THE

GOSPEL STANDARD,

OR,

FEEBLE CHRISTIAN'S SUPPORT.

"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled."-Matt. v. 6.

"Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.”—2 Tim. i. 9.

"The election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded."—Rom. xi. 7.

"If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.-And they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."-Acts viii. 37, 38; Matt. xxviii. 19.

No. 40.

APRIL, 1839.

TRUE LOVE.

VOL. V.

"I love them that love me; and those who seek me early shall find me.”

Prov. viii. 17.

There are two things mentioned in these sweet words of "the LORD our righteousness," which never had, nor ever will have any place in the children of the devil, in hypocrites, pharisees, self-deceived professors, or hell and sin-blinded enemies of God by wicked works. The one of these is, love to Christ; and the other is a seeking spirit, which has Jesus only for its object. The Holy Ghost declares that "the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So, then, they that are in the flesh, (unregenerated, dead in trespasses and sins, and shut up in unbelief,) cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now, if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And, if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the spirit is life because of righteousness." (Rom. viii. 7-10.)

The spirit that is quickened by "the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus," may be known by its feeling sin a burden, and hateful to it; by its sense of God's displeasure against sin, and its anxiety lest sin should be the means of excluding it for ever from his presence, and the enjoyment of his eternal love, which appears to it the most blessed, delightful, and to be desired of those pleasures which are at his right hand for evermore. 'As the hart pants after the water brooks, so panteth the quickened spirit after Christ, who is God over all, blessed

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for evermore: the living God, in whose favour is life and everlasting glory." To be assured that he is the object of this love, most gladly would the child of God resign the world and all its pleasures; yea, though a crown were offered in exchange, he would spurn it from him in disdain, for he seeks a crown of endless life, and for this he would relinquish ten thousand such lives as he possesses; for he counts all things as loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus his Lord; and counts them but dung, that he may win Christ, and be found in him, not having his own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith, that he may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; if by any means he might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. (Phil. iii. 8-11.) Now all these things prove that he is made alive in Christ, and is born again, for, "if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2 Cor. v. 17.) And these "all things, Paul says, are of God, who hath reconciled us unto himself by Jesus Christ." (ver. 18.) The " old things which are passed away, are the love of sin, of the world, of the flesh, and the service of the devil; sin being hateful, the world crucified unto the new creature, and it unto the world; the flesh being felt to be "dead because of sin," and no good thing dwelling in it; and the service of the devil to have only death, disquietude of soul, and the stings of conscience for its wages. Old companions, who are left in their natural state, pass away like a dream, and the wonder is how their society ever could have given any pleasure. They are shunned and avoided as pests, or as a contagious disorder or death-spreading plague. Old ideas of God, and false views of salvation in and by Christ, of his sovereignty, of election, regeneration, and of ourselves, vanish with the shades of the night before the sun rising in all its power and glory; and the mind is unaccountably occupied with the things of the Spirit, godly fear, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, poverty of spirit, longing after a sense of pardon, and the imputed righteousness of Christ. At other times, a manifest drawing of the heart to him, and a running forth of affections after him; cry-. ing and sighing on account of sin, and all the abominations which are discovered within; prayer and supplication to God; increasing desires to know if God has loved and chosen him in Christ, if the Holy Ghost has quickened him, if he is seeking Jesus in the right way, and not to be a hypocrite, or deluded by Satan. He cries after knowledge of these things, and lifts up his voice for understanding; he seeks her as silver, and searches for her as for hid treasures. (Prov. ii. 3, 4.) He feels his darkness, and prays for light. Satan tempts, and he resists, though fearing he shall surely perish in the end. He cannot rest in the opinion of men concerning his state, for he wants to be assured of it, by having "the witness in himself." He cannot wholly believe himself damned, for the truth that Jesus came to save sinners, to seek and to save that which was lost, and other such portions of Scripture have sometimes caused a

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ray of hope to spring up; and he cannot believe he is saved, because he does not feel any assurance thereof, and so dares not lay hold on the promises, lest he should be presumptuous. He can believe that Christ came to save those who are in his state, but he cannot believe that he came to save him. He knows that there is a change in him, but he reads that Satan transforms himself into an angel of light, and thereby drowns souls in perdition; and so he argues, How do I know but he may have deceived me? I am under the influence of fleshly feelings; my mind may be inflamed by what I have heard others say, and by what I have read. Besides, Judas repented, and yet was lost; and I may be like Judas after all!" If he meets with anything in God's word which describes those that kindle a fire and walk in the light thereof, and in the sparks that they have kindled; (Isa. 1. 10;) or of those who receive the word in stony places, and having no root, soon fade away and are withered; he thinks these scriptures describe his case, and are levelled at him. If he meets with a fearful denouncement of fiery wrath and destruction against the wicked, immediately he is the man, he is the impostor, he is the fool whose labour wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not the way to the city. (Eccles. x. 15.) If he were a child of God, he argues, God would long since have heard and answered him; for it is written, "It shall come to pass before they call, he will answer; and while they are yet speaking, he will hear.' But he has called and called over and over again, and God has given him no answer. He has agonized to feel that Jesus died for him, to feel his soul melted by a sense of love, to taste that he is gracious, and to have the Spirit of adoption in his heart, crying, "Abba, Father!" But, no; God has rejected his confidence, he shall never prosper, he had better give it up at once, for he is only labouring in vain; God has cast him off, Jesus does not love him, and he cannot love Jesus; his heart is so hard, so cold, so inflexible, and so stubborn. Yet, he pray s Christ to break it, to melt it; he entreats the Holy Ghost to circumcise it to love him. He acknowledges his sin and unworthiness, and feels that God would be just, even should he destroy him. Thus, all things are become new in him and to him. Yet, he says, what makes him hate sin? It is the fear of the Lord; for the Holy Ghost saith, "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil;" (Prov. viii. 13;) and "The fear of the Lord is clean," (Ps. xix. 19,) and makes all that have it hate sin, and the filth of sin, and their filthy selves in which sin works. And, if he has the fear of the Lord, why then he must have the new heart, which is only given to God's children who are interested in the blessings of the everlasting covenant; as it is written; "I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them; and I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me." (Jer. xxxii. 39, 40.) Now, "The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy." (Ps. cxlvii. 11.) And, therefore, although they know it not, he takes pleasure in

them, and they are his covenant children, and have a new heart, and, in due time, he will testify the same to them, for "the secret of the Lord is with them that fear him, and he will show them his covenant; (Ps. xxv. 14;) and "the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine," so that they shall not starve to death, though he makes them wait long for the bread of life; (Ps. xxxiii. 18, 19;) for "surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in the land;" (Ps. lxxxv. 9;) and, as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him; for he knoweth our frame, he remembereth that we are dust;" (Ps. ciii. 11—17;) and "the Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him; to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him; he will also hear their cry, and will save them." (Ps. cxlv. 18, 19.)

Again: What is it that makes the poor doubting soul pant after a sense of Jesus' love? It can be nothing but the love of Christ in him which constrains him. Where this love is not, there is nothing but hatred to God, and to the Lord Jesus, and to "the Spirit of holiness;" and, consequently, there can be no real desire after his love, or to love him, for we cannot really and truly from the heart desire to love those whom we hate, although we may appear to do so; such a thing is impossible. So, then, if we, in sincerity and in truth, hating ourselves for our sins and filthiness, desire to love Jesus and to feel his love to us; if it appear so desirable a thing that we cannot rest in any profession or frames of mind, or be happy in any way without it, it is plain we must have the love of God in us; we must love Jesus, or the absence of the realization of his love could not cause soul-distress and self-abasement. Love is in the heart; and it is love and faith which are working their way into the heart of Christ, drawn up hereunto by the blessed Spirit of Christ, who hath made us alive in him. Therefore, it is a precious crumb of comfort to the dogs who are under the table, and can only, as yet, get crumbs to eat; which crumbs are part of the bread of life, and of the same nature as the whole loaf. Jesus declares, "I love them that love me, and those that seek me early shall find me." And, if we love him, it is because he first loved us. (1 John iv. 19.) 'Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness. have I drawn thee." (Jer. xxxi. 3.) Such are the thoughts which have been crossing my mind at different times, and distilling their dew upon my branch. And, methinks, nothing can exceed the simplicity of these evidences or signs, which accompany, or are the effect of spiritual life in the soul. A want of the knowledge of these things often keeps the Lord's people long in bondage, and, though they are born of God, they think they are under some "strong delusion." They are always ready to listen to Satan's "ifs" and "buts," but they are very backward in believing God's " verilies.” And, what is more, there is a great lack of experimental preachers in this day, who, from having felt these exercises of soul, and having been at times comforted by God while under them, and, in due time, brought

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out into the glorious liberty of the children of God, can describe these workings of the mind, which are common to all who walk in the strait way, and groan, being burdened. There are many who preach sound doctrine; but this is not sufficient. A living soul labouring under sin and fear, infidelity, and blasphemous and obscure imaginations; fighting against spiritual wickedness in high places, and sorely tempted by Satan, wants something more than bare doctrinal facts, as regards the church of Christ, collectively. He wants to know his own personal interest in the doctrines of grace, as a member of the one church, and how they are received into the soul. It only adds to his misery to be always harping on the doctrine of everlasting love, election, salvation, free grace, redemption, and justification, without describing how the Spirit works them into the heart. These things, it is true, are most blessed and precious truths, but it is not the mere head-knowledge of them that gives joy and peace, but it is the reception of them by faith; and, before they can be received, much trouble is generally experienced in striving to get assurance of our interest in them. Therefore a preacher of righteousness should speak, like the apostle, of what he has himself heard, seen with his eyes, and looked upon, and that which his hands have handled of the good word of life, that his hearers, who feel the same things, may have fellowship with him, and may know and believe that truly his fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son, Jesus Christ. (1 John i. 1-3.) All other preaching is seldom the means of doing any more than informing the judgment and making hypocrites; filling the mind with the light which is darkness, (Luke xi. 35,) and driving the soul into presumptuous sins and vain boastings. It stocks the visible professing church with heaps of sounding brass and tinkling cymbal impostors; but it is very rarely the channel of communicating true light, accompanied with the oil of joy and gladness from the Spirit's testimony and "faith of the operation of God." Some of those who sit under such a ministry, and suddenly spring up into full assurance, soon feel, to their sorrow, that it is only full deception; and after enthroning themselves in pride at the head of the room, are compelled, with shame, to take the lowest seat, and find they have to go over again, and so retrace their false steps with grief, misery, fear, dread, and a sense of wrath in their souls; and, from the moment they are convinced of their error, they fear, for the future, to put one foot before the other without feeling satisfied that God is working in them, and directing them in the narrow way. They have broken through the hedge and the serpent has bitten them. (Eccles. x. 8.) They have burned their fingers once, and "the burnt child dreads the fire," and they now look out for the Spirit's teaching and leading in all things, and would rather enjoy one moment's communion with Jesus in his love, in the power and peace of his blood, and the joy of his salvation and righteousness, than have their heads crammed with all the divinity and cold doctrinal knowledge which has filled the world with so many dead volumes, and the professing church with dead preachers, who know not, experimentally, their right hand from their left; and, if