be generally considered to be more than ordinarily felicitous. Possessing an abundant fortune, an amiable wife and family, good taste, and considerable leisure, most men would have regarded him as an individual of singularly fortunate lot. Yet, although left without control, and being not, in fact, insane, he was often, like Cowper, one of the most miserable of men. His disorder was hypochondriasis; and in his case 'Methodism' could not be blamed, for his views resembled much more those of Southey, than those of Newton or Cowper. "Nearer London, and not far from the latest abode of Cowper's Cousin Theodora, lived another clergyman. He, too, was not only a scholar and of blameless life, but also, like the former individual, amply provided for, and free from all pecuniary cares. When in health, and free from mental disorder, he was one of the happiest of men. Reconciled to God, and rejoicing in the light of his Redeemer's countenance, his condition and state were, on the whole, such as an angel, if commanded to labour on earth, might have chosen. But he, too, was subject to hypocondriasis; and for several years towards the close of his life he walked in darkness, and saw no light.' The perpetual sadness which dwelt on his fine countenance could be forgotten by none who had once contemplated it. 'well-reasoned and clearly-written pieces,' and the latter 'was allowed to be the best which that controversy produced.' He had prepared a Dedication for Queen Caroline, as of all extraordinary things which had been tendered to her royal hands, the chief; not in itself, but on account of the author, who, said he, is the first being of the kind, and yet without a name. He was once a man, and of some little name, but of no worth, as his present unparalleled case makes but too manifest; for by the immediate hand of an avenging God, his very thinking substance has for more than seven years been continually wasting away, till it is wholly perished out of him, if it be not utterly gone to nothing. None, no, not the least remembrance of its very ruins remains; not the shadow of an idea is left; nor any sense that so much as one single one, perfect or imperfect, whole or diminished, ever did appear to a mind within him, or was perceived by it.' "Those who have been personally acquainted with such cases-and they are not rare ones-will easily perceive that there was nothing so singular or strange in Cowper's ailment, as to require any particular apology or labored investigation." THE LATE WILLIAM WALES HORNE, "A third instance of this kind was brought under Cowper's own notice, by his friend Mr. BIBLICAL CRITICISMS, Newton, in the hope that, in detecting the delusion in another mind, he might apply the remedy to his own. "Simon Browne was born about the year 1680, at Shepton Mallet, in Somersetshire, and in 1716 had been chosen minister of the Meeting in the Old Jewry ('one of the most respectable among the dissenters :') he lost in the year 1723 his wife and only son, and fell into a deep melancholy, which ended in a settled persuasion that he had fallen under the sensible displeasure of God, who had caused his rational soul gradually to perish, and left him only an animal life, in common with brutes; so that, though he retained the faculty of speaking in a manner that appeared rational to others, he had all the while no more notion of what he said than a parrot,being utterly divested of unconsciousness. It was, therefore,' he said, 'profane for him to pray, and incongruous to be present at the prayers of others.' Resigning his ministry under this delusion, he retired to his native place, and there amused himself with translating portions of the Greek and Latin poets into English verse, and writing little pieces for the use of children. Then he undertook to compile a dictionary, which, he observed, was doing nothing that required a reasonable soul: but towards the close of his life, he engaged earnestly in theological subjects, and published A Sober and Charitable Disquisition concerning the Importance of the Trinity; a Fit Rebuke to a Ludicrous Infidel, in Reply to one of Woolston's Discourses; and A Defence of the Religion of Nature and of the Christian Revelation, in Answer to Tindal's Christianity as Old as the Creation. All these are said to be AND SOLUTIONS OF DIFFICULT TEXTS, MR. EDITOR.-I am very glad to see that the Biblical Criticisms of William Wales Horne is now being reprinted, and I have no doubt they will be, by the blessing of God, made very useful to the enquiring, seeking Christian, who desires to be fed by the milk of the gospel; and also to the strong Christian who desires strong meat; for he will there find it, and bless God for teaching Mr. Horne to preach and publish such glorious truths as will be found in the Biblical Criticisms. As I was called under that good man's ministry, perhaps a brief account will be acceptable to your readers. It is now about thirtythree years ago. I was then an apprentice; and my master sent me out for £30. By some means, I lost one sovereign; and when I told my master, he said he should stop it out of my wages by weekly sums, which he did; and my mistress said I had stolen it-thinking my master would give it to me. This made me feel very uncomfortable: so I went one night to see a companion of mine, and to tell him of my loss; but his mother told me he was in the chapel next door. (This was Hephzibah Chapel, where Mr. Horne was minister.) As I wanted to see my young companion I went into the chapel, and when the service was over, I told my friend of my loss. I said I would come to the chapel again the next Sunday, which I did, and Mr. Horne said, "I see a young stranger or two here," and he prayed for them; God heard his prayer; for those words, "a young stranger," were like an arrow fixed in my heart, and I could not pull it out. Go where I would, those words, "young stranger," followed me. I continued going to chapel; but O, the horror and the anguish of my soul I cannot describe! for I saw that my sins were against a holy God, and I thought hell would open and swallow me up. I now went about moaning and groaning, O, what shall I do? O, what will become of me? O, I am lost! I am lost for ever! My mother and my workmates all thought I was going mad; and I thought so too; for I envied the dogs, the horses, the cows, and every living thing I saw; they were not sinners, and they had no soul to live for ever. My cry was daily, "God be merciful to me a sinner! O God, save, or I perish! O Lord, pardon my sins. or I shall fall into hell!" Thus I continued in this state, with scarce any hope, for about nine months, when one night the Biblical Criticism question put to Mr. Horne by one of the congregation was this: "Dost thou believe on the Son of God?" (John i. 35). This was now the time to favor Zion; for as he was explaining who did believe, and how they did believe, and the blessed effects of their believing on the Son of God, all to bring them to a knowledge of themselves, as sinners, and to Jesus as their Saviour, my heavy burden fell off my shoulders, and every fear out of my heart. I was now as happy as I could be; and was as full of heaven as I could hold. I could rejoice day and night; for my sins were all gone, being buried in the sea of God's everlasting forgetfulness; washed in the precious blood of Jesus, and clothed in his righteousness, and saved with an everlasting salvation. EXPOSITORY EPISTLES TO THEOPHILUS. LETTER IX. IN my last I endeavored to shew that the leprous garment did well set forth that selfrighteousness so natural to us, which must be burned up. What the kind of fault in the garment called leprous, was, I know not; but we do know that the wool of a sheep which dies of disease is called dead wool; and when made into a garment, is very soon leprous enough to be good for nothing; though many dishonest manufacturers do deal in this dead wool, thereby deceiving people. And so it is, that sin is the disease that Adam the first brought in, and all died in him; and all our righteousness is as the dead wool; it would deceive us, and leave us destitute, and witness against us, just where we should want it to beautify us, and to speak for us-namely, at the bar of God. It is steeped in sin, and is anything but as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed. It is not fit for a working garment-much less for a wedding garment. The sentence of the law of truth is direct against it; it must be burnt; and yet, worthless as it is, it nevertheless cleaves close to us, and we to that, until we are plunged again and again into the ditch of tribulation, and this our own clothes made to abhor us. is hard work-but so it is, that it must be so, as it is written: "By the great force of my disease is my garment changed: it bindeth me about as the collar of my coat: he hath cast me into the mire: I am become like dust and ashes." Job xxx. 18, 19. This I now thought to convert all my acquaintances; for Christ was my meat and my drink, and I was continually extolling him. I told You will find but few companions here; and them what he had done for me; but, alas! I what will your trials do but shew up more and found I could not convert any body; for some more of what you are? and the more you are laughed, and others mocked; and I soon smitten, the more you will revolt; and against found that I was casting pearls before swine; these revoltings of human nature you will find so that it made me a little more cautious, and it hard work to stand-especially when the to keep my religious joy a little more to my-whole head is sick, and the whole heart is faint while with you are no healing medicines, you must be brought unto the Priest! (Lev. xiv. 2). self. Shortly after this, I told Mr. Horne all my experience, and he was well satisfied, and said he would propose me to the church; but an old Christian said I had better stay a little longer. This now so damped my feelings, that I never did belong to Mr. Horne's church; but I continued a hearer till his death, which was a very great trial to mefor his ministry was much blessed to my soul. He died July 27, 1826, aged 52. He was a Latin and a Greek scholar. I hope your readers will get the Biblical Criticisms; for I believe they will be a great blessing to the living family of God. Your humble servant, Salmon's Lane, Limehouse, Feb. 8, 1855. THOS. HALL. William Wales Horne's Biblical Criticisms are publishing by Houlston and Stoneman, in penny weekly numbers, and monthly parts. Ask for "A Lamp for the Study of the Truth-seeking Christian." The work is being re-printed under the direction of the only surviving child of the late William Wales Horne. But before we come unto our High Priest, we must look a little more to the leprosy, and see that it is deeper than the skin, and also that it is spreading; for you must, before you are brought unto the Priest, be nothing (in your own eyes) but a sinner; and this will become a good evidence that the good work of grace is begun in your heart; and thus it is written: "Then the priest shall consider: and flesh, he shall pronounce him clean that hath behold, if the leprosy have covered all his the plague: it is all turned white: he is clean." Lev. xiii. 13. You see here that all the flesh must be spoiled before the Lord, that no flesh should glory in his presence. Thus, my good Theophilus, you shall know what it is to have no soundness in your flesh; and this shall be the plague: it is a plague of the heart, and will be your plague, even unto death. Now its turning white, means that there is death at the root of the disease. Yes, the Holy Spirit of God hath brought the incor ruptible seed of truth into the heart, and which liveth and abideth for ever. And this will take away the condemning and reigning power of this plague, because the living word in the heart is by Christ Jesus; therefore no wonder that the old man of sin should turn pale, and be unable to keep such a florid complexion as to deceive the soul any longer; but he will not die until you die-and so it is, that "the righteous hath hope in his death." Such are to be brought unto the priest. Can anything be more encouraging than this? Here is a poor leper-nothing but a leper; and the worse the case is, the more it will shew the power and compassion of the High Priest in cleansing such, and saving his soul from death. "Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand and touched him, and saith unto him, I will: be thou clean. And as 800n as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed." Mark i. 41, 42. Thus shewing that he was the antitype of all the typical offerings of the law. Now, although the Levitical law as a dispensation is abolished, yet, as a testimony, it is not abolished. It still bears testimony of Jesus. Let us, then, now come to that part of heart work that belongs to the cleansing. Now, for the leper to be cleansed, there were to be two birds; and we will, as we go along, notice the names of the several offerings-at least, give a name where one is not mentioned, yet fairly implied. I am aware they may all come (at least, the sacrificial) under this name; but we will notice some by the names given to them. First, substitutional. One bird was to be slain. Here is the substitutional. The leper was shut out from the temple of the Lord, and from the holy things. And there he might have died, but for the law of life and health provided for him. But here is a way-a sacrificial way-for him to be healed, and live, and draw nigh to God, and keep the feasts of the Lord. And here were to be with the sacrifice cedar wood and scarlet; that is, scarlet wool, and hyssop. Have not these a meaning? Are they not intended to set forth some of the qualities of the sacrifice? Does the cedar mean the soundness of the cure, this being a sound, fragrant kind of wood? And I am sure the testimony of Christ's atonement is a sound cure. And is there not a promise that though our sins be red, like crimson, they shall be as wool? Does not, therefore, the scarlet wool mean the softness and gentleness of the hand of our Priest when he lays his hand upon us to heal us? Did not the leper, we have before noticed, find it so when Jesus laid his holy and blessed hand upon him? And does not the Psalmist pray, "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow ?" Here we shall find several offerings, all truly beautiful in their meaning. The first offering seems of a very humble description; and you will readily account for this, for you already see how little we know at the first of the atonement of the dear Saviour. We see there is an atonement, but have by after Now, whether this be the meaning or not, experience to go on from one degree of know- of the cedar wood, the scarlet and the hyssop, ledge to another, of the excellency, the power all these are certainly brought about in the and value of this atonement; and you need experience of every one whose conscience is not fear that your sin, your disease, or your purged from dead works, to serve the living necessities will be too great to be met by this and true God. And in this you will be of atonement. No, for it will swell out and length- sound mind, and in good spiritual health, and cumstances tell against the ordinance of will feel that the word of truth hath healed en out the song of the redeemed to boundless you; you will taste that the Lord is gracious, extent and to eternal duration-brighter and and you will come out into a healthy and better prospects cannot, even by everlasting love wealthy place. Now you will feel that you itself, be given, than is given by this atone- have a good hope, and know that God hath not ment; for it is thereby that everlasting love is given you the spirit of fear (of man), but of sealed and settled. It is deeper than hell-power, and of love, and of a sound mind; and high as heaven-broader than the sea-and longer than the earth. Yet in what humble forms, to suit our needs, and gradually lead us along, is this atonement presented! Shall we think the less of it for this ? Shall we think less of the King of glory because he was once the Babe of Bethlehem? Does it lessen him, because he was despised and rejected of men? Does it dishonor him, because he bore our sins in his own body on the tree? Do we love the less to sit at his feet because he once washed the disciples' feet? Are his royal bounties the less delightful, because he did eat bread and broiled fish with men on earth? And shall we cease to praise him, because, to shew that his love was the same to the last moment of his stay on earth, he did at the parting moment lift up his hands and bless his disciMost excellent Theophilus, these are the very endearments that bring us into his very presence with exceeding joy." Let us, then, come unto the High Priest of our profession. that you will not now be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of any of his poor prisoners. Having been a prisoner yourself, you know the heart of a prisoner, and therefore you will weep with them that weep, as well as rejoice with them that do rejoice; and this will be your resting-place, and feedingplace, and banquetting-house, and place of drawing water-namely, "who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus, before the world began." 2 Tim. i. 7. In this field of truth I hope you will be visited again next month by A LITTLE ONE. THE Countess of Huntingdon in her last moments said: "I have no hope but that which inspired the dying malefactor at the side of my Lord; and I must be saved in the same way-as freely, as fully, or not at all." THE SIXTH OF HEBREWS: WHO ARE THE PERSONS THERE DESCRIBED? DEAR SIR.In this month's VESSEL you have a piece headed, "A Five-fold Description of the Children of God;" which, by the bye, is a very doubtful title; as most of God's people believe it to be a five-fold description of many of satan's children. As your correspondent, "B. D.," says, "I write not to provoke criticism," so say I; but with Elihu, to "shew my opinion," and for truth's sake. I would preface it with a few remarks about profession. It is really unknown how far a man may go in a profession-and that of the very truth itself, and yet not have a spark of Divine grace in the heart. It is really solemn and awful to consider it! He may be a member of a church, a public praying character, a preacher of the real truth of God, a prophet declaring glorious truths, yea, more, a worker of miracles. (Matt. vii. 22, 23). See also the character of Judas. Well might the apostle say, "Examine yourselves, and see whether ye be in the faith." Self-examination never does a child of God any harm; but a hypocrite will shun it. A man may also be deceived himself about this matter: the apostle says, "deceiving and being deceived." The unclean spirit may go out of a man of his own accord; then a reformation is set up, which the deceived character mistakes for conversion-joins a church-perhaps of truth -becomes a public praying man, it may be as a preacher; but as sure as the unclean spirit took his walk out, so sure will he walk back again; and he finds his house (the man's heart) empty of all vital godliness, swept with the broom of reformation, and garnished with religious duties. birds and fishes, and almost, like Job, to curse the day of his birth; yet they never produced repentance, nor even brought him to a mercy-seat. Christ is exalted to give it, and the Holy Spirit bestows it. It must be remarked that it is once enlightened. Now all God's people know that they have more than one enlightenment; hundreds of times does God enlighten their understanding, so that they may more and more understand his holy word. But these characters are only once enlightened, and that I believe to be a head knowledge of the gospel and plan of salvation. They have never been enlightened to know their awful state as sinners before a holy God, nor an experimental knowledge of the truth and lacking this, all other light, or professed light, is darkness. "If the light (professional light) that is in you be darkness, how great is that darkness!" Again." And have tasted of the heavenly gift.' "B. D." makes tasting and eating (page 38) to be synonymous terms. I cannot think so. A man may taste without swallowing; he may taste and swallow, and yet not relish the food. A man may taste that God is good-his providence declares it; may taste that God is great-creation proclaims it; that God is glorious-his word reveals it; and yet he may never taste the Lord is gracious. Religion is somewhat more than tasting-it is eating and relishing. "Except ye eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of man, ye have no life in you." To understand the word of God, and to preach to edification and instruction, are heavenly gifts, as well as many other things. But allow it to mean as "B. D." says it does, Christ himself, then it may infer that such characters know that salvation is by Christ, and by Christ alone; which knowledge satan himself possesses. My intention is to be brief, so shall pass on. Again." And were made partakers of the Holy Ghost." The gifts of the Holy Ghost and the graces of the Holy Ghost are widely diverse things. There may be great gifts and no grace; and there may be great grace with but small gifts. Men may be said to be Such men, it will generally be found, jump all at once into the full assurance of faith, without knowing or feeling deeply their awful state as sinners before God. It is a solemn state to contemplate- that a man should profess to an assurance of all being right between God and his own soul, whilst at the same time he is going fast to perdition." filled with the Spirit of God," (Exodus It is evident from Scripture, a man may be a sent man to preach the very truth of God, and yet not a good man; and that truth may be abundantly blessed of God. The character of Judas will prove this; and if one, there may have been hundreds, perhaps thousands, since then. The unclean spirit, or the strong man, being cast down, is widely different to walk ing out. In the one case, he comes back again; but in the other, he never can regain his old territory. But to the point in hand. The Holy Ghost says, "It is impossible for them who were once enlightened." But some men strive to make that possible which God says is impossible; but this I think is wrong, whatever may be said about legal and evangelical repentI do not think that legal convictions ever do lead a man to godly repentance. The writer has had as strong legal convictions as most men-such as to make him envy the beasts, ance. xxxv. 31), when there is no evidence of grace in the heart. The scientific inventions of the day are from the same source, and not, as blindly supposed, from man's innate talent. The Spirit of God came upon Balaam, (Numbers xxiv. 2), and by and under the influential gifts of the Holy Spirit he prophesied and declared some of the most glorious truths in the word of God, which have gladdened the hearts of myriads of the Lord's people. with Saul and his servants. Samuel said to him, "When thou comest to such a place, the Spirit of God shall come to thee, and thou shalt prophecy." Hence I believe it to be a partaker of the Holy Spirit's gifts, and not grace, that is here intended. So Again." And have tasted the good word of God." Here comes tasting again. Did not Balaam do this? I think so-but not to relish it. When people profess a love to the truth, and appear for a time to run well, but afterwards disappear, may they not be said to have tasted the good word of God? The way- | So they put not only themselves to an open side hearers, who receive the word with joy, in stony ground, and among thorns, are certainly among those who taste the good word of God; but having no root, they wither away. "And the powers of the world to come." Many men have been aware of the doom that awaits them in the world to come, before departing this life; and many for years before they depart hence. No man can be a hypocrite without knowing it; and such characters know full well in their consciences the doom that awaits them in the world to come living and dying as they are. Balaam knew this when he said, "I shall see him, but not now; I shall behold him, but not nigh." Numbers xxiv. 17. Also Saul, when the figure, personifying him, said, "Tomorrow thou and thy sons shall be with me." "If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance." The word "if," seems to intimate that some may and will fall away, whilst others will carry on the delusion to a dying day or hour. Such characters never are brought again into a repentant state; and all the persuasion you can use will never extort from them one sentence of sorrow or regret; but on the contrary, will justify their own conduct. Two such characters I have known, belonging to the church I came from. One, a public praying man, has turned infidel, and has remained so twenty-five or twenty-six years; the other, the most zealous man in the church, (when you entered his house, the Bible was found spread wide open upon the table), this man fell into open drunkenness, went from bad to worse, until about a year afterwards, when one morning he hurried to a pond, and, Judas-like, committed suicide, and went to his own place. How different the case of the poor backslider! in his fallen state how miserable and wretched he is! And when he comes to himself, (for there he must come), he hardly dare, perhaps, say like the prodigal "I will arise and go to my Father." But there also he must come. As for repentance, why sorrow almost breaks his heart. How different the case where the grace of God is, and where that grace is lacking! "Seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh." Christ cannot suffer crucifixion pangs afresh; there is no necessity for it, since Calvary's summit reverberated the glorious echo of a finished salvation "Death hath no more dominion over him." But the denying of the Son of God, the Christ of God, which these apostates did, was a tacit acknowledgment that his crucifixion was just; that they considered it so; and that they, if in their power, would surely have crucified him afresh. Not that he was ever crucified for them. Certainly not. But by their profession they pretended that he was; and men are often called in Scripture according to their profession, and not by what they are in the sight of God. (Matt. xxii. 12, 26, 50.) "And put him to an open shame." agree with "B. D." in thinking that the word him is better left out, as it is not in the original. shame, but religion itself, and the cause of God and truth; also the people of God, in the eyes of many professors, as well as the profane and infidel. But allowing the word "him" to remain as it does in our translation, then it signifies, they put Christ to an open shame in his members. So intimate is the union between Christ and his members, that he hath said,— "Whosoever toucheth you, toucheth the apple of mine eye." Jesus says, “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" Pathologists say, that whatever part of the body is injured, the brain always feels the pain before the injured part can. When a flaming professor falls openly into sin, the profane and the infidel cry out, "Ah! ah! so would we have it!" and they eat up the sin of God's professing people as they would eat bread, or some of their choice dainties, rolling them like a dainty luxury under their tongues. The 9th verse appears to me to confirm my view of the subject" But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak." As much as to say, a person may possess such evidences as the 4th and 5th verses contain, without having any evidences of grace in the heart; "but we are persuaded better things of you, though we thus speak;" to warn you against taking blazing professors and ready talkers too readily into your affections. Give them three or four summerings and winterings first; if the grace of God is there, it won't die away-it can never perish. "We are persuaded better things of you." Better than what? Why, than being only once enlightened, having only a taste of the heavenly gift, being only a partaker of the Holy Spirit's gifts, and not grace, and having only a taste (and not a relishing one) of the good word of God, also of the powers of the world to come --having not only tasted of condemnation by the law, and a fearful looking for of judgment -but also realised the blessedness of looking unto Jesus, and of hearing him say in the world to come, "Come, ye blessed of my Father," &c. "B. D." must not suppose, because the subject has been opened to him, as he says, in a remarkable way, that therefore it must of necessity be the true meaning; nor because another good man thinks so. His is not a new idea. Hundreds of God's people in England are of his opinion. He does not appear to entertain an idea of how near the devil will imitate God's work. As an old divine said, "The devil will always try to imitate God's work ;" and the crafty foe well knows that the nearer the counterfeit is to the genuine coin, the more likely to pass muster. Hence he generally takes a man of talent and natural abilities, eloquence, &c., and so manages matters, that for a time, and sometimes for many years, deceives the very elect thereby, or at least great numbers of them. May the Holy Spirit guide us into all truth; for we only go right as led by him; and apply with Almighty power his own word to our souls. Wellingboro', Feb. 5. DAVID DUDLEY. |