THE

Spiritual Magazine;

OR,

SAINTS' TREASURY.

"There are Three that bear record in heaven; the FATHER, the WORD, and the HOLY GHOST; and these Three are One."

1 John v. 7.

"Earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints."-Jude 3.

AUGUST, 1837.

"WHO SHALL SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF CHRIST?"-Rom. viii. 28.

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THE love of God in Christ is an interminable ocean, a bottom, and without a shore." It presents also a prospect without an horizon. Whether we consider it in its breadth, its length, its depth, or its height, it surpasseth knowledge. This love filled the heart of God in eternity towards the election of grace, who were chosen by the Father in Christ Jesus before all worlds; 66 according as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love;" and having chosen them in his Son, he predestinated them also to be conformed to him; "for whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the first-born among many brethren." But the love of God did not stop here, he did not leave the salvation of his elect to depend upon any contingencies, there is no peradventure in this matter; having predestinated the end, he also pre-ordained the means. The connecting as well as the extreme links of the chain, are all forged by him; they are equally of divine formation: and he " who holdeth the water in the hollow of his hand," holdeth each link of the chain which bindeth his elect unto him, in his own almighty grasp. For whom he predestinated, them he also called; and whom he called, them he also justified; and whom he justified, them he also glorified."

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Such being the divine purpose and procedure towards all the election of grace, "What shall we then say to these things? Shall we affirm with some, that notwithstanding all that the wisdom of Omnipotence has done to secure his chosen ones from the possibility of a failure, they may nevertheless come short of VOL. XIII.-No. 164.]

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the promised salvation? That they may stumble and fall, and not be found among the sheep at the right hand on the great day of account; we will not so dishonour the power and wisdom and love of God by making such an assertion ! We will not so dishonour the truth and faithfulness of the great Shepherd of the sheep, as to believe it possible that one of his sheep can perish. Hath he said, "All that the Father giveth me, shall come to me; and him that cometh unto me 1 will in no wise cast out," and shall he not do it? Hath he thus spoken, I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand," and shall he not make it good? Thus instructed, what shall we then say to these things? Can we come to any other conclusion than that to which the apostle leads us?"If God be for us, who can be against us? If he has foreknown and predestinated us to glory, not all the powers of earth and hell can frustrate his eternal purpose: not mountains of corruptions in our own hearts, not all the allurements of an ensnaring world, not all the evil influence and fiery temptations, of angels, principalities, and powers of darkness, shall separate his love from us. All these, like gales and storms behind the bark, shall but propel us to our destined end, and accelerate our course towards the haven of eternal rest. For we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

And can the soul, whose election has been revealed to it in the calling and sealing of the Holy Spirit, entertain a doubt of the love of his covenant God towards him, however he may be circumstanced, after the illustrious and stupendous proof he has vouchsafed to give him of it? "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all;" (all them that love God, all them that are called according to his purpose) with such bowels of love, bowels that constrained him to give the greatest of all possible gifts, to spare not his only begotten Son; "how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" Having believed the love of God to us in the gift of his Son, we may rest in the certain persuasion that the love which could make this sacrifice, cannot withhold any one thing that is good and needful from us. For what are all gifts when compared with this gift? How can we imagine then, that he who has bestowed upon us the fountain itself, will withhold from us the streams that flow from it? That he, who has given to us the well of life, will not also supply us with the means of drawing the waters of salvation out of it? He hath spared not his own Son, but has sent to us at once the herald and gift of love: and Jesus Christ has left inscribed upon his cross, not only in the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin tongues, but in a language intelligible to the elect of all the nations of the earth, his Father's name and character-" God is love." the Messenger of the Covenant," has brought

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to light the eternal counsel of the sacred Three; having revealed on earth, in the fulness of time, what was covenanted in heaven before all time; He, the Messenger, has brought down the covenant to us, and fulfilled all its obligations for us. The election of the Father's grace having been given to him to redeem, (see John xvii.) he "for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame." All that the divine justice required at his hands as the sinner's surety, he did and suffered for them ; "he magnified the law and made it honourable;" and having put away sin by the sacrifice of himself, he rose again from the dead, ascended up into glory, and sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high. There he lives and reigns for evermore as King, having" power given to him over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as the Father has given to him.' "Who then shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect ?" Hath not God given his Son to redeem them from all iniquity, and to clear them from every charge? And hath he not declared beyond all contradiction, by the resurrection of his Son, that they are freely justified? for he who died for their sins, rose again for their justification!"

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Now had there been a single sin left to the charge of any one of God's elect, Christ would not have fulfilled the work which the Father had given him to do, and consequently the Father could not have raised him from the dead. But he did raise him; and thereby he has declared by the most decisive evidence, the justification of all his elect in him. And this will appear the more obvious, when we consider Jesus Christ in the character of covenant Head to all the elect, and therefore as such, accountable for all the sins of those for whom he was in covenant. If, therefore, any one sin of all the election of grace had remained unatoned for, it would have been placed to the account of the covenant Head, who had undertaken for them, and consequently he could not have been justified. But the Father did raise his Son from the dead, and by this act has declared not only his individual justification, but also in him all the election of grace for whom he was in covenant. Such is the ground upon which the apostle triumphantly asks the question, "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect?" And such is the ground on which he rests his answer, It is God that justifieth:" justifieth through the perfect work of his Son; and if he justifieth them, who knoweth every secret of their hearts, every sin of which they have been guilty, who shall lay any thing to their charge? "Who is he that condemneth?" If nothing be even laid to their charge, there cannot be a shadow of ground for their condemnation: and how can any thing be laid to the charge of those whom God himself justifieth through the death of his Son? It is the province of the law to condemn the guilty, but they are not guilty for whom Christ died, because he hath taken away

their guilt; and having removed their guilt, he hath taken away the condemnation also which attached to that guilt, and hath suffered the penalty due to it on the cross; thus Christ has suffered for sin, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God: the judge of quick and dead.

Unparalleled wonder! himself has died for the criminal; the law has had its course, and justice is fully satisfied. Where now is the condemnation? It is "nailed to the cross" of Christ, it is buried in his grave, "There is now therefore no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus;" He that believeth in him, is not condemned: and not only so, but the elect have stronger assurances still resulting from the resurrection, ascension, and intercession of their covenant Head. In reply to " Who is he that condemneth?" they can not only say "It is Christ that died,” but they can add also with increased assurance and with stronger evidence, "Yea, rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." He that died is he that liveth; "I am he that liveth and was dead, and behold I am alive for evermore ;"" and because I live, ye shall live also." "For in that he died, he died unto sin once; but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God :" likewise reckon we ourselves," may believers say, "dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." His death hath delivered us from condemnation; his resurrection is a pledge to us that we are delivered; his ascension into heaven proves the more abundant security of our state, for he has taken our life with him, (for we being dead with him are also “ quickened together with him," and made partakers of his risen life) and having himself gone to the Father, he has carried our life with him; so that we are dead, and our life is hid with Christ in God," and therefore beyond the reach of danger; and there he has treasured it up, until he shall come again and bring it with him. "For when Christ who is our life shall appear, then shall we also appear with him in glory."

His session at the right hand assures us, that he has all power with the Father, and that having as our forerunner entered within the veil, he now liveth to use that power by making intercession in our behalf, that we might obtain all the blessings of the everlasting covenant, and be put in possession of the “ sure mercies of David."

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ ?" We have had a glimpse of that love; but lifting up our eyes to take a survey of its dimensions, we are constrained to exclaim, “ Oh, the depth of the riches" of the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge. "It is higher than heaven, what can we do? It is deeper than hell, what can we know? The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea.' This love has apprehended all the election of grace, they are embraced in

his bosom, they are involved in its folds. After what the apostle had said, it required no argument to prove that nothing could separate the love of Christ from them, for that love is no wavering flame burning with unsteady lustre; it is like the divine Being himself from whom it proceeds, "the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever:" incapable of change or diminution, it knows no varying, neither shadow of turning. Jesus Christ "having loved his own that were in the world, loved them unto the end.' The question is not therefore, Who shall separate Christ's love from us? What shall cause him to withdraw it from us? but, Who shall separate us from it? What shall tear his love from our hearts? The blessed Jesus seated on the throne of glory, is himself removed far above the reach of contingencies. Tribulation and distress can no more approach his sacred person; and when they could, they did not separate us from his love. But tribulation and distress in all their varied forms, can through the divine permission, approach the members of his body here on earth; and therefore, although no violence can draw from us the golden chain of the Redeemer's love, whose end rests in heaven; or break the link that binds the Saviour to us: yet may not the. operation of these causes affect that end which rests on earth, and by their pressure break that link which binds us to the chain, whereby we are holden of our Head?

This question has doubtless agitated the bosom of many a weary and heavy-laden pilgrim, who, buffeted by the waves and billows of affliction, fears he shall at last make shipwreck and perish in the storm. O! thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted," lift up thine eyes on high, look through the waves and billows that overwhelm thee, and behold Jehovah Jesus sitting upon their summit. "The Lord sitteth above the waterflood, he ruleth the raging of the seas, he reigneth king for ever." 66 All these are but the ministers of his will, his servants that do his pleasure." These buffetings are but for the strengthening of thy faith, these waves are but for the purifying of thy soul, and for the urging thee on thy course. Fear not, they shall not wreck thy bark, for thy bark containeth treasure which cannot be lost; it carries Jesus, and where he is, though it may appear to thee he be asleep, (yet it is but in appearance) all is secure; for he, the Almighty Pilot, is ever watchful of his charge, and he will in his own good time arise and rebuke the storm, when it has impelled thee where thou oughtest to be, and say, Peace, be still."

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Consider the apostle's text in all its bearings, " And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God," and confess your fears are vain-that nothing can dissolve the tie and break the link that binds you to your Saviour. But, perhaps you say, I have considered it, yet it does not yield me this confidence: I know that so long as I love God, all things shall