gave himself for it, and laid down his life for the sheep, that others, for whom he did not die, are to be condemned because Christ did not die for them. That while Christ did not procure salvation for them, that he hath, nevertheless, lighted up hell, and procured damnation for them; and that while some are quickened by the Spirit of God, are regenerated and constituted sons and heirs of God, that others are to be punished for not having what is sovereignly bestowed upon others. Just as though the dry bones had any hand in their own resurrection, or could help or hinder. This is making the mercy of God to one the cause of his vengeance to others; and if it be so, the ungodly may well hate the gospel, as, in proportion to the blessing of the one, so is to be the curse of the other. Such is the delusion that, with thousands, passes for gospel truth; and man, being by nature a liar against God, they naturally fall in with this delusion; it suits their taste; it gives a general welcome and popularity to its teachers; for the world will love its own. But he that is of God is not of the world, and the world will not hear them.

The old world and ancient nations were not destroyed because they were not regenerated persons; but because, in the face of conscience, they went on in acts of sin and violence, which they knew to be wrong; so the Saviour gave every proof that he was of God; and Nicodemus, a very good representative of them, ingeniously confessed, and said, "We know thou art a teacher come from God." Well, then, why did they persecute Jesus? Why did they crucify him? Why not have given up the old dispensation, and have adopted the new one? In so doing they would have prospered nationally, and the Romans then could not have taken away their place and nation; but their country might have been in their hands to this day.

Now, if the Saviour had come with pretensions that rose above his practice, they might have been somewhat excused in opposing him; and in this way the Saviour reasons with them-"If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not; but if I do, though ye believe not me, (in my doctrine), believe the works, that ye may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in him." (John x. 37, 38). But this reasoning with them on the ground of rational and moral responsibility, and the dead hearing the quickening voice of the Son of God, are two very different things; yes, as different as directing a living man the way he should go, and that of raising Lazarus from the grave. The one is the duty of the creature, the other the work of God: that is, it is the duty of the creature to follow what he knows to be right; but it is the work of God to raise the dead soul to life. Now, if the Saviour, I strated that he was a Teacher come from God, then they would not have had the sin of rebelling against light so clear, and evidence so conclusive. And so, again, it is written, "If I had not spoken unto them they had not had sin; but now they have no cloak for their sin, and if I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had

had not demonsay,

sin; but, now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father." (John xv. 24) Now, in what sense had they seen both Christ and the Father? Not certainly in the same sense that the disciples had; not certainly as Peter did, when the Lord said, "blessed art thou, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father, which is in heaven." Here then is a distinction between flesh and blood revelation, and supernatural revelation, the one is merely natural and intellectual, the other by the quickening power of God: thousands know Christ after the flesh, but not after the spirit. So it was here with the Jews, they had seen Christ as a Teacher come from God, and through him had so far seen the mind of God; but instead of letting him alone, and offering no opposition to phat they saw was of God, they stifled their own consciences in condemning him. Judas, though not a regenerated man. knew that he had betrayed innocent blood; and Pilate knew that for envy they had delivered Jesus unto him, and he knew it was an awful abuse of his magisterial power to give sentence against him, and yet Pilate could not have had this magisterial power if God in his providence had not have given him that power: therefore it made the sin of Judas, the jews, and Pilate, the greater, in so perverting the ordinance of God, and thus to use a power intended to be a terror only to evil doers, to condemn a man whom thew knew had done no violence, neither could they answer his challenge,"which of you convinceth me of sin ?" Thus you will see, they were not condemned for not being regenerated; for not having saving faith in Christ; for not having the faith of God's elect; for not having that faith that results from being created in Christ Jesus; for not being that people of whom the Lord says, "This people have I formed for myself: they shall shew forth my praise." No; they were condemned, not on the ground of a nonpossession of supernatural life in the soul, but for the sin of that infidel and wilful unbelief, and its corresponding fruits, which they, against light and knowledge, brought forth.

Banish this principle of individual responsi bility, and with what propriety can you reprove the wrong-doer, punish the evil doer, or maintain either law, or order, or safety, or comfort in society, and among men? But, on the other hand, to make this principle take the place of Divine sovereignty, and so deal in indiscriminate invitations, is indeed committing many great evils in one, as I hope, before I close this part of our correspondence, clearly to shew. At this I hope humbly, but earnestly to aim, though I am but

A LITTLE ONE.

Oh! for one day to maintain the Divine sweetness attending the exercise of humility and meek, and broken spirit, where peace and and love. To possess that loving, and subdued, communion with God are sure to follow. Oh! for that humble and broken heart, the sweetness which Jesus bestows, and the Holy Ghost maintains, and which is truly satisfying and sanctifying.

there.

Did we, as followers of Christ, but feel this solemn meaning in our own hearts, which the beloved James describes, in his third chapter, and personally to carry out what is there enjoined, we might expect a better state of things. Is "judgment to begin at the house of God?" We are not to look for it, in this matter, in pulpit denunciations, nor yet in pitiful drawlings from the press, but, as the Holy Ghost personally and prayerfully may lead us first, to be honest with our own souls, and be helped to know the blessedness contained in that Scripture, "Happy is the man that condemeth not himself in the thing which he alloweth."

The Lord help you, my brother, in every place you are called to labour, to carry the spirit of the Gospel into the pulpit, for as by grace you possess that, you will be constrained to publish its truths. A knowledge of truth may be gathered from books, and taught in the schools of men, but the spirit of the Gospel is alone from God; and we may safely conclude, "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." All is bondage and death beside. Yours in Christ Jesus,

Whittlesea, Nov. 2nd, 1855. DAVID.

Controversial Correspondence.

MR. JAMES WELLS DEFENDED.

A REPLY TO "RHODA."

MY DEAR SIR.-You being Editor of the VESSEL, and often called upon to take part in subjects of an argumentative character in serted therein, I am rather disposed to think, for more reasons than one, those subjects are not the most calculated to elate your feelings; not because I deem your pen inefficient to express an opinion, but simply on the ground of many readers often unjustifiably identifying you with the views taken by other writers. For this simple reason I would humbly try and help you, when I can; and with this object I use my pen in way of briefly responding to "Rhoda's" request.

The inquiry made, is-Is it a consistency of

Now, in regard to Mr. Spurgeon, I am not sufficiently acquainted with his line of doctrine, to make any particular comment upon his amalgamating with either this or the other sect. But in reference to Mr. Wells, whose views of truth I love and cherish, Í must confess it as my honest opinion, that I cannot see why his preaching the gospel of God's free grace, to Wesleyans, should prompt us to believe any better things of them than has been ented. Neither do I see it mitige ples, or renders him in fault dor of the living God. He is by authority commanded to contract i limit them amongst any one class. command is-"Go and preach the every creature." Now, it does not nd preach to Calvinists, or Independer Wesleyans, but to " every creature" not caring what they are, to whom they belong, or what be their creed; and with such a scripture license, I deem Mr. Wells commendable, and not blameable, for proclaiming aloud, amongst the inhabitants of the world, yea, even amongst the inhabitants of an Arminian camp, the sound of a free, full, pure, and complete salvation, and thus teach them that if saved it is "not by works of righteousness which they have done, but according to God's mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost." It is true, for truth's sake, we could not feel justified in allowing arminian principles to amalgamate with us, for the simple fact, that they cannot hold the truths as they are in Jesus; they are unwilling to embrace them; but of this we are not surprised, for "it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy." At the same time, we would gladly have the truth spoken in their midst; God forbid we should ever indulge in a narrow minded feeling of selfishness least any one should feel, love, and cherish, the truths as we do; and thus it is we would overlook any small circumstantial benefit which might be derived by a Wesleyan body in having Mr. Wells to preach for them; and from the ardent desire we feel that the truths in all their purity should be told to thousands who know them not, we would ever rejoice to hear of his entering the ranks of such; and our earnest prayer is, that the good Lord may abundantly bless his ministrations to them, causing many to see the error of their ways, and sensibly be brought to exclaim, through his instrumentality, “The Lord spake thus to me, with a strong hand, and instructed me, that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying, say ye not a confederacy to all them to whom this people shall say a confederacy neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid; sanctify the Lord God of Hosts himself, let him be your fear, and let him be your dread, and he shall be for sanctuary."

Sutton, Isle of Ely.

VERITAS,

substance with the shadow."

This work was written by one Thomas Worden, who, being cast into prison for the truth's sake, employed his time in digging into the Mysteries of Grace, as typed out in the Old Testament dispensation.

This volume is rich in a truthful developement of the great principles of that Covenant of Grace, wherein Zion's salvation was made fast, complete, and in all things ordered sure. As full liberty was given us to make the best use we could of this work of Thomas Worden's, we have determined to give the choicest portions of it entire in the next year's numbers of the EARTHEN VESSEL, and CHRISTIAN RECORD. May the Lord, in his great mercy, spare us so to do; and enable us to render this little monthly messenger a much greater blessing to the living family of God than it ever yet has been.

We commence this, to us, most delightful piece of labour, by giving Master Worden's Introductory Address to the Reader, which is a simple and savory sample of the whole work; and will, we think, cause the hearts of spiritual people to long for the different pieces of Heaven-wrought Theology which the author so beautifully and profitably worked out while in the prison-cell he dwelt. On opening the work, he says

Christian Reader,-Being bound by the ties of love to serve you as a Christian in what I am able, I knew not wherein I could better express it, than in presenting you with this piece; part of which was my prison meditations; wherein, as in a glass, you may see to your admiration the wonderful glory of Christ, hid under the ashes of those Jewish types, which, when duly read and enquired into, shew you the blessed statue or representation of Christ's church, together with the hidden work of Christ intrinsically wrought by him in the minds of his dear children on their conversion; the thoughts of which has made me deeply bewail the loss that some weak Christians have sustained, who, out of ignorance and blind conceitedness of mind, slight the reading of the Books of Moses, because-they say it is the law; and judge the law hath nothing to do with them, or they with it; and as St. Paul said to Timothy, (1 Tim. i. 7), "They (in speaking of the law) understand not what they say, nor indeed what they affirm." I do not say the

mented on

So saith St.

Paul, Gal. iii. 24. And the more we read and peruse it, the more we see into the gospel by it, and the more is our comfort raised thereby in the Substance, which is Christ. I confess, I'm the meanest of Christ's servants to attempt such a work as this; but considering he that had but one talent was accursed for the non-improvement of it; and that out of and out of the mouths of babes and sucklings weakness God bringeth the greatest strength, sometimes brings matter of praise to Jesus Christ. On these considerations, I was encouraged to send forth this work, hoping God will make it both acceptable and pleasing to you, and others who shall peruse it. I know, men of greater parts and gifts have comthese things already, whose Volumes are answerable to their gifts and parts very large, which every ordinary capacity cannot fathom, nor every purse procure: I therefore take the boldness, for the profit of such, to appear in print. You must not expect it altogether free of correction. I hope both you, and any else that shall meet with it, will overlook common infirmity, and make favourable construction of my honest intention; for the Lord knows my heart, that if I of heart to God and his people, I should not had affected popularity more than singleness have dared to put pen to paper in this work. Therefore, for a further apology for those errors and common infirmities, that you or others may meet with in this tract, I must tell you that I was only permitted the use of my Bible in my prison-meditation; all other helps and means necessary to be consulted, being denied to me, made my task more difficult; yet, I hope, I was not left to my own wisdom alone in my labours in the production of this book. And I likewise hope, God will not leave you or any one else that shall read it, to your bare reason in the reading, but accompany it with his Holy Spirit. That you may understand it to your great profit and comfort, is the desire of him who subscribes himself your's, and the church's faithful servant,

THOS. WORDEN.

for the present-but pledging ourselves, if Leaving Worden's Discovery of the Types spared, to give one entire portion every month next year; we now proceed to notice some works of modern date which have been forwarded to us for the information of our readers. The first taken out of a heap, is A SERMON BY MR. WITHINGTON, Of Devizes. This discourse was printed by