The nations shall see it and tremble for fear, While the saints shout, Our King, our Redeemer is near ! Then Judah thy glories shall flourish again, In the six days to labour thy wisdom as signed, (A day and a thousand years one in thy mind,) Lord, didst thou not thus thy full purpose declare, The world should pass through six long ages of care? And didst thou not in the seventh day of repose, A period all holy and fragrant disclose, When freed from the blight and the bondage of sin, Thy world a sabbatical year should begin? 'Tis the season long looked for, the prophesied day, When the Lord shall his visible kingdom display; When Satan, tied down with a ponderous chain, And thy children no more be dispized Not now with foul breath shall the universe amongst men ; The curse shall be torn from thy forehead stain. for the day of his coming, the day When your Lord shall his first-fruits of glory display. When forth from their paradise, swelling his train, Your sepulchred brethren shall visit again The world then restored, and millennium's long day Storms, thunders and lightnings their pro gress succeed, And Satan now feels himself puny indeed. 'Tis past. Like a whirlwind the Conqueror sped, And the path of his chariots was gory and red; No might could resist him: and there where he fought, He commanded his dread judgment-throne to be brought. Uprise all around him, in rapture and light, His church, his redeemed, in their raiment of white. The books are now opened, and witnesses there, His love they extol and his justice declare. All then come before him, and trembling and pale Before that tribunal remorseful bewail. now, As kings and as priests righteous sceptres Indignation unyielding is stamped on his shall sway. Then will our Immanuel with laurels adorn brow; And plunged in their prison of horrors and flame, The brows for his sake which knew anguish They add to their pains by blaspheming the and scorn; Then clothe with white raiment, and nearest his own, The martyrs who bled for his eause will en throne; Acknowledge as given to himself and restore Sevenfold the donations bestowed on his poor. Astonished will multitudes hear him proclaim Deeds long unremembered, performed in his name; And thousands, now lightly esteemed, from the Lord Will then be the foremost in gaining reward. Millennium hath ceased, and the manacle strong Which bound the destroyer so fast and so long, Corroding, restores him to freedom again; And bursting with envy, with malice and pain, He marshals his forces, determined once more His prostrate dominion to strive to restore; Once more with his Maker to measure his sword, And to drink yet more deeply the wrath of the Lord. First over the nations a poisonous tide Immanuel's war chariots come dashing along. THE SPIRITUAL MAGAZINE, ZION'S AND CASKET. "For there are Three that bear record in heaven the FATHER, the WORD, and the HOLY GHOST: and these Three are One."-1 John v. 7. "Earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.-Jude 3. 'Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.”—1 Tim. iii. 6. 66 OCTOBER, 1843. A FEW REMARKS UPON 1 TIM. vi. 17, fills us, empties us and fills us. 18, 19. "Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life." BY THE LATE JOHN RUSK. THIS text like many more has fell amongst thieves, and been sadly mangled by them. I must acknowledge that it appears dark and ambiguous; and although I have attempted to begin to explain it. yet the Lord only knows how foolish and unfit I feel: but I know that my sufficiency does not lay in myself, but it is of God, who never has left me yet, but has brought me through again and again. It is a painful thing to feel self-emptied, but it is the only way to secure the glory to God; and he says, "If any man lack wisdom let hin ask of God, who giveth to all (that lack it) liberally, and upbraideth not." Now this lacking we shall feel all our journey through, and also this giving, do not forget that. Thus he empties us and October, 1843.] He does not empty us only at first, and then fill us and give us a stock in hand no, Satan would soon puff us up if this was the case; but he lets us continually know that all our wisdom, in spiritual things as well as temporal, is in Christ Jesus, for in him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Paul in this epistle is giving a charge to his son Timothy. In the first chapter he warns him against false teachers, and tells him how he obtained mercy. In the second, he enforces a constant calling upon God in prayer. In the third, he shews the qualifications of a bishop, or one sent of God to preach his truth. In the fourth, he speaks against popery or a departing from the faith. In the fifth, shows how widows and elders are to be used. And in the sixth, in which our text is, the gain of godliness; what we are to flee from, and what we are to follow after: and in our text he closes his charge, things. Now what I aim at in this paper is as follows: And to make it the clearer, we will therefore invert the order of the text, for it is of no use to speak about the building and descend to the foundation; so that we will begin with the foundation, showing what it is, and what we are to understand by laying it up in store. Secondly, What Paul means by the time to come. Thirdly, Of this laying hold of eternal life. Fourthly, Treat of good works, and what it is to be rich in them. Fifthly, Treat of these uncertain riches, or, as the margin says, the uncertainty of riches, and what use is to be made of them while God's people have them. These things we shall briefly attend to and so conclude. In the First place then, we are to begin with the foundation; shewing what it is, and what we are to understand by laying it up in store. Say you, that wants no explanation, for it certainly means, that if a man is rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate, that by these good performances he lays up in store a foundation against the time to come, &c., and that God accepts him for so doing. Yes, I know that every work-monger and rotten Arminian would explain it so; but we are better taught than this, blessed be God. Then observe, this foundation spoken of in this text, and the only one that ever was or ever will be of any use to God's children, is the Lord Jesus Christ, two natures in one person, perfect God and perfect man, Jehovah Jesus; this is the foundation, and the only sure one. Hence the same apostle says, "For other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus," 1 Cor. iii. 11. But if the apostle believed that good works was a foundation, how could he with any propriety say, that man can lay no other than that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus. 66 66 Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation," Isa. xxviii. 16. Now, that we may be at a full point that the Lord Jesus Christ is meant in this text, by the prophet, take notice as follows, as recorded in the iiird and ivth chapters of the Acts of the Apostles: Peter and John had done a miracle on a man that lay at the gate of the temple, lame from his mother's womb, but now perfectly restored, for which they are both imprisoned; on the morrow they undergo examination for the deed done to the impotent man; and Peter tells them roundly, being filled with the Holy Ghost, that by the name of Jesus of Nazareth, whom they crucified, and whom God raised from the dead; even by him doth this man stand now before you whole: and then mind, this is the stone, this Jesus is the stone, which is set at naught of you builders, that is made the head-stone of the corner; neither is there salvation in any other name, given amongst men, whereby we must be saved. Thus much for the foundation. I now come to the laying it up in store. Now by store, I understand treasure; and the more treasure a man hath, in a literal sense, that is valuable, the more store he has. So Jesus Christ, to a convinced sinner, is the only treasure, and every thing that the Holy Ghost testifies of Jesus, the foundation to him; he eagerly catches at, and lays it up in store: and to get at this store, this treasure, you will find such very diligent, very watchful, reading, hearing the word, calling upon the Lord, confessing their sins, meditating, conversing with the saints, and asking them questions; but what is all this for? I answer, to lay up for themselves in store a good foundation against the time to come, even the Lord Jesus Christ. They want to say with Paul, "God revealed his Son in me." They want to find marks and evidences that the Saviour is laid as a foundation in their hearts, and that they are being built upon him ; for God's mystery among the gentiles, is Christ in them the hope of glory. whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge," Col. ii. 3. And what keeps the soul at this work, is the continual discovery of death and damnation in every other way; for the Holy Spirit shews us our hearts, the dreadful sight of which terrifies us, and we see the awful state and condition of every one that has not Christ for their foundation, and this teaching goes on from year to year, and indeed all our journey through, to keep us in good earnest laying up in store a good foundation, &c. So sure as there is this light and life put in our souls, which sets us in good earnest seeking after Christ, so sure we shall not seek after him in vain, and therefore Solomon says, "If thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; and thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasure: then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God," Prov. ii. 3, 4, 5. Again, "The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field," &c. Matt. xiii. 44. Now when a soul is effectually convinced of sin, his heart is set upon the following things: Am I interested in Christ Jesus; did he die for me; am I an object of God's choice; have I got real faith-grace that will reign through righteousness; have I the Spirit of God in my heart? oh, that I knew that I was pardoned From what has been said, you see that store is treasure, which has been gathered together, and then laid up, justified by faith in the righteousand when laid up it becomes store; ness of Jesus; that I felt the witness hence Paul, when writing to the Co- of the Holy Spirit to my adoption! rinthians respecting the collection for And such put up hundreds of groans, the saints, says, "Upon the first day sighs, cries, prayers, &c., to the Lord of the week, let every one of you lay to satisfy him in these things. And by him in store, as God hath pros- when he does satisfy them in it, they pered him, that there be no gathering need it to be kept up, or they soon when I come," 1 Cor. xvi. 2. Now get into the old way again; and as Jesus Christ is the only treasure therefore they read, hear the word, that will be of any essential use, the call upon his name continually to faonly good foundation, it is always the vour them with the enjoyment of chief concern with a convinced sinner these blessings: and the Lord does to lay up this treasure, this store, this after many long and sore conflicts foundation, by an experimental ac- from corruption, Satan, the world, quaintance with the Lord Jesus, 'in crosses, providences, and the threaten |