Baptist hath this expression, "Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sins of the world." He takes them away. How doth he take them away, and yet leave them behind, and yet charge them upon the person that doth believe? The person must be discharged, or else how can they be taken away? This is the main thing imported in that notable sacrifice of the scape-goat, Lev. xvi. 21. The high-priest must lay his hand upon the head of the goat to be carried away into the wilderness; the text saith, "It was the laying the sins of the people, and that when they were laid upon him, he goes into the wilderness." He goes into the wilderness, and leaves their sins behind him; then the end of this service were frustrated; for he was to carry them away upon him; so Christ, as the scape-goat, hath our sins laid upon his back, and he carries them away; and, therefore, in Psalm ciii. 22, it is said, "That God removes our sins from us, as far as the east is from the west; he casts our sins into the bottom of the sea." Besides all these texts of Scripture, I might produce multitudes more, if need were for this purpose; but, I think, there can be nothing in the world more clear than this truth, that Christ is such a way to a poor believing soul that he hath received, that he might take and carry away all the sins of such a person; that he is no longer reckoned as having sins upon him. Some will object, do not those that receive Christ actually commit sin ?-I answer, yea, they do commit sin, and the truth is, they can do nothing but commit sin. If a person that is a believer hath any thing in the world, he hath received this, that if he doth anything that is good it is the Spirit of God that doth it, not he therefore, he himself doth nothing but sin; his soul is a mint of sin. But then, you will say, if he doth sin, must not God charge it where it is? Must not he be reckoned to be a sinner, while he doth sin? I answer, no; though he doth sin, yet he is not to be reckoned a sinner, but his sins are reckoned to be taken away from him. A man borrows a hundred pounds; some man will say, doth he not owe this hundred pounds, seeing he borrowed it? I say, no, in case another hath paid the hundred pounds for him. A man doth sin against God, God reckons not his sin to be his, he reckons it to be Christ's; therefore he cannot reckon it his. If the Lord did lay the iniquity of men upon Christ (as I said before), then how can he lay it upon their persons? Thou hast sinned, Christ takes it off; supposing, I say, thou hast received Christ. And as God doth reckon sin to Christ, and charges sin upon him, so, if thou be of the same mind with God, thou must also reckon this sin of thine upon Christ; his back hath borne it, he hath carried it away. For my part, I cannot see what every person will object; I will endeavour to make this truth clear as the day to you. Do but consider with yourselves what Christ came into the world for if not to take away the sins of the world? He need never to have died, but to take away the sins of the world. Did he come to take them away, and did he leave them behind him? Then he lost his labour. Did he not leave them behind him? then his person is discharged of them from whom he hath taken them; but if the person be not discharged of them, he is not a justified person in himself; neither can you account his person justified as long as you account his sin upon him.* It is a contradiction to say, that a man is innocent, yet guilty. Beloved, then here is a point of strange ravishing usefulness to souls that can but draw towards it and receive it. All the difficulty lies, whether it be my portion or thy portion; whether I may say, Christ is my way, thus from this guilt, that there can be none of this charged upon me. I say, if thou dost receive Christ, if thou dost but set footing into this way, Christ; as soon as ever thou art stept into this way, thou art stept out of the condition thou wast in. Men's receiving of Christ ! what is that ? you will say, To receive him, is to come to him; "He that comes to me I will in no wise cast off." Mark; many think there is such a kind of sinfulness that is a bar to them; that though they would have Christ, yet there is not a way open for them to take him. Beloved, there is no way of sinfulness to bar thee from coming to Christ; if thou hast a heart to come to him, and, against all objections to venture thyself with joy into the bosom of Christ, for the discharge of all thy sinfulness; Christ himself (which I tremble to express, though it be with indignation) he should be a liar, if thou comest to him, and he casts thee off. "Every one that will," saith he, "let him come and drink of the water of life freely." You shall find, beloved, the great complaint of Christ, thus, "He came to his own, and his own received him not :" and to the Scribes and Pharisees, "Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life." The truth is, men dote upon the establishing of a righteousness of their own to bring them to Christ; and it is but presumptuous, or licentious doctrine, that Christ may be their Christ, and they receive him, and he considered simply ungodly, as enemies; but they are abominably injurious to the faith of Jesus Christ, to the exceeding bounty of that grace of his, who saves from sin, without respect of anything in the creature, that he himself might have the praise of the glory of his grace. The covenant, concerning the blotting out of transgressions, is a free covenant, Not for thy sake do I this, be it known unto thee," saith the Lord, "for thou art a stubborn and stiff-necked people; but for my own sake do I this." All this grace to acquit thy soul, here and hereafter, comes out of the bowels of God himself; and he hath no other motive in the world, but simply, and only, his own bowels, that put him upon the deliverance of a poor wretch from iniquity and discharge of sin, from that load which otherwise would grind and crush him to powder; I say, his own bowels are the motive. God neither looks to any thing in the creature to win him to show kindness, nor yet any thing in the creature to debar him; neither righteousness in men that persuades God to pardon sin; nor unrighteousness in men that hinders him from giving this pardon, and acquitting them from their transgressions; it is only and simply for his own sake he doth it unto men.‡ Readers, this is GOSPEL. Do you believe it? Does it suit? Or will not the pride of your hearts thus let Christ have all the glory of salvation? + This is a precious truth. ‡ Amen, amen, amen.-ED. LETTERS TO A GLORIFIED INHABITANT OF THE NEW JERUSALEM, WRITTEN DURING HER SOJOURN IN THE VALE OF TEARS. LETTER II. MY DEAR FRIEND AND SISTER IN CHRIST, The receipt of your last made me feel somewhat ashamed that I had not answered your former letters. Do not put it down to want of inclination, I beseech you. The subjects on which you write are too dear to my heart to be slighted, or disregarded, and I cannot but wish I had more time to go over them with you. As briefly as I can let me state what, perhaps, may meet your inquiries. And first, as it respects judging who are or who are not the Lord's children, I would say, the Lord keep you from deciding by the "outward appearance," and enable you to "judge righteous judgment;" and if you say, "I fear I cannot do this," then would I say, "Judge nothing before the time, till the Lord come." There is a very close Scripture on this point. Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth." For my own part, I solemnly believe that many who would not be admitted into Churches now, or if admitted would be dismissed therefrom, will be found true members of the Church of the first-born whose names are written in heaven; while on the contrary, many whom the majority of professors are very highly commending (by reason of acts performed by them that are seen of men) will be found at the left hand of the judge, as "workers of iniquity." We live in solemn times. The outside of the cup and platter kept clean, obscures the view of what is within. Paul speaks of those "who name the name of Christ, and depart not from iniquity." This word iniquity, is little understood; It means self-self-righteousness-Pharisian-the doings of the creature opposed unto, or connected with the finished work of the Lord Jesus. It is "the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place, where it ought not to stand," its effects are exalting man at the expense of Christ, and looking with contempt upon many of the dear children of God, who know and feel what Paul did, when he said, "The good 1 would I do not, the evil I would not that I do." On this point I would say much more to you, were I present, but cannot from want of leisure write more. All the doing good that is accounted such by the Lord is believing in his dear name, Christ's words, "Whoso seeth the Son and believeth on him," are the same in meaning as his apostle's, "Whoso looketh unto the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, not being a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed," (James i. 25.) There is, however, a yet higher sense in which the Church of God are reckoned good doers, and that is by the imputation of all Christ's good works to them; these and only these will be found acknowledged by the Saviour, those interested in them have the kingdom of glory. They that have done good to the resurrection of life eternal." Oh! my sister, the Lord give you to realize your sacred standing in Christ, and teach you your completeness in him, and you will be as happy a soul as any on Blackheath, or all christendom. I cannot enlarge; yet the cruise is not out, but this clamorous world not only asks, but demands my attention. Why not spare yourself the trouble of writing so much? At any time after five, if you would come and take your tea with myself and Mrs. Reed, I would talk with you if haply the Lord would bless it to your mind. Farewell! Yours in our all precious Christ, 39, Old Broad Street, Nov. 26, 1841. THOMAS REED. A MENTAL VISIT TO THE TOMB OF A BELOVED WIFE. I THOUGHT I Saw, one wintry night, Among the undulating trees, I fancied some melodious sound, I thought I heard her well-known voice, Though I am but a little child." Sleep on, dear love, thou "child" of grace, His seal is on thy burial place, His hand will raise thee from the dead. A "glorious body" thou shalt rise, In that ascend above the skies To "sit with Jesus on his throne." Till then, farewell! when we shall meet, And cast our crowns at Jesu's feet, With all the ransom'd saints above. J. STONE. GLEANINGS FROM A DISCOURSE, HEARD AT (From a Correspondent.) "And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried; they shall call on my name, and I will hear them; I will say, it is my people; and they shall say, the Lord is my God. ZECH. XIII. 9. How the "sovereign" speaks; mark his wills and shalls, and no merit to his people, he will bring them through; nothing left for the sinner to do; all free-grace. Mark, the third part, to be brought through, not the whole; a third part of anything cannot be the whole-they are the elect of God, sinners whom God calls his own. They the third part are to be in the fire, the promise to them is, "They shall not be burnt." I will bring the third part through; my purpose is to refine them. They shall call on my name-no thanks to them-in the fire they shall call, my people shall be willing in the day of my power; they shall call-faith energises their prayers, no duty faith-you may call till your tongue is tired, in your own strength, in vain-when God calls and puts you into the fire; in your distress, you shall call and he will hear I will say it is my people, give them my spirit-and they shall answer, "The Lord is my God." The first verse of this chapter, speaks of a fountain opened to the house of David and not for all the world; not for all men, for Jerusalem, the darling church of God, for whom he gave his Son. I standing in the pulpit must discriminate-take forth the precious from the vile, or I should be like "the dumb dogs that cannot bark." The third part brought through," two parts to be cut off and die," as you will find in the verse preceding the text. God says so; and we will speak of these two parts, under the head of worldlings, and carnal professors, gospel-talking, prating hypocrites, going from house to house. Many are the fires spoken of through which Christ will bring his people; the law a fire, trying all you can do to save your souls by keeping the ten commandments, yet if you break one you break all. The roving eye; adultery, hatred, murder. Sin a fire; "Sin revived and I died," yet, "I will bring them through." The law and sin, show him more and more, what Christ hath done for them. The fire of Arminianism, I will bring them through. Such are spoken of in the epistle to the Galatians, as fallen from grace (not the grace of God) but from the profession of the pure gospel; I will bring them through to Jesus, they are sons and daughters; fire of temptation-Joseph was under it in Pharaoh's house, he was a man like others, and had the |