" ^M Ji^/^ .<.%. V^. .0^. \t: IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) £.1 1.0 I.I 1.25 1^ = t 1^ M 12.5 — 6" M 1.8 U i 1.6 P% <^ n A>^ '-^f ^. ^Wo^' 'V' 'W O'^A Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 k'^ V ^v \\ u .** v.<- ^^ #d CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de mtcroreproductions historiques vV 1.%. Te:hnical and Sibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibliographiques Tht tot^ The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Faatures of this copy which may be bibliographically unique, which may alter any of the images in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of filming, are checked below. y D D D a D Coloured covers/ Couverture de couleur I I Covers damaged/ Couverture endommagee Covers restored and/or laminated/ Couverture restaur^e et/ou pelhcul^e □ Cover title missing/ Le ti tre de couverture manque ured maps/ Cartes gAographiques en couieur Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue Ehcre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noirel I I Coloured maps/ I I Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ r~| Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur Bound with other material/ Relii avec d'autres documents Tight binding may cause shadows or distoi.ion along interior margin/ Lareliure serree paut causer de I'ombre ou de la distorsion le long da la marge interieure Blank leaves added duririg restoration may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming/ II se peut que certaines pages bianches ajoutAe©*Aol\ca'.). 'I T HALIFAX, N. S. PRINTED AT THE "CHRISTIAN MESSENaEE" OFFICE. 1859. s C ,.»>-' -(■=^3 \ % fj 1 THE SUCCESSION OF MARTYRS A SERMON. 1 It is sometimes desirable, on such annual occasions as the prese.it, to call the attention of the assembled brethren to facts -and principles identified witli our denominational peculiajrities. They are regarded by us as important, and they ought to be held in constant remembrance. For this reason the passage now read, has been selected for our consideration. It relates to the opening of the fifth seal. The Apostle saw in vision under the dtar " the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held ? They are represented as wondering at the delay of divine vengeance. It seems to them that a crime so heinous as the slaughter of pious men on account of their piety should meet with prompt and condign punishment. They knew not how to reconcile the forbearance of God with his justice, and they exclaim, under the influence of deep emotion, *' How long, Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth 7" In re- ply, they are bidden to be patient : many more will be put to death for the faith. There will be a Succession of martyrs for ages to come. *' The time appointed is long." Individual cases of retribution will occur, but the full and final punish- ment of persecutors is to be reserved till " the time of the ond," and that is far distant. When the number of their sufferii'f; ■"fellow-servants aiiu brethren" shall be " fulfilled," God will " plead his own cause," and raise his church to a state of end- Jess peace and glory. 2 THE SUCCESSION OF MARTYRS. We proceca to observe, that there has been a succession of martyrs in the christian church ; that in that succession those who professed ]5aptist principles hold a distinguished phicc ; and that these facts are instructive, consoling, and admonitory. I. THERE HAS BEEN A SUCCESSION OF MARTYRS IN THE CH'USTIAN CHURCH. The Saviour foretold the persecution of his followers. " They shall deliver you up to be afflicted, ana shall kill you ; and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake," Mat. xxiy. J. "Whosoever kiUeth you will think that he doeth God service John xvi. 2. The apostolic history presents a continuous tulh. ment of the prediction. The preachers preached at the risk ot liberty or life : and profession of Christianity in those days might cost a man his all. The disciples were warned that a through much tribulation they must enter the kingdom. They learned by painful experience that "all that wiU live .rodly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution," 2 Tim. iii. 1-. ° So it continued for nearly three centuries. On the one hand, governments claimed the right to prescribe modes of worship, and to punish neglect of established forms, accounting disobe- dience as a crime equal to sedition. On the other christian men pleaded a higher law, to which all must bow, and which m case of clashing of authorities, must ever be supreme. ' ^\ e ought to obey God," they said, - rather than men, Ac.s. v. 2 J. Hence arose a perpetual conflict. Earthly rulei^ demanded soul-submission ; but the servants of Christ held that " Consciences and souls were made To be the Lord's alone." The horrors of those times cannot be described. Paganism put forth all its strength to crush the new religion. Magistrates and mobs withstood the missionaries ; now, the aid ot the law was invoked-anon, popular vengeance was suffered to run riot without restraint. To whet the appetite for slaughter Christians were charged with the perpetration of the mos atrocious deeds, and denounced as unfit to live in civilised I i THE SUCCESSION OF MARTYRS. 8 society. When ctilantitics befol the empire, such as famine, floods, or pestilence, all was placed to their account, and the wrath of the gods was to be assuaged by their destruction. Imperial despots sought to ingratiate themselves in public tiivour by the wholesale massacre of the Christians. Their bbod drenched the soil of the amphitheatre. Their flaming bodies lighted up Nero's gardens. In the Decian persecution, in the middle of the third century ,--and in the Diocletian, at the beginning of the fourth, cruelties belbre unheard of were inflicted.* But the church survived them all. God's army flinched not from the fight. As fast as the ranks were thinned they v/f-r' filled up again. The arm of the persecutor was weuri 1 but the faith of the sufferers did not fail. Victims ioUcwcc victims, ir: long succession, glorying in the pangs of mrrtydoai. The holy family could not become extinct. * Tlie woid of God grew nd multiplied." And nov aac'her scene opens to the view. Though Con- ;;tantine the Gref^t did not personally profess Christianity till the last year of his life, he favoured and patronised it. Succeeding emperors followed his example. The Christian religion was enjoined by law and supported by the State. *They are thus described :— "The most excessive barbarities were made use of upon all who would not blaspheme Christ and offer incense to the- imperial gods. They were publicly whipped— drawn by the heels through the streets of cities— racked till every bone of their body was dii^jointed,— had their teeth beat out,— their noses, hands, and ears cut off,— sharp pointed spears run under their nails,— were tortured with melted load thrown on their naked bodies, had their eyes dug out,— their linibs aut off, were condemned to the mines —ground between stones,— stoned to death, —burnt alive,— thrown headlong from high buildings,— beheaded,— smothered in burning limekilns.— run through the body with sharp spears, —destroyed with hunger, thrist, and cold,— thrown to the wild beasts,— broiled on gridirons with slow fires,— cast by heaps into the sea,- crucified, scraped to death with sharp shells,- torn to pieces by tiio boughs of tr^es, and, in a word, destroyed by afl the various methods that the most diabo- lical subtlety and malice could devise."— Dr. Chandler's Ih^^tory, of Perse- cntion, p. 51. ■ 4 THE SUCCESSION OF MARTYRS. Then a strange revolution took plocc. Power changed hands, and the professed servants of Jesus learned to persecute. Refusal to worship idols had been a capital offence under Paganism ; that worship itselt was punishable by death under Christian rule. Still stranger events ensued. Brother hated brother, if difference of opinion separated them, and manifested the hatred by anathema and proscription, (lovernment was called on to sanction nought but orthodoxy, of which tlie ruler for the time being assmned to be the judge, and he naturally declared in favour of the system or speculation to which he had attached hii uself. So it happened that Trinitarians and Arians were orthodox by turns : under Constantino the Arians were banished— the Trinitarians, under his son Constuntius. Many a bishop lived in an episcopal palace one year, and occupied the exile's hovel, or laboured far down in the mines the next The few Pagans that were left laughed at the folly ; angels, i ' they could, would have wept over it. At length one form overshadowed the rest. Antichrist sat enthroned at Rome, and gave laws to kings. For a long time the Church lorded it over the State, and mighty monarchs did her bidding, shuddering in coward fear at her curses. Yet there rose up brave spirits, all through the middle ages, man- fully contending lor truth, freedom, and right. They protested against the will-worship of the times ; they appealed to the Bible ; they would not bow down to images, nor pray to saints. Dor defile themselves with the superstitions which had sup- planted godliness ; and they said, - Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye." How were they treated ? Let ancient records iell. Their narratives are fearfully gra-hic. The tales of martyrdom are frightful beyond measure. Paganism was far outdone by Po^'pery, both in regard to the number of victims and the varieties of torture. One illustration may suffice. In the erusades against the Albigenses, in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, ecclesiastics directed the operations of the invading TlIK SUCCESSION Of MAUTYRS, 6 armies, and stimulated the fury of the soldiers ; as fortresu after fortress fylj, and towns and cities were successivelj stormed, torrents of blood were shod; indiscriminate slaughter was the order of the day ; ami the ehronieler, a hard-lieartcd monk, boasts thiit they spared "neither rank, sex, nor age," but slow all without mercy, ami that when, on one occasion, some hundreds were east into the flames, they were " burned alive wUh yreat joyy It has been computed that orw vriUion lives were sacrificed in these crusades. WHio can wonder that the souls under the altar exclaim, " How long, O Lord ?" "Time would fail" to tell of Ihe doings of that most atrocious of all tribunals, the Intiuisition. If Popery has been not in- aptly styled " the master-piece of Satan," the Inquisition may be as appropriatdy called "the master-piece of Popery." It is regarded with intense abhorrence, not only by Protestants but also by Christian-minded lloman Catholics; only they are obliged, if resident in Popish countries, to speak of it " with bated breath," lest they fall under the power of its terrible fangs. The numbers that have perished, by public execution or private murder, will not be known till God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing." It was a busy time with inquisitors, and their coadjutors and agents in the sixteenth century, when the people rose up in revolt against the Pope throughout a large part of Europe, demanding freedom of thought and worship. They were answx'red by angry bulls and brutal policy. The prisons were crowded ; the '.nartyr-fires blazed ; the iieadsman's axe was ever in requisition; "blood, blood!" was the cry wheiovur papal influence prevailrd. Protestants w^ere slow to unlearn the lesson taught them by Home. They feared to cast away carnal weapons. They, too, must have fines, and prisons, and scaffolds, and implements of death. Lutheranism was established by law. Calvinism was established by law. Episcopacy was defended by pains and penalties, in England ; Presbyterianism, in Scotland. Even 9 THE Hi:C(ES?-ION OF M^UTYIIS. in thi?i oiillglitonoil irmetoonth century the niaiiia for ixrsccu- tion shows itself. In some ec-des'astiesil constitutions it ii* evidently hereditary. Popish Spain expels Protestants. Protestant Sweden expels Papists. II. Halving established the i.ict, that there hns been a sue cession of martyrs in the Christian church, it is proposed to show that IN TII.VT succession those who PUOFESSKD IJ.M'TIST PKINCIPLES HOLD A DISTINOUISHKD PLACE. The first martyrs, you arc fully aware, were all Baptists ; for infant baptism was Jiot known till the middle of the third cen- tury, and was not generally practised for a long ti\ne afterwards. Among the witnesses for the truth who suffered during the dark ar^es those who reiected infant bai>tism were generally doomed to the severest inflictions. /Vll classes rosi^ up against them. Priests and people were eijuiilly enraged. Peter of Bruys and his followers, in the twelith century— the Albigcn- j! reign of Queen Mary — and truly it was horrible, — but they keep out o*' sight the still more startling fact that ten tiniP" tbwit number of Baptists sealed the truth with their blocd m di%rcnt parts of Europe. The suJSerers were of all classes — the rich and the poor — the learned and the illiterate — aojed moti and women — f'thcrs and motheio — young men and maidens — pastors, preachers, deacons, members, and hearers ; any, the slightest connection with a B.)[)tist Church, was deemed sufficient ground for tlie sentence of death. All kinds of cruelties were inflicted on them. They were east into filthy, under-ground dungeons, with nothing but the liarc ground to lie on, and nothing t'> cover them. Tlicy were tortured to the utmc it extremity of endurance. The manner of death varied. Some were drowned ; some were beheaded ; some were strangled ; some were roasted alive ; some were burnt. In n.any instances, their heads were stuck on poles, and their bodies left to rot on the gallows. Sometimes they were led to public death,' on other occajsions the sentence was executed in prison and in the silence of the night, lest the people should express sympathy for the martyr. We muj- not undertake to defend rv^ei-y position these good men assumed, or to justify every measure they adopted. But it is undeniably evident that they suffered for spii'itual religion. 8 THE SUCCESSION OF MARTYRS. They dared their persecutors to convict them of any orime. Whatever else was purposely mingled with the process, in order to justify or excuse the condemnation, it was really for the rejection of infant baptism, or for being baptized on pro- fession of faith, or for administering such baptism, that they suffered. In England, men who were themselves afterwards martyrs to Protestantism united in persecuting Baptists, even unto death. Cranmer, llidley, and Latimer were guilty in this matter. Even good old John Fox, the martyrologist, when petitioning Queen Elizabeth, in behalf of condemned Baptists, did not ask that they might be set free, but only that the mode of punishment might be changed — that they might not be committed to the flames. We pass on to the seventeenth century. It was a time of perplexity, contempt, and oppression. The Stuarts were bent on establishing despotism, and, as a means to that end, on ex- tirpating religion'; dissent. Nor were they the only foes to freedom. During the ascendancy of the Presbyterians in the Long Parliament an act was passed, decreeing the punishment of death to Athiests, Deists, Arians, and Socinians, and of im- prisonment till they should renounce their alleged errors (which was tantamount to imprisonment for life) to the deniers of in- fant baptism. Then came the restoration of Charles II. which involved all the dissidents in one common trouble. Jiaptists shared with their brethren of other denominations in the dis- tresses of that period. They were crully plundered. Many of their best men lived long in prison : some died there. Bunyan spent twelve years In Bedford jail. Henry Forty the same time at Exeter. Francis Bampfield, Yavasor Powell, '* the apostle of Wales," and Thomas Delanne, author of the " P^ea for Nonconformity," an unanswerable pruduction, died in prison. And here, on this continent, our predecessors " had trial of cruel mockings and seourgings, yea, moreover, of bonds and imprisonment," inflicted by men who had left thoir uative THE SUCCESSION OF MARTYRS. i^\ land in search of " freedom to worship God," and then refused to others the rights which they claimed for themselves. This nineteenth century is comparatively free from the stain, but not wholly so. Our beloved brother Oncken and his asso- ciates have endured great vexation and annoyance in the pros- ecution of their labours in Germany ; and to this day some of the petty governments of that country throw every obstacle in the way of Baptist effort. Our ministers are fined and imprisoned — our religious assemblies broken up — and the children of our brethren snatched from their parents and taken to the clergy to be sprinkled. Lutherans persecute us in Denmark and Sweden ; and Spanish Jesuits, authorised by their government, have suppressed our mission on the Island of Fernando Po. But we have not imitated the policy of our enemies. Genuine Baptists cannot persecute. We point to llhode Island and Roger Williams, and maintain, with that great man, " that the government of the civil magistrate extendeth no further than over the bodies and goods of the subject, and therefore hath no civil power over the soul." We cannot consent to the enforcement of any creed or mode of worship ; nor to the en- downment or perference of any sect ; nor to the imposition of religious tests. We protest against proscription — against pandering to party— against ascendency ;— whether it be Papal — Protestant — Episcopalian —or Presbyterian ascendency. We demand equal justice for all, and e((ual right to privileges, honours, and offices. We plead for putting " the right man in the right place," on the ground of fitness only, irres[)ective of religious profession— as in India, at the present time, Hindoos, Mussulmans, and Parsees are on the same footing as Christians. And much as wo love the Bible, and heartily as we desire that the youth of our land may be thoroughly instructed in it, we ask for no legislative enactment. It is altogether contrary to Baptist principles to enjoin the use of the Bible by human law, or to m-'ke it compulsory by penalty, direct or indirect. We ^^-r^-7 10 THE SUCCESSION OF .MARTYRS. fear the entering we(^gn of the state-church system, knowhig that system to be inconsistent with scripture and hostile to freedom and piety. III. The facts which have been now adduced are instructive, consoling, and admonitory. 1. They arc instructive. The history of martyrdom affords striking illustration of the teachings of scripture ';cspecting human depravity. It is the most melancholy chapter in the annals of our race. We are prepared to hear of the ravages of war ; the passion for mutual destruction has raged in all lands, from time immemorial. But who could have expected that professing christians would vex and murder one another on account of religious differences — or that for shades of opinion and varieties of w'orship men would be despoiled of their freedom ? Surely this is a mou-n- fil commentary on the inspired announcement. " The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked." Again ; we learn the folly and iniquity of the state-church system. Unifornnty is the aim ; compulsion, the means : de- feat and disgrace the result. The system cannot be sustained without the adoption of measures which are at variance with the spirit of Christianity. Fi-ee thought is crushed by the iron hand of power. God's people are deprived of their liberties. A nation of formalists iwcj be trained by this system, but spi- ritual religion withci's under it. Once more : We are reminded of the necessity of adherence to the laws of Christ. The history of martyrdom is a con- tinual protest against deviation from them. Those witnesses for the truth died in defence of the original faith and practice. But to what lengths of departure men had gone before they could venture on deeds of persecution ! It might seem a small thing to superadd a significant ceremony to the simple ritual of the gospel ; but when men had begun to invent and improve, (as they vainly imagined), love of pomp and power urged them on, and so one abuse led to another till the aspect of outward THE SUCCESSION OF MARTYRS. 11 Christitiiiity was altogether changed. Then opposition exeiteJ violence. The word of God was supplanted by human creeds, and, as llobert Kobinson quaintly but truly remarked, " the last article of the creed was the establishment of the In(|uisi- tion." If men had been content to abide by the New Testa- ment we should never have heard of baptismal regeneration, — of civil establishments of Christianity, — of the gradations of church hierarchies, — or of the multiform superstitions which have been palmed o;i the world as developments of the gospel. Developments ? AVhy, it is already developed. The system came from the Lord, by the hands of his Apostles, and is em- bodied in the Book, in a complete and perfect state : — woe be to him who undertakes to improve the work of God ! Al- teration or addition cannot be admitted without concessions which involve the principles and the spirit of Popery. In fact, as we believe, there is no just medium between that system and ours ; for when power to change or add is assumed, a principle is conceded which leads straight to Home. 2. These facts are consolhifj. See the cause of Christ, surviving all pressure, rising above all opposition. The bush burns with fire, but it is not con- sumed. '• What shall I do," said the Burggraf of Alzey. Some he had beheaded — some he had drowned — others he had branded or maimed. ''What shall I do? The viore I co?:- demn, the more they increase.'''' How is this? The Lord hhn- self explains it. " Upon this rock will I build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it," Mat. xvi. 18. See the gracj and faithfulness of the Saviour, in supportin.f his persecuted servants. The narratives of the sufferers are sometimes tedious — their letters are long, — and their modes of expression may seem quaint, uncouth or strange ; — but it is manifest that the Lord was with them, fulfilling his ancient promises, and sustaining them wlu n " heart and flesh failed ? Then — they calmly bade farewell to beloved ones who met them on the way to the scaffold or the stake, and endured with un- 12 THE SUCCESSION OF MARTYRS. flinching firmness the most excruciating tortures. " You have struck me with ixscs," exclaimed Obudiah Holmes, as he was unloosed from the whipping-post, where we had received thirty strokes " with a three-corded whip, the man striking with all his strength." " Having joyfulness in my heart and cheerful- ness in ray countenance, as tl: 3 spectators observed, I said to the magistrates, ' You have struck me with roses.' The Lord " made it easy" to him. " This side is sufficiently roasted," said Leonard Baernkoft', who was burned at Salzburg in 1542 ; " turn me round, for by the grace of God this suffering is light and unimportant in comparison to eternal glory." The grace of Christ was " sufficient" for them ; his strength was "■ made perfect in weakness." See the honour that has been put upon us ! " Unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him but also to suffer for his sake," Phil. i. 20. "We have been the butt of anti-christian malice from the beginning. It is a badge of distinction ; ma^ we always be found worthy to wear it i 3. These facts are admonitory. The admonition relates to fidelity — watchfulness — union — and perseverance. Fidelity. We spring from a martyr stock. Our principles must be fii'mly and faithfully maintained. Those who have gone before us '• suffijred the loss of all things" for them, and great numbers " loved not their lives unto the death." Let us take heed lost our distinguishing tenets bo in any degree neglected, or their importance overlooked. Believing as we do that they comprise vital truths, which cannot be disregarded without i'jimense injury to the cause of the Ptodeemer, let us place them in the fore-front, and " teach them diligently to our children," and be especially careful that the members of our churches be well indoctrinated. It is peculiarly desirable that they should clearly understand the spiritual nature of the kingdom of Christ. This is the key to the most important controversies of the times ; if they are sound here, they are THE SUCCESSION OF MARTYRS. 13 prepared for any encounter with the adversaries of truth. And there is the more need of watchful care at the present crisis, since it is manifest, however the thing may be disguised, that a crusade against the Baptists has commenced in this Province. Stand to your arms, brethren ! and prepare for the conflict. " Stand therefore, having youi loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness ; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace ; above, all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God ; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, watching thereunto with all perseverance," Ephes. vi. 14-18. Your distinctive principles are identified with the existence and prosperity of Christ's church. Scatter them abroad in every direction, — by the pulpit — by the press — by the bible class — by the Sunday School. It is not bigotry ; it is not sectarianism ; it is "fighting the good fight of faith ;" it is the exercise of allegiance to the " King of Kings." Watchfulness. We profess great regard for purity. We hold that none are qualified for membership in the church of Christ who have not been " born again," and that the mainte- nanw of godly discipline is essential to safety and success. How needful that there should be a strict correspondence between our principles and our practice, — that the greatest care should be exercised in the admission of members, — and thitt all moral delinquency should be dealt with promptly and impartially ! In some religious communities, laxity is un- avoidable, and the pious mourn hopefully over it ; — in Baptist churches it is suicide — it is ruin. Vnio7i. Our enemies know our power, and that their best policy is to divide us. This is their cherished purpose. If they can set us against one another and induce ns to spend our strength in bickering and strife, their object will be gained. This diversion of our energies will be well-pleasing to them. 14 THE SUCCESSION OF MARTYRS. As long as they can keep us engaged in *« biting and devour- ing one another," or withdraw our attention, by any means, from our mission as Baptists, their wishes are accomplished. Errors can then creep on undisturbed, and effect secure lodg- ment in our neighbourhoods. Let us be warned in time. Let us disappoint our foes. What though we differ from one another on some points affecting our political or social interests ? Such differences will ever exist in a free country, and among free men ; but Baptists ought to be the last to regard them as grounds of disunion, or to allow them to interfere with the claims of the good cause. We are bound to manifest mutual forbearance, and while granting to each other the utmost lati- tude of thought and action in reference to the affairs of this world, to rally round the standard of truth and righteousness, :.nd press en, shoulder to shoulder, against the common foe. Perseverance. Much is yet to be done ; a great work is before us. Many districts in this Province are still destitute of evangelical instruction. Our missions, Home (including also the French and Gaelic missions,) and Foreign, demand liberal support. Our educational enterprises require to be carried on with increasing vigour. If we determine to be true to our acknowledged principles, the blessing of God will be still more largely enjoyed, and the encouraging progress we have made during the last year will be perpetuated. We rejoice in the success of all christian labourers, for we love all who " love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity." But we hold that primitive Christianity is fully developed in Bap- tist views and practice only, and therefore we adhere to them, and seek to spread them over the land. We are inspired with the hope expressed in Krummachers' words — " There is a future for the Baptists." W« adopt the language of the martyr Balthazar Hubmeyer, (burned at Vienna in 1528 — his wife was put to death by drowning) " I believe and know that Christendom shall not receive its rising aright, unless bap- tism and the Lord's Supper are brought to their original purity." TlIE SUCCESTION OF MARTYRS. 15 With these convictions, we feel bound to labour with call our might for denominatiunal udvanceaient. The world is to be rejrene- rated ; but that result, can only be brought about by God's bhjssing on the dissemination of New Testament truth and the establishment of New Testament policy. Let us give ourselves to the diffusion of truth ; — let us live according to the truth ; — and let us seek the Lord in earnest prayer for the continual outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Truth and prayer will con- quer the world. " Be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises," Heb. vi. 12. " The noble army of martyrs" — says the grand old hymn — " praise thee." Oh what a glorious meeting there will be when the " fellow- servants and brethren" of those who are now "under the altar" shall be fulfilled !" — " What are these which are arrayed in white robes ? and whence came they 9 ^ * These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. There- fore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple ; and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more ; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters ; and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes," Rev. vii. 13- 17. May we form part of that blessed company ! ^X?>^®^ BY THE SAME AUTHOR. 1. A Text Book of Popery, Goinnrisinff a History of the Council of Trknt, and a com. nlete view of the Theological System of the Roman Cathohs plete view Church. 8 vo. a. Tbe Reformation im Europe, 18 mo. Published by the Religious Tract Society. 3. Scripture and Tradition : A reply to Mr. Maturin's Claims of the Catholic Church. Second Edition. 12 mo. Preparing jar publication, in one volume, 12 mo., Bapti§t Iliiiitory, Froin the commencement to the Present Time. In a Series OF Letters.