his vesture. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture,' Ps. xxii. 18.—The death by which he should die. The assembly of the wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet;' Ps. xxii. 16-His excruciating pain, when the cross was raised from its horizontal position, and was fixed in the ground. 'I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint,' Ps. xxii 14.-His violent thirst. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws,' Ps. xxii. 15.-The cruel aggravation of his sufferings by his enemies. They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink,' Ps. Ixix. 21.—The desertion of him by his friends. I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none,' Ps. lxix. 20 — The insults of the spectators. All they thatsee me, laugh me to scorn. They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him, Ps. xxii 7, 8. They that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,' Matt. xxvii. 39. 'The chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the king of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him,' Matt. xxvii. 41. 43.-Amid all this, his making intercession for the transgressors,' Isai. liii. 12. 'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,' Luke xxiii. 34.-His prayer to God, occasioned by that apparent desertion, which constituted an essential, and perhaps the principal part of his sufferings. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?' Ps. xxii. 1.— His dying words. Into thine hand I commit my spirit,' Ps. xxxi. 5.-His crucifixion between two malefactors, and his burial in the grave of a rich man. He made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death,' Isai. liii. 9. 6 Thus was the Messiah brought into the dust of death,' Ps. xxii. 15. But, notwithstanding the sorrows of death compassed him, God heard his voice out of his temple, and his cry came before him. Then the earth shook and trembled. He bowed the heavens also, and came down. He sent from above; he took him; he drew him out of many waters. He brought him forth also into a large place: he delivered him, because he delighted in him, Ps. xviii. He did not leave his soul in the invisible world; neither did he suffer his holy One to see corruption, Ps. xvi. 10. Having continued with his disciples forty days, he ascended on high; he led captivity captive; he received gifts for men, yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them, Ps. Ixviii. 18. God went up with a shout; the Lord with the sound of a trumpet,' Ps. xlvii. 5. The gates of heaven lifted up their heads, and the everlasting doors were lifted up, that the LORD of hosts might come in,' Ps. xxiv. He entered into the presence of God, where there is fulness of joy; and sat at his right hand, where there are pleasures for evermore, Ps. xvi. 11. 'Seeing then that we have a great high priest that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession,' Heb. iv. 14. I pray, my beloved daughter, that you and I, and your dear Mother, may not be of them who draw back unto perdition; for then only shall we be made partakers of the heavenly crown, if we persevere unto the end. Your mother's letter will contain an account of every thing that has occurred since you left us. We shall continue to remember you constantly at the throne of grace, and we entreat you to pray constantly for us. Do not fail to let us hear frequently from you. I ever remain, my dearest Sophia, Your affectionate father, ABRAHAM LEVI. LETTER XCIX. From Mrs. Neville to Mrs. Worthington. DEAR MADAM, YOUR letter gave us great pleasure. I was already happy; but the consent of my dear aunt to reside either with us, or near us, is no small addition to my happiness. I pray that the divine blessing may accompa ny this event, and that many years of health and of increasing felicity may be granted to you by our heavenly Benefactor. My dear aunt may possibly feel some surprise when I inform her, that next Lord's day Mr. Neville, the two Mr. Cliffords, Signior Albino, Maria and Eusebia, and my dear Mr. Neville and myself, are to be baptized, and added to the church under the care of Mr. Lowe. I am aware that in this particular we must act without your example, and probably without your full approbation. We hope, however, you will give us credit for having carefully examined the New Testament on the subject, and for acting according to our conviction. Being desirous of walking in communion with a Christian church, it occurred to me I believe, first, as a previous question, whether I had yet been baptized; and consequentLy whether, according to the New Testament, I could be denominated a visible Christian, and entitled to partake of those ordinances which are peculiar to a visible church. For a while I kept my thoughts to myself; but being more and more convinced of the invalidity of infant baptism, I opened my mind to my dear Mr. N. He soon mentioned it to the rest of our friends, and so the subject became a matter of serious consideration and inquiry. Not one among us could bear to reason in the manner of some, that baptism was not essential to salvation, and was therefore of small importance. Neither durst we dismiss the subject, lest it should affect our fellowship with godly Pædobaptists. On this point I well remembered many of your conversations, in which you expressed your high esteem for many godly Episcopalians, from whom neverthelesss you were obliged to stand aloof in the article of communion, lest you should countenance even a brother in what you considered to be wrong. The result was, that after much prayer, and serious examination, we were all of one mind, that at present we were unbaptized, and that, as no church acting up to the apostolic example could receive us into communion in our present state, it was our duty to be baptized without delay, according to the order which we conceived to be plainly taught in the New Tes tament. It is not for me to instruct one so much my superior in age, in wisdom, and in Christian experience: but my dear aunt will permit me to intreat her to reconsider the subject, and to examine whether it be not a necessary consequence arising from the general principle which runs through all her valuable letters, that positive institutions require to be authorized by positive precepts or example. If we durst flatter ourselves with the hope of seeing her, whom we all so highly esteem, becoming one with us in the most intimate Christian fellowship, great would be the addition to our joy. If, however, my dear aunt cannot come into our views, there are three Pædobaptist churches within less than ten miles of Thornton, and every accommodation will be afforded her. Mr. Neville's health is fully restored; and he enjoys as much happiness, both in his own breast and in his family, as the present world, of which all the joys are mixed with trouble, will admit. A union is likely to take place in a month or five weeks between Mr. C. Clifford and our beloved Eusebia. Can you bring your affairs at Islington so nearly to a close before that time as to be present at the wedding? It would very much add to the happiness of the day. If you will let us know a few days beforehand, Mr. Neville and myself will go to Islington to accompany you down |