Much of practical christianity consists in exercises of this kind. See James i. 27.

"I will here mention, as a warning to youth, a matter which has often distressed me in advanced life. My father, in his last sickness, had a bottle of mouth water, which some days before his death got broken by accident. He requested me to provide more,-but, either through forgetfulness or want of time, it was neglected. This may appear a sua thing to others, as it did to me at the time-yet it has been to me since a matter of the most painful reflection. It was a want of filial duty, a sin base in its nature and highly offensive to God, and which is often punished in this life. I lament the great degree of self-seeking and self-sufficiency which have often prevailed in my performance of religious duties. This is making self the object of our worship, and is as contemptible and as criminal a species of idolatry as any practised by the ancient Syrians, or Grecians, or Romans, or is now practised by any Pagan nation on the earth. I lament my frequently making my feelings, instead of the word of God, my rule of duty, to the neglect in a good degree of the duties of my station. I lament also my being too much under the influence of partyism and bigotry, though long since convinced in my judgment of its impropriety.

"These things often oppress my mind, and thicken the gloom of the valley of the shadow of death. They of ten make me think of the propriety of going mourning to the grave, and excite a kind of desire to do so. They do not, however, sink me into despair. I hope to land in the regions of glory, through the free grace and mercy

of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Yet I often think I shall be ashamed to shew my head there. I shall be particularly ashamed that it should be known there that ever I was a minister of the gospel of Christ. Amongst all the mansions of our Father's house, I cannot imagine one suitable to the reception of so unwor thy a guest. But worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

Come, let us join our cheerful songs
With angels round the throne:

Ten thousand thousand are their tongues,
But all their joys are one.

"Worthy the Lamb that died," they cry,
To be exalted thus;

"Worthy the Lamb," our lips reply,
For he was slain for us.

Jesus is worthy to receive
Honour and pow'r divine:

And blessings more than we can give,
Be, Lord, forever thine.

Let all that dwell above the sky,
And air, and earth, and seas,
Conspire to lift thy glories high,
And speak thine endless praise.

The whole creation join in one,
To bless the sacred name
Of him that sits upon the throne,
And to adore the Lamb.

Watt's Hymns, Book I. 62.

*In this time of mournful reflection I often feel myself disposed to set myself up as a beacon to warn my fellow professors and brethren in the ministerial office, particularly of the rocks against which I have dashed, and of the quicksands in which I have suuk. I am often thinkng what it is which has brought us into such a wretched state, and conclude, on the whole, that we have lost the true spirit of christianity, and mingled it with the spirit of the world. We have taken up religion by scraps and fragments. Some making it consist in one thing, and some in another, when it is a uniform connected system. We have done with religion what the heathens did with the object of worship. We have formed and moulded it so as to suit our own depraved natures. Some of us have made it to consist chiefly in an orthodox creed—some in a regular external behaviour-some in a certain set of religious experiences-some in a flaming zeal for certain sentiments or particular practices-some in a very punctual observance of the external forms of worship-some in an unbounded charity, which entertains hopes of all, let their sentiments and conduct be what they may. Thus our ideas of religion being broken into fragments, they never lead us into uniformity and consistency of conduct and scarcely one is to be found who even professes to observe alt God's commandments.

“I often feel an earnest desire to address my fellow creatures on these subjects. But I find my day is past, that I have neither strength of body nor strength of mind to perform it. Hence I can only lament over myself and others, and, as standing on the verge of the

grave, earnestly entreat that we should consider whether it is probable that we shall live useful lives, enjoy the comforts of religion in our day, or die a comfortable death, unless the fallow ground of our hearts be broken up, and we cease to sow among thorns.

"I know nothing short of the Almighty power of divine grace which can produce this change. Yet God ordinarily works by the use of means; and these means he hath put into our power. We should then guard against every thing in our hearts and lives that opposes the work of God's grace, and be diligent in the use of all appointed means, with resolution to persevere therein to the end. Especially we should be careful to search the sacred scriptures, and form our notions of religion from them, and not from any man or set of men, or sect of christians whatever. We often attend more to human authors, and to our fellow creatures, though they be ignorant, than to the oracles of God. This is a great and God-dishonouring error. Thus it is that the divine life languishes in our souls, we live unprofitable lives, and prove a real injury to the cause of Christ, and a stumbling block to the unbelieving and profane. I have often thought that the professors and members of the present day, instead of being burning and shinng lights to animate and enlighten all around them, are like rocks of ice that chill the air and freeze every thing which comes in contact with them.

"While we consider these things, let us humble ourselves before God our Maker. But let us not despair either of our own particular religious prosperity, or of the prosperity of the cause of religion in general.

There is balm in Gilead, and a physician there. There is a fountain opened in our world for the house of Da vid and the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. There are many great and precious and absolute promises made in God's word, to which the most needy may look, whether in a converted or in an unconverted state. Who is there among you that feareth the Lord, and obeyeth the voice of his servant, and walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment, but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy upon thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer. Ho every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money, come buy wine and milk without money and without price. Incline your ear and come unto me, hear and your soul shall live, and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Behold I have refined thee but not with silver, I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. will I sprinkle clean waters upon you, and ye shall be clean; from all your filthiness and from all your idols will I cleanse you: a new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you, and I will take, away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh, and I will put my spirit within you, and I will cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments and do them. Be not afraid, it is I. Reach hither thy finger and put it into the print of the nails, and thrust thy hand into my side, and be not faithless but believing, I am he that liveth and was

Then