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OUTLINES OF TRUTH.

CHAP. I.

Introductory - Departure from London-Retrospective Reflections - Meeting with my Relatives-Domestic welcome Home de

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DR. GOLDSMITH has remarked, that no one need want materials for a useful book, who will faithfully collect the incidents of life, as it has been diversified to his own personal observation.

Upon the assurance of such judicious testimony, I was induced to commence the narrative of a few months, which, from the influence of occurrences and the stability of their impression, have more than stamped an assent upon the reason, and actually biassed the inclinations.

B

These memorandums were written without any reference to arrangement or connection, but traced off the memory as meditation gave effective benefit to a train of circumstances trifling in themselves, but under providential direction, unusually blessed in their results.

We do wrong to define the sovereign love of our heavenly Father's appointments by the apparent depth of that line of events with which our time is measured. Life is not divided into acts artificially placed, so that some striking pause shall admonish our attention: but it is a succession of scenes, wherein every dialogue, and all our exits and entrances, combine to produce the solemn development. 66 It is not in

man to direct his steps," and this divine assertion is exemplified to the daily experience of such who know their dependance on momentary mercy as sinners, and their security on momentary grace as redeemed sinners.

There is somewhat which invigorates the spirit while it tranquillizes the conflict of the intellects, in reflections which throw out a hint for our enquiry on the purposes of Jehovah in his dealings with his people; like a beam from the morning star, we know the dazzling messen

ger announces brighter day: so does a silent, waiting attention to the hand of God in guiding the progress of our years, assure us that when time is run out as to our participation of its movements, when the power of death has been commissioned to arrest our flowing sand, then, the road we have traversed shall be irradiated for our contemplation, the heights of sorrow will finally be lighted up that we may stop to survey the necessity of our ascent; every precipice of frailty will catch the ray by which we shall discern its gems of admonition, roses will decorate the scene with blossoms, which, while we were led through the night of existence we only discovered by their thorns: we shall extract lessons of wisdom from every difficulty and sources of praise from every disappointment. The whole extent we have wandered shall be examined under our perfected vision as a landscape tinged with the sun of glory, whose fertility evinces the "good pleasure of Jehovah's goodness towards us in Christ Jesus," and by whose splendour we behold all things" in his light," who ordered their beauty and suitability. If such be our pathway in its anticipated

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