iv

secured to a nation by the union of the State with the Church, or, in other words, by its national recognition of God. "The nation that honoureth me, I will honour."

We have said also that the Lord hath a controversy with the professing church, The world hath become religious. Our whole population-except the baser sort who revel in animal gratifications-congregate professedly for worship on the Sabbath day; and so much darnel being thus mingled amongst the wheat, it is difficult to discern the true grain. Apathy, lukewarmness and worldliness, arising from such associations, are thus the atmosphere in which the real children of God seem to dwell. The little leaven leaveneth not the whole lump, but the multitude overpowereth and deadeneth the spirituality of the true church. Such shall not be. The language of the Lord is, " Come out from her, my people, and be ye separate, and touch not the unclean." The Lord's injunctions are the Lord's determination; and if we obey neither the voice of his invitation nor of his expostulation, we shall have to obey the voice of his corrective dispensation.

What will be the result of this threefold controversy? All the arrangements of providence in the affairs of the world, are in subordination to the Lord's glory, to be manifested in the final well-being of his church. That the present shaking amongst the nations is the precursor of some great prophetical crisis, none can doubt. That the lamentable defection of England from its Protestantism, is introductory to the last and transient elevation of Antichrist, is greatly to be apprehended. That the persecutions which this will introduce, are to be the visitation to the church for her present supineness, as well as the furnace in which she is to be refined, all must admit. Oh, that the living church in the aggregate, as well as in her individual members, would besiege the throne of grace, that the uplifted hand of the Almighty would yet defer the pouring out of the vial of his wrath upon our land-our beloved land, which hath so long been a sheltering place to the Zion of the Holy One-and that he would give understanding to our rulers, and himself ruling them, would cause them wisely and rightly to rule us.

:

Watchman, what of the night? The night cometh! Yea, verily, but blessed be God, and so also cometh the morn. The language of prophecy and the aspect of the times, cause all who have any claim to the brotherhood of Issachar (1 Chron. xii. 32), to forebode certainly that we are entering upon a brief but dark night of persecution; but they who are of the tribe of Issachar, and unto whom it is given to discern the signs of the times, as certainly view beyond the dark cloud of the coming visitation, the bright and shining light of a very glorious and continuing day. Brethren, despond not then at the prospect before us. Let us pray for faith to stand in the evil day to maintain unsullied allegiance to our only King of Zion: dauntless to resist the snare, the privation, or the enticement, and be assured of this, if a martyr's death be the appointed chariot to convoy us to our Father's home, a martyr's faith will be vouchsafed. It may be in the purposes of Jehovah that the Mother of Harlots may again sit as a queen, but her reign will be brief for while she is yet saying, I shall see no more sorrow! sudden and final destruction will come upon her. Then shall break upon the world the dawning of the promised day, when the heathen shall be given to our Lord for an inheritance, and the uttermort parts of the earth for a possession; "when the knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea :" when a nation shall be born in a day, and our Emmanuel in all things shall have the pre-eminence.

Brethren, be watchful, be vigilant, for your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour, whom resist steadfast in the faith.

November 25, 1848.

THE EDITORS.

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.

JANUARY, 1848.

DIVINE COUNSEL IN PERILOUS TIMES.

Joseph, a servant of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout the British Empire, elect, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ, grace unto you and peace be multiplied.

When our gracious Covenant Head forwarned his disciples of approaching public calamities, he gave them one short sentence of advice suitable for every such occasion: "Then look up" (Luke xxi., 28.) Can there be more excellent and important counsel given to the people of God in the present day, when "men's hearts are failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth?" Into what class of society can we now look without seeing dismay seated upon almost every countenance? The statesman, the merchant, the tradesman, and the labourer, all seem like the psalmist's description of the mariner in a storm, "They reel to and fro, and are at their wits end." Hearken then, O christian! our blessed Lord says, "Then look up!"

If we turn our attention to the state of the professing church, our anxiety increases, for our gospel Jerusalem is even now compassed about with armies, combined to war against the living church of God, having already raised the war-cry of "rase it, rase it even to the ground." An army of infidels openly avow their deeply rooted hatred of the very name of Christianity, and are only waiting for power to do as they did in France, trample the Bible beneath their feet, and try to annihilate the elect family of God. Believer, take thy Saviour's advice, "Then look up." In allegiance with these, yea, sworn to be faithful to the same prince, the prince of darkness, is the blood thirsty army of papists, who have murdered millions of Zion's sons and daughters, in days by-gone, and are still bound by the same murderous laws to repeat the frightful carnage by making dear old England a slaughter house for the sheep of Christ, and that which seems to give them confidence in executing their plot is that the very officers of these combined armies are now seated to make laws to further their dark designs; and what is poor Jerusalem to do in such a siege as this? Why," Then look up," for her omnipotent King alone can deliver her, as he did in Hezekiah's days.

[January 1848.]

Another army has lately reinforced the formidableness of these dreadful enemies to vital godliness; drilled in the universities by Jesuits, as drill sergeants, they are armed with the panoply of Rome, covered with the cloak of Anglican mock-sanctity; Tractarian firebrands, arrows, and deadly poison are their amunition, with which they have already done extensive service for the prince of darkness.

Again the Saviour's counsel is, "Then look up," for greater is He that is for you than all that can be against you. Indeed, I can see no hope of deliverance from these combined enemies, but from above. Oh that the spirit of prayer were poured out upon the people of God, and upon their pastors, that God would arise and plead his own cause against these prototypes of Sennacherib, saying to them, as He did to him, "I will put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way which thou camest." But, alas! the spirit of prayer seems to be exchanged for the spirit of apathy, so that we seldom hear in prayer meetings, nor from the pulpits, anything like a wrestling importunity for the deliverance of the church from these invading foes; but, on the contrary, many professed protestants are so infatuated with infidel libertinism, and so fascinated with popish fawnings that they even censure the few faithful men who dare lift up their voices in warning, and in prayer, amidst the thickening dangers.

There is another army hostile to the interests of Jerusalem, who have done much to ruin her prosperity, and are the more mischievous and injurious because they have been admitted to her suburbs, as if they were friends, I mean the army of free-willers, who are bitter enemies to that free grace which is the very constitution of the kingdom of Christ; these, like sappers and miners, are employed to undermine the very walls of Jerusalem, and overturn the foundation which God has laid in Zion, and yet these desperate foes are often called brethren by many who we would hope belong to Zion, as true citizens; these are making violent assaults upon the bulwarks of truth, popery is marching after them to enter every breach they make, and infidelity is bringing up the rear, to spread desolation and death through the land. Oh, ye citizens, look up! look up!

Take an old motto to commence the new year, "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem," and let this motto be carried with you everywhere through the year; "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!" Enemies around her are numes rous; traitors within her walls are awfully increased; her very provisions are poisoned, and her banners are tarnished. Her King is despised, his laws are perverted, and his sanctuaries are profaned, so that vital godliness is but rarely to be met with, and even where it is discovered, it is despised by the multitude of nominal christians: "Then look up ;" and let the closet, the family altar, the sanctuary, and the pulpit, all bear witness that you habitually obey the injunction, "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem."

Pray that pure truth may be proclaimed boldly from every pulpit, and that the mongrel gospel, which dishonours the Saviour, degrades the preacher, and deceives the people, may no more be heard in protestant places of worship. Pray that priestcraft and superstition, may be annihilated, and no official priest be owned but JESUS CHRIST. Pray that divisions and party spirit may cease among the disciples of the Son of God so that they may love as brethren, and be prepared to comfort one another in the hour of trial which seems hastening on. Pray, also, for our rulers, that they may not be permitted to "give their power and strength to the beast," and that they may legislate wisely for the civil welfare of this kingdom, and not interfere with religion, or education, in any way, except for each of

them to examine well his own, for the ark of the Lord is too sacred to be touched by unsanctified hands, and the living church of God has always prospered best without worldly patronage. Grants and endowments feed sycophants, foster superstition, and fetter the servants of God; while genuine christianity requires only pure free air to breathe in, and supplies of grace from above to preserve its health, and further its growth and fruitfulness. Thus, "look up," brethren, for the emancipation of the living church of God from all worldly alliance.

Reader, are your personal trials all-absorbing to you? Are you struggling with difficulties, cares, afflictions, bereavements, and in darkness of soul too? "Then look up," thy Father, oh christian, appointed all these things, and they must accomplish all that he has determined in you, and for you; and if they serve to wean you from earth, and draw forth the grace of the Spirit to act upon Christ more vigorously, there will be abundant cause for thankfulness, and no room left for complaining. Our merciful and faithful High Priest (our only priest) is touched with the feeling of our infirmities, knows how to succour, and has promised that he will not leave us comfortless. Oh, "thenlook up" to him who is a Priest upon his throne, look up believingly, look up continually, look up adoringly, until he looks down graciously, and realizes, yea, more than realizes, your highest hopes and expectations by taking the cup of trembling out of your hand and enabling you to take the cup of salvation at his hand.

Grace, mercy and peace, be with all that love our Lord Jesus Christ, prays theirs to serve in the gospel of God,

Shepherd's Tent, December 6, 1847.

THE GOSPEL, PULPIT.

A SERMON,

JOSEPH IRONS.

ing, and it is penned down by the Holy Ghost, "The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want, he maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters, he restoreth

Preached at Zoar Chapel, Great Alie Street, my soul." Psalm xxiii, 1-3. Thus was

onLord's-day, Sept. 5, 1847,

BY MR. TITE.

David's faith inwrought by the Holy
Ghost; this is the language it speaks;
did the Lord disappoint this faith; no,
From the observations in the morning:

"For this is all my salvation, and all my These are the last words of David; the desire." 2 Sam. xxiii., 5.

What a blessed sight is the death bed of a saint of God. What a variety of straits poor David had been brought through. What a chequered life his had been, not only in outward circumstances, but in inward trials; but no circumstance to which he was subject, either of deep distress or what he suffered from his fellow men, caused his heart to depart from his God. What a chequered scene it was with him; but this is the very man we hear say

man after God's own heart, what a sweet conclusion," what a solemn testimony does he give; he is just laying aside a fading crown, leaving all, his throne and sceptre, and committing his kingdom to his son; now the prospect opens before him, he had been a poor changeable being, a poor fallen sinner, and could not look back with fleshly perfection upon a well spent life, that there were no flaws, no imperfections therein. He could not say there had been no sin upon

A 2