in Israel; thou seekest to destroy a city, and a mother in Israel." "Far be it from me," said Joab, "that I should swallow up and destroy; the matter is not so ; but a man of Mount Ephraim, Sheba, the son of Bichri, hath lifted up his hand against the King-against David; deliver him only, and I will depart from the city." The woman replies, "Behold, his head shall be thrown to thee over the wall," and in a moment vanishes. Hastening her steps to the tribe to which she belonged-she persuaded the people to deliver up the head of the son of Bichri to the chief captain of the armies of David. It is settled, and in a short time after the disappearance of the woman from the battlements, a bloody head bounds over the wall, and falls near to Joab. In those ghostly features were recognised Sheba, the traitor; and the act of throwing that head over the wall was that which brought peace. The intention of these papers is, by God's blessing, to act as did this woman. In our camp the son of Bichri has again risen against our King-the KING OF KINGS. It is our duty to uphold the old customs of our country; and he who dares to rise against JE-HOVAH, must perish. If we can, in these papers, remove the drapery that covers the glorious object; if we can but show that the Gospels are not sufficiently read and appreciated, and give some incentives to love them better and read them oftener, we shall have accomplished our desires. When St. Paul, a lonely traveller, was walking the streets of Athens, and saw that the city was wholly given to idolatry, how his noble spirit moved within him; and with thrilling eloquence he uttered those beautiful words,-" Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious; for as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar, with this inscription, To the unknown God, whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, HIM declare I unto you." Sunken as low as the Athenians are many in these days. A deathly moral stupor has taken the place of the truth; and he who will not bow down to the god Morality, is considered a fanatic, and a fit associate for fools. want to see hosts climbing the battlements of heaven, and there crying for help. Who can tell but the Almighty may bring deliverance. We Looking back-over century piled upon century-and glancing at the beautiful city of Jerusalem, hearts sadden as they hear of her destruction! Looking forward-a few short years perhaps-and that wilderness shall blossom as the rose. Her first greatness will bear no comparison to the splendour and magnificence of her restoration. Look! look to the brightness of the coming morn. "But soon shall other pictures In brighter vision rise, When Zion's sun sevenfold shines, And on her mountains beauteous stand, 'Salvation by the Lord's right hand,' Spiritual Poverty and Heavenly Blessedness. BY JOHN WATERS BANKS, CHAPLAIN OF THE PORTSMOUTH CONVICT PRISON. "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matt. v. 3. (2.) With this satisfaction comes Thankfulness. "A thankful heart To taste God's gifts with joy," is no small part of the blessedness of the poor in spirit. How blessed is the humble thankfulness of Jacob, "I am not worthy of the least of all thy mercies, and the truth which thou hast shewed unto thy servant." Gen. xxxii. 10. It is a song in the house of our pilgrimage which Eases grief and lightens care. It rises to adoring thankfulness, the adoring thankfulness of David, "I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord." With this satisfaction thankfulness, there is also (3.) Advancements. The path of the just is one of progress. It is an advance from strength to strength; from a low degree of faith to a high degree; a growing downwards, in an increased sense of necessity and unworthiness; and a growing up into Christ, into a knowledge of His nature, work, and value ; an increasing appreciating of His sufficiency, suitability, and readiness to sympathize and succour. And with this growth, this growth in grace, comes the assurance of the poet, "Yes, I to the end shall endure, This is an understanding of the truth of God, and an understanding of the truth constitutes a great part of the blessedness of the text. He who has received the truth in the love of it, he who has been taught and liberated by it, speaks the truth in his heart, and he desires to praise God for the liberty it conveys to enable him to walk up and down in the name of the Lord. These are some of the things which constitute happiness here, the blessedness of the text. But what the foundation, the ground, the basis of this state is, will appear under the third head. III. THE GROUND OF THEIR BLESSEDNESS IS 66 the kingdom of heaven." We have in the text a class defined, "The poor in spirit." Their state is pronounced "Blessed." The ground of that blessedness is that, "Theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (1.) The Gospel is called the kingdom of heaven, because it brings "life and immortality to light," and this is a safe ground of blessedness or happiness. "The Gospel bears my spirit up, It was the Gospel of God's grace that first came like a breeze of the sea over the fevered and exhausted spirit, and breathed into it the breath of life; and it is the Gospel of God's grace that still gladdens and refreshes the impoverished soul, and renews it again and again. The Gospel in all its plenitude, in all its freeness, in all the riches of its grace, is preached to the poor, and it is theirs ; and ambassadors from its king is theirs, and so are their tidings. I shall say to the poor in spirit here, as St. Paul did to the Corinthians, "For all things are yours, whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours, and ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's." 1 Cor. iii. 21, 22. Is not the Gospel then an even place on which to stand? Is it not a ground of blessedness to the poor in spirit? (2.) Regeneration is called the kingdom of heaven, because by this the kingdom of heaven is set up in the heart of the poor in spirit, and this is a firm ground of blessedness. This kingdom cometh not with observation. (Luke xvii. 20.) It does not consist of anything external; it comes not of the will of the flesh or of man; it is not meat and drink, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. (Romans xiv. 17.) Regeneration is the work of the Holy Ghost, and is a work known only to God, and the soul operated on. "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, or whither it goeth. So is every one that is born of the Spirit." John iii. 8. In those born of the Spirit, Satan is cast out and Christ takes possession; the throne of the world is overturned, and the throne of Christ is set up; and Christ is enthroned there, and His sceptre is swayed there until every thought is brought into obedience to His will. The ground is changed. Old things that used to please have passed away; the poor in spirit count it their greatest present happiness to be partakers of the heavenly calling, "Being children, they are heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ." man is (3.) As regeneration prepares a soul for the third heaven, so that the highest heaven, opened to all beliveers in Christ, is a further ground of blessedness. By regeneration of the Holy Ghost, a made not only an inheritor of the blessings of the Gospel, and endued with a capacity to taste that the Lord is gracious; but he is made "a citizen with the saints and of the household of God." He is begotten again unto a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away; reserved for him in heaven now, and he kept by the power of God for it. (1 Peter i. 3, 4.) His birthright relates to the present and the future. It" hath the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." 1 Tim. iv. 8. It has both privileges and prospects. It has grace here and glory hereafter. The poor have now the promise, by and by they shall have the presence of God. "There they shall see His face, And never, never sin ; There from the rivers of His grace "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." I shall now draw to a close by asking, Is the kingdom of heaven yours? rather than by further declaring it to be theirs. The Most High will give the kingdom of heaven to the saints, and these are declared to be the poor in spirit. This gift is glorious in its originatings. It is the gift of the glorious Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Heavenly counsels arranged it ; the everlasting covenant confirmed it; inviolable truth secured it; relationship guarantees it; the satisfaction of their Surety makes it legally ; and the work and graces of the Holy Ghost prepares them for it. They have the earnest and they have the "right to enter in through the gates of the city," for they kept His commandments, by believing the record God has given of His Son, and by working from life and love given, as He gave them commandments. I cannot apply the words; I am not equal to it: it is the Lord's work. We may look up to the Lord for His blessing: and I ask each one who feels his need to do so earnestly. I hope He has already blessed this word to some who feel like a bruised reed. To such, much is addressed in the fifty-seventh chapter of Isaiah, in words unsurpassed in any language of earth or heaven. For thus saith the high and lofty One, that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy :—“ I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth; for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made." You may see from that, that God chastens for your profit; that you may be partakers of His holiness : that is the end of the Lord. He wounds that he may bind up. He kills, even, that He may make you alive with a life that shall never die; and He strips you of defilement that He may clothe you with glory and honour. Severity sometimes is most necessary, because God's love is so great that He will not let your alone in you sins, nor suffer you to go to sleep to your destruction. And the whole subject shows that the contrite, the poor, the humble, "after they have suffered awhile, shall be 'stablished, and strengthened, and settled"-settled in the kingdom. 1 Peter v. 10. But if they have it, where shall the rich, and the wise, and the good appear ? The text says nothing about them, and yet it disposes of all that heaven has good. The kingdom of heaven is theirs! The poor in spirit, the broken-hearted sinners, the humble and contrite ones, are to possess the kingdom, are to inherit all things. Well may the fat, and the strong, and the wise, and the rich in this place tremble. Well may they be alarmed. I am alarmed myself for them. I am alarmed for you in this congregation who have not been stripped of all goodness and creature-righteousness; emptied of all conceit of wisdom, or strength, or power to do anything acceptable; yea, for you also who have not been chastened, until with the Psalmist you cry out, "I am feeble and sore broken; I have roared by reason of the very disquietude of my heart," Ps. xxxviii. S. It is broken not divided hearts, that God regards. Therefore while all that is good is given to the poor in spirit, I say, with the greatest desire for your salvation who are not so, I say to the proud in spirit-Look to it, for evil is before you. [The first portion of this paper appeared in THE EARTHEN VESSEL for December, 1864.] Our Churches, our Pastors, and our People. OUR LONDON CHURCHES. CONTRASTING the state of our churches at the present time with their position when old 1864 came in, we see no very great changes; nothing beyond what might be expected in the course of a long twelvemonths. The aged men still abide with us, with the exception of Mr. Ball, of Wandsworth, who has recently been called home, and whose funeral sermon by Mr. Foreman is an excellent testimony of a surviving brother toward one who had taken wing and fled. Nothing could be more seasonable, or useful, than was John Foreman's "Order of Death, and its Issues." Wandsworth church is now in a widowed state. May the Lord for her soon appear. With this exception, the fathers are still with us-Geo. Murrell, John Foreman, J. A. Jones, and others, are enjoying the promise-"With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation." Poor old brother Benjamin Mason, although on his bed at Knowl Hill, J. Wallis, of Bexley Heath, and a few more, are breaking up house-keeping, still, here they are as yet. If we take a glance at the brethren who are still in their prime, we may truly say, "They wear well." Thomas Attwood, Philip Dickerson, Samuel Milner, George Moyle, William Palmer, of Homerton, Samuel Ponsford, Thomas Rowlands, John Webster, John Wigmore, Geo. Wyard, and James Wells; with a numerous body of rather aged itinerants, and country ministers, like the brethren Edgecombe, Poynder, and others, all are still in harness, and are fruitful in their Master's service. To these veterans the churches look for counsel and for consolation; and they do not look in vain. For the preservation of these good men, the gratitude of Zion to her covenant Head is justly due. How pleasant and how profitable, we think, it would be if once in the year all these robust and well-trained fathers in Israel did meet, in one public gathering, and having invited and united the younger ministers, should exhort and encourage them in the faithful discharge of their very arduous work. Such an annual ministerial gathering would be hailed by the churches with real delight. The future hopes of the churches centre, under God, in her younger ministers. And here, in our contrast between last year and this, we have a deep mixture of joy_and grief. The loss of such a man as John Pells is a dark line in last year's review. We know he had studied and labored hard to be a useful man. The seed he had sown in reading, writing, praying, weeping, and thinking, was just springing up. We began to hear ministers say, "John Pells is a |