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now, when I go over all the faults of it, it appears almost impossible that I can ever preach again. But then I think again, who can preach so well as a sinner—who is forgiven so much, and daily upheld by the Spirit with such a heart within! I can truly say that the fruit of my long exile has been, that I am come nearer to God, and long more for perfect holiness, and for the world where the people shall be all righteous. I do long to be free from self, from pride, and ungodliness; and I kuow where to go, “for all the promises of God are yea and amen in Christ Jesus." Christ is my armoury, and I go to Him to get the whole armour of God-the armour of light. My sword and buckler, my arrows, my sling and stone, all are laid up in Jesus. I know you find it so. Evermore grow in this truly practical wisdom. You have a shepherd; you shall never want. What effect my long absence may have on the mass of unconverted souls I do not know. I cannot yet see God's purposes towards them: perhaps it may be judgment, as in the case of Ephesus, Rev. ii. 5; perhaps it may be in mercy, as in the case of Laodicea, Rev. iii. 19; or perhons there are some who would not bend under my ministry, who are to flow down as wax before the fire under the ministry of the precious fellow-labourer who is to succeed me. William Burris, son of the minister of Kilsyth, has for the present agreed to suppiy my place; and though there is a proposal of his being sent to Ceylon, I do hope he may be kept for us. He is one truly taught of Godyoung, but Christ lives in him. You know he comes of a good kind by the flesh.

Another reason of our trial, I hope, has been God's mercy to Israel. There is something so wonderful about the way in which all difficulties have been overcome, and the way opened up, that I cannot doubt the hand of Jehovah has been in it. This gives me, and should give you, who love Israel, a cheering view of this trial. The Lord meant it for great good. If God be glorified, is not this our utmost desire? Oh, it is sweet, when in prayer we can lay ourselves and all our interests, along with Zion, in the hands of Him whom we feel to be Abba! And if we are thus tied ourselves in the same bundle with Zion, we must resign all right to ourselves, and to our wishes. May the Lord open up a way to his name being widely glorified on the earth even before we die! I know you will pray for us on our way, that our feet may be beautiful on the mountains of Israel, and that we may say to Zion, “ Thy God reigneth.” Pray that your poor friend may be supplied out of his riches in glory, that he may not shrink in hours of trial, but endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. I will remember you

when far away, and pray God to keep you safe under the shadow of the Redeemer's wings till I come again in peace, if it be his holy will. Dr Black and Andrew Bonar have both consented to go. I shall probably be sent before to London next week, to open he way. I am not very strong yet; often revisited by my warning friend, to tell me that I may see the New Jerusalem before I see the Jerusalem beneath. However, I have the sentence of death in myself, and do not trust in myself, but in God, who raises the dead.

I saw Mrs Coutts yesterday, in good health, and full of spirit. She almost offered to go with us to Immanuel's Land. I fear the Pastoral Letters are not worth printing ; but I shall ask others what they think. Farewell for the present. The Lord give you all grace and peace.-Your affectionate pastor, etc.

TO THE REV. W. U. BURNS. On his agrecing to undertake the charge of St Peter's, during Mr M'C.'s absence

in Palestine.

EDINBURGH, Ilill Street, March 22, 1839. MY DEAR FRIEND,-For I trust I may now reckon you among the number in the truest sense-Ihaste to send you a line in answer to your last. I am glad you have made up your mind to begin your spiritual charge over my flock on the first week of April. The Committee have resolved that I leave this on Wednes. day next, so that you will not hear from me again till I am away. Take heed to thyself. Your own soul is your first and greatest care. You know a sound body alone can work with power; much more a healthy soul. Keep a clear conscience through the blood of the Lamb. Keep up close communion with God. Study likeness to Him in all things. Read the Bible for your own growth first, then for your people. Expound much; it is through the truth that souls are to be sanctified, not through essays upon the truth. Be easy of access, apt to teach, and the Lord teach you and bless you in all you do and say. You will not find many companions. Be the more with God. My dear people are anxiously waiting for you. The prayerful are praying for you. Be of good courage; there remaineth much of the land to be possessed. Be not dismayed, for Christ shall be with thee to deliver thee. Study Isaiah vi., and Jer. i., and the sending of Moses, and Ps. li. 12, 13, and John xv, 26, 27, and the connection in Luke i. 15, 16.

I shall hope to hear from you when I am away. Your accounts of my people will be a good word to make my heart glad. I am often sore cast down; but the eternal God is my refuge. Now farewell; the Lord make you a faithful steward.-Ever yours, etc.

PASTORAL LETTERS TO THE FLOCK OF ST PETER'S.

FIRST PASTORAL LETTER.
View of what God has done,-how it should affect them.

EDINBURGH, January 30, 1839. To all of you, my dear friends and people, who are beloved of God, and faithful in Christ Jesus, your pastor wishes grace and peace from God the Father, and Christ Jesus our Lord.

As several of you have expressed a desire to hear from me, and as He who at first sent me to you to bear witness of the Lord Jesus bas for many weeks withdrawn me, and still lays his afflicting but gentle hand on me, it has seemed good to me, not without prayer, to write to you from week to week a short word of exhortation, May the Holy Spirit guide the pen, that what is written may be blessed to your comfort and growth in grace!

God is my record how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ; and the walls of my chamber can bear witness how often the silent watches of the night have been filled up with entreaties to the Lord for you all. I can truly say with John, 6 that I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in the truth;” and though many of you were in Christ before me, and were living branches of the true vine before I was sent into the vineyard, yet believe me it is true of you also, I have no greater joy than to know that you are more and more filled with the Holy Ghost, and bear more and more fruit to the glory of God the Father. “Herein is the Father glorified, that you bear much fruit.” You remember what Paul, when he was a prisoner of the Lord, wrote to the Philippians (i. 12), “I would that ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel.” I am very anxious that you and I should understand the very same, in the things which have happened unto me, that we may vindicate

? He had begun to correct a copy of these Pastoral Letters for publication, at the earnest request of some of his friends. The few corrections made are all inserted. The chief alterations are in the fourth of the Pastoral Letters. He had got no farther than the seventh.

God in all his dealings with us, and “not despise the chastening of the Lord.” I know too well that there are many amongst you who would feel it no grievance if all the Lord's ministers were taken out of the way. Ah! how many are there who would rejoice if they were for ever left to sin unreproved, and to do what was right in their own eyes! Still I am quite sure that to you, “ who have obtained like precious faith with us,” —to you, who are the Lord's people, the present is a season of affliction, and you feel, as Naomi felt, that the hand of the Lord is gone out against us. My present object in writing to you is shortly to persuade you that “it is well,"_" the Lord doeth all things well,”—and that it may be really for the furtherance of the gospel among you. In many ways may this be the case.

First, With respect to myself. It does not become me here to show what benefit it may be to me. Suffice it to say that it has been a precious opportunity in which to reflect on the sins and imperfections of my ministry among you. A calm hour with God is worth a whole lifetime with man. Let it be your prayer that I may come out like gold, that the tin may be taken away, and that I may come back to you, if that be the will of God, a better man, and a more devoted minister. I have much to learn, and these words of David have been often in my heart and on my lips, “I know that thy judgments are right, and that Thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me,” Ps. cxix. 75. Ministers are God's tools for building up the gospel temple. Now you know well that every wise workman takes his tools away from the work from time to time, that they may be ground and sharpened; so does the onlywise Jehovah take his ministers oftentimes away into darkness and loneliness and trouble, that He may sharpen and prepare them for harder work in his service. Pray that it may be so with your own pastor.

Second, With regard to you, my dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, this time of trial is for your furtherance. Does not God teach you, by means of it, to look beyond man to the Saviour, who abideth ever? Is not God showing you that ministers are earthen vessels, easily broken, and fit only to be cast aside like a broken pitcher out of mind? Is He not bidding you look more to the treasure which was in them, and which flows in all its fulness from Christ? It is a sad error into which I see many Christians falling, that of leaning upon man, mistaking friendship toward a minister for faith on the Son of God.

Remember that before Moses was sent to deliver Israel, his hand was made leprous, as white as snow, to teach them that it was not the might of that hand that could deliver Israel : Exod. iv. 6, 7. It has been the fault of some of you to lean too much on man. Now God is teaching you that, though the cistern may break, the fountain abides as open and full and free as ever-that it is not from sitting under any particular ministry that you are to get nourishment, but from being vitally united to Christ. Ministers " are not suffered to continue by reason of death, but Christ, because He continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.”— Heb. vii. 23.

Third, With regard to those among you who are almost, but not altogether, persuaded to be Christians, does not this providence teach you to make sure of an interest in Christ without delay? You thought you would have the Saviour held up to you for an indefinite number of Sabbaths, little thinking that your Sabbaths and mine are all numbered. Many a time you have said to me in your heart, “Go thy way for this time; when I have a more convenient season I will call for thee." You did not think that a time might come when you may call for your teachers, and they be silent as the grave.

I find many godly people here are looking forward to a time when God's faithful witnesses shall be put to silence, and anxious souls shall wander from sea to sea, seeking the word of God, and shall not find it. Be entreated, 0 wavering souls, to settle the question of your salvation now. Why halt ye between two opinions? It is most unreasonable to be undecided about the things of an endless eternity, in such a world as this, with such frail bodies, with such a Saviour stretching out his hand, and such a Spirit of love striving with you. Remember you are flesh-you will soon hear your last sermon. “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have put before you life and death, blessing and cursing : therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.”—Deut. xxx. 19.

Fourth, There is another class who are not of you, and yet are on every hand of you, “ of whom I have told you often, and now tell you, even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ, whose god is their belly, who glory in their shame, who mind earthly things.” Ah! you would not believe if I were to tell you the great heaviness and continual sorrow that I have in my heart for you, and yet I hope my absence may be blessed even to you. Just think for a moment, if God were to remove your teachers one by one-if He were to suffer the church of our cove- . nanted fathers to fall before the hands of her enemies-if He were to suffer Popery again to spread its dark and deadly shade over

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