they "should see his face no more," and the cordial reception which he met with did much to refresh him after his wars in Glamorganshire. Everything was done to honour and comfort him. He was among those who well knew his likings and antipathies. Before he stood up to preach, care would be taken that the chapter read should not be too long, that not more than one verse of a hymn should be sung at a time, that the prayer should not be tedious, and that the previous sermon should not exceed the proper limits; for it should be remembered that without such precautions, the venerable preacher would denounce the first part of the service as a reading school, or a singing class, that he would protest the prayer had made him "a perfect Pagan," and that the sermon was the deliverance of a fool. As so much depended on preliminaries, everything calculated to irritate would be studiously avoided. In these circumstances, "the old man eloquent" was himself again. The vision of familiar faces, and the veneration and deference, deepened by a kindly sense of his recent conflicts, which were accorded, acted powerfully upon him.

"Ancient founts of inspiration,

Welled through all his fancy yet."

peace. Once he visited the old scene of
his self-abnegating labours-Angelsea; and
when he spoke there, he stirred the pulses
of his hearers as in days gone by. At the
close of his sermons, he referred to former
times-to some of his contemporaries who
had entered into rest, and hinted that it
was probable they would see his face on
earth no more; and then it was
"Women's tears fell fast as rain,

And rough men shook with inward pain,
For him they ne'er should see again."

After his visit to Angelsea, we find him
going on an evangelistic tour in company
with his wife and a young preacher, called
Hughes, into South Wales. At Tredegar,
the hand of affliction grasped him, but he
rallied sufficiently to reach Swansea, where
he lifted up his mighty voice for the last
time in public in behalf of the cause of
truth and righteousness. As he descended
the pulpit stairs, he was heard to say,

This is my last sermon!" He repaired to the house of his friend the Rev. D. Davies, D.D., and laid himself down on his couch to die.

Early in the morning of the 20th of June, 1838, he summoned his friends to his bedside, thanked them for the kindly feelings they had evinced, and tremulously said, "I am going to depart. I have laboured in the sanctuary for three and fifty years, and my comfort is that I have not laboured without blood in the vessel. Preach Christ to the people, dear brethren! Look at me in my self, and in my preaching. I am nothing but a lost and ruined man, but look at me in Christ. I am heaven and salvation." He then repeated a verse of a hymn in Welsh, and with his inward eye beheld the chariot which had come to take him to his everlast

ing home. As he took his place in it, he said, "GOOD BYE! DRIVE ON!" and melted triumphantly waved his hand, lovingly away into a glorious eternity of bliss.

"Servant of God, well done,

At these meetings, we are told the brethren talked together respecting the likeliest part of the Welsh vineyard for Christmas Evans to labour in. It seems he had all but settled it in his mind to go to Carnarvon. The brethren agreed that that was a very proper locale to be visited. An unfortunate member of the association closed some remarks on the point by the following sentence-"You had better go to Carnarvon; it's not likely your talents would suit but you might do excellently well there." Mr. Evans flashed his eye upon the man, and with a husky voice, rather indignantly responded-" And when didst thou come out of the shell?" No doubt that pointed query prevented all further remarks about the matter. So from Cardiff he went to Carnarvon. Whilst at Carnarvon, Mr. Evans wisely became the "hero of the Carnarvon teetotal platform." Well would it be for society in general, and for the church in particular, if all ministers of the Gospel were to imitate his example. If Christmas Evans could toil as he did, without the stimulus of alcoholic or poisonous beverages, why might not all? We know Farewell, good, eloquent, courageous by more than a quarter of a century's expe- Christmas Evans, farewell! Brother of our rience the hardest toil in the pulpit and heart, farewell! Thou hast indeed gained the platform can be gone through better the very goal and purpose of thine exwithout the stimulus of what is called "the istence upon earth. Predestinated to a moderate glass" than with it. Glad are we glorious immortality, thou hast reached the to put on record the gratifying fact that blessed inheritance, where thou shalt dwell Christmas Evans was a TEETOTALER! After in fadeless beauty and increasing brighthis settlement at Carnarvon, he often wan-ness for ever.

Rest from thy lov'd employ;
The battle's fought, the vict'ry won,
Enter thy Master's joy.

"The cry from heaven came,

Thou didst attentive hear;
A mortal arrow pierc'd thy frame,
But thou wast proof'gainst fear.
"Thy spirit with a bound,

Left the encumbering clay;
Thy tent at sunrise on the ground,
A darkened ruin lay."

dered far and wide to preach the Gospel of | And now my task is "all over and

done." If any of my poor sentences should have made but one reader of them long to be more like the great Elder Brother of the Church-to be more courageous in battling with error more desirous to be instrumental in wiping tears of sorrow from the eyes of those who are called to suffer more loving in their tempers and dispositions-more friendly to every instrumen

tality calculated in any measure to give a healthier action to the great heart of redeemed humanity, I shall not have written and they will not have read my poor lucubrations altogether in vain. Wishing my kind readers in the best sense of the words a joyous Christmas when it comes, and a happy new year, I bid them now farewell. Derby, 1863.

COMPANIONS OF THE CROSS;

A Narrative of some of God's Nobles Found in the Archives of the Churches. THE LATE WILLIAM BIRCH-W. HUNTINGTON'S DELIVERANCE.

IN the EARTHEN VESSEL for September, I gave one part of Mr. Huntington's testimony touching his own deliverance: in this number I will give the end of it; but will first say one word announcing the death of one who might be well called a son in the faith of the late Isaac Beeman-I mean William Birch, of Cranbrook, in the county of Kent.

When I was a singing-boy in the parish church, William Birch's father sat by my side every Sunday in the gallery, and sang tenor: and William's mother made pies, and sold them on the market days. William was a shoemaker, and for years an unconverted man. Isaac Beeman's ministry was the means in the hands of the Lord of bringing him savingly, I do believe, into the kingdom of grace; and after some time he was called into the ministry, and was ultimately settled as pastor over a church at Staplehurst, where for several years he preached the Gospel in an experimental way, and not there only, but in many parts of Kent and Sussex; in London, and other parts of England, William Birch was, I believe, God's mouth to many of the tried and

afflicted in Zion.

neither their hearts nor their minds are truly set fast and full in that three-fold knowledge, so essential to real fellowship with God. I mean (1) a knowledge of the work of the Holy Ghost; (2) a living faith in all that may be said to constitute the personalty and mediatorial power of the Son of God; and (3) a holy acquaintance with the LORD in His well-ordered covenant of grace.

All who are strangers to a Triune Jehovah in these great matters will look with contempt on those who earnestly contend for, and faithfully expound them but to their own Master they stand or fall. THE GLORIOUS REVELATION OF Jesus Christ.

Let us look carefully at the testimony of William Huntington. His great distress of soul I have described. We left him on his knees crying out of the pain of his soul for mercy. The Lord delivered him in the following manner : He says:

"The very moment the last sentence had dropped from my lips, the spirit of grace and of supplication was poured into my soul,' and I forthwith spake as the Spirit gave me utterance.' I immediately prayed His work on earth is done. Rather sud-with such energy, eloquence, fluency, bolddenly, in the month of October, he was ness, and familiarity, as quite astonished called to his rest; and now amid theme: as much as though I should now sudspirits of the ransomed, I hope he realizes denly speak Arabic, a language that I never the full glories of his holy Master's pre- learned a syllable of. And the blessed sence. Of his life, ministry, experience, Spirit of God poured the sweet promises and death, I may give more some day; for into my heart, from all parts of the Scrip he was, indeed, in many ways, a "COM-tures, in a powerful manner; and helped PANION OF THE CROSS." my infirmities greatly, by furnishing my To redeem one of the many promises I faltering tongue with words to plead prehave made, let me here give the coal-valently with God. Yes, that blessed Spirit heaver's account of the great deliverance he enabled me to compass the Almighty about experienced by

THE INCOMING OF THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD.

There are many passing among us for good men; and professing to be called to he ministry of the Gospel; but I fear

with his own promises; which were so suit able to my case, that his blessed Majesty could not get out of his own bonds. It came to pass that, after I had been wrest ling in this manner for about the space of a quarter of an hour, behold, Jesus Christ appeared to me in a most glorious and con

spicuous manner, with all his body stained with blood! He appeared in his aspect as one greatly dishonoured and much abused, and yet inclined to pity me. I turned my eyes from him, but he pursued me, and was still before me. I fell to the ground, and lay on my face, but could not shun the sight. I never before saw sin in such a light as I then did.

"In the light of the law God appears dreadful to us: for as the law discovers nothing but sin, and the wrath of God against sin, the Lawgiver appears an enemy to us; which fills us with tormenting fear; and, as we expect no mercy from him, we naturally hate him. The law revealing no pity, we are moved with self-pity: thus sinful self becomes the object of pity, and the carnal mind shews her enmity even against God. But the sight and sense of sin, which I had in the sight of a slaughtered Saviour, filled my soul with indignation against myself and my sin; and caused my bowels to sound with unutterable love, pity, and compassion, towards my highly-injured God and Saviour. My murmuring was completely slain at once, and I cried out, 'Oh I cannot bear it! Oh send me to hell, to my own place, for I deserve it! I cannot, I will not complain. Oh send me to hell! I did not know till now that I had been sinning against thy wounds and thy blood! I did not know that thou hadst suffered thus for wretched me! I did not know till now that I had any concern in crucifying thee! I cannot beg mercy of my suffering Lord and Saviour. No; send me to hell, for I deserve it. Oh, I will never complain, for I know that my complaining would be unjust!"

everlasting love! All the horrors of the damned, and meditations upon their irrevocable doom, vanished; confusion and despair sunk into oblivion; the self-existent Jehovah, the God of armies, had put all to flight, and kept both throne and field alone, waving the banner of eternal love. The reprobate and the awful lines of threatenings were all set at the foot of the mount, and I was brought under the covenant line of God's elect; while the unconditional promises of an everlasting gospel stood as numerous as the leaves in autumn to secure my interest in a finished salvation. My thoughts were sweetly established; my heart was firmly fixed; my mind was serenely composed; my doubts and fears were finally fled; my conscience appeared a mysterious principality, divinely governed by the Prince of peace; my affections were rapturously inflamed; my will sweetly resigned; and Grace, with all her comforting operations, swaying her uncontrollable sceptre over every faculty of my soul. Thus sin, Satan, death, destruction, horror, despair, unbelief, confusion, and distraction, struck their flags; and were routed, vanquished, and slain, before the triumphant Redeemer's divine artillery, displayed from that wonderful armoury, the mystery of the cross, where God and sinners meet.

"I went into the tool-house in all the agonies of the damned, and returned with the kingdom of God established in my heart. Oh happy year! happy day! blessed minute! sacred spot! Yea, rather blessed be my dear Redeemer, who 'delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.'

"I now went and tried to work, but "The more I strove to avoid him, the could not; for I had not a thought at my nearer he approached, the vision opened command, nor an affection but what was in brighter and brighter, and the deeper im- heaven: nor was it in my power to recall pression was made upon my mind: and the them from thence, for my heart was where more I condemned myself, and tried to creep my treasure was. I went to my tool-house into darkness from his sight, the more he to fetch a tool; but before I reached the smiled upon me, and the more he melted, spot forgot what I wanted. I stood tremrenewed, and comforted my soul. When I bling, laughing, crying, and rejoicing, and found I could not shun him, nor shut out saying, What do I want? What do I his dissolving beams, I arose from the want?' but could not recollect which tool ground, and went into the garden. Here II wanted. So I went back again to my found that all my temptations were fled; my work, and stood looking at it; but my soul hard thoughts of God, and the dreadful was fled to her own mansion, and the poor ideas I had of him in his righteous law, gardener was left alone. As I could do were dissipated; my sins, which had stood nothing without her, I was just like a mere before me during so many months, with machine without wheels. After I had stood their ghastly and formidable appearance, considering a long time, I thought it was a had spread their wings and taken flight, as hoe that I wanted; then I ran to my toolfar from me as the east is from the west,' house, crying out all the way 'Hoe, hoe, so that no bird remained upon the sacrifice. hoe, hoe; but, before I could reach the toolMy darkness was dispelled by the rays of house, my thoughts and the hoe were fled the Sun of righteousness; and life and together. I then went back a second time, immortality appeared in such a glorious and stood looking at my work, laughing and point of view, that I swooned in the soul- crying aloud for joy. When I was able to renewing and soul-transporting flames of consider a little, I remembered that it was

THE EARTHEN VESSEL.

Dec. 1, 1863.

Saviour to let me die: I earnestly entreated "I kneeled down, and begged of my him to take me to himself, lest I should be left to sin again. But in this I could not prevail."

a rake I wanted. Then I set off again as, attract my warmest affections to the Divine fast as I could walk to my tool-house, crying Fabricator and universal Ruler. out, 'Rake, rake, rake, rake;' but, before I could get to my journey's end, the thought of the rake went after the hoe, so that I could get neither of them. I was like poor Peter, when he said, 'It is good to be here,' but knew not what he said. I now went back the third time, and gave up all hopes of being able to work. And I considered with myself what I should do in this case. If I did not work, I could not with conscience receive my wages; and, if I received no pay, my wife and children must suffer for want of bread. As for myself, I regarded not food; nor do I believe I should have felt the want of it, had I starved to death.

'However, all my efforts to work would not do; Jesus Christ was come-it was the year of jubilee with me-and the earth must bring forth of herself, for I could not till the ground. The servant was now freed from his master, and my 'hands were delivered from the pots;' my soul had got on the wings of a dove, and had fled to keep holy-day, and I was determined to keep holy-day also. I therefore left the garden, and went to Sunbury common, where I could walk as many miles as I pleased without being molested; and there I blessed and praised God with a loud voice, without any body listening to the glorious converse which I held with my dear Redeemer.

now; nor do I give it as an experience
I cannot give the whole of this relation
which must be realized in all who are saved
at least to such an extent; but of this I
have more to say.

solemn discoveries of
While I have been musing over these
MAN'S MALADIES

AND THE

MERCIFUL MANIFESTATIONS OF THE MEDIATOR,

a letter has fallen into my hands, in which we have another testimony unfolding something of the same conflict-although in a lesser degree-by a minister still living. I mean Mr. SAMUEL COZENS, whose letter to me reads as follows:

"MR. EDITOR.-Dear Sir.-We read of some who in the place of drawing water rehearsed the righteous acts of the Lord. And

'Why should the wonders He hath wrought, Be lost in silence and forgot?'

On Monday night, after reading 1 Peter iv., and a part of Romans viii., from the 28th verse to the end, I went to bed with a calm and heavenly mind rejoicing in the fellowship of His sufferings who endured the contradiction of (religious) sinners against "When I came there I was amazed; for phemy was not impious, and who though Himself, who, though charged with blasthe whole creation appeared in such divine called a wine-bibber (that is according embroidery as I had never before seen. to the original a confirmed drunkard) was 'The glory of God covered the heavens, and never inebriated; and who though denomithe earth was full of his praise," Hab. iii. 3.nated a devil; nay, the very chief, the alpha Indeed I could not compare myself to any of devils, was not a devil; and who though thing, unless it was to one who had been he was made a sinner by insinuation, was shut up in a dark cell, from the moment of not a sinner in fact. His associating with his birth, till he arrived at the age of twenty sinners could not be tolerated by the or thirty years, and then was turned into pious Pharisees (who while their outer life the world on a glorious sun-shiny day, and was garnished with broad phylacteries, and placed on an eminence, where he could sur-pompous observances, were in their inner vey the greatest part of the world at one life a sink of sin), from which conduct they to His reputation. Nevertheless, wisdom immediately drew deductions unfavourable (Christ) is justified of all her children, and we rejoice that "His loving heart is still eternally the same:" still His heart of love is warm, and beats with deathless sympathies for sinners; and "sinners can say, and none but they, how precious is the Saviour." Well I say, I went to sleep in peace, calmly and quietly reposing on the loving heart of the sinner's Friend. But ah! when these short visits end! Sometimes like Jacob we sleep away from Luz into heaven (Gen. xxviii.); bnt on Monday night, like Abraham, I slept away from sacrificial visions, and from communion with God into an horror of great darkness (Gen. xv.); and

view.

"I now saw the wisdom of God in every thing, even from the canopy of the heavens down to the smallest insect. His omnipotence appeared in framing and supporting the world, and all the various tribes that inhabit it. His faithfulness shone sweetly in accomplishing his promise to Noah; as it is written, While the earth remaineth, seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night, shall not cease,' Gen. viii. 22. His omniscience and wisdom were displayed in the government of a world, so confused and disordered by sin. In short, everything conspired to make my soul happy, to engage my thoughts, to employ my mind, and

I awoke indescribably wretched. O how through, and try and get at the solution; mysterious that one hour we should be and I was truly rewarded for my pains, for able to cast all our cares upon the Lord, and when I got to the second page, and read, the next, gather them all up again, as if Do you remember that time when the there were no God; to feel one moment re- Saviour came in the Gospel? when your posing in a faithful God, and the next dis- heart melted under a Saviour's love; trustful and mistrusting; to feel one mo- that God should save sinners was wonderful, ment a very heaven of saving delight in the but that He should save ME more wonderful soul, and the next to groan from a very still? I felt my heart to melt afresh: the hell of misery within. I think I can un- fountains of the deep were broken up, the derstand how it is that we have these flinty rock within was smitten, and I wept changes. We are all right when the Spirit of tears of sweetness-tears of love and grief. grace works in us; but when he leaves off Soul, said I, dost thou remember that time? working, the flesh begins to work; and we O yes, more than twenty years age; and are all wrong then. Let the Lord leave off the place? O yes, in a small garret in the communing with us, and we are sure to house of Messrs. Stuckey and Meade, Langsubside into the flesh. It is as natural for port; and the words of the Gospel? O yes, us to fall back into the flesh as it is for Thy sins, which are many, are all forgiven water to find its level. You may throw thee;' and the preacher? O yes, the water up to heaven a thousand times, but it Preacher was the Lord Himself. I was will come down again; ay, and you may upon my knees crying to God with my heat it a thousand times, and it will go cold voice, my sins were crying against me, and again; take it away from the fire, and it the powers of darkness were crying after goes cold again, because coldness is its na- me; I felt lost and ruined, within a step of ture; and just so we fall back into self when death, on the very margin of hell, and I we miss the presence of our Friend. was crying aloud to God, for Christ's sake, to save me; and I heard the words uttered by Divine lips, and applied by Divine power, 'Thy sins, which are many, are ALL forgiven thee.' Then, like Peter, I shook off my chains, and left my prison. I was free! free from the chains of sin; free from the prison of condemnation; free from the agents of justice; free to tell of Him who makes the captive free. (Isaiah Ixi.)

"Let grave divines say what they will,
Nature will be nature still."

For that which is born of the flesh is flesh,
and that which is born of the Spirit is
Spirit; that which is born of the flesh will
never become spirit: the flesh is flesh, and
the spirit is spirit: when I am in the flesh, I
cannot please God, for to be carnally
minded is death; but when I am in the Spirit,
I cannot please the flesh: these two are
contrary the one to the other; and these
two are in the Shulamite (Sol. Song vi. 16),
in the church, in every living child of God.
Before conversion there is only the law in
the members, but after there is also the law
in the mind. (Romans vii.) A man in a
state of nature may go on quiet enough,
because he has no contending laws within;
he is under one law, and that law he loves
and obeys, and revels in lust as a free-
willer to all that is evil; but while the
graceless are free to evil, the gracious
mourn because they cannot do the good that
they would. But I am forgetting my ob-
ject in writing. I said I got up consum-
mately wretched, and so I did; but on
going into my sitting-room, I was attracted
to a small pamphlet lying on the table,
headed with this solemn interrogation :
'How shall I pass over Jordan?' The mo-
ment I took it up the conviction stole over
me that I should find something in it. I read
a little way into it, and saw nothing, and
felt nothing, and thought, it is no use read-
ing this; and with that thought I mechani-
cally thrust the book into my coat pocket.
In the evening, taking thence some letters
I extracted the question, 'How shall I pass
over Jordan? Surely, thought I, this
enquiry must be answered. I will read it

"Well, my dear sir, your book brought to remembrance His former mercies; and I write this line to inform you that all your labours are not in vain in the Lord. God bless, and keep, and guide you for His name's sake, prays, yours truly S. COZENS."

THE COVENANT.

BY THE LATE ROBERT SEARS.

I SING the unchanging, firm decree,
Laid deep in blest infinity;
Fix'd by the one eternal Word,
Unshaken as the mount of God.
I'll sing it, yes! in deep distress;
Because in this I all possess:
I'll sing it as I travel on;
For this alone deserves a song.
Yes, in the most afflicting day,
This is my soul's eternal stay;
And here through grace secure I stand,
Though troubles rise on every hand.
Mountains may cleave their solid base,
And hills be hurl'd from place to place;
Yet still this covenant must remain,
And Israel's God be still the same.
My covenant, saith the Holy One,
Can ne'er be broke, my word is gone;
My kindness never can remove;
I ever am the God of love.
This covenant, then, with joy I'll sing;
My soul is safe, my God is King:
He's mine-my God, my heaven, my all;
Nor can I from His favour fall.
This song eternity shall know;
This song we try to sing below;
We'll sing in nobler strains above,
In honour of the God of lov