his wrath, leaving not a wreck behind. O fellow sinners, in the day of trouble and danger, in the dark hour of despair and desolation, fly! fly to the strong hold, Christ, and him crucified, whence none dare pluck ye! let them howl in despair, let them lash themselves in the fury of disappointment-you are safe. O what a blessed comfort! What an unspeakable joy! What indescribable delight! On the 27th of June I visited him, and was struck with astonishment at the alteration that appeared in him; it was evident that the preparations to quit had far advanced, and that the next stage he halted at would be the portals of eternal bliss-at one of "the many mansions of his Father's house." Notwithstanding his settled conviction that the hour drew nigh, that was to sever the dearest ties that had existed for so long a time-that the impassable gulf would be between him and them he had so fondly and affectionately cherished for so many years that alone and unprotected would be the partner of his pilgrimage, the solacer of his woes, on the inhospitable shores of the world, save Him, who "suffers not a sparrow to fall to the ground;" he was calm and unperturbed, spoke in glowing accents of his expected promotion, and anxiously wished to behold the face of his dear Lord and Master, he ejaculated, "Lord, is it time?" He affectionately reassured his dear wife of the protection of Him, who had been their Rock, their mountain of strength, who had led them through six troubles and would not abandon her in the seventh. He spoke then with extreme regret of the state of the Church, and the unerring approach of the latter days-of the strong delusions sent into the world, that they might believe lies, and that they would be ultimately scattered by the mighty hand and outstretched arm of Him who laid the foundations of the earth. He then alluded to the obstructions and oppositions he had met with in the professing world, particularly from those who had shaken him by the hand and termed him "their dear brother in the Lord." He then recounted a base attempt of a Teacher in Israel, and a former correspondent of the Gospel Magazine, to maliciously vilify him; but, "Malice when too highly wrought, resembles a cannon too highly charged: which recoils on the engineer himself, instead of reaching its intended object of direction." It was his custom for many years to visit Chobham, to see a near relative, and on one occasion mentioning it casually to a gentleman, the individual pressed him to accept a seat in his vehicle, as he was about repairing thither in a few days; the proffered service was accepted, and he accompanied him. It being the time of Ascot Races, the course was visited, previous to the sports commencing; whether it was from his own recounting, or from his having been seen there, I know not, but a tale got extensively circulated, that the Editor of the Gospel Magazine was a frequenter of the turf, the friend of publicans and sinners. Some of his true friends took alarm it-the case was investigated and traced to its source-the Teacher in Israel, who Judas-like had taken the sop from the dish with him, and had thus cruelly and treacherously wounded him while pressing his hand, and uttering "Dear Brother in the Lord." He then turned to the New Testament, and with a beauty unsurpassed,-an almost superhuman eloquence, read and descanted upon the 23rd chapter of Matthew; he drew a most striking parallel of the present day, and completed a highly finished and perfect picture of the persecutions of the church of Christ in all ages. The impression he left on me can never be effaced, it seemed like the cadences of a voice from the tomb-of an individual deeply inspired of the Holy Spirit. "The sick and dying beds of Christ's people are, in a very eminent degree, schools of instruction. A death-bed makes even the children of God themselves feel the importance of divine things, with a force, which they rarely if ever, feel, 'till then." He then ejaculated, "Lord, I'm ready! Why this delay?" and instantly checking himself, said, "Not my will, but thine O Lord God!" He calmly and benignantly surveyed his ever attentive and anxious wife, he was in the act of silent prayer, a tear brimmed his eye, it o'erflowed and trickled down his aged cheek, then confidently exclaimed, "He will protect thee, he will be thy rod and thy staff-thy refreshing shadow in a weary land." I now prepared to depart, he stood up with great difficulty, and pressing my hand with great warmth, he fervently said, "Farewell, farewell, this is our last meeting, on earth." I ventured to express a hope that he might be preserved yet a little longer to us, he playfully said, "My good friend, why do you wish me so much harm? I'm in haste to be gone, I want to occupy my new apartments in the house not built with hands. I burn with impatience to be with your father in heaven, I shall soon embrace him; I loved him, I did love him." A tear came to his relief, and supported by his dear and affectionate wife, a warm pressure of the hand, and a benignant smile was the last farewell of this great man. A burning and a shining light; set up By heavenly powers to lead the ransom'd race Safe thro' the darkness which o'ershades the land." He gave instructions to admit no person to interrupt his privacy, or sever his meditations from his adorable Redeemer. He prayed almost incessantly-night and day, and as he exhibited the increasing weakness of the flesh, he also showed the triumph, the glorious triumph of faith in his crucified Saviour. He lingered in the body till the 13th of July, then calmly sunk on the bosom of his Christ. O Death! where is, thy sting? O Grave! where is thy victory! Wafted on high, his spirit's gone, To realms of bliss prepar'd. This holy man met death with firm and undaunted steps, undismayed; for the dreary region he had to pass through was rendered luminous by the glory of his Divine Conductor. His flesh rested in hope, knowing by faith that his body would not remain in the cold damp vault of death for ever. The tomb is consecrated, and the voice of his Redeemer will echo through the sepulchre, renovating skin and bones, dust and putrefaction-soul and body shall re-unite-the time of humiliation shall be over-and the measure of his joy shall be full. He has died the death of the righteous, and may our end be like his. TO THE MEMORY OF MR. WALTER ROW, GRATUITOUS Who departed this Life, July 13, 1839, in the 84th Year of his Age. Not again shall thy lips speak of that far-off land, Thou hast left us all lone, but shall ours be a grief? Oh no; not such grief has the Christian to bear, Still the bright hope remains-that thy precepts our guide, J. THE GOSPEL MAGAZINE. VOL. IV.-No. IX. Of a FIFTH SERIES, for SEPTEMBER, 1839. "In doctrine shewing uncorruptness." "Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees which is Hypocrisy.” "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday to-day and for ever. Whom to know is life eternal." THE DEATH OF THE CHURCH. NATURAL death is generally understood by the doctrine of priva tion-as the body without the spirit is dead, so religion without the blood of sprinkling upon the conscience, and the gospel without Christ, and profession without the Spirit's power, and faith without works, and a church without these is dead also: and as the Gentile Church in general, especially her ministers, deal less with the blood of the Lamb, and the Spirit's power in the heart to certify the people of their right and interest in eternal blessedness, than they do in tradition, ordinances, and a moral character; there are in the Gentile church strong symptoms of an approaching and sudden dissolution. Bare asssrtion is no argument, especially in this important subject, which will affect the interests of the whole world in its four quarters, and upset all the governments of Europe, like a ball tossed in a large country, Isa. xxii. 18; for, "The ten horns, or kings, which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God hath put in his heart to fulfil his will. There shall be famines and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places." Earthquakes taken metaphorically, frequently in Scripture, signify political revolutions; and notwithstanding that all the world has recently felt, or is feeling, this convulsing spirit, and most are disposed to blame the creature, yet the GREAT God confesseth his agency, thus "It is a little while, and I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. And I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen -and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; Vol. IV.-No. IX. 3 C and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother. All these are the beginning of sorrows. come. come. These things are daily before our eyes, and they are but the beginning of sorrows; then, then, then, the church must soon die, and the state cannot survive; at least in its present form, for the end is O EARTH! EARTH! EARTH! HEAR THE WORD OF THE LORD!!! Thus saith the Lord God, an evil, an only evil, behold is An end is come, the (foretold and long provoked) end is come. It watcheth for thee, (Ò church!) behold, It is come. The morning (of thy last day,) is come upon thee, O thou (church) that dwellest in the land! The time is come-the day of trouble is near. Now will I shortly pour out my fury upon thee, and accomplish mine anger upon thee-and I will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompence thee for all thine abominations. O ye sleepy, deluded professors! that boast of the Gospel's prosperity, and of the flourishing state of the Church. Behold the day! Behold it is come! The morning is gone forth-the rod has blossomed (it is ripe for use)-pride hath budded-Violence hath risen up into a rod of wickedness, none of them shall remain, nor of their multitude, nor of any of theirs-neither shall there be wailing for them-the time is come, the day draweth near-let not the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn; for wrath is upon all the multitude thereof. Surely this is the burthen of the Word of the Lord! Oh! how the heart sinks at this painful intelligence from Heaven! How it palpitates! What condensed afflictions fill the system of sense, and dire ful prospects strike the beholder's eye! But the half is not told, the worst is not believed. "O Lord, my flesh trembleth for fear of thee, and I am afraid of thy judgments.' For, the prophet in the name of God proceedeth-Make a chain for the land is full of bloody crimes, and the city is full of violence. Destruction cometh, and they shall seek peace, and there shall be none. Mischief shall come upon mischief, and rumour upon rumour—then shall they seek a vision from the prophet, (whether the Gospel flourisheth, and is God our refuge?) but the law shall perish from the priest, and counsel from the ancients. The king shall mourn, and the prince shall be clothed with desolation, and the hands of the people of the land shall be troubled - I will do unto them after their way, and according to their deserts will I judge them - And they shall know that I am the Lord. Ezek. vii. All that have wrote upon the subject agree in concluding that Great Britain, as well as France, is one of the ten kingdoms into which the Heathen-Roman empire crumbled, in or about A.D. 456. On this subject the great Mr. Mede hath excelled his learned brethren; and as the church in the character of God's witness is to be slain as well as silenced, or overcome, we are obliged to look for this death in those countries which have known her birth. And as England has been a manifest seat of the church in this character, the time which fixes the death in general in Europe must be strictly applicable to England in particular. |