JOSEPH TANNER, of Cirencester; his searching, experimental ministry is told of in his published life and letters. He died in 1867. JOHN TRIMMING, many years the honoured pastor of the church at Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, closed his eyes in 1862, aged eighty-two. JAMES SHORTER, of Wilderness Row, died 1861, aged sixty-four. JAMES SEARLE, a homely, earnest, spiritually minded minister. Died at Farnborough, 1868. ROBERT ROFF, pastor at Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire, from 1830 to 1860, a man of loving spirit, firm and true to convictions of Gospel truth. THOMAS SHARP, just fifty years ago, was chosen to succeed good John Rees at Crown Street, Soho, and continued faithful to the end. W. K. RYECROFT preached some time at Bethesda Chapel, City Road. In 1845 went out to mission work in the Bahamas, closing his labours at his Father's call in 1865. THOMAS ROW, a humble man, exact and truthful, learnt Gospel truth at the feet of John Stevens; began his ministry about fourteen years before our HERALD commenced, to which he often contributed. He laboured in his latter days at Little Gransden, Cambs, and was much esteemed in the regions round about, living and working on till 1868, when, being more than fourscore, he was sent for home. JAMES SMITH, of Cheltenham, was also a frequent contributor to the HERALD in its earlier days. In 1841 he removed to Park Street, London, returning to Cheltenham in 1850 until 1862, when his life on earth ceased. He was a good and zealous man and an interesting writer, albeit in his later years loosing his hold of some of the distinctive truths we cherish, or so adding to them (as the custom is) that they became obscured or mystified. CHARLES, his brother, preached the Gospel of Christ about forty years, in a plain, useful manner; some time at Shoreditch; removed, in 1856, to Leicester, where he peacefully slept in Jesus on January 27th, 1874. His wife died on the same day, and was buried with him. THOMAS SUTTON, of Cottenham, a gifted man, an able minister of the New Testament, dispensing with power and point the true Gospel. He had left the care of the natural sheepfold, and became a true pastor of men until old age; laid by with infirmities, but with mind clear, he departed to the upper fold 1860, eighty-one years old. CHARLES ROBINSON, another thoughtful, godly preacher for forty years, chiefly at Brentford and Borough Green, died much beloved in 1862. JOHN SAXBY, a faithful minister of Jesus Christ for many years at Sheerness, Crowborough, &c., closed his commission in 1867. EVAN PROBERT, of Bristol, from 1834 to 1861, died in 1867, much valued. JOHN PEACOCK was at Spencer Place, London, from 1821 to 1864, then dying at the age of eighty-five. His labours were much blessed to many. JAMES NUNN came to Ipswich in 1831, and continued ten or twelve years; afterwards in Camden Town, London, dying in 1863. WILLIAM MORTIMER, of Chippenham, was paralysed in the pulpit and died 1869, aged sixty-eight. A good man, a truthful preacher, and highly esteemed. (To be continued.) Expositions, Essays, &c. CHRIST KNOCKING AT THE A Paper read at a Bible Class. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me."-REV. iii. 20. THE text which comes before us for discussion to-night is one amongst many others in the New Testament which are made use of, by the opponents of the doctrines of sovereign grace, on which to found an appeal to sinners to "accept the Saviour," and to expostulate with them on the folly of refusing His "offers of mercy" while there is yet time. Now, as we find our Saviour, shortly before He finished the work which the Father had given Him to do, saying, “All that the Father giveth Me, shall come to Me," we cannot receive such an interpretation of the passage. Moreover, we see from Holy Writ that the work of conversion in the sinner's soul commences with the sense, or conviction, of sin, produced by the operating influence of God the Holy Spirit, which leads the sinner to cry, "What must I do to be saved?" And, while religious experiences may differ in degree, varied by circumstances and temperaments, yet we believe that "conviction for sin" must precede "joy and peace in believing ;" and, perhaps, one of the greatest errors of so-called Gospel preaching" in the present day is, that men are besought to " come to Jesus," without being even told why they need a Saviour. As we, therefore, reject the popular meaning attached to the text, let us try, by the help of the enlightening Spirit of all grace, to discover its true meaning. To understand rightly any single passage of Scripture, it is, above all, needful to examine the context; so we will first notice by whom, and to whom, these words were spoken. The mysterious Revelation from which our subject is taken was given, we are told, by God the Father to His Son, who sent it by His angel to His servant John; that disciple who, in his younger days, had been favoured with such close and loving intercourse with the Master, for whose sake he was now, in his old age, banished to the Isle of Patmos, where he received this message. The Revelation commences with John's salutation to the seven Churches: "Grace be unto you, and peace, from Him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven spirits which are before His throne; and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever;"-and thus we see that those to whom John was writing were, with himself, included in that happy number who had been already redeemed from among men. We pass by the solemn messages addressed respectively to the Churches at Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, and Philadelphia, with their various commendations and reproofs, and come to that sent to the Laodicean Church, and we find that her condition is indeed sad. She is charged not only with lukewarmness, but with self-satisfaction in connection with that lukewarmness. She says, "I am rich, and have need of nothing; while the Apostle says she is "wretched and miserable, poor, blind, and naked." Surely, with such a list of offences catalogued against her, the Church might well expect her Lord to exclaim, "Cut it down, why cumbereth it the ground"? But no; listen to the gracious words which follow: "As many as I love I rebuke and chasten; be zealous, therefore, and repent." We see, therefore, that the succeeding words, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear My voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me," are spoken to the Church, which has grown cold and negligent in her Lord's service, not to the sinner dead in trespasses and sins. What wondrous love is manifested in the loving exhortation and conditional promise, that the great and mighty God, the Saviour of His people, should condescend to the familiar intercourse implied in the words, "I will come in to him, and will sup with him,"-intercourse with men who, having once realised such favours and blessings from His hand, have not only become careless and indifferent, but have established themselves in their own righteousness. Remembering, then, that all Scripture was given, not only for the times when the various portions were written, but for the guidance and reproof of Christians until they shall have reached that land where there "shall be no more sin," should not the Church of Christ now examine herself, to see how far these words are applicable to her? Does she need the rebuke addressed to the Laodiceans? or is she using every effort, and straining every nerve, to promote the interests of her Master's Kingdom upon earth, and letting her "light so shine before men, that they may see her good works, and glorify her Father which is in Heaven"? It may be asked, In what manner does the Saviour knock? We may briefly notice some of the ways connected with a church life. Chiefly, perhaps, by the ministrations of His servants, in preaching the Word; that Word which is alike profitable "for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction." How often does the Christian wince under a faithful sermon, when his conscience condemns him for sins of omission and commission. Then, again, in the ordinances of His house, when a young believer is professing his allegiance to his Lord in the way He Himself has appointed, the Saviour's loving voice often speaks to His children, reminding them of the days of their espousals, and leading them to confess, alas! before their Father in Heaven, in how many things since then have they fallen short. Then, also, when surrounding the table of the Lord, the Christian may be conscious of his Master's gentle whisper, "I gave My life for thee, how art thou serving Me?" The Church should also hear her Lord's voice, reminding her that her days of service may be few, when He calls one from her midst to take his place in the Church triumphant. Many more instances might be adduced, but these, I think, will suffice. We have looked at these words as applying to the Church in her corporate capacity; but, as she is composed of individual believers, let each take to himself the promise therein contained, at the same time noticing that here is to be found a doctrine of works, as well as of faith: "If any man_hear My voice, and will open the door, I will come in.' We know, blessed be God, that our salvation does not depend upon our works, but much of our spiritual vigour and happiness does-an idle Christian can never be a really happy one, and an idle Church is very likely to become a lukewarm one. In conclusion, may we take the words of the poet to express our heartfelt and earnest desire : "Enter our hearts, Redeemer blest, M. L. G. AGUR'S PRAYER. BRIEF NOTES OF A SERMON BY "Remove far from me vanity and lies; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me."-PROV. XXX. 8. WHO Agur was I cannot tell you. Sometimes it pleases God to give us a biographical sketch of the lives of those whom He is pleased to make useful; sometimes only the words of their lips are recorded, as in the case of Agur. But what does it signify? Who is Paul, or who Apollos, but instruments God is pleased to use? Agur possessed a large amount of grace. He appears to have been a teacher in Israel, to whom others resorted for instruction. But, though others thought much of him, he had learned the lesson of thinking humbly of himself. Having given us a confession of his faith, he proceeds to give us his prayer in the seventh and eighth verses of this chapter, and a reason for it in the ninth. He had thought about what things he should pray for, and considered what it was he most needed, and found he specially required two things. My text involves these two things, and they are such as none but a good and gracious mind would ask for. We notice, first, the Providence acknowledged; second, the prayer preferred. First. The Providence acknowledged. He is looking at the circumstances by which he is surrounded, acknowledging what so many forget that there is a God in the heavens whose Kingdom ruleth over all, and that He is the caretaker of our world. The human heart is prone to turn away from God; but the Christian believes, not only that God is, but also that He takes notice of everything. It is a blessed faith to have in exercise that "Not a single shaft can hit, Till the God of love sees fit;" that all things are under His superintending care-sparrows and nations, rain and sunshine, all are ruled by Him. We are apt to speak of things that directly concern ourselves, and we have heard much complaint of late of unfruitful seasons. Have they been unfruitful? God has withheld in measure His sunshine from our island home, but treasures have been poured upon other countries. Suppose He had withheld it from them, as it has been from us of late, what different scenes would have been presented! But no; God has been at work; He has been superintending in His universal providence. We are too narrow in our views; there is a universal providence over nations as well as a special one over individuals. Agur confesses his want of understanding in these matters, and he looks up to the great God of heaven, and says, "Lord, come and manage for me-me, who am so unwise and so weak that I cannot manage for myself." Yes, he was right; for God not only orders great things, but takes notice of little things, and remembers the lowly in their low estate. Nothing is too great for God to manage, nothing too small for Him to take notice of. David and Paul both acknowledged God's goodness to them from the womb to the tomb. God heard the first cry of the infant Paul, knew what he would be, and how much better he would be qualified for his work by the circumstances by which he would be surrounded through life. You and I to-day are what the past has made us; circumstances form our character; do what we will, God shapes the end. It is a very pleasant thought that the God of heaven, who rules among angels, takes notice of me. David said, "I am poor and needy, yet the Lord thinketh upon me." There is a universal providence, and there is also a special providence, over the every-day life of every heaven-born pilgrim. Second. The prayer preferred. In the first place, there is something the removal of which is earnestly wished for. "Remove far from me vanity and lies." Not a little way; not just over the hedge; but far away, whence their evil, injurious influences cannot be felt. "Remove far from me vanity and lies;" they are the consequences of sin; remove them far away. God says, "I have removed thy transgres sions from thee." How far? As far as the east is from the west. Thus, you see, the act of God and the desire of the godly here meet. Then, I think, Agur wanted to be removed from the deceit which hangs around people—a kind of mist which you cannot penetrate. Too often, also, appearances are deceitful; devils may be dressed in angels' robes. Prosperity may not be good for me; it may not be what it seems to be. It will be wise for us to take the language of our text, and pray as Agur did. We see the propriety of his prayer; it accords with what our Master taught His disciples: "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; give us this day our daily bread." In the next place, we see there is something he did not wish to have. Here comes the difficulty of the prayer -"Give me neither poverty nor riches." I think very few people could sincerely pray that prayer. It is a wise, good prayer; but it rises to an altitude that only grace can raise men to, and that great grace, too. Great grace was upon Agur when he uttered this prayer; his motive in uttering it was a high one— "Lest I be full and deny Thee, and say, Who is the Lord ? or lest I be poor and steal, and take the name of my God in vain." "Give me neither poverty nor riches." Could you pray that prayer? Some people are all for amassing wealth. There is no evil in riches, but often much evil connected with them. When Jeshurun waxed fat he forgot the God of his salvation. The only thing the rich man in the parable forgot was God, the Giver of all his riches. "Soul," he said, "thou hast much goods laid up for many years; eat, drink, and be merry" but said nothing about God. Ah! dear friends, there is an influence with riches that, when it fills a man's heart, there is little room for God. Depend upon it that man is happy who has enough to be content with, which brings us to the last petition in the good man's prayer: "Feed me with food convenient for me." As a child, feed me with food convenient for me-food that is suitable and adapted for me. Give me this day my daily bread-this day. The food is not always to be alike, but varied; not always in the same form. You and I like variety in our natural food-bread, flesh, vegetables, fruitand the Lord has filled the earth with His goodness in this respect. And so, spiritually, His Word is full of good things convenient and suitable for His children, and they come to them in varied forms adapted to their cases and circumstances. Sometimes a promise, sometimes a grand old testimony of Divine truth, comes to strengthen the struggling one; sometimes a whisper, like a zephyr breeze coming from the skies, and the feeble one catches it up. Only, O my God! feed me with food convenient for me! Let me take the position David took: be Thy guest, sit here in the wilderness whilst Thou dost prepare a table before me, and feed me till I want no more. Amen. FAVOURITE HYMNS AND THEIR AUTHORS. No. 18. JOHN NEWTON'S HYMNS. NOT the least esteemed among the productions of the sweet singers in our British Zion obtaining currency in the Selections are the hymns written by John Newton, once a bold blasphemer, afterwards, by the transforming grace of God, a very useful and highly esteemed minister of the Gospel of Christ. Written in plain language, mostly easy and flowing in construction, and, above all, instinct with delineations of spiritual life in every variety of feeling experienced by the child of God, they are highly prized by spiritually minded Christians of all classes in society, of all denominations in the religious world. It will be a sad sign of the decay of vital godliness in this land when John Newton's hymns cease to find a place among the songs of our sanctuaries. |