Died, on May 27th, Mrs. William Barnes, of Accrington, aged 36 years. The subject of this notice was born in the New Church, and was of the third generation on the mother's side in the same family. She was an affectionate receiver of the doctrines, and formerly a scholar, then a teacher in the Sunday school, and a help to the church in the choir. Her heart and soul were in everything connected with the good of the New Jerusalem. She sympathised with its difficulties and rejoiced in its joys, whenever she knew them. Owing to some deep-seated cause, for many years she was occasionally a great sufferer in the head. But she ever bore her afflictions with exemplary patience and resignation, trusting that the Lord in permitting them had some eternal good in view which she would realize in heaven. Her last illness was induced by childbirth. She survived the birth of a weak infant, which she has left behind her, but for a few weeks, and never fully rallied from the extreme debility into which she sank. She spoke of her expected removal with confident trust, and calmness, and was most grateful for the unremitting care of her excellent mother and beloved husband. She passed away at length like an infant going to sleep, and awoke, no doubt, in the soft sphere of the celestial angels. She has left two pledges of affection with her esteemed husband, and a sweet remembrance of her worth to a wide circle of friends. The pilgrim enfeebled by sickness and pain, Died, at Prestolee, near Bolton, Lancashire, at the residence of Mr. Thomas Rudgyard, her son-in-law, Hannah, relict of Mr. John Ormerod, late of Salford. The deceased was born at Bury, Lancashire, on the 24th of May, in the memorable year of the Last Judgment, 1757, and had, consequently, nearly completed her ninety-fourth year. Residing near Chamber Hall, the birthplace of the late Sir Robert Peel, at the time of his entrance into this world, she not only remembered him as an infant, but also dandled him in her arms, little thinking at the time of the important part that infant was destined in after years to take in the affairs of his country, and the civilised world. Shortly after her marriage, she and Mr. Ormerod removed to Manchester, and having been brought up in connection with the Church of England, they attended the ministry of the late venerable Clowes, where they first became acquainted with the doctrines of the New Church. They also attended the Tuesday evening meetings held by Mr. Clowes at his own residence, to which the deceased frequently reverted as among the most pleasing reminiscences of the past. When, however, Mr Cowherd, Mr. Clowes's curate, seceded from the Establishment, and commenced preaching the doctrines, they followed him; but becoming dissatisfied with many things in his preaching, they connected themselves with the congregation meeting in the neighbourhood of Prince's-street, Manchester. under the ministry of the late Mr. Hindmarsh; and Mr. Ormerod was one of the most active parties in the erection of the Temple, whither the society afterwards removed, the site on which the building stands having been chosen at his suggestion. Pos Mrs. Ormerod was a woman of more than ordinary strength of mind, and intellectual activity; and, what is not always the case, her sympathies and benevolence were equally enlarged. sessing also a retentive memory, she could relate many interesting circumstances connected with the early history of the Church in Manchester and Salford. She was blessed with a remarkable share of health and vigour during a long life, and her removal was unattended with disease. She only kept her bed two days previously to her death, and then no indications of her approaching end were discovered, not even to the last. On the morning of the day on which she died, she remarked how very comfortable she felt. About the middle of the day she was observed to be in a deep sleep, and on going into her room a few minutes afterwards, it was discovered that her spirit had just fled. She is almost the last of the very small number now living who can recollect the Church at its commencement. W. Cave and Sever, Printers, Palatine Buildings, Hunt's Bank, Manchester. MOAB AT EASE FROM HIS YOUTH.-A SERMON. BY A. HAWORTH. "Moab hath been at ease from his youth, and he hath settled on his lees, and hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel, neither hath he gone into captivity : therefore, his taste remained in him and his scent is not changed. Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will send unto him wanderers, that shall cause him to wander, and shall empty his vessels, and break their bottles. And Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel their confidence."-Jeremiah xlviii. 11-13. THE severe threatenings and judgments set forth in the holy Word against those who opposed themselves to the God of Israel, were intended to produce a salutary impression on the minds of those to whom they were addressed. Where the softer modes of persuasion and appeal were ineffectual, it was of the mercy of the Lord to adopt such other means as might be calculated to reach the capacities of fallen human beings, and turn them to Himself. While to the merciful He shewed Himself merciful, yet to the froward did He also shew Himself froward; assuming thus, in the latter case, a character not in agreement with His attributes of love and mercy, that His purposes of salvation might be accomplished, and His Word not return unto Him void. In the prophecies from which our text is taken, there are judgments put forth against evil-doers, which should make a strong impression on the minds of those who read them. Against Moab especially, the Lord N. S. No. 141.-VOL. XII. 2 H cry; utters heavy denunciations by Jeremiah. He saith, "Moab is spoiled; his calamity is near to come; he shall be in derision; howl and flee, save your lives; give wings unto Moab, that he may flee and get away; fear, and the pit, and the snare shall be upon thee. Woe be unto thee, O Moab!" (Ch. xlviii.) These are among the things which awaited Moab in the latter days. It must needs appear strange that such heavy judgments should be the lot of Moab, when it is remembered, that this people had by no means shewn such hostility to the children of Israel as had been shewn by the Egyptians and others, towards whom there is, nevertheless, greater leniency expressed in the Divine Law. The children born of the Edomites and Egyptians were to enter into the congregation of the Lord in the third generation, but those of Ammon and Moab were not to enter therein, even to the tenth generation, for ever. It may be said that these two men were the illegitimate offspring of Lot by a horrible connexion; and this may be alleged as a reason for the severity of the statute which thus excluded them. This, however, will do but little towards explaining the whole counsel of God in the case before us. That we may be fully instructed respecting the judgments which relate to Ammon and Moab, it must be known that the sacred Scriptures contain a spiritual sense, in which the Lord and His church are treated of. The children of Israel are a standing type of those who are followers of Jesus Christ; while their enemies are a type of the spiritual foes that the Lord's people have to contend with. The former represent men who are principled in spiritual goodness and truth, while the latter represent men in evil loves and false persuasions. There are always, therefore, such men as the Israelites and the nations around them typify; and also spiritual states and circumstances experienced by the men of the church, correspondent with the natural circumstances related of these people in the Divine Word. With such a view of the contents of the Holy Volume, it may be seen that it is with justice we regard it as a fountain of wisdom to the church; and that we may constantly draw living waters thence for our spiritual edification. Proceed we to the text now before us. It tells us how Moab re mained at ease from his youth, and what consequences therefore awaited him. In order to see the spiritual import of this passage, we must know what class of persons is represented by these sons of Moab, Observe, therefore, that this spurious offspring, these illegitimate descendants from Abraham, typify a class of persons standing in a certain way connected with the Lord and His church, who still are not His legitimate children. We see persons kind, amiable, dutiful, and even pious, in appearance, who are still interiorly but natural men. Self and its loves have an abiding-place and rule in their minds. Pure love and truth, which are the Lord's life in man, and which should, as spiritual parents, give birth to every kind affection, and every just word and work, are not the motives from which they act. This their life, proceeding from impure motives, is spurious and defiled, and they themselves are illegitimate children; they are spurious members of the church. By nature they are of an easy, yielding, and contented turn of mind. They will adopt any principles which are called good, and conform to any thing in the way of outward righteousness. They please others, and are pleased with themselves, and satisfied with their staté, for they only look at what is external. But amid all this goodly appearance, the hereditary evil propensities of their nature are unsubdued ; the old man is not put off; their good is adulterated by the evil that is within. It is like fruit which is pleasing to the eye, but the core of which is rottenness. These are the persons to whom our text alludes in the spiritual sense; these are the spiritual Moabites, against whom such awful judgments are uttered in prophecy, and so severe a law is put forth in the Levitical code. These are men who are at ease in Zion, and say Peace, peace to their souls, when there is no peace. "Moab hath been at ease from his youth." We may readily see that such natural men as we have just described are here meant by Moab, who continue satisfied with the state they are in, without seeking to be born again. To speak more particularly, that first period in the Christian life is referred to, when the truths of religion are stored up in the memory, and are suffered there to remain without being used to purify the affections. Men are apt to learn these with eagerness, and then remain satisfied. They will settle, as the text says, on their lees, and not be emptied from vessel to vessel; that is to say, they will ally their spiritual knowledge with the impurities of the natural mind, and rest in that state, without seeking to be really created anew. It refers literally to the process of making wine, which, in the first place, is mixed with lees; but these are to sink down, and the wine to be emptied from vessel to vessel, till it is separated from its impuritions. Such wine is an image of truth in the mind of man, which should lead to its purification. When the prophet saith that the Lord will make in the mountains of Zion "a feast of fat things, of wines on the lees, well refined," He alludes to the Christian church, whose spiritual truth in the minds of its true members shall purify them from the loves of self and of the world. The wine we drink in the Holy Supper is an image of the truth we appropriate from the Lord. If the truths we learn remain in the memory, without reaching the heart which is impure, it is like wine settled on the lees. It should pass from the understanding to the will, in which case a real change takes place. It leads then to a transformation of the whole man. The text says further, "Neither hath he gone into captivity." To go into captivity implies, in the spiritual sense, to sustain temptations. When the Israelites went into captivity, they represented the church enduring spiritual trials, which are temptations or infestations. It is here brought as a charge against Moab, that he had not gone into captivity, because it is necessary that the man of the church should, a for his purification, become spiritually captive, or submit to be infested and tried. This truth is frequently declared in the Word, as for instance, where the prophet beholds two baskets of figs; one of which s is a type of those who had been in captivity, and the other of those who had not been captive: the former are called good figs, and the latter very bad, so bad that they could not be eaten. Of the former the Lord saith, "Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place unto the land of the Chaldeans for their good. I will give them a > heart to know Me, and they shall be My people, and I will be their God." (Jeremiah xxiv. 3, 7.) Thus do we see, that man is not created anew, without going, as Moab should have done, into captivity, or, in the spiritual idea, sustaining temptations. It may be well to describe here the true nature of temptations, and ~ why they must be endured. They are commonly thought to be mere sensual allurements, which draw away the inclinations, and so entice a man from the paths of duty. In such a case, however, he is not tempted in the sense of Scripture, unless he is regulating his mind by religious principles, so that only such persons as are seeking to be spiritual can be truly tempted. Temptations, to speak properly, are trials in the mind between principles of goodness and truth on the one hand, and those of evil and falsity on the other; the former of which are made active by ministering spirits from heaven, and the latter by: spirits from hell, so that the man who is regenerating, experiences a conflict in his mind, which, especially if severe, is called temptation. Thus we see that temptation is a state of trial which the Christian endures; he is in such case taking up his cross as a militant follower of Jesus Christ. The necessity for such trials arises from the fact, that without them the evil loves of man, especially his self-dependence, cannot be put off, and new life be appropriated from the Lord. It is an eternal truth which the Saviour has uttered, saying, "Whosoever > |