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And she, as well as her dear sister Cathery had done before her, joined in singing, though faintly, yet so as to be heard. After which she said, Did you hear me sing?" I replied, "Yes." "Well," she said, "whether I was heard or not, my very heart and soul were sweetly engaged in it. O! how truly precious the words were to me! Just suitable. They expressed the very language of my soul. O, bless him! O, praise him with me! Pray the dear Lord to give you more of his love. What is all religion without love?" I said, "Why love is the mainspring, and when thus felt and sweetly enjoyed, it sets all others in motion." She replied, "Yes, indeed it does. If any person should inquire about me after I am gone, tell them that the religion of Jesus Christ consists in love and power; and that if they get not this they will never get to heaven." In conclusion, she observed, "How many things has the Lord taught me in this affliction, which I knew not of before, both as it respects myself, as a poor, vile, polluted sinner, and himself, as a perfect, complete, and all-sufficient Saviour! What are all our prayers and praises, but as they are offered up in his name, accepted in him, perfumed with the sweet odour of his sacrifice, washed in the fountain of his precious blood, taken and presented by him to his heavenly Father, for he is sat down with the Father on his throne, clothed in his rich priestly garments, interceding for us, and sends down his Holy Spirit into our hearts, to fill us with joy and peace in believing? O how my soul longs to be with him!" I said, merely to draw something more from her, "You are not afraid then of the foundation giving way?" "O, no," she replied; "it is a sure foundation, a permanent one, one that can never give way. How firmly do I find myself fixed upon him, (Christ,) as the Rock of eternal ages! Had I a thousand souls I would venture them all upon him. My heart is fixed, O God! my heart is fixed,' trusting in thee."

Thus, she has now attained the ultimate end of her wishes, being with Jesus whom her soul loved, and shall be for ever with him to show forth his praise. When it pleased the Lord to send the messenger, death, to call her from hence, he gave her a peaceful, quiet, and easy dismissal, without either a sigh, struggle, or groan. Then, "Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace." May your end and mine be like hers. Amen. Yours in the best of bonds.

Chichester, June 4, 1844.

J. L.

INQUIRIES.

Messrs. Editors,-Being a constant reader of the Gospel Standard, I have, I trust, realized a union of soul to many of the writers therein, (although perhaps not personally known to me,) from the feelings they have described as having passed through themselves being much the same as that of my own experience; for I really and truly find most of my experience to be on the dark side of the question; while I hope, through grace, that I can raise a few Ebenezers

to the dear Lord for his goodness and mercy being always on my side, and sometimes have felt a sweet manifestation of the same.

But, as my object in addressing you is to ask a favour of you, through your valuable periodical, I wish to be short, praying that the Lord may direct you, by the Spirit, into the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, and bless you with nearness of access and much of his presence, from time to time.

Will you, then, give your opinion upon the following idea, which I lately heard carried out by a friend, a brother in the Lord, and one whom I much esteem? But, as it is not necessary for his name to be known, in order to refute the error, (if such it be,) I shall forbear giving it. The idea is as follows:-That where Jesus Christ says, "I am the true Vine," (John xv. 1,) he must really and truly be a vine, or the force and meaning of the same is lost. So, where he says, "I am the Door," (John x. 9,) he must really be a door, or the force, &c., is lost; that he must also be a real lamb, a real ox, a real goat, &c. &c., or the scriptures would lose their force and meaning. And as I cannot but think that the idea is untrue, I shall feel obliged by your remarks. London, March 16th, 1844.

AN INQUIRER.

[None, we think, but a maniac, or wild enthusiast, could entertain such a view as our correspondent intimates his friend to hold. So foolish and absurd an idea scarcely demands a moment's notice or one word of refutation. Surely, unless he has lately paid him a visit in Bedlam, and heard it from his own lips, "An Inquirer' must misunderstand the meaning of his friend. That the onlybegotten Son of God should be truly and really a wooden vine, a deal or mahogany door, an actual ox, a real goat!—we shudder at such ravings and awful blasphemies. And that "a brother in the Lord" should even dare to think, much more utter, such wild and abominable absurdities-if such a maniac is still at large, do use your influence with his friends, kind "Inquirer," and put him under the care of Dr. Conolly, who, without strait-waistcoat or restraint, will let him quietly roam in the pleasant grounds of Hanwell Asylum, where he will find five hundred inmates, all of whom, we are bound to say, have sounder views upon the parables of Christ than himself.-EDS.]

Messrs. Editors,-Your correspondent, a member of a Baptist church, is much grieved by the minister of that church (a spiritual, experimental preacher) having lately introduced a practice of calling upon the women to pray at the public meetings, whilst a goodly number of praying men stand by in silence. He insists that it is not uscriptural so to do; but your correspondent, with many of his fellow-members, thinks it most unscriptural, indecent, and a reproach to their high and holy profession.

Your opinion on the subject, in your next publication of the Standard, will much oblige,

Yours affectionately, in gospel bonds,

April 12th, 1844.

AN INQUIRER FOR TRUTH.

PS. The said minister thinks the passages in Paul's Epistles to Timothy and the Corinthians, forbidding women to speak in the church, allude only to preaching.

[We can remember but one passage (1 Cor. xi. 5) which at all favours the practice of calling upon professing women to pray publicly; and that more by

implication than express warrant: "Every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head." (We do not mention the passage 1 Cor. xi. 13, as it is but another form of putting forward the same truth.) The apostle there certainly seems to imply that a woman might pray or prophesy if her head were but covered. But as he has said so expressly, (1 Cor. xiv. 34, 35,) "Let your women keep silence in the churches; for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home; for it is a shame for women to speak in the church;" and again not less plainly and positively to the same purport, 1 Tim. ii. 11, 12, "Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence," we can scarcely doubt that the Holy Ghost has prohibited women from praying publicly. And if we be asked how we can then explain the passage above quoted, "Every woman that prayeth," &c., we answer, that we must understand it of women praying in private, or with each other. And this view seems to be borne out by two considerations. 1. That the apostle appears in the early part of 1 Cor. xi., (that is, from verse 1 to 16,) not to be speaking at all of their meeting together in the church; but to be rather giving directions for private worship. But at verse 17, he evidently begins a fresh subject—that of their public assemblies. "Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse. For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it." From which we think we may fairly and legitimately gather that his directions to praying women are to be understood of their praying privately. And 2. his declaration, "Let your women keep silence in the churches," is so decisive and positive, that we think it admits no question but that the practice mentioned by our correspondent of calling upon women to pray publicly is unscriptural, unbecoming, and highly objectionable.-EDS.]

POETRY.

"BLESSED ARE THE DEAD WHO DIE IN THE LORD."

That they eternally are blest
Who die in their dear Lord,

And do from all their labours rest,

We have the Spirit's word.

From all their toils, and cares, and pains
They rise, to ever be

Where bliss immortal ever reigns,

And endless ecstacy.

Their ravish'd souls, with sweet delight,
Admire the once-slain Lamb;
Ascribe all praise, dominion, might,
And honour to his name.

They cast their crowns at his dear feet,
Who for their souls brought in

A full salvation, all complete,
From death, and hell, and sin.

For thou, O Lord, still gracious art,
And canst not e'er do wrong:
Confusion, shame, and grief of heart,
To us vile worms belong. ·

For, gracious Lord, when left by thee,
We murmur and complain,
Find fault with thy most wise decree,
Until thou come again.

The dispensations of thy will,
When sanctified by thee,
Will sweetly teach us to stand still,
And thy salvation see.

Lord, thy dear children shall not lack,
For thou art gracious still;
Thy word declares thou art not slack
Thy promise to fulfil.

Then shall we grieve when thou do'st call But thou art righteous, true, and just,

Thy children home to thee;

From sin and sorrow, pain and thrall,

Their spirits to set free?

O! may we rather bear the rod;

For he did it ordain,

Who is from everlasting God,

And faithful will remain.

And merciful to those

Who in thy loving-kindness trust
For shelter from their woes.

So, thou hast call'd thy servant home,
Who, oft with cares opprest,

Long'd for the happy time to come,
To enter into rest,

And O! may we to thee resign

Each blessing that we hold; For thou wilt all thy saints refine,

And purify as gold.

But thou canst, in thy servant's place,
A shepherd raise to feed;
And of the riches of thy grace

Supply thy children's need.

For we are sure his soul has gone
To join, for evermore,

The church triumphant round thy throne,"
Who thy blest name adore.
Mile End.

"AND THE BLIND AND THE LAME CAME TO HIM IN THE TEMPLE; AND HE HEALED THEM.”—Matt. xxi. 14.

If Jesus heals the blind and lame,

And makes the feeble strong,
My soul shall live to bless his name,
And grace shall be my song.

If one that's burden'd much with sin
Is Jesus' gift and charge,
Then I his "rest" shall enter in,
And walk by faith at large.

If those who want a Saviour are
The price of Jesus' blood,

Then thou, my soul, shalt surely share Shall wear that glorious wedding-dress

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. 105.

SEPTEMBER, 1844. VOL. X.

SEEKING AND STRIVING.

There is nothing more remarkable in a saint of God than an honest and a good heart, made so by the new-creating power of Christ, by which new heart the saint is enabled to follow Christ in the regeneration. Happy is the man, therefore, that can say to Christ," Author of my first, and second birth." It is by this second birth (truly and genuinely experienced) that we are actually let into a sharing and knowledge of divine mysteries,-mysteries that an endless eternity will not be too long to gaze into, and meditate on with blissful perfection and with godlike wisdom. For, however natural wisdom (which with God, spiritually, is heinous folly) may despise it, yet spiritual wisdom, as Christ is to the elect, is the wisdom of God. O glorious thought! O immense reward! O blissful fruit, and triumphant ending! It may well, as I doubt not it does, delight the soul of each blissful seraph, blissful with ever new delight, in gazing on the Most Highest becoming the Most Lowest (grammar is violated). Whereby to the sons of men the amazing secret and ends of God being manifest in the flesh are effectively made known. Thus the astonishing seal is put upon it by the Lord Jesus himself, where he declares this is life eternal to know it. Therefore, to "know" it thus must be something vastly different to what the unregenerate can have the least conception or idea of whatever.

I know it was this thought which ever made me, both under the law and the gospel, both under wrath and mercy, stand back far away from those men of self-ability who can read the scriptures without fear and love, without a solemnizing and profitable, a painful or pleasing humiliation before God to this effect, saying, "Lord, if thou dost not teach me sensibly and satisfactorily by thy Holy

I