absolute immediate renunciation of sin, and a perpetual, full obedience, and that every thing short of such a purpose is prevarication, rebellion, misery, death.

The shame and disgrace of a certain error in life, though unattended with guilt, gives me more sensible compunction and sorrow of heart than all the sins I ever committed. I feel in this instance how I should be affected towards God on account of sin, and am not. That error seizing upon the mind as irretrievable is a resemblance of hell, and with the blessing of God, may be the means of keeping me out of it, by leading me to consider what other errors may be retrievable.

Shut up in self, like a toad in a hole, and as full of venom.

It is my own fault if I do not profit by the defects of others, by taking occasion from them to prove and exercise my own virtue. The question should be, What kind of sentiment or behaviour does the case require?

What has the day done for me? Has it set me nearer heaven? Has it brought in an increase of knowledge and virtue? Has it been devoted to the service of God and man, or spent in sensuality and self-pleasing?

I am grievously offended with my parishioners, because they will not contribute to my reputation in the world, by being converted by me. Lord, let thy Spirit go with me into the depth of my heart, to show me more and more of its deceit and desperate wickedness.

I plainly perceive that I have horribly abused gospel-grace, if not to an allowance of sin, yet to make me less fearful of it, and keep off the Spirit's reproof.

In all the good I do, I have little thought but of pleasing and enjoying myself. The inquiry is, How I shall find my account in such an action or

course of life, in respect of ease and self-satisfaction? and if duty will not pay me something in hand, it is a hundred to one I baulk it. The point should be, not what will please myself, but God. The time and manner of enjoyment may be left to him. It appears also from hence, that the supposing virtue to be its own reward, is destructive of Christian hope; and not the way to secure the interests of virtue, but an unsteady, fallacious principle of action, which would oftener lead us from what is right, than to it.

I shall never think I live, till I desire to live no longer.

Some fix their eyes so much upon the atonement of the cross, as to be blind to the example of it; others so much upon the example, as to undervalue the atonement of it. It is a happy art and the Christian's work, to avoid both extremes. For my own part, I find I am more willing that Christ should take me unto himself for the communication of his benefits, than I am to take him into my heart with his pure commands, strict discipline, self-denial, and suffering spirit.

If proclaiming my life before men and angels, will be proclaiming the glory of saving grace, let it be done. I do not desire to have one sinful act, word, or thought concealed. Forgiveness through the blood of Christ, will be to myself an endless spring of admiration, love, and thanksgiving; and the blessed company of heaven will join with me in praising God and the Lamb for it to all eternity.

CHAPTER II.

THE SCRIPTURES.

I DREAMED I saw Christ curing a distempered person. I immediately applied to him for my own healing. He asked, In what respect? I answered, 'I want spiritual healing and forgiveness of sins.' He seemed to doubt whether I truly desired it. I fell upon my knees and besought him earnestly; on which he said, with a gracious look, "Thy sins are forgiven thee; go and sin no more." I was transported at the words, and wept tears of joy in great abundance. My reflection on waking was, that I had as full assurance from the word of God of the remission of sins, and as plain a command to sin no more, as if it were spoken to me by a voice from heaven, or by Christ himself in person. "If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead."

St. Austin, in his confessions, b. xii. cap. 26, delivers himself to this purpose; 'If I had been enjoined by God to write the book of Genesis, I should have chosen to have composed it in such a manner for depth and eloquence, that they who did not understand creation, should nevertheless not be able to reject it for being above their capacity; and that whatever different truths any man, or number of men, might discover, or have discovered to them, should be contained in the conciseness of the text.' This

shows a vast reach of thought in St. Austin, and opens to us an amazing extent of truth in Scripture, and seems to have been his real opinion of the book of Genesis.

The Scripture is light and truth from God; a clue put into my hands by him, to guide me through the mazes of darkness and error; the instrument he works with in the destruction of sin and purification of my nature; and if I do but receive it as such, I am sure he will bless it to me in such ways as he knows to be best for me. My only prayer to the Father of mercies and God of all consolation is, that he would give me a full conviction and certain apprehension of my faith, and sincerity in the use of it; and all the rest, the measure of illumination, sensible comforts, and worldly accommodations, I leave cheerfully to him,

Some people lie at catch with Scripture, for examples or expressions to countenance their corruption.

The design of the Christian religion is to change men's views, lives, and tempers. But how?-by the superior excellence of its precepts? by the weight of its exhortations, or the promise of its rewards? No; but by convincing men of their wretched guilt, blindness, and impotence; by inculcating the necessity of remission, supernatural light and assistance, and actually promising and conveying these blessings. And if it does not prove its divinity by its efficacy, let it be condemned as an imposture. This was one of its most operative, convincing proofs at the beginning, and certainly is its greatest abiding proof.

The Scripture sends me to my heart; and my heart, well-known and considered, sends me back again to the Scripture, with great advantage for the understanding of it.

It may be a dangerous snare to me, and I may go mourning all my life long, if I expect any thing from God that he has never promised.

Eve was sadly mistaken in Cain, when she said she had gotten the man Jehovah, the promised seed, and had got no better than a murderer. Perhaps this is a common mistake; and men think they have Christ, when they have nothing in them but the spirit of Cain.

If we heard a voice from heaven, it would reveal no new Scripture to us; it would send us to the law and the testimony. Why then should we not adhere to the word, and make a diligent use of it without? We should, if we believed it.

The religion of most men is fixed from nature, that is, worldly ease and convenience before they come to the reading of the Scripture. The consequence is plain-in all points where it exceeds their standard, it will be pared away.

With what a mixture of fear, reverence, and holy joy, should we open the Bible! the book of truth and happiness! God's heart opened to man! and yet the whole and every part of it secreted from him, and hid under an impenetrable veil, till he opens his heart to God.

Before the coming of Christ, the law and the Gospel were in one, but the latter so hid under the former, that it was matter of some difficulty to discern it. After his coming, the Gospel-part of the law was taken out of it, and separated from it, and by being placed apart, in a conspicuous point of view, reflected back its own lustre upon the law, discovered plainly that it was in it, and gave it a strength and vigour which it never had before.

"The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God;" consequently the wisdom of God is foolishness with man. The consequence of both is plainall who adhere to divine wisdom and illumination, must necessarily be fools in the eye of the world.

The Scripture is unto us what the star was to the wise men; but if we spend all our time in gazing upon it, observing its motions, and admiring its