held up, may never hang down.' Mr. | satisfaction at the word spoken, gatherMoyll then requested Mr. Meeres to ing therefrom the Lord had sent me to state his call by grace. preach. And from that time to the present the Lord has upheld me, though tempted to give it up, yet the Lord has enabled me to persevere.' to Mr. Moyll asked him what doctrines he intended to preach? He then read those usually held by the Calvinists. Mr. Moyll then requested some brother minister, after Mr. Meeres had signified his willingness to become the pastor of that church, to give him the right hand of fellowship; which was done by two or three. Mr. Moyll then supplicated a blessing upon the union thus formed between church and pastor. Mr. M. began, by observing, at the age of two years his father died; his mother was left with five children. At six years I was sent to a Sunday-school; and here the Lord made his first impressions on my soul; giving me to feel my state as an awful sinner before him; after a few years I got into much trouble of soul for sin, and also into the mere form of godliness; and went on in this way for some time, until an open state of sinning was indulged in; visiting theatres, and other places of worldly amusement: at the end of my apprenticeship the Lord removed me Canterbury; and here my awful state of sinning was again made known to me. I attended the ministry of Mr. Blomfield, near the Dane John there; and was much encouraged by a young man in the congregation, who took an interest in my case. I afterwards removed to London to Zion Chapel; but was eventually preFirst, -The Commission.. Secondly, vailed upon to attend another place of Charge. 'Son of man, you are the son of a weak, worship, where I heard, and had deeper frail, and sinful man, a transgressor; not an angel; discoveries of sin. I joined that church, make a man a minister.". He entered largely into the it was a mixed communion; but after-qualifications requisite for a spiritual watchman; he wards the Lord opened my eyes to see baptism; I then wandered from place to place to hear the Word; and was at last enabled to cast in my lot at brother Milner's.' Mr. Moyll said, he could read his own calling in this, being very similarly led; and then wished him to give an account of his CALL TO THE MINISTRY. his pastor, Mr. Samuel Milner; from those Ezek. iii. 17. -- The but a man; I have made thee,' none but God can must be a citizen, not an enemy, an honest man; possess good sight, have vigilance, be very courageous. 'I have made thee a watchman,' not only by qualifying thee, but by calling. The general call of sire in them, from a right motive; when God intends God to his ministers seems to be by inspiring a de You a man to be a minister he will make a way for him ; Mr. and will clear up the way to him, himself. Milner threw out some wholesome cautions against the snares and temptations to which ministers are exposed. Dr. Gill was once threatened by adversity, if he attempted to reply against a certain great man who had stated erroneous things. The Dr. said, He then went on to say that 'himself I am not afraid to be poor.' Luther said, Prayer, and some others took a place in Ratcliffe meditation, and temptation make a man a minister. Your darkness and affliction will form some of your Highway for sailors to meet, and hear best keys to open the Scriptures with. He especially the gospel in. On one of the after-charged him against pulpit tricks and idleness; and noons he spoke to them with trembling steps, on the Smiting of the rock in the wilderness. This was my first subject. Having opened my mouth in the name of the Lord, being requested to do so, I intreated the Lord to appear, in his providence, by opening doors without any seeking of mine; and from time to time one after another came for me. Once in speaking, I was very much cast down. by a person coming to hear me to criticise my ministry. I spoke from the words 'The golden pot that had manna.' I had great freedom in speaking. The person afterwards came to me who had but an unfavourable opinion of me, and confessed his surprise, and times over, nor the same sermon with another text. Mr. Wyard afterwards addressed the church from-'I speak as unto wise men; judge ye what I say.' But we cannot now notice it. [We deeply regret not being able to give but so small a portion of what our corres pondent has favoured us with.] TO "THE HEART WHICH KNOWETH ITS OWN BITTERNESS." "We wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness; we grope for the wall like the blind; and we grope as if we had no eyes; we stumble at noon day, as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men. We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us." Isaiah lix. 9, 10, 11. DEARLY BELOVED, and longed for in him in it; and he shall be delivered out the bowels of Jesus Christ:-Methinks of it. I hear you exclaim, inwardly, after hav- In the words there are eight different, ing read the portion of the Word of God or distinct features, which are to be which stands at the head of this com- traced in the experience of God's exermunication, "Ah! this is surely the very cised, living family. Here is, first, Waitframe of my soul; the inward, soul-felt ing; and that for light and for brightlanguage of my heart: yea, the very cir-ness, though beholding obscurity and cumstances in which I am found, and the darkness. Secondly, Walking, though state in which I have been, now, for it be in the midst of that self-same darka long time; so that I am ready to halt, ness. Thirdly, Groping; that is, earnand my feet have well nigh slipped; and the sorrowful language of the Poet has been, many a time, poured out from the abundance of my sorrowful heart 'Encompass'd with clouds of distress, And fear it will never be mine. Well; 'it is better to be a living dog, estly feeling after an object, even the wall, though it be like the blind, and as if they had no eyes. Fourthly, Stumbling; which a dead thing never did: so that their very stumbling is as much an evidence of life as running: for a man must move before he can stumble, though it be even at noon day. Fifthly, Desolation; or a being in desolate circumstances: that is in barren, unfruitful, cold, dreary, solitary places, like dead men, who never bring forth any living fruit, or increase. Sixthly, Roaring, all like bears. Seventhly, Mourning sore, like doves. And eighthly, Yet still looking for, and expecting, with longing expectation, judgment and salvation; though both these, as to the fullest sense of them, be far off from us. Now, ye dear souls, be it known unto you, that if ye are waiting, ye are certainly alive, and among the living; for, a dead thing cannot be said, at any time, to wait: and in your waiting you experience a felt sense of your need of a blessing, and your waiting for light and for brightness, is attended with an expectation that springs out of an hope, however small that hope may seem to be in your own account; and in the midst of these things there is also a degree of felt patience, though oft'times, like poor Job, you find the same little patience almost drowned in impatience, while you are quite ready to conclude the blessing of light and brightness will never come unto you, and that the vision which you have seen, or thought you saw, and which you have considered was yet for Z wounded conscience? Art thou wait- for an appointed time' in your behalf, was nothing more nor less than a vain vision, or a mere chimera of the brain, arising from the workings of a vain imagination, excited by a naturally vivid fancy; yet in your waiting, you wait for blessings, which none but God, who has said, 'light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart' can supply, even light, and brightness of light, or radiance of light, so that you wait for God himself; for God is light;-for Christ, for he is the light of life, the brightness of the Father's glory, or, a morning without clouds, as the clear shining, after rain; and for the Holy Ghost, by whose bright shining rays, a glorious Christ is revealed to the eye of a living faith: you wait for the word of God to be spoken by the power of the Holy Ghost into your soul's feelings, so as to find, and to feel it a light unto your feet, and a lanthern to your path; and you can no more be sa- Art thou a young man, having been tisfied without the word of the Lord, as enabled some time ago, to overcome the a spoken and felt word, even as the word wicked one; and hast walked in the of light unto you, than a poor creature light and rejoiced in the truth; feeling cast into the lowest, darkest dungeon, thine interest in Christ, and in all he where it is impossible a ray of material hath done and suffered? And hath the light can enter, could be satisfied with sweet light of his countenance subsided? the testimony that the sun was shining Hath he wrapped himself up in his imin all its noon day brightness, on, and penetrable clouds, so that you are soraround those who were walking at large; rowfully exclaiming-O, that I were as while you sigh out of the abundance of in months past, when the candle of the your hearts, longing, When, oh when Lord shone upon me,' and when in his will it be morning time with me?' feel- light, I walked through darkness; for ing and finding that it is not possible now I go forward and backward and that one single portion of the word of cannot see him; I look on the right God, nor all the letter preaching of the hand where he used to stand by me, and day, though the same be adorned or em- on the left, where he was accustomed to bellished with rhetorical touches, at- work in my heart, but I cannot find him? tended with displays of natural talent, Or art thou among the fathers, who have accompanied with all the beauties of known him, that is, from the beginning, language, and what is called forcible, even a covenant Jehovah, in his Trinity and persuasive appeals, can shed a single of Persons, as being related unto you, ray of light or brightness, joy, comfort, in covenant relationship, as your God? or consolation into your soul, while you And hast thou known him, in all the wait for that which you cannot give fulness of his grace and mercy? And yourself, which men nor angels cannot may it now be said of you-She that confer, and which must come into your hath born seven languisheth'? Is thy soul from God himself; while you cry-sun gone down while it was yet day? O, send out thy light and thy truth; Are all thy former evidences darkened, let them lead me and bring me into thine and beclouded, so that you see not your holy hill! O, my God, bring my soul signs, while you exclaimout of prison, that I may praise thy name.' "Where is the blessedness I felt, And in your darkness which is felt, you Art thou a babe in Christ; never having yet experienced the being come to the blood of sprinkling, which speaketh peace as it is applied to the soul, through cry outthe power of God the Holy Ghost, and brings pardon into the guilty and "O, for a light to shine upon, The road which leads me to the Lamb." ousness, when he shall again say, Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee;' and what a mercy your waiting thus, is not the dead stand still, nor presumptuous slothfulness of a dead faith, but you are still walking, though it be in darkness, and as walking indicates life and motion, even a going from place to place, so you find in your soul what it is to go from hope to fear, and from fear to hope; and so you are led about as the Lord led his people about in the wilderness, and instructed them while he kept them as the apple of his eye. The Editor says, I must here break off, which I do very reluctantly; but he promises most certainly to enable me to finish this my epistle to you next month. Believe me to be, Your companion in tribulation, and servant for Christ's sake, in the bonds of the gospel, While the Lord is still pleased to keep "And ev'ry dark and bending line, The devil roars from without, and within WILLIAM SKELTON, S People of God led forth A Spiritual Dissertation u TWELVE SONS OF LETTER I' MY DEAR BROTHER- me:' s that ev I. pon .S. by a S OF THE JACOB. -In coming again I have before ate you, I feel that to what the woman of the well is deep, and, I draw with. The Holy en God opened Hagar's o a well of water'—and, difficulty, 'she went; filled and gave the lad to drink.' ere is a well of water-and that ed Beer-lahai-roi;' (that is, of him that liveth, and seeth urely, this well must be typical of erlasting covenant of grace, which ered in all things, and sure! The of Him that liveth! This was one things which John was commanded THAT LIVETH, and was dead; and be write unto the churches-I AM HE blacken the very air, so that neither is ord light nor brightness breaks through them well to your present joy or consolation; and of the instead of realizing the blessing, you are to made to long and to wait for it; instead of light and brightness being enjoyed, aold I am alive for evermore,' darkness and obscurity have been, and friends, my feelings, my comforts, my still are your's to witness. Well, dear light, and thou shalt behold his righte-church and people. I say again, I know souls, he will bring thee forth to the prospects may die; but Jesus liveth, to watch over, to defend, to provide for his My there is a well of water-but all I can do, is to cry out, as Israel did-(Num. xxi. 16, 17.) Spring up, O well; sing ye unto it. I do really need the direction of the Law-giver; and I want the staff of divine anointing and heavenly authority put into my soul before I can dig into the well, so as to bring forth the precious things therein contained. I have set out to shew that the first six sons of Jacob were typical of the provisions made by the LORD JEHOVAH in the everlasting covenant of grace. I have spoken of Reuben, of Simeon, of Levi, of Judah. Issachar, then is the next to be considered. own body on the tree. And in heaven, before sin or satan had a being, this divine agreement was clenched with this most glorious and immutable promise on the Father's side- When his soul shall make an offering for sin, he shall see his seed-[Christ did not shed his precious blood for nobody knows who; for any-body, or every-body, or no-body. No, no. He saw the whole number of his elect; they were all known to him; they were all present with him. This was one of the five glorious things which Moses spake of Christ. (Deut. xxxiii. 21.) He says, Christ provided the first part for himself; that is, the covenant It is not only in the mere interpreta- of grace, with all that it contained; betion of Issachar's name that Christ is to cause there in a portion of the law-giver be found; but also in the blessed things was he seated; set up in the covenant as predicted of him. The learned agree to Head over all things; and he came WITH render the word Issachar as meaning-not merely for, nor on the behalf of— ‘a price '—' a recompense, or reward.' though this would be true-' but he came Thus it truly points to Christ's covenant-with the heads of the people; for them ing to pay a price, and to make a sacri- he executed the justice of the Lord, and fice for the redemption of the church. his judgements with Israel.' Therefore In Issachar, I see the Son of God cove- he shall see his seed,] he shall prolong his nanting to pay the full price which law days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall and justice did demand; and in Issachar prosper in his hands. The price being I also see the promise made unto Christ, paid, the reward shall be certain. that his reward should be with him. Surely, as David bought the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, and the oxen for a certain price; so also did Christ covenant to redeem the church, and all the oxen, at no less a price than that of his own most precious blood. They are bold and expressive words which the Apostle writes-Ye are bought with a price.' Who are bought? The Church of God.' What is the price? Ask Peter! his soul appears to be fired with the subject. Not with corruptible things, as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ' When was this price agreed upon? The scheme of making peace with God, (says one,) or of appeasing divine justice and of making reconciliation for sin, was planned in the everlasting council, which (in Zech. vi. 13,) is called the council of peace.' God was there, and there in Christ reconciling the whole number of his elect unto himself. Christ was verily foreordained before the foundation of the world, to be made sin for us, and to put away sın, and sin's curse and condemnation from us; and it was then and there determined that all this should be done by His own self bearing (or lifting off and lifting up) our sins in his Issachar meaneth not only price; but recompense and reward. Issachar was therefore a type of the price which Christ should pay, and the reward he should receive. Who is that which saith-(Deut. xxxii. 35.)—To me belongeth vengeance and recompense?' I believe it is the Lord God of Israel. The fury of divine vengeance fell upon him: the fullness of redemption's recompense shall be given to him. Even so, in a spiritual sense, (as is written in the 39th and 40th verses) I, even I am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound and I heal; neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.' But, you say, how can all this be made to stand with the prophetic declarations made by Jacob and Moses concerning Issachar? As for instance, Jacob calleth Issachar 'a strong ass couching down between two burdens: and he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and he bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant to tribute.' Well; a more exact prophecy concerning the humiliation-and the stooping down, of our glorious Immanuel cannot be found. Here, certainly Jacob saw his Lord clothed with humility; |