me, saith the Lord." But His sweet voice was heard sometimes, notwithstanding all. Look at the context and verse 5. I am literally very hoarse from a cold, but the hoarseness over which I lament is of a much graver character. But He knows my heart, and that were I able, I would lift Him higher, and speak better things of Him.

Your's, ever affectionately in much love,

J. H. EVANS.

July 14, 1842.

TO HIS SON.-ON HIS ORDINATION.

Taplow, September 26, 1842. MY BELOVED J———,—You have now taken that step which, of all others, is the most solemnly important in the eyes of him who is your nearest, and, as I believe, your most attached earthly friend, and, as I also believe, most tenderly beloved by yourself. As the years pass away, and how rapid is their flight, and as the day approaches when the tie which binds us so tenderly and so closely to each other will cease to exist, I long to experience more fully and more deeply the knitting together yet more and more strongly of that tie which is to last for ever.

You are now in the deep solemnity of open avowal, a minister of Jesus Christ; you have taken upon yourself the office which is higher, more important, and to which higher responsibilities belong, than any that appertain to the highest intelligences, even angels themselves. Upon their words, their testimony, their example, depend not, as the appointed channel, the salvation of immortal spirits. They are not the heralds of pardon and reconciliation to a guilty world. Every false principle, and every wrong step of your's, will be made use of by Satan, the great enemy of God and man, to the furtherance of evil and to the destruction of all that is good. All that cunning can contrive and malice can execute will be brought forward by him who has all the intellect of the angel and all the cruelty of a fiend. But, my dearest J, strong as he is, Omnipotence is your support; cunning as he is, Omniscience is your protection. Yet bear with me if I say you have yet an enemy worse than

himself,―he ranges in the circuit of your own heart. You will find self the greatest of all your foes, the most subtle of all your adversaries, the worst and the vilest of all your antagonists. Do not expect that, because you are a minister, your opponents will be the less vigorous; rather look for the contrary. May a consideration of this not discourage, but rather let it the more drive you to a throne of grace, endear the name of Saviour to you, make you more desirous of living in the Spirit and walking in the Spirit, and more fearful of grieving Him. My tender love constrains me to write to you with all the faithfulness of a father, and all the unreserve of your truest and most fondly attached friend.

I would advise you, in order to real usefulness in the ministry, ever to remember, that the degree of your real blessing as a minister will be in exact proportion to your spirituality as a Christian. You can only speed well as a preacher of righteousness in the degree that you prosper in your own soul as a man of holy and righteous walk, and close communion with God. I do not mean by that, that a man of deep spirituality will always be the means of extensive conversions; but that his weight of influence, his real position in the Church of God, his true usefulness to others, in building them up in faith, hope, love, and all holiness, will be in the very degree that he is a spirituallyminded, holy man of God. For this cause, my beloved Jdeeply and prayerfully study your own character. Look, as Rutherford says, at the blacks as well as the whites; at its weak points as well as its stronger ones. As God the Spirit writes out the truth of His own Word in your heart He gives it a body colouring there, and this will, through His further aid, enable you to delineate the same outline to others.

Beware of levity. I write feelingly; my love of joke has been a sore trial to me all my journey, and painful discipline have I gone through in order to its subduing. I look upon buoyancy of spirit as great a blessing as lightness of spirit is its opposite.

Cultivate sobriety of mind and manner. It is most suitable in a minister of such a Master, the servant should be like his Lord. The more this likeness is seen and felt, the greater our

of R- -; his manner

influence. I yesterday heard Mr. Gwas to me a sermon. If a man's manner in the reading-desk is VERY different to that which he has in common intercourse, with all due allowance for the distinction between things sacred and profane, I seem to see a force existing which is put upon the man, and it is not pleasing; it is not the same individual. I almost invariably think of the stage-player and the Greek word that expresses it. It will be a great advantage to you if dear Mr. C allows you to go with him for a month or two to visit the sick. To mark how an experienced man of God treats different cases, may, through the Divine blessing, be of an inestimable benefit. Since I began, your note has reached me, telling me of your ordination. May the Lord bless you, my dear J-, make you a faithful, devoted, unreserved follower and minister of Jesus Christ, far, far more devoted than ever I have been. A father's prayer is, that your whole body, soul, and spirit, may be given up to God. A father's blessing is upon you. My head may soon be laid in the grave; but the desire of my soul is, that your soul may be full of Christ; your ministry, your life, your all, may be consecrated to Him.

Ever, ever believe me, my dear J

Your affectionate father and friend,

J. H. EVANS.

TO HIS DAUGHTER IN INDIA.

Hampstead Heath, October 15, 1842. THIS is your birth-day, my own dear and beloved C—, and although it is Saturday, I must take up my pen to assure you how fondly I think of you, and how I retrace this day years, when your own dear and precious mother gave you to me. How sweet did your voice seem in mine car when I first heard your feeble infant cry. How much has occurred since then to humble me and prove me, and to show that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God; and this my precious child has been learning out lately in her late trial. Be assured, the lesson, though painful, will prove through grace worth all the appointments in India.

it

Beneath this thorn ere long a precious rose will be found; of this I have no sort of doubt; and do you fervently pray that may be so. May every choicest mercy of our covenant God be richly enjoyed by you both,-may this day be to you the beginning of days. M. W. may be thrust in, M. D. may prove a rogue, but God will be a faithful God. Bear up, my child; lean upon Jesus; a smile from Him sinks this world to nothing. Adieu.

October 31.-Sixteen days have rolled on since I last took up my pen for my beloved child, and I am not aware of neglecting an opportunity of writing. On the Monday after we went over to Clapham to see dear Mrs. W--, who still resides there, though in a different house. She is tolerably well, and seems altogether comfortably situated, and as cheerful as a good hope of soon being out of a world of partings can make her. She was rejoiced to see us, as she always is, and I sincerely hope that nothing may ever occur to break in upon our intimacy. Perhaps you may ask me what could occur? Ah, if you did but know how High Church principles, and Puseyism, and Semi-Popery, prevail in this land, you would not ask the question. Nothing amongst us is more spreading, and nothing more separating. But to go on with my account of my days. On the Tuesday, as usual, I preached, and on the Wednesday had my lecture. On the Thursday your mamma and I visited the whole day. On Friday and Saturday I was engaged with my sermons. On Monday last we had the clerical party at our house. On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, I preached, visiting the whole of Thursday. I do not write this, my dear child, to show how much I do for Him whom I desire to serve, for He knows, who knows all my heart, how deeply I feel my utter unworthiness before Him, but just to show with what difficulty I snatch an interval of leisure to write to you. My life is one of constant engagement, but I can truly say I do feel myself surprised at the goodness of God in permitting such an one as I am to serve Him at all. We are just returned from calling on H. B I have not seen him for twenty-eight years. Poor fellow,

he seems far off from God. As he told me he should have known me wherever he might have met me, so I am in hopes that if ever we meet again in this vale of tears, I may yet be recognised by my little daughter, although, as you say, time has laid his hand upon us both. Every year tells me but one tale. I am much more grey than when we parted, am much more bald, have more wrinkles,—but what does all this say? Nearer home, nearer home! I trust that I am, through God's rich grace, enabled in some small degree to say that I do feel somewhat more of a bright anticipation of this than I did. It is a blessed prospect, my child, and ought to be continually before our eyes. It should be a morning meditation, a noon-day solace, and an evening refreshment. It should walk with us, talk with us, bear with us, fight with us; in short, it should be ever with us. It would make us better parents, better children, better masters, better servants; happier, because holier. would embitter sin, endear Christ, wean from the world, prepare for God. I am quite assured that the great secret for life is to be constantly prepared for death, to be living in the blessed anticipation of being soon for ever with the Lord.

It

My dear love, I feel so done up that I must content myself with a short note this time, and I hope you will be contented too. Yesterday was a very fatiguing day, and this morning I wrote to Charles B, as he is examined for his degree on Wednesday. Poor fellow, do not grudge it him.

Ever your affectionate father and friend,

J. H. EVANS.

TO HIS SON-ON FIRST ENTERING UPON HIS CURACY.

Hampstead, Nov. 14, 1842.

MY DEAREST J—,—It occasioned me real regret not to be able to write to you last week, but it was entirely out of my

power.

I was a sufferer during the whole of the week, in common, I believe, with vast numbers, under a sort of influenza. However, it served to keep me a prisoner nearly the whole of that time, and confined me much to my bed. I have reason to