CHRIST AND THE FEARFUL BELIEVER,

CHRIST.

(A DIALOGUE.)

What means that sluggish soul of thine,
To cleave to earth, and lay behind?
Hasten thy pace, disdain to dwell,
Just on the dark confines of hell.

BELIEVER.-Ah, Lord, I would, and often try

To mend my pace, and fain would fly,
But sin, (dread burden) still remains,
And holds me in its slavish chains.
Christ-Look unto Calvary, view the tree,
'Twas there I died to set you free.
'Twas there my precious blood was spilt
A ransom for my people's guilt.
Bel.-Ah Lord, I do, but feel the weight,
Of my own sinful heart so great,
My long continued life has been,
Engaged alone in nought but sin.
Christ-Does not my Holy Word declare,
For such I died? why need you fear?
Will not my own heart's blood suffice,
Or need'st thou another sacrifice ?
Bel.-Dear Lord, thy blood has power to cleanse
The vilest sinner of his sins;

O, could I know 'twas shed for me!
"Tis that would give me liberty.

Christ-Have I not said, "I'll not despise,

The contrite heart, the mourner's cries :
Give me thy heart, 'tis all I crave,
For such as you I came to save.
Bel.-Amazing love! here, Lord, receive,
This single heart I freely give :
Henceforth on me thy grace bestow,
'Tis all I ask while here below.

This day, price 1s. cloth, 18. 6d,

HE THREE CURACIES: MY FIRST CURACY: HOW My Second Curacy: How I Lost it.

Got it.

Curacy: Why I Left it. By A CHAPLAIN.

My Third

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OR,

The Cobbler, the City Missionary,

AND THE HALIFAX CALAMITY.

IN this world there is a constant succession of marvellous events-which events are the living and speaking words of the great and glorious MAKER of all worlds-the Governor of all nations-the Ruler of all circumstances-the KING of all kings -the LORD of all lords-the SAVIOUR of all true believersand the FAITHFUL FRIEND of all who are helped, by grace divine, to hide beneath the shadow of His holy wings. The LORD GOD of heaven and earth preaches to His creatures sometimes the most awful-and, at times the most delightful -serinons by His Providential Dealings and Doings with the sons of men. What an amazing sermon was that which the HOLY JEHOVAH preached when He commanded the Israelites to encamp before Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baal-ze-phon: - when he permitted wicked Pharaoh and his host to rush on after the children of Israel, with full determination to destroy them! With what awful majesty did the LORD open His great Sermon Book, when He Price One Halfpenny, or 10 copies for 4d.

VOL. VIII.-No. 85.

sent forth a strong east wind to roll up the waves of the sea -to pile them up like so many shining glassy mountains-to sweep the bed of the ocean until it was dry land-then carefully leading his own people down into their mysterious passage, he took them safely through! Ah! what a text did the Lord preach from that day! "FEAR YE NOT! STAND STILL!! AND SEE THE SALVATION of the LORD, WHICH HE WILL SHEW YOU TO-DAY!!!" And every sentence of that glorious text was verified to the letter: the people were delivered from fear-"they walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea: the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left: but in the morning watch, the Lord looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud-He troubled their host-He took their chariot wheels from them-He caused the waters to roll over their heads-destruction buried them and sunk them in blackness and woe for ever-“ there remained not so much as one of them." This was one of Jehovah's great sermons. From that time down to the present, the ALMIGHTY has spoken to men of the awful consequences of sin-and of the glorious realities of salvation-by tens and hundreds of thousands of sermons wherein He has unfolded and revealed His Holiness, His Justice, His Wisdom, His Power, His Mercy, and His Truth!—And yet, how little heed to heaven's preaching do men seem to give!

We think another sermon has lately been preached to Mr. Spurgeon, and to many who, we think, presume to tread upon unsafe ground, when they erect temporary buildings-and crowd into these weakly-erected chapels thousands of human beings, who, in a moment might be hurried into eternity. We are compelled to give, this month, A WARNING WORD TO MR. SPURGEON, and to his zealous friends in Country districtsand we ask them seriously to reflect upon the following account, with which Mr. Spurgeon introduced his sermon in the Surrey Music Hall, on Sunday morning, April 11th, 1858. God is our witness: we rejoice in all the efforts made to

publish the happy news the Gospel brings-we rejoice in all the advances Mr. Spurgeon, and other ministers make in the right direction-but, when warning after warning comes-we feel it becomes us to listen to the voice of the Almighty-and prayerfully to avoid a dangerous course. The following is from "The New Park Street Pulpit," No. 187. Mr. Spurgeon opened it by saying

"During this week my mind has been much directed to the subject of Providence, and you will not wonder when I relate a portion of one day's story. I was engaged to preach last Wednesday at Halifax, where there was a heavy snow storm. Preparations had been made for a congregation of 8000 persons, and a huge wooden structure had been erected. I considered that owing to the severe weather, few persons could possibly assemble, and I looked forward to the dreary task of addressing an insignificant handful of people in a vast place. However, when I arrived, I found from 5000 to 6000 people gathered to hear the Word; and a more substantial looking place it has not been my lot to see. It certainly was a huge uncomely building, but, nevertheless, it seemed well adapted to answer the purpose. We met together in the afternoon and worshipped God, and again in the evening, and we separated to our homes, or rather, we were about to separate, and all this while the kind providence of God was watching over us. Immediatety in front of me there was a huge gallery, which looked an exceedingly massive structure, capable of holding 2000 persons. This, in the afternoon, was crowded, and it seemed to stand as firm as a rock. Again in the evening there it stood, and neither moved nor shook. But mark the provident hand of God: in the evening, when the people were about to retire, and when there was scarcely more than a hundred persons there, a huge beam gave way, and down came a portion of the flooring of of the gallery with a fearful crash. Several persons were precipitated with the planks, but still the good hand of God watched over us, and only two persons were severely injured with broken legs, which it is trusted will be reset without the necessity of amputation. Now, had this happened any earlier, not only must many more have been injured, but there are a thousand chances to one, as we say, that a panic must necessarily have ensued similar to that which we still remember, and deplore as having occurred in this place. Had such a thing occurred, and had I been the unhappy preacher on the occasion, I feel certain that I should never have been able to occupy the pulpit again. Such was the effect of the first calamity, that I

marvel that I ever survived. No human tongue can possibly tell what I experienced. The Lord, however, graciously preserved us; the fewness of the people in the gallery prevented any such catastrophe, and thus a most fearful accident was averted. But we have a more marvellous providence still to record. Overloaded by the immense weight of snow which fell upon it, and beaten by a heavy wind, the entire building fell with an enormous crash three hours after we had left it, splitting the huge timbers into shivers, and rendering very much of the material, utterly useless for any future building. Now mark this, had the snow begun three hours earlier, the building must have fallen upon us, and how few of us would have escaped, we cannot guess. But, mark another thing. All day long it thawed so very fast that the snow, seemed to leave a mass, not of white show, but of snow and water together. This ran through the roof upon us, to our considerable annoyance, and I was almost ready to_complain that we had hard dealing from God's providence. But if it had been a frost instead of a thaw, you can easily perceive that the place must have fallen several hours beforehand, and then your minister, and the greater part of his congregation, would probably have been in the other world. Some there may be who deny providence altogether. I cannot conceive that there were any partakers of the scene who could have done so. This I know,

if I had been an unbeliever to this day in the doctrine of the supervision and wise care of God, I must have been a believer in it at this hour. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together; he hath been very gracious unto us, and remembered us for good.

We add nothing to this statement now. It is a cheering and grateful fact, that the good hand of God preserved the preacher and the people from so great a calamity. The Lord's great name for ever be adored.

Turn we now to another kind of sermon preached by THE GREAT SHEPHERD OF ISRAEL. The text is-" I will say to the north give up; and to the south keep not back; bring my sons from far; and my daughters from the ends of the earth." This sermon teaches the exercise of Divine Sovereignty, in bringing whom he will to hear, and in teaching his ministers how to speak. At Halifax, Mr. Spurgeon said :

"It was only a few weeks ago that a city missionary, going through