Gambar halaman
PDF
ePub

ing that these blessed truths lead to licentiousness, evidently prove they are destitute of the one thing needful. O blessed soul! humbling position at the feet of Jesus!

But again, our Lord hath declared it to be a good part that Mary had chosen. Yes, for I am sure that nothing but the grace of God can keep a soul humble; and the apostle saith, "It is a good thing to have the heart established with grace," Heb. xiii. 9. And it is the grace of God that teacheth us to deny ungodliness, and that is more than free-will or dutyfaith ever did. Thus Mary's part was a good part, for she was the workmanship of God, created anew in Christ Jesus; the Spirit of Truth dwelt in her, and fed her soul with that bread which cometh down from heaven (John vi. 51). She was kept in the good old way of Zion, trusting to the blessed work of Calvary, and living on the mercy of a covenant God; embraced in the arms of the Good Shepherd of Israel, who neither slumbereth nor sleepeth, loved with an everlasting love, and drinking of that pure river of life that proceedeth from the throne of God and the Lamb. Yes, it was a good part, for Mary's eyes were opened to know the difference between the religion of the flesh and that of the Spirit, and made to feel the power of the religion which is the gift of God, which layeth the sinner low, and maketh a precious Christ her all in all, the chiefest among ten thousand and the altogether lovely.

But it is a good part if we look at its duration. The soul that is in possession of this principle can never lose it; it is unloseable. Sin can never destroy it, for Christ hath destroyed sin, and brought life and immortality into the world, and delivered his church from out of the pit wherein there is no water of life, and put them upon a rock, yea the rock of eternal ages, into which the righteous run and are safe. If once in Christ, in Christ for

ever.

Oh,

There is no fear of a soul thus seated at the feet of Jesus falling away, for he hath declared that his sheep shall never perish, and saith, that of those given to him by his Father to redeem not one shall be lost, but that they shall all sit down with him in his Father's kingdom, for in the day that he maketh up his jewels he will spare them as a man spareth his son. And he is a God that cannot lie; heaven and earth shall pass away, but his word shall not pass away. my soul, bless and adore the mighty God of Jacob, for such rich love and such infinite wisdom as he hath displayed in the salvation of his church. Who but the eternal God could have devised such a plan? Who but the God-man Christ could have undertook such a mighty work, and come off more than conqueror! And we are more than conquerors through the blood of the Lamb. one thing needful is to be one with Christ. If one with him the Father will receive us to glory, for he loved us before the world began; the blessed Spirit will reveal a precious Christ to our souls, lead us into the truth; and we shall be kept from all our enemies, and be with our covenant God through all eternity. Kingston.

The

E. D.

[blocks in formation]
[ocr errors]

God, should attempt, in humble dependance upon his faithfulness and promises, to lead your minds to the contemplation of those things which alone can afford comfort here, and form the basis of all our expectations of eternal, unvarying glory hereafter. As the Apostle Paul, under the teaching of the Holy Ghost, has declared that "whatsoever things were written aforetime, were written for our learning;" and as " Israel after the flesh" are undoubtedly typical of Israel after the spirit: the church will agree with me that as in a glass darkly," the Lord has here declared his faithfulness to her, and moreover if taught by the blessed Comforter she will" set to her seal that God is true," and every individual member shall exclaim "not one good thing hath failed." I would pause for one moment at the entrance of this glorious subject, to notice how sublime is the consideration which contains, as it were, heaven in its bosom, and unfolds to the admiring view of the humble believer, the heart of Jehovah himself: he sees here the wisdom, power, and justice, as well as the mercy, grace, and long-suffering of the immutable I Ам, made subservient to his love, in the manifestation of anxious and prevailing care, for worms and dust of the earth. appears that God had spoken good of, and to the house of Israel; he had chosen and called Abraham as the head, and made a covenant with him to bring his descendants into the possession and enjoyments of the land of Canaan; his promise he had renewed to Isaac and to Jacob; and when they were, for the preservation of their bodies, and the manifestations of his power, shut up in Egypt, he had appeared to Moses, and declared that he had seen their afflictions and would send him to deliver them, and bring them to a land flowing with milk and honey, &c. &c.

It

At the time when the words of my text were written, "all these things had come to pass." Besides noticing

66

1

that the spiritual Israel are all chosen in Christ as their glorious and glorified head, and that all the promises of God are made to them in him (2 Cor. i. 20.; Titus i. 2), I would observe, that in God's dealings with Israel of old, these three particulars are strikingly set forth the deliverance of the church from bondage; her preservation on her journey; her introduction to the blessings of the everlasting covenant ordered in all things and sure." The elect of God by reason of the transgression of the first Adam, are completely under the dominion of the prince of the power of the air, the god of this world who ruleth with a rod of iron, by means of the perverted and alienated faculties of their own souls, and the allurements of pleasurable sin: contented with their situation, they never dream of deliverance, but delight in the gratification of their sensual appetites, to the opposing of the will and commands of the Most High; so that they are overwhelmed with guilt, and on the brink of eternal destruction. There is no state of moral degradation which can accurately set forth the fallen state of man, being gone "as far as possible" from original creation-righteousness, but when the fulness of time is come, the lawful captive must be delivered: redemption is accomplished, not by the slaughter of the first-born of the enemy, but by the death of the only begotten Son of God, their Father and their Friend; all the demands of the law are paid, the heavy penalty of inflexible justice is endured, the sword is aroused against "the man," Christ Jesus, God's "fellow," the ransom price was paid, the cleansing fountain opened, and in consequence he says,

66

I will gather you one by one, Oh ye children of Israel," Isa. xxix. 12. Jesus comes to each, riding in the chariot of his covenant, which is paved with love, as the Sun of Righteousness darts the beams of knowledge into the dark cavern of the soul,

[ocr errors]

discover sin in its guilt and pollution, displays the holiness of God in his holy law, and the soul becomes horrified; remembering and feeling transgression he is greatly troubled; the law appears to him like the daughters of the horse-leech crying, give, give;" the more he strives to fulfil, the more his deficiency appears, and the less his ability seems, and often is he brought not only to resolve to give up all his attempts at perfect, or even sincere obedience, but even to declare

there is no hope;" when Jesus (not Moses) appears as a deliverer, shew himself as his law-fulfiller, makes known his dying love and his risen power, bids him put himself under his guidance, and brings him out of the gross darkness of nature, to "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." He is made partaker in some degree of the faith of God's elect; is taught to hate the world, sin, and self, and to maintain perpetual and unceasing warfare with the fleshly desires of his own heart. He is a new creature," for he is become a son of God" by faith in Christ Jesus: now for the first time, solid hope and real comfort spring up in his breast, which is according to, or in proportion with his faith

"

And from Egypt lately come,
Where death and darkness reign;
He seeks a new a better home,

Where God his Saviour reigns. He has passed from death to life, and his faith worketh by love, raising his soul into communion with his God, and enlarging his heart towards the redeemed of the Lord, his companions on his road, Various are the means used to effect this personal deliverance, but the power is one and the same, it is omnipotence.

"Hail sovereign love that first began The scheme to rescue fallen man : Hail, matchless, free, abiding grace, That found my soul a hiding place." But now the child of God, though rescued from guilt, and delivered from

[ocr errors]

bondage, is exposed to many dangers and much uneasiness and distress; partly, " by reason of the way," and partly by the frequent attacks of enemies; all the way in which he has to walk is a thorny way of self-denial, and continued opposition to all that is in his flesh; he must wait for the pillar of cloud, and watch for the pillar of fire; and often like the Israelites, he murmurs at God's dealings, and because he cannot fathom them with the line of human reason, and the plummet of common sense, he rebels and would soon sink down into despondency, but he has a preserver and protector, who cheers up his drooping spirit by shewing him that he is leading him" by a right way," and that the difficulties to which he is exposed are necessary to humble him, and show him what is in his heart," that he may not trust to it, but in the Lord his helper. Sometimes he has to contend with innumerable foes; his own hearts' lusts, evil desires, and a proud and self-righteous spirit, are his chief enemies; and these are incited by Satan, that determined adversary of his Lord, and drawn into action by all that is in the world, and often he is obliged to cry unto the Lord, saying, "I have no might against this great host which cometh against me, neither know I what to do, but my eyes are upon thee;" and he never looks in vain. The roaring lion, and the howling wolf, get away to their dens when the sun arises, and thus he is delivered out of all his troubles and brought to the desired haven. There is the haven of peaceful rest, and the haven of eternal joy: he that believes, has entered into the former, he that is dismissed from this world, is admitted into the latter. In some sense the Canaan of old typified both of these havens: the first, that though they had taken possession, the Canaanite was still in the land, which represents the old man, who though kept in subjection by the lively actings of faith, is still permit

[ocr errors]

ted to let us know that there is no
sinless perfection in the flesh," but or,
that all perfection is in Christ. The
latter, in that those who entered Ca-
naan had passed through Jordan,
which is often considered typical of
death, by which the believer enters
into life, eternal and uninterrupted.
Beloved brethren, are you brought
out of Egypt? have you by faith en-
tered into rest? or are you yet in the
wilderness, afraid to take him at his
word? oh! remember, not one good
hath failed, all came to pass-
"D id ever tr ouble yet befall,

And he refuse to hear thy call,
And has he not his promise past,
That ye shall overcome at last."
Give no place to the devil, either
in false doctrines, delusive experience,
or deceitful practice; beware of the
pitfalls in the wilderness, and shun
worldly society, whether professors or
profane; let those have most of your
regard who have most resemblance to
the blessed Jesus; be often found at
the mercy seat, either

Praising for all that is past,

Praying for all that's to come.

66

Another year is just concluded, and laden with treasures and pregnant a new year is just opening upon us, with sorrows; all its trials and all its joys alike will cry, "go to Jesus,' "turn to the stronghold." Soon the voice of the mighty angel shall proclaim time shall be no longer;" then shall the master's voice be heard, then shall the voice of the archangel and the trump of God, proclaim admission into the boundless joys and interminable blessings springing from the presence of the Lamb that was slain. Oh! may we live on the mount of expectation, hovering on the wing of earnest desire, and even now by precious faith realizing the truth, "he that believeth is entered into rest."

ALFRED HEWLETT.

Lockwood Parsonage, Yorkshire.

REVIEW.

[blocks in formation]

want no sin spared; I wish no divine law repealed; no part of the heavenly arrangements altered. All Christ is, I would receive; all he requires, I would fain be. Nearness to God is my element; a propensity to wander from him my torment, the presence of the Comforter my richest enjoyment. Happy Christian arise, and muse on thy privileges. The life of God is within thee; the love of God is around thee thy element, vital air, and dwelling-place; the power of God is for thee; the glory of God is before thee. "Man in Christ," all hail! heaven's favourite, earth's ornament, hell's torment, and eternity's wonder, all hail! And if such are thy privileges now, what are thy prospects for that

66

66

[ocr errors]

boundless eternity, which stretches its immeasurable expanse before thine aspiring eye? "Ever with the Lord," like him," "joint heir with Christ,' a king and priest to God;" the highest dignity, the nearest relationship, the richest portion, the sweetest. service; and all this for ever; and for one once a slave of hell. Again christian we congratulate you. This salvation is nearer now than when you believed; it may be near, very near : then sin will be a thing for ever gone by, and the glory of God a portion for ever possessed.

If such thy privilege and prospects, what then, christian, should be thy practice? The cords of love are around thee? they bind thee to thy Father's loving heart and gracious throne; to thy Saviour's bleeding cross and shining path: surely thou wilt not slight or try to escape from these bands of love. Many eyes are on thee, to see how thou wilt act; many snares are around thee, to seduce thy soul from things above; there are many candidates for thy affections: Jesus only is worthy of them-give them all to him. Christian! wondrous, exalted, mysterious being! art thou walking worthy of this high vocation? Is religion progressing or grading? Is thy heart hard or soft? Is divine knowledge sweet, does divine love constrain, does divine hope purify! Recollect that the honor of Christianity is connected with thy character. Let not then thy inconsistency, inconstancy, and unhappiness proclaim it a powerless thing; but seek grace to enjoy and exhibit that kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost."

retro

66

the

A Sequel to the Essays on Covetousness; being the Result of an Attempt to ascertain what is taught in the Oracles of God, respecting the possession and the Use of Property. 8vo., pp. 44. London, Simpkin & Co.

MUCH has indeed been written of late on this sin, and many prescriptions have been written out by the

learned rabbis of the day, to eradicate the disorder from the mental constitution of our race; but we have thought that one method has not yet been recommended, which we are inclined to believe is the only one which will be attended with any successful result.

It was once (and it may be now for ought we know, for we are not medical practitioners) an axiom in the Materia Medica, to oppose some virulent disease by infusing one of an opposing nature, though of similar working; now we would that this were adoptod in reference to covetousness: let there be less rioting about cleansing the outside of the platter, strive to infuse a new principle of covetousness, set before the people the wisdom of "coveting earnestly the best gifts;" dwell more upon the nature and value of these best gifts, and should a knowledge of the value of these be granted, so will there be less love of the perishing silver and gold of this fleeting world, and the morbid hankering for the accumulation of its wealth less prevalent.

Well do we know that Paul may plant and Apollos water, and all will be in vain without that divine influence which alone giveth increase; but we as certainly know, that the antidotes of human invention now generally adopted, being opposed to the revealed testimony of God, will not be followed by the blessing of the Lord; and what we have suggested is certainly scriptural.

Of the pamphlet we have only to say, it contains many judicious observations, but, like all similar works, lays down a theory which will certainly never be adopted.

[blocks in formation]
« SebelumnyaLanjutkan »