disturbed in mind, and no more made anxious by the removal of this donor, who had contributed after the rate of about £1,900 a-year, during the last twenty months, than if some one had been removed who had only given a few shillings or few pounds yearly, Should any one ascribe this to ingratitude, such would be entirely mistaken. I felt the kindness of the dear departed Christian gentleman much. I had for a very long time prayed daily for him and for each member of his dear family; and I have also continued to pray for the bereaved widow and each of the children since; and, as long as life is continued to me, I shall remember the kindness of the dear departed one; but yet I was without the least particle of anxiety. God remained to me. God who had moved the heart of his servant to help me, remained to me; this was my comfort; thiş kept me from even the smallest degree of anxiety. Many times I have been similarly situated. One donor after another, who contributed much, has been removed; many such have been removed; but God, my never failing friend and helper, has remained to me. One died who had given me thousands of pounds; but God remained, and the work went on. Another died who had given me thousands of pounds, but God remained, and the work went on, and was enlarged still more. Another died who had given me thousands of pounds; but the word went on, and was enlarged far more. still. And thus, whatever changes have befallen me as to donors, by death, by their alteration of circumstances, by their alteration. of heart toward God, He, the living God, has more and more helped me, and done so more and more manifestly. The reason why I have so particularly dwelt npon this point is to show the blessedness of really knowing God, trusting in Him and in Him alone, being satisfied with Him and with Him alone; this, and this alone, gives real, true, scriptural independence. I would desire to be thankful for twopence, and even to express this thankfulness; but a donation of twenty thousand pounds, or even fifty thousand pounds at once, should not, by the help of God, lead me to trust in the donor, even in any degree, but alone in God. And thus acting, viz., trusting alone in God, when the Irish famine prevailed from 1846 to 1847, we went on more easily

than in any previous year, because we trusted in God, and were helped, though so many charitable contributions were sent to Ireland. The same was the case at the time of the Crimean war, and at the time of the Lancashire distress in the cotton districts, on account of the American war. And, as I said before, thus it has been when one after another of our donors, and not a few such, who had considerably contributed, were removed; because God, who has the hearts of all men in His hands, touched the hearts of others, making them to see the honour and the preciousness of the privilege of contributing to His work; and so it has come, that we have been always helped, and more and more instead of less, because we were only trusting in God and not in donors, though thankful to each of them for their kindness in helping us. In this spirit, by the grace of God, we mean to go on to the end of our course, for the sake of honouring God, and for the sake of proving to the Church and to the world, what may be accomplished simply by prayer and faith; and it were better that we should soon be removed hence, than to depart from this path, which has been happily, satisfyingly, and successfully pursued for thirty-five years, and, we humbly trust, for the spiritual good of not a few of our fellow-disciples."

MRS. KATHERINE STUBBS'S DEATH-BED BATTLE WITH SATAN.

IT

T is Isaac Ambrose that treats so largely upon the temptations of the great adversary, producing remedies for overcoming the foe; and thereby giving glory to the LORD our God.

To drive souls either into presumption or despair, is Satan's constant work. If he assail thee with a horrible sight and sense of thy sins; and thereby aimeth to hurl thee into despair and destruction, do try and consider,

1. It is as easy with God, upon true repentance, to forgive the greatest sin as the least, and he is as willing to forgive many, as to pardon one, and his mercy shineth more in pardoning great

sinners than small offenders; as appears in the examples of Manasses, Magdalen, Peter, Paul, &c. "Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound, and where sin abounded, grace did much abound," Rom. v. 20. O blessed word!

2. Consider, that Christ is the remedy appointed by God the Father to save sinful souls; if then Satan tells us we are miserable sinners, and must despair, we may answer, "Christ came

into the world to save sinners, Matt. ix. 13. Isa. liii. 5. 2 Cor. v. 21. Thus blessed Mrs. Katherine Stubbs wrestled with Satan, as appears in that dialogue: How now, Satan, what makest thou here? Art thou come to tempt the Lord's servant? I tell thee, thou hell-hound, thou hast no part nor portion in me, nor by the grace of God ever shall have; I was, now am, and shall be the Lord's for ever; yea, Satan, I was chosen an elect of Christ unto everlasting salvation, before the foundation, of the world was laid, and therefore thou must get thee packing, thou damned dog. But what dost thou lay to my charge, thou foul fiend? Ah that I am a sinner, and therefore shall be damned! I confess indeed that I am a sinner, and a grievous sinner, both by original sin, and by actual sin, and that I may thank thee for; and therefore, Satan, I bequeath my sin to thee, from whence it first came, and I appeal to the mercy of God in Christ Jesus; Christ came to save sinners (as he himself saith) and not the righteous: Behold the Lamb of God, saith John, that taketh away the sins of the world; the blood of Jesus Christ, doth cleanse us from all sins. And therefore I constantly believe my sins are washed away in the precious blood of Jesus Christ, and shall never be imputed to me any more. But what sayest thou now, Satan? dost thou ask me how I dare come for mercy? I tell thee, Satan, I am bold to come unto him through Christ, being assured and certain of pardon and remission of all my sins for his name's sake. For doth not the Lord bid all heavy laden with the burden of sin to come to him and he will ease them? Christ's arms were spread wide open upon the cross, to embrace me and all penitent sinners, and therefore I will not fear to present myself before his footstool, in full assurance of his mercy for Christ's sake. What more, Satan? dost thou say, it is written, that God will reward every one

according to his deserts? So it is written again, thou deceitful devil, that Christ's righteousness is my righteousness, His works my works, His merits my merits, and His precious blood a full satisfaction for my sins: O but God is a just God (thou sayest) and therefore in justice must needs condemn me: I grant, Satan, that He is a just God, and therefore he cannot in justice punish me for my sins, which he hath already punished in his own Son; it is against the law of justice to punish one fault twice; I was, and am a great debtor unto God the Father, but Jesus Christ hath paid the debt for me, and therefore it stands not with the justice of God to require it again; and therefore avoid, Satan, avoid thou fire-brand of hell, and tempt me no more, for he that is with me is mightier than thou, even the mighty and victorious Lion of the tribe of Judah, who hath bruised thy head, and hath promised to be with His children to the end of the world. Avoid therefore, thou dastard, remove thy siege, and yield the field won, and get thee packing, or I will call upon my grand Captain Jesus Christ, the Valiant Michael who beat thee in heaven, and threw thee down to hell, with all thy hellish train, and devilish crew.-She had scarcely pronounced these last words, but she fell suddenly into a sweet smiling laughter, saying, Now he is gone, now he is gone, do you not see him fly like a coward, and run away like a beaten cock? he hath lost the field, and I have won the victory, even the garland and crown of everlasting life, not by my own power and strength, but by the power and might of Jesus Christ.

THE

"GIVE ME JESUS CHRIST."

THERE has been a great lamentation in our Zion of late, arising from some things Mr. James Wells had said, and some engagements his brother John Foreman declined to fulfil, The cause of the dispute is referred to in Mr. Wells's sermon, entitled "A Lover of Good Fruit;" and a few moments' perusal of THE EARTHEN VESSEL, for October, will repay the reader. From the same sermon I take the following beautiful words respecting

JESUS CHRIST; and in introducing them I cannot help saying that the very fact that JAMES WELLS has been holden up so many years as a very blessed preacher of JESUS CHRIST, to thousands of poor sinners, should have been sufficient to keep all good men from any effort to injure him, when about to enter his new house of prayer. In the sermon referred to he says:

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My soul desired the first-ripe fruit.' Perhaps no less than four things are meant here. First, the Lord Jesus Christ; he is the first-ripe fruit; he was the first by his obedient life and atoning death that was ripened into perfection; for I think the word ripen here will carry the idea of perfection as well as the idea of sweetness. Things are not sweet until they are ripe, you know. The sweetness of Christ is in the perfection of his righteousness, in the perfection of his death. And some of you, that have tasted the sweetness of his perfection, the testimony that declareth his perfection, oh, how indescribably sweet have his words and those seasons been. This is a department I enter upon with very, very much pleasure. Oh, that great seripture upon this subject of Christ being the first-fruits, that great scripture upon this in the 11th of Romans, where the apostle throws a beautiful light upon this doctrine. of Christ being the first-fruitsIf the first-fruit be holy the lump is holy.' The idea literally is this, that if the sheaf that was cut down at the beginning of the harvest under the Levitical law were accepted of the Lord, that one sheaf consecrated the whole harvest to the people, so that the harvest itself could not be injured, nor could enemies take it away. But if the sheaf were not accepted, then, if that were not reckoned holy, or accepted as holy, then the lump was not holy. Now, then, there is no doubt about Jesus Christ being accepted, is there-not the slightest whatever? no doubt about his being holy? Jesus Christ is holy; Jesus Christ is accepted entirely, with infinite welcome; accepted, and accepted to all eternity. So that the prophet, in desiring the first-ripe fruit, Christ Jesus, would thus desire acceptance with God. How little the meaning appears in the letter, but how great when you come to the meaning thereof! Is not this our desire—is it not the very end we are seeking, namely, whether we sleep or