place he can have, and then he will love home better than any place else. Guard against a fretful, peevish, discontented spirit, in this many are a torment to themselves and others all their life time. I am not sufficiently acquainted with you to know your temper, neither am I a sufficient physiognomist to read yonr countenance, but what I say, I am sure is needful for every one. Beware of a fretful, peevish spirit, for it will be a constant hell to you, and to every one that is near you. Let your conduct be always agreeable to your husband. If a cross word is uttered, do not magnify it, but endeavour to put the best construction upon it. I see it is in vain for me to write more, I have many things on my mind, but time and paper will not admit of enlargement. Receive, my young friend, these spontaneous remarks, and if any thing be needful to you, I shall be abundantly satisfied, and I beg you will in return remember me before the throne of grace: the Lord knows I stand in need of your prayers. May the Lord keep us from every thing that is sinful, and lead us to every thing that is right.

THE FORGIVENESS OF SIN.

FROM these words may be answered the three following questions. First. What is sin? Secondly. What is it that renders sin hateful to God? Thirdly. What is it makes sin destructive to man?

First. What is sin? Sin is the transgression of the law of God. Man in his unfallen state was the creature of God, dependent upon God, and accountable to God: his right to us as his creatures, our dependence upon him, and accountability to him, we through sin have denied, and have thus deviated from the law, and instead of being holy, just, and good, we are unholy, unjust, and evil. Now

notice how completely the Lord Jesus delivers from all this.

1. Through sin we have denied the right of the Lord to us as his creatures. To deliver from this, the Saviour came and acknowledged that he was not his own: that he came not to do his own will, but the will of him that sent him. Not but it was his own will, but not apart from the will of the Father. The Saviour has by thus giving himself up to the will of the Father, delivered his people from mere natural relation to God. Instead of being merely his creatures, they are his children, in truth and love in Christ Jesus. In this relation they will abide for ever: none can separate them from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

2. We have denied our dependence upon God. To take this part of our sin away, the Saviour acknowledged (and that for us) that he was dependent upon the Father. And so it is written, "Behold my Servant whom I uphold." And again, He shall cry unto me, my Father, and the rock of my salvation." And Jesus called upon God the Father, and said, "Father I thank thee that thou hast heard me," John xi. 41. This brings us out of our dependence upon God as in the first Adam, and brings us into a sure dependence upon God in the second Adam. This dependence upon God in Christ Jesus is altogether infallible, because it is unconditional: in this way shall the people of God trust in the Lord, "for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength." Thus the Lord claims his people in Christ Jesus, and makes them dependent upon him in Christ Jesus.

3. We have through sin denied our responsibility to God. To deliver us from this, the Saviour became the surety for his people; so that our lawresponsibillity to God rested entirely on Christ: he took the whole upon his own almighty shoulders; so that his people will have no give at the last day, but they will give with joy.

account to that which And the ac

count will be this," Unto him that ioved us, and washed us from our sins In his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever, Amen."

Not only have we denied the right of God to his creatures, our dependence upon him and accountability to him, from all which the Saviour has delivered; but we are also in our natures unholy, unjust, and evil. The Saviour in all his personal holiness, righteousness, and goodness, came under the law, magnified the law, and made his people holy, just, and good. Thus is the Saviour's infinitely precious blood, the way in which is bestowed upon us the forgiveness of sins.

I now notice the second question, namely, What is it that renders sin hateful to God? In answer to this, notice contrariety, negligence, enmity, and rivalry.

1. Contrariety. Sin is contrary to the nature of God. God does not hate sin from passion, but from perfection. His hatred to sin is according to the perfections of his nature: his perfections are infinite and eternal, therefore his hatred to sin is infinite and eternal. Now the Lord Jesus is God as well as man, and he hated sin (for his people) with infinite hatred: he loved God for his people, and they are brought, as the consequence of the Saviour's thus having acted for them, to hate sin, and love the Lord. Yet they cannot rest in their own puny hatred to sin, but in the Saviour's hatred to it for them: neither must they rest in their love to God, but in the love of God to them. And thus by the infinitely efficacious atonement of Christ, are they delivered from infinite and eternal wrath. Sin being contrary to the nature of God, is one thing that makes it to him hateful. Another thing is negligence. This is one of the effects of sin: all have sinned, and come short, altogether short of conformity to the law of God.

This law is his glory as a

lawgiver to the first Adam, and all the human race in him: but all have sinned, and of this glory come short, while he who justly claims supreme regard and constant attention, is treated as though he had right to neither. The Lord looked down from heaven, comprehending the whole human race, and gives this account of the whole-" That there is none that doeth good, that there is none righteous, no, not one." To us, how awful, to Him, how hateful is such a state. Here the great Mediator comes in and keeps the law (for us) with his whole heart; in this labour of love and mercy he was diligent, not one idle or negligent moment could be found in his whole life: his diligence is the way of escape from our negligence.

The next evil to be named is enmity-" the carnal mind is enmity against God." All men by nature hate the true God. The general ignorance of, and enmity against the great act of eternal election, are quite enough to shew where men are, under whose influence they act, and to what end (if grace prevent not) they will come. But the Lord knoweth them that are his, and will in his own time slay their enmity, and make them know that their Lord Jesus Christ has by his love overcome all their enmity, that he died for them while they were enemies, and so shall they love him more than ever they hated him.

But not only are we by nature in a state of negligence and enmity, but in opposition both to law and gospel, we have set up idols without number. What must this be in the sight of the Lord, to see devils worshipped instead of himself! Hateful fiends, instead of the ever-blessed God, who is over all blessed for evermore!

The Lord Jesus atoned for and overcame all the idolatry of his people. They shall be guided into all truth; shall cast all internal and external idols, false doctrines, lies, and

human traditions to the moles and to the bats, and shall worship him who is a spirit, in spirit and in truth.

Thus, sin being contrary to the holiness of God, bringing us into a state of negligence, enmity, and idolatry, are a few of the things which make sin hateful to God. Jesus hath endured the curse, delivered his people therefrom, and by his diligence delivered them from their negligence -by his love he hath delivered them from their enmity-and by his integrity he hath delivered them from their idolatry. Well may he be called "the Way, the Truth, and the Life."

But to our third and last question, which is, What is it that makes sin so destructive to man? Every reason that can be assigned why sin is so destructive to man, may be found in this one answer, namely, because man is by sin brought into a state of opposition to him who alone can support him. Man through sin stands opposed to omnipotence, to infinite wisdom, holiness, and justice; and who must prevail in this unequal war? From this state of opposition, the Lord hath by his own blood delivered them that are his. They are brought to walk with God in Christ Jesus, to commune with God in Christ Jesus; and this is forgiveness of sin according to the riches of his grace. Thus much for the present on the doctrine of the forgiveness of sin; the next piece is to be on the experience of the forgiveness of sin.

the quick, and that of prosperity (through grace enabling) lifts the soul on high in praise. You appear by your last to be favoured with a gracious enjoyment of divine things, and I could not help thinking after I had read your letter, what a difference there was between William C- on the dunghill and the same William C on the mount of communion: you know what I mean. There is one mercy,

dear brother, that by and by you and I shall have done with the dunghill (that is our sin and misery when left to ourselves) for ever, and be for ever caught up into the mount of glorified communion with our Lord and God.

Tell the friends I have received the parcel of welcome letters, and that I will notice their contents I hope when I have opportunity. If enabled I could tell you a long story of my nothingness, sinfulness, ignorance, unworthiness, and weakness; and of the superaboundings of sovereign grace in coming over all, in my experience from time to time. All the Lord's children have the same tale to tell; and I, like yourself and millions more, am apt to think that there was never one so much indebted to sovereign grace and mercy as myself. I had a gracious meditation the other day on this passage, So might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord." Grace reigning as an infinitely almighty monarch was opened unto me, and I saw how even sin, Satan, death, sorrows, curse and wrath, were all subordinated by infinite sovereignty, to set forth the glories of the reign of grace. Here, dear brother, is an ocean of never-ending wonders, in which all our thoughts are drowned, in which all our sins and miseries are eternally swallowed up, and in which self and pride are conquered for evermore. Think for a moment! sin, the accursed thing that Jehovah hateth; sin, the work of the devil; sin, the meritorious cause of all the sufferings with which

this world abounds, and of the final destruction of all the wicked in hell; even hell-born sin is rendered subservient by the divine will to the illustration of the almighty glories of sovereign grace: in other words, God takes occasion from the sin of his elect to shew what grace can do in saving them from it. And as sin, so is Satan subjected in all his malice, rage, and craft, by almighty power and infinite authority, to subserve the great wonders of grace's reign. And as sin and Satan, so also death, sorrow, curse and wrath are subjected in the same manner, to shew out what grace can do. Death is conquered in the death and rising of our glorious Jesus; sorrows are blessings in disguise, and the deeper the trial the louder we sing, when the wished for deliverance comes; the curse is abolished in the infinite fountain of blessedness, even the cross and agony of the blessed Lamb of God; and the whole sea of wrath due to the iniquities of God's chosen, is dried up in the blood and death of Jehovah Jesus, God manifest in the flesh, The depths of our wretchedness, as under sin and Satan's reign, and as deserving of death, wrath and curse, call to the infinite depths of almighty grace, lodged in Jehovah's heart from everlasting. Sovereign grace comes forth in the ancient decrees and settlements in the everlasting covenant of grace; and peace in the gift of Christ in the fulness of time, in his humiliation and exaltation in the gospel dispensation, in the entrance of the Holy Ghost into our hearts, in the new birth, spiritual convictions and humiliation for sin, the revelation of Christ to us and within us, and our consequent conversion to God. Thus we begin to taste the sweetness of grace's streams, in sensible, open, manifestative pardon and justification.

are enabled to cast anchor, and thus in safety outride the storms of life, until day, eternal day dawns upon their souls, and an everlasting heaven opens to receive them. And blessed be our God in covenant for ever, Billy C and poor John Blake, among the unnumbered number of all the redeemed, will sing the neverending song of sovereign, rich, and reigning grace: hallelujah, the Lord God omnipotent reigneth, and that through a never-ending day.

But I must get to a conclusion. My dear wife desires her sincere affection to you and your partner, and to dear Miss T and also our

little girl. We are comfortable here, and the Lord is good to us in providence and grace. My royal Lord and King is very kind in giving me a message to the people from time to time, and I experience much of the opening of the mouth in the midst of them. I do not know whether you have heard that our dear brother Fowler of Gower Street is dead; he was alive when I was in London, and since I have been here I heard of his being taken home: doubtless he sees his Master face to face. I heard dear old Gadsby twice at Gower Street before I left London; he is the same dear man as ever, downright truth, simplicity and godly fear shine sweetly in him. I shall be glad to hear from you at any time. And now I would express my best wishes for you by saying, The Lord remember you for good in all your ways; in your soul and body, in your ground and crops, in your basket and store, in your wife and children, in your health, and especially your back: yea, in your going out and coming in, from this time forth and for evermore. My love to your partner, and any or all enquiring friends. And believe me, dear brother C, your's ever affectionately in our glorious Jesus,

THOMAS J. BLAKE.

I HAVE SET MY AFFECTION TO THE HOUSE OF MY GOD."

1 Chron. xxix. 3.

My affection is set to the house of my God, Because he hath helped my soul on the road; He has called me his son, I receive him as mine,

His voice sounds melodious, in accents divine. My God! how endearing the name to my soul;

Though oft I am wounded his hand makes me whole

He guides me through darkness, oft lightens my load:

How kind, condescending, and gracious my God!

Because he hath made himself known unto me,

And shewn his salvation abundant and free; Because he hath sent his dear Son from above,

To die for my sins, and to draw me by love; Because he hath raised up Christ from the dead,

To assure me that I shall to glory be led; I triumph o'er sorrow through life's thorny road,

With affections still set to the house of my
God.

Thus related to him by his covenant love,
I see that my mercies all flow from above;
In his providence I am continually blessed,
And though a great sinner most sweetly
caressed.

How can I but love the blessed house of my
God,

And find fresh attachment to that dear abode; I love to be found in those courts every day, When the people of God are uniting to pray.

'Tis there that my God has designed to bless, 'Tis there he in mercy bestows his rich grace; 'Tis there he is seen in the words which are spoke,

By his promises which he can never revoke. 'Tis there by appointment he meets with my

soul,

Heals up my deep wounds, and my sorrows controul;

'Tis there I his glory oft sweetly behold, While he through the lattice his love doth unfold.

"Tis there I with company meet and adore, Whose souls of my Jesus still long to know

more;

In union we sing, and in unity pray,
To Jesus who drives all our sorrows away.
In Zion the Comforter deigns to bestow,
A sample of heaven in Achor below;
'Tis a foretaste of heaven, to this I aspire,
To join with the saints and my Jesus admire.
Here's wisdom to guide us each step of the
way,

Here's light which can chase all our darkness away;

Here is life for the dead, and full strength for the weak:

How can I be silent, his love I must speak. He saved me from death, and my comfort restored,

I glory his wonders of grace to record; And as there I've healing for strokes of his rod,

My affection is set to the house of my God.

Come then all ye sinners who long to be saved,

Though oft this world's pleasures your souls

have much craved;

Come now attend Zion, and hear the blest tale,

The word of Jehovah doth sweetly reveal. In "the house of my God" ask for blessings divine,

And Jesus in mercy will then on you shine; His hand will supply you in answer to prayer, In confidence then unto Jesus draw near.

Ask in faith, nothing doubting, your need he'll supply,

He'll grant every comfort, nor ever deny; He's merciful, gracious, long-suffering, and free,

To all who their own great unworthiness see: For the merits of Jesus, the sinner's best

friend,

God will blessings bestow, and will love to

the end;

Then as ye pass on through this wilderness road,

Set all your affection to the house of my God.

He will save to the uttermost, none need despair,

Though blacker than Kedar their sins may

appear,

If on Jesus, by faith, their dependence is set,