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him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, &c. And the Spirit of God, in the New Testament, does much press this duty. 2dly, Because my obligations to Christ, and to his free grace, are so many, and so great, that, had I never so many children, I would think myself bound, to the utmost of my power, to consecrate them all to him and to press upon them, by all that love could suggest unto me, that they would serve the Lord God of their Father. 3dly, Because among the many other challenges I have now in my solitary hours, in this house of my pilgrimage, for neglect of duties in my days of peace, this is one, that I did not improve my time aright, when the candle of the Lord did shine upon my tabernacle, and ye were as olive plants about my table. Alas! I did not press upon you, as I ought and might, the serious thoughts of eternity, and of your soul's salvation; and therefore I am the more obliged now to do it, at this distance; and who knows but it may sink deeper into your hearts, that it comes thus by a letter from an aged, banished father? I remember that I was often moved, in prayer with that family over which the Lord had set me, to pray for preparation against a time of scattering, though I did not then think that it should have been such, and so far off, before death; but now it is come, and that which death will make is following: the Lord give us the sanctified use of the one, and serious preparation for the other. 4thly, Because I am under the bond of a promise an vow to the Most High God, taken on, befoe him, and unto him, at your baptism, that I should endeavour to train you up for himself, that ye might learn to know, fear, and serve him. I remember, I presented every one of you to that sacrament, except one who was presented, in my absence, by a faithful and worthy minister, who is now at his rest, and who doubtless did pray for the blessing and fruit of that ordinance unto the child he did present; and, I hope, his prayer was heard; and that the Lord, who has chosen for her a good husband, and made her the mother of children, shall own her as one of the daughters of Zion, who shall be found in the register of these of whom it is written They were born there, by the new and better. birth. Yea, the Lord has been graciously pleased to let me live so long with you, till I have entered all of you (except the youngest, who, I hope, shall not want his part of the covenant blessing,

unto that other sacrament of the Lord's supper, that so you might therein, by your own proper act and deed, make an open and avowed resignation of yourselves to the Lord, as your God, and your father's God, and declare before the world, that in him alone ye have salvation, and that ye will live and die to him; and so might perform what was promised for you by your parents in that first sacrament, when you could not restipulate by yourselves, but behoved to do it by another, till ye should come to years of knowledge, that ye might then give your own actual and formal consent; which, I hope, ye have done, as often as ye have been partakers of that other sacrament. 5thly, Because the Lord has made me, again and again, in this my Patmos, to cry unto him, more than ever before, for grace and glory to myself, and to my seed; and to lay out before him that sweet and large promise, Deut. xxx. 6. And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live; yea, now and then to act faith, and to pray upon it, and to win unto some hopes that it shall be made good for all of you. Sure I am, there is room enough for all of you in heaven, were ye more than ye are there is mercy and grace enough in Jesus Christ, to bring you thither; and nothing can keep you out, but unwillingness to enter in by him, who is the way, the truth, and the life, and who makes it one of his greatest complaints against perishing sinners, that they will not come unto him, that they may have life. And the 6th and last thing, that hath moved me to scribble these lines, is, That the few and evil days of my pilgrimage are fast wearing to an end, the shadows of the evening are streched out, and my sun is near the setting, neither know I, if I shall see you any more in a present world: and therefore, while the Lord lets me yet dwell in this frail tabernacle, I would desire to mind you of these things which concern your eternal peace; and that ye may remember these things, when I shall be no more within' time, either to speak or write to you.

I would recommend to all of you, both sons and daughters, and that, in this backsliding time, when so many are turning back from Christ, and walking no more with him, ye would strengthen your resolution not to leave him; for to whom should ye go, in turning away from him, seeing he only has

the words of eternal life? John vi. 66, 67, 68. From that time many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then said Simon Peter unto him, Lord, to whom shall we go? for thou hast the words of eternal life. Say ye not, A confederacy to all those to whom this apostate generation say, A confederacy; neither fear' ye their fear, nor be afraid: but sanctify the Lord God of hosts in your hearts, and let him be your fear and your dread, Isa. viii. 12, 13. The Lord himself speaks in this to your hearts and mine, with a strong hand instructing us. Now, I conceive, that this would much conduce to help you to stedfastness in a backsliding time, often to make actual resignation of yourselves to the Lord, I mean, on your knees in prayer, humble and hearty prayer; to give up you.selves, souls and bodies, to him, who is your Lord, Creator and Redeemer, who has bought you by a dear price, that ye should be his, and that ye should live to him, and not to yourselves. This actual resigning yourselves to him, and explicit and formal covenanting with him, would please him well, would give the devil and your own corruptions a great dash, and would make you understand some scriptures more clearly and more comfortably; as Psal. xvi. 2. O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee. Psal. xxvii. 8. When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek. Jer. xxx. 21, 22. And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them, and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me: For who is this that engageth his heart to approach unto me, saith the Lord? and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. Zech. xiii. 9. They shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people; and they shall say, The Lord is my God. But of this worthy and stedfast Mr William Guthrie has written well; which little great book I recommend to all of you. And now, my dear children, whose everlasting salvation my soul prays for, and desires to believe, and whose holy and Christian conversation in the way thither, I earnestly beg, meditate often on that scripture, Titus ii. 11, 12, 13, 14. For the grace of God, that bringeth salvation, hath appeared to all men: teaching us, that, VOL. IV.

denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and glorious appearing of the great God, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ: who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. And pray for grace to obey that great and excellent gospel lesson, that ye may assure your hearts before him, and that it may be well with you in the great day of the Lord. And shall I mention to you what worthy Mr Bolton said on his death-bed to his children? (I hope the mentioning of it shall do you no harm, but good) "I charge you,” said he, "O my children, not to meet me in the great day, "in a Christless graceless condition!" I hope, every one of you will endeavour, and make it your main study and care, to be found in Christ in that day, not having your own righte cusness, but that which is through faith in him. The Lord himself grant that it may be so; and the Lord God, my God, and my father's God, who has fed me, and provided for me all my life long until this day, and the great angel of the covenant, which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads, and lasses also. And so I recommend you to him, as your God all-sufficient, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them that are sanctified through faith that is in him. And now the very God of peace sanctify you wholly and I pray God, that your whole spirit, soul and body, be preserved blameless unto the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he who calleth you, who also will do it. Children, pray for me your aged father, who desires to live and die in the hope, that we shall, with joy, meet before the throne; and that ye take these lines, as some weak help to carry you thither. They are from

Your loving and affectionate father,

CAW, Printer

FINIS.

ROBERT TRAILL.