and heights; and because they are the breadths, lengths, depths, and heights of the love of God, as their efficient cause, they pass knowledge. To know these things, from divine teaching, will have for its concomitant, "Peace and joy, in believing, and abounding in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost.". parate them. But like Saul and Jona- | Him?" It has breadths, lengths, depths, than, as they were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in death not divided, so Christ and His redeemed-never separated, but always united; as He is, so are they; His lot is theirs-His God is theirs-His Father theirs---and His glory their glory throughout the countless ages of eternity. David exclaimed when thinking of Zion, "Glorious things are spoken of thee, thou city of God." And we may add, glorious things are spoken indeed of the inhabitants thereof. Who shall say what is contained in the language of the text, "He should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given Here we pause, by commending you, beloved, to the Lord, and the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an (this) inheritance among all them which are sanctified" (Acts xx. 32). THE ALL-IMPORTANT POINT. LINES BY AN EMINENT MAN OF GOD, IN ANSWER TO A HYMN BEGINNING, ""TIS A POINT I WHAT is this point you long to know ? Is this the point you long to know? It proves that God has loved you. I want to know Christ died for me, I want to feel more love to God, I want to feel more life in prayer, But when I look within my heart, It almost drives me to despair. I want a mind more firmly fix'd And not so barren and so dead. I want more faith, a stronger faith, I want to live above the world, THE charity of the world is a lie. LONG TO KNOW." So when a want like this is found, I think I may be bold to say The Lord hath laid within that soul What hell can never take away. However small thy grace appears, There's plenty in thy gracious Head; The wants you feel, my Christian friend, Are never felt among the dead. READER!-Three things are certain, whether you believe them or not. As a friend, I beseech you to ponder over them for one moment. First, it is certain you are a fallen sinner, and consequently exposed to the curse of God's holy law for God's word declares, "All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." In this You are included. Secondly, it is certain, that your immortal soul will soon be called out of time into eter. nity, to stand before the judgment seat of Christ; for we must all there appear; and You must be there. Thirdly, it is also certain, that without a divine change of heart, effected by the invisible power of the Holy Ghost; and without a living faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, you must be eternally banished from the presence of God; thus speaks the King of kings, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; he that beIlieveth not shall be damned." Reader! can you read the above verses as expressive of the desires of your inmost soul? If so, it is well. But if you are a stranger to these things in your soul's experience, then I must tell you, Sin hath deluded you: Satan doth blind you: and, if grace prevent not, the law of God will condemn you. without crosses and tribulations, to think upon God.-LUTHER. "THE COVENANT WHICH BREAKS OUT SO BRILLIANTLY IN EVERY PART OF SCRIPTURE." BY REV. W. H. KRAUSE. DOES it not break out brilliantly at the | Ghost, the eternal Spirit resting on Him, baptism of our Lord? "Jesus answer-abiding on Him; the Father acknowledging said unto him, suffer it to be so now, ing Jesus to be His beloved Son, in for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righte- whom He was "well pleased." "The ousness," Matt. iii. 15. Surely the us Lord is well pleased for his righteousness' here is the same as in the first of Genesis sake." "Thus it becometh us to fulfil -the Persons of the ever-blessed Trinity. all righteousness." Thus it becometh Us to fulfil all righte Jesus was bringing in "everlasting ousness. And how magnificently was righteousness;" and going forth then the carrying out of the covenant arrange- as the acknowledged Messenger of the ments displayed then. "And Jesus covenant, in whom the sinner was to be when He was baptized went up straight-made "the righteousness of God." way out of the water; and lo the hea- This going down into the water, and vens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting upon him; and lo a voice from heaven saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Was it not "written in the Volume of the Book" of Christ, that he should come to do the will of God, and that it was His delight to do it. He came-and came to John to be baptized of him, but he seeing before him the Lamb of God, Him, whose shoes he was not worthy to bear, One, who was to baptize with the Holy Ghost, "Forbade him saying, I have need to be baptized of Thee, and comest Thou to me? but Jesus answering said unto him, suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness; then he suffered Him.” John then understood that it became Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings, and, that it became the Triune God to fulfil all righteousness, by the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, which were figured in his baptism. "Thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness." Why baptize all nations in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost? Because the baptism of Jesus was a covenant transaction in which Father, Son, and Holy Ghost were declaring their fulfilment of all righteousness-the Son standing forth as having come to fulfil His eternal promise, to lay down his life for the sheep; the Holy coming up out of it, only shadowed forth the baptism wherewith He had to be baptized: the baptism, which saved His Church, the one baptism for the remission of sins, the baptism, by which all righteousness was fulfilled, that baptism wherewith he assured His people that they should be baptized. That there is but one baptism; and, that we are partakers of that with Christ, Scripture assures us, as many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ, were baptized into His death, therefore, we are buried with Him by baptism into death." "Baptized with Him in baptism; wherein also ye are risen with him." "For by one Spirit we are all baptized into one Body." There is one Body, one Spirit, one faith, one baptism, one God, and one Father of all. "The like figure, whereunto even baptism_doth now save us by the resurrection of Jesus Christ; not the putting away the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience towards God," that is the assurance that no guilt rests on us, but that all righteousness has been fulfilled by the death, burial, and glorious resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. It was when he came up out of the water, that Jesus was thus declared to be the Son of God with power; and the sinner shown that it was a covenant work, in which Father, Son, and Holy Ghost were engaged, so that Jesus could say, "thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness." Y. N. FRAGMENTS BY A DEPARTED BELIEVER. Continued from page 334. Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence. Psal. xciv. 17. very The Lord shall comfort Zion: He will comfort all her waste places, and He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord. Isa. li. 3. THE Lord's dispensations are THE Lord knows the desolate state of solemn, and often makes us dumb be- His people; He sees how they are dwellfore him. We hold our peace even from ing in waste places, and in a dry land good, and our sorrow is stirred, for we where there is no water, and he graciwould be speaking the high praise of ously declares, I did know thee in a our covenant-keeping God; we would land of great drought. Zion claims the be showing forth all His praise, and tell- tender pity of the Lord her Redeemer. ing of His loving-kindness, and tender He knows her walking through this mercies; but our tongues are sometimes great wilderness, and the promises of holden, and when God is pleased to afflict us deliverance are very numerous, spiriwith this cross we must bear it, until He tually considered, but literally this wilopens our lips, and unlooses our stam-derness is to be like Eden, and those. mering tongues. We wait, trust, hope, waste places are to yield pasture, such and pray, until He sends the summons as will be suitable to the children of the to call us into His immediate New Jerusalem, where peace and joy are presence, and fills us with rich joy, unspeakable, realized in all their plentitude; where and full of glory." there are pleasures for evermore, connected with, and centreing in the glory of Immanuel. Therefore, these waste, desolate, aud crooked places in the wilderness, shall all subserve the purposes of God's glory, and our eternal happiness, causing fresh accessions of praise from our ransomed spirits throughout eternity! Of what glorious realities WHY are we surprised at the Lord's do we live in the anticipation! Why do dealings with us? why do we exclaim we not rejoice more? because joy is in that "He showeth us hard things, and reversion for us; we are now in the wilmaketh us to drink the wine of aston- derness strewn with thorns, but joy is ishment ?" It is His will to bring us sown for the righteous, and instead of through fire and water, emblems of purity, the brier shall come up the myrtlė tree. that we may be made the pure ones in his Then we shall be near, and like our sight, and meetened for holy communion Lord, rejoicing with thanksgiving, and with Him, from obedience by the things the voice of melody; the Lord's blessing we suffer, and be conformed to His ever rests on His people, and He will image, that He may dwell nigh us, and turn their evils into blessing, even those walk with us. We know not at the whose lives are in that just One, who, sent what He is doing when he is work- for our sakes was justified, and sanctiing all things after the counsel of Hisfied, that we might be justified, and sancown will, and making all things to work tified through Him. Let us, then, emtogether for our good. These are the brace these our privileges, with the great things which we know not, but hand of faith, the seal of our adoption. by which we are brought into nothingChildren of hope arise, ness, that God may be all in all. I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet, shall not the least grain fall upon the earth. Amos ix. 9. pre Lift up your heads on high, TRUTH is the most glorious thing; the tion. If you expect to be free from least fitting of gold is precious!-Thos. persecution, you have not yet as much as began to be a Christian.-W. Augus Watson. No servant of Christ is without afflictine. THE WONDERS OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE, IN THE ERECTION AND MAINTENANCE OF AN ORPHAN, INDUSTRIAL, AND EDUCATIONAL HOME. Yet all these motives together had not prevailed with me to that degree, if the Lord had not, as all along, so now in these particular circumstances, strengthened and inclined me to venture it upon his assistance, and resolutely to conclude what was now to be done. So the work was begun without any settled provision, and the Lord, from time to time, seconded the enterprize with such a blessing that even the builders and workmen cheerfully went about the business by reason of their pay. And it afforded no small satisfaction of mind to many of them that each day's work was begun with prayer: and Saturdays, when they got their weekly pay, now and then finished with good admonitions, prayers, and thanksgivings, for the assistance we had that week received at the hand of the Lord. "He that will observe these things, even he shall understand the loving kindness of the Lord." The building ran up amain, and after such a rate, that in the year 1699, by the 13th of July, that is, within the space of one year, they were ready to cover it with the roof; though the nature of the ground required a very deep and strong foundation. And this was the reason that about harvest, 1698, the structure was raised but a few feet above ground. By this forwardness of our work, the Lord actually confuted the incredulity of that man, who, when the wall was half done, most presumptously burst out into this impious expression, "If this wall comes to be finished I will hang myself on it." About Easter, 1700, the orphans and the students begun actually to dine in the hospitai, and soon after they got lodgings in one part of the house. And at Easter, 1701, the rest of the house was inhabited; which did a little contribute towards accomplishing the whole affair. His Electoral Highness, to encourage these endeavours, was pleased to furnish us with one hundred thousand bricks, and thirty thousand tiles, which proved very beneficial in promoting the building; which we cannot but mention with humble thankfulness towards his Electoral Highness; but much more to the honour of, God who inclined his heart. XXX. In the year 1698, September the 19th, his Electoral Highness of Brandenburgh was further pleased to provide the. hospital with a charter, which afterwards, by way of confirmation, he was pleased to explain in several points. XXXI. After the Lord had thus provided for the orphans, and given many happy demonstrations of his fatherly provideuce over them, he now further inclined the heart of an eminent and well-disposed gentleman, to employ a part of his estate in making a settlement for the maintenance of some poor widows, and to intrust me with the management thereof. Accordingly, in the year 1698, about the spring, a honse was bought in the street called Gomer Street, at Glaucha. In the summer it was enlarged, and made fit for the reception of our widows, a maið, and a chaplain; into which one widow was admitted September 19th, 1698, and soon after three more. XXXII. Now, in this hospital for poor widows, four of them are maintained, who, besides the provision of their lodging, firing, and candles, have two shillings a week each, to maintain themselves in diet; and every year a shift, a pair of shoes, and within the compass of two years, a new suit of clothes, if they want it. Thus God, who clothes the grass and adorns the lily, will much more clothe ns, O, we of little faith. If they are able to get anything by their labour, as by spinaing or needle-work, they may keep it for their own use. They have also a garden near the house. XXXIII. For these aged widows there is not only appointed a chaplain, of good and pious behaviour, to go to prayer with them twice a day, but also a maid (as was hinted before, to serve them, to buy such things as are necessary for them, and to nurse them, if they happen to fall sick. The physician that is appointed over the hospital prescribes them medicines, which are provided for them ont of the common stock, which, blessed be God, is not exhausted. Of the visible and wonderful Providence of God, attending these Endeavours to esta blish the Hospital and Charity Schools, from their first Rise to the present time. I. It being almost impossible to have full insight into the means, whereby as well the charity schools as the ensuing building were both begun and carried on, except there be given some instances of the wonderful providence of the Lord, whereby he hath remarkably signalized his care and assistance in advancing this affair, I will here set down a good number of such providential occurrences as seem the most conspicuous to me. even before we cried unto him, whereby his name was not a little magnified. V. In the year 1698, in the month of October, I sent a ducat* to a very poor wo many trials and affictions, had obtained an entrance into a real sense of religion. This woman writ me word, "That the ducat I sent her came just at the time when she extremely wanted such an help; and that she had thereupon immediately prayed God to reward our poor with a good many more ducats." Soon after this, a well-meaning person offered me one single ducat and twelve double ducats; and on the same day a friend also out of Sweedland sent two ducats, which soon were followed by twenty-five others, sent by the post in a letter, from an unknown hand, the person sending them not thinking fit to express his or her name; and by twenty more, which were presented to our poor by an eminent patron. presence of mind in prayer, joined with a confident dependence upon that Lord who II. By the foregoing narrative, any one heareth the young ravens when they cry. may see that the design was not first to pro- When prayer was over, and I was just sitting vide a settled fund, and then to go about the down at the table, I heard somebody knock work; but, on the contrary, that which the at the door; which, when I opened, there Lord bestowed on us, as the means of a pre- was au acquaintance of mine holding in his sent support, was readily and without delay hand a letter and a parcel of money wrapt employed, though it made up but a few up, which he presented to me. I found erowns, and our care for a future supply was therein fifty crowns, being sent a great way by faith committed to the Lord. Likewise, and this gift was soon followed by twenty that not only the charity schools were thus crowns more. This proved a seasonable rebegun, but the actual entertaining and maiu- lief, and suitable supply to our then low containing of the orphans, aud of the poor stu-dition, and a proof that the Lord had heard dents; nay, the building of the house itself was in the same way begun and carried on; from whence any understanding man may easily gather that the management of this business must have been now and then attend-man, living out of this town, who through ed with many extraordinary circumstances, it being not carried on by the usual manuer of money received and laid out; which shall now be exemplified by the following instances. III. Before Easter, 1696, I found the provision for the poor very low, and so far exhausted, that I did not know where to get anything towards defraying the charges of the ensuing week, which happened before I had been used to such awakening trials: but God was pleased to relieve our want in a very seasonable hour, and by an unexpected help. He inclined the heart of a person, who it was, where residing, or of what sex, the Lord knoweth, to pay down one thousand crowns for the relief of the poor; and this sum was delivered to me in such a time, when our provision was brought even to the last crumb. The Lord, whose work this was, be praised for ever, and reward this benefactor with his blessings a thousand fold; for surely the Lord bestowed on that person a liberal heart. IV. At another time all provision was gone, when the steward declared there was a necessity of buying some cattle to furnish the table, and of providing twenty or thirty bushels of flour, to be laid up: besides other necessaries, as wood, wool, &c., if we would manage our business to the best advantage. These necessities being offered up unto God as the Father of the fatherless, an opportunity was presented to discover our straits to a person who was then with us, and who in all likelihood would readily have supplied our want to the utmost of his power. But I thought it more convenient to give God the glory, and not to stir from before his door; he himself being able to assist us in such a way as both his providence might be thereby rendered the more conspicuous and his name more cheerfully extolled. And another reason why I was shy of adventuring upon this person, was, because the same had already shown some tokens of his charitable inclination towards our poor. In the midst of these pressing circumtances, I found one comfort, which was a About the same time, Prince Lewis of War. temburg died at Eisenach, and I received an intimation that he had bequeathed a sum of money to the Hospital. It happened to be five hundred ducatst in gold, put up in a little bag, with this direction, "For the Hospital at Hall." These five hundred ducats were afterwards delivered to me according to the design of the testator, and truly at such a time when there was great oocasion for them to carry on the building. Now when I saw this heap of ducats, I remembered the prayer of that pious woman who " intreated the Lord to reward our poor with many cats." Thus the believing poor can help with their prayers, if they cannot with their cash. du VI. In the year 1699, about February, I found myself under great straits; and, indeed, it was an hour of probation. All our pro vision being spent, and the daily necessity of the poor calling for large supplies, I closely adhered in my mind to this saying, “Seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you;" avoiding temporal cares and turning the whole bent of my soul upon a close union *Nine shillings and sixpence. Two pounds three shillings. |