dews of thy grace, that I may feel an increase of love to thee, to thy ways, to thy gospel, to thy house, and to thy people; and feel Jesus increasingly precious to my soul, as my shield, my hiding-place, my sun, my daily bread, my Saviour, Prophet, Priest, and King. I hope I do love thee, O dear Redeemer, dying Lamb, but I want to love thee more. Come, thou celestial Spirit, so shed abroad the Saviour's love in thy poor worm, that I may feel it kindling upon the altar of my heart. Thus do thou enlarge my heart, expand my desires, and give me a deep experience of thy electing love, redeeming blood, and sanctifying grace, that I may be prepared for the exercises of the closet, the family altar, the pulpit, the Lord's table, the social prayer-meeting, and the society of the saints with whom I love to dwell: so that wherever thou shouldest call thy dust to labour, he may, in all his public ministrations, lay proud nature low, and exalt the sin-atoning Lamb of God. And when he shall have done and suffered thy righteous will on earth, may hẹ, arrayed in the Saviour's perfect robe of righteousness, be presented before the throne of thy glory, and live and reign with thee and thine for ever. Amen. Most glorious Lord of life and love, I bless thee for thy constant care; Oh let me still thy goodness prove, And hail with joy the opening year. Oh let my mind on thee be stayed, And make me in thy cause sincere; Then may my soul, on Jordan's shore, A COUNTRY MINISTER. Some Account of the Life and Last Days of William Morris Verrall. Enlarged from the pages of the Spiritual Magazine. 18mo. will be ready in a few days. STATEMENTS OF A POPULAR MINISTER, Dear Sir. A sermon has been put into my hands from which allow me to make a short extract, which has much distressed many of the Lord's dear children, constant readers of your little periodical; and for their comfort and consolation I desire to make a few brief remarks, not to trespass upou your valuable pages, to the exclusion of other important matter. "He that is our God is the God of salvation."-Psalm lxviii. v. 20. There are The preacher proceeds, and says, 'I wonder how many of this congregation can positively and confidently adopt this language? peradventure some among you who would put in “ a hope and a trust,' and be ready to exclaim in language more modern, but not more scriptural, "We hope and trust He is our God; we hope and trust we have an interest in Christ; we hope and trust that there is something in our assurance that testifies to the work of the Holy Ghost." I do not know where this hope and trust was invented, but I rather should suspect that it was born in the habitation of Arminianism. I do not know where the Scripture warrant for it is, but I can find many a Scripture warrant for such language as my text contains, which, taking God at his word, and recognizing God's work in the soul, urges at once its believing claim: 'It is so.' There is a fine specimen of this in the 12th chapter of Isaiah's prophecy: "Behold God is my salvation." Mark the unhesitating confidence, the bold assertion, the believing claim, the sacred relationship that is there so positively set down. then follow on with the prophecies, If you look through the Psalms, and particularly of Isaiah and Jeremiah, you will find this mode of addressing Jehovah, and of speaking of the things of salvation, commonly and constantly employed; and if you follow on to New Testament language, you will find such phrases as these of the apostle Paul, "I know whom I have believed; (no hope and trust there) I know that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him;" (no peradventure, no halfway expression there). Let us have no halting between two opinions; no hesitation, no indecision; come to the point.' Now, dear Editor, I wish no hesitation, no indecision, but at once come to the point concerning the aforesaid extract; and first speak of the habitation of Arminianism; then the birthplace of hope and trust; negatively, and positively; and then its age marking a few scripture warrants as I go on. And I feel assured I shall have every living soul, quickened by God the Holy Ghost, with me, and I want no other company. The habitation of Arminianism,' where is it? I reply, the heart of every unregenerate son and daughter of Adam, who is not born again of God, and quickened by the blessed Spirit; for out of the heart poceedeth all manner of abomination, everything that setteth itself up against God, and is contrary to the truth of God. Think you hope and trust were born in such a place? I trow not. For the carnal mind is enmity to God;" "the heart of man is evil, and that continually;" furthermore, "the natural inan knoweth not the things of God, neither can he know them, for they are spiritnally discerned." Again, I read concerning the wicked, 66 66 God is not in all their thoughts;" which proves to a demonstration that such have a trust in God, but are without God and without hope in the world. Now positively to be brief, the birth-place of hope and trust, where is it? I answer, in that soul that is begotten again of God, unto a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, quickened into newness of life; their poor blind eyes opened to see their own real state and condition in the sight of God; poor souls who are plagued sore from day to day by the world, the flesh, and the devil; who have felt some blessed sweetness and union to the dear Lord in bygone days, but are now walking in darkness, and have no light. Now what saith Isaiah for the comfort of such a soul? or rather, what says the Holy Ghost by the prophet to these of the hope and trust school? "Who is among you that walketh in darkness, and bath no light; let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God." This is one scripture warrant, poor soul, thou mayst find for thy hope and trust; and the word of God abounds with such, issued from the only truly wise council that ever sat, even Jehovah in the counsels of eternity; all sealed by the blood of Christ, ratified and signed by God the Holy Ghost. "The Father sent the Son to die, The willing Son obeyed; The Holy Ghost to ratify The purchase Christ has made." But as Jeremiah, David, and Paul are also mentioned, dear servants of the Lord who fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before them in the Gospel, and who had a good hope through grace, and are now in glory, singing the praises of Him who led them through the wilderness, sustained them by that good hope, and blessed assurauce, in caves, dens, dungeons, and prisons of various kinds literally; and spiritually when they were sinking in deep waters. One exclaims, "Why art thou cast down, O my soul, and why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God, (scripture language) for I shall yet praise Him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God;" and if the psalmist, and the prophets, and the apostles, had no hope and trust, why this blessed lan"Wherein God, willing more guage: abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope (Blessed Jesus! Thou who art the hope of Israel, and the Saviour thereof in time of trouble) set before us; which hope we have, as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, (mark that) and which entereth into that within the veil, whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus." But further more, mark the language of the psalmist, where he says, Trust in Him at all times, ye people." Again, "Blessed is the man who trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is." Again, "Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your hearts, all ye that hope in the Lord," Again, "The eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, that hope in his mercy." And Jeremiah speaking, says, "O Lord, the Hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed. But be not a terror unto me; Thou art my hope in the day of evil." Yes, poor soul, in the day of the evil one, trust in the Lord. If thou art sinking in deep waters of soul trouble, remember David, remember Jeremiah. Ah! says the devil, to distress you, These were the Lord's anointed ones. Well, then, remember another servant, one who was very much like an Arminian, one who was very much like you and me, wanted his own way. The Lord permitted him to have it, but sent him to the bottom of the mountains, where the weeds were wrapped about his head, mark his language, does it mean anything, think ye? Had he no hope and trust, when he said, "I will look again, salvation is of the Lord." Therefore be not cast down; remem ber this is no new doctrine; this is no modern language; this is no new invention of a blind Arminian, or a self-righteous pharisee; but it is as old as the Bible itself, and you, who are real children of God, cannot come with this bold language at all times (that often bespeaks an hypocrite), and confidently and positively adopt the language of the text, and take God at his word. I know it is fashionable, and much reckoned upon by many ministers of the present day, in having large congregations; I know it is thought much of, and the devil knows so too, by modern preachers having so many members belonging to their churches; but woe to that preacher, be he where he may or who he may, that preaches a gospel that brings numbers of hypocrites into a profession of the gospel, and then into their churches, to eat and drink damnation to their souls. But some may say, Could, or did not the psalmist, Isaiah, and the apostles, frequentiy adopt the language of the text, without any halfway expressions? I know the psalmist, patriarchs, prophets, and apostles knew what it was to taste sometimes the sweetness of walking in the light of God's countenance; and so do the Lord's dear people now and then; they also can adopt the language of the text, and also say, "When Jesus with his mighty love, Visits my troubled breast, Some preachers I know tell their hearers they should believe and act faith but true faith is the gift of God; and however dead, dry Calvinists, and empty professors may talk about believing, and acting faith; the poor sensible sinner knows it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps, neither is it of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God, that sheweth mercy. Therefore, poor child of God, I would you - were less like those of Thessalonica, by a decree that all our cavilling reaand more like those of Berea. I son cannot alter: this defeats all our know you, many of you, are led worldly policy "In the world ye about by divers and strange doc- shall have tribulation." Thus the trines, and take for granted this and decree went forth and it has been that thing is so, because Mr. this, or realized and confirmed in the experiMr. that, may have said so; but it is ences of multitudes, in both heaven good for the heart to be established and earth, and will be down to the with grace. May the Lord bless end of time, I would better underthese few remarks to your souls, and stand the word, which says, that ye cause you, like the Bereans of old, to be not unwise, but understanding what search the scriptures for yourselves, the will of the Lord is." This shews to see if these things are so; and the that we had need continually to pray whole tenor of scripture is on your for a spirit of right judgment, that side, whose experience leads you to we may be able, thereby, to draw hope and trust you have an interest right conclusions from trying dispenin Christ, because you find a law in sations, both for our own comfort and your members warring against the for the glory of God. But here I law in your minds, and bringing you discover many mistakes in myself, into captivity to the law of sin, which continually; for I am prone to judge is in your members, So, therefore, of things as I feel, or as I see, or as you find the flesh striving against things appear to the eyes of my blind the spirit, and the spirit against the reason, and that brings barrenness flesh, so that you cannot do the and leanness into my soul. Unbelief, things that you would, and how to I judge, is the root of this evil, and perform that which is good you find a most bitter root it is-full of deadly not." But God is nigh unto all that poison, and a right down plague of call upon him; that call upon him in leprosy. It is this that poisons our sincerity and truth: and the blessed comforts, and poisons all the sweetest Spirit has promised to help thy infir- blessings we have, as to our sense and mities, if thou sendest forth but a feeling. It was this that made Jacob sigh or a groan that cannot be ut- say, All these things are against tered. me;" and David, "I shall one day fall by the hand of Saul;" and the spouse, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my God hath forgotten me;" and the disciples on the sea, Carest thou not that we perish." This wretched unbelief is a kind of narcotic, it stupifies the senses, and makes us forgetful of past mercies, past deliverances, and the years of the right hand of the Most High. It is a thick veil that we cannot look through, so as to see the image of Christ in our hearts, without the special power of the most Holy Spirit. And, oh, what a valley of dry bones we are until Jesus, who has the residue of the Spirit, yea the fulness of the Spirit, breathes upon us:-how dry in all our prayers, conversations, hearings, and readings. But if we gain nothing else by this 'Tis Jesus the first and the last, Whose Spirit shall guide s safe home; And trust him for all that's to come, SERIES OF LETTERS WRITTEN BY THE Addressed to a Deacon of Gower-st. Chapel. (Never before Published.) No. 5.-To be Continued. My Dear Friend and Brother, I HAVE a willing heart to say something to you, but what to say I know not. I would fill my paper with complaints, but what would it avail? All the children of God are born to trouble, and ordained to tribulation, 66 66 sad trade, we gain this - a deeper sense of our completely helpless condition, so as not to be able to think a good thought, no, nor able even to believe God's good thoughts and good words, wherein he declares that he is our Father, and will remain such for ever; for "he is not a man that he should lie, nor the son of man that he should repent." I have laboured but little since I have been here. Preached but once on the first Sunday, and not in the week. Heard Mr. Turner of Sunderland twice, and with much satisfaction. Mr. T. will be about Lewes and Brighton until Mr. Gadsby has done at our place, and then I have requested him to supply a Lord's-day at Gower Street, the Lord's-day after Mr. Gadsby leaves, for I am persuaded my friends will like to hear Mr. Turner, but I have received no answer from Mr. T. as yet, though you shall have it in due time, and either he or myself will follow Mr. Gadsby. I hope the Lord is among you, and that he crowns his gospel with success, and is graciously going before you: you have my poor prayers and best desires for these things. I am certainly much better since I used the warm bath, but particularly so since I have used the cold bath; but my nerves are still weak, so that my greatest task is to write; I cannot stay the pen without guiding my right hand with my left, and can barely write legible with that. This frets and teases me not a little, for one and another is continually praying for letters, which quite torments my shattered mind, and would lay me quite aside if attended to. My kind love to all the friends, and to my fellow-labourer, Mr. Cowper. My son will be sending to me in a few days, and if you have an opportunity you will give it to him to enclose. Grace and peace be with you all. So prays your most worthy servant, HEERY FOWLER. un ENCOURAGEMENT AND DELIVERANCE. Dear Messrs. Elitors, I WARMLY Congratulate you, at the close of another year's labour; your December number adds the fourth volume of your Magazine to my little library, and in following you four years successively, I can close in with you in your preface, that in reading the self-told tale of my brethren of the work of God upon their souls, I have been comforted, instructed, and edified, and can bless my covenant God and Father through our Lord Jesus Christ for the privileges we now enjoy, in publishing the experience of the tried ones in Zion for the comfort of the weak, and strengthening of the feeble. But, alas! we may truly fear that the time may not be far distant when such a publication as yours may he silenced, when we witness the wide spread of infidelity on the one hand, and on the other hand, the rapid strides of that mother of harlots, that always has feasted upon the very vitals of the saints of the Most High God. She now appears under the disguised name of Puseyism, and surely the words of our Lord Jesus Christ are applicable to us now, "What I say unto you I say unto all, watch.' - Mark xiii. 37. O, that the servants of our God would take the alarm, and that both the silver trumpet and the ram's horn might be heard from one end of Zion to the other; we know not how soon the night will close in upon us, and perhaps the prison, the dungeon, the scaffold, or, the rack, may be messengers to take us to glory. The watchmen in Zion have as much need of the sword in the one hand, and the trowel in the other, as they had of old on the walls of Jerusalem, and that it may be our prayer that the Holy Ghost should visit the heralds of salvation, and spread abroad into their hearts a holy zeal for the honour of our triune Jehovah, so that they may be able to fight the battles |