"Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh "My life with his connected stands, Where heaven itself is found." glory. The throne of grace has been the place of our appeal, and "a glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary.' Before that throne of glory we shall worship; upon it shall we be exalted; and coeval with it shall be the excellence and duration of our bliss. This bread and this wine are pledges to me on the part of my Redeemer, that this hope "maketh not ashamed." Besides all this, Jesus says of himself in the apocalypse, “ I am the first and the last; I am he that liveth, and was dead; and behold I am alive for evermore, amen; and have the keys of hell and of death." Do I trust in Jesus? Do I love him? Do I enjoy his friendship? How then can I act rightly towards him, or towards myself, with these memorials of his dying love and grace before me, in being so anxious about my departure from this present evil world? Would it not be better every way to leave it entirely with him, and to fear nothing? Surely it should be so. Yes; for we shall have enough grace to sustain us in dying, whose And then we may call to mind in whole lives have been supported by its connection with this topic, the relation constant and unfailing supplies. Ours which is borne by the throne of grace, may be a lingering or a sudden death; at which we bow on earth, to the throne a painful or an easy departure; but of glory, before which the redeemed what matter? Death's shafts are stingwill bow in heaven. Have we ap-less, and in Christ's hands. In this as proached the throne of grace? How came we there? Was it not through Christ? He raised it; he is the way to it; he invited and helped us to come to it; he was all our plea there, and it is he through whom the Father approved and blessed us. Having once obtained access there we find it our continual resort. The apostle's testimony is therefore not inappropriate, "My God shall supply all your needs, according to his riches in glory, by Christ Jesus." And again, For all things are yours, whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come, all are yours; and ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's." It follows, therefore, that we must be beatified in the presence of God's excelling glory; that the privileges of grace on earth are necessarily associated with heavenly glory. Death does not, cannot, introduce us, who through grace have believed, to the throne of vengeful in all else, "we walk by faith, not by "He that formed me in the womb, "Plagues and deaths around me fly; JAMES SMITH, JUN. justice, but to the throne of blissful Loughborough, Sparrow-hill. Choice Sayings of Good Men. FAITH IN THE REDEEMER. Let me charge you, O prisoners of hope, to look out by faith to that speedy and swift salvation of God which is coming to you. That is a broad river which faith may not look over; it is a mighty and a broad sea, whose farthest banks and shore cannot be beheld by those of a lively hope. Look over the water; your anchor is fixed within the vail, "whi' ther the forerunner, Christ, has entered for you." Oh, but we have short and narrow, and creeping thoughts of Jesus, and do but shape Christ in our conceptions, according to some created portraiture! Lend us your help, O ye glorified indwellers of earth and heaven, sea and air, that we may set on high the praises of our Lord; let all creature beauty blush before his uncreated beauty! let all created strength stand amazed before the strength of the Lord of Hosts! let all created love be ashamed before the unparalleled love of heaven. O angel of wisdom, hide thyself before our Lord, whose understanding passeth finding out! Sun, in thy shining beauty, vail thyself in darkness before the brightness of thy Master and Maker! Who can add glory, by doing or suffering, to our neverenough admired and praised Lord! Keep your love to Christ, lay up your faith in heaven's keeping, and follow the Chief of the house of martyrs, that witnessed a good confession before Pontius Pilate: let faith live, and breathe, and lay hold on the sure salvation of God, when clouds and darkness are about you. Take heed of unbelieving hearts; beware of "Doth his promise fail for evermore?" for it was a man, and not God that said it, and who dreamed that a promise of God could fail? O sweet and strong word of faith, Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him!" The eyes of faith can see through the clouds, and read God's thoughts of love and peace. Hold fast Christ in the dark; surely ye shall see the salvation of God.-S. Rutherford. 66 of God, the glutton at his table-the drunkard at his tavern-the thief in his dishonesty the philosopher in his study -the merchant in his counting-house— the statesman in his politics-the labourer in the field-the preacher in the pulpit-the legalist in his righteousness his charities, are all under the same -the hypocrite in his prayers, and in principle; the language of their hearts to God is, "Depart from us, we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have if we pray unto him?" Job. xxi. 14, 15. There is something eminently and awfully defective in the best works of man. What "God is not in all his thoughts," -he is a withered branch, separated from the parent tree: more than this, he is a brand burning in the fire, even sin is there is hell in embryo.-Howels. on this side eternal torment; for where CHRIST'S CARE OF HIS PEOPLE. Christ, the good Shepherd, will not permit the powers of darkness to pluck thee from him by violence: and he will afford thee grace sufficient, if thou wilt seek and employ it aright, to preserve thee from abandoning his fold of thyself. He will not suffer thee to be tempted above what thou art able to sustain; but with the temptation will also make a way to escape, that thou mayest be able to bear it. He will so overrule the events of thy life, that all things shall work together to thee for good in the end, because thou lovest God and thy Redeemer. When he chastens thee he will think upon mercy. When distress and anguish are ready to overpower thee, he will fill thy heart with the peace of God, which passeth all understanding. He will strengthen thee upon the bed of languishing; he will make all thy bed in thy sickness. thou walkest through the valley of the shadow of death thou shalt fear no evil, for he shall be with thee, his rod and his staff shall comfort thee. When thou standest before his throne of judgment he will acknowledge thee for his servant. He will interpose his atonement When 388 CHOICE SAYINGS OF GOOD MEN. where Jesus Christ sitteth at his right hand. Remember that every one who hath the hope of seeing Jesus as he is, between thee and condemnation. He will cover thine unworthiness with his merits; he will array thee in his righteousness. He will change thy vile" purifieth himself even as he is pure." body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. He will say unto thee, "Come thou blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for thee from the foundation of the world." He will cause thee to reign with him for ever and ever. T. Gisborne. Walk in love as he hath loved you. Let this amiable grace shed her radiance over your character, and breathe her sweetness into your actions,-compel by her charms the homage of the profane. Cleave not to earth because your treasure is in heaven. Make use of it to exercise the benevolence of the gospel, to glorify your Father who is in heaven, to diffuse comfort and joy among the suffering and disconsolate. "To do good THE DUTY OF FORGIVENESS OF IN- and to communicate, forget not, for JURIES. Let us consider the circumstances of the person who has offended us. Is he a child? His youth will plead in his defence. Is he an aged person? Allowance must be made for his years and infirmities. Is he poor? His poverty should move our compassion. Is he rich? His wealth lays him under a temptation to forget himself. Is he a wise man? Let respect for his ability soften our resentment. Is he a weak and foolish man? He knows no better. Is he a wicked man? We need not wonder at his ill-treatment of us; it is his general character. He fears not to offend God, and why should we think it strange that he offends us? Is he a good man? It is a pity to harbour resentment against a worthy character. To contend with our equals is dubious, with our superiors is madness, with our inferiors is meanness.-Dr. Fawcett. THE RESPONSIBILITY OF CHRISTIANS. Christians cannot too often or too solemnly, repeat the question of their Lord, "What do ye more than others?" It is not enough for them to equal, they must excel, their neighbours. They have mercies, motives, means, peculiar to themselves. They have a living principle of righteousness in their own hearts; and, in their great Redeemer they have, as the fountain of their supply, "all the fulness of the Godhead." It is but reasonable that much should be required of them to whom much is given. Let your whole persons, O believers, be temples of God. Set your affections on things above, with such sacrifices God is well-pleased." Dr. J. M. Mason. AN ALLEGORY. Being the other day in Sermon-lane, with the cry, near St. Paul's, I was suddenly alarmed 66 There, there, that's he; who was meant, nor what was the lay hold of him!" I could not think matter, when instantly a very stout person, whom I had never seen before, seized on me, and said, "Thou art the man!" and with one blow felled me to the ground. You my dear friend will easily conceive of my astonishment and distress. When I was recovered from the blow, I said, "Sir, what do you mean? What have I done? Why do you seize on, and thus treat me on the with all the undaunted courage of a king's highway?" To which he replied, mighty hero, "I have authority for what I do, and I shall soon let you know what you have done." There was presently a shout by all around me, and they cried, "Well done, Sesom, you are right; hold him fast, and take him before a justice." I talked of my credit and character; but it was in vain to remonstrate; he insisted I should go, and by force he dragged me along, till we came before the justice in Paternosterrow. Now you know, dear sir, this must not only be very disagreeable, but vastly distressing also, to a person of my weak nerves, fond of my reputation, in love with my good name, and who had lived in all good conscience to this day. But think how I must be, as it were, thunder-struck with dread and terror, to hear the man charge me before the justice with being guilty of treason, rebellion, and murder! I spoke as well as I could in my defence; but the justice, with a stern countenance, replied, "Sir, 'tis in vain to deny the charge; talk of your character, sending for friends to speak to it, &c., here is a positive charge laid against you upon oath; commit you, I must; for the crimes are of such a nature, that bail is inadmissable. On hearing this, my spirits sunk, my face gathered paleness, my knees smote together. I sighed out, Lord, what will become of me? and was just falling into a swoon; but was roused from it by a loud and clamorous cry, "Make way, make way there! when lo! a person entered of the most majestic and graceful appearance, to whom the justice paid most respectful obeisance, and on whom the eyes of all the spectators were fixed; and when I lifted up my streaming eyes to view him, I beheld that he looked on me with a smiling countenance, while pity glanced from his eyes, and with an air of majestic authority, attempered with all the tenderness of grace, he proclaimed, "Loose him, and let him go! I am his Surety. To you, Mr. Justice, I will answer for all that he has done, and fully discharge him from every crime. And to you, Mr. Sesom, I will completely pay each and every one of the debts and demands which you have upon him. Justice obsequiously bowed and acquiesced. Sesom retired, and I was set at liberty. I soon learnt that this gracious person was the King's Son. Think, O think, my dear friend, with what wonder, love, praise, and joy, I fell at his feet, crying out, was ever love like this! And this to me, to a vile traitor to his person, a daring rebel against his law, and a murderer who has destroyed his own soul! And yet to be fully set at liberty, and everlastingly discharged from all, how amazing! Ought not I for ever to be telling of the glory of his person, the wonders of his love, and celebrating his praise? Do not I owe my life, my peace, my freedom, my soul, my all to him? O it is the daily sorrow, and constant shame of my life, that I do not love him as I ought, nor serve and glorify him as I should! I shall die an infinite debtor to his grace and love, and it is only by his rich grace and everlasting love, that I have the least hope of seeing, living with, and praising him to eternity, whose name you know, and who is also precious to your soul, as well as to the soul of your friend, Guernsey. Gems of Old Divinity. ON LOVING CHRIST. If this be Christ's love to us, what is that love we owe to Christ? O now for a heart that might be somewise answerable to these mercies! O for a soul sick of love; yea, sick unto death! How should I be otherwise, or any less affected! This only sickness is our health -this death our life-and not to be thus sick, is to be dead in trespasses and sins. Surely the death of Christ calls for this. Many other motives we may draw from Christ, and many other motives are laid down in the gospel, and indeed the whole gospel is no other thing than a motive to draw man to God, by the VOL. VIII.-NO. XCVI. J. B. force of God's love to man. O consider the words, "For his great love wherewith he loved us:" Eph. ii. 4; or if you cannot read, observe the hieroglyphics, every stripe is a letter, each nail a capital, every bruise a black letter, each bleeding wound a rubric. O consider it! Is not this great love? Are not all mercies wrapped up in the blood of Christ? It may be thou hast riches, honours, friends, means, O! but thank the blood of Christ for all thou hast. It may be thou hast grace, and that is better than corn, or wine, or oil. O! but for this thank the blood of Jesus. Surely it was the blood of Christ that did this for thee. Thou wast a rebel Ee lious soul; thou hadst a hard, a filthy heart; but Christ's blood was the fountain opened, and it took away all sin, and all uncleanness. Christ in all, and Christ above all, and wilt thou not love him? O that all our words were words of love, and all our labour labour of love, and all our thoughts thoughts of love; that we might speak of love, and muse of love, and love this Christ who hath first loved us, with all our heart, and soul, and might. What! Wilt thou not love Jesus Christ? Let me ask thee, then, whom wilt thou love? or rather, whom canst thou love, if thou lovest not him? If thou sayest, I love my friends, parents, wife, children. O! but love Christ more than these. A friend would be an enemy, but that the blood of Christ doth frame his heart. A wife would be a trouble, but that the blood of Christ doth frame her heart. All mercies are conveyed to us through this channel. It is said of Ignatius, that he so continually meditated on the great things Christ did for him, that he was brought entirely to love him, and when he was demanded why he would not forsake Christ, rather than suffer himself to be torn and devoured by wild beasts, he answered that he could not forget him, because of his sufferings. "O his suffer ings!" said he, are not transient wounds, or removeable objects; but they are indelible characters so engraven in my heart, that all the torments of earth can never raze them out." O that it might be so with us. If my hands were all of love, that I could work nothing but love; if my eyes were all of love, that I could see nothing but love; if my mind were nothing but love, that I could think nothing but love, all were too little to love that Christ who hath thus immeasurably loved me. If I had a thousand hearts to bestow on Christ, and they most enlarged, and raised to the highest pitch of affection, all these were infinitely short of what I owe to my dread Lord and dearest Saviour. Come, let us join hands. He loved us, therefore let us love him. If we dispute the former, I argue from the Jews, when he shed but a few tears at Lazarus' grave, then they said, "Behold how he loved him." How much more truly may it be said of us, for whom he shed his most precious blood, from that dear wounded side, behold how he loved us! Why, then, if our hearts be not iron; yea, though they should be iron, yet surely must they feel the magnetic power of his love, as he hath said, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”—Isaac Ambrose. Correspondence. CHAPEL CASE.—SINCLAIR THOMPSON. DEAR SIRS,-According to your former acts of kindness, I hope you will indulge me with an opportunity of informing my kind friends in England, through your deserving periodical, that in the kind providence of the "Preserver of men," I am again safely settled at home; and that after an absence of sixteen weeks and one day, I have found all my connections and friends alive and well. That of the sixteen weeks I was absent from my country, I travelled thirteen weeks in England. On behalf of my object I have cleared £106 6s. 10d. sterling. In Liverpool I cleared £40. In Manchester, Rochdale, Lytham, and Preston, £33. I was three weeks in gathering each of the above sums. I was also three weeks in Birmingham; but as I lost my health soon after I came into it, and could travel very little in it, but especially as my object came in contact with the annual gatherings of the Baptists there on behalf of the Baptist Missionary Society, I grossed only about £11 in the town. In Sydney and Coleford I was only three whole days, yet I got £5 5s., and no expenses. In Bacup I was only two whole days, yet I got above £14, and no expenses. During the latest seven weeks I was in England, being three weeks in Birmingham, one week in Gloucestershire, |