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every instance, divided into equal yearly payments for the term during which they must be made, whatever that may be; provided only that every insurance be effected before the insuring minister shall have completed his fiftieth year.

This subject has been reserved for the advantage of a close examination in the adjourned session of your Assembly on Saturday morning next; and the distributors of your fund have hope that then this important project may be brought into a form every way satisfactory; and a commencement forthwith made of a plan by which the old age of many a worthy brother will be cheered and comforted.

The session was closed with prayer, conducted by the Rev. H. B. Jeula, of Greenwich.

HOME MISSIONARY SOCIETY. CONGREGATIONAL DISSENT AT MARGATE, KENT. As this much-frequented watering-place has recently become a sphere of the Home Missionary Society's operations, it will gratify the supporters of the Society, and be pleasing to the members of the Congregational body, to read the following statement:

The want of a place of worship of the Congregational order in this much frequented coast town had long been felt and acknowledged; but the high estimation in which the late Mr. Young, the venerable minister of the Countess of Huntingdon's Chapel, was held by those most anxious for the spread of Congregational principles, induced them to postpone the idea so long as he continued to labour, lest his mind should be pained, or his usefulness interfered with. On the 31st of December, 1843, he resigned his pastoral charge; and it is no small satisfaction to those concerned in this new undertaking to know that this aged and honoured servant of Christ acknowledged the regard that was paid to him in this respect. As soon as it was known by the Directors of the Home Missionary Society and Kent Congregational Association that Mr. Young had retired, the matter was taken up by them, to secure, among other objects, a sabbath home for visitors of that denomination who frequent this salubrious spot.

About this period, the close of January, 1844, a variety of concurrent circumstances evolved the necessary agency in the persons of several residents for commencing and carrying out the mutually cherished intentions of the respective parties, who subsequently agreed, by mutual aid and co-operation, to establish a Congregational interest in this town; those Societies promising to sustain the ministry for a time, that by preaching the gospel, and by other kindred efforts, they hoped to advance the cause of God in connection with that form of church government which they believed to be according to his mind. Much difficulty was experienced ere an eligible place could be obtained for the celebration of Divine worship; but at the close of the year 1844 this building, long known as "Bettisons' Library," was hired, repaired, and comfortably fitted up. It was opened for public worship on the 5th day of March, 1845, on which occasion the Rev. Dr. Campbell, Rev. John Blackburn, of London, and the Rev. John Pyer, of Devonport, preached.

This chapel (denominated Cecil-street Chapel) has been regularly supplied by ministers from London, the county of Kent, and other places, with the esteemed labours of occasional preachers. A Christian church was formed here about the beginning of June, 1845, by the Rev. W. B. Leach, minister of Robert-street Chapel, Grosvenor-square, London. The number of members at that time were ten. Church-members, as well as the congregation, have been gradually increasing: of the former there are

now in fellowship thirty. Fluctuations in attendance have occurred at different seasons of the year and under the various preachers, but the services have never been intermitted, unless on some public or particular occasion; neither has there been wanting evidences of Divine approbation.

The struggle for permanency up to this point has been crowned with success, though involving pecuniary obligations for which we depend on the Christian sympathy and liberality of those who desire the advance of the kingdom of Him of the increase of whose government and peace there shall be no end.

The church considered it desirable to invite Mr. Beckley to take the pastoral oversight, conceiving, from what they knew of him, that he would follow out his serious and conscientious convictions of truth with honesty of purpose, and that under Divine instruction and illumination he would faithfully "teach and preach Jesus Christ."

Mr. Beckley was introduced to this church and congregation about the close of July, 1847. Testimony was publicly borne to his character for sterling piety, a laudable zeal and amiability of disposition, with a fair share of preaching talent, and there has nothing come to our knowledge to falsify this description; and therefore the church gave him a cordial and unanimous invitation, which, after consideration, he as cordially accepted.

With reference to this little community one desire animates it, "To do good and get good," and aware that the object of their choice for this important office is, like themselves, fallible, having difficulties to contend with, and discouragements to depress, they are disposed in the economy of means to strengthen his hands by co-operation and sympathy, and do all in their power to render his settlement among them permanent, useful, and happy.

The

The foregoing sketch was read by Mr. Cross, on Friday, 21st April, previous to the ordination of Mr. Beckley, as pastor of the church. services were of the most pleasing and profitable character. The Rev. R. Ashton delivered the introductory discourse; the Rev. Isaac Brown, of Dover, proposed the questions to the young minister; the Rev. H. J. Bevis, of Ramsgate, offered the ordination prayer; and the Rev. J. Frost, tutor of Cotton End, delivered the charge; the Rev. Mr. Knight, Rev. T. H. Brown, of Deal, and Rev. F. Wills, of Ramsgate, took part in the devotional exercises. The Rev. J. W. Massie, D.D., LL.D, secretary to the Board of British Missions, preached to the church and congregation in the evening. The audience was large, and generally interested in all the services. The attendance was even greater in the evening, and evinced a lively sympathy in the proceedings. The chapel was thronged in the aisles and entrances. The Baptist chapel had been kindly offered for the evening service; but, as the Wesleyan and Lady Huntingdon's Chapels were to be open, it was thought better to remain in the place occupied by the church over whom the young pastor was to preside. It is a neat and commodious house of worship, seating about 400 adults, and well situated for the population. The friends had provided dinner at the London Hotel, and a respectable company sat down to welcome Mr. Beckley. Dr. Massie presided; and the ministerial brethren present delivered their sentiments, giving the young pastor assurance of sympathy and encouragement. The best prospects open for the future labours of Mr. Beckley; and it will be a comfort to Congregationalists, when they visit Margate, to be supplied with a ministry which will be alike creditable to the denomination and spiritually profitable to themselves and their families. They will have opportunities of co-operating with friends of the cause in seasonable efforts for its support.

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Theology.

THE BIBLE A BOOK FOR ALL.

THE Bible is a book for all-a universal and an everlasting possession for the sons of men. As a system of moral truth, designed to recover lost sinners to the knowledge, love, and service of a holy God-a rule of conduct, and a ground of hope, it is true for all, and true for all times-for all conditions of men, under every variety of circumstances. We grant that both the evidences and the truths of revelation present subjects of great difficulty to many minds, and difficulty proportioned to the very acuteness and speculative sagacity of such minds; but still we are bold to maintain that as the light, and air, and heat, and vital influences of nature are graciously adapted to cherish and sustain the frames of all organized beings, and of all alike, so the word of God, in respect of those truths which are necessary to make men "wise unto salvation"-in respect of all that can influence our conduct or direct our faith, is a plain word, neither too high nor too low for the knowledge of all; that it is adapted for all times, and for all varieties of human character, however differing from each other in mental power and susceptibility; and that it carries with it its own evidence in the appeal which it makes to men's own bosoms, to every man's individual consciousness.

And in this do we perceive one of the many proofs of our religion, and a peculiar and most convincing evidence that profound and superhuman wisdom -infallible wisdom, as well as infinite_graciousness-pervades the word not less than the works of God; that the God of nature is also the God of the Bible. For while this universal adaptation to man's reasonable and moral nature-that nature common to us all, as distinct from the peculiar mental qualities or special endowments of individuals—is one of the marks which we are surely authorized to expect in a revelation from God of a restorative dispensation, it is evident that none but the Creator of man's nature, none but He who "knew what was in man," could have conferred upon it that appropriateness-that perfect suitableness to every mind, however differing constitutionally or educationally from other minds-that characteristic of universality in its power to move the heart, which, not less from the testimony of facts than from its own declarations and demands, we are constrained to contend the Bible possesses, and in which we discover a true and appropriate test of its Divine origin.

If the grand truths of revelation were of that class which, either in themselves or their evidences, appeal primarily to the intellect, requiring for their comprehension severe powers of reasoning or abstraction, and for their demonstration the laborious inquiry and close deductions of a mind not only gifted with sound erudition, but inured to the task of reasoning from remote premises to a formal conclusion, then it is evident the Bible would be unfitted for all those individuals whose speculative powers are small-that is, for the great mass of mankind. In no country and in no age has the class of minds habituated to the severe exercise of intellect, or graced with accurate erudition, borne any large proportion to the uncultivated, untrained class. If, therefore, the truths of Christianity were only to be grasped by comprehensive reasoning, or familiarly apprehended only by the highly-cultivated mind, on few indeed could they make any permanent impression! The necessities of our common nature could not be met by a revelation which professes, nevertheless, to be made in love and compassion to all men, and for the faith and moral instruction of all; that faith which is declared to be the transaction of the individual soul with the word of God would be of rare and limited operation; and the

VOL. V.

X

Bible would not be entitled to the character we have claimed for it as being a BOOK FOR ALL-a revelation of Divine truth available to the wants of all.

The object of Divine revelation is to make men of all varieties of character and of every grade of intellect "wise unto salvation ;" in other words, to present to all men possessing it such truths as are fitted by their practical influence to renew and regenerate the heart. Because its object is not mere mental illumination: the Bible, while it requires no sacrifice of reason, does not deal in speculative truths, which, as such, must be submitted to the abstract operation of the understanding. Its grand aim is to work remedially upon the heart of man; to supply him with efficient rules and motives for avoiding sin and cultivating holiness. Its truths address themselves to the universal feelings and experience of mankind, rather than to their powers of intellectual observation; to the conscience, rather than to the understanding; to our common nature, which lies below the distinctions imposed upon us by mere intellectual equalities or mental acquirements. The knowledge of these truths -of such of them as it concerns us all to know and understand-of such of them as are calculated to inspire "repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ," is not necessarily related to any previous knowledge; for the only source from which they are drawn is the revealed word itself. And then it has pleased the Spirit of God to propound these saving truths to us in the very simplest manner. There is no formal systematic statement of doctrines in the sacred Scriptures; nothing of circuitous and intricate deduction; nothing required for the honest and hearty acceptance of substantial religious truth which even the unformed intellect, or mind provided with only the simplest elements of knowledge, may not grasp. The depth and hopelessness of man's wretchedness by nature, and the doctrines of atoning and renewing grace, in strict connection with the holiness and inflexibility of God's law, are the vital and essential doctrines of "the common salvation;" the truths which sanctify the heart, and form its abiding consolation; and the truths which, blessed be God, are freely imparted, not to the "wise and prudent," according to the measure of this world's wisdom and prudence, but to all who diligently and earnestly seek for them, and receive them in a meek and grateful spirit. The truths which save and sanctify the soul, though they will not yield themselves to presumptuous and merely intellectual scrutiny, graciously disclose themselves as "the great power of God to salvation" to every heart which desires to know them, that it may obey them and live by the faith of them. The only key to them is a teachable mind and an humble spirit.

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How different all this from what would have been the case had the Scriptures been of an origin merely human! The simplicity of Divine truth, and of the specific mode in which it is conveyed, how unlike the didactic precision, the laboured systematic arrangement of cold abstractions, which prevails in all the philosophical systems of "science without truth which man's uninspired intellect has given birth to! And how confirmatory this very simplicity of its Divine original, and of the resources of restorative wisdom to work out its professed end-the salvation of souls! All the works of God have this characteristic in them, that they are perfect means to a perfect end; and such is the Bible-it too bears the stamp and impress of Divinity. It is a system of truths neither vaguely inconclusive to the trained and powerful dialectician, nor hopelessly obscure and therefore inert to the feeblest powers of reasoning; neither dry, barren, and uninteresting to minds accustomed to luxuriate in intellectual affluence, nor oppressive and bewildering, by reason of its compass and variety, to men of no attainments in letters or in science. The truths of the gospel are just as well calculated to nourish the faith of the humblest and most illiterate believer, as that of men of the most cultivated and enlarged understanding, and the richest mental adornments, presenting, as they do, to

each, and to each alike, sound knowledge-that is, truth supported by adequate evidence; and enabling, as they do, each, and each alike, to believe in that mercy which is equally revealed to all.

The Christian revelation, therefore, demands the assent of all men-of all castes of mind, in all ages, and under all circumstances. It invites all ; it warns all; it "lies open in the market-place and on every window-seat." It may, to be sure, be misunderstood, it may be disobeyed, it may be overlooked; but it leaves to men of the simplest as well as the profoundest understanding to the illiterate equally as to the erudite-no plea for ignorance, none for disobedience, none for neglect. Yes, although the powers and faculties of the buman mind are of as varied range as its attainments in different individuals, the experience of all ages demonstrates that THE BIBLE IS A BOOK FOR ALL-a sealed book to none who will reverently inquire at it. Shades of sentiment will obtain amongst its students, and its truths will be held with more or less harmonious attemperament in different minds; but all that is vital and essential to religion-all that involves our best and dearest interests-all that it is needful for man to know, may have place amongst the deepest convictions of any rational and responsible being, on grounds as sound as the everlasting rock. Thus are we bold to maintain the grand Protestant doctrine of "the entire sufficiency of the Bible to teach all necessary truth." And this fact, we again emphatically repeat, establishes and confirms the truth and Divine origin of the Bible; its claim to be regarded as a book written throughout under the superintendence of Infinite Wisdom.

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Christian readers! you who have neither time nor faculties for the labour of close investigation and logical deduction, but who know and feel the nature and amount of your spiritual necessities, rejoice that there is full and adequate provision for all your deep-felt exigencies in the word of God; and that that word, "written for your learning," and benignantly accommodated to the constitution of your minds, has proved itself in your experience to be "full of grace and truth.' That word that blessed, life-giving word-how has it met and answered the wants of your hearts! How has it overborne your doubts, and mastered your convictions, and roused your consciences! How clearly and intelligibly has it responded to the instincts and sympathies of your moral nature! How has it sounded the very depths of your being, revealing to you your innate depravity and wretchedness, but not less clearly revealing a sovereign remedy for all your misery! How has it uprooted the seeds and elements of spiritual death, and implanted in you new sentiments, new perceptions, new desires, new affections-the germs and principles of spiritual life! True, you feel, you often feel, that you cannot comprehend all Scripture, and that you have by no means obtained freedom from error on all doctrinal points; but in this do you greatly rejoice, that, by Divine teaching, you have been made to understand, in the simplicity of Christian faith, so much of God's word as is sufficient for your direction to heaven; yea, so much as enables you not only to adhere stedfastly to the truth, but, in honest simplicity of heart and purpose, earnestly to contend for it against all lying vanities and "doctrines of men,' "misnamed science. Rejoice, then, in your full possession of this inestimable gift-the greatest, saving that of his own Son, ever bestowed upon men by the Author of all good. Cherish the blessed boon, which "cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire." Cultivate a more intimate knowledge of its grand central truth" Christ and him crucified." Strive to keep the faith whole and undefiled, in the "full assurance of understanding;" yea, to be rich in the hope of its promises; and bear with patience your comparative ignorance of human science, assured that that which is truly divine-divine in its origin, divine in its effects, divine in its results-has been given you in present

and everlasting possession. "I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight."

C.

MAN'S FALL FROM GLORY.

THE glory of our original state ought to make us blush, on account of what we are at present. Behold thyself, sinner, in the glass of the innocency of thy first father: oh, how different is thy state from what it was! Poor sick mortals, who groan under corruptible bodies, remember that your nature was healthy in its original composition, and lament over that health which you have lost! It is true that we can no more become in this world such as Adam was in his creation; the way into the terrestrial paradise is no longer found. But you know, that, by the grace of God in Christ Jesus, and by the benefits of the covenant of mercy which he hath established, we may regain the love of God, and blessings far greater than those which accompanied our original state.

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Come then, criminal man, from whence thou art fallen and repent.' When the merchant hath lost his goods by his negligence or his bad management; when the prodigal hath wasted his substance with riotous living; when the man hath sold himself for a slave; when the traveller hath fallen into the ditch by his own imprudence; or when the sick man is brought into that state by his excesses; they do not recover their health, their liberty, their property; they are not brought out of the state in which they have placed themselves by simply condemning themselves, and weeping over their losses. But it is a considerable relief to the children of Adam, to deplore the sin of their first father, and their own, and to be deeply sensible of the loss of that integrity, which, in the beginning, constituted the ornament of our nature. We may apply to ourselves what Job said in the 29th chapter: "Oh that I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me; when the Almighty was yet with me-I put on righteousness, and it clothed me-my judgment was as a robe and a diadem; my glory was fresh in me. Adam might well speak thus after his fall; and, as in sin, we are become what he was, and as what he lost he lost for himself and for us, may we not also with propriety say, Who will enable me

to be as I was in that happy time in which there was no stain upon our nature, no separation between us and God? Did not the prodigal son, after having wasted his substance, act wisely in calling to mind the state in which he had been in his father's house? Then it was that he said, "I will arise and go to my father;" and, by his return, he recovered all that he had lost. The woman, after having lost her piece of money, searched diligently till she found it. Our money was our innocence; it was as a piece of gold, the coin that God had given us, stamped with his own image. We have lost our money; shall we give ourselves

no trouble about this loss? and shall we not seek to repair it? It is not sufficient to say, with the afflicted woman, upon the loss of the ark, "Ichabod, the glory is departed from Israel;" the innocency of man is destroyed. We must rescue the ark from the hands of the Philistines. We must recover our souls from the snare of the devil, and extricate our righteousness from the ruins under which it is buried. Nebuchadnezzar, driven from among men, and obliged to eat grass with the beasts, at length lifted up his eyes to heaven when his senses returned to him; he gave glory to God; "the and, in consequence of which, glory of his kingdom, his honour, and his brightness returned to him." The first man, who was in honour, having failed in knowledge, is become like the beasts which perish. But, O man, if thou continuest in the rank of brutesthou who wert made a little lower than the angels-call to mind thy creation; let thy senses and memory return to thee; lift up thy eyes to the Creator of all things! Lord, I have disfigured thy work; thou didst make our nature upright! Deign to revive in me thy image, and give me an everlasting righteousness instead of that which I have lost.

Would it not be a great thing, if we were able to regain, through grace, the same privileges which Adam enjoyed in his original state? But, thanks be to God, we shall recover more through the second Adam than we have lost by the first. It is said, that a man having re

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