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of well disciplined troops; as long as they encamp together, and march under one captain, and one banner, they are not easily overcome. But there is great danger to solitary or straggling soldiers if they go out into the field of danger to spy out the enemies' lines, or even forage out of order; they sometimes fall a prey themselves; they are still exposed to the fire of the enemy, and who knows, but for want of united strength and animation, produced by combined forces, even in the moment of victory, conquerors may become conquered, and the well nigh victors the vanquished.

Epaphras.-Well, my dear Timotheus, for I see the drift of your observations, there can be no objection to the admission of our young friend into the household of faith. Seeing his growth is such, he is entitled to all the privileges of his Father's house, whereby, I do not mean merely to external communion and spiritual advantages, which are open to all, but to the fellowship of the saints, and, specially, to the sacred ordinance of the Lord's Supper; and yet, as you well know, we need much care here, and more circumspection, and an increased measure of christian discipline.

Timotheus. That blessed institution, I well know, is liable to great abuse. Some partake of it from custom; others, from a sense of decency; nay, from mere ignorance, and not knowing better,-supposing it, if not the whole of religion, at least a needful passport to heaven. But in the case of him whom I am now anxious that he should be added to the professed ranks of our church, and be counted one of the children of

God, none of these evils are to be apprehended. He is fighting the good fight of faith; he is strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. He is full of zeal and love to his Saviour, and in every way most exemplary; and yet, while he feels his corruption and humiliation for sin, he lives in the exercises of faith; and, though he has been dealt hardly with by others, I think I may say he still deals even more severely with himself.

For he is thus continually searching his own soul, as I discovered in my late interviews with him. "Oh, what rebellion is in my heart? What depths of iniquity? What do I owe to my Father for all his mercies? If I have a part in his death, do I exemplify the merit of his life? Have I truly received another Spirit besides that with which I was born? Is it not still the spirit of the world, and not the Spirit which is of God; and doth the Spirit witness with my spirit, that I am now a child of God? Am I now hating sin?loving holiness? Do I deny all ungodliness? and have I put away all carnal confidences? What does my profession of Christianity and my religion continue to cost me? What additional sacrifices am I making from love to God? What new acts of self-denial am I incurring for Christ? and, in comparison of whom, say, O my soul, art thou thinking not only meanly, but as insignificant, all things besides."

These, and other ejaculations of the same sort, are habitually with him: may he, therefore, now be admitted to the Lord's table, and so entitled to all the privileges of the children of God?

Epaphras.-You well know I am no friend

to precipitancy in divine things: make no more haste than good speed, is a good old motto; those who act in haste, or do first and think afterwards, have time to repent at leisure

I confess, however, the account you give of our dear absent friend makes me to wish for his presence. These few particulars respecting his progress have given me great pleasure, and may they form another theme of praise and thanksgiving to God. His increasing sense of his own sinfulness is most gratifying: this argues growth in grace, and of itself reports progress; but, though he feels his sinful nature much, yet, need I tell you, it is still much more sinful than he feels. Perhaps the mercy of God is as much shown in hiding the whole of sin from us as in any thing besides. If he were at first, or, indeed, at any one period, to grant what we often pray for, should we survive the sight? Would a weak conscience be able to bear the heavy burden? Would life be supportable if sin were at once seen in all its naked deformity?—should not we sink into despair? But it is a gradual discovery, and wherever there is true grace and spiritual progress, the vilest discovery of self is the last discovery. Moreover, his candid confessions of sins are also great proofs of spiritual growth, for unfeigned confession of sin is a Christian's duty,it is demanded of every one of God's children, and it is accompanied with many benefits; it is the ready way to the pardoning and healing of them; "If we confess our sins, God is faithful to his promise, and true to his word, to forgive us

our daily infirmities for Christ's sake, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

But most cheering is the report which you give of the constant exercises of his faith; and, on this point also, I am now satisfied. Oh, may we never lose sight of this precious faith. When this grace is gone, all is gone : faith relies on all the promises of God,-it looks at all the promises as present, it has the inward consciousness that they are all true. Let him but hold to this anchor, let him, by faith, be built upon this rock of our salvation, even as a superstructure rests upon its foundation, and you shall not only be able to report progress of our mutual friend, but also his great spiritual comfort and strong consolation.

SECTION XIII.

THE SUPPER OF THE LORD.

EPAPHRAS.-PHILEMON.

Epaphras.--We need not the light of revelation, my dear friend, to prove to us our weakness: we Christians feel and lament over it daily the very composition of our nature, without any other evidence, argues our manifold imperfections. We all stand in great need of mutual assistance and co-operation. Man, to adopt the language of architecture, is of the composite order: in his best estate, he is a mixture of animal and spiritual life: hence we infer his imperfection and impurity likewise. God alone is an essence simple and uncompounded; and, consequently, perfect and eternal; but every creature possessing a mixed nature, must, without the divine help, soon run to decay and dissolution.

Philemon.-But when I think, not merely of the rich provision of mercy, but of the whole body of the faithful raised up for mutual benefit, can we ever cease to admire the goodness of our Father in heaven? Once I used to look upon the Almighty in a different light; rather as a being of terror and wrath, than as a God of love; but now I see he is all goodness in Christ-goodness essential and communicative: his very nature is goodness, and he waits to impart it more and more to his creatures: his benevolence is like the

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