And nion and fellowship, or to fight his battles against all his enemies. we derive all our glory-strength from him, when in the resurrection morning the bodies of the saints, shall be raised in power, and so their entire persons be made capable to bear that eternal weight of glory which shall be revealed in them and conferred upon them. Is he the only wise God? This he is for us; in that, in the infinitude of his wisdom he hath "abounded towards us in all wisdom and prudence." Hence it is, that in his wise counsels he hath disposed of all things in such an excellent order, as must effectually subserve all the ends of his glory, and our good. Prov. xvi. 4. Rom. viii. 28. And he is wisdom to us in that he makes us wise. All our wisdom is but a communication out of his fulness. Is he a just God? This also he is for us. Hence he is true and faithful in all his covenant promises, and engagements to his children, as well as in all his threatenings to his and his peoples' enemies. Justice has leaden feet, says one, but iron hands; although it is slow in its progress, it is sure to overtake at last and lay hold with a firm grasp. He is just for us, in that he declares us just in the imputed righteousness of his Son. His justice is our friend, and dischargeth us in the highest court, notwithstanding all the accusations that may be brought against us by Satan, men, law, or conscience. Is he a God glorious in holiness? So he is for us, and also to us, in the communications of it through Christ. Hence the new creature in us which is his image, is said to be "created in true holiness." And as the first principle is from him, so are all the exercises of it in this life and the perfection of it in the life to come. All the shining holiness of saints and angels, is but the reflection of his glory cast upon them. Jehovah, glorious in holiness, is the infinite sun, who by darting forth his piercing rays through Christ, in the place of his immediate glory-presence. transforms all the royal family that are round his throne, into this same image of him, the King of glory. Is he the Omniscient God? He sees all things for us. And because he sees what is best for us, he gives what is best to us, and that in the best season. And as he sees what is good for us to bestow it, so he sees what is evil, or would hurt us to prevent it. He sees the rage and malice of hell, the enmity of wicked men, the seed of the serpent, the lustings of the flesh against the Spirit. How often doth God discover the plots, and disappoint the designs of wicked preachers and professors under the garb of religion. They seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say, who seeth us, and who knoweth us ?" Isa. xxix. 15. Their heart is deep. Psalm ixiv. 6. Their meaning and intent of heart, says one, lies no body knows how far distant from their words; a sincere heart is like a clear stream in a brook ; you may see to the bottom of his plans in his words, and take the measure of his heart, by his tongue. I have heard say that diseases of the heart are seen in spots of the tongue; but they can shew a clear tongue, and yet have a foul heart. The thickest clouds that he hath to wrap up his villainy in, are his religious tongue and sunday profession. In the pulpit they appear full of zeal, and pretended love to the people of God, and cause of God, but out of it they secretly, and in the dark, undermine and injure the real servants of the living God, to raise their own reputation and get gain; such characters are the most iron hearted, and cruel, to the poor flock of God. But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded. So they shall make their own (lying) tongue, to fall upon themselves: all that see them shall flee away." Psalm. Ixiv. 7. 8. But his children, he will bring forth their right eousness as the light, (or as the sun from under all its eclipses,) and their judgment as the noon-day," Is our God the omnipresent God? He fills all things for us; the world with his general presence, the church with his gracious presence, heaven with his glorious presence; and hell with his wrathful presence in a way of just punishment for all that malice, and hatred they have been guilty of toward his children: and is Jehovah, immense incomprehensible, unchangeable, and eternal, in his goodness, love, mercy, grace, and glory; in his light, life, power and wisdom; in his justice, and holiness; in his omniscience, and omnipresence: and as such the portion of his children? oh how vast is their inheritance, they have all in God, for their all, in having him as the God of all grace and glory for their inheritance; for all the perfections of God's nature are jointly concerned in carrying on, and finishing this vast design of his free grace; which in the perfec. tion of it will open in the height of eternal glory; the inheritance of the sons of God, differs from the portion of all other men, their portion whether professor or profane, is only in the things of this life; so that we need not envy them for it is a most miserable portion; they have no God to go to, nothing but everlasting destruction, from the presence of God, and the glory of his power? Then let the Judas' have their sop, and the Esau's have their mess of pottage. The world holds out a thousand charms, The world is all that worldlings crave, This is the way that worldlings die, 1 God's people's pleasures can't be told, Their joys cannot be bought with gold. The saints in having God for their portion, have him as the God of providence, as well as the God of grace and glory; and as such he is the fountain of all their temporal supplies, and in that they are heirs with Christ who is heir of all things. they have a right to all things in this world. 1 Cor. iii. 22. Even all that his infinite wisdom sees best for us, as the means of our comfortable subsistence in the present life; but this in order to our being filled with spiritual, and fitted for eternal life, it is the enriching us with all grace and glory, is the great design our Father's heart is engaged in; and all temporal blessings are afforded or withheld, as they are most conducive to this end. The Lord never empties his children of earthly blessings, but in order to fill them with heavenly. Hosea ii. 6. 7. And when he cuts short their enjoyment of outward things, he does not in the least take from them their right to all things; but so disposeth of them in the infinitude of his wisdom, as to make them subserve all the ends of his glory, in the greatest advantage of his children; so that the poorest saint, as having nothing in an eye of sense, may yet by faith possess all things, for all that our Father hath is ours. Luke xv. 31. and it is our unspeakable privilege that our God hath the choosing of our portion. Psalm xl. 4, we may there fore be sure that he will always give us what is best for us, in the best way the and time, when it shall do us greatest kindness, Isaiah xxx. 18, so that it is impossible we should want any good thing, to make us truly blessed in this world, or perfectly glorious in the world to come. Psalm xxxiv. 10. The most spiritual of God's dear children are sometimes stript naked of creature enjoyments, and should this be our case, may we not murmur and repine, at the hand of our Father, he is but pursuing his own glory, and our good, in the most Sweet visions these, that cheer our way, But faith shali shortly yield to sight, And we shall gain that pleasant land; Shall tread those boundless fields of light, Drink of that river of delight, And hear our Saviour stand. Our ransomed souls shall enter in emptying dispensation; with the deep- We stand sometimes on Pisgah's height, And view the glorious, pleasant land; By faith we view the glittering throng LATTER DAY SAINTS. w. c. Mr. Editors, Having met with a person calling himself one of • the latter day saints," our conversation turned on the peculiar tenets of that sect, from whence I cannot but think that persons living and dying in such a belief, must come short of the glory of God, for instead of resting on the Lord for salvation, they rest their hope on having been immersed accompanied with the laying on of hand of their great priest, one Joseph Smith, and founding their belief on the words our dear Lord spake to Nicodemus: "Except a man be born of water," &c., and dooming all others to everlasting perdition. Now, Messrs. Editors, while I can but pity the adherents to Joseph Smith believing them to be in great error, I should feel obliged by any of your correspondents giving, in the pages of the Magazine, a fair and scriptural elucidation of that text; for although I am thoroughly a baptist, I could never see that salvation depended on the observance of the ordinance of baptism, for if so, what must be the state of millions, who although dying triumphantly in the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ, never, from conscientious scruples, attended that ordinance ? Your's truly, in the Lord, J. HARDING. POETRY. CHRISTMAS DAY. "For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." LET us commemorate this day, Rejoice ye saints with me; This day our Saviour Christ was born Oh, what amazing love is this, Should leave the blissful realms above, This day was born in Bethlehem This holy Child in wisdom grew, That he might thus his people save So he became their ransomer, From sin to set them free; He died on Calvary. footsteps of the flocks, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds' tents..". -CHAP. I. 8. OH thou my fairest one, (Thus my Beloved spake,) If thou wouldst know what thou must do, Go up to yonder mount, Thence look, and thou shalt spy, Seest thou them folded flocks, Seest thou the fields, where they The shepherds stand at my command Their Magna Charta is My word, my law their guide; Oh, follow them that follow me, Their foot shall never slide. There go and join thyself, Thy soul their feed and feast; Follow their steps to pastors' tents, And there thy soul shall rest. II. "I am my Beloved's, and my Beloved is mine; he feedeth among the lilies."—CHAP. VI. 3. BLESS me my God, What beam of heaven is this, Displayed abroad? The day desertion is. I've lost my love, And yet I find a ray Dart from above That drives my fears away. I'm sure he's mine, And I'm sure I am his, Howe'er I pine And mourn in bitterness. Thus have I seen The sun by sudden ray, GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD. MATT. VI. 11. BLESSED Redeemer, thee we praise, Hast thou not promised to be where Most gracious Father, God of all, May power attend the gospel truth Most Holy Spirit, heavenly Dove, Revive each drooping spirit, Lord, Support the aged, cheer the saint, Increase our mutual love and zeal, A STANZA. Rivers to the ocean run, E. S. |