Page images
PDF
EPUB

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 declared) his people shall have tribulation;" 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 imme-
diately made nigh in real heartfelt experi-
ence 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 grape gleaning of the vintage: there is no
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 de-
light; one who answers all the just de-
mands 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-
ness, and feel much discouraged, by reason
of the roughness of the way in temporal
things. I think
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

faith was strengthened and encouraged,
again; and with the summer before me, I
hoped that the dear Lord in his kind pro-
vidence was about to shine upon my endea-
vours in the fruit selling, that I might get
a little before hand against the approach-
ing 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 ever-
lasting righteousness for every poor bank-
rupt 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; hav-
ing 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 Exe-
ter, 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
to him that is weary. I have found his
ministry sweet and refreshing to my poor
When you
burthened and weary soul.
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 hun-
gerings and thirstings, in eating and drink-
ing 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

[blocks in formation]
[ocr errors]

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.

66

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 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.

66

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.

[ocr errors]

"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 other great 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.

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 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 hope; no sun, no moon, or stars, appeared for many tossed about under this temptation; not a gleam of 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 mysalvation. In this merciless state I went to Fenstanself to the merciless ocean, never again to think of ton to hear Mr. Drawbridge, (of Wellingborough) an‹ 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 children of Israel be taken out that dwell in Samaria in This sermon was the first I ever heard that shewed the corner of a bed, and in Damascus in a couch' 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

more plain to me, he suffered me to come into a most

"6 A Memorial of the Free and Unmerited Good-faith, and taking God at his word, and shaking off my ness of God towards John Corbitt, Minister of the Gospel, Bethesda Chapel, Oldham St. Manchester. (See Advertisement.) London: Published by Houlston and Stoneman, Paternoster Row.

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 have shaken these off, but I found I could as well condemnation. I should have been glad enough to 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.

[ocr errors]

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 This was done, first, by telling me (as christian of him, then John Corbitt certain-sensibly as with an audible voice) his' grace ly is one. We do honestly and really should be sufficient for me.' So strange, believe that no child of God can read sudden, and sweet, were those words-apthrough this memorial without being deep- plied to my soul, that I stood still to repeat ly humbled on the one hand, at the awful them; when, to my further astonishment, workings of man's fallen nature; and re- these words came with redoubled power and joiced on the other hand, at the super-effected a deliverance so surprising and joyaboundings 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

ous, 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 deep impression on my heart, that time nor eternity will never efface."

"But with the precious blood of Christ."

SUCH a theme is the delight of all the redeemed of heaven. Those who have, through grace, arrived within its portals, 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,

pented, Cain repented, Saul repented, Judas repented, but it was all unto death-it worked wrath and condemnation in their natural consciences. Now, 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 to hate his sins. And if a mere outside garb of profession was to be torn assunder by some hot persecution or other, how few would there be of whom it could be said, they are walking with Jesus in white. My soul trembles while I thus write, lest I should be found, after all, destitute of that work I am here contending for; but I would rather go all my life long bowed down under a deep felt sense of sin, guilt, and bondage, and in the end find deliverance, than go on in a blind presumptuous confidence, and 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 There seems to be much darkness en- how can he love an object he has no wrapt about the judgments of many con- knowledge of. God is revealed in his cerning repentance, the work of the Holy word as a consuming fire,' as an angry Spirit in the soul. There is a legal re-judge,' and when the soul is first quickpentance and an evangelical repentance. ened into life, in such character he beThe former works in every one of Adam's holds God, as a holy and righteous God, posterity, the latter only in the posterity and himself as a vile and filthy sinner, of the Second Adam. We find Esau re- full of every thing opposed to God. Paul VOL, IV.-PART XLV.-Nov. 1848.

From thy wounded side which flowed, Be of sin the double cure, 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 receive as bore those evidences and marks which he felt in his own soul and which was manifest in his conversation, 1 Pet. i. 13-16. How very little do we find of that blessed spirit inculcated in our churches, where the truth in the letter is preached! Oh, where is that spirit of love - those bowels of mercy? That holy longing for each others good, which was found in the primitive church? Alas! alas! we find it not. But, on the contrary, there is 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 !

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

G G

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

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 and honoured with the gift of grace to was ordained unto life I found to be preach the unsearchable riches of Christ. unto death,' &c. Now, in such a solemn Therefore having thus opened my mind position, taken hold of by the thunders somewhat freely to you, and feeling an of Sinai, how can such a notion be main-union to you, I should feel obliged if you tained 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 in his heart at such a season. My reader, it is a delusion of the devil; it is not according to the word of I was baptised by brother Collyer, (of God, nor according to the experience of Ivingho,) four years ago, after having been the children of God. And there is one a preacher of the gospel six years, but thing worthy of remark-all such par- never saw the importance of it, nor the for I can call them nothing else, are blessedness connected with attending to it, to such an extent before. During the last violent opposers of experimental preach-four years my mind has been much exering. They say, oh, you don't want ex- cised because the Lord had not given me perience preached, you want Christ that establishment of mind upon baptism, 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 A POOR WORM.

sons,

of sin ?

(To be continued, if spared.)

Delivered out of the Mouth of the Lion.

Read 2 Tim. iv. 16-18.

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 me that establishment of mind that I 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 appeared to me, the hardest task was to come, to preach a sermon upon baptism; this being a subject that was in its infancy in DEAR BROTHER-I write a few lines to my mind; but I found the promise of you with a deep impression of mind so to Christ verified-'Lo, I am with you alway,' do; and to reveal a little of the secrets of while preaching from those words in Acts my heart to you. Since I undertook the ii. 41, Then they that gladly received the agency of the Vessel, I have been in com- word were baptised.' From which I enpany with several ministers whom I much deavoured 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 aware, expecting to see you, a man partly forsaken of God, and with a very few people to hear you, but (after waiting at the 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

me than all my fears, as I do not know that I ever preached with more liberty; and after preaching, I felt my soul brim full of the love of Christ, and the solemnity of 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.

is

May the Lord bless you, and prosper you,
the prayer of
R. SEARLE.

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

« PreviousContinue »