uncomely, so that our knowledge of Jesus | tainly been found "wanting," still his laprevails over our natural ignorance of Him, our love to Him prevails over our natureenmity against Him; and our decision for Him prevails over all the capriciousness of the flesh against Him. Faith cleaves unto Him, and that by the power of God; if this give way, we are gone, and are turned into infidels; therefore, knowing we stand by faith, we desire not to be high-minded, but to take heed lest we fall. Shall we not then still seek grace whereby to stand fast in the comeliness of Him in whom is all our completeness before God? And I am sure, my good Theophilus, you must be delighted with that testimony which shows that in that oneness with the Saviour we are reckoned not according to our first Adam-self, but according to the second Adam-self; so that in this oneness with Jesus we can never die. Our real self, therefore, is in that comeliness we have in Jesus,-this is our real, substantial, permanent self; the other, the old Adam-self, was crucified, and must die, and pass away, and be no more; and so far does the apostle carry this idea of our real self, consisting of what we are by regeneration and in Christ, that he says of that which is so perfectly natural to us after the flesh, that "It is no more I, but sin that dwelleth in me." Most excellent Theophilus, what a sweet hope hast thou!-in a Father's love, in a Saviour's work, in the Holy Spirit's mighty power, and in the sure testimony of eternal truth. So lives A LITTLE ONE. THE BIBLE: bours have procured for him a high standing as an author, a minister, and a lecturer in defence of the broad principles of our Protestant faith. For such services we highly esteem him; and feel prepared to give to any of his works, when forwarded to us, the very careful attention they certainly deserve. No enterprise of modern date has been received with greater jealousy than has the scheme for revising and new translating the Holy Scriptures; and could our readers fully understand the origin, the design, and the fearful consequences of this project, they would, we are persuaded, prayerfully unite with us in resisting any hasty or unwholesome step that might lead to an undertaking so likely to be perilous and destructive to the highest interests of the coming generations. In contemplating a re-translation of our Bible, there are four things on which we fix our eyes with great amazement and deep concern. In the first place, who are the persons so anxiously seeking to give us a new Bible? For the most part, they are persons who are opposed to the foundation principles of the Gospel. They are men who want to cast out of the Bible the Divine sovereignty of God; the eternal deity and godhead of our Lord Jesus Christ; the great doctrines of redemption by an atoning sacrifice; and justification by the imputed and implanted righteousness of the second glorious Person in the ever-blessed Trinity-men who deny the distinct and co-equal personality and essential efficacy of the Holy Spirit; and who dare to affirm that such books as Solomon's Song, &c., ought never to have been in the Bible at all-men who are evidently at heart opposed to, and ignorant of, A REVIEW OF DR. CUMMING'S SION. the vitalizing powers of that religion which A PAMPHLET of some sixty pages has re Paul says is "according to the faith of cently appeared, entitled "Bible Revision God's elect, and the acknowledging of the and Translation; an Argument for hold truth which is after godliness," creating a ing fast what we have. By the Rev. John" hope of eternal life, which God, that canCumming, D.D., F.R.S.E., Minister of the National Scottish Church, Crown Court, Covent Garden." It is published by Arthur Hall, Virtue, and Co., and is sold for eighteen-pence. not lie, promised before the world began." Give these men, then, the power to revise and to re-translate the Scriptures, and down will fall the testimonial pillars of THE TRUTH as it is in Jesus, and a tempoDr. Cumming has been one of the most rary eclipse of the great Gospel luminary successful theological writers of the pre- must be the inevitable result. The Romish sent times, never failing to furnish some Church has for centuries been hiding up valuable literary and biblical evidence on and holding back the Scriptures; but our every popular topic; and although, when modern Ahithophels will suck out their "weighed in the balance," many of his life-blood, and leave us nothing but a productions and conclusions have cer- death-like code of ancient history, of polished moral essays, and of apostolical | all our earthly treasures-the Book of biographies. Ministers, men, and matrons Books. It saysof every Christian caste; fathers, fellow immortals, teachers, and tutors of every grade! we earnestly beseech you to "HOLD FAST WHAT WE HAVE." On this head Dr. Cumming has had ample proof, and we think he might have been much more pungent and faithful than he has been. Speaking of some of the proposed alterations to be made in our translation, he refers to one published by Sharpe, and says:— "I lament to be constrained to add that, having read the little book which Mr. Sharpe has published, and which he was kind enough to send me, I trace most distinctly, whether intentionally or not, a Socinian bias. For instance, in John i. 3All things were made by him;' the 'him' referring to the Word spoken of in the first verse, Sharpe renders, 'All things were made by it.' If you were to ask him what Word means, I daresay he would be puzzled; but it is so obviously the appellative of our blessed Lord, that I am amazed at the ingenuity of the attempt to escape the conclusion that Christ is God by saying it' instead of him.' In Rom. ix. 5, we read-' Christ is over all, God blessed for ever.' He translates it, 'He that is God over all be blessed for ever.' But this alteration is not correct; the Greek will not bear his rendering. The obvious translation is, 'God over all,' that is Jesus Christ blessed for ever.'" "Our translation of the Bible is interwoven now with our history, and mingles with our glory as a nation; it is part and parcel of the English language; it is sanctified by the associations of childhood, by the traditions of family life, and by the thoughts and comments of the learned, the wise, and the holy of past generations; it forms the basis of religious hope and consolation on which all communions among us rest, guiding daily life, soothing sickness, and inspiring the bed of death; its texts run like chimes in the ear of every religious Englishman; they haunt his chamber, they meet his steps, and they follow him into the busy office and crowded mart. What can our new translators give us in exchange for so priceless a gift, transmitted to us from the age of the Reformation?" Ah! what, indeed? Beyond all dispute, there is no man nor set of men in this busy and much-divided age of the Church that can be trusted with a work of such magnitude and weight. This is the conclusion that the more sage and sober of men have come to. We believe it is just. Thirdly, what has not this present translation been the means of accomplishing? and what have been the tests by which it has been tried? It has been the instrument, in the hands of the Spirit, of converting tens of thousands of the most rebellious of men, and of comforting the This is one of many which Dr. Cum-saints of God in all the sufferings and sorming mentions of proposed alterations.rows through which they have been called Who cannot plainly see that it is an attempt a wicked and false attempt-to eclipse the glories of Christ's person, and to take the crown from his head? This is Satan's work; and against it we must not cease both to fight and to pray. Secondly, in contemplating a new translation, we ask, What is the character of the one we have so long possessed and enjoyed? It is a plain, a powerful, and allsufficient revelation of the mind and will of the Almighty; and although defects and imperfections may here and there be discovered, it is, upon the whole, one of the greatest means ever used by the great Head of the Church for the calling in and building up of his own long-loved people. Let our modern Uzzahs beware how they touch this sacred ark. The Times, in commenting on this new scheme, expresses itself most nobly as regards the sacred character of the best of to pass. Reasoners, scoffers, persecutors, 66 The "A most sure word of prophecy" it may well be termed. Dr. Cumming has taken the pains to examine a host of amendments and alterations which certain very critical gentlemen have proposed to make in our translation. This was no easy task for Mr. Cumming. He has furnished us with most powerful arguments to induce us to "hold fast what we have," and we hope God will help his Church and his faithful ministers on earth to resist with all their might any attempt to break this choice and sacred casket. Lastly, let this one most solemn fact be considered, and a dreadful fact it is. It is this-hardly one in ten of our professed Gospel ministers either heartily believe or ever preach the great principal doctrines of divine and distinguishing grace which the Bible contains. For the most part, the pretended preachers of the Gospel are quite prepared to abridge, to annul, to blink, to blind, and to mutilate THE BOOK, wherein our charter is contained, our covenant is written, and our comforts are declered. Oh! let us not silently look on while an attempt is made to violently stop the progress of Heaven's eternal Word! By these few words, we hope to awaken sleepy hearts, and to prepare thinking minds for a further investigation into this great subject in future numbers of the EARTHEN VESSEL. C. W. B. minent position) in the Church of God upon earth. Thirdly. There is so much excellent and permanently interesting matter connected with the progress through life of these two eminent saints, that we wish to give the richest portions to our children; and to the generations following. It is quite true the works of William Huntington are published in handsome editions and in cheap separate volumes. The life of the Countess is also to be had; but we write and labour for "the poor "—the greater portion of our readers are persons who can read but little; and that little must come to them very cheaply. We wish to create in the minds of this useful and extensive branch of society a greater thirst for reading such works as THE EARTHEN VESSEL; and, therefore, we will (D.v.) give them some papers which we hope will please, profit, and instruct them in the truth and in the faithfulness of the God of all our mercies. This month we only furnish the entrance of these pattern saints into the world. The one is the offspring of parents of high and lofty standing-the other of meaner birth-the one is born in a palace, the other in a peasant's cot. The one is very early awakened to a deep sense of her fallen and sinful condition, and drawn to THE COUNTESS AND THE the Mercy seat by a secret and constraining COALHEAVER. A CONTRAST AND A REVIEW. (Continued from page 275, vol. xii.) WE briefly introduced, last month, our intention of fully reviewing, and making extracts from, the unusually remarkable lives of Selina, the Countess of Hunting. Con, and William Huntington, who surnamed himself" the Coal-heaver," "sinner saved," &c., &c., terms somewhat descriptive of his origin, his character, his privileges, his usefulness, &c., &c. In doing this, we have at least a threefold object in view. In the first place, both the Countess and the venerable William Huntington have both of them, under God, been very useful to us in a spiritual point of view. Gratitude, therefore, prompts us to erect a small literary monument expressive of our regard for their memory. Secondly. The lives of these two Godhonoured personages furnish as clear a manifestation of the exercise of Divine Sovereignty, as perhaps any two characters that ever did business (or occupied a pro power; the other grows up in darkness and sin; and when arrested, and powerfully wrought upon by the Spirit of God, is the subject of temptations and trials, of sorrows and struggles of heart and of life, known but to very few. Take, then, these portraits of the "Vessels of Mercy," and reflect a little upon the wide differences which appear in some things, in their rising up in, and passing through, the We think some of kingdom of grace! the weakest believers, whose beginnings have been but small, as well as the more stout and sturdy men, in whom the grace of God has had tremendous obstacles to overcome,-both classes (as well as some who come between the two) may derive soul comfort from the exhibition which we from time to time may give. THE BIRTH OF THE COUNTESS is described as follows:- Selina, Countess of Huntingdon, was descended from the ancient and honourable house of Shirley, which was as distinguished for the purity of its genealogy, traceable to the time of Edward the Confessor, as for the piety which adorned its most celebrated affected by every little trouble; and she frequently entered into a closet, where she could remain unobserved, and unburdened her heart in earnest prayer to God. Though in her early years she had no clear views of the distinctive doctrines of the Gospel, she felt great relief in prayer; and rejoiced in being able to make known her requests to the Lord. She sought divine direction in all that she did; and as she grew up to womanhood, she carnestly prayed that she might marry into a serious family, where she would be preserved from the temptations peculiar to her station. members. Her grandfather, Sir Robert | which naturally cast a gloom over the family Shirley, was created Viscount Tamworth | circle. Her sensitive mind was keenly and Earl Ferrars in 1711, by reason of his grandfather's marriage with the youngest daughter of Robert Devereux, the unfortunate Earl of Essex and the favourite of Queen Elizabeth. He married twice, and had a family of twenty-seven children. His second son, the father of Lady Huntingdon, was born June 22nd, 1677, and named Washington Shirley after his mother, the daughter and heiress of Lawrence Washington, Esq., of Caresden, Wiltshire. He succeeded to his father's titles in 1717; and was highly beloved for the integrity of his conduct, the benevolence of his disposition, the affability of his manners, and the impartiality of his judgment. He married Mary, the eldest daughter of Sir Richard Levinge, a distinguished ornament of the English bar; by whom he had three daughters; Elizabeth, afterwards Lady E. Nightingale, to whom the celebrated monument in Westminster Abbey was erected; Selina, Countess of Huntingdon; and Mary, Viscountess Kilmorey. Lady Selina Shirley, the second daughter of Washington Shirley, was born at Stanton Harold, for many years the seat of the Shirley family, on the 24th of August, 1707. The mansion was most delightfully situate in a fine park of one hundred and fifty acres, which was well wooded, and diversified by hill and dale. It stood midway between the ancient town of Ashby-de-la-Zouch and Donnington Park, the residence of the Earl of Huntingdon; and was rendered conspicuous by the massive structure of the edifice, and the noble apartments it contained. The grounds were laid out with great taste and care; a spacious lake of ornamental water gave increased beauty to the sweeping lawn, and reflected on its surface a handsome stone bridge which was thrown across it. Adjoining the house was the church or chapel, which consisted of a nave, aisles, chancel, and tower; and within it are some monuments with long inscriptions, which commemorate the names, titles, and characters of the members of the Shirley family there interred. This was the spot which witnessed the development of the body and mind of Lady Selina. She inherited the talents and benevolent disposition of her father, and from a very early age manifested great seriousness of mind. When she was nine years old, she saw the corpse of a young person about her own age carried to its last resting-place. She followed it to the grave, and listened to the impressive service read over the body. Her mind was deeply affected with the thought of a future world; her heart was filled with sad and painful feelings; the tears rolled down her little cheeks; and she fervently prayed that, when God should be pleased to take her away, He would deliver her from all her fears, and give her a happy departure. The influence of that event was long after felt. She often retired to the lonely church-yard to visit the grave, and to revive the thoughts and feelings she had at first experienced. These feelings were still further deepened by the death of her grandfather, December 25, 1717, Here we shall leave the Countess ; and call upon "the coal-heaver" to relate to us something of his origin and uprising in this world, where, for many years, as a minister and as an author, he was made so ized her ministers-built her chapels abundantly useful. The Countess patronplanted her "connection "-and endowed her "Cheshunt" training schools; and hereby did much good, we must believe. William Huntington was also in calling out ministers, building instrumental chapels, and in furnishing, by his writing, as complete a library of experimental godliness, as Dr. Gill has done of doctrinal and practical divinity. We purpose, in this series of papers, to notice specially the chief of Mr. Huntington's Timothies and Tituses. We happen to have known some, if not most of them. Mr. Vinall, of Lewes, is now, we believe, the only one left. They were a singular class of men; but a godly and highlyhonoured race. We cannot rank among these Mr. Greenfield, of Sussex; nor Mr. George Abrahams, of London; although both of them esteem it no small honour in being considered "Huntingtonian ministers." Mr. Greenfield, and Mr. Abrahams, Thomas Beeman, and a few others, we purpose to notice faithfully and fuily, and shall gladly receive any valuable communications touching the history of the Huntingtonian family. But, now with a brief introduction of the leader himself, we must close this second paper. Huntington says: Mr. I was born in the Weald of Kent, as is related in the sequel of this narrative. My father was a day-labouring man, who worked for seven or eight shillings in the winter, and in the summer for nine shillings per week, which is but a small pittance to keep a family. My mother bore eleven children, of which number I am the tenth; and our eternal High Priest hath condescended to take me as a tithe of the family, Isa. vi. 13; Luke xvii. 17. And my prayer and desire is, that He would condescend to take more of us; for I sins. dark. cannot find out that there have been any con- | from these words, but I rather fear those versions discovered in the family, from age to who made the request are not now present. age, except him who is my reputed father. Be that as it may, the words were much on Of the eleven children, five died young; and there are six yet living, five daughters my mind yesterday, so I will endeavour to and myself, who am the only son and heir. make a few remarks on them, hoping the My parents being very poor, and receiving no Master will be with me. The Song of support from the parish, we children fared Solomon is a part of Scripture which has very hard; and indeed seldom knew what it been useful to many in days past, but it is was to have a belly full of victuals above once in the week, which was on the Sabbath-day, a dark book to those that are not taught when we were allowed to know what a bit of of the Spirit; it is dark to those that are meat was. But it often happened that rent, | How many have laughed at the or some other debt, was to be discharged, and solemn contents of this book; but blessed ou such accounts no meat could be procured. indeed would it be for them if they could These barren sabbaths were mourning days understand and were interested in the indeed to us young ones; but to our sorrow they frequently came. Suffering with hun- truths therein set forth. In this book the ger, cold, and almost nakedness, so embittered union of Christ and his church is told out my life in my childhood, that I have often in the most beautiful manner, and in it the wished secretly that I had been a brute, for truth of God is made more plain to the then I could have filled my belly in the fields. My friends put me to school to an old man believer; but we must know something of and woman of the name of Boyce, where I the love of Christ in our hearts before we can learned my alphabet, and to spell a little in a understand the mutual regard between Primer, and so on to spelling in the New Testa- Christ and his Church. We find the ment; and at last to read a little. And here Church was fond of being in the presence I remember to have heard my mistress reprove me for something wrong, telling me of her Lord; she was never so happy as that God Almighty took notice of children's when basking in his love. And is it not so This stuck to my conscience a great with his people now? Are we ever so while; and who this God Almighty could be happy as when contemplating the mysteries I could not conjecture; and how He could of his kingdom? How full of peace and know my sins without asking my mother I could not conceive. At that time there was joy must the bride have been when she a person named Godfrey, an exciseman in the said-" My beloved is the chief among ten town, a man of a stern and hard-favoured thousand, and the altogether lovely." And countenance, whom I took notice of for think you not it afforded her pleasure having a stick covered with figures, and an ink-bottle hanging at the button-hole of his when her Lord said "Thou art all fair, coat. I imagined that man to be employed my love, there is no spot in thee." But by God Almighty to take notice, and keep an before we can say what the bride said, account, of children's sins; and once I got into we must be under the leadings of the market-house, and watched him very nar- God's Holy Spirit. If you have been rowly, and found that he was always in a hurry brought to behold his wondrous glory, you by his walking so fast; and I thought he had see a beauty in Him now you could not see need to hurry, as he must have a deal to do to find out all the sins of children. I watched when in the kingdom of darkness, and like hin out of one shop into another all about the spouse in my text you will never be so the town; and from that time eyed him as a happy as when leaning on his breast. It is most formidable being, and the greatest the soul's real dignity to know Christ, and, enemy I had in all the world, and would shun him if possible; but, if he happened to my hearers, when you know Him you will meet me unawares in turning a corner, you say-"Draw me, we will run after thee." might have struck me down with a feather; I No man can run after Christ but those that hung down my head, bowed and scraped till are drawn by Christ; and this is my I could get out of his sight, and then I fled prayer this morning, that we may be drawn by his Spirit. First, then, we will notice the necessity of Divine drawing; second, the method of Divine drawing; and, third, the results of being drawn. We shall not only walk, but run after Him. The necessity of being drawn to Christ"draw me." I take this to be the language of every heart that is right with God; every man that is taught by the Spirit of truth; and every man that knows where his trust is, is brought to this conclusion, that without Christ he can do nothing, and that all his when none but conscience pursued. This man was a terror to me a long time, and has caused me to say many prayers. (To be continued.) THE CHURCH DRAWN TO CHRIST. A SERMON Preached at Salem Chapel, on Sunday |