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lamenteth, "The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me," this dispatch may arrive, "Behold, I come quickly," therefore "Be ye steadfast, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." So that whatever may be the post assigned them, none are left in final ignorance of the council that will tend to the advancement of his conquests.

As " Captain of the Lord's host," he leads his followers out to battle under such advantageous circumstances, that "knowing the end from the beginning," there can be no miscarriage, no waste of ammunition, no confusion in the ranks. He needed not the prince of darkness to show him "all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time;" for "all things being created by him, and for him," his omnipresent eye "beheld the evil and the good;" and in silencing the tempter, gave evidence that all his followers in the subsequent ages of the world, had a sure word of promise" to trust in, and thus showed a Captain "able to save unto the uttermost, all that came unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them," even those who are tempted by the rebel prince to desert from the ranks of "Him that speaketh from heaven," by leaning to their own understanding.

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"How potent his word of command,

Who saith, I will save,' and display;
How, held by my powerful hand,

My troop shall their enemies slay."

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Our gracious Redeemer, might, with equal truth, be traced through the various figures which the constitution of an army present, but as an Ensign, the Scriptures more particularly delineate his character,—as Isaiah xi., where, in the tenth verse, he is described as "a root of Jesse," the anti-typical David; and in the two subsequent verses, the rendezvous whence the army are to be drafted, are named, and as some "the dispersed," the Ensign "shall gather them from the four corners of the earth." They shall come," is the express decree. Of the number assembled under the banner of King Jesus, John, in the apocalyptic vision, saw but "one that could open the Book," in which all their names were written, which is "the Lamb's Book of Life;" Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the Book." He alone was worthy to take the Book, and to open the seals thereof. For thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God, by thy blood, out ofevery kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation."

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Methinks the subordinate officers are set forth by those ministers of the word, who are led forth by the Lord's direction as faithful stewards of the mysteries of the kingdom; not to take superior command, but "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world ;" and as corporals and sergeants, to "proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengance of our God;" as Paul

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affirmed, "warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus;" that all "may be also ready," "not knowing at what hour the Son of man cometh," when he, as Pay-Sergeant of the Lord's forces, shall say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter ye into the joy of your Lord." The girdle of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of preparation of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, and the weapon of all prayer, must now be laid aside, and exchanged for a crown of righteousness, which fadeth not away," since "the weapons of your warfare were not carnal, but mighty through God, to the pulling down of strong holds,"-where Satan, the flesh, and the world, had usurped authority, and through you have overcome, by the blood of the Lamb."

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As valiant soldiers in this campaign, may both writer and readers war a good warfare, fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life;" knowing that "we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world," the Trio before mentioned, "against spiritual wickedness in high places;" as such, "looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith," may his dear children "endure, as seeing him who is invisible." Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory, with exceeding joy, to the only wise God, our Saviour, be glory, and majesty, dominion, and power, both now and ever. Amen. January 28, 1847.

DEAR SIR,

A PHILLIPPIAN.

To the Editor of the Gospel Magazine.

I have read the GOSPEL MAGAZINE with unceasing pleasure and interest since it has been edited by you, and humbly pray that you may find encouragement in your important work. by receiving testimonies of the Lord's blessing attending the truths you publish from time to time.

Having found much power and sweetness, when I first commenced my pilgrimage, in the enclosed lines (found in an old book, the product of a female pen), I am induced to send them to you, hoping, if they meet with your approbation, you will give them a place in your valuable Magazine; and praying that they may be blessed to some of the Lord's sin-burdened children,

March 1, 1847.

I am,
Dear Sir,

Very sincerely yours,

S. S.

P.S. Your appeal on behalf of the poor starving Irish, found a response in my heart. I have sent my mite, with others I have collected from my friends, to be forwarded to you.

ON THE PREVALENCE OF SIN.

Come, thou all-prevailing Spirit,
Come and teach me how to pray:
Intercede for Jesu's merit,-
Wash and take my sins away.
How much need of that atonement,
Hath a guilty wretch like me,-
Who can not one fleeting moment,
From some sinful passion flee.

Sin, where'er I go, I find it,-
Find it woven in my heart;
To thy cross, oh Jesus, bind it,
Sin destroy and grace impart.
Sin, like weeds, for ever springing,
Doth the soil throughout defile;
All my life's a life of sinning,
Jesus, save me, I am vile.

Yes, I am in every action,

Sin in ev'ry word and thought;
I can't pray without distraction,-
Sin on all I do is wrote.

When I to my closet enter,
Seeking peace in Jesu's blood,
Swift as thought intrudes the tempter,
Drives or draws my soul from God.

Thus, while I am prostrate lying,
While my lips in prayer move,
While with seeming ardour crying,
For redemption from above,
Lo! I find at that dread instant,
My vain heart has rov'd away;
Wandered off on something distant,
And my lips alone do pray.

Then abashed, I silent wonder
Why is such a rebel spar'd?
Why not cast amongst that number,
In eternal chains reserved?
Then with joy and shame confounded,
I exult in sov'reign grace,-
Grace, which hath to me abounded,
Me, the worst of Adam's race.

Lord, if I forget to praise thee,
Let my tongue forget to move;
Jesus, to thy likeness raise me,

Let me all thy goodness prove.
Let my guilt be now absolv'd,—
My whole nature sanctify;
Lord, I long to be dissolved,
Make me meet, and let me die.

AMERICAN CORRESPONDENCE.

A LETTER TO MR. THOMAS REED.

MY DEAR BROTHER IN OUR PRECIOUS LORD JESUS,

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I received your kind epistle in the fulness of the blessing of the gospel of the grace of God, not in word only, but in power in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance, for the gospel is the power of God unto salvation, which is indeed sweet to my soul. It found me, as you desired it should, even living upon, and rejoicing in Him, who only is my Rock and my salvation, which is Christ, the Lord of life and glory, of whom I can truly say, My beloved is mine, and I am his; and he so fully assures me of his eternal, immutable love, as to make me rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory," which is an earnest of our future inheritance, which is, ever has been, and for ever will remain, incorruptible, undefiled, and never fadeth away, reserved in our glorious Head for us, in whom he hath increased "our greatness, and comforted us on every side," far beyond what we ever could have attained unto in our Adam state perfection. By the fall," he hath opened a channel for his mercy to run," that his mighty grace should abound over all the aboundings of our sin.

And now, my dear brother, our heavenly Teacher, in order to make a rich display of his mercy to us, as sovereign and free, and His complete and finished salvation (and which we have had no more hand in than we have had in our fathers' sin), maketh us poor; all our supposed goodness vanishes like the morning cloud; all our comliness is turned into corruption, and we fade as a leaf; and all our falsely-called righteousness is nothing but filthy rags; our blossom goes up as the dust, and, in a word, we are dashed in pieces like a potter's vessel " (Ps. ii. 8, 9). Here all helpers fail; we find we can do nothing but evil, "and that continually," and we feel a knowledge that in our flesh dwells no good thing. And now we find the Lord says, "I will deliver the needy when he crieth, and the poor also, and him that hath no helper;" for no flesh shall glory in his presence, and flesh and

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blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; for we learn that the Ethiopian can as soon change his skin, and the leopard his spots, as they do good which are accustomed to do evil. Then where is that to be found which is called righteousness? Not in us shall we ever find it; but in our glorious Lord, in whom we have righteousness and strength: and indeed it is a faithful saying, "that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom we are chief." He will magnify the riches of his grace in our salvation, that where sin abounded, grace doth much more abound; and so the Holy Ghost sweetly testifies to us of our glorious Head, and we are made to rejoice in him with unspeakable delight, who is the Husband of his body, the Church, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. Here we find an ample provision for the supply of all we need, as having nothing in ourselves, and yet possessing all things in him.

Our Jesus is made of God unto us wisdom, righteousness, sancti. fication, and redemption; and, being justified freely by his grace, we enjoy that peace which passeth all understanding. The blessed Spirit assures us that for his own name's sake he hath blotted out, as a thick cloud, our transgressions, and that he will no more remember our sins. His blood cleanseth from all sin; and, as the apostle observes, "we have no more conscience of it," &c.

My dear brother, it greatly rejoices my heart that you are still preaching the precious gospel of our Lord Jesus, by which I have been strengthened, comforted, and established while enjoying the privilege of hearing you, the unction of which still rests upon me; and in reading your epistle now also, I rejoice that we can magnify the Lord and exalt his name together. Truly his name is as ointment poured forth. The Lord hath blessed us with one heart and one mind, having one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one Prophet, one Priest, one King, one Councillor, who is the mighty God, the knowledge of whom is life eternal. We are fed with the bread of life, clothed in the same perfect righteousness, loved with the same eternal, immutable, love, and heirs of the same glorious inheritance. How can we do otherwise or less than speak of the glory of his kingdom, and talk of his power, which is so infinite and so boundless, that all language fails of expressing it? But with the apostle we can say, it is unspeakable glory and unsearchable riches, which heights and depths we may to eternity be exploring, Unto them that believe he is altogether precious and lovely, the chief among ten thousand. My heart prayer is, let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth. It is heaven to rest in his embrace, and no where else but there. We can cease from our works, as the Lord did from his, and enjoy a Sabbath-day of glorious rest in our glorious Lord, who has been our dwelling-place in all generations.

May we be kept by his almighty power, and enabled to stand fast in that liberty wherewith he hath made us free, and we shall not be entangled with any yoke of bondage; for truly our fellowship is with

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