love me," says the Lord, speaking under the character of wisdom (Prov. viii. 17), "and those that seek me early SHALL find me." How is the Lord to be sought, and where? In His Word, and by prayer and supplication. Listen! "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto, according to thy Word" (Psal. cxix. 9). 'Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." Notwithstanding, then, the sinfulness of our poor fallen nature; though it is quite true, that "there is none good but Ône, that is God;" that we each and all go astray from the womb, speaking lies:" that we are in the midst of enemies, and have a threefold foe ever to combat with, the world, the flesh, and the devil; yet we have withal muchvery much-to encourage. "If God be for us,"-if He is pleased to put it into our hearts to seek Him; if we are led by the Holy Ghost to say, "My Father, but OLD JONATHAN, then, in conclusion, most heartily desires that God, of His great mercy, would put it into the hearts of His dear young friends early to seek Him; and to this end, he would urge the advice of his own dear sainted mother. In her every letter to her then young JONATHAN, she would say, "Read your Bible; if it be but a few verses, read it every day. It is," said she, "a warfare; but the Lord hath promised complete victory through the blood of the Lamb!"-Old Jonathan's Monthly Penny Pictorial Broad-Sheet. INSTRUCTION AND CONSOLATION. or both-"it is no use now, you are in such a cold, miserable condition yourself, that to go now would be to offer a stone to the hungry brother, instead of carrying true bread! Wait till you feel a little more spiritually minded, and then go." Yes, and often long and hard is the struggle. Nor is the tempter always unsuccessful. But I am beginning to learn that such times are exactly the best times to pay such visits; they may open with a communion in sorrow on account of the dark cloud; but they usually close in sweet communion, as the precious love, blood, and salvation of the blessed Saviour, become the theme. I ALWAYS feel there is something defec- | something either the flesh or the devil, tive in the creed, or something amiss in the spiritual health, of any whom I believe to be children of God, when I hear them speak in any degree slightingly of reading the Word, and prayer at certain appointed seasons. Are we, then, like Quakers, to wait for some inward sensation to move us to bow the knee, or open the precious Word? I know by feeling and a saddening feeling it is too-when prayer time comes, what it is to wish one's self anywhere rather than to have, according to present realization, formally to bow the knee. Yet, how often, while pouring out the heart in bitter feeling, perhaps, before the Lord -telling Him how cold and dead we are -appealing to Him, as the Searcher of hearts, that He knows how we groan, being burdened by such a condition-in a moment, in the most tender, and divinely gracious way, He draws near, and begins to open His heart's love to us, dropping upon the inward wounds of the spirit a little of that precious balm which the dear good Physician alone can prepare. We then say, "It is good to be here." Again, how often when called upon to visit a sick or cast-down brother, a parley will go on within: "Ah!" says Now we have sweet instruction conveyed to us in the words before us, as we are led on to view them under such exercises. "To-morrow we die." What can tend to produce earnestness in spiritual things, so powerfully as the realization of this truth? Is it by the slothful, "Oh, it is no use now, I am too hard, too cold, too full of perplexing care, too full of bitterness and rebellion, because of certain cross providences; or, I am too sad a backslider just now," that we shall find profit by the merchandize of wisdom? No!-Gospel Lecturer. r A VOICE FROM THE SKIES; OR, A CHILD IN HEAVEN EXPOSTULATING WITH FRIENDS ON EARTH. FRIENDS, dear fond ones, who taught | death! For your children's sake-for me that which, under God, has brought your household's sake-for the world's me here; that which has raised me to sake-for your own sake-for the Lord's this glory-this bliss-this uninterrupted sake, strive, dear, dear friends, to live and eternal joy;-friends-loved ones as it becometh the gospel of Christ! BEAR AND FORBEAR." Oh, seek to The Lord hath forgiven you much-oh, check each untoward rising; strive each forgive each other! Again I say, "bear to exercise a watchfulness and self- and forbear." Study each other's weakdenial. You are differently constituted, nesses, frailties, and infirmities, in such but you are not the first thus circum- a way as carefully to avoid the occasion stanced. God has brought many toge- of drawing them out, and rekindling the ther most unlike in temperament and flame of discord, animosity, or evil disposition; they have discovered that thinking. Consider who you are-who fact, but yet they have lived and hath called you-and to what you are "walked as children of light.' Re- called. Oh, "Grieve not the Spirit of member, 'tis "not your rest." Consider God, whereby you are sealed unto the how soon you will reach your journey's day of redemption!" Seek this moment end-how soon join me in this blessed reconciliation. Put away all bitterness. abode. Oh, then, strive to dwell in love At once come to a mutual understandduring the short interval. Live as you ing. Resolve to put away all lets, hinwill have wished you had done, when you derances; each and every occasion of arrive here! Live as you will have division, and unkind thought and feelwished you had done, when (as shortly ing. There must be, for a season at you must) you lay your head upon least, mutual self-sacrifice; until the your dying pillow. Think how soon you pleasure of each arises from the gratifiwill be where you last saw me-lan- cation of the other. guishing upon the bed of suffering and HOPE IN GOD!" NONE CAN PERISH THERE!" I WAS a sinner vile and base, none can perish there!" "Twas there I cried, yea, agonized, When tempted since to doubt, and fear The Lord won't hear my prayer; "Tis He who smiles afresh, and says, "Ah! none can perish there." And when brought there, 'tis then I feel, none can perish there." 'Tis there I see His hands and feet, Like Hannah, there I sadness leave, "WHO REDEEMETH THY LIFE FROM DESTRUCTION." BELOVED, as well as the redemption which is in a precious Christ, is there not a running redemption, as it were, extended to us all along the pathway, and to which the above assertion has more particular reference? Does not the Lord again and again, even while we are in a state of unregeneracy, redeem our lives from destruction, and keep us as the apple of His eye? What we mean may be illustrated by the following fact:-A silver penny of Ethelred II. has been picked up on the Cheshire coast, having on its reverse the hand of Providence between the Greek letters, Alpha and and Omega. That hand has hold of us when we know it not; and while in a state of unregeneracy, who can tell how, again and again, the lives of the election of grace are redeemed from destruction, and they saved from ten thousand snares that have been on their right hand and left? Two signal instances of this gracious fact occur to the mind of the writer in connexion with his own career, which he feels he dares not withhold, that honour may redound to his covenant-keeping God. The first instance was when he had a narrow escape from being drowned in the river S- Having, with a few companions, rowed some distance, it was proposed to get out at a certain point, and stroll about the neighbourhood; in the meantime the boat was fastened to the trunk of an overhanging tree. Upon returning to the water-side, the writer, in the buoyancy of youth, ran forward, and springing into the boat, sent it into the middle of the stream. The boat having run to the full extent of the rope, gave a violent jerk, which threw him backwards into deep water, the matter being made worse by his foot catching under the seat of the boat, and keeping his head under water. At this moment of imminent danger one of his comnions rushed into the middle of the stream, and by dint of great exertion, lifted him into the boat. Oh! does not our God redeem our lives from destruction, and, though we deserve to be lost, save us with an overruling and strong hand? The other instance was in riper years. In the course of commercial dealings, we had sent certain goods to one F., of D. Soon after we received an intimation from the landlord of the house, that F. was a swindler, and that our kind-hearted informant would help us all he could to recover the goods. Waiting upon him the following morning, we agreed to proceed together to F.'s house. It was with much fear and nervousness that he proceeded, which feelings were increased upon the appearance of the fellow who was the subject of our visit; a thick-set, little man, with a most forbidding-looking countenance However, we stepped into the house, addressing him courteously; and all went on tolerably well, till suddenly reaching down a short iron crowbar from a mantelpiece, the fellow aimed a blow at the landlord which felled him to the ground, and with a dreadful oath, swore he would serve me the same, if I did not leave the house instantly. That overruling hand was again near to render assistance at the moment of need; for unknown to us, a third party had been watching the scene, and by his powerful arm the fellow was secured ere he could effect further mischief. Oh! does He not then redeem our lives from destruction again and again, and leave us, in surveying the pathway, to see what a wonder-working God is ours; who, did He reward us according to our sins, would never be near to rescue us from such dangers as we have described, but would suffer us to be deservedly lost? When our dear Redeemer saw Nathanael approaching him, He said to those who surrounded Him, "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! And Nathanael said unto Him, Whence knowest thou me ?" Ah! said JesusNathanael, "Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig-tree, I saw thee." Then answered Nathanael, "Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel." Safe from first to last are all the Lord's dear people in His hand. He knows all about them, and sees them in every position. He saves, He calls, He holds them fast, London. THE NOBLE ARMY OF MARTYRS. SAD and dark were the days stamped on history's page, When fierce persecution in England did rage; When the champions for truth, armed with strength from on high, May the names of those martyrs be graved on each heart, May the flame that encircles them never depart; What heart fails to beat, when we hear with applause, Their whole life was a struggle, our Church to set free They lived not for honour, for wealth, or for fame, O theme soul exciting!-sufficient to make On-on-noble martyrs!-your prize to obtain, And, with courage undaunted, they shrank not from death, Yea, in fearless contempt of Papistical hate, For their trust was in One, who stood close by their side- Great champions for truth! bold, heroical band! May the tale of your suff'rings resound through our land; CHARLES H. NORMAN. SENTENCES OF THE REV. SAMUEL EYLES PIERCE; TAKEN DOWN IN WRITING BY HIS WIFE, ELIZABETH PIERCE, WHILE HE WAS PREACHING, DURING THE LATTER PART OF HIS MINISTRY. (Concluded from Page 176.) It is not our enjoyments make us! happy in heaven; it is the fountain from whence our enjoyments flow. You cannot expect too much, if you expect what God has promised; but you must have a "thus saith the Lord" for it. Christ, in the everlasting covenant, received a model of the church. Christ glories in His relation to His people. To live independent of self, and all saints, and entirely dependent on the Lord Jesus Christ, is the perfection of grace. We cannot prove we belong to Christ by anything in ourselves. I cannot be out of Christ's thoughts, let my frame be what it will. Our acts of worship consist in our acknowledging what Christ is, and what He has done. Our confidence is not built upon our being the Lord's; but it is built upon Christ. To dwell in the love of God, is to dwell in the meditation of His love. Christ entered heaven in His own blood, that is, in His own person. We cannot dwell too much on the importance of the death of Christ; but we must go higher, even to His life in heaven. The doctrine of salvation is for the calling of the church. The doctrine of election is for the building up of the church. I want to renounce all self-sufficiency. Are we sorrowful? Have we trials? Blessed be the Lord, we have an all-sufficiency in Christ, as is more than ṣufficient to lift us up above all. I would never look at myself in Christ will have the honour of pass-Christ by means of my own graces; but ing the final judgment upon all flesh. from the Word, and the Spirit shining on it. Moses smote the rock with the rod, which was the law smiting Christ, when there flowed from Him waters of everlasting life and salvation. Christ will never let it be said there was ever a sinner that surpassed His grace. That Christ should suffer did not give pleasure to the Divine majesty; but the end and design of His sufferings did. All that could be contained in eternal death fell upon Christ. In Christ's sufferings we may see what our death cost. It was an acceptable time when the Lord Jesus Christ came into this world, and also in bearing our sorrows, &c. Christ in all His words and works must have been altogether acceptable. And the person of Christ had an infinite acceptability in it. It is not how much Christ suffered, but the end and design of the same. Grace is glory militant, and glory is grace triumphant; grace is glory begun, glory is grace made perfect; grace is Whilst there are favourites amongst relations, how sweet to reflect that Jesus loves all His people alike. Christ came down from heaven, that we might ascend thither. Christ apprehended in a few hours what the damned in hell cannot suffer throughout the ages of eternity. The soul is the principle of life to the body; the body is passive. The soul infused into it is the principle of its life, strength, and animation. The body without the spirit is dead. Holiness is a distinct thing from righteousness. Ministers should speak out God's own heart to the people. No man has any right to say that Christ is not his. Let sin break your heart; but let it not break your hope in Christ. Amen. the first degree of glory, glory is the highest degree of grace.-Dyer. |