devise our own plans, adopt our own course, and pursue our own methods, as if we had an independent and irresponsible right to ourselves. We are a "purchased possession." And at what an enormous price have we been bought. The crown and sceptre with all the regalia which adorn and enrich regality; "the gold of Ophir and the wealth of India are as the small dust of the balance," compared with the price of our redemption—“the precious blood of Christ." Having been purchased at a price so costly, every fraction of talent, of learning, of wealth, and of influence we may possess, belong to Christ, and should be regarded as so many endowments conferred upon us to be consecrated to the diffusion of his Gospel. In proportion as we act under the hallowed influence of these enlightened views, we discharge our obligations and reflect the glory of God. Would christians tax to the utmost their varied resources and make them subsidiary to the spread of the truth, what a halo of glory would be shed on their course, the Gospel would soon complete its universal conquest, when "the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together." From the brief view already taken without further extending our remarks on this part of the subject, it is presumed we may venture to affirm that the Scriptures afford the fullest sanction to the claim under consideration. And not only does the world claim the entire and unreserved consecration of the Church from the representations of Scripture, but also

II. To retrieve the consequences of past neglect. Whatever may have been the views the Church has entertained on the dignity of its office, and the extent of its responsibilities, it is quite certain its members have not acted in character and fulfilled their vocation.

Could the great Apostle return to the Church he would find it far more circumscribed in extent and influence than he might have expected to find it at this advanced period of its history. When he left the Church, owing to the devoted unsparing efforts of its friends, comparatively few in number and scanty in resources, he saw christianity, as though invested with omnipotence, scale the walls of satan's empire, take possession of some of his most strongly fortified posts in the name of its glorious author, and hail new territories as constant accessions to its domains. Judging from the rapidity of its movements and the grandeur of its triumphs, he might have supposed that at no very distant period the truth would complete the conquest of error, and lay every hostile power under tribute to Christ, when the year of Jubilee would be held throughout the world, and when every inhabitant would exclaim" Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God of hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory."

But alas! how far are these glowing expectations from being realized. In what a small minority does the Church stand to the world. How much remains to be done before it has the ascendant. After the lapse of nearly eighteen centuries, the Church is still but "a little flock," "a grain of mustard seed." Affecting, subduing thought! If his spirit was stirred in him when he viewed Athens wholly given to idolatry, how would the Apostle feel on perceiving that in reference to the greater part of the human family his appalling question still retains its force-" How shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? and how shall they preach except they be sent ?"

Well, and how is it the supposed expectations of the Apostle have not

been realized? What is the cause of the failure? Has the Gospel proved itself unequal to the task assigned to it, to grapple with and bring to the ground the arch foe, to overcome the prejudices of men and enlist them in the Saviour's army? Has the Church on trial found the Gospel abortive, and thus abandoned it as insufficient and worthless? Happily these questions may be met with a most decided negative; the Gospel retains all its omnific power, and is equal to every emergency. Daily examples prove to a demonstration the truth of the inspired declaration, the Gospel is the power of God to salvation to every one that believeth." The failure is not owing to the insufficiency of the Gospel but to the neglect of the Church. For ages the Church gave up the conversion of the world. During that period how sadly were its energies prostituted. Instead of uniting its members, combining its resources, and making its wealth, learning and influence referrible to, and promotive of the world's conversion, the Church wasted its strength in internal discord, in political ambition, in the destructive engine of war, and the like, equally foreign to its purpose and dishonourable to its history. Within the last fifty years it is true the Church has made some effort to arouse from its spiritual slumbers, and to resume its conflict with the great enemy. But the Church, as such, has not yet risen, with all its mighty resources of faith, prayer, piety, property, and influence, and taken the field in good earnest; it is yet, as to the main body, only marshalled on the parade, or engaged in review, where, amidst the glittering of arms, the thunder of artillery, the waving of banners, the sounds of marshal music, and the marching of troops, there is much of the show and the noise of military movement, but the tug of war is not come, the shock of battle is not felt, and the trophies of victory are not seen. Many parts of the Church still lie dormant, others are but partially waked up, and all seem to want a clearer perception of duty, more sterling principle, deeper piety, an augment of the spirit of prayer, greater liberality, and a more entire dependence on God for success. It is to be feared we have all too much neglected our duty, and are more or less implicated in the charge of neglect preferred against the Church, which has stamped it through every age with dishonour and guilt in the eyes of the world. As the melancholy result of this neglect, already millions of souls have fallen into hell, and become elements of damnation, and millions more are on the way, moving as fast as the stream of time can carry them. Awful, harrowing reflection!

How then can we more effectually retrieve the evil of the past, than by entire consecration for the future? Have we neglected a duty so imperative as that of giving the Gospel to the world? Has our neglect entailed consequences so appalling? Should we not then for the future summon every power, and if possible, multiply every item of our resources to diffuse around us the blessings of religion? If the Saviour had not so strongly recommended this conduct by his example, nor urged it with all the particularity of a positive command, our sense of duty would suggest the propriety of this course. It is obviously a duty we owe to the world to be entirely devoted to its moral and spiritual improvement as the best means we can employ to retrieve the lamentable consequences of past neglect. And the claim may not only be urged on the ground of Revelation and of reparation for the past, but likewise,

How

III. As the only means to meliorate the condition of the world. truly deplorable is the moral and spiritual condition of the world. When VOL. 5.-N. S. C

we survey it for a moment what an awful spectacle presents itself to our affrighted view. What a mighty army of evils is marshalled against the God of infinite love! There is Idolatry robbing Him of his worship, with its infamous priests, its altars of blood, its abominable vices, pressing into its service, almost every object in the air, the earth, and the waters, and dragging to its shrine myriads of deluded devotees. There is Atheism too, protesting against His existence to whose foul abbettors "all truth is a fable, and all virtue a mystery." There is Mahommedanism, also, denying the divinity of His Son and placing an impostor in his stead. And, then, there is Christendom, professedly knowing Him, but practically denying Him. Within the precincts of the nominal christian world are included thousands living in open vice, and thousands more without even the forms of godliness; while as to a large proportion of those who attend public worship, it may be said to almost every christian minister, "They come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words but they will not do them. And, lo! thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument, for they hear thy words but they do them not.' Thick darkness hangs over the world, satan is enthroned as its God, and claims the kingdom as his own. As we witness the awful scene, we cannot forbear reflecting that this mighty army so densely thronged is moving onward to eternity, that every moment a soul is plunged into the fathomless abyss, and still the number is incessantly augmenting.

My God! I shudder at the scene;
My bowels yearn o'er dying men;
And fain my pity would reclaim

And snatch the fire brands from the flame.

Nothing can vanquish this infatuated host, and bring it in subjection to the Prince of peace, but the entire consecration of the Church under the blessing of Almighty God. As the mariner, who is about to plough the mighty deep in order to explore remote regions, launches his vessel, steps on board, hoists the mast, spreads the sail, and then waits for the auspicious gale to carry her out of harbour, and conduct her safely into the distant port; so the Church must act as if the salvation of the world depended under God on its own exertions. There must be no by-standers, every sail must be set, every kind and degree of talent must be put under requisition. There must be holy wisdom to mark the openings of Providence, and to "discern the signs of the times"-fearless courage to seize opportunities of usefulness-cheerful liberality to replenish necessary funds-untiring per severance to prosecute the path of duty, and united prayer to invoke the out-pouring of the spirit; for the greater the sacrifice laid on the altar the stronger the flame necessary to consume it." Christians must rouse every one his neighbour and encourage every one his fellow, and while every power of talent, property, diligence, zeal, courage unanimity and perseverance is in full play, we must cherish a feeling similar to what the Psalmist experienced when he said, "All my springs are in thee." "My soul wait thou only upon God, for my expectation is from him." "I will lift up my eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help." "My help cometh from the Lord who made heaven and earth.” I With thee is the fountain of life." This is the instrumentality God has appointed and engaged to crown with success. Only let this instrumentality be employed,

"

and satan, with all his mighty army and ponderous artillery, will soon be confounded and vanquished;-a voice will be heard" as the sound of many waters," saying "Who art thou, a great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain, and he shall bring forth the headstone himself with shouting, crying, Grace, grace unto it." What a delightful contrast will the state of the world then present to its existing condition! where superstition now rears her daring and unblushing front issuing forth streams of polution, contaminating and cursing the people, there the throne of Christ will be erected, and his sceptre will be swayed, of purity, peace, and bliss. The face of society will be pure and unruffled as a sea of glass, only reflecting the rays of the sun of righteousness; the song of war will be exchanged for the song of Zion, human happiness will be unprecedented in the history of the past, and transcended only by the bliss of heaven. Blessed period! Precious to the saints in every age! Dear to the Son of God himself. May it quickly dawn upon the world!

From the above reflections it is presumed every unbiased mind will readily admit that the world viewing the Church, under God, as its spiritual guardian, claims the entire and unreserved consecration of all its powers and resources. Oh! that the Church would practically admit the justice of the claim, the blissful results would then speedily follow. In order to this, as our closing reflections,

Let every christian remember the claim is made on him as an individual. The Church is a collection of individuals. Take away these individuals, and there is no Church. The duty of the Church is the duty of its respective members. But, alas! it is too common for christians in speaking of the Church to lose sight of their own individuality, to overlook self, to lay themselves out of the question. Now let us guard against falling into this error, and ever remember the claim under consideration refers to us individually, as parts and parcels of the Church. We should suffer the claim to come to our hearts and consciences, as though the salvation of the world depended under God upon us, upon our zeal, our faith, our prayers, our liberality. The more prominently our individuality is kept in view the more clearly we shall perceive, and the more powerfully we shall feel the importance of the claim in question. We cannot be too deeply convinced of this terrific truth. The duty of the Church is our duty. If the world claims the entire consecration of the Church, it claims the entire consecration of its individual members.

Let every christian, too, consider the obligations under which he is laid to yield to this claim Justice, gratitude, and interest, alike demand of us individually entire devotedness. Have we been redeemed at a price so costly that nothing could transcend it? Are we installed in an office so distinguished as that of reflecting the glory of God in diffusing abroad a knowledge of the truth? Is our highest happiness found in extensive usefulness? How plain, how striking, how impressive, then, our duty to live for the furtherance of the Gospel. May a sense of duty, coupled with the love which animated the bosom of the Saviour, sweetly, cheerfully, powerfully, constantly, lead us to devote ourselves and all we possess to the high and responsible work of saving a lost and perishing world; in other words, to adopt as our own the appropriate sentiment of the inspired apostle. "The love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead; and that he died for all, that they

who live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him who died for them, and rose again,'

Measham.

G. S.

THE FAMILY PARTY, OR THE FATHER'S MEMOIR.

On the past evening I met an interesting circle of friends, and it has struck me to record a few thoughts which the scene has suggested, I met six sisters and three brothers, and three children of the eldest sister of the family. The father was a pious, active, and highly esteemed member of the Church in this town, who died nearly forty years since. Yet his memory is "as ointment poured forth." I felt the interest with which his piety and activity in the cause of Christ were remembered and cherished by his children and his grandchildren present. One of the daughters of the dear old man has long been in a backsliding state though once very zealous, and I was pleased to observe the faithfulness of one of her sisters, who lives at a distance, enquiring of her whether she did not wish again to be united with the people of God? May this wandering sheep, that occasionally follows the footsteps of the flock, be happily brought into the fold again.

It now occurred to some one that a memoir of their venerated father was in an early number of the General Baptist Repository, and after some little search, not the volume, but the number was found containing the interesting document, I found it was an early number of the second series of the Repository, and requested one of the grandsons to read the memoir, and particularly an Elegy written to memory of departed worth. Who can describe the effect of this exercise, and the salutary influence of it upon the children and the grandchildren? There is an illustration of the Scripture, Cast thy bread upon the waters and thou shalt find it after many days." And to the third and fourth and fifth generation may not these family records be perused by the family circle, and still be read with deep interest and very valuable results. "The righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance." From these circumstances a few reflections have arisen to which I would recommend the reader's attention.

I. The propriety of memoirs and obituaries of departed friends being prepared for the Repository. It is very improper to allow departed worth to sink into the grave without any memorial of their piety, and activity, and usefulness; the perusal of which would embalm their memory to the latest posterity.

"It were profane

To quench a glory lighted in the skies,

Or cast in shadows his illustrious close."

I have often regretted the inattention manifested to the memory of some valuable friends. Are there no active members, deacons, assistant preachers, and even pastors, that have not a single line in our public records, though, like David, they "served their generation" well, and have now "fallen asleep by the will of God." Such defects should be remedied without delay. Are not their children and friends likely to feel such neglects, and be sufferers by losing the iufluence of their high example?

The utility to families of taking the Repository. If the ancestor of this very numerous family, with parsimonious feeling, had said, "I cannot