How simply and sincerely will a poor and my people; and my ministry," until quickened sinner tell out the troubles of one is disgusted. But enough; come to his soul to any man that mounts a pulpit, more solemn things. "While this great and pretends to be a minister of Christ; swelling word was in the king's mouth, but how frequently is it the case that there fell a voice from heaven, sayingthese pretended ministers are ignorant of O, Nebuchadnezzar-the kingdom is the longings and breakings of a travail- departed from thee." And he was driven ing soul, and hence, are either dumb, or, out from men, and did eat grass like consider the poor enquiring sinner to be oxen, and his body was wet with the a subject more fitted for a straight waist- dew of heaven." What a dreadful trancoat than for the consolations of the sition! Thrown from the highest earthly everlasting gospel. "But at the last, glory, to dwell with the beasts of the Daniel came in." Yes; in the poor soul's field, as one for ever cast out and forlast extremity, he shall be directed to saken both of God and man. Here you some one; or some one shall be directed have a strong figurative representation to him, who shall be a Daniel unto him; of God's dealing with his children, somewho shall come with "the judgment of times spiritually in a deep killing sense God" into the poor soul; and shall so of the wrath of God in their souls, as shew him where his uprightness is, what Heman describes it in the 88th Psalm; his real condition is, and what his ulti-sometimes literally (as well as spiritually) mate end shall be, that faith and hope as it was with Job. Oh, my reader, bewill spring up in his soul. Cease from ware of a proud, haughty, vain spirit. running to men, poor troubled sinner. It has preceeded the temporary downfall Be found waiting upon God, and he shall of some of the greatest men ever Zion surely send a Daniel to thee, who shall had; and I am persuaded the furnace is faithfully and affectionately tell thee all still needed in Zion, and its flames will the truth. In coming to presently burst out to the astonishment of many. Before the church said she was comely, she frankly confessed she was black; and do just see how Paul writes out, and carries out, the true spirit of the real christian-"Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given." Oh, Lord, hide pride from our eyes, and keep us near thy feet.

The seventh feature in Nebuchadnezzar's history, we find, that, notwithstanding the revelation he had seen; the confession he made; the solemn warnings which had followed him, still he is again filled with pride and vain glory-strutting about his palace with "Is not this great Babylon that I have built for the house of the kingdom, by the might of my power, The eighth feature is to me a blessed and for the honour of my majesty?" Oh, one. It is the preservation of the root. what a proud, pompous, foolish creature "Nevertheless leave the stump of his root is man! How often is it seen that even in the earth, even with a band of iron a good man's success in any of his move- and brass." David says, the Lord will ments, puffs him up; and makes him more "never suffer the righteous to be moved:" like a swelling peacock, than a hum- and he had some experience in this ble saint. I remember well, a little time matter: but Solomon seems to enter more since, a certain man who keeps a chapel into the secret of this mystery, and says to go and preach in, had a present made" the ROOT of the righteous shall not be him-a friend calls in on a little busi-moved," and if we come to Isaiah, he ness; up stairs the parson leads the lets us a little deeper still into this great friend, and round and round the room he struts "There," (pointing to a handsome something on the sideboard,) "What do you think of that? My church presented me with that!" Oh, poor Nebuchadnezzar! before God can be really glorified in thee, thou must be pulled all to pieces, and humbled down to the very dust. Really, it is enough to make one's blood run cold to see and hear so much empty boasting and fleshly foolishness in men who stand up as the servants of God. "My church; and my chapel;

truth, for he says that CHRIST is the believer's root; "and in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek, and his rest shall be glorious." But there is none of these come up to Paul. He was a bold man in the precious truths of the Gospel. He never minces the matter, but deals it out positively as it is-" Your life," (says he to the church) is hid WITH CHRIST IN GOD!" What a sentence! What a secret place! How eternally secure must

abled to bless and adore the covenant God of salvation! See, there was a time for this :—at the end of the days. There shall be an end to every poor living soul's captivity; and with prayer, faith, and adoration, shall he return to his Father's house.

I will but mention the tenth, eleventh, and last features-He was brought to acknowledge the Sovereignty of God; he honoured and gave glory to God; he was exalted to, and established in his kingdom; and excellent majesty—(ah, there is something in that word excellent majesty,) was added unto him.

be the church's life! "With Christ in beast of a man lifting up his eyes to heaven God!" I do not believe there ever was-praying to, being accepted of, and ena sentence written or uttered, respecting the security of God's elect to beat this. But while you admire the secret and eternal security of the church in Christ; do not forget how possible it is for a vessel of mercy, like Nebuchadnezzar, to be cut down, and scattered, stump, branches, fruit, and leaves, all driven to the winds through the weakness and wickedness of the flesh on the one hand, and the violence of Satan on the other. John Bunyan says, (speaking of Jerusalem) that it had two walls: an outer and an inner wall; the one prefigured God's predestination of the church unto eternal life, which never can be broken down; the other, God's special providence towards his own elect in time. These are John's words, and I think there is some truth in them. "Those two walls stood a little distance from each other, and had a ditch between them, which was to signify, that though they had the wall of salvation about them, with reference to their eternal state; yet the wall of God's providence and special protection was not yet so nearly joined thereto but that they might for their foolishness have that broken down and they suffered to fall into the ditch that was between them both." For myself, I humbly think the outer wall set forth Redemption by Christ, which did encompass the church in all her sin and defilement; which wall can never be removed, nor one vessel of mercy thrown outside of it; but the inner wall, I believe, denoteth the hidden work of God the Holy Ghost, which, sometimes appears to be dashed all to pieces; and the poor soul falls again into the ditch. Not that a regenerate sinner can ever finally lose what the Holy Ghost giveth, but all the peace, power, and pleasantness of it may for a time be lost, to the great grief of his sin-entangled soul. Pray be careful how you deal with poor fallen souls. Of all men on the face of the earth, I think they are the most miserable, and mostly need the church's pity, sympathy and prayers.

The ninth feature in this man's history, is recorded in Daniel iv. 34. "At the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven; and mine understanding returned unto me; and I blessed the Most High; and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever." What a miracle of grace! This poor

Reader! what think you of Nebuchadnezzar? I had fully intended to finish this subject at this time; but, though a little one, I am a long winded one; and cannot pack things in so close a compass as some men. I am resolved, however, to wind this up next month, if spared: but there has been so much work of late among the sick, the afflicted, and the perishing poor, that I have scarcely a moment's ease. They tell us that the doctors, undertakers, and grave-diggers never had such a winter before; I can tell you us poor parsons have had no small share of extra labour. Many a sick chamber and house of death have I been called to enter; still, blessed be God, I am not tired of the work; and so subscribe myself,

and

Your willing servant in the Gospel,
CHARLES WATERS BANKS,

The Good Work of Grace

IN THE HEART OF A POOR SINNER.

MY DEAR BROTHER IN THE LORD,

I will, as the Lord shall enable me, give you, (according to your desire) a brief account of his dealings with me, a poor helldeserving creature! and how he saw me sporting on the brink of hell, and snatched me as a brand from the burning. Four years ago I went to a ball, and it pleased the Lord to meet me there with this solemn thought-" How many in this room will ror during the time, I was taken with a go to hell?" which filled my soul with horpain in my inside, so that I thought I should have died, and the consequence would be, that my soul would be cast into hell! Oh, thought I, what an awful place, to die in a ball-room! Oh, if I can get out of this room, I will never come into it again! I went home and told my dear mother; and she blessed God that he had heard her

Then I had a most awful dream. I thought the world was at an end, I saw all in ruins, and thought it was come to my turn to die, I was in great distress of mind in my dream fearing every moment that I should be in hell; when I fell back, and I saw the Lord Jesus as plain as ever I saw any one, he patted me on the shoulder and said, "Fear not, thou art mine;" that took all fear from me in my dream; and being so overjoyed it woke me. I called out, it is only a dream, so that afterwards it afforded me but little comfort; I went on poorly, and often tried to pray but got no answers. One day as I sat in my room at work, I took up the Onley Hymns, and read the 61st and 62nd, which was as though a voice had spoken to me especially the 3rd and 4th verses of the 61st.

I have seen what you were doing,
Though you little thought of me ;

ceive, that they will pronounce me nothing | A USEFUL HINT FOR ALL FAITHFUL but a hypocrite; and again, I greatly feared to offend my dear friend whom I loved in

MINISTERS.

of Freehold, New Jersey.

the Lord. This word was given to me An Anecdote of the late Rev. Wm. Tennant, 'If ye love me keep my commandments;" which words were rivetted on my mind; nor could I take them in any other way than that I should be baptized: then again, WHEN Mr. Whitfield was last in this I thought of all my dear friends, and these country, Mr. T. paid him a visit as he was words came powerfully into my mind-passing through New Jersey, and one day If ye love father and mother more dined with other ministers, at a gentlethan me, ye are not worthy of me;' man's house. After dinner, Mr. Whitfield by which I saw that I was not to adverted to the difficulties attending the be afraid of my dearest friends, but that I gospel ministry, lamented that all their zeal must please my Lord before any one. 'If availed but little, said that he was weary ye love,' &c. would come again to my mind. with the burdens of the day, declared that The example of Jesus and his disciples were his great consolation was that in a short before my eyes, and I said, 'if he was bap-time his work would be done, when he tized why not I, for if I do not love him, I should depart and be with Christ; he then desire to love him?' And these words came appealed to the ministers if it was not their to my mind-By this we know we are great comfort that they should soon go to passed from death unto life because we rest? They generally assented, except love the brethren.' I love the Lord's peo- Mr. T. who sat next Mr. W. in silence; and ple, they are the only people I can enjoy by his countenance discovered but little myself with. I love his ways and his word. pleasure in the conversation. On which I have often said, I will try and find a gos- Mr. W. tapping him on the knee, said, pel minister in the Church of England; "Well! brother Tennant, you are the oldest but I thought if I went any where I should man amongst us, do you not rejoice to think miss a beautiful sermon this morning, and that your time is so near at hand, when perhaps the Lord has got a word for me. you will be called home?" Mr. T. bluntly One morning the Lord gave Mr. Corbit a answered, “I have no wish about it." Mr. word for me; he named the very thoughts W. pressed him again, and Mr. T. again which had been revolving in my heart, and answered, "No sir, it is no pleasure to me said, 'Well, poor soul, from whence came at all; and if you knew your duty, it those thoughts? The Holy Spirit put them would be none to you; I have nothing to do in thy heart.' I feel as though I could not with death; my business is to live as long thank the Lord enough for his kindnees to as I can-as well as I can-and to serve my me in placing me under such a blessed master as faithfully as I can, until he shall man. May the Lord strengthen and bless think proper to call me home." Mr. W. him more and more, with his Spirit. I still urged for an explicit answer to this said at the church meeting, that I had not question, in case the time of death were had it clearly manifest that all my sins left to his own choice? Mr. T. replied, I were forgiven me. But, oh, my dear brother have no choice about it. I am God's serin the Lord, you will be thankful to hear vant; and have engaged to do his business me say that when I was baptized I felt that as long as he pleases to continue me therein. all my sins were forgiven me, and that I But, now brother, let me ask you a question, was buried with Christ in baptism. I What do you think I would say, if I was could say a great deal more, but will for- to send my man, Tom, into the field to bear. Suffice it, that I am thankful I am plough, and if at noon I should go to the joined to a people whom I love in the Lord field and find him lounging under a tree, Jesus Christ; and hope that the Lord will and complaining, Master, the sun is very knit our hearts together, in love to him, hot, and the ploughing hard, I am weary of and to each other. Believe me to be your the work you have appointed me, and am sincere friend and affectionate sister in overdone with the heat and burden of the the Lord. A. S. day; do, master, let me return home, and be discharged from this hard service"? What would I say? Why, that he was a lazy fellow; that it was his business to do the work that I had appointed him, until I should think fit to call him home." pleasant manner in which this reproof was administered, rather increased the social harmony of the company, who became satisfied that it was very possible to err, even in desiring with undue earnestness, "to depart and be with Christ," which in itself, is "far better" than to remain in this imperfect state; and that it is the duty of the christian, in this respect to say, All the days of my appointed time, will I wait till my change come."

Manchester, Feb. 10. 1848.

A GOOD OLD AGE.-Died on the 6th of January 1848, good old John Saunders, aged 91 years; upwards of 70 years a labourer in the Lord's Vineyard, 40 of which he was situated at Hadleigh Heath, Suffolk. His little church there are now destitute of an under shepherd. Lord send help. Waste Howling Wilderness. ZURISHADDAI. [We know a faithful, loving, and experimental preacher of the gospel, who has lately been persecuted & driven out from a church where for some time he had been settled. It strikes us he would well suit Hadleigh Heath.]

6

66

The