point of view; we cannot but (in the light of the Spirit,) immediately discover; the counsel of peace was between God the Father, and the Son of God, whereof the Holy Ghost is a witness unto us. Remember ye then, God the Father is made of none, but is self-existent, self-independent over all, blessed for evermore. God the Son was neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but was one with the Father in his divine person; while as the Son of God he was the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. And God the Holy Ghost is co-equal and co-essential together with them, proceeding from the Father and the Son. Glory therefore be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Numb. vi. 24, 26.

In the comprehensive Scriptures before us, we have first God the Father's testimony to the royal person and wonderful doings of his dear Son, together with the reason wherefore"the Lord so spake unto my Lord."

And why did God the Father so bear record unto his well-beloved Son, think you, one thousand years before "the Word was made flesh ?" Not by way of comparison, but simply proclaiming that neither the person of God the Father, nor the person of God the Holy Ghost, ever undertook in covenant engagements, to become the head of his body, the church, which the Son did; wherefore, when above, in the councils of heaven, sacrifice and offering for sin God the Father did not require; then said the Son of God, "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." Yes, then it was God the Father went forth for the salvation of his people, even for salvation with his anointed; and then

66

it was he spake in vision to his Holy One, and said, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people. I have found David my servant, with my holy oil have I anointed him." And then unto his proclamation, when holding him forth as the Alpha and Omega, to the praise and glory of the exceeding riches of his grace, "Behold, my servant whom I uphold, mine elect in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my Spirit upon him; he shall bring forth judg ment to the Gentiles." Unto which, adds the Son of God, "Listen, O isles, unto me, and hearken ye people from far; the Lord hath called me from the womb (of his everlasting love), the bowels of my mother (the church) hath he made mention of my name. And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft: in his quiver hath he hid me: and said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified." Thus it is scripturally evident, how among the Alehim, or sworn covenanted ones, there is none like unto the Lord Jesus, the image of the invisible God, the first-born of every creature." Should, however, additional proof be required here, it may not be unnecessary just to remind you, that the words, "O Lord," as found in this place, the learned tell us, are but the translation of the Hebrew "Adonai," which signifies a base, or foundation, 1 Cor. iii. 11. So likewise is it written, "Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste."

To be continued.

On account of the length of several articles inserted this month, the poetry department is deferred,

"The Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly."-Ps. lxxxiv. 11.

THE Psalmist seems to be speaking well in this psalm, of the Lord, the things of the Lord, and the worship of the Lord. He commences, "How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of Hosts." It is a great sinner to feel even

mercy for a poor that. 66 My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord." He was a blessed man to be under this influence; 66 my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God. Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. Blessed are they that dwell in thine house, they will be still praising thee. Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee," then if it is in the Lord, his strength is not in himself, "in whose heart are the ways of them. Who passing through the valley of February, 1852.]

Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools. They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God." He then breaks out and says, "O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah. Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed." He then comes in again with, "A day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a door

keeper in the house of my God, than

to dwell in the tents of wickedness." It seems David expressed what he really knew and felt, for he goes on, "For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly."

"The Lord will give grace." Here seems to be the will of the Lord. In the first place, "the Lord will give grace." Then to understand the nature of the term grace; it is free favour bestowed on characters who are not deserving, else it could not carry with it, or carry out, the term grace, or free favour, for the term grace, means or implies, free favour bestowed on characters unworthy of it, sinners. As it regards the will of the Lord in giving grace, it proves there is something in opposition to this, the will of the creature, something put in contrast to this, the obedience or merit of the creature. But this has nothing to do with it;

E

no obedience comes in the way to stop it, because the Lord hath said, "he will give grace." Now in the Now in the first place, the characters to whom this grace is given, are those of his own dear people, that have their standing and falling with all the rest of mankind, in the loins of Adam the first. For we see the church, notwithstanding being set up and chosen from everlasting, to life and salvation in Jesus Christ, all fell in Adam, as the apostle says, "And were by nature children of wrath, even as others." No difference in nature as born into the world, as the word was given to Adam, "For in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die." The day that thou breakest this command in eating of the fruit of this tree, thou shalt surely die. When this was done, Adam died; when he broke that covenant he could no more look for life to flow out of that ground or quarter. Thus all fell in Adam. I myself used to blame Adam, and say, if he had not done so and so, it would have been all the better. I spake as a child, till I was led to see I was a part of Adam, and when he sinned, I sinned in him; as an old writer said, we all went out in Adam. Therefore, as born into the world, we are born in that awful state in which Adam fell, which is a state of death. But then the promise is, "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins." "The Lord will give grace" the Lord will give quickening grace. Then it is not left to the will of man; as it is said, the Lord will give it. If the Lord gives quickening grace, there must be a receiver; and when the Lord gives quickening grace, it is not left to the poor sinner to have any mind or will about it. Though he was dead before, as much so as Lazarus naturally was when he was laid in the grave; and when our Lord came to the grave of Lazarus, he cried, "Lazarus, come forth!" and

4

11

事

Lazarus came forth. So with a poor sinner: when the Lord comes to a poor sinner, he gives quickening grace; he says, figuratively, John, Thomás, or William, come forth! then the man is made alive, and the sinner in his feelings is convinced of his being a sinner. This is the work of the Spirit, as we read, "When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will convince the world of sin;" he convinces the sinner of sin. Now we know in some little measure, whether the Spirit has come to us, and convinced us of sin; we know according to the proportion of faith, according to the operation of the Spirit, whether he has come and convinced us of sin; if so, the Lord has not only given us quickening grace, but also convincing grace; "The Lord will give grace." This is the work and operation of the Spirit, to convince the poor sinner of sin, make him alive, and give him to feel where he is. Until this is done, no man or woman in reality knows his or her state and condition before God. He or she may have pretensions to religion, may have a clean outside, may have that piety so much talked of in our day; but when the Spirit convinces a man of sin, he may be in the path of open profanity, a refined pharisee, eaten up with pharisaic zeal, zealous for the law; whatever it is, when the Spirit comes and convinces of sin, down goes all his goodness. "The Lord will give grace." It is not left to the man whether he will believe or not; the feeling comes to the man, goes about with him, and follows him; he cannot get rid of it. Though the Lord in his dealings is a sovereign, and all are not wrought on in the same way; some have felt these things working longer than others, they come on, then seem to go off, then come on stronger and stronger. I have often thought of that passage in Exodus, when the children of Israel were at Mount Sinai, "when the voice of

the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder." I really thought of myself, when the trumpet seemed to sound in my conscience, first convincing me, sounding for a few minutes it may be; then it sounded again, and after a time it kept on sounding, shewing me my state and condition. You know, poor sinner, who have been under the convincing hand of the Holy Ghost, what this means; that passage in Isaiah I have thought applies to this: "And your Covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it; from that it goeth, it shall take you; for morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night, and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report." This passing over things in the mind, the last thing at night, and the first thing in the morning, many times in the day. Thus the poor soul is convinced of sin. "When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall convince of sin." What is the effect of these things under the opposition of his nature? Feeling and finding this to be his state, he begins to work, to try to get better, and break off his sins by righteousness, not knowing the way of salvation through a crucified Jesus. He attends to religious duties, and tries to get better, so he fancies the Lord will be pleased with him. This was the way I took again and again, morning after morning. I promised myself I would hardly speak to a person through the day, would watch the door of my lips; but before an hour's time had passed, familiar things were brought to my mind, and down I went. This was the way I Under this convincing hand no sinner can boast of what he can do, but he is led to see and feel what an evil and a bitter thing it is to sin against God. And thus he

went on.

He

tries to do all he can to make himself better. I recollect a dear old minister used to say, he liked people to work hard at first, so that when they got rest it would be more highly prized, come all the sweeter. Here, in this case, the poor sinner thinks every thing will be right. He thinks that if he tries he shall get better, and then he will come to the Lord, not knowing any other way. makes all kinds of vows, promises and resolutions, but in the course of the day, or at different times, he may be overtaken in some fault, and then down comes all his piety tumbling about him, so that when the evening comes on, instead of being out of debt, he is farther in. Guilt is contracted on the mind, and he is like the poor woman of whom we re read, who had spent all her living on physicians, and got no better, but rather worse. Thus, the Lord will give grace."

f

1

Further, the Lord gives praying grace. Prayer is a grace of the Spirit, for no man can pray in reality without the Spirit. I have thought before now of one of the features of prayer, it is called, crying. Now the man when he begins to feel these workings, he begins to cry for mercy; he calls upon the Lord, saying, "Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts.", Here we see the man praying, he is approaching the Lord, pouring out to the Lord, by prayer and supplication letting his requests be made known, entreating of the Lord for mercy, though not knowing exactly the channel of mercy through a crucified Redeemer. He goes and cries on the ground of the promise. His feelings are, if the Lord spare me, I will try and do better. The Spirit leads him about, and teaches him, about this way, till the poor sinner is brought to despair of bringing anything to the Lord by way of recommendation.

"The Lord will give grace." supporting grace. He is brought thus far, being daily taught that in himself dwells no good thing. The next step he is led to see, is, that God" who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined into his heart, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ." The poor sinner sinks on the one hand, and, if there were no obtaining this any other way than by his own works, he would sink in black despair, because he feels such is his state and condition that he has not an inch of ground to stand on.

"The Lord will give grace," inviting grace; not, as many think, that invitations are thrown out to all men, and it is left to them whether they will come or not: no, the Lord himself invites the poor sinner, he says, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." That word was never suited to you before you were quickened.

The invitation is to all who labour, and are heavy laden; and if the Lord is pleased to give such words as these, the man feels he is just one of those characters who are invited. Also the word says, Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money, come ye, buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price." This is the Spirit's work. Art thou thirsting, then? This is the Spirit's teaching. Thou art invited to come. Thou art the man, the character, the very individual. I was very much struck in reading a letter of the late Mr. Rutherford, the book was in a room where I slept one night. I took it up, and was very much struck with it, as it alluded to the very things of which I am now speaking, that the word came to the sinner, and was so suitable to his case, that it was just as if it had called him by his name.

He now

I

begins to talk about Jesus, and feels what he says. I at one time talked about Jesus, love to Jesus Christ, twenty-five years before I knew any thing savingly. I went to Church, talked about Jesus Christ, sung about him, rung the bells, the same as all other people. Thus, our Saviour was born this day, was crucified, died, was buried, and is risen again, and all these kind of things ; but when I was led to see the necessity of a better righteousness than my own, brought into such a state and condition that I saw Jesus as never did before, I could talk of him as I never heard tell of him before. I found Jesus Christ more and more precious to my soul, and just the Saviour I stood in need of. Such a Saviour I had no more conception of, before this time, than the child unborn. In this state of things I began to feel the necessity there was for such a Saviour. saw that he was not only man, but very God as well as man, God's salvation. I found the Father spake of him thus: "I will also give thee for a light to lighten the gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth." I heard him saying, "I am come to seek and to save that which was lost." These things really got hold of my affections, and I began to have some little encouragement. I found he was the Saviour of sinners, and I knew"myself to be lost, seeing, on the one hand, that there was nothing in the creature that could help me, no creature works or doings, nothing but free and sovereign grace; and, on the other hand, these words of Dr. Watts were made a blessing to

I

For a time the words took such hold of me, that I had some strength, a