filment of God's secret will in their death, would not prove it contrary to his revealed will that he should be put to death for his neglect.-Or, where is the predestinarian who loves money, who would infer, because he never shall get more than God has determined, that therefore he need not use means to oblige his customers, or to engage them to come to his shop? Alas! if some, who scandalize our principles, did but love God's glory, and the souls of men, as well as they love the mammon of unrighteousness, they would easily understand the consistency of the doctrine of the decrees, with their laying out themselves continually, to improve every talent, and to use every opportunity, to secure these blessed objects. Instead of being excused from activity in the cause of God, by the doctrine of sovereign, efficacious grace, that truth is highly necessary to support the truly benevolent mind, under the discouragements which would arise from a view of human depravity, as not only attested in scripture, but confirmed by evident fact. A man thoroughly engaged in the promotion of truth and holiness, might well sink into despair, upon perceiving that the carnal mind is enmity against God, cannot brook subjection to his law, nor be induced sincerely to comply with the gospel, by the wisest and best of means; if it were not for the comfortable assurance that God can turn the heart, and take away the very disposition to resist, by the energy of his Spirit; and were he not also assured that he has promised and pre-determined to effect this happy change on an innumerable multitude of the children of men.

But the zealous friend of the Redeemer is not only concerned to see multitudes espouse his cause: he ardently desires that all the professed followers of Christ may evidence the sincerity of their attachment to him, by their growth in grace, or their progress in the ways of holiness.-He is zealous for personal religion. He feels his own imperfections, and is humbled on their account. He finds his heart is perpetually prone to wander from God; and the more he knows it, the more he distrusts it. Zeal for God makes him jealous of himself, lest he should ever deal treacherously with his best friend. When most active in his service, he considers

his exertions as miserably languid, compared with the obligations he feels himself under. But to think of openly disgracing the cause of Christ, or only secretly backsliding from his God, would be enough to break his heart, with a sense of the baseness and ingratitude of such conduct. How fervently does he pray, Never let them that seek thee be ashamed for my sake, O God! Yea, no degrees of grace will satisfy him. Perfection is the mark he aims at. And he cannot be satisfied till he fully apprehends that for which he was apprehended of Christ.-Meanwhile, he longs to see his brethren partake the same blessedness which he pants after himself. Though more ready to suspect himself than others, because he knows most of himself, yet he is aware also that the best of his fellow-christians are far from what they should be; he watches over them with a godly jealousy, and intreats that they would do the same by him. Love to God, and love to the brethren, unite in exciting him to guard them against temptations, especially such that he himself has suffered by. He watches not for their halting, but would gladly prevent it. He mourns for the miscarriages of professors, and longs to see all that name the name of our Lord Jesus, united in the closest bonds of love to each other, and most thoroughly conformed to his blessed image. Surely then, the zealous Christian may always find enough to do for God, both at home and abroad, and there is infinite reason that he should not be slothful, but always abound in the work of the Lord. He that hath wrought us for the self-same thing is God, who hath given us the earnest of his Spirit: this may well encourage us to aspire after the full enjoyment of the hope set before us; and though not warranted to conclude we shall fully attain our wish in this life, yet we are confident God hath not set us such narrow limits, as that any of us need slacken our pace, on the supposition that we are got as near to the mark as we can be in this world; nor need we leave off combating with our spiritual enemies, upon the supposition that no farther victory can be obtained over them while in this militant state.

Dear brethren, we have hitherto treated this subject chiefly in a descriptive way. We have given you a definition

of CHRISTIAN ZEAL,-we have represented its general nature, -and pointed out its principal objects :—if you begin to feel the importance of the subject, perhaps you are by this time wishing for some more particular DIRECTIONS, how you should manifest your zeal for God, how you should discover your regard for his glory, and for his kingdom among men? You are ready to ask, what can we do more to promote the salvation of souls, and the prosperity of the church, than we have done already? Dear brethren, if you are sufficiently in earnest in these inquiries, you may easily obtain an answer to them. It is true, you are not all in the same stations, you have not all the seme talents and opportunities; but each in his respective situation, may doubtless find employment in subserving the dear and glorious cause. Had we a greater measure of zeal, a variety of means would appear at hand, which have hitherto been strangely overlooked and neglected.

Brethren, let us use the style of exhortation, as most suited to the interesting nature of the subject.-Let your zeal begin at home. Walk closely with God. Let your souls follow hard after him. Show that you are strangers and pilgrims upon the earth, whose conversation is in heaven. Let your spirits make diligent search into the state of your own souls. Let zeal against sin appear in detecting and opposing the evils of your own hearts, Be more severe and rigorous in regard to your own tempers and practices; in condemning, bewailing, and opposing whatever is contrary to the life of a Christian, than you can be concerning others. Beware of spiritual pride and ostentation. Indulge not vain selfcomplacency in present attainments, but ardently press toward the mark, Let it appear that your hatred of sin is universal; that you hate every false way. Be holy in all manner of conversation and godliness. Let every thing you engage in be made subservient to religion. Do all to the glory of God. If religion is thus evidently treated as your main and only concern, what weight will this give to your own testimony, and that of your ministers in its favor, Nothing can tend more to the conviction of sinners, the animation of your brethren, and the confusion of all who persist in their opposition to God's truth and ways, D d

VOL, II,

Were all your hearts, brethren, inflamed with more holy zeal, how many ways are there in which, not only ministers, but private Christians, might hope to be instrumental to the conversion of souls! Would it not excite you to greater diligence in instructing your own families, your dear children, your servants, all those that God in his providence has more immediately committed to your care ?-Would it not engage you to forward the instruction of others, by every means in your power? Many might do more service than they have yet done, by religious conversation with their neighbours, especially in times of sickness: visiting the poor particularly, and relieving their necessities, and at the same time giving them seasonable advice, and offering to pray with them. If you have but small gifts for instructing them yourselves, might you not take a book with you and read to them; and either lend it, or give it to them, as you can afford? Scott on Repentance, Hallyburton's Great Concern, Guthries' Trial of a Saving Interest in Christ, &c. would be very proper for such purposes. How much good might richer Christians do, by giving away these, and other books, among their neighbours! How many ways might they find of gratifying a benevolent spirit, if they had more ardent zeal for God! Much good might be done to the rising generation, by encouraging Sunday schools, and other charity schools, especially if the subscribers would inspect them, and assist in them occasionally themselves. If all our church-members, and the constant hearers of the gospel had more zeal, they would open their houses for the preaching of God's word in many dark villages, and encourage it by their own attendance; and by setting up meetings of prayer, and reading sermons to their neighbours, would labor to diffuse divine knowledge. Unspeakable weight would be added to all your instructions, and to the occasional discourses of your ministers, if your neighbours in every village were constrained to allow, that all your deportment was consistent and exemplary if religious servants were more diligent, faithful, sober, and peaceable than any others: tradesmen, husbandmen, and others, more punctual, equitable, beneficent, &c. always disposed to do good, even to enemies and persecutors;

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ready to deny themselves for the sake of serving their neighbours, and never so happy as when opportunities offer of honoring God, and expressing kindness to their fellowmen. Can you doubt of it, brethren, but that if every one was unweariedly employed in seeking the honor and success of the gospel, accompanying these efforts with strong cries and prayers to God for his blessing, this labor of love would not be in vain in the Lord.—It would especially be an hopeful symtom of an approaching revival, if Christian churches were induced more generally to unite in the frequent observance of days of FASTING and PRAYER, a practice which has too much sunk into disuse among protestant dissenters, in the present century; but of which some of our brethren have attested the happy effects, within the last year, and profess that the more frequently and fervently they have engaged in this solemn duty, the more satisfaction and enjoyment they have found therein. Certainly it tends to increase our engagedness of heart in the service of the Lord, and if you are but excited to persist in thus wrestling with God, in the strength of Christ, you must and will be successful.

O that we were indeed inspired with greater zeal for the divine glory; for the honor of religion; for a closer union among all true Christians; for purity of doctrine; for the support of discipline in our churches; for the practice of pure and undefiled religion !—The limits of our letter prohibit enlargement; we must only add a few necessary CAUTIONS, and shall then close with some animating MOTIVES.

Unite zeal for principle and for practice. All evangelical truth is of a holy tendency, and is either misunderstood, or you do not enter into the spirit of it, if it does not regulate your tempers and influence your lives. On the other hand, nothing can so happily promote beneficence, integrity, and equity towards men, and piety towards God, as evangelical truth. Indeed there can be no genuine piety, without faith In Christ Jesus. And our regard to fellow-men, will prove essentially defective, and will be found to flow merely from worldly policy, or some modification of self-love, if it has not vital faith for its source.