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among all my acquaintance, that satan has laboured so hard to shut all doors against, as he has me: and yet I never knew any one have so many doors open : and all the craft of hell have been employed, the vile tongues of men, have done all they could to stop my mouth, and the Ashdodites, parsons and people have strove hard to stop me; but I still enjoy that passage once sealed, recorded in the 23rd of Deuteronomy, and last verse. And in all storms, the Lord has stood fast by me, and in my greatest troubles has blessed my soul, and shewed me his secrets so that I could sing as follows:

"And opening his own heart to me,

He shews his thoughts, how kind they be." And notwithstanding my sin and unworthiness, he has blessed his truth to many souls, at many places, both as to humbling down, and comforting; and though wretched, unbelieving, rebellious, and doubly hell-deserving sinner, that I am, I have often, Jonah-like, felt fretful, and discontented, and disobedient, until, as out of the belly of hell, I have been led to cry to him once more, and after having paid sweetly Jonah's vow, I have been exceeding glad of some gourd, and exceeding angry when that gourd was withered; and have envied all men, and almost every thing my eyes have seen; until, as Ephraim, I have been led to smite on my thigh, and have said what

have I to do with idols?

Then, again I have sung, and truly felt the words rest with soul-dissolving dew

on my heart

ous to poor distressed souls that glorify God.

On the other side of the questionone of the greatest afflictions attendant on the faithful administration of unadorned, real truth, has been to me as follows: and my reason for writing this is, I do not recollect having read any good man's mind upon it: viz., when a poor, outcast, distressed, and much. tried servant of the Lord, in addition to all other trials he is called to pass through, when he has cherished a hope that the work of the Lord was really begun in some individual, and then that same individual has been permitted to number their own days, and put an end to their existence by suicide. No tongue can tell what horror, and sharp pangs of bitter agony and soul-racking torture, I have passed through with this trial, four years since; and I am now living in the daily fear of it, which is the cause of my thus addressing you on the subject; I would not, and God forbid I should, attempt to extenuate the awful force of that Scripture, "No murderer hath eternal life abiding in him;" which must fall chiefly on self-murderers, for many of the Lord's own family have murdered others and found mercy, as the Scriptures witness.

Being

About four years since, a woman that constantly attended my ministry, seemed to be savingly wrought upon, and I had strong hopes that it was a genuine work of grace; she was to all outward things, a great friend to me, and to the cause; and her strictly moral conduct adorned the truth she professed, in every outward punctillio, yet "I love the Lord with mind and heart, His people and his ways; she never professed to have enjoyed Envy, and pride, and lust depart, gospel liberty, as I knew of. And all his works I praise." of a melancholy habit, she was taken ill in body, as well, and gradually sunk Nothing, I feel assured, so supports into despondency, and all that friends and comforts the tried and tempted, who highly esteemed her, could say, poor, sent servants of God so much, had no effect on her despairing mind; relative to the ministry, as to be satis- and, solemn to relate, the last time she fied, that when drawing the bow at a came to hear me, (I knew not that she venture, the Lord, the Eternal Spirit, was present,) and if I had it would have directs the arrow of spiritual convic. been the same, I was led to say, when tion into some sinner's heart, and brings describing false hopes, and false refuges, him down guilty before God; also that a sinner might, with a heart full of that liberty is proclaimed to captives; slavish fears only, sink to hell. chains made to fall off from such as were came to me after the service, and said, shut up unto the faith, and mourners in" You have cut me off to day, quite:" Zion comforted, and Jesus made preci- and her agony was great, almost to

W

She

desperation; she went to her home worn down with a feeble body, having long lived upon the smallest portion of food, as she was too much distressed in mind to eat; for several days she got worse and worse; I was gone fifty miles away; and one morning she arose very early, and walked to a pond of water, and in that she was found drowned; but, strange to say, she had been, by the doctor, considered deranged in mind; she slept with a sister, and yet no one heard her go out that morning; and again, several persons owned that they heard her call for assistance loudly at the place, yet not knowing what it was, no one went to see, and when they found her, she was dead, but the position of her body, just in the water, close to the bank, proved she had struggled hard to get out, but being extremely weak, could not. Oh, what I felt when I received the heavy tidings! the place where I was can witness, I thought I must have sunk into the earth. Oh, what a stroke! and under all, how did satan set in upon me; and said, ah, it was what you said about slavish fears has sent this poor soul to hell; and in addition to this, there was another friend of her's that the Lord cut down under my preaching, that was under heavy convictions at the time, and I knew she had often been tempted to suicide; "ah, (says the enemy,) she will be the next:" and I am sure I dreaded to see the postman with a letter more than many prisoners dread the assizes; fearing a second death-blow the same way, but bless the Lord she has been delivered. All this woman's friends, with the exception of one sister were sworn enemies to me, and the truth. You must judge what a storm I had to meet from them and the world. Oh, my dear friend, if ever my soul was tried about preaching, it was then, indeed. God only knows the agony and distress I waded through, and the dreadful persecution I met with, from close quarters on the account; daily was it sounded in my ears- "Oh, more of them will do it! Your preaching will send them all to hell, and yourself with them." If I am addressing any brother in the same trial, he will know what I mean, when I say that I often sunk under fears that the enemy spoke truth.

Now, all the hopes I could have of that poor soul, is, that it was not immediate death, as she was heard a long time calling for help, and there was not much water in the place, and the testimony of the doctor was that she was mentally deranged, and that as soon as she plunged into the water, that brought her to her senses, and then she longed to get out, but could not; and I wish to leave_secret_things with the Lord, but I would say, who can tell what the Lord might do for her, while striving to be delivered? certain he can make a short work if he pleases, and there I must leave it. But amidst my distress about it, almost in black despair, one day a heavy thunder-storm came up, and I was out in it, and walking up a field under the apparently angry heavens gathering dreadfully black, I felt a most blessed submission given me to the dear Lord, so that all my will was swallowed up in his sovereign will, and I felt, and told his blessed majesty, under the electric fluid, that I felt sweetly resigned to give all up into his hands. Oh, blessed, never to be forgotten season.

But now, at this present time, I am daily distressed with fears relative to a man immersed in worldly trouble; and often, I know he has suffered from this awful temptation-he narrowly escaped from piercing the jugular vein. Last Saturday, oh, what a day of trouble, blasphemy and rebuke that was, and how my poor soul dreaded Sunday: but he was preserved here was honey again, out of this lion and what groans, cries, and constant errands it gave me to the gracious throne. I do hope the man is a child of God: but you know, there are those eccentricities about some persons, that it is impossible for fallible man to get a full satisfaction about them. Happily, the Lord knoweth them that are his: Oh, Lord, do give submission.

Down in the east part of Sussex, a dear young friend has lately suffered some disease of the brain, and temporary derangement ensued, and to the grief of us all, he swore and raved like a mad Gadarene. Oh, what a young lion this was to roar. But the Lord has delivered him. Honey, again, out of the carcase. Horsham, Sussex. Your's, J. R.

then say, stand thou still awhile, that I may shew thee the word of God relative to this affair ; and let men who have a peculiar

W. SKELTON'S DEFENCE.

Aldringham, Suffolk, June, 14, 1846. knack for removing from one church to MESSRS. EDITORS,

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ON exploring the contents of your June pot or Vessel, it has been found that beneath many sweet confectionaries therein contained, there is at the very bottom of the pot, a little portion of rather harsh, acrimonious matter; which has been adjudged to have a brackish, and a bitter taste to the palates of many here, who from time to time are accustomed to receive, and to open your Vessel; for the purpose of inhaling the odoriferous perfume of the " Flowers of May," and the "Rose in June;" as well as for the purpose of finding a good word," which, while eating "maketh their hearts glad," Jabez. Surely, I said, while chewing over "Another Jonah" some sifting work is indeed predicted relative to WILLIAM SKELTON, and the church at Aldringham; concerning which sifting work, both he and them do well to stand upon their watchtower 66 to see and to hear what the Lord shall be pleased to say unto him, and unto them when they are reproved." (Habakkuk) Now I trust it is a maxim inwrought in my very soul, that if a man among the multitudes of preaching, would-be preaching, and will-be preaching men in this our day, has not a "thus saith the Lord" in his own soul concerning the matter in which he is engaged; none of his plots and schemes to be employed and engaged preaching here and preaching there will be attended with the seal of Jehovah's approbation, but sooner or later his emptiness shall be made bare; Solomon says, "spiders are in king's houses," and that they take hold with their hands; and with what avidity and evident gratification does the spider grasp the entangled fly and convey it to its hole, to suck its very vitals and blood, and I have many a time thought, there are many who, like spiders, have seven eyes, which eyes are all engaged (a vain glorious eye, a time serving eye, a covetuous eye, an ambitious eye, a cunning eye, an evil eye, and the eye of pride, which looketh with lofty looks,)-in looking out for the best opportunity, either to offer their services in the work of preaching, or to lay hold on that which is most congenial with their fleshly pursuits and carnal and corrupt designs. And dare call it by the name of a call from or by God; therefore let the churches of Christ, being in the providence of God destitute of pastors, do as Samuel did by Saul; let them say to the man who may appear among them-" bid thy servant pass on before us;" and you being left alone without servant or helper, either your own wit, or your own worldly advantage, let them

another, stand solemnly still till they have the word of God for their direction and movements, which being given by God unto his people on their behalf, shall meet them to their wondering astonishment as they find the Lord disposing of their minds to act, in perfect unanimity with the voice of God, as made known unto his people relative to them, individually.

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Now, Messrs. Editors, seeing ye have publicly called upon and beseeched me publicly to defend both myself and the people at Aldringham, who are considered by our dear brother near Richmond, to be no better than thieves and robbers," with whom for a time, even the period of six months, the Lord has given me to dwell, I respond to your call, and do it the more readily, feeling desirous to justify them from such charge, by declaring them to be as innocent, and as free from the charge, as the shipmen were free from crime in the matter of our real brother Jonah, being found on board of their ship, on his voyage to Tarshish, where he would have fled contrary to the express and positive declaration and commandment of his God. And I would say to our dear brother, as our dear Lord once said to those who came out to take him as a thief; "If ye seek me (if you would prefer a charge against me) let these (the Aldringham people) go their way" (free); for in the alledged matter of robbery and theft, and widdling and diddling, so prevalent among parsons and people now-a-days, they have not done by me as the tribe of Dan once did by Micah's travelling parson whom he at first found travelling where he might find a place, and whom he hired for £1. 2s. 94‡d., per year; (I suppose for spending money or pin money)-giving him his victuals and a yearly suit of clothes, he for a time being content with his wages: they have not dealt Iwith me as thetribe of Dan dealt with this Jonathan, Micah's priest, whom I suppose finding his little ones increase in number, may have thought they had too much of Micah's loaf, or that a little more spending money would be acceptable; well, this Gershomite, who had hired himself to Micah, was widdled and diddled, not contrary to his own will; for his heart was glad at the proposal of the five men of the tribe of Dan; (query, were they like deacons ?) they being engaged in obtaining a priest or minister for the tribe to which they belonged. However, they stole Jonathan away from Micah, and widdled and diddled him; that is, they artfully coaxed him away, saying, "Hold thy peace; lay thine hand upon thy.

mouth, and go with us; and be to us a father and a priest; is it better for thee to be a priest unto the house of one man, or that thou be a priest unto a tribe and a family in Israel?" At which words his heart being glad, he took Micah's ephod, teraphim, graven image and all, (I suppose he had not much household furniture stuff of his own at his rate of wages) went into the midst of the people with his very glad heart elated now with towering prospects, and they putting the cattle and carriage, and all the little ones, (and no doubt Jonathan in the midst of them,) putting the whole lot before them, they drove off with the stolen property to the grief of poor Micah, who cried after them.

Now the Aldringham people, relative to "Another Jonah" being found amongst them, are perfectly free from these things, as facts and incontrovertible evidences, existing among them, will fully demonstrate and prove; but, dear brother, I presume the only method I can adopt whereby to defend my self from the charge of having played the part of Jonah, in the matter of my removing to Aldringham, is a statement of real facts, in the sight of an heart-searching and rein trying God; which method I shall now pursue, stating, that, as a well known fact, in the month of February, 1846, I was at Brabourne in Kent, as the pastor of the church of Christ, assembling for divine worship in Zion Chapel, among which people it was in my heart to have lived and died, for the love I bare, and do still bear unto them for the Lord and his truth sake, could I have obtained labour for my hands among them in that locality, for the obtaining the bread which perisheth, they not being able to supply my absolute necessities, being few in number, and called to labour daily for their daily bread; yet during the last nine months of my being among them, I do verily believe through their prayers the Lord most wonderfully fed me and mine; causing me many a time to exclaim, surely the prophet Elijah never had a more manifest display of the good hand of his God, when fed daily by ravens, than I was made continually to behold in my own individual case, in being kept among the dear few of God's family there.

At the close of the month of February, I received an invitation from London, to speak in the dear Lord's name among the people at Beulah Chapel, Shoreditch, on Lord's Day, March 1st; and, I think, the day following, I received another letter of invitation from Rehoboth Chapel, Richmond, to supply there, either the second or last, Sabbath in March: consequently, I proposed being there March, 8th; I then received an invitation from Aldringham, to be

among the Lord's people there, in the ministry, March 15th, and the three following Sabbaths, and so left Brabourne, having this line of road, I trust marked out for my footsteps by the Lord, who hath said, "all the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord."

On my

After fulfilling my engagement in London, I proceeded to Richmond, and found, in every sense of the word, a most kind, and warm-hearted people, there, for the pure truth's sake, whom may the Lord bless with his truth, and sanctify through his truth. Fulfilling my engagement there, on Lord's Day, March 8th, and having spoken on the following Tuesday-evening from 1 Samuel, 9th chapter, and part of the 27th verse"Stand thou still, awhile, that I may shew thee the word of God," I returned to London the following morning, on my way to Aldringham. While at Richmond, some of the friends asked me, if I would come, and see them again? to whom I replied, whenever a door may be opened in providence, I should be most willing so to do. leaving Kingston, dear brother Niner accompanied me from his house, a short distance, and in conversation informed me he fully expected the church at Richmond, at their forth-coming church-meeting, would be disposed to give me another call, with an eye to invite me to remain among them, in the ministry of the word, desiring me to hold myself ready to receive such further invitation as the result of their next churchmeeting; I, then, in the course of the said conversation, stated, in the fullest terms, the exact position in which I stood, relative to Brabourne, and my going to Aldringham for a month, not knowing what might befall me there; stating, at the same time, that whatever might transpire at their churchmeeting, as relating to myself, I begged they would write freely to me on the subject and I trusted the Lord would be my director and my guide.

I arrived at Aldringham, March 15th, ill in body, and with an heavy heart, having had my mind prepossessed with a persuasion that the Lord would remove me thence, from the dear people of my soul's affection, for the truth's sake, at Brabourne. After remaining at Aldringham nearly the whole of the time of my engagement; wrestling day and night in prayer, that the Lord would shew me his way, on my return from Walpole and Halesworth, in Suffolk, at which places I had been invited to preach, which was Thursday evening, April 2nd, I found a letter at my lodgings, at Mr. Selt's, Aldboro' forwarded by my dearly beloved brother Niner, of Kingston, informing me of the result of the aforesaid church-meeting, at Richmond, the same being unanimous to

give me a further invitation, concerning, which, he stated I should speedily hear from the church, through the medium of brother Cogswile, one of their deacons; and also, another letter, which proved to be from BrotherC. in behalf of the Richmond church, inviting me unanimously to be among them the whole of the month of May, he stating that prudence forbade him saying more at present; both these letters bearing date, March 27th, having taken by some means, a most circuitous route, in postage, in connexion with my leaving Aldringham on a visit to Walpole and Halesworth on Monday morning, March 30th, came not to hand till Thursday evening, April 2nd. I immediately answered brother Niner's letter, promising to reply to the letter from the Richmond church on my return to Brabourne.

I was now placed in such position: and in the midst of circumstances, having Walpole, Richmond, and Aldringham, as three several ways, for my removal from Brabourne; which now appeared as the certain result, producing soul-conflict, in fact, agony of spirit, to be acquainted with the mind and will of God, as concerning the way I was to take for his glory and his honour; yet these words followed me-" the last shall be first." And never can I forget the agony of soul I felt on the morning of Friday, April 3rd, in brother Self's garden, at Aldboro, by the space of one hour, as I told the dear Lord I would return back to Brabourne, and die with his people there, even if it were his will to starve my body to death, and that at Aldringham, I would not be found any longer, or future time than the following Sabbath, which would be the termination of my engagement; in the midst of which deep felt exercise, the Lord, I trust made me to feel, "nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done." I laid hold on his sacred feet, and put him to his sacred promise-"I will instruct thee in the way thou shalt go;" and taking my bible from my pocket, I opened it immediately to, and fixed my eyes on that portion or sentence in Prov. xiv. 28. "In the multitude of people is the king's honour." And, I believe, Messrs. Editors, they fell right into my heart, with weight, unction, and power, having been found begging, beseeching, and in agony of soul, wrestling with the King of kings, and Lord of lords to lead me, guide me, and direct me for his own honour. I beheld, as in a moment the multitude of people at Aldringham, and the many destitute villages for miles round it, as presenting a wide and extensive field for labour, to an hard-working, tried, and exercised man of God in the ministry; and with these words, and the effects they had produced in my soul's feelings, I told the dear Lord, that if it were his heavenly will, I

and

should further be found at Aldringham;
that for his honor, and glory, to let the same
be confirmed in me by the issue of the
church-meeting to be holden in Aldringham
Chapel, Lord's Day, April 5th; when for
the confirmation of my mind, it was resolved
unanimously, with the exception of some
four or five of the members, that I should
be invited to accept of a further six-months'
call; and to commence my labours during
the said call on Lord's Day, May 3rd, giv-
ing me an opportunity to return to the dear
few at Brabourne, and if I could see the
hand of the Lord in these things to take my
farewell of them, and so to return to Al-
dringham, according to proposal. And even
now still clinging to Brabourne; I told the
dear deacons of Aldringham, as they made
known the mind of the people concerning me
that if by any unexpected event, during my
absence, the Lord, in his providence, had,
or would provide for me eight shillings, per
week among his people at Brabourne, I
could not, and would not accept of the said
call.

However, circumstances on my return, laid a necessity upon me to remove; consequently I was brought here May 3rd, 1846. And am here found, as the people say in Suffolk, " upon liking;" and, I trust there are some, (I write tremblingly,) who fare as though they like the power, which sometimes accompanies the word, preached in much weakness, by the most unworthy of all the Lord's sent servants.

And now, Messrs. Editors should you hear that God hath raised a terrible, and tempestuous storm against Aldringham, on "Another Jonah's" account, and that he is cast over-board, into the sea, and even swallowed up in a fish's belly; while he shall cry, as out of the belly of hell, don't cease to pray that he may be vomited out on dry land. And when you visit your correspondent in the neighbourhood of Richmond, do tell him if he can cease from anger, and wish his brother Skelton God speed in his movements, he will be found praying the Lord, who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will, abundantly to make up every lack, and to counteract every disappointment, and to make the hearts of those who may have been made sad, at Richmond, through, and by him to abound with joy, and gladness; while they find a covenant God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, to be their eternal, and ever present portion, and wishing them and you, dear brethren, every new covenant blessing for Christ's sake, I remain, affectionately their's and your's in Holy Gospel bonds,

W. SKELTON.

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