THINGS TO THINK ON.

DEAR SIR.-In pursuance of a promise made to our little ones, I beg to forward an outline of our very interesting meeting on Lord's-day, 13th inst., when we held a grand review of our young troops connected with the Sunday-school of the Baptist Chapel, Hailsham. We had a full house, and the many friends assembled took great interest in the children. When they were marshalled in order, with their respective officers beside them, I delivered an address from Phil. iv. 8—" Think on these things!"

Think, (1), What you are-Sinners, lost and ruined, and need a Saviour.

Think, (2), Where you are-In a world full of sin, and dangerous snares.

Think, (3), Where you are going-To heaven or hell: eternal misery, or everlasting happiness.

O, children! "Think on these things!"

After which, their youthful voices united in singing the following hymn, written expressly for them. Finding the teachers distribute many copies of CHEERING WORDS as rewards, I told the young folk I should write the Editor, and send their hymn, which if he approved would be printed in their next monthly reward.

Though young in years, I'm used to sin,

And of it daily drink;

Jesus alone can make me clean,

And on this truth to think.

I'm in a world of sin and woe,
As on a dangerous brink!

O, let me not forget it so!

But on these things to think!

I'm going, (when my body dies,)
In endless woe to sink,

Or up to heaven my soul shall rise!
On this I'll try to think.

Lord! give me of thy mercy-streams
To know, and freely drink;
To leave my foolish, idle dreams,
And on these things to think!

Hailsham.

CORNELIUS SLIM.

CHRIST SEEN BY JOHN AT PATMOS,

"He was clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the breasts with a golden girdle.

THIS was the dress of a priest,-of a priest under the Old Dispensation. The materials of which the robe and girdle were made, were "gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen." Behold here the desire of the Saviour to put his church in remembrance of his priestly office. My soul, ponder again and again, the value of that sacrifice, accepted before God on thy behalf when Jesus " offered himself." Give it no hasty glance, no merely passing thought, but stand still to wonder and adore! Why art thou so prone to forget this great mystery of love-the presentation of the one offering which perfected for ever them that are sanctified? Turn again thy wandering feet; fasten thine eyes upon the bleeding Saviour; behold the nail-prints and the open side! Is there not enough to attract thee here, enough to engage the heart and occupy the thoughts while life shall last, without the allurements of a perishing world? Lord, turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity, and may it always be said, and truly said of thy servant-he is looking unto Jesus!

Let not the golden girdle be forgotten. When we behold our High Priest thus attired, we may exclaim, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ ?"-Betts' Scripture Localities.

VOL, VI.

JUNE, 1856.

No. 62.

THE PREACHERS

Che Prosperity of Zion—The Glary of England—

AND THE PRAYER MEETING.

A REVIEW OF MR. SPURGEON'S SERMON AT BRIGHTON.

To the Editor of Cheering Words.

EAR SIR. An Israelitish Captive in Although I am Babylon," yet I am very fond of CHEERING WORDSand sometimes I am favoured with a few in the experience of my own soul. The other morning, as I was hurrying off from home with a heavy heart, and a gloomy prospect my spirit was mercifully overcome by the words of the Baptist, when he cried out Behold the Lamb of God who beareth away the sin of the world:" and so sweetly did faith realize in me that greatest of all facts, that, for a time, I was filled with holy comfort, and secret joy; and was prepared in some measure, to enter a little into the beautiful language of the Church, when she said-" His countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the Cedars: His mouth is most sweet, yea, He is altogether lovely."

How good it is, thus to behold the Lamb of God-and, in faith, to exclaim- "This is my beloved, and this is my friend, ye daughters of Jerusalem!"

Price One-Halfpenny; or 10 copies for 4d.

But I have a word to say to you upon another subject. On the 23rd of last April, Mr. C. H. Spurgeon preached two sermons at the re-opening of Windsor Street Chapel, Brighton; and I think there were some excellent features in those discourses which should not be hidden beneath the covers of The Brighton Pulpit-a periodical edited and printed by Mr. C. E. Verrall, of that town. I am a curious critic, I know; nevertheless, I feel so holy a love to Divine truth, that wherever I find it, I cannot but heartily rejoice in it; and bid it " a wide welcome" all the world over. I was, the other day in the midst of a group of talking Christians, in a country town where Mr. S. had been; and his subject was the theme. I heard one country parson say "I never heard such a sermon in all my life before the text was, 'Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus'—and, (said the good man,) he gave it to us parsons pretty well; in fact, he found us all out; there was not one class of professors, nor one character in Zion, but what he searched out, and shook most powerfully."

I firmly believe, dear Sir, there is a great work going on; but the exact character of it, I cannot here define. The sermons in Brighton were peculiar for their discrimination, and for their consolation.

First as regards the Pulpits and the Preachers of our land, he enunciated some great truths. Speaking of the true Prosperity of Zion, Mr. Spurgeon said:

We do not conceive it to be a sign of a church's prosperity when the congregation is large. We love to see people throng to hear God's Word, and to hear assembled multitudes shout aloud the praises of Jehovah, but when we see these things, we do not take it for granted that the church is prosperous. We know concerning some places, we would pray God would empty every seat of them, for there is in them a going away to Rome, a wandering from the fundamental principles of God's Word;-the church may be full, crammed to its very doors, but there is a desolating blight therein. There may be more prosperity in a place, where but six of God's people meet together, than where thousands congregate to worship God, in a way which they think to be right, but which is not in

accordance with His sacred word. *

*

Nor do

we think that a church is necessarily prosperous, because the minister is exceedingly eloquent. The tendency of the present day is intellectual preaching. We hold it to be a wrong thing, that intellectual rationalism should disgrace our pulpits. God's pulpit was meant for God's gospel. Put away Christianity out of our pulpits, and what have we done? the pulpit is the bastion of the Churchthe Thermopylae of Christendom-here the great truths of the Bible must be taught and he that useth not his pulpit, to preach the gospel therein, hath disgraced it, even though his talents be superhuman-he has disgraced God's church in not unceasingly proclaiming the evangelical principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Then, you may ask me, how can I tell the church is prospering? I answer, I must consider for what purposes the Church was formed, and if it be not accomplishing that particular object, it is not prospering.

We enter a place where we hear divine truth proclaimed. We enquire, "How many have been added to the church this year?" "no addition"-"no progress." We enquire again another yearthe same reply is received-"no sinners saved"- none brought into the fold." We are very deferential towards the ministers of the everlasting gospel-we would sooner receive a bad one as our friend, than reject a good one; but we will not flatter our brother: we will not mind about his congregation-if he does not win souls to Christ, his church is not prospering-if the pool of baptism has never been opened to receive a convert-if the church-doors have never turned upon their hinges to receive souls seeking salvation-if no fresh members are received, to sit down at the table of the Lord -if God's elect have not been brought in-we have strong suspicions whether that man be a minister of God-we are certain that he is not a successful one. That church is in a sad, sad condition, which never hears the cry of new-born souls brought to God-God forbid we should preach a month without winning souls; we think it would be death to live a year, and not hear of hundreds brought to Christ. We think it is prosperity when children are gathered togetherwhen God is pleased by the agency of the Word, to break hard hearts, to bend the stubborn will, and to bring the mourner to rejoice in the love of the Saviour. Is your church increasing? then it is prospering.

The reason why we should desire Zion's prosperity was well declared. Among the many, and most cogent reasons, he said we must desire it for the sake of our nation: