ven, then a saint on earth-which, by the bye, appears like changing the order of things too; allow me to suggest Wickliff, Romaine, Hervey, Bishop Hall, and, if you do not confine yourselves to the English branch of Christ's Catholic Church, Luther, Calvin, and Knox among those in Heaven; and Wm. Marsh, Wm. Dalton, and Wm. Nunn, among those on earth. You will greatly oblige me by giving, if possible, the interpretation which many of our clergy put upon some of the Articles of our Church, especially the 10th and 17th, that enables them conscientiously to profess their belief in, and assent and consent to them, and then go and preach doctrines as diametrically opposed to them and the Bible as darkness is to light, or hell to Heaven. How is it that men, too, who acknowledge their belief in the grand doctrines of God's sovereignty, election, predestination, final perseverance (or, I would rather say, final preservation,) are afraid to preach them? Is it because they know what to preach better than the Bible can tell them? or because God cannot take care of his own truth? Oh! how many poor souls, who stand in need of the very consolation which these (and only these) sublime doctrines afford, reject them because they are above man's puny reason; be cause they know nothing of them but what they have learned from those who know as little as themselves. Need we wonder that popery, infidelity, sectarianism, and Socianism should so flourish amongst us, while their great root-Armenianism-is so abundantly nourished and cherished? May Almighty God, our Father in Jesus, give you grace to lift up your voices like trumpets against all false doctrine, heresy, and schism, and make you the blessed instruments of convincing many that, although clouds and darkness are round about our God, justice and judgment are the habitation of his throne, and to his name be the undivided glory. Your's, in the bonds of the everlasting covenant, W. T. T. A TESTIMONY IN FAVOUR OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND. (( GRACE and peace be multiplied unto you. Having been a subscriber of the "Gospel Magazine" for nearly twenty years, and an occasional correspondent, I have seen the spreading delusions of the day running through this highly-favoured land, endeavouring to sweep away the steadfast and everlasting lights, which were re-kindled at the Reformation by Luther, &c., which light has been kept burning in the Church ever since, and God will ever have a light burning in her until time shall be no more, in opposition to the combined forces of Satan, which are flying in all directions to destroy the Established Church, and to bring her strongholds to ruin; but God is in the midst of her, and he will help her, and that right early. Her doctrines and her Articles are founded on God's most Holy Word, and her base is the rock Christ Jesus, and God has been pleased, at very many times, eminently to show her lights in days when errors abounded. Charnock, Toplady, Romaine, Hawker, with a long train of others in succession, by whom God has been pleased to send the Word home to the heart, with Divine power to all whom the Lord our God has suffered, bled, and died for; which I can witness before many, for it was within her sacred wall my soul received the arrow of conviction, and saw myself lost, ruined, and undone, and without any help in myself. I beheld God, as a God of justice, demanding of his creatures a perfect obedience and sinless perfection, but all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and I found all my striving and legal working was in vain. But what holy solemnity, what godly fear has my soul felt, when the minister has been declaring the absolution and remission of sins; and with what earnestness did my soul desire to feel its power, which God, in the dispensation of his goodness, granted me, in reading Mr. Romaine's Trinmph of Faith; and when I came to that blessed portion of God's Word, "Thanks be unto God who always causeth us to triumph in Christ," I was delivered from all that dreadful fear, and God brought me into all that happy liberty; all my sins cast into the depths of the sea of Christ suffering; faith, hope, and love found their way to my heart; and in every word in the Bible I could now see something of the dear Redeemer, "Whose going forth had been of old from everlasting." Then did I know experimentally what those words meant in the Absolution, "He pardoneth and absolveth all them that truly repentand unfeignedly believe his Holy Gospel; wherefore let us beseech him to grant us true repentance and his Holy Spirit." My soul was truly humbled under a sight and sense of my utter unworthiness; and for many days wept over the suffering of my crucified and risen Redeemer. And my soul longed to approach his earthly courts to hear his blessed name exalted above every name. Religion was now become a sacred thing to me, and by faith I viewed divine things as most certainly true; and my hope hangs on and expects all that God promises and all that faith credits, while charity falls in love with and embraces as excellent all that faith discovers and believes, all that hope stays upon; and I could see my Saviour stooping under all that load of sin and miseries, that lay so heavy on me; what boundless love! who can fathom its depth, and reach its height? It is a foretaste of heaven, above, which the soul experiences often under the dropping of the sanctuary. Although faith is often sorely tried at times, for the powers of darkness and the corruptions of the heart rise like a powerful host, and thus drive the soul to cry unto God to deliver from temptation, in the words of the Church," Almighty and everlasting God, defend me by thy mighty power, and grant that I fall not into sin, neither run into any kind of danger, and that all my doings may be ordered by thy governance to do always that is righteous in thy sight, through Jesus Christ the Lord." And when I look back and contemplate the many wonderful providential mercies my soul has experienced, and the sweet communion and fellowship I have enjoyed, when the blessed spirit has taken of the things of my dear Redeemer, and revealed them to me, and I have seen my interest clearly in all his atoning sacrifice, my faith and hope strengthened in the Lord, and I have gone on my way rejoicing in God my Saviour. Being justified by his grace, we are made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Having given this brief testimony, because of the many abounding errors spreading far and near, and the mouths of Dissenters crying out "raze the Church to the ground," which, if I am permitted, shall, from time to time, show forth their corrupt doctrine, and their ignorance of a knowledge of themselves, and of the plan of salvation, as it is in Christ Jesus, declared in God's Word; and a day shall declare it, that many have fallen short of a real conversion to God, having a false hope, and resting on a fleshly feeling, and never grounded on God's Word, in the hour of temptation must fall away. Bayswater. MARK TWO LETTERS TO A FRIEND ON THE EFFICACY OF PRAYER FOR THE SALVATION OF RELATIVES. LETTER THE FIRST. MY DEAR FRIEND:-You ask my opinion with reference to prayers for the salvation of relations. Never for a moment think that I set light by the means. The duty of prayer is strictly enjoined both for ourselves and others. The Lord has ordained the means to be used for the end, and what he has joined together, let no one put asunder. At the same time, if our sal vation depended upon each other's prayers, where should we be, or what would become of us? Ah! my dear friend, this is a deep subject, and I refer you to one text, Psalm lxvi. v. 9, which in the Hebrew is rendered "who putteth our soul into life." Here we come to the quickening power of God, who alone can effect this: and, in the latter clause of the verse, we have the final perseverance of God's people: "who suffereth not our feet to be moved." He alone who in the first instance imparts spiritual_life can preserve it. You know I love the doctrine of election, as set forth in the articles of our Church (read the seventeenth article); I like to hear it fully and faithfully preached; I cannot receive the doctrine of general redemption, it savors too much of man's free will, and wherever this doctrine is preached, I should consider it unsound and unscriptural. You will infer that, believing as I do most fully the doctrine of election, reprobation, or, in other words, the eternal condemnation of a portion of the human race must follow; and I candidly aver I do believe in this doctrine, because the Scripture most fully declares it. But let no finite creature presume to meddle with the secret purpose of God, or limit his grace with respect to any fallen child of Adam. His purposes are wisely hid from us, and while we know that the preparation of the heart is from the Lord, we have every encouragement to sow the seed, to plant, and to water, praying fervently for him to bless such means, which will undoubtedly tend to his own glory, whether in the condemnation or salvation of individuals. 2 Cor. ii. 15 and 16. I remain, my dear friend, your's, A-a. Feb. 12, 1840. "Gospel Magazine, REV. SIRS, I have read the second number of the or Church of England Advocate," with which, I must say, I have been exceedingly pleased, and I shall certainly read the first. I should feel very much obliged by your inserting the enclosed, “A brief Paraphrase of the Lord's Prayer," which I have extracted from an old book, entitled, "The Whole Duty of Man" (1727), and I think this a very good explanation of the Lord's Prayer. I remain your obedient and humble servant, POETRY. S. WISWOULD. No. 3. UPON DEATH. It is an awful thing to die, Weeks, months, and years pass swiftly by, Some talk of death as if they could Withstand the shock when he appears; But he, uncleans'd by Jesu's blood, * See the article referred to in a preceding page. Not nature in its senses bears The shocking thought which death affords ; All sceptic creeds away he tears, And leaves the wretch to sin's rewards. Thro' Christ alone is death disarm'd, Subdued by blood and righteousness. How sweet the dying Christian's smile! And dies to live above the skies. HEAVEN. WHEN sin has ceas'd to blind our sight, There sweet unmingl'd pleasures flow, What lengths and breadths of love divine, The blessed God enthron'd on high, With thousand-thousand saints around, Who view the glory of his eye, While all with joyful praise resound; "To hear his voice and see his face, And feel his infinite embrace." Speed happy day--I fly, I fly, (O grace perform thy work within,) To lucid realms beyond the sky, From hell, and death, and fear, and sin: Then shall I sing in cheerful strains, The triumphs of my Saviour's pains. "FEAR NOT, ONLY BELIEVE." I. COME listen, O my soul, And hear thy Saviour say, "Fear not, though waves of trouble roll, Let nothing thee dismay. II. "Though tribulations great, And num'rous foes assail; I'm nigh to help in ev'ry strait, None shall o'er thee prevail, B. B. REVIEWS AND NOTICES OF BOOKS. Memoir of Sarah Jane Isabella Wolf, Eldest Daughter of the Rev. M. S. Alexander, Professor of Hebrew and Rabinnical Literature in King's College, London, and Missionary to the Jews. Written by her Father. Published by B. Wertheim, 14, Paternoster Row, London. P. 96, cloth extra 18mo. We have been abundantly repaid for the perusal of this little Book by the highly interesting contents of its pages. It evidences how easily and correctly the Holy Ghost can communicate to the mind of a child a saving knowledge of Christ. It further brings under our consideration the value of infant baptism, as used in the Apostolic Church of England, and the blessings attendant or consequent upon an education according to covenant engagements therein entered into, as stated in the Church Catechism. We have therefore great pleasure in recommending it to our readers, especially to those who have young families. Family Prayers. By the late Rev. Henry Jackson Close, M. A. Published by W. J. Cleaver, Baker street, Portman-square; p. 72, cloth extra 18mo. We believe that there are many Christian parents, who have not the gift of addressing God in, and before, their families in an extemporaneous prayer; and yet, who are, at the same time, as sound in the faith as others, who can so address God. Here then, is an excellent little manual of family prayers, containing a morning and evening prayer for every day in the week, with a collect from the Liturgy of the Church of England at the end of each prayer. The Book is most beautifully printed, and is well adapted for the purposes before alluded to. A Brief Account of the Earthquake, the solemn event which occurred near Axmouth, Devonshire, on the 25th December 1839. Published by James Nisbet and Co., Berners Street, London. P. 12, 8vo. This is an awful and interesting pamphlet, detailing some of the judgments of God in these realms, as having commenced for the national sin of setting up once more the damnable doctrines of popery. |