I know well that when Christ is nearest, Satan also is busiest. What of my elders ?-of my dear established Christians ? What of those who were but lambs? And what of those whom I left in darkness and in the shadow of death?

The Lord send me good news.

I shall try to be over on Thursday evening next, if I am well, and trust to join you in praising God together for all his mercy and grace and faithfulness since we parted. Whether I shall be able to resume the full work of the ministry again or no, I cannot tell. My heart still beats too much. But I shall try; and if the Lord shows me that my work in that way is done, I shall pray for submission.

Do write me specdily, for I weary to hear.

With regard to temporal things, remember I shall expect you honestly to tell how far your small salary has gone to cover your expenses. And if it has not covered them, remember I insist on your demanding as much more as will. The workman is worthy of his hire.

And now the Lord keep you humble and prayerful in secret, and may it not be needful that you be afflicted as I have been ; and may your ministry be blessed still a thousand times more! With kindest love to all my people, yours affectionately, etc.

TO MISS COLLIER, DUNDEE.
Riches of Christ-resemblance to Him.

EDINBURGII, February 26, 1840. MY DEAR Miss COLLIER,—I am sorry to leave town without secing you, but I find myself obliged to do so. A long and interesting meeting of presbytery took up the greater part of my time. I am delighted to hear that you are still keeping a little better, and fondly hope the Lord may restore you to us once more, to help us by your prayers in these trying but glorious times. I would like to have seen you once again before going back; but I must just content myself with casting you on the Lord on whom you believe. Precious friend and unchangeable priest is Christsweeter to you than honey and the honeycomb. How great is the goodness He hath laid up for them that fear Ilim! Just as the miser lays up money that he may feast his eyes upon it, so Christ has laid up unsearchable riches that He may supply all our need out of them. Unfathomable oceans of grace are in Christ for you. Dive and dive again, you will never come to the bottom of these depths. How many millions of dazzling pearls and gems are at this moment hid in the deep recesses of the ocean caves ! But there are ansearchable riches in Christ. Seek more of them. The Lord enrich you with them. I have always thought it a very pitiful show when great people ornament themselves with brilliants and diamonds; but it is truest wisdom to adorn the soul with Christ and his graces. * Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me, days without number.” You see my pen runs on, though I fear you will hardly be able to read what I write. The Lord Jesus give you out of his fulness, and grace for grace. In a mirror you will observe that every feature of the face is reflected—both the large and small features. Now our soul should be a mirror of Christ; we should reflect every feature; for every grace in Christ there should be a counterpart grace in us. The Lord give you this; then I can ask no more for you, Your times are in his hand.-Ps. xxxi. May you have the blessing of Asher: “As thy days, so shall thy strength be.”

Farewell till we meet. Kindest regards to Miss N. and Mrs Coutts, and believe me ever yours in lasting bonds, etc.

TO MR J. T. JUST
How to conduct prayer-meetings.

March 27, 1840. MY DEAR JOHN,—I was glad to receive your letter, and am happy to answer you on the matter in which you apply to me. No person can be a child of God without living in secret prayer; and no community of Christians can be in a lively condition without unity in prayer. In Daniel's time you see how it was.-(Dan. ii. 17, 18.) You see what Jesus said to his disciples on it (Matt. xviii. 19), and what a sweet promise of his presence and a gracious answer He connects with meeting for prayer. You see how it will be in the latter day (Zech. viii. 21), when meetings for prayer, or at least concerts for prayer, shall be held by different towns. Ono great rule in holding them is, that they be really meetings of disciples. If four or five of you that know the Lord would meet together regularly, you will find that far more profitable than a meeting open to all. In an open meeting you are apt to become teachers, and to be proud. In a secret meeting you feel all on a level, poor and needy, seeking water. If a young man, acquainted

with any of you, becomes concerned about his soul, or a lively Christian is visiting any of you, these may be admitted; but do not make your meeting more open.

The prayer-meeting I like best is where there is only praise and prayer, and the reading of God's word. There is then least room for frail human nature to pervert the meeting to an improper end. It is well to read regularly through a book of Scripture, or at least to fix the chapter the evening before, that it may be prayed over in secret, before coming to the meeting. If you only read, then two chapters may be read, and then two members pray at a meeting. Each member would take his turn. Let there be no presiding of one over another, for all are brethren. When a godly minister or elder or experienced Christian is visiting you, he should be invited to take the whole service.

Many meetings are not contented with merely reading God's word; they fix upon some verse or two as matter of conversation, and each one gives his opinion round. Some take a question of the Shorter Catechism each evening, and speak on it in the same manner. Some propose cases of conscience, and how Christians ought to act in different cases. Now, I never forbid any of these where the members prefer this; still, I must confess I feel the danger to which they are exposed. You reqnire more grace to be kept humble and meek and loving, if you engage in this service. You are exposed to the danger of differing from one anotherdisputing, seeking admiration and pre-eminence, to all which you know, dear John, your hearts are naturally most prone. If you choose any of these, the first appears the best, that of fixing on a verse or two of the chapter read. But do seek meekness in speaking together upon it. Meet weekly, at a convenient hour. Be regular in attendance. Let nothing keep you away from your meeting. Pray in secret before going. Let your prayers in the meeting be formed as much as possible upon what you have read in the Bible. You will thus learn variety of petition, and a Scripture style. Pray that you may pray to God, and not for the ears of man. Feel his presence more than man's. Pray for the outpouring of the Spirit on the church of Christ and for the world; for the purity and unity of God's children; for the raising up of godly ministers, and the blessing of those that are so already. Pray for the conversion of your friends, of your neighbours, of the whole town. Pray for the seriding of the gospel to the Jews, and to the Gentile nations.

Pride is Satan's wedge for splitting prayer-meetings to pieces : watch and pray against it. If you have not the Spirit of God among yon, you will have the spirit of the devil. Watch against seeking to be greater than one another; watch against lip-religion. Above all, abide in Christ, and He will abide in you. He is able to keep you from falling, and to make you happy, holy young men. There is no joy like that of holiness. May Enocli's comparion be yours.

Write me how you come on, and believe me ever yours affection ately, etc.

TO A PARISHIONER ON A SICK-BED.
How cares and troubles sanctify.

March 31, 1840. DEAR M.,-I may not see you for a little, as I am not strong; and therefore I send you a line in answer to your letter. I like to hear from you, and especially when God is revealing himself to your soul. All his doings are wonderful. It is, indeed, amazing how He makes use of affliction to make us feel his love more. Your house is, I trust, in some measure like that house in Bethany of which it is said, “Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus." They had different degrees of grace. One had more faith, and another more love, still Jesus loved them all. Martha was more inclined to be worldly than Mary, yet Jesus loved them both. It is a happy house when Jesus loves all that dwell in it. Surely it is next door to heaven.

The message of Martha and Mary to Christ (John ii. 3) teaches you to carry all your temporal as well as your spiritual troubles to his feet. Leave them there. Carry one another's case to Jesus. Is it not a wonderful grace in God to have given you peace in Christ, before laying you down on your long sick-bed ? It would have been a wearisome lie if you had been an enemy to God, and then it would have been over hell. Do you feel Rom. v. 3 to be true in your experience ? You cannot love trouble for its own sake; bitter must always be bitter, and pain must always be pain. God knows you cannot love trouble. Yet for the blessings that it brings, He can make you pray for it. Does trouble work patience in you? Does it lead you to cling closer to the Lord Jesus—to hide deeper in the rock? Does it make you “ be still and know that He is God?” Does it make you lie passive in his hand, and know no will but his? Thus does patience work experience-an experimental acquaintance with Jesus. Does it bring you a fuller taste of bis sweetness, so that you know whom you have believed

And does this experience give you a further hope of glory-an other anchor cast within the veil? And does this hope give you a heart that cannot be ashamed, because convinced that God has loved you, and will love you to the end ? Ah! then you have got the improvement of trouble, if it has led you thus. Pray for me still, that I may get the good of all God's dealings with me. Lean all on Jesus. Pray for a time of the pouring out of God's Spirit, that many more may be saved. I hope the Lord's work is not done in this place yet.-Ever your affectionate pastor, etc.

TO À SOUL WHOM HE HAD NEVER SEEN, BUT WHOSE CASE
WAS LAID BEFORE HIM BY A FRIEND.

Col, ii. 1, 2.
Looking out to Jesus.

March 20, 1840. MY DEAR FRIEND,-- I do not even know your name, but I think I know something of the state of your soul. Your friend has been with me, and told me a little of your mind; and I write a few lines just to bid you look to Jesus and live. Look at Num. xxi. 9, and you will see your disease and your remedy. You have been bitten by the great serpent. The poison of sin is through and through your whole heart, but Christ has been lifted up on the cross that you may look and live. Now, do not look so long and so harassingly at your own heart and feelings. What will you find there but the bite of the serpent? You were shapen in iniquity, and the whole of your natural life has been spent in sin. The more God opens your eyes, the more you will feel that you are lost in yourself. This is your disease. Now for the remedy. Look to Christ; for the glorious Son of God so loved lost souls, that He took on Him a body and died for us-bore our curse, and obeyed the law in our place. Look to Him and live. You need no preparation, you need no endeavours, you need no duties, you need no strivings, you only need to look and live. Look at John xvii. 3. The way to be saved is to know God's heart and the heart of Jesus. To be awakened, you need to know your own heart. Look in at your own heart, if you wish to know your lost condition. See the pollution that is there—forgetfulness of God, deadness, insensibility to his love. If you are judged as you are in yourself, you will be lost. To be saved, you need to know the heart of God and of Christ. The four Gospels are a narrative of the heart of Christ.