Zion in their approaches to Christ, as the only "way, the truth, and

the life."

Time had now rolled on nearly to the unexpected close allotted to me in the situation I held. Another great and sudden change in providence was about to be effected by the Lord removing my master by death. This proved a severe trial, and admonished me to hold all things of an earthly kind with a loose hand-to remember the Lord gives, and at his pleasure takes away; so I had many times before experienced. To all human appearance this, my mountain, stood strong, and reason might well calculate on my holding the station for several years; but alas! how little dependance is to be placed on earthly attainments, bid they ever so fair, or look gay; to-morrow, like grass that is cut down, they wither-in an hour are laid in the dust and perish.

The excellencies of my master were many, and his moral character a pattern to follow. Many times had I in secret breathed out desires for him before my Lord, that I might behold a change wrought on his soul. I left him on the Saturday evening in his counting-house; on the Sabbath morning heard he was poorly-Monday his illness increased-on Tuesday, after I had paid in my account at the bank, I went to his house was taken to his bedchamber-he reached out his hand to me, and said he felt better, but the malady was not removed. "In the midst of life is death." I replied, with much interest," Sir, there is a life beyond the grave. Have you any well-grounded hope therein?" With tears starting from his eyes, he answered, "I hope I have, as it is all my desire to be found in Christ." I then followed on with that dear name, to preach to him a free and full salvation through a Redeemer's blood, at which he smiled, but the nurses and physician approaching, I made my egress, and saw him no more alive, for his spirit fled on the following midday. Thus he died, I believe, "in the sure and certain hope of a better resurrection ;" and thus died all my hopes of continuing in the situation, for the property was soon sold. I stayed four months with the new proprietor, and then left, as he had no further need of my services. This was another mark and link in the chain of the Lord's mysterious providence which made way for faith and unbelief to combat together in my mind. I saw the right the Lord had to do as he had done, nor would I find fault when my spirit was made passive at his feet; but when the great flood-gates of doubt, mistrust, rebellion, carnality, and pride, were let loose upon me, did the natural mind feel quiet under this great loss? No. I kicked like a bull unaccustomed to the yoke, and roared like a tiger under the mortification. I had again and again to grapple with inward foes. I planned many things, had many promises made by others, which, to the carnal mind, looked very promising; but the Lord suffered me not to enjoy any of them, for instead of going forward it was his mind and will to give me a little more schooling in the dark valley of chequered experience. I went to London, and after two months, which I spent with my children, heard of a situation in Sussex, near Lewes, to take charge of a very large mill. I applied for it under great recommendations, and agreed with the gentleman.

My late master having willed me a small legacy, I wanted not the means for my travelling expenses to the place in order to make the engagement more sure. After a fortnight I went upon trial. Ah! man appoints, but the Lord disappoints; yet so far we may act, or appear to act, in agreement with the Lord's revealed will, that our hopes and expectations are raised, which was the case with me at this time, and both appeared to be the leading features of my soul, as I journeyed on, yea, before I started, and after prayer before the Lord. I had not been a week in my new place before I was confined by illness, and did not get to the mill for several days. Altogether, among strangers, my wife more than a hundred miles from me, I felt my mind and body greatly tried. No one to speak to, I almost sank at the thought of continuing long there. Could we unfold the dark volume of events, nature would shrink at the sight; but what a blessed hope does the Gospel afford to the tried family, for the Lord God of Jacob is of one mind, who hath declared, "I will never leave nor forsake thee." Into the furnace Zion shall go; and equally true it is, he will watch over his dear ones in the fire.

In imagination I

I had to go into Sussex to be tried and proved once more. Here I was in affliction and bonds-my mind far from rest-sometimes partially better in body, but a strong, nervous affection was upon me, and one day I staggered to the ground in a fit-found my reason departing and my strength taken away, so that I could do nothing. Sometimes I wandered upon the mountain-tops to seek relief. fancied myself better, and found my way to the Gospel sound, under that dear servant of God, John Vinall, but again found myself no better; and thus I sat, as it were, on the ground, and sighed before the Lord, fully sensible there was a cause for all this rebuke in his sight; I begged of him to sanctify and bless the rod for real good, and give me an assurance I was his dear child, which I trust he did in the instruction I received therein. But to pass on. After I had been in this place nearly five weeks, my employer advised me to leave for a time-return to London-recruit my strength, and, when better, come back again, and he would wait for me. This I did-was absent a month-got much better, and went a second time to this situation; a relapse took place in a few days, and after staying nearly a month, was obliged to throw all up into the hands of Him who knew all things from the beginning, and whose wisdom rules all events for the children of men. I say obliged, which does not imply a willingness to give up. No. I found much travail therein through the workings of the flesh, and cruel jealousy against those dealings which old nature kicks hard at, and if left I should have rebelled yet more against the Lord. Those who know into what a degraded state the human mind is sunk, will not wonder at the believer often making himself unhappy by having the eye placed upon any and everything carnal, rather than seeking the will of Jehovah in whatever takes place. This our folly is the cause of running into all the crooked paths with which Satan likes to entangle us. The strong current of sinful nature needs an Almighty curb, or to what extent the Christian would be driven

I know not. Paul said he had learned in whatever state he was to be content; so have I, but it is only when grace is in exercise-when love and gratitude rule in the heart-when the grace of humility is poured into the soul-when the rebellion of the will is subdued-when Jesus smiles-then the dear child can kiss the rod, and the hand too that laid it on. O ye pious workmongers, what do ye know of these things? Ye bastards, who have no chastisements, do ye run into the strongholds as prisoners of hope? No. Nor can ye cry, "Bring my soul out of prison, for I stick fast in the mire; and give me rest from the day of trouble."

I had now but a poor prospect before me, as this was the autumn, and I had no home that I could call my own, though not wholly destitute, as two of my children were very good to me, and I and my dear wife spent the winter in London and Woolwich. Truly at the best of times "we have no continuing city; but as I had for so many years known what home was, I grieved sadly, and felt it a long captivity to dwell so; though I often endeavoured to banish these thoughts, well knowing there was no chance-work in it-that it was but a filling up the time allotted to me from before all worlds.

In the spring my wife's sister, who kept a temperance coffee hotel at Paisley, invited us to come and reside some time with her, holding out the likelihood of our staying there altogether. After mature consideration I fell in with the proposition, and prepared for the voyage. I endeavoured to submit to the hand of God in this matter, and on the 13th of April, 1840, we set sail in the Royal Adelaide steamer, from St. Catharine's wharf. What a mercy it was, that God had insured both the vessel and cargo, for we reached in safety Granton pier, Edinburgh, on the 15th. On the next day we made our route to Glasgow, by canal and railway, from thence to Paisley, under the kind hand of Providence. Having never been to sea, and dreading much the voyage to the north, I had strong cryings in my soul going up to the Lord, that he would fit me to bear up if foul weather, or make the sea calm on our account. I must remark how the Lord indulged his poor, fearful, trembling worm, for a more beautiful time it was impossible to have during our passage; and I shall never forget, in time, the joy I felt in returning thanks to the Lord the night we arrived at Edinburgh. It was a free-grace will-offering, and I knew the Lord accepted it from the answer I received from him. Being now safely lodged under the roof of our dear sister, I had fresh occasion to rehearse the tender mercies of God in prospering our journey; and having been informed she knew the Lord, felt glad to talk about the things touching the King and Saviour of Zion, was anxious to prove what she knew about the wickedness of the human heart, and of the saving knowledge of the Lord, what doctrines were preached in the place where she attended, &c. She answered my inquiries to the best of her knowledge, but not so satisfactorily as I could have wished, though she would have persuaded me I was now in a Gospel "land, flowing with milk and honey." Poor, dear, kind creature! for so she behaved to us during our abode with her, which was nearly four months.

I found to my sorrow it was anything but what she described it; bnt willing to oblige her, on the first Sabbath we went with her to hear her minister; but such was his in and out preachment, I went no more. After this we sought for truth in its power under the operation and unction of the Holy Ghost dropping from the priest's lips; but alas! though we went to the Kirk, Churches, Independent Chapels, and heard several doctors, we saw not Jesus at their feasts, which generally consisted of formal argumentative displays of intellectual doctrine learned at the schools. The Scotch Baptists, Macmillan's and English Episcopalians, were all of the same cast, driving on full gallop in religion and sacraments, taught therein from the cradle to the grave; and if morality can save them, few will be found out of heaven at last.

Mourning over the dearth of the place, on Sabbath mornings my wife and I generally left the pious town, walked up a mountain about two miles distant, and sought the God of our fathers by prayer and reading some of Mr. Philpot's sermons preached in London that summer, also a hymn from dear old John Kent and Daniel Herbert. There I laid together a pile of stones as a memorial before the Lord. On our return the bell would toll again for evening lectures, and all were doing something for God, but never did I hear them say what God had done for their precious souls, either in law or gospel. Duty to God, and duty to one another make numbers merit heaven; but the Spirit's work, the ministration of death, the curse of the law, the depravity of the human heart, the preciousness of a whole Saviour, declared sovereignly in a free-grace way, pointing out the real characters to whom it belongs, are things little insisted upon; no such debasing views and characters could I hear brought before the people; nor did I see a clear Gospel work (save Erskine) all the time I remained there. Wandering about the town, which was very large, I tried to find some place where a few might meet apart from the multitude, and informed by a directory there were some who called themselves "Berean Baptists," and assembled in an upper room, to this place we directed our steps the next Sabbath, where we found nearly twenty persons. We pitched a tent among them-attended again in the afternoon, finding they were nearer the truth than any we had heard. I was persuaded of life being amongst them, but I avoided speaking with them, as I disliked their manner and form of worship, though my soul responded to many things then delivered; but being broad Scotch I the more declined conversation.

The following day, while walking in one of the streets, a person addressed me with "How do you do, Sir? 'Tis a bright morning." "Yes, but not one without clouds," I replied, for I felt a heavy cloud ་ on my mind. "But how is it you thus speak to me?" "Because you were at our little room, yesterday." "Are you the preacher?" I said. He replied in the affirmative, and asked how I heard him. Smiling at the stranger, I said, "Your question opens a large field to dwell upon." Those who have not been so situated can but faintly imagine what the exercises of my mind were at the time I fell in with this Scotch stranger.

J. G.

CORRESPONDENCE.

To the Editor of the Gospel Magazine.

MY DEAR BROTHER IN THE LORD JESUS,

I enclose you a letter which I received from an unknown Christian brother last month. His word of admonition is indeed given in the true spirit of love; and such friendly reproofs I trust ever to receive as blessings from the Lord. I have answered his letter to him personally, but on second thoughts have considered it but due to your readers generally, that I should acknowledge my regret at having used the expres sion referred to. It certainly would have been much better had I said, "This redemption is not ours to offer; it is the Holy Ghost to offer, or more properly to give." Men may offer and be rejected, and alas! how many offer that which they have not to give, and it is very doubtful whether they possess it for themselves. I am certainly not aware of the term " offer," or any word equivalent to it, being applied in the Scriptures of truth to the Eternal Spirit in his ministrations to sinners. Unless I am much mistaken, they are absolute terms, and not conditional ones. "I will take you one of a city," &c. "I will bring," &c. "I will give to him that is athirst," &c. In fact, the testimony of the Three-in-One Jehovah, both in heaven and upon earth, is this:"God hath given to us eternal life" (1 John v.) May the Lord the Spirit give to yourself and correspondents wisdom and judgment to write in strict accordance with the oracles of God, that God in all things may be glorified, through Jesus Christ. May he also grant to your readers, that whilst on the one hand they avoid making a Christian brother an offender for a word, they may on the other hand, be jealous for the glory of their God, and to reject whatever is not in strict accord. ance with the testimonies of God. Believe me, in the love of the truth in Jesus, Yours faithfully to serve in the Gospel,

Dec. 5th, 1845.

J. W. GOWRING.

"Lewes, 30th October, 1845.

"MY DEAR BROTHER IN THE LORD,

"I presume to call you such although you are not personally known to me, but I claim relationship from having perused, from time to time, your pieces in the GOSPEL MAGAZINE, a periodical I much es