sloth abidingly possesses him. He walks without comfort, yet not without the fear of the Lord. His faith, hope, and love remain indeed; but so very sickly, that they seem ready to die, as the text says: and his works are not perfect before God-that is, not fulfilled, as the original, Tenλnpwμeva, means. This is an exact representation, in one word, of his case. He does spiritual duties, he labours in good works; none can as yet find fault with his conduct, with any part of it that falls under the cognisance of man; but still Jesus declares, "I have not found thy works fulfilled before God." There is a want of love, of zeal, of heartiness attendant on all his works. Hence he does many good things, and the Lord does not shew himself; he prays, but finds no answer; he keeps religious company, but reaps no profit. Surely, if he go on still in this way, there is reason to fear he will proceed from bad to worse. Some scandalous sin, through sudden temptation, will, in all likelihood, be the consequence. And when this is the case, people are apt to be surprised, and say, Such an one has fallen! The truth is, his fall commenced long ago: it now only came to a head, and broke out in open sin, to the grief of the godly, and the joy of the blaspheming enemies of the Lord. Thus, in all probability, David fell, before he committed adultery and murder. Sloth and laziness had gradually been gaining possession of his soul." The above is a fair specimen ;-our limits will not afford room for further extracts. THE CHRISTIAN-A PILGRIM. BOUND upward to a better land, Through a wild world of sin and woe; With faith's strong staff within my hand, I forward in the journey go. The garments of humility Guard me from low contempt and My form proud mortals will not see, move; On my left breast a cross I wear, And sweet salvation's waters rise, To mix amid its joyous strife. I move among its gaieties And quiet glide amid the throng; I view its charms with careless eyes, Nor listen to its sweetest song. And always varying is the scene, A changing sky, a diff'rent place, But yet wherever I have been, An inward grief disturb my joys, Not all th' obstructions of the ways, Clad in my heav'nly panoply. I gain where living waters roll, From those pure streams I gladly quaff, New vigour to my fainting soul. Among the mansions of the dead, Pensive I love at times to roam; And oft I wish my aching head, Had found its last and peaceful home. For busy death has sent his dart, With desolation in my heart, I wish the prize of glory won, B. S. S. THE Spiritual Magazine; OR, SAINTS' TREASURY. "There are Three that bear record in heaven; the FATHER, the WORD, and the HOLY GHOST: and these Three are One." "Earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints," John v.7. MAY, 1830. (For the Spiritual Magazine.) ON THE SOVEREIGNTY OF DIVINE GRACE. << Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.” -Rom. ix. 18. THAT the glorious doctrines of sovereign grace are inimical to the pride of the carnal mind, is a fact too clearly demonstrated, both in the experience of the children of God, and the conduct of the emissaries of Satan, the grand adversary of souls, to allow of any contradiction; and to make the truth more clear, the servant of the most high God declares, in the most forcible manner, (yet equally plain) "The carnal mind is enmity against, it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be ;" and under this view, who can be surprised to see those who are boldly and faithfully engaged in maintaining the sovereignty of Jehovah in his acts of grace, (like their Lord and Master) hated, scoffed at, and ill-treated: indeed, he told us, that in the world we should have tribulation, that when they came we might not be discouraged, and gave a very precious promise to us to support us under all our trials and distresses, "be of good cheer, I have overcome the world;" and it is truly blessed for the believer that he overcomes finally and certainly (only) in Christ Jesus his almighty strength. I shall endeavour from this passage, first, to shew the sovereignty of Jehovah in the displays of his mercy; and, second, in the displays of his justice: "He hath mercy on whom he will have mercy." That Jehovah was laid under no obligation to extend his mercy to of the fallen sons and daughters of Adam, I think will not be VOL. VI.-Nɔ. 73. 2 Y any disputed by any; for having created man perfect and upright, and given him a moral or natural ability to enjoy all the blessings of that state of natural perfection and holiness in which he then (that is, in his creation state) stood, it was by the willing and voluntary act of the creature that he became subject to the curse and condemnation of the righteous law of God; " by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin;" wherefore, by transgression, he (i. e. all the human race as the descendants of Adam, " for all have sinned,") hath subjected himself to the pains of death, which is the wages of sin. And here let it be observed, that although sin could not, and did not, enter into the world without the will of Jehovah, (see Rev. iv. 11. Ps. cxv. 3. cxxxv. 6.) yet that will was not the spring of transgression, but the will of the creature; his own voluntary act introduced the monster sin into this part of Jehovah's creation. Nor do we charge the infinitely holy Being thereby (as some assert concerning us) with being the author of sin; far be the idea from the mind of every one who trusts in Jehovah's righteousness for salvation : therefore, as man has of his own natural will rendered himself obnoxious to God by transgression, there can of course be no obligation on the part of God to shew mercy; but he hath created all things for his own glory, and it is because he loved us with an everlasting love that he hath drawn us to himself by his loving-kindness. Thus," He hath chosen us in Christ Jesus before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love; having predestinated us to the adoption of children, by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved," Eph. i. 4, 5, 6. And again, the prophet says, "Thy people shall be all righteous; they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified," Isa. lx. 21. And the apostle in the preceding verses of the chapter now under consideration, sets forth the sovereignty of Jehovah in the displays of grace, wherein he expressing sorrow on account of the hardness of the hearts of his brethren after the flesh, (the literal Israel) and shewing their privileged situation under the covenant made to them by God, with their fathers, immediately refers to the spiritual Israel, (of whom they were a striking type) and says, "for they are not all Israel that are of Israel; neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they all children; for they which are the children of the flesh, are not the children of God." And then, in a more striking way to set forth Jehovah's grace, he says, concerning Jacob and Esau, while unborn, that Jehovah's sovereign grace and electing love might be displayed, not of works, " Jacob have I loved, and Esau have I hated," as was before declared by the prophet, Mal. i. 2, 3. And again, in the 23rd verse, "that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy afore prepared unto glory, even us whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles." This sovereignty of grace and glory will be yet farther displayed, if we consider the condescension of God in the revelation of his grace; thus he, who by the act of his eternal love chose them in Christ Jesus unto everlasting life, by, through, and in him, did contrive a way, to the astonishment of angels, devils, and men, whereby all the attributes of Jehovah could and would shine, in the salvation of his church and people. It is in Christ Jesus we behold him the just God, the Saviour; here mercy and truth meet, righteousness and peace embrace; and not one of the divine attributes could fail in the salvation of the guilty ;-no! Had not a way been devised to satisfy the divine justice, which demanded full satisfaction for the injury done by guilty man, no salvation could ever have been obtained by any of the lost and degenerate race of Adam; but such a divine plan has been made as gives honour to God and life to the church, which plan is in Christ, who was as one brought up by his Father's side, and who from all eternity delighted in the habitable part of God's earth, for his delight was with the sons of men. Yea, it pleased the eternal Father to choose his church in Christ, to give her a vital union to him, that she might partake of his grace through him. Thus he laid all the sins of Zion on the Son of his love, that through his sufferings he might perfect for ever them that are sanctified. Having therefore set up Christ from everlasting to be the Saviour of Israel, he did, in the fulness of time, "send forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, that he might redeem them who were under the law." Therefore, said our dear Immanuel, by his servant the Psalmist, "Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt-offering and sin-offering hast thou not required. Then I said, lo, I come; (in the volume of the book it is written of me) I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart," Ps. xl. 6, 7, 8, Then it was the sword of divine justice (which would otherwise have pierced the church to utter destruction) awoke against the shepherd, against the man that is Jehovah's fellow; then the shepherd was indeed smitten, and the prophecy fulfilled, when" he bore our sins in his own body on the tree," that the church, the little flock, might receive the kingdom according to the will of her heavenly Father. Oh! the wonders of redeeming grace and dying love! But did he shed his precious blood alike for every individual? If so, the glory of our God is eternally lost. But, no!" He hath mercy on whom he will have mercy;" therefore it pleased the Father to select a people from the world in whom he would make known the riches of his grace by Christ Jesus ; therefore, "the election hath obtained it, and the rest are blinded.” Thus, if we would see the display of sovereign grace, we have a true description in the language of the great Head of the church; " I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. I pray for them, I pray not for the world, but for those whom thou hast given me, (out of the world) for they are mine. And all mine are thine, a and thine are mine; and I am glorified in'them," John xvii. 6, 9, 10. And when our divine friend left this world, he did not leave them comfortless, but promised them, saying, "If I go away I will send you another Comforter, who shall abide with you always, and he (even the Spirit of truth) shall guide you into all truth; for he shall not testify of himself, but he shall take of the things that are mine, and shall shew them unto you." Thus he quickeneth whom he will, for "it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God who sheweth mercy," to the end that the salvation of Zion may be rich display of sovereign grace, according to the good purpose of the will of God; "therefore, it is not by works of righteousness which we have done, (either before or after our regeneration) but according to his inercy he saved us, by (or through) the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost, which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ," who while he is the everlasting Father, the great I AM, is likewise in his office capacity the Prince of Peace, and the Saviour of his church. What wonders of condescension are seen in the love of our Jehovah towards fallen, sinful, dust and ashes! Oh the depth of the riches of the wisdom and love of God; how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! Here the triune Jehovah in the divinity of each of the divine persons, are seen going forth in office capacities in acts of grace: here the eternal Father, as Jehovah, chooses Zion in Christ : here Jesus, who is the great I AM, stoops in the act of his love to be the surety of his people, the Redeemer of his church, and the way of access to God; and the Holy Spirit, who is equal with the Father and the Son, in the glories of his person and Godhead, engages to go forth to quicken, regenerate, and make alive to God, those who were dead in trespasses and sins; and all for no other cause than because he would display his glory in the acts of his grace to his fallen and destitute children; and it is the high privilege of the church of Christ to view in the person of the Son of God (who himself fills the middle seat of the celestial throne') all the glories of a triune Jehovah uniting and shining. This display of sovereign grace will be further seen, if we consider the absolute necessity of the Godhead, as well as the office capacity of each of the divine Persons in the glorious Trinity. And 1. it was absolutely necessary that the eternal Father was Jehovah, for without being God he could not have manifested such wonders of love as are seen and felt in the hearts of his children; and I am sure that nothing short of divinity could have devised so wondrous a plan for the recovery of a lost and ruined world; a plan this, which created wonder in all the angelic host, insomuch that they desired to look into it. Satan and all the hosts of darkness wondered and were confounded at such a display of divine love as was therein displayed and made known: the church of God stand amazed and overwhelmed at so glorious a revelation; and the world that lieth in wickedness shall one day wonder, admire, and perish, before the bright display of his glory. But while we view the glorious divinity of Jehovah's |