THE

GOSPEL STANDARD.

MATT. v. 6; 2 TIM. I. 9; ROM. XI. 7; ACTS VIII. 37, 38; MATT. XXVIII. 19.

No. 231.

MARCH, 1855.

VOL. XXI.

A WORD OF FRIENDLY EXHORTATION TO THE CHURCHES AND INDIVIDUAL BELIEVERS.

All the accounts from the seat of war concur in representing the condition of the poor soldiers before Sebastopol as "heart-rending and horrible."* With what boasting arrogance did England send forth her fleets and armies, and what a humiliating rebuke has now fallen upon her pride! It would be out of place for us to dwell on the miserable incapacity and shameful negligence to which, humanly speaking, much of the present state of our army in the Crimea is due. Looking away from second causes, we would rather view it as a scourge for England's sins and her abuse of those privileges which have been vouchsafed to her above all nations of the earth.

But who can help sympathising with our poor soldiers, almost without shelter or food, though both are in abundance within six or seven miles, melting away, like the snow before the sun, with the worst forms of disease? It is credibly believed that out of 54,000 men who landed in the Crimea, besides all the subsequent reinforcements, scarce 10,000 or 11,000 are now able to carry arms.

Now why should not the churches make this dreadful state of things a matter of special prayer and supplication? Why in this matter should the family of God be behind the formalists whom they condemn? Without fixing any particular day, Lord's Day or otherwise, which we have no warrant or authority to do, why should not ministers in their pulpit prayers, and private Christians at the prayer meeting, in their family worship, and in their closet, bring before the Lord the sufferings which the war has already produced, and beseech him to look with pitying eye on our beloved yet guilty country, and especially on our poor soldiers; and that it may please his gracious Majesty to put a speedy end to this horrid warfare, and grant us once more the blessings of peace?

THE EDITOR.

* We use the words of Lord John Russell, who, we may be sure, would be disposed rather to soften than exaggerate the actual state of things.

C

A MEDITATION ON THE MYSTERY OF GODLINESS.

"This people have I formed for myself; they shall show forth my praise." -(Isa. xliii. 21.)

On awaking at an early hour the other morning, before the time had arrived for man to go forth to his labor, I was much impressed with the above words. The night watches having hushed all terrestrial things into a calm, there remained no hindrance to my being led out into contemplation upon the words which had just dropped into my mind; and, first of all, I took a survey of the millions of Adam's race now in existence on the face of the globe, with all their various religions divided and subdivided, and bearing different titles and appellations, as known amongst mankind. To me how solemn was the thought, that although there appears to be almost an endless list of sects and parties, yet in God's account there are but two classes the election and the rest; the wheat and the chaff; the sheep and the goats; vessels of mercy and vessels of wrath; vessels of honor and vessels to dishonor; wise virgins and foolish virgins. The election are to be preserved in Christ Jesus and called, the rest left to perish in their own deceivings; the wheat to be gathered into the heavenly garner, the chaff to be burnt up with unquenchable fire; the sheep to return to the great Shepherd and Bishop of their souls, and ultimately be placed at the right hand of God, the goats to be placed on the left, with everlasting confusion upon their heads: "Ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you." The "vessels of mercy, afore prepared to eternal glory," are to be "made meet for the Master's use," a holy habitation for the living God; ("Here will I dwell, for I have desired it;") the "vessels of wrath fitted for destruction," are to be dashed in pieces like a potter's vessel. The vessels of honor are to bring a revenue of glory and praise to a triune Jehovah when time shall be no longer; the vessels to dishonor are to be clothed with shame and ignominy. The wise virgins are to be brought to the King, in raiment of fine needle-work, clean and white, a chaste spouse, not having spot or wrinkle, unblameable, and presented before the Father in love, comely through the comeliness put upon them; the foolish virgins are to come short of the promised rest. And how could it be otherwise, O foolish virgin, seeing thou wert content with "a name to live," while thou wert deadwith a formal profession, whilst destitute of the oil of, grace in thy heart; with the shadow, without the substance; with the shell of religion, and despising the kernel, which is "Christ Jesus formed in the heart, the hope of glory?" Yea, didst thou not rest upon thy flashy joys and airy fancies, in place of the solemn realities and teachings of God the Holy Ghost in the soul; and in thy own deceivings didst thou not set down thy own fleshly excitement for the work of the Spirit? Therefore "your house is left unto you desolate," for "the lamp of the wicked shall be put out."

Seeing, then, that there are but two kinds of people on the face of the earth, how important is it to know whether I belong to those who are to show forth the praises of God, or to those who were

made to be taken and destroyed. The word expressly says, "This people have I formed for myself." Then it is evident they are a people differing from all others, a peculiar people, called to be saints. And it follows there must be certain characteristics whereby this people are known from those who are enveloped in darkness. I will endeavor to commit to paper some of the thoughts I had, as I lay musing upon the matter in hand, in respect to "this people;" but more particularly in their showing forth God's praise. And may the Lord keep me from advancing anything which cannot be proved from his holy word by Christian experience. For, what is a Christian without certain marks and evidences, but like a marble statue, which, however it may resemble a human body, yet lacks the main thing,-life? It has features and limbs well proportioned, fashioned by the ingenious hand of the sculptor; but there is no breath, no warm life-blood flowing from the heart to the various parts of the body, no hunger nor thirst, no longings or desires. Such is man in an unrenewed state,-dead in sins.

It is very evident from the records of divine truth, that the Lord has made all things for himself and for the ultimate glory of Jesus Christ; hence that firm compact and glorious covenant of grace, "ordered in all things and sure," entered into by the great and holy Three, on behalf of "a number which no man can number, out of every kindred, and nation, and people, and tongue."

While musing over the acts of the sacred Trinity, before time began, my soul desired to lie prostrate in humility on such high and lofty ground, and not wilfully presume to pry into matters which "the angels desire to look into," but with becoming reverence and solemnity of mind.

I may observe, then, that the salvation of the church occupied the thoughts of Jehovah from eternity. This is very plain from the Scriptures. Jeremiah had a manifestation of this: "The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee." "I have betrothed thee unto me for ever; yea, I have betrothed thee unto me in righteousness and in judgment." These passages speak in the past tense; therefore (according to my judgment) it will not be wandering upon forbidden ground to look up to those everlasting hills where the glorious plan of salvation originated in the heart of Jehovah; when the impassable gulf was fixed between the righteous and the wicked, and the decree of electing love stepped forth from eternity to eternity by God the Father, and the "sheet knit at the four corners" thereof took in all the objects of his free favor and choice, including "all manner of four-footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air ;" and all this before time began. "For the children being not yet born, neither having done good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth." Thus, in purpose and decree, might the Father say, while looking on the objects of his choice, "This people have I formed for myself; they shall

show forth my praise."

But that they might be doubly secure, they

were chosen "in Christ, even in him."

"Christ be my first elect,' he said,

Then chose our souls in Christ our Head ;"

"for the Father hath committed all things unto the Son;" which is beautifully figured forth of him under the character of Wisdom, in Prov. viii., "I was by him as one brought up with him; and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him, and my delights were with the sons of men; yea, I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was." Here, then, was Jesus Christ set up as the great Head of the church, and voluntarily became, by covenant, the Husband of the bride: "Thine they were, and thou gavest them me." "O my dear Son, who art full of grace and truth, and hast dwelt in my bosom from everlasting, and in whom is all my delight, wilt thou receive this people' at my hands as thy peculiar treasure; and in the event of their coming into a state of poverty, degradation, and woe, wilt thou provide out of thy riches for their destitute case? Wilt thou work out a righteousness to hide their shame? Wilt thou raise them up from their forlorn state to inherit the throne of glory? for it hath pleased me that in thee 'all fulness should dwell.' Thou knowest, my Son, that Lucifer, the son of the morning, when I brought thee forth, saying, 'Let all the angels of God worship him,' was inflated with pride and jealousy, murder and envy, and would not bow down before thee, but moved myriads of the angelic host to combine against thy sovereign sway; whom thou, therefore, in thy just displeasure, didst drive from paradise, and with the breath of thy mouth didst pursue down to Tophet, which was ordained of old,' and didst bind him and his company in chains of darkness, reserved unto the great day. This our implacable foe will surely mar our fair creation in man, for he goeth about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.' The righteous law which we shall give unto man will be violated by this arch-enemy presenting his diabolical temptations before his soul, and thus our image will be defaced, our authority usurped, and our government and counsel set at nought. Seeing that this will come to pass, wilt thou condescend to become incarnate, by taking upon thee the seed of the woman, that thou mayest bruise the serpent's head, and restore that which thou tookest not away, by magnifying the law and making it honorable? And as thou hast married this thine Hephzibah, art thou willing to be tempted in all points like unto thy brethren, and thereby become a merciful High Priest over the house of Israel? to be despised and rejected of men? to be rich, and yet have not where to lay thy head? to be the mighty God, and yet the babe of Bethlehem ? to have legions of angels at thy command, and yet to take upon thyself the form of a servant, and to learn obedience by those things thou must suffer? to take the lowest place, and to be made sin for my people? to be made a curse for them? to suffer all that vindictive justice shall inflict upon their account, and to bleed upon an accursed tree on their behalf, and thus remove their iniquity in one day? to be laid in the grave? to extract the sting of

my

6

death and rise again a mighty conqueror over hell and the grave? to ascend and sit at my right hand until all thy enemies be made thy footstool? to see the travail of thy soul and be satisfied ?art thou willing to do all these things, O my Son ?" "O righteous Father, thy love to me hath been from ever of old, and as a further proof of it, thou hast given me a people as the stars of heaven for multitude; yea, thou hast given me (in purpose) 'the heathen for mine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for my possession.' I do most gladly receive this thy gift with delight, for thou lovest them even as thou lovest me, and my delight is to do thy will, O my God. Yea, thy law is within my heart. Thou hast made me the Man of thy right hand, even the Son of man, whom thou hast made strong for thyself. I do therefore accept this people' whom thou hast formed for thyself, with rejoicing, even this my sister, my spouse; and I will rejoice over them to do them good.' All that I am and have shall be theirs; and as thou hast treasured up in Person an inexhaustible fulness of grace, they shall not want for any good thing. I do therefore betroth this people' unto myself for ever, and that in the presence of thee, O Father; and thou, Eternal Spirit, art heaven's witness of this transaction. And seeing that man will surely fall from that primeval innocence in which we shall create him, I do hereby pledge myself to redeem them from under that direful bondage into which they shall come; yea, I will restore all the honors of thy law, magnify it, and make it eternally honorable; and to this end, when the fulness of time shall come, I will take into union with my divine nature the seed of the woman, and in that nature I am content to be made under the law, and through my active and passive obedience to the same, I will surely redeem those who are under it, that they may thereby become dead to it. I will show them a more excellent way, a way worthy of their God; a way that shall be approved of thee, O righteous Father, in which thy justice will be everlastingly satisfied on their account; a way in which mercy and truth can kiss each other, righteousness and peace embrace each other; for through my obedience, sufferings, death, and resurrection, every obstacle shall be removed out of the way that would impede their progress to the kingdom which I have in reserve for all those whom thou hast given me, for 'Thine they were, and thou gavest them me.' I do hereby covenant to bring them all to see thy face with joy; not one shall be lost, save the son of perdition; not a hoof shall be left behind of all thou hast given me; for, 'O righteous Father, I will that all they whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory;' and if I fail to bring them hither, then will I bear the blame for ever."

The Blessed Spirit, who is one with the Father and the Son-one in essence, one in power, and one in will-now set his broad seal of approbation upon the glorious plan of salvation, and in covenant engaged to quicken all those who should be heirs of salvation by his invincible operations upon their hearts, by bestowing that light which should lighten every man who should be born into the kingdom of