Images de page
PDF
ePub

20th, than which none can be more expressive of a spiritual state of mind; it is as follows, "BUT CHRIST LIVETH IN ME." This you will observe, Paul expresses with holy boldness, with heavenly mindedness, with deep humility, and without the least hesitancy. For Christ to "live in" a man, implies what he did for him before he lived in him. "God lives blissfully because he lives in himself;" man lives sinfully, because he lives to himself. Sin entered the world, and death by sin; and as all the family of our Eden head fell in him, so death has passed upon all in consequence thereof. The sentence of death, which passed upon Adam, was threefold-moral, natural and eternal. The first was the extinction of the image of God. The holy actings and wellbeing of the soul were lost. All desires to enjoy the presence of God were gone. With regard to the second, the body must die; for "it is appointed to all men once to die." Solemn thought! after this the judgment. The wicked must die, that they may go into everlasting punishment; the righteous must die, that their sin may be annihilated, and that they may enter into everlasting glory. As it respects eternal death, it is so called because there will be no end to it. A good author remarks: "A fish lives naturally in the water; but take and heat that water, and put the fish into it, and it will die in the very same water it lived in. God shall need no other executioner in hell but men's own sins, set on fire by his wrath."

A three-fold death came by the first Adam, and a three-fold life by the second Adam, the Lord from heaven. A life of justification, of sanctification, and of glorification. The first gives us a title to life; "for by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all (redeemed) men unto justification of life." The second is a meetening of us for the enjoyment of life eternal. And the last will be a putting of us into the possession of the heavenly inherit

ance.

What debtors are we to sovereign grace! By nature we are the children of wrath, even as others, and obnoxious to punishment; "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ." Sin, which is the cause of death, Christ hath put away, (as to its guilt and damning power, his atonement is a complete covering for all the sins of the elect of God;) therefore it is written, "Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven, and whose sin is covered." The law by which sin is discovered, is stripped of all its curses; our surety has been to the end of it for righteousness to every one who

believeth. The wrath of God, due to sin, is put away.

He has "delivered us," said the apostle, "from the wrath to come."

Christ having thus saved us by his life and death, he will come in the power of the Holy Sanctifier, and save us from the reign and love of sin. All these things Christ must do for a sinner, before he can say with Paul, "Christ liveth in me." Satan must be cast out before Christ can live in the soul. This is the strong man armed, who keeps Man-soul under his control until a stronger than he commands him to come out and enter no more. Now when satan is cast out, the Lord Jesus creates the soul anew, takes the stony heart out, and gives a heart of flesh, writes his law in the heart, puts his fear therein, and washes and cleanses the soul, that it may be a fit habitation for God, through the Spirit. He can now say, "Christ liveth in me." We know by painful experience that our affections are too frequently earthly, sensual and devilish, for the old man is not altered in his nature, is not become holy; but "the elder SHALL serve the younger;" grace shall REIGN, through righteousness, unto eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. And under the shining of the Sun of righteousness upon our soul, we find our sins are subdued, the limbs of the old man are paralyzed, and every faculty of the soul is joyfully employed in the service of Christ.

Christ

Now How does Christ live in us? It must be by faith. is formed in the heart" by faith." Faith is a fruit of the Spirit, not the product of human power. It is not man's duty to create this faith. Duty faith precludes the complete work of the Holy Spirit, and makes the atonement of Christ nugatory. But the faith of God's elect is that of which Christ is the author and finisher; it works by love; it is an eye to look unto Jesus. Sometimes, a kind of film comes over this eye, so that

the poor christian cannot see Christ; when this is the case, he is taught to cry to the Lord for some holy "eye-salve" to be applied. In fact, we want the renovating of the Holy Spirit day by day. It is by faith Christ is received, and therefore we may say, faith is the hand by which the righteousness of Christ is put on. We must distinguish between faith as a principle, and the actings of faith. It abides in every regenerate heart unchanged; all the corruptions of the heart, and the powers of darkness combined, cannot destroy it, for it is spiritual life; and by virtue of union to Christ, and the power of God, it is kept alive. But it is often damped in its exercise, so that the child of God cannot act faith when he would. Faith is a working grace; hence we read of the "work of faith," &c. And a vast deal of

work there is for faith to do, especially under very trying circumstances, as when every thing with which we have to do appears opposed to our natural feelings. But however trying outward things may be, while the Lord shines into the soul the saint can say, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him." The poor bewildered and doubting child of God is often tempted to fear that he has no faith. But this is a mistake; for his inward conflicts, and fightings, and strivings, and longings, yea, his groanings under an inward sense of sin, and his desires for the blood of sprinkling, all prove the existence of the principle of faith. And such a soul shall say in due time, "Christ liveth in me."

THE CHRISTIAN.

He is a "wonder to many,” and a mystery to himself.

"

WHAT IS HE? The highest style of man; though by some persons he is looked upon as the offscouring of all WHO MADE HIM? Why, he made things. The men of the world never himself. That is a mistake. The did think highly of the Christian, nor preacher, from whom he heard the is it to be supposed that they ever will. "gospel of the grace of God," made He is a disciple of Christ, a believer of him. No; that is also an error. Prohis doctrines, and an imitator of his bably his religious parents or friends conduct. He is a learner all his days. did the important work? They had He is taught the evil of sin, and hopes nothing to do with it efficiently. Who for mercy through the atonement; he then did make him Let one of the is taught the depravity of his soul, and noblest of his class furnish the reply: longs for purification by the grace of "BY The grace of God, I am what the Holy Spirit; he is taught to reI am." Then the "God of all grace nounce his own righteousness, and to made the christian? Certainly. He depend on the "righteousness of God,"delivered him from the power of darkness, and translated him into the kingdom of his dear Son;" HE broke the adamantine heart, and drew tears of penitence from his eyes; HE led him to bend the knee in fervent prayer, and brought honest confessions of sin from his lips; HE imprinted the image of Christ upon his soul, and formed him in the heart the "hope of glory;" Hв empowered him to put off the "old man," and put on the new; HE led

by faith;" he is taught to hate sin and love Christ, to fly from Sinai to Calvary, to rise above the world, and set his affections on things above. He lives upon Christ, he walks by faith, he fortifies his mind by prayer, and cherishes in his bosom a good hope, through grace, of a blissful immortality. He is "poor in spirit," yet "rich in faith;" he is mean and despicable, yet possesses true nobility; he can call nothing his own, yet is heir to an in-him in paths of righteousness, and corruptible inheritance. He is a racer, and shall gain the prize for which he runs; a warrior, and shall be more than conqueror through Christ who loves him; a pilgrim, and shall reach his place of destination in safety; a sailor, and shall weather every storm. "According to his merey he saved us,

shall cause him to "inherit substance;" HR rivetted his heart to the doctrines of Christ, and influenced him to copy his illustrious example. The Lord makes the Christian, sustains him, and will guide and supply him all his days.

by the washing of regeneration, and the pilgrim's home, the racer's goal, renewing of the Holy Ghost." "We the warrior's retreat, and the restingare his workmanship." "It is God place of the weary. He might, as a that worketh in us to will and to do sinner, have now been on the way to of his good pleasure." hell. He is going to the kingdom of light; he might have been on the road to eternal darkness. Where is he going? To heaven, we again reply, 1s he reluctant to go there? O no; most cheerfully does he bend his steps that way; because his treasure is there, his heart is there, his Lord is there. Is there not a possibility of his failing by the way? No; for "the righteous shall hold on his way." The power of God defends him, the mercy of God relieves him, the grace of God supplies him, and his safety is identified with the honours of the eternal throne. He looks for his home with pleasure, and

WHERE IS HE? He is in heaven by registration and representation. His name is in the "book of Christ, and on the heart of Christ." It was in the "book" in heaven before he became a Christian on earth by new creation. The great "High Priest of our profession," the anti-typical Aaron bears it on his breastplate before the throne "within the veil." The Eternal Father beholds the Christian in Christ as without spot and blameless, and regards him as having a right in the kingdom of glory, He is in the world a stranger, but not without a friend. "There is a friend that stick-anticipates his coronation with ineffeth closer than a brother;" that friend is Christ. His friendship is enjoyed by the Christian in the world, it will attend him through the world, and lift him out of the world. What a friend is Christ to the Christian stranger! While passing through the world he must have "tribulation," but in Christ he shall have "peace." His sorrows sometimes" abound," but his consolation by Christ does "much more abound;" his mind is often cloudy and confused, but the beams of the "Sun of Righteousness "bring him light and calmness; his path over the waste is solitary indeed when Jesus is not felt to be with him, but in his company the way must be pleasant, the wilderness becomes a paradise, and as he goes he cheerfully sings, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want." WHERE IS HE GOING? To heaven,

able delight. His way home lies
through the "valley of the shadow of
death." It is not a dreary valley, be-
cause the Lord is there; it is not dark,
because his presence illumines it.
There is no sting in death, no horror
in the grave, to the Christian. Jesus
is the "plague " of one, and the "de-
struction" of the other. Therefore,
as the Christian enters the "valley,"
he triumphantly exclaims, "O death,
where is thy sting? O grave, where is
thy victory? The sting of death is sin,
and the strength of sin is the law; but
thanks be to God, who giveth ME the
victory through the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Happy Christian! Honoured disci
Why shouldest thou fear? Rea-
der! Art THOU a “Christian?" Hast
thou the "spirit of Christ ?" If thou
hast not the spirit of Christ, thou art
not his!
GEO. ISAAC.

ple!

Expositions.

DAVID AND HIS MEN.
Continued from page 351.
II. DAVID'S MEN.

type of the ever-blessed Redeemer, we now proceed to advert to his troop, as prefiguring the saints of the living God. I. Having spoken of David as a Amongst the various points in

their condition and character, | the law of God in its rectitude, which the Holy Spirit has seen its amplitude, and its spiritual

But the conflict is not termi

fit to reveal, we learn that they ity, the troubled soul trembles were "in distress." Truly this at the footstool of divine majesty, is strikingly descriptive of the and is made to feel anguish of children of the Lord, in all the the most sincere and solemn stages of their spiritual experi- kind, while the quivering lips ence, more or less. When move in the utterance of the brought at the first to feel the pathetic petition, "God be merdanger and misery of their state ciful to me a sinner!" Nor will by natural descent and personal this distress subside until some act, and to have some right ap- sweet indication of pardoning prehensions of the infinite evil goodness is breathed into the of sin, and the unswerving claims soul by the Holy Spirit, and a of the righteous law of God, personal interest in redeeming they are made to know what it love is, more or less, applied to is to be "in distress." They the heart by the sacred power of become the subjects of sorrow the Divine Counsellor and Tes "after a godly sort," and grieve tifier. Then, indeed, does the in a manner which may excite grief of " the contrite one" give surprise, but can arouse no place to sweet and unspeakable sympathy from the dearest earth-joy, and the peace which passly friends, who have not been eth all understanding takes posled in the same painful but pro- session of the soul. fitable track. If these new-born souls begin to tell out their feel-nated, it is only commenced. ings to the worldling or mere formalist, they are reminded that there is no rational cause for lamentation, that even if they have not "been religious," they are in no worse case than many of their neighbours, indeed, they are much better than many,and that they had better try to divert their mind by change of scene and occupation. "I would advise you," said a carnal clergy-ful indulgence of ungodly dispoman, to one of his hearers who sitions of mind, by their affinity spoke to him in distress of soul to perishable and earthly things, on account of sin, to go to the by their rebellious struggles sea-side for a month or two, against the will of God, by their and take some aperient medi- tormenting and hateful heart corcine!! which will probably give ruptions, and often by their apyou the relief you need." Alas! parent want of feeling in referWhile blind guide knew noth-ence to eternal things. poor ing of" the path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture's eye hath not seen.'

the

66

Having been brought to see

These characters know of a close and painful acquaintance with "distress" during the after part of their wilderness-way to the promised land. They are often distressed by the hidings of their heavenly Father's face, by the anxieties and perplexities of their providential lot, by their frequent non-enjoyment of sanctuary privileges, by their sin

they are in "this body of humi. liation," they will find, from these and many other occasions, that one of the most prominent

« PrécédentContinuer »