ters which we approve, we should have wished Mr. Sears had given some account how he was first quick ened to see and feel his lost and helpless condition as a sinner-how the law was first brought home to his conscience by the accompanying energy of God the Holy Ghost-and then, how that same Spirit led him to the Lord Jesus, as the all-sufficient Saviour. But perhaps, should a second edition be called for, this defect will be supplied: we should hope it will.

The Experience of the True Circumcision, a Sermon. By William Tant. 12mo, pp. 24. London, Groombridge.

The text selected is Nehemiah iv. 2. After describing the spiritual character mentioned in the text, in which the family features of one truly circumcised in heart is judiciously pourtrayed, and will be responded to, more or less, by all the election of grace, for they are all taught their own nothingness, and that in and of themselves they are indeed feeble Jews, but their strength is in the Lord their God; the preacher proceeds to show that Sanballat's questions may each be answered in the affirmative by these feeble Jews. "Will they fortify themselves? "Will they sacrifice?" Will they make an end in a day?" "Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?" Yes! in the strength of the Lord they will do wonders. Each of these questions Mr. Tant adapts to the Lord's people, and evidences much ingenuity throughout How far the spiritualization of the text may accord with the mind of the blessed Spirit therein, is very questionable : : many preachers are apt to indulge their own fancies, and amuse, rather than edify their hearers, by

THIS is a very scriptural account of the irresistible work of God in the conversion of the author, who, in a plain, unadorned, and heart - commending stile, describes the unceasing operation of the blessed Spirit in carrying on the work of grace in his soul,from its first beginnings to its further unfoldings beneath the fructifying beams of the Sun of righteousness. The first convictions of sin—the chilling effects of a dead and powerless ministry-the miserable counsel received from a mere letter-preacher— the blessing which attended the reading some of Dr. Hawker's worksthe Holy Spirit, by his own word, gradually opening, to his renewed mind, more and more of the riches of grace, as treasured up for every vessel of mercy; are each treated of with that plainness and spirituality that we have no hesitation in recommending it to readers, as an experimental work well worthy their perusal, and which will, under the Spirit's unctiom, prove, we have no doubt, a blessing to their souls.

The author has appended a few thoughts on Ezekiel's vision that contain much useful instruction.

TO YOU THAT BELIEVE HE IS
PRECIOUS."

SWEET moments! how dearly I prize,
When faith gains a glance at my Lord;
His beauties so ravish my eyes.
I long to proclaim them abroad:
That all his dear saints may rejoice
At the bliss a poor brother has found,
So each one may lift up his voice
And echo the tidings around.

How precious is Jesus to me!
More precious than thousands of gold;
And to this each saint will agree
When they his sweet count'nance behold.
I've oftentimes heard of his name,
And thought I his beauties did see,
But oh! I confess it with shame,
He then was a stranger to me.

His love was the theme of my song,
But oh, my poor heart never saw;
All was smooth, and I flitted along
Nor dreamt of the breadth of his law:
I talked of my power to embrace,
And boasted of righteousness too;
I laughed at distinguishing grace.
And hated God's poor chosen few.
With the host of Arminians combined
I stumbled on that stumbling-stone,
But now I'm convinced I was blind,
My creature-props now are all gone:
now am persuaded of this,

I

No power in creatures doth lay
To merit one atom of bliss,
Though boasting free-will all the day.

Nor will he, while here he remain,
Unless the dear Lord grace impart ;
For goodness he hath not one grain
Until he possess a new heart.
But why should I try to persuade,
They all my poor powers defy;
Jehovah alone, who hath made,
Can show them it is not a lie.

If I tell them the Lord is the same,
And all things his purpose fulfil;
They tell me that I am to blame
For I have resisted his will :

He willed that all men should be saved,
And Christ hath accomplished the way;
So those, who the blessing would have,
Have nothing to do but to pray.

To all is imparted the means,
To ev'ry one given the grace,
And nothing can hinder, it seems,
If all men the same would embrace.
This then is the gospel they preach,
And round the whole world with it fly;
'T is love universal they teach,
And men are well pleased with the lie.

But, O ye dear saints of the Lord,
Though widely these errors abound,
Rejoice that you read in his word
A gospel of more certain sound.
Thy God is a sovereign still,
Rich wonders of grace to display;
He orders things just as he will,
And all in a sovereign way.

Everlasting his purpose shall stand,
More firm than the earth his decree;
For his wisdom eternally planned,
What is and whatever shall be :
He asked not his creatures' consent,
Nor begged them his grace to receive;
But gives them the grace to repent,
As well as the faith to believe.

No after-thought e'er can take place,
In Him who saw all from the first;
Who knew whom his love would embrace,
From the first dawn of time to the last :
From the first dawn of time did I say,
Nay long before time had began;
For 't was in eternity past,
Which never was measured by man.

The Bible, most precious of books,
As firm as his throne shall endure;
And there his dear children may look,
And see their salvation is sure:
This treasure, my soul, highly prize,
And know 't is the word of the Lord;
For since he hath opened thine eyes,
What beauties thou seest in his word.

I wonder while viewing the scenes,
And Oh how my Lord I adore ;
And then what a wonder it seems,
I never so saw him before:

The sight to my love-ravished eyes,
Is more than my tongue can express;
And it would all my powers despise,
To clothe it in suitable dress.

Each book doth his glory rehearse,
His love in each chapter doth shine,

His wisdom is read in each verse,
His footsteps are traced in each line :
"T is an infinite distancc above,
And surpassing what men ever ken'd;
Of wisdom, of truth, and of love,
'Tis full from beginning to end.

The wisdom of poor puny man,
Though learning assist him to try,
Can never its mysteries scan,
They're hid from the natural eye :
'Tis them, and them only, can see,
Whom Jesus hath marked for hls own:
And they to those truths shall agree,
Which to others shall never be known.
Swaffham.

J. E. C.

SANCTIFICATION-AN ACROSTIC.

See yonder bright and glorious orb of day,
And view his splendour as he glides his way;
No clouds his shining rays envelope now,
Clear majesty sits beaming on his brow:
Through his diurnal course he 'll never stay,
In heat and light he still pursues his way.
From these reflections is no lesson taught!
Invite the powers of mind-the soul-the
thought;

Call to remembrance devious paths of sin,
And ask are all its powers subdued within?
Think, has God's Spirit sanctified the soul-
In holiness of life the man made whole?
Oh then rejoice, the Sun of righteousness
Now will burst forth with glorious beams of
grace.

HYMN ON THE BLESSED TRINITY.

That glorious God who reigns on high,
Arrayed in dreadful majesty,

Is veiled from mortal eyes;
Yet He his sacred word unseals,
And of himself enough reveals,

My faith to exercise.

The Father's love which chose my soul,
Complete in Christ before the fall,

Now draws me to the Son;
Cheers my sad heart in many a woe,
Repels the dart of every foe,

And soon will call me home.

In love the Son my surety stood.
Redeemed me with his precious blood,
And by it brought me nigh:
And oft as guilt my way impedes,
For me effectually he pleads,

My Advocate on high.

The Spirit's love doth Christ reveal,
And on my heart secure doth seal

Each promise God hath given :
Comforts my soul whene'er I mourn,
Proves that Jehovah ne'er will turn,
And meetens me for heaven.

WRITTEN UNDER AFFLICTION. Lord nerve afresh to bear, And from dejection free; Cause me anew to cast my care, My all on thee.

Speak but the word, thy voice Will cheer my drooping soul; Oh bid me in thy love rejoiceMy fears control.

Thou' It lead the blind, thou'st said, Though by an unknown way; Lord, I am blind, vouchsafe thine aid, Thy truth display.

I would believe thy word,

Although of sinners chief; Confidingly I'd trust thee, Lord, And prove relief.

In Jesus' name I pray,

(That name thou 'It not deny,) That thou wilt deign to be my stay, My refuge high !

Beneath thy sacred wings,

Grant me a cool retreat;
For trial's sun around me flings,
Its scorching heat.

Shew me dear Lord the way,
And should it thorny prove,
Let me not loiter in dismay,
But onward move.

THE ONE THING NEEDFUL, OR HOLINESS A PRELUDE TO FUTURE HAPPINESS.

THE Lord the Spirit testifies that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. We have ample proof of this recorded in the scriptures of truth. We find that when Hannah's heart was pregnant with inexpressible grief, she was glad to give vent to her feelings in sighs and groans: her language was this, "I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit, and have poured out my soul before the Lord," 1 Sam. i. 15. And it is equally true when salvation or deliverance is by God the Holy Ghost proclaimed in the elect sinner's soul. Can any thing either internal, or external, or infernal, deter such an one from proclaiming the lofty praises of the Lord? Surely not. It was out of the abundance of a heart impressed with the truth of God, that induced young Elihu to declare that great men are not always wise, neither do the aged understand judgment. I am full of matter (said he), the Spirit within me constraineth me: behold my belly is as wine which hath no vent, it is ready to burst like new May, 1842.]

We

other words the benign influences of the blessed Spirit of God, had spread its sacred rays over the soul of the great apostle of the Gentiles, when he penned the epistle before us. find, by referring to the foregoing chapter, that his mind had been wrapped up in sweet contemplation relative to the Lord's tender care over his people, whilst passing through the furnace of affliction; and we find that this blessed subject was SO wreathed about his very soul, that he could not refrain from telling the church what his heart was pregnant with: and in the chapter before us, he points out some characteristic marks of a soul born from above; he reminds them that the chastening rod of God is as needful as their consolations. And in the word cited at the head of this paper, he is very choice in showing the great necessity of holiness, without which (he declares) no man shall see the Lord.

And, in humble dependance on divine assistance, I purpose, First, to show a little in the negative what we are not to understand by this holiness

recorded in our text. And surely,
beloved friends, you will accede to
this truth, that it is not that spurious
holiness which is so current amongst
those who contend for free-will and
universal redemption-namely, per-
fection in the flesh. It is of that na-
ture, that it defies the skill of all
Adam's posterity to produce any thing
that can in the least degree come up
to its sample.
It does not consist in
mere lip service, nor in a liberal mind
towards the poor in supplying their
temporal wants, though this is very
good in its place. The language of
the apostle, in 1 Cor. xiii, is in unison
with the following lines upon the
subject:

Had I such zeal, and did bestow
My goods on needy man below,
As sounding brass I should be found,
Which only gives a tinkiing sound.

Had I such gifts, and did excell
All men that have in Adam fell,
In darkness I should still remain,
If grace within me did not reign.

Having said a little in the negative, I proceed, Secondly, to show what I conceive the mind of the Lord is respecting this holiness. And let it be observed, that as the great Jehovah, in his Trinity of Persons, is infinitely holy, far beyond the grasp of mortals to conceive, that nothing but spotless purity can be pleasing in his sight; so we come to this positive conclusion —that the holiness we are endeavouring to point out, is the sole production of God the Holy Ghost, engraved upon the heart of the election of almighty grace in the appointed time. It is called an incorruptible seed, 1 Peter i. 23; a seed that cannot sin, John iii. 9; so that the persons that are blessed with this, are emphatically said to be partakers of his (the Lord's) holiness, Heb. xii. 10. It is called a perfect holiness, and its recipients are said to venerate its giver, 2 Cor. vii. 1; and the Holy Ghost dwells in them, 1 Cor. vi. 19. It is called the "new man, which after God is created

in righteousness and true (not a mock) holiness," Eph. iv. 24.

Having shown from holy scripture what we are to understand by the holiness cited at the head of this paper, I purpose, Thirdly, to show its effects upon the minds of the living in Jerusalem. Our text says, without it no man shall see the Lord. This denotes two things. First, it shows that the Lord's children remain in darkness until this holiness is imparted to them. And secondly, it presupposes that when the everblessed Spirit begins his holy work in their souls, that they then see or behold the Lord. But the question may be, What do they see? Why. beloved brethren, they see and feel such mysteries that all language fails fully to describe. The reflection of the holiness and justice of God, when by the Holy Spirit it is revealed to the elect sinner's soul, at once open his before blind eyes; or, as the same apostle says, the eyes of his understanding are enlightened, to behold. himself a violator of the law of the Most High.

Previous to this work being wrought in the soul, the sinner is dead in sin; and though sin is represented under the figure of the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps (Deut. xxxii. 33), yet they embrace it as delicious food (Job xx. 12); they are like the adder that stoppeth her ear (Psalm lviii. 4), their hearts are desperately wicked (Jer. xvii. 9), and they are shut up in unbelief (Rom. xi. 32; Gal. iii. 23). I think we do not err when we affirm that unbelief may be compared to the grave stone that covereth the dead sinner's heart, and which, it is a most substantial truth, no one but our spiritual Jacob is competent to remove away (Gen. xxix. 10). It was at His commanding voice that the stone was removed from the grave of Lazarus: and it is his commanding voice that brings the dead sinner into newness of life, making him or her feel and know that