they follow him to the heavenly city, whither their Forerunner has entered. V. We see the final safety of all Christ's Because they were elected Christ sheep. died for them; the Holy Spirit effectually calls them; eternal life is given to them, as a free gift, the effect of sovereign, unmerited mercy preserving grace is vouchsafed to them : 66 They shall never perish." The pestilential winds of hell shall not corrupt them; they are seasoned with salt, the heavenly salt of God's grace. They shall finally conquer, although surrounded by foes on the right hand and on the left, doubts and fears within, enemies without; still are they hid with Christ in God and shall arrive in yon blest habitation, where sorrow and sighing is unknown. Cheer up, tried Christian! thy Redeemer liveth. He has undertaken thy cause, and will never desert thee. Still trust Him you who are trusting in yourselves are trusting to a rope of sand. Christ, and Christ only is the way of salvation. A LETTER TO C. W. BANKS ON THE EVERY word spoken by our Saviour has a sweetness in it such as the carnal mind cannot understand. 'Tis so in the words of our text; in it there is a richness and a fulness to DEATH OF MRS. EVERS HEAD. the Christian, while to the world it is barren and unmeaning. 'Tis to the Christian I shall more particularly speak to-night. In the first part of the text we have the distinctive mark of all God's children-they are his sheep; they are God's especial property; he in the act of election gives them to Christ; this gift being made before the mountains were brought forth, or the hollow of the sea was digged. They are Christ's by special gift, as also by special purchase; and not only they are Christ's, but they are Christ's sheep. Satan's children are called goats. Christ's children, in opposition to them, are called sheep; they having a distinct nature, a nature implanted and preserved by the Holy Ghost,-" a new nature." II. We have the Spirit's call asserted, They hear my voice." This voice is sometimes heard in the preached word. All of you hear my voice preaching to-night, but it is only God's children who hear Christ's voice speaking, through the minister. They hear his voice in the roaring thunders, as well as in the soft murmurings of the summer's breeze. They hear Christ's voice speaking to them individually, and recognize it. III. Christ knows his children. He knows them in the sense of love. In every position of their life he knows them. He never forgets them. Men know us in prosperity, they forget us in adversity; God knows his children at all times; as well on the mount, as in the valley, and vice versa. He knows them as redeemed, and as children. IV. Not only does God know his children; they also know Him; and when he reveals himself to them, they follow him, first in paths of holiness, to which they are elected, called, and sanctified; second, in his ordinances; for they see their Jesus in the baptized waters, in the broken bread, in the poured out wine, in praise, prayer, and meditation. Thirdly, DEAR FRIEND AND BROTHER IN THE LORD.-Under the sweet constraining power of God, I take the liberty of dropping a few lines to you as the Lord shall please to enable me, respecting the last illness and death of the late Mrs. Charlotte Evershead. As she stood in union and communion with you, and the cause at Unicorn-yard, in Christian fellowship, and as the Lord was pleased, of his infinite goodness and mercy, to bless my poor soul abundantly under her roof, and in her company, so I desire alone to speak of it to his honour, and praise, and glory, that we were brought together in his all-wise and most mysterious providence. I was at her sister's when she came down from London to take the little cottage at the bottom of our little garden. She seemed in very high spirits concerning it. I felt very sorry, having many fears that the change would be too great; the country is so large and open, I thought the air would be too searching to produce any good effect upon her health, it being just the commencement of the winter season. It was about the third Sabbath after she first came here that I went to see her, hoping that if it were the Lord's gracious will we might be favoured and blest with some spiritual conversation together on eternal matters; but on calling at her house I found she was not at home. I saw her on the following Friday, when she said she felt the effects of a cold about her. I went in to see her on the following Monday, towards evening. was then ill in bed with a heavy bilious attack, which had brought her down and rendered her very weak in body. The Lord was pleased to loose my bonds, and gave me sweet liberty and freedom in speaking to her on spiritual and eternal things. I read to her the 63rd Psalm, as she requested; com She miting her into the hands of the Lord, I ourselves to be nothing, and Jesus Christ bade her farewell for the night. I called our all in all. We were favoured to speak to see her on the following day, when the of his goodness, love, and mercy to us, so Lord was pleased to grant me- his poor truly unworthy of all, as we were. feeble worm-the same liberty and freedom in speaking on eternal matters. The Lord did so bless me with sweet nearness of spirit to him, with sweet communion and fellow ship with him, that her little house became a Bethel to my soul, and from that time till the last moment of her life, I attended upon her as often as I possibly could; and I could most willingly and gladly have remained with her to have been a constant attendant upon her for the Lord's sake; but I had an afflicted sister and an aged mother at home to attend to, so that I could not do so. Through the goodness and mercy of God, I felt a near and dear union to her, and she to me. After I had rendered her as comfortable as I was able in body, she used to request me to lay down by the side of her and talk to her; for she said, "I love to hear you talk about your dear Lord and Master. I want you to tell me all you know about him." O, my dear (I said), you have quite outdone me in asking me that." Then I told her, as the Lord enabled me, how he had called me and instructed me by his grace in the wilderness. Thus many comfortable hours, through grace, we spent together. It was nearly a fortnight before she was eufficiently raised to go out of doors. When she did, she requested me to go with her. I did so the three or four following days, but she was very weak. I said, "I fear the air is too cold and searching for you in your weak state." She said, "I must persevere, as the doctor says I am to get out all I can, or I shall not get strength.' On the 11th of March, I went in the morning as usual, and took the Word of God up. She said, "What portion have you this morning?" I replied, "Our last Sabbath's text seems peculiarly precious to me this morning" (1 John iii. 2). I read to her the whole of the chapter. She then said, "I have to go into my sister's a few minutes. I should like you to stop till I come back. I shall be only ten minutes gone." She said, when she came back, "I wanted you to stay as long as you could; I want to talk to you." She then related to me how the Lord called her out from sin unto himself; and first she spoke of how she opposed the way of truth, and how she hated and despised her father and husband on the account of it. Then she told me how the Lord brought her down as an undone sinner in London; and how he brought her forth into liberty under Mr. Kershaw, and then how he led her into union and communion with the church under Mr. Lucombe. Then, how she came into union and communion with Mr. C. W. Banks, and the cause at Crosbyrow, and at Unicorn-yard. She then requested me to come in again and write to her husband for her. I went in to do so the next morning, and the Lord abundantly blessed our souls together, and brought us very low at his dear feet, feeling and acknowledging This was truly a good day to us throughout, for I was with her the greatest part of that day. In writing to her husband, she said, I was to tell him she was getting better, but very slowly. I said, you have a fresh cold coming on, I fear. She said, yes, I think I have: when she requested me not to tell her husband about that by any means: she did not wish to make him uneasy about her. A little before this, circumstances had taken place, so that on three or four occasions when I went in to attend her, her fleshly mind was wrought upon to an high degree, which caused one the greatest grief, pain, and distress to hear it. Under these circumstances, I felt bound in spirit, in tenderness, meekness, and love, to give her a word of caution and advice, which she received very kindly. In going in afterwards, I found the Lord had broken her spirit in the matter, and she could leave it; and she hoped the Lord would never suffer her to take it up again. She said, "If we sow to the flesh, we shall of the flesh reap corruption." Yes, she said, I believe we shall. She then said, I have as much cause to bless the Lord for your words, reproof, and advice, as I have for your words, which have, under God, ministered consolation to my soul. Under these things, her soul grew more and more towards me in the Lord. On the day before she died, the 16th of March, I was under a cloud in my soul; so I could not say much to her when she accosted me; she said, "Don't you love your Master ?" "O yes;" I felt constrained to say, "He is the chiefest among ten thousand; the altogether lovely to my soul: there is none that I desire beside him. And I was only waiting another gracions visit from him." She said, I am so weak I cannot talk much. She then laid still a little, and said, I am thankful the Lord has raised you up to be a friend to me in my affliction. I little thought you would be such a friend to me when I saw you at my sister's, and especially a spiritual friend. I am very thankful to you for all your kindness to me. I said, "No, no thanks to me; no, not me, my dear, your dear Lord and Master. Yes," I said, "thank him! praise him! adore him! for he alone is worthy of all thankfulness and praise, for I am a poor thing, and what I am, am by the grace of God." Then she said, I don't know what I should do if it were not for Martha, meaning her niece, and you. I said, O, my dear, don't say so, the Lord could raise up others as well as us. Yes, she said, I know he could, but I bless him he has raised up you. I had earnestly entreated her to let me write to her husband, as her throat got bad very fast; and she said, no, do stay another day or two: my reason is, it will only worry him, and I don't wish to do that. I told her I thought it was quite right he should know it. The next day, the 17th of March, was the closing scene of her mortal life. I don't think she thought her end was so near, nor yet the door: as he told her sister there was nothing : THE EARTHEN VESSEL. : [JULY 1, 1857. saw she was going. In a E. KILLICK. [Mrs. Evershead was an honourable member of the Church at Unicorn-yard; and in her death we have lost, and the cause of truth has lost, a sincere friend. She is one of a very great many of our late members who have recently departed in peace.-ED.] GOODNESS AND MERCY. benefits, even the God of our salvation," Psalm "Blessed be the Lord who daily loadeth us with lxviii. 19. His tender goodness permeates all vastness and all space; Lights up the sun, and forms the smile upon an infant's face. His blessed hand unceasingly gives light and life to flow; And makes a glorious brightness in a world of sin and woe. For ever lauded be our God-—when this huge world dangerous about her: it was the quinsey she had in her throat, and he could not render her any assistance for two or three days, as she could not take anything down. This was a trying scene to many of us, not expecting her end so near. I made arrangements with her niece to meet her there early in the morning, as she had to get up early to attend to a heavy day's work. I went at the hour of five in the morning her niece being with her through the night, came down, and let me in. When I entered, she told me she had had a restless night, and wished to take a little tea, with an egg in it. She said it was very nice; she felt it did her good when she got it down. With difficulty she persevered, and took the greater part of it out of the tea-spoon. She was full two hours in taking it. She said, this is hard work, as I stood and put it in her mouth. My arms, she said, are very weak, nothing but the everlasting arms will do now. I was with her sometime. I then told her I had to go and get my sister's and mother's breakfast, and A DAILY load of benefits, of kindness ever new, that I would come again as soon as possible. A daily load of mercies, which are neither small She said, I am comfortable now, and shall do And every one who loves the name of Zion's God nor few. [above till you come again. I said no! I cannot leave you alone. She said she should do very Has an inwrought deep conviction of his proviwell. I said, I will call and tell your neighdential love. hour to come in. She said do as you like. I did so, and went down again as soon as I had arranged things at home. It was then just eleven o'clock. Her neighbour said, perhaps you will stay for some time. I said yes, for a time. She said that Mrs. Evershed had taken some arrow-root, and enjoyed it her throat was better. My dear friend said, I don't want anything now; sit down where I can see you. I sat down, I said, have you heard from your husband this morning? Yes, she said; I have a letter, but cannot read. Will you read it? I took it, and paused a moment. She said, read it please. I said this is not your husband's writing. She said, whose is it then? Your aunt's from Greenwich. She said, I wonder how it is he has not wrote. We must just write a line or two to-day, and to my aunt. Will you write for me? I said yes. She said, I must turn my back to you; we'll sit the other side of the bed. I did so. She then said the Lord had visited her soul, and relieved her body too. I feel thankful for this great love and mercy the Lord had just broke forth in my soul at that moment, and filled it full of the precious wine of the kingdom. I rose to talk to her, when she spoke first, and wished me to take her out of the bed, as the bed scemed hard. It refreshed her to sit up. I said, "I fear you have not strength to sit up out of bed." She said, "Do you think so?" I said, "I do indeed." " Perhaps you would set up in bed for a little while." She said, "I would rather get out; I only want to sit for a moment or two-it would so refresh me." I then assisted her. She told me everything she wished for respecting her getting out. I got them for her, and asked her to take round my neck while I gently raised her up. She stepped out. I gently laid her down in the chair and wrapped her up. I feared she would faint. She immediately looked steadfastly at me, and I we see Partake his daily benefits, gratuitous and free, We think upon that little world, we joyfully reflect Upon that chosen, favored few, the world of God's elect. Here mercy is distinguishing-here God has his delight; And richest blessings, costly, pure, bless all these sons of light. Secluded, oft unknown, they pass their pilgrimage on earth: Nor envy all the wealth or pomp of men of For they have riches, honors, joys, and peace in That twice ten thousand, thousand worlds would Brother and their Head. Born not of earth, nor earthly things, but regis- has set them free; And death will prove a benefit of glory, bliss, and troubles cease Keep steadfast in the good old way, and reach Then, not to us, but to thy name, eternal God, our heaven at length. (we'll raise An anthem of immortal joy and never-dying praise. De Beauvoir Town, June, 1857. G. E. RUNTING. MR. JAMES WELLS AND MR. SPURGEON. A CORRESPONDENCE AND A QUESTION. A REVIEW OF MR. SPURGEON'S BY MR. JAMES WELLS, Of the Surrey Tabernacle. DEAR MR. EDITOR.-The correspondence between myself and Mr. Wilkins, of Windsor-street Chapel, Brighton, being published in the EARTHEN VESSEL, I think it needful that I should verify the truth of my assertion -that Mr. Spurgeon is a duty-faith man. And although he does not, in any of his printed sermons that I have seen in so many words, declare it to be the duty of all men savingly to believe in Christ, yet he clearly holds the doctrine. A doctrine, when stripped of its obscurity, fleshly sympathies, and deceptive rhetoric, amounts simply to this-that the great God has, in love and merey, recorded the names of a people (whom he hath chosen) in the Lamb's Book of life from before the foundation of the world; and that those people whom he hath sovereignly left out are to be condemned to all eternity, for not having their names there also. Impossible as it was for their names to be in the Book of Life, yet they, for not being there, are to be cast into hell. And one of Mr. S's sermons containing this said doctrine is entitled " Unimpeachable Justice." What, then, I say, is this duty-faith doctrine? It is that Jesus Christ laid down his life for the sheep-and for the sheep only and the others are to be damned to the lowest and hottest hell because they did not make him their Saviour also. And this is to be called "Unimpeachable Justice." Again, I say, what is this duty-faith doctrine ? It is that all the objects of eternal election have obtained it; that is, obtained it, by electing grace making them indissolubly one with Christ; and the others are to be doubly punished for not being one with him too. The Holy Spirit gives to every man severally as he will. As the heavenly wind, he bloweth where he listeth: yet the others are to be cursed of God because they are not regenerated also. A kingdom is to be possessed for ever by a people, for whom, from the foundation of the world, that kingdom was prepared; and the others are to be cast into the lake of fire, because they do not take possession of what was never meant for them, for it shall be given to them for whom it was prepared. Now, I proceed from Mr. Spurgeon's printed sermons, to prove that he holds and preaches this doctrine of a baseless condemnation; this figment of a causeless curse; this miserable apology for the damnation of men. That this viper of a doctrine is among the sticks that he gathers; and though not so often seen as in the ministry of some of his low doctrine brethren, still the poison is there. This leaven is, however, imperceptibly, still working. These are the names I give to such a doctrine; but then, Mr. Spurgeon holds it as a Bible doctrine; and, therefore, holds it in reverence and respect, and will not be ashamed to own this duty-faith doctrine, though, of course, he would not like to own it in the nudated state in which I have here presented it, nor, by any means, suffer it to wear such names as, in my. estimation, belong to it. To give in full the first proof would be to quote the whole of his sermon on the "Sin of Unbelief." I shall give but few words from the 19th and last page of that sermon. The sermon, page 19, says "I could not have thought that persons could be so foolhardy as to venture to assert that it is no sin for a sinner not to believe in Christ." This same sermon closes thus-if you are lost it will be because ye believed not on Christ; and, if you perish, this will be the bitterest drop of gall-that ye did not trust in the Saviour." Now, that infidel unbelief-that is, a disbelief of God's Holy Word, is sin, no rightminded man will deny,-but that absence of saving faith is sin, I do most distinctly deny. Now, as the sermon makes no distinction between the faith which God alone can bestow, and that conscience, natural, religious believing in the truth of the Bible, which thousands of graceless people possess; the unavoidable conclusion of every reader of that sermon must be, that it holds that it is the duty of all men savingly to believe in Christ-for where faith is not a duty, unbelief cannot be a sin. And the sermon, unlike some other sermons by the same author, is all through consistent with itself, and very properly closes with a most awful threat to those who neglect the duty of savingly believing in Christ. "This shall be the bitterest drop of gall-that ye did not trust in the Saviour." Could a Wesleyan say more? The Saviour was never meant for them; and yet this is to be the bitterest drop of gall-that they did not trust in the Saviour; whom the author of these sermons declares, again and again, died for the elect only. And yet they are to find this the bitterest drop of gall-that they did not trust in the Saviour. This sentence is in perfect keeping with the main drift of this sermon; to tell me, after reading this sermon, that its author is not a duty-faith man, is to tell me that words have no meaning. And, if his gospel be divided against itself is it not a suicidal gospel? is it not a kind of self-murdering gospel ? And does not such an idea remind one of that scripture "that no murderer hath eternal life ?" I speak as I feel; and assert and testify that to me such a gospel is yea and nay; and by such a gospel I (whatever others may do) cannot look for eternal life. I hold, but I do not here stop to prove, the truth of my position. I hold that infidel unbelief is sin; but I do not hold that the nonpossession of the faith of God's elect is sin. There is plenty to condemn poor benighted fallen man without the mockery of turning electing grace, redeeming blood, and regenerating mercy into laws of wrath, vengeance, and direst destruction. Nor will I stop to tell out how strongly I feel against this duty-faith poison-this column of smoke from beneath; but will go on to prove my point--that Mr. mon is to my distaste. But they agree with me, and I with them, in this-that it is selfcontradictory. S.'s sermons contain the doctrine of duty-faith and self contradiction. Nor am I speaking as the representative of any one person under heaven but myself: let me, therefore, bear all Again, in a sermon preached in Glasgow, the blame. I claim my right to speak for my- Aug. 10, 1856, by Mr. Furguson B. A., the self; and, let me die in a workhouse or rot in preacher in page 4 of the said sermon, speaks a prison, or be burnt at a stake, rather than concerning Mr. S.'s comment at Glasgow on make shipwreck concerning faith. Let every- the 11th chapter of Matthew thus:-" Mr. thing else go, but let me stand fast in the faith. Spurgeon read the 11th chapter of Matthew. Nor have I any end in view but the honor and He (Mr. S.) said that there were three importruth of God and godliness. Nor am I seek- tant doctrines taught in that paragraph of ing to find fault with Mr. S.; I am doing by Scripture. The responsibility of man, in the him as I myself would be done by; and mere- woe which Christ pronounced upon Chorazin ly proving that those doctrines, and that that and Bethsaida, for disregarding his miracles gospel which he so conscientiously, sincerely, the electing sovereignity of Gol in the 26th industriously, and with such numerical success verse--' I thank thee, oh, Father, Lord of preaches, is, nevertheless, to me a yea and nay heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these gospel. things from the wise and prudent, and revealed them unto babes,' and the unlimited freeness of the gospel invitation- come unto me, all ye that labour. That he (Mr. S.) could not (says Mr. Ferguson) reconcile the first and the third doctrines with the second, but expected to be enabled to do so by the light of the upper world." In the sermon entitled" The two effects of the Gospel," page 199, we have these words"It is a fact that the gospel of Jesus Christ will increase some men's damnation at the last day." Again, in sermon entitled " Freewill a Slave," we have, on page 402, these words Suppose a thief should say to a Judge, I could not help it, I had a bad heart. What would the Judge say Why, you rascal, why, if your heart is bad I will make the sentence the heavier, for you are a villian indeed." The idea (as the connection shews), here intended, is-that as the sinner makes his bad heart an excuse for not coming to Christ, this sinner is to be reckoned a rascal, and a villian indeed. What analogy there is between a living man wilfully becoming a thief, and a dead sinner not coming to Christ, I must leave others to determine. One thing is clear, that the Lord could, had it been his will, have come to the sinner, though the sinner would not, and could not, come to him; but if the Lord will not, and the sinner cannot, then vain is the help of man. Again (page 263) in the sermon entitled "Unimpeachable Justice," we have these words" Tossed back on a wave of fire, they will see written on every spark that emanates therefrom, thou knewest thy duty, but did it not. Again, he plunges into another wave, &c. Yes, it may be, MY FRIENDS, that I shall be one of your tormentors in hell; and, when you lift up your eyes to heaven, you will shriek, and say, O God! there is my minister looking down reprovingly on me." Again, in the "Christian Spectator," Jan., 1856, there is a review of the sermon entitled "Truths Taught by the Resurrection of Lazarus." In which sermon, in the extracts they give, are these words-" My friends, its all nonsense about metaphors: men are really dead, in a spiritual sense." And, then, at the beginning of the next paragraph but one, we have these words" But methinks I hear some say, I cannot do anything. I will sit down where I am, and make myself content. What now? wilt thou sit thyself down when hell blazes before thee ?" &c. The reviewers are low doctrine men! but they see the self-contradiction, and find fault therewith. The Calvinism of the sermon being as much to their distaste, as the Arminianism of the ser Here we have another instance of self-contradiction; all arising from the duty-faith doctrine. All the three doctrines above are reconciled simply by taking the repentance spoken of for what it is-viz., the repentance like the repentance of the Ninevites-of reformation, but not the repentance of regeneration, or that accompanying salvation. I will now set some of these samples of Mr. S.'s sermons on the left hand, and the Bible on the right, and let us see what relation there is between them. 3. "It is a fact that the gospel of Jesus 4. "Ye knew your 5. "I shall be one of your tormentors in hell." 1. THE BIBLE. not among yourselves; no man can come to me ex cept the Father draw him." Johh vi. 43, 44. woman and her son; for the son of the bondo 2." Cast out the bond man shall not Le heir with the son of the freewoman." Gal. iv. 30. 3. "For the Son of Man is come not to destroy men's lives, but to save them." Luke ix. 56. 4. "Ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep." 5. "Vengeance is mine, I wil repay, saith the Lord." Rom. xii. 19. 6. "What! now sit 6. "The dead know hell blazes before thee?" thyself down, when not anything." Ec. ix. 5 Now, I conclude from the foregoing proofs, that Mr. S. belongs to the dutyfaith class of preachers; and that he preaches a self-contradictory gospel. But I do most distinctly deny saying this disres pectfully or unkindly; I state these merely as facts. Nor is Mr. S.'s position in this respect anything either new or uncommon; for although a position (at least I believe, and so I speak) unknown to the Bible, yet it is position which has been occupied by mex |