THE

GOSPEL MAGAZINE.

"COMFORT YE, COMFORT YE, MY PEOPLE, SAITH YOUR GOD." "ENDEAVOURING TO KEEP THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT IN THE BOND OF PEACE." "JESUS CHRIST, THE SAME YESTERDAY, TO-DAY, AND FOR EVER. WHOM TO KNOW

IS LIFE ETERNAL."

VOL. VI.]

MAY, 1846.

THE CLOSE OF OUR SIXTH YEAR,

[No. 65.

Nor of probation, as some would say, for that would imply an uncertainty and there is no such thing as uncertainty or contingency with our God. "He worketh all things after the counsel of his own will;" and having eternally settled both the character and the career of his Church in the wilderness, it is his gracious pleasure to develop the one, and lead on in the other, to the praise of the glory of his grace.

Beloved, we feel a holy delight in addressing you upon the closing up of the sixth year of our Editorial engagements. What astonishing mercies have attended you and ourselves during the period of our acquaintance! The mind runs back to the morning on which we first addressed you; reflecting on our then position, both spiritually and temporally, it proceeds thence forward to survey and deliberate upon the path through which the Lord our God hath led us. And at the threshold of the contemplation, we would say, what a mercy-how rich-how considerate, that the Lord as a kind Father should hold back from our foreview the events-the trials-the sorrows-which it is his good pleasure to bring upon us. True it is that his promise stands writ in indelible characters, "I will not lay upon them more than they are able to bear," and "as thy days, so shall thy strength be," yet in our natural short-sightedness-in the enmity of the carnal heart against all the Lord's dispensations-beneath the powerful suggestions and subtil craft of the devil, did the Lord give us to see beforehand the trials he had in reserve for us, we should be sure to dwell more in an unbelieving No. 65, VOL. VI.-New Series.

and rebellious contemplation on them, than on that great grace-that peculiar care that special strength-and those blessed love-tokens, which He hath likewise in reserve as an equally-blessed set-off against those trials and exercises. Thus we say, the Lord deals tenderly-cautiously-very fatherly, in keeping us in the dark in these matters. "Tis enough that we should know and realize to-day's trials-to-morrow, with all its sorrows, and all its wonted strength, is a secret which our loving Father keeps in his own heart.

For ourselves, beloved, we must say that familiarity with trial, and a holy, blessed intimacy with God under trial, has been ordered of the Lord to bring us more to this position than what we have been accustomed to realize; and we desire to thank him for the mercy. As the children of God-in the hand of a kind Father, and under his holy care and keeping-what have we to do with the morrow? We can alter nothing. The Lord himself has said we cannot make one hair white or black. "Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit to his " and so forth. Of what use, then, is all our struggling and toiling? We may as well sit down calmly-quietly-passively, first as last. We shall have to come to this quiescent state sooner or later. The Lord will not divide his glory with us, nor share his wisdom in guiding, nor his strength in sustaining; of this we may be well assured. He will do with us just what he pleases-and when and as he pleases; and the more we pull one way, the tighter he will hold his hand the other. Reader, we have come to this conclusion by heartfelt experience.

stature?'

There is, moreover, another mercy which we find to be very dear to the heart; it is rolled up in the sweet acknowledgment of David-"My times are in thy hand." It is as if he would say, "they are not in my hands-not in my keeping-I know nothing about them; I could not manage them, nor would they be safe in my possession; but they are with thee; thou hast the charge of them, and I am very glad of it." Why, beloved, if the Lord leaves us to arrange even the most triflingevery-day matter, what is the consequence? An utter failure. If you begin the day, and think, "Well, it appears tolerably plain-all smooth; I think I can manage to attend to things myself to-day," your conscience must bear testimony to the truth of what we affirm when we say, that scarcely the first hour of such a day has passed, ere you have proved the fallacy of your supposition.

How much we have experienced this during the last six years as Editor, the Lord only knows. The circumstances in connection with our position have been such as entirely to baffle human wisdom. The occupation to a casual observer may appear an easy one-it is, they say, but to receive or reject; it is only to separate truth from error-to welcome the possessor and discard the professor. All apparently easy in theory; but who is sufficient for these things? There is such a thing as falling into one's own spirit; one may judge after the flesh-be under the influence, at least for the time being, of a carnal mind rather than under the Lord the Spirit's teachings and leadings. "Tis not all gold that glitters" in a child of God. All that ministers preach is not

Gospel, nor is all that people write truth; nor are Editors always indulged with that light and wisdom which are from above to detect error. Fallibility is stamped upon all such ministrations and services. The Lord will be looked up to and acknowledged in all these matters; his children must be beat off from mere hearsay-from all lo here and lo there is Christ; they must come to the word and the testimony, and, like the Bereans of old, search if these things be so or not.

Hence, in preference to retaliation-rather than indulge the inclition which is moved within to answer those of whom we had hoped better things, in the same spirit in which they have attacked us; we invite the attention of our readers to the word of God, for a confirmation of the leading truths which have occupied the pages of this Magazine during the six years we have had the conducting of it. That infirmity has been stamped upon it, we are quite ready to admit; that we have seen both in its writers and its Editor much to lament, God knows; that we have fallen very far short of the attainment of the object we originally and have all along sought-namely, the unity of the brethren-we are deeply conscious: still that we have been left to publish any fundamental error we trust we can deny. Hence, whilst we briefly recapituate the leading contents of the Magazine during the period referred to, we challenge a scriptural scrutiny.

Six years ago, we started much upon the dark side of the question. Wading through the depths ourselves; baffling with temptation; combatting with the tempter; and personally struggling with sin; our spirits ebbed and flowed the heart was alternately warm and cold – and frames and feelings were the criterion; it was, in short, a looking into self for improvement, rather than at Christ, for deliverance. What was the effect? Just what it now is in writing of it-all gloom-a gendering to bondage-a returning to the law, and an endeavouring to appease Moses, quiet conscience, and come to Christ in a little better condition, hardly so filthy, guilty, and bare. This suited the readers. well; and we bad testimony upon testimony how our writings had been blessed-how this one's state and the other one's condition had been described; and how they were cheered and encouraged thereby, as having a sweet evidence of being in the footsteps of the flock. All very well in its place. The Lord be praised for the mercy. We thank him, and take courage. Blessed be his name for making use of so feeble an instrument. It is worth going through temptation, and suffering, and sorrow, to be a means of picking up the little ones.

But we pass on. The Lord's interferences were very sweet-his timely mercies very dear-the record of them truly encouraging; but does not a little voice begin to whisper there is some pride and some self in these narrations-some secret (mind, very secret) invitations-"Look at me-see what I have suffered-how I have been tempted--and what deliverances I have had; don't you think me something wonderful?" May there not, after all, have been an unconscious pointing to self-the writer, the preacher-rather than to JESUS? Think a little. No, no; don't say we are despising deliverances;

flirting with temptations; altogether setting aside David's language, "Come all ye that fear God, and I will tell you what he hath done for my soul." We pray thee stop a little. Consider where David's heart and eye were, and who he represented. And now say (we don't ask for an immediate answer; think about it)—is there not such a thing as probing the wound, pouring over the malady, wearying both the strength and patience of the sufferer by questioning, and cutting, and hacking; rather than, as a well-skilled surgeon or physician setting at once about the business in a workman-like manner; inserting the knife, extracting the poison, dislodging the immediate source of the malady, or detaching the limb; then carefully closing the flesh, and bandaging the parts? We are speaking now of the workman. Is it not so? What have you accomplished by telling a poor sinner from week to week, month to month, year to year, what a poor sinner he is? He is so, and he knows it, and would thank you to tell him of a Saviour, for that is what he and all poor sinners like him want. And you may tell the lame of their lameness-the blind of their want of sight-and the deaf how dull they are of hearing; this might annoy them, and almost prompt them to advise you to mind your own business; but if you could tell them of a cure, or give them the name and address of a wellskilled physician, oh, how pleased they would be! Now don't mistake

us.

Mind what we say. To investigate the malady is well; but see that the end-the object in view-namely, the cure, is not lost sight of. For confirmation of these remarks, we would refer our readers to our Lord's account of the man who had fallen among thieves. (Luke x. 30 -37.) The Levite was something more than a mere talker or looker on he had an object in view, and he set about it in good earnest. Some will call this legality, but there are a few who will understand the secret couched in it.

We come now to speak a word of the disease-SIN-and we hesitate not to say it is as bad as it can be every son and daughter of Adam is affected with it-all alike, except with this difference-all don't know it; but whether they know it or not the Scriptures declare truly, that "from the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores." A very sad state to be in; but every child of God knows it to be a truth: also, "being aliens from the common-wealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise;" crying, "Depart from us, we desire not the knowledge of thy name." This is man's state by nature-both professor and profane.

We wish, however, to treat more particularly of the state and condition of those whom the Lord has graciously convinced of sin; because these are the characters to whom our labours are primarily directed. And here, by the way, we would say, how specially-how absolutely this convincing of sin must be of God, and of God alone. A man may prate and prattle to his fellow-man to the day of his death about the nature and consequences of sin; but all will be to no purpos till the Holy Ghost sends home the arrow of conviction into the sinner'

heart. Reader, be it thine and ours ever to give the Holy Ghost the honour due to him for his own work. You have been brought to a knowledge-a deep-felt personal knowledge of sin; and, as in the earlier part of this paper, we dwelt upon the fallacy-yea, the utter short-coming of all human wisdom, so might we dwell upon the nature -the extent the abominable filthiness and powerful workings of sin; but we forbear. You that are taught of God know enough of it. You feel it you groan under it-from day to day. With respect to yourselves, you readily cry out, "Unclean, unclean : yea, we are altogether as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are but as filthy rags; but you add don't tell us about this-we knew it before-we feel it every day and every hour of the day; but tell us, if ye can, something about one Jesus." Ah! just so, this is the very point. We too feel all that you say-and perhaps never so much; but then there is Christ; oh, such a blessed antidote-dearer, more precious-less to be done without, than ever! And first, whatever we may feel of the heinousness of sin in our poor fallen nature, we are rejoicing in one mercy which cheers and helps to buoy us up from day to day. The Lord says,

There is Now no condemnation; for I have put away thy sin; I have finished transgression; I have made an end of sin; I have put it away by the sacrifice of myself; I have cast it behind my back into the depths of the sea, so that when sought for it shall never be found."So that there is no sin standing against the Church, in its condemnatory, power beloved. That she has it in herself as a fallen daughter of Adam, we have said and we repeat, she has every-day proof; this she knows, and feels, and mourns over. But the feeling of it is one thing -lying under the condemnation of it is another. She knows by heartfelt experience the former, but, blessed be God, she is completely and for ever delivered from the latter.

Secondly, upon this point, if sin in its entailments and condemnatory power, be not done away, then the Church is for ever undone; for Christ has died in vain, and we have no other Christ to die. "Tis an important point, beloved. We beseech you consider it well. If sin is not fully atoned for; if justice be not wholly satisfied; if the law has not been honoured-magnified; then has Christ utterly fallen short in the accomplishment of the work he undertook, and the whole Gospel scheme becomes a total failure! There can be no such thing as a halfand-half salvation; and (unconsciously we admit)-those who are for ever harping upon sin as if still standing in its condemnatory power between God and his Church-which stands in Christ, is loved in Christ, and viewed in Christ-do not fall in with that fulness of redemption which is in Christ, and thus rob him of his majesty, glory, and power. The Lord cried in his dying moments, "It is finished." Was it finished, reader?-was it not? And has anything since risen to alter it? Does it not stand as memorable a truth now as when first uttered? And is not the Church, as the blessed effect thereof, brought into a participation of that dear declaration, "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."