divine record. I do as firmly believe in every sentence of the ninth chapter to the Romans, as well as in the 18th and 33rd chapters of Ezekiel. I must have the truth, Sir, as it is in Jesus, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

And now, Sir, most fervently desiring that the great Head of the church may own and abundantly bless your indefatigable labours in promoting the prosperity of Zion, and the edification of saints, 1 remain, dear Sir, most sincerely your's,

Waltham Abbey.

TERIO.

(For the Spiritual Magazine.)

SOLOMON, A TYPE OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.

"ALL scripture is given by inspiration of God," and is truly profitable, edifying, and consoling to those who fear the Lord, and who are shewn the secrets of the covenant; particularly that part of holy writ where the King in his beauty is to be seen, and the precious pearl of great price discovered. In the history of Solomon, one greater than Solomon is to be seen. In 2. Sam. vii. we read that the Lord sent his servant Nathan to tell David that he should have a son that should reign over Israel-that should build him an house-and that he should be a son of God, verse 14th. But he was a son by adoption; a remarkable name given him, which signifies the beloved of the Lord, 2 Sam. xii. 25. He is further described as a man of peace and quietness, 1 Chron. xxii. 2. His riches are set forth as without a parallel; his wisdom is proverbial; his labour in building the house of God; his wise administration of justice. And in that most beautiful intercessory prayer, we may trace the King of kings, and the Lord of lords!

We will make use of this brief sketch in attempting to set forth him who is the salvation and righteousness of the church of God; but after all that is wrote, or preached, or promised, or experienced, we must say as the queen of Sheba did, that "the one half has not been told." The Lord Jesus Christ is set forth as the Son of David, and as the Son of God. How he is a Son of God, good men are not agreed. Some say that he is a Son by nature; others that he is a Son by office. But in the present imperfect knowledge of subjects, so far beyond our reach, it is by far the best to be led by the lamp of revelation, and to be satisfied that "God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son; and has sent him forth made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law." And he is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him." It is through him we have access to the Father. He is the great magazine of mercy; the only Saviour sent of God; the church's Head and Husband; her Brother and best friend; her Captain of salvation; and the beloved of the Lord; beloved by all the holy angels, who are indebted to him for their preservation and

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ministry. They proclaim him the Saviour and the Lord, and good will to the world at his incarnation. They attend upon him in his temptation and agony; they sit in his sepulchre, and inform the wondering women that he was risen; they join the triumphs and the train, when he ascended-the all-conquering Redeemer. He is the beloved by all the ransomed hosts in heaven. Of the love of Jesus they are continually telling; of his salvation they love to sing; in his righteousness they are exalted all the day; at his beauties they gaze with overwhelming wonder, and never tire in the holy and happy employment of praising him. He is beloved by all the true servants of the Lord. They love to speak of his glories and of his grace; to preach to the poor his unsearchable riches; to point the convicted and the self-condemned criminal to the precious blood, abounding grace, and royal robe of Jesus. And this makes him beloved to those who feel their woful malady and their utter unworthiness of heaven's favour.

But our exalted Jesus is a man of peace. He has made peace for his people by the blood of his cross; and one of his well-earned titles is, "the Prince of Peace." When he makes peace in the world, none can make war; when he lodges a calm in the heart of one who has long been at war with his God, none can disturb it. All his ministers publish peace, an everlasting peace; and when received, such become the sons of peace.

Let us speak of him as the great Builder; who is himself the foundation-stone; and the house that he builds is for the residence of God. It deserves to be a stately structure to entertain such a guest. And the apostle Paul, in Ephesians ii. 21, 22, describes the building as "fitly framed for an habitation of God through the Spirit. And it is called a spiritual house; all the stones are lively stones, dug out of the quarry of nature, by the power of the great Builder; polished by regenerating grace, and made exactly to fit in the appointed place. And as Solomon sent to Hiram, a gentile, to collect materials for the temple, and to other parts for costly stones, and builders, some to hew down the cedar trees, and prepare and shape all the various and wonderful boards, and beams, and ornaments, and cherubims; so heaven's great and wise Architect has employed from out of all nations, workmen fit for his work; patriarchs and prophets in ancient times have seen the visions of God, and received their commands to work from him. After some thousand years had rolled on, another race was raised up to work in the vineyard of God -apostles, sent out by the King to labour. Among the gentiles, many unsightly stones lay; being bought by blood divine, they must be sought out, and set as gems or polished stones in this spiritual temple. Thus a succession of servants have been employed in this great work of God, and every living stone is so cemented and knit together in this blessed building, and so firmly fixed upon this solid foundation, and so surrounded with the towers and bulwarks of electing love, an everlasting covenant, unchanging mercy, the arms Vol. VII.-No. 74.

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and faithfulness of God, the word and work of Jesus, and the inhabitation of the Holy Spirit, that the gates of hell cannot prevail against it.

But who can estimate the riches of Jesus? The earth is full of his riches. All creation display it; his providence proves it; and "the heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handy work." But we must glance at the whole church of God; a countless number of them in heaven, all rich in glory-all full of bliss-satisfied in the likeness of him who deigns to become their Husband and Lord. Immense millions not yet arrived to perfect blessedness, but are rich in grace, heirs of God, heirs of the promise, and heirs of glory; but all enriched by the riches of Christ alone. A nation will be born at once, to be made rich from this exhaustless mine; and whenever a sinner is regenerated, it is to become a vessel to receive this treasure from heaven. Paul preached these unsearchable riches to the poor gentiles at Ephesus. The whole election of grace are thus blessed, are thus endowed, thus made rich for time and for eternity.

We will glance at the wisdom of our antitypical Solomon. Christ is the wisdom of God, and has abounded towards his people in all wisdom and prudence. He has treasures of wisdom. He knows how to manage the minute affairs of the world; he marshals the hosts of heaven, and controls all the hosts of hell. The flying and the falling of every bird are directed by him; not a creeping thing can crawl, nor an atom move, but by his royal mandate. His shoulders bear up his church and the government of it. The increase and decrease of his family he regulates; the situation, and size, and form of his spiritual house he fixes; the gifts and graces of his ministers he appoints, and the extent of their usefulness he ordains, As he knows what is in man, he directs his servants to speak to the sorrows, temptations, and cares of his people. He knows the time when his given ones are to be called by grace, separated from the mass of mankind, to be hewn out of the rock, and taken from the hole of the pit, to leave their own country and their father's house. And as none ever spake like him, he speaks effectually to the conscience in way of alarm, and terror, and war, by his holy law; then he speaks in love, and peace, and reconciliation by his gospel; speaks by his providence when his saints are to strike their tents, to remove hither and thither; and when and where to pitch their tents again; what society to join-what gospel trumpet to hear-what church to commue with-what union to form-what parts of the sacred word to draw the water of life from.

The furniture of Solomon's temple might enable us to set forth Christ, and his grace, and his church. The immense cost and value of the whole should teach us that Jesus and his saints are of infinite value. The dignity of his person as God exceeds all conception; and he has exalted by his righteousness and salvation his bloodbought bride. The molten sea set forth the necessity of all who

worship God, of being made clean. It standing upon the oxen, how all who labour in the work of preaching the gospel have a heavy weight and responsibility upon them, and must preach pardon and purity through the precious blood of Christ, and the person and sanctifying influences of God the Holy Spirit. The oxen looking east, west, north, and south, to show that the gospel is to be preached fully and freely in all directions, and to all sorts of sinners. The fire upon the altar that was never to go out, it beautifully set forth how God would carry on his work in his church, and in the souls of his children.

Shall we now look at our great High Priest and King, who is passed into the heavens, who has prepared the great work of building a church for his own residence in this world; not a material house that will soon decay and disappear, as Solomon's princely mansion did-but a spiritual house, that would withstand all the shocks of time, and long outlive it--because the Builder and the foundation is God. The foundation he fixed in ancient council. The royal plan then laid down, proceeded with many lively stones collected, beautified, and made to fit in the purposed place in the building; the number of workmen all arranged, and what part they are to do, decreed. (And here, reader, remark, what an honour to be a stone in that house where the holy Trinity dwell, as the great Builder once said, "If any man love me, and keep my word, my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.") But to come to the consecration of this house ;-and can we look at the elevated situation of Israel's monarch, the spreading abroad his hands toward heaven, the deep concern felt for the temple, and for the worshippers, and the uncommon excellence, grandeur, and suitability of the petitions, without entering into the holiest of all, to take a view of him by whom all kings reign, and whom God has exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour. He ascended up to his throne blessing-the last act of his on earth-and his holy hands all perfume, are ever lifted up to show how he bled for them, and how he has bought his bride. The lifting up of his hand, the exhibition of his side, and the appearance of his glorious body, is a proof that the great work of redemption is done, and done alone by him; but yet he has much to do, and his engagements are great. All the enemies of Christ and his cross must be controlled; they are restless, and malignant. There are still many stones to hew out of the mighty mass, them he must bring to the building. All his lively saints have many needs, and they must be supplied; they have many castings down, and must have the lifting up of their Lord's countenance, or they cannot work nor walk; confessed sins to pardon; the hungry to feed; the weak to strengthen; the stubborn to subdue; and to translate those whose work and warfare are ended in this world, to their Father's house above.

But all the songs of saints in heaven, nor the glories of that better place, can take away his thoughts and affections from his tried and

tempted people in this lower world. He is ever ready to hear and to help them. He has medicines ready made up for his sickly and sad children, and flies to their relief in all their distresses. And as the type of our Jesus closed his important prayer, so must we close our remarks: "And let these my words, wherewith I have made supplication before the Lord, be nigh unto the Lord our God day and night; that he maintain the cause of his servant, and the cause of his people Israel, at all times, as the matter shall require," 1 Kings viii. 59. But the half has not been told.

Hampstead, April, 1830.

JAMES.

(For the Spiritual Magazine.)

ORIGINAL LETTER FROM THE LATE MRS. SUSANNA PEARSON TO MISS H.

My very dear Friend,

I Thank you for your long and affectionate letter, and the Lord be praised for the spirituality of its contents. The open and free description you have given of your past and present experience, is interesting to me; and the present difficulties of mind you feel, I desire to sympathize with you in. And, if my thoughts and petitions will be of any use to you, they are offered in your behalf. I see the enemy has taken great advantage of the natural diffidence of your disposition, and the unbelief of your nature; but I verily believe you have no cause of discouragement from the God of your salvation to keep you out of his fold on earth. The devil knows he cannot separate the saints from their eternal union to Christ, but he will do all he can to separate them from their communion with him, and that is the very means in which his sovereign wisdom has appointed to meet with them; yes, that arch enemy knows that God's blessings flow sensibly more or less, in the paths of obedience, and therefore he has contrived so many by-paths to entrap and entice Zion's travellers from the King's highway. He will raise a hundred suspicions in their souls as to their individual right to certain privileges, pointing out and expatiating on their deceitfulness, and the very great likelihood of their disgracing that very cause they profess to love; and what an awful thing it would be to be found a deceiver at last; therefore, says he, you had better not go so far; and you know if Christ has died for you, you will be as safe as if you joined the church, and made ever so great a show; and then he will point very artfully the difficulties of a church state, as to the various tempers and conduct of its members, and the reflections you will be subject to, by the indiscreet and sinful conduct of some members, which if you had nothing to do with, they would not fall on you. Upon the whole he recommends solitude, and if he could rule it, he would choose to be your sole companion; I speak experimentally, for I know his tricks. He can own the truth, or deny it, as best suits his