14 "Now felt my soul the heavy load; FIXATION. Bath, Bristol, Worcester, Brighton, Newcastle, FIXATION: And all my hopes were slain." About this time a minister, whom I frequently heard, was led to speak from the passage to which I have referred; and I recollect he remarked, that the sinning wilfully therein mentioned, signified a rejection of the sacrifice of Christ. This I had not done: for it was my only hope. He also observed, that where it is said, "There remaineth no more sacrifice," it signified that there was none but that of Christ, and that this was all-sufficient for the chief of sinners. From this sermon, my mind was greatly relieved, and my hope A NEW YEAR'S ADDRESS TO THE CHILDREN revived, and I obtained those views of Christ OF LIGHT, THOUGH OFTEN IN DARKNESS OF and his work, and of the gospel, which I have never lost; and if I am not deceived, I could now rejoice in God's salvation. From that time to the present, it has been a settled point with me, that my nature is totally depraved, and my heart corrupt; that my life is unholy and impure; and that the law of God condemns; and that the sentence is perfect-fully just; that nothing done by me, nor any thing wrought in me, can be the ground of my acceptance in the sight of a holy God; but that if I am saved, it must be entirely by grace, through the life and death, resurrection and intercession, of the Lord Jesus Christ. I have often doubted, and do still doubt, whether this be a work of the Spirit of God. But I merely state these things, as descriptive both of my past and present feelings; and must leave others to form their own conclusions; at the same time praying for myself, "Lord, decide this doubtful case; Thou who art thy people's Sun, If it be indeed begun.' MIND, THROUGH MANIFOLD TRIALS. "Who (Jehovah) worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.”—Eph. i. 11. JANUARY, 1854, is now entered: twelve months is added to our life, and twelve for ever gone, to be numbered with those before the flood. Each of those months, as it passed, witnessed the backslidings of our hearts from the fountain of life and love, and saw our multiplied follies and faults, our anxieties and griefs, and heard our sighs and groans; each has borne away on its wings, never, never to return, its own portion of our pain. What of sorrow or of joy, the months which are to come may bring with them, is to us unknown; but we are fully assured that our heavenly Father has, in the plenitude of his wisdom and goodness, appointed our times; all our times are in that hand that formed the universe, which sways the sceptre uncontrolled over angels, men and devils; which launched the shining spheres, to revolve in the ethereal ocean, and which has, for thousands of years, regulated their motions in their respective orbits, and adjusted the periods of their revolutions with the utmost precision, even to a second of time. This is the hand which is extended, and gently placed beneath all the people of God, by which they are sustained, under the heaviest pressures; borne in safety through all the changes and storms of life, and defended against all enemies; by which their wants are all supplied, and all things are made to work together for their good. But I must now advert to entirely a new era in the course of my life and experience. At this time-namely, in the year 1799, or 1800-I am not quite certain which I frequently attended the ministry of a Mr. Waring, who then preached at Buntingford. He was kind in noticing me; and, to my great surprise, one day asked me if I had never had any thoughts of the ministry. I could not deny that I had; but stated my views of the importance of the work, and of my inability to Our lives are drawn through various scenes, engage in the work, and the apparent impossi- and vexed with a thousand little cares; but bilities which stood in the way. He, however, through all the vicissitudes of time, the insisted upon my praying before the congre- thought, the all-comprehending thought of gation, and also of speaking on a prayer the Eternal, moves on steadily to that point meeting night, which I frequently did. At which was immutably fixed by the sovereign length he recommended me as a canditate for mind; and all his vast affairs move smoothly admission into the Countess of Huntingdon's on, amid all the heart-rending strife and conCollege. My friends agreed to satisfy my fusion in the churches; and all the wild commaster for the remainder of my apprentice- motion, and outrageous uproar of the world, ship; and, after appearing before the trustees that lies in wickedness. The Lord has his of the College, I was admitted to Cheshunt, glorious way in the boisterous sterile, and in the month of February, 1801. At this cheerless winter, as well as in the calm, fruitplace I continued two years; when, in conse- ful and cheering summer. As in the soothing quence of the removal of the tutor Mr. calm, so in the terrific storm; as in the efNicholson -or other circumstances, I left fulgence of the day, so in the deepest gloom that situation, and was from that time em- of midnight, he is constantly prosecuting his ployed as a minister in the Connection until unfathomable designs; and by every permisthe year 1811, during which period I was ap- sion of his will, and every operation of his pointed to supply in London, Birmingham, power, is fulfilling the sovereign counsels of - OUR BRITISH BAPTIST CHURCHES. his unchangeable mind, and bringing into view the hidden secrets of his deep decrees, all settled and ordered well, to the people of his love, however faith in us may oscillate in reference to its actings upon God, his truth or his ways. We are born to drink of the mingled cup, which the Judge of all the earth has put into the hands of the saints, while sojourning here below: a cup of strong, pungent bitters, intermixed with some delicious sweets; but, thanks to sovereign favour, the bitterest bitters, in the divine mixtures, have in them "No drop of wrathful gall.' Though we cannot say, in some respects, with Newton, "The bitter is sweet," yet in others we can, if taught of God; and know the bitters of life and soul are sanctified to us, and are highly salutiferous. May we, then, take the cup in the untrembling hand of faith, as presented by our heavenly Father's love, and, without a murmur, bow, and say, "The cup which my Father has given me, shall I not drink it ?" Our minds, and with our minds, our feelings, are like the face of the ocean, now tranquil, smooth as the polished mirror, and gilded by the beams of the sun, and now violently agitated by the wind, lashed into foam, and whirled about in the utmost confusion. And now, amidst all that we are, all that we hear, all that we feel, and all that we fear, what shall we do?-lie down in sullen despair? No; we will still wait upon the Lord, who hideth his face from the house of Israel, and look for him; we will raise, as we can, our feeble, trembling voices, and say, "Lord, save thy people;" "Why shouldest thou be as a way-faring man, or as one that turneth aside, to tarry for a night?" Let us hear thy all-powerful, all-animating voice, saying, "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee." "Then shall our light rise in obscurity, and our darkness be as the noonday.' Then shall the desert blossom as the rose," and our souls shall be as 66 a watered garden, and springs of water, whose waters fail not.' 15 reign till all enemies are put under his feet: Gravesend. Our British Baptist Churches : METROPOLITAN, SUBURBAN AND PROVINCIAL. What ravages hath Death made in the last WE wish it to be distinctly understood, that year! and what ravages will he still make in we are by no means ashamed either of our the new-born year! How extensive-yea, principles or our practice. We are the organ universal, his sway! He enters into the cot-of no sect or society; we are under the patrontage of the poor, the mansion of the rich, and the palace of the monarch, unheeded by the tears of helpless infancy in the one, the bribe of gold in the other, or the pomp of state in the third. His ravages are also cruel. What pain and anguish often precede the hurl of his fatal dart! What tossing to and fro is seen in his alarmed victim! and what sorrow is felt by spectators. Hence we behold, if taught of God the Holy Ghost, the majesty and glory of Christ in his promised work. "He will swallow up death in victory." Isa. xxv. 8. That Christ is here intended, we need only turn to Hosea xiii. 14-"I will ransom them from the grave: I will redeem them from death: 0, death, I will be thy plague! O, grave, I will be thy destruction! Repentance shall be hid from mine eyes," compared with 1 Cor. xv. 25, 26, “He must age of no particular party. We call no man. "Master;" neither are we responsible to, or dependant on any creature under heaven, save such kind friends as (either in circumstances, or in the way of increasing our circulation)have lent us their aid. To them we tender our sincere gratitude; hoping that the EARTHEN VESSEL-(with all its imperfections,) may still continue to deserve and obtain their favor and their friendship. Our principles then are those recorded in the Epistle by Paul to the Ephe. sians which principles-(called by some men "HYPER-CALVINISTIC"- are reiterated, illus. trated, and openly declared, in all parts of the sacred Scriptures. For us, therefore, to attempt to prove that they are true, would be like a man, at noon-day, labouring to convince the people that the natural sun did shine. As regards our practice-it is plainly written in 16 HISTORY OF THE SURREY TABERNACLE. Acts ii. 37-39, and in other parts of God's word. The title and the terms, given to the practice which we advocate in connection with Church-discipline, are these, "PARTICULAR BAPTIST," and "STRICT COMMUNION." We love, both with sympathy and sincerity, all who truly love our Lord Jesus Christ; but the principles and practice before referred to, we have, through grace, embraced; and by help divine, shall always avow them whenever opportunities arise. In order to give these New Testament principles, and this purely Gospel practice, all the prominence we can, we are commencing "AN HISTORICAL AND CRITICAL REVIEW OF OUR BRITISH BAPTIST CHURCHES;" with occasional illustrative engravings. The following very brief "HISTORY OF THE SURREY TABERNACLE," has been forwarded to us by a friend to the cause of God and Truth in that place. We could have wished it had been more expansive; but as it is the truth in a short compass, we present both it and the engraving, as a humble specimen of one feature of our future labours. History of the Surrey Tabernacle, BOROUGH ROAD, LONDON. deed cheer our hearts, and our cry to the Lord is, that he may keep both pastor and people in the "unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace;" and still go on to bless them, and increase their usefulness an hundred-fold, and that Ephraim may not envy Judah, nor Judah vex Ephraim. We understand that they have never in any case received temporal help from other churches; yet from our own knowledge we can speak to their readiness to help a poor minister or church who stands manifest in the truth and ways of God. We do not wonder at their attachment to their own minister, and that they highly esteem him for his works' sake, and we believe no minister that may have occasionally preached for them and who has proved himself to be a minister of the blessed gospel, indeed and of a truth, but that such has been most kindly treated by them. The honoured pastor of the Surrey Tabernacle has, like all God's servants, enough of old Adam about him to make him often cry out, "Oh, wretched man that I am!" So that, although he has now for many years enjoyed much prosperity in the church, the Lord is keeping him sensible of his helplessness and nothingness. We have always felt in visiting this honoured place, that gospel peace reigns in their midst. Doubtless they experience their little interruptions to harmony; and what church is altogether free from this? We believe Mr. Wells began speaking in the Lord's name in the open air, about the year 1827; and it may truly be said of him, that he went where Christ was not named; and thus began that cause which is now through the abounding grace of our covenant God in Christ Jesus -one of the largest churches and congregations in connexion with the Strict Baptist body, holding the truth in all its fulness. And how Besides that honoured servant of God, Mr. John Foreman, we know of no minister who than does our brother, Mr. James Wells, in labours more in preaching the Word of life all parts of our favoured land. many drooping causes and distressed servants of our Lord has he been the means of comforting in spirit, and helping in temporal things! THE present minister, Mr. James Wells, and a small church came in the year 1831, from a little chapel in Denmark Street, Soho, to the Surrey Tabernacle, which was then merely a low square building, without galleries, and held about six hundred persons. The place was soon thronged with anxious hearers, and so continued until the year 1838, when the old chapel was removed, the site enlarged, and the present chapel built, which seated about one thousand persons; but even this in a few years was found too small for the congregation, and in the year 1850, it was again enlarged, and then accommodated about thirteen hundreds; still the place was crowded and in 1853 a large vestry was added capable of seating one hundred and thirty persons more, and even now there seems scarce room enough, all the sittings we believe being let, except a considerable number reserved as free sittings, and many applications for more, which they cannot accommodate. And what has done all this? We believe nothing but the vitality of eternal truth, and their most solemn and heartfelt decision for the same as it is in the Lord Jesus, and how evident it is to us that the blessing of the Lord rests manifestly upon them, from the many remarkable conversions, the refreshings, and the numerous dying testimonies, they have been favoured to know, have taken place among them. Do not these things shew, that they are not without the life and power of godliness in the ministry and in the souls of the people? And when we remember how they have cared for the poor among them, POPLAR.-At Zoar Baptist Chapel, Folkeand of the several flourishing societies con- stone Terrace, Poplar, three sermons nected with the place, and also to their preached on Lord's-day, December 11th, by liberality to the Aged Pilgrims Friend Society Messrs. Messer, James Wells, and R. Bowles, subscribing above £150 per annum, we commemorative of the recognition of R, Bowles cannot but bless God on their behalf, and as pastor of the church. The attendance was with them say "What hath God wrought?" very good-the collections liberal. On the folThe prosperity of this hill of Zion, does in-lowing Tuesday, a tea-meeting was held. A When the church was first formed in Princes Place, Westminster, it numbered there are now about twenty members: nearly, we believe, six hundred. Judging from their past history and present state, they no doubt hope and earnestly pray that the Lord may still appear on their behalf, and that many poor wandering sinners may yet, within the walls of the Surrey Tabernacle, hear the voice of the Son of God, and eternally live. were |