{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_42340/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_42340","id":"gutenberg_42340","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/42340","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Biographies","Category: History - British","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Sermons, Welsh -- Translations into English"],"text":"Transcribed from the 1857 Leary & Getz edition by David Price, email\nccx074@pglaf.org\n\n                  [Picture: Portrait of Christmas Evans]\n\n\n\n\n\n                                 SERMONS\n                                    OF\n                             CHRISTMAS EVANS.\n\n\n                    A New Translation from the Welsh.\n\n                                  WITH A\n\n                  MEMOIR AND PORTRAITURE OF THE AUTHOR.\n\n                                    BY\n\n                            REV. JOSEPH CROSS.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                              PHILADELPHIA:\n                        LEARY & GETZ, PUBLISHERS.\n\n       FOR SALE BY CARLTON & PORTER, METH. BOOK CONCERN, NEW YORK.\n     SWORMSTEDT & POE, CINCINNATI, OHIO.\u2014STEVENSON & OWEN, NASHVILLE,\n           TENN.\u2014I. P. COOK, BALTIMORE.\u2014JAMES P. MAGEE, BOSTON.\n           WM. M. DOUGHTY, CHICAGO, ILL.\u2014J. L. READ, PITTSBURG.\n           H. H. MATTESON, BUFFALO, N. Y., AND ALL BOOKSELLERS\n                      THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES.\n\n                                  1857.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n        ENTERED according to act of Congress, in the year 1846, by\n                              J. HARMSTEAD,\n\n  in the Clerk\u2019s Office of the District Court of the Eastern District of\n                              Pennsylvania.\n\n\n\n\nADVERTISEMENT.\n\n\nTHE Sermons of Christmas Evans contained in this volume, and the extracts\nfrom his journal and other writings given in the following Memoir and\nPortraiture, are translated by two different hands, and in very different\nstyles.  The former are clothed in very good English, but the diction of\nthe latter requires an apology.  Unable to procure a better version, we\nhave furnished such as we found; and it is hoped that even this, with all\nits imperfections, will not be wholly unprofitable to the reader.\n\nThe writer does not wish to be held responsible for the Theological Views\nput forth, either in the extracts alluded to, or in the sermons.\nChristmas Evans was a Calvinistic Baptist, and several of his sermons\ninculcate, to some extent, the peculiar doctrines of that denomination;\nthough they are generally free from sectarian bias, and may be read with\nadvantage by spiritual Christians of all evangelical creeds.\n\n                                                             JOSEPH CROSS.\n\n_Philadelphia_, _May_ 10, 1846.\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS.\n\n                       MEMOIR AND PORTRAITURE.\n                                                                  Page\nINTRODUCTION                                                         9\n                               MEMOIR.\n                Early Years                                         17\n                Profession of Religion                              17\n                Commencement of Preaching                           18\n                Backsliding and Recovery                            19\n                Change of Views                                     19\n                Depressing Views of Himself                         20\n                Labors in L\u00ebyn                                      22\n                Visit to South Wales                                23\n                Settlement in Anglesea                              24\n                Powerful Sermons                                    25\n                Sandemanianism and Sabellianism                     27\n                Time of Refreshing                                  28\n                Covenant with God                                   29\n                Studying the English Language                       29\n                New Troubles and Sorrows                            33\n                Legal Prosecution                                   35\n                Caerphilly                                          36\n                Another Covenant                                    37\n                Cardiff                                             39\n                Sermons for the Press                               41\n                Welsh Jumping                                       42\n                Caernarvon                                          49\n                Pulpit Popularity                                   50\n                Interesting Letter                                  51\n                Tour through the Principality                       56\n                Monmouthshire Association                           57\n                Last Sermon, Sickness, and Death                    57\n                Funereal Sorrow                                     58\n                             PORTRAITURE.\n                Personal Appearance                                 59\n                Moral and Christian Character                       59\n                Social Disposition                                  60\n                Reading and Study                                   60\n                Devotional Habits                                   61\n                Christian Beneficence                               62\n                Spirit of Forgiveness                               63\n                Catholic Generosity                                 64\n                Ingenuousness and Honesty                           65\n                Sarcastic Rebukes                                   66\n                Pulpit Talents and Labors                           67\n                               SERMONS.\nINTRODUCTION                                                        79\n     Serm.  I.  The Time of Reformation       Heb. ix. 10.          81\n           II.  The Triumph of Calvary        Isaiah lxiii.         90\n                                              1\u20136.\n          III.  The Smitten Rock              1 Cor. x. 4.          99\n           IV.  Fall and Recovery of Man      Rom. v. 15.          108\n            V.  One God and One Mediator      1 Tim. ii. 5.        120\n           VI.  The Living Redeemer           Job xix. 23\u201327.      129\n          VII.  Messiah\u2019s Kingdom             Dan. ii. 44,         140\n                                              45.\n         VIII.  The Sufferings of Christ      1 Pet. ii. 24.       153\n           IX.  The Purification of           Heb. ix. 14.         164\n                Conscience\n            X.  The Cedar of God              Ezek. xvii.          172\n                                              22\u201324.\n           XI.  The Prince of Salvation       Heb. ii. 10., &      182\n                                              v. 9.\n          XII.  Finished Redemption           John xix. 30.        189\n         XIII.  The Resurrection of Jesus     Mat. xxviii. 6.      196\n          XIV.  The Ascension                 Acts iii. 21.        205\n           XV.  Tribulation conquered         John xvi. 33.        216\n          XVI.  The Glory of the Gospel       1 Tim. i. 11.        223\n         XVII.  The Song of the Angels        Luke ii. 14.         236\n        XVIII.  The Stone of Israel           Zech. iii. 9.        242\n          XIX.  Justification by Faith        Job ix. 2.           250\n           XX.  The Shield of Faith           Eph. vi. 16.         259\n          XXI.  The Paraclete                 John xiv. 16,        269\n                                              17.\n         XXII.  The Father and Son            John xvi.            274\n                glorified                     13\u201315.\n\nEXTRACTS.\n\n        I.  The Demoniac of Gadara                    287\n       II.  Entering Port                             292\n      III.  The Unclean Spirit in Dry Places          294\n       IV.  Satan an Angel of Light                   296\n        V.  The Young Child                           298\n       VI.  Varieties of Preaching                    300\n      VII.  The Six Crocodiles                        301\n     VIII.  Envious Ambition                          303\n       IX.  The Dove, the Raven, and the Eagle        304\n\n             [Picture: Picture of Christmas Evans Preaching]\n\n\n\n\nINTRODUCTION.\n\n\nTHE introduction of Christianity into Britain is said to have taken place\nabout sixty-three years after the crucifixion.  By whose agency it was\neffected, cannot now be satisfactorily determined.  Tradition has\nascribed it to Joseph of Arimathea.  This, however, is exceedingly\ndoubtful.  It has also been attributed to the apostle Paul.  That the\napostle Paul visited Britain, is quite probable, from the testimony of\nTheodoret and Jerome.  That he was the first preacher of the gospel in\nBritain, is certainty a mistake.  The weight of evidence seems to be in\nfavour of Claudia, a Welsh lady, belonging to C\u00e6sar\u2019s household.  The\ncircumstances were these:\u2014\n\nThe Romans invaded Britain about fifty years before the incarnation.\nFailing to conquer the Welsh, they made peace with them, and dwelt among\nthem in amity.  Many Welsh soldiers joined the Roman army, and several\nWelsh families went and resided at Rome.  Among the latter were Claudia\nand her husband.  Saint Paul was then a prisoner under Nero; dwelling,\nhowever, \u201cin his own hired house,\u201d and receiving all who came to hear the\nword of God.  Under his ministry, Claudia was converted to Christianity.\nShe soon returned to her native country, and scattered \u201cthe Seed of the\nKingdom\u201d among her own people.  This was in the year of our Lord\nsixty-three.\n\nAbout a century after this, Faganus and Daminicanus went to Rome, were\nconverted there, and became \u201cable ministers of the New Testament.\u201d  In\nthe year of our Lord 180, they were sent back to Wales, to preach to\ntheir own countrymen.  They were zealous and successful laborers.  They\nopposed the pagan superstitions of the Welsh with wonderful energy.  They\npursued Druidism to its dark retirements, and poured upon it the\nwithering blaze of the gospel.  Through their preaching, Lucius, king of\nWales, was brought to embrace Christianity.  He was the first king that\never bowed to the Prince of Peace.  The royal convert was exceedingly\nzealous in the propagation of the truth.  The Macedonian cry issued from\nthe throne of Wales, an earnest appeal to Eleutherius for help.  Then\n\u201cthe word of the Lord had free course, and was glorified.\u201d\n\nUnder the reign of Dioclesian, about the year 300, the Welsh Christians\nsuffered a dreadful persecution.  Their books were burned, their houses\nof worship were destroyed, and multitudes obtained the crown of\nmartyrdom.  The first three were Alban, Aaron, and Julius.  They were all\nexcellent men, and greatly beloved by their brethren.  They died in\ntriumph, and their blood became the seed of the church.  Many others soon\nfollowed them in the same path.  Dioclesian gave strict orders for their\ndestruction.  Not a Christian was to be spared, not a Christian church,\nnot a book or a scrap of writing that could transmit their faith and\nhistory to future generations.  This was the tenth persecution.  The\ngreat dragon had sent forth his flood to destroy the church.  But\n\u201cmightily grew the word of God and prevailed.\u201d  The bush still lived,\n\n    \u201cAnd flourished unconsumed in fire.\u201d\n\nThe first Christian king, we have said, was a Welshman.  So, in part, was\nthe first Christian emperor.  Constantine the Great was born in Britain.\nHis father was Roman; his mother Welsh.  Having resided some time in\nBritain, they removed to Rome.  Constantine ascended the Imperial throne.\nConverted, he made Christianity the religion of the empire.  The\nintolerant edicts of his predecessors were abolished; and the absurd\nrites of paganism, as far as possible, suppressed.  The emperor employed\nall his energies and resources in spreading the gospel.  But his course,\nif honest, was injudicious.  In the end, he dishonoured Christianity more\nby his imprudence, than he glorified her at first by his zeal.  He opened\nthe door of the church so wide as to admit Antichrist himself.  The \u201cman\nof sin\u201d came and seated himself in the temple of God.\n\nIntoxicated with her prosperity, the church throughout the empire\ngradually embraced the grossest superstitions.  But the Welsh Christians\nstrenuously resisted all innovations.  They adhered firmly to the\nprimitive simplicity of Christian faith and worship.  Yet they lost a\nportion of their spirituality.  The storms of tribulation are often more\nfavourable to the growth of vital religion, than the sunshine of\nprosperity.  The church becomes dizzy when placed upon the pinnacle of\nworldly praise.  The boatmen wax careless when their craft glides gently\nalong on a smooth sea, before a pleasant gale.  This is the natural\ntendency of the human mind, in circumstances of prosperity.  It was thus\nwith the Christians of Wales.\n\nOther things operated unfavourably.  The Pelagian controversy divided and\ndistracted the churches, and destroyed the spirit of Christian meekness\nand love.  The Welsh were soon involved in a civil war with the Picts and\nScots.  In their distress, they solicited the aid of the Saxons.  The\nSaxons promptly responded to the call.  But the ally soon became an\nenemy.  They fell upon the Welsh, drove them to the mountains of Cumry,\nand took possession of their land. {11}  These disasters threatened the\nextermination of Christianity in Wales.  But there were a few faithful\nones, whose ark outrode the deluge.  Gildas, Dyfrig, Dynawt, Teil,\nPadarn, Pawlin, Daniel, Codag, Dewi, and several others, stood firmly\nagainst the degeneracy of the times, and were \u201cvaliant for the truth upon\nthe earth.\u201d  Through their labors, the religion of Jesus survived among\nthe hills of Cumry.\n\nIn the beginning of the seventh century, Austin came to Britain, under a\ncommission from Gregory the Great, to make proselytes to popery.  He\nsucceeded well with the Saxons, but not at all with the Welsh.  This is\nnot strange.  The Saxons were ignorant idolaters, and the transition was\neasy from Paganism to popery.  The Welsh were enlightened Christians, and\nit was difficult to seduce them from their allegiance to Christ.  They\nconsented, however, to hold a large meeting on the borders of\nHerefordshire, and hear what Austin had to offer.  His doctrine did not\nsuit them.  They rejected alike the proposals of the monk and the\ncommands of his master.  This awoke the fiend within him.  He instigated\nthe Saxons to murder them.  Twelve hundred ministers and delegates were\nslaughtered, and afterward many of their brethren.  Their leaders being\nslain, the majority of the survivors reluctantly purchased peace at the\nsacrifice of conscience, submitting to the creed and the usages of Rome.\nYet there were some who repudiated the doctrine of the pope\u2019s supremacy,\nand maintained for a season the simplicity of the gospel.  But they lived\namong the mountains, in seclusion from the world, like the inhabitants of\nthe vale of Piedmont.  We hear little or nothing of them again till the\ntime of the Reformation.\n\nWhile the Lord, through the labors of his servant Wickliffe, was\npreparing his way in England, Wales also was remembered in mercy, and\nvisited with \u201cthe day-spring from on high.\u201d  Walter Brute was a native of\nthe principality.  He had been at Oxford, where he had formed an intimate\nacquaintance with Wickliffe.  He entered fully into Wickliffe\u2019s views\nconcerning the reformation of the church.  His heart was moved with\ncompassion for his countrymen.  Inspired with apostolic faith and zeal,\nhe left the university, and returned to his native land.  He determined\nto resist, even \u201cunto blood,\u201d the delusions and abominations of the\npapacy.  He soon distinguished himself as a courageous reformer.  He\npreached in the streets, in the markets, and from house to house.  He\nblew the trump of God throughout the principality.  The temple of\nAntichrist began to tremble, and its gilded and pampered occupants\nmanifested considerable uneasiness and alarm.\n\nEverybody saw that Brute was generous and disinterested.  Friends flocked\naround him, for the people had long since become disgusted with the\ncorruptions of the church, and heartily sick of ecclesiastical despotism.\nMen of all classes gathered to his standard.  His labors of love soon\nelicited, of course, the hostility of the clergy.  But so numerous and\nrespectable were his friends, that all the attempts of ecclesiastical\njudicatures, and officers of the civil law, were ineffectual.  A petition\nwas at length sent to Richard II., King of England, entreating his\ninterference.  The king issued an order to the nobility of Wales,\nrequiring them to assist the Bishop of Hereford in apprehending and\npunishing the heretic and his adherents.  This was in the year 1391.\nStill Walter Brute went on, preaching the gospel, denouncing the papacy,\nand exposing the corruptions of the church, without material molestation,\ntill 1393.  He was then cited to appear before the Bishop of Hereford, to\nanswer to a charge of heresy.  He appeared, defended himself against the\nallegation, and contended boldly that the pope was Antichrist, and the\npapal church Babylon.\n\nIn this argument, Brute triumphed over his accusers, and made many\nconverts to his cause.  Several of the clergy now embraced his views, and\nbecame zealous defenders of the faith.  One of these, Davydd Ddu of\nHiraddug, on the border of Cardiganshire, undertook a translation of the\nScriptures into Welsh.  Portions of this translation were extensively\ncirculated.  Another, John Kent, D.D., of Grismond, in Monmouthshire, was\na learned man and a fine poet.  He labored incessantly with his pen, to\nexpose the vices of the clergy, and promote a more spiritual religion.\nThese divines were variously opposed and persecuted by ecclesiastical\npower.  They were stigmatized as magicians, and accused of intercourse\nwith evil spirits.  But all was unavailing.  The zeal of Ddu and Kent was\nunabated, and the progress of truth was unretarded.  The hand of God was\nwith them wherever they went.  Revivals occurred in the cloisters, and\nmonks came forth from their seclusion to reinforce the reformers.  In the\nmonastery of Margam, Glamorganshire, a large number of the monks were\nconverted.  One of them, Thomas Evan ab Rhys, travelled the mountains of\nthe principality, at the constant peril of his life, to remonstrate\nagainst popery, and recommend a purer form of Christianity.\n\nIn 1580, John Penry, an Episcopal minister, dissented from the\nestablished church, and became a Baptist.  He was a man of liberal\neducation and fine pulpit talents.  After having prosecuted his ministry\nmore than seven years, with remarkable zeal and success, he died a\nmartyr.  Penry was the first Baptist preacher in Wales after the\nReformation.\n\nIn 1620, Erbury and Wroth followed his example.  The conversion of the\nlatter was very singular.  A nobleman belonging to his parish went to\nLondon to attend a law-suit.  Hearing that he was successful, Mr. Wroth\nbought a new violin, and prepared to welcome his return with music and\ndancing.  While these preparations were going on, news came that the\nnobleman was dead.  The joy of the party was suddenly turned into\nmourning.  The vicar fell upon his knees, and poured out his heart in\nfervent prayer to God.  This event occasioned his conversion.  Erbury,\nhis friend, was converted about the same time.  Both began to preach with\nwonderful unction.  \u201cJesus Christ and him crucified\u201d was their constant\ntheme.  Their zeal drew down upon them a violent storm of persecution.\nBut they were not discouraged.  God owned their labors, and many were the\nseals of their ministry.  In 1635 they were ejected from their parishes.\nBut they \u201ccared for none of these things.\u201d  They went from valley to\nvalley, from mountain to mountain, preaching the word.  The recent Welsh\ntranslation of the Scriptures proved a powerful auxiliary to their work.\nPeople read and investigated for themselves, and found that these were\nmen of God, speaking \u201cthe words of truth and soberness.\u201d\n\nErbury and Wroth both organized Baptist churches; the former, on the plan\nof \u201cstrict communion;\u201d the latter, on more liberal principles.  These\nwere the first Baptist churches instituted in Wales, after the\nReformation from popery.  It is said, however, that there existed, even\ncenturies before, many Baptists in the valley of Carleon, the Piedmont of\nWales, and among the neighboring mountains.  Their origin is, very\nunfortunately, involved in obscurity.  Some pretend to trace them back to\nthe year 63, the time of the introduction of Christianity into Britain.\nThis is a very convenient theory for those who wish to show that the\nfirst Christians were exclusive immersionists; and who deem it of primary\nimportance to establish a regular succession of such Christians, from the\napostles of our Lord, down to the present day.  But it is unsustained by\na single shadow of evidence, beyond the bare assertion of interested\nwitnesses.\n\nDuring the ministry of Erbury and Wroth, arose that morning-star of the\nBaptist church in Wales, Vavasor Powell.  He was born in Radnorshire,\nSouth Wales.  He was educated for the ministry of the established church.\nFor some time he officiated at Clun, on the borders of Shropshire.  While\nthere, his conscience was awakened by a reproof from a Puritan for\nviolating the Sabbath.  He was soon afterwards converted, under the\npreaching of Walter Caradock, a noted preacher among the Independents.\nIn 1636, he joined the Baptists, and shortly became a very popular\npreacher among them.  He was a man of great eloquence and power.  Many\nwere converted under his ministry.  But the red dragon was roused to\npursue him.  In 1642, he fled his native land for the safety of his life.\nIn four years, however, he returned, and preached boldly throughout the\ncountry.  The people flocked to hear him, by thousands, to the\nmarket-houses, to the fields, the woods, and the tops of the mountains.\nHis ministry was wonderfully blessed to the salvation of souls.\n\nAfter the death of Cromwell, in 1658, Charles II. returned to England.\nNow commenced a dreadful persecution of the Baptists in Wales.  \u201cHundreds\nof them were taken from their beds at night, without any regard to age,\nsex, or the inclemency of the weather; and were driven to prison, on\nfoot, fifteen or twenty miles; and if they did not keep up with their\ndrivers on horseback, they were most cruelly and unmercifully whipped;\nand while their drivers stopped to drink at the taverns, they were beaten\nlike cattle, during the pleasure of the king\u2019s friends; and all their\nproperty was forfeited to the king, except what was deemed necessary to\ndefray the expenses of their drivers.  But all this was only the\nbeginning of sorrows, and nothing to what they suffered for the space of\nsix-and-twenty years afterward.\u201d\n\nIn these persecutions, Vavasor Powell bore his part.  He was immured, at\ndifferent times, in thirteen prisons.  Indeed, he was a prisoner most of\nthe time till his death, which happened in 1670.  On his tomb is this\ninscription:\u2014\u201cHe was, to the last generation, a successful preacher; to\nthe present generation, a faithful witness; to the next generation, an\nexcellent example.\u201d\n\nContemporary with Vavasor Powell, and immediately succeeding him, were\nmany faithful laborers in the cause of Christ in Wales.  One of them was\nthe noted Roger Williams, who subsequently removed to New England, and\nfounded the Baptist sect in America.  But after the death of Powell and\nhis coadjutors, the revival in Wales declined, and the churches gradually\nsettled into a spiritual sleep, in which they remained a century, when\nthey were roused by the trumpet-tongued eloquence of Harris and Rowlands.\n\nHarris and Rowlands were Methodists.  While Whitefield and Wesley were\nrekindling the fires of the Reformation on the altars of England, these\nmen of God were scattering some sparks of it among the mountains of\nWales.  Under their labors commenced such a revival as was never known in\nthat country before.  They adhered to the established church; and, on\nthat account, were, for a season, but little opposed.  But when the\nblessed fruits of their ministry began to be developed in the conversion\nof thousands of souls, the wrath of Satan and his emissaries arose\nagainst them.  But, as Christmas Evans remarks, it was now too late.  The\nsword of the Spirit was drawn; the gates of the city were opened; the\nfire was kindled in the stubble, and not all the floods of persecution\ncould stay the progress of the flame.  Harris and Rowlands went forward\nin their work of love, clothed with power from on high.  A great and\neffectual door was opened to their ministry, and the leaven spread\nrapidly through the lump.\n\nThe Baptists shared largely in this work of grace.  It was the rising of\na new sun upon them, which had been heralded a hundred years before in\nthe powerful ministry of Vavasor Powell.  The revival developed whatever\nof talent and energy lay dormant in the denomination.  Many a David went\nforth to meet the Philistine, and returned in triumph.  One of these, and\nthe most successful of them all, was CHRISTMAS EVANS.  \u201cHe was a man of\nGod,\u201d says Dr. Cone, \u201cand eminently useful in his generation.\u201d  His\nnatural talents were of the highest order, and his Christian graces have\nnot been surpassed in a century.  The celebrated Robert Hall regarded him\nas the first pulpit genius of the age.  \u201cHad he enjoyed the advantages of\neducation,\u201d writes one who knew him well, and often sat under his\nministry, \u201che might have blended the impassioned declamation of\nWhitefield with something of the imperial opulence and pomp of fancy that\ndistinguished Jeremy Taylor.\u201d  His two celebrated \u201cSpecimens of Welsh\nPreaching\u201d have been read throughout Protestant Christendom; and ranked,\nby universal suffrage, among the most splendid productions of sanctified\ngenius.  Who that has seen them does not wish to know more of so\nremarkable a man?  To gratify this desire is a secondary object of the\npresent publication; the primary, is the religious benefit of mankind.\nThe matter of the following memoir and portraiture is compiled from\nseveral authentic sources of information.  May their perusal afford the\nreader as rich a harvest of profit and delight as their preparation has\nafforded the writer!\n\n\n\n\nMEMOIR.\n\n\nEARLY YEARS.\n\n\nCHRISTMAS EVANS, second son of Samuel and Joanna Evans, was born at\nYsgarwen, Cardiganshire, South Wales, on the 25th of December, 1776.  His\nbirth happening on Christmas day suggested his Christian name.\n\nSamuel and Joanna Evans were poor, and unable to educate their children;\nand at the age of seventeen, Christmas could not read a word.  When he\nwas only nine years old, he lost his father and went to live with his\nuncle, who was a farmer, and a very wicked man.  Here he spent several\nyears of his youthful life, daily witnessing the worst of examples, and\nexperiencing the unkindest of treatment.  He subsequently engaged as a\nservant to several farmers successively in his native parish.\n\nDuring these years he met with a number of serious accidents, in some of\nwhich he narrowly escaped with his life.  Once he was stabbed in a\nquarrel.  Once he was so nearly drowned as to be with difficulty\nresuscitated.  Once he fell from a very high tree, with an open knife in\nhis hand.  Once a horse ran away with him, passing at full speed through\na low and narrow passage.\n\n\n\nPROFESSION OF RELIGION.\n\n\nHis first religious impressions he dates from his father\u2019s funeral.  But\nthey were fitful and evanescent.  To use his own language, \u201cThey vanished\nand recurred once and again.\u201d  When he was eighteen years of age, an\nawakening occurred among the young people of his neighborhood.  Christmas\nhimself was \u201cmuch terrified with the fear of death and judgment,\u201d became\nvery serious in his deportment, and joined the Arminian Presbyterians at\nLlwynrhydowen.\n\nHis Christian experience was evidently very imperfect.  He had a\nconviction of the evil of sin, and a desire to flee from the wrath to\ncome; but no evidence of acceptance with God, and a very limited\nknowledge of the plan of salvation.  Yet his religious impressions were\nnot entirely fruitless.  They produced, at least, a partial reformation\nof life, and led to many penitential resolutions.  He thought much of\neternity, and was frequent in secret prayer.  He soon felt a strong\ndesire to understand the Scriptures, and with this view began to learn to\nread.  According to his own account, \u201cThere was not one in seven in those\nparts at that time that knew a letter.\u201d  Almost entirely unaided, he\nprosecuted his purpose; and in an incredibly short time was able to read\nhis Bible.\n\n\n\nCOMMENCEMENT OF PREACHING.\n\n\nHe was now called upon to exercise his gifts in public prayer and\nexhortation.  \u201cTo this,\u201d he says, \u201cI felt a strong inclination, though I\nknew myself a mass of spiritual ignorance.\u201d  His first performance was so\ngenerally approved, that he felt greatly encouraged to proceed.  Shortly\nafterward, he preached a sermon at a prayer-meeting, in the parish of\nLlangeler, county of Caermarthen.  The discourse, however, was not\noriginal, but a translation from Bishop Beveridge.  He also committed one\nof the Rev. Mr. Rowlands\u2019 sermons, and preached it in the neighborhood of\nthe church to which he belonged.  A gentleman who heard him expressed\ngreat astonishment at such a sermon from an unlettered boy.  The mystery\nwas solved the next day; he found the sermon in a book.  \u201cBut I have not\ndone thinking,\u201d said he, \u201cthat there is something great in the son of\nSamuel the shoemaker, for his prayer was as good as the sermon.\u201d  His\nopinion of the young preacher would probably have suffered some farther\nabatement, if he had known, what was the fact, that the prayer itself was\nmemorized!\n\nYoung Evans now received frequent invitations to preach, in sundry\nplaces, for different denominations; especially in the Baptist church, at\nPenybont, Llandysil.  He spoke occasionally in the pulpits of several\neminent ministers.  All who heard him were delighted with his discourses,\nand gave him much encouragement.  These labors drew him into the society\nof many excellent Christians.  He seems to have profited by their godly\nconversation, and soon acquired an experimental knowledge of\njustification by faith, though the witness of the Spirit was not so clear\nas in many cases, and he could never fix upon any particular time when he\nobtained the blessing.\n\n\n\nBACKSLIDING AND RECOVERY.\n\n\nThe young preacher shortly felt the need of a little more learning, to\nqualify him for his calling.  He commenced going to school to the Rev.\nMr. Davis, his pastor, and devoted himself for about six months to the\nstudy of Latin.  This involved him in pecuniary distress.  He took a\njourney into England, to labour during the harvest season, for the\npurpose of replenishing his purse, and enabling him to continue his\nstudies.  While thus engaged, he fell into temptation, and his religious\nfeelings suffered a sad declension.  He thought of relinquishing the\nschool and the ministry, and devoting his life to secular pursuits.\nWhile revolving this matter in his mind, the children of the wicked one\ncame upon him, and buffeted him back to his duty.  He was waylaid by a\nmob, who had determined to kill him.  They beat him so severely, that he\nlay for a long time insensible; and one of them gave him a blow upon his\nleft eye, which occasioned its total blindness through the rest of his\nlife.\n\n\u201cThat night,\u201d says he, \u201cI dreamed that the day of judgment was come.  I\nsaw Jesus on the clouds, and all the world on fire.  I was in great fear,\nyet crying earnestly, and with some confidence, for his peace.  He\nanswered and said: \u2018Thou thoughtest to be a preacher; but what wilt thou\ndo now?  The world is on fire, and it is too late!\u2019  On this I awoke, and\nfelt heartily thankful that I was in bed.\u201d\n\nThis dream produced a deep impression upon his mind, and recovered him\nfrom his spiritual declension.  He began to preach with renewed energy\nand success, and all his friends predicted that he would \u201cyet become a\ngreat man, and a celebrated preacher.\u201d\n\n\n\nCHANGE OF VIEWS.\n\n\nThere was living, about this time, at Aberduar, a Mr. Amos, who had left\nthe Arminian Presbyterians, and joined the Calvinistic Baptists.  He came\nto visit young Evans, and converse with him on the subject of baptism.\nThe latter was unpractised in argument, and little acquainted with the\nScriptures.  He strove strenuously for a while, but was at length\nsilenced by the superior skill of his antagonist.  Encouraged by his\nsuccess, Mr. Amos made him another visit, during which he shook his faith\nin the validity of infant baptism.  After this he came again and again.\nMr. Evans was at length brought to believe there was no true baptism but\nimmersion by a Baptist minister.  Now it was suggested that he ought to\nbe immersed.  Other Baptist friends interested themselves in his case,\nand put into his hands such books as were best adapted to their purpose.\nHe was shortly satisfied what was his duty.  \u201cAfter much struggling,\u201d\nsays he, \u201cbetween the flesh and the spirit, between obedience and\ndisobedience, I went to the Baptist church at Aberduar, in the parish of\nLlanybyther, in the county of Caermarthen.  I was cordially received\nthere, but not without a degree of dread, on the part of some, that I was\nstill a stout-hearted Arminian.\u201d  He was baptized with several others, by\nthe pastor, Rev. Timothy Thomas, in the river Duar, and admitted to the\ncommunion of the church.  This was in 1788, when Mr. Evans was about the\nage of 22.\n\nIt is not strange, that, after such a change, he should gradually imbibe\nthe doctrine of election, and its concomitants, as held by the\nCalvinistic Baptists; but it is quite evident, not only by inference from\nhis own account, but by information from other sources, that he had not\nyet relinquished his Arminian theology.  Whether he would have been more\npious and useful, by adhering to his Arminian views, and remaining among\nhis Arminian friends, is a question not for us to answer, and perhaps of\nlittle practical importance.  It is certain that he became a Calvinist of\nthe highest school, and \u201ca burning and shining light\u201d among his Baptist\nbrethren.  That the Calvinistic faith is not incompatible with eminent\nholiness of life, we have other evidence than that afforded by the\nhistory of Christmas Evans.  The seraphic piety of a Bunyan, a Baxter, a\nWhitefield, and a Payson, should silence for ever the clamors of Arminian\nbigotry!\n\n\n\nDEPRESSING VIEWS OF HIMSELF.\n\n\nFor several years after this, Mr. Evans entertained painfully depressing\nviews of his Christian character and ministerial talents.  He thought\nevery other believer had more light than himself, and every other\npreacher greater gifts.  He called himself \u201ca mass of ignorance and sin.\u201d\nHe imagined his discourses entirely useless to his hearers.  This he\nattributed partly to his habit of repeating them _memoriter_.  Others\nappeared to him to speak extemporaneously, and he \u201cthought they received\ntheir sermons directly from heaven,\u201d while he, by memorizing his,\nforfeited the aid of the Holy Spirit.  \u201cI therefore changed my method,\u201d\nsays he, \u201cand took a text without any premeditation, and endeavored to\nspeak what occurred to me at the time.  If bad before, it was worse now.\nI had neither sense nor life, nothing but a poor miserable tone, which\nproduced no effect upon the hearers, and made me really sick of myself.\nI thought God had nothing to do with me as a preacher.  I had no\nconfidence in my own talents and virtues, and the very sound of my voice\ndiscouraged me.  I have since perceived the great goodness of God herein,\npreserving me from being puffed up by too good an opinion of my own gifts\nand graces, which both before and since has proved fatal to many young\npreachers.\u201d\n\nThese views of himself often occasioned him deep distress of mind.  He\nentered the pulpit with dread.  He conceived that the mere sight of him\nthere was sufficient to becloud the hearts of his hearers, and intercept\nevery ray of light from heaven.  He could not ascertain that he had been\nthe means of the salvation of a single soul during the five years of his\npreaching.  It might have been some relief to him, could he have ventured\nto develope to some judicious Christian friend the disquietude of his\nsoul.  But this he dared not do, lest he should be deemed an unconverted\nman in the ministry, and exposed as a hypocrite to the world.  So he\nwrapped up the painful secret in his heart, and drank his wormwood alone.\n\nFrom all this, what are we to infer?  That Mr. Evans had never been\nconverted, or was not now in favour with God?  We think not.  All who\nknew him had full confidence in his piety, and thought him an excellent\nChristian.  Whether his attention to the subject of baptism, or the\nCalvinistic views he had recently imbibed, had acted injuriously upon his\nreligious enjoyment, would be an unprofitable speculation, if not\notherwise improper.  Perhaps these distressing doubts were but the\npermitted buffetings of Satan, to preserve him from spiritual pride; the\npreparatory darkness, which enabled him more highly to appreciate, and\nmore earnestly to recommend to others, \u201cthe Bright and Morning Star.\u201d\nMany of God\u2019s chosen servants have been disciplined for their work in\ndarkness.  Dr. Payson, during all the earlier part of his eminently\nuseful ministry, and John Summerfield, when his sweet persuasive tongue\nwas leading multitudes to the Cross, were constantly distressed with\ndoubts of their own spiritual condition.  Though it is certainly the\nprivilege of every believer to know that he is \u201ca new creature in Christ\nJesus,\u201d we cannot thence infer that all such as have not constantly the\ndirect witness of the Spirit are in an unregenerate state.\n\n\n\nLABORS IN L\u00cbYN.\n\n\nIn 1790, Mr. Evans attended the Baptist association at Maesyberllan, in\nBrecknockshire.  Some ministers from North Wales persuaded him to\naccompany them on their return.  He found the Baptist people at L\u00ebyn, in\nCaernarvonshire, few and feeble.  They earnestly besought him to remain\nwith them, to which he at length consented.  He was immediately ordained\na missionary, to itinerate among several small churches in that vicinity.\n\nNow he began emphatically to \u201clive by faith on the Son of God.\u201d  The\nburden which he had borne so long, rolled away like that of Bunyan\u2019s\nPilgrim.  He received \u201cthe oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of\npraise for the spirit of heaviness.\u201d  From this time, a wonderous power\nattended his preaching.  Many were gathered into the church, as the fruit\nof his labor.  \u201cI could scarcely believe,\u201d says he, \u201cthe testimony of the\npeople, who came before the church as candidates for membership, that\nthey had been converted through my ministry.  Yet I was obliged to\nbelieve, though it was marvellous in my eyes.  This made me thankful to\nGod, and increased my confidence in prayer.  A delightful gale descended\nupon me, as from the hill of the New Jerusalem, and I felt the three\ngreat things of the kingdom of heaven, righteousness, and peace, and joy\nin the Holy Ghost.\u201d\n\nDuring the first year of his labors in L\u00ebyn, he was united in marriage to\nMiss Catherine Jones, a pious young lady of his own church, and a very\nsuitable companion.  After this event, his duties were increasingly\narduous.  He frequently preached five times during the Sabbath, and\nwalked twenty miles.  His heart was full of love, and he spoke with the\nardor of a seraph.  Constant labor and intense excitement soon wore upon\nhis health.  He became feeble, and his friends were apprehensive of\nconsumption.  Through the mercy of God, however, he was spared; gradually\nrecovered his strength; and performed, through the remainder of a long\nlife, an incredible amount of ministerial labor.\n\n\n\nVISIT TO SOUTH WALES.\n\n\nMr. Evans naturally felt a strong desire to see his friends in South\nWales.  During his second year at L\u00ebyn, thinking it might benefit his\nenfeebled health, as well as refresh his spirit, he determined to make\nthem a visit.  He was unable to procure a horse for the journey, and the\nsmall societies to which he preached were too poor to provide him one.\nSo he set forth on foot, preaching in every town and village through\nwhich he passed.  His talents were now developed, and he had received \u201can\nunction from the Holy One.\u201d  All who heard him were astonished at his\npower.  His old acquaintances regarded him as a new man.  A great\nawakening followed him wherever he went.  Hear his own language:\u2014\n\n\u201cI now felt a power in the word, like a hammer breaking the rock, and not\nlike a rush.  I had a very powerful time at Kilvowyr, and also pleasant\nmeetings in the neighborhood of Cardigan.  The work of conversion was\nprogressing so rapidly and with so much energy in those parts, that the\nordinance of baptism was administered every month for a year or more, at\nKilvowyr, Cardigan, Blaenywaun, Blaenff\u00f4s, and Ebenezer, to from ten to\ntwenty persons each month.  The chapels and adjoining burying-grounds\nwere crowded with hearers of a week-day, even in the middle of harvest.\nI frequently preached in the open air in the evenings, and the rejoicing,\nsinging, and praising would continue until broad light the next morning.\nThe hearers appeared melted down in tenderness at the different meetings,\nso that they wept streams of tears, and cried out, in such a manner that\none might suppose the whole congregation, male and female, was thoroughly\ndissolved by the gospel.  \u2018The word of God\u2019 was now become as \u2018a sharp\ntwo-edged sword, dividing asunder the joints and marrow,\u2019 and revealing\nunto the people the secret corruptions of their hearts.  Preaching was\nnow unto me a pleasure, and the success of the ministry in all places was\nvery great.  The same people attended fifteen or twenty different\nmeetings, many miles apart, in the counties of Cardigan, Pembroke,\nCaermarthen, Glamorgan, Monmouth, and Brecknock.  This revival,\nespecially in the vicinity of Cardigan, and in Pembrokeshire, subdued the\nwhole country, and induced people everywhere to think well of religion.\nThe same heavenly gale followed down to Fishguard, Llangloffan, Little\nNew-Castle, and Rhydwylim, where Mr. Gabriel Rees was then a zealous and\na powerful preacher.  There was such a tender spirit resting on the\nhearers at this season, from Tabor to Middlemill, that one would imagine,\nby their weeping and trembling in their places of worship, and all this\nmingled with so much heavenly cheerfulness, that they would wish to abide\nfor ever in this state of mind.\u201d\n\nThe fame of this \u201cwonderful work of God\u201d spread through South Wales on\nthe wings of the wind.  An appointment for Christmas Evans to preach was\nsufficient to attract thousands to the place.  In a very short time he\nhad acquired greater popularity in Wales than any other minister of his\nday.\n\n\n\nSETTLEMENT IN ANGLESEA.\n\n\nOn Christmas day, when Mr. Evans was forty-six years of age, he removed\nfrom L\u00ebyn to the isle of Anglesea.  According to his own account, \u201cit was\na very rough day of frost and snow.\u201d  Unencumbered with this world\u2019s\ngoods, and possessing the true apostolic spirit, he \u201ccommenced the\njourney on horseback, with his wife behind him,\u201d and arrived on the\nevening of the same day at Llangewin.\n\nWhatever the motive of this removal, it was certainly not the love of\nmoney.  His salary in Anglesea was only \u00a317 per annum, and for twenty\nyears he never asked for more.  He had learned, with the apostle, \u201chaving\nfood and raiment, therewith to be content.\u201d  He found his reward in his\nwork.  The privilege of preaching Christ and saving souls, with him, was\npreferable to mountains of gold and silver.\n\nOn his arrival in Anglesea, he found ten small Baptist societies, in a\nlukewarm and distracted condition; himself the only minister, and no\nbrother to aid him within a hundred and fifty miles.  He commenced his\nlabors in earnest.  One of his first movements was the appointment of a\nday of fasting and prayer in all the preaching places.  He soon had the\nsatisfaction to realize an extensive revival, which continued under his\nfaithful ministry for many years.\n\n\n\nPOWERFUL SERMONS.\n\n\nIn 1794, the South West Baptist Association was held at Velin Voel, in\nCaermarthenshire.  Mr. Evans was invited, as one of the preachers on the\noccasion.  It was a journey of about two hundred miles.  He undertook it\non foot, with his usual fortitude, preaching at different places as he\nwent along.  The meeting was to commence with three consecutive sermons,\nthe last of which was to be preached by Mr. Evans.  The service was out\nof doors, and the heat was very oppressive.  The first and second sermons\nwere rather tedious, and the hearers seemed almost stupefied.  Mr. Evans\narose and began his sermon.  Before he had spoken fifteen minutes, scores\nof people were on their feet, some weeping, some praising, some leaping\nand clapping their hands for joy.  Nor did the effect end with the\ndiscourse.  Throughout the evening, and during the whole night, the voice\nof rejoicing and prayer was heard in every direction; and the dawning of\nthe next day, awaking the few that had fallen asleep through fatigue,\nonly renewed the heavenly rapture.  \u201cJob David, the Socinian,\u201d said the\npreacher afterwards to a friend, \u201cwas highly displeased with this\nAmerican gale.\u201d  But all the Socinians in Wales could not counteract its\ninfluence, or frustrate its happy effects.\n\nMr. Evans continued to visit the associations in South Wales for many\nyears: and whenever he came, the people flocked by thousands to hear \u201cthe\none-eyed man of Anglesea.\u201d  It was on one of those occasions, and under\ncircumstances somewhat similar to the above, that he preached that\nsingularly effective sermon on the demoniac of Gadara.  The meeting had\nbeen in progress three days.  Several discourses had been delivered with\nlittle or no effect.  Christmas Evans took the stand, and announced as\nhis text the evangelical account of the demoniac of Gadara.  He described\nhim as a naked man, with flaming eyes, and wild and fierce gesticulation;\nfull of relentless anger, and subject to strange paroxysms of rage; the\nterror and pity of all the townsfolk.  They had bound him with great\nchains, but he would break them as Samson broke the withes.  They had\ntried to soothe him by kindness, but he would leap upon them like a\nfurious wild beast, or burst away with the speed of a stag, his long hair\nstreaming on the wind behind him.  He inhabited the rocks of a Jewish\ncemetery; and when he slept, he laid down in a tomb.  The place was a\nlittle out of town, and not far from the great turnpike road, so that\npeople passing often saw him, and heard his dreadful lamentations and\nblasphemies.  Nobody dared to cross his path unarmed, and all the women\nand children ran away as soon as they saw him coming.  Sometimes he\nsallied forth from his dismal abode at midnight, like one risen from the\ndead, howling and cursing like a fiend, breaking into houses, frightening\nthe inhabitants from their beds, and driving them to seek shelter in the\nstreets and the fields.  He had a broken-hearted wife, and five little\nchildren, living about a mile and a half distant.  In his intervals of\ncomparative calmness, he would set out to visit them.  On his way, the\nevil spirit would come upon him, and transform the husband and father\ninstantly into a fury.  Then he would run toward the house, raving like a\nwounded tiger, and roaring like a lion upon his prey.  He would spring\nagainst the door, and shatter it into fragments; while the poor wife and\nchildren fled through the back door to the neighbors, or concealed\nthemselves in the cellar.  Then he would spoil the furniture, and break\nall the dishes, and bound away howling again to his home in the cemetery.\nThe report of this mysterious and terrible being had spread through all\nthe surrounding region, and everybody dreaded and pitied the man among\nthe tombs.  Jesus came that way.  The preacher described the interview,\nthe miracle, the happy change in the sufferer, the transporting surprise\nof his long afflicted family.  Then, shifting the scene, he showed his\nhearers the catastrophe of the swine, the flight of the affrighted\nherdsman, his amusing report to his master, and the effect of the whole\nupon the populace.  All this was done with such dramatic effect, as to\nconvulse his numerous hearers with alternate laughter and weeping for\nmore than half an hour.  Having thus elicited an intense interest in the\nsubject, he proceeded to educe from the narrative several important\ndoctrines, which he illustrated so forcibly, and urged so powerfully,\nthat the people first became profoundly serious, then wept like mourners\nat a funeral, and finally threw themselves on the ground, and broke forth\nin loud prayers for mercy; and the preacher continued nearly three hours,\nthe effect increasing till he closed.  One who heard that wonderful\nsermon says, that, during the first half hour, the people seemed like an\nassembly in a theatre, delighted with an amusing play; after that, like a\ncommunity in mourning, over some great and good man, cut off by a sudden\ncalamity; and at last, like the inhabitants of a city shaken by an\nearthquake, rushing into the streets, falling upon the earth, and\nscreaming and calling upon God! {27}\n\n\n\nSANDEMANIANISM AND SABELLIANISM.\n\n\nAbout this time arose among the Baptists of North Wales a bitter and\ndistracting controversy, concerning Sandemanianism and Sabellianism,\nwhich had been introduced by the Rev. Mr. Jones, a man of considerable\nlearning and influence in the denomination.  Mr. Evans was at first\ninclined to fall in with these doctrines, and participated largely in the\nstrife of tongues.  He says:\u2014\n\n\u201cThe Sandemanian system affected me so far as to quench the spirit of\nprayer for the conversion of sinners, and it induced in my mind a greater\nregard for the smaller things of the kingdom of heaven than for the\ngreater.  I lost the strength which clothed my mind with zeal,\nconfidence, and earnestness in the pulpit for the conversion of souls to\nChrist.  My heart retrograded, in a manner, and I could not realize the\ntestimony of a good conscience.  Sabbath nights, after having been in the\nday exposing and vilifying with all bitterness the errors that prevailed,\nmy conscience felt as if displeased, and reproached me that I had lost\nnearness to, and walking with God.  It would intimate that something\nexceedingly precious was now wanting in me; I would reply, that I was\nacting in obedience to the word; but it continued to accuse me of the\nwant of some precious article.  I had been robbed, to a great degree, of\nthe spirit of prayer and of the spirit of preaching.\u201d\n\nMr. Evans thus describes the effect of this controversy upon his people:\u2014\n\n\u201cThe Sandemanian spirit began to manifest itself in the counties of\nMerioneth, Caernarvon, Anglesea, and Denbigh, and the first visible\neffect was the subversion of the hearers, for which the system was\npeculiarly adapted; intimating, as it did, that to Babylon the crowd of\nhearers always belonged.  We lost, in Anglesea, nearly all those who were\naccustomed to attend with us; some of them joined other congregations;\nand, in this way, it pulled down nearly all that had been built up in\ntwelve or fifteen years, and made us appear once again a mean and\ndespicable party in the view of the country.  The same effects followed\nit in a greater or lesser degree in the other counties noticed; but its\nprincipal station appears to have been in Merionethshire; this county\nseems to have been particularly prepared for its reception, and here it\nachieved by some means a sort of supremacy.\u201d\n\n\n\nTIME OF REFRESHING\n\n\nMr. Evans had been a long time in this controversy, destitute of all\nreligious enjoyment, or, to use his own expressive phrase, \u201cas dry as\nGilboa,\u201d when he experienced a remarkable refreshing from the presence of\nthe Lord.  The following account is extracted from his journal:\u2014\n\n\u201cI was weary of a cold heart towards Christ, and his sacrifice, and the\nwork of his Spirit\u2014of a cold heart in the pulpit, in secret prayer, and\nin the study.  For fifteen years previously, I had felt my heart burning\nwithin, as if going to Emmaus with Jesus.  On a day ever to be remembered\nby me, as I was going from Dolgelley to Machynlleth, and climbing up\ntowards Cadair Idris, I considered it to be incumbent upon me to pray,\nhowever hard I felt my heart, and however worldly the frame of my spirit\nwas.  Having begun in the name of Jesus, I soon felt as it were the\nfetters loosening, and the old hardness of heart softening, and, as I\nthought, mountains of frost and snow dissolving and melting within me.\nThis engendered confidence in my soul in the promise of the Holy Ghost.\nI felt my whole mind relieved from some great bondage: tears flowed\ncopiously, and I was constrained to cry out for the gracious visits of\nGod, by restoring to my soul the joy of his salvation;\u2014and that he would\nvisit the churches in Anglesea, that were under my care.  I embraced in\nmy supplications all the churches of the saints, and nearly all the\nministers in the principality by their names.  This struggle lasted for\nthree hours: it rose again and again, like one wave after another, or a\nhigh flowing tide, driven by a strong wind, until my nature became faint\nby weeping and crying.  Thus I resigned myself to Christ, body and soul,\ngifts and labors\u2014all my life\u2014every day and every hour that remained for\nme;\u2014and all my cares I committed to Christ.\u2014The road was mountainous and\nlonely, and I was wholly alone, and suffered no interruption in my\nwrestlings with God.\n\n\u201cFrom this time, I was made to expect the goodness of God to churches and\nto myself.  Thus the Lord delivered me and the people of Anglesea from\nbeing carried away by the flood of Sandemanianism.  In the first\nreligious meetings after this, I felt as if I had been removed from the\ncold and sterile regions of spiritual frost, into the verdant fields of\nthe divine promises.  The former striving with God in prayer, and the\nlonging anxiety for the conversion of sinners, which I had experienced at\nL\u00ebyn, was now restored.  I had a hold of the promises of God.  The result\nwas, when I returned home, the first thing that arrested my attention\nwas, that the Spirit was working also in the brethren in Anglesea,\ninducing in them a spirit of prayer, especially in two of the deacons,\nwho were particularly importunate that God would visit us in mercy, and\nrender the word of his grace effectual amongst us for the conversion of\nsinners.\u201d\n\n\n\nCOVENANT WITH GOD.\n\n\nMr. Evans now entered into a solemn covenant with God, made, as he says,\n\u201cunder a deep sense of the evil of his heart, and in dependence upon the\ninfinite grace and merit of the Redeemer.\u201d  This interesting article is\npreserved among his papers.  We give it entire, as a specimen of his\nspirit and his faith:\u2014\n\nI.  \u201cI give my soul and body unto thee, Jesus, the true God, and\neverlasting life\u2014deliver me from sin, and from eternal death, and bring\nme into life everlasting.  Amen.\u2014C. E.\n\nII.  \u201cI call the day, the sun, the earth, the trees, the stones, the bed,\nthe table, and the books, to witness that I come unto thee.  Redeemer of\nsinners, that I may obtain rest for my soul from the thunders of guilt\nand the dread of eternity.  Amen.\u2014C. E.\n\nIII.  \u201cI do, through confidence in thy power, earnestly entreat thee to\ntake the work into thine own hand, and give me a circumcised heart, that\nI may love thee, and create in me a right spirit, that I may seek thy\nglory.  Grant me that principle which thou wilt own in the day of\njudgment, that I may not then assume palefacedness, and find myself a\nhypocrite.  Grant me this, for the sake of thy most precious blood.\nAmen.\u2014C. E.\n\nIV.  \u201cI entreat thee, Jesus, the Son of God, in power, grant me, for the\nsake of thy agonizing death, a covenant-interest in thy blood, which\ncleanseth; in thy righteousness, which justifieth; and in thy redemption,\nwhich delivereth.  I entreat an interest in thy blood, for thy _blood\u2019s_\nsake, and a part in thee, for thy name\u2019s sake, which thou hast given\namong men.  Amen.\u2014C. E.\n\nV.  \u201cO Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, take, for the sake of thy\ncruel death, my time, and strength, and the gifts and talents I possess;\nwhich, with a full purpose of heart, I consecrate to thy glory in the\nbuilding up of thy church in the world, for thou art worthy of the hearts\nand talents of all men.  Amen.\u2014C. E.\n\nVI.  \u201cI desire thee, my great High Priest, to confirm, by thy power, from\nthy High Court, my usefulness as a preacher, and my piety as a Christian,\nas two gardens nigh to each other; that sin may not have place in my\nheart, to becloud my confidence in thy righteousness, and that I may not\nbe left to any foolish act that may occasion my gifts to wither, and\nrendered useless before my life ends.  Keep thy gracious eye upon me, and\nwatch over me, O my Lord, and my God for ever!  Amen.\u2014C. E.\n\nVII.  \u201cI give myself in a particular manner to thee, O Jesus Christ, the\nSaviour, to be preserved from the falls into which many stumble, that thy\nname (in thy cause) may not be blasphemed or wounded, that my peace may\nnot be injured, that thy people may not be grieved, and that thine\nenemies may not be hardened.  Amen.\u2014C. E.\n\nVIII.  \u201cI come unto thee, beseeching thee to be in covenant with me in my\nministry.  As thou didst prosper Bunyan, Vavasor Powell, Howell Harris,\nRowlands, and Whitefield, O do thou prosper me.  Whatsoever things are\nopposed to my prosperity, remove them out of the way.  Work in me every\nthing approved of God, for the attainment of this.  Give me a heart \u2018sick\nof love\u2019 to thyself, and to the souls of men.  Grant that I may\nexperience the power of thy word before I deliver it, as Moses felt the\npower of his own rod, before he saw it on the land and waters of Egypt.\nGrant this, for the sake of thine infinitely precious blood, O Jesus, my\nhope, and my all in all!  Amen.\u2014C. E.\n\nIX.  \u201cSearch me now, and lead me in plain paths of judgment.  Let me\ndiscover in this life what I am before thee, that I may not find myself\nof another character, when I am shown in the light of the immortal world,\nand open my eyes in all the brightness of eternity.  Wash me in thy\nredeeming blood.  Amen.\u2014C. E.\n\nX.  \u201cGrant me strength to depend upon thee for food and raiment, and to\nmake known my requests.  O let thy care be over me as a\ncovenant-privilege betwixt thee and myself, and not like a general care\nto feed the ravens that perish, and clothe the lily that is cast into the\noven; but let thy care be over me as one of thy family, as one of thine\nunworthy brethren.  Amen.\u2014C. E.\n\nXI.  \u201cGrant, O Jesus! and take upon thyself the preparing of me for\ndeath, for thou art God; there is no need, but for thee to speak the\nword.  If possible, thy will be done; leave me not long in affliction,\nnor to die suddenly, without bidding adieu to my brethren, and let me die\nin their sight, after a short illness.  Let all things be ordered against\nthe day of removing from one world to another, that there be no confusion\nnor disorder, but a quiet discharge in peace.  O grant me this, for the\nsake of thine agony in the garden!  Amen.\u2014C. E.\n\nXII.  \u201cGrant, O blessed Lord! that nothing may grow and be matured in me,\nto occasion thee to cast me off from the service of the sanctuary, like\nthe sons of Eli; and for the sake of thine unbounded merit, let not my\ndays be longer than my usefulness.  O let me not be like lumber in a\nhouse in the end of my days,\u2014in the way of others to work.  Amen.\u2014C. E.\n\nXIII.  \u201cI beseech thee, O Redeemer! to present these my supplications\nbefore the Father: and O! inscribe them in thy book with thine own\nimmortal pen, while I am writing them with my mortal hand, in my book on\nearth.  According to the depths of thy merit, thine undiminished grace,\nand thy compassion, and thy manner unto thy people, O! attach thy name,\nin thine upper court, to these unworthy petitions; and set thine amen to\nthem, as I do on my part of the covenant.  Amen.\u2014CHRISTMAS EVANS,\nLlangevni, Anglesea, April 10, 18\u2014.\u201d\n\nMr. Evans, in speaking of this solemn transaction and its influence upon\nhis spirit, subsequently observes: \u201cI felt a sweet peace and tranquility\nof soul, like unto a poor man that had been brought under the protection\nof the royal family, and had an annual settlement for life made upon him;\nfrom whose dwelling the painful dread of poverty and want had been for\never banished away.\u201d\n\nThus \u201cstrengthened with might in the inner man,\u201d he labored with renewed\nenergy and zeal, and showers of blessings descended upon his labors.  In\ntwo years, his ten preaching places in Anglesea were increased to twenty,\nand six hundred converts were added to the church under his care.  \u201cThe\nwilderness and solitary place were glad for them, and the desert rejoiced\nand blossomed as the rose.\u201d\n\n\n\nSTUDYING THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.\n\n\nMr. Evans made several visits to Liverpool, Bristol, and other parts of\nEngland.  On these occasions he was frequently solicited to preach in\nEnglish, to which he several times consented, to the great gratification\nof his English friends.  These sermons evinced the same energy of\nthought, and the same boldness of imagery, as those which he preached in\nWelsh; but in the power of his peculiar delivery, they were inevitably\nfar inferior.  His brethren in England were much delighted with his\nperformances, and said it was \u201cno wonder the Welsh were warm under such\npreaching;\u201d but his language was broken and hesitating, and they could\nscarcely have any conception of his animation and energy when he spoke in\nhis vernacular tongue.\n\nHis success induced him to commence a systematic study of the English\nlanguage, that he might be able to preach in it with greater freedom and\neffect.  He could read English before, and was somewhat familiar with the\nbest English authors of his day; but never acquainted himself with the\ngrammar of the language till he was thirty-three years of age.  But read\nhis own account of the matter:\u2014\n\n\u201cThe English brethren had prevailed upon me to preach to them in broken\nEnglish, as it was; this induced me to set about the matter in earnest,\nmaking it a subject of prayer, for the aid of the Spirit, that I might be\nin some measure a blessing to the English friends, for there appeared\nsome sign that God now called me to this department of labor in his\nservice.  I never succeeded in any thing for the good of others, without\nmaking it a matter of prayer.  My English preaching was very broken and\nimperfect in point of language; yet, through the grace of Jesus Christ,\nit was made in some degree useful at Liverpool, Bristol, and some other\nplaces.  I was about forty years old when I learned to read the Hebrew\nBible and the Greek Testament, and use Parkhurst\u2019s Lexicons in both\nlanguages.  I found that, had I studied the English language attentively\nand perseveringly, I should be able to overcome great difficulties; and\nalso, that I could without much labor in the course of few years, even in\nmy idle hours, as it were, understand all the Hebrew words corresponding\nwith every Welsh word in the Bible; and so also the Greek.  I had always\nbefore thought that it was impossible to accomplish this, for I had no\none to encourage me in the undertaking; but I found it was practicable,\nand proved it in some measure, yet relinquished the pursuit on account of\nmy advanced age.\u201d\n\n\n\nNEW TROUBLES AND SORROWS.\n\n\nHere we pass over several years of Mr. Evans\u2019 history, during which\nnothing of very special interest occurred, except the agitation of the\nFullerian controversy.  This is a matter which requires only a passing\nnotice in this brief memoir.  We let it sleep in silence.\n\nMr. Evans was now nearly sixty years of age.  Infirmity, the result of\nhis arduous labors and numerous afflictions, began to prey upon his\nsystem.  The several congregations under his care had hitherto\nconstituted but one church.  But the number of preaching places had now\nbecome too great for him, in his enfeebled state, to continue his\npastoral visits and labors among them as he had done.  He therefore\nadvised them to form themselves into separate churches, two or three\nstations uniting in one.  This was the occasion of a dark and dreadful\nstorm upon the apostle of Anglesea.  Some of the churches refused the\nministers he recommended, and called others whom he disapproved.  Then\narose a bitter party spirit, and a general contention, among the\ncongregations.  Mr. Evans was severely censured, and even assailed with\nthe shafts of slander.  Many of his former friends forsook him, and some\nof those who professed to feel for him in his troubles did nothing for\nhis vindication.  The severity of these public calamities was increased\nby private afflictions.  His beloved wife had gone \u201cthe way of all the\nearth.\u201d  He was himself brought very low by sickness, in which he nearly\nlost his only remaining eye, and seemed fast tending to his final home.\n\nBut though cast down, he was not destroyed.  \u201cI wonder greatly,\u201d says he,\n\u201cthat I did not sink into the grave under the weight of sorrows that came\nupon me in my old age, together with an accumulation of trials of all\nkinds; but the Lord sustained me.  There was, in the midst of all, a\nstrong persuasion in my mind, that there was yet much work for me to do\nfor God in the world, as well as much to suffer, ere I died.  If I only\nentered the pulpit, I felt raised as it were to Paradise\u2014above my\nafflictions\u2014until I forgot my adversity; yea, I felt my mountain strong,\nmy mind was in such a heavenly frame, and as anxious as ever for the\nconversion of sinners.  The truth appeared to me in its power like a\nhammer in its strength.  The doctrine dropped as sweet as the honey, yea,\nsweeter than the honeycomb, and as comfortable as the best wine.  I was\nnow particularly wishful that all the ministers in Anglesea should join\nwith me, according to the promise, \u2018If two of you agree to ask the _same\nthing_, it shall be given unto you of my Father which is in heaven;\u2019 for\nI had such confidence that then I should see prosperity attending the\nministry, and that I should not die until I had finished my work.  I said\nto a brother:\u2014\u2018Brother, the doctrine, the confidence, and strength which\nI feel, will make some persons dance with joy yet in some parts of\nWales.\u2019  \u2018Yea, brother,\u2019 said he, with tears flowing in streams from his\neyes.\n\n\u201cEvery thing now contributed to remove me from Anglesea.  The unbending\ndisposition of those who were offended at me, and the ardor of my own\nspirit, believing that there was work for me to do in some other field of\nthe harvest of the Son of man, and my having prayed earnestly for twelve\nmonths for the direction of Divine Providence, together with the visions\nof my head in the night seasons, appeared to unite together to lead in\none direction.  At length, the determination to leave Anglesea, afflicted\nas I was, preponderated.  I was much like Jacob, leaving his father and\nhis mother, going with his staff only over Jordan: so was I, leaving the\nchurch: I had prayed, yea, I had striven with God for its prosperity, and\nhad labored nearly forty years with it\u2014now leaving it\u2014possessing nothing\nof this world\u2019s goods, save the horse upon which I rode, and a small\namount of silver in my pocket; and scarcely could I say that these were\nmine.\u201d\n\n\n\nLEGAL PROSECUTION.\n\n\nDuring the above-mentioned tribulations he received an insulting letter,\nthreatening him with a civil prosecution.  \u201cThey talk,\u201d said he, \u201cof\ncasting me into a court of law, where I have never been, and hope I shall\nnever go; but I will cast them first into the court of Jesus Christ, the\nsource of law and authority.\u201d  So saying, he retired to his chamber, and\nfalling upon his knees, he wept and made supplication in the following\npathetic strain:\u2014\n\n\u201cO blessed Lord! in thy merit I confide, and trust to be heard.  Lord,\nsome of my brethren have run wild; and forgetting their duty and\nobligations to their father in the gospel, they threaten me with the law\nof the land.  Weaken, I beseech thee, their designs in this, as thou\ndidst wither the arm of Jeroboam; and soften them, as thou didst soften\nthe mind of Esau, and disarmed him of his warlike temper against thy\nservant Jacob, after the wrestling at Penuel.  So disarm them, for I do\nnot know the length of Satan\u2019s chain in this case, and in this\nunbrotherly attack.  But thou canst shorten the chain as short as it may\nplease thee.  Lord, I anticipate them in point of law.  They think of\ncasting thine unworthy servant into the little courts here below; but I\ncast my cause into the High Court, in which thou, gracious Jesus, art the\nHigh Chancellor.  Receive thou the cause of thine unworthy servant, and\nsend them a writ or a notice immediately\u2014sending into their conscience,\nand summoning them to consider what they are doing.  O, frighten them\nwith a summons from thy court, until they come and bow in contrition at\nthy feet; and take from their hands every revengeful weapon, and make\nthem deliver up every gun of scandal, and every sword of bitter words,\nand every spear of slanderous expressions, and surrender them all at thy\ncross.  Forgive them all their faults, and clothe them with white robes,\nand give them oil for their heads, and the organ, and the harp of ten\nstrings, to sing, for the trampling of Satan under our feet by the God of\npeace.\u201d\n\nHaving thus poured out his heart to God, he felt some confidence of\nsecurity.  But he was never satisfied in such cases without an inward\nassurance of acceptance and success.  So he went again and again; and\nwhen, like Jesus, he had \u201coffered up many prayers, with strong crying and\ntears,\u201d like Jacob \u201che had power with God, and prevailed.\u201d  \u201cAt the\nseventh time,\u201d says he, \u201cI came down in full confidence that Christ had\ntaken my cause into his own hand, and would be my Savior.  I felt as\ncheerful and happy as Bunyan\u2019s Pilgrim, when his load fell off and rolled\ninto the grave of Christ; or as Naaman, when he came up from the waters\nof Jordan, cured of his leprosy.\u201d\n\nIt is scarcely necessary to add, the threat was never executed.  The\nThrone of Grace is the good man\u2019s sure resort in every emergency.\nJehovah \u201chides him in his pavilion from the strife of tongues.\u201d\n\n\n\nCAERPHILLY.\n\n\nAn invitation, which he received about this time, to take charge of the\nBaptist church in Caerphilly, Glamorganshire, South Wales, confirmed Mr.\nEvans in his determination to leave the scene of his recent trials.  He\nset out alone, in his sixtieth year.  The distance he had to travel was\nabout two hundred miles.  On the way, while dwelling on his past\nmisfortunes, he found his heart melted within him, and drawn out in\nfervent prayer.  His faith soon triumphed over his afflictions and his\nfears.  He renewed his covenant with God, and went on his way rejoicing.\nThis revival of his religious feelings had a powerful effect upon his\nministry.  He had not been long in Caerphilly, before the Spirit of God\nwas poured copiously upon the people.\n\nPrevious to this time of refreshing, he had a remarkable dream, which he\nnoted in his diary.  He thought he was in the church at Caerphilly, and\nfound many harps hanging about the pulpit, wrapped in coverings of green.\nThen, said he, \u201cI will take down the harps of heaven in this place.\u201d  In\nremoving the covering, he found the ark of the covenant, inscribed with\nthe name of Jehovah.  Then he cried, \u201cBrethren, the Lord has come to us,\naccording to his promise, and in answer to our prayers.\u201d  In that very\nplace, he shortly afterward had the satisfaction of receiving one hundred\nand forty converts into the church, as the fruit of his ministry.\n\nWhile at Caerphilly, he entered into a second marriage.  He remained\nthere only two years.  He says: \u201cI never spent a short time in greater\ncomfort, for the ark of God had appeared there, and the harps of one\nhundred and forty souls had been tuned to the song of redemption.\u201d  Happy\nyears no doubt they were, and gladly would Mr. Evans have ended his life\nin Caerphilly; but troubles arose between him and some of his\nparishioners, and, receiving a call from Cardiff, a neighboring town, he\nwent to take charge of a church in that place.\n\n\n\nANOTHER COVENANT.\n\n\nPrevious to his removal, and while he was meditating the matter, he made\na new covenant with God.  We extract again from his journal:\u2014\n\n\u201cWhile returning from a place called Tongwynl\u00e2s over Caerphilly mountain,\nthe spirit of prayer descended very copiously upon me.  I wept for some\nhours, and heartily supplicated Jesus Christ, for the blessings here\nfollowing.  I found at this time a particular nearness to Christ, as if\nhe were close by me, and my mind was filled with strong confidence that\nhe attended to my requests, for the sake of the merits of his own name.\nThis decided in favor of Cardiff.\u201d\n\nI.  \u201cGrant me the great favor of being led by thee, according to thy\nwill\u2014by the directions of thy providence and word, and the disposing of\nmy own mind by thy Spirit, for the sake of thine infinitely precious\nblood.  Amen.\u2014C. E.\n\nII.  \u201cGrant, if I am to leave Caerphilly, that the gale (of the Spirit\u2019s\ninfluence) and religious revival I had there may follow me to Cardiff,\nfor the sake of thy great name.  Amen.\u2014C. E.\n\nIII.  \u201cGrant thy blessing upon bitter things, to brighten, and quicken me\nmore and more, and not to depress and render me more lifeless.  Amen.\u2014C.\nE.\n\nIV.  \u201cSuffer me not to be trodden under the proud feet of members, or\ndeacons, for the sake of thy goodness.  Amen.\u2014C. E.\n\nV.  \u201cGrant me the invaluable favor of being, in thine hand, the means of\ncalling sinners unto thyself, and of edifying thy saints, wherever thou\nwilt send me, for the sake of thy name.  Amen.\u2014C. E.\n\nVI.  \u201cIf I am to stay at Caerphilly, give me some tokens, as to Gideon of\nold, by removing the things that discourage me, and are in the way of the\nprosperity of religion in that church.  Amen.\u2014C. E.\n\nVII.  \u201cGrant, Lord of glory, and Head of thy church, that the Ark of the\ncause which is thine, in Anglesea and Caerphilly, may be sustained from\nfalling into the hands of the Philistines.  Do not reject it.  Aid it\nspeedily, and lift up the light of thy countenance upon it; and by thy\nSpirit, word, and providence, so operate as to carry things forward in\nthe churches, and neighborhoods, in such a manner as will produce changes\nin officers, and measures that will accomplish a thorough improvement in\nthe great cause, for the establishment of which in the world thou hast\ndied;\u2014and by scattering those that delight in war, and closing the mouths\nof those that occasion confusion.  Amen.\u2014C. E.\n\nVIII.  \u201cGrant me way-tokens by the time I begin my journey to Liverpool,\nand from thence to Anglesea, if it is thy will that I should go thither\nthis year.  Amen.\u2014C. E.\n\nIX.  \u201cO grant me succor beneath the shadow of the sympathy that is in\nthee towards them who are tempted, and the unbounded power there is in\nthee to be the relief of such.  Amen.\u2014C. E.\n\nX.  \u201cAccept of my thanksgiving a hundred millions of times, that thou\nhast not hitherto cast me from thine hand, as a darkened star, or a\nvessel in which there is no pleasure; and suffer not my life to be\nextended beyond my usefulness.  Thanks, that thou hast not given me a\nprey to the teeth of any.  Blessed be thy name.  Amen.\u2014C. E.\n\nXI.  \u201cFor the sake of thine infinite merit, do not cast me, thy servant,\nunder the feet of pride and injustice, of _worldly_ greatness, riches,\nand selfish oppression of any men, but hide me in the secret of thy\ntabernacle from the strife of tongues.  Amen.\u2014C. E.\n\nXII.  \u201cHelp me to wait silently and patiently upon thee, for the\nfulfilment of these things, and not become enraged, angry, and speak\nunadvisedly with my lips, like Moses, the servant of the Lord.  Sustain\nmy heart from sinking, to wait for fresh strength from Zion.  Amen.\u2014C. E.\n\nXIII.  \u201cHelp me to wait upon thee for the necessaries of life; let thy\nmercy and goodness follow me while I live; and, as it hath pleased thee\nto honor me greatly, by the blessing thou hast vouchsafed upon the\nministry through me, as an humble instrument, at Caerphilly, after the\ngreat storm had beaten upon me in Anglesea, like Job, grant that this\nhonor may continue to follow me the remainder of my days, as thou didst\nunto thy servant Job.  Amen.\u2014C. E.\n\nXIV.  \u201cLet this covenant abide like the covenant of salt, until I come to\nthee in the world of eternal light.  I entreat aid to resign myself to\nthee, and to thy will.  I beseech thee take my heart, and inscribe upon\nit a deep reverence of thyself, with an inscription that time and\neternity cannot efface.  O let the remainder of my sermons be taken by\nthee from my lips; and those which I write, let them be unto thee for a\npraise.  Unto thee I dedicate them.  If there should be any thing in them\nconducive to thy glory, and to the service of thy kingdom, do thou\npreserve it, and reveal it unto men; else, let it die like the drop of a\nbucket in the midst of the scorching heat of Africa.  O grant, that there\nmay be a drop of that water which thou alone canst impart, and which\nsprings up to eternal life, running through all my sermons.  In this\ncovenant, which probably is the last that will be written between me and\nthee on the earth, I commit myself, my wife, and the churches amongst\nwhom I have preached, to the protection of thy grace, and the care of thy\ncovenant.  Amen.\u2014C. E.\n\nXV.  \u201cLet this covenant continue when I am in sickness or in health, or\nin any other circumstance; for thou hast overcome the world, fulfilled\nthe law, finished justifying righteousness, and hast swallowed up death\nin victory, and all power in heaven and earth is in thine hand.  For the\nsake of thy most precious blood and perfect righteousness, note this\ncovenant with thine own blood in the court of the memorials of forgiving\nmercy: attach unto it thy name in which I believe; and here I, this day,\nset my unworthy name unto it, with my mortal hand.  Amen.\u2014Christmas\nEvans.  Dated, Cardiff, April 24, 1829.\u201d\n\n\n\nCARDIFF.\n\n\n\u201cAfter having entered into this covenant,\u201d says Mr. Evans in his diary,\n\u201cI came to Cardiff, heartily and unhesitatingly, like a merchant that\nshould send his vessel to sea after it had been registered in the\ninsurance office.  I had nothing now to lose, for I had given myself up\nto the possession of Jesus, the Mediator of the New Testament, for time\nand for eternity; and so I have had to abide here in the secret of his\ntabernacle for these nine months.\u201d\n\nHe removed to Cardiff in the autumn of 1828, and remained there two years\nand a half.  During this time, he received into the church about eighty\nconverts.  He was much in secret prayer, and enjoyed intimate communion\nwith his God.  He not only retired for devotion several times every day,\nbut ordinarily rose at midnight to call upon the Lord.  But the whole\nperiod of his residence was not a cloudless day.  Some unpleasant matters\narose in the church, which caused him much sorrow, as is evident from the\nfollowing entry in his diary:\u2014\n\n\u201cApril 27, 1829.  I earnestly entreat thee, blessed Jesus, for the sake\nof thine own name, to regard me in this request. * * * * Let things be\nordered, O Lord, that they may not be impediments and discouragements\nunto me, and a hinderance to the progress of religion.  O, interpose\nbetween me and these obstacles, O Lord, that I may have no occasion to\ndispute with any, and so embitter my spirit!  Thy power is infinite, and\nthy wisdom is infallible.  Stand thou between me and all contention, that\nno ill effect come upon me.  I flee to hide myself under the shadow of\nthy wings.  Permit nothing to blunt the edge of my talents, my zeal, or\nmy success,\u2014nor corrupt the church.  Grant me this for the sake of thine\ninfinitely precious blood.  Set thy name to this request in the court of\nheaven, and let Satan\u2019s party grow weaker and weaker, and the cause of\ntruth and righteousness become like the house of David, and the house of\nDavid like the angel of the Lord.  Deliver me, that my spirit be not\nirritated, and I speak unadvisedly with my lips, as Moses did.  Hide me\nin thy pavilion from the strife of tongues * * * *.  I am as it were on\nthe verge of eternity; O save and preserve me by thy boundless power.\nAmen, Amen, Amen.  Lord, regard, behold, hear, and spare.\u2014Christmas\nEvans.  Write this in thy book, O my Lord, and my God.  Let none be\ndisappointed that wait upon thee, gracious Lord.\u2014Remember me.\u201d\n\nHe adds in another passage:\u2014\n\n\u201cI have given my soul anew to Christ; my body; my talents; my influence\nin preaching; my name; my character as a man, as a Christian, and as a\npreacher of the gospel; my time, and the remnant of my opportunities; my\nsuccess; my peace and comfort as a Christian and a minister.  I have\nresigned all afresh into the hands of Christ.  I have commended to his\ncare, also, my wife, and all the circumstances of my family, and my\nfriends and assistants in the work of the Lord, for whom I pray earnestly\nthat they may be blessed, throughout Anglesea, Caernarvon, Caerphilly,\nCardiff, and indeed in all the counties of Wales.  There are many of them\nwho were helpers to me in my day.  I will say, in the language of Paul,\nand I hope with affectionate emotions of love to Jesus Christ, \u2018The Lord\ngrant unto them that they may find mercy of the Lord in that day.\u2019  It is\na great privilege to a minister to retain beloved friends, who have\nhelped him with their prayers and sympathy.  O bless those whom I have,\nand preserve the new race, the new generation of them that I have found\nin these parts.  I committed to God, also, those who obstruct the\nprogress of the cause here, and disturb the unity and brotherly love of\nthe church.  Let Christ, whose the church is, and let not me, remove\nevery obstacle, either by changing and melting in the love of the gospel,\nor taking them somewhere else, where they shall not be a curse and an\nimpediment to the cause\u2014and by the means that shall seem fit in his\nsight.  A word or a nod of thine shuts and opens heaven and earth, and\nall the locks of the land of _Hades_, or the invisible state.  For the\nsake of the blood of thy covenant, grant the above things unto me, thine\nunworthy servant.\u201d\n\n\n\nSERMONS FOR THE PRESS.\n\n\nDuring his sojourn at Cardiff, though now sixty-five years old, much\ndebilitated, and almost blind, he wrote about two hundred sermons for the\npress, many of which have since been published.  It is certainly very\nremarkable, that he should write, at his advanced age, with all the vigor\nand vivacity of his earlier years.  Perhaps, of all the sermons he ever\nmade, those composed at Cardiff are the best.  Most of them were preached\non the Sabbath, and written out during the following week.  This\ncircumstance, with their author\u2019s peculiar nearness to God, may account\nfor their freshness and power.\n\nMr. Evans was in the habit of referring every important matter to God.\nWe find in his diary the following paragraph:\u2014\n\n\u201cCardiff, February 2, 1829.  Lord, I have been importuned by many of my\nbrethren in the ministry, to prepare a number of my sermons, that have\nbeen in the course of my ministry the most useful in thine hand for the\nconversion of sinners, with a view to publication.  I had no time when in\nAnglesea to engage in the work, because my circumstances required so much\ntravelling every week.  I left the work to lie by, the two years I was at\nCaerphilly; but here, at Cardiff, I have had a new impulse in my thoughts\nto enter upon it; and I come unto thee, my great Lord, to consult thee,\nwho art the Head of the church, and the Head-Prophet and Teacher of thy\npeople.  Shall I proceed with the work or not?  Is it a part of my duty,\nor is it a useless, foolish notion of my own?  I entreat thy gracious\ndirection in this matter, for the sake of thy great name.  Suffer me not\nto afflict myself, when my eyesight is so weak, with a work that thou\nwilt not bless, but which shall be buried in the land of forgetfulness.\nIf thou wilt not open a door\u2014with thee are the keys of the house of\nDavid\u2014in thy providence, that I may obtain subscribers, and bring the\nwork through the press, without hazarding myself in such a way as will\ninvolve me in debt and disgrace: and also if thou, the great feeder of\nthe flock, wilt not direct me to give the true gospel, not only without\nerror, but with the savor and unction which accompanies the works of\nBunyan and others, which thy Spirit is likely to make use of whilst thou\nhast churches in Wales: if they should not be for thy glory in the\nbuilding up of thy church, and the calling of sinners,\u2014if these objects\nshould not be accomplished by the publication of the sermons, dispose my\nmind to relinquish the undertaking.  But if thou wilt patronise the work,\nstrengthen me to accomplish the design.  Lord, thou knowest I feel my own\ninsufficiency for such an important enterprise, and my unworthiness to\nsolicit of thee such a favor: but I cannot refrain from making these\nrequests: therefore, for the sake of thine infinite merits, according to\nthy manner unto thy people, grant unto me my request.  Amen.\u201d\n\n\n\nWELSH JUMPING.\n\n\nIn the autumn of 1829, Mr. Evans wrote in his diary extensive notes of a\nconversation which he had with several ministers in Bristol, on \u201cthe\nmanner of religious rejoicing so remarkable among the Welsh.\u201d  His\nfriends condemned it in a sweeping sentence, under the name of \u201cWelsh\njumping.\u201d  Mr. Evans attempted its vindication.  We insert his own\naccount:\n\n\u201cI observed that I could find no account of it among the Welsh until the\ntime of Harris and Rowlands, Calvinistic Methodists, who flourished in\nWales about the same time as Whitefield and Wesley in England.  The\npreaching of these men was the means of producing a religious revival\nthroughout all the principality, which had sunk into a state of deep\nlethargy, since the time of the great awakening under Vavasor Powell,\nabout one hundred years before.  At this period nothing was to be seen in\nalmost every parish but young men and young women flocking together into\nthe churches and church-yards, and engaging in different gambols and\npastimes, such as ball-playing, foot-ball, leaping, fighting, and such\nlike frolics, as if Wales had been changed into an Olympic mountain, and\nold paganism restored again.  It is true, there were some preachers and\nchurches, both Congregationalists and Baptists, then existing in the\nprincipality; but their talents, their spirits, or their magnanimity\ncould not storm such a fortress of impiety.  And, besides, there was a\ndreadful prejudice still remaining in the country against all sects,\nsince the days of Charles II.; and they suffered persecution even unto\nblood, for about one hundred years previous to the appearing of these\nmen.  But from the ashes of those sufferers the revival by Harris and\nRowlands sprung up, as did Luther from the ashes of Huss and Jerome of\nPrague.\n\n\u201cMr. Rowlands and Mr. Harris were both of the communion of the Episcopal\nchurch, and, as such, there was not so much enmity against them at first;\nbut after they had come out, and when the people understood that they\nwere preachers of the cross of Christ, considerable persecution arose\nagainst them from the multitude; but it was now too late\u2014for the gates of\nthe city were opened\u2014the leaven was put in the meal\u2014the fire had been\nkindled\u2014the sword was drawn from the scabbard, and many had been wounded,\n(spiritually,) and were ready to open the door for the gospel in spite of\nevery danger.  Harris, Rowlands, and the two Williams\u2019s, had been clothed\nwith power from on high, and the hammer of their ministry was\nsufficiently heavy to break in pieces the northern iron. {43}  Several\nlaymen of powerful minds were also raised up about this time; such as Mr.\nDavid Morris, and others, who were valuable auxiliaries to carry on the\nwork.  By their ministry, this praising and jumping in religious\nenjoyment began in Wales, which has not wholly left it on certain\noccasions until this day.\n\n\u201cAs an apology for them, granting at the same time the possibility of\nextremes even in a good cause in the present state; and that graceless\npersons may feel something from these excitements as of the powers of the\nworld to come, in the miraculous gifts of the Holy Ghost in the apostolic\nage; observe,\n\n\u201c1.  That it appears to me like the residue of the Spirit, and the powers\nof the world to come; which were necessary to open a way for the gospel\nthrough the darkness and obduracy of paganism in the days of the\napostles.\n\n\u201c2.  It is no argument of importance against it, that many graceless\npersons felt a considerable degree of influence at the time, as well as\nothers; for so it was in the case of Saul, king of Israel, and some\nbesides named in Scripture.\n\n\u201c3.  There is no essential difference between religious enjoyment in\nWales and that which is now experienced in America; and that which\naccompanied the preaching of Whitefield in England, and even in Scotland:\nand that which also followed the ministry of President Edwards, in\nAmerica, when whole towns and neighborhoods echoed with the sound of\npersons praying and praising God, as if a bursting cloud-shower of the\nSpirit of grace and prayer had descended upon them.  Persons under the\nministry of Whitefield wept, cried for mercy, and even fainted by the\npower of this influence.\n\n\u201c4.  And such gracious influences are necessary for the spread of the\ngospel in every country, and in every land: and therefore the Millennium\nis described in the Bible as a period remarkable for the outpouring of\nthe Holy Ghost\u2014\u2018that a nation shall be born at once,\u2019 {44a}\u2014and \u2018the\nflowing of the nations shall be to the mountain of the Lord\u2019s house.\u2019\n{44b}  It is this influence that has driven, as it were, the gospel into\nevery nook of the mountains of Wales, as well as into its cities, towns,\nand villages; while in England, with all the advantages of education, the\ngospel, in a manner, is hid in a corner; and it has not run through the\ncountry, and searched out, and taken possession of all the inland parts\nof that spiritual Africa, and that for the want of these gales of divine\ninfluence, and powers peculiar to the gospel: and it can never be spread\nthrough every part of England as it is in Wales without these gifts.\nCommon preaching will not do to rouse sluggish districts from the heavy\nslumbers into which they are sunk.  Indeed, formal prayers and lifeless\nsermons are like bulwarks raised against these things in England; and\nthis evil genius has also entered the principality under the pretence of\norder.  Five or six stanzas will be sung as dry as Gilboa, instead of one\nor two verses, like a new song, full of God, of Christ, and the Spirit of\ngrace, until the heart is attuned for worship.  The burying-grounds are\nkept in fine order in Glamorganshire, and green shrubs and herbs grow on\nthe graves, but all this is of little value, for the inhabitants of them\nare all dead\u2014so is every form of godliness where its power is not felt.\nOrder without life is exceedingly worthless.  You exhibit all the\ncharacter of human nature, leaving every bud of the flower to open in the\nbeams of the sun, except in divine worship.  On other occasions you\nappear to have as much fire in your affections as the Welsh have.  If you\nare noticed in a court of law, the most efficient advocate, such as\nErskine, will give you the greatest satisfaction; but you are contented\nwith a preacher, speaking so lifelessly and so low that you can hardly\nunderstand the third part of what he says; and you will call this decency\nin the sanctuary.  To-morrow, I shall see you answering fully to the\nhuman character, in your own actions.  When the speakers on the platform\nwill be urging the claims of missions, you will then beat the boards, and\nmanifest so much life and cheerfulness, that not one of you will be seen\nto take up a note-book, nor any other book, while the speaker shall be\naddressing you.  A Welshman might suppose, by hearing your noise, that he\nhad been silently conveyed to the midst of one of the meetings of the\n\u2018Welsh jumpers,\u2019 with this difference, that you would perceive many more\ntears shed, and hear more \u2018calves of the lips\u2019 {45} offered up, in the\nrejoicing meetings of Wales.  But you will use your heels well on such\noccasions, and a little of your tongues.  But even in Wales, in certain\nplaces\u2014that is, places where the fervent gales are not enjoyed which fill\npersons with fear and terror and joy in approaching the altar of God\u2014you\nmay see, while hearing a sermon, one looking into his hymn-book, another\ninto his note-book, and a third turning over the leaves of his Bible, as\nif he were going to study a sermon in the sanctuary, instead of attending\nto what is spoken by the preacher as the mouth of God.  If there is joy\nand gladness pertaining to many, the light of God\u2019s countenance in the\nsanctuary should develope it; until a fire is kindled, and he speak with\nhis tongue, making melody unto the Lord in his heart, and praising Him\nwith his lips.\n\n\u201c5.  It is in vain to urge objections against these powerful gales of\ndivine influence, and allege that it is under the ministry of the\nilliterate preachers of Wales only they are experienced.  Harris,\nRowlands, and the two Williamses were not so, for they had been brought\nup for the established church.  Whitefield and Edwards were men of\neducation, and they preached the doctrine which in England is considered\nevangelical.\n\n\u201c6.  It is also beside the point to affirm that only persons of no\nweight, that is, ignorant boys and girls, are in the habit of thus\nrejoicing and praising God in His temple; for it is certain, that those\nwho express their joy in this manner possess so much sound experimental\nknowledge, as to make them eminent in that respect.  I have listened to\nmany of them in the midst of their enjoyment, and have often been\ndelighted while they repeated true, evangelical, and substantial stanzas,\nreplete with profound sentiment: for in such seasons, they could find out\nthe very best, which made impressions on their memories; and these\nrapturous feelings developed them, as if the tongue were moved by the\nheat and force of the fire within.  And many other things of an\nevangelical and gracious character they will utter on these joyful\noccasions, with such heavenly eloquence as would be inimitable, and\nimpracticable even for themselves to utter with the same effect, without\nenjoying these meltings of spirit.  This enjoyment is accompanied by many\ntears and much tenderness of heart: nor are persons of a dry spirit and\nhard heart ever regarded as fit subjects for this work of praise, in\nthese blessed seasons of Christian enjoyment.  It does not accord with\nany, but with him whose heart melts like wax, and runs in the form and\nmould of the gospel.\n\n\u201c7.  There is no way in which churches or particular persons may enjoy\nthis heavenly ecstasy, but by walking with God, and by cultivating a\nspirit of watchfulness and prayer, which shows its pure and holy\ncharacter.  It awakens watchfulness against all evil tempers, improper\nexpressions, and wicked actions, lest the sense of it should be lost.\nSuch a frame of mind cannot be expected by living in sin.  These\nindividuals come to the house of God with an earnest desire for this\nenjoyment, and dreading lest there should be a something in them which\nwould cause God to deny them this unspeakable privilege.  It is an\nexceedingly easy matter for a minister to manage a congregation while\nChristian enjoyment keeps them near to God.  They are diligent and\nzealous, and ready for every good work.  But it is very easy to offend\nthis joyous spirit\u2014or give it what name you please, enthusiasm, religious\nmadness, or Welsh jumping, (its English name,)\u2014and make it hide itself.\nA quarrel and disagreement in the church will occasion it to withdraw\nimmediately.  Indulging in sin, in word or deed, will soon put it to\nflight.  It is like unto the angel formerly, who could not behold the sin\nof Israel without hiding himself; so is the angel of the _religious_ life\nof Wales, which proves him to be a holy angel, though he has the name of\na \u2018Welsh jumper.\u2019  My prayer is, that this angel be a guard upon every\ncongregation, and that none should do any thing to offend him.  It is an\nexceedingly powerful assistant to accompany us through the wilderness.\nBut the individual that has not felt its happy influences, has nothing to\nlose; hence he does not dread a dry meeting and a hard prayer, for they\nare all the same to him; but the people of this enjoyment pray before\nprayer, and before hearing, that they may meet with God in them.\n\n\u201c8.  The seasons when these blessings are vouchsafed to the churches of\nWales, are to be noticed.  It is generally at a time when the cause of\nreligion is at a low ebb\u2014all gone to slumber.  This happy spirit of\nenjoyment, like the angel of the pillar of fire, appears when there is\ndistress, and every thing at the worst.  Its approach to the congregation\nis like the glory of God returning to the temple of old; it creates a\nstir among the brethren,\u2014they have a new prayer, and a new spirit given\nthem to worship God.  This will lay hold of another,\u2014some new strength\nand light will appear in the pulpit, until it will be imagined that the\npreacher\u2019s voice is altered, and that his spirit is become more\nevangelical, and that he preaches with a more excellent savor than usual.\nTenderness will descend upon the members, and it will be seen that Mr.\nWet-eyes and Mr. Amen have taken their place among them.  The heavenly\ngale will reach some of the old backsliders, and they are brought with\nweeping to seek their forfeited privilege.  By this time the sound of\nAlmighty God will be heard in the outer court, beginning to move the\nhearers like a mighty wind shaking the forest.  In these seasons of\nrefreshing from the presence of the Lord some churches will receive, in\nthe course of a year, additions of one hundred, others a hundred and\nfifty, and some others upwards of two hundred new members.  Sometimes,\nthe gale seems as if it blew upon the outer court\u2014upon the hearers, and\nthe young people from ten to fifteen years of age\u2014when nothing\nextraordinary appears in the light and effect of the ministry, nor in the\nchurch; but afterwards making its way through the outer court to rouse\nthe inner court, until a great concern is awakened for the state of the\nsoul.  But observe: The revival that begins in the church, and proceeds\nfrom thence to the world, and not that which commences outside of the\nchurch, is more frequent, and more efficient in its converts, for the\npangs of labor are to begin in Zion.\n\n\u201c9.  Again, it may be remarked that the happy effects which follow these\npowerful revivals, evince their nature.  They are certain, where they are\nstrong, to bend the oaks of Bashan\u2014men of strong and sturdy minds, and\nhaughty hearts\u2014to attend the ministry of the word.  They will bring all\nthe ships of Tarshish, the merchants of this world, into the harbor of\nhearing.  The power of the day of the Lord will raze all the walls of\nbigotry to the foundations.  The thoughts of eternal realities, and the\nspirit of worship, are by these blessings diffused abroad, and family\nworship is established in scores of families, where a few months before\nno regard was had unto it.  The door of such a district, thus opened by\nthe powers of the world to come, shall not be closed against the hearers\nof the gospel, until a goodly number of souls are there converted unto\nGod.  Where the living waters flow, dead fish are made alive by its\nvirtues.\n\n\u201c10.  Since the first appearing of these gracious gifts at Llangeitho,\nunder the ministry of Mr. Rowlands, they have been showers of blessings,\nwhich are poured down on the congregations of the Baptists and\nCongregationalists as well as the Calvinistic Methodists; and sometimes\none of these denominations is favored with them, whilst the others are\ndestitute.  These refreshing seasons were, at times, experienced in a\nvery powerful manner at Llangeitho, for about fifty years; that is, all\nthe period of Mr. Rowlands\u2019 ministrations in that church.  About two\nthousand persons assembled there for communion once a month, from the\nseveral counties of Wales, even in winter, and about three thousand in\nthe summer season; which rendered it the most extraordinary place in\nEurope, and beyond a doubt, hundreds of those who assembled there, on\nsuch occasions, are now in heaven singing the new song.  If to live on\nthe merits of Christ, to fear God, and praise him, and lead a sober and\nrighteous life, is an evidence of a godly state, then this was visible\n_at that time_ at Llangeitho.\u201d\n\n\n\nCAERNARVON.\n\n\nMr. Evans\u2019 next settlement was in Caernarvon.  The Baptist interest in\nthat town was in a feeble and languishing condition.  The church numbered\nabout thirty members, but they were chiefly of the lowest class, and\nsadly disunited.  They had a decent house of worship, but it was involved\nin a debt of \u00a3800.  \u201cAll things,\u201d said Mr. Evans, \u201cseemed like a waste\nhowling wilderness; yea, a habitation of dragons, where they made their\nrest night and day.\u201d  Some advised the dissolution of the church, but he\nthought better to attempt its reformation.  His coming produced quite a\nsensation through the town.  His first congregation was very large, and\nfor some time multitudes flocked to his ministry, but they were only\naccidental hearers, generally members of other churches, who, when they\nhad satisfied their curiosity, returned to their own places of worship.\nHis Welsh biographer mentions with commendation the sympathy and help\nwhich he received from the Wesleyan and the Calvinistic Methodists, and\nMr. Evans himself calls them the Aarons and the Hurs that sustained his\nhands in Caernarvon.\n\nHis labors and zeal in this place were not less than in Caerphilly and\nCardiff; but owing to many unfavorable circumstances, his success was far\ninferior.  During the first year, however, he reduced the chaos around\nhim to some incipient order; and was enabled, by the payment of a\nmortgage upon the church, to save it from sheriff\u2019s sale.  He employed a\nMr. Edwards to travel into England, Ireland, and Scotland, and make\ncollections for this purpose.  Mr. Evans was already known extensively,\nas the author of the celebrated Specimen of Welsh Preaching, which had\nbeen translated into English, and published in many of the periodicals,\neliciting universal admiration.  Mr. Edwards had this piece reprinted,\nand distributed the copies wherever he went, thus making known the pastor\nof the church for which he solicited pecuniary aid.\n\nThough the aged servant of God saw few conversions from his labors in\nCaernarvon, the seed which he sowed in tears upon that sterile soil has\nsprung up since his decease, and others have gathered the harvest.  The\nBaptist church there has experienced a gracious revival, and many of the\nnew converts attribute their salvation, under God, to Christmas Evans.\n\nWhile in Caernarvon he penned in his journal the following pious\nreflections: \u201cI have been thinking of the great goodness of the Lord unto\nme throughout my unworthy ministry, and now, in my old age, I see the\nwork prospering wonderfully in my hand, so that there is reason to think\nthat I am in some degree a blessing to the church, when I might have been\na burden to it, or rather a curse, by which she might have been induced\nto wish me laid in the earth, that I might no longer prevent the progress\nof the work.  Thanks be to God, that it is not so! though I deserve no\nbetter; yet I am in the land of mercy.  This is unto me according to the\nmanner of God unto his people.  My path in the valley, the dangers, and\nthe precipices of destruction upon which I have stood, rushes into my\nthoughts, and also the sinking of many in death, and the downfall of\nothers by immorality, and their burial in Kibroth-Hattaavah, the graves\nof inordinate desire; together with the withering, the feebleness, and\nthe unfruitfulness of some through the influence of a secret departure\nfrom God, and of walking in the hidden paths that lead to apostasy.\u201d\n\n\n\nPULPIT POPULARITY.\n\n\nMr. Evans\u2019 popularity in the pulpit was never greater than during the\nlast few years of his life.  His descriptive powers, which were\ntranscendent from the first, improved to the day of his death.  His\nservices were always solicited at the anniversaries of the Missionary and\nBible societies in Caernarvon, and the mayor of that town once made him a\nhandsome present for a temperance speech which he delivered there.\n\nIn 1834, he preached at the Holyhead association.  His text was Heb. vi.\n18.  There were many seamen present; and beautifully did the preacher\ndescribe the believer\u2019s hope, \u201cthe anchor of the soul;\u201d and eloquently\ndid he set forth the necessity of its having, not a bare rock, but a rock\ncovered with clay\u2014not abstract divinity, but \u201cGod manifest in the\nflesh,\u201d\u2014in order that its hold may be \u201csure and steadfast,\u201d securing the\nChristian against spiritual shipwreck amid the many storms of the World!\n\nThe last association he ever attended in Anglesea was held in the same\nplace, in 1837.  On that occasion he preached from Col. ii. 14, 15.  This\nsermon was one of the most effective he ever delivered.  \u201cThe powerful\nmanner,\u201d says one of his friends \u201cin which he described the enemies, who\nwere like unicorns and strong bulls of Bashan, and all the little\nelves\u2014the great roaring lion, together with all the hosts and\nprincipalities and powers of hell, death, and the grave, giving way when\nChrist cried, \u2018It is finished,\u2019 was indescribably grand and majestic: one\nmight have thought that the scene was actually before the eye, and that\nJesus could be then seen laying hold of the powers of darkness, casting\nthem forth, and making a show of them openly.\u201d\n\n\n\nINTERESTING LETTER.\n\n\nWe insert in this place an interesting letter written during Mr. Evans\u2019\nresidence at Caernarvon.\n\n    \u201cBeloved Brother: * * * I write to you, August 5, 1836, in the\n    seventieth year of my age, and in the fiftieth of my ministry, after\n    conversing much with ministerial brethren, earnestly desiring to see\n    our associational union brought into action by representatives of the\n    churches, with a view to promote a determination,\u20141.  To bear each\n    other\u2019s burden more efficiently in the denomination to which we\n    belong.  I lament the deficiency in this point, and ardently wish to\n    see it effectually remedied.  2.  To watch over and promote a holy\n    conversation among all the members and all the preachers in a more\n    efficient manner, to prevent persons of unbecoming conversation from\n    obtaining privileges in any church, when they have been excluded in\n    another, for that would occasion spots and blemishes to appear on the\n    bright countenance of the ministry.  The associational union, in\n    which all the churches of the same faith and order join, should be a\n    defence of the independence of the churches through their\n    representatives: it should also operate as a sort of check upon\n    independency, lest it should become opposed to the general good, and\n    frustrate the co-operation of the whole body.  _That they may all be\n    one_, is the motto.\n\n    \u201cRespecting church discipline.  We cannot be certain that we are\n    doing right by administering the same punishment to all offenders,\n    even for the same offence; for the general character weighs heavily\n    in the balance of discipline.  Also a distinction should be made\n    between the seducer and the seduced; and between being overcome, or\n    falling into sin, and living habitually in sin, and following it as a\n    slave following his master.  The denial of Peter, from weakness, and\n    without previous deliberation, was very different from the betrayal\n    of Judas, and his intentional selling of Christ.  The different\n    characters of Saul, king of Israel, and that of David, required\n    different treatment in discipline on account of their offences.  The\n    Lord\u2019s discipline upon Saul was that of a rod of iron, but upon David\n    the correcting rod of a father, for his good, that he might be a\n    partaker of his holiness.\n\n    \u201cThere are two things, brother, which we ought to avoid in the\n    exercise of discipline.  1. We should avoid too great severity on the\n    one part, and 2, too much leniency on the other part.  Wisdom is\n    necessary here to distinguish the different characters, those who\n    require severity, and those who claim tenderness: the two are to be\n    found blended in the principle of evangelical discipline.  A\n    difference is to be made betwixt some who may have been companions in\n    the same crime; snatching some of them as brands from the burning.\n    The ground of the distinction lies in the different amount of guilt\n    which subsists between the seducer and the seduced.\n\n    \u201cI have witnessed danger, and have sustained some harm myself, and\n    seen harm done in churches, by exercising tenderness towards some\n    persons, in the vain hope of their reformation.  Receiving verbal\n    testimony or mere fluent acknowledgments from their lips, without\n    waiting for fruit in action also: some having been often accused, and\n    as often turning to the refuges frequented by them.  I never\n    exercised tenderness towards such as these, without being repaid by\n    them afterwards, if they had opportunity.  Shimei-like, they would\n    curse me after having shed the best oil of tenderness on their heads.\n    There are some in the Christian church like Jezebel; and there are\n    some in our congregations like Joab, the son of Zeruiah, that you can\n    scarce discipline them without rending the kingdom, until they become\n    ripe for judgment; for they hardly ever repent, more than did Joab\n    and Shimei; they are ultimately suddenly broken, without any danger\n    to the church from their fall.\n\n    \u201cI perceive that the Scriptures make a difference between one that\n    falls into sin, and one wallowing in it; between one overtaken by a\n    party of marauders, and dragged into the camp, and made drunk at\n    supper, and one like Judas, going to the party, and being secretly\n    one of them, having pistols as they had: such are hypocrites.  I have\n    many times been the advocate of the fallen, and in a variety of\n    instances have observed this operating beneficially for the church.\n    Sometimes I have found those who had been spared upon their own\n    verbal contrition, blessing God for his long forbearance of them, and\n    also their spiritual brethren, who had in a manner set their bones;\n    as the Scripture hath it, \u2018Restore such an one in the spirit of\n    meekness.\u2019\n\n    \u201cWe should be careful that discretion and love be in exercise, though\n    in strife and contention it be not always an easy matter to do this.\n    When the beasts of dissension get loose from the caravan, Satan\n    sometimes drives them through the streets of Zion, that they may\n    enter the houses of the inhabitants; and like the lioness that\n    escaped from the keepers at Shrewsbury, and attacked the foremost\n    horse in the carriage; {53} so contentions frequently attack the\n    leaders, in order to stop the carriage of the ministry as it travels\n    on in the labors of the pulpit.  In the midst of the noise of strife,\n    the man of God must raise his voice to heaven for courage and\n    tenderness, so that the oil of Christ\u2019s love to the souls of men may\n    be found in the oil-flagon of reproof, which is poured on the head;\n    for if anger and revenge enter in, they will drop, like the spider in\n    Germany, into the pot, and that will prevent the salutary effect of\n    the oil, because the poison of wrath is mixed with it.  The\n    righteousness of God cannot be fulfilled in this manner in the\n    discipline.  O! brother, who is sufficient for these things, without\n    constant help from heaven?  How awful is this place!  This is the\n    house of God and the gate of heaven\u2014and here is a ladder by which we\n    may climb up for help; and a school in which we may learn how to\n    conduct ourselves in the house of God.\n\n    \u201cYou cannot but be conscious, brother, of the great difficulty there\n    is not to speak unadvisedly with our lips, as did Moses whilst\n    drawing water for the rebellious Israelites.  The rebellion of the\n    people had imbittered his spirit, so that his obduracy stood like a\n    cloud between the people and the tenderness of the Lord, when he was\n    showing mercy upon them by giving them water.  Moses upbraided their\n    rebellion instead of showing mercy, as the dispensation of God now\n    required; a dispensation which contained in it a secret intimation of\n    the great mercy to be shown by the death of Christ on the cross.\n    Their strife was the cause of imbittering the spirit of Moses, yet he\n    should have possessed his soul in patience.\n\n    \u201cThere are two things, brother, which you should observe: First, you\n    will be called upon to attend to causes of contention; and you will\n    find persons so hardened, that you will not be able to obtain weapons\n    in all the armory of God\u2019s word that will terrify them and make them\n    afraid of entering their old haunts.  Such are persons without faith,\n    and without the fear of God and the love of Christ influencing their\n    minds; and though you warn them of the consequences of their\n    contentions, that they are likely to deprive them of the privileges\n    of the house of God, and thus forfeit the promised land, yet they\n    stand unmoved, nothing terrified, for they value the flesh-pots of\n    Egypt and their livelihood there, more than the manna and the land of\n    promise.  You cannot frighten them by speaking of the danger and loss\n    of the immunities of the church below, or that above; Esau-like, they\n    will sell their birthright as Christian professors for a mess of\n    pottage.  A man who has no money is not afraid to meet with robbers\n    in the wood; but the individual that has gold to lose will be\n    cautious and watchful, lest he should be robbed of his property.  On\n    a night of great storm, when ships are broken to pieces and sinking,\n    a person who has no share in any of them will not tremble or feel any\n    concern on their account.  Thus there are some men concerning whom it\n    is impossible to make them dread going out among the rapacious beasts\n    of backslidings, and no storms can keep them in fear.  Their spirit\n    is one with the marauders, and they have no care, for they have\n    nothing to lose in the tempests that blow upon the cause of the\n    religion of Christ.  These are the tares, or the children of the\n    wicked one, in the church.\n\n    \u201cSecondly, for your own encouragement, brother, I remark that you\n    will have to attend to the exercise of discipline, and to treat with\n    persons that may be alarmed, and made to tremble at the word of God,\n    and not rush on presumptuously in their evil course.  These are\n    professors who possess white garments, and the gold of faith, and\n    eye-salve from the unction of the Holy One.  These individuals are\n    rich in faith.  They are afraid of revolutions and upsettings of the\n    constitutional order of the new covenant, for they have funds\n    invested in the stocks of God\u2019s kingdom.  They are afraid that any\n    storm or rock of offence should come in the way of the gospel ship,\n    for their treasure is on board of it, and they have an interest in\n    it.  They dread the thought of walking unwatchfully and licentiously,\n    lest they should be robbed of their riches, and forfeit the\n    fellowship of God in prayer, lose the light of his countenance, and\n    his peace in the means of grace, and lest they should be deprived of\n    their confidence in the merits of Christ and a good conscience.  They\n    have denied themselves, and have pulled out the right eye, lest they\n    should not be acceptable before God.  They dread harboring in their\n    bosoms the old guilt and former doubts.  They are cautious not to\n    give a night\u2019s lodging to such miscreants as anger, revenge, lust,\n    and things which are of the earth; for they know that these are\n    robbers, and if they have any indulgence they will steal away the\n    _title-deeds_ of assurance to the inheritance.  They are well aware,\n    also, that they will sustain the loss of a pure conscience, which has\n    been purged by the blood of Christ, and which, as a golden chest, is\n    a preserver of our confidence immovable unto the end.  It is\n    possible, brother, to manage and discipline such professors.  They\n    have something to lose, consequently they will not flee from their\n    refuge, lest they should be destroyed.  _Keep that which thou hast_.\n    David lost for a season the enjoyment of the above blessings; but he\n    was cleansed with hyssop, had his spirit renewed, and his riches were\n    restored to him by faith\u2019s view of the Messiah, for which he vowed to\n    sing aloud for ever and ever.  He prayed, after this, to be delivered\n    from presumptuous sins, lest he should be imprisoned a second time by\n    a party so wicked and detestable.  May the spiritual gift be kindled\n    in you, brother.  Grace be with you for ever and ever.\n\n                                                          \u201cAffectionately,\n                                                         \u201cCHRISTMAS EVANS.\n\n    \u201c_Caernarvon_, _August_ 5, 1836.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nTOUR THROUGH THE PRINCIPALITY.\n\n\nIn April, 1838, when Mr. Evans had been about four years in Caernarvon,\nthe church under his charge received notice to pay up the \u00a3300 yet due on\ntheir house of worship.  He took a tour through the principality, to\ncollect money for this purpose.  Before he set out, he wrote a circular\nto his brethren, which was published in the Welsh Magazine.  We make the\nfollowing extract:\u2014\n\n    \u201cThe term of the lease of life has expired in my case, even three\n    score and ten years, and I am very much afflicted.  I have purposed\n    to sacrifice myself to this object, though I am afraid I shall die in\n    the journey, and fear I shall not succeed in my errand for Christ.\n    We have no source to which we can now repair, but our own\n    denomination in Wales, and brethren and friends of other communities\n    that may sympathize with us.  O brethren, pray with me for protection\n    on the journey\u2014for strength and health this _once_, on occasion of my\n    bidding farewell to you all\u2014pray for the light of the Lord\u2019s\n    countenance upon me in preaching, pray for his own glory, and that\n    his key may open the hearts of the people to contribute towards his\n    cause in its present exigency.  O help us, brethren,\u2014when you see the\n    old brother, after having been fifty-three years in the ministry,\n    now, instead of being in the grave with his colleagues, or resting at\n    home with three of them who are yet alive\u2014brethren Lewis of\n    Llanwenarth, Davies of Velin Voel, and Thomas of Aberduar {56}\u2014when\n    you see him coming, with the furrows of death in his countenance, the\n    flowers of the grave on his head, and his whole constitution\n    gradually dissolving; having labored fifty years in the ministry in\n    the Baptist denomination.  He comes to you with hundreds of prayers\n    bubbling as it were from the fountain of his heart, and with a\n    mixture of fear and confidence.  O do not frown upon him!\u2014he is\n    afraid of your frowns.  Smile upon him by contributing cheerfully to\n    his cause this once for all.  If you frown upon me, ministers and\n    deacons, by intimating an _irregular case_, I am afraid I shall sink\n    into the grave before returning home.  This is my last sacrifice for\n    the Redeemer\u2019s cause.\u201d\n\nIn this journey, he was cordially received everywhere by the churches,\nand very successful in raising money.  At no former period of his life\nwas his popularity so great as now.  Wherever he preached, the place was\nthronged at an early hour; and frequently multitudes remained without,\nunable to obtain admittance.\n\n\n\nMONMOUTHSHIRE ASSOCIATION.\n\n\nDuring this tour, he attended the Monmouthshire Association, and preached\nhis last associational sermon.  In his introduction, he described a man\nwhom he had seen in Caernarvon, throwing a few beans to a herd of swine\nthat followed him, and thus enticing them to the door of the\nslaughter-house, where they were to be slain; and said that, in a similar\nmanner, with one temptation after another, Satan allures deluded sinners\nto the very gates of hell, where they are to be tormented for ever and\never.  He spoke of the gospel on the day of Pentecost, as a great\nelectrical machine; Christ turning the handle; Peter placing the chain in\ncontact with the people: and the Holy Ghost descending like a stream of\nethereal fire, and melting the hearts of three thousand at once!\n\nPerhaps no sermon that Mr. Evans ever preached evinced more vigor of\nintellect, more power and splendor of genius, than this; and seldom, if\never, had he a more perfect command over the feelings of an audience.\nBut the effort was too much for him, and he was afterward confined to his\nroom by illness for a week.\n\n\n\nLAST SERMON, SICKNESS, AND DEATH.\n\n\nFollowing this indefatigable man of God, we find him, on Sunday, the\nfifteenth of July, notwithstanding his late illness, at Swansea,\npreaching like a seraph, on the Prodigal Son in the morning, and in the\nevening on the words of St. Paul\u2014\u201cI am not ashamed of the gospel of\nChrist,\u201d &c.\n\nThe next evening he preached in the church at Mount Pleasant.  He said he\nhad taken his pulpit model from the day of Pentecost.  He described the\nevent of that memorable day, as a great naval battle between Emanuel and\nthe Prince of Darkness.  \u201cThe captain of our salvation\u201d sent out twelve\nlittle boats to engage the whole fleet of hell.  For a time all was\nenveloped in fire and smoke, and the issue of the day seemed doubtful;\nbut when the conflict ceased, and the cloud cleared away, it was\nascertained that the twelve little boats had captured three thousand of\nSatan\u2019s ships of war.\n\nWhen the preacher sat down, he said, \u201c_This is my last sermon_.\u201d  And so\nit was.  That night he was taken violently ill.  The next day he lay in a\npartial stupor, taking but little notice of his friends.  The third day\nhe seemed somewhat better.  On the morning of the fourth day, Thursday,\nhe arose and walked in the garden.  Toward evening he sunk again, and\ngrew worse during the night.  At two of the clock on Friday morning, he\nsaid to his friends:\u2014\u201cI am about to leave you.  I have labored in the\nsanctuary fifty-three years; and this is my comfort and confidence, that\nI have never labored without blood in the basin\u201d\u2014meaning, evidently, that\nhe had not failed to preach \u201cJesus Christ, and him crucified.\u201d  After a\nfew more remarks of a similar character, he repeated a Welsh stanza,\nexpressive of his firm trust in the Redeemer; and then, as if he had done\nwith earth, and desired to depart, exclaimed in English\u2014\u201cGOOD-BYE! DRIVE\nON!\u201d  He now turned over, and seemed to sleep.  His friends tried to\nrouse him.  It was too late.  The angelic postillion had obeyed the\norder.  The chariot had passed over the everlasting hills.\n\nThus died Christmas Evans, at the house of his friend, Rev. Daniel\nDavies, in Swansea, July 19th, 1838, in the 73d year of his age, and the\n54th of his ministry.  His life was blameless, and his end was peace.\n\u201cThis honor have all his saints!\u201d\n\n\n\nFUNEREAL SORROW.\n\n\nHis funeral took place four days after his death.  Never before was there\nsuch a funeral in Swansea, never such a concourse of mourners.  The\npeople came in crowds, and wept their way to the grave as if they had\nbeen following the bier of their father.  The melancholy tidings of his\ndeparture spread through the principality, and the fountains of sorrow\nwere everywhere unsealed.  In Anglesea, especially, the grief was deep\nand universal.  There he had spent more than half of his ministerial\nlife, and hundreds owned him as their father in Christ.  The Baptist\npulpits were all clothed in mourning, and funeral sermons were preached\nthroughout the principality.\n\n\n\n\nPORTRAITURE.\n\n\nPERSONAL APPEARANCE.\n\n\nMR. EVANS was a good-looking man, nearly six feet high, and well\nproportioned.  His intellectual faculties, phrenologically speaking, were\namply developed.  He had lost one of his eyes in his youth, but the other\nwas large and bright enough for two.  It had a peculiarly penetrating\nglance; and when kindling under the inspiration of the pulpit, added\nwonderfully to the effect of his eloquence.  All his features were\nexpressive of intelligence and love; his whole bearing, dignified and\nmajestic; and the blending of great and amiable qualities in his\ncharacter commanded at once the reverence and the confidence of all who\nknew him.\n\n\n\nMORAL AND CHRISTIAN CHARACTER.\n\n\nFrom the time of his conversion to the day of his death, Mr. Evans\nexhibited a consistent and exemplary piety.  Though he several times fell\ninto darkness and doubt, and lost a portion of his burning zeal, he never\nforfeited his place in the church, or tarnished his Christian name.  The\nuprightness of his deportment was acknowledged by all his neighbors; and\nthose of other denominations, differing widely from him in creed and\ncustom, always accorded to him the reputation of \u201ca holy man of God.\u201d\nBut his piety was never ostentatious or austere.  Modesty and humility\nwere among his most prominent qualities, and a high degree of Christian\ncheerfulness characterized his conversation.  However low, at times, his\nreligious enjoyment, he was always careful to walk with becoming\ncircumspection before the world, that the cause of Christ might suffer no\nreproach through his imprudence.\n\n\n\nSOCIAL DISPOSITION.\n\n\nMr. Evans was naturally of a quick and irritable temper; but Divine Grace\nsubdued his constitutional impetuosity, made him \u201cgentle toward all men,\u201d\nand clothed him with \u201cthe ornament of a meek and quiet spirit.\u201d  He was\neminently social in his feelings, and took great delight in the company\nof his friends.  It cost him no effort to render himself agreeable in any\nsociety.  In the cottage and the mansion he was equally at home, and the\nunlettered peasant and the erudite philosopher were equally interested by\nhis conversation.  He never had any children of his own, but was always\nremarkably fond of the children of others.  After discoursing for an hour\non the sublimest topics of the Christian faith, in a style befitting\ntheir importance, to the great delight, and often to the amazement of all\nwho heard him, he would descend to the relation of some pretty story, in\na manner so affectionate and familiar as at once to win the hearts and\nenlighten the minds of half a dozen bright-eyed little creatures, grouped\naround him like Peter Parley\u2019s scholars in the picture.\n\n\n\nREADING AND STUDY.\n\n\nMr. Evans was a great lover of books.  He seized and devoured with\navidity every interesting volume that fell in his way.  He never resorted\nto reading, however, as a mere pastime.  He sought for mental and\nspiritual treasures to enrich his sermons.  For this he beat the fields\nand dug the wells of knowledge.  Every thing was made subservient to his\nholy calling.  Every thing was pressed into his preparations for the\npulpit.  His authors were selected with prudent discrimination, and\nperused with earnest attention, indicating an intense desire to be\nthoroughly furnished for his work.  He studied what he read.  He was\nextensively acquainted with the best theological writers of the age, and\nquoted them frequently in his discourses.  But there is one volume to\nwhich he referred more frequently than to all the rest, \u201cthe book of\nbooks divine.\u201d  He was emphatically \u201ca man mighty in the Scriptures.\u201d\nFrom the word of God he derived the principal matter of his preaching.\nEven that lofty imagery which constituted the peculiar charm of his\nministry, was ordinarily but an amplification of scriptural tropes and\ndescriptions.  In theology, next to the Bible, Dr. Owen was his favorite\nauthor.  He paid considerable attention to Oriental manners and customs;\nwas well read in history, ancient and modern; and particularly fond of\ntracing the rise and fall of empires.\n\n\n\nDEVOTIONAL HABITS.\n\n\nMr. Evans was eminently a man of prayer.  Prayer was his daily bread, the\nvery breath of his spirit.  He considered himself entitled, through\nChrist, to all the blessings of the gospel, and came boldly to the throne\nof grace in every time of need.  During his whole ministerial life, much\nof his time was spent in the closet.  It was his custom for many years,\nto retire for devotion three times during the day, and rise regularly for\nthe same purpose at midnight.  The disorders of the church, the slanders\nof his enemies, and the various afflictions of life, all drove him to the\nmercy-seat, and made him peculiarly earnest and importunate in\nsupplication.  After these seasons of agony, he came into the church, or\nthe social circle, as an angel from the presence of God, and \u201call his\ngarments smelt of myrrh and aloes and cassia from the ivory palaces.\u201d\n\nHe never undertook a new enterprise, without first asking counsel of the\nLord.  When he had a call to another field of labor, he could not decide\nupon the matter till he had spread it repeatedly before the throne.  When\nhe was about to preach at an association, or on any important occasion,\nhe wrestled for hours with the angel of the covenant, nor relinquished\nhis hold till he felt himself \u201cendued with power from on high.\u201d  Then he\ncame forth to the congregation, as Moses from the Tabernacle, when he had\ncommuned with God.  Just before leaving home on his tour of collection\nfor the Caernarvon church, the last labor of his life, he penned in his\nbook of appointments the following paragraph:\u2014\n\n    \u201cO Lord, grant me my desire on this journey, for thy name\u2019s sake.  My\n    first petition;\u2014Comfort in Christ\u2014the comfort of love\u2014the bowels of\n    love and mercy in the denomination\u2014the fellowship of the\n    Spirit.\u2014Amen.  My second petition;\u2014That the sermons I have prepared\n    for this journey may increase in their ministration, like the five\n    loaves and two fishes.\u2014Amen.  C. E.\u201d\n\n\n\nCHRISTIAN BENEFICENCE.\n\n\nMr. Evans was a poor man, but \u201crich in good works.\u201d  Suffering poverty\nalways excited his pity, and opened his purse.  Wherever he beheld\ndistress, he was \u201cready to distribute, willing to communicate,\u201d according\nto the ability which God had given him.  His salary in Anglesea, for\ntwenty years, was only seventeen pounds per annum; and afterward, only\nthirty.  With so small an income, he could not be expected to bestow much\nupon the various objects of charity.  But he gave annually one pound to\nthe Bible Society, one pound to the Missionary Society, and ten shillings\nto the Baptist Education Society, besides contributing liberally to the\nrelief of the poor and the sick in his neighborhood.\n\nSometimes his liberality was larger than his purse.  Once, when a\nProtestant Irishman, poorly clad, told him that he spent much time in\nreading the Scriptures to his illiterate countrymen, he pulled off his\nown coat, and gave it to him.  At another time, he presented a poor Jew,\nwho had recently been converted to Christianity, a new suit of clothes,\nthe best he had in his wardrobe.  While in Anglesea, he visited a brother\nin the church, who had been reduced by protracted illness to a condition\nof great distress; and finding the family almost in a state of\nstarvation, emptied his pocket of the only pound he had.  His wife\nremonstrated with him, told him she had not bread enough in the house to\nlast twenty-four hours, and demanded what he would do now he had given\naway all his money.  His only answer was: \u201cJehovah-jireh; the Lord will\nprovide!\u201d  The next day he received a letter from England, enclosing two\npounds as a present.  As soon as he had read it, he called out to his\nwife;\u2014\u201cCatherine!  I told thee that Providence would return the\nalms-pound, for it was a loan to the Lord; and see, here it is, doubled\nin one day!\u201d  It is evident from this incident, that Mr. Evans\u2019\nliberality was the fruit of his faith in God; and the good man\u2019s\nconfidence is never put to shame.  \u201cThere is that scattereth, and yet\nincreaseth.\u201d\n\n\n\nSPIRIT OF FORGIVENESS.\n\n\n\u201cBe ye merciful, even as your Father who is in heaven is merciful.\u201d\nThere is no virtue more beautiful in its character, or more important to\nthe Christian, than that thus enjoined by the Son of God.  The spirit of\nforgiveness infinitely transcends all the effects of mere human\nphilosophy, and allies man to his Maker.  In this amiable quality,\nChristmas Evans was never wanting.  He took a thousand times more\npleasure in pardoning the offender, than the offender in asking his\npardon.  \u201cIt was only,\u201d says his Welsh biographer, \u201cfor the person who\nhad given offence to make some sort of acknowledgment, to say there had\nbeen a misunderstanding.  Mr. Evans would anticipate him with:\u2014\u2018O, say\nnothing about it! let it be buried! very likely I have been in fault\nmyself!\u2019\u201d  The spirit of Mr. Evans\u2019 diary everywhere corroborates this\ndescription of his character.  We extract a single paragraph:\u2014\n\n    \u201cI trust that by the grace of God, I have overcome my natural\n    disposition to anger and revenge.  I have been enabled to forgive my\n    greatest enemies, and pray that they may be forgiven of God.  I can\n    say from my heart, with Stephen; \u2018Lord, lay not this sin to their\n    charge!\u2019  I have no wish that any of them should suffer for their\n    attempts to injure me, but that they may all be led to repentance,\n    and settle their matters at the mercy-seat, where I hope also that\n    the multitude of my own trespasses will be covered and forgotten.\u201d\n\nHis mercy was as impartial as it was cordial.  He had held a controversy\nwith a minister of another sect, who, forgetting the rules of Christian\ncourtesy, treated him very unkindly before the public.  This minister was\nafterward arraigned and imprisoned on a very serious allegation.  If he\nhad been convicted, degradation from the ministry would have been the\nsmallest part of his punishment.  Mr. Evans, learning the fact, and\nbelieving the prosecution unjust and malicious, felt greatly distressed\nfor his polemical opponent.  On the day of trial, he retired to his room,\nand poured out his heart to God on his behalf, for a long time, and with\npeculiar fervor.  Then he waited with great anxiety for the issue.  As he\nsat at the table, with several friends and brethren, a minister, who had\nbeen at court, entered the room, and said; \u201cMr. \u2014 is acquitted!\u201d  Mr.\nEvans instantly fell upon his knees, with tears streaming down his face,\nand exclaimed:\u2014\u201cThanks be unto thee, O Lord Jesus! for delivering one of\nthy servants from the mouth of the lions!\u201d  He then arose, saluted his\nfriend, and joined in the mutual congratulations of the company.\n\n\n\nCATHOLIC GENEROSITY.\n\n\nThat Christmas Evans was no bigot, might be inferred from the above\nanecdote.  But we have other and ampler evidence of his Christian\ncatholicity.  He was a Baptist; and, with the rest of his brethren, a\nstrenuous advocate for exclusive immersion.  He was a Calvinist, and\nthought it very important to vindicate against Arminian views what are\nsometimes called \u201cthe doctrines of grace.\u201d  But he was also a Christian,\nand held all other Christians as brethren.  He did not repudiate the\nsincerely pious, because they could not say his \u201cShibboleth.\u201d  Kind,\ncandid, and ingenuous, he judged of things according to their real value\nand importance, and appreciated true talent and virtue wherever he found\nthem.  His creed was not; \u201cI am of Paul;\u201d nor, \u201cI am of Apollos;\u201d nor, \u201cI\nam of John the Baptist;\u201d but, \u201cWe are all of Christ!\u201d  He was not blinded\nby the senseless prejudice of sect.  He was influenced less by the\npeculiarities of his denomination than by the love of Christ.  Many of\nhis warmest friends were ministers of other orders; and of the Methodists\nand Congregationalists at Caernarvon, he made honorable mention in his\ndiary.\n\nThe most despicable reptile of the moral world is envy, the spirit that\nprompted revolt in heaven, and hurled archangels down to hell.  Yet it is\noften found among Christians; among the ministers of a religion whose\nvery principle is charity.  Some men, like king Saul, can never bear a\nrival.  If the thousands of Israel raise the voice and tune the lyre in\nhonor of some victorious David, the evil spirit comes upon them, and they\nlaunch their javelins at the young anointed, and seek \u201cto smite him even\nto the wall.\u201d  From such feelings Mr. Evans was always free.  His large\nheart was utterly incapable of anything of the kind.  He esteemed others\nbetter than himself, and in honor preferred his brethren.  Wherever he\ndiscovered talent and sanctified ambition in a young preacher, he never\nexerted an influence to hinder him, but heartily bade him God speed.  He\ndid not deem it necessary to smite him on the head with a cudgel to keep\nhim in his place.  He was not afraid that others would outshine him in\nthe pulpit.  He would gladly have taken his place at the feet of any of\nChrist\u2019s ambassadors.  He was willing to accord due praise to merit, not\nonly in the dead, but also in the living; not only in those of other\ncountries and other denominations, but also in those of his native\nprincipality and the Baptist church.  His immediate contemporaries and\nneighbors were often the subjects of his highest encomiums.  His heart\nwas as large as the world!\n\n\n\nINGENUOUSNESS AND HONESTY.\n\n\nA late American writer has said of insincerity, that it is the most\ndetestable of all vices for which men go unhung.  Yet it must be\nadmitted, there is no vice more prevalent, even among the professed\nfollowers of Him, \u201cwho knew no iniquity, neither was guile found in his\nlips.\u201d  The sentiment, that it is right to deceive for the good of the\nchurch, is not peculiar to the Papists.  Perhaps the enlightened\nProtestant can scarcely be found, who would verbally avow such a\ndoctrine; but it is often practically avowed, even by the messenger of\ntruth; and ecclesiastical elevation is sometimes attributable more to\ndishonesty than to real virtue or talent.\n\nChristmas Evans\u2019 popularity, however, could boast a better origin.  It\nwas the spontaneous fruit of his graces and his gifts.  He was never\nindebted to unfair and underhanded measures for his success.  His conduct\nwas always open and ingenuous.  Of deceit and secret design he was\nincapable.  He never attempted to build up his own church by proselyting\nthe converts of other churches.  In one instance, when a young man, who\nhad been educated for the ministry in the established church of England,\ncame to him, desiring baptism by immersion, instead of eagerly seizing\nupon so valuable an acquisition to the Baptists, as some doubtless would\nhave done, he endeavored to dissuade him from his purpose, and yielded at\nlength only to his fervent importunity.\n\nHe deemed the slightest departure from truth, in any instance, a crime,\nand a deep disgrace to the Christian character.  He was innocent and\nunsuspecting as a child.  His frank and confiding disposition was\nunquestionably the occasion of most of his heavy trials.  Jealous and\nmalicious men took advantage of his Christian simplicity, and made one of\nhis sweetest virtues a poison to his peace.\n\nHe once employed a person to sell a horse for him at a fair.  After some\ntime, he went out to see if he was likely to succeed.  There was a man\nbargaining for the animal, and the contract was nearly completed.\n\n\u201cIs this your horse, Mr. Evans?\u201d said the purchaser.\n\n\u201cCertainly it is,\u201d he replied.\n\n\u201cWhat is his age, sir?\u201d\n\n\u201cTwenty-three years.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut this man tells me he is only fifteen.\u201d\n\n\u201cHe is certainly twenty-three, for he has been with me these twenty\nyears, and he was three years old when I bought him.\u201d\n\n\u201cIs he safe-footed?\u201d\n\n\u201cVery far from that, I assure you, or I would not part with him, and he\nhas never been put in harness since I have had him either.\u201d\n\n\u201cPlease to go into the house, Mr. Evans,\u201d whispered the man whom he had\nemployed to make the sale, \u201cfor I shall never dispose of the horse while\nyou are present.\u201d\n\nThe frank manner, however, in which Mr. Evans told him all the truth,\ninduced the dealer to make the purchase at a very handsome price; while\nit procured for Mr. Evans a good name, which is better than gold.\n\n\n\nSARCASTIC REBUKES.\n\n\nIn conversation he was always careful of the feelings of others.  He\nwould never employ a sarcastic remark, but for the purpose of merited\nrebuke.  \u201cIt is better,\u201d said he, \u201cto keep sarcasms pocketed, if we\ncannot use them without wounding the feelings of a friend.\u201d  But he was\ncapable, when occasion required, of wielding this weapon with terrible\neffect.  Take the following instances:\u2014\n\nJust before his removal from Cardiff to Caernarvon, he was conversing on\nthe contemplated change in a circle of several ministers.  His labors had\nbeen solicited in two or three other places, and the company were\ncanvassing the comparative claims of the different churches.  A\nfeeble-minded young man present, who \u201cthought more highly of himself than\nhe ought to think,\u201d said:\u2014\u201cIt is my opinion, Father Evans, that you had\nbetter go to Caernarvon.  It is not likely your talents would suit either\nof the other places, but I think you might do very well at Caernarvon.\u201d\nMr. Evans opened his large eye upon the speaker, and replied;\u2014\u201cAnd hast\n_thou_ peeped?  When didst thou creep from the shell?\u201d\n\nOnce, two ministers, of different sects, were disputing in his presence\non what he deemed an unimportant matter of ecclesiastical discipline.\nOne of them asked:\u2014\u201cWhat say you, Mr. Evans?\u201d  Mr. Evans replied:\u2014\u201cI saw\ntwo boys quarrelling over two snails.  One of them insisted that his\nsnail was the better, because it had horns; while the other as\nstrenuously argued for the superiority of his, because it had none.  The\nboys were very angry and vociferous, but the two snails were friends.\u201d\nThe disputants burst into a hearty laugh, and the debate ended.\n\nA shallow atheist was ridiculing the idea of a God, because, as he\nalleged, he had no sensible evidence of his being.  Mr. Evans\nanswered:\u2014\u201cMy friend, the mole in the meadow has never seen a king; shall\nhe therefore say there is no king?  O thou atheistic mole! thou hast\nnever travelled out of thy own narrow field; and if thou hadst, thou hast\nno eyes to see with; and wilt thou dare to say there is no God?  Dost\nthou think all others as blind as thyself?  All that thou canst say is,\nthat thou dost not see God, and dost not wish to see him.  How dost thou\nknow that the being of a God is not so manifest on the other side of the\nriver of death, that no doubt is entertained concerning it throughout all\nthe expanse of eternity?  Can the earth-mole say there is no grand Lama\nin Thibet?  Poor worm! thou must travel through the gates of death, and\nfathom the bottomless pit, and measure the land of destruction, and scale\nthe very heaven of heavens, and surround all the borders of time and\neternity, before thou canst assure thyself there is no God!\u201d\n\n\n\nPULPIT TALENTS AND LABORS.\n\n\nAs a preacher, Mr. Evans was very peculiar.  No translation of his\nsermons can give the English reader an adequate idea of their force and\nbeauty in the original.\n\nHe was exceedingly methodical and perspicuous.  His arrangement was never\nloose and vague; his thoughts never confused and mingled together.  He\nwas a \u201cwise master-builder,\u201d who took care to lay a broad and firm\nfoundation, and then \u201cbuilt thereon gold, silver, and precious stones.\u201d\nThe several parts of his discourse bore a mutual relation of dependence,\nand each would have been incomplete without the others.  His order was so\nnatural, that it was very easy to follow him; and his manner so\nimpressive, that it was nearly impossible to forget him.\n\nHe never spoke on a subject that he did not understand.  Before entering\nthe pulpit, he invariably measured his text in all its extent, and\nconsidered it in every possible aspect.  \u201cHe had a wonderful method,\u201d\nsays one, \u201cof making the most abstruse passages appear easy and plain.\nHe interpreted scripture by scripture, and exhibited the component parts\nof his subject in a clear and beautiful manner, and illustrated them by\nthe most appropriate and striking metaphors; and forging link by link,\nunited them together, and bound the whole up in one glorious chain.  His\ntalents were such as to enable him to cast a ray of light upon the\ndarkest points of the Christian system.\u201d\n\nMr. Evans\u2019 descriptive powers were altogether unique.  He abounded in\nallegories of the most forcible character.  In this respect, he was\nequaled by none of his contemporaries; transcended by none of his\npredecessors.  Passages of this kind will be so frequently met with in\nthe following selection from his sermons, that it is not necessary to\npoint them out to the reader.\n\nHis happy art of description is attributable chiefly to a very remarkable\nimagination.  This is one of the primary qualities of an orator.  When it\nis lacking, no depth of learning, no graces of delivery, can compensate\nfor its lack.  True, argument is important.  There is no eloquence\nwithout argument.  Argument must constitute the bone and the sinew of\nevery good discourse.  But the bone and the sinew constitute only the\nskeleton.  Imagination must supply the muscle and the nerve.  Imagination\nmust clothe it with beauty, and inspire it with life; give expression to\nthe features, animation to the eye, and to the tongue motion and melody\narticulate.  Argument is the John Baptist of eloquence, after whom there\ncometh a mightier, baptizing with fire!\n\n\u201cLogic,\u201d says Carlyle, \u201cis good, but not the best.  The irrefragable\ndoctor, with his chain of inductions, his corollaries, dilemmas, and\nother cunning logical diagrams and apparatus, will cast you a beautiful\nhoroscope, and speak you reasonable things; nevertheless, the stolen\njewel which you wanted him to find you is not forthcoming.  Often, by\nsome winged word, winged as the thunderbolt is, of a Luther, Napoleon,\nGoethe, shall we see the difficulty split asunder, and its secret laid\nbare; while the irrefragable, with all his logical roots, hews at it, and\nhovers round it, and finds it on all sides too hard for him.\u201d\n\nMr. Evans had feeling as well as fancy.  This in a preacher is even more\nimportant than the other.  Here, we conceive, lies the principal\ndistinction between the orator and the poet.  Poetry is the language of\nfancy; eloquence, the language of feeling.  The preacher who operates\nonly on the judgment and the fancy may instruct and please, and thus\nprepare the way for persuasion.  Persuasion itself requires a warm and\nglowing heart.  Eloquence has been defined, \u201cthe power of imparting one\u2019s\nfeelings to others.\u201d  \u201cIf you want me to weep,\u201d said Horace, \u201cyou must\nweep yourself.\u201d  The preacher who is himself unmoved, will toil in vain\nto move his hearers.  His sermon may be as beautiful as the moon-beams on\nthe snow; but it will be as powerless and as cold.  As saith\nLonginus:\u2014\u201cThe orator must have a vehement and enthusiastic passion, a\ncertain madness, or divine phrensy, breathing into his thoughts, and\ninspiring his speech.\u201d  To use the language of another:\u2014\u201cTruth must be\nplanted in the hot-bed of feeling, if we would witness its flowery\ndevelopment, and enjoy its fruit.  The orator must be roused and inflamed\nby the majesty of his theme; not wrought up into an unmeaning fury, like\na tempest in a tea-pot; but influenced and agitated by solemn\nconsiderations of truth, duty, interest, and moral grandeur.\u201d\n\nIf this description of eloquence was ever realized in the pulpit, it was\nin the preaching of Christmas Evans.  He spoke what he felt, and because\nhe felt.  The fountain was in his own soul, and it flowed out upon his\naudience in streams of living water.  He was always full of his subject,\nand his ordinary manner was exceedingly ardent and pathetic.  Sometimes\nhe seemed quite overwhelmed with the magnitude and grandeur of his theme,\nand then he spoke with such impassioned earnestness as to storm the\nhearts of his hearers.  Thus inspired, it was scarcely possible that any\nman of ordinary sensibilities should be otherwise than eloquent.  But Mr.\nEvans\u2019 talents were of a superior order; and when kindling with the\nenthusiasm of his message, he became peculiarly energetic and impressive.\n\u201cHis words came out,\u201d as Longinus says, \u201cas if discharged from an\nengine,\u201d and their influence rested like a spell upon the ear and the\nheart.  He transported his hearers beyond the region of argument, and\nleaving all their cavils and prejudices immeasurably behind, rapt them\naway to the third heaven of ecstasy!\n\nThe secret of all this power is found in the preacher\u2019s piety.  He was a\nman of eminent faith and holiness.  The \u201cthings new and old\u201d for the\nedification of his hearers, he \u201cbrought forth out of the treasure of his\nown heart.\u201d  The love of God within him imparted to his preaching a\nwonderful unction.  His splendid mental creations were instinct with the\ninspiration of sanctified feeling.  This divine anointing often rendered\nhim superior to himself, clothed him with a superhuman energy, till he\nseemed a messenger from the other world.  The man was lost in his theme.\nArt was swallowed up in the whirlpool of excited feeling.  The audience\nwere swept irresistibly along by the current of the discourse;\nacknowledging, by tears and groans, the preacher\u2019s hold upon their\nhearts; and sometimes losing all self-control, and bursting into the most\nextravagant expressions of wonder and delight.  On this subject take the\nlanguage of one, who, from personal acquaintance with Mr. Evans, was\nqualified to form a correct estimate of his character as a Christian\nminister:\u2014\n\n    \u201cHe was also an experimental preacher.  That a preacher feel his\n    subject, constitutes one of his excellencies; but that his sermon be\n    deeply imbued with the spiritual experience of the preacher, is the\n    Crowning point of his excellency.  It is true, a person may speak\n    well of the distress of other people, but he will speak more\n    powerfully of his own distress.  Persons may expatiate very\n    eloquently on the pleasant fragrance of the herbs and flowers of\n    foreign lands, but those who have themselves participated in the\n    fragrant odors, in the soft breezes of those countries, can describe\n    them in an infinitely superior manner, and to much greater advantage.\n    Many may speak fluently of the mercies of God, in providence and\n    grace\u2014protecting, preserving, pardoning sinners, &c., but those who\n    have experienced a sense of the divine mercy in their own souls can\n    speak much better of it.  Mr. Evans had an experience of the things\n    of God.  Not only had he heard of Calvary, but in Calvary he lived;\n    not only had he heard of the bread of angels and of the corn of\n    heaven, but this bread and this corn were his daily food; not only\n    had he heard of the river of life, the streams whereof make glad the\n    city of our God, but the crystal waters of this river were his\n    constant drink; not only had he heard of the renewing influences of\n    the grace of God, but he himself had been made the subject of these\n    influences.  He had experienced the operations of the Spirit\n    renovating his own heart, and therefore he could speak of them, not\n    as a matter of hearsay, but with the apostle\u2014\u2018And what our hands have\n    handled of the Word of life, declare we unto you.\u2019\u201d {71}\n\nMr. Evans\u2019 preaching was highly evangelical.  \u201cJesus Christ and him\ncrucified,\u201d was the alpha and omega of his ministry.  The character of\nthe following sermons fully justifies that remarkable saying upon his\ndeath-bed: \u201cI have never labored without blood in the basin.\u201d  Every one\nof them is illustrative of some important point in the economy of\nsalvation.  Every one of them tends to humble the sinner, and exalt the\ngrace of God.  Every one of them abounds with lofty views of the Divine\nJustice and Mercy.\n\n\u201cIt is generally allowed,\u201d observes his friend, \u201cthat the people who are\ntrained by a minister, and moulded by his instructions, are a good\nevidence of the tendency of his doctrine and ministry.  In this view\nthen, it is observed, the church where he more statedly labored in\nAnglesea, and where the most of his care and efforts were bestowed, were\na people mighty in the Scriptures; that they would converse well and\nreadily on most of the doctrines of the Christian faith; that they\nlabored much to improve in knowledge, and were active in the cause of\nreligion.  These nearly all were Mr. Evans\u2019 own people; they were\nnurtured by him, and upon his ministerial food they grew to be men, and\nwere wholly according to the mold of his doctrine.  It has been remarked,\n\u2018that if volumes upon volumes were written upon the subject of the\ntendency of his ministry, it could never be exhibited to greater\nadvantage than has been done by himself, in those bright, clear, and\ngolden letters, which he has inscribed upon the people of his charge at\nLlangevni.\u2019\u201d\n\nThe following extracts from Mr. Evans contain his views of the\nevangelical over the legal style of preaching:\u2014\n\n    \u201cWhile a preacher inculcates duties in any way but with a view to the\n    promises of mercy, and of undeserved strength, he is more like to a\n    moral philosopher, than to the apostles and preachers that have been\n    a blessing unto men, such as Whitefield, and hundreds who have been\n    in a degree blessed in the same doctrine, and by the same Spirit.  It\n    is not in the duties we are to rest, but in Christ.  \u2018Blessed are the\n    dead which die in the Lord\u2014that they may rest from their labors, _and\n    their works follow them_.\u2019  It was not in reliance upon their works\n    they passed through the river of death, as if presumptuously on a\n    bundle of rushes, but their works will meet them in the judgment day;\n    to be weighed there in the balance of the faith and love of Christ;\n    and they will be there as witnesses on the part of the saints,\n    bearing testimony that the love of Christ constrained them to live to\n    him that died for them and was raised again.\u201d\n\nAgain:\u2014\n\n    \u201cBy endeavoring to avoid the bog, you sink in the quicksands\u2014while\n    you are hiding the system of grace, and casting it, as it were, into\n    the shade\u2014duties without faith are not acceptable, for \u2018Without faith\n    it is impossible to please God.\u2019  I compare you to a dry-goods\n    merchant, who should hang up a piece of white cloth over the shelves\n    of his store, where the cloths, fine linen, silks, &c., are kept, and\n    thus hiding every article in his store, without exposing any thing to\n    the view of his customers, yet he would stand at the counter, and\n    address them in the language of surprise, Why do you not buy here,\n    for I know you have wherewith?  So some preach, standing like the\n    store-keeper at the counter, saying, while the doctrine of grace is\n    kept put of sight, Why do you not buy here? for we know that you have\n    the money of ability; but you spend your money in the shops of the\n    lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eye, and the pride of life.  But\n    they reply, What shall we buy, sir? you tell us that there is\n    salvation in your store\u2014and fine linen wrought out from Bethlehem to\n    Calvary, and white raiment; gold and pearls, and food and drink\n    indeed; but you hide them under the vail: bring them to the counter,\n    and open them before us; show us, carefully and plainly, whence this\n    salvation proceeds, and by what means it has been procured;\u2014has it\n    been expensive to some one, seeing it is free for us?\u201d\n\nOnce more:\u2014\n\n    \u201cI compare such preachers to a miner, who should go to the quarry\n    where he raised the ore, and taking his sledge in his hand, should\n    endeavor to form bars of iron of the ore in its rough state, without\n    a furnace to melt it, or a rolling-mill to roll it out, or molds to\n    cast the metal, and conform the casts to their patterns.  The gospel\n    is like a form or mold, and sinners are to be melted, as it were, and\n    cast into it.  \u2018But ye have obeyed from the heart that form of\n    doctrine which was delivered you,\u2019 {73} or into which you were\n    delivered, as is the marginal reading, so that your hearts ran into\n    the mold.  Evangelical preachers have, in the name of Christ, a mold\n    or form to cast the minds of men into; as Solomon, the vessels of the\n    temple.  The Sadducees and Pharisees had their forms, and legal\n    preachers have their forms; but evangelical preachers should bring\n    with them the \u2018form of sound words,\u2019 so that, if the hearers believe,\n    or are melted into it, Christ may be formed in their hearts\u2014then they\n    will be as born of the truth, and the image of the truth will appear\n    in their sentiments and experience, and in their conduct in the\n    church, in the family, and in the neighborhood.  Preachers without\n    the mold, are all those who do not preach all the points of the\n    gospel of the grace of God.\u201d\n\nChristmas Evans was in labors more abundant than any of his Welsh\ncontemporaries.  We have stated in the memoir, that while in Anglesea, he\nfrequently preached five times a day, and walked twenty miles.  During\nhis ministry, he made forty journeys from North to South Wales, and\npreached one hundred and sixty-three associational sermons.  It is\nwonderful that his extensive travels and arduous labors did not hurry him\nto the grave before he had lived out half his days.  But he had a firm\nand vigorous constitution; and having borne the burden and the heat of\nthe day, the Master sustained him in the vineyard till the setting of the\nsun.\n\nAnd his labors were as successful as they were extensive.  \u201cThe sound of\nheaven,\u201d remarks his friend \u201cwas to be heard in his sermons.  He studied\nhis discourses well; he \u2018sought to find out acceptable words, even words\nof truth;\u2019 and the Holy Ghost attended his ministry in an extraordinary\nmanner.\u201d\n\nFew men of modern times have had a more numerous spiritual family than\nhe.  Wherever he went, throughout all Wales, multitudes claimed him as\ntheir father in Christ.  \u201cIn his day the Baptist associations acquired\ntheir great popularity, and in his day arose a number of the most\nrespectable ministers ever known in the principality.\u201d  Some of them were\nhis own converts, and many of them had their talents inspired and their\nzeal inflamed under his powerful ministry.  \u201cLife and evangelical savor,\u201d\nsaid one of them, \u201cattend Christmas Evans, wherever he is.\u201d  \u201cNone of\nus,\u201d said another, \u201cunderstand and comprehend the full extent of his\nusefulness.\u201d  The celebrated Robert Hall mentioned his talents in terms\nof high commendation, and ranked him among the first men of his age.  A\nCongregational clergyman, who was well acquainted with him, speaks of him\nas follows:\u2014\n\n    \u201cHe is a connecting link between the beginning and the ending of this\n    century. {74}  He has the light, the talent, and the taste of the\n    beginning, and has received every new light that has appeared since.\n    He was enabled to accompany the career of religious knowledge in the\n    morning, and also to follow its rapid strides in the evening.  In\n    this he is unlike every other preacher of the day: the morning and\n    evening light of this wonderful century meet in him.  He had strength\n    to climb up to the top of Carmel in the morning, and remain there\n    during the heat of the day, and see the fire consuming the sacrifice\n    and licking up the water; his strength continued, by the hand of the\n    Lord, so that he could descend from the mount in the evening, and run\n    without fainting before the king\u2019s chariot to Jezreel.\u201d\n\nWe conclude this brief and somewhat imperfect portraiture with the\nfollowing characteristic paragraph from the pen of Mr. Evans,\nillustrative of his views, not only of the right kind of pulpit\nministration, but also of the injurious influence and tendency of the\nprincipal theological controversies which during his day agitated the\nBaptist churches in the principality of Wales:\u2014\n\n    \u201cI consider that a remarkable day has begun upon Wales.  The dawn of\n    this day was with Vavasor Powell and Walter Caradork; the former\n    amongst the Baptists and the latter amongst the Independents\n    (Congregationalists).  Several churches were gathered in both\n    denominations in the twilight of morning.  But when Rowlands and\n    Harris rose\u2014it was the sunrising of this revival day.  Mr. Jones, of\n    Pontypool, was one of the sons of the sunrising.  About ten or eleven\n    o\u2019clock, a host of Baptists, Calvinistic Methodists, and\n    Congregationalists, arose; and among this class I had the honor of\n    entering the field.  The day was warm\u2014the sermons and prayers were\n    short, and the doctrine was evangelical.  But I have reached the\n    evening, and the day is greatly cooled.  Power, tenderness, and the\n    cross of Christ, marked the sermons in the morning; but length and\n    tediousness are the distinguishing features of the prayers and\n    sermons in the evening.  It was too warm to preach two hours in the\n    heat of the day.  It appears, also, that talents are become much\n    weaker and more effeminate as the evening spreads its shades.  Beyond\n    a doubt, the preaching of intricate points\u2014something like questions\n    concerning the law, and endless genealogies, have been the means of\n    cooling the work and the workmen in the evening of the day.  They\n    will now lift up their heads and talk to every traveller that passes\n    the field; and towards Merionethshire, they will inquire, \u2018Dost thou\n    know any thing about Sandemanianism?\u2019 and in other districts they\n    will ask, \u2018Dost thou know something about Williamsism {75} and\n    Fullerism?\u2019 and in consequence you may see young doctors many,\n    springing up, talking like learned Lilliputians.  \u2018Some say that\n    Christ died for all, and others that it was for his church he died;\n    but the truth is this,\u2019 said the Lilliputians: \u2018he did not die for\n    any man, _but for the sin of all men_.\u2019  I was there also on the\n    great platform of this period, but I dared not condemn all systems by\n    a sweeping sentence of infallibility, and take the bagpipe under my\n    arm, as some were disposed to do, and cry down every new voice\n    without proving it.  \u2018Prove all things.\u2019\u201d\n\n\n\n\nSERMONS OF CHRISTMAS EVANS.\nA New translation from the Welsh.\nINTRODUCTION.\n\n\nIN presenting to the public a selection from the sermons of Christmas\nEvans, we find ourselves embarrassed by two circumstances:\n\nFirst.\u2014It is impossible to exhibit on paper the peculiarly forcible\nelocution of the author.  Some of the most effective discourses ever\ndelivered seem comparatively powerless when perused afterward in private.\nThis observation is verified in the case of the two most remarkable\npulpit orators of modern times, George Whitefield and John Summerfield.\nTheir spoken eloquence was like the breathings of the seraphim, but their\nprinted sermons are of no very extraordinary character.  Like them, Mr.\nEvans was much indebted, for his success, to a very popular and powerful\ndelivery.  His appearance in the pulpit was fine and commanding; his\nvoice, one of unrivalled compass and melody; his gesticulation, always\neasy, appropriate, and forcible; and when he warmed under the inspiration\nof his theme, his large bright eye shot fire through the assembly.  But\nthe sermons are now divested of all these auxiliary accompaniments; and\nwithout the prophet before us, we may wonder at the effects attributed to\nhis message.  The following selections will give the reader at least a\ntolerable idea of Mr. Evans\u2019 modes of thought and illustration; but if he\nwould have any adequate conception of the splendid phantasmagora in\nprocess of exhibition, he must imagine the burning lamp within the\nscenes.\n\nBut the greater difficulty is the impossibility of a perfect translation.\nGenius is proverbially eccentric.  Mr. Evans\u2019 style is altogether unique.\nThe structure of his sentences is very original.  None of his countrymen\napproximated his peculiar mode of expression.  It would be exceedingly\ndifficult for any man, however well qualified to translate other Welsh\nauthors, to render him into English, with the preservation, everywhere,\nof his spirit.  The writer at first thought of publishing a selection\nfrom his sermons as translated by J. Davis; but upon examination, that\ntranslation was found so faulty, that it was deemed expedient, if\npossible, to produce a new.  In pursuance of this purpose he obtained the\naid of a friend, whose excellent literary taste, and accurate\nacquaintance with both languages, constitute a sufficient guarantee for\nthe general correctness of the following translation.  It lays no claim\nto perfection, though it is at least free from the most obvious and\nglaring faults of Mr. Davis\u2019 version.  Some of the nicest shades of\nthought are inevitably lost, and many of the startling metaphors and\nsplendid allegories have doubtless suffered some diminution of their\noriginal force and beauty; but the writer trusts that enough of the\nauthor\u2019s spirit is retained to furnish a pretty correct idea of his\ntalents, and render the book acceptable to the reader.\n\nWith these apologetic remarks, we commit the sermons of Christmas Evans\nto the press; praying that they may be accompanied with something of the\nsame Divine unction, as when, in their original delivery by the author,\nthey \u201cset the land of Cambria on fire.\u2019\u201d\n\n                                                             JOSEPH CROSS.\n\n_Philadelphia_, May 30, 1846.\n\n\n\nSERMON I.\nTHE TIME OF REFORMATION.\n\n\n               \u201c_Until the time of reformation_.\u201d\u2014Heb. ix. 10.\n\nTHE ceremonies pertaining to the service of God under the Sinaic\ndispensation were entirely typical in their character; mere figures of\nChrist, the \u201cHigh-priest of good things to come, by a greater and more\nperfect tabernacle, not made with hands;\u201d who, \u201cnot by the blood of goats\nand calves, but by his own blood, has entered once into the holy place,\nhaving obtained eternal redemption for us.\u201d  Sustaining such a relation\nto other ages and events, they were necessarily imperfect, consisting\n\u201conly in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances,\u201d\nnot intended for perpetual observance, but imposed upon the Jewish people\nmerely \u201cuntil the time of reformation,\u201d when the shadow should give place\nto the substance, and a Greater than Moses should \u201cmake all things new.\u201d\nLet us notice the time of reformation, and the reformation itself.\n\nI.  Time may be divided into three parts; the Golden Age before the fall,\nthe Iron Age after the fall, and the Messiah\u2019s Age of Jubilee.\n\nIn the Golden Age, the heavens and the earth were created; the garden of\nEden was planted; man was made in the image of God, and placed in the\ngarden to dress and to keep it; matrimony was instituted; and God,\nresting from his labor, sanctified the Seventh Day, as a day of holy rest\nto man.\n\nThe Iron Age was introduced by the temptation of a foreigner, who\nobtruded himself into Paradise, and persuaded its happy denizens to cast\noff the golden yoke of obedience and love to God.  Man, desiring\nindependence, became a rebel against Heaven, a miserable captive of sin\nand Satan, obnoxious to the Divine displeasure, and exposed to eternal\ndeath.  The law was violated; the image of God was lost, and the enemy\ncame in like a flood.  All communication between the island of time and\nthe continent of immortality was cut off, and the unhappy exiles saw no\nhope of crossing the ocean that intervened.\n\nThe Messiah\u2019s Age may be divided into three parts; the time of\nPreparation, the time of Actual War, and the time of Victory and Triumph.\n\nThe Preparation began with the dawning of the day in Eden, when Messiah\ncame in the ship of the Promise, and landed on the island of Time, and\nnotified its inhabitants of his gracious intention to visit them again,\nand assume their nature, and live and die among them; to break their\ncovenant allegiance to the prince of the iron yoke; and deliver to them\nthe charter, signed and sealed with his own blood, for the redemption and\nrenovation of their island, and the restoration of its suspended\nintercourse with the land of Eternal Life.  The motto inscribed upon the\nbanners of this age was,\u2014\u201cHe shall bruise thy heel, and thou shalt bruise\nhis head.\u201d  Here Jehovah thundered forth his hatred of sin from the thick\ndarkness, and wrote his curse in fire upon the face of heaven; while\nrivers of sacrificial blood proclaimed the miserable state of man, and\nhis need of a costlier atonement than mere humanity could offer.  Here\nalso the spirit of Messiah fell upon the prophets, leading them to search\ndiligently for the way of deliverance, and enabling them to \u201ctestify\nbeforehand of the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should\nfollow.\u201d\n\nThen came the season of Actual War.  \u201cMessiah the Prince\u201d was born in\nBethlehem, wrapped in swaddling-bands, and laid in a manger.  The Great\nDeliverer was \u201cmade of a woman, made under the law, to redeem those that\nwere under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.\u201d  With an\nalmighty hand, he laid hold on the works of the devil, unlocked the iron\nfurnace, and broke the brazen bands asunder.  He opened his mouth, and\nthe deaf heard, the blind saw, the dumb spake, the lame walked, and the\nlepers were cleansed.  In the house of Jairus, in the street of Nain, and\nin the burial-ground of Bethany, his word was mightier than death; and\nthe damsel on her bed, the young man on his bier, and Lazarus in his\ntomb, rising to second life, were but the earnests of his future triumph.\nThe diseases of sin he healed, the iron chains of guilt he shattered, and\nall the horrible caves of human corruption and misery were opened by the\nHeavenly Warrior.  He took our yoke, and bore it away upon his own\nshoulder, and cast it broken into the bottomless pit.  He felt in his\nhands and his feet the nails, and in his side the spear.  The iron\nentered into his soul, but the corrosive power of his blood destroyed it,\nand shall ultimately eat away all the iron in the kingdom of death.\nBehold him hanging on Calvary, nailing upon his cross three bills; the\nhandwriting of the law which was against us, the oath of our allegiance\nto the prince of darkness, and the charter of the \u201ceverlasting covenant;\u201d\nfulfilling the first, breaking the second, and sealing the third with his\nblood!\n\nNow begins the scene of Victory and Triumph.  On the morning of the third\nday, the Conqueror is seen \u201ccoming from Edom, with dyed garments from\nBozrah.\u201d  He has \u201ctrodden the wine-press alone.\u201d  By the might of his\nsingle arm, he has routed the hosts of hell, and spoiled the dominions of\ndeath.  The iron castle of the foe is demolished, and the hero returns\nfrom the war, \u201cglorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of\nhis strength.\u201d  He enters the gates of the everlasting city, amid the\nrejoicing of angels, and the shouts of his redeemed.  And still he rides\nforth in the chariot of his grace, \u201cconquering, and to conquer.\u201d  A\ntwo-edged sword issues from his mouth, and in his train follow the\nvictorious armies of heaven.  Lo! before him fall the altars of idols,\nand the temples of devils; and the slaves of sin are becoming the\nservants and sons of the living God; and the proud skeptic beholds,\nwonders, believes, and adores; and the blasphemer begins to pray, and the\npersecutor is melted into penitence and love, and the wolf comes and lays\nhim down gently by the side of the Iamb.  And Messiah shall never quit\nthe field, till he has completed the conquest, and swallowed up death in\nvictory.  In his \u201cvesture dipped in blood,\u201d he shall pursue the armies of\nGog and Magog on the field of Armageddon, and break the iron teeth of the\nbeast of power, and cast down Babylon as a millstone into the sea, and\nbind the old serpent in the lake of fire and brimstone, and raise up to\nlife immortal the tenants of the grave.  Then shall the New Jerusalem,\nthe metropolis of Messiah\u2019s golden empire, descend from heaven, adorned\nwith all the jewelry of creation, guarded at every gate by angelic\nsentinels, and enlightened by the glory of God and of the Lamb; and the\nfaithful shall dwell within its walls, and sin, and sorrow, and death,\nshall be shut out for ever!\n\nThen shall time be swallowed up in eternity.  The righteous shall inherit\nlife everlasting, and the ungodly shall find their portion in the second\ndeath.  Time is the age of the visible world; eternity is the age of the\ninvisible God.  All things in time are changeful; all things in eternity\nare immutable.  If you pass from time to eternity, without faith in\nChrist, without love to God, an enemy to prayer, an enemy to holiness,\n\u201cunpurged and unforgiven,\u201d so you must ever remain.  Now is the season of\nthat blessed change, for which myriads shall sing everlasting anthems of\npraise.  \u201cTo-day, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.\u201d\nTo-day the office is open; if you have any business with the Governor,\nmake no delay.  Now he has time to talk with the woman of Samaria by the\nwell, and the penitent thief upon the cross.  Now he is ready to forgive\nyour sins, and renew your souls, and make you meet to become partakers of\nthe inheritance of the saints in light.  Now he waits to wash the filthy,\nand feed the hungry, and clothe the naked, and raise the humble, and\nquicken the spiritually dead, and enrich the poor and wretched, and\nreconcile enemies by his blood.  He came to unloose your bands, and open\nto you the gates of Eden; condemned for your acquittal, and slain for the\nrecovery of your forfeited immortality.  The design of all the traveling\nfrom heaven to earth, and from earth to heaven, is the salvation of that\nwhich was lost, the restoration of intercourse and amity between the\nMaker and the worm.  This is the chief of the ways of God to man, ancient\nin its origin, wise in its contrivance, dear in its accomplishment,\npowerful in its application, gracious in its influence, and everlasting\nin its results.  Christ is riding in his chariot of salvation, through\nthe land of destruction and death, clothed in the majesty of mercy, and\noffering eternal life to all who will believe.  O captives of evil! now\nis the accepted time; now is the day of salvation; now is the year of\njubilee; now is the age of deliverance; now is \u201cthe time of reformation!\u201d\n\nII.  All the prophets speak of something within the veil, to be\nmanifested in due time; the advent of a Divine agent in a future age, to\naccomplish a glorious \u201creformation.\u201d  They represent him as a prince; a\nhero; a high-priest; a branch growing out of dry ground; a child toying\nwith the asp and the lion, and leading the wolf and the lamb together.\nThe bill of the reformation had been repeatedly read by the prophets, but\nits passage required the descent of the Lord from heaven.  None but\nhimself could effect the change of the dispensation.  None but himself\nhad the authority and the power to remove the first, and establish the\nsecond.  He whose voice once shook the earth, speaks again, and heaven is\nshaken.  He whose footsteps once kindled Sinai into flame, descends\nagain, and Calvary is red with blood.  The God of the ancient covenant\nintroduces a new, which is to abide for ever.  The Lord of the temple\nalone could change the furniture and the service from the original\npattern shown to Moses in the mount; and six days before the rending of\nthe veil, significant of the abrogation of the old ceremonial, Moses came\ndown upon a mountain in Palestine to deliver up the pattern to him of\nwhom he had received it on Sinai, that he might nail it to his cross on\nCalvary; for the \u201cgifts and sacrifices\u201d belonging to the legal\ndispensation \u201ccould not make him that did the service perfect, as\npertaining to the conscience; which stood only in meats, and drinks, and\ndivers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of\nreformation.\u201d\n\nThis reformation signifieth \u201cthe removal of those things that are shaken,\nas of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may\nremain;\u201d the abrogation of \u201ccarnal ordinances,\u201d which were local and\ntemporal in their nature, to make room for a spiritual worship, of\nuniversal and perpetual adaptation.  Henceforth the blood of bulls and\ngoats is superseded by the great reconciling sacrifice of the Lamb of\nGod, and outward forms and ceremonies give place to the inward operations\nof a renovating and purifying Spirit.\n\nTo the Jewish church, the covenant of Sinai was a sort of starry heaven.\nThe Shekinah was its sun; the holy festivals, its moon; and prophets,\npriests, and kings, its stars.  But Messiah, when he came, shook them all\nfrom their spheres, and filled the firmament himself.  He is our \u201cBright\nand Morning Star;\u201d the \u201cSun of Righteousness,\u201d rising upon us \u201cwith\nhealing in his wings.\u201d\n\nThe old covenant was an accuser and a judge, but offered no pardon to the\nguilty.  It revealed the corruption of the natural heart, but provided no\nrenovating and sanctifying grace.  It was a national institution, for the\nspecial benefit of the seed of Abraham.  It was a small vessel, trading\nonly with the land of Canaan.  It secured to a few the temporal blessings\nof the promised possession, but never delivered a single soul from\neternal death; never bore a single soul over to the heavenly inheritance.\nBut the new covenant is a covenant of grace and mercy, proffering\nforgiveness and a clean heart, not on the ground of any carnal\nrelationship, but solely through faith in Jesus Christ.  Christianity is\na personal concern between each man and his God, and none but the\npenitent believer has any right to its spiritual privileges.  It is\nadapted to Gentiles as well as Jews, \u201ceven as many as the Lord our God\nshall call.\u201d  Already has it rescued myriads from the bondage of sin, and\nconveyed them over to the land of immortality; and its voyages of grace\nshall continue to the end of time, \u201cbringing many sons to glory.\u201d\n\n\u201cOld things are passed away, and all things are become new.\u201d  The\ncircumcision of the flesh, made with hands, has given place to the\ncircumcision of the heart by the Holy Ghost.  The Shekinah has departed\nfrom Mount Zion, but its glory is illuminating the world.  The sword of\nJoshua is returned to its scabbard; and \u201cthe sword of the Spirit, which\nis the word of God,\u201d issues from the mouth of Messiah, and subdues the\npeople under him.  The glorious High-priesthood of Christ has superseded\nthe sacerdotal office among men.  Aaron was removed from the altar by\ndeath before his work was finished; but our High-priest still wears his\nsacrificial vestments, and death has established him before the\nmercy-seat, \u201ca priest for ever, after the order of Melchisedec.\u201d  The\nearthquake which shook mount Calvary, and rent the veil of the temple,\ndemolished \u201cthe middle wall of partition\u201d between Jews and Gentiles.  The\nincense which Jesus offered fills the temple, and the land of Judea\ncannot confine its fragrance.  The fountain which burst forth in\nJerusalem, has sent out its living streams into every land; and the heat\nof summer cannot dry them up, nor the frosts of winter congeal.\n\nIn short, all the vessels of the sanctuary are taken away by the Lord of\nthe temple.  The \u201ctwelve oxen,\u201d bearing the \u201cmolten sea,\u201d have given\nplace to \u201cthe twelve apostles of the Lamb,\u201d proclaiming \u201cthe washing of\nregeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost.\u201d  The sprinkled mercy-seat,\nwith its overshadowing and intensely-gazing cherubim, has given place to\n\u201cthe throne of grace,\u201d stained with the blood of a costlier sacrifice,\ninto which the angels desire to look.  The priest, the altar, the\nburnt-offering, the table of shew-bread, and the golden candlestick, have\ngiven place to the better things of the new dispensation introduced by\nthe Son of God, of which they were only the figures and the types.\nBehold, the glory is gone up from the temple, and rests upon Jesus on\nmount Tabor; and Moses and Elias are there, with Peter, and James, and\nJohn; and the representatives of the old covenant are communing with the\napostles of the new, and the transfigured Christ is the medium of the\ncommunication; and a voice of majestic music, issuing from \u201cthe excellent\nglory,\u201d proclaims\u2014\u201cThis is my beloved Son; hear ye him!\u201d\n\n\u201cGod, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake unto our fathers by\nthe prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son.\u201d  Behold\nhim nailed to the cross, and hear him cry\u2014\u201cIt is finished!\u201d  The voice\nwhich shook Sinai is shaking Calvary.  Heaven and hell are in conflict,\nand earth trembles at the shock of battle.  The Prince of Life expires,\nand the sun puts on his robes of mourning.  Gabriel! descend from heaven,\nand explain to us the wondrous emblem!  As set the sun at noon on\nGolgotha, making preternatural night throughout the land of Palestine; so\nshall the empire of sin and death be darkened, and their light shall be\nquenched at meridian.  As the Sun of Righteousness, rising from the night\nof the grave on the third morning, brings life and immortality to light;\nso shall \u201cthe day-spring from on high\u201d yet dawn upon our gloomy vale, and\n\u201cthe power of his resurrection\u201d shall reanimate the dust of every\ncemetery!\n\nHe that sitteth upon the throne hath spoken\u2014\u201cBehold, I make all things\nnew!\u201d  The reformation includes not only the abrogation of the old, but\nalso the introduction of the new.  It gives us a new Mediator, a new\ncovenant of grace, a new way of salvation, a new heart of flesh, a new\nheaven and a new earth.  It has established a new union, by a new medium,\nbetween God and man.  \u201cThe Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we\nbeheld his glory, the glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father, full\nof grace and truth.\u201d  \u201cForasmuch as the children were partakers of flesh\nand blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same.\u201d  \u201cGod was\nmanifest in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen of angels, preached\nunto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.\u201d\nHere was a new thing under the sun; the \u201cSon of man\u201d bearing the \u201cexpress\nimage\u201d of the living God; bearing it untarnished through the world;\nthrough the temptations and sorrows of such a wilderness as humanity\nnever trod before; through the unknown agony of Olivet, and the\nsupernatural gloom of Golgotha, and the dark dominion of the king of\nterrors; to the heaven of heavens; where he sits, the adorable\nrepresentative of two worlds, the union of God and man!  Thence he sends\nforth the Holy Spirit, to collect \u201cthe travail of his soul,\u201d and lead\nthem into all truth, and bring them to Zion with songs of everlasting\njoy.  See them, the redeemed of the Lord, flocking, as returning doves\nupon the wing, \u201cto the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God;\nand to the spirits of just men made perfect; and to an innumerable\ncompany of angels; and to Jesus, the Mediator of the new covenant; and to\nthe blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel!\u201d\n\nO, join the joyful multitude!  The year of jubilee is come.  The veil is\nrent asunder.  The way into the holiest is laid open.  The blood of Jesus\nis on the mercy-seat.  The Lamb newly slain is in the midst of the\nthrone.  Go ye with boldness into his gracious presence.  Lo, the King is\nyour brother, and for you has he stained his robe with blood!  That robe\nalone can clothe your naked souls, and shield them in the day of burning.\nAwake! awake! put on the Lord Jesus Christ!  The covenant of Sinai cannot\nsave you from wrath.  Descent from Abraham cannot entitle you to the\nkingdom of heaven.  \u201cYe must be born again;\u201d \u201cborn, not of the flesh, nor\nof the will of men, but of God.\u201d  You must have a new heart, and become a\nnew creation in Christ Jesus.  This is the promise of the Father.\n\n    \u201cThis is the dear redeeming grace,\n    For every sinner free!\u201d\n\nMany reformations have expired with the reformers.  But our Great\nReformer \u201cever liveth\u201d to carry on his reformation, till his enemies\nbecome his footstool, and death and hell are cast into the lake of fire.\nHe will finish the building of his church.  When he laid the \u201cchief\ncorner-stone\u201d on Calvary, the shock jarred the earth, and awoke the dead,\nand shook the nether world with terror; but when he shall bring forth the\ntop stone with shoutings of \u201cgrace!\u201d the dominion of Death and Hades\nshall perish, and the last captive shall escape, and the song of the\nbursting sepulchre shall be sweeter than the chorus of the morning stars!\nEven now, there are new things in heaven; the Lamb from the slaughter,\nalive \u201cin the midst of the throne;\u201d worshipped by innumerable seraphim\nand cherubim, and adored by the redeemed from earth; his name the wonder\nof angels, the terror of devils, and the hope of men; his praise the \u201cnew\nsong,\u201d which shall constitute the employment of eternity!\n\n\n\nSERMON II.\nTHE TRIUMPH OF CALVARY\n\n\n    \u201c_Who is this that cometh from Edom_, _with dyed garments from\n    Bozrah_? _this that is glorious in his apparel_, _travelling in the\n    greatness of his strength_?  _I that speak in righteousness_, _mighty\n    to save.  Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel_, _and thy garments\n    like him that treadeth in the winefat_?  _I have trodden the\n    winepress alone_; _and of the people there was none with me_: _for I\n    will tread them in mine anger_, _and trample them in my fury_; _and\n    their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments_, _and I will stain\n    all my raiment_.  _For the day of vengeance is in mine heart_, _and\n    the year of my redeemed is come_.  _And I looked_, _and there was\n    none to help_; _and I wondered that there was none to uphold_:\n    _therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me_: _and my fury_,\n    _it upheld me.  And I will tread down the people in mine anger_, _and\n    make them drunk in my fury_, _and I will bring down their strength to\n    the earth_.\u201d\u2014Isaiah lxiii. 1\u20136.\n\nTHIS passage is one of the sublimest in the Bible.  Not more majestic and\noverwhelming is the voice of God issuing from the burning bush.  It\nrepresents \u201cthe Captain of our salvation,\u201d left alone in the heat of\nbattle, marching victoriously through the broken columns of the foe,\nbursting the bars asunder, bearing away the brazen gates, and delivering\nby conquest the captives of sin and death.  Let us first determine the\nevents to which our text relates, and then briefly explain the questions\nand answers which it contains.\n\nI.  We have here a wonderful victory, obtained by Christ, in the city of\nBozrah, in the land of Edom.  Our first inquiry concerns the time and the\nplace of that achievement.\n\nSome of the prophecies are literal, and others are figurative.  Some of\nthem are already fulfilled, and others are in daily process of\nfulfilment.  Respecting this prophecy, divines disagree.  Some think it\nis a description of Christ\u2019s conflict and victory, without the gates of\nJerusalem, eighteen centuries ago; and others understand it as referring\nto the great battle of Armageddon, predicted in the Apocalypse, and yet\nto be consummated before the end of the world.\n\nI am not willing to pass by mount Calvary, and Joseph\u2019s new tomb, on my\nway to the field of Armageddon; nor am I willing to pause at the scene of\nthe crucifixion and the ascension, without going farther on to the final\nconquest of the foe.  I believe Divine inspiration has included both\nevents in the text; the victory already won on Calvary, and the victory\nyet to be accomplished in Armageddon; the finished victory of Messiah\u2019s\npassion, and the progressive victory of his gospel and his grace.\n\nThe chief difficulty, in understanding some parts of the word of God,\narises from untranslated words; many of which are found in our own\nversion, as well as in that of our English neighbors.  For instance\u2014in\nMat. ii. 23, it is said, \u201cHe came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth,\nthat it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, He shall be\ncalled a Nazarene.\u201d  Where in the prophets is it predicted that Christ\nshall be called a Nazarene?  Nowhere.  When the proper names are\ntranslated, the difficulty vanishes.  \u201cHe came and dwelt in a city called\n_plantation_, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet,\nHe shall be called _the Branch_.\u201d  This name is given him by Isaiah,\nJeremiah, and Zechariah.  Now this is precisely the difficulty that\noccurs in our text, and the translation of the terms unties the\nknot:\u2014\u201cWho is this that cometh from Edom,\u201d _red earth_\u2014\u201cwith dyed\ngarments from Bozrah,\u201d _tribulation_?\n\nThe former part of the text has reference to the victory of Calvary; the\nlatter part anticipates the battle and triumph of Armageddon, mentioned\nin Rev. xvi. 16.  The victory of Calvary is consummated on the morning of\nthe third day after the crucifixion.  The Conqueror comes up from the\nearth, exclaiming:\u2014\u201cI have trodden the winepress alone on Calvary; and I\nwill tread them in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, at the\nbattle of Armageddon.  I will overtake and destroy the beast, and the\nfalse prophet, and that old serpent the devil, with all their hosts.\u201d\n\nWhen the tide of battle turned, on the field of Waterloo, the Duke of\nWellington mounted his horse, and pursued the vanquished foe.  So\nIsaiah\u2019s Conqueror, having routed the powers of hell on Calvary, pursues\nand destroys them on the field of Armageddon.  Here he is represented as\na hero on foot, a prince without an army; but John, the revelator, saw\nhim riding on a white horse, and followed by the armies of heaven, all on\nwhite horses, and not a footman among them.\n\nThe victory of Calvary is like the blood of atonement in the sanctuary.\nThe cherubim were some of them looking one way, and some the other, but\nall were looking on the atoning blood.  Thus all the great events of\ntime\u2014all the trials and triumphs of God\u2019s people\u2014those which happened\nbefore, those which have happened since, and those which are yet to\nhappen, are all looking toward the wrestling of Gethsemane, the conflict\nof Golgotha, and the triumph of Olivet.  The escape from Egypt, and the\nreturn from Babylon, looked forward to the cross of Christ; and the faith\nof the perfect man of Uz hung on a risen Redeemer.  The Christian martyrs\novercame by the blood of the Lamb, and all their victories were in virtue\nof one great achievement.  The tomb of Jesus is the birthplace of his\npeople\u2019s immortality, and the power which raised him from the dead shall\nopen the sepulchres of all his saints.  \u201cThy dead men shall live;\ntogether with my dead body shall they arise.  Awake and sing, ye that\ndwell in the dust; for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth\nshall cast forth her dead.\u201d\n\nChrist offered himself a sacrifice for us, and drank the cup of God\u2019s\nrighteous indignation in our stead.  He was trodden by Almighty justice,\nas a cluster of grapes, in the winepress of the law, till the vessels of\nmercy overflowed with the wine of peace and pardon, which has made\nthousands of contrite and humble spirits \u201crejoice with joy unspeakable\nand full of glory.\u201d  He suffered for us, that we might triumph with him.\nBut our text describes him as a king and a conqueror.  He was, at once,\nthe dying victim and the immortal victor.  In \u201cthe power of an endless\nlife,\u201d he was standing by the altar, when the sacrifice was burning.  He\nwas alive in his sacerdotal vestments, with his golden censer in his\nhand.  He was alive in his kingly glory, with his sword and his sceptre\nin his hand.  He was alive in his conquering prowess, and had made an end\nof sin, and bruised the head of the serpent, and spoiled the\nprincipalities and powers of hell, and turned the vanquished hosts of the\nprince of darkness down to the winepress of the wrath of Almighty God.\nThen, on the morning of the third day, when he arose from the dead, and\nmade a show of them openly\u2014then began the year of jubilee with power!\n\nAfter the prophets of ancient times had long gazed through the mists of\nfuturity, at the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow, a\ncompany of them were gathered together on the summit of Calvary.  They\nsaw a host of enemies ascending the hill, arrayed for battle, and most\nterrific in their aspect.  In the middle of the line was the law of God,\nfiery and exceeding broad, and working wrath.  On the right wing, was\nBeelzebub with his troops of infernals; and on the left Caiaphas with his\nJewish priests, and Pilate with his Roman soldiers.  The rear was brought\nup by Death, the last enemy.  When the holy seers had espied this army,\nand perceived that it was drawing nigh, they started back, and prepared\nfor flight.  As they looked round, they saw the Son of God advancing with\nintrepid step, having his face fixed on the hostile band.  \u201cSeest thou\nthe danger that is before thee,\u201d said one of the men of God.  \u201cI will\ntread them in mine anger,\u201d he replied, \u201cand trample them in my fury.\u201d\n\u201cWho art thou?\u201d said the prophet; He answered: \u201cI that speak in\nrighteousness, mighty to save.\u201d  \u201cWilt thou venture to the battle alone?\u201d\nasked the seer.  The Son of God replied: \u201cI looked, and there was none to\nhelp; and I wondered there was none to uphold; therefore mine own arm\nshall bring salvation unto me; and my fury it shall uphold me.\u201d  \u201cAt what\npoint wilt thou commence thy attack?\u201d inquired the anxious prophet.  \u201cI\nwill first meet the Law,\u201d he replied, \u201cand pass under its curse: for lo!\nI come to do thy will, O God.  When I shall have succeeded at the centre\nof the line, the colors will turn in my favor.\u201d  So saying he moved\nforward.  Instantly the thunderings of Sinai were heard, and the whole\nband of prophets quaked with terror.  But he advanced, undaunted, amidst\nthe gleaming lightnings.  For a moment he was concealed from view; and\nthe banner of wrath waved above in triumph.  Suddenly the scene was\nchanged.  A stream of blood poured forth from his wounded side, and put\nout all the fires of Sinai.  The flag of peace was now seen unfurled, and\nconsternation filled the ranks of his foes.  He then crushed, with his\nbruised heel, the old serpent\u2019s head; and put all the infernal powers to\nflight.  With his iron rod he dashed to pieces the enemies on the left\nwing, like a potter\u2019s vessel.  Death still remained, who thought himself\ninvincible, having hitherto triumphed over all.  He came forward,\nbrandishing his sting, which he had whetted on Sinai\u2019s tables of stone.\nHe darted it at the Conqueror, but it turned down, and hung like the\nflexible lash of a whip.  Dismayed, he retreated to the grave, his\npalace, into which the Conqueror pursued.  In a dark corner of his den,\nhe sat on his throne of moldering skulls, and called upon the worms, his\nhitherto faithful allies, to aid him in the conflict; but they\nreplied\u2014\u201cHis flesh shall see no corruption!\u201d  The scepter fell from his\nhand.  The Conqueror seized him, bound him, and condemned him to the lake\nof fire; and then rose from the grave, followed by a band of released\ncaptives, who came forth after his resurrection to be witnesses of the\nvictory which he had won. {94}\n\nJohn in the Apocalypse did not look so far back as the treading of this\nwinepress; but John saw him on his white horse, decked with his many\ncrowns, his eyes like flames of fire, a two-edged sword in his hand, in\nthe van of the armies of heaven, going forth conquering and to conquer.\nThis is the fulfilment of his declaration in our text:\u2014\u201cFor I will tread\nthem in mine anger, and trample them in my fury.\u201d  This is the beginning\nof the jubilee, the battle of Armageddon, wherein all heathen idolatry\nand superstition shall be overthrown, and the beast and the false prophet\nshall be discomfited, and the devil arid his legions shall be taken\nprisoners by Emmanuel, and shut up in the bottomless pit.  He who hath\nconquered principalities and powers on Calvary, will not leave the field,\ntill he make all his enemies his footstool, and sway his scepter over a\nsubject universe.  Having sent forth the gospel from Jerusalem, he\naccompanies it with the grace of his Holy Spirit; and it shall not return\nunto him void, but shall accomplish that which he pleaseth, and prosper\nin the thing whereto he hath sent it.\n\nThe victory of Armageddon is obtained by virtue of the victory of\nCalvary.  It is but the consummation of the same glorious campaign; and\nthe first decisive blow dealt on the prince of darkness is a sure\nprecursor of the final conquest.  \u201cI will meet thee again at Philippi!\u201d\nsaid the ghost of Julius C\u00e6sar to Brutus.  \u201cI will meet thee again at\nArmageddon!\u201d saith the Son of God to Satan on Calvary\u2014\u201cI will meet thee\nin the engagement between good and evil, grace and depravity, in every\nbeliever\u2019s heart; in the contest of Divine Truth with human errors, of\nthe religion of God with the superstitions of men; in every sermon, every\nrevival, every missionary enterprise; in the spread and glory of the\ngospel in the latter day, I will meet thee; and the heel which thou hast\nnow bruised, shall crush thy head for ever!\u201d\n\nMan\u2019s deliverance is of God.  Man had neither the inclination nor the\npower.  His salvation originated in the Divine Love, and burst forth like\nan ocean from the fountains of eternity.  Satan, as a ravenous lion, had\ntaken the prey, and was running to his den with the bleeding sheep in his\nmouth; but the Shepherd of Israel pursues him, overtakes him, and rends\nhim as if he were a kid.  The declaration of war was made in Eden:\u2014\u201cI\nwill put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her\nseed; thou shalt bruise his heel, and he shall bruise thy head.\u201d  It\nshall be fulfilled.  The league with hell, and the covenant with death\nshall not stand.  The rebellion shall be quelled, the conspiracy shall be\nbroken, and the strong man armed shall yield the citadel to a stronger.\nThe works of the devil shall be destroyed, and the prey shall be taken\nfrom the teeth of the terrible.  The house of David shall grow stronger\nand stronger, and the house of Saul shall grow weaker and weaker, till\nthe kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdom of our God and of his\nChrist, and Satan shall be bound in chains of darkness, and cast into the\nlake of fire.  All the enemies of Zion shall be vanquished, and the\nforfeited favor of God shall be recovered, and the lost territory of\npeace and holiness and immortality shall be restored to man.\n\nThis campaign is carried on at the expense of the government of heaven.\nThe treasury is inexhaustible; the arms are irresistible; therefore the\nvictory is sure.  The Almighty King has descended; he has taken the city\nof Bozrah; he has swayed his scepter over Edom; he has risen\nvictoriously, and gone up with a shout, as the leader of all the army.\nThis is but the pledge and the earnest of his future achievements.  In\nthe battle of Armageddon, he shall go forth as a mighty man; he shall\nstir up jealousy as a man of war; and he shall prevail against his\nenemies.  They shall be turned back\u2014they shall be greatly ashamed, that\ntrust in graven images\u2014that say unto molten images, \u201cYe are our gods!\u201d\nThen he will open the blind eyes, and bring the prisoners from the\nprison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house.  He will\nmake bare his holy arm\u2014he will show the sword in that hand which was\nhidden under the scarlet robe\u2014he will manifest his power in the\ndestruction of his enemies, and the salvation of his people.  As\ncertainly as he hath shed his blood on Calvary, shall he stain all his\nraiment with the blood of his foes on the field of Armageddon.  As\ncertainly as he hath drained the cup of wrath, and received the baptism\nof suffering, on Calvary, shall he wield the iron rod of justice, and\nsway the golden sceptre of mercy, on the field of Armageddon.  Already\nthe sword is drawn, and the decisive blow is struck, and the helmet of\nApollyon is cleft, and the bonds of iniquity are cut asunder.  Already\nthe fire is kindled, and all the powers of hell cannot quench it.  It has\nfallen from heaven; it is consuming the camp of the foe; it is inflaming\nthe hearts of men; it is renovating the earth, and purging away the\ncurse.  \u201cThe bright and Morning Star\u201d has risen on Calvary; and soon \u201cthe\nSon of Righteousness\u201d shall shine on the field of Armageddon; and the\ndarkness that covers the earth, and the gross darkness that covers the\npeople, shall melt away; and Mohammedism, and Paganism, and Popery, with\ntheir prince, the devil, shall seek shelter in the bottomless pit!\n\nAfter a battle, we are anxious to learn who is dead, who is wounded, and\nwho is missing from the ranks.  In the engagement of Messiah with Satan\nand his allies on Calvary, Messiah\u2019s heel was bruised, but Satan and his\nallies received a mortal wound in the head.  The head denotes wisdom,\ncunning, power, government.  The devil, sin, and death have lost their\ndominion over the believer in Christ, since the achievement of Calvary.\nThere is now no condemnation, no fear of hell.  But the serpent, though\nhis head is bruised, may be able to move his tail, and alarm those of\nlittle faith.  Yet it cannot last long.  The wound is mortal, and the\ntriumph is sure.  On Calvary the dragon\u2019s head was crushed by the Captain\nof our salvation; after the battle of Armageddon, his tail shall shake no\nmore!\n\nThere is no discharge in this war.  He that enlisteth under the banner of\nthe cross must endure faithful until death\u2014must not lay aside his arms\ntill death is swallowed up in victory.  Then shall every conqueror bear\nthe image of the heavenly, and wear the crown instead of the cross, and\ncarry the palm instead of the spear.  Let us be strong in the Lord, and\nin the power of his might, that we may be able to stand in the evil day;\nand after all the war is over, to stand accepted in the Beloved, that we\nmay reign with him for ever and ever!\n\nII.  It remains for us to explain, very briefly, the glorious colloquy in\nthe text\u2014the interrogatives of the church, and the answers of Messiah.\n\nHow great was the wonder and joy of Mary, when she met the Master at the\ntomb, clothed in immortality, where she thought to find him shrouded in\ndeath!  How unspeakable was the astonishment and rapture of the\ndisciples, when their Lord, whom they had so recently buried, came into\nthe house where they were assembled, and said\u2014\u201cPeace be unto you!\u201d  Such\nare the feelings which the church is represented as expressing in this\nsublime colloquy with the Captain of her salvation.  He has travelled\ninto the land of tribulation; he has gone down to the dust of death; but\nlo, he returns a conqueror, the golden sceptre of love in his left hand,\nthe iron rod of justice in his right, and on his head a crown of many\nstars.  The church beholds him with great amazement and delight.  She\nlately followed him, weeping, to the cross, and mourned over his body in\nthe tomb; but now she beholds him risen indeed, having destroyed death,\nand him that had the power of death\u2014that is, the devil.  She goes forth\nto meet him with songs of rejoicing, as the daughters of Israel went out\nto welcome David, when he returned from the valley, with the head of the\ngiant in his hand, and the blood running down upon his raiment.  The\nchoir of the church is divided into two bands; which chant to each other\nin alternate strains.  The right hand division begins the glorious\ncolloquy\u2014\u201cWho is this that cometh from Edom?\u201d and the left takes up the\ninterrogative, and repeats it with a variation\u2014\u201cwith dyed garments from\nBozrah?\u201d  \u201cThis that is glorious in his apparel?\u201d resumes the right-hand\ncompany\u2014\u201cglorious notwithstanding the tribulations he hath endured?\u201d\n\u201cTravelling in the greatness of his strength?\u201d responds the\nleft\u2014\u201cstrength sufficient to unbar the gates of the grave, and liberate\nthe captives of corruption?\u201d  The celestial Conqueror pauses, and casts\nupon the company of the daughters of Zion a look of infinite benignity;\nand with a voice of angel melody, and more than angel majesty, he\nreplies\u2014\u201cI that speak in righteousness, mighty to save!\u201d  Now bursts the\nsong again, like the sound of many waters, from the right\u2014\u201cWherefore art\nthou red in thine apparel?\u201d and the response rolls back in melodized\nthunder from the left\u2014\u201cAnd thy garments like him that treadeth in the\nwine-fat?\u201d  The Divine hero answers:\u2014\u201cI have trodden the wine-press\nalone; and of the people there was none with me.  Even Peter has left me,\nwith all his courage and affection; and as for John, to talk of love is\nall that he can do.  I have triumphed over principalities and powers.  I\nam wounded, but they are vanquished.  Behold the blood which I have lost!\nbehold the spoils which I have won!  Now will I mount my white horse, and\npursue after Satan, and demolish his kingdom, and send him back to the\nland of darkness in everlasting chains, and all his allies shall be\nexiles with him for ever.  My own arm, which has gained the victory on\nCalvary, and brought salvation to all my people from the sepulchre, is\nstill strong enough to wield the golden sceptre of love, and break my\nfoes on the field of Armageddon.  I will destroy the works of the devil,\nand demolish all his hosts; I will dash them in pieces like a potter\u2019s\nvessel.  For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my\nredeemed is come.  My compassion is stirred for the captives of sin and\ndeath; my fury is kindled against the tyrants that oppress them.  It is\ntime for me to open the prisons, and break off the fetters.  I must\ngather my people to myself.  I must seek that which was lost, and bring\nagain that which was driven away.  I must bind up that which was broken,\nand strengthen that which was weak; but I will destroy the fat and the\nstrong; I will feed them with judgment; I will tread them in mine anger,\nand trample them in my fury, and bring down their strength to the earth,\nand stain all my raiment with their blood!\u201d\n\nLet us flee from the wrath to come!  Behold, the sun is risen high on the\nday of vengeance!  Let us not be found among the enemies of Messiah, lest\nwe fall a sacrifice to his righteous indignation on the field of\nArmageddon!  Let us escape for our lives, for the fire-storm of his anger\nwill burn to the lowest hell!  Let us pray for grace to lay hold on the\nsalvation of his redeemed!  It is a free, full, perfect, glorious, and\neternal salvation.  Return, ye ransomed exiles from happiness, return to\nyour forfeited inheritance!  Now is the year of jubilee.  Come to Jesus,\nthat your debts may be cancelled, your sins forgiven, and your persons\njustified!  Come, for the Conqueror of your foes is on the throne!  Come,\nfor the trumpets of mercy are sounding!  Come, for all things are now\nready!\n\n\n\nSERMON III.\nTHE SMITTEN ROCK.\n\n\n    \u201c_For they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them_, _and\n    that rock was Christ_.\u201d\u20141 Cor. x. 4.\n\nIN this chapter the apostle solemnly cautions his brethren against\napostasy, and consequent shipwreck of their spiritual privileges.  His\nadmonitions are educed from important events in the history of the\njourney of the Israelites from Egypt to the land of Canaan.  He speaks of\nthe march of the twelve tribes out of the scene of their bondage, under\nthe uplifted banner of God; of their baptism unto Moses in the cloud and\nin the sea, when Jehovah gloriously displayed his power in preserving\ntheir lives between the watery ramparts which shut them in like the solid\nwalls of the sepulchre, while the cloud rested upon them through the deep\nnight, like the marble covering of the tomb; of their safe emerging on\nthe other side of the flood, a type of the resurrection, leaving Pharaoh\nand his host to sleep in the waters till the morning of the last day,\nwhen they shall rise without their chariots and their horses; of their\nmiraculous supply in the wilderness, with bread from heaven, and water\nfrom the smitten rock, which he calls spiritual meat and spiritual drink,\nbecause of their typical reference to the sacrificial death of Christ,\nwhich is the spiritual life of the world; and of their subsequent\ningratitude and forgetfulness of God, notwithstanding these great\ndeliverances and mercies, their murmurings, idolatries, fornications, and\ntempting of Christ, for which they were destroyed by the plague, slain by\nfiery serpents, smitten by the angel of the Lord, and fell to the number\nof three and twenty thousand in one day.  \u201cNow all these things,\u201d he\nadds, \u201chappened unto them for ensamples, and are written for our\nadmonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come; wherefore, let him\nthat thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall.\u201d  Thus he opens the\ngraves of ancient sinners, and brings before his brethren the carcasses\nof those \u201cwho fell in the wilderness;\u201d brings them into our solemn\nassemblies, and hangs them up over the pulpit, the baptistery, and the\ncommunion-table, terrible warnings against departing from the living God;\neven as the censers of Korah, Dathan and Abiram were beaten up, and made\na covering for the altar, for a perpetual sign and memorial to Israel, to\nkeep them from the sin of those men, that they might not share their\nfate.\n\nIn speaking of the smitten rock, which the apostle authorizes us to\nregard as a type of Christ, we shall consider:\u2014_First_, Its smiting by\nMoses; and _Secondly_, The consequent flowing of the waters.\n\nI.  The smitten rock was a type of Christ.  Messiah is the \u201cRock of Ages\u201d\nto his church.  He is the foundation of her hope, sure and steadfast, and\nher protection in times of danger and of dread.  The armor and the\nprowess of Egypt constituted no rock like this rock.  Edom, and Moab, and\nPhilistia, and the seven nations of Canaan, had their gods and their\nheroes; but their rock was not able to shelter them from the wrath of\nJehovah, when it came upon them like a tempest of hail.  The gods that\nmade not the heavens and the earth are far off in the day of trouble; but\nthe God of Israel is \u201cnigh at hand,\u201d and his arm is strong to deliver.\nHe is the rock that stood firm and immovable, for the defence of his\npeople, amid the ragings of the Red Sea.  Messiah is the man, who is\npredicted as \u201ca hiding-place from the wind, and a covert from the\ntempest, and the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.\u201d  He can shield,\nnot only from the scorching sun and the scathing simoom of the desert;\nbut also from the fiery torments of remorse, and the ruinous judgments of\nheaven.  Our Lord is a rock, also, on account of the blessings which flow\nfrom him, for the refreshment of his Israel; as \u201cthe droppings of honey\nfrom the rock;\u201d as \u201csprings of water in a dry place;\u201d as \u201cliving streams\nin the desert,\u201d and \u201crivers from the mountains of Lebanon.\u201d\n\nThere are two accounts of the smiting of the rock; one in the seventeenth\nchapter of Exodus, and the other in the twentieth chapter of Numbers.\nFrom a comparison of these two accounts, it appears that the rock was\nsmitten at two different times; the first, as is supposed, about a year\nafter the egress from Egypt, and the other about a year before the\nentrance into Canaan; making an intervening period of about thirty-eight\nyears.  The war with Amalek succeeded the first; the embassy to Edom\nfollowed the second.  At the first, Miriam was alive; just before the\nsecond is the record of her death.\n\nIt seems that the people murmured bitterly against Moses, spoke of their\nsuperior fare in Egypt, and accused him of bringing them out into the\nwilderness to kill them with thirst.  This is ever the spirit of\nbacksliding.  Those who are under its influence are apt to complain of\nthe burdens imposed upon them by their religion, and the injuries\noccasioned to them by their brethren; and to speak uncharitably of their\nspiritual leaders, instead of crying to God for help.  To ask, \u201cIs the\nLord among us?\u201d when his word and his works, indicating either his\npleasure or his displeasure, testify that he is, is tempting God, with a\ndreadful presumption.\n\nIt does not appear that Moses sinned the first time he smote the rock;\nbut the second time, the servant of God was evidently off his guard, and\nthe meekest of men \u201cspake unadvisedly with his lips;\u201d on account of\nwhich, both he and Aaron were shut out of the promised land.  His sin\nconsisted in entering into a quarrel with the people, instead of asking\nGod for water to quench their thirst.  It appears that their chidings had\nprovoked him to anger, and he had lost the spirit of sympathy for their\nsufferings, and his hard feelings stood like a thick wall between him and\nthe miracle which God was about to work for his own glory and his\npeople\u2019s relief.  Neither did he as God commanded him; for instead of\nsimply speaking to the rock, as he was bidden, he smote it twice, with\nevident agitation of mind; and at the same time, bitterly reproached the\npeople with their rebellion.\n\nEvery minister of the gospel is a \u201cdrawer of water,\u201d to his congregation,\nfrom the \u201cSpiritual Rock\u201d which follows the church.  He must be clothed\nwith meekness from Heaven, or the provocations of the people will be apt\nto embitter his spirit.  God would have us minister mercy, in the spirit\nof his own mercy.  \u201cThe servant of God must not strive, but be gentle\ntoward all men; in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves, if,\nperadventure, God would grant them repentance unto the acknowledging of\nthe truth: and that they might recover themselves out of the snare of the\ndevil, who are taken captive by him at his will.\u201d\n\nThe smiting of the rock was intended to open it, that the water might\nflow.  This prefigured the smiting of Christ, \u201cthe Rock of Ages,\u201d and\n\u201cthe Shepherd of the sheep.\u201d  The shedding of the blood of lambs, and\ngoats, and calves, and bullocks, for the space of four thousand years,\nfaintly shadowed forth the sacrificial passion of our blessed Lord.\nTheir groans and struggles under the slaughtering knife; the sound of the\nblood, falling into the golden basins, and poured into the flames upon\nthe altar; the noise occasioned in cutting up the victim, and piling the\npieces upon the fire and the smoke and vapor ascending from the consuming\nsacrifice to heaven; all, all, in their own way, foreshadowed the\nnecessity of mangling the body and shedding the blood of Messiah, that\npardoning mercy might have an open way to flow to sinners, like the water\nfrom the smitten rock; and the agonies of those slaughtered victims were\nan imperfect type of the agonies of the soul of Jesus, in the garden and\non the cross.\n\nThe smiting of a flinty rock, for the purpose of obtaining water, was a\nscheme of the Divine Mind, whose ways are higher than our ways, and his\nthoughts than our thoughts.  It was certainly the last place to which\nMoses would have gone for water; and he might have expected the stroke to\nelicit sparks of fire, rather than cool refreshing streams.  What eye had\nnot seen and ear had not heard, either of men or of angels\u2014what had not\nentered into the heart of any created being to conceive, terrestrial or\ncelestials\u2014was, that the smiting of the Shepherd should save the sheep;\nthat the condemnation of the just should bring the unjust to God; that\nthe making of Messiah a curse should secure infinite blessings to\nmankind; that the poverty of Jesus should enrich us, and his death raise\nus to life eternal.  Consuming flames of Divine indignation might have\nbeen expected to flash upon the guilty world from every wound of the\nthorns, the nails and the spear, in the sacred person of Emmanuel; but,\nto the astonishment of men and angels, a tide of love and mercy ran\nfreely from every bleeding vein, to wash away the guilt and pollution of\nhuman crimes, according to the determinate counsel and immutable promise\nof our God.\n\nThe rock must be smitten by a rod.  Had Moses been left to choose his own\ninstrument, he would probably have taken a hammer, or perhaps a lever;\nbut God commands him to take the rod.  The rock would not have yielded\nwater to any other instrument than the rod that smote the waters of\nEgypt, and turned them into blood.  This rod was an emblem of the\nsovereignty of God over Israel, and is therefore called \u201cthe rod of God,\nwhich the Lord gave unto Moses\u201d\u2014as his deputy governor\u2014\u201cto lead Israel,\nand to work miracles before their eyes.\u201d  It was also a symbol of the\nroyal law of Heaven; which, prior to the fall, was a rod of life; but\nafterward became a rod of iron, to break in pieces the offender\u2014an angry\nserpent, to sting the transgressor with dreadful torments; and finally,\nwhen Christ endured the curse, and honored the violated mandate, by his\ndeath upon the tree, it was transformed again into a guiding and\ncorrecting rod.  As the rock would have yielded water under no other\nstroke than that of \u201cthe rod of God,\u201d so the sufferings of Christ would\nhave been ineffectual, had they not happened under the law of the Father,\nand according to the counsel of Infinite Wisdom.  When Isaac was about to\nbe offered up on mount Moriah, the wood, the fire, and the knife, must\nall come from his father\u2019s house, and the dreadful deed must be done by\nhis father\u2019s hand.  So Jesus must die in no ordinary or accidental way.\nHe must not suffer himself to be slain by the sword of Herod, nor cast\nover the brow of the hill by the people.  He must receive the mortal cup\nfrom no other hand than that of the Father.  He must die the appointed\ndeath; at the appointed time; in the appointed place, without the camp;\nand in the appointed manner, by hanging on a tree.  The wreath of thorns,\nthe scarlet robe, the nails, the cross, the spear, and even the vinegar\noffered him in his agony, were all according to his Father\u2019s counsel.  He\nknew the necessity, and said\u2014\u201cThy will be done!\u201d  The Shepherd of Israel\nwould bow under no other stroke than that of the Lord of Hosts.  A\ncradle, a cross, and a grave, all of his Father\u2019s appointing, must Jesus\nhave, in order to open a fountain of living water to the world.\n\nThe rock must be smitten in a public manner, in the sight of the sun, and\nbefore all the elders of Israel, that God might be sanctified in the eyes\nof his people.  This was intended to foreshadow the publicity of the\ndeath of Christ, which took place during one of the great public\nfestivals of the Jews, in the presence of nearly the whole nation, and on\nthe hill Calvary; and to denote the proclamation of Christ crucified\nthroughout the world, as the true propitiation and object of faith, to be\nlooked upon by Jews and Gentiles, to the softening of the heart, and the\nflowing of repentant tears, according to the prophecy\u2014\u201cThey shall look on\nhim whom they have pierced, and mourn for him, as one mourneth for an\nonly son.\u201d  The Spirit of grace directs the eyes of men to the cross,\nupon which the prophet Isaiah, with transcendent sublimity of language,\ndescribes the Saviour as passing from Calvary to the grave, from the\ngrave to the empyrean, and thence back again to earth, crying\u2014\u201cLook unto\nme, and be ye saved, all ye ends of the earth; for I am God, and beside\nme there is no Savior!\u201d\n\nThe rock must be smitten in the presence of God.  \u201cBehold, I will stand\nbefore thee there on the rock in Horeb.\u201d  (Ex. xvii. 6.)  He stood upon\nthe rock in Horeb, though invisible, in the glory of his loving-kindness\nand his power, to guide the hand of his servant Moses, and open a source\nof timely succor to his perishing people.  But when the rod of the law\nsmote the Rock of our salvation, when the curse fell upon the sinner\u2019s\nSubstitute and Surety, then God stood forth before the world upon the\nrock of Calvary, amid the darkened heavens, the trembling earth, and the\nopening sepulchres, as if all the machinery of nature had been suddenly\ndisordered and disorganized\u2014stood forth in the plenitude of his power,\nhis wisdom, his justice, his mercy, and his truth, to prosper the work of\nman\u2019s redemption, and open a channel through which the river of life\nmight flow out to a famishing race.  On Calvary still he stands, with the\ncup of salvation in his hand, and streams of living water rolling at his\nfeet, and cries\u2014\u201cHo, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters!\u201d\n\nAccording to the command of God, the rock was to be smitten but once.\nOnce smitten, it needed only to be spoken to; and, though it was more\nthan thirty years afterward, it would yield forth its water.  But Moses,\nprovoked to anger by the murmurings and complainings of the people,\ntranscended the Divine injunction, and though he had once smitten the\nrock, smote it again; yea, when he should have spoken to it only, smote\nit twice with his rod.  This was his sin, for which God would not permit\nhim to enter the promised land.  Christ has been once smitten, and wo to\nthose who smite him again!  He has once offered himself a sacrifice, and\nonce entered into the holy place, having finished his work of atonement,\nand made an end of sin, and superseded the sacrifices of the law.\nHenceforth, ye Jews, relinquish your burnt-offerings, your\nmeat-offerings, your drink-offerings, your peace-offerings; and trust no\nlonger in beasts, and birds, and flour, and oil; but in \u201cthe Lamb of God,\nthat taketh away the sin of the world.\u201d  Crucify him afresh no more, O ye\nbacksliders; for \u201cthere remaineth no other sacrifice for sin!\u201d  Smite him\nnot again, lest he swear unto you in his wrath, as unto Moses, that ye\nshall not enter into his rest!\n\nII.  Having spoken of the smiting, let us now look at the result, the\nflowing of the waters; a timely mercy to \u201cthe many thousands of Israel,\u201d\non the point of perishing in the desert; shadowing forth a far greater\nmercy, the flowing of living waters from the \u201cspiritual rock,\u201d which is\nChrist.\n\nIn the death of our Redeemer, we see three infinite depths moved for the\nrelief of human misery; the love of the Father, the merit of the Son, and\nthe energy of the Holy Spirit.  These are the depths of wonder whence\narise the rivers of salvation.\n\nThe waters flowed in the presence of the whole assembly.  The agent was\ninvisible, but his work was manifest. * * * * * * * * * *\n\nThe water flowed in great abundance, filling the whole camp, and\nsupplying all the people.  Notwithstanding the immense number, and the\ngreatness of their thirst, there was enough for each and for all.  The\nstreams ran in every direction to meet the sufferers, and their rippling\nmurmur seemed to say\u2014\u201cOpen thy mouth, and I will fill it.\u201d  Look to the\ncross!  See there the gracious fountain opened, and streams of pardoning\nand purifying mercy flowing down the rock of Calvary, sweeping over the\nmount of Olives, and cleaving it asunder, to make a channel for the\nliving waters to go out over the whole world, that God may be glorified\namong the Gentiles, and all the ends of the earth may see his salvation!\n\nThe water flowed from the rock, not pumped by human labor, but drawn by\nthe hand of God.  It was the same power, that opened the springs of mercy\nupon the cross.  It was the wisdom of God that devised the plan, and the\nmercy of God that furnished the victim.  His was the truth and love that\ngave the promise by the prophet\u2014\u201cIn that day there shall be a fountain\nopened to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for\nsin and uncleanness.\u201d  His was the unchanging faithfulness that fulfilled\nit in his Son\u2014\u201cNot by works of righteousness which we have done, but\naccording to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and\nrenewing of the Holy Ghost, which he shed on us abundantly, through Jesus\nChrist our Lord.\u201d  Our salvation is wholly of God; and we have no other\nagency in the matter, than the mere acceptance of his proffered grace.\n\nThe water flowed in twelve different channels; and, according to Dr.\nPococke, of Scotland, who visited the place, the deep traces in the rock\nare visible to this day.  But the twelve streams, one for each tribe, all\nissued from the same fountain, in the same rock.  So the great salvation\nflowed out through the ministry of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, and\nwent abroad over all the earth.  But the fountain is one.  All the\napostles preached the same Savior, and pointed to the same cross.\n\u201cNeither is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name\nunder heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved.\u201d  We must come\nto this spring, or perish.\n\nThe flowing of the waters was irresistible by human power.  Who can close\nthe fountain which God hath opened?  Can Edom, or Moab, or Sihon, or Og,\ndam up the current which Jehovah hath drawn from the rock?  Can Caiaphas,\nand all the Jews, aided by the Prince of this world\u2014can all the powers of\nearth and hell combined\u2014arrest the work of redemption, and dry up the\nfountain of mercy that Christ is opening on Calvary?  As soon might they\ndry up the Atlantic, and stop the revolutions of the globe.  It is\nwritten, and must be fulfilled.  Christ must suffer, and enter into his\nglory\u2014must be lifted up, and draw all men unto him\u2014and repentance and\nremission of sins must be preached in his name among all nations,\nbeginning at Jerusalem.\n\nThe water flowing from the rock was like a river of life to the children\nof Israel.  Who can describe the distress throughout the camp; and the\nappearance of the people, when they were invited to approach a flinty\nrock, instead of a fountain or a stream, to quench their thirst?  What\nangry countenances were there, what bitter censures, and ungrateful\nmurmurings, as Moses went up to the rock, with nothing in his hand but a\nrod!  \u201cWhere is he going,\u201d said they, \u201cwith that dry stick?  What is he\ngoing to do on that rock?  Does he mean to make fools of us all?  Is it\nnot enough that he has brought us into this wilderness to die of thirst?\nWill he mock us now by pretending to seek water in these sands, or open\nfountains in the solid granite?\u201d  But see! he lifts the rod, he smites\nthe rock; and lo, it bursts into a fountain; and twelve crystal streams\nroll down before the people!  Who can conceive the sudden transport?\nHear the shout of joy ringing through the camp, and rolling back in\ntumultuous echoes from the crags and cliffs of Horeb!  \u201cWater! water!  A\nmiracle! a miracle!  Glory to the God of Israel!  Glory to his servant\nMoses!\u201d  It was a resurrection day to Israel, the morning light bursting\nupon the shadow of death.  New life and joy are seen throughout the camp.\nThe maidens are running, with cups and pitchers, to the rock.  They fill\nand drink; then fill again, and haste away to their respective tents,\nwith water for the sick, the aged, and the little ones, joyfully\nexclaiming\u2014\u201cDrink, father!  Drink, mother!  Drink, children!  Drink, all\nof you!  Drink abundantly!  Plenty of water now!  Rivers flowing from the\nrock!\u201d  Now the oxen are coming, the asses, the camels, the sheep, and\nthe goats\u2014coming in crowds to quench their thirst, and plunging into the\nstreams before them.  And the feathered tribes are coming, the\nturtle-dove, the pigeon, the swallow, the sparrow, the robin, and the\nwren; while the croaking raven and the fierce-eyed eagle, scenting the\nwater from afar, mingle with them around the rock.\n\nBrethren, this is but a faint emblem of the joy of the church, in\ndrinking the waters that descend from Calvary, the streams that gladden\nthe city of our God.  Go back to the day of Pentecost for an instance.  O\nwhat a revolution of thought, and feeling, and character!  What a change\nof countenance, and conscience, and heart!  Three thousand men, that\nmorning full of ignorance, and corruption, and guilt\u2014idolaters,\nsensualists, blasphemers, persecutors\u2014before night were perfectly\ntransformed\u2014the lions converted into lambs\u2014the hard heart melted, the\ndead conscience quickened, and the whole man become a new creature in\nChrist Jesus!  They thirsted, they found the \u201cSpiritual rock,\u201d tasted its\nliving waters, and suddenly leaped into new life, like Lazarus from the\ninanition of the grave!\n\nThis is the blessing which follows the church through all her wanderings\nin the wilderness; accompanies her through the scorching desert of\naffliction, and the valley of the shadow of death; and when at last she\nshall come up out of great tribulation, her garments shall be found\nwashed and made white in the blood of the Lamb; and the Lamb who is in\nthe midst of the throne shall lead her to everlasting fountains, and she\nshall thirst no more!\n\n\n\nSERMON IV.\nFALL AND RECOVERY OF MAN.\n\n\n    \u201c_For if_, _through the offence of one_, _many be dead_; _much more\n    the grace of God_; _and the gift by grace_, _which is by one man_,\n    _Jesus Christ_, _hath abounded unto many_.\u201d\u2014Rom. v. 15.\n\nMAN was created in the image of God.  Knowledge and perfect holiness were\nimpressed upon the very nature and faculties of his soul.  He had\nconstant access to his Maker, and enjoyed free communion with him, on the\nground of his spotless moral rectitude.  But alas! the glorious diadem is\nbroken; the crown of righteousness is fallen.  Man\u2019s purity is gone, and\nhis happiness is forfeited.  \u201cThere is none righteous; no, not one.\u201d\n\u201cAll have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.\u201d  But the ruin is\nnot hopeless.  What was lost in Adam, is restored in Christ.  His blood\nredeems us from bondage, and his gospel gives us back the forfeited\ninheritance.  \u201c\u2018For if, through the offence of one, many be dead; much\nmore the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus\nChrist, hath abounded unto many.\u201d  Let us consider;\u2014_First_, The\ncorruption and condemnation of man; and _Secondly_, His gracious\nrestoration to the favor of his offended God.\n\nI.  To find the cause of man\u2019s corruption and condemnation, we must go\nback to Eden.  The eating of the \u201cforbidden tree\u201d was \u201cthe offence of\none,\u201d in consequence of which \u201cmany are dead.\u201d  This was the \u201csin,\u201d the\nact of \u201cdisobedience,\u201d which \u201cbrought death into the world, and all our\nwo.\u201d  It was the greatest ingratitude to the Divine bounty, and the\nboldest rebellion against the Divine sovereignty.  The royalty of God was\ncontemned; the riches of his goodness slighted; and his most desperate\nenemy preferred before him, as if he were a wiser counselor than Infinite\nWisdom.  Thus man joined in league with hell, against Heaven; with demons\nof the bottomless pit, against the Almighty Maker and Benefactor; robbing\nGod of the obedience due to his command, and the glory due to his name;\nworshipping the creature, instead of the Creator; and opening the door to\npride, unbelief, enmity, and all wicked and abominable passions.  How is\nthe \u201cnoble vine,\u201d which was planted \u201cwholly a right seed,\u201d \u201cturned into\nthe degenerate plant of a strange vine!\u201d\n\nWho can look for pure water from such a fountain?  \u201cThat which is born of\nthe flesh is flesh.\u201d  All the faculties of the soul are corrupted by sin;\nthe understanding dark; the will perverse; the affections carnal; the\nconscience full of shame, remorse, confusion, and mortal fear.  Man is a\nhard-hearted and stiff-necked sinner; loving darkness rather than light,\nbecause his deeds are evil; eating sin like bread, and drinking iniquity\nlike water; holding fast deceit, and refusing to let it go.  His heart is\ndesperately wicked; full of pride, vanity, hypocrisy, covetousness,\nhatred of truth, and hostility to all that is good.\n\nThis depravity is universal.  Among the natural children of Adam, there\nis no exemption from the original taint.  \u201cThe whole world lieth in\nwickedness.\u201d  \u201cWe are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness\nis as filthy rags.\u201d  The corruption may vary in the degrees of\ndevelopment, in different persons; but the elements are in all, and their\nnature is everywhere the same; the same in the blooming youth, and the\nwithered sire; in the haughty prince, and the humble peasant; in the\nstrongest giant, and the feeblest invalid.  The enemy has \u201ccome in like a\nflood.\u201d  The deluge of sin has swept the world.  From the highest to the\nlowest, there is no health or moral soundness.  From the crown of the\nhead to the soles of the feet, there is nothing but wounds, and bruises,\nand putrefying sores.  The laws, and their violation, and the punishments\neverywhere invented for the suppression of vice, prove the universality\nof the evil.  The bloody sacrifices, and various purifications, of the\npagans, show the handwriting of remorse upon their consciences; proclaim\ntheir sense of guilt, and their dread of punishment.  None of them is\nfree from the fear which hath torment, whatever their efforts to overcome\nit, and however great their boldness in the service of sin and Satan.\n\u201cMene! Tekel!\u201d is written on every human heart.  \u201cWanting! wanting!\u201d is\ninscribed on heathen fanes and altars; on the laws, customs, and\ninstitutions of every nation; and on the universal consciousness of\nmankind.\n\nThis inward corruption manifests itself in outward actions.  \u201cThe tree is\nknown by its fruit.\u201d  As the smoke and sparks of the chimney show that\nthere is fire within; so all the \u201cfilthy conversation\u201d of men, and all\n\u201cthe unfruitful works of darkness\u201d in which they delight, evidently\nindicate the pollution of the source whence they proceed.  \u201cOut of the\nabundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.\u201d  The sinner\u2019s speech\nbetrayeth him.  \u201cEvil speaking\u201d proceeds from malice and envy.  \u201cFoolish\ntalking and jesting,\u201d are evidence of impure and trifling thoughts.  The\nmouth full of cursing and bitterness, the throat an open sepulchre, the\npoison of asps under the tongue, the feet swift to shed blood,\ndestruction and misery in their paths, and the way of peace unknown to\nthem, are the clearest and amplest demonstration that men \u201chave gone out\nof the way,\u201d \u201chave together become unprofitable.\u201d  We see the bitter\nfruit of the same corruption in robbery, adultery, gluttony, drunkenness,\nextortion, intolerance, persecution, apostasy, and every evil work\u2014in all\nfalse religions; the Jew, obstinately adhering to the carnal ceremonies\nof an abrogated law; the Mohammedan, honoring an impostor, and receiving\na lie for a revelation from God; the Papist, worshipping images and\nrelics, praying to departed saints, seeking absolution from sinful men,\nand trusting in the most absurd mummeries for salvation; the Pagan,\nattributing divinity to the works of his own hands, adoring idols of wood\nand stone, sacrificing to malignant demons, casting his children into the\nfire or the flood as an offering to imaginary deities, and changing the\nglory of the incorruptible God into the likeness of the beast and the\nworm.\n\n\u201cFor these things\u2019 sake the wrath of God cometh upon the children of\ndisobedience.\u201d  They are under the sentence of the broken law; the\nmalediction of Eternal Justice.  \u201cBy the offence of one, judgment came\nupon all men unto condemnation.\u201d  \u201cHe that believeth not is condemned\nalready.\u201d  \u201cThe wrath of God abideth on him.\u201d  \u201cCursed is every one that\ncontinueth not in all things written in the book of the law, to do them.\u201d\n\u201cWo unto the wicked; it shall be ill with him, for the reward of his\nhands shall be given him.\u201d  \u201cThey that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness\nshall reap the same.\u201d  \u201cUpon the wicked the Lord shall rain fire, and\nsnares, and a horrible tempest; this shall be the portion of their cup.\u201d\n\u201cGod is angry with the wicked every day; if he turn not, he will whet his\nsword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready.\u201d\n\nWho shall describe the misery of fallen men!  His days, though few, are\nfull of evil.  Trouble and sorrow press him forward to the tomb.  All the\nworld, except Noah and his family, are drowning in the deluge.  A storm\nof fire and brimstone is fallen from heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah.  The\nearth is opening her mouth to swallow up alive Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.\nWrath is coming upon \u201cthe Beloved City,\u201d even \u201cwrath unto the uttermost.\u201d\nThe tender and delicate mother is devouring her darling infant.  The\nsword of man is executing the vengeance of God.  The earth is emptying\nits inhabitants into the bottomless pit.  On every hand are \u201cconfused\nnoises, and garments rolled in blood.\u201d  Fire and sword fill the land with\nconsternation and dismay.  Amid the universal devastation, wild shrieks\nand despairing groans fill the air.  God of mercy! is thy ear heavy, that\nthou canst not hear? or thy arm shortened, that thou canst not save?  The\nheavens above are brass, and the earth beneath is iron; for Jehovah is\npouring his indignation upon his adversaries, and he will not pity or\nspare.\n\nVerily, \u201cthe misery of man is great upon him!\u201d  Behold the wretched\nfallen creature!  The pestilence pursues him.  The leprosy cleaves to\nhim.  Consumption is wasting him.  Inflammation is devouring his vitals.\nBurning fever has seized upon the very springs of life.  The destroying\nangel has overtaken the sinner in his sins.  The hand of God is upon him.\nThe fires of wrath are kindling about him, drying up every well of\ncomfort, and scorching all his hopes to ashes.  Conscience is chastising\nhim with scorpions.  See how he writhes!  Hear how he shrieks for help!\nMark what agony and terror are in his soul, and on his brow!  Death\nstares him in the face, and shakes at him his iron spear.  He trembles,\nhe turns pale, as a culprit at the bar, as a convict on the scaffold.  He\nis condemned already.  Conscience has pronounced the sentence.  Anguish\nhas taken hold upon him.  Terrors gather in battle-array about him.  He\nlooks back, and the storms of Sinai pursue him; forward, and hell is\nmoved to meet him; above, and the heavens are on fire; beneath, and the\nworld is burning.  He listens, and the judgment trump is calling; again,\nand the brazen chariots of vengeance are thundering from afar; yet again,\nand the sentence penetrates his soul with anguish unspeakable\u2014\u201cDepart! ye\naccursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels!\u201d\n\nThus, \u201cby one man, sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so\ndeath passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.\u201d  They are \u201cdead in\ntrespasses and sins;\u201d spiritually dead, and legally dead; dead by the\nmortal power of sin, and dead by the condemnatory sentence of the law;\nand helpless as sheep to the slaughter, they are driven fiercely on by\nthe ministers of wrath to the all-devouring grave, and the lake of fire!\n\nBut is there no mercy?  Is there no means of salvation?  Hark! amidst all\nthis prelude of wrath and ruin, comes a still small voice, saying: \u201cmuch\nmore the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus\nChrist, hath abounded unto many.\u201d\n\nII.  This brings us to our second topic, man\u2019s gracious recovery to the\nfavor of his offended God.\n\nI know not how to represent to you this glorious work, better than by the\nfollowing figure.  Suppose a vast graveyard, surrounded by a lofty wall,\nwith only one entrance, which is by a massive iron gate, and that is fast\nbolted.  Within are thousands and millions of human beings, of all ages\nand classes, by one epidemic disease bending to the grave.  The graves\nyawn to swallow them, and they must all perish.  There is no balm to\nrelieve, no physician there.  Such is the condition of man as a sinner.\nAll have sinned; and it is written, \u201cThe soul that sinneth shall die.\u201d\nBut while the unhappy race lay in that dismal prison, Mercy came and\nstood at the gate, and wept over the melancholy scene, exclaiming\u2014\u201cO that\nI might enter!  I would bind up their wounds; I would relieve their\nsorrows; I would save their souls!\u201d  An embassy of angels, commissioned\nfrom the court of Heaven to some other world, paused at the sight, and\nHeaven forgave that pause.  Seeing Mercy standing there, they\ncried:\u2014\u201cMercy! canst thou not enter?  Canst thou look upon that scene and\nnot pity?  Canst thou pity, and not relieve?\u201d  Mercy replied: \u201cI can\nsee!\u201d and in her tears she added, \u201cI can pity, but I cannot relieve!\u201d\n\u201cWhy canst thou not enter?\u201d inquired the heavenly host.  \u201cOh!\u201d said\nMercy, \u201cJustice has barred the gate against me, and I must not\u2014cannot\nunbar it!\u201d  At this moment, Justice himself appeared, as if to watch the\ngate.  The angels asked, \u201cWhy wilt thou not suffer Mercy to enter?\u201d  He\nsternly replied: \u201cThe law is broken, and it must be honored!  Die they or\nJustice must!\u201d  Then appeared a form among the angelic band like unto the\nSon of God.  Addressing himself to Justice, he said: \u201cWhat are thy\ndemands?\u201d  Justice replied: \u201cMy demands are rigid; I must have ignominy\nfor their honor, sickness for their health, death for their life.\nWithout the shedding of blood there is no remission!\u201d  \u201cJustice,\u201d said\nthe Son of God, \u201cI accept thy terms!  On me be this wrong!  Let Mercy\nenter, and stay the carnival of death!\u201d  \u201cWhat pledge dost thou give for\nthe performance of these conditions?\u201d  \u201cMy word; my oath!\u201d  \u201cWhen wilt\nthou perform them?\u201d  \u201cFour thousand years hence, on the hill of Calvary,\nwithout the walls of Jerusalem!\u201d  The bond was prepared, and signed and\nsealed in the presence of attendant angels.  Justice was satisfied, the\ngate was opened, and Mercy entered, preaching salvation in the name of\nJesus.  The bond was committed to patriarchs and prophets.  A long series\nof rites and ceremonies, sacrifices and oblations, was instituted to\nperpetuate the memory of that solemn deed.  At the close of the\nfour-thousandth year, when Daniel\u2019s \u201cseventy weeks\u201d were accomplished,\nJustice and Mercy appeared on the hill of Calvary.  \u201cWhere,\u201d said\nJustice, \u201cis the Son of God?\u201d  \u201cBehold him,\u201d answered Mercy, \u201cat the foot\nof the hill!\u201d  And there he came, bearing his own cross, and followed by\nhis weeping church.  Mercy retired, and stood aloof from the scene.\nJesus ascended the hill, like a lamb for the sacrifice.  Justice\npresented the dreadful bond, saying, \u201cThis is the day on which this\narticle must be cancelled.\u201d  The Redeemer took it.  What did he do with\nit?  Tear it in pieces, and scatter it to the winds?  No! he nailed it to\nhis cross, crying, \u201cIt is finished!\u201d  The Victim ascended the altar.\nJustice called on holy fire to come down and consume the sacrifice.  Holy\nfire replied: \u201cI come!  I will consume the sacrifice, and then I will\nburn up the world!\u201d  It fell upon the Son of God, and rapidly consumed\nhis humanity; but when it touched his Deity, it expired.  Then was there\ndarkness over the whole land, and an earthquake shook the mountain; but\nthe heavenly host broke forth in rapturous song\u2014\u201cGlory to God in the\nhighest! on earth peace! good will to man!\u201d {114}\n\nThus grace has abounded, and the free gift has come upon all, and the\ngospel has gone forth proclaiming redemption to every creature.  \u201cBy\ngrace ye are saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the\ngift of God; not of works, least any man should boast.\u201d  By grace ye are\nloved, redeemed and justified.  By grace ye are called, converted,\nreconciled and sanctified.  Salvation is wholly of grace.  The plan, the\nprocess, the consummation, are all of grace.\n\n    \u201cGrace all the work shall crown,\n       Through everlasting days;\n    It lays in heaven the topmost stone,\n       And well deserves the praise!\u201d\n\n\u201cWhere sin abounded, grace hath much more abounded.\u201d  \u201cThrough the\noffence of one, many were dead.\u201d  And as men multiplied, the offence\nabounded.  The waters deluged the world, but could not wash away the\ndreadful stain.  The fire fell from heaven, but could not burn out the\naccursed plague.  The earth opened her mouth, but could not swallow up\nthe monster sin.  The law thundered forth its threat from the thick\ndarkness on Sinai; but could not restrain, by all its terrors, the\nchildren of disobedience.  Still the offence abounded, and multiplied as\nthe sands on the sea-shore.  It waxed bold, and pitched its tents on\nCalvary, and nailed the Lawgiver to a tree.  But in that conflict sin\nreceived its mortal wound.  The Victim was the Victor.  He fell, but in\nhis fall he crushed the foe.  He died unto sin, but sin and death were\ncrucified upon his cross.  Where sin abounded to condemn, grace hath much\nmore abounded to justify.  Where sin abounded to corrupt, grace hath much\nmore abounded to purify.  Where sin abounded to harden, grace hath much\nmore abounded to soften and subdue.  Where sin abounded to imprison men,\ngrace hath much more abounded to proclaim liberty to the captives.  Where\nsin abounded to break the law and dishonor the Lawgiver, grace hath much\nmore abounded to repair the breach and efface the stain.  Where sin\nabounded to consume the soul as with unquenchable fire and a gnawing\nworm, grace hath much more abounded to extinguish the flame and heal the\nwound.  Grace hath abounded!  It hath established its throne on the merit\nof the Redeemer\u2019s sufferings.  It hath put on the crown, and laid hold of\nthe golden scepter, and spoiled the dominion of the prince of darkness,\nand the gates of the great cemetery are thrown open, and there is the\nbeating of a new life-pulse throughout its wretched population, and\nImmortality is walking among the tombs!\n\nThis abounding grace is manifested in the gift of Jesus Christ, by whose\nmediation our reconciliation and salvation are effected.  With him,\nbelievers are dead unto sin, and alive unto God.  Our sins were slain at\nhis cross, and buried in his tomb.  His resurrection hath opened our\ngraves, and given us an assurance of immortality.  \u201cGod commendeth his\nlove toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us;\nmuch more, then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from\nwrath through him; for if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to\nGod by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be\nsaved by his life.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe carnal mind is enmity against God; it is not subject to the law of\nGod, neither indeed can be.\u201d  Glory to God, for the death of his Son, by\nwhich this enmity is slain, and reconciliation is effected between the\nrebel and the law!  This was the unspeakable gift that saved us from\nruin; that wrestled with the storm, and turned it away from the devoted\nhead of the sinner.  Had all the angels of God attempted to stand between\nthese two conflicting seas, they would have been swept to the gulf of\ndestruction.  \u201cThe blood of bulls and goats, on Jewish altars slain,\u201d\ncould not take away sin, could not pacify the conscience.  But Christ,\nthe gift of Divine Grace, \u201cPascal Lamb by God appointed,\u201d \u201ca sacrifice of\nnobler name and richer blood than they,\u201d bore our sins, and carried our\nsorrows, and obtained for us the boon of eternal redemption.  He met the\nfury of the tempest, and the floods went over his head; but his offering\nwas an offering of peace, calming the storms and the waves, magnifying\nthe law, glorifying its Author, and rescuing its violator from wrath and\nrain.  Justice hath laid down his sword at the foot of the cross, and\namity is restored between heaven and earth.\n\nHither, O ye guilty! come and cast away your weapons of rebellion!  Come\nwith your bad principles, and wicked actions; your unbelief, and enmity,\nand pride; and throw them off at the Redeemer\u2019s feet!  God is here,\nwaiting to be gracious.  He will receive you; he will cast all your sins\nbehind his back, into the depths of the sea; and they shall be remembered\nagainst you no more for ever.  By Heaven\u2019s \u201cUnspeakable Gift,\u201d by\nChrist\u2019s invaluable atonement, by the free and infinite grace of the\nFather and the Son, we persuade you, we beseech you, we entreat you, \u201cbe\nye reconciled to God!\u201d\n\nIt is by the work of the Holy Spirit within us, that we obtain a personal\ninterest in the work wrought on Calvary for us.  If our sins are\ncancelled, they are also crucified.  If we are reconciled in Christ, we\nfight against our God no more.  This is the fruit of faith.  \u201cWith the\nheart man believeth unto righteousness.\u201d  May the Lord inspire in every\none of us that saving principle!\n\nBut those who have been restored to the Divine favor may sometimes be\ncast down and dejected.  They have passed through the sea, and sung\npraises on the shore of deliverance; but there is yet between them and\nCanaan \u201ca waste howling wilderness,\u201d a long and weary pilgrimage, hostile\nnations, fiery serpents, scarcity of food, and the river Jordan.  Fears\nwithin and fightings without, they may grow discouraged, and yield to\ntemptation, and murmur against God, and desire to return to Egypt.  But\nfear not, thou worm Jacob!  Reconciled by the death of Christ; much more,\nbeing reconciled, thou shalt be saved by his life.  His death was the\nprice of our redemption; his life insures liberty to the believer.  If by\nhis death he brought you through the Red Sea in the night, by his life he\ncan lead you through the river Jordan in the day.  If by his death he\ndelivered you from the iron furnace in Egypt, by his life he can save you\nfrom all the perils of the wilderness.  If by his death he conquered\nPharaoh, the chief foe, by his life he can subdue Sihon, king of the\nAmorites, and Og, the king of Bashan.  \u201cWe shall be saved by his life.\u201d\n\u201cBecause he liveth, we shall live also.\u201d  \u201cBe of good cheer!\u201d  The work\nis finished; the ransom is effected; the kingdom of heaven is opened to\nall believers.  \u201cLift up your heads and rejoice,\u201d \u201cye prisoners of hope!\u201d\nThere is no debt unpaid, no devil unconquered, no enemy within your own\nhearts that has not received a mortal wound!  \u201cThanks be unto God, who\ngiveth us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ!\u201d\n\n\n\nSERMON V.\nONE GOD AND ONE MEDIATOR.\n\n\n    \u201c_For there is one God_, _and one Mediator between God and man_, _the\n    man Christ Jesus_.\u201d\u20141 Tim. ii. 5.\n\nTHE apostle Paul urges the propriety, and importance of praying for all\nmen, in the several conditions and relations of life, from a\nconsideration of God\u2019s merciful intentions toward all men, as exhibited\nin the sufficiency of the gospel provision for their salvation.  But if\nany are saved, it must be through the medium which God has ordained, and\nin the manner which God has prescribed.  Therefore the apostle adds: \u201cFor\nthere is one God, and one Mediator between God and man, the man Christ\nJesus.\u201d  \u201cThere is one God,\u201d to whom sinners have to be reconciled; \u201cand\none Mediator,\u201d through whom that reconciliation is to be effected.  We\nhave a nearly parallel passage in another epistle: \u201cTo us there is but\none God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord\nJesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.\u201d  The unity of God,\nand the mediation of Christ, are the two great topics of the text, to\nwhich we solicit your attention.\n\nI.  \u201cFor there is one God.\u201d  Two infinite beings cannot co-exist, unless\nthey are one in essence and in operation.  The God of Israel pervades the\nuniverse of matter, and fills the immensity of space.  There is no room\nfor another God, possessing the same ubiquity.  \u201cThere is one God and\nFather of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.\u201d  In\nhim alone, all things live, move, and have their being.\n\nThis doctrine is stamped on all the works of nature.  They all exhibit\nunity of design, and must have been contrived by the same infinite\nwisdom, and executed by the same infinite power.  The hand which created\nand arranged them is constantly seen in their preservation.  The Maker of\nall things continues to uphold all things by the word of his power.  The\ngreat Architect still presides over the immense fabric which he has\nreared.  The universe, from age to age, is governed by the same unvarying\nlaws.  All things remain as they were from the beginning.  The earth, the\nair, and the sea, sustain the same mutual relations, and answer the same\nimportant ends; and the sun, the moon, and the stars, shine on for ever.\nThe same order and regularity everywhere prevail, as when the chorus of\nthe morning stars welcomed the new creation into being.  Nature proclaims\naloud: \u201cThere is one God.\u201d\n\nThe same doctrine is impressed upon the Bible.  It is not only the book\nof God, but evidently the book of \u201cone God.\u201d  It is a series of Divine\nRevelations, reaching from Eden to Calvary, and from Calvary onward to\nthe end of the world.  It is a golden chain, passing through all time,\nand uniting the two eternities; and all its links are similar, and depend\nupon each other.  Its several parts are perfectly harmonious, proving\nthem to have emanated from the same infinite mind.  Everywhere we find\nthe same character of God and of man; the same description of the law and\nof sin; the same way of pardon, and holiness, and immortal life.  The\nsame Eternal Spirit, that inspired the Historian of Creation, speaks in\nthe Apocalypse of St. John, and in all the intervenient books of the\nBible.  It was the same Sun of Righteousness, that rose in Eden, and set\non Calvary; and thence rose again the third day, to set no more for ever.\n\n\u201cThe world by wisdom knew not God.\u201d  The heathen lost the doctrine of the\nunity of God; not because it was difficult to preserve, but because they\ndid not love the character of God, \u201cdid not like to retain God in their\nknowledge.\u201d  The pride of the carnal mind led them to turn away from the\nlight of heaven, to walk amid sparks of their own kindling.  They boasted\nof their wisdom; they boasted of their philosophy.  And what gained they\nby the exchange?  The most absurd and stupid notions of the Great First\nCause; almost total ignorance of his attributes.  \u201cProfessing themselves\nto be wise, they became fools; and changed the glory of the incorruptible\nGod into an image made with hands, like unto corruptible man, and to\nbirds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things.\u201d  Shame to\nphilosophic Greece and Rome!\n\nNo nation, having once lost the doctrine of the unity of God, ever\nregained it by the light of nature.  If the light of nature is sufficient\nto preserve it in possession, it is not sufficient to restore it lost.\nIt is restored only by the gospel.  The gospel has restored it in India,\nin Otaheite, and other heathen lands.  It has done more; it has revealed\nto the savage the only way of salvation; it has \u201cbrought life and\nimmortality to light.\u201d\n\n    \u201cFly abroad, thou mighty gospel!\n       Win and conquer! never cease!\u201d\n\nLift up thy voice with strength, and proclaim to Greece and Rome, and to\nall the ends of the earth, as well as to the cities of Judah, that the\nSon of Mary is the God of Israel, \u201cGod manifest in the flesh,\u201d \u201cGod\nblessed forever!\u201d  \u201cThe man Christ Jesus\u201d is \u201cthe brightness of the\nFather\u2019s glory, and the express image of His person, in whom dwelleth all\nthe fulness of the Godhead bodily;\u201d \u201cin whom also we have redemption\nthrough his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of\nhis grace.\u201d\n\nII.  But this leads us to our second topic: \u201cAnd one Mediator between God\nand man, the man Christ Jesus.\u201d  The two doctrines, you perceive, are\nintimately related to each other.  \u201cOne God\u201d\u2014\u201cOne Mediator.\u201d  As we have\nbut \u201cone God,\u201d we need but \u201cone Mediator.\u201d  As that Mediator is himself\nGod, the merit of his mediation is sufficient for the salvation of all\nthem that believe.\n\nThe office of a Mediator supposes two parties at variance, between whom\nhe interposes to produce a reconciliation.  It is thus \u201cbetween God and\nman.\u201d  God gave man a law, \u201choly, and just, and good;\u201d man revolted, and\n\u201cthere is wrath.\u201d  Reconciliation is impossible, without the intervention\nof a mediator.  Let us look at the parties engaged in this dreadful\ncontroversy.\n\nOn one side we see Jehovah, possessed of infinite perfections, and\nclothed with uncreated excellence and glory.  He is self-existent,\nindependent and eternal.  Omnipresence, Omniscience, and Almightiness are\nhis.  He is great in wisdom, full of goodness, slow to anger, and ready\nto pardon.  His love is ineffable, and \u201chis mercy endureth for ever.\u201d  He\nis \u201cglorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders.\u201d  These\nperfections are the pearls and diamonds in his crown.  \u201cWith him also is\nterrible majesty.\u201d  Life and joy are in his smile, but the angel of\ndestruction waits upon his frown.  One beam of his love can raise\nthousands of men to heaven: one glance of his anger, sink myriads of\nangels to hell.  \u201cHe sitteth upon the circles of the earth, and the\ninhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers.\u201d  \u201cAll nations before him are as\nnothing; they are counted less than nothing and vanity.\u201d  \u201cHe doeth\naccording to his will among the children of men, and ruleth the armies of\nheaven.\u201d  \u201cAt his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall\nnot be able to abide his indignation.\u201d  O what majesty and power belong\nunto the Lord our God!\n\nWith this imperfect view, contrast the impotence and insignificance of\nsinful man.  What is he?  A being of yesterday, \u201cwhose breath is in his\nnostrils,\u201d and \u201cwhose foundation is in the dust.\u201d  A frail, helpless,\nperishing thing; dependent upon God, the Creator, for all his comforts,\nfor life itself.  What is man?  A fool; an alien from all good; an\nembodiment of all evil.  His understanding is dark; his will perverse;\nhis affections carnal.  His \u201cthroat is an open sepulchre;\u201d swallowing up\n\u201cwhatsoever things are true, pure, lovely, or of good report;\u201d emitting a\npestilential vapor, which withers every green herb, and sweet flower, and\ndelicious fruit, of honor to God, and happiness to man.  \u201cThe poison of\nasps is under his tongue;\u201d an inflaming poison, affecting all the\nmembers, and \u201csetting on fire the whole course of nature, and it is set\non fire of hell.\u201d  \u201cHis heart is fully set in him to do evil;\u201d \u201cdeceitful\nabove all things, and desperately wicked.\u201d  He is an enemy to his Maker;\na rebel against Jehovah; a blank\u2014nay, worse\u2014a blot in God\u2019s creation;\ndead to every virtue, dead to every thing but sin; lost to every gracious\npurpose of his being; a withered branch, fit only to be plucked off, and\ncast into the fire; stubble, ready for the burning.  \u201cLet him alone!\u201d\nsaid Reason.  \u201cCut him down!\u201d cried Justice.  \u201cI hate the workers of\niniquity!\u201d added Holiness.  \u201cHe or I must perish!\u201d exclaimed Truth.\n\u201cSpare him!  Spare him!  Spare him!\u201d pleaded weeping Mercy.  And Wisdom\ncame forth, leading the Son of God, and said: \u201cI have found a ransom!\nBehold the Mediator!\u201d  And all the attributes met and embraced at the\nmanger, and kissed each other at the cross!\n\nIt was man\u2019s place, as the offender, to seek a reconciliation.  God was\nunder no obligation.  But, alas! man had neither the means nor the\ninclination.  What could be done?  Hear, O ye heavens! and be astonished!\nListen, O earth! and wonder and adore!  While man was far from God, an\nenemy in his heart by wicked works, rushing on in determined hostility to\nhis Maker\u2019s government, and there was no sacrifice found for his sin, and\nno disposition in him to seek a sacrifice, God sought within himself the\nadequate and only means of pardon and peace.  He found in his own bosom\nthe Lamb for the altar; exhibited him to Israel in the predictions and\npromises of the Old Testament; and in the fulness of time, sent him forth\nto expiate sin, by the offering of himself, once for all.  \u201cFor the Word\nwas made flesh, and dwelt among us; and we beheld his glory, the glory as\nof the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.\u201d  \u201cAnd being\nfound in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto\ndeath, even the death of the Cross.\u201d\n\nGod provided a Mediator.  Why?  Did he fear that the deserved ruin of the\nhuman race would dethrone eternal Justice?  No.  Eternal Justice would\nhave been honored as much in their destruction as in their salvation.\nThe law would have been as fully vindicated in the infliction of its\npenalty upon the transgressor, as in the reparation of its breach by a\nvicarious atonement.  The glory of the Divine government would have been\nuntarnished, as when the rebel angels were cast down from heaven, and\nlocked up in everlasting darkness.  This wondrous provision was not the\nresult of necessity, but the prompting of Infinite Love.  Divine Mercy\nsought to remove the barrier interposed by Divine Justice.  The sinner\ncannot be pardoned, till his Great Substitute has met the demands of the\nlaw.  There must be a full satisfaction and settlement of its claims, as\nthe only ground on which the rebel can be acquitted.\n\nLove is the \u201cAlpha and Omega\u201d of redemption, the love of God to man.\nRead it in the journey of the Mediator from heaven to earth!  Read it in\nhis pilgrimage through the land of sorrow!  Behold him \u201cnailed to the\nshameful tree!\u201d  See the blood and water gushing from his side!  Hear the\nsound of the water-spouts, as the floods of wrath rollover him!  Then ask\nthe reason.  The answer is: \u201cGod is love.\u201d  \u201cHe is not willing that any\nshould perish.\u201d  It seemed good in his sight to save his rebel children,\nwhatever it might cost him.  \u201cGod so loved the world, that he gave his\nonly begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but\nhave eternal life.\u201d  \u201cHerein is love, not that we loved God\u201d\u2014no; we hated\nhim; we were his sworn, inveterate foes; \u201cbut that he loved us\u201d\u2014loved us\nwhile we were yet enemies\u2014loved us with an ineffable love; \u201cand sent his\nSon to be the propitiation for our sins.\u201d\n\nWonderful must be the qualifications of such a Mediator.  He fills with\nhis own merit the gap between two worlds.  He bows the heavens, and lifts\nup the earth to meet them.  He takes hold of God and man, and brings them\ntogether in himself.  He reconciles the rebel and the law, glorifies the\nFather by humbling himself, and his cross becomes our life, and his tomb\nthe birthplace of our immortality.\n\nEngland and Wales could not be united till the son of the king of England\nwas born in Wales, and became Prince of Wales.  The English regarded him\nas heir to the throne of England; while the Welsh claimed him as their\nbrother, a native of their own country, born in the castle of Caernarvon.\nBehold \u201cthe well beloved\u201d\u2014\u201cthe only begotten of the Father,\u201d \u201cheir of all\nthings,\u201d \u201cLord of lords, and King of kings,\u201d born \u201cin Bethlehem of\nJudea;\u201d \u201cthe Son of God\u2014the Son of man;\u201d partaking of both natures, and\nrepresenting both parties in the great controversy.  He is \u201cthe Mighty\nGod, and the Everlasting Father;\u201d yet he is our near kinsman\u2014bone of our\nbone, and flesh of our flesh.  In his person, heaven and earth are\njoined; by his blood, God and man are reconciled.  Heaven is his throne,\nfor God is his father; earth is his principality, for it is the land of\nhis nativity.  In him angels recognise their King, and men behold their\nbrother.\n\nI gaze on the cross, and methinks I hear the victim say: \u201cLook unto me,\nand be ye saved, all ye ends of the earth; for I am God, and beside me\nthere is none else.  I opened a way for my people of old, by dividing the\nwaters, to the Canaan of Promise; I am now preparing a path for\nbelievers, through the red sea of my blood, to the inheritance in heaven.\nI gave the law amid fire and smoke on Sinai, and thundered forth my curse\nupon its violater; I am here on Calvary, to honor that violated law, and\nremove that curse from its violater by taking it upon myself.  Behold my\nhands, my feet, my side!  This blood, O men! is your sacrifice.  I will\nexpiate your sin by my sufferings.  I will magnify the law, and make it\nhonorable.  And though in your nature I hang on this tree to-day, I will\nrevive, and live for ever, to make intercession for the transgressors,\nand save to the uttermost all that come unto God by me!\u201d\n\nThe mediatorial office of \u201cthe man Christ Jesus\u201d consists of two parts,\nsacrifice and intercession.  They are equally important, and mutually\ndependent.  Without sacrifice, there is no ground of intercession;\nwithout intercession, there is no benefit in sacrifice.  The former\nrenders the latter influential with God; the latter renders the former\navailable to man.  The one removes the obstacles to reconciliation, the\nother brings the adverse parties together.\n\nThe first part of the mediatorial office is sacrifice.  In order to\nunderstand this aright, we must have correct views of God, of man, and of\nsin.  We must consider God as the lawgiver and governor of the universe,\neternally hostile to all iniquity, and determined to sustain his just\nadministration.  We must consider man as a guilty and polluted creature,\na rebel in arms against his Maker, a prisoner under sentence and\ndeserving punishment.  We must consider sin as an inexcusable omission of\nduty, and a flagrant transgression of the law, under circumstances of\npeculiar aggravation.  The debt must be paid, or the sinner must perish.\nAn atonement must be made, of merit equal to the turpitude of our crimes.\nThe stain which we have cast upon the law, must be washed out by blood of\ninfinite preciousness.  This is the work of our Mediator.  He \u201cgave\nhimself a ransom for all.\u201d  He made a perfect satisfaction for our sins.\n\u201cHe was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities;\nthe chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are\nhealed.\u201d  It is not by blood of bulls and goats, slain on Jewish altars,\nbut by a nobler and costlier sacrifice\u2014the paschal \u201cLamb of God,\u201d that\nheaven and earth are reconciled\u2014God and man united.\n\nThe second part of the mediatorial office is intercession.  It was\nthrough the High-priest, the typical mediator, that God communicated with\nIsrael, and Israel communicated with God; it is through \u201cthe man Christ\nJesus,\u201d the real Mediator, that God speaks to the world, and receives the\nprayers of his people.  Having \u201cborne the sins of many,\u201d he \u201cmaketh\nintercession for the transgressors.\u201d  \u201cHe hath entered into heaven\nhimself, there to appear in the presence of God for us.\u201d  He has gone\ninto the holy of holies, with \u201cthe blood of sprinkling, which speaketh\nbetter things than the blood of Abel.\u201d  \u201cIf any man sin, we have an\nadvocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.\u201d  \u201cThrough him we\nboth\u201d\u2014that is, both Jews and Gentiles\u2014\u201chave access by one Spirit unto the\nFather.\u201d  He holds in his hand the golden censer, and offers much incense\nbefore the throne.  It is this that perfumes our prayers, and renders\nthem acceptable to God.  He pleaded for his murderers when he hung upon\nthe cross, and now he pleads in heaven for those who crucify him afresh.\nAnd what is the ground of his plea?  Not the merit of our works, but the\nmerit of his own sufferings.  Not the infinitude of the Father\u2019s mercy,\nbut the sufficiency of his own sacrifice.  This is the sure foundation of\na sinner\u2019s hope.  If Satan suggests that his crimes are too great to be\nforgiven, he may reply: \u201cThe man Christ Jesus\u201d is my advocate, the\nadvocate of \u201cthe chief of sinners;\n\n    And should I die with mercy sought,\n       When I his grace have tried,\n    I sure should die\u2014delightful thought!\u2014\n       Where sinner never died!\u201d\n\n\u201cOne Mediator.\u201d  There is no choice.  You must accept of him, or remain\nunreconciled, and be cast into hell.  Israel found but one path through\nthe Red Sea; the church shall never find more than one way to the\nheavenly Canaan.  It is only by faith in the \u201cOne Mediator,\u201d that you can\nobtain the favor of the \u201cOne God.\u201d  He is the elect and beloved of the\nFather, the appointed medium of man\u2019s approach, the designated channel of\nGod\u2019s communication.  \u201cNeither is there salvation in any other.\u201d  No\nother has been provided.  No other is suited to our necessities.  O\nsinner! come through this \u201cnew and living way!\u201d  Christ invites your\nconfidence.\n\n    \u201cVenture on him; venture freely;\n       Let no other trust intrude!\n    None but Jesus, none but Jesus,\n       Can do helpless sinners good.\u201d\n\nThese glorious truths, we cannot read too often, or meditate too much.\nThey represent to us the great evil of sin, the infinite mercy of God,\nthe inflexible character of the law, and the incalculable preciousness of\nthe gospel.  Such is the Father\u2019s estimate of the Mediator, that he will\nbe reconciled to sinners only through his blood.  He is well pleased with\nhis Son, and well pleased with all who seek him through his Son, and\nnothing is more offensive to him than the rejection of his Son.  May\nthese remarks preserve you from despair under a sense of your guilt and\nwretchedness; drive you from all false refuges to the cross, with a\npenitent and grateful heart; induce you to trust; not in your own\nstrength, or wisdom, or righteousness, but in the adorable name of Jesus;\nto live a life of faith in him, of love towards him, and of patient\nwaiting for his mercy unto eternal salvation!\n\nIf you are already partakers of these blessings, how transcendent is your\nprivilege!  \u201cYe are come unto mount Zion, the city of the living God, the\nheavenly Jerusalem; and to an innumerable company of angels; and to the\nspirits of just men made perfect; and to the general assembly and church\nof the first-born, which are written in heaven; and to God, the judge of\nall; and to Jesus, the Mediator of the new covenant; and to the blood of\nsprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.\u201d  Follow the\nCaptain of your salvation.  Cleave to him in the fire and the flood.\nTurn not aside to the lying vanities of the world, lest you drink the cup\nof its eternal sorrows.  Remember that those who suffer with the\ncrucified shall reign with the glorified; that such as are faithful unto\ndeath shall receive the crown of life.  Be careful to \u201ckeep the unity of\nthe spirit in the bond of peace.\u201d  Endure unto the end, and ye shall be\nsaved.\n\n\u201cNow the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus,\nthat Great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting\ncovenant, make you perfect in every good work, to do his will, working in\nyou that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ our\nLord, to whom be glory for ever and ever.\u201d  Amen.\n\n\n\nSERMON VI.\nTHE LIVING REDEEMER.\n\n\n    \u201c_Oh that my words were now written_! _oh that they were printed in a\n    book_! _that they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock\n    for ever_!  _For I know that my Redeemer liveth_, _and that he shall\n    stand at the latter day upon the earth_: _and though after my skin\n    worms destroy this body_, _yet in my flesh shall I see God_: _whom I\n    shall see for myself_, _and mine eyes shall behold_, _and not\n    another_; _though my reins be consumed within me_.\u201d\u2014Job xix. 23\u201327.\n\nIT is the common opinion of learned divines, that Job was an ancient\nprince in some part of Arabia, known in his day by the name of Uz.  His\nthree friends also\u2014\u201cEliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar\nthe Naamathite\u201d\u2014were neighboring princes.  In their visit of condolence,\nthey were accompanied by Elihu, who seems to have been a young man of\nextraordinary intelligence and virtue.  The occasion of this visit was\nthe apparent judgments of God upon the patriarch.  They held a long\ncontroversy with him, in which they insisted that his unparalleled\ncalamities and sufferings proved him the chief of hypocrites.  Job as\nstrenuously maintained his innocence and integrity, and argued that his\nprovidential afflictions were intended only for the proof and the\nimprovement of his piety; and that when this purpose should be\naccomplished, he would come forth as gold purified from the furnace.\nGod, answering out of the whirlwind, settled the dispute, deciding in\nfavor of his servant Job; his three friends were required to offer\nsacrifice for their faults, and Job must pray for their forgiveness.\nThen the wheel of fortune turned in his favor, and he was restored to his\nformer prosperity.\n\nJob and his friends evidently had a clear understanding of the evil of\nsin, the wickedness of hypocrisy, the importance of the fear of God, and\nthe doctrine of an allwise superintending providence; and knew how to\napproach Jehovah through sacrifice, in anticipation of the promised\nMessiah.\n\nWe shall offer a few general remarks on Job\u2019s faith in a living Redeemer,\nas expressed in our text.\n\nI.  Our minds are struck with wonder and pleasure, in beholding the\npatriarchs and prophets of ancient times, moved by the Spirit of God,\nsearching diligently for the person and grace of the Messiah; like\nminers, opening an entrance to a precious treasure, which is to redeem\nthem and their brethren from bondage.\n\nJob has no reference here to any temporal deliverer, nor to any other\nthan the Messiah himself.  He evidently saw what he needed, when he was\nspeaking of the Daysman, the Umpire, one that might argue and settle the\ncase between him and his Maker, one that might lay his hand alike on God\nand man.  With the eye of faith, he saw the Messiah, setting one foot on\nthe continent of eternity, and the other on the sea of human misery, and\nlifting up his hand and saying\u2014\u201cTime and eternity are mine!  I am God,\nand beside me there is no Saviour!\u201d  Elihu also speaks of the same\nperson, under the name of \u201ca messenger,\u201d \u201can interpreter,\u201d \u201cone of a\nthousand,\u201d that might commune with both God and man, concerning\natonement, and justifying righteousness, and deliverance from the pit of\neternal destruction.\n\nThe promise of a Redeemer descended from Eden like a precious ark,\ncontaining, for all mankind, the bread of life, and the unsearchable\nriches of Divine grace.  It was conveyed from the house of Adam to the\nhouse of Seth, from the house of Seth to the house of Noah, from the\nhouse of Noah to the house of Abraham, and thence down through successive\ngenerations to the time of Messiah\u2019s advent.  The patriarchs, before\ntheir departure, received from this ark invaluable spiritual blessings,\nand a passport to the everlasting city; but the ark itself they left\nbehind for the benefit of their posterity, who found therein the balm of\nlife, and died in the faith of a Saviour to come, according to the\npromise.\n\nJob\u2019s living Redeemer is none other than the promised \u201cSeed,\u201d that should\n\u201cbruise the serpent\u2019s head\u201d\u2014Jacob\u2019s \u201cLion,\u201d \u201cstooping down\u201d to the \u201cnew\ntomb hewn out of a rock,\u201d aiming at the King of Terrors, and on the third\nmorning leaping and \u201crushing upon the prey,\u201d and becoming the plague of\ndeath, and the destruction of the grave\u2014the \u201cJehovah-jireh\u201d of\nAbraham\u2014the \u201cI Am,\u201d who appeared to Moses in the burning bush\u2014the\n\u201cWonderful,\u201d the \u201cCouncillor,\u201d the \u201cChild-born,\u201d and \u201cthe Everlasting\nFather,\u201d predicted by Isaiah\u2014Jeremiah\u2019s \u201cJehovah our Righteousness\u201d\u2014the\n\u201cBranch\u201d and \u201cFountain\u201d of Zachariah\u2014the \u201cShepherd and Stone of\nIsrael\u201d\u2014the \u201cShiloh,\u201d to whom should be \u201cthe gathering of the people\u201d\u2014the\n\u201cGovernor,\u201d who should \u201ccome out of Bethlehem\u201d\u2014Malachi\u2019s \u201cSun of\nRighteousness\u201d\u2014Paul\u2019s \u201cCaptain of our Salvation,\u201d \u201cbringing many sons to\nglory;\u201d opening a tunnel under the river of his own sufferings, and the\nseas of human guilt and wo, through which his redeemed might go home to\ntheir Father\u2019s house\u2014Peter\u2019s \u201cPrince of Life,\u201d \u201cslain and hung on a\ntree\u201d\u2014John\u2019s \u201cWord,\u201d that \u201cwas in the beginning with God, and was God;\u201d\nbut \u201cwas made flesh, and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.\u201d\n\nII.  The word here rendered Redeemer, is Goel in the original; and in the\nbook of Ruth, is translated kinsman, one who has a right to redeem.  The\nRedeemer is our near kinsman; for \u201che that sanctifieth, and they that are\nsanctified, are all of one; for which cause he is not ashamed to call\nthem brethren.\u201d\n\nAn individual in this country returned from India so rich that he\nconferred upon all his relatives an independent fortune.  To us also a\nbrother was born against the day of adversity, who is able to enrich us\nall with eternal riches.  You know not what hardships your brother\nendured in the East, while gathering the wealth you now enjoy; but we\nknow that our brother, \u201cthough he was rich, for our sakes became poor,\nthat we through his poverty might be rich.\u201d\n\nWhen Naomi returned from the land of Moab, Elimelech, her husband, was\ndead, and the inheritance greatly involved in debt.  According to the law\nof the tribes, the nearest kinsman of the deceased debtor was obliged to\nmarry the widow, and redeem the inheritance, so as to retain it in the\nsame tribe.  The purchaser was sought in the land of Bethlehem.  One was\nfound, sufficiently rich, but unwilling.  He preferred to take off his\nown shoes, before the elders, at the gate of the city, rather than stand\nin the shoes of his deceased brother.  It was done, however, by another,\nof the name of Boaz.  But who will stand in the place of sinners, who\nhave forfeited all claim to the heavenly inheritance, and deserve eternal\ndamnation?  Let heaven and earth meet in council, and see who is able and\nwilling to \u201credeem his brother, or give to God a ransom for him.\u201d  Earth\nreplies\u2014\u201cThere is no such person here.\u201d  All the angels around the throne\nanswer\u2014\u201cThere is none in the celestial city.\u201d  Search the streets of\nJerusalem; go to the garden of Gethsemane; inquire on the hill of\nCalvary.  Who is willing to die for sinners to-day?  There is the tree.\nThere is the executioner, with hammer and nails.  Who will offer himself\na sacrifice there, for the redemption of man?  None but Jesus.  None but\nJesus was able; none but Jesus was willing.  \u201cHere am I,\u201d said he; \u201cif ye\nseek me, let these go their way.\u201d  And without the gates of Jerusalem, he\nhonored the law, spoiled principalities, and redeemed his people.  He\nsuffered the curse in the sinner\u2019s stead, and swallowed up all its\nplagues in himself.  As your representative, he endured all the agony and\nignominy you justly deserved. {132}  And when you by faith lay hold of\nhis atonement, you shall be made the righteousness of God in him\u2014shall be\ndealt with, not according to your deserts, but according to his merit and\nhis mercy.  He was humbled that you might be exalted, impoverished that\nyou might be enriched, bound that you might be released, punished that\nyou might be spared, condemned that you might be acquitted, wounded that\nyou might be healed, cursed that you might be blessed, and slain that you\nmight live for ever.\n\nIII.  Job\u2019s faith anticipated a Living Redeemer.  \u201cI know that my\nRedeemer liveth\u201d\u2014is the Living One\u2014he that has life, underived and\nindependent, in himself\u2014the agent and source of all life in the universe,\nwho will at last quicken the dead.\n\nThe first woman was called Eve\u2014that is, Life\u2014because she was the mother\nof all living\u2014the mother of him who is the life of the world.  This was\nfulfilled four thousand years afterward in one of her daughters, a\nvirgin, who brought forth a son, whose name is Jesus, Emmanuel, the\nLiving God, the true God, and eternal Life.  He is the Lord of life, and\nthe life of all that believe.  \u201cBecause I live, ye shall live also.\u201d\nWith the flame of one candle you may light many others, and the light of\nall is the same.  Christ is the source whence all his people derive their\nlight, the great central luminary of his church.  \u201cIn him was life, and\nthe life was the light of men.\u201d\n\nWhen the prophet stood in the valley of dry bones and prophesied, there\nwas a wonderful agitation, and the bones came together, and formed\nthemselves into skeletons, and sinews and flesh covered them, and each\nform was enclosed with a skin; but they were still dead, and it was not\ntill the breath of God blew upon them, and kindled the flame of life\nwithin them, that they \u201cstood up an exceeding great army.\u201d  So Christ is\nthe resurrection and life alike of the soul and of the body.  \u201cHe that\nbelieveth on him, though he were dead, yet shall he live.\u201d  He is the\nbread and the water of life.  \u201cHe that cometh unto him, shall never\nhunger; and he that believeth on him, shall never thirst.\u201d  \u201cHe that hath\nthe Son, hath life; and he that hath not the Son, hath not life.\u201d  \u201cWe\nare dead; and our life is hid with Christ in God; when Christ who is our\nlife shall appear, then shall we also appear with him in glory.\u201d\n\nIV.  The Living Redeemer of Job was to appear in this world.  \u201cHe shall\nstand at the latter day upon the earth.\u201d\n\nA woman who is travelling, and has no money to bear her expenses, obtains\ncredit on her husband\u2019s account, who afterward passes that way, and\ndischarges the obligation.  So ancient saints went home to glory on\ncredit: and in the fulness of time, Christ came and paid their debt; not\nby installments, but all at once; and the virtue of his own offering went\nup to the gate of Eden, and down to the end of the world.  As on both\nsides of the altar of burnt-offering, were pipes, conveying the blood\ninto the basins, till they were full; so the great altar on Calvary\ncommunicates with past generations, and generations yet to come; and the\nsaving merit of the one sacrifice runs back to Abel and to Adam, and\nforward to the last believer.\n\nWhom do I see in the garden yonder, in such agony of soul, prostrate in\nprayer, and sweating great drops of blood?  Job\u2019s Living Redeemer.  Why\nis his heart thus wrung with anguish?  Is there a dark register of sins\nin his conscience, like the fiery handwriting of God upon the wall?  No,\nhe has not a single crime to confess.  He has done no iniquity, neither\nis guile found in his mouth.  Why then does he suffer?  He is bearing our\ngriefs, carrying our sorrows, and receiving the chastisement of our\npeace.  Behold him on the mountain, \u201cwounded for our transgressions, and\nbruised for our iniquities.\u201d  \u201cAll we like sheep have gone astray; we\nhave turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the\niniquity of us all.\u201d  \u201cHe is brought as a lamb to the slaughter; and as a\nsheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.\u201d  \u201cWho\nshall declare his generation?\u201d  Who shall give us his pedigree, his\nhistory, his character?  Will none of the angels of heaven make the air\nof Calvary ring with the sufferer\u2019s name?  Behold! the darkened sun and\nquaking earth proclaim him God!  Hark! he speaks\u2014\u201cI am the true God, and\neternal life.  I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning of the\nCreator\u2019s way, or ever the earth was.  When there was no depths, nor\nfountains of water; before the mountains were settled, before the hills\nwas I brought forth; while as yet he had not made the earth, nor the\nfields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world.  When he prepared\nthe heavens, I was there; when he set a compass upon the deep; when he\nestablished the clouds above; when he strengthened the foundations of the\ndeep; when he gave the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass\nhis commandment; when he established the foundations of the earth; then I\nwas by him, as one brought up with him; and I was daily his delight,\nrejoicing always before him; rejoicing in the habitable parts of his\nearth, and my delights were with the sons of men; and therefore I am\nhere, hanging on the cross to-day!\u201d\n\nV.  Job\u2019s Living Redeemer was to deliver him from the power of death.\n\nJob anticipated the coming of \u201cthe last enemy,\u201d who should give his flesh\nto be food for worms.  The Sabeans had taken away the oxen and the asses,\nand slain the servants with the edge of the sword.  The fire had fallen\nfrom heaven, and burnt up the sheep and the shepherds.  The Chaldeans had\nrobbed him of his camels, and murdered his domestics.  The whirlwind had\nkilled his sons and his daughters in the house of their feasting.  His\nbody was covered with putrid ulcers, from head to foot.  His best friends\nturned against him, and even his wife tempted him to \u201ccurse God and die.\u201d\nBut amid all his calamities, he saw another enemy, ready to assail his\nbody, and drag it away to the tomb, and reduce it to dust and ashes.  At\nthe same time, his faith beheld the Messiah swallowing up death in\nvictory.  He saw the Son of Mary in the house of Jairus, where the lion\nhad just slain his victim; and on the street of Nain, where he was taking\nthe prey to his den; and at the grave in Bethany, where he was banqueting\nwith worms in the joy of victory.  Death could not stand before the\nPrince of Life.  The spoiler yielded up his spoil.  Christ sailed on the\nopen channel like a man of war, delivering the hapless captives of the\ngreat pirate Death, to the astonishment and joy of the people, from\nSamaria to the borders of Tyre and Sidon.  But on a certain day, ever to\nbe remembered, as he drew near the ramparts of Sinai, all its batteries\nwere opened upon him.  He stood in the fire all night, and fought till he\nsweat great drops of blood.  He threw himself between his friends and the\nfort, and sustained the shock of its heaviest artillery, which played\nupon him without intermission, especially the old cannon of Eden\u2014\u201cDying\nthou shalt die\u201d\u2014until three o\u2019clock in the afternoon of the next day,\nwhen he received a shot in the heart, and, crying, \u201cIt is finished!\u201d gave\nup the ghost.  The whole creation trembled when he fell, and was\nswallowed up in the horrible abyss.  But on the morning of the third day,\nthe earth was seized with new spasms, and he that was dead came forth to\nbe the life of his people; and the cable of faith, the anchor of hope,\nand the sails of love, ascended with him from the deep, never to go down\nagain.  He is alive for evermore, and has the keys of hell and of death.\n\nVI.  Job speaks of the period of Messiah\u2019s advent, under the term of \u201cthe\nlatter day.\u201d  This may refer, either to the end of the Jewish\ndispensation, or to the end of the world.\n\nChrist has already once appeared on earth, fulfilled the types and\nshadows, made an end of sins, and brought in everlasting righteousness;\n\u201cand to them that look for him, he shall appear the second time, without\na sin-offering, unto salvation.\u201d  \u201cWhen the Son of man shall come in his\nglory, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory, and before him\nshall be gathered all nations, and he shall separate them as the shepherd\ndivideth the sheep from the goats.\u201d  Then shall God have finished his\nwork in mount Zion, and the trumpets of the gospel shall cease to sound,\nand the great net shall be taken up from the sea, and the laborers in the\nvineyard shall receive their wages, and the tares shall be cast into the\nunquenchable fire.\n\nWonderful shall be the glory and the terror of that day; \u201cwhen the Lord\nJesus shall be revealed from heaven, with his mighty angels, in flaming\nfire; taking vengeance on them that know not God, and obey not the\ngospel; who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the\npresence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; when he shall come\nto be glorified in his saints, and admired in all them that believe.\u201d\nWhat a glorious army shall attend him down the sky\u2014myriads of his saints,\nand all the celestial powers and principalities!  \u201cFire shall devour\nbefore him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him.  He shall\ncall to the heavens above, and to the earth, that he may judge his\npeople.\u201d  His throne shall be \u201clike a fiery flame, and his wheels like a\nburning furnace.\u201d  He \u201cshall descend with a shout, and the voice of the\narchangel, and the trump of God.\u201d  The sound of the trumpet on Sinai was\nlong and loud, and \u201cexceeding terrible;\u201d but how much more powerful shall\nbe the voice of \u201cthe last trumpet,\u201d penetrating the cold ear of death,\nand awaking into immortality the dust of the grave!  Then the Messiah\nshall not appear \u201cas a root out of dry ground;\u201d but shall stand forth\nbefore heaven and earth \u201cin the glory of the Father, and of his holy\nangels;\u201d in addition to the glory of his own person as God-man, and the\nglory of his work as Mediator.  Before him, \u201cthe heavens shall pass away\nwith a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat; the\nearth also, and the works that are therein, shall be burned up;\u201d and\ndeath and hell shall deliver up their dead; and all men shall stand and\nreceive their sentence from him who was an infant in Bethlehem\u2014\u201ca man of\nsorrows, and acquainted with grief\u201d\u2014condemned by Pilate, mocked by the\nmultitude, and nailed upon the cross.  This is Job\u2019s living Redeemer, the\nresurrection and life of all who believe.\n\nVII.  Our text contains Job\u2019s confession of faith.  It is brief, but very\ncomprehensive, and may be called an epitome of the gospel.  Here we have\nthe Divinity and the humanity of Christ, his work of redemption, his\nvictory over death and hell, his second advent, and the resurrection of\nthe dead.\n\nThe Athenians mocked when they heard of the resurrection of the dead; and\nthe Sadducees greatly erred on this subject, \u201cnot knowing the scriptures,\nnor the power of God,\u201d and many of the Corinthians imbibed the same\npoison of unbelief.  But the patriarch of Uz thought it not \u201ca thing\nincredible that God should raise the dead.\u201d  He firmly believed the\ndoctrine, and gave it a prominent place in his confession.  He knew that\nGod is able to watch and preserve the dust of his saints; has his eye\nupon every particle, throughout all the periods of time; and through the\nDivine Mediator, \u201cwill raise it up at the last day.\u201d  This doctrine was\nto him a great consolation in his unparalleled afflictions.  \u201cThough my\nskin,\u201d says he, \u201cis a tissue of disease and corruption\u2014yea, though my\nbody sink into the earth, and be eaten up of the worms, and my very reins\nbe consumed within me\u2014yet in my flesh, in this same body, reorganized,\nreanimated, and made immortal from the tomb, I shall see God\u2014shall see\nhim for myself, with these self-same eyes.\u201d\n\nYes, brethren; the souls and bodies of all the human race shall be\nreunited; and with our own eyes, we shall see the judge of quick and\ndead, with his fan in his hand, thoroughly purging his floor, gathering\nthe wheat into his garner, and burning up the chaff with unquenchable\nfire.  In that day, the tares and the wheat shall be for ever separated,\nand there shall be no more foolish virgins among the wise.  \u201cFor we must\nall appear before the judgment-seat of Christ, that we may receive the\nthings done in the body, according to that we have done, whether it be\ngood or evil.\u201d\n\nHow vast the difference between Messiah\u2019s first and second advents!  When\nhe \u201ctabernacled and dwelt among us,\u201d he appeared \u201cin the form of a\nservant;\u201d but when he shall come again, he shall come as a judge, and\n\u201csit upon the throne of his glory;\u201d and \u201call that are in their graves\nshall hear his voice, and come forth; they that have done good, unto the\nresurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection\nof damnation.\u201d  \u201cFor the Son of man shall send forth his angels; and they\nshall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them that do\niniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire; there shall he\nweeping and gnashing of teeth; then shall the righteous shine forth as\nthe Sun in the kingdom of their Father.\u201d\n\nVIII.  I call your attention to one other topic suggested by the text\u2014the\nconfidence with which Job speaks of his interest in the living Redeemer.\n\u201cFor I know that my Redeemer liveth.\u201d  It was not a mere conjecture.\nThere was no doubt in the case.  The patriarch had reached the assurance\nof faith; and so perfectly satisfied was he of the fact, that he\nexpressed an intense desire that his words might be recorded on the most\ndurable materials, that they might be read by generations to come.\n\nHow may we acquire the same confidence?  What is the evidence of our\ninterest in Job\u2019s living Redeemer?  The nature and effects of the change\nwhich has taken place in our hearts.  You that \u201cwere sometime darkness,\nare now light in the Lord;\u201d have been \u201ccalled out of darkness into his\nmarvellous light;\u201d and can say\u2014\u201cOne thing I know, that whereas I was once\nblind, now I see.\u201d  \u201cThe carnal mind is enmity against God;\u201d but those\nthat are born of the Spirit love God; and love and hatred are not so much\nalike, that you cannot tell by which principle you are governed.  While\nthe strong man armed kept the palace, his goods were in peace; but when a\nstronger than he came and cast him out, there was a warfare commenced\nbetween the old man and the new.  You were formerly dead in trespasses\nand sins; but are now alive to God, through our Lord Jesus Christ.  You\nwere once destitute of faith in the Redeemer; but now you believe in him,\nand rely upon his righteousness alone, as the ground of your acceptance\nand salvation.  How can you experience such a transformation, and know\nnothing of the matter?  As well might the sick, when Christ healed\nthem\u2014as well might the blind, when Christ opened their eyes\u2014as well might\nthe dead, when Christ raised them to second life from the bed, the bier,\nor the grave\u2014have been ignorant of the mighty change.\n\nIn the word of God, we have the testimony of many who had obtained the\nassurance of faith.  \u201cI know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall\nstand upon the earth at the latter day\u201d\u2014was the testimony of Job.  \u201cThe\nLord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, and the horn of my\nsalvation, in whom I will trust\u201d\u2014was the testimony of David.  \u201cI will\ngreatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall be joyful in God; for he hath\nclothed me with the garments of salvation; he hath covered me with the\nrobe of righteousness\u201d\u2014was the testimony of Isaiah.  \u201cI know in whom I\nhave believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have\ncommitted unto him against that day\u201d\u2014was the testimony of the apostle\nPaul.  \u201cWe know that we are of God; we know that we have passed from\ndeath unto life; we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him,\nfor we shall see him as he is\u201d\u2014was the testimony of John, \u201cthe beloved\ndisciple.\u201d\n\n\u201cThese things,\u201d saith the apostle, \u201chave I written unto you that believe\nin the name of the Son of God, that ye might know that ye have eternal\nlife.\u201d  This is the design of God, in revealing his will to the church.\nWe may\u2014we should know that we have eternal life.  \u201cHe that believeth on\nthe Son of God hath the witness in himself.\u201d  But this assurance of faith\nis not a mere imagination of the brain.  It is not founded on a vague\nnotion of your being one of the elect, without any other evidence.  It is\nnot founded on a voice from heaven, bidding you be of good cheer, and go\nin peace, because your sins are forgiven you.  It is founded on the\nfruits of the Spirit, and the testimony of Divine Revelation.  True\nbelievers are \u201ccreated anew in Christ Jesus, unto good works;\u201d evincing\nthe reality of their love to God by keeping his commandments.\n\nLet us, therefore, give all diligence to make our calling and election\nsure.  Let us examine ourselves, whether we are in the faith.  Let us\ncompare our religion with the precepts of the Bible, and the example of\nancient saints.  But as our hearts are so wicked and deceitful, let us\nnot trust them, but pray to God for the aid of his Holy Spirit, in this\nimportant work of self-examination.  Behold \u201cthe Sweet Singer of Israel,\u201d\npraying\u2014\u201cSearch me, O God, and try me; prove me, and know my heart.\u201d  The\nHoly Spirit has given you a rule by which you are to examine yourselves;\nand he works in you a conformity to that rule, and bears witness with\nyour spirits that you are the children of God.  In proportion to his\noperation upon the heart, will be the assurance of faith; and in\nproportion to the assurance of faith, will be your spiritual comfort and\njoy.  The Lord grant us that \u201cfaith which worketh by love, and purifieth\nthe heart!\u201d\n\nAre you stript of property, bereft of children, afflicted in body,\nforsaken of friends, persecuted and insulted by relatives?  Think of Job,\nand of Job\u2019s living Redeemer!  Imitate the patriarch\u2019s patience and\nconfidence amid all the troubles and conflicts of life!  Go your way\nuntil the end; for ye shall rest, and stand in your several lots at last!\n\n\n\nSERMON VII.\nMESSIAH\u2019S KINGDOM.\n\n\n    \u201c_And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a\n    kingdom_, _which shall never be destroyed_: _and the kingdom shall\n    not be left to other people_, _but it shall break in pieces and\n    consume all these kingdoms_, _and it shall stand for ever_.\n    _Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain\n    without hands_, _and that it brake in pieces the iron_, _the brass_,\n    _the clay_, _the silver_, _and the gold_; _the great God hath made\n    known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter_; _and the dream\n    is certain_, _and the interpretation thereof sure_.\u201d\u2014Dan. ii. 44, 45.\n\nIN these words we have a prophetic description of the kingdom of Christ,\nas the fifth empire that should arise after the date of this prophecy.\nThe wonderful image which so troubled the king of Babylon in his dream,\nand occasioned him so much solicitude when he awoke, denoted four of the\ngreat empires of the world.  The head of gold represented the Babylonian\nempire; the breasts and arms of silver, the Medo-Persian empire; the\nbelly and thighs of brass, the Grecian empire, under Alexander the Great;\nthe legs and feet of iron, the Roman empire in its strength and glory;\nand the ten toes of mingled iron and clay, the same empire in its divided\nand enfeebled state.  The last circumstance was intended to denote the\nsame thing as the ten horns on the head of the Beast in the book of\nRevelation.  As iron is firm and strong, and able to bruise and break all\nmaterials of a softer quality; so the Roman empire once crushed beneath\nits power all other kingdoms, and dictated laws to the world.  As the\nbeast with iron teeth trampled and rent to pieces all that came in its\nway; so the Roman tyrant, like a lion among the lambs of the flock, tore\nand devoured the followers of the meek and lowly Jesus.\n\nThe kingdom of Christ is represented under the figure of \u201ca stone cut out\nof the mountain without hands:\u201d that is, without human agency\u2014without any\nwisdom or power of man, but by the Spirit of God; smiting the feet of the\nimage, and shattering it into fragments; then becoming a great mountain,\nand filling the whole earth.  In the history of Christianity we have the\ncounterpart of the emblem.  Messiah appeared in the form of a servant;\nborn of a poor virgin, in the despised town of Bethlehem; lived a life of\npoverty, persecution, and various sorrow, from the manger to the tree;\ndied the most painful and ignominious of deaths, even the accursed death\nof the cross; but rose from the dead on the predicted morning, the\nmorning of the third day; commissioned his apostles, the fishermen of\nGalilee, to \u201cgo into all the world, and preach the gospel to every\ncreature;\u201d ascended on high, and sent down the Holy Spirit, the promised\nComforter, to give energy and efficacy to the word, to prove its\ndivinity, and convince and save mankind.  The apostles immediately\ncommenced their work; persevered in the divine employment; were prospered\nby the power of God; and the stone, rolling forth from Mount Zion, and\nraising a dust which darkened the very heavens, smote the feet and legs\nof the image, until it shook, and the earth trembled around it; and that\nstone is still rolling on, and shall crush and demolish the image, and\ngrind it to powder, and scatter it to the winds of heaven; and shall\nincrease, till it becomes a great mountain, and fills the whole earth for\never.\n\nIn speaking of the accomplishment of this prophecy, we will notice\u2014its\ncertainty, its attendant glory, and the nearness of its approach.\n\nI.  The certainty of the accomplishment of this prophecy is founded,\n_first_, on the Father\u2019s promise to the Son, made on the express\ncondition of his pouring out his soul unto death.  \u201cI the Lord have\ncalled thee in righteousness, and will hold thy hand, and will keep thee,\nand give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles,\nto open the blind eyes, to bring forth the prisoners from the prison, and\nthem that sit in darkness out of the prison-house.\u201d  Christ\u2019s universal\ndominion is the promised reward of his sufferings, and the Father speaks\nas if he intended to raise his wages.  \u201cThus saith the Lord; It is a\nlight thing that thou shouldst be my servant, to raise up the tribes of\nJacob, and restore the preserved of Israel; I will also give thee for a\nlight of the gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the ends of\nthe earth.\u201d  \u201cAsk of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine\ninheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.\u201d\nSuch is the promise.  All nations shall come and worship before him.  All\nthat the Father hath given shall come unto him, and the gates of hell\nshall not prevail against them.\n\nThe certainty of Messiah\u2019s universal dominion is founded, _secondly_, on\nhis perfect qualification to accomplish the work which the Father hath\ngiven him to do.  \u201cNo one knoweth the Father,\u201d in all the perfection of\nhis nature, all the wisdom of his counsels, and all the immutability of\nhis purposes, \u201cbut the Son; and no one knoweth the Son, but the Father,\u201d\nas he alone is of the same essence, and exhibits the same attributes.\nChrist is \u201cGod manifest in the flesh;\u201d \u201cthe brightness of the Father\u2019s\nglory, and the express image of his person.\u201d  None but a divine person\ncould give, and none but a divine person could receive, such a privilege\nas is here promised.  None but a divine person could be competent to the\neternal redemption of countless millions of the human race.  Christ \u201cis\nthe true God, and Eternal Life\u201d\u2014\u201cthe Faithful Witness, the First Begotten\nfrom the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the earth\u201d\u2014\u201cthe Alpha and\nOmega, the Beginning and the Ending, the First and the Last\u201d\u2014\u201cthe Root\nand the Offspring of David, and the Bright and Morning Star\u201d\u2014\u201cOver all,\nGod, blessed for ever.\u201d  These are Messiah\u2019s titles, which evince his\nequality to the work which he has undertaken\u2014the salvation of the world,\nand the subjugation of all things unto himself.  He is able, not only to\nset up his kingdom, but also to establish it for ever.  It shall never be\ndestroyed, nor left to other people; but shall break in pieces and\ndestroy all other kingdoms, and the kingdoms of this world shall become\nthe kingdom of our God and of his Christ.\n\nTake courage, ye fearful saints!  Your king is the Almighty God.  He\nshall conquer all your enemies.  The victory of Calvary is the pledge and\nearnest of his universal dominion.  You shall soon be more than\nconquerors, through him that hath loved you, and given himself for you.\nHe is able to protect you against the combined powers of earth and hell.\nOmniscient, he is well acquainted with all the plots of his enemies;\nAlmighty, he can at any moment frustrate them.  The prince of darkness,\nwith all his hosts, cannot impede the progress of his kingdom.  In all\ntheir councils, he is present, hearing their deliberations and\ndiscovering their malice.  He overturns their schemes, or employs them\nfor the accomplishment of his own gracious purposes.  \u201cHis counsel shall\nstand, and he will do all his pleasure.\u201d  Too wise to err, and too\npowerful to be overcome, he marches in the van of battle, and will never\nforsake his soldiers.  The very sight of his helmet and his plume is\nvictory to his followers, and death to his foes.\n\nCourage, ye friends of Zion!  \u201cLift up your hearts and rejoice, for your\nredemption draweth nigh.\u201d  Take the whole armor of God; quit you like\nmen; be strong; for the decisive conflict is at hand.  Behold your\nGeneral, clothed with a garment white as snow, girt about the loins with\na golden girdle, his feet as fine brass burning in a furnace, his\ncountenance as the sun shining in his strength, his eyes as a flame of\nfire, his voice as the sound of many waters, a sharp two-edged sword\nproceeding out of his mouth, seven stars in his right hand, and at his\ngirdle the keys of death and hell.  This is the Captain of your\nsalvation, of whom the Evangelical Prophet inquires\u2014\u201cWho is this that\ncometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious\nin his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength?\u201d  This is\nEmmanuel; mighty to conquer, and mighty to save.  Who can stand before\nthe glory of his power?  Who can hinder the universal triumph of his\ncause?  The government shall be upon his shoulder, and he shall reign for\never and ever.\n\nWhat has been said is deemed sufficient to show the certainty of\nMessiah\u2019s universal empire.  The promises of the Father to the Son are so\nmany drafts of immense amount, upon the bank of heaven, which will be\npaid without discount at the appointed time; and the character of Christ\nis a sufficient guarantee that he will carry forward to its completion\nthe work which he has begun.  Having secured a title to the kingdom by\nhis sufferings, he shall certainly come, and take possession, and reign\nfor ever.  The gospel is a lever, whose fulcrum is the Rock of Ages, and\nit shall yet lift our fallen world to heaven.  Balaam knew that his\ncurses could not injure Israel, whom Jehovah had blessed.  The kingdom of\nMessiah is mightier than Moab.  The people beloved of the Lord shall\nprosper in spite of their enemies\u2014as gardens by the rivers, and willows\nby the water-courses.  \u201cThere shall be a handful of corn,\u201d not a sackful,\nonly so much as the sower may hold in his hand\u2014not on the bank of the\nNile, nor in the valley of the Jordan, but \u201con the top of the\nmountain\u201d\u2014the wild, high, rocky, uncultivated mountain; \u201cthe fruit\nthereof shall shake like Lebanon,\u201d and the wind shall carry the seed to\nthe uttermost parts of the earth, and young Lebanons shall grow up\neverywhere, and even the barren rocks and sands of Arabia shall become as\nthe garden of God.  It was but a handful of the seed of the kingdom,\nwhich Peter cast abroad on the day of Pentecost; it was but a handful he\nsowed in the house of Cornelius, the captain of the Italian band; but it\nsoon spread throughout Judea, and even to the isles of the sea, so that\nnothing was more manifest or more abundant than its fruit.  But the\nprevalence of Christ\u2019s millennial kingdom shall be still more rapid and\nglorious; and \u201cfrom the rising to the setting of the sun, his name shall\nbe great among the Gentiles.\u201d\n\nAlready the church is singing\u2014\u201cGird thy sword upon thy thigh, O thou Most\nMighty; and in thy majesty, ride prosperously, because of truth, and\nmeekness, and righteousness.  Thine arrows are sharp in the hearts of the\nking\u2019s enemies, whereby the people fall under thee.\u201d  The song has\nreached the ear of the Prince of Darkness, and he \u201chath come in great\nwrath\u201d to the battle, \u201cfor he knoweth that he hath but a short time.\u201d  He\nknows that \u201cthe Desire of nations\u201d is come; and that his kingdom, already\nbegun, shall be established for ever, and extend from sea to sea, till\nthe knowledge of his glory and the victories of his grace shall cover the\nearth.  He sees the Stone rolling against the idols of India, and Africa,\nand the islands of the sea, and feels his kingdom shake beneath its\nprogress.  He sees the Bramins, the Karens, the worshippers of Juggernaut\nand the Ganges, plucked as brands out of the burning.  He trembles to\nanticipate the announcement\u2014\u201cThe kingdoms of this world are become the\nkingdom of our Lord and of his Christ!\u201d  He beholds the mighty angel,\nwith the keys of the bottomless pit, and a great chain in his hand,\ndescending from heaven, to bind him in his prison.  He hates the church,\nwith her various benevolent enterprises; for he sees in them the\nartillery of Heaven, playing upon his fortresses of infidelity, and\nidolatry, and vice\u2014the enginery of God, setting up a kingdom which shall\nconsume all others, and stand for ever.  \u201cThe dream is certain, and the\ninterpretation thereof is sure.\u201d\n\nII.  We call your attention to the glory of Messiah\u2019s universal reign.\nIt includes three things; the victory obtained, the blessings bestowed,\nand the duration of the kingdom.  Let us consider them distinctly.\n\n_First_.  The victory obtained.  Here we behold the \u201cstone cut out of the\nmountain,\u201d rolling down the steep, rushing and leaping toward the great\nimage, and smiting and breaking its feet of iron and clay, so that it\nfalls like Dagon before the ark.  And still the Stone, instinct with the\npower of God, and increasing in size and velocity, keeps rolling to and\nfro, bounding and rebounding, till it grinds the fallen image to powder,\nand scatters it as the dust of the summer thrashing-floor.  It is endued\nwith perpetual motion; keeping up a constant action and reaction,\ncrushing whatever opposes its progress, and growing to such a magnitude\nas shall shortly fill the whole earth.  This is the salt of Galilee,\nseasoning the nations\u2014the leaven of Jerusalem, spreading through the\nworld.  This is the victorious reign of Christ, from the Tiber to the\nThames, from the Euphrates to the Ganges, from Britain to Japan, from sea\nto sea, and from pole to pole.  This glorious conquest is to be obtained\nby \u201cthe sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;\u201d in connection\nwith the vast machinery of Divine Providence, all the wheels of which are\nunder the direction of Jesus the Christ.  It is a victory over Satan, by\nbruising his head; a victory over sin, by destroying its power; a victory\nover death, by swallowing it up for ever.  Emmanuel has already\nsuccessfully engaged all these foes; and having routed them on Calvary\neighteen hundred years ago, he still pursues their flight; and shall not\nturn again, till he has trampled \u201cthe last enemy\u201d under his feet.\n\nSatan is the prince and the god of this world.  In the management of his\naffairs, he employs a policy similar to that of the Sultan of\nConstantinople, who sets up many pashas or governors under him, as the\nPasha of Egypt, the Pasha of Aleppo, the Pasha of Damascus, all\npossessing the same despotic spirit, and carrying out the same tyrannical\nmeasures.  The devil has established a great number of pashas throughout\nhis dominion.  Three of them are described by the Revelator, as unclean\nspirits, like frogs; one of them issuing from the mouth of Satan himself,\nrepresenting undisguised Paganism; another from the mouth of the Beast,\nrepresenting a persecuting civil power; the third from the mouth of the\nFalse Prophet, representing abominable and damnable heresies.  But these\nshall all be conquered; these, and every other enemy of Messiah upon\nearth.  Jewish impenitence and unbelief, which, for a period of eighteen\ncenturies, has ruled with an absolute sceptre the lineal descendants of\nAbraham, shall be overcome.  Mohammedism, the \u201cking of fierce\ncountenance, understanding dark sentences,\u201d that has reigned over so\nlarge a portion of the world, practicing and prospering, deceiving\nmillions of souls, and destroying the holy people, shall be broken\nwithout hand, and his kingdom shall come to naught.  The drunken harlot\nof Rome, riding on her scarlet beast, that is, a cruel and persecuting\ncivil government, and making all nations drink of the wine of her\nfornication, shall be obliged to drink the wine of the wrath of Almighty\nGod; and all the saints shall clap their hands at her overthrow, and\nshout hallelujah to the Captain of their salvation.  And all those\nProtestant pashas of Satan, who would undermine the gospel by denying its\npeculiar and fundamental doctrines\u2014such as the Divinity of Christ, the\nmerit of his sacrifice, the excellency of his offices, the personality\nand work of the Holy Spirit\u2014and even the existence of his own infernal\nmajesty, shall be destroyed by the brightness of Emmanuel\u2019s coming, when\nhe shall appear in the glory of his millennial kingdom.  Then shall the\nsong of the heavenly host break once more upon the ear of Zion\u2014\u201cArise,\nshine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon\nthee!\u201d  And \u201cthe Gentiles shall come to her light, and kings to the\nbrightness of her rising.\u201d  \u201cHer sons shall come from far, and her\ndaughters shall be nursed at her side.\u201d  \u201cThe glory of the Lord shall be\ndisplayed, and all flesh shall see it together.\u201d\n\n_Secondly_.  The blessings bestowed.  Christ \u201chath ascended on high, and\nreceived gifts for men; yea for the rebellious also, that God may dwell\namong them.\u201d  The celestial reservoir is full; and the golden pipes are\nlaid, for conveying the waters of life to every soul of man; and the time\nshall yet come, when all shall know the Lord, from the least to the\ngreatest.  The gospel salvation shall be an ocean, spreading over the\nwhole earth; and there shall be no more ebbing and flowing of the waters,\nbut a continual full tide from shore to shore.  The Chinese, the\nHottentot, and the American Indian, shall be as thoroughly instructed in\nDivine things as the Welshman; and the Welshman shall be seven times more\nintelligent than now.  And this universally prevalent knowledge of Christ\nshall be, not merely nominal and theoretical, but experimental and\npractical.  It shall be a \u201cfaith unfeigned,\u201d \u201cof the operation of God,\u201d\n\u201cworking by love, and purifying the heart.\u201d  The light of the gospel\nshall be \u201cas the sun shining in his strength,\u201d scattering all clouds from\nthe face of the world, and the moon and the stars shall be lost in its\neffulgence.  Living waters shall flow out from the spiritual Jerusalem in\nsummer and winter; neither frozen by the cold, nor evaporated by the\nheat.  Like the deluge of Noah, they shall cover the mountains; but they\nshall save, and not destroy, all whom they shall overwhelm.  \u201cIn that\nday, there shall be one Lord, and his name shall be one;\u201d and he \u201cshall\nbe king over all the earth.\u201d  The cause of Christ shall be pre-eminent in\nthe estimation of mankind.  The duties and interests of Christianity\nshall constitute no secondary concern.  \u201cThe mountain of the Lord\u2019s house\nshall be established in the tops of the mountains, and exalted above the\nhills, and all nations shall flow unto it.\u201d\n\nAmong the blessings of this happy period, shall be that of a universal\nand everlasting peace.  There shall be no more contention and bloodshed\nupon earth.  \u201cNation shall no more lift up sword against nation, neither\nshall they learn war any more.\u201d  The arsenals shall empty their contents\ninto the foundries and blacksmith-shops, and the weapons of war shall be\nconverted into scythes and plowshares.  O, glorious day! when heaven\nshall be seen upon earth, and earth itself shall seem like heaven!\nBehold the ferocious wolf dwelling with the gentle lamb; the furious\nleopard lying down with the innocent kid; the cow and the bear feeding in\nthe same pasture; the infant leading the lion by the mane, and playing\nupon the den of the adder and the asp; and no disposition to hurt or\ndestroy.  These are the scriptural emblems of that blessed peace.\nHoliness and happiness, more united than David and Jonathan, more\ninseparable than Ruth and Naomi, hand in hand, two heavenly twins, shall\ngo singing over the world.  All envy and jealousy and hostility, whether\nof nations, of churches, or of individuals, shall perish before Messiah\u2019s\nkingdom, as perished the image in the vision before that wondrous stone.\n\n_Thirdly_.  The duration of the kingdom.  This is the crowning\ncircumstance of its glory.  It \u201cshall not be destroyed, nor left to other\npeople.\u201d  Its enemies, however numerous and mighty, cannot overthrow it;\nand it \u201cshall stand for ever.\u201d  Where now are the illustrious empires of\nBabylon, and Persia, and Greece, and Rome?  Where are the Pharaohs, the\nPtolemies, the Alexanders, the C\u00e6sars, the Napoleons, whose voice\nterrified nations, and whose tread shook the world?  Where\u2014with all their\npower and splendor, their iron sceptres and golden crowns?  Gone;\nmouldering in the dust; and their magnificence nourishes the worm.  They\nare utterly demolished, and shall rise no more.  But the King of Zion\nliveth through all time, and is himself \u201cthe Father of Eternity,\u201d \u201cthe\nAlpha and Omega, the Beginning and the Ending, the First and the Last.\u201d\n\u201cHis kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and of his dominion there shall\nbe no end.\u201d\n\nIII.  Let us consider the nearness of its approach.  The language of\nprophecy, viewed in connection with the signs of the times, will lead us\nto the conclusion that it is nigh at hand, even at the door.\n\nMany learned divines are of opinion that Popery and Mohammedism, the\nAntichrists of the east and the west, must fall about the year 1866.\nThis notion is founded on the following words: \u201cFrom the time that the\ndaily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh\ndesolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and threescore\ndays\u2014Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred\nand five and thirty days.\u201d {148}  Different writers on the prophecies,\nhowever, differ in opinion concerning the times of their fulfilment.  All\nthese speculations are very uncertain, if not utterly unprofitable.  What\nmatters it, if our watches do not exactly agree?  We all know that the\nnight is far spent, and the day is at hand, and the magnitude and\nimportance of our duty requires prompt and earnest attention.\n\nFive men were determined to rise early in the morning, to engage in a\ngreat work, upon which depended their future fortunes.  The first was up\nbefore the morning star; and though uncertain as to the hour, immediately\nprepared for business.  The second, when he rose, saw the star just above\nthe horizon, and hastened to his work with animation and joy.  The third\nslept a little too long, and awoke in great confusion and alarm; but\nhurrying through the day as well as he could, though with a heavy heart\nand many a blunder, he made out partially to redeem his delinquency.  The\nfourth heard the cock crowing, but thought there was no need of being in\na hurry, and composed himself to sleep again; and when his neighbors\ncalled him, turned in his bed, and answered\u2014\u201cA little more slumber;\u201d and\nawaking about nine of the clock, found the day too far advanced, and\nabandoned his purpose in despair.  The fifth, disturbed by the bustle of\nthe others before daylight, got up and looked out of the window; and\nfinding it as dark as it was at midnight, was very angry, called his\nneighbors a set of fools, and declared he would have nothing to do with\nthe enterprise; and while all the others made themselves rich, he lived\nand died in deserved poverty; and some pitied him for his misfortune, and\nothers ridiculed him for his folly.  Mark the wise man, and follow his\nexample.\n\nThe kingdom of Antichrist has of late been greatly weakened in many parts\nof the world.  Providence is pouring the vials of wrath upon the Beast\nand the False Prophet.  The idols and altars of Paganism fall before the\nadvancing ark of God.  The church, with its train of benevolent\ninstitutions\u2014like the bride, with her attendant virgins, going forth to\nmeet the royal bridegroom\u2014proclaims the coming of the Prince of Peace.\nThe Bible, Missionary, Sabbath-school, and Tract societies, are four\nheralds, running before Messiah\u2019s chariot; rather, the four wheels of\nthat chariot in which he rides victoriously.\n\nThe rise and progress of the British and Foreign Bible Society remind me\nof the stream in Ezekiel\u2019s vision.  This great river had its source in\none of the mountains of Wales.  In the year 1802, the Rev. Mr. Charles of\nBala, an ordained minister of the established church, officiating in\nconnection with the Calvinistic Methodists, deeply impressed with the\npreciousness of the Bible, and aware of the scarcity of copies throughout\nthe principality, felt that some measures ought to be adopted to furnish\nit at a reduced price, and circulate it gratuitously among the poor.  He\nwrote concerning it to his countryman, the Rev. Mr. Owen, an Episcopal\nclergyman in London.  The subject was subsequently introduced to a circle\nof Christian gentlemen, who had met to transact other business.  It\nelicited much conversation, and excited a lively interest.  The Rev.\nJoseph Hughes, a Welshman, and Baptist minister at Battersea, near\nLondon, suggested that Wales was not the only part of the world that felt\na want of the Bread of Life; and that it was desirable to awaken, if\npossible, a more extensive interest on the subject among Christians of\nevery name; and stir them up to the adoption of some measure, which might\nlead to a general circulation of the Scriptures.  The suggestion was\nheartily entertained, and warmly supported by the rest of the company;\nand its discussion led to those incipient efforts, which, in 1804, issued\nin the organization of the British and Foreign Bible Society.  The little\nspring of Bala soon became a stream large enough for a man to swim in;\nand now it widens and deepens into a great river, on which float the\nmerchandise of Zion, and the navies of God.\n\nWelshmen! it is your privilege and honor, as well as your duty, to\nsustain this excellent institution.  It is a native of Wales, born in\nyour northern mountains.  It is your own child, and you are bound to\nprotect and support it to the extent of your ability.  I call upon you as\nWelshmen, to aid an institution originating in Welsh philanthropy.  I\ncall upon you as Welsh Baptists, to help forward an enterprise which\nsprang from the heart of a Welsh Baptist minister.  I appeal to you in\nthe language of another:\u2014\n\n\u201cThe cause in which we are engaged is the cause of God, and must succeed.\nDivine goodness has inspired, divine wisdom and power will sustain it.\nThe Bible will be carried throughout the habitable globe.  Nor\ndeserts\u2014nor oceans\u2014nor Alpine solitudes\u2014nor Himalayan heights, will\nobstruct its progress.  It will go through polar ice and equatorial fire,\nwherever a soul may possibly be saved.  It will go on victorious, like\nthe sword of the Lord and of Gideon, carrying every thing before it.\nError and delusion must vanish as the mists of the morning before the\nrising splendor of the sun.  The powers of darkness must recede like\nspectres before the bursting of the day-spring from on high.  False gods\nand their altars must fall together in the dust.  The followers of\nConfucius and Zoroaster will take up their cross and follow Christ.  The\nwandering Arab will sit and sing at Messiah\u2019s feet; and the deluded\ndisciples of Mohammed, instead of going in painful pilgrimage to Mecca,\nwill turn their penitent eyes to Calvary.  The dark places of the earth\nwill be enlightened, and the habitations of cruelty will become the\nabodes of love.  Rivers will no longer roll with human blood, nor\nsacrificial fires be fed with human victims.  Mothers will no longer\ndestroy their innocent children, nor aged parents be immolated by their\ninhuman offspring.  Marriage will be instituted in places where it is now\nunknown, and savage practices be supplanted by the virtuous institutions\nof the gospel.  The Cannibal of New Zealand will be humanized, and the\nCaffre and the Hottentot clothed and in their right minds.  The\ndescendants of Abraham must be gathered from the four quarters of the\nearth; Jerusalem arise and shine; and the dejected Jordan roll his\nstreams with joy.  Barren climes will teem with life\u2014dreary deserts\nblossom as the rose.  Rivers of salvation will run down the hills, and\nfertilize the plains.  The Saviour will ride forth in the chariot of the\neverlasting gospel, conquering and to conquer.  Nations will fall down\nbefore him, and mountains melt at his approach.  And thus nation after\nnation will be converted, and empire upon empire will be conquered; and\nChristianity will spread from clime to clime, and from pole to pole;\nuntil the final arrival of the blessed day, when the knowledge of the\nLord shall literally cover the earth as the waters cover the deep\u2014when\nthere shall be but one people and one God\u2014when the millennial day shall\nburst upon the earth, like a flood of glory from on high\u2014when the trump\nof Jubilee shall sound, and countless millions of the redeemed shall\nsing, Hallelujah! the Lord God omnipotent reigneth!\u201d\n\nSuch, brethren, is the approaching triumph of Emmanuel.  The mighty\nangel, having found an old copy of the everlasting gospel, which the Pope\nhad kept locked up in his bureau for many centuries, is flying in the\nmidst of heaven, in sight of all the world.  His progress is rapid as the\nwings of the wind, and his sweet strong voice is publishing the glad\ntidings to all people.  But we look for greater things than these.\nFollowing, comes another mighty angel, casting a great millstone into the\nsea, and saying\u2014\u201cThus shall Babylon, that great city, be thrown down, and\nfound no more at all.\u201d  Another follows, crying with a loud\nvoice\u2014\u201cBabylon is fallen, is fallen!\u201d  Another descends with the key and\nthe chain, and binds the dragon in the bottomless pit.  Then appears one\n\u201clike unto the Son of Man,\u201d sitting upon a white cloud, and wearing a\ngolden crown.  He thrusts in his sharp sickle, and reaps the harvest of\nthe earth, and gathers the wheat into his garner, the church.  Again the\nsickle falls, and the vintage of wickedness is gathered, and cast into\nthe wine-press of the wrath of Almighty God.  Then comes the voice of a\ngreat multitude, as of many waters and mighty thunderings\u2014the blended\nminstrelsy of earth and heaven\u2014ascribing salvation and dominion and glory\nto him that sitteth upon the throne, and to the Lamb for ever and ever.\n\nThe Prince of Darkness, with all his infernal hosts, and all his allies\nupon earth, is fearfully agitated, as he witnesses the preparation for\nthe great decisive battle.  \u201cWhy so much benevolence?  Why so many\nsocieties?  Why such extraordinary schemes and efforts?\u201d  Nothing\ndisturbs them so much as the sight of Emmanuel\u2019s troops, with their faces\ntoward the field of Armageddon, led on by the Captain of their Salvation,\non his white horse, with his vesture dipped in blood.  They know that\nthis is the Lion of the tribe of Judah; and the redness of his apparel,\nreminding them of their defeat when he bruised their heads on Calvary,\nshoots consternation and anguish through all their ranks; and the gates\nof hell tremble at the shaking of the iron rod in his hand, which shall\ndash them in pieces as a potter\u2019s vessel.  But the saints are rejoicing\nin his train; for they know that not one of the faithful shall\nperish\u2014that not one of them shall be wounded\u2014that each shall be more than\nconqueror, and all shall appear with songs of everlasting joy at the\nmarriage supper of the Lamb.\n\nAnd now, my brethren, children of my heavenly Father, of every name and\norder, loved with the same love, redeemed with the same blood, called by\nthe same Spirit, clothed with the same garment, fed on the same manna,\nengaged in the same cause\u2014the great Missionary enterprise\u2014as you love the\nSavior, as you appreciate his salvation, as you desire the introduction\nof his millennial kingdom, we beseech you to give us a liberal\ncontribution!\n\nWe are now ready to receive your money for Missionary purposes; and while\nyou are casting it into the treasury, let me remind you that your gold\nand your silver are beautiful birds plumed for flight, that Christian\nliberality is the scissors with which you may clip their wings, and a\nshort winged bird is better than none.  May we all act to-day as stewards\nof the Lord, in the immediate presence of our Master, before whom we must\nsoon appear to account for the use made of our talents; and when the time\nof reckoning shall come, may each receive the gracious plaudit\u2014\u201cWell\ndone, good and faithful servant! thou hast been faithful over a few\nthings, I will make thee ruler over many!  Enter thou into the joy of thy\nLord!\u201d  Amen.\n\n\n\nSERMON VIII.\nTHE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST.\n\n\n    \u201c_Who_, _his own self_, _bore our sins_, _in his own body_, _on the\n    tree_; _that we_, _being dead to sins_, _should live unto\n    righteousness_; _by whose stripes ye were healed_.\u201d\u2014I Peter ii. 24.\n\nWHAT great encouragement to patience and fortitude is afforded the\nfollowers of Jesus, by the apostle\u2019s contrast of the light and transient\nafflictions of the present time, with the eternal weight of glory\nreserved for them in heaven!  How forcible the argument which he draws\nfrom the approaching scenes of another world, to urge Christians in this\nto a life of holiness and self-denial!  How vivid and terrible his\npicture of the dissolution of nature by the great conflagration!  Imagine\nthe heavens wrapped in dissolving flames, and the elements melting to the\ncentre of the globe.  The victorious and inextinguishable fire towers to\nthe empyrean; the magnificent palace of creation is lost in the smoke of\nits own burning; and the ear is stunned, and the soul is horrified, by\nthe crash of its final fall.  \u201cSeeing then, that all these things must be\ndissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation\nand godliness; looking for, and hasting unto the coming of the day of\nGod;\u201d \u201cusing all diligence to make your calling and election sure;\u201d \u201cthat\nye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless;\u201d that \u201cso\nan abundant entrance may be ministered unto you, into the everlasting\nkingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!\u201d\n\nSuch, substantially, is the argument.  But the apostle employs another;\nthe Christian\u2019s obligation to imitate Christ, suffering for him as he\nsuffered for us, with the same fortitude and resignation, though not to\nthe same extent, nor for the same purpose.  It is in this connection he\nuses the language of the text:\u2014\u201cServants, be subject to your masters with\nall fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.  For\nthis is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief,\nsuffering wrongfully.  For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for\nyour faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and\nsuffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.  For\neven hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us,\nleaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: who did no sin,\nneither was guile found in his mouth: who, when he was reviled, reviled\nnot again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to\nhim that judgeth righteously: who his own self bare our sins in his own\nbody on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto\nrighteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.\u201d  We are to suffer for\nChrist as his disciples and confessors; he suffered for us as our\nsubstitute, our atoning sacrifice and Saviour.  Let us attend, first, to\nthis description of his sufferings; and then to the end for which he\nendured them.\n\nI.  The text describes Christ in his vicarious sufferings, as _bearing\nour sins_; bearing our sins, _his own self_; bearing our sins, his own\nself, _in his own body_; and bearing our sins, his own self, in his own\nbody, _on the tree_,\n\n1.  _He bore our sins_.  To get a correct understanding of this\nexpression, we must turn to the record of the ordinance to which it\nalludes, which is as follows:\u2014\u201cAnd when he hath made an end of\nreconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and\nthe altar, he shall bring the live goat, and Aaron shall lay both his\nhands upon the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the\nchildren of Israel, and all their transgressions, in all their sins,\nputting them on the head of the goat; and shall send him away, by the\nhand of a fit man, into the wilderness; and the goat shall bear upon him\nall their iniquities into a land not inhabited; and he shall let go the\ngoat in the wilderness.\u201d  But this part of the ceremony was preceded by\nanother, of very solemn import.  A goat was selected for a sin-offering.\nHe was brought before the Lord, and Aaron put his hands upon him, and\ndevoted him to death.  He was slain, and his blood was sprinkled upon the\naltar and the mercy-seat.  Then the sins of the children of Israel were\nlaid upon the head of the other goat, and he was led forth, and sent away\ninto the wilderness, to return no more.  Both these goats represented\nChrist; who, as our Savior, answers to both; at once, suffering for our\nsins, and bearing them away into the land of forgetfulness.\n\nThree things were found continually in the temple; fire, and blood, and\nsweet incense.  The fire denoted the wrath of God against sin; the blood\nprefigured the sacrificial sufferings of Christ; and the sweet incense\ntypified his intercession at the right hand of the Father, on the ground\nof his vicarious death upon the cross.  The goat of the sin-offering was\nbound and slain; and then burnt up, with the fat thereof, upon the altar.\nSo Christ was crucified for us without the gates of Jerusalem; and his\nhumanity was consumed by the fire of God\u2019s holy indignation against sin,\non the altar of his Divinity; while from that altar ascended a column of\nthe sweetest incense to the heaven of heavens\u2014\u201cFather, forgive them!\u201d  In\nhell also there is fire, where sinners suffer upon the altars of eternal\njustice.  Every sacrifice is salted with fire, and the smoke of their\ntorment ascendeth up for ever and ever.  But the black and sulphurous\nsmoke of the bottomless pit is not a sweet smelling savor unto God, like\nthe fumes of the sacrifice once offered on Calvary\u2014a sacrifice which\nsatisfied the claim of Heaven, and expiated the offence of earth.\n\nThe form of expression used in our text is one which frequently occurs in\nthe Old Testament, and signifies the enduring of punishment.  Of the\nimpenitent sinner it is said, \u201cHe shall bear his iniquity\u201d\u2014that is, he\nshall endure the just punishment of his sins.  He shall carry the burden\nalone, and for ever sink beneath the load, and mercy shall never come to\nhis relief.  Christ\u2019s bearing our sins, then, signifies his enduring, the\npunishment in our stead.  Glory to God, that every poor trembling sinner\nmay cast his burden upon one who is able to sustain it, who has already\nsustained it in his stead!  The law passed the guilty, and arrested the\nguiltless.  Jesus willingly gave himself up as the victim, saying\u2014\u201cI am\nhe; if ye seek me, let these go their way.\u201d  His sufferings constitute\nthe sea, in which are buried for ever the sins of his people; sins of the\ngreatest magnitude; sins of the deepest dye.  The Father, who turned his\nback upon the sufferings of his Son, hath said\u2014\u201cI will cast all thy sins\nbehind my back, into the depth of the sea.\u201d  This is the abyss, in which\nthey are swallowed up, and seen no more.\n\n2.  He bore our sins, _his own self_.  God and man were parties at\nvariance.  There was but one who could stand between them as mediator,\nand he gave himself a substitute and sacrifice for the sinner.  Uniting\nin his person the two natures, human and Divine, he was fully qualified\nfor his work; and by once offering himself, he satisfied the demands of\nthe insulted law, and \u201cbecame the author of eternal salvation to all them\nthat obey him.\u201d  He offered up himself, without the aid of another; and\nit was his own blessed person that he threw between you and the\ndestroying angel, between you and the mortal plague of sin, between you\nand the unquenchable fires of hell.\n\nNone but Moses, the mediator, could penetrate the thick darkness in\nwhich, as in a pavilion, God dwelt, upon the mount of terror; and none\nbut Aaron, the high-priest, dared enter the holy of holies, and he only\nonce a year, on the great day of atonement, with trembling steps, and\nsacrificial blood.  So Jesus, the mediator of a better covenant, and\nhigh-priest of the true sanctuary, the sum and substance of all the types\nand shadows of the old dispensation, when, in the garden of Gethsemane,\nhe approached the black and terrible cloud, where God revealed the\nterrors of his justice, and the fierceness of his wrath, said to his\ndisciples:\u2014\u201cTarry ye here, while I go yonder.  Ye cannot go; the place is\ntoo dreadful.  I will go alone.\u201d  Alone he went; and as he drew near the\nfurnace, his countenance was marvellously altered, his heart melted in\nthe midst of his bowels, and the very substance of his life pressed\nthrough the pores of his skin.  All the visible fire which flamed on the\nsummit of Sinai, now breaks forth anew on Calvary; and though unseen by\nman, envelopes in its burning the soul and the body of our glorious\nSubstitute.  Behold him rushing between you and the flames, shielding\nyou, and quenching the flames in his blood!\n\n3.  He bore our sins, his own self, _in his own body_.  Atonement was\nmade for the sins of Israel by the blood of slaughtered beasts.  But \u201cthe\nblood of bulls and goats, and the ashes of an heifer, sprinkling the\nunclean, sanctified only to the purifying of the flesh.\u201d  The blood of\nChrist alone has power to \u201cpurge the conscience from dead works, to serve\nthe living God.\u201d  It was his own body, that our blessed Redeemer offered\nas a sacrifice for our sins, a sacrifice of a sweet savor unto God.  The\nDivine person bore the punishment of sins in human nature.  \u201cIt was not\npossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins.\u201d  We\nhear the Son saying to the Father:\u2014\u201cSacrifice and offering thou wouldest\nnot, but a body hast thou prepared for me.  I see that the services of\nthe altar are of no avail, and are passing away.  In burnt-offerings and\nsacrifices for sin thou hast no pleasure.  At this moment, the great\ncause of difference between heaven and earth remains untaken away.  The\nbills are all uncancelled.  The handwriting in the book of the law, and\nin the book of conscience, continues in full force unto this day.  But\nlo, I come to do thy will, O my God.  Yea, thy law is within my heart.  I\ndelight to honor its claims, while I save its violaters.  I will obey,\neven unto the death of the cross, and expiate human transgression by my\nmeritorious sufferings.  Then, as first begotten from the dead, will I\ndeclare the decree which thou didst read to me before the foundation of\nthe world\u2014\u2018Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.  Because I\nhave bruised thee, and put thee to grief, thou shalt see thy seed, and\nprolong thy days; and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in thy hand.\nBecause thou hast borne the sins of many, thou shall justify many.\nBecause thou hast been numbered with the transgressors, and made\nintercession for them, thou shalt see of the travail of thy soul, and be\nsatisfied.  Because thou hast made thy soul an offering for sin, pouring\nit out unto death, I will divide thee a portion with the great, and thou\nshalt divide the spoil with the strong.  I will make thee king in Zion,\nand thou shalt reign for ever and ever!\u2019\u201d\n\nThe sufferings of the Son are accomplished, and the promise of the Father\nis receiving its fulfilment.  The law of the Spirit of Life hath gone\nforth; and sinners, with songs of salvation, are crowding to the cross!\n\n4.  He bore our sins, his own self, in his own body, _on the tree_.  In\nDeut. xxi. 22, 23, we find that death by hanging on a tree was deemed an\naccursed death.  Paul refers to this passage in the third chapter of his\nepistle to the Galatians:\u2014\u201cAs it is written; cursed is every one that\nhangeth on a tree.\u201d  By consenting to crucifixion, Christ was \u201cmade a\ncurse for us.\u201d  What shame and ignominy did he endure in our behalf!  See\nhim arrayed in royal purple, the reed of scorn in his hand, the crown of\nthorns upon his head, and the cross of infamy upon his back.  He grows\nfaint beneath his burden.  His murderers, fearing lest his woes should\npass endurance before their cruel thirst for his blood could be satiated,\ncompel Simon of Cyrene to carry one end of the cross.  Thus they move on\nto the summit of Calvary.  They lay the tree upon the ground, and stretch\nthe Son of God upon it, and nail his hands and his feet to the wood.  It\nis reared on high, with its bleeding victim; and there he hangs, before\nthe gazing world, and the wondering heavens; suffering the most\nexcruciating death ever invented, the most shameful in the sight of man,\nthe most accursed in the sight of God.  All the springs of consolation\nare sealed to the glorious sufferer; and he finds not a single drop of\ncomfort in his great extremity.  True, the fountains of the deep are\nbroken up, and the windows of heaven are opened; but not to supply him\nwith drink who saith\u2014\u201cI thirst!\u201d  From below burst forth upon him the\nstreams of hellish rage, a fiery deluge from the mouth of the dragon;\nwhile from above Divine Justice pours down a cataract of wrath,\noverwhelming his soul with agony, and baptizing his body with blood.\nThis is the baptism which he anticipated in talking with his\ndisciples:\u2014\u201cI have a baptism to be baptized with, and how am I straitened\ntill it be accomplished!\u201d  Let us pause a moment to contemplate this\nbaptism.  It was the anguish of his soul, wringing the blood from his\nperson, till the crimson dew stood thick upon his brow, and rolled down\nin great drops to the ground.  The sufferings of his soul constituted the\nsoul of his sufferings.  \u201cMy soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto\ndeath.\u201d  It was not the taunt of the rabble, the derision of the\ngovernors, nor the cruelly lacerating scourge, that Jesus dreaded in the\ngarden, and deprecated in that mysterious agony.  Nor was it the thorns,\nthe nails, the tree, or the spear.  It was the burden, O man! of thy\nguilt; the flaming curse of the law; the felt displeasure of the Father\nagainst sin.  When the martyrs suffered death for Jesus\u2019 sake, they\nrejoiced in the midst of the fire, for the Son of man was there to\nsustain them; but when Christ suffered, the Just for the unjust, he felt\nthe hidings of his Father\u2019s face, and cried after him through the\nblackening heavens\u2014\u201cMy God! my God! why hast thou forsaken me!\u201d\n\nIn the Bible we read of two very remarkable trees; \u201cthe tree of the\nknowledge of good and evil in the midst of the garden,\u201d and the tree of\nredemption high planted on \u201cthe place of skulls.\u201d  Milton has made the\nformer the theme of his majestic song, which he opens with the following\nstrain:\u2014\n\n    \u201cOf man\u2019s first disobedience, and the fruit\n    Of that forbidden tree, whose mortal taste\n    Brought death into the world, and all our wo,\n    With loss of Eden, * * * * *\n    * * * * * sing, Heavenly Muse!\u201d\n\nBut let me extol that mysterious tree of life on Golgotha, by which,\u2014\n\n    \u2014\u201cOne Greater Man\n    Restores us, and regains the blissful seat!\u201d\n\n\u201cSing, Heavenly Muse,\u201d of Jesus and his cross!  Sing of the wormwood and\nthe gall, of the strife and the triumph of Calvary!  Let us compare these\ntwo trees.  By the former, \u201cthe first Adam\u201d transgressed, and entailed\nruin upon his posterity; by the latter, \u201cthe second Adam\u201d \u201cbecame\nobedient unto death,\u201d and \u201cbrought life and immortality to light.\u201d  By a\nforbidden approach to the one, the chain of the covenant was broken,\nParadise forfeited, God\u2019s image and favor lost, the league with hell\nsigned, and sealed, and ratified, and the whole earth converted into a\nprovince of the Prince of Darkness, and delivered up to the despotism of\nSin and Death; but four thousand years afterward, the Son of God took his\nstand on the other, wrestled gloriously with the tyrant usurpers,\ndethroned Satan, condemned and abolished Sin, swallowed up Death in\nvictory, disannulled the league of earth with hell, restored to believers\nthe favor and image of God, reopened the gates of the forfeited Eden to\nthe exiles, and established a new and everlasting covenant of grace.  The\nblood of Jesus cancelled the debt of man, and quenched the wrath of God;\nand from all them that obey him, it will ultimately wash away all the\nstains of sin, and all the dust of death.  This is the newly consecrated\nway into the holy of holies; this is eternal life!  \u201cSing, Heavenly\nMuse,\u201d once more!\n\n    \u201cWe too with him are dead,\n       And shall with him arise:\n    The cross on which he bows his head\n       Shall lift us to the skies!\u201d\n\nThus, the Son of God, \u201chis own self, bore our sins, in his own body, on\nthe tree.\u201d  The burden beneath which he fainted was our burden, and would\nhave sunk us to perdition.  It was for us he suffered and died.  Though\nour iniquities were laid on him, they were yet our iniquities.  He\nendured the punishment in our stead.  He stood between us and the\nuplifted arm of Justice; and the sword which would have cleft our souls\nasunder, was sheathed in Emmanuel\u2019s heart.  His righteousness, imputed to\nus, and appropriated by faith, is \u201cthe righteousness of God, which is\nunto all and upon all them that believe,\u201d covering their sins, and\nrendering them \u201caccepted in the Beloved.\u201d\n\nCan we pass by mount Calvary, and gaze upon that wondrous sight, and\nstill remain unmoved?  Have we no tears of gratitude and love?  Pause we\nnot to wonder and adore?  O the depth of the riches! the riches of his\nwisdom! the riches of his grace!\n\nII.  Having thus spoken of Christ\u2019s vicarious sufferings, let us notice a\nlittle more particularly the end for which he endured them.  \u201cThat we,\nbeing dead to sins, should live unto righteousness; by whose stripes ye\nwere healed.\u201d\n\nThis death unto sin, and this new life unto righteousness, denote the\nsanctification of the soul \u201cby the renewing of the Holy Spirit.\u201d  The\n\u201cspiritually minded\u201d man is made, through the grace of God, a \u201cpartaker\nof the Divine nature.\u201d  He has received a new principle, whereby his\nlusts and corruptions are mortified, crucified, and slain.  The right\nhand that offended is cut off; the right eye that offended is plucked\nout.  He delights in the law of God; he feels a strong desire, and makes\nstrenuous efforts, to conform himself, in heart and life, to its holy\nrequirements.  Made free from the dominion and condemning power of sin,\nhe still needs, however, the aid of the Holy Spirit, to crucify the old\nman; to live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present evil world;\nto die to sins, and live unto righteousness.  In the court of heaven, he\nis justified by the righteousness of Christ; but before men, he is\njustified by his own righteousness.  \u201cLet your light so shine before men,\nthat they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in\nheaven.\u201d  Be as a candle, not under a bushel, but on a candlestick,\nenlightening all around you.  Paul to the Ephesians says that Christ\nloved the Church, and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and\ncleanse it with the washing of water by the word; that he might present\nit to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such\nthing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.  God hath not\ncalled us unto uncleanness but unto holiness.  Let us, therefore cleanse\nourselves from all filthiness\u2014from all manner of pollution\u2014of the flesh\nand spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.  For it is written,\nBe ye holy, for I am holy; holy in all manner of conversation; holy in\nall stations, relations, and conditions of life\u2014as husbands and wives,\nparents and children, masters and servants; and this always, and in all\nplaces\u2014at home and abroad, in private and in public, in prosperity and\nadversity.  Our conversation should be such as becometh the nature and\nrequirements of the gospel of Christ.  Forgetting the things that are\nbehind, we should be ever pressing forward towards those things that are\nbefore\u2014not as though we had already attained, either were already\nperfect; but making perfection our mark; for we know not yet what we\nshall be, but one thing we do know\u2014that when he shall appear, we shall be\nlike him!  Then, and not till then, shall we be satisfied, when we awake\nin his likeness.  We must be conformed to the image of God\u2019s Son in this\nworld, otherwise we cannot have the enjoyment of him in the world to\ncome.  We must have the spirit of Christ, to love righteousness, and to\nhate iniquity.  We must imitate his example in zeal and activity, doing\nour Father\u2019s work while the day lasts.  Die to sin, we must.  \u201cFor if ye\nlive after the flesh, ye shall die, but if ye through the spirit do\nmortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.\u201d  Mortify therefore your\nmembers which are upon the earth.  Put off the old man with all his\ndeceitful lusts, and put on the new man, which, after God, is created in\nrighteousness and true holiness.  Abstain from those fleshy lusts that\nwar against the soul; always keeping in mind, that they that are Christ\u2019s\nhave crucified the flesh, with the affections and lusts.  To die to sin,\nimplies a perfect hatred of it, deep sorrow and contrition on account of\nit, and a constant desire and effort to forsake it.  We should\nconscientiously use all the means of grace, and depend entirely upon the\ngrace of God, as that by which alone we can obtain a victory\u2014final and\ncomplete,\u2014over all our enemies, the flesh, the world, and the devil.  Be\nsober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion\ngoeth about, seeking whom he may devour.  Good reason have you to pray\nwithout ceasing, that you may be made strong in the Lord and in the power\nof his might.  You must put on the whole armor of God, that you may be\nable to stand against the wiles of the devil.  Your loins must be girt\nabout with truth.  The breast-plate of righteousness you must wear.  Your\nheart must be protected by the shield of faith, and your feet shod with\nthe preparation of the gospel of peace.  Forget not the helmet of\nsalvation, nor the sword of the Spirit, nor to write often to the\nKing\u2014directing to the care of Jesus, that your petitions may not\nfail\u2014\u201cPraying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, and\nwatching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all\nsaints.\u201d  As ye formerly yielded your members servants to uncleanness,\neven so now yield your members servants of righteousness unto holiness.\nLive unto righteousness.  Yield yourselves up unto God, as those that are\nalive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness\nunto God.  Conform to his revealed will, and keep an eye single to his\nglory in the performance of every duty.\n\nTo produce in his people this happy change, was the end of Messiah\u2019s\nsufferings.  But this was not all, for the apostle adds,\u2014\u201cBy whose\nstripes ye were healed.\u201d  Divine philosophy! supernatural science!\ntranscending all original conception of men and angels!  Who could ever\nhave dreamed of healing by his stripes, soundness by his wounds, pleasure\nby his pains, and life eternal by his death!  We are afflicted by the old\ninveterate plague of sin, but there is balm in Gilead, and a Physician\nthere.  His blood alone can cure the malady, and that is infallible.  All\nthe way from Bethlehem to Calvary, he was employed in preparing his\nmateria medica.  The Gospel is the great store-house of this precious\npreparation.  It is always full; it is always free; and the sign over its\nentrance is\u2014\u201cAble to save to the uttermost.\u201d  The Holy Spirit is\ncontinually making the application, and all who come are cured.\n\nIt is a matter of all others the most momentous, that we know our\npersonal interest in these things.  If we be not dead to sins, and alive\nunto righteousness\u2014if we be not healed by the stripes of Jesus\u2014his\nsufferings upon the cross, and our theoretical faith in their vicarious\ncharacter and saving power, will profit us nothing.  \u201cIf any man have not\nthe spirit of Christ, he is none of his.\u201d  There is a vast difference\nbetween sanctification and morality.  A man may perform many excellent\ndeeds, while the principle that actuates him is averse to true godliness.\nHappy are they, whose sins are pardoned, whose persons are justified, and\nwhose bodies are become temples of the Holy Ghost.  The Lord is their God\nand Father.  They have passed from death unto life, and shall not come\ninto condemnation.  \u201cThere is now no condemnation to them that are in\nChrist Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit; for the\nlaw of the Spirit of life, in Christ Jesus, hath made me free from the\nlaw of sin and death.\u201d\n\n\n\nSERMON IX.\nTHE PURIFICATION OF CONSCIENCE.\n\n\n    \u201c_How much more shall the blood of Christ_, _who_, _through the\n    eternal Spirit_, _offered himself without spot to God_, _purge your\n    conscience from dead works to serve the living God_?\u201d\u2014Heb. ix. 14.\n\nTHE Hebrew Christians, to whom the apostle wrote, were well acquainted\nwith the laws of ceremonial purification by the blood of beasts and\nbirds, for by blood almost every thing was purified in the service of the\ntemple.  But it is only the blood of Christ that can purge the human\nconscience.  In speaking of this purification, as presented in our text,\nlet us notice\u2014_the object_, _the means_, and _the end_.\n\nI.  The object of this purification is the conscience; which all the\nsacrificial blood shed, from the gate of Eden, down to the extinction of\nthe fire on the Jewish altar, was not sufficient to purge.\n\n_What is the conscience_?  An inferior judge, the representative of\nJehovah, holding his court in the human soul; according to whose decision\nwe feel either confidence and joy in God, or condemnation and tormenting\nfear.  His judicial power is graduated by the degree of moral and\nevangelical light which has been shed upon his palace.  His knowledge of\nthe will and the character of God is the law by which he justifies or\ncondemns.  His intelligence is the measure of his authority; and the\nperfection of knowledge would be the infallibility of conscience.\n\nThis faithful recorder and deputy judge is with us through all the\njourney of life, and will accompany us with his register over the river\nJordan, whether to Abraham\u2019s bosom or the society of the rich men in\nhell.  While conscience keeps a record on earth, Jehovah keeps a record\nin heaven; and when both books shall be opened in the final judgment,\nthere shall be found a perfect correspondence.  When temptations are\npresented, the understanding opposes them, but the carnal mind indulges\nthem, and there is a contest between the judgment and the will, and we\nhesitate which to obey, till the warning bell of conscience rings through\nthe soul, and gives distinct notice of his awful recognition; and when we\nturn away recklessly from his faithful admonitions, we hear low\nmutterings of wrath stealing along the avenues, and the quick sound of\nwriting-pens in the recording office, causing every denizen of the mental\npalace to tremble.\n\nThere is _a good conscience_, _and an evil conscience_.  The work of\nboth, however, is the same; consisting in keeping a true record of the\nactions of men, and passing sentence upon them according to their\ndeserts.  Conscience is called good or evil only with reference to the\ncharacter of its record and its sentence.  If the record is one of\nvirtues, and the sentence one of approval, the conscience is good; if the\nrecord is one of vices, and the sentence one of condemnation, the\nconscience is evil.\n\nSome have a _guilty conscience_; that is, a conscience that holds up to\ntheir view a black catalogue of crimes, and rings in their ears the\nsentence of condemnation.  If you have such a conscience, you are invited\nto Jesus, that you may find peace to your souls.  He is ever in his\noffice, receiving all who come, and blotting out with his own blood the\nhandwriting which is against them.\n\nBut some have a _despairing conscience_.  They think that their crimes\nare too great to be forgiven.  The registry of guilt, and the decree of\ndeath, hide from their eyes the mercy of God, and the merit of Christ.\nTheir sins rise like mountains between them and heaven.  But let them\nlook away to Calvary.  If their sins are a thousand times more numerous\nthan their tears, the blood of Jesus is ten thousand times more powerful\nthan their sins.  \u201cHe is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto\nGod by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.\u201d\n\nAnd others have a _dark and hardened conscience_.  They are so deceived,\nthat they \u201ccry peace and safety, when destruction is at the door.\u201d  They\nare \u201cpast feeling, having the conscience seared as with a hot iron.\u201d\nThey have sold themselves to work evil; to eat sin like bread, and drink\niniquity like water.  They have bribed or gagged the recorder and accuser\nwithin them.  They will betray the just cause of the righteous, and slay\nthe messengers of salvation, and think that they are doing God service.\nJohn the Baptist is beheaded, that Herod may keep his oath of honor.  A\ndead fish cannot swim against the stream; but if the king\u2019s conscience\nhad been alive and faithful, he would have said:\u2014\u201cGirl, I promised to\ngive thee thy request, even to the half of my kingdom; but thou hast\nrequested too much; for the head of Messiah\u2019s herald is more valuable\nthan my whole kingdom, and all the kingdoms of the world!\u201d  But he had\nnot the fear of God before his eyes, and the proud fool sent and beheaded\nthe prophet in his cell.\n\nA _good conscience_ is a faithful conscience, a lively conscience, a\npeaceful conscience, a conscience void of offence toward God and man,\nresting in the shadow of the cross, and assured of an interest in its\ninfinite merit.  It is the victory of faith unfeigned, working by love,\nand purifying the heart.  It is always found in the neighborhood and\nsociety of its brethren; \u201ca broken heart, and a contrite spirit;\u201d an\nintense hatred of sin, and an ardent love of holiness; a spirit of\nfervent prayer and supplication, and a life of scrupulous integrity and\ncharity; and above all, an humble confidence in the mercy of God, through\nthe mediation of Christ.  These constitute the brotherhood of\nChristianity; and wherever they abound, a good conscience is never\nlacking.  They are its very element and life; its food, its sunshine, and\nits vital air.\n\nConscience was a faithful recorder and judge under the law; and\nnotwithstanding the revolution which has taken place, introducing a new\nconstitution, and a new administration, Conscience still retains his\noffice; and when \u201cpurged from dead works to serve the living God,\u201d is\nappropriately called a _good conscience_.\n\nII.  The means of this purification is \u201cthe blood of Christ, who through\nthe Eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God.\u201d\n\nCould we take in, at a single view, all the bearings of \u201cthe blood of\nChrist,\u201d as exhibited in the gospel, what an astonishing light would it\ncast upon the condition of man; the character of God; the nature and\nrequirements of his law; the dreadful consequences of sin; the wondrous\nexpiation of the cross; the reconciliation of Heaven and earth; the\nblessed union of the believer with God in Christ, as a just God and a\nSavior; and the whole scheme of our justification, sanctification, and\nredemption, through free, sovereign, infinite, and unspeakable grace!\n\nThere is no knowledge like the knowledge of Christ, for the excellency of\nwhich the apostle counted all things but loss.  Christ is the Sun of\nRighteousness, in whose light we see the tops of the mountains of\nimmortality, towering above the dense clouds which overhang the valley of\ndeath.  All the wisdom which philosophers have learned from nature and\nprovidence, compared with that which is afforded by the Christian\nRevelation, is like the ignis fatuus compared with the sun.  The\nknowledge of Plato, and Socrates, and all the renowned sages of\nantiquity, was nothing to the knowledge of the feeblest believer in \u201cthe\nblood of Christ.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe blood of Christ\u201d is of infinite value.  There is none like it\nflowing in human veins.  It was the blood of a man, but of a man who knew\nno iniquity; the blood of a sinless humanity, in which dwelt all the\nfullness of the Godhead bodily; the blood of the second Adam, who is the\nLord from heaven, and a quickening spirit upon earth.  It pressed through\nevery pore of his body in the garden; and gushed from his head, his\nhands, his feet, and his side, upon the cross.  I approach with fear and\ntrembling, yet with humble confidence and joy.  I take off my shoes, like\nMoses, as he draws near the burning bush; for I hear a voice coming forth\nfrom the altar, saying\u2014\u201cI and my Father are one; I am the true God, and\neternal life.\u201d\n\nThe expression, \u201cthe blood of Christ,\u201d includes the whole of his\nobedience to the moral law, by the imputation of which we are justified;\nand all the sufferings of his soul and his body as our Mediator, by which\nan atonement is made for our sins, and a fountain opened to wash them all\naway.  This is the spring whence rise the rivers of forgiving and\nsanctifying grace.\n\nIn the representation which the text gives us of this redeeming blood,\nare several points worthy of our special consideration:\u2014\n\n1.  It is _the blood of Christ_; the appointed Substitute and Saviour of\nmen; \u201cthe Lamb of God, that taketh away the sins of the world.\u201d\n\n2.  It is the blood of Christ, _who offered himself_.  His humanity was\nthe only sacrifice which would answer the demands of justice, and atone\nfor the transgressions of mankind.  Therefore \u201che made his soul an\noffering for sin.\u201d\n\n3.  It is the blood of Christ, who offered himself _to God_.  It was the\neternal Father, whose broken law must be repaired, whose dishonored\ngovernment must be vindicated, and whose flaming indignation must be\nturned away.  The well beloved Son must meet the Father\u2019s frown, and bear\nthe Father\u2019s curse for us.  All the Divine attributes called for the\noffering; and without it, could not be reconciled to the sinner.\n\n4.  It is the blood of Christ, who offered himself to God, _without\nspot_.  This was a perfect sacrifice.  The victim was without blemish or\ndefect; the altar was complete in all its appurtenances; and the\nhigh-priest possessed every conceivable qualification for his work.\nChrist was at once victim, altar, and high-priest; \u201choly, harmless, and\nundefiled;\u201d \u201cGod manifest in the flesh.\u201d  Being himself perfect God, and\nperfect man, and perfect Mediator between God and man, he perfects for\never all them that believe.\n\n5.  It is the blood of Christ, who offered himself to God, without spot,\n_through the eternal Spirit_.  By the eternal Spirit here, we are to\nunderstand, not the third person of the Godhead, but the second; Christ\u2019s\nown Divine nature, which was co-eternal with the Father before the world\nwas; and which, in the fulness of time, seized on humanity, sinless and\nimmaculate humanity, and offered it body and soul, as a sacrifice for\nhuman sins.  The eternal Spirit was at once the priest that offered the\nvictim, and the altar that sanctified the offering.  Without this agency,\nthere could have been no atonement.  The offering of mere humanity,\nhowever spotless, aside from the merit derived from its connection with\nDivinity, could not have been a sacrifice of sweet-smelling savor unto\nGod.\n\n6.  It is the blood of Christ, who offered himself to God, without spot,\nthrough the eternal Spirit, _that he might purge your conscience_.  As\nthe typical sacrifices under the law purified men from ceremonial\ndefilement, so the real sacrifice of the Gospel saves the believer from\nmoral pollution.  Blood was the life of all the services of the\ntabernacle made with hands, and gave significance and utility to all the\nrites of the former dispensation.  By blood the covenant between God and\nhis people was sealed.  By blood the officers and vessels of the\nsanctuary were consecrated.  By blood the children of Israel were\npreserved in Egypt from the destroying angel.  So the blood of Christ is\nour justification, sanctification, and redemption.  All the blessings of\nthe gospel flow to us through the blood of the Lamb.  Mercy, when she\nwrites our pardon, and when she registers our names in \u201cthe Book of\nLife,\u201d dips her pen in the blood of the Lamb.  And the vast company that\nJohn saw before the throne had come out of great tribulation, having\n\u201cwashed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.\u201d\n\nThe children of Israel were delivered from Egypt, on the very night that\nthe paschal lamb was slain, and its blood sprinkled upon the doorposts,\nas if their liberty and life were procured by its death.  This typified\nthe necessity and power of the atonement, which is the very heart of the\ngospel, and the spiritual life of the believer.  In Egypt, however, there\nwas a lamb slain for every family; but under the new covenant God has but\none family, and one Lamb is sufficient for their salvation.\n\nIn the cleansing of the leper, several things were necessary; as running\nwater, cedar wood, scarlet and hyssop, and the finger of the priest; but\nit was the blood that gave efficacy to the whole.  So it is in the\npurification of the conscience.  Without the shedding of blood, the leper\ncould not be cleansed; without the shedding of blood, the conscience\ncannot be purged.  \u201cThe blood of Christ\u201d seals every precept, every\npromise, every warning, of the New Testament.  \u201cThe blood of Christ\u201d\nrenders the Scriptures \u201cprofitable for doctrine, for reproof, for\ncorrection, for instruction in righteousness.\u201d  \u201cThe blood of Christ\u201d\ngives efficiency to the pulpit; and when \u201cJesus Christ and him crucified\u201d\nis shut out, the virtue is wanting which heals and restores the soul.  It\nis only through the crucifixion of Christ, that \u201cthe old man\u201d is\ncrucified in the believer.  It is only through his obedience unto death,\neven the death of the cross, that our dead souls are quickened, to serve\nGod in newness of life.\n\nHere rest our hopes.  \u201cThe foundation of God standeth sure.\u201d  The bill of\nredemption being presented by Christ, was read by the prophets, and\npassed unanimously in both houses of parliament.  It had its final\nreading in the lower house, when Messiah hung on Calvary; and passed\nthree days afterward, when he rose from the dead.  It was introduced to\nthe upper house by the Son of God himself, who appeared before the throne\n\u201cas a lamb newly slain,\u201d and was carried by acclamation of the heavenly\nhosts.  Then it became a law of the kingdom of heaven, and the Holy Ghost\nwas sent down to establish it in the hearts of men.  It is \u201cthe perfect\nlaw of liberty,\u201d by which God is reconciling the world unto himself.  It\nis \u201cthe law of the Spirit of Life,\u201d by which he is \u201cpurging our\nconscience from dead works to serve the living God.\u201d\n\nIII.  The end of this purification is twofold:\u2014that we may cease from\ndead works, and serve the living God.\n\n1.  The works of unrenewed souls are all \u201cdead works,\u201d can be no other\nthan \u201cdead works,\u201d because the agents are \u201cdead in trespasses and sins.\u201d\nThey proceed from \u201cthe carnal mind,\u201d which \u201cis enmity against God,\u201d which\n\u201cis not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.\u201d  How can a\ncorrupt tree bring forth good fruit, or a corrupt fountain send forth\npure water?\n\nBut the blood of Christ is intended to \u201cpurge the conscience from dead\nworks.\u201d  The apostle says\u2014\u201cYe are not redeemed with corruptible things,\nas silver and gold, from your vain conversation, received by tradition\nfrom your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb\nwithout blemish, and without spot.\u201d  The Jews were in a state of bondage\nto the ceremonial law, toiling at the \u201cdead works,\u201d the vain and empty\nforms, which could never take away sin; and unjustified and unregenerate\nmen are still captives of Satan, slaves of sin and death, tyrannized over\nby various evil habits and propensities, which are invincible to all\nthings but \u201cthe blood of Christ.\u201d  He died to redeem, both from the\nburdens of the Mosaic ritual, and from the despotism of moral evil\u2014to\npurge the conscience of both Jew and Gentile \u201cfrom dead works, to serve\nthe living God.\u201d\n\n2.  We cannot \u201cserve the living God,\u201d without this preparatory\npurification of conscience.  If our guilt is uncancelled\u2014if the love of\nsin is not dethroned\u2014the service of the knee and the lip is nothing but\nhypocrisy.  \u201cIf we regard iniquity in our hearts, the Lord will not hear\nus.\u201d  Cherishing what he hates, all our offerings are an abomination to\nhim; and we can no more stand in his holy presence than the dry stubble\ncan stand before a flaming fire.  He who has an evil conscience, flees\nfrom the face of God, as did Adam in the garden.  Nothing but \u201cthe blood\nof Christ,\u201d applied by the Holy Spirit, can remove the sinner\u2019s guilty\nfear, and enable him to draw nigh to God in the humble confidence of\nacceptance through the Beloved.\n\nThe service of the living God must flow from a new principle of life in\nthe soul.  The Divine word must be the rule of our actions.  The Divine\nwill must be consulted and obeyed.  We must remember that God is holy,\nand jealous of his honor.  The consideration that he is everywhere, and\nsees every thing, and will bring every work into judgment, must fill us\nwith reverence and godly fear.  An ardent love for his law and his\ncharacter must supplant the love of sin, and prompt to a cheerful and\nimpartial obedience.\n\nAnd let us remember that he is \u201cthe _living_ God.\u201d  Pharaoh is dead,\nHerod is dead, Nero is dead; but Jehovah is \u201cthe living God,\u201d and it is a\nfearful thing to have him for an enemy.  Death cannot deliver from his\nhand.  Time, and even eternity, cannot limit his holy anger.  He has\nmanifested, in a thousand instances, his hatred of sin; in the\ndestruction of the old world, the burning of Sodom and Gomorrah, the\ndrowning of Pharaoh and his host in the sea; and I tell thee, sinner,\nexcept thou repent, thou shalt likewise perish!  O, think what punishment\n\u201cthe living God\u201d can inflict upon his adversaries\u2014the loss of all\ngood\u2014the endurance of all evil\u2014the undying worm\u2014the unquenchable fire\u2014the\nblackness of darkness for ever!\n\nThe gods of the heathen have no life in them, and they who worship them\nare like unto them.  But our God is \u201cthe living God,\u201d and \u201cthe God of the\nliving.\u201d  If you are united to him by faith in \u201cthe blood of Christ,\u201d\nyour souls are \u201cquickened together with him,\u201d and \u201cthe power which raised\nhim from the dead shall also quicken your mortal body.\u201d\n\nMay the Lord awaken those who are dead in trespasses and sins, and revive\nhis work in the midst of the years, and strengthen the feeble graces of\nhis people, and bless abundantly the labors of his servants, so that many\nconsciences may be purged from dead works to serve the living God!\n\n    \u201cThere is a fountain filled with blood,\n       Drawn from Emmanuel\u2019s veins,\n    And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,\n       Lose all their guilty stains.\n\n    \u201cThe dying thief rejoiced to see\n       That fountain in his day;\n    And there may I, as vile as he,\n       Wash all my sins away.\n\n    \u201cDear dying Lamb! thy precious blood\n       Shall never lose its power,\n    Till all the ransomed sons of God\n       Are saved to sin no more!\u201d\n\n\n\nSERMON X.\nTHE CEDAR OF GOD.\n\n\n    \u201c_Thus saith the Lord God_; _I will also take of the highest branch\n    of the high cedar_, _and will set it_; _I will crop off from the top\n    of his young twigs a tender one_, _and plant it upon a high mountain\n    and eminent_; _in the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant\n    it_; _and it shall bring forth boughs_, _and bear fruit_, _and be a\n    goodly cedar_; _and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing_; _in\n    the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell_; _and all the\n    trees of the field shall know that I_, _the Lord_, _have brought down\n    the high tree_, _and have exalted the low tree_\u2014_have dried up the\n    green tree_, _and have made the dry tree to flourish_.  _I_, _the\n    Lord_, _have spoken_, _and I have done it_.\u201d\u2014Ezek. xvii. 22\u201324.\n\nYOU perceive that our text abounds in the beautiful language of allegory.\nIn the context is portrayed the captivity of the children of Israel, and\nespecially the carrying away of the royal family, by the king of Babylon.\nHere God promises to restore them to their own land, in greater\nprosperity than ever; and to raise up Messiah, the Branch, out of the\nhouse of David, to be their king.  All this is presented in a glowing\nfigurative style, dressed out in all the wealth of poetic imagery, so\npeculiar to the orientals.  Nebuchadnezzar, the great eagle\u2014the\nlong-winged, full-feathered, embroidered eagle\u2014is represented as coming\nto Lebanon, and taking the highest branch of the tallest cedar, bearing\nit off as the crow bears the acorn in its beak, and planting it in the\nland of traffic.  The Lord God, in his turn, takes the highest branch of\nthe same cedar, and plants it on the high mountain of Israel, where it\nflourishes and bears fruit, and the fowls of the air dwell under the\nshadow of its branches.\n\nWe will make a few general remarks on the character of the promise, and\nthen pass to a more particular consideration of its import.\n\nI.  This is an _evangelical_ promise.  It relates to the coming and\nkingdom of Messiah.  Not one of the kings of Judah since the captivity,\nas Boothroyd well observes, answers to the description here given.  Not\none of them was a cedar whose branches could afford shadow and shelter\nfor all the fowls of heaven.  But the prophecy receives its fulfilment in\nChrist, the desire of all nations, to whom the ends of the earth shall\ncome for salvation.\n\nThis prophecy bears a striking resemblance in several particulars, to the\nparable of the mustard-seed, delivered by our Lord.  The mustard-seed,\nsaid Jesus, \u201cis the least of all seeds; but when it is grown, it is the\ngreatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air\ncome and lodge in the branches thereof.\u201d  So the delicate twig of the\nyoung and tender branch becomes a goodly cedar, and under its shadow\ndwell all fowl of every wing.  The prophecy and the parable are alike\nintended to represent the growth and prosperity of Messiah\u2019s kingdom, and\nthe gracious protection and spiritual refreshment afforded to its\nsubjects.  Christ is the mustard plant, and cedar of God; and to him\nshall the gathering of the people be; and multitudes of pardoned sinners\nshall sit under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit shall be\nsweet to their taste.\n\nThis prophecy is a promise of the true, and faithful, and immutable God.\nIt begins with\u2014\u201cThus saith the Lord God, I will do thus and so;\u201d and\nconcludes with\u2014\u201cI, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done it.\u201d  There is\nno peradventure with God.  His word is for ever settled in heaven, and\ncannot fail of its fulfilment.  When he says\u2014\u201cI promise to pay,\u201d there is\nno failure, whatever the sum.  The bank of heaven cannot break.  It is\nthe oldest and best in the universe.  Its capital is infinite; its credit\nis infallible.  The mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of\nPeace, is able to fulfil to the utmost all his engagements.  He can do\nany thing that does not imply a contradiction, or a moral absurdity.  He\ncould take upon himself the form of a servant, and become obedient unto\ndeath, even the death of the cross; but he can never forget or disregard\nhis promise, any more than he can cease to exist.  His nature renders\nboth impossible.  Heaven and earth shall pass away, but his word shall\nnot pass away.  Every jot and tittle shall be fulfilled.  This is the\nconsolation of the church.  Here rested the patriarchs and the prophets.\nHere reposes the faith of the saints to the end of time.  God abideth\nfaithful; he cannot deny himself.  Our text is already partially verified\nin the advent of Christ, and the establishment of his church; the\ncontinuous growth of the gospel kingdom indicates its progressive\nfulfilment; and we anticipate the time, as not far distant, when the\nwhole earth shall be overshadowed by the branches of the cedar of God.\n\nII.  We proceed to consider, with a little more particularity, the import\nof this evangelical prophecy.  It describes the character and mediatorial\nkingdom of Christ, and the blessings which he confers upon his people.\n\n1.  His character and mediatorial kingdom.  \u201cI will take of the highest\nbranch of the high cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the top\nof his young twigs a tender one, and plant it upon a high mountain and\neminent; in the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it.\u201d\n\nChrist, as concerning the flesh, is of the seed of Abraham\u2014a rod issuing\nfrom the stem of Jesse, and a branch growing out of his root.  \u201cAs the\nnew vine is found in the cluster, and one saith, destroy it not, for a\nblessing is in it;\u201d so the children of Israel were spared,\nnotwithstanding their perverseness and their backslidings, because they\nwere the cluster from which should be expressed in due time the new wine\nof the kingdom\u2014because from them was to come forth the blessing, the\npromised seed in whom all the families of the earth shall be blessed.\nThe Word that was in the beginning with God, one with God in essence and\nin attributes, in the fulness of time assumed our nature, and tabernacled\nand dwelt among us.  Here is the union of God and man.  Here is the great\nmystery of godliness\u2014God manifest in the flesh.  But I have only time now\nto take off my shoes, and draw near the burning bush, and gaze a moment\nupon this great sight.\n\nThe Father is represented as preparing a body for his Son.  He goes to\nthe quarry to seek a stone, a foundation stone for Zion.  The angel said\nto Mary:\u2014\u201cThe Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the\nHighest shall overshadow thee; therefore that Holy Thing which shall be\nborn of thee shall be called the Son of God.\u201d  The eternal lays hold on\nthat nature which is hastening downward, on the flood of sin, to the gulf\nof death and destruction, and binds it to himself.  Though made in the\nlikeness of sinful flesh, he was holy, harmless, and undefiled.  He did\nno iniquity, neither was guile found in his mouth.  The rod out of the\nstem of Jesse is also Jehovah our righteousness.  The child born in\nBethlehem is the mighty God.  The Son given to Israel is the everlasting\nFather.  He is of the seed of Abraham, according to the flesh; but he is\nalso the true God and eternal life.  Two natures and three offices meet\nmysteriously in his person.  He is at once the bleeding sacrifice, the\nsanctifying altar, the officiating priest, the prophet of Israel, and the\nPrince of Peace.  All this was necessary, that he might become \u201cthe\nauthor of eternal salvation to all them that obey him.\u201d\n\nHear Jehovah speaking of Messiah and his kingdom:\u2014\u201cWhy do the heathen\nrage, and the people imagine a vain thing?  The kings of the earth set\nthemselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord, and\nagainst his anointed.  Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.\nI will declare the decree by which he is to rule his redeemed empire.\u201d\nThat decree, long kept secret, was gradually announced by the prophets;\nbut at the new tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, Jehovah himself proclaimed it\naloud, to the astonishment of earth, the terror of hell, and the joy of\nheaven:\u2014\u201cThou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.  Come forth from\nthe womb of the grave, thou whose goings forth have been from of old,\neven from everlasting.  Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for\nthine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy\npossession.  I will exalt thee to the throne of the universe, and thou\nshalt be chief in the chariot of the gospel.  Thou shalt ride through the\ndark places of the earth, with the lamps of eternal life suspended to thy\nchariot, enlightening the world.  Be wise now, therefore, O ye kings; be\ninstructed ye judges of the earth.  Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice\nwith trembling.  Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the\nway when his wrath is kindled but a little.  Let no man withstand him.\nLet no man seek to stay his progress.  Herod, Pilate, Caiaphas, stand\noff! clear the way! lest ye be crushed beneath the wheels of his chariot!\nfor that which is a savor of life to some, is to others a savor of death;\nand if this stone shall fall upon you, it shall grind you to powder!\u201d\n\nBehold, here is wisdom!  All other mysteries are toys in comparison with\nthe mystery of the everlasting gospel\u2014the union of three persons in the\nGodhead\u2014the union of two natures in the Mediator\u2014the union of believers\nto Christ, as the branches to the vine\u2014the union of all the saints\ntogether in him, who is the head of the body, and the chief stone of the\ncorner\u2014the mighty God transfixed to the cross\u2014the son of Mary ruling in\nthe heaven of heavens\u2014the rod of Jesse becoming the sceptre of universal\ndominion\u2014the Branch growing out of his root, the little delicate branch\nwhich a lamb might crop for its food, terrifying and taming the serpent,\nthe lion, the leopard, the tiger, and the wolf, and transforming into\ngentleness and love the wild and savage nature of all the beasts of prey\nupon the mountain!  \u201cAnd such,\u201d old Corinthian sinners, \u201cwere some of\nyou; but ye are washed, ye are sanctified, ye are justified, in the name\nof the Lord Jesus, and by the spirit of our God.\u201d  And such, my brethren,\nwere some of you; but ye have been made a new creation in Christ Jesus;\nold things are passed away, and all things are become new.  Ye are dead,\nand your life is hid with Christ in God.  He is one with the Father, and\nye are one in him; united and interwoven, like the roots of the trees in\nthe forest of Lebanon; so that none can injure the least disciple of\nChrist, without touching the apple of his eye, and grieving all his\nmembers.\n\n2.  The blessings which he confers upon his people.  \u201cIt shall bring\nforth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar, and under it shall\ndwell all fowl of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall\nthey dwell; and all the trees of the field shall know that I, the Lord,\nhave brought down the high tree, and have exalted the low tree\u2014have dried\nup the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish.\u201d\n\n_Christ is a fruitful tree_.  \u201cThe tree is known by his fruit.  Men do\nnot gather grapes of thorns, nor figs of thistles.  Every good tree\nbringeth forth good fruit, and every evil tree bringeth forth evil\nfruit.\u201d  This is a singular, supernatural tree.  Though its top reaches\nto the heaven of heavens, its branches fill the universe, and bend down\nto the earth, laden with the precious fruits of pardon, and holiness, and\neternal life.  On the day of Pentecost, we see them hang so low over\nJerusalem, that the very murderers of the Son of God reach and pluck and\neat, and three thousand sinners feast on more than angels\u2019 food.  That\nwas the feast of first-fruits.  Never before was there such a harvest and\nsuch a festival.  Angels know nothing of the delicious fruits of the tree\nof redemption.  They know nothing of the joy of pardon, and the spirit of\nadoption.  The bride of the Lamb alone can say:\u2014\u201cAs the apple tree among\nthe trees of the forest, so is my beloved among the sons.  I sat down\nunder his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.\nHe brought me also to his banqueting house, and his banner over me was\nlove.\u201d\n\nThese blessings are the precious effects of Christ\u2019s mediatorial work;\nflowing down to all believers, like streams of living water.  Come, ye\nfamishing souls, and take, without money and without price.  All things\nare now ready.  \u201cThe mandrakes give a smell, and at our gates are all\nmanner of pleasant fruits, both new and old.\u201d  Here is no scarcity.  Our\nElder Brother keeps a rich table in our Father\u2019s house.  Hear him\nproclaiming in the streets of the city, in the chief places of\nconcourse:\u2014\u201cCome to the festival.  There is bread enough, and to spare.\nMy oxen and my fatlings are killed.  My board is spread with the most\nexquisite delicacies\u2014wine on the lees well refined, and fruits such as\nangels never tasted.\u201d\n\n_Christ is a tree of protection to his people_.  This cedar not only\nbeautifies the forest, but also affords shade and shelter for the fowls\nof the air.  We have the same idea in the parable of the mustard\nseed:\u2014\u201cthe birds of the air came and lodged in the branches thereof.\u201d\nThis is the fulfilment of the promise concerning the Shiloh:\u2014\u201cto him\nshall the gathering of the people be.\u201d  It is the drawing of sinners to\nChrist; and the union of believers with God.\n\n\u201cAll fowl of every wing.\u201d  Sinners of every age and every degree\u2014sinners\nof all languages, colors, and climes\u2014sinners of all principles, customs,\nand habits\u2014sinners whose crimes are of the blackest hue\u2014sinners carrying\nabout them the savor of the brimstone of hell\u2014sinners deserving eternal\ndamnation\u2014sinners perishing for lack of knowledge\u2014sinners pierced by the\narrows of conviction\u2014sinners ready to sink under the burden of\nsin\u2014sinners overwhelmed with terror and despair\u2014are seen flying to Christ\nas a cloud, and as doves to their windows\u2014moving to the ark of mercy\nbefore the door is shut\u2014seeking rest in the shadow of this goodly cedar!\n\nChrist is the sure defence of his church.  A thousand times has she been\nassailed by her enemies.  The princes of the earth have set themselves in\narray against her, and hell has opened upon her all its batteries.  But\nthe Rock of Ages has ever been her strong fortress and high tower.  He\nwill never refuse to shelter her from her adversaries.  In the time of\ntrouble, he shall hide her in his pavilion; in the secret of his\ntabernacle shall he hide her.  When the heavens are dark and angry, she\nflies, like the affrighted dove, to the thick branches of the \u201cGoodly\nCedar.\u201d  There she is safe from the windy storm and tempest.  There she\nmay rest in confidence, till these calamities be overpast.  The tree of\nher protection can never be riven by the lightning, nor broken by the\nblast.\n\n_Christ is the source of life and beauty to all the trees in the garden\nof God_.  Jehovah determined to teach \u201cthe trees of the forest\u201d a new\nlesson.  Let the princes of this world hear it, and the proud\nphilosophers of Greece and Rome.  \u201cI have brought down the high tree, and\nexalted the low tree\u2014have dried up the green tree, and made the dry tree\nto flourish.\u201d  Many things have occurred, in the providence of God, which\nmight illustrate these metaphors; such as the bringing of Pharaoh down to\nthe bottom of the sea, that Israel might be exalted to sing the song of\nMoses; and the drying up of the pride and pomp of Haman, that Mordecai\nmight flourish in honor and esteem.  But for the most transcendent\naccomplishment of the prophecy, we must go to Calvary.  There is the high\ntree brought down to the dust of death, that the low tree might be\nexalted to life eternal; the green tree dried up by the fires of Divine\nwrath, that the dry tree might flourish in the favor of God for ever.\n\nTo this, particularly, our blessed Redeemer seems to refer, in his\naddress to the daughters of Jerusalem, as they follow him, weeping, to\nthe place of crucifixion.  \u201cWeep not for me,\u201d saith he.  \u201cThere is a\nmystery in all this, which you cannot now comprehend.  Like Joseph, I\nhave been sold by my brethren; but like Joseph, I will be a blessing to\nall my Father\u2019s house.  I am carrying this cross to Calvary that I may be\ncrucified upon it between two thieves; but when the lid of the mystical\nark shall be lifted, then shall ye see that it is to save sinners I give\nmy back to the smiters, and my life for a sacrifice.  Weep not for me,\nbut for yourselves and your children; for if they do these things in the\ngreen tree, what shall be done in the dry?  I am the green tree to-day;\nand behold, I am consumed that you may flourish.  I am the high tree, and\nam prostrated that you may be exalted.\u201d\n\nThe fire-brands of Jerusalem had wellnigh kindled to a flame of\nthemselves, amid the tumult of the people, when they cried out\u2014\u201cAway with\nhim!  Crucify him!  His blood be on us, and on our children!\u201d  O wonder\nof mercy! that they were not seized and consumed at once by fire from\nheaven!  But he whom they crucify prays for them, and they are spared.\nHear his intercession:\u2014\u201cFather, forgive them!  Save these sinners, ready\nfor the fire.  On me, on me alone, be the fierceness of thy indignation.\nI am ready to drink the cup which thou hast mingled.  I am willing to\nfall beneath the stroke of thy angry justice.  I come to suffer for the\nguilty.  Bind me in their stead, lay me upon the altar, and send down\nfire to consume the sacrifice!\u201d\n\nIt was done.  I heard a great voice from heaven:\u2014\u201cAwake, O sword, against\nmy shepherd!  Kindle the flame!  Let off the artillery!\u201d  Night suddenly\nenveloped the earth.  Nature trembled around me.  I heard the rending of\nthe rocks.  I looked, and lo! the stroke had fallen upon the high tree,\nand the green tree was all on fire!  While I gazed, I heard a voice,\nmournful, but strangely sweet:\u2014\u201cMy God! my God! why hast thou forsaken\nme?  My heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.  My\nstrength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws.\nOne may tell all my bones.  Dogs have compassed me about; strong bulls of\nBashan have beset me.  They stare at me; they gape upon me with their\nmouths; they pierce my hands and my feet.  Deliver my soul from the\nlions; my darling from the power of the dogs!\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is finished!\u201d  O with what majestic sweetness fell that voice upon my\nsoul!  Instantly the clouds were scattered.  I looked, and saw, with\nunspeakable wonder, millions of the low trees shooting up, and millions\nof the dry trees putting forth leaves and fruit.  Then I took my harp,\nand sang this song:\u2014\u201cWorthy is the Lamb! for he was humbled that we might\nbe exalted; he was wounded that we might be healed; he was robbed that we\nmight be enriched; he was slain that we might live!\u201d\n\nThen I saw the beam of a great scale; one end descending to the abyss,\nborne down by the power of the atonement; the other ascending to the\nheaven of heavens, and lifting up the prisoners of the tomb.  Wonderful\nscheme!  Christ condemned for our justification; forsaken of his Father,\nthat we might enjoy his fellowship; passing under the curse of the law,\nto bear it away from the believer forever!  This is the great scale of\nredemption.  As one end of the beam falls under the load of our sins,\nwhich were laid on Christ; the other rises, bearing the basket of mercy,\nfull of pardons, and blessings, and hopes.  \u201cHe who knew no sin was made\nsin for us\u201d\u2014that is his end of the beam; \u201cthat we might be made the\nrighteousness of God in him\u201d\u2014this is ours.  \u201cThough he was rich, yet for\nour sakes he became poor\u201d\u2014there goes his end down; \u201cthat we, through his\npoverty, might be rich\u201d\u2014here comes ours up.\n\nO sinners! ye withered and fallen trees, fuel for the everlasting\nburning, ready to ignite at the first spark of vengeance!  O ye faithless\nsouls! self-ruined and self-condemned! enemies in your hearts by wicked\nworks! we pray you in Christ\u2019s stead, be ye reconciled to God!  He has\nfound out a plan for your salvation\u2014to raise up the low tree by humbling\nthe high, and save the dry tree from the fire by burning up the green.\nHe is able to put, at the same time, a crown of glory on the head of the\nlaw, and a crown of mercy on the head of the sinner.  One of those hands\nwhich were nailed to the cross blotted out the fiery handwriting of\nSinai, while the other opened the prison-doors of the captives.  From the\nmysterious depths of Messiah\u2019s sufferings flows the river of the water of\nlife.  Eternal light rises from the gloom of Gethsemane.  Satan planted\nthe tree of death on the grave of the first Adam, and sought to plant it\nalso on the grave of the second; but how terrible was his disappointment\nand despair, when he found that the wrong seed had been deposited there,\nand was springing up unto everlasting life!  Come! fly to the shelter of\nthis tree, and dwell in the shadow of its branches, and eat of its fruit,\nand live!\n\nTo conclude:\u2014Is not the conversion of sinners an object dear to the\nhearts of the saints?  God alone can do the work.  He can say to the\nnorth, give up; and to the south, keep not back.  He can bring his sons\nfrom afar, and his daughters from the ends of the earth.  Our Shiloh has\nan attractive power, and to him shall the gathering of the people be.\nPray, my brethren, pray earnestly, that the God of all grace may find\nthem out, and gather them from the forest, and fish them up from the sea,\nand bring them home as the shepherd brings the stray lambs to the fold.\nGod alone can catch these \u201cfowl of every wing.\u201d  They fly away from us.\nTo our grief, they often fly far away, when we think them almost in our\nhands; and then the most talented and holy ministers cannot overtake\nthem.  But the Lord is swifter than they.  His arrows will reach them and\nbring them from their lofty flight to the earth.  Then he will heal their\nwounds, and tame their wild nature, and give them rest beneath the\nbranches of the \u201cGoodly Cedar.\u201d\n\n\n\nSERMON XI.\nTHE PRINCE OF SALVATION.\n\n\n    \u201c_For it became him_, _for whom are all things_, _and by whom are all\n    things_, _in bringing many sons to glory_, _to make the captain of\n    their salvation perfect through sufferings_.\u201d\u2014Heb. ii. 10.\n\n    \u201c_And being made perfect_, _he became the author of eternal salvation\n    unto all them that obey him_.\u201d\u2014Heb. v. 9.\n\nI HAVE put these passages together because of their similarity.  In\ndiscussing the doctrine which they contain\u2014the doctrine of salvation\nthrough the mediatorial work of Christ, I purpose to consider\u2014_First_,\nHis relation to believers, as the author, captain, or prince of their\nsalvation; _Secondly_, His perfect qualification, through meritorious\nsufferings, to sustain that relation; and _Thirdly_, The character of\nthose who are interested in him as a Saviour.\n\nI.  Christ is the prince of our salvation.  He is the great ante-type of\nMoses, Joshua, Samson, and David.  Their deeds of pious valor faintly\nforeshadowed the glorious achievements of the Captain of our salvation.\n\nHe is a prince in our nature.  The Lord from heaven became the second\nAdam, the seed of the woman, the offspring of David.  Divinity and\nhumanity were mysteriously united in his person.  The Word that was in\nthe beginning was made flesh, and tabernacled among us.  God is now\nnearer to his people than ever.  The Lamb\u2019s bride is bone of his bone and\nflesh of his flesh.  As the children were partakers of flesh and blood,\nhe himself took part of the same.  By taking human nature into union with\nhimself, he has imparted to believers a new and divine life.\n\nOur Prince has conquered our adversaries.  His name is Michael, the power\nof God.  He is the mighty prince that stood up on behalf of his people,\nand bruised Satan under their feet.  He has cast out the strong man, and\nhis goods.  He has demolished the kingdom of darkness, spoiled\nprincipalities and powers, and made a show of them openly.  He has proved\nto earth and heaven that the devil is a usurper, and has no claim\nwhatever to the title, \u201cGod of this world,\u201d and \u201cPrince of this world.\u201d\nWhen Christ was crucified, hell quaked to its centre.  Then he obtained\nliberty for the captives, and the opening of the prisons to them that are\nbound.  His victory is our manumission from the slavery of sin and death;\nand if the Son make us free, we are free indeed.\n\nThree offices meet in the Author of our salvation; the prophetic, the\npriestly, and the regal.  He wears three crowns upon his head; a crown of\ngold, a crown of silver, and a crown of precious stones.  He \u201cshall bear\nthe glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne, and shall be a priest\nupon his throne, and the covenant of peace shall be between them both.\u201d\nThis prophecy is fulfilled in Messiah\u2019s mediatorial relations.  The house\nwas purified, the altar was consecrated, on the morning of his\nresurrection.  This is the Prince of life, who was dead, and is alive for\nevermore, and hath the keys of hell and of death.  That he might sanctify\nthe people with his own blood, he suffered without the gate; and by\nsuffering, he opened a way for believers into the holiest of all; and lo!\nhis people are standing before the mercy-seat within the vail, and\nworshipping in open sight of the glory of God that dwelleth between the\ncherubim.  If God smelled \u201ca savor of rest\u201d in the sacrifice of Noah,\nmuch more in the sacrifice of his beloved Son, in whom he is ever well\npleased.  His sinless soul and body were offered once for all upon the\ncross.  \u201cHe bore the sins of many, and made intercession for the\ntransgressors.\u201d  The Father proclaims the demands of his law fully\nanswered, and invites sinners to come and rest in the Beloved.  This is\nhe of whom it was said\u2014\u201cA man shall be as a hiding-place from the wind,\nand a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place; as the\nshadow of a great rock in a weary land.\u201d  This is the Author and Captain\nof our salvation.\n\nII.  Let us consider how he is qualified for that relation\u2014made perfect\nthrough sufferings.\n\nHis sufferings were necessary to constitute him a complete Saviour.\n\u201cWithout the shedding of blood is no remission;\u201d the blood of Jesus is \u201ca\nfountain opened for sin and uncleanness.\u201d  It was threatened\u2014\u201cIn the day\nthou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die;\u201d but Christ, by dying in our\nstead, delivered us from the sentence.\n\nIn order that he might bear our sins, it was necessary for him to assume\nour nature.  The Priest must have somewhat to offer as a sacrifice.\nDivinity could not suffer and die.  \u201cA body hast thou prepared for me.\u201d\nThe Son of God took that body as his own, and offered it to the Father\nupon the cross.  The blood which he shed was his own blood; the life\nwhich he laid down was his own life; the soul which he poured out unto\ndeath was his own soul.  Moses saw an emblem of this mystery in Mount\nHoreb\u2014a bush burning with fire, yet unconsumed.  \u201cOur God is a consuming\nfire,\u201d dwelling in a tabernacle of clay.  The human nature, though slain,\nis not consumed.  On the third day the bush is found still flourishing\nand fruitful.\n\nIt was necessary that the precept of the law should be obeyed, and the\npenalty of the law endured, in the very nature of its violater.  Christ\nanswered the demands of both tables on behalf of his people, in the\npurity of his life, and the merit of his obedience unto death.  He\ndisplayed all the fruits of holiness.  He loved righteousness and hated\niniquity.  He paid our debt, a debt which he never contracted; he endured\nour curse, a curse which he never deserved.  He took the cup of the wine\nof wrath out of our hand, and drained its very dregs upon the cross.  In\nhell, every one drinks his own cup, and can never exhaust its contents;\nbut behold, on Calvary, one man drains the cup of millions, and cries\u2014\u201cIt\nis finished!\u201d  Not a drop is left, not a particle of any of its\ningredients, for his people.  God hath condemned and punished sin in the\nhuman nature of Christ, and all who believe are justified freely by his\nblood.\n\nBut the author of our salvation is God as well as man.  The Divinity\noften shone out through the humanity, controlling the elements,\nquickening the tenants of the tomb, and compelling the very devils to\nobey him.  Had he been less than \u201cGod manifest in the flesh,\u201d he must\nhave been incompetent to the work of redemption.  The Divine nature was\nnecessary to sustain the human nature under its immense burden of\nsufferings, and render those sufferings sufficiently meritorious to atone\nfor the transgressions of mankind.  Christ endured more of the Divine\ndispleasure \u201cfrom the sixth to the ninth hour,\u201d than all the vessels of\nwrath could endure to all eternity; {185} and but for the union of the\ntwo natures in his person, he could not have borne his unparalleled woes.\nBut while the man suffered, the God sustained.  While the God-man offered\nup his humanity, his Divinity was the altar that sanctified the gift, and\nrendered it a sacrifice of sweet smelling savor to the Father.  It was\nman that died upon the cross, but it was man in mysterious union with\nGod, so that the two natures constituted but one person, and the dignity\nof the Godhead gave infinite value to the tears and sweat and blood of\nthe manhood.  No wonder that the cross of Christ is the admiration of men\nand angels; and\u2014\u201cworthy is the Lamb that was slain!\u201d the ultimate theme\nof earth and heaven!\n\n\u201cAnd being made perfect.\u201d  In the twentieth chapter of Exodus, we read of\n\u201cthe ram of consecration\u201d\u2014the ram of perfection in the original, or full\nram, as the word full signifies complete, mature, perfect.  The two rams\nmentioned in that chapter represent the atonement and intercession of\nChrist.  He is our full, complete, or perfect sacrifice.  \u201cIn him\ndwelleth the fulness of the Godhead;\u201d and he has the hand of a man to\nbestow blessings upon his brethren.  \u201cOf his fulness have all we\nreceived, and grace upon grace.\u201d  Our wisdom, righteousness,\nsanctification, and redemption are all in the Son of man.  Aaron never\nentered the holy place with empty hands, and our great High-priest hath\ngone into the celestial sanctuary, bearing with him his own most precious\nblood, wherewith to sprinkle the mercy-seat, and make it approachable to\nman.  Thus suffering on earth, and pleading the merit of his suffering in\nheaven, \u201che becomes the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey\nhim.\u201d\n\nIII.  This leads us to our third topic.  The character of those who are\ninterested in him as a Saviour\u2014\u201call them that obey him.\u201d\n\nTo obey is to submit to authority\u2014to do what is commanded.  What is the\ncommand of God the Father?  That ye should believe on the name of his\nSon.  What is the command of Christ, the Captain of our salvation?  \u201cYe\nbelieve in God; believe also in me.\u201d  It is said that he is precious to\nthem that believe, but unbelievers are disobedient.  They are all a\ndisaffected and rebellious army, who will not obey their Captain.  They\nhave made God a liar, and are condemned for their unbelief.  The Father\nsaith\u2014\u201cKiss the Son, lest he be angry!\u201d but they reply\u2014\u201cAway with him!\naway with him! we will not have him to reign over us!\u201d\n\nIs this your character?  You are commanded to \u201cbehold the Lamb of God,\nthat taketh away the sin of the world.\u201d  Have you obeyed?  What are you\ndoing?  Are you determined to rebel?  Will you risk the consequences of\ndisobedience?  O, you are reading the book of election, are you?  You are\nlooking for your names in the book of election; but lo! you find them\nwritten in the book of damnation, under the article\u2014\u201cHe that believeth\nnot shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him!\u201d  What shall\nbe done in such a case?  Obey the Captain of your salvation.  Do ye not\nhear him, as he rides along the ranks, proclaiming\u2014\u201cTo-day, if ye will\nhear my voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation!  Incline\nyour ear, and come unto me; hear, and your soul shall live!\u201d  Obey, obey\nthis gracious exhortation.  Come, with your petitions for pardon.\nBelieve on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved.  Behold a door\nof hope opening for you in the blood of atonement.  There is forgiveness\nand sanctification for all that believe.  Does your sense of guilt\noverwhelm you with gloomy fears, and plunge you in despair?  Do you\ntremble at the thought of the multitude and enormity of your crimes?  Cry\naloud, with all your hearts\u2014\u201cGod be merciful to me a sinner!\u201d  Remember\nthat your Prince \u201cis able to save unto the uttermost all that come unto\nGod by him.\u201d  Hear him calling you\u2014\u201cCome unto me, all ye that labor and\nare heavy laden, and I will give you rest!  Take my yoke upon you, and\nlearn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest to\nyour souls; for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light!\u201d  Who, then,\nwould not obey thee, blessed Jesus?\n\n    \u201cHad I, dear Lord, a thousand hearts,\n       I\u2019d give them all to thee;\n    A thousand tongues, they all should join\n       The grateful harmony!\u201d\n\nWe have a remarkable instance of faith and obedience in Abraham.  There\nwas no natural probability, there was no apparent possibility of the\nfulfilment of the promise; but Abraham believed, rested on the naked word\nof God, and went to mount Moriah to offer up his only son.  Here was the\ntriumph of faith, and it is recorded for our encouragement.  Did the\npatriarch firmly believe the promise\u2014\u201cIn Isaac shall thy seed be called?\u201d\nYes verily, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.  Did the\npatriarch believe, on the strength of that promise, that God would not\npermit him to offer up his only son?  No, verily; but he was determined\nto obey God, and leave the event with him, well assured that God would\nfulfil his word, though it should require the miracle of Isaac\u2019s\nresurrection.  Thus your faith must soar above nature, and lay hold on\nthe righteousness of Christ, which justifieth the ungodly.  When you\nbelieve with all your heart, God will smile upon you, and calm your\ntroubled soul, and hush the raging storms of a guilty conscience, for the\nsake of the satisfaction which he received in the obedience of Christ, as\nthe substitute and surety of his people.  This is the Urim and\nThummim\u2014light and perfection\u2014of the gospel, beaming upon us through the\ntwelve stars\u2014the apostles of the Lamb, pacifying the conscience, and\nanswering the important question\u2014\u201cWhat shall I do to be saved?\u201d  I feel\nwithin me a sea of corruption, but I know that the blood of Jesus Christ\ncleanseth from all sin.\n\nFaith and obedience are inseparable, and the former is dead without the\nlatter.  They wrought together in Abel, and therefore he offered a more\nexcellent sacrifice than Cain.  They wrought together in Noah, and led\nhim to prepare an ark to the saving of his house.  Abraham not only\nbelieved that God would give him and his seed the land of Canaan; but he\nset forth at the Divine command, not knowing whither he went.  Moses not\nonly believed that God would deliver Israel out of Egypt; but, in\nobedience to his command, he \u201crefused to be called the son of Pharaoh\u2019s\ndaughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God,\nthan to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.\u201d  Thus, true faith\nalways leads to obedience.  It is a living principle, by which the soul\nis quickened from the death of sin to a new life of holiness.  It is the\nmeans through which, by the Holy Ghost, we are created anew in Christ\nJesus unto good works.  It works by love, and love is always the great\nmotive to obedience.  It gives us large and clear views of the love of\nGod in Christ; then \u201cwe love him because he first loved us;\u201d and \u201cthis is\nthe love of God, that we keep his commandments.\u201d  Thus, by faith, \u201cthe\nlove of God is shed abroad in our hearts,\u201d leading us to a holy life.\nSuch is the connection between faith and obedience, and the necessity of\none to the other.\n\nAnd now, brethren, let us trust in the Captain of our salvation.  In the\nages before his advent, many sons were brought to glory through faith in\nhis future sufferings.  In the fulness of time, he visited our world;\nassumed our nature; atoned for our transgressions; and, ascending to the\nright hand of the Father, as our representative and intercessor, \u201cbecame\nthe author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him.\u201d\n\n    \u201cO Captain of salvation! make\n       Thy power and glory known,\n    Till clouds of willing captives come,\n       And worship at thy throne!\u201d\n\n\n\nSERMON XII.\nFINISHED REDEMPTION\n\n\n    \u201c_It is finished_.\u201d\u2014John xix. 30.\n\nTHIS exclamation derives all its importance from the magnitude of the\nwork alluded to, and the glorious character of the agent.  The work is\nthe redemption of the world; the agent is God manifest in the flesh.  He\nwho finished the creation of the heavens and the earth in six days, is\nlaying the foundation of a new creation on Calvary.  Four thousand years\nhe has been giving notice of his intention to mankind; more than thirty\nyears he has been personally upon earth, preparing the material; and now\nhe lays the chief corner stone in Zion, exclaiming\u2014\u201cIt is finished.\u201d\n\nWe will first consider the special import of the exclamation, and then\noffer a few remarks of a more general character.\n\nI.  \u201cIt is finished.\u201d  This saying of the Son of God is a very striking\none; and, uttered, as it was, while he hung in dying agonies upon the\ncross, cannot fail to make a strong impression upon the mind.  It is\nnatural for us to inquire\u2014\u201cWhat does it mean?  To what does the glorious\nvictim refer?\u201d  A complete answer to the question would develope the\nwhole scheme of redemption.  We can only glance at a few leading ideas.\n\nThe sufferings of Christ are ended.  Never again shall he be persecuted\nfrom city to city, as an impostor and servant of Satan.  Never again\nshall he say\u2014\u201cMy soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death.\u201d  Never\nagain shall he agonize in Gethsemane, and sweat great drops of blood.\nNever again shall he be derided by the rabble, and insulted by men in\npower.  Never again shall he be crowned with thorns, lacerated by the\nscourge, and nailed to the accursed tree.  Never again shall he cry out,\nin the anguish of his soul, and the baptism of blood\u2014\u201cMy God! my God! why\nhast thou forsaken me!\u201d\n\nThe predictions of his death are fulfilled.  The prophets had spoken of\nhis crucifixion many hundred years before his birth.  They foresaw the\nGovernor who was to come forth from Bethlehem.  They knew the babe in the\nmanger, as he whose goings forth are of old, even from everlasting.  They\ndrew an accurate chart of his travels, from the manger to the cross, and\nfrom the cross to the throne.  All these things must be fulfilled.  Jesus\nknew the necessity, and seemed anxious that every jot and tittle should\nreceive an exact accomplishment.  His whole life was a fulfilment of\nprophecy.  On every path he walked, on every house he entered, on every\ncity he visited, and especially on the mysterious phenomena which\naccompanied his crucifixion, it was written\u2014\u201cthat the Scriptures might be\nfulfilled.\u201d\n\nThe great sacrifice for sin is accomplished.  For this purpose Christ\ncame into the world.  He is our appointed high-priest, the elect of the\nFather, and the desire of nations.  He alone who was in the bosom of the\nFather, could offer a sacrifice of sufficient merit to atone for human\ntransgression.  But it was necessary also that he should have somewhat to\noffer.  Therefore a body was prepared for him.  He assumed the seed of\nAbraham, and suffered in the flesh.  This was a sacrifice of infinite\nvalue, being sanctified by the altar of Divinity on which it was offered.\nAll the ceremonial sacrifices could not obtain the bond from the hand of\nthe creditor.  They were only acknowledgments of the debt.  But Jesus, by\none offering, paid the whole, took up the bond\u2014the handwriting that was\nagainst us, and nailed it to his cross; and when driving the last nail,\nhe cried\u2014\u201cIt is finished!\u201d\n\nThe satisfaction of Divine justice is completed.  The violated law must\nbe vindicated; the deserved penalty must be endured; if not by the sinner\nhimself, yet by the sinner\u2019s substitute.  This was the great undertaking\nof the Son of God.  He \u201cbore our sins\u201d\u2014that is, the punishment of our\nsins\u2014\u201cin his own body on the tree.\u201d  He was \u201cmade a curse for us, that we\nmight be made the righteousness of God in him.\u201d  There was no other way\nby which the honor of God and the dignity of his law could be sustained,\nand therefore \u201cthe Lord laid upon him the iniquities of us all.\u201d  He\n\u201cdied unto sin once;\u201d not merely for sin, enduring its punishment in our\nstead; but also \u201cunto sin,\u201d abolishing its power, and putting it away.\nTherefore it is said, he \u201cmade an end of sin\u201d\u2014destroyed its condemning\nand tormenting power on behalf of all them that believe.  His sufferings\nwere equal to the claims of justice; and his dying cry was the voice of\nJustice himself proclaiming the satisfaction.  Here, then, may the dying\nthief, and the persecutor of the holy, lay down their load of guilt and\nwo at the foot of the cross.\n\nThe new and living way to God is consecrated.  A vail has hitherto\nconcealed the holy of holies.  None but the high-priest has seen the ark\nof the covenant, and the glory of God resting upon the mercy-seat between\nthe cherubim.  He alone might enter, and he but once a year, and then\nwith fear and trembling, and the sprinkling of atoning blood, after the\nmost careful purification, and sacrifice for himself and the people.  But\nour great High-priest has made an end of sacrifice by the one offering of\nhimself.  He has filled his hands with his own blood, and entered into\nheaven itself, there to appear in the presence of God for us.  The sweet\nincense which he offers fills the temple, and the merit of his sacrifice\nremains the same through all time, superseding all other offering for\never.  Therefore we are exhorted to come boldly to the throne of grace.\nThe tunnel under the Thames could not be completed on account of an\naccident which greatly damaged the work, without a new subscription for\nraising money; but Jesus found infinite riches in himself, sufficient for\nthe completion of a new way to the Father\u2014a living way through the valley\nof the shadow of death to \u201cthe city of the Great King.\u201d\n\nThe conquest of the powers of darkness is achieved.  When their hour was\ncome, the Prince and his hosts were on the alert to accomplish the\ndestruction of the Son of God.  They assailed him with peculiar\ntemptations, and leveled against him their heaviest artillery.  They\ninstigated one disciple to betray him and another to deny him.  They\nfired the rage of the multitude against him, so that the same tongues\nthat lately sung\u2014\u201cHosanna to the Son of David!\u201d now shouted\u2014\u201cCrucify him!\nCrucify him!\u201d  They filled the priests and scribes with envy, that they\nmight accuse him without a cause; and inspired Pilate with an accursed\nambition, that he might condemn him without a fault.  They seared the\nconscience of the false witnesses, that they might charge the Just One\nwith the most flagrant crimes; and cauterized the hearts of the Roman\nsoldiers, that they might mock him in his sufferings, and nail him to the\ncross.  Having succeeded so far in their hellish plot, they doubtless\ndeemed their victory certain.  I see them crowding around the cross,\nwaiting impatiently to witness his last breath, ready to shout with\ninfernal triumph to the depths of hell, till the brazen walls should send\nback their echoes to the gates of the heavenly city.  But hark! the dying\nSaviour exclaims\u2014\u201cIt is finished!\u201d and the great dragon and his host\nretreat, howling, from the cross.  The Prince of our salvation turned\nback all their artillery upon themselves, and their own stratagems become\ntheir ruin.  The old serpent seized Messiah\u2019s heel, but Messiah stamped\nupon the serpent\u2019s head.  The dying cry of Jesus shook the dominions of\ndeath, so that the bodies of many that slept arose; and rang through all\nthe depths of hell, the knell of its departed power.  Thus the Prince of\nthis world was foiled in his schemes, and disappointed in his hopes; like\nthe men of Gaza, when they locked up Samson at night, thinking to kill\nhim in the morning; but awoke to find that he was gone, with the gates of\nthe city upon his shoulders.  When the Philistines caught Samson, and\nbrought him to their temple, to make sport for them, they never dreamed\nof the disaster in which it would result\u2014never dreamed that their triumph\nover the poor blind captive would be the occasion of their destruction.\nSuffer me, said he, to lean on the two pillars.  Then he bowed himself,\nand died with his enemies.  So Christ on Calvary, while the powers of\ndarkness exulted over their victim, seized the main pillars of sin and\ndeath, and brought down the temple of Satan upon its occupants; but on\nthe morning of the third day, he left them all in the ruins, where they\nshall remain for ever, and commenced his journey home to his Father\u2019s\nhouse.\n\nII.  So much concerning the import of our Saviour\u2019s exclamation.  Such\nwas the work which he finished upon the cross.  We add a few remarks of a\nmore general character.\n\nThe sufferings of Christ were vicarious.  He died, not for his own sins,\nbut for ours.  He humbled himself, that we might be exalted.  He became\npoor, that we might be made rich.  He was wounded, that we might be\nhealed.  He drained the cup of wrath, that we might drink the waters of\nsalvation.  He died the shameful and excruciating death of the cross,\nthat we might live and reign with him for ever.\n\n\u201cOught not Christ to have suffered these things, and to have entered into\nhis glory?\u201d  This \u201cought\u201d is the ought of mercy and of covenant\nengagement.  He must discharge the obligation which he had voluntarily\nassumed.  He must finish the work which he had graciously begun.  There\nwas no other Saviour\u2014no other being in the universe willing to undertake\nthe work; or, if any willing to undertake, none able to accomplish it.\nThe salvation of one human soul would have been too mighty an achievement\nfor Gabriel\u2014for all the angels in heaven.  Had not \u201cthe Only Begotten of\nthe Father\u201d become our surety, we must have lain for ever under the wrath\nof God, amid \u201cweeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth.\u201d  None but the\nLion of the tribe of Judah could break the seals of that mysterious book.\nNone but \u201cGod manifest in the flesh\u201d could deliver us from the second\ndeath.\n\nThe dying cry of Jesus indicates the dignity of his nature, and the power\nof life that was in him to the last.  All men die of weakness\u2014of\ninability to resist death\u2014die because they can live no longer.  But this\nwas not the case with the Son of God.  He speaks of laying down his life\nas his own voluntary act;\u2014\u201cNo man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of\nmyself.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.\u201d\nHe \u201cpoured out his soul unto death\u201d\u2014did not wait for it to be torn from\nhim\u2014did not hang languishing upon the cross, till life \u201cebbed out by slow\ndegrees;\u201d but poured it out freely, suddenly, and unexpectedly.  As soon\nas the work was done for which he came into the world, he cried\u2014\u201cIt is\nfinished!\u201d \u201cbowed his head, and gave up the ghost.\u201d  Then the sun was\ndarkened, the earth quaked, the rocks rent, the graves opened, and the\ncenturion said\u2014\u201cTruly, this man was the Son of God!\u201d  He cried with a\nloud voice, to show that he was still unconquered by pain, mighty even\nupon the cross.  He bowed his head that death might seize him.  He was\nnaturally far above the reach of death, his Divine nature being\nself-existent and eternal, and his human nature entitled to immortality\nby its immaculate holiness; yet \u201che humbled himself, and became obedient\nunto death, even the death of the cross\u201d\u2014\u201cHe bowed his head, and gave up\nthe ghost.\u201d\n\nWe may regard his last exclamation, also, as an expression of his joy, at\nhaving accomplished the great \u201ctravail of his soul,\u201d in the work of our\nredemption.  It was the work which the Father had given him, and which he\nhad covenanted to do.  It lay heavy upon his heart; and O, how was he\nstraitened till it was accomplished!  His \u201csoul was exceeding sorrowful,\neven unto death;\u201d \u201cand his sweat as it were great drops of blood, falling\ndown to the ground.\u201d  But upon the cross, he saw of the travail of his\nsoul, and was satisfied.  He saw that his sacrifice was accepted, and the\nobject of his agony secured\u2014that death would not be able to detain him in\nthe grave, nor hell to defeat the purposes of his grace\u2014that the gates of\nthe eternal city would soon open to receive him as a conqueror, and\nmyriads of exultant angels shout him to his throne; whither he would be\nfollowed by his redeemed, with songs of everlasting joy.  He saw, and he\nwas satisfied; and, not waiting for the morning of the third day, but\nalready confident of victory, he uttered this note of triumph, and died.\n\nAnd if we may suppose them to have understood its import, what a source\nof consolation must it have been to his sorrowing disciples!  The sword\nhad pierced through Mary\u2019s heart, according to the prediction of old\nSimeon over the infant Jesus.  Her affections had bled at the agony of\nher supernatural Son, and her wounded faith had wellnigh perished at his\ncross.  And how must all his followers have felt, standing afar off, and\nbeholding their supposed Redeemer suffering as a malefactor!  How must\nall their hopes have died within them, as they gazed on the accursed\ntree!  The tragedy was mysterious, and they deemed their enemies\nvictorious.  Jesus is treading the winepress in Bozrah, and the earth is\nshaking, and the rocks are rending, and the luminaries of heaven are\nexpiring, and all the powers of nature are fainting, in sympathy with his\nmighty agony.  Now he is lost in the fire and smoke of battle, and the\ndread artillery of justice is heard thundering through the thick\ndarkness, and shouts of victory rise from the troops of hell, and who\nshall foretell the issue of the combat, or the fate of the Champion?  But\nlo! he cometh forth from the cloud of battle, with blood upon his\ngarments!  He is wounded, but he hath the tread and the aspect of a\nconqueror.  He waves his crimsoned sword, and cries\u2014\u201cIt is finished!\u201d\nCourage, ye weepers at the cross!  Courage, ye tremblers standing afar\noff!  The Prince of your salvation is victor, and this bulletin of the\nwar shall cheer myriads of believers in the house of their pilgrimage,\nand the achievement which it announces shall constitute an everlasting\ntheme of praise!\n\n\u201cIt is finished!\u201d  The word smote on the walls of the celestial city, and\nthrilled the hosts of heaven with ecstasy unspeakable.  How must \u201cthe\nspirits of just men made perfect\u201d have leaped with joy, to hear that the\nCaptain of their salvation was victorious over all his enemies, and that\nthe work he had engaged to do for them and their brethren was completed!\nand with what wonder and delight must the holy angels have witnessed the\ntriumph of him, whom they were commanded to worship, over the powers of\ndarkness!  It was the commencement of a new era in heaven, and never\nbefore had its happy denizens seen so much of God.\n\n\u201cIt is finished!\u201d  Go, ye heralds of salvation, into all the world, and\nproclaim the joyful tidings!  Cry aloud, and spare not; lift up your\nvoice like a trumpet, and publish to all men, that the work of the cross\nis finished\u2014that the great Mediator, \u201cmade perfect through sufferings,\u201d\nhas become \u201cthe author of eternal salvation to all them that obey\nhim\u201d\u2014\u201cis of God made unto us, wisdom, and righteousness, and\nsanctification, and redemption!\u201d  Go, teach the degraded Pagan, the\ndeluded Mohammedan, and the superstitious Papist, that the finished work\nof Jesus is the only way of acceptance with God!  Go, tell the polished\nscholar, the profound philosopher, and the vaunting moralist, that the\ndoctrine of Christ crucified is the only knowledge that can save the\nsoul!  Go, say to the proud skeptic, the bold blasphemer, and the\npolluted libertine, \u201cBehold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of\nthe world!\u201d  Preach it to the gasping sinner upon his death-bed, and the\nsullen murderer in his cell!  Let it ring in every human ear, and thrill\nin every human heart, till the gladness of earth shall be the counterpart\nof heaven!\n\n\n\nSERMON XIII.\nTHE RESURRECTION OF JESUS.\n\n\n    \u201c_He is not here_; _for he is risen_, _as he said_.  _Come_, _see the\n    place where the Lord lay_.\u201d\u2014Matt. xxviii. 6.\n\nTHE celebrated Jonathan Edwards of America begins his History of\nRedemption with an account of the Lord\u2019s visit to Adam and Eve at the\ncool of the day in Eden.  All the wonderful works of God toward the\nchildren of men, since the seed of the woman was promised to bruise the\nserpent\u2019s head, are to be considered as so many parts of the same great\nmachinery of providence, whose wheels, like those of Ezekiel\u2019s vision,\nall move in majestic harmony, though their thousand revolutions may seem\nto us discordant and confused.  The chief design of all the Divine\nmanifestations recorded in the Old Testament was to prepare the way for\nthe Redeemer\u2019s appearance upon earth.  Jehovah often suffered his people\nto be in great distress and perplexity; he lengthened the chain of Satan\nand his angels, allowed a partial success of their infernal schemes, and\npermitted them to prevail for a season against his people, and pride\nthemselves in their power and their skill, in order to make their defeat\nthe more signal, and gather more glory to himself from their final\noverthrow.  During the engagement, the victory often seemed to be on the\nside of the enemy; but when the smoke of battle cleared away, the pillar\nof God was seen upon the camp of Israel.  If his people are besieged\nbetween Pi-hahiroth and Baal-zephon, he raises the siege by dividing the\nsea, and making a highway through the deep, while the waters rise up in a\nsolid wall on the right and the left, and roll back in ruin on the\npursuing foe.  If an army comes to arrest Elisha on Carmel, the mountain\nis covered with celestial warriors, and the surrounding heavens teem with\nhorsemen and chariots of fire, and the enemy are smitten with blindness,\nand taken captive by the prophet.  If Goliath of Gath confronts the camp\nof Israel with his challenge, roaring like a lion, till the valley\nresounds with his voice, a little shepherd-boy goes forth with his sling,\nand the vaunting blasphemer is smitten to the ground, and slain with his\nown sword.  If the worshippers of the true God are cast into the fiery\nfurnace, or the den of lions, to show the power and gratify the pride of\nan infamous tyrant, there is one among them \u201clike unto the Son of Man,\u201d\nand the violence of the fire is quenched, and the mouths of the lions are\nstopped.\n\nBut when Messiah was slain and buried, the enemies of God boasted more\nthan ever in their crafty and malicious schemes.  This was the great\ndecisive engagement between Heaven and hell.  The enemy imagined \u201cthe\nCaptain of our salvation\u201d vanquished and destroyed.  But his fall was no\ndefeat.  He yielded to the powers of darkness apparently, that he might\ntriumph over them openly.  He suffered himself to be taken prisoner by\ndeath, that he might seize the tyrant on his throne, demolish his empire,\nand deliver his captives.  And if none of his friends on earth had\ncourage to proclaim his resurrection, a preacher descended from heaven to\nannounce the joyful fact:\u2014\u201cHe is not here; for he is risen, as he said.\nCome, see the place where the Lord lay.\u201d\n\nWonderful message, and wonderful messenger!  On the morning of the third\nday after his crucifixion, Jesus revived in his tomb, and the sound of\nthe earthquake reached the heaven of heavens, and a mighty angel, swifter\nthan the light, descended straight to the new grave in Joseph\u2019s garden,\ncalling on no one for the key, instantly rolled away the stone from the\ndoor, and sat upon it, and made it his pulpit, from which he preached to\nthe women the doctrine of our Lord\u2019s resurrection.\n\nLet us consider, _first_, the testimony by which this fact is sustained,\nand _secondly_, the fact itself, as the sure basis of Christianity.\n\nI.  It appears from the record of the evangelist Luke, that the women\nwere much perplexed at finding the stone rolled away from the mouth of\nthe sepulchre, and the body of Jesus gone.  Then they were saluted by two\nangels in shining apparel, who said;\u2014\u201cWhy seek ye the living among the\ndead?  He is not here, but is risen.  Remember how he spake unto you\nwhile he was yet in Galilee, saying\u2014The Son of Man must be delivered into\nthe hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.\nAnd they remembered his words.\u201d\n\nHere is the testimony of two credible witnesses, a sufficient number to\nattest the truth of our Lord\u2019s resurrection; who testified to nothing but\nwhat they had personally witnessed, and knew to be fact; and delivered\ntheir testimony in simple and unambiguous language, that could not well\nbe misunderstood.\n\nWhile the women went to inform the disciples of what they had seen and\nheard, \u201cbehold, some of the watch came into the city, and showed unto the\nchief priests all the things that were done.\u201d  And what was done?  What\ncan be the testimony of these enemies of Christ concerning his\nresurrection?  That \u201can angel, whose countenance was like lightning, and\nhis garments white as snow, descended from heaven, and rolled away the\nstone from the door, and sat upon it;\u201d which so terrified them that they\n\u201cbecame as dead men.\u201d\n\nTo confirm these testimonies, our blessed Lord himself \u201cappeared unto\nmany after his resurrection, who were witnesses of all things which he\ndid, both in the land of the Jews, and at Jerusalem; and how he was\nslain, and hanged on a tree; and how God raised him up the third day, and\nshowed him openly; not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before\nof God; even to the disciples, who did eat and drink with him after he\nrose from the dead; whom he commanded to preach unto the people, and to\ntestify that it is he who is ordained of God to be the judge of quick and\ndead\u201d\u2014\u201cto whom he showed himself alive after his passion by many\ninfallible proofs; being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the\nthings pertaining to the kingdom of God.\u201d\n\nHere we may observe, that he appeared to those who knew him best, and\ngave them satisfactory and incontestible evidence of his resurrection.\nAnd he appeared, not only to the apostles, but to more than five hundred\nbrethren at once.  We have an account of his appearing at ten or eleven\ndifferent times.  On these occasions, he conversed with his disciples,\nreminded them of what he had said to them before his crucifixion, showed\nthem his hands and his feet, and besought them to touch arid examine his\nperson, and satisfy themselves as to his identity.  So that they had\nample opportunity, and every facility that could be desired, for\nascertaining whether he was indeed Jesus of Nazareth, their master, who\nwas lately crucified before their eyes.\n\nIt was therefore with great power that the apostles bore witness of the\nresurrection of the Lord Jesus.  And the Holy Spirit corroborated their\ntestimony.  Our faith in this distinctive doctrine of Christianity rests\non a Divine foundation.  \u201cIf we receive the witness of men, the witness\nof God is greater.\u201d  \u201cAnd the apostles went forth, and preached\neverywhere, the Lord also working with them, and confirming the word with\nsigns following.\u201d  In a few weeks after the resurrection of their Master,\ntheir testimony concerning it was received and firmly believed by many\nthousands, not in some distant and desert part of the world, but in\nJerusalem, where he had been crucified.\n\nHow nobly the apostle Peter reasoned on this subject when he said:\u2014\u201cYe\nmen of Israel, hear these words.  Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of\nGod among you, by miracles, and wonders, and signs, which God did by him\nin the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know; him, being delivered by\nthe determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by\nwicked hands have crucified and slain; whom God hath raised up, having\nloosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should be\nholden of it.\u201d\n\nSuch was the evidence of our Lord\u2019s resurrection, that among those who\nwere living at the time, and even those of them who so strenuously\nopposed the gospel, it appears to have been scarcely doubted.  Pilate, in\na letter to Tiberius, the Roman emperor, said, that Jesus, being raised\nfrom the dead, was believed by many to be God; whereupon the Roman Senate\nexpressed no doubt of his resurrection, but debated the question of\nreceiving him as one of the gods of Rome; which, however, was overruled\nby Divine Providence, for the honor of Christianity; for he who is higher\nthan heaven, and the heaven of heavens, was not to be ranked with dumb\nidols upon earth.\n\nII.  Let us now consider the fact of our Lord\u2019s resurrection, and its\nbearing upon the great truths of our holy religion.\n\nThis most transcendent of miracles is sometimes attributed to the agency\nof the Father; who, as the Lawgiver, had arrested and imprisoned in the\ngrave the sinner\u2019s Surety, manifesting at once his benevolence and his\nholiness; but by liberating the prisoner, proclaimed that the debt was\ncancelled, and the claims of the law satisfied.  It is sometimes\nattributed to the Son himself; who had power both to lay down his life,\nand to take it again; and the merit of whose sacrifice entitled him to\nthe honor of thus asserting his dominion over death, on behalf of his\npeople.  And sometimes it is attributed to the Holy Spirit, as in the\nfollowing words of the apostle:\u2014\u201cHe was declared to be the Son of God\nwith power, according to the Spirit of Holiness, by the resurrection from\nthe dead.\u201d\n\n_The resurrection of Christ is clear and incontestible proof of his\nDivinity_.\n\nHe had declared himself equal with God the Father, and one with him in\nnature and in glory.  He had told the people that he would prove the\ntruth of this declaration, by rising from the grave three days after his\ndeath.  And when the morning of the third day began to dawn upon the\nsepulchre, lo! there was an earthquake, and the dead body arose,\ntriumphant over the power of corruption.\n\nThis was the most stupendous miracle ever exhibited on earth, and its\nlanguage is:\u2014\u201cBehold, ye persecuting Jews and murdering Romans, the proof\nof my Godhead!  Behold, Caiaphas, Herod, Pilate, the power and glory of\nyour victim!  I am he that liveth, and was dead; and lo!  I am alive for\nevermore!  I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and\nmorning star!  Look unto me, and be ye saved, all ye ends of the earth;\nfor I am God, and besides me there is none else!\u201d\n\n_Our Lord\u2019s resurrection affords incontrovertible evidence of the truth\nof Christianity_.\n\nPilate wrote the title of Christ in three languages on the cross; and\nmany have written excellent and unanswerable things, on the truth of the\nChristian Scriptures, and the reality of the Christian religion; but the\nbest argument that has ever been written on the subject, was written by\nthe invisible hand of the Eternal Power, in the rocks of our Saviour\u2019s\nsepulchre.  This confounds the skeptic, settles the controversy, and\naffords an ample and sure foundation for all them that believe.\n\nIf any one asks whether Christianity is from heaven or of men, we point\nhim to the \u201ctomb hewn out of the rock,\u201d and say\u2014\u201cThere is your answer!\nJesus was crucified, and laid in that cave; but on the morning of the\nthird day, it was found empty; our Master had risen and gone forth from\nthe grave victorious.\u201d\n\nThis is the pillar that supports the whole fabric of our religion; and he\nwho attempts to pull it down, like Samson, pulls down ruin upon himself.\n\u201cIf Christ is not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is\nalso vain, ye are yet in your sins;\u201d but if the fact is clearly proved,\nthen Christianity is unquestionably true, and its disciples are safe.\n\nThis is the ground on which the apostle stood, and asserted the divinity\nof his faith:\u2014\u201cMoreover, I testify unto you the gospel, which I preached\nunto you; which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which\nalso ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless\nye have believed in vain; for I delivered unto you first of all that\nwhich I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the\nScriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day,\naccording to the Scriptures.\u201d\n\n_The resurrection of Jesus is the most stupendous manifestation of the\npower of God_, _and the pledge of eternal life to his people_.\n\nThe apostle calls it \u201cthe exceeding greatness of his power to usward who\nbelieve, according to the working of his mighty power which he wrought in\nChrist when he raised him from the dead.\u201d  This is a river overflowing\nits banks\u2014an idea too large for language.  Let us look at it a moment.\n\nWhere do we find \u201cthe exceeding greatness of his power?\u201d  In the creation\nof the world? in the Seven Stars and Orion? in the strength of Behemoth\nand Leviathan?  No!  In the deluge? in the fiery destruction of Sodom? in\nthe overthrow of Pharaoh and his host? in hurling Nebuchadnezzar like\nLucifer from the political firmament?  No!  It is the power which he\nwrought in Christ.  When?  When he healed the sick? when he raised the\ndead? when he cast out devils? when he blasted the fruitless fig-tree?\nwhen he walked upon the waters of the Galilee?  No!  It was \u201cwhen he\nraised him from the dead.\u201d  Then the Father placed the sceptre in the\nhand of the Son, \u201cand set him above all principality, and power, and\nmight, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this\nworld, but also in that which is to come; and put all things under his\nfeet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church.\u201d\n\nThis is the source of our spiritual life.  The same power that raised the\ndead body of our Lord from the grave, quickens the soul of the believer\nfrom the death in trespasses and sins.  His riven tomb is a fountain of\nliving waters; whereof if a man drink, he shall never die.  His raised\nand glorified body is the sun, whence streams eternal light upon our\nspirits; the light of life, that never can be quenched.\n\nNor here does the influence of his resurrection end.  He who raised up\nJesus from the dead shall also quicken our mortal bodies.  His\nresurrection is the pledge and the pattern of ours.  \u201cBecause he liveth\nwe shall live also.\u201d  \u201cHe shall change our vile body, that it may be\nfashioned like unto his glorious body.\u201d  We hear him speaking in the\nprophet:\u2014\u201cThy dead men shall live; together with my dead body shall they\narise.  Awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust; for thy dew is as the\ndew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out her dead.\u201d\n\nHow divinely does the apostle speak of the resurrection-body of the\nsaints!  \u201cIt is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption; it is\nsown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is\nraised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual\nbody.  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal\nmust put on immortality.  Then shall be brought to pass the saying that\nis written\u2014Death is swallowed up in victory!  O death, where is thy\nsting?  O grave, where is thy victory?  Thanks be unto God, that giveth\nus the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ.\u201d\n\nEver since the fall in Eden, man is born to die.  He lives to die.  He\neats and drinks, sleeps and wakes, to die.  Death, like a dark steel-clad\nwarrior, stands ever before us; and his gigantic shadow comes continually\nbetween us and happiness.  But Christ hath \u201cabolished death, and brought\nlife and immortality to light through the gospel.\u201d  He was born in\nBethlehem, that he might die on Calvary.  He was made under the law, that\nhe might bear the direst penalty of the law.  He lived thirty-three\nyears, sinless among sinners, that he might offer himself a sin-offering\nfor sinners upon the cross.  Thus he \u201cbecame obedient unto death,\u201d that\nhe might destroy the power of death; and on the third morning, a mighty\nangel, rolling away the stone from the mouth of the sepulchre, makes the\nvery door of Death\u2019s castle the throne whence he proclaims \u201cthe\nresurrection and the life.\u201d\n\nThe Hero of our salvation travelled into Death\u2019s dominion, took\npossession of the whole territory on our behalf, and returning laden with\nspoils, ascended to the heaven of heavens.  He went to the palace, seized\nthe tyrant, and wrested away his sceptre.  He descended into the\nprison-house, knocked off the fetters of the captives; and when he came\nup again, left the door of every cell open, that they might follow him.\nHe has gone over into our promised inheritance, and his glory illuminates\nthe mountains of immortality; and through the telescope which he has\nbequeathed us, we \u201csee the land that is very far off.\u201d\n\nI recollect reading in the writings of Flavel this sentiment\u2014that the\nsouls in paradise wait with intense desire for the reanimation of their\ndead bodies, that they may be united to them in bliss for ever.  O, what\nrapture there shall be among the saints, when those frail vessels, from\nwhich they escaped with such a struggle, as they foundered in the gulf of\ndeath, shall come floating in, with the spring-tide of the resurrection,\nto the harbor of immortality!  How glorious the reunion, when the seeds\nof affliction and death are left behind in the tomb!  Jacob no longer\nlame, nor Moses slow of speech, nor Lazarus covered with sores, nor Paul\ntroubled with a thorn in the flesh!\n\n\u201cIt doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that when he shall\nappear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.\u201d  The glory\nof the body of Christ is far above our present conception.  When he was\ntransfigured on Tabor, his face shone like the sun, and his raiment was\nwhite as the light.  This is the pattern shown to his people in the\nmount.  This is the model after which the bodies of believers shall be\nfashioned in the resurrection.  \u201cThey that be wise shall shine as the\nbrightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness, as\nthe stars for ever and ever.\u201d\n\nIn conclusion:\u2014The angel said to the women\u2014\u201cGo quickly, and tell his\ndisciples that he is risen from the dead; and behold, he goeth before you\ninto Galilee; there shall ye see him; lo! I have told you.  And they\ndeparted quickly from the sepulchre, with fear and great joy; and did run\nto bring his disciples word.\u201d\n\nBrethren! followers of Jesus! be ye also preachers of a risen Saviour!\nGo quickly\u2014there is no time for delay\u2014and publish the glad tidings to\nsinners!  Tell them that Christ died for their sins, and rose again for\ntheir justification, and ascended to the right hand of the Father to make\nintercession for them, and is now able to save unto the uttermost all\nthat come unto God by him!\n\nAnd you, impenitent and unbelieving men! hear this blessed message of\nsalvation!  Do you intend ever to embrace the proffered mercy of the\ngospel?  Make haste!  Procrastination is ruin!  Now is the accepted time!\nO, fly to the throne of grace!  Time is hastening; you will soon be\nswallowed up in eternity!  May the Lord have mercy upon you, and rouse\nyou from your indifference and sloth!  It is my delight to invite you to\nChrist; but I feel more pleasure and more confidence in praying for you\nto God.  I have besought and entreated you, by every argument and every\nmotive in my power; but you are yet in your sins, and rushing on toward\nhell.  Yet I will not give you up in despair.  If I cannot persuade you\nto flee from the wrath to come, I will intercede with God to have mercy\nupon you for the sake of his beloved Son.  If I cannot prevail in the\npulpit, I will try to prevail at the throne!\n\n\n\nSERMON XIV.\nTHE ASCENSION.\n\n\n    \u201c_Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all\n    things_.\u201d\u2014Acts iii. 21.\n\nTHESE words are part of St. Peter\u2019s sermon to the people of Jerusalem, on\noccasion of the cure of the lame man, at the \u201cBeautiful Gate\u201d of the\ntemple, shortly after the day of Pentecost.\n\nThis, and the sermon recorded in the preceding chapter, were perhaps the\nmost effective ever delivered on earth.  As the fruit of Peter\u2019s ministry\nin these two discourses, about five thousand souls were converted to\nChristianity. {205}\n\nIt is recorded, that, on the day of Pentecost, the hearers \u201cwere pricked\nin their hearts, and said unto Peter and the rest of the apostles\u2014Men and\nbrethren, what shall we do?\u201d  An inquiry which indicates the utmost\nsolicitude and distress.  A sense of sin overwhelmed them, especially of\ntheir guilt in rejecting the Son of God; and they pressed around the\npreacher and his colleagues with this earnest interrogative.\n\nThe answer was ready.  True ministers of Christ are never at a loss in\nanswering the inquiries of awakened sinners.  When the Philippian jailer\ncame trembling to Paul and Silas, and fell down before them,\nexclaiming\u2014\u201cWhat must I do to be saved?\u201d  \u201cBelieve on the Lord Jesus\nChrist, and thou shalt be saved,\u201d was the prompt and appropriate answer.\n\nSo Peter, on the day of Pentecost, when three thousand conscience-smitten\nand heart-broken hearers cried out under the sermon\u2014\u201cWhat shall we do?\u201d\nimmediately replied\u2014\u201cRepent and be baptized, every one of you, in the\nname of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the\ngift of the Holy Ghost; for the promise is unto you, and to your\nchildren, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God\nshall call.\u201d\n\nAnd so in the sermon whence we have taken our text, when he saw that the\ntruth had found its way to the understanding, and the conscience, and the\nheart\u2014that many were awakened, and convinced of sin\u2014he exhorted them to\nrepentance and faith in Christ, as the condition of salvation:\u2014\u201cRepent\nye, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when\nthe times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and he\nshall send Jesus Christ, who before was preached unto you; whom the\nheaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things.\u201d\n\nThe doctrine of this text is\u2014the necessity of Christ\u2019s return to heaven\ntill the consummation of his mediatorial work.\n\nIt is generally admitted, that the twenty-second psalm has particular\nreference to Christ.  This is evident from his own appropriation of the\nfirst verse upon the cross:\u2014\u201cMy God! my God! why hast thou forsaken me?\u201d\nThe title of that psalm is\u2014\u201cAijeleth Shahar;\u201d which signifies\u2014A hart,\nor\u2014the hind of the morning.  The striking metaphors which it contains are\ndescriptive of Messiah\u2019s peculiar sufferings.  He is the hart, or hind of\nthe morning, hunted by the black prince, with his hell-hounds\u2014by Satan,\nand all his allies.  The \u201cdogs,\u201d the \u201clions,\u201d the \u201cunicorns,\u201d and the\n\u201cstrong bulls of Bashan,\u201d with their devouring teeth, and their terrible\nhorns, pursued him from Bethlehem to Calvary.  They beset him in the\nmanger, gnashed upon him in the garden, and wellnigh tore him to pieces\nupon the cross.  And still they persecute him in his cause, and in the\npersons and interests of his people.\n\nThe faith of the church anticipated the coming of Christ, \u201clike a roe or\na young hart,\u201d with the dawn of the day promised in Eden; and we hear her\nexclaiming in the Canticles\u2014\u201cThe voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh,\nleaping upon the mountains, and skipping upon the hills!\u201d  She heard him\nannounce his advent in the promise\u2014\u201cLo, I come to do thy will, O God!\u201d\nand with prophetic eye, saw him leaping from the mountains of eternity to\nthe mountains of time, and skipping from hill to hill throughout the land\nof Palestine, going about doing good.  In the various types and shadows\nof the law, she beheld him \u201cstanding by the wall, looking forth at the\nwindows, showing himself through the lattice;\u201d and then she sung\u2014\u201cUntil\nthe day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou\nlike the roe or the young hart upon the mountains of Bether!\u201d  Bloody\nsacrifices revealed him to her view, going down to the \u201cvineyards of red\nwine;\u201d whence she traced him to the meadows of gospel ordinances, where\n\u201che feedeth among the lilies\u201d\u2014to \u201cthe gardens of cucumbers,\u201d and \u201cthe\nbeds of spices;\u201d and then she sung to him again\u2014\u201cMake haste\u201d\u2014or, flee\naway\u2014\u201cmy beloved! be thou like the roe or the young hart upon the\nmountains of spices!\u201d\n\nThus she longed to see him, first \u201con the mountain of Bether,\u201d and then\n\u201con the mountain of spices.\u201d  On both mountains she saw him eighteen\nhundred years ago, and on both she may still trace the footsteps of his\nmajesty and his mercy.  The former he hath tracked with his own blood,\nand his path upon the latter is redolent of frankincense and myrrh.\n\nBether signifies division.  This is the craggy mountain of Calvary;\nwhither the \u201cHind of the morning\u201d fled, followed by all the wild beasts\nof the forest, and the hunting-dogs of hell; summoned to the pursuit, and\nurged on, by the prince of perdition; till the victim, in his agony,\nsweat great drops of blood\u2014where he was terribly crushed between the\ncliffs, and dreadfully mangled by sharp and ragged rocks\u2014where he was\nseized by Death, the great greyhound of the bottomless pit\u2014whence he\nleaped the precipice, without breaking a bone; and sunk in the dead sea,\nsunk to its utmost depth, and saw no corruption.\n\nBehold the \u201cHind of the morning\u201d on that dreadful mountain!  It is the\nplace of skulls, where death holds his carnival in companionship with\nworms, and hell laughs in the face of heaven.  Dark storms are gathering\nthere\u2014convolving clouds, charged with no common wrath.  Terrors set\nthemselves in battle-array before the Son of God; and tempests burst upon\nhim, which might sweep all mankind in a moment to eternal ruin.  Hark!\nhear ye not the subterranean thunder?  Feel ye not the tremor of the\nmountain?  It is the shock of Satan\u2019s artillery, playing upon the Captain\nof our salvation.  It is the explosion of the magazine of vengeance.  Lo,\nthe earth is quaking, the rocks are rending, the graves are opening, the\ndead are rising, and all nature stands aghast at the conflict of divine\nmercy with the powers of darkness.  One dread convulsion more, one cry of\ndesperate agony, and Jesus dies\u2014an arrow has entered into his heart.  Now\nleap the lions, roaring, upon their prey; and the bulls of Bashan are\nbellowing; and the dogs of perdition are barking; and the unicorns toss\ntheir horns on high; and the devil, dancing with exultant joy, clanks his\niron chains, and thrusts up his fettered hands in defiance toward the\nface of Jehovah!\n\nGo a little farther upon the mountain, and you come to \u201ca new tomb hewn\nout of the rock.\u201d  There lies a dead body.  It is the body of Jesus.  His\ndisciples have laid it down in sorrow, and returned weeping to the city.\nMary\u2019s heart is broken, Peter\u2019s zeal is quenched in tears, and John would\nfain lie down and die in his Master\u2019s grave.  The sepulchre is closed up\nand sealed, and a Roman sentry placed at its entrance.  On the morning of\nthe third day, while it is yet dark, two or three women come to anoint\nthe body.  They are debating about the great stone at the mouth of the\ncave.  \u201cWho shall roll it away?\u201d says one of them.  \u201cPity we did not\nbring Peter or John with us.\u201d  But arriving, they find the stone already\nrolled away, and one sitting upon it, whose countenance is like\nlightning, and whose garments are white as the light.  The steel-clad,\niron-hearted soldiers lie around him, like men slain in battle, having\nswooned with terror.  He speaks:\u2014\u201cWhy seek ye the living among the dead?\nHe is not here; he is risen; he is gone forth from this cave\nvictoriously.\u201d\n\nIt is even so; for there are the shroud, and the napkin, and the heavenly\nwatchers; and when he awoke, and cast off his grave-clothes, the\nearthquake was felt in the city, and jarred the gates of hell.  \u201cThe Hind\nof the morning\u201d is up earlier than any of his pursuers, \u201cleaping upon the\nmountains, and skipping upon the hills.\u201d  He is seen first with Mary at\nthe tomb; then with the disciples in Jerusalem; then with two of them on\nthe way to Emmaus; then going before his brethren into Galilee; and\nfinally, leaping from the top of Olivet to the hills of Paradise; fleeing\naway to \u201cthe mountains of spices,\u201d where he shall never more be hunted by\nthe black prince and his hounds.\n\nChrist is perfect master of gravitation, and all the laws of nature are\nobedient to his will.  Once he walked upon the water, as if it were\nmarble beneath his feet; and now, as he stands blessing his people, the\nglorious form so recently nailed to the cross, and still more recently\ncold in the grave, begins to ascend like \u201cthe living creature\u201d in\nEzekiel\u2019s vision, \u201clifted up from the earth,\u201d till nearly out of sight;\nwhen \u201cthe chariots of God, even thousands of angels,\u201d receive him, and\nhaste to the celestial city, waking the thrones of eternity with this\njubilant chorus\u2014\u201cLift up your heads, O ye gates! and be ye lifted up, ye\neverlasting doors! and the King of glory shall come in!\u201d\n\nChrist might have rode in a chariot of fire all the way from Bethlehem to\nCalvary; but he preferred riding in a chariot of mercy, whose lining was\ncrimson, and whose ornament the malefactor\u2019s cross.  How rapidly rolled\nhis wheels over the hills and the plains of Palestine, gathering up\neverywhere the children of affliction, and scattering blessings like the\nbeams of the morning!  Now we find him in Cana of Galilee, turning water\ninto wine; then treading the waves of the sea, and hushing the roar of\nthe tempest; then delivering the demoniac of Gadara from the fury of a\nlegion of fiends; then healing the nobleman\u2019s son at Capernaum; raising\nthe daughter of Jairus, and the young man of Nain; writing upon the grave\nat Bethany\u2014\u201cI am the resurrection and the life;\u201d curing the invalid at\nthe pool of Bethesda; feeding the five thousand in the wilderness;\npreaching to the woman by Jacob\u2019s well; acquitting the adulteress, and\nshaming her accusers; and exercising everywhere, in all his travels, the\nthree offices of Physician, Prophet, and Saviour, as he drove on toward\nthe place of skulls.\n\nNow we see the chariot surrounded with enemies\u2014Herod, and Pilate, and\nCaiaphas, and the Roman soldiers, and the populace of Jerusalem, and\nthousands of Jews who have come up to keep the Passover, led on by Judas\nand the devil.  See how they rage and curse, as if they would tear him\nfrom his chariot of mercy.  But Jesus maintains his seat, and holds fast\nthe reins, and drives right on through the angry crowd, without shooting\nan arrow, or lifting a spear upon his foes.  For in that chariot the King\nmust ride to Calvary\u2014Calvary must be consecrated to mercy for ever.  He\nsees the cross planted upon the brow of the hill, and hastens forward to\nembrace it.  No sacrifice shall be offered to Justice on this day, but\nthe one sacrifice which reconciles heaven and earth.  None of those\nchildren of Belial shall suffer to-day.  The bribed witnesses, and\nclamorous murderers, shall be spared\u2014the smiters, the scourgers, the\nspitters, the thorn-platters, the nail-drivers, the head-shakers for\nJesus pleads on their behalf\u2014\u201cFather, forgive them! they know not what\nthey do.  They are ignorant of thy truth and grace.  They are not aware\nwhom they are crucifying.  O, spare them!  Let Death know that he shall\nhave enough to do with me to-day!  Let him open all his batteries upon\nme!  My bosom is bare to the stroke!  I will gather all the lances of\nhell in my heart!\u201d\n\nStill the chariot rushes on, and \u201cfiery darts\u201d are falling thick and\nfast, like a shower of meteors, on Messiah\u2019s head, till he is covered\nwith wounds, and the blood flows down his garments, and leaves a crimson\ntrack behind him.  As he passes, he casts at the dying malefactor a\nglance of benignity, and throws him a passport into Paradise, written\nwith his own blood; stretches forth his scepter, and touches the\nprison-door of death, and many of the prisoners come forth, and the\ntyrant shall never regain his dominion over them; rides triumphant over\nthrones and principalities, and crushes beneath his wheels the last enemy\nhimself, and leaves the memorial of his march engraven on the rocks of\nGolgotha!\n\nChrist is everywhere in the Scriptures spoken of as a blessing; and\nwhether we contemplate his advent, his ministry, his miracles, his agony,\nhis crucifixion, his interment, his resurrection, or his ascension, we\nmay truly say, \u201call his paths drop fatness.\u201d  All his travels were on the\nroad of mercy; and trees are growing up in his footsteps, whose fruit is\ndelicious food, and whose \u201cleaves are for the healing of the nations.\u201d\nHe walketh upon the south winds, causing propitious gales to blow upon\nthe wilderness, till songs of joy awake in the solitary place, and the\ndesert blossoms as the rose.\n\nIf we will consider what the prophets wrote of Messiah, in connection\nwith the evangelical history, we shall be satisfied that none like him,\neither before or since, ever entered our world, and departed from it.\nBoth God and man\u2014at once the Father of eternity and the son of time\u2014he\nfilled the universe, while he was imbodied upon earth; and ruled the\ncelestial principalities and powers, while he wandered\u2014a persecuted\nstranger\u2014in Judea.  \u201cNo man,\u201d saith he, \u201chath ascended up to heaven, but\nhe that came down from heaven\u2014even the Son of man, who is in heaven.\u201d\n\nHeaven was no strange place to Jesus.  He talks of the mansions in his\nFather\u2019s house as familiarly as one of the royal family would talk of\nWindsor Castle, where he was born; and saith to his disciples\u2014\u201cI go to\nprepare a place for you; that where I am, there ye may be also.\u201d  The\nglory into which he entered was his own glory\u2014the glory which he had with\nthe Father before the world was.  He had an original and supreme right to\nthe celestial mansions; and he acquired a new and additional claim by his\noffice as mediator.  Having suffered for our sins, he \u201cought to enter\ninto his glory.\u201d  He ought, because he is \u201cGod, blessed for ever\u201d\u2014he\nought, because he is the representative of his redeemed people.  He has\ntaken possession of the kingdom in our behalf, and left on record for our\nencouragement this cheering promise\u2014\u201cTo him that overcometh will I grant\nto sit with me in my throne; even as I also have overcome, and am set\ndown with my Father in his throne.\u201d\n\nThe departure of God from Eden, and the departure of Christ from the\nearth, were two of the sublimest events that ever occurred, and fraught\nwith immense consequences to our race.  When Jehovah went out from Eden,\nhe left a curse upon the place for man\u2019s sake, and drove out man before\nhim into an accursed earth.  But when Jesus ascended from Olivet, he\nlifted the curse with him, and left a blessing behind him\u2014sowed the world\nwith the seed of eternal blessings; \u201cand instead of the thorn shall come\nup the fir-tree; and instead of the briar shall come up the myrtle-tree;\nand it shall be to the Lord for a name, and an everlasting sign, that\nshall not be cut off.\u201d  He ascended to intercede for sinners, and reopen\nparadise to his people; and when he shall come the second time, according\nto the promise, with all his holy angels, then shall we be \u201ccaught up to\nmeet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Lord is gone up with a shout,\u201d and has taken our redeemed nature\nwith him.  He is the head of the church, and her representative at the\nright hand of the Father.  \u201cHe hath ascended on high; he hath led\ncaptivity captive; he hath received gifts for men; yea, for the\nrebellious also, that God may dwell among them.\u201d  \u201cHim hath God exalted,\nwith his own right hand, to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance\nto Israel, and remission of sins.\u201d  This is the Father\u2019s recognition of\nhis \u201cBeloved Son,\u201d and significant acceptance of his sacrifice.\n\u201cWherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which\nis above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of\nthings in heaven, and things in the earth, and things under the earth;\nand that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the\nglory of God the Father.\u201d\n\nThe evidence of our Lord\u2019s ascension is ample.  He ascended in the\npresence of many witnesses, who stood gazing after him till a cloud\nreceived him out of their sight.  And while they looked steadfastly\ntoward heaven, two angels appeared to them, and talked with them of what\nthey had seen.  Soon afterward, on the day of Pentecost, he fulfilled, in\na remarkable manner, the promise which he had made to his people:\u2014\u201cIf I\ngo away, I will send you another Comforter, who shall abide with you for\never.\u201d  Stephen, the first of his disciples that glorified the Master by\nmartyrdom, testified to his murderers\u2014\u201cLo, I see the heavens opened, and\nthe Son of Man standing on the right hand of God!\u201d  And John, \u201cthe\nbeloved disciple,\u201d while an exile \u201cin Patmos, for the word of God, and\nthe testimony of Jesus Christ,\u201d beheld him \u201cin the midst of the throne,\nas a Lamb that had been slain!\u201d  These are the evidences that our Lord is\nin heaven; these are our consolations in the house of our pilgrimage.\n\nThe apostle speaks of the _necessity_ of this event:\u2014\u201cWhom the heaven\n_must_ receive.\u201d\n\nDivine necessity is a golden chain, reaching from eternity to eternity,\nand encircling all the events of time.  It consists of many links, all\nhanging upon each other; and not one of them can be broken, without\ndestroying the support of the whole.  The first link is in God, \u201cbefore\nthe world was;\u201d and the last is in heaven, when the world shall be no\nmore.  Christ is its Alpha and Omega, and Christ constitutes all its\nintervenient links.  Christ in the bosom of the Father, receiving the\npromise of eternal life, before the foundation of the world, is the\nbeginning; Christ in his sacrificial blood, atoning for our sins, and\npardoning and sanctifying all them that believe, is the middle; and\nChrist in heaven, pleading the merit of his vicarious sufferings, making\nintercession for the transgressors, drawing all men unto himself,\npresenting the prayers of his people, and preparing their mansions, is\nthe end.\n\nThere is a necessity in all that Christ has done as our Mediator, in all\nthat he is doing on our behalf, and all that he has engaged to do\u2014the\nnecessity of Divine love manifested, of Divine mercy exercised, of Divine\npurposes accomplished, of Divine covenants fulfilled, of Divine\nfaithfulness maintained, of Divine justice satisfied, of Divine holiness\nvindicated, and of Divine power displayed, Christ felt this necessity\nwhile he tabernacled among us, often declared it to his disciples, and\nacknowledged it to the Father in the agony of the garden.\n\nBehold him wrestling in prayer, with strong crying and tears:\u2014\u201cFather,\nsave me from this hour!  If it be possible, let this cup pass from me!\u201d\nNow the Father reads to him his covenant engagement, which he signed and\nsealed with his own hand before the foundation of the world.  The\nglorious Sufferer replies:\u2014\u201cThy will be done!  For this cause came I unto\nthis hour.  I will drink the cup which thou hast mingled, and not a dreg\nof any of its ingredients shall be left for my people.  I will pass\nthrough the approaching dreadful night, under the hidings of thy\ncountenance, bearing away the curse from my beloved.  Henceforth,\nrepentance is hidden from mine eyes!\u201d  Now, on his knees, he reads the\ncovenant engagements of the Father, and adds:\u2014\u201cI have glorified thee on\nthe earth.  I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.  Now\nglorify thou me, according to thy promise, with thine own self, with the\nglory which I had with thee before the world was.  Father, I will also\nthat they whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am, that they may\nbehold my glory.  Thine they were, and thou hast given them to me, on\ncondition of my pouring out my soul unto death.  Thou hast promised them,\nthrough my righteousness and meritorious sacrifice, the kingdom of\nheaven, which I now claim on their behalf.  Father, glorify my people,\nwith him whom thou lovedst before the foundation of the world!\u201d\n\nThe intercession of Christ for his saints, begun on earth, is continued\nin heaven.  This is our confidence and joy in our journeyings through the\nwilderness.  We know that our Joshua has gone over into the land of our\ninheritance, where he is preparing a place of habitation for Israel, for\nit is his will that all whom he has redeemed should be with him for ever!\n\nThe text speaks of the period when the great purposes of our Lord\u2019s\nascension shall be fully accomplished:\u2014\u201cuntil the times of restitution of\nall things.\u201d\n\nThe period here mentioned is \u201cthe dispensation of the fulness of time,\u201d\nwhen \u201cthe fulness of the gentiles shall come in,\u201d and \u201cthe dispersed of\nJudah\u201d shall be restored, and Christ shall \u201cgather together in himself\nall things in heaven and in earth,\u201d overthrow his enemies, establish his\neverlasting kingdom, deliver the groaning creation from its bondage,\nglorify his people with himself, imprison the devil and his angels in the\nbottomless pit, and punish with destruction from his presence them that\nobey not the gospel.\n\nTo this glorious consummation, the great travail of redemption, and all\nthe events of time, are only preparatory.  It was promised in Eden, and\nthe promise was renewed and enlarged to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.\nIt was described in gorgeous oriental imagery by Isaiah, and \u201cthe sweet\npsalmist of Israel;\u201d and \u201cspoken of by all the prophets, since the world\nbegan.\u201d  Christ came into the world to prepare the way for his future\ntriumph\u2014to lay on Calvary the \u201cchief corner-stone\u201d of a temple, which\nshall be completed at the end of time, and endure through all eternity.\nHe began the great restitution.  He redeemed his people with a price, and\ngave them a pledge of redemption by power.  He made an end of sin,\nabolished the Levitical priesthood, and swallowed up all the types and\nshadows in himself.  He sent home the beasts, overthrew the altars, and\nquenched the holy fire; and, upon the sanctifying altar of his own\ndivinity, offered his own sinless humanity, which was consumed by fire\nfrom heaven.  He removed the seat of government from Mount Zion in\nJerusalem, to Mount Zion above, where he sits\u2014\u201ca priest upon his\nthrone\u201d\u2014drawing heaven and earth together, and establishing \u201cthe covenant\nof peace between them both.\u201d  Blessed be God! we can now go to Jesus, the\nmediator; passing by millions of angels, and all the spirits of just men\nmade perfect; till we \u201ccome to the blood of sprinkling, which speaketh\nbetter things than that of Abel.\u201d  And we look for that blessed day, when\n\u201cthis gospel of the kingdom\u201d shall be universally prevalent; \u201cand all\nshall know the Lord, from the least even to the greatest\u201d\u2014when there\nshall be \u201ca new heaven, and a new earth, wherein dwelleth\nrighteousness\u201d\u2014when both the political and the moral aspects of our world\nshall be changed; and a happier state of things shall exist than has ever\nbeen known before\u2014when the pestilence, the famine, and the sword shall\ncease to destroy; and \u201cthe saints of the Most High shall possess the\nkingdom,\u201d in \u201cquietness and assurance for ever.\u201d  \u201cThen cometh the end,\u201d\nwhen Emmanuel \u201cshall destroy in this mountain the vail of the covering\ncast over all people, and swallow up death in victory!\u201d\n\nBut what will it avail you to hear of this glorious restitution, if you\nare not partakers of its incipient benefits, and happily interested in\nits consummation?  Has it begun in your own hearts?  Are you restored to\nGod in Christ?  Have you a place in his house, and a name among his\npeople?  Are your feet running the way of his commandments, and your\nhands diligent in doing his work?  If not, \u201cit is high time to awake out\nof sleep.\u201d  \u201cRepent and believe the gospel!\u201d  \u201cLet the wicked forsake his\nway, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto the\nLord, who will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will\nabundantly pardon!\u201d\n\n\n\nSERMON XV.\nTRIBULATION CONQUERED.\n\n\n    \u201c_These things have I spoken unto you_, _that in me ye might have\n    peace_.  _In the world ye shall have tribulation_; _but be of good\n    cheer_; _I have overcome the world_.\u201d\u2014John xvi. 33.\n\nTHE last sayings of those we love are not soon forgotten.  These words\nform the conclusion of our Lord\u2019s valedictory to his disciples.  They did\nnot yet understand that the redemption of man was to be obtained by the\ndeath of their Master.  When Christ was put to death, he descended to the\nlower parts of the earth, in order to raise up sinners; but their faith\ncould not follow him into the deep.  Nicholas Pisces sunk into the sea to\nraise a golden cup, but neither he nor the cup ever came up again.  A man\nclothed in glass went down to prepare for raising the Royal George; the\nman came up, but the ship remains in the bottom.  But our blessed\nRedeemer, clothed in humanity, descended to the deeps of death, and\nraised the church from the pit of perdition, and founded her upon a rock,\nagainst which the gates of hell cannot prevail.\n\nWe would notice, _first_, the peace that is in Christ, in opposition to\nthe tribulation that is in the world; and _secondly_, the victory of\nChrist over the world, as the source of comfort and joy to believers.\n\nI.  \u201cThese things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace.\nI know what you will have in the world\u2014mountains of tribulation\u2014nothing\nbut tribulation.  I will put my peace in the other end of the scale.\u201d\n\nPeace in Christ is \u201cthe peace of God which passeth all understanding\u201d\u2014an\nocean sufficiently deep and large to swallow up millions of fiery\nmountains.  See the awakened sinner, overwhelmed with the terrors of God.\nHis inflexible justice and spotless holiness seem to him like a mountain\nof flame, which he cannot approach without being consumed.  But the Holy\nSpirit shows him the reconciling blood of the cross.  He sees the\ncrucified God-man rising from the grave, and ascending on high, \u201cto be a\nPrince and a Saviour, to give repentance and remission of sins.\u201d\nInstantly the terrible mountain sinks and is lost in the sea of his\nRedeemer\u2019s merit.  His faith has conquered his fears.  His burden of\nguilt is gone.  He is a new creature in Christ Jesus, and in Christ Jesus\nthere is no condemnation.  The deluge of tribulation may swell and roar\naround him, but he is securely enclosed in the ark.\n\nA man in a trance saw himself locked up in a house of steel, through the\nwalls of which, as through walls of glass, he could see his enemies\nassailing him with swords, spears, and bayonets; but his life was safe,\nfor his fortress was locked within.  So is the Christian secure amid the\nassaults of the world.  His \u201clife is hid with Christ in God.\u201d\n\nThe psalmist prayed\u2014\u201cWhen my heart is overwhelmed within me, lead me to\nthe Rock that is higher than I.\u201d  Imagine a man seated on a lofty rock in\nthe midst of the sea, where he has every thing necessary for his support,\nshelter, safety, and comfort.  The billows heave and break beneath him,\nand the hungry monsters of the deep wait to devour him; but he is on\nhigh, above the rage of the former, and the reach of the latter.  Such is\nthe security of faith.\n\nBut why need I mention the rock and the steel house? for the peace that\nis in Christ is a tower ten thousand times stronger, and a refuge ten\nthousand times safer.  Behold the disciples of Jesus exposed to famine,\nnakedness, peril, and sword\u2014incarcerated in dungeons; thrown to wild\nbeasts; consumed in the fire; sawn asunder; cruelly mocked and scourged;\ndriven from friends and home, to wander among the mountains, and lodge in\ndens and caves of the earth; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;\nsorrowful, but always rejoicing; cast down, but not destroyed; an ocean\nof peace within, which swallows up all their sufferings.\n\n\u201cNeither death,\u201d with all its terrors; \u201cnor life,\u201d with all its\nallurements; \u201cnor things present,\u201d with all their pleasure; \u201cnor things\nto come,\u201d with all their promise; \u201cnor height\u201d of prosperity; \u201cnor depth\u201d\nof adversity; \u201cnor angels\u201d of evil; \u201cnor principalities\u201d of darkness;\n\u201cshall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ\nJesus.\u201d  \u201cGod is our refuge and strength; a very present help in trouble.\nTherefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the\nmountains be carried into the midst of the sea\u2014though the waters thereof\nroar and be troubled\u2014though the mountains shake with the swelling\nthereof.\u201d  This is the language of strong faith in the peace of Christ.\nHow is it with you amid such turmoil and commotion?  Is all peaceful\nwithin?  Do you feel secure in the name of the Lord, as in a strong\nfortress\u2014as in a city well supplied and defended?\n\n\u201cThere is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God,\nthe holy place of the tabernacles of the most high.  God is in the midst\nof her; she shall not be moved.  God shall help her, and that right\nearly.\u201d  \u201cUnto the upright, there ariseth light in the darkness.\u201d  The\nbright and morning star, shining upon their pathway, cheers them in their\njourney home to their Father\u2019s house.  And when they come to pass over\nJordan, the Sun of Righteousness shall have risen upon them, with healing\nin his wings.  Already they see the tops of the mountains of immortality,\ngilded with his beams, beyond the valley of the shadow of death.  Behold,\nyonder, old Simeon hoisting his sails, and saying\u2014\u201cLord, now lettest thou\nthy servant depart in peace, according to thy word; for mine eyes have\nseen thy salvation.\u201d  Such is the peace of Jesus, sealed to all them that\nbelieve, by the blood of his cross.\n\nWhen we walk through the field of battle, slippery with blood, and strewn\nwith the bodies of the slain\u2014when we hear the shrieks and the groans of\nthe wounded and the dying\u2014when we see the country wasted, cities burned,\nhouses pillaged, widows and orphans wailing in the track of the\nvictorious army, we cannot help exclaiming\u2014O, what a blessing is peace!\nWhen we are obliged to witness family turmoils and strifes\u2014when we see\nparents and children, brothers and sisters, masters and servants,\nhusbands and wives, contending with each other like tigers\u2014we retire as\nfrom a smoky house, and exclaim as we go\u2014O, what a blessing is peace!\nWhen duty calls us into that church, where envy and malice prevail, and\nthe spirit of harmony is supplanted by discord and contention\u2014when we see\nbrethren, who ought to be bound together in love, full of pride, hatred,\nconfusion, and every evil work\u2014we quit the unhallowed scene with painful\nfeelings of repulsion, repeating the exclamation\u2014O, what a blessing is\npeace!\n\nBut how much more precious in the case of the awakened sinner!  See him\nstanding, terror-stricken, before mount Sinai.  Thunders roll above\nhim\u2014lightnings flash around him\u2014the earth trembles beneath him, as if\nready to open her mouth and swallow him up.  The sound of the trumpet\nrings through his soul\u2014\u201cGuilty! guilty! guilty!\u201d  Pale and trembling, he\nlooks eagerly around him, and sees nothing but revelations of wrath.\nOverwhelmed with fear and dismay, he cries out\u2014\u201cO wretched man that I am!\nWho shall deliver me!  What shall I do?\u201d  A voice reaches his\near\u2014penetrates his heart\u2014\u201cBehold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the\nsin of the world!\u201d  He turns his eyes to Calvary.  Wonderous vision!\nEmmanuel expiring upon the cross! the sinner\u2019s Substitute satisfying the\ndemand of the law against the sinner!  Now all his fears are hushed, and\nrivers of peace flow into his soul.  This is the peace of Christ.\n\nHow precious is this peace, amid all the dark vicissitudes of life!  How\ninvaluable this jewel, through all the dangers of the wilderness!  How\ncheering to know that Jesus, who hath loved us even unto death, is the\npilot of our perilous voyage; that he rules the winds and the waves, and\ncan hush them to silence at his will, and bring the frailest bark of\nfaith to the desired haven!  Trusting where he cannot trace his Master\u2019s\nfootsteps, the disciple is joyful amid the darkest dispensations of\nDivine Providence; turning all his sorrows into songs, and all his\ntribulations into triumphs.  \u201cThou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose\nmind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee.\u201d\n\nII.  The victory of Christ over the world, the source of comfort and joy\nto believers.  \u201cIn the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good\ncheer; I have overcome the world.\u201d\n\nThe world is the great castle of Belial, containing three temples; \u201cthe\nlust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life;\u201d in one or\nanother of which every unconverted soul is a worshipper.  But Jesus has\ndemolished that castle, and abolished the service of its several temples.\n\nThe world has two modes of warfare.  Sometimes it puts on the apparent\nmildness of a lamb, and allures to destruction with the song of a siren.\nAgain it leaps upon its prey like an angry lion, or pursues its victim\nlike an exasperated dragon.  Its frown has destroyed thousands; its\nsmile, tens of thousands.\n\nA certain man has laid it down as a rule, that all must take the world as\nit is.  But all general rules have their exceptions.  Christ is the\nexception here.  Christ conquered the world.  The Prince of this world\nmet him in the wilderness, when he was alone, in poverty and\ndistress\u2014weary, hungry, and thirsty\u2014and offered him all the kingdoms of\nthe world, for which have been fought so many battles.  But Jesus refused\nthe offer; choosing rather to be poor, that we might be made rich.  He\ndetected the lion in his affectation of the lamb, and stripped from the\nangel of darkness his garment of light.\n\nThen the enemy assumed another aspect\u2014assailed him with the rage of a\nwild beast, and the malice of a fiend.  No sooner had he preached his\nfirst sermon, than there was an attempt to hurl him down the precipice.\n\u201cThe archers sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him.\u201d  Judea\nbecame to him a mountain of leopards, and humanity seemed infernalized.\nHe was stigmatized as a hypocrite\u2014an impostor\u2014a demoniac.  He was falsely\naccused before rulers, and insult was added to perjury.  \u201cBut his bow\nabode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the\nhands of the mighty God of Jacob.\u201d  \u201cHe was tempted in all things like as\nwe are, yet without sin.\u201d  \u201cHe did no iniquity, neither was guile found\nin his mouth.\u201d  He went through the wilderness without contracting any of\nits defilement.\n\nBut this was comparatively a small part of his victory.  A more glorious\nconquest of the world was achieved by his death upon the cross, and his\nresurrection from the grave.  It is here we behold him \u201cglorious in his\napparel, traveling in the greatness of his strength,\u201d trampling the hosts\nof hell, till his raiment is red with blood.  It is here we behold him\n\u201cspoiling principalities and powers, and making a show of them\nopenly\u2014triumphing over them\u201d in his atonement.  It is here we behold the\nPrince of this world cast out and judged.  The Prince of Peace has broken\nhis sceptre, demolished his throne, and established upon the ruins of his\nempire an everlasting kingdom of grace.\n\nCaiaphas rejoiced that Christ was under the king\u2019s seal in the grave; but\nhis unholy joy was brief as \u201cthe crackling of thorns under a pot.\u201d  At\nthe dawning of the third day, C\u00e6sar\u2019s seal is broken, the stone rolled\naway, the tomb deserted of its occupant, Caiaphas\u2019 feast of joy turned to\nlamentation and mourning, and the eternal power and Godhead of him whom\nthey crucified engraved for ever on the rent rocks of Calvary.\n\nAlexander conquered the world, but did not live to enjoy the fruits of\nhis victory.  But the Captain of our salvation, though he was dead, is\nalive for evermore.  He shall prosecute his conquests, and put all\nenemies under his feet, and retain his dominion for ever.  \u201cHe shall see\nof the travail of his soul, and be satisfied.\u201d  He lives to confer upon\nhis people the riches which he procured for them by his death.  He lives\nto defend his redeemed, and draw all men unto himself.  He lives to\nperpetuate in the church the peace which he bequeathed to her in his last\nwill and testament.\n\nA servant of Julian the Apostate asked one of the martyrs\u2014\u201cWhat is thy\nGod, the carpenter, doing now in heaven?\u201d  He answered\u2014\u201cMaking a coffin\nfor thy master!\u201d  Julian was soon afterward mortally wounded by an arrow\nfrom one of the Scythians.  When he was expiring, he waved his hand\nsorrowfully, and exclaimed\u2014\u201cO Galilean, thou hast conquered!\u201d\n\n\u201cBe of good cheer,\u201d therefore, ye trembling disciples!  Christ has\nvanquished all your enemies.  Ye are more than conquerors, through him\nthat loved you, and gave himself for you.  \u201cIn those things wherein they\nwere proud, he was above them.\u201d  When Pharaoh exulted to overtake Israel,\nshut in between Pi-hahiroth and Baal-zephon, with the sea before them,\nJehovah was higher than the Egyptian.  His sight was clearer\u2014his arm was\nstronger\u2014his purpose was firmer.  He said to his people\u2014\u201cStand still! you\nare not able to raise this rampart.  I must do it for you.  I will divide\nthe sea, and lead you through on dry land, and drown those who have\ndrowned so many of your infants.  Every one of them shall perish, from\nthe king to the last footman.\u201d  Thus the Prince of Peace has triumphed\nover your foes, and you may conquer through faith in his conquest.\n\u201cWhatsoever is born of God overcometh the world; and this is the victory\nthat overcometh the world, even our faith.\u201d\n\nJohn in the Apocalypse saw the army of the victors\u2014a great multitude, out\nof all nations, and kindreds, and peoples, and tongues\u2014standing before\nthe throne, and before the Lamb; clothed with white robes, and palms in\ntheir hands; and crying with a loud voice\u2014\u201cSalvation to our God, who\nsitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb!\u201d  And one of the elders asked\nhim\u2014\u201cWho are these, and whence came they?\u201d  But so wonderfully were they\nchanged, since he saw them on earth\u2014in exile, in prison, in torture and\ndeath\u2014that he confessed he knew them not.  Then answered the elder\u2014\u201cThese\nare they that came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes,\nand made them white in the blood of the Lamb.  Therefore are they before\nthe throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he that\nsitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.  They shall hunger no more,\nneither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any\nheat.  For the Lamb, who is in the midst of the throne, shall feed them,\nand shall lead them unto living fountains of waters; and God shall wipe\naway all tears from their eyes.\u201d\n\nThus, ye saints, shall you \u201covercome by the blood of the Lamb;\u201d \u201cfor\ngreater is he that is in you than he that is in the world;\u201d and your\nsorrows shall be lost in unspeakable joy, and your disgrace in eternal\nglory!\n\n\n\nSERMON XVI.\nTHE GLORY OF THE GOSPEL.\n\n\n    \u201c_According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God_.\u201d\u20141 Tim. i.\n    11.\n\nTHE being of God, and some of his attributes, are revealed to us by\nnatural religion.  The proof is seen in all his works, commending itself\nto the reason and conscience even of pagan nations.  \u201cBecause that which\nmay be known of God is manifest in them, for God hath showed it unto\nthem; for the invisible things of him, from the creation of the world,\nare clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his\neternal power and godhead; so that they are without excuse, because that\nwhen they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful,\nbut became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was\ndarkened.\u201d {223}\n\nPaul\u2019s sermon in Athens was founded on the revelations of natural\nreligion:\u2014\u201cThen Paul stood in the midst of Mars\u2019 hill, and said, Ye men\nof Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious; for as\nI passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this\ninscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD; whom therefore ye ignorantly worship,\nhim declare I unto you.  God that made the world and all things therein,\nseeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made\nwith hands; neither is worshipped with men\u2019s hands, as though he needed\nany thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; and\nhath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of\nthe earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds\nof their habitation; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might\nfeel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us;\nfor in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your\nown poets have said, For we are also his offspring.\u201d {224}\n\nBut natural religion, though it reveals the being and attributes of God,\ncannot teach the way of salvation, nor lead us in the path of holiness.\nIt may excite a thousand fears, not one of which can it allay; and\nsuggest a thousand questions, not one of which can it answer.  It leaves\nus, with the deist, in a region of doubt and perplexity; and neither of\nits four oracles\u2014creation, providence, reason, and conscience\u2014can satisfy\nthe soul that inquires, \u201cWhat must I do to be saved?\u201d  Its light affords\nus no guidance in the path of virtue; no certain indications of duty,\neither to God or man.  Our understandings are so darkened, our wills so\nperverted, our affections so carnal, that we can depend upon no\nsuggestions of external nature, or of reason and conscience, for the\nregulation of our moral conduct.  God, therefore, of his infinite mercy,\nhas given us his written word\u2014a perfect rule both of faith and practice\u2014a\nlaw by which we ought to live, and by which we shall be judged\u2014a\nrevelation of the mystery which had been hidden for ages, but is now made\nmanifest to the saints, dispelling the fears of conscience, soothing the\nsorrows of the heart, and bringing life and immortality to light.\n\nDivine revelation, though infinitely above human reason, does not in the\nleast oppose it.  That God should clearly make known his will to man, is\nso far from being contrary to reason, that we may truly say, nothing is\nmore reasonable.  The deductions of reason from the insufficiency of\nnatural religion strongly indicate the necessity of such a revelation;\nand as to its possibility, we know that there can be no impossibility on\nthe part of God to give it, and there is no impossibility on the part of\nman to receive it.  God is able to communicate his will to his creatures\nin any way he pleases.  He can stamp it on the mind, and make us know\nthat it is he who speaks to us.  But he has chosen another method.  He\nhas given us a record of his will in the Holy Scriptures.  \u201cGod who, at\nsundry times, and in divers manners, spake in time past unto the fathers\nby the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom\nhe hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.\nTherefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we\nhave heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.\u201d\n\nIs the gospel the truth of God or not?  Much has been written on this\nquestion.  The arguments that have been advanced in support of the\naffirmative have never been overthrown, and never can be, by all the\nskeptics in the world.  The revelation of the method of salvation was\ngiven in the garden of Eden to our first parents.  Since that period\ngreat talents have been employed, talents worthy of a better cause, in\nridiculing the Bible; but to very little purpose.  The character of the\nBook of God stands firm as a mountain amid the clouds, the thunders, and\nthe whirlwinds; and all the opposition of infidels and blasphemers,\ninstead of tarnishing, have only brightened its lustre; and from every\ntrial through which it has passed, it has come forth as fine gold from\nthe furnace.  The religions of the world, the vices and virtues of the\nworld, all its wisdom and sagacity, and all its power and authority, in\nleague with the demons of the pit, have not been able to destroy the\ngospel, or stay the wheels of its chariot.  Though they were headed by\nthe prince of darkness\u2014the prince of this world\u2014the prince of the power\nof the air, that worked mightily in the children of disobedience, in\nPalestine, in Greece and Rome, and all over the world; yet the gospel has\nproved triumphant.  Its enemies, human and infernal, may wonder and be\namazed at its prosperity; but let them remember that its author is the\nliving God, and liveth for ever.  Though its ministers have been\npersecuted and imprisoned, stoned, sawn asunder, slain with the sword,\nand burnt in the flames; yet the word of the Lord is not bound, but is\nfreely preached in many parts of the world, and its doctrines and\npractices maintained in their purity by multitudes of Christians,\nnotwithstanding the most dreadful attempts that have been made at\ndifferent times to corrupt and destroy them.  \u201cFor all flesh is as grass,\nand all the glory of man as the flower of grass.  The grass withereth and\nthe flower thereof falleth away; but the word of the Lord endureth for\never.  And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.\u201d\n\nWe would now call your attention to the Divine authority of the gospel,\nand its characteristic glory.\n\nI.  It is \u201cthe gospel of the blessed God\u201d\u2014a message from God to man\u2014a\nrevelation of God\u2019s gracious method of saving sinners through the death\nof his Son\u2014a declaration of his sovereign love and mercy to the utterly\nwretched and perishing children of men.  It testifieth of the coming of\nthe promised Messiah; of the glory of his person as God-man; of the\nexcellency of his offices, as our Prophet, Priest, and King; the honor\nwhich he has conferred upon the law that we have violated, and the\nsatisfaction which he has given to the Divine justice that we have\ninsulted.  It records the sufferings and death of Christ, his victory\nover the powers of darkness, his resurrection from the grave, his\nascension to glory, his session at the right hand of the Father, and his\nintercession for sinners on the ground of his vicarious sufferings; and\npredicts his second coming in glory, on the clouds of heaven, to judge\nthe quick and the dead.\n\nI do not mean to say that there is no other truth necessary to be\npreached and believed, but all the truths of Divine revelation are\nimmediately connected with the doctrine of the cross.  This is the\ntestimony that the Father hath testified of his Son.  This is the glad\ntidings of great joy which shall be unto all people.  This is the\nfaithful saying, or true report, that is worthy of all acceptation, that\nChrist Jesus came into the world to save the chief of sinners.  This is\n\u201cthe glorious gospel of the blessed God;\u201d emanating from his spirit, and\nconducting to his kingdom.  Let us consider the evidences of its Divine\nauthority.\n\nThe perfections of God, in some degree, are manifested in all his works\nand words; his character is stamped on every thing that his hands hath\nformed, and his mouth hath spoken; so that there is a vast difference\nbetween the work and language of God, and the work and language of men.\nThis is especially the case in reference to the Christian revelation.  It\nis \u201cthe gospel of the blessed God,\u201d and bears throughout the impress of\nits author.  When John saw the Lamb in the midst of the throne, he had no\ndifficulty in determining that he was a proper object of adoration and\npraise.  As soon as any one sees the stone with seven eyes laid before\nZerubabel, he knows that it is not a common stone.  When you look to the\nbook of the firmament, the fingers of the Creator\u2019s eternal power and\nGodhead are evidently seen in the sun, the moon and the stars.  So, in\nthe Bible, we trace the same Divine hand.  As often as I read it, I see\neternity, with its flaming eye, gazing upon me.  It unfolds to me the\nmysteries of creation and providence.  It informs me who made, and still\nsustains and governs the universe.  It leads me to the spring and\noriginal cause of all things; and places me immediately before the eyes\nof the eternal God; and I find myself, in his presence, both killed and\nmade alive\u2014most dreadfully oppressed, and set at perfect liberty\u2014sunk in\nthe valley of repentance and humiliation, and lifted upon the top of\nPisgah\u2014full of fears, and full of joy\u2014desiring to hide myself from his\nsight, yet wishing to abide in the light of his countenance for ever!\n\nI see the eye of Omniscience looking out upon me from every chapter of\nthe Bible\u2014from every doctrine, every precept, every promise, every\nordinance of the gospel\u2014penetrating alike the darkness and the\nlight\u2014searching me through and through, till I can hide nothing from its\ngaze\u2014giving me a faithful representation of my conscience and my\nheart\u2014making me hate myself, and confess my uncleanness, and cry out for\nthe creation of a right spirit within me.  And then I see it looking far\ninto futurity\u2014discovering, many hundreds of years beforehand, the\nsmallest circumstances in the life and death of Jesus, even to the price\nof his betrayal, the gall mingled with his drink, and the lot cast for\nhis vesture.  How can I doubt that this is the eye of God?\n\nAgain: I see Holiness, Justice, and Truth, gazing upon me from the very\nheart of the gospel, like so many eyes of consuming fire.  I tremble\nbefore them, like Moses before the burning bush, or Israel at the base of\nSinai.  Yet do I wish to behold this terrible glory, for it is mingled\nwith milder beams of mercy.  I take off my shoes, and approach that I may\ncontemplate.  \u201cTruly, God is in this place!\u201d  I cannot live in sin under\nthe intense blaze of his countenance.  But here also I find the cleft of\nthe Rock, even the Rock of Ages, wherein he hides me with his hand, while\nhe makes all his goodness pass before me, and proclaims to me his\nname\u2014\u201cThe Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, forgiving iniquity,\nand transgression, and sin, and by no means clearing the guilty!\u201d\n\n\u201cThe word of God is quick and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword;\npiercing to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints\nand marrow; and discerning\u201d\u2014revealing\u2014condemning\u2014correcting\u2014\u201cthe thoughts\nand intents of the heart.\u201d  It unlocks my soul, and sits upon its throne;\nan infallible judge over all my secret imaginations, purposes, and\nfeelings; bringing them under its own perfect law; examining them in the\nlight of spotless holiness, inflexible justice, and eternal truth.  And\nwhen I shrink from the scrutiny, overwhelmed with a sense of my\ncorruption, and confessing my guilt with a broken and contrite heart,\nthen it speaks to me of the boundless love of God, and the infinite merit\nof Christ; and \u201ca still small voice\u201d directs my sight to the holy of\nholies; where I see, through the rent vail, the King of Zion, sitting\nupon his throne of grace, more glorious than the ancient Shekinah upon\nthe mercy-seat.  I approach with joyful confidence, and find him invested\nwith my own nature, \u201cGod manifest in the flesh,\u201d his royal garments red\nwith sacrificial blood; and again I hear the still small voice\u2014\u201cThy faith\nhath saved thee; go in peace!\u201d  And when the dark mountains of\ntribulation rise up before me, I see their tops gilded with beams of\nlove; and when I look into the valley of the shadow of death, I see it\nbrightening with the footsteps of the Son of God; and when the soul sits\nsolitary and dejected in her mortal prison, longing for the wings of a\ndove, that she may fly away and be at rest, she sees the eyes of her\nDeliverer looking through the crevices of the wall, and hears his voice\nat the grated window\u2014\u201cFear not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for\nI am thy God!\u201d\n\nThus the gospel commends itself to my conscience and my heart, as \u201cthe\ngospel of the blessed God.\u201d  But there is other, and if possible still\nstronger, proof of its divinity; namely, its power to renew the human\nsoul, and reform the human character.  The Earl of Rochester was a great\nskeptic, and one of the most witty and sarcastic men of his age.  In his\nlast sickness, he was reading the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah; where\nthe prophet, in so graphic and touching a manner, describes the vicarious\nsufferings of Christ.  It scattered all his deistical doubts, as the sun\nscatters the mist of the morning; led him with a broken and believing\nheart to the atoning Lamb of God; and converted his death-bed into a\nvestibule of heaven.  This is not a solitary case.  Thousands and\nmillions have been, in like manner, awakened and converted through the\ngospel, and brought to the knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus.  It\nis \u201cmighty through God, to the pulling down of strong-holds; casting down\nimaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the\nknowledge of God; and bringing into captivity every thought to the\nobedience of Christ\u201d\u2014turning men from darkness to light, and from the\npower of Satan to God, that they may receive remission of sins, and an\ninheritance among all them that are sanctified through faith in Jesus.\nMatthew at the custom-house, the woman of Samaria at Jacob\u2019s well, the\ndying malefactor upon the cross, the penitent jailor at Philippi, the\nblasphemous persecutor on the road to Damascus, and three thousand souls\nunder Peter\u2019s preaching at the Pentecost, all found it \u201cthe power of God\nunto salvation.\u201d  And still it retains its convincing and quickening\nvirtue.  Wherever it is proclaimed in its purity, and accompanied with\nthe power of the Holy Ghost, proud and hardened sinners are pricked in\ntheir hearts, and forced to cry out\u2014\u201cMen and brethren, what must we do?\u201d\nIt answers the question.  It points to the crucified and saith\u2014\u201cBelieve\nand be saved!\u201d  It reconciles the enemy unto God.  It makes the\nblasphemer a man of prayer, the sensualist a man of purity, the inebriate\na man of sobriety; and where sin abounded, grace much more abounds.  The\ndead whom Jesus quickened had no time to inquire into the mysterious\nprocess by which the work was wrought.  They sprang instantly into life\nby the power of God.  Yet the evidence of the change was clear and\nincontestible.  So it is with the transforming effects of the gospel.  We\ncannot rationally doubt its power to raise the soul from death in\ntrespasses and sins.  Suppose I have been long afflicted with a cancer,\nor have been bitten by a mad-dog, or a rattlesnake; and I find a\nsovereign and instantaneous remedy; but after I am cured, a skeptic calls\nupon me, and tries to convince me that the remedy is good for nothing,\ninsists that it is a cheat lately invented by a villain, demands of me to\nprove that such things were used before the deluge, and asks me a\nthousand questions about the cure which Solomon could not answer; how can\nI look upon such a man as better than a maniac?  I have tried the\nexperiment, and found it successful; and all his pretended philosophical\nreasoning rings in my ears like a sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.\nThe wisdom of men has invented many remedies for the guilt and the love\nof sin; but the vain philosophy of the world has never, like the gospel,\nrestored a single soul to peace, purity, and happiness.  I can truly say,\nafter the most careful self-examination, and millions more can testify\nthe same thing, that the gospel, in the hand of the Spirit of God, has\nsubdued the love of sin, and quenched the fire of guilt within me; and\nhas taken away the sting of death, and the terrors of the grave.  If the\ninfidel will allow that I am a sane man, and a man of truth, what farther\nproof does he want that this is \u201cthe gospel of the blessed God?\u201d\n\nOnce more: The character of God, as exhibited in the gospel, is perfect,\nevery way worthy of himself, infinitely above any original conception of\nthe human mind.  The gods of Homer and Virgil are cruel and revengeful.\nThe god of Mohammed delights in pollution and crime.  The god of Voltaire\nis a buffoon, and the god of Paine a tyrant.  But the gospel represents\nthe Deity in his true character, as the concentration and the fountain of\nall moral excellence.\n\nAll this evidence of the Divine authority of the gospel is corroborated\nby an overwhelming array of external proof.  It was certainly written by\nthe men whose names it bears.  They were men of irreproachable character.\nTheir declarations were confirmed by the testimony of miracles, and the\nfulfilment of prophecy.  Jesus of Nazareth was crucified on Calvary, rose\nfrom the dead the third day, and ascended to heaven, according to the\nScriptures.  These were facts believed by the primitive Christians, and\nadmitted by their enemies.  They were received with the most perfect\nconfidence by the immediate successors of the original witnesses; and\nfarther corroborated by the testimony of neutrals, apostates, and the\nmost inveterate opponents.  The question therefore is settled; all is\nadmitted that is necessary to prove that the Christian\u2019s gospel is \u201cthe\ngospel of the blessed God.\u201d\n\nII.  It is \u201cthe _glorious_ gospel\u201d\u2014emphatically and pre-eminently\nglorious; and this is our second topic of discourse.\n\nIt is a wonderful exhibition of the glory of God\u2014the most perfect\nrevelation of the Divine attributes ever granted to man\u2014displaying the\nsovereign mercy of the Father, in the gift of his beloved Son; the\ninfinite compassion of Christ, in offering himself upon the cross for our\nsins; and the gracious power of the Holy Spirit, in turning us from\ndarkness to light, and renewing us in righteousness and true holiness\nafter the image of God.\n\nBut it is chiefly from a comparison of the gospel with the law, both in\nits dispensation and its character, that we see its transcendent glory.\nOn this point let us fix our attention.\n\n\u201cThe law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.\u201d\nThe ministration of the law brought the angels from heaven to earth, but\nthe ministration of the gospel required the incarnation of the God of\nangels.  The Mediator of the new covenant is Jehovah enshrined in\nhumanity\u2014\u201cEmmanuel\u201d\u2014\u201cGod with us\u201d\u2014\u201cGod manifest in the flesh\u201d\u2014\u201cthe\nfulness of the Godhead,\u201d that \u201cfilleth all in all,\u201d imbodied and made\nvisible in the lowly Son of David.\n\nThis is the foundation of the apostle\u2019s argument, by which he convicts\nthe despisers of the gospel of greater guilt than the transgressors of\nthe law.  \u201cIf the word spoken by angels\u201d\u2014that is, the law given upon\nSinai\u2014\u201cwas steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a\njust recompense of reward; how shall we escape\u201d\u2014we who have heard the\nglad tidings of the gospel\u2014\u201cif we neglect so great salvation; which at\nfirst began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them\nthat heard him; God also bearing them witness, with signs, and wonders,\nand divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost?\u201d  If God is greater\nthan man, then the gospel is greater than the law; and its superior\nexcellence constitutes for it a superior claim upon our faith and our\naffections; and the strength of that claim graduates the guilt of its\nrejection.  There is a fire more intense than that which flamed on Sinai,\nand a judgment more terrible than that of Korah and his confederates.\n\u201cHe that despised Moses\u2019 law died without mercy, under two or three\nwitnesses; of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought\nworthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the\nblood of the covenant an unholy thing, and hath done despite to the\nSpirit of grace!\u201d\n\nThe ceremonial law contained many a type and shadow of Messiah; but the\ngospel is the history of his advent and mediatorial work.  The ceremonial\nlaw pointed to the coming Prince of Peace; but the gospel brings him to\nhis throne, and puts the crown upon his head.  Christ is \u201cthe brightness\nof the Father\u2019s glory, and the express image of his person;\u201d and Moses\nand Aaron are lost in his light, as the moon and the stars in the blaze\nof the rising sun.  The excellence of his person, the merit of his\nsacrifice, and the utility of his offices, give him an immense\nsuperiority.  The many prophets, priests, and kings, of the former\ndispensation, were but the shadows cast by the one great Prophet, Priest,\nand King, which indicated his coming.  A light arose from the cross of\nCalvary which turned the black cloud on Sinai into a pillar of glory.\n\nTypical blood shielded the children of Israel from the arm of the\ndestroying angel, healed the leper, anointed to holy offices, atoned for\nceremonial sins, and sealed the covenant of God with his people; but\nnever cancelled the sinner\u2019s debt, nor satisfied his conscience, nor\nsanctified his affections, nor calmed his trembling spirit in the hour of\ndeath.  All these blessings, however, flow from the blood of\nChrist\u2014these, and infinitely more\u2014more than tongue can tell, or heart\nconceive.\n\nThe gospel is emphatically the ministration of mercy\u2014the covenant of\ngrace, \u201cordered in all things and sure\u201d\u2014a goodly ship, freighted with the\nbread of life, and commanded by the Son of God, who has steered into the\nharbor of our famishing world, and is dispensing the precious provision\nto all who will accept.  These arc \u201cthe sure mercies of David.\u201d\n\nThe law is only a partial revelation of the Divine attributes, which, in\nthe gospel, are all equally exhibited, and all equally glorified.  Here,\n\u201cMercy and Truth are met together; Righteousness and Peace have kissed\neach other.\u201d  The justice of God looks more terrible at the cross of\nChrist than at the gate of hell; and is more glorified in the sufferings\nof his Son than in the eternal agonies of all the damned; while his mercy\nis more beautiful, because more honorable to his administration, than if\nsinners had been saved without an atonement.\n\nThus, while the law reveals the righteousness of God, the gospel\nbrightens the revelation of his righteousness, and adds the revelation of\nhis grace.  While the law imprisons the sinner, the gospel liberates him,\nyet liberates him according to law.  While the law shows the malignity of\nsin, and dooms the sinner to death, the gospel assents to both, but\nconquers the one and counteracts the other.\n\nThe law convinces us of our fall; the gospel assures us of our\nredemption.  The law shows us what we are, and what we ought to be; the\ngospel tells us what we may become, and now the change must be effected.\nThe law tears open our wounds; the gospel pours in the healing balm.  The\nlaw makes known our duty; the gospel aids us to perform it.  The law\nplunges us in the ditch; the gospel opens to us the purifying fountain.\nThe law is a mirror in which we behold our own filthiness and deformity;\nthe gospel is a mirror which reflects the glory of God in Christ, and\ntransforms the believer into the same image.\n\nThe law has no fellowship with the sinner\u2014offers no pardon to the\nsinner\u2014cannot cure the love of sin in his heart\u2014cannot give a spark of\nlife, without perfect obedience, and full satisfaction for past offences.\nTherefore some accuse the law of cruelty\u2014cannot set forth the superior\nglory of the gospel, without representing the law as a tyrant or a\nvagrant.  But it is not the cruelty of the law, but the righteousness of\nthe law, that condemns the sinner.  This is the reason that it has no\nalms-house, nor city of refuge, in its dominion.  Yet \u201cthe law is our\nschoolmaster, to bring us to Christ.\u201d  By convincing us of sin, it shows\nus our need of a Saviour.  It meets the sinner on his way to hell, and\ndrives him back to Calvary!\n\nBut the gospel is more glorious.  It enters the sinner\u2019s heart, and casts\nout the love of sin, and scourges the traffickers from the temple of God.\nIt enters the prisoner\u2019s cell, knocks off his fetters, and bids him go\nfree.  It descends into the valley of dry bones, makes the mouldering\nskeletons living men, and leads them to Mount Zion with songs of\neverlasting joy.  It gives eyes to the blind, ears to the deaf, feet to\nthe lame, tongues to the dumb, health to the sick, life to the dead, and\nrevives such as are fainting under the terrors of the law.  It is \u201cthe\npower of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.\u201d\n\nThe Moravian missionaries in Greenland preached several years on the\ngreat doctrines of natural religion, and the requirements of the moral\nlaw, without producing any visible reformation in their hearers; but\nunder the very first sermon which exhibited \u201cJesus Christ and him\ncrucified,\u201d many were pricked in their hearts, and led effectually to\nrepentance.\n\nWe have a striking illustration of the distinguishing glory of the\ngospel\u2014its mercy\u2014in the parable of the prodigal son.  The young man,\nhaving received his portion from his Father, went into a far country, and\nspent all his substance in drunkenness and debauchery.  Reduced to the\nlast extremity of want, the proud young nobleman hired himself to a\ncitizen of that country, and became a feeder of swine\u2014the meanest\nemployment to which a Jew could be degraded.  On the very verge of\nstarvation, we see him snatching the husks from the mouths of the\ndetested animals to satisfy his hunger.  Now he contrasts the present\nwith the past.  \u201cMy father\u2019s house!  O, my father\u2019s house!\u201d  A trembling\nhope springs up in his bosom, \u201cI will arise and go!\u201d  I see him coming,\nfull of guilt and shame\u2014halting\u2014trembling\u2014ready to turn back, or lie down\nby the wayside and die.  While yet a great way off, the father beholds\nhim\u2014O, not with an eye of anger and revenge! and runs to meet him\u2014O, not\nwith a drawn sword, or an uplifted rod!  He feels within him the yearning\nof a father\u2019s heart, leaps to embrace the prodigal, and pours upon him a\nmingled shower of kisses and tears.  Not a reproachful word is\nuttered\u2014not the slightest censure\u2014nothing but love.  \u201cFather, I have\nsinned!  I am not worthy to be\u201d\u2014\u201cPeace, my son!  Servants, bring a robe,\na ring, a pair of shoes; and haste to kill the fatted calf; and let us\neat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive, was lost and is\nfound!\u201d  \u201cAnd they began to be merry.\u201d\n\nSuch, my brethren, is the unspeakable mercy of the gospel, which\nconstitutes its distinguishing glory.  It is the law that creates the\nfamine in the \u201cfar country\u201d of sin.  The poor prodigal goes about,\nbegging for bread; but none will give him a crust, or a crumb.  The\ndesert of Mount Sinai is a poor country for a starving soul.  There is no\nbread in all that region, and no toleration for beggars.  If the sinner\noffers to work for any of the citizens\u2014either for Mr. Holiness, or Mr.\nJustice, or Mr. Truth\u2014he is sent into the fields to feed swine, till he\nis thoroughly convinced of the nakedness of the land, and the misery of\nhis lot; and if he faints through famine or fatigue, and fails to perform\nhis task, he is thrust into the house of correction, and placed upon the\ntread-wheel of remorse, till the ministers of mercy come to his relief.\nIt is the gospel that whispers\u2014\u201cReturn to thy father!\u201d  It is the gospel\nthat inspires the hope of acceptance.  It is the gospel that meets him\nwith more than paternal welcome, and rains upon him the baptism of\nblessings and tears.  It is the gospel that brings its robe of\nrighteousness, and its ring of favour, and spreads its feast of joy, and\ncalls the angels to merry-making \u201cover one sinner that repenteth.\u201d\n\nO, the love of God!  O, the riches of Christ!  His salvation is more than\na restoration to the joys of Eden.  He came that we might have life, and\nthat we might have it more abundantly.  Where sin abounded under the law,\ngrace hath much more abounded under the gospel.  It is an ocean of\nblessings\u2014\u201cblessings of the heaven above, and of the deep that lieth\nunder\u201d\u2014the blessings of Jacob, \u201cprevailing above the blessings of his\nprogenitors, unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills\u201d\u2014blessings\nwhich cannot be circumscribed by time, passing over the mountains which\nnow divide us from the promised land, and flowing down on the other side\ninto the pacific vales of immortality!\n\nSuch is \u201cthe glorious gospel of the blessed God.\u201d  You have seen the\nevidence of its divinity, and the peculiar excellence of its character.\nSuffer me to ask, do you believe its doctrines? do you obey its precepts?\ndo you enjoy its blessings? do you delight in its promises?  It commends\nitself every way to your faith, and your affections.  It is worthy of all\nacceptation.  It is the light of the world\u2014walk ye in it!  It is a feast\nfor the soul\u2014eat and be satisfied!  It is a river of living water\u2014drink\nand thirst no more!\n\nHow miserable is that man who rejects alike its evidences and its offers!\nHow miserable in the hour of death!  As Thistlewood said of himself, when\non the drop at Newgate, he is \u201ctaking a leap in the dark!\u201d  How miserable\nin the day of judgment!  God saith\u2014\u201cBecause I have called, and ye\nrefused; I have stretched out my hands all the day long, and no man\nregarded; but ye have set at naught my counsel, and would none of my\nreproof; therefore I also will laugh at your calamity, I will mock when\nyour fear cometh\u2014when your fear cometh as desolation, and your\ndestruction cometh as a whirlwind\u2014when distress and anguish cometh upon\nyou!\u201d\n\n\n\nSERMON XVII.\nTHE SONG OF THE ANGELS.\n\n\n    \u201c_Glory to God in the highest_, _and on earth peace_, _good will\n    toward men_.\u201d  Luke ii. 14.\n\nTHE most important event recorded in the annals of time, is the\nincarnation of the Son of God.  Anointed to be \u201cthe Apostle and High\nPriest of our profession,\u201d it was necessary that he should humble\nhimself, to assume our degraded nature, and enter into our suffering\ncondition.  Had he appeared on earth in the unmitigated glory of his\nGodhead, the children of men could not have borne the revelation, and\ncould not have been benefited by his personal ministry; neither could he\nhave been \u201ctouched with the feeling of our infirmities,\u201d nor have offered\nhimself a sacrifice for our sins.  His manifestation in the flesh was\nessential to the great objects of his advent; and no wonder the heavenly\nhost descended to announce his coming, and poured forth their delight in\nthis joyful strain;\u2014\u201cGlory to God in the highest, and on earth peace,\ngood will toward men.\u201d\n\nLet us consider, _first_, The incarnation of the Eternal Word; and,\n_secondly_, The song of the angels on the occasion of his birth.\n\nI.  Though it is impossible for the immutable God to be made a creature,\nyet the Divine nature was so closely and mysteriously joined to the\nhuman, that the same person was \u201ca child born,\u201d and \u201cthe Mighty God\u201d\u2014\u201ca\nson given,\u201d and \u201cthe Everlasting Father.\u201d  The Divinity did not become\nhumanity, and the humanity did not become Divinity; but the two were so\nunited as to constitute but one glorious Mediator.\n\nThough his incarnation did not destroy, or even tarnish in the least, the\nessential glory of the Deity; yet was it a mighty and marvellous\ncondescension, for him who is \u201cover all, God, blessed for ever,\u201d thus to\nassume our frail and suffering flesh.  Solomon asked\u2014\u201cWill God in very\ndeed dwell with men upon the earth?\u201d  A question which neither men nor\nangels could answer.  But God hath answered it himself, and answered it\nin the affirmative.  \u201cThe Word\u201d that \u201cwas in the beginning with God, and\nwas God,\u201d in the fulness of time, \u201cwas made flesh, and dwelt among us,\nand we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,\nfull of grace and truth.\u201d\n\nWe can form no idea of the natural distance between God and man.  But the\ninfinite vacuum is filled up by the Messiah.  He is \u201cEmmanuel\u201d\u2014\u201cthe true\nGod,\u201d and \u201cthe Son of Man.\u201d  \u201cHe thought it not robbery to be equal with\nGod, but made himself of no reputation, and took upon himself the form of\na servant, and was made in the likeness of sinful flesh.\u201d  Passing by the\nnobler nature of angels, \u201che took on him the seed of Abraham.\u201d  Nor did\nhe join himself to humanity in its original perfection and glory.  He\ncame into the mean condition of fallen creatures, sharing with us our\nvarious infirmities and sufferings.  Yet he was free from all moral\ncontamination.  He was \u201choly, harmless, undefiled, and separate from\nsinners.\u201d  He \u201cknew no sin.\u201d  He \u201cdid no iniquity, neither was guile\nfound in his mouth.\u201d\n\nBut notwithstanding the humility of his appearance in Bethlehem, such was\nthe dignity of his person, and such the magnitude and grandeur of the\nwork for which he came into the world, that angels descended from heaven\nto publish the glad tidings to the children of men.  True, no ambassadors\nwere sent to the Sanhedrim at Jerusalem\u2014none to the Senate of Rome, to\nproclaim the coming of the Prince of Peace; but never was there such an\nembassage on earth, to announce the birth of a royal son, as that which\ncame to the shepherds of Bethlehem.  When he appeared among men, the\norder was given in heaven, that all the angels of God should worship him;\nand their example was followed by wise men upon earth.  The prophet\nIsaiah said that his name should be called Wonderful; and the angel\ninformed Mary that he should be great, and should be called the Son of\nthe Highest; and that God should give unto him the throne of his father\nDavid, and he should reign over the house of Jacob for ever.  \u201cThough he\nwas rich, yet for our sake he became poor, that we through his poverty\nmight be rich.\u201d  He humbled himself that we might be exalted\u2014was bruised\nand wounded that we might be healed\u2014died the most shameful death that men\ncould inflict, that we might live the most glorious life that God can\nconfer!\n\nII.  Let us now consider the import of the anthem, sung by the heavenly\nhost, when he was born in Bethlehem.  \u201cGlory to God in the highest, and\non earth peace, good will toward men.\u201d\n\n1.  \u201cGlory to God in the highest.\u201d  The shining light between the\ncherubim, on the mercy-seat, was called \u201cthe glory of the Lord,\u201d being a\nsupernatural representation of his presence in the sanctuary.  Three of\nthe apostles saw the same glory upon the mount of transfiguration, and\nall believers have seen it by faith.  The word \u201cglory,\u201d in the anthem of\nthe angels, refers to the divine honor and praise resulting from the\nhumiliation of Christ.  The redemption of sinners, through the blood of\nthe cross, and by the grace of the Holy Spirit, is not only consistent\nwith the glory of God, but highly promotive of his glory, as our Creator\nand Lawgiver.  It brightens all the gems previously visible in his crown,\nand reveals others that were concealed.  His glory, as seen in the works\nof creation and providence, is the glory of wisdom, power, and love.  His\nglory, as seen in his law and its administration, is the glory of\nholiness, justice, and truth.  These are essential to his nature and his\ngovernment.  But in the incarnation and the cross of Christ, we behold a\nnew glory, a glory nowhere else displayed, the glory of mercy.  God was\nknown before to be the friend of saints, but here he shows himself the\nfriend of sinners.  His character as previously revealed was matter of\nadmiration and praise in earth and heaven, but this new revelation\noccasions new wonder and rejoicing to men and angels.  Angels delighted\nto bear the joyful news to men, and this was the burden of their\nmessage:\u2014\u201cBehold, we bring you glad tidings of great joy, which shall be\nunto\u201d\u2014the righteous? the benevolent and charitable? no; but\u2014\u201cunto all\npeople.\u201d  And what are these tidings?  \u201cTo you is born, this day, in the\ncity of David, a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.\u201d  Here is the Lawgiver\nembracing the rebels; his the glory, theirs the benefit; while angels\nparticipate the joy of both, singing\u2014\u201cGlory to God in the highest, and on\nearth peace.\u201d\n\n2.  \u201cOn earth peace.\u201d  Not by a compromise with Satan, as he proposed\nwhen he tempted the Son of God in the wilderness.  Not at the expense of\nthe Divine law, but by magnifying and making it honorable.  Not a peace\nwith enmity, for Christ hath slain the enmity by his cross.  Our peace\nflows from the reconciling blood of Jesus.  Nothing else could satisfy\nthe claims of Divine justice, and procure pardon for the penitent\nbeliever.\n\nWithout the atonement, there is no peace for sinners.  There is an\naccusing witness within.  Behold that king in the banqueting-house!  Why\nchanges his countenance?  Why tremble his knees?  Have the wise men of\nBabylon interpreted the mystic writing upon the wall?  No; but conscience\nhas.  Conscience has given dreadful intimations of its meaning, before\nDaniel comes into the presence of the king, and the Hebrew prophet only\nconfirms the previous interpretation.  Every sinner bears about with him\nthat internal tormentor.  It may be bribed; but not for ever.  It may be\nlulled to sleep; but it will awake with increased energy, and augmented\nwrath.  The gnawing worm may be stupified for a season, but cannot be\nkilled.  The devouring fire may be temporarily stifled, but cannot be\nquenched.  How dreadful are its torments, when it wreaks all its anger\nupon the guilty!  To be drowned in the Red Sea, like Pharaoh\u2014to be\nswallowed up by the earth, like Korah\u2014to be hewn in pieces, like Agag\u2014to\nbe eaten of worms, like Herod\u2014is nothing in the comparison.\n\nWhere shall we find peace?  We have heard of a stone which nothing but\nblood can dissolve.  Such a stone is the human conscience.  But all the\nblood shed on Jewish altars could never effect the work.  It must be the\nblood of Jesus.  He is \u201cthe Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the\nworld.\u201d  At his cross, the believer\u2019s conscience finds assurance and\nrepose.  He is the good physician, and his blood is the sovereign balm.\nCome to his extended arms!  Come, for he waits to be gracious!\n\n3.  \u201cGood will toward men.\u201d  The \u201cgood will\u201d of whom?  Of God, blessed\nfor ever.  The funds of a benevolent society may be exhausted, so that\nits members in distress can receive no benefit.  But in the \u201cgood will\u201d\nof God we find unsearchable riches of grace, sufficient to pay off our\nwhole debt to the law, and restore our forfeited inheritance; to bring\nforth the prisoners, and them that sit in darkness, out of the\nprison-house; to support the believer through life, and comfort him in\ndeath, and raise him from the grave not a beggar, or a pensioner, but a\nprince, clothed in white, and entitled to an everlasting kingdom.\n\nDid I possess the nature of angels, with my present sinfulness, I should\nhave no hope of salvation, for God hath provided no mercy for fallen\nangels; but, in his infinite wisdom, he hath devised a method for the\nconsistent display of his \u201cgood will toward men,\u201d by assuming their\nnature, and in that nature atoning for their sins.  This is a wonderful\nscheme, whereby God can be just, and yet justify the ungodly.  His law is\nhonoured, though its violater be acquitted; and his government is secure,\nthough the rebel be forgiven.\n\nMethinks I hear the Infant in Bethlehem, speaking from the manger, in the\nstrain of the Evangelical Prophet:\u2014\u201cIs my hand shortened at all, that I\ncannot redeem; or have I no power to deliver?  Behold, at my rebuke I dry\nup the sea, and make the rivers a wilderness; I clothe the heavens with\nblackness, and make sackcloth their covering.  Though ye see me in human\nflesh, I am still Lord of all, and can save unto the uttermost.  Though\nye do not hear me, I have the tongue of the learned, to speak a word in\nseason to him that is weary.  I have taken upon myself your nature, that\nI may be able to sympathize in your sufferings, and make satisfaction for\nyour sins.  For you will I give my back to the smiters, and my cheek to\nthem that pluck off the hair; and I will not hide my face from shame and\nspitting.  Calvary and Joseph\u2019s grave shall manifest my benevolence, and\nit shall be seen that my mercy is mightier than death.  Who will contend\nwith me?  Let him come near!  Let us stand together!  I challenge all the\npowers of darkness to defeat the purposes of my grace.  I will triumph by\nsuffering.  I will dash them in pieces as a potter\u2019s vessel.  Hell shall\ntremble at the report; and on every gate and door-post, in all my journey\nfrom this place to Golgotha, and thence home to my Father\u2019s house, shall\nbe inscribed the record of my good will toward men!\u201d\n\n\u201cThis is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ\nJesus came into the world to save sinners.\u201d  Behold him pressing the wine\nof eternal life for us from the cup of his own mortality; demolishing the\nkingdom of darkness on earth, and establishing in its stead the kingdom\nof heaven; destroying the works of the devil, delivering the captives\nfrom his iron yoke, and uniting sinners to himself in everlasting\nfellowship and love.  The whole economy of Divine grace, based on the\nincarnation of the Son of God, is like a complicated piece of machinery,\nconsisting of many wheels, all revolving in harmony, and impelled by the\nsame power.  Salvation is a river, flowing from the manger in Bethlehem,\nconveying eternal life to millions, and bearing away many a precious gem\nfrom the dominions of death and hell.  It has already swept from the\nearth more false gods than would have filled the Roman Pantheon; and\ncarried multitudes of human souls, pardoned and purified, to Abraham\u2019s\nbosom.  No opposition of men or devils can stand before \u201cthe glorious\ngospel of the blessed God.\u201d  O that its light may shine into the heart\nand the conscience of every hearer!  May the goodness of God lead you all\nto repentance, and fill you with peace in believing!  Then will you go\nforth with joy, and publish his \u201cgood will toward men;\u201d and when the\npurposes of his mercy are accomplished in your hearts, you shall be\nremoved from grace to glory\u2014from peace to perfect love\u2014and sin and sorrow\nshall be shut out for ever!  Amen.\n\n\n\nSERMON XVIII.\nTHE STONE OF ISRAEL.\n\n\n    \u201c_Behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua_.  _Upon one stone\n    shall be seven eyes_.  _Behold_, _I will engrave the graving\n    thereof_, _saith the Lord of hosts_, _and I will remove the iniquity\n    of that land in one day_.\u201d\u2014Zech. iii. 9.\n\nAMID all the tribulations which the church has suffered, she has ever\nbeen preserved and sustained by the gracious providence of God; like the\nbush in Horeb\u2014burning, yet unconsumed.\n\nIn the days of this prophet, the church was feeble and afflicted.  Having\njust returned from the captivity in Babylon, by which she had been\ngreatly reduced, she resembled the myrtle among the oaks, the firs, and\nthe cedars.  But the Messiah appears to the prophet, standing among the\nmyrtle-trees, and encouraging the children of Israel to proceed in\nrebuilding Jerusalem and the temple.  The good success of Zerubbabel is\nrepresented by a golden candlestick, with a bowl at the top, and seven\nlamps for the light, and seven pipes to convey the oil to the lamps, and\ntwo olive-trees\u2014one on each side\u2014pouring the oil into the pipes.  This\nwas intended also to set forth the relation of Christ to his church, as\nher head, and the fountain whence she derives strength and nourishment,\nenabling her to grow in grace, and the saving knowledge of God.  As they\nbring forth the foundation and the corner-stones with joy, wondering at\nthe Divine goodness and mercy, Jehovah shows them that he is about to lay\nin Zion the foundation and chief corner-stone of a spiritual temple:\n\u201cBehold the stone that I have laid before Joshua.  Upon one stone shall\nbe seven eyes.  Behold I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the Lord\nof hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.\u201d\n\nLet us consider the important truths taught us in this metaphorical\ndescription of Christ and his mediatorial work.\n\nI.  Christ is the foundation and chief corner-stone of his church.  This\nfigure is often used in the Holy Scriptures.  \u201cFrom hence is the\nShepherd, the Stone of Israel\u201d\u2014said Jacob in the blessing of Joseph.\n\u201cThe stone which the builders refused,\u201d said the Psalmist, \u201cis become the\nhead-stone of the corner.\u201d  And Isaiah said\u2014\u201cThus saith the Lord God:\nBehold, I lay in Zion, for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a\nprecious corner-stone, a sure foundation.\u201d  All these predictions were\nappropriated by Messiah, to whom they were intended to apply.  Christ is\nthe foundation and chief corner-stone.  \u201cOther foundation can no man lay\nthan that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.\u201d  \u201cYe are built upon the\nfoundation of the apostles and prophets\u201d\u2014that is, the foundation which\nthey recognized and recommended\u2014\u201cJesus Christ himself being the chief\ncorner-stone.\u201d  He is indeed the foundation of the world; and in the\nfulness of time, was declared the foundation of the church.  All the\nbuildings of mercy that have ever been erected stand firm and immovable\non this Rock of Ages.\n\nIn the architecture of the first covenant in Eden, there was a Stone\nunder one end, and earth under the other.  \u201cThe first man was of the\nearth, earthy.\u201d  And when the storm and the flood came, the earth gave\nway, and the building fell.  But in the architecture of the second\ncovenant upon Calvary, God laid help upon one that was mighty.  \u201cThe\nsecond man is the Lord from heaven.\u201d  A stone suitable for the foundation\nof a royal palace is very valuable, because the safety of the building\ndepends upon the firmness of the foundation.  This Stone is \u201cchosen of\nGod and precious.\u201d  It is long and broad enough for the whole edifice,\nstretching from eternity to eternity; and sufficiently strong to sustain\nit, though millions of living stones be built into the spiritual temple;\nand such is its firmness, that time, with all its storms, shall never\ndestroy it, or injure its beauty.  It is a tried and precious stone,\ncomposed of all that is excellent on earth, and all that is glorious in\nheaven\u2014a sinless specimen of humanity, possessing \u201call the fulness of the\nGodhead bodily.\u201d  As a foundation, it is laid deep in the earth; as a\ncorner-stone, it rises above the stars, and binds the whole building in\nheaven and earth together.\n\nII.  This Stone is \u201claid before Joshua.\u201d  God has revealed his Son, as\nthe only foundation, and chief corner-stone, to the wise master-builders\nof his church, in every age of the world.  The seed was promised in Eden.\nHoly men of old beheld the promises afar off.  Abraham desired to see his\nday; he saw it, and was glad.  This was the foundation of the prophets\nand apostles.  As Moses found so much of God in the rod that was in his\nhand, that he could think of no other means for working a miracle; so the\nprophets and apostles saw and felt so much of Christ in the revelations\nof which they were made the media, that they could never think of\nsalvation from sin and hell but through his meritorious death; and the\nmost dreadful tortures, and even martyrdom itself, lost their terrors in\n\u201cthe light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus\nChrist.\u201d\n\nThis Stone was laid also before Wickliff and Luther.  The office and work\nof Christ had been lost sight of, in the intercession of saints, and the\nmerit of human works.  But \u201cthe foundation of God standeth sure;\u201d and all\nthe rubbish which Roman monks had heaped upon it could not hide it from\nthe reformers, whose vision had been cleared and quickened by light from\nheaven.  And it was laid before Wesley and Whitefield in England, who\nbuilt upon it \u201cgold, silver, and precious stones;\u201d and before Powell,\nErbery, and Wroth\u2014before Rowlands, Harris, Jones, Evans, Thomas, and\nFrancis\u2014as the foundation of that wonderful revival in Wales, the blessed\neffects of which we feel to this day.\n\nWe are now endeavoring to exhibit the glory and excellency of this Stone,\nas the foundation of your hopes.  Will you build upon Christ?  Can you\nventure your eternal salvation upon the merit of his sacrifice?  \u201cHe that\nbelieveth on him shall not be ashamed.\u201d\n\nIII.  It is said that \u201cupon one stone shall be seven eyes;\u201d by which we\nmay understand, either seven eyes of others, looking upon the stone; or\nseven eyes in the stone, looking upon others.\n\nIf we take the former idea, there are many eyes looking upon this \u201cOne\nStone;\u201d some from envy, malice, and wrath; others from astonishment,\ngratitude, and love.  It attracts the gaze of heaven, earth, and hell.\nThe eternal Lawgiver looks to Messiah for satisfaction on behalf of\nguilty man.  Mercy and Truth look upon him as the foundation of their\npalaces.  Righteousness and Peace look upon him as the only place where\nthey can salute each other with a kiss.  The devil and his angels, sin,\ndeath, and the grave, look upon him with eyes of anger and revenge;\ndetermined, if possible, to bruise him with their weapons, and cast him\namong the rubbish, into the pit of corruption.  Celestial spirits look\nupon him with eyes of wonder and delight; announce his coming to Joseph\nand Mary, sing his advent to the shepherds of Judea, accompany him\nthrough all his pilgrimage of sorrow, minister to him after the\ntemptation in the wilderness, talk with him on the mount of\ntransfiguration, sustain him in the agony of the garden, gather unseen\naround his cross, roll away the rock from the entrance of his tomb, and\nattend him with songs as he ascends to glory.  And believers look upon\nhim with eyes of faith and love, as the foundation of all their hopes, in\nthis world, and that which is to come\u2014as their \u201cwisdom, righteousness,\nsanctification, and redemption.\u201d\n\nThe other interpretation refers these \u201cseven eyes\u201d to the perfection of\nour Lord\u2019s mediatorial character.  The priest under the law was to\nsprinkle the blood seven times upon the mercy-seat, and seven times upon\nthe leper; the first to typify a perfect atonement for sin; the second, a\nperfect application of its benefits to the believer.  When the Lamb of\nGod revived from the ashes on the altar of Calvary, he appeared \u201cin the\nmidst of the throne,\u201d having seven horns and seven eyes, to denote the\ncompleteness of his prophetic wisdom, and the fulness of his regal\nauthority.  He sustains to his people the threefold relation of\nhigh-priest, prophet, and king.  He is our high-priest, not after the\norder of Aaron, whom death robbed of his sacerdotal vesture; but \u201ca\nhigh-priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedec.\u201d  He is our\nprophet, speaking with the tongue of the learned, and as one having\nauthority\u2014speaking to the conscience and the heart, and the dead hear his\nvoice and live.  He is our king, according to the decree, \u201con the holy\nhill of Zion;\u201d exalted by the right-hand of the Father, and \u201cdeclared to\nbe the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead.\u201d\nMethinks I hear the Father speaking to Caiaphas:\u2014\u201cHave you a law, and do\nyou say that by your law he ought to die?  I will read to you the law on\nthe morning of the third day, and you shall see that he is the\nresurrection and the life\u2014that I have made him both Lord and Christ!\u201d\nAnd methinks I hear the voice of the risen Messiah:\u2014\u201cI have travelled\nthrough the forest of the world\u2019s temptations, through the dens of lions,\nthe mountains of leopards, the dark haunts of devils, and the dominions\nof death and the grave; and have opened, through all the desert, a new\nand living way to my Father\u2019s house.  The powers of darkness thought to\nstrip me of my official regalia, and bind me for ever in the grave; but I\nhave broken C\u00e6sar\u2019s seal, and rent the rocks of Joseph\u2019s sepulchre, and\nam alive for evermore\u2014the high-priest, prophet, and king of Israel.\nThough I gave myself up to death upon the cross, death could not deprive\nme of my threefold office.  I died with my vesture on, my miter and\nbreastplate, as high-priest over the house of God.  I died with the book\nof the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven in my hand, as a prophet to\ninstruct my people, and lead them into all truth.  I died with the crown\nupon my head, and all my enemies beneath my feet, as a king, whose\ndominion is everlasting, and whose glory shall never end.  Death and hell\ncould not take from me my triple diadem; and I came forth from the place\nof the dead in the power of an endless life; and will continue to wear my\nrobes unspotted, till I have finished my mediatorial work, and gathered\nall the saints unto myself!\u201d\n\nIV.  This stone is fitted and prepared by God himself.  \u201cI will engrave\nthe graving thereof, saith the Lord of hosts.\u201d\n\nThis figure evidently refers to the sufferings of Christ, by which he was\nmade perfect for his mediatorial work.  Many hammers and chisels were\nupon him from Bethlehem to Calvary; but they were all appointed of God,\nas the instruments of his preparation to be the sure foundation and chief\ncorner-stone of the church.  The Scribes and the Pharisees, Caiaphas,\nJudas, Pilate, the Jewish populace, and the Roman soldiery, whatever\ntheir malicious designs, only accomplished \u201cthe determinate counsel and\nforeknowledge of God\u201d upon his well-beloved Son.  All was appointed by\nthe Father; all was understood by the Messiah; all was necessary to\nsecure the great objects of his advent.  It pleased the Father to bruise\nhim, and put him to grief; and he cheerfully submitted to suffer, that we\nmight be spared.  O, wonder of wonders!  Emmanuel wounded, that sinners\nmight be healed! the Golden Vessel marred, that the earthen vessels might\nbe saved! the Green Tree dried up, that the dry tree might grow as the\nlily, and cast forth its roots like Lebanon!  According to another\nmetaphor, \u201cthe plowers plowed upon his back; they made long their\nfurrows.\u201d  And they were deep as well as long.  They plowed into his very\nheart, and his body was covered with blood, and his cry of agony pierced\nthe supernatural gloom of Golgotha, and soured the wine of dragons\nthroughout the region of Gehenna!\n\nThus the foundation was fitted and prepared; and wicked men and devils\nbut blindly did the work which God had before determined to be done.  It\nis fixed in its place, firm and immovable; and the chief Architect is\nraising other stones from the quarry, and building them thereon, \u201cfor a\nhabitation of God through the Spirit.\u201d  Brethren, \u201clook unto the rock\nwhence ye are hewn, and the hole of the pit whence ye are digged\u201d\u2014even\nthe flinty rock of impenitence, and the horrible pit of corruption.  I\nhave known men relinquish the hewing of stones from the quarry, because\nit was more expense than profit; and I have known men abandon the digging\nof ore from the mine, because it was too deep in the mountain.  But\nChrist \u201cdescended into the lower parts of the earth,\u201d and imbibed the gas\nof death.  He carried in his hand the hammer of the word, which breaketh\nthe flinty rock in pieces.  He expelled the deadly vapor, blasted the\nsolid adamant, and prepared the way for the workmen; and when he\nascended, he sent down the apostles, to gather stones for his spiritual\ntemple; while he stands at the top of the shaft, and turns the windlass\nof intercession, by which he draws up all to himself.\n\nThe work was gloriously begun on the day of Pentecost, and men and demons\nhave never yet been able entirely to stop its progress.  The pope and the\ndevil tried their best, for a long time, to keep the digging and hewing\ntools of the twelve wise master-builders concealed in the vaults of the\nmonasteries; but Luther, with the lamp of God in his hand, discovered\nthem, brought them forth, and set them at work; and millions of lively\nstones have since been dug out, and sent up from the pit, to be placed in\nthe walls of \u201cGod\u2019s building.\u201d\n\nAnd still the gospel is mighty in the salvation of souls, of which we\nhave abundant evidence in the principality.  What multitudes were\nconverted at Langeiththo in the days of Rowlands and Williams; when two\nthousand communicants in the winter, and three thousand in the summer,\nmet every month in the same place around the table of the Lord!  And\nthere are now in Wales hundreds of large and flourishing churches among\nthe Baptists and Independents.  Glory to God, that I have in my own\npossession the register of hundreds, who have been hewn from the flinty\nrock, and raised from the horrible pit, to a place in the Lord\u2019s holy\ntemple\u2014from drunkenness to sobriety, from unbelief to faith in Christ,\nfrom enmity to reconciliation to God, from persecution to patient\nsuffering for righteousness\u2019 sake, from disobedience to the filial temper\nof \u201csons and daughters of the Lord Almighty;\u201d and many of them I have\nseen going home, rejoicing, to their Father\u2019s house above!\n\nHark! what do I hear?  The hammers and chisels of mercy all over the\nmountain of the militant church.  The great Architect is building up\nZion.  He is gathering his materials from Europe, and Asia, and Africa,\nand America.  Glory to God!  I hear his footsteps to-day in this\nmountain; I see his hand in this congregation.  Brethren in the ministry,\nwe are workers together with him.  Delightful work!  How easy it is to\npreach, when the hand of God is with us!  Let us labour on!  The topstone\nwill soon be brought forth with shouting, the sound of the building shall\ncease, and we shall receive our reward!\n\nV.  The gracious design for which this Divine Foundation is prepared, is\nthe justification and sanctification of sinners.  \u201cI will remove the\niniquity of that land in one day.\u201d\n\nChrist came to destroy the works of the devil\u2014to take away sin by the\noffering of himself.  As the moon is illuminated by the sun, so the rites\nand ceremonies of the old testament are illustrated by the facts and\ndoctrines of the new.  The priesthood of Jesus explains the priesthood of\nAaron.  The one sacrifice of Calvary explains all the sacrifices that\nwent before.  The glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ enters the\nwindows of Solomon\u2019s temple, and penetrates the Holy of Holies within the\nvail.  All the bloody offerings of the Mosaic ritual were intended only\nas types of him who \u201cremoved the iniquity of that land in one day.\u201d\n\nWhat land?  Emmanuel\u2019s land\u2014a garden enclosed, and measured by the line\nof God\u2019s eternal purpose; including all the redeemed of the Lord, who\nwill ultimately be brought to glory.  The map of \u201cthat land\u201d was in the\nmind of Jehovah, when he made this promise through the prophet.  He\nremembered his covenant engagement before the foundation of the world in\nreference to its redemption.  He saw it encumbered by mountains of sin,\nand blasted by the fiery curse of the law; and in the fulness of time, he\nsent his Son to deliver it.\n\nTo remove iniquity is to remove its penalty and its pollution.  Christ\nhath accomplished both for believers.  He \u201cbore our sins in his own body\non the tree!\u201d  He carried upon his own shoulder the burden which must\nhave sunk the whole human race to eternal perdition.  By enduring our\npunishment, he provided for our purification.  In his own wounds a\nfountain was opened wherein we may wash and be clean.  From his own heart\nthe balm was extracted whereby our moral leprosy may be cured.  \u201cBehold\nthe Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world.\u201d  See how our\ngreat High-priest removes the iniquity of his people; not, like Aaron, by\nmany sacrifices; but by the single offering of himself, \u201cin one day.\u201d\n\nThe word which is here rendered \u201cremove\u201d is in the original the same as\nthat which is used to express the translation of Enoch.  As Enoch was\nremoved from the earth, beyond the sight of man, and the power of death;\nso sin is removed by the Mediator\u2014removed for ever from the believer\u2019s\nheart and conscience\u2014blotted out\u2014cast into the depth of the sea\u2014carried\naway into the land of forgetfulness.  The removal is perfect and\neverlasting.\n\nThis was a work which Jewish sacrifices were too weak to accomplish.  For\ntwo thousand years the victims bled upon the altar, and not a single sin\nwas actually removed.  Every year the goat of the burnt-offering must\nbleed afresh, and the scape-goat must be sent away into the wilderness.\nBut Jesus, the great ante-type of all these emblems, removed in one day,\nby a single offering, the iniquities of all who believe in him, from the\nfall to the end of time.\n\nAll the sacrifices that preceded his coming were intended only to remind\nmen that they were sinners, that they needed an atonement, and that\njustification and eternal life could flow only from the meritorious\nsufferings of the future Christ.  But when the substance came, the\nshadows passed away, and the promised work was at once accomplished; and\nall our iniquities were lost in the sea of mercy, which rose to a full\ntide in the Mediator\u2019s merit.\n\nSinners, do you expect ever to be made free from sin?  Would you have\nyour leprosy cured, your impurity cleansed, and the curse removed?  Come\nto our great High-priest!  Lo, he stands by the altar, and the blood is\non his hands!  He waits to be gracious!  Come, for he has virtually\nremoved your iniquity, and it requires in you but a simple act of faith\nto realize the benefit!  \u201cBelieve in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou\nshalt be saved!\u201d\n\n\n\nSERMON XIX.\nJUSTIFICATION BY FAITH.\n\n\n    \u201c_But how should man be just with God_?\u201d\u2014Job ix. 2.\n\nTHE Almighty proclaimed himself to Moses, \u201cthe Lord, merciful and\ngracious;\u201d and in the New Testament, he is called \u201cthe God of all grace.\u201d\n\u201cWhere sin abounded, grace did much more abound; that as sin reigned unto\ndeath, even so might grace reign, through righteousness, unto eternal\nlife, by Jesus Christ our Lord.\u201d  God is determined to glorify the\nunsearchable riches of his grace in the salvation of sinners.  But how\ncan this be done, without casting a cloud over the Divine throne, and\nbringing into contempt the Divine law?  How can the guilty be considered\nand treated as innocent, without an apparent indifference to the evil of\nsin, and a total disregard of the claims of eternal justice?  How can the\nrebel be acquitted in the court of Heaven, with honor to the character of\nGod, and safety to the interests of his moral government?  This is a\nquestion which angels could not answer; but it has been answered by the\nGod of angels.  The light of nature and reason is too feeble to afford us\nany aid in this inquiry; \u201cbut we have a more sure word of prophecy,\nwhereunto we do well that we take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a\ndark place;\u201d for \u201cGod hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the\nknowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ.\u201d\n\nFollowing, then, the guidance of the New Testament, let us consider the\nnature and the ground of a sinner\u2019s justification with God.\n\nI.  To justify is the public act of a judge, declaring a person innocent,\nnot liable to punishment.  \u201cIt is God that justifieth\u201d the ungodly.\nJustification, in its strict sense, and remission of sins, are two very\ndifferent things.  Job could forgive his friends; but he could not\njustify them.  But in the gracious economy of the gospel, these are\nalways immediately connected; nor these alone, but other and superior\nmercies\u2014mercies infinite and unspeakable.  Those whom God justifieth are\nnot only forgiven, but also purified and renewed\u2014not only delivered from\ncondemnation, but also entitled to eternal life\u2014not only redeemed from\nthe curse of the law, but also blessed with the spirit and the privilege\nof adoption\u2014not only liberated from bondage and imprisonment, but also\nconstituted heirs \u201cto an inheritance that fadeth not away.\u201d  They are\n\u201cheirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.\u201d  They are kings and priests,\nand shall reign for ever and ever.  God having given his Son as our\nsurety, and published \u201cthe law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus,\u201d\nand taken his seat upon the throne of grace in the character of a\nmerciful judge, he proclaims the believer free from condemnation, and\n\u201caccepted in the Beloved.\u201d\n\nIn a human court, a man may be either justified or forgiven.  Sometimes\nthe jury find the prisoner innocent, and he is acquitted; sometimes they\nfind him guilty, and he is forgiven.  The former is an act of justice;\nthe latter, an act of mercy.  No earthly court can go farther; no earthly\ncourt can justify the guilty.  But God is able, through the wonderful\neconomy of substitution and atonement revealed in the gospel, in the same\ncourt, from the same throne, by the same law, and in the same sentence,\nto proclaim full pardon and free justification to the sinner.  By virtue\nof the obedience and suffering of Christ on his behalf, he is at once\nforgiven and justified.  Faith unites us to Christ, and gives us an\ninterest in him, as our Mediator, who \u201cbore our sins in his own body on\nthe tree.\u201d  \u201cEven as David also describeth the blessedness of the man to\nwhom God imputeth righteousness without works:\u2014Blessed are they whose\niniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man\nto whom the Lord will not impute sin.\u201d\n\nThe righteousness by which the sinner is justified infinitely transcends\nall other righteousness in earth or heaven.  It is the righteousness of\nthe Second Adam\u2014an invaluable pearl, to which all the members of Christ\u2019s\nmystical body are equally entitled.  It is the pure gold of the gospel,\nwhich cannot be mixed with the works of the law, or derive any increase\nof value from human merit.  It lies upon the very surface of evangelical\ntruth, like oil upon the water.  It is the righteousness finished upon\nthe cross\u2014a complete wedding garment furnished by the Son of God, which\nthe sinner has only to put on to be prepared for the marriage supper of\nthe Lamb.\n\nHow cold and cheerless is the doctrine of the mere moralist, leaving the\npoor sinner wallowing in the mire, and weltering in his blood, with\nnothing but his own works to depend upon for salvation!  But the doctrine\nof justification through the satisfying righteousness of Jesus Christ\nwarms the heart, and quickens the soul of the believer into a new and\nheavenly life.  Here is our deliverance from the curse of the law.  Here\nthe relation between us and Adam is annihilated, and another relation is\nestablished between us and Christ.  Here is the sea into which our sins\nare cast to rise no more.  \u201cThere is, therefore, now no condemnation to\nthem who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the\nspirit;\u201d and they may boldly say\u2014\u201cO Lord, I will praise thee; for though\nthou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortest\nme!\u201d\n\nII.  The ground of our justification now claims a more particular\nattention.\n\nThis is a subject of the greatest importance; for if we build upon the\nsand, the whole superstructure inevitably falls, and great must be the\nfall thereof.  The Jews, being ignorant of God\u2019s righteousness\u2014the\nrighteousness of faith\u2014went about to establish their own, which was by\nthe works of the law.  Let us examine these two foundations\u2014the\nrighteousness which is of the law, and that which is of faith.\n\nWhat sort of righteousness does the law demand, as the ground of our\nacceptance with God?  It must originate in the heart.  It must be\ncommensurate with life, and not a broken link in the chain, for he that\noffendeth in one point is guilty of all.  It must be so comprehensive as\nto include all your duties to God, your neighbor and yourself.  It must\nengage all the powers of your mind, without the least imperfection, in\nthought, word, or deed.  The coin must be pure gold, of full weight and\nmeasure, and bearing the right and lawful stamp.  \u201cCursed is every one\nthat continueth not in all things written in the book of the law to do\nthem.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut what saith the righteousness which is of faith?\u201d  \u201cBelieve In the\nLord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.\u201d  \u201cHe that believeth shall\nnever be confounded.\u201d  \u201cChrist is the end of the law for righteousness to\nevery one that believeth.\u201d  \u201cHe hath magnified the law, and made it\nhonorable.\u201d  \u201cHe hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a\ncurse for us.\u201d  This is the doctrine which answers all our questions,\nremoves all our guilty fears, and opens to us a path of hope in the\nvalley of the shadow of death.  The justifying righteousness of Christ is\nas deep as the misery of man, as high as the requirements of God, as\nbroad as the commandment, and as long as eternity.  It is sufficient for\nall them that believe, and able to save unto the uttermost.  It is a\ndeluge which covers the mountains of transgression, and bears the\nbeliever securely in the ark.  It comes to the sinner, shut up under the\njudgment of God, and reads to him the article of his manumission.  I hear\nit addressing the guilty in the following language:\u2014\n\n\u201cI saw the Son of God coming forth from the bosom of the Father, and\nuniting himself to the nature of man.  I saw the mighty God manifested in\nthe Son of Mary, and lying in a manger.  I beheld some of his blood shed,\nas an earnest to the law, when he was eight days old.  I stood in the\ngarden of Gethsemane, when he drank the cup of trembling mingled and\npresented by his Father\u2019s justice.  I was with him on Calvary, when he\nblotted out the handwriting of Eden and Sinai, and nailed it to his\ncross\u2014when he finished the redemption of man, and spoiled the powers of\ndarkness, and sealed with his own blood the covenant of peace, I beheld\nhim descending to the lower parts of the earth, and lying under the\nsinner\u2019s sentence in the grave.  I beheld him rising in the same human\nnature, with the keys of death and hell in his hand, and the crown of the\nmediatorial kingdom upon his head.  I beheld him ascending to the\nright-hand of the Father, leading thy captivity captive, and entering\ninto heaven itself, there to appear in the presence of God for thee.  And\nnow I see him in the midst of the throne, as a lamb newly slain; and the\nmerit of his sacrifice, as a sweet-smelling savor, fills the heaven of\nheavens.  On thy behalf he has honored the law, satisfied the claims of\njustice, and opened a new and living way, whereby God can be just, and\nthe justifier of him that believeth in Jesus.\u201d\n\nThus the question is answered\u2014\u201cHow should man be just with God?\u201d  Sinners\nare \u201cjustified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in\nChrist Jesus.\u201d  \u201cTherefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith,\nwithout the deeds of the law.\u201d  This is the key-stone of the gospel, and\nthe strength of the arch of salvation.  The only way to obtain acceptance\nwith God is by grace; \u201cand if by grace, then it is no more of works.\u201d  In\nthe justification of the sinner, Divine grace and human works can no more\nbe mixed together than oil and water, for they belong to different\ncovenants.  Christ came into the world, not to repair the old covenant,\nbut to be the mediator of a new covenant, established upon better\npromises\u2014not to mend the leaky and sinking vessel of the law, but to\nbuild and launch a new ark of salvation, and rescue the shipwrecked and\nthe drowning.  The law could not save.  The law is holy, but we are\nunclean.  The law is spiritual, but we are carnal.  The law is righteous,\nbut we are guilty.  The law is good, but every imagination of the\nthoughts of the heart of man is evil, and only evil, and that\ncontinually.  The law will not consent to a compromise with the sinner,\nwill not relax its claims upon him, nor in any way accommodate itself to\nhis fallen condition.  Its power to condemn is commensurate with its\nauthority to command.\n\nThus we see how it is that no man can be justified by the deeds of the\nlaw.  We are not under the law, but under grace.  Were we under the law,\nthe deeds of the law would be sufficient for our justification.  The law\ndemands obedience; obedience satisfies the law.  Between obedience and\nthe law there is perfect correspondence and harmony; the one gives what\nthe other asks.  There is also a perfect agreement between grace and\nfaith.  Grace bestows freely, without money and without price; and faith,\nhaving nothing to pay, receives humbly and thankfully.  Grace, by\nbestowing, acquires great glory; faith, by receiving, obtains great\nhappiness.  God confers blessings according to the riches of his grace;\nsinners receive according to the strength of their faith.  Faith and the\nlaw cannot agree at all, for both are seeking and receiving; neither can\nworks and grace agree, for both live by communicating.  Therefore \u201cby\ngrace are ye saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the\ngift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast.\u201d  Ye are justified\nthrough the righteousness and merit of Christ, who became your\nsubstitute, and both obeyed the law and suffered the penalty in your\nstead.\n\nThis view of the ground of a sinner\u2019s justification is everywhere\nsustained in the Holy Scriptures.  \u201cBy the obedience of one, shall many\nbe made righteous.\u201d  \u201cBy the righteousness of one, the free gift came\nupon all men, unto justification of life.\u201d  \u201cThe obedience of one,\u201d and\n\u201cthe righteousness of one,\u201d in these two sentences, signify the same\nthing.  Again: \u201cHe who knew no sin was made sin for us, that we might be\nmade the righteousness of God in him.\u201d  \u201cIn whom we have redemption\nthrough his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of\nhis grace.\u201d  \u201cAll we like sheep have gone astray, and the Lord hath laid\non him the iniquity of us all.  He was wounded for our transgressions; he\nwas bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon\nhim, and with his stripes we are healed.\u201d\n\nThe perfect obedience of Christ, and his meritorious death, were both\nnecessary, as the ground of a sinner\u2019s justification.  Neither would have\nbeen sufficient without the other.  His obedience would not answer\nwithout his death; for the law which had been broken must be honored; and\nthe penalty which had been incurred by the sinner must be endured by the\nSubstitute.  Neither would his death answer without his obedience; for it\nis the obedient, and not the punished, that the law justifies; he who\nkeeps the precept, and not he who endures the penalty.  It is only by\nsatisfying both claims on our behalf, that Christ \u201cof God is made unto us\nwisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.\u201d\n\nWhen it is said we are justified by faith, it is not meant that there is\nany merit in faith, any justifying efficacy; but that faith is the\ncondition on which we are justified for the sake of him who obeyed and\nsuffered for us\u2014the Divinely appointed means by which we appropriate the\nmerit of his obedience and suffering.  It is by the eye of faith we see\nthe excellency and adaptation of Christ\u2019s righteousness and merit; and it\nis by the hand of faith we take and put on the wedding garment provided\nfor us, and thus prepare ourselves for the marriage supper of the Lamb.\nFaith is the bond which unites us to Christ, by virtue of which union we\nare justified.  Faith is the wedding ring by which the poor daughter of\nthe old Amorite is married to the Prince of Peace.  She is raised from\nthe greatest poverty and degradation to unspeakable opulence and honor,\nnot because of the intrinsic value of the ring, though it is a golden\none; but on account of the union which it signifies between her and her\nBeloved.  \u201cHe that hath the Son hath life.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.  Yea, a man may\nsay\u2014Thou hast faith, and I have works.  Show me thy faith without thy\nworks, and I will show thee my faith by my works.  Thou believest that\nthere is one God; thou doest well; the devils also believe, and tremble.\nBut wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?  Was\nnot Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his\nson upon the altar?  Seest thou how faith wrought with his works?  And by\nworks was faith made perfect; and the scripture was fulfilled which\nsaith\u2014Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for\nrighteousness, and he was called the friend of God.  Ye see, then, how\nthat by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.  Likewise also\nwas not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the\nmessengers, and sent them out another way?  For as the body without the\nspirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.\u201d {256}\n\nWe have noticed the nature and ground of justification; in these words of\nthe Apostle, we have the evidence of justification.  The same doctrine\nwas preached by our Saviour:\u2014\u201cFor by thy works thou shalt be justified,\nand by thy works thou shalt be condemned.\u201d  Works justify only as the\nfruit of faith.  A faith that does not produce good works is inefficient\nand worthless.  It is not the faith which justifies the ungodly.  What is\nit that justifies a man in a court of law?  The goodness of his cause?\nNo, verily.  A man of common sense will not think of making a long speech\nto the jury, without adducing any evidence of the truth of his\nstatements.  My fellow sinners, if your cause is good, why do you not\nprove it?  Why not bring forward your evidence?  Why not act in this\nsupremely important case as in every other?  If you have justifying\nfaith, let us see the fruit in a sanctified life.  \u201cLet your light so\nshine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your\nFather which is in heaven.\u201d\n\nIn this world, every man receives according to his faith; in the world to\ncome, every man shall receive according to his works.  \u201cBlessed are the\ndead who die in the Lord, for they rest from their labors, and their\nworks do follow them.\u201d  Their works do not go before them to divide the\nriver Jordan, and open the gates of heaven.  This is done by their faith.\nBut their works are left behind, as if done up in a packet, on this side\nof the river.  John saw the great white throne descending for judgment,\nthe Son of Man sitting thereon, and all nations gathered before him.  He\nis dividing the righteous from the wicked, as the shepherd divideth the\nsheep from the goats.  The wicked are set on the left-hand, and the awful\nsentence is pronounced\u2014\u201cDepart from me, ye accursed, into everlasting\nfire, prepared for the devil and his angels!\u201d  But the righteous are\nplaced on the right-hand, to hear the joyful welcome\u2014\u201cCome, ye blessed of\nmy Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of\nthe world!\u201d  The books are opened, and Mercy presents the packets that\nwere left on the other side of Jordan.  They are all opened, and the\nbooks are read wherein all their acts of benevolence and virtue are\nrecorded.  Justice examines the several packets, and answers\u2014\u201cAll right.\nHere they are.  Thus it is written\u2014\u2018I was hungry, and ye gave me meat; I\nwas thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in; I\nwas naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in\nprison, and ye came unto me.\u2019\u201d  The righteous look upon each other with\nwonder, and answer\u2014\u201cThose packets must belong to others.  We knew nothing\nof all that.  We recollect the wormwood and the gall.  We recollect the\nstrait gate, the narrow way, and the Slough of Despond.  We recollect the\nheavy burden that pressed so hard upon us, and how it fell from our\nshoulders at the sight of the cross.  We recollect the time when the eyes\nof our minds were opened, to behold the evil of sin, the depravity of our\nhearts, and the excellency of our Redeemer.  We recollect the time when\nour stubborn wills were subdued in the day of his power, so that we were\nenabled both to will and to do of his good pleasure.  We recollect the\ntime when we obtained hope in the merit of Christ, and felt the efficacy\nof his blood applied to our hearts by the Holy Spirit.  And we shall\nnever forget the time when we first experienced the love of God shed\nabroad in our hearts.  O, how sweetly and powerfully it constrained us to\nlove him, his cause, and his ordinances!  How we panted after communion\nand fellowship with him, as the hart panteth after the water-brooks!  All\nthis, and a thousand other things, are as fresh in our memory as ever.\nBut we recollect nothing of those bundles of good works.  Where was it?\nLord, when saw we thee hungry, and fed thee; or thirsty, and gave thee\ndrink; or a stranger, and took thee in; or naked, and clothed thee?  We\nhave no more recollection than the dead, of ever having visited thee in\nprison, or ministered to thee in sickness.  Surely, those bundles cannot\nbelong to us.\u201d  Mercy replies\u2014\u201cYes, verily, they belong to you; for your\nnames are upon them; and besides, they have not been out of my hands\nsince you left them on the stormy banks of Jordan.\u201d  And the King\nanswers\u2014\u201cVerily, I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of\nthe least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.\u201d\n\nIf the righteous do not know their own good works; if they do not\nrecognise, in the sheaves which they reap at the resurrection, the seed\nwhich they have sown in tears on earth, they certainly cannot make these\nthings the foundation of their hopes of heaven.  Christ crucified is\ntheir sole dependence for acceptance with God, in time and in eternity.\nChrist crucified is the great object of their faith, and the centre of\ntheir affections; and while their love to him prompts them to live\nsoberly, and righteously, and godly, in this present evil world, they\ncordially exclaim\u2014\u201cNot unto us, not into us, but to thy name, O Lord,\ngive glory!\u201d  Amen.\n\n\n\nSERMON XX.\nTHE SHIELD OF FAITH.\n\n\n    \u201c_Above all_, _taking the shield of faith_, _wherewith ye shall be\n    able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked_.\u201d\u2014Eph. vi. 16.\n\nTHE Christian is engaged in a warfare, \u201cnot against flesh and blood, but\nagainst principalities and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of\nthis world, against spiritual wickedness\u201d\u2014or wicked spirits\u2014\u201cin high\nplaces;\u201d who go about like roaring lions, seeking whom they may devour;\nassailing the servants of Christ even on their high places\u2014their Pizgahs,\ntheir Tabors, their Olivets; swarming up from the sea of corruption\nwithin and around us, like the frogs in Egypt, and entering into our very\nbed-chambers and closets of devotion.\n\nThese spiritual adversaries must be opposed with spiritual armor; and the\napostle has here given us a complete set of weapons for fighting, and a\ncomplete panoply for defence.  The Roman armor consisted of several\nparts, all of which St. Paul makes use of figuratively, to represent the\nseveral Christian graces by which we resist our subtle, deceitful, and\ninvisible enemies.  As the articles to which he alludes constituted a\ncomplete coat of arms, and the soldier was not prepared for the field\nwithout the whole; so the Christian graces which they represent are all\nof them important, \u201cthat the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly\nfurnished unto every good work.\u201d  Some of these heavenly qualities may\nappear brighter at particular times in one Christian than in another; but\nthe whole list is indispensable to every spiritual warrior.  Abraham may\nexcel in faith, Moses in meekness, Job in patience, Daniel in courage,\nPeter in zeal, Paul in humility, and John in love; but each must have the\nentire armor, though different occasions may require the use of different\narticles in the catalogue.  That you may be able to stand in the evil\nday, you must have the shoes of peace, to preserve your feet; the girdle\nof truth, to strengthen your loins; the helmet of hope, to defend your\nheads; the breastplate of righteousness, to cover your hearts; the sword\nof the Spirit, to cut your way through the columns of the foe; \u201cAnd above\nall, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all\nthe fiery darts of the wicked.\u201d\n\nIt is only to this article last mentioned, that we would now call your\nattention; in the consideration of which, let us notice, _first_, The\nnature of faith; and _secondly_, Its importance and utility as a shield.\n\nI.  There are many passages in the word of God which show the excellency\nof faith; but there is only one passage which contains an exact\ndefinition of faith; and that you will find in the first verse of the\neleventh chapter of Paul\u2019s epistle to the Hebrews:\u2014\u201cNow faith is the\nsubstance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen\u201d\u2014or, as it\nmay be read\u2014the confidence of things hoped for, the conviction of things\nnot seen.  I am surprised that divines have taken so little notice of\nthis passage, in treating of the nature of faith.  Generally, they wander\nin the wilderness without a guide; they put out to sea without compass,\nchart, or helm.  Some of them make faith every thing, and others make it\nalmost nothing.  According to the apostle\u2019s definition, it consists of\nthese two things:\u2014a conviction of the truth of the gospel testimony\nrelative to things invisible, and a confidence in the character and word\nof the invisible Testifier.  This is a common-sense definition.  Here is\nno mystification or obscurity.  In this way the term faith is understood\nby all men.  In the ordinary transactions of business, we seldom mistake\neach other on this subject; why should we in the great concern of\nsalvation pending between us and God?\n\nHere is a man who has a note for an amount sufficient to support him\ncomfortably, were he to live a thousand years.  Still he appears very\nunhappy\u2014full of doubts and fears about his future subsistence.  Ask\nhim\u2014\u201cFriend, what think you of that note? is it genuine?\u201d  \u201cO yes,\u201d he\nreplies, \u201cI am perfectly satisfied that it is genuine.\u201d  \u201cWhat is the\nreason, then, that you are not more cheerful and happy?\u201d  \u201cAlas, I have\nno confidence in the bank.\u201d  The man is without faith.  True, he\nbelieves\u2014he believes that the note is not a counterfeit\u2014he is well\nsatisfied of its genuineness; but such a belief is not sufficient, while\nhe is suspicious of the bank\u2014produces no change in his feelings or his\nconduct.  But if, in addition to his conviction of the genuineness of the\nnote, he could be satisfied of the goodness of the bank, then you should\nfind him quite another man.  These two things united constitute\nfaith:\u2014Believing the truth of the gospel respecting things unseen; and\ntrusting in the power and faithfulness of God, through our Lord Jesus\nChrist, to fulfil his promises.  This is the faith that justifieth the\nungodly; this is the faith that overcometh the world.\n\nNow every one of you believes the truth of the gospel; but the promises\nof the gospel, which are worthy of all acceptation, some of you have not\naccepted\u2014are no more influenced by them than if they did not belong to\nyou.  The gospel contains a pearl of great price\u2014\u201can inheritance\nincorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away;\u201d but your confidence\nin the promise is feeble and inefficient\u2014does not lead you to prayer\u2014does\nnot influence your conduct, so as to bring you in possession of this\nheavenly treasure.  You have no faith.  You have one of the elements of\nfaith, but not the other.  You have the belief, but not the\nconfidence\u2014that part of faith which belongs to the intellect, but not\nthat which belongs to the heart.  Therefore you are still poor, and\nnaked, and miserable.\n\nThe Holy Scriptures record many admirable instances of true faith; in\nwhich confidence in the character, the providence, and the promises of\nGod, rises into the most perfect assurance.  Behold those women on the\nbank of the Nile.  They are making a basket of bulrushes, and plastering\nit with bitumen.  Placing the infant Moses therein, they commit the frail\nark to the floods.  Jochebed, why dost thou not fear that the child will\nbe drowned?  \u201cI believe the promises of God, I believe that he will do\ngood unto his people.  I trust in him for the salvation of Israel.\u201d\n\nSee that old man on mount Moriah.  He has built a rude altar, and laid\nfire and wood thereon.  He has bound his own son\u2014his only son\u2014his\nwell-beloved Isaac, and is about to offer him as a sacrifice.  Abraham,\nstay thy hand.  Wilt thou slay thy only son?  Then what will become of\nthe promise?  \u201cMy mind is easy.  I will obey God.  I believe he is able\nto raise Isaac from the dead.  I feel assured that he will return home\nwith me alive, and that from him will spring the Messiah.\u201d  So Abraham\ndetermined to offer Isaac upon the altar, for he confided in the\npromise\u2014\u201cIn Isaac shall thy seed be called.\u201d\n\nWe have another instance in the Centurion whose servant was healed by our\nLord.  He had perfect confidence in the word of Christ, even though\nChrist had given him no promise.  \u201cOnly say in a word,\u201d said he, \u201cand my\nservant shall be healed.  Thy word created the world; thy word has\nquickened the dead; and thy word can accomplish a cure without a journey\nto my house.\u201d  This is an instance of remarkable faith; and our Lord\ntestified\u2014\u201cI have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.\u201d\n\nWhatever the object of faith, it is always the same in its nature, though\nnot always the same in degree.  Christ said to his disciples\u2014\u201cO ye of\nlittle faith!\u201d and the apostle saith of Abraham\u2014\u201cHe was strong in faith,\ngiving glory to God.\u201d  Faith is represented in the Scriptures by a\nvariety of expressions, such as\u2014believing the testimony of God\u2014relying or\nstaying upon the Lord\u2014waiting upon him\u2014trusting in him\u2014looking unto\nhim\u2014coming to Christ\u2014putting on the Lord Jesus\u2014committing the keeping of\nthe soul to him, as unto a faithful Creator.  These different expressions\ndenote the several modifications of faith, and its several degrees of\nintensity; but they all fall under the apostolical definition noticed\nabove.\n\nThe language of the law was\u2014\u201cDo this and live.\u201d  The language of the\ngospel is\u2014\u201cBelieve on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt he saved.\u201d\nFaith in Christ is the prescribed and only condition of acceptance with\nGod.  Christ is the way, and the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto\nthe Father but by him.  Faith is the eye with which we behold his mercy;\nfaith is the hand by which we receive his blessings; faith is the golden\nchain which binds us to him for ever.  The necessity of faith in the\nmerit and righteousness of our Divine Mediator, as the condition of\nsalvation, is a truth which lies scattered over the surface of inspired\nScripture.  God has always owned and blessed its proclamation in the\nconversion of souls.  It was the article of Luther\u2019s emancipation from\nlegal bondage.  It was the master-key which unlocked the iron gates of\nAntichrist, and poured the true light over all Europe; so that neither\npope nor council, nor both together, could hide it again under a bushel.\nAnd in the church of England, even in its present weak and languid state,\nwhenever one of its ministers preaches clearly and faithfully this\nblessed doctrine, souls are given him as the seals of his ministry.\n\nThere is no end to the praises of faith.  Faith is the glass that draws\nfire from the Sun of Righteousness.  Faith is the wedding ring that joins\nthe sinner to Christ in an everlasting covenant.  Faith is the living\nprinciple of all holy obedience, working by love, and purifying the\nheart.  If God command a man to leave his country and his kindred, and go\ninto a strange land\u2014to offer his beloved son as a sacrifice upon the\naltar\u2014to build an ark on dry ground\u2014to go to the fiery furnace, or the\nlions\u2019 den\u2014to face his exasperated foes at Jerusalem, or hide from them\nin the caves of the mountains\u2014it is faith that prompts him to the painful\nduty, and sustains him therein, in spite of improbabilities; and amidst\ndifficulties, dangers, and deaths.\n\nII.  This brings us to notice the importance and utility of faith as a\nshield.  \u201cAnd above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall\nbe able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.\u201d\n\nFaith is in some respects the first of all the Christian graces.  It is\nthe beginning of spiritual life in the soul\u2014the originating and\nsustaining principle of all evangelical holiness.  Having faith, we have\nnothing to do but to add to it all the rest of our lives.  \u201cAdd to your\nfaith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance, and\nto temperance patience, and to patience godliness, and to godliness\nbrotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness charity.\u201d\n\nLove is in some respects superior to faith, and shall live and rejoice\nbefore the throne when faith shall have finished its work; but faith is\nan impenetrable shield, such as love cannot furnish, on the field of\nbattle.  The shield was a broad piece of defensive armor, worn ordinarily\non the left arm; and which, being movable, might be used to defend any\npart of the body.  According to Homer, the shields of some of the\nwarriors at the siege of Troy were made of sevenfold thick bull-hides,\ncovered with brass.\n\nThe value of \u201cthe shield of faith\u201d is seen in the case of David.  Look\ndown there in the valley.  There is Goliath of Gath, the chief of the\ngiants, blaspheming, and defying the armies of the living God.  His spear\nis as a weaver\u2019s beam, and his armor-bearer carries before him an\nenormous shield.  And there is a fine-looking young man going down to\nmeet him, without any visible weapons, except his shepherd\u2019s sling, and\nfive smooth stones from the brook.  David! hast thou no fear?  Rash\nyouth! is thy unpractised hand able to cope with the mailed champion of\nPhilistia?  \u201cI will go and meet him in the name of my God, for I know\nthat the Lord will deliver him into my hand.  God will avenge his people,\nand vindicate his own honor against the insults of his enemies.  He who\ndefended me against the lion and the bear will save me from the hand of\nthe blasphemer, and glorify himself this day before the thousands of\nIsrael.\u201d  He moves on, invincibly shielded by his faith, and the next\nmoment Goliath is slain with his own sword.\n\nLet us look again at the case of Abraham.  God said unto him\u2014\u201cTake now\nthy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the\nland of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering, upon one of the\nmountains that I will tell thee of.\u201d  Now the enemy assails him, in the\npersuasive language of natural affection, and carnal reasoning; and every\nword is like a flaming arrow in the patriarch\u2019s heart:\u2014\u201cAbraham! if thou\nobey this command, thou wilt disobey thereby many other commands.  God\nhath said\u2014\u2018Thou shalt not kill;\u2019 and wilt thou shed the blood of thy own\nchild?  Canst thou so trample upon the law of God, and all the tender\ninstincts of human nature?  How will thy servants regard thee\u2014how will\nthe world look upon thee, after so horrible a deed?  What will they think\nof thy God, when they hear that he has required at thy hand the\nimmolation of thy only son?  Will it not bring everlasting dishonor upon\nhis name?  And what will become of the Divine promise upon which thy\nfaith is built\u2014that from Isaac\u2019s loins shall spring the Messiah, the hope\nof the world?  Besides, thou wilt certainly break poor old Sarah\u2019s heart;\nshe will never be able to survive the loss, in so dreadful a manner, of\nher darling boy.  If thou hast any feelings of humanity in thy heart, any\nfear of God before thine eyes, any regard for the glory of his name among\nmen, refrain from that deed of blood!\u201d\n\nSuch were the \u201cfiery darts\u201d which \u201cthe wicked one\u201d hurled at the good\nman\u2019s heart, but they fell harmless upon his \u201cshield of faith.\u201d  \u201cHe\nstaggered not at the promise through unbelief.\u201d  \u201cHe conferred not with\nflesh and blood.\u201d  He rose up early in the morning, took Isaac and the\nservants, and set out for the appointed place of sacrifice.  He travelled\nthree days toward Moriah, with a settled purpose to cut Isaac\u2019s body in\npieces, and shed the blood of his heart upon the altar, and burn it to\nashes in the consuming flames.  He loved his son as his own soul, but the\ncommand of God was dearer to his heart.  \u201cAnd Abraham said unto his young\nmen\u2014Abide ye here with the ass, and I and the lad will go yonder, and\nworship, and come again to you;\u201d for he firmly believed that God would\nraise his son from the ashes of the altar, and that they would return\ntogether.  I see them ascending the hill\u2014O, what an ascent was that!\nNever was there a walk so sorrowful, till the great Antitype of Isaac\nascended the same mountain to \u201cmake his soul a sacrifice for sin.\u201d  The\naltar is built, the fire and the wood are placed thereon; and O for words\nto describe the feelings of both father and son, when Abraham laid hold\non Isaac, and took the knife to plunge it into his heart!  There is a\npause.  The patriarch\u2019s arm is stretched aloft, with the instrument of\ndeath.  God of mercy! is there no help for a father?  Earth cannot speak;\nbut there comes a voice from heaven; and O, with what melody it rings\nthrough Abraham\u2019s heart!\u2014\u201cAbraham!  Abraham! lay not thine hand upon the\nlad; for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld\nthy son, thine only son, from me.\u201d\n\nThere was the triumph of faith.  \u201cBy faith Abraham, when he was tried,\noffered up Isaac; and he that had received the promises offered up his\nonly begotten son, of whom it was said\u2014In Isaac shall thy seed be called;\naccounting that God was able to raise him up even from the dead, from\nwhence also he received him in a figure.\u201d  The patriarch\u2019s faith quenched\n\u201call the fiery darts of the wicked one,\u201d which were cast at him in this\ndreadful trial.\n\nThe arrows of the orientals were often poisoned at one end, and ignited\nat the other.  It is to this circumstance the apostle alludes in the\nphrase\u2014\u201cthe fiery darts of the wicked,\u201d or the wicked one.  Satan has his\nquiver full of impoisoned and flaming arrows, from which the servants of\nChrist would be much endangered without \u201cthe shield of faith.\u201d  He shot\none of them at Eve in Paradise, and set the whole world on fire, \u201cand it\nis set on fire of hell.\u201d  He shot an arrow of lust at David, and an arrow\nof fear at Peter; and both of them were dreadfully wounded in the back.\nHe shot an arrow of covetousness at Judas, and another at Ananias and\nSapphira; and having no \u201cshield of faith,\u201d they were smitten, and dropped\ndown into hell.\n\nThe devil is a fierce and malicious enemy, \u201cgoing about as a roaring\nlion, seeking whom he may devour.\u201d  Fain would he destroy all the holy\nfrom the earth.  His \u201cfiery darts\u201d inflame the heart with the love of\nsin, the fear of man, the torments of remorse, and the apprehensions of\njudgment and fiery indignation.  But when the heart is shielded by the\nfaith of the gospel\u2014when we clearly understand the truth as it is in\nJesus, cordially assent to it, appropriate it experimentally, and\nsurrender ourselves to its sanctifying influence\u2014they have no power to\ninjure, and the Christian is more than conqueror.\n\n\u201cCast not away, therefore, the beginning of your confidence, which hath\ngreat recompense of reward.\u201d  Grasp firmly the shield.  Whatever the\naspect of the fight, hold it fast till the end.  You will need it through\nall the campaign.  You will need it especially in your contest with \u201cthe\nlast enemy, which is death.\u201d  \u201cBe steadfast, immovable, always abounding\nin the work of the Lord.\u201d  So shall you be able to testify with Paul,\nwhen he anticipated the termination of the warfare\u2014\u201cI have fought a good\nfight; I have finished my course; I have kept the faith; and henceforth\nthere is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord\u2014the\nrighteous judge\u2014shall give unto me in that day.\u201d\n\n\n\nSERMON XXI.\nTHE PARACLETE.\n\n\n    \u201c_And I will pray the Father_, _and he shall give you another\n    Comforter_, _that he may abide with you for ever_; _even the Spirit\n    of Truth_, _whom the world cannot receive_, _because it seeth him\n    not_, _neither knoweth him_; _but ye know him_, _for he dwelleth with\n    you_, _and shall be in you_.\u201d\u2014John xiv. 16, 17.\n\nTHE Bible is a most wonderful book.  It came to us from heaven, and is\nstamped with the Spirit and the character of heaven.  It assails our\nfavorite maxims and customs, and declares that he who will be the friend\nof this world is the enemy of God.  It will consent to no compromise with\nsin.  It will not in the least accommodate itself to the carnal\ninclinations of the human heart.  What is written is written, and not one\njot or tittle can be altered till heaven and earth shall pass away.  It\nis the sword of God, by which he conquers the nations\u2014the instrument of\nhis grace, by which he renovates the world.  Like the ark in the land of\nthe Philistines, which was mightier than all their lords, and Dagon their\ngod, it is more than a match for the cunning and prowess of the Prince of\nDarkness and his hosts.  He who disobeys it kindles a volcano; he who\nobeys opens to himself a fountain of living waters.  And the secret of\nall its wonderful qualities and achievements is found in its Divine\ninspiration, and the power of the Holy Ghost which accompanies its\ntruths.  It is \u201cthe sword of the Spirit,\u201d and the Spirit that brought it\ninto the world continues in the world to wield it, and render it quick\nand powerful.\n\nThese remarks introduce to our consideration the mission and office of\nthe Holy Ghost, of which our Saviour speaks in the language of the text.\nAnd,\n\nI.  We remark, that the Holy Ghost is evidently not a Divine attribute\nmerely, but a Divine person.\n\nHis personality is proved by the terms applied to him in the text\u2014the\n\u201cComforter,\u201d and \u201cthe Spirit of Truth;\u201d and by many other passages where\nhe is spoken of in similar language\u2014language wholly incompatible with the\nidea of his being a mere attribute, and not a person.\n\nThe doctrine of his Divinity is sustained by so many texts that their\nmere quotation would be an irrefutable argument in its favor.  David\nsays\u2014\u201cThe Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue;\nthe God of Israel said,\u201d &c.  Here the Holy Ghost is called \u201cthe Spirit\nof the Lord,\u201d and \u201cthe God of Israel.\u201d  When Ananias \u201clied to the Holy\nGhost,\u201d it is said he \u201clied to God.\u201d  The ordinance of Baptism is ordered\nto be administered \u201cin the name of the Holy Ghost,\u201d as well as \u201cthe name\nof the Father and the Son;\u201d and his \u201cfellowship\u201d is equally invoked with\nthe love of the former, and the grace of the latter, in the apostolical\nbenediction.  Besides, every attribute that belongs to the Deity belongs\nto him.  He is omnipresent, omniscient, and eternal.  He is the Spirit of\ntruth, the Spirit of grace, and the Spirit of life.  His works also are\nthe works of God.  He creates and quickens, which is the prerogative of\nGod alone.  He renovates the soul.  He raised the body of Jesus, and will\nraise the bodies of all men in the last day.  Finally: Blasphemy against\nthe Son may be forgiven; but \u201cblasphemy against the Holy Ghost hath never\nforgiveness, neither in this world nor in that which is to come.\u201d  If,\nthen, the Father is God, and if the Son is God, so also is the Holy\nSpirit.\n\nII.  The Holy Ghost is the messenger and representative of Jesus Christ\nin the Church.\n\nTwo promises, like heavenly merchant-vessels, brought salvation to our\nworld.  The first was given in Eden, and fulfilled on Calvary.  The Son\nof God descended from heaven, suffered in our stead the curse of the law,\nspoiled the powers of death and hell, and returned to his Father, leaving\nanother promise, shortly to be fulfilled upon his people.  With what\nsupernatural power and unction the Holy Spirit manifested himself on the\nday of Pentecost!  Divine Comforter! what treasure bringest thou in thy\nvessel of grace?  \u201cThe things of Christ; and I will unload them to-day in\nthe region of Calvary.  I have come to fulfil the promise, to endow the\ndisciples with power from on high, and finish the work which the Son of\nGod has begun.\u201d  See those tongues of flame sitting upon the fishermen of\nGalilee; while strangers from many different countries hear from them,\neach in his own language, \u201cthe wonderful works of God.\u201d  Only think of\nthree thousand conversions in a day\u2014under a single sermon.  Three\nthousand hearts were wounded by the arrows of Divine love, through the\nstrongest breastplate ever made in hell.  This was the work of the Holy\nSpirit, taking of the things of Christ and showing them to the disciples.\nIt was Christ himself, manifesting himself through his agent.  The first\npromise brought the Messiah into the world in the flesh; the second, in\nthe Spirit\u2014the first, to be crucified; the second, to crucify the sins of\nhis people\u2014the first, to empty himself; the second, to fill the believer\nwith heavenly gifts and graces\u2014the first, to sanctify himself as a\nsin-offering upon the altar; the second, to give repentance and pardon as\na Prince and a Saviour.\n\nThe Holy Spirit is still on earth, prosecuting his gracious work, and\ncommunicating his heavenly gifts.  He strives with sinners, and quickens\nbelievers into spiritual life.  He dwells in the saints, leads them into\nall truth, and bears witness with their spirits that they are the\nChildren of God.  He illuminates their understanding, subdues their will,\npurifies their thoughts, and plants within them all holy principles and\naffections.  And this he does, not by an audible voice from heaven, but\nthrough the instrumentality of the word, and by secret impressions upon\nthe soul.  \u201cThe wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound\nthereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, nor whither it goeth; so is\nevery one that is born of the Spirit.\u201d  The operations of the Holy Ghost\nare seen only in their effects.  It is a drop of water becoming a\nfountain \u201cthat springeth up unto everlasting life.\u201d  It is a spark of\nfire, kindling a conflagration, which all the rivers of Belial cannot\nquench.\n\nIII.  The Holy Ghost is the Paraclete; that is, the Counselor and\nConsoler.  In our text, he is called the \u201cComforter.\u201d  \u201cAnd I will pray\nthe Father, and he shall give you another Comforter,\u201d\u2014according to the\noriginal, one to plead your cause.  The word is the same as that used to\ndesignate the Roman ambassadors, who were sent to other countries, as\nrepresentatives of the Roman power, to persuade enemies to submit, or\noffer terms of peace.\n\nA certain author observes, that the office of the Comforter is to\nreconcile enemies, and invigorate friends\u2014to console the dejected,\nstrengthen the enfeebled, and support the people of God in all the\nconflicts and trials of life.  It is by his grace that the believer\u2019s\nyouth is renewed as the eagle\u2019s, and all his languishing virtues are\nrevived, so that he can \u201crun and not weary\u2014walk and not faint.\u201d\n\nAnother part of his office in the Church is intercession.  As he pleads\nwith sinners on behalf of Christ in the gospel, so he pleads for\nbelievers in the court of heaven; not personally, like our blessed Lord,\nbut by inspiring the spirit of supplication in their hearts.  \u201cLikewise\nthe Spirit also helpeth our infirmities, for we know not what we should\npray for as we ought; but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us,\nwith groanings which cannot be uttered; and he that searcheth the hearts\nknoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession\nfor the saints according to the will of God.\u201d\n\nWhen other nations had offended the Romans, it was common for them,\nfearing the revenge of that mighty empire, to send messengers to Rome, to\nplead their cause, and treat for peace.  \u201cThe Spirit of Truth,\u201d having\nbrought sinners to repentance by pleading with them for Christ in the\ngospel, pours down upon them the spirit of grace and supplication, so\nthat they cry out for mercy, and this is virtually the Spirit of God\ncrying out within them.  What is the meaning of all that prayer and agony\nin the congregation?  The Spirit of God is there.  His hammer has broken\nthe rock\u2014his fire has melted the iron.  No other power could conquer\nthose proud rebellious hearts, and turn the blasphemer into a man of\nprayer.  Listen!  \u201cIf thou shouldst mark iniquity, O Lord, who could\nstand?\u201d  Hark again!  \u201cBut thou art a God ready to pardon; there is\nforgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.\u201d  It is the voice of\nthe Spirit, pleading in the awakened soul.  See that publican in the\ntemple, smiting upon his breast, and saying,\u2014\u201cGod be merciful to me a\nsinner!\u201d  The Holy Ghost has both convinced him of sin, and inspired him\nto pray for mercy.  No other agency can thus quicken the \u201cdead in\ntrespasses and sins,\u201d and turn the hearts of the children of men to the\nLord.  The gospel, in the hand of the Holy Spirit, \u201cis the power of God\nunto salvation.\u201d  The Holy Spirit can convince the world\u2014can rend the\nveil from the mind, and dissolve the ice around the heart.  He applies\nthe truth to the conscience, and makes the guilty read their own sentence\nof condemnation by the light of the fires of Sinai; and then he shows\nthem the atoning blood, and prompts them to pray for pardon.  He first\nconvinces them that they are sinking in \u201cthe horrible pit of miry clay;\u201d\nand then lets down to them the rope of the promise, bids them take hold\nby faith, draws them out, and sets their feet upon a rock, and puts into\ntheir mouth the new song of salvation\u2014\u201cO Lord, I will praise thee; for\nthough thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou\ncomfortest me!\u201d\n\nO that the \u201cSpirit of grace and supplication\u201d may ever rest upon us!  May\nwe plead for ourselves with God, as Jacob, when he wrestled for the\nblessing; or Bartimeus, when he besought the Saviour to restore his\nsight!  May we plead for sinners, as Abraham for Sodom, as Moses for\nIsrael, as Daniel for the captives, as the Centurion for his servant, and\nas the woman of Canaan for her daughter!\n\nIV.  The Holy Ghost is called \u201canother comforter;\u201d which suggests a\ndifference between his office in the church, and that of our Lord Jesus\nChrist.\n\nChrist, by his personal ministry on earth, was the Comforter of his\nlittle flock; and by his death upon the cross, the procurer of all the\ncomforts of them that believe; and when he ascended, \u201canother comforter\u201d\ncame down to take his place in the church, and communicate the blessings\nwhich he bought with his blood.  \u201cIf any man sin, we have an Advocate\nwith the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;\u201d who hath \u201centered into\nheaven itself, there to appear in the presence of God for us;\u201d while his\nagent and representative on earth dwells with his followers, leads them\ninto all truth, and carries on within them the process of sanctification.\nBoth are comforters\u2014both are advocates\u2014Christ above, and the Holy Spirit\nbelow\u2014Christ by his personal presence before the Father, and the Holy\nSpirit by his gracious influence in the believer\u2019s heart.\n\nChrist is making intercession on our behalf without us, and independently\nof us.  But the Holy Spirit is making intercession through us\u2014pleading in\nour prayers \u201cwith groanings that cannot be uttered.\u201d  He never acts\nwithout us.  True repentance and faith are his gifts, but they are also\nour exercises.  He draws us to Christ, but we must yield to his\nattractions.  He inspires us to pray, but the act of prayer is our own.\nHe \u201cworketh in us to will and to do of his good pleasure,\u201d but he does\nnot will and do for us.  He gives us the life and the power, but he\nrequires us to use them.  He leads us into all truth, but not unless we\nfollow him.  He sheds abroad the love of God in our hearts, but not\nunless we open our hearts to receive the communication.  He destroys the\nold man within us, and creates the new; but not unless we cordially\nresign ourselves to his influence, and earnestly co-operate with his\ngrace.\n\nChrist in heaven pleads for the reconciliation of sinners to God.  The\nHoly Spirit on earth awakens sinners, convinces them of sin, draws them\nto the throne of grace, and breathes into them intense prayers for\npardon.  He renews them, and purifies them, and makes them temples of his\ngrace, and heirs of glory.  He opens the blind eyes, and unstops the deaf\nears, and makes the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb\nto sing.  All the true conversions ever effected on earth are the results\nof his gracious power.\n\nChrist has bound up all the covenants, and carried them with him into\nheaven, and laid them down before the throne, having obtained eternal\nredemption for us; and the Holy Spirit has taken of the things of God,\nand brought them down to men.  Christ received gifts for us, and the Holy\nSpirit confers them upon us.  Christ receives from the Father; the Spirit\nreceives from Christ; and we receive from the Spirit.  Christ bought the\nchurch with his own blood, and the spirit prepares and presents her to\nhim as his bride.  Christ opened a way into the Holy of Holies, and the\nSpirit aids us to offer our sacrifices before the mercy-seat.  Christ is\nthe appointed medium of our intercourse with God, and the Spirit helps us\nto avail ourselves of that unspeakable privilege.  Christ in heaven is\nthe life of our redemption, and the Spirit upon earth is the life of the\ngospel and the ordinances.  \u201cI will draw all men unto myself\u201d\u2014is the\nmotto of Christ; \u201cI will draw all men unto Christ\u201d\u2014is the motto of the\nSpirit.\n\nV.  The Holy Ghost has taken up his permanent residence among the people\nof God.  \u201cThat he may abide with you for ever\u2014for he dwelleth with you\nand shall be in you.\u201d\n\nHis miraculous gifts were temporary; being no longer necessary, when the\ntruth was established in the conviction of mankind.  But his renovating\nand sanctifying grace is as much needed now as ever, and therefore has\nnever been taken from the world.  The primitive Christians, and\nChristians of the present day, in this respect, share the same privilege.\nIt is a \u201ccommon salvation;\u201d and the streams will never cease to flow,\nwhile there remain \u201cvessels of mercy\u201d to be filled.\n\nThe church in every age has suffered great loss in the death of her most\nable and efficient ministers.  The strongest pillars in the house have\nfallen; the tallest trees in the forest have been cut down.  \u201cThe\nfathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever?\u201d  Where\nare the apostles and evangelists?  What has become of the great reformers\nof every age?  They have gone the way whence they shall not return.  They\nhave ascended in their chariots of fire.  Though safe in heaven, they are\nlost to earth.  But the Holy Spirit is a \u201cComforter\u201d that shall \u201cabide\nwith you for ever.\u201d  The hands have all departed, one after another, and\nnew crews have been shipped from age to age; but the Captain is still\nalive; and has remained on board, ever since he first took the register\nand the compass, on the day of Pentecost; and will never leave the ship,\ntill he brings her in from her last voyage, and lays her up for ever!\n\nBrethren in the ministry! this is our consolation.  The Spirit that\nblessed the labors of David Jones, Daniel Rowlands, and Howell Harris,\nstill \u201cdwelleth with you, and shall be in you.\u201d  O let us seek his aid in\nour holy work, and pray for his outpouring upon our congregations!\n\nDelegates of the different churches! be of good courage!  You may not\nhave seen as many additions lately as in former times; but the Holy\nSpirit has not yet departed from the faithful.  You have heard of\nwonderful revivals in America, as well as in some parts of Wales.  The\n\u201cComforter\u201d is yet at work.  The illuminator of souls is yet at hand.\nThe office is yet open.  The blessing is yet offered.  O, let us all pray\nfor the Holy Spirit! let us look for his coming! let us wait for his\nsalvation!\n\n\n\nSERMON XXII.\nTHE FATHER AND SON GLORIFIED.\n\n\n    \u201c_Howbeit_, _when he_, _the Spirit of Truth_, _is come_, _he will\n    guide you into all truth_; _for he shall not speak of himself_; _but\n    whatsoever he shall hear_, _that shall he speak_; _and he will show\n    you things to come_.  _He shall glorify me_: _for he shall receive of\n    mine_, _and shall show it unto you_.  _All things that the Father\n    hath are mine_; _therefore_, _said I_, _that he shall take of mine_,\n    _and shall show it unto you_.\u201d\u2014John xvi. 13\u201315.\n\nTHE wonderful Providence which brought the Children of Israel out of the\nhouse of bondage was a chain of many links, not one of which could be\nomitted without destroying the beauty, and defeating the end of the\nDivine economy.  The family of Jacob come to Egypt in the time of\nfamine\u2014they multiply\u2014they are oppressed\u2014their cries reach to heaven\u2014God\nmanifests himself in the burning bush\u2014Moses is sent to Egypt\u2014miracles are\nwrought by his hand\u2014Pharaoh\u2019s heart is hardened\u2014the first-born are\nslain\u2014the passover is eaten\u2014the people depart, led by the pillar of\nGod\u2014the sea is divided\u2014and with many signs and wonders, the thousands of\nIsrael are conducted through the wilderness to the Promised Land.  Had\none of these links been wanting, the chain of deliverance had been\ndefective.\n\nSo, in the salvation of sinners by Jesus Christ, all the conditions and\npreparatives were essential to the completeness and glory of the scheme.\nThe Son of God must consent to undertake our cause, and become our\nsubstitute\u2014the promise must be given to Adam, and frequently repeated to\nthe patriarchs\u2014bloody sacrifices must be instituted to typify the\nvicarious sufferings of Messiah\u2014a long line of prophets must foretell his\nadvent, and the glory of his kingdom\u2014he must be born in Bethlehem,\ncrucified on Calvary, and buried in Joseph\u2019s new tomb\u2014must rise from the\ndead, ascend to the right hand of the Father, and send down the Holy\nSpirit to guide and sanctify his church.  Without all these\ncircumstances, the economy of redemption would have been incomplete and\ninefficient.\n\nThe last link in the chain is the mission and work of the Holy Spirit.\nThis is quite as important as any of the rest.  Our Saviour\u2019s heart seems\nto have been much set upon it during all his ministry, and especially\nduring the last few days before his crucifixion.  He spoke of it\nfrequently to his disciples, and told them that he would not leave them\ncomfortless, but would send them \u201canother Comforter,\u201d who should abide\nwith them for ever; and that his own departure was necessary, to prepare\nthe way for the coming of the heavenly Paraclete.  In our text, he\ndescribes the office of the Holy Spirit, and the specific relation which\nhe sustains to the work of salvation:\u2014\u201cHowbeit, when he, the Spirit of\nTruth, is come, he will guide you into all truth; for he shall not speak\nof himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak; and he\nwill show you things to come.  He shall glorify me; for he shall receive\nof mine, and shall show it unto you.  All things that the Father hath are\nmine; therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it\nunto you.\u201d\n\nThese words teach us two important truths\u2014_first_, That the Son is equal\nwith the Father; and _secondly_, That the Father and the Son are alike\nglorified in the economy of salvation.\n\nI.  The Son claims equality with the Father.  \u201cAll things that the Father\nhath are mine.\u201d\n\nThis sentence is very comprehensive and sublime\u2014an unquestionable\naffirmation of Messiah\u2019s \u201ceternal power and Godhead.\u201d  The same doctrine\nis taught us in many other recorded sayings of Christ, and sustained by\nall the prophets and apostles; and when I consider this declaration in\nconnection with the general strain of the inspired writers on the\nsubject, I seem to hear the Saviour himself addressing the world in the\nfollowing manner:\u2014\n\n\u201cAll things that the Father hath are mine.  His _names_ are mine.  I am\nJehovah\u2014the Mighty God, and the Everlasting Father\u2014the Lord of Hosts\u2014the\nLiving God\u2014the True God, and Eternal Life.\n\n\u201cHis _works_ are mine.  All things were made by me, and I uphold all\nthings by the word of my power.  My Father worketh hitherto, and I work;\nfor as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them, even so the\nSon quickeneth whom he will.  I am the author of universal being, and my\nhand moves all the machinery of providence.\n\n\u201cHis _honors_ are mine.  I have an indisputable right to the homage of\nall created intelligences.  I inhabit the praises of eternity.  Before\nthe foundation of the world, I was the object of angelic adoration; and\nwhen I became incarnate as a Saviour, the Father published his decree in\nheaven, saying:\u2014\u2018Let all the angels of God worship him!\u2019  It is his will,\nalso, that all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father\u2014in\nthe same manner, and the same degree.  He that honoreth the Son, honoreth\nthe Father; and he that honoreth not the Son, honoreth not the Father:\nfor I and my Father are one\u2014one in honor\u2014possessing joint interest and\nauthority.\n\n\u201cHis _attributes_ are mine.  Though as man and mediator I am inferior to\nthe Father; yet my nature is no more inferior to his, than the nature of\nthe Prince of Wales is inferior to the nature of the King of England.\nYou see me clothed in humanity; but in my original state, I thought it\nnot robbery to be equal with God.  I was in the beginning with God, and\npossessed the same eternity of being.  Like him, I am almighty,\nomniscient, and immutable; infinite in holiness, justice, goodness, and\ntruth.  All these attributes, with every other possible perfection,\nbelong to me in the same sense as they belong to the Father.  They are\nabsolute and independent, underived and unoriginated\u2014the essential\nqualities of my nature.\n\n\u201cHis _riches of grace_ are mine.  I am the mediator of the new\ncovenant\u2014the channel of my Father\u2019s mercies to mankind.  I have the keys\nof the house of David, and the seal of the kingdom of heaven.  I have\ncome from the bosom of the Father, freighted with the precious treasures\nof his good will to men.  I have sailed over the sea of tribulation and\ndeath, to bring you the wealth of the other world.  I am the Father\u2019s\nmessenger, publishing peace on earth\u2014a peace which I have purchased with\nmy own blood upon the cross.  It hath pleased the Father that in me all\nfulness should dwell\u2014all fulness of wisdom and grace\u2014whatever is\nnecessary for the justification, sanctification, and redemption of them\nthat believe.  My Father and I are one in the work of salvation, as in\nthe work of creation.  We have the same will, and the same intention of\nmercy toward the children of the great captivity.\n\n\u201cThe _objects of his love_ are mine.  He hath given them to me in an\neverlasting covenant.  He hath given me the heathen for an inheritance,\nand the uttermost parts of the earth for a possession.  They were mine by\nthe original right of creation; but now they are doubly mine by the\nsuperadded claim of redemption.  My Father, before the world was, gave me\na charter of all the souls I would redeem.  I have fulfilled the\ncondition.  I have poured out my soul unto death, and sealed the covenant\nwith the blood of my cross.  Therefore all believers are mine.  I have\nbought them with a price.  I have redeemed them from the bondage of sin\nand death.  Their names are engraven on my hands and my feet.  They are\nwritten with the soldier\u2019s spear upon my heart.  And of all that the\nFather hath given me, I will lose nothing.  I will draw them all to\nmyself; I will raise them up at the last day; and they shall be with me\nwhere I am, that they may behold my glory\u2014the glory which I had with the\nFather before the foundation of the world.\u201d\n\nII.  The Father and the Son are equally glorified in the economy of\nredemption, and the work of the Holy Spirit.\n\n1.  The Son glorifies the Father.  I hear him praying in the\ngarden:\u2014\u201cFather, I have glorified thee on the earth; I have finished the\nwork which thou gavest me to do.\u201d  I hear him again, amid the\nsupernatural gloom of Calvary, with a voice that rings through the\ndominions of death and hell, crying\u2014\u201cIt is finished!\u201d\n\nWhat mighty achievement hast thou finished to-day, blessed Jesus? and how\nhave thy unknown agony and shameful death glorified the Father?\n\n\u201cI have glorified the Father, by raising up those precious things which\nfell in Eden, and were lost in the abyss.\n\n\u201cI have raised up my Father\u2019s _law_.  I found it cast down to the earth,\nand trampled into the dust.  I have magnified and made it honorable.  I\nhave vindicated its authority in the sight of men and angels.  I have\nsatisfied its demands on behalf of my redeemed, and become the end of the\nlaw for righteousness to all who will receive me as their surety.\n\n\u201cI have raised up my Father\u2019s _name_.  I have declared it to my brethren.\nI have manifested it to the men whom he has given me.  I have given a new\nrevelation of his character to the world.  I have shown him to sinners,\nas a just God and a Saviour.  I have restored his worship in purity and\nspirituality upon earth.  I have opened a new and living way to his\nthrone of grace.  I have written the record of his mercy with my own\nblood upon the rocks of Calvary.\n\n\u201cI have raised up my Father\u2019s _image_.  I have imprinted it afresh upon\nhuman nature, from which it was effaced by sin.  I have displayed its\nexcellence in my own character.  I have passed through the pollutions of\nthe world, and the territory of death, without tarnishing its lustre, or\ninjuring its symmetry.  Though my visage is marred with grief, and my\nback plowed with scourges, and my hands and feet nailed to the accursed\ncross, not one trace of my Father\u2019s image has been obliterated from my\nhuman soul.  It is as perfect and as spotless now as when I lay in the\nmanger.  I will carry it unstained with me into heaven.  I will give a\nfull description of it in my gospel upon earth.  I will change my people\ninto the same image from glory to glory.  I will also renovate and\ntransform their vile bodies, and fashion them like unto my own glorious\nbody.  I will ransom them from the power of the grave; and because I\nlive, they shall live also\u2014the counterpart of my own immaculate\nhumanity\u2014mirrors to reflect my Father\u2019s glory for ever.\u201d\n\n2.  The Father glorifies the Son.  He prayed in the garden:\u2014\u201cAnd now,\nFather, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the glory which I had\nwith thee before the world was.\u201d  Was the petition granted?  Answer, ye\nRoman sentinels, who watched his sepulchre!  Answer, ye men of Galilee,\nwho gazed upon his chariot, as he ascended from the Mount of Olives!\n\nThe glorification of the Son by the Father implies all the honors of his\nmediatorial office\u2014all the crowns which he won by his victory over the\npowers of death and hell.  The Father raised him from the dead, and\nreceived him up into glory, as a testimony of his acceptance as the\nsinner\u2019s surety\u2014an expression of perfect satisfaction with his vicarious\nsacrifice upon the cross.  It was the just reward of his work; it was the\nfruit of his gracious travail.  He is \u201ccrowned with glory and honor for\nthe sufferings of death.\u201d  \u201cBecause he hath poured out his soul unto\ndeath,\u201d therefore \u201cGod also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name\nthat is above every name.\u201d\n\nWhat an honor would it be to a man, to receive eight or ten of the\nhighest offices in a kingdom!  Infinitely greater is the glory of\nEmmanuel.  His name includes all the offices and titles of the kingdom of\nheaven.  The Father hath made him \u201cboth Lord and Christ\u201d\u2014that is, given\nhim the supreme prerogatives of government and salvation.  \u201cHim hath God\nexalted to be a prince and a Saviour, to give repentance to Israel, and\nremission of sins.\u201d  He is \u201chead over all things in the church\u201d\u2014Prime\nMinister of the kingdom of heaven\u2014Lord Treasurer, dispensing the bounties\nof Divine grace to mankind\u2014Lord High-Chancellor of the realm, and Keeper\nof the Great Seal of the living God; holding in his hand the charter of\nour redemption, and certifying the authenticity of the Divine\ncovenant\u2014Lord Chief Justice of heaven and earth, having all power and\nauthority to administer the laws of Providence throughout the\nuniverse\u2014the Chief Prince\u2014the General of the army\u2014the Captain of the\nLord\u2019s host\u2014the Champion who conquered Satan, Sin, and Death; bruising\nthe head of the first, destroying the power of the second, and swallowing\nup the third in victory.  He hath the keys of hell and of death.  He\nshutteth, and no man openeth; he openeth, and no man shutteth.  He bears\nall the honors of his Father\u2019s house; and concentrates in himself all the\nglories of Supreme Divinity, redeemed humanity, and \u201cmediator between God\nand man.\u201d\n\n3.  The Holy Spirit glorifies Father and Son together.  He is procured\nfor the world by the blood of the Son, and sent into the world by the\nauthority of the Father; so that both are alike represented in his\nmission, and equally glorified in his office.  The gracious things which\nthe Father gave into the hands of the Son when he descended from heaven,\nthe Son gave into the hands of the Spirit when he returned to heaven.\n\u201cAll things that the Father hath are mine; and he shall take of mine, and\nshall show it unto you.\u201d\n\nThis is the object of the Spirit\u2019s advent, the communication of the\nthings of Christ to men.  What are the things of Christ?  His merit, his\nmercy, his image, his gospel, his promises, all the gifts of his grace,\nall the treasures of his love, and all the immunities of eternal\nredemption.  These the Father hath given to the Son, as the great Trustee\nof the church; and the Son hath given them to the Spirit, as the\nappointed agent of their communication.\n\nA ship was laden in India, arrived safe in London, unloaded her precious\ncargo, and the goods were soon distributed all over the country, and\noffered for sale in a thousand stores.  The Son of God brought immense\nriches of Divine grace from heaven to earth, which are all left to the\ndisposal of the Holy Spirit, and freely proffered to the perishing\nwherever the gospel is preached.\n\nThe Holy Spirit came not to construct a new engine of mercy, but to\npropel that already constructed by Christ.  Its first revolution rent the\nrocks of Calvary, and shook the rocky hearts of men.  Its second\nrevolution demolished the throne of death, burst his prison-doors, and\nliberated many of his captives.  Its third revolution carried its builder\nup into the heaven of heavens, and brought down the Holy Spirit to move\nits machinery for ever.  Its next revolution, under the impulse of this\nnew Agent, was like \u201cthe rushing of a mighty wind\u201d among the assembled\ndisciples at Jerusalem, kindled a fire upon the head of every Christian,\ninspired them to speak all the languages of the babbling earth, and\nkilled and quickened three thousand souls of the hearers.\n\nThe Holy Spirit is still on earth, glorifying the Father and the Son.  He\nconvinces the world of sin.  He leads men to Christ, through the rivers\nof corruption, the mountains of presumption, and the terrible bogs of\ndespair, affording them no rest till they come to the city of refuge.  He\ncontinues on the field to bring up the rear; while the Captain of our\nSalvation, on his white horse, rides victorious in the van of battle.  He\nstrengthens the soldiers\u2014\u201cfaint, yet pursuing;\u201d raises the fallen;\nencourages the despondent; feeds them with the bread of life, and the new\nwine of the kingdom; and leads them on\u2014\u201cconquering, and to conquer.\u201d\n\nHis work will not be finished till the resurrection.  Then will he\nquicken our mortal bodies.  Then will he light his candle, and sweep the\nhouse till he find every lost piece of silver.  Then will he descend into\nthe dark caves of death, and gather all the gems of redeemed humanity,\nand weave them into a crown for Emmanuel, and place that crown upon\nEmmanuel\u2019s head, amid the songs of the adoring seraphim!\n\nThus the Holy Spirit glorifies the Father and the Son.  Let us pray for\nthe outpouring of his grace upon the church.  In proportion to his\nmanifestation in our hearts, will be our \u201cknowledge of the light of the\nglory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.\u201d  Nor is this all; in\nproportion to the visitations of the Holy Spirit, will be the purity of\nour lives, the spirituality of our worship, the ardor of our zeal and\ncharity, and the extent of our usefulness to the cause of Christ.  Would\nyou see a revival of religion? pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit\nupon you, to sanctify your hearts and your lives, that your light may \u201cso\nshine before men, that others may see your good works, and glorify your\nFather who is in heaven.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhen thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry\ntrees, then thou shalt bestir thyself; for then the Lord shall go out\nbefore thee, to strike the hosts of the Philistines.\u201d  Brethren, this is\nthe time.  The mulberry trees are shaking.  God is going before his\npeople, to prepare their way to victory.  The hand of Divine Providence\nis opening a great and effectual door for the gospel.  The mountains are\nlevelled, the valleys are exalted, and a highway is cast up in the\nwilderness for our God.  The arts of printing and navigation, the\nincreasing commerce of the world, the general prevalence of the spirit of\npeace, the rapid march of literature and science, and the correspondence\nof eminent and leading men in every nation, are so many preparatives for\nthe moral conquest of the world.  The Captain of our Salvation, on the\nwhite horse of the gospel, can now ride through Europe and America: and\nwill soon lead forth his army to take possession of Asia and Africa.  The\nwings of the mighty angel are unbound, and he is flying in the midst of\nheaven.\n\nAgain: Christians are better informed concerning the moral state of the\nworld than formerly.  If my neighbor\u2019s house were on fire, and I knew\nnothing of it, I could not be blamed for rendering him no assistance; but\nwho could be guiltless in beholding the building in flames, without an\neffort to rescue its occupants?  Brethren, you have heard of the\nperishing heathen.  You have heard of their dreadful superstitions, their\nhuman sacrifices, and their abominable rites.  You have heard of\nJuggernaut, and the River Ganges, and the murder of infants, and the\nimmolation of widows, and the worship of idols and demons.  You know\nsomething of the delusion of Mohammedism, the cruel and degrading\nignorance of Popery, and how millions around you are perishing for lack\nof knowledge.  Do you feel no solicitude for their souls\u2014no desire to\npluck them as brands from the burning?\n\nWhat can we do?  The Scriptures have been translated into nearly all the\nlanguages of the babbling earth.  Missionaries have gone into many\nlands\u2014have met the Indian in his wigwam, the African in his Devil\u2019s-bush,\nand the devotee on his way to Mecca.  We can furnish more men for the\nfield, and more money to sustain them.  But these things cannot change\nand renovate the human heart.  \u201cNot by might, nor by power, but by my\nSpirit, saith the Lord.\u201d  This is the grand regenerating agency.  He\nalone can convince and save the world.  His aid is given in answer to\nprayer; and the Father is more ready to give than we are to ask.\n\nMr. Ward, one of the Baptist missionaries in India, in a missionary\ndiscourse at Bristol, said,\u2014\u201cBrethren, we need your money, but we need\nyour prayers more.\u201d  O, what encouragement we have to pray for our\nmissionaries!  Thus saith the Lord:\u2014\u201cI will pour water upon him that is\nthirsty, and floods upon the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon thy\nseed, and my blessing upon thine offspring.\u201d  Let us plead with God for\nthe accomplishment of the promise.  \u201cYe that make mention of the Lord,\nkeep not silence, and give him no rest till he make Jerusalem a praise in\nthe whole earth.\u201d\n\nBrethren in the ministry! let us remember that all our success depends\nupon the aid of the Holy Spirit, and let us pray constantly for his\nblessing upon the word!  Brethren in the church! forget not the\nconnection between the work of the Holy Spirit and the glory of your Best\nFriend, and earnestly entreat him to mingle his sanctifying unction with\nthe treasures of Divine Truth contained in these earthen vessels!\n\u201cFinally, brethren, pray for us; that the word of the Lord may have free\ncourse and be glorified;\u201d and all the ends of the earth see the salvation\nof our God!\n\n    \u201cHasten, Lord, the glorious time,\n       When, beneath Messiah\u2019s sway,\n    Every tribe, in every clime,\n       Shall the gospel call obey!\n\n    \u201cThen shall wars and tumults cease;\n       Then be banished grief and pain\n    Righteousness, and joy, and peace,\n       Undisturbed, for ever reign!\u201d\n\n\n\n\nEXTRACTS.\n\n\nI.  THE DEMONIAC OF GADARA.\n\n\n                           _Luke_ viii. 26\u201339.\n\n\u201cAND when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain\nman, which had devils a long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in\nany house, but in the tombs.\u201d\n\nI imagine that this demoniac was not only an object of pity, but he was\nreally a terror in the country.  So terrific was his appearance, so\ndreadful and hideous his screams, so formidable, frightful, and horrid\nhis wild career, that all the women in that region were so much alarmed\nthat none of them dared go to market.\n\nAnd what made him still more terrible was the place of his abode: It was\nnot in a city, where some attention might be paid to order and\ndecorum\u2014(though he would sometimes ramble into the city as in this case.)\nIt was not in a town, or village, or any house whatever, where assistance\nmight be obtained in case of necessity; but it was among the tombs, and\nin the wilderness\u2014not far, however, from the turnpike road.  No one could\ntell but that he might jump at them, like a panther, and scare them to\ndeath.  The gloominess of the place made it more awful and solemn.  It\nwas among the tombs\u2014where, in the opinion of some, all witches,\ncorpse-candles, and hobgoblins abide.\n\nOne day, however, Mary was determined that no such nuisance should be\nsuffered in the country of the Gadarenes.  The man must be clothed,\nthough he was mad and crazy.  And if he should at any future time strip\nhimself, tie up his clothes in a bundle, throw them into the river, and\ntell them to go to see Abraham, he must be tied and taken care of.  Well,\nthis was all right\u2014no sooner said than done.  But, so soon as the fellow\nwas bound in chains and fetters, Samson-like, he broke the bands asunder,\nand could not be tamed.\n\nBy this time, the devil became offended with the Gadarenes, and in a pout\nhe took the demoniac away, and drove him into the wilderness.  He thought\nthe Gadarenes had no business to interfere and meddle with his property;\nfor he had possession of the man.  And he knew, that \u201ca bird in the hand\nis worth two in the bush.\u201d  It is probable that he wanted to send him\nhome; for there was no knowing what might happen now-a-days.  But there\nwas too much matter about him to send him as he was; therefore, he\nthought the best plan would be to persuade him to commit suicide by\ncutting his throat.  But here Satan was at a nonplus\u2014his rope was too\nshort\u2014He could not turn executioner himself, as that would not have\nanswered the design he has in view, when he wants people to commit\nsuicide; for the act would have been his own sin and not the man\u2019s.  The\npoor demoniac, therefore, must go about to hunt a sharp stone, or any\nthing that he could get.  He might have been in search of such an\narticle, when he returned from the wilderness into the city, whence he\ncame when he met the Son of God.\n\n\u201cJesus commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man.  And when he\nsaw Jesus he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice\nsaid, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high?  I\nbeseech thee torment me not.\u201d\n\nHere is the devil\u2019s confession of faith.  The devils believe and tremble,\nwhile men make a mock of sin, and sport on the brink of eternal ruin.  To\nmany of the human race, Christ appears as a root out of dry ground.  They\nsee in him neither form nor comeliness, and there is no beauty in him\nthat they should desire him.  Some said he was the carpenter\u2019s son, and\nwould not believe in him; others said he had a devil, and that it was\nthrough Beelzebub the chief of the devils, that he cast out devils; some\ncried out, Let him be crucified\u2014let him be crucified; and others said,\nLet his blood be on us and on our children.  As the Jews would not have\nhim to reign over them; so many, who call themselves Christians, say that\nhe is a mere man; as such, he has no right to rule over their\nconsciences, and demand their obedience, adoration, and praise.  But\nDiabolus knows better\u2014Jesus is the Son of God most high.\n\nMany of the children of the devil, whose work they do, differ very widely\nfrom their father in their sentiments respecting the person of Christ.\n\n\u201cJesus commanded the legion of unclean spirits to come out of the man.\u201d\nThey knew that out they must go.  But they were like Scotchmen\u2014very\nunwilling to return to their own country.  They would rather go into\nhogs\u2019 skins than to their own country.  And he suffered them to go into\nthe herd of swine.  Methinks that one of the men who fed the hogs, kept a\nbetter look out than the rest of them, and said, \u201cWhat ail the hogs?\nLook sharp there, boys\u2014keep them in\u2014make good use of your whips.  Why\ndon\u2019t you run?  Why, I declare, one of them has gone over the cliff!\nThere goes another!  Drive them back.\u201d  Never was there such a running,\nand whipping, and hallooing; but down go the hogs, before they are aware\nof it.  One of them said, \u201cThey are all gone!\u201d  \u201cNo, sure not all gone\ninto the sea!\u201d  \u201cYes, every one of them, the black hog and all!  They are\nall drowned!\u2014the devil is in them!  What shall we do now?\u2014what can we say\nto the owners?\u201d  \u201cWhat can we say?\u201d said another.  \u201cWe must tell the\ntruth\u2014that is all about it.  We did our best\u2014all that was in our power.\nWhat could any man do more?\u201d\n\nSo they went their way to the city, to tell the masters what had\nhappened.  \u201cJohn, where are you going,\u201d exclaimed one of the masters.\n\u201cSir, did you know the demoniac that was among the tombs there?\u201d\n\u201cDemoniac among the tombs!  Where did you leave the hogs?\u201d  \u201cThat madman,\nsir\u2014\u201d  \u201cMadman!\u2014Why do you come home without the hogs?\u201d  \u201cThat wild and\nfurious man, sir, that mistress was afraid of so much\u2014\u201d  \u201cWhy John, I ask\nyou a plain and simple question\u2014why don\u2019t you answer me?  Where are the\nhogs?\u201d  \u201cThat man who was possessed with the devils, sir\u2014\u201d  \u201cWhy, sure\nenough, you are crazy!\u2014you look wild!\u2014tell me your story, if you can, let\nit be what it may.\u201d  \u201cJesus Christ, sir, has cast out the unclean spirits\nout of the demoniac; they are gone into the swine; and they are all\ndrowned in the sea; for I saw the tail of the last one!\u201d  The Gadarenes\nwent out to see what was done, and finding that it was even so, they were\nafraid, and besought Jesus to depart from them.\n\nHow awful must be the condition of those men who love the things of this\nworld more than Jesus Christ!\n\nThe man out of whom the unclean spirits were cast, besought Jesus that he\nmight be with him.  But he told him to return to his own house, and show\nhow great things God had done unto him.  And he went his way and\npublished throughout the whole city of Decapolis, how great things Jesus\nhad done unto him.  The act of Jesus casting so many devils out of him,\nwas sufficient to persuade him that Jesus was God as well as man.\n\nI imagine I see him going through the city, crying\u2014\u201cO yes!  O yes!  O\nyes!\u2014Please to take notice of me, the demoniac among the tombs.  I am the\nman who was a terror to the citizens of this place\u2014that wild man, who\nwould wear no clothes, and that no man could bind.  Here am I, now, in my\nright mind.  Jesus Christ, the friend of sinners, had compassion on me.\nHe remembered me when I was in my low estate\u2014when there was no eye to\npity, and no hand to save.  He cast out the devils and redeemed my soul\nfrom destruction.\u201d\n\nMost wonderful must have been the surprise of the people, to hear such\nproclamation.  The ladies running to the windows, the shoemakers throwing\ntheir lasts one way and their awls another, running out to meet him and\nto converse with him, that they might be positive there was no\nimposition, and found it to be a fact that could not be contradicted.\n\u201cO, the wonder of all wonders!  Never was there such a thing!\u201d\u2014must, I\nthink, be the general conversation.\n\nAnd while they are talking and everybody having something to say,\nhomeward goes the man.  As soon as he comes in sight of the house, I\nimagine I see one of the children running in, and crying, \u201cO, mother!\nfather is coming\u2014he will kill us all!\u201d  \u201cChildren, come all into the\nhouse,\u201d says the mother.  \u201cLet us fasten the doors.  I think there is no\nsorrow like my sorrow!\u201d says the broken-hearted woman.  \u201cAre all the\nwindows fastened, children?\u201d  \u201cYes, mother.\u201d  \u201cMary, my dear, come from\nthe window\u2014don\u2019t be standing there.\u201d  \u201cWhy, mother, I can hardly believe\nit is father!  That man is well-dressed.\u201d  \u201cO yes, my dear children, it\nis your own father.  I knew him by his walk the moment I saw him.\u201d\nAnother child stepping to the window, says, \u201cWhy, mother, I never saw\nfather coming home as he does to-day.  He walks on the footpath and turns\nround the corner of the fence.  He used to come towards the house as\nstraight as a line, over fences, ditches, and hedges; and I never saw him\nwalking as slow as he does now.\u201d\n\nIn a few moments, however, he arrives at the door of the house, to the\ngreat terror and consternation of all the inmates.  He gently tries the\ndoor, and finds no admittance.  He pauses a moment, steps towards the\nwindow, and says in a low, firm, and melodious voice\u2014\u201cMy dear wife, if\nyou will let me in, there is no danger.  I will not hurt you.  I bring\nyou glad tidings of great joy.\u201d  The door is reluctantly opened, as it\nwere between joy and fear.  Having deliberately seated himself, he says:\n\u201cI am come to show you what great things God has done for me.  He loved\nme with an eternal love.  He redeemed me from the curse of the law and\nthe threatenings of vindictive justice.  He saved me from the power and\nthe dominion of sin.  He cast out the devils out of my heart, and made\nthat heart, which was a den of thieves, the temple of the Holy Spirit.  I\ncannot tell you how much I love the Saviour.  Jesus Christ is the\nfoundation of my hope, the object of my faith, and the centre of my\naffections.  I can venture my immortal soul upon him.  He is my best\nfriend.  He is altogether lovely\u2014the chief among ten thousand.  He is my\nwisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.  There is enough\nin him to make a poor sinner rich, and a miserable sinner happy.  His\nflesh and blood is my food\u2014his righteousness my wedding garment\u2014and his\nblood is efficacious to cleanse me from all my sins.  Through him I can\nobtain eternal life; for he is the brightness of the Father\u2019s glory, and\nthe express image of his person: in whom dwelleth all the fullness of the\nGodhead bodily.  He deserves my highest esteem and my warmest gratitude.\nUnto him who loved me with an eternal love, and washed me in his own\nblood, unto him be the glory, dominion, and power, for ever and ever!\nFor he has rescued my soul from hell.  He plucked me as a brand out of\nthe burning.  He took me out of the miry clay, and out of a horrible pit.\nHe set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings, and put in my\nmouth a new song of praise and glory to him!  Glory to him for\never!\u2014Glory to God in the highest!\u2014Glory to God for ever and ever!  Let\nthe whole earth praise him!\u2014Yea, let all the people praise him!\u201d\n\nIt is beyond the power of the strongest imagination to conceive the joy\nand gladness of this family.  The joy of seafaring men delivered from\nshipwreck; the joy of a man delivered from a burning house; the joy of\nnot being found guilty to a criminal at the bar; the joy of receiving\npardon to a condemned malefactor; the joy of freedom to a prisoner of\nwar, is nothing in comparison to the joy of him who is delivered from\ngoing down to the pit of eternal destruction.  For it is a joy\nunspeakable and full of glory.\n\n\n\nII.  ENTERING THE PORT.\n\n\n    \u201c_For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the\n    ever-lasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ_.\u201d\u20142 Pet.\n    i. 11.\n\nTHIS language seems to be borrowed from the case of a ship bringing her\npassengers to port on a pleasant afternoon, her sails all white and\nwhole, and her flags majestically waving in the breeze; while the\nrelatives of those on board ascend the high places, to see their brothers\nand their sisters returning home in safety from the stormy main.  How\npleasant to a man who is about to emigrate to the new world, America,\nwhen he meets with some one that has been there, and who is well\nacquainted with the coast, knows the best landing-place, and will\naccompany him on his passage.  \u201cThough I walk through the valley and the\nshadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and\nthy staff they comfort me.\u201d  He who passed through death himself, and is\nLord of the sea, is our High-priest; and, with his priestly vestments on,\nhe will stand in Jordan\u2019s current till the feeblest in all the tribes\nshall be safely landed on Canaan\u2019s shore.  How delightful must be the\nfeelings of the dying Christian, the testimony of whose conscience unites\nwith the witness of the spirit, to assure him that Jesus has paid his\nfare: and who knows he carries in his hand the white stone with the new\nname, to be exhibited on the pier-head, the other side, hard by his\nFather\u2019s house.  This is an abundant entrance, on a fair day, over a fine\nsea, with a pleasant breeze swelling every sail.  \u201cNow lettest thou thy\nservant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation.\u201d\n\nO how different the entrance ministered to the careless professor\u2014the\nfruitless and idle\u2014who keeps his hand in his bosom, or leaning upon his\nimplements!  Though he may reach the shore with his life, it will be at\nmidnight, surrounded by roaring tempests, full of bitter remembrances and\nmost tormenting fears.  Yet, with tattered sails and broken ropes,\nperadventure he may gain the port; \u201cfor the Lord is good, and his mercy\nendureth for ever.\u201d  But who shall describe the condition of the ungodly,\ndriven out to sea in all their wickedness; not even allowed a quarantine\nwithin sight of the heavenly Jerusalem, but obliged to drift about,\ndismantled and disabled, amid the darkness of eternal storms!  Oh! to be\nforced from their moorings at midnight, when they cannot see a\nhandbreadth before them; the thunders rolling; the lightnings flashing;\nstrange voices of wrath mingling with every blast; and the great bell of\neternity tolling a funeral knell for the lost soul, through all its\ndismal, and solitary, and everlasting voyage!  Let us flee for refuge, to\nlay hold on the hope set before us, which hope is as an anchor of the\nsoul, sure and steadfast, grasping the Rock of Ages within the vail!\n\n\n\nIII.  THE UNCLEAN SPIRIT IN DRY PLACES.\n\n\nI SEE the wicked spirit, like a winged dragon, having a long tail,\ndrawing circles and flying in the air, in search of a dwelling-place.\nCasting his fiery look upon a certain neighborhood, he spies a young man,\nin the bloom of his days, and in the strength of his powers, sitting on\nthe box of his cart, going for lime.  \u201cThere he is,\u201d says the old hellish\ndragon; \u201chis veins are full of blood, and his bones are full of marrow; I\nwill cast the sparks into his bosom, and will set all his lusts on fire;\nI will lead him on from bad to worse, until he commit every sin.  I will\nmake him a murderer, and will plunge his soul for ever beneath the\nboiling billows of the great fiery furnace.\u201d  With this, I see him\ndescending in all the vehemence of his character\u2014but when close by the\nlad, the dragon hears him sing,\n\n    \u201cWhen on the cross the Saviour hung,\n       The mid-day sank in midnight gloom;\n    When guilty sinners were redeemed,\n       The midnight burst in mid-day bloom.\u201d\n\nUpon which the dragon cries out, \u201cThis place is too dry for me,\u201d\u2014and away\nhe flies.\n\nI see him again, a second time, hovering in the air, and seeking for a\nresting-place.  In a flowery meadow, by a river of clear water, he sees a\nmaiden, eighteen years of age, among the kine, picking up some beautiful\nflowers, here and there.  \u201cBehold her,\u201d says Apollyon, full of hellish\njoy; \u201cI will poison her mind, and lead her astray from the paths of the\nAlmighty enemy; I will make her a harlot, and will ultimately cast her\nover the precipice, until she sink for ever in the furnace of divine\nwrath.\u201d  He hastens down; and, approaching the maiden, finds her singing\nthe following stanzas, in a heavenly, transporting frame of mind, and\nwith a voice that might almost melt the rocks:\n\n    \u201cUnto the righteous will arrive,\n       A day of rest serene,\n    When to their joy they see the Lord,\n       Without a vail between.\n\n    \u201cThen from the grave I shall arise,\n       And take my joyful stand\n    Among the saints who dwell on high,\n       Received at God\u2019s right hand.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis place is too dry for me,\u201d says the dragon, and off he flies.\n\nFrom the meadow he ascends like a great balloon, with renewed rage,\nblowing smoke and fire from his mouth, and threatening damnation to all\ncreation.  \u201cI will have a place to rest and dwell in,\u201d says Apollyon, \u201cin\nspite of the purpose, covenant, and grace of God!\u201d  With this he espies\nan aged woman, sitting at the door of her cot, and spinning on her little\nwheel.  \u201cAh, she is ripe for destruction,\u201d says the dragon; \u201cI will give\nher a taste of the burning gall of damnation, and will cast her into the\nlake that burneth with fire and brimstone.\u201d  With this he descends on the\neaves of the cot, and hears the old woman, with a trembling voice, but\nwith heavenly feelings, repeat the following beautiful passage: \u201cFor the\nmountains shall depart, and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall\nnot depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed,\nsaith the Lord that hath mercy on thee!\u201d  \u201cThis place is too dry for me,\u201d\nsays the dragon, and is off again.\n\nIt might be thought that all these disappointments would discourage him\nfrom prosecuting his infernal designs farther; but not so: he is\ndetermined, if possible, to find a dwelling-place.  For this purpose he\nrises again, to mark some spot where he may alight and find a welcome.\nHe sees in a small village a neat and decent house of refreshment.\n\u201cThere,\u201d says he, \u201cwill I dwell, and lead to bondage every one that shall\ncross the threshold, and make him fast in eternal fetters.\u2019\u201d  He flies\ndown like lightning, enters the house, and walks into the parlor; but\nthere he finds a company of ministers of the New Testament, returning\nfrom an Association, who are talking about the victory of Calvary, and\nexchanging appointments with each other.  The wicked spirit cannot stay\nwithin the sound of their voice, but retreats with hasty steps, muttering\nand growling as he goes,\u2014\u201cThis place is too dry for me, I will return to\nmy house from which I came out!\u201d\n\n\n\nIV.  SATAN AN ANGEL OF LIGHT.\n\n\nSATAN perceived that it would be convenient and advantageous for him to\nhave two suits of clothes.  A suit of flaming, impurpled, and blackish\nred was his raiment since he instigated the rebellion in heaven: this he\nwears at home.  This is the garment that is emblematic of his wrath and\ncruelty against El-Shaddai.  He transformed himself when he tempted the\nfirst Adam, and succeeded in casting him down.  The Second Adam knew him,\nwhen he required him to obey his command, and worship him instead of the\ntrue God.  The Second Adam would die, rather than eat bread made out of a\nstone by the command of Satan.\n\nIt was in his flaming, bloody, black-red garb that Satan appeared among\nthe persecutors, both pagan and popish, lighting up the funeral fires of\nthe Martyrs.  But he soon found it necessary to have a suit of white,\ndescriptive of his cunning and hypocrisy; and he ordered white garments\nfor his servants also, to wear upon certain occasions, when from home\nupon his expeditions.  He met with reception in his white robe, angel\nlike, in many places where he would not have been received at all in his\nsuit of flaming red-black, in which he took the lead at pastimes, Sabbath\nplays, in taverns, and horse-races.  But in his white robe he had an\nearly admittance into many a cathedral, and he appointed some of his\nservants to offices there.\n\nHe also, in his white suit, found his way into the houses of evangelical\ndissenters, though they profess to have a book which exhibits his\ndevices.  Notwithstanding all the watching that had been at the doors, he\nrushed in to the communion table, as he had done to the consecrated altar\nof the cathedral, and sowed discord between the minister and the deacons;\nand he himself undertook the managing matters between them, seated in his\nchair and vested in his white robe.  He forced many to assume a\nprofession, like tares of the field; and some also of his best beloved\nservants, who were utterly destitute of the love of Christ and the fear\nof God, he raised into the pulpit, while they were living in secret sins;\nbut they all had a white robe, as white as the sepulchres of the\nPharisees, covering all these things.  Satan held these up to deceive\nbefore the eye of God, and all the terrors of eternity.  To sustain them\nfrom fainting, he administered unto them his potions from the pitcher of\npresumption; and hardened their consciences with the hot iron of\nhypocrisy, heated in the fire of hell.  He taught them to persecute\nreligion in the garb of an angel.\n\nLet us not give room to the devil in his white raiment!  When he attempts\nto destroy the character of a brother, he assumes his white robe, and not\nhis murdering garment, pretending to vindicate the glory of God and the\ncause of justice, asserting that the cause of religion must be cleared;\nwhile all this time envy rankles in his heart, notwithstanding his fair\npretences, as when the Jews delivered Jesus to be crucified.  It was his\nwhite garment that Satan wore in the court of Caiaphas, when he charged\nthe true God with blasphemy.  This garb, also, his servant Judas wore,\nwhen he displayed such zeal and sympathy for the poor, in the case of the\nointment at Bethany.  Let us ask grace, that we may be able to recognise\nthe devil in his white raiment, as well as in his old black-red garb.  He\nis not so easily distinguished in his borrowed white, as in his own\nproper suit.  Let us cleanse out hypocrisy.  Such is our instruction.\n\n\n\nV.  THE YOUNG CHILD.\n\n\nHEROD said to the wise men, \u201cGo and search diligently for the young\nchild.\u201d  The magi immediately commenced their inquiries, according to the\ninstructions they received.  I see them approaching some village, and\nwhen they come to the gate they inquire, \u201cDo you know any thing of the\nyoung child?\u201d  The gateman comes to the door; and, supposing them to have\nasked the amount of the toll, says, \u201cO, three halfpence an ass is to\npay.\u201d  \u201cWe do not ask what is to pay,\u201d reply they, \u201cbut, do you know any\nthing of the young child?\u201d  \u201cNo; I know nothing in the world,\u201d answers\nhe; \u201cbut there is a blacksmith\u2019s shop a little farther on; inquire there,\nand you will be very likely to obtain some intelligence concerning him.\u201d\n\nThe wise men proceed, and when they come to the blacksmith\u2019s shop, they\nask, \u201cDo you know any thing of the young child?\u201d  A harsh voice answers,\n\u201cThere is no such thing possible for you, as having the asses shod now;\nyou shall in two hours hence.\u201d  \u201cWe do not ask you to shoe the asses,\u201d\nsay they; \u201cbut inquire for the young child, if you know any thing of\nhim?\u201d  \u201cNothing in the world,\u201d says the blacksmith; \u201cbut inquire at the\ntavern that is on your road, and probably you may hear something of him\nthere.\u201d\n\nOn they go, and stand opposite the door of the tavern, and cry, \u201cDo you\nknow any thing of the young child?\u201d  The landlord, thinking they call for\nporter, bids the servant attend, saying, \u201cGo, girl; go with a quart of\nporter to the strangers.\u201d  \u201cWe do not ask for either porter or ale,\u201d say\nthe wise men; \u201cbut something about the young child that is born.\u201d  \u201cI\nknow nothing in the world of him,\u201d says the landlord; \u201cbut turn to the\nshop on the left hand; the shopkeeper reads all the papers, and you will\nbe likely to hear something respecting him there.\u201d\n\nThey proceed accordingly towards the shop, and repeat their inquiry, \u201cDo\nyou know any thing of the young child, here?\u201d  The shopkeeper says to his\napprentice, \u201cReach half a quarter of tobacco to the strangers.\u201d  \u201cWe do\nnot ask for tobacco,\u201d say the wise men; \u201cbut for some intelligence of the\nyoung child.\u201d  \u201cI do not know any thing of him,\u201d replies the shopkeeper;\n\u201cbut there is an old Rabbi living in the upper end of the village; call\non him, and very probably he will give you all the information you desire\nrespecting the object of your search.\u201d\n\nThey immediately direct their course towards the house of the Rabbi; and\nhaving reached it, they knock at the door; and being admitted into his\npresence, they ask him if he knows any thing of the young child.  \u201cCome\nin,\u201d says he; and when they have entered and are seated, the Rabbi refers\nto his books and chronicles, and says he to the wise men, \u201cThere is\nsomething wonderful about to take place; some remarkable person has been\nor is to be born; but the best thing for you is to go down yonder street;\nthere is living there, by the river side, the son of an old priest; you\nwill be sure to know all of him.\u201d\n\nHaving bid the old Rabbi a respectful farewell, on they go; and reaching\nthe river\u2019s side, they inquire of the by-standers for the son of the old\npriest.  Immediately he is pointed out to them.  There is a \u201craiment of\ncamel\u2019s hair about him, and a leathern girdle about his loins.\u201d  They ask\nhim if he knows any thing of the young child.  \u201cYes,\u201d says he, \u201cthere he\nis: behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world!  There\nhe is; he will bruise the dragon\u2019s head, and bring in everlasting\nrighteousness to every one that believeth in his name.\u201d\n\n\n\nVI.  VARIETIES OF PREACHING.\n\n\nI PERCEIVE four strong men on their journey toward Lazarus\u2019 grave, for\nthe purpose of raising him to life.  One of them, who is eminent for his\npiety, says, \u201cI will descend into the grave, and will take with me a bowl\nof the salt of duties, and will rub him well with the sponge of natural\nability.\u201d  He enters the grave, and commences his rubbing process.  I\nwatch his operations at a distance, and after a while inquire, \u201cWell, are\nthere any symptoms of life there?  Does he arise, does he breathe, my\nbrother?\u201d  \u201cNo such thing,\u201d replies he, \u201che is still quiet, and I cannot\nsalt him to _will_\u2014and besides this, his smell is rather heavy.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d says the second, \u201ccome you out; I was afraid that your means\nwould not answer the purpose; let me enter the grave.\u201d  The second\nenters, carrying in his hand a whip of the scorpions of threatening; and,\nsays he, \u201cI will make him feel.\u201d  He directs his scorpion and fiery\nministry at the dead corpse; but in vain, and I hear him crying out, \u201cAll\nis unsuccessful; dead he is after all.\u201d\n\nSays the third, \u201cMake room for me to enter, and I will see if I cannot\nbring him to life.\u201d  He enters the grave, and takes with him a musical\npipe; it is melodious as the song of love; but there is no dancing in the\ngrave.\n\nThe fourth says, \u201cMeans of themselves can effect nothing, but I will go\nfor Jesus, who is the resurrection and the life.\u201d  Immediately he leaves\nto seek for Christ, and speedily returns, accompanied by the Saviour.\nAnd when the Lord came, he stands in the door of the sepulchre, and cries\nout, \u201cLazarus, come forth!\u201d and the dead body is instantaneously instinct\nwith life.\n\nLet our confidence be in the voice of the Son of God.  And let us turn\nour faces toward the wind, and say, \u201cO breath, come from the four winds,\nand breathe upon these slain, that they may live!\u201d\n\n\n\nVII.  THE SIX CROCODILES.\n\n\nEVERY church-member should learn to hunt a crocodile.  The first\ncrocodile is a spirit to search closely for faults, instead of hiding\nthem with brotherly love, according to the directions of the gospel.\nThis is Ham, the old crocodile, that exposed the nakedness of his father,\ninstead of hiding it like Shem and Japheth; for which his father banished\nhim to the river Nilus, where he still remains in Africa, under the curse\nof his father.\n\nOld pious Eli erred greatly, by allowing his children to enter the\nsanctuary as crocodiles, by sparing them, and suffering them in their\nsins, which brought, through these crocodiles, destruction on his house:\nand in the same manner since upon many congregations,\u2014as the churches of\nAsia.  This is an evil spirit in the mount.\n\nAnother crocodile is the spirit of preference.  This is the crocodile\nJudas, who was offended with Jesus in Bethany on account of Mary\u2019s\nointment, which she poured on the head of Jesus; and that only because\nthey did not consult him; in revenge for which he turned traitor.  He was\na selfish miser; and ultimately hung himself, and went to his own place.\nThis crocodile still lurks among the reeds.  There are many like him,\nready to blame every act of discipline in the church; not that they care\nso much for the interests of the church, or any belonging to it, but they\nwish to swallow all up themselves.\n\nAnother crocodile is the spirit of Ahithophel, who plotted a cunning\nartifice to dethrone a person whose heart was with God, and raise\nAbsalom, a wicked man like himself, to the throne in his stead.  God\nturned his counsel into foolishness.  He was disappointed\u2014his heart\nfailed\u2014he saddled his ass, and went and hung himself.  This was the end\nof that crocodile.\n\nAnother is a spirit to trample and destroy, for the sake of being head.\nThis is the crocodile Joab, who killed Abner, who was better than\nhimself.  This crocodile strikes every one who may be in his way under\nthe fifth rib, for the sake of being head himself.  But his end came; he\nlost his life at the horns of the altar, by the sword with which he\nhimself destroyed another.\n\nBut, upon looking again, we see the sixth crocodile, and his name is\nCain, who would triumph over God and man; without grace, or talents, or\nfaith, or love; and without any sacrifice that has blood in it; and\nbecause God will not regard him without faith, he opens his mouth, and\nsets himself to swallow pious Abel.  God delivers him over to the\npossession of the wicked one.\n\nO brethren, let us prove the spirits, whether they are of God, or of the\ndevil!\n\nI will tell you an anecdote of Mr. Rowlands, of Llangeitho.  When he\nwished to crush the spirit of calumny (the crocodile Ham) which lurked in\nthe church, he said to the slanderer: \u201cThou sayest, man, that sins must\nbe hunted and exposed, because they are too numerous in the church\u2014and\nthat they ought not be hidden.  Be quiet, man.  Who art thou?  I think I\nknow thy family, and thy eldest brother, even Ham, the son of Noah.  His\ntwo brothers wished to hide their father\u2019s nakedness, but he would expose\nit.  What reward did they receive for covering their father\u2019s nakedness?\nThe blessing of God and their father.  And what reward did thy brother\nreceive?  The curse of God and their father.  And I doubt not thy reward\nwill be nothing better.\u201d\n\n\n\nVIII.  ENVIOUS AMBITION.\n\n\nTHE forest of Lebanon once held a consultation to choose a king, upon the\ndeath of the king, the Yew-tree.  They agreed to offer the crown to the\nCedar; and if the Cedar should refuse, to invite the Vine and the Olive\nto office.  They all refused the honors for the following reasons.  The\nCedar refused, \u201cbecause,\u201d said be, \u201cI am sufficiently high as I am.\u201d\u2014\u201cI\nwould rather,\u201d said the Vine, \u201cyield wine to cheer others, than receive\nfor myself.\u201d  And in the same manner, the Olive preferred giving its oil\nto honor others rather than receive any honors to itself.\n\nAll these having refused the honors offered them, they next agreed to\ncall the Thorn to the government; and if he should decline, to choose the\nBramble.  The White Thorn, in its beautiful dress, received the honor,\nspeaking thus to itself:\u2014\u201cI have nothing to lose but the white coat, and\nsome red berries; and I have prickles enough to hurt the whole forest.\u201d\nBut the Bramble instigated a rebellion against the White Thorn, and\nkindled the fire of pride in the forest, so that all the trees were set\non flame.\n\nTwo or three vain and proud men in a peaceful congregation, have, by\ncontending for the preference, disturbed the peace, and obstructed the\nprosperity of many a church, while there was no more virtue in them than\nthere is of value in the white thorn or prickly bramble.\n\n\n\nIX.  THE DOVE, THE RAVEN, AND THE EAGLE.\n\n\nA NOBLEMAN had a Dove, a Raven, and an Eagle, belonging to his palace.\nThere was no sociability or fellowship prevailing among them.  The Dove\nfed on its own food, and hid herself in the clefts of the rocks, or in\nthe dove-house near the palace.  The Raven fed upon dead carcasses, and\nsometimes picked out the eyes of little innocent lambs, if she could\npounce upon them in a chance place;\u2014she also nestled in the top of the\ntrees.  The Eagle was a royal bird, flying very high, but yet of a\nrapacious character.  Sometimes he would not mind eating some half a\ndozen of the Doves for his breakfast.  He thought himself the king of\nbirds because he flew higher than they all.  The Doves greatly dreaded\nhis strong beak, his wrathful eyes, and his sharp grappling claws.  When\nthe gentleman threw wheat for the Dove on the pavement, the Raven would\nhave a piece of an ear or the foot of a lamb in its beak; and the Eagle\nwas for taking up some little child from the cradle to his nest.\n\nThe Dove is the pious diligent Christian; the Raven is the dissolute and\ndifficult to be managed; and the proud, selfish professor is the Eagle.\nThese three characters are too frequently to be found together, and there\nis no denomination, in church or chapel, without these three birds, if\nthere are any birds at all there.  It is impossible for three birds, so\ndifferent in their dispositions, ever to be happy together.  Brethren,\npray for the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                                 THE END.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n\n\n\nADVERTISEMENTS.\n\n\n                                 VALUABLE\n                         HISTORICAL, THEOLOGICAL,\n                                   AND\n                              MISCELLANEOUS\n                                  BOOKS,\n\n                  [Picture: Picture of Leary\u2019s bookshop]\n\n                               PUBLISHED BY\n\n                              LEARY & GETZ,\n\n                              PHILADELPHIA.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n              _One of the most Interesting Works published_!\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                  PROFESSOR FROST\u2019S NEW HISTORICAL WORK.\n\n                            REMARKABLE EVENTS\n                                  IN THE\n                           HISTORY OF AMERICA.\n                 FROM THE DISCOVERY TO THE PRESENT TIME.\n\n          COMPILED FROM THE BEST AUTHORITIES BY J. FROST, LL.D.\n\n                             EMBELLISHES WITH\n\n                        SEVEN HUNDRED ENGRAVINGS,\n\n             FROM DESIGNS OF THE MOST DISTINGUISHED ARTISTS.\n\nThe demand of the public for Historical Works, and especially for those\nwhich relate to the history of our own country, has increased so rapidly\nof late, that HISTORY may now be pronounced the leading department of\nliterature.  Not only classical histories, but every other description of\nbooks which may be expected to throw light upon history, are eagerly\ndemanded.  Biographies and Memoirs of Distinguished Men, local Histories,\nHistorical and Topographical accounts of States, Historical Collections,\nCorrespondence of Generals, Commodores, and Statesmen, State papers, and\ndocuments of all kinds, old and new, find a ready sale as soon as they\nare published.  This decided taste of the public for historical reading,\nwhilst it is hailed by the patriot and the friend of sound popular\neducation as an evidence of increased intelligence among the people,\npoints out distinctly the duties of authors and publishers, to contribute\ntheir best efforts towards the substitution of books of real utility,\ninstead of the lighter and less useful publications, which have\nheretofore had too free a currency.\n\nThe work here announced is intended to embrace a view of the most\n\n                            REMARKABLE EVENTS\n\nWhich have transpired since the DISCOVERY OF AMERICA.  It includes an\naccount of\n\nTHE CONQUEST OF MEXICO, by HERMAN CORTES.\n\nTHE CONQUEST OF PERU, by PIZARRO AND ALMAGRO.\n\nTHE CONQUEST OF FLORIDA, by DE SOTO.\n\nTHE DISCOVERY AND SETTLEMENT OF THE U. STATES AND CANADA.\n\nKING PHILIP\u2019S WAR, and\n\nTHE SEVEN YEARS\u2019 WAR, which terminated in the Conquest of Canada.\n\nThe Leading Incidents of THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, and\n\nTHE WAR OF 1812, WITH GREAT BRITAIN.\n\nTHE WAR WITH THE FRENCH REPUBLIC.\n\nTHE SEVERAL INDIAN WARS, and\n\nTHE LATE WAR WITH MEXICO.\n\nThis work fills 1600 pages, and is very richly embellished throughout.\n\nIt presents a great variety of REMARKABLE INCIDENTS, and brings to view a\ngreat number of Distinguished Characters, including\n\n  DISCOVERERS, CONQUERORS, GENERALS, STATESMEN, AND LITERARY CHARACTERS,\n\nand will serve to gratify, in a high degree, the prevailing taste for\n_Historical Reading_.\n\nThe Publisher has spared no expense to render this work in all respects\nworthy of public patronage.\n\nThe Publisher relies on the liberality and discernment of the public for\nremuneration for the great expense which an undertaking of this magnitude\nhas necessarily involved.\n\nThe work is bound in a neat arabesque style, in one very large volume,\nand is sold at the extremely low price of\n\n                  THREE DOLLARS AND FIFTY CENTS A COPY!\n\n                                                 LEARY & GETZ, Publishers,\n\n                          _No._ 138 _North Second Street_, _Philadelphia_.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                                 PLATTS\u2019\n                           BOOK OF CURIOSITIES:\n\n                                CONTAINING\n\n                               TEN THOUSAND\n\n                         WONDERS AND CURIOSITIES\n\n                                    OF\n\n                             NATURE AND ART,\n\n   And of Remarkable and Astonishing Places, Beings, Animals, Customs,\n         Experiments, Phenomena, etc., of both Ancient and Modern\n                    Times, on all Parts of the Globe.\n\n                          BY THE REV. I. PLATTS.\n\n                         FIRST AMERICAN EDITION.\n\n   Complete in one octavo volume of 952 pages, handsomely and strongly\n                                  bound.\n\n                            PRICE ONLY $2.50.\n\nComprising authentic accounts of the most Wonderful Freaks of Nature, and\n                  Arts of Man, among which will be found\n\nThe Human Body, and all its wonderful mechanism.\n\nExtraordinary acquirements and performances of Men, Women, and Children\nof all nations.\n\nStartling and surprising adventures and characteristics concerning the\nMammoth, Elephant, Rhinoceros, Hippopotamus, Unicorn, Whale, Walrus,\nKraken or Dragon of the Sea, American Sea Serpent, Boa Constrictor,\nFascinating Serpents, Silk Worms, Reptiles, Vulture, Ostrich, Eagle, Bird\nof Paradise, Humming Bird, Bees, Ants, Spiders, Locusts, Butterflies,\nAphis, Death Watch, Bread Fruit Tree, Fountain Tree, Paper Tree, Upas or\nPoison Tree, The 44,000 Plants of the Earth, and everything in the\nvegetable kingdom.\n\nMinerals, Meteoric Stones, Asbestos, Diamonds, etc.\n\nMountains of the Moon, Andes, Alps, Himalaya, Spectre of the Brocken,\nMont Blanc, Vesuvius, Etna, Grottos, Caves, and Subterraneous Passages.\n\nGold, Silver, Lead, Copper, Iron, and Coal Mines.\n\nMaelstrom, Burning Springs, Earthquakes, Sandfloods, Avalanches, and\nFreshets.\n\nRuins of ancient cities, the Herculaneum, Alhambra, etc.\n\nCuriosities respecting the various customs of mankind, Cannibalism,\nFemale Beauty, Marriage Ceremonies, Feasting, Fasting, Praying, etc.;\nFuneral Ceremonies, Christmas Customs, Romish Indulgences.\n\nIgnis Fatuus, Electricity, surprising effect of extreme Heat and Cold,\nFairy Rings, Parhelia or Mock Suns, Aurora Borealis, Shooting Stars,\nGalvanism, Magnetism.\n\nBuntzlau Curiosities, Automata.\n\nWonderful Inventions, relating to all trades and professions.\n\nSketches of Historical Facts, Man in the Iron Mask, Gipsies, Priests,\nFree Masons, Peeping Tom of Coventry, Plague of Marseilles, Ceremonies at\nQueen Elizabeth\u2019s Dinner.\n\nCurious account of the scarcity of Books, celebrated Libraries, Book of\nBlunders, Origin of Newspapers.\n\nExplanation of Letters on Gold Coin, Invention of Cards.\n\nSingular names of the English during Cromwell\u2019s time.\n\nBeautiful Love Letter.\n\nCreed of the Jews.\n\nHuman Monstrosities, Centaurs and Lapith\u00e6.\n\nSpontaneous Combustion.\n\nExtraordinary Echoes and Whispering Places.\n\nPerpetual Fires, and Remarkable Lamps.\n\nCurious Experiments and Amusing Recreations.\n\nSketches of curious Personages, and a whimsical Encyclop\u00e6dia of Manners\nand Customs of the Nineteenth Century, illustrating Life and manners at\nthe present day, etc. etc.\n\n                                                 LEAKY & GETZ, Publishers,\n                                No. 138 North Second Street, Philadelphia.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                         ELEGANT TEMPERANCE BOOK,\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                                  FAMILY\n                             FIRE-SIDE BOOK;\n                                   OR,\n                          MOMENTS OF TEMPERANCE.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\nThis is one of the most beautiful works on Temperance Subjects ever\nissued from the American press.  It contains a large variety of\n\n                          TALES, ESSAYS, POETRY,\n                                   AND\n                          BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES\n\nOf some of the most prominent of the great Temperance Reformers, among\nwhich are:\n\nNEAL DOW,               PHILIP S. WHITE,        B. S. EDWARDS,\n\nTHOMAS P. HUNT          JOHN B. GOUGH,          RUSH VAN DYKE,\n\nE. C. DELEVAN,          C. N. OLDS,             A. B. MOREAU,\n\nJ. B. O\u2019NEALL,          E. L. SNOW,             T. M. GALLY,\n\nCHARLES JEWETT,         W. R. STACY,            S. M. HEWLETT,\n\nJ. H. COCKE,            NATHANIEL HEWITT,       E. DILLAHUNTY,\n\nF. W. KELLOGG,          JOHN CHAMBERS,          MOSES GRANT, &c. &c.\n\nJ. TUPPER,\n\n                    WITH ELEGANTLY ENGRAVED PORTRAITS\n\n         Of a number of the above prominent Temperance Champions.\n\n     This work is comprised in an elegant octavo volume of 800 pages,\nbeautifully printed, and handsomely bound in Arabesque, gilt.  Price only\n                                  $2.50.\n              Elegant bound in red morocco, gilt edges.  $3.\n\n                                                 LEARY & GETZ, Publishers,\n                          _No._ 138 _North Second Street_, _Philadelphia_.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                              PRICE, ONLY $2\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                             A BOOK FOR ALL.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                                   THE\n                            PICTORIAL HISTORY\n                                  OF THE\n                              UNITED STATES.\n\n                             BY C. B. TAYLOR.\n\n   In One handsome Octavo Volume, of over Six Hundred pages.  Bound in\n                              Arabesque, and\n\n                  ILLUSTRATED BY ONE HUNDRED ENGRAVINGS.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\nHistorical knowledge in relation to our great and glorious country,\ncannot be too widely disseminated, and the above has been brought out by\nthe Publishers as a good and reliable History to suit the general reader\nat a very Low Price.  It embraces a General History from the\n\n           DISCOVERY OF AMERICA TO THE FORMATION OF THE STATES,\n\nAnd from thence, giving every historical minutia down to the present\ntime.\n\n                                                 LEARY & GETZ, Publishers,\n                          _No._ 138 _North Second Street_, _Philadelphia_.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                The best Collection of Sermons published!\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                                 SERMONS\n                                    OF\n                             CHRISTMAS EVANS.\n\n                    A NEW TRANSLATION FROM THE WELSH.\n\n                                  WITH A\n\n                  Memoir and Portraiture of the Author.\n\n                                    BY\n                            REV. JOSEPH CROSS.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\nREV. CHRISTMAS EVANS was one of the most pious and useful preachers of\nhis day.  He was exceedingly methodical and clear in his arguments\u2014his\nthoughts never confused and mingled together.  His order was so natural\nthat it was very easy to follow him; and his manner so impressive that it\nwas nearly impossible to forget him.  This collection of the Sermons of\nthis worthy and pious man breathe the true spirit of Christian\nexcellence, and are well calculated to make all who read them both wiser\nand better.  No family should be without this good book.\n\n_This is a large Octavo volume_, _printed on fine paper_, _with Two\nElegant Steel Plates_, _and bound in a durable and handsome style_, _and\nis sold at the extremely low price of_\n\n                     Only One Dollar and Fifty Cents.\n\n                                                 LEARY & GETZ, Publishers,\n                          _No._ 138 _North Second Street_, _Philadelphia_.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                       Frost\u2019s Life of Washington.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                              PICTORIAL LIFE\n                                    OF\n                            GEORGE WASHINGTON,\n                                EMBRACING\n                            A COMPLETE HISTORY\n                                    OF\n     THE SEVEN YEARS\u2019 WAR; THE FORMATION OF THE FEDERAL CONSTITUTION\n                  AND THE ADMINISTRATION OF WASHINGTON.\n\n                           BY J. FROST.  LL. D.\n\n            AUTHOR OF THE \u201cPICTORIAL HISTORY OF AMERICA,\u201d &c.\n\n                    One Splendid Large Octavo Volume,\n             WITH UPWARDS OF ONE HUNDRED ELEGANT ENGRAVINGS.\n                        PRICE ONLY THREE DOLLARS.\n\n\u25ba This is, without exception, the best and most beautifully illustrated\nLife of Washington ever published.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                                 HISTORY\n                                  OF THE\n                               INDIAN WARS\n                                    OF\n                            THE UNITED STATES,\n                 FROM THE DISCOVERY TO THE PRESENT TIME;\n                             WITH ACCOUNTS OF\n       The Origin, Manners, Superstitions, &c., of the Aborigines.\n\n                           BY WILLIAM V. MOORE.\n\n                THIS BEAUTIFUL AND VALUABLE WORK CONTAINS:\n\nA General Account of the Indians    War of the Western Indians.\nof North America.\n                                    Indian Wars of Carolina, previous\nEarly Indian Wars of Florida.       to the Revolution.\n\nEarly Indian Wars of Virginia.      Cresap\u2019s War.\n\nEarly Indian Relations of New       Indian Wars of the Revolution.\nEngland.\n                                    North-Western War, (during\nThe Pequod War.                     Washington\u2019s Administration).\n\nKing Philip\u2019s War.                  Tippecanoe War.\n\nKing William\u2019s War.                 North-Western War, (1812 and\n                                    1813).\nWars of the Five Nations.\n                                    The Creek War.\nQueen Anne\u2019s War.\n                                    Black Hawk\u2019s War.\nLovewell\u2019s War.\n                                    Seminole War.\nLast French and Indian War.\n\nPontiac\u2019s War.\n\nIn one beautifully printed octavo volume, illustrated with numerous\ncolored and plain Engravings. \u25ba PRICE ONLY TWO DOLLARS.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                                   THE\n                            LIFE AND SPEECHES\n                                    OF\n                               HENRY CLAY,\n                                  WITH A\n                                 PORTRAIT\n                                  AND A\n                   View of the Birth-Place of Mr. Clay.\n\n In one handsome large octavo volume of over 1200 pages, handsomely bound\n                             in cloth, gilt.\n\n                        Price only Three Dollars,\n\n               OR BOUND IN TWO VOLUMES, CLOTH, GILT, $3.50.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\nTHE Biography of this most distinguished and honored Statesman is\neminently fraught with encouragement and hope for aspiring\nyouth\u2014especially for those who enter upon the stage of active life,\nunportioned and unheralded by the partial voice of powerful friends and\nkindred.  Henry Clay was one of the many among our eminent men who,\nbesides the disadvantages of poverty and obscurity, were fated to\nencounter that of early orphanage.  Yet his subsequent career\nemphatically teaches that no one who is conscious of possessing the\nrequisite qualities need ever apprehend that humility of origin or\nobscurity of position will deprive him of opportunities to serve and\nhonor his country.  The work here presented is intended to trace clearly\nthe career of Mr. Clay, from his entrance on the stage of public life\ndown to the period of his death\u2014mainly by the right of his own lofty,\npersuasive, and impassioned eloquence.  Mr. Clay\u2019s parliamentary efforts,\nclear, direct, and vigorous, embody all the illustration that is needful\nto their full understanding\u2014the great importance, variety, and\nindestructible interest of the topics he generally discussed\u2014the\ncharacter and ability of the orator, the direct and exact bearing of his\narguments on the controversies and interests of the times\u2014all combine to\nrender his speeches among the most valuable contributions of Patriotism\nand Genius to the enlightenment and elevation of the American people.\n\n                                                 LEARY & GETZ, Publishers,\n                          _No._ 138 _North Second Street_, _Philadelphia_.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                                  LIVES\n                                    OF\n                           GREAT AND CELEBRATED\n                               CHARACTERS,\n                       _Of all Ages and Countries_;\n\n                                COMPRISING\n\n             HEROES, CONQUERORS, STATESMEN, AUTHORS, ARTISTS,\n                     EXTRAORDINARY HUMORISTS, MISERS,\n                          MOUNTEBANKS, KINGS AND\n                            QUEENS, JUGGLERS,\n\n                                AND OTHER\n\n                       Curiosities of Human Nature.\n\n                    COMPILED FROM AUTHENTIC MATERIALS.\n\n                              ILLUSTRATED BY\n\n                       Several Hundred Engravings.\n\n\u25ba This work will be found to be one of the most interesting character,\nbringing, as it does, all classes of mankind in a single view before the\nmind of the reader.  It will be found to be as instructive as it is\nentertaining and amusing.\n\n_The work is beautifully printed_, _on fine white paper_, _and is\nelegantly bound_, _forming a beautiful large Octavo volume of nearly_ 800\n_pages_, _embellished with numerous Portraits of the Men and Women whose\nBiographies it contains_.\n\n                 Price only Two Dollars and Fifty Cents.\n\n                                                 LEARY & GETZ, Publishers,\n                          _No._ 138 _North Second Street_, _Philadelphia_.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                               ILLUSTRATED\n                          CHRISTIAN MARTYROLOGY:\n                                 BEING AN\n                 AUTHENTIC AND GENERAL HISTORICAL ACCOUNT\n                            _OF THE PRINCIPAL_\n\n                PERSECUTIONS AGAINST THE CHURCH OF CHRIST,\n\n                     IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD,\n\n                    COMPILED FROM THE LATEST SOURCES,\n\n                            BY REV. C. SPARRY.\n\n                   ILLUSTRATED WITH 24 FINE ENGRAVINGS,\n\n  And handsomely hound in Arabesque gilt.  Price $1.50.  In red morocco,\n             full gilt sides and back, and gilt edges, $2.00.\n\n               This valuable work contains a History of the\n\nPersecutions in the first Ages of   The Lives of Doctor \u00c6gidio,\nthe World.                          Doctor Constantine, Nicholas\n                                    Burton, and Wm. Gardener.\nLife of Jesus Christ, with his\nSufferings and Martyrdom.           The Persecutions in Italy.\n\nLives, Sufferings, and Martyrdom    The Persecutions in Calabria.\nof the Apostles.\n                                    Individuals Martyred in different\nThe First, Second, Third, Fourth,   parts of Italy.\nFifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth,\nNinth, and Tenth Primitive          The Persecutions of the\nPersecutions, under the Roman       Marquisate of Saluces.\nEmperors.\n                                    The Persecutions in the\nThe Persecutions against the        Valtoline.\nChristians of Persia.\n                                    Persecutions in Bohemia.\nThe Persecutions under the Arian\nHeretics.                           General Persecutions in Germany.\n\nThe Persecutions under Julian the   Persecutions in England during\nApostate.                           the reign of Henry IV.\n\nThe Persecutions of the             Hugh Latimer, Bishop of\nChristians by the Goths, etc.       Worcester.\n\nThe Persecutions under the Arian    Nicholas Ridley, Bishop of\nVandals.                            London.\n\nHorrible Massacre in France, A.D.   Thomas Cranmer, the first\n1572.                               Protestant Archbishop of\n                                    Canterbury.\nThe Siege of Sancerre.\n                                    Persecutions in England during\nPersecutions of the Waldensss, in   the Reign of Queen Mary.\nthe Valleys of Piedmont.\n                                    Persecutions in Scotland during\nPersecutions in Germany and         the Reign of Henry VIII.\nLithuania.\n                                    The Life, Sufferings, and\nPersecutions in                     Martyrdom, of Geo. Wishart.\nPoland\u2014Destruction of the City of\nLesna.                              Persecutions of Protestants in\n                                    Ireland\u2014The Irish Massacre.\nRise and Progress of the\nInquisition in Spain and            Popish Cruelties in Mexico and\nPortugal.                           South America.\n\n                                    Judgments of God on Persecutors.\n\n                                                 LEARY & GETZ, Publishers,\n                          _No._ 138 _North Second Street_, _Philadelphia_.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                         LEARY & GETZ\u2019S EDITION,\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                                LARGE TYPE\n                           Pilgrim\u2019s Progress:\n                            TO WHICH IS ADDED\n                         TRAVELS OF THE UNGODLY.\n\n                NOT IN ANY OTHER EDITION IN THIS COUNTRY.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\nPrice in neat Cloth, gilt back                          $2.00\ndo. do.  Arabesque, gilt back                            2.50\ndo. do.  Red Morocco, gilt edges, sides & back           3.00\ndo. do.  Super Antique                                   5.00\n\nPILGRIM\u2019S PROGRESS.\u2014A new octavo Pictorial Edition of Bunyan\u2019s Pilgrim\u2019s\nProgress, from this world to that which is to come; delivered under the\nsimilitude of a Dream.  To which is added THE TRAVELS OF THE UNGODLY, or\nthe Life and Death of Mr. Badman, contained in no other edition.  Also,\ncontaining a LIFE OF BUNYAN, and with Scott\u2019s numerous and full\nexplanatory notes.  Printed with very large type, being the most readable\nedition published in the United States.  Illustrated with fine\nEngravings, and bound in neat and substantial bindings.\n\n                                             _LEARY & GETZ_, _Publishers_,\n                          _No._ 138 _North Second Street_, _Philadelphia_.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                                 BURDER\u2019S\n                        History of all Religions:\n                           WITH ACCOUNTS OF THE\n                         CEREMONIES AND CUSTOMS,\n                                   OR,\n                           THE FORMS OF WORSHIP\n\n  Practised by the several Nations of the known World, from the earliest\n                       Records to the present time.\n\n       GREATLY IMPROVED AS A BOOK OF REFERENCE BY THE INSERTION OF\n\n         A FULL ACCOUNT, HISTORICAL, DOCTRINAL, AND STATISTICAL,\n                                  OF THE\n                RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS IN THE U. STATES.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                        By Rev. JOEL PARKER, D.D.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n               DESIGNED ESPECIALLY FOR THE USE OF FAMILIES.\n\n            In one large octavo volume, handsomely bound, and\n\n                   Embellished with Elegant Engravings.\n\n                        PRICE ONLY THREE DOLLARS.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\nThis highly valuable work contains\u2014The History of the Jews\u2014The Religions\nCustoms and Ceremonies of the Jews\u2014Life of Mohammed\u2014Religious Tenets,\nCeremonies, and Customs of the Mohammedans\u2014The Greek Church\u2014The Religious\nTenets, Customs, Ceremonies, &c., of the Roman Catholic Church\u2014The\nReligious Customs and Ceremonies of Protestant Communities, including\nLutherans, Episcopalians, Kirk of Scotland, English and American\nPresbyterians, Baptists, Methodists, Quakers, The Associate Reformed\nChurch, Reformed Dutch Church, Congregationalists, Free Will Baptists,\nCampbellite Baptists, Moravians, Swedenborgians, Unitarians,\nUniversalists, Shakers, Mormons, &c., &c.  Together with a full account\nof the Religious Ceremonies and Customs of Pagan Nations and Tribes,\nincluding the Egyptians, Carthaginians, Tyrians, Assyrians, Babylonians,\nMedes and Persians, Scythians, Druids, Chinese, Japanese, Thibetians and\nTartars, Hindoos, Laplanders, Indian Tribes, African Tribes, Polynesians,\n&c., &c.\n\n                                                 LEARY & GETZ, Publishers,\n                          _No._ 138 _North Second Street_, _Philadelphia_.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                           _Price only_ $2.50.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                         NEW AND ENLARGED EDITION\n                                    OF\n                               DR. BUCHAN\u2019S\n                            DOMESTIC MEDICINE;\n                          OR, A TREATISE ON THE\n                     PRETENTION AND CURE OF DISEASES,\n                                    BY\n                      REGIMEN AND SIMPLE MEDICINES.\n\n   WITH THE LATEST CORRECTIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS, AND FULL DIRECTIONS IN\n                                 BOARD TO\n\n          AIR, EXERCISE, BATHING, CLOTHING, SLEEP, DIET, &c. &c.\n\n                    AND THE GENERAL MANAGEMENT OF THE\n\n                     DISEASES OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN.\n\n                            TO WHICH IS ADDED\n\n                     A COMPLETE FAMILY DISPENSATORY,\n\n                  FOR THE USE OF PRIVATE PRACTITIONERS.\n\n                         BY WILLIAM BUCHAN, M.D.\n\n           Twenty-ninth American, from the Last London Edition,\n\n            WITH CONSIDERABLE ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS BY AN\n                           AMERICAN PHYSICIAN.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n\u25ba This work, it is confidently believed (from the nature and character of\nit) will find its way into the hands of every family.\n\n                                                 LEARY & GETZ, Publishers,\n                          _No._ 138 _North Second Street_, _Philadelphia_.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                                ROTTECK\u2019S\n                          HISTORY OF THE WORLD.\n                        MAGNIFICENTLY ILLUSTRATED!\n\nTHE work now offered to the public is designed to fill up a great chasm\nin one _most important_ department of literature.  To satisfy a want\nfelt, not only by the student, by the man left to himself for an\neducation, but also by the intelligent of all classes of society.  It\nwill supply the great mass of the public, who are at present almost\nnecessarily in the dark as to the past world and its destinies, with a\ncomplete picture of all the great events relating to the world and to\nman, from the earliest dawn of history down to the present time; and we\nindulge the hope that it will satisfy the universal want of a good\nGeneral History of the World.  We have works entitled \u201cHistories of the\nWorld,\u201d or \u201cUniversal Histories,\u201d it is true; but all of them (we mean\nthose in a small form, and such as are within the reach of the generality\nof readers) are sadly deficient, ill-selected, and worse arranged: they\ncould not, according to the ideas of the author of this work, be\nconsidered, strictly speaking, GENERAL HISTORIES OF THE WORLD.\n\nThe author of this History is celebrated throughout Europe as a\n_scholar_, as a _statesman_, and as a _bold defender of liberty_; and\nthis reputation will certainly be an excellent recommendation of his work\nto the American public.  Although born in Germany, educated in its\nfar-famed halls of learning, and breathing a _German_ atmosphere, he is\nnot a German alone; he is a man whom the world may claim.  He is no\nmystic, full of unintelligible, useless theories; but a man devoted to\npracticable objects, to the welfare of his race, and to pure religion and\nmorality.\n\nHis History has been extensively circulated in Europe (_in the German_,\n_French_, _Dutch_, _Swedish_, _and Danish languages_), and is the most\npopular one that has ever been published.  For, although he may be ranked\nas the first historian of Europe, he has written, not for a particular\nclass, but for people in general.  In fine, his History is equally fitted\nfor the _student_, the _merchant_, the _farmer_, the _mechanic_, and the\n_professional man_.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n   THE WORK IS PUBLISHED IN ONE LARGE OCTAVO VOLUME OF OVER 1700 PAGES,\n\n                 Illustrated with 28 Splendid Engravings.\n\n\u25ba In order to bring this History within the reach of all classes of\nreaders, the Publishers have been induced to put it at the extremely low\nprice of\n\n                             $3.50 per Copy.\n\n   Over 100,000 Copies of this valuable work have been sold in Germany\n                                  alone.\n\n                                                 LEARY & GETZ, Publishers,\n                          _No._ 138 _North Second Street_, _Philadelphia_.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                         THE CHRISTIAN\u2019S LEGACY;\n                                   OR,\n                             BIBLE DIRECTORY.\n\n                       BY THE REV. WILLIAM JACKSON.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\nTHE CHRISTIAN\u2019S LEGACY having gone through 10 editions, in a short space\nof time, the writer has no other apology to offer for the 11th edition,\nthan a belief of its proving useful to _all_ Christians of every\ndenomination.\n\nA conviction that a knowledge of the Bible, above all other books, is\ncalculated \u201c_to make one wise_;\u201d and that an advantage is given to the\nenemy by not attending to our Lord\u2019s admonition, \u201c_Search the\nScriptures_,\u201d led to an attempt to assist the inquirer in his \u201c_Search_\u201d\nafter TRUTH.\n\nThe design of the work is, to make the reading and study of the _Holy\nScriptures_ more easy and delightful; especially to those who have but\nfew helps, little time for studying, or are young in years.  The _plan_\nis new; and the arrangement so simple, that no one, not even a child,\nneed mistake it; but may, without knowing a word of the Bible beforehand,\nfind whatever the Scriptures contain on any subject, as readily as though\nhe knew the whole Bible by heart.\n\nIt is a handsome volume of 420 full pages, printed with good type, on\nclear, fine white paper; is handsomely bound and lettered, with a\nstriking likeness of the author.\n\nThe first 310 pages contain as many subjects, adapted to every state and\ncondition of the Christian in Life, Death, the Grave, and beyond the\ngrave, as far as the Bible goes but no farther: for there is not a\n_sectarian_ expression to be found in the work.  Each Page is complete of\nitself.\n\nThe last 110 pages contain a compendium of every book in the Bible, with\nthe history of the several writers, &c.; together with the character of\nthe first Christians\u2014the example\u2014miracles\u2014parables\u2014and remarkable\ndiscourses of Christ\u2014the prophecies with their fulfillment\u2014figurative and\nsymbolical language of the Bible, alphabetically arranged, with the\nimport of each word\u2014a description of the Jewish offerings; and the\ndifferent Sects mentioned in the Scriptures\u2014Scriptural difficulties\naccounted for\u2014fate of the Evangelists and Apostles\u2014Hebrew offices\u2014a\nPronouncing Dictionary of the \u201c_hard names_\u201d in the Old and New\nTestament, &c.\n\nAn _alphabetical_ INDEX is placed in the former part of the book, and by\nconsulting which, the reader may readily find an answer to any question,\nthat may be asked him by any Bible question-book, or individual;\nproviding, that it is a question that would benefit any one to have\nanswered, is _not_ Sectarian, and is one that the _Bible_ can answer.\n\nThe following are only a few of the names and residences of the Clergy,\nof various denominations, who have patronized and recommended the\nChristian\u2019s Legacy:\n\nPROVIDENCE, R. I.: Rev. Messrs. Tucker, Vinten, Mackreading, Dowling,\nTaylor, Hall.\u2014NEWPORT, R. I.: Rev. Messrs. Watson, Vinten,\nSmith.\u2014PAWTUCKETT, R. I.: Rev. Mr. Gonealves.\u2014LOWELL, MASS.: Rev. Messrs.\nBlanchard, Hanks, Burnap, Edson, McCoy, Sarjent, Brewster, Hoes, Porter,\nWoodman, Thurstan, Cole.  NEW BEDFORD, MASS.: Rev. Messrs. Knight,\nHawley, Howes, Dawes.\u2014FALL RIVER, MASS.: Rev. Messrs. Fowler, Russell,\nTaylor.\u2014CHARLESTOWN, MASS.: Rev. Mr. Greene.\u2014BROOKLINE, MASS.: Rev. Mr.\nShailer.\u2014NEWBURYPORT, MASS.: Rev. Messrs. Campbell, Sternes,\nPike.\u2014GRAFTON, MASS.: Rev. Mr. Richards.\u2014CABOTSVILLE, MASS.: Rev. Mr.\nScott.\u2014TAUNTON, MASS.: Rev. Mr. Eldridge.\u2014MILFORD, MASS.: Rev. Messrs.\nLong, Tozer.\u2014HOLLISTON, MASS.: Rev. Messrs. Metlack, Rice.\u2014POCASSET,\nMASS.: Rev. Mr. Wallen.\u2014ROCHESTER, MASS.: Rev. Mr. Clarke.\u2014MANSFIELD,\nMASS.: Rev. Messrs. Culver, Latham.\u2014UPTON, MASS.: Rev. Messrs. Wood,\nBullard, Eastman.\u2014DORCHESTER, MASS.: Rev. Mr. Boyden.\u2014E. CAMBRIDGE, MASS.\nRev. Mr. Wilson.\u2014HAVERHILL, MASS.: Rev. Mr. Plummer.\u2014MALDEN, MASS.: Rev.\nMr. McLeish.\u2014HARTFORD, CONN.: Rev. Messrs. Hodgson, Eaton.\u2014NEW HAVEN,\nCONN.: Rev. Messrs. Teasdale, Law.\u2014PORTSMOUTH, N. H.: Rev. Messrs. Davis,\nHarris.\u2014DOVER, N. H.: Rev. Mr. Mason.\u2014BROOKLYN, N. Y.: Rev. Messrs.\nYoungs, Burnett.\u2014WILLIAMSBURG, L. I.: Rev. Mr. Roberts.\u2014NEWARK, N. J.:\nRev. Messrs. Whittaker, Lenhart\u2014ELIZABETHTOWN, N. J.: Rev. Messrs. Magie,\nGreene.\u2014BOSTON, MASS.: Rev. Messrs. Meyrell, Russell, Bartoll, Winslow,\nPhelps, Kirk, Pierce, Huested, Clarke, Sharpe, Raymond, Read, Motte,\nSarjent, Pierpont, Parkham, Barrett, Gannett, Gray, Robbins.\u2014NEW YORK:\nRev. Messrs. Bond, Levings, Bangs, Stocking, Nichols, Cheney, Bangs,\nSeney, Withey, Martyn, Jacobs.\u2014PHILADELPHIA, PA.: Rev. Messrs. Burrows,\nLincoln, Suddards, McKnight, Onins, Cooper, Stockton, Keller, Ewell,\nWhite.\u2014LANCASTER, PA.: Rev. Mr. Gerry.\u2014READING, PA.: Rev. Mr.\nSchoch.\u2014COLUMBIA, PA.: Rev. Mr. Humphrey.\n\nPublished by LEARY & GETZ, 138 North Second Street, Philadelphia.  Price\nonly $1.25.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                             RELIGIOUS BOOKS,\n                     SUITABLE FOR ALL DENOMINATIONS.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\nBunyan\u2019s Minor Works: Containing GRACE ABOUNDING TO THE CHIEF OF SINNERS:\nin a Faithful Account of the Life of John Bunyan; or, a brief relation of\nthe exceeding mercy of God in Christ to Him, in converting him to the\nFaith of His Blessed Son Jesus Christ; wherein is particularly shown what\nsight of, and what trouble he had for sin; and also, what various\ntemptations he hath met with, and how God hath carried him through them\nall.  Also, HEART\u2019S EASE IN HEART TROUBLE; THE WORLD TO COME, or Visions\nof Heaven and Hell; and THE BARREN FIG TREE, or the Doom and Downfall of\nthe Fruitless Professor.  Complete in one beautiful 32mo. volume, bound\nin cloth, gilt, with a Portrait of John Bunyan.  Price 50 cents.\n\nBaxter\u2019s Saints\u2019 Everlasting Rest; or, a Treatise of the Blessed State of\nthe Saints in their enjoyment of God in Heaven.  18mo., cloth, gilt, with\na Portrait of the Author.  Price 50 cents.\n\nDoddridge\u2019s Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul.  Illustrated in a\nCourse of Practical Addresses, with a Sermon on the care of the Soul.  A\nneat 18mo. volume, with a Portrait of the Author.  Bound in cloth, gilt.\nPrice 50 cents.\n\nThe Vicar of Wakefield.  A Tale.  To which is affixed THE DESERTED\nVILLAGE.  By OLIVER GOLDSMITH, M.D.  18mo., cloth, gilt, with a Portrait\nof the Author.  Price 50 cents.  Sir Walter Scott, in speaking of this\nadmirable work, observes:\u2014\u201cWe read the Vicar of Wakefield in youth and in\nage.  We return to it again and again, and bless the memory of an author\nwho contrives so well to reconcile us to human nature.  Whether we choose\nthe pathetic or the humorous parts of the story, we find the best and\ntruest sentiments enforced in the moat beautiful language.  In too many\nworks of this class there are particular passages unfit to be perused by\nyouth and innocence; but the wreath of Goldsmith is unsullied.  He wrote\nto exalt virtue and expose vice.\u201d\n\nWillison\u2019s Afflicted Man\u2019s Companion; or, a Directory for persons and\nfamilies afflicted with sickness, or any other distress; with directions\nto the sick, both under and after affliction; also, directions to the\nfriends of the sick, and others who visit them; and likewise to all, how\nto prepare both for sickness and death, and how to be exercised at the\ntime of dying.  To which in added a collection of comfortable texts of\nScripture, very suitable for dying believers.  The choice sayings of many\neminent dying saints.  The author\u2019s last advice to his wife and children;\nand his dying words, written by himself, and found among his papers after\nhis death.  A new edition, revised and improved, in 1 vol. 18mo., cloth,\ngilt, with a handsome Portrait of the Author.  Price 50 cents.\n\nZimmerman on Solitude.  With the Life of the Author.  This is a neat\nedition of this deservedly popular book.  18mo., cloth, gilt, with a\nPortrait of Zimmerman.  Price 50 cents.\n\nDrew on the Immortality and Immateriality of the Soul.  18mo., cloth.\nPrice 50 cents.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\nPollok\u2019s Course of Time.  With an enlarged Index, a Memoir of the Author,\nan introductory notice, and an analysis prefixed to each book.  Revised\nedition.  18mo., cloth, gilt, with plates.  Price 50 cents.  The same\nwork, half bound, price 25 cents.\n\nDr. Dodd\u2019s Lectures to Young Men.  Steel Plates.  24mo., cloth, gilt.\nPrice 63 cents.\n\n                                                             LEARY & GETZ,\n            _Publishers_, _No._ 138 _North Second Street_, _Philadelphia_.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                           FARMERS\u2019 BARN-BOOK:\n                                    BY\n                   CLATER, YOUATT, SKINNER, AND MILLS.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                                CONTAINING\n\n   THE CAUSES, SYMPTOMS, AND TREATMENT OF ALL THE DISEASES INCIDENT TO\n                         OXEN, SHEEP, AND SWINE;\n\n                      THE ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF\n\n                               NEAT CATTLE;\n\n         WITH AN ESSAY ON THE USE OF OXEN AND THE BREED OF SHEEP.\n\n                            STABLE MANAGEMENT,\n\n                             TREATMENT OF THE\n\n                           DISEASES OF HORSES;\n\n                  PLAIN AND PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS IN THE\n                      Choice and Purchase of Horses;\n\n                                   WITH\n        DIRECTIONS HOW TO ASCERTAIN THE GOOD QUALITIES, AND DETECT\n                              THE FAULTS OF\n                    CARRIAGE, CART, AND SADDLE HORSES.\n\n          One large 12mo. volume, neatly and strongly bound and\n\n                  Illustrated with Numerous Engravings.\n\n                       And sold at the low price of\n\n                 ONE DOLLAR AND TWENTY-FIVE CENTS A COPY.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\nThis is one of the most useful works for the agriculturist that has ever\nbeen published in this country.  On the score of self-interest alone, the\nmost calculating, it may be supposed, will not hesitate to provide\nhimself with a book, which, in teaching him the important practical facts\ncontained herein, may enable him to save the life even of the meanest\nanimal on his estate.  The want of such a book would be an obvious defect\nin every farmer\u2019s house; and this is one of the highest and most recent\nauthority.  \u25ba Let no farmer who values his own interest, neglect to\nprocure a copy of it.\n\n                                                             LEARY & GETZ,\n            _Publishers_, _No._ 138 _North Second Street_, _Philadelphia_.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n           _Just published Complete_, _in Two Imperial Octavo_\n\n                    _Volumes_, _of_ 840 _Pages each_,\n\n                                CHAMBERS\u2019S\n                       INFORMATION FOR THE PEOPLE;\n                                   OR,\n\n                          POPULAR ENCYCLOP\u00c6DIA,\n\n             EMBRACING ALL THE BRANCHES OF GENERAL KNOWLEDGE\n               NECESSARY TO CONSTITUTE A WELL INFORMED MAN.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\nTHE WORK HAS BEEN EDITED BY AN ACCOMPLISHED AMERICAN SCHOLAR, who,\nwithout impairing in the slightest degree the integrity of the original\ntext, has added such notes, and made such corrections and additions as\nwere necessary to adapt it to the wants of the American public.\n\nThe plan on which the work is formed, was to select only the subjects on\nwhich it is important that a people, who feel the value of sound\neducation, should be well informed.  The _minuti\u00e6_ of biography,\ntopography, scientific technicalities, and other matters to which there\nmay be only need for occasional reference, are dismissed, and thus what\nusually fills the greater part of an Encyclop\u00e6dia is at once got rid of.\nThere only remains a series of articles on the MOST IMPORTANT BRANCHES OF\nSCIENCE, PHYSICAL, MATHEMATICAL, AND MORAL; NATURAL HISTORY, POLITICAL\nHISTORY, GEOGRAPHY.  AND GENERAL LITERATURE.  All is given which, if\nstudied and received into the mind, would make an individual, in the\ncommon walks of life, A WELL INFORMED MAN.  While, with a few exceptions,\nonly that is omitted which is not needed as a part of the standing\nknowledge of any person whatever, besides those for whom it may have a\nprofessional or local interest.\n\n                       INFORMATION FOR THE PEOPLE,\n\nTherefore, is an ENCYCLOP\u00c6DIA including such knowledge only as tends to\nimprove every mind possessing it\u2014such knowledge as expands, liberalizes,\nand fertilizes.  The ruling objects of the accomplished authors, the\nMessrs. Chambers, have been to give what may be expected to prove the\nmeans of SELF-EDUCATION to the people generally, whether enjoying the\nmeans of academic instruction or not.\n\n                      AMONG THE SUBJECTS TREATED ARE\n\nAstronomy,        The Whale\u2014        Cookery,          Social\n                                                      Economics of\nGeography,           Whale          Proverbs and      the Industrious\n                  Fisheries,        Old Sayings,      Orders.\nGeology.\n                  Conveyance\u2014       Natural           Improvement of\nPhysical Hist\u2019y                     Philosophy,       Waste Lands,\nof Man,              Roads,\n                                    Mechanics,        The Kitchen\nAncient              Canals,                          Garden,\nHistory\u2014                            Machinery,\n                     Railways,                        The Flower\n   Egypt,                           Hydrostatics,     Garden,\n                  Zoology,\n                                    Hydraulics,       The Fruit\nArabia-Petr\u00e6a,    Account of the                      Garden,\n                  Human Body,       Pneumatics,\nHistory of the                                        Arboriculture,\nJews\u2014Palestine,   Vegetable         Optics,\n                  Physiology,                         The Horse,\nHistory of                          Light,\nGreece and        Botany,                             Cattle and\nRome,                               Acoustics,        Dairy\n                  Natural                             Husbandry,\nHistory of the    Theology,         Chemistry,\nMiddle Ages,                                          Sheep,\n                  History of the    Chemistry\nHistory of        Bible\u2014            applied to the    Pigs,\nGreat Britain     Christianity,     Arts\nand Ireland,                                          Goats,\n                  Private Duties    Electricity,\nConstitution      of Life                             Rabbits,\nand Resources                       Galvanism,\nof the British    Public and                          Poultry,\nEmpire,           Social Duties     Electro-\n                  of Life,          Magnetism,        Cage Birds,\nDescriptions\nof\u2014               Life and Maxims   Meteorology,      Bees,\n                  of Franklin,\n   England,                         The Weather,      The Dog,\n                  Preservation of\n   London,        Health,           Phrenology,       Field Sports,\n\n   Scotland,      Commerce\u2014         Principles of     Angling,\n                                    Civil\n   Ireland,          Money,         Government,       Gymnastic\n                                                      Exercises,\n   British           Banks,         Language,\nAmerica,                                              In-door\n                  History and       English           Amusements,\n   United         Nature of Laws.   Grammar,\nStates,                                               Chronology,\n                  Political         Logic,\n   Australia,     Economy,                            Printing,\n                                    Education,\n   Van Diemen\u2019s   Population,                         Engraving,\nLand,                               Drawing and\n                  Poor-Laws,        Perspective,      Lithography,\n   New Zealand,\n                  Life Assurance,   Arithmetic,       Architecture,\n   South\nAmerica,          Mohammedan and    Algebra,          The Steam\n                  Pagan                               Engine,\n   West Indies,   Religions,        Geometry,\n                                                      Mining,\n   East Indies,   Superstitions,    Popular\n                                    Statistics,       Metals,\n   China and      Domestic\nthe Tea Trade,    Economy,          Agriculture,      Coal,\n\nOcean\u2014                                                Salt, and a\n                                                      variety of\n   Maritime                                           other subjects\nDiscovery,\n\nNavigation,\n\nThe expense of preparing this work has been very heavy, as, in addition\nto the closely condensed printed matter, it has bean necessary to execute\nupwards of FIVE HUNDRED ENGRAVINGS, in order effectually to explain and\nembellish the various subjects of scientific, historical, and\ngeographical information which the work embraces; but the publishers\nconfidently rely on the intelligence and liberality of the public for\nremuneration.\n\nThis is one of the most useful books published, of which 100,000 copies\nhave been sold in England.  Price, elegantly bound in Two Volumes, only\nFIVE DOLLARS.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                         THE CHRISTIAN\u2019S LEGACY;\n\n                                   OR,\n\n                             BIBLE DIRECTORY.\n\n                       BY THE REV. WILLIAM JACKSON.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\nTHE CHRISTIAN\u2019S LEGACY having gone through 10 editions, in a short space\nof time, the writer has no other apology to offer for the 11th edition,\nthan a belief of its proving useful to _all_ Christians of every\ndenomination.\n\nA conviction that a knowledge of the Bible, above all other books, is\ncalculated \u201c_to make one wise_;\u201d and that an advantage is given to the\nenemy by not attending to our Lord\u2019s admonition, \u201c_Search the\nScriptures_,\u201d led to an attempt to assist the inquirer in his \u201c_Search_\u201d\nafter TRUTH.\n\nThe design of the work is, to make the reading and study of the _Holy\nScriptures_ more easy and delightful; especially to those who have but\nfew helps, little time for studying, or are young in years.  The _plan_\nis new; and the arrangement so simple, that no one, not even a child,\nneed mistake it; but may, without knowing a word of the Bible beforehand,\nfind whatever the Scriptures contain on any subject, as readily as though\nhe knew the whole Bible by heart.\n\nIt is a handsome volume of 420 full pages, printed with good type, on\nclear, fine white paper; is handsomely bound and lettered, with a\nstriking likeness of the author.\n\nThe first 310 pages contain as many subjects, adapted to every state and\ncondition of the Christian in Life, Death, the Grave, and beyond the\ngrave, as far as the Bible goes but no farther: for there is not a\n_sectarian_ expression to be found in the work.  Each Page is complete of\nitself.\n\nThe last 110 pages contain a compendium of every book in the Bible, with\nthe history of the several writers, &c.; together with the character of\nthe first Christians\u2014the example\u2014miracles\u2014parables\u2014and remarkable\ndiscourses of Christ\u2014the prophecies with their fulfillment\u2014figurative and\nsymbolical language of the Bible, alphabetically arranged, with the\nimport of each word\u2014a description of the Jewish offerings; and the\ndifferent Sects mentioned in the Scriptures\u2014Scriptural difficulties\naccounted for\u2014fate of the Evangelists and Apostles\u2014Hebrew offices\u2014a\nPronouncing Dictionary of the \u201c_hard names_\u201d in the Old and New\nTestament, &c.\n\nAn _alphabetical_ INDEX is placed in the former part of the book, and by\nconsulting which, the reader may readily find an answer to any question,\nthat may be asked him by any Bible question-book, or individual;\nproviding, that it is a question that would benefit any one to have\nanswered, is _not_ Sectarian, and is one that the _Bible_ can answer.\n\nThe following are only a few of the names and residences of the Clergy,\nof various denominations, who have patronized and recommended the\nChristian\u2019s Legacy:\n\nPROVIDENCE, R. I.: Rev. Messrs. Tucker, Vinten, Mackreading, Dowling,\nTaylor, Hall.\u2014NEWPORT, R. I.: Rev. Messrs. Watson, Vinten,\nSmith.\u2014PAWTUCKETT, R. I.: Rev. Mr. Gonealves.\u2014LOWELL, MASS.: Rev. Messrs.\nBlanchard, Hanks, Burnap, Edson, McCoy, Sarjent, Brewster, Hoes, Porter,\nWoodman, Thurstan, Cole.  NEW BEDFORD, MASS.: Rev. Messrs. Knight,\nHawley, Howes, Dawes.\u2014FALL RIVER, MASS.: Rev. Messrs. Fowler, Russell,\nTaylor.\u2014CHARLESTOWN, MASS.: Rev. Mr. Greene.\u2014BROOKLINE, MASS.: Rev. Mr.\nShailer.\u2014NEWBURYPORT, MASS.: Rev. Messrs. Campbell, Sternes,\nPike.\u2014GRAFTON, MASS.: Rev. Mr. Richards.\u2014CABOTSVILLE, MASS.: Rev. Mr.\nScott.\u2014TAUNTON, MASS.: Rev. Mr. Eldridge.\u2014MILFORD, MASS.: Rev. Messrs.\nLong, Tozer.\u2014HOLLISTON, MASS.: Rev. Messrs. Matlack, Rice.\u2014POCASSET,\nMASS.: Rev. Mr. Wallen.\u2014ROCHESTER, MASS.: Rev. Mr. Clarke.\u2014MANSFIELD,\nMASS.: Rev. Messrs. Culver, Latham.\u2014UPTON, MASS.: Rev. Messrs. Wood,\nBullard, Eastman.\u2014DORCHESTER, MASS.: Rev. Mr. Boyden.\u2014E. CAMBRIDGE, MASS.\nRev. Mr. Wilson.\u2014HAVERHILL, MASS.: Rev. Mr. Plummer.\u2014MALDEN, MASS.: Rev.\nMr. McLeish.\u2014HARTFORD, CONN.: Rev. Messrs. Hodgson, Eaton.\u2014NEW HAVEN,\nCONN.: Rev. Messrs. Teasdale, Law.\u2014PORTSMOUTH, N. H.: Rev. Messrs. Davis,\nHarris.\u2014DOVER, N. H.: Rev. Mr. Mason.\u2014BROOKLYN, N. Y.: Rev. Messrs.\nYoungs, Burnett.\u2014WILLIAMSBURG, L. I.: Rev. Mr. Roberts.\u2014NEWARK, N. J.:\nRev. Messrs. Whittaker, Lenhart.\u2014ELIZABETHTOWN, N. J.: Rev. Messrs.\nMagie, Greene.\u2014BOSTON, MASS.: Rev. Messrs. Meyrell, Russell, Bartoll,\nWinslow, Phelps, Kirk, Pierce, Huested, Clarke, Sharpe, Raymond, Read,\nMotte, Sarjent, Pierpont, Parkham, Barrett, Gannett, Gray, Robbins.\u2014NEW\nYORK: Rev. Messrs. Bond, Levings, Bangs, Stocking, Nichols, Cheney,\nBangs, Seney, Withey, Martyn, Jacobs.\u2014PHILADELPHIA, PA.: Rev. Messrs.\nBurrows, Lincoln, Suddards, McKnight, Onins, Cooper, Stockton, Keller,\nEwell, White.\u2014LANCASTER, PA.: Rev. Mr. Gerry.\u2014READING, PA.: Rev. Mr.\nSchoch.\u2014COLUMBIA, PA.: Rev. Mr. Humphrey.\n\n Published by LEARY & GETZ, 138 North Second Street, Philadelphia.  Price\n                               only $1.25.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                                   THE\n                           Historical Cabinet,\n                                CONTAINING\n                            AUTHENTIC ACCOUNTS\n                                    OF\n                  MANY REMARKABLE AND INTERESTING EVENTS\n                 WHICH HAVE TAKEN PLACE IN MODERN TIMES.\n\nCarefully collected and compiled from various authentic sources, and not\nto be found in any one work hitherto published.\n\nIn one volume 12mo. of 516 pages, with numerous Engravings.  Price $1.25.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                                   THE\n                      FAMILY SABBATH-DAY MISCELLANY:\n                      COMPRISING OVER THREE HUNDRED\n                      RELIGIOUS TALES AND ANECDOTES,\n                           ORIGINAL AND SELECT.\n\n                       WITH OCCASIONAL REFLECTIONS,\n            ADAPTED TO THE USE OF FAMILIES ON THE LORD\u2019S DAY.\n\n                            BY C. A. GOODRICH.\n\n           1 vol. 12mo., 540 pages, illustrated.  Price $1.25.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                         TRULY INTERESTING TALES.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                           ARTHUR\u2019S SIX NIGHTS\n                         WITH THE WASHINGTONIANS.\n\nThese Tales are told in Arthur\u2019s best style, and are much admired by all\nwho read then.  Illustrated with Cruikshank\u2019s eight Plates of\n\n                               THE BOTTLE,\n\nWhich are of themselves worth the cost of the book.\n\n                 18mo. cloth, 277 pages.  Price 50 cents.\n\n                                                             LEARY & GETZ,\n            _Publishers_, _No._ 138 _North Second Street_, _Philadelphia_.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n         Price in substantial Library Binding, $2; Cloth, $1.50.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                        EDMONDSON\u2019S SHORT SERMONS.\n                           WITH AN INTRODUCTION\n                        By Rev. J. P. DURBIN, D.D.\n         _Late President of Dickinson College_, _Carlisle_, _Pa._\n        With a Splendid Portrait of the Author engraved on Steel.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\nNever study to say all that can be said upon a subject; no error is\ngreater than this.  Select the most useful, the moat striking and\npersuasive topics which the text suggests, and rest the discourse upon\nthese.\u2014_Blair_.\n\nI believe, this volume will be a fountain of light and peace to\nthousands; and may God follow it with his blessing.\u2014_J. P. Durbin_.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n    One Hundred and Forty Sermons on the following important subjects:\n\nThe Original state of   Caution against         The Ghost of Samuel.\nMan.                    Error.\n                                                Christianity is a\nThe Present state of    The Spiritual Kingdom   Source of Joy.\nMan.                    of Jesus.\n                                                Counsel to a Fallen\nThe Mediation of        Working Good, the Way   Church.\nChrist.                 to Honor.\n                                                The Parable of the\nThe Necessity of        The Propriety of        Sower.\nRepentance.             praising the Lord.\n                                                The Wisdom of\nDaniel in the Den of    Secret Things belong    Obedience.\nLions.                  unto the Lord.\n                                                Contending for the\nThe Hebrew Children     Brotherly Union.        Faith.\nin the Fiery Furnace.\n                        Redemption by Jesus     The Happy Death of\nPrayer in Affliction.   Christ.                 Believers.\n\nA Message from God.     Reverence due to God    Holy Angels serve\n                        in Public Worship.      good Men.\nDavid\u2019s Advice to\nSolomon.                The Jews charged with   The Government of\n                        robbing God.            God.\nThe Strait Gate.\n                        Christian Privileges.   The good Samaritan.\nObjects of God\u2019s\nHatred.                 The Danger of Bad       An important\n                        Habits.                 Petition.\nJustification by\nFaith.                  The Prayer of           The Parable of the\n                        Habakkuk.               Tares.\nThe Importance of\nRegeneration.           The Blessing of Pious   Jesus is the Lamb of\n                        Connexions.             God.\nThe Conduct and End\nof Enoch.               The Portion of the      The murmuring\n                        Pious.                  Labourers.\nNoah warned of the\nFlood                   The Mission of          The Ascension of\n                        Barnabas to Antioch.    Jesus.\nHagar peen of God.\n                        The Nativity of         The wicked\nThe Destruction of      Christ.                 Husbandmen.\nSodom.\n                        The Crucifixion of      The Resurrection of\nAbraham about to Slay   Christ.                 Believers.\nhis Son.\n                        The Resurrection of     The Ten Virgins.\nJoseph sold into        Christ.\nEgypt.                                          The Spirit may be\n                        The Day of Pentecost.   quenched.\nThe final Lot of Men.\n                        The Brevity of Human    The Parable of the\nSin punished with       Life.                   Talents.\nDeath.\n                        The Certainty of        Good News to fallen\nThe Master\u2019s call for   Death.                  Man.\nMary.\n                        The Resurrection of     The wealthy Farmer.\nFamily Religion.        the Dead.\n                                                We should hate vain\nJohn in the Spirit on   The General Judgment.   thoughts.\nthe Lord\u2019s Day.\n                        Sinners banished from   The barren Fig-Tree.\nThe little Flock of     Christ.\nChrist encouraged.                              Piety produces strong\n                        Saints invited to       confidence.\nEncouragement to the    Glory.\nTempted.                                        The Parable of the\n                        The Gentiles trust in   great Supper.\nA Caution against       Jesus.\nIdolatry.                                       Wise and useful Man.\n                        The Dispersion of\nThe Vanity of the       Knowledge.              The Prodigal Son.\nWorld.\n                        Advice to Young Men.    The Body and the\nThe Growth of a                                 Eagles.\nChristian.              The Captain of the\n                        Lord\u2019s Host.            The unjust Steward.\nThe Pure in Heart\nshall see God.          Christian Privileges.   The Way to eternal\n                                                Life.\nFriendliness secures    Followers of that\nFriends.                which is Good.          The rich Man and\n                                                Lazarus.\nThe Christian Race.     Fools deny the being\n                        of a God.               The Lord is a\nChrist our Great High                           righteous Judge.\nPriest.                 The Word of God is a\n                        Light to Man.           The importunate\nThe True                                        Widow.\nCircumcision.           All the Earth shall\n                        know the Lord.          The People of God are\nThe Day devoted to                              happy.\nthe Lord.               Jesus is the Light of\n                        the World.              The Pharisee and the\nThe Duty of searching                           Publican.\nthe Scriptures.         The cloud between the\n                        camps.                  God is mindful of\nDirections how to                               Man.\nhear Sermons.           The Conversion of the\n                        Gentiles.               A Word to Saints and\nPerseverance in                                 Sinners.\nPrayer.                 We should be decided\n                        in Religion.            Faith and Hope in the\nPrimitive                                       Redeemer.\nChristianity.           The Character of\n                        Christ.                 The First Christian\nPropriety of Trusting                           Martyr.\nin God.                 Sinners invited to\n                        Christ.                 The Ministry of the\nThe Case of Lot\u2019s                               Apostles.\nWife.                   The Lost Sheep.\n                                                Rest from\nThe Strength of a       Walking in Truth.       Persecution.\nChristian.\n                        The Days of             Social Worship.\nTroubles prevented by   Methuselah.\nkeeping the Tongue.                             The Conduct of Jesus.\n                        The Wisdom of Man.\n                                                The best Exercise.\n                        The Obedience of\n                        Josiah.                 The Counsel of God.\n\n                                                Christian Morals.\n\n                                                 LEARY & GETZ, Publishers,\n                          _No._ 138 _North Second Street_, _Philadelphia_.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                         THE PERPETUAL KEEPSAKE.\n\n                  In splendid Binding, Price only $2.50.\n\n                                   THE\n\n                              NEW TESTAMENT\n\n                                  OF OUR\n\n                      LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.\n\n       With numerous Illustrations by W. Croome and J. H. Brightly.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\nTHIS Edition of the Sacred Word is designed expressly as a Presentation\nBook, and is issued in a beautiful style, printed on fine paper, large\ntype; and among the many original designs which adorn the Book may be\nfound the following:\n\nPresentation Plate.                 Paul Shipwrecked.\n\nOrnamented Title Page.              The Annunciation.\n\nThe Angel Appearing to the          The Flight into Egypt.\nShepherds.\n                                    The Tribute Money.\nChrist Raising the Widow\u2019s Son.\n                                    The Second Temptation.\nChrist and the Woman of Canaan.\n                                    St. John.\nChrist Praying on the Mount.\n                                    Christ Crowned with Thorns.\nThree Women at the Sepulchre.\n                                    Christ Appearing to Mary.\nPeter Delivered from Prison.\n                                    Paul Preaching at Athens.\n\n                                    The Angel Binding Satan.\n\n                                    &c., &c., &c.\n\n      _IN ONE LARGE OCTAVO VOLUME_, _HANDSOMELY AND STRONGLY BOUND_.\n\n                               Price $2.50.\n\n                                                 LEARY & GETZ, Publishers,\n                          _No._ 138 _North Second Street_, _Philadelphia_.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\nLife and Times of the Duke of Wellington: Embracing the whole Military\nCareer of this Illustrious Warrior, his Services in India, the Peninsular\nWar, and a full and complete account of the memorable Battle of Waterloo,\nwith all the spirit-stirring incidents and anecdotes of these memorable\ncontests.  Illustrated with forty-one engravings.  1 large 18mo. volume,\ncloth gilt.  Price 50 cents.\n\nCook\u2019s Voyages.  A Narrative, of the Voyages around the World, performed\nby Captain James Cook, with an account of his life during the previous\nand intervening periods.  By A. KIPPIS, D.D., F.R.S., and S.A.\nIllustrated with numerous engravings.  2 vols. in one, roan gilt binding.\nPrice 75 cents.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\nThe Constitution of Man considered in relation TO EXTERNAL OBJECTS.  By\nGEORGE COMBE.  1 vol. 18mo., cloth gilt.  Price 50 cents.\n\nThe Life of the Notorious Stephen Burroughs; Containing many Incidents in\nthe Life of this Wonderful Man, never before published.  Newly corrected\nand revised.  Two volumes in one, 18mo., cloth.  Price 50 cents.\n\nOriginal Poems for Infant Minds.  By the Taylor Family.  1 vol., 18mo.,\ncloth gilt.  Price 60 cents.\n\nRobinson Crusoe.  A beautiful 18mo. edition, with eight Plates.  Cloth.\nPrice 50 cents.\n\nThe Camp-Meeting Chorister; or, a Collection OF HYMNS AND SPIRITUAL\nSONGS, for the Pious of all Denominations, to be sung at Camp-Meetings,\nduring Revivals of Religion, and other occasions.  32mo., sheep.  Price\n25 cents.\n\nPublic School Singing Book.  By A. F. COX.  Used in the Public Schools.\n32mo., boards.  Price 12\u00bd cents.\n\nThe Ready Reckoner: To which is added a Form Book, Interest Tables, &c.\nHalf bound and lettered.  Price 12\u00bd cents.\n\nJack Lawrence, the Sailor Boy.  By the author of Jack Halyard.  1 vol.\n18mo., boards.  Price 12\u00bd cents.\n\nThe Laughing Philosopher; or, Book of Fun.  18mo., boards.  Price 12\u00bd\ncents.\n\nThe American Songster.  Enlarged, the best collection published.  32mo.,\nsheep.  Price 25 cents.\n\nWhite\u2019s Elements of Universal History.  For the use of Schools and of\nPrivate Students; with Additions by JOHN S. HART, A. M., Principal of the\nPhiladelphia High School.  12mo., arabesque backs.\n\nTestament.  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But henceforth they are confined to the western\npart of the island, called Cumry, or Wales.\n\n{27}  A part of this sermon, as delivered on another occasion, is given\nin the latter part of this volume.\n\n{43}  Jer. xv. 12.\n\n{44a}  Isaiah lxvi. 8.\n\n{44b}  Isaiah ii. 3.\n\n{45}  Hos. xiv. 2.\n\n{53}  Such an accident is said to have occurred at Shrewsbury, in\nEngland, a few fears ago.\n\n{56}  The three are since dead; the first two named died before Mr.\nEvans, and Mr. Thomas since.\n\n{71}  1 John i. 1\u20133.\n\n{73}  Rom. vi. 17.\n\n{74}  The eighteenth.\n\n{75}  Dr. Edward Williams, of Rotherham, author of some abstruse\ninquiries on the Divine Sovereignty.\n\n{94}  This paragraph is one of the celebrated \u201cSpecimens of Welsh\nPreaching,\u201d printed in England some years before the publication of any\nof these sermons.  We give the first English version verbatim.  Ed.\n\n{114}  The substance of this transcendent passage Christmas Evans often\nrepeated in his preaching, and of course with considerable variation on\ndifferent occasions.  There are two other versions of it in English.  One\nof them, translated many years ago, and published under the title of \u201cA\nSpecimen of Welsh Preaching,\u201d has been everywhere justly admired, as one\nof the finest productions of sanctified genius.  The other, which we give\nbelow, was taken from the lips of the preacher, and rendered into\nEnglish, by one of his frequent hearers and intimate friends.  \u201cAll the\nstores of his energy,\u201d says the editor of the English memoir, \u201cand the\nresources of his voice, which was one of great compass, depth, and\nsweetness, seemed reserved for the closing portions of the picture, when\nhe delineated the routed and battered hosts of the pit retreating from\nthe cross, where they had anticipated a triumph, and met a signal and\nirretrievable overthrow.\u201d\u2014EDITOR.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n\u201cMethinks I find myself standing upon the summit of one of the highest of\nthe everlasting hills, permitted thence to take a survey of our earth.\nIt shows to me a wide and far-spread burial-ground, over which lie\nscattered in countless multitudes the wretched and perishing children of\nAdam.  The ground is full of hollow\u2019s, the yawning caverns of death,\nwhile over it broods a thick cloud of fearful darkness.  No light from\nabove shines upon it, nor is the ray of the sun or moon, or the beams of\na candle seen through all its borders.  It is walled around.  Its gates,\nlarge and massive, ten thousand times stronger than all the gates of\nbrass forged among men, are one and all safely locked.  It is the hand of\nDivine Justice that has locked them, and so firmly secured are the strong\nbolts which hold those doors, that all the created powers even of the\nheavenly world, were they to labor to all eternity, could not drive so\nmuch as one of them back.  How hopeless the wretchedness to which the\nrace are doomed, and into what irrecoverable depths of ruin has the\ndisobedience of their first parent plunged them!\n\n\u201cBut behold, in the cool of the day there is seen descending from the\neternal hills in the distance, the radiant form of Mercy, seated in the\nchariot of the divine promise, and clothed with splendor, infinitely\nbrighter than the golden rays of the morning when seen shooting over\nmountains of pearls.  Seated beside Mercy in that chariot is seen another\nform like unto the Son of man.  His mysterious name is the \u2018Seed of the\nWoman,\u2019 and girt around him shines the girdle of eternity, radiant with\nthe lustre of the heaven of heavens.  \u2018He has descended into the lower\nparts of the earth.\u2019  I see Mercy alight from that chariot, and she is\nknocking at the huge gate of this vast cemetery.  She asks of Justice:\n\u2018Is there no entrance into this field of death?  May I not visit these\ncaverns of the grave, and seek, if it may be, to raise some names at\nleast of the children of destruction, and bring them again to the light\nof day?  Open, Justice, open; drive back these iron bolts and let me in,\nthat I may proclaim the jubilee of deliverance to the children of the\ndust.\u2019  But I hear the stern reply of Justice from within those walls; it\nis,\u2014\u2018Mercy, surely thou lovest Justice too well, to wish to burst these\ngates by force of arm, and thus obtain entrance by mere lawless violence.\nAnd I cannot open the door.  I cherish no anger towards the unhappy\nwretches.  I have no delight in their eternal death, or in hearing their\ncries as they lie upon the burning hearth of the great fire kindled by\nthe wrath of God, in the land that is lower than the grave.  But I am\nbound to vindicate the purity, holiness, and equity of God\u2019s laws; for,\n\u2018without shedding of blood there is no remission.\u2019  \u2018Be it so,\u2019 said\nMercy, \u2018but wilt thou not accept of a surety who may make a sufficient\natonement for the crime committed and the offence given?\u2019  \u2018That will I,\u2019\nsaid Justice, \u2018only let him be duly allied to either party in this sad\ncontroversy, a kinsman, near alike to the injured Lawgiver, and to the\nguilty tenants of the burial-ground.\u2019  \u2018Wilt thou, then,\u2019 said Mercy,\n\u2018accept of the puissant Michael, prince among the hosts of heaven, who\nfought bravely in the day when there was war in heaven, and also\nvanquished Apollyon upon the summit of the everlasting hills?\u2019\n\u2018No,\u2019\u2014said Justice, \u2018I may not, for his goings forth are not from the\nbeginning, even from everlasting.\u2019  \u2018Wilt thou not then accept of the\nvaliant Gabriel, who compelled Beelzebub to turn and seek safety in\nflight from the walls of the heavenly city?\u2019  \u2018No,\u2019\u2014cried Justice, \u2018for\nGabriel is already bound to render his appointed service to the King\nAlmighty; and who may serve in his place while he should be attempting\nthe salvation of Adam\u2019s race?  There needs,\u2019 continued Justice, \u2018one who\nhas, of right belonging to him, both omnipotence and eternity, to achieve\nthe enterprise.  Let him clothe himself with the nature of these\nwretches.  Let him be born within these gloomy walls, and himself undergo\ndeath within this unapproachable place, if he would buy the favor of\nHeaven for these children of the captivity!\u2019\n\n\u201cBut while this dialogue was held, behold, a form fairer than the morning\ndawn, and full of the glory of heaven, is seen descending from that\nchariot.  Casting, as he passes, a glance of infinite benignity upon the\nhapless tenants of that burial-ground, he approaches, and asks of\nJustice: \u2018Wilt thou accept of me?\u2019  \u2018I will,\u2019 said Justice, \u2018for greater\nart thou than heaven and the whole universe.\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018Behold, then,\u2019 said the stranger, \u2018I come: in the volume of the book\nhas it been written of me.  I will go down, in the fulness of time, into\nthe sides of the pit of corruption.  I will lay hold of this nature, and\ntake upon me the dust of Eden, and, allied to that dust, I will pour into\nthy balance, Justice, blood of such worth and virtue that the court of\nheaven shall pronounce its claims satisfied, and bid the children of the\ngreat captivity go free.\u2019\n\n\u201cCenturies have rolled by, and the fulness of time is now accomplished;\nand see, an infant of days is born within the old burial ground of Eden.\nBehold a Son given to the dwellers of the tomb, and a spotless Lamb, the\nLamb of God, is seen within that gloomy enclosure.  When the hour came at\nwhich the ministers of the Divine Justice must seize upon the victim, I\nsee them hurrying towards Gethsemane.  There, in heaviness and sorrow of\nsoul, praying more earnestly, the surety is seen bowed to the earth, and\nthe heavy burden he had assumed is now weighing him down.  Like a lamb,\nhe is led towards Golgotha\u2014the hill of skulls.  There are mustered all\nthe hosts of darkness, rejoicing in the hope of their speedy conquest\nover him.  The monsters of the pit, huge, fierce, and relentless, are\nthere.  The lions, {116a} as in a great army, were grinding fearfully\ntheir teeth, ready to tear him in pieces.  The unicorns, {116b} a\ncountless host, were rushing onwards to thrust him through, and trample\nhim beneath their feet.  And there were the bulls of Bashan, {116c}\nroaring terribly; the dragons {116d} of the pit are unfolding themselves,\nand shooting out their stings, and dogs {116e} many are all around the\nmountain.  \u2018It is the hour and power of darkness.\u2019  I see him passing\nalong through this dense array of foes, an unresisting victim.  He is\nnailed to the cross; and now Beelzebub and all the master-spirits in the\nhosts of hell have formed, though invisible to man, a ring around the\ncross.  It was about the third hour of the day, or the hour of nine in\nthe morning, that he was bound as a sacrifice, even to the horns of the\naltar.  The fire of divine vengeance has fallen, and the flames of the\ncurse have now caught upon him.  The blood of the victim is fast\ndropping, and the hosts of hell are shouting impatiently: \u2018The victory\nwill soon be ours.\u2019  And the fire went on burning until the ninth hour of\nthe day, or the hour of three in the afternoon, when it touched his\nDeity,\u2014and then it expired.  For the ransom was now paid and the victory\nwon.  It was his.  His hellish foes, crushed in his fall, the unicorns\nand the bulls of Bashan retreated from the encounter with shattered\nhorns; the jaws of the lions had been broken and their claws torn off,\nand the old dragon, with bruised head, dragged himself slowly away from\nthe scene, in deathlike feebleness.  \u2018He triumphed over them openly,\u2019 and\nnow is He for ever the Prince and Captain of our salvation, made perfect\nthrough sufferings.  The graves of the old burial-ground have been thrown\nopen; and from yonder hills gales of life have blown down upon this\nvalley of dry bones, and an exceedingly great army have already been\nsealed to our God, as among the living in Zion.\u201d\n\n{116a}  Allusion to the language in which Psalm xxii. predicts the\nSaviour\u2019s sufferings.  The Psalm which our Saviour himself quoted upon\nthe Cross, when he cried, \u201cMy God, why hast thou forsaken me.\u201d\n\n{116b}  Ditto.\n\n{116c}  Ditto.\n\n{116d}  Ditto.\n\n{116e}  Ditto.\n\n{132}  Was it the amount of suffering, or the dignity of the sufferer,\nthat gave merit to the sacrifice sufficient for the world\u2019s redemption?\nED.\n\n{148}  Dan. xii. 11, 12.\n\n{185}  This sentiment, in different forms, occurs very frequently in\nthese sermons.  It is questionable theology.\u2014ED.\n\n{205}  Acts iv. 4.\n\n{223}  Rom. i. 19\u201321.\n\n{224}  Acts xvii. 22\u201328.\n\n{256}  James ii. 17\u201326.","title":"Sermons of Christmas Evans","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":124384}