finding it often where least expected. It is essential for him first to point out the hurt; it is his business to probe deep and wide; but all this is preparatory work: then when the sore is manifest; then when the hurt is discovered; then when the wound is felt: then, as the minister of good tidings, as the ambassador of the Prince of Peace, he proclaims to the wounded, the perishing and sin-sick soul, the gloricus news of mercy, and health, and cure.. Such was Peter, and Paul, and John, and such are the ministers of Christ now whom the Lord doth bless. of the devil! This is an abomination in God's sight and God will visit it with the rod. Dear Reader, the humility which God imparts humbles itself before God in secret: it doth not cry out on the housetops, I am vile, and in the market place walk proudly: it doth not hunt up a vocabulary of dirty words; it doth more, it feels them, and mourns over them, and seeks in God's strength to keep closer to that Saviour who cleanses from them. It is a painful and thankless office to allude to contemporary magazines, and therefore, but for the letter of our correspondent, we should not have done so. We know it will be attributed to various motives, but we must not on this account shrink from giving our opinion when, as now, we are called upon. The "Gospel Standard" has thrust itself into notice by its compulsory mandates that all connected with it shall work hard to make it sell. Woe be to that man who does this business sluggishly! Woe to him who ventures to speak but faintly in its praise; and a double woe to him who dares to speak hostilely! We can prove what we say, and will do so, if called upon. As then those who are connected with its editor dare not speak, we venture to expose what by most of its readers is much lamented; and we call upon its editors, as brethren, may we not say, brethren beloved, to consider their ways: we would say, Ye are doing the devil's drudgery in our Master's name: ye are doing it effectually, because among what we have pointed out as bad, you supply us with so much that is excellent, that we cannot but believe you to be lovers of Christ as well as we. not hinderers in the vineyard, but fellow helpers in the work, and we will heartily wish you God speed. The christian's pathway is a scene of continual tribulation; and therefore after the first deliverance,-after realizing life, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost,-changes and war will attend him. These the minister experiences as well as the people; from these, by the tender mercy of our God, he as well as they are delivered; they meet therefore on equal ground: here also, and like a good physician, he will in these seasons tell even more exultingly of the remedy than of the disorder; he will boast more of his Lord than of his own corrupt heart. - It will be seen that these observations, as well as the letter of our highly esteemed friend, refer to the publication entitled the " Gospel Standard.". That work, amongst much that is excellent, supplies, particularly of late, what in our opinion (and by this letter it is seen we are not alone) tends more to the nurtu ring of the pride of the heart than it does to exalt Christ. Do our readers smile when we say pride. Oh we have found that the pride of the human breast is of such a character that it can feed even upon carrion: we ask, and we ask it even of those correspondents to the "Gospel Standard "who tell out the worst of their vileness, doth it not awaken some sort of boastfulness when they do it? Do they never when they write, think, ment-the Rev. John Dampier, Incumbent of Pit"how humbled Lam to what brother is?" This is pride! This is THE EDITORS. Be OBITUARY. We have to announce the sudden death of another faithful minister in the Establish combe, &c., in Somersetshire: his loss will be felt severely by many of the Lord's family in those parts who attended with much profit under his ministry. And oft at his throne in their anguish they kneel; They cry" Is thy mercy quite taken away? Lord hear us: for Jesus' sake answer we pray." They cry and they shout, he seems not to hear; No answer descends, they've no comfort to cheer: Yet though they are troubled, they can't leave the place Where oft in time past he has shewn them his face. They feel 't is a mercy they are not destroyed, And think of the love they so oft have enjoyed; This gives them fresh courage to trust in the Lord, Well knowing he ne'er can be worse than his word. 'Tis true, they're cast down, but still they are spared; And though by old Satan they 're oft greatly scared, They find the blest Spirit is still on their side, And nought can their souls e'er from Jesus divide. Sometimes he speaks roughly, yet still makes them know "He rests in his love," though in darkness they go ; And in his own time he will stretch forth his hand, To save all his chosen, and bring them to land. His ways are mysterious, His dealings still kind, And when in the furnace His gold is refined, He'll shine in their souls, and make it ap pear They are pure in his sight, and his likeness they wear. Oh, poor doubting soul, whoe'er thou mayest be, Still trust in thy Saviour, nor e'er from him flee; The world will but pierce thee, and more sorrow bring, Therefore to thy Leader still fearlessly cling. He'll vanquish thy foes, and drive sorrows away, And in thee show his righteousness clear every day; And though after all thy frail body must die, He'll raise it quite pure to dwell with him on high. A few days more trial thy warfare shall end, And thou shalt be raised to dwell with thy Friend; Then, with all his angels in glory above, In praise never ceasing you'll sing of his love. There through the blest regions of joy, love, and peace, Your wonder shall constantly rise and increase; And while of his goodness you cheerfully tell, You'll glory to prove, He hath done all things well. Though "Master, where dwellest thou?” now is thy cry, You will then sweetly know, in the mansions on high; And when there admitted you 'II go no But of rich loving-kindness evermore shout. more out," Jeremiah xxx. 17. A captive exile, sunk in shame, And thus saith Zion's sovereign Lord, With pardon, life, and righteousness. Her union, of eternal date, Purged from dead works, by faith she lives, Surrounded by an host of foes, Her secret moans, and groans, and cries, Her faith in everlasting love, Draws help and succour from above; It works, and fights, and conquering sings, Grace reigns through Christ the King of kings. Thus my beloved daily dies, To all delusive fleshly ties ; And learns to cast her cares on me, "And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah Jireh; as it is said to this day, in the mount of the Lord it shall be seen."-Gen. xxii. 14. Judea's land, Studded with pillars of remembrancess, Might, to the passing traveller, seem a place Of strange enthusiasm; but the inhabitants, When they beheld the Ebenezer stones, In memory's mirror saw the emergencies; And well remembering each deliverance, felt That God who then protected still would help. In every walk they gleaned encouragement: Hills, vallies, rivers, cities, in their names Told, glorious narratives of wondrous deeds, So that the nation's history could be read Brightly in its topography. And 't is no bygone tale; As did the Hebrew then, the Christian now. Freed from the bondage and the wilderness, He walks the scenes of past experiences : The house of toil, the desert of distress, The battle field, the conquest and the gain. And like a dove, on silver pinions soared, Think ye the places and their very names Yield him not joy! Oh, loved and ever loved They'll be by him. Yea, when in heaven, He'll glance delighted o'er the battlements, And spare a smile for them. LINES REZENEB. Presented to Mr. Godden, on the success of his ministry, at Corpus Christi Chapel, Stonehouse. Hail sacred spot! hail blest abode ! There holy peace pervades the breast, There many Isaacs have been born, Yea, oft within this holy ground, Though oft they felt his chastening rod. MARY. THE SPIRITUAL MAGAZINE, ZION'S AND CASKET. "For there are Three that bear record in heaven, the FATHER, the WORD, and the HOLY GHOST: and these Three are One."-1 John v. 7. Earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints."-Jude 3. Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience."-1 Tim. iii. 6. MARCH, 1841. SCRIPTURAL FEATURES OF A HUMBLE BELIEVER. "Who am I, O Lord God, and what is mine house?"-1 Chron. xvii. 16. DAVID when wearing the crown of royalty remembered his shepherd's crook as well as Jacob did his travelling staff. Mercies make a humble soul glad but not proud. Nothing melts like mercy; nothing draws like mercy; nothing humbles like mercy. A humble soul is lowest when his mercies are highest; he is least when he is greatest; he is most poor when most rich. A soul made truly humble by the subduing influence of divine grace, overlooks his own righteousness, and lives only on the righteousness of Christ he calls it dross, dung, and filthy rags; and the righteousness of Christ spotless, pure, complete, and incomparable. Remember this, all the sighing, sobbing, and complaining in the world, doth not so undeniably evidence a man to be humble, as his overlooking his own righteousness and living really and truly upon the righteousness of Christ. This is the greatest demonstration of humility that can be shewn by man. Men may do much, hear much, pray much, March, 1841.] tell much, and give much, and yet be as proud as Lucifer: but for a man to trample upon his own righteousness, and to live wholly upon the righteousness of another, this speaks a man to be humble indeed. Man is so prone to warm himself at the sparks of his own fire, though he doth lie down for it in eternal sorrow. Proud pharisees may boast themselves of their own righteousness, "I thank God I am not as this publican," but the truly humbled soul, exclaims, "Enter not into judgment with thy servant, for in thy sight shall no flesh living be justified." A humble soul lives not upon his own doings, but upon the Lord Jesus and his doings. As beggars live upon the bounty, the care, and the provisions of others, so the humble soul lives upon the care of Christ, the love of Christ, the promise of Christ, the faithfulness of Christ, the discoveries of Christ. He lives upon Christ for justification, sanctification, and consolation. I can do all things, he exclaims, through Christ: I live, yet not I. A humble soul sees in Christ a fulness upon which he lives and feeds. He sees in Christ all his stock of graces, comforts, and experiences. Christ is the great Lord-keeper of them all. Christ dwells in that heart most eminently which is most emptied of self. Christ is the humble man's manna upon which he lives and thrives. A humble soul prizes the least of Christ: the least smile, the least good word, the least look. His language is, If I may not have a loaf of blessing, give me a crumb of blessing; if I may not have sunlight, let me have moonlight; if not moonlight, let me have starlight. A humble soul looks upon all the things of God as consecrated things: every truth of God is a consecrated truth; and so every smile of God, every discovery of God, and every drop of mercy from God is very highly prized by the soul' that walks humbly with God. The name of Christ, the voice of Christ, the footsteps of Christ, the least touch of the garment of Christ, is by such highly prized; yea, the humble soul cannot call anything little that has Christ in it, nor anything great, or good, or desirable wherein he does not see or enjoy Christ. A humble soul approaches the mercy seat with the name of Jesus upon his tongue, and the merits of Jesus for his plea. When he goes to God for mercy, he takes his Benjamin in his arms, and the Father will never give that soul a repulse that comes to him in the Son of his love. A humble soul in affliction endcavours more to honour 'God therein than to get out of it. A proud man will say anything, and do anything, and be anything, to free himself from the burdens that press him, as we see in Pharoah; but an humble soul is willing to bear the cross as long as he can get strength from heaven; to kiss the cross, to bless God for the cross, and to glorify God under it. Lord, says the humble soul, do but keep down my sins, and keep my heart in a way of honouring thee under all my troubles, and then my troubles will be no troubles, and my afflictions will be no afflictions. A humble soul looks not after great things in this world. Lord, says the humble soul, if thou wilt but give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, thou shalt be my God: let the men of the world take the world in all its greatness and glory and divide it among themselves, let me have much of Christ and heaven in my heart, and it shall be enough. A humble soul can rejoice in the graces of others. Like Moses, when Eldad and Medad prophesied in the camp, it will say, Would God that all the Lord s people were prophets. Ezekiel commends Daniel his contemporary, matching him with Job and Noah for his power in prayer. And Peter highly praises Paul's epistles, though he had been sharply reproved in one of them. A proud heart always reckons his own pence for pounds, and others' pounds for pence: all pearls are conterfeit but what he wears. A humble soul will rather bear wrongs than revenge wrongs offered. He loves not to take the sword into his own hand. He knows the day is coming when the Lord will give his enemies two blows for one, and here he rests. A humble soul is engaged in thinking of the wrongs and iniquities he has himself been guilty of before God, and of the tender love and compassion of God towards him notwithstanding all, that he has not leisure to think of injuries done by others, or if he does think of them, he is the more willing to forgive them. A humble soul, though of great abilities, will not disdain to be taught what he knows not, even by the meanest. Apollos, an eloquent man and mighty in the scriptures, a master in Israel, yet sits by Aquilla a tentmaker, and Priscilla his wife, to be instructed by them. A godly soul, though never so poor, mean, and contemptible in this world, is not hindered by these things, but rather helped in the attainment of spiritual knowledge, and may insomuch, in |