THE MANIFOLD MYSTERY OF MERCY MANIFESTED.

THE MANIFOLD

MYSTERY OF MERCY MANIFESTED.

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and Substitute,-Saviour and Strength,-
Peace and Portion of the church, Jehovah's
thoughts of love have been revealed ;-yea,
by his birth at Bethlehem,-by his crucifixion
on Calvary,-by his death determined and
decreed, for the destruction of sin, and the
deliverance of sinners,-by his enthronement
in the highest heavens, and in the humbled
hearts of all the chosen, contrite seed,-by
his fulness which filleth all in all,-and by
his glorious greatness as Prince of peace, and
Prince of praises too,-the grace thoughts of
God, the admiring and adoring thoughts of
angels, the dark designing thoughts of devils,
the unclean thoughts of the ungodly, the
wrathful thoughts of the wicked, the holy
and hidden thoughts of the humble, the
peaceful thoughts of the pure in heart, and
the secret thoughts of sinners saved by grace,
have been made manifest. Yes, sinners saved
by rich and sovereign grace, rejoice in that
the thoughts of the Lord are made known by
the glorious triumphs of Christ over all the
guilt-gathered and sin-strengthened troops
of darkness and destruction.
crucified is the greatest wonder of heaven,
Truly, Christ
of earth, and hell.
connected with the crucifixion of Christ, we
Considering what stands
Great God of wonders! all thy ways
may well exclaim,-
Are matchless, wondrous and Divine;
But the fair glories of thy grace

MY DEAR BROTHER IN CHRIST.-The Rock of ages, the Redeemer of Israel,-the Representative of the righteous in the royal courts above, the Refuge of the destitute,-the Righteousness of the guilty, made to tremble before him, yet, taught to trust in him alone, -the Rest of weary pilgrims "travelling to their Father's home," and the Rejoicing of all that know and love him,-knowing these things experimentally, we cannot refrain from acknowledging the truthfulness and blessedness of the apostle's testimony, "God, who is rich in mercy." For be it remembered that Jehovah, the glorious Creator of all that being hath,-sin only excepted,-is rich in thought,-in mind,-in pleasure,-in purpose,-in plan,-in power,-in wisdom,-in knowledge,-in understanding,-in love,-in truth,-in grace, and in mercy. Infinitely and inconceivably rich; as in glory, so in grace, and as in might, so in mercy, is the Lord our God. Unspeakably glorious are the works of mercy, the whisperings of mercy, and the witnessings of mercy. Mercy works marvellously in the soul,-mysteriously in secret, and mightily in the sanctuary" Mercy is not only known in her manifold works, but by her melodious whisperings; for when the storm is raging, she secretly whispers, "It is I,"-when sorrows rise, she softly whispers, "Peace, be still,"-and when sighs and supplications reach the eternal throne, she sweetly whispers, "Fear not, I am with thee." And while the believer in Jesus searches the sacred Scriptures, mercy silently witnesseth within him, to assure his heart of the truth of all God's testimonies, and of his individual interest in all Jehovah's yea and amen promises, whereby his soul is happily warmed "with love to God." And while his solemn songs of grateful praise ascend "to God on high," mercy witnesseth that they are accepted as the "thank-offerings of righteousness.' And, moreover, while his stedfastness in Christ is made manifest, mercy witnesseth heaven's high approval thereof. May the mercy of the Lord, which is from everlasting to everlasting, make us meet for "the inheritance of the saints in light." Notwithstanding the vast and awful amount of daring opposition manifested against the gospel of the ever-blessed God, we cannot but rejoice, that the truth as it is Jesus, shall eventually triumph over all its adversaries, and cause its glory to be seen in the heart-felt experience of "all the election of grace." The aged and Spirit-led Simeon, who not only "waited for the consolation of Israel," but, saw the salvation of God with exceeding joy, solemnly spoke of the Saviour as "a sign" that should be spoken against, that the thoughts of many hearts might be revealed. And verily the prophecy of Simeon hath been amazingly fulfilled, inasmuch as the thoughts of many have been revealed, disclosed, declared, and made known by Christ Jesus, our Lord. For by his ancient appointment as Head and Husband, Surety

More wondrous, and unrivall'd shine ;
Who is a pard'ning God like thee?
Or, who has grace so rich and free ?"

faith, declares himself to have been "a
Paul, writing to Timothy, his son in the
pattern of the long-suffering of God" hence
one of the blood-bought trophies of Imman-
we may justly and profitably look at him as
uel's conquest; and in so doing we shall
perceive the Lord being our Teacher-that
he was
distinguished sinner ;—
a grace-arrested and a grace-

"For thus the eternal counsel ran :

Almighty grace! arrest that man!" And, at the word Divine he was arrested as a wanderer from the Lord, as a debtor deep in debt, seeking to evade his pursuing creditors, and as a criminal offender against the inexorable, uncompromising law. He was a grace-moved sinner, moved to cry, moved with fear, moved by faith, from sin to flee, and to life's fountain moved to flee; he was a grace-taught sinner in the school of Christ, being made wise at the feet of wisdom, mercy, and truth, unto salvation, which he freely obtained, "without money and without price:" or in other words, without works or worthiness, he was a grace-justified sinner, being honorably acquitted from all law charges; therefore, his person being accepted, his plea was approved, "It is Christ that died."

Moreover, he was a grace-filled vessel of mercy, and thereof he certified to the saints at Rome, saying, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth," he was a grace-governed son, subject, and

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A SHARP ATTACK, AND A SWEET DELIVERANCE.

servant of the Lord Jesus, who had delivered him from the government, dominion and thraldom of satan's kingdom; he was a gracehonored witness for the gospel and glory of Christ, whom he preached with unbounded assurance, undaunted boldness, unshaken confidence, unwavering decision, and undenying zeal; and he was also a grace-kept wonder among the numerous enemies of the cross and crown of his adorable Redeemer.

I am glad that you are made to sympathise with the suffering servants of the Son of God. How cheering and comforting to the cast down ministers of Jesus Christ is the consideration, that God is neither forgetful nor unmindful of their work of faith, their labor of love, their travail of soul, their patience of hope, their bondage, darkness, and heaviness of spirit, their temptations in the flesh, their afflictions in the gospel, their anxieties in the church, their sorrows in secret, and their oft misgivings touching their own state and standing in Christ.

I am thankful that the Lord has mercifully taught you his truth, shewed you his salvation, filled you with his fear, and kept you walking in wisdom's ways, which are pleasantness and peace. May the God of all grace crown your gatherings together for his worship, with the glory of his presence, as the Father of lights, and Fount of love. Remember me affectionately to the partner of your sorrows and joys; and when faith and love are in full exercise, bear me in your remembrance before the throne, where Jesus makes his glories known. And believe me to be your soul's well-wisher in Him, Chelsea.

JOHN STENSON.

A SHARP ATTACK,

AND

A SWEET DELIVERANCE.

felt necessity he is dear; so that I can address
him in the language of Mrs. Steele,
"Dear Refuge of my weary soul,

On thee, when sorrows rise,
On thee, when waves of trouble roll,
My fainting hope relies."

a

He is not only a Refuge, he is a Friend; the "Friend, that sticketh closer than brother." But that is not enough. I hope it is my blessed privilege to take a higher standing; sometimes feelingly so; and sing, "This is my Beloved, and my Friend; he is a rich Friend, a kind Friend, a faithful Friend, a sympathising Friend, and an almighty, and unchangeable Friend.

"When most we need his helping hand,

This Friend is always near.'

I am persuaded we learn a great deal more of the suitability and preciousness of Christ in a rough path, than we do in the smooth. Job learnt much, and lost much, in the furnace of affliction; he learnt how vile and weak he was, and how gracious to support, faithful to sustain, and almighty to deliver, his covenant God was; and he lost nothing but his dross and his tin; his self-sufficiency and selfrighteousness was burnt up in the fire; but he himself came out as gold. Job and Jonah, David and Jeremiah, are my best companions. I see they have been in deep places; and if it was not for God's precious Word, and the path described there, I should certainly conclude something strange had happened unto me. The Lord gives me such a daily sense of my innate depravity, of the fountain of impurity within, coupled with the allurements of the world, and strong and continued temptations of the wicked one, that were it not for the everlasting love, powerful, meritorious blood, and efficacious grace of the eternal, Three-inOne Jehovah, I should certainly be overcome, break out into open sin, and be carried away as with a flash. But-blessed be God!-I have reason to sing with Watts,

I had

MY DEAR PARENTS.-It is gloomy November,
and I feel this afternoon as I often do-as
gloomy, and as dull as the weather. When Almighty mercy guards my life,
Jesus hides his face, and grace is not in sweet
And bounds his raging power."
act and exercise, everything to me wears a Jesus knows how to sympathise with the
gloomy aspect here below. This world is a tempted soul, and how to deliver him.
blank-all things are fading, changing, and a proof of this last Lord's-day, in the evening.
passing away-there is nothing solid, sub- Mr. H. spoke in the morning from that most
stantial, or soul-satisfying here; but much consoling portion, "Fear not, Abraham; I am
on the contrary to annoy, distress and perplex. thy shield, and exceeding great reward." He
In a word, I live, daily to learn more and more described the field of conflict; the warfare
the fact, "that it is polluted." Yes; and within; and spoke most preciously of Christ as
what is worse, I am polluted throughout; a the believer's invincible Shield; so that my
lump of sin, and a mass of corruption; and soul was much encouraged; I could say feel-
what I see in the world, and feel in myself, ingly, "He is precious." But in the evening
makes me daily sigh and groan. Thus it is I had to prove him; for I was never so
we learn by experience the promise true-"In sharply attacked by the enemy before as I was
the world ye shall have tribulation." But then. As soon as I sat down in the house of
how sweet and blessed to the tried, tempest-
tossed, sin-plagued and satan-harassed child of
God, sometimes to realise the bright side of
the promise, "In me ye shall have peace."
But we must be driven out of every other
refuge, before we shall truly prize "the Refuge
for the oppressed." O, blessed be God! I can
say, I trust he is not only a Refuge, and the
only Refuge, but he is my Refuge; and from a

God, such darkness and gloom came over my
mind, attended with such hardness and re-
bellion of feeling, that I could do nothing but
sigh, and inwardly groan. The enemy pre-
sented to my view all the dark parts of my
life-suggested to my mind that I had begun
wrong-I had deceived myself, and the people
of God; that I had better there and then give
up my office and membership; for I was only

L

ENCOURAGEMENT FOR THE SOLDIERS OF THE CROSS.

DR.

DR. CUMMING ON THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT, ETC.

CUMMING
ON THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT, AND ON
SPIRITUAL WORSHIP.

(To the Editor of the Earthen Vessel.) DEAR SIR.-TWO of your correspondents have recently passed some severe strictures upon Dr. Cumming's ministerial labours and theology.

From the tenor and general bearing of your correspondent's letter, David Pegg, of Claxton, I am persuaded that ignorance alone of Dr. Cumming's Theological Works has caused him to write so unfairly; but that your anonymous correspondent should have trespassed so far in violation of christian courtsey and civility, I am surprised, especially as he has chosen the very questionable signature of "A Watchman on the Walls." Critiques are excellent when founded upon truth; but when written solely for the purpose of finding fault, they become a pest, and in religious matters, "worketh not the righteousness of God;" and although Dr. Cumming may not be able to please every individual, his theology and christian consistency will, I am quite sure, when faithfully examined, bear a comparison with many.

Query.-Is the "Watchman on the Walls" the same individual who, under the signature "B," made some very absurd remarks upon Dr. Cumming's "Expository Readings," in a monthly periodical called The Baptist Magazine? If he is the same person, Dr. Cumming has a few words for him in his preface to his Readings on Luke."

Upon David Pegg's strictures however allow me to say, I wish he had noticed that upon the cover of Dr. Cumming's pamphlet, entitled, "What think ye of Christ ?" there are the following lines: "These questions are personal, practical, and pointed; they are designed to suggest trains of inquiry in which every human being has a deep interest, and to indicate answers of peace." Now, I can hardly conceive from this, that the Doctor intended those questions to be substitutes for thought. This being so, why all this expression of feeling? Dr. Cumming in one of his works called "The Comforter; or, Thoughts on the Influence of the Holy Spirit," endorses to an extent, even David Pegg's theology; for if the latter will be kind enough to turn to pages 76-7, he will find the following: "None can convince the heart of sin but the Holy Ghost; the preacher may carry the judgment, some providential stroke may impress the feelings; but the Holy Spirit alone can impress the heart with that deep and indelible sense which in John xvi. 8-11, is declared to be one of his great functions, and on which is laid the foundation of the hopes and the salvation of all that believe." Again (pp. 155-56.) of the minister, the Dr. writes, "So in the Christian system, there is a province where man, (the minister) can do much, and there is a province above that where Christ, his Master, must do all, or nothing can be done effectually. *** I believe that the great secret of the innumerable errors of the day is, that we have not made a strict line of demarcation between what man, the minister,

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can do, and ought to do, and what the Lord the Spirit alone can, and will, do, when and how he pleases." And then, after an elaborate treatise on the Holy Spirit as a Remembrancer, &c., concludes at page 160 thus, "Let all our theology be comprehended in this, no justifying righteousness except in Christ; no regenerative power but in the Holy Spirit; no church upon earth, the way to heaven, but Christ alone; the Bible without a clasp; the throne of its glory not bestowed, or won, by might or grace with infinite welcome; heaven with all power, but by the Holy Ghost." Not very bad theology, friend Pegg, this?

"Watchman on the Walls" complains that the Dr. has written a "Guide to Family Devotion." I have not as yet seen that collection, but having by me a small volume called, “Dr. Cumming's Manual of Family Prayer," I beg to quote the Doctor's preface: "The following forms are not meant to supersede extemporaneous prayer, still less that worship which is in spirit.. It is not the mode of praying that is the chief thing, far more important is the man that prays. A spiritual man will worship in spirit and truth through a form; and a natural man will pray in the letter without a form; the Spirit of God alone can enable any man to The Dr. then takes the Lord's prayer pray." I should like to make quotations, but fear to as the model of those submitted to the public. tax your columns too much; suffice it however to say, that the Doctor's idea of true prayer is as beautifully defined by the late James Montgomery, in his verses commencing,

"Prayer is the soul's sincere desire," &c. doubtless, well known to your correspondents, and repeatedly quoted by the Dr. in his sermons, &c. (vide Lectures on Daniel, pp. 29899; Readings on Mark, p. 175, &c.) And considering that many individuals have a very erroneous notion as to what true prayer consists of; that many think that true prayer consists in the use of fine phrases, beautiful idioms, rich similes, and fine eloquence; I think instead of charging Dr. Cumming with publishing prayers with the same intent as those having the imprimatur and reimprimatur of the ecclesiastical authority of the holy see, we ought to feel obliged to the Dr. for striving, as a minister of the gospel, to lead people's minds from such Romish logmas to adopt the model set us by our Lord. Query-Did not John the Baptist teach his disciples how to pray? Luke xi. 1.

To David Pegg and the "Watchman on the Walls," I will only add, that if there exists with them a slight distinction in the visible church to which they belong, to that in which Dr. Cumming labours, that all distinction at the judgment morn will be abolished, and as the Dr. beautifully has it in his "Lectures for the Times," (p. 337,)" Attendant angels will enquire, what are these, and whence came they ?' And the answer, in reference to those who are about to enter the kingdom of glory, will not be, these are worshippers from St. Paul's, those are worshippers from St. George's, these are from the English, and those from the Scotch church, these are from Surrey Chapel; these are dissenters, those are churchmen: but