prepare his way. Then the earth disowned him; now the whole world, with joy or terror, shall confess him. Then he was despised and reviled by wicked men; now he will come to separate them for ever from the righteous, and fix their doom irrevocably. Then the best diadem he wore was a crown of thorns; now he will appear crowned with the glorious perfections of Deity. Then he came to suffer, and. as Priest to atone; now he will come to vindicate his right to reign as King, and to establish his throne in righteousness. Then he came to ransom his church from merited condemnation ; now he will come to claim her as his own, and to put her into full possession of the kingdom with him.

"No more the bloody spear-

The cross and nails no more;
For hell itself shakes at his name,
And all the heavens adore."

final

Lift up your heads in lively hope, ye friends of Jesus, this your redemption draweth nigh! it never was so near as it is this present moment; and it approaches nearer and nearer still, as the remaining sands in the hour-glass of time are falling.

In the resurrection state our glorious Immanuel will display the triumphs of his cross in a most illustrious manner. When he rose from the dead he triumphed over the powers of darkness, and led captivity captive; and although satan's influence in this lower world is permitted by the divine will for wise purposes, yet it is limited; having bounds fixed, beyond which it cannot go. But when he shall appear the second time, he will lay hold of the old dragon, and bind him with the great chain of omnipotent power, and set the great seal of his unalterable decree upon him. His influence then shall never more be felt nor feared; for the thousand years sabbath will be a state of uninterrupted communion with the Lord, where no enemy will ever dare to approach. Death's gloomy and long dominion also shall now be ended, his sceptre broken, and his crown cast down, yea, swallowed up of life, when countless millions shall burst forth from their graves, and rise to immortality. This will be the ultimatum of that blessedness, honour, glory, and beauty, which the church was predestinated to appear in, at the great marriage supper of the Lamb. See Rev. xix. 7. to xx. 10.

In stating this view of the subject, some have thought there are inexplicable difficulties in the way, but I am free to confess I have found far greater difficulties by taking any other view of the same. The limits of this paper will not allow me either to state or answer those which may seem to appear, otherwise it would not be a hard task. I pass on to a few concluding reflections.

If the resurrection be a truth revealed in the bible, (as it certainly is) then it appears the body is of more importance than many consider it to be. The body of the believer is the temple of the Holy Ghost, and therefore not excluded in sanctification even here: it is devoted to God in baptism; partakes of the sacred symbols of the

Lord's body and blood in the ordinance of the supper; and is consecrated to his service in all the outward forms of worship: is capable of labouring in, and suffering for, the cause of Christ on earth, and finally shall realize the same felicity and glory of which the soul is capable, forming a constituent part of the person, which cannot be complete without it.

In the present state the body is liable to pain, sickness, deformity, and many evils too numerous to mention, and which each one sensibly feels; but in the resurrection state all these things shall for ever be forgotten. Then Isaac's eyes shall not be dim, nor shall Jacob halt on his thigh: Lazarus shall be free from sores, and Paul's bodily presence shall no more be mean and contemptible.

"Array'd in glorious grace

Shall these vile bodies shine;
And every shape and every face,
Look heavenly and divine."

Let the believer in Christ, then, look forward in faith's bright vision to this much longed for day, which shall display the full glories of Immanuel, and who will finally crown his church with him in that glory. With this view we may look at death with pleasure, and leave without regret our body behind, to the care of him who redeemed it and who also will keep it secure; and in blessed anticipation say— "Farewell, my flesh, thou heavy load,

I leave thee here and take my flight;
Thou shalt no more be mine abode,

Till thou shalt rise in splendour bright:
When from corruption thou shalt spring,
An holy, pure, and spotless dress,

I'll put thee on and ever sing,

Jesus the Lord our righteousness!"

Suffolk.

GAIUS.

Mr. Editor,

(For the Spiritual Magazine.)

QUERY ON THE SONSHIP OF CHRIST.

I Have often had my mind much perplexed and distressed, by hearing from the lips of some of the staunch advocates for the glorious doctrines of grace, such expressions as these, "The eternal Son of God," "The Son of God incarnate," and, "Incarnate Deity." Now, Sir, I should esteem it as a very great favour, if the good Lord would incline some of your able writers to answer the following query: "Does the personality of the Sonship of the Redeemer consist in his divine, or his human nature?"

I find it very difficult, Mr. Editor, to combat a Socinian or a Unitarian, if I place the Sonship of Christ in his divine nature; and, on the other hand, I am afraid of dishonouring his blessed person by attributing that to his manhood which is the sole prerogative of his Godhead; hence my mind is in a state of constant anxiety. There

fore, for the sake of those who may be alike exercised, as well as for myself, I do humbly pray the Holy Ghost, whose covenant office it is to reveal the Person and unfold the glories of our most precious Christ to the view of the redeemed family, and to comfort their hearts with the revelation of his love towards them, that he would deign to be the teacher of those who may come forward to preserve the glories of Immanuel unsullied; and the glory shall redound to the praise of Father, Word, and Holy Ghost, Israel's triune God in covenant,while the comfort shall be enjoyed by his covenant family, to the praise of the glory of his distinguishing grace.

By giving this a corner in the Saints' Treasury," you will much oblige,

Your's in covenant bonds,

RUHAMAH.

(For the Spiritual Magazine.)

CHRIST, THE SUBSTANCE OF THE GOSPEL, AND THE OBJECT OF THE BELIEVER'S DESIRE.

THE Lord Jesus Christ is the grand subject of the gospel ministry, and the object desired by every one who is in the possession of an immortal principle of grace as the effect of their election union to him who filleth all in all. To this the apostle bears testimony when he says, "To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man," &c. Col. i. 27, 28. The gospel reveals the unsearchable riches of Christ. The gospel is the field, but Jesus is the treasure hid in that field. The gospel is the cabinet, but Jesus is the jewel in it. Yea, he is the very life, sum, and substance of the gospel, which constitutes it glad tidings to a sensible sinner.

:

I am well aware that we live in a Christ-despising age; for men can preach what they call the gospel, and at the same time say nothing about the Redeemer as the beloved, chosen, and accepted head of the elect of God; or of their being eternally united to and represented by him; or of his taking their nature into union with his Person, as the Word of God, for the purposes of fulfilling the law, bearing the church's sins in his own body, fighting her battles, laying down his life to pay all her debts, and rising again as a proof that his work is complete, and that his spouse shall rise in his likeness at the last day. But though these things are so much despised in the ministry of the word, the things themselves remain the same, and shall answer the end for which they were appointed, namely, the salvation of Zion, and the honour of the Lord's name.

And when the Lord the Spirit is pleased to make his own people acquainted with their total sinfulness in heart, lip, and life, and the justice and holiness of God as revealed in the law of works, they are

brought to see and feel that such is their ruined condition, that there is not the least possibility of their being saved upon the ground of creature doings, either in whole or in part. Yea, they are brought to feel that such is their helplessness, that if their salvation depends upon their thinking a single good thought, independant of the grace of God, they must be lost for ever. But the Holy Spirit reveals Jesus in his suitability to their view, in consequence of which, hope springs up in the mind, and the desire of their souls is to know and enjoy their interest in Christ; which desire is an evidence of interest in him, as it is written, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled," with the enjoyment of Jesus, and all the blessings of his life and death. Indeed the mind of a heaven-born sinner cannot be satisfied with any thing else; for as the appetite is a spiritual one, it must have spiritual food to feed upon, therefore he says, "Let him (Christ) kiss me with the kisses of his mouth, for thy love is better than wine." Song i. 2.

The church of old said, "with my soul have I desired thee in the night" but why did she desire him in preference to any other? First, because he possesses every thing that is desirable: as pardon for the guilty; clothing for the naked; wisdom for the ignorant; strength for the weak; life for the dead; eyes for the blind; comfort for the sorrowful; rest for the weary; riches for the poor; and deliverance for the captive. Secondly, because she needed him in his presence, to constitute her happiness; his power, to support her under all her burdens; his wisdom, to direct her and manage all her concerns; his goodness, to pass before in the way; his love, to comfort her in all her sorrows; his blood, to take away the guilt of sin from her conscience; yea, she needed him as her way to walk in, life to walk with, a light to walk by. And the more a poor sinner is led to know what Jesus possesses, and his own personal need of him, the more he will desire him, and say with Paul, "that I may know him,” in what he is in himself, what he is to me, and what he has done for me as a member of his body; "and the power of his resurrection," which is a complete victory over sin, death, and the grave, raising me above the beggarly elements of this vain world; and the fellowship of his sufferings," that I may know and feel that he suffered for my sins, that I am crucified with him, and a partaker of all the blessings which accrue from his sufferings on my account.

The prophet Haggai speaks of him as "the desire of all nations:" that is, of the elect of God in all nations who are born again; for none but they ever had or ever will have any desire after Jesus. A desire after him is a plant which never grew in nature's garden, for by nature men have no knowledge of nor love to the sinner's friend. But in the covenant of grace it was appointed by the eternal Three, that all the elect (and they only) shall be taught by the Spirit to know the truth, of which Christ is the substance. Therefore the Spirit takes possession of thelr minds, and makes a discovery to them of their state by sin, and recovery by grace, through the blood and

righteousness of the Lamb; which recovery faith receives, and rejoices in with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

There are many of the Lord's dear people who are convinced of their sinful and utter helpless state, and brought to know that Christ is the way of salvation, and to feel a desire in their mind after an enjoyment of interest in him, and yet afraid they never shall enjoy that as the object of their desire. But the Lord has said, "the desire of the righteous shall be granted," therefore he who gives them the desire grants the enjoyment of the object desired. And such as have experienced the Spirit taking of the things of Christ, and revealing them to their minds, can bear testimony to the truth of God's word, and encourage the weaklings in the Lord's family to hope for the enjoyment of those things which they have enjoyed. Saying, Be of good courage, all ye that hope in the Lord, for your hope shall never be put to shame! It is a good thing for a man to hope in the Lord, and quietly wait for his salvation.

"Blest is the man, O God,

That stays himself on thee:

Who waits for thy salvation, Lord,

Shall thy salvation see."

Birmingham, 1827.

JACOB.

(To the Editor of the Spiritual Magazine.)

THE HEAVENLY WORKERS, AND THEIR WORK.

The great, the mighty God, the Lord of Hosts, is his name, great in counsel, and mighty in work. Jer, xxxii. 18.

Mr. Editor,

As you have from time to time kindly given place in your excellent Magazine, to short pieces which I have sent, and which I have heard have been acceptable to many of the saints of God, I am thereby encouraged to offer the present; but I have nothing to add in addition to what many have heard me repeatedly state. My uniform endeavour is, to put the crown upon the head of Christ in my ministry, and to lay fallen man as low as God has laid him in the bible. Nor can I satisfy my mind, as many do, to keep the grand and glorious doctrines of grace in the back ground. Wise men in the promulgation of all systems begin with principles; but in divinity, how very strange it is, that principles are lost sight of by many. I hope, reader, you have not so learned Christ, but that he is your all in all. His beauties, glories, grace, and suitability, contain subjects sufficient to employ our mind all through time and eternity.

Jehovah the Father finds a boundary to his vast thoughts, in the glorious person and perfect work of his dear Son; he is the wonder and joy of heaven, the delight of all the redeemed in glory; the elect angels owe their standing to him; and here in the church below there can be no spirituality or fruitfulness, only as the children of God are living upon the fountain fulness of Jesus. We have in him all per