of turning (James i. 14). The absolute sovereign of all worlds, who "doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth" (Dan. iv. 36). And as he has said, "Thou shalt have none other gods before me, we refuse to bow to him who is most blasphemously called "our holy lord god the Pope," or to his wafer god, or to his priestly demi-gods; yea, we refuse to bow to an Unitarian's god, or to an Arminian's god, because they are mutable.

I know not whether it be not worse idolatry to worship an unknown, mutable, ideal god, than it is to worship Dagon, Baal, or Bacchus; all such dunghill gods we leave for free-willers to worship, who, like the Athenians, worship an unknown god. But all the regenerated family of God worship him only who has said, "the heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool" (Isa. lxvi. 1); and who has sworn, "I am Jehovah, that is my name, and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images" (Isa. xlii. 8). Therefore God forbid that we should forsake Jehovah to serve other gods (Joshua xxiv. 16), even if the modern impious Nebuchadnezzar of Rome should grow as famous as his prototype, and threaten a fiery furnace unless we worship him and his gods; we hope to have grace enough to say, "We are not careful to answer thee in this matter, but we will not serve thy gods" (Dan. iii. 16). We will serve Jehovah, for he is our God (Josh. xxiv. 18). "He that is our God, is the God of salvation" (Psa. Ixviii. 20), with whom salvation originated, in whom salvation is concentrated, and by whom salvation is communicated without consulting man's free-will, without requiring the aid of an human priesthood, and without allowing a contingency to interrupt his plan.

If we be asked what is the worship which we offer to our God, we reply negatively and affirmatively, it is not that tame, sickly, formal mimicry which is practised by thousands, yea, millions of Pagans, Papists, and Protestants, too, consisting in caste, creed, or ceremony; it is neither the talk of the lips, the trammels of sect, nor the touch of the priest-no, nor is it the use of a ritual, the utterance of orthodoxy, or the uplifting of eyes and hands. But it is the engaging of the heart with God in the actings of faith, in the aspirings of love, and in adoring gratitude; it is new nature going forth under the mighty movings of the Holy Ghost to its fountain and author in habitual fellowship, and this is always in accordance with revealed truth, so that the true worshippers worship in spirit and in truth. Now brother" Metrios," allow me to say in closing my note, I admire your taste in placing good old "Crispin" foremost in your salutations, for there is no correspondent in the GOSPEL MAGAZINE whose writings I read with so much interest as his; there is so much point and edge in them, that I have envied his talent for writing, and can easily forgive him his partiality to steeple and dome which may perhaps arise from the locality of his stall, especially as there may be a soling and heeling job sent now and then from some of the stalls of the cathedral to the stall at Amen Corner. He can hammer the lapstone well, and if he should hereafter miss his blow, and even let his hammer fall upon old iron, he shall still be owned a skilful Workman.

Grace, mercy, and peace be with my American correspondent, prays his brother in the Lord,

Shepherds tent, Camberwell, October, 1845.

JOSEPH IRONS

A TRIBUTE OF RESPECT TO DEPARTED WORTH IN THE LOVE OF THE TRUTH.

DEAR MR. EDITOR,

Having been very much pained by the report your Newick Correspondent has given of the latter end of that dear man of God, Mr. Colyer, for the truth's sake I feel constrained to say a few words on the subject. Are we to suppose or believe that that champion for the truth never was brought into the knowledge of Christ as the way, the truth, and the life, which to my soul's profit I have heard from his lips when preaching the Christ of God so fully and blessedly set forth by him? But according to the statement of Mr. Poynder, he was in complete darkness, if not in despair. His ability and intellectuality is very correctly set forth, but this is not living by faith. But is not the portrait by "J. P." as though the dear man was living only by ight,consequently there is a strange misrepresentation, and I might say almost a perversion of one of the essential truths of the gospel; indeed, those who knew the man and his communication, could hardly believe such a statement could come from his mouth, I allude to the remarks upon or rather from that wonderful text, because Christ is the sum and substance of it, 1 Cor. v. 21, "For he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him;" whereby siu becomes a nonentity, which I suppose means nothing. Now this is the very text I would take my stand upon to prove that the filth, the guilt, nay, all that Satan is the author of, and all that the church were partakers of in her Adam-state, she was not only delivered from, but made the righteousness of God in him. To be made sin seems beyond all comprehension; we were made sinners by Adam's transgression, but none but our precious Christ ever knew what it was to be made sin. I should rather that the Scriptures speak the truth of this matter, than any statement of mine; but really what is the meaning of the text quoted in reference to the subject mentioned, which I am sorry to say is not quoted correctly by your correspondent, for "he hath" is left out, and also the most endearing and soul-satisfying truth in the text, that is, "for us," so that the origin and blessedness of the text to him as a believer are entirely omitted; and this dear man, for I must call him so, is gone home made that righteousness of God in Christ that was made sin, which truth "J. P." has endeavoured to cast into darkness. The text appears to me to go beyond all thought or comprehension; that marvellous word made stands as Jehovah's work relative to both truths-that is, he made Christ sin, and the church the righteousness of God in him. And let it be remembered, it is such a blessed mystery in reference to both, that we must exclaim in the matter as the apostle did, "Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out." Who can estimate the blessedness of the subject? it is more than being clothed in or with righteousness, it is to be Jehovah's righteousness in him; and such the Holy Ghost declares they shall be called — and rest assured the God of truth never gives a wrong name either to a person or thing. The evil is, if I may so term it, that the children of God do not consider that by being in Christ, they are out of Adam as completely as if the first man, and the consequences arising therefrom had not been. But the cry is, Oh my wretchedness, my misery, my sinfulness. Why, these are the very things that fit us for a precious Christ; for the language of the Scriptures is," he receiveth sinners and eateth with them." The apostle of the

Gentiles did not grumble and complain about his wretchedness, sinfulness, and misery, but reckoned scripturally and blessedly that if he did what he hated, it was not Paul as a new creature in Christ Jesus, or as made the righteousness of God in him, but it was sin in his flesh-we are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if the spirit of Christ dwell in us. And according to the apostle's reckoning, sin was no part of him as a believer in the Lord Jesus; as has been truly said, sin is no part of our nature. The children of God appear to live as if they had two masters, or two heads, which they are bound to serve; but our dear Lord says that cannot be, we either serve one or the other, we cannot serve both. How blessedly this truth is set forth in Paul's Epistle to the Romans, when he declares that our old man is crucified with Christ, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin; for he that is dead is freed from sin. The reason why feople feel and talk so much about sin is, because they do not live dead, and also declares that he that is dead is freed from sin. And again, "Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." And in the matter of experience the apostle declares, "I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." What blessed living this-sin cannot live in this life, nor self, nor the devil, for they are all dead relative to it, they have no power over it, for the life is hid with Christ in God. The Scriptures blessedly set forth how sin was made an end of, what the Lord did with it, and where it is cast; so that if they are sought for there shall be none (a word synonymous to nonentity) consequently cannot be found. And marvellous it is, and a blessed fact, that all sin was under the first testament for which redemption was made; but I think it will puzzle the lawyers to find any sin under the second testament, it is all free there-being made free from sin we become servants to righteousness, have our fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. And the Scriptures are so plain and explicit in showing that we are translated out of one state into another, that we are not reckoned after the first man, but after the second; and that we may have some little knowledge in the mystery, we are said to walk by faith and not by sight: the blessedness of which is, as the Holy Ghost declares by the apostle, "that we all with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the spirit of the Lord. In this image, or new creation state, we stand as Jehovah's righteousness, as it is written, "because as he is, so are we in this world." Here we are holy and without blame before him in love; predestinated to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ unto himself, that we should be to the praise of his glory."

Much more might be said as the Scriptures blessedly set forth, which is all plain to him that understandeth. Butbefore I conclude I mutus say oe word in reference to your correspondent's observations. If the dear man of God had been left without them there, would not have been the surmises as to" How did he die ?"-for there is no mention made of it, which has created a little alarm; but may I not say that the iutention was to have a thrust at a certain person who declares sin to be a nonentity in consequence of Christ being made sin, and putting it away by the sacrifice of himself; so that there is no sin standing between God and the church, as they are quickened together with Christ, raised up together with him, and made sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus; and the Holy Ghost directs us to set our affections on things above where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God. Thus writes and believes

October,

1845.

A LOVER OF TRUTH.

CHRIST DYING FOR ALL.

ANSWER TO THE INQUIRY OF "S. W. B. O.," OF VAUXHALL.

All men as in Adam are dead in sin through the fall; but all are not through the law to live unto God in Christ.

My dear Friend, I would believe that the love of Christ constraineth me to reply to your question, and I will be as brief as I can; and as there are several verses in your question, will give a sort of running and hasty com

ment.

"For the love of Christ constraineth us." God is love, and his own eternal sovereign love constrained him to give his only Son for our redemption, to open and make known his love to us, and the son's love constrained him to lay down his life for us, and gave himself for us, to make known his love to us: and when the good and Holy Spirit is pleased to make known all this love in us, we are constrained to love God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and to love one another.

"Because we thus judge." And our judgment is correct concerning the self-moving love of God towards us in his dear Son; for love could have no precause to force or move it but itself-love always moves freely of itself. God never did hate his people, though through the deceit of Satan and sin we hated God; the carnal mind is enmity against God. But Christ did not come to reconcile God unto us, but reconcile us unto God by the death of his cross; and slay the enmity in us, when he pours his sweet love and mercy into our hearts, then he wins us by weapons of love, conquers and overcomes us by love, and we are constrained to love him by the irresistible power of his love in us.

"That if one died for all." If Christ died for only some of the sins of all men, none can be saved; for who is to die for the rest of their sins? If Christ died for all the sins of all men, why are not all men saved? and we are sure they are not all saved. But as he died for all the sins of some men, all that some men will be saved, which are all his people, all his sheep. He says, I lay down my life for the sheep ;" and he says, "that some believe not, because they are not of his sheep." Therefore as in Adam, all men in mortal Adam's loins died, even so shall all men in Christ be made alive, who were all chosen in him before the foundation of the world; and if Christ died for all, he died not for all the dead in Adam, the eternally dead in the wicked one, who are twice dead, for he is not the God of the dead (in that sense), but of the living, for all live unto him. "For as by the offence of one (Adam) judgment came upon all men (in Adam) to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one (one Lord Jesus) the free gift came upon all men (in Christ) unto justification of life" (Rom. v. 18). So that sin reigned unto the death of all men in Adam, and those who are left under sin and a broken covenant, are condemned already, and if left there, are in eternal death. But Christ being the Ransomer of his church, provided in the love of God the Father, all our sins were laid on him who bore our sins in his own body on the tree; in him sin reigned unto death, and it is said that "he put sin to death in the body of his flesh, when he died for all the sins of all his people, once for all."

"Then were all dead." Ah then! when Christ died, then were all the church dead with Christ, baptized into his death (Rom. vi. 3). If a man commit ten thousand million crimes, you can only hang him or crucify him to death, and then there is an end of it, it is done with; so Christ died for all his people, and for all their sins, even for the last sin of the last vessel of mercy-this is the full atonement by his blood, or atone-ment. One ment for all, for all our sins were mentioned in his death (as in the case of the scape-goat) and God the Father never will make mention of them any more-he saith, "I will no more remember thy sins," Then were we all dead in Christ, as if we had all actually died the death for our sins; otherwise what do you make of this passage of scripture, "For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him?" (2 Tim. ii. 11). Dead indeed unto sin by the act and deed of Christ's death in the flesh for us, and dead unto the love of sin in our souls by the indwelling of the Holy Ghost in regeneration; we have a taste of the bitterness of sin and death when sin took occasion by the commandment deceived us, and by it slew us, and killed us to all hopes of heaven by our righteousness. But the great bitterness of death is passed in the death of Christ, when he had gall for his meat. Ah, then Christ died once for all-"then were all dead." "Ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God" (Col. iii. 3). The corruption Adam lump is dead-" the body is dead because of sin" (Rom. viii. 10); and in the corrupt mass of creatureship you can find nothing but a dying life, because sin is still there, the parent of death. But the dead in Christ shall rise first in regeneration, and first in the resurrection, with glorious immortal bodies like his own.

"And that he died for all." As I have in few words before described. "That they which live." Through a new birth, and by the Holy Spirit of Life living in them, they live a life of faith on the Son of God, "for to live is Christ;" "I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me," who is the way, the truth, and the life, in those who have eternal life.

"Should not live unto themselves." Not live on themselves, upon themselves, or on their own things of the flesh, nor their own righteousness, but upon the things of Christ, which the Spirit reveals in them. Should not live unto their own profit, praise, and honour, but live unto God, live unto his praise in adorning these doctrines of God our Saviour in all things, and live unto the praise and glory of him which died for them, and rose again for their justification before God.

"Henceforth know we no man after the flesh." The knowledge of union and communion with each other and with God in Christ, is by and through the Spirit; so that we in the spirit of love have communion with departed souls in glory, and those that we know in the spirit of faith and love, and those at a distance on the earth whom we never have seen in the flesh. Fleshly knowledge, fleshly love, and relationship pass away as though it never had been, but a spiritual knowledge of each other in the spirit remain for ever.

"Yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, henceforth know we him no more.' No more distinctions between Jew and Gentile; we know him no more as a Jew, of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came (Rom. ix. 5). We only know Christ in the Spirit, through the Spirit, and as the Holy Spirit reveals Christ in us the hope of glory. And this is a better knowledge of him than seeing and knowing him in the flesh, as the dear bleeding suffering man of sorrows for our sins; for many saw him in he flesh, talked with him, eat and drank with him, who have no part in is death, precious blood, life, and resurrection. Neither can we wish to