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Tidings from Exeter.

[Achristian brother has earnestly requested us to insert a letter from which the following extracts are made; in the hope that some of the family of God might be led to sympathize with an afflicted brother. The Lord grant it, is our fervent prayer.-ED.]

DEAR BROTHER IN THE BEST OF BONDS:

"In the world," (our dear Lord hath de clared) his people shall "have tribulati

on;" and this is a truth which you, my dear brother, and me are made to know by daily experience; and often in the bitterness of our souls we exclaim with the Poet:

"My soul with various tempests tost,
Her hopes o'erturn'd, her projects cross'd;
Sees every day new straits attend,

And wonders where the scene will end,"

But, adds the dear Lord "be of good cheer, I have overcome the world: in me ye shall have peace:" blessings on his precious name, he hath made peace, by the blood of the cross: and when he is pleased to come and preach peace to our poor hearts, be we ever so far off in our feelings from God, we are immediately made nigh in real heartfelt experience by the blood of Christ: feeling that it cleanseth us from all sin. I hope, my dear brother, I can say with the poet:

"Jesus, thy blood and righteousness,
My beauty are, my glorious dress;
Midst flaming worlds in these array'd,
With joy shall I lift up my head."

I know not how it may be with my dear brother, but it is a day of small things with me; I can enter feelingly into the prophet Micah's complaint; "Woe is me for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruit, like the vintage: there is no

the

ning of

grape gleaning cluster to eat; and my soul desired the first ripe fruit; " my poor soul is necessitated to hang all her hope upon the unchangable faithfulness of Jehovah in his covenant love and mercy in Christ Jesus before the world began. Oh, what an unspeakable mercy I do at times see and feel it to be, that there is such a one on whom God the Father can look at all times with complacency and delight; one who answers all the just demands of his most holy and righteous law, which I have wickedly broken in every part; one whose righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and pharisees, which righteousness I lay my humble claim unto, because it is freely imputed without works. At present I am in great heavi

faith was strengthened and encouraged, again; and with the summer before me, I hoped that the dear Lord in his kind providence was about to shine upon my endeavours in the fruit selling, that I might get a little before hand against the approaching winter; but alas! all my hope in this is dashed, notwithstanding all my tugging and striving, and that of my poor dear wife, who is very weak in body, and works and strives far beyond her strength, for she has, during the summer, bought fruit in the Exeter market, and in the gardens, and gone down by the railroad to Dawlish and Teignmouth, and sold it; but it proves too much for her strength, so that she has not been able to continue it. Thus, my dear brother, I may in a measure say with Paul, "bonds and afflictions abide me, and this the Holy Ghost witnesseth;" and when in my right mind, and setting at the feet of Jesus, I dare not wish it otherwise, but the flesh lusteth exceedingly for an easier path, and for a smoother road; and oftentimes of late when my poor soul has been shut up in darkness and felt bondage, and being sorely tried with poverty in temporals, hath my poor soul felt with poor brother Job, to choose strangling and death rather than life; but bless his name, he knoweth the way I take; when he hath tried me I shall come forth as gold. Bless his dear name, he doth still remember his promise, I will not leave you comfortless. I will come again, and when he does come, it is all well in a moment. I am sure you will join with me in this, and say, he is worthy to wear the crown; for he hath done all things well; he hath trodden the wine press of the wrath of God for his redeemed alone; all we like sheep have gone astray; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquities of us all; he hath finished transgression, made an end of sin, and brought in everlasting righteousness for every poor bankrupt feelingly lost, feelingly helpless, and feelingly destitute sinner, who, by and under the divine leading, and power of the Spirit Jehovah, is enabled to believe.

Has our dear friend Mr. Skelton, called upon you? He has been at Brighton; having left the church at Aldringham, where he lives at present. I hope the Lord will direct his steps. I must inform you, that we have been very highly favoured at Exeter, with spirit-taught men of God who do not shun to declare the whole counsel of God as far as they are taught. At present we have a Mr. Darke, an old veteran, who is well instructed to speak a word in season

ness, and feel much discouraged, by reason to him that is weary. I have found his

of the roughness of the way in temporal things. I think I may say, I never felt more disheartened, having passed through such bitter and trying things; during the last winter I sunk into debt which I could never have paid had not the Lord in much mercy moved the hearts of some friends at Plymouth, to send to my relief; my debts being paid in a wonderful way, my unbelief for the time was put to the blush, and little

ministry sweet and refreshing to my poor burthened and weary soul. When you write, dear brother, let me know how it is with you in these things, and may you be blessed of the Lord more and more, in hungerings and thirstings, in eating and drinking that which Christ says is meat indeed, and his blood is drink indeed. That is a most precious declaration spoken by our Lord, on that great day of the feast, Jesus

stood and cried: "If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink: and out of his belly shall flow rivers of living waters," and this he spake of the Spirit, O that we may be led to drink deep. Ever your's,

93, North Street, Exeter.

R. ANGEL, S.S.

Henry Fowler's Removal

FROM BIRMINGHAM TO LONDON.

[We have in previous numbers given various extracts from the Life of the late Henry Fowler. The following interesting sketch declares how, in the providence of God, he was removed to the metropolis.]

"THE last two years that I spent in Birmingham, I used to visit Walsall frequently. I went there first to preach at the earnest request of a number of persons who had separated from the chapel in which Mr. T. Grove preached for about thirty years. When Mr. Grove died, the people chose for their pastor a young man who preached, as was said, very different doctrine to what the people had been accustomed to hear from Mr. Grove. Many of the people, therefore, left, and hired a large club room.

"How far my testimony was blessed is not for me to say; but I met a person in Reading, on my return from Bath, a few years back, who used to hear me at Walsall, and he told me my testimony had been blessed to many. He mentioned one person particularly, a common prostitute! This reclaimed poor sinner went, after my removal from London, to join the church where Mr. Grove used to preach. When this woman was requested to give an account of the means of her conversion, she said, 'The life I have lived, and the sinful course I have followed, is is ge generally known through the town; and these practices I followed, till I went, one night, to hear a man by the name of Fowler, at the mud hole! (for that was the name these pious people gave our preaching room,) where I was struck with horror at the awful state I was in; and I could no longer continue in those abominable practices, but wish to be with God's people-not that I am worthy to be in their company. I have thought if this was the real work of God on this poor sinner, I am amply satisfied for all my harassings of mind and body, which were sometimes too much for my frail frame. But the day shall declare it.

"God has, in all ages, manifested his rich and sovereign grace to many of the worst of characters; as Rahab, the harlot, the woman of Samaria, the woman taken in adultery, Mary Magdalene, and others; and in viewing these things, I am ready to exclaim with George Whitfield, 'Free grace for ever!'

"I must here relate an anecdote, which I receive from the mouth of a character of the above description at Exeter many years ago. She had been as notorious as any per

son of that description in Exeter: but, under the ministry of that blessed servant of God, Henry Tanner, she was snatched as a brand from the fire; and the power of God was so manifest in turning her from darkness to light, that she was received as a proper member into Mr. Tanner's church.

"Some envious and pharisaic persons raised a report that Mr. Tanner had received into his church a base character. This was busily circulated to the injury of Mr. Tanner's character. One Saturday two ministers waited on Mr. Tanner to reprove him for the impropriety of his conduct in receiving such an awful character into his church, which was calculated to bring reproach on the cause of God. Mr. Tanner listened patiently to all they had to say, and casting his eyes towards the field opposite his window, across which was a common footpath, he saw the obnoxious character with a piece of serge on her shoulder, taking it to her employer. He ran to the door, and called aloud, 'Molly! come in; here are two gentlemen who want to speak to you.' Molly entered with her piece of serge on her back, and set it down in the parlour. Mr. Tanner then said, 'Molly, these gentlemen are blaming me for receiving you into my church: they say you have been a notorious character?' It is all true,' said Molly, 'and I know that I am not worthy to be among the children of God.' Well,' said Mr. Tanner, ' I wish you to relate to these gentlemen your conversion and experience.' She then gave them a full account of God's dealings with her, and they had not one word to oppose. Mr. Tanner then said to them, Find one in all your congregations that can give a better account of God's teaching than Molly, if you can!' and they were perfectly satisfied.

"In August 1819, I received an invitation to preach at Bodicott, in Oxfordshire. The morning as I was packing up for my journey, a letter arrived from London requesting me to supply the chapel in Conway Street, three Lord's days. I had no time to consult my friends on the subject; but when I arrived at Bodicott I wrote to London to say that I would supply them. At Bodicott I found but few persons that I could be satisfied with, as partakers of the grace of God in truth. I was as barren and lifeless in my soul the five weeks I was there as I ever was since I knew the Lord. "It added much weight to my trial, that I must go to London in this miserable and barren state of soul, and have to preach to a large congregation who had sat for years under Mr. Huntington, and othergreat men, the latchet of whose shoes I was not worthy to loose. I was vexed that I had so hastily given my promise; but now it was too late. As I had engaged, I proceeded to London, when I had finished my engagements at Bodicott, This was early in October.

"When I arrived in London, I was kindly received by the friends, but greatly tried in my mind, from the bondage and darkness of soul I had laboured under for many

weeks. Oh, how I grieved that ever I should have been so foolish as to make any engagement to preach in London! But I believe the enemy had a great power over me, though I could not then see it. When Lord's day morning came, I was surprised to see such a number of people crammed together, so that it was with some difficulty I could get to the pulpit. I was obliged to lift dp a prayer to my gracious God and Father, that as he had often brought me through many difficulties, so he would be pleased to give me all I needed, both for myself and his people. I felt, indeed, the need of his helping hand; and he was graciously pleased to grant it to me; for as soon as I began to pray, I found nearness of access to his blessed Majesty; and I was overwhelmed at a sight of his goodness, which was made to pass before me. My text was, "Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name." This had been my prayer for many weeks; but the answer was delayed till this time of great necessity. Suffice it to say, I never found so much liberty in preaching as at this time; and I was persuaded that the presence of God was with the people, as well as with myself: nor was I deceived, as several now with me can testify, from their own experience. I spent three weeks with this people, and left them, in love and affection, with a promise, at their request, to see them again. This event led ultimately to my being settled in London."

Christian Reviewer.

"A Memorial of the Free and Unmerited Goodness of God towards John Corbitt, Minister of the Gospel, Bethesda Chapel, Oldham St. Manchester. (See Advertisement.) London: Published by Houlston and Stoneman, Paternoster Row.

AFTER perusing a good part of this memorial of God's goodness, we could not help breaking forth, and saying " If ever the Lord did really convert a wicked sinner from the error of his ways, and make a christian of him, then John Corbittcertainly is one. We do honestly and really believe that no child of God can read through this memorial without being deeply humbled on the one hand, at the awful workings of man's fallen nature; and rejoiced on the other hand, at the superaboundings of that sovereign grace which turns the lion into a lamb, and the monster of iniquity into a faithful and useful minister of Jesus Christ! We fully agree with certain of our friends, who, (on speaking of the publication of some ministers' lives,) have said, they had better never have been published; but such clear and powerful records of the power and grace of God, as John Corbitt has given, should never be hidden, either from the church of God or the world, if we could help it. This account which brother Corbitt has given, is a BOOK OF FACTS: and although there are many facts detailed which may be offensive to refined minds, yet, when you get into the

blessed deliverances which God wrought for him, the abundant mercies manifested unto him, and the great use the Lord has made of him, you can but rejoice that there are still here and there to be found such living witnesses of the mercy of God to poor perishing sinners. We can only this month make a very brief extract. But the work is to be brought out in twopenny parts, in order that the poorest of God's family may be enabled to purchase it.

"But now the time arrived for the Lord to speak more powerfully to my soul, and to make this the more plain to me, he suffered me to come into a most

dreadful state, so that I verily wished I had never made any profession, for I really thought I had deceived myself and others, and felt that I should draw out a most miserable life, and die a miserable death, and sink to an eternal hell. O how my soul was tossed about under this temptation; not a gleam of hope; no sun, no moon, or stars, appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on me, so that all hopes of being saved was lost; and I had cast out (with my own hands) all my former hopes of conditional comfort; had struck sail, and committed myself to the merciless ocean, never again to think of salvation. In this merciless state I went to Fenstanton to hear Mr, Drawbridge, (of Wellingborough) and he took his text from Amos iii. 12, Thus saith the Lord; as the shepherd taketh out of the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear; so shall the chil

dren of Israel be taken out that dwell in Samaria in the corner of a bed, and in Damascus in a couch' This sermon was the first I ever heard that shewed

up the deceitfulness of the heart. 1 felt truly I am the man described, in all the legal workings and selfpersevering endeavours of the flesh; this very much deepened the wound: but when the remedy was brought forth, and the sovereignty of the Lord shown, I could not apply them to myself: so I returned writing bitter things against myself; and instead of better I grew worse and worse, and instead of acting faith, and taking God at his word, and shaking off my trouble, as some tell us is our duty to do, I found unbelief abounded, and God's word appeared all against me, and I could take none of it but such as sealed my condemnation. I should have been glad enough to have shaken these off, but I found I could as well create a world as to take the comforts, or neglect the sorrows. However, before I arrived home that night it pleased God (who commanded the sun to shine out of darkness) to shine into my heart, torgive me a sight of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

"This was done, first, by telling me (as sensibly as with an audible voice) his 'grace should be sufficient for me.' So strange, sudden, and sweet, were those words applied to my soul, that I stood still to repeat them; when, to my further astonishment, these words came with redoubled power and effected a deliverance so surprising and joyous, that the snare was broken and the bird liberated. 'Look unto me and be ye saved all ye ends of the earth, for I am God and there is none else.' Notwithstanding all I had realized before of the Lord's goodness to me, I had had nothing so sovereignly, suddenly, and powerfully applied before. My other changes had been gradual and almost imperceptible, but this was too powerful and plain to leave for the moment any suspicion; this was none other than the house of God, and the gate of heaven to my soul. I did not erect a pillar as Jacob did, but the deliverance wrought such a deepimpression on my heart, that time nor eternity will never efface."

"But with the precious blood of Christ." pented, Cain repented, Saul repented, SUCH a theme is the delight of all the Judas repented, but it was all unto redeemed of heaven. Those who have, death-it worked wrath and condemnathrough grace, arrived within its por- tion in their natural consciences. Now, tals, and those who are travelling onwards oppressed with sin, (and sorrow the consequences thereof) all vie with each other in exalting the Lamb that shed his precious blood, and surely my soul can, from a felt need of cleansing, a felt need of purifying, say with one now singing in immortal strains in the high court of bliss

"Let the water and the blood,
From thy wounded side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure,

that repentance which is unto life is of a different kind, being the result of the Spirit's operation on the heart, it proceeds from life, and is unto life; it never miscarries; we often put self pity in its place; we only truly repent when we see a bleeding Jesus, by the eye of faith; when we are led, by the Spirit's mighty operation on our souls, to see the tragic scene of Gethsemane, to behold the spotless Lamb crying out, under the immense load of our sin; and to follow him to Calvary, and there to contemplate over his overwhelming sufferings: the Holy Father hiding his face to hear him cry out, in all the intense agony of his soul, 'My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" I say, and believe it is in accordance with the word of God, we only truly repent when we are thus led; that, and that only will ever lead a sinner garb of profession was to be torn assunder by some hot persecution or other, how which was manifest in his conversation, few would there be of whom it could be 1 Pet. i. 13-16. How very little do we said, they are walking with Jesus in find of that blessed spirit inculcated white. My soul trembles while I thus in our churches, where the truth in write, lest I should be found, after all, the letter is preached! Oh, where is destitute of that work I am here conthat spirit of love - those bowels of tending for; but I would rather go all mercy?-That holy longing for each my life long bowed down under a deep others good, which was found in the felt sense of sin, guilt, and bondage, and primitive church? Alas! alas! we find in the end find deliverance, than go on it not. But, on the contrary, there is in a blind presumptuous confidence, and

Cleanse me from its guilt and power." Peter, like the rest of the apostles, was an experimental preacher of the gospel of Jesus, he laid for a foundation the precious blood of Jesus, and exalted the atoning Lamb as the only way to happiness and God, he insisted on a life and conduct becoming that gospel, by the teaching, leading, and indwelling of the Spirit of God, and such only would he to hate his sins. And if a mere outside

receive as bore those evidences and marks

which he felt in his own soul and

beating and devouring one another, evil speaking, and envying and jealousy. Such things ought not to be. Still there are a few names in Sardis which have not defiled their garments, they shall walk with the Lord in white, emblematic of purity, and of every believer that is clothed in the righteousness of Jesus has a tender conscience, a heart made soft by the precious blood of Jesus. What a soul-ravishing place it is to be in! Where mercy streams into the soul in streams of blood divine !

There seems to be much darkness enwrapt about the judgments of many concerning repentance, the work of the Holy Spirit in the soul. There is a legal repentance and an evangelical repentance. The former works in every one of Adam's posterity, the latter only in the posterity of the Second Adam. We find Esau reVOL, IV.-PART XLV. -Nov. 1848.

in the end prove only to have light in my natural judgment; which light will be sure to go out in death, and leave its possessor in eternal darkness; 'Without shedding of blood there is no remission.' Now, before sin can be remitted in the court of conscience, there must be sin felt; when the Spirit first takes a sinner in hand, he leads him to Sinai. I do not believe that which many affirm, that sinners are drawn by love in the first onset; before any sinner can have any love to God, he must first know God; for how can he love an object he has no knowledge of. God is revealed in his word as a consuming fire,' as 'an angry judge,' and when the soul is first quickened into life, in such character he beholds God, as a holy and righteous God, and himself as a vile and filthy sinner, full of every thing opposed to God. Paul

GG

says I was alive without the law once, but | prejudice of feeling towards you was rewhen the commandment came sin revived moved-and I felt persuaded that you was and I died, and the commandment which one of the seed which the Lord had blessed

was ordained unto life I found to be unto death,' &c. Now, in such a solemn position, taken hold of by the thunders of Sinai, how can such a notion be maintained as that of being drawn by love out of the world into the fold of Christ? I know it is all of the love of God. But what they affirm is that the sinner feels love working

and honoured with the gift of grace to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ. Therefore having thus opened my mind somewhat freely to you, and feeling an union to you, I should feel obliged if you would put in your next month's Vessel the following account of the goodness of God

towards me:

Last Sabbath Day, (October the first,) it was appointed for me to baptise two of

the Lord's dear family, (for the in his heart at such a sea

son. My reader, it is a delusion of the devil; it is not according to the word of God, nor according to the experience of the children of God. And there is one thing worthy of remark-all such parsons, for I can call them nothing else, are violent opposers of experimental preaching. They say, oh, you don't want experience preached, you want Christ preached. But it is Christ only in the head-not in the heart, or they would not thus speak. How can such know anything of the precious blood of Christ as a balm to heal all the festering wounds

first time

I have administered that ordinance,) at
Gadsden Row, Herts.

I was baptised by brother Collyer, (of Ivingho,) four years ago, after having been a preacher of the gospel six years, but never saw the importance of it, nor the blessedness connected with attending to it, to such an extent before. During the last four years my mind has been much exer cised because the Lord had not given me that establishment of mind upon baptism, as he had favoured me with regard to the general truths of the gospel. And, in looking forward to that day, it was my earnest prayer that the Lord would grant wanted-and he was pleased to grant me my request. I think I shall never forget the impression of mind, even from the hymn we sung at the pool, and his presence felt in giving the address. Yet, it apDelivered out of the Mouth of the Lion. peared to me, the hardest task was to come,

of sin?

A POOR WORM.

(To be continued, if spared.)

Read 2 Tim. iv. 16-18.

DEAR BROTHER-I write a few lines to you with a deep impression of mind so to do; and to reveal a little of the secrets of my heart to you. Since I undertook the agency of the Vessel, I have been in company with several ministers whom I much

me that establishment of mind that I

to preach a sermon upon baptism; this being a subject that was in its infancy in my mind; but I found the promise of Christ verified-'Lo, I am with you alway,' while preaching from those words in Acts ii. 41, 'Then they that gladly received the word were baptised.' From which I endeavoured to shew, first, the persons who

esteem, and who are public men in London, were fit subjects for baptism, as 'those that that have expressed some bitter feelings gladly received the word,' in distinction towards you; and I began rather to reflect from those (like Herod) that only heard the upon the steps I had taken, lest I should word gladly; shewing the sweet agreeexpose myself to censure for co-operating ment there is between the word preached with you in the sale of the Vessel; but as I by God's sent servants, and the word rehad long appointed to spend a Sabbath in ceived in the heart in the exercise of living London, I thought I should like to hear faith. The second particular was the nayou; therefore with something of these ture of baptism, and the mode of adminisfeelings, I came last Sabbath week (Sep-tration. Thus I found the Lord better to tember 24th,) in the evening, as you are me than all my fears, as I do not know that aware, expecting to see you, a man partly I ever preached with more liberty; and forsaken of God, and with a very few peo- after preaching, I felt my soul brim full of ple to hear you, but (after waiting at the the love of Christ, and the solemnity of

door to speak you, to my great surprise,) when I entered the chapel, I found it nearly or quite full, so much so, that I had to set very uncomfortable on the free seat, under the pulpit; this rather, I confess, touched the pride and naughtiness of my heart, to think that no one offered me a better seat. But soon after you began to preach, my heart began to get warm with the precious truths you were enabled to bring forward, that I could say my hearty amen to them, having lived upon them for some years; therefore, they were new and old to me; so that my pride was quelled

what we had attended to, and I believe that the power of God accompanied his word through the day so that it was a good day to many precious souls.

My object in writing these few lines, and their appearance in print, is, that some of the Lord's dear family, who are halting between two opinions, relative to this ordinance, may gather some comfort, and derive the same blessing and favour.

May the Lord bless you, and prosper you, is the prayer of

Your's affectionately,
Apsley Mill, Oct. 7.

R. SEARLE.

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