MR. JAMES WELLS ON THE CHRISTIAN'S TRIUMPH AND SATAN'S TEMPTATION. "PUT these two scriptures together; Thanks to be to God for his unspeakable gift; that is, for Christ, Jesus Christ is the gift. Then, 'Thanks be to God, that giveth us the victory by our Lord Jesus Christ. This is our victory, even our faith. Oh, then, say some, do you mean to say the Christian has a life in Christ that is spotless? Certainly he has; he has a dominion in Christ that is entire. So he hath made us kings and priests to God; and we shall reign on the earth,' and reign over the earth; and so we do. I do not know how many years I have known the Lord, hardly, and I have never been conquered yet, and never shall be. I seem to get more daring than ever, and I seem to get bolder than ever,-I hope, in the right sense of the word. My experience makes me bold, I mean bold for the grace of God; for nothing is more clear to me than that my continued standing in the liberty of the truth, in the love of it, and devotedness to God, and a desire to know more of him, is entirely of the grace of God: ' he that began the good work will continue it until the day of Jesus Christ. So then by our faith we are enabled so to reign as to hold fast the truth in the promise of it, in the practice of it, in the order of it, in the advantages of it. Oh, how I enjoyed that chapter, the eighth of Romans, this morning, when I read it over!—'Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? who shall separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord?' Now the apostle said to the Corinthians, when they were inclined to give way a little, and bring in a few human inventions,-he knew that just in proportion as they did so they would lose their dignity, and therefore he said, 'I would that ye reigned as kings, that we may reign with you.' And how can you reign as kings? By faith in Christ. This is what the natural man cannot understand. The natural man must be a king and a priest to God without Christ; the natural man cannot understand how it is that while sin brings a man from time to time into bondage, how that man can be reigning. Why, by faith in Christ. Yon are never conquered till you are severed from the love of God. What was it that conquered so many people in the wilderness, and by which they fell? Why, that which never fatally conquered a child of God, and never will. What is that? Unbelief. I have had sharp attacks, not as to the truth of God, not for many years, because the devil hardly ever attacks me upon that; no, I do not recollect for these thirty years having five minutes' temptation to disbelieve God's truth; the devil himself knows it is no use to try to tempt me upon that. He generally comes in this way,-Is the Bible true at all? He says, I know that fellow; no use to go and tell him that his order of things is not true, because he is so well versed in it that I should fail there; he would know at once where it came from; therefore I won't touch him there; but I will say, Is the Bible true at all? Is it not all delusion together? Now I have had these abominable attacks sometimes; these are floods that the serpent casts out of his mouth, and there is plenty of infidelity in my heart to unite with them; but I bless God the temptation has never been powerful enough to sever me from the Bible. So the enemy knows how to attack and where to attack. No, bless the Lord; those that know their own hearts, and know the truth, they well know that they reign entirely by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ."-No. 323. Surrey Tabernacle Pulpit. ANOTHER UPPER ROOM. I SAID a word last month on "the Church" in the upper room at Masborough, where a holy convocation had been kept. Since then I was invited to the residence of a long-afflicted saint, at No. 2, Wellington Road, near Miss Coutts' Model Houses, in the neighbourhoods of Bethnal Green and Hackney Road. I went: was invited up stairs. There, to my astonishment, I found a little model chapel, with pulpit, seats, and all complete. It was filled with a praying company. Their singing and pleading proved to whom they belonged. I very much enjoyed the sacred presence of the Lord; and was led to speak freely of the preciousness and prevalency of prayer, as I have often realised it. There is a meeting in the same upper room every Friday evening. Some quiet happy Christians there assemble; and they never forget either the Church in Squirries Street, or the LITTLE VILLAGE PREACHER. [The last village I laboured in was West End, Chobham ;—there Mr. Lambourne, in almost a new and commodious chapel, preaches the Gospel. On the 16th of March, we were highly favoured; and the Name of the Lord was praised. On Easter Monday-if God permit-I shall visit East Bergholt, and preach twice. In faith, and in answer to prayer, Mrs. Baldwin and her friends have there erected a sweet little Bethel. I hope on Easter Monday to see many there. May the heavens smile upon us.] CHEERING WORDS FOR THE CHRISTIAN MARINER. THE THE following stanzas are from Miss "A. E. L.'s" little (6d.) book on "The Miracles of our Lord," now publishing at J. Paul's, near St. Paul's Churchyard. It is entitled "THE TEMPEST STILLED." "Peace, peace, be still;" there is a calm; That rolled them o'er the deep. Oh! think of this when troubles vex, Oh! ye of little faith, be strong, With Christ on board, though waves may swell, Oh! walk not, judge not thus by sense, But faith can see the heart, from whence Though ye may marvel, winds shall fly, Save us, Lord Jesus, unto Thee Yea, yea, Thou wilt for Thou hast said, I'll never, never leave; My children, brethren, never dread The powers that vex and grieve. I'm with you even to the end, Your Omnipresent mighty Friend. Omnipotence is on our side, And we may well be strong, And though the waves are cold and wide. They only drive us into rest: The haven fair of Canaan blest. There, more than conquerors* we shall sing, And more than conquerors reign O'er life, and death, and everything That here could give us pain.. Oh! holy land, we long to be At home, where there is "no more sea."t *Romans viii. 37. PROTESTANTS! READ † Revelation xxi. 1. AND CIRCULATE! Now publishing, in Penny Numbers, THE MONKS AND THEIR MAIDENS! DEATH OF MR. GRACE, OF BRIGHTON. Offices: 4, Crane court, Fleet street; and 54, Paternoster row. London: Printed by ROBERT BANKS, 9, Crane-court, Fleet-street, E.C. Published by G. J. Stevenson, 54, Paternoster-row, E.C; sold by most Booksellers.-Price One Halfpenny. VOL. XV. MAY, 1865. No. 163. THEE A VERY OLD SOLDIER, HERE was an old shoemaker in my uncle's shop, when I was quite a boy, who never seemed fond of me; and he always called me "old ninety-two." I did then, as I have done since, took it all in good part, and never turned angry with the old man; for he soon died, and went to his last account. I know I am an old fashioned subject; and I like an old fashioned Gospel; the artificial and empty shows and shams of many in our day I cannot like. Well, but I suppose I was an old fashioned boy; and, if the Lord is pleased to spare me, I hope to live, if I can be useful in living to a good old fashioned age, and, then, when God, in infinite mercy has turned my captivity, and helped me to make all straight with all people, I do hope to go home and see HIM; and at His feet to fall, adoring and praising His ever glorious name. Oh! that will be bliss indeed. But I am not "the old soldier." I met with the following account of old William Clark, of Dursley, in the Gospel Magazine: the writer says: William Clarke was born November 4, 1774, at Dursley. He learned the trade of a shoemaker. The following is an account of his life and experience, given by himself in the hearing of the writer, during his visits to him: ONE HALFPENNY. |