of reformation was instantly commenced, but his convictions deepened until the week before Easter, when the gospel way of salvation burst on his view. "Whilst reading Bishop Wilson on the Lord's Supper, I met with an expression to this effect, That the Jews knew what they did when they transferred their sin to the head of their offering.' The thought rushed into my mind, What! may I transfer all my guilt to another? Has God provided an offering for me, that I may lay my sins on his head? Then, God willing, I will not bear them on my own soul one moment longer. Accordingly, I sought to lay my sins upon the sacred head of Jesus; and on the Wednesday began to have a hope of mercy; on the Thursday that hope increased; on the Friday and Saturday it became more strong; and on the Suuday (Easterday, April 4th) I awoke early with these words upon my heart and lips, Jesus Christ is risen to-day; Hallelujah! Hallelujah!'" During the time (the three years of his college life) Mr. Simeon did not become acquainted with any religious persons, and though there seems to have been a decided change wrought in him; yet in many particulars, such as concerts, &c., he conformed very much to the world. He mentions having read Hervey's works, whose views on the assurance of faith were a great stumbling-block to him, until he was brought to consider "Faith as a duty, but assurance a privilege." This strange notion he continued to hold throughout his life, and we were somewhat surprised to find that he so strenuously advocated a duty faith. Shortly before his ordination he became acquainted with Mr. Venn, of Yelling, whose acquaintance seems to have been of the greatest advantage to Mr. Simeon, and his memory was ardently cherished by him to the last. He was presented to the living of Trinity Church, Cambridge, in 1782, and continued to minister there 54 years, till his death, which occurred in 1836. During the former part of this time he endured much opposition and persecution both from the parishioners and the members of the University, so that at times he had need of being guarded by constables; but during the latter years of his life the very reverse happened to him, for he was courted and caressed by all parties. However, we certainly must consider that in every way he flourished much more under the frowns than under the smiles of the world. In May, 1834, after a scvere illness, in which his life had been despaired of, we find him thus writing to a friend :-"I am, I feel I am, a brand plucked out of the burning. But, oh! what dreadful marks of the fire upon me to this hour! None but infinite power could ever fit it for a place in His temple. I do believe God's power sufficient; and I believe the whole plan which infinite wisdom has devised for the accomplishment of this great object is sufficient for the attainment of it. But I cannot forget what I am; I do not desire to forget what I am; I am even, so to speak, satisfied with being what I am, that God may be the more glorified." About the same time he writes thus to the Bishop of Calcutta :-"You will ask

*

me, perhaps, what was my frame of mind during this state of nearness to the eternal world? And I am happy to say that I found my principles quite able to sustain me." We were certainly somewhat startled at the expression of his principles sustaining him. Dr. Hawker would have rather said, "I found my precious Jesus able to sustain me. However, Mr. Simeon proceeds: "I have taught others that there is not so much as a sparrow that falls to the ground without our heavenly Father's special appointment, nor any one thing which shall not work for the good of His chosen people; and these things I was so enabled to realize, as to have my soul kept in perfect peace. Throughout the whole time, I was strengthened to rest on God as my Covenant God, and Father, and to believe that His covenant was 'ordered in all things and sure.' * * As for the joyful anticipations of the blessedness of heaven, neither the habits of my mind, nor the state of my body, nor, indeed, the character of my religion (the religion of a sinner at the foot of the cross) led to them; to be kept in perfect peace was more in accordance with my wishes, and that mercy God richly vouchsafed unto me; and I hope that if restored to any measure of health and strength, I shall be enabled more than ever to live for God, and to the glory of his great name. **** In a word, I felt, and do feel, that in God, and in God alone, I have all that I can need; and therefore my eyes are turned to Him always-Him exclusively-Him without a shadow of a doubt. Were I to look at him through the medium of my own experience, it would be like looking at the sun through the medium of the waters; the sun, in that case, would appear to move as the water undulates; whereas, when viewed in Himself alone, He is uniformly and steadily the same, without any variableness or the shadow of turning."

From the above extracts, together with that we shall now give from his experience during his last illness in November, 1836, we conclude, without the shadow of a doubt, that Mr. Simeon was resting on the Rock of Ages, and therefore part of that building which is builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. "I wish to be alone with my God, and to lie before Him as a poor, wretched, hell-deserving sinner-yes, as a poor, hell-deserving sinner; (then very slowly and calmly) but I would also look to Him as my all-forgiving God-and as my all-sufficient God-and as my allatoning God-and as my covenant-keeping God. There I would lie before him as the vilest of the vile, and the lowest of the low, and the poorest of the poor. I look as the chief of sinners, for the mercy of God in Christ Jesus to life eternal; and I lie adoring the sovereignty of God in choosing such an one, and the mercy of God in pardoning such an one, and the patience of God in bearing with such an one, and the faithfulness of God in perfecting his work and performing all his promises to such an one."

***

Mr. Simeon was one of the chief movers in the formation of the

different societies, but what he considered one of the most important employments of his life was the purchasing the Presentation of Livings. In this he spent much of his own fortune, and was also most materially assisted by many of his friends. With reference, however, to the appointment of persons to these benefices as they became vacant, many have very much doubted Mr. Simeon's wisdom and discernment. It seems, however, an undoubted fact that he inclined more to the Arminian than the Calvinistic school, but his trustees have done so much more decidedly. We never recollect hearing what would be called a high Calvinist in Mr. Simeon's pulpit, but we have heard many tremendously low Arminians. We believe that many who call themseives of the Simeonite school would much rather admit a Socinian into their pulpits than one who takes a higher standard of doctrine than themselves.

We have dwelt longer upon this life than we should have done, on account of the very important position that Mr. Simeon occupied in the movements of the religious world, and because he is looked up to as a kind of infallible oracle by the professors of the day.

We shall conclude with Mr. Simeon's account of hearing Dr. Hawker, in 1807 :-"The Doctor read prayers well, though with some eccentric starts; and he preached on 2 Cor. iii. 18. Mr. E-and myself were in perfect astonishment at his volubility of tongue and strength of voice. He dwelt much on the glory of Christ, and spoke many excellent things; but there was no particular order or affinity to the text, so that though we admired much that we heard, we could not carry much away. He observed that the Commandments were written on our altar-pieces in order to remind people that Christ was the end of the Law for righteousness unto them that believe. Being apprized that Mr. E and myself were intending to stay the evening service, he invited us to tea, and we had a profitable conversation with him." After describing the great peculiarities in his manner of conducting the evening service, Mr. Simeon adds :"After all, there was more to admire in some respects, and to disapprove of in others, than I ever saw or heard before. His reading and preaching, if divested of eccentricity, would be excellent; and, at all events, he is well calculated to attract attention and to do good, though I fear he is the means of promoting a very bad spirit and not a little error amongst the greater portion of his hearers."

CORRESPONDENCE.

To the Editor of the Gospel Magazine.

DEAR MR. EDITOR,

In wandering through that "garden of nuts," the precious word of God, it is no uncommon thing for the little ones to meet here and there with a shell too hard for them to break. The passage, 1 John, iii. 9, has, doubtless, been frequently among the number.

May I intrude a few remarks on that passage, for insertion in your next month's Magazine? Comparing the words alluded to, with John viii. 34, "Whosoever committeth siu is the servant of sin," seems to me to throw a light upon the meaning of the text, and show in what sense "he who is born of God doth not commit sin "-viz., he is not the servant or slave of sin. "Sin lives in him, but he does not, cannot, live in sin." The stress in both the passages quoted seems to lie on the word "commit," which appears to me be intended to convey the idea of living in a continued course of sin, without remorse or compunction. The preservative against this, in the regenerate, is the holy seed which abideth in him. Wherever this holy principle exists in the soul, a tender conscience and the fear of God prevail also, and are a sure preventive against that sin, which may probably be also alluded to here-viz., the "sin against the Holy Ghost."

Hoping these very brief remarks may be blest to some of the Lord's family, I am, dear Sir, yours faithfully,

A SHULAMITE.

MASS AND MARKET-DAY.-"This is to mass and to market," thought I, whilst passing through a village on a recent Sabbath morning; for the moment the pretended worshippers left their chapel-and they came pouring out by droves-they fled to the shambles to make their purchases. A number of carts were drawn up in the immediate vicinity, and even before mass was over, their contents were exposed for sale, the whole presenting a scene of ten times greater business-animation than upon any day in the week. And these are they who profess such a devotedness of love to Him who, on one occasion, made a scourge of small cords, and driving them out of the temple who sold oxen, and sheep, and doves, said, "Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandize" (John ii. 13-16).

THE LAST PAGE OF THE VOLUME!

DEAR READERS,

The Printer sends us a proof-sheet with a blank page, and with it says, "What can you do to increase the sale of the Magazine? Cannot you write a strong appeal,' and, stitching in two or three copies on separate pages, ask the readers to circulate them ?" The thought was certainly not a bad one, as far as the circulating of the "appeals " goes, but how to write one is the difficulty-at least we find it so. However, here are the FACTS; and if we let them speak for themselves, perhaps they will not speak in vain. Here is a Magazine very old in its date, and very plain in its doctrine. The burden of its pages is, or at least is intended to be, Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people, saith your God." It embraces, and that most cordially, all who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, whether Churchmen or DissentersBaptists or Independents. As it makes its monthly circuit through cities, towns, and villages, it goes in quest of sinners—sinners. Hart says, "The sinner is a sacred thing,

The Holy Ghost hath made him so."

Meeting with these, its delight is to hold up the LORD JESUS CHRIST, in the efficacy of his blood-the completeness of his righteousnessthe boundless grace, matchless love, and unparalleled willingness of his heart, to receive all those whom He hath thus "made willing in the day of his power" (Psalm cx. 3). Of such (blessed be God) it has already met a goodly number, many of whom have now exchanged the sighs of the wilderness, for the songs of Canaan-vacated the clay tabernacle to bask in the bright vision of God and the Lamb !—We now desire others to fill their places, and as many more to join our ranks as the Lord may incline thereto.

To this end we once again appeal to our readers, begging that such -and there are many-as feel their hearts knitted to the work will make it a point of endeavouring to promote its sale during the coming year. You have, dear friends, given us this year an astonishing proof of what you could do for the poor Irish; put your hand a second time to the plough, and see what you can do for the poor Editor, by each striving to get an additional subscriber. At the moment of our writing, something whispers, "What would it be for some of the rich in this world's goods among the readers to subscribe for an extra copy-only 6s. 6d. a-year-in order to give it to some of the poorer members of the household of faith, who have not the means of purchasing it for themselves?"

We leave the subject with you, dear readers, assuring you that your efforts are not lost upon a heart already warmed with the manifold token of your love and esteem for Christ's sake; and wishing you, in our usual manner, 66 a merry Christmas and a happy New Year," in the best sense of the word, we are Yours, in the bonds of Christian love, Bonmahon, Co. Waterford, Ireland, Nov. 1847.

THE EDITOR.