we have passed over Jordan, and are baptized in a perfect conformity to the glorious Redeemer. It will often occur, that the christian will be applied to for various good purposes; and as he is an honest man, he will be very careful not to make any pretension to friendship which he does not mean to maintain. Many good men have suffered seriously by relying upon promised aid, which they never realized according to their expectation. The promises which were made to him he has sought for the performance of them; but, alas! he has found them clouds without water. I cannot refrain once more from saying, that neither temper nor feeling are the law of a good man's conduct, but the authority of God alone. Give me the man for a companion who is sincere in his friendship, if he is as poor as Job was, after the Lord had taken from him all his substance. If we enter into any engagement voluntarily, we are bound by the strictest ties of equity to fulfil it. What a world of consequences hang upon the utterance of those monosyllables, yes and no. No man can extort from us a promise of friendship-they are utterances of the heart. What an awful thing it is to raise the hopes of our fellow creatures, and at the very instant that they are raised, for us to be determined not to fulfil them, when we shall be applied to do so according to our engagement. That any person professing to revere the name of Christ should be guilty of such sinful practises, is very awful, but that the number is no more than it is we must ascribe to the sovereign goodness of God. If we make an engagement to meet any one to transact business with him, this comes under the denomination of a promise, and we are not at liberty to violate it with impunity. Punctuality should be a characteristic in the life of every good man, for time is very precious, and it is not to be sinfully wasted. That golden rule of our Lord's is imperatively binding on his disciples, "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them; for this is the law and the prophets." It may be, that if I do not punctually fulfil my engagement with my friend, that I shall be the cause of his breaking his promise with another person. When we act in an irregular manner, and without any plan, we may easily throw a whole community into confusion. One man will say, why I am not quite so exact to my time as I promised to be, and it is a matter of small consequence; but when the journal of the day is examined at night, we find that there were several engagements made that have not been fulfilled, nor can we tell when they will be attended to. Besides this, a punctual man will say of such an one, he would not meet me at the time and at the place specified, I am therefore now released from my obligation to meet him. How much precious time is there sinfully wasted by the professors of the gospel, for want of a little sober consideration and arrangement! Before we proceed to accomplish any plan, it is really necessary for us to look around us, and see whether our means are adequate to our intentions. Thus, for instance, there is the important service of When family worship; if it is not attended to regularly, and at an appointed time, no one will know when to be in readiness to gather round the family altar. If, sometimes, the children and the servants of a family come before, and sometimes after breakfast and supper, to present themselves before God, what confusion will there be in that family, no one knowing when he will be summoned to the most interesting service performed under the domestic roof. Not only is it unbecoming in a good man to be irregular at home, but also in the public walks of life. It is astonishing what may be accomplished by a regular plan of action, and what difficulties will be avoided. you enter the house of a christian, there should be something seen in it in agreement with the order of the gospel; but when you go to the habitation of some religious professors, there are so many apologies made to you for their irregularities, that you may safely conclude, that in that house you would not find a comfortable home. Much of our happiness depends upon a due observance of the means appointed by God; they are so united, that he who attempts to separate them will betray his own weakness, and discover his own folly. Happy is the man who does not render his path in life painful and distressing by his own improper conduct and neglect of duty. There are various ways by which a good man may commend the religion of Christ, that cannot be classified or arranged under any head of duty; but he can never use any scriptural means that will not be profitable to men, beneficial to himself, and honourable in the sight of God. The subject matter of this paper is very important, it embraces some topics that are prominent features of the christian character, and which are not usually attended to according to the weight and demand which they deserve from the disciples of Jesus. To those persons who wish to regulate their practice by the standard of righteousness, I would say to them, try these statements by the word of God, and if they will not bear the test of scriptural criticism, cast them from you as you would do a worthless thing; but if they agree with it, and are drawn from it, embrace them, for they are invaluable. (For the Spiritual Magazine.) Dear Brother in the Lord, I CANNOT let the opportunity pass, which is now afforded by your well-intentioned letter, signed E. M. in last Month's Magazine. I cannot doubt for one moment but that your spiritual and (to many) consolatory letter, was primarily intended to cheer up and refresh the soul of the bereaved husband; and I feel anxious that your christian sympathy should not be lost by a frequent reference to the dear object just gone, for whom, in spite of spiritual views and subjects, the heart still bleeds at every distant mention made of her name, or reference to her person, state, or character. Much of this will necessarily occur in common life, and particularly so in domestic life; and I would therefore just give the hint in affection, that you, or any brother or sister in the Lord, would by all means pursue the subject, direct it to the object, ply the bereaved and overwhelmed survivor with all the consolations of the gospel, but omit all mention, and as much as possible any reference to the beloved object gone. I make these remarks, because at the time I first saw the letter, my own circumstances were the same: the dearest object on earth had just been taken from me; and such were, and such are my feelings, I could not peruse the letter, nor can I now; and yet let but the same subject, the bliss of heaven, the glories of Immanuel, the greatness of his work of love and mercy, the dignity and security of the church as standing in Christ, I say, let these blessed, soul-reviving subjects be but touched upon, and I feel my soul lifted up above my heartrending loss, and am blessed to hold communion with the Lord, and lose sight of the stroke of his hand in the smiles of his face. My dear brother, you are a stranger to me, but I am conscious we are one in the Lord; and I therefore hope the hint will be taken affectionately, being as it is the result of painful experience; and if it has not before occurred to our dear bereaved brother, I hope he will look at the subject in the same light, avoiding as much as possible all that stirs up natural feeling, and but too generally feeds unbelief. Colchester, Sept. 24, 1830. FRAGMENT. J. B. A CHILD of God may perhaps be involved and entangled in such a manner, by some particular temptation, as to be almost at his wit's end. He may try to get away from it, but circumstances may be so ordered that he cannot. He may strive and pray against it, and yet may be permitted to be overcome by it. He may resolve and fall, and fall and resolve; and still may seem to be no nearer deliverance. Nay, he may seem for a season to have obtained deliverance; and yet Satan may foil him worse than ever. (Oh! the distress of a poor soul in such depths.) He concludes himself cast out of God's remembrance. Cruel and rash professors, unacquainted with Satan's temptations, and ignorant of the power of sin in themselves, put him down as having no grace; but the Lord all the while sustains him, and seals instruction upon his heart; teaching him many humbling lessons, discovering to him his own weakness, shewing him where all his strength lies, and framing his spirit to bear with his brethren in like circumstances, and never to open the pharisaic lip of pride and uncharitableness against them. When these and any other useful ends, for which the temptation is suffered to remain, are answered, the Lord will mercifully remove it; and the soul shall know and taste more than ever it did before of the sweetness and extent of that gracious promise," all things shall work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called after his purpose." REVIEW. Letter to the Rev. Edward Irving, on his " Statement of the Doctrine from Scripture." The first part of his late Pamphlet on the "LORD'S HUMANITY. By the Rev. Joseph Duncan, A.B. 8vo. pp. 40. A Letter to the Moderator of the Presbytery of London, concerning the SINLESS HUMANITY OF CHRIST. By the Rev. James Millar, 8vo. pp. 32. Stewart. A Letter to the Rev. Edward Irving, in Refutation of the awful Doctrines (held by him) of the Sinfulness, Mortality, and Corruptibility of THE BODY OF JESUS CHRIST. By the Rev. Henry Cole, Svo. pp. 98. Palmer. CONVINCED of the awful consequences resulting from the unscriptural and blasphemous sentiments promulgated with so much assiduity by Mr. Irving, we feel a pleasure in directing the attention of our readers to those who have evinced their attachment to their glorious Redeemer, by exposing and confuting the damnable heresies of men who lay in wait to deceive; but as we have in some of our previous Numbers entered fully into the subject, we shall only glance at each of the above pamphlets as concisely as possible. Mr. Duncan takes up Mr. Irving's doctrine as to the Humanity of our Lord being a sinful substance that the work which he did was to reconcile his own nature, in accomplishing which he reconciled all—that Christ was made under the law in the conditions of a fallen creature that there was a liability and inclination in Christ to transgress the law-Christ not under the law as a substitute-the righteousness of the law our own performance-the righteousness of faith our own performance-the contest between the humanity and divinity of Christ, &c. &c. On each of which dogmas Mr. D. dilates and proves them to be contrary to scripture, subversive of all sound doctrine, and destructive to the souls of men. His remarks are comprehended in a small compass, but they are fully to the point, and expose the sophistry and jargon of Mr. I. who, to use our Author's closing observations, has become a troubler of the church's peace, an impugner of Christ's person, and a perverter of his doctrines." And we would say to every sincere enquirer after truth, "From such turn away." Mr. Millar is the minister of the Scotch Church in the Borough of Southwark, and was the principal mover in introducing the subject to the notice of the Presbytery of London. The present pamphlet, which is addressed to the Moderator of the Presbytery, contains a concise statement of the "great mystery of godliness," which involves in it not only the proper divinity, but also the true humanity of our blessed Lord. In prosecuting the enquiry, our Author first takes a retrospect view of the errors which took rise in the early ages of the church; he then glances at those formularies of the church which were adopted to debar men holding heretical opinions from the ministerial office;-then proceeds to adduce proofs for the sinlessness of Christ's humanity. From the fundamental doctrine thus expounded, several truths are embodied, which may be considered advantageously as conclusions. Mr. M. has in this letter evinced so much christian spirit, with an uncompromising defence of truth, that we do most strongly recommend it to our readers; sincerely hoping that a sufficient number will sell, to prevent any loss arising to the Author from this his honest and faithful defence of truth. Mr. Cole's Refutation would have been reviewed by us before, but we only received a copy of the book a short time since, with a request from a correspondent that we would notice it. In refuting Mr. Irving's heresies, Mr. C. has very fully proved the awful consequences that would arise from the human nature of Christ being sinful, mortal, and corruptible; and that the whole tenor of scripture is against such an hypothesis. He has quoted largely scripture testimonies to the sinlessness and impeccability of the humanity of our Lord, which, as that sound divine, the late Mr. Toplady, very properly stated, was, inherently considered, "immortal," and but for his voluntary covenant engagements never could have died. Mr. Cole has handled Mr. I. with considerable asperity; a method we do not generally approve: but when an individual continues pertinacious in error, and spreads his contagion around him to the great injury of the church, asperity may (if ever) be allowed. Mr. Cole deserves well for coming forward among the first to oppose and refute this widely-spreading heresy. Each of these pamphlets are well worthy the perusal of all who have been in any way ensnared by this heresy; and we do hope that the church of Scotland will publicly evince their steady and unshaken adherence to those important truths which are now so daringly impugned, and shew to all that they will not hold communion with any, whatever may be their talents or gifts, who reject that atonement which could only be effected by the incarnation and death of HIM, who was "holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners!" Sermons on the Covenant of Grace. By the late Rev. Torial Joss, 12mo. pp. 12. Palmer. IN the advertisement, the Rev. Mr. Southwood, who has edited this Sermon, informs his readers, that this is the first of nine discourses delivered from the same text, by the late Mr. Joss; and he purposes, if the sale allows, to publish the remaining eight. As the price is very low, and the Sermons well worthy publication, we hope he will meet with encouragement. VOL. VII.-No. 80. 2 F |