day's toil, an enlivening wife to greet him with a smile-to cheer and gladden his heart by her enlivening conversation, and on the other hand, I do pity that man who has a scolding wife, perpetually finding fault with all around her, and who usurps the husband's place, always interfering in matters that do not belong to her. I once had a wife,she, however, was no scold, but more like an angel, and I have told her she was my Eve-my enlivening companion. I pass on to Enoch, the seventh from Adam, of whom it is recorded, that he walked with God, and of whom, and the prophet Elijah, it is said, they did not see death, for God took them to heaven from earth; they were favourites with God, and he has a right to have his favourites-a right to dispense his choicest favours to whom he will, and as he will (Jude xiv; Gen. v. 22-24; 2 Kings ii. 11; Ex. xxxiii. 19). Before God took Enoch, it is written, he gave him a testimony that he pleased God; a testimony from God is of more worth than fine gold. No doubt this testimony was, that he was in Christ, loved in Christ, and righteous in Christ; and God gave him grace to walk in a way pleasing to him, and to dedicate himself to his service. He was of those of whom God has said, "This people have I formed for myself, they shall show forth my praise" (Isa. xliii. 21). Now this being so, the name of Enoch was a fit name to give to this man, for it means dedicated, and it is a fit name for all the Lord's called people; they are called out of the world, and separated from it to live to his praise, being dedicated to his service. Oh, I hope at the end I may be found among the Enochs -the dedicated ones, and have a testimony from God, that I am accepted in Christ. I venture to think that this man was named Enoch at his birth, agreeably to the will of God, and because he was known to him as one of his dedicated ones before he was born, even as he knew Jeremiah, and told him so; "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee, and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and ordained thee a prophet unto the nations" (Jer. i. 5). I pass on to Noah. The effects of Adam's fall soon became apparent, for his first-born son Cain, murdered his brother, and such was the wickedness which prevailed, that it is said God repented that he had made man (Gen. v. 6, 7). God, as an infinite Spirit, cannot be subject to passions like man (John iv. 24; Isa. xl. 28: Ps. cxlvii. 5; Job xxiii. 13). He cannot repent, or take a second thought concerning anything he does. Man may, but he cannot, because mutability is totally inconsistent with that absolute perfection which belongs to him (Mal. iii. 6; 1 Sam. xv. 29). When, therefore, it is said God repented that he had made man on the earth, the meaning is not that he had changed his mind, and wished to undo what he had done, but that he, in pursuance of his eternal purpose, changed his dealings towards him, in order to give visible expression to his hatred of sin. God determined that Noah and his family should be preserved from the mighty flood, which he brought upon the world of the ungodly; but

there was nothing in Noah to deserve this favour, for it is simply said, he found grace in the eyes of the Lord, being no better than his neighbours, as appears from this fact, that when he came out of the ark, he planted a vineyard, and got drunk with the wine (Gen. vi. 8, 9). Now the learned Cruden tells me, that the Hebrew word Noah, means repose, or rest,-and he had that which the word signified, for when the flood came-when that desolating judgment was sweeping into eternity the rest of the human race, Noah and his ark rode safely on the face of the waters; yea, while all without was terror, confusion, and dismay, all within was safety, peace, and praise. Thus Noah and his family had that which his name signified. Oh, see here a beautiful type of the Church! The Church is no other than those sons of Adam, whom God, with a fore-view of his fall, chose in Christ to be preserved in him, and saved by him from the flood of wrath, which will be poured upon the wicked. That flood cannot touch them, for they have repose in Christ, as Noah had in the ark. Condemnation cannot come upon them, for God condemned sin in the flesh of his Son, that he might not condemn it in theirs. Hence, Paul "There is, says, therefore, now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit" (Rom. viii. 1-3).

(To be continued).

A FEW THOUGHTS ON THE HIGH STANDING AND DIGNITY OF CHARACTER OF GOD'S PEOPLE.

"ALL hail," ye beloved of the Lord; a people near and dear unto Him. as bound up in and with, the bundle of life; entwined in the encircling arms of Jehovah's fondest affections, and embraced in the outgoings of that love, from everlasting to everlasting, Permit me again to meet you in the pages of the GOSPEL MAGAZINE to congratulate you, through the same, on the close of another year, and, for a moment, amidst the dying things of the passing, fleeting scenes around you, pray the holy Redeemer to lead you to a consideration of your high standing and dignity of character, as children of the living God.

The vastness of your inheritance, as participators of the fulness of grace, treasured up in Him, who, for your blessing and benefit, is "full of grace and truth;" also, the unspeakably precious privilege of being interested in that mysteriously-blessed inhabitation of the most holy" Comforter," to abide with you for ever. And as the lip of inspiration hath emphatically declared, that, "if any man hath not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his," so also, it is as fully declared by

our blessed Lord himself, not only that he would "send the comforter, but that he should abide with you for ever." So that every regenerated vessel of mercy is a partaker of the holy Spirit, acting in his official capacity, ministering as the sent of the Father and the Son. And not only as a casual visiter, staying for a season, and then leaving his holy temple, but as a constant resident, "abideth with and in you for ever.' And as we have a gracious development of the love of the Father and the Son, in sending; so of the blessed Spirit in coming, and abiding. And as his Divine Majesty thus condescends to dwell in, and abide with, the spiritual for ever, so there are various ends designed in this gracious indwelling and abiding, a view of which we shall just glance at for the humble and lowly, the instruction of the babes, and the honour and glory of our God.

As he is the Spirit of life, so he takes up his residence, and becomes the almighty quickener of those hitherto dead in trespasses and sins. (Eph. ii. 1). They are as dead to spiritual things as the silent dust beneath the foot of the passing traveller, as it is written, "the dead know not anything, neither any that go down in silence." The sacred temple being thus constituted lively, through the inhabitation of the "living God," is followed by his most gracious and necessary illuminations, as the sacred Enlightener of this once dark and gloomy place, the eye of the understanding being opened to discern the lost and ruined condition of every son and daughter of Adam, and the awfully engulphed state of the Church of God in general, and every member in particular; and the spirituality of that most holy law, a transgression of which sacred mandate, will pull down, lay low, and condemn to perdition, every violater of it, in the solemn language of, "cursed be every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law to do them; and he that offendeth in one point is guilty of all." And as his sacred ability includes life and light, both to feel and see, so he works, within his people, a sorrow for, and on account of, sin, known in the sacred record as a godly sorrow, wrought by the invincible power of God, the Spirit; one that will never need to be repented of, but is as totally distinct from "the sorrow of the world" as light and darkness; the one working, and ending in death, and the other terminating in everlasting life, and which seemed to open a way for his sacred influence as a "spirit of grace and supplication," leading them to the publican's cry, "God be merciful to me" (Rom. viii., Luke xii., &c.) As through his sacred abiding they are thus led to feel, see, sorrow, and cry, to such an extent as seemeth good, not to man, but to him; so also, sooner or later, he will prove to them a "Spirit of comfort and consolation," causing a ray of heavenly hope to shoot through the soul, like the first shining of the streaks of day in the eastern hemisphere, after a long and dark night. As the Testifier of Immanuel, and the Glorifier of a precious Saviour, leads the

poor law-bitten soul from Sinai to Calvary, with a sweet "Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world, that was made sin for us " who knew no sin, that we may be made the righteousness of God in Him; who of God is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, according as it is written," He that glorieth, let him glory in and of the Lord; who died the just for the unjust, to bring us to God, loving the Church, and giving himself for her and to her, as her hope, husband, and Saviour; then constituting an heartfelt marriage and union, known in the language of the Lord himself as the love of her espousals. She thus being led to take her Lord, as he did her, for better for worse, for life and for ever. Thus, then, is the promise of Christ fulfilled, that the Holy Spirit should come, abide, and comfort her; and as the blessed Spirit is neither an idle nor sleepy inhabitant of his Zion; so he shows her further discoveries yet in the defilement, impurity, and wretchedness of her fallen, depraved nature, which frequently leads her to groan, being burdened and distressed, with "Oh, wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of sin and death?" The defilement indwelling and abounding of impiety, being thus discovered, it opens a way for the blessed Spirit to show the heights, depths, lengths, and breadths of salvation; together with all the beautiful uniformity of redemption, as it shines in the page of inspiration, and the superaboundings of grace over all the aboundings of sin and impurity.

Thus, then, in his sacred dealings with his people, he is progressively pleased to lead them from one discovery unto another, both of sin and salvation, in his melting, moving, humbling, and crumbling operations, causing them to " grow in grace, and a further knowledge" of the love of Christ, until "mortality be swallowed up of life; under which consideration, we have abundant reason to cry out, "thanks be unto God for the unspeakable gift of his dear Son," to die for us; and for sending the Comforter to take up his abode in and with us for ever; for it must be next to impossible for us to be made acquainted with our weakness and nothingness in ourselves, and all the multiplied things to which we are exposed, without discovering, in some degree, the necessity and blessedness of the indwelling and abiding of the Lord, the Spirit, which may the Editor and Readers of the GOSPEL MAGAZINE richly, sweetly, and constantly enjoy, through the days of the present year, amidst the vicissitudes of the same, for Christ's sake. Amen.

R.

Gloucestershire.

"I SHALL SEE HIM, BUT NOT NOW; I SHALL BEHOLD HIM, BUT NOT NIGH." NUMBERS XXIV. 17.

THE morning of the day on which the nativity of our Lord is celebrated, brought reflections very adverse to the joyous scenes which are exhibited throughout the land at this season. These remarkable words of Balaam were suddenly brought to the mind; and while the soul shrinks in dismay at the curse attendant on those, who, like this prophet, have neither part nor lot in the great salvation, it cannot but rejoice at the blessings announced at the time which this day commemorates, in accordance with the declaration of the angel to Joseph: "He shall save his people from their sins." The heart sickens at the profanation of the season. On the one hand, an ungodly world rioting in an excess of debauchery; on the other, nominal Christians hailing with joy (manifested outwardly) the birth of Him "whom they shall see, but not now (in the kingdom of grace), whom they shall behold, but not nigh;" as Job anticipated by precious faith (xix. 27).

Another branch-i. c., professing Christians, mixing with the profane, doing as the world doeth, but under the garb of religion; and we look with bitterness of soul at the curse uttered against Amelek : "Amelek was the first of the nations; but his latter end shall be, that he perish for ever." We are now particularly impressed with the awful and deceptive state of those who are crying, "Lord, Lord, are we not prophecying in thy name, and doing many wonderful works." Unto whom the Lord will say, Depart from me-I never know ye." "And they shall see him, but not now-shall behold him, but not

nigh."

"When the Lord Jesus shall come the second time without sin unto salvation (Heb. ix. 28), every eye shall behold him; many shall wail because of him, and some shall call on the mountains and rocks to fall on them, and hide them from the face of him who sitteth upon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb" (Rev. vi. 16).

"Woe to the crown of pride" (Isa. xxviii. 1).

"Woe to Ariel, the city where David dwelt" (xxix. 1). "Woe to the rebellious children" (xxx. 1).

"Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help" (xxxi. 1).

Woe to the professing nations and professing people. The Lor will arise, and shake terribly the earth. He will send his scourge, and Scourge the kingdoms that have bowed to the woman, on whose "brow of brass" is written " Mystery! Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth:" the nations that have wor