to carry the full cup of prosperity, and to drink with submission the bitter draught of adversity; to kiss the chastening rod as well as rejoice in a Father's smile, to re-echo in the bitterest hour of trial the words of the Master of the household, "Not my will but thine be done."

The manner in which we pray that this may be done, "As in heaven :" Psalm ciii. 20, Rev. iv. 8: a simple obedience, a cheerful obedience, an unceasing obedience, a complete obedience. The reasonableness of it. He the King of kings, we his subjects; he a father, we children; he the Lord, we servants purchased at the price. The blessedness of it. Holi. ness is happiness. This is the will of God,-" be ye holy." What blessedness should we find in our souls! What happiness in being delivered from the rule of Satan-the bondage of our own passions; from envious malice, (like Satan's self,) planning michief and misery to our fellow men; from the tormenting cares of the world, and from the fears of wrath, of death, of judgment. What joy is there in doing, what peace in being enabled to bear that will, casting our care upon him. What blessedness in our intercourse with man! what blessedness if this were the case in our families, in our parishes, in our country, in the world. If the kingdoms of the world were the kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ-if his will were stamped on every heart, (from the king to the beggar,) heard in every word, practiced in every deed-his will of love to God and love to man-what a heaven on earth might we enjoy!

Remember, that we are taught to pray that his will may be done "in earth,"-this is the school

where we must be trained, here as apprentices we must learn the trade of doing his will if ever we hope to set up its business on our own account in heaven. What then are we doing? Are we giving practical proof of the sincerity of our prayers? Are we shewing forth their effect in our lives?

COPY OF A LETTER FROM MISS B. TO MISS E. M., 1769.

MY DEAR FRIEND,

By the tenor of your letter it appears to me, that the greatest want you sustain at present is faith, else why do you see holiness at such a distance. Faith brings the promise near, realizes the substance thereof to the soul, capacitates it to feed on the tree of life, and to live now and for ever. It seems also that you have not sufficiently studied, or been enlightened into that doctrine that Jesus himself is our holiness, righteousness, and all; that in proportion as we are united to him by faith, in the same measure are we partners of his Christian nature; that we cannot have the least degree of holiness any more than the greatest from Christ but with him. "With himself he freely gives us all things;" holiness, happiness, heaven. All good things come with him, are his inseparable attendants. This intense love for our souls, and (if I may so speak) his divine complacency and union with us, will not suffer him to let us be happy without the enjoyment of himself; he knows also that we cannot :

'For search the whole creation round,

Out of him it can't be found,'

Either in his gifts of nature or grace; all fall short of the supreme good itself, and the soul that is truly endued with an esteem for and love to its great original, its invariable language in the possession of all is, 'this is not my God.' But I believe in general we are a good while in the ways of religion before we know that himself is all that we want to make us happy and holy, and that he alone is our centre and place of rest; this is owing to the blindness of the understanding and extreme distance from God in a state of nature; the ignorance of our need of him to make us happy, and the esteem we have of all his gifts rather than himself, discovers a depth in the fall inexpressible. I have long laboured in the labyrinth, therefore I speak of what I do know, and testify of what I have seen and felt; and as far as I can I write of what I have or do experience, except when I am immediately enlightened at the time of writing or speaking, which is sometimes the case, and herein I prove the fulfilment of that promise," He that watereth shall be watered."

And now I can only answer my friend's important question, How she shall make the swiftest progress in the heavenly road,' by a truth of my own experience in the above-mentioned lessons, in which Jesus has greatly instructed me. You want holiness because you want God, you cannot apprehend him, you cannot possess him here but by faith, he is the eternal fulness that filleth heaven and earth, that surrounds you, that is in you by his Spirit; he tells you that he is

the salvation of his people, that his presence is salvation, that the word of faith is nigh you, in your mouth and in your heart. You already know him as your reconciled God in Christ; your Friend, your Saviour. This word of faith consequently belongs to you, as to all believers in a particular manner. Endeavour therefore with the utmost simplicity of faith, to advert to his promises, to his presence in you, around you; wherever you are, in every time and place, believe him in you, near you; he is you know "bone of your bone, and flesh of your flesh." Ye are nearer than that by far," he that is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him." Think of his immediate presence with you as often as you can; tell him all you want, all you can do or cannot do, but tell it as to a present God, a present friend, who is able and willing to help you, behold him not afar off in heaven only, he is here upon earth, or rather earth and all things are in him, as Dr. Young says,

'Praise I a distant Diety? He tunes

My voice, (if tun'd;) the nerve that writes

sustains;

Wrapp'd in his being, I resound his praise.'

and you

need not

Faith makes every place a Bethel, fear, for as Jesus is the spring and fountain of purity he will lead you by his life-inspiring presence, to that perfect love of himself which shall cast out all fear; by his loving presence he will save you from the hand of all your enemies, and your heart by this means will be more endeared to his person than to his gifts, Study the Scriptures much, study them as they really are a transcript of the divine Majesty. There is

matter for the continual exercise of faith delivered by Jehovah himself. "Doth God take care of oxen ?" Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing, and not one of them falls to the ground without his notice? Does he that toucheth his little ones, touch the apple of his eye? Do the guardian angels of such little ones while they attend the feeble believer at the same time behold the face of God? Now here then is heaven and earth connected. And does the Lord thus reign? Does he govern the world? Does he order all things in number, might, and measure to each individual? Can no crosses, trials, or temptations happen to his people but by his order? If this is thoroughly believed then we shall no longer repine at the contradiction of others, but quietly submit our will to the will of our heavenly Father.

And now, my dear Friend, I must conclude. If your heart does not rise against this simplicity of faith I should wonder, for mine has many a time, and seemed to say, I would rather have been something to Jesus than to have him become all in all to me.

Yours in him,

A. M.

SACRED REFLECTIONS.

WHEN the Lord speaks of himself, with regard to his creatures, and especially his people, he saith, “I am." He doth not say I am their light, their life, their guide, their tower, their strength; but only, "I am." He sets his hand, as it were, to a blank, that his people might write under it what they please, that is