The Present Position, the Prospect, and the Privilege of the "And when these things begin to for your redemption draweth nigh." : come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads ; (Luke xxi. 28.) shewed unto them his hands, and his side; and he breathed on them, and said, Receive ye the Holy Ghost.' Here was life, pardon, peace, and almighty power. These are the mercies Jesus brings unto his beloved spouse: in these shall his house be built up; the line of the gospel shall reach from Calvary's cross to the immortal crown; and he will everlastingly comfort Zion, by taking her home to dwell with him in endless bliss and holy joy. CITIZENS OF ZION, AND HEIRS OF IMMORTAL GLORY:THE precious words of our adorable Lord, come him; but he overcame at the last.' as recorded above, have been much im- Therefore, 'He is returned unto Jerusapressed upon my mind: they appear to lem with mercies;' and these mercies he me to shew us where the church of Christ shewed unto his disciples immediately now is the circumstances in which our after his resurrection. For when the gospel Zion now stands and while they disciples were met together, Jesus came plainly declare our present position; they and stood in their midst, and he said, also reveal unto us the glorious prospectPeace be unto you.' And then he of a better state and teach us how to behave ourselves during the remainder of that period through which we are passing; and of which the Lord has spoken by Zechariah; 'It shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear nor dark; but it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord; not day nor night; but it shall come to pass that at evening time it shall be light.' This wondrous prophecy, without controversy, has direct reference to the nature and extent of the Gospel Day; which reaches from the destruction of the Old, to the erection of the New Jerusalem hence, in the first of Zechariah, the Lord Christ speaks of his Mediatorial work of the building up of his church-of the unbroken line of the gospel ministry-of the happy consequences resulting from that ministry-and of the glorious termination of it, in one sentence, and says, (Zech. i. 16, 17.) first, of his finished work in redemption, I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies.' Yes; bless his precious name; he was like a certain householder who planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a wine-press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: - -it was a long, a heavy, a solemn journey the Redeemer took, when he went forth for the salvation of his people. He went where his beloved bride never will go. He went to the end of the law-to the end of sin, and finished it-to the end of divine wrath, and drank the last drop of it—to the bottom of hell, and endured it-and down to the iron grave of death, and slept in it. But did either one of them overcome him? Aye; what shall I say?-Yes, in one sense, they did; and in another, and better sense, THEY DID NOT : for he was our spiritual GAD: A troop did overVOL. III.-PART XXVII.-April. But, stop! What is our present position? 'When these things begin to come to pass.' What things are these? Please to note distinctly, that in the twenty-fourth of Matthew; in the thirteenth of Mark; and in the twentyfirst of Luke; our Lord delivers a fourfold prophesy. First, he declares the destruction of Jerusalem: that is past. Then, secondly, he speaks of the terrible persecutions and calamities that should attend the setting up, and progress of the gospel kingdom and I feel I may say, that is also past: for " Except the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved; but for the elect's sake, WHOM HE HATH CHOSEN, he hath shortened those days:' and, they shall never come again. Then, thirdly, he speaks of things that shall accompany the approaching end of the gospel dispensation: and, fourthly, he shews us what shall be seen, and done, when God makes up his last account. : There are three things, then, that I would briefly allude to at this time. First, to shew how certain it does appear from the Word of God, and from the circumstances in which Zion now stands, that the end of the gospel kingdom is fast approaching. Secondly, what shall be seen and done in the closing up of this dispensation. And, thirdly, the soul-comforting ex L hortation here given to the house of rendered the hill of songs,' and 'hot Israel, 'When these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh.' I. Then, the approaching dissolution of the gospel kingdon. Look at the thirteenth of Mark, from verses 24 to 27; and then look at the signs of the times in which we now live. : 'But in those days, after that tribulation.' What tribulation? I believe the tribulation there spoken of, is that flood of persecution through which the church has passed. It was that 'fourth beast' Daniel speaks of (chap. vii. 7.) as being 'dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly it had great iron teeth: it devoured, and it did break in pieces.' Many thousands (says an ancient father,) have felt the dreadful sharpness of the devil's iron teeth. He crushed and ground poor saints to powder. But, the devil is, in a measure, jaw locked now; he cannot, nor never will again be able to bite and devour the saints as he has done; growl, and foam, and trample with his feet he may; but bite and devour again, in flood and fire, he never will. Well, then, wrath. The final judgment will be the The gospel church, like Jacob, has taken the stones-(the great doctrines of grace, electing love, redeeming blood, and justifying righteousness,) and she has laid her head upon them; and is almost, if not quite, fallen asleep. Well; dark and dismal as the place might have been to Jacob, it was a safe place: he had a pleasant dream there: he had a revelation of Christ there: and he had some most glorious promises there. Yes! and though he awoke up affrighted, and said, 'How dreadful is this place!' yet, he sustained no injury at all. Neither am I going to say, that because the sun is darkened in our gospel horizon, that the church is in any danger! Oh, no! Resting by faith, simply and entirely, through the power of the Holy Ghost in their hearts, upon the precious blood of Christ for cleansing, and upon his perfect righteousness, for justification, true believers are now and then indulged with some heavenly dreams; some sweet views of Christ; and occasional applicaItions of the precious promises. And what more is said of Jacob? Why, after that solemn wrestling he had with 'THE MAN whose name is the Branch ;' after Jacob had seen God face to face, and found his life preserved: why then he passed over Peniel, and the sun rose upon him.' Even so; low as the church may sink; yet Christ will come down and deliver her; we shall see him face to face; and then In those days. What days? Oh, Zion! they are the very days in which we live: these gospel days in which the Lord is fast gathering up the remnant of his heritage, so that all Israel may be saved. What then is said of these days? First-The sun shall be darkened.' believe this is figurative language. Truly, I say, the sun is darkened. By the sun, I understand the glorious Person of the Lord Jesus Christ; and the blazing glories of the gospel; both of which are solemnly darkened in these days. 6 "O may I live to reach that place," the sun shall no more go down; for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light; and the days of Zion's mourning shall be ended.' There are two things said of Jacob, which have forcibly arrested my mind; I fully believe Jacob, from first to last, to be a typical character of the true church of Christ. Now, it is first said of Jacob, that when he went out from Beersheha (Genesis xxviii. 10.) and went towards Haran, he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took stones and put them for his pillow, and laid down to sleep.' This is where the gospel church of Christ now is! She is gone out from Beer-sheba; that is, she is 1. There is an almost general concome forth out of the womb of the cove-formity to the fashions and maxims of nant-out of the bowels of Christ-out the world among even the real and deof Zion's birth chamber; and she is go- cided followers of the truth. Go where ing towards Haran. Now Haran may be you will, you shall see that the proud There are three things especially which declare, in a great measure, that the sun is darkened. They are these:: spirit of the world has thrown itself over | really is. But, 'THE MORNING COMthe church; and she has lost her deep ETH! And, then, blessed be our God, humility, her peculiarity, her conformity there shall be no mistake: she shall be to the image of him she professes to serve. fair as the moon' (chaste, and clean 2. There is a solemn lack of a genuine escaped from all her pollutions-) Clear devotedness of heart, of spirituality of as the sun'-(manifestly justified and soul, and of close living to God. There is glorified in the Lord her righteousness,) an emptiness, a 'want of decision and and terrible as an army with banners:' savour in the churches of Jesus Christ. being brought together into one perfect It is but here and there you can see the and glorious body, and made more than man has been with Jesus, and is really conqueror through him that loved her. anointed of the Holy Ghost. In the inner "O glorious hour! O blest abode ! house, in Solomon's temple, there were She shall be near, and like her God! three things cherubims, palm trees, And flesh and sin no more control and open flowers' The church in this The sacred pleasures of her soul !" day, has got her cherubims, (her living III. 'And the stars of heaven shall creatures,) but the palm trees, (spiritual fall. The ministers of Jesus Christ, I uprightness), and the open flowers, think, are here intended. (spiritual beauty and a rich perfume,) are sadly deficient. 3. Thousands of real believers are walking in darkness, and mourning an absent Lord. How applicable is the question of the weeping prophet to the present aspect of the church? Ask ye now, wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness?" The sun is not entirely hidden! Some blessed rays occasionally burst through the clouds: but Zion knows that it is a day that's neither light nor dark. But stop: do not be alarmed; nor think I am going to declare that these shall fall into perdition; or, scandalously fall into open sins. No: God forbid ! But, I do solemnly believe, they have fallen into much weakness, obscurity, and confusion. Travel through the churches of this highly favoured land, and answer me these two questions: First-What is it, that is preached? Is it the glorious gospel of the everblessed God? Does the Father's everlasting love the Son's most precious blood the Holy Ghost's quickening, humbling, anointing, sanctifying operaII. 'The moon shall not give her tions, evidently, manifestatively, and light!' It is true, there have been, and powerfully burn out and blaze forth from still are some precious things put forth the ministry? Alas! I say—(let men by the moon.' The gospel church, by deceive themselves as they may,) IT DOES the power of the Holy Ghost, has con- NOT! When the true nature of the tinued to send forth some faithful men, gospel kingdom; and the genuine proas ministers of Christ; and she has con-perties of the gospel ministry were retinued to give birth to some precious vealed unto John in the Isle of Patmos, sons, of whom it shall be said 'This man he saw the ministry as combining at was born in her :' but oh, what strife, least a four-fold variety. This is rewhat divisions, what lamentable incon- presented under the figure of four beasts, sistencies every where abound among (or living creatures). The first has the the churches of Jesus Christ! Truly, face of a lion, to denote boldness and the moon does not give her light! We dignity; the second has the face of a must divide that question in Sol. Song calf, to denote cleanness and nourishvi. 10; into two parts. The first part is ment; the third has the face of a man, to applicable to Zion now- Who is she that denote wisdom and sympathy; the fourth looketh forth? Ah, who is she, indeed! has the face of an eagle, to denote keenIt is a difficult matter to tell whether she ness, deep penetration, and a soaring into be the spouse of Christ, or the Mother of the very heights of heavenly mysteries. Harlots. We get but such very indis- They are said too, to have eyes before tinct views of her she seems to be and behind; they look backward into hardly awake; it is as though she was the eternal counsels and covenant tranafraid to open the door and come forth; sactions; they look forward to the comshe only looketh forth and her night ing glories of the eternal world. They clothes are so wrapped around her, that are said to have six wings — spiritual you seem puzzled to declare who she knowledge-living faith-gospel hope ; heavenly zeal-fervent prayer-and a | alist, and free-will boaster, whether burning love. Without these faces- parson or people; and spread devastation these eyes, and these wings, no man can and woe, ruin and distress over them really glorify God, nor be truly useful to but amidst it all there stands the poor the church of Christ in the gospel minis- child of God on the Rock of eternal try. ages, all the firmer for sustaining the shock; yes; all hell hath tried, doth try, and will try, to shake the house on the rock, but that soul eternally founded there, can never be divided from it, by all the powers or devices of earth or heil. From the foundation of the world has the devil tried to sever the soul of the christian from this sure resting place; but has he succeeded? No. Will he ever succeed? Never. For the soul on the rock, never was, or ever can be, apart from it. Into what, say you, have these stars fallen ?-Into pride, envy, and jealousy; into an exaltation of self, instead of an exaltation of Christ; into a theoretical, | philosophical, and (in some cases,) a whimsical abstract system, instead of being baptised by the Holy Ghost into the inexhaustible fulness of the everlasting gospel. And it must be so; until the Spirit shall be poured upon us from on high IV. The powers of heaven are shaken.' There appears no invincible power in either law or gospel sinners are not alarmed; saints are not made to rejoice. Of course, there are partial exceptions to these statements; but in the main, this is the present paralyzed condition of the professing church of Christ. I must close without one word upon the exhortation- When these things begin to come to pass, then LOOK UP; and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh' In other words Let not your hearts be troubled; ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you.' (John xiv.) Reader! for the present, farewell. Read Revelations iii. 18 to 22. Great grace be with thee, prays thine to serve in the gospel, C. W. B. The House Built upon the Rock. "And the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell not, for it was founded on a rock." Matt. vii. 25. How very little in our country do we know naturally of winds and floods, but in those parts of the world where the violence of the storm uproots the stoutest trees of the forest; and the inundations of their mighty rivers, sweep houses from their foundations, something more is known of these things naturally; and how illustrative are they of the winds and floods of persecution and trial encountered by every child of God in his path to the kingdom. Hurricanes and floods that will surely uproot every hypocrite, false professor, head notion Satan, hell, unbelief, doubts and fears, may harrass the soul, and bring it into the greatest perplexity and darkness. But has the devil gained an advantage? No. There he stands, looking (if I may use the expression,) a bigger fool than ever for his pains, whilst the christian is driven by the very means, closer to his strong hold. But must not the soul have a very particular founding on this rock, to make it so invulnerable to every shock? Ah! believer, it has a founding so particular that no chance traveller slips on this rock to gain a founding; so particular, that no freewill gentleman or lady can so twist their beautiful plans, manage their calm and smooth tempers, hatch up their well arranged prayers, subdue the rankling enmity of their hearts, and mould their nature to such a degree as they think to fit for heaven. Oh no! it is a height never to be climbed, as each soul on it knows by experience; a height that none ever reach who are not carried there; so particular a founding too, that no proud pharisee, with his beautiful and carefully whitewashed outside, long prayers, &c., can manage to gain a footing on this eternal and solid foundation of the christian. But is there any principle inherent, in the nature of the believer, different from others, that he should be meritoriously placed on this rock? In no wise. United to it from before the foundation of the world, by the free, sovereign act of God's electing love; there he stands, proving by every day's experience, that it is the eternal arm of Omnipotence holds him in the way; and not a single syllable dare he boast of keeping himself there, whatever those creeds of devilism, (huddled into and centreing in one focus,) called by | ceitful above all things, and desperately our respectable people of the day, wicked, how would their language be 'man's free-will,' may say to the con- altered, and instead of charging infinite trary. No: the believer can rest satisfied wisdom with injustice, would shrink back with no standing short of one ordered in astonishment, that he should have in the covenant; for whatever falls short taken a single one. But when does the of this is delusion, and no safety at all. sovereignty of God shine forth in the There is a vast difference between free- mind of the christian in all its resplendwill and human merit, creeping appa- ant beauty, and experimental reality? rently, on the outside of this rock, so as Why, when a humble hope springs up to look very much (to the superficial ob- in the mind that they are in this rock; server, at least,) as if they were really and be that hope faint or weak, the effect founded there, and a free-grace soul, produced in the minds of the living timid and trembling, hidden in the secret family of God is this: if ever he hath cleft of that rock-the life of that be- chosen me, that choice must be a soveliever is so peculiarly hidden, that but reign one;' for with such a nature as seldom can he see he possesses one single they feel within them, it is absolutely spark of it; no wonder then that these impossible that he should have chosen in this cleft are so hidden from the them becase they were better than others, world, and not one atom less so, from or for any other reason than because he professors; many of whom hate the very would; and they are compelled to acquit name of God's covenant; but that soul's God of injustice, had he, in his purpose, salvation that was eternally contrived, left them to perish in their sins. eternally secured, eternally ratified, and witnessed in heaven by the Eternal Three that bare record there, and sealed and stamped with the very blood of God, must be sure, and shall be sure. Not only do they hate the name of covenant, but what a stumbling-block is that word election! They would erase it from the Book of God if they could; it is what they never can make out. Ah, but I'll tell you who can, and it is my firm belief that many a parson standing in the "Who could hold me up but thou?" pulpit, preaching election as a doctrine only, knows far less, and can make far And when reviewing that part of our less out of it, than the poor timid creature | life when we were dead in sin, in how that has got no further in experience than-'Oh, if I only knew I was personally interested in Christ!"' Freewill professor! Were you ever here? No. That question, with a heart ache for its companion, is peculiar to the inhabitants of the rock. Another striking idea of safety presented to the mind is this-that they are preserved in this rock; and who can ever fathom the bottom of those wordsPreserved in Christ Jesus.' What daily, hourly, momentarily preservations are we continually experiencing from the hands of a covenant God! And when privileged to look back on that path through which we have been led, are we not compelled to exclaim with the poet, many instances can those of the profane world, view the preserving care of God over them in those daring acts of outrage, scenes of riot, and debauchery, the very remembrance of which, strikes a chill into the bosom of the poor soul, who, when dead in sin, was the deliberAnother part of the distinguishing ate perpetrator of them; that man must truth of God, that the devil, in league see the hand of God in preserving him. with professors, have been shouldering, But are those from the profane world with a view to overturn, for years, is the the only people who can look back on sovereignty of God in the choice of his that part of their life and view the hand people. Ah! that one taken, and an- of a covenant God towards them? Ah! other left religion they cannot bear. no; the poor white-washed pharisee, with And what do they call the infinite Je- an outside daubed and plastered over. hovah for this sovereign and free act? with his good works, exactly the number Why, 'An unjust God;' as though jus- of duties to still Mr. Conscience; and tice itself could ever be unjust. Ah! when that fidgety old gentleman was a could they once feel the abominable little easy, all would do very nicely inworkings of their corrupt nature, and side; and with such a pretty outside know something of the plague of that dress as free-will, what professor could heart they carry about with them, 'de-ever fail of gaining a name amongst hy 6 |