Cheraw gazette. [volume] (Cheraw, S.C.) 1835-1838, December 20, 1836, Page 232, Image 4
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RELIGIOUSCHARACTER OF TIIE PRESENT AGS.
From the Fittsbnr<r Christian Herald.
[Concluded.]
\Vhcn our Lord Jesus (Jurist camo into
the worlil, with the design of establishing
for himself a kingdom of righteousness, he
hud tlie whole range of life at hand, to
choose from it according to his own pleasure,
the means of carrying his design into
effect. All resources of power were alike
within his reach. So far as riches might
be held to he of avail for the end he had in
view, they were subject to his order, without
limitation; for the 4'earth is the Lord's, and
the fulness thereof." He could easily have
cause*/ s' reams of silver and gold to flow into
his treasury to any extent, and if worldly rank
and authority, had boon deemed necessary
to the success of his enterprise, they might
have been secured in like manner.
If the weight of fashion, or the brti'e
force of option, organized and made formidable
as it is made to work in the ordinary
movements of party, could have answered
any good purpose, it would have
h?*;n a light matter for him, evidently, to
have for ifn d and strengthened his ease in
tl.i* unv as far as he might have wished.
The world was ready to go after him, almost
at any time, if he had condescended
a all to court its interes*, by meeting it on
i's own principles, and throwing himself upon
it tor support. And one might have
imagined that all these Ibrms of influence
would challenge at least a measure of Ins
regard.?They could claim to he considered
in one sense, moral in their character,
and were capable of being iurncd to very
important account, when rightly used, in
tavor of the best interests of society. But
ir is worthy of special notice, that our Lord
refused them a!!. However good they
might be in themselves, tliry were not the
resources on which he chose to ivlv, in
the gn at work for which lie came down
from Heaven, lie committed his cause,
in his own person, to the simple power ot
holiness, as the grand means bv which it
must go forward in the world. Truth
brought to bear with its own naked force
on tlie minds of men, especially through the
testimony and example of a life sanctified
by its power, was the agency he selected
as most suitable to iiis design, and the only
one that might be expected to answer in
so vast an undertaking. Other means
might be of force for certain ends ; but
tliis was looked upon as all in all, for laying
the foundations and raising the superstructure
of the church. It was of more account,
immeasurably than money, or the
favor of the great, or the great in crest of a
powerful party, or the most auspicious secular
connections, or profound schemes of
policy, however fair and honorable. Jesus
Christ waived the use of these things, and
confined himself to the u.;c of truth, made
to shine out continually in the form of holiness
from his own spirit and life. And we
can see, that if he had not have done so,
the glory of his character must have been
obscured. No other method could have
been pursued by him without injury to
himself. No other could have been pursued
by him, that would not have derogated
from the honor of his cause, and planted
li/VAt.tf ?n tli/A lfo CIlA
iteuvy UkJsa U'wUUiia ui uiv ???i? ui no owv,?
ccss.
And Jesus Christ plainly intended that
th's should be the great agency by which
his kingdom was to be carried onward, alter
he left the earth, bv his disciples. His kingdom
was not to be advanced by the sword
or by civil enactments, so must it rest |on
other forms of power than wealth, fashion,
or human policy. "Be yc holy, as I am
holy," was a rule by whicSi the subjects of
it must seek to extend i.s authority : "let
jour light so shine before men, that they
may see your good works, and glorify your
father which is iu heaven." We are not
authorized to say, that the church should
not have recourse at all to other forms of
power to carry forward her appropriate
work. But beyond all controversy, it is
her duty to look upon these as of altogether
secondary account. Holiness, truth made
to live in the lives of Christians, the same
mind that was in Jesus Christ transmitted
and main ained in the church from age to
age, is the great power ordained of God for
the accomplishment of all the ends of Christianity.
O.her agencies are important only
as thev mav serve as channels for bringing
this into more extensive operation ; only us
tliey may be ruled and actuated by it, in all
tbe service to which they arc turned. This
is the soul of the evangelical enterprise.
This is the 'one thing needful' for securing
the triumphs of the Gospel; that, without
which all other resources can be of no avail;
that which of itself is sufficient infallibly
to secure every tiling that is required, in
. order to ultimate success. Holiness is of
incomparably more account to the church,
than any array of learning, any show of
worldly patronage, and ecclesiastical arrangements
whatever. There is a force in
O
it, which cannot lie measured bv the standard
of these things. The very highest possible
service that any individual can render
to the church is to be as holy as lie can.
Nr* nilwr r.nnf rihntinn which hn crm hrinrr
into the divine treasury, may be exhibited
as any compensation tor the withholding of
this.?Wealth, rank, learning, eloquence,
activity in favor of religious interests, comprehensive
policy and successful enterprise,
with regard to the Christian cause, would
be of less weight far than any amount of
personal righteousness, for which they might
be made to stand as a substitute. And so
also, in the case of a single church, or of
any Christian community. The strength of
the body is always measured by the amount
of its holiness. A holy church will always
wield immensely more power for truly christian
ends, tlmn a rich church, or a great
church, or a merely intelligent church, or a
liberal and stirring church of a different
character. The grand desideratum then,
for the world's salvation, is that the church
generally should be made to abound more
and more in holiness. The increase of her
resources in other respects, and the multiplication
of her methods in action, however
important, is a small matter in comparison
with the increase of the spirit of piety in her
own communion. I lore emphatically is the g
secret of her strength. And no mistake si
can be greater than f< r Iter to look away in tl
some other direction for the means of mai
king herself efficient, while she neglects to b
; make this her first and grea:est care. si
But there is a strong tendency at the j fI
present time, to lose sight of the value and ' 11
J power of holiness, as the great agency ap- j ?
i pointed of Christ for the building up of its | ''
| kingdom. The course of things in this j h
{ country especially, is such as to till men's i11
I minds wirhrjuite a different idea of power. ; g
: The deep, silent efibct, with which the truth jf<
j ofGod addressing itself immediately to the ! tl
inward sense of the soul, under the influence <
i <!.? ir.ili. ni.t-o C,i? tlir* nrnrinp. I ti
IIU lilt; I lyi Y VJIUWi, nyi A.I iui 4..^ |/iu..wv- .
tion of righteousness, comes not up to their ] t
notion generally on the subject of moral }
I changes. They are slow to understand j c
' that expression, /, if I be lifted up, will draw j s
! all men unto me. They would have some- ; T
j thing more obvious tosense, more analogous j s
i with the order of things in the material!
world; something that may be weighed, or *
j measured, or reduced to mechanical calcuj
lation. Truth itself, to meet their views, *
j must work by force; and the only concep- j f
j tions they seem to have at least of power jr'
I derived from the spirit of the Lord, is too li
j often such us to include merely a refined i "
j scheme of worldly might, brought to ope- 1 d
ra'e within the realm of mind. Views of i e
j this sort tend to beget too higli a regard | 'j
I for outward, secular resources and human ' v
I arrangements and etlbrts, as means of ad- j l(
vaneing the interests of the church. Reli- j c
j gious ends are too frequently pursued on j c
. worldly principles. Christianity is pushed t<
and driven, like an enterprise in irauc or a j?
| question of politics or literature, instead of j s
being suffered to make its way with light and , o
iove, and to assert its true heavenly majcs-jv
ty to the souls of men, as the wisdom off o
j (Jod, (or their everlasting salvation. j
All this might be illustrated, at large, by j v
referring to various exemplifications of our j t!
1 disposition, so liir as the religious comrnu- j h
| nity is concerned, to make a great deal of 1 i(
, money and worldly influence for the pro- j s
j motion of religious objects. This sort of f
j power seems, in many cases, to he sought v
: after and counted upon, as of more value j si
! than the influence of holiness itself. The ; "
! idea of its being attended with danger to 1
O O |
moral character, is to a great extent lost ; ?
; sight of, in the thought of the increased a
I abili y to do good which it confers upon j d
( men ; and any tendency which it may have j w
, to detract from the weight of christian ex- j w
ample, is supposed to be amply countcrbul- J
, meed I))- the new instrumentalities with 1
' whioli it arms christian enterprise. Even
J speculation itself is held to he lawful and
gool, in this light for religious uses. It
seems to he thought at times, that money, a
making schemes arc of more consequence tl
; to the church than the preaching of the A
gospel itself. ^
I fi
The religious spirit of the times might 11
well bear to he noticed in other particulars, { ^
having a relation to our general subject.? ! n
hut it is time to bring these reflections to j ^
1 " ~1 I'tlmmi Kn finrf truth in thf? rtilirtf. : ^
j ll V.IUdC'? 11 IIUIW W Ull | ? MVI* %?.W - ? J |
] scntations already made, enough has been i ?
exhibited to show, that the modes of think, i "
| ing which characterize the church at this ^
! time, as well as the genius ofthenge general- |
ly are unfriendly to the old orthodoxy of the j ^
Puritans, and favorable to Pelagianism.? j "
! There is a vast amount of undeveloped error !11
1 among us, leaning this way, and only wait- P
; ing for the hindrances and restraints of "
custom to fall away in order that it may as. \tc
i same an open shape in opposition to the truth: j s'
which is more to be deprecated a great deal ?
than any specific demonstrations, {confessed, j w
ly serious as some of these have been) that !
have yet appeared from the pulpit or the el
' press. J. VV. N. si
t<
J From the Christians, Scholar's, and Farmer's ! e
Magazine. s]
STYLE OF PREACHIXC. * t(
Mr. Rollin says, obscurity is generally tl
' occasioned by a style too concise ; and oth- si
! ers have observed many other causes of oh. o
: scurity, among which they place a very com- v
! mon one, a jingling of words, a muliitude tl
! of tinkling sounds which one describes and d
reproves thus ; " it is a vein of vain preach- r<
ing, turning sound preaching into a sound b
i of preaching: tickling men's cars like a w
j tinkling cymbal, feeding them, spoiling the J p
plain song with discant and division," &c. , a
Bishop Burnet, after much on the same j h
' subject, says, " a preacher is to fancy him- j n
S self as in the room of the most unlearned i d
! man in the whole parish, and must therefore I \\
put such parts of his discourses as he would p
i have nil understand, in so plain a form of, e
words, that it may not be beyond the mean- j s
CHI ol mem. Alius lie Will wruuiii^ siuuv I a
' to do, if his desire is to edify them rather ! p
i than to make them admire himself as a \ d
- learned and high-spoken man." Past. | \\
i Care, chap. 9. j \i
To the opinions of these great masters , w
we add tiiat of an ancient orator: cloqucn- j a
, Us dicimus cos qui ad populum verba Jacerc ! v
ins sun!.
I 1 k
MANNER OF DELIVERY. u
j An English writer on this subject, ob- ,
j serves, " There arc two extremes in the j
voice. The one is n drawling dullness,
which shows unconcernedness and want of
! zeal. The other is a boisterous noise,! j
i which argues rudeness, and want of modes- j
ty and manners. There are also two ex- j ^
trcmes in action. Some are inimical, fan- I ^
: tastical, and violent; this is rude and irrev- j.
! ercnt. Others stand like images, and j ]
' preach without any motion at all; this is j C
' stupid and unnatural. Motion should be I a
grave, decent, free, natural, moderate and j
suitable, without distortion, constraint, or i
affectation. All rules of preaching are rC- j
ducible to four heads. It should be plain, j
practical, methodical, affectionate
GlanviVs Essay on Preaching,part I. a
The intention of preaching must be to h
change the heart by informing the judgment, a
This was what the old English divines of fij
piety called the best preaching, savoury ! a
truth, wholesome matter, spiritual doctrine 01
j sound, powerful, searching preaching; and j nr
1 great encomiums they justly bestowed on ! d<
, minister* who prefer this before the more {<
audv, but less useful materials of glaring ll
bowy sermons, which aim only to tickle b
le ear. One may speak for all. t
" A powerful searching minis! ry, that ti
ringeth men to a sight and sense of their h
ins, is best to- fit men for conversion to s
lod. There is a playing with scripture c
1 oratorical flourishes, and a sound incul- d
ation of it. It is said, Pericles left a sting ti
1 the minds of his hearers. That is the t!
est preaching, which woundeth the hcait; tl
; is most for the glory of God, and for the g
;ood of souls. Speaking pleasing things d
a tickle the car better becometh the stage a
ban the pulpit. It is said, The words of w
he wise are as goads and nails,fastened by a
he master of assemblies. They are the ' ir
icst preachers, and most affectionate to o
ou, who wound your sou's. The work tl
? miiiictdp io fi"? fr;iin nritilnlivn in Itlm- C
II ? III.IMOIV.. ?-> .1^1 ? ' ?v..,^
elf: but souls to God. He is the best tl
>rcacher, who maketh you go away, and n
ay, not, how well he hath preached ! but C
iow ill have I lived!" Dr. Mutilans 1st s
$erm. on Acts ii. 37, 38. tl
Dr. Bates, in his funeral sermon for Dr. fl
danton, applies a pretty historical anecdote
rom Suetonius to this subject. 44 Dr. Man- n
on abhorred a vain ostentation of wit in '1
mndling sacred things, so venerable and r
frave, and of eternal consequence. In- tl
Iced, what is more unbecoming a minister s
if Christ than to waste the spirits of his o
train, as a spider docs his bowels, to spin a y
reb only to catch flies, to get applause by y
oolishly pleasing the ignorant ? And what h
ruelty is it to the souls of men ? It is re- y
orded, as an instance of Nero's savage b
em per, that in a general famine, whe n ma- r\
i r I l._ I I .
ly were pcrismng iornunger, no urueiou u n
liip should come from Egypt, the granary (1
if Italy, laden with sand lor the use of tl
wrestlers. In such extremity, to provide g
nly for delight, that there might be spec- p
aclos on the theatre, when the city of Rome t<
ras a spectacle of such misery, as to melt E
lie heart of any but a Nero, was most bar- a
arous cruelty : but it is cruelty of a heav:r
imputation for a minister lo prepare his d
trmons to please the foolish curiosity of rr
mcy with llashy conceits, nay, such light p
anitics as would scarce be endured in a h
cene, while hungry souls languish for ei
- ant of solid nourishment." b
We believe, were an accurate inquisition c,
lade to determine what constituted the a
cumen?the pungent?the dividing asun p
er of soul and spirit?in a sermon, it ti
'ould be found to lie in tiie truth of what w
as said. ti
o
lc marks on the inattention of many to attend p,
public worship, and impropriety of con- tc
duct of Some at church. ej
The great neglect of public worship is n<
n usual topic of complaint. Ministers lay n
le blame on the people, the people on the
fillisters. Probably the blame ought to be g;
ivided between both. The true secret of ai
lling a place of w orship is the art of ma- ft
ing the place a scat o{pleasure and happi- tc
ess to the people. Some attention should J,
n nnirl to the house, that hearers may liaz- vi
I ~ ' _ 1 ^
rd nothing in their health. Great heats /
nd excessive colds, damps and' dangerous sj
raughts of air should be prevented. The e<
ssembly should be so disposed as be freed n(
om the incommodiousness of being crow- ,c
ed. The worship itself should be so con- ^
ueted as to interest all; zeal and prudence w
lust direct it. The vile tubs, that we call c|
ulpits, which bury a man alive, and betray rt
ini into a thousand unnatural gestures, of- tj,
in provoking the contempt of the people, fa
liould be exchanged for light, low and de- Q|
cut rostrums. Above all, the minister, ^
ho officiates, should excel in all office- a)
ualifications, in modesty, zeal, humanity, fc
nergy and so on. The horrid habit of r|
ceping in some is a force of infinite pain \\
) others, and damps, more than any thing {|j
Ise, the vivacity of a preacher. Constant QJ
eepers are public nuisances, and deserve p
> be expelled a religious assembly, to which J |x
icy arc a constant disgrace, i nerc are c
nine, who have regularly attended a place c{
f worship for seven years twice a day, and jn
et have not heard one whole sermon in all Gj
le time. These dreamers arc a constant cr
istress to their preachers, and, could sober
jasoning operate on them, they would soon jj
e reclaimed. In regard to their health, sj
ould any but a stupid man choose such n Sl
lace to sleep in/ In respect to their char- CJ
ctcr, what can be said for him, who in t|,
is sleep sometimes snores, starts and talks, gj
Eindering himself ridiculous to the very chilren
in the place? Where is his prudence, w
hen he gives such occasion to malicious ^
ersons to suspect him of gluttony, drunk- ^
nness; laziness and other usual causes of j jl(
lat she is despised by the world, insulted very
y her enemies, apparently deserted by her then
lod, and is herself in a most forlorn situa- Lor*
on. In that situation men help in vain, The
er own arm cannot save her. But when Our
he is overwhelmed she poureih out her j Lori
omplaint before the Lord ; when she is their
es'itutc, she calls upon God in the time of it in
ouble. Churches and individuals, when high
icy trust in an arm of flesh, when they hear
rink that they are rich and increased with Nov
oods, and have need of nolhing, they scl- God
om pray, their prayers arc very formal, not
ml far from being importunate. The be tl
,-ickcd through the pride of his counten- pity
::cc calleth not upon God, for God is not can
1 all his thoughts. When men arc fyll the
f themselves, the throne of grace is not j pru)
icir refuge nor their sanctuary; if they ! then
onie to it at all, it is with the insolence of
ic Pharisee, and not with the self-abase- V
4. I I .1*4-- - t* 4 I 1_ 1 I _ Dtlf TTA\
1CIU U1JU IIU1! Millar Ul IIIC pUUUCUU. JJUi ; uw
Jod, while he despises the prayers of the ! do
elf-confident, he hears the poor, regards awa
ic destitute, he saves and comforts the af- The
ictcd. houi
Those who are destitute are the persons ^v'ie
lost welcome to the throne of grace.? ,s
'hey have a sense of their necessities, all a?ai
eluge faileth them, 110 man careth for ncss
icni; then they cry to the Lord, and he desc
aveth them from their distresses. A sense j an^
fnecd makes them earnest and importunate ; wor
ritli God. They do not only pour out j ' v
rords before him, but they pour out their j ^ca(
eart and complaint to him. Persons j And
dio are at ease in Zion pour out words, 1 sm 1
at the destitute pray with all their heart. f^en
i'hey who feci themselves to be desti-! in?1
ite, cry to God night and day ; their eyes \mas
lil in looking for God's salvation ; their f?r 1
iroat is dried in arguing at the throne of foun
? ? " ?TTnrl
race, ana tncy long lor an answer 10 meir i
ravers. Like a starving beggar, they look se^
) the eve and the hand of their heavenly 11? n
lenefactor 111 he send hGp. The desire niar
fier God himself as their portion, which J barg
i the common privilege of all the spiritually , bouj
estitutc, is a work of the Holy Ghost, the ; w,n(
lercics they want are near in the divine f?r 1
romiscs, and they are restless and un- men
appy till God hear and answer their pray- our
rs; they, as it were, wrest them from him wea
y faith and gracious expectation. They com
annot live without these mercies, and they
re vehement in seeking them. God, who satlc
uts bowels into earthly parents towards ons'
ieir children, especially the sick and the UP01
* I * ? * 1 I cIlTlt
'cak among tliem, w?u not uespise nis aes- -?
lute ones. He who commands us to deal tim0
ut our bread to the hungry, in real com- som'
assion, or drawing out our soul to them, som1
> clothe the naked, and to defend the fath- p?.m<
rless, will not neglect his own poor and i ^ 5S
eedy. " He will not break the bruised j
?ed. nor quench the smoking flax."
When God builds up Zion, then he re- evoi(
ards the prayer of the destitute; he arises ! ^rmi
ill rw i 1 in"
ad liath inercy upon Zion, the set time to , ?
ivor her arrives. He appears in his glory i
> men, and hears those prayers which the !
sstitute have presented to him for the re- : T
;val of his work. lie sits as the God of-saco
ion on his throne, judging right. He may
ands in his court of requests. Hestretch- degr
3 out his golden sceptre to the poor and vor
eedy. Their prayers formerly presented then
him. their present wants and cries, come agaii
ito his mind. A book of remembrance is | man
ritten before him, and the prr^ers of his ! ored
lurch are recorded on high. Tiien he j sifua
nnembers the particular wants of his des- | soul
lute, and in the general distribution of his and i
ivors, lie has his eve upon the generation sing
f them that seek his face; their prayers pron
tay have been forgotten by themselves, ofdi:
ul despised by the world, but they are not j a- ble
irgottcn by him who hearetli prayer, them
hey come up as a memorial before God. j them
/hen the Lord builds up Zion, he regards 1 to va
ic prayer of the destitute, because the sum i previ
f their prayers is about his Zion. See i some
sal. exxxvii. 51. Neh. i. 12, 14. Psal. tion
xiv. 22. 24. The church is dear to and
hrist, and dear to his saints. If the j form
lurch be well, the destitute rejoice even by tl
their personal afflictions, as in the case their
* David when he composed tjiis and oth- j stroj
nsalms. Roma salva ornni saloa. When ; ably
I ? .11
onic prospered, her friends forgot their J destr
stance from her, and the perils- of their | fall.'
tuation. That Zion may prosper, is the : R<
im of their wishes, the scoj>e of their pray-: thou,
s, and the issue of art their exertions : and
ey arc poor and destitute indeed,& cannot j that
ive to Zion what their wishes suggest; ; nera]
Jt they cannot refrain from helping her tion I
ith their prayers. These prayers are of self,
lean estimation in the eyes of Zion's ene-1 moth
lies, and contribute little, as they appre- of y
snd, towards their own destruction, or to- chur
ards the prosperity of the church; but in hreat
lis they are greatly mistaken. The pray, dispc
-s of the destitute are powerful before God, need
id become mighty auxiliaries to the inter- ' deck
?t of religion. The prayers of Knox shall !
ispire more terror into the mind of a i of c:
:ueen than the presence of ten thousand ! lor w
rmed foes. The prayers of Luther, and to re
f a few mere destitute Protestants, shall gold
nd to dissolve a powerful confederacy seenr
tlm i-o<Ai-mntinn On flip lrnpf><5 time
^ClllJOL IIIO IWlVUilwuvui via tk??www
lese suppliants shall cry vicimus, vicimus ! gelic
/e have overcome them,we have overcome suspi
lem ! God brings Zion into straits, that fulne
is name may be glorified in her deliver- I live
ice, and that the prayers of her friends numl
iay be a principal means for effecting it. prof*
i hen Peter was in prison, every knee was very
inded, every mouth was opened by tiie alarr
liurch at the throne of grace for his deliv- few <
'ance. Prayer was made without ceas- Oi
ig, or more earnestly than usual, as the man\
ord signifies, of the church unto God for that
im. The spirit of prayer is then com- per,
tonly poured out, and the church gives mini:
rod no rest till he arise and make Jerusa- you
m the praise of the whole earth. When were
fod brings again Zion, he honours the du- gene
r of prayer, and sweeten the mercies he no g
infers, by giving them as an answer to cour
icir supplications. The persons who neg- arise
ct praying for Zion have no grief at her your
fHiclion, and no joy in her deliverance, servi
;a. lxvi. 10. " Rejoice ye with Jerusa- is no
m, and be glad with her, all ye that love | quen
nr; rejoice for jov with her, all ye that' degr
lourn for her."?Our Zion is at present j of g
Iceping in the day-time? Where is his breed- w
ig? He ought to respect the company t|]
resent; what an offensive rudeness to sit e]
own and sleep before them! Above all, a)
here is his piety and fear of God ? There e?
rill come a time in the existence of this jn
fretched drone, in which he will awake q
nd find the Philistines punishing the idler, a]
ho was shorn in his sleep ! 0|
Ministers have tried a number of methods te
) rid assemblies of this odious practice.? ni
lome have reasoned, some have spoken t|,
)uder, some have whispered, some have y
ireatened to name the sleeper, and have ac^
tally named him, some have cried fire, hi
ome have left off preaching, Dr. Young sat a,
own and wept, Bishop Abbot took out his ^
lament and read Greek. Each of these y
waked the auditors for the time: but the j}(
estruction of the habit belongs to the sleeper c|
imself; and if neither reason nor religion e,
an excite him, he must sleep on, till death jr
nd judgment awake him!?liid. w
iii
From the Edinburgh Christian Magazine. n
GOD REGARDING THE PRAYER OF THE (j
DESTITUTE. le
The destitute are saints or churches in G
ffliction, even overwhelmed; when the t\
and of God is stretched against them, when c<
cloud covers them in the day of the Lord's di
jerce anger; when the enemy comes in like lc
flood upon them ; when error, as a boar | al
at of the wood, doth waste them, and im- j Is
loralitv, as a wild beast out of the field, i le
ath devour them. The original word I h<
irorr) points out the low state of Zion: n
destitute, and overwhelmed ; let us [ tl
3 pour out our complaint before the j n
J. lie hath covered us with a cloud. ! p
sun hath gone down on our prophets, o
breaches arc wide as the sea. The s
.1 is removing his valuable servants from ; ('
- pos's on the walls of Zion, and doing ' li
a manner which is affecting in the c
est degree. God grant us ears to v
his voice, and seriously to improve it! i
v is the time for the des:itute to cry to
, " Spare thy people, O Lord, and give j &
thine heritage to reproach." It may 1
lie Lord will be jealous for his land, and t
his people, Joel. ii. 17, 18. All who r
pray, should now lift up their voice to i
God of Zion, and he will regard the I 1
rer of the destitute, and not despise |
r prayer. s
? j
irATCir, Lest ye Enter into Tempta- c
f ??" The only thing to which men j
not appear to be naturally alive and <
ke, is the state of their immortal souls, t
y are in the midst of temptations every 1
r of their lives ; and they appear atjhomc i
n surrounded by their enemies. There i
3 alarm, no watchfulness. They watch s
nst other things?against poverty, sick- t
i, and robbery. This state the Scripture s
:ribes to be a kind of watchful sleep ; I
when the Word of God summons the 1
Id to salvation by Christ, he says? f
/ake thou that sleopest,nnd arise from the c
I, and Christ shall give thee light!' c
I again?' Awake to righteousness and
not.' J low many of those who call
iselves the disciples of Christ are sleepthis
day in security, as if they had no
ter that watched, and prayed, and died
hem ! Where is temptation not to be j|
id ? Jn what shape does it not appear ? |
ler what disguise does it not present it- j
? And what means does it not employ
jin our salvation ? It meets us in the
ket places, and thrusts itself into our
jains : it offers gold ; it leads us into the ^
>e of riot and intemperance ; it brings
i in goblets, and says?4 Eat and drink, ^
o-morrowyou die Y Id turns us from
to beasts ; and having deprived ns of
senses and our reason, it puts the
pon into our own hand, and bids us to P
mit violence and murder ; it sits by our *
3 at our meals, and joins in our conver- ^
>n ; it creeps into our minds and pois- ^
our thoughts; it puts venom and impiety u
1 our tongue ; it hides our Bibles, and ^
s them when we open them. Somes
it lurks near our path like a serpent ;
etimes it steals upon us as a thief; ?
times it comes muffled as a friend; !
stimes it rushes upon us as an assassin ; (c
about our bed, and spieth out our ways.
r, then, shall any man pretend to say,
he may sit still and sleep?and that ^
y power of his soul is not to be up in
?, while sucii a spectre as this is follow- .
? / /in ^
Tim through me i" i ^
~ ig
BOOTH S PASTORAL CAUTIONS. I v
i T
akc heed to yourself with regard to that i s|
ess, and those discouragements, which it
attend your ministry. Should a large it
ee of apparent success, through the fa- C
of Heaven, accompany your labors, rI
; will be the highest necessity to guard b
list pride and self-esteem. A young ai
of good ministerial abilities, and hon- tl
with great usefulness, is in a delicate u
tion respecting the prosperity of his own u
; lor, through the want of experience si
observation, such concurrence of plea- ir
particulars has proved to some very ri
rising characters, the innocent occasion pi
sgrace and ruin. Shining abilities, and ol
ssing upon their labors, have rendered T
i popular. Popularity has intoxicated nr
i with pride. Pride has exposed them j ki
irious temptations.- Temptations have j si
ailed, and either precipitated them into j tl
i erroneous offence, or laid the founda- ; o:
of a gradual departure from the truth,1 g
from the practice of real piety. If the ! 01
ier, their character has been killed, as J ft
- * T /* ? I l.ii I
ic stroke ot an apoplexy, n me lauer, n<
comfort and usefulness have been de- b
ed, as by a consuming hectic. Agree- 01
to that saying, " Pride goetli before b<
uction, and a haughty spirit before a i ol
<it
emember, therefore, my brother, that, ta
gh it is your indispensable duty to labor b<
pray for prosperity in your work, yet
season of remarkable success, will ge- u
Ily prove an hour of peculiar tempta- d<
lo your own soul. Take heed to your- J in
at such a time, and watch the secret I ft
Dns of your own heart. The number j G
our hearers may increase, and your ai
ch may flourish; while, in your own G
>t, devotional affections and virtuous 01
>sitions are greatly on the decline; nor m
I inform you that every degree of such rc
:nsion, has a tendency to final ruin.
?sides, if there should be an experience ; .
Ktensive utility attending your labors,
diich I sincerely pray, you may do well j \u
member the old proverb: All is not lj
that glitters." Numbers there are that
i to receive the word with joy, who, in a
of temptation, fall away. Many evan- s
al and popular preachers, I am very st
cious, have greatly over-rated the use- ar
ss of their own labors. For, the longer
?, the more apprehensive I am that the
ber of real converts, among those who SG
;ss the genuine Gospel, is comparatively Jv
small; according to the import of that
ning declaration, Many are called, but w
ire chosen.
n the other hand, should you meet with
y and great discouragements, take heed st
you do not iudulge a desponding ternas
if you had been of no use in the ; ni
sterial work. With discouragements,
certainly will meet, unless Providence w
i to make your case an exception to the m
ral course of things, which you have pi
jround to expect. Very painful dis- F1
agements, for instance, may sometimes w
:, from the want of liberty and savor in bi
own mind, when perlorming public ai
ce. This, there is reason to suppose, ta
t uncommon. I, at least, have had fre- m
t experience of it, and once to such a di
ee, that I began to think very seriously ai
iving up the ministry, supposing that st
lie Great Shepherd had nothing further for
nc to do, either in the pastoral office or in
reaching the word at large. This exercise
f mind, though exceedingly painful for
omc weeks, was both instructive and useul.
Before that well.recollected season, I
iad frequently talked about the necessity
>f divine influence, to render a minister saory
in* his own mind, as well as profitable
o others; but then I felt it.
Be not discouraged, then, as though some
trange thing happened to you, that never
>efel a real minister of Christ, if a similar
rial should occur in the course of your milistry.
For it may be to you, as I trust it
vas to me, of no inconsiderable benefit;
>ecause I reckon that whatever curbs our
>ride, makes us feel our insufficiency, and
sends us to the throne of grace. Seldom,
das! have I found any remarkable degree
>f savor and of enlargement in the public
service, without experiencing more or less
)f self-elatemcnt and of self-cratulation on
hat account. Instead of complaining, that
[ have not more liberty in my work, or
no re success attending the performance of
t, I have reason to wonder at the coodC'
jcending kindness of God, in that he gives
0 my extremely imperfect labors, the least
saving eriect, and that he does not frequent- *
y leave me to be confounded before all my
learers.?Such, brother, have been the
eelings and reasonings of my own mind,
ind such my confessions before God many
1 time.
From the S. C. Herald.
FALSE TEACHERS.
We read of "those who darken counel
by words without knowledge," Job
xxviii. 2; of those " who prophesy lies in
fie name of the Lord," Jer. xiv. 14, and of
hose " who saw vanity and divined lies,"
Szekiel xxii. 28. And our Saviour, Matt,
ii. 15, "Beware of false prophets which
ome to you in sheep's clothing,but inwardly
re ravening wolves." Ana again xxiv.
lath. 12, "And many false prophets shall
rise and shall deceive many," Mark xiii. 22.
Lnd in 2 Pet. ii. 1, "But there were false
rophets also among the people, even as
iere shall he false teachers among you, who
rivily shall bring in damnable heresies,
sven denying the Lord who bought them)
nd many shall follow their pernicious ways,
y reason of which the way of truth shall
e evil spoken of." And in 1 John iv : 1,
Beloved, believe not every Spirit, but try
le Spirits whether they are of God, because
mny false prophets are gone out into the
orld." And in the Revelations ii. 2: the
Lurch at Ephesus is commended for denting
uie spurious pretensions of religious
;achers hi tho following words, al know
iat thou hast tried them which say they
re apostles and are not, and Jiast found
icm liars."
So, in our day there am many false
?achers, who obscure, corrupt, or deny the
rospel. There are those who deny M oriinal
sin," and " total depravity," never haing
experienced a conviction of sin by the
pirit of God. They knftw nothing about
except what they know as mere natural m
icn. They are never "witnesses for
hrisl" of what they have seen and do kmtr.
'hey do not feel themselves by nature to
e ?enemies to God," "dead in trespasses
d sins," " children of wrath," and therefore
icy deny that they are so. They cannot
nderstand how there can be any sin but in
acts," and therefore they deny " original
n." They cannot see how it would be just
t God to impute Adam's, sin to his pestety,
and therefore they deny any such im.
u tat ion, directly in opposition to the word
r God and the known facts of the ease,
'hey cannot comprehend how there can be
ioral obligation, where there is inability to
eep the code; and therefore they deny
ich inability. They cannot perceive koto
le so;il can be regenerated by the power
f the Holy Spirit, and u created again unto
ood works," and the free moral agency
f the sinner remain unimpaired, and there,
ire they d cr.y such agency. They canot
comprehend how the Son of God could
car the sins of his people uin his own body
n the tree," nor how ms obedience could
3 in any " intelligible" sense the ground
f their justification; anti therefore they
?ny a vicarious atonement, and the impution
of the righteousness of Jesus to the
3liever.
And to sustain themselves behind their
refuges of lies," M they resort to the hidjn
things of dishonesty, they walk in craft~
[ess, they handle the word of God deceit,
illy; 2 Cor. iv. 2. They thus reject the
ospel, deny the Lord who bought them,
id do despite to the Spirit and grace of
od. And in thus doing, th?y remove the
" .-LV I 1 L..
ily jounaaiion esiaoiisncu uy uic rcuvrc*
lercies of our God for the lost; the last
?fugc for the ungodly.
as honest child.?The following pleang
anecdote related by an Englishman,
illy demonstrates the influence of early re*ious
training. A child, about ten years
d, going down a street one daysaw, at
distance, a man counting money ; when
le came up as far a< the spot where he
ood, she found a shilling?picked it up,,
id ran to his house, saying, " Here, Mr.
, is a shilling you lost." *Nor
lild, it is not mine, keep it." u No, no,"1
lid she, ** I saw you counting money, and
hen I came where you were I found this."
,e then took it and gave her a penny, with
hich she bought a toy, and went home :
hen her mother saw the toy, she asked:
?r where she got it; the child told the
orv, and said : "an honest penny is better
an a dishonest shilling," w for the love of
ioney is the root ofevil."?<S. S. Journal.
Submarine Excursion. On Monday
eck, Mr. James Orchard made a sublarine
excursion in Weymouth Bay, in the
resence of a great concourse of spectators,
fe submerged at the new Pierhead, and
alked at the bottom of the water round tho
iv ; in his journey, he picked up several
rficles, among others an antique silver
nkard, which, from its corroded state,
lust have been long under water. Tho
ver was accompanied by a boat, with an
r pump, from which ho received a con~
ant supply.?English paper.