Liturgy and Books of Ordination, which should make it unlawful to him to live in peaceful communion with her.' Doubtless we must aim at the highest conformity to the divine standard. Yet it is no proof of true wisdom to contemplate an ideal perfection-wholly inconsistent with the analogy of the present economy, and unwarranted by any scriptural expectation. This course marks the restless theorist not the sober practical Christian-and leaves him, after wearying himself with incessant and fruitless labour, no other resource than that of forming a church after his own model-and ultimately becoming a church to himself. It may be a question, whether a state perfectly free from all entanglement of conscience, is to expected here. At all events the present path is sufficiently clearto continue to look for clearer light on the path in which our God has called and accepted our work-and to be continually applying to the blood of atonement for the covering of infirmities, and even the healing of any wounds of conscience, which may possibly be connected with the ministration of an imperfect church in an imperfect state of things.

But to return to Boos,-we may now inquire more fully into the substance of his preaching, and the detailed view of his doctrine, which called forth (as will be seen from his life) the persevering hostility of his own church, and was honoured with an extensive influence of divine unction and blessing.

From a volume of his letters, not yet translated, we present a specimen, which will serve our purpose. It was written during the period of his first imprisonment.

'Augsburg, Dec. 8, 1797.

'He that seeks to make more of us than that which we really are, sinners, and utterly unable of ourselves to perform anything good, is a liar, and of his father, the devil. In our very best estate, we are nothing but poor and miser

able sinners, and yet at the same time, saved and adopted children through Christ.

Hypocrisy, sanctimoniousness, and dissimulation are doubtless of infernal origin, for they are certainly not divine. The arch-enemy of Jesus, that pride which we all possess, often puts on the mask of piety, in order not to be turned entirely out of the house, and says, ' I am a Christian; I go to church and sacrament.' In this manner he builds a house of sand from the materials of his own righteousness, at a distance from the rock Christ, which he renders useless and superfluous. The devil alone is able to build with such pious deceit; and hence it is, that under the best works the greatest sins lie concealed, and that God is far more insulted and dishonoured by the specious piety of many pious people, than even by the viciousness of the wicked. God be praised, that the light which has risen upon you has discovered the subtle web, which nature and Satan weave over the human soul, and has rent it before your eyes! For it is only thus that Christ can gain the ascendancy. The old house must first be demolished before a new one can be built. Everything that is not founded on the rock Christ must fall down upon our heads, and we must no longer be able to retain our footing upon any thing; then it is that we make the transition from Satan, the world, and self, to Christ, the sure foundation. Deo gratias!

'The Lord, at your request, has kindly shown you all your defilement, sin, and nothingness. This was certainly his doing. He seeks to make us nothing and poor in spirit, that he may give us himself and all his righteousness. This you must lay hold of, and unhesitatingly take and appropriate to yourself, not because you deserve it, but because you stand in need of it, and have no other resource, and also because he is so willing and able to give it to children. And if you are not bold enough directly to take and appropriate it to yourself on account of what Jesus Christ has suffered for you, you must weep and beg for it like a child.

But however difficult this art is in itself, children find it the easiest.

'When the Holy Spirit examines our consciences with us, he also soon shows us the remedy, points us immediately to Christ, as made unto us righteousness, and thus he alone is sufficient for us. But if Satan examines our consciences with us, or Moses, he points out no Christ for us, no means of escape, but only wrath, requirements, and sin. If he should ever come to you in this manner, grant him that you are all that which it is possible for him to imagine. But then show him Christ dying on the cross for you, and the inquisitor will take to flight, and the examination terminate.

' In ourselves we have less than nothing. Hence Christ receives us, not for the sake of our virtues, but of our worthlessness, in order that he may form us anew. "He regarded the low estate of his handmaiden.” Yet still, he will often appear to leave you alone, and even let Satan loose upon you, in order to tempt, exercise, and try you in this desert, and assault your faith. For this there is a needs-be. Jesus, after receiving the baptism of John, was also led into the desert, suffered both a bodily and spiritual hunger, and the tempter appeared. It is necessary that our faith should be put to the test; otherwise we shall not know that to appropriate and retain firm hold of faith, Christ, and his righteousness, is the hardest thing in the world. Untried faith is a mutable faith, I had almost said, is no faith. Jesus did not always continue with his disciples at the marriage-feast in Cana; he went with them likewise to Jerusalem, on the sea, &c. This we cannot at such times comprehend; we think that the spiritual joy at Christ's entry into the heart, should always continue; but this would not be good for us; the earthly-minded part of us must be nailed with Christ to the cross, and the temple be cleansed from its pollutions, in order that the tabernacle of God may be continually in us.

'Your Adam supposed that his sanctity ought to have been apparent to every one; which makes me smile. The kingdom of heaven cometh not with observation, nor does it show itself in the face; otherwise Jesus would not have been crucified. It is hidden within, as it were in a stable with oxen and asses. There is nothing attractive and desireable, but, on the contrary, much that is offensive in those that possess it, (Isaiah liii. 2); nor can it be immediately appended or communicated to the first individual that comes in our way. We must not say every thing to every one. That which is holy is for those that are holy. Where the Lord has not previously been at work, we are unable to perform any thing, neither ought we to desire it ; for thank God! we can of ourselves do nothing. He that has not sought this grace carefully and with tears, he that has felt no distress, and thinks he is sufficient of himself, can neither find nor receive the grace of the knowledge of Jesus. This is only something for those that are poor, heavy-laden, blind, lame, leprous, and miserable, in the highways and hedges. The forerunner John must have previously rendered the individual exceedingly contrite by the grace of repentance, otherwise it is of no avail. Oh, it is not given to every one to look into the mystery of the atonement of Jesus for us. The angels desire it, and are unable. Hence we receive so many stripes, if we do not diligently cover up and preserve this treasure. He to whom we wish to communicate it, does not receive it, and we ourselves suffer loss; or else we value it less, because the other, a sensible man, sets no value upon it, and even despises it, or what is still worse, exclaims against it as heresy. O, this will still occasion you trouble, yes, much trouble. There is nothing so difficult as the imparting true faith in Jesus to any one; for there is in mankind an infernal unbelief, and a dreadful incapacity to receive it. We are either regarded as fools or heretics, or else saluted with the cry, Away with such a fellow from the earth.'

'The short abandonment you have experienced, teaches you to become better acquainted with Jesus and yourself, and that without him you can do nothing. He takes pleasure in leaving us alone for a time, and depriving us of everything, that it may appear whether we are willing to serve him at our own expenses, or even for stripes themselves. In such case, you must not immediately suppose that he is gone, and will return no more. The covenant with us is not broken by every stumble; he has betrothed himself to us for ever. You ought also to learn from it, that you must not build your justification and peace, either upon spiritual joy or gracious communications, or on good works or beautiful prayers, but upon Jesus for you; your soul cannot then be reached by any storm, either in the performance of that which is most laudable, or in the state of the greatest barrenness and perplexity. Frequently, when we think there is no hope of him to-day, he comes late in the evening, when the doors are shut, awakes the dead, gives sight to the blind, and zeal to the lukewarm ; nay, when we often expect nothing but rebuke, he comes in the kindest manner to us, to divest us of the erroneous idea, that he was indebted to us, on account of our fidelity and our prayers. We must be entirely divested of all such self-righteous and self-complacent thoughts; for Christ is our righteousness; not our efforts, tears, or performances; and he is likewise our sanctification, producing in us all the good we do, and the tears we shed. In short, it is just as you express it after your short abandonment: 'I then learnt more and more clearly, to understand and confess my nothingness and sinfulness, and that He is all with respect to our salvation.' We must also, at such times, remember that the sufferings of this life are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall follow.'

'If in such a season of barrenness and restraint, you can do nothing, nor even lift up your heart in prayer, the best thing you can do is to be passive and endure it, which is a