Anonymous

“ Thus the Gospel “is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth” (Rom. i. 16) , and as its fruits spring up and abound in any heart they will in some or other form overflow to those around, and make it a minister of righteousness, a testimony-bearer to the truth as it is in Jesus: it may be in word and doctrine, in the private circle of association, or even in the quiet testimony of a peaceful spirit, and a faithful discharge of duties, recommending by its example the Gospel of Christ. ”

“ The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever; the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. ”

“ And though we cannot attain to His perfection, the work of the Spirit is always to beget within us more of the love of God, and to incline our hearts to serve Him more faithfully. As we sit, as it were, at the feet of Jesus, looking unto Him, the Spirit or Comforter will take of the things of Christ, and show them to us, and there will be a growth in grace, and in conformity to the will and law of God;—a subordination of the flesh to the Spirit, which has no necessary, or perhaps no natural, limit, but in the summons to quit the militant, and join the triumphant, Church above. ”

“ He tells us that we must be “born again”—“born of the Spirit” (John iii. 3 and 6) —and the power to truly believe in Christ is coincident with this new birth, and indicative of it, when “the Holy Ghost or Comforter,” convincing us of sin, and of our alienation from God by it, enables us to look to Jesus as our Saviour and Redeemer. When, by the power of the same Spirit, we are enabled to lay aside our old works, thoughts, and propensities to evil, and walk by the rule of faith in the light of the Spirit of Christ. ”

“ Why cannot I believe in the Lord Jesus as “the restorer of breaches,” and “of paths to dwell in,” without going back to past ages? The answer is very obvious—that if He be not the Sacrifice, He cannot be the Restorer. He is one Christ, and His p. 89work one. If He atones for the sin of mankind, He can be then the restorer;—the one is as much part of His character as the other. ”

“ If we look for the essential principle of this elaborate system of priestly mediation for the forgiveness of sins, as well as for presenting to God the freewill offerings or devotions of the people, it will be found in the 11th verse of the 17th chapter of Leviticus, viz.: “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.” ”

“ Thus we are given to understand that the sins of future generations, should be atoned by the one offering of Christ, as well as those of past generations, so that all p. 50generations alike owe their salvation to the one Mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ, in whom “all are made alive, and who is the one only hope of glory. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Cor. xv. 22) in such manner that if we are united to Him we partake of what is His, and shall find in Him all that we can need as a Saviour, Mediator, Intercessor, and Redeemer. ”

“ While God in His providence provides abundant evidence for the believing heart, yet it is not so redundant that none can reject it. It is the eye of faith which discerns p. 60God in prophecy, or providence, or nature, and the opening of that eye is the effect of grace in the heart, at first comparatively small and mixed with more or less of misgiving, as when Nathanael said, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” (John i. 46) but growing with the increase of Divine grace as when he was able afterwards to say, “Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art the King of Israel” (John i. 49) . ”

“ And does not the continual daily sacrifice, morning by morning, and evening by evening, prescribed by the Law, point to the constant bearing on our minds before God, of the sacrifice of Christ, as the foundation of all our hopes, and petitions for mercy and grace? ”

“ As it is all-important to know that the foundations are sure, and will stand in the day of trial, I have set down in these pages the train of thought which has proved most confirming to my own faith, and trust that some of those who love the Truth as it is in Jesus may find it helpful to themselves. ”

“ In what manner did our Lord so fulfil the law given by Moses that one jot or p. 2one tittle should in no wise pass unfulfilled? Was it when He went to the Baptist, and received baptism, because it became Him to fulfil all righteousness? (Matt. iii. 15) . Was it when He sent the ten lepers whom He would heal to show themselves to the priests (agreeably to Lev. xiv. 2; Luke xvii. 14) ; or in another similar case, when He said, “Go, show thyself to the priest, and offer those things which Moses commanded for a testimony unto them”? (Mark i. 44; Luke v. 14) . ”

“ So that in general it is when the fear of death is brought nearer by sickness:—when aroused by the powerful ministry of the Word, or by the direct pleadings of the Holy Spirit, convincing us of sin and of judgment to come:—then, if at all, they are arrested in their downward course, and, through God’s longsuffering mercy, are brought to see their need of a Saviour, a p. 88Redeemer, a sacrifice for sin. Under such circumstances no necessary implication of pardon will give peace; they must feel that Jesus has borne their sins in His own body on the tree, and that by His stripes they are healed. ”

“ We live in eventful times. There is much abroad in the world to excite alarm. When Atheism and Infidelity are making strenuous efforts to extend their withering influence; when Roman Catholicism and a kindred ritualism are invading our country, there is abundant need to stick to the Law and the Testimony, lest the curtains of darkness should be again spread over it. ”

“ How many instances do we read of persons, for long years refusing to yield themselves to God, being at length brought into such depths of misery or danger (in that longsuffering mercy which has followed them all through) , and then are they enabled to repent and put away their sins, and, believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, to be saved from the wrath to come. ”

“ But are there not many minds who are more given to dwell in a low state, and in somewhat of that sombreness which is cast over nature when the sun is more or less eclipsed, to whom it is more congenial to look at the doubtful or dark side of things, than to indulge in joyful anticipations? ”

“ And inasmuch as every high priest is ordained to offer both gifts and sacrifices, it is of necessity that this man have somewhat to offer” (Heb. viii. 3) .
Jesus was proved to be our High Priest by offering up His own body for our sins, which is stated in the most explicit terms. “But Christ being come, a High Priest of good things to come; . . . neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained p. 45eternal redemption (for us) ” (Heb. ix. 11, 12) . ”

“ Nor need any be discouraged; the Bible is God’s revelation addressed alike to all men, rich or poor, learned or unlearned, intellectual or of small powers. God is no respecter of persons, and to every one alike who can read for themselves, or hear from others, the Bible, without note or comment, may prove under the influence of God’s Spirit, “a lamp unto their feet, a light to their path.” The less educated will escape some of the difficulties which beset the minds of others, and more easily fulfil the conditions imposed by our Lord, “Except ye receive the kingdom of God p. ”

“ Having in the former pages noticed the manner in which the institutions of previous revelation have pointed to and been completed by the Gospel of Christ, let us now set forth some of the leading characteristics of that religion which Jesus, so long foretold and typified, came to introduce amongst men.
We must bear in mind that it was a New Covenant with men, which He came to establish. The former Covenant had grown old, and was about to decay; and it had been declared in prophecy, “This shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel ”

“ And when sin has taken possession of the mind—whether in the milder development p. 87of what is called innocent gaiety;—the love of pleasure, without vice;—indisposition for serious things and persons;—or whether evil takes a larger development, and vice in its grosser form exists; in either case they cannot be said to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ—nor, as a consequence, to seek to do His will; but are living under the condemnation of those who do not believe. ”

“ That there was a revelation before the Flood is evident, for Abel offered an acceptable sacrifice, but Cain’s was not accepted; p. 13while the words addressed by the Lord to Cain, “If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well sin lieth at the door” (Gen. iv. 7) , clearly indicate that Cain knew what was pleasing or displeasing to Him. Enoch and Noah also walked with God so faithfully that the one was translated, and the other, by his act of faith, condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is of faith ”

“ They were to choose between life or death, blessing or cursing, obedience with the Divine favour, or refusal to obey, with the Divine displeasure. The eyes of the Lord would be over the righteous, and His ear open to their cry ”

“ As Gentiles we can also look back to the fall of the peculiar institutions designed to point out the Messiah to mankind,—to p. 67the present state of His chosen people, scattered throughout the Gentile world in fulfilment of their own prophecies,—to the triumphs of the faith in Christ,—and to the multitudes who have already been admitted to realise the mansions in the heaven which He went to prepare for them. ”

“ This condemnation is not necessarily a final state, for if they “abide not in unbelief,” but turn to Christ in repentance and faith, they will be brought into His covenant of grace and salvation. But if otherwise, when God’s longsuffering patience has exhausted the pleadings, warnings, and wooings of the Spirit without response, a time must come when the word will go forth, “My Spirit shall not always strive with man;” ”

“ We have a lively illustration of practical belief in the patriarchs of old, who, believing in God’s promises, and having seen them afar off, embraced them, and shaped their lives in conformity to them:—viz., “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims in the earth. For they which say such things declare plainly that they seek . ”

“ Knowing their Creator they would have no disposition to worship the sun, moon, or stars, as His works. It would be contrary to all the subsequent history of the dealings of God with His creatures to suppose our first parents were driven out and left to their own devices as to the means of reconciliation with Him; and though we are not expressly told that sacrifice was offered by Adam, many think that the first instruction in utilising skins for clothing, p. 12referred to the skins of animals offered in sacrifice. ”

“ And the Psalms abound in references to the sufferings of Christ, often spoken as of David, but having their full accomplishment in Him who was emphatically “the Son of David.”
It was natural that the worldly-minded Jews, in anticipating their Messiah, and looking for one greater than Solomon, should expect to see one exceeding him, not only in wisdom, but in that outward display of wealth and grandeur which the world so much admires, as indicating the royal power and pomp of kings. But it was not so to be: “He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground ”

“ But p. 77after thy hardness and impenitent heart, treasurest up unto thyself wrath, against the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; who will render to every man according to his deeds:—To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: but unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil . ”

“ During the patriarchal ages, the head of the family or house appears to have combined in himself the patriarch and priest. Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, offered sacrifices as well as Abel, though the recorded instances are few, and only on very remarkable occasions; such as the coming out of the ark, the call of Abram, the sacrifice of Isaac, the covenant to Jacob. ”

“ If we examine the nature of some of these fruits of the Spirit, we shall see that though they are produced in us individually by the working of the Spirit, they are not confined to ourselves, but will communicate to others around us. ”

“ I have endeavoured to draw the character of Christianity as I find it in the New Testament. No place is made for lukewarmness, indifference, or formality. Every one receiving the inestimable blessing of faith in Christ is naturally expected p. ”

“ In every case the offering was required to be perfect in its kind, and without blemish.
The sin-offering was more especially for atonement; but the voluntary and other offerings are spoken of as contributing thereto (Lev. i. 3) : coming from the voluntary will of the people, they expressed the heart’s devotion, and bore a “sweet savour to God.” ”

“ In a day when so much has been written on almost every Scripture subject it requires some apology for offering anything further; but as different trains of thought are more suited to one than another, they may serve as useful remembrancers, although there may be nothing particularly new about them. The writer of the following pages, being in the evening of life and much retired from its active duties by failing health, often endeavours to look through the lengthening shadows of the evening to the glory which shall be revealed, and delights to ponder over those passages of p. ”