The Dream...................................................................... 28 A Word of Encouragement 195 196 222 223 THE CHRISTIAN'S PENNY MAGAZINE, AND FRIEND OF THE PEOPLE. Cabinet of Things New and Old. NEW YEAR ADDRESS TO THE CHURCHES. CHRISTIAN BRETHREN,-In our progress through the wilderness we have reached another stage: here let us halt, and try to realize our condition as creatures who are rapidly hasting by day and by night to the confines of this world at various speed, but with certain issue. Let us stop a little to inquire what we have been doing, and whither we are going. Let us look over the book of the heart, that we may learn how matters stand between us and our God. Suffer us now to deliver our own soul without offence to any of you, for our heart is filled with affectionate regard for you all. Let us conceive, then, that this night, the first of another year, we are congregated for the last time-that we have now done with the world, and are forthwith to leave it that we are here to spend another hour, and then go home and die! Let us, then, resume that great theme which, during lifetime, we have been discussing, and close by a summary of all that we have taught you in the name of God. We shall thus give an account of our own stewardship, and invite you to give an account of yours. 1. The utter depravity and the universal guilt of man, as declared in the Scriptures, have been fully set forth to you. It has been uniformly shown that man is dead in sin, and dead in law, and that there is no strength in him. That, nevertheless, this, their weakness, is their crime, because it consists in disinclination, in enmity and rebellion. No constraint is put upon them; they do evil willingly, and with both hands greedily; they are averse to all good, and prone to all ill. We have ever taught that all the misery of the world is the fruit of its sin; and that all mankind, because of this sin, are in a state of condemnation; and that if the human race had been left to justice, they must inevitably have perished. 2. We have fully announced the great doctrine of mercy, through B a crucified Saviour, God and man in two distinct natures, and yet one person, and taught that he, by his death, made a full atonement for sin; that by this death the law of God was magnified and honoured, that all the obstructions of justice are cleared away from the path of mercy, and these two conflicting attributes are now reconciled,—that the fountain of mercy, like the emblematic water in the wilderness, has burst forth at the foot of the cross, pouring forth a tide of life on every side,-that in the work of Christ there is an unlimited sufficiency for all the human race,--that as there is no limitation to its value, there is no limitation to the invitations to be given to the sons of men, for the Master himself hath said, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." 3. We have taught that the benefits of the death of Christ are derived through penitent faith in his blood-belief of the record which the Father hath given concerning him, that God, by the ministry and the word, now commandeth all men everywhere to repent, that repentance and faith are enjoined on every creature that hears the gospel, and that such as believe shall be saved, and such as believe not shall be condemned,-and that, therefore, it is everywhere, to every hearer, the "savour of life unto life, or of death unto death," according as men believe or reject it. Thus much for the condition of all men under the dispensation of the gospel. This, indeed, is the precise essence of that gospel in its doctrine and proclamation. 4. We have taught, that of the human race, to whom the gospel is offered, and all of whom are invited, yea, commanded, to partake of it, the salvation of innumerable millions is infallibly secured by the eternal purpose of God. These are termed the "elect," or the chosen of God, who has foreknown them, and predestinated them unto eternal life. They are named and numbered from eternity, and given to Jesus Christ, to whom is committed the work of redeeming them; wherefore, when he had completed it on the cross, he said, "I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do." The communication of life to them was also imparted to him, so that he says he hath received all power over all flesh, that he may give eternal life to as many as God hath given him. These were the special objects of redemption. 5. We have taught that eternal life and all its blessings are communicated to the souls of the elect by the Holy Spirit,-that he convinces the soul of sin and misery, and enlightens it, after giving it life, in the knowledge of Jesus Christ; and that thus wrought upon, they become penitent, they believe, they trust, and rely upon the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. 6. We have taught that sinners, then, that is, on repenting and believing, become justified on the ground of the righteousness of Jesus Christ. His work includes a full conformity to the law of God in all its precepts; and his death for sin fully removes all the difficulties arising from past guilt. This justification is complete from the moment the sinner believes the truth and embraces Christ. He is God's; it is irreversible, and never will be lost. 7. We have taught that believers are perfectly freed from the law of God as a covenant of works-freed both from its commanding and its condemning power. They are no more under the law in any sense, but under grace; they are dead to the law, that they may live unto God. It hath no more power over them; and such hath been the privilege of believers in every age. 8. We have taught that this perfect freedom from the commanding and condemning power of the law secures the attainment of holiness. Sin has now lost its dominion over them, because they are not under the law, but under grace. The effect of the law in the former case was to stimulate and provoke their corruptions; but now a new heart has been given to them, and new principles of true holiness have been implanted in their nature. The result of all this is, a holy walk and conversation. Such a walk is the end of our election, redemption, and calling. It is the fruit and evidence of salvation,-it is a command by God,—it is prompted by the Spirit, -it is spontaneously produced by love to the Saviour. 9. We have taught that the elect are secured against total and final apostasy by the immutability of God's purpose-the perfection of the sacrifice of Christ's death-the perpetuity and prevalence of his intercession-the irreversible nature of justificationthe inhabitation of the Holy Spirit—and the unalterable and absolute tenor of the new covenant;-and that this is accomplished by the proper employment of a system of appointed means. If ye do these things, ye shall never fall;"-these things believers do, and, therefore, they endure to the end, and are saved. 10. We have taught you, also, that there was an inseparable connection here between what saints sowed and what they shall hereafter reap,-that while Christ expects and demands his people's homage, love, and obedience, and while they are constrained by his excellence and goodness to admire, love, and serve him, he minutely calculates the measure of their service, holds himself their debtor, and in heaven will repay them, that Christians should love one another with pure hearts fervently, and do all those deeds and discharge all those offices which love implies,-that such deeds will enhance the bliss at once of the giver and the receiver,-that there is, therefore, something of supreme importance in eternity, which every man, by Divine grace, regulates for himself,—that it lies with him to enlarge and with him to contract it, and that in the same proportion as subsists between seed-time and harvest, 1 Tim. vi. 17; Tit. ii. 7, 14, iii. 8. 11. We have taught that the righteous shall go into eternal life, but the wicked into everlasting punishment. These truths, in their endless combinations, have been at all times presented to you and pressed upon your notice by every variety of consideration. Such, beloved brethren, is a summary of the doctrines of eternal truth which have, with various ability, been set forth among you by the servants of Christ the Lord. We have now to deal with you in classes. I. UNBELIEVERS. You that were unbelievers this time twelve months, how do you now stand before the Lord? Are you believers now? Come forth and show yourselves! What are you still holding out against conscience, and against Christ, and neglecting the great salvation? How is this? Have you any reason to show for such a course of conduct? What additional folly and sin you have committed! { What additional danger you have incurred! Still condemned! Still enemies to God! Still on the side of the archfiend, who is seeking subjects for hell and destruction! Still making him a voluntary tender of your souls and bodies! Some hundred times more has the voice of mercy been lifted up to you, and some hundred times more have you despised it. God hath cut down many who have stood in the same ranks. They are gone! Their graves are fresh, proclaiming that they fell but lately! Yet the mercy of God hath spared you! Where will you be the first day of next year? Ah! who can answer that question? And will you not repent of your deeds and seek the Saviour? II. SAINTS WHO HAVE LOST GROUND. Brethren, there has been something amiss in you! You have been turning away your eyes from the Saviour. You have been ceasing to watch, and pray, and strive. You have been allowing passion to strengthen and guilt to accumulate. You have been neglecting to mortify your affections; you have been remiss or heartless in the means of grace; you have been ceasing to live for eternity. Conscience was once at peace with your conduct, but now it is sadly otherwise. Your own heart no longer approves you; and if men knew what it knows, they would not approve: God, who knows more than it, disapproves still more. You have lost your peace, and your joy, and your hope together. Ah! you are ill at ease. You know you are wrong, and yet your corruption seeks to defend your conduct against your conscience and against the ministry of the word. One of the first acts of a backsliding heart is to turn upon the faithful servants of Jesus Christ, and to denounce not itself, but them! Such, of old, held Paul as their enemy, because he told them the truth. Where healthy spirits find an abundant pasture, they profess to "find no food for their souls." Their disease demands cordials: what such persons require is, peace which they have lost and cannot find. Conscience will give them no rest; and what they want of the ministry is, assistance to put down its insurrectionary tumults; but faithful ministers ever come to its aid, not its overthrow; and thus they only make matters worse. And thus the sinner finds himself in the same case as the ancient king who sent for Balaam to curse the people; and lo! he blessed them seven times! Nothing satisfies such persons but the deadly nos |