power, through all the poffible varieties of circumstances, which we would with them to do for us were the fituation reversed. How happy would Society be, were this facred and rationalprecept properly obferved! Reader, if others do not attend to it, it is not the lefs binding on thee. To him who loves God with all his heart, the fulfilment of this duty is not only poffible, but eafy and delightful. Such a man will look upon the evil and unthankful, with the fame pitying love, (in his degree,) which inspired the breast of the Son of God when he laid down his life for them. Such will ever efteem the Saints of God as the excellent of the earth, however they may be defpifed or perfecuted. The bowels of his compaffion are not ftraitened by names, fects or parties; for real love destroys, root and branch, all bigotry, and fo enlarges the mind, that with the holy Apostle, the man of God most devoutly prays, "Grace be with all them who love the Lord Jefus Chrift in fincerity." It is true, we may, and we ought to make a proper diftin&tion between one man and another; we are called, by Revelation, to love according to reason, therefore we shall love particular persons according to their worth. Hence we may fee a perfon worthy of our highest esteem, on account of his deep piety, his uncommon natural and acquired abilities. The extraordinary gifts which God has enriched him with, and becaufe of his long standing, and great usefulness in the Church of Chrift. We may greatly delight in another perfon with whom we are intimately acquainted, because we find an inexpreffible union of fpirit with him, and the more we know him the more we love him, because we have found in him "a faithful friend:" Perhaps he is nearly of our own age and ftanding in the Church of God, and one who is nearly of the fame natural temper. On fuch perfons a fuperior degree of affection may be innocently, yea laudably placed: David had his Jonathan, and Chrift his John. But as this love, in behalf of which I fpeak, is a love of Equity, Charity, Succour, and Benevolence, we owe this equally to all; and he who loves God with all his heart, &c. will find no difficulty in performing all the requirements of this facred precept; for "Love feels no loads." And it is certain, he who loves will chearfully serve all within the circle of his acquaintance, according to his power. The grand end of human life is to glorify God, by contributing to the happiness of mankind, as far as our influence or our ability can go. "Our goodness cannot extend unto the Lord," but it may be extended to our neighbour in various ways. He then most effectually glorifies God, who is the most useful to his fellow creatures. At what an aflonishing diftance from this love, is the man who perverfely deprives another of any temporal privilege which it is in his power to grant, without the leaft inconvenience to himself, or to any one clie; yet he not only withholds it, but also takes a kind of pleasure in feeing his neighbour diftreffed for lack of that which he will not give. The fin of fuch a man must be attended with tenfold aggravation, when it is a fpiritual privilege which he refuses, and which the other folicits for with meekness and humility, and yet 'nevertheless his request is rejected. Such a perfon may call himself a Christian if he will, and he may cry "The Temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are thefe." But we must take the liberty to tell him, That he is an entire ftranger to the Chriftian fpirit and temper; that he is a very bad member even of civil, and much more of Religious Society, and that he neither loves God nor man. Whenever we fuffer ourselves to be governed by human prudence, inftead of the word of God, we fhall find ourfelves as much difappointed as St. Paul did when he purified himfelf in the Temple according to the Law, which he well knew to have been abolished, and the evil he wifhed to avoid came upon him in all its fulness. Our business is to keep close to the word of God on all occafions, to make it the rule of our conduct in every thing that relates to our own Salvation, or to the Government of the Church of God. "Brethren, faith the Apostle, Ye have been called unto liberty; only ufe not that liberty for an occafion to the flesh; but by love ferve one another." He who loves his neighbour as himself, will readily grant him all the liberty his foul defires, in order to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience; and he who does not, is far enough from the love which is here recommended by our Lord. III. Let us now confider the nature of Self-love and the benefits attending it. "Thou Jhalt love thy neighbour as thyself." Self-love, as it is generally called, has been grievously de. claimed against, even by religious perfons, as a moft pernicious and dreadful evil: But they have not understood the fubject of which they spoke. They have denominated that intense propenfity which unregenerate men feel to gratify their carnal appetites and vicious paffions, felf-love. Whereas it might be more properly termed felf-hatred, or felf-murder. If I am to love my neighbour as myfelf, and this "Love worketh no ill to his neighbour," then felf-love, in the fenfe in which our Lord ufes the word, is fomething excellent. It is properly a Sentiment effential to our nature and infeparable from our being, by which we defire to be happy; by which we feek the happiness which we have not, and rejoice in it when we poffefs it. poffefs it. In a word, it is an uniform wish of the foul to avoid all evil, and to enjoy all good. So that he who is wholly governed by felf-love, properly and fcripturally speaking, will devote his whole Soul to God, and earnestly and conftantly feek all his peace, happiness, and salvation, in the enjoyment of GOD. In one fenfe, this is not fo properly love, as the foundation and bond of love, by which we are united to the object which conftitutes our happiness. I am the fubject which receives the happiness, and am happy in confequence; but I am not the object that conftitutes conftitutes this happiness; for it is that object, properly speaking, which I love. The love of God and our neighbour, is commanded in the facred Writings, but we are not commanded to love ourfelves, except by negative precepts; for this love, in the sense we have given of it above, is infeparable from our nature, and effential to our being. “No man, faith the Apostle, ever hated his own flesh:" But he who finneth against God, wrongeth his own Soul, both of prefent and eternal Salvation, and is fo far from being governed by felf-love, that the man is a determined enemy to his own highest and dearest interests, and brings everlasting deftruction upon himself. IV. The happy confequence, and recompence of this Love. "This do, and thou fhalt live." He whofe Soul refts in God fupremely, and who intenfely defires the enjoyment of him, who always lives to, and ever acts for God, must be happy. For God, the Author and Fountain of life and felicity, lives in him. "I will dwell in them, and walk in them (faith the blessed God) and I will be their God, and they fhall be my people." He therefore lives a fpiritual life, which confifts in the union of God and the Soul, and of consequence, he enjoys communion with the God to whom he is united. "As the living Father hath fent me (faith our Lord) and I live by the Father, even fo, he that eateth me, fhall live by me." For this fpiritual union our Lord prayed with his expiring breath, "That they all may be one, as thou Father art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that thou haft fent me, and (wonderful to think of) haft loved them as thou haft loved me." The works of righteoufnefs which he performs, are at once the evidences and the functions of his fpiritual life. He lives to all the important purpofes and concerns of life, to glorify his God and to do good among men. He lives under the continual influences of the Life-giving Spirit, and increases daily in the love of God and man. The life of the wicked may juftly be termed, an ever-living death But the life of the righteous, is an ever-living life. He lives in death itfelf! Death itfelf is his! and is now become one of the greateft of bleffings, inafmuch as it will be the gate of everlasting life to his deathlefs Soul. He lives through Eternity! He fees God as he is! Penetrated with the rays of his glory, he contemplates his infinite perfections; each of which must beget in him endless wonder, inconceivable delight and gratification! "Behold! what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we fhould be called the fons of God!" Father of mercies! God of Light, and Power, and Love! illuminate, quicken, and invigorate our minds! Let us fee the hope of our calling, and never reft, Till transform'd by faith divine By putting on thy SON. Let thofe who really defire to love God, ever remember, that this can only be attained by a living faith in our Lord Jefus Chrift. "Look unto me, and be ye faved, all the ends of the earth." This is the way which the infinitely wife and blessed God hath appointed, and befides it there is no other. The love of God must be fhed abroad in our hearts, the divine nature must be communicated. Our carnal, degenerate nature can never be fubdued by any other mean whatfoever: much less can our whole foul be renewed in the Image of God, in any other way. "Believe in the Lord Jefus Chrift and thou fhalt be faved." Saved from all condemnation, and faved from the power of the carnal mind. Let it ever be remembered, that according to the degree of the love of God which we enjoy, fo will our love to our neighbour be; and if this be the cafe, then we fhall" Follow peace with all men." Then we fhall certainly, "Endeavour to keep the unity of the fpirit in the bond of peace," We fhall promote unity, harmony, and love, every where. We fhall have the bleffing which our Lord pronounced upon the Peace-makers. We fhall not then feek to please ourselves, but every one will endeavour to please his neighbour for his good to edification. In fhort, we shall be a bleffing to the people among whom we live, and a bleffing to the Church of Chrift. Now unto him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we afk or think, according to the power that worketh in us, be glory in the Church by Chrift Jefus, throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. To the EDITOR. London, April 27, 1796. My dear Friend, vileges, as it increases our gratitude to God, fo it alfo at the fame time increases our own happiness. On this account I have long thought, that as Woodrow's Hiftory of the Sufferings of the Church of Scotland, is but little known, the accounts there given of fome of those truly pious' and faithful minifters of Chrift, whofe lives were shamefully and cruelly caft away, would be highly acceptable to your numerous readers. It may be objected, that they were miftaken in fome things, (and who is not ?) yet when men's confciences are concerned, we cannot but tenderly pity thofe who fuffer on that account, and muft approve of their fincerity and integrity, their undaunted courage in the caufe of divine Truth, and their zeal for the honour of God. Among Among the many who died by the hand of the executioner in that bloody reign, was Mr. DONALD CARGIL. He was born about the year 1610, and was the oldeft fon of a very respectable family in Rattray. After he had been fome time at fchool at Aberdeen, he was fent to the University of St. Andrews, where having gone through his courfe of philofophy, his father preffed upon him very much to ftudy divinity, in order to the miniftry, but he, through tendernefs of fpirit, conftantly refufed, faying "That work is too great a burden for my weak shoulders." But his father ftill continuing to urge him, he fet apart a day for private fafting and prayer, in order to know the mind of the Lord in this important business. After much wrestling with God, the words of the Prophet Ezekiel, viz. "Son of man, eat this roll, and go, fpeak unto the house of Ifrael," made a deep impreffion upon his mind, fo that he durft no longer refuse his father's request, but dedicated himself wholly to the work of the ministry: And it is remarkable, the above-mentioned paffage of Scripture was given to him by the Prefbytery to preach his trial Sermon upon, fo that he was the more fully fatisfied of his call to labour in the Lord's vineyard. He was first called to the Barony-church in Glasgow. Here he perceived the lightness and unconcerned behaviour of the people under the word, and was fo much discouraged, that he formed a refolution to leave the place. Several of the minifters perfuaded him to try them a little longer, but he refufed, faying, "They are a rebellious people." His horfe was brought to the door, and he had bid farewell to his friends, and was taking leave of a certain godly woman, who faid to him, "Sir, you have given notice to preach here next Thursday, and have appointed a meal for a poor ftarving people, and will you go away and not give it? if you do, the curfe of God will go with you. Thefe words fo deeply affected him, that he durft not go away, but fitting down, he defired her and others to pray for him. So he remained, and was fettled in that parifh, where he exercised his miniftry with great fuccefs, to the unspeakable fatisfaction both of his own parish, and all the godly people who flocked to hear him, until the reftoration of Charles II. Upon the 26th of May following, being the day appointed to commemorate the King's reftoration, it being his ufual week-day's lecture, he preached in his own church, and seeing a much larger congregation than common, left any of the people fhould fuppofe that he kept this day as the general part of the nation did, upon entering the pulpit he faid, We once thought to have bleffed the day when the king returned home, but now we think we fhall have occafion to curfe it, and if any of you are come here in order for the folemnizing of this day, we defire you to withdraw.” He enlarged upon Hof. ix. 1. "Rejoice not O Ifrael for joy as other people," &c. and faid, "This is the firft ftep of our going a whoring from God; and whosoever of the Lord's people are rejoicing 2 |