OBITUARY.

his saving benefits, melted his heart with love, and enabled him to triumph in death, and just before he left the world he said, " Is this dying, precious, precious Jesus!" Thus we see the words of the apostle James verified in the experience of one, who was ignorant of God, and himself as those who never heard of a Saviour : him know, that he which converteth a sinner from the error of his ways, shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins." May the Lord alone have all the praise and glory for his great salvation.

REUBEN HENTY, was the son of a poor widow, and was in the employ of a respectable tradesman of this town, whose service he was compelled to leave through illness. I was informed of the circumstance, and desired to see him, which request I complied with. Upon speaking to him, respecting the state of his im mortal soul, I found him as ignorant as the beast that perisheth, no idea of God, devil, heaven or hell. Some months after, I was requested to go to see his brother who was ill, as well as this lad. I found him still ignorant, but after repeatedly reading to kim and supplicating a throne of grace on his behalf, I found that he had an ear to hear, and the more close I was, the more he clave to me; but telling me that he had no hope after death, and that he had no pow. er to lay hold of the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, but that he was not without a breathing and panting of soul, after the Saviour of lost, perishing sinners. I visited him many months, and was encouraged by these words coming with sweet ness to my heart, "let Reuben live and not die." Upon calling upon him, one Sabbath afternoon, I found that God the Holy Ghost, had effectually brought upon him the pains of a travailing woman; his anguish was great indeed, sin lay heavily upon his conscience, death temporal, and death eternal were before him. With earnest cries and groans to God mercy; I was rejoiced to see it, and was enabled to travail in birth for him. I called again in the even ing, the pains were still on him, but not to the same extent as before. I never saw a poor sinner more thankful than he was at my visiting him. The Lord sweetly, by small degrees, continued to manifest his dying love to his soul, pardoned his sins, enabled him by faith to lay hold of the Lord Jesus Christ, with all December, 1845.]

for

Let

Dear Brethren-IN him who is the Head of his body the church, the fulness of him who filleth all in all, we greet you in his most holy name, and on the close of another year, and congratulate you on your having been preserved to the present hour faithful in the truth. Having been a constant reader of your Magazine for some years past, I feel thankful, upon reviewing them, to see that you have, as much as possible, avoided those unnecessary controversies which keep your opponents alive, while you have furnished monthly supply of such trnths as are soul-establishing, and as prove conducive to the comfort and edification of the Lord's tried and afflicted family. You have also, for which I would bless and praise our good Lord who has enabled you thus to act, preserved your pages unsullied from the calumnies and reproaches of designing men against God's faithful servants, either those, who being dead yet speak, or those who are still preserved faithful watchmen upon the walls of Zion; neither do you reject the communications of those of the Lord's faithful ones, because they do not keep back part of the truth -some offensive doctrine, or some more offending precept, or see

20

not eye to eye in some fondly cherished ordinance. As then Zion's Casket is the only periodical extant wherein are deposited the pure and unadulterated truths of ths everlasting gospel, oh, Messrs. Editors, how responsible is your situation, having to overlook the watchmen of Zion, and that at a time when truth is fallen in the streets, and when equity cannot enter. Alas, the time is come, when the Lord has sent a famine into many places, a famine, not of bread or of water, but of hearing the good word of the Lord. How many are the places that are destitute of a preached gospel, but in those spots the Lord has bis twos and threes hid in corners, who meet together for prayer, and for reading the word of God and the sermons of his calledhome ministers, who "being dead yet speaketh." To such hungry souls every bitter thing is sweet, and such look anxiously forward to the monthly appearance of your Casket of treasures to get at the jewels. Seeing then, dear Messrs. Editors, that the Lord has thus called you to fill such an important office, and at such an eventful period, and in such an awful day of abounding errors, when every thing and any thing is substituted for the glorious truths of the gospel, our heart's desire and prayer to God for you is, that you may be strong, and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou discouraged, for the Lord thy God is with thee, whithersoever thou goest, and may he grant thee strength equal to thy day, cover thy head in every day of battle, and give thee wisdom and understanding to guide thy affairs with discretion that the Spiritual Magazine may come forth, time after time, like the honey in the carcase of the lion. We bid you God speed, and may the Lord our God reward you with seven-fold blessings in your own bosoms, for your work of faith and labour of love to the scattered flock of slaughter. So

prays your's in the bonds of the gosgel,

A CONTENDER FOR THE FAITH.

Portsea.

THE FAITH WHICH IS OF GOD.
Dear

WE received your's this morning, and we are sorry you are so poorly, and that you have so much affliction in the family where you are. But such afflictions are common to the world, and abstractedly no proof of being a child of God: "Man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward." But the other afflictions are called the afflictions of the gospel, and they are according to the power of God. Hypocrites will talk about a path of tribulation, but was God to let them have health, strength, friends and money, you would find them easy enough. But God's chiidren can tell when he visits their souls, and when he hides his blessed face and all the world cannot repair this loss. They feel corrupt nature constantly drawing them aside. This is a sore plague, a running sore. works strong in them as it did in Job when he sald, "If I had called and he had answered, yet would I not have believed that he had hearkened to my voice." Thomas also, “ Unless I put my hand in his side, and my fingers into the print of the nails, I will not believe.' Zechariah also, "What sign shewest thou ?” Gideon with the fleece, and so I might go on. Now to pretend to have a faith without these changes, as H - pretends to, and as though we could believe as we liked. is a strong delusion of the devil, and pretending to more than Blble saints.

Unbelief

I was in company lately with a lady that told me, she was thirty years doubting and fearing, but now she has got this faith, and she made it out that it was God's children's own fault that they went on as they

do, and that they might alter it. I telt upon thorns until I got away from her. Faith is a supernatural power, which God is pleased to produce as he pleases in a sovereign way. And although God's children at times can believe and glorify God, yet when this blessed influence abates, they can no more bring it on again until God pleases, than they could create a world. I am a living witness of what I write, and yet I have believed and rejoiced in God's salvation hundreds of times. Yes, I have believed and been very happy, when every thing has appeared going outwardly to destruction, and glorified God. But shortly after, carnal reason and unbelief has come again, and all the other has been hid, and I have been like a wild bull in a net. and just like the unbelieving lord. And if Mr. Hwith all his faith is a stranger to these changes, he is in a delusion and deceived by the devil. We are not to put confidence in a guide, but to cleanse our way according to God's word; not by picking bits and scraps of that word to suit our fancy, as all erroneous men do, but take it plain and simple as it runs; and it is the Holy Spirit that must guide us into all truth if we are led aright. Real faith is pestered with thousands of doubts and fears, but false faith stands fast until God's judgments throw it down. Balaam was very strong, and called God his God, but he was of his father the devil. Genuine faith works by love to God's poor people; but how is this manifested when they are rolling in riches, and the dear children of God almost starving? This is love in word and in tongue, &c.; they follow the fashions of the world, with all their faith. Where then is selfdenial? Are they following Christ? 1 trow not. No, their hearts never were out of this world, and therefore they keep company with such as are wel! off, and bring up their children in pride.

And now, , pay no regard to

such faith, but look at the fruit. " 'A good tree cannot bring forth corrupt fruit." I have written a plain, simple, honest letter, and you may read it to whom you like. I am not ashamed of it. I hope you will weigh it well over, and look well to your way. Pay no regard to the encomiums of people, but look well to the ground-work, and have a Thus saith the Lord, for every thing. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater." I fully believe that God has begun a good work in myself; but oh, how sorely has it been tried every way for this forty years, and I am as weak and helpless to this day. No stock in hand; no, but I feel more foolish, fearful, and unbelief as strong at times as ever. God bless you and the family where you are. Your mother joins me in what I say.

To conclude. Aim after secret religion between God and yourself; secret confession of sin, secret plead ing the promises, secret acknowledging his mercies, both in providence and grace. Bless him that you have the least desire after Christ, and follow it up. Do not rest satisfied short of Bible experience, and whoever would teach you not as the anointing, turn a deaf ear to it all.

JOHN RUSK.

GOD'S COMPORTS FOR GOD'S PEOPLE.

68

Acts 16. 14, Whose heart the Lord opened." The hearts of all men unrenewed by sovereign grace are shut up; that is, are so hardened, deceitful, and wicked, that nothing that is good can possibly enter, and like prison doors, they are so fast barred and bolted with unbelief, pride, ignorance, and infidelity, by Satan, that they would for ever remain shut, unless opened by the same almighty power which opened Lord's heart. Several lessons of instruction we may learn from this plain and simple de

5.

claration, viz. 1. That Lydia's heart was not opened by herself. 2. Not by any finite being, whether man or angel. 3. That it was opened by Him who has the hearts of all men in his possession, and who can turn them withersoever he pleaseth, Prov. xxi. 1. 4. We learn that God opens the hearts of women as well as men: which proves that both sexes have immortal souls to be saved; and therefore interested in that salvation, which Jesus Christ hath alone effected, for all whose hearts the Lord opens, whether men or women. We learn to behold the wonderful condescension which God manifests in the opening of the hearts of sinners, which he does generally by the great hammer of his word, directed by the Spirit in the hands of his faithful ministers; and be it observed, that when God opens the heart of a sinner, it is to show him the depravity of his heart, that he may be led to loath it, and cry to God for deliverance from it; hence, saith Paul, "In my flesh dwelleth no good thing; O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from this body of sin and death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord," Rom. vii. 18, 24, 25. If our hearts are opened, let us ever remember, that it must be God who has opened them; and the longer we live, the wider he will open the door, and the viler we shall discover the old man in us to be; and the viler we see ourselves, the more glorious will Christ appear to the eye of faith. Let us then pray, that God would open the hearts of all his unregenerate people, that his kingdom may come, and his will be done on earth as it is in heaven. The opening of the heart may also signify, the giving of a new understanding, new desires, and new affections; for we are told, that when the Lord opened Lydia's heart, she attended to what Paul said, that is, she understood it, she loved it, and wished to hear more about it; and so it is

with every awakened sinner; for though, in his nature's state, he desires not the knowledge of God's ways, and will not have Christ to reign over him, yet when God opens his heart, he delights to pray to God, to read the word of God, to hear the ministers of God, and to converse with the people of God; so that he is as the apostle hath said, “A new creature in Christ, old things pass away, and all things become new.” 2 Cor. v. 17.

John iv. 53, " And himself believed and his whole house." Jesus Christ, when on earth, performed many mira. cles, to prove to the world that he was no impostor, but the true Messiah promised from the beginning by God, and foretold of old by the prophets. In the verses preceding the above, we are informed that Christ restored to health a nobleman's son, at Capernaum, who was at the point of death, without seeing him, by means of which miracle the nobleman and all his house were brought to believe in Jesus. The apostle Paul tells us that "not many noble are called," 1 Cor. i. 26; but he does not assert, that "not any noble are called," because here we have an instance of one being called. God is a sovereign, and as Paul declares, he "will have mercy and compassion on whom he will have mercy and compassion,” Rom. ix. 15; and though the objects of his choice are generally the poor of this world, James ii. 25, yet all the rich and noble are not exempt; foi, blessed be God, some (if not many) are called to the knowledge of the truth, and brought to believe in Jesus, as well as the nobleman at Capernaum; and be it observed, that the rich and the noble must believe in the same Savi our, be washed in the same blood, clothed with the same rich garments, and regenerated by the same Spirit, as the poorest and most illiterate peasant and beggar. But it is said, the nobleman believed, himself and bis whole house. Now mark, he did