better than a hypocrite, a mere stage-player, who derives all his pathos and exertion from the sight of the audience. At other times, you will find such a total emptiness and indisposition of mind, that former seasons of liberty in preaching will appear to you like the remembrance of a dream, and you will hardly be able to persuade yourself you shall ever be capable of preaching again; the scriptures will appear to you like a sealed book, and no text or subject afford any light or opening to determine your choice; and this perplexity may not only seize you in the study, but accompany you to the pulpit. If you are enabled at some times to speak to the people with power, and to resemble Samson, when, in the greatness of his strength, he bore away the gates of the city, you will, perhaps, at others, appear before them like Samson when his locks were shorn, and he stood in fetters. So that you need not tell the people you have no sufficiency in yourself; for they will readily perceive it without your information. These things are hard to bear; yet successful popularity is not to be preserved upon easier terms; and if they are but sanctified to hide pride from you, you will have reason to number them amongst your choicest mercies.

when you shall hear the well-meant, but often | spirit in public and in private, when the eyes injudicious, commendations of those to whom of men are not upon you, as will make you, the Lord shall make you useful; when you almost ready to conclude, that you are no shall find, upon an intimation of your preaching in a strange place, people thronging from all parts to hear you, how will your heart feel? It is easy for me to advise you to be humble, and for you to acknowledge the propriety of the advice; but while human nature remains in its present state, there will be almost the same connection between popularity and pride, as between fire and gunpowder; they cannot meet without an explosion, at least, not unless the gunpowder is kept very damp. So unless the Lord is constantly moistening our hearts (if I may so speak) by the influences of his Spirit, popularity will soon set us in a blaze. You will hardly find a person, who has been exposed to this fiery trial, without suffering loss. Those whom the Lord loves, he is able to keep, and he will keep them upon the whole; yet by such means, and in a course of such narrow escapes, that they shall have reason to look upon their deliverance as no less than miraculous. Sometimes, if his ministers are not watchful against the first impressions of pride, he permits it to gather strength; and then it is but a small thing, that a few of their admirers may think them more than men in the pulpit, if they are left to commit such mistakes when out of it, as the weakest of the flock can discover and pity. And this will certainly be the case, while pride and self-sufficiency have the ascendant. Beware, my friend, of mistaking the ready exercise of gifts for the exercise of grace. The minister may be assisted in public for the sake of his hearers; and there is something in the nature of our public work, when surrounded by a concourse of people, that is suited to draw forth the exertion of our abilities, and to engage our attention in the outward services, when the frame of the heart may be far from being right in the sight of the Lord. When Moses smote the rock, the water followed; yet he spoke unadvisedly with his lips, and greatly displeased the Lord. However, the congregation was not disappointed for his fault, nor was he put to shame before them; but he was humbled for it afterwards. They are happy whom the Lord preserves in some degree humble, without leaving them to expose themselves to the observation of men, and to receive such wounds as are seldom healed without leaving a deep scar. But even these have much to suffer. Many distressing exercises you will probably meet with, upon the best supposition, to preserve in you a due sense of your own unworthiness, and to convince you, that your ability, your acceptance, and your usefulness, depend upon a power beyond your own. Sometimes, perhaps, you will feel such an amazing difference between the frame of your

I have but just made an entrance upon the subject of the difficulties and dangers attending the ministry. But my paper is full. If you are willing I should proceed, let me know, and I believe I can easily find enough to fill another sheet. May the Lord make you wise and watchful! That he may be the light of your eye, the strength of your arm, and the joy of your heart, is the sincere prayer of, &c.

LETTER VI.

On the Practical Influence of Faith.

SIR,-The use and importance of faith, as it respects a sinner's justification before God, has been largely insisted on; but it is likewise of great use and importance in the daily concerns of life. It gives evidence and subsistence to things not seen, and realizes the great truths of the gospel, so as that they become abiding and living principles of support and direction, while we are passing through this wilderness. Thus, it is as the eye and the hand, without which we cannot take one step with certainty, or attempt any service with success. It is to be wished, that this practical exercise of faith were duly attended to by all professors. We should not then meet with so many cases that put

It is not only plain from the general tenure of scripture, that a covetous, a proud, or a censorious spirit, are no more consistent with the spirit of the gospel, than drunkenness or whoredom; but there are many express texts directly pointed against the evils which too often are found amongst professors. Thus the apostle James assures us, "That if any man seemeth to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, his religion is vain;" and the apostle Joan, "That if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him ;" and he seems to apply this character to any man, whatever his profession or pretences may be, "who having this world's goods, and seeing his brother have need, shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him." Surely these texts more than intimate, that the faith which justifies the soul, does likewise receive from Jesus grace for grace, whereby the heart is purified, and the conversation regulated as becomes the gospel of Christ.

us to a stand, and leave us at a great difficulty | his inquiries to the single point of his acceptto reconcile, what we see in some, of whom ance with God, or be satisfied with the distant we would willingly hope well, with what we hope of heaven hereafter. He will likewise read in scripture, of the inseparable con- be solicitous how he may glorify God in the comitants of a true and lively faith. For how world, and enjoy such foretastes of heaven can we but be staggered, when we hear per- as are attainable while he is yet upon earth. sons speaking the language of assurance, Faith, then, in its practical exercise, has that they know their acceptance with God for its object the whole word of God, and through Christ, and have not the least doubt forms its estimate of all things with which of their interest in all the promises; while, at the soul is at present concerned, accordin the same time, we see them under the influ- to the standard of scripture. Like Moses, it ence of unsanctified tempers, of a proud, endures, as seeing him who is invisible." passionate, positive, worldly, selfish, or churl- When our Lord was upon earth, and conish carriage! versed with his disciples, their eyes and hearts were fixed upon him. In danger he was their defender; their guide when in perplexity; and to him they looked for the solution of all their doubts, and the supply of all their wants. He is now withdrawn from our eyes; but faith sets him still before us for the same purposes, and, according to its degree, with the same effects, as if we actually saw him. His spiritual presence, apprehended by faith, is a restraint from evil, an encouragement to every service, and affords a present refuge and help in every time of trouble. To this is owing the delight a believer takes in ordinances, because there he meets his Lord; and to this likewise it is owing, that his religion is not confined to public occasions; but he is the same person in secret as he appears to be in the public assembly; for he worships him who sees in secret, and dares appeal to his all-seeing eye for the sincerity of his desires and intentions. By faith he is enabled to use prosperity with moderation; and knows and feels, that what the world calls good is of small value, unless it is accompanied with the presence and blessing of Him whom his soul loveth. And his faith upholds him under all trials, by assuring him that every dispensation is under the direction of his Lord; that chastisements are a token of his love; that the season, measure, and continuance of his sufferings, are appointed by infinite wisdom, and designed to work for his everlasting good; and that grace and strength shall be afforded him, according to his day. Thus, his heart being fixed, trusting in the Lord, to whom he has committed all his concerns, and knowing that his best interests are safe, he is not greatly afraid of evil tidings, but enjoys a stable peace in the midst of a changing world. For though he cannot tell what a day may bring forth, he believes that He, who has invited and enabled him to cast all his cares upon him, will suffer nothing to befall him but what shall be made subservient to his chief desires, the glory of God in the sanctification and final salvation of his soul. And if, through the weakness of his flesh, he is liable to be startled by the first impression of a sharp and sudden trial, he quickly flees to his strong refuge, remem bers it is the Lord's doing, resigns himself

There are too many who would have the ministry of the gospel restrained to the privileges of believers; and when the fruits of faith, and the tempers of the mind, which should be manifest in those who have "tasted that the Lord is gracious," are inculcated, think they sufficiently evade all that is said, by calling it legal preaching. I would be no advocate for legal preaching; but we must not be deterred by the fear of a hard word, from declaring the whole counsel of God; and we have the authority and example of St. Paul, who was a champion of the doctrines of free grace, to animate us in exhorting professors to "walk worthy of God, who has called them to his kingdom and glory." And indeed the expression of a believer's privilege is often misunderstood. It is a believer's privilege to walk with God in the exercise of faith, and, by the power of his Spirit, to mortify the whole body of sin; to gain a growing victory over the world and self, and to make daily advances in conformity to the mind that was in Christ. And nothing that we profess to know, believe, or hope for, deserves the name of a privilege, farther than we are influenced by it to die unto sin, and to live unto righteousness. Whosoever is possessed of true faith, will not confine

sue.

to his will, and patiently expects a happy is- | faith he triumphs over its smiles and enticements; he sees that all that is in the world, suited to gratify the desires of the flesh or the eye, is not only to be avoided as sinful, but as incompatible with his best pleasures. He will mix with the world so far as is necessary, in the discharge of the duties of that station of life in which the providence of God has placed him, but no farther. His leisure and inclinations are engaged in a different pursuit. They who fear the Lord are his chosen companions; and the blessings he derives from the word, and throne, and ordinances of grace, make him look upon the poor pleasures and amusements of those who live without God in the world with a mixture of disdain and pity; and by faith he is proof against its frowns. He will obey God rather than man. He will "have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but will rather reprove them." And if, upon this account, he should be despised and injuriously treated, whatever loss he suffers in such a cause, he accounts his gain, and esteems such disgrace his glory.

By the same principle of faith, a believer's conduct is regulated towards his fellow-creatures; and in the discharge of the several duties and relations of life, his great aim is to please God, and to let his light shine in the world. He believes and feels his own weakness and unworthiness, and lives upon the grace and pardoning love of his Lord. This gives him an habitual tenderness and gentleness of spirit. Humbled under the sense of much forgiveness to himself, he finds it easy to forgive others, if he has aught against any. A due sense of what he is in the sight of the Lord, preserves him from giving way to anger, positiveness, and resentment. He is not easily provoked, but is "swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;" and if offended, easy to be entreated, and disposed, not only to yield to a reconciliation, but to seek it. As Jesus is his life, and righteousness, and strength, so he is his pattern. By faith he contemplates and studies this great exemplar of philanthropy. With a holy ambition, he treads in the footsteps of his Lord and Mas- I am not aiming to draw a perfect character, and learns of him to be meek and lowly, ter, but to show the proper effects of that to requite injuries with kindness, and to over- faith which justifies, which purifies the come evil with good. From the same views, heart, which worketh by love, and overcomes by faith he derives a benevolent spirit, and, the world. An habitual endeavour to possess according to his sphere and ability, he endea- such a frame of spirit, and thus to adorn the vours to promote the welfare of all around gospel of Christ, and that with growing suchim. The law of love being thus written in cess, is what I am persuaded you are not a his heart, and his soul set at liberty from the stranger to; and I am afraid that they who low and narrow dictates of a selfish spirit, can content themselves with aiming at any his language will be truth, and his dealings thing short of this in their profession, are too equity. His promise may be depended on, much strangers to themselves, and to the without the interposition of an oath, bond, or nature of that liberty wherewith Jesus has witness; and the feelings of his own heart, promised to make his people free. That you under the directions of an enlightened con- may go on from strength to strength, increas science, and the precepts of scripture, prompting in the light and image of our Lord and Sahim to do unto others as he would desire they, viour, is the sincere prayer of, &c. in the like circumstances, should do unto him. If he is a master, he is gentle and compassionate; if a servant, he is faithful and obedient; for in either relation he acts by faith, under the eye of his Master in heaven. If

LETTER VIL

to the Unconverted.

he is a trader, he neither dares nor wishes to On the Propriety of a Ministerial Address take advantage, either of the ignorance or the necessities of those with whom he deals. And the same principle of love influences his whole conversation. A sense of his own infirmnities makes him candid to those of others. He will not readily believe reports to their prejudice, without sufficient proof; and even then, he will not repeat them, unless he is lawfully called to it. He believes that the precept, "Speak evil of no man," is founded upon the same authority with those which forbid committing adultery or murder, and therefore he "keeps his tongue as with a bridle. '

Lastly, faith is of daily use as a preservative from a compliance with the corrupt customs and maxims of the world. The believer though in the world, is not of it. By

SIR,-In a late conversation, you desired my thoughts concerning a scriptural and consistent manner of addressing the consciences of unawakened sinners in the course of your ministry. It is a point on which many eminent ministers have been, and are not a little divided; and it therefore becomes me to propose my sentiments with modesty and caution, so far as I am constrained to differ from any, from whom, in general, I would be glad to learn.

Some think that it is sufficient to preach the great truths of the word of God in their hearing; to set forth the utterly ruined and helpless state of fallen man by nature, and

the appointed method of salvation by grace, | hearts of their hearers, and intreat and warn through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; and them to consider "how they shall escape, if then to leave the application entirely to the they neglect so great salvation." For it is agency of the Holy Spirit, who alone can not easy to conceive, that the Lord should enlighten the dark understandings of sinners, most signally bear testimony in favour of and enable them to receive, in a due manner, that mode of preaching which is least conthe doctrines of either the law or the gospel. sistent with the truth, and with itself. And they apprehend, that all exhortations, arguments, and motives, addressed to those who are supposed to be still under the influence of a carnal mind, are inconsistent with the principles of free grace, and the acknowledged inability of such persons to perform any spiritual acts; and that, therefore, the preachers who, avowing the doctrines of free grace, do, notwithstanding, plead and expostulate with sinners, usually contradict themselves, and retract in their application what they had laboured to establish in the course of their sermons.

There are others, who, though they would be extremely unwilling to derogate from the free grace and sovereign power of God in the great work of conversion, or in the least degree to encourage the mistaken notion which every unconverted person has of his own power; yet think it their duty to deal with sinners as rational and moral agents; and as such, besides declaring the counsel of God in a doctrinal way, to warn them by the terrors of the Lord, and to beseech them, by his tender mercies, that they receive not the grace of God in a preached gospel in vain. Nor can it be denied, but that some of them, when deeply affected with the worth of souls, and the awful importance of eternal things, have sometimes, in the warmth of their hearts, dropped unguarded expressions, and such as have been justly liable to exception.

But not to insist on this, nor to rest the cause on the authority or examples of men, the best of whom are imperfect and fallible, let us consult the scriptures, which, as they furnish us with the whole subject-matter of our ministry, so they afford us perfect precepts and patterns for its due and orderly dispensation. With respect to the subject of our inquiry, the examples of our Lord Christ, and of his authorised ministers, the apostles, are both our rule and our warrant. The Lord Jesus was the great preacher of free grace, "who spake as never man spake;" and his ministry, while it provided relief for the weary and heavy-laden, was eminently designed to stain the pride of all human glory. He knew what was in man, and declared, that none could come unto him, unless drawn and taught of God; John vi. 44—46. And yet he often speaks to sinners in terms, which, if they were not known to be his, might perhaps, be censured as inconsistent and legal; John vi. 27; Luke xiii. 24-27; John xii. 35.-It appears, both from the context and the tenor of these passages, that they were immediately spoken not to his disciples, but to the multitude. The apostles copied from their Lord: they taught, that we have no sufficiency of ourselves, even to think a good thought, and that "it is not of him that willeth, or of him that runneth, but of God who showeth mercy;" yet they plainly call upon sinners (and that before they had given evident signs that they were pricked to the heart, as Acts iii. 31.) "to repent, and to turn from their vanities to the living God;" Acts iii. 19, and xiv. 15, and xvii. 30.-Peter's advice to Simon Magus is very full and express to this point: for though he perceived him to be "in the very gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity," he exhorted him "to repent, and to pray, if perhaps the thought of his heart might be forgiven." It may be presumed, that we cannot have stronger evidence, that any of our hearers are in a carnal and unconverted state, than Peter had in the case of Simon Magus; and therefore there seems no sufficient reason why we should hesitate to follow the apostle's example.

If we were to decide to which of these different methods of preaching the prefer ence is due, by the discernible effects of each, it will, perhaps, appear in fact, withcut making any invidious comparisons, that those ministers whom the Lord has honoured with the greatest success in awakening and converting sinners, have generally been led to adopt the more popular way of exhortation or address; while they who have been studiously careful to avoid any direct application to sinners, as unnecessary and improper, if they have not been altogether without seals to their ministry, yet their labours have been more owned in building up those who have already received the knowledge of the truth, than in adding to their number. Now, You have been told, that repentance and as "he that winneth souls is wise," and as faith are spiritual acts, for the performance every faithful labourer has a warm desire of of which, a principle of spiritual life is absobeing instrumental in raising the dead in sin lutely necessary: and that therefore, to exhort to a life of righteousness, this seems at least an unregenerate sinner to repent or believe, a presumptive argument in favour of those must be as vain and fruitless as to call a dead who, besides stating the doctrines of the gos-person out of his grave. To this it may be pel, endeavour, by earnest persuasions and expostulations, to impress them upon the

answered, that we might cheerfully and confidently undertake even to call the dead out