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at work in order to prevent their machinery from going to ruin; and tradesmen-men of reputation-are failing in every quarter. Can you, reader-we repeat the inquiry-behold these things unmoved? However you may know and rejoice in the unalterable purposes, good-will, and care of our unalterable Jehovah towards his church, yet surely you are not an indifferent spectator of the solemn facts we have been stating. We know that our God has been insulted by an ungodly world, and by a "mock" church; for years have we beheld with sorrow the parallel advances of Popery and Infidelity, and a mere form of godliness; and thus for years have we expected the crisis which we now believe to be at hand; but though the foe be at our very door, shall we calmly lift the latch, and let him in? Shall we not resist him to the last? And shall not the ardent desire continue to ascend, "Lord, if it be possible, let this cup pass from us?" Oh yes! God enabling us, to the very latest moment-for the church's sake the world's sake-our childrens' sake-for our own sake-such shall be our cry! Dec. 6th.

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THE subject of the following remarks commenced his ministerial labours as a stated pastor at Orpington, Kent, A.D. 1820, and continued there till 1830; the Lord blessing his ministry to the conversion of many, and the building up the church of Christ in that place upon its most holy faith. During that period of peace, he was favoured with the friendship, correspondence, and liberal support of that venerable servant of Christ, the late Rev. John Simons, LL.B., Rector of St. Paul's Cray. Very soon after Mr. C. had entered the ministry, he was offered ordination in the Church of England, but from principle decided on remaining a Dissenter.

In 1826 he paid his first visit to Devonport, and the three following years; when in 1829 he was chosen the minister of Mount Zion Chapel, an elegant spacious chapel erected in the year 1823. In the last autumn Mr. C. supplied for five weeks at the Mulberry Gardens Chapel, St. George's in the East; the Lord blessed his testimony, and the congregation greatly increased. From that visit a cloud of mysterious providences was seen, something more than an occasional visit; events transpired which opened to a correspondence with Mr. C. in reference to his taking the pastoral charge of the said chapel. The weighty concern to both parties, though slow in its movements, yet every circumstance appeared to harmonize, that it was certain eventually it effected a unanimous call; this we understand Mr. C. has accepted, and will enter on his pastoral office at the Mulberry Gardens Chapel (D.V.) in February, 1842.

Mr. C. is one who boldly declares the whole of a free-grace Gospel, by exhibiting the glory of its doctrines, the necessity of its experience, and the certainty of its practical effects. The scope of his ministry may be condensed as follows:The everlasting love of Jehovah the Father; the blessedness enjoyed by the church secured in the purposes of grace, founded in the decretive will of God alone. The love of Jehovah Jesus, as developed in the great work of redemption, undertaking our cause, assuming our nature, bringing the church up to himself in an everlasting oneness, and sustaining all his covenant offices and characters, for her well-being in grace, and her exaltation from grovelling corruption, to songs of praise, crowns of salvation, and thrones of eternal glory. The love of Jehovah the Spirit in his covenant work of regeneration, quickening dead souls by his sanctifying influences, subduing the depravity of our first Adam's nature; carrying on the work of grace to consummation in glory, and finally making us meet for our Master's kingdom.

PASSING THOUGHTS.-No. III.

THE CONTRAST.-A yea-and-nay Gospel (as it is called) is no Gospel at all; it contradicts itself; it promises certain good, but on such premises as none can in reality obtain it; it bids a man come to Christ, but not without a price in his hand, which is the quintessence of Popery, and a daring insult to the Majesty of heaven. A yea-and-amen Gospel meets a man as he is-as spiritually blind, lame, and naked; it gives him sight, strength, and clothing; it says, "Ho every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, come ye buy wine and milk, without money and without price." To spiritual bankrupts, it says, "And when they had nothing to pay (with) it frankly forgives them all." Precious Gospel!

PETER.-It was not Peter's looking to Jesus, but Jesu's looking upon Peter, that caused him to "go out and weep bitterly."

SLANDER. Is there any truth in what they say of you? Well, then, acknowledge it-fall under it. Is it false? Then do not waste your breath to prove it so. Live it down. Make your appeals to God rather than to men. Go in secret, and reiterate the apostles' inquiry, "Lord, is it I? is it I?" and rest assured that he who does " avenge his own elect, who cry day and night unto him," will, in his own time, bring you forth to the light, to the confusion of your enemies and confidence of your friends. "Whoso is wise and will observe these things, even they shall understand the loving-kindness of the Lord."

SENSE OF WEAKNESS AND DEPRAVITY.-The venerable Daniel Miall, late of Portsea, used to say, "If the Lord were to bring me within one step of heaven, and leave me to take that alone, I should step into hell." Reader, from a sense of thine entire helplessness and sin, dost thou say the same? If so, thou hast been taught some blessed lessons by a blessed Teacher, and will never be an inmate of that dark abode. No, never!

FALSE LIGHT.-I feel so much of it, that I constantly not only tremble lest I should be left to its influence, but am amazed that I have ever been conducted aright; and am bound to give all the glory to Him who hath "guided me by the skilfulness of his hand."

REPROACH.-Would you seek a barren frame, and possess your mind with manifold fears? then discuss the failings of your fellow-mortals.

JESUS.-I was, for many years, looking into self and at self; sometimes I thought there was a little improvement, but soon some slip or fall proved it was a delusion: now, dear Jesus, I think I shall ever be the same vile creature in myself, and during this time-state shall have to drag about with me the same body of sin and death; but my eyes are more up to thee as my great and mighty Deliverer; and, hearing thee exclaim, "Without me ye can do nothing,” I seek in thine own power, "to take hold of thy strength."

SATAN'S VIGILANCE.-As surely as I am favoured with a visit from the King of kings, so surely does Satan, the prince of the power of the air, in some form or other wait upon me afterwards.

SIMPLE FAITH.-A clergyman accompanied a kind contribution, a short time since, with the following remark: " My Heavenly Father has never let me want, and I believe never will, though I have often been weeks without one shilling in the house at a time, or in any other place, except in the storehouse of his riches and loving-kindness."

THE WORLD. In the fulness of a fleshly zeal, some men pray (if prayer it may be called) for the whole world: to ask in submission for temporal peace and prosperity may be and is justifiable, but a prayer in the primary sense, for spiritual new-covenant blessings upon the whole world, was never indited by the Holy Ghost. Why? Because all real prayer springs from his indwelling in the heart as a Spirit of grace and supplication; and to pray for a blessing on those he had never designed to bless, would be a complete contradiction. What said our Lord, in the days of his flesh? "I pray not for the world, but for those whom thou hast given me out of the world." And does this furnish (as some would affirm) any motive for unbecoming triumph? let the apostle, in his 1 Cor. vi. 11, answer, "And such were some of you, but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified," &c.

ALFRED.

CHRIST THE EVERLASTING SON OF THE FATHER.

MR. EDITOR,

To the Editor of the Gospel Magazine.

THIS is a scriptural truth which, on reading the remarks of a wellknown correspondent in the April number of another magazine, I was surprised to find disputed; I was once in the same dilemma. He remarks, "How his self-existence and eternal independence can be maintained on the ground of his being the only begotten Son of God, I have never yet seen an argument adduced to prove ; " and I venture to say no created being will ever see an argument to prove how God exists; and yet the Christian by faith both sees and believes in this grand scriptural truth, that the Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal and only begotten Son of the Father; nor does he wish to solve the how, or pry into it. It is a glorious mystery, not to be explained or argued, but to be believed in on the authority of the word of God. There is a great gulf fixed between a truth that is arguable and one that is above argument and cannot be explained or reasoned upon, either naturally or spiritually; and if we encroach on or attempt to approach the how God exists, we shall stumble and fall: nay, I consider it holy and mysterious ground, that it is blasphemy in mortals to attempt to tread with the utmost reason they possess. We cannot define or comprehend our own existence, how much less of that God who made us? Can we comprehend or explain how God has his indwelling in the believer? and yet the fulness of his Godhead dwells bodily in his glorified human nature in heaven; or how that fulness dwells bodily in him, and yet as God by Jeremiah said, "Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord." These are all facts and realities we know and believe in; for they are God's declaration of himself, and we take God at his word, and abide by what he has spoken; and would rather fall prostrate before him and lay our vile mouth in the dust, than lift up one thought of reason against his revelation. We know that God is everywhere, and wherever he is, he is God in all his fulness. It is important I should show that it is a clearly revealed truth, that our Lord and Saviour in his divine nature is the everlasting and only begotten Son of the Father, which I will do, if the Lord will; and it is the privilege of faith to believe and repose in it as a truth verified both by God the Father and God the Son, each Divine Person speaking of the other and of himself.

Throughout the New Testament our Saviour is called the Son of man, with reference to his human nature (soul and body); and he is called the Son of God, as touching his divine nature. In speaking of him as God the Son, we find that when the tempter came to him and said, "If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread; Christ answered, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." The devil knew that, as the Son of God (if he were so), he could command bread of stones; but Christ was not to be commanded by him,

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