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POETRY.

Messrs. Editors,-The following lines were suggested from the words, “Keep them," being impressed with much sweetness on the writer's mind, such beauty and compassion shining through the Redeemer's intercessory prayer as had never been felt before. Should you

deem them worthy of a place in the Gospel Standard, their insertion will oblige, ONE OF YOUR CONSTANT READERS.

L-, June 10.

"KEEP THEM FROM THE EVIL."-John xvii, 15.

"Keep them." For whom did Jesus I give to them a heavenly birth, plead? A life that from my death shall flow. What love, what mercy in that prayer!« Keep them." Thou wilt;—no power

Ah, well he knew his people's need
Of his protecting, keeping care.

"Keep them,"-the objects of my love,
Chosen eternally in me,

For whom my tender mercies move,
For whom I yield my life to thee.
"Keep them,"-my people, weak
small,
Who have no strength without my
Who find in me their "all in all,"
Since I their debt of justice paid.

"Keep them," my Father; they
mine;

and

aid,

in heaven

Or earth, shall pluck them from thy

hand:

To them eternal life is given,

And in this love secure they stand.
"Keep them." Compassionate request!
Breathed from the lips of him who died:
He knew what hearts his saints possess'd,
Prone from his sacred paths to slide.
"Keep them," he prays: O boundless
love!

are To plead for Adam's ruin'd race;
And still he intercedes above,
And still imparts his sovereign grace.
"Keep them." By power divine they
stand,

Save them from evil's dangerous way:
The world will all its powers combine,
To turn their feeble steps astray.
"Keep them,”—they are not of
earth;

Like me, they must its hatred know:

the Till Christ invites his saints above,

To praise, with all the ransom❜d band, "Redeeming grace, and dying love."

"THE COMPANY OF TWO ARMIES."
Two giants there are, and they dwell in one cot;
The one he loves that which the other loves not;
The one he loves day, and the other loves night;
The one he's for peace, but the other will fight;
The one likes to feed upon savoury meat,
The other loves garbage dogs only should eat;
The one he loves wisdom, and would she should rule,
The other's an ass, and will still play the fool;
The one he loves truth, and the truth he'll stand by,
The other hates truth, and believes in a lie;
The one he loves darkness, the other loves light;
The one he loves error, the other what's right;
The one loves pure wine unmingled with water,
The other a mixture false prophets have brought her;
The one loves to feed on pure milk or strong meat,
The other's so carnal he neither can eat.
And thus the poor cottage is batter'd about;
And thus it must be till both are turn'd out.

Turn'd out they must be before peace can be had;
And they'll ne'er meet again, for which I shall be glad.

LINES,

Written upon the death of Sophia Fitch, who departed this life, in holy triumph of soul and full assurance of faith in our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, November 10th, 1843, aged 41 years.

Hark! what is this assails my ear?
The solemn sound of death I hear,-
A sister gone before:

She's left this vale of tears below,
To dwell where endless pleasures flow,
Upon a happier shore.

She smiled at death, look'd in his face,
Nor fear'd to end her mortal race,

Or walk the valley through;
She often here was heard to say
His chariot wheels dragg'd heavily,
And thought they travell'd slow.
Death waiting stood to take the blow;
When God commission'd him to go,

He struck the deadly wound:
She turn'd herself upon her side,
Then gently breath'd her last and died:
A conqueror now is found.

She's singing now before the throne,
The honours of the great Three-One,
In realms of endless day;

And now the joy no tongue can tell,—
She said, "I ne'er shall go to hell,

For Christ, I know, is mine."
Satan a liar now she found,
And when he threw his deadly wound,
Her life was hid in God;
She's singing now the song of grace
On high, with all the ransom'd race
Of Jesus' precious blood.
Aloud upon her bed she sung,
For God had loosed her stammering

Nor could she then refrain: [tongue,
She's singing now above the sky,
Where solid pleasures never die,

Exempt from grief and pain.

O yes! she sang in Jesus' name,
And shouted victory through the Lamb,
Before she took her flight;
And now, without a veil between,
Her Jesus' lovely face is seen,
In realms of endless light.

Worthy, she cries, the slaughter'd Lamb, Her sister watch'd her latest breath,
And shouts of victory through his name And said, "My dear, if you in death

Who died on Calvary.

A mourner here on earth below,
Oppress'd with sin, with grief, and woe;
No tongue but her's could tell
The agonies she felt within;
She thought her heavy load of sin
Would sink her soul to hell.
She trembled here, and oft did quake,
Lest she within the burning lake

Should find her portion there :
She sought the Lord, for mercy cried,
And found at last, before she died,

There mercy was for her.

The Lord sent home his healing word,
Did life, and joy, and peace afford,
With pleasure all divine;
Great Totham.

Are happy, wave your hand:"
She waved it forth without delay,
Then quickly dropp'd her cumbrous clay,
And fled to Zion's land.

And now her soul is set at large,
Her Saviour's blood was her discharge,—

She views his lovely face;
She drinks immortal pleasure in,
And shout, for ever freed from sin,
"Salvation's all of grace."
And O may such a wretch as I,
Who sometimes am afraid to die,

Be safely landed there!

To conflict here with sin no more,
But reach that blest immortal shore,
And victory shout like her.

E. P.

But again; some will say, "My desires are so intense after Jesus, springing from a deep sense of need, and from some glimmerings of his excellent worth, that I cannot rest till I am persuaded of my soul's interest in his eternal love.” Yours is love in the smoke; therefore do not fear; it will not go out; for God says he will not break the bruised reed; though its melancholy jarring is not so musical as the "voice of doves, tabering upon their breasts." (Nahum ii. 7.) "But," say you, "I long to enjoy a sense of his atonement in my conscience, and to find a heart-felt union with him, and a joyful love to him; to say as the spouse does, 'My Beloved is mine, and I am his;' or with Peter, Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.'” (1 Pet. i. 8.) This joy that you have mentioned is love in the flame; be thankful for the former, but aim at the latter, that ye may "know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge.” (Eph. iii. 19.)—Huntington.

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. 106.

OCTOBER, 1844.

VOL. X.

MEDITATIONS ON DEUT. XXXIII. 13-16, BY JAMES OSBOURN, OF AMERICA.

(Concluded from page 263.)

The

V. "And for the precious things put forth by the moon." sun and moon are here both mentioned in proper order. We all know that the sun has the pre-eminence over the moon. The sun is larger than the moon, brighter than the moon, and of greater heat than the moon; and the moon receives all her light from the sun, which is the grand fount or.source of all light. Now the sun is said to bring forth, and the moon, the lesser light, to put forth. From the above we are shown how great the pre-eminence of our anti-typical Joseph, the glorious Sun of Righteousness, is over the moon, the church. He was before all things, he is over all things, and by him all things consist. In him the church lives, moves, and has her being; and all her light, heat, beauty, glory, and grace, flow from him, the Fountain and Source of all good. As this Sun freely brings forth these precious fruits which we have just glanced at, so the moon freely receives them, and binds them about her for ornaments; and being thus ornamented, beautified, and adorned, she is styled the perfection of beauty, and the joy of the whole earth. And as she so very liberally receives all from the Sun, she deviseth liberal things, and by liberal things she stands. Or thus: she freely, and without making any reserve, puts forth precious things to the sons and daughters of men. And this is done in the preaching of the gospel, when Christ is exhibited, and the fulness and freeness of the grace, mercy, and love of God to perishing sinners are opened up. And here let me ask you, my sister, are there not many very precious things put forth by this moon at times? Have they not

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often caused the souls of the sorrowful ones to be glad, and to rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory?

With regard to the glory of this moon, I would just remark, Paul tells us that the natural moon is not without glory: "There is,” says he, " one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon." And so Zion is not without glory. The clothing of this moon is said to be of wrought gold; her food, marrow and fatness; her place of defence, the munition of rocks; her ornaments, the hidden man of the heart, and a meek and quiet spirit; and the end of her race, the salvation of the soul. If all this be true, may we not bless the Sun "for the precious things put forth by the moon?"

VI. "And for the chief things of the ancient mountains." By the mountains here spoken of, we have brought to view the great transactions of eternity. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit consulting about the salvation of his chosen ones; the things then and there done; the arrangements made, the plan laid down, the steps that should be pursued, the events that should take place in time, and the end they should all tend to, may well be compared to mountains for stability and duration. In vain do men fight against the ancient settlements of the Trinity, as nothing that was there done will ever be counteracted, altered, diminished, or improved. As Infinite Wisdom adjusted all things for a certain end, so Infinite Wisdom will see that that very end be accomplished by those very things appointed for that purpose. And as these things were contrived before time began, and so fixed as to admit of no change, they are called "ancient mountains."

By "the chief things," we may understand the two grand objects which God had in view under all, and which he will never lose sight of, but will cause every event, either directly or indirectly, to be subservient to his grand design. And these two objects were, and still are, his own declarative glory, and the salvation of his church; and these are to be accomplished in that way which is perfectly conformable to his most wise and righteous decrees, counsels, and purposes. And that these are the chief things which occupy the mind of the Trinity, we may easily gather from the vast interest which each divine Person in the blessed Trinity takes in securing and bringing them to pass.

That God the Father is greatly concerned for his own glory, and for the salvation of the church, is evident from the many things he has said and done. God the Son is also greatly concerned for his own glory, and for the salvation of the church, as appears from the many things he has said and done, and is still doing. God the Holy Ghost is likewise much concerned for his own glory, and for the salvation of the church, as is plain from what he has said and is now saying, and from what he has done and is still doing.

If the salvation of the church is one of the chief things that concern the almighty Father, how happy, how blessed, and how safe must the church be! And if her salvation is one of the chief things that occupy the mind of Christ the Lord now in heaven, how highly favoured is she, and how humble and thankful ought she to be, since

his great concern for her cannot fail to end in a complete deliverance from sin, toil, and sorrow! And if her eternal felicity is one of the chief things that engage the attention of the Holy Spirit, and for which all his holy energies are employed, how can the prince of darkness prevail against her so as to deprive her of that everlasting rest, to bring her unto which is one of "the chief things of the ancient mountains," or which engage the mind and the thoughts of a Triune God?

Come, my sister, if you are willing, and join with me in surveying these "chief things of the ancient mountains" with the rest of the blessings conferred on the land of our mystical Joseph; and after that, if you please, we will take a view of "the lasting hills."

VII. "And for the precious things of the lasting hills." Are we not here led to contemplate the glorious covenant of grace, with all its sublime and munificent advantages?

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This blessed covenant is very lasting, as well as very full of mercies, which mercies are said to be sure. The covenant itself is said to be an everlasting one. With respect to the formation of it, it is declared to be "ordered in all things, and sure," and with regard to its wealth, a man after God's own heart protested that it was all his salvation, and all his desire. This covenant was founded in love, and has for its security the oath and promise of God, which can never fail. It was made with Christ the covenant Head, and in the behalf of an elect world; and to them it has been, and still shall be made known: "The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will show them his covenant." And most precious things does this covenant disclose to the heirs of promise, as they have well witnessed in all ages of the world. This covenant was ratified by Christ, who is the covenant Head, and who was given for a covenant of the ple, and for a light of the Gentiles. It is called a covenant of peace, as Christ, by performing the conditions of it, established peace between his Father and those chosen in the covenant. And as Christ did this to the perfect satisfaction of his Father, his Father has not only said, "My covenant shall stand fast with him," and that his mediatorial throne shall be established for ever, as the moon, but that he will, by the blood of this covenant, "bring forth the prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water." And now that this covenant, and Christ, the Head of it, are as lasting as the hills, and seeing that they have continued from everlasting unto the present time, it is evident that there is no prospect of their ever coming to a close; for "of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with jugdment and with justice, from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this." (Isa.

ix. 7.)

Here again, my sister, I take the liberty of calling upon you to assist me in ascribing glory to God in the highest, for establishing these lasting hills, and for the precious things they contain.

VIII. "And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof." Surely we may conclude that the precious things here mentioned

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