him by slander, in order to raise their own reputation and satisfy their own covetous desires. To injure the character of ministers is a sin of peculiar aggravation. It is an act of the greatest cruelty, committed against ministers themselves, compared with which the conduct of robbers and thieves is mercy and gentleness. It inflicts also the deepest wounds upon the souls of men. To prevent a diseased man from waiting upon a physician who is likely to benefit him, by villifying the character of the physician, is an act of great cruelty to the suffering patient. When wicked men under the cloak of religion, by their secret slander and reproaches heaped on spiritual ministers, either withdraw people from their labours or prevent them from attending their ministry, they will be justly charged with it at the day of judgment. Better had it been for them if they had never been born! Why does Satan aim at the characters of ministers? It is that he may destroy their usefulness. Injuring the reputation of ministers will be punished with the heaviest judgments: "And the Lord God sent to them by his messenger, rising up betimes and sending, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling-place; but they mocked the messengers of God and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord rose against his people, till there was no remedy," 2 Chron. xxxvi. 15, 16. 'The anger of the Lord hath divided them; he will no more regard them; they respected not the persons of the priests, they favoured not the elders." He that is really and sincerely a good christian doth all from God and Christ; he is all and in all. Christ is wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption to him. He acts from the strength of grace, from God and for God, from the love of God shed abroad in the heart and constraining to love, from the divine nature communicated to the heart, from

Christ by his Spirit dwelling in the heart, from the fear of God possessing and establishing the heart. These are the springs and principles of a christian's spiritual life and actions. And so the ends of a man's actions are a great discovery of sincerity or hypocrisy. If a man's ends be lower than God himself, obeying, glorifying, walking with and enjoying God; if either praise, gain, reputation, or acceptation with good people; or if a man's end be to stop the mouth of natural conscience only, or only to avoid the wrath to come; these may appear outwardly to be the works of a saint, but yet they are the ends of an hypocrite. If your ends be less than God and his glory, you are empty vines and bring forth fruit to yourselves.

Simplicity in one's ends accompany sincerity in the actions; when not fleshly wisdom but the grace of God carries and governs the action. If you are not willing to suffer for the name of Christ amongst the tried people of God, though thou hearest the word and receivest with joy for a time, yet when persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by thou art offended; if there be no more deep rooting of it in thee, but in temptation thou fall away, it is apparent thy heart is but stoney ground, and thou art leavened with hypocrisy. If your faith be not furnace faith, tried faith, it is not precious faith, it is but counterfeit faith; it will not be found to praise, honour, and glory, at the appearance of Jesus Christ. If thou art not willing to suffer afflic tion with the people of God, rather than enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, and esteem the reproach of Christ greater riches than the trea sures of Egypt, it is apparent thy faith and thy heart is not right; thou hast not a respect to the recompence of reward; thou dost not see him that is invisible.

That man who does not deny himself, take up his cross, and follow

Christ, he is not a true disciple of Christ, and in the end will find, that in saving his life he hath lost it. If you would take heed of hypocrisy, take heed of carnal security. There are no greater flatterers, than self-flatterers, and no greater deceivers of themselves in their own eyes; all flattery is dangerous, but self-flattery of all other most dangerous, and of all others in the business of salvation most pernicious. If we have all from God we shall be all to him; if we live and move in him our hearts and minds will be on him, for where the heart is there the treasure is. Oh, then, he is too great to be tempted and provoked, too excellent to be slighted and undervalued, too wise to be deceived. It is an affecting truth, and a humiliating illustration of the depravity of our fallen nature, that a man's calamities, if they do not create him enemies, they bring forward those enemies in their true light, who formerly appeared under the borrowed mask of friendship. The tropical rays of adversity bring them forth, as the heat of the sun entices from their lurking-places snakes, and adders, and reptiles.

From all hypocrisy, envy, hatred, and malice, against thee, O Lord, thy truth, thy people, and thy ways, good Lord deliver us for Christ's sake. Amen.

What is our hope? We have some hope,
That's either right or wrong;

The hypocrite he has a hope,
That will not last him long.

The hope that 's fix'd on Christ alone
Will stand the trying day;
Not all the power or craft of hell
Can take this hope away.

But some there are, and many too,
Whose hopes were always strong;
But if they come and tell me so,
I'd say their hopes are wrong.

But those poor hoping, fainting souls,
Who fear they are not right;
Ah! tell such hoping souls as these
They're precious in God's sight.

You asked me to write you a line while from home; but if I were to write my feelings, it would form a dismal picture. I have had but very little communion with the beloved since I saw you, and in preaching, but very little supplies from the fountain-head: I have been chiefly compelled to preach from cold memory and barren judgment, and that to me is as death! I have been busily employed in inquiries as to the cause, but am left quite in the dark. But this I know, it is as the Lord will have it, and I know my place is to be still, and know that he is God. I have plenty of hearers, who seem to be amused, and I am afraid it is mere amusement. Thus I go on fretting, cavilling, disputing, fearing, and still begging and praying, though there seems no prayer in it all the while. Surely if the blessing of poor sinners depended upon my faith, stability, or preaching, they would never have a blessing at all. But amidst all my repeated changes and innumerable infirmities, bless the Lord, his word and counsel stands firmer than the rocks which bound the shore near which I am writing. The way of our God and his work is to pull down all excellency in the creature, that he alone may be exalted as the giver of every

good and spiritual gift. But my flesh hates God's way, though my inward and new man approves it well; yet, how different I find it, even to this hour, to find out that I have any new man; but if it were not so, why can not I be content without the manifestations of the Redeemer's love? Why not fulfil the desires of the flesh and carnal mind? But that I cannot do, because of the fear of God. And does not God's fear contain love? and is not love a true evidence of my election?" He that loveth, is born of God, and knoweth God." Thus I am obliged to reason, my brother, in order to hold fast my little confidence in the midst of strong carnal reasonings and many buffetings from satan. But this is often and almost continually coming across my mind,-" If God was your God, and Christ yours, you would be more favoured by him, and be more familiar with him, you would also have a greater victory over the base and wretched workings of your own breast." And this suggestion, come from whatever quarter it may, seems perfectly just and reasonable; but I am constrained when I can make no reply to come to this: "Undertake for me, O God, for I am oppressed." I have met with a few honest souls in this place, who know the plague of their own heart, and it is only such I can feel any pleasure to be with. Here is much preaching, and more truth in the letter than in most places; but I fear there is much presumption in their confidence, and a vast heap of their religion is taken upon trust. One person told me last week, She wished I had got rid of self altogether. I replied, So do I, and then contradicted myself. No! I do not; for then my preaching would be of no use. What would a perfect parson be fit for to a company of poor imperfect sinners ?

I shall leave this place on the 25th instant. Grace and peace be with you. Remember me to Mrs. Evans; and if my brother C be in the body, my love to him.

Now you

will recollect you are a letter in my debt. I have had a most severe cold, nor is my cough gone as yet; indeed I have thought that I should be laid entirely aside. Bless God, I have no apprehension of his wrath. If you see Mrs. F. on Sunday, my love to her. She received a letter from me last Sunday by a friend, and I shall not write her till next week. I hope the Lord of lords is with you all, and with my brother and fellow-labourer, Mr. Warburton,

Yours for Christ's sake,

H. FOWLER.

SUDDEN DEATH, SUDDEN GLORY.

was,

MRS. B, a very dear friend of mine, with whom and her husband, a minister of the gospel, I had long lived in habits of most intimate friendship, was, to my great concern, removed unexpectedly, March 2, 1783, from time to eternity. She had been awakened to a concern for her soul about thirty years ago, and during that whole time, enabled, through grace, to walk as a woman professing godliness, and adorning the doctrine of God her Saviour in all things. Having walked with God so many years, her loins girded, and her lamp burning, her soul was ready at the bridegroom's coming, though, perhaps, neither herself nor her friends expected so sudden a removal. the Lord's day she was in the courts of His house here below, and the day following saw her Beloved face to face in glory above. She was taken ill on the Monday morning about nine o'clock, and was in eternity before ten. When she was first seized, she told her husband, "She believed it a deathstroke; but," she added, “I have nothing to fear, I have not one remaining doubt of my interest in Christ." And having just power to add, “My dear Redeemer! Ah! my head, my head!" she immediately expired.How blessed and speedy a change !— Be ye also ready.-Spiritual Register.

On

ON THE MINISTRY OF ANGELS.

AMONGST the many subjects presented to the view of the contemplative christian, that of angelic ministration is not the least important; and yet, if we reflect, it seems to be a subject almost entirely disregarded by the church of Christ. This is a matter of regret, for assuredly believers are interested in the theme, and therefore to account for the indifference manifested is somewhat difficult. We are, however, deeply concerned to know it, and I am much mistaken if a sanctified acquaintance with the subject will not materially tend to promote our quietude in the present state of being.

What amazing condescension is herein discovered to poor sinners by the Father of mercies; he not only has a chosen family in the earth, but has appointed to them à celestial body guard, a heavenly retinue whilst traversing this vale of tears. Herein we have a most decisive evidence of his love and care towards those unworthy, helpless sinners, whom having chosen to eternal life before time, he sends a message of mercy to, and calleth such unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

That God, who will have a family of grace upon the earth, has been pleased to appoint servants to wait upon his children. These are diversified in their character and service, some visible, others invisible. Ministers sent of God, are the servants of the true church for Christ's sake; in like manner angels minister invisibly, by the appointment of a Redeemer; and as in all the acts of the Most High, there is a fitness worthy of his character; so also in the choice of instruments to accom plish his designs, he qualifies his agents for the work assigned them. To preach Christ as precious, he must be known to be so; redemption and salvation must be experimentally known to be described, but in the November, 1841.

invisible carrying out of the designs of Providence, a higher order of in telligence is employed; and thus are the heaven-chosen race as secretly defended as they are publicly called ; for we are told, "Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minis ter for them who shall be the heirs of salvation."

We thus discover that while all nature expresses the care of a God, that there is special oversight of those who have fled to Jesus. Their Head lives in heaven, for the express purpose of perfecting his cause on earth'; and to assure us of this important truth, he has given commission to those happy spirits, who evermore surround his throne, to attend his pilgrims; he has endowed them with power to execute his commands, and doubtless their service to the church of Christ is of the utmost importance.

And first we notice with whom the appointment is placed; angels are said to be sent; this plainly imports some one who sends, and where shall we look for this personage but in the Lord Jesus? All government is in his hands. Moreover, he is said to be head over all things; he is there fore the head of preserved angels, as of redeemed sinners. Herein we may distinguish his dominion without dividing it. He rules where he does not save, and without a question Jesus is the acknowledged object of angelic worship; they feel their debt of gratitude to him in whose headship they have been preserved from falling; and although they cannot personally appreciate the theme of redeeming love, yet without doubt they are ravished with the thought that by the mani festive Jehovah Jesus, millions of degraded beings shall be brought to glory; doubtless, by a divine com munication, they are helped to know the church in her called state, for they are said to rejoice over one sinner that repenteth, Luke xv. ; and again, it is said, "They learn from

K K

God," Eph. iii. 10.

Their appointment is therefore from Jesus, the friend of Zion, and in this is their delight; admiring his person who sends them, they fly with swift pleasure to do his will. It must be to them a gratifying employ to minister for those who shall be the heirs of salvation.

They are sent from the regions of blessedness on an errand of kindness to a distressed church in a dark world, and although secret to us, are doubtless in attendance on the true believer in every part of his journey. Instructed by and furnished with every requisite for their high commission from their exalted master, they faithfully attend the heirs of salvation, from their day of quickening unto the day of their exaltation.

And should not such a theme be admired by every lover of our precious Redeemer ? That he should employ the hosts of heaven to wait upon his poor, tried, tempted, and distressed church in the wilderness; how worthy of our admiration! What cause for love and praise to him who hath appointed to us such a heavenly guard; nor should it fail to encourage us in all seasons of conflict, when we recol. lect that if we are opposed by evil angels, under a usurped authority, we are defended by the elect angels, ac, cording to the appointment of the Prince of Life.

We may further observe, that the very nature of their appointment gives efficacy to their mission; their strength is from Him, whose arm is omnipotent. No power can stand against these servants of the Most High; witness their awful overthrow of Sodom, and of the Assyrian army; they were but the instruments of destruction; the power was of the Lord. It is therefore but just to con clude, that those celestial beings who can display such scenes of destruction by the mandate of heaven, are well qualified to protect the endeared

according to the good pleasure of their Master's will.

The fitness of angels to attend the church of Christ will further appear, from the nature of their being; they are spirits, and thus are they qualified to have access to our spirits. This is not possible in an embodied state; their ministry would therefore seem to have respect to the mind; and although we cannot define the precise nature of their ministrations, it may not be an unuseful conjecture, to suppose that their influence is employed in the repelling of evil thoughts, and in the strengthening of the soul against the operation of wicked agency; whether arising from inbred corruption, or satanic opposition. I would herein be understood I am speaking of them but as instruments in the hand of the blessed Spirit, under the direction of Christ as their head of creation and government.

We have undoubted evidence from a divine revelation, that angels take a deep interest in the welfare of the church; we find them frequently in attendance upon our beloved Redeemer. At his birth they were active in his praise, "Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth, and good will towards man," was the glorious anthem which vibrated upon their joyful hearts; from hence we may learn that they have some enlarged conception of the person and work of Immanuel.

I

"

Still following our adorable Saviour in his life of humiliation and sorrow, we find these celestial beings employed in waiting-service on the Prince of Life. In the memorable wilderness of temptation, and in the garden of unparalleled agony and conflict, they are said to minister unto Jesus. Oh! amazing condescension ! The Lord of eternity receiving strength from angels. What a display of grace to the guilty sons of men. How great must his love be to that people for whom he would stoop so low. Such