those of whatever nation whom God eternally | gospel has produced within you, while walking loves; for it is mediation love, and must accord with its own gift Christ Jesus, together with the order and design of that gift. Thus you must interpret the word "world" in accordance with that to which it is joined.

Remember, there is "a new covenant in Christ Jesus," and you must not interpret those scriptures which belong to that covenant contrary to that covenant; if you interpret but a man's covenant contrary to the manifest designs of that covenant, you would be looked upon to be both a sorry and a dangerous In remembering the sweet promise of his lawyer. grace, "As thy day thy strength shall be," reBut you must look upon this letter as only gard the great Promiser himself, who is dean introduction to a few letters (if this begin-clared to be "the Strength of Israel;" and ing should be acceptable to you) I hope to be enabled, by the EARTHEN VESSEL, to send to you.

A DINNER WITH THE POOR.

I cannot remember that I have had such a happiness at any dinner since that day; I believe it is among the poor of Christ's flock that Christ makes himself more precious than among many rich people, or even among rich christian people; for among Christ's poor there But all the happy, sweet, and comfortable are no fine rooms, paintings, and rich furniture dinners that I have enjoyed for many years to be shewn, nor fine silver dishes, and a var. past, was upon potatoes, with scarcely anything | iety of joints to pamper the fleshly taste; nor

THE PRESENT CONFLICT OF NATIONS.

fine, gay clothing, gold chains, diamond rings, with other earthly polity, to puff up the mind with pride, at such false glory. The glory of Christ's poor people is himself; and if he comes down in his glory where two or three of his poor afflicted people are met together, they feel, see, and know it to be the glory that excelleth all earthly glory-"joy unspeakable, and full of glory;" and then outward glory is as nothing, and we are "all glorious within." But when the Lord withdraws this sweet, bright thing, glory, we as it were, drop into ourselves again, moaning in darkness till he returns. But the promise is, "I will not leave you comfortless: I will see you again.' O, for another shining glory of Christ's love in my soul! if I had only potatoes for my dinner, I would cry out, O, for another dinner of potatoes!

This poor man requested baptism at my hands, and I baptised him in the river Chelinar, near the east end of the parish church at Great Dunmow, in the presence of a large company of spectators. WM. GARRARD. Leicester, May 3, 1854.

useful to the CHURCH.

1st. It is somewhat surprising that we are told, "that doubt on the point that the course taken by our government is just and wise, will generate painful anxiety in the soul, and embarrassment at the throne of grace;" inasmuch, that it is to be hoped that no child of God would take that as a ground of faith in prayer, seeing that it is quite possible for our government to be wrong in both cases, which I think can be proved easily. We are told, indeed, of one, who has sent forth his legions of slaves to rob and plunder his neighbour; but let us look at home, and see what countenance our so-called just guides, are giving to doings in Kaffir Land, China, &c.; and I think that we may safely say, that there are six of one, and half-a-dozen of another; and perhaps as much to condemn

in both.

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to do that for which we have no warrant now remembering that our Lord has said, “My kingdom is not of this world, else would my servants fight." Mr. Cobden's plan has not been tried by our government; if it had, we might have hoped for better results, seeing that an audience was obtained even by the representatives of a despised body of men, and not in the least encouraged or recognised by our government for the people at large.

What we want most of all is, not the wisdom of this world, but that wisdom which cometh down from above, which is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, Let the word go forth, then, to the church, to hold fast the profession of its faith without wavering, remembering that He is faithful who has promised that "all things shall work together for good to those that love God, and are the called according to his purpose;" and let come what will, be assured of this, that He who reigns above, will see that the object he has to accomplish shall be found completed when the last trump shall sound.

Earnestly would we say unto each believer in Christ, at the present eventful time, Look unto Jesus! for vain is the help of man without the guidance of Him who worketh all things by the counsel of his own will, and whose province it is to overrule all things for the good of his church, which he has purchased with his own blood. And we feel sure, that the confidence that such feelings would beget, would enable each believer to come boldly to a throne of grace, to obtain help in every time of need; and then we

should not hear of those excitings of the old nature to battle with our brethren in fierce

combats, but to pray to our Father in heaven, that if it be his will to stay the progress of the man of iniquity, and cause that gospel to spread its influence throughout the world, echoing through all its dreary wastes, "Peace bring about the consummation of the church's on earth, and good will towards man," and desires, that they shall see every knee bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Let such truths as these be opened to the church, with all their sublime and glorious manifestations, and much will be done to enable them to look on patiently and believingly on "the present conflict of nations," and to say with full confidence, "we will trust, and not be afraid, inasmuch as we look for that city which hath foundations, whose Maker And again; that because we have, we ought and Builder is God;" remembering, meanto use our physical and moral strength, is in while, that we are but strangers and pilgrims direct opposition to the principles of that here; and that whatever may hasten our depel which we profess to love; inasmuch as parture-whether it be war or anything else that would justify any man in knocking me -it will only transport us to the realms of down, because he was the stronger, or kill- bliss, "to be with Christ, which is far better." ing me for his pleasure and profit, because he Thus may the Lord give us understanding coveted my goods. How unlike those God-in all things necessary to our thus walking to like principles, which call upon us to incul- his praise. Your's, in the gospel of peace,

gos

cate, and practise, "Love your enemies; do good to them that hate you," &c.; "If thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink;" and many similar precepts in the teaching of our divine Lord and his apostles! And to refer to the wars and doings of the old dispensations as examples, is

a

JOHN WM. KIRTON.

29a, Lincoln's Inn Fields.

He who through God's grace has overcome world of lusts and devils, is greater than Alexander who only overcame a world of men, though he be but a poor cobbler's apprentice?

132

THE WORLD'S CONFUSION.-CHINA.

"THE WORLD'S CONFUSION, AND THE papal) sea: - and then, dear Zion of our

COMING RESTORER."

WERE we disposed to dwell upon the fulness of the sentiments couched in the above words, we might occupy pages: but we shall levy no such task either upon ourselves or our readers. At the same time, we cannot be silent touching the things which are coming to pass; and in which all, who have faith in the word of God, are so deeply interested.

covenant God, "IN THAT DAY thou shal tsay O Lord, I will praise thee, though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou hast comforted me.'

IMPORTANT CRISIS.-We have read, and reA GOSPEL EFFORT FOR CHINA, AT THIS read, the striking request of "R. W. Z.," respecting "An Appeal to the Strict Baptist Churches of both Hemispheres," aiming to arouse our Gideons, our Davids, our Nehehosts of our New Testament Israelites, to one miahs our Mordecais- and, in fact, all the united effort to call into existence-under the direction and blessing of the Lord our God—a powerful agency to carry forth and to unfurl the banner of the Lord in the eighteen Provinces of the Chinese Empire. Our very touched our almost fainting spirit; and the Soul leaped in us when the stirring appeal mind's-eye threw a hasty glance at the hundreds of zealous and decided men in our churches who would rejoice to see the Master coming to them, (in a way of open providence), and to hear his solemn and his sweet voice saying to them, "Why stand ye here all the day idle?" Surely this is "about the eleventh hour." Matt. tions Jesus, the great Householder, is now goXX. 6. Surely, by many striking dispensa

There is "confusion in the world," there is division in the church, there is distraction in the minds of many who love and serve the Lord. How cheering, then, the twin sentence "THE COMING RESTORER." A beautifully expressive name for the Great Physician-the good Samaritan-the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls! It did please the FATHER that IN HIM all the fulness of grace, righteousness, purity, peace, and eternal glory, should dwell. It was deposited in him-it has dwelt securely in him that from him the bride might receive it, in the Lord's appointed time. Sin and satan have roamed about, and roared, and reigned, too, in this lower world, for many centuries." They have threatened to dash God's creation to atoms-they have done their utmost to drag the living family down to hell:- they have not altogether failed. But, as far as the true church of God ing out-and certain we are, that many in our is concerned, satan shall be finally cast out-gospel churches are standing idle:" and if sin shall be entirely washed away;-then the solemn question were put to them, "why "the kingdom and dominion, and THE GREATNESS OF THE KINGDOM under the whole heaven, shall BE GIVEN to the PEOPLE of the saints of THE MOST HIGH, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him." Dan. vii.

Prophecies and promises like these-when revealed and applied to the heart, by the eternal Spirit, are sufficient to cause us to rejoice even in tribulation; knowing that, "Yet, a little while, and he that shall come, will come, and will not tarry."

Before us, is a pamphlet just issued by Wertheim and Macintosh, with these words for its title "SHADOWS OF THE FUTURE: or, THE REAL ANTICHRIST. The Destinies of Rome, Constantinople, and Jerusalem," &c. By A. M. Oxon. There is a becoming sobriety and an elegant simplicity in the work which constrains us to draw the attention of our readers to it. We have first the Real Antichrist depicted; but he is not worth our notice. We have then "The Destiny of Rome" -that is, that "in one hour her judgment will come.' "The Destiny of the Moslem" follows. Then comes a prophecy respecting "JERUSALEM," which, whether it be received in a literal or a spiritual sense, speaks with a refreshing savour unto the soul of the true pilgrim to Zion. And the finale of the book bears the heading placed at the top of this page. After a lengthened detail of the time of tribulation connected with the return of the Jews, our author introduces the final drying up of the waters of the Euphrates, and the coming of Him whose reign brings peace, and whose rest is glorious. The eleventh of Isaiah comprehends the whole of the Mediatorial work of Christ, and his utter destruction of the tongue of the Egyptian (or, modern

stand ye idle?" the answer would be, "because no man hath hired us." Nor, until Christ himself shall purify, qualify, and commission them, will any hiring, or any going, or any doing, be effectual. We cannot but hope that the day is approaching, when our churches-(who have done little more than selfishly receive the gospel for themselves)will be aroused and employed in carrying the precious treasure forth to other lands, and to of the sacrifices we have made already in the other people. But "R. W. Z." is little aware direction he intimates. Let him step forward in practice, while we retire in supplication; and by these, if God will, the thing he desires may be done.

THE FIERY TRIAL.-The good Christian brother whose deep soul-trouble we noticed a few months since, still lays deep in the flood. His beloved partner says: "You will expect to hear some tidings of my poor, afflicted, distressed husband. his sufferings have been severe indeed; no tongue can speak, or pen describe. I must say I have prayed without ceasing; and although for the last few days he has appeared more quiet and composed, yet no immediate deliverance from the Almighty has come he is continually crying out, "I am that Jesus came into the world for the express purlost! Hell must be my portion!" I have told him pose of saving the lost;" that he is as safe as if he were now in glory. This he cannot believe. What a solemn thing to be shut up in unbelief! Hart was in this state seven years, and Huntington two. In God's appointed time and way, I have no doubt most part through this afflictive dispensation, I he will be brought into gospel liberty. For the have been quiet and composed, trusting in the faithfulness of a covenant God. Yes! sometimes even in the furnace I have been enabled to bless and praise Him that we are out of hell, on praying and intercession of Christ. I am still at a loss to ground and pleading terms, through the merits guess the cause of so severe a trial; but what we

now not now we shall know hereafter."

THE NINTH PLOT OF THE DEVIL AGAINST THE CHURCH

BY

IN THE WILDERNESS,

BALAK AND BALAAM, Ꭺ TYPE OF ROME.

Ness dedicates his work to Sir Robert Clayton, then Lord Mayor of London; who it is likely was, for a season, a sort of shield to Ness, from that "pricking brier" to the saints, Charles II.-during his ministerial work, as from what appears in the dedication, his Lordship seems to have loved and protected the Protestant interest in that day; and certainly, if he had sufficient discernment and appetite in the Spirit to enable him to embrace and digest so excellent a repast as that presented to him by the writer, he must have been a man of more spiritual capacity in his times, than the church seems to be favoured with-in such stations in life—in these days.

[A Review of Christopher NESS'S "GLORIOUS PROPHECY;" the fifth new edition of which is now publishing by HoULSTON AND STONEMAN, under the title of "PREDICTED EVENTS," &c,] THERE were three most notable spiritual consumed, (Exodus iii. 3,) because the "goodluminaries in the time of the Commonwealth, will of him that dwelt in the bush" did preand continuing onwards during the oppresive serve her. Deut xxxiii. 16. rule of that Abimelech of our Israel, Charles II., who was manifestly given of the Lord as was his type of old, as a scourge to the church in these lands, because of their ingratitude to the house of our modern Gideon, that mighty man of valour, the Protector of the rights and liberties of this Protestant kingdom, who "adventured his life far on their account." Judges viii. 33-35; and ix. 15-21. And these we reckon to have been Owen, Baxter and Howe, who were raised up in that day to do battle in a more spiritual kind "for the Lord and his anointed;" and were like unto three of David's mighty men, and amongst whom Dr. Owen was undoubtedly the chief, notwithstanding the peculiar gifts and graces of the Spirit bestowed on those three, each for the work assigned to them. We may take leave to add yet another remarkable witness for those times, Christopher Ness; who was coadjutor with these and other divine lamps in that perilous warfare, and whose valuable "History of the Church of Christ from the beginning of the world unto his own day," we consider to be a master-piece of writing in the Spirit, containing, as he himself justly expresses it, "the quintessence of sacred, civil, and ecelesiastical writers, and serving as a short comment upon all the books in the Bible, both historical and prophetical." This work must indeed have been a most valuable gift to the church in those troublous times; but whether this luminary of his day was apprehended while living we have no certain means of knowing, seeing we have never met with any account of his life, while the work before us was printed in a small compendious volume in 1680, neither the dedication nor preface of which gives any account of himself; we may remark, however, that Owen died in 1683, and, as far as we remember, Baxter also within a year or two after; which period likewise terminated the cruel reign of that monarch by whose means those divine pitchers were broken from time to time, in order, that the lamps contained therein might be unveiled to the church.

We had some thought of endeavouring to gather out the cream of this extraordinary work of past times, which appears to be anew unveiled in our time, for the profit of the divine flock; but finding, it may be said, that besides the matter being all cream, or in other words all gold, and with but little alloy-we know not, but that if it any how could be dressed up in a modern garb, it would thereby lose much of its peculiar force and value; which lies not only in the depth and originality of thought contained in it, but in the extreme bluntness and quaintness of expres sion which was current in those days, although such language might not be suited to the more polished ears of this generation, who are even more anxious and careful to perfect the external in every kind, than to obtain, at any cost, such pith and marrow of divine truth as is found within the compass of this little volume. We should, therefore, advise the work to come forth either entire in as small and cheap a form as possible; or, in parts or numbers, suited to the poorest of the flock; each number to contain one plot-while we can, at present, only give the substance of one of these satanic plots, as a sample of the matter and manner of this singularly gifted and highly spiritual writer; and which will be found to cast light in a variety of ways, on the experience of the church in our days, as the sequel will show.—

"The Ninth Plot of the Devil against the Church in the Wilderness, by Balak and Balaam, a type of Rome."-(page 71-86.)

"But the sorest thrust, and most fiery dart of the devil against the wilderness church, was that of the Moabites-with their assistants the Midianites, -which was the last gun-shot of the wicked one against Israel before they entered Canaan-yet it proved, by the over-ruling providence of God, but

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