GOSPELTlII~

MAGA N R... OOM FORT YB. CQMll'OBT YE MY PEOpr..1D. SUTU YOUR 000:'

.. lOKJHCA,VOUIUMO TO KEEP THE UNITY Oi' THB 8rUUT IN TUft BONO Olr pmAO••u

"I.'U. O.. ltIS.... TU. 8AldCTE9TXRDAY, ANDTO-DAY,AND I'OR EVil a." .. WlIQIl TO KNOW 18 LU~g fo:'TllIUU L.

No, :JUO, INKw HKJ([K~.

DECEMBER, 1895.

QtfJe j'amiIJI i)oxthm;

{No, 1,560,

01.0 ::lKRIE~.

OR, WORDS OF SPIRITUAL CAUTION, COUNSEL, AlS'O CO~rFORT •

.. Who comfortcth us in all our tribulatiou, th"t we m"y be "ble to comfort them whioh are ill auytrouble. by the comfort where,vith wo ol:lrselves "re comforted of God,"-2 COR. i. 4.

" EVERY :MOMENT."(ISAIAII xxvii. 3.)

TIlE end of another year is at hand. Morf',-" The end of allthings is at hand." Our life is but a brief preliminary toAternity. Nay; eternity, so far as regards us poor finite beings,fJrgins in time. As someone somewhere has said, the only(lifference between what we call "time" and "eternity" is, thattime is a measure of eternity, while eternity is time immeasur­able,

How great, how utterly inconceivable are the issues of oul'little span of time below! As we look back on the expiringyear, what sudden, unexpected, startling changes have we wit­nesseu! What gaps in the loved circle of relatives and friends!'What losses, what burdens, what anxieties, what cares, belovellfellow-pilgrims, we have been called to experience! Yet, can wenot, with grateful, adoring hearts, exclaim, "He hath done allthings well"? Yes," all things." Whether we review His deal­ings in the aggregate, or in detail, we must still confess HisOovenant faithfulness, His unerring wisdom, and His ineffablelovf'.

If we come to think upon the details of His Oovenant dispen­sations concerning m, how readily we grasp th8 suitability anuapplication of those brief words, "Eof}'/! moment" !

L In.~ Corenant F({itl~fltlneS8 has im!rrc/ accompanied us "euJ'£moment" t/iJ'o/l[)llOld the closing year. Morning- by morning, nightafter night, the God of our salvation kept Oovenant and mercyconcerning us. Ohrist, as, the sworn Surety of the everlasting­Oovenant, proved infallibly true to His promises. They wereindeed "Yea, and Amen." They were fulfilled in, oh, howmany instances, beyond, far beyond all our faltering hopes, Wefound the faithfulness of God's dear Son neither fitful, fickle, nortransient. He was trzee "every moment." Although to our

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706 Tlie Gospel Magazine.

poor trembling hearts, "the darkness and the light" were farfrom being "both alike"; yet, to Him, who, in a past eternityundertook our cause, in its minutest circumstances and issues,the gloomiest moments of our experience were seasons affordingpre-eminent opportunities for the exercise of IIis Divine mind­fulness, love, and bounty. "Every moment" He faithfully" kept" our poor wandering souls from utterly sinking. " Everymoment" His untiring, everlasting arms were beneath us. "Everymoment" His unslumbering eye watched over u~, while it alsodiscovered the secret designs of our open and our hidden enemies."Every mOlllent" J ehovah·Jesus was uoto us walls of salvation,if not" every moment," on our part, " gates of praise." For, thoughwe "believe not, yet He abideth faithful."

2. His ttnel'l'ing wisdom guided ttS "every moment" tltl'ougllOut theclosing yem'. Some of us can look back on seasons of peculiaranxiety and perplexity-experiences which we shall always associatewith the year eighteen hundred and ninety-five. At times we stood"where two ways met," and we knew not whioh was His! Itwas our desire to go only His way, to the right hand, or to theleft, as He should deoide. We waited for an indication of Hisall-wise will. But no special providenoe was granted. Like Job.in such straits the language of each of us was, "Behold, I goforward, but He is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceiveHim: on the left-hand, where He doth work, but I cannot beholdHim: he hideth Himself on the right hand, that I cannot see Him:but He knoweth the way that I take: when He hath tried me, Ishall come forth as gold" (Job xxiii. 8-10). Yes; we waitedprayerfully and patiently until, no sign coming, we committedour way unto the Lord, we trusted in IIim, and, 1citlwut deaJ'1!!knowing 9~hy, we stepped into one of those two paths-to findafterwards that it was IIis invisible hand. His inscrutable wisdomthat had deoided and guided the issue. Oh, how good it is to relyon the heavenly wisdom of Him who orders our steps!

"He who only knowethHow the wild flower ~roweth,

How the storm.wind bloweth,­He ruleth, and schoolethBoth thee and me."

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that givethto all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be givenhim" (James i. 5). "Every moment" this promised wisdom isavailable-not often to sense, indeed j but to a simple, teachable,child-like heart it is. Thus, beloved in Christ, bave we found it,and proved it for ourselves. And how cheering is the assurancethat, "every moment" during the remainder of our journey herebelow, this perfect wisdom of the Wonderful Counsellor shallsuperintend our footsteps. Another year will bring with it new

The Gospel Magazine. 707

nl"!JA, now confiicts, new perplexities, but as surely as we are sparedi(l f1111f\l' upon a fresh stage of pilgrimage shall we find the All­Witlll Leader of Israel couducting- us by right paths. The pillar ofInllcl ltnd of fire never forsook the desert-tried tribes of old.~nt wilhstanding the llumerous and frequent outbursts of doubt and1I1Ibl'Iiof among the Hebrew people, the God of Wisdom "ledj IH.rn forth by the right way, that they might go to a city ofItlthill~tion" (Psalm cvii. 7). Let us, then, dear fellow-believers,(..Ilk 1.0 hold on our way, and to face, "every moment," .the

IlImlships and difficulties of our wilderness experience, dependmgoIlly Oll God's covenanted guidance and counsel. Let our prayer'overy moment" be-

t< Through the desert, where I stray,Let Thy counsels, guide my way."

Those times are not our worst times when we are brought to our"wit's end." Far otherwise. Never are we so safe, or so wise,as when, distrusting our own poor wisdom, we cry, "Hold Thoumo up, and I shall be safe." All God's wisdom is treasured upin J csus-God-Man. lIo dispenses to His dependent people, andj hat liberally, the heavenly gift. If we are to be "wise itS

Rorponts "-wise in our walk before the world, wise in our dailyROrvice, and wise in knowledge of the Word-we must be muchgiven to fellowship with the infinitely Wise One. To walkwith Him is to grow in wisdom. Wisdom is the mainspring ofprosperity, and the secrot of victory. "Every moment" we shallneed wisdom for the approaching year, and "every moment"will it be forthcoming to the soul that shall seek it prayerfullyand patiently. "God only wise" is the title of Him in whomwe trust, and such IIe ever is.

3. Again: His il1~t1abl(' Love 1cill, "ever!J moment," accompany us inthe future, even as it has dOlle in the jJast. Yet, we dare not assumethat the manifestation of that wondrous love will " every moment"be such as we naturally would fain partake of and enjoy. Itmay come to us in the shape of a prickly cross, a rugged path­way, a grievous affliction and sorrow, a sore bereavement, or adesolating loss of temporal good. Ohrist's love is sovereign in itsmethods. Alas! as dear SAMUEL RUTHERFORD long since said," We would either have a silken, a soft, a perfumed cross, sugaredand honeyed with the consolations of Ohrist, or we faint; andProvidence must either brew a cup of gall and wormwood, mashedin the mixing with joy and songs, else we cannot be His disciples.But Ohrist's cross did not smile on Him, His cross was a cross,and His ship sailed in blood, and His blessed soul was sea-sick,and heavy even unto death." Ah! yes; it is enough for theservant to be as his Master. It is of Him we must learn howto reconcile Divine love, tender love, with the appointment of a

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708 Tlte Gospel Magazine.

cross-a sore, heavy, and very real cross. Oh, dear fellow-sufferers,it is well, it is n'ell, that "every moment" and in every incidentof our present and our future journey the love of our God shallkeep exact measure with our cross, whatever form that cross maytake. Never is the wine of Christ's consolation and love so sweet,so reviving, as when we are bruised under the oppressive weightof the cross of Divine discipline. It was for a uounderl man, andfor the soothing and healing of his sore wounds, that the GoodSamaritan yielded up his store of wine and oil. It was for a,

dying Saviour that the love of Mary took a pound of ointmentof spikenard, very costly, and anointed His dear feet. Oh, yes,love shines forth most brilliantly in tbe hour of sorrow andtribulation, although, as has been said, true love is true to itsobject" every moment." Let us, then, dear friends, see to it tbatwe really" believe the love that God hath to us." If we areassured of it in the moment of our extreme adversity, it certainlywill not fail us in the bright sunshine of spiritual prosperity.Yes, it must be love " every moment," for redeemin g love is love"from everlasting." '1'he love of the Father, the Son, and theHoly Ghost is a fixed, changeless, persistent love. The floodscannot drown it. If they could drown it, our sins, infirmities,unbelief, ingratitude, backslidings, unworthiness had long, longago overflowed and destroyed it! As one has well said :-" Therewas, before time, in the breast of Christ an eternal coal of burn­ing love to the sinner; this fire of heaven is everlasting, and theflame as hot to-day as ever. OU?' coal of' love to Him, in time,hath scarce any fire or warmness. All fire is hot. Oh, wecannot warm Christ with our lore, but His love to us is hotterthan death, or as the flames of God" (Song of Sol. viii. ~, 7).This, then, is the love, the great love upon which all whograciously believe in Jesus for salvation may fully count "everymoment" unto the end; and then, when flesh and blood fail, thispure, free, sovereign love of the Triune J ehovah shall reach itshighest consummation. The" moment" of death is included inthe" every moment" of the Covenant promise. JOHN BUNYAN tellsus in his precious allegory how poor, trembling, exercisedChristian, when crossing the river, was reminded by Hopeful ofthe love-promise of the Lord, "When thou passest through thewaters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shallnot overflow thee," and how "they then both took courage, andthe enemy, after that, was as still as a stone, until they werepassed over." They soon afterwards stood within the City, whichwas built upon ,. a mighty hilL" Oh, dear children of God, letus continually muse on this wondrous love "every moment."It is all our salvation, and all our bliss. It is the secret of' ourenduring unto the end, and we shall take this Divine love withus through the river, right up to the glory-gate, and entering

Tlze Gospel M agaz£ne. 109

the presence-chamber of the King's palace, we shall indeed findit true that, "having loved His own which were in the world,He loved them unto the end "-and yet "the end" of that loveis endless as aro the eternal ages themselves.

"He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will reSt in His love,He will joy over thee with singing" (Zeph. iii. 17).

THE EDITOR.

"THE LORD WAS WITH HIM."(GENESIS xxxix. 23.)

IN 1I1ElIWRY OF THE REV. CHARLES JAMES HAMILTON, WHO DIED ONAUGUST 20TH, 1895, AGED 79.

"THE Lord was with him." He who all had fashioned,Who on the earth had toiled, and wept, and died­

Immanuel-true God with human nature-Was ever at his side.

"The Lord was with him" in the hallowed temple,And gave him utterance by the Spirit blest,

And sent his words with holy, heavenly unctionTo hearts that yearned for rest.

"The Lord was with him" in the quiet study,And opened to his mind the Scriptures grand;

And he ., yet speaketh" through the sacred lessonsOnce written by his hand.

"The Lord was with him" in his sore temptations,And He who had been tempted in this sphere

Enabled him to overcome the tempter;To triumph even here.

H The Lord was with him" when the angels caniedHis Own belov'd to heaven's divine employ;

And Christ's sweet Presence saved his heart from loneness,And turned his grief to joy.

"The Lord was with him" when his frame was weakenedBy lengthened pilgrimage, oft overcast;

And He who had been "wearied with His journey,"Kept him in peace at last.

"The Lord was with him" when he crossed the river,And he ne'er saw the waves which oft affright,

For, oh, the vision of the Master's gloryCompletely filled his sight.

" The Lord was with him" through his whole earth-journey,And in the Home where "such good things" are stored,

Where hearts are fully satisfied for ever-He now is "with the Lord."

IsA..

A MAN may have the blossoms of profession in his bosom, withoutbaving the root of the matter in his heart.

710 The Gospel Magaz£ne.

~alJsiht :j:Dtes.

NOT HURT.

" They have not hurt me."-DANIEL vi. 22.BELOVED in Christ, heirs of the sure promises in Him, do weadequately dwell on the secu1'ities of our heavenly inheritance 1 Weshall all confess, I am sure, that we do not. Our unbelief, toogenerally, prompts Us to dwell on our wretched, unstable selves, and,to that extent, we lose the present joy of that stability which aneverlasting Covenant has connected inseparably with the salvation ofGod's people. How prone are the most advanced believers in Jesusto be swayed by outward circnmstances! This is, of course, one ofthe practical penalties of being yet "in the body." Jesus knows wellwhat is in man, for to His own disciples He said, "The spiritindeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Yet, we are not satisfiedthat our house should be "so with God." Hence, He has, for ourlearning and encouragement, recorded in t,he Holy Scriptures examplesof the blessedness of depending upon Him and His faithfulness inspite of all outward surroundings and circumstantial appearances.

The history of Daniel, "a man greatly beloved" (Dan. x. 11), hasbeen written for our learning. The footsteps of the example ofthis eminent Old Testament servant of the Most High are, as "thefootsteps of the flock," left indelibly inscribed on the Word of truth,and He who gave grace to the captive Hebrew still communicatesgrace to His exercised servants. "He giveth more grace." Toeveryone of His ransomed people His Word holds true, "My graceis sufficient for thee." Daniel's case has been repeated, in endlessforms, in the after-history of the Church of God, as the eleventhchapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews (latter part) sufficiently proves.Let us, therefore, consider prayerfully a few points of instructionwhich arise in the sixth chapter of Daniel's prophecy; and may theHoly Spirit give us understanding in all things.

First; let us consider Daniel's ci1·cnmstances. By his remarkableGod-given wisdom and fidelity this captive servant of the God ofIsrael had so prospered in Babylon that Darius, the king, preferredhim before all his subjects, and raised him to the high rank of "first"of the three "presidents" who superintended the one hundred andtwenty "princes" who were set "over the whole kingdom." Butthis royal recognition of the Prophet's supernatural qualifications pro­voked the enmity I)f the natural hearts of the two "presidents,"and the numerous "princes," and they sought" occasion against Daniel,concerning the kingdom." But, God had bestowed grace on His dearservant, equal to the duties and demands of the post of first presi­dent; and He always suits His grace to the circumstances in whichHe places His people. " None occasion nor fault," therefore, couldbe thus found against Daniel. Hence, by a subterfuge, the Baby~

Ionian conspirators obtained a change in the laws, so as to entanglethe Prophet on the grounds of his religious profession. They madeit illegal to pray to the Gorl of heaven and earth! To what terrible

Tlze Gospel Magazz'1Ze. 711

lengths of impiet.y and daring will "the men of this world" proceedagainst their Maker, when He suffers their wrath to praise Him!Daniel, when He knew that the law against his worshipping his Godhad obtained the signature of Darius, continued instant in prayer.He did not disguise his fidelity to the God of Israel. "He kneeledupon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks beforehis God, as he did aforetime." Satan's emissaries kept watch on prayingDaniel, though it is presumable that they knew not the petitions heoffered. No doubt, the dear man of God committed himself and hiscase whoJly into the hands of "his God." He had the recentinstance of his three Hebrew brethren and their Divine deliverancefrom the fiery furnace before his mind as an encouraging exampleof what "his God IJ could do, in His pleasure. The king was in­formed of Daniel's fearless worship. Unwillingly Darius ordered God'sdear servant to be cast into the lions' den. That night was oneever to be remembered. The king's "sleep went from him IJ (Dan.vi. 18). As much is not said of Daniel. No. As Peter slept inchains, between two soldiers, in an inner prison, so godly D::.niel mayhave complacently slumbered in the den, on the bosom of "his God."And this thought leads us to meditate on the next point:-

2. Daniel's God. When, in the morning, the king hastens to themouth of the den, and, "with a lamentable voice," cries unto Daniel,., Is thy God, whom thou servest continuaJly, able to deliver thee fromthe lions? "-he receives a prompt reply, in tones calm, dignified,chastened, "0 king, live for ever. lJly God hath sent His Angel,and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me." Howglorious this testimony from the dark depths of the den of the hungrylions! Like Jonah in the whale's beJly, Daniel can, from the depths,testify to the faithfulness of" his God." The deepest, darkest, dreariestof places, frames, and feelings, are not incompatible with the loftiestspirit of worship, on the part of a child of God. "Cast down, butnot destroyecl," is the frequent lot of the choicest saints of the MostHigh. "My God! IJ Oh, what a portion is his who can, throughgrace, claim as his own the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!God, in Christ, is the seventh heaven, the loftiest, happiest, holiestParadise, the kingdom incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth notaway. This expression, "My Gou," it should be observed, is, inHoly Scripture, closely associated with tribulation. The Christianreader will, no doubt, trace for himself this interesting and instructivefact, and he may take, as examples, Nehemiah v. 19; Micah vii. 7; andMatt. xxvii. 46; not overlooking Phil. iv. 19, and Rev. iii. 12.

The Spirit-begotten people of God feel that they individually needa GOD for themselves. We cannot live on one another's experience.We must, like Daniel, be enabled by the grace of the Spirit, eachfor his own soul, to claim Jehovah as "My God." How blessed isthe truth that the One God-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit-doesnot communicate Himself in one part to this believer, and in anotherpart to that, but makes Himself wholly over to each believer inparticular! "The LORD is the portion of my inheritance" is theweJl·warranted testimony of every sinner who has been graciouslyconvinced of sin, and led to trust in Jesus only for acceptance by a

712 The Gospel Magazz'ne.

just and holy God. Thus, tben, Daniel realized, even in his lowestestate, that the Lord was "his" God.

3. We may now well remark upon The Gift of D,wiel's God,-" MyGod hath sent His Angel." Yes; the God of Israel is a giving God.It is thus He makes known to His people His wondrous love. Andwho was that" Angel "~ Surely, none other than He who had walkedthe burning fiery furnace with Daniel's three faithful friends, Shadrach,Meshach, and Abed-nego. For in the third chapter the mysteriousPersonage who, in the twenty-eighth verse is spoken of as "HisAngel," is declared in the twenty-fifth to be one whose form was"like the Son of God." Certain, at any rate, we are, beloved readers,that Jesus has, in all ages, been" the Great Prince who standeth forthe children" of the Most High. Jesus has ever been the gift ofGod to His Church. "The Messenger," or Angel, " of the Covenant"is one of the brightest of the titles of our adorable Redeemer. OfHim we can, with deepest gratitude, declare, "My God hath sent HisAngel." Christ has come, "an High Priest of good things to come."Thanks-" thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift."

It is possible also that Daniel spent the night in fellowshipwith the Sent One, and that the den of lions was, therefore, the veryhouse of God, and the gate of heaven! Now, brethren, let us con·template-

4. The Power of Daniel's God. "He hath sh~tt the lions' mouths."This fact is full of instruction for those of us who know by experiencewhat the Psalmist means when he says, I' My soul is among lions"(Psalm lvii. 4). For" lions" of every description are subject to the powerof Him whom the Father has sent. It costs Him no greater effort toshut the mouth of a hungry, angry lion than to close the mouth of thetenderest kid in the flock. Omnipotence knows no degrees. It isabsolute strength. Jesus Himself, for forty days and forty nights,"was with the wild beasts" (Mark i. 13). So, beloved fellow-believers,the merciless and mighty lions, which at times rave around and withinus, are subject to His supreme power. Thus, the curse of the law,the condemning guilt of sin, the dominion of sin, the hatred of theworld, the corruptions of the flesh, the malice of the devil, and the openjaws of the grave, are all impotent to devour us, since He whom theFather hath sent, who has" visited and redeemed His people," is ourGod, and our Kinsman, and, as such, He has shut and locked their jawsin our behalf. Oh, happy children of Daniel's God I-your "Redeemeris mighty." Oh, enemy of God's saints I-whosoever thou art, "Heshall plead their cause with thee" (Prov. xxiii. 11). Let the enemycome in "like a flood" upon the souls, bodies, and estates of the trueservants of Christ; yet, He who stands pledged to fight for Israel"shall lift up a standard against him." The soul of the Christian mayby wicked hands be cast into the pit of affliction, and into the fieryfurnace of persecution, yet there is One who will visit His servant inthat low place, and so sanctify the trial, by His loving, consolingpresence, as to transform the "wrath of man" into the "praise" ofGod. Although, to the eye of sense and reason, there may be lionsmany and mighty around-gathered malignantly together to devour­yet the spiritual eye of the believer rests with calmness and com-

The Gospel M agazz'ne. 713

placency on that sure Word, "And no lion shall he there" (Isaiahxxxv. 9). He knows in his heart that" no weapon formed against"him can "prosper," and that he is absolutely

"Safe in the arms of Jesus,Safe on His gentle breast."

5. And now, not to linger too long on these delightful truths ofthe Gospel, let us briefly note, dear brethren, that which remains,­The pe1fect Salvation of Daniel. "They have 1Wt hnrt me" !

Oh, glorious verity, "THEY HAVE NOT HURT ME!" When theredeemed ones of God's eternal love shall, at last, stand on the fairheights of the heavenly ZionJ this will be their individual testimonyconcerning the threatening perils of the way-" They have not hurt me" !No; the curse of the law, the condemning guilt of sin, the enmityof the world, the malice of Satan, the power of the grave "havenot hurt me" !

Daniel, coming up unscathed from the den of lions, may well betaken to prefigure the resurrection of the believer. What an after­wondel' must the saved Prophet have been unto men and angels!Not a scar could be found upon him, and that the lions were hungrylions is shown by the fact that when the enemies of uncompromising,godly Daniel were cast into the den, "the lions had the mastery ofthem, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at thebottom of the den." Thus, too, Daniel saw his faith in God and hispersistence in prayer Divinely vindicated. And Daniel's God stilljustifies the trust of His people, and manifest·s His pleasure in theirprayers. "Shall not God avenge His own elect, which cry dayand night unto Him, though He bear long with them ~" (Lukexviii. 7.)

Oh, beloved fellow-soldiers, and fellow-pilgrims, let us take holycourage from the case of Daniel, both to "endure hardness as goodsoldiers of Jesus Ohrist," and to "hold on" our way through evilreport and through good report, ever resting in the assured truth ofthe Word, that, as Daniel "early in the morning" testified of thelions, "they have not hurt me," so we, when the Day of Ohrist'scoming for which we are waiting shall dawn, shall stand side byside with the victorious Oaptain of Salvation, and to His praiseunite in the happy, endless shout,-" THEY HAVE KOT llURT US!"

J. O.

IT may be in the coming year your life may be darkened; yourdearest friend may be taken from your side, or grow cold; prayer maybe weariness to you; the Lord's table may not give you any enjoy­ment j that dear child may be taken, that beloved sister may be calledaway. Now you say, Oan this all be in mercy ~ The voice of aloving God echoes, "Greater is he that is for you than all who areagainst you." Our little ship may be tossed on the dark Gennesaret;there may be no Ohrist on board. All dark ! We must sow in tears.But these many bitter tears will water the sweet harvest of eternaljoy.-The late Rev. F. Hom'e.

714 The Gospel Magazine.

iilgrim Japtrs.

"WHERE HAST THOU GLEANED TO·DAY?"

TIlE BELIEVER'S COURSE. (ACTS xxvii.)(ConcludedfroTlt page 657.)

PROBABLY every child of God tastes this cup at one time or otherof life's voyage. J ehovah had determined to wreck the ship at thatvery spot; no human precaution could help "falling into" it; "a placewhere two seas met": a sea of turmoil without: a sea of conflictingemotions within, "the sea and the waves roaring." Literally those twoseas were the Great Sea, or Mediterranean, and Adriatic Sea. At sucha cor.fluence of stormy waters, the peril would be increased immensely,and navigation without rudder bands impossible. How useless it wouldseem to hoise up the mainsail, when they fell" into a place where twoseas met"; so after a special uplifting of the soul to God, does it notsometimes seem as if waiting upon God were in vain, and onlyfollowed by a worse state of things, because we see not the chart bywhich our Pilot at the helm is steering us. "Falling into a placewhere two seas met." One of these seas comes direct from God, asea of affliction, tribulation, or trouble into which He lets us fall. "Deepcalleth unto deep at the noise of Thy waterspouts: all Thy waves andThy billows are gone over me" (Psalm xlii. 7). "Thou hast afflictedme with all Thy waves" (Psalm lxxxviii. 7). This sea of sufferingand sorrow is met by another sea, that of Satan's temptations andsuggestions. "When the enemy shall come in like a flood" (Isaiahlix. 19). When these seas meet, the soul is well-nigh overwhelmed.When the hand of God is upon us, and our feeble bark assailed byfloods of temptation to doubt our interest in the salvation that is inChrist Jesus, to dispute the foundation of our hope, or call in questionthe love, wisdom, and goodness of God in permitting such billows ofanguish to assault our souls.

Thus the sea of life and the sea of death, with its dark waves, meet:the sea of destruction of the vessel meets the sea of deliverance andsalvation for the soul; but all attempts of our own to extricate ourselvesprove. like the mariners',-" they ran the ship aground," the very effortsto save her only wrecking the vessel! "And the forepart stuck fastand remained unmovable"-stranded; a wreck indeed. "The hinder partwas broken with the violence of the waves," and so furnished means ofsalvation to many. We can see no other teaching in this than the disso­lution of the body, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the LordJesus; the body going earth to earth, dust to dust, when the earthlyhouse of this tabernacle is dissolved. "The forepart stuck fast"; thatwhich had taken the lead, prominently in front, now aground; thehinder part, everything belonging to the old nature, to be "doneaway," "brought to nought," broken all its plans and purposes.

Perhaps the forepart, which remained unmovable, not utterlydestroyed, may remind us of that part of our feeble bark which shallbe raised when the sea gives up the dead that are in it; but we wouldnot strain the figure, believing" every word of God is pure," and not a.

The Gospel Maga::ine. 715

superfluous sentence is there, and bears so often more than one aspect:so while the wreck depicts natural death, while t.he soul escapes safe toland, it also bears the experimental truth of life divine in the soul,beginning when the old carnal nature is ., crucified with Ohrist: never­theless, I live, yet not I, but Ohrist liveth in me."

"And the soldiers' counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any ofthem should swim out and escape." A glimpse of the enemy of souls inhis malignit,y influencing men to cruelty. Alas I even soldiers ofJesus Ohrist do not always care for souls, or long after them" that theymay be saved."

"But the centurion, willing to save Paul" [evidently a tender lovefor him existed in this Romal! officer, J ulius, giving us a glimpse­again of the Oaptain of our salvation, able to save to the uttermost, andwilling, too] "kept them from their purpose," and thus brought aboutGod's purpose, too. How manifestly His overruling hand is seen con~

straining this man's gentler emotions to save Paul by the restraint ofhis power!

"And commanded that they which could swim should cast them­selves first into the sea, and get to land." He singles out suchas had learnt the lesson of living in the water, having the energyand power of the new life to breathe in living waters. "Whatsoeverpasseth through the paths of the sea," able to go against the current,resist the elements, and not be carried down the stream as a dea:!fish, but having learnt the lesson of self-abandonment, to be carried onthe breast of the wave, sustained by the buoyancy that is in the waters,these spiritually have "an abundant entrance" to the heavenly shore.These "give diligence to make their calling and election sure, . . . •for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into theeverlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Ohrist" (2 Peteri. 10, 11). Have we heard the call of the Lord Jesus, "Oome untoMe, all ye that labour, and are heavy laden" 1 Have we, through grace,obeyed the call 1 for if we are "partakers of the heavenly calling,"we can put our foot as little children on the lowest round of thatladder whose top, election, reaches heaven-" and, behold, the Lord stoodabove it." Then we must have been" loved with an everlasting love,therefore, with loving-kindness have I drawn thee," or we never shouldhave come to Ohrist, for" No man can come to Me, except the Fatherwhich hath sent Me draw him" (John vi. 44). Then comes thegolden chain, "Morever, whom He did predestinate, them he alsocalled: and whom He called, them He also justified: and whom Hejustified, them He also glorified" (Ham. viii. 30). These are they,spiritually, that can swim in the deep ocean of Eternal Love, Wisdom,and Grace-those waters that issued from the house, waters to swimin j these have no fear in casting themselves into the sea, assuredthat "underneath are the everlasting arms," and they cannot sink.No matter how the swelling waves roll over and over: the word"abundantly" (derived from unda, "a wave") implies it will only swellthe more glorious entranco into the kingdom as borne upon theincoming tide.

" And the rest, some on boards ": clinging to the timbers of the oldship, but stable portions of it, sound planks to float out from the

716 Tlte GosjJel Magazine.

wreck. If we take the ship to represent the visible Ohurch to whichthe voyager belongs, organizations may come to nought, as all outwardthings fail, but the foundation-truths in harmony with the Word ofGod are as "boards" on which the helpless may float in safety."Some on boards," Oomparing spiritual things with spiritual, leads tofurther light, for we may be sure the Holy Spirit's wisdom is in theselection of " eve1'Y word of Gael." Thus, tracing what is said of boardsin Scripture, we are led to the boards of the tabernacle, each resting onsilver sockets, which were made out of the atonement money" (Exod.xxxvi. 20 ; xxx. 16; xxxiii. 25), and so we get the force of the truth thatno soul can be saved unless resting on the atonement. " Otherfoundation can no man lay."

"Some on broken pieces of the ship." Why is it not said some-caught at a rope 7 No; they must everyone" lay hold" of somethingrthat had power to sustain from sinking, We must 1'est on the atoningwork of the Lord Jesus; Test on the promises of Divine truth, whichare all Yea and Amen in Him, or we have no hope of getting "safe toland." "Some on broken pieces of the ship." Who can tell how manya soul gets safe to land on such a slender hope, so small a fragmentof the Word of God, a portion of Divine truth that has borne italong many a day, and through many a storm been safe footing; sosmall that those who can swim, or those resting "on boards," look on~nd wonder 7 Yet safe! And so it came to pass; as God had said, soit must be! Hath He said, "Him that cometh unto Me I will in nowise cast out," "they shall never perish" 7 and can they be lost orsunk in floods of wrath 7 As safe on broken pieces as they who could,swim; able to "read their title clear to mansions in the skies." Rejoice,ye who watch the .departing, if you find that soul clinging to but ashred of promise, a simple faith and hnpe in Ohrist, however small;do not despise the day of small things. It is written for our learning­"And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of theship. And so it came to pass that they escaped "-escaping the wrathto come; cscaping the corruption that is in the world-Cl they escaped~ll safe to land."

Oh wonderful provision of the covenant of grace concerning everyonewho sails over life's stormy sea, moved by the Wind, the Holy Spirit,and not by human power and might; for such there is no "ship­wreck of faith and a good conscience," for in the very wreck of allthings around, provision is made for escaping safe to land, a homeand a welcome, food and raiment, with safe conduct, to fulfil thepurpose of God.

THEY usually thrive best who meditate most. Meditation is a soul·fattening duty; it is a grace-strengthening duty; it is a duty-crowningduty. Gerson calls meditation the nurse of prayer; Jerome calls itbis paradise; Basil calls it the treasure where all the graces are lockedup. Theophylact calls it the very gate and portal by which we enterinto glory. You may read much and hear much, yet without medita­tion you will never be excellent, you will never ba eminent Ohristians.­Thomas BTOO!.es, 1695.

Tile GosjJel Magaci1le. 717

THE RISEN REDEEMER."Abidr tvith 1tS: jor it is towa?'d evmin[/, (/IIcl tile day is jar spmf."-

LUKE xxiv. 29.IN these words the point of time is indicated in which the risin~ ofthe Easter sun may be expected with certainty by everyone. Whenevening gloom comes over our life, then morning will soon dawn, butnever before. The evening shadows already draw on, when, with justlight enough to discover the insignificance of our former life, we beginto feel the mental vacuity experienced in all that the world offers us.When the sigh which escaped the heart of Solomon bursts forth fromours, "Vanity of vanities; all is vanity," and that which we once calledpleasure now appears insipid, and worldly honour only a child'stoy; when we are troubled by the thought that we have whollymissed the aim of existence, because life has been consumed in themerest trifles; when our way becomes more and more isolated, becausethe churchyard sod covers those we love best, the world appearsstranger, colder, and more desolate, and the tree of hope sheds onewithered leaf after another; oh, then it is that our day seems far spent.And then, if thoughts of eternity, awakening dread, gather aroundour soul, and we have to account to ourselves as to what we have to showas lasting gain and profit for our former life; if we have to askourselves, in the event of death knocking at our door, either to-dayor to-morrow, what grounds we have to anticipate a favourablesentence when arraigned before the Judge of the world, and whatthe real state of the case has been, and is now, about our "lovingGod with all our heart," and about our "being faithful in that whichis least as in that which is greatest"; if our own conscience, as aninexorable accuser, finds us guilty of the most decided alienation fromGod, and it seems as though all openings through which a ray of com­fort or hope could penetrate to us, were closed; when overtaken bythat bitterness of reflection which is inspired by the feeling that lifewith us has missed its aim-which state of mind is so far beyond reliefby all worldly wisdom that it p.xposes ite naked impotence by attemptingit-and when utter despair in all that is called human consolation orhuman help extorts from the heart the cry of distress, "0 wretchedman that I am!" yes, then evening has overtaken us. And, oh,what would then be to us such a Friend as the Gospel exhibits! Butnow that our necessities are brought to our knowledge, to whichsuch a Friend perfectly corresponds, behold a Friend who declaresto sinners the forgiveness of sins, and doubters the pledge of ever­lasting life, by pointing them to His own resurrection-to the gazeof weary travellers the blessed rest of heaven in sure and earnestprospect; and who discloses to the poor in spirit, and those who arementally famishing here, a beautiful world, replenished with theexperience of heavenly joys; and who promises to the solitary andbereaved one everlasting reunion with the loved ones whom theymourn ;-oh, how the eye of faith can see its way! And it willbe easy for the heart to repeat in faltering accents the prayer ofthe disciples of Emmaus, "It is now evening, and the day is farspent; deserted by all, 0 Thou who art my last Refuge, abide with

718 The Gospel Magazine.

me." And however timorously the yearning spirit may utter it atfirst, it will not be long before the scene at Emmaus will be repeated.The Lord breaks to us the bread of His comfort, of His peace; and,this heavenly food once tasted, we shall immediately be illuminedwith the Easter sun, and joyfully exclaim, "Jesus lives, and withHim I likewise." By God's grace, may this happen to us all, andmay the risen Prince of Peace say IIis "Yea and Amen," whilst wepray with the poet-

"Then break throu~h our hard hearts Thy way,o Jesus! conquering King!

Kindle the lamp of faith to-day,Teach our faint hearts to sing

For joy at length,That, in Thy strength,

We too may rise whom sin had slain,And Thy eternal rest attain."

-](l'llmmachel'.

AN RXTRAOT.

(From the Works of DONIO PALEARIO, who Ruffered martyrdom for the Gospelat Rome, 1570.)

SEEING that our Lord Jesus and all His dear disciples glorified Godby tribulations, let us embrace them joyfully, and say with the dearApostle, "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of ourLord Jesus Ohrist." Let us so act, I say, that worldlings may seewith how great quietness of mind the true Ohristians can endure theloss of their goods, the death of their children, slanders, the diseases oftheir poor bodies, and the persecution of false professors. So thenwe find that our dear Lord gives us that help He has promised inour need. It ought to suffice us to know that true Ohristians are,through tribulation, clothed with the image of our Lord Jesus Ohristcrucified. "For as the passions of Ohri'3t do abound, so, through Him,shall the consolations abound," and if we suffer with Him here belowfor a time, we shall also reign with Him above for ever. Oh, happy,unspeakably happy is that man who shutteth his eyes to all othersights, and will neither see nor hear any other thing than Jesus crucified.Blessed, say I, is he who feedeth his mind with so heavenly a food,and maketh himself drunken in the love of God with so sweet andsingular a liquor. When I think upon my Lord's death, the multi­tude of my sins do not dismay me, for in His death I put all mytrust. His death is my whole desert; it is my refuge, it is mysalvation, my life, and my resurrection; and the mercy of the Lordis my desert.

OHRIST, as the believer's Surety, has taken his sins upon Himself,and the believer takes Christ's righteousness, for Ohrist makes overall that He has to the believer, who by faith looks upon it andmakes use of it as his own, according to that express warrant, "Allthings are yours, and ye are Ohrist's."-Romaine.

The Gospel Magazine.

PASTORAL NOTES.

719

A REl\IARKABLE ESCAPE.

ONE of my young parishioners, the son of very worthy Christianyaronts, who are extremely fond of their children, was told one dayby his father to exercise a spirited horse. The horse had been keptin the stable for two or three days, and consequently was rather"fresh." The father knew that his son was a capital rider, who couldbe trusted to manage such a horse, but, to make sure that he wasquite safe, he followed his son on foot to the field where he was toexercise the horse, and watched him for a little time. Then, seeingthat all was well, he left him in order to fulfil an engagement. Aboutan hour afterwards the boy was found lying on his back in the stable,wholly unconscious, and with a fearful gash in his forehead. He wasquickly conveyed to the local hospital, where the doctors discoveredthat his frontal bone was broken, and that it was Rlightly pressingupon the brain; but by a skilfully effected operation, the injured bonewas re-adjusted, and the wound was efficiently attended to. It wassome time before the lad recovered consciousness, and when he did so,he had no recollec~ion of the accident, or of the operation; but thewound quickly healed, and he was soon on the way to recovery. Noone saw the accident occur, but when the lad was found, it wasobserved that he had a whip in his hand, and it is supposed thatafter he had brought the horse back into the stable, he had chastised,or attempted to chastise it, and the horse had kicked him violentlywith one of his hind feet. When the horse was examined, it wasfound that the foot with which he had kicked the lad was withOld its.~hoe. The lad's father had noticed, as the horse was taken out toexercise, that one of its shoes was loose, and evidently this shoe hadcome off during the exercise. In all probability this, instrumentally,saved the boy's life. Had the iron I:lhoe been on the horse's footwhen he kicked the boy, it would have struck his forehead with suchtremendous force, that the broken bone would have penetrated thebrain, and in that case he would have been instantly killed; butthe shoe having been removed, the le3s hard substance of the hoofcaused a less serious stroke, and the boy's life was saved. I "ballnot easily forget the father's emotion as he learned this fact, and howgratefully he stated his belief that his son's escape was owing tothe providential mercy of God, and expressed his earnest hopethat it might all be overruled for his son's temporal and spiritualwelfare.

How slight, apparently, are the threads upon which human lifedepends! but if those threads are held in Omnipotent hands, theycannot easily be broken, for their being broken must depend uponDivine permission. Dangers may surround us on every side, but ifthe sweet promise refer to us, "The Lord is thy keeper; theLord is thy shade upon thy right hand"; we need never fea.r;He will " preserve us from all evil"; He will "preserve ourgoing out and our coming in, from this time forth, and even forevermore."

720 The Gospel Magazine.

USELESS LABOUR.

A friend narrated to me some 'particulars respecting a claim whichhe made for the payment of a small sum of money. His claim wasdisputed, but as he considered that he had a right to make it, he per­severed, and after some expenditure of time, and a good deal of trouble,he received an intimation that his claim was allowed, and that if hecalled at an office on a certain day, the money would be paid to him.Accordingly he called, and he received the money; it was paid to himin cash, but, having left his purse at home, he put the coins of whichit was composed loosely into one of his pockets. On his way homehe thought with some pleasure upon the success of his efforts. When,however, he arrived at ham!:', and put his hand into his pocket totake out the coins, he found that they were gone! Examining hispocket carefully, he discovered that there was a small hole in it,through which the coins had evidently slipped out. It was of no usegoing back to look for them, for he had walked through some well­frequented thoroughfares, and therefore he knew that they must behopelessly lost. All his trouble then had been in vain! How manya similar transaction occurs in life! A man heaps up riches, withthought and care, with self-denial and perseverance, but what willbecome of them, or "who shall gather them," he knows not. Eventhe godly sometimes "disquiets himself in vain," and vexes andtroubles himself about things which, if he could foresee the result, hewould not trouble himself about at all. And how much more so do theungodly; fretting and harassing themselves about trifles, or pursuingobjects with heart and soul which will give them neither satisfactionnor profit. I have known a father heaping up a fortune in wayswhich, to say the least, were very questionable, and which must havecost him an immense amount of anxiety and trouble, and then, cutoff in apparently the prime of life, leave it all to be squandered by aprofligate son.. What did he gain for all his trouble 1 or rather,perhaps, who can estimato the greatness of his loss 1 How importantthe Master's exhortation, "Provide yourselves bags that wax not old, atreasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth,neither moth corrupteth."

TITLES AND WEALTH.

Some persons greatly envy those who are above them in socialposition, and especially those who have noble titles; but if they couldattain to the same position, or become possessed of similar titles, theywould probably find that they were no happier for the change. Imet lately with a young nobleman who is entitled to assume two, ifnot three, noble titles, but he has not yet assumed them, and heintimated to me that he does not intend to do so, on account of theinconveniences to which they would subject him. Many persons alsoseem to envy those who are possessed of large estates and splendidhouses; and, as they see the owners richly dressed, or driving aboutin handsome equipages, drawn by prancing horses, they think howhappy such persons must be, and they long to be in the sameposition. But I was reminded the other day that there may beanother side to the picture. Visiting a splendid mansion, replete with

The Gospel JIIlagaz£,te. 721

every comfort ami luxury. and cuntaining an immense number ofexcept.ionally valuable articles-one picture, for example, a very smallone, havinf' cost no less than £30,000-1 found that the owner, an agedman, had lost his wife and his children, one after the other, in thevery prime of their days; and that there, in that great mansion, helived almost alone, without any relative with him to cheer his declin­ing years. I saw, also, it small hall se, erected in a wood at somedidtance from his great house, in which it was said he loved to retirE',and where he kept some of his most valued treasures. I thought ofa statement of a celebrated man, who said that in visiting severalgreat persons, living in much outward show and splendour, he wasstruck with tbe fact that in each case he found that they bad somesecluded spot, into wbich they loved to retire, as it were, from theirgreatness, and where, throwing off their dignity, they could speak andact with freedom. Passing by another lordly mansion, I met, just out­side its principal gate, a splendid carriage, drawn by two fine· lookinghorses, but it had no occupant inside, and it was proceeding so veryslowly, that it seemed evident that something must be wrong. Iheard afterwards, fro'll a friend of the family, that the mistress ofthat lordly mansion had on that day ventured-after depriving herselfof the pleasure for many months through fear of an accident-todrive out in that carriage; but ere she had gone a few miles, one ofthe horses suddenly fell down in a fit, and she had to return homein a hired conveyance. "!Iow strange a thing," she said, "it was,that with forty horses in her stables, she could llOt find two thatcould convey her even a short distance with safet,y." High position,liable titles, wealth, lordly mansions, 01' anything of the kind, cannotsatisfy the human heart; and they may be surrounded with ever-so­Ulany special dangers and temptations. "How hardly shall they thathave riches enter into the kingdom of God." "Not many mighty, notmany noble, are called." "Better is little with the fear of the Lord,than great treasure, and trouble therewith." "Better is a dinner ofherbs, where love is, than a stalled ox, and hatred therewith." "Let notthe wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man gloryin his might j let not the rich man glory in his riches: but let himthat glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me,that I am t,he Lord which exercise loving-kindness, judgment, andrighteousness in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith theLord." Instead of envying those who possess parthly titles andearthly inheritances, shall we not rather seek, and hope by Divinegrace, to obtain a heavenly title, that "new name which no manknoweth, saving he that receiveth it"; an eternal inheritance above,and "a right to the tree of life, and to enter in through the gatesinto the Holy Oity," the Paradise of God 1

Ore, lIastings. D. A. DOUDNEY.

ALL our stability, and the strength of our salvation, is anchoredand fastened upon free grace; and I am sure Ohrist hath by Hisblood and death, casten the knot so fast, that an the fingers of the,devil hill fulls of sin cannot loose it.

3 .A.

722 The Gospel Magazine.

THE LATE REV. H. W. WAKEFIELD.TESTIMONy.-No. Ill.

"As his manner was . .... he 1'easoned with them out of the Scrip-tU1'es."-AcTs xvii. 2.

AND now, although prE'sented in a slightly altered guise, an exampleor two of testimony-still gracious Gospel testimony-witnessing to theefficacy of Bible teaching, through the medium of Bible reading,will here be briefly given. This article, too, must end the series ofwhich the former portions, r. and n" have already proclaimed thepreacher. Part IlL, in continuation, will exhibit Mr. WAKEFIELD asthe reader, the expositor of the Scriptures of truth-an interpreter,fashioned in the likeness of Elihu's type of old (Job xxxiii. 23); onewho having found the Word of life, and part'lken thereof himself(Jer. xv, 16), joyed to break it afresh to the sou13 of others.

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitablefor doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteous­ness" (2 Tim. iii. 16); and it would seem as though Mr. WAKEFIELD,in the flllness of his heart, could never sufficiently improve each oppor­tunity, either by dwelling upon the beauties scattered broadcast through­out the 'Word, or of furthering some fresh discovery of hid treasuretherein, from "the deep that coucheth beneath." Akin to the Psalmistin practice and experience, he could truly say, "Oh how I loveThy law! it is my meditation all the day." Assuredly such medita­tion is "twice blrst," for whether as applied to joy or sorrow, theimport of the text is the same, "Out of the abundance of mymeditation have I spoken" (1 Sam. i. 16). Especially was this trueof Mr. WAKEFIELD, when as almost invariably happened, in thecourse of his public comments on the morning or evening lesson,his hearers were made to feel that they were privileged to enterinto his spiritual life and labours: nor were there wanting thosewho were ready to aver, that the earlier and expository portion ofthe service was as helpful and soul-inspiring as the more prolongedand solid discourse which followed.

And yet, as was only fitting that there should be, a difference wasclearly marked between the two. In his sermon, in his more am­bitious flights, a loftier tone prevailed, though bound in certainmeasure by his text, which, like a centrifugal motor, restrained aswell as energised his ardour. In reasoning out his subject, thefaculties of head and heart were strenuously invoked. Theologywould be preached as well as grace j nor would the claims of thelistening ear be neglected in appeals to the understanding heart.Thus, as through a mental transparency, with gleams of bright visionbeyond, the logic of the Christian faith, no less than its simplicity,would be luminously and scripturally revealed.

But in expositinn, these features, though always present, underwentsome change. The st-verity, so to speak, of their expression wasrelaxed, a freer and a more extended range, a winning friendlinessof manner, a sometimes almost homely, half-colloquial style-thiswas his not unusual, perhaps, indeed, ~haracteristic form. Yet, let it

The Gospel Magazz"ne. 723

not for a moment be imagined that the essential dignity of theoccasion was in any way impaired. It must be at once conceded thatin purely elocutionary power, the inspired page suffered loss; dis­location of the text consequent upon comment, to some extent, ofcourse, being unavoidable. No one, however, present, responsivelydisposed, who (to quote the poet) had brought with him "a heartthat watches and receives," could be insensible to Mr. WAKEFIELD'Scharm as a reader. What it was to those who acknowledged theinfluence of its spell, cannot be very easily described, and in theconsciousness of the writer the memory of its solemn sweetness, asassociated with the readi[lg of Holy Writ, must remain embalmed forever.

But although Mr. WAKEFIELD never read for mere effect, no ritualisticrecitative could rival in impressiveness his unaffected natural tones.Who among his hearers but will vividly recall his rendering of suchportions as Genesis, chapter iii. ~ The question would seem directedto el\ch one, "What is this that thou hast done ~ " Again, and thistime, perhaps, a Scripture touching life's fraiity, the illusiveness anddestruction of the hope of man-Job's matchless fourteenth chapter, orthe" Vanitas vanitcttem" of the Preacher, would cause even indifferentears to tingle. The Psalms. "God is our Refuge and Strength"; theSong of Songs, which is Solomon's ; Jesus at the grave of Lazarus;and the opening of the Apocalyptic seals-these represent occasionswhen the Word, in its reading only, was clothed with Divineawakening power.

But if the majestic rhythm of the Bible was somewhat marredthereby, an interpratating comment, verse by verse, was waited forand enjoyed by his listeners with peculiar zest and profit. The dateof this introduction cannot be exactly stated: to trace its first begin­nings, one must go a long way back-twenty, or possibly twenty-fiveyears or more. The writer recollects a time when the lesson was simplyread, as also after the change had been adopted, a period of Hs dis­continuance. Strange as it may appear, it was not equally well pleasingto all; but, after awhile, the practice was resumed, and was not againallowed to be disturbed. Established now as a regular usage, it wasomitted only on rare occasions, when, either owing to illness, or latterlythrough the speaker's increasing weakness, it was attended with difficultyor inconvenience.

In his public reading, what ordered plan Mr. WAK EFl ELD followedcannot, of course, be known, but the marks and annotations in hisBible seem to indicate some method of arrangement and design. Itmay be interesting to mention in passing, that, at the Wednesdayevening services the Psalms were twice gone through from end toend. In the sanctified privacy of his home life, too, the Bible, atthe morning and evening gathering for family devotion, was con­secutively read, portion by portion, finishing with Revelation, andthen begun again.

Bat now for an instance of scriptural exposition, a commentary onthe fortieth chapter of Genesis. To elicit from the Old TestamentGospel teaching, and that, too, from portions apparlmtly somewhatsterile in this sense, was a not uncommon practice with Mr.

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724 The Gospel Magazine.

WAKEFIELD. The history before us is not, of course, an instance ofthis kind, for, as all Bible readers know, J oseph, in the main outlinesof his life and charaoter, furnishes a striking type of our LordJesus Christ. but many of the minor circumstances attending hiswonderful career do not at first sight seem to yield their IIpiritualsignificance and meaning. In the first four verses of this chapter,we have an account of Pharaoh's wrath against two of hifl officers,their detention in ward, and the oaptain of the guard's charge toJoseph with their safety. Thus they became placed under his influ­ence and control. "I do not suppose," Mr. WAKEFIELD goes on tosay, "we should have had this remarkable circumstance recorded,only that it stood directly in the way of J oseph's deliverance outof prison, and of his advancement in the court of Pharaoh. Allthings are for the Ohurch's sake. There is nothing said inScripture or in ancient history to give us any insight into thefault of these two men, the chief butler and the chief baker, butit was the first stepping-stone in Joseph's release from captivity.These men must have found out the great difference in beingbrought down from their positions of high estate which are generallyslippery places. The end of the last chapter tells us of the relationsbetween Joseph and the keeper of the prison, how that the prisonerswere committed into Joseph's oare, so that, 'what$oever they did the1'e,he was the doer of it.' All prosperity is of the Lord, whetherspiritual or temporal. Verse 5 supplies the next link in the chain.'And they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream in onenight.' Dreams are sometimes extraordinary things. Many haveattempted to explain them, but not satisfactorily. A marvellous amountof inconsistency runs throngh the mind at times, and dol'S it not appearso even in some of God's (sent) dreams ~ These very often seemcontrary to reason. Gideon's dream, Ior instance, which worked suchwonders. A cake of barley bread tumbles into the host of Midian,overturning a tent large enough to hold sixteen men. How strange!Yet many wonderful things were foretold and brought aboutby dreams. The great monarchies which were to bear rule were setforth in Nebuchadnezzar's dream. 'And Joseph came in unto them inthe morning, and looked upon them, and, behold, they were sad, and he askedthem, . • .. saying, Whenfore look ye so sadly to day? ' This inci­dentally gives an insight into the character of J oseph, he was justthe man for this post: how considerately he speaks to the prisoners,how he notices the sadness of their countenances. It is said that, asa rule, prison governors are hard of heart, and have no compassion.The question asked by J oseph might be put to many a ohild of Godto-day. David said, 'Why art thou cast down, 0 my soul, and whyart thou disquieted within me 1 Hope thou in God.' This is theonly remedy; but to go on to the eighth and following verses-thecaUse of their sadness-not because they had fallen from their great­ness and po~sessions, for nothing at all, indlled, of a terrifying nature;but they were sad because they wanted an interpreter. At the courtof Egypt, a band of men was kept up, called wise men, or magicians,who simply deluded the people. A criminal, however, was not allowedto appeal to these interpreters. But listen to what J oseph says, 'Do

Tlte GosjJel Magazine. 725

JllJt interpretatiulL8 belOltg to God? Tell me them, I pray you.' He pointsthem to the true Source of interpretations and obtains their confidence.The first was a tolerably reasonable dream-nothing very far-fetched init (verse 13). He had a full conviction of the reality of the dream, andthat it would certainly be literally fulfilled. 'BILt think on me when itshall be well tiJith thee, cmd show kindness, I pmy thee, 1/Into me, anamake mention of me unto Phamoh, and bring me Old of this house: forindeed I WitS stolen c£way out of the land of the Helyrews: and here alsohave I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon.' Herehe pathetically tries to make a friend of the chief butler, speaking briefly and with tenderness of the wrongs which had beendone to himself. Even here we may learn a lesson. He mighthavo attempted to lay himself out for sympathy by reciting along and painful story, but he left it all with God, though hepleaded with man that he might be released from prison. But thedream of the chief baker: there is something very painful and strikingset forth by the birds of prey. What a difference in the interpretationof the two dreams! (verse 19.) We may learn from this that thosewho speak for God in any way must keep nothing back, whether itis in favour of man, or militates against him. Both these dreamswere fulfilled, and in the appointed time and way, without the inter­vention of a miracle, but, in the mystery of Divine Providence, in aperfectly natural manner. 'And it came to pass the third day, whichwas Phamoh's birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants.' Thekeeping of a birthday was a very early institution. In court cele­brations, all the household had on these occasions to pass before theking, and to each one a present was made, provided nothing was knownagainst him. Thus it came about that these two, the chief butlerand the chief baker, were missed, inquiry resulting in the reinstate­ment of the one, and the miserable destruction of the other. But aword or two upon this keeping of birthdays. It was, as has beensaid, an ancient custom, and surely a proper and a lawful one, so longas there was no disgrace attached to the way in which it wasdonE', as there certainly was in the days of Jeroboam, when the kingwas made sick with wine, and in Herod's time in a still worse fashion,when John Baptist's head was asked for and brought in a chargerto the feast. But though you may be familiar with the keeping ofan earthly birthday, have you ever known what it is to have a spiritualbirthday 1 This is most important, because it is connected witheternal life. The words of Jesus were, 'Except a man be bornagain, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.' Some without doubtcan trace the day of their new birth, certain it is Saul of Tarsuscould never forget his. What a marvellous change instantaneouslyoccurred in that rebellious heart! Some can look back upon thetime, perhaps some particular Sunday, when the Lord clothed the'vVord with His power, and they experienced its effects thenand there; many can so testify. Others, though truly born of God,cannot turn to any special day, for they have been led step by stepin such a gradual way and manner, and have been always moreor less mixed up with the people of God: there are those, too, who,because they cannot definitely say when their spiritual birthday

726 The Gospel Magazine

really was-the exact time when they passed from death unto life,are tempted to think that they have never, perhaps, been bornagain. And the greater proportion of the Lord's people are in thiscondition. In Nehemiah, and again in Ezra, the same words occur,'These are they who could not show their father's house, nor theirpedigree, whether they were of IsraeL' Nevertheless they' went up.'Many there are, established in grace, who are thus j they are like theman in the Gospel, who had been always blind j questioned andre-questi0ned, and not always able to reply to the why and where­fore, he could not be beaten off from one thing; this was the greatfact, to which, despite the unbelief around him, he firmly adhered,'One thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see.'''

Another example of Mr. WAKEFIELD'S exposition is taken fromthe New Testament, and this must conclude the present paper. Onthe Good Friday evening of 1892, he selected for his reading anaccount of the stupendous scene on Calvary (John xix.) He doesnot appear to have completed the chapter, but beginning with the firstfive verses, and pausing at the words, "Behold the man!" he speaksas follows in review of what he had read :-" It is a marvellous mercyto live in a country where justice may be found-not much justiceto be traced in the subject under our consideration! Pilate confeEsedthat he could find no fault in Jesus, and yet condemned Him to'be scourged! The Roman Governor was essentially an unjust man, oneof no principle whatever, accustomed to take bribes, and continuallyperverting justice. At last he was banished on account of his greatcrimes. Scourging was a most cruel custom. The offender wasfastened to a tree, with his wrists firmly tied together. Pilate littleknew, when he permitted the scourging, that this was the fulfilmentof Holy Scripture. All through the life history of Christ the fulfil.ment of the predictions of Scripture shines out. How often our Lordappealed to the Scripture in His conversation and teaching. Why 'I'In order that we might make it the man of our counsel. The thornsin the crown were the refinement of cruelty: in them is seen themystery of grace. Thorns came in with sin, and Jesus was theappointed One by God to take away sin; He felt those thornsliterally, and that crown was the emblem of His people's sin, whichHe wore that they might be crowned with love and mercy. Maythe Lord seal that home to your hearts this night. Jesus was treatedwith mock majesty, and exhibited Himself, when He said, 'Beholdthe Man!' (Pilate is not in the text.) In the spirit of prophecy Hehad said, 'Behold Me, Behold Me,' and now, 'Behold the Man!'Let me put this question to each one, Did you ever behold Him ~ "

" •See from His head, His hands, His feet,Sorrow and love flow mingling down:

Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,Or thorns compose so rich a crown?'

"You have sung that many times, but with what amount of feelingand hope ~ May you know more of the power of these things. It­is not enough to have them resting in the judgment, I want you soio realize them, that we may journey together as heirs of eternal life,

The Gospel Magazine. 727

and meet in a brighter world. 'Then delivered he IIim the1'efol'e untothem to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led Him away' (verse 16).Jesus was led away to execution that we might be led by the trueand living path which He by His death openeri up to us. ' Andlle, bearing IIis cross, went forth into a place called the place of a skull,which is called, ill the Hebrew, Golgotha' (verse 17). This was thecustom; but when the cross was laid on Him, He fainted under itsweight, and they compelled another to carry it. 'The place of askull,' the place where crucifixions took place. Orllcifixion was nota Jewish punishment, but one introduced by the Romans, and theynever had recourse to it except for slaves and the lowest order ofcriminals. The place itself was not so called from skulls being scatteredabout, but from the curious formation of the rocks, which in thedistance looked like gigantic human skulls. 'A.nd they C1'ucified Him,'1,nd two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the midst I

(verse 18). Jesus was crucified between two thieves, as if the chief"ffendl'r of them all. It had been prophesied, He should come tothe grave with the wicked, and lie with the rich in his death. Howstrangely was this fulfilled! 'And Pilate W1'ote a title, and putit on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS Ol!' NAZARETH THE KINGUl!' THE JEWS.' It was the custom in connection with thispunishment to have the name and offence of the criminal recordedon a piece of parchment and fastened up over the cross; no kind ofaccusation, no crime was mentioned over our Lord. The Governor\VeIl knew Jesus to be a righteous man, and the title written in threelanguages was a grievous affront to the priests; it was His true title,'King of the Jews,' and it was read by great numbers, for it wasr,he time of the passover. All devout Jews assembled from throughout.J udea and neighbouring countries-indeed, kom many lands. Now,I he overpowering Spirit of God taught Pilate what to do, though hehimself knew it not. Thousands of' Jews were Hellenists; of these30,000 were in Alexandria, and spoke the Greek tongue, so theinscription would be intelligible to them; whilst Latin was thelanguage of the Romans, of whom there were settlers in plenty, sincethey han conquered Judea, and made it a Roman province and~arrisoned the principal towns. Pilate, therefore, was not to beinduced to alter what he had done; his decision is confirmed (verse22), 'What I have ~vritten I have written.' Verses 23 and 24 are butfulfilments of the twenty-second Pdalm. The soldiers were not, ofcourse, aware of this, but we can see their action to have been thesecond cause. The coat wad of peculiar make, being woven in onepiece, and this they would not rend, hoping to turn it to profitableaccount; for in His going about from place to place were there notof the people who had pressed upon Him, many who had been madewhole by merely touching His garment; in one case even by touchingthe hem alone i Thus was their cupidity aroused, and the fulfilmentof the text carried out, which was the first cause.

" 'Now the1"e stood by the cross of Jesus, His mother and His mothe1"ssiste1', Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.' How singularlyinteresting and touching, His mother at the foot of the cross, witness­ing His terrible sufferings! What must have been her thoughts i In

728 The Gospel Magazine.

the second chapter of St. Luke, when the aged Simeon, by mysteriousintuition of the Spirit, took up the infant Jesus, he spoke of Him asthe 'light unto Israel, and to the Gentiles'; ready himself to go, beexclaims, 'Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, ....for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation.' The sight of His salvation!There is nothing like it to loosen from this earth; but Simeon alsoadded to Mary, 'A sword shall pierce through thine own souL' Nowwas the time, when she witnessed the anguish on the cross. TheSaviour sees her sorrow with pity and compassion, for she was now apoor lonely creature, history informing us that J oseph had been de~da long time. Will it be tOr) much to '\ttempt to sketch the scene ~

He, looking down on her, wishes her to cleave to John, the beloveddisciple. 'When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple standi%gby, whom He loved, He saith unto His mother, Woman, behold thy son'(verse 26). Then His appeal to John to take her under his owncare: 'Then saith He to the disciple, Behold thy mother I And fromthat lwur that disciple took her unto his own home (verse 27). Whatmay we gather from all this ~ for we should not rest in what we relldmerely, but gather the lessons the subject teaches us. It opens up tous more of the Saviour's character, His infinite compassion and tendercare; it was His characteristic while on earth and is so still. Whenfriends and helpers are withdrawn, He can find a friend. Have you

, felt lonely in the world ~ Did the Lord never raise np a friend tobe near you 1 He helps us in the time of our extremity. Only inpeculiar conditions he proves Himself an Almighty Helper, and whenwe begin to think we are deserted by all, let us recollect and treasurethis: He is precisely the same now, and equal to our extremestneed.

" 'After this, Jesus knowing that (tU things u'ere now accomplished, thatthe Script'U1'e might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. Now, there was set a vesselfull of vinegar, and they filled a sponge with vinega1', and put it uponhyssop, and put it to His mouth.' This, again, was a further refinementof cruelty, and the vinegar and the gall illustrated what He hadgone through. 'My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken Me1'Heaven denied Him a ray of light, and earth even a drop of water!Thirst is part of the condemnation of the lost. Read to yourselves theparable of the rich man and Lazarus. Doomed to that intolerable thirstwe should all have been, had He not thirsted in our stead! ThesUfferings of Jesus can never be comprehended. We may think wesympathize with the buffetings, persecutions, and physical endurance,these were all part of the condemnation of Heaven, which poured likea mighty torrent into His soul, but our minds are too finite to properlyenter into it. But the final cry! 'When JfS!tS therefoTe had Teceivedthe vinegar, He said, It is finished: and bowfc! His head, and gave up theghost.' Finished! What is finished 1 Tho great mystery of salvation,that wondrous salvation, the offspring of the Etel'llal Mind, arrangedill the infinite purpose of an infinite God. All connected with it isnow perfected and settled, all that was typified by the ceremonial law,finished. The price is now fully paid for the rescue of each one whofeels himself a sinner, compelled to flee to the foot of the cross formercy, who, humbled and penitent, knows and feels the worthlessness

The Gospel Magazz'ne. 7:29

of anything he himself can either bring or do. 'It is finished!'Every sin of the whole Ohurch of God was blotted out a,t Oalvary.It is finished! though there are those not fully able to grasp this,but who are seeking still, watching, as it were, at His gates, andwaiting at the posts of His doors, listening for the assurance thattheir sins are put away, that their warfare is accomplished, and thattheir iniquity is pardoned,"

"Hark! the voice of love and mercySounds aloud from Calvary;

See, it rends the rocks asunder,Shakes the earth, and veils the sky:

'It is finished!'Hear the' dying Saviour cry."

CHRISTIAN LOVE."A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another. ....

By this shall all men know that ye w'e My diSCiples, if ye have love one toanother."-JoHN xiii. 34, 35; also PSALM cxxxiii.How sweet is brotherly love and union, and how good and pleasant itis to cl well together in the bonds of the everlasting Gospel, In thel'yes of the Lord there are only two kinds of brotherhood in theworld: He knows no other at all-the dear children of His love, andthe children of the wicked one. Unity exists amongst the love-cementedfamily, and they are inwardly and essentially one. Oh, then, let usin these dark days manifest much more love to one auother, whosechildren we profess to be.

"Est aliquid Christi in iUo." Then if we know that He is a brother,let the ruling wish of our hearts be this, Behold, we are born of thesame Eternal Spirit, washed in the same precious blood, andjourneying on to the same everlasting home. Then we ought to befull of tender sympathy for one another, real and mutual, not in wordsand appearance, but in deed and in truth. This Christian sympathywas exhibited by the dear Apostle when he uttered those wonderfulwords, "I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for mybrethren." That is true sympathy when, "Whether one member suffer,all the members suffer with it." Then none weep atone; when oneweeps the tears of many fall. Yes indeed.

This is living in each other and for each other, which will neverend. What a precious union! How sweet and soul-ravishing to manifestsuch a spirit to each other, and let the dear saints be always ready tobestow upon one another (especially the poor weak ones) the sweetmanna of tender affection, by look, by word, by hand, and by heart.How truly happy would Christians be if they cultivated such a spirittowards each other. We are bound to do this, for what saith theloving John, in his first Epistle v. 11 "Everyone that loveth Himthat begat, loveth him also that is begotten of Him."

PERFECT fruition is reserved for the land of our rest; asking andreceiving are the comfort of the land of our pilgrimage.-M. Henry.

730 Tlte Gospel Magazine.

OHRIST'S WORK WITHIN US.

" Let that therefore abide in you, uMch ye have heard jl'om the beginning.If that which ye have heard ji'om the beginning shalt l'emain in you, yr,also shall continue in the Son, and in the Fathel'."-l JOHN ii. 24.MANY there are who do not stand so much in need of hearing Ohristpreached as they do of having Ohrist fm'med in tht'm, without whichthey cannot be established. When we have heard Ohrist preached,and have actually received Him, we then need such preaching as thatwe may be established in Him. The first great act of the Spirittowards us is to reveal Ohrist in us, and unto us; which, when Hehath done, it is His next great work so to fix our minds on Ohristas that we become established in Him, so as not to depart from Him.And this is the very completion of His work within U&. Our livingOhrist, and having communion with Him, and with the Father inin Him, is the f1'uit and effect of this, not the cause of our centeringin Ohrist. To have heard of Ohrist from the beginning and the verycommencement of the Gospel, be it either from Ohrist, or from theApostle's ministry, must have been a special blessing. So as it mayrespect any of us, it most assuredly is to be looked on as a most specialfavour, if we were blessed with hearing Ohrist most fully preached,and were blessed with a true spiritual, scriptural apprehension of whatwe heard when we were first led to hear preaching. I do esteem it,next to the true knowledge of Ohrist, the greatest blessing ever .l..bestowed by the Lord on me, that I should be brought under theministry of Mr. ROl\fAINE, who so preached Ohrist that, the Lord theSpirit working with it, the mind was immediately opened to the object,and the heart quickened to believe on Ohrist to life everlasting. Bythis very means, the life which follows upon it is the study andcontemplation of the Person and salvation of the Lord Jesus Ohrist,and the Father's love in Him; and this is so congenial to the enlightenedmind, that light cannot suit the eye more than this subject theregenerate mind. To have Ohrist dwelling in us, is the essence ofOhristianity. And He cannot dwell in us, but our minds must beengaged in dwelling on Him. It is very good for us to remember howwe first received Ohrist. What views we then received into our mindsconcerning Him; and what that was in Christ which in a moreparticular manner affected us. I can say for myself, I was most especiallyovercome and affected with the bounty and generosity of the Lord JesusOhrist-His bearing down all before Him, with His surprising andtranscendant grace; it was this overcame me, and still has, and willfor evermore have its weight, influence, and attraction on me. . . . .The blessedness of this continuation of truth in the mind, most certainlymust be a very blessed evidence of our perseverance in the ways ofthe Lord.-E:rtract from a Sel'mon by Samuel Eyles Pierce.

IT must be a delightsome city that hath ever summer, withoutwinter; ever day, without night; ever daylight, without sun or moonor candle-light; because the Lord God giveth them light (Rev.xxii. 5).~Ruthelford.

The Gospel Magazine. 731

MEMOlUES OF OLIFTON.I KNEW nothing of Olifton till about five years ago. Of course, Ihad heard of its marvellous bridge, from which so many hadwickedly leapt into eternity before being called there, but not beingin a position to move about, even its locality was strange to me.

In the autumn of 'ninety-one I was very kindly pressed to visitOlifton for the Conference week, and I went; and I was confoundedat myself. My feeling had been that I was going into an atmosphereof sanctity, and I boped that the associations, and the leisure, andthe Conferences, would create a deeper spiritual feeling, and perhaps­a permanent change in my POO?' religious life. And what followed 1The change from bustle and grime to leisure and rest-from anisolated old farm-house to the refined luxuries and companies ofindependency, was so great that spirituality seemed out of the ques­tion; visitors and visiting, meetings and parting@, occupied the mindeven when the door closed in one's own room; and I must say tomyself and to any of my fellows in like case, "If you want tomeasure the amount of your religion or the strength of your lifespiritually, you mllst gauge it by the standard reached at home."

Yet, how I did enjoy that first Conference-the prayer·meetings, theBible-readings, and the eloquence and learning grouped round Mr.ORMISTON'S light.bearing countenance. TOPLADY says, "God is a Godof order and of elegance," and there is that in the make-up of somenatures which thrills to the touch of a refined mind; thrills the more,perhaps, because contact is so rare; and then when all this power ofthought and expression is brought to bear on the subject which is forour very selves the most important and overwhelming, who can wonderthat such a time should live in the memory, and permeate through thelife like distant music, giving rise to the wish that every action wouldchord with the hopes and aspirations there awakened 1 No doubt,many of my readers remember dear Mr. PENSTONE'S closing addres&for that year; it was about the joy to be set before the LordJesus, of seeing all His children safe round Him. I tried toput his thoughts into a tiny poem, but I cannot possibly conveythe power which fell on the assembly as he spoke; few eyes weredry.

A clergyman told me that some one said to Mr. SPURGEON, "Ourfriend PENSTONE has changed through his illness," and quickly andbrotherly did the good genius answer, " Yes, his beauty is altered";to his loving friends he was still beautiful.

Again, in 'ninety-three, did kindness bridge my way to Clifton; andthat time it was FULLER GOOCH whose words lived longest in mymemory; his unostentatious manner, the life and fervour of his words,the clear continuity of thought, and his evident contact with theLord Himself, all stamped a leader's mark upon him. It was there,too, that I met, after forty years, my father's friend, Mr. JAMES WRIGHT,formerly of the Hackney meeting. On my journey home I made acall, and the lady said to me, "I should like to hear JAMES WRIGHTonce more; I once went to Bethesda at Olifton, in a very low state ofmind, and ventured to wait and speak to Mr. WRIGHT, and told him

'732 The Gospel Magazine.

how I should like to lcnow my interest in salvation, and all he saidwas, •Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the I,ord.'''

I am wondering if our concise and condensing Editor will allowthis discursive paper, and yet feel that I must mention my lastvisit. Memory fails to remember exact sentences, or to distinguishbetween speakers, as to which brought out certain precious glimpses ofGod's manifested love; but one text speaks it all, "Out of Zion, thejJ,;Jfection of beauty, God hath shined." I must think that that is thefeeling of many of us who have come back to the anxieties of life."God hath shined." We know a little more of Him j we have akeener sense of His wonderful interest in His people. He" hathshined." And is it carrying the figure too far when we apply "theperfection of beauty" to an assembly of God's choicest servants 1

When a constellation of intellects meet, there is beauty j-there isbeauty in poetical expression j there is beauty in the unfoldings of agigantic mind; but when such things are grouped and mingled with,.and made subservient to, the opening up of Jehovah's own truths,surely there is the "perfection of beauty." At any rate, that text willbe ever connected in my mind with the Clifton Conference of 'ninety-five.Neither shall I soon forget how, in the afternoon Bible-reading, FULLER·GOOCH dwelt on the love of the Spirit, nor the power that seemed tobreathe through his words as he told of the joy and strength whichso often came to him as the glorious benediction broke up one assembly.after another-" The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God,the Father, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you, andremain with you." M. A. CHAPLIN.

OURTHE dream of life is fading fast,

The radiant mom is breaking j

The gloomy night will close at last,And then-the glorious waking!

What boundles8 bliss to see Hisface,

Who died for my salvation!What joy to praise His wondrous

grace,And know no condemnation.

Fulnes8 of joy, and songs ofpraise,

For evermore ascending,Shall fill our souls, through countless

days,With bliss that knows no ending.

We soon shall meet our loved onesthere;

And bid farewell to sorrow j

Where none shall know a ranklingcare,

Nor dread a frowning morrow.Scarborough.

nOME.They shed no tears, they know no

pain;Sin shall molest them never:

With Him who died, and rose again,They live and reign for ever.

No serpent foe can enter there,To mar those bright immortals;

None but an angel, pure and fair,May pass those shining portals.

My brightest hopes will then becrowned

With everlasting glory:What joy to sing on Oanaan'8

groundSalvation's wondrous story!

With bliss divine our songs shallraise

Sweet harmony around us:And thus we'll praise, through end.

less days,The grace that sought and found

us.W. S. ROnINSON.

Tile Gospel M agaz£ne. 733

"UNTO MYSELF."(EXODUS xix. 4.)

AMIDST the wondrous teaching and precious sweetness of the theme,_"The Love of God," which was dwelt upon at the recent Olifton Oon­ference, one of the speakers (Rev. THOMAS DAVIS, Harborne, I think)awakened a responsive chord, as he observed that such seasons ofenjoyment and fellowship were sometimes granted as preparation forsorrow about to be mingled in our cup; and "so it came to pass,"

On October 5th, having returned from Olifton, accompanied by thewriter of "Well-Springs," ELIZABETH FAN~Y OOLEMAN, w10 has beento me as a loving daughter in her constant visits, called to welcomeme home, about eight p.m. ::3he told us she had just purchased Dr.YOUNG'S "Ooncordance," which led us to speak of 1 Thessaloniansiv. 14, hoping we should be able to trace a new rendering of "Themthat sleep in .Tesus," "are laid to sleep by Jesus," as it had beenquoted at the death of the beloved writer of "Wayside Notes,"Little did we think how very soon it would be true of dear FANNY,or that it was our last ip.terview, cC Till we meet at Jesus' feet." Shewent home to her cousin, with whom she resid.ed, and ate no supper,complaining of fulness, but before she retired for the night, sicknesscame on, which proved to be hremorrhage from an ulcerated stomach.This continued at intervals all the next day, and until the end, about2.30 p.m. on Wednesday. Profound quiet was so essential that tosee her was not permitted, and she evidently would have slept awayhad she not been aroused to take medicine prescribed by anotherdoctor in consultation. Once she asked, "Do you think I am dying 1I am not afraid, only I should like to have some things finished."Both her parents died in the Lord; her father on August 19th, 1876,her mother on May 28th, 1877, so that she was left an orphan atseventeen, her brother being the younger.

After her education was finished, she spent some time in London,at the Academy of Music, and then her uncle made arrangements forOld Oroft House, Quorndon, Derby, to become her home, where thefriendships were formed which are now manifested to have had thesure basis of union with the Lord, and then with each other. It hasbeen permitted the writer the great joy of knowing how truly they were"made to drink into the same spirit," and how very blessed was herinfluence and intercourse with them. The importance of such soundreligious training comes out conspicuously. Alas! for those whoseparents prefer the superficial accomplishments and mere intellectualattainments of the present-day fashionable school to one where theWord of God and scriptural instruction in it have due prominence.FANNY always spoke most gratefully of the training of Miss MORGAN,and when at her death the Old Oroft House was soon given up, shefelt deeply leaving so happy a home, even to pay long visits amongsther friends.

Ohristmas called her to Leicester, to her uncle's house, and fortwo years his failing health made her presence a cheer and delight.He was wont to call her his chaplain, as she daily read to him. She

734 The Gospel Magaz£ne.

remained with her cousin after his death, and her almost daily visitsto her were a constant source of joy, for she would go directly tosome remark upon our daily chapter, some new blending of Scripturewith Scripture shown to her, or by her friends in correspondence, orsome question to call for prayerful search, nor would she rest untillight upon it was granted.

Two verses aptly describe her daily life, "Thy words were found,and I did eat them"; and," Thy Word was to me the joy and rejoicingof my heart" (Jer. xv. 16); and," J rejoice at Thy Word as onethat findeth great spoil" (Psalm cxix. 162), so great was her pleasure atsome light upon it. She had often enjoyed the thought of setting., empty vessels" before the Lord, specially her only brother, for whosesalvation she so continu:111y pleaded, as well as for her godchild andothers. In one of her last letten:l, she says, "Will you ask that I maybe again 'anointed with fresh oil' to pour into my empty vessels-thatsome fresh Word may be given rue to plead with God for them 1 Don'tyou find you pray with more freshness when a new Word is put intoyour mouth, than when you go on with the same petition 1 I like tothink it is the 'fresh oil' being poured out until the vessels are full."

Sudden and short as was the affliction by which the Lord took herto Himself, in reviewing the whole circumstances, His love and tender­ness shine out conspicuously. She had intensely shrunk from a medicalexamination, which she feared would be needful, because of the peculiarpain and symptoms she could not understand. In answer to prayer,she was relieved for a time, and ultimately spared the ordeal, andthe actual knowledge of the di~ease, of which she twice had intimationfrom the Lord was" incurable," because it was not His design to heal!One of her friends writes, speaking of eighteen years' friendship, said"never has there been a cloud between us; our spiritual life has beentraTelled together. In her last letter she said, 'I am praying, "Makehaste, my Beloved." What an exceeding abundant answer this is!We can know that 'Himself hath doue it,' and 'He doeth all thingswell.'" Mrs. M-- (another of her friends) sent me this morning," • Shall I not do what I will with Mine own l' I am just asking thedear Lord to fill the void in all our hearts with Himself."

Another says of her, " Words fail me to say what she was to me,both in the earthly and heavenly sense. The teaching which she receivedfrom the Lord I trust I shall never forget. Those words keep ringingin my ears, 'If ye loved Me, ye would rejoice because I go unto MyFather.' Of course, when I think of her in perfect satisfaction and rest,it is most glorious, and I know her constant longing was to see theKing's face."

The friend with whom she spent the happy week in September, inDerbyshire, who came to follow her to the grave, speaking of her loss,intense sorrow, and the blank created, asks, "Is all this pain thepathway to the full realization of ' Thou, Thou; art f!,IWugh for me,' forwhich we prayed together on that sweet memorable Sunday 1 Oh, theprivilege it was to have such a friend! I do th~nk God for herover and over again, and I do rejoice in her freedom and perfect joy.Oh, how grand it is to knvw that she knows all now, and just seesHim, and not herself at all, but has perfect rest. "

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She encloses a half-note sheet of blended texts, received fromFANNY on October 4th, in her last letter: "Have you thought thatevery fresh sight of self and sin, is just' Light'? Compare John i. 5,and Eph. v. 13. Let us thank God for the light He has given. Lukeviii. 46; Heb. iv. 15, 16, 'Touched'; compare verse 47, 'Cametrembling'; 'Come boldly,' Heb. iv. 16; Exod. xix. 4, 'UntoMyself,' not unto Lhe wilderness or Sinai, and not unto some stateor experience." (How very strikingly true in her own case.) "Exod.xix. 8, 'We will do.' God had said, 'I will give,' but the people puton one side His promise of free grace, and took upon themselves todo the law of works. ETHEL, are we doing this. Look at verse 9, 'Athick cloud'; chapter xx. 20, 'Fear not.' His fear in your hearts.

'" Fear Him, ye saints, and you will thenHa.ve nothing else to fear.'

Verse 26, no stepping stones to Christ; grace comes all the way. Exod.xxii. 14, ' Borrow,' compare 2 Kings, iv. 4, and vi. 5; having borrowed,we cannot return it until' made good.' I must stop, beloved; I long foryou. Pray for me; I fear the fruit doesn't do good now. Ask forclear guidance, wlkther Judges iv. 22, 'I will show thee,' or, 'I willbring thee,' 2 Kings, vi. 19; or whether, Exod. xv. 26, and xxiii. 25,(' I '). Same true love; ever your own.-F." How much, we see now,pointed to what God was about to do.

In the month of August the writer awoke one morning with thewords, "So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd," and telling herof it when she came in, and how instantly thought was directed toher, she asked, "Do you think, then, I am going to die 1" Thereply was, "I hope not, dear, but I feared the Lord was about totake you from me for a season."

Another friend writes: "I feel the removal of so dear and old a friendmost deeply. How many there are to thank God for her life andinfluence; she was a friend worth having. We can but mourn herloss, and yet it is joy to think she is one of those laid to sleep byJesus, whom He will bring with Him at His coming, and for thatblessed day we are looking. May it be our joy and privilege, in the'little while,' to ha~ten His appearing."

From a record of her inner life, some extracts may be helpful toothers. It is dated May 16th, 1894, and headed, '" Continue in prayer,and watch in the same with thanksgiving' (Col. iv. 2). I desireto keep a record here of the Lord's goodness to me ; of His guidanceand teaching in tbings spiritual and temporal; of requests andanswered prayers; of how He has led me by 'the right way,'although at times it has been dark and perplexing; of His never­failing care and Fa.therly watchfulness and providing, although I havebeen so rebellious and l>inful and murmuring; and yet I know that'He hath done all things well.' To-day the Lord has shown methat if I am to know the rest and joy of Matthew xi. 29, I musttake everything as from Him. May I learn in whatsoever state I amto be content. So long as I kick against the pricks, I miss the joyand surprise which H J has prepardd for those who follow Him fully.May I take the teacuiog day by day as He gives it, knowing that

736 The Gospel M agaz£ne.

although the Word may be given again wit.h a deeper spiritual mean­ing, yet the Lord will never contradict Himself or disappoint Hischildren of a promise. 'He doth not bid thee wait, to disappoint atlast.' His thoughts may sometimes be different to my thoughts, butHe will make plain every word He has spoken, and satisfy everyquestioning. Lord, I am not my own; let me recognise Thee as myMaster. Control my thoughts, desires, actions, and words. My lipsare Thine; take them, keep them from all untruth, exaggeration, evilspeaking. I ask it for Jesus' sake. Amen."

May 28th.-Gracious Father, and Head of Thy Church, look uponus at this time at Trinity Church, without an under shepherd. Sendus a man after Thine own heart-a man filled with the Holy Ghost,who shall be "the Lord's messenger in the Lord's message." Guidethe trustees in the appointment; we would ask Thee to take theappointment into Thine own hands. Grant that we may have aminister who may build up Thine own people and establish them, andlead many "ho do not know Thee to Thyself-one who will carry onthe work in Thy way, and so testify of Jesus that we may see Himand be drawn to Him. Do Thou let him be free from all false doctrine;one who will preach, teach, and live "the truth as it is in J esu~."

And, 0 God, do Thou keep Thy people patiently waiting untilThou dost say, "This is he." For Thine own name's sake grant this.Amen. Lord, fulfil to us Thy promise, Jeremiah xxiii. 3, 4.

May 29th.-Went to the O. M. S. meeting. Is it that I am dead andcareless that the words seemed to come with so little power ~ Is itthat my interest in missionary work is less than it was ~ Lord, quickenme. Thou knowest it is when words are 8aturated with Thy belovedName that the power comes, and so often one feels that the speaker­is more seen than the Lord. When I came home I spoke unadvisedlywith. my lips-criticised uncharitably. Lord, cleanse me; loose mefrom the chains of this besetting sin. Lord, I believe that Thou hastplaced me here; but Thou hast said also, "Go," to me, and I confessI am not obeying. I am not witnessing for Thee, and that is whatThou didst send me here to do. 0 God, cleanse me, make mewilling to bo emptied, that Thou mayest fill me with Thyself anduse me.

June Ist.-Have been to the Postal meetings. 0 God, Thou knowestwhat a sight of my own sinfulness I am having, and when dearA-- spoke so sweetly of Thee, and of Thy being our one greatdesire-le all our desire "-my heart condemns me. Look upon me,Lord Jesus; it is not by a long process of training that my heart isto be set right with Thee, but one look of love, one showing ofThyself, will draw me to Thee. Oh, reveal Thyself. I see so muchthat wants altering in my life-pride and deceitfulness. Lord, I cannotdo it; undertake for me. Show me what it means to let myselfdrop into Thine almighty arms. Shine, Lord, in the darkness; don'tleave me to try and set myself right. IJift me right out of the selflife into the life of abiding in Thee. I ask Thee to do for me, Lord,all that Thou seest I need to be brought into close communion withThyself. In Thy name I ask it. Amen.

June 31'd.-Lord, I desire to record Thy goodness to me to-day

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(Sunday) in little things. I asked Thee to guide me to find theverse-

" Were half the breath thus vainly spentTo heaven in supplication sent,Our cheerful song would oftener be,'Hear what the Lord hath done for me.'''

And we sang it in church to-night. Thou hast spoken to me throughThy servant about evil speaking, and I have felt, too, the power ofthose words, "Himself alone." In Thee alone is there satisfaction.Give me to know Thee and all I need to the full in Thee. Thoudost never disappoint, but only Thou canst make me to be fully satisfiedwith Thee alone!

June 17th.-To-day our new Vicar has preached, and now, Lord, Iwould thank Thee that Thou hast sent us one who can preach thetruth: I would commit him to Thee; do Thou fill him with Thy HolySpirit; let him just speak of Thee j give him utterance j be All in allto him j let him preach and know nothing else but Jesus Christ andHim crucified j keep him from all practices, alterations, &c., that arecontrary to Thy mind j may his desire be, not to alter or restore ourtemple, but to see us temples for Thee. I would also ask Thee (asMr. '1'-- said) to speak to us individually by name and say, "Ihave somewhat to Srty unto thee," and then, Lord, give us each graceto say, "Master, say on."

Octobe1' 27th.-This afternoon there was a concert at Malvern (theMinstrel Glee Singers), and when M. A-- first spoke I felt, "OughtI to go 1 is it right 1" But I felt such a fear of man t,hat I couldonly ask the Lord to prevent my going, if it would please Him, andthat He must do this, or I felt I should go. Nothing came to preventuntil the very day, and then, two hours before starting, M. A-­said, "I suppose you don't object to going 1" And so in this way didthe Lord answer me. I was obliged to speak out the truth, and saythat I could not ask God's blessing upon it. 0 God, I praise Theethat Thou didst rnake me thus witness for Thee; keep me ever in Thyway, even if it should be called (' narrow," &c. I felt I had no definiteargument about it, could not say exactly why I thought it wrong,but all the time the words, "for His sake," were with me. When Ithought, it was not for my own, or for M. A--'s, or K. F--'s, itwould have been easier to have gone, so it must have been for Hissake alone, as I looked at it in the light of eternity, And when thenext evening I found the very words in Mark viii. 35, I felt thenthat all the time Jesus Himself had been speaking to me, and it wasneither my memory nor fittting that brought them to mind. The nextafternoon (Sunday) Miss C--, at her Bible Class, speaking of "ourfeet," said, "We must not only not go anywhere where we could notask the Lord Jesus to go with us, but we must go nowhere that wecould not see His footprints before us." Thus was I led and taught.

December 31st, 11.40 p.rn.-O God, before the year closes, I desire toask Thy forgiveness for all the sins of the past year. Thou alone knowestit all j blot it all out with Thy precious blood. Lord, I have madeso little, if any, progress; sin seems still to have its same power overme; but, Lord, I would praise Thee that, hidden in Thee, I am safe. I

3 II

738 Tlte Gospel MagaZ£ne.

have no other hope; and again, to-night, I come to Thee, just as I am.Nothing-not even true repentance-can I bring. Make me what Thouwouldest have me to be. Lord, I thank Thee that Thou hast cleansed;t,he very sense of sin and loathing of myself is the proof. I praiseThee, 0 God, for all the mercies of the past year, for every joy, help,friendship, gift, kind word, and kind action. I would praise andacknowledge Thy goodness in it all. And now, Lord, I would askThee, £01' this New Year, to take me, lead me into fuller light; revealThyself to me; use me as Thy witness; let me be conscious of ThyPresence aill a rAal Person; and give Thy Holy Spirit to shed abroadin my whole being the love of God. I commit my health to Thee:if it be Thy will, graciously heal me, and give me sound health. Inall difficulties, let me realize that-

"My need and Thy great fulness meet,And I have all in Thee."

Thou knowest my nervousness and fear of man; but, Lord, if it beThy will to use me more fully in Thy service, teach me how to drawall I need from Thee. Whenever Thou callest me to speak, may italways be as "the Lord's messenger in the Lord's message."

There is the oft-recorded request £01' healing of body, i£ consistentwith the Lord's will; occasional sharp pain, leading to the impressionthat some secret mischief would be detected by examiuation, from whichshe shrank intensely, so that now ulcerated stomach was manifest fromthe later symptoms, it is very striking to meet with such a record asthat under February 18th: "As I thought on the word' incu1Y/,ble, uponwhich I had opened one day (2 Chron. xxi. 18), and again asked £01'another word as to whether the Lord would heal me, according tomy request of this afternoon, I opened on Jeremiah xv., and at verseeighteen the same 'incurable' again, which seemed like a negative onmy request; but the thought came, 'Yes, but not incurable with Him '"He is able to heal every disease, even those which men pronounceincurable'; so again, Lord, I bring my body to Thee for healing."

February 26th.-I desire to praise God for the measure of healingHe has granted me in answer to our petition. May He still keepme looking up, for when my eyes are taken off Thee I get distractedby contrary advice. Again I bring myself to Thee for healing, eitherwithout means, if according to Thy will, or with means, if Thou wiltguide me what to take. Let me not Jean to my own or anyone else'sunderstanding. I ask it for Jesus' sake.

Ap?'il 24th.-In reading" The Life of Faith I, for to-day, I am muchstruck with the following extract from the diary of the Rev. GEOIWEBowEN (March 6th, 1849): '" If two of you shall be agreed as touchinga.nything,' &c. I am alone in my present exercise. How can it beotherwise 1 If I told anybody what I was asking, they would thinkme crazy. If God wanted me to have a coadjutor in these prayers,He would have sent me one. But, in fact, I am not alone; there isAnother praying with me, even the Lord Jesus Christ. He and I areagreed as touching this thing. He has communicated to me His desire,a.nd taught me how to pray. How shall we not prevail 1" Lord Jesus,teach me thus to pray; make my will Thine. Teach me to ask only

Til ospel M agaeine. 739

thinj:(R whicll Thou desirest. Lord, nU my desire is beforeI'hilll ('(Introl my every thought, desiro, or wisb. Grant\.0 ,chill to ron.lize and say, "Thou hast done exceeding

lhl\'O 1111 1 Mked or thought." I ask it for Thy name's

rO-d[LY 1 wont to my class feoling unprepar~d, but Iml for IliR gracious helping, teaching mo what to say,

1I1J.( 11 is \\'01'(1 to my remembru.nco. Our lesson was John ii.I lll\t 110 giLVll mo verae seventeen, "The disciples remembering

I." !IIay Wt', whon in difficulty, remember Ilis "Vord-somelIitilll; 0111' noed, and for this the IToly Spirit is given (John

, J.Ukll xi. 13). 0 God, bloss what was Thine own, andthlLt it lllay bnng forth frnit. Do Thou have all the glory;

humhl(., and show me more and more I have nothing buthat 'j'IIOU givo~t. Lord, lead me by Thy hand through the length

IHl I"'oad th of the llllld of promiso; cleallse me from all sin; showIllO IlIom :Llld lilOi'll of Thy uIISPllrchl\bl(~ rich(·s; 1l.11<1 not only me, butO\'{Jl'Y rdatioll, tlVllry .fl'illllll, l,vory " umpty v(,~sol" I borrow, enabling

VI horrow ill/LIlY 11101'1'; my lllMR [LII(I (Ii~tl'ict. Show me, Lord,w to I'CSt Oil thll 1"·<lllIisll.

12111.-1 dlisiru to prniH(\ <':011 for ]]i~ gracious, loving care anduldl\ilco. 011 t11l\ :Jth I HlLW Ill'. ~t I\t f\lmL's; he advised me to

tho ,l<mtiet lit III1CIl; 80 1 ll11ulo tlHl IIllpointment. Oousin F-­Ill. with lilt'. ~h·. M~- U· - strongly advisod. gas, because of

till) nfwr-!'f!'I'I:ls of ,·thl'l'. 1 took it spl('l)(lidly, and he took outt,lght Ill' 1.1:11 tho first tilllll. Tltll (loctoL' said he never saw him soIlxp(.ditiolls. Aa thl'l'Il \vl:"" two lpft, [ wished to have them out at"nc(!, so ItILII glL8 1I!;:llill. I (10 praiHll Thee, 0 God, for the mal.'vellous

dfilllHlIIL of EI'II1'61111111 iii. ~(). 'rholl kllewest my fears, and as IIIsk('ll Thcll Lo gni,III their llocision nbout ether or gas, Thou didst;,,11(1 n.1togcthcl' it WIIS "oxc\'cding" "ltbove," better than I asked orthought. Accept tho pl'niso I give Thee. Oh, may it lead me toI rust Thee moro, fol' ill spito of all my fears, doubts, and unbelief,Thou didst treat me as a child of Thine. " Now unto Him that isable to do," &c., to Ilim be glory, world without end. Amen.

May 18th.-Yesterday I came here (Ecclesbourn). Lord, do giveE-- and me a time of blessing and teaching. Thou knowest whatwo C1ach need. Oh, let there be real dealing with Thee. U se us as'l'hy witnesses all day long; may we so realize Thy presence andt l'ipllIlship that " fear of man" may not be a snare. Lord, give meo to d.,light in Thee that every blessing may come as Thy directilL Takp III1', all I have, thoughts, desires, affections, all into Thy

I'illg; din'ct, control, and influence each, and graciously give me tofORt UJlOII ')'hinl\ own Word.

/11" lilh,- !'oJ'(l, do Thou hold my right hand, and grant that Imn.y Writll ollly thnt whieh Thou wouldest have me record for thonllcollragPln(llIt of allY who may read this hereafter. I had such ahn.WY tinw at Ecclollboum a~d Boult~n. Lord,. reward them all fort.!wir gooclll(\!lll to Ill!', and III pleadmg for hfe for S--, I WOUIIIinclude Il-- H alld R-- R--, and grant each of my f1illtl'r­friends to Heo tltu life manifested. Give us the spirit of prayer fo1'

3 ]) 2

740 Tile Gospel Magazine.

our brothers; give us gra<;e to go on claiming Thy promise until theanswer come (John i. 5-16). I desire to-night to thank Thee forrestoration to health. To-day t,he doctor has left me, and I do thankThee that Thou bast given bim wisdom to know what remedies toadvise, and now, Lord, wilt Thou graciously bless the means; whatthey may not have touched, do Thou heal.

Some time ago the words, "Thou hast not denied Him the requestof His lips" (Psalm xxi. 2), were in my mind, and last week I wastold Mr. H-- said in hiB ~ermon, "that God wrestling with Jacobcould not prevail over God wrestling 1vithin J acob" (Gen. xxxii. 10).Spirit-taught prayer must prevail. The words camA to me in anew light, "He cannot deny lIIMSELF" (2 Tim. ii. 13), nor me, ifit be the Spirit praying in me.

I saw in the June GOSPEL MAGAZINE a piece by Mr. ORMISTON, inwhich he noticed there were no side-lights in the ark. The windowwas "above," and I felt how often I tried to make side-lights, andto see what was coming, but I must not look at circumstances norobstacles, but "look up." My expectation is from Him. I am shut upto Him. I told this to E--, and in her note she gives me herportion-text, "The Lord shut him in."

},fay 27th.-Went for the school treat to Longcliffe. I had prayedthat I might speak a word to my girls. I walked with K-­M--, who told me how my lesson of last Sunday (John iv.) hadbeen a word for her. I do thank Thee, 0 God, for giving me thisencouragement, and letting the living water spring up in me. Thouknowest how these words, "Give me this water, that I thirst not,neither come hither to draw," had been so specially with me. 0Lord, keep me at Thy feet, drawing all from Thee. Keep me frombeing lifted up, that it may always be, "Yet not 1." Oh blessK--, and bring all my class into communion with Thyself. Giveeach of them a thirst for Thyself and for Thy Word. I just say,"Do Thou for me," for Jesus' sake. Amen.

July 7th.-Yesterdav we prayed together about my pain, andsymptoms I cannot understand, and laid the matter in the Lord'shands. I was shown Exodus xiv. 2, and I do feel that I am therenow. The Lord knows the shl'inking and fear connected. 0 LordJesus, I would again commit it all to Thee; do Thou undertake thematter for me; treat me as Thy little child; be unto me as "one whomhis mother comforteth," for Thou hast "taken me up." Take away allfear, so that I have simply to wait, to sit still, to lie down, waitingfor Thee. I thank Thee for Mr. THOMPSON'S sermon to-night, whichseemed such a special word for me, Joshua i. 5, also Psalm 37, and thelesson, 1 Samuel xiii. My friend and I had prayed that we mightbe led, all looks so dark and mysterious.

.hlly 27th.-l desire to acknowledge the Lord's gracious dealingwith me in answer to my prayer (see 7th). I was in a realcorner, but I believe the Lord understood the matter, and in awonderful way, without medical treatment, healed me Himself. Thepain left me, and the symptoms I had been so fearful of-at any rate,until now, there has been no need of further treatment. Should thesymptoms return, the Lord has made it easy for me to speak about them,

The Gospel M aga/l,z'ne. 741

as I had the opportunity, the day my friend prayed, of mentioning them,and had promised her to have advice should they continue. I dopraise Him for so graciously bringing me through this Red Sea. Lord,when in another difficulty, bring to my remembrance how Thou hasthelped me at this time.

J~~ly 29th.-Lord, as I read our chapter for to-day (Gen. vii.) and£lee how Thou didst save Noah and all his house, and as I rememberEsther and her granted petition for all her kindred (chapter viii.);Rahab (Joshua vi. 17.); the nobleman (John iv. 53.); the jailer (Actsxvi. 31.), &c., I come to Thee, with all my house [here follows alist of relatives, beginning with her brothers, and ending with, " andall other relatives and connexions "]; I ask Thee to bring each oneinto the Ark-to grant to each one life. 0 Jesus, I would pleadThy promise for each one, "He shall surely live" (Ezek. xxxiii. 15,16); and I would ask Thee to remember the Word, "I will besurety for him" (Gen. xliii. 9); "Because I live, ye shall live also " ;41 Remember the Word unto Thy servant, upon which ·Thou hastcaused me to hope"; "God hath given thee all them that sail withthee." I would "be of good cheer, for I believe God, that it shallbe even as it was told me" (Acts xxvii. 24, 25). "Be it unto meacoording to Thy Word." I thank Thee that the weakness of myfaith cannot alter it. "If we believe not, yet He abideth faithful:He cannot deny Himself." 0 Jesus, is it indeed Thyself pleadingthrough me, and are those words 'an echo of Thine own petition,"Keep through Thine own name those whom Thou hast given Me" 1I pray for them whom Thou hast given me, not only for life, butfor life manifested for all my house. I ask in Thine own words, andThou dost say, "I have put My words into thy mouth" (Isaiah li. 16).:For myself and all my house I ask, give eternal life to each one ofus; take them not out of the world, but keep them from the evil(John xvii.; Isaiah lix. 21). I ask it all for Jesus' sake. Amen.Lord, not only my relatives, but all my friends I would commit toThee. I do praise Thee that Thou hast given me so many of Thyfriends to be my friends. 0 Lord Jesus, Thou hast indeed takenme up. [Here follows another list of names, and touching allusion to"the blessed memory" of departed ones.] 0 God, all the love hascome through them from Thee; do Thou grant to each one Thineown" Inasmuch," for all they have been to me and done for me; grantthat Dot one may be missing when Thou dost make up Thy jewels.Thou knowest what each one needs, oh supply it. Make Thyself toeach a living, bright Reality, and grant to each their heart's desire,in so far as they are delighting in Thee. Those who may yet bedead, or captive to some besetting sin, do Thou quicken and set free;those that are in trouble or difficulty, sorrow or sickness, do Thougraciouslf guide, comfort, restore. Do Thou for them, Lord Jesus.Thou hast bidden me borrow empty vessels, and ?wt a few, so I bringrelations and friends to Thee; their emptiness is my plea; not onll of usbut is empty unless filled by Thee, and even then needing continualrefilling. I plead with Thee, of each one may it be said, "Thevessels were full." Thou knowest my need. Do Thou for me; setme free from all that hinders a glad, holy life in Thee and for Thee.

742 The Gospel Magazine.

I claim Thy Word, "The Lord turned the captivity of Job whenhe prayed for his friends." I ask it all for Jesus' sake. Amtln.

J1;ly 31st.-On Wednesday evening Mr. THol\rPSON continued hisaddresses on Galatians, and took the second chapter. He spoke muchof Ohrist being the only true Foundation, the Rock upon which ourfaith must stand. I seemed to see more clearly than before that, inspite of all my sinfulness, my faith was fixed on Him, and the Wordcame, "He set my feet upon a Rock" (Psalm xl. 2); "The Rock that ishigher than I" (Psalm Ixi. 2); and I felt that if the Lord had put methere, it was all His doing, and He would have me desire that allsouls for whom I am praying, or ought to pray, should be there too.2 Kings vi. 7, "Take it up to thee."

" Oh strengthen me, that while I standFirm on the Rock, and, strong in Thee,

I may stretch out a loving handTo wrestlers on the troubled sea,."

Aug. lIth.-On July 6th we heard of the terrible massacre in Ohina;and as I thought of AMY T-- and FLO L--, and feared for theirsafety, the words came, "The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safetyby Him; and the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he shalldwell between His shoulders" (Deut. xxxiii. 12). I thank Thee thatThou didst speak the word, and that we have heard that the missionaries­are all safe in Fao Ohow. 0 Goo, we commit them to Thee; takeaway all fear from them; supply to them all they have lost in thefriends Thou hast taken; be to them their Friend and Oounsellor, andget glory to Thy name through this trial. Amen. Bind up the bereavedand broken hearts; speak peace to them who are anxious and insuspense; look upon Thy Ohurch in Ohina, and fulfil Psalm xlvi. toher. Give wisdom to our Government, and to the Ohinese Government,in dealing with the murderers. "Father, forgive them, for they knownot what they do."

Sep. 231·d.-To-day I have come back from Ecclesburn, where I havebeen for a week with my beloved E-- alone. It was so truly God'flogift, and it has been a time of mutual help and joy. We have sooften poured out our hearts together before Him, and now I do praiseThee for it. Lord, bless her. Thou knowest her heart's desire thatThou shouldest be enough for both of us. Do grant it. Do speak to­me, that I may be satisfied. Let all lead to knowing that Thou art" enough." E--, in regard to our petitions, has so often prayed,"Make haste." Take all into Thy hands, and just do Thy very bestfor each.

This last entry is indeed answered to the full for her! " We lovedthee well, but Jesus loves thee best."

"When He who knowetll all sends gI'ief or woe,We can but trust, and say, 'He wills it so.'''

A DROP of faith is worth more than a whole sea of mere science,though it be the historical science of the Divine Word.-Fmnc7ce.

Tile Gosptl lIffl/!n::i,t~. 743

:MEMOlUES OF GOSPEL TmUMPII~ AMO~G THE JEWSDURING THE VIOTOlUAN BRA.~

THlc following address by the Rev. WU,LrAlIl WALTON CLARK, of NewYork. WllS giv('n at the Jubilee Meeting of the British Society, heldin Novom!>l'l', 1892. We have just listened with great interest toan ItCCOllut of the work in London, and I have been asked to speakof tho work ill New York, and to set before you some of the bestways of loading the Jews to Christ. About twelve years ago aHebrew Christian Church was organized in New York City, under theauspices of many of our leading clergymen. Rev. JAcon FRESHMAN,a cOllverted Rabbi, was chosen the pastor, and has laboured faith·fully in the building up of God's kingdom among His chosen people.Services are held every I,ord's Day, and during the week, and agoodly number of converts have been baptized and admitted intothe communion of the Church.

But the most remarkable work has been done in the West side bya Polish J ew, by name lIJJ:RMANN W ARSZAWIAK. This devoted manhas made house to house visitation lor two years, and it is no uncom­mon thing to see seven hundred or more at his services. Over sixteenthousand copies of the Salkinson Hebrew New Testament have beencirculated through his efforts, and it is estimated that fully fifty thou­sand Jews have listened to his preaching. Rev. Dr. SCHAUFFLERsays: "The largest male audiences that this city affords are now tobe seen listening to him, and not for a thousand years has God shownsuch favour to one preaching to the Jews"; and he further declaresthat "this is the most important work for the Jews in the wholeworld."

In the sight of God there are three classes of people-the Jew, theGentile, and the Church (1 Cor. x. 32). All Scripture is addressedto one or another of the three classes. The Old Testament is forthe Jew, the New Testament is for the Church, while some portionof each Testament is for the Gentile. The great bulk of the Bible isfor or about the Jews. The great blessings in the Old Testamentare for God's ancient people. And, strange to say, that most Ohris­tia.ns, failing to appropriate the spiritual blessings of the New Testa­ment, want to absorb the temporal blessings of the Old Testament,which were not promised to them. They are willing to concede allthe cursings to the Jews, but they want all the blessings for them­selves. But how to reach the Jew is the question before us. Thebest way, and only effectual way, to win him to Christ, is to showhim from his own Scriptures that Jesns of Nazareth was their pro­mised Messiah, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham. Speak notat first of the Christ of the Gospels, or of the Epistles, but of theChrist in the Old Testament. This was the theme of Paul, and thetheme of Apollos. For three Sabbath Days Paul, in the synagogue.reasoned with the Jews out of the Scriptures, showing that Jesuswas the Christ. And Apollos mightily convinced them of the same

• The remarks made by Mr. CLARK are taken from a. work by the Rev. JOIlN"DUNLOP, bearin~ the title which heads this arbicle

744 The Gospel Magazine.

truth. This was the theme of that blessed interview on the road toEmmaul1, between our Lord and the two disciples.

Last week I saw in the National Gallery a large and beautifulpicture of this famous interview. One could almost hear the Master.. expounding unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerningHimself."

r. The Law of Moses.-In Genesis He is the Seed of the Woman. InExodus He is the Passover Lamb. In Leviticus He is the HighPriest. In Numbers the Rock smitten and the Serpent uplifted. InDeuteronomy the Prophet like unto Moses.

n. The P1·ophets.-In Isaiah He is the Branch, the Ensign, theChild, the Son, the Man of Sorrows, the Redeemer, and the Leaderof His people. In Ezekiel He is the Shepherd and the Plant ofRenown. In Daniel He is the Messiah, the Prince. In J oel He isthe Hope of His people. In Micah He is the Ruler in Israel. InHaggai He is the Desire of All Nations. In Malachi He is the Sunof Righteousness.

The Psalms.-Here Jesus is described as the Lord's Anointed, theSon of God, the Shepherd, the Lord of Hosts, and the King of Glory.

In Proverbs He is the "Friend that sticketh closer than a brother."In the Canticles He is the Rose of Sharon, the Lily of the Valley,the Chiefest among Ten Thousand, and the One altogether Lovely.Well may the Master say, "Search the Scriptures, for they are theythat testify of Me." In the Old Testament we read of His sufferings,His passion, His death, His burial, His resurrection, and His ascension.He is the Holy One, the Wisdom of God, the Word of God, theRedeemer, Mediator Advocate, Messiah, the King of Kings, and Lordof Lords. If we look for Jesus in the Old Testament we will findHim. Let us take one impreEsion after another of His lovely face,and the King Himself will stand out in all His beauty.

In PRANG'S chromo establishment, in Boston, a visitor was shown alarge number of stones from which were produced the famous picturesof this renowned studio. It took over twenty impressions from as manystones to complete a picture. No single stone would give any ideaof what the portrait in figure was to be. But one impression afteranother would produce the desired result, presenting that blending ofcolour and matchless expression for which this establishment wasfamed. And so let a succession of impressions of Jesus Christ betaken from the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms, and we will beled to exclaim, as we see Him lifted up on the cross, "Ecce Homo /Ecce Deus /" (" Behold the man"; "Behold the God "). Then willthe unbelieving Jew be led to cry out with joy unspeakable, "Wehave found Him of whom Moses and the Prophets did write, Jesusof Nazareth, the son of J oseph."

SOMETIMES, when Jesus prayed for Himself, it was, "Not as I willbut as Thou wilt," but when He interceded for His people, it wasperemptory, and as 011e that would take no denial: "Father, I will,that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am;that they may behold My glory."-Hunion.

Tlte Gospel Magazine.

S.erm.ona llnh notes .of .serunrl\s.

THEIRS AND OURS.

745

AN UNPUBLISHED SERMON BY THE LATE REV. FRANCIS IIOARE.

Cl For their rock is not as our Rock, even OU1' enemies themselves beingjudges."-DEUTERONOMY xxxii. 31.

THE song in which these words are found is the farewell song whichMoses wrote for the children of Israel, on the borders of the promisedland. lIe had just received a message from the Lord that he must sleepwith his fathers. For forty years he had been Israel's leader. Allwho had followed him out of Egypt, except Oaleb and Joshua, hadbeen laid down to a long rest in the graves of the wilderness. Heis about to follow, and the Lord commissions him to give Israel a littlewholesome instruction, that they might have it to remember when hewas gone. It is contained in this song-the grand song of a realgrand old man. A grander was never sung-a grander will never beread by any of us. The grand old man stands before the elders andthe people in all the vigour of youth. The frosts and snows of ahundred and twenty winters have pass'ed over his head: his longwhite hair flows down over his shoulders, and his venerable beardcovel'S his breast. "His eye is not dim, nor his natural force abated."As he gives Israel some instruction in the great goodness and provi­dence of J ehovah, "My doctrine," he says, "shall drop as the rain,as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon thegrass."

This exordium to the song will excuse my tarrying long to proveto you who it is Moses styles "our Rock." For it is the LordJehovah, as manifested in the Person, office, and work of the LordJesus Ohrist. The title is a favourite one with the saints of the OldTestament. "Standing on the Rock," "Hid in the Rock," "Underthe shadow of the Rock," are all figurative and familiar expressionsto the readers of the Word, having reference to the believer and theRock of Ages. Frequently does the sweet Psalmist sing, "The Lordis my Rock." And St. Paul, in 1 Oorinthians x. 4, emphaticallyasserts, "They did all drink the same spiritual drink; for they drankof that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Ohrist."

Now, it will be well for us to note some of the senses in whichthe Lord Jesus Ohrist is set forth in the Word of God as our Rock,and in all which the people of God love to view their Redeemer."For their rock is not as our Rock."

1. He is the Rock for SalvatiQn. In Isaiah xlix. 6, the Lord J ehovahsays, "I will also give Thee for a light to the Gentiles, that Thoumayest be My salvation unto the end of the earth." In Psalm lxii. 6,the Psalmist sings with peculiar beauty, "He only is my Rock and mysalvation: He is my defence; I shall not be moved." In the fir.stpassage we see J ehovah setting up the Lord Jesus for salvation, and illthe second the Psalmist appropriates Him by faith as his salvation.And in Isaiah liii. we see God the Father laying the burden of salva-

746 The Gospel Magazine.

tion upon Him, "Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried oursorrows"; "the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all." InHebrews ix. 28, we read, "Christ was once offered to bear the sins ofmany"; and again, in 1 Peter ii. 24, "Who His own self bare our sinsin His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should liveunto righteousness: by whosa stripes we are healed." So when theLord sent the angels to Joseph to announce the approaching birth ofChrist, to say, "Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save Hidpeople from their sins." But to save them He must Himself take thcs~

sins, by substituting Himself in their stead, a vicarious sacrifice. Hflmust pass through the agony and bloody sweat, the bitter cross andpassion, the precious death and burial. He must go right up to Calvary,bow His head and cry, "It is finished"; then go down into the darknessof the tomb, and on the first bright Easter morning rise triumphantlyfrom the grave, and ascend up on high and "lead captivity captive."Now c, He can save to the uttermost them that come unto God byHim," "for there is none other name given among men whereby wemust be saved." Therefore" He shall save His people from their sins."

"Jesus ready stands to save you,Full of pi,ty, joined with power."

That is why He is called "Immanuel, God with us"; and we !lee inHis name the expression of the Father's will, of the eternal provisionof the "everlasting Covenant, ordered in all things and sure," that theSon will save, and shall save, them that come to God by Him, and insaving them "shall see of the travail of His soul and be satisfied."Therefore will we sing, "Salvation to our God which sitteth upon thethrone, and unto the Lamb."

2. He is the Rock for Justification. Condemnation is the conditionof the sinner under the law. The law is holy, just, and good. It isvery strict and very exact. It demands the fulfilment of every jotand tittle of its requirements. It allows no deviation in thought,word, or deed, for "whosoever should keep the whole law, and yetoffend in one point, he is guilty of all." And it has no mercy forthe sinner, for "the soul that sinneth, it shall die." There is guiltcondemned. There is the condition of every sinner under the law.But "hear, 0 heavens, and give ear, 0 earth," the Lord Jesus hasjustified, freed His people from all condemnation of the law. He wasmade under the law, and waR obedient unto the law.

He was made a curse for us, that He might redeem us from thecurse of the law. Gethsemane's agony, Calvary's cross, the murderers'nails, the solJier's spear, the fearful cry, "My God! My God I whyhast Thou forsaken Me ~ " were all included in the curse. But He meteverything the law could inflict, or justice demand, or righteousnessrequire. He settled every claim, paid every debt. For what the lawcould not get from the sinner it got from the Surety. Therefore itcan exact no more. A sentence of "No condemnation" is returnedto the Divine Judge, and He declares, "I am well pleased, for Myrighteousness' sake." Therefore can the Lord Jesus come forth anddemand, "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect 1"

The Gospel Magazine. 747

le By Him all that believe are justified from all things," accepted inthe Beloved-shall never come into condemnation-shall never beseparated from the love of God, which is in Ohrist Jesus-shall haveeverlasting life.

3. He is the Rock for Peace. When He justifies His people fromall things, He removed from the mind of God all possible thought orcharge of sin against their peace. "He hath made peace tl,rough theblood of His cross." And being justified by faith, "we have peacewith God through our Lord Jesus Ohrist." By faith we see the cursegone, condemnation gone, sin gone, all put away by the blood of thecross. Then there is peace in the conscience, from a feeling sense ofour feet being on the Rock of Age~. Then there is peace amidst allthe storms and tempests of life; yea, perfect peace in the hour ofdeath-a peace that passeth understanding-a peace the world cauneither give nor take away. A mind at perfect peace.

4. He is the Rock for Sec'UritJ/. You know how the P8almist sings,"Whom have I in heaven but Thee ~ and there is none upon earth Idesire besides Thee." You know nothing could destroy the housebuilt on the rock. And the Lord Jesus says, "Upon this Rock I willbuild My Ohurch." And again, "My sheep hear My voice, and tknow them, and they follow Me: and I give unto them eternal life;and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out ofMy hand." There is final perseverance for you-eternal security.The grace that brings to the Rock binds to the Rock.

"Rock of Ages, cleft for me,Let me hide myself in Thee."

Once on the Rock, always on the Rock. Once in Ohrist, alwaysin Ohrist, kept by the power of God. What Ohrist begins in gracelIe ends in gloTy. There is no falling away from Ohrist, no fallingaway from grace. For" the Lord will give grace and glory." He haslinked the two, and none can sever the link. "From the end of theearth will I cry unto Thee; . . . . lead me to the rock that is higherthan 1."

Now, my friends, upon a review of what has been said, can yousay with the Psalmist, "The Lord hath brought me up also out ofan horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a Rock" ~

Look at the pit out of which you have been brought, for in the samepit there are vast numbers floundering. The only safe people in theworld are those who have a Rock to stand on, who are building theirhouse for eternity upon a Rock, and that Rock is Ohrist. All elseare only building on sinking sand-they have no solid resting-placefor their house-and when .the floods come, and the winds blow, it willfall, and great will be the fall. Theirs is not lasting-ours is the Rockof Ages, the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever. Theirs is only ahouse built on sinking sand, nothing that will support them in darknessand death. But" the eternal God is our Refuge, and underneath arethe everlasting arms." Theirs is not 1'cfreshing, ours is "the shadow ofa great Rock in a weary land." Theirs may give carnal mirth, joy,and pleasure for awhile, ours pours us out rivers of oil, and, whilst

148 The Gospel Magazz"ne.

passing through the wilderness, often scorched with affliction and triedwith adversity, we drink" the Spiritual Rock which follows us, andthat Rock is Christ." Their~ is not safe. It affords them no prospects.It screens them from no evils, neither the miseries of life, the terrorsof conscience, the sting of death, the damnation of hell. Ours is ashelter from every evil, "a strength to the poor, a strength to the needyin his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, whenthe blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall." Oursis an everlasting righteousness, an everlasting forgiveness, an everlastingpeace, an everlasting security. We can say-

"My hope is built on nothing lessThan Jesus' blood and righteousness;On Christ the solid Rock I stand,All other ground is sinking sand."

"Their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves beingjudges."

Let us put these enemies into the witness.box.1. Let us call the man of the world, and receive his evidence. It

does not much matter whether he be a careless worldling like Felix, ora. pleasure.seeking worldling like Demas, or a covetous worldling likethe rich fool, or a profligate worldling like the prodigal, but he lovesthe world and the things of the world. But is he satisfied ~ has heno longings, no yearnings for something more ~ Can he look at adying bed with composure 1 Can he think of death without a sting ~

No, he cannot. Balaam, the man that ran greedily for reward­Balaam's expressed wish is often his secret sjgh, "Let me die thedeath of the righteous, and let my last end be like his."

2. Let us call the Atheist. He does not believe in a God; hedenies the existence of a God. And what can he look forward to',A blank. Man's life is full of troubles. Afflictions are as many asthe hairs of his head, but when they rise and roll like a flood overhim, he has no God to call upon for help. He has a child he lovesfondly, but when he growE> up and takes to bad ways, and goes toruin, he has no God to ask to save his child. If he looks into hisgrave he has no hope. There is liO heaven, no hereafter-no consolationin the dark hour of trial and bereavement. A good many years agoa convention was held in France with the object of getting thecountry to say there was no God, to burn the Bible, and to say aman died like a dumb dog. Not long after the country was delugedwith blood. And what would be the consequence if the Bible andministers of the Gospel were got rid of out of our country 1 Why,the land would soon be soaked with blood; your life and my lifewould not be safe a single hour. We could not walk the streets ofDerby in safety. We do not know how much we owe to God forthe Bible, and for the influence of His Gospel, even amongst ungodlymen. "Their rock is not as our Rock."

3. Let us call the Deist. He is one who believes in God, but doesnot believe in revelation, nor in the Lord Jesus Christ. He willdescribe his God as "One who was the Beginning, who caused allthings." But they say there is no use in prayer, for nothing can

Tlte Gospel M agazz'1lc. 749

change the decrees of Deity j God neVN amwers prayer. Jn thehour of trial they can find nothing to comfort them. "Their rock isnot as our Rock."

4. Let us noxt call another class, who sty le themselves Pantheists.They say God is in everything. He is in the air j lIe is in the sun,in the stars, in the raiD, in the water. They say God is in a pieceof wood. If you talk with them, you will finel they are not muchbetter than Deists and Atheists. Sir ISAAc NEWTON is said to haveonce tried to convince a Pantheist of his error, but could not j but inthe hour of trouble he cried out to the Christian's God. " Theirrock is not as our Rock."

5. Call the Infidel. He is one who does not believe in the inspira­tion of the Bible. There are a great many of these, they havefound their way into the pulpit and into the pew. If a man doesnot believe in the inspiration of the Bihle, he is an infidel. But ifthey do not read it, no wonder they do not believe in it. There arefive or six hundred prophecies in the Word of God, and everyone of'them has beon fulfilled to the letter, and yet men say they cannotbelieve the Bible is inspired. Look at the prophecies with regard toNinevoh, amI Babylon, and Egypt, and the Jewish nation, and see howthey have been fulfilled to the letter. Every promise or threateningGod makes, lIe carries out. Infidels boast of the g\,andeur ofinfidelity; hut what becomes of it in seasons of adversity, and in thehour of doath ~ Infidels men may live, but infidels they cannot die.How many times has the Christian minister been called to the lasthours of the infidel, and heard him cry for mercy. In that hour hisbla.ck infidelity will not avail, and he wants his father's and hismother's God to take pity on him then. It is said of WEST, aneminent man, that he was determined to show the world how great afra.ud was the resurrection, and LORD LYTTLETON undertook to show thefolly of Saul's conversion. From the first Easter morning the doctrineof the Resurrection rolled along for 1,800 years, and WEST began tolook at the evidence, and found it so overwhelming that he had toyield to its power, and became an expounder of the Word, and achampion for Christianity; and LORD LYTTLETON, the infidel and sceptic,had not long considered Saul's conversion before light dawned on him,and he too began to preach the faith. Did you ever hear of an infidelsending for his wife and child to his dying bod, and recommendinghis infidelity to them ~ You never did! "My principles," said adying infidel, "have lost me my friends, sent my wife to an earlygrave with a broken heart, made my children beggars, and I go downto the grave without peace or consolation." A few infidels gatheredround a dying friend, and wanted him to hold on and die like a man.Turning to them, he said "Ah! what have I got to hold on to ~ "Now, tho Ohristian has Christ to hold on to, and Ohrist to hold on tohim j and he shall never be confounded. Anchored to Christ, he issl\l'o. Snrely," their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies them­solves being judges."

Tho last words of LORD BYRON are very sad and sorrowful. Hedied at tho early age of thirty-six, after leading an ungodly life. Hesnid-

750 The Gospel Mag-azine.

"My days are in the yellow leaf,The flower and fruit of life are gone;

The worm, the canker, and the griefAre mine alone."

Compare these with the words of the dying Apostle, "I have fought/1 good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: hence­forth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord,the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day." "Their rock is notas our Rock." Happy are the people whose feet are set upon theHock of Ages. " Happy art thou, 0 Israel: who is like unto thee, 0people saved by the Lord! " Christ is the Rock of your salvation-youare "saved in the Lord, the shield of thy help, and who is the swordof thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee;and thou shalt tread upon their high places." Ohrist is the Rock ofyour justification " you are justified from all things by Him. Ouristis the Rock of your peace. You have" peace with God, through Olll' LordJesus Christ." Ohrist is the H,ock of your security. You shall neverperish, neither shall any man pluck you out of His hitnd. From thetop of your Rock you may laugh at your enemies' enmity, for noneshall pluck you thence. In the cleft of your Rock you may laugh atthe hurricane and defy the storm. Olouds and darkness may some·times dim your horizon; the waves of affliction may la"h in furyaround you; the winds of adversity may sway you hither and thither,but your Rock will never swerve beneath you. You may not be ableto see your way, by reason of the foam and spray of doubt and fearblinding your eyes, but grasp the Rock with the hand of faith and thehand of hope, and by-and-by the winds and waves will rock them­selves to rest, at the bidding of IIim who said of old, 'c Peace, beatill."

"While I draw this fleeting breath,When mine eyelids close in death,When I soar to worlds unknown,See Thee on Thy judgment throne;Rock of Ages, cleft for me,Let me hide myself in Thee."

A THREEFOLD way Ohrist trod for our salvation: The way of~love

(from heaven to earth); the way of obedience (unto the death uponthe cross); and the way to glory (His return to the I!'ather).-Gerhal'd.

THRICE happy souls that have Ohrist for their Oommander, and areled, governed, and conducted by Him as their King and Oaptain oftheir salvation. His very " banner" over them is love; all His com­mands are commands of love; all the service He requireth of them isimposed in love; He never enjoineth them anything but what is fortheir good. They are never losers by obeying His pleasure; all their108ses come by their disobedience; lIe never putteth them upon anysuffering, but it is done in love. lIe chooseth the sweet attribute oflove, showing that it is a special act of His love that He leadeth onHis followers to conflict, intending to make them happy gainel's, "morethan conquerors."-John Maynard, 1646.

The Gospel JJf(f(!Il:;z"lIc. 751

Believe Him, restall must be well,

V. P. H.

lJnrt.esbnt ~meO'It.

]WMISH INTOLEHANOE.TilE recent outrages committed by Romanists-mHl some of them personsin high position-on inoffensive preachers of the Gospol of Ohrist., inthe open air, in Sligo, have led to the holding of a public mcot.ingin the Irish metropolis. The meeting was held in the MetropolitanHall, when th\l following resolutions on the subject wero a<lopt.od:

11 That this meeting protests against the state of lawlessness permittedto prevail for several months past in the town of Sligo, culminatingin the disgraceful riots of the last ten days. Protestants have beenstoned Imd assaulted on their way to their places of worship; mobs,numlll'ring hundreds, sometimes thousands, have been permitted toassemble and hold possession of the streets for hours, stone-throwing,assaulting citizens, breaking windows, and otherwise destroying theproperty of law-abiding persons. W u, therefore, call upon the Govern­ment to take such steps as would restore order, and safeguard lifeand property in that town."

"That, l.l.8 tllo arm of the law has been paralysed in Sligo by thecOl\llit.ioll of the local Borough Bench-men who lead the mob in the8troots, afterwards adjudicating in cases of riot and stone-throwing­\ve call on the Executive to see that a remedy is at once provided,AO that the law may no longer be brought into contempt."

le That copies of the resolutions passed at this meeting be forwardedto the Prime Minister, the Lord Lieutenant, the Ohief Secretary forIreland, the Attorney-General, and the leading newspapers of the UnitedKinguom."

We hope that, while keeping within the law, the Lord's servantswill continue to claim the indisputable rights of citizens of the UnitedKingdom and to "preach the Word."

A REFLEOTION."IN the furnace God may prove thee,

Thence to bring thee forth more bright,Bul; can never cease to love thee-

Thou art precious in His sight;God is with thee.

God thine everlasting Light."

Id it so, Lord ~ Art Thou with me ~ Then need I fear what man(' III do unto me ~ "Heaven and earth shall pass away," but Thy Wordl-hall never pass away till all shall be fulfilled. "The foundation ofGod standeth sure. The Lord knoweth them that are His"; and tilltlach vessel of mercy, each of Thy covenanted ones is gathered hometo glory, ITe is engaged on thy behalf. And who are the covenantedones 1 Ohosen in Ohrist before the world was, sanctified by the Spirit,and in due time to be glorified.

Has thy God said, "I will never leave thee" ~

upon His promise, which cannot fail, and theneverlastingly well. "ITe cannot deny Himself."

752 The Gospel Magazine.

PROTESTANTISM AND THE CLOSING YEAR.

THE year now about to close has been one remarkable for events ofthe greatest importance in the interests of Protestantism in England.The collapse of LORD ROSEBERY'S revolutionary Government, with itsschemes for the disestablishment of the Reformed Church of Englandin Wales, and for the furtherance of the aims of the Papacy, was initself an epoch-making incident. But the almost obliteration of his­party, when the voice of the country was uttered at the polls, wasalso a political phenomenon to which future historians of our nationallife will give marked prominence. Then, the presumptuous appeal ofthe POPE to the people of England to renounce the holy religion oftheir Protestant forefathers, and to unite with the great Apostasy overwhich he proudly rules, must be taken as indicating the belief of thehighest Roman Catholic authorities that England has departed very far'from the principles of the blessed lleformation. No doubt this viewwas fostered by LORD HALIFAX and other members of the Romanizing'"English Church Union." Through the goodness of God, however,the storm cloud which threatened us has passed over us harmlessly.,Instead of the expectations of the Papacy and its Anglican allies beingjustified by results, the contrary has come to pass. Protests, couchedin terms of holy indignation at the Pope's presumptuous proposals, havebeen forwarded to the POPE and Dr. YAUGHAN, the effect of which hMled to the POPE'S abandoning his intention of addressing a second letter'to the people of Protestant England. In this remarkable turn in thecourse of national events we see the hand of the God of our fathers,_and it may well cause us to praise His holy Name. We could wishthat the outlook were more suggestive of wisdom and fidelity on thepart of LORD SALISBURY'S Government. It is much to be feared thatlegislation will be attempted, in connection with the State recognitionand aid of Denominational Religious Education, on Roman Catholic'lines. The ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY and Dr. YAUGHAN are workingfor a common object, and unless the Protestant people of England­both Conformists and Nonconformists-resolutely resist all proposalsto subsidize Popery and Ritualism in non-Board Schools, "concurrentendowment," in one of its most pernicious and objectionable forms, maybe determined upon by the Government, at the cost of both the conscienceand the purse of God's people. "The Bible, the Bible only, is the'religion of Protestants," and our contention is that in every BoardSchool in the United Kingdom the Bible ought to be read daily­whether with or without comment-while to no school, besides, ought,money to be paid out of the National exchequer for the propagationof doctrines opposed to the Word of God. Of course, we make theseconscientious observations wholly apart from any political associations.The GOSPEL MAGAZINE knows no politics. By the standard of the'Bible, however, we shall always test the policy of our leaders in bothChurch and State, and, without any respect of persons, speak ourminds honestly and in the fear of God, Popery is the historical enemyof the Bible, and every national concession made to the Church of'Rome is at the cost of not only the Bible, but of the God of the'Bible.

lte Gospel Magazine. 753

TIlE 1\mi\lOLUAL TO TIlE LATE BELOVED DR. DOUDNEY'IN SOUTHSEA CEMETEl~Y.

OUR readers, who still and will ever entertain a tenderly affectionateremembrance of the late Rev. Dr. DOUDNEY, will be interested toknow that a tombstone has been erected over his quiet resting-placein Southsea Cemetery, by the kindness of his friends and readers. Wegive this month a representation of the Memorial, which consists ofa block of white Sicilian marble, ornamented with columns of redAberdeen granite. Small iron railings enclose the tomb, which bearsthe followin~ inscription :-

"In ever-loving memory of the Rev. DAvID ALFRED DOUDNEY, D.D.,formerly Vicar of St. Luke's, Bedminster, Bristol, and for fifty-threeyears the beloved Editor of the GOSPEL MAGAZINE. He died atSouthsea, April 21st, 1893, aged 82. Amongst his last words werethese: "I shall be satisfied-satisfied-when I awake after Thy like­ness." This monument is erected by some of his friends and readers.

Also in memory of ELIZA, his second wife, who died in 1868,aged 57."

The inscription is engraven on the stone in deeply-cut letters, filledin with lead. The tombstone was erected by Messrs. BURcHELL, monu­mental masons, of Hastings. Our representation of it is from aphotograph taken by Messrs. RussELL and SONS, of 50, ClarendonRoad, Southsea. Copies of the photograph can be had from Messrs.RussELL, price one shilling each.

Mr. W. H. COLLINGRIDGE kindly acted as Hon. Treasurer of the fundby which the expense of erecting the tombstone has been defrayed.

IF the Holy Ghost may not speak of Himself, and out of Himself,o preacher! how canst thou draw thy preaching out of thyself, out ofthine head, or even thine heart ?-Gossne1·.

You who have profited by reading the Holy Scriptures, adore God'srlistinguishing grace. Bless God that He hath not only brought thelight to you, but opened your eyes to see it; that He hath unlockedHis hid treasure, and enriched you with saving knowledge. That Godshould pass by millions in the world, and the lot of His electing loveshould fall upon you; that the Scripture, like the "pillar of cloud"should have a dark side to others, but a light side to you; that toothers it should be a "dead letter," but to you the savour of life'that Christ should not only be revealed to you, but in you. Ho~should you be in an holy ecstasy of wonder, and wish that you hadhearts of semphims burning in love to God, and the voices of angelsto make IIoavon ring with God's praises I-Thomas Watson, 1670.

3 c

A FRAGRANT OLD LETTER.Woolwich, October 30th, 1839.

My DEAR FRIEND,-I duly received your truly welcome letter of the6th inst., and would have given you an earlier answer but for tworeasons; one was, I have been very busy, hands and mind fullyoccupied: another was, I was so poor in spirit that-

"If one good thought heaven would buv,Not one good word or thought had I."

Poor and needy, wretched, miserable, blind and naked in myself­

"Sores corrupt and putrified,No part Bound or healthy."

And the Good Physician appeared to have taken a long journey withall the money; so that I could get neither advice, food, nor physic. Ifelt like HART-

"Needy, and naked, and unclean;Empty of good, and full of ill;

A lifeless lump of loathsome sin,Without the power to act or will."

But thiil was a good word to me, "Thou hast of Thy goodness providedfor the poor" (Psalm lxviii. 10); likewise this, "Blessed are the poorin spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. v. 3). This ledme to consider what God had provided for the poor: when I thoughtof the infinite condescension and love of the Eternal Son of God, who"Though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that yethrough His poverty might be made rich." He was made sin for us, thatwe might be made the righteousness of God in Him. He made peace bythe blood of His cross, and He fulfilled all righteousness: and the workof righteousness is peace to us, and the effect in our hearts, quietnessand assurance for ever (Isaiah xxxii. 17). I am sick of sin and sickof myself: and my earnest desire is to be sanctified wholly, body, soul,and spirit, and to be cleansed from all filthiness of flesh and spirit.But when I would do good I find evil so prevalent that I cannot dothe things that I would: so that I have left undone what I ought tohave done, and have done that which I ought not to have done, whichGod's Word and my own conscience condemn me for. This fills mewith shame and confusion before God; and here Satan tries with allhis might to keep me from the fountain that is opened for sin anduncleanness. He wants me to hide my sin as Adam did, by coveringmyself with a covering that is not of God's workmanship, and to hidemyself from God, to cloak and dissemble the worst of my villainy beforeGod; and even to charge God with my folly-that He might haveordered things otherwise, for the preparation of the heart, as well asthe answer of the tongue, is all His work! If this don't take, thenSatan tries to persuade me that I have sinned so often, and come toGod with the same confession so many times, that the Almightywearied out, and tired of hearing it; that He will hear me no more,and that it is useless and in vain to seek His forgiveness and reconcilia-

754 The Gospel Magazine.

~

The Gospel lIfngad1Zc. 755

ion. 'l'hiR, Dick, is how he servos me, but he don't like me to te~lJOlt of it, much )oss God. But I am dotermined to keep none of hISIlI·crl.t8 from my God, who hath said, "My son, give Me thine heart,llld h·t thino oyos observe My ways." Nor will I keep it from myriend whom I love.

I think 1 hear you say, "This is all very well in its place, but tof'f'nd t111'SO things to me is like sending coals to Newcastle. I want toknow how nIl this Satanic work is to be remedied and got rid of."Well, I will tell you that. First, then, I conclude that whatever c~n­

tl'll.dicts (locl's lVonl, whether from the devil, myself, or another, is a he,and that I ought to reject it; and that His Word and prayer are theonly weapons the child of God has to repel Satan, his own carnalroason, and the reasoning of erroneous men. What, then, does theGod of truth and faithfulness say in His WO'l'd? What is writtenin the Scriptures for my learning, and to encourage my hope ~ Why,this: "If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us oursins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John i. 9).U Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord; and I will not caUseMine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the Lord, andI will not keep anger for ever. Only acknowledge thine iniquity, thatthou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God, and hast scatteredthy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not~beyed my voice, saith the Lord. Turn, 0 backsliding children, saiththe Lord; for I am married unto you" (Jer. iii. 12-14). You see theLord takes us for better or for worse, and "will never leave us norforsake us" (Heb. xiii. 5). Again," 0 Israel, return unto the Lordthy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Take with you words,and turn to the Lord; say unto Him, Take away all iniquity, andreceive us graciously, so will we render the calves of our lips"<Hos. xiv. 1, 2). "Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness:yet turn not aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord withall your heart; and turn ye not aside: for then should ye go aftervain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain. Forthe Lord will not forsake His people for His great Name's sake:because it hath pleased the Lord to make you His people" (1 Sam. xii.20-22). "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, andI will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; forI am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls"(Matt. xi. 28, 29).

These promises I plead before God, and honestly tell Him all Ihave done and shall do, if left to myself; and the effect is this: whileI confess my sin, He removes the guilt of it from my conscience:while I plead guilty, He acquits me: while I condemn myself, Hejustifies me : and while I am looking out for the rod of correction formy folly, He gives me peace, to let me know that matters are madeup, and that we are friends. Oh, what a blessed exchange is this!Peace for bitterness; •• beauty for ashes; the oil of joy for mourning;and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness." His languagein my heart, therefore, seems to be this, "I hate putting away"{Mal. ii. 16). "For the mountains shall depart, and the' hills beremoved; but My kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall

756 The Gospel M agazz'ne.

the covenant of My peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercyon thee" (Isaiah liv. 10). Oh, my beloved friend, let us carry on agoodly traffic in this merchandise; let us not be slothful in thisbusiness, but "fervent in spirit, serving the Lord" (Rom. xii. 11)."For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver,and the gain thereof than fine gold. It is more precious than rubies:and all the things we can desire are not to be compared unto it"(Prov. iii. 14). This is bartering bad for good. This is communionwith God. We communicate our misery to God, and He communi­cates His peace to us. "My peace I gwe unto you" (John xiv. 27).And if this is not the case, we get off our knees more burdened anddistressed, and with more doubts and fears than we had before."Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shallunderstand the loving-kindness of the Lord" (Psalm cvii. 43). Mayyou and I be kept watching unto prayer; "Be sober, be vigilant;because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about,seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist steadfast in the faith,knowing that the same afHictions are accomplished in your brethrenthat are in the world" (1 Peter v. 8, 9).

But there is no cause for despair while we have an "Advocate withthe Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, who is the propitiation forour sins."

Give my love to Lucy, and tell her I daily make mention of her byname to my loving Lord and Saviour, that He will remember her withthe favour He bears to His people, and visit her with His salvation.And may she be able to say, as David did, "I entreated Thy favourwith my whole heart. Be merciful unto me accoTding to Thy W01'd"(Psalm cxix. 58). My health is better than it has been for the lasttwelve years, but Mrs. M-- is very poorly. Give my love to Mr.and Mrs. GORRINGE and Mr. WELLER, when you see them, and allin Eastbourne who love Jesus Christ in sincerity and trutb. God blessyou; so prays yours affectionately in Christ Jesus. I shall be glad t()hear from you.

To llh. Richard Douch, Eastbow·ne. WILLIAII1 MATTHEWS.

THE righteousness of the :E'ather is the ground upon which Jesusasks for the fulfilment or the promises, both to Himsel:f and to Hispeop1e.-Owen.

IF sin prevents not holy thoughts springing up in the mind, norspiritual desires in the will, neither a tendency towards what isheavenly in the affections, it hath lost its dominion, notwith­standing its continued subsistence in the soul.

GOD'S part in your calling and election is sure enough, and needsnone or your labour to make it sure; but to make it sure to your­selves, and to make the knowledge thereof sure and clear to you,diligence is needful, and diligence will do it. Search out the fruits­and marks of election; and when you find any of them, then, andnot before, climb up this high tree of the Father's giving you to JesusChrist.-Tmil.

Tile Gospel M agflzill

4Jassinu ®bents.

757

A MONTHLY REOOlW.THE condition of the TLukish Empire is becoming increasingly serious,and is engaging the earnest attention of the Ohief European Powers.After distinctly agreeing to carry out extensive reforms in Armenia,the Sultan has drawn back, and refuses to give the necessaryorders to carry them out; he will not even enforce the dis­continuance of the massacres, and he has actually decorated BAIIRIPasha. late Governor of Van, whose dismissal was secured bythe British Ambassador owing to his scandalous conduct towards theArmenians. Ohristians are being massacred, with the approval ofthe authorities, throughout the Empire. Mohammedau fanaticismis rampant; foreigners are threatened; Oonsuis dare not leave theirresidences without a military escort; reforms are being clamoured for;conspiracies are being hatched; trade and commerce are suspended;and a financial crisis is the crowning work: of disintegration andruin. The Oentral European Powers have decided to employ energeticmeasures to defend the lives and property of their own subjects; butwhat further steps will be taken by them remains to be seen.Happily there does not seem to be any disposition to revive the oldE'l.stern Question, and bring on complications which might result in aterrible war; but it seems very desirable that the opportunity shouldbe used to put an end to Turkish misrule. and estahlish au enlightenedProtecturate instead. If we understand Scriptural prophecy aright, itseems probable that the Turkish Empire is alluded to as one whichwill fall to pieces through its own inherent weaknes'. and eventsappear to prognost,icate that this will not be very far distant. Whocan say how many other important events also may be connected withit-for example, the return of the Jews to the Holy Land, andthe end of the present dispensation 1 It is well to watch closely thesigns of the times. [Since the foregoing was written, the SULTAN hassent a message to I,oRD SALISBURY. pledging his "word of honour"that tho Armenian reforms shall be carried out, but it is extremelydoubtful whether he will be able to fulfil hiA word.]

Our age has been singularly fruitful in discoverip,s which havewonderfully confirmed the accuracy of the historical portions of theBible. Professor SAyeE has recently announced two additional dis­coveries of the kind, which confirm the accuracy of it" early his­torical portion~. For some years tablets have been available illustra­tive of the great military campaign described in Genesis xiv. NowMr. T. PINCHES, of the British Museum, to whom Biblical and his­torical students aTe so deeply indebted, has discovered a tablet inwhich thfl name of Arioch (Eri-Aku), King of ElIasar (Larsa), is 3SS0·

ciated with Ohedorlaomer (Kurdur-Lagamar) the Elamite, and Tudkhal(Tidal), the other king mentioned. The proof of the historical accuracyai. the narrative in this chapter, so human in its facts and so signifi­cant in its issues, is now complete. It also appears from the imcrip-

302

758 Tlte Gospel Maga:::ine.

tions that the Hebrews and the tribes of SO:J.thern Arabia had :tcommon ancestor, with a meeting point in' Blbylonia. In that land,in the very century to which the Bible assigns the life-tiwe of Abra­ham, men with Hebrew names were livin~; the name Abram isfound, also the names of Jacob and Joseph in an idiomatic com­bination. To this common ancestry the book of Genesis has bornewitness for thou,ands of years. In chapter x. we read that "untoEber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg," the ancestorof "Abram the Hebrew," and the name of the other was Joktan, theancestor of the tribes of Southern Arabia. Professor SAyeE reasonablyasks: "Could any better verification be needed of the truthfulnessof an account which even conservative critics hava been accustomed tolook upon as referring, not to individuah, but to tribal relations ~ Orcould we wish for any stronger confirmation of the statement thatAbraham himself was born in 'Ur of the Chaldees' ~ .,

And another interesting discovery of the same kind has just beeltmade in connection with an obelisk in the British Museum. Sl,udentsof Biblical arcbooology have long been acquainted with the marvellou~

treasures unearthed on the banks of the Tigris, and the wonderfo1light they throw on the little land of Israel and Judah. We haverecovered monuments of the kings of Assyria which record the annali!of Tiglath-Pileser (2 Kings xv. 19; xvi. 10); the siege of Samaria byShalmaneser n. (2 Kings xviii. 3), and the taking of the cit,y bySar~on (Isaiah xx. 1), which harmonizes these two accounts; the siegeof Jerusalem by Sennacherib (2 Kings xviii.); and many other textswhich either confirm or supplement the sacred narrative. But anobelisk which refers to the reign of the Assyrian king Shalmaneser n.,seems to have been comparatively overlooked. From the' inscriptiollon this obelisk we learn particulars of a campaign undertaken byShalmaneser-unrecorded in Bible history-against Hazael of Damascus,who had usurped the throne of Benhadad (2 Kings viii. 15). Thevictory was with the Assyrian army, but the fortified city of Damascusproved impregnable to their weakened forces. Shalmaneser, whoreturned by way of the sea, received in pel'son the tribute of theconquered provinces of Tyre and Sidon, and of Jehu, who is calledthe Son of Omri. This monument, which was obtained from the ruimof the central palace built by the Assyrian king at Nimroud, containssculptured illustrations, in twenty panels, representing tbe offering ofelephants, camels, apes, gold, ivory, &c., made by these tributaryprovinces to the king of Assyria. In the chief panel we see Jehu inan attitude of obeisance before Shalmaneser, and around are severalcourtiers, one of whom is reading from a scroll the various items ofthe present by which Jehu hopes to propitiate his royal master. Thidprobably refers to the latter end of Jehu's life, mentioned in 2 Kings x.,when, as he "took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord Goriof Israel with all his heart," and "departed not from the sins ofJ tlroboam," the Lord "began to cut Israel short, and Hazael smotethem in all the coasts of Israel from Jordan eastward." It appears,then, that when Shalmaneser attacked and humbled Hazael, Jehu

The Gospel Magazine 759

-endeavoured to propitiate him, a very likely thing for him to do. Howfully the names and details of these ancient and recently unearthedinscriptions confirm the Word of God, and how forcibly they seem to<:ry aloud, as it were, to a sceptical age, in corroboration of its statements.

The venerable Bishop of Liverpool, Dr. RYLE, gave one of hischaracteristically bold and trenchant addresses at his recent DiocesanConference. He affirms that the Eatablished Church needs to be"cleansed as well as defended," and he strongly urges several extensivereforms, especially with regard to the relative positions of the clergyand the laity. lIe says that the latter have never yet had their rightfulshare in the management of the Church of England, and that theirpresent position is "neither more nor less than a rag and remnant ofPvpery." "It is part," the Bishop said, "of that' damnosa hooreditas'which Rome has bequeathed to our Church, and which has never beeneompletely purged away. Our Reformers themselves were not perfectmen, and the characteristic Tudor jealousy of QUEEN ELIZABETH preventedtheir perfecting the work of the English Reformation. Among otherblots which they left on the face of our Church, I most sorrowfullyadmit that neglect of the interest:; of the laity was not the least one.To make the clergy mediators between Christ and man-to exalt themfar above the laity, and put all ecclesiastical power into their hands­to clothe them with sacerdotal authority, and regard them as infallibleguides in all Church matters-this has always been an essential elementof the Popish system. This mischievous element our Reformers,no doubt, ought to have corrected by giving more power to the laity,as JOHN KNOX did in Scotland. They omitted to do so, either fromhaving been originally brought up under the Romish system, or fromwant of time, or from want of Royal permission. The unhappy fruitof the omission has been that gradually the chief authority in ourChurch ma.tters has fallen almost entirely into the hands of the clergy,and the laity have been left without their due rights and powers."As to re-union with the Church of Rome, the Bishop said, "Thevery proposal is monstrous. It would be a disgraceful desertion of theprinciples of the Protestant Reformation, and au insult to the men wholaid down their livea to procure for us the priceless privileges of an OpenBible and a pure Goapel. A reform of this kind would be enough tomake Bishop JEWEL'S bones turn in his ~rave. It would be a baseattempt to return to Egypt, and would ruin the Church o~ England."

We are glad also to see some faithful words by the Archdeacon ofLondon (Dr. SINCLAILt), in a paper contributed by him to Great Thoughts,on "The Dan~ers ot' Modern England." One of those particulardangers he believes to be Sacerdotalism, or Priestcraft, and he says inr~ference to it: "Sacerdotalism has always been the enemy of liberty,lJrogreAs, and knowledge. It was vigorously swept away from Englandat the time of the R~formation. The Reformers showed in the ordinationservice that the business of the Presbyterate was not to offer up Christ,or to be lords 07er God's heritage, but I to be messengers, watchmen,and stewards of the Lord; to teach and to premonish, to feed and

760 Tlte Gospel Magazine.

provide for the Lora's family; to seek for Christ's sheep that ar~

dispersed abroad, and for His children who are in the midst of thiB\naughty world, that they may be saved, through Christ, for ever.'''Would that there were more of such faithful utterances made by thedignitaries of the Established Church!

KHAlifA, a.nd the other African Ohiefs, who are now on a visit to ourcountry, have had an interview with Mr. CHAlIIBERLAIN, the Secretaryof State for the Colonies, and they express themselves as thoroughlysatisfied with the arrangements which he proposes to make with reg-ardto the annexation of their countries, and the prevention of the liqllortraffic. The Chiefs appears to have made good use of their time durin~

their visit here, and they have seen a great deal of England and of itspeople. We earnestly hope that the impre~sions which they havereceived will be salutary, and that they will bear good fruit whenthey return to their own homes.

We are apparently about to become engaged in another Ashanteewar. Twenty years ago it was found absolutely necessary to attackand humble the former king of Ashantee, and the expedition led againsthim by our present Commander-in-Chief, Lord WOLSELEY, was sosuccessful, that it might naturally have been expected that there wouldbe no more trouble in that quarter for many years to come. But thepresent ruler of Ashantee has become so unfaithful to his engagements.so insulting and opposed to our interests, that it has been foundabsolutely necessary to teach him also a forcible lesson.

EncDuraging news comes from Uganda. Two memhers of theMission there, the Rev. G. R. BASKERVILLE and Mr. G. L. PILKINGTON,have just returned home, and the former has been interviewed by acorrespondent of the R"COf·d. Mr. BASKERVILLE speaks of the climateof Uganda in the highest terms. He met Bishop TuoKER on his waydown to the coast, and had some pleasant intercourse with him. Hesays that the mission work in Uganda is steadily progressing, andthat the demand for Bibles is as great as ever; the people pay, hesays, not only the full value of the books, but also the entire cost ofcarriage. Besides ordained native pastors, there are now ten nativelay readers there, and no less than two hundred men and boys whoare sent out by the Native Church into various parts of the countryto preach the Gospel to the people. They are all supported by theNative Church, and their work does not cost the Church MissionarySociety a farthing. They are not paid; they are given sufficient forclothing, and the people where they go give them their food. Ofthese two hundred the little station of Kyagwe supports fifty-seven.The king, M'WANGA, Mr. BA.sKERVILLE says, "is under instruction,that is to say, Mr. RosooE goes to see him three times a week. Heis very keen to learn, but whether there is any heart-change I reallycannot say. Some people say that he has given up his old vices; onthe other hand, it is affirmed that he is just the same that he usedto be. But there is, at any rate, a superficial change, and, of course,

Tile Gospel Magazine 761

we hope and trust that there may bo a roal heart-work going on.Re is not under the influence of the Romans now. He called himselfa Roman Oatholic for tbree days in August last year, and for a timethere was great excitoment in the capital; but he now declares himselfa Protestant. As far as we can make out, he has not been baptizedby the Romans, although he rejoices in the name of LEO. He has.never givon up bis wives, and until he does they would not baptizehim any more than we should. He allows his wives to be taught,and special teachers are told off to instruct them:' Altogether, Mr.BASKERVILLE considers that missionary work in Uganda is full ofpromise; and the correspondent who interviewed him adds: "Whenone remembers how nearly, a few years ago, the country was lostto Ohristian influence, one may well exclaim, 'What hath Godwrought!' "

~,(J'rr.eall,(J'nbtnt£.

GOSPEL BOOK MISSION TO THE ARMY AND NAVY.To the Edit01" of the Gospel Magazine.

DEAR SIR,-I again send you a few letters for your kind insertiol1lin the GOSPEL MAGAZINE. Last month-the commencement of a nf:'Wyear-we had the pleasure of sending forth about 10 cwt. of readingto various parts of the world. I shall be glad if friends will helpus more in books and money. I think if they only knew howgreatly the reading is valued by our soldiers and especially by sailors.on long voyages, they would more readily help by giving books, ordonations to enable me to purchase them. Illustrated volumes areespecially valuable.

FROM THE SEAMEN'S CHRISTIAN FRIEND SOCIETY.

I beg to thank you most gratefully for the case of books and maga­zines, which you have so kindly sent to us for distribution among our"sailors. Wishing you great blessing and encouragement in your goodand useful work.

FROM A SOLDIER.

"Just a few lines to thank you for your kindness in sending thebooks. The men like them very much, and receive them with pleasure..I go round with them just after dinner every Sunday; last Sunday I hadvery few, and I was thinking where they were coming from, when yoursca.me to hand. Many thanks. I am glad to say that the Lord isblessing our efforts here. There were two conversioDs last month. Onewas such a hopeless drunkard, but has not had the desire to touch the­drink since, and his testimony the other night was that it had beenthe happiest time of his life, and he was still looking to the lovingSaviour for strengtb. and guidance."

I have just issued a Oh~istmas collecting paper, and shall be pleasedto send it to any friend who will pass it round at the Ohristmas.table. Thanking you for your kindness,

I am, very sincerely yours,ANN EVERARD BRIDER.

1, Wilton Place, Salisbury, November 6th, 1895.

762 Tlte Gospel M agazz'ne.

~~bieius aull iDtins Di ~DDhs.

'Ihe Gurneys of Earlham. By AUGUSTUS J. C. HARE, Author ofMemorials of a Quiet Life, The Story of Two Noble Lives, &c. London:George AlIen. Two volumes.

A FAMILY history sometimes strikingly illustrates the lights and-shadows, the joys and sorrows, the privileges and the dangers ofhuman life; and this is particularly the case with the family historybefore us. The Gurneys of Earlham were certainly a very remarkablef~mily, and, as the Author says in his preface to this work, "throughtheir personal qualitits and their self-devotion, they played a moreconspicuous part than any other set of brothers and sisters in thereligious and philanthropic life of England, during the first half ofthe nineteenth century." In these volumes we have vividly set beforeus picture after picture of their happy home at Eal'lham duringseveral succeeding generations, and interesting notices of the moreprominent members of the family, whose lives have already beenpublicly recorded, such as the well·known Mrs. ELIZABETH FRY, JOSEPHJOHN GURNEY, SA..mJEL GURNEY, and their brother-in-law, Sir THOMASFOWELL BUXTON. Strange to say, Earlham Hall, near Norwich, wherethe family resided for five generations, never belonged to them,although they purchased an estate contiguous to it j but for the longperiod of one hundred and nine years they rented it from the BACONfamily, to whom it belonged for centuries, and who would neverconsent to sell it. Many extracts are given from the diaries and.correspondence of various members of the family, which clearlyportray their home life, their religious feelings, and their intenseaffection for and interest in one another. Amongst the guests whoare frequently mentioned as staying with them, are some well-knownnames, such as WILLIAltI WILBERFORCE, CHARLES 8IMEON, of Cam­bridge, Dr. WORDSWORTH, LORD CALTIIORPE, LORD and LADY SUF­FIELD, HENRY TRACEY, &c. The following is a description given byMiss CATIIERINE FRY of this happy home, and one of its chiefinmates, as she knew it and him:-

"Earlham at this time may be compared to a landscape with an.autumnal glow upon it, clothed in rich colour, and warmed by a brightsun. But mists unperceived were gathering in the distance, the dayswere shortening, the trees were soon to lose their many-tinted leaves,.and a cold winter was to set in." . . . . "JOSEPH JOHN GURNEY'Sattachment to •dear old Earlham,' as he used to call it, becamestronger, as in his later years greater leisure gave him more time for-the peaceful enjoyment of it. How often we have seen him i1'i theearly morning, pacing his favourite holly-walk, with his old GreekTestament in his hand, his whole face lighting up with genuine plea­.sure, as some well·know passage seemed to rise before hi~ in ll: ~ewpoint of view. How have we seen him of a summer eveDIng, sIttmgat ease upon a garden seat, delighting in the shade of his beloved o~k­tree, and the beauty and the fragrance of the flower-beds, whilst

The GosjJel Magazine. 763

finishing old sketches or listening to reading. At such seasons he wouldoverflow with grateful expressions-' My cup is full; what can I renderto the Lord for all His benefits 1,,, The CUEVALIER BUNSEN wrote thusof one of the family: "If the merchants of England, like those ofTyre, may be called 'princes,' SAMUEL GURNEY was indeed a prince,because he was not only a great merchant, but a complete and sincereChristian. His heart was not where his earthly treasure was, it waswith his God, and with humanity, especially with all in sufferingamongst his brethren." A short time after SAMUEL GURNEY'S.death, one of his family was walking with an eminent Londonmerchant, and talking with him of the rare instances of nobilityand high principle which appeared amongst men. He raised his headsignificantly, and said, "Yes, I have seen a noble deed, and the manwho did it is old SAM GURNEY. You may have read about a trial,when one of the first silversmiths in the City, and a man of highesteem for his uprightness, was accuseo of forgery. The excitement asto the probable result of this inquiry was intense, and the opinions ofmen differed widely. On the morning of the decisive day, I chancedto hear that my friend GURNEY was prepared to stand by the prisoneJ'in the dock. I immediately proceeded to Lombard Street, where Ifound him occupied with the vast interests of his businel!ls, and allkedhim hastily whether common report was true. Upon which he said,'After a most anxious investigation of the matter, I am firmlyconvinced of that man's innocence. I deem it my duty to expressthis publicly, and I shall join him in the felon's dock.' And mostassuredly he went; nor could anyone easily forget the intensesensation produced in the crowd of spectators when, on the prisonerbeing conducted to his place, the stately figure of SAi\WEL GURNEYpresented itself to the public gaze by the side of the innocent silver­smith." Mr. HARE has had a difficult task in selecting from theimmens~ mass of journals and correspondence which the members ofthis numerous family left behind them, but he has performed histask well.

The Master's Guide f01' His Disciples / being a Manual of all the 1'ecol'deaSayings of Jesus, arranged f01' easy Consultation and Systematic Reading.With a Preface by EUGENE STOCK, Author of Lessons on the Lifeof OU1' Lord. London: Elliot Stock.

THE collected words of Him who" spake as never man spake." It is agood idea to place them together as a whole, and to classify themunder the different heads of "The Devout Life," "The Practical Life,""The Intellectual Life," and so on. It would have been better,perhaps, if the words which were addressed particularly to the twelveApostles and to the seventy disciples, had been placed separately j for,united to the other words and sayings of our Lord they appear as ifthey were addressed to, and were binding upon, all the Lord's followersin all ages. The volume is otherwise admirable. As the publishersays, in his preface, "The •Sayings of Jesus' are, indeed, so full ofmeaning, so rich in suggestiveness, and capable of such many-sidedapplications to human condition and need, that there is scarcely aposition or pursuit in human life upon which He has not given us

764 The Gospel i}fagazine.

]SA,

some directions. A soul seeking guidance on almost any practical orspiritual difficulty can here find under one head all that the Saviourhas left for our help; the index enabling the reader to turn, easily, tothe texts which he nE:'ed.~." The texts are taken from the RevisedVersion.

The Papal Plea fm' Re-union T1'ied in the Balances of l'1'utl. and History,and Found Wanting. By an OXFORD GRADUATE. London: OharlesJ. Thynne, Wycliffe House.

WE should like to see this excellent pamphlet circulated far and wide.

Youth and TnM Manhood in the Highest and Best Sense. London: TheFamily Doctor Publishing Oompany.

AN exposure of quacks and their modes of procedure, and someearnest words of warning, by a physician and surgeon.

IN MEMORY OF ESTHER.

" Let us pass OV81' unto the other side."-MARK iv. 35.

"LET us pass ovel' to the other side."So spake the Master, 'mid the shadows dim,

And through the solemn, silent sea of DeathHis wearied servant gladly went with Him,

She went with Him. She did not go aloneAcross the waves so dark to mortal view;

As loving mothers carry tender babes,He carried her anear His bosom through.

She gladly went. Although the world was fair,And she was young, and friends beloved were near,

Yet when the Master whispered, "Let us pass,"She could no longer wish to linger here.

For in her suffering she bad learned so wellHis matchless love, and tenderness, and grace,

That she desired but to abide with Him,To gaze for ever on His glol'ious face.

"Let us pass over." She has gone beyondThe pain and hunger of this earthly land:

She is "with Ohrist," where tears are wiped away,Where hearts are fed and filled by His own hand.

"Let us pass over." Soon we, too, sball crossWith Him we love to that bright "other side":

There, soon, our weeping .will be sweetly stayed,And we, too, shall be fully satisfied.

END OF VOLUME XXX.-NEW SERIES.

Loud?n: Printed by W. H. a,nd L. OOLLINGRIDGE, City Press, Aldersg-ate Street E.C

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