POETRY.

A RESPONSE FROM THE WEST;

A POEM.

BY GEORGE BOND,

AFFECTIONATELY PRESENTED TO ALL TRUE PROTESTANTS:

Occasioned by reading the Reports of the Two great Protestant Meetings, held at Exeter Hall, London, on Saturday, June 20, and Saturday, July 11, 1835; to prove to Protestants of all Denominations, by authentic Documents, the real Tenets of the Church of Rome, as now held by the Roman Catholic Bishops and Priests of Ireland.

(Politely handed for perusal, by a Clergyman of the Established Church of England, in the City of St. John.)

"And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues."-Rev. xviii. 4. "And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and think to change times and laws; and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times, and the dividing of time. But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom."-Dan. vii. 25, 26, 27.

ALL hail! ye heav'n-inspired champions bold,

Th' alarm at last is made thro' Britain's Isles,
Rous'd like Elijah in the days of old,

Regarding not your foes' deceptive smiles.
Clad in the mask of false pretended love,

With fair disguise to gain the civil power,
The Roman beast for many years hath strove,
In hope to see that greatly wished-for hour;
When England's sov'reign to the Roman See,
Shall bow submissive, and his crown resign,
Το
popes and priests, who dwell beyond the sea,
And soon to rule and govern will combine.
And from their councils to that peaceful land,
Their thundering bulls and mandates quick will send,
With swarms of priests and bishops to command,
Who, warm for Popish errors will contend.
By ruthless hands the dungeon, rack, and fire,
Would be employ'd, as in dark ages past;
Those cruel tyrants burn with strong desire,

To slay the faithful, while the world shall last.
The martyrs' grave again would open wide,

Should things to such a fearful crisis come;
The scatter'd flock in dens and caves would hide,
To wait their exit to the world to come.

Shall British Zion's beauty be defac'd

And faithful watchmen from their posts be torn,
Her towers and bulwarks to the ground be raz'd,
And all her worshippers be left forlorn.

O, ye who have old England's cause at heart,
Firm by her glorious Constitution stand,
And from the church's standards ne'er depart,
While treach'rous foes are found on every hand.
And ye, my friends, who from the Church dissent,
Who to proud Rome have lately lent your aid,
For what you've done you surely will repent,
When gathering storms will make your hearts afraid.

By documents authentic 'tis now prov'd,
That Popish laws have never been repeal'd,
But to this day by Papists stand approv'd,
Tho' by them this is artfully conceal'd.

If once the summit of their wish were given,
Intol'rance would in all its rigour reign;
Poor Protestants would from their homes be driven,
For bloody days would then return again.

The Monarch, and his Counsellors, and Peers,
Must quick recant, or from their seats be hurl'd;
To try men's souls with dark forboding fears,
The popish banners wide would be unfurl'd.

The martyr's bones with care would then be sought,
To gratify the beast's revengeful ire,
Because in Zion's quarrel brave they fought,
And shouted victory in the burning fire.

Let legislators scrutinize with care,

The laws they sanction, lest they should betray
Their country to the bands of those who swear,
That heretics from earth they'll sweep away.

Repair sometimes to Smithfield's hallow'd ground,
And think of the heroic deeds of those,
Who in the strength of Zion's king were found,
Firm and unmov'd in spite of all their foes.

Against the claims of foreign potentates,

And all the errors of the Church of Rome, Let all who sound th' alarm in Zion's gates Contend, tho' storms arise, and billows foam.

Follow those faithful heroes of the cross,

Who with distinguish'd lustre bright have shone,
And counted all things here but dung and dross,
But now are singing near Jehovah's throne.

Arise, O God! and plead thy Israel's cause,
And from her borders fan her foes away;

Deliver from the iron grasp of those,

Thy scatter'd flock, who grieve both night and day.

O happy day, when all the ransom'd throng,
Shall meet at last in the pure realms of love,

And join to sing in sweet harmonious song

The grace that sav'd, and brought them safe above.

G. B.

EVERLASTING LOVE.

"I have loved thee with an everlasting love."

"The year of my redeemed is come: and I looked, and there was none to help: therefore, mine own arm brought salvation unto me.”—Isa lxiii. 45. "I have laid help upon one who is mighty."-Psalm lxxxix. 19.

LINES WRITTEN AFTER HEARING A SERMON PREACHED BY MR. THOMPSON, OF FAKENHAM, FROM ACTS xv. 14.

THE

Spiritual Magazine ;

OR,

SAINTS' TREASURY.

"There are Three that bear record in heaven; the FATHER, the WORD, and the HOLY GHOST: and these Three are One."

1 John v. 7.

Earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints."-Jude 3.

DECEMBER, 1837.

SPIRITUAL VICTORIES THROUGH THE LIGHT OF SALVATION.

"And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and their trumpets in their right, to blow withal; and they cried, The Sword of the Lord and of Gideon !"-Judg.

viii. 20.

THE history of the church of God, in all ages past, as recorded in the Scriptures, is intended by the Spirit to exhibit many things of vast importance to us, on whom the ends of the world are

come.

First. The rebellion, ingratitude, and idolatry of the Israelites, give us an awful proof of human depravity, and teach an humbling lesson to the spiritual Israel, who have the same sinful nature, are prone to the same sins, and would often fall into them and their consequences, but for the grace of God.

Secondly. The patience and long-suffering of God, particularly marked out in this history-he bare long with them; his mercy was extended, prolonged, and manifested to them, notwithstanding all their provocations, in forgetting his deliverances of them în times past, and practising the same sins he had before resented. Thirdly. His disapprobation of their conduct, and the means Our God is never at he took to testify it, are set before us. a loss for means to accomplish his wise and holy purposes of justice or mercy, as is evident from the history before us. The blessed Spirit operating upon the souls of his people, often by his influence reproves their consciences of sin, as it is so opposite to the purity of that divine nature, or holy principle he has blessed them with. Sin, committed by a believer, is a transgression of the law, or dictates of faith; for there is no sin, condemned under the first covenant, but what, under the covenant of grace, VOL. XIII.-No. 168.] 3 A

is pointed out in more odious colours. Hence the idolatry, rebellion, and ingratitude of the believer, are seen and lamented by him as a child of God; and as God the Spirit communicates light to his understanding, to discover it as sinful, he perpetually testifies that his sins are more sinful than those who know not God.

Fourthly. The inseparable connection between sin and sorrow, is felt by all, both elect and non-elect. By nations, families, and individuals, the moral and penal evils of the fall, will be, must be, and are felt by all. The non-elect feel it in many awful forms, as transgressors, in the curse of the ground, in the calamities of war, in all the dreadful horrors of a guilty conscience, and in the wrath of a sin-avenging God. Nations feel it universally; this is evident by the calamities which befel the land of Canaan-so the 6th chapter begins: "And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian." Their sin was resented in this form, by the Lord-the prevailing of their enemies, which forced them to hide in dens, caves, mountains, and strong holds-their enemies destroyed the increase of their country, and reduced them almost to a famine; and Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites" and people of Arabia.

Fifthly. The tender mercy of God the Saviour appears as remarkable in their deliverance; in the remembrance of his covenant of old with their forefathers; his good hand was seen in bringing them out of trouble, although they had brought these troubles on themselves-what a solemn, but gracious proof; "O! Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself! but in me is thine help." And what encouragement does this give to poor backsliders to return to Jesus, their first husband; for although they have brought these troubles on themselves, yet Jesus is ready to deliver them! What a striking account does the pious Nehemiah give of the conduct of the Israelites, and the goodness of God to man, 9th chap. 28th verse; "But after they had rest, they did evil again before thee, therefore thou leftest them in the hands of their enemies, so that they had dominion over them; yet when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and many times thou didst deliver them, according to thy tender mercies."

Sixthly. I remark again, that our God has ever manifested himself a God hearing prayer: the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, and the Lord sent a prophet to them and after reproving them, we have an account of a deliverer, raised up by the Lord himself. What encouragement does this give to us in all our trials, without and within, whether in body, soul, circumstances, family, or nation. God has even condescended to hear the cries of many who had no grace, yet, led by the light of nature tocall on him in trouble; and will he turn a deaf ear to