watch against any appearance of iniquity; cultivate holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord; attend to the duties of your state, and let your conversation be such as becometh the gospel; and may the "God of peace sanctify you wholly, and I pray God that your soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it." CLERICUS. Sunderland, Dec. 7, 1826. (For the Spiritual Magazine.) REPLY TO A QUERY ON THE NATURE AND EFFECTS OF SPIRITUAL LIFE IN THE SOUL OF MAN. THE word of God clearly points out the necessity of the new birth; and it is beautifully described by our Lord, John iii. 5. "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God;" which clearly proves it is the work of God alone to produce spiritual life, as well as natural life: and it can only be known by its effects, (see verse 8.) being an invisible operation of the Holy Ghost. But to answer the question; man prior to regeneration is possessed of soul and body, so that when the Lord is said to give a new heart, Ezek. xxxvi. and 26. we certainly are not to understand any thing material, but entirely spiritual and holy. Man by nature is enmity against God, but when made a partaker of the grace of life, he has eyes to see his depravity and his need of a Saviour. Paul says, “if any man be in Christ (manifestly) he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." There is a change of pursuits, of pleasure, of company, of choice. Before Paul's conversion he was a persecutor, afterwards a preacher of the faith he once destroyed; and was, (as all others are) designated according to his character. So now we sometimes see the vilest of characters arrested by almighty grace according to the divine purposes of love towards them, and made humble followers of the Lamb of God. We no longer call such; wicked men, (though they are the subjects of the same depraved hearts they ever were) but godly men; yet sin has not the dominion over them. Romans vi. 14. Nor is there any coalition of principles; but grace and nature operates through the same medium, or faculties; the will, the under standing, and the affections. Hence it is said, "Blessed are your eyes for they see; and your ears for they hear." They are also said to taste and handle divine truth. The 7th chapter to the Romans takes up the subject fully, and exactly represents the distinct operations of grace and nature in the same man. It is evident the apostle felt the captivating operations of the flesh, or he would not have complained of them; yet the predominancy of grace is manifest, by his conclusion: "So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh, the law of sin." A WARRIOR. ORIGINAL ESSAYS. XXIII. ON THE NEW YEAR. "THE year of my redeemed is come!" saith the Lord, in answer to the prophet who enquired concerning the glorious person of Christ, when to the eye of faith coming forth from his mighty conquests, travelling in the greatness of his strength. The gracious declaration of our now risen Lord is presented to our notice at this season with new and increasing interest; and the reader is called on to unite in celebrating the praises of Jehovah that he is spared to reflect again and again, before the years of mortal life close, on the exceeding riches of grace displayed in the redemption of the church; and for the great goodness with which the year expired has been crowned. Sweet are the seasons, precious the moments, when the believer realizes by faith any of the spiritual blessings connected with the grand scheme of redemption as his own; such opportunities are the prelibation of the employments of that state of bliss, when the ransomed spirit shall have entered the full possession of his inheritance,-where the fruits of the Redeemer's travail are being gathered into one innumerable and glorified company. Not as here, as described by the prophet, "one of a city, and two of a family;" or in their largest assemblages, comparable only to little bands and small tribes; but there, they shall appear a great cloud of witnesses-a confluence of the heirs of promise, "the number of whom is as the sand of the sea." At first view the happy believer raises his thoughts to the mysteries of the covenant, and contemplates the goings forth of the Father's love towards his elect people, who were from eternity appointed to shew forth his praise. For his glory, their creation, and the bringing into existence untold myriads of beings and things, "the work of his fingers," was ordained. And not only the formation of the creatures, but all things connected with their origin, sustainment, and continuance, conspire to advance the same determined end-the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath accepted the church in the Beloved. "O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all the earth is full of thy riches. The glory of the Lord shall endure for ever; the Lord shall rejoice in his works." Psalm civ. 24, 31. God the Son, in common with the Father, determined also to magnify his own glory, and purposed its accomplishment by clothing himself with humanity; and in the fulness of time, according to the decree in covenant, personally effecting the wondrous design. When the period arrived to which that gracious declaration referred, "the year of my redeemed is come," the Lord Jesus, God and man in one person, in his complex person, redeemed the remnant of the election of grace; and he will finally conduct his many sons to glory. "Go' ye forth, with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth; say ye, the Lord hath redeemed his servant Jacob." Isaiah lxviii. 20. And no less the Holy Ghost, in person distinct from, yet in nature one with the Father and the Son, decreed the bringing to pass the result of his eternal love; having engaged among other displays of his infinite grace, to form a people for his praise, and to work in them both to will and to do of his own good pleasure. "When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth—he will shew you things to come." John xvi. 13. If there be not enough in these contemplations to excite a song of praise from the renewed mind, nothing beside that Jehovah hath wrought or spoken, can partake of sufficient grandeur or interest to satisfy the boundless desires of an immortal soul. But, to strengthen the believer's faith in the Trinity-to keep him continually in mind of the distinct acts of each Divine Person in the economy of redemption-and to silence the clamour often raised by unbelief, fear, and satan's suggestions: let him remember, in proof of the unity of Godhead in the plurality of Persons, and that equal ascriptions of praise are due to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, our Lord hath condescended to declare, "all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father; he that honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the Father which hath sent him." And, "He (the Spirit of truth) shall glorify me; for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you." Again; in reflection on the return of a new year, the believer is carried back to that period, when his faithful brethren of the ancient church, witnessed and rejoiced in the periodical procession of the high priest from the holy place, " to make an atonement for the children of Israel, for all their sins, once a year." None but the possessor of divine grace, who is under the rich anointings of the Holy Spirit, can rightly conceive the frame of mind in which the devout Israelites beheld their day of atonement; or truly enter into the nature and power of that faith which, surrounded with shadows and carnal ordinances, clearly saw and grasped at the glorious substance, and embraced Him who was to come, who was prophecied of by their fathers. But our great High Priest, the antitype of the high priest under the law, hath once in the end of time come forth from the holy of holies, and by the shedding of his own blood-not that of othersobtained eternal redemption for his people. The church now in the wilderness is not required to look forward to a period in which that great work is yet to be accomplished: but her faith is directed to the retrospect of past transactions,-to acknowledge and glory in the full and finished redemption of the cross. Moreover, the christian church is not confined, as was the Jewish church, to times and seasons, when alone to expect the presence and favour of the Lord; for the promise runs, in behalf of every subject of grace, under whatever circumstances he may be placed, "Behold I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest; for I will not leave thee until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of." Especially then are we excited to gratitude, and to the utterance of thanksgiving and melody of heart, for the rich mercies which have conducted us in safety to the beginning of another year: and not only so; but that at its first dawn our souls should be drawn out in sweet contemplation of the fountain and source of all our blessedness, and that we should meet in the sacred volume such powerful inducements to these spiritual exercises ! Many days have not passed since the church commemorated the auspicious advent of the promised Messiah, when in the accomplishment of his purpose from eternity, "Lo, I come to do thy will, O God!" the Son of God veiled his deity, and came to tabernacle with his creatures! Myriads of angelic choristers sang the well known anthem which conveyed the good tidings,—the world wondered and was silent. But neither wise men, nor mighty angels, sing the song of redemption in such acceptable strains as we poor sinners can, when enabled by grace and constrained by love. Oh ! the heighth, and depth, and length, and breadth of the love which passeth knowledge! It is recorded of the children of Israel, Josh. v. 10-12. that while on their journeyings they encamped in Gilgal; where they were no longer supplied with manna, " but they did eat of the old corn of the land," for they were fed with "the fruit of the land of Canaan that year !" Now and then, it has been our happiness to spread the table of the Lord before our readers, and to direct their particular notice to the rich provisions so largely supplied by the bountiful master of the feast. Do any accuse us of overweening partiality in the choice of gospel dainties? or, with recommending some to the disparagement of others? It is because we ourselves feed, as did the children of Israel, on " the old corn of the land!" And what is good for us, is also, we know, good for our brethren. We have cause for rejoicing in being assured that they have often rejoiced together with us, in fulfilment of the promise of Jacob's Redeemer, "for the goodness of the Lord, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock, and of the herd :" yes! and we have experienced the further effects of its fulfilment-our souls have been refreshed as 66 a watered garden," and at such seasons we have "sorrowed no more at all!" But we have not been forgetful of our younger brethren-nor would we be-neither shall we now. time is written for their sakes also. the younger children in nature, they All we have written at this We are well aware that, like require the same species of instruction and knowledge which is profitable for the whole family alike, but it must be conveyed in gentler terms, and with softer accents. Then we would say, "the fruit of the land of Canaan" was their's in every seasonable support, supply, and refreshment, received at the Lord's hand, throughout the year past. We do not ask them the measure or the quantity of good things brought home to their soul's experience: but from their faith and hope in the Redeemer of Jacob, and by their love to his person, his work, his word, his ordinances, and his people, we will conclude for them-though they should conclude the contrary-that the "fruit of the land of Canaan" is their's, this year also. 66 At the opening of a new year a plenitude of the stores of the covenant, beyond all former discoveries, are presented to our spiritual contemplation. The Lord's mercies are new every morning;" but at every return of this season they appear to issue from his bountiful hand with increased liberality, and to demand new songs of praise, and greater devotedness to his service and fear. We close our reflections, by giving expression to the earnest desires of the subject of grace, who, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving," is concerned to make known his request unto God. "A new year's gift," from thee, O Lord, I crave! With blessings spiritual, though the whole church But what return can sinner such as I Then, O my Lord, Bestow thy grace, and answer my request; My body's thine, my spirit, yea, my all- Less than the least, the least of all I bring: For do not others more thau I possess? -Take what is thine, Lord,-all I have and am— Though nothing is the work of mine, or me, My heavenly treasures are immense in thee!" |