to understand the meaning, and to feel the force of the very important scripture passage which has been so instructively set forth and opened in this meeting, we shall be humbled under the feeling that whilst we are indeed called on to work out our salvation with fear and trembling before God, it must be in the obedience of faith, in the simplicity of little children, we must resign ourselves to his transforming power so as that we may indeed be favoured to know of a truth, from living heartfelt experience, that it is God that worketh in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure, that he may be in all things glorified. MR. SAMUEL TUKE. I have presumed my dear friends to rise under a sense of my own weakness, and unworthiness, and with, I think I may say, the earnest prayer of my heart that the Lord himself may teach you. that he may be present who only effectually teaches hearts and that he may be pleased to bless what may be compared to the five barley loaves and few small fishes amongst us; I seemed my friends as if I could hardly take my leave of you, the members of this quarterly meeting, without wishing to see the faces of my younger brethren and sisters collected together, not because I have any specific matters to communicate to them, but under I trust a feeling of christian love and of interest on your behalf, and on behalf of our little church of which you are so important a part; and it seems to me now we are collected together to remind you of that enquiry made by the Psalmist, an enquiry which I doubt not hath many times passed in your hearts, “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way?" and the answer is, "by taking heed thereto according to thy word." It is, I am persuaded my friends, of the Father's love, who draweth us to Christ, who so magnified and commended his love towards us in that whilst we were yet sinners he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but should have eternal life, and he so commendeth his love towards us my friends, that even whilst we are indifferent about this great blessing and benefit, about an acquaintance with him in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, he is pleased to draw us to him with the desire to come to Christ the way, the truth, and the life; you have known my brethren and sisters, I am persuaded that most if not all of you have known, something of the Father's love extended towards you and softening the natural hardness of the corrupt heart, dimming your sight to the beauty of all the pleasant pictures of your imagination, sickening your hearts with the corrupt pleasures of the world, and drawing them to the simplicity that there is in the truth; drawing them unto him who saith "Come unto me all ye who are weary, and heavy laden, and I will give you rest;" but how many my dear brethren and sisters, how many are the interposing things, O how many are the attractions of various kinds which draw us from the love of God in sincerity, from being willing to follow him in that way which he hath cast up for us to walk in, and do you not know, even those who are in the earliest period of life, somewhat of the many devices of our unwearied enemy, somewhat of the contrary drawing of your natural hearts, even when you have seen something of the loveliness which there is in the face of Jesus |