to these, it is because there is no light in them. The apostle when speaking of the unity of the church, as cemented and knit together by the love of Christ shed abroad upon their hearts by the Holy Ghost, says, "There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism." How then, would I ask, with all christian candour and humility, can principles so opposite in their nature and the effects produced upon the minds of men, be one, and the same, and of equal importance to maintain and defend. Most cheerfully and happily would I unite with your friends, in endeavouring to demolish the kingdom of Satan, were you employing means and instruments of Jehovah's providing; but as I am persuaded, that they are carnal and sensual, and that your labour will be spent for very vanity, if not worse, is the reason I cannot join with you in your present undertaking. I am aware I shall subject myself to be charged with narrow-mindedness and bigotry, and with an indifference to the perishing condition of those around me; but if I thought the feelings of my mind were approaching to this, I should immediately question whether I ever tasted the Lord to be gracious or not: but, blessed be my covenant-keeping God, the indwelling testimony of the Holy Spirit is strengthening the desire of my soul for the arrival of the latter day glory, when Jesus shall reign from sea to sea, and from the river to the end of the earth.

In reference to the principles of the agent you employ for diffusing the light and the glory of the gospel of the blessed God, I would ask, what is the sum, and substance of his testimony? May it not all be comprised in this, a conditional, and consequently an uncertain salvation? This is a base reflection upon the faithfulness and wisdom of Jehovah: it dethrones him of his superintendance over all flesh, lays his power prostrate at the will of the creature,

undervalues the blood of atonement, and deprives us of every assurance that one single soul of Adam's fallen race will ever be saved. Is this worthy of the name, and honour, and glory of him who is set before us as the author of eternal salvation, and in whom all the nations of the earth are to be blessed? Can you expect, my brother, from the promulgation of such soul-deceiving and God-dishonouring sentiments, to remove the thick darkness that rests upon the human understanding; to spread the savour of the knowledge of the name of Christ, and bring all men to see, and to feel, "What is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints; and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power?" Surely by this one declaration of the apostle, I must conclude that the gospel he preached, and that which now almost universally abounds, is not one and the same. You will remember that Jehovah himself has solemnly declared that "His counsel shall stand, and all his pleasure shall be done;" and if it were not so, how could ever the fact be realized, expressed by the Saviour, when he said, "I give unto my sheep eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any one pluck them out of my hand?" And again, as the proclamation of the everlasting gospel is the opening or development of that counsel of peace, which was entered into by the sacred Trinity from before the foundation of the world, in which the adorable Son of God was made over unto the church, and the church blest in him, with all spiritual blessing, grace here, and glory hereafter; and as the sum and substance of the gospel, is Christ Jesus the Lord, and him crucified, so its simple, yet glorious testimony, is the ordained instrument, in the hand of the Holy Spirit, of imparting life and eternal salvation to a lost and

ruined world. I beseech you, my friend, to remember, that in all the movements of Jehovah's hand, he designed to secure his own glory, and to exhibit throughout the countless ages of eternity, and that in the view of men, angels, and devils, this amazing fact, that God can be just, and yet the justifier of the ungodly sinner that believeth in Jesus." I would remind you, also, that the foundation of the righteous rests not upon man's pliability, his faith, or repentance. Oh, no, if there was no better security than this, the kingdom of Satan would never be diminished, or any of his captives go free. You will remember that when a strong man armed keepeth his house, his goods are in peace; and seeing that all mankind are under the rule, and dominion of the prince of darkness, it will ever remain an utter impossibility of any being delivered from the wrath to come, unless a power equal to that word, which said, Let there be light, and there was light, takes the poor sinner in hand, and holds him up as a brand, snatched from the everlasting burnings.

If then the Father's everlasting love, the Son's righteousness and efficacious sacrifice, in union with the irrisistible power of the Holy Spirit to convince of sin, carry on, and finish the glorious plan of salvation, in the souls of the heirs of promise, is the only way infinite wisdom has cast up for the redemption of his church and people, alas how seldom do we hear it plainly set forth in the ministry of the word in the present day. Indeed I hesitate not to say, that if the chief things of the ancient mountains, and the precious things of the everlasting hills, be either openly denied or kept in the back ground, there, I fearlessly say, the voice of God is not in that ministry, however popular the preacher may be. I am ready to confess that sometimes I have thought with you that I am too narrow-minded, and have almost con

cluded, under the influence of feelings called charity and candour, that the blessing of the Lord rested upon ministers of all denominations, however various and opposite their principles. But to believe this, would at once make the God of harmony and beauty the author of disorder and confusion; for how can such extremes as free-grace and free-will be one and the same, and produce the same effects in the experience of the people? It is to be lamented that even ministers of the Spirit themselves are lending their assistance, by not sounding the alarm in Jerusalem, to build up this fleshly Babel, and thus cause the children of a king to go lean from day to day. However there is one thing I am certain of, that wherever exists this shyness to contend, and that in the face of friends and enemies, earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints, that there the Lord will withhold for a season the refreshing showers, and the descending dew; which will appear by the languidness, and "unhealthiness of the plants of God's right hand planting. Allow me, my brother, to ask you whether you have ever known a church, which in the early part of an individual ministry was prosperous and happy, who afterwards sunk, if not into the cold and lifeless system of free-will, yet failed in leading the flock into the green pastures of covenant love, and to the calm and settled streams of the water of life, as flowing out of the throne of God and the Lamb; I say have you never witnessed these lamentable effects, and will you in the face of them, continue to censure me, because I cannot flatly deny the truth of God's word, and co-operate with you in the promulgation of principles upon which I cannot see the broad seal of my heavenly Father's approbation? I do assure you, I give you full credit for the purity of your motives in the work in which you are engaged, but I cannot allow my feel

head and cast into the depths of the sea, by the resistance, or the noncompliance of puny man, whose breath is in his nostrils; can you wonder that I refuse you my support in carrying out principles in direct opposition to the word of God, destructive to the comfort and spiritual health of the saints of the Most High, and alike deceptive and ruinous to the souls of those who are dead in trespasses and in sins?

Having thus endeavoured to answer your enquiry by stating the ground of my opposition to the constitution and principles of the city and town mission, I hope they will be received in the same spirit of Christian feeling, with which I trust they have been dictated; and if I have unhappily failed in my reply of satisfying my esteemed friend, I can retire into my own bosom, and derive from the reconsideration of the subject, all the comfort and the consolation the tes. timony of the sacred word is sure to impart.

And now I would commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is sufficient to keep you from falling, and to sanctify you wholly, aking you meet for the enjoyment of the inheritance of the saints in light; to Jesus the only wise God and Saviour, in union with the Father and the Holy Spirit, as unto one covenant Jehovah, be glory, dominion, and thanksgiving, both now, and for ever, Amen.

Yours affectionately in the Lord,

J. M.

P. S.-You are at liberty to make what use you think proper of these remarks; so confident am I that truth is on my side, that if it were possiable, they might be painted upon the clouds, and wafted from sea to sea, and from the rivers to the ends of the earth, until every tribe, and nation, and tongue, knew, felt, and enjoyed, "Salvation to be of the Lord (alone), and his blessing (without variation) rest upon his people."

EXTRACTS FROM SERMONS DELIVERED BY REV. J. VINALL, AT JIREH CHAPEL, LEWES.

No. 15.-To be Continued.

Genesis xviii. 14. Is any thing too hard for the Lord."

As I have lately been led to speak of the call of Abraham, it is not my intention at this time to enlarge on that part of Abraham's life. But, before I enter on the words of my text, I will take a cursory view of this eminent patriarch, from the circumstance of the contention between his herdsmen and those of Lot, to the period of the cause from which emanated the words I have now read as a subject for consideration.

We may observe how the grace of God shone in this saint, for although he was entitled to have the first choice, as being uncle to Lot, yet see his noble spirit in giving the preference to his nephew (read Gen. xiii. 9); and how pleased the Lord was with the conduct of his servant, for we do not find that Lot had any visit from the Lord, whereas how blessedly did the Almighty commune with Abraham, as you may read Gen. xiii. 14 to the end, and what a cluster of promises does it contain. In the fourteenth chapter we have an account of the battle between the kings, and of Lot being taken prisoner: and here we must again notice the noble spirit of Abraham in pursuing the victorious army, defeating them, rescuing his nephew, and the remarkable instance of his being met by Melchisedek, and of his refusing to take from the king a thread to a of Sodom even from shoe-latchet" of the spoil he had received: worthy example! for you and me, my friends, are commanded to "look unto Abraham our father, and unto Sarah that bare us;" and Christ said, to the unbelieving Jews, "If ye were the children of Abraham, ye would do the works of Abraham; and these are some of his works. the fifteenth chapter we have again

In

an account of the Lord's visiting Abraham : After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram, I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward:" precious and comprehensive words! I should like to enlarge on them but durst not: such a sweet promise would indeed have satisfied him, one would have supposed, but no, nothing but the promised seed was sufficient, as you read in verse 2, but I beg you will read the chapters when you go home, and see the glorious things contained in it. In the sixteenth chapter we have the account of the heavy trial of Abraham and Sarah, and I believe it was a time of much bondage; it has caused me much exercise of mind to find out what were Abraham's feelings all this time, and I trust I have been in some measure divinely led into his exercises, and I believe there were five things in particular in which Abraham was engaged, and yet in which he neither acted nor spoke:-1. I believe he was called attentively to listen, to hear the voice of God: "" Listen, O isles, unto me, and hearken ye people from far." 2. To look: "I will look unto the Lord," &c. 3. Earnestly to long and desire: it is said, "He will satisfy the longing soul;" and, "With my soul have I desired thee in the night." He was called to watch: the prophet said, I will set me on my watch." 5. He was called in the midst of all this heavy trial to believe: Who in hope believed against hope." And I might add, sixthly, he was called to endure:"After he had patiently endured he obtained the promise.'

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4.

In the seventeenth chapter, from the fourteenth to the twenty-second verse is a sweet renewal of the promises, and at the latter end of the chapter the institution of the ordinance of circumcision; and it is ob servable how Abraham yielded obedience to the command of God in this

matter.

In the beginning of the chapter

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out of which I have taken my text, is an account of Abraham being visited by heavenly inhabitants in human form, no doubt Christ himself and two attendants; I think Abraham's language conveys this, when he said, 'My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight," &c. Then follows an account of the entertainment, and after that of the sweet promise of the son again renewed, in the face of all improbabilities and impossibilities, so that Sarah even laughed at it, which drew forth the words of my text, "Is any thing too hard for the Lord:" all of which, as the sequel proved, was fulfilled.

I intend, by the help of God, to speak on the words under four general heads, as follows: First. Is any thing too hard for the Lord in creation. Secondly. Is any thing too hard for the Lord in providence. Thirdly. Is any thing too hard for the Lord in redemption. And, fourthly, Is any thing too hard for the Lord in bringing home his redeemed to eternal glorification.

First, then, for creation, which we have an account of in the first and second chapters of Genesis. Had there been any materials to have begun with we should not so much wonder, but when the Almighty spake from nothing this vast fabric into existence, reason is lost, as it is written in Heb. xi., "By faith we understand the worlds were framed by the word of God; so that things which are seen were not made of things that do appear." I do not understand by worlds as some good men do, a number of other worlds beside the one we inhabit, but I believe it signifies this world and that which is to come. Is it not indeed a matter of faith, and not to reason on, to consider the wonderous work of God in creation? He spake and it was done, he commanded and it stood fast;" and, He said, Let there be light and there was light.” Secondly, Is any thing too hard for the Lord in his works of provi

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