Page images
PDF
EPUB

THE SPIRITUAL MAGAZINE,

AND

ZION'S CASKET.

"For there are Three that bear record in heaven the FATHER, the WORD, and the HOLY GHOST: and these Three are One."-1 John v. 7.

"Earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.-Jude 3. "Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience."-1 Tim. iii. 6.

FEBRUARY, 1844.

THE GOSPEL PULPIT.

ON SANCTIFICATION.

the works of the law for salvation, or into any other fatal error, we may learn several useful lessons: one is this, That no man can abide con

A Sermon, preached at the Baptist Chapel, stantly in the truth as it is in Jesus,

Hitchin,

BY THE LATE MR. B. GATWARD.

"By whom it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood."-Gal. i. 15, 16.

66

THIS church was in high honour, but now wofully sunk in the esteem of the apostle; and the declension took place in a very little time, so that even the apostle was astonished, as he himself says, I marvel that ye are so soon turned aside to another gospel." These people had professed the faith of Christ, and turned and went from it to circumcision, and the works of the law, which in a sense was setting aside the Lord Jesus as a perfect and complete Saviour, and so Christ became of none effect nor profit to their souls; that is, no real benefit nor Saviour to them: and this is the case, exactly, with every legal self-righteous work monger to this day.

[ocr errors]

From the departure of these people from the faith of the Lord Jesus to February, 1844.]

without constant and daily support therein; and it is also very evident to me, that there is in every man a natural propensity to depart from God, and also that the temptations of Satan are so very powerful, and his artifice so great in the means he useth to seduce, that human nature cannot stand against them. It is not all the learning in the world, nor all the experience a man has had, will keep him, unless he is supported every moment by a superior power, which is none other than the almighty power of God, and this the Scripture declares: "We are kept by the power of God, through faith, to eternal life." And seeing this is the case, it becomes us to be very humble and lowly, wholly dependent upon the Lord, and much in prayer, that we may be daily preserved, for it is he that endureth to the end who shall be saved.

Though I believe God has abз0lutely ordained his people to eternal life, yet there are many other things appointed to bring the grand end about. It seems to me the most dangerous means to deceive and sub

E

vert souls from Christ and his salvation, that Satan useth, are false teachers. These are the most dange rous, because they are men like ourselves, and they are also kind in expression; they say they wish to be saved themselves, they pretend the good of souls and the glory of God; there appears reason in their arguments, they are suitable to the natural legal spirit of man: and altogether there is nothing so deceptive nor destructive to the souls of men, as false teachers, or ministers of Satan, as the apostle calls them, false brethren; they pretended to be brethren, but were only deceitful workers. It was by these men and these evil workers, that the Galatian church was drawn aside from Christ and his truth, and their souls deprived of the benefits of his great salvation. And when they were drawn aside, they not only pleaded for the error they were in, but for those men that led them into it, that they were godly men, and sought their souls' salvation, and that they were as much of God, and ministers of the Lord Jesus Christ, as the apostle himself. But this the apostle labours to disprove, by what he says in my text; shewing therein what God had done for his soul, and how he had made him a minister of Christ. And I believe it is always the best method to silence and confound an adversary, first to ask them what God has done for their souls, and then tell them what he has done for us. In this way a man without learning may and will confound the most artful, learned adversary. After the apostle had delivered what he had experienced of the work of God, then he said he would come to visions and revelations, and he mentions one he had fourteen years ago, a man caught up into the third heavens, where he saw unutterable things; and how after this he had sent him a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet him which I always think were these false teachers to oppose

him.

And then by the singular dealings of God with him, he proves he was a true minister of the Lord Jesus Christ, one separated for the work, one called by grace, and one qualified to preach the gospel. And of this work he speaks particularly in the words I have taken : But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, to reveal his Son in me, that I should preach him among the Gentiles; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood."

[ocr errors]

Now observe, that though the apostle in these words is proving himself a man of grace, and a minister of Christ; yet they will bear a general interpretation, respecting the same work of grace in all good men. And in this way I purpose to speak from them.

First, Of being separated from our mother's womb.

Secondly, Of being called by grace. Thirdly, Of having Christ revealed in us.

Fourthly, The end to be answered, that some may preach him, and all speak of him.

Fifthly, The blessed influence of it; we through this confer not with flesh and blood.

Respecting the first thing, God separating the apostle from his mother's womb, some have considered this only his natural birth. But surely this cannot be all the apostle means, because as he is proving himself a partaker of God's work of grace, this in fact is no real particular proof of a work of grace; for God separates every man from his mother's womb, that is born into the world. Besides, the apostle connects this separation with a special call by grace. When it pleased God, who first separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace :" this is something more meant than his natural birth, I have no doubt; but others have viewed it in this light, that God separated him, and or

dained his birth, to be a minister of the gospel. And no doubt there is a truth in this, for it is said the same I think of Jeremiah, John Baptist, and Timothy; yet this I believe is not all that the apostle was ordained from his mother's womb-because the ordination of God was previous to this, yea, before the world was made. But still I conceive it is not an easy matter to express what is meant by his mother's womb; though, if I may be allowed to give an opinion, I think and believe by his mother's womb, he means a state of nature, his fleshly, carnal state of mind in which every man is born; sometimes called his fleshly mind, sometimes the carnal mind, which is enmity against God, full of pride, ignorance, rebellion, hatred, self-will, legality, and deadness to God: this is the womb of nature, from which every saved sinner must be separated. I believe the Lord completely separated Paul when he stopped him in the way, and spoke to him, and struck him blind, and brought him down to the earth, and taught him what he was both by nature and practice, and killed him to the law and self; shewed him the insufficiency of his own righteousness, the deceitfulness of his own heart, the vanity and pride of his heart, and so humbled him at his feet, that he cried out, Lord! what wilt thou have me to do? and, in fact, he was brought into a lost, perishing state of soul, the Lord weakened him and made him feel his folly, so that he knew hardly any thing, nor was he able to perform any thing. This is separating a man from his mother's womb, from his old, dark, blind, dead state of nature; and a great work this is: for the want of this, professors, notwithstanding their knowledge of doctrine, and their being members of churches withal, are both unsound and unsafe: we often see such men still cleaving unto the world. The Lord complains of the Israelites, "thy navel was not cut in the day thou wast born;" they still

:

lived somewhat from themselves, or from the old mother; they still sucked à sweetness from the world; they still had fellowship with the world, and were enemies to the truth. We see many, now, favouring the man of sin things have lately taken place that have put many to the test; they have given their hearts, hands, name and tongues in favour of popery, and which is an evident proof to me, they are so far gone over, and that they never were separated from their carnal natural state, by the fellowship they yet have with the enemies of Christ and his church: and I would have you mark such men, and see if the curse of God does not attend them. not say but God may give some of them repentance, but they have made sore work for conscience if they belong to the Lord; they have done that which I dare not do for all this world : this is almost the first thing that attends the hour of temptation that is coming upon the world; it is the deciding point, to shew who is on the Lord's side. Oh, what a mercy it is to be separate, and to be kept so as to come out from among them!

I do

Be ye separate, touch not the unclean thing, and God will receive you."

This separation takes place, first, by the quickening of the Spirit, and by the enlightenings of the Spirit, to deliver out of blindness and deadness, and to make by this means a separate people from all others, especially from those who have a name to live and are dead; but for the want of this work thousands of professors are unsound both in judgment and in practice, unsafe as to the state of their souls, and not only liable but will perish; for unless a man is born again, he shall in no case enter the kingdom of God.

Now leaving you all to judge for yourselves in this matter, I shall go to the next thing, which is being called by grace: When it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his

[ocr errors]

:

grace.' It appears to me that this call by grace succeeds this separation, according to the order of expression in the text, and I believe it is a call to the poor, needy, distressed person; it may be considered a call, because performed by the word of Scripture. Scripture is applied with power. God works by his word with power on the soul and it is called, a call by grace, because there is a greater manifestation of grace in this second part of the work than in the first. The former was like anger and wrath, to bring in guilty and to condemn; but this call by grace, gives some encouragement to hope, and to raise expectation, for a call by grace to this person, is giving him some discovery of the Lord Jesus, and of the way of salvation from sin, death and hell, through the Saviour; as though the Lord should say, Turn you, look here, see the way of escape and door of hope set before you Christ is revealed to such lost sinners as the only Saviour, and very suitable and precious he appears. All the desires of the soul are roused up, the appetite is quickened after him, prayer is excited, endeavours bestir themselves, and there is a very great change in such a soul. He has now a different prospect before him, and is made a diligent, watchful seeker in the means of grace. He now waits in the means for God to appear and deliver him, to have mercy upon him, to pardon his sin, to accept his person and grant him peace. I believe there are several present that are seeking the Lord in this frame of spirit; and though they cannot, dare not say they believe, yet they hope, and we are saved by hope as well as by faith. It is a wonderful thing, and a great favour to see the Son, and the way of life and salvation in him; but this is not enough, Christ must be revealed in us.

[ocr errors]

When it pleased God, who first separated me from my mother's womb, and then called me by his grace, to reveal his Son in me." Now observe,

there is a great difference between Christ being revealed to us, and being revealed in us; this last branch of the work is the settling, deciding point as to salvation and our interest in the

Lord Jesus. As Mr. Hart says,

To see good bread and wine,

Is not to eat and drink;
So some who hear the word divine,
Do not believe, but think.

To reveal Christ in us, is to work faith in our hearts to believe in him to salvation. There is such a thing as having scriptural views of Christ, that there is such a Christ, and that he is the Saviour, and yet not believe in him to salvation: for this revealing Christ in us, is more than seeing, it is feeling the benefits of Christ through faith; it is receiving his perfect righteousness to justify, and his blessed atonement for pardon of sin, and peace with God, and good hope through grace. It is having Christ with all his saving benefits made over to us, and applied to us, to make us holy and righteous, to cleanse from all sin, and to make an effectual change in our state and condition before God. And, as I said, this will settle the point, that God is our God, and we his children, by adoption and by grace. When a man gets possession of Christ within, that is, the saving benefits of Christ in his soul, his righteousness, his atonement, then is he justified, pardoned, and made evidently as well as experimentally, a christian. This will set him free; If the Son make you free, then are you free indeed." And this was Paul's experience, and he mentions it, to shew that he was a man of God, a partaker of grace, and a true minister of the Lord Jesus Christ. And he mentions this to satisfy the deluded Galatians; he mentions it in opposition to those false teachers that were among them, who had never had this experience, nor change of heart, and therefore they were not ministers of Christ, but

false teachers, deceitful workers, and ministers of Satan: and so are all those men-made preachers, who are destitute of experience, and a work of grace in their souls. This work was wrought in a singular and remarkable manner in the apostle Paul; it was wrought so powerfully, clearly, suddenly and effectually, that he might preach the Lord Jesus. There was great light and gifts attended it; very great discernment given him, to see man's sinful state, and the necessity of Christ and his righteousness: and I believe in the apostle, as his change was so great and merciful, it wrought a very great desire in his mind to speak of what God had done for his soul; a readiness to speak of Christ and his salvation to others. Therefore he says it was done, that he should be a public preacher of Christ and his gospel.

[ocr errors]

Therefore when the apostle was separated from his mother's womb, which I conceive means from that carnal, dead state of nature, and brought into soul trouble; when God appeared for him in this, and called him by his grace, that is, to see the Lord Jesus as the only Saviour; and when he wrought faith in Paul's heart to partake of the things of Christ, in experience, and enjoy his great salvation; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:" by flesh and blood is meant men, for being thus furnished and qualified by God, he had no need to consult any man whether he should preach or not, or if he did preach, what doctrine he should preach. He consulted no man upon earth, no, not even any of the apostles before him, as you may see in the following part of the chapter. was not whether he should be churchman, dissenter, quaker, independent or baptist; he consulted no man upon the subject. Neither did I; when I began, I was not put to it by any man, but began as the Lord had taught me, and have kept on to this day. So it was with Paul: no going

It

to an academy or college; there was no necessity for it. It is true the apostle was a man of education before, but he laid it all aside, and trusted wholly to the Spirit's guidance and teaching. "Immediately I conferred not (or consulted not) with flesh and blood," that is, with any man, good or bad. By flesh and blood is also meant, reason and sense, profit and honours. He did not consult them, he began, and left the consequences with God. Such was the change made through the work of God in his soul, and his love and zeal of heart and mind to God, that he willingly engaged in the work of the ministry, little regarding the trouble, trial, reproach and danger that should attend it. But in all his troubles God was with him, and made him an able minister of the New Testament. Thus he sets forth the work of grace, by which he was made a christian, and then a minister of Christ: and none but such are christian ministers. The Lord grant us the same experience, for his mercy's sake. Amen.

LETTER FROM THE REV. W. HUNTINGTON TO A FRIEND.

(Never before published.)

SARAH,-What aileth thee? Art thou tired out in the fight of faith? Dost thou despise the chastening of the Lord, or art thou weary of his correction? What, not drink of the cup that Christ drunk of, nor be baptized with his sufferings! What, not be planted together in the likeness of his death, nor be made conformable thereto ! No correction, no adop tion; no faith, no fight; no cross, no crown. There is no living to God without trials: "By these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit." the man that endureth temptation; and blessed is the man whom God correcteth." Satan is nothing but a criminal in chains, a cursed serpent,

Blessed is

« PreviousContinue »