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in earnest, and the divine origin of the desire after certainty is proved by the result; "for all who seek shall find." The desires that the Spirit of God creates, the same blessed Spirit will satisfy, thence will follow rest and peace to the soul. David's last words give us his experience of certainty," Although my house be not so with God; yet He hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure." Paul said, "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed to Him against that day." The office of the Spirit is to assure the conscience of the love of God, and thus magnify and make honourable the work of Christ. "My people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting-places," and Christ declared, "These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace."

But now of the end. The death of the believer is spoken of in the word as sleep; but the climax of popery for the faithful in her communion, is this dismal request, "Pray for the repose of the soul." The Gospel figure used to express death is rest; popery says it is toil. Saints, when "absent from the body," are " present with the Lord;" popery says they are in the fire of purgatory. What a contrast does this present to the doctrines of the everlasting Gospel. Founded upon the certainties of eternal truth, believed by the power of the eternal Spirit, and "in hope of eternal life, which God that cannot lie promised before the world began," the saints fall into the arms of Jesus at death; take their place among the spirits of the just made perfect, and wait for the redemption of the body at the first resurrection, when they shall realize the full blessedness of being conformed to the image of Christ, and the full enjoyment of His presence for everThis honour have all His saints. Praise ye the Lord.

more.

SIMPLE, BUT SAFE!

"I'm a poor sinner, and nothing at all,

But Jesus Christ is my all in all."

DEAR DOCTOR,-Well knowing that to you it is a matter of soul-delight to hear of, or to hear, the lispings of those who know that "here they have no continuing city, but seek one to come," causes me to feel a pleasure in communicating the particulars of a cheering interview which Î had with one of your parishioners a few days gone by, and is, as you know, what people generally call half-witted.

Her illness has been of long duration, and, to the medical gentleman who attends her, very mysterious. The fact is, although I have been in the habit of visiting the sick for many years, I never found one solitary case to resemble hers. For a considerable time she has lived upon barley sugar and other sweet things. Sometimes she is confined to her bed for months, and then a little revived, and able to walk out, which is the case with her now.

Walking by the side of the river, towards B- bridge, the other morning, I saw this dear afflicted creature coming towards me on the other side of the road. The moment she saw me she exerted herself to cross over to me. I thought, when I saw it, that she wanted to tell me about her mother's illness, for, although so weak intellectually, yet, when any of the family has been ill, she would forget her own sufferings, to weep and sympathize over them in their sufferings, calling them, "poor things," in

her childish way: saying, "how much they suffered, and how sorry she was for them." These things have made me say, "What is this in this poor imbecile-minded creature which makes her grieve with them who are grieved? Is it not the Spirit of Christ? It must be a something above nature, for she cannot play the hypocrite; that is beyond her power."

When we met, she held out her poor feeble withered hand to shake hands with me, and, in her broken way of speaking, which I shall not attempt to imitate, said, "Oh, how glad I am! I wanted to see you! I wanted to speak to you, and tell you that I am going fast to my long, long home! You see I am now only skin and bones." I said, "Weil, my child, I see it, as you say, and you are going to your long, long home. Oh, what a blessed and glorious home there is in reversion for all the redeemed of the Lord! Are you going to that glorious home?" The reply was, "I hope I am! I long to be there! I do! I do!" "Well, my child, the great Forerunner has taken possession of that home, in the name of all His redeemed; and, when He entered there, it was with His own blood, and that blood has made sure, and secured unto such poor creatures as you and I, a certain joyful and everlasting welcome." After a few minutes' conversation, this dear creature began to wander, and speak at random, therefore I left her.

No sooner did she begin to speak to me, than my heart began to melt. "Oh," I thought, "what a solemn truth! From the wise and the prudent the Father hath hidden the things of the kingdom, but He reveals them to babes! And, if God hides, who can find? and, if He reveals, who or what has the power to conceal ?" "Oh," I thought, "what childlike simplicity and sweetness, I am going-going to my long, long home! I hope I shall go there! I long to be there."

Seldom do I meet with conversation so soothingly unctuous; it created such sweet melody in my heart that cheered me for hours. How the lisping I had heard brought home to my heart an indubitable proof of the immutability of the promise that the "wayfaring man," returning to his redemption home on his way there, though a fool, he should not err therein. OLD PILGRIM.

TOPLADY ON THE SAINTS ABOVE.

SOME of the shining number once I knew,
And travelled with them here;

Nay, some (my elder brethren now),

Set later out for heaven, my junior saints below.
Long after me they heard the call of grace,

Which wak'd them into righteousness;

How have they got beyond?

Converted last, yet first with glory crowned.

Little once I thought that these,

Would first the summit gain;

And leave me far behind journeying thro' the plain,

Lov'd while on earth, nor less belov'd tho' gone.

Think not I envy you your crown,

No, if I could I would not call you down;

Tho' slower is my pace,

To you I follow on;

Leaning on Jesus all the way,

Who now and then lets fall a ray

Of comfort from His throne.

Sermons and Notes of Sermons.

NOTES OF A SERMON.

BY C. H. MARSTON, M.D., DEVIZES.

And let him that heareth, say,
And whosoever will, let him take

"And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. Come. And let him that is athirst come. the water of life freely."-REV. xxii. 17. CHRIST JESUS is the great centre of the Gospel, for the Gospel is just the testimony of Jesus Christ. It shows the Lord Jesus as the Covenant Head of all His people, existing from eternity as one with His Father in glory, will, and power; and as so, one with His dear people who were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world, that all their responsibilities, charges, sins, and deserts were laid to His account, while He was stored with all the communicable fulness of God for the supply of their need; and in fulness of time this glorious Son of the Father in truth and love was made the Son of Man. "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same" (Heb. ii. 14). "Though He was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich" (2 Cor. viii. 9). Having received His Church as His purposed bride from the hand of His Father, He espoused her to Himself in His own flesh, laid Himself open to all who had a claim against her, and boldly and fearlessly met her creditors, paid her every debt, even to the wages of sin, which is death, overcoming the world and the devil and sin and death, which held her in slavish bondage; and then, having done all, went again to His Father's throne, until He shall come to fetch her home, that where He is, there she may be also.

But of all this the bride is by nature ignorant. She has no love in her heart towards Him, sees no glory in His person, no desirableness in His love and grace. She is wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, yet supposes herself to be rich and increased in goods, and to have need of nothing. But Jesus is determined to win her love; and this He will do by causing His blessed Spirit to come down into her soul.

As Abraham's servant was sent to bring a wife to Isaac, so the Holy Ghost is sent to fetch the heart of Christ's loved one to Himself; and this He does, first, by painful things: He lays her sins to her charge, opens up the long account, and shows that she has nothing wherewith to pay; so that she feels in what a ruined position she stands, knows that she deserves the anger and the curse of God, loses her pleasure in herself and in the ways of sin and of the world; can find no rest, no peace, no comfort, no help; her heart meditates terror, nothing suits her; she is fretful, peevish, ill-tempered, impatient, rebellious, and knows not what to do; tries to make herself clean by duties, but finds it like trying to wash her flesh in a polluted sewer. All her works are marred, and her righteousnesses are as filthy rags; she hears about repentance, but finds her heart like a stone; is told to believe, but knows not how or what to believe; is encouraged to hope, but sinks deeper into despondency; knows that God must be loved, while she trembles at her own rebellion; she cannot feel that she is anything like a saint, and, as the work advances, becomes even more broken-down at the discovery of what she is than at the sight of what she has been, so that she is now feelingly and experi

mentally what she is actually, "miserable and wretched and blind and poor and naked."

But now is the time for the Spirit of the Lord to take of the things of Christ. Salvation without price, pardon without merit, righteousness without works, all through the doing and dying of God's only-begotten Son, reach her heart, and then draw forth her affections towards Him, until in God's time the love of God is made known to her very heart, and perfect love casts out tormenting fear.

I. Let us mark the threefold voice in our text: 1st. The Spirit says, "Come." This is the great call of the Spirit; by stripping, by reproving, by chastening, by comfort, by threatenings, by promises, He draws to Christ. I have spoken of His work already. 2nd. The Bride says, "Come." Those who have experience of Christ's mercy, she says, "come," by her experience, by her words, by her life. 3rd. The hearer says, "Come." Souls raised to hope, encourage one another.

II. The invited one; thirsty, willing. There is need to drive, there is precious suitability to draw. Thirst.-It denotes discomfort, pain, inability to obtain relief. The will.-To choose Christ, to trust in Christ, to obey Christ. To such who are miserable, grieved at sin, unable to obtain relief, who see Christ the only way, the only help, the only friend, the only comfort, who lean upon His mighty arm and all-sufficient grace, and submit to His authority, the Spirit says, "Come," the bride says, "Come," the hearing one says, "Come;" and now Christ Himself speaks,

"Let him come."

III. The welcome, "Let him come." "Ah, may I come?" The word implies permission. Sinner, thou mayest come. Jesus says, "Let him come."

"Let him come."

"Ah, but sin holds me, fear holds me, Satan holds There is a crowd about Him, and I feel as though in a prison, unable to come forth."

me.

"Let him come," is a word of authority to those that hold thy soul. As God said to Pharaoh, "Let my people go," so He says to sin, to Satan, to law, and unbelief, "Let him come.'

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"Let him come." Ah, but I am helpless, lame, and broken down. I feel as though I could not move one step, and when I try I fall down; my spirits sink, and I think I shall never find Christ." "Let him come,' is a word of power. He who said, "Let there be light; and there was light," says, "Let him come."

Sinner, He does not mock thee. He means it; He knows that thou art weak and lame and faint; and, if He will but now speak to thy soul, thou shalt come. "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out" (John vi. 37). IV. The blessing.-That which is given to the soul is life. "All that a man hath will he give for his life;" but life is forfeited. Jesus only can give it. Eternal life-pardon of sin, free justification, and everlasting glory. Spiritual life-faith, repentance, fear, love, peace, and joy; our holy desires, our fruit to God's glory, Jesus only gives. The water of life— the Holy Ghost. What terms? Without money, without price; let him take it freely. The fountain is always flowing with all its rich blessings for the life that now is, and for that which is to come; and he that cometh to Jesus shall have it freely, it shall not only flow to him, it shall be in him. And nowhere else is life. "He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life" (1 John v. 12).

The Triumphs of Grace over Death and the Grade;

OR, WHISPERS FROM THE DYING PILLOWS OF GOD'S SERVANTS.

"Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace."-PSALM XXXVII. 37.

SOME ACCOUNT OF THE CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE AND HAPPY DEPARTURE OF SAMUEL YOUNG

(SIXTH SON OF MAJOR YOUNG), WHO DIED NOVEMBER 30, 1845, AGED 11 YEARS. FOR some years previous to the illness which terminated the earthly career of Samuel, he had given a good testimony of the work of grace upon his soul. This appeared from his fear of doing wrong; his great dread of telling a falsehood; the deep sense he had of his being a sinner before God; his longing after an assurance that Jesus died for him.§

The following manuscript which he left, shows that his faith was much tried, and that the temptations he had to struggle with were very severe. It is written, "All thy children shall be taught of God." Hence the knowledge of the deceitfulness and plague of the heart, the conviction of original and actual sin, self-condemnation, poverty of spirit, brokenness of heart, and a justifying God in all things, will be found in all God's quickened children, whether regeneration takes place in the adult or in the little child; so that, from the least to the greatest, all shall give to the Lord all the glory, ascribing salvation to God alone-to His sovereign, free, and electing grace. The blessed truths of the eternal election of the Church in Christ, of particular redemption and discriminating grace, have never been kept back by the parents of this child, when speaking to their children upon spiritual things; and God will bless His own truth to His children, of which Samuel is a happy witness.

COPY OF THE MANUSCRIPT.

G. Y.

[In transcribing this manuscript I have retained, as closely as possible, the expressions of the original, which have the mark, in many instances, of the childish simplicity natural to the age of the writer.-G.Y.]

"O Lord, may I bless Thee all the days of my life! Make me to do what is right, and, Jesus, be with me, and keep me from doing wrong, and teach me.

"I felt unhappy to-day; afterwards I felt a good deal better. O Lord, may I praise Thee all the days of my life! Blessed are they that trust in Him.

"I felt unhappy, and I read the 1st of John, and it comforted me a little.

"I felt great temptations, and I prayed to God to help me.

"A blessed day. I felt no temptations.

"This morning they tempted me to kill myself; but God will not let the devil overtempt me. Sometimes it makes me feel unhappy, but then goes off for a time, and I feel better; but they are very bad. O. Lord, may I love Thee for ever, even for everlasting.

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"I will put my fear in their hearts" (Jer. xxxii. 40).

+"For He said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so He was their Saviour" (Isaiah lxiii. 8).

"I came not to call the righteous, but sinners" (Matt. ix. 13).

"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness" (Matt. v. 6). "Give diligence to make your calling and election sure (2 Peter i. 10).

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