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JULY 20.-Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice; and be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you.-Eph. iv. 31, 32.

Have we not "precept upon precept, line upon line?" and, as if one admonition were not sufficient, here is another day's meditation for thee, on Christian conduct; and well would it be for the Church of Christ, if the ear were more open to the peace-speaking sound of Christian harmony and love. And do God's own people, who have been led into the wilderness, indulge in bitterness, wrath, anger, clamour, evil-speaking, malice? Oh, my soul-my brethren—take heed to your spirit, and pray consider, with attention, the next verse; put away all these, "And be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake (not, will forgive. Oh, do note this in the memory's storehouse!), hath forgiven you." This is the talisman for brotherly love, for Christian conduct-the law of love for what hath been done for thy sinful soul; for in proportion as thou lovest thy Lord for what he hath done, and dost appreciate and apprehend his work and labour of love, so wilt thou love the brethren in Jesus, when thou canst recognize the impress of the loveseal. My soul, bear in mind this tender admonition, and may the Lord the Spirit seal it upon the heart continually! "Forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you."

JULY 21. And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments or not.— Deut. viii. 2.

Ponder, my soul, over these words, which appear to have been separated from the chapter as peculiarly striking to thy apprehension; and do they not unfold much of the great mysteries in the gracious leadings of thy God with his spiritual Israel? "Thou shalt remember all the way the Lord led thee in the wilderness;" and dost thou not remember all his dealings hitherto, that thou hast been humbled, and proved, and shown what was in thine heart-how totally incapable of keeping the holy commandments? "Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, as a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee."

O Lord, how true! Thy corrections are all in love, thy trials in mercy, thy chastisements blessed, and just, and right-in kindness and tenderness, as a Father with wisdom's eye of pity, to restrain, instruct, and subdue. And he has fed thee in the wilderness with manna thy fathers knew not-they only saw it in type, and had it literally, and are dead-thou seest it spiritually, and have it in substance; for is not Jesus the sum and substance of all the shadowsthey, the bread to feed the mortal body-He, the bread from heaven, to save thy immortal soul-with that their bodies died-with this thy soul shall live for ever (John vi. 49, 50). To humble thy proud flesh has Jesus been set before thee as everything, the all-and-all-and thou, sinful, corrupt, vile, polluted, poor, and wretched-as nothing, yea, less than nothing; and only by the grace of God thou art what thou art. And that he might "prove thee"-for what, my soul? Take special notice of this-to do thee good at thy latter end. Oh, this is the conclusion of all the mysterious dealings of God with thy rebellious nature. Again, I say, ponder over these words, and see if thy wilderness condition be not contained therein; and dost thou not believe, though not always taking comfort therefrom, that all thy trials, and humblings, and provings, are to be eventually for thy good; and while we praise thee, Lord, for preventing and delivering mercies, let us praise thee for chastening mercies-love thee more the more thou correcteth, and kiss the rod which is used for the good of thy children-though there be no saving efficacy therein, for glory and praise to thy dear Son, the Lamb slain, the sacrifice accepted-salvation is complete in our Eternal Surety.

London City Press, Long Lane, W. H. Collingridge.

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THE

GOSPEL MAGAZINE.

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"Comfort ye, comfort ye, my People, saith your God."

Endeavouring to Keep the Unity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace." "Jesus Christ, the same Yesterday, To-day, and for Ever. Whom to know is

Life Eternal."

No. 8.

NEW SERIES.

AUGUST, 1849.

No. 104. OLD SERIES.

THE MARRIAGE-UNION; OR, CHRIST AND HIS CHURCH ONE!

"AND THIS IS HIS NAME WHEREBY HE SHALL BE CALLED [JEHOVAH-TSID-KENU], THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS."

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JER. xxiii. 6. "AND THIS IS THE NAME WHEREWITH SHE SHALL BE CALLED [JEHOVAH-TSID-KENU], THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS."

JER. XXXiii. 16.

AND "those whom God hath joined together, let no man put asunder." Beloved, this is no presumption. We have God's word and God's warrant for setting forth this blessed oneness between Christ and his Church! It is in a sense true, that "the Church does live below her privileges ;" and why? Because she speaks and acts, not as if she belonged to Christ now, but as if she were to be made his in eternity to come; whereas she is as much his now, as she ever will be. Christ and his Church are as much one in the wilderness, as they will be in the heavenly Canaan. "Dying and going to heaven" will never unite the Church to Christ. That union took place in eternity, before the foundations of the world were laid. Hear the Lord Christ, as the Head of his body, the Church, speaking in the 139th Psalm, 15th and 16th verses, "My substance [margin, strength or body-old Bible, my bones] was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them." Connect with this Eph. v. 30, "For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones."

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Effectual calling, therefore, or a summons from a death in trespasses and sins, unto a life of righteousness, is not to EFFECT, but to establish this truth; or, in other words, to show forth in time what was settled in eternity. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father" (Gal. iv. 6). "And other sheep I have, which are not of this world: them also I must [oh, that blessed must! Beloved, the body would be imperfect, if every member, however uncomely, were not present]-them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold and one shepherd" (John x. 16). 'I pray for them-[those whom the Father had given to Christ, see 2nd verse];-I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And al! mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them" (John xvii. 9, 10).

And as this covenant and indissoluble union was effected in eternity, and ratified in time, so eternal glory is but to consummate the BLISS resulting therefrom. This, and this only, is the change which awaits the Church, as to covenant union. Her standing and security were never, in the least, endangered. From the moment [and when that moment was, not the highest angel in heaven can tell] that the Lord Christ took the Church into union with himself, that Church stood as firmly as He, her covenant Head! As far as Headship and membership were concerned, they stood or fell together! What Christ was as Jehovah, One with the Father and the Holy Ghost, was one thing; and what as Head, Surety, and Representative of his Church, another. Nothing could touch his Godhead; but conceive of a possibility of failure in the fulfilling of his Suretyship engagements, as the God-man Mediator, and what then?

Beloved, say not this is soaring too high, nor diving too deeply; for" these are among the rich consolations of our most holy faith, which instrumentally sustain poor seemingly-sinking, Satan-harassed souls, amid the changes and apparent chances of the wilderness condition. And, coupled with a knowledge of the nature of covenant union, a contemplation of these Divine realities is that which throws light upon our Lord's own testimony (John xiv. 19), "Because I live, ye shall live also." It is utterly impossible, from the very nature of things, that it can be

otherwise.

We know how timid even many of God's own children are when approaching these most holy, yet most glorious mysteries. They stand, as it were, upon the threshold, and shudder lest they should pry beyond the purpose and pleasure of our gracious God and Father. But, beloved, when is it that we most stand in need of documents, and assurances, and love-words?-when our friend is present with us? or when he or she is, by circumstances, withdrawn? When we can no longer see them face to face, and hold communion one with the other, then it is we ponder over past expressions-parting words; and look again, and yet again, at every love-epistle. What said our Lord, in the days of his flesh (Matt. ix. 15)? "Can the children of the bride-chamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast." And what, think you, but a foreview of this sorrow, prompted him so peculiarly to unbosom his love in that precious 14th chapter of John-"Let not your heart be troubled: In my Father's house are many mansions. ** I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will

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