in the first week of January; on _Mon- listened to with undiminished interest to day evening at the Metropolitan Tabernacle; on Tuesday evening at Palace Gardens Chapel, Notting Hill; on Wednesday evening, at Providence Chapel, Shoreditch; on Thursday evening, at Abbey Road Chapel, St. John's Wood; and on Friday evening, at Vernon Chapel, Bagnigge Wells Road. The Autumnal Session of the College was closed by a private meeting of the tutors and students for devotion and addresses, on Thursday, the 15th of last month, and by a public tea meeting on the following evening, and an adjourn ment to the Tabernacle. The number at tea was nearly 2,000, and in the Tabernacle about 4,000. After singing and prayer Mr. Spurgeon replied to certain objections that had been made by some against an educated ministry, and by others against the kind of education adopted in his college; and gave an encouraging statement of the benefits conferred upon the Churches by the college during the past year. Addresses were then delivered by four of the students; by Mr. Crouch, on "Salvation by Grace;" by Mr. Warren, on "What it is to be a true Christian;" by Mr. Lennie, "Christian Motives;" and by Mr. Speed, on "The Christian's Work." These addresses were all accompanied with energy, self-possession and power, and were well received by the assembly. Mr. Spurgeon then delivered his lecture on Sermons in Candles," which was on 66 a late hour, and was enthusiastically applauded. We have never witnessed a more successful attempt at emblematical teaching of gospel truths. There was much for all eyes to see, and all hearts to learn. We can hardly suppose that any one could retire from such a lecture without real profit, provided always he be not under the moral influence of the "Saturday Review." Yet even he might have seen his own emblem in a sputtering candle if self-application had not been altogether banished from his creed. As our Number is made up early, the meeting of Mrs. Bartlett's class must be noticed next month. G. R. THANKS. WE gratefully acknowledge our many obligations to our old and tried friend, The Baptist Messenger. We should be very sorry to diminish its sale by so much as a single copy: on the contrary, we hope it may increase and multiply. To The Christian World, which is the best weekly penny newspaper in existence, we also tender our sincere thanks for all its courtesies and good words, and especially for making itself the medium of so noble a Christmas offering to our College. It will always afford us pleasure to advance, by any means in our power, the circulation of either the magazine or the paper. Pastor's College, Metropolitan Tabernacle. PRESIDENT-C. H. SPURGEON.-NUMBER OF STUDENTS, 83. Statement of Receipts from November 19th, to December 19th, 1864. Subscriptions will be thankfully received by C. H. Spurgeon, Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington. 19 18 17 4 " £293 15 10 Moiety of Collections at Stowmarket, after THE SWORD AND THE TROWEL. FEBRUARY, 1865. 66 A Neglected Duty. E who wrote this paper prays God to give it his blessing, and begs the reader to afford it a thoughtful perusal. H Mr. Rothwell, surnamed by the godly of his day the Rough Hewer, from the solemn and powerful manner in which he opened up the corruptions of the human heart, and delivered the judgments of God against all iniquity, was, in his early days, a clergyman without any true sense of religion: he was brought to know the power of divine things through an admonition given to him by a godly Puritan. Clarke, in his Lives," says, "He was playing at bowls amongst some Papists and vain gentlemen, upon a Saturday, somewhere about Rochdale in Lancashire. There came into the green to him one Mr. Midgley, a grave and godly minister of Rochdale, whose praise is great in the gospel, though far inferior to Rothwell in points and learning. He took him aside, and fell into a large commendation of him; at length told him what a pity it was that such a man as he should be companion to Papists, and that upon a Saturday, when he should be preparing for the Sabbath. Mr. Rothwell slighted his words, and checked him for his meddling. The good old man left him, went home, and prayed privately for him. Mr. Rothwell, when he was retired from that company could not rest, Mr. Midgley's words stuck so deep in his thoughts. The next day he went to Rochdale Church to hear Mr. Midgley, where it pleased God so to bless the Word that he was, by that sermon, brought home to Christ." The earnest man who was sent by his Master upon this errand of rebuke, must have felt that he was well rewarded for his holy courage in the after usefulness of Mr. Rothwell; but even had the message failed to bless the person to whom it was delivered, it would not have lacked a recompense from the Great Taskmaster. We cannot command the winds, but he who spreads the sails has the consolation that he has done his duty. Duties are ours: events are God's. Timely, bold, kind, and wisely-directed rebuke is often used E by the God of all grace as the means of awakening souls from spiritual death; this is an all-sufficient reason for our being ready to deliver it when occasion demands it. Can souls be won to God by any means? then we will use that means, and look to God the Holy Ghost to bless our efforts. It is frequently a hard and self-denying duty to administer admonition personally either to saints or sinners; but, if we love the souls of men, and would be clear of our brother's blood, we must school ourselves to it, and make as much a conscience of it as of our prayers. A little drummer-boy writing home from the Crimea, after giving his mother a description of the hardships of the terrible winter, and the hunger and nakedness which the army endured, concluded his letter thus: "But, mother, it is our duty, and for our duty we will die." The same sentiment should reign in every Christian breast, and silence for ever all excuses which our flesh suggests for neglected service. If men were not corrupt in heart, they would turn from sin of themselves; like life-boats, if for a time tossed out of position, they would right themselves: but, alas! their nature is so depraved that one sin is a prelude to another, and he who has begun to descend the ladder of iniquity is impelled to continue his downward career. Men's consciences should be sufficient monitors; but, like the dogs upon the Capitol of Rome, the watchers sleep, and the foes advance. Hence it becomes essential that, by agency from without, warning should be given. Brands must be plucked from the burning, for of themselves they will never leave the fire. Sin makes men such sots-such madmen-that they are quite beside themselves, and sharp methods must be used to restrain them from self-destruction. An ox or an ass in a pit, will struggle to get out; but men are such silly creatures that they will not move hand or foot to escape, but rather delight in their own ruin; we must, therefore, as Jude puts it, "pull them out." The Word of God is very plain as to the duty of rebuking sin, although, from the neglect into which the work has fallen, one might have imagined that it was left optional, or allowed, rather than commanded. It is a most weighty observation that, according to God's law, silence concerning sin is consent to it. "And if a soul sin, and hear the voice of swearing, and is a witness, whether he hath seen or known of it; if he do not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity." (Lev. v. 1.) Trapp has pithily said, "By ill silence to leave men in sin is as bad as by ill speech to draw them to sin. Not to do good, saith our Saviour, is to do evil, and not to save is to destroy." "And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill ?" (Mark iii. 4.) To leave others in their sins unreproved is to be "partakers of other men's sins." Paul teaches us this when he writes, "Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them "- -as much as to say, if you do not reprove them, you have fellowship with them. If I see a thief breaking into a house, and give no alarm, am I not, by my silence, an accessory to the act? Without the aid of my silence the burglar could not perpetrate the robbery; if I lend him that assistance, am I not, morally, his accomplice? The same holds good in all cases; but we are not left merely to infer the fact, for the Lord has told us by the mouth of his prophet Ezekiel, "If thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand." The ruin and sin of others we shall surely partake in if they perish through want of our admonition. Eli must break his neck for very grief when his sons are cut off in their sin; it was not meet that he should outlive those whom he had not endeavoured to preserve from ruin by timely rebuke: had he made their ears to tingle with his upbraidings, his ears might never have tingled with the news of the terrible judgments of God. How few Christians will be able to say with Paul, "I am pure from the blood of all men"?-none of us can be in that happy case if we neglect the duty of warning our neighbours for their good. It is to be feared that in this matter we have superabundant reason for using Archbishop Usher's dying prayer, "Lord, in special, forgive me my sins of OMISSION.” The law and the gospel with one voice call us to the duty we are now endeavouring to enforce. The law: "Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him." (Lev. xix. 17.) The gospel: "Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.” (Matt. xviii. 15.) The first Christians were earnestly stirred up to this work, and were some of them well skilled in it. The Roman saints were full of goodness, filled with knowledge, able to admonish one another. (Rom. xv. 14.) The Colossians were directed to teach and admonish one another; (Col. iii. 16) and the duty is coupled with sacred song, as if the one were as needful and acceptable as the other. The believers at Thessalonica were urged to exhort one another, "Wherefore comfort one another with these words;" (1 Thess. iv. 18) and the Hebrews were bidden to exhort one another daily, and to consider one another to provoke to love and good works. (Heb. iii. 13-x. 24.) Those who forget this duty cannot plead that they are not sufficiently reminded of it, for the Word is very full and clear upon the point; and yet the most of us are so negligent in it that one might imagine we respected the foolish and cruel law of the Spartans, that none should tell his neighbour of any calamity which had befallen him, but every one should be left, by process of time, to find out his own troubles for himself. Alas! that sinners should hardly hear of hell until they come there! 66 The great usefulness of prudent reproof can be proved by a thousand instances. Scriptural testimony will have the most force with us; and what saith it?"The rod and reproof give wisdom." (Prov. xxix. 15.) Reprove one that hath understanding, and he will understand knowledge." (Prov. xix. 25.) "Let the righteous smite me," saith David, "it shall be a kindness." He calls it "an excellent oil, which shall not break my head." (Ps. cxli. 4.) Christ styles it “a pearl and a holy thing." (Matt. vii. 6.) Solomon prefers it before silver, gold, and rubies; it is the merchandize of wisdom which is better than precious treasures. (Prov. iii. 14, 15.) He describes it "As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold." (Prov. xxv. 12.) Our Saviour encourages us to this much-forgotten service by the prospect of success," Thou hast gained thy brother." (Matt. xviii. 15.) To gain a soul is better than to win the world, as he has assured us who knew the worth of souls better than any of us. Holy John Bradford was the means of preserving both Bishop Farrar and Bishop Ridley sound in their testimony for Christ by means of letters which he wrote them while they were lying in prison, and were willing to have made some compromise with their persecutors. How grateful was David to Abigail for her timely interposition! she saved his character from a great blot; and how much he reverenced Nathan whose faithful parable restored him to the paths of holiness! You cannot do your friend a greater kindness than to admonish him in the Lord, nor can you wish your enemy a greater injury than to go unrebuked. On all sides there is need for the mutual exercise of exhortation. Good men need it; the royal preacher bids us "Rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee;" and "Reprove one that hath understanding." Abimelech had just ground for rebuking the friend of God when he suppressed the truth and almost suffered the king to sin through ignorance. Peter needed that Paul should withstand him to the face, for he deserved to be blamed. "The best of men must sometimes be warned against the worst of faults." The greatest are not too high to need an honest rebuke. John dealt very plainly with Herod; and Nehemiah spared not the nobles and rulers who oppressed the poor. Naaman's servants were not so overpowered by the greatness of their master as to be silent concerning his foolish pride; he would never have washed in Jordan had it not been for them. Ministers sometimes require this stimulus. Paul writes to the brethren at Colosse "Say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it." (Col. iv. 17.) To the ungodly our lives should be a standing testimony for God against all unrighteousness; and, as to the godly, we should constantly watch over one another, and deal freely, tenderly, and faithfully, one with another, labouring to amend faults and foster graces. Have we not been guilty here? When we remember our many opportunities, must we not blush to think how we have wasted them? Ministers of the gospel, are you clear? The most of us are not. It is a very solemn word which we remember to have met with in J. A. James' works, "The scrutiny which Christ will make at the last day will not only be into the manner in which we have dealt with the congregation as a whole, but with the individuals of which it is composed. It is an alarming idea that our responsibility extends to every single soul." Who can receive this truth without a shiver as he remembers his own omission? Holy Mr. Hieron, who laboured most faithfully in his day, when he lay on his death bed was heard to say, "I confess that in public I have been somewhat full in reproof, admonition, instruction-but in private, my backwardness, my bashfulness, my dastardliness, have been intolerable, and I may truly say, that if anything lie as a burden upon my conscience, this it is." This acknowledgment full many a pastor might make. O for grace to feel the sin as a real load upon the heart, and to be rid of it, through Jesus Christ our Lord. An ancient pastor made this one of his memoranda-" I desire to account the commandment of not suffering sin to lie upon my neighbour, to lie principally upon me; and, therefore, if public reproof of all, in presence of the offender will not affect him, to reckon a wise and particular reproof in private to be a debt of love I owe him, and to defer |