This lily lives no more to die; The joy of paradise. And all the seed shall by and bye To those fair mansions rise. "One River:" The Psalmist speaks of this river-" It shall make glad the city of our God." It is also mentioned in Revelation, as the 66 pure river of life;" and with it is put forth an invitation to poor thirsty souls: "The Spirit says, Come: the bride says, Come; and let him that is athirst come; and whosoever will, let him take of this water of life freely." And, furthermore, Isaiah breaks out by the Spirit of God, and says, "Ho! every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters; yea, come, buy wine and milk, without price." O, that I could always feel the same as the saint that said— I thirst in prayer that I may feel My heart to heaven aspire; I thirst for God's new covenant seal, "One City :" Zion, city of our God, the refuge for destitute, helpless, broken-hearted sinners, one of which I hope, yea, feel to be; for God, through Jesus, looketh not at man in his outward form, but at his heart. It is written, "Unto that man will I look, and with him will I dwell, that is of a poor and contrite heart, and trembleth at my word." "One City :" A covert from the storm; but when the storm of life is past, we shall have our vile bodies changed like unto His glorious body, and enter the mansions that Jesus has prepared for all those that are washed in His blood. Do not, my soul, be discouraged; for you are told in the Word that through much tribulation you must enter the kingdom. But may the Lord enable me to sing, I am bound for the city of Zion above, But where the redeem'd at the fountain of love, Shall be through eternity blest. "One Dove:" The one Spirit of God that came down from heaven upon the God-man Jesus Christ, when He came up out of the water wherein He was baptised (not sprinkled) by John, saying, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, hear ye Him." "One Dove"Jesus, the undefiled, the harmless, meek, and lowly Saviour, who knew no sin; but for the love He bore to His bride (the Church) He bare her sins in His own body upon the tree, that she, through Him, might have everlasting life. But I want the dove, the Spirit of the Three-One Jehovah, to say unto my soul, "This is the way, walk ye in it." 0, what wretchedness would it be to live as the poet has it If thou, celestial Dove, Thine influence withdraw, Far happier would it be to sing, Dwell always in my heart, My mind from bondage free; Then shall I know, and praise, and love The Father, Son, and Thee! "One Sheep :" O that my soul could praise thee, my God, with a thousand times more zeal for this character of the ever blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ-the one sacrifice. O that my hard heart would melt at the matchless love of Christ in His atonement, being led as a sheep to the slaughter; was delivered up for us all; who was sometime alienated, and far off from God by wicked works; but are now made nigh through the precious blood of Christ. We read in His word that He entered once into the holy place with His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption for us; so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time, without sin, unto salvation. O for a clearer sight, spiritually, to be looking with more humility to the one great sacrificeCHRIST JESUS; for, Not all the blood of beasts On Jewish altars slain, Can give the guilty conscience peace, But Christ, the heavenly Lamb, "One People:" How great must have been the love of Jesus Christ to poor fallen humanity, to agree in covenant for the chosen of God the Father, and the sealed of God the Spirit, to redeem out of the clutches of the broken law, before time was, 66 one people" from the world, that He might carry them to heaven as trophies of His obedience, love, and blood. O my soul, what a mercy for thee, that thou wast not left in thine own strength to follow the natural dictates of thy mind, but was drawn (in affliction) by the cords of love to the footstool of Divine mercy, favour and light, there to seek and to find eternal life. It is a marvel to my soul (but done in righteousness) to think that I, before I was brought into this world to run the common race of man, that God did, with the ever blessed Spirit, agree to accept me upon ground of the complete fulfilment of the holy law of God, which no other than Jesus Christ could fulfil! O what a happy state of soul to be in, to say by faith, " He loved me, and gave Himself for me." My soul is not always in that happy state; but I can say, since I have been brought to know something of Jesus Christ as my Saviour, I have not as yet been left without a hope or a desire, that I might be brought more and more to realise my personal interest in His blood and righteousness; although I do say with the poet sometimes, If I am His, why am I thus; Why this dull, this lifeless frame? Who have never heard His name. But when I am permitted to rise beyond the above verse, and say, What stream is that that sweeps away My sins just like a flood; Nor lets one guilty blemish stay? 'Tis Jesus' precious blood,— the then it is that my soul feels more happy; I desire to know more about this Jesus that shed His precious blood for " one people," a company that no man can number, to give life and joy everlasting unto yours, JOSEPH ROBERT PROCKTER. Somers Town, N.W. The Testimony of Francis Lowther. (Continued from page 174.) CALL TO THE MINISTRY. My call by the rich, the sovereign, and invincible power of God's grace has been laid before your readers, and, according to my promise, I shall endeavour to follow up my narrative, by giving a brief account of my call to the ministry, hoping the dear Lord may enable me to do so in truthfulness and sincerity, praying, at the same time, that His blessing may rest upon this feeble effort. When the dear Lord was pleased by His infinite goodness, to reveal Christ to me in His saving character, and that He was suitable to me as a poor helpless sinner, in His atoning sacrifice, inasmuch as He led me by the operation of God the Holy Ghost to know that He is mine, and that I am His, consequently, I was led to delight myself in Him, and that His name was precious to me, yea, far above all other names. This having been realized by me, in an experimental point of view, I soon became the subject of having a desire to proclaim His (Christ's) lovely, His precious and glorious name to others, with which thoughts, I was much exercised for weeks, and months; during which time I was often led to go to the throne of grace to ask my heavenly Father for instruction in this matter. For sometime there appeared to be no answer for me, which led me to conclude in my own mind, that the Lord did not intend that I should speak in a public manner, at all events, for some time. Therefore, I was left in this position with no clear and decided answer how to act, but merely to keep my mouth closed for a time; and this I did, save entering into conversation now and then with some private Christians on various religious subjects, which subjects I was very careful to avoid as far as possible, inasmuch as I believed the Lord had not opened my mouth to speak of those glorious and sublime things. But, whilst I was being thus exercised, a few aged men, godly men, established a cottage prayer meeting in the neighbourhood in which I resided at this time; and having a desire to attend this meeting, at least, occasionally, I did so, and felt happy under the reading of the word, and sometimes felt my soul burn with intensity to speak of my glorious Redeemer among them, for I felt my soul knit in love to those godly bands, and more especially when they engaged in prayer, and gave utterance to words of thankfulness to Jesus for what he had done for them, in saving their souls from destruction; and bringing them to realize His matchless love, and the forgiving riches of His grace. These things I had experienced for myself; and some of the old worthies who were conducting these meetings, knew that I rejoiced in those things as well; consequently, the master of the house where the meetings were held took me to task one night, and asked what was the reason that I did not take an active part occasionally in the meeting. I told him I came as a hearer, not as a public person; upon which he told me that I must be silent no longer, for those excuses would not be a sufficient reason to give to Christ who had led me to rejoice in him as the chiefest among ten thousand, and the altogether lovely, in that day when he would come to number up his jewels; saying at the same time, these remarks I leave with you for the present; also adding, that he would call upon me to engage in prayer for the future. I then left the house thinking I had brought myself into a wonderful dilemma, and at the same time wishing I never had gone to their house. I went home and went to bed, but there was no rest for me that night; and between praying, sighing, and groaning to the Lord for direction and guidance in this matter, I spent the night; and there appeared to be nothing but confusion and darkness in my mind, everything appeared to be a mystery to me; and sometimes I would say inwardly, I won't go to the prayermeeting any more; but amidst all this confusion these words came with such power to my mind, "Ye are the light of the world; a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid ;" "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven," Matt. v. 14, 16. These words brought me to pause, to think seriously that I must not absent myself from the prayer meeting, but go as usual; and having been cheered and encouraged by the goodness of God to me accordingly I went; and I was called upon to take part in the service by engaging in prayer. I was enabled to do so, and felt persuaded that the Lord had opened my mouth to speak of Christ's matchless love to sinners, in dying for them, in order that He might reconcile them to God the Father, by the blood of His cross. Being thus encouraged by the goodness of God, and the inward witnessing of the Holy Spirit, bearing witness with my spirit that I was a child of God, I felt enabled to continue in taking part in the services, connected with the meeting. I also felt encouraged to read a portion of God's holy word among them sometimes, and to comment on it by the way, as far as the dear Lord enabled me; and I truly did feel that the presence of God was manifested to me at this time in a wonderful way. Often at the conclusion of the service I have left the house overwhelmed with joy and gladness, from a manifested experience, that the love of God was shed abroad in my soul. These, I think, were my happiest days experienced for so far in my life's history, but even at this time I had my trials and persecutions, chiefly caused by me holding that God was the sole author and accomplisher of man's salvation, independent of creature effort or merits. This drew from the carnal professors and Arminian infidels a dreadful amount of persecution. Still, I thank God that even under all their enmity I was enabled to contend and hold fast to the truth. Abraham and Sarah. A LIFE SKETCH WORTHY OF CONSIDERATION AND IMITATION. ONE brick at the time! and so rises the building. Every house must rise brick by brick. How much might be learnt by these two or three words were we apt scholars in the school of life! Few are quick at learning by the common incidents of life. How many Naamans are there yet in the world! And they are not wanting in the church. If the Lord would but bid us do some great thing how ready should we be to do it. But who likes the slow, the tardy, the insignificant, the imperceptible work of building at the rate of " one brick at the time?" Yet, who that remembers London thirty, forty, or fifty years ago, and now looks at the gigantic terraces, the long rows of streets, the outstretching roads that have sprung into being during that time, spreading out through every suburban district, as though they intended filling the whole land, and make it the one monster metropolis of the world; who, we say, that looks on these rapidly-extending works, and recollects they have been accomplished by one brick at the time," but must feel ashamed of his own native proneness to “ despise the day of small things?' It is Jehovah that despiseth not the day of small things. Man everywhere is naturally disposed to despise the day of small things. Let us remember that so, by small degrees, the Temple, by the apparently insignificant hands of Zerubbabel, was raised. "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts." Yet, one stone at the time; and but one stone at the time, until the headstone was brought forth with shoutings of "Grace! grace unto it!" And yet, a more noble structure shall rise-nay, is rising-under the hand of our antitypical Zerubbabel. A structure, a temple, a city, a new Jerusalem, that has her foundations laid in sapphires; her windows being made of agates; her gates of carbuncles; and all her borders of precious stones. A glorious city this!— "A city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God." Even this great structure-this glorious building-under the hand of this Almighty Builder, rises one stone at the time. O! ye builders in this great, this noble work, take shame to yourselves at being so unwilling to work, because the Lord does not "bid you do some great thing.” Having shed one tear over the pride of your naughty heart, put your hand again to the work; be encouraged by His word where He says, "Go, work in my vineyard;" should you be honoured to lay but a few stones-nay, but one stone-in this glorious building, be assured you will not say when the building is completed, "I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought." May I say one word more to the labourers in the Lord's vineyard. He does not say, Go, do some great work, but, "Go, work in my vineyard." Remember this-seeing He does not bid you do a great work, neither does He hold you responsible for it; and your reward depends not on the accomplishment of the same. You must also remember this, that "whosoever shall give to drink, unto one of these little ones, a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward." In man's eyes this would be a little work indeed; but not so in the eyes of the Lord. How truly is it written, "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord; for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." We said, the building is rising-stone by stone. Every stone has to be gathered; separately gathered from nature's quarry: each one separately squared, fitted, polished, and prepared for its own right position in the building; and every stone separately carried to the Jerusalem above, there to occupy the place prepared for it by the great Master of the building. We cannot say how rapidly the work goes on, under the |