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that power which is almighty, command the surging waves to mount thee. and all that are with thee, nearer to heaven, and make the strongest contrary winds serviceable to transport them to their blissful heaven. the vessels that shall ever keep thee company, strike sail all thy way to thy flag, even to the flag of thy Lord and Master; yea, whether kings or potentates, mighty men or rich men, associate with none who do not count it their highest honour and happiness to glory in the cross of Christ. Let all that embark in thee take faith for their guide, the Holy Scriptures for their compass, a godly fear for their sounding line, the Sun of Righteousness for their load-star, hope sure and stedfast and fastened within the vail for their anchor, the white linen of the saints' imputed righteousness, with the red cross emblazoned thereon, for their banner, with the motto "Save us, Master, or we perish." And oh, thou Captain of our salvation, be pleased to undertake its conduct and command. Let thy good Spirit so steer this poor bark, and so encourage and enable all the poor passengers in it to play the man in their several places, against all the assaults they shall meet with from the world, the flesh, and the wicked one, that in all thy combats they may, through thy love and strength, be more than conquerors, and at last, after all the storms and tempests, the hazards and hardships of the troublesome sea of this world, arrive with top and top gallant at their everlasting, blessed harbour, to pay thee the glad tribute of never ending honour and praise for their safe convoy, ascribing it all to thy distinguishing, free, and unmerited grace. Amen.

THE EDITORS.

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.

JANUARY, 1844.

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THIS text is a declaration of an existing, abiding truth, which has always, and will for ever exist in relation to the parties to whom reference is made; we cannot mistake it by the connection which I have read to you; there is a particular reference to the church of Christ. "O Israel," the chapter begins. What constituted a man under the old testament dispensation an Israelite, is by generation; likewise under the new testament dispensation, a man was an Israelite by regeneration. I have often been surprised to hear unregenerate men, though unconscious of their unregeneracy, yet venturing to give decisive opinions on things which only can be understood and comprehended by a regenerate soul. There is a secret which never could be told, January, 1844.]

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which never could be communicated only by the power of one almighty eternal Spirit, called the secret of the Lord, which is with them that fear him, and to whom he shews, (that is the reason they see it,) the covenant. The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him, and he will shew them his covenant," Psalm xxv. 14. Hence then they are the seed of Abraham, begotten again to a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. So that every christian in a spiritual sense is a Jew, an Hebrew, an Israelite. This constitutes his interest in all that is declared or promised to the people of Israel, out of that relation which exists by regeneration. No blessing can possibly be possessed only in that relationship which exists through regeneration; and it is an equal matter of impossibility for a regenerate soul to avoid being a possessor of these blessings, for it is pronounced to the seed: To the end the promise might be sure to all the seed." There is a particular reference, primarily, to the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, "The seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head;" but it is said of the Lord Jesus, the seed of his body, the objects of his love, the purchase of his blood, the very seed, called the

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holy seed, as the substance of all vital godliness, which exists in the midst of each of our hearts. For there is hope of a tree in winter, that casts its leaves, it has no foliage, it seems without life, no fruit, both of which circumstances may happen in other seasons. And as a tall tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof." So it is with regard to the whole church of Christ. Sometimes, like a tree in the winter, you pass it, and it is impossible to say by the outward appearance, whether there is any more life than in a dead stump. There must be the sun, heat, the air, showers, the variations of the seasons, and then there will be a revelation of the life which is hid in the root. The church for ever would be barren, if not supported and nourished from the root. Christ is the root and offspring of David: the offspring of David after the flesh. David's Lord, yet Jesus sprung from the loins of David. Israel then is the party here addressed. Directions are here given in exact accordance with that which is laid down for a people who are necessitous. I am a necessitarian, the great doctrine advocated so powerfully by the immortal Toplady, a truth which is applicable to every child of God. In premising what is our state, as necessity brings us into the circumstances, we by that necessity use this language, and obey that very precept," Return unto the Lord thy God for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity," verse 1. Again, in the 9th verse of the xiiith chapter, "O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself, but in me is thine help." If you are free-willers, let me frankly tell you what is the truth, which you shall learn one time or another, either before you go out of time or after, and assuredly you will say that the preacher is not a liar in this matter. All that Israel can do of himself towards his salvation, is to destroy

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himself: "O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself, but in me is thine help."

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This is a truth, which cannot be engrafted or fixed in your minds by the arts, sciences, or professions. The Spirit of God alone teaches this secret, teaches this fact, that has made you acquainted with this truth, that you are a helpless, vile, undone, polluted sinner in the sight of God, that from him you must receive the truth, and the truth shall make you free: verse 2nd. "Take with you words;" do not lie, do not tell the Lord you have done this, or done that, do not stand on the mountain, like the man who said, "Thank God, I am not as other men,' not even as this publican: I fast, and I pay tithes, I do a great many good things. What a mercy to see a man brought where Paul was, who said, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost." A minister may say much against sin; having his natural conscience awakened, it testifies against the destroying malady; they may bear witness against that crime and the other immorality, tell the sinner to arouse himself, to get a righteousness, to recommend him to God; but it will not do, the alone righteousness that will stand the poor soul in the trying day, is the righteousness of that glorious Person, the Son of God, the only foundation of a sinner's salvation. The grand thing set against the righteousness of man, the destroying sin, that destroys the soul effectually is this; if they are looking for their own righteousness to plead for them in the day of judgment, they will be as certainly damned for their righteousness as for their sin. I make no qualification, I mean no qualification, I positively mean what I say, that a man's righteousness is of no avail with God, only sufficient to merit eternal con

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demnation on himself, "Take with you words, and turn to the Lord; say unto him, Take away all iniquity.” What is the use of this language to a pharisee? This is the Spirit of truth in the experience of God's children: he that confesseth his sin, God is faithful and just; his character is involved in what is to follow; "He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.' If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." Mind you, when a man is regenerated, the truth is in him; the man is quickened into newness of life, into fellowship with Jesus Christ, by the operation of the Spirit; the God of truth is in him, the truth keeps him, preserves all truth in him: "I am (said Christ,) the way, the truth and the life." "Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously, so will we render the calves of our lips." Verse 3rd, "Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses :" all resigning human strength when the soul is spiritually taught. We have a Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help, and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many, and in horsemen, because they are strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the Lord," Isaiah xxxi. 4. The woe is pronounced on any that resort to human help, human strength, human righteousness, human streams, human resources.

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That is a blessed man, who is disappointed of human succour, that finds human aid of no use, but finds it empty, and is filled with confusion, filled with barrenness; he cannot find his comfort to flow from them, but finds his blessedness to flow exclusively from the Lord Jesus Christ. Then the language that comes after is, · Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses, neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, (this was the crying evil,

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by which they had destroyed themselves,) Ye are our gods." Do any men say the works of their hands are their gods? Is it possible, that such a crime as this exists in this enlightened age? Ah, my brethren, the devil makes you think you are very enlightened, he will keep you in darkness; while they think they are enlightened, he is cheating them; the world is thereby deceived in the imagination they are doing some great work, exactly represented by the prophet Isaiah, "He maketh a god, even his graven image; he falleth down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me, for thou art my god."

Every natural man thinks himself a philosopher, every philosopher a divine, wanting to make God reducible to what he can comprehend; he therefore raises a quibble against the righteousness of the Lord Jesus; he wants to be judged by his own standard, almost praying to a proud, sinful man. There is so much idolatry in the human heart, that even in offering to the Lord Jehovah, some are filled with pride, some say it is no gospel, unless preached to all, and pride themselves in that; another says, it will not do, unless there is a mixture of human invention. Thus pride is the master-sin of the human heart: the whole world therefore are resting on the work of their own hands.

We shall surely trust to our own doings, unless the Lord has revealed himself to us by the Spirit of God. The apostle counts every man a hypocrite and a deceitful man, that handles the word of God deceitfully; but so commending himself to the people by the manifestation and revelation of Jesus Christ to the soul, which every spiritual man is taught; so it is the will of Christ, who has saved his church with an everlasting salvation. It is only that which will teach and make a man say, "neither will we say any more to the works of our hands, Ye are our gods; for in

thee the fatherless findeth mercy," You perceive, all through, the Scriptures, in a multitude of figures and metaphors, refer to the children of God in a state of desolation; this is a most powerful figure, that is, the fatherless, "A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widow is God in his holy habitation."

My brethren, without taking away the literal import of the passage, we can come to the spiritual meaning; therefore, that man must be a fatherless man, before he flies to God; he must be cut off from all fathers in the flesh, your first father, Adam. You must lose your first father, before you cry in the desolation of your state to your Father in heaven. The Lord God is your Father. If you are begotten again to a lively hope, you could not call God Father, only by being in relation as heir, heir of God and a joint heir with Jesus Christ. "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirits, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ," Rom. viii. 16, 17, "Wherefore, thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ," Gal. iv, 7. Thus the Lord was the Father of the fatherless when the patriarch left his father's house. He had first an open manifestation, a portion of divine faith in his soul. It was made manifest to him, he was a son of God, by blessed adoption, an open manifestation which before was in secret and hath not been divulged; verse 4th, "I will heal their backslidings, I will love them freely for 'mine anger is turned away from him:" verse 5th I will be as the dew unto Israel; he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon :" verse 6th "His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon.' I cannot take up much of your time as I want to get to the text, but having no other opportunity to

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address you, being my last evening of remaining in town, I must just drop a hint or so upon these passages.

You perceive, nothing is said about what the creature is to do for him, but every thing is said what he is to do for his church and people: "I will heal their backslidings." What wonderful indulgence to backsliding souls: "I will love them freely, for mine anger is turned away from him; I will be as the dew unto Israel; he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his fruits as Lebanon," &c.: then comes the language of the text;

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They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine, the scent thereof shall be as Lebanon."

Allow me one word in expla tion, before I enter into it. This lan guage is applicable not to the person of Christ only, but the language is used as though it was made to the whole house of Israel, the spiritual Israel, there is no separate difference made between Christ and his church, the whole church in union to him. First here is the plural: the whole house of Israel, love them freely, mine anger is turned away from them: "He shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon. His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree." Here comes the person of Christ in union with the church. Many precious passages in the word of God speak in the singular, which we find applicable to the whole church, as it is in oneness with Christ: Ye are all one, (that is, the whole election of grace) in Christ Jesus." It is said, many are the afflictions of the righteous, many are the afflictions of the election of grace, many are the afflic tions of all God's children; this is the plural: but the Lord delivereth him," is singular: delivers the church in every blessing in the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe firmly no one blessing was ever bestowed on any one

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