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MAKE HASTE.

DELAYS are dangerous. When a house is on fire, "Make haste and fly!" is the cry given to the inmates. When a person is taken suddenly ill," Make haste for the physician!" is the cry. When overtaken by a storm, "Make haste to a place of refuge!" is the cry. When pursued by robbers, “Make haste!” is again the cry. But there are dangers far more awful than all those I have described, and from which you should make haste to escape. The storm of God's wrath is hanging over every unconverted sinner. Make haste, and seek refuge in Jesus, who is an hiding-place from the storm and covert from the tempest.

Justice says, "Pay me what thou owest." Make haste to Jesus as your only surety, who, by his sufferings and death, has paid the debt. Sinners are diseased with sin, and thousands and tens of thousands are passing, uncured, to eternal death. Make haste to the balm in Gilead, and to the Physician who is there. You are spending your money for that which is not bread, while you perish for lack of food for your soul. Make haste to Christ, who is the bread of life to our souls, and who has said, "I am the bread of life. He that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth in me shall never thirst." (John vi. 35.) Sinners are condemned. Bible says, "He that believeth not is condemned already. Make haste, and receive pardon, for Jesus has bought it by the price of his own blood, and he proclaims pardon to the guilty. "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."

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Make haste, sinner, for death is pursuing you, and if he overtake you without being pardoned, misery, eternal misery, will be your portion. What thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might: and as the angel said to Lot, so God says to you" Escape for thy life." Come out from the wicked, and be ye separate. Be not conformed to this world. Hear the Saviour declaring for your encouragement, "Him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out."

HEAVEN LOST.

"WHAT," says our Saviour," shall a man be profited if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" 'Tis an incalculable, an infinite loss. As any one, by the grace of God, may gain heaven, what must be the reflection of one who shall lose his soul, with this fact looking him in the face? I knew salvation was free-that through the sufferings and intercession of Christ I might have been saved. I gained the pleasures of an unholy world, but lost the pleasures of heaven. I made friends with the wicked, and was the enemy of God. I had offer of pardon, but I rejected life, and Christ, and heaven. I heard a Saviour's voice, but deafened my ear that I might hear no more. O that those calls might not perplex me here, that the slumbers of eternal night might hush them still; that oblivion might snatch the views I have had of a crucified Saviour from this aching heart. But remembrance, imperishable and acute, stings my guilty soul. Heaven is lost. I might have been in heaven, but now heaven is forever lost! Can any tell what a man is profited, should he possess the world and yet lose heaven?

MISSIONARY SPEECHES OF NATIVE CONVERTS.

OUR readers must have attended many interesting missionary meetings, and have heard many eloquent speeches delivered at them; but we question whether any such meetings were ever more interesting, or any speeches delivered at them more eloquent and effective than those of which we subjoin specimens. The meetings we refer to were held in the South Sea Islands, and the speakers were converted natives. Soon after their conversion, they instituted missionary societies to aid in carrying to others the glorious Light which had dispelled their own darkness; and every year a May meeting was held, in connection with each of the associations, at which suitable addresses were delivered. And the heartiness which they exhibited in the cause, and the liberality with which they gave to its support, were such as might well put to shame the coldness and niggardliness of many in our Christian Churches at home. As one instance, we may state, in connection with the association at Raiatea, the funds contributed amounted the first year to £500, and the next to no less than £1800.

At the first meeting of this association, the following, among other speeches, were delivered:

Tamatoa, the king, who occupied the chair, said:

"Remember what you used to do for your lying gods. You used

to give them all your time, your strength, your property, and even your lives. Then you had nothing of your own; it was all the evil spirits'. If you had a canoe, or mats, or pigs, or cloth, or food -it all belonged to them. What a great work had you then to do in building marais; your property was all consumed in the worship of the gods. But now, all our property is our own, and here are our teachers in the midst of us. God sent them. He is of great compassion. And they left their own land to come here. Now our eyes are open, and we see it is all false, all paraupoke-word and work which end in death. Let us do what we learn. Let us take pity upon other lands. Let us give property willingly, with our whole heart, to send them missionaries. It is but a little work for the true God."

As soon as Tamatoa had resumed his seat, Puna, a native of a very consistent character, rose to nominate a secretary for one of the districts, and then said:

"Friends, I have a little question. In your thoughts, what is it that makes the heavy ships sail? I think it is the wind. If there were no wind the ships would stay in one place; but while there is wind, we know the ships can sail. Now, I think the money of the great Missionary Society is like the wind. If there had been none, no ship would have come here with missionaries. If there is no property, how can missionaries be sent to other countries-how can the ships sail? Let us then give what we can.'

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Tuahine, one of the deacons of the church, then stood up, and spoke thus:

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"Kings, chiefs, friends, and all of you; we have heard much speech to-day; do not be tired; I also have a little to say. Whence come the great waters? Is it not from the small streams that flow into them. I have been thinking that the Missionary Society in Britain is like the great water, and that such little societies as ours are like the little streams. Let there be many little streams. Let not ours be dry. Let missionaries be sent to every land." The last native who spoke, observed:"Friends, there are some amongst us who have been pierced with balls. Now, let our guns be rotten with rust; and if we are pierced, let it be with the Word of God. Let us have no more cannon balls; but let the word of God be the ball we shoot to other lands."

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And it is delightful to see how the meeting was improved to their own spiritual good. While remembering others, they did not forget themselves. Tamatoa concluded his address by saying:"Let us not assist in sending the gospel to other lands, and then, by our wickedness, drive it away from our own. Remember, there were many drowned who helped to build the ark. Take care, lest

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after sending the gospel to others, you die in your own sins. us not be like the scaffolding, which is useful in building the house, but is afterwards thrown into the fire."

And another said:

"We are now become a Missionary Society, and we are to give our property, that the Word of God may be carried to all lands; but let us ask, Is it in our hearts? has it taken root there? If not, how can we pity others?"

At the next meeting of the Society, Pahi, the secretary, after reading the report, said:

"My heart was rejoiced while I was reading the report. A thousand bamboos from one district! Fourteen hundred from

another! Well done, my friends! Let us not be weary or lazy, but let us double our diligence. We are constantly praying, 'Let thy Word grow;' but if we do not use the means, how can the Word grow? What would you think of a man whose canoe was fast on the beach, and who kneeled down, and prayed to God that his canoe might reach the sea? Would you not call him a foolish man, and desire him to stand up and drag his canoe? And shall not we act as foolish a part, if we pray, and do not use the means for making the Word of God to grow. Prayer and the means must go together, and then we may expect that all will know the Word of God."

THE BLOOD OF SPRINKLING.

HEB. XII.

WHEN first to Jesu's cross I came,
My heart o'erwhelm'd with sin and shame,
Conscious of guilt, and full of fear,
Yet drawn by love I ventured near,
And pardon found, and peace with God,
In Jesu's rich atoning blood.

My sin is gone, my fears are o'er,
I shun God's presence now no more:
With child-like faith I seek his face-
His throne, a throne of boundless grace:
Sprinkled before the throne of God,
I see his rich atoning blood.

Before our God our priest appears-
Our advocate the Father hears;
That blood is e'er before his eyes,
And day and night for mercy cries;
It speaks, it ever speaks to God,
The voice of that atoning blood.

By faith that voice I also hear,
It answers doubt, it stills each fear:

Th' accuser strives in vain to move
The wrath of him whose name is Love:
Each charge against th' elect of God,
Is silenc'd by th' atoning blood.

Here I can rest without a fear;
By this to God I now draw near,
By this I triumph over sin,

For this has made and keeps me clean;
And when before the throne of God,
I'll sing of the atoning blood.

J. G. D.

THE BOW ON THE CLOUD.

(Musings, in a moment of dejection, on the appearance of a rainbow.)

STILL we hail thee as herald of hope, love, and peace,
And still would'st thou charm away fear;

For we know where thou smilest, the storm shall soon cease,
And the sky that we love re-appear.

Amid earth's darkest griefs, may we ever thus turn
To the faithful, true witness in heaven;

And on each threat'ning cloud as we gaze, still discern
The Covenant Promise there given.

And oh! shall each record of love lure in vain?

And each heavenly pledge prove untrue?

Shall not earth, though accurs'd, bloom as EDEN again?

And the heart its first faith yet renew?

Yes, the heart still will trust, though dark clouds may the while
O'ershadow life's landscape with gloom;

And the earth, whilst again lit with Love's radiant smile,
Shall wear yet again EDEN's bloom.

Doncaster, Sep. 24th, 1845.

L.

END OF VOL. XXVII.

FOSTER, PRINTER, KIRKBY LONSDALE.

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