me to tea. This, indeed, was a foretaste of heaven to my soul; and the reason of my Christ and a Crust. WOMAN. composure, I attribute to the sweetness, the THE SAYING ONCE OF A POOR BUT GOOD lovingkindness, and solid satisfaction I found, setting under this appletree, whose fruit was sweet to my taste." One of the Lord's Huntsmen. (See Jeremiah xvi. 16.) MY DEAR BROTHER IN JESUS :- Grace, mercy, and peace be with you. We want a smooth path, but we find it is very rough. We have strong shoes and strength promised; and our promise-maker is a promise-performer. We can say that 'not one thing has failed of all the Lord our God has promised;' and I am sure not one ever will. I have proved it more than forty years, and the longer I live, the more I admire his goodness to me a poor, vile, weak, and hell-deserving sinner; a poor nothing worth worm. The longer I live, the more I love his service, and the more I think I do enjoy talking to my fellow worms about a precious Jesus, and a free grace salvation; though my poor stammering tongue can say but very little about it. I can scribble but little of what I feel, and feel but little of what I want to feel. I often think I am the poorest thing on earth. have found much melting down in reading the Vessel you sent me. There is James Raynsford's letter to James Wise; I never saw my feelings set forth so before; I could not have put them down so well; I have prowled and mourned about this wood, and often thought I was one alone in my feelings; but I find there is a family likeness with some of the Lord's tried and tempted children. Your Vessel has come to our shore richly laden with rich stores of good things. I hope many a poor tried soul that is called to do business in great waters meets with your Vessel and finds some sweet refreshment; so that they may be constrained to see and admire the works of the Lord and his wonders in the deep. A sweet word came to my soul this morning, 'I AM GOD, and CHANGE NOT, therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.' Blessed be his dear and precious name, he rests in his love!'Jesus, the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever.' I am at this time very much tried in almost every way. Satan and temptation are so strong, and I so weak, I often think I must give up; and I often think no one of the Lord's children have so much within to fight with, as I have; so full of unbelief, and so much sin working that I am constrained to say with dear Hart, "Can ever God dwell here ?" And what often grieves me is, there is such a giving way, a giving up to the thing, and when fast bound down by them, there is only, as it were, a lazy wish that things were not so; there is not that earnest desire to be brought out that I want to feel. I am a poor stupid, weak worm. R. MASON. Christ and a crust, a woman said, My path has been a scene of cares, But should I murmur 'cause the way My hope is not beneath the skies, My happy home. My happy home, where all is praise, Soon now shall this vile body have No more to roam from street to street, But having Christ I all things have, For in this earthly house I sigh And be at rest. Knowing that when this house of clay I shall be cloth'd in bright array, O, could I always plainly see But no see, that immortal throng, Gone but a little time before, My passage has been hitherto And yet I swim. And shall that vessel ever fail, Whose anchor's cast within the veil ? To say it may's, a lying tale : He port must gain And shall her many storms outride, Tho' tempest tost from side to side, Christ is her wise and skilful guide To certain glory. W. H. Labour and Rest. with much christian affection, and I spoke in his pulpit in the evening from these words, And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain,' &c. (1 Sam. iv. 11, 12, 13.) Bradford is an ancient town dropping, apparently, into decay; but there is a vast body of professors of the gospel. The next day I went down the river to Bath, and preached in the evening, (at Mr. Cromwell's chapel,) from work of his hands.' Brother Cromwell has recently been in deep afflictions; but I hope the Lord will raise him out of them all. The last sermon I preached was at Grittleton, in a very ancient chapel, on the Friday evening, from Ezekiel xliii. 4, 5, 6. Brother Smith's MY DEAR READER-If you will sit down a moment, I will briefly relate to you a few things connected with my recent tour. I have a feeling against writing anything respecting myself, but I seem compelled to record the goodness of the Lord. Necessity was laid upon me to preach the anniversary sermons at Hawkesbury-Upton, in Gloucestershire, on the second Lord's-day in No-Bless, Lord, his substance, and accept the vember. I travelled all the day previous in darkness of mind, arrived at friend Rodway's late in the evening, and soon retired to rest. I awoke early in the morning, and earnestly besought the Lord to give me a message for the people, but the heavens were like brass, and no heavenly voice was heard in my soul.kitchen was that night (after service) a bethel However, I went up to the chapel, and after to my soul: some choice saints dwell in reading and prayer, read these words for my those parts. Saturday morning, I set out morning's text, 'Whosoever cometh to me, for London, whither (through divine goodand heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I ness) I safely arrived. I felt, however, much will show you to whom he is like. He is cast down, as well as greatly fatigued; for like a man which built an house, and digged I could not say that the Lord had spoken deep, and laid the foundation on a rock; and sweetly to my soul during the whole of my when the flood arose, the stream beat vehe- journey, although (through me) he had mently upon that house; and could not spoken to many. I also found that my shake it; for IT WAS FOUNDED UPON A beloved brother's (John Wigmore) minisROCK.' I was led to speak first, of the act- try had been so blessed to the people among ings of grace; secondly, of the opposition by whom I labour in London, that they were which it is assailed; thirdly, of its invincibie greatly rejoicing. I was inwardly afflicted power. The chapel was filled with many in my soul with a temptation that the Lord living souls; and I believe the Lord blessed had ceased to commune with me. This the word. In the afernoon I preached from burden I was enabled to carry and lay before these words,' And the Lord appeared unto him; and while I was on my knees, sighing him the same night, and said, I am the God over the dark and barren state of my soul, of Abraham thy father; fear not, for I am these precious words were spoken in me, with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply with savour and power: 'Return unto thy thy seed. And Isaac builded an altar there.' Rest, O my soul, for the Lord hath dealt bounGen. xxvi. 24. In the evening I spoke from tifully with thee.' I said, and felt that it was "The sufferings of Christ, and the glory the voice of my Beloved. The next morning which should follow.' Thus ended a very the same words came to me again; and I solemn day's work in the sanctuary of the was led to preach from them with comfort, Lord. The friends at Hawkesbury-Upton confidence, and joy. And, blessed be the dealt kindly with me; and sent me off next name of my Lord, I have found a little day to Trowbridge, where I preached to a springing well in my soul ever since I came chapel full of people from, 'I am the least home so I can tell thee, dear reader, 'that of the apostles; that am not meet to be called though darkness endure for a night, yet joy an apostle, because I persecuted the church cometh in the morning.' I have thus given of God; but, by the grace of God I am what you a mere outline of what I call eight days' I am,' &c. &c. I spoke in a brief way of hard work; for to travel in darkness of soul, God's dealings with my own soul. Here I and to preach among strangers in inward met with Mr. John Prior, and Mr. Peirce bondage, is to me most distressing. It may two ministers of Christ; and very comforta- be, however, that much of this comes from ble christian-like men I found them. The next pride; for when I go into places where I am morning I was permitted to look over and to not known, I cannot help feeling a desire stand in the pulpit of our old friend John that the Lord would make me manifest to Warburon; I also called upon him, and the consciences of his saints; and I am spent a few moments with him in converse foolish enough to think that if my own soul upon the best things. In the evening went is not richly feeding on the word delivered, to Hilperton and preached from-'Take care none others can. But the Lord knoweth. of the church of God,' in the chapel where That thy precious soul may ever rest and John Dimott laboured so many years. On rejoice in Him, who is still the Sun of Wednesday morning went to Bradford; Mr. Righteousness, is the prayer of your willing Hawkins (who had invited me) received me servant in the gospel, CHARLES WATERS BANKS. G., J. & R. BANKS, Printers, Bermondsey New Road, London. |