THE

Spiritual Magazine,

OR, THE

Christian's Grand Treasure;

COMPRISING A COMPLEAT

BODY OF DIVINITY,

DOCTRINAL, EXPERIMENTAL, AND PRACTICAL,\

IN A SERIES OF DIALOGUES

BETWEEN FRIENDLY AND TRUTH.

BY JOHN ALLEN,

Author of the Spiritual Exposition of the Bible, &c. &c.

IN THREE VOLUMES.

VOL. III.

Search the Scriptures-they are they which testify of me. John v. 39.

PRINTED FOR L. J. HIGHAM,

NO. 6, CHISWELL-STREET, FINSBURY-SQUARE,

BY T. PLUMMER, SEETHING-LANE,

faith be weak and wavering, then the comfort is weak: but if it be strong, it takes GOD at his word, and believes that it fhall be faved, because he hath faid it, and will he not do it? bath he spoken, and fhall it not come to pass?

A reflex act of faith, is the foul's reflecting upon what GOD hath promifed, and upon what he hath communicated.

First, Upon what he hath promifed; now the foul, in this act, feeing that God has provided a SAVIOUR, one whofe compaffions are infinite, whofe power is almighty, who delights to fave finners, that come unto God by him, faith, "perad"venture then GOD will fave me, inafmuch as he hath fo "happily provided for the falvation of the loft." Likewife, in this act, the finner reflects upon what CHRIST hath done to obtain falvation, views that the LORD JESUS hath engaged his heart, life, death, perfon, blood, and power, to fave that foul who trufts in him; then furely, faith the foul, there may be hope for me, as I reft entirely upon his perfon, blood, and obedience, for my falvation; and by this reflection the foul receives peace, joy, and good hope through grace.

Secondly, The foul reflects upon the grace that God hath communicated to loft finners, that others as vile have been faved by his rich mercy, I Cor. vi. 11. Such were fome of you, but ye are washed, but ye are fanctified, but ye are juftified in the name of the Lord Jefus, and by the spirit of our God. This gives comfort amidft fears and diftreffes, and nothing can be more fitly adapted to fupport guilty minds, than to fee that CHRIST has faved others in like circumftances, and hath promised to fave all that come unto God by him.

Thirdly, That which chiefly and principally gives a diftreffed foul peace and confolation is, the HOLY GHOST, fealing pardon and peace to the mind, by the precious blood of JESUS, which removed the fear of guilt, the anguish of condemnation from the mind, and fills the foul with all joy and peace in believing.

Friendly. How is this peace communicated to the mind?

Truth. I anfwer, by the HOLY GHOST's applying the promifes of God to the foul, which give peace and joy, and this is what is meant by irrefiftible grace. It is not in the power of fin, Satan, guilt, fears, nor diftrefs, to hinder the foul from receiving confolation, when the LORD the SPIRIT applies his word to the mind: 1 Cor. ii. 5. That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

Friendly Is this confolation applied inftantaneously, of gradually?

Truth. The comfort of the foul is, by the HOLY GHOST, ftrengthening gradually with promife after promife, but the confolation when given, is inftantaneous, the promife being then fo fweet, the fenfe of divine love fo powerful, that it makes the believer rejoice in the LORD, and joy in the GoD of his falvation..

There is likewife the love of God richly shed abroad in the heart, which fills the believer not only with all joy and peace, but with joy unfpeakable and full of glory: the heart being fo deeply impreffed with a sense of divine favour, cries out, "Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon me, that I fhould be called a child of God; that he should "fend forth his Spirit into my heart, to cry Abba, Father; "that he should filence all my doubts, and calm all my fears. "O wonderful love! O amazing grace! that 1 who had "finned with an high hand, and out-ftretched arm, fhould "be called a child, a fon, an of with GoD and a joint heir "with CHRIST! O love too high to be comprehended, and "too deep to be fathomed! through grace I can now fay, my "Lord, and my God! my beloved is mine, and I am his !" This is a foretaste of Heaven, an earneft of glory, which the LORD in his fovereign pleasure favours his children with, that they may remember what God hath done for their fouls.

Friendly. Through divine favour I experience this to be my cafe, but is this the happy experience of all God's children?

Truth. No, I believe it is evident, that it is the LORD'S pleasure to comfort fome of his children, more than others, and enlarge their joy; fome are kept under doubts and fears all their days, while others are comfortable, having good hope through grace.

Friendly. In what confifts the life of faith?

Truth. The life of faith confifts in living, refting, and relying for happiness, joy, and divine contentment, upon the promife and faithfulness of GOD for aid, ftrength, and fupport, admidst all the afflictions and forrows that it meets with; from hence flows that full contentment, fettled tranquillity, and permanent joy, which fome Chriftians, ftrong in faith, are favoured with, and what this world cannot give.

Faith is converfant about heavenly things, and what God hath promised in his word, it is fo fublime and heavenly in its nature, that it never ftoops to any thing of a perishing kind, the whole univerfe affords nothing agreeable to this faith of

the operation of God; the most splendid, gaudy, and great things of this world, are meer trifles to faith, for faith as little esteems them, as the men of the world esteem divine bleffings. This new and divine principle of the mind, wants nothing of this world to nourish and fupport it, there is no thing in worldly, perifhing enjoyments, that faith can live upon; for faith is a fpiritual life, acting by the HOLY GHOST upon spiritual things, feeds thereon as in green paftures; lives upon heavenly manna, Angels food, the bread of life which came down from Heaven; the Chriftian fays with Paul, The life that I live in the flesh, I live by faith on the Son of God, who bath loved me, and gave himself for me.

Friendly. May not a perfon, who is bleffed with divine faith, covet and defire earthly things?

Truth. Many real Chriftians pierce their hearts through with many forrows, by an earnest and anxious pursuit after the uncertain riches of this life: this reftless purfuit, fprings not from faith, but from the corruptions of our nature, our hearts are earthy; but faith, in its nature and exercife, afpires to heavenly things, it is the evidence of things not seen, even to fuch as eye hath not feen, nor ear heard of, but fuch as God hath prepared for them that love him. That man who can take up his reft and fatisfaction in all the gaudy riches, honours and profits of this life, gives full proof that his heart is not right with GoD, I John v. 4. And this is the victory which overcometh the world, even our faith. All the repleteness of this life, is too mean and defpicable for faith to receive, as it raifeth the foul far higher than this earthly globe, even to Heaven itself, where Chrift fitteth at the right hand of God. The affections being fet on things above, the foul by faith, enters within the vail, whither JESUS the forerunner is for us already entered, his own blood having obtained eternal redemption for us: it is there faith views the High Prieft before the throne, and as the High Prieft under the law was commanded to fprinkle the blood upon, and before the mercyfeat, fo faith views the blood of atonement within the vail before the throne of GOD, in all its ineffable worth, value; and infinite glory, as a propitiation for fin, which affords more fatisfactory delight to the foul, than all earthly enjoyments can to a carnal mind. Thus the life of faith is heavenly and fublime, as it hath its fatisfaction, joy, and happinefs from things above.

Friendly. How is this life of faith carried on, when the foui is oppreffed with deep affliction and forrow?

THE CHRISTIANS'S GRAND TREAURE.

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Truth. Then faith lives upon divine faithfulness, and pleads the veracity of GoD in his word, which bears the mind above the ftorms of affliction, and the diftreffing things of this life; for when things appear dark, the clouds gather with blacknefs, and the waves and billows of affliction overflow, then faith fteps into the harbour of a divine promife, and ftays there until the ftorm be overpaft, Hab. iii. 17, 18. Although the fig-tree shall not blofom, neither fall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive fhall fail, and the fields fall yield no meat; the flocks fhall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the Stalls: yet will I joy in the Lord, and rejoice in the God of my fal vation. Afflictions are fo far from being the death of faith, that it lives and thrives best in the ftreams of forrow, knowing that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are called according to his purpofe; it glories in tribulation, knowing that tribulation worketh patience, and patience, experience, and experience, hope, and hope maketh not afhamed, becaufe the love of GoD is thed abroad in the heart by the HOLY GHOST, which he hath given unto us.

Friendly But do not thofe that enjoy this life of faith, find fometimes the life of fin, fenfuality and pride?

Truth. Yes, they may at times, through the corruption of their nature; but the life of faith is implanted by the HOLY GHOST, to oppofe and fubdue the workings of concupifcence and luft; faith is a combating grace, and ftands upon the ftrength of the LORD against the rifings, out-breakings of fin, and heart-departing from GOD; faith longs, breathes, and prays for the eradication of fin from the mind; therefore the believer is faid to purify his heart by faith, is converfant with the blood of JESUS, finds purification day by day, drinks of the pure delightful ftreams of God's everlasting love, is refreshed and much invigorated, with strength against all the appearances of evil, and likewife in ardent love, adoration and praise to GoD, depends upon the Father of mercies, and the God of glory, for all fupplies of wifdom and strength in every needful feafon. Temptations, afflictions, and trials, the Chriftian will meet with, but faith hath recourse to the fountain and origin of all its joy, the grace of God, which is formed in the foul, from whence it hopes for fuccour under all difficulties, and comfort under every trouble. Therefore this life of faith is contrary to our flefhly defires, faith places all its ftrength in another, derives all life, joy, and pleasure from CHRIST, who is the author, object, and finifher of it.

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