salvation, should close, and the night of silence and death come on, and you, my dear reader, should not be saved? Not saved? What then? Why then you must be lost! For between Salvation and Destruction-eternal Happiness, and eternal Damnation, there is no middle state. No, my friend, whoever you are-whatever your age, or sex, or circumstances in life, one thing is certain-you must soon die; and in that very instant your spirit must take its flight to the bright regions of ineffable felicity, to dwell there with Jesus Christ, whom you have loved and served below; or else plunge down to the direful abyss of blackness, and fire, and tempest, to suf fer the vengeance of eternal wrath, with that wicked spirit, whose service you have chosen here, and who will then pay you the sad, sad wages of misery and despair for ever and ever! And are these things so? If the Bible be true-if God be faithful to his word-they surely are. And will you, can you, knowing and feeling these things to be true, dare you trifle with them. O no; my fellow Immortal, act not so madly. While yet there is time, I conjure you stop-think! consider your ways; fly, as for your life, fly to the Cross, to the sufferings and merit of Christ. There is safety, life, health, and peace; but these blessings are no where else to be had. Now, now, then, while yet it is called to-day, attend to the all-important things of Salvation. Now God calls, the bible invites, ministers intreat, conscience urges, the unworthy writer, in love to your soul, beseeches you, be ye reconciled to God! O make no delay! Come now to Jesus Christ, the sinner's friend,and receive the blessings he is willing to bestow; enlist under his banner and dedicate all you have, and are, unreservedly, to his service; then, when you have fulfilled, as an hireling, your day, He will receive you to everlasting habitations, in those regions of blessedness, where the sun shall no longer smite you by day, nor the frost by night; but you shall sit down in the presence of your Redeemer; there to regale upon the rich fruits of the tree of life, and drink of the delicious river that flows from the throne of God, as long as that throne endures, and the Eternal is seated upon it, to dispense life, and favour, and immortality to all his faithful followers.

Woburn.

E. T.

Remarks on Romans viii, 17-28. inclusive.

There is no part of the New Testament which has caused more perplexity to Commentators; nor on which greater diversity It is not the intention of of opinion exists than these verses.

writer to controvert the different senses which have been put upon them; but merely to suggest an interpretation, which should it not be exactly the mind of the Holy Spirit, in this part of the scriptures, is according to the analogy of faith, and The subject on strictly consonant with the oracles of God.

It

which the Apostle is treating, commences at the 17th verse. is the sufferings which christians as the heirs of God and joint heirs with Chsist, endured for his sake; and in connection with this the future blessedness which they will enjoy with him when they are glorified together. In the 18th verse he gives the conclusion which he had arrived at, after having carefully calI reckon culated the items of these widely different subjects. that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be This fucompared with the glory that shall be revealed in us. ture state of glory he represents in the following verses, as the manifestation of the sons of God—the glorious liberty of the children of God-the adoption, to wit, the redemption of the body. Firmly believing the doctrine of the resurrection of the body; and that this would be the period when the children of God would take possession of the glorious inheritance, reserved in heaven for them, he says, verse 19th, that there was an earnest expectation, or an ardent anticipation, amongst christians, of this period, when all their hopes would be realized, and their happiness be finally consummated.

Enumerating the sufferings of the present time, he mentions, verse 20th, those which they endured as the creatures of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity; i. e. to disease, pain, and death; not willingly; these things are not subject to the will of man, they can neither be prevented by his prudence, nor removed by his wisdom; but arise from the appointment of him, who in consequence of the sin of Adain, said, Dust thou This decree involves all art, and unto dust thou shalt return. those afflictions which eventually terminate in the disunion of the body and soul, which is the fulfilment of the commination. In the day thou eatest thereof, dying thou shall die. Gen. ii, 27. Though this sentence is absolute, respecting the death of the body, yet, in consequence of the appointment of a Mediator, the Seed of the woman, there is hope, of a resurrection; for as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. Verse

21, Because the creature itself also, [i. e. the bodies of those who believe in Christ,] shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. Having mentioned the effects which the fall of Adam had produced on rational creatures, he glances at its universal consequences on every thing in this lower world, verse 22; For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain tcgether until now. Thorns also and thistles (Gen. iii, 18,) have been produced by the earth in abundance; the various tribes of creatures, brutes, birds, fishes &c. are the subjects of suffering, pain and death; which they have endured from the period of Adam's fall even until the present time. He adds a sentiment which experience and observation confirms,thatthough christians were begotten again by the word of truth, and were a kind of first fruits of his creatures; (James i,18,)notwithstanding by being in Christ, by faith, they were made new creatures; yet they were not exempted from any of the sufferings common to man. Verse 23. And not only they [i.e. the whole creation] but OURSELVES also who have received the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of the body. Though the regenerating and sanctifying influences of the Holy Spirit, which christians receive in the present life, are the first fruits, and the earnest of their future inheritance; yet all the effects of sin in them will not be removed till the redemption of the purchased possession, Eph. i, 13; what he here calls, the adoption, to wit, the redemption of the body, at the period of the resurrection. This glorious state, he adds, verse 24, is the object of our hope, and we are saved by it from sinking in despondency and despair, under our present sufferings. This is a great benefit, I admit, but it is not that salvation we are looking for. What we have in possession is not the object of our hope. What a man seeth why doth he yet hope for? But fully expecting benefits which we do not possess, we patiently wait for them. And not only so, but the Spirit, whose first fruits we possess, also helpeth our infirmities, he instructs our minds by his holy word, and thus helps us under the infirmity of ignorance. He enables us to give credit to its promises, and thus counteracts the infirmity of unbelief. He influences our minds with a spirit of grace and supplication, and thus helps us under the infirmities of grief and sorrow; for we know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. It is also our great comfort that the omniscient Saviour, he who

Verse 25,

searcheth the hearts, knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God; verse 27. Nor are these all the privileges of christians, in the present state, but through the gracious care of their heavenly Father, superintending all their concerns, We know, that all things (i. e. all the dispensations of his providence, however painful and trying at present) work together to promote the spiritual and eternal good of them that love God, of them that are the called according to his purpose. verse 28.

This view of the subject having been satisfactory and consolatory to the mind of the writer, under some family afflictions, he submits it to the consideration of those who love God, hoping that it may have a tendency to strengthen their faith and animate their hopes, in their journey towards the heavenly Canaan. Should any who read these remarks, think them irrellevant, the writer will be obliged by a more spiritual exposition, through the medium of the Baptist Magazine.

Reply to the Query on Acts xix, 1—7.

Mr. Editor,

IOTA.

I do not recollect having seen any reply to the Query proposed in your Magazine for May 1809, page 188. If agreeable to you, I will submit my opinion on the subject to the examination of your numerous readers.

A careful reading of the place, (Acts xix, 1-7,) with particular attentiou to the persons and speeches introduced, appears to me sufficient to lead to the conclusion, that Paul did not rebaptize the disciples at Ephesus.

Paul inquires if they have received the Holy Ghost since they believed. They reply We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. Unto what then, says Paul, were ye baptized? They say, Unto John's baptism. Paul then proceeds to explain John's baptism, observing, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying to the people, viz. John said to them, that they should believe on him that should come after him. That is, says Pani, on Christ. Jesus. Paul adds, that when the people heard [John say]. this, they were baptized [by John] in the name of the Lord Jesus. This description accords with John's baptism; but had they been rebaptized by Paul, they would not have been baptized in the name of Jesus only, but according to the com

mission of the Redeemer, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; especially as they had not heard whether there was any Holy Ghost. The historian also, having finished the account Paul gave of John's baptism, proceeds to inform us what Paul did for these disciples. When Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them. If Paul had baptized them, Luke would not have said, "When Paul had laid his hands," &c. but, "When he had laid his bands upon them." This convinces me that the 5th verse is not Luke's report concerning what Paul did, but Paul's declaration concerning the baptism of John.. Plain christians, reading the verses 2, 3, 4, and 5, in the form of a dialogue, will meet with satisfaction upon the point. By that means satisfaction was obtained by A Friend to the Baptist Magazine.

On the Spirit and Conduct of a Gospel Church. The spirit and temper of a society of true christians ought to be at as great a remove from the spirit and temper of the world, the devil, and popery, as possible; and as near an approach to the dispositions and moral perfections of God, and to the spirit and temper of the lovely Lord Jesus, and his primitive christians, as we can attain; that is to say, as high an advancement in solid goodness and love as any man can reach in the present state of imperfect sanctification: in short, the whole law is summed up in one werd, LOVE; and the whole temper of a true believer is summed up in one word, LOVE. True christian love is a single thought, or simple perception, that our fellow-christian is an excellent and worthy object, good in himself, fit to do us good, and fit to receive good; with a delight in the sight of him, as he bears the image of Christ, and is designed to live with us in the presence of God to eternity.

As there never was a more striking and beautiful description of the grace of love to God and man, than that which the Holy Spirit has given us in the first epistle to the Corinthians, chap. xiii. we will endeavour to obtain from the original words of God, a compendious view of the true christian temper, as consisting in love: and let it be well observed, that we are no farther christians than we evidence this beautiful disposition of soul in our whole life and conversation.

Love suffereth long: it has a vast extent of mind, and scorns resentment at little things.