trite heart, by Divine grace was enabled to say, "Effectual calling was the work of God's Spirit, whereby convincing me of my sin and misery, enlightening my mind in the knowledge of Christ, and renewing my will, he did persuade and enable me to embrace Jesus Christ, freely offered to me in the Gospel." The scene is described as having been truly affecting; and would to God that he would raise up more in our churches, families, and schools, who could, from the heart, give a similar declaration.

In conclusion, God himself hath now declared to you that sin is the transgression of his law, and that eternal death is the portion of him who is guilty of it. He declares that you have sinned, and are exposed to this awful condemnation; that his Eternal Son has become a Saviour by his perfect obedience and atoning death, and that he offers, through him, the remission of sins and restoration to his favour; that he who believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, and that he who believeth not shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him; that, nevertheless, no man of himself sees his need of Christ, and that all men reject his proffered mercy; that, in fulfilment of God's eternal purpose to give salvation by Christ Jesus, the Holy Spirit awakens sinners to a sense of their danger, and leads them to believe on the Son, "in whom they have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins," Col. i. 14. And now your own consciences must suggest how important it is that you should ascertain whether you have been brought into this state, and how necessary, according to the exhortation of the apostle, that you

VIII. “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith, and prove your own selves," 2 Cor. xiii. 5.

What duty, indeed, so momentous, and requiring such immediate and solemn regard, as this of self-examination? Standing, as you are, on the brink of an awful eternity, not knowing but that this very night you may be summoned into it, and remembering the words of Christ, that " He who believeth shall be saved, and he who believeth not shall be condemned," Mark xvi. 16; how earnestly should you inquire whether you have been enabled to believe in Christ or not, and are now in a saving union to him!

Let the inquiry, therefore, be made; and let such questions as the following be proposed, which the previous statements will suggest-Have I been awakened to a sense of my guilty and ruined condition? Have I seen my utter helplessness, and that without a Saviour I shall sink and perish; and have I beheld "the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world?" John i. 29. Have I come to the fountain of his blood, that I

might be washed and sanctified; and have I experienced a change of heart; and do I manifest that purity, consistency, and growing holiness of life, which are the sure attendants of faith? Not only examine, but prove yourselves, says the apostle, 2 Cor. xiii. 5. Let it be a deliberate, serious, earnest, searching inquiry, with the Word of God in your hands, and with such a prayer as the Psalmist's: "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts; and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting," Psalm cxxxix. 23. And if you should have never come to Christ in earnestness and faith, consider the condition in which you are, and that if you die in it, you will die under the terrible burden of innumerable unpardoned transgressions, and exposed to all the consequences of God's unremoved wrath. Be thankful that you have not been cut down in such a state; that "God is still long-suffering towards you; not willing that you should perish, but be brought to repentance," 2 Pet. iii. 9; and that Christ is now exalted a Prince and a Saviour, to grant you this repentance and remission of sins, Acts v. 31. Nay, Christ is nearer you than heaven. "Behold," he says, "I stand at the door and knock; and if any man open to me, I will come in to him, and sup with him, and he with me," Rev. iii. 20. He is now knocking at the door of your hearts, and seeking to come in, that he may abide with you, and be your Redeemer and your portion for ever. Will you refuse entrance to the Son of God, the compassionate Saviour? Be it your earnest prayer that the Holy Spirit would open your hearts, so that Christ, the King of Glory, may enter in and abide there, the pledge and the beginning of a blessed and everlasting communion! every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you," Luke xi. 9, 10.

"For

J. F. SHAW, BOOKSELLER, SOUTHAMPTON ROW, LONDON.

J. & W. Rider, Printers, 14, Bartholomew Close, London

HINTS FOR CHRISTIAN PRACTICE.

[THE following letter was addressed to a dear friend by the late Rev. H Venn, successively the Vicar of Huddersfield, and Rector of Yelling, Huntingdonshire. Eminently devoted to the service of his Lord and Master, he watched for souls as one "who must give account." Possessed too of a deep and experimental acquaintance with those truths which concern the welfare of the soul, and the glory of God, he loved to communicate to others what he had found to be helpful to his own piety, and to direct them into those paths in which he had himself derived spiritual benefit. He entered into his rest on the 24th June, 1797; but many precious memorials remain of his anxiety for the promotion of personal religion in those around him. From these the following is selected, in the hope that, by the blessing of God, the suggestions which it contains may be found useful to those who need direction as to Christian practice, and tend to confirm the habits of those who have adopted such plans as this letter recommends.]

DEAR SIR,-I cannot leave Shropshire without giving you joy, on your knowledge of Christ, and determination to live in his service. This connects us more closely than if we had sprung immediately from the same parents; for, in numberless instances, own brothers will be separated from each other, far as heaven from hell; but all who love the Lord Jesus, shall dwell for ever with him. Love to him and your soul, prompts me to lay before you a few hints, furnished from long service in the church of Christ; which, had I received on my entrance into it, might have preserved me from many hurtful mistakes.

Your Christian calling is a warfare, where no quarter can be given on either side. If you prove faithful unto death, angels will receive your departing soul; eternal glory will be your crown; the armies of the saved will receive you with transport, as a soul ransomed with that precious blood to which they owe their all; and the Redeemer's presence will be your heaven for evermore. Should you forsake his service, or hold secret correspondence with his foes, you must be punished, like them, with eternal infamy in hell.

The enemies you have to oppose and conquer, will probably

be, first, your former intimate friends and nearest relations, whose polite conversation and affection for you have been so pleasing; for, till their judgment of sin, true religion, and man's chief good, are formed from Scripture, as your own now is, they must both despise and hate the way of life in which you must persist. With these opposers your corrupt nature will take part, and the subtle destroyer, who has been long practised in arts and wiles to compass the ruin of immortal souls. In this perilous condition you have joined yourself (effectually influenced by his grace) to Christ, as your leader and commander. Under his banner, diligently using the means he in tenderest love enjoins, you are confidently to expect both protection and victory. These means are:-secret prayer-study of the Biblepublic worship-hearing faithful preachers-Christian society -and much retirement.

1. Secret prayer, at stated times, was constantly practised by our Lord. "At evening," says he, "and morning, and noonday, will I cry unto thee, and that instantly; and thou shalt hear my prayer." All his illustrious saints have done the same. Indeed, stated times of prayer are no less needful to make the soul flourish, than stated meals to keep the body in health. Wilfully to neglect, is to walk contrary to the example of Christ and his saints. Yet stated times of secret prayer will grow tiresome, and prove of no use, unless you take pains to present yourself a worshipper before the Lord in spirit and in truth, by looking up and begging that the spirit of grace and supplication may be poured out on your soul. But when you duly observe stated times of secret prayer, be not cast down because you will sometimes find darkness of mind, and know not even what to ask; or because you feel your faith very weak, much backwardness to pray, and a swarm of idle thoughts oppressing you. Do not, on this account, leave off your constant devotions, nor question whether they will profit your soul. It is much for your good, that your own experience should confirm what the word of God and his people teach, that you are weak and poor, always standing in absolute need of the mercy of God, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Ghost.

On the contrary, beware of being elated on account of great enlargement of heart and spiritual joy, which you will find sometimes flow in upon your soul. Should this favour lead you to think highly of yourself, carelessness first, and then a miserable fall, will follow; for self-exalting thoughts always defile the soul, and grieve the Spirit of God: neither can any dependence, as to future safety, be justly built exclusively on what has passed in our minds. Witness the noble confession

Peter made of his faith in Christ one hour, and the astonishing reprimand he received the next: "Get thee behind me, Satan ! thou art an offence unto me.' These sweet sensations of spiritual joy realize to us some of the precious promises made to believers in Christ; and are designed to allure us, not to excite a conceit of anything good in ourselves.

2. To secret prayer you will join devout study of the Bible; because it is our infallible guide, and the treasury of all truth necessary to salvation. But the riches laid up there, are not to be found by proud or careless minds: none possess them, till they "dig for them as for silver;" longing to know the will of God, that they may do it. To superficial readers, the Bible presents little more than a great number of duties which must be performed, and sins which must be renounced; with insupportable pains in failure of obedience; passages of excellent use when believed, as they at once rouse the selfish soul of man to seek reconciliation with God and help from heaven, and sweep away every refuge of lies, under which love of sin leads us to take shelter. But earnest and devout readers of their Bible discover much more: they discover the tender heart of Christ; the efficacy of his blood to cleanse from all unrighteousness; and a variety of spiritual blessings, which are the present reward of being true-hearted in his service. I am at a loss for words to express how much solid knowledge, transforming your mind into the Divine image, you will certainly gain, by persevering in diligent prayer, year after year, for the true interpretation of God's blessed word, that you may be made wise and holy. A pattern is plainly set before us in these memorable petitions-may they come from our hearts, and ever dwell upon our tongues:-"I am a stranger upon earth, (very soon to leave it, therefore its riches and honours cannot profit me); O hide not thy commandments from me," (which will enrich me for ever).-Open thou my eyes, that I may see wondrous things in thy law." Thy hands have formed and fashioned me: O give me understanding, that I may know thy law," Ps. cxix. This method of reading the Bible must be continued through life, especially whilst the capital truths of the Bible are before our eyes. By this means we have an absolute security from abusing any part of the word of God. And those who, as if they knew enough, neglect to persevere in prayer that they may be taught by the Spirit of God what is contained in his holy word, fall into pernicious errors, wrest some passages of Scripture to contradict others, or grow violently zealous for doctrines, but very cold respecting that heavenly-mindedness which those doctrines are revealed to produce. Our profiting