you say, regenerated in baptism, are privileged to have the rites of what is falsely called "Christian burial.' The regeneration of the soul by God is a complete and perfect work, not exclusively belonging to the province of bishops, or confined to that part of national machinery, called a Church, but the birth-right of every member of the mystical body of the Lord Jesus, whose birth takes place, not by blood nor by the will of the flesh, nor by the will of man, and being in no way dependant, can in no way be by these things effected. Hence the great apostle who was in no way the predecessor of the Bishop of Exeter, in the advocating such things, speaks in plain language thereon, and at once demolishes the baseless fabric. "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his great mercy, he saved us-by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost, which he shed on us abundantly through our Lord Jesus Christ."-Titus iii. 5. Could one shade of truth like this be found throughout your elaborate and dogmatical charge, it would rejoice me, and did the notoriety you have brought upon yourself arise from adhering to the things of the Gospel, you should have the sympathy of an old man, mingled with his prayers, that you might be delivered from all wicked and unreasonable men. Alas! how reverse is the case, and how solemn the thought, that a Bishop of the Reformed Church, whose unnumbered days can be but few, is so lamentably ignorant of the first principles of vital Christianity as to be found enforcing, in what may probably be his last triennial charge to the clergy of his diocese, the heterogeneous and Romish doctrine of "baptismal regeneration," with other things equally absurd, and which you would enforce with the iron rod of prelatical power, were it not that these things hang in abeyance until the sons of Maynooth shall run to and fro the length and breadth of the land. And who can doubt the affinity between the instruction given to these scions of the Vatican and the dogma tenets the Bishop of Exeter would enforce? Could I entertain a hope there was, one latent spark in your breast towards what a bishop ought to be, I would urge you, now you are returned with your hackneyed charge to your palace, to enter your closet, and compare it with those thirteen sent forth by the great apostle Paul, whose successor you vauntingly say you are; and bear in mind, they were not drawn up by a chaplain, but written, in many instances, with only the cheerless comfort of a prison taper; yet what warmth of affection flows from the heart of the aged saint towards the churches he addresseth! and how does he delight to dwell upon those things the Bishop of Exeter never glances at-things that are excellent, and of vital importance, and of which no one who aspireth to the office of a bishop should be ignorant! Had I not already exceeded the limits prudence dictates, regarding the medium used in addressing you, I would transcribe some of those excellent injunctions of the aged Paul, and place in juxtaposition with those meagre and unmeaning ones to be found in your charge; a charge that is as destitute of vital godliness as those emanations from the Popish Propaganda. Were it not for the awful consequences that must soon follow these things, one might be tempted to smile at the pomp displayed by an old man, in going from place to place to deliver this empty charge; and though drawing by your veto the great body of clergy, it is well known that, with the major part, it has no weight, beyond the pain inflicted of being compelled to listen to its delivery. A recklessness in those in whose hands are left the affairs of the nationthe absence of grace with the episcopal bench-the cold indifference to anything of a godly nature in these times shown by our universities-together with the almost universal apostacy of our clergy, are among the portentous signs that swift destruction is coming upon us. "She is empty, and void, and waste, and the heart melteth, and the knees smite together, and much pain is in all loins, and the faces of them all gather blackness." "The days of visitation are come, the days of recompense are come." O England! thou shalt know it; thy prophets are fools, and thy spiritual men mad. "Wherefore, their way shall be unto them as slippery ways in the darkness; they shall be driven on, and fall therein." In looking at the charge of Henry, Bishop of Exeter, and remembering the tone and manner of its delivery, how far short it falls of the portrait drawn by the apostle-" For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God, not self-willed, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre, but a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate, holding fast the faithful word in teaching, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers." With bishops and clergy after this model, England might have defied her every foe, and would have never been so degraded as to aid and assist the Church of Rome in preparing those weapons which will ultimately slay her own children. From my Stall, Amen Corner. CRISPIN. 59 REFUGE FOR THE DESTITUTE. MY DEAR SIın, (Continued from page 331.) Here then is drawn the full-length portrait of our wonderful Counsellor in his exalted state, before his Father's throne, pleading our cause, not as counsellors in the earthly courts, but making our cause his own, and both the Judge and Counsellor have more at stake than we poor prisoners can have. We, it is true, have our eternal state, but they have all the glory and honour of all. Their glorious persons and perfections, all would be tarnished, if but one case should be lost that this wonderful Counsellor undertakes, because it must be for want of wisdom, skill, or power, love, faithfulness, or understanding, but all glory to his precious, glorious, and holy name, this cannot be, for his wisdom and skill are infinite, his love is everlasting and unchangeable; he has all power in heaven and on earth, and we have seen him bound with a girdle all of gold, and we are told that righteousness is the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. We have also seen this glorions personage, that out of his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; this sword is the word that goeth forth out of his mouth to God, his Father, and which he pleads our cause with, and which he demands of God our Father, our liberation, by saying, "Deliver them from going down to the pit; I have found a ransom; I have paid the price, my precious blood - my own heart's blood; see my raiment stained there with;" and while thus he pleads with this two-edged sword, he holds up his nail-torn hands, and shows his wounded side that stained his vesture. Thus, methinks, I hear him now plead my cause-the worst he ever had; yet he never lost it. Often has he presented my case before his throne, yet I rebelled, and rose up in hostility, and then forgot him; and though angels were turned out of heaven, and banished for ever, yet this wonderful Counsellor, who is so excellent in working and mighty in council, pleaded my cause, and brought me the certificate signed with his love, sealed with his blood: so that, instead of being banished from his dear throne, of his rich grace, blessed be his precious name, he has drawn me so near it, that I have been overwhelmed with a sight and sense of my unworthiness, and his abundant love to me-the richness, the fulness, the freeness of his rich, superabounding grace to me, the least of all saints, and the chief of all sinners. There is one thought that strikes my mind with peculiar sweetness, that this wonderful Counsellor stands thus ready to plead the causes of the very chief of sinners; so that no poor soul, however depraved his life may have been, if he is brought to feel them, he needs just such a counsellor to plead for him, and no other will do, even were there another-that he must eternally perish if he does not undertake to plead for him; and therefore are they come unto him, hoping he will not cast them out, but will nndertake to plead for them. Poor soul, cheer up! he has undertaken your cause from all eternity, or you never would have been brought to your present position by God the Holy Ghost, and none besides, yea, I am sure none besides would; and therefore he that hath begun a good work will carry it on and perfect it. It is the Holy Ghost that records all crimes, and carries all causes into court; not the careless clerk man, but one of the glorious Persons of the Trinity, whose glory and honour is engaged, and who also makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered—yes, and according to the will of God the Father. Once more we behold in his portrait that his eyes were as a flame of fire, to indicate their penetrating and consuming nature, to penetrate the hearts of the prisoners that are hid and bound with the chains of their sins; they cannot pour their cause in words before him, but can only inwardly groan and sigh, and this wonderful Counsellor has commanded to let the sighing of the poor prisoners come up before him, and also to preserve them that are appointed to die, and that, too, not according to their crimes, or as they each deserve. Oh, no, blessed be the God and Father of this wonderful Counsellor, who hath given him to us to plead our cause, we are to be preserved according to the greatness of his power, and to consume all that rise up against us, to condemn us or to bear false witness against us, and also to consume our hay, wood, and stubble, our fancied good works, and strike condemnation into our souls, and make us feel comfort in our Judge. We are guilty, and he would be justified if he were to banish us to eternal torture and black despair. Again, his hairs are white, to show that his purity, his righteousness, his judgment, his truth and holiness, not only to the pri soners at his bar, but to the judge and the witnesses, and also those that he has the interest of-the first and the last, the beginning and end of all counsellors and judges. Again, his feet were like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace, to show the stability and immutability of his counsel and decrees and faithfulness to all his prisoners, that nothing any accuser may bring on, shall turn his heart, quench his love, or cause him to refrain from pleading the cause, however desperate it may be. Their appearing to burn in a furnace is to show that nothing can ever burn his goings as counsellor, though men and devils may rage against it, and floods and flames threaten to destroy or overthrow it. His countenance, as the sun, shineth in his strength, to show the matchless splendour of his glorious person when he shines on his beloved people, and looks into their often frozen hearts. The glorious, heavenly sight of his lovely countenance shows the hidden, innate depravity of their nature, and makes them cry out in bitterness of soul, like Job, "Behold I am vile," that he may plead their cause, and seal their don, and proclaim to their souls their eternal justification, and bring their souls out of prison, that they may glorify him. And again, his countenance is as the sun that shineth in his strength, to show that he can melt the hardest heart, thaw and warm the most frozen affections by one look, as he did par Peter's, and also to make all his and their enemies retreat at his approach, and also to scorch up the weeds, thorns, thistles, and briars that grow in nature's garden, that his graces may not be overgrown by them. His voice is as the sound of many waters, to show its sovereign power, its mighty effect, when he speaks home to the hearts of sinners. Every thing whatever that may rise up against his divine majesty must fall when he speaks; and also to show the sovereign manner in which this wonderful Counsellor pleads our cause, when he says, "Father, I will that those whom thou hast given me be with me where I am to behold my glory. Did ever a counsellor plead thus to the judge of poor prisoners, that he may be with them? Oh, no, but our wonderful counsellor—our precious Jesus does. And shall not his desire be granted? Oh, yes, he shall see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied, for, wondrous mercy, this wonderful Counsellor is near akin to us-is bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh-our brother, born for adversity-our husband, to provide for and shield us from all our enemies, and bring us safely home to our Father's house, and present us all fair, without spot or blemish before him in love; and happy-thrice happy-is that soul that can confidently say, in the exercise of living faith, "He is my Lord and my God," and can sing with the poet : "The mighty God-my counsellor, All through my life will plead my cause, R. S. THEY DRANK OF THAT SPIRITUAL ROCK THAT FOLLOWED THEM, AND THAT ROCK WAS CHRIST. 1 Cor. x. 4. O FAINTING Saint, behold your Lord, (Heb. xii. 2, 3) Doth Satan throw his fiery darts, (Eph. vi. 16) Perceiv'st thou not the love of God? (1 John iii. 4) And thou e'er long shalt gain thy rest, * But grace reigns. W. To Gideon. MY DEAR BROTHER IN THE LORD! I most sincerely and feelingly join with you in your lamentation over the indolent and self-indulgent spirit manifested by the sons and daughters of Zion in our day. With you, I labour from Sabbath to Sabbath almost alone in the work of teaching. An hour before service commences, when the children have wearied themselves with listless or playful attempts to learn and irritated the few regular teachers we have by fruitless efforts to keep the little troop in order-a teacher drops in, takes his or her place, wonders the children are not in time, laments the class is diminishing, complains of the children's behaviour, and never once asks the reason of all this. I am indeed grieved in spirit to see the little interest those who are best qualified for the work, take in Sabbath-school teaching. And the Lord's Spirit-taught people would do well to make this a matter of solemn inquiry, as to the manner in which they spend the intervals between worship. I have often been wounded by the refusal of some of the Lord's people to join in this work who yet can pass away an hour in religious gossip about persons and preachers and localities, and dignify this with the term "Christian communion." I am not now pleading for that Arminian zeal which makes some neglect their own families, overlook their soul's best interest, and make sacrifice better than obedience; but if our brothers and sisters in the Lord who have been made to feel the quickening energies of the Holy Ghost, and whose position admits of casting their mite of usefulness into God's treasury, would exercise a little self-denial as regards sleep, meals, and this so-called Christian communion, we should not have to endure the taunt so often cast upon the doctrines of a freegrace gospel, that the people who love to hear them sit down satisfied with a personal reception of them, and are indifferent to the welfare of others. The truth is, Sabbath-school teaching involves self denial, and as a freegrace gospel throws merit out of the case, the Spirit-taught believer has only love and faith to influence; therefore it is our Sabbath schools have few teachers, wanting the grand stimulus to all Arminian exertion-human merit, and this tests the real proportion and character of that self-denial which does good; "Hoping for nothing again," while it makes me value greatly that degree of labour given by those who do work in this spirit. Therefore, my dear brother, go on in the fear of the Lord, be not discouraged because your teachers are few and your school small; remember God's thoughts are not as man's thoughts, therefore it is the few, the remnant, the little flock, He loves, owns, meets, blesses. Be not cast down if children drop off and teachers wax cold, and the sentence of death seem to pass upon your labours. Unbelief will say at times, If the Lord be with us, why hath all this evil befallen us. But may you move by blessed tokens, even as Gideon did of old, that the Lord is with you and will own your work. The purpose of our Sabbath schools is not to make children religious by a receipt, but to gather out God's elect from the midst of the infant gathering, which shall be be a seed to serve Him. Now if you are made the humble instrument of drawing out one of these precious gems from the rubbish of the fall," the Walworth school" unnoticed and uncared for as it is, has not been opened and supported in vain, nor has your labour been in vain in the Lord. Yours in the kingdom and patience of Christ, R. |