thrown aside for some years; but the person who had the care of it refused to give it up unless we paid for it; and this we paid for. Finding the begging trade to drain the funds of the beggars, rather than the funds of those to whom we applied, we gave up the trade to more successful adventurers. Yet we did not forget to thank our Baptist and Independent friends for their kindness in giving (at a price) two articles so essential in chapel furniture; a pulpit from which the light of life might shine ministerially to illumine the minds of some who walked in darkness, and a chandelier to hold the artificial light, to supply in a little measure the absence of the sun. While the building of the house was progressing numerous enemies raged and opposed to their utmost; yet the building, like the wall of Jerusalem, was completed, notwithstanding the troublous times in which it was built. Such was the zeal of some that they would bawl out as they passed by, in the hearing of the builders, "We wish the place might fall down upon the head of that fellow when he is in the pulpit, and upon the heads of them who may go to hear him, that all might be buried in the ruins." Some charged the preacher with holding and promulgating deistical sentiments, and this was generally believed by a great bulk of professors who had never seen his face nor heard his voice; and others called him a blaspheming atheist. Well, let it be so, the day is on the wing when God Himself will be the Judge, and decide with whom truth dwells; and then will my judges be overthrown in their stony places. But, if it would be wisdom with me to answer these evil speakers according to their folly, it would be seen by all who have the eyes of their understanding enlightened, that freewill, universal redemption, and conditional salvation are sentiments which plunge the soul into the fathomless inextricable meandering mazes of refined atheism; but I shall not answer them according to their folly, lest I should be like unto them. (To be continued.) RESURRECTION. OUR Lord says, "They shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world and the resurrection from the dead." Now, the apostle tells us, "There is a resurrection of the saints." First, their bodies are to be reunited to their spirits; and this is the resurrection spoken of here. It cannot have reference to the resurrection of the wicked, for that will take place at the end of the millennium, or one thousand years; and no one wishes to have a part in that resurrection which is a resurrection to damnation; when the wicked dead will be raised and receive their final sentence. In which shall you take a part? How will it be with you then? Can you rest satisfied in uncertainty now? Are you content to go on from year to year without any clear and satisfactory evidence within, that you shall escape that judgment? Now, there are two resurrections spoken of the resurrection of the blessed and the resurrection of the wicked. Some think the first resurrection spoken of means a spiritual resurrection, as we read in John v. 25, where our Lord says, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and live." This is simply a spiritual resurrection. This is the life of God communicated to the soul, whereby the dead in trespasses and sins are made alive in Christ Jesus. Some are worthy of this, because they are chosen of God to it, chosen in Christ before all worlds; and thence realize the blessedness of the first resurrection in time. But our Lord is here speaking of the resurrection of the body; the first resurrection being that of the saints of God, the second the wicked dead. The apostle, showing the difference, declares, "The dead in Christ shall rise first." Their bodies shall be united to their spirit, and, in their glorified bodies, they shall enter upon their full and eternal bliss, like unto Christ in body, soul, and spirit. The Lord tells us they then shall be equal to the angels, that is, with respect to the eternity of their bliss and the sinlessness of their condition; but, with regard to their blessedness, they are above angels, for they shall judge them. They are equal to the angels, for they die no more; but they are superior to angels, for, as the Bride, "the Lamb's wife," they occupy the throne with Jesus, blessed in His love, and set down with Him: as you read in Rev. iii. 21, "Set down with my Father on His throne." They are like Jesus, and are therefore suited companions for Him, throughout the countless ages of eternity. The Church, then, has a body like the Lord's-a spiritual body, which is a contradiction in terms reason and sense cannot comprehend-a spiritual body; but this was the nature of our Lord's body after His resurrection, as we see by His entering the room, and standing in the midst of His disciples when the doors were shut. Though He had a body, yet it was of that spiritual nature which found entrance through a closed door. In glory the saints shall behold this glorified humanity, for they shall view Him as the Lamb slain, and in a body like His they shall share His bliss for ever. Now, we are full of evil in our bodies because of sin; but these bodies shall be sown in death as natural and sinful bodies, and be raised again as spiritual bodies and glorified bodies-like angels, in that they can die no more-superior to angels in that they shall be like Jesus-a glorified human nature, and therefore suited to join Him in His throne, and share His glory. The reality of all this may be very near; we know not how soon. A sight by faith of that heavenly world will take away much of our solicitude about this world, and make us ashamed of our ambition, our worldliness, our coveteousness, our pride, our evil tempers, and I know not what beside. If our hearts are set upon the better country, even an heavenly, and you are in union with Christ, then you are at war with all these evils that you find at work within. O favoured child of God, to be accounted worthy to share in the first resurrection-to have a body like the Lord's, and to share His throne. Surely such privileges may well deaden the soul to the world and its vanities and sins, and draw the heart in longing desire for the time when we shall see the Lord in the full blaze of glory, and receive that glorified body which shall be like unto Christ Jesus. Now those so highly favoured are the children of God-the electthe children of promise, who have received and embraced the promiseschildren of grace to whom grace is revealed, and by whom grace is enjoyed. But how is it with you, friends? Are these things yours by sweet experience? No one can persuade you into them. The Holy Spirit who bestows the spirit of adoption must teach you to cry, Abba, Father. If you are ignorant of your adoption, the Lord alone can reveal it to you, and give you the sense of it in your soul: and, if you are found amongst the children of the worthy in Christ, then you will be introduced into the mansions of light and love, the abode of the blessed. No strife there; no disunion, all praise and joy and love and harmony; and that for ever and ever! May the Lord teach us to live in expectation of that blessed end, and wait for His coming with joy. Correspondence. J. A. W. COVENANT FAITHFULNESS AND DIVINE ALL-SUFFICIENCY. (Concluded from page 376.) 66 THE memory of Walter Row was dear to the subject of this sketch, as also that of Mr. Toplady; and I heard him express himself very warmly of the late Mr. Parks, of Openshaw, near Manchester. He said, He is gone: he was a champion for truth, an out-and-out man," &c. Richard Robinson was enabled to preach three Sabbaths after the decease of his dear wife; the last Sabbath his text in the morn was from Micah iv. 4, "But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid; " in the afternoon it was from 2 Cor. v. 21, "For He hath made Him to be sin for us who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." In the evening from Psalm xxxi. 19, "Oh how great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast laid up for them that fear Thee; which Thou hast wrought for them that trust in Thee before the sons of men!" That day he preached with more than usual vigour, seemed amazingly strong, and it was spoken of in my hearing with astonishment by some friends; when I remarked, "I don't know what the Lord has to do; there is nothing too hard for Him, He can give him a little strength and spare him longer; but," I said, "I should not have been surprised if he had dropped in the pulpit;" still I could not feel as if that was the last time. He was worse on the Monday, yet was able to sit up. One day, as I saw him sitting in his chair, he put a few questions to me as to how things were going on, and the daily falling away from the life and power of truth. I mentioned something that had lately come under my notice; he was too ill to answer; his eyes being shut, he opened them three times, and shook his head every time. To another he said, "I have some very heavy things upon my mind." At this time he was in a trying circumstance in temporal things; but this was not what he meant; it was Zion's welfare that lay near his heart. Another time, when I went to see him, he said, "I have been thinking about the Shunammite; when the prophet asked her if it was well with her, her husband, and her child, she answered, It is well." He asked, "How could she answer thus ?" I said, "I do not know how to answer you better than by referring you to that which you were saying to a friend the other night when I came in." He said, "I don't know anything about what that was; I have no stock." I said, "You were talking to him of going to such a place; do you remember that?" "Oh, yes," he said, "you need not say more; I have reason to remember that this was in reference to a great trial and deliverance; he lost a certain sum of money that he was going to purchase with, and he lost it and had no more; the enemy set on him most furiously, but the Lord gave him faith to believe that he should have it again, and he told others so that he should have it that night brought and laid on his table; and so it came to pass. A person at a distance found it and could not rest that night till he had brought it to him and laid it on his table." I said, "It must be something like that. Satan and unbelief say, 'All this is against you;' but faith says, 'All is well.' It was the same, no doubt, with Moses' mother and others." As well as he could, he answered, "Yes, it must be so." This was the last time I saw him downstairs. He said to a friend, who had been attending to certain household affairs, "I have been thinking that what you have been doing, you have done it for my burial;" also to a very tried friend he said, "I should have liked to have seen you safely landed first;" also he said," You need not look for anything extra to what you have had." The first time I saw him, after he was quite laid aside, he said, "They tell me I shall never come out again." I said, "What do you think yourself?" He answered, "I don't want to have a thought about it." I said, "I do not know as yet what the Lord has to do with you, there is nothing too hard for Him. If the Lord has more work to do by you as His instrument, and souls to bless and comfort, He will raise you up again, however impossible the thing may seem." He answered, with great emotion," He must, then, nail this tabernacle together." "Yes," I said; "but, if otherwise, and your work is done, and He is about to call you home, our loss will be your gain." He seemed greatly affected, and completely overcome, his breath and cough distressing, and extreme weakness prevented much conversation; but he seemed frequently in prayer and communion with God; but only now and then a word could be understood, as "Jesus," "Holy Ghost," "Amen," &c. Another morn I called to see him; he was dozing; I went in the eve and found two more friends there, just about to commence reading. He looked at me, and said, "I was telling them you had never read to me to-day." I answered, "You were dozing, I did not want to disturb you." “Oh," said he, "the angels smote Peter on the side, and bid him arise." I answered, "The angel had a commission to do so; but I had no commission to disturb you." He was unable to answer from the difficulty of breathing; a portion was read and a short prayer offered up; at the conclusion he joined, as usual, with a hearty amen. Another time I said to him, "Should you like me to read a little ?" With great difficulty, he said, "Yes, I always like reading;" he looked earnestly, and seemed eager to catch every word, and at the close I heard him distinctly, with much fervour, say," Bless the Lord." Another evening I went to see him; as soon as he saw me he put out his hand. Another friend being present, he said, "What have you got?" I answered, "You are too ill for me to read." "Oh," said he, "if you have got two or three silver pieces, throw them down, and let them chink." When we were about to retire we bid him good-night. "Oh, good-night," said he," if you are going." The other friend said, "And may the Lord bless you.' He answered, "I am full of blessings." Once I said to him," You feel the promise made good, don't you?' I will not lay more upon you than I will enable you to bear.' ." He answered, warmly," I don't feel as if He had laid anything upon me. You let the Lord alone; what do want to meddle with Him for? He always does that which is right." On the Sunday preceding his decease several friends went to see him. One inquired how he felt. He answered, "It is all settled;" and to the same, when about to return home, having some distance to go, he bid him good-bye, and said, "You are going home, but I may reach mine before you do yours." A day or two before he departed, being in his presence, Oh, reader, reader, would that you and ourselves could always say so; and must we not add, as this dear servant of His did, "He always does that which is right ?"-ED. a member that waited upon him asked a few questions, when he intimated that he experienced some relief from the acute pains of body he had laboured under. The friend said, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless His holy name." He said, with much earnest ness, "Further than that! Can't you go further than that?" The friend said, "Where must I go? Where do you want me to go? You can't tell us, can you?" &c. After a few seconds he said, "Out into all the divine fulness of the covenant- Here he was obliged to stop, his cough and breath preventing. He said two or three times, when portions were read to him, "That will do, that will do." The last day he seemed something better, and took a little food, and his medical attendant himself thought there was some hope. At dinner time he expressed a wish for something to eat. He tried to ask a blessing upon it, but the first morsel he put in his mouth his cough came, and he was almost strangled. When he recovered a little a portion was read, and a few words offered in prayer. He added at the close again, "Amen." A Christian friend came to sit up with him, he put out his hand to shake hands, and said, “You are come to stay with me?" "Yes," said the friend, "I am come to see you pass the valley." He answered something, and it was understood by some that he said a river, evidently meaning he was about to cross the river. He was very fearful of giving those about him trouble, and seemed very thankful for every little act of kindness shown to him. As in life, so to the very last, he showed more concern for others than he did for himself. Before leaving him that night about ten o'clock, a friend said, “Should you like me to read a little before I go?" He said, "Yes, if you are going." The friend read a little, and commended him to Jesus, not thinking he was so soon to enter into the joy of his Lord. He quietly passed away early in the morning, Wednesday, April 22, 1868. ascribed all to sovereign grace, and always said, "I am astonished that ever the Lord should make choice of me. Whatever you may have received from the Lord through me as the instrument, give Him all the glory; I am nothing," &c. Thus, dear sir, I have tried to send you a little account of one whose memory is dear; but it seems to be so meagre that I really feel ashamed; but I trust you will bear with me; my memory is much impaired by a long series of nervous debility and deep trouble. I am the only unworthy member living that was received in church membership with my dear aged parent when the church was first formed, and I am the only one left in my father's family, and the only one in the church that is left to bear witness from the first commencement. It was in the midst of much persecution the cause was first established, and he has been most bitterly opposed all through for the truth's sake; but he is landed now where strife is no more, blessed be God! I do rejoice on his account that the slanderous tongue can reach him no more. He did intend after the decease of his poor wife (if the Lord had seen fit to give him strength, and spare his life) to have written some account of the Lord's dealings with him; but the Lord has seen fit otherwise to cast a veil over these mysterious deeps. I could have written more particulars, but it harrows up my feelings too much, and I have only been able to write that which I have written a few lines at a time; I am so overcome amidst the many solemn changes that we are called to witness. The mercy is, the Lord changeth not; He is the refuge of His tried and chosen now, as in days of old, and can give them to realize, as Luther did, |