وو natural the dear old man should feel thus, but, as in innumerable instances in our experience, beloved, God is better to us than our many fears and forebodings. Jacob's reluctance is overcome, and once more are the guilty brothers ushered into Joseph's presence. The prolonged but affecting interview tells its own tale. Joseph at last, unable any longer to hold out against the feelings of his heart, makes known himself unto his brethren, and tells them how it is all the Lord's work, for God, in His providence, had sent him to Egypt for their good. Poor old Jacob is sent for, and thus are we brought to the climax of Joseph's eventful history, fraught as it is with comfort, encouragement, and joy to every believer in Joseph's covenant-working God. Oh! that from such a history we may learn,1st. Increasingly to put our trust and confidence in Joseph's God. had been the means of giving him such them the money to pay for the corn, relief of mind. But alas! alas! for which he causeth to be put into each man's promises. "Yet did not the chief man's sack; they opening their sacks butler remember Joseph, but forgat him." for provender on the road, are filled with And for two full years did Joseph remain dismay and fear, but, returning to their in prison unthought of and uncared for, aged and anxious father, he is unwilling excepting by Him who never forgets nor to let Benjamin go. Joseph is not, forsakes His people, although at times and Simeon is not, and ye will take He seems so to do. Painful indeed Benjamin away,' said the weeping must have been many of poor Joseph's father; "all these things are against moments during those weary days. How-me; ye will bring down my grey hairs ever, there must and will be an end of with sorrow to the grave. Very the trial; however long the Lord seems to tarry, He will yet come, although until the time come that His will is developed, the word of the Lord tries His prisoners of hope. But the time of Joseph's deliverance was at hand. And it came to pass at the end of two full years, the Lord caused Pharaoh to dream a dream, which all the magicians of Egypt could not interpret; then did the chief butler remember his fault, and caused Joseph to be brought before Pharaoh to interpret his dream. This he does faithfully, and the result is so important, so completely concerns the welfare of the country for fourteen years to come, that Joseph is arrayed in vestures of fine linen, and made to ride in Pharaoh's second chariot, and made chief ruler over all the land of Egypt. Here, then, was the poor prisoner raised to the position of a prince; and, as in all cases in which the Lord works, wonderful was the result. Far away was poor old Jacob, Joseph's father, believing that his son had been destroyed as was told him. He had wept over the blood-stained coat, and doubtless thought a thousand times of his lost boy, little supposing that a chain of providences had raised him to the high position that he now retained; and that he whom he supposed to be dead should be now the instrument of preserving his family from destruction. However, such was the case. The his tory of their meeting is well known. Jacob having heard that there was corn in Egypt sends all his sons but Benjamin thither to buy corn: they come before Joseph; he knows them, but they do not recognize him; and he insists upon their returning for Benjamin, to prove the truth of their tale, and binding Simeon before their eyes, retains him till they return. They had brought with 2nd. That trials are the inevitable discipline of God's dear people. 3rd. To wait patiently the Lord's time, even though until that time comes, His Word may try us. 4th. That vain is the help of man; nevertheless, "Poor though I am, depressed, forgot, Yet God, my God, forsakes me not. "The clouds ye so much dread May the Lord own and bless these tal souls, and His own glory, and He imperfect notes, to the profit of immorshall have all the praise. Yours in the best of bonds, G. C. DANGEROUS BOOKS. READER,-I desire earnestly to commend the following admirable remarks to your serious attention. The subject, especially to such as are parents or guardians, is of the greatest importance in the present day. Evil in its most specious forms, and under the most subtle disguises, is on every side of us. The young and inexperienced walk amid moral and intellectual pitfalls, from which it seems to require a miracle of grace to preserve them. Oh, let us beware that our negligence increase not their danger. Let no book you have not tested enter into the family circle. W. MAUDE. "Error is propagated by infection-not by contagion. It is an influence rather than a tangible substance. It is not by direct contact with our reason, or with our affections, that error gains a hold upon us; we must first become infected with the spirit of it, before we shall be disposed to give it any reception. This is a fact in the philosophy of religion to which sufficient attention has not been paid; indeed, it seems hardly to have been noted. Men have been in the habit of confining their guarded caution and their care altogether against formal error, as dogmatically propounded in false propositions, and have felt little jealousy and exercised little guardedness, where truth was not directly, or in express terms, denied. It is the statements rather than the spirit of writers and teachers they have feared. Hence it has become common to hear them say, with regard to certain authors, or to certain kinds of books, Where is the harm in them? Point out where the error or danger lies? As justly might they ask to be shown the infection that floats in the impure air. Error, as it at first operates upon the mind, is an atmosphere (Satan himself is described as the spirit of the power of the air') an invisible influence-and it is not usually till this influence has wrought its insidious effect upon the moral system, that false doctrine gains power, or assumes the form of an actual existence. Error being, as we have before observed, . a thing of life, is a thing that breathes, though, as being invisible, it is a thing that cannot be touched. It is propgated subjectively rather than objec tively. Errors of statement, indistinctly enunciated dogmas, are indeed objective, but sentiment is subjective; and it is as sentiment that error in its virus is diffused. Let but some false sentiment, as a matter of feeling and affection, get possession of the mind (and it may get possession by the mere reading of the book in which it breathes), and at once every doctrine, every spiritual principle, every system of religious life, comes to be viewed in the light, the discoloured hue rather, of this false sentiment, as either right because it looks lovely, or odious because it is true. Thus the mind is brought by the soft undertone-the latent animus of a pernicious work, into a certain predisposedness to admit error; and the error adopted, and at last professed, is but the outward manifestation of the matured disease-the noxious influence developing itself in living shape and activitythe plague-spot broken out upon the forehead. It is not sufficient then, it will be perceived, to reject a book as dangerous, and to prohibit the reading of it in the family, simply on the ground that it contains statements of doctrine which are clearly and palpably false; or to admit it as safe merely because no one can lay his finger upon specific passages in which false doctrines are in so many words propounded. There may be danger indeed in a book containing known false doctrines, if those doctrines be very attractively portrayed, or if there be something highly fascinating in the style of the writer. "But, as a general rule, the palpability of the error will suffice to be à safeguard against its reception, while the plausibility of it would win it easy admittance. By shocking it would excite to resist; by fascinating it might steal affection. What we should study then to ascertain, if we would be preserved from being wrongly affected, is the spirit, the latent tendency, the determining influence of the work; what it savours of; what sort of sentiment it Dry breathes; whether that which has most error, or pure, passionless truth. properly, though unwittingly, been light' philosophers have told us, 'is termed religiosity; or whether it be best.""Rev. Stephen Jenner, “Truth's really that of religion; which it will Conflicts and Truth's Triumphs" (a most most predispose the mind to, lucent able and valuable work). THE SLEEP OF DEATH. "Lest coming suddenly He find you sleeping."-Mark xiii. 36. THE Scriptures speak of the careless and the wicked as of one asleep, who pays no attention to the most important concerns around him. For instance, a man may find his house safe, all calm and quiet he retires, lays him down on his bed with great satisfaction, falls into refreshing sleep, as he has done innumerable nights before. While he sleeps safely and sweetly, perhaps a robber plunders the house; he is insensible of the injury; he is asleep. The robber may enter his chamber, and put a knife to his throat; but the man sleeps on. He may set the house in flames; the man sleeps on; no sense of danger. Or a mighty wind may shake the house to the foundation; but he sleeps on. I said that the sleeper was all this time insensible; but possibly he may not be wholly so; for, though unconscious of his danger, he may be running abroad in delightful dreams-advancing to honour-abounding in wealth-entering into some scene of pleasure-or standing on some rock, where nothing can touch him. How faithful a picture is this of curnal security!-what our Lord here speaks of as the master of the house "coming suddenly," and finding his servant " sleeping." In this precise state does the thoughtless sinner stand. All the great promises of this book are nothing. All its awful threatenings are as nothing. Though Satan is ruining and destroying him, and flanies are about to surround him, yet he is insensible. He dreams of nothing but honour, or riches, or pleasure. Would the enemy of such a sleeper wish him to be disturbed? No, let him sleep on for sleeping will be his destruction. Make no noise; shake not his bed; let him rest and sleep on. Nay, the poor stupid sleeper would not bear, perhaps, to be roused; he would be offended and feel insulted, if a friend were to alarm him. Is not this the case with every careless sinner? No one offends more than the friend who would awaken and rouse him, and alarm his conscience.-Richard Cecil. THE GARDEN OF GRACE. A GARDEN fenced from common earth His gospel is the open sky, His love the shining sun; That stands for ever, cleaves; And through the tempest's loudest shock, Beyond the reach of doubts and fears, From Christ, the bleeding root; Transplanted from on high, Firm patience, like an aloe strong, By storms unshaken, grows; ANON. SENTENCES OF THE REV. SAMUEL EYLES PIERCE; TAKEN DOWN IN WRITING BY HIS WIFE, ELIZABETH PIERCE, WHILE HE WAS PREACHING, DURING THE LATTER PART OF HIS MINISTRY. Pray to be more taken with Christ's | ing forth in the person of Christ, Godbeauties, that you may behold more of man. His glory. His bowels are as it were immensity, as it regards His compassion towards His people. The Lord Jesus has all our griefs before Him, and He exercises His compassion according to our case. The Lord has not appointed for us to be happy in ourselves. It is an apprehension of spiritual things brings us soul content. If I feel sin, it ought not to drive me from Christ. It only serves to convince me how much Christ suits me. I must understand Christ as suited to my body as well as to my soul; then I am prepared for everything that may happen. There is no need for us to fear death or judgment; for it is in Christ we shall stand complete. It is a blessed thing to have the mind go beyond faith. We shall sleep the sleep of death, which is a part of our conformity to Him. It is our knowledge of Him produces our conformity to Him. Christ will as heartily admit me into heaven, as He did the thief upon the cross; and so He will you too, whosoever you are, who believe in Him. The Lord has a mind that some secrets should remain between Him and some of His people. The Lord leaves us to feel our own emptiness, that we may be filled more with His fulness to supply. He sends the Holy Ghost to breathe upon His church and people, that they may breathe after Him. It is manifested that you are one taught of the Holy Spirit by your being taken with Christ. I should like such thoughts of Jesus Christ as would carry us above the world. The saints in glory shall see all the communicable glories of Godhead, shin When the Lord gives us His grace to know Him, it does not give us an interest in Him; it gives us a knowledge of Him, and His grace and our interest in Him was previous to all that. Christ will be as truly our life of glory then, as He is our life of grace now. There is a part of doing the word that James in his epistle speaks of, viz., to declare the knowledge of Christ so as to benefit others. You cannot be in any frame to unfit you for Christ. Never call your interest in Christ in question. You must at all times be looking at yourselves in Christ. It was God-man, the Judge, who excluded Adam and Eve from Paradise. God's first thoughts were upon Christ, God-man, that mirror of all perfection, in whom God beholds all the works of His hands. Christ will give an account to God of His ways at the last day; and when the acts of Christ are all openly declared, it will so redound to the glory of Christ, as will surpass all. There is not one living upon the earth but Christ will give an account of His dealings with them. Christ is the executor of God's mind and will. All His government is correct. If I am satisfied with Christ, why do I want any man's good opinion of me? I would not so think of Christ, as to forget that He is exactly suited to me. The gospel contains the heart of God towards the elect. The curse and damnation of saints fell on Christ. No sort of demerit is any detriment to our being saved by Christ. The church cannot cease to have being and existence, any more than Christ Himself. (To be continued.) A VOICE FROM BEDMINSTER. BELOVED READERS,-We have had, within the last few days, one of the most striking and impressive facts come within our own knowledge that has ever occurred to us. A gentleman-a stranger to us-promptly responded to our appeal on behalf of our proposed church. Upon the spur of the moment, he took up his pen, and wrote thus :: "I fully concur with your every observation, and have much pleasure in inclosing you a cheque for £10 towards your church," &c. He received our letter of thanks, wishing him blessings for time and eternity; and, though then apparently in perfect health, in two days afterwards entered upon that eternity! Oh, reader, reader, if ever a voice said to us, "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest," it was that voice. Be it yours-be it ours -spiritually, and with an eye to the Lord, to give heed to whatever may be pressing upon our hearts. Let there be no delay-no "to-morrow" in the matter. Let the great, the momentous, the all-important Now be acted upon promptly, prayerfully, personally. O consider how short our time is. Ours is but a few years-a very few-at most. We believe we know how many. Yours may be even fewer still. Oh, then, be it both yours and ours to live for eternity eternity! If ever these convictions were engraven upon our inmost hearts, it is of late. We see the necessity for it more and more. Time is on the wing, our days are rapidly passing away; age and infirmity are creeping on-sickness and death will soon succeed. Beloved, you know what is near our hearts. Souls are in very deed perishing around us. It harrows up our inmost soul as constantly we see one, and two, and three funerals pass our window. We ask ourselves, "What teaching had he or she who is now being conducted to his or her last, long home?" Since here-as far as this parish is concerned -we have been tied and bound. Now (thank God!) consent has been given to our erecting a temporary church. We have taken, under God, that responsibility entirely upon ourselves. In six weeks from this day we hope, in that building, capable of accommodating six hundred persons, to be preaching the unsearchable riches of Christ. We long for it intensely. We long to hear the voice of prayer and praise ascend-as we believe it will ascend-from beneath that temporary roof to Him who is the God-hearing and God-answering prayer. We believe that souls will be born there, and that souls will be blessed there. How many of these destitute ones even now are asking, "When will your longtalked-of church be built?" We do expect a blessed ingathering of souls there. Spiritually, we are looking for great things; our eyes are up unto the Lord, and our expectations are from the Lord. We know, and rejoice in the fact, "that it is not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit saith the Lord." But since the Lord was pleased to bring us here, and that in a most wonderful and unlooked-for and unsought-for way, we do hope and believe that He will crown this His sovereign act with His own special and peculiar blessing. We know we shall have trouble-we have it (and how could we do without it?)—but we have that blessed assurance also, "He that goeth forth and reapeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." EXTRACT FROM CHARNOCK. God hath given us the choicest thing He had, a Redeemer that was the power of God, and the wisdom of God; the best He had in heaven, His own Son and in Himself a sacrifice for us, that we might be enabled to present, And ourselves a sacrifice to Him. Christ offered Himself for us, the best He had-and that with the strength of the Deity-through the eternal Spirit, and shall we grudge God the best part of ourselves? |