world, and made him a partaker of new feelings, now engaged all his thoughts, and became the subject of his constant study. His former evil companions were all forsaken, his vicious habits were at once broken off, and he became a new creature in Christ Jesus. Religion now appeared the one thing needful, and he sought the company of those who, like himself, were in pursuit of it.

After a very short time, he determined, with some of his neighbours who were piously disposed, to establish a prayer-meeting in his own cottage. This was carried into effect, and proved a great blessing to them. All this mighty and pleasing change in so degraded and wretched a character was effected in the course of a few months.

The honoured individual who had been the instrument of effecting this delightful change by the tracts given to the boy, soon after visited the place, and found the happy family rejoicing in the light and consolation of the Gospel. The sight of him, the reader may be sure, awakened sentiments of the most lively gratitude in both father and son. Our friend was subsequently present at the prayermeeting, and enjoyed the unspeakable happiness of hearing this reformed character conduct it in an edifying and judicious manner, and with an ability which would have done credit to many who had enjoyed a far better education. It was altogether a most interesting and affecting scene-there was our blind friend, whose benevolent gift of the tracts to the boy had been the first spring of all these blessings-there was the boy, who had been the instrument of teaching and converting his fatherthere was the father, a priest in his own house, and some of his pious neighbours and friends, all uniting in the fellowship of saints, and rejoicing in what God had wrought,

It is now several years since these encouraging events transpired, and it has pleased God to permit our blind friend to visit the scene of this blessedness but a few months since. He found this family walking in the truth. The father was become an established, zealous Christian, consistent and correct in his character, promoting and countenancing the interests of religion all around him.

Great indeed was the gratification of our friend, to find that the leaven was still working and the kingdom of God spreading-that since the conversion of the boy's father, an event still more remarkable had taken place. The boy's grandmother, a woman of seventyfive years of age, lived near them. She had arrived at this last verge of life, without any knowledge of divine things, or any hope of glory beyond the grave-ignorant, careless, and wretched. To her this excellent boy directed his attention. He prevailed so far as to interest the aged woman in what was manifestly fitted to console and bless her heart. Though old in ignorance and sin, yet the Lord opened her heart. She attended to the instructions of her grandchild, and accepted the truth as it is in Jesus. There is satisfactory evidence, that she has been called at the eleventh hour, and made a partaker of the saving knowledge of the Gospel. Our friend found her, like an aged saint, rejoicing daily in hope of the glory of God.

These, then, are events of the most interesting and delightful nature, accomplished by the instrumentality of humble and retired individuals. The scenes of good to which the reader's attention has now been called, need no artifice of description to render them both pleasing and touching. They are the short and simple annals of the poor, but they record events which the wisdom of the world and the efforts of human philosophy would in vain have essayed to produce,

Who would not emulate the honour and the happiness of this boy-the instrument of immortal good to the soul of his father and his grandmother, and we cannot say to how many others beside. It were worth the relinquishment of all worldly honour and all temporal gratifications, to become a partaker of that poor boy's pleasures and prospects. Surely he shall shine as a star for ever and ever. Monarchs might envy the crown of glory that awaits himand philosophers and sages might account all their achievements but trifling in comparison with the good which he has been the means of effecting.

Nor must we lose sight of this blind man, whose zealous exertions have been thus signally owned of God to confer the richest blessings on immortal souls. This eulogy is above our province; he has a better record to his honour than these pages can afford, in those hearts that he has contributed to warm with a Saviour's love, and in that book of life from which his name can never be blotted out.

But let the Christian reader see what good has been effected in only these two cases, and that by a blind man, who might, if any might, plead the excuse of being disqualified for doing good. After this, however, who shall find a just excuse for “ standing all the day idle?"

LETTER II.

EAGLET.

of your present volume) occurs this passage: "I was often in great pain and agony of mind, and I earnestly desired some one who would tell me whether I had the true saving faith or not. The prayer was heard by our good God; and, about two years ago,

he sent me one of his faithful servants, who showed me that, if I had not ASSURANCE of my salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ, I had not that faith. Since then, I have doubted no more; and I was so happy with this assurance that I was saved for eternity, that I unceasingly said to myself, This is no delusion: it is quite sure it is God's word that has assured thee.'”

I beg leave to remark, that it is not to exercise any rigour of criticism upon the production of an uneducated young woman, a production breathing the spirit of ardent piety, that I have addressed to you these observations; but that it is with the desire of pointing out a most unscriptural and dangerous principle, which, in addition to other proofs, is shown to be acquiring a new currency by the evidence of this very paper, which (in the Archives du Christianisme for April last) was widely circulated among our Protestant brethren in France, before a respectable correspondent

will allow me to mention. Page 554, col. 2, line 57, read seeing then that, by our nature, we are under condemnation. Page 555, col. 1, line 11, for misery read indigence. Line 66, read the true saving faith. Col. 2, line 27, for truth read birth. Line 53, for sound read saved. Line 59, l'ordre here signifies command. Line 60, and in two or three other passages, von, coming before divine names, answers more nearly to our use of the epithet gracious. Page 556, col. 1, line 64, read true christian instructress. Col. 2, line 4, for badly read ill (malade). Line 19, for move read try. Line 24, read walk the same pace. Line 31, for unite read hold meetings. Line 45, read we hear not the soun i thereof. Line 54, for every read any.

Also in the last Number, page 576, col. 2, line 3, read have made. Page 578, col. 1, line 61, put a comma after Burnier.

Magazine.

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Far, very far, I trust that I am from undervaluing the assurance of hope," for the acquisition and preservation of which believers are enjoined to "show diligence;" and the man who can satisfy himself to let this great question lie at uncertainties, has, indeed, awful reason for suspicion. Only let us take care that it be a solid, a wellgrounded, a scriptural assurance! This good young person, in her simplicity, desired that which God has no where in his word promised, what no principle of the Gospel authorizes us to seek, and what is incompatible with the present condition of mortals-" some one to tell her whether she had true faith or not." Her proper course would have been, to have searched the Scriptures, with earnest prayer for gracious light and direction. She would there have learned that true faith is known by its own proper and genuine effects; "doing righteousness, keeping the commandments of Christ, walking not after the flesh but after the spirit, laying aside the weights and sins which beset us, living not to ourselves but to Him who died for us, being zealous of good works, and adorning the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things." If she found these to be the characteristics of her mind and conduct, and that in them she was "pressing forwards," anxious to abound yet more and more," she would have “known that she was of the truth, and would have assured her heart before God," (1 John iii. 19. 24.) enjoying the testimony of his sure word, and of a conscience well informed and guided by that word.

But, alas! many are not well pleased with this plain and reasonable method of investigation, though nothing is more clearly laid down or more forcibly urged in the Holy Scriptures. They, therefore, practise upon themselves, and en

of the most momentous of all questions-by taking for granted the very thing that was to be proved! Is it possible that men can apply to their eternal interests a rule of judging, which they would deem him an idiot who acted upon in the smallest affair of this life? Believe that you are safe, and you are safe: believe that your sins are forgiven, that Christ and his full salvation are yours, that you are a child of God, delivered from the condemnation of sin and saved for eternity; BELIEVE all this, with a firm and unhesitating confidence-and it will be so !

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I am well aware that the error, on which I am venturing to animadvert, has been supported by great names. Luther and Calvin themselves, with many of the earlier Protestants of both the evangelical and the reformed communions, unhappily gave it their sanction. Dr. Owen, (on Justification, p. 112, ed. 1677,) with great candour, imputes this fact to the influence of their peculiar circumstances, in their "contest with the Roman Church, about the way and means whereby the consciences of convinced and troubled sinners might come to rest and peace with God." He also says, I never read any of them-who affirmed that every true and sincere believer always had a full assurance of the especial love of God in Christ, or of the pardon of his own sins; though they plead that this the Scripture requires of them in a way of duty, and that this they ought to aim at the attainment of." Had our esteemed brethren in Switzerland gone no farther than what is here implied, their friends in Great Britain would have indulged no anxiety. We are not disposed to be captious about the strict logical order of ideas, or the niceties of expression, where we believe the truth to be essentially held. The old protestant divines

of the Continent differed very much from each other, in their definitions and descriptions of faith. Some of them stated its essence to be personal assurance, in the broadest terms. But, with respect to many, it is manifest that they made their descriptions so comprehensive as to include the whole of experimental and practical religion. The expressions used by others make it plain that they used the concrete form, producing of necessity terms of appropriation; as being more convenient, and more adapted, in their view, to general use, than abstract descriptions: they, therefore, appear to have only designed to convey the idea of earnest and exclusive RELIANCE on the Saviour for the blessings of redemption. Among the more strict definitions, we find no inconsiderable difference. On the one hand, Mestrezat concisely, comprehensively, and beautifully defines faith, The "The flight of a penitent sinner to the mercy of God in Christ:" and, on the other, Ravanel states that "faith is a firm persuasion of our election in Christ." I fear that such a description as the latter became the most prevalent. It was too often adopted in the symbolical and catechetical books; and thus it insinuated itself into the whole frame of national Christianity. The entire population of a country were made Christians, by ecclesiastical formularies and government edicts. It is overwhelming to reflect, what millions of children, in Germany, Holland, and Switzerland, were trained up to say, "In body and soul, living and dying, I am not mine own; but belong to my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ, who with his precious blood hath perfectly satisfied for all my sins; hath redeemed me from the power of the devil; and hath assured me, that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair of my head can fall, and that every thing

must contribute to my salvation.”* Thus, doctrine was declared, instead of duty; assumption, in the place of obligation. The truth is unquestionable, and the language is rich and glorious, if only the application be right. But to make all the young population of a country recite these words, appears, I confess, to me to be infusing into their minds the most danger-. ous presumption. May it not be feared, that this practice has been one of the principal causes of the decline of religion in the Protestant countries of the continent? Its operation would be different, according to the temperament, mental habits, and outward circumstances of each person. Where it met with, or was followed by, genuine conversion, it would eminently minister to sanctification and holy joy. But in other cases, its effect could not but be dreadful. In some, it would fix the character of pharisaic formalism, which is subtle enough to lurk under the highest evangelical phrases. In others, it would produce Antinomian security; the habit of using the most exalted language of piety, while worldliness, dissipation, and immorality were indulged without fear. This was exemplified in the court and the conduct of the unhappy Elector Palatine Frederic V., and his consort Elizabeth, the daughter of our James I. In persons of a speculative disposition, such as the teachers of religion are likely to be, it would readily produce a sense of incongruity, a suspicion of untruth, and a secret and most powerful bias to the numerous forms of anti-evangelical and sceptical theology. We have

*The first answer of the Catechism composed by order of the Elector Frederick III. in 1563, for the use of the schools, churches, and families of the Lower Palatinate, by the very excellent Zacharias Ursinus. This Catechism was afterwards adopted in the United Provinces, and for a time in Scotland.

an instructive and awful example of this very kind, in the early history of Dr. Semler, of Halle, who, from a beginning of apparently experimental piety, became one of the chief instruments in the bringing forth and cherishing of that fatal Neologism which has been brought to its maturity within the 1 st forty years.

Our own country has not been destitute of divines, eminent for their holiness and recorded usefulness, who have patronized this sentiment. Yet, (I would offer the suggestion with deep humility and diffidence,) may it not be apprehended, that a large proportion of that apparent usefulness was awfully fallacious; consisting in leading multitudes to be confident that they were interested in Christ, and heirs of salvation, without any evidence" by Scripture, or sense, or reason, " without being scious of sanctifying operations in their own breasts?" I use the avowed sense, and the very words of those excellent men, Walter Marshall and James Hervey.

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Our minds are appalled at the thought. HOW COULD IT BE, that such men as Goodwin, Fisher, Marshall, Hervey, and Romaine, in England; with not a few in Scotland, besides so many of the Lutheran and Calvinistic divines abroad, could be the advocates of a doctrine so pregnant with delusion and danger to the souls of men? With all deference, I submit three answers to this question.

I. The earlier of those great men, especially the Reformers, arc entitled to the full benefit of the apology made for them by Dr. Owen, as quoted above. The "general and doubtsome faith" of the Romish communion, (so called by the Reformed Church of Scotland,) was associated with every kind of enmity and prejudice against the fundamental truth of

the Gospel, free justification, and eternal life through the sole mediation of the Lord Jesus Christ. The strenuous opposition necessary to be made to this mass of error, will account for many unguarded expressions in the writings of Luther; and the next age too readily attached a kind of veneration to the very phraseology.

II. There is reason to believe that they did not, in general, mean all that the proper import of their language, if taken in its fullest extent, would convey to other minds, differently circumstanced. Their great object seems to have been to impress this sentiment, that there is no true and saving faith, except that which immediately leads its possessor to receivë, embrace, and rely upon the divine Redeemer as the author of salvation. Such an entire and exclusive reliance is inseparable from other holy exercises of mind; and of these, in combination, a delightful assurance of hope is the genuine effect, especially in circumstances of severe trial. Hence the minds of lively and affectionate Christians, not much accustomed to intellectual analysis, would easily confound the effect with the cause. That this is not a gratuitous supposition, may, I conceive, be justly argued from the fact, that passages frequently occur, in the writings of the eminent persons alluded to, which clearly assert the truth just stated, and are not consistent with the sentiment, which I am compelled to regard as so erroneous and dangerous. are many passages in Luther, on the Epistle to the Galatians, on the 130th Psalm, his characterisiic declaration in the form of an edict, against that of the Emperor Charles V. in 1531,*

To this purport

* It begins, "I, Doctor Martin Luther, an unworthy preacher of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, do declare that