Lord's day, will you choofe to have your foul gathered with finners at your death? Will you, from love to the multitude, choofe to ftand at Chrift's left hand in the laft judgment, and to receive their dreadful fentence, "Depart from me, ye curfed, into everlafting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels?" Wish you to fhare with them in their everlasting deftruction from the prefence of the Lord, and the glory of his power, in the lake that burneth with fire and brimftone, where they have no reft day nor night, but are for ever tormented in the prefence of the holy angels, and of the Lamb. If you do not, never make their conduct either the rule or excufe of yours. "Be not conformed unto this world; but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God," Rom. xii. 2.

Pretend not that what I condemn as profanation of the Sabbath, is authorized by the civil governors of Britain, and at least filently approved by the ecclefiaftical. We ought to obey God rather than men, Acts iv. 19. and v. 29. "That which is highly esteemed amongst men, is abomination in the fight of God," Luke xvi. 15. "If the blind lead the blind, both fhall fall into the ditch," Matth. xv. 14. Men are often ruined in time, and damned through eternity, by willingly walking af fer human commandments, Hof. v. 11. Mic. vi. 16. Are thefe governors your fupreme God, who made or preferves you? Will their being on your fide fecure the friendship of JEHOVAH the moft High over all the earth? Will it prevent or mitigate his dreadful indignation? Will they effectually intercede for you in the

laft

laft judgment? Will their power protect you from, or fupport you under the pains of hell?

Plead not the speedy conveyance, the conveniency, the advantage of the arrivals and off-fetting of the mails on Sabbath. As you and all men were made for eternity, nothing is in the main convenient or advantageous, but what is either directly or indirectly conducive to your eternal welfare. Difpatch, conveniency, and advantage, which entice and lead men to neglect the concerns of their foul, to fin against God, are but enfnaring traps, or tempting baits, tending to promote and fecure their eternal damnation.

Let me conclude, earneftly befeeching you, as in the fight of God, and in the view of your and my future appearance before his judgment-feat, to give the above lines a ferious and impartial confideration. They have proceeded from a heart which earnestly wishes both your temporal and your eternal welfare.

Yours, &c.

THE

THE following compendious tranflation of DRELINCOURT'S CHARITABLE VISITS was executed by MR BROWN a few years before his death, chiefly for his own amusement and information. As the original was never tranflated into English, and is truly valuable, it was thought it would be an acquifition to the religious world to have this includedz among Mr Brown's Pofthumous Works..

EXTRACTS

FROM

DRELINCOURT's

CHARITABLE VISITS;:

CORRECTED, AND ADAPTED TO THE PRESENT TIMES, BY MR BROWN.

1.

OF one that doubts of his falvation, because he feels not the grace of God, or the influence of the Spirit of adoption, as he had formerly done-Former comforts are ground of joy and thanksgiving, but ought never to be looked upon as unchangeable. The withdrawment of them is no evidence that grace is rooted out, Pfal. lxxvii. 6,-9. xxx. 6, 7. and li. 10, 11. Matt. xxvi. 38. and xxvii. 46. Ifa. xlix. 15, 16. Heb. xiii. 5. Continued hatred and lothing of fin marks inward grace; feeble prayer in fighs and groans mark the indwelling of the Spirit, Rom. viii. 26. Even at times, John iii. 8. one may

have the infufed habit of faith, and not the exercise or acquired habit of vigorous acting of grace, 2 Cor. iii. 5. 1 Cor. xii. 4. Phil. ii. 12, 13. Even Mofes' spirit had its weakness in prayer, Exod. xvii. Daniel had to fearch means of making his fupplication to God. One may long pray for a mercy before God grant it, Pfal. xxii. 1, 2. and Ixix, 2, 3, and 6. Luke i. Ejaculatory prayers are better than long prayers for diftreffed minds; and, by these, we pray always without fainting. Public worship and private must be carefully attended, as these are the pasture of our fouls. As diftreffed fouls have been relieved, Luke xxii. 31, 32. Pfal. lxxi. 20, 21. Whom God loved he loves to the end, Jer. xxxi. 3. John xiii. 1. Rom. xi. 29. Pfal. xlii. 5. 11. and xi. 6, 7. and xciv. 18, 19. and xvi. H. God will finit his own work, Rom. viii. 28, 30. Phil. i. 6.

2. Of one overwhelmed with a fenfe of fin and fear of God's judgment-It is neceffary to be afflicted on aecount of these things, Matt. v. 4. 2 Cor. vii. 10, 11. View the infinite mercy of God and merit of Christ's blood along with your fins, Rom. v. 20, 21. Matt. xi. 28. 1 Fet. ii. 29. 1 John i. 7, 9, and ii. 1, 2. Ifa. i. 18. 1 Tim. i. 16 Pro. xxviii. 13. Lam. iii. 39, 40. Pfal. li. 1. Ifa. xliii. 25, and xliv. 22. Ezek. xviii. and xxxiii. 11. Jer. xxxi. 18,-20. Pfal. li. 6,—1'0. Let monuments, of grace encourage you as Manaffeh, &c. 2 Chron. xxxiii. Luke xviii. 13, 14. Acts ii. and ix. John iv. Luke vii. Much love is not the cause, but evidence of much pardon; repeated falls no caufe of defpair, Luke xvii. Matt. xviii Pfal. cxxx. 3. Jer. xxxi. 18. Ezek. xxxiii. 11. Pfal, xix. 12, 13. Matt. xii. 31, 32. It was Ifaac

that

that found no place for repentance, Heb. vi. 12. Men may fin against the Holy Ghoft's ftrivings, and yet not fin unpardonably; may fin willingly, and not wilfully, Matt. xii. 32. Heb. x. 26.; aħd fall far, but not totally, Heb. vi. 4, 5.; which doth not fuppofe that believers may thus fall, but that they ought to work out their falvation with fear and trembling;-only repentance, produced by mere fear of God's judgments, is naught: weak refolutions to follow holiness may be very real, though the heart be deceitful. It is never too late to repent, Luke xxiii. 42, 43. 2 Chron. xxxiii. Rom. x. 9. Luke vii. 50, 51. Search out, and ponder, and apply fcriptures which represent God's great pardons, or pray for it.

3. Of one who doubts his falvation because of his great and frequent afflictions-They are the common lot of faints, 1 Cor. x. 13. Pfal. xl. 7. Ifa. liii. 3. Matt. xxvi. and xxvii. Rom. viii. 18. 2 Cor. iv. 18. Job vi. › Heb. xi. 1 Cor. xv. 2 Cor. xi. Never indulge hard thoughts or words of God in trouble, Job xiii. 15. and xlii. 56. 2 Cor. i. 7. and iv. 17. Where affictions em-" bitter fin and excite prayer, they are marks of God's love, Heb. xii. 6,-11. Pfal. cxix. 59, 67, 71, 75. John xvi. 2, 33. Though troubles be heavy and long, God's grace is fufficient, and even weak faith can lay hold on it. It is proper to wait till God's time conie.

4. Of one who had loft his worldly goods-Confider their vanity, Pfal. xxxix. 5, 6. Prov. xxiii. 5.; how little may fuffice, 1 Tim. vi. Job i. 21.; how it is God's doin 3, 1 Sam. ii. Pfal. xxv. Phil. iv. 9,—13.; Christ directs us only to pray for daily bread, Matt. vi. You

cannot