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[From the J Si to tngf litl,’^
TlJii PILING 6F THHijpIiUUCH,
uitr to Tire siSmf AiJSr..
It in feared that in many of ourchurches, the great ma?s
of tlm professing Christians regard the public prayer ys an ex-.
• rcisc in which thoyTfTavp ho part to act. and for which they
l).ar rio thayrffgafd it as a part of wor
ship'Vf Which they*may listen, hut in winch they never join.
They seem to view it very much as a professor of religion,
With whom wo somctfir.es passed a night or two in tho far ,
Wt;4. rtgartlefi family worship. When the time for family!
worship came (which perhaps jtjjyqr jpuiuo.unless a nimmtoi
sjßfKf afSTgKfwitK tho family) ho would read a chapter in the
Hilda, and then instead of asking me t<j lend their devotions
V offering to unite with mo i t pmyer, or even asking me to
aav, he could say. “Mr. I*. we will hear prayer, il you
‘dense,” as if the prayer was an address to which they were
U) listen; hut which had no farther design. He seemed to ‘
no idea of social prayer, and I very much fear that
multitudes in pur Christian congregations, have littleif any
iii,tier practical tiolions of the duty. How many tire there
a lio regard the public prayer as an exercise in w hich tin*
minister aloiio. engages, while tho people may listen toil,
out are expected to have no participation in il ? I low ma
ny arc there whose estimate of the public prayer never rises
above that of the sermon, to wr.ich they may attend, ana In :
instructed or interested or edified, hut which does not belong
!o them as truly ns to the minister?
Snell views of public prayer am enough to destroy all
spirituality in a congregation, and to prevent all tho efficacy II
of the truth as presented by the ministry. For the truth is!.!
impotent without the I livine influence necontpanving, and
haw can tho Divine influence he expected in a oongrega- j
lion that leaves all its public prating to he done ov the min-'!
)>ier! Some such errors must have obiamed currency 1
among us, or the prevailing apathy in our clip relies would
lie unaccountable. If ail our churches realized the great
luty, and the ends of puh'ie prayer, and felt the importance
il their o\Vn jMirtieipalion in it, there would be an efficacy in
■uch prayer, and a power in the presentation of divine truth
■ hut would shake our congregations as do the day of Rente
e ist Jerusalem was she.ken when the dmciph's came foiih
from tho place of united an I fervent prayer to preach the
ford, and the demonstration of the Spirit made the truth
imuipotent. &> should it ever he. And if the preaching of
no truth were always proceeded hv the wrestling and uni
eil prayers ol iho w hole church, God’s Word would not re
am to him void.
The ministry do not boar alone tlm responsibility of thf
•u< cess of the failure of the truth. As much depends on the
priiving th it aecoinpauifs tho preaching of the word, as on
•ho preaching itself. An Angel Irian heaven could not so.
•resell that a multitude would believe, unless tlm power ol
he Spirit were to make l!a trull) eflh yines, and the pres
•ncc ol the Holy Spirit depends on the prayers of (.oil’s peo
ple. If then tho whole congregation bowed, like Elijah on
Mt. Carmel, in earnest faith and prayer, if all hlt the sol
inn importance of tinning in each petition expressed hv
him who leads their worship, if every heart glowed with tin
ante lorvent desire, nnd ali struggled together lo express the
■lcop nnd burning convictions of their unwavering fiitli, tlien
would there go up such a column of incense to the throne, ns!
v.uuhl ensure the gift of the Holy Ghost, and his influence
djjl'usnd through the congri gallon would surely make the
truth mighty through God. It may be safely affirmed, thui
mougli of the truth is presented c it'll Sabbath, in most of
mr congregations, and it* a mant'er sufficiently earnest and
pungent, to produce great and glut ious results. What then
wanting but the diving unction, the anointing of the Holy
•host, lo subdue sinners, ami to arouse or edits the saints.
And can it be that a great congregation of let! fa thousand
sincere tuid hmubio discipi. s, with the < xglieit pledge of Je
itovah before litem, that ho is more rendv to give Ids Holy
Npirit to them that ask, than earthly parents are to give good
gifts to their children, can unite in fervent, supplications for l
tills blessing;, pouring out their burning desires from hearts
nl,unshaken faith, and v. t bo disapoomtod ! lias God for
gotten his promise ? or has prayer lust i's efficacy ! No,
nothing.of this. “V c ask ami receive not, because ye ask
amiss! l'liis is the answer to all questions about unan
•we red prayer. The congregation do not pray thus, or God
would come down upon them w ith heavenly and lilt; giving
mffneiK'rs—They do not pray aright or thev would be filled
“".lit the i Inly Ghost, nnd life .speaking and the hearing of
the word that follows such prayer, would be the means ol 1
glare and ol salvation.
The oliurchos must understand and appreciate the itnpor
tce ot praying in the congregation; They must he made
i ‘ loci their responsibility in reference to the success of the’
preaching of the truth. The ministry do not hear this re
soons.bUity alone, and the churches are to expect from no
I'iUnaa eloquence, tram no human power in the presentation
ol tJ'V* 11 * truiti, tlm great results coutcmpia'ed in the inst tu
t'oti ol die ministry, wDele the chu'cti withholds her warm,
.niif earnest and united supplications in behalf ot that mints
try. Let it be known ami tbit licit in the public prayer,
every disciple m the congregation is to join in each petition
” in as umcli ot strong desire and earnest faith as the minis,
o r hun-eit, apd that congregation w ill find that the public
prayers are’ themselves'the richest means of grace, and the
word preached to them will come in ilomonst.M.iou of the ,
Spirit and of power. PETER,
■ Cr’Some people flunk it is enough ifth'V personal! v en
joy relmion. Hot mis is not the ease. No man liveth to
.'mnsuit— i ueb more cions no Cluusuiui. 1
-t D| , ,h
Sniffy
[THE OLDEST DISSENTING CHURCH IN LONDON. 1 !
Ari English correspondent oftfce Alliance and Visile* fur-1
‘uishes the following intefestingjsketcli first Baptist!
’ Church in London. ThaSwaSsi) nobte bartl of disciples—j
t.tiie “four men aud one woman”—whom the laoeoipersecu
ms atid contempt, could come out boldly and form a church
founded o:i the principle of the New Testament. The}’
buvtt'‘rested ikon their labors”ibr countries, but slid “theirh
works do follow them.”
-i | | ‘ t
“I find that the Baptist meeting in Broadmcad belongs to ; ,
the oldest ditft'ehting’cfiurcb of this city. The organization
Ipeak; aqd consisted if lour men anTone wo-j
’ itiuu !• was a host. Oanne, who hapt eptrn- M
bed an WITis marginal Notes on the Tjible, was
the honored insti uwet of teaching this little flock tho right
the Lord. -■
This church has passed ti,rough sad scenes of persecution
which are recorded,o the historic page, hut Us history has
been gloriously illuminated by the labors of Ervins, llard
cust'e, Eowm s, Foskctt, the Evans, Rylanl, Robert Hall,
ami its present admirable pastor, Ur. Crisp. The Baptist
College of this city is always under the prc|idfeuay of the
pastor of Bfoadmotid, t
UV f.lt deep intere-ptiln looking at the place which had
h:cn tile theatre of such ministrations as those conducted by
Ryl.-ind and Hall, andso oflen favoted with the occasional
services of Poster; *
Dr. Ityluhd who for more than 30 years presided over this
church, was held, 1 find, in great veneration by ulltheciti
• zens. Ho was a man of great learning, a profound theologi
an, and though not ua eloquenj man, yet to bis own people
he always proved a ipost attractive preacher. I t early life
he was hyper-calvinfitic, but the writings of Edwards, Bel.
ijlamy, West and Hopkins c.vehed a happy influence upon
! h a mind, and ere her reached to his matured powers, he
was a staunch advocate ol moderate vie ws, and held, I im
imagine, pretty much #ic same sentiments which distinguish
Drs. Beecher, Spring} and our principal ohl New England)
! divines. I Its published works strike mo as very acute, and ;
will worthy of re publication in America. The agency of’
By with Fuller awl Sutcliffe in the formation of the
Baptist .Mission ought *ever to be forgotten. F’or that mis
sion he toiled and traveled till ins death.
The men in England who do the most, are men who have
much upon their hands, I find- Fuller and Ryland both
had large churclxs—ijpthwtre Secretaries, and edited the,
publications of tlie mission, and traveled for it, and llyland
besidi s had Ids college lo lock after. So now in London the \
pastors of the largest churches ’ have various other pressing
luties, and all seem to Tie wall attemfid to.
Hubert Hall is still on every man’s lip. The stories of
his pulpit eloquence, his private conversations, Ids personal
dignity, his are meeting us every 1
,| Til* his name, are, lam sat- 1
islicd, very inadequate representations of his unri valld pow
eis. Very i< w oliurchel enjoy suvh pastors in immediate
succession as Ryland .aid Mali were to Broadmcad.
One of the niuinhcr*?4f this church observes—Mr. Hall ’sil
eloquence was perfectly dissimilar from that o! l>r. llyland.||
It might, perhaps not inajnly, be compared to the refreshing i
,t;d. —at first indistinctly jiettrd ; hut as it neared the shore)]
its successive undulatiorJ braame more powerful,.and except
by the adamant heart, iritsistible. Just watefi the approach- ,
ing tide—and in its distant movements falling gently on the
ear—itsgradu.il el earned and power—its gathering up its !
. strength and majesty as ft* Idst wave* beat upon the shore,
in ! vmi have some idija, of the kind of eloquence whioh
. charmed so many hearers,’ The eleqper.ee of Dr, llvlatul
was of a totally different order—irregular, botin tiding, im
rpetUous —at first ratHef dSso'nant’to the ear, but hanoviiious
;to tiro soul. It resembled Mte dataracl rather than the tide*
.Thf re were sudden bursts oft-JotjUence from Dr. Ryland to
which no contemporary ctktld approach. The cukpience of i
Mr. Hull was uniform, th of l)r. Ryland occasional, but.,
the occtaiotml Imrfs of llw latter, so evidently the direct in-'j
spirution of the Iloly Spirit, exceeded in grandeur and sim
plicity.”
THE WISDOM OF GOD. (
God, as a wise Being, employs means and instruments j
suited to the work which he designs to perform. He never
employs powerful means iwdiguilied agents lo eject a work
which might as well be effected by weak mentis and feeble!
agents, lie would not employ nn angel to do the work ol a !
man; he would not sefiiL Ins only ison to perform works
that did not transcend the powers-of an angel. Hence wed
inter, that if men or angels could have effected the work
nt mail s redemption, God would not have etnnloyed his own
to effect it; and lfthat Son could have effected it in any
easterwvay than by dying on the cross, he would never have
coi'Sefpcff to die in that manner. Consider then my dear sir
how great a work this must have been. To create the world
cost Jesus Christ hut six days; but to redeem the world, cost
him thirty.three years, spent in poverty and labor, nnd the
shedding ot his owji Good. How great then, must have 1 ’
been the evils from which ha did all lids to redeem us!— :
1 low temule must be the situation ot sinners, since he suff
ered sj much to rescue them from it! From the dignitv of
the l’hysteian, and the costliness of the remedy, we tnnv 1
leart) ho \ dargerous how desperate was the disease. Only Ii
,lta nmn say, w.im ti/m couytpiiuu,—'Jlv situation was so t
1 dangerous, so hopeless, tiigt uofhing less than the inearna-:
lion and death ot ooil’s eternal Son could guyp me front it,’i,
mu he will scarcely remain at rest un'iLhe uas s-cured sal-u
Y'attoit. He will not, cannot ryst in * situation so (large tous.*’
—toyson.
0 ortt 11) ’ 9 Dtp ar tm tn t.
. - W —T-
[From Gambling in its Hkfancyand Progress.]
DIALOGUE G + N GAMBLERS, LOTTERIES/dtc., &c.
BV J. It. GSfJUr.
Charles. —Well, Harry, we have met again in
and I trust w ith our minds firmly set against anything tiiS
wrong. But, Harry, what fdmll we say trt boys, that tl
.nmy be indueeff to quit gimin* for chence ? “L
Hurry. —Tell them, Charles, that if they continue fte*
•practice, they will, sooner r later, become the victims of
tgambling, or becoming gamblers themselves; will nrbstTike.
>ly share the fate of-gamulers. ;
(A—Explain to me Duly, Harry,—what you moan by the
term gambler.
i/.—A gambler, Charles, is a bad man ; one who prefers
to act wrong in every respect. He is inclined to evil al
ways ; and there is no crime that he will not commit, that
he may obtain money, and live in idle dissipation.
C. Tell me, Harry, what are the principal arts which
are practiced by the gamblers, and w hat instruments do they
i use to carry out their ends and purposes.
Ti—Their arts arc many, consisting in trickery and de
eepiioa mainly; and as instruments for the purpose, they
, generally make use of cards. Sometimes they use a'larcro
i wheel with figures on it, called roulett. Sometimes they
, roll ivory balls on a beautiful table, that they call billiards •
and roll ten pins on the bowling-alleys; and many fight
game chickens, run :orsc races, and bet on the fowls and
horses.
In fact, Charles, to bet on anything is gambling And
; gamblers delight in getting people excited, so that they muv
■ uet with them, and then cheat them, and rob them of their
i money and property.
H.— Oh, no,Charles; there are many modes of gambling
by lottery, lor instance. ° °
G—By lottery! Do you mean, Hasrrv, the sellm” of lot
j tery tickets i
ll.—Yea. Tile man who sells a lottery ticket is a gam
bler; and so is the manager or owner of the wheel,; and
even, those persons wuo buy tickets are guilty of gambling.
C.—W hy, Harry ; i always thought the lottery business
was fair.
It.— Ho did l, Charles, till last summer, when a reformed
gambler purchased a lottery wheel from a lottery dealer in
i Washington city, ami exhibited the manner of drawing;
showing that it is a complete way to swindle people outgl
, their money,
C’.—VV'lmt kind of company, Ilarry, do gamblers keep ?
I ll. —All kinds, Charles ; but generally they seek tho v*o
i eiely of those who they think can be tire meet b-HI Pfohhcijt
Iby them, at cards, and tfre like. ‘I hey assume different
ijchuracier*,. as brokers, merchants, farmers, horse-dealers,
seamen, and the better learned, as law'!
I|}ers, doctors, and even ministers oft lie Gospel.
lj C.— Do they travel much Ilarry ?
| ■'T—Tes; .hey frequently go from place to place, that
, (being unknown) they may deceive and cheat nnsuspect
ing people. 1 lie gamblers arc bunded together ail over
the country, and co-operate with one another in their nefan.
ous pursuits.
! G. I see Harry, that gamblers are wicked men. But
tell me do such men livelong lives? do they reform or do
they continue to live and die steeped in crime and villany ?
ID—They are generally short-lived, by reason of their
irtegelar habits, dissipation, und excitement. Few live o\'cr
Jiffy years, while the majority die before they reach the a<m
of fitly. °
G. —When a gambler comes to die, Ilarrv, how does ho
ad? Is he resigned nnd composed, as honest men and
Christians are said to be; or is he still reckless of his fate,
land without hope ot the salvation of Ids soul in the end ?
J/.—Alas! Charles,they seldom repent; but sink into an
ijawlul eternity, cursing and blaspheming their Maker.
I G. Do you know of any instance of a gambler becom.
ing’ a reformed man. and dying a happy death ?
j H.—Xes ; one or two, Charles; but the majority, have
.gone down without hope to bell. ‘
G—Oh ! Harry, that is awful to think of. Do you know
the particulars of the death-scene of anv unreclaimed jam.
Word ‘ °
11. I might give von the details of marrv such cases.
I will mention one that I have heard of quite recently.—
j 1 here wasa young gambler, who Yvns a desperate and very
j wic.veil character. He was seized with consumption, (a dis
ease, by the way, of which nine gamblers out often die))
and was heard to blasplieme, and call on God to curse him.-
A minister w-assent lor, to come aud pray for him.. He did
so; and finding the gambler living.; he knelt down by- bis.
bi d-side, and prayed God to save the wretched loan's soul.
While on his kuecs, hearing the young man attempt to speak
the minister invoked his Maker to give him utterance of his
thoughts. The prayer seemed answered. The young maa
lilted up his eyes to Heaven, and. in an awful
king his own destruction, died with the horrible invocation
lon his tips! Such, Chat'll, Was the gambler’s end, and
isneli was-his last prayer on earth. He surely, died as the
i tool djetli; and it this* portioned’ the Bible be true, must now
| be in that endless burning prepared for the devil and his
j angels. Bu', Charles, Ido not feel competent to present
jlovyu all the evils wh'ch flow from gambling, but would ‘■p.
.nr you, and ail others,, to the inudoute. written by the Ra
donned Gambler, as showing the dreadful effects ol gam
jb.'u g.. f
Ivlpril