pressing the desire to have the eyes of the mind opened or the intellectual faculties brought into full play. The child of God who comes with such a prayer in his heart, when taking up the sacred volume, well knows that something more than this is needed from his God before the words which he is assured are so precious can enter his soul with the sweetness he desires. No unregenerate man prays thus, because, until Divine life has been imparted, the feeling of need towards God is not experienced. Rarely does he even take the Word of God in his hand, for to him it is a mere blank; or, if he does occasionally read it, there can be no sweetness there for him, for all that meets his eye condemns him. So to pray this prayer manifests that spiritual life has commenced in the heart. To have our eyes fully opened, so that we are prepared to study our Bible, and to enter into its deep and precious meanings, we must have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit; we must have seen ourselves, as we appear as sinners in the sight of a just and holy God, condemned by the law; we must have seen our way of escape through the merits of Jesus, who obeyed the law, and suffered in our stead. We must have faith given us in the power and purposes of God; faith in the prophecies written under His inspiration; faith in the many precious promises contained therein; and faith in the glorious work of the dear Redeemer. We must have the presence of the Holy Spirit to apply the inspired words to our soul, and a Divine light from heaven shining upon it, so that Jesus is reflected on its every page, before we are prepared to meditate upon the mysteries contained therein. Sometimes the regenerate soul is favoured with an answer to his prayer, so as to experience this when taking up the Word of God for perusal. What a glorious time when thus favoured! What a heavenly joy fills the soul, as that soul "beholds the wondrous things" contained therein ! What does he see? Much to cause him sorrow in seeing how little he obeys its teaching-how little he carries out its precepts; much to make him tremble as he sees the threatenings of God's wrath and vengeance against sin. But he sees something else, and a heavenly joy steals into his soul as he sees, in vivid colours, his precious Jesus set forth as his Mediator-set forth as his once crucified, but now risen and glorified, Redeemer. 66 Open Thou mine eyes." It will be noticed that the marginal reading is "reveal." To have the eyes opened, as I understand the passage, much would have to be revealed to the natural man. By nature man is in a state of spiritual darkness, and one branch of a work of grace is the revelation of gracious and saving facts-that I was "born in sin and shapen in iniquity;" and, although this would be the case, God has from all eternity chosen me to be part of His family; that my sins were laid on Jesus, and caused that precious blood to flow. Such revelations are indeed precious, but the child of God sometimes groans under the fact that the Bible is to him a sealed book; it has lost its beauty and attractiveness to him, and those portions that were once so precious have become mere words. Then the heart's cry goes up to God-" Open Thou mine eyes," yet again reveal Thyself once more, dear Lord, in these pages, "that I may behold the wondrous things" that are hidden therein. When a soul has undergone the experience described, and this prayer has to some extent been answered, then that soul is prepared to enter somewhat into the mysteries of eternal truth. Secondly, the end desired-"that I may behold," &c. Some of these "wondrous things" claim our attention. "Wondrous" indeed will they appear if the Holy Spirit apply them to our soul. What "wondrous" love existed from everlasting in God to form the plan of salvation-a plan by which the people God had set apart for Himself might be redeemed, justified, and, at last, glorified ! "Hail! Sov'reign Love, that first began What "wondrous" love existed in Jesus to leave His glory throne above, and to put on human flesh, that He might suffer, bleed, and die for us; to suffer what all hell would have been to us; to endure the burning wrath of God in our place; and to groan under the terrible burden of our sins when transferred to Him! "He saw me ruined in the fall, Yet lov'd me, notwithstanding all; He sav'd me from my lost estate ; His lovingkindness, O how great!" What a "wondrous" thing it appears when we contemplate the " wondrous fact that we were made a portion of His choice, that we were made partakers of His grace, while some were left to go their own way, to suffer the punishment of their own sins, and to five and die without a knowledge of God, and to spend a dreadful eternity! What a "wondrous" thing it appears when we contemplate the fact that, while Divine justice is maintained, we stand free from the wrath of God; while God's declaration stands firm, that He must and will punish sin, yet we rejoice to know that our sins will never be placed to our account, and it is all through the ever-blessed and glorious work of a precious Jesus, a dear Redeemer ! How "wondrous" portions of the inspired volume appear when God is pleased to bless them to us, and seal them home to our soul, and when they exactly suit our circumstances, feelings, and needs! When a sinner is brought to feel himself such, and to see how he stands in himself before God, how sweet the promise, "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool!" And when he has become weary under the burden of his sins, how "wondrous" sweet are the Saviour's words: "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden; and I will give you rest!" Thus he is drawn to the feet of that Saviour, of whom it is written, "And His name shall be called Wonderful." How precious is the Word of God to those who are His children; they see, with the Divine light shining upon it, something there to meet their every want; whether it is times of sorrow and distress, or happiness and joy, there are alike portions to suit their feelings. In times of sorrow there is much to comfort; in times of joy there is much to lift up their thankful hearts to God. Let us, then, in taking up the sacred volume, pray that it may have the light of heaven shining upon it; that it may be our guide and source of strength; that it may be manna to our souls; that the loveliness of the Saviour we love so well may shine forth to our souls with heavenly light; and that we may rejoice in the revelation of those "wondrous" facts that show forth a "wondrous" " future and a glorious eternity. Thus we shall spend many happy seasons when meditating upon the Scriptures of truth. "Open Thou mine eyes," dear Father, Gracious mysteries to behold, That are hidden in Thy volumeTruths more precious far than gold. "Wondrous things" that are imbedded In this treasure store of Thine; Wonders that surpass conception; Wonders that are all Divine. Wonders that reveal the secrets Of our glorious cov'nant God; How, in Christ, electing mercy Gave our souls a safe abode. Wonders that surround the Saviour How He once the wine-press trod In Thy Word shine forth so bright; Open, then, my heart, dear Father, To receive this treasure store; Lift away the veil between them, That it may return no more. Then, with triumph, gracious Father, L. F. W. S. ETERNAL PUNISHMENT. IN our preceding papers on this subject we have refrained from quoting Scripture, inasmuch as we took the standpoint of those to whom the sacred records are of no authority. We now, however, address our remarks to those who regard the Book of God as the only infallible standard of faith and practice. It seems strange, indeed, that among those who make this profession any doubt should exist upon a matter so clearly revealed; and we feel assured that such doubts would never arise if the Word itself was not so often made to give place to the specious reasonings of carnal men. We have already endeavoured to show that, failing the satisfaction of the just claims of the righteous Lawgiver, there is no conceivable ground of peace with Him, even upon rational principles; we now turn to the utterances of the Great Judge Himself upon this awful subject. And first we draw attention to the fact that God has appointed at the end of time, when His purposes in time shall be accomplished-a great, solemn, important, awful day, called the Day of Judgment. "It is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment" (Heb. ix. 27); "Because He hath appointed a day in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that MAN whom he hath ordained (Acts xvii. 31); "but treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God" (Rom. ii. 5). Such passages might be multiplied, and, doubtless, many of like import will at once occur to the reader's mind. But what can be the object and purpose of this judgment? What end is it to serve, unless it be to pronounce sentence upon the transgressor and vindicate the rights of that law which he has despised? It is not a mere pageant nor an empty formality; the books are to be opened and the dead are to be judged according to the infallible record of every man's works, and only those whose names are found in another book-" the Book of Life"can come out of that solemn ordeal justified (Rev. xx. 12-15). The vast assembly of that great day will include all mankind. "Before Him shall be gathered all nations : and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats" (Matt. xxv. 32). Clearly, therefore, both sheep and goats, righteous and wicked, will be present. And what shall be the issue of the proceedings? What can a just Judge say to the self-convicted criminal at that awful bar? The Scripture speaks with no hesitating faltering voice on this matter, as we shall proceed to show. Let us select a few passages in which emphatic mention is made of a place of punishment: "For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell."Deut. xxxii. 22. Hell is naked before him, and destruction hath no covering."-Job xxvi. 6. "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.” -Ps. ix. 17. "Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure.” -Is. v. 14. "The strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of hell." -Ezek. xxxii. 21. And coming to the New Testament we find it, if possible, still more emphatic : destroy both soul and body in hell."— Matt. x. 28. "Ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell."-Matt. xxiii. 33. "In hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torment."--Luke xvi. 23. "(The tongue) is set on fire of hell." -James iii. 6. "God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell."2 Pet. ii. 4. No doubt we shall be met here with learned criticisms on the word hell, with its derivatives, such as sheōl, Hades, and Gehenna, but what comes of it all? Can the admission that Hades means the place of the departed or sometimes the grave, or that the word Gehenna is sometimes applied to the valley of the son of Hinnom, affect the plain meaning of these passages? They show clearly that hell is a place; that it is a place of torment; that both soul and body will ultimately be consigned there; that fallen angels are there also (and this alone shows that it can neither be the grave or the valley just mentioned, for angels are in neither); and that it is a place of punishment. If this language is not sufficiently explicit, then what language in the world could be devised that would be more so? And the last passage quoted brings us to another word of terrible import— the word damnation. This word is considered to be too harsh by the advocates of annihilation, and they prefer to substitute condemnation as being a milder term. Be it so; but what is condemnation but a judicial sentence, pronounced upon proof of guilt? But when a judge condemns a culprit, he always condemns him to something in the shape of a penalty. Condemnation is not a matter of form or of words, but it includes the punishment of the offender. What shall we say, then, to the following passages ?— "Therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation."-Matt. xxiii. 14. "But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation." -Mark iii. 29. "And they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation."-John V. 29. "Whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not."-2 Pet. ii. 3. At least we learn from the Scriptures that damnation is a solemn reality, that it will be after death, that it will be greater in some cases than in others, and, moreover, that it will be eternal. One fearful foreshadowing of what damnation is, is conveyed by the word darkness. As God is Light, so hell may be regarded as in every way its opposite; thus, we read "The children of the kingdom shall be cast into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."Matt. viii. 12. "To whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever."-2 Pet. ii. 17. "He hath reserved them in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day."-Jude 6. "To whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever."-Jude 13. What must this outer darkness be, where there is neither natural sun, nor mental pleasure; neither the light of purity, or of love, or even of hope! FIRE is another word used to illustrate the terrible doom of the ungodly; but we shall meet with this expression in those passages to which we now draw attention, in which the duration of punishment is left beyond doubt. "Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings."-Isa. xxxiii. 14. "It is better to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched; where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.”—Mark ix. 43 to 48. "Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."-Matt. xxv. 41. "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment."-Matt. xxv. 46. "Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence o the Lord."-2. Thess. i. 9. "Suffering the vengeance of eternal fire."-Jude 7. "And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever."-Rev. xiv. 11. "And shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."-Rev. xx. 10. To attempt to explain away these solemn words is surely the depth of wickedness, and must expose the daring scoffer to the curse of the last chapter of inspiration: "If any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the Book of Life, and out of the Holy City." Surely it was with no empty purpose that the Lord Himself three times repeated those solemn words-"The fire that never shall be quenched; where their worm dieth not; where the fire is not quenched." What that fire can be, and what that worm can be, we may but feebly imagine; but that the fire is unquenchable and the worm undying, is beyond all controversy. On the whole, then, the Scriptures are plain and unmistakeable: that there will be day of judgment; that this will be followed by a sentence of condemnation upon the ungodly; that the wicked shall be turned into hell; that hell is a place of unspeakable woe and misery; and that the state of the lost is without remedy or recovery. We have but little more to add. But, in conclusion, we would appeal to the conscience and the faith of those who have been taught by the Holy Spirit something of sin and something of salvation. We would refer them to their first convictions of sin before a holy God, and inquire of them whether those conflicts and struggles, those agonising pleadings at a throne of grace, that God would pardon their sins if it could be so, were consistent with the idea of annihilation, temporary punishment, or no punishment at all? Did not hell, then, seem a reality? Did they not almost form an idea of what it is like, from the darkness and anguish of their souls, and was it not the thought of eternity that gave point and force to their convictions. Again, we would address those who have been set at liberty from bondage, and have realised their interest in a Saviour's love. Do they feel that He has only saved them from annihilation after all? That God gave His beloved Son to bleed and die, that Jesus poured out His Soul with tears and strong crying, just to save them from a paper hell or from becoming nonentities? We doubt not their answer. And is it going too far to say, that the man who can deliberately deny the doctrine of eternal punishment, has never really known himself as a sinner, nor Christ as a Saviour? But we forbear. Whether, Mr. Editor, your correspondent will be satisfied we cannot say, but we have done our best in the fear of God, and hope we have not occupied your valuable space in GEO. W. SHEPHERD. vain. FAVOURITE HYMNS AND THEIR AUTHORS. No. 17. JOHN CENNICK'S HYMNS. THOSE who experience sacred pleasure and devout delight in singing the hymn, "Thou dear Redeemer, dying Lamb," and others by the same writer, will no doubt be gratified to learn from these papers something of the author of those sweet Gospel lyrics which have frequently carried their hearts upwards to heaven, if they are not already in possession of the leading particulars of his history. Mr. John Cennick was the author of a volume of hymns in three parts entitled "Sacred Hymns for the use of Religious Societies," comprising in all 260 compositions. He also wrote some other works, as "Village Sermons ;" his own life; account of a riot in Exeter in 1745; a letter to little children, especially to those who want to know how to go to heaven, &c. He is said to have written the verses so frequently sung before and after meat, 66 Be present at our table, Lord," and "We thank Thee, Lord, |