The  Apostles'  Plan.  119

Thus  qualified,  they  go  to  teach
The  nations,  and  the  gospel  preach ;
With  logic,  fired  by  love,  they  show
The  way  t'  escape  from  endless  woe;
By  gifts  unswayed,  by  frowns  unawed,
They  sought  alone  to  please  their  God.
The  people  prayed,  God's  servants  preached,
And  multitudes  the  gospel  reached  ;
In  penitential  grief  they  all
Upon  the  Lord  for  mercy  call ;
Jehovah  speaks  their  sins  forgiven —
His  Spirit  seals  them  heirs  of  heaven.
The  infant  church  thus  daily  grew
In  numbers,  and  in  graces  too.
•   Those  blissful  days  seemed  coming  on,
When  Satan's  power  shall  all  be  gone,
And  Earth,  redeemed,  her  glory  gain,
Beneath  Messiah's  peaceful  reign.
Mr.  B.  I  hope  you  don't  pretend  to  say
That  any  churches,  in  our  day,
Reject  the  Blessed  Comforter,
Or  do  their  gold  to  grace  prefer?

Mr.  A.  I've  often  thought,  I  must  confess,

That  churches  show  great  worldliness.
I  do  not  say  that  they  reject
The  Spirit's  aid;  but  they  expect
They  can  a  better  plan  pursue,
Than  what  the  apostles  used  to  do.
Mr.  B.  Why,  think  you  so?     I've  always  thought
That  from  the  apostles  we  had  got
The  plan  that  is  most  rational —
By  far  the  best,  and  scriptural
Our  ministers,  at  any  rate,
The  plan,  I  judge,  do  approbate;
And  if  'tis  wrong,  they  ought  to  know,
And  to  the  church  a  better  show*


120  Church  Debts.
Mr.  A.  I've  sketched  the  path  the  apostles  trod
In  building  up  the  church  of  God —
I  think,  with  candor,  you'll  admit,
That  bless'd  results  have  followed  it.
If  Christians  had  that  course  pursued,
They'd  done  incalculable  good.
