as sin is a mental disease in the mind, as I have abundantly shown in this book. But says A. "I do not believe your doctrine, for I am a Calvinist, I believe in the decrees of God." And s do I, but I do not believe contrary to the decrees of infinite wisdom. "Nor I, (says A.) but I believe God has an elect number chosen to salvation and that this number of the elect cannot possibly be diminished nor increased by any means whatever," Well friend A, do you feel entirely satisfed in your belief? he may perhaps say, "I think I do." Well my friend I will endeavor to find out your resting place. Do you know that you are one of that elected number? A. "No, but I hope I am, no man can know it for certain." Very well; do you not think your mind would be much more at ease if you could be satisfied that you were one of the elect? A. "I think I should." And would it not be a great addition to your consolation to know that your wife and children also were included? "O yes." Well would it increase your happiness, if you could be convinced that all your good neighbors were also elected? A. "Yes indeed it would." Very well-would you not be glad to know that all the world will finally be saved from sin and misery A. O yes. ? but that can never be."

Then of a truth I perceive that your religion affords you but a very scanty rest, if it is capable of so much addition by believing the truth as it is in Jesus Christ.

Friend A. I think your bed is by far too short, and the covering too narrow for you to enter into rest thro' your present faith. Vital religion is calculated to make him happy who enjoys it in his own soul, it calms and softens the unruly passions in man and enables us toexercise fortitude and patience under every cross providence; It is what enabled Job in his greatest affliction, to say I know that my Redeemer liveth, &c." The Christian religion consists mainly in our having a firm and well established reliance on Jesus Christ as the saviour of the world; and the greater our faith and con fidence is in him, the more we enjoy vital christianity. This glorious religion is adorned with perspicuity,

beauty power and universality, for it is a bright lamp to our feet, gracefulness in our deportment and power in our hands to defend ourselves against all temptations; and it is heaven-born charity in our souls, which weans our minds from the love of that cruel partiality so prevalent in the world. He who enjoys the Christian faith realizes the love of God shed abroad in his heart; this love is universal, it is shed abroad in the Christian heart as far as to the ends of the earth accompanied by pure and unadulterated faith in the merits of Christ on behalf of every creature in all the world. A real Christian believes that gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation. This glorious gospel is to the true believer glad tidings of great joy which he firmly believes will finally be the same to all people. Under this most delightful prospect, the soul enters into rest, and that rest is sweet, because it is in the revealed love of God to all creatures. In this state of rest the soul can expand to earth's remotest bounds, and embrace all men in the arms of his happifying faith. In this sabbath of rest, the soul enjoys a joyful communion with God and delightful intercourse with the spirits of just men made perfect, and every breath of the spirit, is prayer and praise to God; all inordinate affections are banished from his solid repose. In this heavenly state of gospel rest, the Christian rests from his labors and his works follow him, while the work of the Lord goes before him, and thus his own works being left behind, he trusts entirely in the work of the Lord before him, "pressing forward for the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." I would have the reader to understand, that he who enters into Gospel rest through faith, has ceased from all his own law works for justification; he is now sensible that "By the deeds of (an outward law) the law no flesh shall be justified." This state of mind is the great Christian sabbath, it is that of entering into the rich fulness of the gospel dispensation through that faith once delivered to the saints, and that of leaving the legal dispensation behind with all the works thereof: it is that of being carried into Abraham's bo

som by the angelic message of the gospel, i. e. entering into the extensive faith of faithful Abraham, "whose faith was counted to him for righteousness." Abraham, that famous father of the faithful, believed God when he promised, and an Apostle informs us, "His faith was counted to him for righteousness," and that those who believe are justified with Abraham.

Now it is very easy to discover how far we must believe in order to have that justifying faith of the ancient saints, and this we may find by only reading what God promised to Abraham who believed every word: so must we. I would therefore advise the reader to carefully peruse the record of what God promised Abraham. However, I will in this place introduce a specimen of those promises to show their nature: Gal. 3. 8. "The scripture, foresceing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before, the Gospel unto Abraham, saying in thee shall all nations be blessed." This is what he believed, and what every one must believe in order to enter into rest through the faith of that gospel before preached to Abraham.

Now it is plain to be seen that the patriarch's bed was none too short on which he reposed his unshaken confidence, nor was his covering any too narrow, for he believed God, and staggered not through any root of unbelief; neither does any one in this day, who fully believes the promises of God to all the kindreds of the earth, but they enjoy justification through faith, and rest with Abraham in the universality of the goodness and faithfulness of God, who has promised. But he whose bed is shorter than the promises of God, and whose covering is narrower than his mercy and goodness, canuot enter into present rest through his limited faith, for his bed is too short and his covering too narrow. Such per sons have but a thorny maze and dry living in a spiritual sense. For want of the true faith they have not o beyed their Lord, who says, come "take my yoke upon you which is easy, and my burden which is light, and you shall find rest to your souls. Gentle reader I will tell you how one may know whether he is in the true

faith or not; if his religion is a heavy burthen, his yoke galling, and heavy laden with a multitude of dead formalities of religion, he may well conclude that he has not yet found the place of rest in the gospel. For his way is too much like that described in the holy scrip tures, viz. "The way of the transgressor is hard.” gain, "The wicked are like the troubled sea whose waters cannot rest," &c.

A

The reason why the children of Israel wandered forty years in the wilderness of Sinai, and could not enter into rest, was because they believed not. That case was typical of the present wilderness state of the apostatized state of the church which cannot enter into rest, because they believe not the promises of God in their full extent. The church has strayed out of the way through unbelief, and so fallen a prey in the wilderness.

CHAPTER 14.

CHRISTIAN BAPTISM AND THE TRUE SPIRIT OF CBRISTIAN PRAYER.

Christian baptism is a mental operation on the mind of man, it is a work of Christ and is sometimes effected by him through the means of preaching the gospel of Christ, agreeable to his command to his Apostles, St. Mat. 28--19, 20, ❝ Go ye—and teach all nations, baptizing them, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost,-and, lo I am with you always even unto the end of the world, Amen." Here in this command of our Lord to his apostles, the same is meant by the words." Teach all nations." For the two parts

of the sentence, are put in apposition, as signifying the same thing, that is to say, both relate to the same illumination of the mind, (Christ's baptism.) That the Apostles might be abundantly able to perform this great work of the Lord, he promises to be with them to the end of the world. John Baptist, while using the figure of Christian baptism, explains the nature of both the figure and substance; and plainly shows the people, that his own mode of baptizing, was but a forerunner of Christian baptism; and that the former should decrease, but the latter increase. Which was as much as to say, in proportion as Christian baptism shall be realized in the soul, water baptism shall cease.

Now let us read John's own words on this subject, St. Mark 1.7, 8, "There cometh one mightier than I, after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost." St. John 3-28, 29, 30," Ye yourselves bear me witness that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. He must increase, but I must decrease."