prayers, as God would turn a deaf ear to them. Upon one of the friends urging him to take a little more rest, he said, "I cannot rest-I must tell you all is glorious." At half-past eleven he turned himself over and wiped his forehead, saying, “Now the time is come that my Lord is going to take me away." He talked joyfully for a while, and then came the end. Waving his hand, he said, " Good bye, all of you-it is all right—the angels are all round my bed, waiting to waft me away-farewell! farewell!" and in a minute or two afterwards, without an apparent struggle, at ten minutes past twelve, his spirit soared to the land of rest. He triumphed in the thought that he was going on the Sabbath Day to enter on the eternal Sabbath that remaineth for the people of God. His remains were interred in the Cemetery on the Thursday following, by the Rev. H. Watts, of Golcar, before a large assemblage of relatives and friends. Poetry. LINES Written on the Death of two interesting Sons of my beloved Brother, the Rev. John Howe, of Stacksteads, near Manchester. The elder youth, named John, died June 25th, 1864, aged Ten Years and Two Months,-and the younger, named Samuel, died July 10th, 1864, aged Six Years. In one short fortnight they joined each other in heaven. "OF SUCH IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN."-Matt. xix. 14. ADIEU, ye cherub forms, adieu ! And shall we mourn, or call it woe, Full oft the sweetest flowers that blow, Are plucked before the noon. Full oft in love, the Father's hand Conveys the bud away, And plants it in a sweeter land, But could that blossom speak again, Though pain the heart has riven, Each pang would perish at the strain, "DEAR MA,-WE'RE THREE IN HEAVEN."* Yes, there are three around the throne, In everlasting rest; And while we suffer, weep, and groan, They number with the blest. And would we ask them back to earth, That they forego that heavenly birth, When little Samuel was informed of the death of his brother John, he sweetly and piously remarked to his weeping mother, "Then, ma, we have two in heaven!" referring to a twin-sister who died in 1856. In keeping with this exquisite touch of natural feeling, it is only proper to say, "We're THREE in heaven." Perish the thought, -no more, no more Let selfish love prevail. Sweet Heralds,-they have gone before, Not they to us,-but we to them, Yes, though on earth we wait in pain, WILLIAM STOKES, Manchester. Page for the Young. NO PLACE LIKE HOME. SOME little girls were singing together in a beautiful yard, full of shrubbery and flowers, "There is no place like home." "Well," said Susan A., "I declare I don't believe that there is any place like my home. It is nothing but work, work, all the time. The moment that I get inside of the door, mother says, Here, Susan, tend the baby-or, 'here, Susan, set the table' -or, 'here, Susan, do something else;' and I can't get a chance to play at all, unless I slip away when mother is busy, and does not notice me." 66 And I believe that my home is worse even than yours," said Clara B., "for it's nothing but scold, scold, from morning to night. As soon as I open the door, it is, 'Clara, bless me! what has kept you so long? Why, Clara, where on earth have you been?' And then in a minute it is, 'Clara, you are always in the way! I wish you would stay out of the house, if you can't behave yourself!' Other girls made similar complaints. One of them, however, little Ellen C., said nothing for some time; at last she spoke timidly: “Oh, girls, if your mothers should die, you would not think as you do now about your homes. I used to think that my mother was very strict and cross, and often I would say so; but when I saw her in her coffin, and remembered how kind she had been to me-how much she had done for me, and how often I had been cross and disobedient, and grieved her, oh, how unhappy I was! It seemed to me as if I would give both of my eyes to have my mother back again. Yes, I would rather be a poor blind girl, never seeing the sun or the flowers, and have a mother, than be motherless, with all things bright and beautiful around me. Girls, perhaps it is your own fault that your homes are not pleasanter; perhaps you do not try to please your mothers, and help them. They had a great deal to do for us when we were helpless infants, and when we grow big enough we ought to do all that we can for them. Oh, girls, I hope you may never suffer as I have, for not obeying your mothers." The girls all looked quite thoughtful then, and Susan said, "I do believe that Ellen is right. I know that my mother has a great deal of work to do, and all the smaller children to look after, and that often the baby is sick, and keeps her up half of the night; and yet she wants to keep me at school, and she sews late in the evening, to keep my clothes in order. I ought to be glad to do all I can while I am at home. And I don't wonder she is sometimes cross when I slip off without obeying her. It must be hard to have so much trouble with children, and then get so little help from them, when they are old enough| to help." Clara did not say anything; but she looked as if she was ashamed of her complaints about her mother, and the other girls looked so too. And then Ellen said, with her eyes full of tears, "Girls, I want you to promise me something-will you?" 66 What is it?" they all said; for they loved the gentle young orphan. "Promise me that you will think, as you go home, what a gloomy place it would be if there was no mother there--promise me that you will love and obey your mothers, so that you would have no cause for self-reproach, if you should see them laid on a dyingbed to-morrow. Promise me that you will treat your mothers as you yourselves think you ought to, when you remember what your mothers have done for you!" The girls were deeply affected by Ellen's earnestness, and they promised. 66 Correspondence. SUNDAY, OR, THE LORD'S DAY." To the Editors of the Primitive Church Magazine. 66 DEAR SIRS,-I would, with your kind permission, show John Sutherlandmine opinion" regarding the use of the word "Sunday," as applied to "the first day of the week," or, 'the Lord's Day." Language is of use only as it expresses definite ideas. We employ the terms "Sunday" and "Sabbath" when we speak of "the first day of the week," because those terms best express our idea of that day, which, by consent of Scripture, reason, and of all Christendom, we devote to the worship of God. There can be no more valid objection to the word "Sunday," than to the use of the words "Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday." If we are to confine ourselves to the expression, "The first day of the UNCLE JESSE. week," we are equally bound to speak of "The second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh days," as, throughout Scripture we find the days of the week so designated. The term "Sabbath" is nowhere applied in Scripture to "the first day of the week; but we use the term "Sabbath" because it is a word which best expresses our idea of that day, viz.-that it is a day of rest, to be devoted to the worship of God. It matters but little what title we give to the Lord's Day, providing we, with the heart, honour and worship him, who as "the Son of man, is Lord also of the Sabbath. (Mark ii. 28.) Wishing you success in your editorial labours, I am, Glasgow, T. W. MEDHurst. September 9th, 1864. Reviews. Baptists and Brethren. The Plymouth Brethren's Heresies brought home to the Baptists. By W. CRAIG. 12mo. Pp. 32. Belfast: C. Aitchison. London: Hamilton and Co. 1864. JAMES C. L. CARSON, Esq., M.D., a son of the late Dr. Alexander Carson, and a member of the Free Communion Church at Coleraine, Ireland, has published a pamphlet of 126 pages (Houlston, London) on "The Heresies of the Plymouth Brethren." Mr. W. Craig is a Pædobaptist. His object is to point out "errors among the Baptists" similar to some of those which Dr. Carson has noticed as existing among the Brethren, and to apply some of Dr. Carson's arguments to his own body. Free Communion gives him this opportunity. For example, Mr. Craig remarks that Free Communion Baptists, "with some rare exceptions," reject creeds and confessions of faith, as the Brethren do; and that both the Baptists and the Brethren admit into their communion persons, in their judgment, "unbaptised," and that in doing so "they differ from all Christian churches except the Society of Friends." He thinks it "a contradiction in terms, for churches, calling themselves Baptist or Baptised churches, to comprehend unbaptised members," and that "the Brethren are much more consistent in this respect, because, though generally baptised in the Baptist sense of that term, they adopt a name so general that there can be no contradiction between their name and their practice." Mr. Craig is quite right in saying that "the Brethren may be considered a SUB-DIVISION of that class of Baptists called Open Communionists.' He is also right when he points out how impossible it is for a BAPTIST to sustain Free Communion CONSISTENTLY; because it is impossible to show either precept or example for it. 'They call upon us," he says, "to give precept or example for Infant Baptism, and tell us that if we cannot do so, our case is gone. Now I call on them to point out a single example of an unbaptised person being received into the apostolic church. As soon as they point to precept or example for admitting unbaptised persons to the sacrament of the supper, I pledge myself to give both precept and example for admitting infants to the sacrament of baptism." Particular reference is made to the working of Free Communion in the church at Coleraine. The pamphlet is one of interest to Strict Baptists. W. N. The Gospel Treasury; or, Treasury Harmony of the Four Evangelists. Compiled by ROBERT MIM PRISS. London: Elliot Stock, Paternosterrow, E.C. Pp. 960. Price 7s. 6d. THIS book is in very deed a Treasury Harmony. It follows the wording of the authorised version, and adopts as its basis Greswell's "Harmonia Evangelica." It contains many valuable Scripture illustrations; expository notes from the most approved commentaries; practical reflections and geographical notices; and the contents are made readily available by that essential to a good book, viz.-a copious index. The whole has evidently been executed with great industry and care, and furnishes a valuable volume for reference. know of no book of its class to equal it, or even to approach it in completeness and excellence. The only fault is that the type is very small, owing to the immense mass of information crowded together. But this fault will be, to most people, especially to those who have good eyes and lean purses, more than counterbalanced by the fact, that we are thus furnished with an elaborate work of nearly 1,000 pages for 7s. 6d. We are glad, too, to see that a Library Edition of this excellent "Harmony," in demy quarto, with 1,100 pages of large type, is to be published by subscription. We trust Mr. Mimpriss will be worthily encouraged in this new enterprise. We The multiplication of such works as the above is a healthy symptom. The ultra Broad Church school of criticism makes light of "the mere letter of the word." They despise "a hard Scripturalness." They teach us that the spirit must dominate over the letter, not the letter over the spirit. Much of their teaching is simply absurd cant. How can we get at the spirit of any document, but by a careful examination of the grammatical meaning of its words, and of the details of the facts which it narrates? The spirit must be learned from the letter, not the letter from the spirit. This is the dictate of common sense. The larger our acquaintance with such information as is contained in the "Treasury Harmony," the better qualified shall we be to discourse on the spirit of the Christian Revelation. The more accurate our knowledge of Christ and his apostles, and of the events which constitute the gospel record, the more likely are we faithfully to interpret the scope of the whole testimony. It is perhaps impossible for us to construct any Harmony of the Four Evangelists which would not be open to many objections. We have not yet seen a scheme which might not be subjected to much adverse criticism. But this does not prove that a Harmony of the Four Gospels is per se impossible. With our limited information we may fail in the effort, but it does not follow that with fuller knowledge success might not be attained. It is enough that Harmonies have been constructed which have, at least, satisfied the most scrupulous critics. At any rate, there is nothing which is incapable of any explanation. The most seeming contradictions have been accounted for in various ways, and have been so explained as to remove the appearance of mistake in either writer. lapse of memory or of inspiration has yet been demonstrated. With this we are content, and can still exult in our old faith that " every word of God is pure," and that "all Scripture is given by inspiration of God." We thank Mr. Mimpriss for his aids" to this venerable faith, and wish both editions No of his invaluable work a large sale. Every Biblical student of any grade should have it, in one shape or the other, on his book shelves. Practical Christianty. A Discourse. By Rev. ROBERT HOLMES, Rawden. Bradford: H. B. Byles. Pp. 16. THIS is another very effective Association sermon. It is a pious, intelligent, and manly inculcation of the duty presented in Matt. v. 16, which it regards as defining the nature, urging the duty, and implying the utility of Practical Christianity. The preacher, however, clearly recognises the importance of the doctrines of the gospel to the divine life in man. We have this outspoken avowal-“ My confidence in the wisdom and faithfulness of God derives much of its strength from acquaintance with the truth, that he saw the end from the beginning, and ensured by unshaken and unshakable decrees, the predicted issues of the work of Christ. I have found my gratitude for the personal enjoyment of the blessings of religion throb with increasing devotedness and ardour, as my convictions of the depravity and impotence of man have deepened, and my views of the righteous sovereignty of the Almighty have expanded. The Scripture method of justification shows us to be so utterly destitute of merit, and for pardon and eternal life so wholly indebted to Christ, that the inevitable tendency of a clear apprehension of the doctrine is to humble the believer, and to impress him with the reasonableness of the claims of the Saviour to the honours of salvation. That homage we are obviously instructed to pay to the Lord Jesus, must receive its inspiration, at least largely so, from his divinity; and an intelligent and firm belief of the same great truth appears to me essential to a tranquil, abiding, and saving reliance on his death. Understand, therefore, that I have no intention to extol practical, at the expense of doctrinal Christianity." The tone of the sermon is throughout good. We trust that it will have a wide circulation, not only in the author's own county, but throughout the kingdom. |