TO THE SAME.-NO. II.

Seek the righteousness of Christ.

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DEAR FRIEND-I was glad to hear of your safe arrival, and that your health had not suffered by the voyage. I trust the Lord is dealing gently with your frail body, so that your mind may get leave freely to fix itself on Jesus Christ and him crucified. Above all, I pray that the Holy Spirit may sweetly and silently open your heart, to relish the way of salvation through the blood and obedience of Immanuel. Through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins, and by Him all that believe are justified from all things; Acts xiii. 38, 39. You would be deeply concerned to hear that your room-mate has been so suddenly and awfully called away. Should it not be a solemn warning to you? Oh, that you may be even now clothed in the righteousness of Jesus! so that, if you were called away, you may meet God in peace, and hear Jesus say, "Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.' In yourself you never will stand righteous before Jehovah. Psalm cxliii. 2, answers your case. not into judgment with me," must be your cry. In your nature, in your past life, in your breaking of the holy law, in your contempt and neglect of Jesus, in your indwelling sin, God can see nothing but what he must condemn. O that you would be of the same mind with God about your own soul! Do not be afraid to look upon its loathsomeness; for God offers to clothe you in Jesus Christ. Romans v. 19. By the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. There is only one in all the world on whose face God can look and say "He is altogether lovely." Jesus is that one. Now God is willing that you and I should hide in Jesus. I feel at this moment that he is my righteousness. Jer. xxiii. 6. This is his name whereby he shall be called, "the Lord our righteousness." I feel that the love of God shines upon my guilty soul through Jesus. This is all my peace. Your tears will not blot out sin; they do nothing but weep in hell, but that does not justify them. Your right views of the gospel will not justify you; you must be covered with a spotless righteousness. Your change of heart and of life will not justify you; it cannot cover past sins-neither is it perfect. Your amended life is still fearfully sinful in Jehovah's sight, and yet nothing but perfect righteousness can stand before him. Jesus offers you this perfect righteousness; in him you may stand and hear God say, "Thou art all fair, my love."

There is no spot in me.

Do you thus look to Jesus? Do you believe the record that God has given concerning him? Do you receive Christ with open arms? Do you cry, "My Lord and my God;" my surety, my all? Dear friend, do not tarry. Eternity may be near. Now is your best time, perhaps your only time, of closing with Christ. How many worlds would a lost soul in hell give for such an opportunity of cleaving to Christ as you have now. "He that hath the Son, hath life." This is all my prayer and desire for your precious, precious soul. Ever yours in the gospel, &c.

TO THE SAME.-NO. III.

Joy in believing.

DEAR FRIEND-I send you another line to tell you Jesus is the way. I would like much to hear how your weak body prospers, and whether your soul is resting under the apple tree (Song. ii. 3); but till some opportunity occurs, I must just content myself with committing your soul and body into the hand of Jesus, your faithful Creator. 1 Peter iv. 19. We are now looking forward to another communion season, and I am busy instructing young persons for that holy and blessed ordinance. I think you said you were a good deal impressed at our last communion, and wished that you had been one of those seated at the table; perhaps you may never be permitted to sit at the table on earth; perhaps your first communion may be in glory. There is a text in Romans xv. 13, which expresses all my desire for you, "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.' You see here who is the author of conversion-"The God of hope." He must open your heart to attend to the things that are spoken. The truths that are presented to you will not convert your heart, the God of hope must breathe on your heart and water it oft. Then see how he gives you joy and peace" in believing.” When Jesus revealed himself to Thomas (John xx. 28), Thomas cried out with joy, “ My Lord and my God;" if Jesus reveal himself to you in all the glory of his person-the completeness of his work, and the freeness of his love-you too will be filled with appropriating, joyful faith, and will cry, My Lord and my God." It is a difficult thing to explain what it is to believe-I suppose it is impossible. But when Jesus unveils his matchless beauty,

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and gives you a sweet glimpse of his matchless face that was buffeted and spit upon, then the soul joyfully clings to him. This is believing, and this is joy and peace in believing. The truest, purest joy flows from a discovery of Jesus Christ. He is the hidden treasure that gives such joy to the finder. Matth. xiii. 44. Do you think you have found that treasure? Touching question! for if not, you are poor indeed. But how much joy may you have in Christ? God of hope fill you with all joy." You need not be afraid to take the full joy that Jesus gives. If you really come unto Christ, you come unto the love of Jehovah, and that is a filling love. The love of the creature does not fill the heart, but God's love coming full upon the soul gives fulness of joy (1 John i. 4). It is holy love, sovereign love. I have been interrupted several times in writing this little note. I will not be long in writing you again. Do decide the question of your eternity. One thing is needful; have you closed with the great Mediator? Have you got saving knowledge of Jesus? Then only will death lose its power, and the grave become the bed of peaceful rest.

"There is a land of pure delight,
Where saints immortal reign;
Infinite day excludes the night,
And pleasures banish pain.'

Lean all your care for time and eternity on Jesus; that in the softest of all pillows-the bosom of our guardian Immanuel. I am ever yours, &c.

TO THE SAME.-NO. IV.
Taste that Christ is precious.

December 1841.

DEAR FRIEND-It is written, " Unto you who believe he is precious," and if you are a child of God you will know and feel what the words mean. 1 Peter ii. 7. At one time Christ was "like a tender plant" to you, and like “a root out of a dry ground." You saw "no form nor comeliness in him, no beauty that you should desire him." At that time you were at ease in Zion-you had no concern for your soul. Do you remember that time? Is it otherwise with you now? Have you been pricked in your heart by the Holy Spirit? Have you been made to see how impossible it is for man to be just with God? and has the Spirit drawn away the veil from the fair face of Immanuel, and given you an unfeigned

glance at the brow that was crowned with the thorns, and the cheek from which they plucked off the hair? Has the Spirit opened a window into the heart of Jesus, and let you see the fountain head of that love that "passeth knowledge?" Then you will be able to say, "To me He is precious." If you see plainly that all your standing before God is in him, that he is your foundation-stone-your fountain-your wedding garment, then you will feel him to be precious. Most people refuse to come to Christ. Read Luke xiv. 16, 24. They all with one consent began to make excuse. Why is this? Just because they do not see and feel that he is precious. But, oh! if you, my dear friend, feel that he is your only righteousness your only fountain of living water-your high priest-your shepherd-your advocate; then you will say, "He is precious!" You will never say, "Have me excused." I carry to you the sweet invitation, Come, for all things are now ready." Jesus is ready to wash and clothe you in his own blood and righteousness. The Holy Spirit is ready to come into your heart and make it new. Father is ready to put his arms round your neck and kiss you. Luke xv. 20. The angels are ready to give thanks for you and to love you as a sister for eternity. Now, will you come, for all things are ready? Are you now saying in your heart, "I cannot but believe I am the chief of sinners, and Jesus offers to be my refuge, my mediator, my all in all; I feel he is precious ?" O dear friend, I trust you do. This only will make you happy in living, and blessed in dying. This is a poor dying world. Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble. There is no part here that death cannot take from us. But if you have Christ, you have the only imperishable portion! Oh, may the Holy Spirit give you a firm hold of Jesus.

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shall meet in that sweet place, where there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall their be any more pain. The Lord deal kindly and gently with you, both soul and body. Farewell, dear friend. Ever yours, &c.

TO THE SAME.-NO. V.

Be found in Christ.

December 8. 1841.

DEAR FRIEND-I send you another line to tell you of him who is altogether lovely I have a very dear boy in my

parish, who is dying just now. He said to me the other day, "I have just been feeding for some days upon the words you gave me,' His legs are like pillars of marble set upon sockets of fine gold' (Song v. 15); for (said he) I am sure he is able to carry me and all my sins." You may say the same, if your eyes have been opened to see the beauty, fulness, freeness, and compassion of the Lord Jesus. Nothing but the hand of God can open your eyes to see your lost condition as it truly is. Flesh and blood cannot reveal him unto you, but my Father. Oh! call upon him to do this for you. A spiritual discovery of yourself and of Jesus is better than a million of worlds to you, and to me also. Remember, you cannot be fair in yourself before God. Song i. 6, must be all your prayer -"Look not upon me." Take yourself at your best moments, you are but a vile worm in Jehovah's sight, and so am I. Remember, you may be "perfect in Christ Jesus." Allow yourself to be found in Christ. Oh! what will come of you if you are found in yourself? Where will you appear? You will shrink back, and call on rocks and mountains to fall upon you and cover you. But if you are hiding in Jesus-if your eye and heart are fixed upon his wounds made by our sins—if you are willing to be righteous in his righteousness-to lie down under the stream of his blood, and to be clothed upon with the snowy fleece of the Lamb of God-then God will love you with his whole soul exceedingly. The pure, full love of God streams through the blood and obedience of Jesus to every soul that is lying under them, however vile and wretched in themselves. Have you tried-have you tasted the holy love of a holy God? Thy love is better than wine. It is better than all creature-love or creature-enjoyments. Oh! do not live-oh! do not die, out of this sweet, sweet, sin-pardoning, soul-comforting, love of God! Remember, Jesus is quite willing to gather you under his wings. Matt. xxiii. 37. Put that beyond all doubt. Remember also, the present is your only time to be saved. Eccles. ix. 10. There is no believing, no repenting, no conversion in the grave-no minister will speak to you there. This is the time of conversion. We must either gain you now, or lose you for ever. Oh! that you would use this little time. Every moment of it is worth a world. Your soul is very dear to me-dearer far to Jesus. Look to him and you will be saved.

yours, &c.

Ever