feelings of a man; "but I will bring him through," put my fear in his heart, and hear him exclaim," How can I do this great wickedness and sin against my God." The fire of besetting sin (and there are many other fires, which time will not allow me to name). Is it not a comfort, dear people, to know when in the fire "he will bring you through?" Narrow is the Christian's way, and his strength is to sta nd still, and see the salvation of God. "Looking unto Jesus" is the only prescription, the family prescription; and his people see him ; "We see Jesus," one of the glorious Trinity; one in the glorious Trinity, yet "bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh, for we are members of his body." This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church (Eph. v. 8, 32). Come then ye tempted ones-come lean upon Jesus, the fire of persecution shall not hurt you, man may rail against you, but God shall bring you through; yes, the gates of hell shall never close upon you, all the hell you have is here; David felt the pains of hell-he cried, the Lord helped him. The three children in the furnace, had a fourth with them, "and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God." Fire of persecution in the family; God does not take whole families. Fire in the parish, when the Gospel is in the pulpit, a row in the parish; yes, and the fire within-the conflict of the two contending powers, light and darkness-flesh and spirit, and this fire the worst of all, yet I will bring them through. I, says Jesus, came not to send peace but a sword, yet the secret of the Lord is with them that fear him, they have at times a peace and joy the world knows nothing of-yes, the broken-hearted ones, smashed to shivers, at their wit's end shall be saved, be healed, and all of grace. Who made them to differ? keeps them low-stopped them in their wild career, who? but their Redeemer, their Saviour and their God. The church is compared to the bush on fire, yet not burnt, when "God was in it," carnal evangelism-the false and mixed gospellers, with their crowded churches, know nothing of these things experimentally-his people are solitary ones, compared to the Pelican in the desert, the sparrow that sitteth alone-one of a family-or two of a tribe, they have doubts and fears, when under the hidings of their Father's countenance, what heart searchings, what clearing of themselves to search and see if they are the called of God, "born from above." These need not fear,-"I will bring them through." Concluded with a solemn address to the unconverted, the nominal professors, and to the children of God.

W. A. M.

NEWS FROM AMERICA.

To the Editor of the Gospel Magazine.

MY VERY DEAR BROTHER,

It appears by your notice of my salutation of July last, that you would be glad to hear from me again, on subjects connected with the state of religion in America; I sit down, therefore, to make an attempt to sketch the gloomy outline.

66

I am not as you and dear brother" Crispin " suppose, a native of the sea-girt isle," but first drew the vital air on the shore of the Grand Lake, Parish of Canning, Queen's County, New Brunswick, a British Province. My ancestors were all from England; they left their native land with all its attractions, and chose the vast uncultivated wilds of America, to enjoy liberty of conscience; and after suffering innume rable hardships and privations in New England, they laid their bones in that new world of savage men. At length some of their descendants migrated to the foreign shores of New Brunswick, where "Snow's rude garment clothes the ground in May," about eighty-two years ago. My parents were very young when they came to New Brunswick; being partakers of divine grace, they brought up their children very strictly, and taught them everything of a religious nature, that was in the power of their hands to do.

But not by common mercy's silken cord,

Could my vile heart be drawn to love the Lord;
Soon as my opening mind her power display'd,
'Twas but to show the ruin sin had made.
My understanding, dark as Egypt's night,
My will, opposed to everything that's right;
Affections, sensual as the herds that graze,
No heart for gratitude, no tongue for praise,
But every power, and faculty of mind,
Averse to good-to every ill inclined;
And had God left me to my own free-will,
I had remained in Satan's bondage still.

But oh! the kindness of salvation's King,

My tongue, his praise through endless years shall sing ;
Though my vile heart did most ungrateful prove,

Yet he pursued his purposes of love.

Could curs'd ingratitude, hell's blackest brood
E'er frustrate the fix'd purpose of a God,
Then might my soul despair of heavenly rest,
Nor hope to find a seat among the blest.
But since Jehovah loves because he will,
My faith can trust his precious promise still.

Having a strong desire to go to heaven without knowing the way, (John xiv. 6), I was long time employed in building of Babel; therefore my heavenly Teacher thought fit to bring me down to the foot of the mount Horeb, and strip me of all my ornaments, and last of all my fig-leaf apron; then was seen my nakedness indeed; but oh! it made me prize the garments of my Elder Brother; then I remembered, and was confounded, and never opened my mouth any more, because of my shame, seeing He was pacified towards me for all that I had done (Ezek. xvi. 63).

The secret of his love he then made known,
And show'd my union to the Holy One;
He opened to my view his covenant broad,
The eternal acts of Zion's Triune God.

After this, I was content to let the flaming sword turn every way to keep the way of the tree of life; and I felt no regret at the breaking of the tables at the foot of the mount, seeing they were renewed, and safely kept in the ark of the everlasting covenant.

I have been ever since, very careful to build all my altars of whole stones, and to offer no other sacrifice but the Lamb of Jehovah's own providing.

Thus am I saved, and slavish fears remove,

Yet daily I do Paul's experience prove;

Like him I groan, through fleshly burden pain'd,
Like him I joy, through Jesus' victory gain'd.

Thus much for your unworthy correspondent. Now for the promised outline.

You are doubtless aware, that there is no legally established religion in the British Province of New Brunswick. The oldest form of worship here, is that of the Independents, practised by the first emigrants from Massachusetts; being the descendants of the old pilgrims, who fled from their native land, to escape the iron hand of the Laudian persecution. The loyalists who sought refuge in this Province after the peace of 1783, were chiefly Episcopalians; this circumstance, and the patronage of the Society for the Propogation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, have given episcopacy the ascendancy, in regard to power and influence. But her missionaries, being chiefly of the High-Church party, have been very zealous for the form of godliness, while they have denied the power thereof. Apostolical Succession, Baptismal Regeneration, and Episcopal Confirmation, and such like Popish dogmas, form the pillows, on which the most of her adherents sleep the sleep of death. But if there be found here and there, one of her true sons, who mourns over the falling away from the truth of the days of good Edward the Sixth, and highly prizes the writings of such men as Toplady, Romaine, and Hawker, they are shunned as infectious Antinomians.

Nor can I report more favourably of the various sections of dissent; general atonement, free-will, duty faith, and universal offers, have eaten out the core of their fruit, and left them the shell to contend about.

But, my dear brother, the Lord hath yet his remnant here among all denominations, that none may say, "We are the people, and wisdom shall die with us." These are as the shaking of the olive tree, two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough. These look unto their Maker, and their eyes have respect unto the Holy One of Israel. "They do not look to the altars, the work of their own hands" (Isa. xvii). Yes, to speak in the language of another divine figure, “Jehovah hath planted a handful of corn on here and there a hill of Zion, and watereth it every moment." Near one of these fruitful spots, distinguishing grace has placed the bounds of the habitation of your unworthy correspondent. God hath given us a place where we can sit on his holy day, and listen to the sweet strains of your Magazine, and the writings of dear Romaine, Hawker, Hale, and Irons.

In answering your query, how the GOSPEL MAGAZINE came first into my hands, I must introduce to your acquaintance my highly esteemed brother, and devoted friend to truth, Mr. J. Paterson of St. John's, New Brunswick, who has been used by Zion's glorious Head, to scatter more of the pure grain, such as the doves eat, through the province than any one beside; I have been favoured with his friendship for nearly twenty years. He has long held correspondence with E. Palmer of Paternoster Row, London; through whom he has been furnished with those tracts, and writings, alluded to in my first salutation. Brother Paterson was a subscriber for the Magazine while conducted by the late W. Row; he first drew my attention to it, after it came into your hands. I have been a subscriber ever since; and after receiving the hint relative to wider circulation, I have procured four more. If I mistake not, Mr. Paterson procures the Magazine through the medium of a relative in Glasgow.

I acknowledge the receipt of the highly valued response of dear old Crispin, successor of the late Rowland Hill, in eccentricities; whose spiritual senses are remarkably acute, and his two-edged sword extremely keen.

Dear brother Irons, I have to lament most deeply, the loss of your Love Token, as the November number, which I supposed contained it, never came to hand; the allusion to it by Crispin, and the title in the index, are all I possess.

My very dear brother, I rejoice to find you so sweetly acknowledging God the Spirit in all thy ways: I believe He will direct thy steps. Commending you to that love which in eternity began, and will for ever, and for ever flow,

I subscribe myself, without disguise,

St. John's, New Brunswick,
May 13th, 1846.

DAVID PALMER,

alias METRIOS.

COVENANT PROMISES.

Ir is of paramount importance to the comfort and edification of the faithful in Christ Jesus to entertain right views of the exceeding great and precious promises of the covenant of grace interspersed throughout the word of life. There is no theme more inystified and misrepresented by the pseudo-theologians of the present age than this. Indeed, many of them represent gospel promises as having been made by God to the creature, and maintain that their fulfilment depends on the conduct of the creature alone. The New Testament writers, however, hold a very different language from this. Paul, in his admonitory epistle to the churches of Galatia, sets this matter at rest by informing us that they were made to Christ on behalf of his seed, or spiritual offspring (Gal. iii. 16). In his second epistle to the Church of God at Corinth, the same apostle assures us that they are made, and unalterably confirmed in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. i. 20). The faithful of every age and clime are the heirs of promise. Hence to them the promises of grace are given, and they, through faith and patience, inherit them (2 Pet. i. 4; Heb. vi. 12). It is by them they are certified that they shall escape the corruption that is in the world through lust, and be fully conformed to the image of their glorious Head and Exemplar, in pursuance of the eternal purpose of the Triune Jehovah.

Their comprehensiveness, including, as they do, the life that now is and that which is to come, is a subject replete with sweet comfort to the child of God in the darkest shades of his history (1 Tim. iv. 8). Peter, writing to those who possessed like precious faith with himself, says that God had given unto them all things that pertain unto life and godliness (2 Pet. i. 23); and Paul, addressing the saints, says to them, "All things are yours. Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death-all things present, or things to come-all things are yours, and ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's " (1 Cor. iii. 21-23). Charming thought! The covenant of grace is ordered in all things and sure, being established upon absolute or unconditional promises, as respects the elect (2 Sam. xxiii, 5; Heb. viii. 6-13). It provides for their perfect blessedness in Christ-for the removal of all evil, and the consummation of all good-for peace under the conviction of sin, comfort in the hour of trial, grace on to glory, and glory ineffable in heaven. Wonderful grace! All blessings, temporal and spiritual, belong to the saints by promise, even before the foundation of the world. They were pro.nised by the Everlasting Father to his co-equal and co-eternal Son for them in the covenant transactions of eternity. True, their bestowal was suspended on certain rigorous conditions; but, thanks be to God, those con. ditions were subscribed to and performed by Christ as the Surety of the Church. Hence, our ascended Lord is not like a mere petitioner, who