Gambar halaman
PDF
ePub

things, the great waste of precious time, and the great disgrace of religious profession. But pray ye with the spirit and with the understanding also. (1 Cor. xiv. 15.)"

"Beware of a canting imitation of hackneyed speeches in conversation and prayer; even though grey-headed ministers and heavy-pursed deacons, in their proud bigotry and bloated ignorance, may set you the example."

The Character of a Notorious Criminal, &c. By J. Packsmith.— J. Philo, Wymondham.

This small pamphlet is a brief relation of the natural death and spiritual life of the thief on the cross, and the circumstances connected therewith. It notices the character of the person, the extraordinary change produced in him, and the transcendent effects displayed in his death. It is written on the side of truth, but there is nothing very remarkable in it besides the case itself. We think eight small pages dear at 3d.

EDITORS' REMARKS.

Mr. Gad Southall has written us a letter, couched, we think, in somewhat haughty language, demanding an explanation of our conduct in inserting a letter from "J. T." in our September number, in which Mr. S. was indirectly accused of countenancing a minister who called the Gospel Standard, from the pulpit, "the Standard of corruption," whilst we refused to admit letters from "Geo. I." and "Last but One," which would have exculpated him. We have mislaid, or destroyed, with a number of others, the letters he wishes to be inserted, or would willingly admit them into our present number. Nor have we a distinct recollection of their contents. We would wish, however, to ask Mr. Southall a question or two. On Thursday, July 18th, Mr. S. was present in the chapel when the objectionable expression, as well as others of the same import, were used from the pulpit. On August the 7th, Mr. S. preached in the same pulpit. Did he, in any part of his sermon, bear testimony against the expression he had heard? We don't ask him his private sentiments, or what he said out of the pulpit about it. We want to know, did he honestly and boldly condemn the expression, and stand up for experimental religion against all such bush-rangers and sharpshooters, who aim their arrows against the life of God in the soul, under the flimsy pretext of censuring "corruption preaching ?" If he did, we fully exculpate him from countenancing the minister who uttered the objectionable expression. If he did not, we cannot hold him guiltless; and decidedly think he should, as a friend, not so much of our periodical as the principles it advocates, either have declined preaching there at all, or, if he accepted the invitation, should boldly and publicly have declared his sentiments on the subject.

ERRATA. -In our last No., page 43, line 2 under the head "Old Letter," the name Toger, should be Tozer.

Page 44, line 4 from the bottom, Triggs should be Trego.

THE

GOSPEL STANDARD,

OR,

FEEBLE CHRISTIAN'S SUPPORT.

"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled."-Matt. v. 6.

"Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began."-2 Tim. i. 9.

"The election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded."-Rom. xi. 7.

"If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.-And they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."-Acts viii. 37, 38; Matt. xxviii. 19.

No. 52.

APRIL, 1840.

SEPARATION.

VOL. VI.

"All that are with me salute thee."-Titus iii. 15.

Dear Brother M-, Grace be with thee. May the Spirit of the Lord exhort thee by me to stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. I am fully persuaded from internal and external testimony, that thou art set for the defence of the gospel. (Phil. i. 17.) I understand thou art shut out of the pulpit at Cfor speaking the truth in love, and contending earnestly for the faith which was once delivered to the saints. Dear brother M-, this day I leave our dearly-beloved sister M. C., and she informs me she has been brought through fire and water, yet she has been neither burned nor drowned. The Lord Jesus Christ hath been made precious to her immortal soul; hath said unto her, "I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee" out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, out of the hands of Satan, and as a brand out of the fire, from under the law and its curse into the glorious liberty of the children of God. Our dear sister informs me she heard on Lord's day last a glorious voice of inquiry, thus, "Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved ?" And the blessed Spirit of the Lord led her to search the large town of Cirencester, upon the ground of her inquiring text, that she might find some of the despised and rejected of men; and she found, shut up in a small room, about seven poor people, yet rich in faith and heirs of eternal glory, and a servant of God ministering unto them the finest of the wheat. The wine and the

D

oil, and the glory of God filled the place. On inquiry they informed her that they belonged to a Baptist Church, that they contended earnestly for the faith of the gospel; insisted upon church rule, order, and discipline; were made God's witnesses to testify of him; refused to say a confederacy to all them to whom the people say a confederacy; hated false love and mock zeal; could not drink the waters of the sanctuary when mudded, neither feed upon the flesh of swine, nor eat the serpent's meat; therefore they were counted narrow-minded, untractable, wicked, Calvinistic Antinomians, and were obliged to come out from amongst others, and be reckoned the offscouring of all things. Thus, dear brother M-, our beloved sister M. C. was instrumental in strengthening and encouraging my soul by the way, in bearing tidings that we were not left alone to fight the Lord's battles.

Dear brother M—, we congratulate thee in that thou art counted worthy to suffer shame, to be cast out, and to be hated of all men for Christ's sake. Great is thy reward, for so dealt they with the prophets of old. The blessed Lord hath commanded us to "Come out from among them, and be separate, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." (2 Cor. vi. 17, 18.) "For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? and what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? and what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?" Further it is written, "Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils; ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table and the table of devils."

Dear brother, the following are the reasons why we, (and we trust they are thine also,) came out of the church at C

İst. There is fulfilled in them the declaration of the Holy Ghost (1 Tim. iv. 1, 2); "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron." Does not this witness against them, my brother? Does not the church at C suffer their pastor to become all things to all people that he may gain all? Does he not minister to the people called a church, south of C— who deny the third person in the Godhead, and his work in a sinner's heart? Yes, he does. Also, does he not furnish a table for that troop on the east side of C-, whose very elders can with impunity follow after gambling, and daringly affrm it to be as lawful to raffle for swine in a house of prayer as to earn their bread by the sweat of their brow? Yes, he does. Does he not, at Cwithhold the glorious doctrines of God's everlasting love, eternal purpose, electing choice, preserving power, calling grace, forgiveness of sins, and final perseverance of all true believers? Yes, all this he keeps back, and says it is dangerous to the villagers. Is he not calling the dead to arise and have life, to accept of offered mercy, to attend means of grace, to commit awful abominations by telling them

to pray and obtain, strengthening the hands of the wicked by promising them life if they will do, do, do? "The prayers of the wicked are an abomination unto the Lord," and do, do, do, is a stench in his nostrils.

66

Dear brother M-, the doctrines of devils are duty faith, free will, human power, universal redemption, universal charity, and love of the world. From such a nondescript pastor and people all that know the truth must exclaim, Good Lord, deliver us. Because thou hast prepared a table for that troop, thou shalt no longer be a priest unto me." "Thus saith the Lord, if thou shalt separate the precious from the vile, then thou shalt be my mouth unto this people.' He that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully, for what hath the chaff to do with the wheat, saith the Lord ?"

66

The second reason why we came out from amongst them is, they have not attended to the apostolic command, but have called a novice to be their bishop and deacon. "Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. Not greedy of filthy lucre; holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience." (1 Tim. iii. 6, 8, 9.) A novice, who can give no account nor reason of the hope that is in him, except it is the hope of a hypocrite, which shall perish with him,—a novice, who hath followed a continual course of change from strict communion to mixed, from mixed to strict, from strict to open, from open to anything, if so be he might obtain a purse of gold, a novice who is predicted by Paul to be one of the men who shall be "lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, unthankful, unholy, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof; from such turn away." Let us bless and praise the name of the Lord for giving us grace to come out from such; for of this sort are they "which creep into houses, and lead away silly women, laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth, men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived." (2 Tim. iii. 1—13.)

But, brother M-,"continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them." (2 Tim. iii. 14.) Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. May the Lord enable thee and me always to shun profane and vain babblings; such as duty to pray; the law a rule of life; perfection in the flesh; universal charity; creation-love; general union; and mixed communion; for "they will increase unto more ungodliness, and their word will eat as doth a gangrene, of whom is Hymeneus and Philetus, who, concerning the faith, have erred, and overthrow the faith of some." Nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal; "The Lord knoweth them that are his." "But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth, and some to

honour and some to dishonour; if a man, therefore, purge himself from these (that are of wood and earth,) he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the Master's use." Blessed be the name of the Lord, he has given us grace to come out from amongst them, and has not allowed us to touch the unclean things of either open or mixed communion. The Lord's name be praised for ever and ever.

Amen.

Dear brother, think it not strange that they should cast thee out of their synagogue, or separate thee from their company. Fret not thyself because of evil doers. Jezebel proclaimed a feast, and took from Naboth his vineyard. "The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his Lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household? Fear them not, therefore; for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known." (Matt. x.24-26.)

Does

May the Lord bless thee abundantly, and keep thee valiant for the truth, and bless the labour of thy hands at C. The Lord is saying unto thee, "Fear not, I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." the devil tell thee thou wilt go to prison for the want of means to pay thy way? Remember, he was a liar from the beginning, and the father of lies. God only is faithful and true; he is thy God and my God; and he hath said, "The gold is mine, and the silver is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills." "My God, therefore, shall supply all thy need, according to his riches in glory by Jesus Christ our Lord." It shall not be as it hath been aforetime, when they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes; yea, they said, "When will the Sabbath be gone, that we may buy the for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes?" (Amos ii. 6; viii. 6.) Do impassable mountains of difficulties beset thee? The Lord says, Who art thou, thou great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain." Do empty professors laugh and say, "Even if a fox go up, he shall break down their stone wall?" The Lord says, "Thy enemies shall be found liars unto thee, and the diviners made mad." "Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings; for the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool." "Behold, ye despisers, and wonder and perish; for I work a work in your day, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you."

66

poor

Brother M, the Lord saith, "I have put my words in thy mouth, and have covered thee in the shadow of my hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people." And with astonishment we are constrained to make the important inquiry, "What hath God wrought?" Why, he has wrought a covenant with sinners before the foundation of the world; He hath made a covenant with me, ordered in all things and sure,

66

« SebelumnyaLanjutkan »