PREFACE. The close of another year, calls us again before our readers with our annual salutation; and while we would earnestly pray, that the smile of Israel's Jehovah may be upon all the true Israel of God, and that his right arm may be round about them to protect them from every adversary, we cannot shut our eyes to the fact, that the signs of the times portend indeed coming calamities; and that this so long highly privileged nation, in the encouragement given by its rulers to the crafty and exulting votaries of the papacy, and to the unblushing infidel, is indeed rapidly filling up the measure of its iniquities, and thus compelling those who are looking out from their watch-towers, with the lamp of scripture in their hands, to dread that the Lord will permit again the incoming of persecution amongst us. Popery is not now to be regarded as some far-off evil which may affect perhaps our posterity (although then we ought to lift up our voices against it), but it is already covering like a pestilence our land: multiplying its edifices, renewing those sinks of depravity the convents and the monastaries of the olden time, adding to its emissaries, thrusting itself into situations of honour and of trust, creeping into our government, insinuating itself every where by the most base and servile crouching, patiently waiting for the day, when having gathered up its strength, it shall again manifest that the sheltered serpent which was thought so harmless, has lost none of its original venom, and hath lingered but for its opportunity to destroy. Sadly to be lamented indeed is it, that those who are within the camp -those who have been favored with a faith's view of their interest in the covenant-should so fall out amongst themselves, while this awful prospect is becoming thus vividly developed. Far be it from us to call upon any to yield up their convictions upon fundamental truths, nay, not for an hour, but we should be indeed gratified, if by reminding them most emphatically of the injunction of the Patriarch," Fall not out by the way," our remonstrance should be blessed of the Lord to the increase of brotherly love amongst us. We have likewise to lament the falling away of some of whom we had hoped high things: "they have gone from us because they were not of us," Let it ever be remembered, when the preachers of sound truth, in the letter of it, turn to another gospel; or when the practical antinomian, divested of his assumed garb of christian profession, is seen in his hypocrisy, God's truth is still unstained. The doctrines of the gospel are still the highway of holiness; and while the weight of a greater condemnation attaches to those, by reason of whose licentious conduct, the way of truth, and the gospel of truth, are evil spoken of, still unharmed and still unstained, the fair fabric of God's holy gospel rises triumphant, and shall outlive every foe. Death hath likewise been of late more than ordinarily busy amongst God's children; thinning the ranks of the church militant, calling home to glory, many who shone brightest in the church's hemisphere: but while we exclaim Our fathers, where are they! and the prophets do they live for ever!" we look vainly for a corresponding number of Elishas upon whom the mantles of called-home prophets shall descend. The Lord reigneth ?" "Shall not the Judge of the whole earth do right?" We would take this as our motto for the coming year, and with this impressed on our minds by the eternal Comforter, then shall we not fear amid all the political convulsions which shake the world's kingdoms; and though the sigh may arise at the fading away of presumed brethren, though the tear of regret may fall in witnessing the success of our great adversary in fanning the flames of dissention amongst the children of one Father, though like our great Master we may weep over the burial place of departed and much-loved friends, though the cares of this time-state may distress, and the disappointments thereof pale our cheeks, yet will we rejoice and be confident, that our God can, yea, and doth overrule all things to the praise of his own glory and the promotion of his people's real good. Reader, shall we ask for thee a new years gift? Though unknown, personally, it may be that we have for many a year gone by, contemplated together in these pages, the fulness, the freeness, and the suitability of Christ's salvation: it may be that thou hast known Jesus for many years, hath long time dwelt beneath his shadow and found his fruit sweet unto thy spiritual taste: thou mayest have been so highly privileged as to be enabled to say with confidence, yea, perhaps with assurance, "My Beloved is mine and I am is:" what richer new-year's gift can we ask for thee from the King, than that he will be pleased to continue to thee, these precious manifestations of his mercy, opening before thee new and yet unfathomed mysteries in the beauty and majesty of his person, and in the perfection and glory of his work; that through him thou mayest have fellowship with the Father by one Spirit, even the Comforter ? Or, it may be, reader, that thou art still hovering at the threshold of mercy's door, that though long convinced of thy lost state, and of thy need of a Saviour, and of the sufficiency of the Lord Jesus to sustain for thee every character which, as an undone sinner, thou requirest, the language of thy heart is still, O that I knew where I might find him!" What can we wish thee better, dear reader, than that this opening year may indeed be to thee a new, and a jubilee season, that the vision, which is for an appointed time, and which shall surely come, may indeed gladden thine heart even now, and cause thee to go on thy way rejoicing? A word to our correspondents, and we must close: we thank them for their continued favours; without them, we are as nothing: and when we reflect that our pages are filled by communications coming to us, unbought, from all ends of the kingdom, we cannot but hope and believe that our Lord will deign to smile upon these their labours of love in his cause, and to Him we commend them, with ourselves, and the whole church of God which he hath redeemed with his most precious blood, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. THE EDITORS. AND ZION'S CASKET. JANUARY, 1839. "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. 9. GOD's Israel in all ages have to learn, that it is not for their righteousness that the Lord saves them, for they are a stiff-necked people; but for his own name's sake. Thus, at the time Ezra expressed himself in the language of the verse whence I have read the text, Israel had just been delivered from the Babylonish captivity by order of Cyrus; and being interrupted in the work of building the city of Jerusalem, the decrce of Cyrus was confirmed by another from one of his successors, although Israel even then were walking contrary to the commands of Israel's King, in taking unto them wives of the nations around. And there appears to me, something very striking in the restoration of Israel, as pointing to Christ: lose sight of his dear name and precious work we cannot, in the contemplation of the subject. I mean, first, that Zerubbabel built the temple, by typifying Jesus, who is in deed and truth the disperser of confusion, as Zerubbabel signifies; and who, having laid the foundation of his mystical temple in January, 1839.] covenant counsel, actually sheds his blood in the fulness of time, and thereby for ever puts away that confusion of misery, guilt, and condemnation, which the election of grace fell into in common with the world through Adam. Ezra restored the true worship of God, and was a ready scribe in the law of his God:" his name signifies a helper:' the law of God was in the midst of Christ's bowels (Ps. xl. 8), and he it is helps us out of the bogs of false religion, and teaches us to worship God in spirit and in truth. Nehemiah signifies 'the conduct of the Lord ;' he built the wall and city: but Jesus our true Nehemiah, the governor who reigns over us and in us, builds us up in our most holy faith. Thus does he prove to us that he is our Priest, our Prophet, and our King. From the words before us, we will notice the Bondage and the Reviving. First. The Bondage, which consisted in the following things: first, their being in a foreign land; secondly, their being helpless prisoners in this foreign land; and thirdly, their being deprived of participating in that which was dear unto them. First, I say, their bondage consisted in being in a foreign land-the land of Babylon. Into this foreign land of confusion B the Lord's Israel often get; carried thither by the great enemy of souls, of whom Nebuchadnezzar was an eminent type. Having got the poor believer into Babylon, he gets confused in a labyrinth of worldly cares, distressing fears, perplexing doubts, despairing thoughts, and wretched feelings. Idolatry takes the place of true communion with God. A favourite child, an affectionate relative, an easy situation, comfortable circumstances, a smooth path, kind words from the world; with a thousand other things, such as trade, as trade, business, gain, advancement, and prosperity, are pretty idols which the devil sets up in our hearts, and which we bow down to, making an idol house in all directions. But we must be so hedged up by God, as that we cannot find our lovers; yea they shall be marred in our view, prove pricks in our sides, and thorns in our eyes; by which we shall be necessitated to cry for deliverence. But Israel were helpless prisoners in Babylon, there were a hundred brazen gates to the city; a wall near 30 yards in breadth, 120 yards in height, and 60 miles in length, on which were placed upwards of two hundred towers, no doubt filled with armed men: Israel's escape therefore was impossible, while nothing that they possessed could they call their own; their wives, their children, their property, were all in the hands of their enemies. But what is all this to the harder captivity, into which the souls of God's children get. What was Babylon's high wall to the wall of human nature? What were her brazen gates which could not be opened, to ear-gate, eye-gate, taste-gate, praise-gate, perceptiongate, or understanding-gate; which gates are at times all shut up and who can open them? What were her towers on the wall, to worldlymindedness tower, carnal-reason tower unbelief tower, self-pity tower, presumption tower, discontent tower, natural-affection tower? all which In the devil builds upon human nature, and fills with his own troops: while promises, invitations, and gospel truths, we cannot call our own. the next place, Israel was deprived of participating in that which was dear unto them. The daily sacrifice, the High Priest's bells, his entrance into the holy of holies, the scape goat, the shechinah or divine presence, the Urim and Thummim, the fire on the altar, that never went out, the first fruits of their harvests, and vintage, no longer witnessed: the salubrious air of Canaan no longer breathed; her majestic mountains no longer grazed upon by their little kids; her silvery streams no longer drank of; they sit down by the rivers of Babylon, and hang their harps upon the willows, in keen remembrance of the city of Zion, where they sang Jehovah's praise, and of the holy land, where flowed their milk and honey. But what was this to thy captivity dear believer? when day after day the sacrifice of Jesus was not partaken of in the exercise of faith; when the golden bells of heavenly doctrines were sounded, but thou hadst not a pomegranate of the Holy Spirit's graces to taste thereof; when thou couldst not behold thy Great High Priest entering the holiest of holies for thee; when thou couldst not discover Jesus, thy scape-goat, bearing all thy sins, and carrying them into the land of forgetfulness; when the liftings up of God's countenance upon thy soul were withdrawn; when the lights of truth, peace, and joy, and the perfections of justification, liberty, and glory, were held from thy view, as seen in the face of Jesus; when there was no exercise of the heavenly fire of life in thy soul; when Jesus could not be seen by thee as thy all-conquering Lord, becoming the first fruits of them that slept, when all was bondage within, and no gospel liberty breathed; when thy kids of faith and love could not feed upon the ancient |