and bless you in your great work. Preach a full salvation, and show the importance of reaching after it. I never thought the Gospel a fiction; but now, had I a thousand souls, I could confidently venture them all on the atonement of Jesus my Lord." To one, of whom he stood in doubt, and in whose spiritual welfare he took a trembling interest, he said, "When I was converted, my first desire was to glorify God; and it is now my last. I have sent for you to urge you to make a full surrender of yourself to God. Give him all your heart. A half-hearted religion will not stand the dying test." Then, looking upward, he said, "These are they that came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white. in the blood of the Lamb.' What a countless company! Faith lends its realizing light; The clouds disperse, the shadows fly; And God is seen by mortal eye."" The last line he repeated several times over, while his countenance beamed with unearthly brightness. He then quoted his favourite text: "This is the victory which overcometh the world, even our faith." As one after another of his Christian friends left his bed-side, after having received his blessing and dying admonition, he said, "He strengthens me upon the bed of languishing. O how he strengthens me upon the bed of languishing!" Miss Candler asked whether seeing so many did not distress him. "Nothing distresses me, my dear. The peace of God which passeth all understanding keeps my heart and mind, through Jesus Christ," was his memorable reply. Looking at his hands, he said, "See how my flesh quivers: I feel it quivering all over me." Then, lifting his hands higher, he added, "Yet these, new-rising from the tomb, With lustre brighter far shall shine!" A friend remarked, "You are only waiting for the gale to waft you home?" To which he responded, while heavenly joy beamed in his countenance : "At anchor laid, remote from home, Fain would I mount, fain would I glow, And loose my cable from below : But I can only spread my sail, Thou, thou must breathe the' auspicious gale!'" To himself he frequently said, "The peace of God which passeth all understanding." A friend having repeated Psalm xxiii. 4: "Yea, 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;" he said, "My daughter Ann quoted that verse when she was dying, and testified that she felt His rod and staff support her; and so do I." His gratitude for the little services which were rendered to him was expressed not only in thanks to his attendants, but in bursts of praise to God. On an occasion of this kind, he repeated the following lines: "Where shall my wondering soul begin? How shall I all to heaven aspire? Or sing my great Deliverer's praise!" While these golden sayings were dropping in succession from his patriarchal lips, it was apparent to all that the last sands of life were running out; and that, though free from pain, the energies of nature were sinking apace. Late on Tuesday, the evening before he died, he took his daughters by the hand, and said, "My children, I bless you in the name of the Lord;" and about three o'clock on Wednesday morning, "Lo, God is here, let us adore! And own how dreadful is this place!" One present, said, "Part of his host have cross'd the flood;" and the dying saint added, with peculiar emphasis, " And part are crossing now." Then, raising his hand, and looking upwards, he beckoned with his fingers, as if he beheld the angelic convoy in readiness to receive his departing spirit. After continuing thus for some time, he cast an inquiring look on those present, which seemed to say, "Do you behold them?" He then kissed his family, faintly whispering to each, "Good bye; God bless you." He then fell asleep; and without a struggle or a groan, life gently ebbed away, and he entered into the joy of his Lord, August 29th, 1838, in the seventy-second year of his age. One of his most intimate friends adds, "He was a good man, an intelligent companion, a kind neighbour, an honest tradesman, a useful member of the church, a warm-hearted friend, and a true Christian." "The memory of the just is blessed." MISCELLANEOUS COMMUNICATIONS. INAUGURAL ADDRESSES OF THE KING OF PRUSSIA. FOR the following truly sublime and Christian addresses of the King of Prussia to different classes of his subjects, on his accession to the throne, we are indebted to the kindness of the Rev. Dr. Steinkopff. The principles which they embody are deduced from the Scriptures of truth, and deeply affect the interests of all nations.-EDIT. I will zealously administer law and justice, without respect of persons. With equal benevolence I will consult, cherish, and promote whatever is conducive to the best interests, to the honour and to the prosperity, of men of all ranks and conditions in life; and I pray God for his blessing, so indispensable to the Sovereign, and which alone can conciliate to him the affection of the people, and can transform him into a man after God's own heart, a praise to the good, and a terror to the evil-doer. May God bless our dear native land! Its prosperous condition has long been an object of envy to many, and of unsuccessful emulation to others. With us there is unity in the head and the members, between Prince and people; there is, on the whole, a delightful unity of aim and purpose among all ranks, all national divisions, all religious denominations, after one glorious object, the general prosperity of the nation in "sacred fidelity and true honour. From this spirit arises our security against foreign aggression, which is unique in its kind. May God preserve Prussia, this endeared fatherland," an ornament and blessing to Germany, and to the world at large! diversified, and yet one, like the noble metal (the Corinthian gold) which, melted together from inany metals, constitutes the noblest of all; not liable to any rust, but acquiring additional beauty with succeeding ge nerations. Address of the King of Prussia "to the Nobility, on their taking the Oath of Allegiance to him at Berlin, October 15th, 1840. Ir was formerly an established custom with the various estates of Germany not to take the oath of allegiance, until they had received the assurance of the firm maintenance of all their rights and privileges. I will conform to this custom. I know, indeed, and I confess it, that I derive my crown from God alone, and that it well becomes me to say, "Woe to him that shall touch it." But I also know, and I avow it before you all, that I wear my crown as a solemn trust, confided to me by the Most High, the great Sovereign of all; and that I must render unto him an account of every day and every hour of my government. Such is the pledge which I give (if any be desired) for my future conduct. A better I cannot give; nor, indeed, can any man on earth. It weighs heavier, and binds more firmly, than all coronation oaths, than all assurances engraven on brass, or written on parchment; for it flows from the heart, and is rooted in faith. I hope of you, who do not desire a Government seeking its so-called fame and glory in exploits of war, in the thunder of the cannon, and the sound of the trumpet; but who will content yourselves with a plain and simple, with a paternal, truly German, and Christian Government,-you I invite to repose confidence in me, and with me to trust in God, that He will render the vows which I daily offer before him conducive to the promotion of the best interests of our native land and accompany them with his rich blessing. Address of the King of Prussia, delivered on the 15th of October, 1840, at Berlin, to the Estates of the Kingdom, and to the People at large. On this most solemn occasion, when the inhabitants of my German dominions are assembled to take the oath of allegiance; and deeply impressed with that inexpressibly precious hour, which I witnessed on a similar scene at Konigsberg, I implore the Lord God that it may please him to confirm, with his allpowerful amen, those sacred vows which have just been made, or are about to be taken; those vows which I myself pronounced at Konigsberg, and which I here confirm. I solemnly engage to govern in the fear of God, and in love to man; to govern with open eyes, when the wants of my people, and of the times in which I live, are concerned; but with closed eyes, when the claims of justice are to be attended to. I will maintain peace in my time, so far as it may depend on my power and my will; and I am determined fully, and with all my might, to support the generous efforts of the great European powers, which, for a quarter of a century, have proved themselves the faithful guardians of the peace of Europe. I will especially endeavour to secure to my native country that import ant station to which the providence of God has raised her by a combination of events almost unexampled in history, a station by which Prussia is become a shield of defence for the security and maintenance of the rights of Germany. In every point of view I wish so to govern that I may be recognised as the genuine son of a never-tobe-forgotten father, of a never-tobe-forgotten mother, whose memory will be transmitted a blessing to the latest posterity. But the condition of Kings is truly deplorable, and cannot be viewed without tears, if they are not supported by a corresponding spirit of an affectionate people. Inspired, therefore, with love for my dear native land, and glowing with affection towards a brave, free, and loyally-attached people, I address at this solemn hour a solemn question, which, I trust, you can and will answer in your own name, as well as in the name of those by whom you have been deputed. Ye knights, ye citizens, ye peasants, with all that are assembled here in such vast numbers, as far as my voice can reach you, I ask, will you, with heart and soul, in word and deed, with all the loyal attachment of Germans, and constrained by the still more sacred ties of Christian affection, render me every support and assistance, that Prussia may be maintained in its present exalted station; and in which it must be maintained, if it is not to become a prey to destruction? Will you aid and assist me fully, and still more gloriously, to develope that unblemished honour, that fidelity, that steadfast progress in light, justice, and truth, and that advance in all the solid experience of matured age, combined with youthful vigour, which have so eminently distinguished Prussia, and have placed her, notwithstanding her limited population of fourteen millions, among the great and influential powers of the earth? Will you neither leave nor forsake me in pursuing this glorious career, but faithfully persevere with me in adversity as well as in prosperity? If this be your mind, then answer me with the clear and impressivelybeautiful affirmation of our own mother-tongue, with a brief, determined Ya, "Yes." [From thousands and tens of thousands of voices a loudly-proclaimed, solemn, determined, affectionate Ya resounded.] The solemnity of this day is important for our own land, important for the world at large. But your approving Ya more immediately concerns me it is my own. I will not let it go; it indissolubly unites us in mutual affection and fidelity; it inspires courage, strength, and confidence; I shall not forget it in a dying hour. I will keep my Vows, such as I have pronounced them both here and at Konigsberg; and may God help me! for on Him alone I depend. In token of this, I lift up my right hand to heaven. Accomplish now what remains to be done of this august solemnity; and may the fructifying blessing of God rest on this hour! DISSENTERS' BAPTISMS AND CHURCH BURIALS. THE doctrine of the Church of England concerning lay-baptism involves so many considerations important to the Wesleyan Methodists, that I trust I shall be excused for troubling you with another communication in reference to it, even though it is but a little while since you kindly gave insertion to the former. Since the paper which appeared in your Number for November last was written, a work has been published with the title given above,* containing, among other things, an elaborate "Attempt at an Investigation of the Judgment of the Church of England on the Subject; and this work has been highly commended in the British Magazine (though not by the Editor) on the score of "ability," "judgment," and "research." Indeed, its "satisfactory" character induced the Clergyman who writes to the Magazine to desist from preparing a similar publication, which, it would appear, he had for some time meditated. So that in all probability we have in Mr. Blunt's publication the strength of the cause, at least so far as modern High Churchmen are concerned. It is to be regretted that Mr. Blunt did not apply himself to con *The full title is, "Dissenters' Baptisms and Church Burials. Strictures upon the Decision of the late Sir John Nicholl; with an Attempt at an Investigation of the Judgment of the Church of England upon the Subject. By the Rev. Walter Blunt, M. A., of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge." 8vo. pp. 227. 1840. fute the reasoning of Bishop Fleetwood on the subject which he has undertaken to discuss. He would have found in the Bishop's tracts the admissions which those who are opposed to him are willing to make, stated in full; and the precise point at issue clearly set forth. It is allowed by that learned writer, that the Church calls for a lawful Minister to perform the office; that she intends by a lawful Minister, an Episcopal Minister; that she nei ther allows nor permits others to officiate in it; nay, more, that she implicitly forbids them, and inquires after and punishes them if they do officiate but, nevertheless, it is affirmed, that she has nowhere declared even these forbidden administrations to be altogether void and nugatory; and has said and done many things altogether inconsistent with the supposition that she regards them as such. This brings the question within very narrow limits. It is only necessary for the maintainers of the invalidity of lay-baptism to produce a declaration of the Church which either explicitly, or by necessary inference, supports their views, or to reconcile their doctrine with her acts and formularies, and the dispute is at an end. But Mr. Blunt appears not to have seen the able productions just referred to. He never once quotes or refers to them, but takes upon himself the task of arguing the question de novo; and it will therefore be necessary to follow him step by step. |