when sermons were preached, in the morning, by the Rev. J. E. Dovey, the pastor of the church, from Psalm cxviii. 19; in the afternoon, by the Rev. W. Lindsey Alexander, D.D., om Psalm cxxxii. 14; and in the evening, by the Rev. Andrew Thomson, D.D., from Isaiah lv. 8. On the ensuing Sabbath the Rev. W. Walters, of Newcastle, preached in the morning, from 1 Tim. iv. 8; and in the evening from Isaiah lv. 7; and the Rev. W. G. Blackie, D.D., in the afternoon, from Gal. vi. 9. On Tuesday evening, January 3rd, a social meeting was held in the chapel, at which about five hundred were present. The pastor presided, and addresses were delivered by the Revs. Jonathan Walson, F. Johnstone, William Tullock, Professor Simpson, Major Smith, Mr. Hugh Rose, and other friends. This place of worship now presents a most inviting interior, and reflects great credit upon the skill and taste of the architect, Mr. W. J. Smith. SWAFFHAM, NORFOLK.-The Rev. W Woods having resigned the pastorate of the Baptist church at Swaffham, and accepted the invitation of the church at Parson's Hill, Woolwich, a farewell meeting was held at Swaffham on Monday, January 2nd, to take leave of him. After tea, a public meeting was held in the chapel, which was opened with singing and prayer. Mr. Lindsey, as chairman, gave an opening speech, testifying to the affection which the church felt for Mr. Woods, and to their regret at his removal. He then read an address which had been prepared by the church, engrossed on parchment, and framed in a handsome gilt frame, expressive of their high regard for him, and sorrow at his removal, and presented the same to Mr. Woods, together with a purse containing thirty-five sovereigns. The Rev. J. T. Wigner then commended Mr. Woods and his family to God in prayer. After prayer Mr. Woods gave a farewell address with considerable feeling. Speeches expressive of the same feelings as those contained in the memorial were delivered by the Revs. J. L. Whitley and J. T. Wigner, and by Messrs. J. D. Smith, R. Vynne, and F. Moore. J. LYNN, NORFOLK.-On Thursday evening, December 29th, a soirée was held in the schoolroom of Stepney Chapel, Lynn, to commemorate the completion of twentyfive years' ministry by the Rev. F. Wigner, and to present that gentleman with a splendid illuminated memorial (framed and glazed), and a testimonial consisting of a purse containing £220, from the members and friends meeting in Stepney Chapel, and a few beyond the limits of that congregation. Tea, coffee, &c., were served at five o'clock, of which about 300 individuals partook. After tea, Mr. R. S. Baker occupied the chair, and opened the meeting with some Addresses were also appropriate remarks. delivered by the Revs. T. A. Wheeler, of Norwich; J. P. Lewis, of Diss; W. Woods, of Swaffham; J. Green, of Yarmouth; J. L. Whitley, of Dereham; Mr W. Armes, Mr. Shaw, and Mr. Harcourt. The memorial, which, with the purse, was presented by the chairman, was suitably acknowledged by Mr. Wigner. TENBY, SOUTH WALES.-The Rev. J. R. Jenkins having resigned the pastorate of the Baptist church, South-parade, Tenby, his friends invited him to a social tea meeting at the Gatehouse Assembly Rooms on Monday, December 26th. Interesting addresses were delivered on the occasion by the Revs. D. Davies, Baptist minister, Pembroke-dock; H. Griffiths, Independent minister; E. Edwards, B.A., Presbyterian; Ezra Roberts, Esq., and Mr. J. Jones. At the close Mr. William Millar, one of the deacons of the church, presented him with a purse of gold, as a testimonial of sincere attachment and appreciation of the valuable services he has rendered the church, at the same time expressing their deep regret at his resignation, and wishes for his future happiness. MINISTERIAL CHANGES.-The Rev, John Horne has intimated to his deacons his wish to resign the pastorate of the Baptist church, Evesham.-Mr. W. E. Winks, of the Baptist College, Chilwell, has accepted the unanimous and cordial invitation to become the pastor of the Baptist church at Allerton, near Bradford, Yorkshire, and enters on his labours there on the first Sabbath in February.-The Rev. A. Powell, of Appledore, has accepted a cordial and unanimous invitation to become the pastor of the Baptist church at Milton, Oxon. -The Rev. John Gipps, of Potter-street, Harlow, Essex, has given notice to the church and congregation assembling in the Baptist chapel in that place, that he shall discontinue the regular duties of the ministry amongst them at Lady-day next. Mr. Gipps has been the pastor during the last thirty-four years, and through failing health is obliged to give up. The church and congregation hope to be able to receive the services of some minister as co-pastor with him.-Mr. W. H. Burton, of the Metropolitan Tabernacle College, after supplying three months, has accepted a unanimous invitation to become the pastor of the church at Kingsgate-street Chapel, Holborn, and will enter upon his labours forthwith.The Rev. Josh. Beard, having accepted the invitation to the pastorate of the church at Peterchurch, has resigned his post at Garway.-The Rev. Wildon Carr, for whom a new and handsome chapel was being erected at Rye-hill, Newcastle-on-Tyne, has resigned the pastorate of the church, and is about to leave the town. Mr. J. P. Tetley, a student from Chilwell College, Notts, has accepted an invitation from the Baptist church, Long Sutton, Lincolnshire, and commenced his labours on January 22nd. VOL. VIII-NEW SERIES.] [MARCH 1, 1865. THE CHURCH. "Built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner-stone." MARCH, 1865. THE BLESSING OF ABRAHAM. "I will bless thee, BY THE REV. J. H. HINTON, M.A. and thou shalt be a blessing."—Gen. xii. 2. IN the whole of the Old Testament, no character stands out with greater prominence, or exhibits itself with greater dignity, than that of Abraham. Of obscure origin, and of comparatively mean condition, he was selected in divine Providence for a position of distinguished happiness and honour. His prerogative was announced to him by the God of the whole earth in the following terms :— "I will make of thee a great nation, And I will bless thee, And make thy name great, And thou shalt be a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee, And curse him that curseth thee; And in thee shall all nations of the earth be blessed." And magnificently was this announcement fulfilled; through a path of mystery, indeed, yet in the end the promise was found faithful. Abraham was blessed; primarily in his own spiritual condition, with a standing in God's favour and friendship. When the promise was made to him, "he believed in the Lord; and He counted it to him for righteousness." (Gen. xv. 6.) Thus the great patriarch, like his precursor Noah, "became heir of the righteousness which is by faith" (Heb. xi. 7), and was established in his position as the "friend" of God. (Isa. xli. 8.) Subsequently the divine declaration, "I will be a God to thee," was nobly fulfilled by acts of divine guidance, protection, and benediction, which constitute one of the most interesting portions of Old Testament history. And Abraham was made a blessing; that is to say, a means, or a channel, of blessing to others. From him flowed a multitude of temporal benefits to his immediate posterity, which may be summed up in their multiplication as a people, and their inheritance of the land of Canaan; and from him have remotely flowed more precious spiritual benefits to the world, through his seed, the Christ. How interesting it is to find the apostle employing these facts as illustrative of the privileges of believers in Jesus, and telling us that "the blessing. of Abraham comes on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ." (Gal. iii. 14.) In the first instance, no doubt, this language is verified in our justification by faith, a privilege in respect of which Abraham was "the father (or pattern) of all them that believe" (Rom. iv. 11); but, if in this respect we imitate his example, the whole of Abraham's blessing follows in the train of our faith. To ourselves, as well as to the father of the faithful, may we regard it as said, "I will bless thee, and thou shalt be a blessing." Our subject needs no artificial division. Its two parts lie simply before us. It is the believer's blessing, personal and relative. I. First, then, of the believer's personal blessing. "I will bless thee." We look on this as exemplified in the history of Abraham, and we notice the following particulars : 1. Abraham had God for his portion. In these terms the promise ran: "I will be a God to thee." And it was repeated in the following form :— "Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, thy exceeding great reward." (Gen. xv. 1.) In like manner it is the privilege of every believer in Jesus to say, "Thou art my portion, O Lord." (Ps. cxix. 57.) Of what wonderful import the language is! The Lord, with all His infinite fulness of glory and of grace-the Lord our portion! How much greater HE is than all His gifts! And how vastly He exceeds them all in giving us Himself! Yet Yet nothing less can satisfy the exceeding riches of His grace, and, in truth, nothing less can satisfy the cravings of His creature, man. Such was Abraham's blessing, and such is ours if we copy Abraham's faith. 2. Abraham had a wisely allotted portion of earthly good. In some respects he was a prosperous man. His wealth, in cattle, and goods, and household servants, increased; yet his prosperity was tempered with trial. He had no home, but was kept in a state of perpetual wandering. He had no child, so that one born in his house would, to all appearance, be his heir. In the most material interests of life, Abraham was a tried and disappointed man. He would have given the half-perhaps the whole of his wealth for a child. Yet was his portion of earthly good wisely allotted, and the prosperity of his early life was well adapted to the wants of his age. Like Abraham's, our lot also is a mixed one. None of us are without mercies, and probably some great ones; none of us are without trials, and probably some severe ones. But our portion of good and evil is, like Abraham's, allotted with divine skill, and shall be made conducive to its appointed end. No part of our lot is without its place in the plan of eternal wisdom; and none shall be without its immediate or remote results of good. The whole of it is blessing. 3. Abraham was carried through a process of moral and spiritual culture. Brought out from a state of idolatry, he had much to learn of the character and ways of the true God; and, destined to a high position in divine Providence, he was to be called to the exercise of distinguished virtue. Hence God said to him, "I am the Almighty God: walk before me, and be thou perfect." (Gen. xvii. 1.) His faith in the promise was put more than once to a severe test in one instance by the long delay of its fulfilment in the birth of Isaac; and in another by the mysterious requirement to offer his son in sacrifice. And the more his virtue was tried the more brightly it shone. "He staggered not at the promise through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; being fully persuaded that what He had promised He was able also to perform." (Rom iv. 20, 21.) Thus was Abraham prepared for his distinguished position as the pattern of believers and the friend of God. And through a similar process are believers in Jesus also being carried. God's various methods with them constitute the trial of their graces, increasing their strength, bringing them into more conspicuous exercise, and preparing them at once for appointed usefulness on earth, and for destined honour in heaven. If trials are severe, they are but like the furnace into which gold is cast, not for its destruction, but for its purification. And trials may be regarded as bearing a proportion to the blessing intended. If Abraham was more tried than others, it was because he was to occupy a more conspicuous position, and to inherit a larger blessing. 4. Abraham enjoyed a watchful care and secure protection in all circumstances. His circumstances were often perilous and difficult, of which your recollection of his history will readily supply you with instances; but his wanderings were directed by an ever-watchful eye, and his safety guarded by an Almighty hand. We may include him in the more general description given by the Psalmist of God's care over Israel :— "When they went from one nation to another, From one kingdom to another people, And do my prophets no harm."-Ps. cv. 13-15. And a similar privilege belongs to believers in Jesus. If, like Abraham, they have to become wanderers in a strange land, and to pitch their tabernacle in the midst of perils, there is an eye of love that watches their every step, and an arm of power ever outstretched for their defence. Neither accident shall befall them, nor malice injure them. The Lord shall deliver them from every evil work, and preserve them unto His heavenly kingdom. (2 Tim. iv. 18.) Thus, my brethren, the blessing of Abraham comes upon us through Jesus Christ. Is it not a high privilege for us to be blessed after so distinguished a pattern? II. But let us now look at the relative part of Abraham's blessing. "I will bless thee, and thou shalt be a blessing." This was a conspicuous portion of the patriarch's prerogative, and it might seem to be one in which he might stand alone. It is true, indeed, that there are some among believers in Jesus who are either so eminently gifted, or so influentially placed, that they do become a blessing to others, and perhaps extensively so; but, if the blessing of Abraham really comes on the Gentiles through faith, it must belong to all believers in Jesus, and not only to a few of them. And so, in truth, we take the fact to be. To every believer in Jesus it is said, "Thou shalt be a bless ing." Let us see first in what methods this may be made good, and then what is the value of the privilege. 1. In what methods may this language be made good? It is a general fact in the constitution of human society that every member of it exerts an influence on others. In this sense it is a universal truth that "none of us liveth to himself." (Rom. xiv. 7.) Necessarily brought into domestic or social contact with some, and almost necessarily with many, of our fellow-men, we inevitably, by our example and otherwise, exert an influence upon them of some kind, whether good or evil. What kind of influence we exercise depends upon the nature of our example and our conduct; but some influence we infallibly exercise, and we may exert much if we try, and improve our opportunities. A Christian, then, cannot fail in some degree to be made a blessing, even although the sphere of his influence may be of the narrowest kind. And this in several ways. First, because he will usefully fulfil the duties of life in every situation in which he may be placed. He will not be an undutiful son, an unkind husband, a negligent father, an unfaithful servant, an oppressive master. In these, and in all other relations of life, he will, as a Christian, act a Christian part, and so fulfil the duties of his position as to realize all the advantages they are intended to secure. Filial duty, conjugal love, parental fidelity, social industry, and benevolence, cannot but be useful; and thus, if not otherwise, every Christian will assuredly be made a blessing. Secondly, every Christian is sure to be made a blessing, because his example will exercise a beneficial influence. A bad example is universally felt to diffuse an evil influence. The giddy, the passionate, the profane, the profligate, wherever they are, by their very presence do mischief; and in like manner, wherever they are, by their very presence, the upright, the pure, the meek, the heavenly-minded, do good. Their virtues may be said to create an atmosphere favourable to virtue, and unfavourable to vice. They rebuke sin, they commend religion, they invite to imitation. They shine as lights in a dark place. Thirdly, every Christian is sure to be a blessing, because he is both able and apt to improve the opportunities of doing good which every situation presents. For we say without fear, that every situation presents some opportunities—some more and some less, but every one some opportunitiesof doing good. And a Christian is not an ignorant man, not knowing how to do good; he is not a self-indulgent man, not caring to do good; he is not an unfeeling man, indifferent to the wants of those around him: on the contrary, he is the very opposite of all this; a man of feeling heart, of ready self-denial, of spiritual wisdom; just the man who cannot see opportunities of doing good without being stirred up to embrace them, and who carries with him everywhere the spiritual wisdom to meet the needs he finds. Thus a Christian, let him be placed where he may in human society, cannot but be made a blessing. We may go beyond this, however, and, referring to the arrangements of divine Providence, may say, that every Christian is placed where he is in order that he may be made a blessing. |