VERSES. POOR trembling soul cheer up, To him no sinner comes And makes his plea in vain; But, melted with the love he finds, He sought for aid and help, And aid and help was nigh; And aid and help is promised now To all who cry. Then sin-sick sinner pray, The promises are free; And if thou feel'st thy need of them, They are for thee. Pray for his helping hand, If sin 's thy grief and snare; For Jesus waits with listening ear For such a prayer. He waits to succour those Who cry, and groan, and sigh; Nor shall the hope of such an one Wither or die. Oн, why this unbelief? Lest Satan take thy crown: No earthly woe should fetch thy tears, Weep when thy wandering heart, And barter him for nought; Thy base backslidings form the spear Weep when thy bosom feels Himself as full of love: He died to make thy peace with God, Weep when temptations fail To send thee to the throne, Thy heart's unmoved as stone: Weep when the tempter's bait And we a moment wait To hear what it shall say; Weep whensoe'er we seem And with some carnal scheme Weep when thy fickle heart That grace might be endured: Weep when thy spirit seems Draw forth the fruits of grace; JOSEPHUS. THE SPIRITUAL MAGAZINE, ZION'S AND CASKET. "For there are Three that bear record in heaven the FATHER, the WORD, and the HOLY GHOST: and these Three are One."-1 John v. 7. "Earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.-Jude 3. Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience."-1 Tim. iii. 6. NOVEMBER, 1843. THE GOSPEL PULPIT. This Periodical having ceased as a separate Publication, it is intended to be continued Monthly in our Magazine. THE FEASTS OF THE LORD. A Sermon, Preached at the Surrey Tabernacle, Borough Road, on Lord's Day Morning, Angust 27, 1843. BY MR. JAMES WELLS. "Neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the Lord thy God thrice in the year."-Exod. xxxiv. 24. How is it we have this solemn declaration, that the nations should be cast out from the Israelites; not because they were the more deserving or more worthy than these nations. Therefore Moses said, "Be it known to you, not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess the land, but for the wickedness of these nations, the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee. The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all the people." It was for the wickedness of the nations, for their great sin. This means, they November, 1843.] cast off all fear of the Lord, as far as they had gone these nations had; they had cast off the truth and ways of the Lord in consequence of this, the Lord was pleased to leave them to the consequences of their own sin, and they were cast out. Hence it is the delight of the natural man, to be without hope, without God, without Christ in the world. Look at the natural man: the Creator has formed this stupendous scene; the natural man would wish him to retire, that he might have it all to himself. So bountiful is the Lord, he feeds millions of his creatures, causing the earth to bring forth; yet such is the ingratitude of the natural man, he wishes to enjoy it, wishes the Lord to depart from him, does not want to hear the truths of the gospel, does not want to hear of the everlasting love of God in Christ; that Christ died for them, of the Holy Ghost regenerating them. Real religion introduced gives greater offence than ever the world is his delight. For a man to be without Christ, hope and God in the world, it is the state in which he delights; this is while he is in a state of nature. But when the great Jehovah is pleased to rend the veil of ignorance from the mind, I I he makes the sinner feel in what an awful state he is. While before he delighted to be without hope, without Christ, and without God in the world; he now begins to feel to be in this condition, is to be miserable. In this condition it is to be cursed; in this condition it is to be lost to all eternity. This makes him seek Christ; he begins to seek for hope, he begins to seek God. What or who brings this great change about? The Lord. He knew the time was, when it was his delight to be without God in the world. The Lord having brought him to see his state, and tremble at it; he says now, My delight is to be with Christ, with God, to have a hope in his mercy; that at some time he shall have a view of him in his kingdom: for what is all godliness, without the kingdom, where he shall behold the Lord without a cloud. What kingdom is like that which the Lord ruleth over? What adornment like that adornment of the Lord Jesus Christ? What pleasure like that, or equal to that, arising from the contemplation of the great mercy, consolations and grace of the great Jehovah. The nations that cast out the truth, and depart from the Lord, they had his dreadful sentance, that the Lord would cast them out, that "he would have mercy on whom he would have mercy." Neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the Lord thy God, thrice in the year." In this important scripture we have, and but one in the whole code of the Jewish law. There was one annual fast commanded; this fast was of the most solemn kind; one national fast was to take place. It was to take place on the tenth day of the seventh month; it was a sacred year, and falls about the time of our October. On the tenth day of this month, there was to be a fast. This was the day of atonement. There was a very solemn command and dreadful penalties annexed to the violation of this commandment; this great day of atonement was a most solemn day. This was the day to which the apostle alludes, when he says, "The priest entered once every year into the holy of holies." On this occasion, only the high priest entered into the holy of holies, to have secret fellowship and communion with God, so in this great day, the day of atonement, called in the New Testament the propitiation, which was a type of the privations the Lord Jesus Christ, in order to atone for our sins should undergo. I need not now enumerate the privations Christ underwent to atone for our sins: the apostle gives a solemn and beautiful view of the subject, when he says, But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.” Therefore when the time again arrived, the priest again entered, and whilst confessing the sins of the people, at the same time acknowledging the insufficiency of the sacrifice to take away sin. But when the Lord Jesus Christ came, by his " one offering he perfected for ever them that are sanctified." This extendeth over all sins past. There was none before him could ever reach sin effectively; but his atonement reached all sorts of sins; all those sins committed by his people, he removed the whole of them. When the Lord Jesus was on Calvary's cross, all the sins of the church came in remembrance before God: all their sins, in that solemn day of atonement, when the And Saviour died, came in remembrance ple feel there is no life, no food, nobefore God. Vindicated wrath on thing from which they can derive that day awakened; the sword of any spiritual benefit, but the atonejustice on that day arose, to vindicate ment of the Lord Jesus Christ. They the claims of offended majesty, to are so taught to acknowledge the inuphold the rights of a violated law. finite work and spirituality of the The Lord Jesus Christ, having met atonement of Christ, to prefer it to all these claims, his work was done, all other things. Some there may be done for ever. Christ underwent one who say, the atonement of Christ fast, and one only. He underwent cannot support us, we must have this one privation, and his work was something else to make up a feast: eternally done. We wish you to no- what says our Lord to such ? “ Friend, tice very particularly two solemn how camest thou hither, not having commands and dreadful penalties an- on the wedding garment?" nexed to these commands. These such a soul was to be cut off. The were connected with this day of other commands were equally solemn. atonement. Any man who on that One was, if any man eat he was to day did not afflict his soul, was to be be cut off. The next command was, cut off from among his people; they any man, who did any work on that were to do no servile work; no man- day, should be cut off. This was esner of work: if they did, they were sential for the honour of God and the to be cut off, put to death. Now good of his people: so if you bring look at the meaning. The man that one work to recommend you. If you did not afflict his soul; that is, the are truly spiritually minded, you man who did not deprive himself of must cease from your own works; if food, or fast on that day should die. a man does not cease from free-will, What is the spiritual meaning? he is like to Cain, who was led by What does it mean by eating on that the devil to murder his brother, beday? Why it meant, the man who cause his offering was not accepted. said I have something better than If you are led by the devil to bring this atonement; I have something one work, it is a practical contradicthat will do me more good; my mess tion of the great atonement: ، For of pottage will do me more good, it by one offering he hath perfected for is more to me than the atonement; ever them that are sanctified." There it is not so solemn, it is not so im- is no doing, but in the living, doing portant, it not able to satisfy my de- and dying of the Lord Jesus Christ; sires; therefore I have eaten of other he therefore is to be all in all. This things, and shall come to that after- is the fast which Jehovah chose; wards the soul that acted in this this is the fast with which he beneway, was to be cut off. This implies fits the weak, the helpless, the that the people of God shall be ruined, and the lost; this is the fast brought to feel there is not one thing, by which the poor oppressed go free; in which they can find spiritual food, this is the fast by which we lose all but the atonement; for the Lord our burdens; this is the fast by which Jesus Christ says, Except ye eat the bread of eternal life is dealt to the my flesh, and drink my blood, there hungry; this is the fast by which the is no life in you.' Therefore the cast out are brought into that house Lord brings his people to feel, that not made with hands, eternal in the those who love to feed on free-will, heavens; this is the fast by which to feed on creature doctrines and false the spouse is covered, "He hath closystems; living and dying in that thed me with the garments of salvastate, will be sure to be lost to all tion; he hath covered me with the eternity. The Lord makes his peo- robe of righteousness." This is the Now fast by which the light rises in obscurity; this is the fast by which thine health springs forth speedily; this is the fast by which the Lord gives us drink and satiates our thirsty soul, when every other spring is dried up; this is the fast by which the waters will fail not to all eternity See then the importance of this great fast. This same day, the great Redeemer stood up and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink." By the privation he underwent, he brought in a boundless, an everlasting supply for all the children of God. This is the fast the Lord hath chosen. mark, these were occasional fasts; there were two men in the Old Testament age, that fasted miraculously; that is naturally, or by the strength of nature, but miraculously. You will presently see the meaning of it. The Lord Jesus Christ fasted, divinely. However, as I do not wish to say any thing ambiguous; I like clearness because ambigious expressions do no good; the meaning of fasting divinely is, the Lord Jesus Christ fasted forty days and forty nights, not in the strength of his manhood. There he was communing with God, praying for his people. The devil stood up but could not touch him; the wilderness beast could not touch him he fasted in his own personal, almighty strength; setting forth his independence of all earthly priests; setting forth his independance of all created things; setting forth he underwent privations for us, that we might have an everlasting feast. Now to fast miraculously. Moses and Elijah fasted forty days and forty nights; we know, according to the course of nature, this would be a thing impossible. But say some, have you not known persons who have taken very little? Yes, but these were very well all the time, and did not feel the ill effects of it; no wasting of nature; which could not be said of others. I do not believe Moses slept when in the mount with the Lord, no, not for a moment: therefore this fasting was the more remarkable. These two men both fasted the same space of time, though they lived at different periods. Elijah went in the strength of that meat, we read. forty days: this was supernatural and miraculous. These two men were a type of Christ. Moses was a type of Christ in a twofeld sense, as a deliverer and lawgiver. Though, as Bishop Newton observe, in many points Moses was a type of Christ, yet more particularly in two chief points: one as the deliverer and leader; the other as the lawgiver. Yet the Lord Jesus Christ was greater than Moses. Moses' deliverance was temporal; the Lord Jesus an eternal deliverer. Moses gave the law externally, the advantages to the people were temporal, he brought water out of the rock; but Christ gives us his law internally, he gives us internal advantages. Elijah was a type of Christ. Now, say you, in what was he a type of Christ? I will give it you in a very few words-in which I consider he was a type of Christ. That is, he had power with God; that this power with God was most astonishing, we can quote this scripture. John the Baptist came in the spirit of Elias; James sets before us he had power with God: "Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months; and he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit." He had power to bring fire down from heaven to consume the sacrifice; he had power to multiply the widow's oil, and the handful of meal in the barrel; he had power to raise her son from the dead; he had power to divide Jordan, and at last went to heaven without seeing death: therefore, in all these things he was a type of the |