house;" and that very night in which he had drawn his sword to commit self-murder, he rejoiced, believing in God with all his house. (Acts xvi. 34.) The Ethiopian Eunuch heard the Gospel, and went on his way rejoicing (Acts viii. 29.) Nor were these peculiar cases; the Thessalonians received the word with joy of the Holy Ghost. (1 Thess. i. 6.) Certainly the faith which produced this joy consisted in applying the promises of the Gospel; and in none of the cases recorded in Scripture do we find a process similar to that by which your correspondent arrives at the assurance that he is interested in the promise. Would B. W. object to a sinner being exhorted to trust in Christ for salvation? I presume not; for this is the uniform language of Scripture. And what is trusting in Christ for salvation but an application of the promises of the Gospel, absolutely, personally, and individually to ourselves, by confiding in Christ for eternal life and every other blessing which accompanies salvation? "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is staid on thee, because he trusteth in thee," is the language of the prophet. (Isa. xxvi. 3.) And in exact correspondence with this, the Apostle characterizes believers as those "who by him (Christ) do believe in God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, that your faith and hope may be in God." (1 Pet. i. 21.) When Israel is exhorted to return to the Lord their God, and to say, "Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously," they are taught to add, "Ashur shall not save us; we will not ride on horses; neither will we say to the works of our hands, Ye are our Gods; for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy." (Hos. xiv. 3.) It was one great source of controversy between God and his ancient people that they were prone to trust in the neighbouring nations and in their own sword, instead of confiding in God alone (Isa. xxxi. 1), and [JUNE, the Christian in his warfare is ever falling into the same error, looking to something in himself, instead of looking simply to Christ for consolation. far from guarding us against apply- The account of the manner in The Apostle ascribes his faith to God revealing his Son in him. (Gal. i. 16.) "We have received not the spirit of the world, but the spirit that is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God." (1 Cor. ii. 12.)-On the whole, it appears from these and many other passages of Scripture, that it is most safe and necessary to assert, that "faith consists in believing, and applying to ourselves, the promises of the Gospel." Next, B. W. observes, "it is unscriptural and dangerous to speak of salvation, as already granted and obtained. The sacred Scriptures," he says, never speak of salvation as already obtained, but simply as an object of hope and future expectation." I have already quoted two passages (Eph. ii. 8; Titus iii. 5), in which we are expressly told that believers are saved. To these many others might be added, I shall only mention one: "Who hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling; not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus, before the world began." (2 Tim. i. 9.) In one sense, as has been already observed, the believer is not saved till his conformity to Christ is complete (1 Cor. xv. 49; 1 John iii. 2; Phil. iii. 21), when death shall be swallowed up in victory. M. Malan no where asserts, that in this sense any believer is saved while he remains in this world. But the passages which have been quoted prove, that in speaking of believers as already saved, he speaks as the oracles of God. The salvation of Noah (2 Peter iii. 20) was not accomplished till he came out of the ark; but he was safe the moment he entered it, and the Lord had "shut him in," having promised to keep him alive. In like manner, the Apostles uniformly speak of believers as saved; and they enforce their exhortation to love and good works, from the consideration of believers being the objects of the dis tinguishing love of God, who had B. W. says, that in the Gospel, redemption is offered "to the whole world, on the terms of repentance and faith." He complains, in another part of his paper, that M. Malan says "scarcely a syllable respecting the nature and duty of repen tance." Whoever reads "the Conventicle of Rolle" will find that the author insists on the necessity of repentance; but certainly he does not represent it as a term of redemption. He abides by the ac• count which God gives of the new covenant, "I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts," &c. (Heb. viii. 10--12. He takes the Prophet's account of repentance: "I will pour on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and supplications; and they shall look upon him whom they have pierced, and mourn for him as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness as one is in bitterness for his first-born." (Zech. xii. 10; Jer. xxxi. 18, 19; Ezek. xvi. 62, 63.) M. Malan preaches Christ, as the fountain of every spiritual blessing, and directs the sinner to look to him who is exalted a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance and remission of sins. The "terms" of the everlasting covenant were fulfilled by Christ, the Head and Surety of his people; and having fulfilled the conditions, he has received all the blessings of the covenant (Psalm lxviii. 18), and out of his fulness all his people receive grace for grace. Let us never forget that faith in Christ is the spring of every good work: "with out me ye can do nothing;" and if we have lost our comfort, let us not dream of recovering it by reflecting on any thing in ourselves, but let us come immediately to Christ for pardon, for the renewing and healing influences of his Spirit; and, amidst all our vileness, let us come in the full assurance of faith, in the promise of God confirmed by his oath. (Heb. vi. 17, 18.) The stronger our confidence, the more simple our dependence on Christ, the greater will be our diligence in the discharge of Christian duty, and the more shall we abound in those fruits of righteousness, which are through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. B. W. affirms that M. Malan's book contains contradictory positions for example (p. 69), In order to a person's being assured that he is on the way to heaven...he must be found in the path of sanctification. This is the track," &c. M. Malan never denies the evidence of justification which your correspondent says is all he contends for. But M. Malan does most expressly deny that the Gospel is not intended and calculated to give joy and peace the moment it is believed. How can it be otherwise? An almighty Saviour, a full atonement, a perfect righteousness is revealed in the Gospel, and every individual who bears it is commanded to receive Christ as his God and Saviour, assured that his sinfulness and guilt form no bar to his acceptance, and that eternal life is the gift of God, to all who will receive it through Christ. Can any one believe this without joy? Must not every one who, by the teaching of the Holy Spirit, is made to know the things which are freely given to us of God, rejoice in Christ Jesus? (Phil. iii. 3.) And is not this joy as genuine, as if he had continued for years in the path of holiness and purity? It is the hope inspired by the Gospel, which produces purity (1 John iii. 3), and, consequently, the measure of our purity will keep pace with our hope. The great fault which runs through your correspondent's paper, as I conceive, is, that he reverses the order of Scripture, and makes our sanctification the foundation of our hope. Still sanctification is the evidence of our union with Christ. Believers are created in him unto good works, and therefore we are commanded to examine ourselves, to prove our ownselves. Thus we are guarded against the deceitfulness of our own hearts. Men may not only say but believe they have faith. The salvation of Christ is a deliverance from sin: he undertakes to subdue our iniquities, and has declared that sin shall not have dominion over his people. If then sin retains its reigning power in my heart while I profess faith in him, what I believe must be another Gospel. On the other hand, ifI find that, amidst much imperfection, he is graciously enabling me to experience, and to manifest the fruits of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, meekness, patience, &c.; that he is teaching me to abhor that which is evil, and to cleave to that which is good; it is an evidence that it is the true grace of God in which I stand. (1 Pet. v. 12.) "My little children," says the Apostle, "let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth; and hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him." (1 John iii. 19.) And another Apostle, having spoken of various Christian graces, says, "he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and has forgotten that he was purged from his old sins." (2 Pet. i. 9.) Yet the latter Apostle describes believers as begotten of him unto a lively hope, by the resurrection of Christ from the dead, and rejoicing in their unseen Saviour with joy unspeakable, and full of glory. (1 Pet. i. 3, 8.) And the Apostle John, throughout the whole epistle in which he speaks of believers assuring their hearts, dwells on the confidence which they have in God, and their faith in the record, that God hath given them eternal life in his Son. (1 John v. 11.) But the faith of believers is not perfect, and therefore is capable of increase, so long as they are in the world; and the more faithful they are in good works, the more they will enjoy of assurance, provided they are simply trusting in Christ, and not partly resting on their good works, as the ground of their hope. Good works tend to increase the Christian's joy in two ways: 1st. They promote his communion with God (1 John i. 7; John xiv. 23). The fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Ghost are inseparably connected (Acts ix. 31). "The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him, and he will shew them his covenant" (Ps. xxv. 14).-2d. They are the genuine effect of faith in Christ, and prove that we are really CHRIST. OBSERV. No. 306. created anew in him. An Israelite, wounded in the wilderness by the fiery flying serpents, believed that by looking to the brazen serpent he should be healed, He is carried to the door of his tent: he raises his languid eyes, and the vigour diffused through his sinking frame assures his heart that this is the finger of God, although he had previously been persuaded that this effect would follow. With respect to the expression applied to the Spirit, "an irresistible power," perhaps it is objectionable, as it may suggest the idea of the Spirit's influencing us in spite of ourselves, while in reality he "makes us willing in the day of his power." Our subjection to satan while he leads us captive at his will, and our being drawn to Christ by the Father, are both in perfect accordance with our rational and accountable nature. In neither are we led against our will; and in like manner all the exhortations addressed to believers, the cautions and warnings are all necessary so far, from being inconsistent with the apostolic declaration that it is God who worketh in us to will and to do of his good pleasure; it is this alone which gives them efficacy, rendering them effectual for the accomplishment of the Divine purpose, to bring his people to glory, The Apostle speaks of the truth working effectually in those who believe; and this is what M. Malan meant by the term "irresistible." "I will say, it is my people; they shall say, The Lord is my God." (Zech. xiii. 9.) As to the Jews resisting the Holy Ghost (Acts vii, 51), the martyr is not speaking of the internal operation of the Spirit, but of their continual opposition to God who "testified against them by his Spirit in the Prophets." (Neb. ix. 30.) These remarks have extended farther than I intended, but I trust the importance of the subject will plead my excuse. I. A. H. 2 U FAMILY SERMONS.-No. CCXXII.* - 1 Kings xviii. 21.. And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long hall ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow Him: but if Baal, then follow him. A MORE striking appeal is scarcely to be found in the whole volume of inspiration. It was delivered under circumstances peculiarly impressive, and by one of the most eminent and most honoured among the prophets. According to the history of the transaction, we are to imagine a vast concourse of people assembled by the command of Ahab, at Mount Carmel: the prophets of Baal, and the prophets of the groves, and the multitudes of Israel. In the presence of this assembly came forth the prophet Elijah: he stood, as he believed, single and unsupported, amidst the thousands of his countrymen: but it was in the name of Jehovah that he appeared, and he addressed them with all the energy of a messenger of God. The sin which he reprehends, is that strange indecision of mind which led them to unite the objects of heathen adoration with the eternal Jehovah ; mixing, with the worship of Him who created the heavens and the earth, an idolatrous regard to the work of their own hands. • We have much pleasure in giving to our readers entire the following discourse, from a volume just published, entitled "Sermons, chiefly practical, preach ed in the Parish Church of Clapham Surrey; by the Rev. W. Dealtry, B. D., F. R. S., Rector of Clapham, and of Wotten, Herts." These sermons justly described as "practical;" and their simplicity, piety, and truly scriptural tone of doctrine, as well as the powerful, though unobtrusive, talent which runs throughout them, entitle them to a high place in the public estimation. We at once shew our own high sense of their are merits, and best enable our readers to judge of them also, by embodying one of them in our pages as a Family Sermon. We have selected the first discourse as excellently calculated for our purpose; though there is scarcely any one in the volume that is not equally valuable. Those times have long since passed away; and to some persons it may appear that, in this age of the world, and under the circumstances in which we are placed, it can answer little purpose to recur to them. We are not planted in the midst of heathen nations, that we should be tempted to follow their example of idolatry: the danger is not now lest we bow the knee to Baal: yet the principle itself may be very powerful in its influence, and very fatal in its effects, even in the heart of a Christian country, and the bosom of a Christian church. Wherever we look, we cannot but discover a great want of that sincere, and pure, and undivided spirit of religion, which is essential to the faithful worshipper. How many things do we perceive continually joined with religion, the tendency of which is to debase its character and to lower its excellency! As if the service which God requires were not the service of the heart; as if it were sufficient to render to Him occasional homage, or the worship of the lips, while the general feelings of the mind are at variance with our professions ! If the prophet, who addressed in these striking words the Israelites at Mount Carmel, were permitted to stand up in a Christian congregation, to how many among ourselves might he direct the same awful appeal, "How long halt ye between two opinions?" What can be the reason of this conduct? And what will be its end? "If the Lord be God, follow Him: but if Baal, then follow him :" make your election; and remember that you must abide by the consequences.' The subject on which I am to address you is indecision in religion; and it is my intention to consider the nature, the grounds, and the unreasonableness of it. Let us endeavour to bring home the subject personally to ourselves, entreating Him, who searches the heart, to give us a right view of our own character, to preserve us from |