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18

THE INWARD WITNESS TO THE TRUTH OF THE GOSPEL.

THE gospel is God's testimony concerning the person and work of his Son, the belief of which is indispensable to purity and peace in both worlds,-in that which is now, and in that which is to come. It was originally proclaimed to men by messengers who had received an especial commission from God himself, and who gave decided proof that it was virtually the testimony of God;-God bore them "witness both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost." The appropriate proof of the Divine origin of the testimony they delivered, is derived from the miracles they were enabled to work, "Ye sent unto John," said our Lord, "and he bare witness unto the truth." "But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me." Tendencies are displaying themselves (not difficult to be accounted for, though greatly to be regretted) in certain quarters, to undervalue the whole of the "External Evidences" of the Divine origin of Christianity. No man, however, who carefully weighs the words I have quoted, as well as others of equivalent import,--and who recollects that the decision of the question concerning His Messiahship was placed, by our Lord himself, on the fact of his resurrection from the dead, that is, on the evidence of miracles, will permit himself to do this. Whatever importance we attach to the "Internal Evidences," we must not allow any noxious influence from Germany-and I believe a vast amount of such influence is emanating from that country-to rob us of one of the sheet-anchors of our hope. It is a sufficient reply to the pigmy Kants and Fichtes of this country, "Our Master rests the proof of his Divine mission o" his works, and that is enough for us."

Still the internal e ence-and especi

ally that species of it to which I am about to call the attention of the reader-can scarcely be appreciated too highly. "He that believeth on the Son of God," says the apostle, "hath the witness in himself." Two or three questions occur here, which it may be useful to consider. "What is the thing, or fact, witnessed of?" "What is the witness that bears testimony to it?" "How does its testimony yield support to it?"

The first question is, "What is the thing, or fact, witnessed of?"

A very common opinion is that it is personal and saving interest in the blessings of salvation. "A believer," it is said the words being very loosely paraphrased,-" has evidence in himself that he is in a state of salvation." This appears to me an obvious mistake. The thing witnessed of, is the truth of God's record of the great and radical doctrine of Christianity, that God gives to men eternal life in, or through, his Son. In short, the witness, of which we have yet to speak, attests—that is, directly-neither a man's faith in the gospel, nor his interest in the blessings of the gospel, but the truth of the gospel. It furnishes evidence which nothing can gainsay, that God gives to men eternal life, and that this life is in his Son.

The context proves the correctness of the preceding statements. In the 8th verse, (for obvious reasons I do not refer to the 7th verse; nor can I ask space to explain the three terms-the spirit, the water, and the blood,) three other witnesses are spoken of the spirit, the water, and the blood; but witnesses of what? or to what? I ask. Not surely to the personal interest of any man in the blessings of salvation, but to the truth of the gospel, either as summed up in the words of the 5th verse, "Jesus is the Son of God,"'-or of the 11th verse, "This is the record that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son."

Hence the Apostle says, at the close of the 8th verse," and these three agree in one,"—that is, unite in their testimony that eternal life is God's gracious gift to man in, or through, his Son Jesus Christ. The second question is, "What is that witness which a man has in himself of the truth of the gospel testimony?" It may be well to remind the reader, be fore we attempt a reply to the question, that the noun, rendered "witness," in the 6th, and former part of the 10th verses, and "record," in the latter part of the 10th and 11th verses, is the same. It ought most certainly to be translated in the same manner; and, in each of the cases, witness or testimony. "This is the witness or testimony of God," verse 9th, that is, that which he has declared, "He that believeth not God hath made him a liar, because he believeth not the witness, or testimony," — that is, that which he hath declared-" that God gave of his Son," verse 10th. A similar statement may also be made concerning the participles occurring in the preceding

verses.

The assertion, then, of the Apostle now under remark is,-that he that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness, or testimony, to the truth of the gospel in himself. Still the assertion has some difficulty connected with it; for, in the strict sense of the word, testimony cannot be said to be in the mau, or in the mind, at all. To relieve themselves from its pressure, some have proposed to take the word "witness," in the 10th verse, in the loose sense of "evidence." The meaning then brought out by the words would be as follows: "He that believeth on the Son of God" hath "evidence" in himself of the truth of God's testimony concerning his Son. And, beyond all question, this rendering of the passage expresses—as we shall shortly see-a very important truth; yet it admits of strong doubt whether it is the precise truth expressed in the passage. No case, I believe, can be found of the use of the term, translated "witness," in the sense of evidence, either in the writings

of John or in the whole of the New Testament,

I incline, therefore, to think with McKnight, and others, that the term witness, that is, testimony, is here to be taken metonymically for the thing testified of. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the thing testified of in himself. Now it will be remembered, that this thing is the blessing of eternal life, of which the record of God speaks; for this is His record, that He hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. The assertion of the apostle is, then, that every believer on the Son of God is in the actual possession of eternal life.

But, as some will be disposed to inquire, can this be true? Eternal life is the blessedness and glory of heaven, of which, though the Christian may have the most confident assurance, he cannot have the actual possession. This is surely a very incautious assertion. "He that believeth on the Son," said our Lord, "hath everlasting life." The language seems to mean more than that he shall have it. Again, "It is life eternal that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." "These things," says the beloved disciple, "have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life." Without doubt the blessedness and glory of heaven is the perfection of eternal life, and is, therefore, apt, by a very common principle, to appropriate to itself the name; but every Christian has eternal life. By the sovereign grace of God he has been quickened to a life which will endure throughout eternity; for whoso eateth the flesh and drinketh the blood of the Son of God, shall never die. In common with the Psalmist, indeed, we talk of "grace and glory;" and, without care, we might be led to think of the two as distinct the one from the other. Yet what is grace but glory begun, and what is glory but grace consummated? Grace is the bud; glory is that bud expanded into the full-blown flower. Grace is the ear; glory is the

full corn in the ear. Grace is the first light of the morning breaking over the distant hills; glory is the full splendour of the meridian sun: "Whoso drinketh of the water that I shall give him," said our Lord, "shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."

It is of importance to remember the essential identity of the regenerated and glorified life of the people of God,-that the elements of the life, the great sources of enjoyment, are the same. Comparatively unimportant differences there may be even in the kind of life; but the main difference will be found to be one of degree. In the heavenly state knowledge will be more perfect; love more intense; communion with God more intimate; devotion of all our powers to him more complete than in the present. All this will necessarily bring with it more exalted happiness-and happiness which we cannot but intensely desire; but the life of heaven emphatically consists in perfect conformity to God. "It doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." Regeneration impresses the Divine image upon the soul of man in the present world. Its light may at times be somewhat dim, but it never can be extinguished, and in the world to come it will shine on, and shine with eternally increasing splendour.

The third question is, "How does this 'witness' bear testimony to the truth of God's record concerning his Son?"

To perceive this clearly, it will be necessary to bear steadily in mind what the record of God is. We cannot mistake here. "This," says the Apostle, "is the record' or testimony that God gave of his Son-that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in," or through, "his Son." Of the truth of this testimony, three on earth-the spirit, the water, and the blood, bear witness. There is, however, another witness. He that believeth hath evidence in himself of the truth of

the record-evidence of the most conclusive nature, for he has the very blessing which the record says God gives to men, and he has received it in the very way in which the record says it is to be enjoyed; he has eternal life, and he has obtained it by faith in Christ; how then can he possibly doubt the truth of the record? Suppose that, in a time of scarcity, an affluent individual were to promise relief to all who might choose to apply to him; and that a person, needing aid, should seek and obtain it to the full extent of his necessities; he would have, in himself, a witness that the promise was not a delusive one; and if any incredulous or evil-minded person should seek to persuade him, either that no such promise had been made, or, if so, that it was a false promise, he would naturally and very properly reply, "I am sure that the promise is not false; for I have personally applied to him, and have in my possession that very thing that he had engaged to bestow." Such is the happy position of the Christian. He has believed in Christ, and, through him, has received that eternal life which the divine record promises to all who are in the Son. Suppose, then, an assault should be made upon his faith. Suppose he should be told, by an infidel, that the gospel in which he puts such implicit confidence, is a fable, that God has promised eternal life to no man; or, if he has, that, like a man, he will lie; might he not reply, "I am confident the gospel is no fable. I have a witness in myself against the impious assertion. I have the evidence of consciousness that the promiser is the God of Truth, and that he gives eternal life to those who believe, for I have it, and I obtained it by faith?"

Now, when a man has this evidence of the truth of the gospel strong within him, little danger is there of his becoming entangled in the mazes of scepticism, or even of doubt. You cannot reason a man out of his feelings. Were a reader of this paper suffering an attack of violent pain, and were others to argue ever so plausibly that it is impossible, from

the structure of the human frame, that such a pain should exist, little likely is it they would convince him that he did not suffer it,—that he was deceiving himself, and that there was nothing at all the matter with him. So, when a man has the witness in himself, he will be unmoved by a thousand cavils of the sneerer and the sceptic. They tell him one thing; his feelings tell him another. They tell him that the record of God is false, his consciousness tells him it is true; and, to all declarations to the contrary, he will give as little heed as to the assertions of a man who should tell him that the sun is blotted from the face of nature, while he sees it pursuing its path through the heavens with cloudless splendour.

We may gather, from the preceding statements, a powerful motive to aspire after eminent attainments in holiness. Eternal life is, in fact, personal sanctifi

cation in the generic sense of the term, or separation from sin and its consequences. The more entirely we are delivered from sin in its guilt and pollution, the stronger will be our faith in the gospel. Some professing Christians are prone to doubt the truth of God's record. It cannot be otherwise; it ought not to be otherwise. Having little of the life of God in their souls, they have, on that account, imperfect evidence of the truth of God's record; and they must seek to have the lacking evidence supplied ere they can expect to give their doubts and fears to the wind. Let them aim, by meditation and prayer, to bring divine and sanctifying truth into more intimate and powerful contact with their mindsto grow in holy love to God and man, and soon will they lose all doubt, both of the truth of the gospel, and of their own interest in its blessings.

G. P.

THE LATE-HOUR SYSTEM IN BUSINESS.

The Present System of Late Hours of Business considered in Relation to the Injury it does to the Cause of Christianity, or as a Drawback to the Progress of Christ's Kingdom upon Earth.

THOUGH this subject has occupied a considerable share of public attention of late, yet I fear the great responsibility that devolves upon professing Christians in relation to it has not been sufficiently considered.

I will merely instance a few of the evils of the present late-hour system, which I consider particularly demand the attention of those zealous in the cause of Christianity:

1st. The present system keeps nearly all who are engaged in retail shops at work from fifteen to seventeen hours per day, particularly the druggists and drapers, and not only so engrosses the mind with business that it takes away nearly all desire for religious exercises, and so debilitates the body that those who are its victims cannot even on the sabbath engage in the great work for which man was sent into the world-the glorifying of

God in the work of converting men to Christianity.

2nd. Its debilitating effects are so great, that it not only leads many into dissipation, but it also drives numbers to seek fresh air on the sabbath, thereby preventing them from attending the house of God.

3rd. It throws many into a miserable and untimely grave, in proof of which it is a most rare thing, especially in large cities, to meet with either an assistant druggist or draper above forty-five years of age.

For further proof of the above statements, vide the Report of Medical Evidence given before the House of Commons on the Factories' Bill of 1832, and also Davis's Prize Essay on the Evils of the Late-hour System, published by the Drapers' Association.

We, as Christians, allow that man was

never destined to spend the whole of his time about the body and that which perisheth, but rather that the chief end of man's creation was to glorify God; yet, whether we are employers or purchasers, (unless we raise our voice and influence against it,) we are patronising a system which is annually the cause of the eternal ruin of numbers of our fellow-countrymen, which tends directly to promote vice, which injures those who possess anything of a moral or religious character, which hinders the cultivation of every virtue,-which makes men more sordid and more worldly—and which leads to the continued violation of the fourth commandment. These charges we shall do well to consider and ponder, for the system which produces such evils never could have sprung up suddenly, but has grown by slow and imperceptible degrees; but we must break it off at once, as we would any other evil; for, though sin may grow upon us by degrees, we must give it up at once, or Satan will never let us go.

We all, then, must do our part. Christian employers, you have the greatest responsibility upon your shoulders. The excuse of some, that it is necessary to obtain a comfortable living, may do for the man of the world, but it will not do for you; you must place more confidence in God than this: if you will only trust in him, he will guide your affairs for you, and all depending upon you, with a kind and merciful hand; only you must place implicit confidence in him.

Having investigated, from the above works, the evils of the system, I cannot believe that any man of just, honourable, and religious feeling, can wish to prosper at the expense of the morals, health, and happiness of those who, from less favour able circumstances than he is in, are obliged to labour in his service.

An eminent draper, at one of the meetings of the Metropolitan Drapers' Association, said" If I thought I was living to injure my fellow-Christians-if I thought oppression marked my steps in life, I should hope that God would take from

me all I obtained." And not only every Christian, but every man who has a conscience, must adopt this sentiment as his

own.

In the first verse of the fourth chapter of Colossians, the apostle Paul charges Christian masters to give unto their servants that which is just and equal, knowing that they also have a Master in heaven. Here, then, is the highest Christian authority for calling upon you to shun a system bearing upon its very face the name injustice, and productive of such truly lamentable results.

But upon the Christian public much depends; for if you would not shop late, the shops would not be open late. It is a spirit of procrastination on your part that is the great supporter of the present system. You leave everything to the last moment: but as you would break yourselves of the spirit of procrastinating in regard to your spiritual affairs, so break yourselves of the spirit of procrastinating in worldly affairs.

Again; we all shall have the satisfaction in seeing, as the result of a change, that the glorious doctrine of salvation by Christ will be better known-that men will attend more to spiritual affairs, and that we shall not be so engrossed with the grovelling affairs of this world.

Before concluding, I would simply reply to the argument too often brought against a change—that a bad use will be made of any time allowed by an amelioration of the present hours. Now if experience in the majority of cases did not contradict this, it would be uncharitable to believe it without positive experience that it was so; but experience does contradict it. All the large drapers who have adopted the improvement come forward to state, that the more liberty you give the better the servant. Hitchcock, of St. Paul's Churchyard, with about one hundred hands, is noted in London and the country to have the best

Mr.

set of young men. Why? Because he is a good master: he attends to the worldly affairs of the young men in his employ more than almost any other mas-

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