by them, would be reported upon to us accordingly. After business, we retired into the church, which was numerously and respectably filled. To speak within bounds, there could not be fewer than one thousand present. A Mr. De Vries, one of the Rotterdam ministers, delivered the address, and in the course of which, adverting to the good work in India, gave his audience an agreeable surprise, by adding that he had the satisfaction to see Mr. Ward from Serampore, then present. The Baptist church is not far distant from where the meeting, mentioned higher up, was held. It is constructed to seat not more than five hundred; but it is a pattern of all that is tasteful, neat pleased with the request, and readily W. H. ANGUS. and clean of its kind. It has about two Familiar Illustrations of the Sacred He hundred members, and is under the After having put into requisition our circulars for Rotterdam and its neigh bourhood, we proceeded direct to Amsterdam; but, before taking leave of the former of these places, it would be unjust not to make most grateful mention, of the kindness and hospitality shewn to brother W. and myself, from the worthy and pious of all Christian denominations, in general, and from Mr. Mescaert and his friends, in particular. On our arrival at the Hague, my friend, Dr. Carp, we found from home, as also his colleague, Mr. Mackay, as such, we merely left a circular, with our best respects, together with a request, that the Dr. would allow us to nominate him in our circulars one of the receivers for the Hague. He was Writings. No. II. Exodus xxxii. 20. "And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strewed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.". How to account for the gold being thus ground to powder, may appear difficult, seeing that the modern art by which it is done was not then, probably known, or, if known, could not be well practiced in a wilderness. We read however, in Acts vii. 22, that "Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians." Egypt might then be furnished with men skilled in chemistry; and Moses might, of course, be instructed in that science; upon which supposition we may account for his conduct. The late Dr. Gordon tells us, that, conversing with Dr. Rush, of Philadelphia, upon it, he informed him, that by a certain chemical preparation, gold might be incorporated with a liquid which, by such mixture, would become exceedingly bitter, so that the drinking of it would be extremely nauseons, and prove a severe punishment to all who were compelled to take it. Malachi iv. 2. "But unto you that fear my name, shall the Sun of Righteousness arise, with healing in his wings." THE late Mr. Robinson, of Cambridge, called upon a friend just as he had received a letter from his son, who was surgeon on board a vessel then lying off Smyrna. The son mentioned to his father, that every morning, about san-rise, a fresh gale of air blew from the sea across the land, and from its wholesomeness and utility in clearing the infected air, this wind is always called the DOCTOR. "Now," says Mr. R. "it strikes me, that the prophet Malachi, who lived in that quarter of the world, might allude to this circumstance, when he says, the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in his wings.' The psalmist mentions 'the wings of the wind; and it appears to me, that this salubrious breeze which attends the rising of the sun, may be properly enough considered as the wings of the sun, which contain such healing influences, rather than the beams of the sun, as that passage has been commonly understood.” Leviticus ii. 13. With all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt. SALT implies confederation, as it was the seal of a covenant,-communion, as it was a bond of friendship;-sanctity, as it was inseparable from sacrifice; and perpetuity, from its properties of preservation; a covenant of salt signifying not only a confirmed agreement, but an indissoluble engagement; the nse of the symbol in the sacred writings implying eternity. COLLIER. Folkestone. J. B. A STRIKING ANECDOTE. THE late Mr. Toller, of Kettering, was preaching on the peculiar blessedness of Christian connexions, founded on 1 Pet. iii. 10; if we are rightly in formed, it was on the occasion of the recent marriage of a member of his congregation; and was made the means of conversion to an aged couple, strangers in the town, who had been led by accident to Mr. Toller's place of worship. It appeared that the hearts of both were very deeply impressed, so much so, that after they had retired to rest, it prevented their sleeping; yet the one was quite unconscious of what was passing in the other's mind, till at length a mutual discovery took place of the state of feeling which had held them awake; on which they, as by a common impulse, arose, and, for the first time in their lives, united in heartfelt supplication to him who heareth prayer. VOL. XVII. CHRISTIAN FORTITUDE. I CANNOT now, in my old age, abandon the principles for which I early contended; nor, in order to procure freedom during a few years, will I betray that sacred cause for which I have suffered so much, and am still willing to suffer. Better for me to enjoy in this solitude the approbation of my conscience and my God, than to return into the world with the burden of apostacy and guilt, to disgrace and embitter the remainder of my days.-Reply of the Elector of Saxony to Charles V. 1584. INFANT SALVATION. As to young children, and those who have never attained to ripeness of understanding, we have solid scriptural reason to conclude that all such are saved. I believe that Jesus took away the sins of all those who die in infancy. Perhaps the kingdom of heaven is in a peculiar manner filled with such, for our Lord says, "of such is the kingdom of God."-John Newton. PRAYER ANSWERED. "Leave thy fatherless children with me, and let thy widows trust in me." I have known wonderful proofs of the faithfulness of the Lord in answering the prayers of parents who left young and helpless families behind. A friend of mine, in the west of England, (a faithful, laborious minister, but who, I believe, never was master of five pounds at one time) was dying. His friends advised him to make his will; he re plied, "I have nothing to leave, but my wife and children, and I leave them to the care of my gracious God. Soon after this he died happily. But there appeared no prospect of support for his family at this time. The Lord, however, stirred up a man who had always despised his preaching, to feel for the deceased minister's poor destituto family; and he so exerted himself, that he was the means of £1,600 being raised by subscriptions for them; and the clergy of Exeter, who had never countenanced his preaching, gave his widow a house and garden for her life, so that she lived in far greater plenty than in her husband's life time. Why was all this? It was in answer to the prayers of the good man, who had committed his wife and family to that God L who could supply all their needs, and who, he knew was able to open doors of relief for them.-Ibid. Loyalty of the Protestant Dissenters, in the year 1745. In a short account of some of the proceedings of the deputies and committee, appointed to take care of the civil affairs of the Dissenters, printed 1768, it is said, under the year 1745, "The unnatural rebellion breaking out in the north, the COMMITTEE resolved upon a circular letter to be sent to their Dissenting brethren in the country, to excite their utmost zeal and readiness in support of his Majesty's person and government; and received answers thereto full of loyalty and zeal." The following is a copy of their letter. "Sir, The COMMITTEE of the Protestant Dissenters in and about London, having taken into their consideration the present dangerous situation of affairs in these kingdoms, by reason of the unnatural rebellion raised against his Majesty King George, in favour of a Popish Pretender, supported by the power of France, the natural and avowed enemy of the religion, liberty, and trade of this country, have unanimously come to the following resolution, viz.-That it be recommended to the body of Protestant Dissenters, to express their utmost zeal and readiness to join with any number of his Majesty's subjects, in order to support kis Majesty's person and government in the present time of danger, in any legal way that shall be thought most effectual. "I am therefore directed by the COMMITTEE to communicate to you the above Resolution; and they earnestly desire that you would use the utmost of your influence with all your friends to induce them to act in the most zealous manner agreeable thereto. 66 Benjamin Avery, Chairman." Want of Serious Conversation lamented. "I HAVE not known," said an aged Christian to me lately, "any period for fifty years past, when there was so little conversation about spiritual subjects as at the present. Christians meet and converse about the "interest," at such and such a place; or, about the reports of different religious societies; but there is no heart for experimental topics. If they are introduced, they are, as it were, intruded, and are evidently unacceptable. I do not wish that, in general companies, experimental religion should be the exclusive subject for discourse; lest we should violate our Lord's injunction, and "cast our pearls before swine;" but surely, Christians should not speak of the Lord Jesus Christ as if he were a stranger!" I felt condemned, and was compelled to assent to the truth of these remarks, secretly exclaiming, "These things ought not so to be!" What is the best mode of correcting this evil? How can serious conversation be best introduced and supported? A TRANSGRESSOR. We submit the following Letter addressed to us by a Correspondent to the consideration of those who write for our Work as worthy their attention. GENTLEMEN, February 4, 1825. I am a well wisher to your Magazine, and have long supported it, so far as the purchase of it goes; nor have I been negligent of its perusal. It has lately occurred to me as very likely to raise your Journal in public estimation, if your Contributors would generally permit their initials to appear, together with the places of their residence; so that they may be at once identified if persons of deserved celebrity and if not, I see not what inconvenience could accrue, I mean when the initials fail to remind the readers in general of any particular person. I assure you I have read some of your articles with double attention, and additional gratification, when I have known the esteemed writers; and I think other persons, with few exceptions are in this respect like minded with me. I should have felt less satisfaction than I have participated in reading your two last numbers, had certain names been entirely concealed. If you choose to avail yourselves of this well intended hint, you this letter, either by its insertion, or are welcome to promote the object of by any means of your own selection. It is needless to add that, in some few cases, names will be, and ought to be concealed-also, that my remarks have no reference whatever to your Reviews. OBSERVER. P. S. Not yet knowing your pleasure, I forbear the insertion of my own initials. Obituary and Recent Deaths. CHRISTOPHER BARNES. Those pages in a Magazine which are devoted to the memory of the pious dead, are often the most instructive and profitable. We are aware that something interesting in the life and character, is requisite to render a subject of this description generally acceptable. To say nothing more than, he was born-he lived-and he died, and give the dates, would be to say little. Yet the writer remembers an instance in which nothing more than this, recorded in Genesis v. was made the means of conversion to an inveterate fidel. Even the name of a deceased frend, when recorded, and incidents in his life, scarce considered worthy of a stranger's attention, appear very interesting to the eye of friendship. We are therefore continually in danger of measuring the extent of regard due to the characters we venerate, by the standard of our own minds, already enlarged with sentiments of affection. The person whom this obituary introduces into public notice, had many cordial friends in his immediate neigh bourhood. The interest they will take in his obituary is already secured: and we entertain a hope, that, even by others, this narrative will not be considered an incumbrance on your pages. Christopher Barnes, the son and only child of Christopher and Mary Barues, was born in October, 1769. His father, a man eminent for humble piety, was seized with a fever, and died about eight weeks prior to his birth. Thus, from the moment of his birth, the subject of this memoir was fatherless. His infant lips never learned to lisp the words, My father, till he uttered them in calling upon that God in whom the fatherless findeth mercy, and who has encouraged us to say, "My father, thou art the guide of my youth." How great the loss, both to the widow and the child! But God performed his promise, Jeremiah xlix. 11, in providing for both, by the kindness of a paternal uncle, Mr. James Bury, a deacon of the church at Accrington, and father of the benevolent individual of that name, late of Pendle-hill. Mr. Bury took his sister and her son to his own home, and shewed particular attention to impress the infant mind of little Christopher with principles of piety. Greatly to his satisfaction, the boy early began to shew that divine grace had prepared his heart for the reception of the good seed. He went regularly to the house of God, and was attentive there. At the desire of his uncle, he used, on the Sabbath evening, to repeat the texts, and as much as memory could retain of the sermons which be heard. Let parents and guardians imitate the example of Mr. B. Let children imitate the obedience and attention of little Christopher. He early began to pray, not confining himself to the form which his mother had taught him, but making his requests known to God, in language of his own. His religious impressions became deeper, and his judgment more mature, under the ministry of Mr. Benjamin Davies, whom he highly esteemed, and by whom he was baptized, in April, 1786. When he wished to become a candidate for baptism, it was urged as an objection, that he was too young. He emphatically replied, "I am not too young to die." You know, my young reader, that he said truly. And though he lived several years afterwards, yet he never repented that he served Christ so soon. If you have not yet sought the Lord, I wish that you may remember, you are not too young to die. After being received a member of the church at Accrington, May 7th. 1786, he continued through life an honourable professor of religion. His brethren perceived in him a lively concern for the welfare of the church, and a mind judicious and discriminating. He was therefore chosen to be a deacon, and ordained to that important office in the spring of 1797. Being diligent in his attendance on prayer-meetings, as every Christian should be, and frequently speaking a little on some passage of scripture, it was judged that he possessed ministerial talents. The church, having tried and approved his qualifications for the ministry, called him to exercise them in public, about the end of 1797. For some time he preached occasionally at Accrington and else where, with acceptance and usefulness. the children, was acknowledged by themselves; for, at his funeral, none were more sincere mourners than they. The children belonging to his class appeared as though they mourned for their father. The afflictions with which this good man was visited, were many and painful. Early in life, he was nearly burned to death. The interest that he took in the welfare of the church, made him lament the afflictions of Zion as his own. He suddenly lost his wife, in January, 1817, an account of which is given in the Baptist Magazine, for May, in the same year. Besides many domestic, and other trials, that we forbear to specify, which, through grace, were sanctified to him. His prayers and sermons shewed, that few had finer feelings than he, and few could enter into the sufferings of others with more genuine sympathy. In February, 1824, he was seized with an inflammatory complaint. The writer visited him frequently during the progress of his illness, which continued eight or nine weeks. His mind was generally calm, not often elevated; he considered himself a lost sinner, but looked to divine mercy, through Jesus Christ, for life everlasting. On one occasion, this ground of hope which the gospel affords was mentioned: Yes, (said he,) here is substance! all, all besides is shadow! When the dying experience of Messrs. Booth and Fuller was related to him, he said, That is not my experience, (i.e.) He had no rapturous feelings, but a good hope, with which he could “plunge into eternity." His concern for children was very great. When they were mentioned, in prayer, by his friends who prayed with him, his earnest amen in the midst of the prayer, evinced bow much he longed after them in the Lord. His conversation, while in health, was spiritual and edifying, and, as may be supposed it still retained that character on his death bed. Some of his expressions will not soon be forgotten by those who visited him, or ministered to his necessities. To the writer, who called on him when he was greatly troubled with the hiccup, and other harbingers of dissolution, he said. "Oh! it is fine standing in a pulpit, and speaking on some sweet passage concerning death, compared with stroggling iu the conflict, as I am now doing." To a young man, who enquired how he was, he replied, "I am not without One, who was seriously impressed by |