in his temple. We remain, my brethren, to fill up the measure of our days, and what is our life, but a fleeting shadow, a handbreadth, a vapour which appeareth for a little while, and then vanisheth away: we soon shall feel heart and flesh failing-our sands are falling fast-time is short-death is near-eternity just at hand. Salvation is an important, a personal affair: the state of the soul before God in Christ, is, or should be the supreme concern, and the sublime, the awful realities of the eternal world, demand the most serious, the most devout consideration, at each of our hands. must each for ourselves know Christ as revealed in the word, or we shall die as we were born, estranged from God, and ignorant of his Son Jesus Christ."

We

We strongly recommend these letters to our readers, convinced they will be read with pleasure and profit.

Horem; an Offering dedicated to God. By G. W. Wilks, Minister of Zoar Chapel, Great Alie Street. No. 1, to be continued. 12mo. p.p. 24. Palmer.

WE have perused with much pleasure this first Number, by Mr. Wilks; which is upon the covenant name of Christ-JEHOVAHJIREH. We shall not take any extracts, but would recommend our readers to obtain it; the price is very low, and they will not regret having bestowed threepence upon what, in its perusal, will afford them much pleasure. At the same time, we would affectionately recommend to the author, that he be more careful in his composition. He has evidently much ability; and it is to be regretted, that his works should lose any of their interest, by the hasty way in which they are written. He has also several words in his vocabulary, which he would do well to reject altogether. We offer these remarks only with a desire that the works of our author may be rendered likely to be more generally useful. We shall most probably notice these tracts again, when another Number or two are published.

POETRY.

THE RAISING OF LAZARUS.

Nigh to Jerusalem, in Bethany,

Martha and Mary dwelt, and Lazarus, three
Whom Jesus lov'd, and oft would deign to cheer
With sweet discourse, while they delighted hear.
And Lazarus was seized with racking pains,
Consuming fever rages in his veins;
His sisters watch the labour'd, panting breath-
The languid eye-the visage, pale as death;
Or lighted up with flush of hectic glow-
And speech delirious. Where is Jesus now?
Still in Bethabara is fix'd his tent,

The sisters this petition to him sent:

"O whom thou lovest, Lord, is sick,
O dearest Saviour, haste thee quick
To his relief, ere yet he die;

O Lord, attend our earnest cry!"

But Jesus came not, two long days expired,
Yet still he tarried; while the sisters, tired,

And sick at heart with hope deferred, and faint,
Thus to each other pour forth their complaint.

"Ah! where, my sister, tarries now our Lord?
Why comes he not his healing aid t'afford?
Must our dear brother sink into the grave,
While he is absent who alone could save?
Alas! and can he cease to be our friend?
No;-whom he loves, he loves unto the end."
To his belov'd disciples, Jesus said,
"Lazarus, our dear friend Lazarus sleeps-is dead
And, for your sakes I'm glad I was not there,
That ye may still believe, and not despair:
But now I go to 'waken him from sleep,
And dry the bitter tears of those who weep."

He found, as he drew near with all his train,
In the dark grave, four days had Lazarus lain.
Mary sat still; Martha without delay
Arose, to meet her Jesus in the way;
With mien dejected, plaintive thus she spoke,
"Alas! my aching heart is well nigh broke;
Why, dearest Lord, hast thou our suit denied?
Hadst thou been here, my brother had not died;
But, notwithstanding, even now, I know
What thou shalt ask of God he will bestow."
He answer'd her, "thy brother yet shall rise;"
Martha replied, "I know, when earth and skies,
And all the universe shall pass away,
In the last great, the resurrection-day,
Body and soul shall rise, and re-unite,
To dwell for ever in the realms of light."
"I am the life, and resurrection, too,
He that believes on me, tho' dead to view,
Shall live; and all who live and thus believe

Shall never die. Canst thou this truth receive?"

"Yea, Lord, thou art the Christ, God's only Son,

He that should come, th' anointed Holy One,

Of whom the psalms and prophets witness gave,
Mighty to help, all-powerful to save."

Then ran she to her sister, with the news
Of their dear Lord's approach. Now many Jews
That came to comfort them on Lazarus' death,
With Mary were within. Panting for breath
Martha arrived, her sister call'd apart,

And to her secretly enbosomed thus her heart:
"Listen, sister dear, to me,

The Master comes, and calls for thee!
Who can tell what he will do?

He whose love is ever new,

He who still delights to save,

He can rescue from the grave:

Dearest sister, haste and see,

The Master comes, and calls for thee!"
Rous'd from her languor, at her sister's word,

Mary arose, and ran to meet her Lord;

The Jews, too, followed with her, for, they said,
She goeth to the grave to mourn the dead.
When Mary did the gracious Saviour meet,
Dissolved in tears, she worshipped at his feet:

And said, "thy face, dear Lord, why didst thou hide ?
Hadst thou been here, my brother had not died."

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews,
He groaned in inmost soul, nor did he choose
To hide his grief. Where have ye laid the dead?
Jesus enquired: Lord, come and see," they said.
"And Jesus wept!" See, God immortal weeps!
He who the balances of nature keeps,

Who spread the skies, and gave the mountains birth!
Wonder, O heavens, and be astonish'd, earth,
He weeps! The mighty God becomes a man;
Amazing mystery, stupendous plan,

To save the guilty and for sin atone :

"And Jesus wept!" See how he loves his own.

66

"Could not this man, who op'd the sightless eye,
Have caused that e'en Lazarus should not die?"
So ask'd the Jews, while Jesus, with a groan,
Came to the grave, on which was laid a stone.
He said, remove the stone"-but Martha saith,
"Four days has our dear Lazarus slept in death,
Putrid and loathsome must the body be."
Jesus replied, "said I not unto thee,
Only believe, thou shalt God's glory see?"

They took away the stone from off the dead;
And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said,
'Father, I thank thee that thou hast me heard,
I knew thou always didst regard my word;
I say it for their sakes who see this sign,
That they may know my mission is divine."

He ceased. A solemn silence reigns around,
In breathless expectation dies each sound.
"Lazarus, come forth!" the Saviour cried aloud,
And lo! the dead, clad in a ghastly shroud,

Rose and came forth, bound face, and foot, and hand;

"Loose him and let him go!" the Saviour gave command.

He late who wept, as man with grief opprest,

Now God Omnipotent stands forth confest.

So when the soul, long held in Satan's chain,
The willing slave of his tyrannic reign,
Insensible, corrupt, defiled within,

Unholy, dead in trespasses and sin,

Is made to hear the Spirit's quickening voice-
"Sinner, come forth-awake to heavenly joys!"
Loos'd from his bondage, he shall be set free,
And privileg'd to walk in gospel liberty.

So also, when th' archangel's trump shall sound,

To waken all the nations under ground,

"Arise, ye dead-to judgment come away!"
Constrained by power Omnipotent, they shall obey.
Some, who this miracle of Jesus saw,

Believ'd on him, as he of whom their law
And prophets spake others, with malice ñr'd,
Went to the pharisees, who straight conspired
Lazarus to put to death, because the Jews
Through him believ'd, and did the Saviour choose.
Thus the same gracious miracle, to some
Is made the means of blessings yet to come;
While others' stubborn hearts are harden'd still,
That they their measure of iniquity might fill.

Westminster.

P.

THE

Spiritual Magazine;

OR,

SAINTS TREASURY.

"There are Three that bear record in heaven; the FATHER, the WORD, and the HOLY

"Earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints."

1 John v.7.

Jude 3.

APRIL, 1831.

(For the Spiritual Magazine.)

THE BIRTH, REIGN, AND OVERTHROW OF THE KING OF TERRORS; WITH THE GROUNDS OF A BELIEVER'S TRIUMPH OVER, AND COMBAT WITH, THIS LAST ENEMY.

"For by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead."-1 Cor. xv. 21.

THERE is no subject presented to the human mind more solemn and terrific than death. If viewed apart from connection with Christ, is the most mortifying, tremendous, and dreadful in its consequences; but to a believer in Jesus, standing on the summit of Calvary, its power is limited, its territory conquered, and its dominion shortly to be surrendered to the Captain of his salvation. All without exception must meet this gigantic foe, and fall in the struggle; but the believer boldly exclaims, "Though I fall, I shall arise." Many speak of death as a mere shadow; but I look forward to meet it as a substantial enemy: rather let me be prepared to meet and face a foe, than he should come upon me unawares. We read in the word, of the bitterness the waves-the snares the floods and the terrors of death-all implying we shall have to grapple with this last enemy.

-

First, we look at the origin of this foe. God could not make a man liable to death; death could have no entrance into our world but by fault. When the Maker placed his creature in the Eden abode, he made one solemn prohibition-" The day thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die!" The woman thou gavest me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat." Then came the sentence-" Dust thou art, VOL. VII.-No. 84.

2 T

and unto dust shalt thou return. 66 'By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin," Rom. v. 14. "By one man came death," 2 Cor. i. 10. Here we trace the source of bodily destruction. Death is Jehovah's threatening put into execution; not the debt of nature, (as is commonly observed) but the debt of justice. Man, by transgression, put the scythe of death into the hands of awful justice; and all flesh is grass, mowed down from the earth at the time appointed. God made man upright, and while he continued in Eden purity was incorruptible and immortal; when he disobeyed he forfeited his life. Satan, the old serpent, seized upon our nature, infused his poisonous sting, which finally falls a ruinous heap of dust. Not only is it founded in original sin, but actual transgression. "Sin when finished bringeth forth death-the wages of sin is death -the soul that sinneth shall die;" not only death to the body, but eternal death to the soul, called "the second death." The temporary part of the curse is endured by the whole human race; the eternal part is removed from the church, being endured by her substituting Head. The arch enemy of God and man, laid the plan of our destruction. Adam, the root of the human household, listened to his devilish insinuations, and thereby brought condemnation and destruction on his posterity; sapped the basis of the once noble structure of infinite wisdom, and levelled the masterpiece of Jehovah's works with the dust. Well might the Lord God say to his rebellious "What hast thou done?" Here was the dreadful downfall of our nature, the pregnant source of all our woe; that fatal deed that spoiled the whole creation, and defaced the image of his Maker, made man mortal, and converted the earth into a grave. Can we behold our dear relatives and friends in the agonies of death, witness the awful wreck of humanity, see them turn to corruption, and convey them to the tomb, and not be smitten with the awfulness of sin, its dreadful nature, and ruining consequences. Oh, the direful effects of that one transgression that consigned the whole creation to the tomb! But, believer, dry up thy tears of sorrow over Eden's ruin with the skirt of Immanuel's righteousness, and rejoice in the second Adam, who has brought life and immortality to light, and provided for thee a paradise, where no tree of temptation grows, world without end.

worm,

We will, as the Lord shall aid, look at the conquest gained over this enemy. Who could enter the field, or undertake to rescue the prey from this mighty one-this universal king of terrors? Angelic ranks viewed creation's lordly tyrant sweeping its myriads off the earth, but could render no help;-but the Lord of angels declared from his eternal throne, "O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction;" I will swallow up death in victory. In the fulness of time, when the enemy's sable banner waved in triumph-

"Lo! he leaves those heav'nly forms,

The Word descends, and dwells in clay!"