them near to me in my righteousness, and I will draw near to them, and unbosom the inmost love of my heart, as a covenant God and Father to them. Oh, my dear sister, all this and much more does the blessed Spirit shew us, by taking of the things of Christ; and in the hour of death he will shew us things to come. Now, my very dear sister, come with me, as our life here is but a shadow, and soon passeth away; let us then go where it will be lengthened out even to eternity; let us view with pleasing wonder, and deep humility, the wonderful condescension of our gloroius conqueror passing through the dark regions of the dead, breaking his way through every enemy, that his ransomed may have a clear passage through it into everlasting day. But let us not stop here, my dear friend, for we are upon the shore of Canaan, and shall have the route to sail over he narrow sea of Jordan, death. Oh how sweet to look forward to that blessed hour, death, which will open the door and let us into everlasting glory. The river death, my dear home-bound sister, will wash all our carnality, blindness, afflictions, and sorrow away then faith will be turned into sight, love into full blaze, and hope will have all it expects. My dear companion in Jesus, I should like to go on but my paper forbids; bless the Lord with me for his goodness in providence and grace; give my love to Mr. Y, and family. All the little flock join in love to all.

E. PARSONS.

EXTRACTS FROM SERMONS DELIVERED RY REV. J. VINALL, AT JIREH CHAPEL, LEWES.

No. 3.-To be continued. Occasioned by the Death of a Member of his Church.

Phil. i. 23.-" Having a desire to depart and to be with Christ which is far better."

When I heard of the death of our brother, the words of my text were powerfully brought to my mind, and the language of my heart was," Let me go and die with him."

In the former part of the verse the Apostle speaks of the strait he was in; I know in measure what he felt, I often feel I long to depart, but if I can, as a feeble instrument, be of any service to God's afflicted family, I am willing to abide the Lord's time. I shall speak, as the Lord may enable me, of what is needful to cause us to have the desire to depart; and, then, why it is better to depart.

First. What is needful. I shall begin with regeneration. And here I would observe is the grand distinction between a child of God and one who has only the name: have this first step right, all the rest will follow; but without this, no entering the kingdom of God. By nature we are all dead in trespasses and sins; no desire after God: but when this takes place, which is the entrance of divine life into the soul, we feel what is written, "You hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins." The next thing is love: by nature we hate God and his children, but when this has taken place, we feel love, and why? "We love him because he first loved us;" and "love is of God;" and " by this we know we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren." The next thing is union: which is sweetly typified in the union between Adam and his wife (Gen. iii), "Thy desire shall be to thy husband:" Adam represents Christ, and Eve the church;

ciliation: by nature we are at enmity, but when regeneration takes place, we are reconciled, as it is written "And being reconciled by the blood of his cross;" and, as the Apostle saith, "And hath committed to us the word of reconciliation." Another thing to be found is pardon: when the Almighty spoke to my heart, he said, "Son, be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven thee;" and also, "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool:" and "I will pardon them whom I reserve."

I might speak of more, but shall proceed to speak of what causes this regenerate soul to feel it is better to be with Christ.

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First. We feel the same as the Apostle, when he said, We know that if this our earthly house were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands eternal in the heavens." Secondly. Feeling a body of sin and death: this is a heavy burden. I have read it was the custom formerly, in Rome, if a murderer was detected, he was doomed to have the corpse of the murdered person fixed to his back until it putrefied: this indeed was trying, but the old man of sin is much more so, and as the Apostle said, it "caused him to groan, being burdened:" and when the child of God is daily feeling the risings of corrupt nature, such as pride, rebellion, lust, enmity, and every member of the old man, it causes him to desire to depart. Another thing is the warfare of the christian: this is too large a field to enter into at this time: I feel no small part of this warfare in this day to be, to maintain the precious doctrines of the Bible, and I am determined, in the strength of God, to stand up as an iron pillar and brazen wall in defence of the same. Another thing we are called to is labour; Man goeth forth to his work and labour until the evening:" this going forth is at the morn

ing of regeneration, and our labour will continue until the evening of death, when we shall, as it is written, "Enter into peace, rest on our beds," &c. How sweet to a labouring man is rest; give him what you may to eat, what will it be without rest: thus it is with the christian; and as the Apostle saith, "We who have believed do enter into rest:" every fresh act of faith, whilst we are in this world, is entering in sweet anticipation to the rest that remains: there is also the work of faith which I could greatly enlarge on. Another thing makes us long to depart, is to be free from sorrow and sighing, which is here often much felt: David knew what it was, "How long shall I take counsel in my heart, having sorrow daily:" but when we are with Christ it will indeed be fulfilled, "Then the ransomed of the Lord shall return, they shall come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy on their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." Another thing is darkness; "Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness and hath no light:" but in glory there shall be no night, for the "Lord shall be our everlasting light, and our God our glory." I long, my dear friends, for the blessed period.

You will expect I shall say a few words on our departed friend, and they will be but few, as you know I seldom say much about the dead. Those of our friends who visited him in his illness found much savour and unction from his conversation; his enjoyments at times were great. One morning, he said, What a night of peace I have had; I shall soon be at home.' He felt some anxiety about leaving his children, but found this portion sweet, "Leave thy fatherless children," &c. He said to his daughter, Dont seek after a place, the Lord will provide;' which was done,

As

by a person applying for her without her soliciting; thus proving his humble trust was the work of God. As a servant, he was liked by his master, and adorned the doctrines of God his Saviour. He was of a tender conscience, much feeling any improper behaviour that he witnessed. He was a real lover of Zion, feeling a close union to the church to which he be

longed, and he sent his dying love to them and to me. His end was truly glorious; for just before he expired, he waved his arms in triumph, and shouted, Victory, victory, victory!' and sweetly fell asleep in Jesus. Oh may our last end be like his.

Lewes.

A WORD

M.

AGAINST HYPOCRITES, AND THEIR CRAFTY SPIDER-LIKE EMPLOY.

are

The greatest" depths of satan to poison and bewitch believing souls with error, that is with smooth, deceitful, and bewildering doctrine: as we hear so many exclaiming,' No controversy, no contention for me,' although the life of Christ, and his apostles, was a life of controversy and contention until they died; and the life of every true minister of the gospel is a life of earnest contention for the faith, yea, fighting for the faith till he die, unless he will submit to be lulled asleep by the opiates and poison of the devil and his angels [or ministers]. Many a sweet sugar plumb of much truth is administered to the dear babe in grace, with an arsenic or opium pill wrapped up in it, to lay them asleep in error, or poison them to death. But, blessed be God, who saith if his children eat any deadly thing, it shall not hurt or destroy them eternally. Again, as the poisonous spider makes her web in the light, or windows of the house, to catch her prey; so Satan sends his instruments to weave their webs in the windows or light places of God's word, house, and ordinances, to catch poor weak and feeble souls. These are windows through which our light

:

comes down, through Christ, from heaven and here the devil is perpetually sending the poisonous spiders into the courts of our God, to weave their webs, and darken those windows -who spin their ropes, webs, and snares of pernicious doctrine, out of their own heads, hearts, and bowels, like as doth the spider, to entangle and snare poor souls, who are enlightened by the Spirit, who doeth the truth, and are coming to the true light: for" the spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in king's palaces," Prov. xxx. 28. But they must all be swept out with the besom of destruction, when the King comes down in his glory to his royal pavilion. But now they are spinning, warping, waving, and crossing every strait and direct path of the believer, in the word, house, and ordinances of God, to catch, poison, and ensnare poor feeble souls who are coming to the true light. Oh how many feeble in the faith are taken in their pernicious snares. They hatch cockatrice's eggs, and weave the spider's web: they that eateth of their eggs die, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper," Psalm lix. 5.

Oh ye ministers of Jesus, be bold for your Lord and his truth; for there are many deceivers gone out into all denominations. It is better for you to" stand, having your loins girt about with truth, though you may dwell among scorpions," Ezek. ii. 6; though you be hated, despised, and cast out for truth and Jesus' sake, than to be fed with gold, silver, and applause by hypocrites, that you may feed them again with falsehood and deception. Oh how many high, as well as low in doctrine, are fed with four or five hundreds a year, to feed formal professors and hypocrites with error and smooth-tongued deception (Isa. xxx. 10). They preach charity, charity; piety, piety; duty, duty; do, do: but they themselves do but little, and have but little charity for God's poor family. This brings to my mind the saying of a farmer's boy to

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his master, who was a class-leader of the Methodists, in my native village in Norfolk. The boy says, Master, I wonder that you good sort of folks do not give something to those poor ragged people that go to your meeting, to help them.' O boy (said he), it is not their bodies we care about, it is their souls, their precious souls!" "Ah master (the boy says), their souls cost you nothing; if their souls cost you a farthing, it would be their bodies you cared for then." Pride, coveteousness, self-righteousness, and blind zeal, are four strong snares of Satan.

Men follow after fame,

"T is nature's fond delight;
And court the world's great name,
And think it mighty right:
But how can such in Christ believe,
Who court this honor and receive?

But if a gracious man,

This worldly pride rejects; The fluttering world again,

This humble man neglects :Despise him as a wretch forlorn, And load his shoulders well with scorn. A LIVING AUTHOR.

LETTER FROM THE LATE REV. JOSEPH O'REILLY, OF LISBELLAW, IRELAND, TO A CHRISTIAN FRIEND.

My dear Miss S

ALTHOUGH it is our duty to remember our christian friends always, yet there are some particular seasons and services in which we vividly recal, and with peculiar intensity of interest regard, those united with us in the Lord; yes, we realize them with a spiritual intimacy, over which time and space can exercise no controul, nor cast any darkening impediment in the way of the communion of saints. Alas! these seasons, delightful and refreshing as they are, too seldom break in on our minds, still they give us a transporting view of what we may expect to enjoy in the next world.

I am sure you have frequently ob

served how it is said of Abraham and of Noah specially, and of the children of God generally, that they are heirs of the righteousness which is by faith, (Heb. xi.); heirs of God (Rom v. 16, 17). Blessed truth! ensuring a fitness for heaven, as well as a claim for it. What gratitude, meekness, and patience should we aim at and manifest, who have such a hope, such consolation, and all through grace. I have heard you often speak with calmness and resignation of your latter end, and it just now occurs to me, that the evening of a christian's life affords much opportunity for serious and solemn reflection. The past may be recollected as times greatly diversified by mercies enjoyed, though often forgotten and abused: as times marked by the blackness of sin, on which we cannot dwell without humiliation and self-abasement: as times in which we were prone to wander from our Shepherd's fold: as times in which, if our God had not been on our side, we should have been easily destroyed. Of the past we may recal much. The present we know by experience: sacred it is in great measure to our own perception. But of the future how interesting and solemn are the anticipatory thoughts of the child of God: as he views the setting sun of his own earthly existence, and sinks peaceably into the arms of his Saviour, to sleep in Him until the morning of the resurrection. The christian then meets "the last enemy" divested of his power, his terror, his sting, and confidently expects to be more than conqueror through Jesus "who hath abolished death." He then gladly anticipates the happy moment when he shall be present with the Lord, to praise and enjoy Him for ever. And among the christian's joys I think I may safely add, the delightful prospect of seeing those brethren in Christ whom we knew in this dark world, and with whom we took sweet counsel, then raised up with us, and eternally shut in with us

of their shoes as a testimony against them. Thus commissioned they went out and preached that men should repent.

Let us observe, First. The nature of repentance. Second. The subjects. Third. The object. Fourth. The means. Fifth. The end.

1. The nature of repentance. The scriptures speak of many kinds of repentance: natural, external,national, hypocritical, and evangelical (Jonah iii. 6, 7, 8; 1 Kings xxi. 29; Ezek. xviii. 20; Isaiah xxxii. 5). As it is

THE GOSPEL MINISTRY,

"They went out and preached that men

should repent."-Mark vi. 12.

WHEN our divine Master sent his servants into the great work, of the ministry, it was that they might set forth the claims of their King, the honours of his truth, the glory of his salvation, the dreadful state of man as a sinner, and the necessity of repentance toward God and of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. His servants being called from their secular engagements, took their credentials and went forth in the name and strength of their adorable Lord, and preached that men should repent. As two are better than one, he sent them forth two and two into every place whither he himself would come to own, and confirm, and bless their To this end he messages of truth. gave them power over unclean spirits. And that they might go forth with humble dependance on his providential care, he told them to take no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse, nor yet two coats a piece; but with a staff in their hands, and with sandals on their feet, they were to go from house to house, and proclaim peace to the inhabitants. If the Son of Peace was in those houses, our Lord assured them, there peace should remain; but if not they would meet with but a cold reception, and might depart thence, and shake off the dust

pares the soul for the reception of mercy, and issues in sound conversion to Jesus, of that I shall treat at this time. It consists of a thorough change of heart, godly sorrow for sin, humble confession of it before God, and determination to forsake it and to walk in the paths of holiness. This begins with conviction of sin, goes on in the soul with fervent prayer for deliverance from all its dreadful consequences; nor does it cease, until the soul with tears of penitence is brought to Calvary, and is washed in and pardoned through the blood of the slain Lamb. This is the gift of Jesus, the work of the Spirit, the commencement of a new and spiritual life, and of that peace which keeps the heart and mind in the knowledge and love of God by Christ Jesus.

Second. The subjects. They are not angels: good angels do not need it, because they never sinned; and for fallen angels it never was designed, for there is no mercy for them. Man, sinful and rebellious man is the subject. It is man that has sinned against heaven and in the sight of a holy God; it is man that has broken the law of God, despised the riches of grace, and ruined his own soul; and it is man that must repent or perish (Luke xiii. 3). The Apostle

says, "God hath commanded all men every where to repent, because he hath appointed a day in which he will