tender emotions. He turned away, as it were, with contempt, from the unjust judge, and turned towards Peter, and powerfully attracting the heart of his poor disconsolate child, with the cords of eternal love, constrained him to take, as perhaps he thought, a farewell look of his beloved Lord and Master. "The Lord looked upon Peter." Behold what a powerful effect had one glance, one gracious look of pity darting from the omniscient eye of the Lord of glory, though standing arraigned at Pilate's bar, into the soul of poor deluded Peter! It foiled all the fiery darts of Satan, broke the vile tempter's snare, and bade him flee, saying, "Hitherto thou mayest come, but no further." It made poor Peter's penitent heart-strings burst with love, and tears of sorrow to gush abundantly from his eyes, so that he could no longer refrain from weeping, but in order to give vent to his overwhelming grief, he hastened to quit the ensnaring place and company, and seek some retired spot where to mourn over his sad case. "And Peter." What! Peter, the chief of the apostles, the head spokesman of the chosen band and their bold champion, he who had just before declared to his Lord and Master, "If I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee," Matt. xxvi. 39, and in another place, "Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison and to death," Luke xxii. 33. What Peter, who not long before had enjoyed the high privilege of being one of the chosen three who were permitted to ascend the mount, and to witness the transfiguration of their Lord. Matt. xvii. 1. Peter! whose rapturous joy was then raised to such a pitch as to cause him to exclaim, "Lord, it is good for us to be here;" and who would fain have built there a tabernacle, and have quitted all things terrene. But alas, Peter, how little didst thou know thy poor deceitful heart; thou must descend from the pinnacle of happiness, thou must be cured of thy self-confident pride, and be humbled in the dust of self abasement ere thou shalt possess thy peaceful crown of glory; otherwise how would the prediction of thy Lord be verified, "Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice," Mark xiv. 30. O Peter, little didst thou imagine, when full of ecstacy on the mount, the fulfilment of this prediction; thou knewest not the evil that awaited thee, nor all that thou must afterwards suffer for thy Lord and Master's sake, and at last seal the whole by thy blood, as a martyr to his cause. So penitent Peter "Went out." What! Peter, no longer couldst thou endure to remain within the judgment hall, to hear and see thy Lord and Master so insulted? or didst thou apprehend being put to the like test, and did the fear of this make thee flee? Was thy faith at so low an ebb as not to be able to withstand the scornful accusations of a simple damsel: “Art not thou also one of this man's disciples?" John xviii. 17. Should not this close interrogation have induced thee openly to declare thy attachment to thy Lord and Master, and boldly to espouse his cause? Did cowardly fear so lock up thy senses and benumb the better feelings of thy heart, as to cause thee to forget all the past, and suffer nothing but the desire of self preservation to predominate? or was it that kind and tender but penetrating look glanced from thy Master's all-seeing eye, which so roused all thy torpid senses to fresh animation, so melted thy heart into deep contrition, and so filled thy soul with horror and self-loathing, that the overpowering consciousness of thy crime could be borne no longer, but thou must needs hasten out to seek some secret place where to pour forth the oppressive sorrow of thy heart? Therefore thou wentest out "And wept." Ah yes, Peter, nothing could assuage the anguish of those inward pangs of remorse which overcame thy sorrowful heart, but tears of bitter repentance; and the more abundantly they flowed, the more thy hope of pardon increased, and the greater was thy joy and gratitude towards thy gracious Lord, whose merciful kindness had opened thine eyes, and made thy heart to feel his unceasing love. Thy tears were similar to those shed by the poor repentant Magdalene, poured forth from a heart sincere, and at that moment couldst thou have lain prostrate at thy Saviour's feet, thou wouldst, as she did, have bathed them with a flood of tears. But was there any meritorious virtue in thy tears, which caused thy deep repentance? Ah, no, like the poor diseased woman, who having touched the hem of Jesus' garment was made whole, (Mark v. 25,) so such virtue emanated from thy dear Saviour's tender and compassionate heart, as pierced thy inmost soul, laid thee prostrate at his feet, and made thee weep Bitterly." And well mightest thou weep most bitterly, indeed even drops of blood, if possible, like those which fell from thine agonizing Saviour's brow in Gethsemane's garden, pressed from his sacred pores to save thy guilty soul, whence thy tears derived all their efficacy. But thy repentance was not like the false regret of Judas, caused by the disappointed hope of filthy lucre's gain; no, thine were tears of bitterness indeed, produced by the thought of having so grievously offended and pierced the heart of thy beloved Master, and the dreadful apprehension of having forfeited for ever his most gracious favour, but in that thou wast mistaken, thy Saviour's love towards thee was as unchanged as it was unchangeable; he saw the sincerity of thy faith, he interposed in thy behalf, and by one gracious look imparted to thy soul that consolation which thy pitiful case then needed to preserve thee from utter despair. Though thou hadst denied all knowledge of his name, yet he forgave thee all, because his love to thee was so intense, that having loved thee from eternity, and pledged his oath to redeem thee to himself, he would love to the end. REFLECTIONS. Alas, Peter, had not the paternal, unalterable love of thy dear Redeemer safely held thee up by his all-powerful arm, thou wouldst inevitably have fallen with treacherous Judas into the gulph of eternal perdition; but it could not be, that one for whom the Saviour deigned to shed his most precious blood, should finally perish. Now, Peter, behold thy pardon sealed, thy soul restored, thy faith more firm than ever it was before thy fall, because thy selfconfidence is cured, never more to be relied on; now thy zeal becomes more active, thy love more ardent, thy graces all receive new vigour ; though thou canst only walk safely where thy Jesus leads; and if he bids thee come to him even on the boisterous waves, such is thy burning love, such thy faith, such the attrac tive power of his command, that thou canst venture to obey now, indeed, thou art prepared to go with him to prison and to death; no more wilt thou deny his precious name, but strive earnestly with all the efforts of thy mind to spread it far and wide, to extol his righteousness and merits even to the skies, and at last lay down thy life in his cause, then ascend to behold his glorious person, no longer arraigned at Pilate's bar, nor wearing a mock crown of thorns, but gloriously arrayed, and seated on his throne of majesty, surrounded by an innumer able host of his redeemed saints and angels; there shalt thou sit with him, enjoy his presence, and sing the and Bunhill Memorials: Sacred Reminiscences of a portion of the blessed living dead, whose mortal remains rest in hope in Bunhill Fields. By J. A. Jones. 12mo. nos. 1 and 2. London: Paul. THE true Apostolical Succession, in the links of it running through many generations, may be seen more distinctly in the inscriptions of this time-honoured cemetery, than in the claims of those upon whose heads episcopal hands assume to continue it. The mortal remains of ambassadors of God, with clear credentials from on high, in a long series, almost from the times of the early Puritans, repose here in sure and certain hope of a blessed resurrection. To the church of God, therefore, Bunhill Fields will always be an interesting, an endeared spot; and Mr. Jones has performed an acceptable service, in thus gathering together and publishing the memorials of so many of the excellent of the earth. Our good brother has however made one unhappy error: among "the blessed living dead whose mortal remains rest in hope," he should not have admitted the names of those, who by the denial of the Deity of our God and Saviour, prove thereby that they are tares among the wheat; and his note on page 43, although it explains his reasons for so doing, does not excuse it. It is incumbent upon him to leave them out altogether, or to alter his title. Socinians and Arians are not blessed living dead: if by a lamentable blindness they died in hope, it has proved to them a false hope built upon the sand. We make this remark with much kindness, appreciating otherwise very highly the interesting records, which we shall peruse with pleasure as they may be continued. Palmer's Series of Gospel Tracts, No. 27, The Unceasing Warfare, by Dr. Hawker: No. 28, The Sandy Foundation, by a Clergyman; No. 29, The Village Apprentice, by Dr. Hawker. WE are requested to announce these three new additions to this now well-known series of Gospel Tracts, It needs not that we recommend Dr. Hawker's Tracts, and of the other tract we have only to remark, that it is associated in a very suitable brotherhood, Call to the Ministry of J. Harding, of Providence Chapel, Hastings, 12mo. pp. 12. "Tell the Towers thereof," a Sermon, by John Harding. 12mo. Pp. 12. IN the first of these the author states, that he was formerly a hearer of Mr. Vinall, at Jireh Chapel, Lewes he does not state that he was called out to the work of the ministry by that good man: on the contrary it seems to have been the result of dreams and impressions of his own; and the opposition he has met with in the work, he seems to regard as a very bright evidence of its genuineness. Knowing nothing of the author, and being able to gather very little, and of that little nothing particularly favourable, from the two tracts before us, we forbear dwelling longer upon them. give a brief extract from the Sermon, by which the author's style may be judged, and from which it will be evident that both author and We printer needed some one to overlook their respective handiworks : "Then tell the towers.' What are towers placed round our coast for, but as guards to watch the approach of the enemy? and if any attact is made, it must be first at the tower or those that are guarding the same, before they can come inside; and these towers, with all those that are placed there as guards, might be destroyed, but not so with the church as standing in Christ, her towers can never be moved, and if any attact is made by the enemy, it must first touch Christ, who is our tower and towers, before it can touch the church, "for whoso toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine eye." Zech. ii. 8. O, blessed security and safety!-Run here children of God when dangers and storms arise; you have encountered many of them and found a safe retreat, and so you will amidst all the storms of this present life. Then tell the towers. Another tower is the priesthood of Christ," &c. Justification-Prayer and its Answer-Sanctification. 12mo. London Collingridge. THREE small tracts written, we are informed, by the Editor of a contemporary. Tracts to be adapted for distribution by those who themselves know and love the truth, should be free from ambiguous expressions, and contain in plain language the plain truths of God. Such do not these: many objectionable phrases might be pointed out, and some sentiments not to be found in the pages of inspiration. The Everlasting Arms: a Repetition Sermon on the Promises of God. By the late Rev. Matthew Henry. 32mo. pp. 48. London: Palmers. THIS Sermon is now first published from the original manuscript, by one of the London Clergy, who has introduced it with a few prefa tory remarks. It appears that Mr. Henry, during a course of three years and a half, preached every ordinance Sabbath, a Sermon on the promises of God, forming altogether a series of forty-two sermons, and this Sermon is a retrospect of the whole of them. It supplies first the several promises which constituted the basis of each discourse, and then with a repetition text deduces practical inferences from the whole, judiciously, scripturally and neatly. LITERARY INTELLIGENCE. In the press, a new edition of the Letters of the late Mr. Nathaniel Falkner, of Margate, entitled, Faith's Victory over Unbelief, in one volume 12mo. POETRY. A HYMN. WHAT Wonders doth the gospel plan Thus Jesus spake, "Ye saints rejoice, Thy debts I'll pay, thy sins discharge, All fair thou art, in raiment white, My undefiled, my fairest one, O wondrous grace! O love divine! LEBANON LEAVES. T. S. "I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day."-Zech. iii. 9. -SING loudly, rapturously, The mighty power of Zion's Mighty One, Her great Redeemer, Surety, Substitute, Who with his own right arm quelled all her foes, Purchased with his own righteousness a robe, Commensurate in purity and size For all his church, and with his precious blood, Infinite price! bought pardon for them all. Oh, 't was done nobly as a God should do, And all that earth terms splendid chivalry Likened therewith shrinks insignificant. He gave his pledge in glory's council halls, When sin, foreseen before the world was made, Required redemption, and upon his word Heaven's thrones received the earlier ransomed ones: Then at th' appointed time he folded up In miracle, in parable, in love, To pay it by instalments; all was done Seek not to add to what a God hath done. Soil not his righteousness with rags of thine. Make him thy only plea in every prayer, And prayers shall end in praise. |