moral sayings. He said indeed, that He was the Light that lightened every man that came into the world, and the condemnation was, that men would not receive it; but one word of his blessed Priesthood he spoke not-but said we were in a state of probation, and every one would be judged according to his works, taking into view the advantages he had enjoyed; recommended the reading of the Scriptures, especially the inspired books, the New Testament, and the Prophets; for it needed no inspiration to write the national history of the Jews, more than that of any other nation. Said the Scriptures were good secondary guides, and contained excellent lessons and truths. When I was coming away, he offered me his hand, and said, thou art not a resident here. I answered no, I was separated from my own people, but wished to unite with any class of Christians who met professedly to worship God; but confessed I could not live upon what he had this day delivered. He asked what was wrong. I answered, he had given some good exhortations; I agreed with him in many things respecting conduct; I missed the foundation: he repeated the Scripture-other foundation can no man lay, &c. I said exactly-off this foundation there is no salvation -on this foundation there may be loss, but no condemnation. We have a great and a merciful High Priest, who can have compassion on the ignorant, and them who are out of the way, and there may be straw, hay, stubble, which will be burnt up, but the soul itself, being on the foundation, is safe. He said with firmness, that will be burnt up in this world, without holiness no man shall see the Lord. I said true, but why avoid the tenure of Scripture; read all the Epistles, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Gift of God, the Propitia tory Sacrifice, the meritorious law-fulfilling righteousness, is set forth in every one of them, as that which saves from wrath and entitles to eternal life. He said they were all emblems of our being made holy in heart and life-Christians were baptized unto the death of Christ, and rise with him to newness of life, buried with him, &c. I granted that as one reading of these words. He said every other view was shadow. I said no-the blood of bulls and goats is shadow. Christ himself, his person, his offices, his life, his sufferings, his death, his burial, resurrection, ascension and intercession within the vail, are all substance-the sole foundation of my hope and my only plea at a throne of Grace. Dear Name, the rock on which I build, My shield and hiding place, My never failing treas❜ry fill'd With boundless stores of Grace. Jesus! my Husband, Shepherd, Friend, Rockaway, August, 1810. HEBREWS is my ordinary, when no other passage of scripture attracts my particular attention. This is the third morning I have opened the New Testament on the xiv. chapter of John, and have fed delightfully on the first three verses. There is at all times a thorn in my heart, keeping me in continual remembrance of my vile, ungrateful backslidings, so that I eat my sweetest morsels with bitter herbs. It was particularly painful to me this morning; nevertheless, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, repeated on my heart, Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. I was arrested at the 4th verse, Whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. I have had many comfortable exercises on the 8th verse, the Redeemer's answer to Philip's inquiry. But this morning my mind was led to a different view of that saying, and which I think was literally included. The Redeemer was going to his Father, and his way lay through death, the death of the cross. The hour was at hand when he was to make his holy and righteous soul an offering for sin, that he might become the author of salvation to all who obey him. All the sins confessed, and pardoned by the sacrifices under the law, were laid on this blessed surety-they were only the shadows, He was the substance, the real Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world, was now to be offered up. This was He, who said, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldst not, but a body hast thou prepared me: in burnt offerings and offerings for sin thou hast had no pleasure; then said I, lo, I come to do thy will, O God." By the will of God we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. He was going to the garden-Oh that garden!— Peter had said he was able to drink of that cup and to be baptized with that baptism. Ah no, Peter! that exceeding sorrow in the garden, when no visible hand was upon him, was a cup, the least drop of which would have overwhelmed the strongest angel. No strength short of omnipotent could have sustained that hour and power of darkness. It was not the scourge, the thorns, the nails, nor the last pangs of dissolution; through all these he was as a lamb led to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers, dumb. It was a mysterious horror, of which no created being can, nor ever will have any conception. It was this that wrung the great drops of blood through every pore of his sacred body: This that extorted the agonizing prayer, Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. And again, in his last moments on the cross, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Blessed, forever blessed, be our Jehovah Jesus, who said, Not my will, but thine be done! The will of God was done, and he said, It is finished, and Ghost. gave up the All his people must follow him by the way of death, nearly all his disciples followed by the death of the eross, and many others after them, supported by his almighty grace, rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer for his sake; but they drank not of that cup. Some of his people, for holy and wise purposes, have had a taste in the hiding of God's face, but no curse; that he himself drank to the last drop; He trod the wine press alone, and of the people there was none to help him. By his own death he destroyed him that had the power of death, and secured victory to all his followers he changed its aspect from that of the king of terrors to that of a welcome messenger from their redeeming God, to conduct them to those blessed mansions which he has purchased and prepared for them; neither will he leave them alone with that mesAnd if I go, senger, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am there ye may be also. I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you. The world seeth me no more, but ye see me, because I live, ye shall live also. Let not your heart be trou bled, neither let it be afraid. Amen. Come, Lord Je sus. Psalm xl. 6. Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened; burnt-offering, and sin-offering hast thou not required; then said I, Lo I come, in the volume of the book it is written of me; I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is in my heart. Heb. x. 8. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering, and burnt-offerings, and offering for sin thou wouldst not, neither had pleasure therein, which are offered by the law; then said he, Lo I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will, we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. This man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins, for ever sat down on the right hand of God. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified; whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he hath said before, chap. viii. 10. now repeated chap. x. 16. This is the Covenant that I will make with them after those days, (in consequence of Christ's doing the will of God, fulfilling all righteousness :) I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them: and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. Now, where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. Having, therefore, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; and having an High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; pure water. |