VOL. XIV.

JULY, 1864.

NO. 153.

B

A HEAVEN-MADE POET OF THE HEART.

EFORE I knew Sudbury myself, I have often heard Robert Powell, the present Coggeshall pastor's speech of good Daniel Herbert, whose hymns have helped many a ransomed sinner to hope in Jesus for a full salvation.

Tens of thousands of the younger children in Zion never saw any, or very few of Daniel Herbert's precious poems. One now and then in "CHEERING WORDS" would be very appropriate; cannot some of our friends make a selection for us, and send us a few nicely written out? We hope they will.

The Rev. W. Lush, the Incumbent of St. George's, Waterton, Hants, has, this month, sent us copies of "The Remembrancer," a monthly magazine, published by J. Paul, and filled with good things; in one of them is the following quotation, which by way of introduction, we give as descriptive of

THE LIFE AND DEATH OF GOOD DANIEL HERBERT.

Daniel Herbert was born about the year 1751. He had to wade through a long series of losses and crosses, that bore down upon him like a torrent, and so shattered his nerves that he never finally recovered. But though God tried him in the furnace of temporal affliction, he balanced his stroke, when the barrel of meal and cruse of oil had been nearly spent, by raising him up some friendly aid; so that he often said, "How good is God to me, a poor, discontented, murmuring, rebellious worm!" The Editor of the "Gospel Magazine," 1833, says of him, "He was a ONE HALFPENNY.

plain, unadorned, though faithful and honest, messenger to dispense the word of eternal life to the helpless family of Zion. In early life it pleased Jehovah to meet him with omnipotent grace, and put him into the happy possession of gospel peace, at which period he gave him a promise that his shoes should be iron and brass, and as his day so should his strength be;' which in the after stages of Christian conflict was truly verified. This indeed was exemplified in the conduct and experience of our beloved friend, who for more than 60 years knew what it was, by a living faith, to view his multiplied transgressions buried in the great fountain of a Redeemer's blood. His dear Lord imparted to him a clear perception, spiritually to enter into the great mystery of iniquity so opposed to the reign of grace in the hearts of God's elect, so that he knew how to speak a word of advice to the tempted and tried followers of the Lamb; and his Lord had designed him to be an instrument in his hand for good to his chosen seed, scattered abroad." "Respecting the last few months of his frail abode, his friends evidently saw the gradual approach of dissolution; and for some weeks prior to that period, the Lord was pleased for wise ends to suffer the great foe to shoot his fiery darts; yet under those dark seasons light sprang up, and faith would say, 'All, all is well. I know whom I have believed. Jesus is mine; He paid down a price for me, and I should be the basest wretch were I not to declare it. Sometimes he would say, 'Satan is at his old work again, but he cannot come near. No, no! my precious Jesus will not leave me; He has promised me that which I am sure He will perform. He does supply my need. Ah! my precious Christ, what a sink of iniquity I am! I feel it, but I am washed! I will praise free grace as long as I have breath. All my hope beyond the grave is in Christ. I am justified by His righteousness. I have peace within, and will glory in my enfeebled state. I have been called an Antinomian for many years, but tell the professing world my faith is fixed on Christ, the rock, who is the self-existent, independent God, with the Father and the Holy Spirit. I feel His power, and love His dear name, and I care not a rush for what they say. I have an anchorage steadfast and sure, and shall outride the storm and enter

the port, where envy and malice cannot come.' Drawing near his end, he added, 'It will soon be over. Redeemed by precious blood, saved by sovereign grace, rich and free, I shall soon sing as loud as Paul the apostle. Come, Lord, with Thy smiles, and take Thy poor servant home!' This prayer his God answered, and gave him to enjoy a peace of mind that passeth all understanding. On the evening of the day he died, his spirit was calm and joyous. He entered the valley of the shadow of death, exclaiming, as his last words, Ah, my Father! my Father! my Father!' and fell asleep upon his couch by his fire-side without a sigh." He died August 29, 1833.

How sweetly does he express "the love of Christ that passeth knowledge," in the words,

"That God's own Son should bear the curse
For man, when devils were no worse;
For devils sinn'd, man sinn'd as well,
Man's saved, but devils go to hell;
Herein was love, beyond compare;
Poor trembling sinner, don't despair,
For though through seas and tempest tost,
Christ lived and died to save the lost."

How the constant presence of Jehovah is shown to be needed in every trouble, and the blessed consequence of such a presence seen in the following lines

"How many times in sad distress,

In troubles not a few,

When help appeared the farthest off,
The Lord has brought me through.

"And then, alas! I've thought and said
That I would doubt no more;
But when another trouble came,
I fretted as before.

"There's not a trouble comes by chance,
Each comes with God's commission;
With every trouble grant thy smile,
And that will cause submission.

"Ten thousand times I've found Thy help,
When every brook was dry,

The Lord has whispered peace within
Beneath a cloudy sky.

"Because the Lord has been my help,
I will rejoice and sing,

And make my hiding place beneath
The shadow of Ilis wing."

What encouragement, in such lines as the following, is held out to the poor timid soul:

I

"O let the weakest saint rejoice,

For God will not His oath deny;
God never made a sinner pray,

And let that praying sinner die."

WEEPING

AND

REJOICING.

THE FAITHFUL MINISTER'S DOUBLE PORTION.

NEVER did love stony hearts; but a minister with a heart like a rock-is to me detestable. The law was written on tables of stone; so, the Gospel, in the letter of it, is by a mental power written on many a rocky heart, and is preached by many an unguarded tongue. Such ministers never weep for the want of souls as seals. That minister who doth weep, with tears flowing out of a broken heart, a heart full of love to Christ, and having earnest desires to see men SAVED in Jesus; such ministers are blessed men, and when they gather up a handful, as brother Benjamin Taylor, of Pulham, did the other day, rejoicing must be very good indeed. I understand the Suffolk divines had a photographer on the Association grounds, and that their noble personages are to be sold for 1s. 6d. the group, that is, if any body will buy them. We wish the photographer could have presented a likeness of the Pulham pastor, at the moment when so many blessed testimonies were given to him of his usefulness in the ministry. But as we have no picture, we give something better, words-his own words. He says:

"We have a girl of not more than sixteen years old, that was met with under that sermon you published of mine which I preached to the young. She will be proposed as a candidate for baptism at our next meeting. Another about the same age came forward last Lord's-day, and spoke of the sermon being blessed

to her which I preached in the afternoon.

She dated her first

impressions under the same sermon which was blessed to the other. Let God have all the glory, and let Jesus wear the crown. At our Association, brother Brand, of Bungay, read in his letter an account of a girl brought to the knowledge of the truth under my preaching, some few years ago at Pulham, when twelve years of age. The Church asked her how long she was

in distress of mind about her sins? Her answer was,

"Only one week; I was convinced under the text, "What shall I do to be saved?" This Mr. Taylor preached from the first Sunday. The next Sunday he took for his text the words, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved"; 'and under this text I got peace and comfort.'

"Brother Brand afterwards told me of a woman that the Lord met with under a sermon I preaehed at Bungay several years ago, and whom he recently baptized. As soon as I left him I met with a friend in the meadow where our tent stood, a young woman, who asked if my name was Taylor; I told her it was. She said,

"How glad I am to see you: do you recollect preaching about the scarlet line in the window more than twenty years ago at Beccles ?'

"I said, 'I cannot recollect anything of it.'

"She said, 'I do. I was only a little girl, and I shall never forget it as long as I live.'

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I said, 'I do not know you, though you know me.' "She said, 'you know my brother, Mr. John Pells.'

I was very pleased to hear of this.

Now, brother, you will say, what do you tell me these things for? What interest can you have in that? O! I state it for my brother Banks' comfort and encouragement, that he may still push on in the good will of the Lord. A little time before all these things came out, I had been in great distress of mind known to no one only myself, and about my real call to the ministry. For a long time I had been labouring and could hear nothing of anyone being brought to know the Lord under my preaching. I began to think I should be better employed in some other way;