for them, is the God Christ, able to help already seen, from the 40th Psalm, and them; in Him the sweet import of the Heb. x.-that He offered Himself, and word Immanuel is blessedly united, all- was anointed to that very end by Jehosufficient God, and sympathizing Man! vah. Set apart from eternity-at the who is indeed the all and in all to all his appointed time, "The Word was made beloved, for whom He died-for the flesh"-He took upon Him the seed of many; how well He did fulfil his offices. Abraham's nature, a sinful race; willOh for grace daily, more and more to live ingly he did undergo every humiliupon Him. Look further, and see, that ation, at his birth, during childhood, and same Christ, now exalted in heaven, now manhood, till at last, when his time was glorified, pleading and interceding with come, He went up to Jerusalem. Ah! the Father, who is well pleased. Glori-precious Jesus! thy hour was come. And ous truth! here believer, amidst all your did He shrink from it? No-far from doubts, and sinfulness and sins, here you it " I have a baptism to be baptized may go to the throne, to the mercy-seat, with, and how am I straightened until pleading Jesus' own words, "Father, I it be performed ?" See Him in the garwill that those whom thou hast given den-though the wrath of the Eternal, me, be with me where I am." He is the holy justice of the offended Jehovah with them indeed, by the Holy Spirit, burst upon Him, and made Him say, until He Himself shall come a second not my will," his human nature's will time without sin unto salvation!" "Who-yet, still willing to offer can separate us from the love of God?" but thy will be done." See Him before you are Christ's, and Christ is God's." his tyrants, behold Him on the cross! Lift up, lift up your heads, nor doubt believing Oh what greatness, boldness, willingness, humility, unutterable love are seen in every part, and shine throughout his sufferings. Not only was his offering willing, but all-sufficient. We, perhaps, would devote ourselves for one whom we love, but alas! power is wanting: not so with our Lord, all was foreseen, settled, determined, willed. The Eternal Spirit sustained Him, his sufferings, his offering was sufficient to atone for the sins of all God's elect, for the many.

few,

Your Jesus' love is ever new, Eternal, ever

true.

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up

Himself

Moreover, this blessed Christ, offered Himself, did not shift it upon others, as we are so ready to do! Ah! when we can do any good and pleasant thing, how ready and active we are! but when sacrificing is the case, when honour, wealth, health, good name, yea, all is to be given up for Jesus' sake, ah, how few! Yet, the time is coming, I verily believe, Secondly.-Now let us enquire, for that God's few must sacrifice themselves, what was He offered? For sins. Man, a thank-offering unto the Lord. Well, alienated from God, can never come unto my beloved, God's people will have Him as their friend, their father—they strength given them, as their day is; are at a distance far from God, without When the enemy cometh in like a flood, God, without hope in the world. Here, the Lord the Spirit lifteth up the standard my beloved, the word of God is sweet to against him." My grace is sufficient his children. Gal. i. 3, "Who gave for thee." And as to outward pro- Himself for our sins, that he should defessors-the chaff-they will then see liver us from this present evil world, acthe truth- "What is the wheat to the cording to the will of God our Father." chaff?" Offered Himself. Oh, my be- Now, this will is most blessedly exloved, think of this dear word. He plained by the Apostle; Eph. i. 4, “Acwhom angels adored, God over all, blessed cording as He (the Father) has chosen for ever, gave Himself to redeem you us in Him (Christ Jesus), before the and me, praise, and honour, and glory foundation of the world, that we should be to his name! May we show forth be holy and blameless before Him in his praise, boldly confessing Him as the love." Here the salvation of God's elect finishing Saviour, as well as the beginning is traced up to its source; here the Saviour leaving nothing for us to do, boundless deeps of Jehovah's love are but to believe; and even this is his pre-seen; here every bliss is traced up to cious gift. But what did He do? He arise from that love, which has none offered. It was indeed an offering, a sa- such: the superlabour of LOVE is here crifice, to offer up one's-self must, in its discovered! We, poor wretched sinners, very nature, be a willing thing, a volun- are the objects of Jehovah's mercy; we, tary offering. Ah! the blessed offering vile and defiled- My father an Amorite, of Christ was so in every way we have my mother an Hittite"-and yet He

"Know ye not that the goodness of the Lord leadeth thee to repentance ?" They do indeed fancy their tears, and so on, moved God to pity! Pray what was it that moved God first? Who loved (first) God or you? See the answer, 1 John iv. 10. "Who is it that worketh in you, both to will and to do?" What does Jeremiah mean, chap. xxxi. 19;

has mercy upon me, and saved me! us all. Christ bare our sins; He offered Here the sovereignty of that love is seen Himself to bare our sins: the work is as the grand basis, as the foundation of done. From an ignorant or self-righteous God's election. "I have mercy on whom feeling, many even of God's dear peoI will have mercy, and whom I will I ple become their own tormentors, when harden;" here it is that we see why they fall into sin, instead of looking to it is "I have loved Jacob, and hated the blood of Christ, believing that He Esau." "Yes, Father, for so it seemed bore all their sin, and that yery sin over good in thy sight." The many for whom which they mourn too; they set to reJesus Christ was in the fulness of time pent, and weep, and moan, instead of to offer up Himself, to bear their sins—going to the Lord, instead of believing the many for whom the Holy Spirit was that if they do feel the evil of the sin, it to apply the blood of sprinking, which is because God the Holy Spirit has alspeaketh better things than the blood of ready applied pardon to their souls; then, Abel for as the destroying angel saw and then only, real repentance follows; the blood on the lintel of the posts of the door, He passed by, the soul was safe enough there so now, when the Spirit applieth Christ's blood to the soul, that man is saved from whatsoever sins he may be guilty-all forgotten, all blotted out, all forgiven, past, present, to come. Now is this glorious work fulfilled by the precious Redeemer, for He gave Himself for sins, He offered up Himself Surely, after that I was turned, I reto bear our sins. The Lord mercifully pented." Who is it that saith, Ezek. set this forth, Isaiah liii. 6, "The Lord xvi?" When I saw thee polluted in thy hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." blood, I spread my skirt over thee, enChrist bore the iniquity of every sin of tered into covenant with thee, and thou God's elect. Christ bore it; but the becamest mine." Tears, sorrow, and reFather, as the offended Jehovah, against pentance are good in their place, as whom all have sinned, and daily do sin, showing our deep feeling, that we have laid the iniquity on Him, who gave his sinned against Jehovah, and that He is back to the smiters. This also shows us more willing to forgive. But oh! fancy what Jesus (as the Mediator) bore; He not, that your sins ever can, or ever will who stood between guilty man, and of- be forgiven for tears, or repentance sake; fended God. The Father's glory required this really is destroying the efficacy of that He should lay all the sins of all his the blood of the offering of Christ. I people upon his Son-thus, and thus must again repeat it, He bore our sins; only was the justice of God to be satis- the Father laid on Him the iniquity of fied. Christ ever gives the glory to the us all: the soul being now justified, God Father-" A body hast thou prepared Himself can find no guilt on Him-it is me;" "Thou hast bored mine ears. finished. Glorious state thus to be faThus showing submission to all his Favoured of the Lord! blissful state to ther's will; though indeed He had power believe it, to know it: thus to be stripto lay down his life, yet, to glorify his ped by the Holy Spirit, of all our own Father, and to show submissive obedi- righteousness, and to feel that all these ence, He saith, John i. 18, "This com- are but filthy rags-and yet to know, mandment have I received from my Fa- that none can lay any thing to our charge, ther, that I should lay down my life." because Christ having borne our sins, He thus honours his Father, who, John and the punishment due to our sins, they iii. 16, "So loved the world, that He nor it cannot be borne twice. "He bore gave his only begotten Son." Oh the the curse;"-then I have not to bear it depth of this unfathomable love: glory again. No; the Father looketh upon be unto Jehovah for ever. He plainly you as clean in, and through our Lord thereby shows the vanity of all our re- Jesus Christ. "Who shall lay anything pentings, mournings, and tears, to ob- to the charge of God's elect ?"" tain forgiveness of our sins. Beloved, the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of

(To be continued.)

SHE is gone to her rest-and her conflicts are She is gone to her rest-and safe laid in the o'er ;

THE WONDERS OF SOVEREIGN GRACE; OR, BRIEF MEMORIALS OF A LATE CIVILIAN.

[The following narrative is from the pen | of an English gentleman resident in India. He has passed the last twelve years of his life there. Prior to his leaving England, he was a hearer of the late Rev. JOSEPH IRONS. He lately visited these Schools, and we spent several agreeable and profitable hours with him. From his own lips we heard many of the particulars given in the annexed narrative. About the time this Magazine reaches our readers, Mr. W. and his amiable but extremely delicate lady will be re-embarking for Calcutta. We sympathize deeply with them in the absolute necessity for leaving their three dear little children behind them. Who but a parent can conceive of the nature and extent of this great, this agonizing sacrifice? May all needful grace and strength be vouchsafed! Upon their long voyage at this tempestuous season, and in their varied travels to that far-off land, may they experience the all-sufficiency of a covenant God! Dear readers, the Lord help you and ourselves to pray for them, and likewise for others of our readers—the principal part of a family who are at this moment voyaging to Australia, and that too under peculiarly painful circumstances. Oh, when led to compare notes with others, what ample reason shall most of us find to exclaim, "The lines have fallen unto us in pleasant places: yea, we have a goodly heritage."-ED.]

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Complete in him!" said I, on hearing that that text of strong consolation had been engraved on my friend's sepulchral tablet. Complete in Him!" yes, that is of all texts the most appropriate for the monument of one who so simply clave to his Redeemer, as all his salvation and all his desire! Jesus was the strength of his heart, and his portion for ever; and seldom, perhaps, has a ransomed sinner entered into rest, with a more distinct, or a more clear trust in the finished work of the Lord our Righteousness.

My friend was born about the year 1813. In early life he was enthusiastically fond of field sports. Every athletic game, every dangerous amusement was joy to him. About the age of seventeen, his wishes for an active life were gratified by the offer of a cavalry cadetship; but when he was about to sail for India, he unexpectedly met with an opportunity of exchanging it for a writership, and in the good providence of God, who sees the

end from the beginning, this opportunity was
embraced by his family. He proceeded,
therefore, to the East India College at Hailey-
bury. Being constitutionally fearless, and
remarkably active, he there became the leader
in wild adventure, and in every scene
every
of disorder and mischief. At this time, he

knew not God, and never thought of "that
glorious and fearful name;" he gloried in
his own strength and youthful daring; and
he lived in careless profusion and hilarity.

From Haileybury, after he had passed his examination, the subject of these memoirs departed for Calcutta, and on the voyage he was full of life and spirits. He arrived safely in this city, and here, still worse scenes of folly and debauchery remained to ensnare him. As a young civilian, he was, of course, received almost every where; he had as much society as he wished; he found himself placed in the possession of nearly £500 a year, and like many others, he was led to act as though he believed that he had boundless credit beof his former college companions, in a round sides. He lived, therefore, with a few others of dissipation and luxury.

At the expiration of a period somewhat longer than that which is usually allowed, my friend proceeded to a judicial situation in Bengal. Here he became popular with all the Europeans. His unaffected manners, his boldness, and his generous disposition, necessarily won esteem wherever he went. At his new station he became a great sportsman; the most eager in the hunt, the most active in all amusements, the most resolute in danger. He had no public means of grace near him, except indeed in one house where some persons assembled on Sunday; but it so happened that the leader in this meeting, -a fellow civilian at the station, with whom, in fact, my friend lived, never once spoke to him of the gospel! He went on sinning in an unrestrained manner; and the effect of sin in hardening the heart was soon experienced, for he seldom or never wrote to his family (although they were much attached to him) to inform them whether he was in sickness or health, or even in the land of the living. At length a startling circumstance occurred. He had been engaged with some others in some amusement, and had returned home, when one of his companions having been violently heated, exhibited symptoms of a severe fever. The disease rapidly gained head, and he died-died without affording hope that his heart was changed, and that God had pardoned and adopted him. It had happened shortly before this, that this young man in speaking on one occasion, in a serious tone to my friend,

said "Ah, if it had not been for you, I should have been a different man." On the occurrence of this sudden death, these words were remembered, and the slumbering conscience awoke. But by what exact steps the Lord afterwards led my friend in the way that he knew not; or what precise period the great change occurred from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, I am not able to say. It may be enough to mention, that on looking casually into an old box, his eye caught a book, ("a Father's Letter to a Son," I believe by the Revd. Robert Philip,) and that this book which had been put in that box by one of his relatives in England, and had never been in the least regarded before, was much blessed to him. Afterwards, when wrestling one day he received a remarkably violent fall, and great debility resulting in the appearance of severe internal injuries ensued. He was thus made a prisoner at home. In his solitude and on his bed of languishing, he had opportunity of reflection, and the Lord, it seems, then spoke still more to his spirit. In after days he mentioned to me that whilst lying in bed one night, he was suddenly affected with a rapturous feeling of enjoyment and delight, which appeared like an antepast of heaven. His soul seemed panting to be free, and he was on the eve of rising to go to his friends, who resided in the same house with him, to declare his conviction of the reality of eternal things. I do not say that these violent emotions are necessary, or that they are even common signs of real spiritual life in the soul. But while we are on our guard against representing such feeling as infallible tests of grace, we must also not fail to attend to As soon as he got on board, he saw the well warranted testimonies respecting the ex-face of one whom he had known in other perience of them. In the lives of Howe and days. Availing himself of a very early opFlavel, we meet with unquestionably true portunity, he acquainted this gentleman in tales of extraordinary moments of rapturous enjoyment; and, perhaps, there are many Christians, who re.nember " songs in the night" that were almost like Paul's vision, or hours of prayer in which their bodies were swayed, and almost rent, by the powerful emotions of their souls.

much as heard that there was a Holy Ghost. On reaching England, he joined his friends at Cheltenham, and with them attended the ministry of Rev. F. Close. The very first sermon which my friend heard from this preacher produced a remarkable effect. For more than a year, truth had been in his heart, but no one had ever spoken it in his hearing. Now, however, he listened for the first time to the preaching of the gospel, and his soul recognized at once every declaration, as its own long treasured but never before defined conviction. At that moment, it seemed as if all vails were suddenly removed, and the soul were bursting at once from its darkness into the full light and liberty of gospel-day. Long continued illness followed, during which, prayer, meditation, and scriptural researches were greatly blessed. My friend visited the sick; he forsook every false way, and every former evil habit; and most rapidly grew in Christian grace. Thus three years and a half passed, at the expiration of which period he sailed for India. In the providence of God, we met as fellow-passengers on board ship, and having soon discovered in one another a desire to serve the Lord and enjoy the society of his people, we became intimate companions. Never, certainly, did I see one to whom Christ was more precious. Never one who more plainly and directly dealt with himself as a sinner, and with Christ as the only but all-sufficient Saviour. Those around us took knowledge of him that he had been with Jesus. It was impossible to be mistaken in the matter. He laid his heart bare to public view; he was an epistle known and read of all men.

The illness of my friend grew apace, and he was ordered to sail to England. On his way he had to visit Calcutta. Here, he avoided his old companions, and for the most part also his old haunts. But the infant spiritual life within him, appeared, notwithstanding, in jeopardy. He attended a Church, and as he sat listening, an old associate entered; their eyes met; a look of surprise on the one side and of shame on the other followed, and my poor friend, as if detected in some act of meanness, assumed an air of indifference to the place, and got up and left the building! He proceeded homeward. On the passage he had much time for thought, reading, and prayer, But he remained like those disciples at Antioch, who had not so

simple but decided terms that he was an altered man, and that through divine mercy, he had chosen that better part, which shall never be taken away from those who really choose it. There were also one or two sick passengers on board, one of whom at length died. To these he proclaimed the gospel, and to that one who died, it appeared that his warnings and exhortations had been blessed. He seemed to die a penitent believer— but alas! these death-bed conversions, how unsatisfactory, how painful they generally are. It has been well said that there is in the Bible but one precedent for them, namely, the incident relating to the dying thief—but, ONE! one only, that no one may presume, and yet one truly, that no one may despair. Ah! if it be well considered how much terror on the one hand, physical weakness on the other, and the emotion excited by affectionate entreaties and prayers, may effect, it will be seen how likely it is for unconverted men on their dying beds, to seem like men under the power of Divine grace.