I forward you an account of my labours, during the past month. March
17th. In Crussagh, I read Matt. xxv. to four persons, pointing out to
them, from the parable of the ten virgins, the absolute necessity of
watchfulness, and of being prepared to meet our Lord when he doth come.
March 22nd. In Newmarket, I read 2 Cor. v. to two persons, pointing out
to them the full assurance which the apostle Paul had of the immediate
happiness, in eternal felicity, after death, when he could say, "We
know that, if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we
have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the
heavens." One of these persons said he could not be convinced that any
poor sinner could be good enough to enter heaven, or appear in the
presence of God, without being cleansed from his sins in purgatory. As
to goodness, our Lord declares, "after all we have done, we are
unprofitable servants." And he says of the unprofitable servant, "Take
and bind him, hand and foot, and cast ye the unprofitable servant into
outer darkness, where there shall be weeping, and wailing, and gnashing
of teeth." Again, we read in Eph. ii. 8. "By grace are ye saved, through
faith, and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works,
lest any man should boast." Again in Titus iii. 5, "Not by works of
righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved
us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost."
After reading different passages of Scripture to these persons, proving
that "the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God eternal life
through Jesus Christ," I endeavoured to convince them, from different
passages of Scripture, that Christ, after having purged our sins, sat
down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. March 28th. In Drumline,
I read John v. endeavouring to impress on the minds of three persons the
necessity of reading the Scriptures, and of obeying that direct command
of our Lord's, who says, "Search the Scriptures." One of these persons
replied, that the Scriptures ought to be read by every person, and he
was convinced any person preventing others from reading them, had a
great deal to answer for. April 2nd. I read to two persons Matt. vi.
pointing out to them the crime of persons who repeat the Lord's prayer,
who have the smallest enmity to others, showing them they were not
calling upon God to forgive them, but they were calling upon him to
condemn them, as long as such a spirit of hatred existed in their minds.
These persons never seemed to have considered this before, and seemed
much alarmed at the idea of it. April 5. In Quin, I read Luke xi. to
five persons, pointing out to them the great inducement which our Lord
gives to prayer, when he says, "If a son ask bread of any of you that is
a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a
fish give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good
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