he bear in mind the object addressed, and what he is asking for; to keep to the word, and not as Andrew has done, bring forward fallible men. As I have but one leader, and one lamp to light my feet in the pathway to the kingdom, that is, Jesus and his word.

Union Street, Borough. April 13, 1834.

E. M.

REMARKS ON A. B.'s "THOUGHTS ON THE GRACES OF THE SPIRIT."

In this awful day of rebuke and blasphemy, in the which, "the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, speaking lies in hypocrisy," 1 Tim. iv. 12., " And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables," 2 Tim. iv. 4. Is it a matter of indifference with us whether we are established in truth or error? if so, our religion has no root at all in the truth as it is in Jesus; and our faith stands in the wisdom of men, and not in the power of God, and therefore cannot be genuine, nor its basis firm every essential truth we part with is an infinite loss; and we daily see an awful departure from the doctrines of the gospel. Error gains ground, and champions for the truth are but few in number when compared to the other host. I know that if a writer contends "for the faith once delivered to the saints," he is always condemned as evincing a bad spirit; however, "God hath a controversy with the nations," Jer. xxv. 31., and his ministers shall teach his people the difference between the holy and the profane; and in controversy they shall stand in judgment," Ezek. xliv. 23. Are we not commanded to "try the spirits, whether they be of God; for many false prophets and teachers," transformed into ministers of righteousness, are gone out into the world: compare 1 John iv. 1. 2 Cor. xi. 14, 15. The church of Ephesus is commended for so doing: "thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars," Rev. ii. 2.; for "if they speak not according to the law and the testimony, it is because there is no light in them," Isa. viii. 20.

In your excellent Magazine for April, Mr. Editor, you have inserted an article on 1 Cor. xiii. 13., signed A. B., wherein he has written that which he has no scriptural warrant for. He does not distinguish between the words now and then. Now cannot be accommodated to any thing future; neither to the day of death or judgment; much less to eternity. Would not every man in this world, who is endued with common sense, conclude the word means this present time? It lies with him therefore, to prove the present time signifies eternity, where time is no more. I call upon him to prove from the scriptures what he has asserted, or he will be found a false witness unto God, Prov. xxx. 6. 1. That we are to live by faith and hope in heaven. "If," says he, "hope would cease, God would VOL. X.-No. 122.]

U

cease to be." What is hope? Is it not a grace of expectation of some future good promised in his word, wrought in us by the Holy Ghost? Hence the apostle in his epistle to Titus i. 2. says, "In hope of eternal life, which God that cannot lie, promised before the world began." "But hope that is seen, is not hope; for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it," Rom. viii. 24-26. Here the word of God declares that hope is employed about things we see not, and that in hope and patience we wait for them. If we are in possession of all promised good, how can it be said we hope for it? for hope that is seen, is not hope. Full possession is surely opposed to hope; because we have the full enjoyment of things hoped for. "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." It therefore remains for A. B. to invert this order, by proving that faith is the substance of things fully enjoyed, and the evidence of things already revealed, and clearly seen in heaven. Faith, in this present state, is opposed to sight in heaven;" for we walk by faith, not by sight," 2 Cor. v. 7. Let A. B. disprove all this, and tell us, that we walk by sight here: and, by faith in heaven: and that when we get to heaven, we shall, by faith, be absent from Christ, and, of course, be at home in the body. Believing in this life, is called looking through a glass; for "now, we see through a glass darkly; but then, face to face," 1 Cor. xiii. 12. Faith is this eye, and the holy scriptures are this glass; in which we see the mysteries of God's kingdom in the word, and the glorious work of God in our souls; all which, when compared to the heavenly glory, is no more than a peep through a spy-glass; which is opposed to all sight in heaven; which is called seeing face to face, without either faith or the scriptures of truth; which proves that faith's eye and glass will both be laid aside, as of no further use to the saints. The utmost that is said of the faith of the saints of old, is, "that these all died in faith.” This was the last act of the obedience of faith; but that it followed them beyond the grave, that it served them there instead of sight; that they exercised it in heaven, the scriptures know nothing of, but are altogether silent about any such thing. Now, as the scriptures already cited speak of faith's last act of obedience being exercised in death, so also the Holy Ghost affirms, that faith ends, as to the works and actings of it, on the death-bed of the saints: "receiving (says Peter) the end of your faith, even the salvation of your soul," I Pet. i. 9. We are saved from the guilt of sin, from the destroying power of it, from the curse of the law, from the wrath of God, and from this world, upon our believing in Christ; and at death, the soul is saved from the in-being of sin; for not the salvation of the body from the grave, but the salvation of the soul from the in-being of sin at death, is what the apostle means; though A. B. has given the lie to the Holy Spirit of God himself; for he says, that "faith and hope are to abide in heaven for ever;" but the Spirit says, that the salvation of the soul is the end of faith: "and when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away," 1 Cor. xiii. 10.

If

all fulness and perfection be then come, I ask, how this future faith and hope can comport with endless glory, when the past and the future tenses are both swallowed up in eternity? for time shall be no more, and of course, no room for faith and hope to come. We have the promise, that in heaven Christ will shew us plainly of the Father; "blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God:" yea, and we shall see Christ too; 66 we shall see him as he is, (says John) for we shall be like him." And then, the Holy Spirit asks, "what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for ?"

May the Lord bless you, my brethren, in your labours; and preserve you and the whole church of God from Arian notions, is the prayer of

Your's affectionately, in the bonds of the gospel,

C. W.

CHOICE EXTRACTS FROM ANCIENT AUTHORS.

AN ANSWER TO THE QUESTION, "WHAT IT IS TO LIVE BY

FAITH ?"

Taken from a work entitled, "The Exaltation of Christ, as the alone High Priest, Prophet, and King of Saints."

BY THOMAS COLLIER,

Sometime Teacher to the Church in York, and afterwards Preacher in the West of England, in the time of the Commonwealth. The book is dated 1651.

What is it to live by Faith?

First, it is to exercise faith, that is, to make use of it as need requires; or, secondly, it is a living upon Christ in the want of all things; or, thirdly, it is a living by believing of what the soul shall one day enjoy.

First. It is to exercise faith as occasion calls for it, that is, to exercise it upon the object: for faith hath ever an object, and if it be right and true, the object is CHRIST. Now it is true, there is occasion for the christian to exercise faith in every condition, either internally or externally; for the christian hath many enemies to encounter withal, the flesh, and the devil, and the world: all these come in amain upon the soul. Now faith overcomes, 1. The flesh, that will be ever lusting against the Spirit; Satan coming in, working by it; self will be in every action, self-wisdom, self-priding, and self-boasting; this is contrary to the mind of the Spirit; and now the Spirit is troubled and grieved; so that many times there is a hot conflict in the souls of the saints. But how comes the christian to overcome it? by eyeing and applying Christ; it can say as Paul, I have a body of sin, a proud, cursed, self-seeking nature; "but thanks to God through Jesus Christ," &c. and "there is no condemnation to them in Christ." It is true, I have a base nature, a wicked,

cursed, deceitful, proud, self-seeking heart; yet the Lord hath let forth a glimpse of his glory to my soul; he hath let me see, and hath sealed this by his Spirit unto me, that I am in Christ, and there is no condemnation for me; and so by faith seeking to Christ, the soul overcomes this enemy, flesh; and then, 2. it ever lives in believing that this fleshly corrupt nature shall be every day more and more subdued, and so is ever eyeing a crucified Christ, for the killing and crucifying of this body of sin..

Secondly. The devil. He will come in with his darts, laying hard and heavy things to the charge of the soul; although the apostle saith, Rom. viii. 33. "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth:" although God himself pronounce a man clear and just, yet the devil will come in, and endeavour to make work in the godly justified soul. O (saith the devil) thou art a vile, cursed creature; thou hast a base, earthly, carnal heart; thou art not able to perform any duty, but it is full of sin; and as good never a whit as never the better. Thy services (hadst thou no other sin to be accountable for) are enough to condemn thee. And besides all the rest of thy sins, of thy baseness in performing duty, this is that is worst of all, thou hast a wicked proud heart of thy own; thou art ready, whenever God hath assisted thee, to take the honour to thyself, and to pride thyself in those weak duties thou performest.

What sayest thou to this, christian? hast thou any experience of this trial in thy soul? I dare say thou hast, if Christ dwell there; but what course will you take to overcome in this combat? see Eph. vi. 16. These are the enemies the saints are to encounter with; they are no small, no mean enemies, see verse 12; and the armour, the christian's armour, it is all armour of proof, "but above all, take the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked:" the devil will come, and come again he will have one dart, and another dart. Now the way to overcome, is to take the shield of faith: a shield is for defence, so this faith both defends and resists the devil.

But how doth faith overcome? It ever hath an eye to the foundation, Christ; it knows the foundation standeth sure, and sɔ it turns over the devil, the false conclusion that the devil and the heart are ready to make together to Christ: and now the soul saith, it is true, Satan, or it is true, heart; 'I am base; I have a vile, cursed nature-I cannot pray, nor perform any duty as I should; sin is in my best action; I confess I am in myself as bad as man or devil can make me-not a worse heart in the world, more subject to evil further than God restrains it, more unable to do good further than God enables. And what of all this, Satan? I know there is enough to condemn me for ever, were I to answer in mine own person for myself, but Christ hath been condemned for me, Satan; he hath borne all my sins, and so my condemnation; and he hath made himself over to me, so that now thou must first have something against Christ, before thou canst shake my hold; and thus by faith flying to Christ,

the soul overcomes the enemy; but if the soul cannot thus have recourse to the Lord Jesus, he is gone-when the tempter comes, he is not able resist. Then saith, the believing soul, it is true, Satan, I have a proud self-seeking heart ready ever to take that honour to itself that is due to God; but it is as true, that I may thank thee for it, who hast metamorphosed my nature, and made it like thine own; and not only so, but comest in, and ever stirrest up the heart to pride and self-seeking, knowing well by experience, that it is a sin that much provokes God; but this is my mercy, God lets me see into this depth of wickedness, and it is my burthen; but Christ hath freed me from the power of it, and from the iniquity of it; he is ever subduing it in me, and one day I shall for ever be freed, both from it and thee; thus by faith the soul overcomes the devil. This is the first particular wherein the christian comes to live by faith in the exercising of it, according to the manifold occasions it meets withal.

Secondly. To live by faith, is a living upon Christ in the want of all things, and that both external and internal.

1. External, in the want of outward things; when the creature is stripped naked and bare, brought even to a morsel of bread, then to live in believing the Lord will care for you, when that you are brought to Christ's condition, that you have neither house nor home, nor any thing in the world, besides a Christ, besides a God to live upon; then when thou canst get a promise, as that, Heb. xiii. 5. “ He hath said, I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee," and stick close to the Lord Jesus in such a promise; this is a living by faith, when the creature fails, Hab. iii. 17, 18." Although the fig-tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vine; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat, the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stall: yet will I rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation." This is to live by faith, when all creatures fail; then to live upon God, then to rejoice in the Lord, believing that God is able, and will help, the Lord will sustain. The want of this faith, was Israel's sin, Ps. Ixxviii. 18, 19. " They spake against God, and said, can God prepare a table in the wilderness?" How is the deceitful heart of man ready to distrust God in such a condition as those Jews. Can God prepare a table when all is gone? But faith, in such a condition, believes, and lives by believing; and the Lord will care for me, saith the soul; and the Lord hath said it, "The lions shall lack, and suffer hunger, but they that wait upon the Lord, shall want nothing that is good." This is a hard thing; it is easily said, but not so easily done. You think it is easy, perhaps, to live by faith, while you have a house, a calling that brings you in money, perhaps every day, or every week, or money by you, or land, &c., you can live comfortably upon Christ and your calling, upon Christ and your house or land; but let all be taken from thee, see then how thou canst live: this may be your condition, and then you will be put to the trial.

2. Spiritually. When the soul hath nothing of its own to rest