"Yes, as individuals; but how shall they be visible as a church ?"

sunk in sleep, and even the grasshopper had | forgotten his chirping.

As I pursued my solitary walk homewards, "Where but two or three are gathered toI felt my mind expand; my views of the ex-gether in my name, there am I in the midst cellence of the Bible were heightened and ex- of them." tended. Precious volume! exclaimed I, how comparatively mean and insignificant is all knowledge, except that which thy inestimable leaves display!

"Here the fair Tree of Knowledge grows, Nor danger dwells therein."

O! that every eye which beholds "the sun when he shineth, or the moon walking in brightness," or gazes on yonder gems of the night which declare the glory of their Maker, was blest with the superior radiance of this divine luminary, that every man in every clime possessed, and duly prized the invaluable treasures of the Bible! But the

blind are insensible of the cheering ray of light, oh, Spirit Divine! who, with influence irresistible, accompaniedst the mandate, "Let there be light,"

"Knock with the hammer of thy word,

And break into each heart."

And while reflecting on the sovereignty of the divine Spirit, in his making this poor, despised, obscure being wise unto salvation, by means of the Bible alone, I humbly trust I felt glowing in my heart somewhat of the sentiment of my dearest Lord and Master, when he said, "I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid those things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes; even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight."

The communication which I made of these very interesting particulars to my friends, on my return, induced several Christians of different denominations repeatedly to visit him with me, whose surprise and pleasure were equal to my own; and at one of those visits a conversation occurred, which, as it relates to a subject, concerning which there exists a diversity of opinion among the best of men, I shall give in a separate note, as my conscience will not permit me to secrete any part of the views of so interesting and excellent a character.

I was desirous of knowing whether he had, from searching the Scriptures, obtained any distinct views of the nature of Christ's kingdom on earth; and whether, as he conceived himself at a remote distance from any of Christ's disciples, he had turned his attention to the order and government of the church; and therefore I made some enquiries on the subject, and received from him, with surprise, the answers which follow:

I asked him, How many churches he apprehended God might have in the world? "One, only," was his reply. "What church is that ?"

"The general assembly and church of the first-born, which is written in heaven." "What, then, was the church of the Jews?" "The shadow of good things to come; but the body is of Christ."

"But how are those visible to the world ?" "By their fruits ye shall know them."

"That may be in many places at once; but are they not called churches? Why is this ?" "Because each is like the whole church; as Paul says, 'In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.'

"How do any unite with such a church ?" and to us according to the will of God." "They first gave themselves to the Lord; "What officers are there in the church of Christ ?"

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Bishops and deacons." "What is the office of a bishop ?" "To feed the flock of God, over which the

Holy Ghost hath made him overseer."

"What is the deacon's office ?'

"To serve tables."

Were those officers appointed for enriching, or advancing the persons holding them?' "Ourselves, your servants for Jesus' sake Not for filthy lucre's sake. Not as lords over God's heritage, but as helpers of your joy."

Who are to act in choosing those officers?' "Wherefore look ye out from among yourselves seven men of good report, full of the Holy Ghost and of faith, whom we may appoint over this business."

'But if wicked men creep into the church, how are they to be dealt with when they are discovered?"

"Put away from among yourselves that wicked person."

'But if they repent afterwards ?' "What shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead ?'

'Does the power of kings and rulers relate to our bodies, or our consciences ?'

Render unto Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's; but unto God the things that are God's."

I was surprised at his ideas of this subject, and could ask him no more questions.

A plan was laid by a few benevolent friends, to render his outward circumstances more comfortable, though I must do him the justice to say, he was very averse to it.

"I can live," said he, "on the parish allowance (which was only two shillings per week!) and perhaps some of God's children who have families, are in much greater want than I."

But God's ways are not as our ways. This jewel was to lie no longer in the dunghill: this radiant star was no longer to be enveloped in the mists and clouds of this gloomy atmosphere; it was destined to adorn a brighter region. We just caught a transient glance of the sparkling radiance of the descending luminary, which was now to set on earth, that it might rise to set no more in the world of eternal glory.

One evening, soon after, he was sitting with his mother, and reading the Bible to her, apparently in as good health as ever he had enjoyed, when he on a sudden cried out, Mother, I am taken very ill, help me up the

ladder (the only stair-case they had) to bed. and then I shall have but one more step to ascend, and I shall be in my Father's house." She assisted him to bed, and went to the next house to procure some gin, her only supposed remedy for every disease! and to call her neighbour to her assistance; but when she returned, he was speechless; and in a few minutes, without a struggle, or a sigh, he entered into the joy of his Lord.

I give no comments, I make no remarks, I leave this narrative to the blessing of God, and the reflection of the reader's conscience.

THE GOSPEL MINISTRY:

BEING THE SUBSTANCE OF
A CHARGE

DELIVERED TO MR. W. CAUNT, AT EBENEZER
CHAPEL, GREENWICH,

BY MR. JAMES WELLS.

(Concluded from page 261.) ENGLAND is the chosen land of the Most High. How great are the wonders he has done in it, and by it! What other land in all Europe, or even in all the world, is like it? There is scarcely a right or lawful liberty which we, as Christians, do not enjoy. But I dare not trust myself into a digression upon so interesting a matter; I therefore forbear. But can we forget to pray for so favoured a land? can we abstain from true gratitude to our God, for the wholesome laws and the protection we have? Let us, then, pray for all that are in authority over us as citizens, and that we may still lead a quiet and peaceful life in the fear of our God.

Now, what one excuse would there be for you holding back any one part of God's truth? You can, in love to truth and to the souls of men, speak out the truth freely and fully, and honest hearts will love you in so doing. Let us, then, use our liberty for the holiest and best of all purposes-that is, to honour our God, and do all possible good to the souls and bodies of our fellow-mortals, but especially to our fellow-christians.

England, then, is, so far as our liberty as Christians is concerned, a kingdom of our God and of his Christ. May millions yet unborn be brought in this favored land to know the name of our God. But I notice,

III.-When you are. You are in the nineteenth century of the Christian era. There is, therefore, room for history to teach you something. It will teach you that no literary acquirement, however varied, no height of civilization, however great, that no accumulation of wealth, however immense, that no ecclesiastical laws, however enforced, that no mere human suasion, however ingenuous, that no device of man, however deeply laid, or industriously followed up, can save a soul from death. Never was there an age in which it was more needful to be simple, sincere, decided, and clear upon all the vitalities of true godliness. Whatever the aggregate experience of ages has done for this world, and for the advancement of liberty of conscience, it

has done nothing towards the true regeneration of the souls of men. You have, therefore, plenty of work before you; for the world, by wisdom, never did, and never will know God. This, then, must be your aim-to bring men to the "knowledge of Him, whom to know is life eternal."

Delusion in these matters is now brought to great perfection, manifesting itself in every possible shape and form; and so attractive, that you will often feel your own false charity sympathies siding in a great measure with those attractions; and you will often have to strive hard against a whole tide of creature amiabilities which will be brought against you; for it matters naught to the enemy how you are deluded, if he can but once get you into the wrong path. But God is faithful, and will not suffer you to be tried above that you are able to bear, but will, with the tribulation, make a way for your escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

The nineteenth century is an age of unexampled learning; and happily you do not despise learning. It is some advantage to a minister of the gospel, there cannot be anything wrong in your language being grammatically right; nor anything detrimental to you for your reasonings to be in accordance with reason's right laws; for you have to speak, not to mere animals, but to a people of not only average, but some of superior intelligence, good education, and refined acquirements, and that elegant simplicity which suits the natural taste of such, can be best understood by the most illiterate; for even these, though they know not why it is, but so it is, recognise a charm in clearness and consistency of language, which they cannot find in a coarse and ignorant use of language. The more simple and plain the words, the better. The life of true eloquence, or good speaking, lies more in the brilliancy of the thought, and real, and honest, and earnest, and intense feeling of the heart, than in any set of words you can choose. Therefore, while I would have your language chaste, clear, piercing, orderly, and plain, yet I am much, very much more concerned that you should be the subject of all that godly exercise which shall carry you into all the varieties of the believer's pathway to heaven. This will lead over a good part of the promised land, and will, from your own soul's experiences, bring into use all the varieties of language, from the deepest pathos to the highest sublimity; and from the boldest apostrophies, to the most intricate, yet clearest reasonings; and from the softest attractions, to the most awful thunders of eternal truth. You will thus come, not in the wisdom of words-for satan would laugh at this-but though your words be wisely chosen, yet you would come in the power of God.

I do not, then, think that you ought to leave out of your consideration the character of the age we live in; and so far from the unlearned part of your hearers losing anything by propriety of language, they would gain by it; because your thoughts and feelings would be more clearly and more powerfully impres

sed. It is not for you to use unusual words. No; this would be to trifle with the souls of your hearers, and look as though you were seeking to exalt yourself, instead of Him whom you profess to honor. I want you to use grammatically and wisely the words of the Bible, and words which are in common use; and in so doing you will not offend the ear of the learned, nor for a moment bewilder the mind of the unlearned. But I come to my

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partment. Look to the Lord; retire to your closet; pour out your heart before your Father, which seeth in secret; tell the Lord you trust he has led you to this part of his blessed and Holy Word; ask the Lord to be with you, and enable you, by the power of the Holy Ghost to proclaim, as upon the housetops, what you trust he has shewn to you in secret; and thus let the fear and love of God, and solemn prayer, keep your conscience clear; and pray for a text, and pray over it; and seek for grace, and wisdom, and power, both to preach and to practise the same.

IVth. Particular. What you are to do. You are, under all circumstances, and in all places, to abide by the truth. "To whom we gave way," saith the apostle, speaking of de--following the order and spirit of your text; ceivers, to whom we gave way, no, not for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you." But in this part I must remind you, that you cannot sow without seed -you cannot build without materials-you cannot feed the children without bread-nor water the sheep if you know not where the springs of water are. You cannot heal if you have no medicines; and you cannot enrich if you have no treasure to minister.

Be careful to let your divisions be natural not forced, or artificial divisions. But beware of sub-divisions; have as few as possible, or your sermon will appear of a very awkward sort of shape; it will be all legs and arms, sprawling out in all directions; but judgment in this matter is required; and wisdom is profitable to direct; there is no precise rule given in the Word upon this matter, and I suppose that it is a matter upon which no rule could be given, the subThis, therefore, is an essentially important ject being too various to admit of any definite part of your work. You must study to shew rule; therefore, what I have here said, is not yourself a workman that need not to be intended to apply always, in all respects. But, ashamed. Now I want you to enter the pul- nevertheless, you will find great advantage in pit very poor, and yet very rich; and I want attending very closely thereto. You have, in you, when you enter the pulpit, to know what your own soul, the elements of a good preacher, you are going about; for you will find that why should not those elements have every one fortuitous, haphazard sort of preachers, are its proper place is not order better than convery unsuccessful preachers; and their min- fusion To those who have been accustomed istry will wear scarcely twelve months in one to a loose and confused way of advancing their place; or if they continue, nothing is done subjects, it would be at first somewhat difficult worth speaking of. But there is also an oppo- for them to discipline their minds into order, site evil, against which I must here caution but they would soon find the advantage of it. you; it is that of a mere intellectually got Keeping close to what I have here said, was, up mode of preaching. Such are generally under the Lord's blessing, the making, as a finicking, dandy sort of preachers; such as minister, of the late Mr. William Allen, of the some soft-pated ladies admire. But I want Cave Adullam, Stepney: the first time I heard you neither to be a gentleman's man, nor a him preach was at Sharnbrook, in Bedfordlady's man-but the believer's man-God's shire: I saw in him the grace of God, and was man-a man of God; and to avoid both these glad, and saw a great want of order in his systems the one of presumption, and the mind and was sorry; and it was so ordered, we other of mere memory work. I want you, had to go the next morning across the country with all the spare time you have, to read the together in a chaise, I then told him of the Word of God-to read it through and disadvantages he laboured under; he listened, through; and when a word comes with some he seemed affected, confessed he had been degree of light, and it seems intended as a taught, because some had misused study and text, then your question will be, What is the order, to despise it all together; but, I said, meaning of it? What is the mind of the did Noah build the ark without a plan? Did Holy Spirit ? This should be the first ques- Moses build the tabernacle without a pattern? tion. The next question should be, What do Did Solomon build the temple without aryou really and truly know, in your own soul, rangement? Does God carry on his work of the life and meaning of such Scripture. without counsel ? And, although, to us, his The next question should be, after ascertain ways are often as a mighty maze, but yet not ing its main drift, and what you know of it" without a plan." Did the Saviour come inin your own soul, What are its natural divisions? Having found the distinction of its different clauses-or, the text consist of one clause, what the implied parts which it embodies, or which it can be made to apply, then take each division by itself, and see what other parts of Scripture will illustrate, amplify, and confirm this one division of your subject. Then, if one, two, or three paragraphs from other parts of the Word give you good possession of the first division of your subject, then go on carefully to the next, and so get full and distinct possession of each de

to the world without knowing what he had to do? These arguments prevailed with him, he saw that when the Apostles were to be brought before rulers, they were not to meditate before hand what they were to say, but that going into the pulpit is quite another thing; and William Allen now, in addition to his being, by the grace of God a Bible Christian, became also a Bible student, and he never in his life previously to the time I now refer to, could keep a congregation; and as the people at the Cave Adullam were at this time without a pastor, and I supplied for