THE everlasting truths of God, are built upon too firm a foundation to be overturned or frustrated by all the carnal wisdom of mighty man. Let him bring forth all his natural and false reasoning, to batter down the doctrine of sovereign, free, unmerited grace, he shall never be able to alter one word of divine truth;--the counsel of the Lord, standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations: my counsel (saith Jehovah) shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure." Then let all the arminians in the world, unite in their endeavours to twist and bend the word of God, to make it square with their natural and depraved reason, and its doctrine of grace to explain away; like true ministers of the whom they serve, use every means in their power to blind the eyes of those that believe, by opposing the truth wherever it is found, whether in the written word, or in the hearts of God's people: but, blessed be God, his word is as a lamp which shall not be put out his people shall still be fed with the everlasting bread of heaven, his ministers shall still go November, 1839.]

master

forth and publish the gospel of peace to poor sinners who can find no peace in themselves. But the devil is, ever was, and ever will be (so far as he is permitted) the roaring lion still "going about seeking whom he may devour;" and what is it the devil is said to roar at, but the truth, being contrary to his very nature; he uses every effort, and sets his ministers to work in the most crafty manner to oppose it. When God's ministers are preaching Christ and his finished salvation, as the only ground of a poor sinner's hope; circulating that gospel which makes known the everlasting love, grace, and favour of God treasured up for his church, even from eternity; the devil,through his ministers, opposes it,by puffing up the pride of the human heart, which, in its natural state, is ever ready to receive the heterogeneous mixture of lies and errors, as tinder does the spark from the flint and steel. What can be more suited to man in his unrenewed state, than to tell him that Christ's death was a sacrifice for the whole human race, that though there are a few conditions to be performed on his (man's) part, yet they are so easy that he can perform them at any time, if he please: Christ having put salvation within the reach of every one who will believe

I I

(and all men may if they will), and exercise faith on the Lord Jesus Christ, and repent for the past sins of their lives. The love of God, say they, is to all alike, it includes every son and daughter of Adam from the beginning to the end of time. And as to the choice of God, which some persons talk so much about, we believe no such thing, except it be this, that God will choose those who first choose him.

Thus do these mighty reasoners, these great sticklers for universal redemption, cause the way of truth to be evil spoken of, by setting up themselves, and their own flesh-pleasing schemes in opposition to the declared word of God, who hath said that not a jot or tittle of his word shall pass away, until all is fulfilled. These are the preachers so many flock to hear, the preachers of a yea and nay gospel, or rather no gospel, which now inundates our land; they are they who darken counsel by words without knowledge, preaching for doctrines the traditions of men: by which the good old gospel is in part set aside, and its place attempted to be filled up, with the God-dishonouring systems of freewill, universal redemption, meritorious works, and sinless perfection. These are the babel builders of the present day: but so sure as the word of God is true, their babel tower shall not stand, and they, the builders, shall be scattered, and filled with shame and confusion of face. But the great and mighty bulwarks of the faith of God's people, the doctrines of free, sovereign, and efficacious grace-are still the doctrines of the Bible, and are the doctrines that ought to be preached too, or they would not be found there in them there is safety, and short of them, all is uncertainty. Vain is the hope of man, that maketh flesh his arm, or stays himself upon anything short of the everlasting, unalterable purposes of Jehovah. Here O believer is thy only rest.

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Merit, in any way, or under whatever name it may be called, is what thou canst never arrogate to thyself; the language of God's regenerated ones, is, Not unto us, not unto us O Lord, but unto thy name give praise." Having been deeply humbled before God, taught their awful state by nature, and their utter inability to recover themselves from that state, they can heartily subscribe to the language of the words which stand at the head of this paper; 66 He brought me to his banqueting house, and his banner over me was love."

And who is this mighty He? surely it can be no other than the Lord Jesus Christ. He who was set up in the council of eternity, as the Father, Husband, Brother, and Redeemer of his loved and chosen people. He who was rich, "but for their sakes became poor, that they through his poverty might be made rich." He brought them, surely they did not come of their own will, or by their own might, strength, or power? No, "not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit saith the Lord." Neither did they come against their will, for thus saith Jehovah, “Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power." Then it is God who first makes them willing, and then sweetly draws them with cords of love, as with the bands of a man; mark also the antiquity of this love,

"I have loved thee with an everlasting love;" also the consequence of that love," therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee,"

Then it was Jesus, the "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world," who " was made sin, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." He, who bare all our sins in his own body on the tree, perfectly satisfied divine justice, washed away all our pollutions in his own blood, wrought out and brought in an everlasting righteousness for all; yes, for all his people. He who humbled himself

even unto death, died the just for the unjust, fulfilled the whole law, bare all its penalties in the sinner's stead, made an end of sin, and completely justified all his church from all things, from which they could not have been justified by the law of Moses. He who put away sin by the sacrifice of himself, and " by his one offering, perfected for ever them who are sanctified." Yes it was Jesus who brought thee: even he who is the great and mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of peace; who is now sitting on his glorious throne, as King of kings and Lord of lords: the everlasting High Priest, who is entered into the holy of holies, their almighty Advocate and Intercessor, and who will be the final judge of all; for to him every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess, when he comes to judge the world, and to be glorified in his saints. It was he whose love is dateless, and will be dateless, even from eternity to eternity, who brought thee; and that too, when thou wast sunk low in the ruins of the fall: where thou, O believer, without his discriminating grace would for ever have remained, without inclination, wish, or desire to arise: so helpless and polluted wert thou weltering in thy blood (the sins of the Adam fall transgression), cast out into the open field to the utter loathing of thy person; it was then, when wallowing in sin and uncleanness, drinking in iniquity as the thirsty ox drinketh water (here mark the discriminating grace of Jesus), that he passed by thee, remembered his covenant (his ancient everlasting covenant) entered into for thee, and thy time was the time of love; then did he cast his skirt over thee, and thou becamest (manifestively) his. Then did he deliver thee from going down into the pit, and he became thy ransom : not for any good that was in thee, or for any good he foresaw would be in thee; but because he had set his love

upon thee, he " brought thee to his banqueting house and his banner over thee is love."

But secondly, I would notice the house. Some have been led to understand it as the visible church into which believers are brought at regeneration; others have thought it intended the word of God; but the latter may more properly represent a part of the banquet, rather than the house itself. But neither of these it appears to me are intended in this place: but rather the everlasting covenant, entered into by Jehovah

Father, Son, and Holy Ghost-in the councils of old, before the world was, when God the Father chose and gave the church to Christ; when Christ betrothed her to himself, and entered into an engagement to redeem her from sin, and the curses of a broken law, to which she would become liable; and the Holy Ghost engaged to become her Quickener, Regenerator, and Comforter. Thus did each divine person in the everglorious Trinity, go forth in acts of grace, love, and mercy; thus were the secret purposes of the Trinity, ratified and sealed in the councils of old, before the church in reality had any existence, except in the eternal mind. This I think is the house intended by the Holy Spirit in this portion of scripture.

But it is called a house; and as every house hath its foundation, so hath this house; and a precious foundation it is :-" Behold! I lay in Zion, for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, against which the gates of hell shall not prevail." And it is the only foundation, "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ; who verily was fore-ordained before the foundation of the world." But some are for laying other foundations, as all Pharisees will be sure to do; but what saith the apostle Peter to such builders, this is the stone, set at

nought by you builders, which is become the head stone of the corner, this is a sure foundation, the building erected on it can never fall.

We will next notice who laid this foundation. "Ilay in Zion;" I, Jehovah is the builder" the Lord hath founded Zion. and the poor of his people shall trust in it." Again it is called a building of God, eternal in the heavens; and also A city which hath foundation whose builder and maker is God." Then Jehovah-Father, Son and Holy Spirit-are the builders, Christ the foundation.

Next we would notice the building. The church; believers; the redeemed of every nation, kindred, and people, who are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets (that is on the same foundation as the apostles and prophets;-Jesus Christ); they are choice materials; chosen in Christ, not their own choosers, no, Christ saith " ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you." Again, they are prepared materials: "This people (saith Jehovah) have I formed for myself, they shall shew forth my praise." Stop (saith an arminian), is man no more than a block of wood or stone! hath he no hand in building up himself.—no, indeed he hath not; God the Holy Spirit is the only active builder, for man is as truly dead, spiritually, until quickened by divine grace, which is of the operation of the Holy Spirit, as the stones which compose a natural house.

Oh! (saith a modern calvinist) this is going to far; if it really was so, where is the good of telling people about those things which they cannot comprehend! leave those things, they are only disputed points, tending more to disturb and unsettle than

edify. Oh! yes, SO saith every temporiser, but what saith the word of God! that is our only rule; it, matters not what this or that man may say, their words have no weight but as they are supported by the unerring testimony of divine truth. The words last quoted, this people

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have I formed for myself," if they have any meaning, mean what they say, the word of God is not yea and nay as some persons would have it, but yea and amen. And if there was not another passage in all scripture to assert the same truth, this single one would be sufficient; but blessed be God this is not the only one, the Bible is full of such passages from Genesis to Revelation. Christ sent out his ministers to preach the gospel, and this is a part of the gospel, and his ministers are not to shun (as a great many so called ministers do), but to declare the whole counsel of God, and leave the consequences to him who is too wise to err, and whose truths want 'none of the rotten props that puny man can raise to guard it, nor any of his temporary mixtures to make it palatable.

But I would hasten to notice a few of the characteristics of this house. And first, it is an ancient house. St. Paul writing to the Ephesian believers, tells them that they were chosen in Christ before the world began. Then it follows that this house was before time, and that Abel in the order of time may be said to have been the first tenant. Then follows the patriarchs, and prophets, with all the Old and New Testament saints, down to the present time. But, secondly, it is not only an ancient, but a large house, capable of holding a number that no man can number. John had a blessed view of this (Rev. vii. 9.)—“ Lo a great multitude which no man could number, of all nations, kindred, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and with palms in their hands." But, thirdly, it is an honourable house : none but the royal seed, the King's sons and daughters will be permitted to enter it. Which fourthly, shews that it is a family house: all of one family, all children, "here am I (saith Christ), with the children which thou hast

given me, none are lost." But fifthly it is a rich house. All the treasures of the world shall be brought into it. And, sixthly, it is a strong house: all the powers of earth and hell shall never be able to shake its foundation. seventhly, tis a glorious house: so glorious, that no man with his natural eyes will be able to look upon it. And lastly it is an everlasting house: when thousands of millions of years have rolled round, it will still remain uninjured and unimpaired.

This world it must soon discontinue its round,

And the sun, he must fall from his station; The moon and the stars from their orbits shall bound,

But the church shall retain her foundation. Swaffham.

J. E. C.

LETTER FROM REV. SAMUEL EYLES PIERCE TO A FRIEND.

My very good Friend.

When I last wrote to you, I expected to have had the pleasure of hearing soon afterwards from you, as it was suggested on your letter, you

had something which you wished me to express and explain. It is not my dear friend that I want to be employed, but any thing I could render you any assistance in, no one would be more pleased than myself in so doing. I am now at Chard and expect to be at Lopen, at Mr. Gifford's, next Monday and Tuesday July 19, and 20. If you would have me pay you a visit, and preach at your place, or in your environs, next week, you could easily inform me, as I shall not leave until Monday morning. So that if I had not your message until Wednesday morning, at Mr. Gifford's at Lopen, it would be time enough for

me.

A friend of your's very kindly came to me before I left London, who told me, if I came your way, that you would open your house for me, and that he would come with his gig and convey me to his. He told me his name and where he lived, but I

cannot write it: But I doubt not but you know the person. My good friend you will judge for yourself the propriety of all this. All I have to say, I am at your service: If you would have me come the time mentioned will suit me. I must so return as to be here on the Lord's day, having promised to be here on all the Lord's days I remain out of London; to which place I am to return, so as to preach, if the Lord will, on the first Lord's day in September. I hope I have clearly stated this subject. If I come, it is not that I can preach a better Christ and salvation than you yourself know! If I know myself, and what your letters to me contain, I see no difference in your creed and mine. Well I must say I love you in the Lord ; indeed I do. Now you will say, what need is there if it be so to say any thing about this. Why really I think it will be as well to drop all this. You can send to your friend, and when you and he have settled the matter, you can write me, or meet me at Lopen on Wednesday next, which will be July 21. christian regards to your wife.

My

Now I will enter upon a far more important subject-The Lord Jesus Christ, his person, his love, his righteousness, his blood, his salvationthis is the only subject worthy of our thoughts and affections this side hea

ven.

What is man, and all within him? Sin, misery, guilt, and deformity.

What can he do for himself? Nothing: except it be to increase his sinfulness and misery, and hasten on his own damnation. What is the whole world worth? Nothing: No, not one single thought; it being under the curse of God, and doomed by an irreversible decree to be burnt up. What is the one thing needful for the sons of men? To know Christ, to believe on him for everlasting life, to be found in him. Will nothing short of this do us any good, or be of the least use and service to us in the article of death? Indeed, indeed it