Zion's Celegraph. A Series of Letters addressed to those Pastors and Churches (in the British Colonies, and other distant parts of the globe,) who hold fast by the Truth as it is in Jesus: and who have left their native land to settle in those distant Climes, where the Spiritual Tabernacle of David is yet to be reared up. end. pastor, and the cause is somewhat weak, but if the Lord would send them a noble-minded, faithful, experimental minister-one that had weight enough in his ministry to maintain a firm and independent standing amongst them then, under heaven's smile the cause would prosper. It hath been said, that the Lord hath a controversy with the people for We have no doubt, where past offences. dishonor is cast upon the holy name of Jesus, but what he visits for these things. Still, DEAR BRETHREN AND SISTERS in the faith our God will pardon the sins of his own peoand fellowship of the Gospel; as it is impossi-ple, and go on to love his Zion, even to the ble for me to answer your several letters and enquiries separately; and as there is a spiritual sympathy between you and those Christian Knowl Hill.-I spoke to some of the friends Brother Benjafriends you have left behind, I am disposed to here on the following day. forward you some tidings of the state of things min Mason is infirm, and has had some sharp in our Churchs, through the medium of the brushes with the enemy: and for a short EARTHEN VESSEL AND CHRISTIAN RECORD; time he actually laid down his arms, and said which publication being now stamped, may be he could preach no more. Some kind-hearted forwarded to you without that delay and in- Timothys from Reading went over to his convenience which has hitherto been experi- help; and he has returned to his post again. enced. All that you have to do, is to instruct Brother James Webb, the co-pastor of Knowl some friend in England to send you the stamp-Hill, is a very worthy brother, and a safe ed copies regularly by post; or you can for- servant of Jesus Christ. He lives in "Spring ward your subscription and address directly Cottage ;" and I hope the wells of salvation to Mr. ROBERT BANKS, Publisher, Bermond-have been opened up in his heart; flowing sey New Road, from whom you will duly receive the publication. I have not pledged myself to a mere detail of circumstances. I shall endeavour in these letters, to embody at least, three distinct features. First, to furnish you with all the information which the events daily occurring in our churches may render practically useful, and interesting to you, and to all who love our Lord, and who pray for the prosperity of the true Jerusalem. Secondly, if spared and permitted, I shall also aim to give you the benefit of my reflections while running on my Master's errands, and while reviewing such works as contain anything calculated to be useful to you in edifying, comforting, feeding, and encouraging your heaven-born spirits. And lastly, I will, as far as possible, notice and answer your several communications to me, and others in England; whereby I hope this new department may prove valuable to Zion's inhabitants, whether they tarry at home, or whether they have gone to distant parts of this lower world. Of course, I shall be glad to receive copies of spiritual letters which may be sent to England by any of you who live over the seas; from whence I should gladly extract any precious matter which the Spirit of God might have enabled you to pour forth in an epistolary form. Without any further introduction, I commence by giving you a brief account of some short journies I have recently made among a few of our rural and suburban Churches. The first journey I took after my illness, was down to Reading, to preach in London Street Chapel. I left home full of fear; but I had not long set out, (before these words fell in my mind "I will surely have mercy on him, saith the Lord." I proved the truth of that sacred promise. The Lord helped me; so that I preached three times in Reading; and in some parts much enjoyed my Master's presence. The church here is without a through his ministry to the refreshing of fainting souls. He is hidden in a corner. Were some of our destitute churches to fetch him out occasionally, I think he would be a blessing to them. we had a pleasant evening. I spoke to them as Staines. There are no less than three Baptist churches in this place; could they all be put into one, under the ministry of a fruitful and faithful servant-they would stand in strength. I recently preached to the friends in the new chapel; and I think they are growing a little. They are happy, united, and decided for truth; and many brethren from London go to preach to them the Word of life. Charles F. Webb's letter from Wellington, New Zealand, is to-hand. He says, "I am living in a colony where every sect, except the Baptists, has its representatives and followers. There are many, also, who call themselves Baptists; but, alas! alas! they will pretend to shew love to everyone, but such as love the truth as it is in Jesus.' minister from the neighbourhood of Birmingham, has made his way out there; but there is reason to fear he is no good. Friend Webb says, "If ever a minister of the Baptist persuasion comes to settle in Wellington, I hope he will be one sent of God-one that will A the peo "But there were false prophets among ple, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the LORD that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction." I AM more than ever impressed with the importance, and solemn responsibility of the ministerial office. It is a work of no small moment to stand up a professed servant of God, to feed the church with knowledge, and with understanding. I am often led to say "Who is sufficient for these things ?" And often I shrink back from my work; and were it not that I can recall to mind many Ebenezers of timely help, I must give up, and desert my post. When I hear ministers speak, and read the productions of their pens, I am often led to ask, Is this the Word of God? Is this the mind of the Spirit? Is this the drift or design of the sacred writers ? Listening, a few weeks ago, to a so-called Baptist minister, (a late student at Stepney College), who was advocating general redemption, or the universality of the atonement, he took the above text as a proof of his theory. The exposition he gave of it, led me to think. I was led, also, to ask several who believed in particular redemption, their thoughts on the text; and not one could give me anything, as I thought, to the point. I believe it is of vital importance, rightly to divide the word of truth." These words were written by Simon Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ to the scattered or dispersed ones; or, "to the elect sojourners of the dispersion." The apostle James dedicates his Epistle to the same persons "James, a servant of God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the dispersion." These letters were written, therefore, to Jews who were strangers in these places Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, and Bithynia; not persons settled down, dwelling in a flourishing colony, prosperous and happy in the world-but persons who had been scat tered to and fro; first, by the Assyrian captivity, and after that by the Babylonish, and by the invasion of the Romans. They were foreigners, sojourning in another country, as the Jews are to this day. Now the apostle writes to the believing among them, and styles them "elect, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ;" and as "kept by the power of God, through faith unto salvation." Saying also, "There were false prophets also among the people," evidently I cannot think that this passage refers to the redemption of the church by the blood of Christ at all, although so often quoted by men in support of general redemption. There is a redemption spoken of in the Bible, besides the redemption by the blood of Christ; "Is not he thy Father that hath bought thee ?" "I gave Egypt for thy ransom." The children of Israel were redeemed from the bondage of Egypt by the sovereign interposition of a God of Providence, and they sang the song, "Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people, which thou hast redeemed." Many more passages of God's word might be quoted. We pass by their deliverance from the Babylonish captivity, and we behold the same people scattered all over the face of the earth, a bye word among the nations, a distinct people, and yet "they are, as touching the election, beloved for the Father's sake;" they are still called "branches broken off:" and the privileges into which we (Gentiles) are grafted is still called "their own olive tree;" and God is able to graft them in again." This people favoured, and punished again, and again, are still in existence, and the promise of God to them is, "I will gather them out of all nations whither I have driven them, and they shall be a people in the land which I gave unto their fathers." From Ezekiel the xxxviith, I understand they will be a people, a body, a nation, in their own land, still in unbelief, without spiritual life, as it is after the body is formed that life from God enters into them; God says in his word, "I will gather them out of all countries whither I have driven them." They are again to be bought or redeemed out from all those that have served themselves of them. Now, we are aided by the same spirit of "prophecy, unto which we do well to take heed," to a knowledge of the state of the world, and of the church, at the end of this age. See Matt. xxiv. ; 2 Thess. ii. And as the close will be apostacy in the professing church, infidelity will be the state of the world. The Jews, therefore, will be infidels: they will set up an infidel system under a headship-THE man of of sin, anti-christ, who will deny both the Father and the Son. Thus, the Jews in their own land, will be deniers of God, and of his Son, Jesus Christ: who is the only Lord God, who brought them not only out of the land of Egypt, and out of Babylon, but out of all countries whither they are now driven. This will be the climax of Israel's, and the world's, sin: setting up a man as God in the temple of God, and paying homage to him as God, This is the man whom he (Christ) will | is now published by W. H. Collingridge, of the destroy with the blast of his mouth and the brightness of his coming. Thus they will bring upon themselves swift destruction. The last great battle will take place, spoken of by the prophet Joel, also by Zechariah, by our Lord himself, (see Matt. xxiv.) and by John in vision, see Rev. xix. The redemption by Jesus Christ is a redemption eternal, complete, and the redeemed are in the hands of a Divine Redeemer, "kept by the power of God;" "all thy saints are in thy hands;" "they shall never perish, neither shall any (power) pluck them out of my hands;" "of all that thou hast given me I have lost none." I understand, therefore, that those who are given to Christ by the Father, are redeemed by the Son-and those who are redeemed are preserved-so, that being once plucked as brands from the burning, they are safe "More happy but not more secure, The glorified spirits in heaven." If any person should read this, who has pleaded this text in favour of general redememption, let me ask what would that redemption be worth to poor sinners, who, after being redeemed, they should be able by any act to bring swift destruction on themselves, or where would be the glory of a divine Redeemer, to lose those, given into his charge? "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day." J. CHISLETT. City Press, Long Lane. The following paragraph In "BIBLICAL CRITICISMS; AND ILLUSTRATIONS OF EXPERIMENTAL GODLINESS." London: Houlston and Stoneman. We are reading for the press a new edition of the late William Wales Horne's Biblical Criticisms; which new and corrected issue is publishing by Houlston and Stoneman, in penny weekly numbers; so that the poorest of the living family may secure for themselves a copy of this hitherto scarce, but in some sense, valuable work. We read these "Criticisms some fifteen or twenty years ago; and we then considered them sound, but not sufficiently savoury; as we then much loved to have divinity matters highly seasoned with the salt of the covenant, and with the mixed juices of a soul well exercised by fiery trials on the one Brief Latices of New Works. hand, and deeply led into the love, blood and "THE BAPTISTS' HYMN BOOK." Two copies of the second edition of the Baptists Hymn Book," just issued, are now before us-one in plain, the other in handsome binding. The title-page is voluminous and expressive-"A Collection of upwards of Eleven Hundred Hymns; including nearly Two Hundred Originals; harmonising with the Scriptures of Truth, in Doctrines, Ordinances and Precepts. &c., &c. By JOHN STENSON." Sold at the vestry of Carmel Chapel; by the Author, 15, Anderson Street, King's Road, and by Houlston and Stoneman. This new edition is got up in a substantial manner; it is printed on a strong Bible paper, in good, clear, bold type; and forms altogether a handsome and valuable volume. The arrangement of the hymns is convenient; and the selection comprises nearly all the best hymns which are at present received and sung in our churches. Such Baptist ministers and churches as are anxious to obtain a cheap and comprehensive book for worship, will do well to peruse this new edition of Mr. Stenson's. As a rather large impression has been struck off, there is not much fear of their finding any difficulty in, at all times, procuring a supply. "THE POOR MAN'S MORNING AND EVENING PORTION. By Dr. ROBERT HAWKER.' A new and very cheap edition of this work precious promises of Zion's gloriously exalted Head and Husband, on the other hand. The good providence of God, (as we hope,) has recently thrown this work into our hands to reprint, and to furnish the present and future generations, with a neat, cheap, and well-executed edition of this expository production of a good man. As we have been compelled to read the work more deliberately than we ever did before, we have discovered more of its value; and we certainly can most conscientiously recommend it to all who can feed upon pure doctrines, and genuine experimental matter. We give the following short extracts from No. 4, where the writer is describing THE HEAVEN-BORN CHILD. "A new born babe. Born of a high and dignified birth; born from above; conceived in the womb of the everlasting covenant and purposes of God, ere time itself was born; and in the appointed hour, begotten of God, unto a lively hope through the resurrection of the dead; and except a man be thus born, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God-his spiritual kingdom: he cannot enter into the mysterious love and grace of God in Christ, as published in the everlasting gospel; nor into his eternal kingdom of ineffable glory. "As a babe at its mother's breast, as a little child, he feels himself weak, helpless, ignorant— and one who needs the milk of the word, that he may grow thereby. He has been at Sinai, and that asp, Arminianism, that he shall play, that is, triumph, and rejoice over it, exulting that it has no power to hurt in God's holy mountain,' to the top of which he is brought, to shout salvation in the name of Christ! "And the weaned child, the old established, and tried Christian, shall put the hand of his triumphant faith, on the den of legality, fleshly sanctity, formal worship, and false hopes; as on that den of thieves, legal ministers, who rob Christ of his glory; for though weaned from the milk, he walks with God, and lives a life of faith on his dear Son: blessed with an appetite to feast on the strong meat of God's unalterable love, absolute promises, and those immutable things by which it is impossible that God should lie! How beautiful is this prophetical distinction between the SUCKING and the WEANED child! And how graciously are both verified in the established believer's experience !" "THE GODHEAD AND HUMANITY OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. A Sermon by Mr. W. TIDDY, at Mansion House Chapel, Camberwell. London: J. Paul. THIS sermon is intended as a refutation of arguments contained in a Unitarian tract. Those arguments Mr. Tiddy has met, and most triumphantly demolished. He evidently felt the importance of the subject he had in hand; and he does not appear to have sought to enter into this controversy: it was, we judge, forced upon him: and, considering the limited space of one sermon for so vast a subject, he has most effectually given his opponents the worst of it. heard the awful thunders of Divine justice, vociferating wrath almighty against him!—the law has entered his conscience with its condemning authority, when sin revived, (instead of the law killing sin, it caused its revival), and he died to all hope and expectation of being saved by its deeds. But the sweet invitations of Christ have given him some hope of salvation; and having thus tasted that he is gracious, he desires the sincere milk of the word! He is now assured, that if saved at all, he must be saved by grace. Notwithstanding, the natural legality of his nature, teaches him to expect that he must do something to obtain this grace: and he works hard now to perform, (in order to please GOD, and win his heart), what he denominates gospel duties. He has turned his back on Sinai, (or rather, the Lord has turned him), and his face is set Sion-ward, with desires after Christ; but doubts and fears keep him back, under a sense of his sin and unworthiness: and hence his soul is in PRISON; but how accurately and strikingly is his state and deliverance described in Zech. ix. 11. 'As for thee, also, (says the Father to his beloved Son, in covenant), by the blood of thy covenant, I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit, wherein is no water.' The Deliverer is the Lord, and the deliverance is by blood: but till it comes, he is God's own prisoner of hope, though in an horrible pit; which hope shall never be cut off! Blessed be God for that! He has begun the good work, and will carry it on to the praise of the glory of his grace. But he is in the pit wherein there is no water: and is the poor and needy sinner; yet soon Isaiah's prophecy shall be accomplished. (Chap. xli. 17.) When the poor and the needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst: I, the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them.' Then, 'In the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water.' The poor sinner's thirst shall be satiated with Christ who is a fountain of gardens and a well of living waters;' and he shall drink large draughts of the pure river of water of life, clear as chrystal, Mr. Tiddy's opponents try to hide themproceeding from the throne of God and the Lamb. selves under a few quibbles about the renderThe river of Jehovah's pleasures, that river, ing of the original; but Mr. Tiddy, knowing the streams whereof shall make glad the city of his way in the walks of Greek literature, God. The river of God, which is full of water. drives them out into the open fields of plain "Now, he must have the sincere milk of the and native language and without passion, word—not the milk and water of Arminianism: unfairness, or evasion, but with dignity, no mixture-no patchwork-'no putting a new sobriety and clearness, establishes his position piece into an old garment-nor old wine into and that beyond all just controversy. We new bottles.' The soul must be nourished with much admire the reasoning contained in the the infinitely free and pure invitations and ex-following short quotation :hortations of grace, which are entirely confined to the hungry and thirsty, to the weary and heavy laden; to the sensibly stout-hearted, and those wretched sinners, who feel that they are far from righteousness! Free, sovereign, electing, redeeming, and effectually calling grace, experimentally preached, suits alone, the spiritual desires of this new born babe ! "This is the sucking child in distinction from the weaned child, according to Isaiah's description, (chap. xi. 8.) 'And the SUCKING child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the WEANED child shall put his hand on the cockatrice den.' The sucking child, just brought forth into Gospel liberty shall be so delivered from THE HOLE of He has exposed their dishonesty in their half-way quotation of Scripture; he has shewn and given an historical instance of the acknowledged Oneness by the Socinians, with the Alcoran, in there jection of the doctrine of the Personal Divinity of the Saviour. Mr. Tiddy does not proclaim a marriage between Unitarianism and Mahomedanism, deeming them, we suppose, of too near akin. Christ is a man; we bring forward texts which "You bring forward texts which declare that declare that he is the true God. How, we ask, unless you admit the doctrine which we assert, can you make the same person be a child born,' and yet the 'Mighty God and Everlasting Father?" We demand how the same person can think it no robbery to be equal with God,' and at the same time say, 'My Father is greater than I.' We ask again, how the same person speaking truth can say, I know all things, I search the hearts, I try the reins of the children of men,' and yet with equal truth say, 'the Son of Man knoweth not that day or that hour? Unitarian, You cannot harmonise those Scriptures; but if you acknowledge the doctrine for which we contend, and which the word of God presents to us for our acceptance and belief; no violence is done to reason any more than to revelation." Still, there are one or two points where, perhaps for want of space, Mr. Tiddy is not so explicit as he is in the several other parts and main drift of the sermon. As on page the fifth, where Mr. Tiddy says, "Christ as God was not sent." But why not? The Holy Spirit is God, and he is sent. And when he bringeth in his first begotten into the world, he saith, "Let all the angels of God worship him." Here it does appear to us that he was worshipped as God-man, and that he was in his whole Person sent to purchase the church of God with his own blood. Again, on the same page, "Christ (says Mr. Tiddy) has received a fulness of natural life for his people." But how does this natural life accord with John i. 4; here the life is divine, not merely natural, and from this life arises everlasting light, and this supernatural life beautifully accords with the supernatural image to which they are to be conformed, and with that supernatural price by which they are redeemed, and with that supernatural righteousness in which they are to appear, and that supernatural position which they are for ever to occupy: Now, the efficacy of the work of Christ, laid not merely in his being God and man in one person, not merely in his possession of infinite ability, if he had not possessed it he could not have used it; and though he did possess infinite ability: yet, if it be not used to meet the law's demands, then where would have been the divinity, either of his righteousness or of his atonement; truly he is God, and purchased the church with his own blood; he is Jehovah our righteousness, and thus in giving HIMSELF in life and in death to the law, he did hereby give infinitely more to the law than man ever took from it: hence, the superiority of the second Adam's standing to that of the first. We do then rejoice in the blessed truth so powerfully and so well set forth in the sermon before us. The blemish or two we have noticed are we believe more in mere word than in meaning; and we ought, perhaps, to wonder how, in so small a space, so much could be said with such clearness and force. "CHEERING WORDS." The first number for 1855, of "CHEERING WORDS for SEEKING SOULS"-contains, we think some excellent articles. The first is a striking testimony of a real conversion, and the "Three Day's Joy" which followed the soul's deliverance:- The second is headed "Jesus Christ's Comforting Words for Comfortless Hearts:"-the third, Beautiful Letters Written to, and by Christopher Love, while in prison, and just previous to his execution:" the fourth, "No SEPARATIOM FROM CHRIST!" All these pieces, are savoury, and, in the hands of God, cannot fail of being useful to breaking-hearts, and souls longing for salvation. Sixteen pages of purely Gospel and experimental matter for one half-penny, is decidedly a boon to the Churches. The third and fourth Volumes are well adapted for presents to Christian friends. We hope, in the coming year, to find "Cheering Words" more extensively USEFUL. Among the many works which we have received, but cannot, this month, fully notice, are the following" Scenes from the Life, Travels, and Labours of Paul, the Apostle." -"Lectures on Prophecy." "Martyrs and Heroes of the Scottish Covenant." "The Mirror of Truth."-"Visit to the Valleys of "The Russian Antichrist." Piedmont." "The Second Newman's Hall's first sermon, and Third Seals," &c., &c. We hope to read these works carefully but we fear they are, like the generality of theological literature in our day, exceedingly dry, and short of weight. Lines, : WEEP NOT FOR HIM! occasioned by the Death of Lawrence R. Smith, by his brother, F. D. Smith. (ADDRESSED TO HIS MOTHER.) WEEP not for him! his spirit now hath fled Away from earth, to realms of endless light; Mourn not the exit of the "righteous dead!" For faith with them is perfected in sight. Weep not for him! no more his youthful voice On earth shall tell the sweets of love Divine. Those lips are cold-but still thou must rejoice, And bow submissive to his God and thine. Weep not for him! the hand which dealt the blow Knows what is best, and tempers grief with love; And listened to the mighty Gabriel's song. F. D. SMITH. |