I wish a burning and shining light may come down here to lighten this dark place; we are sadly off.": There is one word in the the 9th Psalm expresses this secret sighing of the soul, it is this; "thou that liftest me up from the gates of death; that I may shew forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion." It is that "lifting up: "you must mark the soul is not yet lifted quite up; neither is it left quite down dead in the pit. No, listen to its voice, "Have mercy upon me, O Lord; consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me; Thou that liftest me up," &c. Last Saturday evening I was constrained to go and see my brother and deacon, my curate and friend, John Mumford, of Homerton, or Hackney, I was so sad, my heart felt as though it had no life in it. We talked a little; and as I returned through Wells street, there was a brute of a man threatening to dash his wife's head through the shutters; oh; how horrible he did look! I felt alarmed, and stood still, thinking of the awful state of sinners in the fall. And as I stood there thinking, sorrowing, and sighing out a prayer, these words came to my soul, "Thou that liftest me up from the gates of death, that I might show forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion." There I saw a man in the fall, "Shut up in the gates of death," there I saw a vessel of mercy in grace, standing in the gates of the daughter of Zion. In Gospel-gate, in prayer gate, in communiongate, and so on. And my mind was relieved a little; and I will hope the Lord did through me bless some souls, through the word. But I want to open more of the silent seeking, many I think are there. The first stages of this secret sorrow are feebly written out in the following narrative, "a poor girl was found kneeling by a grated window. Her cheek had a dangerous-looking flush, and the frequent harsh cough confirmed the idea that struck one forcibly on first looking at her, that she could not be long for this world. Long had she knelt by the window, a sad yearning expression in her upturned eyes; sometimes her lips moved as if in prayer, and then again she would hide her face in her hands, with a shudder and a sobbing sigh sad to hear. She had been in this position some time, when the door opened gently and another young girl came in. She said, I" feel, I know, I am dying. If only I could feel safe! if I could but feel God near me now! I hoped I had served Him all my life; but now, when I most need Him, He has withdrawn His face from me. I am afraid to appear before Him, so sinful, so unworthy as I am. I feel He has not forgiven me. My sins are so many, you do not know how many." Her sister told her of the good life she bad lived. The poor girl sighed. "You think too well of me," she said and yet, God knows, I have tried to live so as to please Him. I have tried, and yet, since I have felt my recovery to be hopeless, I have been doubting everything. Surely, surely, if God had accepted my services, He would not forsake me now. No, I feel that He has not forgiven me. You do not know me, do not see me as He does. Have all my sufferings been in vain? I have suffered so much, and I hoped God would see what I endured, and would give me His peace. Oh! have I been wrong? I left my home, I tore myself from my father and mother in their old age, and left them to the care of strangers, to devote myself more entirely to God. Perhaps I ought rather to have stayed with them. Must I die in this uncertainty? Her friend saw she had seen her confessor, but she looked more wretched than ever. "Did he not comfort you?" Marie asked. She expected the low answer, "No, he told me I should struggle against these fears as temptations of Satan: but he is only a human being like myself, and he will not be able to answer for me to God. Before Him I must stand alone, and alone be responsible for the sins I have committed. My confessor gave me his absolution, but my conscience will not absolve me; and if my own conscience will not, how much more will not God, who is greater and holier than my conscience? Father H―― said, that God would accept my good works, and grant me salvation because of them; but he does not know my inmost heart as God knows it; he cannot see the impurity of my every motive. My heart tells me I am unholy before God, and I can see no hope." (More next month.) DEA 66 62 EAR SIR,-It is possible to turn some of our common proverbs to spiritual profit: that which I have selected, containing one of the first exhortations given to childhood, can never be either forgotten verbally, or mistaken significantly. Some of the subjoined P's are the initials of the precious patrimony of poor penitents; may the Q's, applied by the Spirit of God, quicken the soul in duty, and quiet it under the onslaughts of the " accuser of the brethren!" I will simply give the double columns of alliterates, affixing to each a biblical reference, and leave the subjects to the prayerful meditation of the Christian reader : P's. Predestination-Eph. i. 5, 10. Patience-Heb. vi. 12; x. 36. Perseverance-Eph. vi. 18. Pantings-Ps. xlii. 1. Prayers-1 Peter iii. 12. Poverty-2 Cor. viii. 2, 9, Purity-1 Tim, iv, 12. Pilgrimage-Gen. xlvii. 9; Ps. cxix. 54, Q's. Questioning-Rom. viii. 33, 35. Quickening-Ps. exix. 50, 93. Quieting-Ps. xxiii. 2. Quitting-1 Cor. xvi. 13. Totteridge Park, June 8, 1865. ROBT. WILKINSON. TO ONE SORROWING ON ACCOUNT OF SIN. EAR P-, I told you that I would write to you more fully doubt you have suffered much pain of mind from the feelings which you describe to me, you have no reason to regret this; on the contrary, you have reason to rejoice. "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy." If your sorrows have arisen, as I judge from your letter, from a deepening sense of your sins, you have the greatest reason to bless God, because such tears are produced by the work of the Holy Spirit in the heart; and they are both intended and calculated to lead you to settled peace. If indeed you had not a Saviour to fly to who is as willing as He is able, and as able as He is willing, to pardon you, you might be in despair; but remember, Jesus Christ is an all-sufficient Saviour" able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by Him," and who has Himself expressly promised, "him that cometh unto me I will in nowise cast out." Remember, P―, there are no sins so many in number, so evil in nature, so great in degree, or so long continued, but that the blood of Christ is able to cleanse you from them all; therefore, let not your sorrow be accompanied by any, even the slightest doubt of the willingness of the Saviour to pardon and bless you. But I think it probable that your sorrow and fears arise from the fact of having so long had religious opportunities and helps, and probably you feel that you have not duly profited by them. I would not for a moment deny to you that I think your advantages in this respect have been very great; and if you have not duly used them, I would not, for any earthly consideration, endeavour to lead you away from thinking of them; but still there is free and full pardon for this, as for every other sin, and the Lord will grant you that pardon, if you seek it. My advice to you would be comprehended in these few words, LooK TO JESUS! look to Him for pardon, peace, righteousness, strength, yea, for every spiritual good; look to Him with the eye of faith, as the poor wounded Israelite did to the brazen serpent to be cured of his deadly bite, and you will find rest and peace to your soul. May God bless you. Ever yours, B. THE LOVE OF JESUS. Oh! fragrant is the mortal love, And brings me many a flowery But I can bid it all adieu, For fragrance sweet of mortal love, When in death's atmosphere we move, For Jesus loves without one thought, Thousands who unforgiven die, My reasoning powers oft ponder He answers with a beaming eye, Earth's loveliest wreath of pleas-Tis the eternal will of heaven, Frustrating reason with His smile; ure fades ; While pen of mine can ne'er dis close, The triumph of the soul that knows The love of Jesus. Oh that that triumph might be My heart grows hopeful as I sing; Praise shall go too, that now I share That to the loveless ones be given The love of Jesus. Oh God of heaven! with silent The "Cheering Words" Volume for last year now ready, 8d. THOUGHTS ON JESU'S NAME, ENJOYED SUNDAY BY "THE VILLAGE PREACHER." London: Printed by ROBERT BANKS, 9, Crane-court, Fleet-street, E.C. Published by G. J. Stevenson, 54, Paternoster-row, E.C; sold by most Booksellers.-Price One Halfpenny. |