great deal the more. No doubt he thought within himself that now is the time. I may never have another opportunity of saying Jesus thou Son of David have mercy upon me.” 'A true sense of want, will make the soul cry unto Christ with earnestness and importunity.' He petitioneth for the mercy of healing, and Christ in answer to his petition restores to him his sight. Here it may be said, that it was only a temporal blessing which this man petitioned for, and which was granted unto him. We ask those persons who oppose the sinners praying to God, which is the worst blindness to man, a blind body or a blind soul. And is Christ more concerned for the body, than for the soul of man? We had better be temporarily blind, than spirtually blind. And if Christ condescended to grant the petition made in behalf of the body-how reasonable it is to suppose that he would much more grant those petitions made in behalf of the soul. We therefore encourage inquiring souls-to initate blind Bartimeus in calling upon Christ-and though some may attempt to persuade them into silence, let them take occasion to cry more earnestly unto Jesus for inercy. Where the true Gospel is preached, Jesus passeth by, an opportunity is presented to perishing sinners to obtain salvation through the name of Jesus Christ.We find in the history of our Lord, that his whole life was spent in doing good to the souls and bodies of the children of men. He was kind and very compassionate to all, both Jew and Gentile that called upon him for assistance. And is he not now the same compassionate Jesus that he ever was? Is he not as willing now to hear the mourners cry, the voice of distress, as he was when in the flesh ?-Oh! Yes! he is still the sinner's friend; though exalted high, his heart is still the same, and melts at human wo: Therefore, all who feel their need of a Saviour, and desire deliverance, may take en

couragement from the carriage of the Holy Jesus, when in the flesh, towards sinners; and also from the promises of the Testament, to approach a throne of mercy for divine acceptance. And reader, for your further encouragement in this holy exercise, think of the Greek or Syrophenician woman, this woman of Canaan's devoted race, with what earnestness and zeal, with what faith and holy perseverance, she urges her case in behalf of her distressed daughter. She knew that there was virtue and power enough in Jesus, to cast forth the devil out of her daughter; therefore strong in faith, she prosecutes her cause with a determination not to be baffled, until by her importunity she gains her plea. For example, this poor, distressed woman, calls upon the Holy Jesus, "saying, Have mercy on me O! Lord, thou Son of David my daughter is greviously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came, and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us." See Matt. xv. 21-28. O! how strange, how discouraging, "that a miserable suppliant should cry and sue, whilst the God of mercy is speechless.""But he answered her not a word." And when he doth answer, he gives no comfort, no encouragement to expect the desired favor from his hand. "But he answerad and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel." "It was a common saying among the Jews, that the nations of the world were likened unto dogs, whereas they were God's sons and daughters."And how astonishing! this poor woman, notwithstanding the silence and denial of the blessed Savionr, "worshipped him, saying, Lord help me." Oh! how affecting. "She worshipped him, but continued her suit—" Lord help me." But what answer doth she now receive? "It is not meet, (saith Jesus) to take the children's bread and to cast it to dogs." Here we might suppose the matter would

end, and this sorrowful woman despair of obtaining relief, but astonishing to hear, notwithstanding this harsh repulse, she still begs for mercy, and though she is called a dog, she is content to take the dogs place; not to sit at the table, but to creep under it, and receive the crumbs of mercy which fall from it. "And she said, Truth, Lord; yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from the master's table." Now the battle is won: the faith and importunity of this good woman are too great, too powerful, to be withstood any longer, the prevalency which moved the heart of the blessed Jesus to exclaim, "O! woman great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour." Here we observe that though we may pray long, and tarry long for mercy, yet shall our prayer be crowned, and the hand of faith which knocked so repeatedly at the door of heaven be heard and opened unto us. Reader do you possess an evil spirit, or have you a son or a aughter vexed with an evil spirit? O! be persuaded to take pattern by the above humble suppliant, and go to Jesus and beg him to have mercy upor you, and though you may not be in covenant with him, and though you may be a sinner, yet inasmuch as you desire to be dispossessed of the evil spirit, you may take encouragement from the above example of faith and importunity, to take your stand at the footstool of sovereign mercy, never to despair until the blessing is obtained. But here we wish it to be borne in memory, that we do not mean that in prayer alone, the candidate for baptism can obtain the forgiveness of sins, but that he should be earnestly engaged with God in opposition to that which may oppose him, in a sincere renunciation of sin, and a speedy union with the church in baptism. We say that of the two, we have more assurance to believe that the three thousand who were added to the

church on Penticost, did pray, than that they did not, between the answer they received to their question, and their baptism.

CHAPTER III.

OBSERVATIONS ON THE PRESENT STATE OF THE WORLD, CORRUPTED CHRISTENDOM, AND THE TRUE CHURCH OF CHRIST.

THE World will soon be six thousand years old. We do not prentend to know its precise age, but are rather inclined to the opinion that the true age of the world is lost; for in all the calculations, which have come under our notice, we discover that in some instances they are compelled to conjecture the age, &c. Therefore, we should not be so positive in our assertions respecting the age of the world. Now from what we have stated we do not wish to be understood, that we cannot know within thirty, fifty, or one hundred years of its age. The nations of the earth (with some few exceptions) are at peace with one another, and there is no likelihood of much shedding of blood for the next few years to come. This is something very remarkable in the history of the world. What wars and rumors of wars have agitated our world, and what floods of human blood have drenched the earth in by-gone centuries. Never, perhaps, has there been as little human blood shed in the same length of time. This we acknowledge has been a great blessing to the human family, and we remark that we have had, in a general way, such an abundance of the necessaries of life that our world has become a stranger to famine. When we examine history on the subject of famines, how common and distressing were they to the

human family in ancient times. As respects pestilences, we observe that death mounted upon the pale horse, is still travelling among the nations, tarrying a little longer in some places than others; and thus without respect of persons, sex, or age, is sweeping the children of men from the earth. Oh, what thousands of human beings. every year go into enternity! Reader, only reflect what multitudes of human bodies from Adam down to the present time, are now sleeping in the earth; and again the souls that once inhabited these bodies-where are they? They are not in the grave, but either in paradise or hell. That is, those who are owned and approved of by our Heavenly Father, are in paradise, and those who are disowned and disapproved of by the Almighty, are in hell. The lives of the children of men have been so greatly shortened, that it is but a rare thing, for people to arrive at the age of four score years.

Our world has not been exempted from earthquakes, but neither have they been as common and as universal as in ancient times; they have been principally confined to certain parts of the earth, And now, dear reader, that there will be a renewal of these calamities and judgments upon the earth, is a subject of prophecy. Therefore, read and meditate, upon the prophecies of the Bible and Testament. May the Lord God Almighty give you wisdom. And oh! that you might have a willing mind to be counseled and to be governed by the will of the Almighty.

At this time there appears to be a great struggle in the human breast, and powerful efforts are made for the improvement of the mind (as it is termed,) of man, and also for that of the earth. Means tre continually apropriated for the advancement of the cojects. Here we have an allusion to human wisdom, uren skill and ingenuity, for the gratification of raviran. Our