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we view these words as the words of Jesus, we have tautology scarcely to be expected in the same commendation. The description of the Bride bears a striking resemblance to the other encomiums passed by "the daughters," as in chap. iii. 6, and chap. viii. 5. The Targum, or Chaldee Paraphrase agrees with our view of the passage. When the Lord Jesus looks down from heaven in love upon His church, He describes her by the noblest works on earth, as Tirzah, Jerusalem, and a bannered host; when the queen looks up to the church, they describe her by the most glorious objects in the heavens, the moon, the sun, and the hosts of stars which shine forth as the vanguard of an army. This description very closely corresponds to that given of the church in Revelation xii. 1, "A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars."

These words may be viewed as a description of the church with her progressive glory. In the Patriarchal dispensation, she looked forth as the grey dawn or morning dusk, with some gleams of light in ancient prophecy. Sin brought a dark night on the world. The first promise of mercy was the first dawning of a new day. The dawning increased when sacrificial worship was instituted; when Noah became a preacher of righteousness during the time the ark was preparing; when the covenant-promise was made to Abraham; and further still when the revelation concerning Shiloh as the gatherer of the people was made to Jacob. But though this streak of morning light was beautiful, it was dim compared with the clearer light which shone forth in the days of David, Solomon, and Isaiah. The morning dawn gave gladness to the patriarchal watchers who had been filled with terrors, because of the dreadful darkness of that black night which had fallen on the human race, when Adam by his one transgression fell, and downward dragged his whole posterity. From Adam to Moses, gospel truth dawned forth as the breaking of the early morn. The church was then but, as it were, emerging from the darkness of the shadow of death; her looking forth was but " as the morning." But we see greater things than these; for the Bride is ordained to shine "more and more unto the perfect day." (Prov. iv. 18.)

In the Levitical dispensation, the church acquired the beauty of the "moon:" for as that planet reflects the beams of the sun, cooled and weakened in their effect, so the

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Mosaic economy presented a faint though beautiful image of Divine truth. Truth, then, was "fair as the moon," which shines by the reflection of the sun. The law was a shadow of good things to come," that is, of Christ Jesus. Master Trapp very quaintly says, "When the sun is behind, the shadow is before; when the sun is before, the shadow is behind. So was it in Christ to them of old. This Sun was behind, and therefore the law or shadow was before; to us under grace the Sun is before, and so now the ceremonies of the law, these shadows, are behind, yea, vanished away." The Levitical dispensation was "the lesser light to rule the night." As the moon has her spots, so the ceremonial law had its imperfections; for it could not make its worshippers perfect. It was variable and changeable; it vanished away, to rise no more, before the Sun of Righteousness.

In the Gospel dispensation, the church shines forth in her splendour. She is complete in Christ. Her light of justification is perfect, for it is His. She is "made the righteousness of God in Him." "As He is, so are we in this world." Christ Jesus, "the Light of the world," "the Sun of Righteousness," has risen on His Bride. The darkness has fled, and the True Light has appeared. "The glory of the sun" is greater than the "glory of the moon." Let the believer in Jesus rejoice as he sees himself, perfect in Jesus; justified and sanctified in Him perfectly. For "by Him all that believe are justified from all things." "But ye are washed, ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." Thus, in Christ Jesus, the Bride is “clear as the sun."

In the Triumphal dispensation, the redeemed church shall be "terrible as an army with banners." John saw this in vision, when "the armies in heaven followed the Faithful and True, the Word of God, upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean." (Rev. xix. 11-14.) The climax of this description requires it to be applied to the starry and angelic hosts, from which God is called Lord of Sabaoth. This is a description of the final glory of the Lamb's Bride, when they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever." (Dan. xii. 3.) In all states the church has ever been "terrible as an army with banners;" but she shall be

so to a fuller extent in the full blaze of her Millennial glory.

Dear Joseph Irons takes another view of the text than that we have given in our meditation; but as it is so beautiful we cannot withold it :

"Distinguish'd from the world the Church appears
Serene as cloudless morning '-looking forth
From nature's darkness-sin's appalling night-
To gospel day, in truth's refulgent rays.
'Fair as the moon,' that brilliant lamp of light,
Whose borrow'd lustre 'midst the darkness shines,
Reflecting from the glorious orb of day,

And cheering nightly gloom of time and death.
Her changes in herself, just like the 'moon,'
In frames and feelings, daily wax and wane;
An opaque body in herself, but bless'd
With light divine in Christ, she shines on earth
T'impart His light, but not t'expose her spots.
'Clear as the sun' in Jesu's righteousness,
From condemnation free-approved of God,
And 'clear' in knowledge of the plan of grace,
Though clouds may sometimes overspread her joys.

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Valiant for truth, her 'banners' wave around
The terror of Apollyon, and the world;
'An army' more than conquerors by grace,
Ascribing all her victories to Christ.
Heav'n, earth and hell, cry who is this?
All worlds take int'rest in her high career,
While her untarnish'd 'banners' are unfurl'd,
Displaying love, and blood, and grace divine,
The dread of hell-the glory of the Church."

NOTE.-Profitable subjects for meditation. 1. The progressive glory of the church from Pentecost onwards, till the return of Christ in the clouds of heaven. 2.--The onward condition of believers in the kingof grace. 3.-The church is both beautiful and terrible. 4.-While here below she is in a state militant; she is a bannered army, marshalled under Jesus the Captain of her salvation. May the Holy Spirit enable our readers to meditate profitably on these things.

MY DEAR SISTER SARAH,

I

I have never before been so set aside from my official employ; it seems strange to me, but my Master's will is law, not mine. I have been at Salem repeatedly to day without seeing any one or being seen of any there. I have aimed to meet my beloved friends at the mercy seat, and have urgently implored the Divine presence to be with my brethren who should preach and with my dear people who might hear. I can only be with you in spirit while my body is here. But our Lord is not confined; he can be in all places where his people dwell. pray his blessing may rest upon my fiock, may accompany the word, may rest like dew on the herbs of the earth, and greatly refresh his plants and revive all drooping souls. More than this is promised, nor can his promise fail. He has engaged to be as a well of living water springing up into everlasting life. (John iv. 14.) It is well to find that our acts are maintained by a powerful living spring, that our desires are the overflowings of a hidden life ; and that Christ is its root and pattern. "I live," said one, "yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." O what a mystery is here! that he who is reigning in glory should be living in us, acting in us, influencing us, and diffusing his holy qualities in our souls. And is not this the case, my friend? Is he not formed in us the hope of glory?

Is he not to us the way, the truth, and the life by which we go to the presence of the Father, as known and enjoyed in the kingdom above; the Way of access and acceptance; the Life in which we move thitherward; and the Truth by which we are lighted in our way? He is the life of our spirits; the path of our journey, and the light by which we see it, and walk on in his steps, till we come to the banks of the Jordan. He is all, therefore, without him we have nothing, and with him we want nothing. More than all we cannot have; and less than all we must not crave. Oh, happy plan, to make one a fulness to all, and all exhibitors of that one! He shews himself in many and shews many in himself. His honour is interwoven with their welfare; and their happiness secures his praise. Did he humble himself that we might be exalted? Then how just it is for us to humble ourselves under his mighty hand, that he might be exalted in us and in our salvation. He served us with his best; shall we be so ungrateful as to withhold our best from him? His best was of immense worth, but ours is a poor offering, even when presented. Abel offer ed his best; and though we cannot do as we would, it will be base to keep back what we have. Our pride is wont to hinder us by acting under the garb of a feigned humility. We hear many saying what poor creatures they are, and they

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cannot come forward, O no; but suppose they could once think more highly of themselves and their performances, would they not then appear? Oh, yes! Oh, yes! how vain a thing is fallen man! Humility, thou ornament of saints, how rare is

thy genuine and extensive growth! Lord impart it to my soul, and may a double portion of that and of every grace adorn my esteemed friend and her affectionate Pastor, JOHN STEVENS.

MY DEAR FRIEND,

I sincerely regret that I have delayed writing an answer to your last letter, and hope you will pardon my seeming neglect. I was very much pleased to find that you had not forgotten me, and can truly say I am glad to hear from you and of you at all times; I have that in possession which prevents me from ever forgetting you, and feel to want the ability to express what I do feel towards you, inasmuch as you were the instrument in the Lord's hands of bringing me into liberty from soul-bondage and from Satanic power to the knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus; and do not think my dear friend that I shall forget to remember how and when I was broken to pieces, in order to be made whole. I have not found one of the Lord's promises fail yet, he has hitherto been better to me than my fears, and I feel that I can venture my all into his hands, believing that they are safely kept whom Jesus has the care of; 'tis true that I often find Christ to be to me my only support under all circumstances, though I do not always feel his presence, but still I cannot live without him, and sometimes long for his love to be more manifested towards me, so that my sky is not without clouds; he is the same yesterday, to-day, and will be for ever; and though-"My soul through many changes goes, His love no variation knows."

must say I should be glad to see you again, but I cannot expect it unless the Lord open up the way to bring you to- -; but I do look forward at times with strong confidence that if this privilege is denied me I shall see, and meet you in our home above, where parting will be no more. We have been favoured much in hearing the exaltation of our dear Redeemer in all his offices and characters: how precious is the name of Jesus to a disconsolate and lost sinner when he sees and feels himself such, but how much more so to one who knows and feels his worth, as I trust I do. May the Lord favour you and me with more of the Spirit's influence, to lead us more out of ourselves into the great things that are treasured up in Christ for our comfort and consolation. I am often wondering why the Lord should stoop so low as to pick me up out of the rubbish of the fall; but as often, I am obliged to say it was because it seemed good in his sight. And now, my dear friend, having wrote thus far, what can I say better than,—may the Lord bless you and yours in your basket, in your store, and in your soul;may you be made a blessing to many of the Lord's people, and to the conversion of sinners, and mighty through God for pulling down the strong holds of sin; and that the gospel may have free course, so prays your affectionate sister in Christ, MARTHA

"Is it right to refuse to admit to Communion at the Lord's Table a baptized believer, known to be of good character, on the ground of his not being a member of a church of the same faith and order?"

In reply to a "Constant Reader," I think it is not right to exclude a aptized believer from communion at the ordinance of the Lord's Supper, simply because he happens

to be in fellowship with a church which is not in everything conducted as our own is.

I am a strict Baptist myself, and should be the last to consent to an unbaptized person being allowed to commune with the church of which I am a member, because he is living in DISOBEDIENCE to our blessed Lord's command; but the other who has obeyed this command, and who has shewn

by such obedience that his heart is right, how can I consistently with that "charity" which "is kind" and is "not puffed up" exclude him whom Christ has not excluded? I know it is the practice of many strict Baptist churches to refuse communion to baptised members of churches who may differ from them in minor matters, but I think we ought to bear in mind that our churches are not perfect, and to my mind this is one of the stringent rules which ought to be expunged from the code of every church. Might we not just as well refuse to receive a believer into fellowship with us because he is a member of an unconverted family? For what is the church but a family? In my opinion, this rule is one of those which keep our Baptist churches so disjointed, and prevent that union which might otherwise exist. I know of no scripture bearing directly upon the matter before us, and in the absence of such guidance let us exercise that charity which is the bond of

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perfectness, which "hopeth all things, and endureth all things."

The members of the church are one
With Christ their Lord and Head;
All loved and saved through grace alone,
And by one Spirit led.

The parties some so much esteem
Are nothing with the Lord;
'Tis the new heart which pleases him,
That loves and keeps his word.
Divisions are the fruit of pride,
In men to error prone;
But we should tremble to divide
What God has made but one.
While some may for a party strive,
And slight the Saviour's word;
The hand of fellowship we give
To all that love the Lord.

May this be our feeling and our desire for the Saviour's sake. Amen.

GEO. PEAKE.

[We shall welcome further correspondence on this subject.]

Ar the meetings of the year 1846, which were held at Little Stonham, a larger number of members was reported to have been admitted (by baptism) than during any one of the ten preceding or the fifteen succeeding years; and it is worthy of remark that from those churches most blessed with increase, the fewest number of separations had taken place.

The increasing attendance at those annual assemblies rendering the various meeting-houses wholly insufficient, and the preparation of temporary accommodation by booths, &c., having been found very inconvenient, it was resolved to purchase a tent capable of holding nearly 2000 persons for the use of the Association. This was effected, and the noble "tabernacle" brought first into use at Occold, the following year.

And gracious soul-cheering meetings were those; not only from the sweet savour of Christ which a multitude of believers enjoyed therein, but also from the mighty converting power of Sovereign Grace manifested. For in after days it was made known that at least eight souls had been convinced of sin and brought to seek salvation in the Lord Jesus, during the concluding sermon by Brother Collins.

The Brethren Galpine, Irish, and Wright had previously been favoured with sweet liberty and an unction from the Holy One, in preaching Christ to the people, by which much blessing was experienced.

In 1846, the churches at Stoke Ash and Zoar Chapel, Ipswich, united with the Association; those at Lowestoft and Aldringham retiring. That at Saxlingham joined the following year, raising the number of churches in union to twentysix. The church at Laxfield was re-admitted in 1848, in which year the meetings were held at Wetherden, and were more numerously attended than ever. Deep feeling and delightful interest was evinced. The reading of the letters from the churches occupied four hours, but was listened to with patient and lively sympathy. The preachers were Brethren Bloomfield, Ridley, R. Barnes, and Wright. This occasion was embraced of presenting the Secretary of the Association (Brother Wright), with a valuable gold watch and chain and silver teapot as a small token of the high esteem in which he was held by the brethren and friends "for his work's sake."

The circular letters for these three years are of a thoroughly practical nature.