Although this nobleman was originally of a cruel disposition, and on that account, an object of general dread, he persisted in affording them his patronage. The archbishop of Kiel, and after that the king of Denmark interfered, to prevent it: the latter even commanded him to expel them; but he always found the means of avoiding the mandate. Hence the pious Baptists fled thither, from all quarters, and quickly formed a church. This district had been hitherto inhabited only by boors, or peasants, who were the property of their lord.Among the refugees, were many ingenious artisans, and some persons of property; in consequence of which many trades were set up, the country became flourishing, there was a great influx of inhabitants, and Baptist churches were established, and ministers settled over them.

who should deliver up Menno | He not only pitied them, but he Simon, to be tortured and exe- tolerated and acted kindly tocuted. Being thus in daily ex-wards those who were driven, by pectation of arrest and death, he persecution, from different parts. obeyed the injunction of the gospel, and, tearing himself from his flock, left his country. His first flight was to the city of Wismar, in the duchy of Mecklenburg; but he was soon known there, and compelled to seek another refuge. There were many remarkable interferences of Providence in his favour, of which the following was one: An informer stipulated with the magistrates of Wismar, that, if a certain sum of money were advanced to him, he would either deliver Menno into their custody, or forfeit his own life. The money was accordingly paid. In the first attempt, he failed: the second time, as the informer was going, with an officer, to apprehend him, Menno unexpectedly sailed by them, in a boat: the informer saw him, but had not power to point him out to the officer; upon which, Menno seeing his danger, rapidly advanced, leaped on shore, and escaped from their hands. The informer involuntarily exclaiming, "See, the bird is escaped;" the officer was in a rage, because he had not pointed him out sooner : his reply was, "My tongue was held, so that I could not speak." The magistrates, not satisfied The patronage of Menno and with this apology, executed the his friends was continued by condition of the engagement, and this nobleman, not only from mothe poor wretch forfeited his life. tives of humanity, but from Whilst Menno was deliberating perception, that it was his interto what place he should next di-est to protect them. He levied rect his course, his uncertainty on each householder an annual was terminated by the following tax of a rix-dollar, equal to circumstance: The lord of Fre-four shillings and sixpence of senberg, a territory between Hamburg and Lubeck, had frequently visited the Netherlands, and had witnessed the persecution of the Baptists by the Romish clergy.

It was to this district that Menno determined to re'reat. He safely arrived at it, and settled in a village, called Wüstenfelde, where he enjoyed protection during the remainder of his life, which he devoted to the gospel ministry.

a

our money. This contribu tion made them consider the country as their home; whilst the smallness of the tax attached them to it, and increased their

zeal for the interests of their worthy protector, who thus became to Menno, and his friends, what the Elector of Saxony had been to Luther and his colleagues. And, notwithstanding the displeasure of the neighbouring nobility and clergy, which soon followed, and a prohibition, on the part of his Danish majesty, of the toleration of these strangers, this nobleman continued, till his death, the protection which he had promised to afford them.

The active mind of Menno soon undertook the accomplishment of those plans, for the good of his fellow-creatures, which his

sons of all ranks and characters, and extremely zealous in promoting practical religion and virtue, which he recommended by his example, as well as by his precepts. A man of such talents and dispositions could not fail to attract the admiration of the people, and to gain a great number of adherents wherever he exercised his ministry." Vol. IV. p. 456. (To be continued.)

THE

GREAT PHYSICIAN.

WALKING, lately, into a vil

heart dictated. One of these was To the Editors of the Baptist Magazine. the establishment of a printingpress, by means of which, he pub-lage, to publish the glad tidings of lished the grounds of his faith, salvation, I passed by the Bedford a defence of himself against Gel- Hospital. On enquiry, I found lius Faber, Martin Micron, and that it had been built principally John á Lasco, and various other by the munificence of the late Mr. works. A neighbouring noble- Whitbread and his father. Sureman came upon him by surprise, ly, thought I, multitudes of the and seized his press; but his pa- most wretched of the human race, tron collected together his vas- restored to health and vigour, sals, and compelled the invader and returning to the bosom of to surrender it to its owner. their families, shall bless their memory, and praise the great Giver of all good, who put it into their hearts, to erect, for the most benign of purposes, this noble structure. Am I wrong in supposing, that, as succeeding generations revolve, this great work, which they have done, shall be told for "a memorial" of them? I think not.

This great man, after a life of ardent zeal and indefatigable industry, died January 15, 1561; and, according to the custom of the primitive Christians, in the times of persecution, was buried in his own garden.

With respect to his character, Mosheim, who evidently wrote under the influence of violent prejudice against the Baptists, says, In imagination, I roamed from "He had the inestimable advan- ward to ward-administered contage of a natural and persuasive solation to multitudes of the afeloquence, and his learning was flicted-and perused the records sufficient to make him pass for an of the institution ;-and I really oracle in the eyes of the multi-presented earnest supplications to tude. He appears, moreover, to the Father of mercies, that the have been a man of probity, of a sorrows of those who now inhameek and tractable spirit, gentle bited the pile, might be removed in his manners, pliable, and obse- and sanctified to their everlasting quious in his commerce with perbenefit.

shall be published for the perusal of an admiring universe. I do assure you, for I frequently examine the volumes, that there are pieces of history, already written, which are truly astonishing. My Master has very commonly raised persons to health, whom no other physician could possibly beal. People so af flicted with the palsy, that they could not walk a single step, have been made whole by his word, Matt. ix. 1-7. A woman, who was diseased with an issue of blood for twelve years, and who had spent all her property, and was grown worse, came be

waters; and he that hath no mo- | ney, come ye, buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk, without money and without price." His faithfulness is such, that he is always as good as his word; and never yet relinquished a poor creature, whom he undertook to heal, without accomplishing the work. So great is his love, that to remove every obstacle which prevented the restoration to health, and the eternal welfare, of perishing multitudes, he once willingly subjected himself to unparallelled humiliation and suffering, Lam. i. 12. The sacrifice which he made, on that evermemorable occasion, not to "behind him, and touched only the thought of without tides of joy; not to be mentioned without shouts of praise," cannot be estimated. Of this only I am sure, that Peruvian mines are not, for a moment, to be mentioned, in comparison with the immense treasures which my Master has most willingly and joyfully ex-broken in pieces; neither could pended for the welfare of the any man tame him, and always, miserable, 2 Cor. viii. 9. Ever night and day, he was in the since sorrow entered into the mountains, and in the tombs, cryworld, my dear Master has beening, and cutting himself with employed in its alleviation and stones; when: my Master saw He is "the same yester him, he had compassion on him, day, to-day, and for ever;" and and said, "Come out of him, his power is so great, that multi-thou tudes of the very "dead hear his voice," and come forth at his bidding from their graves, John, ▼. 25. But time would fail me to tell of his boundless excellen-1-16. cies.

cure.

You must know, that my Master has a multitude of establishments for doing good to the wretched, and exterminating evil, similar to that which I superinteud. An account is kept of all the remarkable transactions which occur, (and they are not a few;) and, when the whole of the sublime plan is accomplished, they

hem of his garment, and was restored to perfect health, Matt. ix. 20. A miserable creature too, who had his dwelling among the tombs; who had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters

unclean spirit!" and he obeyed his mandate, aud the poor creature sat down at the feet of his Deliverer, clothed, and in his right mind, Mark, v.

There was a certain man also, who had an infirmity thirty and eight years, and had been long lying at a medicinal pool, vainly expecting a cure; as soon as my Master saw him, he said to him, "Rise, take up thy bed and walk!" and immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed and walked, John, v. 1--9. Once, I recollect, as he came near the gate of a certain city, there

some few of these poor creatures will be induced to apply to my Master. I recollect too, that I was once among this same people, and that my good Master, to whom I am unspeakably indebted, sought, and healed me, and condescended to take me into his service. I think I can say, that I love his employ, and particularly because

was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and when my Master saw her, he said unto her, "Weep not !" and he came and touched the bier, and they that bare him stood still; and he said, "Young man, I say unto thee, arise!" and he that was dead sat up, and began to speak; and he delivered him to his mother, Luke, vii. 11-it is my principal business, to 17. I send you these instances as specimens and proofs of the infinite skill of the great Physician, whom I have the honour to serve. I could most readily enlarge my list with an account of blind people, some of them born blind, to whom he made a present of sight of lame people, whom he enabled to walk-of lepers, whom he cleansed of the deaf, whom he caused to hear his gracious voice and of the very dead, whom he raised, Luke, vii. 22.

Such is the wretched state of the country in which I live, that none of the inhabitants are in health, but those whom my honoured Master has graciously healed. There is yet room in the hospital which I inspect: but though I go out among the inha bitants around me, and ask them, Whether they will be made whole? and assure them, and indeed give them multiplied proofs, that my Master is able and willing to heal them, and that he would welcome them into his family; yet I perceive, that many love the fatal disease, which is preying upon their very vitals, and will certainly ruin them. And hence they scorn the most gracious invitations; yet this is not the case entirely I last evening took my stand in the highway, in the middle of a large village; the people crowd. ed around me to hear my message, and listened to me some time very patiently. I hope, that

speak of his incomparable excellencies, and to turn the attention of my patients to him. When I' can effect this, I am happy, because I am confident that they will be healed. O, my bowels yearn over these miserable people! I would fain have them all come into the hospital; and it is my grief, that I am not so successful as I wish. By my Mas'ter's instructions, I use the most likely means for their recovery. Constantly from his table I bring supplies of the heavenly manna, of which if "a man eat, he shall never die ;" but many of them loath it as "light food." I direct them to the tree of life, planted by my Master's own hand, which brings forth twelve manner of fruits every month, and the very leaves of which' are for the bealing of the nations;" and, from the owner of it, assure them, that they are all at liberty! to pluck its produce, and be happy for ever: but, would you believe it? multitudes prefer the veriest trash to this beneficial and delicious repast. The bread of heaven also, by the especial directions of the great Physician; is constantly set before them, of which they who partake shall hunger no more, and yet many are starving and will not eat of it. To wash away their pollutions, my Master has likewise provided a fountain of sovereign efficacy, Zech. xiii. 1, replenished perpe