THE Spiritual Magazine : OR, SAINTS' TREASURY. << There are Three that bear record in heaven, the FATHER, the WORD, and the HOLY GHOST: and these Three are One." "Earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." 1 John v. 7. Jude 3. APRIL, 1829. (For the Spiritual Magazine.) THE ROCK OF AGES, AND THE PERFECTION OF HIS ROCK WORK. "He is the Rock; his work is perfect." JEHOVAH, the God of Israel, is the Rock of his people's salvation; and all his works are perfect. They owe their origin to his infinite wisdom, and are or shall be completed by his almighty power; for, he will do all his pleasure, and none can stay his hand. It is especially owing to this perfection of his works, in their design and completion, that he is in the scriptures of truth called the Rock, "for all his ways are judgment, a God of truth, and without iniquity, just and right is He." - His work of creation is perfect. When God had created the universe, we are told that he looked upon every thing which he had made, and behold it was very good. Man himself was created upright in the image of his Creator, capable of holding communion with him; but from this state of holiness and happiness he fell, forfeited his fellowship with his Maker, became obnoxious to him, exposed to his vengeance, and thus introduced misery and death into the world, and all our woe. It was thus that man lost that perfection with which he was endowed, when he proceeded from the hands of his Maker. His work of providence is perfect. Yes, dark as the lines may seem to us, mysterious as its dispensations may appear to be, God's providential dealings are a perfect and complete whole; and like all his VOL. V.-No. 60. 2 S other works, they are devised by infinite wisdom, and shall be completed by Almighty power. "The mystery shall at last be finished," and God shall stand justified before an assembled universe. His work of grace is perfect. Yes, this too is perfect. What, shall his work of creation, and his work of providence be perfect, and shall not this, which is his greatest work, the brightest manifestation of his character and perfections, be perfect too? Surely, if any where we may anticipate a perfect work, it is here; and, if ever a perfect work was displayed by Jehovah, this is the work. It is perfect in its origin: it originated in his own divine mind. It is perfect in its plan: this was laid in eternity, and confirmed by an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure. And it shall be perfect in its completion; for Jehovah Jesus has already accomplished the most difficult part of it, by his own incarnation, obedience, and death, and is now in the act of completing it from off his mediatorial throne, where he is exalted as Head of the church, and from which he sends down the gracious ́operations of his Spirit, by which sinners are converted, saints sanctified and preserved, and shall be assuredly glorified. It is especially with regard to the person of Jehovah Jesus, and the perfection of his work, that He is in scripture called, "the Rock;" and, if Jesus be, as the divine oracles represent him to be, truly and properly God, every character and perfection which Jehovah bears, may be safely-nay, ought to be ascribed to him. Jehovah Jesus, then, is the Rock of his people's salvation. Because from him flow those streams of pardon, and sanctifying grace, through which they shall at last be presented blameless and complete before their Father's face, with exceeding joy. When he was upon the cross one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and forthwith there came out blood and water; and he that saw it bear record, and his record is true. No doubt emblematic of that pardon and sanctification which the church should derive through the medium of his death upon the accursed tree. Jehovah Jesus is the Rock too, because by him his people are sheltered from the storms of persecution, temptations, and trials, by which they are beset as they travel through this waste howling wilderness. He is "the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.” Jehovah Jesus is the Rock too, because he is a place of refuge and safety, to all those who put their trust in him. “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous runneth into it and is safe."—" His defence shall be the munition of rocks." They that are found in this fortress are safe; for "neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Not only is Jehovah Jesus the Rock of his people's salvation, but His work is perfect; and it is perfect as a whole, and perfect in all its parts; it will bear the strictest scrutiny, and the closest examination; and the more we examine, the more completely shall we be convinced of its perfection. His work of atonement is perfect. It was a full and sufficient atonement for all the sins of his people; for he bare them in his own body on the tree, and by his stripes are we healed. "He hath by his one offering, for ever perfected them that are sanctified." His work of righteousness is perfect. It is fully commensurate with God's law; he has magnified that law, and made it honourable;" and has wrought out a righteousness, in which all the redeemed shall for ever stand justified before the face of their heavenly Father; for it is in, and upon all them that believe. His work of intercession is perfect. Yes, Jesus has not only atoned for the transgressions of his people, and wrought out a righteousness for them, but he ever liveth to make intercession for all them that come unto God by him;" he ever liveth to plead the perfection of his atonement, and the merits of his righteousness, in behalf of his people. And shall he plead them in vain ? Impossible! for his work is perfect; and he himself hath assured us that, "Him the Father heareth always." His work of conversion is perfect. For this work is ascribed in the scriptures to the Lord Jesus Christ, as well as to the Father, and the Holy Spirit; for as the Father quickeneth whom he will, so the Son quickeneth whom he will. No doubt he doeth this by the immediate energy of the Holy Spirit upon the hearts of his people, who is frequently in scripture called the Spirit of Christ, and the Spirit of the Son; and when this work of conversion takes place upon the soul of a poor sinner it is perfect and complete; it never needs to be repeated. His work of sanctification is perfect. Not perfect as to the eradication of evil principles in this present life, but perfect as to that holy principle, which Jesus by his Spirit has implanted in the soul, and which will be satisfied with nothing less than perfect conformity to the moral image of God; after this it aspires, and to this it shall attain in the heavenly world. "I shall be satisfied when I awake up after thy likeness." His work of preservation is perfect. He is Almighty, and none can pluck them out of his hand. He is unchangeable; and has declared, that of all that the Father hath given him he will lose nothing, but will raise it up again at the last day. His work of glorification will be perfect. For he has declared that he will come again to receive his disciples to himself, and that where he is they shall be also. That they shall behold his glory, and the glory of his Father, &c. with him, and be made like him, and shall dwell with him for ever. Then shall they know after a more perfect and complete manner that "he is the Rock, and his work is perfect." For, now "we see through a glass darkly," but then shall we see face to face. W. H. (For the Spiritual Magazine.) THE DEATH OF MOSES. * 1 have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither."-Deut. xxxiv. 4. "OUR fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever?" No-experience, observation, and the unerring word of truth concur in teaching man the solemn fact-" here he has no continuing city." The subject is awful, and important. Death is daily and hourly opening fresh fields for the exercise of the contemplative mind; and sweetly allures the heaven-born soul, from the toils of the wilderness, to meditate on the glory, and blessedness of the saints' exit. We have a pleasing picture of death presented us in Deuteronomy xxxiv. After Moses had delivered God's ancient people from Egyptian slavery; effected their escape at the red sea; led them forty years in the wilderness; recapitulated a great part of their history; and told them of the judgments made known, and mercies manifested since their fathers commenced their journey, he was commanded to ascend to the top of Pisgah, and there to die. This must have been an afflicting dispensation of divine providence to the people. But the Lord's ways were not as Israel's ways, nor his thoughts as their thoughts. Moses must die; but what was the cause thereof? Doubtless the grand moving cause was the eternal purpose of God: but Moses had sinned against the Lord at the waters of Meribah, Numb. xx. 12. Here we see that it was sin and unbelief that hindered Moses from entering into the earthly Canaan; and so it is spiritually. How often do sin and unbelief hinder the christian from entering into the enjoyment and coming into full possession of the gospel Canaan! How often does unbelief preclude the soul's enjoyment of those covenant blessings, which flow through the channel of the Saviour's mediation and death, such as peace, pardon, righteousness, &c. &c. How frequently does sin cause the preached word, and the ordinances of God's house to become dry breasts of consolation! Yet, some have had the effrontery to assert, that "sin does the believer no harm:" but many a real christian has found, by sad experience, that, "to live after the flesh" is certain death to his spiritual enjoyments. It is indeed a matter of great rejoicing to the believer in Jesus that not all the powers of sin and death, will ever be able to destroy his soul; for his Redeemer ever lives to carry on the work of grace; therefore, he may sing with the immortal Watts "Not all that hell or sin can say, Yes, he is secure amidst all the storms of life; in the Jordan of death; and Oh! sweet to reflect, that when his spirit bursts the bars of mortality, and flies to the regions of never-fading joy, his flesh shall sleep in hope; nor, dare the grand enemy of his salvation attempt to invade the silent house, to rob it of its tenant. "Devils can't snatch him from the grave; Legions of devils can't confine him there." But, remember christian, you are still in the wilderness, and though sin cannot finally overcome you, yet the foe may rob you of your comforts, destroy your hopes, and blast your blooming joys. Sin and unbelief may (as they did Moses) hinder you from entering into the Canaan of the gospel, and rambling over the delectable field of the promises. Alas! how often is it so! The writer of these lines has often to go to a throne of grace with the language of one of old, "Lord, cleanse thou me from secret faults." But, although the unbelief of Moses prohibited him from possessing the promised land, the Lord graciously permitted him to "see it with his eyes;" for this purpose, he climbed up to Pisgah's top, and there the Lord gave him a clear view of that land, which he had hundreds of years before promised Abraham his seed should possess. This doubtless, is a lively figure of the clear views which the christian has, by faith, of the blessings of the heavenly Canaan. Perhaps he has to meet with dangers, trials, doubts, and fears, while journeying to the Canaan above, and often has to exclaim, "Oh! that I knew where I might find him." Yet, sometimes, he is favoured with a glance from the mount; then he views his interest in the blessings of the everlasting covenant, given in Christ, from before the foundation of the world, and procured by his meritorious sacrifice and death. Here he beholds, by faith, the Canaan of rest which he has long been panting after; and with sweet anticipation looks forward to that day, when the messenger death shall appear with his pen dipped in the sacred blood of Immanuel, to sign his dismission from his clay prison, to his Father's house above. From this elevated spot, he views with calmness, and composure of mind, the commotions of the world, and pours contempt upon its transitory pleasures. The world is nothing to him, he is a sojourner here; he is journeying home. And though the world, its lusts, vanities, and corruptions, are dragging him downwards, the eye of his faith is glancing upwards; and often he is ready to exclaim, "why tarry the wheels of his chariot ?" It is worthy of remark, that the christian's faith views, are sometimes clearest at death. Moses never enjoyed this prospect before. So it is with many of God's dear people; they have to walk much by night, surrounded by clouds of darkness, and are encompassed about with enemies; they seldom enjoy uninterrupted communion with God. Their love to Christ is so faint, their faith so weak, their fears so strong, they are almost ready to give up all hope, and conclude "their spot is not the spot of God's people. In this state, the poor soul sometimes continues, till the day of death approaches; and then he is permitted to ascend Pisgah's mount; then he bids farewell to all his wilderness doubts and fears, and views, (by faith) his interest |