forgiven thee;" "Son-daughter-go in peace, and be whole of thy plague." Beloved, we have been addressing ourselves more particularly to the babes in Christ, but this coming to the feet of Jesus "to tell him all the truth," is no less the mercy and the privilege of the young men and the fathers. Do you know nothing of bondage frames, bad thoughts, and bad acts; aye, and that a thousand times since pardon was proclaimed? Not, it may be, bringing you into wrath, nor under fear thereof finally, but into present darkness, bondage, misery? Some do not understand this. They connect sin and damnation togethernot sin and a Father's frown. Strangers themselves to gospel liberty -filial fear-divine love shed abroad in the heart, they fancy that it is only by holding the sword of Divine vengeance over them, or leading them perpetually upon the very brink of the precipice of hell-flames, that such are to be deterred from sin. Reader, this is altogether wrong. If these are the only obstacles between the sinner and his sins, they will soon be removed, and the solemn truth mentioned 2 Peter, ii. 22, be again fulfilled, "The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire." No, brethren, you can bear testimony that ""Tis nobler principles within Forbid the sons of God to sin." ""Tis LOVE that makes our willing feet, The devils know, and tremble too, But, beloved, when overtaken; when, either by the power of unbelief, the treachery of a deceitful heart, or the ensnarements of Satan or the world, we are overcome; our Father has hid his face, and we experience darkness-bondage-misery; shyness at the throne-no access-no liberty; a veil drawn over the word-a cloud dropped down as it were from the skies, darkening in our estimation the very face of nature— and our timid hearts anticipating the rod-fatherly chastisement-by every messenger, or in each new batch of tidings: we say, how precious when, instead of these dark feelings and dark fears being realized, the Lord the Spirit again moves upon the mind-grants us again a Divine impulse-and, giving us faith to behold Jesus stretching out the golden sceptre, how sweet then to come and "fall down before him, and tell him all the truth." No reserve then! Be it in the house or in the field-in the closet or in the street, oh how great the change! how privileged the season! what a freshness-how new the relish after Jesus and the things about Jesus. He whispering, in answer to our tale of woe, "I will multiply pardons." Giving us a fresh sight of blood-blood-precious blood; another faith's view of the robe of righteousness-of our completeness in Him, and poverty in ourselves! Sweet times these, reader. WILLIAM HUNTINGTON somewhere says, he had known such in the pulpit; had gone up in bondage-sensibly under a cloud, when the Lord was pleased suddenly and sovereignly to break in. Delightful preaching-times then, reader; the oil flowing sweetly and smoothly, and doubtless with Divine savour to some one or more distressed and soul-burdened hearers. Let a man be harrassed twenty-three hours and a half out of every twenty-four about his call to the ministry, or his call into this or that path, be it what it may; let Satan and unbelief worry and perplex him as they may about his unfitness or what not; yet let but the Lord break in-indulge him with a little faith and a little hope, to come afresh and tell Jesus all about it-what his fears, and what his sorrows, and what his perplexities; yea, to "tell him all the truth;" oh how precious the time-and how establishing to the faith of such. In a moment all is rectified; "crooked things are made straight-rough places plain." Doubts are removed-fears are dissipated-and darkness flees away! All is well! Then if on earth it be so sweet Fly, Time-fly swifter-swifter still! No darkness then-no gloom-no care, Bless'd time! when will it come, we ask, And join th' rapturous throng. But grant us, Lord, in faith to wait Then at our Jesu's feet we'll fall, And crown him Victor!-Lord of all!- Ireland, Feb. 15, 1848. THE EDITOR. EXPERIENCE. CHRISTIAN experience consists in the soul's apprehension of the Spirit's work within. It is inseparable from doctrine; for however it may appear that some minds are engrossed by experience to the oversight of doctrine, and others occupied with doctrine to the rejection of experience, such a state of things cannot really exist in any member of the mystical body of Christ; for the latter is mere airy notion, and the former nothing more than the workings of the natural mind. Doctrine is the teaching, and experience the learning of all the blessed truths of the gospel of which Christ himself is the sum and substance; and the one purpose of the Holy Spirit in all the discipline and training of the children of God is to bring them to "the knowledge of Him who hath called us to glory and virtue" (2 Peter, i. 3). Scripture doctrine comprehends only that which is revealed by the Holy Ghost, and appropriated by the spiritual mind of believers. It includes nothing that is acquired by natural or intellectual power; for all such information is as the light of a candle in a dark night;—it may enlighten a small portion of the earth, but it casts not one ray of illumination upon heavenly things; or if it presume to meddle there with, can bring forth only "divers doctrines," which have the "strange" effect of carrying the soul away from Christ instead of leading it to Him. No sooner does grace commence its work in the heart, than Satan and the old man of sin begin to be more busy with the Lord's people than ever they were before; and until their Divine Teacher is pleased to show them that the snare is broken and they are delivered, these deceitful and treacherous enemies will persuade the poor bewildered creatures to believe that their evil surmisings are so many parts of Christian experience, and thus occupy their minds with their own sufferings apart from the sufferings of Christ. The effect of true doctrine is to make Christ precious, and it comprehends all that selfmortification which usually precedes the sitting under his shadow with great delight; whatever falls short of this effect (either in desire or enjoyment) forms no part of the Spirit's work: Christ is the touchstone of experience, which, if it will not bear this test, is spurious. Although sound doctrine tends to one point, and admits of no diversity in itself, yet there are wonderful "diversities of gifts," "diversities of administrations, and diversities of operations." The wall of separation which encompasses the beloved city, and divides it from an ungodly world, is represented as having twelve gates or modes of entrance; but "every several gate was of one pearl;" for there is no entrance apart from Him who is the "pearl of great price." On some the light of life beams gradually form the east, the first ray serves but to show them the midnight darkness of sin and death by which they are encompassed; they are exercised with doubts and fears, with "tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day" (Job vii. 4), but in due time the promise is fulfilled in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, "Unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves of the stall" (Mal. iv. 2). Then do they clearly see that the Lord hath set before them an open door which no man can shut-then do they enter into peace, they rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness. To some of his children the Holy Comforter sees fit at once to reveal the finished work of Christ in all the mild but glowing radiance of the west; the soul stands "complete in Him," gazing with wonder and admiration at the glorious transactions of our condescending God; and while the enemy watches for an opportunity to suggest that the light of life will soon depart and leave the poor child of mercy in his former state of darkness and despair-the Divine Comforter, who 66 will never suffer his work to be undone, seals home the promise upon the heart, "Thy sun shall no more go down, neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and thy God thy glory" (Is. lx. 20). Some are brought in by a gate on the south; they see Jesus at the right hand of the majesty on high, exalted to be a prince and a Saviour; they are (it may be) indulged with great delight in the doctrine of Christ, until their souls are exalted and established in the glories of it! for our Heavenly Father, who deals very gently with his children, will not, after bringing them in through the genial warmth of a southern aspect, immediately expose them to the chilling cold of the north, but will gradually inure them to those changes of climate and of seasons through which they must sooner or later pass. Though they may have ascended to the third heaven in sweet and holy communion with their Lord, and may have rested in the bosom of his love, yet their Divine Teacher will, in his own good time and way, cause them to feel the thorn in the flesh, allow the messenger of Satan to buffet them, and bring them down to be "less than the least of all saints," that they may be "perfect and entire, wanting nothing." On the other hand, some appear to be driven in by a gate on the north under tempestuous gales, stormy wind fulfilling his word;" their soul is full of troubles, and their life draweth nigh unto the grave; the wrath of God lieth hard upon them, and they are afflicted with all his waves; lover and friend are put far from them, for the northern iron enters their very souls, and congeals their affections, so that they have no glowing feelings towards their brethren who are basking in the gentler rays of a milder atmosphere. But the God of all grace will not leave his children in this comfortless condition: one beam of light from the Sun of Righteousness-one spark from the fire of divine love, will work its way until the spirit is subdued, the sweet attraction of the cross is felt, and the love of God is shed abroad, so that the frozen heart becomes like melting wax, while the Holy Spirit, with the pen of the divine decree, inscribes upon the fleshy tables the dear Redeemer's words, " A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another" (John xiii. 34): immediately the soul-sinks into the Rock of Ages, and delights itself in nothing but the sweet savour of Christ, his name is as ointment poured forth which overflows with love, sweetly constraining them to send away all Egyptian intruders, as did Joseph when he "fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, and Benjamin wept upon his neck. Moreover, he kissed all his brethren and wept upon them; and after that his brethren talked with him (Gen. xlv. 14, 15). Whatever may be the means used, the same blessed effect will assuredly result; "and they shall come from the east and from the west, and from the north and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God" (Luke xiii. 29). However diversified may be their experience, how various soever the way by which they are brought, and whatever contention of feeling may exist, the doctrine is the same, for "Christ is all and in all." This glorious Corner Stone fills up every angle, and renders the city "compact together" (Ps. cxxii. 3), every part being fitly joined" (Eph. iv. 16), built up in love and in the unity of the Spirit, no deficiency or inequality can be found, for "the city lieth foursquare and the length and the breadth and the height of it are equal" (Rev. xxi. 16). It is wholly and entirely the work of God, formed for Himself (Is. xliii. 21), built for his own habitation through the Spirit (Eph. ii. 22), and was seen by the apostle John "descending out of heaven from God" (Rev. xxi. 10). All God's works of creation are "good" in the sight of Him who is "of purer eyes than to behold iniquity;" but his new creation work is pronounced by himself to be "very good" (Gen. i. 31), pre-eminently, superlatively, unspeakably good. It is evident that the saints whose histories are recorded in the Bible, made no separation between doctrine and experience. Peter and his companions well knew that "the eyes of the Lord are in every place beholding the evil and the good," yet they prayed, "Now, Lord, behold their threatenings" (Acts iv. 29), for they desired to have an experimental evidence of the truth, and God granted them that which they requested. Hezekiah could not have been ignorant that He who keepeth Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps, yet he prayed, "Open thine eyes, O Lord, and see" (Is. xxxvii. 17), for he wanted the proof of it in his own particular case. Solomon well understood the inseparable relationship of doctrine and experience, when at the dedication of the temple he presented his supplication, "Now, my God, let, I beseech thee thine eyes be open and thine ears be attent unto the prayer that is made in this place" (2 Chron. vi. 40). It was a spiritual apprehension of the omniscience and omnipresence of Jehovah, that his soul desired. By faith the holy men of old were enabled to trace the Lord's hand above the workings of their own evil nature; thus Jeremiah exclaimed, "O Lord, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived" (Jer. xx. 7), and Isaiah with holy boldness inquired, "O Lord, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear?" (Is. lxiii. 17). A distinction does not necessarily imply a separation; "what therefore God hath joined together let not man put asunder." An earthly teacher may attempt that which he cannot accomplish, but in the work of the Holy Spirit "whatsoever his soul desireth that he doeth;" and there is great depth of meaning in the challenge, "Who teacheth like Him?" Throughout the whole process of divine education the soul learns exactly as much as the Spirit teaches, and no more. There may be strong desires for advancement, and many attempts at spiritual progress, but "it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth," therefore after every self-impelled effort, the soul is obliged to return to its own place, and to wait patiently for the Lord, "He that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth ;" and they who pretend to have acquired divine knowledge in addition to, or beyond what the Holy Spirit imparts, " understand neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm." So entirely dependent are believers upon their Lord, that their very life is hid with Christ in God, and can only be realized by the possessors of it, through the continued work of the blessed Spirit enlightening the eyes of their understanding, and revealing to them the free unmerited favour of God in those constant supplies |