tinuance in well-doing. We muft run with patience the race that is fet before us. It is through faith and patience we must inherit the promises. The Pfalmift waited patiently for the Lord, and he inclined unto him, and heard his cry. The fame Lord will hear, and fave to the uttermoft all those who, in like manner, wait for him.

Patience is a moft defirable grace. It ftands highly commended in the facred Scriptures. Solomon might well fay, "The patient in fpirit is better than the proud in fpirit.' Yes, unfpeakably better indeed! Patience is truly and highly acceptable to God, as the apoftle Peter fays, "If when ye do well, and fuffer for it, ye take it patiently; this is acceptable with God." The patience of the churches in Ephefus, in Thyatira, and Philadelphia, is particularly noticed and commended; and Paul even gloried in the Theffalonians for their patience and faith in all their perfecutions and tribulations. The exercife of this grace brings much glory to God: Like love, it thinketh no evil; but hopeth and endureth all things. It views the various forrows and afflictions, which render its exercife neceffary, as the merciful appointment of infinite wifdom to prepare the veffels of mercy for the realms of endless glory. While it glorifies God, it comforts its poffeffor, and benefits the community. In patience, faid the bleffed Jefus, "Poffefs ye your fouls." Impatience will not suffer a man to enjoy any thing. Let him have who or what he may, while destitute of patience, he has no peace; but is conftantly uneasy and a burden to himself: But in the exercife of this grace of patience he has a peace, which the world cannot give, and which death itself cannot take away.

O then for this choice and precious grace! Where and how is it to be obtained? Do we not know that the God of heaven is the God of all grace? From him every good and perfect gift cometh. He is exprefsly called the God of patience; and all who would have it, muft pray unto him for it. The increase and exercise of it may be promoted by the right ufe of the facred Scriptures, and a due regard to the difpenfations of Divine Providence. The Scriptures, like godlinefs, are profitable unto all things, and particularly to perfect the man of God in the grace of patience. It is exprefsly faid, by the Apoftle Paul, that "Whatsoever things were written aforetime, were written for our learning; that we, through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope." In them, not only the calls and exhortations to patience, but alfo the motives and arguments to promote

the

the fame, are many and weighty. Hear particularly the apostle James, "Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye alfo patient." If we pay a due regard to the difpenfations of God in his providence, the fame will tend to promote our patience. We may daily obferve his patience and long-fuf. fering towards all men. He waits to be gracious, and have mercy, and furely then we may patiently wait for his mercy and grace. He bears with more provocations in us than we have to bear with in any of our fellow-creatures. His afflictive difpenfations are nothing new, and the defign of them is to work patience in our fouls, Lo as to conform us to himself, and fit us for his heavenly kingdom; when everlafting joy fhall be upon our heads, and forrow and fighing fhall flee away.

S. B.

PROPERTIES OF A CHILD OF GRACE.

[Extracted from a Letter written by a Minifter, aged about Twenty-three, to his Young Friends.]

IF

you are born again, you fee; for a living child fees. What have you feen? Yourselves finners, by nature and practice? In heart and life? Undone and miferable in yourfelves? Your own infufficiency to fave yourselves? Perifhing without an interest in Chrift? That you cannot be faved by your own righteoufnefs of filthy rags? Your ftrength to be weakness, and wisdom folly, in falvation matters? Your light, in divine things, attended with darknefs? The holinefs, purity, and perfection of God's law? Your contrariety to it in heart and life, and inability to do any duty in that perfect manner it requires? That if God had dealt with you according to it, in your own perfons you must have perished for ever? An all-fufficiency in Chrift? Suitableness to your cafe? A foul attracting, heart-ravishing beauty in him and his falvation? That you must be faved by free distinguishing grace?

A living child hears. Have you heard the law condemn and surfe you? Chrift invite you to come to him, as weary, for reft; naked, for raiment; poor, for grace? Do you approve of Chrift? Rev. iii. 20. Matt. xi. 28. Jer. ii. 22.

E 2

A living

A living child cries. Have you, by these views, been made to confess fin? Proftrating yourfelves, as felf-condemned, to cry for pardoning mercy and fanctifying grace? For ftrength, under fense of weaknefs? Draw me; turn me; help me; give me Chrift, whatever I be denied of.

A living child has defires. What do you defire? Chrift above all? Chrift alone? Pfa. lxxiii. 25. His prefence as your chiefeft comfort and greateft joy? To have your natures fanctified, as well as fins pardoned? To be like Christ, as well as faved from wrath to come? To have your hearts filled with grace, as well as heads with knowledge? To make God's glory your end, and his word your rule?

A living child must have fomething to live upon. What are your enjoyments? Upon what do you live? Is Christ sweet to you? Do you live by the faith of the Son of God? To whom do you live? Rom, xiv. 7. 1 Cor. vi. 20. Col. iii. 17. Do you obey his commands with an eye to his glory? In imitation of his example? Depending on his arm for ftrength? Trusting in his merits and mediation for accept

ance?

A child has a likeness. To whom are you like? Are you breathing after holiness; after conformity to Chrift in your hearts? And are your lives conformable to the word of God, and example of Christ?

J. M.

A MEDITATION.

Truly the light is fweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the fun.

BE

E ftill, my foul, and ftand amazed at the abounding mercy of that God, who has called thee out of darkness into his marvellous light. By nature I was blind to all that is lovely, or of good repórt. I faw no beauty in the Saviour that I fhould defire him. My carnal mind was at enmity with the God of my life; I defired not the knowledge of his ways. Sin had fo darkened my understanding, that religion appeared a needlefs thing; yea, it feemed irkfome. But as the benighted traveller, who has journeyed long through the fhades of night, with pleasure beholds the returning day; fo, in a far nobler fenfe, was my foul enamoured and delighted, when the fun of righteoufnefs fhone on my once benighted

benighted mind, difpelling the dark clouds of fin and ignorance, and restoring me to the favour and friendship of God. Now religion is no longer a task, but a delightful privilege. Wisdom's ways are pleafant, and all her paths are peace. My Bible no longer lies covered with duft, but I read it with fweet delight, beholding Jefus in every page. This is a light unto my feet, and a lamp unto my path. The Holy Spirit takes of the things of Chrift, and reveals them to me; and I find them fweet indeed, fweeter than honey, or the honeycomb.

Reader, art thou a friend of God; or art thou ftill going on in thy fin and rebellion against the Author of all thy mercy? If so, living and dying without repentance, far better thou hadft never been born; for if born but once, thou muft die twice. Without a new birth thou canst not enter the kingdom of heaven; for heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people. But if thou art renewed by divine grace, and art walking in the light of God's countenance, thy light is fweet indeed. To thee it is pleasant to behold that glorious natural luminary; because, in the light thereof, thou feest the variegated beauties that furround thee, each proclaiming its almighty Former, and each affording matter for meditation and praife. But when the Sun of righteousness fhines into thy foul, it gives thee pleafure beyond the conceptions of the men of the world. Then thou haft joy and peace in believing. Jefus is precious unto thee; his name is as ointment poured forth. He is thy choiceft flower; the rofe of Sharon; the faireft lily of the vale; the chief among ten thousand, and altogether lovely.

Thy joy is to walk in the light of his face;
And still thou art talking of Jesus's grace.

R. C.

MR. EDITOR,

HAVING met with the following beautiful little piece, in manufcript, I have tranfmitted it for infertion in the Magazine; as it may, probably, be acceptable to fome of your readers, who may have been called to sustain a similar difpenfation in providence.

ERASTUS

ON THE DEATH OF AN INFANT.
UR dear Francis was a lovely child; his little body

mind were delightful to us, as the bloffoms in fpring. His

fmiles

fmiles had often filled our parental hearts with joy; and eight months' acquaintance had united our affections clofely to him. At this time a friend called at our house-a friend, whom we had long trusted, and always found most affectionate and faithful-his name is Jesus-a name that must always be "as ointment poured out." He faw we were unable to provide for our infant charge; and fo, without afking our leave, he took it away with him, knowing that when we became acquainted with his reasons and motives, we fhould rather rejoice than repine. But, mark his tendernefs-At the fame time that he took our sweet darling to himself, he left behind him, for our perufal and comfort, an account of what he had done, with his motives and reafons, expreffed in a manner calculated at once to calm, compofe, and fatisfy our minds. He therein affured us, that all he had done, he had done in love; that he would provide for our darling above all that we could ask or think; that the babe fhould lie in his bofom, and lack for nothing; that he should not have a want unfupplied, or with ungratified; that he should never be out of his fight, or feel pain or forrów more. At the fame time, he affured us of his ability to perform all he had promifed; and added, that in a thort time he would come again, and take us too, that we and our sweet babe might be happy together for ever and ever!--What can we fay in answer, but "Be it unto us according to thy word?"

ANECDOTES.

MR. EDITOR,

You

OU must know, I am one of those who are of opinion, it is right to attempt an early impreffion and fenfe of devotion on the tender minds of infants; and, therefore, without waiting their being able to read, have taught my little girls to repeat the Lord's Prayer, and feveral of Dr. Watts's very fuitable hymns, adapted for children.

So intent was Elizabeth, a few days back, on what she had faid in the evening going to bed, that feveral hours after, in the night, she actually articulated the whole of the Lord's Prayer in her fleep, obferving her periods, &c. as correctly as the is obliged to do when awake.

I believe you know she is but three years old, and can repeat several hymns at length.

December 5, 1796.

F. I,