No Trouble-No Fear. "Let me but hear my Saviour say, Leaning on all-sufficient grace." THIS is Saturday, June 27th, 1868. I am one of more than a dozen in a G. W. thirder, directed once more to Whitestone, 150 miles away from home. Left that this morning more unhappy than words can tell, because heavy affliction lays there; and as I sat for a moment looking on the afflicted one, I heard (inside) these words, "The sword shall never depart out of thine house." A secret spirit within gently bowed in resignation; and taking a farewell of them all, in prayer commending body, soul, family, and everything to the Lord, I left the house of sorrow, and forced myself through the city to Paddington; and now, beneath a summer's sun, I am riding and writing at the same time. I do no good, I cannot afford to be idle; I feel like a good and venerated farmer, who once said to me, "I have worked hard over sixty years, and am not worth fourpence half-penny after all." So with myself, I have been studying, writing, talking, printing, travelling, and working over fifty years, and if I am worth anything it is all in Jesus Christ, for, out of Him, apart from Him, I nothing have, I nothing am. Still, like the man who said in him was found "THE MYSTERIOUS FOUR," "A sinner, BASE; A sinner, BAD; If so, I have found, a sense of sin brings shame and sorrow; but when a divinely-wrought faith opens up the glories of the Son of God, the greatness of His work, the compassion of His heart, the strength of His arm, the infinitely precious efficacy of His atoning sacrifice, then a sense of the goodness of God in Christ leadeth to repentance, and to rest; and of every such believing penitent, of every such Christ-approaching soul, the Saviour frequently said, "And I will raise him up at the last day." I did not know until very lately, that at a wholesale factory where they make ministers of all sorts and sizes, one of the exercises in which they are allowed to indulge is, pouring contempt upon the Bishops and Deans of the so-called Hyper-Calvinistic school. Such simple notes as I write, no doubt, are helpful to these raw recruits. Still, I would rather be assured that the grace of God, of which in those immense chambers of knowledge they profess to possess so large a share, led them to esteem the fathers in Christ; and not like the wicked urchins in Elijah's time, make a mock at things they never knew, things which tried believers learn in fires and floods, into which these unfledged striplings never yet have been plunged. Leaving these trifles, I rejoice I can this day write of something higher and richer by far. It is a mercy to have any of the Saviour's promises realized in our souls. These, certainly, are tokens for good. ૨ He said, concerning HIS WORD, "It shall be in you, as a well of water, springing up into everlasting life." That promise I have found true. Each time I have been going to Whitestone, a word has come to me, and dwelt in me, and I have spoken from it there. This morning to myself I said, "You have no message to carry this time." Then old unbelief, in one of his sulky fits, grumbled out, "And what good have any of your messages ever done?" I was silent, I was sad. But, unexpectedly, as I was passing through that part of the city called "The Poultry," those beautiful words the Saviour spake entered my heart with gentleness as soft as dew, "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." If I live to stand in Whitestone pulpit to-morrow, those words will, I hope, in the grace of the Spirit, be a blessing to some. Oh, Lord, let us all know thee as our deliverer from troubles; and as the friend who banisheth every fear. Amen, so let it be. As I journey on, the words referred to are full of holy matter if you consider them in a three-fold direction :-First, they are connected with the Saviour's going away from His disciples. He is going to leave them; but where is He going to? What has He to go through? And what will be the end of all this? Then, Secondly, these words have a kind of prophetic spirit, they look forward to the circumstances in which the disciples will be left when their Lord is gone from them. And, Thirdly, they are connected with those great foundation blessings which enabled the Saviour in all faithfulness and affection to say, "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." I. Christ is about to leave them. It is the coming and going of Christ in the souls of His disciples which make up what is termed “Christian Experience." The advents of the adorable and eternal Son of God are most wonderful demonstrations of His love, and of His purposes of mercy toward His people. It may be said, Christ has many provinces into which He more specially and immediately has come, for the deliverance and comforting of His people. There was (1) His Anticipatory Province. He came to Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Joshua, Gideon, Isaiah, Daniel, and others. Always to speak "comfortably" unto them. There was (2) His Mediatorial Advent. "In the fulness of time, God sent forth His Son ;" "God was in Christ." Oh, how full is that one of Paul's, "It is a faithful saying, worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." Even I accept that saying, and sinner as I am, do sometimes, put in my plea; and call this precious Jesus mine. There is (3) His Spiritual Province. All the souls the Father predestinated, He, the Son, redeemed. All these, in due time, are filled with the Spirit of life and grace; and unto them Jesus is pleased to manifest Himself as seemeth Him good. How I have thought of that comprehensive multum in parvo of Paul's, "When it pleased God;" there is Divine sovereignty--"Who separated me from my mother's womb,"-there is Divine predestination; "and called me by His grace," there is effectual calling; "to reveal His Son in me," there is divine illumination, and when Christ is thus revealed in the living soul, He will be believed in, followed after, and affectionately desired for ever. Although the old serpent, the deceitful heart, the wicked flesh, the alluring world, and other foes, may often becloud, distress, and ensnare the soul, CHRIST once revealed, is never LOST. No, never. His comings and goings in the soul are the sources of all real experience. My poor soul says, "He seems gone a long time!" Ah! where and when Shall I again Those happy seasons know? I would rejoice, But still a voice, Says, "No more here below." Christ looked forward to all the gloomy future which would surely follow His departure from His own disciples; and while His own dear heart was breaking with the trouble which then lay upon them, He sought to administer comfort unto them by repeating, by again reiterating those precious words, "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." Did not Christ hereby mean that the cause of all trouble and fear should be removed from them? Certainly he did. This beautiful exhortation is, as we may say, united to, and built upon, several great principles and promises which the Redeemer lays before them as so many grand reasons why they were not despairingly to give way to unbelieving fear. Just look at them; and then as the Psalm lxiv. says, "Wisely consider of his doing." 1. "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid," because "in my Father's house are many mansions; I go to prepare a place for you." Who can the full meaning of these wondrous words unfold? 2. Because, "If I'go, and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also." 3. Because, "I will pray the Father, and He shall send you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever." 4. Because, "I will not leave you comfortless; I will come to you,” yea, "Lo! I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." Amen. "Oh, thou once weeping, dying Jesus, Now enthroned in glory high; Come and pardon, cleanse, and heal us; But for ever live to praise Thy glorious name. Standing before the Cross. C. W. B. By E. J. SILVERTON, BAPTIST MINISTER. THE Cross is the blood-marked standard round which the multitudinous forms of truth gather. It is the grand centre of all true religion, and those who do not value the cross of Christ will never wear the crown of righteousness. True, the cross was wrapped in death's black pall, yet there shone through such a light and glory, that some who stood by said, "This was indeed the Son of God." The cross of Christ stands at the head of the king's highway of salvation; all who come to heaven's gates must first pass Christ's cross; the way to the eternal city is by the cross, for just as we cannot go down the river (say to Greenwich College) without passing the Tower of London, so no man can go to heaven without passing the cross of Jesus, and all those who are trying to find some other way, are such as would take off the crown of Christ and be crowned therewith themselves. The cross should be the burden of every song, the merit of every prayer, and the substance of every sermon; every saved sinner is led to it, and every saint draws life from it; it is like the tree of life, its 100ts go deep down into the heart of eternal love; its brows are broad and mighty, its leaves are for the healing of the nations, its fruits are rich and plenteous, those who eat of this tree shall never die; beneath its branches the law-chased sinner is sheltered from the pelting storms of Divine justice. Here it is he learns the doctrine of transfer, and sees how Christ took the sinner's place. It is to the cross the saints often retrace their steps to start as it were afresh on life's journey to the skies; it is indeed the true starting post, all who begin here will end in the joy of eternal salvation. Many who saw Christ on His cross will sit with Him in His throne, and many who saw His dying gestures will never behold His living glory. In some, the eyes which saw Him nailed to the cross while they were on earth, shall see Him seated on His throne, while they shall be in hell. Many looked upon His person who had no faith in His cross, many heard His words who did not receive His Gospel. And as it was then, so is it now, not all who say Lord, Lord, shall enter in. The sun gave orders for the earth to put on mourning, all the lamps of the sky were darkened, and darkness was over the face of the earth from the sixth hour till the ninth. He died amid a thunderstorm, which was so terrible that the earth was shaken to her centre; never was such a death, never was such darkness, never was such fear, never was such silence in heaven, never was such commotion in hell, never did men wait with hearts so full for explanation; never did hours hang so heavily as with those who waited for the third day. For all we know the heaven of heavens was hung in mourning when Christ gave up the ghost; the angels all took off their crowns, laid aside their golden harps, we can think of the crystal fountains all lying still; we can see the hosts of heaven all sitting down with faces full of wonder and contemplation. The throne of the eternal God wrapped round with black linen, and God's own face wearing a majestic frown. The Son of God is dead!!! But all this had cleared and passed away by the time Jesus rose from his borrowed tomb. Now all was peace and sunshine. He whose death had split massive rocks shook the mighty earth and rent the gorgeous veil of the temple, sent Satan reeling drunk to hell; for he now learned that Jesus had conquered, and his people were free; Christ's victory over sin, and death, and the grave, was shown in the rising of the saints on the same morning as Jesus rose, who were said to have made visits to the holy city. These were the first fruits of the Lord's victory over the grave, and it would seem that they went home with our risen Saviour, seated with him in the same chariot, which God His Father had sent from His own courtyard to bring His Son in triumph home to glory. Thus the Prince of Peace and the first fruits of the resurrection all went gloriously home together; how sweet a journey it must have been for those who had been raised from their deadly slumbers by the loud striking hammer which fastened Christ to the cross. Watch the chariot up the golden hills, see it as it comes near the pearly gates of the city, behold the welcome given in the thousand upon thousands of the highest angels who crowded on either side of the entrance to the eternal kingdom; hear the loud shouts, He is King! He is King! crown Him Lord of all. And now the mighty ring of voices is heard singing, Glory and honour, and power and might, and blessing and majesty, be unto the King for ever and ever." Yea! He who hung pale and dead on the cross, is the Almighty Prince of heaven and earth; He lives to bless His church, and His church lives to bless His name, He is alive for evermore, and because He lives His saints live; their life is folded in His, it is "In Him we live and move and have our being." Child of God, all thy sins were put to death when Christ Jesus died; as multifarrious as they were not one is left alive; not one shall meet thee at the judgment day. No! they were all crucified with Christ, died with Him, He rose from the dead, but they have no power so to do. If sought for now they can't be found. He has saved thee! destroyed death, opened the grave, curtailed the power of Satan, honoured the law and glorified His holy name, and now He reigns as King. He who had a cross for His bed, now has a throne for His seat; He who had murderers for His attendants and thieves for His dying companions, is now adored by the countless millions of the just made perfect, whose delight it is to serve Him day and night. Oh, people of God, 'think we shall be with Him, and like Him; yes! the day will come, when we shall be disentangled from life's sorrows, and the last tear shall be wiped away. Christian, think of this, look up and look forward; think of the full discharge, the perfect liberty from sin, the emancipation from the fretting cares of this sin-stricken world; think of seeing thy Saviour face to face; think of what it will be to stand in the sunlight of his presence, to hear Him speak, to see Him smile, to behold His glory, to join with the glorified saints in the song of the city, Worthy the Lamb." Think of every power and every thought living only all to do homage to Jesus; to sin impossible; all that is within us shall then praise the Lord; not one thought shall stray away, not one feeling opposed to holiness, not one word shall be unwisely spoken, nor one act unwisely propounded. The holy soul longs for such a state, and is, at times, made very happy by the recollection of the promise, "They shall be mine in that day when I make up jewels," But as yet we are in the world, and have to do with the things of the world. The Lord keep us from being worldly; may the world be our servant but we never the servant of the world; may we die while we live, for we shall live when we die. The Lord grant us a level path, and an easy way; but grace to take up the cross when we come to it; may we never shun the footprint of our Master Christ! the Lord attend to our hearing that we may never be deaf to the saying of His, "Take up thy cross and follow Me." If we think of how much He suffered to bring us to glory, surely we shall not think much of the little we suffer to bring Him praise. May the faith of God's people often carry them back to the garden where stood the cross, and there may they gaze till they read their names in His wounds, and feel the shedding of His blood has |