any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father," and which plainly shews that it was not literal children, but children of God, called by divine grace, that the Holy Ghost had an allusion to in these portions of holy writ. But some may object, and say, that the text speaks of a child, and not of children: very good, so it does; but you know that the whole race of Israel are called children, Judges iv. 1. And if you look into the 4th chapter of Exodus, 22, 23. you will find that God calls them in the singular number; "thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son," &c. text. Secondly, we are to inquire whose child this is as recorded in the It has been my faith for some years, and I see no reason why I should relinquish my former views, that the child mentioned in the text is a child of God. Allow me to ask, would the Lord ever have given such a special command to have it trained, &c., if his eternal love had not been fixed upon it? Surely not. It is my belief, that From everlasting God did love his child, Ere time began it near his bosom lay; And though by sin and Satan much defiled, His watchful eye is o'er it night and day. Which leads me, thirdly, to inquire where this child is previous to being trained. The particular command to have it trained, plainly shews that the child is in a helpless condition, and cannot train itself; and the Holy Ghost by the prophet Isaiah declares, “that all we like sheep have gone astray: we have turned every one to his own way." And what way is that which we have so greedily pursued? Why, brethren, The way to death, and loved it well, Nor vengeance did we dread; Not half, but wholly dead. I now proceed, fourthly, to make a few remarks upon the word train, which has various meanings to it. I said above that the child being trained, presupposes it to be utterly inadequate in the least to help itself. If we turn to Hosea xiv. 7. we find that the church is represented as growing as the vine. We know that the vine must be trained, so must the children of God. The vine sometimes in violent storms gets shattered, and some of its superfluous branches and leaves broken off; then the gardener is employed to train or set the branches in their proper order, &c. Thus it is with the children of God, in violent temptations they often get shattered; indeed they feel not only as weak and feeble as the vine, but as crooked also, I mean in their old nature. The apostle in his epistle to the church at Rome, gives us an awful description of the crookedness and peevishness of the human heart; and after describing some of the aggravations and transgressions which the Jews greedily practised, he exclaimed, "Are we better than they?" that is, by nature No-for all have sinned, said he, The word train means also a solemn procession. We read that the Queen of Sheba came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones, &c. And have not the children of God, or if you please, the church, which is emphatically called a queen, Ps. xlv. 9. a huge train following them in their approaches to the King of kings, whilst here below? Yes The graces of my dying Lord, And spread their virtues o'er the mind, But methinks I hear some poor child of the Most High say thus- Seldom I am from them free; Oft distress'd with much afflictions, Those persons greatly err, who think that they are competent to bring up their children in the ways of the Lord. That portion of holy writ in Psalm xiv. 2. as well as other parts of God's word, plainly shews that none but God himself can do the mighty deed. I know the apostle said, that "we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence," &c.; but the Holy Ghost plainly shews that he had such foolishness bound up in his heart, that his earthly parents were not in the smallest degree adequate to drive far from him; and he made it manifest when he grew up to riper years. May we not say, that Self was his idol from his youth, No rod prepared by human art, That power belong'd to God. I proceed now, fifthly, to shew whose office it is to train up or lead this child in the way it should go. Methinks it more than probable that my unknown brother in the Lord, is before hand with me on this point. Doubtless you are thinking that it is the sole prerogative of the Lord the Spirit, to lead all the children of God into the right way, or way which leadeth unto everlasting life: that truly is my firm belief. These children of whom we have been speaking about, are taught by this blessed Agent experimentally to know that they never would have relinquished their former course of wickedness, never would have seen an end of all creature perfection, and the law to be exceeding broad, had not the Holy Ghost taught them the same. I can truly say, that when the good Lord arraigned me at his bar, the anguish of my soul was exceeding great. This I humbly conceive is the way that is meant in the text and it is a substantial truth that there is no walking in this way but by faith; and there is no genuine faith without the Spirit producès it; no seeing this way aright till the eyes of the understanding is enlightened; no craving the blessing that is found in this way till the Lord hedge up every other way with thorns, Hosea ii. 6. The fact is, the Lord raises his children up from the dunghill of self-sufficiency, strips them of their filthy ragged righteousness, and makes them glad to accept of a righteousness wrought out by the Lord Jesus. They feeling the famine within, makes dear the bread of life; feeling their ignorance, makes them cry to God for wisdom; feeling their weakness, makes precious the strength of their Lord; feeling themselves in an enemy's country, makes them cry to the great Captain of their salvation to go before them, to lead, guide, and direct them in all things, that shall be for their good and his great glory. In short, the Holy Ghost makes the child of God to prize the Lord Jesus as the good old way, the only right way, the Godglorifying way, the pure and holy way, a way wherein all the attributes of Jehovah harmonize. A way that rules a worm like me, I proceed, lastly, to shew the impossibility of this child, or any of the children of God finally departing from this way when he is old. That vast numbers, who under a blinded zeal express a great attachment to and for christianity, do fall away, we readily admit. It was so in the days when the dear Redeemer sojourned here below. We have a very striking proof of this recorded in John's gospel, chapter the 6th- 'Tis there we read that Jesus fed Five thousand with five loaves of bread; And fish he set before them all, In number two, and they were small; This deed it did them all confound. These men then spake well of the Lord, But we defy all the enemies of truth to produce one text of scripture to prove that any one that is led by the Holy Spirit into this new and living way that ever did entirely forsake it. By the text saying this child will not depart from the way that it is trained up in, plainly implies that it is a child of God, and kept by almighty grace. The watchful eye of its heavenly Parent is continually over it, night and day; and the promises that such "shall bring forth fruit in old age, they shall be fat and flourishing," Ps. xeii. 14. and "come to their grave in a full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in his season," Job v. 26. and it is a most consolatory truth, that Old age cannot wear out the mercy of God, That the blest effusions of the benign Comforter, the Lord the Spirit, may rest upon you and your labours, dear Sirs, and upon your Correspondent, a Country Minister, is the prayer of Your's in sincerity, Great Wakering, Essex. A SUBSCRIBER. POETRY. CHRIST, AN UNCHANGING FRIEND. To have an everlasting friend, And all times love, And one on whom we may depend: He bore for them their vengeful sword- His chosen sheep; Through him they'll every trial stand. Poor weakling thou of Zion's fold, Your souls will sink, His love to thee cannot grow cold; His blessings free, in his appointed time, And thou around the tree of life shall twine. Thy Lord was slain upon the tree, The law thou broke, But Jesus spoke, That from the curse he might deliver thee, Great Wakering, Essex. RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE, A SUBSCRIBER. The Anniversary of Salem Chapel, Meard's Court, Dean Street, Soho, will be held, (D. V.) on Lord's Day, September 20, 1835; when three Sermons will be preached: that in the Morning, by the Rev. JOHN STEVENS; in the Afternoon, by the Rev, G. COME, of Soho Chapel; and that in the Evening, by the Rev. Mr. MURREL, of St. Neots. Services to commence at half-past Ten, quarter before Three, and Six o'Clock. THE Spiritual Magazine; OR, SAINTS' TREASURY. There are Three that bear record in heaven; the FATHER, the WORD, and the HOLY GHOST; and these Three are One." Earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." OCTOBER, 1835. 1 John v. 7. Jude 3. CHARACTER OF CHRIST, COMPARED TO A SUN. "In every work thy hands have made, Thy power and wisdom are displayed! In my incarnate Saviour shine." UNDER the similitude of the sun, Jesus, the Sun of Righteousness, is eminently distinguished as the servant of Jehovah, and the Sovereign of his people; but so unequalled is the glory of his person, and the benevolent purpose to which he ministers, and so magnificently resplendent are the features of his character, that the glittering rays of the grand luminary of day, in their brightest lustre, is but the light of a faint taper, or the mere emanation of a glow-worm, compared with Him. The sun is the best material emblem of the Creator. In its lustre, usefulness, and energetic influence, we discover more of Jehovah than in any other visible created object. Whether we gaze upon his beauties at his rising or setting, or behold his glories when the noon has fully expanded them over the whole extent of the horizon, there is in his beams a splendour which cannot be surpassed by any other created object. No scene in nature, however highly finished it may be, can equal the illustrious solemnities of opening day. From the chambers of the east the sun proceeds forth, arrayed in the gay habiliments of majesty. At his approach, the clouds like floating curtains recede, and the whole horizon is overspread with inexhaustible light and animation; darkness and gloom are chased away, and in exchange for the dusky aspect, the heavens are paved with sapphire, and its edges tinged with gold. It is truly a sublime sight; and to the contemplative mind it is a luxury of no common VOL. XI-No. 140.] 2 P |