guish every other remembrance. And if you wish to repeat a few lines like the servant of God referred to above, here they are for you,

"Before the throne, my Saviour stands,
My Friend and Advocate appears;
My name is graven on his hands,
And him the Father always hears;

While low at Jesu's cross I bow,

He hears the blood of sprinkling now."

A certain poet might well say of the name of Jesus, that it was

"The talisman and spell

Of the gospel's earlier hour."

It cleansed the lepers; healed the lame; unsealed the deafest ear; unchained the speechless tongue; tore away from the heart, sorrow's darkest veil. It had only to be uttered, and a flood of cloudless light irradiated the hitherto darkened eyeballs. At its sound, the fever fled away;-but mentioned, and the Holy Ghost descended, and thousands were converted to God. Devils obeyed the authority of its mandate; and came out of the possessed; and fled in terror to their native hell. "Handkerchiefs or aprons" brought from the person of the Apostle, when applied to the sick, or the possessed, calling over them the name of Jesus, the diseases departed, and the evil spirits went out. It was but uttered, and the ancle bones of cripples received strength; proclaiming by walking, leaping, and praising God, how powerful the charm of that wondrous name.

The miraculous power attending its utterance, extorted the humbling inquiry from the tribunal of the persecutors, "By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?" The miracle was wrought; this, they could not deny; but the secret power, spell, or charm, by which the thing was done, excited their most intense

inquiry. Triumphant Peter, full of the Holy Ghost, standing up sublimely among his wondering foes;his eye lighted up with holy transport, announced the secret, in a tone of flame;-" by the NAME of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him, doth this man stand here before you, whole.." Yes, the name of Jesus was associated with every splendid achievement in the early days of the gospel triumph. "The pure believing multitude" were drawn together by the music of that name. In every deliverance from bloody persecution, and after every conquest which the gospel achieved in the conversion of sinners, their select meetings resounded with the confident exclamations," Signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy Holy child, Jesus.

Dear, sir, there is yet an omnipotence in that precious name. It is, to the present day, "The true Christian talisman." It has lost nothing of its ancient power. I have seen thousands converted by it; of each of whom, we could say to astonished observers, what St. Peter said to the amazed multitudes, when they saw the cripple, who had long sat at the gate called Beautiful, begging; now leaping, and praising God. "And his NAME, through faith in his name, hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know; yea, the faith which is by him, hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all."

An old divine has somewhere said, "There is majesty implied in the name, GOD. There is independent being in JEHOVAH. There is power in LORD. There is unction in CHRIST. There is affinity in IMMANUEL; intercession in MEDIATOR; and help in ADVOCATE but there is salvation in no other name under heaven, but the name of JESUS. Acts iv. 12.

:

A few months before I left America, I had the privilege of witnessing a very extensive revival of religion in a certain place. One night, I was peculiarly interested, in the case of an individual, who was at the altar, with many others, for the instruction and prayers of the servants of God. Her cries and tears were very affecting, and really alarming. When spoken to, she said, that, during twenty years, she had been under concern for her soul, but had never yet been converted to God; adding, that she was now determined, if mercy were to be found, not to rest till she obtained it. The meeting closed, and she left the house in great distress of mind. No sooner had she arrived at home, than she fell down upon her knees, weeping in agony, and pleading for salvation, as if she would not be denied. A dear brother, who was happy in the love of God, went to her, at the moment when she was saying, "Lord, here is my heart, I give it to thee this night. O, have mercy upon me a sinner." She repeated the words over and over again, with the deepest emotion. The brother saw there was a deficiency both in her faith and prayer; and immediately supplied the defect; bringing Christ crucified before her mind; and insisted that JESUS should be in her supplications. "Say, for Jesus' sake," urged the brother. This, for some time, she positively refused to do. "Say, for Jesus' sake," he again reiterated; but driven on by a sense of her sins, she appeared firm in the determination, to avoid that name. "Say, for the sake of Jesus," he again urged, " and God will bless you." At last, almost suffocated with sorrow and distress, she feebly said," Have mercy upon me, for the sake of Jesus." "That is right," said the brother, "repeat it again." "Have mercy," &c. Pray on," said he, " for Jesus' sake." She did so, and, in a few minutes, unbelief fled away; faith tri

umphed; the peace of God which passeth all understanding, filled her happy soul; and she rejoiced with joy unspeakable, and full of glory.

But you inquire, "Have you ever known a case so desperate as mine, which resulted in salvation ?" Yes; many;-vast numbers of those I have seen brought to God, were pressed with their sins, like a cart beneath its sheaves; until they despaired of mercy for a time, and the Lord Jesus, by faith in his mighty name, saved them.

Come then, my unhappy friend. Come to Jesus; say in your heart, and suit the action of your soul to the words,

"From sin and fear, from grief and shame,
I hide me, Jesus, in thy name."

Forget all. Leave all you have and are behind; think of Jesus, and think of nothing else; dwell upon his name; repeat it with energy; do so again and again, until your soul draws virtue out of him. "Looking unto Jesus," says the Apostle. When you thus think of him, and for this purpose, you are then looking unto him. When the serpent-bitten Israelite looked at the brazen serpent, erected by Moses, he was healed immediately; so shall you, if you thus look to Jesus. Soon he will kindle a flame in your heart, that all hell may not extinguish. When this is done, you may think of your sins, and be humble, but the retrospect shall not make you unhappy. Believe me, your brother in Jesus,

J. C.

LETTER XXXIV.

TO THE SAME.

My dear Brother,

Dublin, December 13, 1841.

If my last was made a blessing, "more than any of the others," I rejoice. I admit, with you, that Dryden's sentiment, if applied to unpardoned sin, or when seized upon by a mind that is flying from the Saviour, as it is endeavouring to escape from remorse, is not only bad theology, but highly dangerous to the soul,

""Tis done, and since 'tis done, 'tis past recall,
And since 'tis past recall, must be forgotten."

No; we must not forget, until we know that God has ceased to remember our sins. We may forget, but eternal justice cannot. The law of God shall ever be seizing the soul by the throat, which has incurred guilt; saying, "pay me what thou owest." Nor is it likely that oblivion's antidote shall long be effectual in banishing from the memory, this debt of guilt; when the dunning importunity of this eternal creditor, served, as it is, upon the mind by conscience; compelling the soul so often to say, "Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all." The mind, in such a case, must be lapsing evermore into a retrospection, which is often as great an enemy to peace, as it is to forgetfulness.

An eminent writer inquires, " Can they imagine, that God has therefore forgot their sins, because they are not willing to remember them? Or, will they measure his pardon by their own oblivion ?" If they do, it is a most dangerous mistake. Our oblivion