He walks with God, who, as he onward moves, Sees in his Saviour his Example too. How blest the man who humbly walks with God, And glory crowns him when his labours cease. MEDITATION. On Him who did my soul create, Who did my soul redeem; And cheering are the thoughts of Him The chorus of the cherubim With his high glory swells: But not the cherubim of light, Who stand around his throne, Though great in knowledge as in might, Can make his glories known. The bright perfections of his name He only can reveal; The lips that may his grace proclaim, His Spirit must unseal. And Oh! when written on the CROSS, That name of Love I see, All good, all gain I deem as loss, Save HIM who died for me. IOTA. 10TA. EPHESIANS iii. 20, 21. "Now, unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. How rich, how great God's high behest, All power of speech, all human thought, The wonders that his grace hath wrought, For thee, the spheres their orbits keep; Praise him for life-say, canst thou weigh The sum and magnitude set forth? He gives thee all things ;-wouldst thou more? If earth and heaven with all their store A. FOSTER, PRINTER, KIRKBY LONSDALE. IOTA. FRIENDLY VISITOR. No. CLXII.] MARCH, 1832. [VOL. XIV. EXTRACT FROM "THE WORLD CONQUERED." Brethren, when do ye think the Lord will cause his fury towards us to cease? when will the flames be quenched? when will his repentings he kindled? What hope is there that our conflagrations should be at an end, till our idols be burnt up? It is vain to think that our prayers, and fastings, and weeping before the Lord, will put out the fire of his jealousy. "Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? Israel hath sinned, they... have taken of the accursed thing. ... I will not be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you." Josh. vii. 10-12. The Lord has broken us with a great breach; the Lord hath smitten us with a very grievous blow and now we fall to fasting, and praying, and prostrating ourselves before him, in hope that this may make up our breach and be the healing of our wound, But will this do? Get you up, get you up, why lie you thus upon your faces? Is there not an accursed thing among you? Think not that the Lord will be with you, till that be destroyed from among you: hope not for any thing from those prayers and fastings that do no execution upon your accursed things. Do your prayers leave your pride alive, your covetousness alive, your wantonness alive? Yourselves are like to die, notwithstanding all such prayers. God is either upon refining or rejecting. He hath cast us into his furnace, kindled his fires, been blowing with his bellows; if our dross may be consumed. If that be not done, the next word we may hear, may be that of the prophet: "the bellows are burnt, the lead is consumed of A New Edition of this excellent work is just published by the Editor, price 4s. He strongly recommends it to his readers as very suitable for the present times. D the fire, the founder melteth in vain, for this dross is not taken away reprobate silver shall men call them, for the Lord hath rejected them." Jer. vi. 29, 30. SOME ACCOUNT OF MARY C. "Give glory to the Lord your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness." Jer. xiii. 16. A little more than three years ago, I was told that a person in my congregation would feel thankful, if I would preach from those words of our Lord, contained in John vi. 37. “Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out." I need not say that I received great pleasure in having such a request made to me; for I concluded, at once, that it must have proceeded from some one occupied with the most important of all subjects, that of the soul's salvation, and who was probably, at this time, labouring under mistaken views, or trembling between hope and fear, and desirous of hearing if these words did indeed contain all the comfort and encouragement to sinners which they seem to do. I was also glad that the person was unknown to me, for I determined to be faithful and personal in my address; and as I was ignorant whose heart and conscience was to apply my instructions to itself, I was the more unfettered than I otherwise should have been. After a few remarks, therefore, shewing that coming to Christ is the great hinge on which salvation turns, and after stating the circumstance which had led me to the words of the text, I observed,-"I cannot but suppose that the person on whose accouut I preach from these words must have seen in them something difficult which wanted explaining, or something encouraging which wanted applying; and so desirous am I of meeting this case, that, as if there were no other person present, I shall address myself to him or her, praying that the Spirit of God may direct me to speak a word in season, which may prove the power of God unto salvation. I shall draw my bow at the venture, and may God speed the arrow that it may reach the heart." I proceeded to frame my discourse so as to meet the case of a convinced sinner, distress ed, but having hope-a hope which looked to Christ, and found balm in the divine declaration of the text. I observed, that as no one inquires about coming to Christ until he sees himself sinful, ruined, and helpless; so I could not but presume, that the person to whom I was to address myself must have some knowledge of the Saviour, and some general hopes arising from the mercy of the Gospel. I then attempted to meet the chief difficulties which beset inquirers in coming to Christ. I shewed that coming to Christ was a fruit of faith; that it consists in a personal application to Christ for the blessings of salvation in the way of union and communion, and that, from a full and firm persuasion that they were to be obtained in no other way; that this application is to be made by prayer and faith; and that no one can come to Christ unless he be divinely taught of God. I further endeavoured to set forth the encouragement afforded by the text, in the assurance which it gives of the ability of Christ to save; his readiness to receive those who apply to him for salvation; the unlimited freeness of his mercy; and the grounds on which we may rest upon his ability, readiness, and free mercy. After some further remarks, I concluded thus, "and now, inquiring sinner! what more is there that I need say unto thee? Is there yet a difficulty that lies in thy way ? Does thy heart still misgive thee? thou hast heard that there is salvation in Christ-that he is ready to receive all sinners -that he is ready to receive thee-and that for thine encouragement he has said, 'Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out.' Thou hast been taught how to apply to him-that thou art to do it now-that there is nothing that should prevent thee-that no previous qualification is requisite that thou must rely simply on his mercy. All turns upon this, coming to Christ. And if thou comest to him now, thou wilt find thy account in constantly adhering to him, and abiding with him forever. He is not only a Saviour from sin, but also from sorrow; and if ever thy bosom should be heaved with a sigh, and if ever the floods of grief should almost overwhelm thy spirit, thou wilt find no surer refuge than in the arms of that Friend who now receives thee. Oh! he will hide thee from the windy storm and tempest. He will support thee under all thy fears. His arms will be opened when all others are folded against thee. The smile of reconciliation and love and peace will rest on his brow, although elsewhere thou see |