were a blessed type of the ministers of God's sending into his vineyard; I think that portion of holy writ, recorded in 2 Cor. x. 4; will illustrate this idea, "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh; for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God, to the pulling down of strongholds; (instrumentally so in the elect sinner's heart) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." The Lord the Spirit so blessedly equipped this spiritual Levite for the war, that obstinate sinners that were afar off from God were by his instrumentality brought to the footstool of a precious Christ, and made willing, to crown him Lord of all; we read that when Jehoshaphat went forth to war, he had many obstructions in his way, but the Lord was with him, and blessed him with holy zeal, yea holy faith to rely upon a holy, good, and gracious God. We find that he appointed the Levites, who went before the army, to sing praises unto the Lord, because his mercy endureth for ever, and as soon as they began to sing this delightful song, the Lord smote down their ene mies before them, 2 Chron. xx. 21, 22. So, spiritually, we read that a little band of spiritual Levites went forth to war, as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, and they had many obstacles in their way, but they did not confer with flesh and blood, for they were made valiant for their Lord and Master, and showed no lenity to any, when they addressed the multitude thus-" Ye men of Israel (said they) hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of by God, him being delivered by the determi. nate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and, by wicked hands, have crucified and slain," and then after this solemn appeal to their consciences, they brought before

their audience the charter of the everlasting gospel, a part of it reads as follows-"Then Peter said unto them, repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins for the promise is unto you and to all that are afar off even as many as the Lord our God shall call." And whilst this spiritual Levite was lifting up his voice, and hoisting the banners of the cross, and testifying of the achievements of Jehovah, how he abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light by the gospel, the Lord broke in twain the strongholds of sin and Satan in the hearts of three thousand of those who were precious in the sight of the Lord.

Thus I have shown briefly, first, who are not on the Lord's side; secondly, who it may, with propriety be said, are on the Lord's side; thirdly, the war they are engaged in ; fourthly, their success in war; but I find our time is gone, and my prayer is, that the Lord the Spirit would attend it with his blessing to his own people. Amen.

We have a church minister here, who, I should hope, is a God fearing man, but still he is not led in a channel that is calculated to settle and establish. Of late I have not waded through so much sensible darkness as I used to do, which has led me to examine why, and many and searching fears have run through my mind; the devil tells me, that I am harden. ed through the deceitfulness of sin, and that I am using my liberty as a cloke to the flesh; at this my soul trembles, which causes me to beg, seek and cry from my inmost soul to the searcher of hearts, to search me, try me, and humble me under his own almighty hand; and to give me

THE POOL OF BETHESDA.

A Sermon Preached at the Independent Chapel, Bedworth, on Lord's Day Morning, May 18th, 1845.

BY THE REV. MR. FRENCH.

"Now there is at Jerusalem, by the sheep-market, a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool and troubled the water; whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in, was made whole of whatsoever disease he had."John v. 2, 3, 4.

Concluded from page 200.

All those who are the subjects of God's grace, the Lord brings them to a decision, they are satisfied when they participate in the knowledge of their personal interest, satisfied when the Lord brings them to this point "It is a good thing that the heart be established with grace." Should there be present a person of this description of character, we say, Come with us, we will surely do thee good, for the Lord hath spoken good concerning Israel. But not to dwell here. Next with regard to apprehensions. Now the language of the poet will come very applicable to your case, and though you may have never heard it, yet it is the language of your soul

''Tis a point I long to know,
Oft it causes anxious thought,
Do I love the Lord or no?

Am I his, or am I not?'

of age and sickness, we say of bem, and bone, they have not got strength Poor creatures, nothing but skin to walk; withered through the consciousness of guilt and sin on the conscience.

Such is the effect of guilt on a man's conscience that it will bring down his natural frame, and reduce him to a walking skeleton-a mere phantom-their flesh wastes away from off their bones. Thus it is, in a spiritual point of view, the effect on the mind. Every child of God who is made to feel and see their own weakness, their imbecility, that they are not sufficient of themselves to think anything of themGod. But you also have been made selves; but their sufficiency is of to say with the apostle, "When I am weak, then am I strong." To whom is it the Lord promises to give in themselves they feel they could power? to those that are so strong No. live independent?

To whom

"He

then is the promise made? giveth power to the faint, and to those who have no might he increaseth strength."

Courage, then, my soul, here is no ground for despair, no just ground to despair. 'Why art thou cast down, within me; hope thou in God, for I O my soul, why art thou disquieted sball yet praise him who is the health of my countenance, and my God."

Another idea is, deadness. To be withered implies deadness. You observe your trees, plants, and shrubs in your garden, you see they are withered; again, another day you see them all shrivelled up, dry and barren. It is not always the case because the leaves fade and wither there is no life in the root; cut it down, and if dead it will not sprout again, but if not dead, probably

another season it will.

For there

is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease.

2 H

Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground, yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant." Surely, if there is hope of a tree, naturally, there is better hope of the trees of the Lord's right hand planting, which he has planted in the soil of his own

Sovereign grace. You feel your deadness in soul, you say you are so benumbed, I tell you at times I am as bad as you. You say, I cannot think that. Why not? I know where you are; you mourn because you cannot mourn.

It is

Another feature is, distress. the case with many children of God, your want of feeling causes you to mourn. You think if you had but love enough to feel something, but your grief is because you cannot feel. But could you get all you want, then would you be satisfied? But the man who feels the preciousness of Christ, a sense of interest in his salvation, the man that feels thus is in a state which you would be, could you get all you want. You say, I do not think so; not all you want in full fruition of enjoyment. All you want, inasmuch as you have got the kernel of it, inasmuch as you are said to hold the stalk. A man plucks a flower by talking the stalk, on the stalk is the flower. A man who puts an acorn in the soil, seeing it grow, has got an earnest of a full grown oak. The bud of grace is glory in the flower; the bud is grace, but glory is the full blown flower. As sure as a man has grace in the bud, he will have grace in the full-blown flower, and we shall all come to the perfect stature of a man in Christ Jesus. As sure as you have the stalk of free, sovereign, conquering grace, you shall have the full-blown rose of everlasting blessedness.

One idea more concerning "withered;" it is drought, “the blind, the halt, and the withered." What is it causes the green herbage of creation

You

to wither? The drought of summer, want of water. Some of you as a church and congregation of Independents, have been in a withered state may be for years. What caused you to wither? Why not flourishing? Why not display greenness with blossoms? Why not fruit? were in a withered state. What was the cause? No wholesome streams flowing from the well, and all you had came through the muddy channels of Arminianism. You were like the wise man, who said Bread of deceit is sweet to a man, but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel." It made you wither, no waters for the root, no refreshing showers on the leaves; you were withered, of all withering states of experience of the children of God, nothing is so likely to make them wither, as when the Lord causes a famine, not of bread or of water, but of hearing the word of God; nothing makes a church and congregation so prosperous, so flourishing, so fruitful as when, through the channels of a preached gospel, effusion shall descend on God's heritage, descend plentifully in rich dews, refreshing every part of his weary heritage. Thus, you see, to those in a withered state, God, in his own time, sends down showers, fulfils his promise, causing the blessing to descend in copious showers, maintains the preacher in the work, refreshes, reinvigorates, and produces re-action in the soul, "Waiting for the moving of the water." Just let us close with a few remarks, "Waiting for the moving of the water." First, as regards attendance on the public means. You are waiting this morning for the moving of the water, and except God moves the water there is no consolation, no edification, no refreshing streams, no life-giving efficacy; only as he moves the waters is the soul refreshed. Concerning your own case, I would say there is hope in Israel concerning this thing, you