nothing which God required us to do, in order to obtain the pardon of our sins; does he not even command us to cut and scourge our flesh that he may be pleased with us? "No," said her master, "you have heard that Jesus did all that was necessary for obtaining our pardon, and nothing more glorifies the riches of his grace, and the finished work of his Son, than our believing that pardon and eternal life are freely granted to us through Jesus Christ."

Every eye was fixed on Mr. Sharp while answering these simple, but important inquiries. "Lord, I believe," said one-" and so do I," said another. Then they wept bitterly that ever they had offended such a kind and compassionate God, and anxiously inquired how they should live to his praise and his glory for the future.

The only preacher in the town where this family resided was a mere fop, who spent most of his time in the company of the gay and thoughtless, and was as much so as any of them. His discourses on the Sabbath were dry dissertations in favour of benevolence and charity, and against lying, stealing, and other gross vices; but he seldom mentioned the name of the Saviour, and never spoke of the necessity and glory of his righteousness. The family were disgusted with his life, and starved under his preaching. They resolved, for the future, only to hear me preach to them on the first day of the week.

Formerly they had been accustomed to call a certain building the Church : but by my instructions they began to learn that a Church of Christ was composed of a number of living stones, or believers assembled together statedly, for the purposes of mutual edification; watching over one another; observing all the ordinances commanded by the Lord Jesus, as King and Head of his body, the Church. When they understood this, they began to look around upon each other, to find out which of them came nearest to a Christian bishop, as described by the apostle Paul, which description I faithfully repeated to them.

As Mr. Sharp appeared to them a man dead to the world, and one whose comments on Scripture truth had greatly comforted and edified their souls, and who seemed to rule his own house with prudence and discretion, they, after much prayer to God, chose him to take the oversight of them in the Lord. When he had signified his consent to their request, they commended him to the grace of the Lord Jesus, with prayer and fasting. After which, they chose another from among them to fill the office of a deacon. They were, then, what may be termed an organised Church of Jesus Christ.

In their meetings they believed what I said, that Jesus was in the midst of them to bless them. The faith of this made them long for the return of their stated meetings: from which they expected to derive much benefit, because Jesus had appointed them for that purpose, and had engaged to be present, to render them effectual for producing that end. When they were assembled, they looked on each other as heirs together of the grace of life; and when they united in singing a hymn of praise to their exalted Lord, they did it with one heart and one soul. Truly, they were a lively church!

When I related to them what Paul says of the church of Thessalonica, of their sounding forth the word of truth throughout all the region round about, they prayed to God that he would enable them to be followers (or imitators) of those Thessalonians. Some time after, God raised up a humble, gifted brother, who was willing now and then to visit the neighbouring villages, to disseminate the knowledge of Him who died for sinners and rose again. His excursions were crowned with abundant success. Many of the villagers became the willing servants of Jesus Christ. After each of his excursions,

he related to the church in Mr. Sharp's house the progress of the incorruptible seed, which occasioned shouts of praise to God, who had rendered his word effectual. The young man, though very laborious, took no praise to himself; he always spoke of the good that was done as the effect of God's presence, and in a way calculated to lead the church to look beyond him to God. They continued praying that God would send forth more labourers into his harvest; and he heard them-for several were converted, who were afterwards found to possess suitable talents for this good work. Those were also sent forth to other quarters which had not been visited; and God was pleased frequently to smile upon their labours.

While this church continued to attend to the apostolic order, and the simplicity of the Gospel, things went on well; but when they began to make improvements, as some new members called them, or rules not founded on the published will of Christ, the love of that lively church began to wax cold, both to God and to each other; their zeal began to slacken apace, and divisions about mere trifles arose; they spake evil one against another, and these declensions went on and increased for some years, till their pastor, who, alas! had connived at many of their innovations, being struck with remorse, came forward, at one of their meetings, and expressed his repentance for unfaithfulness to Jesus and to them. He then took a review of their first state, and the great comfort they enjoyed during their former associations; he then pointed out the evils that had crept in amongst them unawares, and moved, that they should return to their original conformity to apostolic rule. Some opposed this; but, upon the pastor's plainly stating the scriptural order of a Gospel church, these were silenced, and almost the whole church cheerfully agreed to resume their original simplicity. A few were offended, and withdrew from the communion of the church, which was a great mercy; for it was soon found that only the corrupting leaven had left them. Now they went on in their former way; they found that the Lord was returned to them of a truth; then they had rest, and were edified; and, walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied like the churches in Judea. This church unanimously declared it their determination that I should, in every case, be their ruler; consequently, when any matter came before them, I was consulted, and they adhered to my decision. For example: one of their members began to conform to this present world, and attend vain and sinful amusements. The matter was stated to the church; then they all looked to me for counsel. I told them, that if any man was in Christ, he must be a new creature; old things would pass away, and all things become new. They concluded, from this and other things I said to them, that a Christian was delivered from the love and practice of the evil customs and enjoyments of the wicked; that he would find such things hurtful to his soul, and would flee from them; wherefore they thought they had just grounds for doubting the Christianity of their brother; and having attended to all that I commanded to be done in such cases, without producing repentance in him, they excluded him from their society; and then earnestly prayed that Jesus would make this his own ordinance useful to him whom they had just put away from among them.

(To be continued.)

The Bethel Pulpit.

"GOD, THE HOPE OF THE MARINER."

Discourse delivered in the Seamen's Hall, Sunderland, in the afternoon of Sabbath, June 24th, 1849, by the Rev. John Parker, of the United Presbyterian Church, Smyrna, Sunderland.

Ps. xviii. 6-11.-In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him even into his ears. Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth. There went a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it. He bowed the heavens also and came down; and darkness was under his feet. And he rode upon a cherub and did fly; yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind. He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.

The history of David is replete with the most striking incidents. Samuel the prophet relates it with beautiful simplicity. He introduces him abruptly, and at a critical moment. We are at once struck with his filial piety, which was the cause of his appearance in the camp, his amiable demeanour to his brethren, and his valiant conduct in battle. Few, who have the Bible, are ignorant of the history of David. It is, therefore, unnecessary to enter into detail, as every reader will be able to anticipate the successive parts of the narration, from his first connexion with Saul till he spake unto the Lord the words of this song, in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hands of all his enemies. The psalm and the history throw light on each other, and show that neither are forgeries. The terms used in the former to point out the assistance which he received from God, bring to our remembrance the trying circumstances in which he was so often placed, when the Almighty was unto him a "rock," a "fortress," a "deliverer," and "high tower." If Samuel inspires us with a high idea of the prowess of David-if he represent him to us as a dutiful son, affectionate parent and mighty king-David himself, in his psalms, and particularly in this from which we have selected the words under consideration, informs us to whom he was indebted for all his might, to whom he owed all his deliverances. "In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God; he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears."

David expresses all his sufferings, trials, and difficulties by the general term distress. It includes bodily suffering and mental anguish, but refers particularly here to the grief occasioned by the persecution he endured from Saul, heightened indescribably by the relation in which he stood to him, and the good service rendered to him. Of his suffering we may have some faint conception by attending to the two preceding verses-"The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid. The sorrows of the invisible world compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me.” Thus, like him of whom he was the type, he endured the very essence of the curse he was environed with sorrows. But there is a greater than David here-even David's son, and David's Lord. These verses describe a striking interposition of Jehovah in behalf of the suffering MESSIAH. God is a Spirit ; and the most correct description of him, unless through the representation of

natural objects, and by the comparison of heavenly with earthly things, were quite unintelligible. Such a representation, especially of Jehovah's natural perfections, we here behold. Its sublimity has challenged the attention even of those who do not love the word of God. David had been quite familiar with the flood, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the miraculous passage of the Red Sea, and the giving of the law by the disposition of angels. Hence the striking imagery of the verses now read. In the narrative of the disciples we have a simple account of the sufferings and death, and resurrection and ascension of Jesus, and of the preceding and accompanying events; but in this, and the 24th and 68th psalms, they are represented in all the sublimity of poetic grandeur. One evangelist speaks of a great earthquake being the precursor of the resurrection of Christ, but the psalmist of the shaking and trembling of the earth; another, of the darkness which accompanied the suffering of his crucifixion, but David refers to the Deity making it his secret place, his pavilion round about him being dark waters and thick clouds of the skies; a third, of the two angels who spake to the men of Galilee of the ascension of the blessed Redeemer, but the sweet singer of Israel sees in prophetic vision the chariots of God as twenty thousand, even many thousands of angels.

In

The very language here employed will recall to the recollection of some present the dangerous circumstances in which they have often been placed while afar off upon the sea. It may be of advantage to all to contemplateI. David's exercise in his distress: "I called upon the Lord and cried unto my God." By attending to the narrative of his life, we find that while yet in the days of his youth he put his trust in the Lord and was not ashamed. When proffering his services to wipe away the reproach which was cast upon his God by the uncircumcised Goliath, he modestly insinuates his claim to the post of honour, because, amid the solitudes of pastoral life, he had, by the assistance of God, rescued the flock of his hand from the paws of the lion and bear. He would again lift up his eyes to heaven, whence came all his help, and the same God would deliver him from the hands of the Philistine. the more trying circumstances of his life, when exposed to the malice and blood-thirsty vengeance of Saul, and to the intrigues of obsequious courtiers, he called upon the Lord and cried unto his God. The sorrows of his heart, the dangers of his lot, the doubts and difficulties, the hopes and fears, that alternated in his mind, were all made known to God. To the hearer and answerer of prayer he daily came. But when the hand of the Lord was against the impious, immoral Saul; when, contending with the evil spirit, he called for David, who could play skilfully on the harp, to charm him with his music; when, driven to the last extremity, he applied to the woman who had a familiar spirit; and when his armour, in which he trusted, could not save him from the Philistines, he had recourse to his armour-bearer to thrust him through with his sword. And how many, like Saul, flee to music and dancing, and dissipation and society, to drown reflection, and obtain assistance in the time of need; but David, whose whole life was full of vicissitude and danger, and had not only to fight against his own spiritual foes, but was involved in all the cares of a numerous family and kingdom, put an unsuspecting confidence in God, and continually resorted to him. His cry entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. Nor does this detract from his merit as a son, a warrior, a father, a courtier, a statesman, or a king. He discharged the duties of all these relations better than the most of men. Nor will any one acquainted with his history charge him with cowardice. But those who wrestle with the

angel of the covenant, and, like Jacob and David, have power to prevail with God, oftentimes prevail also with man. "Seven times a day," he in his prayers ascribed praises to God. And yet we are not to confine it to this number. In his distress, this was the season; and how often he was involved in it, his psalms are witness; but then he called upon the Lord and cried unto his God. Contemplate,

II. The attention paid to his prayer by God. "He heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears." We are now carried away in imagination beyond the starry skies, where God sits enthroned in majesty; where angels and archangels are his ministers of state; where the affairs of the universe are transacted; where every command of Deity is issued. In yonder holy place the voice of the stripling was heard amid the praises of these angels and the songs of the redeemed. Yet that is but the inner shrine; universal nature is the temple of Jehovah, and He who presides in it is all eye, all ear. Moreover, in the plains where David fed his flock, in the vale of Elah, and on the mountain where the Philistines and Israelites were drawn up in battle array, beside the waters of that brook where he chose him his five smooth stones with which he gained the victory over Goliath; in the apartment of the palace where he charmed away the evil spirit of Saul, and avoided the point of the javelin; in the wilderness, where he hid himself from the same enemy; and on the mountain Olivet, whereby, in later times, he escaped the unnatural rebellion of his son Absalom, there was the temple, the living temple of Jehovah. The deliverances which God wrought for him testify how quickly his voice was heard, and his cry answered. The angel Gabriel outdid the lightning's speed, and touched Daniel about the time of the evening oblation, while he was yet speaking and praying; but God himself bowed the heavens and came down to the help of his servant David. His voice being heard in God's temple and his cry coming into his ears; the shaking and trembling of the earth, and Jehovah bowing the heavens and coming down, in connexion with the history of David, and all the deliverances which were wrought for him, give us an illustration of the character of Jehovah as the prayer-hearing and prayer-answering God. What encouragement, therefore, to make known our requests to Him! He fills heaven and earth with his presence. His ear is always open to our cry. "And it shall come to pass, that before they call I will answer, and whilst they are yet speaking, I will hear." All the saints can corroborate the truth of David's statement-" Verily, God hath heard the voice of their petitions." Every request has not been granted-this had not been for their benefit. But think of the way by which you have been led, of the dangers from which you have been delivered, of the enemies you have conquered, and of the supplies of grace and strength which you have received. Review the history of all your distresses, and you will be able to say with David, "God heard and answered our voice out of his temple, and our cry came before him, even into his ears." O how is it that we forget that our temporal wants are supplied in answer to prayer? that our spiritual food comes down unceasingly about our sanctuary doors by a divine agency? that the parent receives daily bread for the support of his children in the same manner? that the wife was restored to her anxious husband at the throne of grace? that the child is in the society of its mother, on account of her importunate supplication? that a beloved brother was brought back from the gates of death, because of the earnest entreaty of sisters like those of Lazarus? and how is it that the sailor looks not upon his deliverance from shipwreck, as an answer to his piercing cry