GOSPET, - The Gospel Magazine

TIIN IMDIUTAB'ES OT A FINISEED SAI,VATION. 5I5
ages of eternitr. But (.lhrist uoderrveut rLe q,hole curse of God due to sin.
Gat. iii. 13. Sin is an irrfinite evil-not u,itb referenr:e to the sinner, qho cannot
rise al)ove creatureship, and is thereibr.e 6rrite ; but Christ heing au in6nite Person,
was capable of sustaining, in all its collerrerl horrr-rrs, that-rvrarh to eoule,
rvhich had been ir-rcurrerl bv tlre elect, Latn, i. l?. I think I am clear ro sav.
that oul'Christ in tasting ttearh fur ever.y uran r,f t,ire election of grace, drai,reri
rlamnation to tire very dregs, I\{att. xxvi.42, Psal. xviii. 5. By these sufferinqsofthe
liod-nran-Chri.t J*rrs, He elcirriecl rhe Just for rhe unjust; the
rvrath.of (iod against ttre sins of the elect, rvas for
'l'r.r
ever appeased, i;ol. i, 2t_t,
Isa. xliii. 25. this errd tlre elect ilre, eaclr in th,:ir day irid generetiun, resenefate(l
hy the Holy Ghost,'l'it. iii.5; for urltil poor sinners be regenerated,
thev can Lave no spi|ituai existr:rice, "Ezek; xxxvii. N 3; none are regeuerated
hut Guti's elet:t, though urarv are rnucL affected bv the lvord. like [Jerod. anrl
do many thinqs, Regeneration is an almiEhry acr oi'Gotl, wherebyan eleci sin.
rier is nrade a recipieut of the grar:e of life, the sirrner treing rhus illrrrninated,
the Lord tlre Spirit t:auses to be rereived irrro rhe reqenerate mind, frorn the
Scriptures oftruttr, the kuorvledge of the total fal I and corruption of hrr rn an nature,
in all tire iutlividuals of Adam's posrerity, by lris one tiansgressiorr, Ronr. r.
12. The true apprehension of this arvful cerrainty, creates in tliil mintl of tlre regenetate
person, an eDtire r.eltunciarion of all that he is, or ever shal be in hiurself.
Phil. iii.3.
'lhe re.rl convittiou of sin is rhe rvork of tbe I{oly Spir.ir, in irnparriog s
seriptural knorrledqe trf tlie deprarred strte of the lurrnan race ir- cou..equenle
of original siu, Psal. li. 5. As lhe Ifulv Ghost testifies of so does the sarne
Divine and eternal Spirit give "iu,
evidenceconcerning Ohrist, as rbe glorious Redeemer
of his Churclr frorn all tlrar is conrained in sin, John xvi. iJ, 14. But
the work of the Holy Ghost is ur) llart of an elec[ lerson's Salvatiol, John xvi.
14, this would be to rob Christ of liis slory; for t,, hirn personallv all our salvation
is ascribed, Rev. i. 5. Nor can rue *orship (iorl aright, until we are enlightened
to apprehend the uffice rvhich the Scriptures asjign to rhe Tlrir.d Fr:rson
of the Holy 'frinity, the work of the HoIy Ghost is in regeneration, ancl in
cunversion, John iii. 3; hy tire one a spiritual lacultv is cre-aterl in the soul.
rvhich faculty being furthel slrotre upoir and oper,e,i to rei.eite the rruth ot'
l-hrist, as set forth in tlre everlastiug Gospel ; it is lrereby that 0hrist is receivetl
into the heart, Eph. iii. l7; the rniud is r.hen drarrn forih tos,ards him, and he
is formed in every converted elect person, Gal. iv. l9 ; lre beeoures everlascingly
precious to, us, I Pet. ii. 7; aud rve are at lensth lired on hirn as our preslnt
hnd eternal all; the truth aDrl reality ot tlris. t'onsists and is coritained in orrr
living rvlrolly out (,f ourselses, arrd on Christ as our complete salvation, Gal. ii,
90. A Ctrrisrian is a supernatural man, I Per. iii.4. As ri partaker of Ctrrist,he
lives irr Christ, he Iives on Cirrisr, he helieves in Clrrisi. he tralks in Christ,
Col. ii, 6; he glories in Christ, Gal, vi. 14; be triurnphs in Uhlist, 2 Cor.
ii. 14 ; lre discards all confidenee in the flesh, Phil. iii. B; he has nothins
to do rvith self-self eirher goorl or l,ad, is, in the vierv of rhe believer, ttre g'eaiest
lnonster
out of hell, Job xlii. C ; and tbis habitual renunciatiorr of selt, tauqht
by the Holy Spirit, is rhe secret ot all the Saintslrrp that lras ever existed in iartli'or
heaven; the true krrowledge of Ctrrist is (io,l,s appointed rnethod of puttinq
dorvn-sin; arrd all who are unpossessed of tbat ilivine knorvledge, mriet, anri
rvill, follow the bias of their d'pr"ved rrature ul) to tbe Iirnit rvhich G.d, in his
h,rly rvisdom, may seasorratrlyinterpose
orcler to check a sinner's mad career,
Gen. xx, 6. .Everv hunrun l-riinE must lise in sin, either operr or secret, until the
Holy Ghost reveals Cbrist, BZek. viii. 12, Gen. vi. 5 i nor is there a hair,s
Itreadtlr of differerrce, as to their inherenf sinfulness, berween the vilesr sinner
on eartlr, a'd the rtr.ictest professor of natural relieion. Sin has its sour.ce in the
carnal rnind; and so long as tlrat defiled rnind shall remain unopDosed bv a spiritual
plinciple, f it, i. 15, tbe sirrful crearure, hou;ever modifiect,irill shorv forrh
his corruption,_and exhibir hirnself a profane
'fh_ese
or a devout sinner, as the case may
b.e. - tlrings contiuue unknuwn until Christ is preached, as the end of
tlre larv for rightEousness to everv one that believeth.
I hope, mvtiear friend, I shall ricver be allorved to clefeud ernrr eirlrer in mv.