Vol. IV.] FEBRUARY, 1854. [No. 36. A WONDER-WORKING GOD! THE times that have recently passed over us-as a nation and a people have been trying indeed. Snow storms, sea storms, great fires-calamities and dreadful deaths on rails, and roads, and rivers: as though satan was permitted to break out to dash the people to atoms. "With the New Year," says a kind and loving brother, "we are experiencing a great deal of severity in the weather, and consequently in circumstances: for the one follows the other. But the Lord liveth and watcheth; and in his own time will appear for all who put their trust in him; and this I want to do at all times; for he is a kind and worthy Friend -faithful to his promise, and careful for the necessities of every branch of his living, though oftentimes poor and afflicted family. I spent an hour with Samuel Foster yesterday, with two or three more: he is gradually sinking, and I think must, ere long, pass over the Jordan, never to return; but his feet are upon the Rock, and he is waiting with an anxious patience for the summons of his Master. I believe the Lord has been very gracious to him, both in providence and grace. His mind has been greatly stayed upon his God; and and in temporals, as one stream has dried up, the Lord has opened another; and when we consider this poor fellow has not earned a penny for nearly four years, and that all his wife and family's wants have been supplied, it is marvellous in our eyes and we may well say, 'What hath God wrought? From this simple, but truly spiritual effusion of a mind Price One Half-penny, or 10 copies for 4d. well set in the gospel mould, we now proceed to give (continued from page 8, in our last number), a few more words from BROOKS, GOD On the Sweet Assurance SOMETIMES GIVES HIS SAINTS. Secondly, God gives his people some tastes of his love, some sense of his favour, when he puts them upon hard and difficult services, because else he should not only act below himself, as he is a wise God, a faithful God, a powerful God, a merciful God, a righteous God, &c., but also act below his poor weak creatures; for what husband will put his wife, what father will put his child, what master will put his servant, what captain will put his soldier, what prince will put his ambassadors upon hard and difficult services, but they will smile upon them, and speak kindly to them, and make large promises to honour their persons, and kindly to accept, and nobly to reward their services? Surely none. And will God, who will not give his glory to those that have the most glorious beings, suffer his glory to be clouded and eclipsed by the prudent actings of weak worms? Surely no. Thirdly, God lifts up the light of his countenance upon his people, when he puts them upon hard and difficult services, that they may never repent of enlisting themselves in his service. Ah, did not the Lord warm the hearts of his people, with the glorious beams of his love, when he puts them upon hard work, they would be ready, when they meet with oppositions and hazards, to throw up all, and to sit down lamenting and repenting that ever they were engaged in his service: they would be as peevish and froward as Jonah, and with him venture a drowning, to shift off God's service. Ah, but now the Lord by letting his goodness drop upon their hearts, and by putting an earnest penny into their hands, he causes them to go cheerfully on in his work, without sighing or repenting. The kisses and embraces of God do put such life, such spirit, such mettle into their souls, as makes them bid defiance to the greatest dangers, and as crowns them conquerors of the greatest difficulties. Ah, says a soul, that hath walked some turns in Paradise, what is dross to gold? what is darkness to light? what is hell to heaven? No more is all difficulties and oppositions to me, who have found the sweetness of divine grace, and have had the happiness to lie in the bosom of God. Dioclesian, the worst and last persecutor in all the ten persecutions, observed, that the more he sought to blot out the name of Christ, the more it became legible; and to block up the way of Christ, the more it became passable; and whatever of Christ he thought to root out, it rooted the deeper, and rose the higher in the hearts and lives of the saints, among whom he had scattered the beams of his love, and the rich peals of his grace. Such souls as have once been in the arms of God, in the midst of all oppositions, they are as men made all of fire, walking in stubble; they consume and overcome all oppositions; all difficulties are but as whetstones to their fortitude. The moon will run her course, though the dogs bark at it; so will all those choice souls that have found warmth under Christ's wings, run their Christian race in spite of all difficulties and dangers. The horse neighs at the trumpet; the Leviathan laughs at the spear; so does a saint, under the power of assurance, laugh at all hazards and dangers that he meets with in the Lord's service. The sense of God's love and goodness makes him to triumph over the greatest difficulties. Fourthly and lastly, God gives his people some tastes of his love, when he puts them upon hard and difficult services, that the mouths of the wicked may be stopped; should God lay heavy burdens upon his people's shoulders, and not put under his finger to give them some ease; should God double their tale of brick, and yet deny them straw; should God engage them against a potent enemy, and them desert them; should God send them upon some weighty embassage, and not give proportionable encouragements to them, what would the world say? Would they not say that he is a hard Master, and that his ways are not equal? Would they not say, Verily they are liars that say he is glorious in power, and wonderful in counsel, and infinite in mercy, and admirable in goodness, and rich in grace, and unsearchable in his understanding? For surely, were he, he could not, he would not put his children upon such hard and dangerous services; but he would own them, and stand by them; he would assist them, and smile upon them; he would be as careful to bring them bravely off, as he hath been ready to bring them freely on. O, he could not see them in garments rolled in blood! but his bowels would yearn towards them, and he would arise, and have compassion on them. (To be continued). 1 Bible Lames and Bible Places, No. II. UEL-or, as the signification of his name is,-" Desiring God," was one of the disobedient sons of the Hebrew priests, who had incurred the anger of heaven by taking (with many others) a strange wife unto him-that is, a wife from amongst those nations concerning whom God had said, "Thou shalt not make marriages with them: thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. For they will turn away his heart from following me." And here I would notice the wondrous condescension of God; who not only told his Israel what he should do, and what he should not do, but told him also what the fatal consequence of his disobedience would be-namely, "They will turn away thy son from following me." But, notwithstanding this, many had committed this trespass, and Uel was one of them; and the Lord was angry with Israel, for their sakes. But, said this man, with the rest of his brethren, "we have sinned and done wickedly yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing." Yes, there is hope; for we repent of our folly and our sin: I will do according to the word of the Lord; for the strange wife shall be put away-yea, more! even the children which she hath borne me shall be put away from me. What, though it cost me never so dear! what! though it rend, as it were, the caul from mine heart! yet it shall be done; and not a vestige of that which offends my God shall remain with me; for I desire the Lord above all these. True, they have endeared themselves to my natural affections; but they are not my God, and I desire his approving smile. I value his divine favour; I long to be again found in obedience to his word; I sigh for his pardoning love; and that I may walk before him in uprightness and fear, more than for this strange wife, and the children which she hath borne me. And now I would ask thee, dear reader, if thou too hast no strange wife with thee-no idol unto which thou hast joined thyself? Unfold the leaves of thine heart, and see if there be no accursed thing hidden up there, which is offensive to thy God. But thou mayest say, The idols I have with me are so many, and the sins which do every day beset me are so numerous, that I am at loss where or how to begin the killing work of separation, or against which of them to deal the first blow. And thou mayest well be at a loss if there was no throne of grace to go to; but there is a throne of grace; and that throne of grace is always open to repentant sinners; while Him who sits thereon is abundant in goodness and truth; a God that forgiveth iniquity, transgression and sin; a God that passeth by the transgression of his heritage, because he delighteth in mercy; and his language to every returning prodigal is, "If ye return unto me, then I will return unto you; and your wickedness shall not be remembered in the day that ye return;" for," though your sins be red like crimson, they shall be wool." O grace! grace! O glorious God of grace! to deal thus with his backsliding children! and this, poor sinner, is the God who invites thee to return unto him; who deigns to say unto thee, "Put away thine idols from before thine eyes;" and whose throne of grace is always open to thee, that thou mayest go there and begin thy lawful work. Haste, then, poor sinner! haste away thither! for thou wilt never be able to accomplish thy task unless thou begin it at the feet of thy God. Haste, thither, then; and I will guarantee that thou shalt never go and find the throne of grace without finding the God of grace sitting thereon: no; he never leaves his place, but sits there continually for the coming of poor sinners. O, think of this! treasure up this blessed truth, that God |