fentence of juftification, to promote holiness, as the begurt eternal life, to which in that fentence they were adjudged; the immediate influence of Chrift's blood in purifying our confciences from dead works to ferve the living God; the constraining force of his redeeming love when favingly difcovered, believed and felt, on our will and affections to love him who first loved us; these must be carefully fet forth, explained and inculcated.

6. Our begun and continued receiving of Chrift's perfon, righteoufnefs, and fulness by faith, ought to be diftinctly and earnestly reprefented as the conftant and only immediate mean of all Gofpel holiness, repentance, love and new obedience: hence it is faid to proceed from a pure confcience, and faith unfeigned; and is called a walking by faith, a living by the faith of the fon of God, faith working by love, obedience of faith. And according to the height of our affured perfuafion of God's giving promises, and of our believ ing vigour in cleaving to, and receiving from, the given Saviour, will the degrees of every other grace and duty be.

7. No marks of grace ought to be given but fuch as can be traced up to a believing of the record which God hath given of his fon, as the repofitory and difpenfer of eternal life for us finful men; and to our spiritual union and fellowship with him by faith.

8. In urging believers to the study of holiness in heart and life, great care ought to be taken that no motives be ufed, which are inconfiftent with their ftate of marriage union to Chrift, their perfect and irrevocable justification through his blood, and their infallible confervation in him. How abfurd and wicked to thunder forth any liableness to damnation against those who have paffed from death to life, and cannot come into condemnation; against thofe whofe life is hid with Christ in God, and who muft live becaufe Chrift liveth; against thofe with whom God hath fworn that he will never be wrath, and from whom he will never fuffer his covenant of peace to be removed! How abfurd and wicked, to talk to the divinely established, and immutably fecured heirs of God, and joint heirs with Chrift, as if they had their title to eternal life, or their claim to the actual poffeffion of it, to earn by their own good works. But the preacher muft draw his motives from the offices, relations, works, and fulnefs of Chrift; from the redeeming love and endearing example of Chrift, and of his Father; from the authority of God as their God and Father; from the indwelling influence of his Spirit in their hearts and

from

from their own advantages or difadvantages as stated by the covenant of grace,

9. The Evangelical preacher must clearly reprefent, that whatever reward here, or hereafter, is annexed by promife to the holiness of believers in heart and life, is freely beftowed upon them; not properly for their work, but becaufe their perfons are united to Chrift as the Lord their righteousness, in whom their holiness and comfort connectedly come to them, as equally free mercies and privileges. He must not less clearly reprefent, that whatever affliction believers meet with, it is a destructive punishment to their fins, but a kind chastisement, a precious bleffing to their perfons and nature, purchafed by the righteoufnefs of Chrift their furety, and bestowed by God in him, as their wife and loving Father. Thus, wifhing you large measures of the wisdom from above, in order to understand thefe Gofpel myfterics. I am Yours,

IN

CHARITY SCHOOLS IN WALES.

REV. SIR,

To the Editor.

N your Numbers for January, and April laft, the pleaf ing intelligence was communicated of the fupport and fuccefs of the "Circulating Welch Charity Schools," fuperintended by the Rev. Mr. CHARLES, of Bala. The gratification afforded by every communication of the kind, as an indication for good that our merciful God is carrying on, more extenfively and in various ways, his own bleiled caufe and kingdom, induces me to fend you a few lines on a fimilar fubject.

In the year 1786, your correfpondent being at Clapham, had an opportunity of exchanging fome thoughts with the Rev. Mr. URWICK, on the fubject of Sunday fchools at Ofweftry, where he then refided, and the extenfion of themi to Wales; having alfo an interview with a lady in that neighbourhood, well known for her exertions in favour of those benevolent inftitutions, he was much encouraged to proceed, and the became the firft fubfcriber. On his return to Shropshire, he received a letter from the treasurer of the Sunday School Society, H. Thornton, Efq. of a very encou raging tendency refpecting his own place at Ofweftry.

But

But refiding in the neighbourhood of Wales, he was naturally led to turn his attention to the ftate of the young poor there. He, therefore, folicited fome affiftance in books, for thofe places, at leaft where the English language was in a measure cultivated and ufed by the inhabitants; but was greatly furprised and difappointed to find that the rules of the fociety would not admit of it. This being the cafe, the treasurer requested me to fend him an account of the ftate of Wales, particularly refpecting the inftruction of the young poor. This was done, but with a special reference to North Wales, as being much worfe off than the South. In confequence of this, he gave encouragement to set up a few Sunday schools at his private expence, as it could not be done officially. But we foon found that in Wales a mere Sunday school was not adequate to the requifite improvement. Accordingly we converted them into " Circulating Day-schools." The utility of this change was found to be very confiderable. At the clofe of the year 1791,

RULES AND ORDERS

of the fchools on this new plan, were drawn up by a Com, mittee, with the defign of making them better known to the benevolent, whofe fubfcriptions were folicited. By a few of the leading rules, and fubfequent facts, the nature and ftate of this extenfively ufeful inftitution may be inferred.

1. Concerning a future Committee and Trustees it was agreed, that fix perfons, being fubfcribers to the charity, be chofen in fucceffion, forming a perpetual Committee-That a fubfcriber of two guineas per annum be conftituted a Truftee while that fubfcription is continued-That the Committee have a power to choose a fuperintendent-That they meet twice in the year at the time and place agreed upon, to audit accounts, &c. ;-and that they have a power to choose a treasurer.

II. Of a Superintendent it was agreed, That a Gofpel mi, nifter, refiding at a commodious diftance from the schools be chofen to fuperintend them-That he vifit each of the fchools quarterly, in rotation, for the purpofes of enquiring into the state of them from the mafters, of hearing the chil dren read and repeat their catechifms, paying the masters, and, by every prudent method, of promoting the great defign of the inftitution-That he keep a plain account of all receipts and expenditures relative to the fchools, and lay them before the Committee, at their half yearly meetings.

III, Of

233

III. Of the Schools it was agreed, That, as mary of them be fupported in North Wales as the amount of die fofcriptions will permit.-That a fchool be continued in the fame place no more than one year, unlefs fome very peculiar circumftances should lead the Committee to deviate from that general rule. That a fchool be not admitted into the fame place in lefs than three years from the time of its removal, except there be fome reafon for it peculiarly urgent.

IV. Concerning the Mafters it was agreed, That they undertake to teach no other children but thofe for whom they are paid from the charity, and that they refufe none who apply on thofe terms.-That they accompany the children to fome place of public worthip, every Lord's day once at leaft, and if conveniently fituated, twice. That the choice of masters be vested immediately in the fuperintendent, and ultimately in the Committee.-That the Committee alone have the appointment of the master's falary.

Finally, it was agreed, That the ftate of the fchools, their number and fituation, increafe or decreafe of fcholars, the names of Trustees, Committee, Superintendent, and Mafters; the receipts and difbursements, names of Subfcribers, &c. be made public at the expiration of each year.

From the annual accounts it appear that in the year 1792, two hundred and fixty-feven fcholars were taught by fix mafters, and their numbers have been increafing gradually ever fince; fo that in 1797, thirteen mafters were employed, and five hundred and fifty three fcholars (fome adults being always included) taught to read, &c. In all, from the commencement of this regular plan, upwards of two thousand have been taught to read the holy Scriptures, who otherwife, in all probability, would have continued in their uninftructed state. The laft report of the fuperintendent (Rev. GEORGE LEWIS, Llannwehllyn) gave great fatisfaction.

There being abundant evidence that the fchools are useful in a religious view, which is the great end propoted, it is hoped that the prefent friends will continue their exertions, and that new ones will come forward. This being the -chief concern of all human existence, if the rifing generation are not watched over, and efpecially if the labouring poor are neglected, what guilt shall we not incur, or divine difpleasure shall we not have caufe to fear? But, on the contrary, what heartfelt fatisfaction is the attendant, and incalculable good the fruit of promoting that caufe of which God is the author and patron

VOL. VI.

Kk

Profeffing

Profeffing myfelf a fincere well-wifher, to this and all other inflitutions which have for their object the real improvement, and eternal happiness of men, I remain,

WH

CHRIST.

HEN Chrift made his appearance on earth, the opinions of men refpecting his perfon and character were various. The fame diverfity of fentiment ftill preI vails even among those who profefs to be Chriftians Some imagine, that he was the moft exalted character among men, but nothing more than human: Others fuppofe, that in dignity of nature, and priority of existence, he is inconceivably fuperior both to men and angels, a kind of inferior Deity: Others again believe, that he is independently poffeffed of all the effential perfections of Godhead, co-equal with the Father.

As thefe fentiments are fo directly oppofite to each other, fome of them muft, doubtlefs, be falfe. Many fuppofe it is comparatively indifferent which of them we embrace; and that, if we thould inadvertently entertain an erroneous idea on this fubject, God will confider it as an innocent mistake. The defign of this paper is to guard against that fpirit of indifference, which engenders the dangerous delufion, and to Thew that juft thoughts of Chrift are of the utmost importance.

The manifeft care God hath taken to give a clear and juft reprefentation of Chrift is one confirmation of he fact. The principal defign of God in the facred Scriptures is to lead us into the knowledge of Christ. Therein his perfon, his characters, his work, Lis authority, &c. are defcribed with exacnets, as a matter of the utmost importance. His Godhead is therein unequivocally affirmed.* Divine honors are demanded as his due. His affumption of human nature is exprefsly declared, whereby he became and continues to be

Ifaiah ix. 6. chap. liv. 5. John i. 1. i. 8. and 1 John v. 20.

chap. x. 30. Rom. ix. 5. Heb. † John v. 23.

God