curse, he being made a curse for you. Well then, Where there is no law there is no transgression:" Christ having satisfied its divine requirements on behalf of, and for his people, they are delivered from it, and are not included in that sentence of condemnation, “Cursed is every one who continueth not in all things written in the book of the law to do them." This curse is removed; it fell on Christ, he bore it for us; therefore, said the apostle, Who' shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect "the law cannot, for that is fulfilled; justice cannot, for that is satisfied; nor can any thing in heaven, earth, or hell. But on every natural man the law still holds its claim, is still binding, ard ever will continue so, as all shall find who live and die in their sins, It shall be brought forth to their con. demnation. They now read the law, like Israel of old, on the outward tables of stone, and expect to be justified through keeping its moral precepts. But believers have the law written in their hearts, nor will they willingly transgress its holy require ments; yet they are looking beyond the outward law, to the great LawFulfiller, not expecting salvation for any thing they have done, or can or shall do, but in the alone death, merits, blood and righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. These may be novel ideas to some, but I bless God they are sweet to my soul, and I do believe them, because sealed home and upon my heart, agreeable to the unerring standard of God's truth, which shall stand for ever. But W. Lush thinks it strange that the law should be called a type of good things to come, and if so, that neither Christ nor his apostles should have intimated the same. Now it seems to me equally as strange that W. Lush should draw these hasty conclusions, as he must have seen from the whole tenor of my remarks what was my principal aim. Perhaps the expression might appear a little ambiguous when applied to the moral law, and did not sufficiently express my meaning. Yet I conceive my friend has uimself fallen into the same error, in the sentence beginning "If, however, grace, Christ, heaven or glory do not:" but I hope my friend does not write for contention's sake, if he does, he should soon crush me, who am but a poor worm of the dust. He next asks whether it is scriptural to assert that the Holy Spirit may call on the holy, though violated precepts of a broken law, to strengthen and raise up the drooping spirits of one of Zion's fainting children. Now surely W. Lush must have forgotten himself, for the inference he has drawn does not apply, as he must have seen, unless he shuts his eyes. The words were viewed as a promise, and illustrated, as there stated, on gospel principles. But W. Lush is pleased to sneer at the idea of illustrating a precept of the law in a gos pel sense. But of this I shall take no further notice. In the view which I then took of it, the precept was not considered as such, but as a positive promise. And of this my friend does not approve. Well, that I must leave, and all I can say is, that I had no wish to offend, nor to take an unwarrantable liberty with the word of God. There is but one observation more I would make, and I have done. Whether it is correct or not to believe that the Lord's wills and shalls are all positive, I leave others to judge; for myself I believe they are, whether spoken to the righteous or the wicked. And poor, broken, and unconnected as my ideas are, I leave them to the disposal of Him who seeth not as man seeth. PRESAGES OF SUNSHINE. My dear Sister, I received yours, it refreshed my mind, as it did the evangelist (Jolin iii. 4), to hear that the Lord keeps you, by his glorious Spirit and power, still loving the truth, living the truth, and walking in truth, when a thousand are falling at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; I, you, and his dear blood-bought family, being covered with his feathers, and trusting under his wings, are kept by the power of God, through faith, unto salvation. What shall such as we render unto the Lord for all his benefits? Why, the fruit of both heart and lips, whenever he puts the new heart in tune, by the sweet and powerful operations of the Holy Ghost; for "without me (says Jesus), ye can do nothing." Ah, Lord, we bless thy name, we both see, feel, and know it by experience; and that causes us to look up to thee for the fulfilment of thy promise, to work in us both to will and do. My sister, do not be afraid of the storms that seem to be gathering over this once highly favoured nation; storms, I have heard are very useful to purity the a'r, though not pleasant to be travelling in; but when from some Pisgah we are enabled in a clear air to discern home, it animates us to be pressing forward, however weary, unto that rest that remains for the people of God, where national storms, church storms, family storms, or inward storms, will never be known, felt or endured for ever. Aud if we have a church storm in England, it will purify the air of the true church from its noisome pestilential vapours wherewith it has for a long time been infested, and blow away the chaffy professors from the pure wheat, and the great Husband-man will take care to gather all that into his garner, and not leave one grain behind. You tell me that you are still the sparrow alone, and I will advise you again to keep your station upon the housetop, and chirp as little as possible. Take the advice of Solomon (Prov. x. 19), for it is not as a word is spoken, but word is spoken, but as it is taken by them who lay in wait to make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of nought. Isa. xxix. 21. 'Such things have been: such things are now, and will be unto the end. You say, I often tremble for the ark of God, when I look around and see the abounding errors. Well, though the ark appears to shake it will not fall; it does not need the hand of Uzzah to stay it; God's own hand and arm are almighty; the ark will stand safe to the end: if it was the ark built by men, fall it would; but God being the builder, it will stand against all force, either of men, or devils. You complain that many fall away from the truth, or doctrines of truth, which they once professed to receive in the love of the same. When iniquity and error abound, the love of many wax cold. Israel under the Old Testament, and Israel under the New, both acted the same: they both forsake the fountain of living waters, and hew out to themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. And so it will be until the midnight cry alarms them (Matt. xxv. 6). Then, and not till then, will these foolish virgins find their grand mistake, not having the oil of grace in their vessels with their lamps. As God has made an alteration in the crowned head, so we may look for an alteration in the times whether for the better or for the worse we must leave to infinite wisdom to decide, who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will, in the heavens above and among the inhabitants of the earth. will work all things for his own glory He Ichabod be written upon may Church doors and meeting doors of every denomination. They have a name to live, but are dead! Bickering, and barking, and back-biting the chief emply of most of the professors here. I sat in a house for one hour this week, in the company of an author and a minister, until I felt myself as cold as Green land ice. Nothing was said about Jesus Christ, and his glorious finished work of salvation, or of the work of grace by the eternal Spirit, how began, and how carried on, and the blessed effects thereof. Good Parsons and their abilities, filled up the soul-deadening hour. I thought to have shoved in some spiritual lancet edgeways, but found my lips frozen together so that I had no power to open them, either to exhort or to reprove (Ps. xxxix. 2). Well, this was the state of the professed churches when the ten persecutions came on, and that awoke them out of their nap. It may be so with England and if it should, no doubt but the Lord will clear the air of the church from these noxious vapours, and cause healthy air, and clear sunshine to succeed in its room. Then we should hear more of David's sweet invitation to the people of God (Ps. lxvi. 16) "Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul." Sweet employ, indeed, it warms the very soul of the poor, weak tempted, tried, afflicted child of God, when accompanied with power, and makes them as giants refreshed with new wine, enabling them to endure hardness as good soldiers of Jesus Christ, and to glory in tribulation also. I am at a loss for room to enlarge, so must draw to a conclusion, Yours in the Lord, JOHN RADFORD. EXTRACTS FROM SERMONS DELIVERED BY REV. J. VINALL AT JIREH CHAPEL, LEWES. No. 14.-To be Continued. Genesis. xlii. 36.-" AH these things are against me.' ་ THE history of Joseph affords a striking instance of the wonderful dealings of the Lord. Who knows but those in similar trials of long waiting, what were the exercises of Joseph's soul from the time of his being sold by his brethren, until he saw the accomplishment of his dream? For until His word came, the word of the Lord tried him." It hath pleased my gracious God, ever since I have been called by grace, to lead me into this exercise, more or less; and I know if I may so speak, every inch of the ground: for I am, at the present time, more deeply exercised than ever I have been before And I can but believe, it is that many of you my dear friends, are in heavy trials, that I am still in the furnace to speak a word in season to your weary souls. In the beginning of this chapter, we have an account of the sons of Israel going to Egypt to buy corn: and they bowed themselves before the governor of the land. Now it was, Joseph remembered his dreams. What a breaking in the cloud of Joseph's trials was this. In verse 20 we have the account of their conviction of sin, when they said, "We are verily guilty concern ་་ 64 ing our brother," &c. It is worthy I shall only take a few, for brevity's of our observation, how sins, sooner or later, are charged home to the conscience; and although God does not behold iniquity in Jacob, nor perverseness in Israel, (in a vindictive way,) yet He is faithful to his word, in correcting for our folly: as it is written, If my children forsake my law, and walk not in my statutes: then will I visit their sin with a rod, and their iniquities with stripes," Job knew what this was, when he said, Thou makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth." I shall this evening briefly notice, first the things that caused Jacob to draw the conclusion he did. Secondly, that such have been the exercises of God's most eminent saints. And thirdly by way of application, bring it down to personal experience. First, the cause of this language of the good patriarch: a famine in the land: Here am I, with my large family and household, with no other appearance but that of starvation. Another thing was the harsh conduct of the governor of the land of Egypt. Next the conjecture, and that not without cause, that Joseph was dead, also that Simeon was detained, and the expectation that it would be the case with Benjamin. I might also add, that unbelief at this time reigned in poor Jacob's heart. And I would here observe that there are times, even un er the most trying dispensations, when faith is in exercise that a sweet persuasion is wrought in the heart that all will end well, although all outward trials remain just the same. This proves what the Lord can do. I could give many proofs of this: look at the prophet Habakkuk, “ although the fig-tree should not blossom &c" Also Micah, Therefore I will look unto the Lord, I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me." Here was sweet confidence in the midst of trouble. 66 I was secondly to show that the exercises of God's most eminent saints have been similar to that of Jacob. sake. How was it with Moses, af. ter so special a call to go and deliver the children of Israel? what did he say? Thou hast wrought no deliverance at all." Was it not thus with Nacmi, when she said, The Lord hath dealt bitterly with me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me." Witness also Hezekiah: I need not repeat his language, as you are so conversant with it, It was just the same with Job. Also the Lord's anointed, David, what did he say? "I shall now one day perish by the hand of Saul." But what was the result with all these saints? the Lord delivered them. I might also enlarge on inward crosses, which are often a source of great grief to a child of God, such as hardness of heart, that we fear we shall be like Nabal; also strong corruptions, which seem as if they would deluge us altogether. Beneath these exercises we are saying, in the words of my text, All these things are against me," while they all work for our good. I was, thirdly, to bring these things personally to ourselves, by way of application. Have we not, my dear afflicted friends, many sore and heavy trials? some from one cause, some from another. Oh, how we are often saying, "All these things are against me. But sure I am, in the end, we shall have to prove "all things work together for our good." How was it with Jacob, when he said. "It is enough." And on his death bed what a blessed testimony did he leave of God's faithfulness. Blessed be God, we can at times sweetly believe it will be our case and say. with the poet, "All things for our good are given, Crosses, comforts, staves, or rods ; All is ours, in earth and heaven, We are Christ's and Christ is God's. May the dear Lord be pleased to bless these brief remarks to you, and to Israel's tri-une God be all the glory ascribed. Amen. POETRY. THE SEVEN DISPENSATIONS. The Antediluvian-the Patriarchal--the Wilnerness-the Temple--the Christian-the Millenial-the Glory. IV. THE TEMPLE. THE desert is traversed, the Jordan is passed, And Canaan's ripe vineyards are entered at last. The foe is all conquered, and high on the wall, The crimsoned escutcheons are hung in the hall. The sword and the spear from their purpose estranged, Are now into ploughshares and pruning hooks changed. And under their fig-trees the people repose, Forgetful of battles and wilderness woes. Alas! like a brook which no changes renew, Turns rank to the taste, and corrupt to the view, So Israel in sunshine grows haughty and vain, Providing fit champions to rescue his child. Thus Jabin with chariots may seek to dismay, And a woman th' invincible chieftain shall smite. Thus Midian to scourge them may long time annoy, But though thus anointed, God's recognized king, Time many dark sorrows must shake from its wing, Ere David enthroned the wide sceptre shall sway, Ere Israel their monarch shall own and obey. The stripling must first kill the giant of Gath, Thus wakening in Saul bitter envy and wrath. Long hunted, Judea's caves.deserts, and hills, Shall witness the fear David's bosom oft fills. But vain every obstacle: Saul strives in vain, But Gideon's weak handful their throngs In the hour predetermined young David shall |