TO MY FELLOW TRAVELLER AND LA-, the bread of life, which came down from BOURER IN THE KINGDOM AND PATIENCE heaven, which if a man eat, he shall OF JESUS CHRIST:-May the grace of never die; that bread is the precious God, the presence of Jesus, and the supply flesh of Christ, who became incarnate; of the Spirit be with thy soul continu- who was found in the manger of Bethally, and with mine too, while I attempt lehem, to shew that he was become the to go as far as Bethlehem to see this food of beastly man: but not until man great thing which is come to pass, which has been changed by the mighty operathe Lord hath made known unto us. tions of the Spirit, for no unregenerate (Luke ii. 15.) And in order to do so, man can feed upon a crucified Christ, we must go back to where good old but the poor prodigal, who has felt a Jacob found a precious Christ; for he mighty famine in his soul, and begun to found HIM in BETHEL; and there HE be in want of the bread of his Father's spake with us. (Hosea xii. 4.) Let us look house, will mourn, cry, sigh, and groan at the meaning of this word:-1. BETH- for a crumb of this precious bread of EL, that is, the house of God. Here the heaven. My brother, the Lord help us Father dwells in his everlasting love; to see to it, that we get our bread for the here the Son dwells in his eternal ful- king's household, only from the king's ness of grace and truth; and here the own store; not from Bethlehem, as I Holy Spirit dwells in his blessed unction fear there is much cursed leaven mixed of life, light, and power; and it was up in the day in which we are called to here where poor Jacob found a dwelling minister in the name of the Lord; and when he was persecuted and driven out those who eat of this leavened bread are from his earthly house and home by the as full of pride, contention, vanity, prefury of his brother Esau; it was here sumption, and vain jangling as they can heaven was opened to his soul, and the well hold, which I can attribute to no mystery of the incarnation of the Son of other cause than eating this poisonous God seen by the eye of faith in the ladder bread; while on the other hand those set up; and behold a ladder set up on who are fed upon the pure, sweet bread the earth, and the top of it reached to of Bethlehem, will be found to be humheaven and behold the angels of God ble, meek, poor, and needy sinners, sitascending and descending on it; and ting at the feet of Jesus with a thankful behold the Lord stood above it, and heart for the least crumb that falls from dropped such a divine blessing into his the Master's table._ (3.) This place is heart that made him leap for joy and ex- called BETHLEHEM EPHRATAH, that is, claim, 'this is none other but the house abundance in bearing fruit, or increasing; of God and the gate of heaven.' (Genesis and methinks those who have been into xxviii. 10—22.) Oh, my brother, what God's house, and seen God's Christ, have an unspeakable mercy to have this gate been ready to exclaim with David, 'My in any measure opened to our souls by cup runneth over,' and 'Christ shall be the Holy Ghost. This is the gate of the my palace and portion for ever. My Lord by which the righteous shall en-soul has been led to see such an abundter into God's house, and find rest for ance or fulness in the atonement of their souls; but it seems almost pre-Christ that it has covered all my black sumption for such a vile, black, hell-deserving sinner ever to expect; and but for that blessed Scripture which the eye of faith beholds written over the gate of Bethel, I should be in black despair"Him that cometh, I will in no wise cast out." My faith is hanging to that sweet portion still. But (2,) the word BETHLEHEM signifies, the house of bread: so that God's house is a house of provision, which he has promised to abundantly bless, so that all the household of faith shall be satisfied with bread; that is, VOL. IV.-PART XXXIX.-April.

spots, drowned all my sins, banished all my fears, and buried all my infirmities by the abundance of peace, goodness, mercy, truth, grace, and glory, revealed in the day of his power; and, moreover, where Jesus is, there is fruitfulness to such a vast extent that it beggars all description to attempt in any measure to set it forth, for he is not only the branch of righteousness,' the 'fruitful bough by the well, whose branches run over the wall,' the apple tree among the trees of the wood,' but the tree of life

L

in the midst of the garden of God, rising, three mighty graces of the Spirit, called, infinitely above sin, death, the curse, the faith, hope, and charity, armed with the fall, and the grave, richly laden, and power of Omnipotence, and impelled with completely covered with the most rich, the feeling of deep necessity, braving all delicious, and celestial fruit, that ever opposition, pressing through every diffiman tasted, or angel saw. And when culty, overcoming every foe, travelling this tree is planted in the soul of a poor to the gate of heaven, and drinking of einner, he will then soon know what it the water of life, and then pouring out is to increase with all the increase of that very life thus received, before the God; and I am well persuaded the more God of all grace, in prayer and praise. I am enabled to set down under the The Lord help us, brother, to wait at this deep and refreshing shade of this tree, gate for the springing up of this well, the more will my faith increase, my love for we shall find it to be very deep, and abound, my hope be firm, my heart be no man, by nature can draw here. (6.) full, and my tongue constrained to bless, There are five persons of note mentioned praise, and glorify a Three-one God, who in Bethlehem, who do set forth the led me to this fruitful spot. (4.) His-Christ of God, who was born here. The torians tell us that BETHLEHEM was situated in the acclivity of an hill. Hence, we read of going up to the house of God at Bethel. So, in order to go spiritually into the house of God and eat the bread of life, we must be raised above the love of this world by the renewing of the Holy Ghost, so as to come out of the valley of the flesh and of corruption; for, the way is above to the wise, that they may depart from hell beneath; but it is only as the dear Lord is graciously pleased to bring us up out of the horrible pit of self and the clay of legality, that we are elevated to the sacred spot of Bethlehem, so that a child of God has not as yet reached the summit of the mount,neither is he as before in the world, but living as it were between the two, and at times longing to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better. (5.) There were some wells by BETHLEHEM's GATE Out of which David longed to drink. 'Oh that one would give me to drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem which is by the gate!' (2 Sam. xxiii. 15.) But the Philistines had a garrison there, and David's three mighty men broke through the host of the Philistines and drew water out of the well by the gate. In like manner, God's sent servants now, have to break through an host of opposition, and various enemies both within and without, in order to draw water from the wells of salvation for the thirsty in the wilderness, who are longing to drink of the fountain of the water of life freely; and when they receive this water, like David, they pour out before the Lord, a drink offering of prayer and praise for opening rivers in high places, and fountains in the valleys. But may not these three mighty men of David, in this noble act, resemble the

first is ELIMELECH, my God is king, setting forth the Lord Jesus as the sent servant of the Father to accomplish the great work which he gave him to do, in obeying and magnifying the law, making satisfaction for sin, bringing in an everlasting righteousness, and raising up the scattered tribes of Jacob's house. He acknowledged God the Father to be the Sovereign disposer of all things, it is the Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom, said, he to his little flock, and to hide the secrets of his covenant from the wise and prudent, revealing them unto babes; and at last, as his servant, Son, and equal declared, 'I have finished the work which thou gavest me do ;' and does not Elimelech also set forth all the children of God who are conquered by his grace, brought under his dominion, made his willing subjects in the day of his power, and who acknowledge him to be their king for ever. Secondly, there was IBZAN, that is weapons of war, or armoury; typifying the great spiritual warrior who came from Bethlehem to fight the battles of his poor oppressed people; and oh, how well qualified was he for this mighty work, whose name is called Wonderful. For he put on righteousness as a breast-plate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head, and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak, girded his sword on his thigh, and thus went forth to meet the old serpent and overcome him, to meet sin and put it away, death and destroy it, spoiling principalities and powers, and triumphing over them in it, going forth conquering and to conquer, taking possession of the throne of David, and reigning over the house of Jacob for ever, whose, children are brought to know what it is to war with

AN UNLEARNED PREACHER. Reading, January, 1848.

The Bible-What is it?

the flesh, the world, and the devil, hav- the bread of eternal life, and to drink of ing put on the whole armour of their the precious water of the well, by the God and king. Thirdly, we have BOAZ, gate; Jesus is the beloved object of their that is, in strength. He was a mighty hearts, the chiefest among ten thousand man; and, behold, he came from Bethle- to their souls; he is the beloved of the hem (Ruth ii. 1, 4,) to bless the reapers; patriarchs, prophets, and apostles; he is he had compassion on poor Ruth, the the beloved of the Father and the Holy Moabitess, gave his young men a charge Ghost, together with all the angelic host. concerning her, and fed her with parched Oh, that we may be more than ever concorn. So our heavenly Boaz came forth strained to cry him up in his lovely chain the fulness of time from Bethlehem, racters as Prophet, Priest, and King! (Micah v. 2.) and blesses his people with cry him up in his blood to cleanse, in all spiritual blessings, and feeds his flock his righteousness to justify, in his power in the strength of the Lord, and in the to save, in his mercy to deliver, in his majesty of the name of the Lord his balm to cure, in his grace to conquer, God. For as he is the branch made and in his willingness to receive every strong to bear all the load of the church's poor, lost, ruined sinner, that sighs under iniquity, strong to wade through the the curse of a broken law. Oh, to such floods of the wrath of God, to drink the a one I would say, he is willing, doubt cup of death, and to put away sin by the no more; for, I well know that thy heart, sacrifice of himself; for, 'it is finished,' thy sins, thy doubts, and fears, and the said his dying breath, and shook the devil will do all they can to cry him gates of hell; so, all his redeemed down.' Oh, that the Holy Ghost may family go forth in his strength, name, cry him up in our souls more than he and authority, shouting victory through ever yet hath done, that we may say, the blood of the Lamb. Fourthly, there'My beloved is mine, and I am his.' was ELHANAN, the grace, gift, or mercy While I remain, thine in him, of God. He slew the brother of Goliath, the Gittite. (2 Sam. xxi. 19.) Does not this at once point to the free gift of the Father, in giving his only begotten Son, full of grace and truth to his beloved Hephzibah, the church? Oh, how IT is THE BOOK; i.e, as though there was wonderful the grace and mercy of the no other: it is the only book (in the Father appears in this unspeakable gift, strictest and most prominent sense of which comprehends all other gifts which the word,) that is worthy the name Book. we shall need in time or eternity. "For, It is the Holy Book; and the only holy he that spared not his own Son, but de-book: its origin is holy; its contents livered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" Rom. viii. 32. Fear not, then, brother, for godliness has the promise of the life that now is, and that which is to come; so that possessing a blessed interest in the free grace mercy of God, we shall be found not only conquering Goliath's brother, but treading upon the old dragon, and shouting. Oh death, where is thy sting? Oh, grave, where is thy victory? Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.' Fifthly, you have DAVID the beloved, the sweet singer of Israel. And what is all religion without divine love, the root of all true GODLINESS in the soul, the main spring of all spiritual obedience in the life, and the blessed bond which unites all the real citizens of Bethlehem to their glorious Captain: this constrains them to leave the valley of this world, to come up to the house of God, to feed upon Christ,

are holy, being the holy mind and will of an infinitely holy God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost revealed; it was written by holy men of God as they were moved and inspired by the Holy Ghost; it points out a holy way into the holy enjoyment and immediate presence of a holy God for ever and ever. It is written to an holy people, for their holy use and spiritual instruction, (even God's elect ;) and by the teaching and leading of the Holy Ghost, through it they are brought into a vital and saving acquaintance with its holy truths and solemn realities; and thus they prosper, grow, and thrive; going from strength to strength until they appear before God, holy and complete in the holy of holies at his right hand where there is fulness of joy and pleasures for evermore. Its matter is weighty as eternity, and solemn as the grave; it is the glory of our nation; the gospel is the glory of the Bible, and Christ is the glory

of the gospel. The sovereign line of de- the judge; his awful tribunal; the wicked marcation between the church and the cast down to hell; the righteous welworld, (or the elect and the reprobate,) comed into heaven; the end of time; is plainly discovered by a spiritual eye the disappearance of the world, and all, and an enlightened mind, as running all absorbed in vast incomprehensible completely through it in solemn de- eternity! O, then, what a book! What cision and awful grandeur, as drawn by a precious book is the Bible! O ye infinite and unerring wisdom, mysteri- Christians! dispense with your newspaously exhibited and brought into one pers, (except where required in business,) focus in the matchless language and im- and search the Scriptures. Your Bible portant words of Abraham to Dives. is a magazine of rich stores, a reservoir (See Luke xvi. 26.) Its various appel- of heavenly treasure, and a body of lations by which the saints are distin- eternal truth. Meditating in it, conguished from all others under the canopy templation on it, and, prayer over it will of heaven, are beautiful, grand, great, not prove labour in vain. Its prophecies and glorious; their state, standing, and are numerous, weighty, and wonderful; destiny shines therein effulgently; their and their fulfilment is absolutely certain; paths, plagues, pleasures, and prospects many have been fulfilled to the very are correctly described and delineated, letter, and the rest shall be at the time together with the character, features, appointed. Its description of heaven is conduct, doom, and destiny of the un- glorious, its definition of hell is awful, godly. (See Jude.) The imagery of its account of idols and idolators, imposthe Bible is matchless its subjects, pa- tors, and apostates, is sound and solemn: ragraphs, and ramifications, are instruc- its relation of the characters, titles, oftive and various: its doctrines are glori- fices, and names of Christ, are grand and ous; its promises precious; and its majestic. Yea, this is its marrow and precepts profitable; the ordinances, laws, fatness; such as satisfies the heaven-born rules, and regulations it contains, both soul when explained and applied by the for the household of faith, and for kings, Spirit. Blessed be God for the Bible! rulers, and magistrates, are good and My soul thirsts for a more vital acexcellent beyond compare, (though aw-quaintance with, and saving realization fully departed from.) Its examples, en- of its sublime, divine, and glorious concouragements, and invitations to the tents. Centuries past, when its copies saints are unparalleled; its judgments are heavy; its mercies are numerous; its correction is solemn; its reproofs are valuable; its harmony is sweet; its connection is sacred; its threatnings and denunciations are majestic and awful; its warnings are many; and its cautions are constant. Its author is indescribably glorious; and his ways and works in creation, nature, providence, and grace, as therein described, are great and wonderful. His decrees and purposes are therein fully declared; his immutability, greatness, and goodness clearly made known; also his covenant oath, work, and worthiness, his unspeakable gift, his perpetual gifts, his grace, and his graciousness: his name, his nature, and his nation. Moreover, the will of the Father, the victory of the Son, and the work of the Spirit; the destruction of sin, death, and hell, by the atonement; the awful end of error, and erroneous men; the glorious triumph of truth, and the lovers thereof; the death of the body; the immortality of the soul; the resurrection of the body; its reunion with the soul; the day of judgment; the appearance of

were scarce, and large sums of money were required for a single page, it was highly esteemed as a wonderful book; but, alas! now, because this precious volume can be obtained for one shilling, it is much despised, as of very little or no importance: yea, almost, if not quite laid aside, (even by some professors,) for the preference of a play book, or novel. My soul, come not thou into their assembly! look up for grace to enable thee to stick to God's testimonies: and abide in this field, constantly tarrying by the stuff.

Christian brethren, may we never know the value of our Bibles by the loss of them! but while we have them, may our God enable us (especially ministers,) to meditate upon these things, and give ourselves wholly to them, that our profitting may appear to all. The Bible is our statute book; our map of the journey; and our directory to heaven; and the end of the world will proclaim (to the horror and distraction of the deist and infidel,) its unsullied holiness, and divine authenticity.

THOMAS STRINGER.