the desires of the new man after righteousness of life in Christ Jesus, and the Spirit gives the enjoyment of God's truth, though systematically little may be known of the doctrines of grace, and less said. An unpretending book, recently published, entitled "Sweet Memories,” belongs to this class. It is simply a collection of letters written by Lady Hazelerigg to her son, who was her father in the Gospel of Christ, and this last and enduring tie gives the point to the mother's communications. The world would read in them only strong creature-affections and maternal devotedness, but the children of God, who know by experience the sweetness of spiritual ties in awakening the soul to see its danger, imparting clearer views of truth, or admitting it into Gospel liberty, will feel union of spirit in the affections displayed, and trace something higher, holier, and stronger than a mother's love in these pages. These letters display sincerity and simplicity, a humble mind and an honest heart; we have no statements of truth, but we have the doctrines in experience stated; we have no great enjoyments set forth, but we have the spirit of life and liberty made manifest. Here we have the simple utterances of a living soul, devoid of all that is conventional and studied. She expresses her fears and her desires without legality, her hopes and joys with simplicity. There is not a shade of any trust in the new creature, nor any expectation that the old nature will improve. Sound in experience these letters are sound in doctrine, and place the crown of salvation upon Jesus' brow. She thus writes of herself: "We are all well in body, in spirit I can only speak for myself, that, amidst the thorns and briars of this wilderness, I have to bless God for His goodness that He permits me sometimes to have a softening glimpse of His mercy, which takes me in sincerity to a throne of grace." Again she says, "Thank you very much for your letter; reading it again this morning seems to give my heart to love and cleave to Jesus. My own precious Redeemer, what has He not done for sinful me? and yet I have always to groan, being burdened with this half-hearted feeling. I would entirely love Thee, blessed Jesus, but Thou must give the power. I had some precious glimpses this morning in reading Matt. xvi. I always feel to have an entrance into verse 17. I never could have known my dear Jesus, had not my Father revealed His precious Son to my soul." Again she writes thus: "If I could always stop in the place God's grace has now put me in-at the feet of my Jesus-how different would be my life here! But alas! alas! for poor human nature, my spirit was so cast down on the Lord's-day I could not have written to you. You will ask me why? I can only say as ever, "My sin! my sin! vile wretch that I am." Blest at the present time with (for my age) perfect health, allowed so many blessings, and even in my chastenings so gently and mercifully dealt with, how can I ever mourn or murmur at the providences I do not understand? But oh for ever blessed be the name of my precious God and Father in Jesus, my Redeemer. I have learnt experimentally, "It is not life to live, if His presence He deny," and, O dear and holy Jesus, smile upon me when called to die, and then it will not be death." Lady Hazelerigg's son has given only too brief an outline of his mother's call by grace. From the peculiarity of her position in uniting herself with a body of believers who avowed their attachment to, and personal interest in, the doctrines of free grace, she no doubt shared the common lot of all who stand by God's truth, whatever be their denomination as a body, or their station in life; and the higher, the more trying to flesh and blood. But she had grace given her for her day; and she witnessed a good confession for Christ. Graciously God honoured the faith and love He gave His aged servant. Shortly before her last conflict she quoted these lines— "Yes, I to the end shall endure As sure as the earnest is given; The glorified spirits in heaven," and her testimony at last was, "All is light within." In these pages we discern regeneration-liberty-and conflict-all-important features that distinguish the family of God from the children of the world, the living in Jerusalem from the dead in trespasses and sin. We commend this little publication to the notice of the lovers of experimental truth, who will find in these few pages reality and simplicity. The Triumphs of Grace ober Death and the Grave; OR, WHISPERS FROM THE DYING PILLOWS OF GOD'S SERVANTS. "Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace."-PSALM Xxxvii.37. A YOUNG DISCIPLE: HER WALK IN LIFE AND HER VICTORY IN DEATH. (Continued from page 545.) Oct. 2nd. I have had a very happy day to-day, and have experienced much liberty in prayer. All glory be to our good and faithful God! What am I that I should be one of God's own children? This evening I partook of the Lord's Supper for the first time; by so doing I consider I have openly professed before God and man my determination to follow Christ, and to give up the world, and to live to God, and God alone. Now I make not this determination in my own strength, for of myself I can do nothing, but I humbly and earnestly pray our heavenly Father for our Saviour's sake to fill me with His Holy Spirit, to subdue and mortify sin in me, to enlighten me, to sanctify me, to purify me, to testify of Jesus, and to bear witness with my spirit that I am God's child, indeed born again. I pray for grace and strength to fight manfully against sin, and the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil. I felt much comfort in being permitted by the grace of God to partake of the Lord's Supper to-day. Oh, my blessed Saviour, may I ever remember with love and gratitude all Thou didst do and suffer for me, Thine unworthy child, and may my whole life be devoted to Thee; may I ever remember that Í am not my own, I am bought with a price, and with no less a price than Thine own precious blood, and may I glorify Thee by my body and spirit, which are Thine, and may I be enabled through grace "to adorn the doctrine of God my Saviour in all things." To Thee, O God, be all the glory, honour, praise, and power, as it was, and is, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Oct. 4th.-"I cried unto the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me out of all my troubles, and from all my fears." I testify to His great faithfulness; He is nigh unto them that call upon Him, that call upon Him in truth. "The Lord preserveth the simple; I was brought low and He helped me." Sin and that arch-fiend, Satan, try very hard to rend my soul from God, and often, through the weakness and infirmity of the flesh, I fall, but not entirely, not past mercy; and what saith God's word? "The Lord upholdeth all that fall" (Psalm cxlv. 14). "When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him," and so it is; we are not in our own keeping, and so we cannot possibly be lost. Christ's blessed apostle, Peter, who actually denied his Master, says, in his first epistle, "that the trial of our faith being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, might be found unto praise, and honour, and glory, at the appearing of Jesus Christ." "Whom having not seen we love, in whom, though now we see Him not, yet believing we rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." Oh, that we could always believe "He is faithful that promised;" He saith, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee." How need we pray, "Lord, increase our faith." Every day I wonder more and more at the mercy and condescension of our God. This morning my soul is filled with love and adoration; I love to record the faithfulness of the great God-our God —and, if I did not tell (or write), the stones may well cry out, "I will extol Thee, my Lord, my King, and I will bless Thy name for ever and ever. "The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear Him, in those that hope in His mercy." He is still the God of Bethel, His ears are open to our cries. Lord, let my life show forth Thy praise; let each action show it; for our precious Redeemer's sake. "That man can't fall that never stood, He still lies in the fall; And those who never felt their sins, October 9th, Sunday.-This morning I was in heaviness through manifold temptations. Sin and Satan are so strong, but "the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation," and to my comfort, our minister's (Mr. D's) text was Luke xxii. 31, "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not." And I know that my Redeemer lives and ever prays for me, and Satan may try and he does try, yet, "the God is faithful that promised." Jesus knows His own, they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of His hand. Oh, what a good and faithful God we have to deal with! This evening the text was Luke ii. 25, and five following verses, "Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word: for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation," &c. God bless our minister; I sincerely thank Him for sending him here. October 11th, 1859.-Yesterday I began to go round my Bible-district for the first time in my life. Lord! my trust is in Thee, I can do nothing in my own strength, but oh, do Thou bless and prosper me, and to Thee be all the glory! To-day I finish my rounds; God has blessed my humble efforts. I have to-day altogether nineteen subscribers, ten for Bibles, and nine free. Lord, give Thy child perseverance and strength, and may she ever trust in Thee; for such are blessed. October 13th, 1859.-To-day J and I began to collect for Mr. D—'s new church, and were very fortunate, thank God; to Him be all the praise! He put it in my head to do it, and then went with me and blessed my humble endeavours. Lord God Almighty, our Heavenly Father, ever be with Thy child, and may Thy strength be made perfect in my weakness; for Christ's sake. October 16th, Sunday." My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. He hath regarded the low estate of me, His handmaid." I have felt very happy to-day, and have (glory to God) felt a little of that " peace which passeth all understanding." How I do love that dear man of God, Mr. D- ! I love him because he is one of God's own; one of His own elect; yes, and I believe in God's eternal election too. I have been talking to dear papa about it, I cannot quite convince him, but I take God's own word as my authority. What mean those words, Rom. viii. 29, 30; Eph. i. 4, 5; 2 Tim. i. 9; Titus i. 1, 2; 1 Peter i. 2; John xvii. 9, if God's people are not elected before the foundation of the world? The Church, Christ's Bride, is composed of the elect, and in the fulness of time all those elect are brought to know Christ as their only Saviour; they are kept by the power of God through faith, unto salvation, and not one of them is lost. They are not their own, they are kept by a higher power (or they would fall away) and cannot be eternally lost; and, if our blessed Saviour died to save all, and all are not saved (and we know all are not) then Christ died for those who are not saved in vain, His glorious conquest was then not complete, and sin and Satan have got the victory (in that case) over some! I believe all who Christ died to save are saved; if I am wrong in my belief, I pray God to give me His Holy Spirit, and to show me the truth. I thank my God and Father who always causeth His children to triumph in Christ Jesus, for all His goodness and loving kindness to me, His most unworthy creature, and I am only too ashamed and vexed with myself, that I so ill requite His mercy, and behave so little like a Christian. "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." extreme November 3rd, 1859.-For months I have been looking forward to last Sunday (the 30th October); it pleased God on that day twelvemonths ago to make me feel anxious about my never-dying soul for the first time; and for a long time I had looked forward to that day and hoped to thank Him for His great love to such a sinner as myself, in His courts; but it pleased "Him who doeth all things well" to order differently, for last Sunday I had a cold and inflammation in my eyes and eyelids, and dear mamma did not consider it prudent for me to go out; so, to my vexation, on my birthday (my spiritual natal day, and I am one year old), I could not go to God's house. Of course I could thank our heavenly Father at home, for He is not confined to places, nor contained in ordinances; but to bless and thank Him in His house on that day, of all days, was a cherished scheme of mine which the Sovereign Disposer of al events saw proper to frustrate. In mercy and love I am sure it was done, for "all things work together for our good;" and, although I cannot exactly understand it, I bless my God it was so, and pray Him always to direct my ways, for I acknowledge Him in all. Oh, what a day is October 30th to me! it pleased the King of all the earth on that day to take knowledge of me, the meanest and most unworthy of all His children, and to cause to fall in my way a piece of poetry which was the means, in God's hands, of causing me in real earnest to cry for mercy and to look to Him for salvation and safety. For some weeks I cried and prayed, and saw only judgment before me; but the God of Bethel, who heard prayer then, in Jacob's days, and who hears now, turned not a deaf ear to me. One day (and I shall never forget the sight) I saw my Saviour on the cross in agonies and blood, and He looked at me and then I felt, what I had never felt before, that my sins had helped to nail Him there! Then I knew not what to do, for I the Lord had killed; but another look He gave which said, "I freely all forgive, This blood was for thy ransom shed, Was ever any one such a debtor to grace as myself? How shall I praise my God enough! Oh that all my powers were engaged henceforth to do my Master's will, and yet for all that (no one would hardly believe it, but) instead of my thinking, speaking, and acting as a child of God ought to; instead of doing all to the glory of God, and to the honour of religion, I am continually doing the opposite, and offending in thought, word, and deed. I do what I ought not to do, and leave undone what I ought to do. "God, be merciful to me, a sinner." But it is my daily that I may grow prayer in that I grace, may love God more, and serve Him better every day, and that people may take knowledge of me, "that I have been with Jesus." I would give all I have, and that I ever may have, to be certain of living only to God, and only doing His will, and never sinning against Him; but He knows what is best for me, and what my wicked heart will do, and has provided against all, and will never allow sin to get the dominion over me. LINES ON THE DEATH OF THE MUCH-LAMENTED BISHOP OF CARLISLE. For the soul to desire heavenly-mindedness is grace in its activity, and speaks the truth and reality of it. |