nor do I think it possible whilst in this body of sin and death." Pardon me, my dear reader, I must deny your affirmation; and I do from the authority of scripture, and might also from my own testimony, feeling as I do the sweetness and power of this life in my own soul. But let scripture, or rather the Holy Ghost, speak his own words, and blessed be the Lord my experience of the same, 1 Thes. i. 5. "For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance." Once more the Lord says, "and the work of righteousness shall be peace, and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever." Now this quietness and assurance for ever, are the fruits and effects of Christ's righteousness imputed unto us, and received into our hearts by faith. think you of this spiritual, scriptural, comfortable assurance? The Lord give both you and me a more full assurance of understanding of these important truths, which through grace must tend to exalt "the Lord our righteousness," and debase the creature, and all creature righteousness. "Thy righteousness, O Lord, is an everlasting righte ousness, whilst "all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags."

What

In concluding this feeble attempt to set forth to my reader's view and apprehension, the sum and substance of the gospel, as contained in the above words, which we have endeavoured to unfold; I do look up to that Almighty Minister in the church of Christ, with earnest supplication that he would be graciously pleased to own and bless to his people, into whose hands it may be sent, the contents thereof, so far, and so far only, as they are agreeable to his own most infallible word; and that he would guide you and me into all truth, and that we may powerfully and practically know, what Christ hath declared of him, John xvi. 14. "he shall glorify me."

(To the Editor of the Spiritual Magazine.)

REMARKS ON THE REVIEW OF MR. W. H. COLYER'S SERMON.

Mr. Editor,

ON reading in your Magazine a review of, and extracts from a Sermon preached by Mr. Colyer, of Foot's Cray, I was much pleased with that gentleman's remarks respecting the ever blessed Trinity. I have often thought, that many good men have given occasion to the enemies of our most holy faith to deny the Godhead and equality of the ever-blessed Jesus, by writing and speaking of the eternal generation of Christ; and the grand objection of the enemies of truth is, that if Christ is begotten of the Father, call it by eternal generation or what term soever, he that begets must be previous to him that is begotten.

But, if I do not mistake Mr. C. he refers entirely to the human nature of Christ, as it is written, "thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee." Now how this day, a fixed period, can be referred to eternity I know not. When the angel was sent to Mary, he said, that "the power of the Highest (that is, God) shall overshadow thee;

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therefore that holy thing that shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." And we find the Saviour, speaking concerning this, says, a body hast thou prepared me: Lo, I come (that is, to take this body into union with myself, a divine person) to do thy will, O God."

Now as I believe in the divine essence of the Holy Trinity, and although it is a mystery too high to be explored by finite creatures; for "who by searching can find out God?" yet, as the apostle saith 66 by faith we understand how the worlds were made, not of things that do appear," which is a mystery how the things which appear, and are daily manifest to us as creatures, could be made out of nothing, unless we believe in the power of Jehovah "who spake, and it was done, who commanded, and it stood fast;" as when God said, "let there be light, and there was light;"-so I firmly believe in the three Persons in the one undivided Jehovah. Hear, O Israel! the Lord

thy God is one Jehovah." Nor am I careful, nor do I wish to search into this mystery, any further than to give equal and undivided praise to the glorious Three in One for my soul's eternal salvation.

God by the formation of the human nature, " that holy thing," in the virgin's womb, becomes the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; but as touching Christ's Godhead, like his antitype Melchisedeck of old, he is" without father, without mother, without beginning of days, or end of years." Jesus by taking that nature prepared by God becomes a Son by incarnation, and is declared to be the Son of God in truth and love. God so loved the world, that he gives this his Son as a sacrifice for the church's redemption: he spared not his Son; no"the chastisement of our peace was laid upon him, and by his stripes we are healed." Jesus having taken our nature, was anointed with the oil of gladness above all his fellows; in this sense, God the Spirit is said to proceed and come forth from the Father to Christ. God gave not the Spirit by measure to the Son; for in him dwelleth the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

And if we refer to the first promise made to Adam and Eve after their awful fall and apostacy from God, it refers to the human nature of Christ in conjunction with his eternal Godhead. The seed of the woman (not the woman's seed) shall bruise the serpent's head." He saith not of seeds as of many, but as God afterwards confirmed it to Abraham; "in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed"-which seed was Christ. Hence saith the inspired prophet, "unto us a child is born, a son is given, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God," &c.

I do therefore, Mr. Editor, most humbly conceive it would be a comfort to many poor, doubting, yet real children of God, who are often beset by the crafty and subtle arian or unitarian, were they led to behold the relative characters of the triune God as Father and Son as covenant characters to the church, by the blessed incarnation of our most glorious Christ; and not as referring to the absolute and underived existence of the eternal three. If these brief thoughts are

deemed worthy of a place in your Magazine, you have my full consent to publish them; and my prayer is, that by the Spirit's teaching they may be a help to those who go right in their way.

October, 1827.

A LOVER OF TRUTH.

P. S. It may be objected, that Christ is called a Son ages before his incarnation, as in the 2nd Psalm, "I will declare the decree: thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee." To which I answer, that God calleth things that are not as though they were; and in this sense the elect of God are called sons before their actual existence in time. "I will say to the north give up, and to the south keep not back, bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth." From everlasting Christ was set up in the mind, purpose, decree, and covenant of Jehovah, as the head of his body the church; and by faith the patriarchs, prophets, and saints of old, saw his day of incarnation and suffering, and believed and rejoiced in him as their God and Saviour; yea, the church in Solomon's.days most earnestly desired his manifestation in our nature, "O that thou wert as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother! When I should find thee without, I would kiss thee; yea, I should not be despised."

The Holy Ghost by the apostle Paul declares," in these last days God has sent forth his Son, (and immediately refers this sending forth to be Christ's incarnation, for he adds) made of a woman, made under the law." As to a pre-existing human soul of Christ being set up from eternity, I believe it hath no foundation in the word of God, but in the benighted minds of poor, dim mortals.

(For the Spiritual Magazine.)

OBITUARY OF MRS. MARY HART, OF SANDY, BEDS.

THIS deeply exercised, but secluded follower of the Lamb, was one of those who went forth weeping, bearing precious seed; following the footsteps of the flock, through much tribulation, pain, and sorrow. She was often made to drink the "wine of astonishment," (Psalm lx. 3.) and the cup of sorrow was her portion many years, arising from accumulated domestic calamities, an afflicted body, and an experimental knowledge of a corrupt and deceitful heart. These things were a continual source of much anxiety and distress to her mind, till the Lord was graciously pleased to visit her with a heavy affliction, which terminated in the full and ultimate enjoyment of him whom she had long been taught to esteem as all her salvation and all her desire.

For near half a century her hopes were fixed upon the "blood of sprinkling," and the free, full, and finished salvation revealed in the

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gospel. In early life the "day dawned," and in after years the day star" arose in her mind, under the preaching of that faithful and zealous ambassador of the Most High, the Rev. John Berridge, then Vicar of Everton, (a village about two miles from Sandy) and was one amongst the many thousands who waited upon that good man for spiritual advice, when the Lord brought him forth to preach Christ crucified, as the only hope for a perishing sinner. But when the chief Shepherd called him to the fold ahove, the sheep were scattered abroad in search of food; from that time she generally attended the preaching of dissenters till within the last few years of her life, when she was unable to attend any outward means of grace, with the exception of a prayer meeting at a neighbour's house, once a week. This was a sore trial to her, and she was wont to speak of it as a painful privation; nevertheless, she found the Lord was not confined to the sanctuary, for her humble dwelling was often made to her none other than the house of God and the very gate of heaven.

"The word of the Lord was very precious (to her) in those days," and her time was generally spent in perusing the sacred volume, from which, as may be imagined, her mind was richly stored with the revelation of the divine will of her covenant God, and the promises made to his family in the wilderness. This was surprisingly manifest during her affliction, with which she was visited about the middle of September last. One of her legs (which had been affected upwards of thirty years) was seized with a violent inflammation, which terminated in a lingering mortification. For three weeks her sufferings were indeed of the most excruciating nature, and to add to her affliction, when first confined to her chamber her mind was in the most agonizing suspense, arising from a consciousness that she was called to pass the "dark valley," without enjoying the sensible presence of him, who had promised to be with her and bring her safely through. Nevertheless, he was better to her than all her fears, and she soon experienced, to the joy of her heart, the fulfilment of her Lord's promise, "At eventide it shall be light." The ancient of days appeared to her wondering view, in all the glory of his person, and darted a ray from the eternal throne, which penetrated the dark chambers of her soul, and gave her an antipast of that glory about to be revealed.

From that time, as her sufferings increased, her consolation abounded, and her joys run high. Death was divested of every appalling aspect, and the solemn realities of the eternal world were pourtrayed to her immediate view, while she appeared as though already in the actual possession of the glories of heaven, and sharing in the triumphs of the spirits of the just before the throne of God. Her sufferings alone seemed to remind her that she was still in the body, from which she struggled to be free. The poet beautifully paraphrases the workings of her soul, in the following lines:

"Trembling, hoping, ling'ring, flying,
Oh! the pain, the bliss of dying!
Cease, fond nature, cease thy strife,
And let me languish into life."

On one occasion, when she appeared near the close of her pilgrimage, the writer of this observed to her, what a blessing it was that the only salvation which will suit a lost sinner is already provided, and made everlastingly secure, as a free act of sovereign, unmerited mercy. She clapped her hands, and with a smile exclaimed, "Oh! grace-grace-what glorious sovereignty!" At another time, when one of her daughters asked her if she felt any dread at the approach of death, she replied, with much fervour, "What! afraid of death? Oh! no; I have kissed the rod, and with me all is well now: I have seen more than I can express, and I know, living or dying, I am the Lord's !"

And such were the holy triumphs of her soul, in its longing desires for the glory in reversion for her, that she seemed to tremble when any one expressed a hope that she would get better. "Oh! no," she would say, "I hope not: I long to be gone, for my race is run, and my glass is almost out." The last words she was heard faintly to articulate were, "Lord Jesus!" when she was seized with strong convulsions-death grappled her as his prey-and the "ministering spirits" bore the happy spirit of this heir of salvation," to the bosom of her Saviour and her God; where her hopes are fully realized, and her faith is consummated in beholding in unclouded vision the king in his beauty, and his glorified train casting their crowns at the feet of their exalted Lord, and singing, as eternity rolls along, the song of Moses and the Lamb.

Mrs. Hart departed on Saturday, the 6th of October, 1827, in the seventy-seventh year of her age, and about the fiftieth of her christian career. Her death was interestingly improved at a small chapel in the neighbourhood, from Matt, xiii. 43. Then shall the righteous shine as the sun in the kingdom of their Father."

Nov. 2, 1827.

T. W. H.

FRAGMENT.

GOD hath saints of several degrees and sizes, and some of them have more communion with him than others. From among the multitude he chose twelve to be with him; from among the twelve, he chose three, Peter, James, and John, which were è secretioribus of the privy council; from among the three, he chose out John as his peculiar darling and bosom favourite, of whom it is said five times, that he was the disciple whom Jesus loved. So now to this day God hath his babes, who eat milk and nothing else; his children, who know their Father and are assured of his love; his young men, who go out to war; and the fathers in Israel, whose grey-headed experience and wisdom abounds, for they know him from the beginning.