you.' ." Brother Kemp, who frequently visited him, furnishes many statements of a similar character. "On one occasion he said, 'The Lord is good and wise, and knows what is best:' and requested me to pray that the Lord would increase his love to himself, and be with him to the end.' At another time I found him very low, and apparently unable to speak. I said, 'God is love.' 'O yes,' said he, 'God is love.' Ever after this, thoughts of the love and faithfulness of God seemed to be constantly impressed upon his mind. To his dear and affectionate daughter, who had managed to leave her bed to see him, he said, 'It gives me great pleasure to see you walking in the way to heaven. Be sure that I and your dear mother will be the first to welcome you on the heavenly plains; and if the Lord wills it, I should like to be your guardian angel.' As his end approached it was very evident that the great truths of the Bible were the support of his mind. He would say, 'All is right. I would not wish any thing that happens, to be different from what it is. The Lord knows what is best.' Perceiving his end to be approaching, I said, 'It will soon be over; this pain will soon be exchanged for ease and perfect happiness; this mortal shall put on immortality.' 'O yes,' said he, and repeated the whole passage, the latter part with much energy; thanks be to God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.' Another day when our friend lay gasping for breath, I repeated those words, 'My grace is sufficient for thee,' and 'I will never leave thee, I will never forsake thee.' He said, 'It is sufficient, it is true, I believe it.' A short time before our venerated Brother finished his mortal course, I entered his room accompained by another friend. We stood on either side of his bed; he put one hand into mine, the other he gave to my companion, as if unable to speak. We stood watching at his couch. Before we spoke he raised his hands a little, and then with an effort and much feeling said, 'God is love. God is love.' I said, 'Yes, love in his designs; love in his dealings; love in himself;' he then added, 'Pray for me,' and lifting up his eyes, said, 'Come, Lord Jesus; come quickly.' In about half an hour those eyes were closed in death; and that soul which had departed trusting in the mercy of God through Christ, found a place in HIS presence where is fulness of joy, and at whose right hand are pleasures for evermore." So ended the earthly life of our friend Mr. T. Alcock, on the 25th of October, 1845, in the eighty-second year of his age. A funeral sermon was delivered by Mr. Goodall in the chapel in Cheadle to a numerous, attentive, and deeply-affected congregation. G. GOODALL. Alnwick. SPRING. Welcome, delightful Spring, by beauty led; Welcome, delightful Spring, so fair, so sweet, Return, return, fair Spring with choicest flowers, Welcome, delightful Spring, fairest of all The seasons that o'er earth so gently roll; J. MEDICRAFT. DISCOURSES AND ESSAYS. CHURCH-FELLOWSHIP: ITS NECESSITY AND ADVANTAGES. BY THE REV. L. SAXTON. THE subject of church-fellowship is confessedly one of momentous character. It is far, however, from receiving that measure of attention to which it is legitimately entitled. The correctness of this remark must be apparent to every candid observer; and in the heart of every well-wisher to God's cause, the circumstance ought to excite emotions of unfeigned regret. Numbers there are, from whom better things might be expected, who are standing aloof from Christian fellowship, either because they are indifferent to the advantages it offers, or because they are influenced by a dislike to the restraints it imposes, or for some other equally insufficient reason. They will mingle with the saints in the public services of the sanctuary, manifest considerable regard for religion, and cheerfully contribute of their substance to its support; but yet they deem it not desirable to become members of the church. Is it not a lamentable fact that we have many persons of this class in most of our congregations? To convince such of the impropriety of their present course, and to confirm those who are already attached to the fellowship of saints, will be the object aimed at in the observations we are about to offer. We remark, 1. That our obligation to unite in church-fellowship is involved in the existence of a church as a Divine institution. From the earliest ages God has had a church in the world. We are informed in the fourth chapter of the book of Genesis, that as early as the time of Enos, son of Seth, men began to call on the name of the Lord; or as it is rendered in the margin, men began to call themselves by the name of the Lord. This indicates that they made a public profession of religion, and separated themselves from the wicked and ungodly; or in other words, that they formed themselves into a church for the purpose of carrying on the worship of God, and enjoying religious communion with each other. It appears from what is afterwards stated, that the antediluvians subsequently laid aside this course; and the evils which accompanied and followed its discontinuance we need not depict. Some time after the deluge, the Almighty selected Abraham and his family from the rest of mankind, and constituted them and their descendants his church and people. To them he made special promises, and on them he conferred special privileges. They were a royal priesthood-the peculiar people of God-the lot of his inheritance. They had a written revelation of Jehovah's will-a succession of inspired prophets-the ordinances of Divine worship-and the visible symbols of God's presence. And it must be obvious to every one who reads with attention the Old Testament Scriptures, and particularly the Book of Psalms, that the servants of the Most High, under the economy of which we are now speaking, were ardently attached to church-fellowship. They found it to be good and pleasant to dwell together in unity, and to tell from time to time what God had done for their souls. They preferred Jerusalem above their chief joy, and longed to dwell in the house of the Lord, to behold his beauty, and to inquire in his temple all their days. Under the Christian dispensation God has a Church. Christ came to break down the wall of partition between Jews and Gentiles, and to unite both in one Church. In the New Testament we read of the Church of God which he purchased with his own blood,-that is to say, it was purchased with the blood of Christ, who in his divine nature is equal with the Father. The Church is compared to a flock of sheep, of which Christ is the Shepherd. It is also represented as the body, and Christ as the head. It is likewise spoken of as the bride, and Christ as the bridegroom. We read of the church at Antioch, the church at Rome, the church at Corinth, and various other places. These were separate churches, forming parts of the universal Church. We read of the Lord adding to the Church daily such as should be saved; of the church assembling together; of fear coming upon all the Church; of a great persecution being raised against the Church; of the Church being built upon a rock; of matters of dispute being brought before the Church for its judgment and decision; and to the Church the promise belongs, that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. All these things show that God has had, and still has a Church. And if he who is the fountain of wisdom and goodness has seen fit to institute a Church, onght not we to regard it as our imperative duty to carry out his designs by placing ourselves within its pale? Would he have instituted a Church if churchfellowship had been unnecessary? Shall we affect to be wise above what is written; or to know better than our Maker what is right in the matter? Ought not the fact of a Church having been instituted by an infinitely wise and gracious God, to be looked upon as a motive sufficiently powerful to induce us to connect ourselves with the faithful in the bonds of Christian fellowship? Ought not this to be done as a practical recognition of our obligations to obey the will of the Church's founder? To these questions we hopefully anticipate from the reader a favourable response. 2. Church-fellowship is necessary to the right observance of various duties enjoined upon us in the Scriptures. It is our duty to avow in the most open and undisguised manner our attachment to the cause of the Redeemer, by taking upon ourselves a public profession of his religion. It is our duty as Christians to be separate from sinners, to have no fellowship with the works of darkness, and to exhibit and demonstrate the fact, that we are governed by other principles and laws than those by which the ungodly are governed. It is our duty to meet together to celebrate Jehovah's praise; to supplicate his throne; to hear his word expounded; and to exhort one another, and so much the more as we see the day of the Lord approaching. It is our duty to attend to those ordinances which Christ has instituted for our benefit and edification; such as the Lord's Supper and Christian Baptism. It is our duty to keep up the regular ministration of Divine truth; to use means to promote the spread of the Gospel; and to help such of the saints as are in necessitous circumstances. That these things are enjoined upon us in the Word of God, few of those now addressed will be disposed to question; but it will be impossible to attend to them efficiently and regularly without church-fellowship. If we would sustain with consistency a profession of Christianity, keep ourselves unspotted from the world, promulgate Divine truth, perform Christian duties, and attend to Christian ordinances, we must have a church, and adopt and act upon the principles of Christian fellowship. "Without this, no ministry could long be supported, no public worship maintained, no ordinances administered, no discipline exercised." The primitive Christians continued steadfastly in the Apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And if we would discharge the duties devolving upon us as the professed followers of Christ, we must copy their example, and pursue the same line of conduct. 3. By church-fellowship vice is discountenanced and virtue promoted. This is done by the Church's example, and also by the proper administration of church discipline. Example ever exerts a powerful influence either for good or evil, as the case may be. All history confirms this assertion. The Church is to be as a city set on a hill, that cannot be hid. Its members are to be examples of holiness and circumspection, of honesty and uprightness, of mercy and benevolence, of all that is excellent and of good report. In their conduct are to be presented the "fruits of righteousness" and the "beauties of holiness." Their light is to shine that others may see it and glorify God. Salutary and benign is the character of that influence which conduct of this description, on the part of the Church, is adapted to exert on the world. To furnish such an example, and to produce such an influence, was doubtless one of the designs of the Deity in the calling of Abraham, and in the institution of the Jewish Church, to which reference has been previously made. Nor is it less his design now. The discipline of the Church is adapted to subserve the same end. The existence of a church supposes the existence of government; and the administration of the laws of that government constitutes what we term church discipline. It will be right, however, to observe that the government of the Church of Christ, as developed in the New Testament, is purely spiritual in its nature. "My kingdom," says the founder of the Christian religion, "is not of this world." And as the government of Christ's Church is spiritual in its character, those in whose hands it is vested, have no scriptural right to inflict any sort of temporal punishment. To do this is not their province; it does not come within the range of church discipline. This has indeed been done in numerous instances; but it has been done without any warrant from the New Testament, and has invariably injured the cause which it was professedly intended to serve. "Christian discipline," says a judicious writer, "consists of private exhortation, public admonition, and excommunication." If members of the Church walk disorderly, they are to be exhorted, admonished, rebuked; and if such conduct be persevered in, they are to be expelled from the Church as incorrigible offenders. The objects aimed at in all this are, the purity and edification of the Church, and the promotion of virtue and.godliness. And when the discipline of the Church is properly enforced, it cannot but have a powerful tendency to effect these objects. But this cannot be done without church-fellowship. And hence the necessity and propriety of connecting ourselves with the Church of Christ, if we wish vice to be discouraged and virtue promoted. 4. Church-fellowship secures union and co-operation. These are essential to the prosperity of God's cause. A number of individuals associated together, and acting in concert as though they were but one man, are much more powerful for the accomplishment of any proposed object, than the same number of individuals would be, were each one to act alone, in his individual and isolated capacity. The advantages of co-operation are universally acknowledged, and the principle acted upon in the commonest concerns of life. And co-operation will be just as beneficial and effective, in promoting the objects which the Christian religion is intended to accomplish, as in any other matter. "Only let your conversation be as becometh the Gospel of Christ," says Paul to the Philippians, "that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind, striving together for the faith of the Gospel." This is another argument for church-fellowship. Unless we be united in church-fellowship, how can we act in the way the Apostle here specifies? And is it not as necessary that we should adopt the advice of the Apostle, and embody in our conduct the things he mentions, as it was that the Philippians should do so? If Christians are to accomplish any thing great or noble, there must be union-union of principle, of spirit, of affection, of effort; and there will never be such union without church-fellowship. 5. Church-fellowship is eminently calculated to promote our spiritual comfort and happiness. The blessings realized in the enjoyment of Christian communion, are more precious than rubies, and sweeter than honey or the honey-comb. Christian converse is unspeakably beneficial. Frequently do the followers of the Lamb realize, in a manner that cannot be expressed, the truth of that observation,-"As iron sharpeneth iron, so does the countenance of a man his friend." The powers of sympathy are excited, the purest and best feelings and affections of the human heart are called into exercise, and the Apostolic injunction,-" Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep,"-is instinctively obeyed. The saints of God find in their Father's house, "A feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the less well refined." They behold the goings forth of the Most High in his sanctuary, they realize his presence in their hearts, and their souls leap for joy. To meet together to sing and pray, and to hear and converse about the things of heaven, is one of their principal sources of delight; and while engaged in such exercises they experience blessed and gracious foretastes of the ineffable and endless joys of a better world. By the means employed in connection with Christian fellowship, the weak are strengthened, the needy are supplied, the ignorant are instructed, the drooping are cheered, the tempted are encouraged, mourners are comforted, waverers are established, and the joyous are made to rejoice more and more. To the correctness of these statements, all who have an experimental acquaintance with the advantages of Christian fellowship will cheerfully subscribe. And shall we slight such spiritual helps and advantages? Shall we esteem them as of no value? Would not such an estimate of them be madness itself? And can we be said to properly appreciate them as long as we wilfully neglect to place ourselves in a position to share them? The Lord give us wisdom and grace to act aright! 6. The Church on earth is the type and representative of the Church in heaven. God is the defence of the Church in heaven; he protects it from every adversary, he shields it from every foe. So is he the defence of the Church on earth. The enemies of the Church are both numerous and powerful; and there is no lack on their part, either of malignity of purpose, or vigour of effort, to ruin and destroy the Church. But the Lord is on the side of the Church, and he is more than all who can be against it. He causes the weapons of its enemies to be turned against themselves, and their rage and malice to recoil on their own heads. He |