difpenfations of grace is clearly, difplayed in fuch revivals; for it is there evident from facts, that God has mercy on whom he will have mercy-awakens and renews one, & not another, as he in infinite wifdom fees fit. Altho as before noticed, the hopeful converts are chiefly from families, where the fabbath, public worship, and divine things have been regarded and reverenced; yet fome have been under powerful impreffions and convictions, who to human appearance were as unlikely to be impreffed, as almost any in the fociety. From the fame family fome have been taken, others left. Perfons, who oppose, and make light of fuch peculiar revivals of religion, give the strongest evidence, that they have never experienced the renewing influences of the divine fpirit. Finally, in fuch feafons of uncommon attention to divine things, and among fuch a number of apparent converts, it is to be feared and expected, that fome are deceived, and will prove ftony ground hearers, whofe religion will endure but for a time; and that after a while they will fall away, and manifeft by their conduct, that they were building upon a foundation of fand. Should this be the cafe; altho it would be very painful to the friends of religion, yet it would be no more than what, from fcripture and paft experience, we have reafon to fear; and therefore would afford no juft objection againft its being in general the work of the Lord. Since there is danger, that fome may turn back and fall fhort of falvation, the apoftolic directions, appear very neceffary and applicable to thofe who now hope, that they are the heirs of falvation. "Let him that thinketh he ftandeth take heed left he fall." "Take heed, brethren left there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the liv ing God." As they regard the honor of religion, and their own eternal fafety, it behoveth them to give all diligence to grow in grace and make their calling and election fure. And we pray God, that they may in all things adorn the doctrine of God their Saviour by a holy life and converfation-be found faithful in the cause of God until death, and then receive a crown of life. GILES H. COWLES. FROM THE LONDON EVANGELICAL MAGAZINE. Letters on the exemplary behavior of minifters. By the late Rev. JOHN BROWN, of Haddington. T LETTER I. DEAR SIR, HOUGH I hope that you are not a novice, lifted up with pride, and ready to fall into the condemnation of the devil, yet this is not fufficient to warrant your entrance into the work of the miniftry. You must not thrust your felf into it, but be thrust into it by the Lord of the harvest.* Without a call from Jefus Christ, in your coming forward as a preacher or minifter, be your learning and piety ever fo eminent, you but treacherously counterfeit his commiffion, and employ yourself as a *Matt. ix. 38. Heb. v. 4 N. B. It is earnestly requested of the Reader of thefe Letters, that he will, as he proceeds, turn up and mufe on the paffages of Scripture, cited in! them, as the means of fhedding light on the reafoning, and of imparting divine force to the exhortations contained in them. robber of facred honors and revenues, while at the fame time you expofe yourself to the dreadful difpleasure of God, during all His inward call by your days.* his Spirit must appear in your cordial compaffion to perifhing fouls, in your humble, earneft, and difinterested desire to ferve him with fuch gifts as he bestows upon you, by employing them in winning fouls to him for their eternal falvation, and in your being deeply impreffed with your own infufficiency for that important work.† His outward call, in ordinary cafes, is by the invitation, or at least the confent of the majority of the flock to which you are to minifter.— Without this, you cannot be their paftor, nor can they be expected to receive your miniftrations without prejudice, nor you have reafon to look on yourself as fent by Chrift, as his ambaffador to deal between him and them for their eternal falvation. Your perfonal character is of no lefs importance. Unless it correfpond with your station and work, no eloquence, order, or even apparent earnestnefs and diligence, will long make your miniftrations to be duly refpected.§ In order that none may defpife you, and that fuch as are in company with you, may duly revere and ftand in awe of you.-1. Avoid all levity, and ftudy a conftant but not forbidding gravity. Shun all unneceffary intimacies with obftinately atheistical and fcornful men.|| * 2 Cor. v. 18-20. Jo. xx. 21. Eph. iv. 11. and iii. 8. Matt. xxviii. 19, 20. Rom. xx. 15. Ezek. xxxiv. 1-7. Num. Jer. xxiii. 32. i. 51. † Deut. do not wish to lose your authority. Never fpeak of your fermons as easily studied, or of any religious difcourfes in a light, unimpreffive manner. Beware of rendering yourself dependant on others for loans, -or even for prefents, if they have any tendency to beget or nourish a fervile spirit in you. Let unaffected gravity mark, not your words and deeds only, but even your geftures, countenance, and the whole of your deport ment. ** 2. While you prudently provide neceffaries for yourself and family; and expend your income in the most frugal manner, that you may owe no man any thing, and have to give to him that needeth ; never manifeft, or even be in anxious care about worldly things, arifing from diftruft of God's providence, or from the defire of living fumptuously in regard to good clothing, furniture, or from the inordinate and covetous love of riches. Such anxious care decoys a minifter from his infinitely more important work. § It renders his mind earthly and grovelling; difgraces his character; and brings him into contempt. Never indulge in the love of money, by ardent affection, and by unlawful means tending to dishonor your reputation, or your God and his religion, or to injure your neighbor. Beware of being tenacious of retaining it, when God xviii. 6. Phil. ii. 20, 21. If. vi. 5 * Prov. vi. 12, 13. Job xxix. 8, -8. I Theff. ii. 8. Phil. ii. 17. 14, 22. I Tim. iv. 12. t1 Tim. 2 Cor. ii. 15, 16. Jer. iii. 15. Acts v. 8. Rom. xiii. 8. 8, 9, i. 21-23. and vi. 1-6. ŞI Sam. ii. 30. Zeph. iii. 4. Matt. ii. Prov. ix. 6, 7.. and xvii. 12. and xxiii, 9. Matt. vii. 6. VOL. I. No. 2. I Eph. iv. 28. Matt. vi. 25-34, § Matt. x. and vi. 24. Acts vi. 2, 3. 2 ( 16.1 Tim. iii. 3. and vi. 1 Jo. ii. 15, 16. Jam. iv. in his providence, calls to expend it on the poor and fimilar purpofes.* Above all, beware of ever trufting to, delighting or glorying in it. Such a temper will render a minifter unfit to call others to prefer fpiritual and eternal things before the things which are feen, and which perish in the ufing. It will lead him to pervert the word of God, or deal unfaithfully with men's fouls for the fake of gain.‡ It will make him carclefs about the falvation of fouls. He will alfo thereby expofe himself to the prejudice of his hearers at his miniftrations; on which account faithful minifters have been fo careful to clear themfelves of it. 3. While you avoid every mean grovelling difpofition, beware on the other hand, of indulging in ambitious inclinations, in eagerly feeking af ter outward fame, honor, and advancement; in ufing unlawful means to obtain them; in fecking them to gratify your own pride, not for the glory of God or edification of his church; or, in defiring more of them than you deferve. Let the corruptions of a church give whatever poffible occafion or encouragement to this luft of pre-eminence, the indulgence of it will difpofe you to trample all the commands of God under foot; will fearfully root out all proper regard for holinefs; will lead you to make fhipwreck of faith and of a good confcience; and tempt you to fay and do any thing to pleafe fuch as can promote your ambitious defigns. It will feparate you from God as far as poffible, and render you an enemy to him.* 1 It is the ordina Nev ry mark of falfe teachers.† er hunt after vain glory and applaufe from men; cfpecially, in feeking it on account of what is not truly praife-worthy, as language, external appearance, and other trivial objects, on which little and vain minds are intemperately set ;‡ or in fecking it from what you really have not ; or by improper and unfeafonable manifeftation of your real excellencies or even by affecting to difparage and difcommend yourself and your works. This temper of mind is contrary to the temper of Chrift, of his prophets and apostles. It will lead you to rob God, of his due honor. It will deprive you of a gracious reward from God for your labors ; or even provoke him to render you contemptible before men, and an example of his deftructive vengeance.¶ It will rob you of the joy of a good confcience, when men fpeak evil of you.** I am yours, &c. * 1 Jo. ii. 15, 16. Ja. iv. 4. Jer. xiv. 5. Luke xxii. 25, 26. and xiv, 7-11. Matt. xxiii. 5-8. If. lxv. 5. 1 Cor. ii. 1, 4, 13. 2 Sam. xiv. 25, 26. § Prov. xxv. 14. || Jo. viii. 50. and vii. 18. I Theff. ii. 6. Matt. v. 16. I Pet. iv. II. Phil. iv. 8. Matt. vi. 2, 16. Mal. ii. 9. A&s xii. 22, 23. ** 2 Cor. i. I. divine grace, with which you have been attended. Think not that any thing, which you have done, deferved the kind remembrance of heaven. Judging from external appearances, many of your places, were in all refpects, on the principles of men's ordering, the moft unlikely to be taken while others were left. You are thofe who have greatly abufed means; but grace, that it might appear to be grace, hath kindly remembered you. When finking into a hell of mifery--a hell formed by your own vicious difpofitions, there was an opportunity for the infinite wifdom of God, to glorify his own goodness; and he hath not failed to take fome of the chief of finners, that it may be feen that the gates of hell fhall not prevail, and that he can build up his kingdom at what times and in what places he pleafeth. If a any of you have become Chriftians indeed, your hearts will echo to the truth of thefe fentiments, and you will feel that divine fovereignty is glorified in the work of his This dictions are always made by the enemies of vital religion, when the Spirit of God is poured out; and is it not finful in those who have been the fubjects of divine influecce to permit fuch predictions to be fulfilled? Perhaps you will fay we do not know that our love of the truth is abated, or that our zeal hath cooled; but if you do not know this, it may be the cafe. Have you the fame fenfe of that folemn eternity into which we all are coming, as you once had ? Have you the fame delight in the duties of religion? Do not fmaller caufes prevent you from joining in prayer and the praife of God? Have you not lefs fenfe of the worth of fouls? Lefs defire that others may be awakened and faved from the judgment and mifery to come? While your visible zeal, in the caufe of God begins to abate, do you not alfo find that the duties of the clofet are lefs agreeable and that you can mingle with the world which thinks little of God, with lefs difguft than you once did? Do you not lose your work of God hath not yet ceafed apprehenfion of the difference in in our land, for we are daily de- character, which there is between Lighted with hearing of new revi- real Chriftians and those who vals, in places which appeared dry never appeared to take any pleawhen the fhowers of grace began fure in the fervice and praife of to fall. But are not you with whom God? If you find these things in the work of God began, appear- experience, they are figns of a deing to relapfe again? Are not ma- parting fpirit, and that you are ny, who thought themfelves to more fallen from your first love bave become Chriftians, returning than you imagine. But why this again to the world; to its vanities beginning coldnefs and where will and its amusements? Have not it end? Are you not weak as cvfuch loft their first love, and their fervent zeal in ferving the Lord? Do they not begin by their conduct, to fulfil the predictions of difbelievers, who faid, "Soon we hall fee thefe perfons become grace. 4 cold who are now fo warm in re ligion, and perhaps falling into er, and in the fame need of a di vine affiftance to keep you alive to God and make you wife for cter nity? Do you think that a good beginning will carry you fafe thro unless you live near to God; or are you fhaming your former enga gednefs in the caufe of Chrift's crimes like others?" Such pre-kingdom! Are your hard hearts wholly conquered; is your fin wholly taken away; or do you not begin to hope and cry peace to yourfelves, without a daily evi-ved? And whatever may be the but if the Lord be a God hearing prayer, and this deckenfion be noticeable, ought it not to be repro dence that you have a right to truft in the mercies of God? Perhaps you may think that it is commen for fuch feasons of refreshing from the prefence of the Lord to wear away and are easy on that account. That it hath ⚫ been common is not denied, but this prevents not the guilt of thofe who grieve and refift the Spirit of God. Surely it hath been common for God to depart, where he hath been oppofed, and for feafons of declenfion to follow feafons of fervor in his fervice; yet this is only a proof of fin, and not an excufe for the declenfion of thofe who have been fo highly favored. infcrutable reafons of infinite wif We The Lord is a God hearing prayer, and perhaps we cannot find an inftance, in which he hath departed from a people, until they began to lofe a fenfe of this truth, and of their own need of quickening grace. Do you not in many places fee, that it is not as it was in months paft? That new inftances of deep impreffion have become more rare, and the engagednefs of the ferious declining? But ́hath this happened in a fingle place, until it might firft be faid, thofe who have been accustomed to pray are changed in their appearance, and if they have not entirely forfaken the place, they ftill appear to have loft the fpirit of prayer.They do not appear fo filled with How can thofe, who have in a love of God's glory and of fouls their own fouls tafted the love and as they once were.—' -They are not grace of God, think without pain fo careful to nurture beginning fe- on the deftruction of others? If rioufpefs and take by the hand, they be Chriftians indeed they thofe, who they have reafon to think cannot do it. Let thofe who have are enquiring for the kingdom of begun to decay endeavor to revive heaven. It is well known and ourlet them live like Chriftiansacknowledged belief, that there is let them continue to pray and who no merit in the prayers of men; 'knoweth but God may return with |