count all things as dung and dross for the ex.
cellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus the
Lord, who can say, "To die is gain." My
friends, there is more required than the name
of Christ upon our lips; more required than
attending a place of religious worship on the
Lord's Day. It must be Christ "formed in
your hearts the hope of glory." The Christian
who understands his principles dares to trust
them. Those who have taken up the princi
ples of Christianity are able to trust them.
They know the quality of those principles;
they know their properties; they have tested
them; they have tried them, and they know
the value of them. They can trust their
souls in the hands of the Lord, and can say—
"For me to die is gain." John Hyatt used to
say in the pulpit, that he could trust a hundred
souls, if he possessed them, in the hands of
Christ. When his co-pastor (Matthew Wilks)
went to see him on his death-bed, and asked
him if he could still repeat what he had so
often said in the pulpit-whether he could still
trust a hundred souls in the hands of Christ
"O yes," said he, "a million—a million!"

the Christian man to live is not politics. For vital principles of Christianity in his heartthe Christian man to live is not commerce. the man who knows Christ-the man who can For the Christian man to live is not trade. For the Christian man to live is not labour. But for the Christian man to live, is CHRIST! He may go to politics; he may go to commerce; he may go to trade; he may go to labour; but, he MUST come back again to Christ-there must be a daily waiting upon him-there must be a daily resting upon him -there must be daily fellowship with him. Eating and drinking, washing and walking, are all necessaries of life: no man can live without them. Food, cleanliness, and exercise, are all necessary to a man's well-being. But the Christian man must eat the flesh of the Son of Man; he must drink the blood of the Son of Man; for him to live is communion with Christ. Christ invites his people to eat and to drink-"Eat, O friends: yea, drink abundantly, O beloved." The food which the Christian man eats for the sustenance of his body, is not more necessary to his existence than his living upon Christ. For him to live, is to live under the manifestation of Christ's favor-under the bedewing influence of the Holy Spirit-to have his table spread by the mercy of the Lord. Without this, all is darkness and death; but with this, all is life, light, and liberty. A journey without Christ is a dead journey. A day's labour without Christ is a dead day's labor. Christ is the All-in-all of the Christian. Christ possessed, Christ realised, and Christ glorified-is the great end of Christianity. Nothing is lost in the service of Christ. Labor for Christ, or in his service, is not lost. The end of Christianity is the happiness of the Christian. He that realises most of the end of Christianity, realises to the sound of the gospel, and that now she most of the happiness of a Christian. "For me to live is Christ." My friends, what else is there to live for? What is life without Christ? What is it?-A bubble! vanity and vexation of spirit withal. "For me to live is Christ." This is the end of Christianity, and this is the happiness of the Christian. God Almighty bless you, and enable you to adopt the sentiment of our text, for Christ's sake. Amen.

EVENING.

"And to die is gain."-Phil. i. 21.

We must all become acquainted with death;
we must all become familiar with it. We may
be quickly removed-we may have a lingering
death. But the matter must come to pass, and
then we shall understand it: it is but a yield-
ing up the ghost-it is but a falling asleep
it is but to cease breathing-it is but for the
heart to cease beating, and for the pulse to
cease vibrating. Can I think of the fact, that
only last Sabbath evening we had a sister sit.
ting on my right hand, in health, and listening

lies mouldering in the dust ?-can I think of
this, and say it is not solemn? If life is not
solemn, if death is not solemn, then this is not
solemn. We must all die; our eyes must close
to everything that is mortal, and open upon a
new world; open upon either the happiness or
the misery of our souls for ever and ever. The
good man knows upon what his eyes will open-
he knows that they will open upon Jesus, and
"Friends not lost, but gone before;"
he knows he shall open his eyes upon scenes
in a new state of existence, in a better and in
brighter world!

THE whole verse of our text is entirely aa Christian sentiment. Ah, worldling! say Death may be the last subject which you what you will, you cannot say of yourself, may choose to think upon at present; but the "To die is gain!" Ah! pleasure-seeker! time will come when it must be the first subject say what you will, you cannot say of yourself, in your thoughts, and the all-important sub"To die is gain.' It is only the Christian ject. You must some day enquire, how shall that can say, "For me to live is Christ, and to pass through that valley? You must walk die is gain." There was once a being, who through this valley some day? How will you used to say, in reference to Jesus Christ- do it? There is only one way in which you "Crush the wretch! crush the wretch!" can do it with confidence and with comfort; But this he could not do. It was not possible you may despise religion, and religious people, for his desire to be gratified; nor was it for but him to say, "To die is gain." While I say the language of our text is a Christian sentiment, I would also say it is the sentiment of the Christian. There are men who pass under the name of Christians, but they cannot use the language of our text. Nominal Christianity cannot say, "For me to die is gain." It is only the man who possesses the

"Tis religion that can give Sweetest pleasures while we live; "Tis religion must supply

Solid comforts when we die:
"After death its joys will be
Lasting as eternity;

Be the living God my friend,
Then my bliss shall never end."

There is only one way in which you can con- | nothing short of the kingdom which He hath template death, and that is in the light of the promised can satisfy. Some people say they cross of Christ Jesus. In every other light it shall be satisfied if they get but within the is dreadful-in every other light it is unbear- gates. My friends, I want all that God has able; but the man that can look upon it in this promised. "If children," Paul says, "then light will be able to say, "for me to die is heirs; heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus gain." Death is an enemy which every man Christ." Here we have the mercy of God as must engage; it is a battle which every man a remediate agency-here we have the grace must fight; and there is but one armour suit- of God as a remediate agency-here we have able for this warfare: the sword of the Spirit, the pardoning favour of God as a remediate the shield of faith, the breast-plate of righte- agency; but there perfect bliss will be realized, ousness, and the helmet of salvation. Clad in and we shall be beyond the reach of remediate this armour, you can enter the field with con- agency. "To die will be gain." My knowfidence, but without it you cannot stand against ledge of Christ is limited; my experience of the enemy you must meet; it is an enemy, his love is limited; my ability to speak of "the last enemy that shall be destroyed is his name is limited; but all these things will death." This enemy must be met, even though be engulphed in death, and "To die will be "to die is gain." Sheltered under the merits gain." It is one thing to enjoy redemption of Christ's atoning blood, death's shafts cannot on the verge of hell, but it is another thing hurt you. Though you may not like approach to enjoy redemption on the plains of heaven. ing death, it is approaching you, and you must "To die is gain." The same may be said of meet it; every pulse you beat makes one less; justification. We may understand what sin every time the pendulum vibrates it is one less; is, and the power of it in our hearts and souls; every time the clock strikes there is one hour but we cannot, in this life, understand what less. Death is either dreadful, or it is desir- it is to be perfectly freed from it; therefore able-it is the greatest loss, or the most con"To die is gain." So we may say of sanctisummate gain. No man out of Christ can fication; so we may say of adoption; so we anticipate gain in death; but the Christian may say of all the privileges of the believer; can; God has given him a five-fold assurance so we may say of all the faculties of the soul. that "to die is gain:" 1, By the conquest of "To die will be gain." This is a land of Jesus Christ. 2, By the promises of God. 3, faith, and sometimes but of little faith; but By the declared will of Christ. 4, By the "To die will be gain;" for heaven is the power of Christ. 5, By the earnest of the land of vision. This is the land of hope; Spirit in his heart. The people of God have "here a little and there a little;" hope and nothing to fear in the prospect of dying, but help-hope and help; but "To die will be everything to anticipate. Dying is but going gain." This is the land of love, but in a home. It is sweet to go home, but Jesus narrow degree; but "To die will be gain;" fetches his own people home, and this makes then we shall know what love is in its fulness it doubly sweet. and in its perfection. There is no such thing as purgatory, my friends, "To die will be gain." Divest Popery of purgatory, and you take away her treasures; her gold and silver will be lost; it is but to feed the priests that this doctrine is maintained. "To die will be gain:" no purgatory, but immediate gain-everfasting gain. Hope is laid aside; there is no prospective in heaven, as here, but something ever present-something everlasting. Happy is that man who through faith in Christ can say, "To die is gain." We have committed to the silent grave this day, the remains of two of our sisters: it was their happiness that they could say "To die is gain.' of them stood a worthy member of this church for twenty-four years. She knew the Lord Jesus Christ-fed on Christ-lived on Christ; but now she is gone to live with Christ; to her to die was "gain;" everlasting gain. Of the second I knew but little; therefore I can say but little of her. She was a Christian; she was a woman of God, and to her to die was "gain." What you observed excellent in them both, my friends, try to imitate; what you saw deficient in them, try to avoid. In leaving the house of God to-night, ask yourselves the question, whether to you death would be "gain." May the Holy Ghost affirm that question by Jesus Christ in your hearts. God bless you, for Christ's sake. Amen. 129, Albany Road.

"To die is gain." It is a gain to which we are not altogether strangers, even now. The people of God are not strangers to heavenly joys, if they are strangers to the fulness of joy. Those things which fill heaven with blessedness have filled our hearts with delight. It will be joy, inasmuch as the traveller will get home; he has the earnest of home in his heart now, but then he will have reached home: now he is often wayworn and weary, but then he will have rest; he will put on the beautiful garments of perfection, and walk in white with Jesus Christ. It will be gain, for the servant will have reaped his reward. Verily there is a reward for the righteous. Now the servant is doing his Master's will laboriously, and faintingly; but then he will have reaped his reward, and serve him with vigour and strength unremittingly, The Christian soldier is now fighting the battles of his Master, but he wants to lay aside his sword-he wants to lay down his shield, he wants to put off his helmet, and enter into the realization of peace in its perfection. "To die will be gain," for the child will enter upon his inheritance: "It is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." When little children have promises made them, they are never satisfied till those promises are fulfilled.

So

it is with the children of God: their Father hath implanted in their hearts a desire that

One

J. CLARK.

[61]

THE PASTORS OF OUR CHURCHES-THE PREACHERS OF OUR DAY.

No. II.

[Our first article under this head gave rise to a large measure of controversy. We trust the following original testimony of the Lord's manner of making a minister of the true circumcision, will be acceptable and profitable. The writer is not extensively known; but we hope his usefulness in Zion may much more abound.-ED.]

EXPERIMENTAL AND MINISTERIAL TIDINGS FROM CORNWALL,

IN A LETTER TO MR. JOHN STENSON.

up

He was about to "consume me by the blow of
his hand." Well might David say, "When thou,
with rebukes, dost correct man for iniquity,
thou makest his beauty to consume away like
a moth." I felt it: "my evils compassed
me about; mine iniquities took hold upon
me, so that I was not able to look
&&the
weeds were wrapped about my head;" I felt
as it were sinking into the very belly of hell;
and about to be driven away in my wicked-
ness; no heart to pray, and feelingly no God
to pray to; I reckoned that, as a lion, so he
would break all my bones, and make an end
of me.

I was at this time taken very ill with English cholera,-what I suffered that night no tongue can tell; but from this I rallied, and went into Sussex; but I took the fire of hell in my conscience with me. I was a most miserable being. Yet, even in this low state, sometimes I could not but cry to the Lord, to have mercy upon me; and there would be a secret_hope that he would hear me. Sometimes I felt compunction of spirit before him, but it soon passed away again; nothing abode with me but my bonds. I found it was in the power of men to get into trouble, to wander from the Lord, but none less than the Almighty power of a God can restore.

Now, without attempting to palliate my conduct in any way, I must say, that this path, though so painful and sinful, has been of great use to me since I have been "preaching peace by Jesus Christ, for he is Lord of all." The Apostle says, "We are not ignorant of satan's devices," and it is not good for a man that he be without knowledge thereof. *

speech, for I believed then, as now, that a man with a gift of speech may preach the truth in all its clearness, and yet never be sent by God; my never having that volubility of speech kept my mind calm on that point. But also the words to Amos, "Go prophecy unto my people Israel" followed me. I was thereby led to beg of the Lord, if it were his blessed will that such a poor worthless worm as I felt myself to be should be thus employed, that he would be pleased to make it very plain; I thought he would answer my prayer by illuminating my mind in an especial manner, open up the sacred scriptures of divine truth, and lead me forth, and make me manifest in the hearts of his tried family. Being at that time in business, I hoped to be able to continue so, and preach as opportunities should offer; but to my shame I confess it before the Lord, I was then in a cold, lifeless, backsliding state, the form of religion was attended to, but the power was but seldom felt; thus, I was like Ephraim, "A cake unturned;" I was "joined to idols," and after them I was determined to go; the world engrossed my affections; closet prayer was neglected; I found I could not serve God and mammon; I tried it, and should have sunk to hell in the service of the latter, unless sovereign mercy had been extended towards me. I am speaking now of the time after the chapel was sold at Kensington, and while I lived over there; I little thought what a rod I was making for my back, not that I went out into outward evil: I know God can keep a man from that, and yet he may go very far as a backslider in heart. It generally begins in absence from private prayer; I know the dead Calvinist will sneer at this idea, but let him sneer on; if I can but have the blessed enjoyment of sweet converse and communion with the beloved of my soul, I am satisfied-but all beside is a dead blank. Prayer is the life and breath of Jehovah the Spirit in man; how sweet and blessed it is to feel the heart drawn out towards his blessed Majesty, to "enter into my closet," and feel the door shut upon me, and there to speak to Jesus face to face, as a man with his friend. This is the place About this time, I had a dream which very which God spake to Moses of-" There is a much exercised my mind, and caused me to place by me; and thou shalt stand upon a go many times to the throne to entreat the rock." O! to creep into the clift of this rock, Lord concerning it. This made me tremble, CHRIST! It is there the glorious majesty of God is my witness, before whom I lie not, Jehovah is admired, in causing grace, mercy, but in a little time every thing seemed to love, and salvation to flow into the soul by work together in opposition to my dream; Christ Jesus. While I was in the miserable then satan set in upon me most furiously, with state just mentioned, the cholera broke out, and this suggestion-where now is your dream? very many around us were cut off; this caused your are deceived in this matter, it was not me some anxiety; but judgments nor mercies from heaven-and how do you know but what have any effect on the mind without divine your religion is all a delusion too? My vile power; besides I was, Jonah-like, down in heart gave place to the devil, and instead of the sides of the ship fast asleep, heedless of using (the sword of the Spirit,) the word of the "raging storm" without; satan had rocked the Lord, I parlied with him, and reasoned me to sleep in the cradle of carnal security; the matter over, until I felt awful rebellion he cried "peace, peace." But now the Lord working in my mind against God. The deeps arose; he began to enter into judgment with into which my soul sunk I cannot describe; "He gave me to eat of the bread of the blessed Bible I feared to open, I could adversity, and to drink the water of affliction;" read nothing but damnation-the characters "He laid judgment to the line, and righteous- of Cain, Saul, Judas, and Simon Magus, ness to the plummet;" "his hail swept away were like daggers piercing through me; my refuge of lies, and the waters of affliction thought sudden destruction would come upon began to overflow my hiding-place." I thought me pray I could not; feared lest I should

me:

**

How mysterious are the teachings of God! I have seen great flaming professors wince and twist under the word, while I have been describing the path of soul conflict; while some poor-ready-to halt creature has fed, and rejoiced to find another tried and tempted even as he. What an unspeakable mercy to have any sign token, and evidence of being born again, and also to be able to stand up in the name of Jesus to speak forth all the words of this life!