A STRIKING INSTANCE OF THE TRUTH OF THAT GLORIOUS TEXT, "The Blood of Jesus Christ Cleanseth from all Sin."

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"THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST CLEANSETH FROM ALL SIN."

ing up the solemn realities of the righteous | to you, and you told me that Jesus Christ law of God, shewing a sinner where and died to save sinners; and if I was washed how they stand in their fallen state. O, in the blood of Jesus Christ I should be may you, my brother, be led more and saved; I thought I could not; so I said, more in your sermons to enforce the ne- he cannot forgive me.' I meant he would cessity of being cut down by the law before not forgive me, for I was too wicked. But they can know anything of justification by it says, 'he came not to call the righteous, faith in a precious Mediator; the mere but sinners to repentance.' O father, doctrines of justification by faith have be- forgive and pray for your undutiful come so fashionable now that it is in the daughter, SARAH EVE." mouth of the formalist, the hypocrite, and even the pharisee will acknowledge it; but when you come to ask them, how they became acquainted with these blessed truths-(for blessed truths they are)-and whether they have passed through fire and water to this wealthy place?-they are either offended with you, or struck dumb: Thus, you discover they know nothing about the truth only in the mere notion of it. But now for the letter, which she sent by one of her little sisters, and which is as follows:

'My dear father-I know that I am a sinner, and one of the blackest of sinners; but did not Jesus Christ die to save sinners? Yes, he did. But will he save me? O, I am too wicked to be saved. It says in the Bible, 'The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.' Then how can I hope to be saved? Am I not one of the worst of sinners-have I not forgotten God-then how can I hope to be saved from hell? No; I must go there; and perhaps my time is near when I shall be called to judgment! How can I meet an angry God with all my sins upon my head? O, what must I think when I hear him say-'I know you not; depart ye cursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. I feel it must be so with me; I have despised and hated him; yes, I sought the company of any one rather than hear his name mentioned or read; how many times have I gone to sleep, or took a book to read when you have been reading to us of an evening! I feel it now; for if I had listened to you, I never should nave done what I have; no, I should have hated it. O, I have been thinking of the goodness and mercy of God in sparing me when I fell out of the cart; for if I had died then, where should I have gone to? To hell I must have gone. And can I hope to be saved from there now? I trust I can be saved by the blood of Jesus Christ-he is the alone Saviour of sinners.

'When I came home with mother that morning from Mr. Parrot's, after dinner you told me to go up stairs, and there stay; I did so; I went up and cried; but I did not cry for my sin, nor pray to God to forgive me. No; it was because you found me out in my wickedness. O, how I wished I had been killed when I was thrown out of the cart; but if I had, where should I have been now? I should have been in torments for ever and ever. On the Friday all my sins came upon me at once; I thought I must be sent to hell directly; for I could see no way to escape until I came

This, my dear brother, is a faithful copy of my child's letter to me; as a spiritual minded man, you will, by the Lord's teaching, be enabled to draw some comfortable conclusion of a real work begun upon her soul. After I had begged of the Lord to furnish me with a suitable answer, I sat down and wrote one, which appeared to afford her a ray of hope; she loved to sit and hear my brother and myself converse about our blessed Jesus; her eyes would stream with tears, and she would look and sigh, as much as to say, 'O, that I could say that he had washed my guilty soul in his precious blood;' I quite understood her, and cried and wrestled with my Lord that she might be able to say that Jesus was her Jesus.

One night, after I had been reading a letter from my brother, where he spoke of the exercises of his soul, and the precious manifestations of Jesus to his soul, which enabled him to say, 'THIS GOD IS MY GOD,' she looked towards me with streaming eyes, and said, 'O father, I wish I could speak with the confidence of my uncle; O, I wish I could say, 'this God is my God!" 'My dear child,' (I said) 'if God has given you this desire, he will assuredly answer it; he has been pleased to say, 'the desires of the righteous shall be granted.'

Mr. Graham preached one evening at my house, but she was not amongst us; for I kept her out of sight as much as I could; but after the service my brother went up into his room; and there was my poor child sitting on the stairs, bathed in tears, all in the cold, listening to the words of eternal life.

Well, her time of delivery drew on, and a very solemn time it was both for them that were about her, and herself; she had twelve hours of suffering. I did not see her until Monday, in the middle of the day, but heard my sister and her mother say, that though she suffered dreadfully, not a murmur escaped her lips; no impatience once manifested itself, but a calm resignation to the will of God that would make old christians blush; it did me; I should not have said thus much, but you know the world is seeking works in the flesh whereby they may glory; but not so with me; all my desire was to see the work of the blessed Spirit on her heart, revealing a precious Christ to her, and that is what I prayed and wrestled hard with the Lord for; and bless him, he fulfilled all my heart's desire.

On the Monday we moved her out of her room into mine, for the sake of the fire;

"THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST CLEANSETH FROM ALL SIN."

and as we were passing her dead infant, she turned her languid eye towards me, and said there lays my baby father.' 'Yes, my dear (I said,) do not fret about that.'

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was departing from my body, I should rejoice; knowing I should soon be with my blessed Saviour! Judge, my brother, of the ecstacy of my soul; words cannot express the joy of my heart; I saw all my

I felt in my own soul she was safe; but still I cried and prayed for a closer mani-prayers answered to my soul's satisfaction. festation. I stood by her bed side speaking I said, 'Has he indeed manifested his forof the unchangeable and precious love of giveness to your poor soul?' 'Yes, he has,' Jesus as I felt it in my own soul, when she said, with all the joy and peace imaginshe interrupted me, and said, 'I know able. O, bless his dear name for ever! father, that you can speak with confidence; (said I.) Ó, the boundless love of his heart I know that you will go to heaven; and, to poor sinners! Shall I read a little?' lifting up her hands, she said, 'O, that said I to her. O yes, do;' she said. After knew that my sins were pardoned; O, that I had read a few verses out of the first he had washed my guilty soul in his most Epistle of John, Behold what manner of precious blood! My dear, God never did love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that say to the seed of Jacob, Seek ye my face we should be called the children of God,' I in vain,' (said I) bless his dear name, if felt my heart enlarged to speak of the great he puts a cry into the heart, he means to love of the Father in giving into the hands answer that cry; pray and cry to him, my of his dear Son those vessels of mercy whom dear; he will answer you in his own time.' he would, in due time, come to save with 'I do, father,' (she said.) I left her then an everlasting salvation by his blood, to get a little rest, which was so needful to groans, sweat and tears; and the equal her; but it pleased her heavenly Father to love of God the Eternal Spirit, in blessing let her have but two hours sleep from the these sin-bitten, and sin-burdened souls Friday until the Lord took her home to with the worth and value of his precious himself. In the evening I spent an hour blood. Afterwards we went to prayer; and with her, and read the 22nd Psalm to her; surely my heart was filled with love and she seemed much affected at the sufferings gratitude to my gracious Lord for his great of the blessed Jesus. She said, 'O, what mercies to us both. After prayer I went must the blessed Jesus have suffered!' to her bed-side, and took her hand; I said, Though she was suffering at the time from Good night, my dear child; and if we strong inflammation in her bowels, yet her never meet again on this earth to converse own pain for the time was forgotten in about him whom our souls love, I feel ascontemplating his. 'Yes, (I said,) if our sured that we shall soon meet in that place dear Jesus had not suffered, we must have where we shall bless and praise our blessed suffered in hell to all eternity; but bless Jesus for what he has done for our souls.' him, he suffered that we might go free. I She grasped my hand, and said, 'I KNOW went to prayer with her, and I found a WE SHALL.' This was the last time I was sweet liberty to plead for her. This was privileged to converse with this bloodMonday evening. On Tuesday I saw her bought vessel of mercy here; for when the again; she was swelled up to a frightful nurse came to call my wife up, she said in size. All this day I had such a wrestling a quick tone of voice, Mother move me in my soul for her, as though I knew it into the middle of the bed;' as soon as she was her last day: all I pleaded for was a did so she saw the change, and ran and manifestation of his forgiving love to her told me; I went immediately into the soul; I don't remember once pleading for room, and had just time to see her take her her life; and, dear soul, she was pleading last gasp. 'Let me die the death of the for the same, and at the same time; for righteous, and let my last end be like in the afternoon, while her mother was her's.' Through the rich mercy and prebathing her stomach, she lifted up her cious blood of my most precious Lord, I eyes to heaven, and said with great energy, hope soon to join that glorious throng, to Heavenly Father, forgive me my sins!' In sing everlasting praises to my blessed Lord, the evening, about half-past eight, I saw who hath plucked me as well as my child her again; but such a change I shall never from the lowest hell. I know and feel if forget: there was a beautiful smile on her ever I get home to glory that song that countenance as she offered me her hand; the redeemed sing will be no mystery to her cheeks were blooming like a rose, and me; for sure I am that nothing but Alher skin was like marble; and her eyes mighty power could reach such a case as very bright; she looked to me like a bride mine; and nothing but Almighty love adorned for her husband. I said,' How do could forgive such a sinner as me! This you do now, dear? Quite happy; (she affliction has been the means of drawing said cheerfully,) and I am going to glory?' me nearer to my Lord in sweet communion 'Going to glory, (said I); what do you ground your hopes of going to glory upon? Is it upon anything you have said or done?' 'O, no, (she said); O, no! there is nothing but sin in me; but my Saviour has come- O, pray for me, my dear brother, that I have seen him-and he has assured me my Lord will not let me sink into the I shall go to heaven-and if Mr. l'arrot depths again. My dear wife has been wonwas to come in and tell me that my soul | derfully supported; she knows that there

my soul has gone out after him more than ever-for days I could not think or talk about anything but the great love of my Lord.

a matter. Our opponents term us Anabaptists or Re-baptizers, because we oppose Infant Sprinkling, which is indeed No baptism; and, on the contrary, baptize by immersion, professed believers, who have been so sprinkled in their infancy Let ministers be very careful how they rebaptize one who has already been baptized on a profession of his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ: let them see that they have good firm scriptural ground for it, arising out of some extraordinary case! before they dare venture upon it. Our Lord's ordi

OR, A CAUTION TO PASTORS AND DEACONS nances are not to be trifled with. There

OF GOSPEL CHURCHES.

To the Editor of the Earthen Vessel. MR. EDITOR,-We live in a day wherein strange doctrines are preached, and strange practices are countenanced. We have been plagued with Irvingites, Plymouth - brethren, Latter-day Saints, &c., &c., and I have recently discovered a rising disposition to Ana - baptism. Let me by no means be misunderstood. I am an old Anti-paedobaptist minister, and a strict communionist. I believe there are no churches organized according to the plan of the New Testament, but such churches as are composed of professed believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, who have been, on a profession of their faith baptized by immersion in water, according to our Lord and Master's commission in Matt. xxviii. 19. I hold with, "One Lord, one faith, one baptism." Eph. iv. 5. It is a solemn matter to "lift up the hand to the Lord," and, to put on Christ" in baptism. My mind has thrilled when my people have been singing prior to the administration of the ordinance of baptism,

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were a sect of ancient Heretics, who arose up in Africa about the year 311, they were I called Donatists. They held that Baptism out of their own community was null and void; accordingly they re-baptized those who joined them from other churches; and if any of their members left them for a time, and afterwards rejoined them, they were re-baptized." I have no desire for a sect of the Donatists to receive countenance in my day. In the eight examples of Baptism recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, we find no case of Ana - baptism: none whatever. It is true, Mr. Irons has asserted in print, that, "those who had been baptized with John's baptism, were baptized again with Christian baptism;" and he quotes Acts xix. 2-5 in proof. Andrew, in reply, said,-"It is denied that those twelve disciples were baptized again with water. They had been baptized by John in the name of the Lord Jesus. The apostle understanding from them that they had been baptized by John, he explains to them (verses 4 and 5) the nature and import of John's baptism and ministry. He informs them that John preached repentance toward God, and faith in Christ that should come after him; and made the latter as well as the former a pre-requisite O God! to thee we pray. to baptism which shews that John's baptism and Christian baptism is one and the and 5 in Acts The occasion of my writing at this time same. The whole of verses is in consequence of" A QUESTION," which xix. are the words of Paul giving an account is inserted in the Earthen Vessel for this to those twelve disciples of John's minismonth (April) p. 94. do not intend to an- try and baptism. Had there been a reswer the question, as concerns mixed or strict baptizing of those disciples by Paul, then communion. I have my eye to the decla- the 5th verse would have stood somewhat ration made by the party, who "solemnly as follows, - "When they heard this acand positively declares that he knew noth-count, they were baptized by Paul in the ing of the saving grace of God, or of regeneration, at the time he was baptized; and that it was pride, or some other impure motive that prompted him to that act." O this is an awful confession; and I should stand in doubt of such a person, whether he knows anything of " the grace of God in truth" now. At one time he asks to be rebaptized and now he does not care about being re-baptized; in fact he has no wish for it." This is the account given. It seems many members of the church, which he proposes to join, are opposed to his re-baptization; but, the minister of the church is not opposed to it. This I am exceedingly sorry for. Gospel ministers ought to be very careful of the steps they take in such

How great, how solemn is the work
Which we attend to-day!
Now for a holy, solemn frame

name of the Lord Jesus." But it is not so. The historian Luke, records two things; first, what Paul said, ("then said Paul,") this is in verses 4 and 5; and then what Paul did, ver. 6. "And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Ghost came on them, &c." So that they were not re-baptized with water; but the import and meaning of their baptism by water having been explained to them, (not repeated) then, by the laying on of the Apostle's hands, they were baptized with the Holy Ghost. I have been the more particular respecting Acts xix. 2-5, as it has suited the purpose of our opponents to misrepresent that passage. I now present the reader with a case of strange and awful

wished to join his people. He heard what I had to say; and gave it as his judgment, that, my pouring was no baptism; that my immersion by Mr. Taylor was no baptism; and, he added, 'If you was a living man when Garret baptised you, the notoriety of the character of that man was such, that you might as well have been baptised by the devil.' In a word, he pronounced me to be unbaptised; and, on my consenting, I became immersed by him a third time! If I had at all objected, the man was evidently fully prepared to be im

Ana-baptism, as it fell under my own | person who then preached at a place called notice, I was sitting in my vestry, in the Trinity Chapel in that street. I now month of April, 1837, when two persons came to converse with me, the one of them an old man, apparently upwards of sixty years of age, the other whose name was Nathaniel Runchman, was about twenty years old. The object of the former, was to introduce the latter to me, as one of a professedly gracious experience, who wished to be baptized, and join the church under my pastoral care. The account which the young man gave, appearing satisfactory, I consented to his becoming a candidate, &c. The old man on this, seemed to wish church fellowship with us also, and gave the fol-mersed a fourth time! It is not too harsh to lowing account of himself, which I relate as correctly as my memory enables me.

say of such men in the strong language of the late Mr. John Martin of Kepple-street; Baptised infidels! ye are worse for mending; washed to fouler stains!'

However, though I have always been a decided baptist; yet as I had no sort of inclination to become an Ana-baptist, i. e. a Re-baptiser ;—the old man went his way. Young Runchman continued with us about 18 months, when he took to rambling hither and thither, and was separated from the church. Ultimately he became enamoured of a preacher at Somer's Town, who immersed him a second time, on the plea that this former baptism was administered by a letter-preacher. Your's &c. April 13, 1848. STRICTUS.

A GODLY man is an epicure in Christ, he would never play the epicure but in Christ and in God; in them, and towards them he gives his affections their full swing; and as a wicked man is said to enlarge his desires after the earth, as hell, (Heb. ii. 5,) so he enlarges his desires after heaven, as heaven, and complains his desires are no larger. In the thoughts of Christ, he sits down and would take his fill; he saith, 'I am safe in him-I am quiet and at rest;' he saith to his soul, 'Dost thou see THAT Christand dost thou see THOSE promises? Thou hast goods laid up in Him in them for many years, yea, for eternity; soul, take thine ease; take it fully; thou hast riches

He said "When I was a young man I used to attend the preaching at Mr. Wesley's Chapel in the City-road. After some time I wished to join that society. The late Dr. Coke was then the principal minister there. He asked me several questions, and was about to receive me, but incidentally learning that my parents had belonged to the baptist denomination, 'O, then (said he) you have not been baptised, and I cannot receive you without baptism.' I informed him that I had no objection to be baptised. The Doctor administered what he called baptism, by pouring water on my head. As was the fashion at that time, I wore my hair tied in a sort of club behind, and the water ran down into my clubbed hair, and was so very unpleasant that I felt as though I could have struck the Doctor." [I thought this temper not a very suitable one on such an occasion, however I let him proceed.] He continued- Shortly after, I removed my residence to White-chapel, and attended the ministry of Mr. Dan Taylor; [a noted general, or arminian baptist,] his ministry suiting me, I wished to join his church. Learning from whence I came, he said you have not been baptised. O yes I have was my reply. 'No, (said he) pouring water on a person is not baptism, which is only scripturally performed by immersion in water.' Well, sir (I said) if I am not baptised, I have no objection to thou hast an estate that can never be be baptised. He then administered the spent: soul, eat, drink, and be merry; his ordinance, by immersing me in the water, blood is drink indeed, and his flesh is and I joined his church, Sometime after meat indeed; joy in Christ is joy indeedthis, I removed from Whitechapel, to reside unspeakable joy here, and fulness of joy in the Borough of Southwark, and went to hereafter;' 'in his presence there is fulness hear a man of the name of J. L. Garrett, of joy, and at his right hand there are who preached in Lant-street. I thought pleasures for evermore.' Until the soul him a wonderful preacher, and proposed pitches thus on Christ, it is not in safety, myself to join his church. He heard what much less in rest or quiet. As the needle I had to say, and gave it as his opinion in the compass is in continual motion till that I was not yet baptised. The pouring it points towards the north, where (as it is [he said] was no baptism; and although conceived) there are rocks of loadstone with Mr. Taylor had immersed me in water, yet which it sympathiseth, so the soul is in my faith then was a dead faith. I was then continual motion until it points to Christ, an Arminian, and was baptised by a free- who, we are sure, is that liviving Rock will Arminian; but now I was a living man, with whom all believers sympathise, and &c. &c. Well sir (I said) if I am not yet the true Loadstone which attracts all bebaptised, I wish to be so. On this Ilievers to him. A believer, like Noah's was immersed a second time. It was not long before I removed again, and coming to reside near Aldersgate-street, I heard a

dove, finds no rest, all the world over, for the feet of his soul, until he returns to this Ark of safety and salvation.-Caryll,