ERROR AND TRUTH.

Ir may appear to some persons that I make a startling, but nevertheless I believe it will be found at last a true and sober statement, when I say that most of the books written on religious topics, are written at the instigation of Satan to effect his own diabolical purposes; namely, to bewilder, delude, and entrap unwary saints, and, if possible, drown them in destruction and perdition.

To the vast majority of the so called "religious writers" in the present day how fearfully applicable is the Saviour's language, addressed to the poor benighted Jews, "Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures," not having "learned of God."

What astonishing ignorance, what gross absurdity, what strange blasphemy, do we continually meet with in books written, avowedly, for the purpose of imparting spiritual instruction! Oh, how sinners are deceived! how scripture is perverted! how God is dishonoured! and if as it is written, for “ "every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account in the day of judgment;" how much more fearful an account think you will be required from these "blind leaders of the blind" of all the worse than idle words that they have written and printed? Oh reader, authorship is a solemn business; would to God some of those engaged in it, felt more deeply their fearful responsibility, and would learn to read each page they write in the light of a near eternity, I say this not so much to Satan's hired servants, as to some who profess to be soldiers fighting in the cause of God and truth.

But, christian reader, I would affectionately ask, do not these mournful and incontestible facts afford us a clear and most solemn evidence that it is only by the teaching of God the Holy Ghost that we can understand any thing of the truth of God? Do they not show us how much need, those who have the elearest views of truth and who are the most deeply instructed, have to cry to God continually like David

of old, "O teach me thy statutes." Open thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law," (Ps. cxix. 12, 18.) Do they not teach us the special, the supreme regard which we should, and if we are christians, we will ever cherish for that blessed book, which (while the writings of carnal men are full of error and delusion, and even those of the most highly favoured and heaven taught saints are not wholly free from them), has the God who cannot lie for its author, and pure unshadowed truth for its contents!

Yea, beloved, do they not enable us to feel something of the blessedness of inheriting those "exceeding great and precious promises" of the guiding, teaching and enlightening of God's spirit which he has been pleased to make to his believing people, and to them. alone; "When he the Spirit of truth is come he will guide you into all truth," (John xvi 13) "If any man will do his will HE shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God," (John vii. 17.) THEY (his children) shall ALL be taught from God, (John vi. 45.) "For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man but the spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things which are freely given to us of God, which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Cor, ii. 11. 14.)

Beloved, in the "knowledge and understanding" of his most holy word, God pours contempt on human learning; when we see (and alas how often we do see) the wise and learned of this world stumbling at some of the plainest truths of the bible, and utterly unable to comprehend what, to even a babe in Christ, is as clear as the sun in the unclouded heavens, what can we say, but what He said who was incarnate truth

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"Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and has revealed them unto babes, even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight?" (Matt. xi. 25.)

Ah, unconverted reader, you may read your bible every day, you may pore over it till your sight and life both fail; and you will, you can never understand a page of it, you can never perceive a tithe of the wonders that it contains, you can never know anything of the reasons of its unspeakable preciousness to believers till God the spirit reveals them unto you and brings them home with power to your mind and heart. Oh may that Spirit open your blind eyes that you may be enabled to see in its pages, as in a glass, your own condition as a poor bankrupt sinner, and a free, full, and eternal salvation wrought out for such as you by Christ.”

"God's blessed bible open lies,

With heavenly wisdom stor'd,
But till the Lord anoint our eyes,
We cannot read a word."
"Philosophers have por'd in vain,
And sought from age to age,
But reason's eye can ne'er attain
To understand a page."

"The knowledge of the saints excels
The wisdom of the schools;

To them his secrets God reveals,
Though men account them fools."

Liverpool.

M. M.

PASTORAL VISITS.

No. 2.

18th. A hurried messenger came to beg me to come immediately to see Alice G. wife of T. G. a factory operative, "For the Doctor says she cannot live long, and she is impatient to see you." Upon further enquiry I found that she had been prematurely delivered of a stillborn child and was taken

worse in the night, quite sensible and aware of her danger.

Reader, do you ask how she had lived? was she a converted woman? alas, how few there are who will put that question to themselves in health, or bear others to put it to them; I fear she lived but forgetfully and carelessly, like too many wives and mothers, who think that the fulfilling their duties to their husbands and children, are to make up for all other deficiencies; she was, I should think, about twentyeight years of age, the eldest of a large family, who have all gone off in consumption; she had not the early advantage of "our Sunday School," and I fear her knowledge of the way of salvation was very imperfect, but of whom should we despair, since salvation is entirely of grace, and our God saveth whom he will and when he will; yea, and from that very "factory yard" souls have been converted even in their last illness; of this I have no doubt. As I walked hastily along I thought of these things and prayed that I might be directed how to speak to her, and that the Lord would bless this visit.

What a distressed house and distressing scene did I behold; below, her only brother, a lad of about 13, sinking fast into the grave from consumption, that ravaging complaint, which had carried her father and mother and four sisters to an early grave; above stretched on her bed and attended by two or three poor but kind neighbours (the poor are generally very kind to each other,) who where applying fomentations, lay the poor sufferer herself, her husband, a young man, reclaimed to habits of steadiness and sobriety, and attendance on public worship, through the instrumentality of our Temperance Society, had been reading the word of God to her. Shall I attempt to describe her appearance, it was most distressing, her face was of a livid blue or almost black colour, save where a saffron hue had spread itself over the skin, her eyes rolled from side to side and she laboured for breath, yet was perfectly sensible, and I do hope sensible of her sinful state, and looking to Christ for mercy. On my questioning her as

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to how she felt, she said " very ill, but hoped she should have a change before long," as I was aware this might be taken to refer either to the body or to the soul, I put my question in another form, saying," how do you feel in your mind and soul?" she said "I seem to have a little more hope, but I will not deceive you Mr. Hewlett, I do not feel confident," what do you want" said I, she immediately cried, looking upward, “O Lord pardon a poor helpless sinner," "then," said I, "you do feel yourself a sinner," "I do," she replied, "but it hurts me to talk, I must pray in my thoughts." I then read to her the cxvi Psalm, explained to her what David's state of mind was, before, and during the experience he spoke of in that Psaim, and how he cried out O Lord I beseech thee deliver my soul. She once or twice uttered Amen, and then added "I am quite willing to depart, indeed I had rather go if He would but make me ready, and take me to himself." I prayed with her and she said, as I rose from my knees, "thank you, thank you, sir, I could say amen to it all, and I could listen to you all day," and taking my hand she added "thank you and good bye, and if we don't meet again here, I hope we shall meet in that better world."

She died within a few hours; who shall dare to say there was no hope for that poor ignorant woman? but let no one draw encouragement from this visit, thus recorded, to live in a state of carelessness, postponing all serious thoughts to a death bed. There are few genuine repentances on a dying bed.

A. H.

THE FIRST TWELVE YEARS OF MY

MINISTRY.

LETTER LV.

MY DEAR FRIEND,

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THIS letter is to commence the tenth year of my ministry, but the number was very nearly going to press without it; in fact, it seemed, yesterday, that there must be a complete gap of a year, except what I could supply from memory, as I could not, anywhere, find the