INDEX TO VOLUME X. Affairs, publick, view of, 37, 85, 134, 183, || Cowper and his Brother, 448. Campbellism, Debate on, 506. Centrifugal force, 512. 524. Christian Morals important in Rural Life, Coin struck at the Mints of France, 555. Deaths in New York, 32. Digestive Power of Birds, 71. Duello, Novel, 72. Deaths at Baltimore, 73. Distant Sight, 131. Death from Charcoal, 266. Dykes in Holland, 458. Dahlia, 459. Evening Prayer, 11. Education, Assembly's Board of, 35, 74. Earthquake at the North, 72. Extracts from the Journal of Mr. Poor, 179. Early rising, 411. Expulsion of Man from the Garden, 437. Report || Education of the Blind, 555. Faith, Weak, Evidences of, 189. Means of confirming, 237. Foreign Plants, 267. Fire, Ready Means of obtaining, 411. Green, Rev. Jacob, Sketch of the Life of, 11, 51, 99, 145, 194, 317. Geological Fact, Singular, 179. Gambling, 267. General Assembly, Annual Session of, 267. Ginger Beer, 317. Greek Testament, an Anecdote, '546. Gold Mines in Egypt, 555. Hail Storm at Constantinople, 30. Hymn, Latin, 98. Translated, 145. Hymn, 530. Hymns, Original, 99. Hospital for Blind and Lame, 179. Hall, Rev. Robert, Extracts from the works of, 285. Holy Spirit, Gracious operation of the, 529. Influenza in Horses, 73. Influenza and Cholera, 367. . || Indian Curiosities, 178. Jay’s Evening Exercises, 396. Pardon, Abuse of, checked, 205. Pastoral Letter, 233. Plague of London, 296. Demon of, 316. Phenomenon in Rain Water, 410. Prayer of Faith, Lectures on, 501, 547. 137, 185, 281, 329, 377, 425, 473, 521. River of Death: A Dream, 108. Rail Roads, 179. Rural Life, Moral of, 242, 290, 344, 541. Miniature of, in the higher circles, 344. Revivals, Sprague's Lectures on, 361, 440. Reform Bill, English, 368. Revelation consistent with Science, 399, 452. Retrospection, 436. Return of Man to the Garden, 485. Reverence for the Name of God, 545. Reviews, 66, 125, 176, 210, 258, 304, 361, 399, 452,547. Sixteenth Steam Engines, Safety of, 31. Sora, 31. Sanford, Rév. Joseph, Obituary of, 37. · Herald, Extracts from, 75. Shoes, Manufacture of, in Lynn, Mass. 132. Stanzas, 193, 436. Sinking of a piece of Land, 267. Scott's last Volume Reviewed, 304. Sandwich Islands, 319. Snow in August, 411. Strawberries, Autumn, 459.;- Scottish Thistles, 511. Spot on the Sun, 512. Silk, 512. Shoe Blacking, 512. Turkish and French Journal, 30. Tariff, English, on Titles, 31. Taste, Seat of, 31. Temperance Society in Miniature, 64. Tracts, Distribution of, 65. Tillipally, 182. Throne of Grace, 333, 380. Thermometers, 409. Tears of Parents, 533. Vessels, 511. Weather, Statement of, 71. Cold at Germantown, 73. Wolffe, Rev. Joseph, 132. Washington's Birthday, Centennial cele- bration of, 132. Works of a Woodpecker, 132. Wind, 175. Winter Evenings, 555. LECTURES ON THE SHORTER CATE CHISM OF THE WESTMINSTER AS- LECTURE LXIII. mand, for the supply of which a provision, exactly suited to it, is not most wisely and amply made. The offer, too, is seen to be made freely; not only demanding no price or recommendation, but for3. The nature and acts of saving bidding all attempts to bring any. faith-receiving and resting on -It is seen that the full salvation Christ alone for salvation-now tendered, not only may, but must call for your most serious and en- be accepted simply and purely as gaged attention. The essential na- a free gift. The anxious soul, it ture, as well as one of the princi- may be, hesitates. Here is somepal acts of saving faith, is very thing perfectly new-of a kind happily described by the phrase, re- like nothing else. The greatest ceiving him as he is offered in the gos- of all possible blessings is presentpel. By this, faith is discriminated ed to the most undeserving; refrom the other cardinal graces. quiring nothing in the recipient, In hope, we pleasingly anticipate but a sense of guilt, and hopethe possession of a future good. less inability to help or recomIn love, our affections delightfully mend himself, and a willingness to fix and exercise themselves on an receive all that he needs from an amiable object. But in neither of Almighty, all-sufficient, Saviour. these do we receive an object, and Wonder and admiration fill his appropriate it to ourselves. To do soul. He asks, perhaps, have I inthis, is exclusively the province and deed nothing to bring? A single function of faith. Its object has glance at his state gives a decisive already been described-Christ in negative answer. He sees himself the gospel offer. This object, when destitute of every thing but guilt, about to be received in an act of jus- and misery, and want. Then, he tifying and saving faith, is most dis- thinks, this offer exactly suits my tinctly perceived by the mind, aid- case. It requires nothing, it aded, as it always then is, by the Spi- mits of nothing meritorious in me; The soul looks and truly, I have nothing—nothalternately at its unspeakable wants ing but demerit, and pollution, and and necessities, and at the complete desert of eternal death. “Oh blessprovision which is made for them ed Saviour! can it be true that all , in the infinite fulness of Christ. thou dost stand ready to impute to It is seen that there is not, and me thy righteousness; to account cannot be, a necessity or as mine, and to make over to me, all Vol. X. - Ch. Adv. A rit of all grace. a de the fulness of thy redeeming me- acts of saving faith, in which the rit, gifts and graces, if I be but believing sinner receives Christ willing to receive them without his Saviour. I thought, too, that the money and without price! And am subject would be best illustrated I not willing, yea, intensely desi- by a short description of the exerrous to receive them thus! Search- cises themselves. Such exercises, er of hearts, see if I deceive not my- or rather, such as my description self-see all the powers of my soul does not reach, and indeed no lanbowing in humble and adoring guage can can adequately express, thankfulness, to accept thy offer. many a believer has known, on his I receive it, just as thou dost prof- first coming, in a saving manner, to fer it. I receive thee, O my gracious Christ Jesus; and often afterward, condescending Redeemer! in all thy in his spiritual intercourse with precious offices, as my prophet, his Saviour. Yet you are to obpriest, and king. I receive thy aton- serve and carefully remember, ing sacrifice as the full expiation of that these high exercises, however all my crimson and scarlet sins. I desirable, are not essential to the receive thy finished righteousness actings of saving faith. They have, to be upon me, as my justifying I doubt not, been but little known righteousness, to satisfy all the de- by some of the most sincere, deepmands of thy law, and to ensure me ly sanctified, and exemplary Chrisan acquittal as guiltless, before the tians. Religious sensibilities, of bar of God. I receive it as my title all kinds, depend, not a little, on to eternal life. I receive thy Spi- constitutional make, habits of rit to lead me into all truth, and thought, and methods of educato sanctify me in all my pow- tion, as well as on the sovereign I receive thee as my holy, and special communications of diand rightful Sovereign, to give me vine grace—God adapts the disthy laws as the rule of my duty in pensations of his Spirit, in a meaall things; to reign in my soul, to sure, to our natural temperament, conquer its corruptions, and sub- and the allotments of his providue it wholly to thyself; to protect dence, awarded by himself, to each me from all my spiritual enemies; of his own people. What is essential to order my whole lot in life; to to these actings of saving faith is, make thy grace sufficient for me a complete rejection of all our own at all times; to sustain me in the righteousnesses as filthy rags; an trying hour of death; to own me entire willingness to make the Saas thine in judgment, at the great viour the all and all of our souls, in day; and to make me a partaker, the matter of our salvation; a wellwith all thy redeemed people, of pleasednessman unspeakable prethe eternal and ineffable bliss of ference to be saved by the impuheaven. () astonishing, over tation of Christ's righteousness, whelming grace! O condescen- rather than in any other way; and sion and love unutterable! that an actual, hearty, fiducial reliance such blessings should be conferred on his finished work, as the en a wretched, polluted, hell- tire ground of our acceptance with deserving worm of dust! But God-accompanied with strong such, o God! is thy own plan of desires for the sanctification of the mercy; such thy way of getting soul, deliverance from all sin, and glory to thyself; and to thee be all conformity of heart and life to the the glory and the praise, forever whole law of God. and forever, amen and amen.” In our Shorter Catechism there My dear youth, I could not feel is scarcely a redundant word; and contented to give you merely a dry therefore it is reasonable to believe and doctrinal description of those that its framers did not consider ers. on a the terms, receiving and resting on fade away. Darkness and doubt Christ, as entirely. synonymous. succeed; and perhaps the genuineThey have, indeed, a closely re- ness of all that has been experilated, yet a somewhat different enced is questioned; till a fresh meaning. Those who truly receive gracious visitation, a renewed liveChrist Jesus, always, in some mea- ly exercise of faith, restores consure, rest upon him; yet resting up- fidence, and hope, and peace. In on him implies not only a continu- such fluctuations of elevation and ance of the acts by which he is re- depression, too many real Chrisceived, but a firmness and stability tians pass a great part, and some of faith, and a perseverance in its ex- perhaps, the whole of their lives. ercise,which is something addition- They live, as it has been well said, al to what takes place at first. “As entirely on their frames and feelye have therefore received Christ ings. This ought not to be so. Jesus the Lord,” says the Apostle Such believers can hardly be said Paul, “so walk ye in him; rooted to rest on Christ alone. They rest, and built up in him, and stablish- so far as they have rest, too much ed in the faith, as ye have been at least, on the present state of taught, abounding therein with their own minds. It is equally, thanksgiving." The excellent com- my dear youth, the duty and the mentary of Scott on these words privilege of a child of God, to is as follows: “As they (the Co- aim at knowing that he is onelossians] had by faith received knowing it on good evidence, and Christ Jesus to be their Saviour, such as cannot be easily taken according to the several offices from him, or be greatly obscured. which he sustained for the be- This is to be done by searching nefit of his church, let them con- the scriptures to ascertain the tinue in habitual dependance on reality of his gracious state, and him, and obedience to him; let by much prayer for the illuminathem seek all their wisdom, tion and guidance of the Spirit of strength, hope, holiness, and com- grace and truth; and thus getting fort from him, and aim in all to see satisfactorily that he is realthings to serve and glorify him. ly interested in the covenant of Thus being rooted in him, as trees grace, and made one with Christ. in a fruitful soil, and builded upon Then, rest on him alone will take him as a house upon a firm foun. place. Frames and feelings may dation; and being established by vary greatly, as they almost invaliving faith in him, according to riably do, but the soul that is the doctrine which they had been thus brought to rest on the rock taught; they would abound more Christ Jesus, may see the waves and and more in faith, and proceed in billows of distress or temptation their course with fervent thanks- breaking around him, and at times giving to God for all his benefits.” seeming to go over him, and yet, When believers obtain their first though perhaps somewhat shaken release from the bondage of sin and partially alarmed, he will not and fear, by those lively views and be moved away from his steadfast. I actings of faith which you have His anchor is cast within heard described, they are ready to the veil, and he will ride out every think that their difficulties and storm, without shipwreck, and conflicts are terminated forever- with but little loss. But, my bethat their mountain now stands loved youth, this happy stale of strong, and that they shall never be Christian steadfastness—of a good moved. Yet rarely indeed, if ever, hope through grace--of an abiding are those high expectations real sense of the spirit of adoptionized. The vivid views of faith is not the be reached without much a ness. a |
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