Page images
PDF
EPUB

THE APPEAL;

A Magazine for the People.

"Glory to God in the highest,-And on earth peace,

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

DAILY TEXTS, FOR SUNDAY SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES.-Cover, p. 2.

48

PRICE ONE HALFPENNY.

LONDON:

SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, & CO. STATIONERS'-court; A. HALL & CO., AND BENJ. L. GREEN, PATERNOSTER-ROW;

LEEDS: JOHN HEATON.

May be had, by order, of any Bookseller.

[graphic]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

By which (Gospel) ye are saved, if ye keep in memory
I preached unto you.

O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.
For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord,
knowest it altogether.

Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall
from thy presence?

If I make my bed in Hell, behold, Thou art there!
Yea, the darkness hideth not from Thee; the darknes
the light are both alike to Thee.

THE LORD'S DAY.-How precious also are thy thoughts
me, O God! how great is the sum of them!

Is it well with thee? Is it well with thy husband? Is it with the child?

10 Tu Surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear which fear before him:

But it shall not be well with the wicked, because he fea not before God.

For God shall bring every work into Judgment, with e secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. For the trumpet sound, and the dead shall be raised corruptible.sk our a

Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye t not the Son of man cometh.

THE LORD'S DAY.-He that regardeth the Day, regarde unto the Lord.

For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whe we die, we die unto the Lord.

17 Tu The God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all

Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow my before the high God?

The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all s THE LORD'S DAY.-This is the Day which the Lord h made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, ever them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him 24 Tu Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from hencefor Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labou and their works do follow them.

There remaineth therefore a rest to THE PEOPLE OF GOD. For we which have believed do enter into rest. Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of ent ing into his rest, any of you should seem to come sh of it.

Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any m fall after the same example of unbelief.

THE LORD'S DAY.-Faith cometh by hearing.
Take heed therefore how ye hear.

For the word preached did not profit them, not being mix with faith in them that heard it.

MERCY,

"Let him return unto the Lord, and he will have MERCY upon him."

What was that doctrine which drew open sinners in such crowds around the Blessed Saviour? What was it which won them, which softened them, which changed them? What was it which spoke to the heart of such? It was MERCY. MERCY for ALL.

It soon spread around the country-spread as widely as the fame of his miracles; and many thought it the greatest, happiest, sweetest marvel of all, that sinners of every kind were offered MERCY. The most abandoned sinners, those who seem lost to all shame and remorse, even they have commonly an aching heart beneath. Hope would be sweeter to many an outcast from society than lookers-on imagine. HARLOTS, FORNICATORS, ADULTERERS; SWEARERS, LIARS, BLASPHEMERS; DRUNKARDS, COVETOUS, EXTORTIONERS; what a catalogue! Yet these, and sinners worse than these, sinners whose crimes might scarcely be named, much less printed, all, all heard that there was MERCY! Men and women so vile crowded around our Lord, that the respectable Pharisees and temple-goers were shocked, and, though curious to see, they keep at a respectable distance; yet they, too, can just hear That Voice of ineffably sweet authority; and what is it saying to the guilty, degraded beings who throng around Him? "Sinners I am come to save you, THERE IS MERCY!"

And now some of those most deeply plunged in vice begin to look doubtful; they would like to believe it if they only might. "But us, He knows us not, or He never could say so; there may be mercy for most, there can be none for us; the Governor, if he only knew our crimes, would crucify us!" So think they; but the eye of Jesus meets theirs, they see He knows what is in man, they tremble lest He should point them out to justice; but, no, his solemn, yet gracious look at once says to them, "There is MERCY for you too; I forgive you; go and sin no more.'

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

Another is ashamed to come within sight, the diseases of vice have marred his very looks. He sees that none like to stand near him; his heart says, "Surely He cannot mean me too; oh, if I might but soothe my life-long shame amongst men by a peaceful hope that my God forgives me.' He scarcely ventures to look at the PREACHER of MERCY, lest His frown should seal deeper his despair; but a look from the Friend of sinners arrests his timorous glance, and it says to him, "Yes, your sins, too, are forgiven; go in peace, there is MERCY EVEN FOR YOU!"

The Dissolute Young Man, his constitution worn out prematurely by his sins, fearing that the seeds of fatal disease are beginning to germinate, dreading to meet death and judgment, he, too, has heard

the sweet report of MERCY; but may he hope for it,—shall he not be upbraided rather with, "Return to your frivolities, your gay companions, your vices; go eat the fruit of your doings?" Oh, no! The Speaker of that Parable of Parables (Luke xv.) is here; He sees the Prodigal now come to himself; He sees him wanting to return, but standing yet a great way off. "My son," he says, "there is MERCY I receive thee a penitent back into

FOR THE PRODIGAL TOO! thy Father's family."

Finally, a Pharisee, of better feelings than most, invites the Lord to eat bread in his house, and then a GUILTY WOMAN, who could not make up her mind to speak to Him abroad, ventures near,—words she dare not or cannot utter,-her tears she cannot hinder from speaking for her, but she deems them only fit to wash the Holy Saviour's feet. She had heard Him preach MERCY to the FALLEN; and, marvellous mercy as it seemed, she yet could believe it. The manner of the Blessed Speaker, His heart-describing words, and the gracious power which delighted in conquering such trophies of mercy, opened her trembling soul to the assurance that Jesus meant what he said, and that she might believe in mercy for her! The Pharisee murmurs that Jesus should let such a woman come near Him even with the tears of penitence; but what saith the Lord? "The debtor to whom most is forgiven will love most. See this woman's love to me; compare it with thy own. She has had many sins forgiven. She loves much. LOVE FOR PARDONED SIN is what I came to seek; woman, thy faith hath saved THEE! Go in peace."

FELLOW-SINNER, whoever you are, There is MERCY for you,— you need not perish,—you may be forgiven,-THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST CLEANSETH FROM ALL SIN.

F. CLOWES.

WHERE ARE YOU GOING?

We are all going somewhere. There is not one individual in the whole mass of society but is travelling to some place. Every man, every woman, in every country throughout the globe, is going on in a course which will lead hereafter to some definite result. Reader, where are you going?

There is one end to which we are all, without exception, tending. "It is appointed unto all men once to die." For every inhabitant of the globe, whatever his circumstances or condition, the grave shall be opened. Sooner or later, in youth or in age, years hence, or, it may be, the next moment, we shall be removed from the world. Reader, have you ever thought that this will be the case with You?

But the bible reveals to us the solemn truth, that after death there are two places, one of which must receive us for eternity. We are all

going on continually towards either heaven or hell, eternal happiness or endless misery, indescribable woe with demons and lost spirits, or infinite blessedness with redeemed saints, and angels, and God. Reader, ask yourself the question, to which of these AM I going?

There is only one way to heaven. As sinners against God, we deserve and are doomed to hell. By nature we are all the children of wrath. But Christ has died to save us. He is the only way to the Father. Through him we may come boldly to the throne of grace. And, trusting in him, we shall be delivered from the doom which our sins deserve, we shall be raised to eternal happiness and glory before the throne of God.

Reader, are you then trusting in Christ? Conscious of guilt, have you gone to him for pardon? Knowing your danger, have you fled to him for safety? Feeling yourself lost, and ruined, and undone, have you laid hold on the hope which he has in his mercy provided ? Oh, how solemn is the thought, that a few years-possibly a few days -will see you an inhabitant of either heaven or hell; standing perfect and justified before the throne of God, or lifting up your eyes in hell, being in torments. Do you trust in Christ? Do you live to him? Then you are travelling in the narrow path that leads to life eternal. you living to the world, devoting yourself exclusively to the things of time, a lover of pleasure more than a lover of God? Then every day you live you are going nearer to the place where the worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched; you are rushing madly on to that dire abode where you will experience, in all its terrors, the righteous vengeance of a holy God.

Are

And there is no sight on earth more painful, more affecting, than that of an immortal creature going on to eternity, entirely unprepared. If any thing can cause tears in heaven, must it not be the sight of men sporting thus with their undying souls,-spending the hours of their probation in the pursuit of baubles, whilst they neglect or despise the treasure which is incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away?

Reader, our heart's desire and prayer to God for you is, that you may be saved. Flee from the wrath to come. Lay hold on the cross of Calvary. And be not satisfied until, like the apostle Paul, you can say, "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle be dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." W. H.

THE HARVEST.

July and August were unusually wet, and the ripening and ripened crops seemed likely to be taken from us, even after our eyes had been permitted to behold them. The greater part of the grain crops have, however, been secured in tolerably good condition; much quite well;

« PreviousContinue »