faith. I find that very few indeed will stand close work. You may preach doctrines as long as you like, only say nothing about power. God's order is, election, redemption, regeneration. perimental order is, vice versa, regeneration, redemption, election. No man can know his election but by blood-and blood is fulsome to dead professors."

Well-we must acknowledge this is a strange sort of a Review: but so it is. Reader! this work of Samuel Cozens's is a faithful account of God's wonderful dealings with him: we cannot make extracts from it until we visit you again.

Redemption: its origin, object, and result; its infinite glory to God; its equal worth to man, &c. By S. K. BLAND." Houlston and Stoneman, Paternoster Row.

This is indeed a body of divinity in miniature; every branch of doctrinal, experimental, and practical truth, is here declared; put in its right place; and scriptural authority for it adduced. The whole truth in a condensed form, in easy words, (and all for two-pence), is here to be obtained. In the hands of the Lord it is calculated to be useful.

THE OLD BAG WITH HOLES AT

THE BOTTOM.

A Word for the Poor Ministers Relief Society.

And he that earneth wages, earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes." (Hag. i. 6.) NEIGHBOUR EDITORS-We have had much of late from different quarters about doctrine and experience; I think it is time to say something about practical religion; for affairs in the church seem very loose on one hand, and too tight on the other.

Now therefore, "thus saith the Lord" (who will hear it?) "Consider your ways." Ye have sown much :" is not much sown to the flesh to nourish pride, vanity and coveteousness? must we not expect then to reap corruption? "Ye bring in little:" little real good for the soul. "Ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled; ye clothe ye, but ye are not warm.' ." Outward things cannot keep a soul warm within true warmth of soul proceed from the life, truth, and love of God within. "And he that earneth wages, earneth wages

to put it into a bag with holes." (Hag. i. 6.)

"Consider your ways." Examine what

kind of a bag ye have. Judas carried the

with holes? The children of this world generally carry the great bag; for the Lord seldom loads his own children with much of this lumber : not many rich of this world are called.

Now a worldly man's mind is wholly taken up with the things of this world; because he desires no better country. Concentrate in one all the minds of all worldly men, they have but one object in view in the main; what is it? MONEY! or money's worth; and "the love of money is the root of all evil," because it is the love of this present evil world; and where the heart and mind is entirely carried away after it, that man is an idolator, "for coveteousness is idolatry." And wherever that man goes Sunday or weekdays his heart is in his bags; for "where the treasure is, there will the heart be also." But his is a treasure in the earth, a bag that waxeth old, that will fail him in the hour of death: though he heapeth up riches and calls it all his own, death proves it to be a

lie!

children worldly riches; they are but as
But where the Lord gives any of his
stewards; they cannot call them their own
riches; because they themselves are not
their own, they are bought with a price.
"Ye are Christ's" and all you possess. But
even the Lord's people if left to themselves
of God have great worldly riches given them,
are no better than others: and if the people
and not great grace with it, it often puffs
them up with pride, and rusts their very
hearts with irony covetousness.
But if
God's people will not honour him with their
substance, as he hath prospered them, he
will ultimately dry up their substance. The
Lord cried out by Haggai the prophet, "Ye
looked for much, and lo, it came to little,
and when ye brought it home I did blow
upon it.' Why, saith the Lord of hosts,
because of my house that is waste, and ye
run every man to his own house." (Hag.i.9.)
"Therefore the Lord called for a drought
upon the land, and upon the corn, and wine,
and oil, and upon cattle and man, and the
labour of the hands.' Well, but says the
grumbling man I labour for it, and got what
I have by the labour of my hands. My own
industry.

Who gave you life, and strength, and health,
And skill, and power to get your wealth?

Did not the Lord give all this? And will with holes, and little or nothing into the you put all into your own old rotten bag

Lord's treasury? I tell you that your's is an old bag, waxing older, and you will find many holes at the bottom soon; and how much have you cast in as a real love-gift to the Lord's cause-his poor ministers or people? O worldly" rich man, weep and howl for the miseries that shall come upon you." Awake, awake, thou rich child of God-it is high time, and " provide yourselves with bags that waxeth not old, a treasure in the heavens that fadeth not." This bag has no holes in it; durable riches and righteousness are there. He is God of providence, grace and glory; one farthing in this bag is better than thousands in your old rotten bags with holes. Come, my friends, examine your bags, and see if there are no holes at the bottom. Oh, say you, my bank, and bag, and purse are all very sound; and I am not compelled to tell what I have in them. No! no! you need not tell it to every one. But the Lord knows what you have. You think your bag quite sound at the bottom. Aye, and perhaps it is tied up quite as tight at the top. But remember, if you take nothing out at the top for the Lord's cause, the word of God is not true, if you do not sooner or later find some holes in the bottom, because it is a rotten bag that waxeth old; and if you are running too fast after shadows, at these holes you may lose the substance; some have lost all, and never found it any more.

may

Fellowship with Christ is a very good thing.

IT is indeed!

up,

It is the highest pitch of

spiritual enjoyment that a living elect sinner can possibly realise this side of eternal glory. The words at the head of this article are quoted from one of Mr. George Abrahams's Sermons, a series of which are now in course of publication, the following is an extract:"I shall never forget the time, when hearing these words, 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bound;' I was quite overcome, my mind was so taken up with it. I think I could shew you the seat I sat on in the little chapel, I could see nothing, my mind was so swallowed I said, Lord, this is it, this is for me; and all that the man stated of the fulness and freeness of salvation by Jesus Christ; it was like a plaster of figs upon my sore, and I could say, It is the voice of my Beloved, the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ. When the Lord speaks, and the poor sinner hears with almighty power, there is such a thing as pressing on; it is all the soul going out after him. Lord, says the poor soul, take me, possess me, save me in thine own way. door of the affections, of the understanding, "What is it to open the door: the of the will? It is when faith of the operation of God's eternal Spirit says, in the blessed power of it, 'the Lord is my portion, saith my soul, therefore will I trust in him.' Lord, here is my heart. Then in a moment, in an instant, when the dear Lord comes, there is a little oil dropped in, and then the door opens quietly, there is no noise, no screeching: and when the door is opened, and the Lord goes meekness of spirit, and yet so imperceptible in, there is such a melting of soul, such poor soul says, dear Lord, I do love you. that you can hardly perceive it, while the Now do you know anything of this coming in of the Lord into the soul: of this meekness and brokenness of heart? Then the

*

Lord says, 'A broken and a contrite heart I will not despise.' A heart broken by the Lord is his own property; he will not despise the work of his own doing. Now the door being opened, the glorious realization of salvation is to be manifested to that dear soul.

"What is it for Christ to come in? Oh what a difference between a real heart work and a mere dead profession. There is Christ coming in to the soul, which is Christ, in us the hope of glory.' * * I bless the Lord I do believe there are some of you who do really know when the Lord comes to your

souls. I remember hearing that blessed man of God who used to preach in the City of a Tuesday morning, tell of one of the dear martyrs who was shut up in Newgate, and could not obtain the blessing of full assurance, that he went on mourning, so much as to take hardly any food, and said, here I am going on, and the papists taunting me, and by and by I shall perhaps be taken to Smithfield, and if I am deceived, how awful it will be. But one day he told his friends, if it should be my lot to go to the stake, and I do not get the blessing, yet if I then have it, I will give you a signal by holding out my hand, and saying, he is come! And so it was, for just as he was led out to the stake, he held up his hands, and cried out, He is come! He is come!' Well, friends, it may be the lot of some dear child of God to feel this in the chamber of death, after sorrowing years for it. Shall we then doubt his kindness? Oh, no, you will say, we shall justify it, and if he but give me a kiss before I depart, I shall be satisfied. Sometimes the Lord comes in and gives a very blessed season, but it does not last long, when you can say, I sat under the apple tree with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.' I think I can point out the very spot where the Lord thus visited me. When the dear Lord comes in there is such an effect as this, if the leprosy be in the house, he by his presence throws it out; if a blast or mildew, which is a troublesome matter to a child of God, for there is poison in the mildew, and nothing can get rid of it but a great shaking of the tree, yet when the Lord comes in the enemy must go out. I speak, friends, the truth. When you are really so weary that the feelings of your flesh would be, Lord, I fear that I am dying; the moment the Lord comes in, you say, dear Lord, I am all well. Fellowship with Christ is a very great thing, and that all the people of God know, when he comes into the soul, and repeats his visits by his good Spirit in their hearts, for there is a real participation of two together."

TO, OUR READERS.

Close of our Second Volume.

CHRISTIAN READER-Through the preserving power and benevolent care of our Lord and Master, we have been enabled to bring to a close the labours of another year. And verily we can say, there is no one scripture so exceedingly suitable to our past and pre

ABOD

sent condition, as the words of the Apostle : "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed;

we are perplexed, but not in despair." (The margin renders it "not altogether without help or means." A Christian man, (and especially the Editor of a Christian periodical) has a good many sides. For ourselyes, we may say, there is the side of our conscience-the side of our correspondents-and the side of our circumstances: and on every one of these sides, we have been sorely troubled.

First, our conscience.-Again and again, the question has come to us "What is your motive in continuing to publish the Earthen Vessel?" To answer this has been a trouble to us; for the heart is so deceitful, and so filled with pride, that we have seldom been able boldly to declare that our ONLY motive is the glory of God and the good of souls. Still we have not been distressed about this matter, because we have sincerely hoped at times, that the hand, power, and presence of our Lord was with us.

Secondly, there is the side of our correspondents. Surely, enough have we been troubled with these. Why, we have heaps upon heaps of letters which we have neither inserted nor answered; and that not because they are worthless, no, no! we have a store of precious communications which we long to bring forth and cannot.

This has often sorely troubled us; and yet not distressed us, because we would willingly have done what we have not done, if time and space would have allowed. Let none be discouraged: by the help of the Lord, we shall in time lighten our cargo. Then

Thirdly-There is the side of our circumstances. Ah, (says the proud heart), not a word about them. Why not? We must live as well as others; and pay our way too. Well, then, christian reader, this EARTHEN VESSEL has for two years past been published at a very considerable pecuniary loss to the poor Editor: sometimes not a penny to call his own; and yet the current expenses of this work constantly running on. What has been the consequence? Why, we have been troubled on every side: fearing we should not be able to make straight paths for our feet; yet, not absolutely distressed, for we have always, had one of two things-either timely help, or faith to believe it would come.

However, you that approve of this work, do all that God and your consciences, ability and circumstances will enable, in order to extend its circulation.

For the present. Fare