THE EARTHEN VESSEL,

And Christian Record.

A New Year's Address,

TO SINNERS OF ALL SORTS, AND MINISTERS OF ALL SIZES.

FELLOW-MORTALS, AND CHRISTIAN MEN,-
In commencing the fourteenth volume of this
work, there is a large variety of subjects
which present themselves as candidates for
our contemplation and discussion; but as our
limits are scant, and the demands upon our
columns overwhelming, we are compelled to
hold in the reins of our thoughts, and simply
address ourselves, in a few practical words, to
five distinct classes of persons.
First, To our Readers.

Secondly, To our Correspondents.

Christianity, but who might be induced to read such notable stories as we this month give of the martyrdom of the Christian woman of Chipping Sudbury; and, thereby, under God's blessing, might be led to consider of their ways, be pricked in their hearts, and to cry out, "What must I do to be saved ?" And to meet such an inquiry, we are deeply concerned at all times, that the Holy Spirit should enable us, ministerially and editorially, to " go through the gates,"that is, to open up the way of salvation as

Thirdly, To our Fellow-labourers in the purposed in the covenant of grace; as fully Ministry.

Fourthly, To our Benefactors.
Lastly, To Ourselves.

accomplished by the dear Redeemer; as declared in the gospel, and as revealed in the hearts of the whole election of grace by the Eternal Spirit himself;-to gather out the stones, and to lift up a standard to the people, that so we might, as Paul says "by all means save some.'

1. To our Readers. We confess we are sensible of the imperfections of our work, and therefore, that so many of you, -— perhaps more than ten thousand monthly,-should have continued to look upon us, and still Are any of our readers of this class now hold up our hands, is a marvel; especially saying, "Oh, but my sins, my sins are greater when we know that not a few of the than can be forgiven! The difficulties of my pastors of our churches use all their in- salvation too great to be overcome?"` We fluence to denounce us;-when we reflect would say to such, as John Flavel once said,upon the immense number of other publi-"There is merit enough in his blood, and cations constantly issuing, and when we consider the huge difficulties under which we have laboured, we are anxious most unreservedly to thank you for the patronage you have bestowed upon us; and as we have testimonies, not a few, that THE EARTHEN VESSEL has been an instrument of good to many souls, we earnestly crave your continued and persevering support, beseeching you, not only to read it yourselves, but that you circulate it in your neighbourhoods, among your friends, and that you send it to other shores, and other climes, where multitudes of our countrymen are now migrating, and are truly pleased when tidings from British Zion come to their hands.

There are, at least, six different kinds of readers for whose soul-profit we would labor.

(1). Such as are yet strangers to Christ, and have no saving knowledge of his dear name. When we commenced this EARTHEN VESSEL, one desire we had, was, to publish the essential truths of the gospel in such interesting and attracting forms, and by such soul-stirring facts, as might catch hold of the minds of many who would not read dry arguments, or naked essays on the doctrines and duties of VOL. XIV.-155.

mercy enough in his bowels, to justify and save such as thou art." And if there is in one corner of thy poor penitent heart the smallest grain of grace that can be, if there be in thy poor weeping eye the most imperfect looking unto Jesus for a full and a free salvation, although thy sins burden thee, and Satan hinders thee, yet certain it is,

The time of love will come,

When thou shalt clearly see
Not only that he shed his blood,
But you shall say, FOR ME.

Self-deceiving souls, is another class of readers we would labour to be useful to. This is an extraordinary day for making the gospel amusing, pleasant and suited to the natural desires of the natural mind. We have the gospel and tea-gardens, religion and bazaars, preaching and public excitement, all so associated together, that the old-fashioned way of taking up the cross and following the Saviour is almost unknown; and the pathway of tribulation is despised; and those who contend for that salvation which begins in broken hearts, and is evidenced by a suffering for Christ, are looked upon as enemies to the

B

common weal; they are denounced as bigots,
and scorned, shunned, and shut out of the
pale of the fashionable Christian circle, as the
feper was in olden times. The number is not
small in these days, "who easily take up a
satisfaction of their interest in Christ;" and
immediately, many of them become zealous
teachers, lecturers, preachers, or missionaries,
while there is much cause to fear they know
neither the terrors of the law nor the sove-
reign remedies of the gospel. "Remember,
friend (says a Devonshire deep taught scribe),
remember, whatever plausible encomiums men
may pat thy dark head with, however much
thou mayest flatter thine own soul that
heaven is thine, remember, thy final sentence
is not yet come from the mouth of thy Judge;
and what, if after all thy self-flattering
hopes, and groundless confidences, a sentence
should come from him quite contrary to that
of thine own heart, and to that of thine own
favourite minister, WHERE ART THOU THEN?
What an awfully confounded sinner thou then
wilt be! Christless, speechless, and helpless,
all at once!" Oh, be not deceived! if thou art
building for eternity, be sure that our poet's
words must be the vitalizing expression of thy
very soul,-

On Christ, the SOLID ROCK, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

In olden time, God appointed three leaders, to lead his ancient people safely-Moses, the law-giver, led them out of Egypt through the sea to Sinai; Aaron, the priest, led them to the bleeding sacrifice, and to the tabernacle, to seck for the blessings of pardon and peace; David, the king, led them to victory, to the ark of the covenant, and to the kingdom. The law must be our schoolmaster until Christ

comes,

To be of sin the double cure,

a guilded napkin, and then turned them off into hell. Ministers, Deacons, and gospel professors all! Many of you have slandered us because we have been over willing in trying to do good-and we have been too often in error, we will confess-but unto many of you, we dare to say-(for we know some of you better than you think we do-we say), beware, lest, at last, it be said to you-"Remember, thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things," &c., &c. Oh, covetous professors, beware.

There are also loose and careless hearers of the gospel. The Lord help us, to contend for a holy faith, and for fruits becoming the real disciples of Christ!

There are some who have been great sinners but they have obtained mercy; we would labour to stir them up to give full proof of the verity of that word, where much is forgiven, that much forgiveness produces an abundance. of love to the Great Forgiver. There is one more class of readers, they are those who live on Christ-with Christ-and for Christ. Oh, happy men! to cheer you, and comfort you, shall be our constant aim, by all the mind and material our Lord shall give.

Secondly, In addressing our Correspondents, we are confounded. Their liberality has so far exceeded our limits, that our arrears are dreadful to look upon. Many are offended, and consider we deserve to be driven from our editorial chair; we are often of the same mind; but as there is a difficulty in finding another Issachar-(please to read Genesis xlix. 14,) we must continue to do the best we can, so long as the Providence of God, and the patience of the people, permit us here to toil. We have a number of valuable papers which we hope to give shortly-and communications experimentally, and historically, illustrative of the Grace of God in Zion, will at all times receive our most careful attention.

To cleanse you from its guilt and power. Thirdly, To our Benefactors-those kind friends who have responded to the proposition Then-and only then, can he say to you of the committee for the redemption of this "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the publication, we are specially grateful. Somekingdom prepared for you from the foundation thing like £80 has been subscribed towards the of the world." We are exceedingly jealous: £250-the price at which THE EARTHEN because we fear soul-deceiving work is now VESSEL was transferred again to us. The rampant and to unmask the mere letter-sums contributed have been, for the most part, preacher to undeceive the priest-ridden, small; but the testimonies of usefulness forshould be our aim, and the great aim of all warded with those sums, have encouraged our who are ambassadors indeed for Jesus Christ hope that our labour is not in vain. There Covetous worldly-minded professors are an- are few, if any who know the painful position other class of readers we would labour to reach. we occupy, in pecuniary matters. Our prinWe boast not. No.-God forbid. But we cipal desire for time, is, to live and labour, may say, we have spent the greater part of until it shall be seen that our faith in the proour life-and many hundreds of our own-mises which lay at the end of the ninety-first and of other people's stores-in endeavouring Psalm, has not been of a false and fatal to publish THE PURE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. character. We have been dashed hither and thither, while sailing in the gospel ship, and all that has been given us, we have as freely given again. But, Oh, what wretched clenching of fists; what covetous souls; what defrauders of Zion, have we known and seen! To them we would sayBeware! lest the dust of the earth so get into thine eyes that thou never see the beauty or the necessity of Christ. There have been thousands, who have had their pews, their places, and their pompous persons in the visible church, over whose eyes Satan has drawn

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Fourthly, To our Brethren, the Pastors and Ministers of the word, we are disposed to write at some length, but space cannot be allowed: this privilege is deferred; although The Present Character and Condition of the Gospel Ministry is a subject which an able and an impartial mind might discuss to great advantage.

A few words must suffice. And first of all, we would express our most hearty thanks unto all who have in any measure co-operated with us in labouring to disseminate the truth as it is

in Jesus: and even to those good and gra-
cious men who do not recognise us, we can
most heartily say-as the sainted John did to
his well beloved Gaius-" beloved, we wish
above all things that thou mayest prosper,
and be in health." The times which have
been passing over our churches in London,
have been severely trying. An extraordinary We are all looking toward one port—
and an unusual excitement like a whirl-wind,
has been driving through us: nearly every

all sailing in one ship-and on our banner is
inscribed,

Sovereign grace o'er sin abounding!
We are all sailing under one Captain-
JEHOVAH JIREH_Immanuel God with us!

The desired haven.

church in the metropolis has been sifted and We are all anxious to enter into one cityshaken: some few ministers have been shaken too. The excitement has been The city of the living God.

The narrow stream of death.

Dust thou art-and unto dust thou must return.

We all hope to appear in the likeness of His resurrection—

enough to scatter our churches to the winds; We must all pass over one Jordanbut it has not done so: with one or two exceptions, every minister of truth has stood his ground-and the greater portion of the We shall all descend to one levelliving in Jerusalem have stood fast by their ministers; and although we are far from a very prosperous state of things, still, upon the whole, there is a great cause for thankfulness, and we trust that the sanctifying and the saving TRUTH of the New Covenant will be seen to be more triumphant than ever, after these We all pray to be received with one welcomeexciting influences have found their level; and we by no means wish to insinuate that the excitement has been productive of evil; it has stirred all the churches to their very centre; and we hope the best results will follow. Albeit we must speak again.

must

The dead in Christ shall rise first.

Come ye blessed of my Father.

And then we shall all unite in one song-
Worthy the Lamb, that died, we'll cry,
For he was slain for us.

Foremen - deep Wells-men
Now, then, brethren-whether we be noble
Murrel-men-high minded Milners-logical
pre-existerian
Palmers-pithy and pleasing Bloomfields-
sturdy Williamsons - determined Joneses
Baptist-despising Abrahamses-witty Bowleses

Ministerial brethren, let us be heard for one moment. There is gathering around us a large amount of the profession of truth without the power of it. There are many who are running, and many more are seeking hard to run, who have a clear sounding bell, but we fear it is not the golden bell; neither is steady Attwoods-wing clipped Birds-afthere the pomegranate with it; the conse- flicted Nunns-fine-threaded Chiverses-proquences are divisions, dissatisfactions, and found Cozenses-argumentative Boxers-fruitweaknesses. We want living, soul-feeding, ful Butterfields-lively Davises-affectionate edifying, ministers. The churches, from one Hankses - meditative Hazletons end of the land to the other, are crying out Flacks-angry Gunners-out-spoken Greens - sterling for ministers who have weight and sterling-timid and trembling Whitteridges-loudworth about them; but they are rarely to be trumpet Haslops courteous and kindly found. Brethren, we want that "double Wyards-sharp and shrill little Meeresesportion" of the Spirit's unction, which shall en- patient and particular Moyles-hot-hearted able us to open up two deep places-the word Parkers - Lutheran Stringers - attracting of God-and the sinner's heart. It is not talk- Vaughans-high and holy-minded Luckinsing about the word, nor talking to the people, teaching Ponsfords-literary Wilkinsesthat effects the vital change: we carry-all-before-ye Corbitts-soft and savoury through God enter into the word and through Wigmores-learned Brunts :--Yea, whatever it into the souls of the people; then, and not may be our natural cast, or our Gospel positill then, will our Churches revive. We have tion, let us, one and all, "Cease to do evil, and some men of this character; and their min- learn to do good." Let us study to shew ouristry is a great and a growing blessing. The selves approved unto God, workmen that need Lord long spare them, we pray. Brethren- not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word pray for us-and aid us, in contending for all of truth; and if we cannot love one another that is vital for every branch of Truth which as, perhaps, we should aim to do, let us strive comes from heaven-and for that ministry to provoke one another unto love, and to good which commends itself to the consciences of works, and that with the great apostle we may men-driving out Satan with all his base de- say, "And his grace which was bestowed upon lusions. As instruments in the hands of the me was not in vain, but I laboured more abunAlmighty, it lays with you, brethren in the dantly than they all; yet not I, but the grace ministry, to give us an immense amount of of God which was with me." Whatever others help in the year now commencing. You can may do, we say, Good Lord! let this be the send us communications of a valuable character one great aim of THE EARTHEN VESSEL. drawn from your own studies, from your own experiences, and from your own observations: and you can speak for us, if the Lord shall so stir up your pure minds, as to constrain you to remember THE EARTHEN VESSEL. It we are ministers of Christ's own making, we are

looked into the glass of the Holy Word to see Lastly, A word to Ourselves. We have if there was any confirmatory resemblance. In the distance, we saw something like it in the builders of the second temple; but our views thereof; and our views as regards this

LAST month we recorded the terrible calamity
of the loss of a vessel, called "The Dunbar,'
whereby 139 passengers sank to rise no more
in this time-state, and among them the eldest
daughter of the venerable Mr. Dowling, her
husband, their six dear children, and servant.
From the following deeply interesting letters,
much comfortable information is derived as
regards the family here referred to. Indeed,
it is to us very plain that Mr. Dowling's
daughter was deeply convinced of the near-
ness of her departure, although she never, it
may be, thought that it would be in such a
way. This is proved by the verses she sent
to her brother, and which are given below.
(To the Editor of THE EARTHEN VESSEL.)
DEAR MR. EDITOR.-ENCLOSED aro copies,
and extracts, of letters received from (Laun-
ceston) Henry Dowling, Sen., and Henry Dow
ling, Jun.; they will be read with much inter-
est and sympathy by many friends who know
Henry Dowling, Sen., and his family; it is
wonderful with what resignation the grace of
God enabled the dear old man to bear such
dreadful tidings.

the late David Denham, some years since, in Unicorn Yard Chapel. He was considered a sound hearted Christian man, and some prophesied that he would live to occupy Mr. Dowling's pulpit whenever it should please the Lord to call him home. But alas! how vain are all our thoughts, many times. We rejoice to know this catastrophe was but a chariot to take him and his beloved wife home to glory. Oh! what a sudden transition! Ah! who can tell what that is, to be "Absent from the body, and present WITH THE LORD?

We give, first, the following communication from the Junior Mr. Dowling, the Mayor of Launceston. It is headed

OBITUARY.

On the night of Thursday, the 20th ult., through the melancholy wreck of the ship Dunbar, near the entrance of Sydney harbour, after a previously prosperous voyage from London-Mr. Kilner Waller, aged 41 years, son of the late Captain Edward Waller, of H.M. 87th Regiment Royal Irish Fusiliers, and brother of Mr. J. G. Waller, of Wynardsquare, Sydney; also Hannah Maria, his wife, and daughter of the Rev. Henry Dowling, of Launceston, Tasmania; also their six children, Mary Dowling, aged 13 years; Edward Kilner, aged 9 years: Kate Elizabeth, aged 8 years; Maria Theresa, aged 6 years; Arthur Henry, aged 4 years and three months; John Leonard, aged 3 all lost. years; and the servant accompanying them, were

Extract from a letter from M. G. Waller, Sydney:

"I discovered my darling Maria thrown up in one of the bays of the harbour, about three miles from the scene of the disaster. She was decently clad in her night dress, and having all the appearance of a placid death, and a cheerful and confiding submission to the will of a wise and never erring God. Poor Polly (her daughter) lying close

beside her."

MANY friends of my late sister and her beloved husband, will feel an interest in this melancholy recital. On a very recent occasion, writing to a christian friend here, she expressed an apprehension that she should not live to reach her adopted country; and gave utterance to some desires in event of her husband and children being deprived of her maternal care. In this letter she enclosed a paper, with her initials attached, which, to her family, possesses much interest, for in her letter she expressed her appropriation of the verses to her own experience and desires.

Henry Dowling, Jun., was in his official capacity, as Mayor of Launceston, engaged reThe one subject-"Nearer to Thee"lieving emigrants on the Sunday alternoon, seems peculiarly and almost sublimely adapand had just sat down from prayer and praise ted to associate with her recent departure and to God for their safe arrival, when a letter present employment. The other subject is a was put into his hand from Sydney, contain-fitting exhortation, as from her sainted lip to ing the dreadful intelligence of the wreck of her sorrowing relatives and friends, that they the "Dunbar," and loss of 139 passengers bow submissively to her Heavenly Father's and crew, out of 140 (only one man, Johnson, will. HENRY DOWLING. remained alive); among those were eight of Launceston, 8th Sept. 1857. his own family; a sister, her husband, and six dear children, within sight of the harbour. You have doubtless seen all the particulars, in the papers, therefore I need say no more. I leave it in your hands, and remain, yours in Christian bonds, THOS. STIDSTONE,

7, St. George's Place, Brixton, Dec 12, 1857. Mr. Kilner Waller, the devoted husband of pastor Dowling's daughter, was baptized by

lines she enclosed :
The following two beautiful pieces are the

"NEARER TO THEE."
NEARER, my God, to Thee,-
Nearer to Thee!
E'en though it be a cross

That raiseth me;

Still all my song shall be,
Nearer, my God, to Thee,

Nearer to Thee!