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Emanuel, God with us....Matt. i. 23.

THIS is the mystery which holy angels pry into....infernal devils envy....proud infidels reject with derision....humble sinners glory in....and which all the redeemed around the throne above are incessantly shouting and everlastingly triumphing for.

"Till God in human flesh I see,

My thoughts no comfort find:

The holy, just, and sacred Three,

Are terrors to my mind."

This is the language of every sin-convinced, spiritually enlightened soul. O how did we talk of God in nature's darkness, when we were without Christ, having no hope, and without God in the world, even Atheists. But now, O wonder of converting grace, we see, we believe, we know, GoD WITH US. This is the chief glory of 1st. GOD WITH US, in

our faith....the chief joy of our hearts. the eternal council and covenant before time: there he had our persons in view, our case at heart, and undertook to be our surety, our Jesus. Lo, we were then given to him by the Father. That, 2d. In the fulness of time, he might be God with us, in our flesh. Lo, he is born: see the babe adore the God: rejoice in "Emanuel, God with us." That, 3d. He might accomplish that in our nature, without which we must have been eternally damned; but for which we are everlastingly saved: namely, finish transgression, make an end of sin, and bring in an everlasting righteousness; suffer, the just for the unjust, to bring us to God.... 1 Pet. iii. 18. This is sweet in the history; but, O how much more so in the experience of the mystery. 4th. GOD WITH US, living in our hearts, hopes and affections by the Spirit, through faith. We know, we taste, we feel the reality, power and comfort of this truth, GOD IN CHRIST reconciled, not imputing our trespasses to us....2 Cor. v. 19. Therefore, 5th. GOD WITH US, to oppose all who are against us. Well might Paul ask, "If God be for us, who can be against us?"....Rom. viii. 31. Now, may we not stand forth and challenge all the powers of sin, earth, and hell, "who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? For God the justifier, and we the justified, are one in Christ; "I in them and thou in me," says our Lord....John xvii. 23. Hence we meet in love, mutually embrace, and have fellowship one with another. This is the glory of Christ's nativity, brought into our hearts. "Christ in us the hope of glory."....Col. i. 27. This makes a joyful soul, and a happy Christmas.

Thou God who came in mortal flesh, In spirit visit us afresh,

The lost to seek and save:

New triumphs let us have.

To reveal his Son in me....Gal. i. 16.

FROM hence begins spiritual life: a life from God, in God, with God, and to God. By the gospel, the Son of God is revealed to us by the Spirit he is revealed IN us. External revelation by the word, and internal by the Spirit, are both necessary to salvation. Though Paul was separated from his mother's womb, to be called by the grace of God, yet he had not this inward revelation of Jesus Christ to his heart, till he heard the external word of Christ with his ear, saying, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?"....Acts ix. 4. Hence learn to prize both the outward testimony of the word and the inward testimony of the Spirit. Consider, 1st. To reveal, signifies to discover, or make clear to a person what he did not know before. So, Phil. iii. 15. "If in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you." So the gospel is a revelation of Jesus Christ, without which we could never have known nor understood that our sins are atoned by the blood, our persons justified by the righteousness, and our souls everlastingly redeemed and saved by the work of Christ. Is this knowledge by this revelation all that is necessary to salvation? No: persons may attain a notion of these things in the head and understand somewhat of them, and yet the heart be without precious faith in, and peculiar approbation of Christ, destitute of the love of Christ and of any saving hope in him. But, 2d. This is the chief glory of our souls, the revealing Christ IN us. O for the reviving comfort of this while we consider it. To reveal Christ in us, is to make such a clear discovery of the matchless charms and inestimable glory of his person to our souls, which we never saw before, so that our hearts are enamoured with him, we choose him, love him, delight in him, and cleave to him in all his offices and characters; for by the eye of our "soul we behold his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, FULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH," to us miserable sinners: hence he is the ONE beloved of our souls. Without this revelation of Jesus Christ in us, alas! what is all external profession? No more than mere task, dry formality, and heavy drudgery. O my soul, O my dear friends, be not content to live without a constant revelation of Christ to your souls: this makes the conscience peaceful, the heart happy, and the soul joyful: this inspires love, subdues lust, captivates the affections, makes the whole man happy in God, and creates heaven in the soul. If Christ is within, in the heart, all will be right and well without, in the life. If you believe in Christ, as revealed in the word, this blessed promise is for you; pray for its daily fulfilment, "I will manifest myself unto him."....John xiv. 21.

Ye are all one in Christ Jesus....Gal. iii. 28.

WILL a covetous man be content with the NOTION that he is rich? If your body was in pain, would it give you ease to think of a remedy without experiencing its salutary effects? What avails all the refined notions of eternal union, without experiencing that the soul is vitally united to Christ by the power of the Spirit, through faith? O my soul, I charge thee not to rest satisfied with the notion of the doctrine of union, without the comforts of the grace of being united to Christ, and being one with him in heart and affection. O, my Jesus, to thee I look and pray, to find and feel more and more the sweet experience of this: give it my soul out of thy fulness. Consider, 1st. The persons here spoken of, YE: ye Jews, who had the form of godliness without the power: ye Gentile sinners, who once had neither the form, nor the power of christianity: ye apostate sinners, who yesterday were haters of God, at enmity against his law, rebels against his government, in league with sin, death and hell; fighting under the prince of darkness: see what ye are NOW. Behold what grace has done for you: see into whom it has implanted you. 2d. "In Christ Jesus." Not only IN the knowledge of him, faith IN him, hope on him, and love to him: though all this is precious; but much more, ye are mystically and spiritually united to Christ, as truly as your soul is to your body, your body to your head, or your hand to your body. Now Christ is your life, your husband, your wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption....1 Cor. i. 30. Ye are compleat: perfect in him....Col. ii. 10. Simply believe this: look to Christ for the comfort of this glorify the Spirit for the grace of this. 3d. "Ye are all ONE in Christ," whether Jew or Gentile, churchman or dissenter, &c. we, being many (though of different denominations and opinions) are one body....1 Cor. x. 17. Christ is the head: we are all members in him, and of one another. As Luther says, “ we have the same Christ; I, thou, and all the faithful, which Peter, Paul, and all the saints had." We are all in the same Jesus: have all one Father, one comforter, and are of one Spirit. Then let this faith quell all unholy strife, and excite all heavenly love to each other. O let us make it manifest that we are in Christ, by following him who is our peace, and by holding the unity of "the Spirit in the bond of peace. Let us consider one another, to provoke unto love and good works.".. Heb. x. 24.

Thou sinner's only hope and friend,

Within my soul still reign, One with my heart unto the end, Of all my strife and pain.

Let faith and love and every grace
Within my heart abound;
That I may prove in ev'ry place,
That Jesus I have found.

M.

Ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.... Col. iii. 3.

WE are apt to mistake the words and pervert the meaning of scripture. This charge is brought against us by Jeremiah: "Ye have perverted the words of the living God."....xxiii. 36. This dejects our souls, robs Christ of the glory of our hearts, and prevents our holy and comfortable walk in him. See if this is not the case in respect to this text. Ye believers in Christ are dead, 1st. "To the law, by the body of Christ."....Rom. vii. 4. Being one with Christ by faith, you are dead to all legal hopes from your own works. 2d. Dead to sin, being baptised into Christ by his Spirit.... Rom. vi. 3. 3d. Dead to the world, being crucified with Christ....Gal. vi. 14. O, says one and another sincere soul, I am not thus dead: I have no true faith, I find sin alive in me : legal hopes and fears cleave to me, and too much love of the world in me, to my grief and burden. Behold, here is distress through mistake. Paul doth not say, all these things are dead in you; but ye are dead to them that you are not in subjection to them; that they are your burden; that you groan under, and long for deliverance from them, are the clearest proofs that you partake of the life of Christ. Glory to Jesus for this. YOUR LIFE IS HID entirely from carnal men: they cannot see the spring and motive of your conduct: marvel not that they deride you for it: your life is often hid to yourself. When the dunghill of corruption's steam, temptation's smoke, the black exhalations of unbelief arise, and Christ our life withdraws his presence, then it is so hid that we fear our life is dead: but that is as impossible as for God to die; for our life is hid WITH CHRIST: then it can never be lost. Who can deprive us of it? Not all the powers of sin, earth nor hell: true, they may and do often rob our souls of the comforts and joys of our spiritual life, because we do not live and walk close with Christ; but our life is safe and secure while all-conquering Christ lives: for it is also IN GOD: God the Father chose us to eternal life: God the Son redeemed us to it : God the Spirit bestowed it upon us, therefore we can never perish : none can pluck us out of God's hands: we need not fear any enemy: "If God be for us, who can be against us?" O believer, view your safety and security. Your enemies must first overcome, and take away the life of Christ and of God, before they can deprive you of your life which is hid in them. "No weapon formed against thee shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn."....Isa. liv. 17.

When Christ who is our life shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory....Col. iii. 4.

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I HAVE read a book consisting of stories, said to be told to the Sultan of Arabia, to prevent a bloody purpose of his against his Sultaness. The relator of the tales was her own sister. She always contrived to leave off in the midst of her story, which he was so delighted with as to promise not to destroy her sister till it was ended thus by protracting the execution she saved her sister's life. Methinks there is no end to the history of Christ. Every fresh relation of him delights the believing soul, and whets up an inclination to hear more of him again and again; for he averted the bloody execution of law and justice against us; every fresh tale of him strengthens our faith of salvation by him; sets our minds more and more against every evil, and excites us to every good: for, CHRIST IS OUR LIFE. O soul, can you ever believe too much of him, or hope too much in him? It is our fault, our shame, our misery, that we dwell no more on him and converse no more with him. Is Christ thy life, O my soul? What sort of a life do I live? Jesus, wash me in thy blood. Lord, pardon me by thy grace. Favour my soul with fresh experience that thou art my life; so be the death of all my sins and the life of all my graces. O appear, appear in the power of thy Spirit again and again in me, before thou shalt appear in thy power and glory to me. CHRIST SHALL APPEAR. What are we looking at? Why stand we gazing on perishing objects? What are we waiting for? The Saviour? He SHALL appear. Perhaps the very next moment, as the Lord of life and death, he may say to his angel death, go, bring that saved sinner to me, his life. O joyful word! Learn to welcome it; faith will; for, "WE SHALL APPEAR WITH HIM IN GLORY." How shall we appear? In what we wore by faith, were not ashamed of, but gloried in here: "Arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: the rich robe of Christ's obedience, which is the righteousness of saints."....Rev. xix. 8. Mind, this is granted to us. If it was our own righteousness, we have a right to appear in it; there needs no grant of it: but it is Christ's righteousness, therefore a gift by grant to us. O remember, it is a sure and certain thing we SHALL appear (all the powers of hell cannot prevent it) with Christ in glory. ONLY BELIEVE, and you will love Christ, rejoice to obey him, and long for his appearing. O Jesu, my life, appear to my soul this night in all the power of faith, the joy of hope, the comfort of love, and the fellowship of peace.

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