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incorruptible judges; may it always be so. Even our lesser magistrates are, in general, most worthy men; for which we ought to be grateful to God evermore. 6. "I have said, ye are gods." The greatest honour was thus put upon them; they were delegated gods, clothed for a while with a little of that authority by which the Lord judges among the sons of men. “And all of you are children of the Most High." This was their ex-officio character, not their moral or spiritual relationship. There must be some government among men, and as angels are not sent to dispense it, God allows men to rule over men, and endorses their office, so far at least that the prostitution of it becomes an insult to his own prerogatives. Magistrates would have no right to condemn the guilty if God bad not sanctioned the establishment of government, the adminitration of law, and the execution of sentences. Here the Spirit speaks most honourably of these offices, even when it censures the officers; and thereby teaches us to render honour to whom honour is due, honour to the office even if we award censure to the office-bearer.

7. "But ye shall die like men." What sarcasm it seems! Great as the office made the men, they were still but men, and must die. To every judge this verse is a memento mori! He must leave the bench to stand at the bar, and on the way must put off the ermine to put on the shroud. "And fall like one of the princes." Who were usually the first to die for battle, sedition, and luxury made greater havoc among the great than among any others. Even as princes have often been cut off by sudden and violent deaths, so should the judges be who forget to do justice. Men usually respect the office of a judge, and do not conspire to slay him, as they do to kill princes and kings; but injustice withdraws this protection, and puts the unjust magistrate in personal danger. How quickly death unrobes the great. What a leveller he is. He is no advocate for liberty, but in promoting equality and fraternity he is a masterly democrat. Great men die as common men do. As their blood is the same, so the stroke which lets out their life produces the same pains and throes. No places are too high for death's arrows: he brings down his birds from the tallest trees. It is time that all men considered this.

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8. Arise, O God, judge the earth." Come thou Judge of all mankind, put the bad judges to thy bar and end their corruption and baseness. Here is the world's true hope of rescue from the fangs of tyranny. "For thou shalt inherit all nations." The time will come when all races of men shall own their God, and accept him as their king. There is one who is " King by right divine," and he is even now on his way. The last days shall see him enthroned, and all unrighteous potentates broken like potter's vessels by his potent sceptre. The second advent is still earth's brightest hope. Come quickly, even so, come, Lord Jesus. From "THE TREASURY OF DAVID," VOL. IV., now in the press.

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AN ADDRESS BY VERNON J. CHARLESWORTH, AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, FEBRUARY 24TH, 1873, ON THE OCCASION OF HIS BAPTISM, AND THE BAPTISM

OF FIVE BOYS OF THE STOCKWELL ORPHANAGE.

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S an infant I was baptised according to the rites of the Established Church, and my parents were solemnly assured that I was thereby "made a child of God and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven." My sponsors undertook in my behalf" to renounce the devil and all his works," and "the pomps and vanities of this wicked world." Now, if the ordinance really conferred these blessings, I cannot adequately express my gratitude; if it did not, then I am bound, in fidelity to truth, to declare the fact. I am certain that I was not "made a child of God" by my baptism, for my early years were spent in folly and sin. I was not made" an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven," for I had no inward

consciousness of the fact, and had, moreover, a fear of death, and a distinct sense of my moral unfitness for the society of heaven. It is, therefore, evident that my parents were the victims of a terrible delusion and parties to a solemn farce, enacted in the name of God and sanctioned by the law of the land. Although I was no consenting party to the ordinance, I now feel called upon to repudiate its validity. I can no longer sanction by my silence a system which rests on a foundation of lies, and which prostitutes the sanctities of religion by legalised deceptions.

But, it is asked, If baptism does not confer such priceless blessings, is it not right to baptise little children who have not been guilty of actual sin, and who, were they to die in infancy, would undoubtedly be saved by virtue of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ? This view is plausible enough on the surface; but, we ask, is such a baptism either necessary, expedient, or Scriptural? If it is, by all means let us accept it: if it is not, then, as rational beings and as followers of the Saviour, let us reject it in toto.

I. We hold it is unnecessary, because, as practised by Nonconformist Pædobaptists, it concedes to baptised children neither position nor privileges different from others. No distinction is drawn between them. What is true of the one class is equally true of the other, as to their relation to the Saviour. Baptism, though professedly an initiatory rite, does not secure to children the privileges of church-membership: their names, moreover, are not even registered on the church roll. Now, is it not evident that such a system is altogether unnecessary?

II. It is highly inexpedient, because it enforces an involuntary obedience to a religious rite, and ignores the necessity for the exercise of an enlightened conscience in matters between God and the soul. It is the germ of a debasing priestcraft, and of ecclesiastical tyranny, and violates our sense of religious liberty. Christianity is a voluntary system, with which a forced initiation is incompatible. We, therefore, conclude that infant baptism is inexpedient.

III. It is, moreover, unscriptural. It lacks the authority of a divine command, and the sanction of the example of inspired men. It ignores the necessity of a sincere repentance and an intelligent faith as preliminary to discipleship. Moreover, the uniform teaching and practice of Christ and his apostles are opposed to it. The subjects of baptism mentioned in the gospels and the Acts of the Apostles, were intelligent hearers of the word: they were rendered penitent by the application of truth to the conscience, and acknowledged their sinfulness they exercised faith in the Lord Jesus as their Saviour, and of their own free will elected to be baptised.

The mode of baptism was by immersing the whole body in water. Not so much as a hint is given of any modification of this mode.

Upon these grounds I publicly and deliberately repudiate the validity of every system of infant baptism; and by this act I place myself in the position of an unbaptised person.

Now, believing it to be incumbent upon believers to avow the fact of their union with Christ and his church by obedience to his commands, and believing baptism by immersion to be his imperative command, I cheerfully offer myself as a candidate for Christian baptism. Not that I attach any ecclesiastical importance to the ordinance. It does not unite me to Christ or his church. I believe I am already one with him by virtue of a sincere faith in his sacrificial death and priestly ministry. I believe I am already identified with his church by virtue of the baptism of the Spirit. Water baptism only gives eloquent expression to these facts: "Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead." .Col. ii. 12. "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptised into Jesus Christ were baptised into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death; that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." Romans vi. 3, 4. An ordinance designed by our Lord, and enjoined by

him to be a symbol of these glorious realities, has an importance peculiarly its own; and to disregard it is to question his prerogative in legislating for the church, and to incur his displeasure by our disobedience. Did he not say to his disciples, "If ye love me, keep my commandments"? Is not baptism one of the earliest opportunities of avowing our love to the Saviour in obedience to his command? And yet how many shrink from the avowal? The traditions of fourteen centuries have not annulled the commandment of Christ, nor does the disobedience of so large a section of the church release us from the obligation to obey our Lord and Master. He still says, "Take up thy cross and follow me."

"Hast thou the cross for me endured,

And all its shame despised?

And shall I be ashamed, dear Lord,
With thee to be baptized?

Didst thou the great example lead
In Jordan's swelling flood?
And shall my pride disdain the deed
That's worthy of my God?

Dear Lord, the ardour of thy love
Reproves my cold delays,

And now my willing footsteps move
In thy delightful ways!

Reviews.

Messrs. Wm. Oliphant and Co., of Edinburgh, have sent us quite a batch of tales and stories; and as it is out of the question for us to read them all, we have called in the aid of a lady who is a reader of great patience and discretion. Her industry has furnished us with notes which we condense as follows:

Adah, the Jewish Maiden; a Story of the Siege of Jerusalem. By Agnes M. GRAY. The facts are terrible and interesting to the last degree, but the fictions interwoven with them are weak and unworthy of them. "Adah" would seem to be a feeble imitation of "Naomi, or the last days of Jerusalem," which some of our readers will remember. Perhaps some young folks, who cannot be induced to read history, might consent to peruse this story, and it would certainly give them much information.

Zina; or, Morning Mists. By the Author of "The Wish and the Way." This, in its external appearance, is twin sister to "Adah," and is a fascinating story, containing some sweet lessons of trust in Jesus and absolute dependance upon God's faithfulness. Some of the characters in the story could never have lived except in the lettered page; they and their experiences are far other than this commonplace world affords. His

tory, after all, is a better instructor than the most able works of imagination.

Lucy Raymond; or, the Children's Watchword. By the Author of " Katie Johnstone's Cross." Very good, very pious, but rather heavy. The story is of a young girl, who, having given her heart to the Saviour in early life, holds fast her Christian profession in the midst of trials and difficulties in a worldly family, and, by her holy influence and example, at last induces most of its members to follow Christ. The "watchword" alluded to in the title is "Looking unto Jesus."

Joseph Pilmor, the Quaker Soldier, and other Stories. By the Author of "Tibbie, the Charwoman." THREE well-written stories, such as may beguile an idle hour, but not particularly instructive or edifying, except the last, which illustrates the power of true religion.

The Countess Margarethe and her Children; or, Country Life in Russia. By SARAH M. S. CLARKE. A STORY for children; relates some curious customs of Russian life, and teaches lessons of obedience, truthfulness, and submission; but the religion of the book is of the legal, self-saving order, and not after Christ.

Having thus taken notice of so many works of this order, we may as well proceed with a few more while our hand is in. Perhaps we may surfeit our readers, and we should by no means be sorry if we did.

Fiddy Scraggs; or, a Clumsy Foot may Step True. By ANNA J. BUCKLAND. A VERY suitable gift-book for servants. "Fiddy" is the child of disreputable tramps, but God raises up friends for her who show her the path of holiness and truth, and he enables her to walk in it. She becomes a servant in the house of her benefactress, suffers much persecution, and bears, humbly and patiently, the trial of a false and terrible accusation; ultimately her entire innocence is proved, and she has the courage to save her mistress's life from fire. The book ends pleasantly by recording the complete reformation of her parents. The Noble Printer and his Adopted Daughter: a Tale of the first printed Bible. Translated from the German by CAMPBELL Overend.

AN account of the trials, difficulties, and persecutions which befel Gutenberg, the inventor of printing. The book is instructive on this subject, and very sad, if true. It reminds one of poor Palissy. The worst of it is, one does not know how much is true and how much is a mere tale; and this is one of the mischiefs of this sort of literature, that it diminishes the distinction between fact and fancy, and is too apt to make young people think little of sober truth. Wave upon Wave. By SARAH DOUDNEY. Sunday School Union.

A CHARMING story. Very pleasant reading.

The Last of the Abbots; or, the Monks of St. Benet's: a Tale Illustrative of the Dissolution of Religious Houses in England. By the Rev. ARTHUR BROWN, B.A., Rector of Catfield. Partridge and Co.

INTERESTING and instructive, because historical. Brother Paul is a good monk, and, by degrees, emerges from darkness into light, though he does not renounce the monastic life. The story is one of the best we have seen for some time, and is likely to leave a good impression upon young minds.

All Men's Place, with other Selections from the Sermons of George Whitfield; and God's New World, with other Sermons by John Wesley. Cassell, Petter, and Galpin.

Two pretty little Sixpenny books, which may serve to the mass of readers as fair specimens of the sermons of Whitfield and Wesley. They will, besides, we trust, be blest of God to those who prayerfully consider their contents.

Plain Pulpit Talk. By THOMAS COOPER. Hodder and Stoughton.

We have not before placed a notice of this work among our other brief reviews, because it was more effectually brought under observation by a lengthy quotation in one of the magazine articles; but to give the book a second encouragement we would remark that this Plain Pulpit Talk is just what it professes to be, and is the kind of talk which working men want. It is not very sententious or suggestive, but as it should be to truthfully match with its title, it is simple, homely, bold, strong, and sterling. God bless the man who can talk like this, and make his last days bright with the light of the eternal day-dawn.

Heavenward Ho; or, Story Coxen's Log. By SAMUEL COWDY, F. R. Hist. Soc. Charles Griffin.

OUR highly esteemed friend and neighbour, the pastor of Arthur-street Chapel, Camberwell - gate, has here utilised his seafaring knowledge by producing a very remarkable nautical allegory, in which he touches upon almost every phase of religious life, and in every instance proves himself to be an unflinching upholder of the right and the true. The book has the merit of originality and singularity, and will never be laid aside because the author ran in the same rut with his neighbours. confess we are so fascinated by the Pilgrim's Progress that we do not expect to see another perfect allegory in our time, nor anything approaching to it. Mr. Cowdy has done wisely to try the sea, for Bunyan alone can allegoize on land. There is a sufficiently wide difference between Christian's journey by land and Coxen's voyage by sea to shew that the one is not a plagiarism from the other.

We

Eleven Years in Central South Africa. BY THOMAS MORGAN THOMAS (of the London Missionary Society). John Snow and Co.

We hope that by this time we are known to our subscribers as the most lenient of reviewers. Our loins are lighter than the little finger of some caustic censors. Our charity believeth all things and hopeth all things. Yet we are capable of doubting, and even with our best Owl pen and the Dichroic ink, we are occasionally unable to write a favourable review. The volume before us is of the noble order which has conveyed to us aforetime records of the travels of the greatest explorers; it is a goodly tome, well printed, and plentifully illustrated. The illustrations are the point which stagger us, nay, knock us over completely. There is Mr. Thomas, with eight lions' heads in front of him, peeping out of the bush-the letter-press says there were perhaps fifteen or twenty! Our own notion is that perhaps there were forty or fifty, but it is well to be moderate. Further

on, Mr. Thomas is turning a summersault as the result of being tossed by a rhinoceros, and in another place he is pursued by a snake; at page 125 there is a snake coiled round Mr. Thomas's leg, and at page 239 he seems to be in an almost equally undesirable position in a king's hut, in proximity to ladies whose costume is best undescribed. The London Missionary Society has certainly found in Mr. Thomas a missionary of a very adventurous spirit, and he has looked out a draughtsman who can make a series of sensational drawings worthy of his hair-breadth 'scapes; but we question the wisdom of getting into so many scrimmages, when we remember that Mr. Moffat, throughout a long life, has not been able to paint one-half so many exciting scenes. Mr Moffat is quite a mild narrative compared with that of the more modern labourer. When Mr. Thomas returns to his work as a missionary for the London Missionary Society, we shall hope to read of more natives pierced to the heart by the gospel, and shall not regret the fact of fewer elephants and buffaloes falling as trophies of his gun. We do not believe that a missionary is any the worse for being a good shot, neither do we feel

that a missionary narrative is any the more apostolic, because, though lacking instances of conversion, it abounds in wonderful stories of lions, green snakes, and rhinoceri.

Among newspapers the Freeman, at twopence, and the Baptist, at one penny, are both of them a credit to the Baptist denomination. We are so dreadfully Conservative that we like to see old friends supported, and should be sorry to see a new comer knock the old original upon the head; at the same time we are so Radical that we like to see a little competition, and wish well to all bold enterprises. To our mind the Freeman is fifty per cent. better since the Baptist was started, and is as good a twopennyworth as can be found in the land. The Baptist will go where the Freeman cannot, and will worthily occupy its own sphere. One day we shall wonder why two newspapers were thought too many for the Baptist denomination; we shall perhaps live to see a dozen vigorously making their way. Newspapers are very like lawyers in country towns, five or six will flourish where one would starve. Every Baptist, male and female, should take in either the Freeman or the Baptist, at once, and perhaps both as soon as the price of coals is lowered: till then, who among us can afford the double luxury? Music in the Western Church; A Lecture on the History of Psalmody. By W. A. LEONARD. F. Pitman, Paternoster Row.

SINGERS will be interested with this lecture, which has grown into a book. It will commend itself to those who believe that the tunes of Dr. Rippon's day were execrable; we do not think so, and would heartily welcome a return to the old-fashioned mode of singing. Now-a-days we rush through a verse as if the sooner we were through it the better, but the old folks liked to dwell upon the words and repeat them. Singing is never more hearty in the Tabernacle than when we have Cranbrook, Cambridge New. China, or some such right noble tune. Fashion goes for a very great deal with some people, but it does not operate upon us. We would as soon be out of the fashion as in it.

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