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[What can be more candid or forcible than the foregoing remarks? and, notwithstanding the number of Professor FRANCK'S opponents, it will be seen both in the gradual development and ultimate issue of his work, how signally God favoured him, proving in the clearest way the truth of his word, "Him that honoureth me I will honour, whilst he that despiseth me shall be lightly esteemed."]

erick I was in the year 1700 graciously | God; so that if he should withhold the same, pleased to inform himself, in the exactest nothing less would ensue than a sudden demanner possible, concerning the Hospital, and clension and final overthrow of what had been the whole method there contrived for the bet- so happily begun; since the using ill means ter educating and cultivating of youth, at to effect our design, would cause the displeaGlaucha without Hall; and this by the care sure of God against it, and deprive us of the and management of four of his honourable influence of that divine benediction which we privy council; and whereas after they had have hitherto enjoyed. not only taken a strict survey of all particulars relating to this affa r, but ordered me withal to set down in writing a full account thereof, expressing the most material circumstances of the whole design, which might prove serviceable for a right information of others; it so happened that the report of this royal commission, being extended far and near gave birth to a world of tedious and importunate queries, how our matters were now carried on; therefere I found myself under a necessity of drawing up and publishing a short abstract of what, with all submission, had been presented to his said Prussian majesty and electoral highness of Brandenburg; annexing withal such things as since that time have happened, and do now readily occur to my memory; the knowledge whereof may prove useful both to the public and also to particular persons, as conducing to the advancement of the glory of our great God; reserving yet some things which may not concern every reader to know.

I

But what is yet more for the purpose, add, that for the sake of those, who being prejudiced against us, do not scruple to call in question the most evident things, which are even as clear as the sun at noon-day, I testify, in the presence of the living God, "who is ready to bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the heart," that not one false word has willingly and wittingly been uttered in this whole discourse. Now, if this asseveration will not prevail neither, there is no other way left to convince people, but that God himself beareth witness unto the truth by continuing his blessing upon us, aud granting success to our endeavours in this affair, till he declare in the last day, before angels and men, that which now perhaps will not be believed.

II. Notwithstanding the desired success of the commission aforesaid, graciously appointed for this purpose by our sovereign, many groundless reports and false surmises, nay, manifest untruths and slanders about this undertaking, have hitherto been raised, whereby the whole affair has been not a little obstructed. This I think is a sufficient warrant for any one, to expose to the view of all III. We may here make a seasonable apmen the truth in its native simplicity; es- plication of the words of the angel Raphael in pecially by such an historical account, in the book of Tobit; "It is good to praise God, order both to vindicate his own innocence, and exalt his name, and honourably to show and to ward off the open assaults of malig-forth the works of God; therefore be not nant tongues. These considerations then have moved me to set down a free and impartial account of this affair which nobody ought to look on as a private concern, it being undoubtedly a work designed and set up for public use and benefit. No man of any discretion, or of a candid disposition, will find reason to question the truth of what has been delivered in so plain a narrative; it being grounded partly on the enquiry of our governors, and their fatherly care over their subjects, and partly on the evidence of the thing itself; which would give me just cause to fear that I should be convinced of the contrary, if had made the least attempt to violate the truth. Not to mention at this time, that a man of probity and temper can never presume to cast any aspersion of falsehood upon the account here given; the undertaking here described being altogether void of visible supplies, and of all certainty of human supports; and depending entirely upon the blessing of

slack to praise him. It is good to keep close the secrets of a king, but it is honourable to reveal the works of God." Now, whereas Satan hitherto, by his instruments, has diffused his virulent malice against this undertaking, and spread abroad a world of lies and calumnies, should not all this stir up a man's conscience, by a true and sincere account, to set the work of God against the lies of the devil; that so the mouth of the latter may be stopped, and the name of the former highly extolled and magnified by all men ?

IV. Moreover, we are required by the royal law of love, to admonish our neighbour, if we see him sin against God, or to give him a seasonable caution, when he is in danger of betraying himself into error. And whereas many have already violated their consciences, by passing a rash censure upon the management of this affair, especially they whose judgments have been biassed by a multitude of false and groundless reports, which may

give us just cause to fear, that the impetuous course of such slanders, raised by ill-meaning people, might perhaps plunge them deeper into the guilt of wilful and uncharitable reflections; it is hoped, this large account may prove useful to prevent the bad consequences of such ill practices in time to come. Now, whoever has been prejudiced against us, may easily rectify his judgment by reading over this small treatise.

But if he doth not think this worth his while, let him cease from speaking and thinking amiss of our enterprise; or let him know, that if he persist therein, he must expect to be called to an account by God, the righteous Judge, for those his uncharitable proceedings. V. And further it is our duty to consider one another to provoke unto love and good works, Heb. x. 24. Wherefore being well assured that many persons have been already excited by the report of this work, more industriously to provide for the poor and afflicted, it gives us a better ground to hope, that this full narrative, laying open to every man's view the whole scope of the undertaking, will produce a still happier effect, and revive in many souls a true sense of Christian charity, wheresoever and to whomsoever it comes: which may the more rationally be expected, after the confutation of such false and slanderous reports as hitherto have cast an odium upon this affair, and the subsequent declaration of the truth freely presented to the reader. VI. When about three or four years ago, but a short account of the rise and progress of our undertaking, so far as it was then advanced under the blessing of God, was drawn up and presented to the public, it did not produce any ill, but rather good effects in the minds of such that read it, and proved an occasion of extolling the name of the Lord in many places; so that several editions of the historical account then published, were sold off in a little time, and the continuation thereof most earnestly desired. But since this work is considerably increased, and many remarkable instances of the wonderful providence of God declared, so that the former narrative is upon no account to be compared with this, we may from thence reasonably infer, that this will still produce more noble effects, and illustrate the goodness of God in a more conspicuous manner.

VII. To instance in one particular. I can assure the reader, that many souls labouring both under penury of worldly estate, and want of confidence in God, have mightily been supported and strengthened by this his signal providence manifested in this affair: nay, even upon the hearing of some one instance wherein the Lord hath been a present help in the day of necessity and trouble. And though they, who depending upon the abundance of their riches, and have but little regard to their duty of depending upon God, shall be called to an account for the haughty and scornful construction they perhaps will put upon this narrative; yet I am sure that those who are assaulted with temptations to diffidence, or lie under poverty and other distress, will be thankful to God for so many evident demonstrations, that God is still the same he hath been in times of old, and never leaves them in eonfusion that cast their care upon him, and learn with patience to wait for the appointed time of his gracious visitation.

VIII. The works of God have commonly the greatest influences upon future ages: on the contrary, they in whose time they were done, too commonly undervalue them, and harden themselves against them, by permitting themselves to be overswayed by the damning sin of unbelief. Therefore it is hoped that God, according to his infinite mercy and goodness, will hand down this present narrative for a memorial to after-ages, that they may magnify his name, and acknowledge that he only is the Lord Almighty, and there is none like him.

These are the real motives which have induced me to the publication of this present account. If any one should offer to brand me with the imputation of some other design, and charge me with ambition, vain-glory, self-interest, or any other aspersions of that nature, I will leave him to God and his own conscience. I will add but one thing:

Judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come; at whose coming every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it." The Lord direct all our endeavours to his own honour, and the benefit of our fellow creatures; which is the hearty wish of the author.

To be continued.

FAITH!

FAITH is a subject on which much is written in the word of God; and there also much is not written which men say concerning it. We are told its source what it is how it comes-how it works what it can do what it can suffer.

First. Its source is God; Jesus is the Author of it, and the Finisher: it is His gift to the saved and redeemed from among sinners of mankind; and the end of it is the salvation of their souls, that they may be to the praise of the glory

of His grace, who has made them accepted in the Beloved. So it comes forth from in the manifestation of His grace, and comes back to Him in a revenue of praise.

which he should go and in dark and adverse providences, supporting and comforting his soul, by pointing to the recorded promises of a covenant God in Christ.

It can do great things, both in regard to matters of this world, and also of that which is to come; as we see by the list of worthies in the Epistles to the Hebrews; it triumphs over conscience during life, and at its close, we are fully

sight, so that Jesus alone shall be present to view according to his promises to come, and fetch his people, and that they shall not see death.

Secondly. It is a mystery; it comes not withoutward show," but it comes with power, to the effecting mighty wonders. It is "precious," for its price is not measured by corruptible things, but by the precious blood and righteousness of Jesus, its Author. It is the "sub-assured will remove death out of our stance of things hoped for," not the actual embodiment of them, but the foundation on which our hopes rest [Such is the signification of the Greek word, and it is correctly translated by Lastly. What faith can suffer might substance, but that word is nearly, or be summed up in the words applied to quite obsolete in its classic sense-its sister-love-" endureth all things;" sub-stans, or support.] It is called "the foundation" (Heb. vi. 1); and, being based on Jesus Christ, the Chief Corner-Stone of salvation, it bears up all the superstructure of our hope, and joy, and peace in believing. It is one, as the hope it supports is one, and one alone. Men talk of this faith, and that, and the other; but the word of God speaks of but one faith-the faith of God given to His elect.

It is communicated by the hearing of the word of God; the Holy Ghost open ing the hearts of those afore-appointed thereto, so that the word enters, and returns not void, but accomplishes the good pleasure of the Father's will in the convincing of sin, and turning to Jesus, the only name given among men whereby they can be saved. Thus we behold the whole Three Persons in the everblessed Trinity concerned in the bestowal of faith on a poor sinner of mankind: it is the Father's gift, provided and produced by God the Son; brought home and implanted by the Holy Ghost, in various measures or degrees.

It works by love and obedience, as unto God; by good deeds, as unto men; and in the soul of the possessor of it, by the written word of God, which is unprofitable unless faith is mixed with it; but faith works by it, to the profit of the soul, making it a light to the feet, and a candle to the path in the daily walk of the believer; leading him in the way by

for it "casts all its care upon Him who careth for us." It suffers with patience, its appointed heritage of tribulation, in full assurance of his faithfulness, who has made known to us that He has appointed us thereto, and has apportioned them to us for our good always.

And faith can look back upon all troubles and anxieties past, and, noting the fruit which they bore, would not have been without one, however bitter and grievous at the time, and is thus strengthened and encouraged to face the future, be it what it may, remembering that "Jesus is the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever."

The faith which justifies and saves is the faith of God-the one faith-once delivered to the saints-when in eternal council, Christ undertook for their obedience (for obedience is the fulfilment of law.) His faith was perfect obedience to the holy law of God, and perfect submission to his will. This was perfect faith. Our faith is the being conformed to the like mind which was in Himthat is, humility and obedience to the Father's holy will, adding to every wish and prayer-" Not my will, but thine be done"-believing that all things are working together for our good.

And blessed is she that believed, for there shall be the performance of those things that were promised." Amen. T. W.

Cherith, 13, 2, 1856.

"THE SEED WAS THE WORD."-Dur- | plied by myriads of copies, it is supposed ing the past fifty years one hundred and that the Book of books has been made two additional translations of the Word accessible to 600,000,000 of the human of God, in whole or in part, have been accomplished; so that, besides being multi

family!!

NESTS AND RESTS.

WHAT a beautiful piece of natural mechanism is a bird's nest; and what a lovely little lodgment for the sweet songsters of the air is this complicated little fabric! I picked up one-an empty one-on a bright spring morning, and thought to myself, What human hand could have made this? How symmetrically round! how perfeet in its internal structure its in's and out's-its layers of moss, and grass, wool, and down, dry hay, and fine straw." And throwing down the little plundered thing, said again, "Surely birds are not the only ones who build their nests and are driven from them!" while the words of an old poet came into my mind,—

lights upon the Cross, in a sense of repose and safety, it exclaims, "This is my rest for ever; here will I dwell, for I have a delight therein." Alas! that after having found our rest above, we should want to build a nest below! yet again and again we do; no bird loves to make her nest, and settle snugly in it, more than yon and I do, reader; we are tired and weary, sleepy and dreamy, so we get a little moss, and wool, and sweet hay, build our nest, and lie down comfortably inside, by some snug hedge, upon which the sunbeams light, when suddenly the work of our hands, and delight of our eyes, is all scattered to the wind! It was thus with Jonah, as he sat under his gourd, exceeding glad of it, but the worm and the vehement

He builds too low who builds beneath the sky.
Merrily the birds sang away that morn-cast
ing, "for the time of their singing was
come;" but many a nest had been made
only to be broken up and plundered, or
trodden under foot by man.

wind put an end to the rest and the joy, for the sun was again to beat upon his head, as perhaps it is upon ours. "Arise ye, and depart;" saith God, "this is not your rest: because it is polluted." He stirs up these nests of ours, as an eagle does her own, that the thorns which lie at the bottom may

Well, as with the birds of the air, so it is with most of us; we love nestmaking, but God will have nest-destroying to-day it is made-to-morrow-be felt-then, and not until then, we fly where is it? In the human mind there is a natural desire and yearning for ease. Surely it must have been a bitter thing for our first parents to have left their primeval home, into which labour, with the sweat of the brow, the thorns and the thistles had never come! Did they go forth willingly? No-they were driven out. Since that day, sin has broken up all rests-all but one-the Cross-and few go there until every other has first been tried-tried-and found wanting-Tekel written upon each and all of them: but as soon as the souk

out; but the prickly thorn must wound us as it wakes us, and bleeding we make our escape. The Lord is very jealons, yet oh how full of forbearance in the midst of rebuke. He loves us too well to let us nestle long in any one but Jesus, who has no thorns in the nest He makes for his people. Precious Saviour! like the dove, we would make our nest in the Cleft of the Rock-thy wounded side-for like that dove we can find no rest for the sole of our feet until we find it in Thee.

AN ANECDOTE-ONLY A TRACT!

A SHORT time ago a Tract entitled, Prepare to meet thy God," was sent to a gentleman who was opposed to every feeling of religion. He received it with an oath, and was about to consign it to the fire, when he thought it would be a good joke to send it to a friend of similar views with himself. He accordingly put it in an envelope, and addressed it to him in a disguised hand. This gentleman also after receiving it, was about to destroy it, when

H.

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(TAKEN WHILST SITTING BY THE WAYSIDE, WATCHING."-1 SAM. Iv. 13).

And this we know, that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is."-1 John iii. 2.

HE soon again will come,
His chariot will not stay;
To take his children home

To realms of endless day.
We then shall see Him face to face,
And sing the triumphs of his grace.

are the last-day "Wars, and rumours of

wars!"

Again; there are to be signs in the moon and in the sun, and in the stars; and God says, "I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath, blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke." We look up, say you, into the starry canopy of heaven, and all seems peaceful enough; now and then a shooting star plays across the azure hemisphere. But this is of no unusual occurrence. True; but consult those whose business

*In order to be in possession of the fact that this appearance in the heavens is unusual, we wrote to E. J. LowE, Esq., F.R.A.S., &c., &c., and have received from him the following courteous reply :

having answered your note before. My correspondence is so extensive, and my time so fully occupied with science, that letters lie longer unanswered than I could wish.

SIR, I must offer an apology for not

THE second advent of Jesus is a theme that ofttimes lifts the child of God clean out of a perplexity, and so inspires with spiritual joy, that smiling through his tears, he pushes aside the brambles that obstruct his pathway, and speeds on his way cheerfully. He sees a light at a distance, as he travels on, sore-footed and dispirited, along life's tedious road-it is to watch the starry firmament. The way, and his heart throbbing with in- well-known astronomer (Mr. Lowe),* ward delight, he forgets the difficulties of his pilgrimage, and presses on with renewed energy towards the object of his ambition. When He shall appear!" Ah! that will be some centuries hence, says the reasoner, when you and I, and our children's children, have laid long in the cold grave. Some future generation will be witness to Christ's second advent. We think otherwise, however we may be laughed at by a heedless world, as belonging to that class called alarmists." We think that blessed and glorious time is much ncarer than a vast majority will allow; and the more we watch the signs of the times, the more strengthened we become in that opinion. There are to be "Wars, and rumours of wars !" Yes, it may be urged this was the case forty years ago. True; but the war that has lately been waged, is in a remarkable degree, an especial war; it has exceeded in magniude anything that has ever occurred; and it is said, that had it continued, by the end of March, England was prepared to assemble 100,000 men under the British flag, and never would France have sent across the sea a third of the force which Marshal Pelissier would have commanded in the Crimea. God has mercifully interposed, and rendered these awful preparations we hope unnecessary. But the sound of war, we fear, still rumbles with angry determination in other parts of the globe. Now the terrible magnitude of the events that 1855 was witness to, demands of us the belief, that these

"We have had several very remarkable meteors of late, that of Dec. 22 being one of them. Several have been so similar in appearance, that possibly they may have been several appearances of the same body. I feel convinced, that although so brilliant, the light was not their own, but caused by the great speed of a material body exciting a peculiar phosphorescence of the upper regions of the air into flames; and this view is strengthened from the fact, that the light continued many minutes after the meteor must have been miles from the spot where

the light remained. I believe that so many
large meteors have not been known before
to have occurred so near together as these
have done in Eugland; indeed the ordinary
falling stars have been particularly abun-
dant of late.

"Believe me, my dear Sir,
Yours very truly,

..

"E. J. LOWE. Observatory, Beeston, near Nottingham, "March 1, 1856."

This note from such an eminent authority as a royal astronomer, and so corroborative of our views, will, we are sure, be read with interest in connection with the second advent of Jesus.

G. C.

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