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Thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways: to give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins....Luke i. 76, 77

THE day of gospel-truth, like the light of the morning, breaks forth gradually upon the benighted soul, and it increaseth to mid-day brightness and glory. "The path of the justified is like the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." Thus it is in the experience of enlightened souls. The light of God's word manifests the truth as it is in Jesus, gradually; it discovers condemnation and guilt by the law, and grace and pardon by the gospel. The baptist dispensation prepares the way in the heart before the soul enjoys the sweet sense of pardon of sins through the faith in Jesus. The law is a voice only of wrath and terror to the soul; it leaves the poor sinner in the dreadful state it finds him; it pronounces nothing but curses upon him; it can shew him no remedy; it points to no hope; to work wrath in the conscience and to condemn, is all the broken law can do...

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The voice of the baptist cries to the soul in a wilderness state; but it is rather the hoarse cry of austere severity than the charming, melodious voice of peace and love; it calls to baptism of repentance, a confession of sins, a change of mind concerning former hopes of salvation, and also a change of life and practice. The poor sinner' is hereby "warned to flee from the wrath to come"....is pointed to the LAMB OF GOD, who taketh away the sin of the world." Most souls seem to be brought under this dispensation; some continue for a long season in it; they are in suspense between hope and fear concerning their state. The Spirit of wisdom sees meet it should be so. The name of Jesus is precious to them; his word is their hope; his promises the stay of their souls. The kingdom of Jesus is at hand in knowledge and comfort. Salvation by Christ is made known to them: but as yet they do not enjoy the assurance of their interest in, and the knowledge that their sins are forgiven through the blood of Christ. They are the people of God, though they are not fully assured of it, not having yet received "the baptism of remission of sins" by the Spirit of adoption; but pardon is the certain privilege of believing souls; it is sure, by the promise of a faithful ́ God; it is obtained by the precious blood of Jesus; it assuredly shall be enjoyed as the gift of the comforting Spirit. "The vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it shall speak, and Rot lie: though it tarry, wait for it, because it will surely come, it will not tarry. "The just shall live by faith."....Habbak. ii. 3, 4. As sure as John the baptist has prepared the way in thy heart, "the Lord whom thou seekest shall suddenly come to his temple.".... Mal. iii. 1.

Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.... Psalm xxvii. 14:

"BE of good courage!" Alas, how can one be so, when all sense and feeling tend to dishearten the mind and deject the soul! Lively frames in duty, sweet enlargements of heart, heavenly transports of joy, delightful ecstacies of faith, ravishing tastes of love, all, all, like Noah's dove, have taken their flight; and I fear, says the drooping soul, never, never more to return. Truly, like Hezekiah, "I mourn as a dove, mine eyes fail with looking upward, Q Lord I am oppressed, undertake for me."....Isa. xxxviii. 14. Still, saith the comforter by his word, "Be of good courage." Remember thy calling: It is to live by faith, to honor thy Lord, and be obedient to his word. Thou hast the sentence of death in thyself, that thou shouldst not trust in thyself, lest thine heart depart from thy Lord. Not frames and feelings, but God's love and promises in Christ Jesus to sinners, are the foundation of hope. These are abundantly sufficient to inspire the soul with courage, yea with good courage, to go on in the ways of the Lord.

Here is the steadiness of faith; to cleave to Jesus, to abide by the truth, steadily to persevere in the paths of duty in the course of obedience to him. Shall this ever be suspended because we have not lively frames and joyful feelings? How would this prove that we walk by faith, and that our eye is single to Christ's glory? Nay, we shall then serve the Lord only by fits and starts of sense and passion, rather than by the uniform, consistent obedience of faith. The Lord's word is our rule of duty; his promises our support; his grace is sufficient for us; his strength is made perfect in our weakness. If our hearts are weak, that we cannot run with alacrity the way of God's commandments as we desire, so much the more reason have we for our souls to wait on the Lord for the times of refreshing from his presence. He will strengthen our hearts, "for he giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might he increaseth strength."....Isa. xl. 29. "Wait I say on the Lord." David repeats the injunction, with a holy fervor, both to his own soul and to others. God has promised, expect fulfilment. Here is the exercise of FAITH, trust in the Lord Christ for what we stand in need of: of HOPE, expecting to receive all from him; of PATIENCE, waiting continually upon him. Most precious promise! "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint."....Isa. xl. 31. "The Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ."....2 Thes. iii. 5.

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Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen....Heb. xi. 1.

HAPPINESS, that inestimable jewel, every man is in search after. But to seek it from objects unseen and invisible to our natural senses, is a downright paradox, and will be ever condemned as the greatest absurdity in the judgment of depraved sense and carnal reason. In. the knowledge, love, and enjoyment of God, true happiness alone; consists. The only living and true God hath revealed himself in Christ Jesus. This is the christian's God. He knows no other. It is a blessed truth built upon and supported by the word of God.: By faith this subsists in his mind, and is clear and evident to his new-born soul.

From this inward believing, "That God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself," O what an extensive prospect for hope ariseth! God in Christ; the promises all in Christ; he that believeth is in Christ. Christ dwelleth in his heart by faith: all the blessings of time; all the glories of eternity are sure. They are, settled by the yea and amen of God, upon such believing souls. Shall any bold emissary from satan, demand of such a soul, “What right hast thou to the inheritance of this good land? Abraham's sons have Abraham's plea. It is mine by promise; by faith. I sojourn in it. God's promise is faith's claim. What he has spoken is the ground or subsistence of hope. But may not other witnesses stand up and declare against the christian? Yea, doubtless, many; from the old man, the flesh, satan, and the law. But the first is under sentence of death, his witness is invalid. Satan is a known liar from the beginning, therefore no credit is to be given to him; the evidence of law is out of date; it is superceded by the promise; "for the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after the covenant, which was confirmed by God in Christ, cannot disannul it, that it should make the promise of none effect."....Gal. iii. 17. But blessed be our Lord, though he suffers his children to be attacked by many adversaries, he doth not leave himself without a witness and an evidence in their hearts. Though each one of them cannot say, I know I am a child of God, yet the weakest believer in Jesus hath the evidence of truth; the witness in himself, of the reality and certainty of invisible objects, "things not seen;" of things past in the eternal covenant of grace and peace; of things in time, the finished work of Jesus; of things to come, the glories of an eternal world; and amidst opposition from every quarter, here is a proof of the inward subsistence and evidence of spiritual and invisible objects, in their longing for stronger faith in them, and clearer knowledge and enjoyment of them. "To every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance."....Matt. xxv. 29.

The word of God which effectually worketh also in you that believe....1 Thess. ii. 13.

A PROCLAMATION of grace from an earthly king has reduced the most desperate and hardened rebels to lay down their arms and promise true allegiance. But though the word of God is a proclamation of free grace, glad tidings of full pardon; though replete with the most tender expostulations and the most endearing invitations, yet so abominable is our perverseness, so daring our obstinacy, that we should remain deaf to every call, and continue hardened in our rebellion against the most high God, till we fall victims to his justly deserved wrath. For unbelief shuts up every avenue of the soul against the light, truth, peace, and love of the word of God. But, O amazing love! lie in the dust, O my soul! adore the power of our all-conquering Saviour! The gracious Spirit makes gracious words effectual. Hence faith esteems every portion of the gospel as the food, the life, the joy of the soul. By the agency of the Spirit the word becomes powerful to beget faith, and then works effectually in believing hearts.

Those speak unadvisedly who call the word of God a dead letter. Indeed St. Paul saith, "the letter killeth;" but this can never prove God's word to be dead. That which is dead itself cannot kill. We should distinguish between the letter of the law that killeth all flesh, and the gospel of grace that worketh life and salvation in all who believe. When we read the word of God, we should never consider it distinct from the essential and personal word, JESUS. He is emphatically styled the word of God....Rev. xix. 13. He who executed all the purposes of the word of truth, works effectually in the hearts of the children of faith. Hence, the once despised and lightly esteemed Nazarene is known, believed in, and loved as most precious; "the chiefest among ten thousand, yea as altogether lovely." God's precious promises in Jesus, once wholly unregarded, are now sweetly prized: they are beheld as sweetly ranged and profusely scattered through every page of the lively oracles. The Spirit's holy gifts and sanctifying graces are pleaded as God's blessed charter of free-grace. All his sovereign edicts and absolute declarations of grace and salvation, instead of being proudly cavilled against, are bowed to with humility. In the word of our King there is power. Sin and satan are dethroned in the heart, and Jesus rules and reigns in the soul. Thus the word of God is quick and powerful; thus it works effectually to salvation.

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For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain....Phil. i. 21.

O HAPPY, happy soul! who can thus say with Paul, "in life, in death, Christ is my gain!" Verily, if thou believest on the Son of God, thou mayest. Thou also hast the same right and the same reason as he had. Paul was a poor sinner, even as thou art; but Christ was all his gain: so he is to thee and every one who believes in him. Come christian, let us, like the wise trader, state our accounts of loss and gain and see the sum total this day. In selfrighteousness before God, peace with God, love to God, hope in God, power to please God, enjoyment of God, the life of our souls, yea, our souls themselves are ALL LOST. We are all a lump of sin, bankrupt sinners, insolvent debtors to law and justice, and are exposed to lie for ever in the prison of hell. Awful loss.

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What is our GAIN? Inestimable riches! nothing less than precious Christ, and a precious salvation! O, is his dear name enrolled in the book of our hearts? Can we read Jesus there? Then IN Christ we have perfect righteousness before God, full acceptance with God, free access to God, love from God, peace with God, hope of enjoying, yea, present fellowship with God; we are his children in Christ Jesus; all that he has is ours; every attribute and perfection of Jehovah are engaged for us; his Spirit is ours, to make us holy and happy here, and to lead us to eternal felicity hereafter. But, saith the poor believing sinner, "I am put to a stand in my reckoning; though Christ is my gain, yet I have not entirely lost my burden, sin. Sin is still alive in me." Stop not, O soul, reckon on. Though we have sin, feel sin raging and rebelling, what then? In Christ we have gained a sacrifice for it, and redemption from it. His precious blood hath taken away all the guilt of sin from us, and all the wrath due to us from the justice of God. So it stands upon record in the court of heaven, and the Holy Ghost is witness of it on earth; therefore record this in the court of conscience. Faith can shew a discharge from the guilt of sin and the curse of the law, therefore reckon yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin. Dead indeed, how emphatic! yes, as much dead to sin as a corpse buried under ground; and as much alive to God in Christ, as though you had never committed one sin, nor have any sin in you. "For, O precious words! the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, hath made us free from the law of sin and death."....Rom. viii. 2. Thus in Christ we gain a perfect victory over sin and the law. But say, will sin destroy our mortal bodies? let it; this is all it can do; it cannot hurt our immortal souls; for, thanks be to God, in Christ we have a complete victory over death; Christ is our gain in death. We shall lose nothing by death but sin and sorrow: we shall gain....what? Eternal glory. "We shall be with our Jesus."....John xvii. 24.

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