recommendation to all who know and prisoners out of the pit wherein is no love the truth. Mr. Wells has selected for his text, "Our family hath a sacrifice in the city, and my brother he hath commanded me to be there" (1 Sam. xx. 29): from which he notices, 1. The sacrifice as a sin-offering, a sin-offering, a peaceoffering, and a thanksgiving-offering: 2. The city; and, 3. The command. On the sin-offering the preacher has entered very copiously into a view of sin as set forth in the word of Godin the experience of the saints-in the calamities of the world, in the terrors of the lost, and in the death of Christ; exhibiting therefrom the extent and infinite value of our Lord's atoning sacrifice. We quote a short extract: "All the sins of the church were laid upon him: not one particle could escape the eye of omniscience, nor the vengeance of inflexible justice. The guilt of the church is the mountain he levelled to a plain; the ocean he dried up; the fire he quenched with his own blood; the cloud he penetrated and destroyed; the plague that he stayed. Deep indeed is the pit of sin; and his people are by nature in a low estate, in which low estate he has not only remembered them, but has placed under them his everlasting arms. He went by his atonement, by the sacrifice of himself, down even to unfathomable depths. Hear his own account of his solemn descent: “Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps" (Psalm lxxxviii. 6). He went down himself in the dignity of his person and power, of his infinitely efficacious blood, by which his people are brought up from the gates of death and power of the grave: stay in the pit of sin they cannot, must not, and shall not the work is done, it is settled in heaven, the decree is gone forth, and is in the book thus written: "As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy water" (Zech. ix.11). God our Father has thus settled the matter; our Emmanuel has finished the work; the Holy Spirit testifies of it, and we know that his witness is true. Jesus thus visited, and not only visited but redeemed his people: sin, death, and hell never could and never can drag one chosen sinner beyond the reach of atoning blood. Let then the heralds of Jesus proclaim the mighty depths of atoning blood, redeeming love, and saving grace. Let them fear not to go down to the lowest of the low, the vilest of the vile. Let Manasseh, Mary Magdalen, the Thief on the cross, and Saul of Tarsus tell of its mighty depths. But why need we mention these, are these the only great sinners that are saved? verily no, for where shall we find a little sinner? the real heart-felt language of each (who is taught of God) is, I am the chief." The Sunday School Teacher's Dream. 18mo. pp. 23. London, Ward. Under the similitude of a dream, this transatlantic writer introduces a Sunday School Teacher seeking after death to enter in at heaven's gate, but remanded to see if any one had aught to accuse him of: when one of the boys under his instruction while on earth, charges him with negligence, whereby he, who if duly instructed would have been saved, was for the want of such instruction lost to all eternity. A second also complains of his negligence; but he had escaped the like awful fate, by a removal to another teacher, whose diligence secured his salvation. The atonement of Christ, and the work of God the Holy Ghost forming no part in this author's view of a sinner's salvation. From such awful delusion and mental poison as this, may all our readers be preserved! 191 POETRY. PRAISE FOR REDEMPTION. COME let us join to praise the name Of Christ, the sinners' friend; And celebrate his lofty fame, Till mortal life shall end. We'll praise our Kinsman great and wise, Who left the bright and starry skies, He, to redeem us from the curse, Was made a curse for us; Of wrath divine he felt the force, The mighty price which he paid down, Praise him ye heavenly host above, And when we reach your bright abode, A COUNTRY MINISTER. MY TIMES ARE IN THY HAND. WHY art thou so cast down my soul? Though numerous as the sand: Does Satan, with temptations strong, Does unbelief impede thy way, Thou 'lt ne'er see Canaan's land? Don't Jesus notice thy complaints, Composed after hearing a Sermon preached by the REV. JOSEPH IRONS, from Luke xix. 5. COME glorious Lord, and in my heart, Erect thy throne, and ne'er depart; No matter what may then betide, If thou art there, and there abide. Who can describe the boundless love, Which all thy feeblest children prove? Love changeless; it has oft been tried,— Where thou dost come, thou dost abide. "Make haste, come down," when Jesus calls The quickened sinner prostrate falls; To Jesus clings, who for him died, And would for ever there abide. The Saviour comes as he may please, And none can alter his decrees,To some he shews his wounded side, While others harden'd still abide. Who can his sov'reign will controul, When he will save a captived soul; The strong man arm'd is straight defied, He may not in Christ's house abide. But if the house is garnished, swept, Satan himself the key hath kept, And coming with worse fiends beside, To his own house, he'll there abide. Oh solemn thought, if I should be Like the proud boasting Pharisee ! Although the Lord was by his side, Yet, did not in his house abide. Simon invited Christ to eat, But Mary wept and wash'd his feet; Free-willers may the fact deride, But Christ gives peace that shall abide. Make me, O Lord, thine own to day, Unto my soul in mercy say, "Make haste, for me you shall decide, I'll dwell with you, with you abide." This is the secret of God's plan, To all the seed of Abraham; He gives them grace, and doth provide A mansion, where they shall abide. ANNA. LEBANON LEAVES. Thou art my life, my all in all, My strength, my righteousness, my God Suggested by Dr. DILLON'S Coronation Ser- And while eternal ages roll, mon, at St. James' Clerkenwell. "And I put a beautiful crown on thy head." Ezek. xvi. 12. OH for the eagle wings, Th' untiring strength which mounts a christian's hope 'Bove all earth's proud and gorgeous pageant- And likening each to high and heavenly things, harp, I'll sing of thy redeeming blood. R. STONE. "Intreat me not to leave thee."-Ruth i. 16. NAOMI mourns her husband's death, While in a foreign land; Nor that alone, for both her sons Fall by the self-same hand. She mourn'd the sad event with tears, She to her daughters said; Content in Moab's land to stay, "Intreat me not, my mother dear, To leave thee in distress; I will go with you, and will bear "Intreat me not to stay behind, Where Israel's God's despised; "Intreat me not again, I pray, To leave thee and go back; "Where thou dost go, there I will go, "And where thou dwellest, there I'll dwell, And where thou diest there to die, "Then, O my mother, hear me now, My record is above; That nothing shall remove from me "To me thou hast been very kind, T. G. AND ZION'S CASKET. "For there are Three that bear record in heaven, the FATHER, the WORD, and the HOLY GHOST: and these Three are One."-1 John v. 7. Earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints."-Jude 3. Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience."-1 Tim, iii. 9. SEPTEMBER, 1838. The literal meaning of these verses may be, yea and often is attained by men who are altogether ignorant of its spiritual import: they will readily acknowledge that it is through the wisdom with which men are naturally endowed, that an house is builded, but such as have been awakened by the Holy Spirit to a feeling sense of their lapsed condition, will not be content with shadows. True, indeed, they highly appreciate the sacred word of God, but they find from daily experience, that of itself it cannot produce that salutary comfort which their aching hearts require they want its divine author to unfold to them its unequalled treasures, knowing that it is the prerogative of the Holy Spirit to seal instruction upon their hearts; and when he in much mercy scatters the clouds of darkness which pervade their understanding, and leads them into a right apprehension of any portion of his own word, then they extol his name. This is the way the unworthy writer of these lines has been taught; September, 1838.] and he is induced to communicate his thoughts upon the scripture at the head of this paper, from a belief that he has been favoured by God the Holy Ghost with a ray of supernatural light, revealing to him some few of the sacred mysteries couched therein. And before entering on the subject I would remark, that it is a subject wholly spiritual, and none can rightly accede to what may be advanced, and embrace it as their own, but the true disciples of Jesus. 1. The wise master-builder alluded to in the text is undoubtedly the Lord Jesus Christ. He is so skilful, that no other builder can be compared to him: his wisdom exceeds all others; his knowledge comprehends all things; he surpasses all in the immensity of the treasures he has at his command. The greatness and glory of his illustrious person fills all heaven with astonishment. He is the great magazine of wisdom, 66 the only wise God our Saviour." 2. The materials of the house. Solomon's temple was built of costly stones and the same may be truly said relative to the spiritual temple of our Lord. Are they not stones and are they not costly stones? They are loved with an everlasting love; they are purchased at an immense price; and though at present, to the world's eye, they present CC a gloomy aspect and insignificant appearance, it is a sweet thought that Jesus our wise Master-builder always looked upon them with complacency, yea he calls them precious stones (1 Pet. ii. 4). Solomon, you know, selected only a certain number of stones for his temple; he did not choose all the stones in the world, indeed he did not need them. And thus it is with our spiritual Solomon; he did not make choice of all men, but only those whom the Father gave unto him as himself says, "I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world; thine they were and thou gavest them me, and they have kept thy word," John xvii. 6. 3. The ground which this builder makes choice of, and his method of laying the foundation. When an earthly builder is preparing to erect any spacious building, he deems it right to look out for a substantial piece of ground for his foundation: but it is not so with Zion's builder; he makes choice of the very worst piece of ground in all the world, and that is in the elect sinner's heart; no boggy ground or flimsy sand can compare with this; but such is his unequalled skill, that he is fully competent to complete his structure and make a permanent and beautiful edifice. Now, that the foundation laid is Jesus Christ himself, scripture expressly declares; and he is a sure foundation chosen to this very office, "for they shall hang upon him all the glory of his Father's house;" yea, and he bore up under the ponderous weight of all the sins of the whole election of grace, and under the great pressure of divine wrath due to them. But to return, in laying this foundation you know, beloved, that to dig into the earth for a foundation is a progressive work, and this is an emblem of the Lord's work upon the sinner's heart. He first breaks up this obdurate ground, and as he proceeds with his work the ground appears still worse to the sensible sinner's eye, as the keen cutting knife of the law enters, discovering more and more the corruptions of the heart, and the flimsy nature of creature righteousness. Again, when the foundation stone of a stately edifice is to be laid, the news spreads around bringing many together to behold the sight, and not unfrequently much confusion takes place amongst the 'spectators before it is brought to a close: and is it not so, when the foundation-stone, Christ Jesus, is laid in the sinner's heart? all the inhabitants of Mansoul are gathered together, and old habits, follies and fashions are put into confusion. Again, when the foundation stone of an earthly building is laid, it is soon covered up and covered over: and, unhappily for the soul's comfort, too soon the weeds of corruption and the briars of indwelling sin grow to such magnitude, that they sometimes hide, even from the believer himself, the assurance that Christ is in him the hope of glory: but, When again the south winds blow, These weeds shall hang their head; New glory he'll impart, 4. But in reference to the chambers within the house, I must pray you to observe, that it is not said chamber, but chambers, in the plural number; which applies also to the precious riches brought into them, by which it is established. Annexed to the glorious house which the Lord condescended to shew to the prophet Ezekiel, we read there were little chambers, and the dimensions of them were found to be all of one measure, "Every little chamber was of one reed long and of one reed broad," &c. Ezek. xl. 7. I consider the building which the prophet saw |