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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. ·

NOVEMBER, 1844.

THE GOSPEL PULPIT.

THE FEAR OF THE LORD AND ITS BLES-
SEDNESS.

A Sermon delivered at Providence Chapel,
Grays Inn Lane, London,

BY THE LATE REV. ISAAC BEEMAN,-
Of Cranbrook, Kent.

"Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another and the Lord hearkened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon his name; and they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels, and I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.”Mal. iii. 16, 17.

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In the verses preceding the text, the Lord brings this charge against the people that they said it was vain to serve God, and what profit was it that they had kept his ordinance, and that they had walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts ? Their scorn and contempt was poured upon the people of God. But the text says, They that feared the Lord (notwithstanding this) spake often one to

speak, is, the fear of the Lord. What
is it? for they that feared him spake
often one to another. The fear of
the Lord is his treasure; it springs
and flows out of that fulness which is
treasured up in Christ Jesus. There-
fore this fear is not natural, it never
grew in nature's soil; it is spiritual,
and it is the gift of God. David
knew this, and he said, "The trans-
gression of the wicked saith within
my heart, that there is no fear of God
before his eyes." David knew this
by what he had experienced, and by
their conduct they were destitute of
it. The apostle Paul tells us, Des-
truction and misery are in their ways,
and the way of peace have they not
known." There is no fear of God
before their eyes. Now we know
this, that whatsoever things the law
saith, it saith to them who are under,
the law, that every mouth may be
stopped, and all the world become
guilty before God."

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Then to give an account of this fear, as set forth in the word of God. You remember when the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, Moses was.comand a book of remembrance manded to bring the people to the was written before him for them that mount, and when the voice of the feared him." trumpet sounded long, and waxed The first thing of which I shall louder and louder, Moses spake, and November, 1844.]

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God answered him by a voice. He lays this as the foundation of their fear, for the Lord came from Sinai and rose up from Seir unto them, he shined forth from Mount Paran, and he came with ten thousand of saints; from his right hand went a fiery law for them. Yea he loved the people. All his saints are in thy hand, and they sit down at thy feet, every one shall receive of thy words." Well, says Moses, he is come to prove you, that his fear may be before your faces, and that ye sin not. When the Lord is pleased to lay judgment to the line and righteousness to the plummet, the hail then sweeps away the refuges of lies, and the waters overflow the hiding-place. He makes that sinner to see he has been a transgressor from his birth until now.

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Again, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy is understanding." A man is never made truly wise until this fear is made known to his heart. Say you, But how can we know that this fear is the beginning of wisdom? As soon as ever it pleaseth God to put this fear into our hearts, we begin to consider our latter end, The Lord says, "Oh that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end." The Lord puts a cry into their heart on account of their numerous sins, iniquities and transgressions, and never leaves them until he has made them to see he has pardoned their souls for the sake of his dear Son.

I know that I am not speaking to one person here present, that has this fear in his heart, but has more or less felt these things, and can testify this was the way the Lord brought him. You remember when God brought a deluge upon the earth, he was pleased to save Noah, the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness: bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly, Noah, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his

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house. Man departs from evil through this fear working in his heart. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and by it men depart from evil. Thus a man is made wise by this fear working in his heart. The psalmist says, "My heart standeth in awe of thy word.' This fear being in our heart, we seek wisdom and instruction from the word of God, the Holy Spirit moving us to this work, for without his guidance we never should; therefore it is called the instruction of wisdom. To them that fear him these instructions shall so be instruction of wisdom to that soul, that it will cause him to flee to Christ as the only refuge for a perishing sinner. Thus we see the fear of the Lord brought to the heart is the beginning of wisdom. The fear of the Lord tendeth to life. When this fear of God was communicated to you, it led you to consider your latter end, and you were moved to search the word of God. The fear of the Lord tendeth to life, and he that hath it shall abide satisfied, he shall not be visited with evil." Under the teaching of the Holy Ghost the fear of the Lord tendeth to life, your soul being drawn out and made to seek after salvation in Christ and in him only. You cannot have the fear of the Lord in your hearts if you are ignorant of these things. Therefore the fear of the Lord tendeth to life.

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Again, "The fear of the Lord is a strong confidence, and his children shall have a place of refuge." All the poor sinner's desires reach after Christ, and when he finds him, he sees he is the only refuge for his oppressed soul. Here he gets security from the impending storm of God's wrath. If you look the world over, you will never find any refuge that will do your soul good only in Christ Jesus. 66 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy door about thee; hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast." He is the

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secret chamber in which his people may secretly hide themselves, and until every calamity in life be overpast. If you look for security from the wrath of God, where do you seek it? Say you, In Christ. But what moved you first to seek it? The fear of God. Then the fear of the Lord is a strong confidence, and his children shall have a place of refuge." "They that fear (or seek) God, shall not want any good thing." As Christ Jesus affords security from the impending storm of God's wrath, so he supplies all the wants of his people, all the wants the Lord makes you sensible of. This being the case, you never can be satisfied but in Christ. Your wants are many, and nothing but Jesus can satisfy them. They that fear God shall not want any good thing."

In order to shew you that they that fear God shall not want any good thing; first, I would observe, if you were to ask for any thing, you would not petition for any thing better than this, the gift of God, his dear Son. You remember when the Lord was pleased to communicate his fear to the poor prodigal, who went from his father's house, and, as John Bunyan says, far, far from his home, as I mentioned on Lord's day: when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land, and he began to be in want, and would fain have filled his belly with the husks the swine did eat, but no man gave unto him. No, poor soul, none understood his case. When he came to himself, he

said,

"How many hired servants of my father have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger; I will arise and go to him, and say, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son, make me as one of thy hired servants." He had an eye to the reward. Matt. xx. it is said, "The kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, who went out early

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in the morning, to hire labourers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the market place and he said, Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you." Now the prodigal had an eye to this penny, when he said, "Make me as one of thy hired servants." This was the reward the man wanted. But you know how the affair terminated. arose and went to his father: and when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck, and kissed him.” The son said, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son." But the father ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. The poor soul still continued to confess his sins, but no notice, as the Doctor observes somewhere in his writings, is taken; but he commands one of his servants to bring forth the best robe and put it on him. And if he had the robe of righteousness on, we are sure that he hungered and thirsted after righteeusness; and if he hungered and thirsted after it, he was under the blessing, for it is said, Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled." The next thing was, Put a ring on his finger," which was the everlasting love of God. And after that the command was, Bring forth shoes, and put them on his feet." You see he wanted the evidence, which we are to understand by shoes: " Shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace." When he had got peace, he wanted the enjoyment of the eternal love of God, he wanted the robe of righteousness, he wanted peace by the blood of Christ. When he had this, he wanted the enjoyment of the everlasting love of God. The Lord hath appeared of old unto me,

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saying, "Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee." We find after all this, the father said, Bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it, and let us eat, drink, and be merry." The eternal love of God being enjoyed, made him cast all his care away. The eternal God being his shield and exceeding great reward. he experienced what Paul said, "I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life that I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." When you get all these things, you will not want any thing else. I once heard the Doctor say, in old Providence Chapel, that you will not have one desire beyond the Son of God. I speak this to the comfort of your soul, and when the Lord brings it home to your heart, you can take the sweetness of it, and look forward with security. this my son was dead and is again, was lost and is found; and they began to be merry." Thus, They that fear God shall not want any good thing."

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They that get this fear shall not want any good thing. The Lord so orders things in his providence, that even ravens shall bring bread and flesh morning and evening, and the brook Cherith shall supply Elijah. When the brook dries up, a widow woman shall feed him. And according to the command of God, a barrel of meal shall not waste, nor a cruise of oil fail, until the day the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth. Therefore you see the Lord in his providence directs all these things; as says the word, All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Thus this fear has the promise of a reward. Whatever is good for you here or hereafter, shall not be withheld, if you are in possession of this fear.

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Not what our carnal reason judges fit; we are not able to exercise right judgment: whatever God sees fit for us we shall have, whether trials, temptations, losses or crosses. He knows what is best for us; we must submit to him, not to carnal reason: "All things work together for good to them that fear God, and are called according to his purpose."

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They that feared the Lord spake often one to another." Though I have been short, if you examine your own heart, you will see if you ever had this fear. The next thing:

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They spake often one to another." This speaking one to another is not thought much of in our day. Whatever any man may speak concerning errors or heresies, is not the one who comes under my text. You read in the Bible of Israel of old, they went into Egypt and sojourned four hundred and thirty years. He sent Moses his servant, and Aaron whom he had chosen. And the Lord said to Moses, that Pharaoh should not hearken unto him, that his wonders might be multiplied in the land of Egypt. After various plagues, the Lord brought one more upon them, and said, About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt, and all the first-born, saith God, in the land of Egypt, shall die: from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon the throne, even unto the first-born of the maid-servant that is behind the mill; and all the first-born of beasts; and there shall be a cry throughout the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, neither shall be any more." The Lord ordered Moses to tell the people, that they should take a lamb; it was to be a lamb without blemish, a male of the first year; ye, saith God, shall take it out from the sheep or from the goats. And they were to keep it until the fourteenth day of the month: and the whole assembly of the congregation were to kill it in the evening; and they were to take of the blood, and strike it on

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