that I have said to Him, "Lord, if thou wilt but assure me that I am Thine, I care not what I suffer; I will pass through anything for Thy great name sake, if Thou wilt but assure me that Thou art mine."

"Assure my conscience of her part

In Thy most precious blood;
And bear Thy witness to my heart,
That I am born of God."

I was invited, soon after this, to a tea party; and was prevailed upon to go; it was held at a friend's house. After tea, cards were introduced, when I wished I had not been there; but, however, I had a game, and joined them in all their folly.

Jesus now appeared to hide His face, while I was left to hardness of heart; and the devil brought all my sins to view, and said, "You have trampled under foot the blood of Christ! You are a child of hell; and though you have professed to know Christ, in works you deny Him! God is now about to make it plain that you are nothing but a reprobate! Yes, such an hypocrite have you been, that the Lord is now going to make an open show of you to the

world!"

To describe the agony of soul that I passed through, would be utterly impossible. For months I went on in this state, thinking that the Lord had cut me off, and left me to perish in my own corruption. I was hardened in sin, could not pray, and dared not take God's name in my mouth. At last the devil tempted me to hang myself, and put an end to my misery; but at that moment I thought of my poor soul-what will become of that? If I do this thing, it will be going from bad to worse! If I hang myself, hell must be my portion! Then, again, I thought, who can tell but that I may obtain mercy, if I wait? My case may not be worse than others have been. I will wait; for there may be hope even for me. If I perish, I will perish at the feet of Jesus. I was now enabled to "hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the

Lord."

About a fortnight after this fiery ordeal, the Lord set my poor soul at happy liberty under a sermon preached by Mr. Harding, at Providence Chapel, Hastings. It was on the first Lord's day in April, 1858. The following words were taken for a text: "Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." The preciousness of that sermon cannot be described in the language of the lower house. No; impossible! In the evening, while the sacrament was being administered, the devil set in upon me most furiously, saying, "Suppose

it's a delusion after all? Perhaps it is all fancy? It cannot be real!" For several days the "father of lies" was permitted to harass my mind; and yet, despite all his crafty insinuations, this portion of scripture would remain with me: "Thou hast loved righteousness; and hated wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows." Well, I thought, this portion could not mean me; * for the apostle Paul was here referring to Jesus: so that I could have no part or lot in the matter. However, the words would still run through and through the mind, God, even thy God, hath anointed thee, even ther! He hath already done it!"

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Thus I found, by blessed experience, that God had anointed me with the oil of joy above my brethren; for they could not rejoice with me, but doubted the reality of what God had revealed to me.

The foregoing, dear reader, are a few particulars of my experience. I could have given a long detail of how the dear Lord dealt with me in my youth: how he graciously preserved my life in several instances of danger, especially in infancy; and how He prevented me from committing suicide, when but eleven years of age, by bringing to my memory the last words of my dying mother. I have not gone into all the particulars of the law entering; but I have learned the meaning of what dear Hart says, while under it,

"Law and terrors do but harden,

All the while they work alone;
But a sense of blood-bought pardon,
Soon dissolves a heart of stone.'

I can also join in with the apostle Paul, and say, "Moreover the law entered that the offence might abound: but where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: for I was alive without the law once; but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died: nevertheless I live; yet not 1, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me."

Thus I have told you what the Lord has done for me: how He brought me out of the world, through every temptation, and "delivered me from so great a death." Many dark seasons have 1 had to endure since 1858; but to the praise of my gracious Lord be it spoken, He hath in all and through all dealt very bountifully with me; so that I have abundant cause for thankfulness and

gratitude of heart.

I once thought that if the Lord would but set me free from sin, I should never sin again; but I find myself as great a sinner as ever; and "when I would do good, evil is present with me." HENRY KENNARD.

St. Leonards.

*It is sweet and precious for the children of God to be enabled to so identify themselves with Christ, as to participate in all that the Holy Ghost says of Him.-ED

A FEW PARTICULARS OF MY PATHWAY.

(Continued from page 174.)

NEVER shall I forget a sermon preached by Mr. W. from these words, "The election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded." I indeed had a feast of fat things, which I was enabled to feed on for days; for the Lord graciously sealed home His Word upon my heart with such almighty power, that I shall never forget the season while life shall last. Not that I would exalt the creature instead of the Creator; for I am well persuaded that if the Lord had not given His servant the message, there had been no unction, savour, or dew resting upon the word. But He was pleased to cause His doctrine to drop as the rain, and His speech to distil as the dew upon my heart; so that I was enabled to go on my way rejoicing. Christ now became formed in my heart the Hope of glory; my only Rock and Refuge, that I could truly say from the very bottom of my heart, "But Christ is all and in all.

When I view, by precious faith, Jesus suffering in Gethsemane's garden, I am lost in holy wonder to think that He should ever condescend to thus make Himself of no reputation on my account; that He should suffer, bleed, and die to reconcile so unworthy a sinner to God!

Another sermon that I heard at Beulah, but a few Sundays ago, was made an especial blessing to me. It was preached from these precious words, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." What I felt under this sermon the Lord only knows; for I cannot find language to express the joy of my heart. I found it to be a handful of purpose ordered to be dropped by my heavenly Boaz, which He enabled me, by precious faith, to glean in His own spiritual field.

I do desire to bless and praise the Lord for bringing me through trial after trial, and affliction after affliction; leading and teaching me by His own blessed Spirit; and at last, when the set time to favour Zion arrived, giving me such glorious views of Jesus, as to enable me to say, from heart experience,

"With Him I daily love to walk,

Of Him my soul delights to talk;
On Him I cast my every care,

Like Him one day I shall appear."

Through the free grace of my Covenant Jehovah, it is my privilege to join in with the Church, saying, "Behold God is my Salvation; I will trust and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and song; He also is become my Salvation."

Though I have been led about in a strange way, I have again and again proved it to be a right way. Flesh and blood has

repeatedly been crucified; yet I would not have one thing altered on any account. To praise the Lord with joyful lips is the delight of my heart; and, in humility of mind, I would ascribe all to the exceeding "riches of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved." Truly the Lord has done great things for me, whereof I am glad.

As I have been favoured to receive Christ Jesus the Lord, so, I trust, I shall be enabled to walk in Him, growing in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The more I think of the loving-kindness and tender mercy of Christ, my Saviour, to such an undeserving worm as me, the more I am humbled in contrition of soul, saying, with dear Kent,

"At His dear feet, content, I'll lay,

A sinner sav'd, and homage pay."

Although my path has been one of great tribulation, which I expect to my journey's end, yet I know something of the sweetness of the words of Jesus, wherein He hath said, "In me ye shall have peace."

I can but bless and praise the dear Lord with joyful lips for a good hope through grace; for it is all of grace from first to last. Not the least room can I find to boast or glory, save in the Lord, that I have been made to differ from others; but am compelled to acknowledge that Himself hath done it. It is therefore the delight of my soul to give all glory and honour unto Him who sitteth upon the throne. The language of the apostle Paul is now the very breathing of my heart: "That I may know Him:" for I often think that there are many of the Lord's dear children blessed with a far greater knowledge of Himself than I am. All the while I possess two natures, I must expect the old man to rise up against the so that there must be a continual conflict between that which is born of the flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit; for these are contrary the one to the other. Though I am daily and hourly subjected to the buffetings of Satan, yet he cannot rob me of that which God has graciously fixed in my heart. Well do I remember the time when I had no wish or desire to know the Lord and be found in Him; but now, through grace, I can look back at all the way He hath mercifully led me, and say, "He hath done all things well."

new;

London, March, 1860.

MARY HEARN.

No man can have a higher value for his own flesh, than Christ hath for His Church. The Church, as Tertullian speaks, is nothing else but Christus explicatus (Christ unfolded); and, as considered in union with Christ, is called Christ Himself (Cor. xii. 12). CHARNOCK.

SUBMISSION TO TEN YEARS AFFLICTION.

MY DEAR BROTHER,-In Christ Jesus, our dear Elder Brother, I again meet and greet you, desiring once more to testify of the loving-kindness and tender mercy of Him who hath loved us and given us everlasting consolation, to whom alone be all praise, honour, and glory, now and ever.

Amen.

As the spared monument of the Lord's mercy, I desire to mention the great goodness which He hath made to pass before me. Indeed I am not worthy of the least of His mercies, yet He has been very gracious unto me at the voice of my cry.

I am still very ill, and so weary in my poor afflicted body, that I can hardly lie in bed; but, bless the dear Lord, all is in love and mercy; my afflictions are indeed but light; and the consolations of the Lord superabound. I can truly say that my shoes have been iron and brass; and as my day my strength has been; for out of His fulness have I received and grace for grace. It is the desire of my heart to acknowledge Him in all my ways, and to testify of His great goodness, mercy, and faithfulness in the aboundings of His free grace to me a vile, worthless sinner. I would bind them about me as tokens of the everlasting love of Him who “hath done all things well."

"I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever; with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations." "Then Samuel took a stone, and set it up between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto the Lord hath helped us."

The dear Lord, my brother, has brought us through another year; and, in His long sufferings, has borne with our manners in the wilderness. Are we not constrained to say, "Goodness and mercy hath followed us" to the present moment? Not one thing has failed of all the good things that He hath promised. No, beloved. At the beginning of last year the Lord gave me this promise, "The Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly." To His praise I would say, His grace has indeed been sufficient for me. He has brought me through fire and through water into a wealthy place. I have had some severe trials to pass through: cold looks and deep wounds from friends it has been my lot to meet with; but Jesus is not cold; for I have found Him a faithful Friend, a tried Friend, and a Brother born for adversity. There are none like Him, my brother. His presence makes my heaven. Let me but have Christ to sit by