to my soul a man of truth, and not one that daubs with untempered mortar; but he has done his work, and the Lord has taken him to himself.

Jesus, with all thy saints above,

My tongue would bear her part;
Would sound aloud thy saving love,
And sing thy bleeding heart.

Blest be the Lamb my dearest Lord,
Who bought me with his blood;
And quenched his Father's flaming sword,

In his own vital flood.

The Lamb that freed my captive soul,
From Satan's heavy chains;
And sent the lion down to howl,
Where hell and horror reigns.

All glory to the dying Lamb,

And never ceasing praise;
While angels live to know his name,
Or saints to feel his grace.'

W. G.

[Our dear friend lived about five years after the death of his beloved pastor, Mr. Chin; and died in January, 1844; full of faith and love to that Saviour, that had died to save his soul from death; after making an honourable profession for about sixty years. And was buried at East-lane Meeting-house, where he was first baptized many years before, his beloved spot.]

SHORT EXPOSITIONS OF HOLY SCRIP

TURE.

IV.

"When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory."-Col. iii. 4. How encouraging to the fearful and unestablished believer. Doubts and misgivings shall not always prevail. If we have received communications of divine grace from the Lord Jesus in any measure, so that we have vitally found him to be our life, to the spiritual resurrection of our souls, however obscure our knowledge of Him may yet be, still we have in these words the assurance given us, that "when Christ, who is

our life, shall appear, (manifestly so by his Spirit, to the convincement and assurance of our souls), then shall we also appear with him in glory." Not always shall we walk in the valley of the shadow of death, assailed by the dreadful suggestions of the enemy and our own wicked hearts; but we shall sooner or later be privileged to ascend the mount of spiritual enjoyment, and be so transfigured, through an overwhelming revelation of the love of God to our souls, that with Paul we shall scarcely know for the time whether we are in or out of the body, and with Peter we shall be anxious to build tabernacles, or to make our perpetual residence upon such a holy spot. But no, our heavenly Guide has not so drawn out the chart of the celestial pilgrimage; for well He knows, what we by subsequent experience painfully find, that through the sinfulness and infirmity of the flesh, we need continually to be emptied from vessel to vessel, lest we should settle on our lees. Darkness and light, crosses and comforts, the hillcountry and valleys, all contribute their share to the saints' present portion.

Here we have winter as well as summer, autumn as well as spring. The better portion (and yet the present is a blessed one) is reserved for a better world. So that the soul who is walking for a time in darkness, has no real cause to despond, for the Sun of Righteousness ere long will again arise with healing in his beams, and chase from thy soul those misty fogs which now becloud thy evidences and give Satan an opportunity to distress thee.

V.

“In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul."-Psalm xciv. 19.

Who can possibly number the many distracting thoughts which weary and annoy the child of God?

Thoughts of sin, thoughts of vanity, perplexing thoughts, thoughts dishonouring to God, misgivings, temptations, and numberless anxieties: yet, amidst all these, says the psalmist, "Thy comforts delight my soul." It would seem as though the man of God would teach us, that for every state of trial into which the believer can be brought, yea, and even for some imaginary ones, the dear Lord has prepared, and graciously left upon record in his holy word, some cordial of comfort, some kind and suitable promise, which shall serve as a blessed alleviation under it. And has not the church of God found it so times without number? These are what the man of God elsewhere calls "the word upon which thou hast caused me to hope." They are gentle, insinuating, but effectual supports and preservatives. They are like the dew which falls unobservedly; they are almost hidden by the multitude of contrary feelings which surround them; still so great is their influence, when the Holy Ghost speaks them home with divine power, that they support and buoy up the soul so as to preserve it from despair. Nor are they less comforting, when the soul has a crowd of painful thoughts and distressing reflections harbouring within. When the treachery of friends, the hollowness of professors, and the cutting adversities of this ungenial life overwhelm our minds with distress, how cheering it is then for the soul to be able to withdraw itself, so to speak, into the hallowed privacy of its own privileged state before God, and shutting itself apart from all that would disturb, solace itself happily and feelingly in the neverfailing comforts of a covenant God in Christ. But again, the comforts of God undoubtedly delight the soul, when he is brought under the Holy Spirit's teaching to discover the multitude of evil thoughts and perverse dispositions there are in his

unclean nature, and it is shewn him. step by step that his heavenly Friend has provided a comforting and conquering antidote for the whole of them. As the latent evil becomes more and more developed, so the remedy applied is made to comfort his heart.

VI.

"The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will."Prov. xxi. 1.

What a comfortable reflection is this to the child of God, who is hedged about with difficulties on the right-hand and on the left; and what an encouragement to him to wait on the Lord continually and untiringly, as the great author of all good, and from whom alone help or deliverance can come. And further, how is it calculated, under the Holy Spirit's blessing, to revive the heart with confidence, and to produce a holy composure in the soul, even when the threatenings of ungodly men might be supposed to cause our weak and timid natures to tremble. But then all this fearfulness is the result of our unbelief-we listen to the misgivings of our own hearts, rather than to the plain testimony of Scripture for is it not written, "All things shall work together for good to them that love God." And how simple is this conclusion, and how easy a matter we see it to be with the Most High, if we do but allow the simple fact, which is stated in the Scripture before us, that "The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will." And if the king's heart, whom we are apt to regard as the representative of power, how much more those of other men ! "A man's heart deviseth his way, but the Lord directeth his steps." At the very moment when they are bent upon

some wicked scheme of persecution, he who governs all things will cause some circumstance to present itself which shall completely change their intentions. We have an instance on record just to the point when Saul had determined to pursue and destroy David, and had ordered every thing to be in readiness for the undertaking, he receives a message at that very juncture that the enemy is invading the land; and so he is compelled, however unwillingly, to relinquish the pursuit of David, that he may defend his own victory. Oh, what a good thing it is to trust in the Lord, let us think of his infinite power and abundant willingness, and then pray for grace to cast our burden upon the Lord, whatever that burden may be, seeing he has promised to sustain us.

VII.

"But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?-1 John iii. 17.

Let us look at these words in relation to our ever-blessed Lord. Not only had he all this word's good at his disposal, but he had also those of the eternal world; and yet he did not shut up his bowels of compassion from us. Oh no, the love of God dwelt in him without measure: and so he has inspired his apostle to testify "that all things are our's, and

we

are Christ's, and Christ's is God's." And what a mercy it is that our Lord is not less benevolent than he is for if he did not bestow it all upon us of his own free favour, we should never possess any thing that is either spiritual or saving, for we are "by nature children of wrath even as others." But then we were his brethren. There lies the covenant mercy. Our elder brother had too much of the love of God dwelling within him, to see his brethren

in need, and yet to shut up his bowels of compassion from them; so that he espoused their interests, supplies their needs, and saves their souls. He did it because we were his brethren-children, by eternal adoption, of the same Almighty Father. But then mark it is our needs that he supplies. He does not undertake to gratify all our wishes; he supplies our needs. And sometimes too in doing this, he gives us what we think we might easily dispense with. We cannot always see the rod or the cross to be needful; this bitter medicine or powerful draught: but he is the infinitely wise God, too wise to err, too good to be unkind; and therefore he will supply all our need, according to his promise, even though in our folly we may for the time construe his love to be displeasure. "What we know not now, we shall know hereafter."

JOSEPHUS.

MARKS OF A REAL CHRISTIAN.

WHAT are the truest and clearest marks of a real christian, to a christian himself, is a question often put by one enquiring his way to Zion with his face thitherward. In answer to such an one's anxious and trembling inquiry, for the tenderhearted believer trembles whilst he puts the question, I would reply, the real believer, I apprehend, has been brought to a conviction of the spirituality of the divine law; for we know that the law is spiritual: of its extent, that it condemns for all sin; of its inability to save, "for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness had been by the law." He has also been convinced of the fearful demerit and just desert of sin; he has not barely known, or speculatively believed, but felt, and been deeply persuaded, that wrath, tribulation and anguish will be his certain portion if not delivered by

He knows

the Saviour. Rom. ii. 9. that assertion to be true, "There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked." He has seen that there is no safety in the ways of sin: "This night (saith God) thy soul shall be required of thee." He has seen himself to be by nature a child of wrath, even as others, (Eph. ii. 3,) and knows that his heart is the source of sin. Matt. xv. 19. He is convinced that he must repent, and he doth repent of all sin, for " cept ye repent ye shall all likewise perish." He hath seen that none but the Lord Jesus Christ can save; for "there is no other name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved.'

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Secondly, By his faith he has been convinced of Christ's ability to save: from the dignity of his person, the efficacy of his sufferings, and the express declaration of his word. By the agency of his Spirit, he has been led to depend upon him for the pardon of his sins, for the acceptance of his person, and renovation of his nature by the same Spirit: for " man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost." By faith he is delivered from the curse of the law, Christ being made a curse for believers. Gal. iii. 13. By faith he has been justified, and delivered from condemnation.

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Thirdly, The christian also fights against sin: " they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts." He wishes to bring the thoughts of his heart, as well as the actions of his life, into an entire obedience to his Saviour, for "the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty, through God, to the pulling down of strong-holds, casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringeth into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." 2 Cor. x. 4, 5.

October, 1849.]

Fourthly, By the sanctifying influences of the Spirit of God: "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God;" 'to be spiritually minded is life and peace;""the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; against such there is no law."

The sixth chapter of the Romans breathes the genuine sentiments of the christian's heart: he wants to avoid all known sin, to have courage and strength to perform every known duty; he loves the word of God, the saints of God, the worship of God: he desires to be more and more conformed to his Saviour, more and more transformed by the renewing of his mind, that he may prove what is that good and acceptable will of God. The Spirit sometimes seals him to the day of redemption, his affections are aspiring after those things which are above; his treasure is in heaven, and his heart is there also, there would he wish it at least always to be; there Christ his alone Saviour is, therefore he wishes his affections may ascend thither; more so as he hears the word of God exhorting him, saying, "Seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth; for ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." And though in himself he has no strength, yet he can do all things through Christ, and would be willing to part with every thing that keeps him from his Saviour and his joy.

On the whole, to trace the original of this man's conviction of sin, repentance of it, and his faith and sanctification, to their genuine and true source, and to view them spreading themselves through all the powers of his soul, his understanding, will and affections, and influencing

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the whole tenor, and, perhaps, more or less, every act of his conversation; observing his experience to be such as the word of God declares to be the true experience of believers ; must yield at times a solid satisfaction and comfortable hope, notwithstanding much weakness and many imperfections, that with the heart he has believed unto righteousness, and with the mouth he has made confession unto salvation, and having thus called upon the name of the Lord, he shall be saved.

However any particular act in the life of the character above described may be, I think he has reason and scripture enough to conclude that he is in Christ Jesus, and that he is a new creature. True it is, the prevalency of corruption, the want of watchfulness, and the temptations of Satan, may sometimes almost darken all his evidences; and sometimes the Lord may hide his face on account of sin; and the true believer may be troubled, and question whether he ever was converted at all: but when God has shewn him how much remaining iniquity there is in his heart, humbled him under a sense of it, and led him with prayers and tears to the throne, he will then remove every intervening object, lift upon him the light of his countenance, and restore to him the joys of his salvation. Let me here add, the true believer rejoices at the spread of the Redeemer's kingdom, because he knows it brings glory to God, the most solid and substantial happiness to man, even in these abodes of sorrow and death, and prepares him for the everlasting fruition of God.

MEDITATION ON ROMANS VIII. 7. "The carnal mind is enmity against God."

AWFUL thought! yet as true as it is awful, that the heart of man is by nature carnal, enmity against God; a God not only of infinite holiness and purity, who must detest, but of equal justice and omnipotence, who will punish it.

Did the son of dissipation believe this, it would sadden the brilliancy of the ball-room; and the gaieties of a masquerade, instead of alleviating, would increase the horror. Did the adulterer or the drunkard know it, the one would find the brightest beauty insipid, and the other would fly from his cups as from poison.

Were our God, like the fabled deities of Greece and Rome, capable of injustice and rapine, the perpetrator of vices which society detests, to hate him were laudable, and to refuse him homage, virtue.

But when mercy and compassion, unbounded beneficence, the tenderest pity, and the most elevated bounty, even to the minutest of his creatures, are his characteristics; surely to have hard thoughts of him must be the height of folly; but to be at enmity against him, is extreme madness, which nothing but the torments of hell can express.

Does any one question it, and ask, Can the heart be capable of guilt like this? Let him visit the assemblies of the rich. See where irreligion sits enthroned as a goddess, dispensing laws, which her votaries obey with an ardour which would honour a better service. How is her temple crowded! The brightest wits pay her homage; grandeur pours his riches at her feet; and even beauty thinks herself imperfect, without paying there her obeisance. Or let him observe the cottage of the poor, for her influence extends from the gilded dome to the meanest thatch; and she is here