LOVE TO GOD'S HOUSE AN EVIDENCE OF GRACE AND A PLEDGE OF PROSPERITY. THE HE Tabernacle in the days of Mofes, and the Temple in the time of Solomon, were both denominated the house of God. In them the Lord recorded his name, and revealed himself: there his fervants affembled to offer their prayers and facrifices; and there he accepted both thein and their offerings. Who can wonder that devout fouls loved thither to refort! There they faw his power and glory: there were they bleffed with times of refreshing, from his gracious prefence. But where is now the ancient glory of Jerufalem, and the temple of Solomon? Ichabod is written upon them. Their glory is departed. Is there then no Bethel upon earth? No Jerufalem for the faints to love and to vifit? Yes; ftill it may be faid, "God in very deed dwells with men upon earth." Where two or three are gathered together in his name, there is he in the midft. The humble spirit and contrite His faints are his temple and dwelling-houfe, his heavenly Jerufalem. They are born of a heavenly birth, nourished and fed by heavenly manna and ordinances, and finally will be admitted into the ftate of heavenly happiness. Where they now convenc to hear the facred word, to fing the fpiritual fongs, to pour out their fouls in prayer, and commemorate the death of Jetus; there, in a peculiar manner, the Lord is prefent. There is that Jerufalem, which every faint muft love; concerning which we may truly fay, They hall profper that love thee. It must be, that the faints love the habitation of God's houfe, and the place where his honour dwelleth, for they are made partakers of that divine nature to which every thing in the house of God is quite fuitable. Some have grown negligent in attending public ordinances, from a notion of their having got above fuch beggarly elements, and moving in what they have called a higher difpenfation; but realon, fcripture, and experience teach, that the more fpiritual any perfon is, the more he will delight in divine ordinances and spiritual exercises. If chriftians, in the time of pagan emperors, and the antichrif tian apoftacy, would have omitted the obfervance of divine ordinances, they might in a great meafure have efcaped the rage of their adverfaries; but they loved the inflitutions of their Lord more than their lives. The longings of the new heart heart after God in his ordinances of public worship, are truly and sweetly expreffed by David in the 42d, the 63d, and the 84th pfalms. It was faid of a greater than David, that the zeal of God's houfe had eaten him up. Let it be remembered that gofpel ordinances were never appointed for their own fakes, or that the obfervers of them fhould reft in fuch obfervance; but, that they were intended as means of approaching unto God, for the increase and exercise of every grace. They are to believers as the carcafe is to the eagle, as the pafture to the flock, as the water to the fish, or the mother's breaft to the fucking child. It is in them, in a peculiar manner, that the Great Teacher makes his difciples wife unto falvation. There he makes his word preached profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for inftruction in righteoufnefs. When the world fays all manner of evil againft them falfely for Chrift's fake, he there ipeaks peace to their troubled hearts; they fit under his fhadow with delight, and find his fruit fweet to their tafte. There they feek and find; aik, and it is given; knock, and the door is opened. God bleffes the provifions of his houfe, and feeds his poor with bread. There he often unloads their burdened fpirits, directs their doubtful ways, and whispers they are his. There they meet their best friends and kindred, to enjoy the moft delicious fare. There they behold the glory and enjoy the fmiles of Chrift, their heavenly King. His ordinances are his gardens and his galleries where he entertains his beloved friends. There they draw water from his wells of falvation. How can they but love to go where they enjoy the fweet fellowship of the faints, and that in communion with the Father, with the Son, and with the Holy Ghoft! How often are they there refreshed like as with wine that maketh glad the heart of man! How are their hearts rejoiced to hear the gofpel-trumpet found! How exceedingly sweet and precious they often find the promifes! How often are they there relieved in times of dreadful conflict and fore temptation! How often indulged with the bright and pleafing profpects of heavenly glory there exhibited! How can they but love to be where they find benefits fo ineftinable? There, with their fellow-citizens, fellow-travellers, and fellowfufferers, they with one heart confels and bewail their numeYous fins, and prefent their fervent prayers before the throne; and there wait for anfwers of peace. These are not fent empty away, but filled with good things. They go from the houfe of God rejoicing that they came to it, and 3X2 will will long for the next opportunity. We fhall hear them fay, "Come, let us go up to the houfe of the Lord. It is good for us to draw nigh to God. A day in his courts is better than a thousand. Times of refreshing come from the prefence of the Lord." How different the attendance of fuch on the ordinances of God, from that of thofe who only frequent them out of form and custom!or to be thought religious! or ta work out a righteousness of their own! Such are not concerned to worship God in spirit and truth. It is enough that they attend the place, and behave with decency. They think they have done God fervice, and expect a reward; they go rather to carry God fomething than to receive from him; and, of course, return empty away. They are glad when the tedious task is over; and are far from longing for its return. But the fpiritual worshipper longs for the hours of worship. He goes to it not as his drudgery, but as his delight. With defire has he defired to eat that fpiritual word, which to him is more than neceffary food. He loves the very place where he finds his best and everlasting intereft fo effectually promoted. He will promote the building and fupporting of all fuch fanctuaries to the utmoft of his ability. If he have a ceiled and pleafant houfe in which he enjoys the neceffaries and comforts of life for his body, his family, and his vifitors, he will fee to it, that the house of bis God be kept in repair, and made as convenient as circumftances admit, to anfwer the purpose it is defigned for. With the house and ordinances of God they will very highly esteem thofe minifters who officiate therein. They confider them as gifted and fent of God to be the inftruments of their everlafting good; they hear them as his -meffengers; they esteem them very highly in love for their works fake; they love and honour them as being the angels of the church, who bring them glad tidings of falvation. They will, therefore, pray for their fuccefs, and, in every poffible way, ftudy and labour to make them cafy and happy. These are genuine tokens of love, and infeparably connected with pure love to the ordinances of God. This love is not dangerous, like that of the creature, nor ruinous, like that of the world. Profperity and felicity, for time and eternity, are its never failing followers. "O Jerufalem! they fhall profper that love thee. Thofe that be planted in the houfe of the Lord, fhall flourish in the courts of our God. They fhall ftill bring forth fruit in old age: they fhall be fat and flourishing. Their leaf alfo fhall pot wither; and whatfoever they do fhall profper." S. Ba LETTER VII. and laft. ON THE DIVINITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. THAT HAT the Holy Spirit is a Divine Perfon, and not a created or fubordinate being, appears to me with evidence peculiarly ftrong, and fatisfactory. He is called Jehovah. I heard the voice of Jehovah *"&c. (Lowth's tranflation.) I have proved already that it was the Holy Ghoft who fpake: "Well fpake the Holy Ghoft, by Elaias," &c. Again. In ancient prophecy we read, "Behold, the days come, faith Jehovah, that I will make a new covenant with the houfe of Ifrael, and the houfe of Judah." The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, alluding to the words of Jeremiah, fays, "The Holy Ghoft alfo is a witness to us; for after that he had faid before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after thofe days, faith the Lord, I will put my laws in their hearts, and in their minds will I write. them. And their fins and iniquities will I remember no more Hence, I conclude that the Holy Ghost must be Jehovah. Once more. The Spirit is exprefsly called God. When Ananias and Sapphira had agreed together to affert a known and wicked falfehood, Peter addreffed the former, in the fol lowing very folemn manner: "Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghoft? Thou haft not lied unto men, but unto God §." I conclude, therefore, that the Holy Ghoft is really God, equal with the Father and the Son. 1 As a farther proof of the divinity of the Holy Ghoft, it appears to me that divine perfections, divine works, and divine honours are afcribed to him in the word of eternal truth. Is not he omnifcient who knows all things? But "the Spirit Searcheth all things; yea, the deep things of God." Is not he omniprefent, from whom none can poffibly flee? "Whither fhall I go from thy Spirit or whither shall I flee from thy prefence?" Muft not he be omnipotent who poffeffes the power of the Higheft? But, when the humanity of the adorable Saviour was formed in the Virgin's womb. "the Holy Ghoft came upon her, and the power of the Higheft overshadowed her **." As to divine works, It is faid with reference to creation, Ifa. vi. 8. + Jer. xxxi. 31. Heb. x. 15, 16, 17. the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters*." "By his Spirit he (God) hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked ferpent."-Once more. Elihu faith," the Spirit of the Lord hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life." Divine honour is given to the fame glorious perfon when the ordinance of baptifm is administered: and he aps pears to be addreffed in prayer when Paul fays, "The Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Chrift §." Alfo by the Church, when the fays, "Awake, O north wind, and come thou fouth, blow upon my garden, that the fpices thereof may flow out "that is, that the fruits of the Spirit may ap pear. Paul confidered him as a witnefs of that affectionate concern which he felt for his brethren the Jews: fay the truth in Chrift, I lie not; my confcience allo bearing me witnefs in the Holy Ghot**. Finally. When we confider that, among all the awful crimes which men have committed against the Majesty of Heaven, there is but one pronounced iniemiffible, for wirich no forgiveness is revealed in the glorious Gofpel, through the atonement made by Jefus Chrift; namely, the fin against the Holy Ghoft, is it not an irrefragable argument to prove that the Holy Ghost is really a divine Ferfon? In this letter I have done very little more than cite plain paffages of the facred word of God; which I now recom imen to your ferious confideration; carneftly praying that the Divine Spirit, for whose effential dignity I have been pleading from the word of God, may condefcend to blefs them to your foul! I remain your affectionate friend and faithful paftor, JAMES UPTON, Gen. i 2. + Job xxvi. 13. || Song iv. 16. Job xxxiii. 4. 6 z Thef, in ON PRAYER. IN N the conclufion of a former paper, it was propofed to trouble you with another, in which we would confider the excufes commonly urged for the neglect of family-prayer, and fuggeft a remedy for thein. One capital hinderance to family-prayer is family-dif * See Evan, Mag- for October last, p. 39o card. |