or always to strive with: though their fathers were sons of God by profession, yet their mothers were the offspring of him who was of that wicked one, the devil, and slew his brother, only because he was righteous. It is impossible for the spirit of Mammon, and the spirit of Christ, to be copartners in the work of God: God says of them, their wickedness was great. And although it be said, that many will say, in that day, "We have cast out devils, and done many wonderful works," yet casting out devils is not conversion: the devil must not only be cast out, but Christ must be brought in, and Satan kept out of a soul truly converted: God says of them that run unsent, "they shall not profit the people at all."

A man brought up at an academy, if he is studious, of quick wit, and has a natural genius, may with these human abilities blaze for a time, and appear in the atmosphere of the Christian world, as a comet does in the starry heavens; but, if grace prevent not, he will, sooner or later, drop into some flood of ungodliness; and we often see the false zeal of such soon quenched; and such are too frequently seen afterwards to appear under the direction of the prince of the power of the air, as wandering stars, only to guide the vessels of wrath, that are laden with error, and bound for destruction, Rev. viii. 10. I have known the awful apostacy of such almost ready to electrify the building of mercy, Acts v. 10, 11; poor, humble souls, who have trembled at the sound of their fall, have

shewn me several persons, who they affirmed were converted by the instrumentality of such

I thought it at that time prudent to conceal my private opinion; and to watch this wonderful progeny; and when I have got into company with them, have been more confirmed in my şentiments than ever; for not one of them all appeared to me to be a proper child: They seemed with big heads, Prov. x. 8; ricketty joints, 1 Kings xviii. 21; wild, unscriptural notions, 1Pet. i. 18; confused ideas; and a language half Hebrew, and half Ashdod: I thought if Nehemiah had been present, he would have plucked off their hair, and cursed them in the name of the Lord, Neh. xiii. 24, 25. However, I fear all such children of Zion will, instead of well set hair, appear in baldness, Isaiah iii. 24.

This last letter of your's has called upon me to explain my secret thoughts upon a subject which I have never mentioned to any soul; I therefore hope you will excuse me if I do not fall in with your judgment in the passages which I intend to comment on; they appear to me full to the purpose, and sufficient to clear the point in hand, Leviticus xxi. 16. "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron, saying, whosoever he be of thy seed in their generations, that hath any blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God."

Blemish signifies a foul spot, a stain, a thing corrupted, or a defection; and such preachers we

read of, 2 Peter ii. 10: who are said to walk after the flesh, in the lusts of uncleanness; to despise the mild government of the King of kings; and to presume on the mercy of God, though they walk in the flesh; such are free-will mongers, who can speak against the dignity and sovereignty of the incomprehensible Trinity, and that without fear. They speak evil of the things of the Spirit, which they understand not; their eyes are filled with adultery; they beguile unstable souls; they are called the followers of Balaam; wells without water; clouds carried away with a tempest; and yet preach great swelling words of vanity: yea, they preach liberty to others while they are the servants of corruption, Satan leading them captive at his will. These are spots and blemishes, says Peter; they dishonour the blessed gospel; they pollute the church of Christ, and sully the glory of God in his righteous cause.

"A blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or any thing superfluous." Not a blind man shall offer the bread of his God; that is, he shall not preach Christ, the bread of life. A blind man seeth not the depth of his corrupt heart, nor feels the plague of it; and such will deny the dreadful fall of man. A blind man seeth not the spirituality of God's law, and therefore can never handle the law lawfully; for he understands not what he says, or whereof he affirms. A blind man sees not the holiness, justice, and unchangeableness of God, in his law; and as he is a stranger to the terrors of

God, he is not a fit person to persuade men, 2 Cor. v. 11. How can a blind man see the glory of God in the person of Jesus Christ? 2 Cor. iii. 18. And if he has not seen Christ for himself, how shall he see him for another? He must be looking to Jesus, before he can point him out. All that a blind man can say is only, lo, here! and lo, there! and all the establishment flocks can get under such shepherds, is only to halt between two opinions.

"The

"Not a lame man." It doth not mean a broken spirit; No: for God blesseth him who goeth forth weeping, bearing precious seed, and says, he shall doubtless return with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him, Psalm cxxvi. 6: but it means a man broken in judgment, Hos. v. 11. What can a crippled judgment do with a divine parable? legs of the lame are not equal, so is a parable in the mouth of fools," Prov. xxvi. 7. A minister of Christ is to strengthen the weak hands, and to confirm the feeble knees, Isaiah xxxv. 3; but how shall he do it, who, like Mephibosheth, is lame in both his feet? If he has not made straight paths for his own feet, he can only turn others out of the way of healing, Heb. xii. 12, 13. Christ sends his servants to bring in the halt, the lame, and the blind, Luke xiv. 21; but we are not to set about this work with our carnal crutches; the Holy Ghost makes us sing like a philomel, and leap as an hart, Isaiah xxxv. 6.

"Or he that hath a flat nose." A man with a stoppage in his nostrils cannot distinguish an

odour from a stench. Zion's garments smell of myrrh; but if Christ never breathed the breath of eternal life in his nostrils, he will not distinguish the odoriferous grace of God from the infernal perfumes of erroneous hypocrites, Prov. vii. 17. He must have a nose in the body mystical; " If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?" This I know, if he cannot smell out the gracious, the gracious will soon smell out him, Isaiah iii. 24.

Not a man who hath any thing superfluous, verse the eighteenth. Not one in Popish principles, who has got works of supererogation; that is, more works than the law of God requires. Not a man perfect in the flesh, for he has more perfection than the gospel gives or requires, Gal. iii. 3. Not a man wise in his own conceit, for he is wise above what is written, 1 Cor. iv. 6. Not a man that holds universal redemption; because he has got more redemption than the Bible, and will apply that to the goats which belongs to the sheep only, John x. 15. Not a Pharisee, for he is selfrighteous overmuch, Eccles. vii. 16. Not a free thinker; because a preacher of the gospel is to bring in every thought to the obedience of Christ, 2 Cor. x. 5. Not a free agent; because he is to preach free, sovereign grace, and its reigning power, Isaiah ii. 11, 17. Not a self-sufficient man; for he will cry down the sovereignty of God, Luke xix. 14; and justify the wicked, which is an abomination, Prov. xvii. 15. Not a man swimming away only with a flood of natural affections; for