shall be around his throne, yet shall he do this. Goodness and mercy are his darling attributes: He is the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. Yet will he do this, for he will by no means clear the guilty. Vengeance shall be taken on every sin, not one shall pass unpunished: yet these hundred and forty-four thousand were sinners of Adam's race, with corrupt hearts, breaking out into guilty words and deeds, like mine, every one, the least of them, justly condemning the sinner to these dreadful torments. Yet are they all around the Lamb, rejoicing in his presence, and beautified with his likeness. Blessed Lamb of God! thou art worthy, thou hast loosed the seals, and unravelled the mystery, how vengeance can be taken on sin, and mercy embrace the sinner. Thou wast the ram caught in the thicket! The Father, the Judge called, spare, I have found a ransom; the Son called spare, lo, I come to lay down my own life for the sheep! The blessed Spirit called spare, I will create a new heart, and renew a right spirit within them! Through the mysterious incarnation, life, and death, of our Glorious Redeemer, Son of God, and Son of man, he hath redeemed, sanctified, perfected all around the throne; and there are now a goodly number who are on the way, bearing their cross after him.

They have embraced his offered mercy; they have taken hold of God's covenant just as it stands, well ordered in all things and sure. Christ himself the sum and substance of it: he is their wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Justifying righteousness he wrought out for them by his perfect, personal obedience: their sanctification is going on by

means of his appointing, even by his word, by his sent servants, by the operations of his Spirit in their hearts, and by his external providences, whereby he brings about such a train of circumstances in their lot, as breaks the force of corruption, mortifies pride, loosens their attachment to the world, endears himself to them, and by degrees wins their entire confidence, and consent to let him do all for them, and all in them; and then, and not till then, he is all to them.

upon

Oh! what is this world and its empty baubles. Lord, lift on me the light of thy countenance! Oh let me never lose sight of thee, set me as a seal thine arm, and let and let me lean upon thy bosom. What a mystery am I to myself! I know all these delights-what it is to be in the banqueting house of my Beloved, and to sit under his banner with delight, to be satisfied, to be more than satisfied, to be almost sick of love, so as to look down on all created enjoyments with contempt; yea, have I wished to die, to be delivered from them: and yet when engaged in the necessary business of the world, daily and hourly become a prey to its anxieties. I am elated, disappointed, fretted like those who have no other portion, and neglect, shamefully neglect, the means by which God conveys to my heart those dear cordials and tastes of his love, which, when I enjoy, I would never wish to part with, but which I lose through indolence, unwatchfulness, or I know not what, and when gone, neglect the means to recover. Oh what a strange, inconsistent, contradictory being, is a half sanctified Christian!

New-York, 1793.

BLESSED Lord, thou hast, to the praise of thy grace, given me the heritage of them that fear thy name;

thou hast prepared my heart to pray, and inclined thine ear to hear: thou hast drawn me into thy fold, and hast fed me in thy green pastures. I rejoice in Israel's Shepherd, not one of his flock can be lost. Often have I wandered from his presence, and sought pasture among the swine, but my Shepherd has ever drawn or driven me back. He has a rod, and I have felt it; but I bless the hand, and kiss the rod.

O how wonderful, to look back and see all the way by which he has led me, to prove me, to try me, to show me what was in my heart, that he might do me good at my latter end.

Amen, my God, I leave myself in thy hands.

I should lose myself; but thou wilt keep me from foes without, and foes within. What then have I to care for? My Shepherd cares for all: He slumbers not, nor sleeps, and he will perfect what concerns me; of this I am as sure as that I now write it.

But, O my God! wilt thou not take my orphans also, Lord! care not only for me, but mine: bring them also within this door. Compel them to come in. Oh! let me see them hungering after these green pastures. Oh! let me see them brought off from husks, and brought back to their Father's house.

The means are thine, the work thine, the glory be thine. I leave my fatherless children on thee, save them alive, as thou hast said. Amen.

The law of thy mouth is better unto me than gold and silver. O how I love thy law, it is my meditation all the day. Thou, through thy commandments, (or the whole of thy truth,) hast made me wiser than my teachers. The law of God makes the simple wise. How sweet are thy words unto my taste, yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth. Through thy precepts I get understanding, therefore I hate

every false way. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. O how safe, how happy are they who are taught by the word of God! Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jonah, for flesh and blood hath not taught thee this, but my Father who is in heaven. O my children! enrich your minds with a full acquaintance with the word of God, lay it up in your memories, when you can do nothing more; be assured, if ever you are made wise unto salvation, it must be by this word; if ever you are taught of God, he will teach you by the words contained in the Bible. Search the Scriptures, for they are they which testify of me; search the Scriptures, for in them are contained the words of eternal life. Be followers of them, who through faith and patience now inherit the promises. Holy David went forward, heavenward, improving in the knowledge of God, of himself, and of God's plan of salvation for ruined sinners, by studying the word, the works, and providences of God, but chiefly the word of God; praying for, watching for, the influences of God's Spirit on his judgment and thinking powers: it was by this that he became wiser than his teachers. He was a king, and had the cares of the nation to occupy his mind; he was a man of war, and had that art to study. But, O the privilege of the Christian! he goes through every part even of his earthly way, leaning upon his God. David could say, even of war, The Lord teaches my hands to war, and my fingers to fight. The Lord subdues the people under me. In temporals and in spirituals, He is my shield, my strength, my buckler, my strong tower. I shall not fear what man can do unto me. In Judah's land, God is well known; there he brake the spear, the bow, and the battle. He ascribes all to God. We hear nothing of his own wisdom, his disciplined ar

mies, his order of battle, and warlike powers, though attention to all these was his duty, and not neglected by him. He devoted all his natural talents to God; he exercised them diligently, but still he knew and acted under the influence of that knowledge, that unless the Lord build the house, the builders lose their pains; unless the Lord keep the city, the watchmen watch in vain. He, as well as worldly men, chose the means best adapted to the end proposed. Let natural men assert, and let it be admitted, that David knew better how to use a sling and a stone, than mail, helmet, and sword; therefore he chose them. But follow David until he meet the hostile foe. Do we hear a word of his art as a slinger, as a marksman? Though we may suppose he was expert at both. Thou comest to me with a sword, a spear, and shield; but I come in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel whom thou hast defied; and this assembly shall know, that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear, (these are not essential,) for the battle is the Lord's, and He will give you into our hands.

How comfortably might Christians go through life, did they walk with God in their daily business and occupations, carefully observing the leadings of providence, cautiously avoiding either running before, or lagging behind; but in all things making their requests known to God: at all times committing their way to him, being careful about nothing, but to use with diligence the means of grace, and also the means of acquiring the good things of life, leaving the issues of both to God, in the full assurance that what is good the Lord will give. Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. In spirituals and in temporals, the hand of the dili