The rest are freely ours, which doubtless are
As pleasing to the taste; to the eye as fair;
But touching this, His strict commands are such-
"'Tis death to taste; no less than death to touch !'
Serpent.-Pish-death's a fable; did not heaven inspire
Your equal elements with living fire

Blown from the spring of life? Is not that breath
Immortal? Come, ye are as free from death
As he that made you. Can the flames expire
Which he has kindled? Can ye quench his fire?
Did not the great Creator's voice proclaim
What e'er He made, (from that blue spangl'd frame
To the poor leaf that trembles,) very good?

Blest he not both the feeder and the food?
Tell, tell, me then, what danger can accrue
From such blest food to such half-gods as you?
Crush needless fears, and let no fond conceit
Abuse your freedom-Woman, take and eat.
Eve. 'Tis true, we are immortal; death is yet
Unborn; and, till rebellion make it debt,
Undue. I know the fruit is good until
Presumptuous disobedience make it ill.
The lips that open to this fruit's a portal
To let death in, and make immortal mortal!

Serpent. You cannot die : come, woman, taste and fear not.
Eve.-Shall Eve transgress? I dare not. I-dare not.
Serpent.-Afraid?Why draw'st thou back thy tim'rous arm?
Harm only falls on such as fear a harm.

Heaven knows and fears the virtue of this tree-
T'will make you perfect gods as well as He.
Stretch forth thy hand and let thy fondness never
Fear death. Do pull, and eat, and live for ever.

Eve.-'Tis but an apple; and it is as good

To do, as to desire. Fruit's made for food;
I'll pull, and taste, and TEMPT MY ADAM TOO,
To know the secrets of this dainty.

Thus, all the ills that man sustains ou earth,
From this bad tree first drew their fatal birth.

-Quarel.

SLEEPING IN JESUS;

LINES ON THE DEATH OF LYDIA WILSHERE WHO SWEETLY FELL ASLEEP IN JESUS, JAN. 15, 1854.

HER soul is gone above,
Where Jesus dwells supreme;

For ever in his love,

And singing sweet of him,

Beyond this world of grief and sin,
With saints and angels now shut in.

Her head has now a crown,
A golden palm she sways;

She sings the victor's song
Through everlasting days:

For she has now the victory won,
Through Jesus Christ,

Farewell! my dear, farewell,
Thou art safe landed there;

God's own dear Son.
With Jesus now to dwell,

And all his glories share.

Life's dangerous voyage now is past,
And thou hast safe reach'd home at last.

A gospel hope was thine
While here below thou stay'd;

And now with joys sublime
Thy raptur'd soul is stayed.

Christ is thy song, and Christ thy theme,
And thou wilt ever sing of him.

Thy hope was on the cross,
Where Jesus bled and died;

The world to thee was dross;
Thou lov'd the crucified.

The "Man of Nazareth" 'twas he
Who bore thy sins and set thee free.

In heaven thy soul is now,
In Jesu's fond embrace;

A crown adorns thy brow,
Through rich and sovereign grace;

And there, with those who're gone before,
Thou art landed safe on Canaan's shore.

A long eternity to spend
In everlasting peace;

Thy joys will never end;
Thy bliss will never cease;
Age after age will pass
But thou shalt spend an endless day.

Millions of years will roll,
And ages pass along;

away,

But bliss will fill thy soul,

And Christ will be thy song:

For ever thou wilt sing above
Of matchless grace and dying love.

Farewell, my dear, adieu;

I soon shall see your face,

And Jesus we shall view,
And sing of sovereign grace;

There shall we see the Lamb of God,
Who bought us with his precious blood.

Peckham, Feb. 9, 1854.

GEO. WILSHERE.

ASSURANCE OF GOD'S LOVE:

A JEWEL WORTH WAITING FOR.

[No. 37.

We are now to furnish another portion of BROOKS's "HEAVEN ON EARTH." It is encouraging to find that our reprint of this golden treatise on the Godly exercises of the true followers of the Lamb, has been found to be so useful as far as our little work has gone. Are our friends aware that we are here giving to them in the cheapest form in which any production from the press can be rendered, one of the richest spiritual essays that ever mortal man produced? It is a fact that "Brooks's Heaven on Earth" has been for centuries a most blessed cordial for sin-sick souls; an holy expositor for doubting souls; an earnest encourager to seeking and waiting souls; and a confirming testimony to all who have "believed with the heart unto righteousness" in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is also a fact that at this time "Brooks's Heaven on Earth" is not to be purchased, except under peculiar circumstances. We entreat those of our friends who

can condescend to the use of means so humble as our own, to aid us in extending the circulation of CHEERING WORDS. The following is a continuation of Brooks. He is here speaking to Waiting Souls. Hear what he says:

Waiting times are times wherein God is pleased to give his people some sweet tastes of his love, and to light up the light of his countenance upon them. "I waited patiently for the Lord, (saith David,) and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry; he brought me up also out of an horible pit, (or out of a pit of noise,) out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings; and he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God." After God had exercised David's patience in waiting, he sweetly breaks in upon him, and knocks off his bolts, and opens the prison doors, and takes him by the hand, and leads him out of the pit of noise One Half-penny each, or 10 copies for 4d

and confusion, in which he was, and causes his love and goodness so to beam forth upon him, as causes his heart to rejoice, and his tongue to sing. So after devout Simeon had waited for the consolation of Israel-that is, Christ's coming,-the Holy Ghost falls upon him, and leads him to a sight of Christ in the temple; and this makes the good old man sing, "Now let thy servant depart in peace." Ah, says Simeon, I have lived long enough, now I have got Christ in my heart, and Christ in my arms-who is my light, my life, my love, my joy, my crown; let me depart according to thy Word. Ah, saints, 1 appeal to you, have not many of you found by experience, the sweet breathings of Christ upon you, even whilst you have been waiting at the door of mercy; while you have been weeping and waiting, hath not the Lord Jesus come in, and said, Peace be to you, waiting souls, be of good cheer, it is I, be of good cheer, your sins are pardoned? Surely, you have: hath not God made that word good unto you, "Wait on the Lord, be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart?" Wait, I say, on the Lord; yes. And hath he not made that good to you, "They shall not be ashamed that wait for me ?" that is, they shall not be deceived, or disappointed of their hopes and expectations, that wait for me? Yes. And have you not found that word made sweet to your souls, fore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious; all they that wait for him?" Yes. And hath not the Lord made that word good to you, "The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him? Yes. Waiting souls, remember this assurance is yours, but the time of giving it, is the Lord's; the jewel is yours, but the season, in which he will give it, is in his own hand; the gold chain is yours, but he only knows the hour wherein he will put it about your necks. Well, wait patiently and quietly, wait expectingly, wait believingly, wait affectionately, and wait diligently, and you shall find that Scripture made good in power upon your souls. Yet a little while, and he that shall come, will come, and will not tarry; he will certainly come, he will

"Thereblessed are

seasonably come, he will suddenly come, as the prophet Malachi speaks, "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me; and the Lord whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple; even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in. Behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts." Well, I will say but this, if assurance of God's love be not a jewel worth waiting for, it is worth nothing.

Again, suffering times are times wherein the Lord is pleased to give his people some sense of his favour; when they are in sufferings for righteousness sake, for the gospel's sake, then usually God causes his face to shine upon them. Now they shall hear best news from heaven, when they hear worst from earth; God loves to smile most upon his people, when the world frowns most, when the world puts their iron chains upon their legs, then God puts his golden chains about their necks; when the world puts a bitter cup into their hands, then God drops some of his honey, some of his goodness and sweetness into it; when the world is ready to stone them, then God gives them the white stone, and when the world is a tearing their good names, then he gives them a new name, that none knows but he that hath it, a name that is better than that of sons and daughters; when the world cries out, crucify them, crucify them, then they hear that sweet voice from heaven, "These are my beloved ones, in whom I am well pleased;" when the world clothes them with rags, then the Lord puts on his royal robes, and makes a secret proclamation to their spirits, "Thus shall it be done to the man whom the King is pleased to honour;" when the world gives into one hand a cup of water, God gives into the other a cup of nectar, a cup of ambrosia; when the world gnasheth upon them, and presents all imaginary tortures before them, then the Lord opens paradise to them, as he did to Stephen; when Paul and Silas were in prison for the gospel sake, then God fills them with such unspeakable joy, that they cannot but be singing; when others were sleeping, God turns their prison