dear friend, will you diftruft his providence, or fay within yourfelf," He has forgotten to be gracious?" Can a woman forget her fucking child, that the fhould not have compaffion on the fon of her womb!" "Yea," (fays the prophet)" they may forget;" there may be fuch monfters of inhumanity, "Yet," (mark the expreffion!) "will I not forget thee!" What a precious promife is this, to a weak believer! Though billows roll over him, and the dafhing waves are ready to fink him in the ocean: though tempetts rife, and ftorms invade his foul, yet God does not forget him, but will be his prefent help in every time of need. When the bleffed Redeemer chaftifes his children, it is only in love and pity to their immortal fouls; he never does it in wrath and anger, nor will he ever lay upon them more than what they are able to bear. Sometimes he withdraws the light of his countenance, and lets us go mourning all the day long. But why this? it is to humble us at his footstool, to let us fee what poor weak mortals we are, to bring down our pride, and to make us love a Saviour more. In your kind epiftle, you tell me, "That you are carried about with every wind of doctrine, and are ready to fear that you have embraced principles which are not true." To give you my fentiment, in a few words, I would ever unite with thofe who place man upon his knees, and exalt a crucified Redeemer. This, my dear friend, is the fentiment of the Bible, the fentiment of the Apoftles of Jefus, and therefore the fentiment which I would ever recommend. You afterwards affirm, "That on the other hand, you feel fo much of the power of fin within you, that were it not for the promises of the Gofpel, you would utterly defpair." But why do you caft yourself into a defponding frame of mind? Is there not a fountain opened for fin and uncleannefs? Is not Jefus the fame yefterday, to day, and for ever? Is there no balm in Giliad, is there no phyfician there? Is there not a door of mercy, which stands open night and day to admit the poor and deftitute? And is there not a Lamb which was flain for rebels, fitting at the right hand of God, ever pleading his own merits for guilty finners? Yes, there are all thefe bleffings, and innumerable more, which I could mention, if it were neceffary. Therefore cheer up your drooping fpirits, let not the tempter have fuch an afcendency over you, as to perfuade you that God will forfake you, or give you up. Now, Sir, fhould this encourage you more boldly to approach a throne of grace, let me entreat you to remember, Yours, &c.

VERMIS.

DEAR SIR,

TO GAIUS.

VERY much approve of the greater part of your anfwer to the queftion; How does God fpeak peace to his people? &c. (in the Evangelical Magazine for March ;) but as fome ferious minds have been made uneafy, by fuppofing you attempted to prove, that all encouragement and comfort derived from the application or fuggeftion of particular paffages of Scripture to the mind, that have given them relief in times of trial and diftrefs, ought to be rejected as enthufiaftic; I have thought proper to addrefs you upon the fubject; not doubting but you will give me credit for the refpect I have for your judgment, and permit me to claim your candour, fhould I have miftaken your defign. I agree with you in fuppofing that the Scriptures fpeak in general terms, to characters, and not to particular perfons; and I am fully convinced, that great care ought to be taken to guard against enthufiafm in the application of any particular paffage of Scripture fuggefted to the mind, that may happen to fuit our condition or wishes; but yet I cannot help thinking, that God may, fometimes, give real comfort to his people in this way. Though it will require great caution to judge when, and how far this is the cafe, yet I apprehend there are fome criteria by which we may exercife our judgments to prevent deception; e. g. when fuch paffages of Scripture are fuggefted to the mind, without previous expectation or looking for comfort in that particular way; and when fuch paffages are not forced to speak a different fenfe from their original meaning; when fuch application has no tendency to abate, but to increase our concern for the proper ufe of the means by which we may hope to obtain direction and comfort. And when there is fome good reafon to believe, upon ferious examination, that affiftance obtained by fuch impreffions upon the mind, is in answer to our humble prayer: connected with fuch confiderations as thefe, I am inclined to believe, that God docs often afford affiftance and comfort to his children in this way; I will inftance in a few particulars.

Suppofe a convinced finner to be in great diftrefs through fear, that on account of the henious nature and great number of his fins they would not be pardoned. And that obfervation of the Apoftle (the blood of Jefus Christ his fon, cleanfeth us from all fin) fhould be fo powerfully imprefied

VOL. VI.

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upon

upon his mind, as to remove his fears and fill him with joy and peace in believing, what are we to think of fuch a cafe? Again, fuppofe the Chriflian who has known what it was to take pleasure in the word and ways of God, fhould meet with fome heavy trial from afflictions and perfecutions in the caufe of Chrift, and, connected with this experience, a fcafon of darkness and diftrefs in his own mind, which is no uncommon cafe, fo that he is tempted to conclude, that he muft fink under his burden, or become a coward, and difown his Lord. Suppofe when his foul is caft down within him, that promife occurs to him: "Fear not, for I am with thee," &c. and he finds it fo powerfully applied to his mind, as to fill him with abundant joy, courage, and comfort. Is it enthufiafin to believe that this was from God? I hope I have reafon to be thankful for fome inftances of this kind in my own cafe; I fhall mention only one as a further explanation of my fentiment upon this subject. In the former part of life, I was invited to engage myfelf in a fituation where was a profpect of doing good, and after fome confultation, and, I truft, humble prayer for direction, I found myfelf inclined to confent; but upon more particular enquiry, there appeared fo many difficulties and dangers, that I was upon the point of giving it up. At the time I intended to have given in my refufal, that paffage + "The Lord preferveth all them that love him," was fo powerfully impreffed upon my mind, as to remove all my difficulties, and fixed my refolution to proceed. I truft I was no ftranger before to the general doctrine of the Divine afliftance to them that love God, to which the paffage refers; but its effect upon my mind at that time was fuch as I cannot defcribe, nor ever felt before or fince.

I am fully perfuaded it requires great care to guard against mistakes in fuch cafes; as it is poffible our own fancies may have more influence in fome inftances than we are aware of, and, for want of caution, we may be in danger of putting a wrong fenfe upon fuch fuggeftions, which is certainly the cate in thofe inftances you have pointed out. The Scripture, no doubt, contains a fufficient and perfect rule for our faith and practice; nor does is appear to me to be inconfiftent with this profeffion if we allow that, in fome cafes, the Spirit of God may make ufe of the word to encourage under diftrefs, to influence our determination in cafes of great difficulty, or to give us a

Ifai xii. 10. + Pfal. clxv. v, xx.

more

more lively and cheerful dependence upon the Divine Providence and grace. It does not appear to me, either difhonourable to God, or inconfiftent with the defign of his word to fuppofe that by the word he may communicate affiftance to us in this way. For fuch effects as I have referred to and fuppofed to take place, do not imply any de fect in Divine revelation, but correfpond with its general defign. On the whole, I confider fuch fuggeftions of fuitable paffages of Scripture to the mind that give us relief in times of diftrefs, when confidered and applied aright, as the help of the Divine Spirit, under the character of a Comforter, to the children of God.

Whatever is your opinion upon the subject before us, I truft you will not doubt of my fincerity, when I affure you that I remain your affectionate friend and brother in the gospel. ZETETES.

If Zetetes reviews the piece on which his obfervations are founded, he will perceive that the cafes which he has ftated, are not thofe to which Gaius objects. The fuggeftions which that writer accounts enthubaftic, are those wherein " It is not the truth contained in the paffage itself; but a prefumption of their being immediately fent from God to the party, that affords the comfort. He admits that we may be brought to embrace the gofpel way of falvation, by fome fuitable part of Scripture, occuring to the mind."

HINTS.

!

To fuch as take the lead in Meetings for SOCIAL Prayer. S a UCH meetings have ever been formed and attended by a fpiritual perfon, as means of procuring fpiritual bleffings, efpecially the Divine prefence in ordinances, and a more extenfive fpread of the glorious gofpel; for which reafons we fhould thus pray for the peace and profperity of Jerufalem, for they fhall profper who love her. *

Decency and order, requifite in every religious intitution, are peculiarly fo in this. It were indeed a great pity that an ordinance fo adapted to general advantage as that of Social Praver, fhould be difesteemed and neglected, in confequence of any difgufting inadvertency in those who vocally engage therein. Let fuch candidly fuffer the word of exhortation.

It is common to diftinguish between the grace and gift of prayer,

The FORMER Comprizes reverence of the majesty of God. † deep fenfe of our own unsworthiness, ‡ Neceffities, §

Pfal. cxxii. 6. † Ecc. iii: 1. Gen. xviii. 27. and xxxii. 10. Luke xv. 17—19.

2E 2

and

and fins; + with penitent, thankful, and enlarged hearts; with understanding, ¶ faith, **fincerity, ††fervenev. I love and perfeverence, therein waiting upon God, with holy fubmiffion to his will. ***

The LATTER, refers to the moft intelligible, agreeable, and edifying mode of expreffing our defires in prayer.

Superior attention muft ever be paid to the grace of prayer; but, for the purpofes of edification, &c. the gift muft not be neglected, but treated with ferious, though fubordinate regard.

None but perfons of irreproachable characters, acceptable gifs, of fleady and uniform walk in the obfervance of Divine ordinances in general, fhould be permitted to exercife vocally in meetings, for Social Prayer. To fuch the following hints are humbly offered.

1. Ute comprehenfive brevity in prayer. Let your words be few, ttt for much may be faid in little compafs. Prolixity encroaches on time, occafions unneceffary repetitions, fatigues attention, and thereby difgufts the hearers.

2. The voice thould be neither too low nor too loud, but adapted to the ability of the moft diftant perfons to hear, if attentive. The pronunciation fhould be diftin&t and deliberate, and free from unnatural tones.

3. If the Roval Preacher fought to find out acceptable words in addreffing men; 11 furely fome degree of regard is due to our words in addreffing God. Repeat not unneceffarily the Divine names. It is a fpecies of taking them in vain. Avoid preaching in prayer, impertinent familiarity of expreflion, efpecially all affectation and every approach to bombaft, as the abominable ebullition of a proud and prefumptuous mind. The most beautiful style for prayer is that of Scripture, as Mr. Henry on the fubject fully exemplifies.

4. Carefully guard againft that flutter of fpirits, and confequent confufion of mind, which painfully obftruct the proper exercife of both gifts and grace. In order to this, regard God more and men lefs. Know before the service begins your turn to exercife vocally, and let your mind be fo engaged with your intended petitions, &c. as to allow you neither leifure nor inclination to contemplate what