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be very considerable. So long ago as Dr. Gill's days, viz. 1762, “ a great number of poor ministers were assisted thereby." Dr. Rippon has kindly drawn aside the curtain, and just given us a peep for the years 1791 to 1796. We are by him informed, that "the collections for 1791 amounted to £667:3s: 5d." That" besides the annual collection the whole interest of the funded capital is yearly given away." That, the fund that year received £200 addition. “In 1792 the collections amounted to £617:10s: 9d; this with the interest on the capital, was distributed in the spring of 1793 to poor ministers," &c. also £500 added to the fund this year. "Collected for 1793, £620:138: 5d." Collected for the year 1794, £611 : 7s 4d. Legacies and donations this year £209: 3s: 5d. The whole disbursements for the year amounted to the pleasing sum of £1564 · 10s." Collected for 1795, £720: 12s : 3d. The distributions were made in the spring of 1796, when it appeared by a summary view of the fund accounts, that including an allowance to the mission in North Wales, and an extra exhibition of 200 guineas, divided among sundry poor ministers who had large families, the disbursements of the year amounted to £1612: 19s: 4d." "Gollected for 1796, £674: 38: 6d. the distributions were made in March and April 1797, and the whole expenditure of the year was £1310: 6s : 6d."

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I have copied the above from the "Baptist Annual Register," published by Dr. Rippon for those years. There is an openness and honesty in these statements which does the worthy Dr. much credit. We have no yearly intelligence now of collections and disbursements. Eighteen years has the Baptist Magazine" been published, but nothing there of this sort. We have also a " Particular Baptist Magazine," but no particulars on this head. Alas! alas! it is too true what "James" says "there are many men who cannot (aye, and who will not) give up the truths of God, whose preaching is made a great blessing to many, and whose lives and conversation are an ornament to the profession they make; who are nevertheless very much tried in their circumstances, meet with much opposition, and are almost invariably shut out from participating in those very funds left exclusively for such as them, by brethren like-minded with themselves, long since gone to glory."+

Permit me in proof to transcribe from a sermon preached by DR. GILL on behalf of this fund in the year 1762. "This leads me to

* Baptist Annual Register.

+ I am intimately acquainted with a poor minister, sound in the truth and of sound morals, who brought up a large family with a very circumscribed income. He never could obtain a farthing from the fund. On his last application, about five years ago, one of the fundees honestly told him, "your name, Sir, forty or fifty years ago would have stood perhaps first on the list, but the distributors now are not of your sentiments; your friends are dead.”

Be it remembered that I cannot stir a step without reference to doctrinal faith; the only persons whose cause I am advocating, are supposed to be poor calvinistic, gospel ministers, sound in the truth; and whose moral characters will bear the severest investigation. Many of these worthy men are, it is to feared, very poor, and are suffering many privations, princially for the truth's sake. Those who run with the stream have plenty of resources; and they have been eating the temporal bread of the godly for too many years already.

mention our yearly collection for the poor ministers, and the churches in the country; which is certainly a good work, serving greatly to promote the honour and interest of religion, and the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. A great number of poor ministers are assisted and made, more comfortable thereby. Pastors, whose churches are not able to give them a proper maintenance, but are obliged to work with their own hands, are, by your liberality, a little eased; their families a little better provided for; and the gospel a littler oftener preached than otherwise it would be, were it not for your generosity. This business is managed by your deputies, who are annually chosen to see that the money is distributed to none but such as are SOUND ministers of the gospel, and you yourselves are in some measure witnesses that those persons are such, as you now and then have an opportunity of hearing them. You hear what sound, savoury, spiritual, and evangelical ministers they are and you are drawn thereby into admiration and thankfulness that th' churches in the country are so well supplied with gospel ministers."e Ah! Mr. Editor, I sigh and exclaim, "what is the CAUSE that the FORMER days were better than THESE?"

Please excuse the length of these remarks. I have aimed to supply a few particulars. You see there are already available funds; and I have no doubt, if a proper society were formed, and it was fairly brought before the religious public, but that (in the words of Dr. Gill in the same sermon I have already quoted from) the people will come together with open hearts and open purses, and liberally contribute. That they will bring as many of their friends as they can; that they will bring their children, encourage their servants, and every one to do according to their ability; and thus make it manifest there is some good thing in, them by doing something for the honour of God, and the good of his cause.".

I say, with " Henry," that as "James" has had the honour of bringing the subject before the " household of faith," let him go forward; first call together, say about a dozen of his ministerial and other friends privately, and then proceed as the Lord shall direct. And may the good Lord smile upon and prosper the undertaking. Your's, Mr. Editor, in gospel love,

Brentford, May 1, 1827.

(To the Editor of the Spiritual Magazine.)

ANDREW.

AN EXPRESSION OF GROSS ARMINIANISM DETECTED. Sir,

As a constant reader of your valuable Magazine, I write to say, that if I am a competent judge of what I read in other Magazines as well as in your's, I have no hesitation in making this declaration, that your Spiritual Magazine, or Saints' Treasury, is, in itself, the best composition of divine truths of any Magazine that I know of, now in circulation among the religious public; because it comes

nearest to the written word of our covenant God and Father in Christ, and to the experience of the children of God. In this your work excels, and is rendered so precious to the experienced child of God, that it savours so much of Christ and his precious work in the redemption of poor sinners.

But, Sir, I trust you will pardon me, when I say, that although I do so highly esteem your Magazine, and that above all others, yet I am sorry sometimes to find, intermixed with a good subject, certain expressions which I cannot approve; for I consider them contrary to the word of our God, and to the blessed experience of the children of God.

That to which I now more particularly refer, is on page 335 last vol. where Elah is speaking of the call of Zaccheus by Christ, and of looking on him as one of those which God the Father had given to Christ before this world was: thus Elah speaks as one taught of God the eternal Spirit. But when he speaks of Christ looking on or at Peter, after Peter had denied him thrice, as in Luke xxii. 61. there Elah says, "it was a look of anger." Here I beg leave to differ from him, because it does not agree with the word of God. The scriptures of truth declare, that Christ knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 2 Cor. v. 21. Now, Sir, what is anger in one man towards another, but sin in its effects? and it is a sad proof that such a man is a sinner, who at any time looks on another with a look of anger. But if we were to admit of such a thing as sin, in any shape, within Christ, then it would follow as a matter of course, that the obedience of Christ unto the righteous law of God, as the surety of the people of God, is of no avail; and as such we are yet in our sins, and we are exposed to the righteous indignation of a sin-avenging God. I trust we have not so learned Christ.

Again: if anger had been found in the look of Christ towards Peter, as one of his sheep which were given him by the Father, to redeem by his holy obedience to God's law in his life, and his spotless sacrifice in death, what then becomes of the perfection of Christ in his manhood? and what becomes of the declaration of the Angel to Mary when he said, that which should be born of her, should be an "holy thing?" as we read in Luke i. 25. O Sir, what a blessing it is for us to know that we have had and now have such an holy day's-man as Christ; as the prophet prophesied of Christ, and as we also read of Christ, in Isaiah xi. 5. " Righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins." And Paul speaks of the perfections, goodness, and condescension of Christ, on behalf of his church and people, who although he was in all points tempted like as we are, yet he was without sin. Heb. iv. 15. And that great apostle still proceeds to set forth the perfection of the manhood of Christ, declares that Christ was harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners. Heb. vii. 26.

Permit me, Sir, through the means of your valuable Magazine, to

ask Elah, how can anger be imputable to Christ the God-man? who must of necessity love Peter, as one of his own flesh; for Paul declares that no man ever yet hated his own flesh; and surely Elah will admit that Christ and Peter were one flesh, as Peter was a believer in Christ, notwithstanding his great fall and disgrace. As saith Paul the apostle, "Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ." And again; "Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular."

I will now take a scriptural view of Christ, in his complex Person, as God and man in one Christ, in order to see whether anger will agree with his nature and conduct towards his people which he hath loved with an eternal love: and Peter as one for whom Christ was then about to die, as the effects of his eternal love towards him. Elah seems to build his assertion on Peter going out and weeping: but surely, Sir, we must know, as the experienced children of God, that the cause of Peter's weeping, was the effect of a look of love from Christ towards him, as one of his dear people; and not a look of anger; for if it had, I have no doubt but that would have produced the same effects in Peter, as was produced in Judas through his betraying of Christ, which was a proof that Judas was not one of Christ's sheep.

Elah in continuation, says, that Zaccheus was one of those that Christ had loved from everlasting, and in whose place and stead he had engaged to fulfil the righteous law of God, and to die the just for the unjust; which I also believe; but I hope also he considers that Peter was as precious to Christ, as was Zaccheus; and if so, I ask how then could the look of Christ on Peter, after he had denied him, be a look of anger? when according to Elah's own words, Christ had loved him from everlasting; this also is the declaration of God's blessed word towards all his dear people, and Peter with the whole of them; as in Jer. xxxi. 3. And it is also said of Christ, "that having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end." John xiii. 1. But still, to use the words of Elah, when speaking of Christ as the God-man, he says, that as God he knoweth all things; yea, and that the bounds of man's habitation are and were fixed by him, and that they were fore-known by Christ before the world began; thus, then, Christ knew from everlasting, as the Godman, that Peter would deny him, and also, under what circumstances that denial would take place; as Jesus the night before his suffering said unto Peter, " Verily I say unto thee, that this night before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice." Matt. xxvi. 35. And as a proof of the above, it is said that when the cock crew, Peter remembered the word of Jesus, who said unto him, " before the cock crow thou shalt deny me thrice: and he went out and wept bitterly." Matt. xxvi. 75.

I think that the above is a full proof, that Peter's weeping was the effects of the love of Jesus to his precious soul, and which brought to his mind the love which Jesus had manifested towards him, in appris

ing him of what was coming upon him, and not a look of anger: for the experienced child of God knows that anger will never produce in man true contrition of soul for sin, nor true repentance towards God. Elah will acknowledge that Christ had called Peter to be his disciple; and if so, how could Christ afterwards look on Peter with a look of anger? as that would seem, that Christ was disappointed in his opinion of Peter, and that he was sorry he had called him to be his disciple. This could not be the case, for as God and man in one Christ he knew all things past, present, and to come; and as for repentance, that will never apply to him in his complex person, in reference to any thing which he hath done, nor to any thing he designs to do, in future. "The gifts and calling of God are without repentance. "God is not a man that he should lie, neither the Son of man that he should repent." Numb. xxiii. 19.

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Again: when the God-man speaketh of his determination on the behalf of his church and people, to redeem them from the power and from the consequences of sin, by his life and by his death on their behalf, and in viewing all the oppositions that would lay in his way from men and from devils, yet nothing could alter his purposes; for he saith, in Hosea xiii. 14. that "repentance should be hid from his eyes." O Sir, what a blessed consolation to the poor, trembling, and disconsolate christian, when God the Holy Spirit is thus pleased to bring such a soul, amidst all his misgivings and short comings, to rest upon the immutability of God, as well in his promises towards such, as in his nature. And I am bold to say, that it was the immutability of God made known to Job by God's grace that supported him in all his great afflictions and trials which he experienced in his own body, together with the loss of his children and property. And it was that which brought peace into his soul, and strengthened him in the midst of all his afflictions, when the food for his body was loathed by him; and thus we read in Job xxiii. 12, 13. “I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food: he is of one mind and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth even that he doeth: for he performeth the thing that is appointed for me."

O Sir, what an unspeakable mercy for the dear children of God, to know that we have such a kind and faithful friend as our covenant God and Father, in Christ Jesus, as our God is unto all his numberless and chosen family; so that he overrules and maketh all things, even their greatest trials and seeming evils, all of them to work together for his own eternal glory, and his people's good. Yes, indeed, even Peter's fall conduced to his future good, and the good of the church in after ages, as it was the means of Peter trusting in future alone to the power of his Saviour, to keep him in the time of his trials and temptations, and not to trust in his own boasting strength, as he had proved by sad experience that his own strength was perfect weakness; as is the experience of all more or less that are truly taught of God.

Such is the perpetuity of our God, in his nature, in his word, and

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