pious, very eloquent; and if any of your readers, Mr. Visitor, are unacquainted with two of his works, which may be easily procured, and are intelligible to all, (I mean his "Holy living," and "Holy dying,") I hope you will join with me in recommending them to endeavour to get them, and, when they have got them, "to read them, mark them, learn them, and inwardly digest them." And now, as to the passage in question, which applies to our subject, and which is contained in one of his sermons. "When the Christian's last pit is digged, when he is descended into the grave, and has finished his state of sorrows and sufferings, then God opens the river of abundance, of life, and never-ceasing felicities. So much as moments are exceeded by eternity, and the sighing of a man by the joys of an angel,—a frown, by the light of God's countenance,-a few momentary groans, by infinite and eternal hallelujahs, so much are the sorrows of the godly to be undervalued, in respect of what is laid up for them in the treasures of eternity. Their sorrows can die, but not so their joys. If the blessed martyrs and confessors were asked concerning their past sufferings, and their present rest, you would hear them glory in nothing but the mercies of God, and the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. Every chain is a ray of light, and every prison is a palace, and every loss is a kingdom, and every affront in the cause of God is an eternal honour, and every day of sorrow a thousand years of comfort, multiplied with a never-ceasing numeration; days without night, joys without sorrow, sanctity without sin, charity without stain, possession without fear, society without envying, communication of joys without lessening: and they shall dwell in a blessed country, where an enemy never entered, and whence a friend never went away." Presuming not to add any thing of my own, which might weaken the force of this eloquent passage, I remain, Mr. Visitor, one of the most happy and the most honoured of your correspondents, A Father; and a Pastor of the Church of England. -- 1834.] may 83 ON THE NATURE OF DEVOTION. TRUE devotion is grounded upon the Love of God. It is an earnest and an active desire of doing every thing which be pleasing in his sight, in that state of life in which he has placed us. It is a faithful endeavour to live to him, and to his glory; and from hence it has the name of devotion, being the devoting, or giving ourselves up to God's service, in a careful endeavour to fulfil or obey His blessed will. There are some, it is to be feared, who do not enough consider this-who fancy themselves religious or devout, only because they are regular in observing hours of prayer, and attending the public ordinances of religion, keeping at a distance from great and heinous sins. So far indeed they do well; but, if they stop here, they will fall short of true devotion, which is the giving up ourselves to be ordered and guided altogether by the holy will of God, to the best of our knowledge, and the utmost of our power. Many deficiencies, failings, and imperfections in the performance of this our bounden duty and service there. will be: and these give occasion for confession, humiliation, and repentance, even daily, to the most careful and perfect of those who are clothed with flesh and blood. But still, in the purpose, and resolutions of a sincere heart, of "a perfect and willing mind," we must give ourselves up to God's service; we must present ourselves to Him as a "living sacrifice," to "walk before Him in true holiness and righteousness" all our days, otherwise our religion is vain, our pretensions to devotion groundless and fruitless. Consider this seriously, whoever thou art that pretendest to devotion, or even to the name of a Christian, In truth they are both the same: for a Christian is one who is devoted to the service of Christ; who has bound and engaged himself to perform His will by the vows of baptism. For little do we consider this; therefore, too far are we from the devotion, though we retain the name of Christians, But, I beseech you to lay these things most carefully to heart, my Christian friends; remember that you are among those who are pretending to devotion, and professing godliness; because you have been made "members of Christ, and professed to be children of God in baptism. All things, therefore, which Christ hath commanded,―you, as His servants, are bound to do. You are devoted to Him, and your devotion must appear in your lives, in your daily and common duties, as well as in praying, in public worship, and in abstaining from great and crying sins. You are not servants of Christ, if you are not studying to fulfil and obey His will; if you are not seriously striving to be purified by His grace from all corrupt affections, and in the strength of His promised spirit, to subdue the "whole body of sin," that so you may be "renewed in righteousness and true holiness," after the image of Him that hath created you anew in Christ Jesus. Oh! beware lest He say unto you, "Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, O thou wicked servant!" Thou hast "called me Master and Lord," and hast professed all the duty of a servant, by thy prayers, and outward worship; but, thou hast only been "drawing nigh with thy mouth, and honouring me with thy lips; thy heart was far from me," "depart from me," for Ever!--Sent by C. P. F. SIR, CONSOLATION IN AFFLICTION. I LATELY met, in a little work entitled, "Christian Biography," with "the Life of Mrs. Huntingdon;" an account, from which I think every follower of Christ may derive instruction and encouragement. I could send numerous extracts, but forbear to occupy many of your valuable pages, and therefore only send, at present, a short letter from Mrs. Huntingdon to an afflicted Christian friend, hoping that you may consider it worthy of a place in your useful little work. Letter to a Friend in Distress. God has seen fit to afflict you, my dear M-, often and severely; but you have already had abundant ex 1834.] LETTER TO A FRIEND IN DISTRESS. 85 perience of the benefit of affliction. And, though I do hope that this sickness will not be unto death, at least not for many years to come, I also hope, that you are resigning yourself into the hands of your faithful, covenant God, and experiencing the preciousness of the promise, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee." It is a solemn thing to look steadily at death. He is an enemy, whom we are all prone to place, in our conconception, at a distance, before we are willing to contemplate him. And with some of us, the fear of death is so strongly a constitutional infirmity, that we are somefimes apprehensive that we shall dishonour our Saviour in our last trial. But even death is a conquered foe; when the Son of God finished the work of redemption, he conquered all the enemies of our souls, (if we are His), and laid up for us, in Himself, sure and adequate supplies for all our necessities. The cross of Christ is the certain pledge of the final victory of his faithful people. Faint they may; despond they may; yet, in the moment of difficulty shall the Lord be seen, and command deliverance for His people. They shall not utterly fall; and even their misgivings and their fears shall abound to the glory of His grace, who giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might, increaseth strength. Trust yourself then, my sister, with the kind Father who hath borne you thus far through the wilderness on His supporting arm. Trust yourself with the dear Redeemer, who loved you unto death, and who has gone to heaven to prepare a place for you. Trust yourself with that good Spirit, who has been carrying on your sanctification, in order to your preparation for heaven, these many years, though you have grieved him so often. Trust yourself with Jehovah, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, who keepeth covenant for ever and ever. Cling to the cross of Christ, none ever perished there. Thence draw all your hope of pardon and of victory: though your sins may look very great, and your meetness for heaven very uncertain, yet never forsake the Cross. "The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin," and He that hath begun a good work in you, will perform it unto the day of Jesus Christ."-Sent by H. F. J. THE LORD'S PRAYER PARAPHRASED. ST. MATT. vi. 9-14. THE following version of the Lord's Prayer, is taken from the hymn-book of the Established Church of Scotland. It is sent to the Visitor, in the hope that it may assist some persons in rightly understanding what is meant by the several petitions which that prayer contains, that so they may be led, under Divine grace, to feel more deeply the value of those few but impressive words, in which our Divine pastor himself has taught us to pray. D. I. E. Father of all! we bow to Thee, Who dwell'st in heaven ador'd; For ever hallowed be Thy name, By all beneath the skies; And may Thy kingdom still advance, A grateful homage may we yield, From day to day we humbly own Our sins before Thee we confess O may they be forgiven! As we to others mercy show, Still let Thy grace our life direct; And in temptation's fatal path Permit us not to stray. For Thine the pow'r, the kingdom Thine, All glory's due to Thee: Thine from eternity they were, And Thine shall ever be. Y IF SIR, "WE'RE ALL LIABLE." A TRUE STORY. If you think the following simple story likely to be useful, you will, perhaps, give it insertion in one of the numbers |