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a certain sound, in whom we have perfect confidence, as being sent of God to preach.

preserved her from his fiery darts the remainder of her short time. She often cried out, "Dear Lord Jesus, come, come quickly;" and would beckon with her hand, look upward, smile sweetly, and exclaim, "Come, oh come, and take me to thyself!" and then would turn to me, and say, "Can it be that I want to be out of my pain, that I have this intense desire to be with my dear Redeemer ?" She had a kind word and appropriate remark for every one who came in, and left her love and farewell for every one she could not see; and told me every-true this side of the water as the other. thing she wished to have done.

She sweetly fell asleep, on the 16th of March, 1857, repeating the twentythird Psalm. The last words we could hear her say were, "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.' "" She was interred, like dear old Dr. Hawker, whom she dearly loved, on her birth-day, aged 72.

It would take too much of your time were I to tell you of the goodness of the Lord to me under this sore trial, leaving me alone, the last of a large family. The thought of the blessed Lord watching over His people night and day, which includes all time, has been a great comfort and support to me.

You may think it strange, the way my dear sister speaks of the want of good preaching in this great city; but it is even so, and getting worse every day. You will, no doubt, be surprised to hear that there is but one minister the few Christians I know can hear with comfort and profit. None of them preach like dear Mr. KRAUSE; his writings have been a great comfort to me. He says, "Woe be to the man who presumes to proclaim a gospel clogged with bargains and conditions." There are few here but have bargains and conditions for the poor dead sinner to perform.

My soul was much comforted and refreshed by reading the piece in the March Magazine, headed "Christian Communion,' and signed with the initials "T. M.," from Chatham. It is my feelings, experience, and belief, to the very letter. Oh! what heart-felt communion I have with that person. What is there said of free will, and not free grace as the idol of the times, is as

The union that is there spoken of is just the same here as there; and of course brings the same results.

You have heard of the great revivals that have been all over this country, the daily prayer-meetings, &c., &c., and calling on so many to make a profession of religion, as I call it, and not converted to God, for I believe they are few among the multitude. It is thought to be one of the greatest revivals the Church ever saw; but how they can call it a revival I know not, as that means reviving something that was there before; and, instead of reviving the Lord's dear people, it only goes to show them that the fulness of the Gentiles coming in by filling the churches with dead professors. Instead of being the brightest, I think it is the darkest day the Church ever saw; midnight surely is coming on fast, when the blessed Lord will come in His glory, and reign triumphantly.

Dear sir, I was really grieved, even to tears, when I heard of your having to leave Ireland; perhaps more so than some of your friends, because I feel a great attachment to it, as I was born in the next county to where you laboured. I did endeavour to beg the Lord, in my weak petitions, to keep you in that field of usefulness, and not let the enemy triumph by your having to leave it. No doubt your work was done there,

or it would have been otherwise ordered. The gospel ministers we used to hear Your dear wife's anxiety must have been with pleasure and profit have been great while in that field of persecution; taken home. The Lord appears to be and you must feel greatly relieved on transplanting His lilies from their earthly her account, and gratified at your garden to the one above, and raising up present situation, as it is evidently the none in their stead. There is a man of work of the Lord to take you there. I God, who comes twice a year one hun- trust He will be with you, and make you dred and fifty miles to preach to a hand-useful, and I have no doubt He will. ful of Christians, who gives the trumpet | I have the Christian experience and

the letters of dear old JOHN KEYLS; if you would like them to publish in the Magazine I can forward them to you; they contain some very blessed Scriptural truths. You know he was a member of Mr. HUNTINGTON's, whose writings have also been a great comfort and blessing to us.

of them. What a mercy the Lord has
been pleased to enable His servants,
TOPLADY, GOODWIN, and many others,
to write so much to comfort His people
in these dark times.
New York.
M. M. G.

[We shall be glad to receive the I get Mr. PHILPOT's sermons, and papers mentioned by our Correspondent. "Gospel Standard," and think very highly-ED.]

FRUIT THE CONSEQUENCE, AND NOT THE CAUSE, OF
CONVERSION.

heart."

But to my story. My friend went, and was disgusted, for the lecturers did their best to warp the Scriptures from their intent.

MY DEAR BROTHER,-A Christian | Pathetic exhortation; and t' address member of my congregation informed me The skittish fancy with facetious tales, the other day that he had been lately When sent with God's commission to the attracted to a church in his neighbourhood, through sheer curiosity to hear some "Lenten lectures." He had observed placards upon the walls of his locality, with such announcements as these, viz., "The Woman and her Waterpot. "The Little Man in the Sycamore Tree," &c., as the subjects of those lectures; and he said to himself, "I will go hear what the preachers have to say upon these subjects." He went, and was thoroughly disgusted. I need hardly tell you that the preachers or lecturers were Arminians, for I don't suppose that any Calvinist would condescend to pander to the gross and vulgar taste of the multitude, by putting forth Scriptural subjects in such a form as the above, even with the hope of doing some moral good.

By the way, I consider this much used plan of modern times to catch crowds (I mean the plan of giving racy and irreverent titles to professedly religious addresses) as most reprehensible. To say the least of it, it is low, and can only be countenanced by low minds. It is what Paul would not have done; for though he could be "all things to all

men,

The woman of Samaria, for instance, was represented as an example of freewill power to believe; and Zaccheus was held up as a good man, though a publican! My friend is an old and experienced Christian; so there was no fear of him being carried away by the subtlety of the devil in this case; but still, I question whether he was able to overturn the arguments of the minister to the satisfaction either of himself or of inquiring hearers.

For the sake, then, of your young readers, I would, with your kind permission, expose the barefacedness and culpable ignorance of the lecturer upon the character of Zaccheus.

The lecturer's statement was this,— that Zaccheus's penitence prepared the

vation of him; and the confession in
for the Lord's recognition and sal-
way
the 8th verse of Luke xix. was the basis
upon which he built his arguments.

Now, in refutation of this assumption, we never find him cracking jokes I aver that there is not a particle of to gain the joker, or lowering the sub-evidence in the narrative to show that limities of the gospel to win anybody. I would that Cowper's lines were ever before the minds of certain preachers of the present day :

""Tis pitiful To court a grin, when you should woo a soul; To break a jest, when pity would inspire

Zaccheus was a penitent man, or an anxious seeker of salvation, before he climbed the sycamore tree. Carnal curiosity alone urged him to see Jesus.

That the man was a sinner, and a hardened sinner, is manifest from the fact of This occupation. He (a Jew) was the

chief of a band of broken down and desperate characters, employed in collecting an odious impost from their fellow-countrymen; and not only in collecting what was legal, but in extorting, by lying and violence, more than was required by the Roman Government. How could such a man be a penitent man, or a man seeking salvation?

But our lecturer asserted that the confession in the eighth verse really shows what Zaccheus was.

Let us examine this assertion. (And I recommend all men to examine assertions. Let them not be afraid to test their ministers' assertions; and whereever common sense and common logic are available, let them be used).

Now, 1st. If this were Zaccheus's practice before he saw Jesus, how could he have been a rich man? We are told in the narrative that he was "rich." If the richest of us all were to give half of our wealth to the poor, and were to restore fourfold in all cases where we suspect we have not done strictly justly, I fancy that no one would esteem us "rich."

2ndly. If this were Zaccheus's practice before he saw Jesus, he certainly was an upright, honourable, and charitable man; but then the question presents itself, how could such a man take anything from any man by "false accusation ?"

3rdly. If this were Zaccheus's practice before he saw Jesus, this confession of his would in no wise differ from the Pharisee's in the parable, which confession the Lord deprecates.

4thly. If this were Zaccheus's practice before he saw Jesus, then we might reasonably conclude that he was a converted man; and to a converted man, salvation is already come. But Jesus says of Zaccheus, "This day is salvation come to this house," &c.

The lecturer's assumption, then, has not a leg to stand upon. It is not only unwarranted, but highly absurd.

The real fact is this, viz., the eighth verse contains the confession of Zaccheus after his call and change. The meaning is: Zaccheus stood forth before them all, in the presence of the whole company, and announced this as his resolution. It is as if he had said, "This is my determination: from this moment I devote half of my goods to the poor, and in all cases of my dishonest or fraudulent dealing, I am purposed to restore fourfold, according to the precept of the law of Moses."

Yes, this is the true solution. The Spirit of Jesus had operated upon Zaccheus's heart, and had begun to bring forth "fruits meet for repentance." The man was so grateful for what Jesus had done for him, was so truly thankful for the undeserved favour he had received-in short, was so influenced by the Holy Ghost, that his first impulse was to make every effort to put to rights what he had done amiss.

I believe this to be the case with every converted man. Reformation is a necessary consequence of conversion. A desire to do altogether differently is the natural result of that change which the Lord effects. Had Zaccheus thus spoken of his doings before he saw Jesus, he would have stamped himself a deluded Pharisee; had he determined otherwise after he had seen Jesus, he would have proved himself a contemptible hypocrite.

I trust I have made this plain to your readers; and, in conclusion, let me assure them that repentance is not to be estimated by fears, or terrors, or groans, or sighs; but by fruit-bearing to the honour and glory of God.

The Lord can take a thief to Paradise to-day, who had been a thief yesterday; but, most assuredly, if the thief upon whom the Lord looks lives in a time state, he will be a thief no longer. I a I am, yours faithfully, WILLIAM PARKS.

CHRIST A LADDER.-Christ is Jacob's | given under heaven among men, whereladder that reacheth up to heaven, and by we must be saved. There is none other he that refuseth to go by this ladder sacrifice for sin than this; He also, and thither, cannot by any other means get He only, is the Mediator that reconup so high. There is none other name cileth men to God.-Bunyan.

THE DEATH OF THE POOR BLIND WARWICKSHIRE WIDOW.

It has pleased the Lord to remove from we did not feel prepared for the question; this vale of tears this poor afflicted but a worse perplexity arose in our creature, who has been chiefly supported, minds when we were ushered into a for three years past, from a fund re-room to wait for the appearance of the ceived by simple means, well known to many of the readers of the Gospel Magazine; and, in order to record the goodness of our God, and to show how wonderfully He works, we think that this would be a fit season to run through the details of this interesting case.

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lady in question. Ah! beloved, we shall not easily forget that room and that season, for Satan set upon us with all his vile suggestions, and seemed to say, "Well, here's a pretty affair! Whatever have you come here for? Why, how can you expect, as a perfect 1st. Let us refer to the way in which stranger, to be treated well? And to this poor creature lost her sight. It say the least of it, it is a great piece of was in early life; as she was returning impudence.' Ah! Satan, there was from the corn harvest, some young another defeat at hand for you; for, workmen, by way of what they called a although when our unknown friend apjoke, threw some wet lime into her face; peared, there was consistent reserve, she immediately experienced acute pain when the name and fame of Jesus was in her eyes, and became darkened. A touched upon, all melted; heart reseries of operations, performed at Co-sponded to heart; notes were alike when ventry, gave her no relief, and she was sent to a practitioner in London. Here again she passed through great suffering, and had her eyes lanced an incredible number of times; and although, during that period, she could see the light occasionally, looking of a pink colour, the attempts to restore to her sight were unavailing. The burning caustic which was applied to them she described as producing the most intense agony. And now, dear reader, we must call your attention to the way in which we became first acquainted with this poor creature. Having occasion to go to the village of S upon business, when we had fulfilled our duties, having half-an-hour to spare, we pulled out of our pocket a Number of the Gospel Magazine, and, as some would say, we happened to hit upon the name of a subscriber to the Bonmahon Schools, who lived in that very village; a feeling immediately arose in the mind, how much we should like to pay this person a visit. She surely must be a godly person, and who knows but what we might gain a profitable season? With these feelings we determined to go, and having accertained the whereabouts, came to the desired residence of our unknown friend. Making bold to knock at the door, the servant courteously asked us our business, and we confess

compared; and we found ourselves fellow-members of that blessed family of which Jesus is the head. And here we must pause to remind you, dear reader, of the value of such a Magazine as the one now in your hands: it is not merely for the sake of the reading and the spiritual information therein, that it is so valuable, although this renders it, doubtless, chiefly so; but it is, and has been, ofttimes the means of drawing the children of God together; brethren in the faith, unknown before, have been well known since; and God has made the Gospel Magazine a means of connecting the links in the chain of His providences, which have resulted in honour to His great name, and soul benefit to the Christians thus brought into contact. It is not possible to imagine the benefit that results from our family Magazine. But to return: the result of this interview was, that our friend, whose habit it was and is to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, invited us to S- again, to visit the cases of affliction she had in hand. Thither we went the first opportunity, and among those cases was that of this poor blind widow, the subject of these tracings. Never shall we forget our first visit. Though outwardly blind, it was blessedly light within, and out of the abundance of the heart the

tongue told of a precious Jesus, who had for years been her only comfort and solace. Well, dear reader, these happy visits were continued until, in the order of God's providence, we were removed from that part of England to the neighbourhood of the great metropolis. Never shall we forget our last interview before leaving. "God bless you, dear sir, God bless your dear lady, and God bless your dear children; He will bless you wherever you are,” said this poor creature, as we left the cottage. Our reply was, "And you also, poor widow F.; and depend upon it, when we are far away, we shall not forget you." Nor did we forget our promise, for upon writing our next "Wayside Notes," we just threw in the following simple note, the result of which you shall further read :

moved our poor widow to her new abode. One great advantage was achieved by this movement, for our poor one had been totally deprived of the means of grace for many years, and we now appointed a person to lead her to a place of worship, and otherwise attend upon her. This filled her heart with joy, and made her gratitude abound. Well, time rolled on, and subscriptions rolled in, when one day we received a sum from a Mrs. G

of S- ,stating that, as her daughter was going into the neighbourhood, how much she should like her to visit the poor widow. We immediately responded, "By all means, and if she does, let me introduce her to the family of M, who will take her to the poor creature's cottage." It is impossible to run through the details of this visit. "Dear reader, have you any interest Suffice it to say; that a member of this in the Aged Pilgrims' Asylum? Here family became struck with Miss G--, is one of the Lord's living family, quite the result of which is one of the happiest blind, and otherwise bodily afflicted, and marriages we know of. We have visited living in great discomfort, her income them since, and, God be praised, they being two shillings and sixpence per are fellow-members of Christ's mystical week from the parish. If you would body, growing up together in that union assist the writer in obtaining an asylum which can never be dissolved. Thus for her, you would bestow a lasting has the poor widow been the unconbenefit upon this poor enfeebled one, and scious instrument of working wonders. in the name of Jesus we would thank you." Nor is this all; other striking circumNow, see how the Lord works. We stances have sprung from these wheelhad asked for votes for the Aged Pil-within-wheel movements, one of which grims' Asylum, instead of which the next post brought us a note, inclosing a postoffice order for two sovereigns, from one "R. H., Liverpool." Thinking this a handsome donation for this object, we immediately acknowledged the receipt, and addressed our unknown friend as R. H., Esq.; but mark, dear reader, he responded, Pray don't address me as Esq., I am but a poor working man."

66

Reader, has the Lord blessed you with an abundance of this world's goods? What a lesson here! A poor working man sending two sovereigns to relieve the necessities of a poor blind widow! Well, to proceed; other donations flowed in, when we had not asked for a penny; and the conclusion we came to was, that the Lord meant this dependent one should thus be supported to the end of her days. We therefore, in company with our dear friend at Stook a little cottage, had it whitewashed and done up, and after overcoming hot hostility from certain quarters, re

is (mark it!) a life spared which must have been sacrificed. To God be all the praise! Well, the time at last arrived when our dear Lord had done all He required with this poor widow, and she received a solemn warning to prepare for a better and brighter world. On the 10th of March we received the following note:

"MY DEAR CHRISTIAN FRIEND,-I am grieved to tell you our poor blind widow had a fit yesterday, fell down, and broke her arm; she now lies in a very sad state of bodily suffering. She passed a very restless night, but is quite sensible to-day, and is, she says, happy in the Lord. I did wish yesterday God in the fire, that He had bid her to you could have seen her. She was praising know and love Him before she was laid on a bed of pain and languishing; expressing her love to her Saviour with such energy and warmth, that her sincerity could not be doubted by those who heard her. favourite verse was often on her lipsJesus to know, and to feel His blood flow, Is life everlasting, is heaven below."

Her

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