The faulty points are these: 1st. We are told, page 1, that the Corinthians had much of the learning of the Greeks, and were men of classic taste, and that they should have used these gifts to con But then, it becomes us to be aware, not-not hastily, but deliberately, and in the fear only of the rough garment of a mock and of God-my opinion upon it. And to me the arrogant humility," but also of Amalakite- said sermon appears, both in the negative and measured, and delicate steps; and also of the in the positive, to be materially faulty; that soft raiment of refined and studied courtesy, is, that there is the absence of something that (Matt. xi. 8), and fascinating smile, with, should be present, and the presence of somesurely, "the bitterness of death is past." thing that should be absent. 1 Sam. xv. 32. But Samuel had too much honesty about him to be thus deceived. We must, then, beware of words that are softer than butter, and smoother than oil. (Psa. lv. 21). Not one of the reformers appears to have been of this amiable caste; but these creature-firm the testimony of Christ. refinements pass with thousands for religion; and tens of thousands are deluded thereby. It was by great, very great politeness, that the serpent beguiled Eve; and, unhappily, her posterity love to have it so: so true it is, that satan is not only a Prince of darkness, but transformed also as an "angel of light," and shall deceive, if it were possible, even the very elect. And yet further than all this, he (Mr. S.) was, so says the VESSEL, brought to know the Lord when he was only fifteen years old. Heaven grant it may prove to be so! for the young man's sake, and for that of others also! but I have most solemnly have-my doubts as to the Divine reality of his conversion. I do not say it is not for me to say that he is not a regenerated man; but this I do know, that there are conversions which are not of God; and whatever convictions a man may have whatever may be the agonies of his mind as to the possibility of his salvationwhatever terror any one may experience, and however sincere they may be, and whatever deliverance they may have by dreams or visions, or by natural conscience, or the letter, or even apparent power of the Word, yet, if they cannot stand, in their spirit and ministry, the test of the law of truth, and the testimony of God, there is no true light in them; for a person may be intellectually enlightened -he may taste of the heavenly gift, and be made partaker of the Holy Ghost, professionally, and taste of the good Word of God, (Heb. vi.), and yet not be regenerated, and therefore not beyond the danger of falling away, even from that portion of truth which such do hold. Such are never thoroughly convinced of what they are by nature; Psalm xxxviii.; Rom. vii.; shew a path to which they make some approaches, and of which they may eloquently talk, but at the same time give certain proofs that they are not truly walking therein. Mr. Spurgeon tells us, in his sermon on the Ministry of Angels, that he has more angelology about him than most people. Well, perhaps he has; but then, if a real angel from heaven were to preach another gospel, he is not to be received. But now, dear Mr. Editor, as we humble readers of the VESSEL look somewhat to you, and in most cases have the pleasure of being instructed, and refreshed, and profited, and as you inform us that Mr. Spurgeon's sermon on 1 Cor. i. 6-The Testimony of Christ Confirmed in You-is the best that you have read, I will take that as a sample, and give Mr. Spurgeon, and the Word of God, very widely differ, upon this Greek wisdom and classic taste. The Word of God rejects the wisdom of the flesh, and declares it to be foolishness with God, and that it is at best but "earthly, sensual and devilish," and essentially different from the wisdom that is from above. Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians; but the wisdom by which he led Israel out of Egypt, came altogether from another quarter. The apostle Paul was a man of much Greek learning, and classic taste; but it was by a very different kind of wisdom that he preached among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; he came not as our moderns do, of Greek learning, and classic taste; these come in the jingle, and play, and wisdom of words, but not in the demonstration of the Spirit, or of the right kind of power. 2ndly. In page 2 we are told, that he (the Lord) "determined upon sending a Mediator into the world, whereby he might restore it to its pristine glory, and save to himself a people who are to be called the elect of God." Now, here Mr. Editor, we get two rather singular doctrines: first, that the world is to be restored to its pristine glory; and secondly, that the people of God are to be called the elect of God. Here, again, Mr. Spurgeon and the Bible are at variance. The one says, the heavens are to vanish away like smoke, and the earth wax old, like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner; that the earth is to be burned up; but Mr. Spurgeon says No, to this, and restores it to its pristine glory. "But the people of God" says the sermon "are to be called the elect of God." I thought this nomination was already settled, and that from before the foundation of the world. 3rdly. The very paragraph, Mr. Editor, which you quote from the sermon, appears to me to be very faulty; nor can I feel at all one with the sermon, in the way it speaks of the testimony of Christ. The sermon says, that the testimony of Christ was direct from himself, and that the testimony of prophets was second hand; that the testimony of Christ was uniform, but that the prophets contradicted themselves; that the testimony of Christ was perfect, but the testimony of the prophets was not perfect; that the testimony of Christ was final. Now, Mr. Editor, this appears to me to be nothing but vain jangling, and a jargon of truth and error, ingenuously interwoven, Just try the several parts. 1. "The testimony of Christ was direct from himself." But the Word of God contradicts this, and says, "The words that I speak are not mine, but his that sent me." "But the testimony of the prophets was second hand." But the Word of God contradicts this also, and says, that prophecy came not in the olden time by the will of man, but "holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." The truth is, that both the prophets and Jesus himself spake direct from heaven by the same Spirit. Again: The sermon says that the testimony of Christ was uniform. This is most readily granted. "But" says the sermon "we cannot say that of other men." What, then! were the holy prophets one thing in the truth of God to-day, and another thing to-morrow? What is this, but invalidating their testimony, and setting them aside ? "The testimony of Christ," says the sermon was perfect." Well, of course it was; and so was the testimony of the prophets unless the sermon means to charge the Holy Ghost with imperfection. The sermon brow-beats the prophets, twitting them of their personal infirmities, and making their testimony to be nothing but a few scattered threads. Does the New Testament do this? Would a man with the true fear of God in his heart do this? But then, the sermon brings in some of the old, bye-gone fathers of the early ages, and some few moderns; among which, a prophet does not dare to shew his head. Now, these fathers are the great luminaries of the world, and blest with the title of galaxy of stars. So much for Greek learning, and classic taste. But the sermon says, also, that the testimony of Christ was final; and this is true; and so also was the testimony of the prophets final. From their testimony there is no appeal. They testified of Christ, and that by inspiration of God. Mr. Spurgeon's mode of confirming the testimony of Christ, is not the apostles' mode of doing the same. Mr. Spurgeon makes it consist chiefly in something to be done by mortal man; but the Holy Ghost decides it thus-"Who (that is, God) shall confirm you, unto the end that ye may be blameless (generally, especially from apostacy, for so I take it) in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Verse viii.) Mr. Spurgeon's mode of confirming the testimony of Christ is merely heathen and natural. The conscience of the heathen accused and excused, and by the things around them, told them of a Supreme Being; so Mr. Spurgeon's mode of confirming the testimony of Christ, is to prove to others that the Bible is not a fiction. He pretends to set aside Butler's Analogy, and Paley's Evidences, as unnecessary; and yet advances in substance the same thing himself. And how does the sermon close? Why, it closes with the veriest cant, hypocrisy, falsehood and delusion of the present day. It closes with just the deception that suits the taste of the empty and flimsy profession of thousands. For I make no hesitation in saying, that neither himself nor one of his hearers, either does or can practise what he preaches. Does he or can he come to the throne of grace when he pleases? Yet, his hearers are to go home and make a fresh vow to God, and to register this new resolution. And moreover, his hearers are not to do this in their own strength. But how are they to do it in God's strength, unless he give that strength? and why should they seek his strength, when they are content with their own? Why did not Job get God's strength, and come at once to the mercy-seat, and so have done as Mr. Spurgeon would have commanded him? Pity, that Job, and the poor tried prophets and holy apostles, had not lived in this enlightened age! Well, Now, Mr. Editor, you, perhaps, will say, these samples are only a few straws. be it so; but they shew which way the current is directing its course. But mind, I have given but few, out of the many proofs this sermon gives of its unscriptural character. And now, to sum up the whole, I do most solemnly, and as in the sight of God, believe that while this sermon makes some approaches to the truth, yet, that it is not in the path marked and described in Psalm xxxviii., and Romans vii., and numbers of other such Scriptures, which is the path the holy prophets went. I believe Mr. S. well capable of talking about those paths, but I cannot see that he is walking therein. This sermon is not in a path that can by possibility confirm the testimony of Christ. It is not a path in which it can be known. Concerning Mr. Spurgeon's ministry, I believe the following things: 1st, That it is most awfully deceptive; that it passes by the essentials of the work of the Holy Ghost, and sets people by shoals down for Christians, that are not Christians by the quickening and indwelling power of the Holy Ghost. Here free-willers, intellectual Calvinists, high and low, are delighted with him, together with the philosophic and classic taste Christian! This is simply deceiving others, with the deception wherewith he himself is deceived. 2ndly. That as he speaks some truth, convictions will in some cases take place under his ministry; such will go into real concern for their salvation; and will, after a time, leave his ministry, for a ministry that can accompany them in their rugged paths of wilderness experience. 3rdly. Though I do not attach the moral worth to such a ministry as I should to the true ministry of the Spirit, yet it may be morally and socially beneficial to some people, who perhaps would care to hear only such an intellectually, or rather rhetorically gifted, man as is Mr. Spurgeon; but then they have this advantage at the cost of being fatally deluded. 4thly. My opinion is, and my argument is, and my conclusion is, that no man who knows his own heart, who knows what the daily cross means, and who knows the difference between the form and the power, the name and the life itself, the semblance and the substance, the difference between the sounding brass or | the tinkling cymbal and the voice of the turtle, pouring the plaintive, but healing notes of Calvary into the solitary and weary soul; he who walks in this path, could not hear with profit the ministry of Mr. Spurgeon. 5thly.-I believe that Mr. Spurgeon could not have fallen into a line of things more adapted to popularity: his ministry pays its address courteously to all; hence, in this sermon he graciously receives us all; (such a reception as it is;) he who preaches all doctrine, and he who preaches no doctrine, he who preaches all experience, and he who preaches no experience; and hence, intellectually high calvinists of easy virtue receive such a ministry into their pulpits, at once shewing that the man of sin, the spirit of apostacy, is lurking in their midst. Low calvinists also receive him, shewing that there is enough of their spirit about him to make him their dear brother; only his hyperism does sometimes get a little in their way, but they hope experience will soon take away this calvinistic taint, and so make things more agreeable. But in this I believe they will be disappointed he has chosen his sphere, his orbit may seem to be eccentric, but he will go intellectually shining on, throwing out his cometary attractions, crossing the orbits of all the others-seeming friendly with all, yet belong ing to none. uses, His originality lies not in the materials he but in ranging them into an order that suits his own turn of mind, at this he industriously labours: (in this he is a reproof to some ministers of our own denomination who are not industrious, nor studious, nor diligent, but sluggish, slothful, negligent, empty-headed, and in the pulpit as well as in the parlour, empty handed-preaching then is like sowing the wind, and reaping the whirlwind; and many on this account leave our ministers, and prefer a half-way gospel ingenuously and enthusiastically preached to a whole gospel not half preached, or preached without variety, life or power. May the Lord stir up his own servants, that they may work while it is day.) But, in conclusion, I say-I would make every allowance for his youth, but while I make this allowance, I am nevertheless thoroughly disposed to believe, that we have a fair sample of what he will be even unto the end: a man cannot preach with any success what he does not know; but be this as may, we cannot, Mr. Editor, when we ask you once a month for bread be content with a stone; no not even when that stone is carved and colored which to trifle with either the souls of men, or the vital truths of God? Whatever construction be put upon what I have here written, I can fall back conscientiously upon my motive, and can truly say, I have judged of others as I myself wish to be judged, making the word of God, and the realities of experience, my guide herein. I am sincerely averse to disputation; I hold the truth for higher and better purposes; but, nevertheless, I am not content to sit still, and see it stolen from me without at least saying a word or two for that which is so well worth contending for. I have a strong feeling towards both you and the VESSEL; your present course does appear to me to be wrong, though unperceived by you. I have no wish to part with either you or the VESSEL, as companions on the way to the Kingdom; and hope I may have in future no cause so to do. Why should I be bereaved of you both in one day? JOB. [When we first read this reproof from our friend and brother "Job," we resolved to put in our defence, at some length: but we must not occupy much room on the subject this month. In writing our review of Mr. Spurgeon's ministry, we only desired faithfully and charitably to answer the many inquiries which arose in different quarters, as to the true position he occupied in Zion. We seek for no favours from Mr. Spurgeon, nor from any of his friends. We ask for no patronage beyond that which our work may be considered to deserve. We acknowledge no man on earth, nor no set of men, as our menced ten years since without one single master. Its circulation, for some time, was exceedingly minister, or influential person, as its friend. limited; not two-hundred copies per month were sold. During the last eight years it has continually and gradually increased, until seven thousand copies per month, on the averdoubt, are from twenty to thirty thousand age, have been issued, its readers, beyond during the four weeks of every month in the God has attended it. Immense as the labour year. We believe we know the blessing of has been, we also know that the hand of the Lord has helped us : and if it please the Lord to spare us and still to employ us-we are joyfully willing to give up ourselves and all we possess to his dear cause and service; although-God knoweth-we have no prospect of ever receiving temporal remuneration for our labour. The EARTHEN VESSEL was com Jesus Christ are quite satisfied that we have If, on the other hand, the churches of let them discard the EARTHEN VESSEL at apostatised from the spirit of truth," then once, and for ever. But our conscience witnesseth to no such apostacy. Our ability for either speaking, or writing, is small; but such as it is, it has been-under God-employed for many years in earnestly contending for a living faith; a living hope; a living ministry; a living gospel-yea, the PERSON, and WORK of GOD the HOLY GHOST, as the only Quickener of elect and ransomed sinners; as the only Revealer of, and Leader unto, into the outward likeness of a loaf, the touch and the taste soon convince us that we have, hold of something too cold and hard to be eaten. And we ask an egg and you send us a scorpion, and that instead of feeding us, sting us and torment us, as the torment of a scorpion when he striketh a man; we ask of you as a faithful steward, a hundred measures of wheat, and you reduce us to a starvation fifty; we are entitled to a hundred measures of oil, and you put us off with four score. It must have been an oversight, I cannot believe it wilful on your part. Are these times in Christ; as He who only can guide into Memorials of Departed Saints. truth, and, by the truth, make poor, sensible, [ENCOURAGING and faithful testimonies like the following are exceedingly useful. When the work and triumph of grace, in connection with the Christian's daily warfare, are clearly traced out, many, who are yet seeking the Lord, will be helped by their perusal. We rejoice in being instrumental in giving the churches such truly experimental testimonies. We know the smiles of a covenant God will rest upon our little efforts to comfort those who mourn in Zion; and to strengthen the weak hands. THE LIFE of the church as hid with Christ in God; and the life of God as hid in the souls of the quickened elect of heaven's ordained family, are darling themes with us. Let us his holy power proclaim, And sound abroad his matchless fame." ED.] THE CALL BY GRACE INTO GOSPEL LIBERTY, THE LATE MRS. BETTS. It pleased the Lord, at seventeen years of age, to remove her mother by death; by which providence, the shortness of time, the solemnity of death, and the realities of an eternal world, were laid upon her mind, causing her to think of her ways, to ponder the path of her feet, and to flee from the wrath to come. She fell among the ArWe must say one word, in conclusion, re- minians; but the Lord was with her, teachspecting Mr. Spurgeon. We heard a great ing her, and leading her with a high hand. deal for, and very much against him. With One Wesleyan preached from, " To open their prayer to God, we went to hear for ourselves. blind eyes." She came from chapel, crying, In his expounding Scripture, and in his sup- "Lord, open my blind eyes." She then went plications at the throne of grace, we realized to hear Isaac Saunders, of St. Ann's, Blacka melting of soul, and a union of spirit to some friars; he preached from, "Then opened he blessed truths as advanced by him. We did their understanding, that they might underregret (and we still confess the same)-to stand the Scriptures." She came away, eryfind an almost total omission of the Person ing, "Lord, open my understanding, that I and Work of the Holy Spirit; but Godly per- might understand the Scriptures." For some sons have assured us that in this department time she sat under the ministry of Isaac of his ministry they have been abundantly Saunders. Whenever the doors were open, satisfied. We have, therefore hoped, that she was either at St. Ann's, or in the WesGod, even our God, had set him on the Wallsleyan chapel, thirsting for the water of life, of Zion for usefulness and for real good to thousands of poor sinners. If we have erred, the good Lord pardon us. It has not been from a WILFUL INTENT, but from a WEAKNESS IN JUDGEMENT; if we have not erred, the day will declare it.-ED.] "The ambitious man gives himself up to his honours-but I, blessed Jesus! give myself to thee. The voluptuous man to his pleasures -the covetous man to his bags-the drunkard to his cups-the papist to his idols-the Turk to his false prophet-but I, blessed Jesus, give myself unto thee! for thou hast loved me, and hast washed me in thy blood, and hast died for me-so, dearest Lord, I am thine, and I give myself up to thee, to be thine for evermore.' -Major Rowlandson. crying for mercy, and seeking the Lord: now and then encouraged, and again, cast down. At length it pleased the Lord to give her a friend who had heard the late Joseph Irons preach. "O Susan," said the good woman, 76 "true come and hear Mr. Irons preach in the City." After some persuasion, she took her, and another Wesleyan, to hear "Joseph.' The other one went to sleep, and heeded not the words of the preacher; but the Lord would not let my poor thing sleep: she was a child of light, in search of the light," and the Lord was determined to bring her into it. Joseph read for his text,"THINE IS THE POWER." She was led, under that sermon, to see that power belongeth unto God; and that in the gospel, as preached by "Joseph," there was food for the hungry, cleansing for the filthy, a robe for the naked, a house for the homeless, and a parentage for the fatherless. From thence she bid the Wesleyans fare- | Spirit commenced, and exercised me greatly; well; and attended the ministry of "Joseph "but I clave to the ministry; and the Lord as closely as she had before the Wesleyans- settled me in his truth. I was but a boy. but with a different result. She found in his then: nearly a quarter of a century has rolled ministry the truth, and the food she had been away since; but from that day to this, on in search of; her mind expanded; her af- waves of temptation, waves of tribulation, and fections glowed with love to Jesus; she fiery furnaces, I have been kept in THE longed to call him her Lord, and to say,- TRUTH, and I believe I shall die in the same. "This is my Beloved." She sat for two years under 66 Joseph's" ministry, often much exercised about her state, tossed up and down with hope and fear as to whether she had an interest in the great things she heard; whether her name was in the book of life; was Christ her Christ? did she belong to him? At length, "Joseph" read for a text,-"I will even betroth thee unto me, in faithfulness, and lovingkindness, and thou shalt know the Lord." Under that sermon, she was set at sweet liberty; the Lord came into her soul in the glory of covenant relationship; and she felt that the Lord had betrothed her ; and that she knew the Lord. A new scene was opened unto her; she ran sweetly in the ways of God's commandments. Whenever "Joseph" preached, she was there at Camberwell, in the City, or elsewhere, sitting under the shadow with sweet delight, and singing his high praises from morning till night. Not only was "Joseph's" ministry dear to her, but the seat she sat on, when the Lord set her soul at liberty, was to her a consecrated spot. She took the seat, and years afterwards, when we were married, she took me to the Crescent, and shewed me the spot where the Lord had met with and blessed her. Thus far the Lord had done great things for her, blessed, and made her happy in himself. But with the blessing she had a crook in the lot-a drunken father-and bitter reproach for going to hear the truth. Often, after returning from Camberwell, she would sit up till one and two o'clock, listening for his drunken shouts. Although the Lord had done so much for her, she had yet a crowning mercy to come. There was a higher step for her to take; in the Lord's good time she took it. The Lord was pleased to give her another friend, who advised her to go to Prince's Place, to hear: she said, "You will not get me to go to Prince's Place. I have been there; the man speaks against the truth; and I will not go." Again the friend said, "Do go." She consented, and went. Mr. James Wells was in the pulpit: they were early days in his ministry, but the Lord was with him. He read for his text, "So the Lord bringeth them to their desired haven." It was like heaven upon earth to her; the ministry of the Spirit, in his invincible and sovereign operations, in a manner she had never seen before, was opened to her. After this, I was led to hear Mr. Wells: he was reading, "to everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven." My ears were nailed; my affections turned heavenwards; fear began to work; desires went up to the Lord; hope sprang up in my soul; the warfare between flesh and The About this time, we were introduced to each other-and when we were married, we both knew THE TRUTH; one did not drag the other into it: we could both hear Mr. Wells; we seemed only to live for THE TRUTH. old hearers at the Tabernacle can testify that our feet ran in the way of God's commandments. Week night services, and Sundays, were high and holy days to us. HAPPY DAYS! my soul still hath them in remembrance. We were in the habit of singing, and that with feeling, "If Christ be mine, and I am his, I nothing want beside." Thus far, the scene was bright; I now must speak of the shadow. God has set the day of adversity and the day of prosperity one over against the other. In the year 1837, it pleased the Lord to permit us to leave London, and go into the county of Kent, the garden of England, but not the garden of the Lord. We had been told THE TRUTH was preached there; we went to hear what others called the truth, but it was not THE TRUTH to us. We could not re ceive it: the ministry of the Spirit was not contended for, in his freeness and sovereignty. We were such poor things, having been brought up delicately in palaces-nurtured, washed, clothed, educated, and that at the King's expense; and for many years having had nothing to do spiritually, we felt ourselves strangers in a strange land. Whether we did right in staying there, I know not; but this I know, that from that time we began to come down from our high standing. stayed at home-went nowhere to hear, except when we came now and then to London, to hear Mr. Wells. We After two years of famine-not of bread, or of water, but of the hearing the Word of the Lord-we settled once more in London. But, alas! alas! all was changed; a spirit of barrenness came upon us; bodily afflictions set in upon her; (she had never been strong;) her intellect began to lower; she began to be taken up with little things; and would sit at home instead of going to hear the Word. I became absorbed with business, and thought more about time, than eternal things. "What shall we eat? and wherewithal shall we be clothed ?" seemed to be almost the only things I lived for. My home became no home; and disorder and distraction reigned, where all before was grace, peace and truth. But this I pass over, and come to the closing scene. The Lord's people cost him a life of suffering, and a death of agony and blood; and he will put them into the furnace that the fine gold may appear. So it was with us. We had two years' furnace work; first, a doctor; then deep church troubles; then a lawyer; then my wife lost her eyesight; at length, trade fell off, and we thought |