but, when I came to observe the fold, and the narrow way of entrance into it, I thought I saw a man, in a white linen robe down to his feet, standing at the gate of the fold with a white rod in his hand, about ten feet in length, and the utmost end of it appeared red, as if it had been dipped in vermilion, or in blood.

I did not appear surprised at this, though it was strange to me, as the apparition had nothing severe or terrible in his aspect. I therefore attempted to drive in the flock, but in vain, for the brown coloured went back, the white turned to the right hand, and the black to the left; and in vain did I try to get them into the fold. In taking more particular notice, I perceived there was but one in ten that went into the fold; three turned back, three took to the right hand, and three to the left, but one out of every ten went in by the gate. And I saw that all those that were of one colour went by the fold; but those that were ring-straked, spotted, or spangled, went in. And I saw that every one that went in received a stroke across the forehead with the rod that was in the angel's hand; and it left a red mark on the face of every spotted or spangled sheep. sheep. And I heard a voice from the angel saying, "I will cause you to pass under the rod, and will bring you into the bond of the covenant," Ezek. xx. 37. This seemed much to surprise me, why the gentle ones, that went in so willingly, should be struck with the rod; while the froward, that either went back, or turned to the

right hand or to the left, escaped the stroke altogether.

While I stood wondering at this I saw the angel turn about and look at the beasts of prey; and, pointing them with his finger to the white, black, and brown cattle, that went not into the fold, he said, "Go ye after them through the city, and smite; let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity. Slay utterly old and young; but come not near any upon whom is the mark," Ezek. ix. 5, 6.

I soon perceived that it fared worse with those that escaped the angel's rod than with those that fell under it; for, though the spotted ones were beaten, yet they were safe; and those that had no stroke from the rod were exposed to the wild beasts of the field, without any mark or appearance of safety.

This led me to see that the safety of the sheep lay in the mark, and that the mark of safety attended the rod. This vision gave me a very different view of things; for I had often thought that the white and brown coloured were good cattle, equal to the spotted, if not superior.

Upon this I awoke, but could not make out the vision; therefore I went to my old friend, and related the whole circumstance to him. He asked me if I did not think that all who came to be fed and watered by me were sheep of the master's fold. I told him, No, I did not think that all were sheep; yet I had a good hope that the greatest part of them He smiled, and said that my master would

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unfold the vision himself in time. "At the end," said he, "it shall speak and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it, because it will surely come, it will not tarry," Hab. ii. 3.

He seemed rather backward to unfold it to me; but, as I pressed him hard, he condescended to tell me his thoughts on the matter; saying, 'The brown cattle that went back, were those that had followed the Lord's flock for the sake of applause, out of curiosity, or for the sake of enriching themselves; as Jehu, Simon Magus, and Judas, had done.

'The white cattle, that went on the right side of the fold, were those that had been visibly reformed by the gospel; but, having legalized the same, they sunk on their old fleshly bottom, got settled upon their lees, trusted in an outward reformation, and thought themselves rich, and that they had need of nothing, while they were poor and wretched, miserable, blind, and naked.

'They appeared white in your eyes,' said he, and so they did in their own, and in the eyes of others too, as such have always done. Hence it is that they are called a nation pure in their own eyes, though they were never washed from their filthiness, Prov. xxx. 12. Nay, some have been so blinded with pride, and so ignorant of the purity of God and of the fall of man, that they have declared themselves perfect in the flesh, as Ephraim did when he said, They shall find none iniquity in me that were sin," Hosea xii. 8. The Lord

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declares that he will plead with such, because they say they have not sinned, Jer. ii. 35.

This seems to contradict the testimony of all the holy penmen, who affirm that, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us;" and adds, that, "If we say we have not sinned, we make him [God] a liar," because he has declared that we have all sinned; even good men in many things offend, yea, all of them, James iii. 2. Solomon says, There is not a just man upon earth that doeth good and sinneth not." There are many souls that can say, I am cleansed from the guilt of sin, from the love of sin, and from the destroying power of sin. But none can say, I am clean from the in-being of sin. Men that pretend to this have answered Solomon's question, "Who can say I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?" Prov. xx. 9. The black cattle, that went on the left hand of the fold, are those that have some legal convictions stirred up within them, which do not terminate in a sound conversion; these generally turn out more vile than they were before, being given up to a reprobate mind and an impenitent heart. Such are said to commit all uncleanness with greediness, which, as the Lord says, makes their latter end worse than their beginning: this is a great grief to every feeling shepherd.'

I told my friend that many of the spotted, spangled, and ring-straked, which I had but a mean opinion of, on the account of their weakness,

and of the much dark colour about them, went into the fold, and received but a very gentle stroke from the angel's rod, which greatly astonished

me.

He told me that my master was a sovereign, and had an undoubted right to do as he would with his own, seeing that all the beasts of the field are his, and so are the cattle upon a thousand hills. The cattle,' said he, that appeared so white in your eyes, he calls whited sepulchres, while the spotted are happy partakers of his grace and spirit. The white spots betoken grace, the black ones shew the remains of indwelling sin: hence the Lord's people are said to be black and comely, Cant. i. 5.

' And this shews the amazing condescension of the great Shepherd, who will cause his own grace and spirit to inhabit a sheep of his fold, while the corruptions of fallen nature still remain in them; to imbitter vanity to them, to keep them longing after perfect purity, and to convince them of the great salvation they are saved with.

'Hence it is that you read of an old man, and a new one; of the flesh and the spirit lusting against each other; of the law in the mind and that of the members, Rom. vii. 23; and of the Shulamites being as it were a company of two armies, Song vi. 13.

'The sheep receiving a stroke upon the face with a rod, as they went into the fold, was intended to represent to you the severe chastisements of God upon poor guilty sinners that he takes into covenant