Correspondence.

THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD.

Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth."

expression, 'the righteousness of God,' will at once suit the phrase and the situation in which it is here found but that which makes it that righteousness or obedience to the law, both in its penalty and requirements, which has been yielded to it by our Lord Jesus Christ. This is indeed the righteousness of God, for it has been provided by God, and from first to last has been effected by His Son Jesus Christ, who is the mighty God and the Father of eter nity. Everything that draws it off from this signification tends to darken the Scriptures, to cloud the apprehension of the truth in the children of God, and to corrupt the simplicity that is in Christ. To that righteousness is the eye of the believer for ever to be directed; on that righteousness must he rest; on that righteousness must he live; in that righteousness must he appear before the judgment seat; in that righteousness must he stand for ever in the presence of a righteous God. 'I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall be joyful in my God: for He hath clothed me with the garment of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness."'"

To the Editor of the Baptist Magazine. I had intended to trouble you with the DEAR SIR,-I agree with your corre- views of some of our best and greatest comspondent, E. S. J., that the expression mentators on the expression Righteous"Righteousness of God" is often misunder-ness of God," and the passages in Romans stood, and I conceive that his communica- on which E. S. J. has offered his comments, tion is a proof that such misunderstanding but I am afraid of encroaching at too great is by no means confined to the mere English a length on your space. As the subject, reader. I would even venture to affirm that however, is one of vital importance, I trust among the great majority of English readers you will permit me to add the following who have any just pretensions to doctrinal brief extract from Haldane's exposition or theological knowledge, more scriptural of Rom. iii. 21. "No explanation of the views as to the above important phrase obtain than those at which E. S. J. seems to have arrived. When he would have us to understand by "the righteosuness of God" in those passages of Paul's writings to which he refers, and of some of which he favours your readers with an exposition, not the merit or righteousness of Christ, which is imputed to believers, but that inherent personal righteouness which is the effect of the Spirit's work in those who believe, E. S. J. must be aware that he ignores that view of the passages and expression in question which is most generally believed and cherished among us, and which has been and is held by our most eminent and learned divines. And when, as the result of his expositions, he asserts that "This righteousness of God then describes the moral condition of all believers arising from faith, resulting in justification," he ought not to be surprised when he is told that such an interpretation of the words of Paul goes to obscure, yea to alter, the way and ground of the sinner's free justification as set forth by that in spired apostle. For, if our justification | results from the moral condition of believers, how can it be true that God justifies the ungodly? Rom. iv. 5; or that we are justified by faith without the deeds of the law ? Rom. iii. 28. Indeed, sir, the expression of your correspondent, that the righteousness of God signifies the moral condition of believers arising from faith, and resulting in justification, seems to me a species of theology which does no honour to the pages of the Baptist Magazine, and which deserves to be classed among the efforts of those zealous, it may be, but mistaken men, who "being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For

Let not E. S. J. fear or imagine that the faith which apprehends the sole meritorious ground of our justification in the obedience unto death, or the perfect righte ousness-" God's righteousness," of our Lord Jesus Christ, that in any righteousness of our own either before or after we have believed, is a faith which will be inoperative. It is the very faith which cannot be alone. For what is it which, through grace, stays the enmity of man's heart, and contains the new and loving obedience of the child of God? Is it not a believing sense of God's great grace to us in Christ, and of his infinite claims upon us as God our Saviour? And when do we come fully to know this? Just when we come

down, promising £5 a year for three years; H. Wright, Esq., of Birmingham, has given his name, promising £20 for the first year; and W. Middlemore, Esq., has promised £20 a year for three years; and the committee respectfully ask for co-operation in this much-needed work.

Information will be given by the Rev. C. Vince, or the Rev. J. J. Brown, of Birmingham, who are on the committee; or by either of the treasurers, W. Middlemore, Esq., Edgbaston, and J. H. Hopkins, Esq., 3, Crescent; or by the writer, who will be glad to send to any applicant a copy of the

rules.

I am, dear Sir, yours very sincerely,
JOSEPH BURTON.

To the Editor of the Baptist Magazine. DEAR SIR,- Permit me to inform your readers that a society for assisting aged and infirm Baptist ministers, and their widows and orphans, was formed on the 112, Bloomsbury Place, Birmingham, 12th of August, at Birmingham. It is designed for ministers in any part of the country; and proposes giving from £20 to £40 a year.

Some of the features of this society

are,

No inquiry is made respecting a minister's circumstances, or his connection with any other society.

The annual amount to which a claimant is entitled is fixed by the rules.

Orphans, under 16, and widows are claimants, as well as aged and disabled pastors.

During the first year Baptist ministers under 45, may enter without any introductory payment.

Half-subscriptions, with the right to half the prospective advantages, are allowed.

At any time a minister may resign, and receive back all the money he has paid into the society.

And it may be added;-the rules are principally taken from two societies, one twelve years' old, the other fifty, that give more help than this society promises.

But to accomplish these objects the assistance of Christians is respectfully and earnestly sought. It was sought and obtained by the two societies referred to; and it is believed that liberality in this direction is not becoming less. It is well known that ministers generally are not able to provide for old age; that this inability is to many a source of much anxiety; and that some aged ministers, because of having no other means of support, adhere to the pastoral office when knowing that it would be better to resign.

September 6th, 1858.

EFFECTIVE PREACHING.

To the Editor of the Baptist Magazine. DEAR BROTHER,-I am delighted to find the mind of many godly men strongly moved on the subject of preaching, so as to try to secure a more fixed and serious attention to the work in the case of the regular hearers, and attract and reach such as have long neglected to hear it. I hope that this is a good sign.

The phrase "effective preaching," now become common, if it means fervid, direct, and scriptural preaching, is suitable; but if any intend by it anything of the preacher more than mere instrumentality, the suc cess and efficiency of God in the application of the truth presented out of the Scripture then it is misleading.

I see by the articles under this heading in your magazine another instance of how easily, and perhaps to the writers, imperceptibly, some persons slide away from the direct question in hand, into something more or less remote from it. The discussion has now plainly become one, not about the most useful preaching of the word, but of what is THE GOSPEL which is to be preached, and it is even narrower still in its range, and more irrelevant to the subject first started. The question has become this: what is the extent of redemption and atonement-is it general, or is it partial? Now I beg to say, that this mode will not do. If we are to have THIS question a specific topic instead of Influenced by these facts, and feeling the one first put well and good, but then satisfied that a national society was greatly let it be openly avowed. But let it be required, meetings have been convened, a also said, as it may with truth and obvious provisional committee appointed, treasurer propriety, that this latter subject is too and secretary chosen, beneficiary members received, and contributions made towards raising a capital of £4,000.

Several gentlemen have put their names

large for the pages of the magazine in these very crowding, bustling times.

The gospel in its simple meaning of good or glad tidings is-in its APPLICATION to

To the Editor of the Baptist Magazine. DEAR SIR,-The second letter of a "Baptist Deacon," in your number for this month, fully confirms the statements in my last, that if he fills that office in a "Particular" Baptist church he is not in his right position, seeing that he repudiates the Confession of Faith upon which our name as a separate body is founded.

If the word of the gospel be sufficient (as the "Deacon " would imply), and it is in the power of all men to believe unto salvation, where is the indispensable necessity (which he admits) of the operation of the Holy Spirit to renew the soul? But to

answer the whole of the Deacon's letter

religion-of very wide extent. Indeed it takes in all the teachings of the New Testament, and no small portion of the Old Testament, having reference to the times and facts of the kingdom of God, "the ministration of the spirit." In a more restricted use it means the leading doctrines of the new covenant by way of eminence, and especially salvation, by Christ alone, though not to the exclusion of other facts and doctrines. The gospel, like the atonement, which is the marrow and fatness, the life and soul of it, has many aspects from which it may be received, and perhaps cannot be in strictness of speech defined. It may be declared sometimes in one of its aspects, and some- would open up the whole of the controversy times in another, and if these have their as to whether the Arminian or Calvinistic proper place and due proportion in the doctrines are right, and although I should continuous preaching of the Word, the be very happy to do that, I know that you gospel is truly preached as it ought to be, cannot afford the space that would be and men need not become one-sided in their necessary in your pages, and I submit that views of it. That the gospel is the decla- the question in dispute is not as to the ration of God's love to men and a provision truth of those doctrines, but as to what are for the salvation of all those who believe the doctrines of the church of which your in Jesus, is a glorious truth. But it is correspondent is a deacon, and whether his equally true that the gospel is the mani-views are consistent with those doctrines. festation of the righteousness or justice of God in exacting the penalty due to the sinner, in the person of Christ as the substitute for him-punishing Christ instead of the sinner, so as to secure without failure in any case the salvation of every one that believeth, and to provide for the effectual change of the heart, without which provision none would ever savingly believe. This aspect of the gospel is as prominent in the scripture as the other, and certainly it does not favour the notion of general redemption, and universal undistinguishing love, nor anything like it.

I wish all our brethren great grace and happy labour in preaching the gospel, and shall be glad to receive from any of them a guiding hint, or a healthy stimulant to improved preaching, and shall be thankful for the favour.

Upon the original question of, What is effective preaching? I contend that the Deacon's second letter does not alter the position taken in my first, and that upon his own admission of the indispensable necessity for the operation of the Holy Spirit to renew the soul, that, and that only, must be the most effective preaching which is most abundantly blessed by the Holy Spirit; and, in my opinion, that ministry is not most honoured by such blessing which makes most noise in the world and draws the greatest crowd of hearers, but that which is most devoted, earnest, spiritual, and persevering, and which most feelingly acknowledges and prayerfully seeks that power without which a Paul may plant and an Apollos water in vain.

Yours truly,

A SUBSCRIBER (and Occasional Preacher).

Liverpool, Sept. 4th, 1858.

The following Notice was omitted, by mistake, in its proper place :— MELBOURN.-The Rev. E. Bailey who has studied under direction of the Rev. C. H. Spurgeon, and is one of the seals of his ministry, was set apart to the pastorate in this place on the 7th inst. The devotional exercises were conducted by Rev. Benj. Davies, of Greenwich. Rev. J. C. Wooster, of Landbeach, was called to the chair. Addresses suitable to the occasion were delivered by Revs. G. Rogers, S. Fordham, B. Davies, J. Avrton, J. Garner, and after a few remarks by Rev.

E. Bailey, the chairman concluded the service with Prayer. Tea was provided in the British School room. At half-past six, the chapel was filled with attentive hearers. The devotional exercises were conducted by Rev. W. Robinson, of Cambridge, after which the Rev. Geo. Rogers delivered a powerful and eloquent discourse. The Rev. B. Davies concluded the services with prayer.

AMBOISES BAY.

DIRECTLY to the north-east of Fernando Po, and lying under the shadows of the volcanic mountains of Cameroons, is the Bay of Amboises. Three islands occupy the entrance to the bay, Abobbi or Pirate Island, Dameh or Ambas Island, and Mondoleh. Of these the last is the largest, and is covered with timber to its highest point. All are inhabited by a race evidently derived from Bimbia, and they speak a modification of the Dualla language; they claim to be independent of the Bimbian chief, and that independence is secured by the rocky fastnesses in which they dwell, and by the few spots on which boats can secure a landing.

Once within the shelter of the islands, the voyager sees before him a bay some fifteen to twenty miles in circuit, with a rocky shore, and the surf perpetually breaking upon it. An opening in the rocky ridge, to the eastward, admits boats and small vessels into a small cove, a mile and a half in width, and having a sandy and open beach. It is on this spot

Mr. Saker has fixed for the erection of the new town and mission station, and which he proposes to name Victoria. The outer bay has a safe anchorage for ships of a large size at all seasons, and is open only to the south-west wind, blowing cool and refreshing from the broad Atlantic. Though carefully surveyed by Captain W. Allen, in 1842, the cove appears to have been overlooked. He frequently resorted to the bay for the purpose of improving the health of his crew, and lamented that so fine a bay did not possess the necessary facilities for a settlement. The explorations of Mr. Saker have, however, discovered what was wanting in the judgment of that estimable officer to make the Bay of Amboises the most frequented haven on the coast.

From the shores of the bay, the Cameroon mountains commence their ascent. Within three or four miles the first summit rises to a height of 5,820 feet, while the highest peak, ten or twelve miles beyond, reaches to 13,760 feet. The sides of the mountains are clothed with forest; and old men relate that fire was seen years ago to issue from the topmost height. "They all saw it," the people said, "and they felt the earth shake like a steamboat." "The people then feared it would kill them all." This, coupled with the name of the mountain, Mongo-maLobah, or God's mountain, offers a reason for supposing it might be the chariot of the gods of Hanno, the Carthaginian.*

The sides of the mountains, and the valleys around their base, are generally inhabited by wild races, who hitherto have had little intercourse with Europeans, but who appear to have the usual characteristics of the Negro race. The land, however, immediately around the bay, is without occupants.

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The Bay of Amboises is repeatedly referred to by Captain Allen as remarkably salubrious and healthy. Here," he says, "the sea breeze or cool land wind hardly ever fails. During our frequent visits to the Bay of Amboises, we had ample reason to be satisfied with having selected it as our principal station, as the continued health of the crews justified the opinion that had been formed of its comparative salubrity. It is open to the almost constant south-west wind coming in purity across the wide Atlantic, and is backed by the lofty Cameroons mountains, over which the land breeze passes at night, bringing a diminished temperature, which secures a calm and refreshing sleep, and, possibly, a freedom from noxious exhalations. We experienced a few tornadoes, but, in general, * Capt. W. Allen's Niger Expedition, vol. i., p. 273.