you:

my hopes are again revived, though I dare not too much indulge them, that your days on earth may yet be prolonged to live to him, who has thus preserved you a monument of his mercy and goodness, and to be a comfort and blessing to your friends. But, my very dear friend, you must allow me to be free with Indeed my duty to my God, as well as to your soul, will not admit of my being otherwise, or of dealing deceitfully in matters of the highest consequence, particularly after the kind injunctions you have laid upon me to write without reserve. I am grieved that you had recourse to company in the time of your heavy distress, thinking therein to find that relief which can only proceed from God himself. Is it not in fact a distrust of God's power, of his willingness to help? Is it not dishonourable to him to seek other means of consolation than what he himself has appointed and promised to bestow? Undoubtedly it is, and every such ' unstable prop must fail, although for a short time it may seem to lend support. This is leaning on broken reeds instead of the Rock of Ages. Possibly for this cause the Lord has withdrawn the light of his countenance from you for a season, in order to show you the vanity of creature comforts, and that there is help only in Him who is mighty, almighty, and the never failing staff of support. But be not discouraged; this, I trust, has been a useful lesson to you; let it teach you for the future to be continually looking to Jesus; his grace is sufficient for you, and no doubt the Sun of Righteousness will again arise on your benighted soul with healing under his wings. Live every moment upon the Author of your salvation for present grace, believing in him for victory over sin, as well as for pardon of it. I know from dear-bought experience, that it will conquer me the very moment I cease to

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live on the aid of Jesus; it has conquered me again and again for want of constant dependence upon him; but it never did, nor can, while I feel weak and helpless in myself, and am depending on the Lord, that I may be strong in the power of his might. This abiding sense of my own helplessness, makes me desirous to cleave close to my Almighty Saviour. I would hold him fast and dare never let him go. If," says Mr Romaine, "we got a clear view of Jehovah Jesus, the subduer of sin, it will be the most blessed sight we ever had in our lives. Leaving the past, having nothing to do with the future, my business is now with Jesus; whatever I meet with I go to his office, where salvation is freely dispensed by his almighty love, and I make use of that present need of his saving grace. Let us observe in some instances, the blessedness of this living every moment as it comes by the faith of the Son of God. Having brought all my salvation matter to a point, I being a sinner and he a Saviour, I depend on him always to act as his name Jesus imports, and his office is to save me from my sins. He has saved me, by taking guilt out of my conscience, but not so as that it may not return; therefore now, as the minute goes on, I rely on his word, and call upon his faithfulness, and trust to his power to cleanse me from all sin; and while I do this, I have no guilt, I am free from condemnation. The blood of Jesus answers all the charges against me from law, and takes away all fear of justice, because it is on my side; as I am in Jesus, it is just in God to forgive me my sins. Thus you see how I keep guilt out of my conscience; I live upon Jesus, and depend on his blood and righteousness from moment to moment. If you say, 'I do so, but am sometimes discouraged because of the sins which I still find in me;' observe, I have to do with Jesus and none

else in the subduing of sin.

I could not save myself,

nor could all the powers on earth, or all the angels in heaven, save me from one sin-that is the peculiar office of Christ; it is his crown and his glory. The free pardoner is the almighty conqueror of sin. In this matter my concern lies altogether with him, and I find all things are possible to him that believeth. While I believe I never fall: as I trust moment after moment, every moment I conquer. Suppose you have a bosom sin; it besets you, it conquers you, you fast and pray, and strive against it, you reason with it, and urge arguments of philosophy and morality, you try to frighten it away with legal terrors; but in vain, it mocks all your efforts, raging more violently, tyrannizing more wantonly: what will you do? Why believe it away, that is gospel like. Set the Lord Christ upon it. He has said, Sin shall not have dominion over you.' Tell him you can do nothing in this work; but having his word for it that he will do all, you dare to trust him, and to leave him to fight with your besetting sin. Rest the matter here, and see what will be the consequence; as sure as Jesus is the Saviour you will come off conqueror. I am witness for him; whilst I was a poor legal creature, ignorant of sovereign grace, I tried every way I could think of, and only nursed my sin; but when I saw the free pardon of it through faith in the blood of Jesus, then I was enabled to trust him with the subduing of it, and by faith I had and have the victory. Thanks, all thanks be unto him who gives it! But when sin is once subdued, what then? It will the next moment be striving for power and dominion, therefore every moment we must look to and live upon Jesus." I shall make no apology for this long quotation. It is from a letter to a friend; and as I found it of some use to myself, I am

in hopes it may be of the same use to you.

And do

you not, my dear friend, see this blessedness of living every moment upon the Lord? O he is a glorious complete Saviour! I would not only have you see it, but experience it in your own soul. I can wish you no greater happiness on this side eternity; for thus enjoying a free pardon, and gaining daily conquests through faith in the Son of God, we may look forward with comfort and joy to that blessed day when death shall put an end to all our sorrows. The more clear the pardon, the more complete the conquest; the more does the believer anticipate the happiness of being saved from sin, and therefore he waits for it, nothing wavering. It is the believer's happiness in all his duties to live by faith in Jesus; he does not, perform them that he may be thereby saved, but being already saved, he meets his precious Saviour in the way of duty, and holds fellowship with him in the ways of his commandments; and this makes them not grievous, but a light and easy yoke. The power of Christ makes the hardest duty easy, and the love of Christ makes the bitterest affliction sweet. The believer lives like himself when the sense of imperfect services works aright, when it makes him carry them and lay them all upon the golden altar which sanctifieth the gift; and when he depends every moment and in every duty upon the righteousness and intercession of God his Saviour. O blessed life this! My dear friend, I would to God I knew more of it than I do! May we both press after it with earnestness!

"M. is greatly obliged to you for your kind inquiries after her. We have good reason to be thankful, not only for her recovery, but likewise for her illness, which it has pleased the Lord abundantly to bless to her soul; and I think I can safely say, she now with

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diligence pursues the road of Canaan's happy land, and will, I trust, be an ornament to the gospel of Christ.

"H. and R. are two shining lights in the Redeemer's cause. The latter is intended for the sacred and honourable office of a minister of the gospel, which I pray God he may adorn both by his preaching and living. "We have lately met with a heavy blow in this parish by the death of our worthy minister, and we are now left as helpless sheep without a shepherd, although, blessed be God, Christ the good Shepherd is still over his little flock. All outward means of grace seem entirely shut out from amongst us, and I fear we shall be obliged to give up those comfortable weekly societies, which through the mercy of God we found useful towards strengthening the weak in faith, and awakening the secure and ignorant; but these meetings, you may imagine, did not fail to be called methodistical, and have been attended with great opposition. However, if they be the means of bringing any one to the knowledge of Christ, we have no reason to regard the malice of his enemies, who will always reproach those who take God for their chief good, and seek his love and favour above all things. Through mercy I continue well, but much harassed with perpetual company and visiting. These things ought to make one very watchful, otherwise they are sure to destroy all holy intimacy and communion with the blessed Jesus; but my circumstances are such that these kind of compliances cannot be avoided; and indeed it is necessary to keep up a civility with worldly people, which often tends to remove prejudices; though we should cautiously avoid all sinful diversions, and be careful that we are not hurt by their example, or abuse our Christian liberty in any matter. What satisfaction can those