Read Matthew vii. 21-23; and pray that you may not be deceiving your own souls. Dear believers, pray that you may bear fruit an hundred fold. Do not be content with bearing thirtyfold or sixtyfold; pray to be sanctified wholly; Ĭ Thes. v. 23. Pray that the whole lump may be leavened; Matt. xiii. 33. Pray that, day or night, in company or alone, Sabbath and week day, you may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. I often pray for you all; and desire that in secret, and in your families, you will not forget me. Your friend and soul's well-wisher, &c.

TO M. S.

Trying dispensations.

DUNDEE, February 28. 1841. DEAR FRIEND-I have heard from J. S. of your brother's death, and I write a line to comfort you. There is no true comfort to be found but in Christ. He is a fountain of living waters, and you must go with your thirsty soul to him and drink. John vii. 37; Psa. lxiii. If your brother died in the Lord, then he is far better than if he were here. Phil. i. 23. If he died out of the Lord, you must be like Aaron when "he held his peace." Lev. x. 3. Be not moved by these afflictions, knowing that you were appointed thereunto. Seek more and more abiding peace in Christ. He is not only a Saviour, but a sympathizing elder brother.

Read the xi. of John, and Lamentations iii., and you will see what a compassionate bosom Christ has. Lean your head more and you will find rest. "Do no despise the chastening of the Lord." Enquire what change he would have wrought in you and in all your friends. Are there any need to be awakened? let them listen to this warning. Are there any need to be brought off from love of the world? let them hear the voice of God from your brother's grave, saying, "What shall it profit a man though he gain the whole world and lose his own soul." Your brother, though dead, still speaketh To you he says, “Lean on the beloved as you come up out of the wilderness. The Lord is at hand." Keep your eye fixed on Jesus. Pray much for his spirit and likeness; and be ready for his coming.

Our communion is on Sabbath next. Your friend J. thought you would perhaps love to be here. Farewell for the present;

may the Lord Jesus be very near you,
and bless
you. Ever yours, &c.

to comfort and sanctify

TO E. R., ASKING COUNsel.

A sight of corruption drives to Christ

DUNDEE, 1842. Dear Friend-I send you a hurried line, and may the Spirit accompany it with his divine power to your heart! It is a good thing to be shewn much of the deceitfulness and desperate wickedness of your heart, provided it lead you to the Lord Jesus, that he may pardon and subdue it. Slightness and carnal ease are much more to be dreaded than discoveries of our leprosy.

The groans and triumphal song of a believer are not far separated, as you may see in Paul, Rom. vii. 24, 25, "O wretched man," and " I thank God," all in one breath. David felt the same-see lxxiii. Psalm. At one verse he feels himself a fool and a beast in the sight of a holy God, and in the very next verses he is cleaving to Christ with a song of unspeakable joy; v. 22, 23, 24. Ah! there is a sweet mystery here-bitter herbs along with our passover Lamb. It is sweet to see ourselves infinitely vile, that we may look to Jehovah our Righteousness, as all our way to the Father.

The sweet Psalmist of Israel felt this on his dying bed, 2 Sam. xxiii. 5, " Although my house be not so with God, yet hath he made with me," &c. His house had been the scene of many a black sin; and now, when dying, he could not but confess that it was not right with God. Not a day he had lived appeared clean-not a moment. So may you say in the house where you live, and looking at the pollutions of your own heart, "Although my house be not so with God"although my heart and life be not so, yet hath he made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure.

God makes that covenant with you, when he brings you to lay hold on Jesus as your surety-your curse-bearing, lawfulfilling surety. Then you are brought into the bond of the everlasting covenant, and all its blessings are yours-pardon, righteousness, consolation, grace upon grace, life, love, the spirit of supplications-all are yours, and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.

Pray to be made like Caleb, who had another spirit, and followed the Lord fully. Follow Christ all the day. He is the continual burnt-offering in whom you may have peace. He is the Rock that follows you, from whom you may have constant and infinite supplies. Give yourself wholly away to

him. You are safe in no other keeping but in the everlasting arms of Jehovah Jesus.

Keep yourself from other men's sins. Do not go to the end of the string-that is, going as far as you can in dallying with temptation without committing open sin. Remember that it is our happiness to be under grace, and every sin will be bitterness in the end, and will take something out of your eternal portion of glory.

Grace be with your dear and much honoured minister, and with all that love Christ in sincerity. Never cease to pray for the parish, and for all parishes, that God would pour down his life-giving spirit, to the conversion of perishing sinners and the glory of his own great name. I will remember you on the 12th of June.

May the Lord remember us.

Ever truly, &c.

TO J. T.

A young boy anxious about his soul.

COLLACE, Jan. 27. 1842.

MY DEAR BOY-I was very glad to receive your kind note, and am glad to send you a short line in return, although my time is much taken up. You are very dear to me, because your soul is precious; and if you are ever brought to Jesus, washed and justified, you will praise him more sweetly than an angel of light. I was riding among the snow to-day, where no foot had trodden, and it was pure, pure white; and I thought again and again of that verse, "Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow." That is a sweet prayer-make it your own. Often go alone and look up to Jesus, who died to wash us from our sins, and say, "Wash me." Amelia Geddie was one day dressed in a new white frock, with red ribbons in her bonnet, and some one said to her, "No doubt you will think yourself very trim and clean ?" "Ah no," she said, “ I will never think that until I have the fine white robe of my Redeemer's righteousness put upon me.' I am glad, my dear boy, you think that God is afflicting you to bring you to himself. It is really for this that he smites you. His heart, his hand, and his rod, are all inscribed with love. But then, see that he does bring you to himself. Do not delay. The lake of fire and brimstone stretches beneath every soul that lives in sin. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked. If the Lord Jesus would but draw the curtain and let you see his own fair face, and his wounded side, and how there is

room for the guiltiest sinner in him, you would be drawn to Jesus with the cords of love. I was preaching in Perth last Sabbath; when I came out, a little girl came up to me, I think about three or four years old She wanted to hear of

the way to be saved. Her mother said she had been crying the whole night before about her soul, and would take no comfort till she should find Jesus. Oh! pray that the same Spirit may waken you. Remember, Johnnie, you once wept for your soul too, and prayed and sought Jesus. Have you found him? or have you looked back, like Lot's wife, and become a hard, cold pillar of salt? Awake again and call upon the name of the Lord. Your time may be short, God only knows. The longest lifetime is short enough. It is all that is given you to be converted in. They are the happiest who are brought soonest to the bosom of Jesus.

Write me again. At present I must draw to a close. Give my kindest remembrances to your mamma, and to A. when you write. Tell him to write me. May you all meet at the table of Jesus above, and may I be there too, a sinner saved by grace. Ever yours, &c.

ТО А. Т.

On the death of his brother, the little boy to whom the preceding letter was

written.

ST PETER'S, March 1. 1842.

MY DEAR A.—I did not think I was to have answered your kind letter in the time of bitter grief. But so it pleases Jehovah, whose will must be our will, if we would be happy. It is good for you to bear the yoke in your youth. This is the way God trains his saints, and especially his ministers. I saw your dear little brother twice on his dying bed, and indeed I could not believe he was dying, except that his calm eye was directed to the hills of Immortality, and he seemed already to breathe some of the atmosphere of the world of sinless joy. I do trust and believe that he was a saved boy. You know I am rather slow of coming to this conviction, and not fond of speaking when I have not good evidence; but here, I think, God has not left us in doubt.

At Blairgowrie he used several times to speak to me about divine things, and the tear would gather in his eye when he said that he feared he had never been brought to Jesus. Once, when he had a sore throat, he told me he was not ready to die. But now he was quite different. The veil seemed to be lifted away from his heart, and he saw divine things simply and fully.

Over and over he told me that he was not afraid to die, for Christ had died. "How kind it was in God to send Jesus to die for sinners." He seemed tranquil and happy, even when the pain came on in his head and made him knit his brows. You have reason to mingle praise with your tears. Do not sorrow as one who has no hope. Only seek a right improvement of this bereavement. He is not lost but gone before, and we shall soon put off this clay cottage also. And soon we and he, made new, body and soul, shall meet the Lord in the air, and so be for ever with the Lord. I was at your house on Sabbath night, and saw them all, sorrowful, yet rejoicing. Your dear little brother lies like a marble statue in the peaceful sleep of death, till Jesus' voice shall waken him. Happy boy! he shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, neither shall the sun light on him nor any heat. The days of his mourning are ended, and his eternity of love and holy joy is begun.

Improve this sharp wind, dear A., for you will soon lose the benefit, if not carefully sought after. Search out the Achan in your heart at such an hour. Let affliction strike heavy blows at your corruptions, your idolatries, and self-pleasing, and worldly schemes. Learn much of Christ at such an hour. Study him at the grave of Lazarus-John xi.; and at the gate of Nain-Luke viii. 11.; and also within the vail-Rev. i. 18. Do not be ashamed to grieve deeply, but let your sadness find relief in the bosom that was pierced with the spear. "Is any afflicted? let him pray." Strange, Satan often tempts us to restrain prayer at such a time. Be very gentle towards the souls of your kindred now.

and H- at the throne of grace.

If

Remember DGod had taken them, where would they have been? Learn also that ministers must care for lambs. "Preach the gospel to every creature."

Pray for me, also, that I may do so, that I may be made a better man and a more faithful pastor of old and young. Ever yours, till we meet in glory, &c.

TO REV. D. CAMPBELL OF LAWERS.

Advice to a brother in sickness.

MY DEAR BROTHER-Like yourself, I have been laid aside from the work of the ministry for two Sabbaths, but am now recovering.