And there is no respect of persons with God, for Surely the judges of all the earth will do right. And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Act› xx. 21.—see Rom. xiv. 15 -see Cor. viii. 11.) But St. Paul saith in another place, Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many: now the word many, in some places of the word of God probably may have sonie reference to his elect, for surely he knows them from the foundation of the world. But these things belong to God, and these are his elect, those that despise not the day of his grace and his heavenly calling, but embrace it, and by his help repent of their sins, and gladly believe and embrace the gospel of Christ, and by his help humble their souls before him, and trust in him for eternal life and salvation, and walk with him, and pray to him in secret and in public places, and are resigned to his will, love, and mercy. And many more words may be added, but these words are of great importance, and those precious souls that doeth these things are his elect; but see my little Book, called the Character of the Righteous.

But now to give more satisfaction concerning that Christ died for many, that is, the word many, according to my judgment, hath a great reference to the whole of mankind, because there be many. And hear what St. Paul saith both ways concerning it, for as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. (Rom. v. 19.) So you see in this verse it doth not say that all were made sinners, but many, nevertheless, we plainly see that we all were made sinners by the fall of Adam, in the verse before; neither doth it say by the obedience of Christ all were made righteous, but many but at the same time it saith, by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification: therefore, seeing and knowing that these things are so, it would be well for us all to consider these things aright, and that we should always pray for his heavenly grace, so as to be directed into the true path of righteousness, and that we should always pray that our souls and minds may be brought under, and submissive to, his holy will, ways, and Gospel.

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Now we err sometimes; because we wish to have our own ways, and to bring the will of God and the Holy Scriptures as to suit our sinful and vain ideas and inclinations, whether it be consistant to the will of God or not: but it would be well

for us oftentimes to contemplate upon our Lord's Prayer, whereas it is said, Thy will be done in earth as it is in Heaven, as much as to say, O Heavenly Father, may thy will be done in our earthly bodies, in like manner as it is in those celestial ones above. And so we should always pray that our minds may be brought under, in subjection to his will; but not for his will to be in subjection to ours; because our mind and will is oftentimes sensual and earthly; but his is always Holy and Heavenly. For we plainly see that we are all defective, and that we stand in need of God's beloved Son; for who can say I have made my heart clean, or that he is pure from his sins. (Prov. xx. 9.) Shall mortal man be more just than God? Shall a man be more wise and pure than his Maker? Be hold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly: how much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust. (Job iv. 17, 18, 19.), For there is not a just man upon the earth that doeth good, and sinneth not. (Eccl. vii. 20.) For the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it, but the Lord. (Jer. xvii. 9, 10.) Therefore, if thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities: O Lord, who shall stand? but there is forgiveness with thee? that thou mayest be feared. (Psalm cxxx. 3.) Therefore, thanks be unto thee O Lord, for thy grace and mercy, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us; but if we confess our sins, thou art faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John i. 8.) In that day saith Zechariah there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness. (Zec. xiii. 1.) For the Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand; he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth in him. (John iii. 35.) Therefore my brethren let us all, by the help of God, pray for grace, faith, and repentance, for by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. (Eph. ii. 8.) And it is said that a measure of his grace is given unto every man to profit thereby. Therefore, I beseech you, my beloved brethren, in all Churches not to be narrow minded as to limit the precious blood of Christ unto a singular num

ber of people, but preach ye free salvation to every creature, for thus we are commanded, Go ye into all the world, saith our Lord, and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall be damned. (Mark. xvi. 15.) Thereföre woe unto me if I willingly and wilfully speak not the truth which is of my Lord Jesus; I will not, I dare not, if I know it, in this work disobey the command of my God, neither limit the precious blood of Christ, no, not for my house full of silver and gold: but O that I may always speak of thy free salvation, and that to all generations to come; but he that is oftentimes reproved of the thing which is wrong, and still hardeneth his heart against mercy and love, shall be destroyed and that without remedy.

And now, O Lord, the Father of our Lord, be thou pleased to help us to repent and to reform our errors, and increase our faith, so that we all may believe with our whole hearts unto righteousness, upon thy blessed Son who hath died for us, that we may not taste the pangs of everlasting death, but that through him we may obtain thy sweet grace, and heavenly favour; and one thing, O my Father, gives me great encouragement, and that is, because thou art a God of truth, mercy, and love.

O help us all to love thee, O Lord, and thy dear Son Jesus, and thy holy ones above, and thy children here below; and that thou may through Christ, bring all thy praying people home to behold thy glory and thy lovely child Jesus; and O that we may fall into his arms of mercy, and love him for evermore. Amen.

END OF THE NINTH BOOK,

BY EDWARD CROOK.

PRINTED BY J. PICKBURN, NEW ROAD, AYLESBURY.

BOOK THE TENTH.

The Goodness of God.

Now this beautiful Book contains some of the most consoling passages of Scripture, which I think, by the grace of God, will cause most people that read or hear it to wonder with great admiration to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living, and those holy passages or texts are selected and collected together in one view by chapter and verse, and it may truly be called the Book of Holy Love.

Now, this beautiful Book contains some of the most consoling passages of the word of God, which I think, by the grace of God, will cause most people that hear or read, to wonder with great admiration, to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. I had fainted sa th David, unless I had believed, to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. (Psalm xxvii. 13.) For when man was involved in his sin and blood, and in the prison of death, Almighty Go i was so good, that he suffer d to the death of his Son, for man's salvation; and by his holy and pure life and death, he hath given us the Holy Spirit to comfort us: therefore the Father is good, the Son is good, and the Holy Ghost is good, and these three are as one, and this God, is our God, a just God and a Saviour. (Isaiah xlv. 21.) I am he saith the Lord, before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me; I, even I, am the Lord, and beside me there is no Saviour: yea before the day was, I am he, and there is none that can deliver out of my hand. (chap. xliii. 10, 11, 13.) and this God, is our God for ever and ever, and will be our guide, even unto death; and the Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works. (Psalm cxlv. 9.) And this God, was he that was with Abraham, Isaac, and

Jacob, and a present help in the days of their trouble. (Gen. xiv. chap. xxvi. 14 to the 21, chap. xxvii., chap. xxxiv. 30, chap. xxxvii. 33., chap. xli. 38.) And hast brought them to the heaven of his rest. (Luke xiii. 28.)

And this is that God that descended in the cloud upon Mount Sinai, and stood with Moses there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord, and the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, and transgressions and sin. (Exodus xxxiv. 5.) For his anger endureth but a moment, in his favour is life, weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. (Psalm iii. 5.) A father to the fatherless, and a judge of the widows is God, saith David in his holy habitation. (Psalm lxviii. 5.) For as the heavens is high above the earth, so great is his mercy towards them that fear him, as far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him; for he knoweth our frame, he remembreth that we are dust. (Psalm ciii.) Oh! that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men, for he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. (Psalm cvii. 8, 9.) He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. (Psalm cxlvii. 3.) How excellent is thy loving kindness, O God, therefore the children of man put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. (Psalm xxxvi. 7.) And again, we may see the goodness, and tender mercy of the Lord, through Christ, towards the Gentiles' Church: fear not, saith the Lord, for thy maker is thine husband, the Lord of Hosts is his name, and thy Redeemer, the holy one of Israel, the God of the whole earth shall he be called, for the Lord hath called thee, as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God, for a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee; in a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment, but with everlasting kindness will I have merey on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer; no weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee, in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord. (Isaiah liv.)