ment for sin, but brings peace to a guilty conscience, and washes the soul from defilement, and sets him at a happy liberty. Now the poor sinner, looking at himself and despairing of salvation, is led to look to Jesus, and feeling the efficacy of that precious blood brought to him by the power of the Holy Ghost, he asks, "Where are my sins that I felt ?"-it may be but yesterday. I will tell you how it was with me. The next day I was walking out, and Ï said, "Dear Lord, where is the burden of my guilt and sin that I felt yesterday?" And the Lord was so condescending at that time that I never asked Him a question but He answered it. He said, "The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin." Now we have it in the past tense, "Washed us from our sins in His Own blood;" in the present tense, "The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin." And when there is an application of that blood to the conscience, we find it to be a cleansing blood-a fountain for sinners to plunge in. And when it is brought home in the power of the Holy Ghost, we say, 'What wondrous love it is, that Jesus should have shed His precious blood to redeem us from all iniquity, and given us a personal application of it!' Furthermore, and made us kings and priests unto God and His Father." Now this part of my subject I don't know that I shall speak from other than in this way, for a few moments. Supposing a poor beggar in the streets, in the most abject poverty, were taken by our Sovereign, and not only washed from filth and dirt, but clothed, this would be a great thing. But think what God has done for us! Supposing our Sovereign were to adopt that child as her own— wondrous love indeed!-she could not make it a prince or princess, or give it a title to the throne. But that God should have taken us-enemies and traitors to His throne- and not only loved us, washed us, and clothed us, but raised us from the dust, and from the dunghill of our nature, and made us kings and priests, and raised us to a throne of glory. The children of God are heirs of a kingdom, and faith puts us in possession of it. "Hearken, my beloved brethren, hath not God chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which He hath promised to them that love Him?" Therefore, says the Lord, "Fear not, little flock, it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." But, remember, we are not born kings; it is alone. by virtue of our union with Christ. It is the sovereign act and pleasure of God, that He has made us kings: and not only kings to have a kingdom, but, bye and bye, as the apostle Peter says, to possess "an inheritance which is incorruptible, undefiled, and which fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God, through faith, unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time." Well then, not only kings, but priests also. Every one of God's dear children is a priest, because they offer sacrifices; and none but they ever offer sacrifices acceptably. “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people.' These are the priests-not Popish priests-not man-made priests. You need not go into the Church of Rome for priests; there are plenty of others. These priests are consecrated and set apart by God with holy oil, which ran from Aaron's head down to his beard, and to the skirts of his garments. John says, "Ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things." Again, "And the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you, but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie; and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him." May God command His blessing on these few words, for His dear name's sake. Amen. A GLIMPSE AT THE LORD'S PERSONAL DEALINGS. Barrow Hill, Staveley, Chesterfield, My dear and well-beloved Sister, in our precious and adorable EACE be with you,—that is, Jesus be with you experimentally in your heart, for "He is our Peace." Without Him, without the sensible enjoyment of Him in our hearts, all is disorder, confusion and strife. Is it not a wonder that "peace" is ours at all? Oh what envious, obstinate, corrupt, and rebellious stuff we are made of. The heart deceitful, the flesh corrupt, the thoughts evil, the desires devilish, the whole nature ENMITY against God. O wonder of wonders, LOVE appears! Jesus is love. Jesus, in Whom all the glorious perfections of the Godhead shine with resplendent brightness, comes, and in our poor heaving bosoms takes up His abode. He warms our hearts, and gently leads us into the knowledge of the covenant and counsels of peace. He is our Daysman, our Umpire, just the One Who can argue out the points of difference between our souls and the arch-enemy. In Him, beneath the shelter of His atoning blood; (for He has made peace by the blood of His cross;) in Him, clothed in that glorious robe of righteousness, which is peace, and the effect of which are "quietness and assurance for ever;" aye, in Him we safely abide; in Him we enjoy sweet fellowship. Partners with Jesus Christ, having a joint interest in all the concerns of grace which the Father committed to His trust before all worlds, we join in each other's joys and sorrows, and love to hail each other, as fellowpilgrims by the way with kindly greetings, which plainly tell that we are only lodgers here, and that we are bound for the same home, to enjoy the sweets of that land where Jesus is all in all. What rich, astonishing grace to think, even for a moment, that the Father, by His good Spirit, gives a precious Jesus, Who is the delight of His heart, to cheer and comfort us down here in this cold land of disquietude and discontent! When Jesus, by the communications of the ever blessed Spirit comes, the storms of earth all vanish, fleshy turmoils cease, the horrible din of war with sin, Satan and the flesh ceases, and the peace of God (JESUS) rules in our hearts. Does it not ravish the soul, and set it on fire of love, to know that in the face of all our innumerable sins and iniquities we are ONE WITH HIM? “As He is, so are we in this world." Where He is, so are we; what He has, so have we; when He fails, so do we. Bless His dear and holy name, He can never fail. In Him we are, so we are always safe. We bless His name, for that fear which He hath planted in our breasts,-even that is Himself He is our fear. How sweetly this came to dear old Jacob's mind. Gen. xxxi. 42 and 53. I feel much obliged for the letter you sent me of that dear old woman, Mary Levitt. I wish you would send me her address. Thanks for the little dots in your pilgrimage. The first manifestation of life in me was when I was but a child. Under the ministry of a clergyman of the Church of England, Patrick Joseph O'Leary, Incumbent of St. Jude's Church, Canal Street, Ancoats, Manchester, I first trembled at the word. Oftentimes I would have gladly exchanged places with the beasts which perish, because I thought, "There is no hell for them!" and I could see and feel that damnation was my deserved portion. The dear old clergyman took a special interest in me, but, though I loved him, I loved the world and sin and death better. I passed on in this state, until by the mysterious hand of Jehovah, Who never makes mistakes, I was placed on the staff of the Manchester City Mission. A more detestable hypocrite never assumed such a position. I had not been in this place long before God took effective measures to open up to me the awful situation I occupied as a mere fleshly professor. Jesus, in His finished work, was set before my eyes, which gave me to see that I, in myself was a finished sinner. But what beauty did I see in the glorious truth, "Complete in Him!" I sought the company of my dear old friend, the sainted Parks, of Openshaw, who is now chanting before the throne. We were one in the Lord until he was taken home. Why should I say "until he was taken home?" We are one still. Even now I enjoy sweet communion with him in our glorious Head. God knows, heaven is all the sweeter and dearer to me because dear O'Leary and Parks are there. In 1859, the Lord sent me to labour among the colliers at Haydock, where the Turtons live. The Lord blessed the word with signs which have followed. The last day of November, 1866, the Lord in His good purpose, and in the chariot of His providence, carried me over here, where He is evidently blessing His Own truth to the souls of many of the scattered flock. I am placed here as Scripture Reader, but not under any clergyman. Church service I conduct in the church on the hill, morning and evening each Sunday, and superintend the Sunday School. I hold one cottage meeting in the week, on Wednesdays, at 7.30 p.m. The Staveley Coal and Iron Company support me here. I shall, D.V., be in Chesterfield shortly, and will make enquiries for you concerning Mrs. V. Hoping to hear often from you, and expecting to meet you "at home," at "our Father's board;" aye, and "Upon the throne We'll sit with Christ the Lord; In Heavenly glory we shall shine, Yours in a precious Christ, HABAKKUK'S THOMAS BRADBURY. SONG. PART 1. "REST IN THE DAY OF TROUBLE." Habakkuk iii. 16-19. "Thou art my lamp, O Lord.”—-2 Sam. xxii. 29. Is your brook, O believer, like Cherith, run dry? Do your fig trees, all withered, yield no more supply? Though the fruit of the labour of years be lost,-all! Say not, "God forgets me," it cannot be so; The "hairs of your head are all numbered," you know. strong, And, sweetly submissive? Sing Habakkuk's song. Like Joseph and Daniel and Paul, thus may you ? Communicated. A JUST MAN PERISHING. "There is a just man that perisheth in his righteousness.”— Ecclesiastes vii. 15. 66 AVING had a personal and intimate relative who has lately passed away, and in whom the above passage of holy writ had a literal fulfilment, I purpose, by the help of the Holy Spirit, to offer a few remarks thereon. The cry of " A man overboard!" does not fail to cause consternation and alarm; but it is as true now as when the divine seer wrote: "The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart; . . . none considering the righteous is taken away from the evil to come" (Is. lvii. 1). That the just man may perish in his own righteousness is evident (Eze. xviii. 24), both from the text quoted and also from the case under consideration. But it will be asked, In what sense can a just man perish? |