subject of my wishing you to preach in their pulpit, and also that of Mr. Cousens; he asked me if I was aware they were an independent Church from every other, and would not allow any one to interfere with them. Besides, he did not like men that harped on one side of the doctrines of the Bible. Election was a truth, he knew, but he liked to hear all the doctrines preached." I said, "The men I pleaded for did preach all the doctrines, experimentally, practically, and savourily; and that caused me to ask them in love to let them preach there." He said "he liked to hear men that would preach the Gospel to sinners as well as to the elect." He said, "if he could believe in the doctrine of reprobation, he should believe God was a monster." He would not grant me my request; I left his house, praying the Lord to keep me from his faith. I was discomfited, but a dear brother (the manager of New Passage Chapel), came to me for you to have his pulpit:

"God moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform."

There you, dear Banks, preached to a large congregation, the people standing on the stairs, and the glory of the Lord filling the house. That night the Lord sent a young man there, and he was so blessed that I heard him relate it before a great number of living souls, and the testimony rejoiced our hearts. I was crumbled into the dust; beside this, I have heard of many others who give blessed testimonies that their souls were watered with the showers from heaven. My dear brother Turpin also declares how the Lord blessed him in the sermon at New Passage; so, my dear brother, you see you did not preach at How Street, and was rejected at Morrice Square, that New Passage Chapel might be opened, where God, from all eternity, designed in a special way to bless his redeemed: "The wrath of man shall praise him." The deacons have not allowed Mr. Cousens to preach there since, but he has preached twice at Trinity Chapel. The repeated testimonies I hear of God the Holy Ghost putting his broad seal on and in your ministry is marvellous in my eyes, it makes me cry out "What hath God wrought!" A woman called on me last week, and told my wife and me how the Lord blessed her soul in the sermon preached in brother Weslake's chapel on the first night of your arrival: although you preached it in bonds, you were in the Lord's hand as feet to her lame feet, eyes to the blind, and liberty to her captive and prison-bound soul; she came into our house, and preached over the Sermon, and opened up to us on each head how the Holy Ghost came with his anointing, and preached to her salvation through the blood of the everlasting covenant. The testimony through her made the spot appear to me holy ground, as the house of God and the gate of heaven; her testimony was brought home with great power in my soul. She never saw you before, nor heard of you, only by the bills stuck on the walls to give notice of your coming here to preach. I name this for the glory of God and for your consolation, as this is a redundancy above all your trials and tribulations you have to wade through. Yours in the best of bonds, J. GREENSLADE,

[We leave this letter to speak for itself. We knew nothing of our dear friend Greenslade's seeking for Morrice-Square pulpit; but we know he greatly loves to hear the Gospel when and where he can. The deacons of Morrice Square are at perfect liberty to reject any minister whom they do not approve: toward them we have not one unkind feeling. We can only grieve over the fact, that men who know not the truth should be permitted to hold bondage. How will they answer for this a place and a people in such death-like in the great day of account? A pamphlet entitled Words by the Wayside," descriptive of this Plymouth journey, is published, and may be had of Robert Banks and Co., 182, Dover Road, London, and of Mr. Bate, Old Town Street, Plymouth. We are (instrumentally) clearing the way for Mr. Cousens to preach in London; and here, we hope, his labours will be honoured.-ED.]

PECKHAM.

MR. Moss, senior, upholsterer and undertaker, departed this life on Saturday morning, Dec. 13th, 1856. Mr. Moss was for years a useful and devoted deacon and servant of the church at Deptford, while Mr. W. Felton was pastor there. His sufferings for nearly but in him to the end was truly verified the twelve months have been unusually severe; words recorded in Psalm xxxvii., " Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright; for THE He has left an END OF THAT MAN IS PEACE," afflicted widow, three daughters, and three sons. Their loss is great; his gain is glorious. We hope to give some account of his passage through Jordan in a future. number.

ROTHERHITHE.

MR. EDITOR, -Having left "Bethesda," Jamaica Row, the people have taken a large school-room, at No. 3, Lucas Street, Rotherhithe, which we have named "Bethlehem," and they have engaged me to continue to preach to them. I hope the Lord is blessing the Word.-J. BUTTERFIELD.

Please give my address-54, Goodge Street, Tottenham Court Road.

KINGSTON ON THAMES BAPTIST
CHAPEL.

To the Editor of the EARTHEN VESSEL.

BROTHER BANKS,- The Baptist church in the above place having unanimously invited Mr. T. W. Medhurst (from the church under the pastoral care of C. H. Spurgeon) to occupy their pulpit, he has accepted the same, and commenced his labours there on the 23rd of December. He has preached here six Lord's-days previous to this invitation, during which time the chapel was well filled, while the Word was blessed to the conversion of eight souls. Thus is our God working, by whom He wills. Yours in covenant love,

EXCELSION.

UNICORN YARD BAPTIST CHAPEL, TOOLEY STREET, SOUTHWARK. THE 13th anniversary of C. W. Banks's ministry in London was holden on Tuesday, December 2nd, 1856. Mr. John Corbitt, of Chelmsford, preached three sermons on the previous Sunday, and one on the Tuesday afternoon. A good party took tea, and the anniversary meeting commenced in the evening, soon after six. After singing and prayer, C. W. Banks gave a few introductory remarks, which were followed by pleasant and profitable addresses by some of the brethren present, among whom were Thomas Attwood, of Camberwell, Joseph Wilkins, of Greenwich, James Nunn, of St. Pancras, R. Bowles, of Poplar, Flack, Dickson, Firinan, &c., &c. The attendance of ministering brethren was numerous, the gathering of friends was very encouraging, and hopes are entertained that even in this much-debased neighbourhood a revival of God's good work may be found. If the text on which C. W. Banks founded his anniversary sermon be fulfilled, we shall see Zion arise once more in Unicorn Yard. The scripture was, Thou, O Lord, remainest for ever; thy throne from generation to generation. Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever, and forsake us so long a time? Turn thou us unto thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old."--Lament. v. 19, 21. hope, next month, to show this prayer has not been unheeded.

We

DUTY-FAITH AND LIVING FAITH. To the Editor of the EARTHEN VESSEL. DEAR SIR,-Why this blast and noise about duty-faith? Why do we not leave off bickering and quarrelling, and leave preachers to their God and their consciences, striving to rectify our own faults, and leave other people's alone till we ourselves are perfect? Duty-faith, what is it? "Oh," says one, "it is an ugly hobgoblin, which is frightening half the parsons of the present day." Well, let us examine it. List; it speaks," Believe, and be saved; believe not, and be damned' -hoarse though his voice is, yet how marvellously it is like the old book-Mark xvi. 16. Well, duty-faith, we will let you alone, for if you be of God, you must stand; while, on the other hand, if you be of man you must fall.

But let us turn to the other-saving faith. Who art thou? Hark! she answers, "I am a principle from God, wherever I enter Christ is my companion. I am a mighty power, for when I enter into a corpse I bring with me life, and dead bones revive and live again. I work a marvellous change, for when I am given to a culprit his eye brightens and he is pardoned; his list of crimes, be they ever so long, instantly vanish, and vanish for ever. have power with God, for He cannot resist my cry. was born in heaven, and am applied to the heart in every case by the Holy Spirit as a precious gift. I sustain my possessor in the midst of troubles. I am immortal, though my life is often in apparent jeopardy; yet I shall triumph over all my enemies because

I come from God, while they come from beneath."

Well, living faith, we will leave off quibbling about other systems, and will not rest happy unless we possess thee, for we can see that thou art the source of all true joy. T. W. MEDHURST. Mill Road, Collegiate School, Bexley Heath, Dec. 6th, 1856.

THE LOVE OF GOD.

DEAR SIR,-I am but a babe, yet very anxious to learn, and wish to be instructed in the truth. The sacred Scriptures, Cruden's Concordance, the VESSEL and Standard form my library, and I find them suited for babes, as well as for fathers and old men. My pastor has been affirming what I cannot read to be revealed truth. I therefore, after seeking Divine illumination, am led to ask you and your correspondents whether it be truth or not. May He whose province it is to guide into all truth enable you and your readers so to write as to convince all who yearn after truth to find it to the joy and rejoicing of their souls. He says:

"The love of God extends to every human being and to every beast and reptile-that such always were and are still loved by God."

That the very angels cast out of heaven for sinning were the objects of God's love."

"That it is the duty of all God's children to pray for the salvation of every human being in the world, that every one may be saved."

He says, "The proofs for such are John iii. 16; 1 John ii. 2.” J. H.

SALEM (BAPTIST) CHAPEL, CHURCH

At

STREET, STOKE-NEWINGTON. A FRIENDLY tea-meeting took place at the above chaple on Wednesday evening, November 26th, for the purpose of bringing the church into a closer and more personal acquaintance with the pastor. the same time, hoping that good might be done, the church gave a gratuitous invitation to the seat-holders and others worshipping with them, to meet their new pastor (Mr. Wm. Dovey), and take tea with him and them on that occasion.

Messrs. Bloomfield, of Meards Court, Soho, Pepper, of Newington Green, and Edgecomb, were present. Messrs. Milner, of Keppel Street, and Palmer, of Homerton, promised to be present, but illness in the one case and forgetfulness in the other deprived the friends of their company. The meeting was a cheerful and happy one. The addresses, although unpremeditated, and chosen from hints thrown

revealed in the Scriptures of truth. As a proof of this, I need only say that the successor of Mr. Futcher entered into an agreement with a parson of the neighbourhood that he would not introduce the doctrines of election and believers' baptism into the pulpit; and he kept his word.

When the writer of these lines was directed in the providence of God to this peopie he found them for the most part ignorant of the distinguishing doctrines of grace; indeed, so much so, that when he began to declare the electing love of God the Father, the predestinating purposes of Jehovah in the person of Jesus Christ, and the effectual calling of the Holy Ghost, and also the experience and evidences of those who have passed from death unto life,-many of the people went back, and have walked no more with us up to the present time.

It has been a winnowing or separating work, and yet God has blessed his own Word in the comforting and establishing of his own people. They are rejoicing in the truth, and, after being with them twelve months, we were honoured by the great Head of the Church in administering the ordinance of believers' baptism to three persons on the last Sabbath in October. One was a young man (son of a brother in the faith, a member of the church at Reading, Berks), who gave a clear and satisfactory account of the work of grace in his heart. The second was a daughter of the administrator. The third a sister in the Lord Jesus, who has been called to pass through seas of poverty, affliction, and persecution. May the blessing of a covenantkeeping God rest upon them, that they may be preserved in the truth, and abound in everything which shall be to the praise of the glory of his grace.

In addition to our labours at Longparish, morning and afternoon, we have services in our own house (11, East Street, Andover) on the evening of the Lord's-day, and also on Tuesday evening, which I am happy to say are well attended. Begging an interest in the prayers and sympathies of the Lord's family, Yours in the Gospel, GEORGE DYER.

BAPTIST CHAPEL, HOWE STREET, PLYMOUTH.

ORDINATION AND ANNIVERSARY SERVICES.

To the Editor of the EARTHEN VESSEL. MR. EDITOR,-As many of your contributors and friends have preached the Gospel to us here, doubtless they will be glad to know how we are getting on. I therefore send you an account of our ordination and anniversary services.

We were favoured to have that faithful servant of Jesus Christ, Mr. J. Foreman, of Mount Zion Chapel, London, to conduct the ordination services in connection with the settlement of Mr. W. Bull (late of Burgh, Lincolnshire), as pastor over us.

On Tuesday, November 25th, afternoon, Mr. Foreman stated the nature of a Gospel church, taking the account given in the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles as a model; after which the usual questions relative to our calling Mr. Bull to the pastorate and his

acceptance thereof were asked and replied to. A remark of our esteemed friend Mr. Foreman was much to the point here, "that it was well for persons before marriage to understand each other's heart and mind, and to be fully agreed, that there be no falling out afterward." The marriage service concluded, we separated till the evening, when Mr. Foreman delivered to his brother Mr. Bull and to all present a very faithful, powerful, and truthful address froin Ephes. iv. 11. On Thursday evening Mr. Foreman preached to the church from Ephes. iv. 3. In the course of which he gave us some excellent advice, ably expounding his text and the three following verses, clearly showing forth the unity of the Trinity, and the work of each person-Father, Son, and Holy Ghost-in the economy of salvation.

On the intermediate day (Wednesday, November 26th) we held our second anniversary in the chapel, when upwards of 200 sat down to tea; after tea a public meeting presided over by our pastor Mr. Bull, which, being opened with singing and prayer, was addressed by brethren Turner, Easterbrook, Westlake, and Foreman

I believe it was a very profitable time to all. I can say for myself it was good to be there, and feel that whilst we have much to contend with, we have much to be thankful for. Pray for us, brethren, that the dear Lord may continue to bless us and prosper his servant in our midst. Amen. Yours in the hope of the Gospel, SIMON HILL. Plymouth, December 9th, 1856.

A LITTLE SISTER. A LITTLE Baptist church, meeting for worship in a village near Maidstone (consisting of thirty-five members, very poor persons) is, in a great measure, deprived of the privilege of commemorating the death of our Lord. The church has been formed more than three years. During that time we have only had the Lord's Supper six or seven times. A few ministers have favoured us with a visit; viz. Mr. Shindler, of Matfield Green; Mr. Neville, of Sutton-at-Hone; Mr. Robin. son, of Boro' Green; Mr. Lingley, of Meophan; and Mr. Hanks. Mr. Stringer preached at our anniversary. We get good supplies from different churches round for the pulpit on a Sabbath-day; we are so poor we cannot give them much, and pay rent for chapel (91. per year); but the supplies we have are not ordained ministers; and therefore do not feel at liberty to administer the ordinance. Can you suggest or advise us how to act under these circumstances, so as to secure to us what we so much desire- the administration of this ordinance once a month or otherwise? Believing you feel interested in the welfare and prosperity of the poor of Christ's flock, I am deputed by the church to make these inquiries. On behalf of the church, A POOR WORM.

[Is there no one of the supplies of suffi cient ministerial power that the church could call to the pastorate? If not, send us the proper address. We can advise by letter.— ED.]

THE CHURCH AT LITTLE LONDON

AND MR. LEFEVRE. [THE following description of ministerial character surpasses any we have lately seen. It would be a blessing indeed if our churches were favoured with such ministers as our correspondent represents the present pastor of Willenhall to be. We do not question the truthfuness of the description. We have no reason so to do. Three things we will say. First. We do not think Mr. B. Davies wrote in any other spirit than that of love and esteem for his brother Lefevre. Secondly. we heartily pray that Mr. Lefevre's ministry at Willenhall may be a very long and successful course; and lastly, we say to all our brethren who are not too proud to learn of another-Read the following description of a country pastor, and go and do likewise.-ED.] MR. EDITOR,-In your Number for November I select a few lines from the diary of Mr. B. Davies, of Leighton, in which he makes reference to the cause at Willenhall, Staffordshire. "Mr. Lefevre, the new pastor of the Baptist church at Little London, is a pleasant sociable man, but, I fear, will not be over comfortable there, as the people are divided amongst themselves." The quotation leaves the statement clothed with much ambiguity. I think when ministers give representations of churches or brethren with whom they meet it should be done most honestly and clearly. With regard to the division at Little London I feel it to be an incumbent duty to the Redeemer's cause here to say that our beloved pastor Mr. Lefevre is not the cause of the division mentioned. He received a cordial invitation from the church, and was anxiously anticipated to enter upon his labours. Innocent of the cause, he commenced his responsible and most trying position; and we sincerely believe, if we can prevail upon him to stay with us, that we shall be brought into a condition of numerical, pious, and loving prosperity. Mr. Lefevre's ministry is of a telling character, both in point of manner and The Gospel is fully, faithfully, intelligently, zealously, and affectionately delivered to sinners as sinners; and whilst the unbeliever is solemnly cautioned and addressed, the formalist is attacked in his refuge of lies, the backslider exhorted, the mourner comforted, the believer is built up, and all are sent to their closets before a heartsearching God and the solemnities of a final judgment. Under such a ministry no one can attend without results the most important-may it long be continued amongst us. It is the kind of ministry we have long needed and prayed for, and we hope it is the time to favour this part of Zion.

of matter.

The ministry of our highly esteemed pastor is second to none, and is truly adapted to explode the errors which have been too long promulgated within the walls of our noble house of prayer: this and the urbanity of his manners, together with his pastoral visitations and social, unsectarian, and holy walk, must not only endear him to all, but must, under the Divine blessing, secure the glory of our Heavenly Head in the extension of his kingdom in this densely populated and profligate town. T. ATTWOOD.

MR. T. J. MESSER.

"Is he yet alive? He is my brother."1 Kings xx. 32.

["FALSEHOOD"-that daring imp-published, the other day, the death of our brother Messer. We sighed; we thought we saw him laid in his grave; we said, "His work is done-his sorrows are over;" and afresh we looked to heaven, praying to be prepared by grace divine to say with Paul," for me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." A day or two passed over, and some one said, "Mr. Messer is not dead." We wrote him without delay. A note in his own hand-writing came in reply; from it we quote the following:-]

"Hayle, Dec. 16th, 1856.

"DEAR BROTHER,-Your report of my supposed death has given intense pain to a great number of my friends, whatever delight it may have given to my enemies. Through mercy I am yet alive, and have preached, since the morning of November 30th, five times, besides delivering two lectures and conducting a prayer-meeting. Please let me know who originated the story of my exit from this thorn-bestrewn world. What intense sorrow it has created! Letters of condolence have come to Mrs. Messer from different quarters. She rejoices, however, that that condolence is not yet needed. Though I have not much reason to desire a continuance here, I know, however, that, despite of the machinations of foes and the pressure of heavy burdens, I shall “be immortal till my work is done." As ever, yours, T. J. MESSER."

[It is out of our power to state "who origi nated." Our brother is alive, and full of labours still. In this we rejoice; and for this we thank the Lord.-ED.]

REVELATION OF CHRIST.-The first spiritual view I ever had was a believing view of Christ crucified; this was in open vision, and in the Lord's own light, while infinite divinity above the light, or brightness of a thousand suns, shone into my soul. After many months this vision of Him on the cross gradually withdrew, vanished, and went in a measure out of sight; but the divine, coequal, co-essential, and co-eternal beam of ineffable light still remains with me, as the true light which now shineth. I now view my Saviour as the fountain of light, life, and love; as God to all intents and purposes; and in all the fulness, glory, and majesty of selfexistent and independent divinity; and in every sense and meaning of that great and terrible name-Jehovah. It remains, then, that I still worship the fulness of the Godhead in Christ Jesus, in Christ's glorious humanity; and God the Father, as shining in His face; and so it is written, "God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ;""who is the brightness of the Father's glory, and the express image of his person;" and he that thus hath the Son, hath the Father.- Huntington's Living Testimonies.