The thought is past, the dream has gone,
The water glides, man's life is done.

Like to an arrow from the bow,
Or like swift course of watery flow,
Or like the time 'twixt flood and ebb,
Or like the spider's tender web;
Or like a race, or like a goal,
Or like the dealing of a dole ;
E'en such is man, whose every breath
Depends on what the Almighty saith:
The arrow 's shot, the flood soon spent,
The time no time, the web soon rent,
The race soon run, the goal soon won,
The dole soon dealt, man's life first done,

Like to the lightning from the sky,
Or like a post that quick doth hie,
Or like a quaver in short song,
Or like a journey three days long,
Or like the snow when summer's come,
Or like the pear, or like the plum;
E'en such is man, who heaps up sorrow,
Lives but this day, and dies to-morrow :
The lightning's past, the post has gone,
The song is short, the journey's done,
The pear doth rot, the plum doth fall,
The snow dissolves, and so must all.
S. WASTELL.

;

REZENEB.

66

THESE words were uttered by an old experimental tried saint, one who knew but little else besides trouble all the days of his life. Though he had short intervals of joy, the same as the Lord's dear children now have. But he had many years of suffering and grief. IIe travelled the old beaten path to eternal glory, and is one amongst the number that John saw, a great multitude that no man could number. When he inquired about them, whence they came, the answer was given: "Lo these are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."

Every child of God proves for himself that the pathway to eternal glory is through much tribulation, for it is written: "Many are the November, 1849.]

afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all." The worthies of old found at times it was very disheartening, because of the roughness of the way. However they went from strength to strength, until at length every one arrived in Zion before God. This will be the case with every one that is born of God, that though the path may be rough and thorny, yet we shall most assuredly hold on our way, because the Lord upholdeth us with his hands. He guides us by the skilfulness of his own hand. He "guides them by his counsel, and afterwards receives them to himself."

Now, my friends, the Lord doth shew all his people great and sore troubles. The first trouble he shews them, is trouble of soul. Of this every one partakes. When a poor child of God hath his blind eyes opened and his heart quickened into life, he then begins to find sorrow and trouble. Very frequently the sorrows of death compass him, the pains of hell get hold upon him. The blessed Spirit of the Lord alone quickens him into life. Having a divine light communicated, the poor soul discovers what evil sin has done him. He is frequently found in the position of the poor publican, using this petition, " God be merciful to me a sinner."

This is the Lord's usual method of

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dealing with his dear children. I hope many of you who are here tonight, have known, by your own experience, that this is truth; being enabled to look back and say, you were once in that state in which the Ephesians were, as Paul tells them when writing his epistle: "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins: wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince. of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past, in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature children of wrath even as others." That ye were "without Christ, aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenant of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world." "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ: by grace are ye saved." Jesus was quickened and raised from the dead, and now dieth no more. Death hath no more dominion over him. So also every one of the dear family of God, is quickened in God's own time. We are raised from a death in sin to a new birth unto righteousness. When this takes place, the poor sinner is sure to have some trouble. Some have more, others less. Sometimes the Lord is pleased to deal with his children as he did with Paul, letting them go on in their career of sin, and then smiting them to the ground at once, sending his fear into the conscience, dropping his terrors into the soul, so that presently they are brought to see themselves standing on the brink of eternal damnation, feeling that if God should cut their brittle thread of life, they must sink into everlasting misery in a moment

Many of the dear saints of God have been terrified this way, with great and sore troubles breaking in upon them like a flood, the Lord sending his law into their conscience to make them feel they have broken its statutes, and merited everlasting destruction. Then the Lord hideth from them for a time the way of salvation, so that the poor creature cannot see how he is to escape the wrath to come. Being shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed." For the life of them they cannot see how such a holy, just and pure God, and such poor, unjust rebels can ever come together. I remember my trouble and anguish was exceedingly great that whilst I was in this spot, I would have given a thousand worlds, had there been so many, and in my possession, to have known or to have had some idea of the way since manifested unto me. The poor soul cannot see; he is still blind as to this part of the business, but not blind to the awful state in which sin has placed him. He is neither blind to God as seen in his most righteous law, nor his own impurity. Though at the time not a single portion, not a single command of the law of God, that is, any of the ten commands, is brought into his conscience. The power and substance are there; and at times when the dear servants of God are setting forth God in his majesty, justice, righteousness and holiness, as he is revealed and manifested in his holy law, insisting upon a law-work upon the conscience, many of the Lord's dear children sink in their mind: they fear they have not had a law-work, because none of the ten commandments have ever been brought into their soul as to the letter thereof. The Lord will have his own way in bringing his own dear children. He will bring every one to see and feel they are vile, wretched creatures, that they have destroyed themselves by their

own act and deed. He will bring every one to this spot, whether he make use of the letter or the spirit of the law. If they have not actually the letter, they have the substance, and shall all be brought honestly to confess before the Lord, that they have sinned against him: brought into the poor returning prodigal's case and condition. You know how that was with him; he found himself a vile wretch, and confessed he had sinned against heaven and against God, was not worthy to be called a son. He felt the

situation he was in and came home. How did he come? Just as some of the Lord's children, greatly tried, with great and sore trouble, with weeping and supplication the Lord leads them to his dear feet.

Now, friends, do you know what this is? You say you cannot look back and say, In this spot or at that place the Lord first quickened me into life. This is the case with many of the Lord's dear children: they cannot look back and say, At that spot I was first quickened, or under such a sermon I was first made alive. Why? Because many are the subjects of conviction from an early period, as from childhood. These convictions came and went ; they did not know they came from God. When they came they had a little trouble in their minds, a little trouble about their soul; when that went off, they grew careless about the matter. This goes on for years, until by and by the conviction becomes deep, so deep, and the trouble so sore, that it seems to make a lasting impression. They cannot get any comfort, but are like the troubled sea casting up mire and dirt, getting no rest. At last the Lord brings them under the sound of the gospel; there they sometimes get a little rest. Because the Lord's dear servants are led to describe the state and condition of a quickened soul, one made alive in his soul,

mourning on account of his sins, mourning after God. Though they cannot look back and see the time or place where they were first made alive, yet they know they come in here as mourners, hungering and thirsting, and are the subjects of what our Lord describes, "Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted." They cannot remember when they first begun to mourn, they do not know they are children of God, but they know they are mourners. Now do you take notice of this: it does not say, Blessed are they that know themselves to be children of God, blessed are they that call themselves the church of Christ; but, "Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted." "Blessed are they that do hunger and thirst after righ teousness :" it is in the present tense, "For they shall be filled." It takes up the poor mourner in this present state.

Now, friends, are you travelling along with me in regard to this sore trouble? At the first setting out the Lord kills and makes alive, he wounds and he heals, he brings down low before he raises up. The man that abases himself, he it is that is to be exalted. Who is it, say you, that abases himself before the Lord? I tell you, that poor sinner that feels his lost, ruined condition, that feels he is destitute of all good, and full of every thing that is bad, that feels his sore running, that has no rest on account thereof. This man being under divine teaching, is sure to humble and abase himself before the Lord. So the Lord goes on with this blessed, gracious work, bringing the soul down with labour and sorrow into the dust and dunghill. Having God's wisdom in the inward part, he comes before the Lord like the publican. He abases himself, willing to put his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope.

Do you know what it is to be en

gaged in this blessed business? to humble yourself, lay yourself open before God, loathing and bewailing yourself on account of the vileness of your heart and condition? If it be so, you shall be sure to prevail : "The feeblest saint shall win the day, Though death and hell obstruct the way."

Well indeed may the soul fear. It is the Lord shewing them great and sore trouble, trouble of soul, Jacob's trouble. How is it, say you? There are others equally bad as regards their fallen state, equally bad with respect to their condition, yet go smoothly on, are quite at rest with regard to these things. They know nothing feelingly, have never been brought down before God, never know what it is to humble and abase themselves before the Lord, what poor vile creatures they are, and before the Lord to repent in dust and ashes. The reason is, because God does not shew them great and sore troubles.

But the characters I have been describing, the Lord does shew them as he shewed David, on account of their sin, great and sore trouble. David had in his family, in his kingdom, as a man passing through this waste howling wilderness, great and sore trouble. Do you know what this is? He says, "My sore ran in the night, and ceased not." And he will make you know that if it ever ceases it is by an act of free, discriminating mercy. This is God's way. God's teaching of true believers. It is of grace. "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost." These are the characters, depend on it, that the Lord declares safe. They are humble ones. How are they humbled? The Lord humbles and brings low as it is written by the pen of Moses, "And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger,

and fed thee with manna which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know." This is the Lord's way of laying the poor low, shewing him But the great and sore troubles. Lord will not leave him here. He does not bring his dear children into this condition and leave them to pine away and die. He never has done so, and he never will. "The humble shall see this." What shall they see? That they have this sore I have been describing! yes, and something else, something to make them glad. "The humble shall see this, and be glad; and your heart shall live that seek God: for the Lord heareth the poor, and despiseth not his prisoners."

What may such a poor sinner as this do with his running sores; his great and sore trouble? Why the Lord will bring him to walk in bis light, from whom nothing is hid, not even his thoughts. He will cause him to walk in the light. "And if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, (this poor sensible sinner,) we shall have fellowship one with another." Why? Because we are walking in God's light. "And the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." A man who has sore trouble sees the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world. He beholds Him of whom Moses and the prophets did write. To him shall men come, and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed. Thou, poor sinner, who feelest thy sore shalt be amongst the number. For he receiveth sinners: not those who are righteous in their own eyes, or wise in their own conceits: he receiveth poor, guilty, ill and hell-deserving, vile rebels, who deserved to be damned with everlasting damnation; who in their conscience feel this sore running, that have nothing to recommend themselves to his notice but their poverty, wretchedness and guilt. These characters a precious Christ