thousand pities to have left it out. It made assurance doubly sure. I told the friends in Auckland that when en voyage I felt miserable and home-sick (perhaps sea-sick), I would turn to that message with great delight. As a matter of fact, I could not lay my hand on the paper during the journey, but that mattered little, for my heart rejoiced in the fact, and however ill I might have been, the sweet assurance was one of the things that could not be brought up, for it was deep within. Who could have persuaded me to fancy that there would be no father's smile, no mother's kiss, no open door for me on arrival? I knew full well that if spared to meet, we would begin to make merry immediately. And it was so! Just as certain am I that if any sinner heartily sends word, "I am coming home," the heavenly answer waits at the door-"Welcome! Welcome ! " Welcome to the wounds of Jesus, the source of all our health. Welcome to his heart of love, by which our own love is kindled. Welcome to the water of life, and to the heavenly bread (enough and to spare). Welcome to all the Father has. Behold, he saith to each one of us, "Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine." "Come, and welcome, sinner, come." "Welcome all by sin oppress'd, Welcome to his sacred rest; Welcome warm with boundless love." That Good comes of it? R. LEWIS C. TODD, who was once a Universalist editor and published after his change, says :— "I became a preacher of universal salvation, and was ordained as such in Fairfield, Herkimer County, New York, some eight years ago. I believed the doctrine true, and thought that, in proportion as it was propagated, mankind would become good and happy. I preached in different parts, far and near, and itinerated over an extensive region of country, suffering the excesses of heat and cold, the pitiless peltings of stormy skies and the discomfort of muddy roads. No danger or effort did I consider too great; for I believe, for a number of years, I should often have rejoiced in the martyr's privilege of attesting my faith. Some years since, however, I occasionally reflected that although the doctrine had spread much further than I had anticipated, it did not seem to produce the effect I had expected. This gradually cooled my ardour and diminished my zeal, so that, for some years, I cared but little whether I preached or not. In this state of mind, believing Universalism to be the true sense of the Bible, when rightly construed, and being unable to see any considerable good resulting from the system, I was much inclined to doubt Divine revelation. I could not go entirely into infidelity, nor yet feel much confidence in revelation. I was in doubt. "I had seen the blessed influences of the doctrine spread out upon paper, but I could not see them anywhere else! No! God knows I am honest in this assertion. I do not wish to abuse the denomination, but it is true I could not for my life see any good resulting to society from the sentiment. This conviction rolled in upon my mind with tremendous effect. Alas! thought I, have I been spending my labour for that which satisfieth not? Are all my efforts useless, and only tending to make looser the restraints of religion and virtue? "I know individuals among Universalists of the most amiable disposition and character, persons who would honour any profession; but I do not think that their doctrine ever made them so. I candidly aver, in the fear of God, that I do not believe the doctrine ever made a single soul any better than he otherwise would have been, while it has been the means of removing necessary restraints, and giving latitude to thousands whose propensities and passions needed restraint. Through this license they have indulged in criminal pursuits, and gone to perdition. When I learn of a single drunkard, or gambler, or debauchee, or knave, being reformed in consequence of the Universalist doctrine, I shall think better of its influence than I do now; for it is my solemn opinion that such an instance never occurred. I would solemnly hold up this truth to all the friends of the doctrine, and make it speak out in thunder to their consciences, and then ask them if they will still teach this doctrine to their children."-Millennial Harbinger. 66 "I am personally acquainted," says the editor of the forenamed periodical, with some four or five Universalist preachers, who have joined the Church of Christ of which I am a member, who all say that Mr. Todd speaks their experience, or who all concur with him in opinion." As Universalism is appearing in England, and is even to be found in Baptist pulpits, it is well to have a good look at the intruder, and also to hear something of its past history. We do not hesitate to say that it is a blight and a blast to all vital godliness; and however guardedly it may be preached, it ought to be dragged to light, and made to appear in its true colours. It is true that sinners are threatened with some temporary punishment, but they are told that in the end they will be restored. doctrine can be more immoral or unscriptural.-C. H. S. The Broken Arm and the Sinner's Salvation, 10 those of us who believe in predestinating love, it is most pleasant to observe the hand of the Lord in providence working with the Spirit of God in grace, to secure the salvation of the chosen. These providences are frequently of the most striking order, and impress the mind with a sense of the manifest working presence of the Lord, till we cry, like Jacob, "Surely God was in this place." Such incidents are the more valuable when they are not discovered by those who are watching for them, but force themselves upon the attention of persons engaged in active pursuits. That which we are about to quote occurred, not so much in connection with the preaching of the gospel, as with a temperance address; and although Mr. Whittaker, the speaker, never failed in his teetotal work to give due prominence to the Word of life, yet he was not looking for a conversion to Christ, as a preacher might do, but was engaged in his more strictly temperance advocacy. The man to whom he was made useful, was not only turned from drunkenness, but from other forms of the power of Satan, so that he became a preacher of the gospel which aforetime he had despised. But by what a singular means was this brought about! Wheel within wheel could be seen here, and all the wheels were full of eyes. Simple as simplicity itself were the means made use of, but yet how special the adaptation: the more we study, the more we admire and wonder! The event occurred nearly fifty years ago, in the early days of Teetotalism, when to be an abstainer meant ridicule of the bitterest kind. Here is Mr. Whittaker's story, which will be found at page 110 of his deeply interesting autobiography, entitled "Life's Battles in Temperance Armour," which we noticed among our December reviews. We suppose that Mr. Whittaker himself is a Wesleyan Methodist, and this circumstance only shows how striking the incident must have seemed to his own mind. He does not, perhaps, draw our conclusions; but, like us, he sees and admires the hand of the Lord. 66 Saturday was not a good night for the meeting at Cockermouth, and the bellman did his work so badly, and got drunk while going round the town, that the announcement was defective, and the meeting small. We had two or three warm friends in Cockermouth, and they would not let me go round the town with my rattle. They insisted on my resting and getting ready for the meeting, for I was very weak and tired. I had had a most trying week, and had somewhat neglected myself. The meeting was held in the Wesleyan Chapel. The Wesleyan minister had a very friendly feeling towards the movement, and that was very refreshing, and some of the officials were well-disposed. A circumstance happened here which I think I must relate. In my drinking days I had injured my left arm with wrestling and fighting; the shoulder had been so repeatedly dislocated that I was maimed for life, and in my speeches I was accustomed to refer to that as one evidence of the mischief in my own person through drink. This was occasionally the cause of rude interruption; so on leaving Keswick I determined never again to mention it in public, for it was certainly no credit to me. The Cockermouth meeting was the first one after that resolve. During my speech-I must, I suppose, have been somewhat excited-I dislocated my shoulder. That was terrible; I felt it was gone, and I was in great pain, but kept my counsel; but my voice failed, and I broke down, and had no alternative but to make known what had happened. Of course there was great sympathy, and a rush for the doctor. "There was a gentleman living there at the time famous as a limb-setter; he was unequalled in the district as a medical man in that department, but he was nearly always drunk, and all but constantly in the publichouse. They found him there then. He came into the chapel drunk, and in his shirt-sleeves, and handled me most skilfully, and soon put matters right. Well, everybody was delighted, and I finished my speech. "Mr. Rigg, the uncle of the Rev. Dr. Rigg, of the Wesleyan Training School, Westminster, gave him half-a-crown for the job, and he stayed out the meeting, and signed the pledge, and kept it to his dying day. He soon got a large practice, and attained a most respectable position. He joined the Wesleyan Society, and I believe for some years held a creditable position as a most useful local preacher. "There are two or three points about this event which have frequently begotten undetermined thoughts in my mind. Was it a coincidence? Was it a providence? That was the first meeting at which I spoke after resolving that I would never again in public refer to the subject of my infirmity in that particular, and yet in the midst of my address I was laid prostrate by it, and compelled to make known what had happened, and to seek help. Such a thing never happened before; it has never happened since. Had it not happened, the doctor who came to my relief would never have known me. Our coming together was the means of his salvation. I am not going to dogmatize; these are the facts. I have my own opinion about them; my readers will form theirs." "YE A Slight Anachronism. E can ask this gentleman," said Tibbie, "what ye was askin' yer faither last Sabbath, about Samuel's coat, whether it had pockets in't, an' lappels on them or no'. His faither could not tell him, sir : a' that he said was, that if it was really his mother that made it, there's nae sayin' what a woman tailor would do, for women-folk are very keen o' squirrly-wirlies, baith about their ain claes an' their bairns's. I said to him, said I, Jamie, you may be sure that she pat pockets in't, an' if she only gaed yince a year to see him, the pockets werena toom when she took the coat to her laddie. But it wadna be sweeties, or gingebread, or trash o' that kind that she wad pit in them, for that wad baith hae dirtied the claes, an' maybe putten his stammack out o' order. Depend on't, Jamie, says I to him, says I, it wad be books, an the best o' books. I'm almost sure that in the tae pouch there wad be a copy o' the New Testament, an' in the tither a wee copy o' that grand book Miss Stewart gied us, they ca' the Pulgrum's Progress." The visitors were tickled a good deal with Tibbie's chronological mistake, but as in other respects her ideas were motherly and good, Mr. McNab only said, "Samuel's mother certainly could not have done better than put good books into her son's pockets; but there were no printed books in those days."-From "More Bits from Blinkbonny.” Lovers of Jesus. THEY that love Christ, love to think of him, love to hear of him, and that love to read of him. They love to speak of him, for him, to him. They love his presence, his yoke, his name. His will is their law, his dishonour is their affliction, his cause is their care, his people are their companions, his day is their delight, his Word is their guide, his glory is their end. They had rather ten thousand times suffer for Christ than that he should suffer by them.-Mason. Work, for the Day is coming! 66 A CORRECTIVE FOR THE HYMN, WORK, FOR THE NIGHT IS COMING." WORK, for the day is coming, When, 'mid the scenes triumphant Work, for the day is coming! Work, for the day is coming, Work, for the Lord is coming! Work, then, the day is coming! Harps for the hands that were drooping, Now morning light is breaking, Day dawns in every land, Night shades beset us no longer, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, BASIL MANLY. |