what can I say to thee? Words are wanting to express my loathing of that vile, selfish cowardice.

Didst thou, who art the Creator of heaven and earth, the brightness of the glory of God, the express image of his person, and upholder of all things, suffer shame, contempt, anguish, death, for my sake? that thou mightest redeem me from the second death, and purchase for me eternal life. And do I turn back, shrink from, and turn away from the least taste of thy cup? though the curse is extracted, and a blessing infused!

And after all this, art thou pacified towards me? search in vain for words to express the amazing Grace. As the heaven is high above the earth; so great is his mercy toward them that fear him, and Oh! toward vile me, who can lay small claim to that character: yet as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed my transgressions from him. Bless the Lord, ye his angels, who excel in strength, that do kis commandments, hearkening to the voice of his word. Bless the Lord, all ye his hosts, ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure; ye ministering spirits sent forth to watch over, and minister to them, who shall be heirs of salvation; ye have witnessed my ingratitude, my folly.

Sabbath, February 7.

DR. R— preached one half of the day from Acts xvii. 22. Whether he preached one or two sermons on the same text, I remember not. It was a supplement to a set of lectures on God is a Spirit. John iv. 14. All is now gone, the faculty of retention is gone: it is the Lord's doing. There is no sin in this, so far; my duty is resignation. Shame and confusion belong to me, because of misimprovement in youth. Alas!

alas! for the precious hours mispent, squandered in folly, or in idleness. For the time, I ought to have been of full age, whereas I am but a babe. Glory to God for even that, aud for the many precious opportunities of daily nourishment, and some measure of appetite for conscious life, and some growth, though scarcely perceptible. I have deserved to be banished from every Christian Society and place of Gospel worship; to be left to stray without a shepherd or pasture in a land of drought, where there is no water; and this in perfect consistency with the stability of thy Covenant, for vengeance belongeth to thee, though thou art a God that pardoneth; for, alas! such circumstances were of my own seeking, being closely connected with the choice I made of some other circumstances, which were right hands, and right eyes, that I refused to sacrifice. O how often wouldst thou have gathered me, as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, but I would not. I entered into temptation, drank the waters of Sihor, and the rivers of Syria, and forsook the living fountain. Sin, folly, madness, crowd upon my remembrance, in that foreign, barren land; without pastor or teacher, or Christian friend. I was in want, but without appetite; poor and needy, but insensible of it. I knew that this was my situation, but I did not feel it. I said of the Lord, he is my God, even then, while my heart was far from him. I was at ease, satisfied with husks, for husks my pleasures were, if not poison to the Spiritual life. But I had by Grace given at the time, taken hold of God's Covenant, particularly of its discipline. I did at times repeat the grasp, but held not fast. My goodness was as the morning dew which soon drieth up, and is gone.

2d PETER, chap. ii. 1st and 2d verses. Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envyings, and all evil speaking, as new-born babes desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.

Blessed Spirit! thou hast convinced me of the indwelling of every one of these, and also of my helplessness of myself to make successful war against them. But, O hast thou not led me to the Captain of Salvation for armour, for strength, for wisdom, for power; and is not my dependence for success on thy promise, that sin shall not have dominion over me; that thy grace is sufficient for me, that as my days so shall be?

my strength

May 5.

ROM. V. 1. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Christ, the gift

Blessed! blessed, blessed doctrine! by no other doctrine can I be justified and saved. of God, and faith the gift of God. grace.

All, all, is of

I have shut my door, desiring to commune with God, but feeling dull and lifeless, ask what shall I ́

read? My Bible lies just at hand, where shall I read? every part is good. I open and find it marked, Psalm Ixix. 13. My prayer is unto thee, O Lord, in an acceptable time, O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me in the truth of thy salvation, in an acceptable time. When? to-day, if ye will hear his voice. Nevertheless, I am continually with thee; thou holdest me by my right hand, and ever upholdest me, in the time of need especially. In the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation. What is the truth of God's salvation? To be the property of Christ by purchase, to have Christ made our property by the Father's gift. To have the Holy Spirit sent into our hearts to enlighten our understandings, to govern our wills, to regulate our affections and tempers, and to be in us a well of water springing up into eternal life. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, ours by gift and by power! This, O this, contains all my asking, for myself, for my children, and children's children, for my friends, and all dear to me. Take us, O Lord, and in the truth of thy salvation give thyself to us! do all the needful for us! and glorify thy name.

Sabbath.

LUKE xiv. 16. A certain man made a great supper, and bade many, and sent his servants at supper time to say to them that were bidden, come, for all things are ready. And they all, with one consent, began to make excuse.

Alas! such are our hearts, that we make idols even of the blessings and bounties of providence: no Foom is left for Christ, though without him every ten

poral good is under a curse, and our own persons also.

O Lord, bless the gracious invitations given to perishing sinners this day; the pathetic and tender remonstrances of thy faithful servant. O, may many of the poor, the maimed, the halt, the blind, from the streets and lanes of the city, and may many from the highways and hedges, be compelled to come, that thy house may be filled. And, O my gracious Father, letthese careless ones, who are my flesh and blood, be among the number! Hear, O hear, the prayers offered this day, for poor self-deluded, self-destroying sinners awaken them, O Lord, and sweep away all lying refuges: and, gracious God, settle and stablish these halters; O bring to the birth, and give life, and love, and zeal, to make a full profession to the glory of thy powerful grace, and to the joy and comfort of fellow members. Let thy kingdom come.

February, 1812.

DR. M. John i. Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.

He dwelt chiefly on the substitution of the victim in the room of the transgressor; proved from the Levitical law, that the substitution was particular. When a victim was offered for an individual, he was to lay his hand on the head of the animal (by the appointment of God) as a token of his faith, that his sins should be transferred to the victim which suffered death in his stead, and that his sins were forgiven, and his accepted. If the victim was for the whole congregation, then the elders, as their representatives, were to lay their hands upon the head of the victim, signifying the same faith. Great was the subject of the plan of

person