the good Shepherd's voice at times, and this encourages me to look more steadfastly to him, for there is no where else that I can look for what I want. I have not sent in the way you requested, but I expect this will prove better. Adieu. December, 1838. SPIRITUAL CORRESPONDENCE. T. F. TO THE EDITORS OF THE GOSPEL STANDARD. Dear Sirs,—I am in the same place where I was when I last wrote to you, only my faith appears still more hedged up; and whether I am in Babylonish captivity, or in the wilderness of nature, I am unable to say. O that the Lord would decide the matter in my soul! for I am afraid that I was never yet brought into the land of Canaan, and fear that I shall live and die in the wilderness of nature. I find by the Standard that the Lord has come to the prison-house and set some of the captives free, thus fulfilling that promise in which it is said, "To him that hath, shall more be given; and to him that hath not, (which I fear is my case,) shall be taken away even that which he seemeth to have." I thought once that I had something, but now it is all gone, and I seem left to grovel alone, scarcely daring to open my mouth to any one, and begging God never to let me speak to any person about spiritual things again; for if ever I have spoken to the children of God about the warfare within, and have felt, as it were, drawn out in love and union to them, as soon as I have left them, the devil and unbelief, like a hellish troop, have broke forth in my soul, and disputed every word that I had said; so that I have called myself a thousand fools, and said I would never speak or open my mouth to any one again upon the subject. Thus, unbelief, the fountain of all manner of abominable thoughts, rises up in my soul, and whether I am asleep or awake the hellish monster is at work in my desperately wicked heart, and the world seems let loose upon me, as it were, to make that abominable pot boil over, so that I am a stink in my own nostrils, and scarcely dare to look for mercy at his hands. Ah! my dear sirs, believe me, my heart, at this moment, is as hard and as cold as the northern ice. O that the Lord would melt it, and give me grace to come near unto him! That passage sometimes cuts me all to pieces, "It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy." Words of this kind will come to my mind at times, which make me feel miserable, and then enmity will rise up in my rebellious soul against God, for not making me something that had not a soul to live for ever. Dear Sirs, tell me whether you think it possible for such a wretch as I ever to know what it is to lie down in the green pastures, and drink of the still waters. The blessing appears too great for me to enjoy. I have been looking in the Bible, for the last few weeks, where it speaks of that blessed time when John was laying his head on the bosom of Jesus, and where Mary was when she was lying at the feet of Jesus, and poor Peter, when the Lord looked at him. O what blessed love and union they must have felt in their souls when the Lord himself was there! For this is my cry, when I dare to approach him, that he would give me, like Mary, a blessed sight of his dear self, and I feel as though I could never rest until I obtain it. O that it may be the Holy Ghost that is thus breathing in my poor soul for this blessed manifestation, and then I know that it will never, no never come to nought! Dear Sirs, I think if ever the Lord should be pleased to manifest himself to my soul, O how I should praise him! for the thought of being for ever separated from him and the dear children of God seems hell itself. A POOR WORM. Dear Sirs, I have for a number of years been in a low, desponding state of mind, with respect to my own interest in the love of Christ. I firmly believe, from the Scriptures, that Jesus Christ has a chosen people, whom he will assuredly bring to praise him in glory; but the devil and my own heart tell me, in plain language, that I am not one of them. I would believe that I was if I could, but I cannot. I would hope that it was so, but my hope gives way. My heart is as hard as a stone. I have read with delight the works of Mr. Philpot, where he describes the ins and outs, the darkness and bewildered state of mind a Christian is often in; but, as he says to the "Wretched Men," he has not described the worst part, for I feel myself worse than language can express. But when he comes to describe the love of God shed abroad in the heart, raising the poor soul from self and selfish things to have a sweet manifestation of the love of Christ, making him to rejoice in Christ Jesus as his own Saviour, as his own Redeemer; as having pardoned his sins and forgiven his transgressions, and revealed himself in his soul the hope of glory; then I stand gazing and wondering, and am left alone, for I cannot go so far. I have tried to pray that God would reveal his Son in me, that Christ would reveal himself in me, that the Spirit of God would reveal Jesus Christ in me, but I find I cannot pray; for I believe where God gives a spirit of prayer, he will hear and answer that prayer, to the glory of his own name and the good of his people. Then the devil and my own evil heart tell me that I am not one of Christ's chosen people, and that my prayers are an abomination to the Lord; and I feel myself to be an incarnate devil within. I had for some time been taking comfort, in some measure, (though not satisfied,) with the thought that I felt a longing desire, a hungering and thirsting after righteousness, and therefore must be a child of God, for Christ says, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled;" but when I read a piece in the Gospel Standard, written by that man of God, Mr. M'Kenzie, I found I had not the positive evidence, or the Spirit bearing witness to my spirit that I was a child of God; I had only the letter one, which I found to be a refuge of lies to my soul. I want a living Christ in my own soul, and as I have not experienced sweet communion and fellowship with Christ in my heart, I am full of doubts and fears that I am not in the right way, that all my religion is vain, that I am nothing but an hypocrite, that I am deceiving both myself and the people of God. O that the Lord would reveal Jesus Christ in my soul the hope of glory, and say unto my soul, "Thou art mine, and I am thine!" then I could praise his name with my whole heart and soul for his loving-kindness and tender mercies to such a hell-deserving rebel. But my principal design in writing at this time is to express a hope, that it may please the Lord to put it into the heart of Mr. Philpot to write down, either in the Standard or else in a book, an account of the Lord's dealings with his soul, in bringing him out of darkness into his own marvellous light; how God at first began with his soul, and how he has brought him from that day to the present time? stating the wiles and stratagems, and temptations of the devil; the wickedness of his own heart, and the great glory of God shining in the face of Jesus Christ in delivering his soul out of every trial and trouble, by his Spirit which he had implanted within him; and the manifest evidences God has given him of his own interest in redeeming love; how he has raised him out of the miry clay, and set his feet upon the Rock of Ages; with the various turnings, windings, and intricate paths which the Lord has been pleased to bring him through. I hope and trust that I ask not this favour with any desire to please a fleshly principle; but as Mr. Philpot appears to me, from what I have read of his writings, to be a man that has been brought through deep experience of the things of God in his own soul, and also of the depth of depravity of his heart, and of the devices of the devil, I think if he would write down his experience, it would, with the blessing of God upon it, be a means of comforting many poor, desponding, dejected, cast down travellers. Yours sincerely, Oldham, January, 1839. DLIW SEMAJ. Messrs. Editors,-I should feel obliged if you would give me your thoughts on the full assurance of faith, and if there is such a thing, say what it is. M. A. H. [Truly there is such a thing as the full assurance of faith, and all the people of God have it and know they have it before they go hence. In proof, see the following Scriptures: Acts xvi. 34; Heb. iii. 6; vi. 11; x. 22; Isa. xxxii. 17; Gal. ii. 20; Phil. iii. 9-11; Col. ii. 2; 1 Pet. i. 8; 1 Thes. i. 5; Rom. v. 1, 2; Eph. iii. 12. Our correspondent will find the subject treated upon pretty clearly in our first volume, pages 12, 65, and 91.-EDs.] EDITORS' REVIEW. Golgotha. By Thomas Hare, B. A., Curate of Charles, Plymouth. -Bennett, London. We feel it sometimes puzzling and painful to give an honest review of religious works; not the works of blind and dead Arminians, and rotten mongrel Calvinists, for we can pronounce condemnation on them without the least scruple; but when a work is put in our hand for review, bearing the character of divine truth, and vindicating the doctrines of grace in a tolerably able and clear manner, yet, as we peruse it, we find it almost, if not altogether destitute of that peculiar sap, unction, life, power, and heavenly teaching which characterise works indited by the Spirit of God, we rather feel it a painful task to review it honestly and correctly, and more especially when the writer passes among many as a man of truth. These thoughts struck us on reading the present work. However, we shall briefly give our opinion of the work. It is written on the last sayings of Christ, in seven parts. The doctrines of the everlasting covenant counsels of Jehovah, Father, Son, and Spirit; the humiliation, obedience, suretiship, atonement, and intercession of Christ, and a complete and finished salvation by him for his own people, and them only; and some others of the 66 doctrines of grace, are stated and proved; some of them ably handled, clearly proved, and happily expressed; particularly the sufferings of Christ in the stead of his people. Thus far we approve of the work and consider it good; nay, further, we think it is among one of the best pieces written by those called men of truth" in the church of England. Nevertheless, we must say, to us it savours too much of the barren high and dry church of England divinity; and it bears too close a resemblance to the wooden, sapless, head-knowledge doctrinalists in the church and amongst dissenters. It contains statements of truth with Scripture proofs fitly wrought in amongst them, but it wants that great distinction which is the very vitals of all living religion, John's divine unction and Paul's supernatural power; it wants the secret, mysterious, and peculiar teachings of the Holy Ghost, and that peculiar and ever-varying path the people of God are travelling. We looked for these things mingled with the doctrines of grace in the work, but in vain; no savoury teachings or experience could we find. Doctrines, without true experience, and experience without sound doctrine, is like a head without a body, and a body without a head. How very difficult to meet with a WHOLE MAN in the truth, one four square, within the establishment. The reason is obvious, as soon as they become such, they are made to come out of her, and dissent from her iniquities. A Letter to the Lord Bishop of Ripon, on the subject of Dr. Hook's Sermon, preached before Her Majesty, entitled, "Hear the Church By one of the Clergy.-Simpkin and Co., London; Heaton, Leeds. 66 This letter is a very true, bold, faithful, uncompromising, and unanswerable exposure of the falsity, ignorance, and heathenism of Dr. Hook's sermon before the Queen, and also of some of the abominations of the Church of England. It is written with considerable ability. We cannot but admire the faithfulness and boldness of the author. The time has been when he would have been brought to the stake for such a production. We truly wish every one of the Church of England clergy and members had a copy of it. We hope they will purchase it, and peruse it carefully. But after all, though we heartily agree with it, with the exception of a few words, and wish it a wide circulation, it ill becomes a Clergyman" still within the pale of the Established Church so to belabour one of his brethren and fellow-labourers, in the same vineyard! for he must acknowledge him as his " dearly beloved brother," while he is within the Establishment. It ill becomes a man to expose the filth and abominations of a system, while he himself is guilty, and is comfortably staying within that system. And it ill becomes the author to put on the title-page of his letter that Scripture," Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues," (Rev. xviii. 4,) while he himself is still staying within ber, constantly committing and partaking of her sins. A man whose eyes are opened to see the sins of a system, commits more sin by staying there, and is more culpable, than he whose eyes are totally blind. Why does he not come out of her, and witness against her abominations? for it appears that he knows and sees better. Does he think the Lord has sent him into such a system? Has any part of the New Testament instructed him that the Church of England is the true church of Christ? Does he think the Holy Ghost has made him one of the overseers of such an ungodly system? Has the fear of God taught him to mock God every Lord's day in going through the church of England service? Has a tender conscience made him to speak lies in the desk and at the altar, and preach truth from the pulpit? Has the grace of God taught him to acknowledge ungodliness and worldly lusts by staying in an ungodly and worldly system? Of course he will say, "O no!" Let a man first discountenance a system by coming out of it, and then let him expose it and its votaries with all his might; then he will be consistent with himself. A Compilation of Scripture Passages, &c. By George Hunt.Holdsworth and Ball. This work is got up with considerable ability and learning, and it is printed in rather a novel and elegant style. It is intended to prove that "The Angel of the Lord," "The Angel of God," "The Angel of his presence," &c., so often mentioned in Scripture, does not mean a created angel, but that it uniformly means JEHOVAH. We think the author has effectually established the point. There are some very sweet truths revealed throughout the work, and there are some very good and instructive marginal remarks subjoined. We think it worth the attention and perusal of the people of God. There dwells a loathsome stench of sin. "That as thy days thy strength shall be." The carnal mind indeed, Is full of enmity To the immortal seed, Which thou hast placed in me. This wretched law of sin With this unwearied foe Nor will it from me go No! carnal minds in heaven A PENSIONER. |