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. 66 SEPTEMBER, 1829. (To the Editor of the Spiritual Magazine.) Mr. Editor, A CALL TO THE THIRSTY. THE following letter was addressed by me to a very respectable and worthy minister of the established church, of the class denominated evangelical." The reader will at once perceive that it was sent to him after the writer had heard him preach from that well-known text, Isa. lv. 1. “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters." As the ministers who deal in unrestricted offers, and general invitations, usually consider this passage of holy writ, (with some others,) as their warrant for those addresses, which, to me appear unscriptural, and therefore unwarrantable, perhaps your insertion of the letter in the Spiritual Magazine may not be without some utility and if God is glorified, and any of the Lord's people are at all instructed or established, then is obtained the object of Brentford, Aug. 5, 1829. Rev. Sir, ANDREW. The motives of the writer in addressing a few lines to you are pure. They are dictated from a desire for the glory of God, and with the best of intentions towards yourself: and this will remain whatever constructions you, Sir, may be pleased to put on the same. This much I say, as I know not whether your mind is teachable or no as there are some good men, especially evangelical ministers in the establishment, whose views are of the arminian complexion, and yet they are VOL. VI.-No. 64. N exceedingly tenacious of their creed, and cannot bear to have the orthodoxy thereof called in question. You appear, Sir, to be a good man, a partaker of the grace of God; I therefore cannot but love you; and you seem to have the welfare of immortal souls at heart, and in this I wish you good luck in the name of the Lord, and desire from mine inmost soul, that your labours may be abundantly owned. 66 Your introduction to your sermon last evening, on grace, was most blessed, sweet, and precious. O Sir, had you but continued in that scriptural strain, there had been no need for these lines to you. Why pause, and place stops in the word of God where there are none? "Ho every one;"it is not so; it is "Ho every one that thirsteth." If it had been written, "Ho every one, come to the waters," then indeed your remarks might not have been irrelevant. But, the address is to thirsty souls, and therefore limited to these; even as Matt. xi. 28. is addressed to the weary and heavy-laden, and all men are not weary, that is experimentally. You said, all are athirst;' Jesus says, "I will give to every one that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely." So on this principle, universal redemption, and universal salvation (which is contrary to the word) is a truth; and all shall be saved, and none shall be lost: for, as all are athirst,' and he, Jesus, will give to all that are athirst, then, all shall drink and live, and never die; for this water is living water, "springing up into everlasting life," John iv. 14. But Jesus saith also in John vii. 37. If any man thirst," that is, if there be any that are athirst, (evidently implying that all do not thirst) let such as are athirst, let HIM come unto me and drink." You talked, Sir, last evening, of a natural desire, and of a natural thirst, which God, you said, had implanted in every bosom. You forget than man by the fall, and by actual sin and transgression, is at a very great distance from God, and that the universal language of men, while in a state of nature, unrenewed by grace, is, " depart from us; for we desire Nor the knowledge of thy ways," Job xxi. 14. It is too true, that, mankind universally are full of desires; and so full of labour in those desires, that man cannot utter it.' "The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing," Eccles. i. 8. There is indeed an universal thirst, but, O lamentable truth! that thirst is not after God, until God himself, by his grace, imparts a spiritual thirst to the soul. Had you, Sir, pointed these things out last evening in your sermon; had you scripturally and experimentally set forth and shewn, the work of grace on a poor sinner's heart, whereby the poor soul was enabled to thirst after God, (Ps. xlii. 2.) after the living God, after Christ, after salvation, after pardon and peace, and all the rich and nutritious blessings (the wine and milk) of the pel; and then, Sir, if you had gone on in preaching the gospel, and so opened up the freeness of gospel grace by way of encouragement to such thirsty souls to come and partake of the 66 same, without money and without price:" O then, Sir, you would have proved gos yourself to be "a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth," 2 Tim. ii. 15. It is blessed in this way and manner to" take forth the precious from the vile," and those who do so are 66 us God's mouth," Jer. xv. 19. He speaks by them to his people, and saith, "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.". All this just suits poor souls who have nothing, no, nothing at all, and who stand in need of all things, and for whom all things are provided in Jesus. Now, instead of this, you called upon all to come, without God's grace, in order that they may have God's grace as the reward of their coming. O that scripture in 1 Tim. ii. 4. was sadly brought in by you, in order to prove your assertions, "Who will have all men to be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth." Your gloss upon the same was quite foreign to the apostle's meaning.. I pray you, is it the will of God that all men should be saved with the salvation of Jesus Christ? If so, why then are not all SAVED? Who hath resisted, who CAN resist the will of God? See, I beseech you, Dan. iv. 35. Isa. xlvi. 9, 10, and I might add many other scriptures. If God willeth the salvation of all men, then assuredly all mankind shall be saved, and none can, nor shall be lost. His will is irresistible. He saith, "The Lord of Hosts hath sworn, saying, SURELY as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand," Isa. xiv. 24. But I see my paper is filling, I therefore check enlargement. I observe that the words of your text, Isa. lv. 1. are no call, invitation, or offer of grace, to all men universally, (who till grace reach their hearts are dead in trespasses and sins) but they are addressed to such persons as are " thirsty;" who, in a spiritual sense are thirsting after pardon, righteousness, and salvation by Christ; which supposes them to be spiritually made alive for such as are dead in sin thirst not after the grace of God, but after the lusts of the flesh; they mind, they long after, they pant for, the things of the flesh, and not the things of the Spirit. Only new-born babes of grace, who are " born again," (John iii. 7.) quickened and made alive by the Spirit of God, it is only these persons that desire Christ, thirst after his grace, and long for spiritual blessings. Further, the same characters are in the same verse distinguished as poor, having no money; who are sensible of their spiritual poverty, and all men are not so: unconverted persons fancy themselves to be rich, and increased in goods, and that they need nothing; and it is the province of the Lord by his grace, yea, it is his prerogative alone, to teach them differently, and to bring them as poor, vile, empty sinners, to a rich, full, and almighty Saviour, to receive out of his fulness, and grace for grace. I must add no more; but may I take the liberty of recommending in the most earnest manner to your consideration and perusal, Dr. Gill's unanswerable performance, entitled, The cause of God and Truth.' That work is certainly a master-piece in explaining, in their 6 connection, all those passages of scripture, (similar to Isa. Iv. 1.) which, allow me to say, you seem at present to have but very clouded and indistinct views of. It is indeed a great matter to have consistent and harmonious views of the word of God, that in our public ministry we declare not an uncertain sound to the people. The writer respects you, Sir; and he is exceedingly thankful and blesses God on your behalf. It is great grace, indeed, when the Lord lays the hand of his mercy on any in the higher ranks of life, as he has evidently on you: therefore praise him. "Not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many NOBLE are called.” I am not ashamed of my name, Sir, though I may not attach it to this paper. It is insignificant, and of very small importance. I am nothing. Christ is ALL to me. You, also, are accountable to the Lord, and not to me. All I mean is this, that as on the last evening you declared to me and to your auditory generally, your views of Isa. iv. 1. so I to-day send you my views on the same scripture. I send it most respectfully, and with all deference to your exalted rank in society, and to your station in the christian ministry, in an establishment from which I conscientiously dissent. I pray the God of peace to be with you, and I subscribe myself, Dec. 17, 1827. A LOVER OF TRUTH, AND OF GOOD MEN. P. S. On a reconsideration, as I never sent to any person an anonymous letter in my life, as I abhor underhandedness, and further, as I sincerely believe the truth is written in this paper, and that to you it is most respectfully addressed, I add my name, (For the Spiritual Magazine.) ****** CIRCULAR LETTER, BY THE SUFFOLK AND NORFOLK ASSOCIATION OF BAPTIST CHURCHES, ON THE POWER OF GODLIness. (Concluded from p. 76.) THE power of godliness is exemplified in the communion of the soul with God. Being reconciled and made nigh unto him by the blood of the cross, apprehended and appropriated by faith; and having the witness of our adoption by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit; we have access to God with boldness, and walk with him in spiritual converse. We have not to wait till we have passed the swelling of Jordan, before we see his face and participate in the vision of his glory. He is even now with us. The happiness begins in time, and is sometimes most richly experienced when our earthly pilgrimage is attended with the greatest trials. "They shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance," is a testimony to which the redeemed set their seal. In his word, house, and ordinances; in the retirement of the closet, in the business of the day, in the watches of the night, they see his glory in the face of Jesus Christ, and commune with him as a man talketh with his friend. Truly their fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ, as the Spirit lifts up the veil and leads them into the holiest of all; yet their felt nearness to "the great sacred Three" does not rise into presumption, by inducing them to forget their distance as creatures, or their vileness as sinners. Their familiarity with God is sweetly solemn, and profoundly awful; they are abased while they triumph, and adore while they enjoy. Affected and overcome by the exceeding greatness of his love, as opened up in the economy, work, and wonders of redemption, and in their personal election and calling, they feel their insufficiency to utter all his praise. Their warmest affections and desires centre in him-created objects lose their attraction, and are chiefly prized as they lead the thoughts to himself, for a season, sinks in the humility that annihilates it, and every power cries out, "Whom have I in heaven but thee, and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee." But the pen of the writer is incompetent to describe the blessedness to which it adverts. Language is too poor to give expression to the feelings that arise in the intercourse of the soul with the grace, perfections, and glories of the adorable Trinity. The psalms of David, and the Song of Solomon, illustrate the subject with great sweetness and dignity. The declaration of the church in Song ii. 3-6. may be referred to as an instance. "As the apple-tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. He brought me to the banqueting-house, and his banner over me was love. Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples; for I am sick of love. His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me." I It would be unsuitable to the importance of our subject, to spend any time in remarking on the beauty and elegance of the imagery, and the tenderness of expression employed in this unrivalled allegory. The word of God is not given for the amusement of taste, but for the edification of the church in faith and love. It may raise our admiration, but it is chiefly intended to shew us the way of salvation, and lead us to holiness, happiness, and God. We cannot lightly esteem its heaven-breathed words and style, but the consideration dwindles into insignificance in the contemplation of the immense value and saving efficacy of its revelations. Inestimable book!— rich with the treasures of grace and salvation, replete with the divine glory, and handed down to us from the bosom of infinite love, as the indelible record of that eternal life which is given to us in Christ Jesus, may we ever prize thy testimonies more than gold, yea, than much fine gold! In the quotation we have made, the church sustains the character of the spouse or bride of our Immanuel; and while she extols his excellency, and describes the overpowering delight which she felt |