“MY Dear Friend, At present I am busy about my Bible; being suffered to live to read it over once again. Two things have occurred to me in the present perusal, in both which I am enabled to triumph. The one is a deeper discovery of the horrible state I am in through sin; so that, as a child of Adam, I feel nothing in my self but the working of corruption by and under the law, dead to God; but all are alive to sin—every faculty at work to bring it forth—the mind—the heart—the senses, yea, the very imagination, in prayer disturbing, distracting, quite lawless—I can do nothing but cry out, Rom. vii. 24. Reading verse 25, I get my second lesson, and find employment for my Jesus. A body of sin and death like mine wants an almighty Saviour, and I am learning to put more honour upon His Word and work daily. I find more need of Him than ever, and it is some true joy that He is most exactly suited to my desperate case; having no hope but in His blood, not one ray but in His righteousness, no strength but in His arm, no happiness but out of His fulness; I am led even to triumph in what He is to me; I would lay myself at His feet, and would bless His dear name that He has become all my salvation, and glory in Him that He is now all my desire. It is the best reading that ever I had: self was never so brought down, and so crucified daily; nor did I ever see so much reason to magnify the person of God-Jesus. In this spiritual crucifixion of self and sin—in this true growing up out of self into Christ—may the Holy Spirit teach you to profit daily. Pray for yours, in our common Lord.—W. R.
*Rev. William Romaine was a pious, evangelical minister of the Church of England. One of the ablest defences of the exclusive use of the Psalms in divine worship came from his pen.—Editor.