SOME ACCOUNT OF AN ANCIENT ROCK:

AND

THE RESTING-PLACE OF AN OLD WARRIOR.

"ROCK of ages! cleft for me!
Let me hide myself in thee;
Let the water and the blood,

From thy wounded side which flow'd,
Be of sin the double cure;

Cleanse me from its guilt and power.

"While I draw this fleeting breath,
When my eye-strings break in death;
When I soar to worlds unknown,
See Thee on Thy judgment throne;
ROCK OF AGES, shelter me!

Let me hide myself in Thee."-TOPLADY.

"WHILE my glory passeth by, I will put thee in a clift of the Rock; and I will cover thee with my hand."-Exodus xxxii,

"Who is God, save the Lord? And WHO IS A ROCK, SAVE OUR GOD?"-2 Sam. xxii. 32.

"The ROCK OF ISRAEL SPAKE TO ME."

"They drank of that Spiritual Rock that followed them; and THAT ROCK WAS CHRIST."-(Paul to Corinthians.)

I HAD passed through a sorrowful night: my | the spirit that is wanting in our day-where head was greatly afflicted; and darkness -where is it to be found? We ought]covered my mind. I scarcely knew if I could TO LAY DOWN OUR LIVES FOR THE BRETHarise from my bed: it was the Lord's-day. I REN." In such a frame of mind as this, I sighed, and wished it was any other day, so found myself at the very door of the unfit did I feel for the service of his house; twenty-eighth Psalm. How I came there I but I arose, and laid down at His feet: look- can hardly tell; but there I was, and, readed, and longed, and loved him too: then taking the words "Unto thee will I cry, O ing up that precious old book called "THE Lord my Rock: be not silent to me: lest, if BIBLE;" I secretly asked Him to speak to my thou be silent to me, I become like them that heart through the medium of his own word. go down into the pit. Hear the voice of my And how sweet to a hungry, fainting soul, supplication when I cry unto thee, when I are those words which Jesus speaks! How lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle." inexpressibly precious are those portions My heart was fixed in meditation upon which the Holy Ghost lays home on the con- four things. I. The two-fold character of science in the time of need! How exalting our Lord: he is the Church's Rock; the and comforting are the lines which faith reads Oracle of Jehovah's sanctuary. II. The to the soul when the pure light of heaven nature of genuine prayer: it is expressed by shines on the sacred page! Oh, when thus crying; and lifting up of hands. III. The I am favoured to be closeted with my Lord-cause of such fervent prayer-it is deep diswhen thus I am indulged to lean upon his tress, and an awakened sense of danger and breast-when thus I prove the truth of distance from GOD IIII. The fears which Watts's wordsattend such earnest cries to God-"lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit."

"The opening heavens around me shine,
With beams of sacred bliss;
While Jesus shews his heart is mine,
And whispers, I am his :"

-when thus I ascend a few steps up Jacob's ladder, then I find in my spirit mixture of holy independence of creatures, and an enlarged sympathy toward all who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity and in truth. Two Scriptures then stand up in my mind; and fearless of earth with all its troubles fearless of hell with all its horrors fearless of men with all their threatenings-I can then with the Psalmist (Psa. lvi. 11) exclaim, "In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me:" and mingling therewith is a happy feeling consenting most fully to the sentiment of the beloved disciple, when he says "Whosoever hateth his brother is a mur. derer; and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and, we ought-[this is the point-this is the word lost sight of-this is Vol. XI.-No. 121.-Feb., 1855.

I shall confine myself principally to the character of Christ-he is "THE ANCIENT RocK;" and he THE RESTING PLACE of all who-through grace-believe in his name.

The twenty-eighth Psalm is a correct discovery of the pathway of grace-of the exercises of a true believer's heart: here is earnest prayer-and here is grateful praise. On earth, deep-seated cause for crying to God we shall daily feel; but in heaven, our sighs will be turned into songs, and greatly will our hearts then rejoice in him.

The "ancient warrior" of whom I speak is David, of whom Dr. Taylor said "He was so special a type of the Lord Jesus, as that scarce anything is noted in Christ, but some shadow of it might be observed in David."

In that beautiful volume which Mr. Collingridge has just published, (and which has been printed at the "Bonmahon Industrial Printing School," by a regiment of young Irish typographers), entitled "TROPOLOGIA:

C

Rock, and the Resting Place of all the blood-bought throng.

a Key to Open Scripture Metaphors," &c., Benjamin Keach runs a parallel between king David, the type, and our LORD JESUS Our Covenant-Head, our exalted Redeemer CHRIST, the Anti-type. In the course of the glorious GOD-Man, who now filleth that parallel Master Keach says "David the heavens with the sweet perfumes of his was a king of Israel; and had his kingdom holy incense, is THE ROCK of whom I raised out of humility; so Christ is a King: write. And, as I stood gazing at this mysKing of saints, and King of nations; and terious fortress and high tower, last Lord'syet at first his kingdom was small, and rose day morning, something seemed to say to by degrees, much after the same manner as me- "Consider the deepness of that Rock :David's did." survey its largeness: look, if you can, at its highness; and then think of its fruitfulness." Oh, how much of the preciousness, the value, the beauty, and the blessedness of the person and work of Christ, did I here behold! I tried my hardest to tell it out, but I failed: every view I was enabled to take of this

How well it is to observe this:-whether we consider Christ's kingdom as set up in a gospel church, or in a poor quickened sinner's heart-its beginning is small; it rises by degrees; and it is much opposed. O, ye faithful, humble preachers of Jesus Christ be not discouraged, because weakness within," Ancient Rock" filled my mind with and much opposition from without, doth at- thoughts, and my soul with holy wonder; tend the cause in which you are engaged. but words failed me; I had almost been If it be the true and living gospel of Christ bold enough to say it was a little with me you preach, many may fly from you-strong as with one whose letters I often read, when armies may oppose you. satan may throw he-out of the fullness of his heart, exclaimed his fiery darts at you-and your own poor -"Oh, the depths of the wisdom and knowheart may often deceive you-but, brethren, ledge of God! how unsearchable are his keep a mark in that part of your Bible-judgements, and his ways past finding out!” (that is, Isaiah lv. 10-13), where the If my tongue could not tell it, neither can blessed Lord comes forth so boldly, and my pen describe it: but, two things, brethspeaks so positively respecting the absolute ren, I will declare-first, "In the multitude success of his own word. Yes, dear breth-of my thoughts within me, his comforts ren in Christ; ye who often fear that ye labor in vain, as I have done scores of times, -I say to you-when your poor hearts do ache-when tears of grief do flow-when friends forsake, when foes arise-then, first, ask thyself, "Did not the Lord send me with his Word? Has he not kept me close to his Word? Has he not enabled me to preach his Word ?" If thy conscience answers, "Yes!" then, secondly, look at those immutable and immoveable "SHALLS" in Isaiah lv.-"So SHALL my word be, that goeth forth out of my mouth: it SHALL NOT return unto me void, but it SHALL accomplish that which I please; and it SHALL prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." Christ's kingdom-either in the heart secretly, or in the church visibly, may be small in the beginning--but it must and will increase and grow.

But to return to our old warrior:-Keach, in his comparisons, says, "David, in his wars, had many poor men that followed him, such as were in debt, and such as were in bitterness of soul: even so, Jesus Christ, the true David, had many poor men, who followed him, and became his disciples, who were heavy laden under a burden of sin." And, I may say, none others ever did or ever will adopt the language of the warrior: "Unto thee will I cry, Lord, my Rock."

There are volumes of amazingly interesting records illustrative of the many wars of this good old warrior, David, but I purpose to take them one by one, in successive hapers, and look now only at the ancient

(sometimes) delight my soul"-secondly, if there be such a fulness in Christ-if a faith's view of HIM doth so fill the mind of a puny like myself with an overflowing of holy and heavenly matter, then, how foolish of me it is to turn my eyes from the MASTER, and to be looking at the servants. Oh, base, ungrateful, silly, foolish worm of the earth am I, that when a fountain is close at hand, I turn away from that, and run after the little winding streams, which lead I know not where! Any new book-any new manany new thing-away goes my wandering heart.

But I to the Rock desire to return; and here I can but very briefly refer to the fourfold view I was favoured to take of this most blessed Hiding Place for all who fly for refuge to THE HOPE set before them in the Gospel.

Oh,

1. The deepness of this Rock. Where?-ah, where is its base, its beginning, its bottom, to be found? One of the names whereby our adorable LORD is named, is "THE EVERLASTING FATHER;" or, as the Hebrew says, the Father of Eternity. The seventy-carrying their thoughts onward, and looking prospectively into the glory kingdom, render this, "the Father of the Age to come." my reader, take these two renderings as fully applicable to Christ :-how amazingly deep the consolation is! As" the Father of Eternity" this Rock is the beginning, the source, the author, of every new covenant mercy and blessing. He stood, he stands, in all the ancient counsels, in all the everlasting thoughts, in all the predestinating purposes,

It is the difference that exists

in all the new covenant transactions of the | my mind. eternal and immutable THREE-ONE-JEHOVAH. between the preaching and the practice of As the "Father of the Age to come," our many who profess to be Christ's ministersblessed Lord is he who will welcome, glorify, they preach redemption for every one, but and everlastingly bless all who have, through their frequent practice is, to discard all who grace, believed in his name. In his incarna- come not up to the standard they set up. tion, he stood in the deepness of the fall, in the Our Lord Jesus-in the largeness of his deepness of wrath, and in all the unsearch-power, in the immensely precious efficacy of able agonies of death. And now in a Mediatorial sense, he stands in all the deepness of the trials and sorrows of his saints, as they wade through the floods of tribulation which fall to them in this world of sin. How soft have those words spoken in my soul of late, "Lo, I am with you ALWAY". Yes! ALWAY, even unto the end of the world. Amen." In what way is he with his people? As he was with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joshua, David, and all the ancient saints: not to exempt them from trials, but to support them under trial, and to give them a happy deliverance out of them. Just take one proof, (Mark vi. 45—53,)—while Jesus went "into a mountain to pray," he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side unto Bethsaida. Now, consider this narrative under two headsfirst, the circumstances of the disciples; secondly, the compassions of the Saviour. First, the circumstances of the disciples-they were in the darkness of the night; they were at a distance from the Master; they were in deep distress, because the waves and the winds threatened them with immediate destruction. In this perilous position mark the compassion of the Saviour. It is beautifully said," he saw them toiling in rowing." His eye was never off them. Dear christian brother, the Saviour's eyes are never off thy soul, thy circumstances, thy temporal, thy eternal welfare. After the dear Redeemer had been into the mountain pleading, he cometh unto them, walking on the sea; and he talked with them, saying, “Be of good cheer it is I; be not afraid. He went up unto them in the ship." Ah, with what earnestness, decision, and affection does the Saviour march toward his people, when troubles assail and dangers affright! He not only walks on the sea; he not only speaks kindly to them; but as the Evangelist so emphatically says, "HE WENT UP UNTO THEM INTO THE SHIP." Yes! Yes! His feet will stand with thee, O believer, in all thy trials, even thy bed in thy sickness will thy Jesus make. Well might the Northern Poet sing

"Sovereign Ruler of the skies,
Ever gracious, ever wise;
All my times are in thy hand,
All events at thy command."

I must not further look into the deepness of the Rock. Lift up your eyes a little, and consider the largeness of its extent. How wide it spreads.

There is one thing that has long exercised

his atonement, in the prevalence of his inter-
cession, in the conquering power of his
gospel, in the unlimited completeness of his
salvation--takes up the lowest :-even Man-
asseh and Magdalene; ah, and such as my-
self, I strongly hope, although rejected by
many; he stretches out his arms to those
most distant: even David in his fall; Jonah
in the belly of hell; Saul of Tarsus, in his
awful persecution of the saints; and thous-
ands of poor wretched outcasts have been, by
Him, fetched home from the ends of the
earth; and brought to embrace the Rock,
gladly finding there a shelter from every
storm; a hiding-place in every day of trial.
Oh, how large, how extensive, the redemp-
tion, the salvation, the consolations, the ex-
altations of our infinitely glorious Lord! Ah,
Paul, was a rich-minded, an eloquent tongued,
a warm-hearted expounder of the Greatness
of the Redeemer's Mediatorial work. Paul
never wrote an epistle-depend upon it, he
never preached a sermon, but he proclaimed,
with all his might, the largeness of the Savi-
our's power in the salvation of sin-spoiled,
and law-condemned souls; but nothing surely
can beat that in the Hebrews, when, treating
upon the excellency and superiority of the
Priesthood of CHRIST, he draws out of it this
heart-cheering conclusion-" Wherefore HE
is able also to save them to the uttermost, that
come unto God by him, seeing He ever liveth
to make intercession for them." Who-and
what, art thou, my dear reader?
Are you a
poor, heavy-laden, guilty, trembling sinner?
Has thy past life been one of rebellion?
thy present position a scene of ruin?
future, is there nothing but a fearful fore-
boding of blackness, darkness, and eternal
woe? Art thou really looking unto Jesus,
with a longing desire to be found in him, but
fearing he will never have mercy on thee?
Oh, what shall I say of the immensely exten-
sive compassions of my most glorious Saviour?
I cannot speak of him as I would; but to you,
like Mr. Hart, would I say—

"This wondrous man of whom we tell,
Is true Almighty God;

Is

In the

He brought our souls from death and hell,
The price, his own heart's blood.

"That human heart he still retains,

Though thron'd in highest bliss;
And feels each tempted member's pains,
For our afflictions his.

"Come, then, repenting sinner, come;
Approach with humble faith;

OWE WHAT THOU WILT, the TOTAL SUM
Is cancelled by his death.

"His blood can cleanse the blackest soul,
And wash our guilt away;
He will present us sound and whole

In that tremendous day."

Very recently I have had proofs of the largeness of the grace of Christ, and of the fulness of power in this ROCK OF SAFETY, both in a spiritual and in a providential point

of view.

after a journey through the snow, I reached the chapel, where we met that evening for prayer. The words came again to me"he shall deliver thee in six troubles, and in seven there SHALL NO EVIL touch thee." I was led silently to think of Jacob, and his six troubles; and how the Lord delivered him in them all. First, Jacob came into the trouble, and then the Lord's deliverance came. But I have already run on too far :these fragments are but preliminary to some further notice of "THE ANCIENT ROCK, AND THE RESTING PLACE OF AN OLD WARRIOR," if the Lord spares

C. W. B.

ENCOURAGEMENT FOR MINISTERS, WHO

I go this day, please God, to speak a few words over the grave of a young man whom the Lord hath taken from the bosom of a beloved family, and from an important commercial post of usefulness. When I first saw this young man, he appeared very unprepared for so solemn a departure. He was clinging to life, and exceedingly anxious to be restored to that office of intelligent PRAY AS WELL AS PREACH. labour for which he appeared so well adapted. But death went on slowly to do its work and I went on, from time to time, to speak to him of eternal things. On one occasion, I felt my heart truly melted with love to him. I saw or thought I saw the grace of a living faith in his precious soul struggling to lay hold upon Jesus-and to hide in the cleft of this once smitten Rock. I knelt down, and prayed the Lord to speak to his heart; from that time, I began to feel a going forth of soul after his deliverance. Again and again, I asked the Lord to speak to his heart. One morning, he sent for me. I went. His face shone. He told me that in the course of that night, he awoke up with these words upon his heart- -"at eveningtime it shall be light." He asked me to find that Scripture; and to speak to him on it. I did so. My heart rejoiced; my tongue" Special prayer-meetings." These meetings was loosed; and the Lord did bless my teaching to the confirming of his hope in the promise, that "at evening-time it should be light." From that time, he had no serious doubts of his safety. In fact, although he lingered long, and suffered much, yet it was evident that his feet were set upon the Rock, and his end was perfect peace. Here was a proof of the great grace of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

I will mention an instance of another kind. I stood the other day in the chamber where a minister was prostrate on his bed; and was fast going to his long home. His wifea woman of firm reliance on the faithfulness of her best friend-was telling me of one son that had gone into the army; of another son that had broken his arm; of a daughter that was then ill in bed; and after relating some of the heavy trials through which she had passed, and having testified of the many

blessed deliverances which the Lord had

wrought for her, said "but I fear there is a dark day coming." Immediately, this word

came to me-" He shall deliver thee IN six troubles; and in seven, there shall no evil touch thee." After a few words, I left, and

DEAR BROTHER B.-Being fully persuaded
that you take a lively interest in the peace and
prosperity of Zion, and are willing to make it
for the encouragement of others, I write
known through the medium of your VESSEL,
these few lines. I have often been refreshed
in reading of Zion's prosperity. I take the
liberty of giving you an outline of what I
have lately witnessed. Being, in the provi-
dence of God, this Christmas, on a visit in the
county of Suffolk, I went to a Baptist Chapel
in Stoke, Ash, where the truth is preached in
its purity, by Charles Hill. He preached
from the 8th of Romans, and latter part of
"Them he also glorified."
the 8th verse-
Such a sermon I have not enjoyed for many
days. In the following evening, being Christ-
mas Day, I had the pleasure of meeting with
a house full of friends, at what is called their
they have every Monday night, in seven dif-
ferent villages; and each, in its turn, is con-
ducted by the minister. Two or three are
called upon to pray in the course of the even-
ing; and three or four more are called upon
to address the people between ten minutes
and a quarter of an hour. These addresses
are delivered with a good degree of life and
power, the Holy Spirit making it powerful;
so that their houses are filled to overflowing.
I can say, it was one of the best prayer-
meetings
"This is none other than the house of God;"
I could truly say,
and it was like the gate of heaven to my soul.

I was ever at.

About twelve months back, in one village where these meetings are held, there were two young men that were very much accustomed to drink. One of them was the son of a praying parent, who had often looked upon him as one that would bring much sorrow upon him, on account of his ungodly practices. Only the took place in the village, they were driven Saturday night before the prayer-meeting from the ale-house at a late hour of the night, not allowed any more drink. But the time had arrived when the Lord the Holy Spirit was about to favor Zion. They heard that there was to be a special prayer-meeting in the village on Monday evening. They pro

were blessed of the Lord to the awakening EPISTLES TO THEOPHILUS. them to a sense of their state as sinners; and since that time they have borne excellent marks that they were brands plucked from the burning; and have borne testimony to the church and the world that they are not ashamed to follow the Lord in the ordinance of baptism. These things are encouraging for us that have children, to bear them at a throne of grace, with a Who can tell ?" Dear Sir, much imperfection you will find in this note, but I have done it to the honour of my dear Lord. I remain your unworthy friend,

"Jesus Christ, and him crucified, is now the only thing I desire to know. In that incarnate mystery are contained all the rich treasures of Divine wisdom. This is the mark towards which I am still pressing forward. Our shoes of mortality must be put off, and This is the cup of salvation, of which I wish we must be shod with the preparation of the to drink deeper and deeper. This is the know-gospel of reconciliation; therefore, it is by ledge in which I long to grow; and desire, at the same time, a daily increase in all true grace and godliness. All duties, means, ordinances, etc., are to me then only rich when they are enriched with the blood of the Lamb; in comparison of which all things else are but chaff and husks."