LAID BEFORE HIM BY A FRIEND.

Looking out to Jesus.-Colos. ii. 1, 2.

March 20, 1840.

MY DEAR FRIEND-I do not even know your name, but I think I know something of the state of your soul. Your friend has been with me, and told me a little of your mind; and I write a few lines just to bid you look to Jesus and live. Look at Numbers xxi. 9, and you will see your disease and your remedy. You have been bitten by the great serpent. The poison of sin is through and through your whole heart, but Christ has been lifted up on the cross that you may look and live. Now, do not look so long and so harassingly at your own heart and feelings. What will you find there but the bite of the serpent? You were shapen in iniquity, and the whole of your natural life has been spent in sin. The more God opens your eyes, the more you will feel that you are lost in yourself. This is your disease. Now for the remedy. Look to Christ; for the glorious Son of God so loved lost souls, that he took on him a body and died for us-bore our curse, and obeyed the law in our place. Look to him and live. You need no preparation, you need no endeavors, you need no duties, you need no strivings, you only need to look and live. Look at John xvii. 3. The way to be saved is to know God's heart and the heart of Jesus. To be awakened, you need to know your own heart. Look in at your own heart, if you to know your lost condition. See the pollution that is thereforgetfulness of God, deadness, insensibility to his love. If you are judged as you are in yourself, you will be lost. To be saved, you need to know the heart of God and of Christ. The four Gospels are a narrative of the heart of Christ. They show his compassion to sinners and his glorious work in their stead. If you only knew that heart as it is, you would lay your weary head with John on his bosom. Do not take up your time so much

wish

with studying your own heart as with studying Christ's heart. "For one look at yourself, take ten looks at Christ."

Look at Romans xv. 13. That is my prayer for you. You are looking for peace in striving, or peace in duties, or peace in reforming your mind; but ah! look at his word. "The God of

hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing." All your peace is to be found in believing God's Word about his Son. If for a moment you forget your own case altogether, and meditate on the glorious way of salvation by Christ for us, does your bosom never glow with a ray of peace? Keep that peace; it is joy in believing. Look as straight to Christ as you sometimes do at the rising or setting sun. Look direct to Christ.

You fear that your convictions of sin have not been deep enough. This is no reason for keeping away from Christ. You will never get a truly broken heart till you are really in Christ. See Ezekiel xxxvi. 25-31. Observe the order: First, God sprinkles clean water on the soul. This represents our being washed in the blood of Christ. Then he gives 66 new heart also." Thirdly, he gives a piercing remembrance of past sins. Now, may the Lord give you all these! May you be brought as you are to the blood of the Lamb! Washed and justified, may he change your heart-give you a tender heart, and his Holy Spirit within your heart, and thus may he give you a broken heart for your past sins.

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Look at Romans v. 19. By the sin of Adam, many were made sinners. We had no hand in Adam's sin, and yet the guilt of it comes upon us. We did not put out our hand to the apple, and yet the sin and misery have been laid at our door. In the same way, by the obedience of Christ, many are made righteous." Christ is the glorious one who stood for many. His perfect garment is sufficient to cover you. You had no hand in his obedience. You were not alive when he came into the world and lived and died; and yet, in the perfect obedience, you may stand before God righteous. This is all my covering in the sight of a holy God. I feel infinitely ungodly in myself-in God's eye, like a serpent or a toad--and yet, when I stand in Christ alone, I feel that God sees no sin in me, and loves me freely. The same righteousness is free to you. It will be as white and clean on your soul as on mine. O do not sleep another night without it! Only consent to stand in Christ, not in your poor self.

17.

I must not weary you. One word more. Look at Rev. xxii. Sweet, sweet words. "Whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely." The last invitation in the Bible, and the freest-Christ's parting word to a world of sinners! Any one that pleases may take this glorious way of salvation. Can you refuse it? I am sure you cannot. Dear friend, be persuaded by a fellow-worm not to put off another moment. Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sins of the world.