better presently." Gradually recovering of my observations, she repeated in slow and measured, but most telling tones, the greater part of the 103rd Psalm. As she repeated, in a clear and musical voice, that beautiful fact, "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him. He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust," it fell with unutterable sweetness on my ear; and I silently prayed, "Lord, send home that truth with power into that depressed one's heart." her self-possession, and feeling the word of sympathy I had ventured to offer, we now entered upon the best of all themes. Her countenance brightened up; the tear stood in her eye; and she spoke with warmth, and dew, and power, as one taught of God, expressing the deepest gratitude at being permitted to meet on a journey, under such circumstances, with those who spoke the language of Canaan. My dear wife had joined the conversation, which was maintained almost the entire journey. In turn, Hannah, with her "bitterness I viewed it as a signal interposition of soul," was among our topics, and her of our God, for in the yearnings of my going away "with her countenance no heart for the spiritual welfare of a fellow-more sad," as soon as she had got a sinner, in my unknown but deeply-dejected fellow-passenger, I was at a loss for any means or opportunity to speak with her. This means our God had now, in the most unlooked-for way, afforded; for, addressing myself to my new travelling companion,-herself extremely delicate, and feeling that her days on earth were comparatively few-I was enabled to bring before her, in terms suitable for, and words loud enough to be heard by, the previous object of my solicitude. word from the Lord. That woman, too, who "had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and could in no wise lift up herself," was mentioned, of whom it is recorded, that, "when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. And He laid His hands on her; and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God." Oh, how my heart desired that the same Lord would, in the same grace and compassion, speak to this unknown one. At the extreme corners of the carriage Reaching Westbury, the lady with sat, in appearance, two French ladies, whom we had conversed left the train; whose lightsomeness and frivolity were and at Bath, the other lady and her little a painful contrast. I felt, however, that daughters withdrew also. As the little time was precious; that it was a season girls passed my wife, in answer to her not to be lost; and therefore I was re- inquiry, they informed her that their solved, to the best of my ability, to mamma was suffering from the prevailing bring the person, and power, and pre- epidemic in the throat. This at once ciousness of the great and good Physi- accounted for her depression; and led cian before my fellow-passengers. I me, during the remainder of my journey, spoke to the one, and at the other, with to pray that in the solitude of her the fervent desire that God the Holy chamber, and perhaps under the circumGhost would convey the words with stances, after such a long and hazardous power to her soul, let her circumstances journey, in the very article of death, she or position be what they may. Though might realize the preciousness and the unconscious of the object I had primarily power of those truths which had thus in view, the remarks of the passenger indirectly been brought before her. sitting next me were admirably adapted Bristol. to further my desire. In reply to some The departure of men and angels from! God began in pride. Our approaches and return to Him must begin in humility. The more mortified the heart, the more quickened the service. Nothing can please an Infinite Purity but that which is pure. D. When we have right notions of the Divine Majesty, we shall be as worms in our own thoughts, and creep as such into His presence. The Greek word, to worship, signifies to creep like a dog upon his belly before his master.-Charnock. THE CASE OF PHARAOH. 'I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go."-Ex. vi. 21. A DEAR friend spending the evening with me, in the course of conversation the above text was mentioned as one in the interpretation of which many of the Lord's people differed. My friend's opinion was decidedly in favour of the plain, literal meaning of the words, while mine was rather that the Lord did not actually harden Pharaoh's heart, but left him to the workings of his already hard heart, which, tempted by Satan, prompted him to do all in his power, as he thought, in opposition to God, although he was at the same time but acting according to the Lord's secret will, and doing that which He had before ordained should come to pass. We consulted Dr. Gill's Commentary on the subject, and he writes-"That is, not directly, not for some time, not until all the wonders are wrought and plagues inflicted to bring him to it: he first hardened his own heart against God, and all remonstrances made unto him; it was but a righteous thing in God to give him up to the hardness of his heart, to deny him his grace, which only could soften it, and to leave him to the corruptions of his nature and the temptations of Satan." We then took our Bibles, and read the chapters containing the narrative, and, after much meditation, I found myself compelled to adopt my friend's opinion, not only because we find the statement in the text repeated many times in the same plain language, but because I conceive it does not mean that God made hard what before was soft. His successive judgments had the effect of hardening, or making harder, that heart which before was as hard as is every unregenerate man's heart, which the Scripture tells us is "a heart of stone!" If we turn to the 5th chapter, where Moses and Aaron first go before Pharaoh, and deliver the Lord's message, Pharaoh replies, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice, to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will let Israel go." Surely such a reply evidences the possession of a hard heart indeed, and if God pleased to harden yet more this hard heart, in order that He might get Him honour upon Pharaoh and upon his servants, who shall reply against God? To illustrate my meaning-steel is manufactured by taking the metal iron, which is already very hard, heating it several times in a furnace, and plunging it while hot into cold water, until that which before was hard becomes hardened. So the successive judgments of God had the effect of making the hard heart of Pharaoh harder and harder, until it at length became as it were case-hardened; and after he had let the people go, he pursued after them with all his chariots and horsemen, and perished in the Red Sea. Whenever we meet with statements in God's Holy Word, which to our weak and finite minds seem difficult to reconcile with the perfection of His glorious attributes, may He be pleased graciously to apply that text to our hearts, "Shail not the Judge of all the earth do right ?" We poor worms of the earth are too apt to think ourselves capable of judging the actions of the "Judge of all the earth." May we rather be enabled to place such implicit trust and confidence in our gracious God, that we may be of the number of those of whom our Lord said, "Blessed are ye whosoever are not offended in me." Yea, "let God be true, and every man a liar." The Lord grant that all His dear people may give Him that praise which is so justly due-who has made them to differ from others, and through whose sovereign grace alone it is that the stony heart has been taken away, and a heart of flesh given. May He, by His mighty hand and stretched-out arm, bring us all through this wilderness into that place prepared for us, and enable us to sing that new song of praise and thanksgiving to God and the Lamb, which will be our occupation through the ages of eternity. Stratford. J. As carnal men after worship sprout up in spiritual wickedness, so do spiritual worshippers in spiritual graces.—Charnock. JOB-WHAT HE HEARD AND WHAT HE SAW. "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear; but now mine Job xlii. 5. eye seeth thee." There may be, too, a simplicity about their faith and love which saves them from many difficulties. In these green pastures they may walk a considerable way, or be carried in the Shepherd's arms; or they are like children, happy in their Father's love, who are too young to learn the more difficult lessons. It appears, then, that deep self-loathing is by no means always felt in the first stages of Christian experience, and hence, in younger Christians, there is often a good deal of self-exaltation and self-sufficiency, which the Lord observes, if man does not. Such proclaim that their knowledge of God is rather from the hearing of the ear. Two assertions are made here. Job says favourable to the actings of grace that to God, "I have heard of thee; mine their sinful nature is not called out. eye seeth thee." Two consequences The friends with whom they associate arise from these, the one expressed, the are so loving, humble, and holy, that they other understood: seeing produces self- draw forth the love and humility that abhorrence, hearing will not produce it; exists in these younger Christians; they indeed, Job does not say anything fol- feel comparatively few evils arising in fowed on the hearing of the ear; yet their hearts; they enjoy the Word's there can be no doubt but that Job was doctrine, and are more taken up with a man with a new heart before he attained the sweteness than the bitterness of the to this self-abhorrence. He had heard of way. God by the hearing of the ear, and this imperfect knowledge had wrought in him a mighty change. It was not nature that made him so anxious his children should not offend God, or that filled his mouth with blessing when stripped of everything. Nor did nature draw forth that magnificent confession of faith, "I know that my Redeemer liveth," &c. Job's religion will bear looking into, but the stone wanted many a blow from the hammer and chisel to bring it to perfection; there was more hidden evil than Job was aware of; he kept a good conscience, and by the fear of the Lord he departed from evil, but there was a vast deal he had not discovered. Doubtless he would acknowledge he was a sinner, without knowing how great a sinner he was. And is not this just the case with many now? They know enough of God and enough of themselves to make them well aware that nothing stands between them and perdition, unless it be a crucified Saviour. Sensible of their guilt and danger, they have fled to Him for refuge, and found peace; and who shall dare to say they are not safe, or who shall prescribe a certain amount of law-terror as necessary to salvation? Many have laboured long at Mount Sinai, quite ignorant of the way of escape, even in the letter. Others, again, have from infancy heard of the remedy, and, by grace, applied to it, what time they were made aware of their danger. Such will not know the depths of their heart as those who have tried every way to save themselves, ere they submitted to be saved wholly and entirely by another. But sooner or later God's children will be brought to confess, "I am vile." Sometimes they are in circumstances so But there is a further discovery to be made to the soul. "Now mine eye seeth thee," &c. Oh, how greatly is this self-loathing to be desired! its effects how blessed! it puts the soul in its right place, which is its only happy place, and it exalts God and glorifies Him. But how is it produced? for there is a spurious kind with which it must not be confounded, and which so pre-eminently belongs to the Papists. How much their mortifications, fastings, &c., to some might look like this self-loathing, but it is a counterfeit coin; its source is in the creature, and it rises no higher than the creature; it has not respect to God, whereas that which Job speaks of is produced by a sight of God, and must therefore come from God, and from Him only. Ŏ almighty Saviour, pity my ignorance of myself and of thee, and so illuminate me by thy good Spirit, that I may abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes. BY A SERVANT OF THE CHURCH. IRELAND, AND ITS WORK. MY DEAR FRIEND IN THE LORD,- can, and we trust will, blast all their plans. Has not He promised to frustrate the tokens of liars, and make diviners mad? Of this one thing we are sure, nothing happens by chance; but why such acts are permitted we must leave. Now with regard to your leaving Ireland, I have but one feeling, nor ever shall have, as I feel the finger of God very plainly pointed it out, that your work was done there-or, I ought to say, all the Lord intended or appointed for you to do; and since He has so marvellously opened up another and a very large sphere of work, proves it beyond a doubt who it was that led you thus far. And I would ask you, has not the Lord thy God blessed thee in all the works of thy hands? He knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness; these forty years the Lord thy God hath been with thee. I can well imagine what a trial of faith it must have been for you, from the time you left Ireland until your appointment to Bedminster; but even in this, can you not trace the hand of the Lord, and feel it was right; and does not our heavenly Father say, "I will work, and who shall let it ?" (Isa. xliii. 13). Then again, look at that blessed promise in the 19th verse, "Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert." I believe even your coming here was plainly ordered by our heavenly and loving Father, as results now prove. Had you not preached, and touched the heart of one who heard you, by the mighty power of the Holy Spirit, he would not have known you, and the presentation to Christ's Hospital would have been given to another. But our God knows all, and orders all; and does not this and many other instances prove how our God works for His people? Oh for more faith to believe where we cannot see! You remember those remarkable words of our Lord to Thomas-"Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed;" then turn to 1 Pet. i. 8, "Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." I feel I must take the liberty of addressing you a few lines, as your brother (the Rev. G. D. DOUDNEY) is wrongly impressed as to the cause of that fearful attempt to murder the Rev. ALEXANDER NIXON. From his having copied from the Standard, proves how the mistake arose, and that paper seems to imagine the cause of the attempt to murder was because he was a minister of the Church of England. But from my knowledge of the district, such was not the cause. It was owing to his being a landed proprietor; and he, with the rest of the owners of property in that part of the country, were marked men; and I am told, upon good authority, that among the list of people whom those ribbonmen intended to shoot, not one clergyman's name is mentioned who is not a landed proprietor; which, I think, proves that the Rev. gentleman was not murderously attacked and shot at because he was a minister of the gospel. Another statement in the Standard is also incorrect, where it says he had just returned from performing service. Although a clergyman, he does not do any duty, and, I am informed, has not for many years, having no parish of his own or any cure of any description. I feel it right to mention these facts, as a misunderstanding might arise in many of your readers minds. I have had many years of experience of what the Irish Romish peasantry are, and can come to no other conclusion than this: you may spend your life, your energies, your money-I may say, your all-in trying to ameliorate their condition and bettering them in a temporal view; you may show them the errors of their religion, and the thraldom they are kept in by their priests, and the return you may expect is a threatening notice and then a bullet. But in the case of Mr. NIXON, no notice had been given of their (shall I say friendly) intentions. Such is the fearful system they are under, that should their priests order them to commit an act, no matter how diabolical, they must do it. Ribbonism is, I fear, much on the increase, and so secretly do they carry on their meetings, it is almost impossible to trace them out. But the mercy is, that there is One above who I feel you have a very arduous work, but He who has placed you in your new sphere will give you strength. Trust in the promises; they are most sweet. My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness." Look at Hab. iii. 19; Ps. lix. 17; Ps. xviii. 1, 2. Does not the Lord promise strength, and that equal to thy day? May the Lord give you faith to believe and be fully persuaded that what He hath promised, He is also able to perform. In conclusion, may the Lord bless you abundantly in your work, and give you many souls for your hire; and may it be said that The Lord added to the Church daily such as should be saved." Yours in the best of bonds, H. R. Croydon. THE BRIDEGROOM'S DOVE.` "O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the secret of the stairs !"-Cant. ii. 14."MY DOVE!" The Bridegroom speaks whom? Whom, think'st thou, meaneth He? Yes, 'tis the Bridegroom's voice of love I look within in vain to seek : Aught which can give a claim. To this defenceless bird; Reasons which show the Bridegroom's love The Dove, of all the feather'd tribe, Doth least of power possess: My soul, what better can describe Thine utter helplessness? Yet courage take! the Bridegroom's love A shelter hath the Bridegroom's love In flying to her hiding place, Her safety doth consist. The Bridegroom opes His arms of love, Safe from the fowler's snare! Nothing can harm her there! Encircled by the arms of love, Almighty power protects the Dove! to | As the poor Dove, before the hawk, So need I, in my daily walk, The wing which faith supplies, My soul, of native power bereft, The secret of the stairs! Since placed there by the Bridegroom's love, And riven mountains crash ; And round the sun this earthly mass No longer shall revolve ! Behold a miracle of love! The Lion quakes, but not the Dove! Is fearless, unappall'd. Then to my soul, O Lord, vouchsafe, Pure, harmless, gentle, full of love, Establish there thy throne! |