But let him that glorieth glory | ed; pleas of excuse will vanish, in this, that he understandeth on which strong reliance hath and knoweth me, that I am the been placed, and the most seLord, which exercise loving rious truths will break in on the kindness, judgment and right- soul. Although reason may be eousnes in the earth: For in these weakened, the appetites will things I delight saith the Lord." lose their influence, and thus, Am I not deceived? is a conscience will have a new question proper for those, who power to excite either hope orare advanced unto old age. The fear. These thoughts were exaged, if they have fought the cited by hearing of such an good fight of faith, are worthy instance. One, who had lived, of double honor: If they die in what is called a moral life, was the Lord, their death is precious suddenly attacked by fatal sickin his sight, and their works of ness. When a hope of living faith and charity will follow was extinguished, the clergyman them, in an everlasting reward.of the parish was suddenly sumBut, as they have passed thro' many scenes, which allure to sin; have had innumerable corruptions of their own hearts to combat; have been in many temptations, which are resisted with difficulty, and have been long in the warfare between truth and error, in which the great deceiver often appears as an angel of light, they must have reasons peculiar to their own state for being guarded against delusion. Every aged person, who reads this, will feel the propriety of these remarks. He will review his life with care lest he have fallen into some error, or some unchristian practice, which is inconsistent with a godly life in Christ Jesus.

moned. He came in haste, as a good man would do, in such a case. He eagerly approached the dying bed, from which he heard the doleful accent, “Am I not deceived?" A few excellent counsels were given, and with the conclusion of a short prayer, the spirit departed into the unseen word!

The last words of the dying man, "Am I not deceived?" have made a deep impression on my mind. Another serious thought hath occurred to me, Why was not the spiritual adviser called, while there was opportunity to instruct the dying person?

Incidental Events.

X. S.

Am I not deceived? is an enquiry which will be made by every person, who lies on the bed of death, or who views himself seriously called. Death is reading a late number of your Magazine, my mind a change, which all must expe- I was impressed by Matilda's acrience. To all men it will be a count of the first means of her solemn moment, in which they seriousness. As she walked in will anxiously enquire, "Am I the garden, she saw a decaying not deceived?" In the hour of flower, when this thought imdeath, errors will be renounced, mediately affected her, "Dost which have been before receiv-thou consider this flower? In

the same manner, thou must de dom: also, that the occurrencay and die!" No one can doubt ces in our lives, which we esthat the Spirit of God used teem small, have a necessary her sight of the flower as a mean connection with the greatest of inducing seriousness, which good or evil. Does it depend she had never before felt. Her on us to determine what events, walk in the garden and her sight in their consequences, will be of the flower, were incidents the greatest? Or shall we call in her life, which men, gener- some things incidental and casally, would esteem wholly un- ual, and others great and woninteresting; indeed, they would derful, because the consequencall them casual or accidental. ces of some are seen, and of I was led into a train of reflec- others unknown? Rather, let tions on what are commonly us admire the glorious provicalled incidental or casual events. dence of God, by which all Some of these events, in the things are ordered, which can first instance, are surprising; produce eternal good from the but, a greater number of them most improbable means. Let are esteemed small and without us consider the agency of our interest. They are thought to heavenly Father, in every step be little things, which are ne- we move, in every object we cessary to connect the greater behold; as well, as in every events of life, or to amuse men, sermon we hear, or in the great and uphold them in a kind of events, which shake the world useles existence, between the and astonish mankind. Much periods of their more weighty truth is symbolized in Elijah's duties. Is such an apprehen- vision, " And he said, go forth, sion just? Is it honorable to the and stand upon the mount beprovidence of God? Or doth it fore the Lord. And, behold, lead to a just estimate, either the Lord passed by, and a great of divine efficience, or the pow- and strong wind rent the mouners and actions of intelligent tain, and broke in pieces the minds? Concerning God we are rocks before the Lord; but the informed, that by him all things Lord was not in the wind: And consist; and, if they consist by after the wind an earthquake; him, their active powers must but the Lord was not in the every moment be under his di- earthquake: And after the rection. Of his providence it earthquake a fire; but the Lord, is said, "Not one of the sparrows was not in the fire: And after falleth to the ground without the fire, a still, small voice." our heavenly Father; and that It was in this voice the Lord even the hairs of our head are said, " What dost thou here numbered." Of men it is said, Elijah?" Why hast thou for"Every idle word shall be brought saken thy duty? Why dost thou, into judgment." Each of these a prophet of Almighty God, representations, with many oth-hide thyself from the face of ers of similar import, lead us to believe, that the smallest of all events are under the direction of infinite power and wisVOL. I. No. 5.

the children of men? By the still, small voice of the Spirit of God, he hath often addressed sinners and Christians; saying, A a

to the one, "Why do ye linger
on the plains of Sodom?" to the
other, "Why do ye hide in this
mount, having backslidden and
hid from your duty?" It cannot
be supposed, that the Lord, who
hath given us his word, and
taught us by the ministry of his
Son, should not, also, give us
the means of instruction in all
the common incidents of our
lives. The voice of nature is,
repent and obey; the same is
the voice of providence, in all
which betides us through life.
If we were disposed to gain mor-
al and religious instruction, it
might be found in every view of
nature and providence, in every
path we walk, in every hour of
self examination, and from
ery incident in human life.

the "full assurance of hope;" and these correspond to two senses in which this phrase ought to be understood. When the believer has clear views of the glory of God shining in the plan of salvation by Jesus Christ; sees that it is the purpose of God to save in this way; sees that full salvation is here provided for the very chief of sinners ; feels that he supremely approves of this adorable plan, and though realizing himself to be among the vilest of the vile, has no reluctance, no hesitation, no fear, to trust himself entirely on the merits of the Saviour; sees that his doing so is not only his own choice, but God's comev-mand, and conducive beyond expression to the divine glory; is conscious that the doing of it makes him inexpressibly hate and desire to be delivered from all sin, makes him delight ineffably in the will of God, so that he chooses to be, to do and to suffer whatever God shall please to appoint-so that the divine will,

Why are we not sensible, that "in God we live, are moved and have our being?" Why do we not reflect that the providence of God ordereth those events, which we call incidental? The safety we experience, every hour, is an instance of divine goodness, and leadeth to repent-in all possible circumstances and ance. While every living plant reminds us of the life-giving power of God; each falling leaf and drooping flower is a monitor of death and the grave. How great is the evidence against which men sin!

D.

cases, appears so excellent that it is the only thing that can be thought of as tolerable; and when, as the result of all, the believer desires "to depart and to be with Christ which is far better" than any thing and every thing which the world can offer, and yet is willing to live, and labour, and be afflicted, as long and as much as God shall

FROM THE PHILADELPHIA IN- see to be best.-Here, I would

TELLIGENCER.

The full assurance hope."-Heb. vi. 11.

say, is "the full assurance of hope;" or rather, here is that of which puts it out of question, and perhaps out of the mind of the believer himself at the time, whether he hopes or not. It is manifest, however, that he who

HERE are two methods in
which a Christian attains

TH

has these views and exercises, | views of divine things. He has

no liberty or engagedness of affection in any duty. All his struggles (and he makes many) seem to be without effect. He obtains no relief. What now, has become of his assurance of hope? It appears like a dream of the imagination. Perhaps he really concludes it was nothing else. He seems as if he had not a ray of hope left. He is ready to sink down into utter despondence. Still, however, he struggles on; and after a time, (perhaps a considerable time,) he gradually or suddenly emerges from his despondent state, and gets a renewal of all, or of much, that he before experienced. What are his views now? He has begun to learn from fact, what he before believed in theory, that he depends on God entirely for all the faith and comfort that he obtains. He perceives that God has been

has that which will not permit him to doubt of his love to God. It is also a fact, that if the question about his own interest in the covenant of grace, and consequently his final safety and salvation, should occur to the believer, as it sometimes may, at such a season as has been described, it must immediately be resolved by the very state of his soul. He cannot, while in this state, doubt or fear in regard to his union with Christ and salvation by him. It is in this way, I apprehend, that believers have what some eminent divines* have denominated the extraordinary" witness of the Spirit" at which time, by a confidence that is, as much as any part of the exercise, the Spirit's own blessed work-a confidence which is sui generis, and which by its nature and existence renders it in a sort impossible to doubt they become fully assur-teaching him, and that too in a ed, or have "the full assurance of hope," that they are the children of God. This, then, is the the first manner or method in which this desirable confidence may be obtained, or in which it may exist.

way that he never thought of, what abominations there are in his heart; and yet he sees, and he wonders while he sees it, that all this has not cast him out of the covenant of grace. Nay, he now perceives that his confidence of an interest in that covenant is more settled and firm than if these trials had never taken place. By and by, however, trials, it may be of a new kind, again occur. Faith begins to faulter. Strong cries are poured forth for grace to help in this time of need. But the storm increases. Hope still refuses to let go her hold. Past deliverances are recollected. The mind tries to support itself from the recollection of them. It actually gets some support;

but darkness and coldness continue and increase; and they are, if not continual, yet so prevalent and of such long duration, that the mind is very far from the full assurance of hope. The exercised Christian dares not say that he is absolutely without hope, but he must say that his doubts and fears are more than his hopes. At length, another season of refreshing from the presence of the Lord arrives, and then, again, all is light, and joy, and confidence.

tive actings of the mind enable and in a sort compel him, to come to a solid conclusion, that by all the marks and evidences which the word of God and Christian experience warrant, he must be in a justified state, and of course be interested in the covenant of grace. Here is

the full assurance of hope" of the second kind; which we may call the settled and habitual kind. This does not depend on frames and feelings. The soul may be in great distress, and in a most uncomfortable and agitated state, without losing this kind of assurance; though perhaps it may sometimes be a little shaken. But as it is grounded on the un

nant of grace, and is the result of experience, prayer, deliberation, and long examination, it will endure great conflicts and very severe shocks, without materially giving way. In one word, its possessor may lose his comforts and mourn an absent God, without losing his hope.

Let us suppose that the believer now pursues, with more clearness and success than ever before, his inquiries into the nature of the covenant of grace; so as to obtain a settled convic-changeable nature of the covetion that in this covenant all have a sure interest who are justified through faith in Christ Jesus; and that sanctification is the appointed and unequivocal test of justification. Under the influence of this conviction he institutes a close and prayerful examination into the nature of his temper, practice, 'exercises, views, and various feelings and It is by no means to be supposituations. He searches the sed that the methods above deword of life deeply and abun- lineated are the only ones in dantly, and he collects much which these two kinds of the asfrom conversation, and from surance of hope may be obtainreading the exercises and expe- ed. The statement has been rience of other Christians. All made to illustrate the nature of these two kinds of the same thing; one of which exhibits faith and hope as they arise into confidence from present views and feelings; and the other as they are grounded on the reflex acts of the mind. One is tem

this he compares with what he has experienced and known himself. Jealous lest he should deceive himself, he dares not conclude, fully and at once, that there is no ground of doubt that he is interested in the covenant of grace. He hopes it prevail-porary and transitory, the other ingly, yet he has some fears too. But his observations, inquiries and examinations continue and accumulate, till these delibera

solid and permanent. In the illustration given, perhaps the way in which a settled hope is most commonly obtained, has