them as unscriptural. May God the Eternal Spirit be pleased to bless the faithful labours of his own sent servants to the ingathering of his own elect! Vessels of Wrath and Vessels of Mercy; being the Substance of Three Sermons preached in Astley Chapel, in the Parish of Leigh. By Alfred Hewlett, B, A. 12mo. pp. 28. Manchester, H. Smith. London, E. Palmer. These Sermons are founded on Rom. ix. 22-25.; and were preached at the particular request of some persons who wished to hear a scriptural exposition of the passage. In discoursing on the words, Mr. H. proceeds, first, to examine the context. 2. To prove the absolute sovereignty of Jehovah. 3. That it is the will of God to display his attributes and perfections, and that he therefore purposes or decrees every thing that shall take place. 4. That in the fulfilment of these his decrees, he has formed some as vessels to honour, recipients of mercy, and some to dishonour, recipients of wrath. 5. That the one are "fitted to destruction," the other" afore prepared to glory." 6. That while the vessels of wrath are endured with much long-suffering, the vessels of mercy are blessed with a knowledge of their interest in the great salvation. Our author then quotes some instances, both from Jews and Gentiles, points out the advantages arising from the reception of this doctrine, and then concludes with noticing some of the contrary schemes and objections. A Sketch of the glorious Person of the Royal Charioteer. By Charles Drawbridge. 12mo. pp. 12. Wellingborough, Darby. London, E. Palmer. This Tract is the third on a portion from the Canticles; and as the writer makes many very good remarks on this highly figurative part of God's word, we cheerfully recommend them to our readers, not only for their own perusal, but for distribution, as there is much spiritual instruction contained therein; at the same time, as we have before said, we do not think our esteemed brother is always correct in the application of his similes; prayerful caution is needful where fancy has so wide a range. RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE. On Thursday, the 22nd May, Mr. HENSHAW was publicly Ordained as Pastor over the Independent Church at St. Alban's, Herts. Mr. FIRMIN delivered the introductory discourse; Mr. HENSHAW gave a very interesting account of the Lord's gracious dealings with him, and of his striking call to the gospel ministry, in his replies to the several questions proposed to him; Mr. IRONS delivered the charge from Colossians iv. 17.; and Mr. LUCKIN preached to the people. The attendance was good, and the Lord was evidently present; many retired to their distant homes, greatly refreshed, saying, " It was good to be here." POETRY. MUSINGS AT ESHCOL.-No. I. The Lord gave, and the Lord taketh away, blessed be the name of the Lord!"-Job.' PICTURE, my soul, the patient Patriarch : In the glad hour of youth, and manhood's dawn. They gamboll'd 'mid the palm-groves, and he hears Which tore them from his breast, and leaves him now Hath stripped of all its branches. One brief thought Is given to loss of substance, but the tear Hastily gushing, the groan, and deep lament, Are tributes to his children-" The Lord gave- The name of the Lord!". Saint, hast thou lost some comfort, some bright joy, THE Spiritual Magazine ; OR, SAINTS' TREASURY. "There are Three that bear record in heaven; the FATHER, the WORD, and the HOLY GHOST; and these Three are One." Earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." 1 John v. 7. Jude 3. JULY, 1834. THE CARES AND COMFORTS OF A CHRISTIAN MINISTER. The Outlines of a Sermon, delivered at the Meeting House, Hill Street, Regent's Park, London. BY THE REV. JAMES CASTLEDEN, OF HAMPSTEAD. I PRESUME the object of our meeting is generally understood, but for the information of any present, I beg to observe that a few ministers of the Baptist denomination have formed a friendly society, have agreed to meet quarterly for christian conversation, to advise and assist each other, and to close the day with a sermon upon a given subject, hoping, by the divine blessing, that our meetings may be beneficial to our own souls and to the flocks over which we are placed as under shepherds. The subject agreed upon for discussion is a most important one. "The cares and comforts of the Christian minister;" and the subject has appeared to me to be comprised in those very interesting words recorded in the first chapter of Jeremiah's prophecy, 6th, 7th, and 8th verses, which I will read for my text. "Then said I, Ah, Lord God, behold I cannot speak, for I am a child. But the Lord said unto me, Say not I am a child; for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces, for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord." The very extraordinary man that these words were addressed to knew a great deal about the cares and comforts of the Lord's servants. He lived in awful times, when the princes, prophets, priests, and people were opposed to all that was holy and good. But the great VOL. X.-No. 124.] 2 C Head of the church raised up this good and great man to bear a noble testimony against the awful principles that abounded; well knowing as most present I hope know, that evil or erroneous principles uniformly lead to sinful practices. But with a view to illustrate our subject, and to make it beneficial, if the Holy Spirit shall be pleased to assist, we will attend to some little method; and first, observe that the word care, implies anxiety, solicitude, concern, a charge; and with a minister the term admits of an extension, for the cares of a congregation, of a church, and sometimes of a business, devolve upon him, in addition to the cares of his family. But our remarks will be confined to the ministry; and First, a good man called to the important work, is the subject of much anxious care, on the account of conscious inability for the great work; his daily weakness he feels; increasing ignorance discovers and makes him moan like Moses, "O my Lord, I am not eloquent, but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue," Exodus iv. 10.; and the language of my text is truly descriptive of his case, “Ah! Lord God, behold, I cannot speak, for I am a child." Again we observe that the solicitude of a servant of the Lord is sometimes truly painful, arising from the apparent little success attending his labours. He reads, he prays, he studies; he endeavours to sow the good seed of the kingdom; to give the gospel trumpet a certain sound; to cast the net on the right side of the ship, and to launch out into the deep; and to explain those prominent mysteries revealed, the mystery of Christ's person, the work of the Holy Spirit upon the soul, the mystery of inquity within a believer and without him, and the mysteries of Providence. But he finds but few affected and turned to the Lord, and fewer disposed to join his flock, and to lift up his down-banging hand, and to comfort his dejected heart. He sees many enter and leave the sanctuary, as the creeping creatures entered and left the ark, unclean-unclean. He often doubts his call to the work, and sometimes concludes he will decline it,-the weight of it presses so heavily upon him; and he feels his insufficiency to feed the babes in grace, to direct the enquiring sinner, to go after the straying backslider, to comfort and strengthen the weak, or to warn the wicked. A minister's cares and anxieties are often multiplied through the opposition he meets with. The prophet in my text was warned not to be afraid of their faces. We have before us sometimes in our congregations the face of a blasphemous infidel, a scoffing sceptic, an awful apostate, a cruel oppressor, a fasting tithe-paying pharisee, a lordly, Diotrephes, a proud plate-passing-by professor, a critical hearer, with hungry, thirsty, wounded, distressed, inquiring souls, and many hardened, rebellious, Christ-hating hearers. He often thinks of the solemn charge, watch for souls as they that must give account. He looks at the rising race, for whom he often prays. He thinks he sees a bud, a blossom, a good desire, a change, and he is comforted; but alas, alas, no fruit; the world or some nipping wind has blown away all the blossom before the fruit is set. |