her leaden sceptre over Jerusalem, and its inhabitants, with the thousands who had poured in from the surrounding villages to the taxing, lay in the arms of sleep. To meet the glorious King of heaven there was no preparation, no royal crown, no bed of down, no princes of the earth in attendance, and no room for Him in the inn; but, emblem of His great humiliation, He is born in a stable where oxen feed. Be astonished, oh, heavens and give ear, oh, earth! the mighty God, the eternal and unchangeable Word, the Creator of all worlds, and the Governor of the universe, condescends to sanctify the meanest place, and to be ushered into the world in the deepest poverty. Nevertheless, although Jerusalem slumbers, this gospel day shall be one of rejoicing. If men have no feelings of gratitude, and no song to sing, angels have; and when God becomes manifest in the flesh and seen of them, heaven itself cannot contain them, but forth from its radiant glory they come down, filling the sky over the plains of Bethlehem with their light, and causing the air to resound with their praises. "Behold," said they, "we bring unto you glad tidings of great joy, for unto you is born this day a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." And was not this glad tidings, a gospel day, indeed, to you, poor sinner, when the thunders of Mount Sinai were rolling over thy soul, and the flash of God's holy law pierced thy heart, and thou didst stand before God condemned, fearing, and weeping, and crying with anguish and pain, "Lord, have mercy upon me!" Sure, no condemned criminal begged harder for mercy than you did then; but, oh! when that mercy did come, Christ and His Cross did come, peace and pardon did come, and thy burden was removed, and thy soul was set at liberty; then, oh, then! thy heart did rejoice, and you did praise and bless His name. The gospel day is a day of salvation; hence one of the names given by the angel is a Saviour; and what are His own words, "The Son of man is come!"-oh! blessed truth,—“come to seek and save that which was lost." Never did mother seek a lost child, the darling of her heart, with such concern and love as this; His bride, His church, lay ruined in the fall, and were by nature the children of wrath, exposed to the indignation of a Holy God, and to perpetual banishment from His presence; but He comes to save them, takes humanity into union with the Godhead, that He might pay the penalty due to their transgressions, satisfy the claims of justice, and bring them up into union with Himself. To complete this great work was the longing, ardent desire of His heart; He was straightened till it was accomplished, and sei His face steadfastly towards Jerusalem, although He knew the cross and death awaited Him. The salvation of His elect was bound up in His heart; His love to them was stronger than death, and to save them was His chief joy. His power to save has not diminished, nor is His hand shortened; there are none so vile but He can wash; none so naked but He can clothe; none so far off but He can bring nigh; none in bondage but He can liberate; and none so deep in debt but He can ransom, " for He is able to save to the uttermost." Reader, has He saved thee? if so, give Him the praise; remember you had no part in procuring thy salvation, therefore set the crown on the Redeemer's head, let Him be thy boast, and the object of thy affections, for with out Him you never would have known theglorious Gospel. 30, Robert Street, Bow Common, E. H. STANLEY. 'The Armoury of Heaven.” DEAR BROTHER BANKS, Having been a subscriber to The Earthen Vessel for some fifteen years past, I can say that it has been with great pleasure and profit I have perused many of the articles inserted, and pray still greater success may attend your labours in connection therewith, as also in every other department of the work of the Lord in which you are engaged. I have been led to pen down a few thoughts upon a Scripture text, which I send herewith; they are at your service.-I am, dear brother, yours in Jesus, 14, High street, Woolwich, S. E. JOSEPH CHESHIRE. August 3rd, 1866. "Let us put on the armour of light."—Romans xiii. 12. AT the present time, the public mind is much occupied respecting the merits of various engines of destruction, either used or proposed for use, in modern warfare. The needle gun and various breach-loading weapons are tested, in the event of their use being required. The text of Scripture at the head of these remarks, indicates that the Christian has to do battle with enemies powerful and injurious; but, blessed be God, both armour and weapons are provided for the believer in Jesus; the same having been tested numberless times in actual combat, and in every instance found to be proof against the fiery darts of the wicked one. "For we wrestle not with flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Once, indeed, we were all trained and marshalled under the banner of the prince of darkness, "having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through ignorance, because of the blindness of the heart," but through grace, in this condition God's elect family are not permitted to remain; for, albeit they are strongly armed with fleshly indulgence, carnal ease, hatred to holiness, and other portions of armour, spoken of in Gal. v. 19, 20, 21, and some with morality, human merit, self-righteousness, &c., yet, the Spirit of God, with resistless power, comes upon these strongly armed ones, and overcoming them, takes away all their armour wherein they trusted, Luke xi. 22. "And opening their eyes, turns them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God;" delivering them from the power of darkness, and translating them into the kingdom of God's dear Son; making old things to pass away, and all things to become new. This transforming change having taken place, they enter the ranks of the King of kings, under prince Immanuel, who reveals Himself as the Captain of their salvation. They now wage war against those powers with which formerly they were identified, "The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life;" but before the potency of which they would inevitably fall and perish, were it not for the constant presence and help of their beloved Captain, who hath said, "Lo, I am with you always," and having their spirits revived ever and anon with the songs of their triumphing comrades, who shout with holy joy What though thine inward lust rebel, The weapons of victorious grace Let us for a moment or two, regard the armour in which they are clad! It is called by Paul. "The armour of light," and again, 2 Cor. vi. 7, “The armour of righteousness," intimating that the Lord Jesus, who is emphatically the "light of the world," and "the Lord our righteousness,” can alone defend, and bring off more than conquerors, His beloved people. He is the tower into which "the righteous runneth, and is safe;" the language of the inspired penman is to the point wherein he says, "Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ," Rom. xiii. 14. In this divine panoply the sinner alone is safe, secure from satanic rage, death's sting, the numberless foes in the world and the flesh, the sword of Divine justice, and the curse of a broken law, as it is written, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus;" but we have an account in detail of this armour of light, in Eph. vi. and presented foremost is the girdle of truth. "Christ is the way, the truth, and the life.” As a girdle compasseth a man, so should the truth of Christ compass the Christian, to the exclusion and defiance of error, superstition, and hypocrisy, walking the truth, speaking the truth in love, and in all things shaping the life to a conformity with the truth as it is in Jesus. Next we have the breastplate of righteousness: the breastplate is an important part of the armour, as it covers the vital part, even the fountain of life. As all mankind, through the fall of our federal head, and actual transgression, stand exposed to the wrath of avenging justice and the law's curse; so all, without exception, must receive in their very soul the dreadful thrust of Jehovah's glittering sword, hurling them into the abyss of eternal woe, unless protected by the breastplate of righteousness. Adored be the precious name of Jesus, He hath become incarnate, that He might impute His well wrought righteousness to us, for our defence and acceptance before His Father, while our sins He hath taken, and made them His own by imputation likewise; as it is written, "He was made to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." Thus equipped, we may go forth boldly, defying all opposing powers, for, "The righteous shall hold on his way." Next, let us glance at the shoes provided, the Gospel of peace. There is no peace but in the Gospel. We can never find it in the works of the law. Jesus bled and died, so making peace through the blood of the cross; "He is our peace," the "Prince of peace." We are also to take the shield of faith: "without faith it is impossible to please God," and without faith in Christ, we fall a prey to the powers of darkness. O for more faith in the dear Redeemer's promises, in His atoning work that is past, and in His intercessory engagement, now being carried on above. "Faith is a precious grace, where'er it is bestowed, It boasts of a celestial birth, and is the gift of God." The helmet of salvation claims our attention. The Apostle in (1 Thes. v. 8), speaks of the helmet as "the hope of salvation." Many hope for salvation, but their hope is fallacious, being built upon their own doings, or on the abstract mercy of God. The Christian's hope, on the contrary, rests on Christ's perfect and completed work of redemption, and is a divine and supernatural grace bestowed by the Holy Spirit. Having this helmet, the Christian warrior goes forth courageously, battling with his spiritual enemies, "looking unto Jesus," who is formed in him "the hope of glory," and in "hope of eternal life;" eventually comes off more than conqueror through Him that hath loved him. The sword of the Spirit is also made use of, which is the Word of God: Christ is essentially the "Word." "In the beginning was the Word," &c., John i. 1. "His name is called the Word of God," Rev. xix. 13. Whatever therefore be our spiritual foes, we can plead the love, power, grace, obedience, merits, sufferings, death, resurrection, and glorious triumphs of the Word incarnate. We have also the written word with which the spiritual soldier does great execution, when unbelief, accompanied by a band of vile temptations, sets upon him with satanic fury, "For our weapons are not carnal, but mighty through God." There is yet another weapon, that of "ALL PRAYER:” the use of which, if neglected, exposes the soul to ten thousand more enemies than ordinary. What an unspeakable mercy to have this weapon ever at hand, and in every exigence having skill to use it effectually, by the teaching of the Holy Spirit, who alone can teach us. The potency of this weapon is often proved, and "Satan trembles when he sees The weakest saint upon his knees!” Thus equipped in the armour of light, strengthened with might in the inner man by the Spirit of light, being adopted into the family of God and made children of light, they may indeed press forward glorying in their Chief, singing His praise and exclaiming— A Singular View of the Gospel. "And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations."Rev. xxii. 1, 2. THERE are no people on earth so fond of metaphors as the people where the Bible was written. These metaphors seem to have been used to set the people to think out for themselves the truths that lie in them. Just now, as we propound a riddle or conundrum for the sake of interesting those to whom it is propounded, and at the same time fixing it upon their memories so that it is never forgotten. You tell a person something and he will forget it. You give him a riddle with the same thing in it. Let him think it out and he will never forget it. If we could adopt this plan more in our preaching it would be more effective. But it would seem the rule to be, by common consent, the minister to do all the thinking, and the people delegate it all to him. Suppose we alter, and the people think as well as the minister? We have in this text a metaphor, and the metaphor shows, when worked out, the power of salvation, the means of salvation, and the blessings of salvation, and all based upon the slain Lamb. I. Here is the power of salvation. A pure river of water of life, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. The name of the river—not the Thames, nor yet the New River, nor any other river on earth, because it is a pure river. Its source is here marked-the throne of God and of the Lamb. It feeds the tree of life (the gospel), and causes it to bear fruit every month. The gospel of itself without God's living power in it, is like any other tale told to the dead in trespasses and in sin, powerless. Do you want a proof? Then look at your sermon-hardened old men and women who have sat for years under its sound, and still the gospel is to them only sound. They can appreciate the literary talent of the preacher, and admire his eloquence, but the gospel falls upon them like a cannon ball upon some well-constructed earthwork, without effect. They can hold the truth in theory, yet live in unrighteousness. Then the water of life must be the life-giving principle to the tree of life; and then, if the tree of life be the gospel, then the life-giving principle of the gospel is the Holy Spirit of God. And I am confirmed in this view from the fact that it proceedeth out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. And where does the Spirit come from but from the Father and the Son? Proof: Jesus said, “When I depart I will send Him unto you,” and He is also called "the Spirit of truth, who shall abide with you for ever.' The river or water of life, then, is the Spirit of truth-the Holy Spirit, the comforter, the lifegiving power to the gospel. Its source the throne of God and of the Lamb; its street or bed the Church; its banks the world. Its street or bed, &c.—The gospel is in the Church and in the world. It is preached to every creature; but its power is only known and felt by the children of God. Or we may call the street or bed the channel, along which God's sovereign, electing love, and the Lamb's redeeming grace, flowed. In the midst of the street of it stood the tree of life. In the first sense the gospel-the tree of life-bears fruit collectively, as the Church, and fruit, individually, among the scattered ones in the world. And in the second sense, all the chosen vessels of mercy bear fruit as soon as the river of water life touches them. The first touch or draught from that river sets them sorrowing and crying; the last, come, Lord Jesus, come quickly, I am going home. So much, then, for the river. Now for the tree! II. Which I shall call the means of salvation, or the gospel. It was in the street of the river and on either side. Where the river of life fed it it bare fruit. And my text says twelve manner of fruits. 12 and 7 were numbers used by the Jews to denote perfection, and any multiple of either number denoted the same thing-thus, 144 thousand 70 times 7. We may surmise, but cannot say exactly, why these numbers were so used; but the idea they were intended to convey seems very patent to all. The family of God is a perfect family-perfect as regards choice and calling; perfect as regards redemption; perfect as regards righteousness; or, in other words, all the chosen are saved, and presented perfect in the Lord Jesus before God. But we may take it literally, 12 manner of fruits—a dozen shades of the family. 1. There are a few of the family born with the heart and head, and altogether right; one of them is a treasure to any church. 2. There are those with the heart right, but the head wrong, rather troublesome members in every church. |