and whether his way be a paradise or wilderness, strewed with roses or beset with thorns, it is all one to him; God's will is welcome to him as drink to a thirsty man, whether it be brought in gold or glass. He loves nothing for its own sake, but any thing as God's allowance. If God will take him to heaven he will go; if God will have him stay he will stay; if God moves he moves, if God stands still he pitcheth his tent and stirs not. He often wants livelihood, and yet lives; for though others may have the things, they want the comfort; and though he want the things, yet he hath the comfort. And therefore he can part with his dearest enjoyments, and trample upon his choicest comforts, when God calls for them, as being more willing that God should be glorified in their absence, than himself comforted in their presence. If his comfort cannot be wrapt up in the glory of God, he cares not for comforts, 2 Cor. xii. 9, 10. He would be nothing but what God would have him, and that he would willingly be, though it were to lie forgotten and forsaken of all his friends and comforts all his days. He accounts it better to be preserved in brine, than to rot in honey, Philip. i. 18, 20, 21. He knows that whatever his fare be, Jesus Christ will be his fellow-commoner, and he doth not much care if he have no other company. He knows God loves him, or whatever God does to him, or whatever he send him, he will never hurt him, Isa. xliii. 2. He sees abundance in wants, he sees enjoyments in disappointments, health in sickness, life in death, Acts xx. 23, 24. and therefore is not solicitous which be his case, but with an holy carelessness trusts himself with God's disposing. When he is at the highest God is his triumph, and so God is when he is at the lowest, Psalm lxxiii. 25. He never is happy but in his God; he never wants happiness, (whatever befal him) if he have his God.

No. 4. His Triumph over the World.

The glory of the world. Gal. vi. 14. which leads captive so many hearts, takes no hold of his; for where would it enter? All his senses are locked up in his soul, and that is full of Christ, who keeps out all things else from coming in. His eyes are like the sunflowers, which do not open to every blaze, but only to the light and heat of the Sun of righteousness. His ears are stopt from hearing (with delight) any sound but the speakings of God, and the secret whispers of the Spirit. His palate can relish nothing like the heavenly manna, the feast of fat things which is in Christ Jesus. There is no smell like the smell of Christ's ointments. And whatever he feels it is but as Esau's hand, rough and hairy; beside the smooth and silken, the white and fine wrought linen of the saints. As for other things, whatever the world holds out to inveigle him withal, he can pass it by with an holy scorn. He is not at leisure to trifle away his time with playing with pebbles, Heb. xi. 24. having jewels and pearls to look after, Phil. iii. 8. He hath seen the glory of the Lord, and all other shinings are but shadows in his eyes, 1 Tim. ii. 6. VOL. X.-No. 118.]

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That which others court with dazzled eyes, he doth not account as worth a glance of his. The sun, which shines and gives light to him, doth (contrary to the natural sun) darken earth, and make heaven only to be glorious. He knows that God allows the dogs under his table such bones to pick as the world is; as for his part he hath dainties to live upon, for Jesus Christ is his daily bread. It is not silver and gold which he calls riches, it is not advancement which he calls honour, it is not learning which he calls wisdom: he can be (yea he is) rich, honourable, and wise without them, and all in Christ, 1 Cor. i. 20-30. He looks on these things to be (as some say of the rainbow) a reflection of all colours, not real as they appear. All the beauty of the world is but skin-deep, a sun-blast defaceth it; yea, all the glory of the world is in a continual flux, and (like time itself) hath no other being than a passing away, 1 Cor. vii. 31. All that the world hath is but nothing varnished over, a tohu and bohu in a comely garb, a mere chaos in an orderly dress it is but as a picture drawn in sand or ice, whose very ground hath little foundation, James i. 10, 11. It is a mere vanity, which if it be any thing, is a something worse than nothing. Pomp is but fancy, gold is but dust, fame is but breath, Acts xxv. 23. and praise a blast; the world's sweet is but bitter, its love loveless, its splendour darkness, its fulness emptiness, its all nothing. If any thing more it is (chimera-like) made up of thoughts. And a saint can as well feed on the East wind as any of these things, which will all prove like the dreamer's feast, that fills the fancy, and leaves the stomach empty, Isa. xxix. 8. Farewell world.

No. 5. His Triumph over Present Enjoyments.

The worst of enemies that he hath to encounter with is a selfflattering heart, which would have him rest in what he hath received; but the Spirit of God is stronger than self and out-works, yea, works out such base and carnal imaginations. So that he cannot build his tabernacle here, because his mansions are in heaven. It is not his light, but the God of light, Isa. xii. 2.; it is not his comfort, but the God of comfort, Jer. ix. 23, 24.; it is not his graces, but the God of graces, 1 Cor. i. 31.; it is not any thing beside God himself wherein he can quiet and repose his soul. All his graces are but wedding attire, all his joy and consolation but wedding cheer; he cannot be fully satisfied till he come to enjoy the marriage bed, very bosom of God. Alas! his fullest barns of grace, which are the fruitful harvest of the seed of God, are but gleanings to what he expects. His joyful springs of delight which he here enjoys are but leaf-casting autumns, nay, but nipping winters, in comparison of that everlasting summer, which he looks to enjoy in an eternity of the sunny shinings of God's face upon him. His sabbath-days, wherein his soul keeps holy-day with God, are but minutes in regard of that never-ending jubilee which he expecteth. He hath rivers of joy here, but he esteems them as a few drops in regard of that bottomless sea of God's enjoyment, wherein he longs to bathe

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his soul. His light is clear and shining here; but the noon-tide sun in its brightest lustre is but a dark vault to God and the Lamb, Rev. xxi. 23. who is the light of that city to which he is hasting. Alas! he hath but a sip of the overflowing flaggons, but a taste of the full tables of good cheer, which God hath provided, and Christ is preparing to set before him as an everlasting feast. He cannot but be pressing on to know that love which passeth knowledge, Phil. iii. 8, 12.; and cannot be satisfied till he come to apprehend God, as he is apprehended of God. He cannot rest any where but in heaven, where his faith shall be seeing, and his hope possession. Nay, it is not heaven, were it any thing beside God-enjoyment, that could terminate the boundless appetite of his longing soul. For it is not God for heaven, but heaven for God; yea, that heaven which is God, who is the heaven of heaven, that he looks after, Ps. xvi. 11. xvii. 15. It is God, only God, Col. iii. 11. in all, without all, and beyond all, that is his all. Here he is at rest, now he is swallowed up in satisfaction, and nothing can intermeddle with his joy; he rejoiceth in the Lord, Rom. viii. 31. 1 Cor. xv. 37. by whom he is in all these things a conqueror. But as for the honour of the triumph, he means to give that to God, who gave him the victory.

AN ANSWER TO THE QUERY OF A CONSTANT READER. YOUNG men are frequently anxious to get into the ministry from excited feelings; or according to the word of God, 1 Sam. ii. 36. But, if God have need of the young in his vineyard, he will send him to labour at the appointed hour of the day, Matt. xx. 1—16. Therefore, study the word of God with prayer for understanding; and well weigh the following scriptures, Acts xiii. 2. Heb. v. 4. Col. iv. 17. 1 Tim. iii. 10. 2 Tim. i. 7—14. ii. 1—26. iii. 14—17. Titus ii. 1. Philem. vi.

R. WRIGHT.

AN ANSWER TO H. P. O. A BELIEVER is a partaker of the divine nature, 2 Pet. i. 4.: it is not possible for sin to hurt such, Luke x. 19.; sanctified by electing love, redeeming blood, and regenerating grace. But surely, a believing man will never say, "To what extent may 1 presume to sin?" There is an appointed sacrifice for the sin of ignorance, Lev. iv. 5. 1 Tim. i. 13.; but none for presumption, Numb. xv. 27-31. Deut. xvii. 8-13. and xviii. 18-22.

H. P. O. can know but little of God, his word, or his way, to make such enquiries. If he knew that the mystery of the faith lay in the pure conscience; and endued with such, instead of fruitless questions, his daily prayer would be, that the Lord would keep him from evil, and from sin, that it might not grieve him. See the following scriptures, 1 Chron. iv. 9, 10. Rom. vi. Gal. v. 19–26. 2 Pet. ii. 9-19. 1 Tim. i. 19. iii. 9. Ps. xix. 12-14. Isa. viii. 20. Jude i. Heb. xiii. 12. 1 John i. 7. Gal. vi. 1. 1 Cor. vi. 9-11.

REVIEW.

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The Rod of the Covenant: a Treatise on the subject of Divine Chastisements; founded upon the positive declarations of Jehovah, and the truth of the Doctrine clearly proved from the faithful testimonies of God's Witnesses in his Holy Word. With some Observations on Hosea x. 11. By JOHN WADE, 8vo. p.p. 96. Simpkin and Co. and E. Palmer.

THIS publication we are informed was occasioned by a piece, which appeared in a cotempary, stating that the Lord never chastises his people for sin; and after inserting the passage, as it appeared in that work, our author proceeds to shew his reasons for objecting to the sentiment which this writer has advocated.

Mr. Wade in this work, while he readily admits, and glories in the fact, that our adorable Jesus bore all the sins of his people, and the curse which appertained thereto, in his own body on the tree, as the scriptures fully prove; hence we read, and with holy exultation rejoice in the fact, that "HE was made a curse for us ;" that He hath made an end of sin," &c. &c. but while viewed judicially, all the sins of the whole elect family of God, past, present, and to come, are fully atoned for by the all-atoning Lamb of God, yet it should be remembered, that there is a vast difference between judicial punishment and fatherly chastisement; and we think our author has shewn, both from scripture and experience, that while Jehovah views all his people, as holy and without blame before him in love, as standing in their covenant Head; yet numerous instances, both in scripture, history, and in every after period of the church, fully prove, that "He will visit their sins with a rod, and their iniquity with stripes;" although, blessed for ever be his most holy name, he hath graciously added, "Nevertheless, my loving-kindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail."

We have subjoined an extract, that our readers may judge for themselves.

"I might have referred to the prophet Jonah, as set forth by the Lord himself, as a brazen bulwark against all that might attempt to deny the doctrine of divine chastisement; but the subject is marked down by the Lord himself, with such simplicity and plainness, that no poor child of God can need a comment upon it, more than what will, in due time, be preached to him in soul experience. That Jonah was a sign of Christ is very clear, (Matt. xii. 40.); as also very many solemn subjects arise out of the history as the Lord is pleased to open it, which do not come under the present subject. One thing used much to puzzle my mind about twenty years ago : how Jonah could ever manifest such a spirit, and make use of such language. I was often told, that he was of a very crabby or churlish disposition; but the very first dispensation which the Lord was pleased to call me to pass through, when the Lord struck at the beloved idol, and self was dishonoured, then the mystery at once ceased; and not the opinion of men, but the word of God, proved the solemn fact, that "as in water face an

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swereth to face, so the heart of man to man," Prov. xxvii. 19. Here was Jonah, with all his anger and rebellion, drawn out in the rage and desperation of my heart. If the Lord had overthrown Nineveh, and Jonah's ministry had been honoured, though one hundred and twenty thousand persons had suffered, no doubt all would have been quiet with Jonah; but if the Lord in mercy spare, "it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry;" self was touched to the quick. Is this the man that had just suffered under the chastening hand of God, and had been evidently delivered in soul-experience, as from the "belly of hell," and had ascribed salvation unto the Lord? O the abomination of self, and the depths of depravity in the heart! O the amazing strength of everlasting love and mercy, in the patience and long-suffering of a covenant God in Christ Jesus!

"The Lord might well direct his servant to take up a lamentation for the princes of Israel," and point them to the rock whence they were hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence they were digged! and say, what is thy mother? a lioness, &c.; brought up from all the dregs and filth of degenerated nature, planted and made fruitful by the waters of life, exalted to her height, in the multitude of her branches. But what comes next? The east wind, the wilderness, and the fire. "But she was plucked up in fury, she was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up her fruit; her strong rods were broken and withered; the fire consumed them: and now she is in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty ground, and fire is gone out of a rod of her branches, which hath devoured her fruit; so that she hath no strong rod to be a sceptre to rule. This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation. See Ezek. xix. throughout. Carnal wisdom, fleshly presumption and confidence, will be no more a rod to bare rule in the church, when these dispensations come on, no more dare to lift its cursed arm to wrest the government from his shoulders, and to teach him wisdom, to establish new creeds upon the authority of an arm of flesh, in the face of the most plain and positive declaration of Jehovah, and in opposition to his sovereign wisdom and authority, and of the most powerful testimonies of his witnesses; and however these things may rise up, yet they shall not bear rule; "in measure when it shooteth forth, thou wilt debate with it." If man will debate with the wisdom and government of God, God will debate with, burn up, and throw down, and confound all the wisdom of man. (Isaiah xxvii. 8.).

This, the Lord saith, is a lamentation for the princes of Israel, the manifested people of God, and it shall be for a lamentation; it shall produce that experience in the soul which the Lord hath designed; to burn up and blast every thing of a fleshly profession, and to exalt and magnify his own free sovereign mercy, love, and salvation. This is the end of all the dispensations of the Lord towards his dear people, James v. 11.; and in all the fiery trials and purging dispensations. And if it be said, these things belong to the old dispensation-what saith Christ in the new? "Every branch that bringeth forth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit," John xv. 2, 3. Though clean and perfect in himself, yet they must pass the furnace: no furnace work, no ashes; and if there be no ashes, there can be no exchange for beauty; no mourning, no oil of joy; no spirit of heaviness, there can be no exchange for the garment of praise; no purging, no fruit."-pp. 90, 91.

We cheerfully recommend the work, as a very salutary and useful touchstone for the professors of a day which abounds with so much towering speculation.

The Joy, Peace, and Glory which awaits the Believer : a Sermon. By Samuel Adams, Curate of Newton, Blossomville, and Ast