big with untold trials and mercies! how short in retrospect, and how soon all its trials, deliverances, and mercies, are forgotten! Will not some one accompany the writer in mind, at least through some of the pages of the retiring year? can we enumerate our transgressions? can we call to mind our fears? can we count the mercies, the rich abounding, astonishing mercies of our God? indeed, dear friends, I stand amazed; my sins, woe is me-my awful sins against light and knowledge, against love and grace, against that gracious God, who only doeth marvellous things, well nigh overpower me in the remembrance; it is truly grievous, yet on the other hand, the blood of sprinkling, the fountain opened, the mercy-seat, the love of God-his strength made perfect in weakness, all unite to bid my heart rejoice, and hymn the praises of salvation by grace. Yes, poor prodigal, broken-hearted, penitent-wandering, backslider, it is all of grace! "Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift!" God looks for nothing in the creature-his love is a free, sovereign unchangeable love; He loved and chose, he loved and redeemed, he loved and called us by his grace he loves and keeps us still: "And since my soul has known His love, His loving-kindness changes not!" But the future the new year; will it be a happy, or a sorrowful year ? If we live on Christ, it will be a happy year, and we shall be happy people; but if we do not live on Jesus by precious faith, we cannot be happy-there is no other Rock for us to build on-no other arm to ean on, no other bosom to sympathize with us, no word but His can calm the tumult of the soul, no other name can heal the sick, cheer the faint, lift up the hands that hang down, or confirm the feeble knees. But what of the future? Are not dark clouds gathering, enemies mustering their forces, preparing their arrows, labouring to destroy? Doubtless there is much politically, nationally, and ecclesiastically, to dishearten those who do not behold "Him that is invisi ble;" yet what have we to do with the future? Now are we looking to Jesus; now, do we trust in His blood-shedding; now do we feel that he is our All-in-all? if we do not, we may be looking forward and inward, but we shall not find peace till we look upward. To know Him in all his blessed relationships towards us, to delight in his word, and to be satisfied with Christ, is true happiness. Here is solid peace and joy, abiding comfort and delight-and nowhere else can this be found; so may we help each other instrumentally, to look again into the holy temple, to trust Him more-to feel that he is indeed our all. These things are most contrary to human nature. Human nau re will contend for God's truth-defend his word against everything-yea, speak against itself; but satisfied with Christ, it never can-never will be! Oh, how precious, then, is that grace which makes the soul pause every moment, to contemplate the completeness of Christ, and its own sufficiency in Him. Thus then, brethren beloved, would I earnestly'pray, that our blessed God may continually rivet your thoughts and affections on the blessed Jesus, that you may behold Him and enjoy him as your all; thus will every pleasure be enhanced, and even your cares will be sweetened, with the remembrance of his never-failing, sympathizing love. DWELLETH SOLITARY IN THE WOODS, TO THE ONE CHURCH OF OUR ELDER BROTHER, UPON THE OPENING OF THE NEW YEAR 1847. ALL hail in Him, "in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord," wherein ye, as lively stones, are built upon a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ-and blessed, for ever blessed, be the God of all our mercies, who hath, of his own good pleasure, placed us amongst the children, and given us a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations--putting into our hearts the adoption cry of Father," and stands engaged not to turn away from us, bound by his own word and oath, "to surely do us good." In the perpetual motion of a never-stand-still world, we are called to behold another year swept from before us, and 1846, like all its predecessors, worn out with old age-not permitted to advance beyond its termini of 365 days. We merely take a retrospective glance as it shrinks into the shade of forgotten things, while reminded, as each climax is reached, they are fraught with the solemn assurance, that we are fast approaching the shores of that vast continent, where, in open vision, the Lord will make known what are the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness towards us, through Jesus Christ" (Eph. ii. 7). These things prominently before us, and enjoyed in the exercise of a living faith, must cause all, and every other of whatever kind it might be, to fall into the back ground-giving place to the all-absorbing theme, "The riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints" (Eph. i. 18). 66 Beloved, can we, upon the threshold of 1847, call your souls' attention to a subject more inviting, or one better calculated to fortify you against those things, that must, and will arise throughout the at present the unnumbered periods of the eventful era, fraught as it must be with matters of the greatest importance, the guarantee from those already filled in, makes sure and certain, "All times are in the hands of an eternal God," who amidst all its revolutions and changes, knows not the shadow of a change himself, nor will he allow any one to make an innovation upon the purposes of his own will? For as God, he changes not, therefore the sons of Jacob are not consumed; the common-place circumstances of pilgrims travelling a desert land we have met with, yet the corruptions of an ungodly world we have escaped, in not being given up to our own heart's lust, nor fallen a prey to him that lieth in wait; the time-tide troubles which have oft filled us with fear, have all receded before the spring-tide of that love, which flowed towards us from eternity; and in the close, as well as the opening of every year, we have found our dwelling-place to have been, "the munition of rocks;" bread has been given, and water sure-while the word of the Lord spoken unto us has been good. Looking at the evolutions of the year just closed, we discover amongst many other things, the ranks of Zion have been thinnedmany of the excellent of the earth have been called up higher, thereby propelling our advancement towards that state, where our existence cannot be defined by the numerals of time-calculation, nor our lives placed in jeopardy upon the strength of a slender thread; where the life now hidden, shall be revealed by the development of those things, which "eye hath not seen nor ear heard," though reserved for us and we reserved for them; time has been when meeting you in this accustomed manner at this special, and more than ever interesting season of life, we were wont to meet with brethren and companions in the delightful work, but where are they now? "Some have fallen asleep ;" others have suffered shipwreck-while it is to be feared, not a few have shown evidence of their being "given to change ;" almost as solitary as the messenger who brought tidings to Job, or the Samaritan leper who only returned, we are prompted to inquire, "Were there not ten that were cleansed? where are the nine ?" Beloved, do not the multiplied moments which complete the year, bearing the indelible stamp of change and alteration upon it, though apparently making increase, too clearly show a decrease and lessening, of those unnumbered sands which remain in the glass of time, and which the sounding angel will ere long proclaim defunct? Yet are not our hearts cheered with the solemn truth, "Our God abideth for ever?" who, in the perpetuity of his love towards his people, is ever showing, that, like himself, it knows not a beginning, neither admits of an end! True it is, that in the awful day of blasphemy and rebuke in which we live, were we to give heed to the general, and almost universally received opinion of modern divines, the terms, "Church of God," and "Chosen in Christ," would become obsolete; for the watch-word given upon the ramparts, is the world-the conversion of the world and all to be accomplished upon the broad gauge of the creature, locomotive power. Thus the beautiful flock that was given, is disregarded, and left to wander from city to city, after him "whom their soul loveth," and doomed to meet with cruelty from every watchman of whom they would inquire, whose Jehu zeal is extolled, for doing what the Lord has not required. In my opening epistle for the year, I cannot but congratulate my fellow-pilgrims with myself, that we are still enabled to show that our faith stands not in the wisdom of man, nor have we, in adhering to those things, which, for so many years, we have occasionally brought before you, followed a cunningly-devised fable; but as life advances, and the things of earth are fast receding from before us, they obtain a firmer hold upon our hearts and affections, so that amidst all the growing desires of many to see and hear something new and novel, we desire not the new wine, for the old is better; nor should we desire otherwise, if, instead of the curfew of the year 1846, were heard that of our own exit from a world of sin. We detain you no longer at the threshold of the year, than to affix the well-deserved label to the one just closed; for on taking a retrospective view of the multifarious filling in of the same, we can but reiterate the oft repeated language, "Thou crownest the year with thy goodness;" and in the revolving of the mysterious wheel, during the new and interesting one of 1847, may we never lose sight, that the same hand is in the middle, wisely regulating all its movements-and though the everlasting happiness and security of the church of God, depends not upon her knowledge, or enjoyment of things in time, yet by these things do men live-and in this is the life of the soul: the constitution of her as a church, being wholly out of herself, she lives as she receives grace from Him, the God of all grace! This is what Paul dwelt upon with such rapture, when writing to the Church, in his Epistle to the Thessalonians, "But we are bound to give thanks alway to God, for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning, chosen you to salvation, through Sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth" (2 Thess. ii. 13). And no less so in that to the Ephesians: "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; (by grace ye are saved") (Eph. ii. 4, 5). Thus the great scheme of the salvation of the Church, as emanating solely from the Lord, runs through the whole tenor of Scripture-yet, like the beautiful vein in the marble, unseen until brought to light by the Glorifier of the Lord Jesus. Not only upon an era like the present, when called to have in remembrance all the way the Lord our God has brought us, is the subject of the greatest attention; but it is well suited for an every day employ ment for that individual, who being called from darkness into the marvellous light of the Gospel, can, and does rejoice in the unfathomable truth, "To wit, God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself not imputing their trespasses unto them" (2 Cor. v. 19). 66 Should we be considered as giving proofs of our attachment unto, and affection for you-did we withhold these important things from you, and if they had ever been deemed essential to your happiness? and furthermore, in the knowledge of him who hath called you? how much more so now, when Zion's eye runneth down with water, at the apparent defalcation in her ranks, and the awful desertion from her camp? Bear with us, beloved; we have long served amongst you-yet are we not grown weary of speaking of that we have handled of the word of life." For more than a quarter of a century, we have been wont to write to you of the same things, which have, in no instance, been grievous; during which period, we have been called to see the abounding of many heresies, which, for a time, beguiled the simple: and we have beheld many who did run well, hindered. Nor has the last year been in any way deficient of attempts, to invalidate the truth of our holy faith, still our mercy is, "The foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are His." Yet as the drawing in of the shades of evening, tends to bring on the darkness of the night, so do we perceive the running out of time, throws darker shades over the horizon of the professing Church, in the revival of old, as well as the creation of new, heresies, which the great enemy, the dragon, sends forth as a flood, after the woman and the male child. It was enough in days gone by, for the unceasing enemy to the Christ of God and his Church, to raise the opponents from without. Now, he enters the very citadel and suburbs-her very captains aid and assist in the unhallowed campaign, and thereby many are wounded, for whom Christ died. Thus Zion mourneth, and the uncircumcised rejoice. But our God is in heaven; He made his own glory to appear, in the permission for Satan to tempt Job-and the whole which has gone forth in the past year, will be made subservient to the sovereignty of Him, who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. Hail, then, ye fellow-travellers in the chequered paths of time-tribulation! Fear none of those volcanic eruptions which it threatens; in the fury it pours forth, shall it be found to exhaust its own strength, but it cannot destroy you, or sever you from the love of Him who gave it existence, that, from its disjointed fabric, he might gather together all things in one. In Him, the most holy One, accept our warmest congratulations, upon the advanced stage you have reached of your heavenbound journey-and while the past with all that pertained unto it is gone from us as a dream, let us upon Alomoth, chaunt the song in the house of our pilgrimage, "The Lord liveth, and blessed be my Rock, and let the God of my salvation be exalted." Newick, A STRIPLING. |