When he bringeth the first-begotten into the world, he saith," Let all the angels of God worship him.""

According to this learned Doctor, the first inward acting of Christ in the soul is "to show us and proclaim the reality and being of Christ in every creature;" and when we believe this, this is Christ's nativity in our hearts. How false and fallacious is this! If he mean by Christ's nativity in the soul its first quickening, how false it is that it feels and believes any such doctrine! And if he mean by the expression a deliverance, it is equally false; for we are sure that no soul was ever delivered by believing any such thing. "Who loved me and gave himself for me.' "Who pardoneth all thy sins"-such truths as these revealed by the Spirit give Christ a dwelling place in the heart; but not to believe that Christ dwells and acts alike in every man.

These errors, however, are not all, for if we examine this doctrine a little more closely, we shall find some horrible consequences flowing from it. It clearly makes God the author of sin. What are the words that he himself uses on this point? "But this they" (that is, the devils) "know not; they cannot see him" (that is, Christ) "in them; they are not able to see that he acts in them and by them." If the blessed Lord dwell in devils, and act in and by them, (horrid thought!) he must be the author of sin; for if he act in them, and all their actions are sinful, then he acts what is sinful; in other words, is the author of their sins. Thus, all the horrid blasphemies, curses, lies, pride, malice, and enmity of Satan are ascribed to the blessed Lord, and said to spring from his agency. In the same way, all the sins of reprobates and backslidings of saints must, according to this horrid doctrine, be ascribed to Christ's inward agency. He must have instigated Judas to betray him and Peter to deny him, the Jews to crucify him and the disciples to forsake him; yea, he must work in the same man pride and humility, faith and unbelief, love and enmity. We need say no more to expose this horrid tissue of confusion, blasphemy, and error.

Dr. Everard himself saw what his doctrine led to, and thus endeavours, most lamely, as it appears to us, to clear himself from the conclusion we have drawn:

"This is that which rules in the very devils themselves; nay, this is the devil in us. For they think they have a power and a will, and so walk according to their own wills, and see not that they act by the power of God; for God is all power, all act, and no creature stirs or moves but by him, nay, but in him; he is their act and their being, though not of their evil; for though God be the orderer of evil, yet he is not the author: but men would hence lay the fault on God, and excuse themselves; and very strange conclusions men have made through mistake, that because (as they say) there is in God an active, positive, consulted, and deliberate reprobation of certain men, before their sins were committed, yea, before the creation: and because also it is said, on the other hand, that we can do nothing without him; for in him we live, move, and have our being: therefore, they conclude that the evil of action as well as the action belongs to him; not understanding to distinguish between actio and culpa, between the act and the evil of the act: no, no, you are deceived; you conclude thus, because you cannot comprehend his ways, and so you would bound, limit, and circumscribe the Almighty by your narrow reason, and therefore it is that you make

such strange conclusions. But you must distinguish between the act, and the evil of the act. All act is God's, but he is free from the evil of any act. All evil is thine, and all good is God's, and there is nothing in God but what is good; and, therefore, O Israel, thy perdition is of thyself; but in me is thy help.”

But an author must not so deny his own arguments, and cast off his necessary conclusions. This is like a man writing a licentious tale, and putting at the end a grave moral; or like a mob-orator who, after inflaming the people to riot, concludes with recommending peace and quietness. We look at his arguments, not at his conclusions at the staple of the piece, not at a shred of fine cloth sewed on at the end.

We feel the more strongly on this subject because the error which we have endeavoured to expose runs all through the work. If it were a solitary, isolated sentence, we might have passed it by. Were it the mere border, the list of the piece, we might not have much noticed it; but it is the warp and woof of the whole web. It is not a loose stone on the top of the building, but foundation and super

structure.

How, with this error running through and tainting the whole, Mr. Garrard should have so strongly recommended the work, somewhat surprises us; but as there are places where a certain measure of truth is strongly contended for, we suppose that he was so much pleased with them, that he did not perceive the errors we have endeavoured to point out. He is probably not aware that the grossest errors and heresies abounded in Everard's days, and were mostly concealed under a form of sound speech. There was then too much light for error to come abroad openly; and, therefore, she wore a mask.

We should be sorry to injure the sale of the work; but we could not conscientiously pass by the errors we have pointed out; and we wish our spiritual readers to read the copious extracts we have made, disregarding our comment upon them, and then say for themselves whether we could pronounce any other opinion than we have done.

POETRY.

LINES ON THE DEATH OF MR. WILLIAM GADSBY.

But he has done with fighting;

His armour's laid aside;

In Christ he is delighting,

A pure and spotless bride:

His fears are gone, his sufferings o'er, Yes, he has cross'd the chilling flood, For he has reach'd the heavenly shore, Redeem'd, upheld, and saved by blood; Where sin and sorrow's known no more, Crown'd by his heavenly Father God,

And faith is turned to sight.

The darts of Satan fell

Upon his hoary head; But He who conquer'd hell

Stood in his room and stead;

And by his all-victorious grace,
Gave to his soul a resting place,
Until he brought him face to face,
And up to glory led.

With Jesus crucified.

Yes, yes, the struggle's ceased;
No asthma plagues him now;
From suff'ring he's released,

And placid is his brow.

What! shall we grieve because he's gone
To bow before his Father's throne,
And with immortal rapture own

That Christ has brought him thro'?

No, no; though Death has vanquish'd Kept like a faithful warrior true,

With sore disease and pain,

The prey must be relinquish'd,

And reunite again.

Soon, soon th' Archangel's trump shall
sound,

When Time shall cease to run its round;
And that dead body under ground,

Shall rise immortal then.

Yes, he has pass'd the river

Of Jordan's swelling food;
Released by death's cold shiver,

His soul is now with God,
That name which was to him so dear,
That name he sounded out so clear,.
Has raised him now above all fear,

Through Calv'ry's streaming blood.
The earthly pitcher's broken;

His sorrow's ceased for ever:
That tongue, which oft has spoken,

Will speak in our ears never.
But O! my brethren, cease to mourn;
For, though our pastor's from us torn,
On seraphs' wings he has been borne

To bliss, a true believer.

Affliction was the servant,

With Persecution's frown,
That made him very fervent

To lay his armour down.
See that ambassador now stand,
Ye enemies, at God's right hand;
And Victory sing in that bless'd land,

Where Christ puts on his crown.
With lungs that are immortal,

He sings triumphantly;
His soul has pass'd the portal,

Leaving the lump of clay.
'Twas "Victory!" he sang in death.
And then he yielded up his breath,
And soar'd aloft to Him that saith,

"My fair one, come away. "The last storm now is over;

Mount to thy blissful home;
Come to thy heavenly Lover;

Come, my dear partner, come."
My brethren, let us not repine:
A few more storms, and we shall join
His happy soul in bliss divine,

And never more shall roam.
Though by his foes derided,
Scoff'd, hated, and abhorr'd,
His hope was not divided;

He trusted in his Lord. Manchester.

He held a precious Christ to view,
Nor cared what men or hell could do;
He loved his Father's word.

But O! that voice has ceased;
Those lips are closed in death:
His soul has been released

By Him who gave him breath.
But, brethren, though we know his end,
Our Father will his church defend;
Elijah's mantle shall descend,

If wrestled for by faith.
Though he has now departed,
His God for ever lives;
He who for sinners smarted,

Strength to his Israel gives.
Pray fervently; he'll not deny
The weakest, feeblest infant's cry;
For that he lives and reigns on high,
And sighing prayer receives.
O! then, besiege your Jesus,

And wrestle night and day;
From all our fears he'll ease us,

And answer when we pray.
His church, while in the wilderness,
He certainly will own and bless.
Ask, then, a pastor full of grace;
He will not say you nay.
Call on our heavenly Master,
And humbly kiss the rod;
He can provide a Pastor,

A faithful man of God,

A watchman without fear or dread,
That, as a means, shall raise the dead,
Pointing the feeble to their Head,
And trace the heavenly road.
But, to his children weeping-
Mark what I say; 'tis true;
Your father's dust is sleeping;

He'll pray no more for you.
That breast shall never heave again.
He will not feel another pain;
No, if you perish in your sin,

He'll add his "Amen" too.
What, if Jehovah's thunder

Now shook this earthly ball,
Could you, with holy wonder

And joy, before him fall?
Yes, if his God to you belong,
When countless millions round him
throng,

You'll join your father's glorious song,

And crown him Lord of all.

J. B.

THE

GOSPEL STANDARD,

OR,

FEEBLE CHRISTIAN'S SUPPORT.

"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled."-Matt. v. 6.

"Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began."-2 Tim. i. 9.

"The election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded."-Rom. xi. 7.

"If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.-And they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.-In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."-Acts viii. 37, 38; Matt. xxviii. 19.

No. 100.

APRIL, 1844.

VOL. X.

THE EXCEEDING GREATNESS OF THE POWER OF GOD IN THE SOUL OF SARAH WIGHT.

(Continued from page 346, Vol. IX.)

And now she saw the evil of yielding to such temptations. She thought to have had ease by yielding, but she was the more terrified for her yielding; and yet the Lord magnified his mercy to her when she thought that by such yielding God would surely damn her. O the depths of Satan's wiles! and O the greater depths of the goodness of God, even to such seduced souls! She said that the same day in which she was forced to lie down (April 6) she was taken in all her body; all was shaken, and she trembled exceedingly. Her hands were clinched up together, and so were her feet, as if it were by the cramp; and her mouth was drawn up like a purse; and her eyes were with the eye-lids folded up and closed; and her hearing was taken from her; and she had no motion nor desire of any good. "Mine own eyes," said she, "pitied not myself; and just then was the time of love; and then the good Samaritan, then Jesus came, and poured in wine and oil, when I had most need. I may well say, 'He is a refuge, a very present help in time of trouble.'

May 7, a conference took place between her and a maid who called to see her, of which the following is the substance:

Sarah. How do you? Have you not yet found Him whom your soul loveth?

The maid told how long she had been thus, and yet was no better, and said how sad her case was.

Sarah. I have been in as sad a condition ever since I was about nine years old; and yet that daughter of Abraham whom Satan had bound, lo! these eighteen years Christ healed.

D

Maid. But he will destroy me.

Sarah. How dare you say so, when Christ saith he came not to destroy sinners, but their sin, and to save such as you and I? (Luke ix. 56.)

Maid. He will save those whom he hath chosen, but I am not one of them.

Sarah. Dare you enter into God's secrets? Who made you of his secret counsel? Secrets belong to God. (Rom. xi. 34; Deut.

xxix. 29.)

Maid. Aye, but I would not hearken.

66

Sarah. It is neither of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy." (Rom. ix. 16.)

Maid. But I resisted when he would.

Sarah. Your time was not come; for if his time had been come, it is not all your power that could hinder his power.

Maid. I put out the light, and I walked contrary to his way. Sarah. You were not in the light, nor in the true way, neither can you be, until you have Christ, for he is the light and the way, (John i. 9.)

Maid. I can do nothing as I should.

"

Sarah. If you had done all, you might still have been as the young man in the gospel, who said, All this have I done;" yet one thing he lacked. So you want one thing, the sealing of his love to your soul. You must lie low before God. It is Christ that both throws down and raises up. He did both to me. (1 Sam. ii. 6.)

Maid. I am in depths of misery.

Sarah. It is not depths of mercy that call for depths of misery, but it is depths of misery that call for depths of mercy. Now God would root you, and establish you, and now Satan is most busy with you. (Ps. cxxx. 1.)

Maid. I am pulled up by the roots.

Sarah. Christ will root you out of your sin, and root you out of yourself, and plant you in himself. He will do it.

Maid. But I cannot believe.

Sarah. I lay in unbelief, and could believe nothing but that there was no God, no devil, and no hell, until he made me believe in himself; and the same power that did it for me will do it for you; for "he is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever;" he is unchangeable. (Heb. xiii. 8.)

Maid. I had a glimpse of God, but I have backslidden from him, Sarah. Say thus to God, "Turn me, and I shall be turned;" for the Lord saith, "I will heal your backslidings, and love you freely." I will love you though you have backslidden, and heal your backslidings. (Hosea xiv. 4.)

May 9th, being the Lord's day, after both sermons many came to see her, amongst others, Mr. and Mrs. Liggon, the relater, Mrs. Dawson, a minister's widow, Mrs. Berny, and many others, amongst whom was a gentlewoman in sad despair, who, having heard of her, (Sarah Wight,) came to have a little conversation with her. Among other things Sarah said, " Shall sin separate from the love of Christ?