{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_62223/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_62223","id":"gutenberg_62223","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/62223","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Religion/Spirituality","Episcopal Church -- Sermons","Sermons, English -- 19th century"],"text":"Transcribed from the 1831 C. J. G. and F. Rivington edition by David\nPrice, ccx074@pglaf.org\n\n [Picture: Public domain book cover]\n\n\n\n\n\n PLAIN\n PAROCHIAL SERMONS,\n\n\n PREACHED IN\n\n THE PARISH CHURCH OF BOLTON-LE-MOORS,\n\n BY THE\n REV. JAMES SLADE, M.A.,\n\n _VICAR OF BOLTON_, _AND PREBENDARY OF CHESTER_.\n\n * * * * *\n\n LONDON:\n C. J. G. AND F. RIVINGTON, ST. PAUL\u2019S CHURCH YARD.\n\n 1831.\n\n * * * * *\n\n BOLTON:\n PRINTED BY J. GARDNER.\n\n * * * * *\n\n TO THE CONGREGATION\n OF THE PARISH CHURCH OF BOLTON,\n THESE SERMONS\n ARE INSCRIBED AND DEDICATED,\n WITH AFFECTIONATE REGARD,\n BY THEIR PASTOR AND FRIEND,\n\n J. S.\n\n\n\n\nADVERTISEMENT.\n\n\nTHE author has been repeatedly urged to print a volume of his Parochial\nSermons; and perhaps he owes some apology to those friends, whose kind\nadvice, on this head, has been for years neglected. He was apprehensive,\nthat the interest, excited by his discourses from the pulpit, would not\nbe adequately revived by their appearance in print; or at most, that they\nwould be impressive only upon those who had heard them: and he moreover\nthought, that the christian world was already provided with more than a\nsufficiency of such publications. However, whether these opinions be\nwell founded or not, he has been at length prevailed upon to defer to the\nwishes and judgment of others.\n\nIt is almost needless to observe, that the Sermons were written without\nany, the most distant, view to publication; they pretend to nothing, but\nthe simple and earnest inculcation of christian principle and practice;\nand as this is the author\u2019s sole object, so does he pour forth his humble\nprayer, that what, by God\u2019s help, he has planted and watered, may, by\nGod\u2019s blessing, be increased to the glory of His own great name, and the\nedification of His Church.\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS.\n\n SERMON I.\n AWAKE THOU THAT SLEEPEST AND ARISE FROM THE DEAD.\n\nEPHESIANS v. 14.\u2014Wherefore He saith, Page 1\nAwake thou that sleepest, and arise\nfrom the dead, and Christ shall give\nthee light.\n\n[Preached January 10th, 1830, 1st\nEpiph., {vii} and at Chester\nCathedral, August 1st, in the same\nyear.]\n SERMON II.\n THE UNSEARCHABLE RICHES OF CHRIST.\nEPHESIANS iii. 8.\u2014The unsearchable riches of Christ. 20\n\n[Preached January 9th, 1831, 1st Epiph.]\n SERMON III.\n THE DESTRUCTION OF THE FLOOD.\nGENESIS vi. 7.\u2014It repented the Lord, that He had made man 38\nupon the earth and it grieved Him at His heart; and the Lord\nsaid, I will destroy man, whom I have created, from the face\nof the earth.\n\n[Preached February 6th, 1825, Sexag.]\n SERMON IV.\n THE PRESERVATION FROM THE FLOOD.\nGENESIS vi. 8.\u2014Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. 56\n\n[Preached February 13th, 1825.]\n SERMON V.\n DO THIS GREAT WICKEDNESS AND SIN AGAINST GOD,\nGENESIS xxxix. 9.\u2014How then can I do this great wickedness 76\nand sin against God?\n\n[Preached March 6th, 1825, 3rd Lent.]\n SERMON VI.\n ON THE JOURNEY TO EMMAUS.\nLUKE xxiv. 32.\u2014And they said one to another, Did not our 95\nheart burn within us, while He talked with us by the way,\nand while He opened to us the Scriptures?\n\n[Preached April 13th, 1828, 1st Easter, and at Chester\nCathedral July 12th, 1829.]\n SERMON VII.\n IF THEY HEAR NOT MOSES AND THE PROPHETS.\nLUKE xvi. 31.\u2014If they hear not Moses and the Prophets, 114\nneither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the\ndead.\n\n[Preached June 1st, 1823, 1st Trin.]\n SERMON VIII.\n PERFECT LOVE CASTETH OUT FEAR.\n1 JOHN iv. 18,\u2014There is no fear in love, but perfect love 134\ncasteth out fear: because fear hath torment; he that feareth\nis not made perfect in love.\n\n[Preached June 16th, 1822, 2nd Trin.]\n SERMON IX.\n HUMBLE YOURSELVES UNDER THE MIGHTY HAND OF GOD.\n1 Peter v. 6.\u2014Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of 154\nGod, that He may exalt you in due time.\n\n[Preached June 19th, 1825, 3rd Trin.]\n SERMON X.\n THOU ART THE MAN.\n2 Samuel xii. 7.\u2014And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. 172\n\n[Preached July 14th, 1822, 6th Trin., and at Chester\nCathedral July 6th 1823.]\n SERMON XI.\n THE WAY OF THE LORD EQUAL.\nEZEKIEL xviii. 25.\u2014Ye say, the way of the Lord is not equal. 189\nHear now, O house of Israel; is not My ways equal? are not\nyour ways unequal?\n\n[Preached October 10th, 1824, 17th Trin.]\n SERMON XII.\n THE NEW MAN.\nEPHESIANS iv. 24.\u2014That ye put on the new man, which after 209\nGod is created in righteousness and true holiness.\n\n[Preached October 13th, 1822, 19th Trin.]\n SERMON XIII.\n THE WEDDING GARMENT.\nMATTHEW xxii. 2.\u2014The kingdom of heaven is like unto a 230\ncertain king which made a marriage for his son.\n\n[Preached October 31st, 1824, 20th Trin.]\n SERMON XIV.\n WALK WORTHY OF THE LORD, BE FRUITFUL AND INCREASING.\nCOLOSSIANS i. 10.\u2014That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto 252\nall pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and\nincreasing in the knowledge of God.\n\n[Preached November 9th, 1823, 24th Trin. and at Chester\nCathedral, August 20th, 1826.]\n SERMON XV.\n THE WORD OF THE LORD PRECIOUS.\n1 SAMUEL iii. 1.\u2014The word of the Lord was precious in those 271\ndays; there was no open vision.\n\n[Preached December 9th, 1827. 2nd Advent]\n SERMON XVI.\n DISTINCTIONS TO BE MADE ON THE DAY OF JUDGMENT.\nMATTHEW xxiv. 40.\u2014The one shall be taken and the other left. 290\n\n[Preached December 12th, 1824, 3rd Advent.]\n SERMON XVII.\n GOD MADE MAN UPRIGHT; MAN MAKES HIMSELF MISERABLE.\nECCLES. vii. 29.\u2014Lo, this only have I found, that God hath 310\nmade man upright, but they have sought out many inventions.\n\n[Preached August, 1828, and at Chester Cathedral, June 28th,\n1829.]\n SERMON XVIII.\n THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD REVEALED TO THEM THAT FEAR HIM.\nPSALM xxv. 14.\u2014The secret of the Lord is with them that fear 329\nHim; and He will shew them His covenant.\n\n[Preached November 19th, 1826, and at Chester Cathedral,\nJuly 29th, 1827.]\n SERMON XIX.\n RESIST THE BEGINNINGS OF EVIL TEMPTATION.\nPROVERBS iv. 14, 15.\u2014Enter not into the path of the wicked, 349\nand go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by\nit, turn from it, and pass away.\n\n[Preached October 10th, 1830.]\n SERMON XX.\n THE LOVE OF CHRIST FOR THOSE WHO DO THE WILL OF GOD.\nMARK iii. 35.\u2014Whosoever shall do the will of God, the same 366\nis My brother and My sister and mother.\n\n[Preached February 3rd, 1828.]\n SERMON XXI.\n ON SEEKING OUT THE WORKS OF THE LORD AND PRAISING HIM.\nPSALM cxi. 1, 2.\u2014I will give thanks unto the Lord with my 385\nwhole heart; in the assembly of the upright and in the\ncongregation.\n\nThe works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that\nhave pleasure therein.\n\n[Preached November 23rd, 1828.]\n SERMON XXII.\n DILIGENCE AND PERSEVERANCE IN THE CHRISTIAN RACE.\nPHILIPP. iii. 13, 14.\u2014Brethren, I count not myself to have 404\napprehended; but this one thing I do, forgetting those\nthings which are behind, and reaching forth unto those\nthings which are before, I press toward the mark for the\nprize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.\n\n[Preached March 28th, 1830, and at Chester Cathedral,\nSeptember 5th, in the same year.]\n\n\n\n\nSERMON I.\nAWAKE THOU THAT SLEEPEST.\n\n\n EPHESIANS v. 14.\n\n _Wherefore_, _he saith_, _Awake_, _thou that sleepest_, _and arise\n from the dead_, _and Christ shall give thee light_.\n\nIN this chapter the Apostle has been reminding his Ephesian converts of\nthe state in which they were, before they had received and obeyed the\ncall of the gospel. The people of Ephesus were highly endowed, in the\nworld\u2019s estimation, not only with riches, but also with talent and\nlearning, and refinement; with all the arts and ornaments of civilized\nlife. And yet, how does St. Paul describe them in the 8th verse? \u201cYe\nwere sometimes darkness;\u201d how in the 12th? \u201cFor it is a shame even to\nspeak of those things which are done of them in secret.\u201d\n\nHere, you observe, we have a remarkable declaration from the mouth of an\nApostle, that a people, however talented and learned, were still wrapt in\nthe mantle of darkness, with regard to their real good and happiness;\nwith regard to their religious and moral condition. Whatever nature had\ndone for them, to whatever eminence they had been raised by art or\nindustry, they were left far short of the object which it concerned them\nmost to attain\u2014an acquaintance with God, a knowledge and practice of His\nlaw; a peace with Him and with their own consciences. So far were they\nfrom this, that their characters were stained with the most debasing\nvices; their secret sins were too abominable even to be mentioned.\n\nThus we see how little the instructions and advantages of this world have\nto do with reforming the conduct, or amending the depraved heart of man.\nAnd what was true in this instance, is true in all; there is no teaching,\nthere are no rules of prudence, no maxims however wise, no manners\nhowever polished, that can cleanse the heart of its natural\nunrighteousness, and curb its natural propensity to evil: give what you\nmay, educate as you may, man, if left to his own wisdom and strength,\nwill remain what he is by fallen nature, a weak, a wayward, and a wicked\nbeing; an enemy to holiness and to God. There may be a shew of wisdom\n\u201cfalsely so called;\u201d there may be a refined conversation and a polished\noutside; but there will always be uncleanness remaining within. The evil\nprinciples may wear a dazzling veil, and the vices may be clothed in\nfashionable garments, but they will be evil principles and vices still.\n\nThere is but one means by which the darkness of nature can be scattered,\nand that is by the light of God\u2019s truth; but one means by which the evil\nspirit of the natural man can be cast out, and that is by the Spirit of\nGod. The blessed Jesus came into the world to reclaim and redeem it from\nthe grossness in which it was sunk; to open a new scene of things; to\nimpart a new life; to banish the thick cloud of error and of sin, in\nwhich the world hopelessly and irrecoverably lay; and to raise it to the\nknowledge and service, the favour and blessing of an offended God. This\nis the description of the happy effects which the gospel is intended and\nfitted to produce; \u201cthe people that walked in darkness have seen a great\nlight; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath\nthe light shined.\u201d {4} All, without the gospel, are in this miserable\ncondition, whatever they may think of themselves: all who sincerely\nembrace it, are enlightened and happy, however poor and humble, and of\nwhatever else they may be ignorant.\n\nPoor and humble did I say? It is to them, that this light is the most\neasily, and frequently, and effectually communicated. The prosperous and\nthe great too often resemble the wealthy Ephesians, \u201chaving the\nunderstanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the\nignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;\u201d {5}\nrevelling in the self-sufficiency of their earthly comforts, proud of\ntheir acquirements, fond of their own way, they disdain to be taught the\nhumbling truths of the gospel from a fellow-creature like themselves: and\noften has the minister of the gospel to be thankful to his Lord and\nMaster, that, when he finds his message rejected and despised by his\nwealthier hearers, it still makes its way into the hearts of some of the\npoor: grieved he is indeed, that those, who ought to know it best and\nlove it most, should be so deluded by worldly vanities and follies, as to\ncontinue, amidst all their advantages of education, in spiritual darkness\nand death; set against the messenger, because hating the truth of his\nmessage: yet, is it a comfort to him, sincere and unspeakable, that he\nmeets with more success among the ignorant, as they are called, and the\nchildren of the poor: that there he finds wisdom, \u201cthe wisdom which is\nfrom above;\u201d and there he finds friends among the friends of God.\n\nIt was so in the Apostle\u2019s day; and with some bright exceptions, it has\nbeen the same in every day: \u201cFor ye see your calling, brethren, how that\nnot many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are\ncalled; but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound\nthe wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world, to confound\nthe things that are mighty: and base things of the world, and things\nwhich are despised hath God chosen; yea, and things which are not, to\nbring to nought things that are: that no flesh should glory in his\npresence.\u201d {7}\n\nAll these observations have been made, to connect and explain the first\nword of the text, _wherefore_; \u201cwherefore, he saith, awake thou that\nsleepest and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.\u201d\nInasmuch as it is impossible for thee to know and to please God, to\nattain unto holiness and happiness, to save thy soul, by the light of\nnature, (for nature is in fact, of itself and for such a purpose, no\nlight at all,) turn to the way, which is opened to thee by the shining of\nthe Sun of Righteousness; to that one way, which is opened alike for all\nmankind, rich and poor, learned and unlearned; turn to thy Redeemer, in\nhumble faith and hearty desire, and \u201cHe shall give thee light:\u201d learn of\nHim and He shall teach thee all that thou needest to know: seek of Him,\nand He shall guide thee into all righteousness and truth; lean on Him,\nand He shall support thee, through all the course of thy earthly\npilgrimage; and conduct thee in peace and safety to thy journey\u2019s end.\n\n\u201cWherefore, he _saith_;\u201d there is no particular passage in the Old\nTestament, in which these words of the text are found; but they seem to\nallude to several expressions of similar import, in the prophecy of\nIsaiah. In the 26th chapter, there is a passage which describes the\ndeliverance of God\u2019s people from a state of degradation, both political\nand spiritual, under the figure of a resurrection from the dead: \u201cThy\ndead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake\nand sing, ye that dwell in dust; for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and\nthe earth shall cast out the dead.\u201d {8} And again, in the 52nd chapter:\n\u201cAwake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful\ngarments, O Jerusalem, the Holy city; for henceforth there shall no more\ncome in to thee the uncircumcised and the unclean; shake thyself from the\ndust; arise and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of\nthy neck, O captive daughter of Zion: for thus saith the Lord, ye have\nsold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money:\u201d {9a}\na powerful call upon the Jewish people to cast away their transgressions,\nthrough which they had been brought into a state of grievous captivity,\nand to throw themselves on the Lord\u2019s mercy, and return to the Lord\u2019s\nservice, that He might break their bonds asunder, and visit them with His\nsalvation. One more passage there is, to which the Apostle clearly\nalludes, in the opening of the 60th chapter: \u201cArise, shine, for thy light\nis come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For behold, the\ndarkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the\nLord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.\u201d {9b}\nHere the prophet foretels the glorious dawn of gospel light, and calls\nupon the Church to arise and behold it, shining from afar; to behold it\nwith the eye of faith; to look forward to that Saviour, that great\n\u201cfountain for sin and uncleanness,\u201d which the law and the prophets did\nall with one voice proclaim. The prophet adds, \u201cAnd the gentiles shall\ncome to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.\u201d The first\ncoming of the gentile world was visible in the footsteps of the wise men,\nwho came \u201cfrom the east to Jerusalem,\u201d {10} to worship the infant Jesus:\nand ever since our Lord\u2019s return to the heavens, the gospel has been\npreached to all nations; and accepted, more or less, by the kings and\npotentates of the earth.\n\nAnd, as the prophet called on the people of old, to awake and arise and\nturn to the coming light, so St. Paul invited and animated his converts\nand their brethren, to awake and behold the glory of the Lord, after it\nhad been fully revealed to the dark and sinful world; and so do the\nministers of Christ, in every age, call upon their hearers to arouse from\ntheir benighted and lost condition, and let this light shine upon their\nunderstandings and hearts, and direct them in the way of life and\nsalvation. For grieved are we to say, that notwithstanding these bright\nbeams of grace and truth have been so long pouring forth their splendour\nupon the earth, yet are there many dark corners; and many eyes awfully\nclosed against the light: and still more grieved are we to say, that even\nin the land where these beams have shone brightest, even in this land,\nvast numbers yet remain total strangers to their enlightening influence\nand converting power: numbers who have had the benefit of being educated\nunder the gospel, who have witnessed its happy effects; who have seen\nwhat it has done for their relations, or friends, or neighbours, have yet\nungratefully and disdainfully turned away from the heavenly light, and\n\u201cwalked on still in darkness;\u201d have sided with the world and Satan and\nsin, and resisted the salvation of their souls.\n\nO, that they could be brought, O for the grace of God\u2019s Holy Spirit to\nbring them, to listen to the warning words of that merciful Saviour, to\nwhom, if they now continue to despise Him, they will one day lift up\ntheir hands in vain: these are His words, \u201cif the light that is in thee\nbe darkness, how great is that darkness.\u201d {12} If, after all the\ngracious offers of pardon and life, which thy Redeemer has made thee, by\nHis own mouth, and the mouth of His messengers, thou still choosest\nunforgiveness and death, going on in the heedlessness of thy impenitent\nheart, and wantoning in sin, how dreadful is thy condition! how\ninfinitely more dreadful, than if the voice of mercy had never sounded in\nthine ears. Be convinced: let the love of thy Saviour work upon thee;\nlet the love of thine own immortal soul move thee to fly unto Him, the\ngreat, the only, the everlasting Redeemer. Leave thy way of misery and\nruin, and turn to Him for comfort and deliverance. Turn, while thou hast\nthe power; the night is fast coming. Thou knowest not how many more\nsabbaths, how many more invitations and warnings, will be vouchsafed:\nmany thou hast had already; enough of them thou hast already slighted.\nCome, ye that are strong, for the strong are often laid low; come, ye\nthat are young, for the young are not always spared; come, ye aged, for\nyour hour of trial _must_ be nearly run out. Come all, while ye may, to\nthe Lamb of God, for acceptance and for blessing: there is no safety, and\nno hope in any other: and no hope in Him, when the door is once shut; \u201cwe\npray you, in Christ\u2019s stead, be ye reconciled to God.\u201d {13}\n\nThe text says, \u201cAwake thou that sleepest;\u201d it means, awake from the sleep\nof sin; and very fitly is the state of the sinner compared to a state of\nsleep: he is quite insensible of his true, his awful condition; he fears\nnot, perceives not, the doom that is awaiting him. Satan has bound up\nhis senses; the eyes of his understanding are closed, and his knowledge\nof good and evil is utterly prevented. He is to the spiritual world,\nwhat the sleeping man is to the natural, unconscious of what is going\nforward to his advantage or his injury. Speak to him of mercy, he hears\nnot: \u201csing him one of the songs of Sion,\u201d it is all in vain: speak to him\nof divine wrath, of eternal punishment; to what purpose, while his ear is\nclosed? The whispers of conscience, the counsel of friends, \u201cthe tongues\nof men or of angels,\u201d are alike unprofitable, while a deep sleep is cast\nupon the soul.\n\nAnd there is a further resemblance: the sinner dreams, of happiness\narising from worldly prosperity, from plenty and pleasure: and as the\nbrain of a poor or disconsolate man, in a state of sleep, is often filled\nwith ideas of such things, and he awakes and finds them sadly untrue;\nawakes from his pleasant dreaming to his state of drudgery and\ndiscomfort; so is the sinner often constrained to feel and confess, that\nhis notions of happiness were no better than a dream; that they were\nunsubstantial and unreal, promising much and bringing little: still he is\nunconvinced; pursues his course of trifling, his disappointed dreamings,\ntill at length he awakes in another world, and thoroughly perceives the\nwretchedness of his condition, which it is then too late, impossible to\nchange. From this dreadful, fatal sleep of sin, the gospel is designed\nto rouse us: and I pray God, that our conscience may be effectually\nalarmed and awakened; that we may be alive and active in perceiving and\nfollowing \u201cthe things that belong unto our peace!\u201d\n\nThe text says further, \u201cArise from the dead;\u201d from the death of sin; from\nthe state of misery and ruin, in which ye insensibly lie. Here is\nanother significant figure: the impenitent sinner is not only plunged\ninto a condition of helpless wretchedness, but he has no energy to\nrecover from it, no quickening or effectual desire of better things; no\nmore perception of spiritual interests, of heavenly objects, than a\ncorpse has of the natural world. When once the breath has left the body,\nthe busiest scenes of earth can affect it no longer; nothing can \u201ccharm\nthe dull cold ear of death:\u201d when the breath of a divine life is not in\nthe soul, when the new-creating spirit of God is not received and\ncherished, the beauty of holiness and the all-important interests of a\nspiritual and eternal world produce no effect upon the forlorn\nunderstanding and the deserted heart: no representations of spiritual\ntruth can move the heavy ear of a besotted and determined sinner; none,\nwhile he is resolved, so to remain: not even the voice of the Son of God,\n\u201ccharm He never so wisely.\u201d Till the heart be moved to repentance, till,\nthe faculties of the soul are recovered from the fascination of stupor\nand sin, no living impression can be made, even with all the force that\ntruth can carry. How often do we find this to be the case! how often\ndoes the sinner acknowledge the justice, the certainty, the necessity of\nwhat is urged upon him, but without any alteration in his character;\nwithout any effectual or lasting alteration. His heart is unchanged: the\nslave of sin; dead in sin; not alive or open to the force of truth, to\nthe doctrines of righteousness or salvation.\n\nInfatuated sinner! thine own conscience accuses thee; thou believest that\nthere will be a world to come, a world of recompence, and yet thou\nturnest not to prepare for it; pray, when thou fearest; pray, when thou\nthinkest of these things; cry earnestly to thy Saviour, that he may\ndeliver thee from this \u201cgall of bitterness and this bond of iniquity;\u201d\npray for the convincing, converting, life-giving Spirit, that He may \u201cset\nthine heart at liberty\u201d from the thraldom of sin; and thus enable thee to\nlisten to the call of the gospel, and turn thy feet in earnest to the\nRedeemer of thy soul. For if thou listenest and turnest not, \u201cdead thou\nart while thou livest;\u201d and when thou diest, eternally dead; dead to all\ncomfort and happiness for ever; dead in a world of woe.\n\nBut if we will (and God grant that we all may) awake and arise, \u201cChrist\nwill assuredly give us light:\u201d \u201cHe is the true light, which lighteth\nevery man that cometh into the world;\u201d {18} ready to shine upon every\nsoul, to lighten it in darkness and quicken it in death. Believe in Him,\nand live in Him, and the clouds of ignorance shall be scattered away; and\nthe drowsiness of the soul shall be cast off; and the cold heart of the\nnatural man shall be warm with life again. In the midst of this world\u2019s\ntemptations and trials, troubles and perplexities, we shall see our way\nclear, our way to the heavenly Jerusalem; a brightness, the brightness of\nGod\u2019s presence, will be resting upon our souls; the world sees it not,\nbut we shall see and enjoy it every hour: dark things will be made light,\nand \u201ccrooked things will be made straight, and the rough places plain:\u201d\nwe shall be living above the world, for \u201cour life will be hid with Christ\nin God:\u201d {19} cheerful we shall be when nature is sad: inspirited when\nnature is languishing; full of praises and thanksgivings when nature is\nmourning.\n\nSay, Christian people, have ye never seen the triumph of faith over\nnature\u2019s weakness and Satan\u2019s power? have ye never, in the hour of trial,\nwitnessed that the Saviour was near? never observed the fainting spirit\nanimated and sustained? never beheld the closing eye, of the dying saint,\nbeaming with heavenly fire; and the pale features lighted up with the\nsmile of satisfaction and composure and peace? If ye have not, the dying\nChristian will shew you these things\u2014go to his bed, and learn the lesson;\ngo, and catch the hope, that \u201cChrist will give you light.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nSERMON II.\nTHE UNSEARCHABLE RICHES OF CHRIST.\n\n\n EPH. iii 8.\n _The unsearchable riches of Christ_.\n\nTHERE is no passage, in the whole range of Scripture, in which the\nbenefits and blessings of the gospel are more strikingly and fully\nrepresented, than by these few words: it is elsewhere described as the\n\u201cpearl of great price,\u201d as \u201cthe treasure that fadeth not away,\u201d as \u201cthe\ntrue riches;\u201d but here, as if in addition to the former descriptions, it\nis called, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, \u201cthe unsearchable\nriches of Christ:\u201d impossible for men, impossible for angels to search\nout and discover its full excellency and value. The more it is examined,\nand the more it is experimentally known, the more is the believer\nconvinced of the propriety and truth of this description; without a deep\nenquiry indeed, without a vital experience of its blessedness, it is not\nfor any one to understand even the nature of its transcendent riches; to\nthe world at large they are known only by name: but the sincere\nChristian, who makes them his own, is brought to admire their\ninexhaustible fulness; and to perceive, how utterly they extend beyond\nhis comprehension, how highly they are removed above his loftiest\nthoughts and his most ardent imagination: \u201ceye hath not seen, nor ear\nheard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God\nhath prepared for them that love him.\u201d {21} They lie entirely out of the\nreach of the natural man; and even the spiritual man does but imperfectly\nunderstand them.\n\nThese unsearchable riches it was the province of St. Paul especially to\ndeclare unto the gentile world, that is, unto the world at large, when\nthe offer of them had been rejected by the Jewish nation: in consequence\nof which blessed communication to the gentiles, the knowledge of them was\nconveyed, in process of time, to our favoured land.\n\nMany learned persons have believed, that St. Paul himself preached in\nthis island; of this, however, there is no certain evidence; it is enough\nfor us to know, that we are partakers of the benefit of his preaching,\nthat the sound of the gospel, which he sent \u201cforth into all lands,\u201d has\nlong ago reached us; and that we are now in the full enjoyment of this\ninestimable privilege. He declares, in the chapter, before us, that\nJesus Christ, by express revelation, made known to him the great mystery,\nthe unfathomable purpose of His mercy; \u201cwhich in other ages was not made\nknown unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto the holy Apostles\nand Prophets by the Spirit: that the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, and\nof the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel.\u201d\nUnto me, he says, \u201cwho am less than the least of all saints, is this\ngrace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable\nriches of Christ. And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the\nmystery, which, from the beginning of the world, hath been hid in God,\nwho created all things by Jesus Christ.\u201d {23}\n\nYou perceive here the object of the Apostle\u2019s preaching; it was, that all\nmankind, we among the number, might be brought acquainted with the\nglorious scheme of eternal redemption, and be made partakers of its\nunspeakable blessings. And is there a heart so cold, as not to beat with\ngratitude, in the remembrance of such mercy; as not to take an interest\nin such a testimony of divine love? If we knew no particulars respecting\nit, the very announcement and promise of an infinite treasure, of a\ntreasure in the mansions of eternity, were sufficient to awaken our most\nprofound attention: it often does so, when carried by the missionary to\nthe heathen and the stranger; they, who never heard before the good\ntidings of salvation, are arrested by the voice of the messenger, and\nhang upon his lips with a longing anxiety, and receive his message to the\ncomfort of their souls: and can we remain unmoved by such considerations;\nwe, who know the purport of the heavenly message; we, who profess to\nbelieve that it is sent for our everlasting salvation from sin and death;\nto reconcile us to an offended God, to deliver us from the intolerable\nbondage of Satan, to make us happy while we live, happy when we die,\nhappy for ever in another world, in the kingdom of heaven? Though the\nmercy is too great to be adequately understood, though \u201cthe love of\nChrist passeth knowledge,\u201d shall this prevent us from contemplation and\nenquiry? shall we not rather, on this very account, entertain a more\nfervent desire to understand and know, of this mystery of goodness, all\nthat is possible to be known? Whoever, indeed, has not this desire,\ncannot take any lively interest in the revelation which he professes to\nbelieve, cannot have sincerely embraced it; knowing, as he does, the\nsubject and purpose of the gospel, he is in a worse situation than many\nan ignorant heathen; his heart more hard and unimpressible; his eyes more\nclosed against the light; his affections more difficult to be roused and\nengaged. May the Lord touch the heart of all such heedless professors;\nor the very publicans and sinners, the darkest and most despised of the\nearth, will \u201center into the kingdom of heaven before them.\u201d\n\nHoping that we all are deeply concerned in this important matter, that we\ndo place a most exalted value on the riches of Christ, and earnestly\ndesire to partake of them, I beg that we may enter together, with humble\nminds and spiritual desires, into some examination of their nature and\nexcellency; and enquire in what respects, and for what reasons, they are\nunsearchable.\n\n1. In the first place, what is the foundation of all our blessedness and\nall our hope, as the redeemed and adopted children of God; as brought\nfrom a state of enmity and rebellion, into favour with Him; as having any\nclaim upon His mercy; any prospect of recovering our lost happiness, of\nsaving our souls alive? What, I say, is the foundation on which we\nexpect these marvellous acts of grace? It is, that the everlasting Son\nof God left \u201cthe glory which he had with the Father before the world\nwas,\u201d {26a} and \u201ctook upon Him the form of a servant,\u201d {26b} the nature\nof man: it is, that the \u201cWord, who in the beginning was with God and was\nGod,\u201d \u201cwas made flesh\u201d and came and \u201cdwelt among us, full of grace and\ntruth.\u201d {26c} Here then, in the very outset, is unsearchable mercy; the\nimmensity of the divine Redeemer\u2019s condescension and love! Who can\nsearch, who can understand it? \u201cIt is higher than heaven, what canst\nthou know\u201d of it? Admire thou mayest, and adore and love; but it is\nbeyond the stretch of thy created powers to conceive, beyond the capacity\nof any creature. The great truth is revealed and the work is\naccomplished; and here thou must leave it, in humble faith and\noverwhelming emotion.\n\n2. We may consider, in the next place, the preciousness, the value, the\nefficacy of the incarnation and sufferings of our Redeemer. All the\nattributes of the Godhead are perfect and infinite; His holiness and\njustice, as well as His mercy. Man, by transgression, fell into a state\nof unholiness; his nature became corrupt; his understanding debased, his\naffections and passions and desires all sinful; as such he could not\npossibly be accepted or blest by the infinitely holy God, by Him \u201cwho is\nof purer eyes than to behold iniquity:\u201d he became, to borrow the language\nof men, vile and hateful in God\u2019s sight; he resembled Satan and the\nwicked spirits, who fell, for their transgression, from the heavens. And\nso, with regard to justice; the infinitely just God could not, without\nsome means of atonement or satisfaction, shew favour to a disobedient,\noffending, rebellious creature; it was contrary to His essential\ncharacter and nature so to do: nor can we form any true idea of the value\nof that sacrifice, on the part of another, which could be held sufficient\nto reconcile the great Jehovah to a creature \u201claden with iniquity:\u201d the\ndispleasure being infinite, the distance and separation between God and\nHis creatures infinite, the sacrifice must be infinite also, and\nexceeding the bounds of our comprehension. And yet, strange to say,\nthough the means of the sinner\u2019s re-admission, to the favour and blessing\nof a holy and just God, must of necessity be beyond our powers of\nconception, there are persons, who object to the Christian doctrine of\nthe atonement, solely on the ground of its being incomprehensible. But\nwe, my brethren, \u201chave not so learned Christ;\u201d we are ready to bow with\nthankfulness to the revelation of the great Jehovah, by whose\nunsearchable wisdom and mercy the plan of our redemption was formed: we\nare ready to acknowledge with reverence, that \u201cgreat is the mystery of\ngodliness; God was manifest in the flesh.\u201d {29a}\n\n3. Intimately connected with this consideration is the recollection of\nGod\u2019s exceeding love towards us, in that \u201cwhile we were yet sinners\nChrist died for us.\u201d {29b} In our very state of guilt and rebellion it\nwas, that He came into the world; that He did and suffered so much, \u201cto\nseek and to save that which was lost.\u201d Suppose that man had never\ntransgressed; and that God had sent an angel, to shew him the way to a\nhappier and higher condition, than that in which he was created: this\nwould have been an act of free and undeserved mercy; but that He should\nhave sent His beloved Son, to \u201csuffer for sins, the just for the unjust,\u201d\n{29c} to be born and to tabernacle in a world of guilt and sorrow; to be\nexposed to rejection and scorn, to indignity and cruelty; to endure the\nconflicts of Satan and the bitterest agonies of death; this was indeed an\nact of love, surpassing the bounds of thought; a mystery of goodness\n\u201cinto which angels desire to look,\u201d but cannot penetrate. Every\nbelieving soul must be overpowered by such a contemplation; must be lost\nin wonder, love, and praise.\n\n4. Nor can we learn the manner or degree, in which our merciful Lord is\nat this moment bestowing blessings upon His Church, and upon every\nindividual believer. When He ascended up to heaven, His work of\nmediation was not finished; He then took upon Him the office of\ninterceding for His people in all ages: presenting their prayers, and\ndesires, and all their services, for acceptance at the throne of grace;\npleading His merits for them; observing all their necessities and wants;\nand sending His holy spirit and His holy angels, to minister to their\ninfirmities: not a wounded spirit, but He is still ready to bind up and\nheal; not a sigh from a contrite heart, but He knows and answers; not a\nchild of ignorance, but He is willing to instruct; not a returning\nprodigal, but He meets; not a prayer or thanksgiving, not a godly thought\nor wish, of a sincere worshipper and pious servant, but He accepts and\nblesses: He is ever with us, though unseen; with us by His providence and\ngrace; \u201cabout our bed and about our path;\u201d pouring his benefits upon us,\ntemporal, and spiritual: yea upon all His people, at every moment of\ntime, throughout the whole world. We are lost in this mystery of\nmercy\u2014we can but believe, and gratefully apply the benefit to our souls.\n\n5. And what are the privileges of Christ\u2019s redeemed people? What their\npresent state, what their glorious inheritance? How unsearchable both\nthe one and the other! The humble believer, the repenting sinner, the\nsincere and faithful servant derives, from the fountain of mercy which is\nopened unto him, a perpetual stream of increasing satisfaction and\ndelight; he finds, that \u201cthere is no end thereof;\u201d that it is a fountain,\nwhich he never can fathom. The sense of pardon and reconciliation with\nGod affords a comfort to his soul, which flows the more abundantly, the\nlonger he dwells upon it; as he journies onward in the way of salvation,\nhis hopes are more enlivened, and his fears more calmed; even when he\nbegan to walk with his God, he felt that all around him was joy, and\ndeemed his recompence in this life amply sufficient; but, at every step\nhe advances in communion with his God and Saviour, he perceives more and\nmore that \u201cHis ways are ways of pleasantness and all His paths are\npeace;\u201d {32} and this experience will be enlarged the longer he lives,\neven beyond his present anticipation. The word of God has fresh stores\nfor him every day; of knowledge, of comfort, and of grace: the Spirit of\nGod has fresh supplies; to succour his infirmities, to elevate him in\nprayer and meditation, to guide him in perplexity, to strengthen him in\ntrial, to console him in trouble and affliction, to raise him above the\nworld, and place his affections in heaven. Thus will his joy in the Lord\nincrease, till he comes to the end of his pilgrimage: and, in the end,\nthe riches of redeeming love will be infinitely enhanced: who shall\nnumber or declare them? Which of us can now understand the preciousness\nof a Christian\u2019s hope, the comfort of a Christian\u2019s peace, at that hour,\nwhen his soul is struggling for departure? Who can now enter, as the\ndying man does, into the vast difference between the bright hope of being\nsaved, and the gloomy fear of being lost; between the prospect of being\nfor ever with the Lord, and the dismal foreboding of the terrors of the\nevil one? We have now but a slight conception of the feelings and views,\nin that momentous hour; but we shall one day know: God grant that the\nknowledge may be peace!\n\nAnd if we die in peace, then shall we be more than ever convinced of the\ntruth of the text; we shall then perceive, how little we comprehended, in\nour mortal state, of the blessedness of the saints at rest, of \u201cthe rest\nthat remaineth for the people of God.\u201d And, at the resurrection, other\nscenes will follow, with more abundant tokens of confirmation: who can\nconceive the happiness of rising with the just; of hearing with joy the\ntrumpet of the archangel; of beholding, with an eye of rapture, the\nbeaming of that glorious morn; of meeting the smile of a compassionate\nJudge and Saviour; of being called to His right hand, \u201ccome, ye blessed\nof my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of\nthe world:\u201d {34a} what mind on earth is equal to these things?\n\nAnd then will succeed the consummation of our felicity, \u201cthe new heavens\nand the new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness;\u201d {34b} the enjoyment\nof the presence of God and the Lamb; the personal sharing of the service,\nthe honour, and the delight of angels and archangels, through all\neternity. Of this we cannot pretend to form an estimate in our mortal\ncondition; while the veil is hanging before our eyes; the holy Spirit, by\nmany a sublime image, lifts our imagination as high as it can be carried;\nbut still, the representation must be feeble, when compared with the\nglorious reality; after all that has been said, if we arrive at the\nheavenly city, the appearance will be new, the happiness new to us all.\nUnsearchable it is now, unsearchable it will be then; a wonder of love\nthat will never be satisfied, a mansion of glory that will never be\ncompletely surveyed.\n\nBut we shall doubtless behold, on seeing \u201cface to face,\u201d more of the\nfulness of the riches of Christ; shall penetrate further into that\nmystery of divine love, which planned the merciful work of our redemption\nbefore the foundation of the world; shall see more of the meetness of the\nSaviour\u2019s sufferings; of His mighty conquest over sin and death; of the\ngreatness of His kingdom and the \u201cmajesty of His glory.\u201d We shall then\nsee and admire that now invisible bond, by which the whole company of the\nLord\u2019s servants and people, heavenly and earthly, have been sustained and\nkept together: how men below, and saints at rest, and angels in heaven,\nhave been bound in spiritual union, through all the ages of time; how the\nvast multitude of holy creatures in the universe have felt a common\ninterest and benefit in their blessed Lord. {36} When they are all\nassembled together in adoration round His throne, we shall know more of\nthis endearing bond; it will then be manifest, and be perfected for ever.\n\nI need not attempt to go further; certainly none of us will deny the\nunsearchableness of the riches of Christ. Certainly every one of us is\nready to exclaim, O that I may be partaker of them; all this world, nay,\na thousand worlds are nothing in comparison. These riches are now\noffered to you: they are waiting your acceptance; receive them with all\nyour heart, and they are yours; you do not expect them to be forced upon\nyou; you do not expect this happy portion without choosing it, without\nprayer and without striving for it; ask earnestly, seek diligently, and\nit shall be yours; your inexhaustible treasure, in time and to eternity.\n\n\n\n\nSERMON III.\nTHE DESTRUCTION OF THE FLOOD.\n\n\n GENESIS vi. 6. 7.\n\n _It repented the Lord_, _that He had made man upon the earth and it\n grieved Him at His heart_; _and the Lord said_, _I will destroy man_,\n _whom I have created_, _from the face of the earth_.\n\nTHE expression in the former clause of the text has, to some persons,\nafforded matter of surprise; and certainly the language is remarkable;\nrepresenting the Almighty as repenting of the work of creation, and\ngrieved at the heart, not merely on account of the wickedness of man, but\nthat he was ever made. Yet the language, when properly considered, is no\nmore remarkable, than that of numberless other passages in Holy Writ; it\nis stronger perhaps; it may carry the customary mode of speech somewhat\nfurther; but that is all. We are perfectly aware, that the Godhead is\nincapable of being affected and changed by contrary passions, as we are;\nthe purpose of Jehovah is fixed, upon the basis of infinite wisdom, from\neverlasting to everlasting; nothing can occur, of which He was previously\nignorant; nothing to afford any grief or uneasiness; \u201cknown unto God are\nall His works from the beginning of the world;\u201d {39} and it is impossible\nfor us to interpret the text, or any similar phrase, according to the\nsense in which we understated such words, when applied to creatures like\nourselves.\n\nIt was absolutely necessary for the inspired writers, in describing the\nnature and dealings and dispensations of God, to have recourse to such\nterms, as we are in the habit of using towards one another. His constant\nobservance of us is represented by saying, that the _eye_ of God is upon\nall our ways; His gracious readiness to answer our prayers, is\nrepresented by saying, that His _ear_ is ever open: but who ever supposes\nthat eye or ear, or any bodily parts, are possessed by the Godhead? So\nneither are we to impute to God, who is a pure spirit, any bodily\npassions; though He is said to love and to hate, to be angry and to be\npleased. Of course it only means, that the effect of any particular\nconduct or transaction of His creatures upon Him, is similar to what it\nwould be upon us, when under the influence of our natural passions; that\nHe rewardeth good, as we do, when we love or are pleased; and punisheth\nevil, as we do, when we hate or are angry. The text merely intimates the\nmeasure, which the Almighty was determined to adopt, in consequence of\nthe great and universal wickedness of mankind; of their having so far\nfallen from the noble end of their creation.\n\nHaving tried many gracious methods of indulgence with them, and sought to\nreclaim them by every probable and possible means, and having found that\nHis goodness and forbearance, instead of \u201cleading them to repentance,\u201d\nonly hardened them in guilt, He now saw fit to change His overtures of\nmercy into the sentence of condemnation; and to send a deluge for the\ndestruction of that people, who would not \u201cturn and live:\u201d and this is\nall that can be intended by God\u2019s repentance and grief.\n\nBut it happened in those days, as it has too frequently happened with the\nsinful and rebellious ever since, that the people believed not the\nthreatenings denounced against them; whether they doubted the power of\nGod to inflict so extraordinary a punishment; or whether they built their\nhopes upon the vain expectation of His mercy; or whether the wickedness\nof their hearts and lives led them entirely to cast off the belief of God\nand His word, and to plunge unheeding into the gratifications and\npollutions of vice; whatever were the operating motive, \u201cthey would not\nturn and seek after God.\u201d Yet these infatuated people were not lost for\nwant of further instruction and admonition. God mercifully thinks of His\ncreatures, though they are forgetful of Him. He had raised unto them\npreachers of righteousness; and sent His Holy Spirit to work upon their\nconsciences, to convert them from the delusions of evil, to teach them\nthe knowledge of His ways, and persuade them to desist from their work of\nself-destruction. But there is a day, to nations as well as to\nindividuals, beyond which the goodness and patience of God will no longer\nforbear: \u201cMy spirit,\u201d says He, in the chapter before us, \u201cshall not\nalways strive with man.\u201d It had been working in the human heart, ever\nsince the fall; inspiring His servants to point out the way of salvation;\nand struggling with the wayward inclinations, the perverse opposition of\nHis creatures; to mortify the power of sin, and lead them to recover the\nfavour and happiness, which their first parents by transgression had\nlost. But it shall not _always_ strive; and the approaching termination\nof their trial was thus graciously declared to this \u201cdisobedient and\ngainsaying people.\u201d God spake thus by the mouth of Noah: \u201cThe days of\nman (the time which I will allow, to see if \u2018haply he will repent and\nseek after Me,\u2019) shall be a hundred and twenty years.\u201d {43a} All this\nperiod was to elapse between the denunciation of the divine vengeance and\nits execution; and to this St. Peter alludes, when speaking of \u201cthe\nlong-suffering of God, that waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was\npreparing;\u201d {43b} while Noah himself, the great \u201cpreacher of\nrighteousness,\u201d warned all around him of the certainty and the terror of\nthis impending calamity. All entreaties, however, and warnings, and\nthreatenings; all present mercies and past experiences, were vain. They\ndespised the faith and rejected the preaching of the patriarch, and\nridiculed his preparation of the ark; but they could not \u201cmake the word\nof God of none effect;\u201d His judgment overtook them in the midst of their\nrebellious career; the flood came at the appointed time; desolation was\nspread over the face of the earth; and all its inhabitants, with the\nexception of one family, were indiscriminately involved in the\nwide-wasting ruin.\n\nLet us pause for a moment, to apply the consideration of this part of the\nhistory to ourselves. To all who are wilfully walking in the ways of\nsin, the good and gracious God is continually addressing His warning and\nexpostulating voice; by His holy word, abounding with the most awakening\nadmonitions and awful examples; by His appointed ministers, superadding\ntheir feeble endeavours to inculcate the doctrines and set forth the\nterrors of that word \u201cby line upon line and precept upon precept;\u201d by\nvarious occurrences in life, by reverses and privations and afflictions\nand sickness and death; by the strivings of the Holy Spirit, and the\nalarms of conscience; by flashing at intervals, in vivid colours, the\nconviction of an hereafter upon the mind and heart; and compelling the\nsinner to see, whether he will heed it or not, the peril and the\ndreadfulness of his situation. Of all who hear me there cannot be one,\nbut has experienced, more or less, these manifestations of mercy and of\nterror: Are there not some by whom they have been disregarded? We have\nall of us been instructed and reminded and admonished, in a great variety\nof ways; have we \u201cprofited withal?\u201d Have we been awakened from the\ndreams of sensual pleasures, from the stupor and infatuation of sin? Can\nwe now lift up our hearts in sincerity to God, and thank Him that we have\nbeen brought, by this or that warning, into nearer and holier communion\nwith Him; to serve Him in righteousness and truth, and to seek, in right\nearnest, the salvation of our souls? If it be otherwise with us, if we\nhave neglected the seasons of grace, or if we have returned, after a\ntemporary humiliation and conviction to the vanity of our former habits\nand pursuits, let us, if we believe the word of God, lay seriously to\nheart the solemn declarations on this head, with which that word\nabounds\u2014that there is a limit prescribed even for the divine compassion\nand forbearance; a period marked out, beyond which God will not manifest\nHis favour, \u201cthough it be sought with tears;\u201d beyond which, \u201cHis spirit\nwill not strive with man;\u201d and whenever that spirit shall be withdrawn,\nthe conscience will become hardened, the understanding benighted, and the\nsinner \u201cgiven over to a reprobate mind.\u201d God allows, indeed He has\nalready allowed, to every one of us, abundant space and opportunity for\nrepentance, as He did of old to the ante-diluvian race; and if we, like\nthem, are negligent of His merciful admonitions, we must expect, like\nthem, to go on from one degree of wickedness to another, till the\n\u201cmeasure of our iniquity be filled;\u201d till we are hurried into everlasting\nperdition.\n\nNo doubt, when the threatenings of the Almighty began to be executed;\nwhen the mighty waters were descending from above, and rising in billows\nfrom the deep below; when these people saw the ark, whose building and\npreparation they had despised, floating in security upon the surface of\nthe waters, gladly would they have been admitted: no longer did they\nquestion the power of God, or the truth of His word; or hold in contempt\nthe preaching of His prophets; earnest then, no doubt, was their\nsupplication for mercy; and they must have wished, in the bitterness of\ntheir hearts, that they had listened to the declarations and instructions\nof that holy minister of God, who was provided with a refuge; who was\nescaping unhurt amidst the rolling of the waves, which threatened _them_\nwith immediate and inevitable destruction. But their conviction came too\nlate; the days of reconciliation were ended; the door of the ark was\nshut; never to be opened again, till the flood had wrought its vengeance,\nand exterminated the sinners from the earth.\n\nHas not the like, the parallel of this dreadful case, been frequently\ndiscovered by ourselves? Have we not seen, or at least heard of persons,\nwho have held out impenitently all their lives long against every means\nof grace and reclaim, by which they have been visited, and then at last,\nwhen suddenly overtaken by a sickness unto death, have distressfully\ndesired that comfort and refuge, which they have never appeared to find?\nTheir attention has been called, their eye directed to the ark of\nsalvation, the gospel of the blessed Jesus; but having taken no interest\nin it before, having discarded and rejected it, they have seemed to\nbehold it only in dismay and despair. Man, it is true, is not an\nadequate judge in such a case; he could not possibly decide, whether they\nwere saved or not; but there was fear all around; their friends were\ndenied the consolation of persuading themselves, that the door of mercy\nwas opened; the sinner cried in agony, but there was no visible sign,\nthat the cry was heard; no respite to the afflicted conscience; and no\nrepose upon the countenance, that betokened the blessedness of peace.\n\nSuppose not, that this is a scene pourtrayed for the mere purpose of a\nmomentary excitement or present effect; it is a true description of what\nhas too frequently occurred; and it falls indeed, as every representation\nmust fall, infinitely short of the terrible reality. Readily can we\nimagine the sufferings and sorrow and distress of the people, who were\ndrowning, with the ark before their eyes; and must we not conclude, that\nthe impenitent sinner under the gospel, when he comes to die, will\nbehold, with even deeper feelings of anguish, the ark of righteousness\ninto which he has never sought to enter; when he finds or fears, that the\noverflowings of ungodliness are sinking his soul to ruin, can any\ndescription exaggerate, can any description equal, the wretchedness of\nhis condition?\n\nThe very idea and contemplation of these things may well lead us, with\nall sincerity and fervour, to implore the grace of God, while it is so\nfreely offered, and to \u201cseek Him while He may be found;\u201d and O that it\nmay lead us gladly and unfeignedly to embrace the covenant of safety,\nwhich is graciously propounded to us in the gospel; and to \u201cgive all\ndiligence\u201d to fulfil every condition which that covenant contains. We\nshall not, if we value our eternal welfare, think it sufficient not to\n\u201cdeny the Lord that bought us,\u201d not to despise the means which He has\nprovided for our preservation and deliverance; we shall turn to Him with\nall our heart, grateful for the means of salvation, and anxious to employ\nthem all. \u201cLord what wilt Thou have me to do?\u201d {50a} \u201cSpeak, Lord, for\nthy servant heareth;\u201d {50b} this is the language that befits a sinner,\nwho has no hope but in God\u2019s covenanted mercy.\n\n\u201cOur time is in the Lord\u2019s hands;\u201d we know not, if little or much remain:\nArise, defer not a day. His spirit is now striving within us; to purify\nour affections, to change our corrupt nature, to form the christian\nprinciple and temper in our souls; let us then, without doubt or delay,\nhumbly and thankfully concur with His holy operations, and strive with\nHim, while we may: not lingering and loitering about the ark with\nthoughtless indifference, as if our minds were not made up, whether it be\nworth while to enter; but, in the full and perfect and abiding\npersuasion, that it is the only refuge for man, let us secure, as far as\nit is possible, our rest and habitation there; and then we need not fear\nthe overwhelming of the waters, come they ever so suddenly or ever so\nsoon; we shall be raised above them all, unhurt and undismayed; we shall\nride safely and triumphantly over the foaming billows; and settle at last\nupon the heavenly Ararat, the \u201cmountain of the Lord of Hosts,\u201d the\neverlasting abode of tranquillity and bliss.\n\nBut of this happy termination we shall have occasion to speak more at\nlarge, in another discourse; when we come to treat of the character of\nNoah, and the circumstances of his wonderful preservation. In the mean\ntime, let us observe, that the deluge is a subject of most awful\nconsideration; not merely in itself, as sweeping away into perdition\nalmost all the human race, and changing the very form and structure of\nthe globe; but also as being a resemblance and emblem of other\nvisitations of an offended and avenging God:\u2014in the first place, of the\noverthrow of Jerusalem, and the miserable and general destruction of its\nrebellious people. \u201cAs the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of\nthe Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they\nwere eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day\nthat Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came and took\nthem all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be;\u201d {53a} so\nunlooked for, so amazing, so disastrous to His enemies.\n\nThis stupendous event may also be regarded as typical of another period,\ninfinitely surpassing all the rest in terror and in awe;\u2014the coming of\nChrist to judge the world, to execute His final vengeance upon those who\nwould not be reclaimed by His mercy. The face of nature will then be\ndestroyed by another process; by a direful and universal conflagration.\n\u201cBy the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out\nof the water and in the water: whereby the world that then was, being\noverflowed with water, perished: but the heavens and the earth, which are\nnow, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the\nday of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.\u201d {53b} \u201cNevertheless we,\naccording to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, (a new\nstate) wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that\nye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of Him in\npeace, without spot, and blameless.\u201d {54a} All that have ever lived\nshall be summoned again into existence; the righteous to be separated,\nand \u201ccaught up to meet the Lord in the air,\u201d {54b} and to be conveyed\ninto the regions of eternal blessedness; the wicked, to perish, to die,\nnot a bodily but a spiritual death; to be consigned together to a place\nof banishment and wretchedness and horror and despair. The miserable\nunbelievers and the obstinate transgressors, in the days of Noah, shall\nthen return to the earth from which they were swept away; not to enjoy\nagain their revelry and licentiousness; not to be favoured with another\nday of grace; but to receive, with all their companions in evil, with all\nthat have ever \u201cfollowed their pernicious ways,\u201d the full and eternal\nrecompence of their deeds. This will indeed be a day of desolation, \u201cof\nlamentation and mourning and woe,\u201d of \u201cweeping and wailing and gnashing\nof teeth;\u201d of which awful day no words, no example, no past event, nor\neven imagination itself, can afford an adequate representation.\n\nGod Almighty grant, that we may never know its terrors; that we may\nprofit from the warnings and experience, which are mercifully vouchsafed\nunto us; may embrace, with all our hearts, the covenant of salvation into\nwhich we have professedly entered; and, amidst the wreck and ruin of the\nworld, may be delivered with an everlasting deliverance, for the sake,\nand through the merits, of that omnipotent Saviour, who was with Noah in\nthe ark; who has guarded, and will continue to guard, the ark of His\nChurch in all ages; whose mercy and truth are pledged for the final\npreservation of His faithful people: God Almighty grant this blessing\nunto us all, through the aid and operation of that \u201cHoly Spirit, whereby\nwe are sealed unto the day of redemption.\u201d {55}\n\n\n\n\nSERMON IV.\nTHE PRESERVATION FROM THE FLOOD.\n\n\n GENESIS vi. 8.\n _Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord_.\n\nIN a former discourse, your attention was called to the execution of\ndivine vengeance upon the sinful race of man, by the tremendous\nvisitation of a universal deluge; I would now direct your contemplation\nto another point of view; to a fulfilment of the gracious promises of God\nmade to a distinguished believer and a faithful servant; to his\npreservation from the general ruin; to the covenants of mercy established\nwith him; to the blessings and deliverances thus proclaimed and typified\nto the Church of God in all ages.\n\nNoah, be it first observed, was possessed of that principle, which is the\nsure and only foundation of true righteousness; and to which the Almighty\nhas, in every age, manifested His especial favour\u2014the principle of\n_faith_; of a settled, vital, influential belief in the sovereignty, the\nprovidence, and the word of God: he doubted not the truth either of a\nthreatening or a promise, and withheld not the obedience, which his\nbelief implied or required. Of this St. Paul assures us; \u201cBy faith Noah,\nbeing warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared\nan ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world,\nand became heir of the righteousness which is by faith;\u201d {57} he\ncondemned the world, inasmuch as his example, his preaching, and his\ndeliverance furnished matter of accusation against them; he pointed out\nand led the way to a place of safety; he escaped destruction, and the\nrest of the people might have escaped also; and thus he proved, that they\njustly perished in the unbelief and obstinacy of their hearts. Hence he\nbecame the heir of those promises and that happiness, to which the\nrighteous believer, by God\u2019s mercy, is entitled; he was blessed, not\nmerely with that temporal preservation, which the ark afforded him in the\nflood; but also with that spiritual and heavenly salvation, of which the\nark was an emblem and a sign.\n\nAnd further; Noah is described, in the verse following the text, as \u201ca\njust man and perfect in his generations.\u201d His faith, as we have already\nintimated, was not, like that of many professors of religion, a mere\noutward and formal assent; it resided in his heart, as well as in his\nunderstanding; and shewed itself in his disposition, his character, and\nhis life. Believing in the goodness of God, he loved Him; in the power\nand justice of God, he feared; in the infallible truth and authority of\nGod, he obeyed. With an enlightened reason and conscience, he studied\nthe duty of ordinary life; his duty to God and man; and he performed it\nfaithfully. \u201cHe was perfect in his generations;\u201d not that he had\nattained unto absolute, positive perfection; for that is impossible to\nany mere man, in his fallen condition; it was only \u201cthe man Christ\nJesus,\u201d the incarnate God, that was \u201choly, harmless, undefiled, separate\nfrom sinners;\u201d {59} but Noah, in the midst of a \u201cdisobedient and\ngainsaying people,\u201d was sincere and upright; he lived in no wilful or\nhabitual opposition to his God; he had that degree of perfection, which\nis the mark and fruit of genuine faith; and shews, that the frail\ncreature is brought into a state of acceptance with his Creator. He\nengaged heartily in the cause of religion; there was nothing in the\nworld, which he was not ready to renounce for it; there was no ordinance,\nnor command of God, which it was not his unbending purpose to obey;\ndesirous was he \u201cto serve Him, in holiness and righteousness all the days\nof his life.\u201d And therefore it is yet further said, that \u201che walked with\nGod;\u201d {60a} \u201csetting the Lord (as David speaks) always before him;\u201d {60b}\nliving in a perpetual sense of the divine presence; acting as under the\ncontinual observation of that Almighty Being, who was acquainted with all\nhis ways; and whose word was \u201ca lamp unto his feet and a light unto his\npath.\u201d {60c} He walked in communion with God, by his life and\nconversation, as well as by faith, and meditation, and prayer; and he\npreached to a \u201cbacksliding and stubborn generation,\u201d by his example as\nwell as by his word.\n\nWe cannot wonder, that such eminent holiness and obedience, shining forth\nin the midst of so much profligacy and corruption, were honoured with the\nsignal favour of Almighty God. A righteous character, which is always\n\u201cof great price in the sight of God,\u201d is peculiarly honourable in an age\noverspread with impiety and guilt. The man, who stands forth to maintain\nthe cause of God against a universal host of enemies; who is untainted by\nthe moral contagion which is every where diffused around him; who\nperseveringly opposes the mighty stream of iniquity, which is ready to\noverwhelm his soul; that man is a spectacle for angels to behold with\njoy; and one in whom the holy God Himself is well-pleased; he is as \u201ca\nlight shining in a dark place,\u201d made more conspicuous and attractive by\nthe surrounding gloom. Such was Noah; and God distinguished him\naccordingly by especial tokens of favour and blessing: for He said,\n\u201cBehold I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy\nall flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every\nthing that is in the earth shall die. But with thee will I establish my\ncovenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy\nwife, and thy sons\u2019 wives with thee.\u201d {62a}\n\nA question has been raised respecting the nature of the covenant here\nintended; but the words themselves, taken in connexion with the subject,\nwould lead us to conclude, that the covenant to be established, in the\nfirst instance, was a covenant of safety in the ark, during the flood;\nand this sense is abundantly confirmed by the same word being afterwards\nused in the 9th chapter, when God made His promise to the patriarch, that\nthe world should never again be so destroyed: \u201cBehold, I establish my\ncovenant with you, and with your seed after you, and with every living\ncreature that is with you\u2014neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by\nthe waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy\nthe earth.\u201d {62b} Yet, though this was the immediate import of the\ncovenant, it probably had, like the ark itself, a further and a typical\nsignification, which is thus very admirably expressed by one of the best\ncommentators; \u201cI will most certainly make good the promise I have\nformerly made to thee, of preserving thee and thy family from the said\ndestruction; and further I will make good, in due time, to thee or thy\nseed after thee, _all_ those covenants or promises, which I have made to\nmankind from the beginning of the world, and which remain to be made\ngood; especially the grand covenant concerning the promised seed, of\nMessiah: to which end, I will certainly preserve thee and thy family from\nthe destruction I am now bringing on the rest of mankind.\u201d {63}\n\nThe first covenant made by God with Adam, was a covenant of works, of\nunsinning obedience; this was broken, and thence came death. The second\ncovenant made with Adam, was that of grace and salvation by Jesus Christ,\nwho should \u201ccome in the fulness of time;\u201d this latter covenant was\nconfirmed with Noah, the representative of mankind in the new world after\nthe flood; and the covenant, thus renewed with him, was to extend to all\nhis posterity; to generations unborn, to all that would become, as he\nwas, \u201cheirs of the righteousness which is by faith.\u201d Through him,\ndeliverance was preached to the people before the flood; through him,\neverlasting deliverance from sin and death was promised to believers in\nevery future age. In the covenant, therefore, made with Noah, all\nmankind have an interest, an especial interest at this day; the promised\ndeliverer, whom Noah represented, is come; we \u201chave seen the salvation of\nour God;\u201d the gospel of peace is proclaimed; and nothing is wanting but\nour faithful acceptance of it.\n\nProceed we now with the history of Noah\u2019s preservation: \u201cThe waters\nprevailed exceedingly upon the earth (a hundred and fifty days), and all\nthe high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered\u2014and all\nflesh died that moved upon the earth, Noah only remained alive, and they\nthat were with him in the ark. And the ark rested in the seventh month,\nupon the mountains of Ararat.\u201d {65} Thus was the divine promise\nliterally fulfilled, and the fidelity of the patriarch signally\nacknowledged and rewarded. What must have been the emotions of this holy\nman, as he was floating, through the long eventful period, upon the\nsurface of the raging waters! How deep and lively his conviction of the\nadorable goodness and the perfect truth of God! How fervent his\ngratitude, how sublime his joy, at escaping unhurt amid the desolation of\nthe world! How indescribable his feelings of horror and of awe, at the\nsufferings of those countless multitudes, who were perishing around him;\nover whose lifeless bodies he was riding in peaceful security, reserved\nto be the father of a new-born world! Similar to these are the\nimpressions of every sincere believer, on beholding both the providential\nand spiritual dispensations of the Lord. Deeply is he convinced of the\n\u201cgoodness and severity of God;\u201d of His goodness to the righteous, His\nseverity to the disobedient and evil: Every divine promise and every\ndenunciation of divine judgment have been fully accomplished in due\nseason; \u201cnot one jot or one tittle of the word of God has failed.\u201d The\nChristian, moreover, by his own experience, can testify the truth and\nloving kindness of God: he has sought and found a refuge in the ark of\nsalvation, in the gospel of peace; he has been taken out of a corrupt and\ntroubled world, and raised above it; so that, while the billows of\nadversity have been rolling all around, and the overbearings of iniquity\nhave every where prevailed, he has felt himself in a state of security;\ninclosed by divine mercy \u201con the right hand and on the left;\u201d protected\nby the power of Jehovah; all things, even the most unruly elements,\n\u201cworking together for his good:\u201d when \u201cthe rain descends, and the floods\ncome, and the winds blow,\u201d he hears and sees it all without dismay; nay,\nwith gratitude to his heavenly Preserver; hoping and believing, that the\nwaves of trouble are bearing him to the celestial Ararat, upon which he\nshall alight, in God\u2019s appointed time, and \u201cfind rest unto his soul.\u201d\n\nBut, in the midst of his satisfaction and joy, there is a consideration,\nwhich strikes a damp upon his soul, and fills him with grief and terror;\nit is, the miserable condition of those his fellow-creatures, who have\nbeen regardless of their salvation and have perished: the Saviour\n\u201ccalled, but they would not answer;\u201d He assured them of the coming\ndesolation, but they would not take heed; He offered them mercy, but they\nturned away: and the flood came upon them unawares; and it is painful to\nthink of them, where they now are, and how many they have been. And not\nonly for those who are gone, but for numbers still living, does the\ncharitable Christian also feel: it is not for him to be forward in\njudging, not for him to condemn; \u201che hopeth all things, and believeth all\nthings;\u201d but when he sees multitudes around him manifestly walking in the\n\u201cbroad way of destruction,\u201d he cannot help feeling both pity and pain;\nespecially if any of his neighbours or friends be found in this awful\nstate of heedlessness and sin; especially if any who are near and dear\nunto him. He cannot help grieving for them; they will have, at least,\nhis tears and his prayers. Would that such sinners might feel for\nthemselves, what others feel for them; would that they might turn and\nlive! Their case is not like the case of those who were perishing in the\nflood; they are not yet consigned to destruction; would to God that they\nmight turn and live!\n\nAt length, \u201cthe waters were dried up from off the earth, and the face of\nthe ground was dry.\u201d \u201cAnd Noah went forth\u201d out of the ark, and \u201cbuilded\nan altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt offerings upon the altar,\u201d in\nthanksgiving for his miraculous preservation; \u201cand the Lord smelled a\nsweet savour;\u201d {69} He accepted the incense of the sacrifice, approved\nand honoured the piety and gratitude of Noah.\n\nIn all our deliverances and escapes, in all the benefits and blessings we\nreceive at the merciful hands of God, let us never fail to imitate this\nbright example of righteousness: be it our first, our immediate act, to\nwaft unto the skies the incense of adoration and praise. The faithful\nand observant Christian does indeed perpetually notice the interposition\nof divine Providence in his behalf; and he never fails to render the\ntribute of his heart at least, if not of his lips, to the great\nDeliverer: but besides this, there are few of us, who have not, in some\nstriking instances, been wonderfully rescued from imminent danger and\ndestruction; preserved in frightful accident, or raised from a sickness\nwhich was seemingly unto death. Has the favour been duty remembered with\ngratitude? Did it bring us on our knees before the throne of mercy? Did\nwe present our offering with that humble sense of our own unworthiness,\nand that devout acknowledgment of God\u2019s love, which gave us just reason\nto believe that the offering was accepted, through Jesus Christ our Lord?\nAnd ever since, has an altar been raised in our hearts; have our\naffections been dedicated to God, as a memorial of the past deliverance,\nand a fulfilment of the purpose for which we were mercifully spared?\n\nAnd there is a deliverance greater and mightier than all, of which every\nfaithful servant in the gospel is enjoying, at once, both the hope and\nthe benefit; a deliverance, of which Noah\u2019s was a type, from the bondage\nand penalty of sin; from eternal misery, and ruin. Are we penetrated\nwith a sense of this marvellous mercy? Do we worship our great Redeemer\nin spirit and in truth? Do we love Him with all our heart and soul? Do\nwe proclaim abroad our gratitude and love, in the presence of a\ncontemptuous world? Noah was immediately and powerfully reminded of the\ndivine goodness accorded to himself, by beholding the face of nature all\ndesolate and void: and thus, when we behold around us the dismal ravages\nof sin, and contemplate, with the eye of faith, the ruin which they will\nfinally bring, are there not afforded to _us_, exulting as we are in the\nhope of our own redemption, abundant memorials of the favour of God to\nourselves? \u201cBless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless\nHis holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His\nbenefits: who redeemeth thy life from destruction, and crowneth thee with\nloving kindness and tender mercies.\u201d {71}\n\nMy brethren, if we would find, as \u201cNoah found, grace in the eyes of the\nLord,\u201d we must be like him, in faith and obedience, in \u201cfaith which\nworketh by love.\u201d We must be ready, at the divine command, to leave the\n\u201cpomps and vanity of a wicked world, and all the sinful lusts of the\nflesh,\u201d and prepare the means of our deliverance, in the way which God\nmercifully points out. We must dare to be singular in the midst of a\ngainsaying and reviling people; and maintain our integrity in the face of\na backsliding age. If, in the hour of danger and destruction, we would\nhave God for our deliverer and friend, we must seek Him and serve Him,\nwhilst we are in health and safety: thus will He be our portion in life,\nin death, in judgment, and for ever.\n\nWe are hereby led, in the last place, to consider the promise and pledge,\nwhich God was pleased to afford to the patriarch immediately after the\nflood; that \u201cthe waters would no more become a flood to destroy all\nflesh.\u201d \u201cI do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a\ncovenant between me and the earth\u2014and I will look upon it, that I may\nremember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature\nof all flesh that is upon the earth.\u201d Whether there had ever been a\nrainbow before the flood, is a point that cannot absolutely be\ndetermined; probably not; but if there had been, it makes no difference;\nthe bow was then consecrated to be the token of a covenant of mercy,\nbetween God and man; and whenever the descending shower and the darkened\nsky recal to mind his former vengeance on the ungodly, we may take\ncomfort on beholding this bright display of majesty and beauty, \u201cthis\nfaithful witness in heaven;\u201d {73} our hearts may then be gladdened by the\nremembrance and assurance of God\u2019s everlasting love: we behold the seal\nof heaven, ratifying the promise of divine favour: and the believer may\njustly regard it, not only as a token of security against a future\ndeluge, but also as a hopeful intimation of God\u2019s mercy in all the storms\nof this mortal life, in every threatening flood. We may view it, with\ndelighted eyes, as a blessed memorial of the truth and faithfulness of\nthat Almighty Protector, whose word is pledged for the preservation of\nHis people, at all times and under all possible circumstances. His\nmercies, of providence and grace, can never fail; and an earnest of these\nmercies we may discover, when we look upon the bow in the cloud; it is,\nin a secondary sense at least, emblematical of God\u2019s everlasting covenant\nwith His faithful people, that He will \u201cnever leave them nor forsake\nthem.\u201d\n\nNor is it without authority, that we are thus extending the import of\nthis heavenly sign: St. John in one of his beatific visions, \u201clooked and\nbehold a door was opened in heaven, and behold a throne was set in\nheaven, and there was a rainbow round about the throne.\u201d {75} The saints\nin light are thus represented as beholding the abode of their God,\nencircled with the token of His covenanted mercy; an evidence to them,\nthat they have finally escaped the devastation of the world; that the\nfloods and storms have for ever subsided; that none of the imperfections\nand troubles and dangers, from which they have been rescued, shall ever\nagain disturb their mind or mar their happiness.\n\nHear then, in few words, the conclusion of the whole matter: let the\ndestroying deluge awaken in us, by divine grace, a living conviction of\nthe infallibility of God\u2019s word, of the certain \u201cperdition of ungodly\nmen;\u201d let the deliverance of Noah and his family assure our hearts in the\nexpectation of the glorious redemption of every believer and servant of\nGod.\n\nLet us enter the ark of salvation, prepared by our great Redeemer; enter\nand abide there; and we shall be carried triumphantly over the stormy\nelements of the world; and be conducted \u201cunto the haven where we would\nbe:\u201d the dove will bring unto us the olive branch of peace; and the\ntranscendent beauty of the celestial rainbow shall appear without a\ncloud, and bless our souls with the perfect assurance of eternal safety\nand joy.\n\n\n\n\nSERMON V.\nDO THIS GREAT WICKEDNESS AND SIN AGAINST GOD.\n\n\n GENESIS xxxix. 9.\n\n _How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God_?\n\nTHE history of Joseph, by whom these memorable words were uttered, is\nfull of interest and instruction. He presents unto us the splendid and\nrare example of a person advanced, from the lowest estate, to distinction\nand wealth and power; and yet preserving his piety and integrity\nunimpaired. Not all the luxury and blandishments of a court of\nunbelievers could tempt him to forget that gracious almighty benefactor,\nby whom he had been rescued from danger, and raised to prosperity and\ngreatness. We all know how apt are the understanding and heart of man to\nbe captivated and corrupted by the enjoyment of earthly pomp and\npleasure, under any circumstances; but especially when they are attained\nby a sudden and unexpected elevation. Joseph had been cruelly left by\nhis brethren in a state of utter destitution. Taken out of the pit into\nwhich they had inhumanly cast him, he was sold as a slave to a company of\npeople, who were passing by, and carried into Egypt; by accident, as it\nappeared, but really under the guidance and direction of an all-wise\nprovidence, to accomplish the wonderful purposes of His divine will.\n\nThe scriptural account of his rapid rise to favour and eminence, in this\nhis new abode, is exceedingly striking; and shews the especial regard\nwhich the Almighty bears for His righteous and faithful servants; there\nis no situation of life too obscure for the notice of His all-seeing eye;\nnone too low for Him to interpose in behalf of His people, and exalt them\nto usefulness and honour. \u201cJoseph was brought down to Egypt; and\nPotiphar an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought\nhim of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither.\nAnd the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in\nthe house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord\nwas with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his\nhand. And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him; and he\nmade him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his\nhand.\u201d {78}\n\nThus favoured and advanced, this holy man never forgot, as too many do,\nthat gracious Being, to whose loving kindness he was indebted; instead of\ngrowing vain of his superiority, as if he had raised himself merely by\nhis own talent or industry, he referred all his blessings to God\u2019s\nbountiful providence, and rendered unto Him the return of a grateful and\nfaithful service.\n\nIt was not long before his fidelity was put to the trial; and the manner\nin which he escaped the snare, that was laid for him, affords a\nremarkable proof not only of his integrity, but of his faith, his piety,\nhis religion, his gratitude and love to God: the only principles upon\nwhich any dependence can be placed in the temptation of an evil hour.\nJoseph, when powerfully solicited to betray the confidence, and despoil\nthe honour of his master, might have contented himself with declaring the\nnumberless acts of kindness which he had received at Potiphar\u2019s hand; the\nrecompence of faithfulness which he owed for them all; or the fear of\nbringing upon himself disgrace and ruin, by so atrocious a crime;\nconsiderations indeed, which actually had no small influence and weight\nupon his mind. But he goes much further, and appeals to a higher\nauthority, to a nobler principle; to one which was calculated to give\nunto every minor consideration a tenfold effect; to secure the\nperformance of that duty, which reason and honour and conscience\nsuggested; he appealed to his God, from the fountain of whose mercy he\nhad derived all his benefits and blessings; and to whom therefore, his\nsincere unswerving obedience was unreservedly due. Like every pious and\ngood man, he remembers and regards the human ties by which he is bound;\nand instances, in feeling language, the kindness and estimation of his\nearthly master; \u201cBehold, my master wrotteth not (knoweth not) what is\nwith me in the house, and he hath committed all things that he hath to my\nhand; there is none greater in this house than I.\u201d {80} But then this\nman of God, after thus recounting the signal favour which had been shewn\nhim by an earthly master, does not rest his duty upon saying, \u2018how can I\nabuse the unbounded confidence reposed in me; how can I prove myself so\nunworthy of my lord?\u2019 But immediately, as if it were the habitual\nsuggestion of his mind, elevates his thoughts and affections to his\nmaster in heaven; to Him, who had put it into the heart of Potiphar thus\nto distinguish and bless him; to Him, by whose grace alone he had been\nwhat he had been, a faithful and dutiful servant; and by whose gracious\ninterposition \u201call things had worked together for his good.\u201d For such\nsurpassing mercy poured down upon him from heaven, he could not bear the\nthought of making so base a requital; and exclaimed in the energy of his\nsoul, \u201cHow can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?\u201d Resting\nupon such a principle, the triumph of his virtue was complete; it enabled\nhim to disregard whatever evil consequences might ensue; and to stand\nagainst the subtlest wiles of the tempter, and under circumstances of\nimminent peril, a noble monument of the power of religion; upright in his\nduty to God and man.\n\nMuch edification may the Christian gather from the narrative before us;\nand happy would it be for the Christian world, if the principle, here so\nsplendidly illustrated, were in fuller operation. It might indeed be\nthought, that with the superior knowledge we enjoy, of the transcendent\nmercy and goodness of God, of the extent and bounty of His providence, as\nwell as the riches of his grace; that, with the clear revelation of the\ndivine will, the glorious manifestation of gospel light, to us so\nabundantly vouchsafed; that, taught as we have been to look upon God as\nour reconciled Father in Jesus Christ, as the \u201cauthor and giver of every\ngood gift\u201d in this world, and the spring of all our blissful hopes of an\ninheritance in the brighter world to come; it might have been thought,\nunder these superior advantages and means of grace, that in all the\nevents of life, in every temptation and trial, our affections would be\ncertainly raised, above every earthly consideration, to the high and holy\nGod; that, when we are pressed with the solicitations of evil, it would\nimmediately occur to our minds and enter into our hearts, how abhorrent\nthe offence must be to that perfect and glorious Being, in whose image we\nare professedly recreated; how grievous to that Holy Spirit, in whom we\nought to live and walk; how disgracefully and basely unworthy of those\nspiritual privileges, to which we have been restored; of the great\nmercies we have already received; and the still greater we are yet\nexpecting, from the redemption which hath been wrought for us by the ever\nblessed Jesus; it might be concluded, that Christians, when tempted to\ninjury and evil, would immediately refer the matter to the blessed word\nand will of their divine master, and exclaim, with a pious and grateful\nfeeling, \u201chow can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?\u201d\n\nYet, is it not notorious, that a great, an overwhelming portion of the\ninhabitants of this enlightened land, are governed in a very small, if in\nany degree, by this pure sense of spiritual and religious obligation?\nCommonly, when they are solicited to sinful gratifications and pursuits,\n\u201cGod is not in all their thoughts:\u201d whether they yield or not, depends\npartly upon the strength of their natural inclination; partly upon the\nlight in which the sin may be regarded by the world around them; upon the\nextent to which it may affect their worldly reputation; upon what they\nmay calculate to gain or lose by their conduct. The law of custom has\nmanifestly a greater influence than the law of God; nay, what are called\nthe _rules of honour_, which, in many instances, are flagrantly repugnant\nand opposite to the divine will, (and might rather be called the rules of\n_dishonour_,) are appealed to, in a Christian country, as the arbiters of\nright and wrong; while the \u201chonour that cometh from God only\u201d is totally\ndisregarded and forgotten. And even of those, who are unacquainted with\nthe precise terms of these fallacious rules, what multitudes are there,\nwhose practice and conduct are determined by considerations merely human;\nwho will be guided by a feeling of gratitude to an earthly benefactor,\nand yet have no sense or remembrance of the favour of an all-merciful\nGod; who will be deterred from evil by the dread of offending an earthly\nsuperior, that has power only over the body, and yet possess in their\nhearts no fear whatever of Him, \u201cwho is able to destroy both body and\nsoul in hell.\u201d Where there are no better guides, no higher inducements\nthan these, \u201cto refuse the evil and to choose the good,\u201d we cannot be\nsurprised at the licentiousness and corruption, which so unhappily\nprevail; nor even at the flagrant and shameless commission of that\ncalamitous sin, which Joseph rejected with such holy disdain. Against\nthe impetuous desires and cravings of the flesh; the assiduous entreaties\nof wicked companions; and the beguiling charms, which Satan so well knows\nhow to spread over all the ways and works of evil; against all these\ncombining together, it cannot be expected, that any human motives or\nmaxims, any earthly feelings alone, should be able successfully to stand.\n\nNot that such motives or maxims or feelings are to be despised or\ndisregarded; not that any just or lawful consideration, however trivial,\nshould be overlooked, which may be instrumental, in any degree, to\npreserve us from evil. Far is it from being the design of the gospel, to\nsupersede the dictates and rules of reason; the workings of conscience;\nor the influence of natural affection, of hope and joy and gratitude and\nlove; the gospel purifies all these motives, and guides them aright, and\ndirects the exercise of them into the proper channel. But even the best\nof them, with the sincere Christian, are as nothing when compared with\nhis religious principle, with the faith and fear and love of God: when\ntempted to sin, he thinks of that Holy Being, with whom he has entered\ninto covenant; of that gracious Redeemer, who hath endured so much for\nhis sake, who hath brought him into the way of salvation, by whose favour\nhe is enjoying \u201cthe life that now is, and the promise of that which is to\ncome;\u201d he thinks of the Holy Spirit, \u201cby whom he has been regenerated and\nmade a child of grace;\u201d he would not quench that sacred flame and energy,\nby which his corrupt nature has been enlightened and purified; from which\n\u201call good desires, all good counsels, and all just works do proceed;\u201d by\nwhich his soul is animated with the inspiring hope of beholding his God\nface to face, in perfect righteousness and everlasting glory. He loves\nto please, he cannot bear the thought of offending, the Lord of majesty\nand mercy; and looks to Him for strength in the hour of trial. The\nconstant habit of thus lifting up, in the spirit of prayer, the thoughts\nand affections to God; the full and abiding persuasion of His manifold\nmercies to the faithful, of His terrible judgments to be executed upon\nthe disobedient and the impenitent sinner, will always be found the\nsurest, the only sure, preservative from sin.\n\nAnd how can that man, who believes, with all his heart and soul, in the\nglorious revelation of the Gospel; in the miseries which he may thereby\nescape, and the happiness which he may attain; in the means ordained for\nhis accomplishment of these momentous purposes; how can he fail or cease\nto maintain a lively remembrance of the goodness and wisdom and power of\nGod? Will he not \u201cset the Lord alway before him;\u201d and under the\ncountenance and protection of his Saviour, and in the awful presence of\nhis Judge, will he not feel himself powerfully actuated to restrain and\nresist every guilty inclination, and to decline from the danger and\ndishonour of every evil way? \u201cHow can I do this great wickedness and sin\nagainst\u201d my Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier\u2014the Almighty God, whose I\nam, and whom I serve?\n\nThis reflection is also calculated to excite our attention to the duties\nof this holy season, {89a} prescribed by the Church for our christian\nimprovement; the duties of self-examination and repentance. Convinced,\nthat every wilful sin renders us unworthy of acceptance with that God,\n\u201cwho is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity,\u201d let us retire into our\nchamber and take our private hour, and cast a searching eye over our\ncharacter and life, intent upon discovering every stain and blemish; let\nus \u201csee if there be any wicked way in us,\u201d and pray fervently to be \u201cled\ninto the way everlasting.\u201d {89b} Let the sinfulness of our condition by\nnature, the sinfulness of our thoughts and words and works, pass in\nreview before us; nor let the soul ever rest content, till we have made\nour peace with God;\u2014by an humble abasement under the sense of our\nundeservings; by unfeigned sorrow for the past; by a holy, steady, entire\nresolution, to watch more carefully, and walk more circumspectly; by\nlaying aside \u201cevery weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us.\u201d\n{90a}\n\nWhen we duly think of the long-suffering and forbearance of our offended\nFather; of His great mercy in \u201csparing us when we deserved punishment;\u201d\nsparing us to repent of our faults and follies, to advance in holiness\nand righteousness, to further the everlasting interest of the soul;\nsurely we shall then be penetrated with a deep sense of the divine\ncompassion; and the goodness of God \u201cwill answer its blessed purpose and\nlead us to repentance.\u201d {90b} \u2018How can I persist in abusing the patience\nwhich has borne with me so long? How shall I continue to neglect any\nduty, which so merciful a God has commanded, for the edification and\nsalvation of my soul? How shall I rebelliously cherish any sinful\nindulgence, which is opposed to His holy law; and thus forfeit my claim\nto that heavenly inheritance, which my Saviour has died to procure for\nthe true believer, for the penitent and contrite in heart? How can I do\nless than abhor the sin, which His blood was shed to expiate and cleanse\naway; less, than delight and advance in the way of righteousness which He\nhas opened to me;\u2019 even till \u201cI come unto the measure of the stature of\nthe fulness of Christ.\u201d\n\nReflections, deliberations, resolutions such as these, sincerely formed\nand cherished, would very effectually, by divine grace, assist us in\nattaining that disposition of mind and heart, which might lead us\nhabitually to raise our thoughts to God, under every circumstance, and at\nevery time of temptation. There would thus be cast around us a sacred\nwall of defence; a perpetual barrier against the inroads of Satan and of\nsin; and if at times they should, when we are suddenly thrown off our\nguard, break in upon the heart and lay it waste, they would speedily be\nexpelled, and the breach would be healed without delay. Thus we shall\nbecome more jealous over ourselves, more circumspect and watchful; we\nshall never feel easy, while betraying, into the hands of the enemy, the\nmerciful and glorious work of God. With a love for His goodness, a\nreverence for His truth, and a fear of His judgments, abiding in the\nheart, we shall fly from every approach of evil, and dwell in safety\nbeneath the shadow of His wing: \u201cwe shall be enabled to withstand in the\nevil day, and having done all to stand.\u201d {92}\n\nIt is our distinguished privilege to be enlightened by the \u201cwisdom which\nis from above,\u201d to \u201cbe strong in the Lord, and in the power of His\nmight:\u201d God forbid that we should return to the \u201cbeggarly elements of the\nworld,\u201d and seek to draw our principles and strength from this polluted\nsource. Had we never been blessed with the light of revelation, we must\nhave been content with such means of duty, as our dark state afforded: we\nmust have been governed and guided like the heathen, whom we now pity.\nBut, as we are supremely favoured with the knowledge of the true God, as\n\u201cour fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ;\u201d as\nthe Holy Spirit is given to \u201chelp our infirmities;\u201d let us, in every\ntemptation, remember our infinite obligations to the great and merciful\nJehovah, and trust in the sufficiency of His almighty power.\n\nAfter thus \u201cwalking with God as friends;\u201d having, for the sake of His\nfriendship, struggled with our evil propensities; having despised the\nvanity and folly, and renounced the love of the world, we shall\nexperience more and more, the value of His favour, and the fulness of His\ngrace; serving Him in humble gratitude, we shall be acknowledged as His\nown peculiar people, and He will be our God; in all perplexities we shall\nfind Him our guide, in all trouble our comfort and support; amid the\ncrooked paths of vice He will \u201cmake our way plain before His face;\u201d the\n\u201csnare will be broken and we shall be delivered;\u201d He will honour us among\nmen; \u201csuch honour have all His saints;\u201d and this will be an earnest of\nour everlasting honour in His heavenly abode, in perfect friendship and\ncommunion with Him, in that blessed place where sin and temptation will\nbe no more, \u201cwhere nothing that defileth can enter.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nSERMON VI.\nON THE JOURNEY TO EMMAUS.\n\n\n LUKE xxiv. 32. _And they said one to another_, _Did not our heart\n burn within us_, _while He talked with us by the way_, _and while He\n opened to us the Scriptures_?\n\nTHIS is a portion of one of those affecting and instructive pieces of\nhistory, with which the sacred scriptures every where abound.\n\nAfter the resurrection of Jesus, on the very same day, two of His\ndisciples were journeying together to a village called Emmaus, a few\nmiles distant from Jerusalem. And as they went, \u201cthey talked together of\nthose things which had happened.\u201d And certainly never was there\nfurnished to disciples an occasion of more interesting conversation.\nThey were at no loss for a subject; their feelings were deeply moved,\ntheir circumstances most peculiar; they had just been bereaved of their\nLord; and were left, as they thought, helpless and hopeless upon the wide\nworld: they had been attending the sad scene of His sufferings; and\ndoubtless had been witnessing his awful crucifixion; abundance of matter\ntherefore, was afforded them for reflection and discourse. But besides\nthis, they had heard the report of their Lord\u2019s resurrection; and as they\ndid not at all understand the purport of it, appeared indeed scarcely to\nbelieve an event so extraordinary, they were probably consulting what to\nexpect, or what to do. \u201cAnd it came to pass, that, while they communed\ntogether and reasoned, Jesus Himself drew near, and went with them. But\ntheir eyes were holden, that they should not know Him.\u201d {96} Either He\nassumed a different form, or He supernaturally influenced their sight,\nthat they should not at first recognize Him.\n\nJesus, let us observe, appeared to the disciples, while they were engaged\nin holy meditation and converse; and thus, though no longer visible in\nthe world, He may still be expected, at all times, to favour His true\ndisciples in a similar manner. While they are conversing upon the things\nbelonging to His kingdom, upon the wonders of His love, and the riches of\nHis grace, upon their high privileges and expectations, upon the\ndoctrines and precepts of His holy word, upon the duties and experiences\nof their earthly pilgrimage, upon their walk with God here, and their\nhope of dwelling together with Him for ever hereafter; while they are\nmusing and discoursing of these things, the blessed Jesus will join\ncompany with them, though unknown and unseen; and will shed over their\nconference a holy and heavenly benediction. A reproach it is to vast\nnumbers of His professing disciples, that they are not more anxious to\nembrace such opportunities of enjoying the favour and presence of their\nLord; that many, even intimate friends and near relations, amid the\nendless variety of their subjects of conversation, are scarcely ever\nfound to exchange a sentiment or a word, upon the most interesting and\nimportant of all topics; the love of their Lord and the edification of\ntheir souls. Eagerly do they embrace every opportunity of ministering to\nthe passing amusement, or the temporal welfare, of each other; the only\nsubject, which appears to be forbidden ground, is the subject of an\neternal life to come, their spiritual well-being here and hereafter.\n\nBut let me not be misunderstood on this point; I am not speaking of the\npromiscuous intercourse of society; not of religious discussions or\nallusions amid the ordinary business of life; not of that irreverent and\ndangerous habit, into which same believers have been incautiously\nbetrayed, of detailing to one another their continual and familiar\nexperiences; I am speaking of the private and sober communing of\nchristian friends, who are dwelling together, or journeying together, as\nthe disciples to Emmaus: and truly, \u201cwith the bible in their hands and\nthe Saviour in their hearts,\u201d it is wonderful how they can forbear from\nspiritual intercourse. If the everlasting truths of the gospel have made\na deep impression upon their minds; if, for the promises therein\nrevealed, it is their object to live and to die; if they have one common\nhope of their calling, \u201cone thing needful\u201d which occupies their\naffections; if they have the same exalted view of a glorious kingdom in\nheaven; if they are living together in love, and comforting themselves,\nthat the holy bond shall never be broken, that it shall be renewed in a\nhappier world and last for ever; then it would be strange if their\nthoughts and their conversation should never turn upon a subject of such\noverwhelming interest; upon a topic so abundantly fruitful in materials\nfor mutual edification. The idea of the Lord being present with us in\nour conferences is an animating and ennobling idea: but we cannot expect\nHis holy presence in the scenes of vanity and frivolity; nor can we\nexpect it at any time, if the thought and desire of Him be altogether\nexcluded. From the cold moralist, or the worldly-minded disciple, from\nthose who have no practical concern for the gospel or for their souls, we\nneed not look for a word of spiritual communication; it is abhorrent to\ntheir feelings and inconsistent with their notions; but the sincere\nChristian should \u201cthink on these things.\u201d \u201cThe world will love its own,\u201d\nand follow its own; its own friends and maxims and ways: but \u201cwe are not\nof the world,\u201d and better fruit is expected from us.\n\nBut to return to the history before us. Having listened for a time to\nthe earnest discourse of the disciples, Jesus at length, as if a\nstranger, enquired into the subject, which engrossed their minds and\nrendered them so sorrowful: \u201cAnd the one of them whose name was Cleopas,\n(the same, it is thought, as Alpheus, who was the father of two Apostles\nand nearly related to our Lord Himself,) answering, said unto Him, art\nthou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things, which\nare come to pass there in these days?\u201d \u201cAnd he said unto them what\nthings?\u201d said it, probably, with a view of giving them an opportunity of\ndeclaring their opinions, upon what had taken place, as also upon Himself\nand the nature of His kingdom: \u201cand they said unto Him, concerning Jesus\nof Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word, before God and\nall the people: and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to\nbe condemned to death, and have crucified Him. But we trusted, that it\nhad been He who should have redeemed Israel; and beside all this, to-day\nis the third day since these things were done.\u201d {101} They concluded,\nthat their bright hopes of redemption were extinguished, were all dead\nand buried with Jesus: even though they had heard of His rising again,\naccording to His own promise, which they had just alluded to, still they\nhad no expectation of holding any further intercourse with Him, of any\nfurther display of His power in their behalf.\n\n\u201cThen he said unto them, O fools (O unwise and blinded people) and slow\nof heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken; ought not Christ\n(ought not your Messiah prophesied of old) to have suffered these things\nand enter into His glory?\u201d {102} Is it not clearly foretold by your\nprophets, by Isaiah especially in his 53d chapter, that the redeemer of\nIsrael should be \u201cdespised and rejected of men,\u201d should bear \u201ctheir\ngriefs and carry their sorrows,\u201d \u201cshould be led as a lamb to the\nslaughter, should be numbered with the transgressors,\u201d should make \u201cHis\ngrave with the wicked (should die with malefactors) and with the rich in\nhis death,\u201d (should be buried in the sepulchre of the rich,) and after\nthat \u201cprolong His days,\u201d and then that \u201cthe pleasure of the Lord should\nprosper in His hand?\u201d According to your own prophecies then, and in\norder to their fulfilment, has not Jesus done that, as Messiah, which He\nwas required to do? Instead of being offended, and giving up the cause,\nye ought to be fully convinced, that He is \u201cthe Christ, the son of the\nliving God.\u201d {103a} Then, \u201cbeginning at Moses and all the prophets, He\nexpounded to them in all the sacred scriptures the things concerning\nHimself.\u201d {103b} How enlightening and convincing must this discourse\nhave been! But it is not preserved to us: with so complete a body of\ninformation and evidence, it did not please the Almighty to favour the\nworld. We are left to gather the instruction by diligent observation and\nstudy; and thankful may we be, that there still remain most abundant\nsources of satisfactory knowledge on this head; that the prophecies and\ntypes of the Saviour in the Old Testament, when compared with their\nfulfilment, are sufficiently clear for the conviction of every honest and\nwell-disposed mind.\n\nAfter this, the disciples \u201cdrew nigh unto the village whither they went;\nand Jesus made as though He would have gone further. But they\nconstrained Him, saying, Abide with us; for it is toward evening, and the\nday is far spent. And He went in to tarry with them.\u201d {104a} And thus\nHe still favours His disciples, and will do as long as the world stands;\nwhen they heartily desire His abiding presence, it will never be denied;\nwherever the place or whatever the occasion, their Lord, if wished for\nand welcome, will be of their company: in the domestic circle, in the\nconverse of friends, in the sacred hour of solitude; \u201cwhen thou sittest\nin thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest\ndown, and when thou risest up.\u201d {104b} We have only to lift our thoughts\nto Him; \u201cto set Him always before us; and He will be at our right hand,\nthat we shall not be moved.\u201d {105a} At all times He will be found \u201ca\npresent help;\u201d but especially when we are associated or assembled in\nremembrance of Him. Such is the promise of His word: \u201cwhere two or three\nare gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them:\u201d\n{105b} gathered together for consultation, for worship, for any holy\npurpose.\n\nJesus, when He had entered into the house with the two disciples, acted\nin a manner which served to bring Him to their knowledge: \u201cAs He sat at\nmeat with them, He took bread and blessed it, and brake and gave to them;\n(though a supposed stranger, He appeared as the head of the family;\nblessing and distributing, as His custom had been at their ordinary\nmeals:) And their eyes were opened, and they knew Him: And He vanished\nout of their sight;\u201d {105c} immediately left them to ponder upon the\namazing things which they had heard. \u201cAnd they said one to another, Did\nnot our heart burn within us, while He talked with us by the way, and\nwhile He opened to us the Scriptures?\u201d\n\nCleopas and his friend were unquestionably favoured beyond the common lot\nof disciples: to hear the sacred oracles explained by Him, who was at\nonce the subject and fulfilment of them; by Him, through whose spirit the\nprophets and holy men of old all spake; to hear them perfectly explained\nand illustrated by the voice of the Son of God, might well make a vivid\nimpression upon their minds, and fill their bosom with fervent and\nrapturous delight: Yet, though we cannot be so singularly blessed, there\nmay be communicated to us a measure of that knowledge, which these\ndisciples enjoyed; there may be imparted to us no inconsiderable portion\nof the same holy animation.\n\nOur merciful Lord, on withdrawing His visible presence from this world,\nsent, according to His promise, another Comforter; a Comforter, who\nshould \u201cguide His people into all truth;\u201d should \u201cgive them a right\njudgment in all things,\u201d and spread a holy influence over their\naffections and desires. And now, when we are reading His word, when\nmusing upon it with devout meditation, and conversing with one another\nupon its exalted truths, its heavenly purposes, its abundant promises and\nblessings; and now, when we hear the word from the lips of those\nministers, who, however unworthy in themselves, are commissioned to speak\nin His great name, our hearts may burn within us, and \u201cour eyes may be\nopened to behold wondrous things out of His law;\u201d {107} we may still be\npowerfully impressed, if we have, what we are taught by our church to\npray for, \u201cgrace to hear meekly the word, and to receive it with pure\naffection, and to bring forth the fruits of the Spirit.\u201d\n\nMay I not appeal, in justification of these remarks, to some of you here\npresent? Have not your minds, when intent upon the doctrines of the\ngospel, and taking a view of heavenly things, been sometimes visited with\na holy illumination, which has seemed to raise you above the world, and\nto make you feel more sensibly, that \u201cyou have your conversation in\nheaven?\u201d {108} Have not the ties of earth been loosened, while your soul\nwas expatiating on the deep things of God, on His wisdom and power and\nlove, on the dealings of His providence and grace, on the glories of His\neternal presence? Have you not, in some such moments, been so impressed,\nas to return to the world with a degree of reluctance; and, like the\ndisciples at the transfiguration, almost tempted to say, of your\nspiritual and heavenly visions, \u201cit is good for me to be here?\u201d These\nare no enthusiastic imaginations; they are the sober and solid effects of\nthe realized presence of our Redeemer; they are the burnings of heart, of\nwhich the disciples spake; they are the foretaste of our knowledge and\njoy and light and life above. Doubtless they are to be encouraged with\nhumility and sobriety; doubtless they may degenerate into enthusiasm; for\nthere is no spiritual good, which may not be abused: but the fear of\nenthusiasm is not to hinder us in gathering comfort and delight from the\nstudy of scriptural truth, from holy and exalted meditation. The world\nmay call it weakness and folly; for it cannot be understood by the world;\nbut the Christian knows for it a better name; and few eminent Christians\nhave there been, who would not readily bear witness to the truth of these\nthings, who have not felt the inspiriting, uplifting power of divine\ncontemplation.\n\nAnd this, like all other exercises of true faith and piety, is of great\npractical importance; it is fruitful in righteousness to all who \u201cthink\nsoberly;\u201d it serves them, when they return to the busy scenes of earth,\nas an animation to duty; it purifies their affections and renders the\nworld little in their eyes; it arms them for conflict, and reconciles\nthem to trouble: in the midst of trials, of disappointments and\nbereavements, of struggles and difficulties, of frowns and oppositions,\nthey remember, with thankfulness and comfort, the spiritual joys they\nhave experienced, and expect to be blessed with them again: yes, in their\ndarker hours, they remember, that the Sun of righteousness, has shone\nbrightly upon them, and the beams are still reflected; though they cannot\nat present perceive Him so clearly, though He seems, like Jesus with the\ndisciples, to have \u201cvanished out of their sight,\u201d He has left a glory\nbehind, and will again visit them with the fulness of His favour; and\nthey go on their way \u201cnot faithless, but believing.\u201d\n\nTo those who have been thus in the habit of pious and scriptural\nmeditation; of intently dwelling upon the sublime mysteries, and the\ngracious promises, and the noble examples, and the striking histories of\nthe word of God; to them it is needless to recommend a continuance of the\ngood work; it is a christian obligation, which they can never think of\ndeclining; and besides this, the delight and improvement, which it\naffords, are its own sufficient recommendation. But upon all, who have\nunhappily neglected this their great privilege and duty, I would most\nearnestly press the importance of attending to this point, as a matter of\nbounden necessity. It is not enough to form an acquaintance with the\nleading truths of the gospel, as a matter of faith and profession; there\nis much to be learnt upon a nearer inspection, much indeed that can never\nbe learned without it; much to enlarge and exalt the understanding; to\nrenew the heart and regulate the life. The necessary intercourse, which\nmost of us have with the world, is of a lowering and defiling nature;\nestranging the heart from a love of holiness and of God: and in order to\ncorrect this evil, scriptural study and spiritual consideration, as well\nas fervent prayer, are indispensable.\n\nLet not any day pass over your heads without some portion of the Bible,\nsome subject of divine revelation, being brought distinctly to your view.\nThe exercise will interfere with none of your earthly duties, but will\nhelp you in the performance of them all; will smooth whatever there be of\nruggedness in your way; will strengthen you in the hour of temptation,\nand comfort you in perplexity and trouble. Many an encouraging promise\nand many an enlivening assurance will recur to your memory; and \u201ca word\nin season how good is it:\u201d examples of suffering and patience, of\nstriving and perseverance, of warfare and triumph, will kindle in your\nbreast an emulous ardour, and you will say, \u2018By the help of the Lord, I\nwill \u201cgo and do likewise.\u201d\u2019 Thus will the Bible be a never-failing\nsource of strength and consolation all the day long; as the waters, which\nflowed from the flinty rock, accompanied and refreshed the Israelites,\never and anon, in their journey through the wilderness, so will your\nspiritual musings, suggested by the very hardships or troubles of life,\nbe a perpetual stream of refreshment to your souls, even \u201cin a dry land\nthirsty land, where no water is.\u201d {113a}\n\nAnd by this means you will be preparing and training your souls for a\nhappier communion with the Saviour in another world; where all the\ndealings of His providence, and all the wonders of His grace, will be\nmore fully and gloriously manifested. And if the heart of the Christian\nnow burn within him, at the contemplation of heavenly truth and redeeming\nlove; now, in his frail tenement of clay; how unspeakable will be his\ndelight, when these things are revealed to his pure spirit, in the realms\nof perfection and bliss. Then will he know more of \u201cthe love of Christ\nwhich passeth knowledge;\u201d then will he see more of \u201cthe length and\nbreadth and depth and height\u201d {113b} of the mystery of mercy; he will see\nGod \u201cface to face\u201d and \u201cknow even as he is known.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nSERMON VII.\nIF THEY HEAR NOT MOSES AND THE PROPHETS.\n\n\n LUKE xvi. 31.\n\n _If they hear not Moses and the Prophets_, _neither will they be\n persuaded_, _though one rose from the dead_.\n\nLET us advert to the occasion on which these words were delivered, to the\nparable of which they form a part. The case there presented to us by the\ndescription of the rich man is unhappily of frequent occurrence in every\nage. Surrounded by all the luxuries that wealth could furnish, he looked\nfor nothing beyond them: how many fellow mortals there were near his\ndwelling, deprived of the necessities, while he was revelling in the\nsuperfluities of life, was no care, no consideration of his; the selfish\nenjoyment of this world entirely absorbed his affections, and threw a\nveil over all expectation of a world to come: satisfied, that he had\n\u201cgoods laid by for many years,\u201d he imagined that he had nothing to do,\nbut to \u201ceat, drink, and be merry.\u201d\n\nBut such ignorance and insensibility did not prevent him from being\ncalled to account; such forgetfulness of his latter end did not retard\nthe evil day. He died\u2014and was buried, we may conclude, with costly\npreparation answerable to the splendour in which he had lived. This\nhowever, was the last service which his riches were able to render him;\nand melancholy it was, when contrasted with the state, in which his soul\nwas existing, while his treasures were employed in doing honour to the\nlifeless body. He found in that state, what he might have discovered\nbefore, that riches, if selfishly employed in purposes of vanity and\npleasure, are a deadly snare; that earthly indulgences, if pursued with\nexcess, to the neglect of duty towards God and man, instead of being a\nblessing, are paving the way to misery; he found, \u201cwhat an evil and\nbitter thing it is,\u201d to squander the favours of heaven without\nremembering \u201cthe author and giver of every good gift.\u201d\n\nPerceiving therefore, by sad experience, his own deplorable condition, he\nis represented as being moved with a feeling of pity for his brethren:\nhis first anxiety, indeed, was naturally for himself\u2014for some\nalleviation, at least, of the wretchedness of his fate; but when he was\ninformed that such desire was fruitless, that even the assuagement of his\npain was impossible, that there was no means of conveying even a drop of\nwater to cool the thirst upon his tongue, that the great gulf was finally\nand irremoveably fixed, he then hoped that something might be done for\nhis brethren who were still surviving; they had not yet passed the\nboundary of life and grace; and therefore he entreats that, while the\nfar-spent day was shining upon them, Lazarus might be despatched from his\nabode of bliss, to warn them of the untimely end to which they were\nhastening; and induce them effectually to repent before \u201cthe night should\ncome, in which no man can work.\u201d {117a}\n\nAbraham\u2019s answer is, \u201cthey have Moses and the prophets, let them hear\n_them_.\u201d A messenger from the court of heaven could tell them nothing\nnew; they are already acquainted with their duty and the consequences of\nneglecting it: Jehovah has revealed unto them His blessed will, and\nclearly made known what is required of them, \u201cto do justly, and to love\nmercy, and to walk humbly with their God.\u201d {117b} His covenant with\ntheir fathers, and the promulgation of His law, have been attested by a\nseries of signal miracles, which they do not pretend to dispute; and in\nevery page of their history are recorded God\u2019s promised blessings to the\ngood, and the execution of His vengeance upon the evil; and, therefore,\nin as far as knowledge is concerned, they have all the intelligence that\ncan be desired.\n\nBut the wretched man, in the agony of his own feelings, and the earnest\ndesire to preserve his family from such woe, still pursues his request.\n\u201cNay, father Abraham;\u201d but, though they have neglected the ordinary calls\nof heaven, assuredly, if so astonishing an admonition were granted to\nthem, as that of one risen from the dead, they would be thereby persuaded\nto repent. Then follows the answer of the text, \u201cIf they hear not Moses\nand the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from\nthe dead.\u201d And thus the conference ended.\n\nFrom this conclusion of the parables two important observations may be\ndrawn _first_, that if men fail to be convinced and converted, to be led\nto their God and their duty, by those sufficient means of grace which are\nalready vouchsafed to them, they would not be likely to yield to any\nextraordinary means; and, _secondly_, that no such additional means are\nto be expected.\n\n1. In all cases of spiritual and practical unbelief, in all cases where\nthe declarations of the Almighty are disregarded, the fault lies not so\nmuch in the understanding as in the heart. The revelations of heaven are\nat variance with those interests and pursuits, which the heart is\ninclined and resolved to retain; and on this account, and by this means,\nthe mind is prejudiced and set against such revelations, and they are not\nfully and implicitly believed. They call men to the love and practice of\nholiness, to which our degenerate nature is averse; the pleasures of sin\nare preferred, and the voice of God is unheeded: they teach us, that all\nearthly objects and possessions, in themselves, are vain, and call us to\nprepare for an everlasting inheritance above; the sensual and\nworldly-minded think and feel, that \u201cit is good for them to be here,\u201d and\nare not disposed to place their affections upon the promise of an\nhereafter. We none of us professedly disbelieve the revelation of\nheaven, any more than the brethren of the rich man did; and therefore I\nneed not stay to argue the point on that ground. The doctrine before us\nis this, that men, professing to believe, to have received abundant\nevidence of the truth, and yet refusing to act upon that belief, would\nnot be induced so to act, by any violent appeal to their senses or\nnatural powers, even though it were the work of a divine interposition in\ntheir behalf.\n\nWhat do we believe? That, after this life, which experience tells us\nmust soon terminate, and which may, at any moment, be unexpectedly and\nsuddenly brought to a close, we shall immediately enter upon another and\nan eternal state of being; and that our condition, in the endless life to\ncome, will be happy or miserable, according to the manner in which we\nhave passed our short pilgrimage upon earth, whether in a belief of the\ngospel or in unbelief; in obedience or disobedience; in holiness or sin.\nNow, if we really and vitally believe these truths, their importance is\nso striking, that nothing could possibly suggest to the mind a weightier\nconsideration. And if these truths be only superficially credited, it\nmust be owing to some corrupt and perverted affections, which throw a\nveil over the understanding, and render it proof against all moral means\nof conviction. Perhaps some strange and startling occurrence, such as\nthe re-appearance of a friend from the dead, might forcibly affect the\nimagination for a time; and, filling us with alarm and apprehension,\nmight fill us also with vehement resolutions of amendment: but the\nimagination is a weak principle to build upon; the impressions it\nreceives are commonly very transient; they gradually wear away on the\npresentation of fresh images, in our commerce with the world: and if\nthere be not a solid spiritual conviction, in the mind and heart, of the\nawful realities of an hereafter, if the conviction does not rest upon the\ndivine evidence accorded by the Spirit and the word of God, the effects\nof sudden surprise or consternation will soon vanish away; the latent\ndispositions of the soul will break forth again; the old habits, of\nrecklessness and evil, be reassumed; the world again victorious.\n\nFor the truth of these things, I appeal, if not to yourselves, (as in\nmany instances, I reasonably may) but if not, to those around you. How\nmany examples have occurred, within the compass of your own experience,\nof extraordinary visitations having produced but a very short-lived\ninfluence upon the heart and character? How often have we seen the\ncareless awakened by an alarming sickness, by an approach of the king of\nterrors, (which can hardly be supposed less convincing than an angel from\nheaven, or a spirit from the blest), and yet awakened only to return, on\nthe removal of danger, to the slumbers of insensibility and sin. The\nsolemn promises, which the terrified sinner made to his friends, his\nminister, and his God, were but the offspring of fear; the creatures of\nimagination; born only for the moment; soon disappearing, when the crisis\nwas past.\n\nAnd when the stroke of death has actually fallen upon a relative or\nfriend, we have sometimes seen it overwhelm the soul of a heedless\nsurvivor, and bring him to himself, to serious thought and repentance; he\nbegan to sit loose to the remaining interests of life; he looked with\nanxiety to the world unknown, and formed resolutions of devoting his\nyears to a constant provision for futurity; but all to no ultimate\npurpose; the subject had sued for his attention before, and been\nrejected. When his affections have had time to cool, he finds that no\nnew importance has really been given to the truth; the evidences of it\nrest as they did; others have lost friends as well as he; it is the\ncommon lot of mortality; and he cannot keep alive the impression for\never; the world must be attended to; and one object after another\ncontinues to gain an ascendancy, till his new-born hopes and fears are\nextinct; till his principles and conduct and views return to their old\nlevel, from which they will in future become the more difficult to be\nraised.\n\nIt is unnecessary for me to insist, that this is no ideal picture, drawn\nfor the mere occasion of placing the subject in a strong light; your own\nacquaintance with the world may furnish you with living resemblances of\nit; and it is unhappily the lot of Christian Ministers, who have more\nfrequent opportunity of witnessing such impressions, to observe, in the\nend, their repeated and lamentable failure; to perceive how far they fall\nshort of lasting conviction and salvation.\n\nWell, therefore, in the affectionate and faithful discharge of our duty,\nmay we call upon our hearers to weigh, in the dispassioned hours of\nhealth and tranquillity, the nature and the moment of those divine\ntruths, which the gospel clearly reveals unto man; to judge rightly and\ntruly of their everlasting import; and to embrace them, from the\nundeniable evidence already presented, with all the heart and all the\nsoul. We call, however, upon our hearers, not as if the vital impression\ndepended upon themselves alone, upon the exercise of their own judgment\nor the workings of their own conscience. We call upon them to pray for,\nand be guided by, the mighty operation of the Spirit of God: He is ever\nready to enlighten and instruct and quicken and determine them; giving us\nHis grace, \u201cthat we may have a good will, and working with us, when we\nhave that good will.\u201d {125} Listen to His teaching; obey His godly\nmotions; follow up the convictions which He brings to the mind and heart.\nLight enough is perpetually given, to guide you into all truth; live in\nthe light; walk in the light.\n\nThus, indeed, every additional admonition, which a gracious God may be\npleased to vouchsafe unto us, will be turned to good account; our faith\nwill be confirmed, our affections purified, our knowledge increased, our\nresolutions strengthened and settled; \u201cunto him that hath, shall more be\ngiven;\u201d the sincere and pious believer will advance, at every call, a\nstep nearer to his Saviour and his God; the still small voice of heavenly\nwarning will be heard, even amidst the ordinary occurrences of life; the\nwonderful dealings of providence and the manifold means of grace will be\nturned to godly account; the instructions and examples of the living, and\nthe contemplation of the saints at rest, will alike afford materials for\nspiritual edification. But if the great call to liberty and life be\nhabitually neglected, to liberty from sin and shame, and life to holiness\nand glory, then the mind and heart are not in a condition to take\nadvantage of occasional excitement; it strikes, but it does not overcome;\nit rouses, but the stupor returns.\n\n2. Proceed we now to the second observation which may be drawn from the\ntext, that when men reject the abundant evidence of truth, and the\ngracious invitations of heaven already given, when they have resisted the\nstrivings of the Spirit of God, they are not to expect Him to deviate\nfrom the ordinary rules of His providence and grace, for the sake of\nremoving their wilful blindness, and overcoming their perverseness and\nobstinacy.\n\nIt is a part of the divine economy, in the salvation of man, that he\nshould of his own free will, by the grace of God preventing and\nassisting, \u201crefuse the evil and choose the good:\u201d and therefore man is\nnot to expect from the Almighty any such interference in his favour, as\nmight absolutely overrule his will, and compel him to hearken and obey.\nGod\u2019s infinite mercy is sufficiently manifested in His offer and promise\nto save those rebellious sinners, who listen to the teaching of His\nSpirit, who are willing to be saved in His own appointed way. To save\nthose who quench the light afforded them, who discover no such\nwillingness, who unthankfully turn away and refuse the inestimable gift\npresented to them, would be in direct opposition to the whole tenour of\nthe word of God. And experience concurs with Scripture to inform us,\nthat no such extraordinary interposition is generally vouchsafed. The\nJews, in our Saviour\u2019s time, had read of the miracles of Moses and the\nprophets, professed to credit their inspiration, and their mission from\non High; they had seen the astonishing miracles of Christ Himself; and\nmight, if they would, have perceived the fulfilment of their prophecies\nin Him; many of them were eyewitnesses to the signs and wonders attendant\nupon His crucifixion; to the earthquake, and the supernatural darkness,\nand the rending of the veil of their temple; nor could they deny His\nresurrection from the dead. Against all this body of evidence, against\nall the means of conviction, they persevered in their rejection of Him.\nAnd the time came, when no further testimonial was to be granted; they\nwere left \u201cto fill up the measure of their fathers;\u201d they died in their\nsins.\n\nIn addition to all these opportunities and advantages afforded to the\nJew, we enjoy, at this day, the fulness of the manifestation of the\ngospel; the real nature of the Messiah\u2019s kingdom is clearly and\ncompletely revealed unto us; the blessings of the gospel are set before\nus, in the most conspicuous and glorious light; we have all the\ncertainty, which mortals can have, of a world to come; all the knowledge\nwhich our imperfect faculties could receive, of the nature of that world;\nand all the means of grace and hopes of glory. And if by all these\nmercies we are not convinced and persuaded, we can have no right or\nreason to look for any preternatural or overpowering interposition, even\nfrom the goodness and long-suffering of God. Rather may we fear that\njudicial infatuation, so frequently alluded to in Scripture, of the\nclosed eye, the dull ear, and the gross obdurate heart. O let the\nsinner, instead of flattering himself with the delusion, that some\nextraordinary thing will one day be happening to him, which shall\ndisengage him from earth, and fix his thoughts on heaven and eternity, O\nlet him rather apprehend that the time is approaching, when the measure\nof his iniquity shall be filled up, and God will be no longer found.\n\nI am not asserting, that such signal interferences have never been\nvouchsafed; that such loud awakenings have never been successful: I mean,\nthat they are not in the ordinary course of divine providence, and are\nnot to be expected. I mean to say, that where the grace of the gospel is\ncontinually resisted in the heart and life, the careless recusant is\nseldom reclaimed through the medium of any extraordinary visitation;\nwhether of sickness, of accident, or any terrible calamity. The man, who\nentrusts his soul to the hope and operation of such occurrences, is\nplacing it in imminent jeopardy. Whoever will save his soul alive, let\nhim, without delay, \u201cseek the Lord, while He may be found, and call upon\nHim while He is near;\u201d {130a} peradventure God may \u201claugh at his\ncalamity, and mock when his fear cometh.\u201d {130b}\n\nAnd in other ways also does the same evil principle work, the same evil\nhabit of \u201cresisting the grace of God:\u201d many persons, who express\nthemselves thoroughly convinced of the truth of the christian revelation,\nand the absolute necessity of a spiritual obedience and a holy walking\nwith God, put off their work of righteousness, from year to year, in the\nhope, not of any great or appalling event, but that some new\ncircumstances may arise, which shall make it more convenient for them to\nrenounce the world, and attend, without let or hindrance, to the\nsalvation of their souls; they will have gained a sufficiency of earthly\ncomforts, or they will be tired of the world; they will be growing old\nand feeble, and naturally more inclined to think of heavenly things. But\nthis is only the same temptation as the former, presented in another\nshape; the \u201cconvenient season\u201d is hoped for in vain; Satan never suffers\nus to be without a hindrance, real or imaginary; our attachment to the\nworld does not wear off; we grow older without growing more religious,\nwithout drawing nearer to God; and we never are, it is impossible we\nshould be, _naturally_ disposed to \u201cturn and seek after Him:\u201d thus the\ndelusion goes on; and we \u201cwill not be persuaded;\u201d and thus, too\nfrequently, the \u201cexpectation cometh utterly to an end for evermore.\u201d\nThere is no trusting to anything, but the _present_ conviction and\ndetermination, but the instant and unreserved \u201cobedience of the heart\nunto righteousness;\u201d \u201cto-day, if ye will hear His voice, harden not your\nhearts.\u201d {132}\n\nIn conclusion, I call upon you to think on the condition of the rich man\nin torment. His anxiety for a special interference in behalf of his\nbrethren is represented as useless to _them_, but it may be salutary to\n_us_: It may assure us of the wretchedness of that place, to which he was\ncondemned; may incline us, by the inspiration of God\u2019s Holy Spirit, to\nvalue and improve His gracious gifts, while they are mercifully bestowed;\nmay determine us, while we have the all-sufficient light of the gospel,\nto be guided thereby into the way of peace; we may learn from this awful\nlesson, that if (God forbid that it should be so) but _if_ any of us\nshould be similarly doomed, we shall mourn for ourselves, and be anxious,\nthat the companions we have left may be our companions no more; let us\ntake heed for ourselves, and be anxious for one another in time, while\nthe heed and anxiety may be crowned with success; may lead us to seek and\nfind God\u2019s favour and mercy, and so \u201cescape from the wrath to come.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nSERMON VIII.\nPERFECT LOVE CASTETH OUT FEAR.\n\n\n 1 JOHN iv. 18.\n\n _There is no fear in love_, _but perfect love casteth out fear_:\n _because fear hath torment_; _he that feareth is not made perfect in\n love_.\n\nOF all the sources of happiness, which the merciful God has opened to us,\nthe most pure and abundant are the feelings of affection and love. I\nappeal, for the truth of this, not to the understandings, but to the\nhearts of those that hear me; and they will at once testify, unless\ncorrupted and perverted by selfish or vicious habits, that such, even\nwith regard to earthly happiness, is undoubtedly the fact. Persons\nindeed of inferior principle, of irregular and irreligious lives,\nfrequently draw from this source the most considerable portion of their\npleasure, whatever abatements it may receive from their sin and folly:\nand when the passions are attempered, and the affections purified and\nexalted, by the influence of our holy religion, by the refining energy of\nthe spirit of God, the delight naturally and necessarily becomes\nproportionably greater. \u201cTo love one another\u201d is not only our first\nearthly duty, as injoined by the Saviour, but also our highest interest\nand advantage, as contributing to the happiness of all.\n\nIf then so much enjoyment is derived by mankind from the exercise of\nmutual love, how much more from the love of God\u2014the pure, the gracious,\nthe ever blessed God; \u201cwho loadeth us with His benefits;\u201d who made us\nwhat we are, and gave us what we have; who created us for His glory, who\nredeemed us from sin and death, who sanctifieth all that trust in Him,\nthat they may be happy for ever: in a word, whose goodness to us knows no\nbounds, but those which are set by our own perverseness and ingratitude.\nAlmighty and most merciful Father, \u201cwhom have I in heaven but Thee? and\nthere is none upon earth that I desire beside Thee.\u201d {136} \u201cGraft in our\nhearts the love of Thy name;\u201d we cannot love Thee as Thou hast loved us;\nbut give us the grace to love Thee with holy sincerity; with that devout\nand reverent affection, which shall render all other objects of desire\ncomparatively indifferent to us, and make us satisfied with Thy favour,\nwhatever else we want; which shall calm our apprehensions, when we think\nof an hereafter; and allay the uneasiness which arises in our breasts,\nwhen we reflect upon Thine infinite holiness, and our own degenerate\ncondition.\n\nPerhaps it may be imagined, that this is a state of blessedness\nattainable by few, if any, upon earth: some may urge the text against us,\nand say that this blessedness is promised only to perfect love, which\nmortals can never hope to attain; and that it is inconsistent with those\nnumerous passages of Scripture, which admonish us of the necessity of\nfear; that in the admirable collect of our Church for this day, {137} we\nare instructed to pray for \u201ca perpetual fear and love of God\u2019s holy\nname.\u201d How then can we possess the love which casteth out fear? I will\nendeavour to reply to these observations; and pray God that we may all\nderive, from the consideration of this subject, a more true and lively\nand abiding sense of the nature and necessity of that love towards Him,\nwhich, as His adopted children and the inheritors of His kingdom, we are\nabsolutely bound to entertain.\n\nUnquestionably true it is, that the fear of God is, and ever has been,\nindispensable to all His faithful servants; as well under the mild\ndispensation of the gospel, as under the severer discipline of the law.\n\u201cThe fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.\u201d {138a} \u201cSurely his\nsalvation is nigh them that fear Him.\u201d {138b} \u201cUnto you that fear my\nname shall the Sun of Righteousness arise, with healing in His wings.\u201d\n{138c} And accordingly the Apostle observes, \u201cIn every nation, he that\nfeareth Him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with Him.\u201d {138d}\n\u201cHis mercy is on them that fear Him, from generation to generation.\u201d\n{138e} But what is the nature of this fear? It is not a slavish\nprinciple, not a disturbing and distressful feeling. It consists in an\nawful sense of God\u2019s glorious perfections; of His divine Majesty,\nunspotted purity, infinite knowledge and power; of His presence pervading\nevery part of the creation, even the very mind of every intellectual\nbeing; such a sense, as to fill us with the deepest humility, perceiving\nourselves unworthy even to stand in the sight of Him, \u201cwho is of purer\neyes than to behold iniquity;\u201d such a sense, habitually impressed upon\nthe heart, as inclines and constrains us to \u201cfollow the good\u201d which He\nloves, and \u201cdepart from the evil\u201d which He abhors.\n\nAnd this principle is plainly and entirely consistent with the sincerest\nlove: our love indeed is powerfully increased by the reflection, that our\nheavenly Father, of whose attributes we form conceptions so awful and\nsublime, should condescend to bestow such regard upon His frail and\nfallen, His disobedient and rebellious children; it may teach us to\nexclaim with the liveliest emotions of gratitude, as well as with humble\nadoration and astonishment, \u201cLord, what is man that Thou art mindful of\nhim, and the son of man that Thou visitest him?\u201d {139} Good reason,\ntherefore, had the framers of our Liturgy, for directing us to implore\nthe united influence of a perpetual fear and love of God\u2019s holy name.\n\nBut the fear spoken of in the text is of another kind; it relates to\nuneasy and distressful apprehensions respecting our acceptance with God;\nto a feeling of doubt and distrust, whether we are, in deed and in truth,\npartakers of the gracious promises of the gospel; whether we are living\nin a state of reconciliation with God; whether we have within us that\nearnest of the Holy Spirit, which is the pledge and seal of our\nredemption; whether, in a word, we are objects of God\u2019s favour here, and\nhave a well-grounded hope of his mercy hereafter.\n\nThat this is the state of mind represented to us by the beloved Apostle,\nis clear from his own reasoning; \u201cfor fear,\u201d says he, \u201chath torment:\u201d now\nthe fear of God, as above described, has no torment at all; it makes us\nhumble, and fills as with reverential awe, but it tends to comfort and\npeace. We could not entirely love a Being, whose manifestation inspired\nus with terror and dismay; and this is the very reason why many, when\nthey come seriously to consider their condition, are filled with\nconfusion and alarm; because they do not love God in sincerity and truth:\ntheir affections have been set on the world; and therefore their title to\nsalvation, upon the terms proposed to them in the gospel, is clearly\ninsufficient; they have served other masters, and have reason to tremble\nfor their reward from the great Lord and Master in heaven; they have\nemployed their talents for other purposes, than those for which they were\ncommitted, and therefore, when they think of making up their accounts,\ntheir lord presents himself as \u201can austere man,\u201d exacting more than they\nwill be able to render: no man can heartily love God, without an entire\nobedience of the heart; this they have never shewn, and therefore have\nnever loved Him: how then can they expect His favour; how can they\nreflect upon their condition with composure and comfort?\n\nTruly is it said, that such fear hath torment; for of all the uneasiness\nwhich the mind can suffer here, the most painful is that, which is\nproduced from an apprehension of \u201cthe terrors of the Lord;\u201d better not to\nhave known the greatness of the salvation promised, than to neglect the\nmeans of securing it; better not to have heard of an hereafter, than to\nhave a reasonable dread upon the spirits, what that hereafter shall be.\nThey who have greater cause for fear than for hope, must, if they are\ngiven to meditate and look forward, find it cast a dismal shade over\nevery scene and prospect of life; they may contrive to drown their\nserious thoughts, in the midst of worldly pursuits and intemperate\npleasures; but this is only for the passing hour; they cannot possibly\nthink, that their condition is thus really improved. But why take so\nmuch pains to mitigate or conceal a misery, which it is in our power, by\nGod\u2019s gracious mercy, effectually to prevent? Escape from these torments\nof the conscience by a sincere devotedness to the service of your\nAlmighty Father, in the gospel of His beloved Son; by cherishing in the\nheart that \u201cperfect love for Him, which casteth out fear.\u201d\n\nYet is this possible, it may be said, for weak and imperfect man? Is it\nnot rather a state at which we should aim, than one at which we can ever\nhope to arrive? Certainly the imperfect creature can never attain to\nactual perfection in any moral or spiritual duty; but his will and desire\nmay be perfect, though his service is not; and in this sense, the duty of\nperfect love is equally binding upon all believers. It is a very common\npersuasion, and dangerous as it is common, that the standard of christian\nduty is raised much higher in the gospel, than it is necessary for the\ngenerality of Christians even to think of reaching; that some of the\ncommands, there given, are intended only for the chosen few, more eminent\nthan the rest of mankind in spiritual attainments; and thus too many\nprofessing disciples of our Lord, imagining themselves not bound by such\nextensive obligations, are content with measures of obedience, infinitely\nless than those, which are positively required; content with a state of\nheart and life, far short of that, which the gospel recognises and\ninjoins. But this is a mere delusion, to suit the wayward fancy and the\ncorrupt inclination of man: where do we read in the Bible of such\nlimitations and exceptions? Where do we find one set of rules for\neminent Christians, and another for Christians in general? Are not all\nits precepts, and all its principles, and all its instructions, of\nuniversal obligation? When the Saviour promised His divine blessings to\n\u201cthe poor in spirit,\u201d to them that \u201chunger and thirst after\nrighteousness,\u201d to \u201cthe pure in heart;\u201d were the conditions intended only\nfor the disciples around Him on the mount? Were they not also designed\nfor His followers in every age? And when the Lord commanded Moses to\n\u201cspeak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto\nthem, Be ye holy, for I the Lord your God, am holy,\u201d {144} does the\nprecept concern only the people of old? Is it not equally applicable to\nChristians? Yea, it is urged upon us all by the mouth of an Apostle.\n{145} The same is true of every spiritual doctrine, every moral command\nrecorded in the Book of Life: there is no means of grace, no measure of\nobedience ordained, which a Christian can safely neglect.\n\nWhatever, therefore, be meant in the text by _perfect_ love, that love it\nis the bounden and necessary duty of us all to attain and to cherish.\nAnd what is really meant by this expression, may be most readily and\nfully understood from a precept of the divine law, as confirmed and\nenforced by our blessed Redeemer; \u201cThou shalt love the Lord thy God, with\nall thine heart and with all thy soul and with all thy strength.\u201d This\nis the love described in the text; perfect in _kind_, as admitting of no\nrival principle, of no competition with \u201cthe world or the things that are\nin the world,\u201d with any or all of them together; imperfect in _degree_,\non account of the infirmity of our faith, of the weakness and corruption\nof human nature.\n\nWe cannot be at a loss to understand this distinction; yet it may be\nfurther illustrated by an example from ordinary life. The most\naffectionate and dutiful child will fail occasionally to please and obey\nits parent; but there will be a constant desire and endeavour to please:\nto have excited the parent\u2019s displeasure, will bring uneasiness and\nsorrow; and therefore the violations of duty will be neither wilful nor\nhabitual. And this sincere affection, for a kind and good parent, never\nceases to produce delight; the child indeed, feeling so much respect and\nreverence, will be afraid of offending, afraid of the unworthiness,\nafraid of the dishonour; yet the service of obedience is rendered from\nchoice, and not from constraint; with emotions of joy, with a grateful\nendearment of soul: slavish terror there is none; it is banished by the\noverpowering principle of love.\n\nThe case is similar, with respect to the love of God: whoever, from a\nsense of the relationship which he is privileged to bear to the almighty\nand gracious Creator; whoever, from a contemplation of the high and holy\nperfections of the Godhead; whoever, from a perception of the divine\ngoodness and mercy, does truly love the great and glorious Lord of all,\nwill constantly delight to serve Him; sensible indeed of his manifold\nweaknesses and deficiencies, and thereby brought to grieve, and rendered\nthe more fearful to offend; but still entertaining no doubt, that his\nservices, imperfect and unworthy as they are, are accepted at the throne\nof grace, through the merits of his Redeemer, and as the fruit of faith\nin His prevailing name. For no earthly consideration would he exchange\nthis heavenly joy and satisfaction; and no earthly event or dispensation,\nhowever afflicting, can drive him even to distrust, much less to despair.\nThough nature feels her bereavements and her troubles, his faith is\nstrong; and it assures him, that the very chastisements of the Lord are\ninflicted in mercy. \u201cWho,\u201d says the Apostle, \u201cshall separate us from the\nlove of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or\nfamine, or nakedness, or peril or sword? Nay, in all these things we are\nmore than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that\nneither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor\nthings present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other\ncreature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in\nChrist Jesus our Lord.\u201d {148}\n\nIn speaking, however, of the holy confidence, with which we are inspired\nby the sincere love of God, far would I be, as far as possible, from\nconfounding it with that self-sufficient and presumptuous tone into which\nsome persons have been unbecomingly betrayed, when describing their\nspiritual condition. Humility is the foundation of the Christian\u2019s\nconfidence: he trusts, only because he is \u201cstrong in the lord, and in the\npower of His might;\u201d he is sufficient, only because \u201call his sufficiency\nis of God.\u201d And the purer his love, and the higher his attainments, the\nmore humbly and modestly does he speak of them: he talks not of\ncertainty, \u201cas if he had already attained,\u201d but delights himself with\n\u201cfull assurance of faith,\u201d {149a} with \u201cfull assurance of hope;\u201d {149b}\nhis is not an extravagant joy, proceeding from the arrogant assertion of\nan elective claim, but a holy tranquillity of soul, arising from faith in\nthe Redeemer\u2019s undeserved mercy; from unfeigned love to the most\nbenevolent and perfect Being; and reposing itself upon the unchangeable\npromises of Jehovah.\n\nWe do not question, my brethren, the claims of Almighty God to our\nperfect love. Is He not our Creator? and could He have formed us with\nany other design, than to make us happy? If reason could have doubted\nthis truth, revelation makes it clear. And are we not preserved, every\nmoment of our lives, by His infinite wisdom and mercy and power? And\nthough we are forgetful of His sustaining hand, still He feeds us with\nthe bounties of nature; and invites us to partake of the riches of His\ngrace. What are the greatest blessings, which a human being, which any\ncreature could possibly desire? To be delivered from evil, and to enjoy\neverlasting good. And did not the adorable Son of God take upon him the\ninfirmities and sufferings of our mortal state, to redeem us from misery,\nand exalt us even to glory? And does not the Holy Spirit condescend to\ndwell in our tabernacles of flesh, that He may cleanse us from every\nsinful defilement, \u201cpurify unto Himself a peculiar people zealous of good\nworks,\u201d {150a} and make us \u201cmeet to be partakers of the inheritance of\nthe saints in light?\u201d {150b} Could we, even if we had been worthy, have\ndesired, have imagined for ourselves, blessings so great and favours so\nexalted, as those which the good and gracious God is showering down upon\nus? Shall we not then be inclined, from every consideration, shall we\nnot be determined, by God\u2019s grace, to love this heavenly benefactor with\nall our heart\u2014from a principle of gratitude; from an admiration of divine\nperfection; from the inspiring hope and prospect of our eternal\nsalvation? Yes, let us give unto Him, not that divided affection, which\nis the vain offering of a degenerate and degraded world; but the full and\nunreserved energies of the soul. If a portion of our heart be engrossed\nby any other object, we are not the true people of the Lord; we render\nHim not a reasonable or acceptable service; our love is embittered with\nfear; with a fear that has, and will have, torment. Lord, let our\naffections be altogether devoted unto Thee; pour Thy spirit of love into\nour hearts, for the sake of Him \u201cwho loved us and gave Himself for us;\u201d\nwe cannot love Thee here upon earth as we would do, but be pleased to\naccept what Thou enablest us to give, the tribute of a sincere heart; and\nlet it be to us a never-failing source of humble confidence and holy\ncomfort; so that we may anticipate the joyful hour, when we shall be\nremoved, from this imperfect state of being, to a purer and happier\nworld; where, with affections exalted and understandings enlarged, we\nshall render Thee a more delightful and laudable service; with angels and\narchangels, and all the company of heaven.\n\n\u201cGod is love;\u201d and when the veil of the flesh is laid aside, and we are\nadmitted into His glorious presence, \u201cwe shall be like Him, for we shall\nsee Him as He is;\u201d {152} then will our felicity be complete, complete for\never; then, in the fullest sense of the words, we shall be \u201cmade perfect\nin love.\u201d Here then, without a question, our true happiness lies; here\nis our all: let us pray that we may never lose sight of it; that the\ndesire, now kindled, may never be extinguished; that every \u201cheart may\nthere be fixed, where true joys are to be found, through Jesus Christ our\nLord.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nSERMON IX.\nHUMBLE YOURSELVES UNDER THE MIGHTY HAND OF GOD.\n\n\n 1 PETER v. 6.\n\n _Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God_, _that He may exalt\n you in due time_.\n\nTHERE is nothing, which more peculiarly marks the character of the\nfaithful Christian, than the manner in which he submits himself to the\nappointments and dispensations of his God. The worldly and carnal spirit\neither frets and repines under the visitations of misfortune, or is\ndisconsolate and cast down; or, at the best, bears up with a mere animal\nfortitude against them: it finds no comfort to flee unto, but such as is\nafforded by the vain world, in which it has already met with vexation und\ndisappointment; and if the world is unable to secure a continuance in\nprosperity, still less is it able to provide a refuge in the dismal days\nof sorrow.\n\nSo lamentably indeed has this truth been experienced by many, that they\nhave been driven to the fallacious and fatal expedient of attempting at\nonce to drown their cares in intemperance; they have found nothing in the\nworld sufficient to satisfy their reason, or to soothe their irritated\nfeelings; and therefore have destroyed their faculties, that they might\nnot reflect; and cut short the thread of that life, which they imagined\nthemselves unequal to support: and some indeed have had recourse to a\nmore speedy and awful means of delivering themselves from the burden of\nmortification and grief; ill prepared as they were, their own hand of\nviolence has hurried them into the presence of their Judge. And even\nthey, who have been preserved from these most miserable extremities, have\nsufficiently testified by their conduct, that the world has nothing\nsatisfactory to offer, for the healing of a wounded spirit, or the\nremoval of a load of sorrow.\n\nReligion, the religion of the gospel, is the only source from which true\ncomfort or support can possibly be drawn; and we see her triumphs\nmanifested in the most blessed and remarkable manner when the faithful\nservant of God is overwhelmed with trouble; we perceive his mind in a\nstate of tranquillity, under a conviction, that the Lord \u201cdoeth all\nthings well;\u201d and remembereth mercy, no less in chastisement, than in the\ntime of prosperity; his unquiet emotions are subdued into holy subjection\nto the divine will; his affections are set the more earnestly on things\nabove; the vanities of earth have lost their hold; and there ariseth in\nthe heart that \u201cpeace of God, which passeth all understanding.\u201d\n\nThey who have been much conversant with scenes of sickness or of sorrow,\ncannot fail to have observed the truth of these remarks, to have been\nstruck with the vast difference in the behaviour of men, in proportion as\nthey have imbibed the true spirit and principle of the gospel. Some we\nhave seen dismayed, disturbed, and restless; with nothing in their\ncountenance, but vexation or anguish; others, cheerfully bearing up under\nthe evils which have befallen them; and, by their expressions of joyful\nresignation, delighting and comforting the friends, who were shedding\nover them the tears of sympathy; the power of the word of God, the \u201cjoy\nof the Holy Ghost\u201d has been visible in their very features. Those\npersons, who have beheld such an example, have been favoured with an\ninstructive lesson, which they should \u201cgrave on the tablet of their\nheart;\u201d a lesson teaching them, faithfully and forcibly, where to look\nfor aid in the reverses and afflictions of life.\n\nYet, in order to lead us more effectually to cultivate, and to reap the\nbenefit of, this heavenly frame of mind, let us now consider the bearing\nof the apostolic charge in the text, \u201cHumble yourselves under the mighty\nhand of God.\u201d Here we may discover powerful reasons intimated, why we\nshould bring ourselves into a state of entire submission to the divine\nwill, and rest satisfied and resigned under every dispensation. The hand\nof God is mighty: He is the sovereign Lord of all; has an absolute right\nto dispose of His creatures, according to His good pleasure; and is alone\nable both to know and to do, what their several necessities require.\nThey, therefore, who profess themselves His people, are bound, by that\nvery profession, unreservedly to submit to His sovereign disposal: \u201cShall\nthe clay say to him that fashioneth it, what makest thou? O Lord, Thou\nart our Father, we are the clay, and Thou our potter; and we all are the\nwork of Thy hand.\u201d {158} He who created, He who redeemed us, He to whom\nalone we can look for sanctification and life, should and will maintain\nthe dominion over us: He that gave us our being, must be able, and cannot\nbe unwilling, to \u201cgive us all things needful both for our souls and\nbodies.\u201d We understand not how He formed us from the dust of the earth;\nso neither can we understand the methods of His providence; but, as \u201cthe\nlife is more than meat,\u201d so may we trust His goodness and His power, to\npreserve, in the best and wisest manner, the being of those, who seek His\nprotection and submit to His government. A wise son yields to an\naffectionate father, even in points where he cannot comprehend the entire\nwisdom of his discipline and correction; yields, not only because\nexperience has taught him the benefit of subjection, but also for the\nsake of obedience to a father, who is entrusted with the guidance of him,\nand has a right to be obeyed; much more should we, the adopted children\nof the Most High, bow with meekness and reverence before an Almighty and\nheavenly Father, though we altogether comprehend not the purpose of the\ntrials, which He bringeth upon us: they are chastisements of mercy, of\nwhatever kind they be, and moreover are ordained by Him, who has the\nentire undisputed right of dominion over us.\n\nAnother consideration here suggested is, that all resistance is vain;\n\u201cthe mighty hand of God\u201d is uncontrollable. Utterly weak and fruitless\nwere all the assembled powers of the universe, combined against His wall:\nwhat can a frail creature do, child of the dust, akin to the worm? If\nGod strikes, who shall stay or avoid the blow? Whatever visitation He is\npleased to send, to a family or to an individual\u2014of sickness, of\ncalamity, of death\u2014there is no keeping it out of the dwelling; it may be\nsoftened by resignation, it may be removed, and even blessed, by prayer;\nbut we cannot hinder the accomplishment of God\u2019s will. In the language\nof the pious Hannah, \u201cThe Lord killeth and maketh alive; He bringeth down\nto the grave and bringeth up\u2014He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and\nlifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and\nto make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth\nare the Lord\u2019s, and He hath set the world upon them. He will keep the\nfeet of His saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by\nstrength shall no man prevail.\u201d {161a}\n\nYes truly; the afflicting hand of God is mighty in operation, both to the\nwicked and the good; the former are constrained to feel, though they will\nnot heartily or practically acknowledge, that there is no dependence to\nbe placed on the schemes or exertions of man; no trusting, that\n\u201cto-morrow will be as this day and much more abundant.\u201d {161b} When\n\u201criches shall have made themselves wings and have flown away;\u201d {161c}\nwhen the favourite or the friend have been cut off; when the bodily frame\nis under the influence of alarming disease; then the sinner, if he be not\nspiritually humbled, will, at least be made sensible, that there is a\npower which can lay him low; the conviction is forced on his mind, though\nhe may refuse to act upon it; his conscience is smitten, though he will\nnot obey its emotions; it assures him of the vanity of human devices, of\nhuman dependencies and strength, though it fail to incline him to his\nGod.\n\nHow blessedly different the effect of the mighty hand of God upon the\nsincere Christian! Even the heaviest affliction, the most untoward or\nadverse occurrence, produces, when he comes to reflect, a salutary\ninfluence on his mind and heart. Perceiving that it is the natural\ntendency of a smooth uninterrupted course, to make him rest satisfied\nwith earthly enjoyments, and draw aside his attention from the sublimer\ndelights and the more substantial interest of heavenly things, he\nacknowledges, not only with acquiescence, but with gratitude, the severer\ndispensations of providence; he knows, that his faith must be tried and\nhis patience made perfect; it is the very object for which he is placed\nin this transitory state of existence; he therefore implores his gracious\nFather, to sanctify to him the crosses and disappointments below, and\nmake them minister to the completion of his happiness above; whatever\nthey are, they are less than his transgressions deserve; whatever they\nare, they are \u201cof God\u2019s sending,\u201d to lead him to reflection and\nrepentance; and very efficacious are they for the fulfilment of this\nmerciful purpose; perhaps the only means by which he could have been\npreserved from falling, amidst the snares and temptations that surround\nhim. The Christian is ready to confess, and many we have heard with\nthankfulness confessing, that of all the mercies received from the hands\nof God, the most distinguished, because the most effectual for his\nsalvation, are the vicissitudes and troubles of life: how many a sincere\nbeliever, by the discomfiture of his earthly prospects, has been led to\nfix his heart more intently and stedfastly, upon the unchangeable\nfelicity of heaven; how many, at the death of a friend, have sought more\nearnestly and experienced more abundantly, \u201cthe power of the spirit of\nconsolation;\u201d and have thereby been led to transfer their affections to\nthat blessed world, where christian friends shall meet, and never\nseparate again. How many, by the infirmities of the body, have been\nadmonished and persuaded to make a better provision for the health and\nwell-being of the soul! The hand of God has been mightily laid upon\nthem, to rescue them from the tyranny of sin and Satan, to place them in\nthe enjoyment of \u201cthe perfect law of liberty,\u201d manifested in the gospel;\nto save their souls alive.\n\nLet us not regard the various calamities that befal us, of whatever\nnature they may be, as the mere result of human design or contingency;\nfor whether they be occasioned by our own imprudence and neglect, or by\nthe instrumentality of an evil world, they are permitted and ordained by\na wise and merciful God, to draw us nearer to Himself; to teach us the\nutter insufficiency of all earthly interests and possessions; and to\nraise our thoughts to the glory of an eternal kingdom. And if we receive\nthem in a christian spirit, they will never fail to answer their high and\nholy purpose. Let us therefore watch and pray, that we may duly consider\nevery calamitous day as a sacred opportunity, as a season of grace, as\nthe rod of our Almighty Father to chastise us from sin: let it call us to\ndeep meditation and contrition, to serious examination of heart; for it\nis only by the religious and spiritual observance of such seasons, that\nwe can ever hope to derive from them improvement and comfort.\n\nRemark and remember the language of the text, \u201cHumble _yourselves_ under\nthe mighty hand of God;\u201d it is not enough that we be humbled, in a\nworldly sense, by the stroke of misfortune; that is a consequence, which\nmay of necessity ensue: the loss of possession may drive us into needy\nsolitude; the loss of health destroy our energy and activity; the loss of\nreputation bring us to shame; the loss of friends oblige us to mourn,\nfrom the very feelings of nature; but all this while, there may be no\nhumility of heart, no self-abasement, no voluntary humiliation under \u201cany\nof the dispensations of heaven:\u201d the \u201chand of God hath touched us;\u201d but\nwe may not, nevertheless, be vitally touched ourselves, with a proper\nsense of the trials, which He has called us to endure: we must fall low\nbefore His footstool; we must bend our knees in humble fervent prayer; we\nmust implore the aid of His Holy Spirit, to open our understandings, that\nwe may perceive the graciousness of His dealings with us; and to enlarge\nour hearts, that we may take the full benefit of His \u201cloving correction;\u201d\nwe must unfeignedly and fully confess, on our own part, that unworthiness\nand iniquity, which excited God\u2019s displeasure, and required His\nafflicting visitation; and that mercy, on God\u2019s part, which seeketh to\nreclaim us from error; to \u201cpurge our conscience from dead works;\u201d to make\nus more alive to the \u201cthings which belong unto our peace;\u201d to lead us\nfrom the vanities of time to the momentous realities of eternity.\n\nIf we thus improve the sorrowful events that await us, we shall find a\nhappy deliverance from them all; and it is the only possible means, by\nwhich we can be happily delivered: this the text implies; \u201cHumble\nyourselves under the mighty hand of God, _that He may exalt you_;\u201d that\nyou may thus be rendered meet to partake of His mercy; that He may visit\nand comfort you in your low estate; and make it instrumental to your\nspiritual exaltation. If you murmur or complain, or do but naturally\nmourn; if you manifest only the frettings of a worldly disposition and\ntemper, your case thereby becomes still more grievous and intolerable;\nthe heart is vexed by its vain and rebellious strivings; \u201cthe sorrow of\nthe world worketh misery and death.\u201d You are thus preventing the\nbenediction of heaven from descending upon you; you are closing up the\navenues, through which the grace of God may find its way into the heart;\nyou are neglecting that remedy, by which alone the stricken soul can be\nhealed, by which your trouble may be converted into a blessing. Embrace\nthe proffered means; humble yourself beneath the burden, with \u201ca godly\nsorrow,\u201d for the sin that has brought it; bend yourself beneath the storm\nof heaven, and the Sun of righteousness will soon shine forth, and cheer\nyou with His brightest beam; \u201cthe God of consolation,\u201d your Redeemer,\nyour unchangeable friend, \u201cthe same yesterday, to-day, and for ever,\u201d\nwill turn your darkness into light; your \u201cweeping will endure but for a\nnight, and joy will come in the morning.\u201d {168}\n\nOr, if it be not literally so; if deliverance come not so speedily as you\ndesire or expect, it will assuredly come in God\u2019s \u201cdue time;\u201d He may\nwait, to try the strength of your patience and your faith; may seem for a\nseason, as though He heareth not your prayer; but rest assured, He does\nhear, and the answer is preparing: the wise and benevolent author of four\nblessings knows best when to bestow them; depend upon His mercy, and\ntrust Him for the time: the delay will be nothing, as compared with the\ncomfort when it arrives: the very delay will minister to the fulness of\nyour joy: you will perceive the truth of the divine character, as drawn\nby the pencil of the prophet; you may apply the prophetic description to\nyourself; \u201cFor a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great\nmercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee\nfor a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee,\nsaith the Lord thy Redeemer.\u201d {169}\n\nGod will exalt every humble and faithful servant, in due time, even in\nthis world; not perhaps to earthly greatness and honour; but, what is\ninfinitely more important, to the height of His own blessed favour; to\nthe delight of a peaceful reconciliation with Himself; to the happiness\nof an approving conscience; to a \u201chope full of immortality:\u201d and, after\ndeath, He will crown that hope with a glorious consummation; will exalt\nthat servant to the skies; far beyond the reach of change, of trouble, or\nof fear. The Christian, like the Captain of his Salvation, \u201cwill be made\nperfect through sufferings;\u201d like Him, when the combat is over, will\nreceive the crown of glory, and sit down for ever at the right hand of\nhis Father and his God.\n\nHe will then more fully see and admire the gracious dealings of his\nmerciful God and Saviour; will see, what reason he had to be thankful for\nthe chastisements of heaven; how they have trained and prepared his soul\nfor the happiness of the blest; how wonderfully they have ministered to\nthe fulness of his joy. Bear then patiently; bear, I ought to say,\nthankfully, what the Lord layeth upon thee; it is His hand that \u201cworketh\nall in all,\u201d His hand of might and mercy. Thou canst not always trace\nHis designs and operations; if thou couldst, where would be the exercise\nof thy faith? But if thou wilt believe and trust Him, if thou wilt bow\nand submit, He will thus exalt thee in due time, when thou art ready,\nwhen thy trial is completed, when thy appointed work is done. This is\nthe seed-time; sow, and thou shalt see it spring up; labour, and wait for\nthe harvest; \u201cthey that sow in tears shall reap in joy.\u201d {171}\n\n\n\n\nSERMON X.\nTHOU ART THE MAN.\n\n\n 2 SAM. xii. 7.\n\n _And Nathan said to David_, _Thou art the man_.\n\nTHE parable, of which these words are a part, is admired, even for its\nelegance and simplicity, by every one who is capable of appreciating its\nmerit. It serves also to illustrate, in the clearest manner, the\nadvantage of this mode of instruction; which is intended, in the first\nplace, by a lively representation of the productions of nature, or the\nincidents of common life, to convey an adequate notion of a truth or\ndoctrine in easy and familiar terms; and to leave a more striking\nimpression of it upon the memory and the heart. The parable has a\nfurther advantage: the instruction it affords is not at once unfolded to\nthe mind; the attention and the feelings are first awakened, by the\nrelation of some interesting occurrence, apparently unconnected with the\nobject in view; by which means, an assent is gained over to the side of\ntruth, before the understanding has had time to be prejudiced, by the\nworkings of self-love, or the disinclination to religious admonition.\n\nSuch was precisely the case with the parable before us. Had Nathan\naddressed to David a direct and formal expostulation, it is probable that\nthe king would have considered his interference as intrusive and\nimpertinent; would have either driven him from his presence, or have been\nprepared, by some plausible excuse, to cast a veil over the hideousness\nof his crimes. But the royal offender, though he could readily palliate\nhis own atrocity, could not bear to hear of cruelty in another. When it\nwas reported to him, that there were two men in a city, the one rich and\nthe other poor; that the rich man, when there came a traveller unto him,\nspared to take of the abundance of his own flock, and of his own herd,\nand took from the poor man a little ewe lamb, which was all he had in the\nworld; took it from him under the most affecting circumstances; \u201cfor he\nhad bought and nourished it up, and it grew up together with him and with\nhis children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and\nlay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.\u201d When the king heard\nall this, his feelings were violently excited, \u201chis anger was greatly\nkindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, as the Lord liveth, the\nman that hath done this thing shall surely die.\u201d {174} This was the\nmoment for making the application: and judge of David\u2019s shame and\nconfusion of face, on finding that all his pity, and all his anger, and\nall his condemnation, had in truth been directed against himself: \u201cThou\nart the man.\u201d He could not help perceiving, that great as was the\ncruelty, which he had been reprobating in the case laid before him, he\nhad been guilty of still greater himself: though he had the whole kingdom\nfor the exercise of his legitimate choice, he would rather deprive an\nhumble servant of the only object of his conjugal affection, deprive him,\nby becoming, in the first instance, accessary to his murder.\n\nWe may here observe, how terrible is the infatuation of sin. It might\nhave been thought that David, if he had not immediately perceived the\nfull intention of the prophet in laying this parable before him, would at\nleast, from an instantaneous recollection of his own notorious guilt,\nhave treated, with some degree of lenity or forbearance, the barbarity of\nwhich Nathan appeared to be complaining; that he would not so soon have\ndenounced against a delinquent, so much less heinous than himself, the\nutmost severity of punishment. But, as if his own conscience were clear,\nhe immediately exclaimed against the imagined offender, as a wretch unfit\nto live; he does not appear to have been awakened to a sense of his own\ncrimes, till he heard the overwhelming application, \u201cThou art the man.\u201d\n\nSuch is generally the fascination of sin; it darkens the understanding,\nand deadens the conscience, and renders men insensible to their real\ncondition. It is the great object of the enemy of our souls, an object\nin which he too often fatally succeeds, to make us blind, not only to the\nheinousness and danger, but also to the very existence of guilt: so that,\nhowever acute we may be in perceiving the transgressions of others, and\nhowever severe in reprobating and condemning them, we are, in very\nfrequent instances, utterly regardless of our own. Many, it is to be\nfeared, there are, who persist in a course of sin day after day, and year\nafter year, without once feeling any lively or serious compunction; while\nthey have frequently, in that time, been reproachfully animadverting upon\nthe mote which they have detected in their brother\u2019s eye.\n\nPerhaps of all the temporal consequences of sin, the operation of this\nevil habit is one of the most calamitous; for it not only prevents us\nfrom a repentance of the past, but serves as an encouragement to our\nreckless perseverance in sin; it destroys the very principle of vital\nreligion; removing entirely from our hearts the love and fear of God; and\nfilling us with \u201cenvy, hatred, and malice and all uncharitableness.\u201d Let\nDavid\u2019s infatuation be a warning to us, let it induce us to take diligent\nheed, lest we be irreclaimably \u201chardened by the deceitfulness of sin;\u201d\nlest the conscience be at length so entirely seared, as to become callous\nto the very perception of iniquity; as to make us \u201ccall evil good, and\ngood evil; to put darkness for light, and light for darkness; to put\nbitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter.\u201d {177}\n\nBefore, however, we further proceed to the practical inferences which may\nbe drawn from this subject, it may be proper to notice some irreverent\nand reproachful remarks, which have been made on the flagrant crimes of a\nperson so distinguished as David. Is it possible, some have urged, that\nsuch guilt, and such hardihood in guilt, could have been found in the\n\u201cman after God\u2019s own heart?\u201d {178} But this honourable appellation, be\nit observed, was given to David, not on account of his moral or spiritual\npurity, but on account of the excellence of his character as a king; he\nwas so named in opposition to Saul, who had acted in wilful disobedience\nto the divine commands, and therefore, in the administration of his\ngovernment, was not a man after God\u2019s own heart; that is, he did not (as\nDavid did, in this particular,) perform God\u2019s will.\n\nAgain, it has been said, could an inspired person possibly fall into such\na complication of evil? Miraculous inspiration, we answer, was not given\nto the sacred pen-men, as a certain preservative from the corruption of\nsin, but to enable them to reveal the will of God; to guard them, in this\nrespect, from error; and to \u201cguide them into all truth:\u201d their carnal\nappetites and passions were not supernaturally overruled; they still had\ntheir choice between good and evil; though revealing to mankind the holy\nlaw of God, they might themselves neglect the duties which it injoined:\nmany instances are recorded of the abuse of spiritual gifts, many\nexamples of their consisting with unholiness and transgression. The very\nchief of the apostles intimates to us the personal care and watchfulness\nand labour which were necessary, \u201clest, having preached to others, he\nhimself should be a castaway.\u201d {179}\n\nNot but that David\u2019s guilt was most deplorably inconsistent with his high\ncharacter and office, and was a dishonour to religion itself; I am only\nshewing, that it was not incompatible with the appellation which he had\nreceived, and the high and holy functions which he was called to\ndischarge. And be it remembered, to David\u2019s honour, that though his sin\nwas aggravated, his confession of it was full and unreserved; that he\nmost humbly and religiously submitted to the penal retribution of his\noffended God; that his repentance was bitter and sincere: it was \u201ca\nrepentance indeed never afterwards repented of:\u201d continually was his harp\nattuned to the bewailing of his own depravity; continually was he\ndescending from the lofty strains of thanksgiving and joy, and pouring\nforth in the abasement of his soul, the doleful notes of mourning and\nlamentation.\n\nAnd, in truth, there was abundant cause; for the crimes of David afford\none of the most melancholy instances of the violation of conscience, of a\ndeparture from the service of the Most High. Let it fill us with\nhumility and fear. If so eminent a servant of God could fall into such\nabominations, how deeply concerned, how \u201cinstant in prayer,\u201d how vigilant\nand careful should we be, lest our feet be betrayed into evil! We see to\nwhat criminal and dangerous excess human nature may be led, if we fail to\ncherish the grace of God; and are abandoned to the government of our own\ncorrupt desires, and the tyranny of our spiritual adversary. To the\nlukewarm and the wavering I need scarcely say, that without greater\nseriousness and circumspection, they will assuredly be overthrown: but\nlet me also admonish the faithful Christian; him, who appears to be\nsafely pursuing the even tenour of his way; who may be led, by the\nregular and habitual discharge of religious duties, into a state of\npresumptuous confidence and slumbering security; him I would admonish,\nfrom the instance of David, \u201cthat the heart is deceitful above all\nthings, and desperately wicked;\u201d {181a} that it may, when most implicitly\ntrusted, most dangerously betray; let David teach \u201chim that thinketh he\nstandeth to take heed lest he fall.\u201d {181b}\n\nSome perverse and worldly-minded persons have made a very different use\nof the lamentable case before us; it has encouraged them in wilful\ntransgression; it has served them as a \u201ccloak for their sin.\u201d Surely,\nsay they, if David could so flagrantly transgress, how can we be expected\nto preserve our integrity? If he was accepted of God, indulgence would\nreadily be extended to the comparatively trifling offences of inferior\nservants. True; we cannot be perfect; we may hope for pardon; but we are\nnot, on that account, to sin presumptuously; not to offend, because God\nis merciful: this did not David. Whoever deliberately sins from the hope\nof God\u2019s mercy, is taking the surest was to deprive himself of that\nmercy. There is frequently great error in the notion of trifling\noffences: no offence is trifling in the sight of an infinitely holy God:\nmuch less any wilful offence. The magnitude of a fault chiefly depends\nupon the circumstances under which it is committed; much more readily\ncould we urge an excuse for him, who is heedlessly or suddenly borne away\nby impetuous passion and carnal desire, than for him, who presumes\ndeliberately to trample upon the law of God, because another has been\nforgiven. Shall we thus abuse the mercies of redeeming love? \u201cShall we\ncontinue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we that\nare dead to sin, live any longer therein?\u201d {183} Would we find the\nfavour that David did, we must seek it, like him, in the true spirit of\npenitence and devotion; we must \u201cconfess our wickedness, and be sorry for\nour sin:\u201d we must hate the works and workers of iniquity: we must imitate\nDavid, not in his crimes, but in his repentance and reformation.\n\nLet us learn another lesson from the history before us; let it teach us\nthe importance of being always disposed and ready to receive spiritual\ncounsel; of being in the habit of applying to ourselves every opportunity\nof improvement, with which we may be blessed. Too many, like David, are\nextremely backward to receive an intimation of their own errors, and to\navail themselves of the benefit of reproof. They are sufficiently\nquick-sighted in discovering the applicability of reproach, to their\nneighbour; without even suspecting that it may suit their own case and\ncondition. How many have acknowledged the propriety and force of\nadmonitions and rebuke, which they have heard in the house of God,\nwithout ever taking them home to their own breasts; and this undoubtedly\nis one cause, why the voice of public instruction produces, in general,\nso little effect upon the characters and conduct of men. While they are\npleased to imagine, that the representations and censures of the preacher\nare suited to others rather than to themselves, no wonder that they\nretain their neglectful, sinful, unprincipled habits, in defiance of\nevery remonstrance, and every warning. Instead of torturing their\ningenuity, to discover to what particular persons in the congregation a\ndiscourse may be most fitly and beneficially applied, let them rather be\nanxious to inquire, how far it may be accommodated to their own case; and\nto all those, who presume to make a further inquiry, who are looking\naround for the delinquencies of their neighbour, we would say, restrain\nthy wandering eye, and look within, \u201cThou art the man.\u201d\n\nA readiness to take advantage of religious instruction, is one of the\nsurest evidences of a christian spirit, and one of the greatest blessings\nthat a Christian can enjoy. It manifests a christian spirit, inasmuch as\nit shews an humble sense of our own failings and imperfections, and an\nanxious desire to recover from them all; to \u201cgrow in grace and in the\nknowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.\u201d {185} It is one of the\ngreatest blessings to the Christian, because there is seldom a day,\nseldom an hour that passes, from which he may not derive some spiritual\nbenefit. While the reckless and self-conceited, who dwell with\ncomplacency upon their state and character, perceive not any counsel\nadapted to their wants, the humble-minded are gathering edification from\nevery thing around them; from all they hear and all they see: doubtless,\nit must be so; for how can they, who think themselves whole, discover the\nneed of a physician, how can they apply a remedy?\n\nSuffer me to entreat you, in conclusion, that whenever you are seriously\nimpressed with a conviction of evil, or the neglect of any christian\nduty, you will carry home the impression, to have its full effect upon\nthe heart. For want of this care and this habit, many a salutary lesson,\nthat strikes for the moment, is afterwards thrown away, unheeded and\nforgotten: and thus the very means of grace, which are ordained to\nrecover us from sin, and enable us to \u201cwork out our salvation,\u201d become\nthe instruments of confirming us in error and guilt. The mind, which is\ncontinually accustomed to receive and to neglect religious instruction,\nmay be thereby brought into a heedless and torpid state, from which it is\nwell nigh impossible to be roused. Not that any thing \u201cis impossible\nwith God:\u201d but I appeal to experience, and ask, whether it is not a\nnotorious matter of fact, that many amongst us have for years uniformly\npersevered, in the same neglect of christian duties, the same worldly\nprinciples, the same evil courses, the same habits of intemperance and\nlicentiousness and profaneness; and it will not be denied, that they\nhave, in these years, frequently heard the voice of expostulation, and\nperceived the justice, the force, and the importance of it. Then why are\nthey still unreclaimed?\u2014because they have never followed up the\nconviction of \u201cThou art the man.\u201d\n\nGod grant, that this admonition may have its full effect upon us; that we\nmay go and meditate, and pray; pray daily for the blessing of an humble\nand a teachable heart; pray for God\u2019s grace, to correct all our sinful\nfollies, and supply all our deficiencies. Probably, my brethren, we have\nbeen \u201cleaning too little upon the hope of this heavenly grace;\u201d we have\nbeen relying upon our own perception of right and wrong, our own choice\nand decision, our own feeble resolutions; if so, no wonder that we have\nfailed, in our work of repentance and spiritual change. \u201cTurn Thou us\nunto Thee, O Lord, and we shall be turned:\u201d {188} here lies our hope and\nour strength, in the renewing influence of the Spirit of God. As we do\ndesire, so let us fervently pray, that we may, in our course of\npenitence, imitate the example of the royal psalmist, and let contrition\n\u201chave its perfect work;\u201d that we may, here below, with heart and soul,\njoin in the pious and repentant strains of David\u2019s harp, and thus may be\nadmitted to sing to other harps hereafter, in the chorus of the Redeemed\nabove.\n\n\n\n\nSERMON XI.\nTHE WAY OF THE LORD EQUAL.\n\n\n EZEK. xviii. 25.\n\n _Ye say_, _the way of the Lord is not equal_. _Hear now_, _O house\n of Israel_; _is not my way equal_? _are not your ways unequal_?\n\nTHE main purport of this chapter was, to obviate some objections which\nhad been groundlessly entertained against the dealings of God with His\npeople. They were at that time suffering in a state of captivity; and\nthe calamities attendant upon it had been threatened long before, as a\npunishment for the sins of their ancestors. The Jews, therefore,\nassuming that this was the only cause of divine vengeance; imagining, in\nthe blindness and pride of their hearts, that there were no delinquencies\nof their own to deserve such retribution, presumed to charge the Almighty\nwith injustice, for this visitation of His wrath.\n\nThe prophet, in the opening of the chapter, thus remonstrates with them:\n\u201cWhat mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel?\u201d\n(concerning the evils with which it is afflicted,) that ye say, in the\nlanguage of accusation and reproach, \u201cthe fathers have eaten sour grapes\nand the children\u2019s teeth are set on edge?\u201d\u2014thereby meaning, that the\npresent generation are unjustly punished for the transgressions of their\nforefathers. \u201cAs I live, saith the Lord, ye shall not have occasion to\nuse this proverb any more in Israel.\u201d I will make so visible a\ndiscrimination between the righteous and the wicked, between those who\ntread in the steps of their wicked progenitors, and those who take\nwarning by their examples, that you shall not have any further occasion\nto use this proverb amongst you.\n\nThe Jews, in this as in many other instances, misunderstood and perverted\nthe dispensations of the Most High. God had declared, that He would\n\u201cvisit the sins of the fathers upon the children,\u201d and that He \u201cwould\nshew mercy unto thousands of those that loved Him;\u201d from which they\ninferred, that worldly calamities, in the one case, and prosperity in the\nother, constituted the sole recompence, which they were severally to\nexpect: they supposed, that when a nation was punished, on account of the\ngeneral depravity, no respect was had to the different merits of\nindividuals, of which that nation consisted; and that, when a people were\nprospered and exalted, as the reward of righteousness, they were all, of\nnecessity, the objects of divine favour. Whereas, these temporal rewards\nand punishments formed but a part of the dispensation, under which they\nwere placed. God had far other means in store, to bless the faithful and\nto afflict the transgressor. Under every visitation, His unerring eye\ncould discern between the evil and the good; the one, however prosperous\nin a worldly point of view, He could mortify and humble; and the other,\nin whatever evil they might be involved, He could favour and bless.\n\nBut there was still another consideration, to which the Jews, though they\npractically disregarded it, were specially directed; a consideration,\nwhich might have taught them, how the seeming irregularities, of which\nthey complained, would be completely rectified; it was that of a final\njudgment, of a world to come. Their prophet Isaiah expressly says of the\ntransgressors, that \u201ctheir worm shall not die, neither shall their fire\nbe quenched.\u201d {192a} And Daniel more particularly intimates the awful\ndifference between the conditions of the righteous and the wicked in a\nfuture state; \u201cmany of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall\nawake: some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting\ncontempt.\u201d {192b} But the Israelites \u201chad eyes and saw not, ears and\nheard not;\u201d {193a} they listened only the temporal promises of God, and\nexcluded from their minds the prospect of a final retribution, of a\nkingdom to come. The prophet awakens them to this consideration in the\n4th verse, \u201cBehold, saith the Lord, all souls are Mine:\u201d as they are all\nequally My creatures, so My dealings with them shall be without prejudice\nor partiality; \u201cThe soul that sinneth, it shall die:\u201d this denunciation\ncould not possibly be understood of temporal death; for that, they knew,\nmust pass equally upon all: it must relate to a final execution of\njudgment, to future misery and destruction. The Jews were familiar with\nthis form of speech and this application of it: of wisdom it is said,\n\u201cThey that hate me, love _death_.\u201d {193b} \u201cThere is a way that seemeth\nright unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of _death_.\u201d {193c} A\nsimilar mode of speech, we may observe, frequently occurs in the New\nTestament also; in which we continually find expressions and figures\nborrowed from the Old: \u201cIf ye live after the flesh, ye shall die; but if\nye, through the spirit, do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.\u201d\n{194a} And, in the book of Revelation, mention is made of the _second\ndeath_; {194b} a term which was in use among the Jews themselves, though\nnot found in their inspired writings. And in the same sense, we shall\nperceive, the figure is repeatedly employed in the chapter before us.\n\nThe prophet therefore vindicates the justice and equity of God on two\nsubstantial grounds: he directs his murmuring and rebellious people to\nconsider, that they were visited with calamity for their own\ntransgressions, as well as for those of their forefathers; and he refers\nthem to the future and final judgment of the Almighty, in which the\nprosperity of the wicked and the sufferings of the righteous alike\nterminate; in which both shall receive their just and everlasting\nrecompence. \u201cThe son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither\nshall the father bear the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the\nrighteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be\nupon him.\u201d \u201cHave I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die, saith\nthe Lord God, and not that he should return from his ways and live?\u201d\n{195}\n\nThe passages last mentioned may introduce to our notice two\nconsiderations, most distinctly and forcibly stated in the latter part of\nthis chapter, in both of which we are very deeply and peculiarly\ninterested; they are these; that if the wicked repent of their evil ways\nand turn heartily to God, they shall be forgiven and received into His\nfavour; but that if the righteous fall away, they shall be condemned and\nperish: on the one hand, there is ample encouragement to the sinner to\nreturn; on the other, an awful admonition, to the righteous, of the\nnecessity of perseverance unto the end. How gracious the instruction in\neither point of view! If it were not for the heavenly assurance of the\noffer of pardon to all, without partiality or exception, many a flagrant\ntransgressor, when brought to a sense of his sin and shame\u2014his conscience\npierced with the remembrance of so manifold offences against a just and\nholy God, his soul over-burdened with the load of guilt\u2014might sit down\ndisconsolate and despairing in the shadow of death: and if it were not\nfor a warning voice, bidding them, as they hope for salvation, to\npersevere, the righteous, when assailed by temptation, might at length be\ninduced to yield, under a presumption, that their former obedience, that\nthe good deeds they had already performed, would turn the balance in\ntheir favour, and procure for them acceptance at the tribunal of God,\nthough they were ultimately found in the way of evil. Into this error\nthe Jews had actually fallen; and do, as it is affirmed, continue unto\nthis day; and others might \u201cfollow their pernicious ways.\u201d\n\nEach of the important doctrines, which we are now considering, is\ndeclared by the prophet in the most explicit and unequivocal terms. \u201cIf\nthe wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep\nall My statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely\nlive, he shall not die. All his transgressions that he hath committed,\nthey shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath\ndone, he shall live.\u201d {197} None of his former transgressions shall\nexclude him from the privileges and blessings of God\u2019s people; he shall\nbe freely and fully received, without reproach, into a gracious covenant\nwith his God. This condition of acceptance manifestly implies a vital\nbelief in the sovereignty and mercy of God; for without this, none would\nbe encouraged to turn unto Him with the hope of forgiveness and favour:\n\u201cHe that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is the\nrewarder of them that diligently seek Him.\u201d {198a} \u201cThe just shall live\nby his faith;\u201d {198b} and the duties which the prophet prescribed to his\npeople, as the means of saving their souls alive, were evidently regarded\nby him as the fruit of that faith. Thus, therefore, they were left\nwithout excuse; no longer able to say, \u201cthat the way of the Lord was not\nequal;\u201d for so far from having decreed to involve them all in the same\nindiscriminate punishment, He was willing, nay desirous, of admitting\ninto His favour even the most disobedient and abandoned amongst them.\nAlthough in a state of miserable bondage, He would either \u201cbreak their\nbonds asunder,\u201d and provide them with a place of refuge; or He would make\ntheir bodily afflictions minister to the well-being of their souls. If\nthe light of His countenance shone upon them, happy was their lot in the\ndarkest hour of suffering and privation: and if they did not live to\nenjoy a restoration to the privileges of their own land, still might they\nrejoice, in the prospect of being restored to their forfeited inheritance\nin the mansions of eternal peace. Would they but forsake the idols,\nafter which they were gone astray, and turn to \u201clove the Lord their God\nwith all their heart and soul and strength,\u201d \u201cceasing to do evil, and\nlearning to do well,\u201d though \u201ctheir sins were as scarlet, they should be\nas white as snow; though they were red like crimson, they should be as\nwool.\u201d {199} Surely none but the obstinate and rebellious, none but the\nhardest and most ungrateful heart, could complain of the dealings of God.\nWonderful indeed was the patience which had borne with them so long;\nadorable the mercy which was still held out for the encouragement and\nreturn of a backsliding people.\n\nUnder the gospel dispensation, the same gracious doctrine is yet more\nfully revealed. \u201cIf any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father,\nJesus Christ the righteous.\u201d {200a} \u201cIf we confess our sins, He is\nfaithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from _all_\nunrighteousness.\u201d {200b} \u201cThe Lord is long-suffering to us-ward, not\nwilling that any should perish, but that _all_ should come to\nrepentance.\u201d {200c} Texts indeed there are without number of the same\nmerciful import; and numerous also are the examples, recorded in Holy\nwrit, in which the Saviour vouchsafed His loving kindness and favour to\nthe weary and heavy-laden sinner; \u201cseeking and saving those that were\nlost;\u201d and thus affording us the most ample assurance of the truth of His\nown gracious promise, \u201cHim that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.\u201d\n{200d} Are there any amongst us, my brethren, who have not yet made\ntheir peace with God; any, whom Satan hath hitherto held fast in \u201cthe\ngall of bitterness, and the bond of iniquity;\u201d who feel the wretchedness\nof their condition here, and are alarmed at the expectation of what may\ncome hereafter? May \u201cthe goodness of God lead them to repentance!\u201d\nHowever deep and dangerous the wounds which sin has made in their hearts,\nthere is \u201cbalm in Gilead,\u201d if they will earnestly seek it, and apply it\nto their souls: their offended Lord is still \u201cwaiting to be gracious;\u201d\nand though they have been prodigally wasting his bounty in riotous\nliving, yet if they be at length pierced to the heart by the misery to\nwhich it has brought them, and be truly desirous of returning to their\npeaceful home, and be ready, with all humility and contrition, to\nacknowledge their unworthiness, and to seek again the divine favour, from\nwhich they have been so unhappily estranged, then they will be received\neven with welcome; if but one sinner return, there \u201cwill be joy in\nheaven;\u201d and the family of the blest will hail his reception; and his\nwanderings shall be mentioned no more. \u201cAwake thou that sleepest and\nrise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.\u201d {202}\n\nBut let not this gracious offer of mercy be abused; let it not act as an\nencouragement to a continuance in sin, under a notion that\ntransgressions, however multiplied and aggravated, may be, at any future\nday, repented and forgiven. The grace of repentance, like every other\ngood gift, cometh from God; and the proffered mercy, which is long and\nobstinately rejected, may be, and often is, withdrawn. If we will not\nhear, while the Almighty now speaks; if we will not answer, while He is\nnow calling, \u201cthe ear may become heavy that it cannot hear,\u201d and we may\nbe left to perish in our sins. One word more; think of the many sudden\ndepartures; you are not without awakening and awful examples; your eye\nmay be closed in death, while it is turned away from your God; or if you\nshould be permitted to experience a few days\u2019 alarm, God alone knows what\neffect it may produce upon the heart. Seek Him \u201cin health and wealth;\u201d\nthe work is of amazing magnitude and everlasting importance; it demands\nall your vigour, all the unclouded faculties of your soul.\n\nAnd let those who have embraced the blessed gospel, in sincerity and\ntruth, who are believing in the name of Jesus for salvation, and \u201care\nfruitful in every good word and work,\u201d ever bear in mind the absolute\nnecessity of persevering in the good and holy cause. For of what service\ncan it be, to begin the race with animation, and to pursue it, for a\nseason, with ever so great activity, if they loiter before the end, and\nrelinquish their exertions \u201cfor the prize of their high calling?\u201d \u201cWhen\nthe righteous turneth away from his righteousness and committeth\niniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man\ndoeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not\nbe mentioned; in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin\nthat he hath sinned, in them shall he die.\u201d Here also we must allow,\nthat \u201cthe way of God is equal.\u201d {204} For surely it argues the most\ndepraved and abandoned state of mind and heart, to depart from our God\nand our Redeemer, after having been once convinced of the truth and the\nblessedness of His holy religion; having \u201ctasted how gracious the Lord\nis,\u201d having experienced the guidance and comfort and support of his\nall-powerful spirit, having had our \u201chopes full of immortality,\u201d having\nenjoyed a foretaste of the happiness of heaven, after all to fall away,\nand prefer to these exalted objects, the miserable pleasures, the base\nindulgencies, the perishable possessions of earth! A change so\ndisastrous must reduce the understanding and heart into the worst\ncondition of which they are capable. It is the evil spirit, which had\nbeen once cast out, returning to his abode, with seven other spirits more\nwicked than himself, and dwelling there, as in a settled home, and the\nlast state of that man is worse than the first. {205a} The Apostle\nrepresents the matter to us in this light: for so difficult is it for a\nperson, in such a state, to be worked upon by any consideration, that he\ndescribes it, in his strong language, as an actual impossibility: \u201cit is\nimpossible, (he says) for those who were once enlightened, and have\ntasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,\nand have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to\ncome, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance;\u201d\n{205b} and then he adds the reason, \u201cseeing they crucify to themselves\nthe Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame;\u201d they maintain the\nhorrid principles and character of those who \u201ccrucified the Lord of\nglory;\u201d they deliberately renounce his friendship, and become \u201cenemies to\nthe cross of Christ;\u201d they cast a shameful reproach upon Him, infinitely\ngreater than it is possible for those enemies to do, who were never\nadmitted into the privilege and happiness of His favour. Fain would we\nhope, that this is a case of rare occurrence; but it is possible, or why\nshould the prophet and Apostle have represented it? \u201cTherefore, let him\nthat thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall;\u201d {206a} \u201clet him give\nall diligence to make his calling and election sure.\u201d {206b} \u201cThe just\nshall live by his faith: but if _that man_, (however faithful and just he\nhas been) draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him;\u201d {206c} this\nis the proper translation of the passage. God Almighty of His infinite\nmercy grant, that the words which follow this text, addressed by the\nApostle to the faithful disciples of old, may be realized by all of us\nhere; \u201cwe, (says he,) are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but\nof them that believe to the saving of the soul.\u201d Pray to God without\nceasing for grace to persevere: His Holy Spirit, if sought and cherished\nand used, will enable us to be faithful and to overcome, will \u201cmake us\nmore than conquerors, through Him that loved us.\u201d {207a}\n\nIn conclusion then, I ask, \u201cis not the way of the Lord equal?\u201d And of\nthose, who presume to arraign it, are not the ways unequal? Equal and\nmerciful do all the ways of God appear, whenever they can be traced;\nequal and merciful they are, whether they can be traced or not. \u201cO man,\nwho art thou that repliest against God?\u201d {207b} \u201cShall not the judge of\nall the earth do right?\u201d {207c} Humble thyself, and accept His proffered\nmercy: Hear His words; \u201cLook unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of\nthe earth: for I am God, and there is none else.\u201d {207d} Salvation is\nall that the sinner can desire; and surely he can repose, without doubt\nor distrust upon the all-wise, all-merciful, omnipotent God.\nUnderstanding and experiencing, in so many instances, the divine wisdom\nand mercy, we can have no difficulty in believing, that God \u201cdoeth all\nthings well.\u201d \u201cHe that spared not his own Son, but delivered Him up for\nus all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?\u201d {208a}\nMost unreasonable, most ungrateful would it be to question or complain.\nNo true believer does so: he is thoroughly convinced of the truth of\nGod\u2019s word, and the equity of God\u2019s dealings and dispensations. This is\nhis concern, this the great purpose resting in his soul, to be reconciled\nto God in His own appointed way; to be made an inheritor of His eternal\nkingdom. He knows, and it is enough for him to know, that \u201cthe grace of\nGod, which bringeth salvation, hath appeared to all men;\u201d {208b} he\nbelieves, and he acts upon the belief, that \u201cthe blood of Jesus Christ\ncleanseth us from all sin;\u201d {208c} he seeks to \u201cwash and be clean,\u201d and\nfaithfully waits for the promised blessing: \u201cVerily there is a reward for\nthe righteous; verily He is a God that judgeth the earth.\u201d{208d}\n\n\n\n\nSERMON XII.\nTHE NEW MAN.\n\n\n EPH. iv. 24.\n\n _That ye put on the new man_, _which after God is created in\n righteousness and true holiness_.\n\nIN treating of these words, it shall be my first object to explain their\nreal nature and import. St. Paul has been describing, in this chapter,\nthe character of the unregenerate Gentiles, who \u201cwalked in the vanity of\ntheir mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the\nlife of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the\nblindness of their heart.\u201d And this description applies, with almost\nequal force and truth, to a considerable portion of those who have \u201cnamed\nthe name of Christ:\u201d though they acknowledge with their lips the truth\nand obligation of the christian religion, they still \u201cwalk in the vanity\nof their minds.\u201d As to any saving view of the truth, \u201cthe understanding\nis _yet_ darkened:\u201d and though their ignorance be removed, with respect\nto a revelation of the divine will, they are as far as ever from \u201cthe\nlife of God;\u201d though the mind is enlightened with the knowledge of the\nfact, the blindness of the heart remains.\n\nThe Apostle proceeds to say of his Ephesian converts, \u201cbut _ye_ have not\nso learned Christ\u201d\u2014\u201cif so be, that ye have heard Him\u201d (or rather, as the\nphrase may properly imply, _forasmuch_ as ye have heard Him) \u201cand have\nbeen taught by Him as the truth is in Jesus.\u201d And what had they heard,\nas necessary to their salvation by His name, and what is the truth they\nhad been taught?\u2014\u201cthat ye put off, concerning the former conversation\n(the former life and conduct), the old man, which is corrupt, according\nto the deceitful lusts\u201d (the worldly principles and the sinful habits\nabove described, to which you were addicted before your conversion); and\n\u201cbe renewed (or made new) in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on\nthe new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true\nholiness;\u201d the change thus produced being so great and important as to be\ncompared to a new creation; the inner man being totally different from\nwhat he was before. It is said, moreover, that the new man \u201cis created\n_after God_ in righteousness;\u201d this is fully explained by the same\nApostle, in his Epistle to the Colossians, where he is treating on the\nsame subject; he there speaks of the converts being renewed \u201cafter the\nimage of Him who created them.\u201d {211} At the creation of Adam, God is\nrepresented as saying, \u201cLet us make man in our image, after our\nlikeness,\u201d that is, in perfect innocence and purity. Thus was Adam\nformed, perfectly upright and holy: by disobedience his nature was\nchanged; he became sinful and unholy; and this change was entailed upon\nall his posterity. The object, therefore, of the new creation is to\nrestore in us, as far as we are now capable of it, that image of divine\nrighteousness, which man lost by the fall. On considering, then, the\nholy nature of God, we are at once made acquainted with that change, in\nthe natural man, which the gospel teaches and requires; we are brought to\nperceive and acknowledge that \u201ctrue holiness,\u201d which as Christians we are\nbound to desire and attain.\n\nThe same truth may be said to have been substantially revealed to the\nservants of God under the old dispensation: there is no express mention\nindeed of a new creation of the individual; but the prophets every where\nassert, what is similar in effect, that no wicked person, without hearty\nrepentance and an entire change of character, must expect the divine\nfavour. To this purpose is the language of Isaiah: \u201cWash you, make you\nclean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to\ndo evil, learn to do well.\u201d {213a} The unclean and unrighteous cannot\nstand before God. \u201cAs I live, saith the Lord God, (by the mouth of\nEzekiel) I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the\nwicked turn from his way and live; turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways;\nfor why will ye die, house of Israel?\u201d {213b} The prophet thereto\nplainly intimating, that notwithstanding all that goodness and\nlong-suffering of the divine nature, which is expressed in a most\ncompassionate invitation, and is confirmed even by the solemnity of an\noath, yet if sinners did not \u201cturn from their evil ways,\u201d there was no\nremedy, but they must die. And the same prophet on another occasion,\nuses language very similar to that of the text; \u201cI will put a _new_\nspirit within you, and I will take the stony heart out of their\nflesh\u2014that they may walk in my statutes and keep mine ordinances, and do\nthem, and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.\u201d {214a}\nAgreeably to this, the same people are subsequently exhorted, to \u201ccast\naway from them all the transgressions whereby they had transgressed, and\nto make them a new heart and a new spirit.\u201d {214b} However therefore,\nthe New Covenant doth exceed the Old, with regard to the clearness of its\nmanifestations, and its fuller dispensations of grace, yet are there in\nboth of them the same consistent terms of reconciliation and salvation\nfor rebellious man; in both are injoined the same purity of spirit, and\nintegrity of character; this is the plain, uniform, infallible intimation\nof both, that \u201cwithout holiness no man shall see the Lord.\u201d {214c}\n\nThat the people of old were but partially awake and alive to the great\nchange required to be wrought in them, from sin to righteousness, from\nthe love of evil to the love of good, from a \u201cbondage unto the elements\nof the world\u201d to the glorious liberty of the children of God, is too\nfully proved from the complaints of patriarchs and prophets and holy men\nof every determination. The sound of the gospel, thank God, has now gone\nforth into all lands, and brought \u201clife and immortality to light;\u201d it has\nawakened many nations, who lay fast bound in the slumbers of spiritual\ndeath; but whether it has vitally and savingly awakened a greater\nproportion of those, to whom the glad tidings have been revealed, is a\nmatter of reasonable doubt. At least, if we compare what man is by\nnature, with what he may be and ought to be by divine grace, it must\nappear, from the life and conduct of the great majority in the christian\nworld, that they have by no means attained that renovation of spirit and\nprinciple and character, which can entitle them to the appellation of new\ncreatures.\n\nOf how many may it be said, (and their own consciences will bear witness\nto the truth of the accusation,) that their thoughts are ordinarily\nflowing in much the same channel, their passions yielding to the same\nexcitements, and their pursuits directed to the same end, as they would\nhave been, had the pure doctrines and precepts of Christ never been\npromulgated. Vast numbers, in the visible Church of Christ, who profess\nsome regard for religion, instead of raising their affections to the\nstandard of the gospel, are seeking to _bring down_ the immoveable\nstandard of the gospel to _them_: and greater numbers still, of reckless\nmen, bestow not so much as a thought upon that spiritual change, which is\nabsolutely essential to the christian character. For what is the\nreligion of thousands amongst us?\u2014merely, if I may so call it, that\ntraditionary acquaintance with divine things, which is acquired in\ninfancy; that outward assent to evangelical truths, which was handed down\nto them by their forefathers; a cold respect for the shadow, without any\nconcern for the substance: they are content to observe the forms of\nreligion, because they have been accustomed so to do, and their\nneighbours do the same; and to attend to what are called the decencies of\nlife, because they would otherwise be disreputable; to crimes and to\nholiness strangers perhaps alike; satisfied to do no worse, than they see\nthe multitudes around them doing; and resting their claim to God\u2019s favour\non a few moral pretensions, or even on the absence of scandalous\nimmorality; probably looking for exemption from the penalties of the\ndivine law, because their transgressions have never been such, as to\nexpose them to the scourge of the law of man.\n\nThis, however deplorable, is a true description of no inconsiderable\nportion of our christian land; to none of _us_, we may hope, is the\ndescription strictly applicable; but it is too probable, that there are\nmany amongst us, who partake more or less of the character here\ndelineated; who practically regard the christian religion as a system to\nbe accommodated to their dispositions and habits and pursuits of life,\nand not as demanding a total alteration in their views and tempers and\nmotives of action. Though their thoughts are directed to objects, far\nabove those of \u201cthe heathen who know not God\u201d and though their morality,\nupon the whole, be of a higher order and a purer cast, yet are their\naffections willingly led captive by the ensnaring vanities and engrossing\ninterests of this lower world: heaven is the object of their settled\ncreed, but it is not the main purpose to which their endeavours are\nanxiously and daily directed; in balancing between this or that pursuit,\ntheir thoughts are intent only upon providing for \u201cthe meat that\nperisheth,\u201d without any enquiry or concern, how they may best provide for\n\u201cthat which endureth unto eternal life.\u201d {218} And the morality, on\nwhich they so complacently rest, has frequently no connexion whatever\nwith the christian faith; referable rather to philosophy than the gospel,\nto \u201cthe praise of men than the praise of God.\u201d Hence it follows, that\ntheir moral obedience is lamentably defective; extending only to the\nperformance of those duties, which least oppose their inclination or\ntheir temporal advantage; while even such duties are but imperfectly\ndischarged. Their self-government is wretchedly defective; the controul\nof their thoughts, the mastery over their passions, the command over\ntheir tongue, are attainments which they seldom bind it upon their\nconscience to acquire. And though they be turned from idols to worship\nthe living and the true God, the fruit of their service, as well as the\nirregularity of it, affords but too clear a proof, that they \u201cworship him\nnot in spirit and in truth.\u201d However improved, in their moral character,\nby their acquaintance with the christian religion, they cannot possibly\nhave imbibed its spirit; nor have arrived at that happy change of the\nnatural man, which can be denominated by a new creation. They are\nworking out, or rather seeking to work out, their salvation on maxims of\nhuman expediency, and in accommodation to human interests; not with \u201cfear\nand trembling,\u201d lest they should lose the inestimable prize; they are not\nevincing, that it is \u201cGod that worketh in them both to will and to do.\u201d\n{220}\n\nI have thus enlarged, on the presents occasion, upon the enormous\ndeficiencies of christian character, because it is of great importance\nfor us to understand, what is not accordant with the principles of the\ngospel, as well as what is: it is of vital consequence, that we should be\nthoroughly aware of the insufficiency of that spirit and view, of those\nmaxims and motives of those habits and observances, which pass current\nfor religion in the world.\n\nWe cannot put on the new man, unless we put off the old; and we cannot\nput off the old, unless we thoroughly understand in what it consists.\nThe work is too commonly supposed much easier and much less\ncomprehensive, than it really is: many vicious habits may be corrected,\nwithout any essential or fundamental alteration of character. A man may\nbecome weary of the pursuits, disgusted with the follies, worn and sated\nwith the profligacies of life; he may find his circumstances\nimpoverished, his reputation impaired, his worldly interest obstructed:\nand such considerations as these may generate a purpose of moral reform.\nOr the sinner may feel himself oppressed with the increasing weight of\nyears; infirmities are coming fast upon him; and his conscience, in many\na whisper of fear, tells him that something should be done, some\npreparation made, for the world to which he is hastening, for the account\nwhich he will speedily be called to render. The idea of dying with those\ndepravities, to which he has clinged through life, is awful and\ninsupportable. The more flagrant of them are accordingly corrected; and\nthe rest, which are less startling and disquieting, are undisturbedly\nretained. In all this there is no change of principle, no vital\nalteration: the old man continues; less hideous in features and outward\nappearance, but the very same in reality. With this partial renovation\nthe mind is satisfied; the conscience is becalmed; the sinner dies.\n\nThrough the \u201cdeceivableness of unrighteousness,\u201d through the wiles of\nSatan and the evil propensity of our own hearts, we are always in danger\nof being too easily content with our spiritual condition; we look too\nmuch to the outward and visible form, and too little within; to little to\nthe habitual principle, the constraining motive, the cast of character:\nand it is in this, that the difference between the old and the new man,\nin the christian world essentially consists. Suffer me to point out\nagain a few of the broad lines of distinction. The old man, whatever of\nreligion he may profess, lives principally for himself and the world; he\nmay think of religion, and speak of it, and pray for it with the lips,\nbut it has no dwelling place in his heart, is not the business of his\nlife. However observable, in many respects, his moral deportment may be,\nhis character is seldom consistent. From some evil pursuits he abstains,\nin others he wilfully and constantly indulges; some evil passions are\nkept in creditable order, others are let loose; some duties he\nprofessedly performs, and others he professedly omits. And nothing is\ndone with a true christian motive, or christian view; nothing from a\nsense of absolute and uncompromising obedience to the will of God. Nor\nis it surprising, that there should be such deficiencies and\ninconsistencies in his character; he has no principle or means, by which\nhe can possibly walk uprightly with his God. He does not \u201cbelieve with\nthe heart unto righteousness;\u201d he does not seek, nor desire, to \u201clive in\nthe spirit and walk in the spirit;\u201d there is no life in his devotion, no\nsincerity in his prayer: he \u201casks not faithfully\u201d for repentance and\nholiness, and they cannot be \u201ceffectually received.\u201d He is not disposed\nto bring his understanding and heart into subjection to the divine will.\nHe studies not that holy word, which ministers the principle of a divine\nlife, and the spirit of obedience to the soul. He lives for earth and\nnot for heaven. He is too proud to be taught the humiliating doctrines\nof revelation; too full of himself, to bow implicitly to his Redeemer.\nIn a word, nature is his book and not the Bible; the world is his teacher\nand not the Spirit of God; earthly and not spiritual subjects are the\ndelight of his heart; he walks not \u201cby faith, but by sight.\u201d\n\nThe new man is the reverse of all this; he humbles himself, as a sinner,\nat the foot of the cross, under a deep sense of his own guilt and the\ndivine mercy; desirous only to be reconciled and saved; he constantly\nstudies the mysteries God\u2019s word, with a submissive understanding and an\nobedient heart; he rests his only hope on the merit of a Redeemer, whose\npromises and whose law he receives with all his mind and soul and\nstrength; he prays \u201cwithout ceasing\u201d for the Holy Spirit, is directed by\nHis teaching, supported by His power, and comforted by His heavenly\nillumination. Doubtless he must live _in_ the world, and _by_ the world,\nas well as other people; but he does not live _for_ the world; his heart\nis not there, his delight is not there; he is a redeemed pilgrim,\njourneying in a far country, returning to his Father\u2019s house; and his\nheart is musing on the \u201cmany mansions\u201d there, and full of the inspiring\ninfluential hope, that one of them is prepared for him.\n\nSuch holy principles are continually manifested by a determination of\npurpose, a decisiveness of character, a devoted spirit of uniform\nobedience to the revealed will of God. As the conscience bears witness,\nso does the life: \u201cthe tree is known by its fruit;\u201d all evil affections\nare resolutely mortified, all sinful pleasures and pursuits utterly\nabandoned. The sincere Christian, the new man, has an earnest desire and\ncare upon his soul, to be \u201crighteous before God, walking in all the\ncommandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.\u201d {226a} For this\nblessing he daily prays; in this work he daily advances: \u201cloving the Lord\nGod with all his heart,\u201d and \u201cloving his neighbour as himself,\u201d he is of\nall men the most inclined, as he is assuredly the most bound, to \u201clive\nsoberly, righteously and godly in this present world.\u201d {226b}\n\nThese remarks suggest the necessity of further admonition on this head.\nMany persons have been led to entertain enthusiastic notions on the\nsubject of the new man, the new creation, the new birth. They have\nsupposed it principally to consist in certain inward experiences or\nfeelings, which they have been enabled to trace to some particular event\nor period: the Holy Spirit, as they believe, then beginning, for the\nfirst time, to work upon their understandings and hearts; and thus\nleaving an indelible impression, the seal of their redemption, the\nearnest of their certain acceptance with God. Far are we from denying,\nthat such sudden conversions may and do take place: still farther from\ndenying that, whether sudden or gradual, a change from the old to the new\nman is attributable to the aid of a divine energy and power. It is,\nproperly speaking, a new creation; the imparting of a new nature: and\ncannot be effected without the hand of the original Creator: without the\noperation of that Spirit, which \u201cmoved upon the face of the waters,\u201d\nwhich \u201cbreathed into the nostrils the breath of life, so that man became\na living soul.\u201d {227a} Our Liturgy has correctly and fully embodied the\ntestimony of scripture, on this as on other points: we are taught to\npray, that God will \u201c_create_ in us new and contrite hearts.\u201d This\nblessing must proceed from that Holy Spirit, who still in His ordinary\ndispensations, as formerly in His miraculous gifts, \u201cdivides unto every\nman severally as He will;\u201d {227b} not as it were capriciously, but\naccording to His own infinite wisdom and goodness, as He judges expedient\nto the case of each individual. But this divine grace is not\ncommunicated for the mere purpose of producing a glowing affection, a\nfamiliar experience, an enraptured view of spiritual things: nor can any\ninward feelings alone prove that such grace has been administered at all:\nthe proof must be manifested, in the way pointed out by the text: the new\nman \u201cis created, after God, in _righteousness and true holiness_.\u201d A\nholy character and a righteous life are the proper and indispensable\nevidences of such a change; a faithful walking with God, a sober\nself-government, an upright dealing with all mankind.\n\nI counsel you, my brethren, in the language of truth and the spirit of\naffection, to be content with no other evidence: equally far be you\nremoved from that carnal profession of the gospel, which despises or\nneglects the mighty change required of every sincere believer; and from\nthose fanciful notions of spiritual experience, which leave the heart and\nthe character arrayed in the spotted garment of sin: both in the one case\nand the other, you will be \u201cgrieving the spirit,\u201d and \u201cquenching the\nspirit.\u201d In your principles and life, as well as in your views and\naffections and desires, \u201clet old things pass away, and all things become\nnew;\u201d {229a} \u201cput off the old man with the deceitful lusts,\u201d and thus let\nthe new man be put on. \u201cAbhor that which is evil: cleave to that which\nis good.\u201d {229b} This is the method ordained of God, by which we are to\n\u201cwork out our salvation;\u201d this our plain, this our necessary duty. Pray\nwe fervently, strive we diligently, that we may be thus effectually\nturned from sin to holiness, \u201cfrom darkness to light, from the power of\nSatan unto God.\u201d {229c}\n\n\n\n\nSERMON XIII.\nTHE WEDDING GARMENT.\n\n\n MATT. xxii. 2.\n\n _The kingdom of heaven is like unto certain king which made a\n marriage for his son_.\n\nIT is my intention, in this discourse, to explain the several particulars\nof the parable before us; which may be regarded, in the _first_ place, as\ndescriptive of the dispensation of the gospel to the people of Israel and\nthe world at large; and, in the _second_ place, as instructing us in that\npeculiar fitness necessary to all, who shall be admitted to enjoy the\nprivileges and happiness of the kingdom of God.\n\nThe state of the gospel, our Saviour informs us, may be compared to the\nconduct of a king at the marriage of his son; or rather, as the meaning\nis, at the marriage _feast_ which he gave on that occasion: the\ncircumstances which might, in that case, be supposed to occur, aptly\nrepresent a variety of particulars belonging to the gospel dispensation.\n\nBefore, however, we enter upon the parable, it may be remarked, that\nspiritual blessings are frequently set forth in the holy scriptures,\nunder allusions to feasting and refreshment. Thus Solomon of old:\n\u201cWisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars: she\nhath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine; she hath also\nfurnished her table. Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which\nI have mingled. Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of\nunderstanding.\u201d {231} And thus the prophet Isaiah, in describing the\nstate of the gospel: \u201cIn this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto\nall people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat\nthings full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.\u201d {232a} And\nthus our blessed Lord Himself: \u201cI appoint unto you a kingdom, as My\nFather hath appointed unto Me, that ye may eat and drink at My table in\nMy kingdom.\u201d {232b}\n\n1. Let us now proceed with the parable: \u201cHe sent forth his servants to\ncall them that were bidden to the wedding (feast); and they would not\ncome.\u201d This probably alludes to the first period of the promulgation of\nthe gospel; under the preaching of John the Baptist and of the earliest\ndisciples; the former endeavouring to prepare the hearts of men for the\nkingdom and coming of Christ; and the latter proclaiming His glorious\narrival, preaching the truth of His gospel, and confirming the word by a\ndisplay of miraculous power. But the Jews had been a carnal people,\n\u201cholding the truth in unrighteousness;\u201d and they refused to give ear to\nthose holy instructions, which called upon them to \u201clay the axe to the\nroot of all sin,\u201d and to \u201cbring forth fruits meet for repentance.\u201d {233a}\nThis it was that prevented them, not only from a cordial acceptance of\nthe gospel, but even from a fair examination and inquiry; they would not\nlisten to such doctrine; their heart was decided against it: to this it\nwas owing, these carnal habits and views, that when their Messiah came,\nthey were not ready to receive Him in the way which He required. Ready\nenough were they to admit Him in their own way; agreeably to their own\nnotions and desires, as an earthly conqueror, as the dispenser of\ntemporal blessings and rewards; but not as the abolisher of sin; not as a\npreacher of righteousness; not as a herald, announcing to them the\nnecessity of holiness in this world, and the inheritance of glory in the\nworld to come. Not all His amazing miracles, not all His fulfilment of\ntheir own prophecies, not all the power of His word, could convince their\nunderstandings; because they had \u201can evil heart of unbelief:\u201d {233b} and\ntherefore, notwithstanding His awful warnings, His earnest and\naffectionate invitations, \u201cthey would not come\u201d unto Him, that they might\nfind rest unto their souls.\n\nHere we behold, as in a glass, the real ground of every rejection of the\nSaviour in every age; it is not because men deny His excellency, or His\npower, or His mercy, or the greatness of His kingdom: it is because they\n\u201clove this present evil world,\u201d and the \u201cgod of this world hath blinded\ntheir minds,\u201d {234a} through the deceitfulness of sin. Even though\neternal salvation is offered them, and they do not disbelieve it; still,\nawful to think! the Saviour is rejected for perishable interests and\nsensual indulgences. \u201cHe feedeth on ashes; a deceived heart hath turned\nhim aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, is there not a lie\nin my right hand?\u201d {234b} Men walk on in darkness because they love it;\nand they \u201clove darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil.\u201d\n{234c}\n\n2. But the Jews were not yet cast off, without further admonition and\nentreaty. \u201cAgain He sent forth other servants, saying, tell them who are\nbidden, behold I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fatlings are\nkilled, and all things are ready; come unto the marriage\u201d feast. But\n\u201cthey made light of it,\u201d and offered a variety of groundless excuses.\nThis may chiefly refer to the fuller manifestation of the gospel, after\nthe resurrection and ascension of our blessed Lord; for the parable, as\nwe shall more clearly perceive in the sequel, is partly of a prophetic\nnature; and intended to represent to the Jews their persevering spirit of\nobstinacy, and the punishment which would ensue; that some of them at\nleast, when the fulness of the time should come, might be struck with the\nforce of this predictive representation, and be converted to the \u201ctruth\nas it is in Jesus.\u201d\n\nEvery thing requisite for the sumptuous feast was liberally provided: in\nthe days of the apostles, abundant indeed was the confirmation of the\ntruth and doctrines of the gospel; bright the manifestation of heavenly\nglory, that was shed abroad upon it. Then were strikingly fulfilled the\nwords of their prophet Joel; \u201cI will pour out My Spirit upon all\nflesh\u2014also upon the servants and the handmaids in those days will I pour\nout My Spirit.\u201d {236} Accordingly the gifts of the Holy Ghost\u2014were\nopenly poured forth, and mighty were the deeds done and the words spoken\nby His servants, under the operation of His marvellous power: the old\ndispensation was fully brought to bear upon the new: it was shewn how the\ncharacter of Jesus corresponded, in His birth and life and death and\nresurrection and ascension, as well as in His offices of Priest and\nMediator and King, with various prophecies and types exhibited in the\nancient scriptures. The benefits and blessings of the christian\ndispensation were more particularly and largely set forth: the feast was\nfully displayed before them, in all its rich and magnificent abundance.\nMany were then induced to enter into the guest chamber, and partake of\nthe heavenly repast; but many more, the Jewish nation at large, made\nlight of it, and went their way. And not only so: not only was the\ninvitation unheeded and despised; but the remnant, that is, some who were\nnot content with disobeying the call, \u201ctook his servants, and entreated\nthem spitefully and slew them;\u201d persecuted the disciples even unto death.\n\n3. We now come to a part of the parable, which must of necessity receive\na prophetic interpretation: \u201cWhen the King heard thereof, he was wroth,\nand he sent forth his armies and destroyed those murderers, and burnt up\ntheir city.\u201d This plainly points out the Roman armies ravaging Judea,\ndestroying Jerusalem, and putting the inhabitants to the sword; an event,\nwhich did not take place till many years after. Neither, in truth, is\nthere mention made, in the gospel history, of the Jews having slain any\nof the disciples, whilst their Lord was with them. They were murderers\nof the Son of God, and of many of His apostles and disciples after Him;\nthus \u201cfilling up the measure of their iniquity,\u201d and drawing down upon\nthemselves, and their nation at large, the most tremendous visitation of\ndivine wrath, ever inflicted in this world upon a rebellious people.\n\n4. We are next carried forward to another period in the gospel\ndispensation; a period in which we ourselves are deeply and peculiarly\ninterested; from which we date all the spiritual mercies and advantages,\nall \u201cthe means of grace and hopes of glory,\u201d which have been vouchsafed\nto our souls. \u201cThen saith the king to his servants, the wedding (the\nwedding feast) is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.\u201d\nThe Israelites who were honoured, as the people of God, with the first\ninvitation and call to the gospel, shewed themselves unworthy of it, by\ntheir ungrateful and obstinate rejection. \u201cGo ye therefore into the\nhighways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage\u201d feast: go\nye, as we may interpret the words of our Lord, go ye, My ministers and\nmessengers, into the world at large, and carry My invitation to the\nGentiles; to as many as ye shall find; and proclaim to them that My table\nis spread for all: since the people, who were first bidden, have \u201cnot\nheard when I spake, nor answered, when I called,\u201d the \u201ckingdom of heaven\nis now thrown open to all believers,\u201d so that \u201cwhosoever shall call upon\nthe name of the Lord shall be saved:\u201d My kingdom shall no longer be\nconfined to one peculiar race; the time is come, when the blessedness of\nit shall be diffused abroad as \u201cthe waters cover the sea:\u201d I am ready to\n\u201cmake a covenant with all flesh\u201d\u2014a covenant of peace\u2014of benefits and\nmercies, such as their \u201ceyes have never seen, nor ears heard;\u201d the\nuniversal banquet is spread; bid them all to come. \u201cSo those servants\nwent out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they\nfound, both bad and good: and the wedding (table) was furnished with\nguests:\u201d for it was not unusual, we must observe, in those countries, for\nmen of the highest rank and distinction to admit to their tables, on\nremarkable occasions, persons of the lowest condition.\n\nAnd this part of the parable also was representative of a future period;\nfor though Christ had received homage from some in the Gentile world, and\nhad signified His favour to others as well as the Jews, it could not be\nsaid, that the blessings of His gospel were at that time distinctly\noffered to the world at large. By St. Peter, in the first instance, in\nthe case of Cornelius, and afterwards more fully by St. Paul, the Apostle\nof the Gentiles, were the good tidings universally announced and spread.\nThis accords with the invitation in the parable, where we find that no\nexceptions were to be made: the \u201cservants gathered together all, both bad\nand good;\u201d thus, to men of all characters and descriptions the gospel was\nindiscriminately preached: the best greatly needed it; and even to the\nworst the door of grace and repentance was opened.\n\nDoubtless, there are vast differences in the characters of unregenerate\nmen, of the very heathen \u201cwho know not God.\u201d Some will use, more\nfaithfully than others, the feebler light of natural religion; and thus\narrive at a higher state of moral rectitude and respectability. But\nwhatever comparative excellence any one may attain, in such a state, he\nis at best a polluted sinner: fallen from the favour and family of God;\nwithout the power to rise and return; the inheritor of sin and death,\nwithout the means of salvation. God must be reconciled, and the gate of\nmercy thrown open; or the sinner must perish. And it is for the offended\nGod alone, to appoint the means of reconciliation; and proclaim the\nconditions of pardon and mercy. Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, is\nthe only means of deliverance; by His incarnation and sacrifice has\natonement been made for man; \u201cthere is no other name under heaven given\namong men, whereby we must be saved;\u201d {242a} \u201cother foundation can no man\nlay.\u201d {242b} The moralist must lay aside his vain pretensions, and\nhumble himself at the foot of the cross; must come to the Saviour and\nlearn of Him; come and be \u201cbaptised for the remission of sins;\u201d come,\nthat his character may be essentially changed by the Spirit and the word\nof God; that he may have new desires, new affections, new principles, new\nprospects: and many of \u201cthe children of this world,\u201d amiable in their\ndisposition and reputable in their conduct, deceive themselves in this\nmatter; perceive not their need of a Saviour, \u201ctrusting in themselves\nthat they are righteous;\u201d good in their own eyes, good in the estimation\nof their neighbours, they undervalue and neglect the gospel; and\ntherefore still continue \u201cdead in trespasses and sins.\u201d\n\nBut the bad as well as the good were gathered together; not only to\nthose, whose conduct had been honourable among men, and whose characters\nwere fair; but to notorious delinquent, yea, even to the worst of\nsinners, the door of the guest-chamber is open; all are invited; all, if\nthey will comply with the conditions and rules of the feast, shall be\nfed; publicans and sinners, extortioners and unjust, disobedient and\nreprobate, all are the objects of the Saviour\u2019s mercy; \u201cCome unto me, all\nye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.\u201d The\ninvitation is free and universal; none who rightly seek admission, shall\nbe excluded. This exactly agrees with the language of the evangelical\nprophet: \u201cHo, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he\nthat hath no money; come ye, buy and eat.\u201d \u201cLet the wicked forsake his\nway, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the\nLord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will\nabundantly pardon.\u201d {243a} \u201cThe fountain is opened for sin and for\ncleanness;\u201d {243b} \u201cwash you, make you clean;\u201d laden as ye are with\niniquity come but to your Saviour, in sincerity and truth, with a\ncontrite and repentant heart; come, as He has invited you; look to the\nall-sufficiency of His sacrifice; believe in Him for justification and\nlife; be ready to learn of His example and to receive His spirit and His\nlaw into your heart, and you shall be admitted to His holy banquet, and\nbe made welcome at His table; you shall find comfort in the presence of\nyour Lord, and in them \u201cthat sit at meat with you.\u201d\n\n5. We are now led to the last and most striking part of this parable:\nthe king came in to see the guests; to see whether they conducted\nthemselves worthily of his entertainment, and appeared in the dress which\nhe had provided, for such as were unable to furnish themselves. And\nthus, with regard to the heavenly feast, the guests are strictly and\nconstantly accountable for their behaviour. Our blessed Lord watches the\ndemeanour of all who profess to accept His invitation in the gospel;\nobserves, how every one, who is \u201cadmitted into the fellowship of His\nreligion,\u201d fulfils the conditions required of him. Nor is it the\nexternal demeanour alone, which engages His notice and inspection; He\nsees through the innermost windings of every heart, and will infallibly\n\u201cjudge righteous judgment.\u201d No violation of His will, in thought, or\nword, or deed; no insincerity or deceitful appearance can possibly remain\nundetected.\n\n\u201cWhen the king came in\u2014he saw there a man who had not on a wedding\ngarment. And he said unto him, friend, how earnest thou in hither, not\nhaving a wedding garment?\u201d The man could not pretend to offer an excuse:\nhe knew the rules of the feast, and had wantonly neglected them; he was,\nlike many other ungrateful people, regaling himself upon a benefactor\u2019s\nbounty, but shewed him no respect or regard: being therefore\nself-condemned, \u201che was speechless.\u201d Thus will it be with every\nnegligent and disobedient Christian, when the Lord comes to make enquiry\ninto his character: to justify himself, he will feel to be impossible;\nthoroughly has he known his Lord\u2019s will, and full often has his\nconscience reproved him for not performing it: there will be nothing left\nfor him, but unavailing sorrow and speechless remorse.\n\n\u201cThen said the king to the servants, bind him hand and foot; and take him\naway, and cast him into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and\ngnashing of teeth.\u201d Cast him, from the lighted chamber, to the darkness\nof the night without, where he shall bitterly regret the pleasures he has\nso foolishly lost. Sad emblem of that state, whose sadness can be known,\nhere upon earth, only by emblematical representation, only by such\nfigures as \u201couter darkness,\u201d as the \u201cworm that never dies,\u201d and \u201cthe fire\nthat never shall be quenched;\u201d a darkness of mind, in the utter regions\nof despair, without a ray from heaven to cheer it; the worm of anguish\npreying upon the soul; and a fire burning, whether without or within, or\nboth; raging yet not consuming. God grant, that we may hear only of this\nwretched state \u201cby, the hearing of the ear;\u201d that our eyes may never\nbehold it; that none of us may be consigned to this abode of unredeemed\nand unredeemable misery: and, that we never may, let us \u201cwalk worthy of\nour vocation;\u201d of the Lord of that heavenly feast, of which we are\nprofessing to partake. Put on, my brethren, the wedding garment of the\ngospel; put it on, or intrude not into the presence-chamber of your Lord;\ndread the doom of the hypocrite and the despiser; pretend not to partake\nof the heavenly feast, to expect any of the blessings of the gospel,\nunless ye consent and seek to be clothed with the raiment provided by\nyour King; with all those christian graces and virtues, which He will\nenable you to obtain.\n\nIf indeed it depended upon ourselves, \u201cmiserable and poor and naked\u201d as\nwe are, to provide a suitable covering; if the sinner were required to\nproduce, from his own store, the raiment of holiness and righteousness,\nand thus make himself acceptable to his Saviour and his God; then would\nhe have much reason to urge for his unworthiness and deficiency: for he\nhas no means of making any such provision; he has not \u201cwherewith he shall\ncome before the Lord:\u201d his heart is corrupt; his character is unholy; and\nhe has no power to change them. But the provision does not depend upon\nourselves; what the Lord commands us to be clothed with, He has\nmercifully prepared: He gives His Holy Spirit, to change the heart and\nreform the character; to enable us to \u201cput off the old man with the\ndeceitful lusts, and to put on the new man, which after God is created in\nrighteousness and true holiness.\u201d This spiritual clothing the Lord\noffers to all His followers; and woe be to those, who refuse or slight\nit: for this is a contempt of His divine mercy; a defiance of His\nauthority and command: the expectation of His favour, on such terms, is\nadding insult to presumption. If we do make a profession of belonging to\nHim, let us not thus foolishly cast away our hope; let us not deceive\nourselves by imagining, that we can possibly maintain a title to the\nprivileges and blessings of the gospel, whilst we are living in the\nneglect of those ordinances and laws, which the Lord has graciously\nappointed as the means of our acceptance with Him. They who neglect the\nmeans, will assuredly lose the end; will be numbered among the despisers\nof their Saviour\u2019s mercy.\n\nAnd in order to keep alive in our minds that deep concern, which so\nmomentous a subject demands, frequently let us be meditating upon that\nawful hour, when the King shall come in to visit and inspect His guests:\nHis eye shall be upon every one, and every one\u2019s eye upon Him; imagine\nyourself then in the guest-chamber without a wedding garment; ready and\ndesirous to sink into the earth; but there will be nothing to cover your\nguilt and shame: though you have entered in with the other guests, and\ntaken your station at the feast, you will be called out from among them,\nand everlastingly separated from the goodly company. A garment you would\nthen, no doubt, most willingly accept; but it will be too late; it should\nhave been accepted when offered; the season of grace will be past; the\ntime for judgment will be come.\n\nMy brethren, you have professedly accepted the invitation of your Lord;\nyou have entered into the guest-chamber; and if you be not already\nclothed with the spiritual apparel, provided by His grace and mercy,\ndelay not an instant to apply for it: the King may come sooner than you\nexpect; I pray that He come not, before you are ready to meet Him. And\nwhere is this garment to be found? Seek His Holy Spirit; search His Holy\nword: you will then not fail to find it, and He will dispose you to put\nit on. Repent and believe; love and obey: \u201ccease to do evil, learn to do\nwell;\u201d thus \u201cadorn the doctrine of God your Saviour in all things.\u201d And\nthen you will finally be admitted to the heavenly feast; to the marriage\nsupper of the Lamb; to the company of angels; in the courts of uncreated\nlight\u2014\u201cfor the glory of God doth lighten them, and the Lamb is the light\nthereof;\u201d {251a} \u201cIn whose presence is fulness of joy, and at whose\nright hand there are pleasures for evermore.\u201d {251b}\n\n\n\n\nSERMON XIV.\nWALK WORTHY OF THE LORD, BE FRUITFUL, AND INCREASING.\n\n\n COL. i. 10.\n\n _That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing_, _being\n fruitful in every good work_, _and increasing in the know ledge of\n God_.\n\nONE of the great objects of St. Paul, in writing his epistles, appears to\nbe considerably overlooked by the christian world at large: it was, to\nlead those churches and communities, in which the true foundation of\nChristianity had been laid, to build upon it a corresponding character\nand life. Certainly, a great portion of the epistles is occupied in the\nassertion and explanation of christian doctrine; and this, principally,\nwith a view to remove certain errors and prejudices, which the members of\nsome churches had entertained; and upon which they had requested the\napostle\u2019s decision. But well knowing how apt the human mind is to rest\nsatisfied with speculative views and persuasions, he never omits to\nremind his converts, that much more was necessary than the profession of\na true faith; that in vain would their opinions be rectified, unless\ntheir heart was also changed; that though they had \u201call faith and all\nknowledge,\u201d it would \u201cprofit them nothing,\u201d unless the graces and virtues\nof their holy religion were signally manifest in their lives.\n\nThere is scarcely an epistle, in which the apostle does not labour, with\nthe most intense desire, with the most full and repeated and peremptory\ninjunctions, to press upon them this momentous consideration: there is\nnot, in the word of God, a more complete digest and code of christian\nduty, than in the writings of St. Paul; and yet they are, by many, almost\nexclusively regarded as an exposition of deep and mysterious doctrines;\nas if this were the sole end and purpose for which they were composed.\nWell would it have been for the christian world, if as much attention had\nbeen paid to the practical, as to the theoretical subjects in these\ndivine oracles: we should not then have witnessed so many disputations,\nin which charity has been lost sight of, nor so much of the \u201cform of\ngodliness without the power;\u201d so many religious terms and denominations,\nof which the ignorant have understood little but the name: we should have\nhad less of sect, of party, of invidious distinctions of any kind; and\nmore of vital religion amongst us. But it is now, as it ever was, with\nfallen and degenerate man; he is fonder of exhibiting the powers of his\nunderstanding, of exciting his feelings, and of displaying the pride of\nspiritual knowledge, than of reforming his principles and regulating his\nconduct: he has therefore directed his view to the mystery of the\nfoundation, and overlooked the directions for raising and completing the\nsuperstructure.\n\nNot that the various revelations of doctrine, in the writings of St.\nPaul, are by any means to be lightly regarded; nor that they do not\ndemand the most reverential attention and profound enquiry: it is of high\nimportance for us to attain a \u201cright judgment in all things:\u201d yet\ndoubtless it would tend more to the edification of Christians in general,\nif they took greater heed to the rules and precepts of the divine law, to\nthe evidence and fruit of their faith; and to all that neglect them, we\nwould say, \u201cthese things ought ye to have done, and not to leave the\nothers undone.\u201d\n\nThe passage of scripture, from which we are now discoursing, will\nexemplify these remarks. St. Paul, in the very opening of his epistle,\nassures the Colossians, that since the day he heard of their conversion,\nhe did \u201cnot cease to pray for them and to desire that they might be\nfilled with the knowledge of the will of God, in all wisdom and spiritual\nunderstanding; that they might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing,\nbeing fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of\nGod.\u201d\n\n1. \u201cThat ye might walk worthy of the Lord.\u201d It is scarcely possible for\nthe most cursory observer not to perceive, that the faith of the gospel\ncannot be truly embraced with indifference; that the christian name is\nnot a mere honorary or professional title, independent of obligations and\nof consequences. As the Bible is rich in promises, so is it also clear\nand necessitating, in the conditions upon which those promises are made:\nas the Redeemer has freely offered unto us the benefits of His cross, so\nhas He as plainly injoined upon us the indispensable duty of \u201ctaking up\nour own cross daily,\u201d and \u201cfollowing the blessed steps of His most holy\nlife;\u201d as He has reconciled us unto the Father, and again adopted us into\nthe blessed family above, so are we required, if we have any part or lot\nin this matter, to be-have as children, who have recovered the forfeited\nprivileges of their glorious inheritance, and \u201chave their conversation in\nheaven.\u201d As we have been \u201cbought at so great a price,\u201d we must continue\nthe subjects and the property of the \u201cLord that bought us.\u201d\n\nNo man, whose nature, whose principles, whose affections, whose life,\nremain unchanged; no man, enthralled by the pleasures and devoted to the\npursuits of a thoughtless and corrupt world, can justly consider himself\nas an actual partaker of the covenanted mercies of God. He may have been\nadmitted by baptism into Christ\u2019s visible church; he may hope to render,\nat some future day, his baptismal privilege available to salvation; but\nevery page of God\u2019s revealed word would forbid him to regard himself as\nan accepted \u201cinheritor of the kingdom of heaven,\u201d while his life is\npalpably at variance with the conditions upon which that inheritance is\nvouchsafed; while it is contradictory to the laws, and totally\ninconsistent with the blessings, which the Saviour has proclaimed to\nmankind. Every man must not only perceive from the gospel, but be\nassured by his own reason and conscience, that such divine mercies\nabsolutely require and imply some degree of worthiness; some\ncorrespondence in his views, his temper, and his conduct.\n\nWorthy indeed, in the fullest sense of the word, of such transcendent\nlove and favour, of life and immortality, of everlasting honour in the\npresence of the pure and perfect Creator, the degenerate creature can\nnever be; he has sinned; and \u201cthe wages of sin is death.\u201d But there is a\nfitness, which the Christian, by divine help, must attain; a humility and\ncontrition of heart; a sincere belief in God\u2019s mercy through Christ; a\ngrateful sense of God\u2019s undeserved goodness; a desire of recovery from\nthe ruin of his fallen nature; and withal, a true spirit of acquiescence\nin those means of grace, and that revealed law, ordained to bring the\nsinner to his Maker; and this conformity, in the character of man, is\nfrequently represented in scripture by the name of _worthiness_: he\nbecomes worthy in this respect, inasmuch as he fulfils the conditions of\nthe gospel covenant, and is thereby rendered a fit object of God\u2019s free\nmercy: without this character he would be unworthy, inasmuch as he would\nshew himself unmoved by the marvellous loving-kindness of his Saviour;\nwould shew, that he had no real value for the blessings, which the gospel\nplaces within his reach; no regard for the revelation and ordinances of\nGod. It is an observation as true as it is common, that the holy gospel\ndesigns not to save us _in_ our sins, but _from_ them; we must therefore\nbe made willing and desirous and careful, to subdue the prevalence of\nsin, or we cannot attain unto salvation; and if the dominion of evil be\nsubdued, there will grow up, in our hearts and lives, the manifold fruits\nof righteousness.\n\nSuch was the worthiness, which the apostle prayed and laboured to produce\nin the early disciples; and if, without this, we are hoping to be\naccepted of the Lord, \u201cwe are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not\nin us.\u201d The meetness indeed, of which we are speaking, is not\nexclusively our own; it must \u201cbe wrought in us of God;\u201d still it is to be\nsought by prayer, and improved with diligence: \u201cWe are not sufficient of\nourselves to think any thing, as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of\nGod;\u201d {260} yet God will not fail to supply us with the means, if we pray\nfor them and use them faithfully.\n\nTo this statement I request your especial attention; because there are\nprofessing Christians, who take an improper view of this important\nmatter. Conscious of their own unworthiness in point of _merit_, they\nare apt to overlook that worthy _fitness_, of heart and character and\nlife, which is necessary for every sincere follower, of Christ. The\nproclamations of their own undeservings, and their Saviour\u2019s free love,\nare sometimes so loud and frequent, as to lower in their minds the sense\nof moral and spiritual obligation, as to make them relax in their duly to\nGod and man; as if they were privileged to offend, because they extolled\nthe Saviour, and debased themselves. This is a vain and a fanatical\nspirit: Christ alone is worthy to save; but we must endeavour, by His\nsanctifying aid, in all things to be made more and more worthy of the\nexceeding \u201criches of His grace.\u201d\n\n2. And, in order to encourage us in the goodly work, the Almighty, whose\nhappiness is infinite and incapable of increase, graciously represents\nHimself as _pleased_, even with our imperfect services: \u201cThat ye might\nwalk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing.\u201d \u201cThough the heavens are not\npure in His sight,\u201d yet does He condescend to \u201cvisit man\u201d with His\nfavour, and \u201cto regard the son of man,\u201d who serveth Him, with an\napproving eye: He is pleased, because it is the fruit of the sinner\u2019s\nreconciliation, by the death and sufferings of His beloved Son: for His\nsake, even the feeble struggles of the Christian, in the way of duty, if\nthey be resolute and determined, are an acceptable service; even the\nspark of goodness, if it glow with sincerity in the bosom, is honoured\nand rewarded.\n\nThis is an animating consideration: we observe the effect naturally\nproduced in the mind of man, even by the approbation of a\nfellow-creature, whom he regards as his superior; what holy satisfaction\nthen, and complacency and delight, may we not derive from the persuasion,\nthat our humble services are favourably viewed by the all-wise and\nalmighty God, who recompenses every one according to his work: if God be\npleased, whose displeasure shall we fear? If \u201cGod be for us, who shall\nbe against us?\u201d And O, that we may never forget, that it is one of the\ngreat purposes of the gospel, to render us, infirm and imperfect as we\nare, pleasing unto Him, through the merits and intercession of our\nRedeemer; by \u201cwalking worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called.\u201d\n{262}\n\n3. The apostle proceeds, in the text, to open and extend his view of\nevangelical righteousness. It consists not in that partial cultivation\nof spiritual affections, in that modified selection of particular duties,\nwith which the christian world is so prone to be content: it obliges the\nbeliever to \u201cbe fruitful unto every good work.\u201d This is a point, in\nwhich vast multitudes, in the christian church, lamentably and\nnotoriously fail; in which many fail, who make a considerable profession\nof their zeal for religion; and comply, to a certain degree, with most of\nits obligations. There are some pleasures or pursuits, which, though\nthey do not pretend to reconcile them with the law of God, they still\nperseveringly retain. Upon the whole, they professedly adopt the\nordinances and requisitions of the gospel: but there are some more\nunpalatable than others; some to which they feel an unconquered\nrepugnance: and these they leave out of their religious system\naltogether; to these they never so much as resolve to conform. And thus,\nthey fail to manifest, (what is confessedly the most difficult, yet the\nmost important of all christian attainments,) a surrender of the heart to\nGod. Their own inclination, their own judgment, and not the divine will,\nis the rule and standard of their conduct; and no doubt, if they felt\nthis strong reluctance to the duties which they do perform, these also\nwould be equally neglected: in other words, no part of their obedience\nrests upon a true foundation: it proceeds not from a sincere belief in\nthe truth and authority of God\u2019s word. All the injunctions, all the\nprecepts of the gospel are obligatory alike; all equally declarative of\nthe divine will, and equally necessary to the spiritual renovation of\nman. And those injunctions and precepts, with which we are the least\ndisposed to comply, do in fact require our peculiar attention and\nobservance; because they point out to us the natural blemishes, which\nstand most in need of repair; because they shew where the greatest danger\nlies, of our being deficient in that complete change, of principle and\naffection and character, which the infallible word of truth has declared\nto be indispensable.\n\nSt. James assures us, that \u201cwhosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet\noffend in one point, he is guilty of all:\u201d {265} he who reserves to\nhimself any particular indulgence or pursuit, which is clearly at\nvariance with the will and word of God, obeys not, in any thing, from a\nreal christian motive; and shews himself ready, if a sufficient\ntemptation were offered, to disobey in any and every point. It is true,\nthat there is no \u201cgood work,\u201d which the Christian performs with uniform\nunvarying obedience; but neither is there any, in which he does not\nsincerely desire and endeavour \u201cto be fruitful;\u201d there is no act of\nrighteousness, to which he is a stranger; no \u201cbesetting sin,\u201d which he is\nunwilling or unmindful to cast away: though the good fruit, to his\nsorrow, does too frequently fail, after all his unqualified labour; yet\nthe unprofitable branch is pruned again, and watered by the tears of\nrepentance, and fructified with the dews of heaven, and bears another\nday. He believes, and fears, and \u201cloves the Lord his God with all his\nheart and all his soul and all his strength;\u201d and therefore, though there\nare many imperfections, there is no reserve in his obedience.\n\n4. The latter clause of the text directs us to a very distinguishing\nfeature in the christian character: \u201cIncreasing in the knowledge of God.\u201d\nKnowledge must evidently here be taken, in a larger sense, to signify a\nlively comprehension of religious doctrines and duties, a practical\nunderstanding of the will and ways of God. In this knowledge it is\nabsolutely essential that the true believer should be continually\nadvancing: the objects of his faith are of such deep and overwhelming\ninterest, that the longer they are studied and pursued, the more they\nwill, of necessity, captivate his thoughts and strike root into his\nheart: the more he seeks for the treasures in God\u2019s word, the more he\nwill find: the more he knows of God, the more he will desire and delight\nto know: feeling the comfort and happiness of a reconciliation with his\nMaker, he is ever anxious to obtain a nearer and holier communion with\nHim; sensible of his absolute and entire dependence upon the Redeemer\u2019s\nmercy, he is ever leaning upon Him with new satisfaction, with a growing\nspirit of confidence and complacency; the more he thinks of heaven, the\nmore \u201chis affections are set on things above;\u201d the more he thinks of the\nwretchedness of the rejected, the further he flies, in terror, from their\ndreadful abode. The consequence of all this must be, a progressive\n\u201cvictory over the world, the flesh, and the devil;\u201d a daily improvement\n\u201cin all virtue and godliness of living.\u201d\n\nAnd there is yet another consideration; as we value and use the gracious\ngifts of God, they are increased and multiplied unto us; \u201cwhosoever hath,\nto him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance;\u201d {267} the lamp\nshines brighter, that is to guide his feet; and his heart is ever\nquickened with fresh energy and zeal, by the influence of the Holy\nSpirit; thus he goeth on from grace to grace, from strength to strength,\n\u201cfrom glory to glory.\u201d\n\nThe apostle, therefore, in praying that the converts might be increasing\nin the knowledge of God, is praying that they might have the invariable\nmark and earnest of a sincere and genuine faith. How little does this\npoint seem to be considered! How many content themselves without any\nregular advancement, without any advancement at all; they cannot, after\nall the flattery with which they contrive to deceive themselves, be\npersuaded in their minds, that they grow decidedly better as they grow\nolder: a year, perhaps many years ago, they were as religious, as\nfruitful in piety and good works, as they are now: no increase of\nspiritual knowledge, no new grace, no fresh habit of obedience, no\nadditional exertions to mark the lapse of time; no passion subdued, no\nunholy pursuit abandoned, no vice mortified and forsaken. Wherever this\nis the case, the gospel has not been sincerely received into the heart;\nit has not been felt as the \u201cpower of God unto salvation;\u201d it has not\nbeen, as it is designed to be, an effectual instrument of righteousness\nto the soul. To those, who remain in so careless and indifferent and\nunimproving a condition, we must say, that \u201cour preaching has been vain,\nand their faith is also vain.\u201d\n\nPossibly there may be some amongst us, who never yet bestowed an adequate\nattention on this important point; if any such there be, I would urgently\nexhort them, as they tender the salvation of their souls, to neglect this\npoint no longer; deeply to enquire without delay, whether they \u201care\ngrowing in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus\nChrist.\u201d {269} Let them enter with earnestness upon this necessary\nconsideration; let it be frequently repeated: Is my faith increased and\nstrengthened? Is my character more holy, my conduct more upright? Does\nmy temper improve? Are my passions better regulated; my thoughts more\nspiritual; my devotions more pure and fervent; my affections more\ndetached from the world, more fixed on God and heaven? My life and\nconversation, are they more accordant with the precepts and the example\nof my Saviour?\n\nBut the topics of enquiry are too numerous to be mentioned; I will only\nadd, that the sincere believer sets the \u201cprize of his high calling\u201d\ncontinually before him; and advances to it, in holiness and\nrighteousness, every day; keeps advancing till his race is run; and thus,\nwhen his toil is over, receives the crown of victory, and \u201centers into\nthe joy of his Lord.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nSERMON XV.\nTHE WORD OF THE LORD PRECIOUS.\n\n\n 1 SAM. iii. 1.\n\n _The word of the Lord was precious in those days_; _there was no open\n vision_.\n\nFROM Moses to Samuel, a period of several hundred years, there was no\nprophet regularly appointed; particular revelations were made to\nindividuals, and occasional messages from heaven were publicly delivered\nto the people; but there was no acknowledged prophet, to whom they might\nat all times resort, to know the mind and will of God; or, as it is\ndescribed in the text, \u201cthere was no open vision.\u201d The natural\nconsequence was, that such intimations of the divine will, as were then\ngiven, made a deeper impression; they were more highly valued and more\neagerly sought for, than when the gift of prophecy, in after ages, became\nmore common. When the word of God abounded, it was received with\nindifference; when rarely vouchsafed, it was intently desired.\n\nSuch is perpetually, and on all occasions, the perverseness of man:\nblessings of every description are estimated, not according to their\nexcellence, but their rarity; not according to the ease, but the\ndifficulty, with which they are to be obtained. And further, when in\npossession of a blessing, we are often utterly insensible of its value;\nwe abuse it in thoughtless excess, and are ready to squander it away; but\nthe moment it is departed, we discover our blindness and folly; and would\ngive, perhaps, all we have, to bring the treasure back again. Meat and\ndrink and raiment, the air we breathe, the sun and the shower, excite no\nspirit of gratitude, and by many are scarcely received and remembered as\nblessings; but in the days of famine and of pestilence, amidst the\nwarfare and desolation of raging elements, these benefits and mercies are\npainfully acknowledged, and ardently desired. Again: the advantages of\ncivil and religious liberty make little impression upon the hearts of\nthose, by whom they are fully and uninterruptedly enjoyed: it is under\nthe iron arm of intolerance and oppression; it is in the dungeon and the\nmine, that the excellency of these privileges is learned. And thus it is\nof domestic happiness and comfort: the value of home is frequently not\nappreciated, until it is forsaken and lost; the worth of a friend, even\nof the nearest relative, is sometimes but lightly considered, till he\n\u201cgoes hence and is no more seen.\u201d\n\nThese observations are also illustrative of the feelings and conduct of\nmen, in regard to their spiritual privileges and blessings. While the\nlight of divine revelation is shining upon their dwellings, pointing out\nto them the way of salvation, and opening the prospect of a glorious\nimmortality, they shut their eyes, and turn away into the fatal paths of\nsin and misery, to the darkness of eternal death; but when their\nopportunities are lost, when \u201cthe evil days are come upon them,\u201d and\nthere is no instructor or counsellor or comforter to be found, they\nperceive the preciousness of the time and the talents, which have been\nheedlessly thrown away; and would give the world, if they possessed it,\nfor what they were once unwilling to make the smallest sacrifice.\n\nWe are apt to express a wonder at the obstinate indifference of the\npeople of Israel to their religious advantages and instructions; we are\nastonished, that they could forget their miraculous deliverances by the\nhand of Moses, and the manifold revelations vouchsafed through him for\ntheir knowledge and guidance; and that almost every divine communication\nto them, in after ages, should have been but the forerunner of guilt and\napostacy: yet in truth, the history of Israel is but too faithful a\npicture of the people of God in other times and other countries; by no\nmeans excluding our own. The word of God has not been accounted\nprecious, in proportion to the extent to which it has been diffused; the\nBible has not been, in too many instances, the most highly prized, where\nit has been most widely circulated; nor have the ministers of the gospel\nbeen always most attentively and devoutly heard, where they have\nincreased and multiplied. Before the age of printing, when the copies of\nthe sacred word were comparatively few, the Christian, who was so happy\nas to possess one, commonly regarded it as a treasure; or if he could\nobtain a part only, by the labours of the pen, even a gospel or an\nepistle, it was considered as a \u201cpearl of great price.\u201d And afterwards,\nin the days of ignorance and persecution, when the sacred scriptures were\nwithheld from the people by a blind and bigotted priesthood, the thirst\nfor divine knowledge, for these streams of life and salvation, was\ninconceivably great; men sought them and treasured them at the peril of\ntheir lives. In these dark days, and long after, the public preachers of\nthe word were few; and people flocked from distant quarters to hear the\ngood tidings proclaimed. Having no regular supply of spiritual food,\nthey sought it out with earnestness where they might; \u201cthe word of the\nLord was precious in those days;\u201d and \u201cbeautiful upon the mountains were\nthe feet of Him,\u201d who came to \u201clighten their darkness,\u201d and to deliver\nthe message of salvation to their souls.\n\nHow widely different from this is the case in our day. Copies of the\nHoly Scriptures are multiplied beyond all calculation: not a village,\nscarcely a dwelling, where they are not, or may not be procured: and,\ninstead of any persecuting power, forbidding the use of them, every\npossible encouragement is afforded, and every means devised by which they\nmay be adequately understood. And such, under the divine blessing, has\nbeen the success of those means, that the greater portion, even of the\npoorest in this favoured land, are able to discover for themselves the\nlight of life; to apply it for their guidance and comfort and eternal\nsalvation.\n\nAnd with respect to the preaching of the gospel, though it is not yet\nsufficient for the demand of our extended population, still it may be\ntruly described as general throughout the land. Although, for \u201cthe\nplenteous harvest, the labourers are too few,\u201d still are they every where\nabroad. And if it be objected, that \u201cthe word of truth is not always\nrightly divided,\u201d yet are there portions of it uniformly read, in every\nchristian assembly, on the Lord\u2019s day; and in our own incomparable\nLiturgy, no inconsiderable part of the divine word, of its saving\ndoctrines and duties, is actually embodied.\n\nSo much for our holy congratulation, for the honour and glory of our\nland, for the rich abundance of spiritual privileges and blessings,\nwhich, under the favour of almighty goodness, we have the happiness to\nenjoy. It were well, if the sequel of our subject afforded equal ground\nfor rejoicing; that it equally redounded to our honour. But here there\nis a dark cloud resting, which casts over the scene a melancholy gloom.\nThe value set upon the word of God, its preciousness in the heart of man,\nis not proportioned to the frequency and the fulness of its\ncommunication. It is in almost every dwelling, but not in every dwelling\nesteemed and loved; not devoutly treasured, not eagerly and diligently\nread, as it used to be in the days of scarcity. How many who possess it,\nperhaps superbly ornamented, in a variety of forms, and with goodly\ninterpretations, seldom open it; seldom in comparison with its high and\neverlasting importance, for their enlightenment and edification: possibly\nit may be read on the Lord\u2019s day as a cold customary exercise, and by\nvast numbers not even on the Lord\u2019s day; they are positively unmindful of\nthe sacred treasure, unconscious that it is so much as in their\npossession. No change of heart, no lively faith, no spiritual strength\nis derived from its exalted doctrines; no purification of the affections\nfrom its means of grace; no regulation of the life and character from its\nperfect law of righteousness. How should there be, when it is laid by,\nidly, carelessly, and contemptuously.\n\nThe Bible is grievously neglected both by rich and poor. The rich too\nseldom spare any of their abundant leisure, in storing their minds with\nthe riches of heavenly wisdom; other books, of worldly interest or\namusement, absorb almost their whole attention; an unimproving, nay\ninjurious publication, the foolish dream of fiction, will be seized and\nread with avidity, whilst the oracles of eternal truth are treated with\nan indifference, that borders on disdain. The poor, it is true, have but\nlittle leisure; sufficient however, if that little were diligently used,\nto enable them to acquire a considerable knowledge of their Bible; but\nthe great multitude of them seek their refreshment from other sources;\nfrom the pollutions of earthly pleasure. We might have expected better\nthings: having fewer worldly possessions and comforts, it might be\nthought, that the poor would gladly supply such deficiency by the\nattainment of spiritual blessings; by raising their hopes and affections\nto the imperishable treasures of a brighter world to come: but it is too\noften found otherwise: the enjoyments of earth, however unsatisfactory\nand even debasing, are preferred to the abundant consolations and\nhappiness of the gospel.\n\nThank God, there are many bright exceptions to these remarks, both\namongst the rich and the poor; the number is great, and we hope\nincreasing, of those to whom \u201cthe word of the Lord has been precious;\u201d\nwho have \u201creceived it with gladness;\u201d who have \u201cbelieved with the heart\nunto righteousness;\u201d who \u201chave seen the salvation of their God.\u201d But\nstill, when we cast our eyes upon the vast and reckless multitude, we are\nready to weep over it and to say, O that ye would know, even ye in this\nyour day, the things that belong unto your peace; before they be hid for\never from your eyes.\n\nFrom this lamentable neglect of the word of God, we may readily account\nfor the want of religious principle, for the decay of religious\ncharacter, for the overspreading of corruption and vice, so notorious in\nthe christian world. The astonishing circulation of the Bible through\nthis country, of late years, might have reasonably led us to hope for a\nsignal diminution of irreligion and crime. And God forbid, we should be\nof the number of those who maintain, that _no_ such advantage has been\nderived from this dissemination of the word of life. But even the most\nsanguine person will not contend, that this holy exertion, this spiritual\nculture has produced a corresponding fruit: thousands of those, who have\nfree access to the Bible, are lying, if not in utter darkness, at least\nin the shadow of death. And what is the cause? The scriptures are not\nvalued in proportion to their extended circulation; they are not read\nwith humble reverential attention, as the holy word of God; not\nunderstood or desired, as the fountain of light and life; not sought as a\nmeans of spiritual reformation and righteousness: and therefore, we may\nexpect a greater prevalence of iniquity; as a judgment of the just and\noffended God, for so flagrant an abuse of the knowledge of salvation.\n\nAnd thus with regard to the preaching of His word: where is that vehement\ndesire, that deep interest, that holy concern to profit withal, which was\nobservable in the days when preachers were few? We do not say, that it\nis utterly extinguished; but certainly not proportioned to the\nopportunities vouchsafed. How many in this our place and neighbourhood,\nrefuse to travel, even the shortest distance, to hear the gospel; and of\nthose who professedly go to hear it, not a few are led by mere curiosity\nor custom. How do we stand condemned by many a less favoured people!\nThere are indeed lands, at this day, still thirsting for the knowledge of\ntheir God and Saviour; lands, to which it has but just been carried,\nwhere it is only beginning to be understood; and _there_ the people will\ninstantly repair at the very sound of the good tidings, and wait with\neagerness upon the footsteps of the missionary, who bears in his hand the\nsacred treasure; but _here_, where the messengers are in every place,\nwhere the ministers of reconciliation abound, here are awful numbers, who\nnever enter the house of God, for the single purpose of hearing His word:\nthe gift is continually offered, without trouble or risk, \u201cwithout money\nor price;\u201d and, therefore, it would seem, perversely despised.\n\nSimilar remarks may be made, concerning all those divine ordinances and\nmeans of grace, with which this privileged land has been so richly\nprovided. The public worship of Almighty God, the holy sacraments of our\nChurch, the instruction afforded to her children, the means of private\ndevotion and godly advancement, all these are pressed upon the notice and\nacceptance of all; it is not enough to say, that we are invited; we are\n_urged_ to the participation of these abundant blessings; yet how often\nare we urged in vain. At this moment, in some of our countries or\ndependencies abroad, where Churches are sparingly scattered, and the\nvisits of ministers are few and long between, these divine ordinances are\ncoveted with a painful anxiety, and no opportunity is ever lost: here, in\nthe mother country, is the fountain of blessings, and the \u201cstreams are\never flowing withal;\u201d but thousands esteem not these waters of life, and\nmany never care to taste them.\n\nIt is impossible, that the truth of these observations can be denied; and\nto every sincere and serious Christian the subject must afford a painful\nreflection. And well does it become us all, each in our several\nvocations, to exert our utmost power for the abatement of so crying and\nalarming an evil. Many of us, I trust, are gratefully sensible of the\ngoodness and love of God, in having so liberally bestowed upon our land\nthe blessings of the word of life; grateful from the experience of its\ninestimable benefit to our own souls: let each then in his station, and\naccording to his influence and ability, recommend the word to those\naround him; and assist in waking a slumbering people to a sense of the\nglorious opportunities awaiting them. Many, from their education and\nrank, have it in their power to contribute largely to the success of this\nglorious cause, to become instruments of righteousness and salvation to\ntheir lost fellow-creatures: and the poorest may do much in this blessed\nwork; they may train their families in the study of the Bible, may lead\nthem to adore the God of mercy and of truth, and to save their souls\nalive; considerable also is the impression, which, by prudence and\nfriendly care, they might make upon their poor neighbours; bringing them\nto join together in happy union, for the perusal of that word, which is\ntheir common interest and hope; which would elevate them above the\ntroubles of a stormy world, would lead them to \u201clighten one another\u2019s\nburdens,\u201d and to \u201cgo on their way together rejoicing.\u201d And, to say the\nleast, every one has the power to recommend the holy scriptures by the\nlight of his own example; by shewing, on all occasions, his love for the\nSaviour\u2019s marvellous goodness; by duly reverencing and reading the word\nof truth; and manifesting the blessedness thereof, in the decided change\nof his own heart and temper, in his own character and life. And all such\nrecommendations, let me add, the Lord is demanding at our hands, in\nreturn for His unspeakable mercy.\n\nMy brethren, let us suppose, that it should please God, for the\nheedlessness of this nation, to deprive us of the privilege and blessing\nof the Bible; and to declare, that the neglected ministry of His word\nshould be continued no longer: we should undoubtedly regard this as the\ndirest calamity, which could possibly befal us; we should immediately and\ncheerfully consent to any sacrifice, by which so dreadful a token of\ndivine wrath might be averted. Then let us be consistent; and whilst we\ndo enjoy this invaluable favour of heaven, let it be cherished and\nimproved. Let the gospel, instead of being less precious to us, on\naccount of its universal publication, and its facility of attainment, be\ntherefore prized the more; and while we adore the Lord of mercy for\ndiffusing this heavenly benefit through our dear and native land, let the\ntreasure be laid up in our own bosom: what is intended for the good of\nall, is intended for the good of each: to bless God for giving the gospel\nto our country, and to undervalue or neglect it ourselves, is folly and\nhypocrisy; but too many individuals, amounting indeed to a large portion\nof our christian community, are guilty of this folly, and thus exposing\nthe land to judgment, thus endangering \u201cthe ark of God.\u201d\n\nAll of _us_, my brethren, do I trust feel thankful to our God and\nSaviour, who hath honoured us, unworthy as we are, with the revelation of\nHis word, and hath \u201cbrought life and immortality to light:\u201d whatever\nothers then may do, let our sense of the gracious gift be undeniably and\nduly shewn: let us daily have recourse to this holy word, as \u201cthe lamp of\nour feet and the light of our paths:\u201d be it our constant prayer for the\nspirit of God to open our eyes that we may understand, and our hearts\nthat we may reverence, the wonders of His holy law; that it may be the\nobject and study of our lives, to walk in all those means of grace, which\nit holds forth for our redemption from sin and death; for our safe\npassage through this transitory world of trial, to an eternal world of\nhappiness and glory beyond the grave. If we hear and read and mark and\nlearn, in the spirit of devotion and prayer, we shall continually find\nnew treasures of mercy opening to our view; new and unlooked-for stores\nof knowledge; new affections and dispositions; new hopes and prospects,\nin the promises of the blessed Jesus: the word will be a blessing to us\nthrough life and even to our journey\u2019s end; a sure guide amid the dangers\nof prosperity, a powerful support in the day of trouble, an inconceivable\ncomfort when we die. But if we prize it not in life, how can we expect\nconsolation from it in death? On the contrary, our spirits will be\nweighed down by the grievous remembrance of inexcusable neglect. Be wise\nin time; lay up in store the good foundation: the word, having been all\nalong precious, will be increasing in value to the last; even until it\nleads us to the \u201copen vision\u201d of eternal day.\n\n\n\n\nSERMON XVI.\nDISTINCTIONS TO BE MADE ON THE DAY OF JUDGMENT.\n\n\n MATT. xxiv. 40.\n\n _The one shall be taken and the other left_.\n\nIN the chapter before us, our blessed Lord is describing to His disciples\nvarious circumstances, which should attend the destruction of Jerusalem;\nan event, which has been generally regarded by the christian Church, as\nrepresentative of the proceedings of that more awful day, when Christ\nshall appear at last to judge the universal world, \u201cin righteousness and\ntruth;\u201d and \u201crender unto every man according unto his works.\u201d\n\nMany false teachers had arisen, even in those early days of the gospel,\npretending to set forth the signs of Christ\u2019s coming to take vengeance on\nHis enemies; and therefore the disciples had requested of their Master\nsome certain information on this momentous topic: they \u201ccame unto Him\nprivately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be\nthe sign of Thy coming and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered\nand said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you: For many shall\ncome in My name, saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many. And ye\nshall hear of wars, and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for\nall these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation\nshall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall\nbe famines and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these\nare the beginning of sorrows.\u201d {291}\n\nOur Lord proceeds to detail a great variety of other circumstances which\nshould occur, some of them belonging to the desolations of Judea, some to\nthe future judgment alone, and some to both these events; of which latter\nkind is the description connected with the text: \u201cThere shall be two in\nthe field; the one shall be taken and the other left. Two women shall be\ngrinding at the mill; the one shall be taken and the other left:\u201d that\nis, though destruction shall fall upon the Jewish nation at large, for\ntheir rebellion against God, their resistance to the clear evidence of\nthe gospel, their shedding of the blood of His beloved Son, yet shall not\nall be equally involved in the same calamity and perdition. Divine\nprovidence will then make a distinction between those, who have\nobstinately rejected and maliciously persecuted the Saviour and His holy\nreligion, and those, whose hearts have been opened to the reception \u201cof\nthe truth as it is in Jesus;\u201d who, being convinced and converted, have\nbecome His faithful followers.\n\nAnd though the whole race be so intermingled, one amongst another, by the\nvarious offices and duties and relations of life, that to the eye of man\nthere may be no distinguishable difference amongst them; yet the\nall-seeing God, who \u201cis a discerner of the thoughts of the heart,\u201d will\nnot be misguided by any outward appearances; will perceive a very\nmanifest difference in characters seemingly alike: will infallibly know\nwhom to punish and whom to spare. As in the overthrow of Sodom and\nGomorrah, He singled out, and selected for preservation, one righteous\nperson, (and for his sake, a portion of his family also,) so, in the\nstorm of vengeance about to fall upon the devoted city of Jerusalem, He\nwould, in many signal instances, make the same merciful distinction. And\nthe declaration, thus made, was calculated at once to comfort and\nencourage the faithful, and to alarm the conscience and check the\npresumption of the wicked.\n\nThe intimation here afforded of the perfect knowledge and the just\ndiscrimination of the Almighty, in regard to His judgments upon the\nJewish people, applies with peculiar force and truth to His perfect\ndealings with all mankind, at the last great day. Although, when\nJerusalem was destroyed, it is undoubtedly true, that the faithful\ndisciples of Jesus were generally delivered, yet it cannot be supposed\nthat, in so extensive an overthrow, all the Christians, and all their\ninnocent children, without any exception escaped. But when Christ shall\nsit upon His throne of judgment, not one undeserved victim shall there\nbe; and not one, who \u201chas sinned against the light,\u201d shall escape with\nimpunity. All those inequalities, which are unavoidable in the present\nconstitution of things, shall then be made right and recompensed. The\nmurdered innocent shall be requited with a robe of glory; and the\nprosperous sinner be abased with scorn and infamy.\n\nHow necessary, how indispensable, for the assertion and execution of\ndivine justice, is the appointment of such a tribunal! How unequally are\ndeserts distributed in this probationary world!\u2014very often in cases, of\nwhich we ourselves may form an adequate opinion. Not unfrequently do we\nobserve the righteous, doomed to extreme poverty and affliction and\nsuffering; and though they be most graciously comforted and supported\nunder their several burdens, we can hardly imagine, that such alleviation\nis all the requital they are to receive: and in truth, what is the\nprincipal source of their comfort and support? Is it not the hope of a\nhappy termination? Is it not the prospect of entering into an\neverlasting rest, of being for ever delivered from sorrow and pain, in\nthe presence of their Saviour and their God? And can we believe, that\nthis blessed expectation, vouchsafed as the solace of their woes, will\nend in disappointment and nothingness? Does it not point to a day, in\nwhich their bright hopes will be more than realized in the merciful\nsentence of their Judge; in their reception, at His hands and through His\nmerits, of \u201can eternal recompense of reward?\u201d\n\nAnd thus, on the contrary, frequently do we see the unprincipled and the\nprofligate enjoying the favour of the world, and rising to no\ninconsiderable eminence of earthly prosperity: their crosses and\nvexations and troubles no doubt they have, as the natural fruit of\nirreligion and vice; as the retributive chastisement of an offended God;\n\u201csowing in corruption,\u201d they do certainly more or less reap in sorrow;\nbut still, if there were no other state, their lot would be,\ncomparatively at least, much happier than they deserve; and therefore\n_their_ condition also leads us to expect, and fearfully does it betoken,\na day of fuller retribution; when the infinite justice and truth of God\nwill be finally and perfectly vindicated.\n\nMany cases, like these, of suffering virtue and prosperous vice, we are\nable clearly to discern: so broad are the lines, so prominent the\nfeatures, that we can scarcely be mistaken: but perhaps there are many\nmore cases, of which we can form no adequate opinion at all; neither in\nany instance, could we pretend to award or ascertain the exact degree of\nmerit due to any individual. When we speak of merit, we do not mean to\nintimate that any action, in itself, is deserving of reward; we regard\nworks of righteousness, only as the fruit of faith in a crucified\nRedeemer. But this fruit is much more abundant, and much more excellent,\nin some than others; and sometimes, when it makes the fairest shew, the\nquality is inferior. By merit then, we here mean the faith and behaviour\nof a Christian; or, that behaviour by which the faith is manifested;\nthat, to which God has freely promised a reward, for the sake of our\ngreat Redeemer. According to the faith, will the fruit be, both in\nquality and abundance; and according to the fruit will be the gracious\nreward; which reward He alone can determine and bestow, who discovers the\nsecret springs of the character and conduct of every man living.\n\nThe value of an action depends upon the spirit and principle, with which\nit is performed; and of these things no one can perfectly judge, but the\nsearcher of the heart. Even in the christian community, many words and\ndeeds there are, obtaining applause from men, which will be condemned by\nthe omniscient God, as having proceeded from unworthy motives, and being\nbut the garb of hypocrisy; many persons there are, in whose respective\ndemeanour we may be able to trace no very marked lines of difference, who\nyet differ most essentially, when measured by the scale of infinite truth\nand justice: all these secret distinctions will be clearly brought to\nlight at the great inquiry on the judgment-day; every one will then\nappear in his true character; the veil of deception will be for ever torn\naside; and of those, who seem alike to us in the present life, we shall\nfind that one will be taken and another left; one taken to glory, and\nanother left to shame and wretchedness and ruin.\n\nIt may be useful to mention a few instances, in which we may be deceived\nin our comparative estimate of men. Even with regard to the fundamental\nprinciples of religion, to a real belief in the truths of the Bible, to\nthe essentials of a christian character, it is possible that we may form\nvery mistaken opinions concerning many around us. It is true, that\ninsincerity and deceit are commonly, sooner or later, in some degree\ndetected; it is difficult to be always dissimulating, and acting a part;\nsome evil fruit, some inconsistency does generally betray the hollowness\nof hypocritical pretensions: still however, it is not always so; and\ndoubtless there are some,\u2014out of the number of those persons, whom we are\nin the habit of considering as equally resting their hopes upon the true\nfoundation, equally believing in Jesus Christ for pardon and salvation,\nequally zealous in the maintenance of His holy religion and attentive to\nthe ordinances,\u2014some there are, who differ materially from others, in the\nunerring judgment of God. They may repair to the same place of worship,\nperhaps with the same degree of regularity, but with very different views\nand impressions: we can judge only of the outward appearance, of the\nposture of the body or the moving of the lips; it is for the Lord to look\nupon the posture of the soul and the offering of the heart. Many, no\nquestion, come to the House of God from very unworthy motives and for\nvery unworthy purposes; and frequently they do not escape the observance\nof _man_; but _man_ cannot penetrate into the case of every individual;\nto the eye of Jehovah alone are \u201call things naked and open;\u201d He sees and\njudges, _who_ come unto Him in humble faith; who approach His tabernacle\nis a pious frame and temper, with holy affections, with integrity of\nheart; who \u201cworship Him in spirit and in truth.\u201d My brethren, it is an\nawful consideration: but from the same Church, the same christian\nsociety, the same assembly of worshippers, \u201cone shall be taken and\nanother left.\u201d\n\nAgain, with respect to a discharge of the ordinary duties of life, there\nmay be much real, though little seeming difference, in the characters of\nmany, with whom we are daily acquainted. Punctuality and diligence,\nthough always commendable and useful for the public good, may be, in as\nfar as the person himself is concerned, of little value in the sight of\nGod; our acceptableness with God, in this matter, depends upon the\nprinciple and the view and the spirit, with which the business of life is\nconducted: it may be carried on merely for the sake of self-interest; of\ngain, reputation, and pleasure; without any religious feeling or purpose\nwhatever, without a single prayer offered up for heavenly assistance and\nblessing, without a word of thanksgiving or acknowledgment: or, on the\nother hand, we may proceed to our daily employments and pursuits, \u201cstrong\nin the Lord and in the power of His might;\u201d imploring and depending upon\nHis grace; \u201cdoing whatever we do for His glory;\u201d active and diligent and\nfaithful, from a sense of love and duty to Him, for the sake of obeying\nthe law of our blessed Redeemer, and thus bringing forth the fruit of\nfaith unto perfection; \u201cliving soberly, righteously and godly in this\n_present_ world,\u201d {302a} with the continual hope and expectation of a\nglorious world to come. Now, whether industry be the work of religious\nprinciple, or whether it arise merely from selfish and earthly views,\n_we_ are often unable to decide: but God knoweth all the thoughts of man;\nand therefore can assign, to every action and habit and pursuit, its true\norigin and its due reward; and many persons, it will be found at last,\nwho have gone forth together unto their labour, who have been engaged in\nthe same occupations, have toiled together as companions in life, will be\nseparated when the day of full inquiry comes; the one, having \u201csown unto\nthe spirit,\u201d shall be _taken_ to enjoy the fruit of life everlasting; the\nother, having \u201csown unto the flesh,\u201d shall be _left_ to \u201creap\ncorruption.\u201d {302b}\n\nSimilar observations will of course hold good, with regard to the\npractice of particular virtues. They, \u201cwho give alms only to be seen of\nmen;\u201d who dispense their bounty from any other principle, than that of\nlove to their Saviour; for any other purpose, than to serve God and to\nbenefit their fellow-creatures; they \u201c_have_ their reward\u201d already\u2014the\nonly reward, which they are caring to seek\u2014the applause, the good will,\nor the esteem of mankind: and they must not expect, on the latter day,\nthe reward which they seek not; the approval of their sovereign Lord; the\npraises and blessings of christian charity. Again, they who exercise the\nvirtues of honesty or sobriety, merely for the sake of worldly expedience\nor reputation, will likewise \u201chave their reward\u201d all the reward they are\nto expect, in this life. Christian faith and christian principle are the\nonly foundations, upon which a Christian can surely and successfully\nbuild; they, who build upon them, will be taken to see the goodly fabric\nperfected in heaven; whilst every work, which is raised upon \u201cother\nfoundation,\u201d will be left to desolation and devouring fire.\n\nAnd even they, who have communed together, through their earthly\npilgrimage, in the bonds of familiar intimacy; who have been united all\ntheir lives long, by the nearest and dearest ties of kindred; even they\nwill be subject to the same discriminating judgment at the last. If they\nhave been bound together in the holy bonds of the gospel, as well as of\nfamily affection; if they have been faithful brethren in the Lord, as\nwell as in the flesh, \u201cwalking with God as friends,\u201d it will be well;\nthen, as they \u201cwere lovely and pleasant in their lives, in their deaths\nthey shall not be divided:\u201d {304} together shall they go to heaven, and\nbe admitted to enjoy a more delightful communion with each other, in the\nhappy paradise above. But if it be otherwise, if such friends be of\nopposite characters; the one \u201ccarnally\u201d the other \u201cspiritually minded;\u201d\nthen, their ends must be opposite also; \u201cdeath\u201d is the portion of one,\n\u201clife and peace\u201d {305a} of the other: their union therefore must be\ndissolved. The world may regard all the members of a family, as nearly\nalike in character; but the difference may nevertheless be great; and the\ndistinction, in another world, will be great also. The wicked parent\nshall see its innocent offspring no more; the pious father shall not\ndeliver the undutiful child, nor the obedient child its rebellious\nfather; {305b} each can save but his own soul. How feelingly and\npowerfully does this consideration appeal to christian families;\nadmonishing them, to regard not the present only, but the everlasting\nwelfare of each other; to \u201cedify one another\u201d in holiness and godly love;\nlest, after they have been so intimately connected together upon earth,\nwhile the one is taken to felicity and glory, the other be left to\n\u201cmourning, lamentation and woe.\u201d\n\nHow are christian parents bound, to watch over the offspring they so\ntenderly love! Watch they do, with continual anxiety, for the temporal\nbenefit of their children, for all that can minister to their comfort and\nhonour and advancement in life: they rejoice in the joy of their\nchildren, and weep when their children weep: but O how infinitely more\nimportant is the provision for eternity: earthly ties will soon be\nbroken; how important, that we should provide for a happy renewal of\nintercourse and love hereafter! Parting now, to meet no more, were\nenough to break the heart; but the bright prospect of a re-union in\nparadise consoles and reconciles; forbidding us \u201cto sorrow as those who\nhave no hope.\u201d See then, ye christian parents, to the nurture and\ntraining of the \u201colive branches round about your table;\u201d bestow, upon\ntheir spiritual well-being, an especial and exceeding care; that ye may\nbehold them \u201cflourishing in the house of the Lord\u201d above: that, whether\nye be taken from them, or they from you, there may be comfort in the\nparting. See, all christian relatives and friends, by whatever name ye\nare endeared; see that ye live not in worldly, but heavenly affection:\ninstructing, admonishing, animating one another in the profession of the\ntrue faith and the exercise of all godliness; that so your converse and\ncommunion may never be embittered by the fear of eternal separation.\n\nLastly, let the truth, here declared by the infallible word of God, check\nthe presumption of the careless and the wicked; and give comfort and\nencouragement to the faithful. The worldling may fancy, because no great\ndistinction, between him and others, is made upon earth; because he\nperhaps can see no great reason for such distinction; that, therefore, he\nshall escape in the end; but in the day when \u201cGod will judge the secrets\nof men by Jesus Christ,\u201d {307} when \u201cevery one shall receive the things\ndone in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or\nbad,\u201d {308} he will find, that an immeasurable distinction will be made\nbetween him \u201cthat hath served God, and him that hath served him not;\u201d\nbetween him, whose heart has been given to his Creator and Redeemer, and\nsanctified by the Spirit of grace, and him, who has only made it his\nobject to maintain a decent appearance in the world. If we do believe in\nthe final judgment, if we believe in the perfect truth and justice of the\nAlmighty, we must conclude, that this fearful difference will be made.\nAnd if it were so dreadful a calamity, to be left to fall in the\ntremendous overthrow of Jerusalem, what will it be, to be left an\neverlasting-prey to the tortures of Satan and of sin?\n\nBut let the true believer, the righteous servant of God in Jesus Christ,\ntake encouragement and comfort: there is no exercise of faith, no holy\nmeditation, no fervent prayer, no religious deed, no pious intention or\ndesign, however secret from the eyes of men, which can escape the notice\nof their heavenly Father: though justice is not, cannot be, done to their\ncharacters here; though sometimes the greatest injustice and injury and\nwrong; yet shall they be triumphantly and gloriously vindicated at the\nlast: though they be on earth forsaken or oppressed, though they bear the\nburden of private affliction or public scorn, in a \u201cworld which is not\nworthy of them,\u201d they shall be visited and acknowledged and received at\nthe last; shall lift up their heads with honour and with joy, and be\nadmitted into a kingdom, which is more than worthy of all their faith and\nall their constancy; the Redeemer has marked them for His own; He will\nsingle them out, on the last day, from the crowd of countless multitudes,\nas objects of his compassion and favour; will take them into the arms of\nHis mercy, and so \u201cthey shall be forever with the Lord.\u201d {309}\n\n\n\n\nSERMON XVII.\nGOD MADE MAN UPRIGHT; MAN MAKES HIMSELF MISERABLE.\n\n\n ECCLES. vii. 29.\n\n _Lo_, _this only have I found_, _that God hath made man upright_,\n _but they have sought out many inventions_.\n\nIN this remarkable book, Solomon discusses the various earthly means\nemployed by the human race, for the attainment of happiness; and he\ndecides upon the utter insufficiency of them all. Nor is he to be\nregarded as making the enquiry from mere matter of speculation, but as\ndeclaring to the world the result of his own experience, as well as the\ncounsels of the Most High. Exalted to the very summit of worldly\nprosperity and greatness, and learned in all the arts and sciences, he\npossessed advantages, in the pursuit of happiness, far beyond the common\nlot of mortality; if it were to be found upon earth, he would have been\nsure, in himself or some of his favoured dependents, to have made the\ndiscovery. But he declares, by many remarkable repetitions, his utter\ninability so to do; he gives up the matter as hopeless and impossible;\n\u201call, (even the fairest and the best of human schemes,) is vanity and\nvexation of spirit;\u201d \u201cthat which is crooked cannot be made straight, and\nthat which is wanting cannot be numbered.\u201d {311}\n\nAnd this conclusion corresponds with the experience of mankind in every\nage: happiness has always been their object; philosophers have laid down\nrules for its acquirement, and every variety of expedient has been tried;\nbut all in vain; there is no permanent pleasure or satisfaction upon\nearth: independently of the crosses and vexations from without, by which\nit is so continually disturbed, there is something in the constitution of\nman, in the present state of his mind and heart and affections, by which\nthe attainment of happiness, from temporal means alone, is positively\nforbidden.\n\nThe royal preacher, thus convinced of this truth, turns his thoughts to a\nsolution of the case, and sums up his observations, on the conduct and\ncondition of man, in the words of the text. Instead of arraigning, like\nsome bold and impious cavillers of our day, the wisdom or goodness of the\nCreator in the introduction of evil into the world, he gives the true\naccount of the matter; and lays the blame where alone it is due, upon the\ndisobedience and degeneracy of man. And in so doing, he bears testimony\nto the truth of one of the most important communications made to us in\nthe revealed word of God\u2014the original innocence and the fall of our first\nparents. This fact has been daringly called in question by certain\nprofessed believers of divine revelation, by some who boast themselves\npeculiarly entitled to the christian name. Anxious to exalt the moral\nexcellency of human nature, and to disprove the doctrine and necessity of\nthe atonement, through the prevailing efficacy of the Saviour\u2019s\nincarnation and sufferings, such vain disputers absolutely deny, in the\nvery face of God\u2019s word, that any such total and dreadful change has ever\ntaken place in the state of mankind; they contend, that our\nunderstandings and affections are now the same, as when we came\noriginally from the hands of our Creator. It appears, however, that the\n_wisest_ of men took a different view of this momentous subject; that he\nreceived the Mosaic account, recorded in the opening of the book of\nGenesis, according to its plain and natural interpretation; and he has\ndelivered to us his judgment, by the inspiration of that Holy Spirit,\nunder whose guidance it was impossible for him to err.\n\nSolomon introduces his declaration upon this point in a very awakening\nmanner; in a manner frequent with the inspired writers, when about to\ndeliver a sentence of peculiar weight and importance; \u201cLo, this only have\nI found;\u201d behold, attend to this truth; this is the result of my\nobservations, this the \u201cconclusion of the whole matter,\u201d this the\nexplanation of all the evil and unhappiness in the world, that \u201cGod hath\nmade man upright, but they have sought out many inventions;\u201d that man was\ncreated innocent by the wise and merciful Author of his being; formed for\npure unalloyed enjoyment; and the marring and misery, which he\nexperiences, are solely attributable to the change induced by his own\napostacy and rebellion; to his seeking out ways and means of happiness,\ncontrary to the will and appointment of his Creator. \u201cGod saw every\nthing that He had made, and behold, it was very good;\u201d {314} and man, the\nlord of creation, was not less fitted than the objects around him, to\nanswer the good and gracious purposes of heaven. So God \u201ccreated man in\nHis own image; in the image of God created He him; male and female\ncreated He them;\u201d {315} in the image of holiness, and therefore happy.\n\nHow far man has fallen from this state of uprightness, is a question\nwhich has caused much difference and contention in the christian world;\nsome persons, from a desire of exalting the free grace of God, declare\nthat the divine image in man was totally corrupted and lost by the fall;\nthat there remains, in his unregenerate nature, no spirit or particle of\nexcellency, no perception of what is good; that his nature is a mere\nchaos of disorder, a mass of decay, which is altogether incapable of\nproducing any thing but \u201cconfusion and every evil work.\u201d On the other\nhand, it is contended, that the wreck of man\u2019s nature was but partial;\nthat there remains a considerable disposition to practice, as well as\napprove, \u201cwhatsoever things are pure and honest and lovely and of good\nreport;\u201d that man is still able, by his own judgment and strength, in\nmany things to please God and to serve Him. It does not fall within our\npurpose, on the present occasion, to attempt any accurate adjustment of\nthis difference; but we may observe, that it is dangerous to insist upon\neither extreme. A belief, that man can will or do nothing, is apt to\nlead to a persuasion that he has nothing to will or do; that his\nsalvation is a work totally independent of himself; a measure of grace\nabsolutely forced upon him: and a belief, is that man able of himself to\n\u201crefuse the evil and to choose the good,\u201d that he \u201cknows how to walk and\nto please God,\u201d creates a spirit of self-righteousness, at once\ndestructive of the sinner\u2019s hope; preventing his dependence upon the\nall-sufficiency of God, and subversive of the truth of the gospel.\n\nA faculty of discernment between good and evil, for the moral government\nof man, is evidently vouchsafed to his unrenewed nature; and a power, in\ndependence upon the divine teaching, to accept or reject the proposals of\nmercy and grace, does surely remain to us, or else the numberless\nexhortations of God to the sinner appear to be of no benefit and no\nmeaning: and who can reasonably suppose, that sinners would have been so\nfrequently and severely condemned, for refusing that grace, which they\nwere positively incapable of accepting. The language of our ninth\nArticle on this point appears to be most temperate and unobjectionable:\n\u201cMan is very _far gone_ from original righteousness, and is of his own\nnature inclined to evil, so that the flesh lusteth always contrary to the\nspirit.\u201d With this statement we may rest content.\n\nOne of the many bitter fruits of the fall is, that man no longer seeks\nhis happiness in God, where alone it can be found, but in ways of his own\ndevising, in the crooked ways opened to his view and imagination by the\ndestructive enemy of his soul; no longer in innocence and holiness and\nobedience, but in vicious inclinations and pursuits, \u201cin the lust of the\nflesh and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life;\u201d {317} in those\nvery principles and means, which brought \u201cdeath into the world and all\nour woe:\u201d it is no wonder, therefore, that happiness, from a search like\nthis, should not be found. They, who search in this manner, are like the\nwicked spirit, \u201cwalking through dry places, seeking rest and finding\nnone;\u201d like the dove of Noah, in the overwhelming of the waters, roving\nabout on weary wing, and finding no resting place for the sole of her\nfoot. Nor is it possible for man to be blessed again with perfect peace,\npeace without any interruption or alloy, until he be altogether restored\nto \u201cthe image of Him that created him:\u201d the nearer he approaches to that\nrestoration, the more he will assuredly possess of true satisfaction and\ndelight; but the blessing can never be complete, till the original\ndefilement be utterly purged away, till his understanding is enlarged for\na full knowledge of the good and great and glorious Creator; till he can\nbe brought to love and serve Him without any mixture of infirmity; till\nhe returns not only to His favour, but into His immediate presence, in\nthe second Eden, of eternal bliss.\n\nStill may man enjoy, even upon earth, no inconsiderable degree of peace\nand happiness. The promises and blessings of the gospel impart a \u201cjoy\nand gladness\u201d to the believer, and fill him with comfort, which the world\ncan neither give nor take away: the avoiding and abhorring of evil will\nprevent those painful reflections, which inhabit the mind of the reckless\nsinner: the life of faith in a merciful Saviour, the worship and service\nof God, the works of piety and love, the walk of uprightness and\nintegrity, though accompanied with imperfections, and, therefore, with\nabatements of comfort, yet do infallibly produce a great tranquillity of\nsoul, and unspeakable emotions of holy joy; the sincere Christian\ncontemplates his present condition with happy, though humble persuasion\nof acceptance with his God; and looks forward with an animated exulting\nhope of the perfect consummation of his felicity, in another and a better\nworld. The trials and troubles of this life do indeed still continue;\nyet they have no power to harm, and therefore none to distress him; he\n\u201ccasts his burden upon the Lord.\u201d But in the natural, unrenewed,\nunconverted world, there is no such redeeming principle, no qualification\nof evil, no pure sources of delight: let the votaries of earthly\nenjoyment seek it with what ardour and devotedness they may, it is a\nphantom which is ever eluding their grasp; flitting before their eyes in\nthe shape of promises and visions, but never in substantial possession.\n\nIt is indeed sadly instructive, to consider the numberless devices to\nwhich men are driven, in their search after happiness, when once they\nhave forsaken the faith and fear of God; how busy they are in the\ninvention of new scenes and pursuits; quitting one after another, as each\ndeceives and fails; how they are wearing and wasting away the little span\nof life, in vain experiment and profitless enquiry. How are the opulent\ncontriving their multiplied means and opportunities of enjoyment, with\nall their splendour of establishment, and a train of dependents obedient\nto their will! And if we could form a judgment by outward appearances,\nwe might be inclined to pronounce them happy: but under this beautiful\nveil, with all this pomp of circumstance, many a corroding care, many a\nmortified desire, many a bitter disappointment, lie constantly concealed.\n\nTo envy the rich, as if they were the certain possessors of comfort and\nease, is one of the greatest of all mistakes and follies; happiness must\ndwell in the mind and the heart; it must depend altogether upon the state\nof mind and heart; it is not to be purchased with money; money, we must\ngrant, may be made to minister to it, but this must entirely depend upon\nthe disposition, the spirit, the manner, in which it is used: the\nsmallest pittance upon earth, possessed in the faith of the gospel, in\nthe fear and love of God, produces infinitely more enjoyment, than the\ncountless treasures of those, who seek or spend or save them, with a view\nto themselves and this world alone.\n\nSome are revelling in the dreams of ambition; and imagine, that if they\ncould attain a particular eminence, they should be happy: but the road is\nsteep and slippery, toilsome and dangerous; and the summit, if ever they\nreach it, is not a land of repose, not the habitation of contentment and\npeace; \u201cseekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not.\u201d {322}\nAmbition is always dissatisfied; if not the most unclean, it is one of\nthe most tormenting spirits in the bosom of man; and yet it is fondly and\ngenerally cherished both by rich and poor. Be humble; be moderate; be\ncontent; if thou wouldest be happy.\n\nIn what are called the pleasurable scenes of life, it is unnecessary for\nme further to insist, how vainly we rove in quest of substantial delight:\nthis indeed is a truth still more level to the experience of us all; it\nis a path we have often trodden, but never I think with satisfaction.\nWitness the continual changing, the endless variety of amusements, which\nare found necessary in order to relieve satiety and disgust, necessary\neven when they are innocent; and in sinful pleasures, in lust and\nintemperance of every kind, it is needless to tell you, there can be no\npeace; health is impaired and the conscience is burdened; they are like a\ntwo-edged sword, cutting on both sides, destroying both body and soul.\n\nThe force of these arguments may be made to appear from another\nconsideration; for whatever delusions may be practised upon men, to\ninduce them to reckon and build upon earth alone; to trust for happiness\nto their own inventions, to human schemes and devices; yet will they\nnever, in their serious moments, contend for the wisdom of their choice;\nor say, that their expectations have been answered; they will never, when\nthey come to die, recommend to their friends, assembled round their bed,\nthe course which they pursued, as a sure foundation of comfort in their\nlives, and peace in their latter end; the dying father will not recommend\nit to his children, nor the dying brother to his brethren. No: it will\nthen be seen, either by the tears of bitter remorse or the agonies of\nunrepented guilt, that the way of the world was \u201cthe broad way that\nleadeth unto destruction;\u201d that the soul can never find rest, till it\nreturns to the forsaken paths of righteousness, to the lost image of its\nGod.\n\nAnd thanks to the unspeakable mercy of God in Christ Jesus, the way of\nrecovery is abundantly made known; the kingdom of heaven, with all its\njoys and treasures, is opened to every believer. Wisdom has come down\nfrom above, to tabernacle with sinful man; to lighten his darkness, and\nto rejoice his soul; and \u201c_her_ ways are ways of pleasantness, and all\nher paths are peace\u201d\u2014pleasantness and peace to those, who seek them with\ntheir whole heart, implicitly and devotedly, as manifested in the\ngracious revelation of their God.\n\nBut unhappily, in the way of religion also, in their professed walk of\nfaith, men will be seeking out many inventions of their own, instead of\nsubmitting themselves, with simplicity and godly sincerity, to the gospel\nof Jesus Christ. They are seeking to accommodate His divine law to their\ncorrupt inclinations and indulgences, to the maxims and fashions and\ninterests of an ensnaring world: and thus they fail of the happiness,\nwhich they were led to expect. No wonder, that they find not the\nchristian promises realised; that they fall short of the comfort, as they\ndo of the obedience of faith. To the believing in our crucified Lord,\nwith all the heart and soul; to \u201cthe seeking first His kingdom and His\nrighteousness;\u201d to the \u201cforsaking all and following Him;\u201d to \u201cthe spirit\nof God dwelling in us, and mortifying the deeds of the body;\u201d to the\nsincere desire after holiness \u201cas He is holy;\u201d to \u201cthe fulfilling of the\nlaw of righteousness;\u201d to a living hope of \u201cthe inheritance that fadeth\nnot away\u201d\u2014to these things, the promise of life is made; of joy and favour\nhere, and eternal felicity hereafter; but if we, in dependence upon our\nown vain inventions, seek to be blessed in any other way; with a less\nentire belief, and a less holy profession, and a less devoted obedience,\nand a less exalted hope, we must not complain or wonder, if we lose our\nobject and aim; \u201cBe not deceived, God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man\nsoweth, that shall he also reap; he that soweth unto the flesh, shall of\nthe flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth unto the spirit, shall of\nthe spirit reap life everlasting.\u201d\n\nThe merciful God, when He created man innocent and happy, graciously\nrevealed to him the means, by which his innocence and happiness might be\npreserved; and shewed thereby, that they were inseparable, that the loss\nof the one would be the loss of the other. \u201cThe Lord God commanded the\nman, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of\nthe tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for\nin the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.\u201d {327a} And\nno sooner had Adam disobeyed, no sooner was his innocence forfeited, than\nhis happiness was gone; he found to his sorrow, as he would not believe\nto his comfort, the truth of his Creator\u2019s word: and thus miserably ended\nthe first covenant of God with man, the covenant of obedience and works.\n\nUnder the covenant of grace, by the blessed and eternal Son of God, it is\nrevealed to us, with equal clearness, how the lost happiness of man is to\nbe recovered; \u201cthe way we know:\u201d \u201cBelieve in the Lord Jesus Christ and\nthou shalt be saved;\u201d {327b} \u201cset your affections on things above, not on\nthings on the earth:\u201d {327c} this is the way, call it by what name you\nplease\u2014a condition, or a means; it is the only way: happiness, here or\nhereafter, is attainable in no other. For this, we have the assurance of\nthat word, which we have seen, under the first covenant, awfully\nfulfilled; of that word, which can never fail. My brethren, I cannot\ndoubt, that we are all of us convinced of this truth: then let us pray\nfervently and faithfully, that the conviction may live in our hearts;\nthat we may, from this day forward, go to \u201cthe fountain of living waters,\nand not hew out for ourselves broken cisterns, that hold no water;\u201d\n{328a} that we may renounce the vanity of all human inventions, and seek\nour happiness in God, and God alone. \u201cBe not conformed to this world;\nbut be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind; that ye may prove,\nwhat is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God:\u201d {328b} that ye\nmay \u201chave your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.\u201d {328c}\n\n\n\n\nSERMON XVIII.\nTHE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD REVEALED TO THEM THAT FEAR HIM.\n\n\n PSALM xxv. 14.\n\n _The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him_; _and He will\n shew them His covenant_.\n\nTHE secret of the Lord means, that which cannot be known unless the Lord\nreveal it; and the phrase here implies, an intimate knowledge of the\ndivine perfections, of the dealings and dispensations of God; a holy and\nvital communion with Him; an entire trust in His providential care and\ngovernment; together with that peace, which always dwells in the bosom of\na true, penitent, pious believer. All this, including, as it does, a\nfull acquaintance with the doctrines and duties, the privileges and\ncomforts of the life of faith, is called \u201cthe secret of the Lord,\u201d\nbecause it is hidden from the natural man, and cannot possibly be\ncomprehended or discovered without divine revelation.\n\nSuch knowledge and such blessings are not the growth of earth; they are\nnot the produce of the human intellect or the human heart; they must come\nby spiritual communication, from the fountain of wisdom and truth. When\nman was driven from the bright abode of paradise, his understanding was\ndarkened; losing the favour, he lost the image of his Maker, and thus\nbecame naturally estranged from those holy thoughts and affections, which\nconstitute his chief happiness and glory. Nor is it possible for him to\nrecover this spiritual frame of mind, these heavenly views, this holy and\nhappy acquaintance with God, unless the hand, by which the image was\noriginally stamped, repair the wretched ruin in which it now lies.\nWhoever would know the ways of God, must be taught of God; to all, who\nare not so taught, they are impenetrably secret. Thus spake the wisest\nof men; \u201cThe Lord giveth wisdom, out of His mouth cometh knowledge and\nunderstanding. Then shalt thou understand righteousness and judgment and\nequity; yea, every good path.\u201d {331a} And thus the apostle, \u201cEye hath\nnot seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the\nthings which God hath prepared for them that love Him;\u201d {331b} that is,\nman, in his natural state, of ignorance and rebellion against God, cannot\nform a notion of the value of heavenly blessings; of the enlarged views,\nthe sublimed affections, the sustaining comforts and joys, attainable by\nan inheritance of the divine promises, both here and hereafter. But, as\nthe apostle proceeds, \u201cGod hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit; for\nthe Spirit searcheth all things, yea the deep things of God. For what\nman knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of a man which is in\nhim; even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God;\u201d as\nwe exercise our thoughts and judgment upon human matters, by the help of\nhuman reason, by the natural powers of the mind, so must we attain the\nknowledge of divine matters, by the aid of a divine spirit; by a holy\nillumination and guidance; not indeed by miraculous illapses, but still\nby the distinct and actual operation of heavenly grace, silently\nproducing its effects upon the understanding and heart.\n\nThe pride of man, the disputer of this world, does not submit to this\nproposition and teaching; perhaps commonly regards them in the light of\nenthusiasm; he has no notion, that there are any secrets in religion,\nwhich his own skill and judgment are not sufficient to reveal; he\ndisbelieves every thing, which he cannot comprehend or feel; and affects\nto throw a shade of discredit and contempt upon all those religious\nsentiments and affections, to which he is a stranger. There are not a\nfew such persons in the christian world; who profess to believe all the\ndoctrines of the Bible, and to know all that need or can be known, and\nyet never submit themselves to, scarcely can be said to pray for or\ndesire, the aid and direction of Almighty God; who imagine, that their\nliberal education and their common sense entitle them to pass a full and\nadequate judgment upon all spiritual subjects; and to form a correct\nnotion of all spiritual privileges and blessings.\n\nThis is a dangerous and fatal error; a most unfounded presumption; a\ngross ignorance of the very element and nature of evangelical truth: such\npersons only judge of the word of God, of the ordinances and benefits of\nreligion, as they would judge of any mere human history; of any worldly\noccurrence or advantage: they take, what they are pleased to call, a\nrational view of Christianity; but the only view, which deserves the name\nof rational, is, not that which appeals to reason alone, but that which\nis according to truth; according to the acknowledged revelation of God\u2019s\nsovereign will. Let us again hear the apostle: \u201cWhich things also we\nspeak, not in the words which man\u2019s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy\nGhost teacheth.\u2014But the natural man receiveth not the things of the\nSpirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know\nthem, because they are spiritually discerned.\u201d {334} The merely rational\nman, therefore, is a carnal man; not indeed an absolute stranger to the\nword of grace, but unenlightened by it; he has no true taste for holy and\ndivine things; it is altogether impossible for him to appreciate their\nmerits, or to know any thing of their practical effects.\n\nA familiar instance or two may serve to illustrate this truth. How can\nany man, who neglects the worship of God, pretend to decide upon its\nimportance and utility? How can he presume to deny its comfortable and\nsalutary influence upon the soul, its powerful efficacy upon the\ncharacter and life? It is a matter of experience; of which he therefore\nis unqualified to judge.\u2014He that is a stranger to the grace of God in his\nheart, may despise those, that regard it and live by it, as fanatical\npersons, who are deluded by visionary ideas and groundless assurances:\nbut he is only judging others by himself; and it would be marvellous\nindeed, if he, who is avowedly living without the influence of divine\ngrace, should bear witness to the benefit and happiness which it\nconfers.\u2014What can the intemperate man know of the blessings of\ntemperance? Nothing: except by the want of them.\u2014What can the covetous\nman know of the pleasures of benevolence and liberality?\u2014the licentious\nof the excellence of purity, or the ignorant of the treasures of\nwisdom?\u2014Because the sinner, when overtaken by sickness or affliction,\ndeclares that he derives no comfort from religion, are we therefore to\nconclude, that religion has no comforts at all? Could we think it\nprobable, that the promises of the gospel would afford consolation to\nhim, in an evil hour, when he had all along been an alien to their\nnature, when they had been unheeded or despised?\n\nIt is quite clear, that the benefits and blessings of our holy religion,\nthat the knowledge of God\u2019s word, the power of His Spirit, and the\neffects of His ordinances, must ever remain a secret to those, who have\nno intercourse with these things, and set their hearts against them. And\nwhenever the Christian hears his conduct condemned, or his hopes\nundervalued, by such persons, he may treat them, not with proud disdain,\nbut with a holy disregard: whatever their station in society may be,\nwhatever their learning, whatever their reputation for judgment in\nworldly affairs, upon spiritual or scriptural matters their opinion is of\nno weight or worth.\n\n\u201cThe secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him.\u201d The fear of the\nLord, in this passage, as in many others of Holy writ, denotes the sum\nand substance of religion; it implies a sincere faith and trust in God,\nan awful sense of His majesty, an humble and anxious enquiry after the\nknowledge of His will, with a holy determination of obedience. And, in\naddressing these words to a christian congregation, we may understand\nthem as implying that fear and service of God, which proceed from a vital\nbelief in the whole of His revealed law, in the gospel of His ever\nblessed Son, our supreme Lawgiver and King; as implying moreover an\nentire concurrence in all the measures ordained for our salvation. The\nfear of God, though common to all believers under every divine\ndispensation, will vary in its operation and extent, according to the\nnature and fulness of their dispensation; it will lead them to believe\nand love and obey, according to their knowledge, to their opportunities\nand means of grace, and therefore the believer in the gospel shews the\nworking of this holy principle in the full bearing of evangelical fruit.\n\nAll who so believe and live, shall have the secret of the Lord abundantly\nrevealed; \u201cHe that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that\nloveth Me; and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father; and I will\nlove him and will manifest Myself unto him. The Comforter, which is the\nHoly Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all\nthings.\u201d {338} The humble disciples of Christ are blest in all their\nresearches after divine truth and knowledge: when they contemplate the\nperfections of the Godhead, their capacities are enlarged, their\naffections devoutly engaged, their hearts disposed to profit withal. A\ndeep sense of the majesty and power of Jehovah leads them to reverence\nHim; a sense of His justice leads them to walk uprightly; of His\nomnipresence, to live holily; of His goodness, to serve Him with\ngratitude and love. Whilst the cold philosopher, whilst the\nworldly-minded and the sinner view these great subjects only with a\ntheoretical eye, without any moral or religious improvement, the\nspiritual believer is powerfully moved and affected; and walks in the\nlight of truth every day and hour.\n\nIn their devotional exercises, the faithful servants of the Lord are\npeculiarly blessed; are made sensible of His presence and His power.\nWhen they pour forth their prayers and praises at the throne of grace;\nwhen they thus hold a nearer communion with their reconciled God, a\nheavenly tranquillity and delight are spread over their souls; they know\nand feel their connexion with \u201cthe Father of spirits,\u201d and they rise from\ntheir devotion with an humble confidence, that the tribute of their heart\nhas been accepted; that their fervent supplications will be answered, in\nGod\u2019s appointed time and way, through the merits and intercession of a\nmerciful Redeemer. To these inspiring hopes and persuasions the\nimpenitent sinner is an utter stranger: if he prays at all, it is but the\noutward service of the lips; there can be nothing of the spiritual\nprinciple of devotion, and therefore nothing of its fruit.\n\nAgain: when the humble pious believer sits down to the study of the\nBible, with a pure desire to discover and perform the holy will of God;\nto be nourished with the bread of life; and to draw, from the fountain of\ntruth, the waters of eternal salvation; the grace of the Holy Spirit is\nwith him, to remove the veil from his corrupt heart, and thus to open and\nenlarge his understanding: by this means he perceives \u201cthe wondrous\nthings\u201d of the divine law, and applies them for his own personal\nedification and comfort. The true import of the doctrines, there\ncontained, is progressively unfolded to his view; and the full bearing,\nof every precept and rule of life, is pressed with increasing force and\nauthority upon his heart. He admires and reverences the holy book; he\nloves all that it contains; his soul is rapt in the contemplation of the\nstupendous mystery of goodness and godliness; it elevates his prospects\nand affections above this lower world; he has \u201ctasted the good word of\nGod, and the powers of the world to come;\u201d {341} he beholds, with the eye\nof faith, his inheritance in the skies; and this his heavenly view\nbrightens as he advances.\n\nEvery sincere Christian can bear witless, that his acquaintance with the\nword of life is continually improving; that in every page, and almost in\nevery passage, he is perpetually discovering fresh truth and beauty,\nfresh obligations and delights. Of all this, the carnal-minded and the\nsinner are profoundly ignorant; to them the Bible is comparatively a dead\nletter: they see little of its harmony or its excellency; and where they\ndo see, it has no lively or permanent effect upon their heart; no more,\nthan any other book, of history, or morality, or amusement.\n\nThe righteous are not free from suffering and pain, from trials and\nafflictions; but then they enjoy, under every visitation, a source of\ncomfort and satisfaction, which the thoughtless votaries of this world\ncannot possibly experience. There dwelleth, in their hearts and minds,\nthe peace of God; and that must ever be the gift of God, which He will\nnever bestow upon His enemies; the peace of God, which fills them with a\nholy calm, and reconciles them to every thing. In seasons of trouble,\nthe triumphs of the gospel are especially manifested; and the \u201csecret of\nthe Lord\u201d especially revealed. The soul is in a more impressible\ncondition; more ready to learn of Him, who \u201cwas meek and lowly of heart;\u201d\nand therefore more capable of the enjoyment of His promised rest.\n\u201cBlessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.\u201d {342}\n\nThe sensual and the proud are disappointed and mortified and rebellious\nunder the various troubles of life; the Christian receives them in a\ndifferent spirit, as tokens of his heavenly Father\u2019s love; and tokens of\nlove he finds them to be. They, who \u201cwalk by sight,\u201d are ever\ncomplaining of hardships and inequalities in the world; they who \u201cwalk by\nfaith,\u201d can perceive in them all the sovereign and gracious hand of the\nAlmighty, who \u201cdoeth all things well.\u201d They, who live upon the favour of\nthe world, must always be rendered unhappy by its frowns; but the\nChristian lives above it, and cares little for any opposition or evil\nreport: he is fortified and comforted by a secret power, and protected by\nan invisible arm: and this power shall continue with him, if he continue\nfaithful, even unto the end. When his journey through the wilderness is\nabout to terminate, when he has arrived at the borders of the flood, and\nis entering upon the shores of the heavenly Canaan, when nature sinks and\nthe soul is departing, then does the Lord reveal himself, in a manner not\nto be seen and not to be told: there is a hidden energy, a light within,\na sustaining spirit, a mysterious and merciful communion with the Lord of\nlife and death. This indeed is an awful secret, and one which the guilty\ncan never know; which none can know, who do not, with all their heart and\nsoul, embrace the promises of salvation revealed to them in the gospel:\nthe foretaste of heavenly rest, like the rest itself, remaineth only for\nthe people of God. They who have so feared and loved the Lord, as to\nhave served Him with a good conscience and with integrity; they who have\nso believed and trusted in their Saviour, as to have followed\nwhithersoever He led, as to have sacrificed every unholy gratification\nand pursuit, for the love of His name and for the \u201cone thing needful,\u201d\nthey shall find, in their latter moments, a peace known only to\nthemselves, a joy with which no \u201cstranger can intermeddle.\u201d The Lord\nwill effectually \u201cshew them His covenant:\u201d they were made by baptism\n\u201cmembers of Christ and children of God,\u201d and became thereby entitled,\nthrough the free mercy of God in Jesus Christ, to an \u201cinheritance in the\nkingdom of heaven;\u201d having abided in that covenant, and walked faithfully\ntherein, they will never doubt, but God will assuredly perform His part;\nand He will give them a full insight into the blessings, which He has\ncovenanted to bestow; they have all along entertained a lively\napprehension of the nature and principles of this holy covenant, and of\ntheir own correspondent obligations; its holy promises and its gracious\nrewards have been through life the solace of their souls; and it\ncontinues, yea increases, to the last; not indeed enjoyed in perfection\nhere below, but enjoyed as the earnest and pledge of the fulness of their\neternal felicity.\n\nIn this manner, my brethren, \u201cacquaint yourselves with God,\u201d and come to\nthe true knowledge of His perfections and His ways, and live in the\nanimating ennobling hope of a brighter manifestation of His glory\nhereafter\u2014in this manner, by a spirit of humble, faithful, entire\ndependence upon Him, through the mercy of Jesus Christ; by fervent\nimportunate prayer for the illumination and aid of the Holy Ghost; by\n\u201cseeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness by loving Him\nwith all the heart and soul,\u201d and \u201cwalking in His fear all the day long.\u201d\nThus are we to be taught of God, thus only can we acquire a capability\nand disposition to be taught; thus growing in grace, we grow in wisdom,\nin holy experience, in happy communion with our Lord and Saviour.\n\nReceive this instruction, \u201chigh and low, rich and poor, one with\nanother;\u201d it is equally necessary for all. Unless this spiritual lesson\nbe learnt, the stores of human science, the treasures of human wisdom,\nare vain and worthless; they can impart no knowledge, no true and saving\nknowledge, of the ways and dealings of the Most High; they cannot bring\nthe sinner to his Maker: on the contrary, they prevent and hinder him, by\nministering a spirit of pride and self-sufficiency. If thou wouldest\nknow God, fear Him, and be taught of His Spirit and His word; this is His\nown appointed means, and there is no other. And ye poor, unlearned as ye\nmay be, seek the Lord in this way, and ye shall assuredly find Him: His\nsecret shall be with you; and He will graciously teach you more, than you\ncan attain from all the world besides; more than the wisest can learn in\nany other way.\n\n\u201cThe way of the wicked is as darkness; they know not at what they\nstumble: but the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth\nmore and more unto the perfect day.\u201d {347} The Lord revealeth Himself\nunto the righteous, day by day; they grow in wisdom, as in years: the\nnearer they approach to the completion of their hopes, to the end of\ntheir earthly pilgrimage, to their heavenly and eternal kingdom, the\nclearer will be their knowledge, and the more delightful their\nanticipations; even until that day, when the veil of the flesh shall be\nutterly removed, when they shall \u201csee their God face to face, and know\neven as also they are known.\u201d {348}\n\n\n\n\nSERMON XIX.\nRESIST THE BEGINNINGS OF EVIL TEMPTATION.\n\n\n PROVERBS iv. 14, 15.\n\n _Enter not into the path of the wicked_, _and go not in the way of\n evil men_. _Avoid it_, _pass not by it_, _turn from it and pass\n away_.\n\nTHIS is one of those short, comprehensive, moral directions, with which\nthe holy Scriptures abound, for our safe conduct in life; directions,\nthat are seldom attended to with the earnestness, which their importance\ndemands. Studied such words should be, with devout meditation and the\nspirit of prayer; imprinted on the memory, fixed in the heart. We are\napt to trust too much to generalities in religion; we do not sufficiently\nconcern ourselves with its individual precepts and practical admonitions.\nAnd I wish now to enlarge upon this point, before we enter into a\nconsideration of the text; hoping that it may induce you, by God\u2019s help,\n\u201cto take heed how ye hear\u201d such lessons of instruction.\n\nFor the attainment of a religious character, and the means of walking\nholily and uprightly in our course through life, doubtless the main thing\nis, to establish sound principles in the heart; and without such\nprinciples all the rules and helps in the world will prove of little\navail; never to be depended upon in the hour of temptation and trial.\nAccordingly we find, in the word of God, these mainsprings of action\ncontinually insisted on, as of the highest necessity to be settled in the\nsoul. A true, a right faith is inculcated, as the great foundation of\nall spiritual obedience; a vital faith in God, as our Creator, Redeemer,\nand Sanctifier; a faith in His revealed word, in all the great doctrines\nof life and salvation there propounded to fallen man; a faith in the\nnecessity of obeying all the commandments therein delivered for the\nformation of our character and the regulation of our lives; a faith in\nthe world to come, after the death of the body; a world depending, for\nhappiness or misery, upon our choice and conduct here. The love of God\nand the fear of God are also laid down as most powerful principles of\nthought and action; as spreading an influence over the whole of our\nbehaviour.\n\nStill however, the establishment of these first principles is not of\nitself sufficient for the complete direction and government of our lives.\nSo manifold and various are the temptations to which we are exposed; so\nnumerous the trials we are called to bear, that particular instructions\nand commands are also needful for us, in order that we may be prepared to\nmeet the different circumstances which are perpetually arising, in order\nthat we may be taught how to reduce our principles to practice; and to\napply the declaration of God\u2019s will to our ordinary intercourse and\nexperience with the world.\n\nFor this purpose, we find the old scriptures every where abounding with\nrules, for the performance of every duty, and the avoidance of every sin:\nfor the immediate service and worship of God, for the discharge of every\nhonest and honourable obligation we owe to our neighbour; for the\ncorrection of all those evil affections and passions, to which the\ncorrupt heart of man is so lamentably prone. Nor in the new testament,\nwhere the foundation of faith is more clearly and broadly laid down, are\nsuch rules less frequent, or less urgently enforced. We might indeed\nexpect, what actually is the case, that as a clearer and fuller\nrevelation, that as a higher principle and view, would require a more\nholy and perfect observance, a greater purity and integrity and\nblamelessness of character, therefore the several duties demanded of us,\nin our walk with God, would be laid down and marked with the greater\naccuracy. Accordingly we do find, for this purpose, \u201cline upon line and\nprecept upon precept\u201d repeated and urged with the greater fulness and\nparticularity; that we may not, by any unholiness or deficiency in our\nconduct, disgrace that more glorious revelation, with which we have been\nfavoured as believers in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Look at His own\nblessed discourses, especially His sermon on the mount; look at the\nepistles, which His servants, inspired by the Holy Ghost, have left for\nour guidance and government; and see what full instructions they contain,\nfor our duty to God and our duty to man. It is wonderful, for how many\ncases they provide; for how many instances in our daily experience; how\nthey teach us, on the one hand, the practice of every virtue, shew all\nthe bearings of it and the steps that lead to it; how they caution us, on\nthe other, against every besetting sin; how they point out the manner, in\nwhich it gains an influence over us, and cut it up by the root.\n\nI have embraced the present opportunity of enlarging on this point, with\na view of awakening your attention to, and inducing you to study and\ntreasure up, the various scriptural rules for holy living: I have done\nthis, because many suppose, that the fixing of a good principle\u2014of faith,\nfor instance,\u2014is all that is requisite; if it were so, why should so many\nrules have been given in that holy book, in which there can be nothing\nunnecessary or superfluous? God, who knows the heart and all the ways of\nman, knew how wise and needful it was, to deliver express admonitions and\nexhortations to each individual duty; that our faith might not be vague\nand unprofitable, but abounding in fruit, in the fruit of holiness unto\neverlasting life.\n\nBut it is time now to turn to the text, which furnishes us with one of\nthe most important cautions for our safe and christian government. It\nmight be thought, that every true believer in that blessed Redeemer, who\ncame \u201cto cleanse him from all unrighteousness,\u201d would have such a horror\nof sin, as effectually to secure him from its dominion; as to prevent us\nfrom the necessity of admonishing him against its fascination and its\npower; but such unhappily is far from being the case. Many, who make a\nconsiderable profession of the gospel, are betrayed into grievous\ninconsistencies; many, who set out with promising hopes and good\nresolutions, are led astray and overcome; many, for want of attending to\nthe warning given in the text, for want of narrowly watching the\nbeginnings of evil. Feeling a sincere and decided abhorrence of the\ngrosser sins, they expose themselves without fear to slighter\ntemptations; should they be, in some small matter, inveigled and led into\nthe path of error, it is expected that they shall instantly perceive\ntheir danger; that they shall repent and be forgiven, and be more guarded\nand resolute for the time to come.\n\nBut they have not formed a proper estimate of the seducing nature of sin;\nthey know not how the power of the tempter increases with every success:\ninstead of their being alarmed and disgusted with the first commission,\nthey become, from the corruption of their nature, the more captivated and\nseduced: it is easier for the enemy to draw them on to the second step,\nthan it was to persuade them to the first; their conscience becomes more\neasily silenced and reconciled; they begin to think, that the strictness,\nfor which they once contended, is not so requisite; they become\naccustomed to evil; make excuses for it; take delight in it; are\nflattered with the empty praises and congratulations of their new\ncompanions; and proceed by degrees to abandoned and ruinous lengths. The\nfact is, that they have been all the while provoking the Spirit of the\nLord to desert them: He was grieved at their very first departure, from\nthe path of innocence and integrity; it shewed a carelessness of the ways\nof God; it argued, that His fear and His love were declining in their\nheart: with every renewed commission of evil, the Spirit was more and\nmore quenched, till at length He left them to themselves; weak, helpless,\nincapable of resistance; in the dominion of the enemy, slaves of sin.\n\nWhat I am here describing, has been the miserable experience of thousands\nof unwatchful and irresolute Christians; who have fallen into the snare,\nyea at last into the ruinous abyss of evil, from which they have never\nafterwards escaped, because they were too \u201cwise in their own conceits\u201d\nand too confident in their own strength, to take a warning against the\nperil of yielding to the first temptation; because they ventured into the\nborders of forbidden ground, and were insensibly led on to the fatal\nlengths, which they once held in abomination.\n\nHow many a youth have we known, trained from his earliest infancy in the\nholy principles of the gospel, the hope and the promise of his anxious\nparents, the joy of his family and friends, yet, from incautiously\nlistening, on some unsuspected occasion, to the advice of an evil\ncounsellor, and induced to make experiment of some unhallowed pleasure,\nthereby shaken in his integrity and thrown off his bias; prevailed upon\nto repeat the pressing indulgence; thence to proceed to others; till, in\nthe end, the character has been totally changed,\u2014marred, corrupted,\nruined. It seemed but a little matter that first courted his consent;\nwhat, though sinful pleasures did surround him in his new scene and his\nnew company, he, poor innocent youth, had no intention of joining in\nthem; was determined to stand aloof. For a while he did so; and\nmaintained the pious and virtuous and christian habits, in which he had\nbeen trained; the habits of prayer, and holy reading, and holy\nmeditation, and uprightness of conduct: but he began to give way, to\n\u201cfall from the stedfastness of his faith in Christ;\u201d {358} one religious\nobservance after another was broken in upon; one scruple after another\novercome; till at last he was stripped of every portion of the garment of\nrighteousness, and left \u201cmiserable and poor and naked,\u201d with nothing to\nhide his wretchedness and shame; the dishonour of his father, the grief\nof his mother\u2019s heart; disowned by his family, disowned by his God: a\nmisery to himself; dying the death of a sinner. And whence came all this\nload of misery upon him?\u2014on account of his first unguarded yielding.\n\nThis representation has been but too frequently verified: yet not to the\nyoung only has such heedlessness proved a snare and destruction. We may\nsee its consequences ravaging around us almost every day; in persons of\nevery age and condition. How many a sabbath-breaker has contracted his\ndreadful habit from a very small beginning of neglect? At the first he\nwas tempted very occasionally to absent himself from the House of his\nGod; to indulge now and then, extremely seldom, in worldly pleasure; or\nto engage, in a thoughtless hour, in the dispatch of worldly business;\nbut his affection and reverence for the holy day by degrees grow colder,\nand the temptations became stronger: the Lord\u2019s House was, in a great\nmeasure, forsaken; the Lord\u2019s day became his day of dissolute pleasure;\nor his day of business and accounts, as best suited his condition; and\nhence followed, as it must of necessity, the total decay of religious\nprinciple and religious character.\n\nThus it is also, in a remarkable degree, with the vice of intemperance;\nno man proceeds to its abominable and fatal extremities all at once: but\nno man, whatever his principles may have been, is secure from its\nhorrible influence, if he is once tempted habitually to depart from the\nholy rules of sobriety; however seldom the habit may be at first\nindulged. It is indeed especially true of this awful vice, that if the\nenemy once gains a footing in the heart, he seldom leaves it, till the\nheart is his own.\n\nThus it is, once again, with evil company of every description; it is\nensnaring beyond all suspicion, and beyond all calculation: wicked or\nworldly companions infuse their venom, into the mind and the bosom,\ngradually and insensibly: even if they have no intention so to do, as in\ntruth they too often have, their very presence and conversation and\nhabits are so corrupting, that it is impossible for any one, who is\nfamiliarly acquainted with them, to escape the contagion; in fact,\nwhoever seeks, or whoever tolerates such company, has a lurking\ndisposition to evil, though it may be unperceived and unsuspected by\nhimself. Flee from every approach to this treacherous and dangerous\nground, as you would \u201cflee from the wrath to come.\u201d\n\nFrom this statement, which indeed is but imperfect and feeble in\ncomparison with the magnitude of the evil, against which I am seeking to\nwarn you, my hearers; from this you may be better prepared, by God\u2019s\ngrace, to receive and value and apply the important admonition of the\ntext: you will observe how particularly, how urgently, with what\nrepetition, what varied forms of expression, the wise man delivers his\ncharge; so delivers it the more, because he speaks feelingly, from\ndear-bought experience; because he himself had been lamentably ensnared,\nfor want of attending to it in his own case.\n\nLet us hearken to the counsel of this inspired and experienced guide: he\nsays, \u201cEnter not into the path of the wicked;\u201d never be prevailed upon to\nset your foot on this forbidden ground; \u201cgo not in the way of evil men,\u201d\ntrust not yourself in their company or in any of their goings: further he\nsays, \u201cAvoid it,\u201d avoid this ensnaring way; be at pains to keep clear of\nit; use your utmost watchfulness to discover it; go in another direction,\nin the way of the upright and holy. And, as if this caution were\ninsufficient for his purpose, he adds, \u201cPass not by it;\u201d suffer not\nyourself even to approach it, to look upon it; lest you be beguiled by\nits false charms, and unwarily led to desire them. Not willing yet to\ncease from admonishing, in order to make a yet deeper impression, he\nconcludes, \u201cTurn from it and pass away;\u201d the instant you perceive it,\nturn round with the dread of danger; as you would if you discovered\nyourself on the edge of a precipice, in fear of falling headlong; turn at\nonce, and pass decidedly and quickly away.\n\nIn obedience to these rules, my brethren, consists our great security,\nunder the guidance of infinite wisdom and the support of almighty power:\nthe grace of God is ever ready to be bestowed, ever at hand to \u201cpreserve\nus from falling;\u201d but God expects and requires us, in the use of this\ngrace, to employ every means of prudence, and to strive with a holy and\nunbending resolution: this grace is afforded for the very purpose, that\nwe may so watch and work; and if we do not thus improve it, with\ncircumspection and diligence, it will be withdrawn. Never so much as\nlisten to any sinful proposal, to any doubtful invitation; stay not to\nreason upon it at all; turn away with holy jealousy; never suffer the eye\nto dwell upon a forbidden object, to dwell even for a moment; through the\neye it may find a passage to the heart, and inflame it with unlawful and\nhurtful desire: resist at once; the first victory is the easiest, as well\nas the surest. Say to the temptation, as your Lord said to the tempter,\n\u201cget thee hence, Satan;\u201d \u201cflee from him and he will flee from\nyou\u201d\u2014\u201cescape for thy life.\u201d\n\nAnd here I must add an observation upon the means, by which we may be\nenabled to follow this momentous advice of the wisest of men. We must\n\u201cwatch and pray, that we enter not into temptation;\u201d {364} we must go\nforth into the world in the spirit of watchfulness and prayer; praying,\nnot only that we may have the grace to watch, but also when the trial\nactually arises, when we are watching. In the presence of temptation, or\nif we do but perceive or suspect that it is coming, let the soul be\nlifted up to the \u201cLord of all power and might;\u201d let the language of the\nheart, if not of the lips, be poured forth in pious aspiration to God; if\nit be but a word, a wish, or a thought, it will be clothed with strength,\nand minister a stedfastness to the mind and heart. We are thus animated\nby the assurance of divine support, and fixed in our holy determination\nof resistance to all evil. Much depends, for safety and success, upon\nthis habitual spirit of devotion; it is our buckler and shield in every\nmoment of conflict; without it, we are standing, in the feebleness of\nnature, before the mighty enemy of our souls; ready to \u201cbe taken captive\nby him at his will.\u201d {365a} \u201cBe ye therefore sober (that is, be serious)\nand watch unto prayer;\u201d {365b} and thus \u201cgo forth conquering and to\nconquer.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nSERMON XX.\nTHE LOVE OF CHRIST FOR THOSE WHO DO THE WILL OF GOD.\n\n\n MARK iii. 35.\n\n _Whosoever shall do the will of God_, _the same is my brother and my\n sister and mother_.\n\nFROM this, and one or two other passages in the gospels, it has been\nsometimes imagined, that our blessed Lord set no value on the common\nrelationships, the natural ties, the tender endearments of life; and that\nHe intended to teach His disciples, by His own example, to neglect such\nconsiderations altogether; as if all Christians had an equal claim upon\nour affection; as if the spiritual brotherhood were the only object\nworthy of our regard; as if parents and brothers and sisters were merely\nupon a footing with the rest of mankind. This notion is entirely\nerroneous; it is a mistaken conclusion from the words and conduct of our\nLord.\n\nHis own example, on several occasions, has afforded a sanction to the\nfeelings of private friendship, as well as of family affection. How\ndeeply was He moved at the death of Lazarus! \u201cJesus wept, then said the\nJews, behold how He loved him!\u201d {367a} And of our Lord\u2019s disciples we\nread, that there was one, treated with peculiar tenderness and regard;\none, \u201cwho leaned on His bosom;\u201d {367b} one, distinguished by the high and\nhonourable name of the \u201cbeloved disciple.\u201d And this disciple, the\nevangelist St. John, has drawn one of the most striking pictures of an\naffectionate family, ever represented to the eye and the heart of man:\n\u201cThere stood by the cross of Jesus, His mother, and His mother\u2019s sister,\nMary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw\nHis mother, and the disciple standing by whom He loved, He saith unto His\nmother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith He to the disciple, Behold thy\nmother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.\u201d\nJesus not only loved and protected His mother through life, but was\nsolicitous to provide for her future well-being, even amidst the agonies\nof the cross; commending her to His dearest personal friend; and by way\nof effectually securing _his_ regard and _her_ confidence, He calls John\nthe son, and Mary the mother: Behave to each other as mother and son; and\nit is all I can ask or require. This must be admitted as a proof, that\nJesus felt most tenderly and peculiarly for His nearest earthly relation:\nand it shews, that those passages, which have been supposed to favour a\ncontrary opinion, have been wrongly interpreted.\n\nLet us now consider the circumstances which led to the declaration in the\ntext. It appears, that the earnestness and perseverance of Jesus in\nteaching the people, notwithstanding the opposition of the Pharisees, had\ngiven disquietude to His friends and brethren, that is, to His near\nrelations, some of whom did not believe in Him. They seem to have\ndesired Him to forbear and discontinue His ministry at that particular\ntime, supposing that He had exceeded the bounds of prudence; and it\nfurther appears, that they had induced Mary, His mother, to concur in\nthis improper design; which conveyed a reflection upon His wisdom, and\nthe perfection of His character. They came, therefore, when He was\nteaching the people; and, not being able to approach Him for the\nmultitude, they sent to speak with Him. But Jesus, aware of their\nintention, answered by enquiring, who His mother and brethren were;\nthereby intimating, that they had no right to interfere on such an\noccasion, nor had any authority over Him in respect of His important\nwork; that His spiritual affection to His disciples, in the advancement\nof their eternal interests, was greater than any natural affection, which\nHe bore to His relations, in a mere earthly point of view; that His love\nto men\u2019s souls had the greatest consideration and weight with Him; that\neven His mother was nearer to Him as a true believer, than on account of\nher natural relationship; and that His brethren would derive no advantage\nor favour from Him, if they were not also believers.\n\nJesus then proceeded to declare, that His true disciples, even though\nthey had no connexion with Him by the natural tie of blood, would be\nregarded in the light of relations; would be the objects of His sincere\naffection and esteem; \u201cHe looked round on them which sat about Him, and\nsaid, Behold My mother and My brethren, for whosoever shall do the will\nof God, the same is My brother and My sister and mother.\u201d We cannot but\nobserve, that these words are addressed, not merely to the disciples of\nthat day, but to every individual Christian throughout the world;\n_whosoever_, of any age or nation, should do the will of His heavenly\nFather, by hearing, believing, obeying His revealed word, by embracing\nthe gospel of salvation, he would, in life, in death, in judgment, and\nfor ever, be honoured and blessed; even as the brother, sister, or mother\nof Him, who is the Lord of all, and the King of glory.\n\nHow encouraging, how delightful an assurance, to be persuaded, that in\nall our difficulties and troubles, in all our bereavements and desertions\nand afflictions, through this vale of tears, we have a friend, a\nrelation, at the right hand of God, the omnipotent Redeemer; who is\nadvanced, after His earthly humiliation, to the throne above, for the\nvery purpose of \u201creceiving gifts for men;\u201d and of distributing them for\nthe relief and assistance of all His loving and faithful brethren. How\nfortunate do the needy children of men esteem themselves, if they have a\nkind relative or friend in a high quarter; one possessed of honour and\nwealth and power. They feel themselves ennobled by the connexion; and\nare raised above the fear and apprehension of want, by a confidence in\nhis influence and generosity. But what are the highest and greatest of\nearthly relatives, in comparison with the glorious everlasting Son of\nGod; with Him who \u201chath put all our enemies under His feet;\u201d with the\n\u201chigh and holy one that inhabited eternity?\u201d\n\nEarthly friends may and do fail, often when they are most needed; an\nuntoward occurrence, a groundless displeasure arises; and all our\nexpectations from them are suddenly swept away. But with Jesus \u201cthere is\nno variableness, neither shadow of turning:\u201d He searches our hearts; and\nas long as they are really and stedfastly united with Him, no casualties,\nno outward appearances can estrange us from His favour. Earthly friends\ndie, one after another; and often at a time, when they are become most\ndear and most necessary to us; but Jesus liveth for evermore; and the\nunion, we form with Him, is in no danger of being severed by any change\nof time or circumstance; but goes on progressively and perpetually\nincreasing. The very disasters, which often tend to disunite us from our\nearthly friends and brethren, serve but to bind us the more closely to\nthe Saviour; in adversity, in poverty, in contempt, in persecution, we\nfind Him the nearer and dearer; always most ready to succour us, when\nmost wanted and desired: always ready, and always able. So that, if the\nwhole world were to fail us, His abiding favour would more than\ncounterbalance all the evils of our lot. \u201cWhen even my father or my\nmother forsaketh me, the Lord taketh me up;\u201d {373} He is in the stead of\nparents, in the stead of all: \u201cthe Father of the fatherless, and the God\nof the widow;\u201d the Lord of consolation, and the Lord of love. The\nupholding of His Spirit will sustain our infirmities; one beam of His\ngracious mercy will cheer all the darkness, which the world casteth over\nour souls.\n\nThe disciples of Jesus experience His friendly comfort every day and\nhour: even if there were no other world than this, they feel themselves\nabundantly blessed in their connexion with Him, by His present affection\nand grace; but there _is_ another world; where their joy and love will be\ncontinued, and their union with Him perfected in glory. He is called, in\ngracious condescension, \u201cthe first-born among many brethren;\u201d {374a} He\nhas suffered and died and triumphed and risen again, risen \u201cas the first\nfruits of them that sleep;\u201d {374b} and His brethren, \u201cwho endure unto the\nend,\u201d shall also rise from the sleep of death, and \u201csee Him as He is, and\nbe like Him:\u201d {374c} they shall \u201cbe the children of God, being the\nchildren of the resurrection.\u201d {374d}\n\nAnd \u201cdo not our hearts burn within us\u201d at the representation of this\nblessedness? Do we not desire the honour, the privilege, the advantage,\nthe excellency of being thus united, in a bond of holy endearment, to the\nglorious Son of God, to the Saviour of our souls? Undoubtedly we do:\nunless our understandings be so darkened and our affections so depraved\nand debased, that we are incapable of choosing between good and evil,\nthat we \u201cput darkness for light and light for darkness.\u201d There cannot be\none amongst us, who does not profess to set a value upon the favour and\nfriendship of his Lord; upon the relationship which, as christians, we\nare graciously permitted to bear to Him. Not one of us would go to rest,\ncontent and happy, with the prospect of being deprived of this\ndistinguished and heavenly blessing. Let us know and remember then, that\nour relationship to Him is not like that of earthly families, a mere name\nwhich we have inherited from infancy; and which will necessarily continue\nwithout our care or concern. We became related to Him by our baptismal\ncovenant; but there must be something more than baptism; something more\nis required than a mere profession, than an outward belonging to His\nvisible church, in order to our being acknowledged as His brethren.\nBrethren by name all of us are; nay, we have been spiritually admitted\ninto holy connexion with Him: but Jesus regards those only, as accepted\nmembers of His family, who believe in Him with all their heart and soul;\nwho look to Him, with a single, entire, and constant dependence, for life\nand salvation; those, who \u201care daily renewed in the spirit of their\nminds;\u201d and desire and strive to bring all their affections into a\nrighteous subjection to Him and His holy law; those, in a word, \u201cwho do\nthe will of God.\u201d\n\nWe cannot sufficiently reprobate the practice of those persons, who\nboastfully claim the Saviour as their \u201cfamiliar friend,\u201d without an\nabiding concern and a strenuous endeavour to walk as He walked, in all\nthe ways of spiritual and moral integrity. Consider, I pray you, His own\nclear text on this point: \u201cIf ye love Me, keep My commandments:\u201d {377}\nthere can be no other evidence of our saving interest in the Lord, but\nthat which He Himself has established. His true disciples and brethren\nmust bear His image; and not the marred, corrupted, hideous likeness of\nthe author of sin and death. This it is, to be spiritually and\neffectually incorporated into the family of Jesus Christ; thus is our\nrelationship to be proved and cherished: he that walketh as a brother and\na friend, will be owned as such; he, that faileth so to walk, will be\ndisowned and cast away, whatever his pretensions: \u201cbetter had it been for\nthat man if he had never been born;\u201d better still, if he had never been\nborn \u201cof water and the spirit;\u201d if he had never \u201cnamed the name of\nChrist.\u201d Let us then faithfully remember, not only the joys and\nprivileges of the brethren of our Lord, but the means also, which are\nabsolutely necessary for the proof and establishment of this holy title;\nthe conditions, the evidences, and the duties of so high and happy a\nstate.\n\nAnd from our Lord\u2019s example in the instance before us, we may gather\nseveral particulars for our instruction in life: He gave His relations to\nunderstand, that it was not so much the natural tie which He valued, as\nthe spiritual; not, as we have already explained, that He was devoid of\nnatural affection, but that the spiritual bond was of so much higher\nimportance in His esteem. In applying this principle for our adoption\nand regulation, certainly great allowance must be made, and sound\ndiscretion used; allowance for our mutual infirmities; and discretion,\nfor the sake of preserving domestic harmony and peace. Far be it from\nus, to disclaim and renounce every one of our family, who liveth not as a\nfaithful follower of Christ; he has a natural hold upon us, which must\nnot be harshly or hastily broken.\n\nIndependently of a universal feeling of benevolence for all mankind; it\nis evidently the will of God, that the different members of each family\nshould be especially attached together, for the sake of promoting each\nother\u2019s interest and comfort; and thus of contributing to the good of\nsociety at large; to the increase of the general stock of happiness, and\nthe diminution of evil.\n\nAnd this, the design of a merciful Providence, which is manifest to our\ncommon reason and our common feelings, is abundantly verified and\nenforced by the holy word of God. The fifth commandment in the law\ndistinctly recognizes and requires the exercise of domestic affection;\nand it is repeatedly confirmed, under the gospel covenant, by the pen of\nan inspired apostle. That apostle has farther declared, that \u201cif any\nprovide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he\nhath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.\u201d {379} And the\nsense of this precept may be properly extended, to sanction and command\nall those peculiar offices, of kindness and countenance and support,\nwhich the members of a family can perform for each other. Under ordinary\ncircumstances therefore, if there be no opposing necessity, the natural\ntie is to be respected by the Christian, and bound upon his conscience\nand his heart.\n\nNor is such a connexion to be dissolved, but in cases of extremity; for\nthis among other reasons, that there is always a hope, of the recreant\nand abandoned becoming, by the mercy of God, at length reclaimed and\nconverted; and of this great blessing the pious relative may be made an\ninstrument, by his fervent prayer, his affectionate counsel, and the\nconstant influence of his good example.\n\nBut all this hinders us not from looking, with a very different eye, upon\nthe spiritual and the worldly relation; upon the good and the evil;\nthough both may be objects of our kind personal offices, the nature and\ndegree of our affection may vary most exceedingly. Our love for the\ntruly christian relative has a fervour, a purity, a delight, which\nnothing but the mutual working and spirit of religion can possibly\ngenerate: the happiness proceeds from that sacred, heavenly source, from\nwhich both of us draw our principles and hopes; from the consciousness of\nour common interest in the great Redeemer, and our common relationship to\nHim: we are both \u201cmembers of Christ and children of God;\u201d inheritors of a\nbetter kingdom; to which we are journeying together, and of which we love\nto be discoursing; it is a bond of union, which nothing can separate; not\ndistance, not death: for this is the great consideration, the great\nenhancement of our joy and comfort, that the love which we are bearing\nfor one another, in the kingdom of grace, shall be renewed and matured in\nthe kingdom of glory. And unless there be this principle of attachment\nbetween relations, this common faith and hope, this exercise of piety and\ngodliness, this interchange of holy affection, all other attachments,\nhowever requisite for this world, are but time-serving and poor: death\nwill be the dreadful extinction. But when the natural affection is thus\ncombined with the spiritual, and draws its nourishment from it, they\nproduce together a happiness, which none but such relations can know.\n\nAnd further, we are taught by this example of Christ, that every sincere\nbeliever, with whom we are made acquainted, with whom we have\nintercourse, is to be treated as a brother; whatever be his situation in\nlife, he is an object of affection far more noble and delightful, than\nany human tie can possibly produce; and is entitled to our best and most\nbenevolent services. We may not be familiarly associated; we may not\ndwell with him as with an earthly relative; there may be a distance of\nrank between us; but we love and honour him, for the Lord\u2019s sake and his\nown sake, as one of God\u2019s redeemed people, with whom we hope to dwell in\nlove for ever; and therefore our soul delighteth \u201cto communicate with him\nand to do him good.\u201d Pity that there is not, in the christian world,\nmore of this spirit of the blessed Jesus; more friendly sympathy and\nbrotherly interchange; more regard for one another, as members of the\nsame holy family; the rich for the rich, the poor for the poor, the rich\nand poor for each other. Far different would be our condition in this\nworld, if all were thus regarding, thus feeling for, thus helping one\nanother. Why is it not so? For the want of a true christian faith and\nprinciple. If the tree were good, the fruit would be thus beautiful.\n\nMy brethren, allow me affectionately to recommend this subject to your\nprivate and most serious consideration; to your daily prayers; as a\nsubject, in which your own interest in the Saviour is deeply involved; as\na subject, intimately connected with all your best promises and hopes, in\nthis life and the life to come. And may the God of love shed His spirit\nabroad amongst us, and \u201cpour into our hearts this most excellent gift of\ncharity, the very bond of peace and of all virtues.\u201d Has Jesus, our\ncommon Lord and Master, our heavenly and eternal King, declared, of every\nfaithful disciple, that \u201cthe same is to Him, as a brother and sister and\nmother?\u201d Then remember His example, and remember His words, \u201c_as_ I have\nloved you, that ye love one another:\u201d remember them, or you will be\nforgotten by Him: \u201clove the brotherhood,\u201d or you do not belong to Christ;\nyour profession is hypocrisy. \u201cWalk in love, as Christ hath loved you;\u201d\nlet it be your daily walk: the reward is great, in every point of view;\ngreat upon earth, in present comfort and peace and honour; greater on the\nlatter day, in the approving declaration of your Lord; \u201cInasmuch as ye\nhave done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it\nunto Me:\u201d {384} greatest in heaven, where we shall be made \u201cperfect in\nlove;\u201d in the love of God, and of the holy angels, and all His redeemed\npeople, for ever and ever.\n\n\n\n\nSERMON XXI.\nON SEEKING OUT THE WORKS OF THE LORD AND PRAISING HIM.\n\n\n PSALM cxi. 1. 2.\n\n _I will give thanks unto the Lord with my whole heart_; _in the\n assembly of the upright and in the congregation_.\n\n _The works of the Lord are great_, _sought out of all them that have\n pleasure therein_.\n\nONE of the greatest hindrances to the Christian life, in the true\nbeliever, is his perpetual intermixture with the world, his constant\noccupation with the business of his daily calling, with earthly pleasures\nand pursuits. The world, in its very nature, in the spirit which it\nbreathes, in the cares which it engenders, in the temptations which it\nspreads, stands in opposition to the gospel, to the Christian\u2019s walk with\nGod; it unfits his mind for spiritual contemplation; it gives him a\ndisrelish for holy delights; it calls aside his thoughts from God, from\nheaven, and from heavenly things; and makes him forget his obligation to,\nand dependence upon, the merciful and over-ruling providence of the Most\nHigh.\n\nAnd yet it is undoubtedly our duty to live in the world; to partake, in a\ncertain degree, of its pleasures, as well as of its labours and cares.\nIt is the will and decree of God, that mankind should provide \u201cby the\nsweat of their brow\u201d for their subsistence and well-being in life:\nintegrity and industry in the exercise of our calling are among the\nappointed means, by which we must \u201cWork out our salvation.\u201d Since\ntherefore we are obliged to mix with the world, our great object should\nbe, to guard against its engrossing and corrupting influence; to retain\nall our possessions in a spirit of humble and constant reliance upon the\nsovereign power and disposal of the Almighty; to be lifting up our\nhearts, in the course of our daily employment, above all secular\nconcerns, to the author of our being, to the giver of our talents and our\ntime, to the judge of all our actions. And besides, some portion of each\nday must be distinctly set apart for holy reading, meditation, and\nprayer. Without such rules and observances, the christian principle\ncannot possibly be maintained; faith and zeal will grow cold, the\ncommunion with God be gradually impaired, the affections estranged, and\nthe obedience destroyed.\n\nThese remarks may serve to introduce an exposition of the 2nd verse of\nthe text. \u201cThe works of the Lord are great:\u201d yet great as they are, they\ncannot be understood nor perceived by those, who are absorbed in earthly\nideas and pursuits. The attention will thus be entirely drawn off from a\ncontemplation of the works of Jehovah; and the mind will entirely rest\nupon its own labours and objects. To our own hand and our own arm, to\nour own skill and enterprise, to our own advantage and honour, we shall\nrefer all the transactions of life, and all the success and enjoyment\nwith which we are blessed. The dealings of our heavenly Father, both\nwith ourselves and with the world around us, will be utterly overlooked;\nand however we may believe, as a speculative truth, that His \u201cprovidence\norders and governs all things both in heaven and earth,\u201d we shall be in\nno way improved or affected by that belief; in fact, we shall have no\nreal or practical persuasion of His providential government: we shall be\nblind to His manifold mercies vouchsafed to ourselves, to our brethren,\nand to the Church at large.\n\nThe works of the Lord must be \u201csought out;\u201d that is, they must be\nmindfully and diligently observed, in order to their being adequately\nunderstood; nay, if we would know any thing of their vastness or their\nexcellency. We must be continually looking beyond human motives, human\nexertions, human experience, if we would in any measure, comprehend or\nperceive the merciful interpositions and dealings of God. We must be in\nthe constant habit of connecting the ordinary operations and occurrences\nof life with a higher power, with the counsel and government of heaven; a\ngracious promise is given, that \u201call things shall work together for good\nto them that love God;\u201d and we must be always endeavouring to trace this\nworking, and observe the striking manner in which this effect is\nproduced. We shall thus be able to perceive, how continually our\nmerciful Father is watching over us, is crowning our honest designs and\nlabours with success, and is bringing good even out of evil itself. We\nshall perceive, how wonderfully He directs us to the most suitable means\nof accomplishing our laudable purposes: how He over-rules those events,\nover which we had no controul, for our benefit and prosperity; how He\nraises up to us friends and fellow-workers, when we least expected them;\nand provides us comforters, where we looked for none; how, in the season\nof danger, of which we are not even aware, He spreads over us the shield\nof safety, and we come forth unhurt; how He compels the designs, even of\nour enemies themselves, to minister in the end to our advantage; how, in\nthe various calamities and sorrows, privations and disappointments,\nsicknesses and pains, which He does permit to befal us, He brings us\nconsolation under them, and makes us to see and acknowledge, that what we\nlamented as a grievance, is turned into a signal blessing. And whenever,\nin any of our concerns or experiences, we fail to trace the mercy of God,\nit is, for the most part, because we do not sufficiently seek it out;\nbecause we are resting in our own short-sighted views; because we are\n\u201cwalking by sight and not by faith,\u201d in \u201cthe flesh and not in the\nspirit;\u201d desiring benefit in our own ways, and not humbly discerning the\nways of the Lord; impatient under the means, and not considering the end;\nlooking at the earthly instrument and agent, and forgetting the prime\nMover of all.\n\nWhat I am seeking to recommend to you is this, not a mere principle or\nmatter of belief, but the importance of a constant, daily observance of\nthe events and transactions of life, in reference to the almighty power\nand goodness of God. It is a point not attended to, even by many sincere\nChristians, as it ought to be; as to the generality, day after day passes\nby, without any such reference at all. Every thing proceeds, in their\nnotion and view, from their own will and work, from the good or evil\nworking of others; and they are affected accordingly; rejoicing or\ncomplaining, elevated or cast down. They have no consideration of the\ngreat Ruler and Preserver; they might almost be said to \u201clive without God\nin the world;\u201d it amounts, at least, to a practical disowning of His\nprovidence.\n\nBut I must repeat, that even from many sincere Christians this great\ninfluential doctrine does not receive all the attention, which its\nimportance demands. They are convinced, that \u201cthe works of the Lord are\ngreat;\u201d that His mighty operations are continually manifested, in the\nmoral and spiritual government of mankind; but they do not sufficiently\ncarry this conviction into their own daily walk in life. Far would we be\nfrom implying, that such reflections ought, in any way, to interfere with\nour circumspection or diligence in worldly concerns; or that we are\nfamiliarly to mix up religious observations with ordinary business or\npleasure; but we should have a mind and heart ever open to perceive the\ngracious interpositions and visitations of heaven; we should be alive to\nevery providential deliverance from accident or danger, both in ourselves\nand others: to the vouchsafement of every blessing, both temporal and\nspiritual. And they, who are thus disposed and ready, will find many\nopportunities drawing them to God: many circumstances and events, which\nthey once regarded somewhat in the light of chance, they will then\nclearly ascribe to the sure, though silent working of that invisible\npower, by which every thing in the universe is governed and sustained.\n\nBut the works of the Lord are \u201csought out\u201d by those only, \u201cwho have\npleasure therein:\u201d and this will explain to us the true cause, why such\nlamentable numbers of professed believers seldom or never seek them out\nat all. They have no _pleasure_ in their thoughts upon the Almighty:\nthey love Him not, serve Him not with a devoted and delighted heart;\ntheir conscience is uneasy and self-condemning, and therefore they\nreluctantly turn their thoughts to their great Sovereign and Judge; it is\nrather a pain than a pleasure to them, so to do. \u201cLoving the world and\nthe things of the world,\u201d they have no taste for spiritual enjoyment of\nany kind: in extraordinary emergencies, when the interference of an\nover-ruling power is irresistibly thrust upon their notice, they do not\nrefuse to join with their brethren in acknowledging the fact: but as for\nsearching out His ways and dealings in their daily experience, they are\ndecidedly disinclined and averse to it; the injunction of such a practice\nis repugnant to their views and feelings and desires.\n\nNor can any, but the pious and faithful servant of God, find delight in\nthis holy and profitable exercise: and the longer he lives, the more\nclearly he perceives the hand of the Almighty in every thing; in\ndiscomfiting the evil and blessing the good: he sees and admires the\nwonders of grace, as well as the wonders of providence, vouchsafed to\nothers as well as himself; to the Church in all ages. He reads, in the\nword of truth, of the signal manner, in which the Lord has delivered His\npeople from the foundation of the world; not only by the miraculous\ninterposition of His omnipotent arm; but also in the ordinary course of\nHis dealings with them. How merciful and manifold have been His ways of\nenlightening them when in ignorance, and converting them when in sin.\nHow pitifully and patiently has He borne, not only with their\ninfirmities, but with their guilt and rebellion; and graciously reclaimed\nthem from the path of error and ruin, by the mercies of His chastising\nrod. Nor do the defeat and destruction of wicked men afford less\ndecisive proof, than the deliverance of the righteous, of the greatness\nof the Lord\u2019s works: the whole history of the Church shews Him to have\nbeen great in justice, as in mercy: and, we may add, in truth also.\nOften indeed have the promises of divine favour, and the denunciations of\nvengeance, been fulfilled in the most unexpected and marvellous manner;\nby instruments apparently altogether unequal to the momentous object\ndesigned. But \u201cthe Lord worked for His people; and there is no restraint\nto the Lord to save by many or by few.\u201d {395}\n\nAnd amongst his friends and brethren in the Lord, the christian also\nbeholds many satisfactory and encouraging instances of the working of\nheavenly power: he sees them advancing in their spiritual course,\nsteadier in principle, and improved in character, \u201cgrowing in grace and\nin the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.\u201d And wherever he\nobserves the increase of true religion, there he also finds, to his\nheart\u2019s delight, a correspondent increase of contentment and happiness;\nthe power of the gospel is manifest before him, in the altered characters\nand lives of men; and in all this, he perceives and admires the gracious\noperations of a merciful God.\n\nBut the christian is best acquainted with himself; studies the most\nnarrowly his own conduct, and life; he judges indeed, with deep humility,\nof the manifestation of divine power in his behalf, sincerely conscious\nof his undeservings; still he can truly bear witness that in his own\ncase, his own experience also, the works of the Lord have been great.\nThough still far, in spirit and in character, from what he ought to be\nand would be; he finds himself continually gaining the mastery over his\nevil affections and habits, and drawing nearer to God; perpetually\nadvancing in holiness, as in knowledge; more \u201chungering and thirsting\nafter righteousness, and more filled;\u201d taking more delight in spiritual\nordinances, and shewing the fruit of them in his life and conversation.\nAnd when he considers his own sinful nature, and the powerful enemies\nopposed to him, he cannot but ascribe this change in his heart, this\nimprovement in his conduct, to the mighty workings of heavenly grace.\nUnworthy as he is of God\u2019s favour, he does find a well-spring of comfort\nestablished in his soul; comfort at all times, especially in the hour of\ntribulation; either he is provided with the means of deliverance, or the\ntribulation itself is converted into a blessing. He is also made in many\nways, the instrument of benefit to others, to his family or friends; and\nevery door of usefulness that is opened to him, he gratefully\nacknowledges to be opened of the Lord. In all the good he receives or\ndoes, and all the evil he escapes or prevents, he traces the power and\nmercy of his God; \u201cnot unto me, O Lord, not unto me, but unto Thy name be\nthe glory and the praise.\u201d Thus he imitates the conduct of the Psalmist,\nrecorded in the text; \u201cI will give thanks unto the Lord with my whole\nheart:\u201d it is not a formal service, not a partial tribute, not a\nreluctant offering: all the powers of his understanding and all the\naffections of his soul are employed in magnifying the majesty and\nloving-kindness of the \u201cauthor and giver of every good gift.\u201d\n\nAnd the grateful Christian imitates the Psalmist yet farther; he does not\nhide the sense of God\u2019s goodness within his own bosom; nor confine the\nmention of it to the narrow boundary of his closet; but declares it\nopenly as opportunity serves; first of all \u201cin the assembly of the\nupright,\u201d or, according to the better version of the Prayer Book,\n\u201csecretly among the faithful;\u201d in the company of his family and his\nreligious friends. When he has experienced or observed the peculiar\nmercies of his almighty and merciful Father, he delights to speak of\nthem; though with humility, yet with fervour and joy. Such is the\nnatural disposition of man, when he feels deeply the obligation of\nbenefits conferred: if an earthly friend has enriched or favoured him, he\nthankfully makes mention of the kindness: and shall he do less for the\nabundant, the infinite goodness of his God? Shall he not rejoice to\nproclaim it in the very overflowing of his heart?\n\nThere are persons, who would draw a line of distinction between the two\ncases; and say, that our obligations to God should be felt only, and our\nobligations to man should be both felt and proclaimed. It is probable,\nthat such observations, however sincerely made, generally proceed from\nthe want of spirituality of heart: there is an aversion to the\nintroduction of religious topics, however sober or seasonable. That they\nare often indiscreetly introduced, often in a spirit of\nself-righteousness, and fanatical pretension, we cannot deny: but the\nabuse of any holy exercise is not to prevent us from the use. Look at\nthe recorded lives of any pious Christians, of those who are held up to\nus as patterns of righteousness, whom in fact we profess to admire; and\nsee how ready and forward they were, on all occasions, to speak of the\nmanifold works which God had wrought for them, of the kindness which they\nhad experienced at His hands. The Psalms are full of such expressions\nand resolutions: the text is a decided instance: let it have its effect\nupon us: let every one who has been favoured of the Lord, delight to be\n\u201ctalking of His doings:\u201d not intrusively, not boastingly, as if he were a\nspecial favourite of heaven; as if he would make it appear, that the Lord\nwere kinder to him than to others: but with simplicity and singleness of\nmind. The true believer abhors the two extremes, of spiritual pride on\nthe one hand; and of cold-hearted insensibility on the other. He feels\nhimself all undeserving of the bounty of the Lord, and is astonished that\nit should be so bestowed upon _him_, who is \u201cnot worthy to gather up the\ncrumbs under his master\u2019s table;\u201d but the bounty _is_ bestowed, and he\ncannot let it pass unnoticed or undeclared.\n\nAgain, the Psalmist says, \u201cin the assembly of the upright and in the\ncongregation.\u201d He vows, that not only in the company of his faithful\nfriends, but also in the great congregation, in the holy temple, the\npower and mercy of Jehovah shall be publicly proclaimed. {401} Not that\nany particular acts, of providence or grace, could be there mentioned by\nname; but that the thankfulness, which he feels for them, would put new\nlife and energy into his praises, in the House of God. And this also we\nshall do well to imitate; this we shall assuredly imitate, if we have the\ntrue spirit of faith and piety. At all times, the sincere worshipper has\nso powerful a sense of the divine goodness in his heart, as to preserve\nhim, in his public thanksgivings, from indifference and languor; but\nthere are times, when he is visited with peculiar favour, with signal\ndeliverances and blessings; and the remembrance of them will inspire him,\nwhen he next visits the temple of the Lord, with more than ordinary\nardour; \u201cout of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh;\u201d and as\nhis love and gratitude rise, his tribute of praise will ascend, in a\nloftier strain, to the fountain of mercy, to the throne of grace.\n\nAnd God will hear him, and accept the free-will offering; he will return\nfrom worship in a holier frame, and with a more heavenly temper; the\nincense which he has been wafting to the skies, will leave a fragrance\nbehind, and spread to his character; and he will be rendered meet,\nthrough the grace and intercession of his Redeemer, for further\nmanifestations of divine love. And O still better fruit, still happier\neffects of his devout thanksgiving! he will be preparing his soul for\nmore exalted praises in the world to come, amid the countless multitude\nof worshippers, in the courts of the Lamb; where the holy-angels and the\nglorified saints shall rejoice together, in seeking out and recounting\nthe surpassing love of God to His church and people, to His universal\ncreation in all ages. Exulting in the light divine, and sharing together\nthe blessedness of the Saviour\u2019s triumph, praise shall be their constant\nemployment; and the vaults of heaven shall eternally echo with this their\njoyful theme, \u201cGreat and marvellous are Thy works. Lord God Almighty;\njust and true are Thy ways, Thou King of Saints.\u201d {403}\n\n\n\n\nSERMON XXII.\nDILIGENCE AND PERSEVERANCE IN THE CHRISTIAN RACE.\n\n\n PHILIPP. iii. 13, 14.\n\n _Brethren_, _I count not myself to have apprehended_; _but this one\n thing I do_, _forgetting those things which are behind_, _and\n reaching forth unto those things which are before_, _I press toward\n the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus_.\n\nFROM what St. Paul had said in a few verses before, he feared, lest he\nshould have seemed to make himself sure of salvation, without the\nnecessity of any further anxiety or labour; as if he might rest quietly\nsatisfied with his present views and attainments; and had nothing to do,\nbut to wait for the certain result. And truly, if such confidence and\nrelaxation could ever have been justified, it must have been in the case\nof this apostle; witness the sacrifices which he had made for the gospel;\nhis unswerving and invincible faith; his holiness of character; his\nunparallelled labours; and the many signal marks of divine blessing, with\nwhich he had been distinguished.\n\nBut still, he was far from presuming in this way; and the resolution\nwhich he expresses in the text, and the account which he gives of his own\nspirit and conduct, may furnish us with a very suitable lesson, and teach\nus the absolute necessity of continued watchfulness and diligence and\nperseverance unto the end; may teach us, that we are not, as the prophet\nEzekiel expresses it, to \u201c_trust_ in our own righteousness;\u201d {405} in any\nprinciples we have formed, any views we have entertained, any holiness we\nhave acquired, any experiences with which we have been blessed; and thus\ngrow heedless and secure: but, that the further we advance, the more we\nmust be convinced of the need of exertion; the more we shall find to do,\nand the more we shall be enabled to do: who loiters, loses; loses the\nadvantage of the ground he has gone over; loses the means of a victorious\nand successful accomplishment.\n\nIt will be improving, to those, who listen with humble and teachable\nhearts, who spiritually receive the word of God as the teaching of the\nSpirit of God, if we repeat a considerable portion of the important\npassage connected with the text; let us begin then with the 7th verse.\n\u201cWhat things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ, yea\ndoubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the\nknowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss of\nall things, (all earthly things) and do count them but dung, (as mere\nrefuse and worthlessness) that I may win Christ and be found in Him, not\nhaving mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is\nthrough the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:\nThat I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship\nof His sufferings, being made conformable to His death, (by dying to sin\nthat I may live to God;) if by any means I might attain to the\nresurrection of the dead,\u201d (to that perfect felicity, to which the saints\nare admitted at the resurrection.) From these words, it might have\nappeared to some, as if the apostle had expected his great object to be\nalready accomplished; as if he had arrived at a state of faith and\nholiness, by which he had actually secured this felicity, independently\nof any further vigilance or labour: and therefore he immediately adds, by\nway of caution and correction: \u201cNot as though I had already attained,\neither were already perfect; but I follow after, (keep following after\nthe object before me,) if that I may apprehend _that_, (may lay hold of\n_that_ prize,) for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus;\u201d (for\nwhich He, as it were, has graciously laid hold of me, arresting me in my\ncourse of blindness and obstinacy, as a malignant persecutor of Him and\nHis gospel.) Then follows the text; \u201cBrethren, I count not myself to\nhave apprehended;\u201d I reckon not upon the prize as actually won; however\nhigh and fervent my hope, however undoubted my assurance of ultimate\nsuccess, I cannot be careless, I must not diminish my anxiety or\nactivity; my hope can only be sustained in proportion to my vigour in the\ncontest; success must depend upon my unbending resolution and unabating\nconstancy: the victory is not gained in the middle of the course, and\ncannot be gained till it is finished.\n\nMany of us, no doubt, are aware, that the apostles, as well as our\nblessed Lord, were in the habit of drawing their observations and modes\nof instruction from the common transactions of daily life; from the\ncircumstances, by which they were surrounded; from the manners and\ncustoms of the people, amongst whom they sojourned. Thus, when our Lord\ncalled Peter and Andrew, who were fishermen, to be His disciples, He\nsaid, \u201cFollow me and I will make you fishers of men.\u201d And St. Paul, on\nthe occasion before us, alludes to certain games or sports, generally\ncelebrated, and highly esteemed by the people, whom he was addressing.\nOne of these games was the foot-race, in which a number of competitors\ncontended together for the prize; and, in the result of which, they and\ntheir friends were deeply interested. Severe was the previous training,\nwhich it was necessary for them to undergo; and great and persevering the\nexertion necessary, in order to gain the prize. It would readily occur\nto their minds, that if the racer, who was out-stripping his opponents,\nwere so to please himself by the advantage he had gained, by thinking of\nthe ground he had successfully gone over, as to relinquish his efforts,\nas to stop and look back upon his wonderful feats, and indolently enjoy\nhis satisfaction, that, by such folly he would soon lose his superiority,\nthat his past endeavours would have been to little or no purpose; it\nwould be perfectly manifest to them, that nothing could ensure his\nsuccess, but the continuance of that activity, which had placed him\nforemost in the trial.\n\nAgreeably to this view and this figure, the apostle took his resolution,\nand formed his principle and conduct in the christian race. \u201cThis one\nthing I do;\u201d this is the unswerving purpose of my soul, this the plan and\nobject by which my whole course is constantly regulated; \u201cforgetting\nthose things which are behind, and reaching forth, (stretching out and\nforward all the faculties of my body and soul) to those things which are\nbefore, I press toward the mark.\u201d Great and successful as his\nattainments already were, he did not dwell upon them with a complacence\nand security, which should induce him to relax; on the contrary, he\nforgot them, in the comparison and prospect of the exertions which yet\nremained.\n\nAnd how much less reason have we, my brethren, to be satisfied with our\npast character, with any thing that we have already achieved. Woe to me!\n(may many of us say,) how large a portion of my time has been consumed in\nindifference and trifling! how long was it before I earnestly set out in\nthe race at all! and even after it was begun, I proceeded carelessly and\nsupinely, as if the prize had not been worth contending for. How idly\nand insufficiently did I prepare for the contest; expecting to gain the\nvictory without a sacrifice or a struggle! yea, and perhaps the best of\nus may look rather with shame than satisfaction upon our christian\nattainments: how much further might we have advanced, than we have done,\nif we had commenced the good work in earlier life, or been more diligent:\nhow much more enlightened might our minds have now been, had we more\nfervently sought, and more implicitly yielded to, the teaching of the\nSpirit of God; had we been more frequently and earnestly \u201csearching the\nscriptures,\u201d more devout in meditation and more constant in prayer: how\nmuch more purified our hearts, and \u201ccleansed from all unrighteousness,\u201d\nby a more sincere and unqualified subjection to the divine will; how much\nhigher our affections elevated, had they been more conversant with\nheaven; how much more firmly and blamelessly our feet have been fixed in\nthe way of God\u2019s commandments, in all the blessed ordinances of the\ngospel, in the narrow path of life eternal, had we been more zealously\nand faithfully walking with God. Nearer should we have been drawn to\nHim, in holier and happier communion, had we not been so long, and so\noften, cold and remiss.\n\nNo, my brethren, we have no reason to be dwelling, with such delight and\nconfidence, upon the progress we have already made, as to feel ourselves\nprivileged to be content. In no case, would this be considered the\nevidence of a true christian principle or view; in no case, would it be\nthe means of safety; nor even consistent with the hope of salvation; no,\nnot even in an apostle; much less in us, whose faith is so weak, whose\nknowledge so moderate, whose resolutions so wavering, whose attainments\nso comparatively poor. On the contrary, we should sorrow over our past\nfailings; be deeply affected on considering how far we have come short of\nwhat was required of us; and heartily desire and pray, that the grievous\nremembrance may stimulate us to fresh endeavours, with a \u201cnew heart and a\nnew spirit;\u201d that so we may be \u201creaching forth to those things which are\nbefore.\u201d All that we have well done, and all that we have left undone,\nshould have, for this purpose, the same effect; experiencing the blessed\nconsequences of our holy labour, on the one hand, we should be animated\nand encouraged to persevere in the conflict, that we may gather thereby\nadditional comfort and success; and sensible of our deficiencies, on the\nother hand, in a work of such inconceivable and everlasting importance,\nwe should be anxious to repair our neglect; and thankful for our\nopportunity of \u201credeeming the time,\u201d and making further advances.\n\nThank God, whatever our negligence may have been, all is not lost; the\ncourse is yet before us, and we may go onward in the spirit and strength\nof the Lord; the prize is yet before us, and it may be won. But it\nrequires a full purpose of heart, a fixed determination, an undaunted\ncourage, a strenuous exercise of every faculty and every nerve: all that\nwe are, and have, must be devoted to the securing of the one great\nobject. All the talents of reason, with which our Creator has endued us;\nall the energy of grace, with which our souls are supplied, must\nincessantly be brought to bear upon our high and holy calling. We must\nbe daily and hourly proceeding; no lingering, longing looks upon the\nworld we are leaving behind us; no loitering amid its vanities and\nfollies; no backsliding to its sinful pleasures and pursuits; no\ndeclining from the strict line of duty, as if it were become wearisome,\nas if it were not fully believed to be right or requisite: \u201cthe just\nshall live by faith, but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no\npleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition;\nbut of them who believe to the saving of the soul.\u201d {415}\n\nSt. Paul says, \u201cI press toward the mark;\u201d alluding to the mark, or line,\ndrawn across the end of the course, to shew where it terminated. The end\nof our course is death; that is the mark, to which we must constantly\npress; never, till we reach it, can our striving be over, can the victory\nbe gained. If we perceive ourselves languishing or weary, if the enemy\nof our souls would tempt us, as he undoubtedly will do, to indolence or\nrepose, let us instantly pray to our Almighty Father, for a double\nportion of His Holy Spirit, and he will enable us to renew our vigour,\nand maintain our stedfastness. Yea, though the race be so protracted,\nthat our limbs may be growing feeble with age, and our vital energies\ndecaying, still we shall be inspirited with a courage and strength, that\nwill be found abundantly sufficient; and as we near the end, our hopes\nwill rise, and our prospect will brighten; the weakness of nature will be\nassisted and compensated by a merciful increase of faith; and we shall\npress onward, through the latter part of the trial, with holier\nconfidence and fuller expectation.\n\nAnd all this, \u201cfor the prize of our high calling in Christ Jesus.\u201d What\nwas it, that led the people of former days, to enter into the list, and\nengage in the race? Why were they content to undergo such previous\nhardships and privations, in order to qualify them for the task? Why did\nthey exert themselves in the contest, so laboriously and painfully, as if\nwilling to sacrifice their lives in the struggle? It was for a little\ncrown of withering leaves; for the honour of their countrymen\u2019s applause;\nand the approval of their families and friends. How then do they put to\nshame the negligent and indifferent christian; him that refuses to train\nand labour for the conflict of life, for the cause of salvation! What is\nour prize? what are our objects? \u201can incorruptible crown,\u201d a \u201ccrown of\nglory that fadeth not away;\u201d an eternal inheritance in the heavens; the\napprobation of all good men; the welcome acclaim of a \u201cmultitude of\nangels which no man can number;\u201d the approval, the everlasting reward of\nthe Judge of our christian race. Are not these objects worthy of our\nsupreme regard? Is not this worth contending for? Does it not demand\nall our attention, all our anxiety, all our watchfulness and diligence\nand labour? Should not our whole soul be devoted thereto? Ought it not\nto be, comparatively speaking, the sole purpose, for which we care to\nlive and hope to die?\n\nEspecially when we consider the consequences of our failure, in this\ngreat enterprise and work. He that lost the earthly race, lost little;\nperhaps it was somewhat of an honour for him to have contended at all:\nbut he, who loses the christian race, loses every thing; loses his own\nsoul, his precious immortal soul; defeat will be ruin, eternal misery and\nperdition. He that lost the earthly prize on one occasion, might run for\nanother on a future day: but when once the spiritual race is run, when we\nhave arrived at the mark, at the goal, at the gate of death, no further\ntrial will then be vouchsafed; there will never be another opportunity.\nAnxiously perhaps we may desire it; and resolve, as we find ourselves\napproaching to the border of eternity, that if we could be permitted to\ncontinue our race for a little season, we would \u201cuse all diligence\u201d for a\nsuccessful termination; to gain the great prize we appear to be losing:\nbut the desire will be vain. We knew the nature of the prize before; we\nknew what was necessary in order to gain it; we declined and refused; we\nchose the broad and easy way of idleness and sin: the night will be come,\nand there will be no more working.\n\nO that before, that long before this time shall come, all our hearts may\nbe thoroughly fixed upon the high calling of our God; upon that blessed\nrevelation of the gospel, which calls us to life and immortality. O that\nthe heart of every hearer may be fixed this day, so as never to be\ndiverted from the holy and heavenly purpose; so as to be filled with a\nzeal and ardour, that shall never be extinguished; with invincible\ncourage, and irremovable confidence; so that we may never \u201cbe weary of\nwell-doing,\u201d but persevere unto the end.\n\nThe Saviour, on His lofty throne, calls us by _His word_, which announces\nthe glorious prize and the conditions of the race; by _His spirit_,\n\u201cwhich is striving with us;\u201d by His _heralds_ and _messengers_, warning,\nanimating, exhorting, persuading; He promises strength for the contest\nand victory in the end, to all who will engage in the great cause, with\nearnestness and sincerity. Awake, arise, we have nothing to fear: \u201cthe\nLord is with us; who shall be against us?\u201d who shall let or hinder?\nListen, listen to the invitation and the promise! Take them for your\ngovernment and your comfort; \u201cso run as to obtain;\u201d so, that on arriving\nat the end of the christian course, you may be calmly delighted to\nbehold, with the eye of faith the crown of victory and of glory, ready to\nbe placed upon your head. Often indeed are we permitted to behold the\nevident superiority of grace, at the latter hour; the peculiar accordance\nof divine mercy and strength, triumphing over the weakness of expiring\nnature: many pious Christians have then openly exhibited the most\nundoubted and convincing tokens of heavenly assurance and support; their\nLord thus manifestly affording them an anticipation of their \u201ccrown of\nrejoicing,\u201d and cheering them before their dissolution.\n\nAt this awful hour, there may be, and doubtless are, differences of\nspiritual experience in different individuals: but whatever, when we are\nceasing to labour, be the foretaste of that rest, \u201cwhich remaineth for\nthe people of God;\u201d whatever, when we are setting our foot upon the goal,\nbe the outward and visible sign of approaching glory; sure we may be, if\nfaithful unto death, that we shall soon enter upon that rest and that\nglory; but a small moment is remaining: the prize is ready at our\ndeparture: heaven will rejoice over us; the spirits of just men made\nperfect, (many whose names we have honoured, some whom we have seen and\nloved) will rejoice over us; and _we_ shall rejoice with them for ever.\n\n * * * * *\n\n FINIS.\n\n * * * * *\n\n J. GARDNER, PRINTER, BOLTON.\n\n\n\n\nFOOTNOTES.\n\n\n{vii} These Sermons, though written for particular Sundays, are most of\nthem generally applicable; indeed all of them, with very slight\nalterations or omissions.\n\n{4} Isaiah, ix. 2. Matt. iv. 16.\n\n{5} Eph. iv. 18.\n\n{7} 1 Cor. i, 26\u201329.\n\n{8} Isai. xxvi. 19.\n\n{9a} Isai lii. 1\u20133.\n\n{9b} Isai. lx. 1\u20133.\n\n{10} Matt. ii. 1.\n\n{12} Matt. vi. 23.\n\n{13} 2 Cor. v. 20.\n\n{18} John i. 9.\n\n{19} Col. iii. 3.\n\n{21} 1 Cor. ii. 9.\n\n{23} Eph. iii. 5\u20139.\n\n{26a} John xvii. 5.\n\n{26b} Philipp. ii. 7.\n\n{26c} John i. 1. 14.\n\n{29a} 1 Tim. iii. 16.\n\n{29b} Rom. v. 8.\n\n{29c} 1 Pet. iii. 18.\n\n{32} Prov. iii. 17.\n\n{34a} Matt. xxv. 34.\n\n{34b} 2 Pet. iii. 13.\n\n{36} Col. i. 12\u201320.\n\n{39} Acts xv. 18.\n\n{43a} Gen. vi. 3.\n\n{43b} 1 Pet. iii. 20.\n\n{50a} Acts ix. 6.\n\n{50b} 1 Sam. iii. 9.\n\n{53a} Matt. xxiv. 37\u201339.\n\n{53b} 2 Pet. iii. 5\u20137.\n\n{54a} 2 Pet. iii. 13, 14.\n\n{54b} 1 Thess. iv. 17.\n\n{55} Eph. iv. 30.\n\n{57} Heb. xi. 7.\n\n{59} Heb. vii. 26.\n\n{60a} Gen. vi. 9.\n\n{60b} Psal. xvi. 8.\n\n{60c} Psal. cxix. 105.\n\n{62a} Gen. vi. 17, 18.\n\n{62b} Gen. ix. 9\u201311.\n\n{63} Wells\u2019s Paraphr. on Gen. vi. 18.\n\n{65} Gen. vii, viii.\n\n{69} Gen. viii. 13\u201321.\n\n{71} Ps. ciii. 1\u20134.\n\n{73} Psal. lxxxix. 37.\n\n{75} Rev. iv. 1\u20133.\n\n{78} Gen. xxxix. 1\u20134.\n\n{80} Gen. xxxix. 8.\n\n{89a} The season of Lent.\n\n{89b} Ps. cxxxix. 24.\n\n{90a} Heb. xii. 1.\n\n{90b} Rom. ii. 4.\n\n{92} Eph. vi. 10\u201313.\n\n{96} Luke xxiv. 15, 16.\n\n{101} Luke xxiv. 18\u201321.\n\n{102} Luke xxiv. 25, 26.\n\n{103a} Matt. xvi. 16.\n\n{103b} Luke xxiv. 27.\n\n{104a} Luke xxiv. 28, 29.\n\n{104b} Deut. vi. 7.\n\n{105a} Ps. xvi. 8.\n\n{105b} Matt. xvii. 20.\n\n{105c} Luke xxiv. 30, 31.\n\n{107} Psal. cxix. 18.\n\n{108} Phil. iii. 20.\n\n{113a} Psal. lxiii. 1.\n\n{113b} Eph. iii. 18, 19.\n\n{117a} John ix. 4.\n\n{117b} Micah vi. 8.\n\n{125} Art. x.\n\n{130a} Isaiah lv. 6.\n\n{130b} Prov. i. 26.\n\n{132} Heb. iii. 15.\n\n{136} Psal. lxxiii. 25.\n\n{137} Second Sunday after Trinity.\n\n{138a} Psal. cxi. 10.\n\n{138b} Psal. lxxxv. 9.\n\n{138c} Malach. iv. 2.\n\n{138d} Acts x. 35.\n\n{138e} Luke i. 50.\n\n{139} Psalm viii. 4.\n\n{144} Lev. xix. 2.\n\n{145} 1 Peter i. 15.\n\n{148} Rom. viii. 35\u201339.\n\n{149a} Heb. x. 22.\n\n{149b} Heb. vi. 11.\n\n{150a} Tit. ii. 4.\n\n{150b} Col. i. 12.\n\n{152} 1 John iii. 2.\n\n{158} Isaiah xlv. 9, lxiv. 8.\n\n{161a} 1 Sam. ii. 6\u20139.\n\n{161b} Isaiah lvi. 12.\n\n{161c} Prov. xxiii. 5.\n\n{168} Psal. xxx. 5.\n\n{169} Isaiah liv. 7, 8.\n\n{171} Psal. exxvi. 5.\n\n{174} 2 Sam. xii. 1\u20135.\n\n{177} Isaiah v. 20.\n\n{178} 1 Sam. xiii. 14; Acts xiii. 22.\n\n{179} 1 Cor. ix. 27.\n\n{181a} Jeremiah xvii. 9.\n\n{181b} 1 Cor. x. 12.\n\n{183} Rom. vi. 1, 2.\n\n{185} 2 Pet. iii. 18.\n\n{188} Lament. v. 21.\n\n{192a} Isaiah lxvi. 24.\n\n{192b} Dan. xii. 2.\n\n{193a} Jer. v.2; Is. vi. 10.\n\n{193b} Prov. viii. 36.\n\n{193c} Prov. xiv. 12.\n\n{194a} Rom. viii. 13.\n\n{194b} Rev. ii. 11. xx. 14. Pol. Syn. in loco.\n\n{195} Ezek. xviii. 20\u201323.\n\n{197} Ezek. xviii. 21, 22.\n\n{198a} Heb. xi. 6.\n\n{198b} Habbak. ii. 4; Rom. i. 17; Gal. iii. 18; Heb. x. 38.\n\n{199} Isaiah i. 18.\n\n{200a} 1 John ii. 1.\n\n{200b} 1 John i. 9.\n\n{200c} 2 Pet. iii. 9.\n\n{200d} John vi. 37.\n\n{202} Eph. v. 14.\n\n{204} Ezek. xviii. 24.\n\n{205a} Luke xi. 24\u201326.\n\n{205b} Heb. vi. 4.\n\n{206a} 1 Cor. x. 12.\n\n{206b} 2 Pet. i. 10.\n\n{206c} Heb. x. 38.\n\n{207a} Rom. viii. 37.\n\n{207b} Rom. ix. 20.\n\n{207c} Gen. xviii. 25.\n\n{207d} Isaiah xlv. 22.\n\n{208a} Rom. viii. 32.\n\n{208b} Tit. ii. 11.\n\n{208c} 1 John i. 7.\n\n{208d} Psalm lviii. 11.\n\n{211} Col. iii. 20.\n\n{213a} Isaiah l. 10.\n\n{213b} Ezek. xxxiii. 11.\n\n{214a} Ezek. xi. 19, 20; xxxvi. 26.\n\n{214b} Ezek. xviii. 31.\n\n{214c} Lev. xix, 2; Numb. xvi. 5; Heb. xii. 14.\n\n{218} John vi. 27.\n\n{220} Phil. ii. 12, 13.\n\n{226a} Luke i. 6.\n\n{226b} Tit. ii. 12.\n\n{227a} Gen. ii. 7.\n\n{227b} 1 Cor. xii. 11.\n\n{229a} 2 Cor. v. 17.\n\n{229b} Rom. xii. 9.\n\n{229c} Acts xxvi. 18.\n\n{231} Prov. ix. 16.\n\n{232a} Isaiah xxv. 6.\n\n{232b} Luke xxii. 29, 30.\n\n{233a} Matt. iii. 8\u201310.\n\n{233b} Heb. iii. 12.\n\n{234a} 2 Cor. iv. 4.\n\n{234b} Isaiah xliv. 20.\n\n{234c} John iii. 19.\n\n{236} Joel ii. 28, 29; Acts ii. 17, 18.\n\n{242a} Acts iv. 12.\n\n{242b} 1 Cor. iii. 11.\n\n{243a} Isaiah lv. 1\u20137.\n\n{243b} Zechar. xiii. 1.\n\n{251a} Rev. xxi. 23.\n\n{251b} Psalm xvi. 11.\n\n{260} 2 Cor. iii. 5.\n\n{262} Eph. iv. 1.\n\n{265} James ii. 10.\n\n{267} Matt. xiii. 12.\n\n{269} 2 Pet. iii. 18.\n\n{291} Matt. xxiv. 3\u20138.\n\n{302a} Tit. ii. 12.\n\n{302b} Gal. vi. 8\n\n{304} 2 Sam. 1. 23.\n\n{305a} Rom. viii. 6.\n\n{305b} Ezek. xviii. 20.\n\n{307} Rom. ii. 16.\n\n{308} 2 Cor. v. 10.\n\n{309} Thess. iv. 17.\n\n{311} Eccl. i. 14, 15.\n\n{314} Gen. i. 31.\n\n{315} Gen. i. 27.\n\n{317} 1 John ii. 16.\n\n{322} Jer. xlv. 5.\n\n{327a} Gen. ii. 16, 17\n\n{327b} Acts xvi. 31.\n\n{327c} Col. iii. 2.\n\n{328a} Jer. ii. 13.\n\n{328b} Rom. xii. 2.\n\n{328c} Rom. vi. 22.\n\n{331a} Prov. ii. 6. 9.\n\n{331b} 1 Cor. ii. 9.\n\n{334} 1 Cor. ii. 13, 14.\n\n{338} John xiv. 21\u201326.\n\n{341} Heb. vi. 5.\n\n{342} Matt. v. 4.\n\n{347} Prov. iv. 18, 19.\n\n{348} 1 Cor. xiii. 12.\n\n{358} Col. ii. 5.\n\n{364} Matt. xxvi. 41.\n\n{365a} 2 Tim. ii. 26.\n\n{365b} 1 Pet. iv. 7.\n\n{367a} John 11. 35, 36.\n\n{367b} John xiii. 23; xxi. 20.\n\n{373} Psal. xxviii. 10.\n\n{374a} Rom. viii. 29.\n\n{374b} 1 Cor. xv. 20.\n\n{374c} 1 Joh. iii. 12.\n\n{374d} Luke xx. 36.\n\n{377} John xiv. 15\u201321.\n\n{379} 1 Tim. v. 8.\n\n{384} Matt. xxv. 40.\n\n{395} 1 Sam. xiv. 6.\n\n{401} I will make my thankful acknowledgments to the Lord, not only with\nmy lips, or with some slight affections of my mind, but with all my heart\nand soul; and that not only in the private society of those good men,\nwhom I am more intimately acquainted withal, but in the public\ncongregation of all His people.\u2014_Bishop Patrick_.\n\n{403} Rev. xv. 3.\n\n{405} Ezek. xxxiii. 13.\n\n{415} Heb. x. 38, 39.","title":"Plain Parochial Sermons, preached in the Parish Church of Bolton-le-Moors","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":71509}