Page images
PDF
EPUB

Bedford Square, London.' Write when you
can. My love to your family and all friends.
Adieu.
JAMES OSBOURN,

Mr. GEORGE ARROWSMITH,
Of New York.

ITS

Prayer-A Covenant Privilege.

SIMPLICITY IN THE HEART-THE CERTAINTY OF ITS PREVALENCE IN HEAVEN.

[We have received some little tracts_published by Mr. Collingridge, City Press, Long Lane, London, which (for the most part) contain sound, experimental, and interesting matter; and are adapted for gratuitous distribution. Why should not the churches holding divine truth, have a Gospel Tract Society? From one of these tracts, headed, PRAYER-AND ITS ANSWER,' we make the following extract, which we believe our friends will peruse with pleasure.-ED.]

P.S. I have informed you somewhere in this letter, that all the sweet and solid rest and peace found by me in these days, is in the dear Redeemer; all out of him is marked with mortality and afford my soul no divine solace; but in Christ there is an ample store of most fragrant fruit to feast an heavenly mind; and when the whole of it, or any part of the same is brought before me by the Holy Ghost, on it my soul feeds and thrives as the corn and vine; and I heartily recommend all and every whit of it to you, and to each one that loves and fears God in and about the city of New York. I don't think you can well tell how very "I was directed (says the writer) to one ardent my wish is that you and others may of the worst localities of our city, to enhave the testimony of Jesus confirmed in quire for an artizan, who was represented your heart; and that the substance of this to me as a skilful workman. With some divine testimony is, making known to the difficulty I found him out. He was a fineregenerate children of God their predesti-looking, intelligent young man, with a very nation to the adoption of sons. Yes, my saddened cast of countenance. In a foreign brother, this is that very momentous point accent, he returned my salutation,-and in the christian religion, which most of the glancing his eye round the miserable room, Lord's children in America, and in Eng- which contained but two chairs, one of land too seem to be in the dark about; which was occupied with a washing-pan, nor can I see that they are particularly he placed his own seat for me. I declined solicitous concerning it, though we are ex- taking it. After a minute's silence, he horted to give diligence to make our call- said,Our Lord Jesus Christ was poor: ing and election sure. They appear to me why should I care?' 'No,' I replied, you to be afraid of the exhilarating testimony need not, if through this, his poverty, you of Jesus, and of that liberty wherewith have been made rich; and if he feeds the Christ makes us free. fowls of the air, surely he will take care of Aye,' said Graaffe, that is that they love darkness rather than light; what I want to feel God has appointed us In one sense of the word it may be said, his own.' I want to give up

and I know and am sure that this perfectly agrees with the state of the church of Christ at large is now in-a shut up state-under a cloud-the bottles of heaven stayed the joy of the heart ceased, and the dance turned into mourning. This is the condition of the church, even of the regenerate church of Christ at this time; but still there are yet some few rejoicing ones in Zion; and as by an act of divine clemency they have been brought out from under an old covenant state of things, so they are now walking in the life, light, spirit, love, comfort, and liberty of the everlasting gospel of Christ. And oh, that you may again, and again, receive by faith the sweet refreshing testimony of Jesus, and then feelingly say, My beloved is mine, and I am his; and also make free with him, and to him draw near, and on him rest, and of him sing, and speak good of his name, and walk humbly before him all the days of your life, and so shall it be well with thee in the land of the living, and after death a crown of glory.

66

J. O.

The Lord wili not bring to the birth and refuse strength to bring forth. Whereever there is soul-travail, there is labour and pain, and struggling with all prayer and supplication in the spirit' for deliverance, pardon, and peace.' -Wade.

work.' I answered,

[ocr errors]

to labour.' I don't mean there,' said he,
pointing to his lathe, but I mean here,'
and he struck his breast as he spoke. ""Tis
here I want to give up work-to be quiet-
to rest. I want to lay my head in my
Father's lap and go asleep, and leave all to
his care.' And can you not?" I asked.
No,' said he, only for a little minute, and
it is gone, and I go to work again, and
work harder here than there; but God has
has said, What you build I will break
down, and what you plant I will pluck up.'
Well, I said, he is still the just God,
he does no iniquity.' I know it, I know
it,' said the poor man, with affectionate
eagerness.

[ocr errors]

But sometimes our Lord and I have great fights which shall be master.' Well,' said I, 'how do the battles end?" God reigns,' he answered, and when he makes me feel this, I lie like a little child at his feet, and tell him I will never try to be master again.' On further inquiries, I drew from Graaffe his little history, the latter part of which will serve to illustrate my opening remarks. His father was a respectable mechanic, a native of Dresden. He brought up a family of five children creditably, and gave them an education suited to their circumstances. The eldest son, the subject of this brief account, married a poor servant girl, which so greatly

but it is only that which comes from God, can go to God.' 'Well,' said the traveller, 'if God has not given me prayer, I cannot have it, by your account, so it is not my fault.' I did not say it was,' replied Graaffe,' but it is your loss, for I find it is very sweet to get what I want from God by prayer.' 'You don't get much,' retorted the traveller, dryly, for you seem poorer than you deserve to be."No,' replied Graaffe, 'I deserve nothing but damnation; my poverty does not trouble me,-I only want to get rid of this load, and feel my sins pardoned.' Well, why don't you pray for it,' asked the traveller. 'I do,' answered Graaffe, 'but God will not be hurried; my prayers do not alter God's mind, or hasten his acts. I believe all things are fixed by him, but he teaches his children to talk to him, and ask for what he means to give, and wait his time for the answer.' 'Well,' said the traveller,' I do not understand you, but I deeply feel your kindness, and if I could repay you, I would. I have nothing worth your acceptance, I know; but I have with me an old German Bible, that perhaps may serve to teach your little ones from.' Graaffe was almost stunned by this offer. The traveller unfastened his small bundle, and drew forth the Bible. Graaffe snatched it with spasmodic grasp, and clasping it to his breast, exclaimed,' He does hear my prayer. Oh, what a God is my God! The travellers were amazed at his emotion, and still more so, when Graaffe declared this Bible had been the matter of his prayer for eight months. 'It would have been kind of God to give it me without prayer,' said Graaffe 'but it was far kinder to teach me to pray for it.'

displeased the father, that he would never | see his son again. After a few years, the father died, and left his property and busi ness to the younger brother. This so greatly disgusted Graaffe with his relatives and country, that he determined to start for England. With little money, a mismanaging wife, and scarcely a word of our language, he found himself in Plymouth. He soon set to his trade, but times were bad, and employment scarce. Day after day rolled on, and things waxed worse, till Graaffe was nearly at his wits' end. One night, when he was meditating upon the aspect of affairs, it came into his mind to try the Lord in prayer. He did so; and Providence seemed to smile upon his petitions. This encouraged him to ask again. After some weeks of pleading for providential mercy, with no little success, the Lord laid it upon his heart that he was a sinner, and then the Lord directed his cries and prayers for pardon. But how was he to be pardoned? Through Christ he knew, but how could God pardon him? Then the thought sprang up in his mind, if I had but a Bible that would tell me all, and I should see if there were any pardoned in the Bible who were as bad as I. Well, thought Graaffe, the Lord has lately listened to many a prayer, and given me many a meal when I asked it, surely he will hear when I ask for spiritual food; perhaps he will send me a German Bible. Month after month passed away,-Graaffe prayed daily for a Bible, but no Bible came. One evening as he was preparing some wood for his work, at the door of his dwelling, two way-worn travellers passed, who addressed each other in German. Graaffe hailed them, and mutual inquiries were exchanged. The travellers were brothers, on their way to London; they had neither food nor money, and were purposing to walk as far as they could, and rest for the night in the first shed they came to. Graaffe told them he was poor, but he would share his supper with them, and give them the shelter of his roof, for the sake of their father-land. The travellers were grateful for his offer, and gladly accepted it. Next day they spoke of starting, but Graaffe persuaded them to stay till his return in the afternoon. He was successful in selling some of his ingenious works during the day, and was enabled to provide for the wants of the travellers, by giving them a good meal. I wish,' said the elder traveller, I had it in my power to repay your kind- MY DEAR BROTHER IN THE LORD JESUSness, but I am poor.' 'I know what it is to Through the goodness of our New Covebe a stranger in a strange land, myself,' nant God and Father, I am permitted to replied Graaffe' but I wish you knew how write to you once more. Since I last wrote to pray to God, and he would provide for to you it has pleased our heavenly Father your wants.' My mother taught me some to cause me to pass through severe affliclittle prayers,' answered the traveller, tion of body and deep distress of soul. The when I was a child, and in times of deep devil and my own wicked heart have laid want I have repeated them, but I got no- hard at me; unbelief, carnality, legality, thing for it, so I gave up saying them.' 'O,' and darkness of soul, (as it regards my inanswered Graaffe, that is not what I mean; terest in the everlasting love of God, and my prayers were put in my heart by God; the work of Christ, and of any divine right like you, I have often repeated prayers,-I had to be in the ministry,) have been

"This precious gift was greedily read, and the Lord graciously blessed the reading to Graaffe. Light broke in upon his soul,-liberty followed, and peace by the blood of the cross was richly enjoyed. He had been four years in Zion's way when I met with him, and I soon found his soul was cast upon the Rock of eternal truth. God's sovereignty, in the everlasting salvation of his chosen church by the blood of the cross, was the foundation of his hope,-and an experimental acquaintance of his deep depravity, by divine teaching, drove him to embrace the rock for want of a shelter,' and to live upon a free-grace God."

Satan Sifting a Minister of Christ.

tumbling me up and down at a fearful rate | Thus, though the devil, the world, and the day and night.

Ó, what groaning, crying, and agony it has caused in my poor distracted soul! At the same time I was greatly afflicted with pain and giddiness in my head. My dear brother, I believe that the old serpent is determined to give me all the annoyance he can. As I was walking one day, he set upon me with this temptation, there is neither God nor devil; heaven nor hell; and religion is all a farce.' This temptation came upon me so suddenly and powerfully that I absolutely stood still, and looked round to know if any body was speaking to me. 'Now,' says he, you see that you are deceived, and have been so all along The distress of soul that this occasioned, I cannot describe. This temptation and distress continued for some time. When I tried to pray I could not. I felt I could do nothing but groan and sigh because of the soul anguish I was enduring. What to do, I knew not. I was at my wits' end. 'Well, (I thought,) I will give it all up; for it is of no use. I am undone for ever.' But, O, adored be the glorious Three-One Jehovah! who was pleased in his own time to send me deliverance from the horrible pit. I cannot but admire his goodness in not only giving me deliverance, but also in the manner in which the Holy Spirit effected it; which was nearly as follows: I had, as I have said, concluded in my own mind, that I would give all up. Then, says the devil, 'CURSE GOD. This temptation seemed to horrify my mind. No sooner had the temptation crossed my mind, than the following thought rushed like lightning through my soul,' What, curse a being that does not exist? How foolish-how absurd!' Yes; as if a voice said to me, 'absurd in the extreme.' 'Yes, (cried my soul,) it is absurd; THERE IS A GOD! THERE IS A CHRIST! THERE IS A HEAVEN, AND HELL; and glory to my precious Jesus, he has saved my poor unworthy soul from that hell; and I will praise him for it.'

flesh torment, trouble, and disquiet them, they cannot destroy them; for our dear Jesus hath said, (and his words are truth,) 'I give unto my sheep eternal life, and none shall pluck them out of my hand.'

My dear brother, excuse my scribble. I have had my dear young brother, Isaac Nutsey, (who is preaching to the dear people at Partney, near Spilsby, whom I was compelled reluctantly to leave) at Hull. I shewed him the Vessel, and gave him some home with him. He has written to me, and tells me that he, with others have ordered the Vessel. I am thankful it has got there, it will be a great help to them. Brother Nutsey is a very amiable young man, but very much exercised in his mind about the ministry, but I believe the Lord is leading him in the right way. May the good Lord the Spirit keep him humble at the foot of the cross. Amen and amen. Your's truly, D. WILSON. Hull: 20, Kingston Terrace, Holderness Road.

The Doctrine of the Cherubim

OPENED AND EXPLAINED.

(Continued from p. 233.)

2. The cherubim are in many places most manifestly distinguished from the divine Being; they are represented as the seat and throne on which he sits, and as a vehicle in which he rides; so they are described at the first mention of them in Gen. iii, 24, where the words may be rendered he, Jehovah, inhabited the Cherubim, or dwelt with, over, or between them; and so he did in the cherubim over the mercy-seat, from between which he promised to commune with Moses: and therefore, as before observed, is often described as dwelling between the cherubim, and on which he is said to ride. See Exodus xxv. 22, Psalm 1xxx. 1, and xviii. 10, and here the living creatures in my text are said to be under the God of Israel, and so distinct from him: and in John's vision are described as about the throne of God, and as distinct from him that sat upon it; and the seraphim in Isaiah's vision, the same with the cherubim here, are also distinguished from the Lord sitting on a throne high and lifted up; and are represented as attendants on him, and worshippers of him, Isaiah vi. 1-3.

I now felt some sweetness and power in that text which says, 'He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.' Blessed be the Lord, I had now another proof of his love power, and faithfulness in Christ Jesus. CHRIST JESUS! O precious name to a sinburdened, and satan-harassed, world-hated, and empty professor despised soul! Well may he be said to be our peace. From a 3. If the cherubim could be thought to be vast eternity he was contriving with the emblems of a plurality in the deity, they Father and the Holy Spirit about the na- would be emblems, not of a trinity of perture, medium, and perpetuity of our peace. sons, but rather of a quaternity, since the In the glorious gospel he has published cherubim had four faces, each distinct from peace. By his holy Spirit he gives peace one another: yea, John's four living creato his elect in the day of power and love, tures were four distinct animals, each havand in renewed manifestations of his par-ing a distinct head and face; and the face doning love and blood, when he sets his beloved on high, and makes them inherit the throne of glory. Who is like unto the Lord our God, who in his mercy leadeth forth his ransomed from the power of the enemy; and guides them by his strength unto his holy habitation, so that he makes them dwell on high. (Isa. xxxiii. 16, 17.)'

of a man, both in his and Ezekiel's living creatures, is as a distinct a face as any of the rest; and if they are emblems of persons, that must be so too; whereas the hu man nature of Christ, this is said to be an emblem of, is no person; Christ did not take an human person, but an human nature into union with his divine person, for

reasons that might be given; much less is it a person in the Godhead, as this supposed emblem would make it to be. Besides, the human nature in Christ is his inferior nature, whereas the face of a man in the cherubim is the superior face, the rest being faces of irrational animals.

4. If the cherubim were an hieroglyphic of the Trinity, this would give a similitude of the divine Being, and of that in him which is the most incomprehensible to us, a Trinity of persons in the Deity; and would furnish with an answer to such a question, suggested as unanswerable, To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare with him? Isaiah xl. 18, 25, and xlvi. 5, for then it might be replied, To the cherubim; but there is no likeness of God, nor any to be made of him; though the Son of God often appeared in an human form, and in the fulness of time became incarnate; and the Holy Ghost once descended as a dove; yet the Father's shape was never seen at any time, John v. 37. This notion also is repugnant to the second command, which forbids the making any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, Exod. xx. 4, and then most certainly forbids the making of any likeness of the divine Being. Supposing the cherubim at the garden of Eden were made by God himself, as those in the tabernacle and temple were made by his order; yet he would never make, nor order to be made, such as he forbid, which he must, if they bore the similitude of him; but the truth is, the cherubim were not a likeness of any thing above in heaven, nor of any thing on earth; there never having been seen nor known by any man on earth, as Josephus affirms, any such creature whom they describe; and a certain Jewish writer observes, the making of them came not under the interdict or prohibition of the second command; which if made in the likeness of God it would.

5. To all which may be added, if the cherubim were known emblems of the Trinity, it can hardly be thought that any man would take the name of cherubim to him

mercy-seat, 1 Pet. i. 12, where mention is made of angels being desirous to look into the mysteries of grace; though it may be observed that ministers of the word are sometimes so called, and may be there meant: however, John's four living creatures cannot be angels, since they are so often distinguished from them; not only by their names, the one being called angels and the other living creatures in the same place; but also by their situation, the living creatures are represented as nearest to the throne of God, and round about it, then the four and twenty elders next to them, and round about them, and then the angels as round about both; but what puts it out of all doubt is, that these living creatures are by themselves owned to be redeemed to God by the blood of the Lamb, out of every kindred and tongue, people and nation: which cannot be said of angels; for as they never sinned, they never stood in need of the blood of Christ to redeem them. See Rev. v. 8, 9, 11, and vii. 11, and xv. 7. Wherefore,

Since the four and twenty elders in the visions of John are the representatives of the gospel-churches, so called in allusion to the twenty-four stations of the Levites, fixed in the times of David; who, as they in turn attend the service of the temple, represented the whole body of the people of Israel; so these twenty-four elders before the throne, and the temple of God, represent the whole Israel of God, all the members of the gospel-church-state from first to last; and since the four living creatures are clearly distinguished from them both by name and by situation, and by giving the lead to them in divine worship, as ministers of the word do to the churches: it remains, that the ministers of the gospel only can be meant by the living creatures, or the cherubim. See Rev. iv. 4, 6, 9, 10, and v. 8, 11, 14, and vii. 11, and by considering the several places where they are made mention of, this will appear to be the truth of the matter. As will be shewn in our next.

self, or impose it upon any of his family, Lines addressed to a Young Minister.

or should be so called by others; yet we find a man with his family of this name, Ezra ii. 59; Neh. vii. 61. And still less would it be given as it is, to Antichrist, the anti-type of the king of Tyre, the man of sin and son of perdition, Ezek. xxviii. 14, where he is called the anointed cherub; which can never be in allusion to the divine Being, and the persons in the Godhead; but may be in allusion to the ministers of the word, the cherubim are the emblems of, as will be presently seen; since he is an ecclesiastical person, calls himself a bishop, an universal bishop, Christ's anointed vicar, and head of the church, the sole and infallible interpreter of the sacred scriptures. Nor, are the angels meant by the cherubim ; though this is a much better sense than the former, and has been generally received by the Jews and Christians: and what has led many to embrace his sense is, the supposed allusion to the cherubim looking at the

Go forth, my friend, and preach
T'he oracles divine;

And may the Spirit's brightest ray,
On thy hard labours shine.
Go forth in Jesus' name,

Ask wisdom from on high;
God has engaged to give it thee,
Thy Maker cannot lie.
Speak of electing love;

This glorious truth proclaim,
Diffused throughout the written word
In one pure golden chain.
Speak of that 'council held,'

To rescue fallen man¡
Held by the Father, Spirit, Son,
Ere time its course began.
Fear not; take up thy cross,
Tho' weighty it may be:
Thy Saviour bore it first, and now
He intercedes for thee.
Then roll thy fears on him,

Go forth in his great name,
And Calvary's lovely mysteries
To dying worms proclaim.

S. S.

Two Ministers of the Gospel Walking in the Ordinances of the Lord's House.

Dear BrotheR BANKS-Grace, mercy, and feelings do we pass through in these things! peace be with thee. By the particular request a fear of being wrong-a hope of being right and desire of mine and your friends at this -a light on our path, and on the word-and place, I make an attempt to give you a brief then a cloud seems to cover all-and we account of a day we spent together at Rip-question all we see through a glass darkly; ley; hoping it may be the means in the and thus it is all dark, and we cannot see Lord's hands, of stirring up the pure minds at all. of some of the Lord's living family to a practical obedience of our Commander's commands; excited and moved by love, agreeable and in accordance with that portion, If ye love me, keep my commandments; and (if it be the will of our God) to confirm, and encourage, and comfort others by the testimony and example of these professed followers of the Lamb.

There is a young man in the ministry of the name of Matthew Welland, whose ministry the Lord has owned, and blessed to many souls, who practised, as others do, that unscriptural and nowhere commanded system of man's inventing, flesh-pleasing, and in many instances, soul-deluding practice of sprinkling infants. Some time since his mind has been greatly exercised on that point; searching for authority from the Word of God, and finding none, he was obliged to refuse and decline this false institute, feeling conscience upbraid and condemn for the neglect of the Lord's plain commands to them that believe. If I understood right he got some help and encouragement from the ministry of our dear brother, James Raynsford, on this point. In communicating publicly and privately he found he was not alone in this exercise; for, he had brethren and sisters in this trial, who inwardly longed to follow their Lord, but they did not know how or which way; having little or no acquaintance with the dippers, or their place or mode; having never seen what they found in the Scriptures of truth. These souls had desired to form themselves into a church; and as the Lord was pleased to open their eyes to see for themselves in his truth, it was baptised believers according to God's word, who should compose the church, fresh difficulties arose, as some of their friends, whom they loved and received, were of a contrary opinion with them, counting it fleshly, non-essential, unimportant, and quite unnecessary; thus the commands of our dear Lord are slighted, treated with indifference, and his followers branded with trusting to it for salvation. Why do they not throw out some of their aspersions on the spotless Lamb in Jordan's river? This is a place of trial for helpless ones.' And as one says,

In the midst of these things, the tenth verse of the first chapter of the first epistle to the Corinthians was found by one of them, which seemed to be good indeed in settling their minds on particular communion.

I having an invitation to preach one of their anniversary sermons the day you was at Knowl Hill, I felt impressed in writing an answer about my coming, to say (not knowing how they were situated) if the Lord had opened his eyes to see the way the saints of God walked in former times, (the way of obedience, the Lord had left on record for them to go now ;) and he, or any friend which had a desire to follow the Lord in the way the fathers trod, we had a pool of water deep enough, at Ripley, to bury such poor things as were dead to the law, as a covenant of works, whose souls hung and clung to Christ alone for salvation; dead to sin as it regards its service; that they had no pleasure therein, though they found it alive in all their members, warring against the law of their mind, and bringing them into captivity; dead to the world, as being their home, resting place, or element, and that could say 'the time past of our life sufficeth us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles. Now they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a city which hath foundations, whose Builder and Maker is God, and there were a few travellers at Ripley, with myself, who would give them a hearty welcome to follow our Lord in the good old way of the Master's example; not to obtain salvation; but out of love to the Lord.

In answer to this, a communication came that there were ten or eleven willing and desirous of being baptised; and that they had made, or given a confession of their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and that they, with one of their ministers, would, on Monday, September 11, come to Ripley, and there make an open profession of their attachment to the Lord and his ways, as there was much water at Ripley, and a good report of some honest souls, so they saw nothing to hinder. Three of our kind hearted friends proposed meeting them on the road a mile or two; which they did, and thus got their up and down (journey of eighteen or nineteen and more miles) over between ten and eleven o'clock, in time for our service to commence. A good gathering of friends from Guildford, So I trust they found it. What mingled Godlingham, Farnham, Woking, &c., were ΙΙ

Prayer is a weapon for the feeble,
Helpless souls can wield it best.

« PreviousContinue »