How rough and rugged is the road,
Wherein we journey to our God,
But in his strength we shall pursue,
And keep yon glorious world in view.

Our heavenly Father is a friend,
He takes us to our journey's end,
His guidance is supremely sure,
His mercy is for ever more.

His loving-kindness is the same,
Unchang'd is our Jehovah's name,
We want no other God but him,
His praise shall ever be our theme.

Ye saints of God, your toils will end,
But not the friendship of your friend.
Altho' almighty still he deigns,
To sympathize in all our pains.

Our sorrows here will soon be o'er,
No pangs are known on Canaan's shore
A crown of glory we shall wear,
And with our Jesus bright appear.

How great our portion tho' oppress'd,
We soon shall kuow eternal rest,
By faith in Christ we journey on,
Where immortality is known.
Westminster.

64 BUT I OBTAINED MERCY."
When Sinai's thunder roared aloud,
By faith I to my Saviour fled,
And found in him a cooling shade,
To cover my defenceless head.

He told me he had borne the curse,
The law's demand he fully paid,
Sin, my enormous load of guilt,

Was by the Father on him laid.

Such tender love quite broke my heart, Caus'd tears of grief and joy to flow, Grief at his agony and smart,

And joy his precious love to know.

I humbly cried aloud, why me,

Why should I in such mercy share? The vilest of the vile I am,

And yet the object of thy care.

C.

But language fails me to describe,

The happiness I then enjoyed,
That precious theme, my Saviour's love,
My very heart and soul employed.
And while on Pisgah's top I stayed,

And had the promis'd land in view,
I little thought that I must wade,
Through darkness and desertion too.
I thought my joys would always last,
And ne'er his face would hide,
Not knowing that his word hath said,
That faith and love must both be tried.
When darkness first o'erspread my mind,
I said, alas I am deceiv'd

Wretch that I am thus to presume,

I've never rightly yet believed.
That's surely true, the tempter said,
Your condemnation now is sure,
'Gainst light and knowledge you have sinn'd
Eternal wrath you must eudure.
When thus distressed and near despair
My precious Lord his love reveal'd,
And bid me singly look to him,
Who by his love my pardon seal'd.
Thus he hath sweetly led me on,
And by experience made me prove,
I stand not in the grace received,
But in his everlasting love.
And to his glory I affirm,

Not one good thing hath ever fail'd
In every trial, strength he's given,
His word of promise hath prevailed.

WRITTEN ON

MARY.

THE BLANK PAGE OF
A BIBLE.

THIS is a never failing treasure,
When all around is dark and drear,
This is my never failing pleasure,
My counsellor, my comfort's here.
The world could give me no relief,

When guilt oppressed my soul,
And I of sinners was the chief.
But Jesus made me whole.
'Tis true, that money, I had none,
But Jesus said, Come, buy;
The riches of my grace I give,
To all who will apply.

With good things I the humble fill
The rich I turn away,

For they their own good works will bring.
And make these works their stay.

What bliss to know my sins forgiven,
And live beneath his smile;

My Saviour changes earth to heeaven,
And this dear Saviour's mine.

THE GOSPEL PULPIT.

A SPIRITUAL ENTERTAINMENT;

(Concluded from page 270.)

A Sermon Preached at Crispin Street, Spitalfields, London,, Dec, 25, 1750, by the late

REV. WILLIAM BENTLEY.

"And in this mountain shall the Lord

of Hosts make unto all people, a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined."-Isaiah xxv. 6.

THIS now is some of the provision of the feast; and the saints of old did, and to this day the saints do feed upon it. Job's soul was heartened and comforted by this under all his troubles; "I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand, at the latter day, upon the earth," Job xix. 25. David feasted this, upon "thou wilt shew me the path of life; in thy presence is fulness of joy." Psal. xvi. 11. xvii. 15, xxiii, 4; and, "when I awake, I shall be satisfied with thy likeness:" this heartened him and made him say, that in the valley of the shadow of death he should fear no evil: the saints in John's time fed and feasted on this; it doth not yet appear what we shall be; we shall not lie a Supplement, 1845.

day or an hour longer in the grave, than covenant determinations have settled it; is not our faith fed and feasted this way? cannot we rejoice in all this? many of us, I hope, can.

5thly and lastly. To complete your entertainment, here are the wine and oil of the kingdom, the love and grace of God, Father, Son, and Spirit, and the comforting and refreshing consolations of the Holy Ghost; this feast doth not consist of all eatables; here is wine to drink, not mixed, adulterated wine wine maketh glad the heart of man, and oil maketh his face to shine; both these were used in the sacrifices under the law, and have a gospel signification in them; and are put together by the prophet Jeremiah, "and shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord, for wheat and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock, and the herd;" Jer. xxi. 12; all which have reference unto This wine of Christ the antitype. the kingdom may be either the grace and love of God let into the heart, that like wine cheers and exhilarates the spirits of God's children, whereby they overcome their spiritual sorrows and distresses; "give wine to those who are of heavy hearts, and let such drink and forget their poverty, and remember their misery no more."

2 Q

Prov. xxxi. 6, 7. This wine of the kingdom, the spouse rejoiced in, and she felt the power of it in her soul; "he brought me into his house of wines and refreshed me:" " it is wine that goes down sweetly, causing the lips of them that are asleep to speak." Can. vii. 9. This wine awakens, and stirs up, and strengthens the soul, not as other wines that lull asleep; this awakens the believer, and gives him strength for service and sufferings for Christ, if called to it: this wine is free and unmerited; it is eternal, unchangeable, and unconditional. Creature acts have no part or place here; works of righteousness cannot come in here; it is well refined; there is nothing hurtful or destructive in this wine, the love of God, Father, Son, and Spirit. If by the wine of the kingdom we understand the blood of Christ, which was shed by him for us, when he was pruned by divine justice in his sufferings and death, as the true vine; this strengthens man's heart; by this come in peace and pardon, justification, access unto God, cleansing from sin; this the believer has a participation of, and it is called a drinking of his blood: though the love and grace of Christ may be more eminently meant, as the foundation of all he did for us; ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ; this love of his to us his church, his people, and his chosen, is unmixed; many waters could not quench it, nor the floods drown it. Can. viii. 7. How large a part of this entertainment is this wine! 'Eat, O friends, drink, yea, drink abundantly, O my beloved." Can. v. 1. But here is the oil also, the unction of the Spirit; the more you are fed and feasted with the comforts and joys of the Spirit, and the teachings of the Holy Ghost, shed down upon you abundantly, through Jesus Christ, the more your face will shine; others will then take know. ledge of you, that you have been with Jesus, by partaking of the same oil

of joy, and gladness which he partook of; hence it is called the oil of joy; all true, solid, spiritual, and heavenly joy comes this way; the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise, for the spirit of heaviness." This fills the heart with spiritual mirth, and strikes sadness out of the countenance; as the wise man expresses it, a merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance;" this oil feeds the lamp of spiritual life in the believer, that it goes not out; all teachings and leadings into truth, and preservation from the errors of the present day, are owing unto this, called the unction that teaches all things; this oil sets thee a working for Christ, and keeps thee working for him; it makes thy wheels of gospel obedience active, and stirring for Christ; we have this also as a part of the provision. You see then, of what royal dainties this feast in my text is made up, there is no table of the greatest prince in the earth, can be spread like this, but you will say, where is this feast kept?

II. It is said to be made in this mountain, in allusion unto the temple, called the mountain of God's holiness; to which the tribes came up three times a year, to keep their solemn feasts; here the Lord dwelt, it was his house, his palace; here he was to be seen, met, and conversed with; "to see thy power, and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary." Psalm lxiii. 2. And the church of Christ, under the New Testament, is set out by this figure, a mountain; and by the prophets, "Let us go up unto the mountain of the Lord's house, and the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk." Amos iii. 18.

The church of God is compared to a mountain, for her visibility, she cannot be hid; as mountains are the highest parts of the earth, and visible, so is she; and she is compared unto a mountain, for her duration; when mountains are removed, she shall continue for ever and ever; the Lord has

had, and will have a church, to continue upon earth, till he has accomplished all his pleasure in her; hell and antichrist have strove all they could to destroy this mountain, and dig it up by the roots, but all in vain; "the gates of hell, shall not prevail against her;" Matt. xvi. 18; her bulwarks are strong and impregnable; the Lord is there, he keepeth house, he dwells there, and will be" unto her a wall of fire round about, and the glory in the midst of her," Zech. ii. 5; here the feast and entertainment, in my text is made; this is the Lord's banqueting house.

This feast is made every Lord's day, statedly, in his churches; and occasionally, whenever the gospel of a crucified Christ is preached, in the glories of his person, grace, and fullness; the ministers of Christ, are to bring this provision unto you every day; they are such messages as these, which make the feet of gospel ministers, beautiful upon the mountains," Isa. lii. 7. It is preaching peace and pardon, righteousness, and life by Christ; it is bringing Christ down from above, by the ministration of the gospel, that makes your hearts glad; all other preachings and preachers are but trifling away their time, and starving the souls of their hearers; Paul thought so, and therefore, saith he, " woe to me, if I preach not the gospel of Christ.” 1 Cor. ix. 16. These things comfort and refresh the saints of God; we are commanded to bring them to you, and to keep them back, would be to rob the children of their bread. Comfort ye my people; with what messages ? why, say, That her warfare is accomplished, and that her iniquities are pardoned, for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins." Isa. xl. 1. We are to tell you this provision is ready, the Lamb is slain, the fatted calf is killed, Christ has destroyed the devil, crucified the old man, abolished death, and conquered the grave, and gives out

This provision is made or served up, in the administration of gospel ordinances; the ordinances of the gospel may be compared unto dishes, in which, as proper vessels, the provision of this feast, is served up for your entertainment, delight, and refreshment, comfort, joy, and strength in the way; and these are golden dishes, ordinances of divine appointment, in which the saints are refreshed, and fed, and feasted; such as praise, prayer, hearing the word, and communion of saints, at the table of the Lord; all these are couched in that word," he brought me into his banqueting house, and his banner over me was love," Cant. ii. 4. In these ordinances, Christ, in all his grace and fulness is held out to us; these are called sometimes breasts of consolation, and at other times, pools and wells that yield joy unto our souls; and in these ordinances the provision of this feast is conveyed; they shall be abundantly "satisfied with the fatness of thine house, and thou shalt make them drink of the rivers of thy pleasure," Psalm xxxvi. 8; these ordinances Christ fills and refreshes his people with; he ascended on high, to fill all things; and therefore value them, make use of them, if you would have your spiritual strength, and coast enlarged; for they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength." Isaiah xl. 31.

III. For whom is this feast made? for all people: this feast, in and under the Old Testament, was confined unto the jews; but since Christ came, he has pulled down the wall of separation,

and the gentiles are to eat and partake of it as well as they this great mystery of calling of the gentiles to the participation of this feast, and the apostle Paul being the messenger of it unto them, made him wonder, saying, Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach amongst the gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ," Eph. iii. 8. So that the words, all people, here, have reference unto the gentiles, by way of distinction from the Jews, that this provision should not be confined to them only; for Christ was to be for salvation unto the ends of the earth: he has a people amongst all nations; for his name was called Jesus, because he saves his people from their sins; it cannot be meant of every individual son and daughter of Adam, for the knowledge of this provision is not made known unto them all in that sense; nor of all that sit under the sound of the gospel ministration; for to some, this ministration of grace, and the provisions of grace, are a savour of life, and to others a savour of death; in both which, the ministers of Christ, in dispensing the truth according unto the will of God, "Are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish, 2 Cor. ii. 15. Christ has given us a key to this and many other texts, where such universal terms are made use of, And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to me," John xii. 32; that Christ doth and will draw all men to him, for whom he was lifted up upon the cross, and is now lifted up upon the throne, is undeniably true, and no others; for his death for them, and his working effectually in them, to save them from the power of sin and unbelief, go together, in this text, and in multitudes of other scriptures, where the word all is made use of; which must destroy universal redemption, and establish the contrary doctrine, as might be evinced; but that is not my work

"

now.

"Christ died, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God," 1 Pet. iii. 18.

This feast is made for all hungry and thirsty souls, those in whom the Holy Ghost hath created a spiritual appetite and desire, after the provision of my text; blessed are such, I hope I speak to many such to day, they shall be filled with the fatness of God's house, Christ hath promised it, and he is as good as his word, "Blessed are they that do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled,” Matt. v. 6; your souls shall live; this provision shall be given you; here you may feed and be satisfied; for Christ doth and will satisfy the longing soul, and fill the hungry soul with goodness; such desires shall be granted, because they are spiritual; and nothing but what is spiritual, can satisfy such souls; they cannot live upon trash, they must have this food; the language of their souls is, evermore give us this bread;" they daily desire to eat Christ's flesh, and to drink his blood.

It is made for all weary and heavy laden souls, that have lived upon their own bread, and drank waters for a long while out of their own cisterns, but cannot now spend their money any longer this way, nor their labour for that which satisfieth not; they now see the folly and sinfulness, of going about to save themselves, and establish a righteousness of their own, and of thinking, that a few prayers, or tears, or an external reformation and amendment will do; they are burthened about their former conduct this way, and dare not, as they once did, and as many do in our day, both preachers and people, "eat their own bread, and wear their own apparel, but are willing to be called by the name of Christ," Isa. iv. 1; they would be called christians, and thought to be christians, and if you suspect them, they are angry at you, though they openly deny and con. temn the doctrine of Christ's atone