Rejection of truth by nominal Protestants is notorious.

And, verily, I think if we look only at these things, it will be enough to make all the family of the living God wail and mourn at her affecting

state.

1. The open enemies of God and man are multiplying.

I mean the Infidel race. Sure I am things were never carried to such a pitch before (except in revolutionary France) as they are now in England; notwithstanding the cry of the schoolmaster abroad, the number of Bibles, the good societies, and the publication of good books. We say nothing against all this; as far as it is good we would admire it; but I would ask, where is the triumph of the cross-the spread of pure truth? This is a fact, I think, that cannot be denied― Infidelity is increasing! The total blindness of Englishmen to their danger proves that God is giving those over to strong delusions that have pleasure in unrighteousness: look at the thrust that is made at morality, the very sapping of all that is good or dear-everything that can be devised against the very principle of social society and good order, and assisted by the most devilish of foes. And all this done under the name of liberal principles-the Infidel harangues, the open effrontery with which they turn the word of God into ridicule, and trample on all that is sacred to the name of a Christian. Infidelity now walks at noon-day, with unblushing face, in defiance of the laws of God and man. Well may "Zion wail and weep." And the viler the man is the more he is listened to. And sure I am, if the devil were to turn public speaker, he would have a greater congregation than a minister of Christ; if he could hide his cloven-foot, they would not mind his horns.

Now let us come to the next reason why Zion should wail. 2. The under-ground work of Papists.

Thousands will not believe the chains that are already forging for them until they actually feel them put upon them. Papists and Popery are now the same, and neither learning nor refinement will at all alter them. I ask which of the streets of London can you walk through now without meeting Jesuits? Who would have thought, some fifty years ago, that six hundred Popish chapels should have been built in England? and yet, in the face of all this, men tell you that they do not see the spread of Popery in our land; while others, who do admit the fact, say that they are more refined now. I tell you a lion is a lion, do what you will with him; the cutting of his claws, or the muzzling of his mouth, will not alter his nature. I maintain that Popery is what it ever was and will be, as much as the devil is what he was. It is not against parties I war, but against principles. As for my part, I have not the least ill-will against the poor deluded Papists. It is not against men that I war-it is not against men that I lift up my voice, but against a system absolutely infernal. I would travel, night and day, any distance I had strength enough for, and lift up my voice (while I had a voice to lift up) if I could be of any use to bring only one of them to God.

Oh, the system of iniquity! Infidelity and Popery are warring against

the true church of God, and against the God of the church; doing all they can to undermine it, to sap it to its base; and Arminianism is its ally, doing all that it can to make way for the spread of Popery. "Truth has fallen in the streets," and few are bold for God.

Yes, by this underplot (as I have called it) Papists are doing all they can at present do, to prepare for an attack upon the church of God, and to stop our public worship here, as they have done in other countries. Call me (if you please) an alarmist, I care not for that; I would lift up my voice, God helping me, as a faithful watchman on the walls of Zion; and as I do see the sword coming, I will tell the people, that I may be clear of their blood when it does come. Believe me, when I say, I fear we shall soon have public worship suspended by Popish authority; and then it will be seen who is on the Lord's side. Infidels are joined with Papists, and nominal professors are aiding them in their work, their underplots, and the intrigues of Popery-all that is vile and horrid, under the garb of profession. My hearers, arise! arise! and show yoursleves ere it be too late; "The voice of wailing is heard in Zion," then join with the ambassadors of truth against the foe of God and man.

3. The rejection of truth-and this is the darkest of all-the rejection of truth among nominal Protestants. Oh, my God! what shall the end of these things be? If we look around at the public buildings, call them what you please; some call them churches, some steeplehouses, some chapels, and some call them meeting-houses; call them what you please, where is there the preacher who will lift up his voice for God, "and tell out all the counsel of God, whether men will hear or forbear?" Such a one, I know, will have his name cast out as evil. If a man dares to be bold for God, and says a word about electing love and eternal justification, he will be noted as a high-doctrine man, andcalled by many an Antinomian. For in these days of rebuke and blas. phemy, they call eternal love, eternal justification, the doctrine of Antinomians; and thus by these men the doctrines of grace are reviled.

A voice of wailing is heard in Zion on this account. My soul sickens at the thought of the awfully degenerate state of Zion, and the lukewarm state of those who profess to be partakers of life divine. My very heart sickens at the rehearsal of these things; I could weep till midnight "for the hurt of the daughter of my people." Oh, the languishing state of Zion at the present time! "Who is on the Lord's side;" who is bold for God? Twenty-three years have I sounded the Gospel trumpet, and lifted up my voice for the proclamation of the doctrines of grace in this Metropolis; and hence it is that I wear the reproach of a high-doctrine man, a ringleader of the Antinomians; but I would say with dear old Dr. Hawker, "I bind this as a chain of gold about my neck." They are objects of pity, and not I; and I can say, I would endure all this may have a clear conscience before God. And sure I am, nothing less than these doctrines of grace will do it; in trying times, these will stand by me under all trials, under all sorrows; and better it is by far to be forsaken of men, than to be forsaken by my God.

that

Oh, what is the preaching of the present day-how deficient ! I was talking some little while ago with a schoolmistress; calling her by

name, I said, "How is your soul fed now?" she had formerly sat under my ministry, and I wished to know how she profited under the preached word where she was removed. Her reply was, "All they say, sir, amounts to this, Be a good child and I will love you, be a good child and I will love you." And this is precisely the preaching of the day. I thought this well worthy the schoolmistress; for simple as this may appear to some, it really is the case; you must do so and so, and so and so, and then God will love you. Oh, my hearers! truth has fallen in the streets, it is really trampled under foot; and instead of the blood of the covenant, the setting up of human tradition; and instead of truth, what Paul calls "a cursed Gospel." Having just run over these few particulars as briefly as possible, I shall now proceed to the next idea.

Thirdly-The testimony concerning it, "A voice of wailing was heard out of Zion;" then they have found it out to their sorrow. A gentleman told me the other day in the City, that about twelve years ago he thought me an alarmist; "but now," said he, "I begin to see that you are and were right, and that I was wrong.' The state of Zion in

our day is truly deplorable, and well her sons and daughters may weep. But if they weep and wail they are to be called alarmists, especially if they are pining after pure truth and God's word. I would that there were more of these alarmists in the day in which we live.

1. Godly sorrow for the state of Zion, pouring out your soul before God; the best place to give vent to your wailing is in the closet before God-don't forget this, I beseech you. The closet is the place; let me ask how often have you been there to ask the Lord for deliverance for his Zion, in this day of blasphemy and rebuke? How often do you go to your closet, filled with godly sorrow for the state of Zion, and pray the Lord that he would give you "pastors after his own heart to feed the people with knowledge and understanding?" How many pastors are taken away! but who fill their places after they are taken home to glory? Have we not a proof of this in the very place where we are now worshipping? Twelve months since our late Brother Palmer, who is now singing in glory, preached his sermon (which is published) against Popery; and ever since he went home, the church have pleaded with God for a pastor, and have not as yet been able to obtain one. And why? Because they cannot eat husks, they cannot eat chaff; they must have a whole lamb, and nothing short of this will satisfy their appetite--" a whole lamb," not merely a limb or joint. See Exodus, xii. Some will tell you a little truth here and there, but where is the man that will bring forth a whole lamb, morning and evening; I mean, the whole of the Gospel? I want pardon, justification, sanctification, and eternal glorification; this is what I call a full Gospel, a whole lamb and I firmly believe that when God sends a man that will bring a whole lamb, that is the man that will do for them. And I would say to you, cease not to plead with God that he would give you a faithful pastor; I want the minister of the Gospel to preach the whole truth, and I pray that he would turn to the people a pure language thereby, and teach the people what pure truth is. And I firmly believe that when God shall turn to the people a pure

language, it shall begin in the pulpits, and soon run down to the pews. I want the ministers of the Gospel to be like old Nehemiah, bold and valiant for the truth's sake, and eager to feed the church of the living God; for it will be "like priest like people." Oh, for more of the bold valiant servants of God in his church! The semi-Popery that spreads from Oxford to the pulpits, and to the press, and then runs through all the people, is the curse of the day-how little pure truth is to be found for hungry souls! What then should be done? Why we want the Lord's sent servants to tell it all out, to proclaim a full, free, and finished salvation, through the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; and this will be food for hungry souls, the people will carry this home, they will feed on this and grow.

2. Orthodoxy must be opposed to heterodoxy. This should be the work of the minister of Christ; to set forth the whole of the truth, to proclaim a full Christ; to oppose vital godliness to the religion of the day, to oppose real Christianity to Antichrist; and if you would be a most successful warrior against the devil and Popery, exalt Christ, live on his fulness, draw out all your supplies from him, take every opportunity to set him forth with clearness and boldness. And this will, I know, strike deadly blows at the strongholds of Antichrist. I do not ask of what sect or party you are, whether you call yourself Protestant or Papist; I don't ask if you get your religion from the Pope at the Vatican at Rome, or at Oxford-little or no consequence to me. But if it came not from God, it is carnal-it comes from the devil: all pretensions to Christianity, without life divine in the soul, are useless and vain; nothing will stand by you in a dying day, or at the bar of God at the last day, unless you have a religion at heart. Alas, alas! the man-made ministers are the curse of the day-men, because they can go through a certain number of lessons in the classics, and certain ceremonies, are called successors of the apostles, if their lives are as black as the devil's. I would say to those who are advocates for apostolical succession, that all their pretensions to this are folly. I know that the Lord will to the end of time find ministers, servants of his own appointing, to proclaim the Gospel; and when he takes one home he will raise up another for this purpose. This is apostolical succession; but for the slaves of sin to assume what is called holy orders, and boast of being the successors of the apostles, is a monstrous delusion. And here we ought to observe that the title of priest assumed by these Baal-worshippers is the mark of the beast; for this title and office are ascribed to none but Christ in the New Testament, who is the only priest after the order of Melchisedek. The Popish priesthood is a profane mimic of Aaron's order, and amounts to a rejection of Christ; it is returning to Judaism in its carnal rites, and so long as the name of priest is assumed by Protestants, the stigma of Popery rests upon them. Let the minister of God, the ambassador of truth, proclaim the whole truth; exalting Christ and preaching orthodoxy in opposition to heterodoxy, and he will be doing all he can against the spread of Popery and Infidelity. The only ministers that God will bless and own, are those who are sent by the Holy Ghost, and fully qualified for the work. O my God! let thy sent servants lift up

their voice like a trumpet, let them tell of the sword coming; let them warn as well as comfort, and be as faithful "watchmen on the walls of Zion:" and then shall God be glorified, and the souls of the Lord's family built up.

3. Depend unceasingly for deliverance on supplication and prayer as the means. This has been my prayer for many years, that God would avert the solemn judgment were it his will, but if the scourge must come, that he would give strength to stand in the evil day; if you and Í should live to see it, when the Popish and Infidel powers shall burst upon us, we shall need strength and grace; then let us ask for it now. Oh, the power of prayer! and let me entreat of you to wrestle hard with God for deliverance; and may the God of grace give you the spirit of prayer for this purpose.

Let me recommend to you the practice that we have kept up for twelve months at Grove Chapel, a prayer meeting against Popery. I did hope when we first commenced it, that some other churches would have followed our example. I would just name the fact, that we hold a Prayer Meeting on a Tuesday evening, the first after the ordinance day, an hour after the sermon, from eight to nine o'clock, to pray our covenant God to deliver our land from the fangs of accursed Popery, and shine on his Zion, and bless the souls of his waiting people. Well, now, if you will endeavour to get some of your pastors to attend to this, and I pray God to write it on your hearts; and if you cannot succeed in this, you can obtain it in your closets, if you cannot in the house of God. May the God of all grace grant his blessing with these hints, for his name's sake. Amen.

[We should not have published a sermon of this length in our Magazine, but for this important fact, the glorious truths that it contains being so very applicable to the times in which we live; when Popery and Infidelity abound, and the truths of God have fallen in the streets. In giving an outline of it, we could not have done justice either to the sermon or the public, and we feel a pleasure in laying the whole before our readers, according to our reporter.]

A FEW THOUGHTS ON FAITH.

THE mystery and simplicity, pleasure and pain, trial and triumph of a life of faith, are only to be known by the family of God. The world at large, any more than letter professors, have nothing to say of these contrasts and opposites; for they have never tasted the power of that faith which is not an intellectual conclusion. Not letter conviction, not human reasoning, but a supernatural principle having a divine origin; given, according to eternal purpose, to all the elect of God, and hence called the faith of God's elect. A few legal convictions, followed by transient gleams of carnal joy, are sometimes mistaken for a work of conversion; and so an undefined and unfounded reliance upon an un