Page images
PDF
EPUB

cannot deny it; and sure I am, that he will find it to his happiness and comfort, yea, essential to his salvation, to bow down to it; and when once his heart is subdued by sovereign grace he will be ready to join in the apostle's exultation, in his Epistle to the Ephesians, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: according as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy, and without blame before Him in love." And if he will take the trouble to read the whole of that first chapter, he will find that word according repeated no less than six times, and all to confirm the same glorious truth-the absolute sovereignty of God in the personal election and entire salvation of every vessel of mercy. And what shall we say of the doctrine of imputed righteousness, without which no child of Adam can be saved? Surely nothing less than absolute sovereignty could impute my sins to Christ, and His merits to me. This is, in fact, the sum and substance of the gospel proclaimed in all the sacrifices, offerings, and types under the Mosaic economy, testified by all the prophets, preached by all the apostles, and received in faith by all the members of the living Church of God in every age; though rejected and despised by thousands of proud Pharisees, who, "being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God." Oh that they were wise enough to make the same choice as Paul did when he said, " that I may be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith" (Phil. iii. 9)

If we were to proceed to examine all the other essential doctrines of the gospel, we should find them all based upon, and supported by, Divine sovereignty; such, for instance, as sanctification, justification, adoption, perseverance, and glorification. The Holy Ghost taught Paul to set them all down to the account of Divine sovereignty, saying, "Moreover, whom He did predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified" (Rom. viii. 30). All is ascribed to God as His own sovereign act, to the utter rejection of all pretensions to sovereignty in the matter of salvation, whether by popes, potentates, priests, or people. "The Lord shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the Lord." Let Jehovah Triune be glorified, and let man know himself to be but dust, then will the glorious plan of salvation be received, and its blessings enjoyed.

One thought more I must drop before I close. A deep obligation lies on us to devote heart and life to His glory in active service. "Active service," say you; "would you have us all ministers?" Certainly not. I would there were no ministers on earth but those whom He Himself has called, and clothed with His own power. "What do you mean, then, by active service?" Look into all the departments of the Christian Church, and especially that portion of it with which you stand connected, and inquire what you are doing, for the instruction of the ignorant, for the solacing of the afflicted, for the assisting of weak and timid believers, for the administering to the necessities of the saints, for the service of the living God, for extending the knowledge of the truth? Put forth, in all directions, the pre

cious gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ; and though you may not do it with tongue or pen, you can do it with a penny. Who can tell that the believer who sends forth one Number of "Grove Chapel Pulpit," may not be the honoured instrument in bringing some poor ruined sinner to the feet of Jesus? I know, if your souls would more seek after active service, you would leave no stone unturned, nor no penny unspent, for the purpose of exalting the grace of God, and spreading His name and fame throughout the earth. All this He employs His people as instruments in accomplishing. Begin at home, and mark what can be done in the way of instrumentality, in "ministering to the necessities of the saints," and such like, and then ask if it can be said of you, as it was said of the poor woman that washed Jesus' feet, "She hath done what she could." I question if any of us can take that commendation. I dare not. We have done a little of what we ought to do-only a quarter, an eighth, probably a hundredth part, of what we could do. Oh, to emulate this activity set forth in the Scriptures, "a peculiar people, zealous of good works!" You were active enough in the service of the devil and sin; and shall the children of this world be wiser and more active than the children of light? God forbid! Oh, for more activity and zeal in the cause of God! My soul desires to live and die in my Master's service, and in glorifying my Master's name. May He command a blessing upon His word. Ámen.

THE 17TH SONG IN

MR. IRONS'S NEW VERSION OF THE BOOK OF PSALMS.

OUR God a generation claims,

Accepts their persons, writes their names;

Views them as righteous in His Son,
Dwells in their midst, calls them His own.

God is the refuge for His poor;
His council stands for evermore ;
Christ and His seed decrees record,
A generation for the Lord.

Righteous in Jesu's righteousness,
His name they will with joy confess
When in His presence they appear;
While harden'd sinners quake with fear.
Oh, when shall God's salvation come,
To bring His chosen people home;
From long captivity restored,
And their Redeemer be adored?

Jacob and Israel shall rejoice,

When Zion hears her Monarch's voice;
Yea, heaven and earth with joy shall ring,
To crown Jehovah Jesus King.

[merged small][ocr errors]

[Price 1d.

[graphic][graphic][merged small][merged small][merged small]

Delivered in Grove Chapel, Camberwell, Sunday Morning, June 17, 1849, BY THE REV. JOSEPH IRONS.

"The chief ruler."-1 Chron. v. 2.

AND who can that be? The love of rule seems inherent in man, and the pride that lies at the bottom of it has been the ruin of man. It was manifest in the first man that was created. It was exhibited in the murderer Cain, who wished to rule over his brother, and rose up against him and slew him. It has been put forth by sinful mortals in every nation under heaven, and in every age-the desire to rule-and when mortals have no hope of having fellow-mortals to rule over, they immediately determine upon maintaining a sovereignty over themselves. But none of these can wear the title of chief ruler.

There is a peculiar beauty in the expression I have chosen as the basis of our discourse this morning, if viewed in its connection. The chapter begins with an abstract of the genealogy of the sons of Jacob, the tribes of Israel; and in the very opening of that abstract, an interruption by the interference of sovereign grace, is recorded. Reuben is mentioned as being the first-born, and his posterity are named; but the Holy Ghost insists immediately that Reuben had forfeited his birthright by his incest in early days, and that forfeiture fell upon his lot and upon his inheritance ever after; and so great was the stain, and so entire the disapprobation that lay upon the whole tribe of Reuben, that even when they came to the borders of the land of Canaan they were not allowed to go over Jordan. Their own free will, which was their continual sin, chose their inheritance, and requested Moses to give it to them on the other side of Jordan, without going to Canaan. According to the family usages of those times the birthright was Reuben's, but he had forfeited Published in Weekly Nos., 1d., and Monthly Parts, 5d.

VOL. II.

G

62

it; and we read that the birthright was given to Joseph. not given to Judah? why not given to the next in birth? No, sovereign grace comes in; the birthright is forfeited, and Jehovah gives it to whom He will; and it is here recorded to have been given to Joseph; "and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright," that is we possibly after the birthright of nature. And "Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the chief ruler." Now can mistake who the chief ruler is? Shall it not afford joy and peace to every believing soul, that the only-begotten Son of the Father, who is "the brightness of the Father's glory, and the express image of His Person;" He who condescended to assume our nature, and to become "bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh," "in all things like unto His brethren," but without sin-that He is "the Chief Ruler," and that none shall wrest the sceptre out of His hand.

I want my hearers to find the key (may I call it?) to the comfortAnd the key is this: were any of you room of the Lord's household, members of a large family, and discovered that some monarch had done for one of your brothers what Pharaoh did for Joseph, made him chief ruler of the land, and you possessed a full confidence in the affection of that brother towards you, would not you immediately draw this conclusion, "There will be nothing that power, or wealth, or influence, or affection can do for me but what I shall have, my brother is chief ruler of the land. I will raise my expectations high?" This is the very thing which I want to do, and want you to do this morning. "thrones, and Our glorious elder Brother, who was "born for adversity," is exalted up far above all heavens, that He might fill all things, powers, and dominions being made subject to Him," "all power in heaven and earth" is committed to Him, for this express purpose, that He should give eternal life to as many as the Father had given Him. Now shall not you and I, as believers in His name, sweetly satisfied that we are given to Him in the covenant of peace, raise our expectations high, dismiss our fears, let the world and its trifles go, pour contempt on the things that surround us, and say, "It is enough, our glorious Jesus, our elder Brother, is the Chief Ruler;' and whether it be man or devil to be ruled, whether it be the world or the Church, whether it be angels or things around us in providence, the Chief Ruler' will manage all things well?"

Let me invite your attention upon this short text to three things. First of all, His appointment to office; secondly, His essential qualifications for that office; and, thirdly, the mercies unfolded in it. Oh, Holy Ghost give me clear discoveries, liberty of utterance, fulness of thought, to set forth the glories of Him I love!

"The Chief Ruler." I read of "the rulers of the darkness of this world;" I read of "the rulers of synagogues;" I read of rulers that "set themselves against the Lord and against His Anointed;" but none of them are "Chief." Christ is "the Chief Ruler." And do observe, it is in the singular number; and while this sacred declaration may refer literally, temporally, and typically to David and to Solomon, as coming from that tribe, or close by it, it points expressly to my glorious Lord, of whom it is said by the apostle, that He "sprang "Of him (Judah) came the Chief Ruler." Now out of Judah." I think we cannot be mistaken in the person intended; and all we have to do is to look up for grace, to enable us to enter into the sacred "the Chief Ruler." realities contained in this appellation,

[ocr errors]

I. We promised, first of all, to notice His appointment. If you turn to the eighth chapter of the book of Proverbs, you will find Him speaking for Himself: "The Lord possessed me in the beginning of His way, before His works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth: While as yet He had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world. When He prepared the heavens I was there: when He set a compass upon the face of the depth; when He established the clouds above; when He strengthened the fountains of the deep; when He gave to the sea His decree, that the waters should not pass His commandment; when He appointed the foundations of the earth: then I was by Him, as one brought up with Him; and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him; rejoicing in the habitable part of His earth; and my delights were with the sons of men." But why delighting with them? Because appointed "the Chief Ruler "--because ordained to that office in the ancient council of peace. You will mark how the Psalmist celebrates this, in the opening of the Book of Psalms, when Jehovah, acknowledging all that Jesus could claim, says, "I have set my King "surely a king is a chief ruler-" I have set my King upon my holy hill of Zion, and I will declare the decree too. So that He was declared by God the Father to be "the Chief Ruler" before all time. I have often thought—and I know of nothing to contradict the supposition that it was this that offended the rebel angels, and provoked the dragon to make war in heaven, and the result was, as you know, their being cast out, and banished from endless glory. No doubt, as intelligent spirits of the highest order, they witnessed and heard the decree; for Jehovah the Father said, "I will declare" it. "I will declare the decree: Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." When this decree went forth, and the ordination of our precious Christ in the council of peace was made known, these angels rebelled. It was against the future seed of the woman that they were enraged; and if I judge right, the idea of Christ's mediatorial office, with all its glory, and dignity, and majesty, was the cause of offence. Now this is followed up to this present hour; for there is no doctrine that the prince of darkness and his slaves hate so much as the absolute sovereignty of Christ. If there are any who dislike that doctrine here this morning, I tell them, in the name of the living God, that they are guilty of the very crime which cast apostate angels out of heaven, and bid them beware lest with them they be "reserved in chains and darkness unto the judgment of the great day." Our precious exalted Redeemer is spoken of thus by the apostle, when referring to the gospel which should be brought forth as the grand plan of judgment at last, "God shall judge the secrets of men's hearts, by that Man whom He hath ordained." "Whom He hath ordained." I lay stress on that expression. Then the ordaining of Christ to His office was from eternity, in the ancient council of peace. And can anything reverse it? No, my hearer. I beseech you, watch narrowly all the Scriptures you read which point

« PreviousContinue »