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This parable sets forth in a most impressive manner, the strictness of God's moral government over his chosen people, and his determinate purpose, that Christ shall be honoured in his human, as well as in his divine nature. The beloved Son of God, who condescended to suffer, not only all that his people do suffer, but all they deserved to suffer, left us an example how to act under every state of trial; and he, in the person of Wisdom, declares, " I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment ;" therefore, every time a child of God turns aside from following Christ, whether "he turn to the right hand, or turn to the left," judgment is before him; and if he take not warning, if he attend not to the voice behind him, saying, "This is the way, walk ye in it"he may fall into " a great deep," (Psalm xxxvi. 6,) "unsearchable," (Rom. xi. 33,) to the utmost keenest penetration of man. Yet even there, though he seems to have made his bed in hell, and though his spirit be overwhelmed within him, the right hand of the Lord shall hold him ;-for the way of escape is "plain to HIM that understandeth," and the delinquent himself shall acknowledge it to be "right," as soon as he perceives the Lord's purpose towards him, and finds that his compassionate Redeemer comes to the very place where he is, in order to bring him up out of the horrible pit, to set his feet upon the Rock, and to establish his goings. Thus judgment performs its part, and then yields the palm to mercy; for "mercy rejoiceth (or glorieth) against judgment."

Forgiveness, as the fruit of the Spirit, comprises love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; and where this blessed fruit is formed, the law of condemnation has no place. It is " an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary," a "holy anointing oil," which must be put upon every son of Aaron, upon every vessel of the sanctuary, and upon all that belongs to the service of God on earth; but may, by no means, be poured upon the fleshly productions of man; neither can it be applied to a stranger, nor be produced by creature effort, for "whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, shall even be cut off, from his people." Christ Jesus is the fountain head and only source of forgiveness; and the streams flowing from him, are regulated by the spring from whence they proceed; even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye." The fearful denunciation, "If ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses," when rightly understood by the believer, sets forth the great and glorious work by which forgiveness is made sure to him; and shews the blessed operation of the Spirit in applying that forgiveness to his heart; and in sending forth the streams of mercy, whereby he is enabled to "love his enemies, to bless them that curse him,

271

to do good to them that hate him, and to pray for them which despitefully use him, and persecute him." On the other hand, if the "unction from the Holy One" be withheld, and the disciple is left to follow the seemingly-just dictates of an unforgiving temper,-sooner or later his own guilt will stare him in the face, and the appalling sentence "Thou art the man!" will fall upon him like a thunder-bolt, not to destroy his soul, but to lay open to his view the hidden evils of his heart; to slay the lurking enemy within, and to bring him with weeping and with supplications, once more, to the feet of Jesus; there to find, that his precious blood has blotted out all that was against him, and taken it out of the way, nailing it to his cross. When this soul-comforting assurance of forgiveness is sealed upon the heart by the Holy Spirit of promise, the pardoned sinner can sing with delight

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Remarks on Keseph's " Letter

To the Hon. Baptist Noel.

A FEW WORDS TO A CATABAFTIST,

ABOUT four years ago, a small pamphlet was published under the signature of Aquila,' entitled, 'Baptism without water.' Last year one somewhat larger, made its appearance, headed Christian Baptism,' by Obadiah.' Now we have a third production, called, A Letter on Christian Baptism,' and addressed to 'The Hon. Baptist W. Noel,' by 'Keseph.' It is presumed that these famous treatises, though under different signatures, are the production of one person, even that of Mr. Frederick Silver. Indeed, the second is advertised on the wrapper of the third, as his by name.

There are two or three ministers in the metropolis who are, what I call, of the Bradfordian school, as adopting the unscriptural hypothesis of the late Mr. John Bradford, who preached and published a sermon, entitled, 'One Baptism,' in which the conduct of the apostles are impeached! Mr. Silver quotes largely from Bradford's sermon, saying, "That eminent divine confirms, by the following extracts, the truths I have set forth.' In the extracts are the following, The disciples often did wrong; for they did that which they had no right to do.' 'We are to follow the apostles as they followed Christ, and no further.' 'The apostles did what they had no right to do, as Paul did: and he afterwards was convinced of his mistake, and confessed it. Ile tells us, in so many words, that God did not send him to baptise; yet, at first, he thought he was to do as others did,' 'That Peter did baptise them [i. e. Cornelius, &c., Acts x. 47.] must be allowed; but, that Peter

272

REMARKS ON KESEPH'S LETTER.

did right is to be proved. For, if Christ did | that they could speak with tongues, work not send Paul to baptise with water, so neither did he send Peter."

miracles, heal diseases, and raise the dead? (Acts ix. 40): and are we to be told, that The above, and much more, Mr. Silver has these servants of the Most High God,' extracted from Bradford's sermon, and has that these men, 'filled with the Spirit,' and affixed his imprimatur thereto; but, sent forth by their Lord and Master to though my hand trembles in transcribing preach His Gospel, and administer his own it, still I must add a little more from this instituted ordinances-did WRONG in obeying said sermon. Bradford says therein, "I their Master's orders; and that they acted believe that all the apostles did it [i. e. bap- with dissimmulation therein? O, the very tised] at first; one did it, because another thought is almost petrifying; and I am lost did it; they had been used to it; it is an in astonishment at the awful temerity of hard matter to break through long and an erring mortal, in substance so to write. deep rooted prejudices.' 'I cannot see that Well, we must turn from men, and abide by the example, even of the apostles, can be the law and the testimony' (Isa. viii. 20,) any rule to us for baptising with water.' bearing always in mind, that those who "The example of Jesus can be no authority'speak not according to this word,' it is for any one to baptise with water; for, because there is no light in them.' though Christ was baptised with water, yet, he himself did not baptise. It may be said, though Jesus himself did not baptise with water, yet, his disciples did; (John iv. 2.) that may be, for the disciples often did wrong, and they did that which they had no right to do !!!"

And, Mr. Silver says, "The dissimmulation of the apostles recorded in the Acts, and in the epistle to the Galatians, shews us that, notwithstanding the sanctity of their character and office, they were not infallible; but were, as they themselves testified, 'men of like passions' with ourselves; and therefore we have great cause to be thankful that the epistles to the saints, were dictated by, and under the plenary inspiration of God the Holy Ghost.' [Letter on Christian Baptism, p. 9.] Well, this is awfully speaking out, with a witness! The Deist tells us, that, the Scriptures are no rule for our faith; and Mr. Silver would have us conclude, that they are no rule for our worship and practice. He turns himself away from that portion of sacred writ contained in the Acts of the Apostles, as no rule to guide him: and sees great cause for thankfulness that the EPISTLES' were written; as these were dictated under divine inspiration so that he thereby virtually renounces the other, i. e. the Acts of the Apostles. Alas! what is man? O let me turn to my Bible; that sacred treasury of God's word, that Holy volume of Divine inspiration, in which I have ruminated for thousands of retired hours; and, I find therein recorded, in the second verse of the first chapter of the Acts, that Jesus, through the Holy Ghost, gave commandments to the apostles, whom he had chosen; and that, after that, he was taken up. But, I am now told, that I must place no reliance on the apostles; that they are not to be depended upon; that they often did wrong!" O my great Master, Jesus! thou that art Zion's King and Lawgiver! and didst thou, in thy sovereignty, choose and select thine own servants; and tell them that the Holy Ghost should' guide them into ALL truth;' that He should dwell in them, and be in them;' and were they indeed on the day of Pentecost All filled with the Holy Ghost;' so

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If we have not the sacred oracles to guide us, then who shall decide when modern Doctors disagree? I have named Mr. Silver, a Catabaptist, that is, as our respective lexicographers define the word, "one who is against, or abuses the ordinance of baptism." I use not the epithet unkindly; I respect Mr. Silver, and believe him to be a good man; but I would have every sentiment to bear its own proper name, that so there may be no mistake. Mr. Silver is an anti-baptist, he is against baptism, he is an abuser of our Lord's own instituted ordinance. Now Mr. Silver tells us that, 'a due consideration of these truths, [i.e. which he has written against the ordinance of baptism] would have prevented the unprofitable and sharp unchristian-like controversy between the Pado and Anti-pædobaptists,' p. 27, Letter, &c. Let them controvert, Mr. Silver; they both hold with water baptism; their disagreement is respecting mode and subject. You cannot take either side; you are in opposition to both parties; and depend upon it they will not agree to choose you as the umpire between them. Look you at that noted passage in Prov. xxvi. 17, and beware! Let Mr. Irons compare the poor Ana-baptists, (as he terms them) to worse than sea monsters, and to the cruel ostrich in the wilderness; let him insinuate, and welcome, that, 'the tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst' of water baptism. Let him denounce Ana-baptist churches as where the standing ministry of God the Holy Ghost is virtually disowned; where genuine spirituality cannot thrive, nor can conversion work be expected to go on." (Vide Jazer Vindicated, P, 13 and 25.) Let him declare all this and more; it affects us not; we only pity the poor man. Also, let another scribbler, in a penny tract, say to Mr. Baptist Noel,

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66

But you, the apostate Baptist Noel, have united yourself to the most anti-bible, Antichristian, rebellious opinionists under heaven." I say, let such persons rave and welcome; it is a matter which concerns not Mr. Silver: he holds not at all with water baptism, much or little; or as applicable to either infant or adult. And, as the Apostolic Acts are not to be depended

LETTER FROM JAMES OSBOURN.

upon, therefore, in that case, Mr Silver, in order to act consistently, should cut out the Acts of the Apostles from his Bible. Mr. Editor, the above is intended merely as introductory to some further notice of 'A Letter on Christian Baptism, by Keseph,' which, if the Lord spares, shall be sent you for insertion in your next Vessel. Let us remember that all things in God's worship must have a warrant out of God's Word; must be commanded. We must be all willing worshippers, but not WILL worshippers. In matters of worship, God stands upon things which may SEEM to be very small and little to us; yet God stands much upon them in the matter of holy worship. There is not a minim in the worship of God, but God stands mightily upon it.' STRICTUS.

London, Nov. 20th, 1849.

Letter from James Osbourn
In America,

TO THOMAS TAYLOR, IN WILTSHIRE.

MY DEAR BROTHER,-Eternal peace be with thee and thine.

273

much mischief in a very clandestine way as it progresses along from stage to stage. Here, old Apollyon seeks and strives hard to ruin the honest child of God by sheer deception, and to take him captive by surprise, and perhaps by the hands of one that possesses a large stock of satanic craft under a cloak of virtue, mildness, and courtesy, and whom Apollyon makes a tool of to ensnare the quiet and unsuspicious believer. The poor thing is now greatly under the influence of a slumbering spirit, and in a condition where he can easily be beguiled almost by any crafty tool that old Apollyon may deem fit to make use of, to carry out his base designs. We will here venture to say, the believers' situation is now becoming quite perilous, and the more so, as he himself is unconscious of the snare before him. Yes, his present state is alarming, and as much to be dreaded as is a snake in the grass, especially as the trap laid to catch him in, is so vastly congenial to flesh and blood: but, for the present, here the believer is, out of the snare and out of fear; for he is slumbering and sees no snare near him, although there are many laid for him close at hand; and such ones too as are most likely to entangle either strong or weak, old or young children of God; and especially such children that are constitutionally unsuspicious of men, and things. A snare when it is first presented to a believer, does very often assume an innocent and an harmless complexion; and as he is more than half-way in a slumber, he is not nice about looking at and investigating the matter; and hence, he is caught in the deep-laid trap without apprehending a danger at hand. In order to carry into effect a snare of this character, and with a view of the ruin of the peace and comfort of the believer, Apollyon will often make a tool of one of the human family, to beguile and seduce another; and this often happens among drunkards and gamblers; for Apollyon will be sure, if he can, to get such tools, I say, as know how to work on the mind of a child of God so craftily as to entangle the prey in the snare which was so artfully laid for him by the old seducer of souls. Now, all these things can be, and they are, practised by the common enemy of man much more conveniently when the believer is at ease in Zion, or in a state of slumber, than when he is under the power of a panting grace. I myself, know somewhat of these things by painful experience, for I've more than once been at ease in Zion, and in a fearful slumber, and then has satan prepared a bait for me, which he knew would well suit the temperature of Here we have the real sterling saint, or my body, and by which I could easily be rather a thorough-going primitive believer, caught and completely entangled: and in in a vehement thirst for draughts of divine so fascinating a snare, and in the hands of love and mercy to refresh and comfort his a human agent so crafty and sly as the one soul while on his journey to Jerusalem with shameful attire, and who has an imabove. But still, there are times and sea-pudent face, and is subtile of heart, and sons when we see and hear little or nothing says she has prepared, or decked her bed, of this panting grace; but in the lieu there- &c. Prov. vii. I have been ensnared to the of, perhaps we discover a spirit of slumber great injury of my soul, and to the boast of invading the soul by stealth, and doing satan. (Concluded on page 276.)

The remembrance of you is still fresh in my mind, and hence I now, with the best of feelings, write to you from over the hills and far away, and my wish is, that my letter may find you in good health of body and soul: the soul, however, is the principal concernment, for that is immortal, and is susceptible of both exquisite pleasure, and pain the most acute; and to one of these important points it must ultimately come, even your's and mine, and I trust it will be to the desirable point of eternal pleasure. The royal Psalmist tells us that at God's right hand are pleasures for evermore; and O, that our little souls may pant for these divine and incessant pleasures as the hart panteth after the water-brooks. A panting heart after the pure water of life is a heart made alive by the grace and Spirit of God; and the panting after the streams of mercy is a demonstration of the happy fact; and you, and I, my dear brother, know somewhat of this panting grace, and we have panted after those streams of mercy which freely flow from the fountain of life, and which is a new covenant gift, or heaven's special grant to the heirs of promise. In a believer this panting grace on some occasions runs high; so high and strong that it seems as though nothing could or would satisfy him but the fount of God; and hence, in the holy fervour of his soul, we hear him cry out and say, "As the hart panteth after the water-brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God."

A Faithful Account of the Sufferings and Sorrows of James Pennington,

WHO WAS DELIVERED FROM AMERICAN SLAVERY AND RAISED UP INTO THE MINISTRY OF THE GOSPEL.

A PRINTED record of more than usual interest-under the title of " THE FUGITIVE BLACKSMITH," has been published by C. Gilpin, a most respectable bookseller, of 5, Bishopsgate Without. The perusal of this work has kindled in our breast, feelings of abhorrence against the system of slavery, which we have never before experienced; and as this is a detail of facts brought forth by a devoted servant of Christ, (published to aid him in his labours,) and well adapted to stimulate British Christians in their efforts for the overthrow of that diabolical and brutish system, we shall devote a page or two in giving some short extracts from the work itself.

The narrative consists of seven chapters. In the first he treats of his birth and parentage; and of the treatment of slaves in general, and says:

"In the spring of 1828, my master sold me to a methodist man, named for the sum of seven hundred dollars. It soon proved that he had not work enough to keep me employed as a smith, and he offered me for sale again. On hearing of this, my old master re-purchased me, and proposed to me to undertake the carpentering business. I will now relate the abuses which occasioned me to fly.

"Three or four of our farm hands had their wives and families on other plantations. In such cases, it is the custom in Maryland to allow the men to go on Saturday evening to see their families, stay over the Sabbath, and return on Monday morning, not later than 'half-an-hour by sun.' To overstay their time is a grave fault, for which, especially at busy seasons, they are punished.

"On Monday morning, two of these men had not got home at the required time: one of them was an uncle of mine. Besides these, two young men who had no families, and for whom no such provision of time was made, having gone somewhere to spend the Sabbath, were absent. My master was greatly irritated, and had resolved to have, as he said, 'a general whipping-match among them.'

"Preparatory to this, he had a rope in his pocket, and a cowhide in his hand, walking about the premises, and speaking to every one he met in a very insolent manner, and finding fault with some without just cause. My father, among other numerous and responsible duties, discharged that of shepherd to a large and valuable flock of Merino sheep. This morning he was engaged in the tenderest of shepherd's duties :-a little lamb, not able to go alone, lost its mother: he was feeding it by hand. He had been keeping it in the house for several days. As he stooped over it in the yard, with a vessel of new milk he had obtained, with which to feed it, my master came along, and without any provocation, began by asking, 'Bazil, have you fed the flock?'

"""Yes, sir.'

"Where you away yesterday?' "No, sir.'

"Do you know why these boys have not got home this morning yet?'

"No, sir, I have not seen any of them since Saturday night.'

"By the Eternal, I'll make them know their hour. The fact is, I have too many of you; my people are getting to be the most careless, lazy, and worthless in the country."

"Master,' said my father, I am always at my post; Monday morning never finds me off the plantation.'

""Hush, Bazil! I shall have to sell some of you; and then the rest will have enough to do; I have not work enough to keep all tightly employed; I have too many of you.'

"All this was said in an angry, threatening, and exceedingly insulting tone. My father was a high-spirited man, and feeling deeply the insult, replied to the last expression-'If I am one too many, sir, give me a chance to get a purchaser, and I am willing to be sold when it may suit you.'

"Bazil, I told you to hush!' and suiting the action to the word, he drew forth the cowhide from under his arm, fell upon him with most savage cruelty, and inflicted fifteen or twenty severe stripes with all his strength, over his shoulders and the small of his back. As he raised himself upon his toes, and gave the last stripe, he said, By the *** I will make you know that I am master of your tongue as well as of your time.'

Being a tradesman, and just at that time, getting my breakfast, I was near enough to hear the insolent words that were spoken to my father, and to hear, see, and even count the savage stripes inflicted upon him. Let me ask any one of AngloSaxon blood and spirit, how could you expect a son to feel at such a sight? This act created an open rnpture with our family-each member felt the deep insult that had been inflicted upon our head; the spirit of the whole family was roused; we talked of it in our nightly gatherings, and showed it in our daily melancholy aspect. The oppressor saw this, and with the heartlessness that was in perfect keeping with the first insult, commenced a series of tauntings, threatenings, and insinuations, with a view to crush the spirit of the whole family."

Circumstances of this character wrought a determination in our young author to fly from slavery, let the consequences be what they may; and the following narration of his flight must create sympathy.

"It was the Sabbath. * In the month of November, somewhat past the middle of the month. It was a bright day, and all was quiet. Most of the slaves were resting about their quarters: others had leave to visit their friends on other plantations, and were absent. The evening previous I had arranged my little bundle of cloathing, and had secreted it at some distance from the house. I had spent most of the forenoon in my workshop, engaged in deep and solemn thought.

"It is impossible for me now to recollect all the perplexing thoughts that passed through my mind during that forenoon; it was a day of heartaching to me. But I distinctly remember the two great difficulties that stood in the way of my

SUFFERINGS AND SORROWS OF JAMES PENNINGTON.

275

flight: I had a father and mother whom I dearly | bridge that crossed the road. Here I passed the loved, I had also six sisters and four brothers second day in ambush." on the plantation. The question was, shall I hide

my purpose from them? moreover, how will my flight affect them when I am gone? Will they not be suspected? Will not the whole family be sold

off as a disaffected family, as is generally the case when one of its members flies? But a still more

trying question was, how can I expect to succeed,

I

I have no knowledge of distance or direction. know that Pennsylvania is a free state, but I know

not where its soil begins, or where that of Mary

land ends? Indeed, at this time there was no
safety in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, or New York,
for a fugitive, except in lurking-places, or under
the care of judicious friends, who could be entrust-
ed not only with liberty, but also with life itself.
"Hope, fear, dread, terror, love, sorrow, and
deep melancholy were mingled in my mind
together; my mental state was one of most pain-
ful distraction. When I looked at my numerous
family-a beloved father and mother, eleven
brothers and sisters, &c.: but when I look at
slavery as such; when I look at it in its mildest
form, with all its annoyances; and above all, when
I remember that one of the chief annoyances of
slavery, in the most mild form, is the liability of
being at any moment sold in the worst form; it
seemed that no consideration, not even that of
life itself, could tempt me to give up the thought
of flight.

travelled on towards Baltimore-
In this perilous condition our poor hero
hiding
himself by day, and pursuing his course by
night, until, unexpectedly, he found him-
on what is called "The National Turnpike."
This was dangerous ground; and here the
following painful scenes occurred.

[It should be borne in mind that poor Pennington was not yet converted by divine grace.]

"When I had walked a mile on this road, and when it had now gotten to be about nine o'clock, I met a young man with a load of hay. He drew up his horses, and addressed me in a very kind tone, when the following dialogue took place between us.

"Are you travelling any distance, my friend?'
""I am on my way to Philadelphia.'
"Are you free?'

""Yes, sir.'

"I suppose, then, you are provided with free papers?'

"No, sir. I have no papers.'

"Well, my friend, you should not travel on this road: you will be taken up before you have gone three miles. There are men living on this road who are constantly on the look-out for your people; and it is seldon that one escapes them who attempts to pass by day.'

"He then very kindly gave me advice where to turn off the road at a certain point, and how to find my way to a certain house, where I should meet an old gentleman who would further advise me whether I had better remain till night, or go on. I went about a mile, making in all two miles from the spot where I met my young friend, and above five miles from the toll-gate to which I have referred, and I found myself at the twenty-four miles' stone from Baltimore. It was now about ten o'clock in the forenoon; my strength was greatly exhausted by reason of the want of suitable

It was now two o'clock. The only morsel I could see in the shape of food, was a piece of Indian flour bread; this I placed in my pocket, and giving a last look at the house, I sallied forth thoughtfully and melancholy, and after crossing the barn-yard, a few moments' walk brought me to a small cave, near the mouth of which lay a pile of stones, and into which I had deposited my clothes. From this, my course lay through thick and heavy woods and back lands to town, where my brother lived. This town was six miles distance. It was now near three o'clock, but my object was neither to be seen on the road, or to approach the town by daylight, as I was well-food; but the excitement that was then going on know there, and as any intelligence of my having been seen there would at once put the pursuers on my tack.

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"I entered the town about dark, resolved not to shew myself to my brother. Having passed through the town without being recognised, I now found myself under cover of night, a solitary wanderer from home and friends; my only guide was the north star, by this I knew my general course northward.

"The night was fine for the season, and passed on with little interruption for want of strength, until, about three o'clock in the morning, I began to feel the chilling effects of the dew. At this moment, gloom and melancholy again spread through my whole soul. The prospect of utter destitution which threatened me was more than I could bear, and my heart began to melt. Not a crumb of my crust remained, and I was hungry and began to feel the desperation of distress. As I travelled I felt my strength failing and my spirits wavered; my mind was in a deep and melancholy dream. It was cloudy: I could not see my star, and had serious misgivings about my In this way the night passed away, and just at the dawn of day I found a few sour apples, and took my shelter under the arch of a small

course.

in my mind, left me little time to think of my need
of food. Under ordinary circumstances, as a
traveller, I should have been glad to see the 'Ta-
vern,' which was near the mile-stone; but as the
case stood with me, I deemed it a dangerous place
to pass, much less to stop at. I was, therefore,
passing it as quietly and as rapidly as possible,
when from the lot just opposite the house, or sign-
post, I heard a coarse stern voice cry, 'Halloo !'
"Who do you belong to ?'
"I am free, sir.'
"Have you got papers?'
"No, sir.'

"Well, you must stop here.'

"By this time he had got astride the fence making his way into the road. I said, "My business is onward, sir, and I do not wish to stop.'

""I will see then if you don't stop, you black rascal.'

"He was now in the middle of the road, making after me in a brisk walk.

"I saw that a crisis was at hand; I had no weapons of any kind, not ever a pocket-knife; but I asked myself, shall I surrender without a struggle. The instinctive answer was 'No.' What will you do? continue to walk; if he runs after

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