A WORD TO CLASS-LEADERS. 5 watched over our infant days; and a mother, whose gentle bosom beat with tender solicitude for the welfare of those for whom she travailed in birth, and whose last prayers were directed to heaven for the welfare of her offspring,we feel a mournful pleasure in calling to mind their many virtues; and in lingering near the spot in which their beloved relics have been laid,-" how loved, how honoured once!" Reader! There is another and a better world!—a fairer, a more glorious, a more abiding home! "a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." There is a kingdom, whose happy subjects are the holy angels, those morning stars of the creation, who mingled their hallelujahs at the birth of time; and also the redeemed of the Lord, who have "washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." There is a city, where there shall be no night, nor shall the inhabitants need the light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light; "and God shall wipe all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying; neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away." There is a country, beyond the confines of the grave, where "the wicked cease from troubling, and the weary are at rest." That is the home of the righteous. "Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into that rest, any of you should seem to come short of it." Here we are at home in the body, there we shall be present with the Lord. "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." J. T. BARR. A WORD TO CLASS-LEADERS. No. IV. To one other point we would here direct attention: these remarks would be incomplete without reference to the Wesleyan qualification for the Leader's office. It will be admitted that a man may be thoroughly pious, and very talented, and yet be a manifestly improper person to sustain such an office in the Wesleyan Connexion; for he may hold anti-Methodist doctrines, and be thoroughly opposed to the Wesleyan ecclesiastical polity. In addition, therefore, to his other qualifications, a Leader needs a denominational one: he must be both a Christian with adequate gifts, and a thoroughly hearty Wesleyan Methodist. It has never been the custom to exclude persons from the Wesleyan communion solely on account of diversities of religious opinion: if they hold their notions quietly, and do not interrupt the peace of the societies, they are permitted to remain, on the principle that Methodism is inclined to help all who ask its aid to save their souls, and flee from the wrath to come. But, most obviously, the case of private members and office-bearers, of comparatively uninfluential individuals and Leaders, is widely different; and what may be tolerated in the former, could by no means be suffered in the latter. Among official men it is necessary that there be real soundness in the faith, as received by the body at large; that all the doctrines of Methodism, as taught in its standard works, be understood and cordially embraced; that there be no misgivings, no dislike, with regard to any of them; that there be a thorough conviction that they are the most seriptural and consistent views of divine truth at present taught in Christendom. Such soundness in the faith will be of great service to a Leader, and will be almost always in requisition: the welfare of his class, and the general interests of the body, demand that his views of truth be thoroughly Wesleyan. A Leader will, of course, spread his opinions; cases will arise in which there will be a necessity for him to give utterance to them; and if there be a mistiness or want of precision about them, and especially if they are unsound, the mischief done will be most serious. For, as most of the peculiar doctrines of Methodism are vitally connected with religious experience, he who doubts To take one case as an them cannot lead to high attainments in that. example, and we mention this the rather, because a Leader was some time ago met with who furnished it,-the doctrine of the direct witness of the Holy Spirit to the personal adoption of the penitent believer, is one of the peculiarities of Methodism, which has been taught in all its writings, and by all its Preachers, from the beginning until now. Suppose a Leader to disbelieve it, or to entertain serious doubts concerning it will he urge upon his members the necessity of seeking it as a blessing? will he sympathize with those who are distressed at not having found it? will he render any assistance to those who, believing it attainable, are earnestly seeking it? will he not rather repress any desires after it by very plain insinuations that no such state can be enjoyed? Of course the same remarks apply to the doctrine of entire holiness: if a Leader does not believe it, he will dissuade his members from seeking it. We repeat, thorough Wesleyan orthodoxy is an essentially necessary qualification for a Leader. He A Leader should also most cordially approve, and most cheerfully support and defend, the Wesleyan ecclesiastical polity; that is, he should be as much attached to the discipline of Methodism as the most zealous of other parties are to their systems. He should entertain a hearty affection for Methodism, and cherish a growing esteem for its entire economy; and, in order thereto, should make himself thoroughly acquainted with its rules and usages. should be so thoroughly Methodist, as to keep at the utmost distance from, and have no communication with, factious persons and doings. It is no part of his business to mend, alter, and effect changes in the constitution of the body; much less to sow the seeds of disaffection among the people entrusted to his care. His office requires him to do all in his power to support Methodism, and transmit it, unimpaired, to the next generation; and with the understanding that from principle he will do so, is he chosen to the office. No honest man could become a Leader if he did not thoroughly approve the whole Wesleyan economy, if he did not prefer it to any other; and honour requires that, when his mind changes, and he ceases thus to think of it, he should withdraw from it entirely. A common member loves Methodism any other system of church government, or why has he chosen it? and in him disaffection would be criminal. But more especially should a Leader love it: he ought to regard its interests as his own; and, as such, seek to promote them. He should be as zealous for the spread of Methodism, as warmly attached to its institutions, as anxious for its prosperity, as the Jesuit is for the Papacy, the Puseyite for rubrical observances, and the antistate-church advocate for nonconformity. Not pettish and garrulous, ever looking out for defects, and magnifying blemishes; he should love it too well to expose its weakness and discover its faults. When does the Puseyite complain to the world of the errors of his system, or the Jesuit expose the evils of his order, or the Independent declaim against certain weak points in Congregationalism? Such is not the established order of things. And shall there be more zeal among those bodies than among our Leaders? We may learn from enemies, take counsel from foes, and gather wisdom from those who hate us. A Leader must take no part with the foes of Methodism; but strive to impress all, over whom he has influence, with the idea that, in his opinion, it is the very best system of a Christian church at present more than THE GARDEN OF EDEN.-CHOICE SENTENCES. 7 existing. Latitudinarianism is never good, but in Leaders it is only evil. They need not be bigots, nor so sectarian as to cherish unkindly feelings towards other Christian communities; but they ought to love Methodism more than any church under heaven, and to be able most conscientiously to say of it,"If I forget thee, let my right hand forget its cunning; if I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer thee not above my chief joy." How else, in seasons of general defection, when evil-minded men try to create disturbances in the body, and spread discord among the people, can they, as their office demands, exert a counteracting influence, and preserve the unity and peace of the societies? Very little mischief could be done, in any locality, if all the Leaders were thus hearty; no serious splits can ordinarily be effected when the Leaders maintain their post boldly and firmly; the members generally will remain true, if their Leaders are so. It is almost impossible to overrate the importance of this qualification: the history of the past teaches that Methodism is all but invulnerable where its Leaders are thoroughly sound. A fact will illustrate the sentiment. In a small town, where there was a united society, an attempt was made, during the last season of Wesleyan agitation, to cause dissatisfaction with the Conference, and promote a division. An influential Leader called together the whole society, bade them beware of men who create strife in religious communities, advised them to receive none of the pamphlets which had been sent for distribution, and urged them to remain faithful to Wesleyan Methodism. Not one member of that society was drawn away. Let Methodism have a constant succession of such men as these, and even in agitation there will be peace, and in peace prosperity. THE GARDEN OF EDEN. THE place appointed for Adam's residence was a garden; not an ivory house, or a palace overlain with gold, but a garden, furnished and adorned by nature, not by art. What little reason have men to be proud of stately. and magnificent buildings, when it was the happiness of man in innocency that he needed none! As clothes came in with sin, so did houses. The heaven was the roof of Adam's house, and never was any roof so curiously ceiled and painted; the earth was his floor, and never was any floor so richly inlaid; the shadow of the trees was his retirement; under them were his dining-rooms, his sleeping-rooms, and never were any rooms so finely hung as these; Solomon's, in all their glory, were not arrayed like them. The better we can accommodate ourselves to plain things, and the less we indulge ourselves with those artificial delights which have been invented to gratify men's pride and luxury, the nearer we approach to a state of innocency. Nature is content with little, and that which is most natural; grace with less; but lust with nothing.-Matthew Henry's Commentary, in loco. CHOICE SENTENCES. DECEIT is a double-pointed sword, that generally wounds the user. To know when to keep silence is frequently as important as to know what to say when the time comes for speaking. False modesty is sometimes as perfect a revealer of unseemly thoughts as no modesty at all. THEOLOGY. GOD'S GRANT TO MAN "When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life."-Acts xi. 18. THE fact of the universal departure of mankind from God is, by the explicit judgment of Scripture, ascribed to themselves. "They did not like to retain God in their knowledge." How was it that after this any knowledge of God was kept up in the world? Plainly, by the election and separation of the Jewish nation to be its depositaries. On many parts of this case deep mystery rests. But this is clear. The conduct of all people, even with the existence of the light of truth in a spot so central as the temple at Jerusalem, proves that so far as they were concerned, the whole world would have been wrapped in the most terrible darkness. The Jewish economy was chiefly one of preservation. When the great manifestation of divine love had been vouchsafed in the incarnation, atoning death, and resurrection of the Son of God, a new economy was established, in which truth was to go forth in aggressive warfare against error, and benevolence visibly engage in seeking the recovery of the lost. Our Lord's command to his disciples was, "Go ye into all nations." How bewildering and obstinate is prejudice! In Peter it was only overcome by a supernatural visitation. He went to Cornelius, and preached to an assembly of Gentiles. When he came back, the church of Jewish converts contended with him. How did he conquer them? Mark this not by alleging his supremacy as Vicar of Christ. He, Peter, knew nothing of this. But he rehearsed the matter in order. First, he assigned the supernatural call; and then, God's gracious interposition. God gave the same blessings to believing Gentiles that he had given to believing Jews. Here was God's will, and Peter dared not withstand it. The argument, for the time at least, was convincing. They held their peace. They saw into the new economy by which universal love was to be universally set forth. And for this "they glorified God." God hath granted to the Gentiles repentance unto life! What a day was that for the world! It is one of the most memorable epochs in the world's From this moment did it history. become true that even by an outward call, addressed to them in such a way as to be evidently the call of God himself, "God calleth all men every where to repent." How God dealt with the Gentiles previously it is not for us to ask. His present dealings are made clearly known. He sends his ambassadors to a rebellious world to call men to reconciliation, and to repentance in order to reconciliation. How the church understood this is evident from their lan guage. Previously, to the Jews only had visibly been granted repentance unto life. Now this visible restriction ceases. Gentiles are called in the same manner as Jews. To Jews and Gentiles the call involves three topics. Men are commanded to repent. Mercy is promised to the truly penitent. The obstinately impenitent are threatened with a punishment in proportion to their aggravated guilt. Of the call itself, therefore, addressed in such a manner, and under such circumstances, the church says, "Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life." The call proves that it is God's will that they should repent; and that impenitence is justly threatened, and will be justly punished, because, by the provisions of mercy and grace it is in every instance avoidable. Sinner, the Gospel call is now addressed to thee; and if thou wilt not obey it, the fault is all thine own. Let us fix our attention on the great subject of this call, this commandment, this grant, of God in the Gospel, "Repentance unto life." Two facts are implied in this. Men are sinners. Sin is utterly wrong, wrong in relation both to God and themselves. But of these facts they are practically regardless. They neither advert to them, nor feel them. In a country enlightened by that divine revelation which so strongly asserts the fact, they may not be absolutely ignorant of it. When it is mentioned, they will acknowledge it in general terms. they have not what is properly an indwelling, operating knowledge. The conscience is not affected by it. Now re But THEOLOGY. pentance is properly another mind on the subject; a complete change of views and feelings in relation to sin. The commencement of this is conviction of sin, wrought in the soul by the Holy Spirit, and not resisted, but yielded to by the conscience. In consequence of this, sin is seen in its true light; and by that which is thus seen, all the affections of the soul are moved according to their proper nature. We can scarcely mend the terms often used to describe this condition. It is a sight and a sense of sin, governing the mind and conscience. Sin is seen and felt in its true character. It is not that we have done certain wrong things against ourselves or others; but that we have sinned against God, by breaking his holy laws, thus practically casting off his supreme authority, and despising the wisdom, holiness, and benevolence of which those laws are the expression. And this is seen in connexion with all its aggravating circumstances; so that we stand before God without excuse, and speechless. As the transgression of a law which pronounces an awful curse on all offenders, sin is seen to be connected with guilt. The sinner sees that he is guilty before God, and exposed to all that weight of woe which the curse includes. Sin, as opposed to the divine will and character, is an evil greater than can be expressed. It is evil; essential evil. Physical sufferings are only comparatively so. They may issue in good, and often do so issue. Sin is only evil, all evil, ever productive of evil. It is the pollution of the mind in which it dwells, the very corruption of the soul. It is moral deformity and disgrace. And, by the just judgment of God, it exerts a tyrannizing power on those who yield to it. They are the servants of sin, utterly unable to liberate themselves. All this the repenting sinner sees and acknowledges. And as he sees, so he feels. His feelings are governed by his views. There is sorrow so pungent that he who experiences it is said to have "a broken heart and a contrite spirit." There is self-abasement. The man is humbled before God, and feels the shamefulness of sin. He is humbled, for he feels its vileness and pollution. Who can tell the humiliation and anguish expressed by the language which bursts forth from the lips of the penitent, as expressive of his deep convictions. "Behold, I am vile. I abhor myself. I repent in dust and ashes." Before, actions were seen only in their relation to our own wishes or will. They 9 seemed likely, as we thought, to benefit us, to gratify us. We see them now in the light of God, and judge according to His holy law concerning them. And the condemnation of the law is admitted by the conscience. There is the crushing weight of self-condemnation, with the apprehension and dread of punishment. Sin is hated. The whole soul is opposed to it. There is the most earnest desire of deliverance from it. And very important it is that the true nature of deliverance should be noted. Here it is that true repentance, "repentance unto life," is distinguished from convictions and feelings which may only resemble repentance. True repentance desires, undoubtedly, deliverance from the guilt and punishment of sin. It desires most earnestly pardon and peace. But being, as we have seen, a hatred of sin itself, produced by an enlightened conviction of its essential and infinite evil, the desired deliverance refers to the power of sin, the pollution of sin. The true penitent says, "Pardon me;" he likewise says, "Wash me." In effect, repentance prays that all past sin may be forgiven, and that henceforth inclination and power to be holy may be bestowed in connexion with forgiveness. If it were possible (of course, it is utterly impossible) that the penitent could obtain pardon alone, freedom from deserved wrath, this would not satisfy him. He longs to be enabled to serve God with all his heart, from love to Him as his reconciled Father in Christ. And as all his convictions prompt him to seek such a deliverance, so is he guided and encouraged in seeking "by God's merciful promises, declared unto mankind in Christ Jesus our Lord." For this, in effect, every true penitent prays: "Pardon and deliver me from all mine offences: Confirm and strengthen me in all goodness." And therefore it is that we read of "fruit meet for repentance," suitable to it, and calculated to manifest its nature, and prove its genuineness. As soon as there is sound reason to believe that the awakened sinner is truly penitent, he is to be directed to the only method of present, personal salvation, and exhorted to pray, beholding the atoning, interceding Lamb of God. So to speak, empty-handed he is to be sent to lay hold on the hope set before him. Hungry, foodless, moneyless, he is to be exhorted obediently to listen to the glorious invitation, "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters." But if there be |