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Methinks the truth was dawning on thy mind,
And those around thee, when with pious fear
They said, 'A prophet hath arisen amongst
Us,' and 'God hath visited his people.'

A theme this worthy of an angel's song,
And even angels could not sing so sweet,
Or praise so loud, as magnify his name
Complete, the widow and the orphan's Friend,
Whom sorrow touched with sympathetic grief.
O let me this remember oft, that he

Who raised the widow's son, again shall speak;
His voice all in the graves shall hear, and shall
Come forth, they that are good to endless life,
The rest to pine in never-ending woe.
29th March 1859.

ALEX. DAVIDSON.

'MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME?'

Matt. xxvii. 46.

WHY dost thou so forsake him? Oh, my God!
When on him rests such weight of agony,
Why must thy best-belov'd forsaken be?

Why so forsake him, when his spotless soul

Has passed, unscathed, through life's temptations wild;
Why so forsake him-harmless, undefiled?

Why so forsake, when ingrate hands have twined
The crown of torture round his peerless brow;
Why, oh, my God, is he forsaken now?

Now, when the hands whose touch was purity,
And life, and healing, with his blood are dyed-
His blood, that fain the sin-driven nails would hide?

Now, when they mock him whom he sought to bless;
Blaspheming thee, when they despise thy Son;
Dost thou, too, frown upon thy holiest One?

Why, when all earth deserts him, should thy face
Be shrouded from his sight, while from thy throne
Comes Ephraim's curse? Why leave him thus alone?

Why, when he merits heaven's eternal praise,
When he suns earth with his incarnate love,
Why, now, thy favour from his soul remove?

Ah, Christ-bought soul! let God from heaven reply-
He was forsaken that thou mightst not be!
Oh, wonder deep and high! Oh, solemn mystery!

He was forsaken-he, the Christ of God,

The equal with the Father, that thy sin
Might thee forsake, and thou his glory win.

m

He was forsaken, that the awful stroke

The sword of justice gives might turn from thee,
nd thou no more of law the bond-slave be.

le was forsaken of the Father's smile,
hat awful grief upon the cross he bore,
o purchase thee that smile for evermore.

hy sin upon his breast he laid, whose sight
he eye that cannot look on sin abhorred,
by curse was laid upon creation's Lord.

e was forsaken; melt, oh, heart within!
hat God before high heaven this oath might take-
Thee, Christ-bought soul, thee will I ne'er forsake!'
The Appeal.

Correspondence.

OIDANCE OF EVIL-QUERY AND REPLY. THER MILNER,-Are professed disciples of the Lord Jesus breach of any christian law, by going into a public house 's day and purchasing intoxicating drink? Can it be said they are avoiding the very appearance of evil.' By he above questions in the Christian Advocate you will in the one hope,

HENRY MERRITE.

tion, 'abstain from all appearance of evil,' should certainly stians doing what even the world regards as evil. If t of Christians be not in advance of that of the world, cannot reform the latter. If, on a question of public is agitating the whole civilized world, Christians lag only will they lose the transforming power they ought at their good will be evil spoken of. It is no justification on before us to say that no evil is done, for the apostle's bes quite beyond the prohibition of evil doing; he calls ance of the very appearance of it-all appearance of it. it be said that in such a case evil is avoided, it canhat the appearance of it is shunned.

RCH FELLOWSHIP-QUERY AND REPLY.

ED.

r in the faith, I request answer to a question that nuch. What is the duty of a sister, or sisters, cut off ns of apostolic church worship? In regard to the sects re are surrounded, are we to keep entirely aloof, so that vail ourselves, occasionally at least, of the opportunity ating the Saviour's dying love, even with those of them actice of believer's baptism come nearest to the stan?

S. S. C.

Nothing is plainer than that the apostle enjoined the faithful to withdraw from those who do not keep the ordinances as he delivered them, Rom. xvi. 17; 1 Cor. xi. 1, 2; 2 Thess. iii. 6. We have no hesitation in saying that the call of 2 Cor. vi. 14-18 is imperatively binding in these days of laxity and indifference. Yet in apostolic churches there were things wanting, Titus i. 5. But the command was to set in order such things. While, then, we are far from say ing that in instances where there is a readiness to do the whole will of God, the faithful should hold no fellowship, nevertheless, faithful ness does require that where there is a persistent adherence human usage in the face of divine teaching to the contrary, separa tion is the rule. Churches that maintain believer's baptism an immensely in advance of all that practise infant affusion, but this i only one item of the faith, and in the case of such churches as re cognize the unbaptized and unconverted in their offerings, services worship and fellowship, we find no warrant in the statute-book fo communion with them. If they hold that baptism is sacred believers, they ought, in consistency, to hold all christian ministr and privilege to be sacred to the baptized. A sister placed in circumstances of S. S. C. will have more fellowship with her heavenl Father in her separation, than she can have in any community th fellowships the unconverted; for she will then realize the promis 'Come out and be separate, and I will receive you, and will be Father to you, and ye shall be my daughter, saith the Lord G Almighty.'

ED.

Entelligence.

THE LATE DISCUSSION.-Our first public discussion is ove Though it is not likely we shall ever again meet Mr Bowes in publ debate, we do not regret having challenged and met him as we for three nights in Dundee, and three thereafter in Edinburgh. Th a man recognised by many as a christian teacher should be allow to print and publish gratuitously such serious charges as those misquoting and garbling Scripture (not against us personally, against those whom we know to be most anxiously desirous to ma known the whole counsel of God), without being called in question was not to be thought of. For the detractor himself, contempt course the proper feeling, but for those who unwittingly receive words-who regard him as a reliable teacher, and are thereby led conclude, as he would have them, quite another regard must be e tertained. For their sake, as well as for the truth's sake, we deeme it needful to challenge as we did. Hence the discussion.

The whole arrangements of the committees were most complete an satisfactory. In Dundee the interest and attendance were such to give ample expectation of much fruit arising from the trut spoken. In Edinburgh, where Mr Bowes is little known, and wher clericism holds her throne, the interest was not so general, nor wa the attendance so great. All passed off with due decorum, till th last evening in Edinburgh, when Mr Bowes attempted to browbe us into an acknowledgment, that we had chastised him too severely

s night, in charging him, as we did, with 'wilful misre,' and with using 'impious language.' That our charges we do not deny: that they were merited we contend. in reply to Mr Bowes' demand for an apology, we rose prepared to defend all we had said, he instantly asprerogatives of the chair, and wrathfully declared he t of no defence. This brought upon him a universal and rm of hisses, which having partially subsided, the chairat the only word we had used which he thought too the word 'wilful.' Our answer was, that in Dundee we ged Mr Bowes with 'misrepresentation;' but, that, pointed out and repudiated the doctrine imputed to us, ding Mr Bowes repeat his offensive misrepresentations, believed that the misrepresentation was wilful, and uld not retract the word, and were quite willing to let report of the Dundee debate settle the question. This Bowes got for his wrath.

enility we used to think that the wild beasts with which at Ephesus were quadrupeds, now we suppose them to peds. We used to think it a mistake for the challenger 7, save a well accredited opponent; now, however, we iety of this. With the single exception that Mr Bowes ct the discussion with anything like logical or christian have no regret concerning it. That he never answered uments we leave the report to show. Instead of followinduction and examination of passages, he came loaded with trumped-up inferential accusations of his own, or ader cover of passages that do not bear on the questions ogether, after the manner of the popular clergy, who go rcumcision to determine the law of baptism, he ran to ere the terms in dispute were not to be found. He achowever, at Edinburgh, that it suited him to go to ases! It may be proper to state that the occasion of him in Queen Street Hall with the use of impious s his exclaiming, Will the Omnipotent tie himself dinance?' If this be not the language of impiety we at is. If God were a man that he should lie, or the at he should repent, but on no other hypothesis was s exclamation justifiable.

hese and many such drawbacks, we are glad the displace-the attention of thousands has been directed to many more will doubtless read, learn, and obey. We that public discussion must be resorted to in order to attention to the all-important matters of the faith of The public life of the Saviour and his apostles (as well e reformers of the sixteenth, and indeed of all other s a life of discussion with the established ecclesiastics Our mode of attack on entering a town or city as an uld be at once to challenge the clergy to a public deposition. If they responded, well; if they declined, 38 would be made apparent. Either way public attenaroused. Will brethren King, Rotherham, and Chew,

ED.

BAPTISMS.-Berwick-on-Tweed. The second Baptised Church here was encouraged by the sight of ten believers being immersed Spittal into the sacred name on Lord's day, 27th March; and although there have been ninety and nine baptised at the same place within three years, the desire to see the ordinance administered was so great, that the large square, in which there is standing groun for upwards of a thousand, was filled, and as many more were out side, unable to gain an entrance. The audience was addressed the outside by Mr Lees for convenience. The spectators manifeste great attention and respect, as on former occasions, and we rejoic to be able to state that the spirit of inquiry regarding this subject abroad both in town and country.- -Glasgow. Two believers hav been baptised according to the Saviour's law, and added to the churc in Hutchison Street, since last month's report. -Dundee. Fou young women have confessed with the mouth the Lord Jesus, wer immersed into his name, April 5th, and added to the church meetin in Hammerman's Hall.- -Pathhead, Fife. The church here ha been gladdened by the addition of two to its number by baptism Lord's day, April 17th.

OBITUARY. On Monday, the 11th April, our aged and belove sister Barry fell asleep in Jesus in the blessed hope of a joyful resu rection to glory, honour, immortality, and eternal life. She w examplarily punctual in attending to the ordinances of the Lord house, and even in all her weakness was present with the brethre on Lord's day, two weeks before she died, to break bread in con memoration of that Jesus who saved us, and gave himself to redee us from all iniquity, and purify a peculiar people to himself, having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing. She made the ge confession on 13th Feby. 1840, and was buried with Christ in ba tism, and rose to newness of life. This was effected by hearing apostolic gospel by our late esteemed Bro. Reid, whose memory ever dear to us. Her mind was richly stored with sacred truth, ar the blessed gospel was her favourite theme. She was always read at conversation on religious subjects, having known the holy Scri tures from her youth, which made her wise unto salvation throug the faith that is in Christ Jesus. The sufferings our sister endure were borne with the resignation of a Christian, the hope of immo tality supported her in the last moments of her life, by a risen as exalted Saviour her end was peace. She went down to the gra like a sheaf of corn fully ripe, and has gone into the presence of hi 'Where the saints of all ages in harmony meet There the Saviour and brethren transported to greet, Where the anthems of rapture unceasingly roll, And the smile of the Lord is the feast of the soul.'

Dundee, 8th April 1859.

JAMES AINSLIE.

J. Taylor, Printer, Edinburgh.

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