When He vacates the soul the world cannot fill it, nature cannot comfort it, the things of time and sense cannot cheer it, the baubles of earth cannot please it; nay, more, when He is feelingly absent there are no sweets in the Word, no power in the Gospel, no corn and wine on the table, no clothing on the back, no shoes on the feet, no health on the countenance, no joy in the heart, no staff in the hand, no word in the mouth; in short, all is naked and void. The earth is without form, the heavens are without order. In and around is one vast chaos. The soul is deserted, the heart is forsaken. What a wretched state of experience! Christ is gone, and all is gone. There is then no dew on our branch, no fruit on our bough, no love in our heart, no grace in our soul, no light in our mind. Like Abraham, we are seized with a horror of great darkness; and yet, amidst it all, “It is well!"

""Tis well when joys arise,

"Tis well when sorrows flow;

"Tis well when darkness veils the skies,

And strong temptations blow."

Everything is beautiful in this season because "all are yours, ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's."

"Could we see how all is right,

Where were room for credence?
But by faith, and not by sight,
Christians yield obedience."

The way of faith is a very safe path, but it is one in which flesh and sense cannot travel. "We walk by faith, and not by sight," and yet we 66 endure as seeing Him who is invisible: "Whom having not seen by sense] we love; in whom, though now we see Him not, yet believing, we rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." "Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." The Lord does not intend that we should always enjoy His comfortable presence, but He intends that we should be called upon to endure hardness. Were He always feelingly with us, the inhabitants of this world would not be able to bear our company at all. As it is, they scarcely know what to do with us; for, when the Lord is present, we do not want to mingle with the busy throng, and, when He is absent, we so

Thus

that we are not at home with "the children of this generation.'
the Lord spoils us for earth, and unfits us for the natural society of formal
professors. Like Noah's dove, there is no room for our spiritual foot
upon this sin-polluted earth. The place whereon we stand by faith is
holy ground. It is none other than the house of God; it is truly the very
gate of heaven. He makes the place of His feet glorious, and His pre-
sence drops fatness in our heart. His flesh is meat indeed, and His blood
is drink indeed. How sweet is His love!

""Tis oil and 'tis honey, 'tis milk and 'tis wine,
'Tis food all immortal, 'tis food all divine.”

I am pleased to hear that you are progressing in bodily health, though it be but slowly. Yours has been a long affliction, but it appears to have been a blessed one. It has been weighed and measured by Him who

never errs and never sleeps, and He has dealt very bountifully with you. The bitterest dreg in our cup of sorrows contains the sweet of His heartlove. There is no curse in our cup. His was full. There is no wrath gone out against us from God, though we may be called upon to endure a hell upon earth. 'Fury is not in me," says the Man of Sorrows to His sorrowing help-meet. "I have trodden the wine-press alone," says the Bridegroom to His weeping Bride. "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed, for I am thy God," says the Brother born for adversity to His sister spouse. "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn," says the heavenly Lover to His trembling and fearing love. "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee," says the glorious Husband to His confiding wife. "A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee," says the mighty God of Jacob to His own ever-loved Hephzibah and ever-cared-for Beulah.

"What more can He say than to her He has said?" the question from the third person to the second,

And, to transfer

"What more can He say than to you He has said?" Beloved, you are highly favoured, because you are the bride, the Lamb's wife; because you are the sister spouse of Him who is a mighty man of wealth; because you are

"The darling of His loving heart,
The apple of His eye."

He says,

"Thou

You are unblameable

He sees no evil in you; He beholds no spot upon you. art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee." and unrebukable in His sight. Indeed, you are the perfection of beauty in Him. Comely you are through His comeliness imputed; beautiful you are through His beauty imparted. "Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners." This is Love's description of Love's bride. This is Wisdom's description of His child. This is the Lord's description of you, beloved in Him. "Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon." How cheering the invitation! How hearty the welcome! "Come with me!" O highly-favoured child of God! O greatly privileged bride of Jesus!

How few, beloved, know what it is to hear the voice of Jesus! How very few have the word of God with their religion! A portion from the heart of the God of truth, a word with power from the lips of truth, a promise sealed home by the Spirit of truth, is a secret hidden from all living the dead life of creature-holiness and natural perfection. Talk to even free-grace professors about a word with power, your conversation will soon become irksome to them. Why is this? Because but here and there one can enter the inner court of the King's palace, but few dwell in the secret place of the Most High: hence they cannot abide under the

shadow of the Almighty. "Blessed are your eyes, for they see," says Jesus and what do they see? They see that

They see that their names are enrolled in His book, inscribed upon His heart, engraven upon the palms of His hands: they see that

66 Whom once He loves, He never leaves,

But loves him to the end."

They see that their oneness with Him is so real, that their union to Him is so vital, and that their relationship is so everlasting, that "many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it;" they see, moreover, that His love is so fervent, and His affection so constant, that, when they shall have travelled every step of their wilderness journey, when every grain of their time sand-glass shall have run out, and when the brittle thread of their mortal existence shall have snapped asunder, He will come again, and receive them finally and fully, freely and joyously unto Himself, that where He is in eternal glory, there they may be also in everlasting refulgence. They see, also, that they have not an enemy upon this terraqueous globe that can do them the least injury, that there is not a mortal creature or an infernal spirit who possesses the least power to prejudice their Lord against them, and that, though their foes might be ten thousand times more numerous than they are, they would all fly before their Bridegroom beloved like chaff before the wind. They see, and sometimes most clearly, too, that all the heart-love and soulaffection of Jesus is directed toward them, that it forms a warm wall of protection and of defence around them, and that it will protect and guard them throughout their whole wilderness pilgrimage, and finally convey them, amidst a halo of glory, into uncreated bliss and unlimited blessedness. They see with doves' eyes that the heart of Jesus ever beats toward them, that the mind of Christ ever rests upon them, that the care of the great and chief Shepherd is ever over them, that the blessing of the Bishop of their souls is ever with them, and that their great High Priest is ever touched with the feeling of their infirmities, and continually remembers that in and of themselves they are but dust. To Him they can joyously say,

"Bruised Bridegroom, take us wholly,
Take and make us what Thou wilt."

They see, and feel as well, that they cannot have a trial too many, a trouble too great, a lot too crooked, a pathway too dark, a road too intricate, a way too dreary, a spirit too much overwhelmed, a heart too much torn and rent, a mind too desponding, an enemy too envious, a foe too fierce, a friend too unkind, a relative too cruel, a companion too cross, or a case too hard for the Lord to manage. They believe thoroughly, heartily, and sincerely believe-that,

They see-sometimes, at least, when the shadows flee away-that all the Lord's thoughts towards them are entirely those of peace and love, that He ever keeps them in His eye and in His heart, and that the darkest cloud contains the brightest blessing to their souls. Satan, at such

Indeed,

seasons, has not power enough at command to make them think that the Lord's love can ever cool, that His heart can ever be steeled against them, that His eye can ever slumber, that His faithfulness can ever flag, that His arm can ever yield, that His covenant can ever be broken, that His oath can ever fail, or that His word can ever fall to the ground. there are times and seasons, in living and loving experience, when the feet stand so firmly on the rock, when the eyes are so intently fixed on Jesus, when the mind is so blessedly stayed upon the Lord, when the soul is so sweetly settled upon the Lamb of God, when the understanding is so brilliantly illuminated with the light of life, and when the thoughts are so absorbed in the Beloved, that earth with all its charms cannot allure; that sin, with all its defilement, cannot depress; that the world, with all its snares, cannot entangle; that Satan, with all his wiles, cannot distress; that the flesh, with all its ailments, cannot weary; that life, with all its cares and its callings, cannot bewilder; that foes, with all their enmity, cannot frighten; that friends, with all their love and kindness, cannot ensnare; and that death, with all its terrible consequences, cannot appal. These are favourable times for the child of God, hallowed seasons to the heir of heaven. Would that they were more frequent! Would that they were of longer duration! However, let the time or season be what it may, it is

"Sweet to lie passive in His hand,

And know no will but His."

But we possess a nature which has a will most opposite to the Lord'sa mind which is at enmity with God; and this nature is a leper throughout, this will is altogether perverse, this mind is ignorant of heavenly secrets. "Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God;" "That which is born of the flesh is flesh." The natural flesh of a child of God is not better than that of the reprobate. Both are equally defiled, and are equal strangers to the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. Our unionlife with Christ is exclusively spiritual; our communion with Jesus is entirely supernatural. The life of faith that we live in the flesh is not a life of the flesh. It is a spiritual life in the inner man; it is a hidden life, a secret life; it is a high life, a love life, a light life, a pure life, a sacred life, a superhuman life, and a perfect and spotless life. It is Christ-our life who lives in us; and to live in Him-our life-is to live a life unspotted from the world. It is a life of purity and holiness. It is hid with Christ in God. Indeed, we are—

"Saved in the Lord-for ever saved,

And in life's bundle bound."

But, beloved, for the present I must close. I need not say how pleased we shall be to hear from you; and, if I do not write to you instantly, it will not be for want of will, but on account of the absence of power.

May you enjoy much of His felt presence whilst sojourning at Cand may He make up to you abundantly the loss of outward means! May He be better to you, and more to you than ten sermons every day during your stay there, if His dear will and kind good pleasure! With our united very best pure love, believe me to be, as ever,

Affectionately yours in Him,

JEDIDIAH.

STRAY THOUGHTS.

How many needs have they for whom Jesus pleads! The Holy Spirit leads those for whom Jesus pleads, and Jesus pleads for those whom the blessed Spirit leads. No pleading no leading.

The Lord will never fail those whom He teaches, that they are frail. He will not fail the frail.

Those who are made meek by the Lord are made meet for Him. Those who are made meek by His grace are made meet for His glory.

Where there is no evidence that a person has been made meek by grace, there is no proof that he has been made meet for glory. Meekness and meetness are not far apart; both are the works of God.

The God of heaven can alone make a sinner meet for it.
Those whom the Lord makes strong will not be on the earth long.
The child of God sometimes feels black, slack, and flat.

Nothing gives the believer such good cheer as to feel the Lord is near. The fear of the Lord's frown will cast him down.

A man may have wet eyes, and not spiritual cries. Esau had. A man may pray, and not be in the right way. Balaam did (Num. xxiii. 10). Those who love God will not escape the rod.

Those who have the true light will not always feel very bright.

Those who are truly Godly, will sometimes, in the world's esteem, act very oddly.

Those who seek the Lord will not slight His Word. slighters.

Seekers are not

Those who are weak, are strengthened when they hear the Good Shepherd speak. The Good Shepherd's voice makes them rejoice.

The world's best cannot give the Christian true rest.

The Lord can make His face to shine on those who always feel behind. That person is well-employed who is speaking, or writing, what the Holy Spirit is inditing.

Wise men are often despised men.

A thankful man is usually a thoughtful man.

There is not much thankfulness where there is no thoughtfulness.

Those will "win Christ" who are saved from their sins by Him.
Unless the Lord shine I cannot feel He is mine.

Closeness and moroseness often go together.

Those who are born from above will not long together have things very smooth.

Those whom the Lord awakes He never forsakes.

It is a sign the Lord hath spoken when the sinner feels his heart to be broken. It is a good token when a sinner's heart is broken. When the Lord breaks the sinner quakes.

There is none too much peace in that house where the husband is a screw, and the wife a shrew.

A healing time is a feeling one.

If the Lord smile, the soul cries out, "Behold, I am vile.”

The Lord Jesus, in His sufferings, was overwhelmed with calamities. His people, when the work of grace begins, are overwhelmed with convictions; and when a sense of blood-bought pardon is given, they are overwhelmed with consolations. Convictions first; consolations next. This is the Holy Spirit's grand order of things in regard to His gracious dealings with His chosen people.