Page images
PDF
EPUB

the prophet Isaiah, i. 18. Come now and let us reason together, saith the Lord; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool: and you would add, behold, by grace thou art saved, for when thou wert without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly, yea verily, and his errand into the world was to seek and to save that which was lost." If my unbelieving heart should reply, But he did not die for me, I must therefore assuredly die for myself. Taught, and sent of God, you would confidently return, "Jesus Christ by the grace of God tasted death for every man, Death as the last enemy shall be destroyed, shall be swallowed up of victory." In fine, God is love, and every one directed by his spirit will preach the truth, as it is in Jesus, they will shew sinners that the love of God, is the love that thinketh no evil, that God's thoughts from everLasting, were thoughts of peace, and not of evil, and that even where he chastises, he loves, and where he scourges, he receives, and that though his offspring forsake his Law, and walk not in his statutes, and that in consequence he may visit their transgressions with a rod, and their iniquities with stripes, nevertheless his loving kindness will he not take away, nor suffer his faithfulness to fail.

[ocr errors]

Be assured I am too well acquainted with my faithful Creator,! my mercifui Preserver, my divinely glorious Redeemer, my complete, and all-sufficient Saviour, be assured, I know too well what belongs to all these characters, ever to consider myself unsafe in his hand. I shall never harbour suspicions of this my best friend, I shall place unwavering confidence in every word he hath uttered, and although angels and men were to unite in their endeavours, to render me afraid of the august Parent of my spirit, I would boldly say, Let God be true, though every other individual thus become A liars Yes, when you told me "we should meet at the judgment. seat, and spend an eternity together," I blessed God for the truth which you uttered, and I do so still, because I firmly believe the word of the Lord, which word assures me, that the just God, before whom we shall stand, and who will be our judge, will also be our Saviour, and that when, in that day, we shall meet our Saviour, we shall find him in the very same disposition of mind he was in, on Mount Calvary, when he gave himself a ransom for all, and when praying for his murderers, he said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." When I blessed God that we should spend an eternity together, I fully believed it would be a blessed

eternity; this I believed on the authority of God, and on the same divine authority I still base my unwavering faith, nor can any thing you say, nor any thing advanced by any other person or persons, ever create doubts of my Saviour's veracity. Indeed I did not expect a blessed eternity in consequence of any thing in you, or me, to merit the divine favour. No, I had a much better ground for my hope, such a ground as gives me an hope full of immortality, of a blessed immortality, for you, and for me, and for all the fallen race. On testimonies similar to the following, this, my enduring hope reposes, "Be it known unto you, not for your sakes do I do this, but for mine own name sake. But his name is an everlasting name. It is Jesus, his name shall be called Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins, and all souls are his: and as nothing can hurt mankind but sin, this is glad tidings to all people. The name Jesus disarms my fears, and bids my sorrows cease; it is musick in the sinner's ears; it is life, health and peace. While this is the name of God, my Lawgiver, and my Judge, I say again, not all the men on earth, nor all the Devils under the dominion of the Prince of the power of the air, can ever make me afraid. No, certainly, it is impossible to know his name and not to trust therein. They, said the inspired writer, who know thy name will trust in thee. You direct me, in your next page, to attend to the prophet Isaiah, where he declares, I am God, and there is none else, well, I am satisfied this is the same God, who affirms, by the same Prophet, "I am God the Saviour, and beside me there is no other.” Is there no God, but the Saviour? and can I expect any thing but salvation from a Saviour? From the same divinely instructed, heaven taught scribe, you add "My council shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure." His council, was a council of peace, the council of peace was between them both, this peace was made by the blood of the Cross, and the Covenant of his peace shall not be removed. This is the peace the angels preached to the shepherds this is the peace the Saviour gives us; this is the peace signed, and sealed, by the blood of the covenant, and delivered to the Apostles, when they were sent forth to proclaim peace to them that were nigh, and to them that were afar off. The true apostles all preach this peace, and they preach it to all, to every creature, How beautiful on the mountains, are the feet of those that publish this peace.

Again, The Lord saith I will do all my pleasure; God taketh no pleasure in the death of the sinner, but rather than the sinner should

die, it pleased the Lord to "bruise the Saviour, and to put him to pain," to make his soul an offering for sin, God's will is his pleasure, i but God willeth that all men should be saved. It is therefore his pleasure that all men should be saved, that all men should come unto the knowledge of the truth, and the God of truth declares, I will do all my pleasure. If I had no other support than this, it would not be in the power of men or devils to shake my confidence. Indeed if God had said, by his prophet, The Devil, and the evil heart, will not suffer me to do all my pleasure, but they, by their opposition, will execute all their pleasure, then assuredly, I should be filled with the most terrifying apprehensions; but, blessed be God, neither the one, nor the other of these are almighty, Omnipotence is the attribute of no other being, but of him who says, "I will do all my pleasure. Yes, blessed be his glorious name, He is mighty to save, and strong to deliver, and it is therefore, that when we, by his direction, pray for the salvation of all men, we pray in faith, nothing doubting. We cannot doubt his power, for he is Almighty; we cannot doubt his will, for he is love; and he hath moreover assured us, that it is his will all should be saved, we pray therefore in faith, knowing that whatsoever we ask, according to his will, we shall receive. When therefore I pray for your salvation, and the salvation of every individual, who says I shall not receive an answer of peace? Not the spirit of God, for then the promises would not be yea, and Amen to the glory of the Father: and, authorized by the word of my God, I pronounce positively, that whatever spirit affirms I shall not have my petition granted, when I ask the salvation of all men, and ask according to the will of God, and by his direction, such spirit, I say, must be a liar, even that spirit who hath been a liar from the beginning.

Again, you add, I have spoken, I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed, I will also do it. "The Lord hath spoken, what? And in this mountain shall the Lord of hosts, make unto all people a feast of fat things, he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering, east over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations, he will swallow up death in victory: and the Lord will wipe away all tears from off all faces, and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it, If therefore the Lord says, I have spoken, I will bring it to pass, what have I to fear respecting myself, or any other of the children of men? though they may be now blinded by the face of the cov

ering, though the veil should be now upon their hearts, though in consequence they may be greatly terrified, and their eyes run down with tears, God, who cannot lie, has pledged his sacred word, that he himself will remove the face of the covering, that he himself will take away the veil, that he himself will wipe away tears from all faces, and that he will swallow up death in victory. Yes, I join issue with your quotation from the prophet Isaiah, "because God knew that his people were obstinate, and their neck as an iron sinew and their brow brass, therefore he expects nothing good from them, acquainted with their character from the beginning, he knows it is not in them to will, or to do ; but it is in God both to will and to do. He can, and will remove the brow of brass, he can unbind the iron sinew, he can, and he will make them willing in the day of his power. You say, the fat and the strong shall be filled with judgment, and that the abomination, that maketh desolation standeth where it ought not. The fat and the strong must intend either that wicked, which the Lord will destroy, or self-righteous individuals, who are full of their own fleshly excellence, and glorying in their own strength, such shall indeed be filled with judgment, for every high and lofty imagination shall be brought low, and the Lord alone shall be exalted. Isaiah, x. 23 "For the Lord God of Hosts shall make a consumption, even determined in the midst of all the land." And in chapter xxviii. 22. of the same prophecy, "Now therefore be ye not mockers, lest your bands be made strong, for I have heard from the Lord God of Hosts, a consumption even determined on the whole earth. Thus the Lord will consume that flesh which causes men to glory in his presence, after which era, whoever is found glorying will glory in the Lord.

But, the abomination that maketh desolation standeth where it ought not. The Mystery of iniquity, is the abomination of the whole earth. Therefore, saith the Lord, Isaiah iii. 26, “she being desolate shall sit upon the ground." Sin has made dreadful des olation in the earth. But Jesus came into the world to destroy this abomination, he found it, he still finds it in his purchased possession, where it ought not to be. It was the work of an enemy to sow it there, but behold the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world. God knows the abomination standeth where it ought not, and therefore he will take it away, and when he has done this, it shall be so completely removed, that it shall be sought for, but shall not be found. Its place, the human nature, shall know it no more.

And for this we will enter his courts with thanksgiving; for this we will sing hallelujah to the name of our God.

Your list of quotations continues-Ye compass sea and land, to make one proselyte, &c. &c. Our divine Master is here preaching to the scribes and Pharisees. Let us hear how he who spake as never man spake, describes them. First, they shut up the kingdom of heaven against men, they would neither go in themselves, nor suffer those to go in who were entering. Secondly, for a pretence they made long prayers. Thirdly, they devoured widows' houses. Fourthly, they paid the tenth of mint, but omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith. Fifthly, they made clean the outside of the cup and platter, but within they were full of extortion and excess. Sixthly, they scourged such as God sent unto them. Yet, seventhly, and lastly, to complete their character, they were so very good, and had so much zeal for the welfare of mankind, and so much pity for the souls of men, that they compassed sea and land to make one proselyte. This character you seem disposed to apply to me. With me, however, it is a light thing to be judged of men's judgment. Such as are acquainted with me, will know I never attempted to shut up the kingdom of heaven against any individual. Having, by the grace of God, entered myself, I do not take pains to hinder those who are entering. I make no pretensions to superior excellence, nor do I assay to prove the sanctity of my heart by the lengths of my prayers; I have not availed myself of my unblemished rectitude of character, for the purpose of devouring widows' houses. I have not insisted upon the payment of the tenths of mint, &c. I have, by the grace of God, spoken of judgment, mercy and faith; of judgment, because the Prince of this world is judged; of mercy, because it shall be built up forever ; of faith, because it is the evidence of things not seen, and the substance of things hoped for, by it the Elders obtained a good report, without it it is impossible to please God. I have never approved of scourging a messenger, whether he was sent by God or man. Lastly, I have never crossed sea nor land for the purpose of making proselytes. I am no maker of proselytes, nor of any thing else. I make mention of the loving kindness of our Saviour, and of his righteousness all the day long. The scribes and Pharisees, as proud, vain boasters, self-righteous, and bitterly opposed to Jesus of Nazareth, were properly called the children of Hell, and when they made proselytes, the young zealous converts were two fold more proud, vain, VOL. I.

« PreviousContinue »