have you at all: it is no good to have a man in the pulpit who is living in sin; working in the morning of the day, and preaching in the evening of the day." I said, "Stop, brother! consider this! the young man does not profess to be called to get his living by preaching; nor does he say, the Lord has called him to the ministry; but he is quite sure he has called him to bake, to get his living; and to give up baking Sundays he could not get them to come Mondays; and until God stops his baking he has not faith to shut the door." We left the young man that night with a denial. I visited him the next day with authority from the Lord; I told him I had fallen prostrate before the Lord to make him willing, and thought I had an answer: but I said-I am in a great straight seeing he denied to preach. I asked him who gave him customers to bring dinners, who gave him the trade? I said, "your Lord and Master; and will you not work one day for him in his vineyard? Will you not try to comfort his poor flock?" He burst into sobbing; left me; ran up stairs. I left his house, telling his wife, I feared I should hear his house was burnt to the ground. I came home; my wife cried bitterly; she said "I will go: you write to him; and let us fall down on our knees before the Lord : and I will take in the letter, and money to pay for the spoil of one day's baking." She went off; she saw him: he said, " you are come, with hard words from the Lord." She said, "if you cannot trust your Lord, I have brought you a sovereign to pay a man, for loss of your baking; and you dare not refuse to go where the Lord has called you here are the sheep without a shepherd, and they will be scattered; and you can feed them with the flesh and blood of God, for the Lord has committed it into you charge as an instrument. You come; and stand for God!" He said, "I will; but I will not touch, nor cause to be permitted for you to leave one penny." He came and preached to a full house; the Lord so filled the house with his glory, that he said he never had such a time from the Lord before; the people said, they never was so blessed; one and all; and they came round me ready to eat me up, with broken hearts, and thankfulness; blessing and praising the Lord. In the evening, it was the same; not one but was full of love and praise. The

young preacher said, it was a Lord's-day, indeed, to his own soul; and he calls me his father David; he says he will never refuse me any more; the Wednesday evening was the same; and last Sunday evening he preached to a great congregation; and the people said, "call him to the pulpit!" They called him for six months, and he denied them; I think they will make a desperate trial to get him, you never saw such an uproar after a man; and I believe there will be a great change here.

[This is something like Moses and Jeremiah fearing to go: but the will of the Lord must be done : and of this interesting narrative we shall have much more to say. ED.]

"I INTEND TO BE BAPTISED TO-MORROW!"

OR,

THEODOSIA'S RELIGIOUS RESOLVE.

LAST month we introduced this American young Christian lady to the notice of our readers. By ties the most powerful she was wedded to the fashionable mode of administering the ordinances of the sanctuary. Her affections were rivetted to her mother and to Mr. Percy, her intended partner for life. But when she saw-when she believed-the baptism of believers, by immersion, to be the Saviour's will and way; when she resolved to follow him in that path, then separations the most painful threatened her. We saw, last month, her mother passively agreed not to hinder her; but her beloved Percy poured contempt upon the Baptists; and determined to break his vows, if she determined to be decided. She received his letter to that effect; she received her mother's passive reply. She retires to her chamber. The writer of her history says

Shall we invisibly follow her there; see her on her bended knees pour out her soul to God; hear her cry for help with those inartic

ulate groanings which the Apostle speaks of? see the resolve take form and substance in her heart; see her arise with that same strange calmness which we observed after she had prayed the day she came up from witnessing the baptism in the river; see her open her little writing-desk, and select a sheet of paper; take her pen and write, 'My Dear Mr. Percy;' then pause, lay down her pen, cover her face with her hands, pressing upon her eye-balls, as if to shut out some terrible vision, while a strong convulsive shudder quivers through her frame? It is past; she uncovers her face; looks up beseechingly to heaven; composes herself; takes up the pen, and writes as follows:

I in

'I received yours on Friday evening. To say that its contents gave me very great pain, would but feebly express the truth. was not only distressed, but most grievously disappointed; for had supposed you were as sincere and earnest in your desire to know and do your whole duty in regard to this subject, as I was myself. Your letter undeceived me. I do not complain of it. I am thankful for your expressions of interest in my welfare, and of affection for myself. I will not deny that I had no higher ambition, so far as this world is concerned, than to secure your approbation. But I cannot, even to please you, venture to disobey my Saviour. tend to be baptized to-morrow. I am aware, after what you have said, that by doing so, I shall not only mortify and distress' you, but I shall renounce all claim to your love. When you return, therefore, I shall be to you but as one dead. I pray you so to consider me, it will be better for us both. And if you will spare me further pain, I do entreat you never to solicit a renewal of our engagement. It will not give you as much pain to read this as it does me to write it; but I have weighed it well. I say every word deliberately, though sorrowfully. I will not cease to pray for you. And will you not sometimes pray for her who was your

"THEODOSIA'

This letter she folded, enclosed, sealed, and directed to Mr. Percy's lodging place, and called the old servant, Aunt Chloe, and directed her to take and leave it there.

This done, she returned to her mother, with something almost like a smile of joy upon her face. The peace of God was in her

heart; and if she was not happy, she was no longer wretched. With a low, but calm and almost cheerful voice, she told her mother what she had done, and asked her to make suitable preparation for her baptism. At night, she sent a line to uncle Jones, requesting him, if he could, to be present, and another to Mr. Courteny, announcing her intention to ask for baptism. She spent most of the time in her own room, alone, until the hour of rest, and then slept sweetly till morning. When she awoke, her first thought was expressed in the language of the Psalmist 'I laid me down and slept; and I awoke again, for the Lord preserved me.' She felt now that she was, in a peculiar sense, in the care of God. She had given all, and had obtained all. She had given up self, and obtained Jesus in all his fulness, and God in all his boundless power and love. Jesus was her Saviour; God was her God. Yes, the mighty Maker of the worlds, the omnipotent Ruler of the universe, was not only her God, but her Father. She felt this morning that she might ask what she would. And yet such was the overwhelm. ing conviction in her heart, that her loving Saviour, and her kind Father, knew so infinitely better than herself what she most needed, and what would be really best, that she could only pray, ' Thy will be done. I leave it all with thee. Do what thou seest best. Give joy or sorrow; give comfort or affliction; give life or death. Thou knowest best; thou doest all things well. I trust myself; my soul and body; my happiness here and hereafter; all I am-all I have; all I feared, all I hoped for; I give all up to thee. Thou only art my portion now; and I am thine-all thine! I delight to do thy will, ob, my Beloved! I have now no other love but thee, my Saviour, my Father, my Friend.-Thou art my all-Jesus is mine, and I am his. What can I want beside? Blessed Saviour, may I never leave thee! May I never grieve thee any more! Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Yes, I love thee, and I will keep all thy commandments. Show me thy ways. Thou shalt guide me by thy councils, and afterwards receive me into thy glory. Yes, me-even me, poor, lost, rebellious sinner that I am. Thou wilt love me freely. Thou wilt save me through thine own infinite mercy. Mercy, all mercy! Not for

works of righteousness which we have done, but of his own mercy, he saves us. Jesus, I thank thee! Oh, make me love thee more.' With such incoherent ejaculations of trust, and praise, and prayer, she rose, and prepared for church.

The above extract is from the American edition of "Theodosia Ernest." The narrative is faithful and true; and delightfully illustrative of a living faith invested with a knowledge of the truth; and a burning love to HIM who said, "If ye love me keep my commandments." We are certainly most desperately in love with Theodosia's Christian zeal, decision, and Godly deportment, and feel anxious to throw this beautiful portrait of a pure practical Gospel faith and obedience by tens of thousands among our truth-despising Churches. Readers of CHEERING WORDS, do help us! Who can tell what may be done ?

MR.

(More next month.)

SPURGEON'S

FREE GRACE SERMON;

AND HIS AMERICAN TOUR.

MR CHEERING WORDS! I wish to be informed why you have not for some time noticed our beloved Mr. Spurgeon's sermons as you once did? Is it because you fear he has been riding a freewill horse too far? Or is it because there has been nothing of late worthy your notice? If either of these causes have bid you retire from your review of his ministry, I specially entreat you to read most carefully his sermon, entitled "FREE GRACE!" I think it will stir up your heart again; and compel you to give a few "CHEERING WORDS" from the most popular pulpit in all this world.

If you are like an old minister from the country, who, after hearing Mr. Spurgeon the other morning, was asked how he had heard him? Answered-"there are some things about him I cannot understand he is not discriminating enough for me:" if this