will in no wise cast out. Lord I would lie at thy feet, I would rest entirely upon thee, and leave myself with thee, to be disposed of as shall seem most convenient to thee."

This is a noble resolution, a noble act of faith: when the soul is in doubt about his state, under distressing fears, to go and throw himself upon Jesus and say, Lord, here, I will lie at thy feet, if I perish I will perish there.-Oh timorous soul, go thou and do likewise. This honours Christ, is a means of bringing peace to the soul, and fits for the discharge of duty. If this is thy resolution, it is a sign thou hast received the grace of God in truth; take it as a token for good, that thou art a child of God; go on therefore trusting and waiting, and in God's own time when he sees it most for his glory, he will arise and shine upon his work in thy heart, and give thee the spirit of adoption, crying, Abbu Father.

Thus I have feebly attempted to answer thy case, oh humble soul, and direct thee what to do under the various difficulties that surround thee.-I shall now close with two or three reflec 、tions.

1. Hence we learn, how unsuitably we act when we make our own or others experiences a standard.-One has been brought early to Christ, and he is uneasy because his conversion is not so visible as that of others. Another has been brought to Jesus in advanced age; he is afraid the work is not right, or that he shall never meet with acceptance, because he was not enabled to give himself up to his redeemer in youth. Some have been under great terrours, awful awakenings at conversion ; these are ready to expect that others should meet with the same; or else they question the reality of a work of grace, because their souls were not melted down with the love of Christ. Others have been drawn by love; the doctrines of divine grace have like dew gently fallen upon their souls, and been made effectual to produce a saving change without any inward terrour. These are afraid the work is not right, because they have been strangerstriking convictions of sin, &c.-Thus each in his turn is uneasy, and for confining an infinitely gracious God to a particular method in beginning and carrying on his work in the soul. How unjustifiable is this conduct, as well as weak and ungrateful? Shall he not take what method he pleases ? and can he not as effectually do it by one as by another? How ever the work is done, rejoice that you are brought to Jesús, and do not set up your own experience as a standard for others, or another's as a standard for you.

2. In our examination of ourselves, we should not lay such a stress upon the time and circumstances of our conversion, but examine ourselves by the real marks and evidences of grace. It is happy indeed if we can remember the time of our espousals, and view the various steps of our conversion, but all cannot do it. The surest way is to examine ourselves by the

marks of grace. And here we should confine ourselves to those that are truly scripture marks, and not make marks of our own, which are really no marks, and so be led into dangerous mistakes.

3. How awful is it if there are any of us who have not yet been savingly brought to Christ? Awful is thy case, oh formal hypocrite, whatever thy hopes are of an eternal world; thou art resting upon an outward profession, and art destitute of all saving grace. Awful is your case, ye children of God's people, who are enemies to Jesus Christ, and have not yet felt an almighty power changing your hearts, and bringing you to an obedience to Redeemer. Your priveleges will rise up against you at the judgment, and aggravate your misery unless you close with Jesus.--But doubly awful is your case, you who have almost spent your days, and yet can give no evidences of a work of grace in your hearts! You are just come to the end of your race, and yet strangers to Christ! A few days may put a period to your existence here, and yet no real concern for your souls! On that the Spirit of God may lead us all effectually to Jesus Christ, that we may believe on him to the everlasting salvation of our souls,

CASE XXIX.

A young person who has had a religious education, and gave his parents promising hopes of a work of grace in his heart, and after this threw aside all his religion, and gave himself over to many known sins, but has of late been enabled to refrain from these sins, thinks he hates sin as sin, and attends constantly with delight on public worship, prayer, reading, meditation, &c. desires to know whether this is restraining grace only, or saving grace; and begs advice and instruction in a matter of 80 great importance.

F all things, those that relate to our everlasting happiness

upon the mind, and fill the awakened humble soul either with a painful anxiety, or a divine satisfaction, according to the frame he is in, or the point of view in which they appear to him. No wonder we find a soul so solicitous after salvation, or so particularly concerned to know whether what he has experienced is the work of the Spirit. His everlasting all is at stake, and he cannot but be anxious to know whether it is secure. has a deep sense of the worth of his immortal soul, of the awfulness of a mistake as to its vast concerns, and cannot there. fore be satisfied till he has some reason to hope he has an interest in Jesus, and a real acquaintance with the divine life.

He

This I apprehend to be your case, my dear young friend, who have sem in the above question. You once gave your affectionate parents great hopes of your future appearance. Your tendec rund so as to be under some particular impressions concerning the excellency and importance of religion. You attended 111 Some measure to the instructions of your fond indigent parents, W0 were rejoicing at the amiable prospact ciet appeared of your serious spirit, and admiring perhaps divise grice, for this important addition to their happiness. Had Gud cut you off in those early days, how checefully wou 1 your friends have submitted to the stroke, and followed you to the grave without on single doubt of your everlasting felicity, But see the uncertainty of all earthly dependencies; whilst they are taking the satisfaction arising from such a view of things, behold a sudden alteration appears in the temper and conduct of their beloved son, damps their joys at once, and darkens every agreeable prospect. Something or other turns up to give a turn to his mind. He quits his character as a Christian, and commences that of an apostate. He stifles all his convictions, he gives a loose to every criminal inclination; his corruptions begin now in good earnest to rise in his heart, destroy all the effects of a good ed. ucation, and the unhappy youth is hurried with the utmost impetuosity from one act of sin to another, without so much as thinking what the consequences will be. Was not this in some measure the case with you, my friend? Methinks I see you eager to get rid of every religious impression, and drowning all thoughts of a future world by the intoxicating pleasures of sin. Satan now takes every method he can to secure you in his possession. Fearing lest the chans are not strong enough by which you are held, he labours to add strength to them. He prompts you to desert all your first principles, teaches you to think slightly of every important duty in religion, stirs up in you inclinations to sinful enjoyments, and persuades you that they alone can give you the truest happiness.

Thus you are bid-ling a farewell to God and a religious life, and hastening on to the regions of everlasting destruction; when behold! he kind Mediator, who I hope enrolled your name amongst his people's in the book of life, sees you, steps into your relief, saves from everlasting ruin, and says, father, this is a ch sen vessel, behold his name in the everlasting roll, see it in the sacred records of eternity; I have purchased him with my own bbol; say therefore unto him, live. The command, the ever glorious command is given; and see the Spirit comes, sets the broad seal of heaven upon thee, turns the strong man armed out of his possession, and brings thee out of thy dreadful captivity.

And what is now the consequence. Thou art struck with admiration: The new creature begins to move, thou art no longer

a chained captive, the triumph of Satan.-The union is broke between sin and thy heart, and it no longer appears the charming object it once did. Now thou art humbled, filled with selfabhorrence, with hatred of all thy sins, and beginnest to find a relish for those duties thou wast brought up to, but hast sadly neglected. Now salvation is thy grand concern; eternity ap pears full of importance; thy soul a jewel of unspeakable value; and what wouldst thou not give for an interest in the Redeemer? But now things look dark; nothing so desirable as being a Christian indeed; but thou art afraid this is not thy happy case. Thou lookest back to the time when thy parents entertained hopes of thee, but thou hast sadly fallen since, and now art afraid the present alteration is only owing to restraining grace ? that it is only some revival of early convictions, and that thou shalt again fall into a course of sin, and make it appear that thou art an absolute stranger to the grace of God. I doubt not but all the circumstances of thy early hopes, and of thy sad apostacy, croud into thy mind, and greatly discourage thee from entertaining the happy thought that God has now begun a saving work in thy soul. Thou art giving some comfortable evidences of such a work, in a hatred of sin, and a relish for, and delight in, the great duties of religion, but thou art afraid to look upon these as evidences in thee; afraid lest thy heart should again deceive thee. Oh couldst thou be but satisfied that thou art a new-born creature, what an ease would it be to thy burdened mind! how would thy soul rejoice and exalt, and admire the grace that made the change! But, alas, this is a matter in dispute: Therefore thou art desirous of knowing what judgment thou must form of things in their present situation, and what method thou must pursue to get satisfaction.

Thus I apprehend, my dear young friend, this is thy case in general. And now with the tenderness and affection of a brother, and the faithfulness of a minister, I would attempt to answer it. And here are three things which lie upon your mind, and which make up the difficulties in your case.

I. You are discouraged from a view of your early firefession and your apostacy, lest your present change should not be save ing.

II. You want to know whether a hatred of sin, or a delight in the duties of religion, are the effects of restraining or renewing grace.-And,

III. Upon determining these points, you would know what is your duty.-I would attend to each of these.

I. Let us consider the discouragements that arise from a view of your early profession and your apostacy, lest your present change should not be saving Now how does your mind work upon this view? Do not things appear to you in some such light as this, and are you not led to reason in the following manner? See, oh my soul, I once made a flourishing profession,

My parents began for to hope I was really renewed. I was had in some particular esteem, and had the reputation of a Christian. But, alas! I soon apostatised, and became a mere withered branch. I run into many known sins, stifled conscience, and deserted all my first principles, and made it fully appear that my heart had never been established with the grace of God. All my early religion, even that which gave my dear parents such encouraging hopes of me, was nothing more than the mere effects of education; and did I deceive my friends and myself then with a mere name, an empty show; and may I not be doing the same now? Is not such an apostacy a plain intimation to me, that I must not believe the most flourishing appearances again? May not my present profession only be a sudden fit of zeal, occasioned by the remonstrances of conscience, which will soon be suppressed, and so my goodness appear but as the morning cloud, and as the early dew which soon passeth away? Can I reasonably expect, that after such a flagrant apostacy, after stifling so many clear convictions, flying in the face of so much goodness, and abusing so many important privileges, that God would send his Spirit into my heart, conquer my enmity, and bring me effectually to Jesus? Is it not the greatest presumption in me to look upon any present appearance of religion as a real work of grace? For would God ever look favorably upon such a wicked apostate, such a vile ungrateful wretch as I am? Had I not been favored with a religious education; had I not made so strict a profession, my sins would not have been attended with such aggravating circumstances. But I was a child of many prayers; saw daily a good example; rceived daily good instructions; found in some measure the influence of them, and entered apparently into the service of the Redeemer, and behold now I have since fallen, and have I any encouragement to hope then that God will visit my soul in mercy, and give me his salvation."

Such as these perhaps are some of your present thoughts, my dear young friend; and so every thing looks dark and discour aging around you, arising from a view of your former apostacy. -Permit me to ask you a few questions, and to offer you a few hints that may be a means of setting you right in this important affair. And do you apprehend God cannot, or that he will not bring such an apostate to himself? You cannot, I am persuaded, believe that he is not able to begin a real work of grace in your heart. For what is it omnipotence is not able to do? Has he never brought such a rebel as you to the feet of Jesus? Has he never melted such a heart as yours? What was Ephraim ? He was favoured with a variety of privileges, but he abused them all, and went on frowardly in the way of his heart; God afflicted him; but he was like a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke, that kicked and flung, and could not tell how to brook the rod; yet sovereign, almighty grace turns his heart, melts his