I have often thought it somewhat anomalous that the Arminian Baptists, who boast of their larger and more liberal views of the extent of the Atonement, should thus practically be narrower than the Particular Baptists, who hold Calvinistic views. I met the other day with a sad (but I fear too common) instance of the actual exclusiveness of the General Baptist churches. In a small town in Leicestershire there is an Independent Chapel, which from various painful causes was obliged to be closed about three years ago. Since that time the little remnant of the church have

been spiritually homeless. The only other nonconformist places of worship in the town are a General Baptist chapel and a Wesleyan chapel. I found, on inquiry, that most of our friends attended the former place of worship, but that of course they were not permitted to partake of the Lord's supper. Among the persons thus excluded are a worthy and venerable couple, whose christian reputation, through a long and useful life, has been altogether stainless. An excellent retired Independent minister and his wife have been for three years deprived of the privilege of communion at the Lord's table, because they cannot pronounce the Shibboleth of General Baptists.

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Let any General Baptist point me out a single instance of such exclusiveness among "Independents." When will our Arminian friends follow the example which has been so generally set by the Particular Baptists, and wipe off this blot of bigotry from their ecclesiastical system? There are grounds for thinking that many of them are beginning to desire a more excellent way.' When in Leicestershire I was told of several ministers who would admit christians of other denominations to the Lord's table, but were held back through fear of the people. Let them act boldly, and fear not. Upon them lies, in a great measure, the responsibility of the present - unscriptural and unchristian practice. In the words of the eloquent Robert Hall, 'In common with almost every other error, it (strict communion) derived its origin from the public teachers of religion, and with a change of sentiment in them it will gradually disappear; nor will it be long ere our churches will be surprised that they suffered themselves to be betrayed, by specious, but

hollow sophistry, into a practice so repulsive and so impolitic.'-I remain, yours truly, AN INDEPENDENT.' Bridgnorth, Salop, June 27, 1854." We have given these just as we received them, only suppressing the name of our communicant. It is known that we usually avoid the discussion of this subject in our pages; but as this is an extraordinary attack on a portion of the baptist body, we insert a copy of it, and invite any of our brethren among the General Baptists to defend themselves in our pages.

THE MISSION OF THE CHURCHES.

[WE have received, from the Principality, a warm-hearted appeal on this subject, which we trust our readers will receive kindly; excusing here and there some modes of thought and expression not exactly English, but the purport of which will not be mistaken.]

To the Editor of the Baptist Reporter.

DEAR SIR,-I set out with a few inquiries in order to open for myself a way.

What is the mission of every church of Jesus Christ as an associated and incorporated assemblage of individual believers? What are the ideas of duty connected with its existence and establishment, not as affected or modified by the peculiar and distinctive circumstances of any particular age, but as respects its absolute, imperative, and untransferable obligations and responsibilities at all times and at all seasons? Again: Does each believer become a member of the mystical body of the Redeemer for his own personal, exclusive, and solitary aggrandizement ? Is he to become a receptacle of benefits that are to find their end and consummation in himself a sinking fund of grace—a dead sea of virtue, with never an outlet for its waters?

Here let me state, in reply to my own questions, that I consider every person professing faith in Christ, and endeavouring to shape his life according to that belief, a member of Christ's universal church on earth; and I feel persuaded that all such will not remain in isolated and independent spheres of labour apart from the fellowship of kindred spirits, the communion of saints, the household of God; each will have fellowship with the other, and meet together in Christ's name, and work together for the achievement of their Master's behest-the con

version of the world—the salvation of every soul of man. The mission of all is the mission of each-the spiritual recovery and renovation of the whole human family. Their bounden duty is one which cannot be absorbed by any confederation or delegation. Each is personally and directly to lead all the souls he can to Christ, by all the means and facilities and opportunities in his power; not at intervals, not when he may feel disposed, but on all occasions and in all places. For Christ's church on earth is not an hierarchy, but a community; neither is it a federal republic, wherein a few represent the claims, and perform or discharge the duties, of the many; but it is a broad, unmodified, and unalloyed democracy, where every voice and vote is in direct and active exercise. Pastors and teachers have their peculiar duties and offices, but not to the absorption or monopoly of a single member's work in the community. They cannot, they dare not, without being unfaithful, limit the sphere of labour, or assign bounds to the benevolence, of any one. If the will of the Master-the command of our Divine King-be regarded and obeyed, exclusiveness and restriction in doing good will find no place among the household of faith. "Preach the gospel to every creature," is the one great commandment to the church. The higher, the middle, the lower classes-from the robes of royalty to the rags of poverty are to be the objects of christian teaching and preaching. In fact, all within our reach, all within the sound of our voice, are to be invited to come, and take and drink of the waters of life freely. The true christian will not presume to make himself a reservoir of spiritual benefits that shall possess no channel of impartation to others. He is not to hoard up Divine grace in his own heart only. It is a stewardship, a trust; and he is commanded as freely to give as he has freely received. He is to be as an aqueduct between God and a destitute world, along which the waters of life may freely flow.

Proof of these affirmations may be found in the Epistles of Paul. Those inspired letters enjoin labour for the extension of the Redeemer's kingdom, diligence in the work of evangelization, in season and out of season not on the official ministers of the churches only, but on every believer in Christ. What

is addressed to all generally, is enjoined on each separately. All are inducted into the office of christian teachers, and, as such, are to minister, each in his own sphere, in holy things; whilst every duty and service and work is to be performed decently and in order. The pastor, as the sun, the centre of the system, is to give superior light, and impart unintermitted energy to the people of his charge; whilst they, as his planetary attendants, are to yield their recipient illumination to the gloom of ignorance, vice, and moral evil, which may pervade their families, neighbourhoods, and circles of acquaintance. The pastor shines alone in the public services; his work is undivided and exclusive in the official promulgation of Divine truth; all are not, cannot be, public teachers in the way and manner he is called to officiate in the assemblies of saints, for all are not qualified and intended for this distinctive sphere of labour; but all are to teach, exhort, reprove, urge, and compel them to come in by personal appeal and solicitations in private and general life, whenever and wherever they find opportunities of usefulness. In the street, in the workshop, in the sick and dying chamber, in the evening party, and on the highway, every intercourse with our fellow-men is to be made use of, and should be subservient to the work of winning souls from darkness to light, from sin to holiness, and from satan to Jesus the Saviour. Every hour of leisure should find its relaxation and recreation in the searching out of objects to whom we may be instrumental either in conveying a knowledge of the misery of man by the fall, and the delightful hopes the gospel affords of full restoration to the Divine favour— more joy than Adam ever knew in the sin-forfeited arbours of Eden-or in endeavouring to excite all those who know the Master's will and do it not, to delay no longer in avowing themselves as his followers; using every means to draw souls to the safe shelter of the cross.

We might continue our theme, but our space will not allow us: we shall be glad to return to it again; for it is high time to blow the trumpet in Zion, to marshal her hosts to war, to fix every soldier at his post, and see that every one engage in the conflict to the utmost of his power, so that all men may be saved, and come unto a knowledge of the truth. T. D. M.

SOLICITUDE FOR THE SALVATION OF

THE SOULS OF MEN.

AMONG Our "Reviews" this month will be found a brief notice of an excellent discourse on this important subject, by Mr. Morgan Lloyd, from which we select a few paragraphs.

"The moral state of mankind is the greatest marvel, and the most startling fact amidst the phenomena of creation. Everywhere the works of God exhibit all that is beautiful and perfect. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handy work.' We gaze with admiration, lofty and untiring, on the heavenly bodies. Even the untutored savage looks up with awe mingled with delight. But, guided by the powerful aid of science, new wonders are brought within the range of our observation; we traverse the pathless regions of the skies, and, immeasurably beyond the limits of our system, behold, marshalled in perfect order, suns and systems, and clusters of systems, with their profound sublimities of magnitudes, distances, and relations, till, in contemplation of the unfathomable and resplendent expanse, we tremble under the consciousness of our own insignificance, and the unutterable greatness of God.

The globe on which we live presents a glorious panorama of beauties and wonders, preserving undeviating order in endless variety, and in ceaseless change. The Divine wisdom, power and benevolence, in unclouded glory, meet our eyes at every point; not antagonistic, or in isolation, but harmoniously blended, and working out grand and beneficent results. The seasons revolve in their undisturbed, majestic courses. All of them radiant with beauty, while each preserves its own peculiar character, distinct form, and, seemingly, in opposition to the rest. There we see the mountain range with its cloud piercing heights; the luxuriant valley lying in calm loveliness beneath; the forest with its wild tenantry roaming in unrestrained freedom; the fields pastured by cattle, and yielding, as from an inexhaustible treasury, the harvest of flowers and fruits. The earth, thus adorned and profusely stored, is linked by mysterious

ties to the magnificent orbs which stud with their brilliance the deep azure canopy above, forming one vast structure for the habitation of God, in which the inconceivable glories of his eternal power and godhead, give out a portion of their splendour to kindle adoring rapture and delight. How gorgeous, yet how serene! How awful, yet how inviting! In his temple doth every one speak of his glory.'

A sinless intelligence from some far off sphere, on beholding this scene, would exclaim; 'surely nothing polluted

can find entrance into this marvellous fane of the Almighty!' How bewildering to him would come the knowledge of the truth! The temple has been defiled, the altar thrown down, and the incense of praise changed into violence and crime. The music of nature is mixed with harsh, discordant sounds; and its beauties stand out in strange contrast to hideous forms of sin;

'While every prospect pleases,
And only man is vile.'

He is in arms against his Maker, spurning his worship, violating his laws, and perverting the gifts of his love to selfish and unhallowed indulgence.

The case is aggravated by the multitudes who are thus involved. If one human being only were concerned, the whole race, when informed of the fact, would be awakened to the most ardent zeal and labours to rescue the lost. None But the evil is common to all. are exempt, 'for all have sinned.' Never was arithmetic called to fulfil so sad a task as that of reporting the numbers, in past ages, of living men, and of future generations, on whom the death sentence has fallen.

The ignorance and unconcern shewn by men, increase the gloom. Were they alive to the real character of their situation, there would be hope. But they sleep; and their slumber is that of the Alpine traveller, yielding himself to the lethargic influence of the cold, and finding rest in the embrace of death. Unlike the Jews, fasting and weeping when their destruction was decreed, they continue in their sinful courses; some even mocking at the alarm given them

by divine mercy. They act as if immortality was their earthly heritage. Some plunge into excesses; some revel in worldly amusements; others struggle, as if for their life, to gain distinction and wealth. Yet, amidst all this excitement and toil, thousands are daily passing to the tomb, to be succeeded by thousands more, hurrying at the same rapid speed, alike unmindful of the awful bourn from which there is no return.

This fearful and wide-spread woe should kindle the keenest anguish. To be apathetic while men are walking on the brink of destruction, such as this, is more astounding than the indifference which they display. The charge of undue zeal and extravagance, is sometimes brought against those who shew more than ordinary emotion on the subject. But was the aching heart of Esther warrantable, when she was made acquainted with the decreed slaughter of her people? If, instead of a narrative of her sorrow and labours on their behalf, her history described her turning a deaf ear to the appeals of Mordecai; and heedless of the im. pending ruin, yielding herself to the ease and pleasures of her court, or contenting herself with occasional expressions of pity and condolence, how would her name be regarded? Would she occupy the eminence of exalted esteem she now holds? Would she not have become a byword and a reproach? and not the beloved Esther, canonized in the admiration of every age? Where, then, is the reasonableness, the consistency of quietude on the part of christians when a world is in hostile array against the Creator, and over them are hanging clouds of darkness charged with his wrath? Is it because, in the one case, the danger was immediate and apparent, while, in the other, it is future and unseen? This fact, it is to be feared, exerts a powerful influence. Even when disavowed, it stealthily spreads its chilling influence over the heart. But surely with the utmost care, it should be guarded against by those who believe 'the things which are scen are temporal; but the things which are unseen are eternal.' Let us ponder deeply over the mighty evil which lies within our view; look at the yawning gulph already open to receive the lost; and contemplate, under the safe guidance of holy writ, the unfading blessedness, exclusion from which will add intensity to the

endured woe. 'What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?' Was it a light evil our Lord employed such thrilling words as these to portray? Can there be a doubt that the soul of man may be lost? That that loss naught created can compensate? Marshalled hosts going forth to the battle field, ‘in all the pomp and circumstance of war,' awaken emotions of sadness. We feel that their march is on the road of a too probable death. Mariners clinging with a death gripe to their bark, wrecked on the rugged coast, while the billows beat angrily over them, is a soul stirring, never to be forgotten sight. A house on fire agitates with suspense and anguish the crowd; peradventure a sleeping inmate may still be lying unconscious amidst the surrounding flames. And shall we be unmoved by tearful grief over the immeasurably greater, the unutterable death which threatens the souls of men? of our neighbours? of our kindred? of those united to us by dearest bonds?

But the sorrow is not unavailing. Were it so, it might be deemed a useless woe, a needless expenditure of feeling, because over an irremediable calamity. God was not and is not an unconcerned spectator. He "so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.' True, this rich provision of his grace is guiltily and madly rejected; but this is only an aggravation of the case, and another reason for our sorrow. The apostle could not speak of them who were enemies of the cross of Christ but with weeping. Our Lord looked, amidst gushing tears of bitter woe, upon the guilty inhabitants of Jerusalem, who rejected his gracious interposition. Every enlightened Christian will mourn in deep affliction, as he gazes upon the moral waste around him, and contemplates the revelations of eternity respecting the lost. He will weep in sympathy with his Lord. With greater intensity, because founded on infinitely more weighty considerations, his feelings will find utterance in the words of Esther, 'How can I endure to see the evil that shall come unto my people? or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred ?'"