receives sinners; aye, in spite of the murmuring, lies, and oppositions of Scribes and Pharisees. He hears of some very vile characters recorded in the Word, who came to Him thus, and were not cast out; and hope abounds, and he ventures, like the woman with her issue of blood, with an, "If I may but touch," &c., and a "Who can tell but I may find mercy?" Thus he is driven by fear, knowing Death, the avenger of blood, is at his heels; and, drawn by loving-kindness, and tossed up and down, sometimes hope seems removed like a tree, and tormenting fears prevail. Then he rises again on a fresh word of promise to poor, needy, hungry, thirsty souls; and all the time this good work of God goes on, his feelings vary exceedingly. As there is a time for every purpose under the sun, so there is a set time to favour every mourner in Zion; and, when "Deliver him from going down into the pit" is spoken with a Divine power, and he is enabled by living faith to look to the Lamb of God, all his tormenting fears, his burden of sin and guilt, with the fear of destruction, are all swept away, and gives place to that sweet godly fear ("which is his treasure"), accompanied by precious faith, true evangelical repentance, godly sorrow, self-abhorrence, meekness, humility, hatred of evil of every kind, and an earnest desire that he so part with sin of every kind as to meet no more. This filial fear has the mercy, goodness, pity, compassion, and love of God for its object. Such serve not as slaves with the whip at the back; but, from the sweetest sense of gratitude, well knowing that he never can repay one thousand part of the infinite debt he owes, and must for ever owe to Jesus, who has saved him with an everlasting salvation.

"The faith that (thus) unites to the Lamb,

And brings such salvation as this,
Is more than mere notion or name;
The work of God's Spirit it is."

It is, as dear Williams so truly describes it (see the beginning of his letter in a recent number, just after the account of his end), "as different from that arrogant, self-wrought, Satanic, deluded confidence, as heaven is from hell!" The grand distinction he there makes is among the family secrets. Some of your correspondents understand it:-Mr. Andrews, who is gone, dear G. Cowell, F. F., and others, whose writings find a sweet response in my heart, as well as the Editor's pieces. I admire the piece on " Worship," by "L." How sad it is to see the blindness of multitudes! The vail is on the heart, and they cannot look to the end of what was abolished nearly 1,900 years ago, and are trying in their blindness to build again that ritual which was destroyed by the coming of the great Antitype of all the types and shadows of the Mosaic dispensation. But in vain do they attempt to worship God, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. How sad for the rising generation! I have a daughter, taught of God, who would be an acquisition to any Godly parents desirous of seeing their children trained in sound principles, who is now fixed where Ritualism is the order of the day. May Heaven's best blessings rest on you and yours! I remain, thine truly in Jesus,

THORPE SMITH.

THE heart of man unconnected is no other than a den of impure lusts, wherein dwell pride, and all kind of wickednesses, just as Babylon is described in Rev. xviii. 2; Isa. xiii. 21.

THE LATE REV. J. TARR.

[The annexed is one among the many testimonies we have received respecting this dear servant of God.-ED.]

Elm Cottage, Sutton Common, Surrey, January 10, 1872.

REV. AND DEAR SIR,-Within the last few days it has pleased the Lord to place in my hands a copy of "The Life, Letters, and Last Days of the Rev. John Tarr."

I had the privilege of hearing the dear departed one preach twice, during his visit to Sutton, in July, 1870, and can fully endorse your statement that Mr. Tarr's "views were changed" since the commencement of his Christian life. There was no robbing God of His glory, by attributing to the creature the power which belongs to God alone; but "the utmost putting in the dust" (to use Mr. Tarr's own expression) of the doings of the creature with reference to salvation. His last sermon at Sutton (probably the last he ever preached) was from 2 Cor. xiii. 5, "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.' It was Scriptural, sound, loving, earnest, and encouraging. Oh, that we had more of such preaching! "All wise men take stock," said the preacher, at the commencement of his discourse. Then, speaking of what were the habits of men of business, he showed how desirable it is for believers to know their standing in Christ. He then named some evidences whereby we may know whether we be in the faith. "But," said he, "perhaps some one may say, 'Ah, I fear I have not that evidence! Oh, that I knew that I am in the faith!' But why are you so anxious to know this? People don't desire that which they do not value." And then he said that if there is a desire to be the Lord's, and to know it, such may hope that the Lord Himself, having placed the desire in the heart, will fulfil it. I cannot tell you half, but it was very encouraging to the doubting soul. Almost the last words I heard the dear man say were these: "I have no grace to offer; it is not mine to offer, it is God's to give; it is not for me to offer grace to be trampled under foot."

I bless God that He has been pleased to give to His Church, through you, so precious a record of the life, walk, and triumph of faith, as exemplified in the "Life, &c., of the Rev. J. Tarr."

Yours in Christ Jesus,

A. J. HAWKINS.

THOSE WHO HAVE GONE HOME!

To the Editor of the Gospel Magazine.

Martock, Dec. 4, 1871.

THE Lord spare you, dear sir, for a long time (yet, though I must just say I believe time is short), for, speaking after the manner of man, we know not how to do without you. I know many a one will be ready to respond to this also.

We are glad to see, by your correspondence with the beloved "Wayside Notes" writer, that the good old-fashioned religion is not yet quite lostthough so rare, that there are, here and there, those who love one another with a pure heart fervently." And this leads me to think of the dear departed E. B. M. Though we have never seen her in the flesh, yet

we counted her one of our choicest treasures. "Not lost, but gone before," was seemingly whispered into my mind several times about the middle of November, and I felt assured, before I opened this month's Magazine on Friday last, I should find that she was gone to her "good home," as she told me, not long since, she had to go to. It was on my mind to write you a letter concerning her, as I did concerning dear Miss Lusher, but the "south wind" did not blow, and, therefore, "the oil stayed." But, however, it struck me this morning to write off some few choice extracts from her letters to us-say, during the last eighteen months -arranged in the form of a diary, by which will be seen how graciously the Lord dealt with her, making her meet, realizingly, for her heavenly home. I trust the thought was of the Lord, and, if so, no doubt, in due time, I shall be able to do so, and I have no doubt you will be pleased to let them appear in our Family Magazine.

The Lord cheer your heart, dear sir, and enable you to look above! Shall such an one as you look to any earthly hill? No; your help cometh from Him who made heaven and earth, &c. I don't know why I have quoted this for you. Your beloved child is, also, "not lost, but gone before." I remain, dear Sir, yours respectfully and affectionately,

GEO. HART. [We shall be glad to receive the extracts from our deceased correspondent's letters, mentioned as above.-ED.]

HAS CHRIST TAUGHT THAT IT IS USELESS TO CALL ON DEAD SINNERS TO LIVE AND COME TO HIM?

DEAR BROTHER,-Allow a constant reader of your Magazine to say a few words on the article in the December number-"Simon Magus and his Repentance.'

In this article G. C. replies to some questions put to him by a "Constant Reader of the GOSPEL MAGAZINE." The questions were called forth by some remarks made by the talented writer of "Wayside Notes," in the September number. His answer yields all that was intended by the "stricture upon the article in question."

SEPTEMBER ARTICLE.

The teaching of the Lord has shown me that it is perfectly useless to call upon dead sinners to live and come to Christ.

DECEMBER REPLY.

Simon was most decidedly a dead sinner. Peter called upon Simon to repent and pray. Most decidedly he did; and quite right too.

The point in controversy not being "repentance," true or false, but whether it is useless to call on dead sinners to repent and live. All that G. C. has so ably said about the two kinds of repentance is beside the question.

The writer of these lines is as far as G. C. is from "leaning to the doctrines of universal redemption, and the common belief that repentance ought to be preached to dead sinners, because they can of their own free will repent." He does not believe in the power of a dead sinner to repent of himself, but he does believe in the power of God's Word to quicken a dead sinner, when the Holy Spirit works through the word of invitation given. How could the Lord have inspired Peter to call on a dead sinner

to repent and pray, if He has taught G. C. that it is useless to do so? Is Christ divided?

Do not those who follow G. C.'s teaching on this point, misunderstand their commission, wrongly estimate the power of God's Word, and fail to comprehend its place and mission in the Gospel dispensation ?

The commission is, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature."

1. Every creature is by nature dead in trespasses and sin.

2. Therefore, when the Gospel comes for the first time to a sinner, it must find him a dead sinner.

3. "Christ came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." "The whole need not a physician, but they that are sick."

4. Who dares affirm that the invitations do not form a part of the Gospel to be preached to every creature?

As well might you try to produce a rainbow, with the omission of one colour from the sun's light, as to say that you preach the whole counsel of God, when you omit the invitations of the Gospel to every creature. God's Word is quick and powerful, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the hearts, dead or living. His Word is "a fire and a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces;" but, according to G. C.'s view, it is not to be used on rocky hearts, but only on living ones, which, according to the Scriptures, have been already broken.

Does not the vision of dry bones explain the whole matter?"O yo dry bones, hear the word of the Lord" (Ezek. xxxvii. 4). Surely they were dead enough. They had no power or will to hear, yet the prophet called on them, dead as they were, to hear. As he spoke, commanded, or invited them to hear, "there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone." Not because there was any power in the dry bones to hear or move, but because, through the word spoken by the prophet, or the invitation given to those dead in themselves, quickening life was breathed into them by the Spirit of God. This, Í contend, is God's plan, though the work of the ministry now.

To say that it is useless to call on dead sinners to hear, is, I submit, pushing the logic of worldly wisdom to its extreme; and, if similarly pressed on other points, would be disastrous. Take, for instance, the Trinity, and it might make it appear that Three cannot be One. Such, indeed, is the process employed by the Unitarian. There may be an air of spiritual discernment in G. C.'s statement, but to me it looks like man's natural reason rejecting what appears to it to be contradictory. Could Paul have been of G. C.'s mind when he wrote, "Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light?" (Eph. v. 14). The Apostle certainly calls on the dead to come to Christ. The promise is, "The Word shall not return void." We have to draw the bow at a venture; God directs the arrow whither He pleases. The kingdom of heaven-i.e., the preaching of the Gospel in this dispensation-is like a net that is cast into the sea and gathered of every kind. It is like the sower who went forth to sow. He had but one sort of seed; he scattered it broadcast by the wayside; on stony places; among thorns, and on good ground. The invitations to come to Christ are as much the good seed as the promises and the threatenings are. "Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely," is as much the Gospel as "him that cometh I will in no wise cast out."

The rain from heaven falls alike on the ground that bringǝth forth

thorns and briers, and on that which produceth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed.

So will it be in the last great day; the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible. It is incontestable that the resurrection power is not in the sleeping dust, nor in the noise the trumpet makes, nor in the messenger that blows it; but that is God's way of quickening and awakening the dead. His hidden but life-giving power passes through the angel's mouth and the trumpet's sound. As well might the angel reply, "It is useless to call on the dead to arise from their graves," as ministers of the Gospel to assert that it is useless to call on dead sinners to come to Christ. Both, it seems to me, would be to dishonour the wisdom of God.

There is another text which furnishes a key to the problem: "Into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house. And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again" (Luke x. 5).

In whatsoever house you preach, give the invitations, speak the promises, and use the exhortations. If an elect vessel of mercy is hidden in the congregation, and the set time to favour him or her is come, your salutation will be a savour of life unto life: if not, your message will turn to you again.

There is another remarkable analogy between the resurrection of the dead and the quickening of dead sinners. The trumpet shall awake, first, the dead in Christ, and call them to glory. It will then awake the remainder of the dead, and call them to judgment; separating the sheep from the goats. Such is the work now of the Gospel trumpet. Its invitations are some of its strictest and most quickening notes.

AN OLD READER OF THE MAGAZINE.

LETTER WRITTEN BY THE LATE RUTH BRYAN, ON THE OCCASION OF HER MOTHER'S DEATH.

Nottingham, Nov. 21, 1846.

I THANK you much, my dear young friend, for your affectionate sympathy in this time of my deep sorrow.

It is evident your heart has had the same sorrow, and felt the same anguish mine is now enduring; for only one who had sustained such a loss could so well understand what the rending from such a loved one ishow the heart must bleed-how the tears must flow-how, again and again, we feel that this drear wilderness has not another mother in it for us, and that

"This rugged world affords at last no rest
Like the sweet covert of a parent's breast."

So I feel, who am smarting under the freshness of the deep, deep wound; and so you seem still to feel, who have so long since felt the parting pang. There is something in a mother's love so safe and sacred that we can unbosom there what would not be ventured anywhere else on earth. We fear not any betrayal of our weakness, or unkind or selfish use made of our confidence; for that heart beats as warmly for our interest and happiness as does our own-and as truly too-because, as my dear mother used to say, "You are part of myself." Ah, I feel it was so, and the