they took on them the ministry, are taking the form with them, even at the risk of the bishop's displeasure; yea, and some have spent hundreds, if not thousands of pounds at law, in order to secure the use of it. What do you think of this?

Cushi. Suppose I was to go to-morrow into a town where the gospel had never been preached, and where there was not a soul to be found that was converted to Christ, and I should preach from this text, "Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his," Rom. viii. 9; and I was to declare, first, the insufficiency of a form of godliness without the power; secondly, the necessity of regeneration; thirdly, shew the operations of the Spirit from the word of God; fourthly, that God seeketh spiritual worshippers; and lastly prove, that the Holy Ghost is sufficient to work faith, to sanctify the soul, and prepare it for the reception of Christ; and sufficient also to lead the believer on in a course of spiritual devotion, as the spirit of grace and of supplication; and four souls, under this discourse, should be convinced of the insufficiency of their formality; should you not think that I had acted the faithful part in handling the above text in that manner? and that God had approved of it by four persons being convinced under it?

Ahimaaz. I should think that you had taken the best step that could be taken to undermine their sandy foundation, and to shew them the necessity of being made new creatures in Christ; and

I am fully persuaded that God's word would bear you out.

Cushi. Then suppose there should come a gospel minister the week following into the church, and he should preach up the excellency of the form, cast a few reflections on dissenters, and speak lightly of extempore prayer, and settle these four convinced souls on their old bottom again, would he not build up that which I had destroyed? Gal. ii. 18; and if so, who would be the transgressor? Ahimaaz. Certainly he would.

Cushi. Then you have decided this matter. And I believe there are many in our days, who are destitute of grace, bitterly prejudiced against many ministers that God has sent, who preach and pray as the Spirit gives them utterance, who hear the gospel, but place all their hopes in the form. And when these unleavened formalists hear a gospel minister cry up the excellency of the form, and ridicule spiritual petitions, their self-righteous souls are fed with the venom of asps; their native prejudice against pious dissenters is fixed the firmer, and they are wickedly and deceitfully established on the old basis of depraved nature. This is no part of the work of an evangelist.

Ahimaaz. Do you think, my brother, that ever the Lord Jesus set their own souls at liberty in answer to the form of prayer? One would think that he had, as they speak so highly of it, and so lightly of extempore prayer.

Cushi. No; God permits none to prevail with

him, but those who by the Spirit's intercession pour out their souls before him in faith, under a sense of want, and in a language expressive of their own troubles. And I will be bold to say, that if my brother could be in the study of these good men on some Saturday evening, or Sunday morning, when their bible is as a sealed book, Satan buffeting them, their mind confused, their judgments bewildered, a congregation gathering together, and no text opened to them, no thought springing up, altogether unfurnished for the pulpit, he would then see them upon their knees before God at hard work, without any service-book in their hands; he would hear their groaning petitions, see their tears, and be convinced that the whole business was carried on between God and their own souls by those very extempore prayers which they pub licly speak so lightly of.

Ahimaaz. If this be the case, we must act with good men's bigotry as the Saviour bids us do with bad men's precepts; he tells us, not to do as the Pharisees do, but to do as they say; but here we must not do, in this matter, as these good men but as they do.

say,

Cushi. If you do so, you will do right; for if the supplications of the Holy Spirit will not prevail with God, no human compositions can.

Ahimaaz. I believe there was at one time near two thousand ministers of the gospel in this country that exposed themselves to many hardships for their non-conformity to the Common Prayer;

which at times has led me to think very lightly of their sufferings, since I have heard many good men who preach the same doctrine that they did, and yet contend for, and highly extol, the very things that their consciences could never conform to. I have thought that their non-conformity was the effect of a stubborn and rebellious spirit, and their sufferings were only in defence of a blind and misled conscience. This must be the case of those non-conformists, or our present advocates for the form must be in the wrong, one of it; and I confess your present conversation about it has brought it as a puzzling matter of debate afresh to my mind; and for my part I am not able to decide it.

Cushi. It is true, there were great numbers that suffered hunger, cold, and nakedness; moreover bonds and imprisonments; yea, and even death itself, rather than conform to the rules of the Common Prayer Book. And if they did it in defence of a blind or misled conscience, we may say of their sufferings as David said of the death of Saul's general; "died Abner as a fool dieth," 2 Sam. iii. 33. Yet I think it is easy to decide the matter between the antient non-conformists and our present advocates; the non-conformists had the whole word of God on their side, but the others have not.

It is a blessed thing that men have no dominion over our faith, and that our faith is to stand in God's power, not in man's wisdom; but he that

attempts to establish my faith on a human form, endeavours to settle it in the wisdom of men, instead of the power of God. Faith is the gift of God the Father, a grace from God the Saviour's fulness, and is wrought in man by the operation of God the Holy Ghost; and in the promised aid of God, and in the powerful operations of Father, Son, and Spirit, it must stand, and nowhere else.

I know there are many venerable and valuable characters, whom God has called to the ministry since their first ignorant attempt to qualify themselves for it at a university; and in that sphere they will shine, while they abide with God, wherein they were called; but as the current of scripture does not flow in that channel, and as their souls were not delivered in answer to that form, and as they make use of extempore prayer in their families, and between God and their own souls, I think they might forbear their public reflections on those prayers which have done so much for them.

Ahimaaz. Pray, my dear brother, what may I call thy name?

Cushi. My name is Cushi.

Ahimaaz. Of what country, pray?

Cushi. I am an Israelite; and, blessed be God, through his rich grace I hope I am an Israelite indeed.

Ahimaaz. That I firmly believe; for flesh and blood could never reveal the things unto thee that I have heard from thee; surely the lips