M AN by nature is guilty, loft and polluted, without power to help himself, or will to be helped; depraved in every part, and under the condemnation of an holy and juft law, which he has violated. Much need not be advanced to prove this-An Evangelical Apostle declares that, "all have finned, and come thort of the glory of "God." And the Royal Pfalmift afferts, "there is none "righteous; no, not one." The human mind has formed many devices to extricate mankind from this deplorable condition; fome have endeavoured to merit pardon by a round of duties and good works; others, to do all they can, and truft to Christ to make up the deficiency; but it has all proved a "bed too "fhort, and a covering too narrow :" and if we examine the word of God, we fhall clearly perceive how totally impoffible it is for us to perform any thing good. "When I "would do good," fays the apofle, "evil is present with me, "I sec another law in my members warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of "sin.". Our falvation cannot be effected either in whole or in part by works, but by rich, fovereign and invincible grace alone, for "by grace we are saved through faith." 66 The operations of the Spirit of God are free and fovereign. God is no refpecter of perfons, he delights to fave the vileft of the vile he bestows his grace on thofe only who feel their need of it, he receives a Magdalen and a dying thief into his favour, while thofe who are proud of their own works, and entertain high thoughts of themselves, he paffes by. When a finner is firft called by divine grace, he is convinced of the evil nature of fin, that he is condemned by the law of God, he feels his fins as a heavy burden, he groans under their weight. God appears in all his terrible majefty without one ray of mercy beaming from his throne: but when the divine Spirit appears, his darkness is difpelled, a bleeding Saviour is exhibited to his view as an atonement for his fins, his load of guilt is now removed, he embraces Chrift as his covenant Redeemer, and goes on his way rejoicing. This grace operates to exalt Chrift and humble the finner, it tends to bring the once boasting Pharifee low at the foot of the cross, to renounce all dependance upon his own performances, and to view them as filthy rags. Every believing finner is led to fee Chrift as a Saviour fuitable for him, that there could be no other way of falvation but by Christ, that he must be faved by him, or not at all. Those who poffefs this grace can never fall into condemnation; the sheep of Chrift can "never perish, nor can any pluck them out of his hands:* having loved his own which were "in the world he loves them to the end and he who "hath "begun the good work will carry it on and complete it." This reflection is calculated to comfort and fupport us while in this vale of tears. The elect chofen people of God may and do frequently wander, but can never be loft. Surrounded as we are with temptations, it is a difficult talk to keep clear of them. Dangers ftand thick on every fide, and our enemies are waiting for our halting. God fuffers his people fometimes to fall into fin, to remind them of the frailty of their nature. Peter is an eminent example of this truth, though foremoft in his expreffions of regard, (which no doubt were fincere) he was permitted to deny his Lord and Master, and that too, with oaths and curfes; but God did not leave Peter to perish: by this act he discovered to him the infufficiency of human ftrength, independent of himself, and this produced the defired effect; for when Chrift afterwards interrogated him, "Loveft thou me," we do not find him making fresh proteftations, but appealing to Christ as to the fincerity of his affection-" Lord, thou knoweft all things, thou knoweft that I love thee." Weak is the affertion of fome, that it is poffible for the believing people of God to fall from grace. Were this true, Christ would not know his own fheep, their falvation would be a matter of uncertainty; but it is a grand truth, which all the fophiftry of men can never overturn, that not one of thofe for whom Chrift died, not one of those who have received his grace, can ever fall into condemnation. Our divine Mediator has his eye continually fixed upon his people, he knows their frailties, their weaknefs, that they are but duft, he puts his fear into their hearts, that they may not depart from him. * • John. ↑ John xiii. 1. Philip. i. 6. Nor does this truth operate in any manner against good works; on the contrary, it will with all thofe who are favingly converted to God, act as an incentive thereto; and indeed common reafoning will prove this the fact. I would afk, if the fovereign of an empire was to receive into his favour one who had proved himself a rebel against his throne, whether in return this would be any inducement for that perfon to act the part of an ingrate, or a fecret enemy, againft the prince who had manifefted his favour fo particularly towards him. We fhould defpife the wretch who could be capable of fuch bafenefs. Let this be applied-We have been enemies to God, by nature, rejected his proffers of pardon and eternal life, and would not fubmit to his government, and authority, already condemned by a holy and juft law, doomed to endlefs mifery, and without hope in the world. Behold the kindness of God, he gives his only Son to refcue us from ruin; and though we were his enemies, with love unparalleled he languifhes, he expires on the cross, that we might live. "He funk beneath our heavy woes, "To raife us to a throne." He hath made us partakers of his grace, adopted us into his family, affured us of his everlasting love and affection, and made us heirs of eternal life. And fhall we grieve his holy Spirit? Shall we dishonour him by our walk and converfation? Delight to fin against him, and live in oppofition to his commands? It cannot be ; from the reflection that he has done fo much for us, we shall ftudy to glorify him, and promote his caufe and intereft by every poffible means through the aid of his holy Spirit, fin will be our greatest burden, and our firft concern will be to live more like our divine Master. We are faved by grace, through faith in Christ, to whom we are indebted for the whole of our falvation, our desire for which, is implanted in our hearts by the Spirit of God; having been made fenfible of our loft eftate, we are enabled to pray for faith to believe in Chrift, and to lay hold on the hope fet before us. Finally, the importance of this grace to all is manifeft; if we are ftrangers to its divine operation our cafe is awful, we have no remedy but this; "here we may heal our wounds, and wipe our forrows dry." Here we have pardon freely offered to every repenting and returning finner, and the pro mife of an abundant entrance into the kingdom of happiness and glory. How ought we to admire the author of this grace. When we were ready to perish, lo! the good Samaritan appears, he refcues us from impending ruin, releafes us from the most dreadful slavery, and makes us partakers of his throne; and fhall man pretend to be an helper with the Omnipotent? Shall a worm of the earth ftrive with the Governor of the Univerfe! Let us renounce all claim to merit, and put the crown upon the head of Christ. Let us adore him who lov ed us from all eternity, who chofe us for his people, called us in due time, who will finifh the work he has begun, and complete it in glory. To Him be afcribed the praise of our falvation for ever. Amen. Grace all the work fhall crown, It lays in heaven the topmoft stone, IGDALIA. THE SOUL IMMATERIAL AND IMMORTAL. To the Editor of the Evangelical Magazine. REV. SIR, SI was lately engaged in one of my morning walks, my mind was led to reflect upon the following fubject -That there is frequently a meaning in words, which is neither directly intended by the fpeaker, nor fully comprehended by the perfon addreffed. The occafion that led to this reflection was as follows-In the courfe of the preceding night, death had knocked at a rich perfon's gate, and bore away the inhabitant into that ftate, where all is finally fixed, for eternity. Two men were paffing each other, one of which put the queftion, "What is dead? To which the other replied, "Yes, she's gone." How customary is the remark! And yet, if clofely attended to, what can it intimate, or what intend, but the feparate existence, and, confequently, the foul's immortality. The body, though greatly changed as to its afpect, and deprived of its activity, was not gone; it ftill occupied the fame space in the fame dwelling. It is the foul, therefore, which pro perly conftitutes the perfon. Though abfent, it ftill exifts; and though, it be no longer a refident in that body which it lately occupied, it exifts in eternity; and fhall continue to exift for ever. At the command of the great Father of fpirits, it has now put off the body and is gone-But whither is it gone?-To appear before God-to give an account of the deeds done in the body, and the principles by which it has been actuated-to hear its character determined; and its everlasting state fixed, beyond the poffibili. ty of an alteration.-It is gone, either to heaven; to join the fociety of the bleffed-to fing with angels; or, with Prophets, Apoftles, and all the church triumphant, to gaze upon the glorified Redeemer.--Or, it is gone-to Hell;—thofe mansions of darknefs, mifery and defpair, where Justice is unveiled in all its glory, and Wrath displayed in all its ter rors. Some have remarked, that the very fight of a dead body, is in its nature almost fufficient to prove the foul's immortality. Even dear relatives then behold it, with fentiments of horror and diftrefs. They gaze with astonishment at the strange alteration effected; and turn away from the difagreeable profpect with a kind of difguft. Even Abraham was contented to bury his once beloved Sarah out of his fight. Now, fuppofe the once animating spirit again reflored-Suppofe that pale and ghaltly corpfe once more quickened the band of death loofened-health glowing in the cheeks-vigour sparkling in the eyes-the lips expreff ing furprize and affection-the whole re-animated-with what pleafure would they gaze on it, and with what rapture embrace it. Horror would be removed; and kindred fouls would once more enjoy each other, under the veil of flesh. Something of this kind we may fuppofe were the fentiments, and the future endearments, between Lazarus and his fifters, after his reftoration from the barriers of the grave. Thus, even death itself may preach immortality to man. The above hints are fubmitted to your infpection and difpofal, by A conftant reader of your valuable work. L. |