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Transcribed from the 1831 C. J. G. and F. Rivington edition byDavid Price, ccx074@pglaf.org

PLAIN
PAROCHIAL SERMONS,

p. iiiTO THE CONGREGATION
OF THE PARISH CHURCH OF BOLTON,
THESE SERMONS
ARE INSCRIBED AND DEDICATED,
WITH AFFECTIONATE REGARD,
BY THEIR PASTOR AND FRIEND,

p.vADVERTISEMENT.

The author has been repeatedlyurged to print a volume of his Parochial Sermons; and perhaps heowes some apology to those friends, whose kind advice, on thishead, has been for years neglected. He was apprehensive,that the interest, excited by his discourses from the pulpit,would not be adequately revived by their appearance in print; orat most, that they would be impressive only upon those who hadheard them:p.viand he moreover thought, that the christian world wasalready provided with more than a sufficiency of suchpublications. However, whether these opinions be wellfounded or not, he has been at length prevailed upon to defer tothe wishes and judgment of others.

It is almost needless to observe, that the Sermons werewritten without any, the most distant, view to publication; theypretend to nothing, but the simple and earnest inculcation ofchristian principle and practice; and as this is theauthor’s sole object, so does he pour forth his humbleprayer, that what, by God’s help, he has planted andwatered, may, by God’s blessing, be increased to the gloryof His own great name, and the edification of His Church.

p.viiCONTENTS.

p. 1SERMONI.
AWAKE THOU THAT SLEEPEST.

In this chapter the Apostle hasbeen reminding his Ephesian converts of the state in which theywere, before they had received and obeyed the call of thegospel. The people of Ephesus were highly endowed, in theworld’s estimation, not only with riches, but also withtalent and learning, and refinement; with all the arts andornaments of civilizedp. 2life. And yet, how does St. Pauldescribe them in the 8th verse? “Ye were sometimesdarkness;” how in the 12th? “For it is a shameeven to speak of those things which are done of them insecret.”

Here, you observe, we have a remarkable declaration from themouth of an Apostle, that a people, however talented and learned,were still wrapt in the mantle of darkness, with regard to theirreal good and happiness; with regard to their religious and moralcondition. Whatever nature had done for them, to whatevereminence they had been raised by art or industry, they were leftfar short of the object which it concerned them most toattain—an acquaintance with God, a knowledge and practiceof His law; a peace with Him and with their ownconsciences. So far were they from this, that theircharacters were stained with the most debasing vices; theirsecret sins were too abominable even to be mentioned.

p. 3Thus wesee how little the instructions and advantages of this world haveto do with reforming the conduct, or amending the depraved heartof man. And what was true in this instance, is true in all;there is no teaching, there are no rules of prudence, no maximshowever wise, no manners however polished, that can cleanse theheart of its natural unrighteousness, and curb its naturalpropensity to evil: give what you may, educate as you may, man,if left to his own wisdom and strength, will remain what he is byfallen nature, a weak, a wayward, and a wicked being; an enemy toholiness and to God. There may be a shew of wisdom“falsely so called;” there may be a refinedconversation and a polished outside; but there will always beuncleanness remaining within. The evil principles may weara dazzling veil, and the vices may be clothed in fashionablegarments, but they will be evil principles and vices still.

There is but one means by which thep. 4darkness of nature can be scattered,and that is by the light of God’s truth; but one means bywhich the evil spirit of the natural man can be cast out, andthat is by the Spirit of God. The blessed Jesus came intothe world to reclaim and redeem it from the grossness in which itwas sunk; to open a new scene of things; to impart a new life; tobanish the thick cloud of error and of sin, in which the worldhopelessly and irrecoverably lay; and to raise it to theknowledge and service, the favour and blessing of an offendedGod. This is the description of the happy effects which thegospel is intended and fitted to produce; “the people thatwalked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell inthe land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the lightshined.”[4] All, without the gospel, are inthis miserable condition, whatever they may think of themselves:all who sincerely embrace it, are enlightened and happy, howeverp. 5poor andhumble, and of whatever else they may be ignorant.

Poor and humble did I say? It is to them, that thislight is the most easily, and frequently, and effectuallycommunicated. The prosperous and the great too oftenresemble the wealthy Ephesians, “having the understandingdarkened, being alienated from the life of God through theignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of theirheart;”[5] revelling in the self-sufficiency oftheir earthly comforts, proud of their acquirements, fond oftheir own way, they disdain to be taught the humbling truths ofthe gospel from a fellow-creature like themselves: and often hasthe minister of the gospel to be thankful to his Lord and Master,that, when he finds his message rejected and despised by hiswealthier hearers, it still makes its way into the hearts of someof the poor: grieved he is indeed, that those, who ought to knowit best and love it most, should be so deluded by worldlyp. 6vanities andfollies, as to continue, amidst all their advantages ofeducation, in spiritual darkness and death; set against themessenger, because hating the truth of his message: yet, is it acomfort to him, sincere and unspeakable, that he meets with moresuccess among the ignorant, as they are called, and the childrenof the poor: that there he finds wisdom, “the wisdom whichis from above;” and there he finds friends among thefriends of God.

It was so in the Apostle’s day; and with some brightexceptions, it has been the same in every day: “For ye seeyour calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after theflesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called; but God hathchosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; andGod hath chosen the weak things of the world, to confound thethings that are mighty: and base things of the world, and thingswhich are despised hath God chosen; yea, and things which arenot, top.7bring to nought things that are: that no flesh shouldglory in his presence.”[7]

All these observations have been made, to connect and explainthe first word of the text,wherefore; “wherefore,he saith, awake thou that sleepest and arise from the dead, andChrist shall give thee light.” Inasmuch as it isimpossible for thee to know and to please God, to attain untoholiness and happiness, to save thy soul, by the light of nature,(for nature is in fact, of itself and for such a purpose, nolight at all,) turn to the way, which is opened to thee by theshining of the Sun of Righteousness; to that one way, which isopened alike for all mankind, rich and poor, learned andunlearned; turn to thy Redeemer, in humble faith and heartydesire, and “He shall give thee light:” learn of Himand He shall teach thee all that thou needest to know: seek ofHim, and He shall guide thee into all righteousness and truth;lean on Him, and He shall support thee,p. 8through all the course of thy earthlypilgrimage; and conduct thee in peace and safety to thyjourney’s end.

“Wherefore, hesaith;” there is noparticular passage in the Old Testament, in which these words ofthe text are found; but they seem to allude to severalexpressions of similar import, in the prophecy of Isaiah. In the 26th chapter, there is a passage which describes thedeliverance of God’s people from a state of degradation,both political and spiritual, under the figure of a resurrectionfrom the dead: “Thy dead men shall live, together with mydead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwellin dust; for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shallcast out the dead.”[8] And again, inthe 52nd chapter: “Awake, awake, put on thy strength, OZion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the Holy city;for henceforth there shall no more come in to thee theuncircumcised and the unclean; shake thyself from the dust;p. 9arise and sitdown, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, Ocaptive daughter of Zion: for thus saith the Lord, ye have soldyourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed withoutmoney:”[9a] a powerful call upon the Jewish peopleto cast away their transgressions, through which they had beenbrought into a state of grievous captivity, and to throwthemselves on the Lord’s mercy, and return to theLord’s service, that He might break their bonds asunder,and visit them with His salvation. One more passage thereis, to which the Apostle clearly alludes, in the opening of the60th chapter: “Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and theglory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For behold, thedarkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people:but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seenupon thee.”[9b] Here the prophet foretels theglorious dawn of gospel light, and calls upon the Church to ariseand behold it,p.10shining from afar; to behold it with the eye of faith;to look forward to that Saviour, that great “fountain forsin and uncleanness,” which the law and the prophets didall with one voice proclaim. The prophet adds, “Andthe gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightnessof thy rising.” The first coming of the gentile worldwas visible in the footsteps of the wise men, who came“from the east to Jerusalem,”[10] to worship the infant Jesus: and eversince our Lord’s return to the heavens, the gospel has beenpreached to all nations; and accepted, more or less, by the kingsand potentates of the earth.

And, as the prophet called on the people of old, to awake andarise and turn to the coming light, so St. Paul invited andanimated his converts and their brethren, to awake and behold theglory of the Lord, after it had been fully revealed to the darkand sinful world; and so do the ministers of Christ, in everyage, call uponp.11their hearers to arouse from their benighted and lostcondition, and let this light shine upon their understandings andhearts, and direct them in the way of life and salvation. For grieved are we to say, that notwithstanding these brightbeams of grace and truth have been so long pouring forth theirsplendour upon the earth, yet are there many dark corners; andmany eyes awfully closed against the light: and still moregrieved are we to say, that even in the land where these beamshave shone brightest, even in this land, vast numbers yet remaintotal strangers to their enlightening influence and convertingpower: numbers who have had the benefit of being educated underthe gospel, who have witnessed its happy effects; who have seenwhat it has done for their relations, or friends, or neighbours,have yet ungratefully and disdainfully turned away from theheavenly light, and “walked on still in darkness;”have sided with the world and Satan and sin, and resisted thesalvation of their souls.

p. 12O, thatthey could be brought, O for the grace of God’s Holy Spiritto bring them, to listen to the warning words of that mercifulSaviour, to whom, if they now continue to despise Him, they willone day lift up their hands in vain: these are His words,“if the light that is in thee be darkness, how great isthat darkness.”[12] If, after allthe gracious offers of pardon and life, which thy Redeemer hasmade thee, by His own mouth, and the mouth of His messengers,thou still choosest unforgiveness and death, going on in theheedlessness of thy impenitent heart, and wantoning in sin, howdreadful is thy condition! how infinitely more dreadful, than ifthe voice of mercy had never sounded in thine ears. Beconvinced: let the love of thy Saviour work upon thee; let thelove of thine own immortal soul move thee to fly unto Him, thegreat, the only, the everlasting Redeemer. Leave thy way ofmisery and ruin, and turn to Him for comfort anddeliverance. p.13Turn, while thou hast the power; the night is fastcoming. Thou knowest not how many more sabbaths, how manymore invitations and warnings, will be vouchsafed: many thou hasthad already; enough of them thou hast already slighted. Come, ye that are strong, for the strong are often laid low;come, ye that are young, for the young are not always spared;come, ye aged, for your hour of trialmust be nearly runout. Come all, while ye may, to the Lamb of God, foracceptance and for blessing: there is no safety, and no hope inany other: and no hope in Him, when the door is once shut;“we pray you, in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled toGod.”[13]

The text says, “Awake thou that sleepest;” itmeans, awake from the sleep of sin; and very fitly is the stateof the sinner compared to a state of sleep: he is quiteinsensible of his true, his awful condition; he fears not,perceives not, the doom that is awaiting him. Satan hasp. 14bound up hissenses; the eyes of his understanding are closed, and hisknowledge of good and evil is utterly prevented. He is tothe spiritual world, what the sleeping man is to the natural,unconscious of what is going forward to his advantage or hisinjury. Speak to him of mercy, he hears not: “singhim one of the songs of Sion,” it is all in vain: speak tohim of divine wrath, of eternal punishment; to what purpose,while his ear is closed? The whispers of conscience, thecounsel of friends, “the tongues of men or ofangels,” are alike unprofitable, while a deep sleep is castupon the soul.

And there is a further resemblance: the sinner dreams, ofhappiness arising from worldly prosperity, from plenty andpleasure: and as the brain of a poor or disconsolate man, in astate of sleep, is often filled with ideas of such things, and heawakes and finds them sadly untrue; awakes from his pleasantdreaming to his state of drudgery and discomfort; so is thesinner often constrained to feel and confess,p. 15that hisnotions of happiness were no better than a dream; that they wereunsubstantial and unreal, promising much and bringing little:still he is unconvinced; pursues his course of trifling, hisdisappointed dreamings, till at length he awakes in anotherworld, and thoroughly perceives the wretchedness of hiscondition, which it is then too late, impossible to change. From this dreadful, fatal sleep of sin, the gospel is designed torouse us: and I pray God, that our conscience may be effectuallyalarmed and awakened; that we may be alive and active inperceiving and following “the things that belong unto ourpeace!”

The text says further, “Arise from the dead;” fromthe death of sin; from the state of misery and ruin, in which yeinsensibly lie. Here is another significant figure: theimpenitent sinner is not only plunged into a condition ofhelpless wretchedness, but he has no energy to recover from it,no quickening or effectual desire of better things; no moreperceptionp.16of spiritual interests, of heavenly objects, than acorpse has of the natural world. When once the breath hasleft the body, the busiest scenes of earth can affect it nolonger; nothing can “charm the dull cold ear ofdeath:” when the breath of a divine life is not in thesoul, when the new-creating spirit of God is not received andcherished, the beauty of holiness and the all-important interestsof a spiritual and eternal world produce no effect upon theforlorn understanding and the deserted heart: no representationsof spiritual truth can move the heavy ear of a besotted anddetermined sinner; none, while he is resolved, so to remain: noteven the voice of the Son of God, “charm He never sowisely.” Till the heart be moved to repentance, till,the faculties of the soul are recovered from the fascination ofstupor and sin, no living impression can be made, even with allthe force that truth can carry. How often do we find thisto be the case! how often does the sinner acknowledge thejustice,p.17the certainty, the necessity of what is urged upon him,but without any alteration in his character; without anyeffectual or lasting alteration. His heart is unchanged:the slave of sin; dead in sin; not alive or open to the force oftruth, to the doctrines of righteousness or salvation.

Infatuated sinner! thine own conscience accuses thee; thoubelievest that there will be a world to come, a world ofrecompence, and yet thou turnest not to prepare for it; pray,when thou fearest; pray, when thou thinkest of these things; cryearnestly to thy Saviour, that he may deliver thee from this“gall of bitterness and this bond of iniquity;” prayfor the convincing, converting, life-giving Spirit, that He may“set thine heart at liberty” from the thraldom ofsin; and thus enable thee to listen to the call of the gospel,and turn thy feet in earnest to the Redeemer of thy soul. For if thou listenest and turnest not, “dead thou art whilethou livest;” and when thou diest, eternallyp. 18dead; dead toall comfort and happiness for ever; dead in a world of woe.

But if we will (and God grant that we all may) awake andarise, “Christ will assuredly give us light:”“He is the true light, which lighteth every man that comethinto the world;”[18] ready to shine uponevery soul, to lighten it in darkness and quicken it indeath. Believe in Him, and live in Him, and the clouds ofignorance shall be scattered away; and the drowsiness of the soulshall be cast off; and the cold heart of the natural man shall bewarm with life again. In the midst of this world’stemptations and trials, troubles and perplexities, we shall seeour way clear, our way to the heavenly Jerusalem; a brightness,the brightness of God’s presence, will be resting upon oursouls; the world sees it not, but we shall see and enjoy it everyhour: dark things will be made light, and “crooked thingswill be made straight, and the rough places plain:” weshall be living abovep. 19the world, for “our life willbe hid with Christ in God:”[19] cheerful we shall bewhen nature is sad: inspirited when nature is languishing; fullof praises and thanksgivings when nature is mourning.

Say, Christian people, have ye never seen the triumph of faithover nature’s weakness and Satan’s power? have yenever, in the hour of trial, witnessed that the Saviour was near?never observed the fainting spirit animated and sustained? neverbeheld the closing eye, of the dying saint, beaming with heavenlyfire; and the pale features lighted up with the smile ofsatisfaction and composure and peace? If ye have not, thedying Christian will shew you these things—go to his bed,and learn the lesson; go, and catch the hope, that “Christwill give you light.”

p. 20SERMONII.
THE UNSEARCHABLE RICHES OFCHRIST.

There is no passage, in the wholerange of Scripture, in which the benefits and blessings of thegospel are more strikingly and fully represented, than by thesefew words: it is elsewhere described as the “pearl of greatprice,” as “the treasure that fadeth not away,”as “the true riches;” but here, as if in addition tothe former descriptions, it is called, under the direction of theHoly Spirit, “the unsearchable riches of Christ:”impossible for men, impossible for angels to search out anddiscover its full excellency and value. The more it isexamined,p.21and the more it is experimentally known, the more is thebeliever convinced of the propriety and truth of thisdescription; without a deep enquiry indeed, without a vitalexperience of its blessedness, it is not for any one tounderstand even the nature of its transcendent riches; to theworld at large they are known only by name: but the sincereChristian, who makes them his own, is brought to admire theirinexhaustible fulness; and to perceive, how utterly they extendbeyond his comprehension, how highly they are removed above hisloftiest thoughts and his most ardent imagination: “eyehath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heartof man the things which God hath prepared for them that lovehim.”[21] They lie entirely out of thereach of the natural man; and even the spiritual man does butimperfectly understand them.

These unsearchable riches it was the province of St. Paulespecially to declarep. 22unto the gentile world, that is, untothe world at large, when the offer of them had been rejected bythe Jewish nation: in consequence of which blessed communicationto the gentiles, the knowledge of them was conveyed, in processof time, to our favoured land.

Many learned persons have believed, that St. Paul himselfpreached in this island; of this, however, there is no certainevidence; it is enough for us to know, that we are partakers ofthe benefit of his preaching, that the sound of the gospel, whichhe sent “forth into all lands,” has long ago reachedus; and that we are now in the full enjoyment of this inestimableprivilege. He declares, in the chapter, before us, thatJesus Christ, by express revelation, made known to him the greatmystery, the unfathomable purpose of His mercy; “which inother ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is nowrevealed unto the holy Apostles and Prophets by the Spirit: thatthe Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, and of thep. 23same body,and partakers of His promise in Christ by thegospel.” Unto me, he says, “who am less thanthe least of all saints, is this grace given, that I shouldpreach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches ofChrist. And to make all men see what is the fellowship ofthe mystery, which, from the beginning of the world, hath beenhid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.”[23]

You perceive here the object of the Apostle’s preaching;it was, that all mankind, we among the number, might be broughtacquainted with the glorious scheme of eternal redemption, and bemade partakers of its unspeakable blessings. And is there aheart so cold, as not to beat with gratitude, in the remembranceof such mercy; as not to take an interest in such a testimony ofdivine love? If we knew no particulars respecting it, thevery announcement and promise of an infinite treasure, of atreasure in the mansions of eternity, were sufficient to awakenourp. 24mostprofound attention: it often does so, when carried by themissionary to the heathen and the stranger; they, who never heardbefore the good tidings of salvation, are arrested by the voiceof the messenger, and hang upon his lips with a longing anxiety,and receive his message to the comfort of their souls: and can weremain unmoved by such considerations; we, who know the purportof the heavenly message; we, who profess to believe that it issent for our everlasting salvation from sin and death; toreconcile us to an offended God, to deliver us from theintolerable bondage of Satan, to make us happy while we live,happy when we die, happy for ever in another world, in thekingdom of heaven? Though the mercy is too great to beadequately understood, though “the love of Christ passethknowledge,” shall this prevent us from contemplation andenquiry? shall we not rather, on this very account, entertain amore fervent desire to understand and know, of this mystery ofgoodness, allp.25that is possible to be known? Whoever, indeed, hasnot this desire, cannot take any lively interest in therevelation which he professes to believe, cannot have sincerelyembraced it; knowing, as he does, the subject and purpose of thegospel, he is in a worse situation than many an ignorant heathen;his heart more hard and unimpressible; his eyes more closedagainst the light; his affections more difficult to be roused andengaged. May the Lord touch the heart of all such heedlessprofessors; or the very publicans and sinners, the darkest andmost despised of the earth, will “enter into the kingdom ofheaven before them.”

Hoping that we all are deeply concerned in this importantmatter, that we do place a most exalted value on the riches ofChrist, and earnestly desire to partake of them, I beg that wemay enter together, with humble minds and spiritual desires, intosome examination of their nature and excellency; and enquire inp. 26whatrespects, and for what reasons, they are unsearchable.

1. In the first place, what is the foundation of all ourblessedness and all our hope, as the redeemed and adoptedchildren of God; as brought from a state of enmity and rebellion,into favour with Him; as having any claim upon His mercy; anyprospect of recovering our lost happiness, of saving our soulsalive? What, I say, is the foundation on which we expectthese marvellous acts of grace? It is, that the everlastingSon of God left “the glory which he had with the Fatherbefore the world was,”[26a] and “tookupon Him the form of a servant,”[26b] the nature of man: it is, that the“Word, who in the beginning was with God and wasGod,” “was made flesh” and came and“dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.”[26c] Here then, in the very outset,is unsearchable mercy; the immensity of the divineRedeemer’s condescension and love! Who can search,who can understand it? p. 27“It is higher than heaven, whatcanst thou know” of it? Admire thou mayest, and adoreand love; but it is beyond the stretch of thy created powers toconceive, beyond the capacity of any creature. The greattruth is revealed and the work is accomplished; and here thoumust leave it, in humble faith and overwhelming emotion.

2. We may consider, in the next place, the preciousness,the value, the efficacy of the incarnation and sufferings of ourRedeemer. All the attributes of the Godhead are perfect andinfinite; His holiness and justice, as well as His mercy. Man, by transgression, fell into a state of unholiness; hisnature became corrupt; his understanding debased, his affectionsand passions and desires all sinful; as such he could notpossibly be accepted or blest by the infinitely holy God, by Him“who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity:” hebecame, to borrow the language of men, vile and hateful inGod’s sight; he resembled Satan and the wicked spirits,p. 28who fell, fortheir transgression, from the heavens. And so, with regardto justice; the infinitely just God could not, without some meansof atonement or satisfaction, shew favour to a disobedient,offending, rebellious creature; it was contrary to His essentialcharacter and nature so to do: nor can we form any true idea ofthe value of that sacrifice, on the part of another, which couldbe held sufficient to reconcile the great Jehovah to a creature“laden with iniquity:” the displeasure beinginfinite, the distance and separation between God and Hiscreatures infinite, the sacrifice must be infinite also, andexceeding the bounds of our comprehension. And yet, strangeto say, though the means of the sinner’s re-admission, tothe favour and blessing of a holy and just God, must of necessitybe beyond our powers of conception, there are persons, who objectto the Christian doctrine of the atonement, solely on the groundof its being incomprehensible. But we, my brethren,“have not so learned Christ;” we are readyp. 29to bow withthankfulness to the revelation of the great Jehovah, by whoseunsearchable wisdom and mercy the plan of our redemption wasformed: we are ready to acknowledge with reverence, that“great is the mystery of godliness; God was manifest in theflesh.”[29a]

3. Intimately connected with this consideration is therecollection of God’s exceeding love towards us, in that“while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.”[29b] In our very state of guilt andrebellion it was, that He came into the world; that He did andsuffered so much, “to seek and to save that which waslost.” Suppose that man had never transgressed; andthat God had sent an angel, to shew him the way to a happier andhigher condition, than that in which he was created: this wouldhave been an act of free and undeserved mercy; but that He shouldhave sent His beloved Son, to “suffer for sins, the justfor the unjust,”[29c] to be born and totabernacle in a world of guilt andp. 30sorrow; to be exposed to rejectionand scorn, to indignity and cruelty; to endure the conflicts ofSatan and the bitterest agonies of death; this was indeed an actof love, surpassing the bounds of thought; a mystery of goodness“into which angels desire to look,” but cannotpenetrate. Every believing soul must be overpowered by sucha contemplation; must be lost in wonder, love, and praise.

4. Nor can we learn the manner or degree, in which ourmerciful Lord is at this moment bestowing blessings upon HisChurch, and upon every individual believer. When Heascended up to heaven, His work of mediation was not finished; Hethen took upon Him the office of interceding for His people inall ages: presenting their prayers, and desires, and all theirservices, for acceptance at the throne of grace; pleading Hismerits for them; observing all their necessities and wants; andsending His holy spirit and His holy angels, to minister to theirinfirmities: not a wounded spirit, but He is still ready top. 31bind up andheal; not a sigh from a contrite heart, but He knows and answers;not a child of ignorance, but He is willing to instruct; not areturning prodigal, but He meets; not a prayer or thanksgiving,not a godly thought or wish, of a sincere worshipper and piousservant, but He accepts and blesses: He is ever with us, thoughunseen; with us by His providence and grace; “about our bedand about our path;” pouring his benefits upon us,temporal, and spiritual: yea upon all His people, at every momentof time, throughout the whole world. We are lost in thismystery of mercy—we can but believe, and gratefully applythe benefit to our souls.

5. And what are the privileges of Christ’sredeemed people? What their present state, what theirglorious inheritance? How unsearchable both the one and theother! The humble believer, the repenting sinner, thesincere and faithful servant derives, from the fountain of mercywhich is opened unto him, a perpetual stream ofp. 32increasingsatisfaction and delight; he finds, that “there is no endthereof;” that it is a fountain, which he never canfathom. The sense of pardon and reconciliation with Godaffords a comfort to his soul, which flows the more abundantly,the longer he dwells upon it; as he journies onward in the way ofsalvation, his hopes are more enlivened, and his fears morecalmed; even when he began to walk with his God, he felt that allaround him was joy, and deemed his recompence in this life amplysufficient; but, at every step he advances in communion with hisGod and Saviour, he perceives more and more that “His waysare ways of pleasantness and all His paths are peace;”[32] and this experience will be enlargedthe longer he lives, even beyond his present anticipation. The word of God has fresh stores for him every day; of knowledge,of comfort, and of grace: the Spirit of God has fresh supplies;to succour his infirmities, to elevate him inp. 33prayer andmeditation, to guide him in perplexity, to strengthen him intrial, to console him in trouble and affliction, to raise himabove the world, and place his affections in heaven. Thuswill his joy in the Lord increase, till he comes to the end ofhis pilgrimage: and, in the end, the riches of redeeming lovewill be infinitely enhanced: who shall number or declarethem? Which of us can now understand the preciousness of aChristian’s hope, the comfort of a Christian’s peace,at that hour, when his soul is struggling for departure? Who can now enter, as the dying man does, into the vastdifference between the bright hope of being saved, and the gloomyfear of being lost; between the prospect of being for ever withthe Lord, and the dismal foreboding of the terrors of the evilone? We have now but a slight conception of the feelingsand views, in that momentous hour; but we shall one day know: Godgrant that the knowledge may be peace!

p. 34And ifwe die in peace, then shall we be more than ever convinced of thetruth of the text; we shall then perceive, how little wecomprehended, in our mortal state, of the blessedness of thesaints at rest, of “the rest that remaineth for the peopleof God.” And, at the resurrection, other scenes willfollow, with more abundant tokens of confirmation: who canconceive the happiness of rising with the just; of hearing withjoy the trumpet of the archangel; of beholding, with an eye ofrapture, the beaming of that glorious morn; of meeting the smileof a compassionate Judge and Saviour; of being called to Hisright hand, “come, ye blessed of my father, inherit thekingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:”[34a] what mind on earth is equal to thesethings?

And then will succeed the consummation of our felicity,“the new heavens and the new earth, wherein dwellethrighteousness;”[34b] the enjoyment ofthep.35presence of God and the Lamb; the personal sharing ofthe service, the honour, and the delight of angels andarchangels, through all eternity. Of this we cannot pretendto form an estimate in our mortal condition; while the veil ishanging before our eyes; the holy Spirit, by many a sublimeimage, lifts our imagination as high as it can be carried; butstill, the representation must be feeble, when compared with theglorious reality; after all that has been said, if we arrive atthe heavenly city, the appearance will be new, the happiness newto us all. Unsearchable it is now, unsearchable it will bethen; a wonder of love that will never be satisfied, a mansion ofglory that will never be completely surveyed.

But we shall doubtless behold, on seeing “face toface,” more of the fulness of the riches of Christ; shallpenetrate further into that mystery of divine love, which plannedthe merciful work of our redemption before the foundation of theworld; shall see morep. 36of the meetness of theSaviour’s sufferings; of His mighty conquest over sin anddeath; of the greatness of His kingdom and the “majesty ofHis glory.” We shall then see and admire that nowinvisible bond, by which the whole company of the Lord’sservants and people, heavenly and earthly, have been sustainedand kept together: how men below, and saints at rest, and angelsin heaven, have been bound in spiritual union, through all theages of time; how the vast multitude of holy creatures in theuniverse have felt a common interest and benefit in their blessedLord.[36] When they are all assembledtogether in adoration round His throne, we shall know more ofthis endearing bond; it will then be manifest, and be perfectedfor ever.

I need not attempt to go further; certainly none of us willdeny the unsearchableness of the riches of Christ. Certainly every one of us is ready to exclaim, O that I may bepartaker of them; all thisp. 37world, nay, a thousand worlds arenothing in comparison. These riches are now offered to you:they are waiting your acceptance; receive them with all yourheart, and they are yours; you do not expect them to be forcedupon you; you do not expect this happy portion without choosingit, without prayer and without striving for it; ask earnestly,seek diligently, and it shall be yours; your inexhaustibletreasure, in time and to eternity.

p. 38SERMONIII.
THE DESTRUCTION OF THE FLOOD.

The expression in the former clauseof the text has, to some persons, afforded matter of surprise;and certainly the language is remarkable; representing theAlmighty as repenting of the work of creation, and grieved at theheart, not merely on account of the wickedness of man, but thathe was ever made. Yet the language, when properlyconsidered, is no more remarkable, than that of numberlessp. 39otherpassages in Holy Writ; it is stronger perhaps; it may carry thecustomary mode of speech somewhat further; but that is all. We are perfectly aware, that the Godhead is incapable of beingaffected and changed by contrary passions, as we are; the purposeof Jehovah is fixed, upon the basis of infinite wisdom, fromeverlasting to everlasting; nothing can occur, of which He waspreviously ignorant; nothing to afford any grief or uneasiness;“known unto God are all His works from the beginning of theworld;”[39] and it is impossible for us tointerpret the text, or any similar phrase, according to the sensein which we understated such words, when applied to creatureslike ourselves.

It was absolutely necessary for the inspired writers, indescribing the nature and dealings and dispensations of God, tohave recourse to such terms, as we are in the habit of usingtowards one another. His constant observance of us isrepresentedp.40by saying, that theeye of God is upon all ourways; His gracious readiness to answer our prayers, isrepresented by saying, that Hisear is ever open: but whoever supposes that eye or ear, or any bodily parts, are possessedby the Godhead? So neither are we to impute to God, who isa pure spirit, any bodily passions; though He is said to love andto hate, to be angry and to be pleased. Of course it onlymeans, that the effect of any particular conduct or transactionof His creatures upon Him, is similar to what it would be uponus, when under the influence of our natural passions; that Herewardeth good, as we do, when we love or are pleased; andpunisheth evil, as we do, when we hate or are angry. Thetext merely intimates the measure, which the Almighty wasdetermined to adopt, in consequence of the great and universalwickedness of mankind; of their having so far fallen from thenoble end of their creation.

Having tried many gracious methods ofp. 41indulgencewith them, and sought to reclaim them by every probable andpossible means, and having found that His goodness andforbearance, instead of “leading them to repentance,”only hardened them in guilt, He now saw fit to change Hisovertures of mercy into the sentence of condemnation; and to senda deluge for the destruction of that people, who would not“turn and live:” and this is all that can be intendedby God’s repentance and grief.

But it happened in those days, as it has too frequentlyhappened with the sinful and rebellious ever since, that thepeople believed not the threatenings denounced against them;whether they doubted the power of God to inflict so extraordinarya punishment; or whether they built their hopes upon the vainexpectation of His mercy; or whether the wickedness of theirhearts and lives led them entirely to cast off the belief of Godand His word, and to plunge unheeding into the gratifications andpollutions of vice; whatever were the operating motive,“they wouldp.42not turn and seek after God.” Yet theseinfatuated people were not lost for want of further instructionand admonition. God mercifully thinks of His creatures,though they are forgetful of Him. He had raised unto thempreachers of righteousness; and sent His Holy Spirit to work upontheir consciences, to convert them from the delusions of evil, toteach them the knowledge of His ways, and persuade them to desistfrom their work of self-destruction. But there is a day, tonations as well as to individuals, beyond which the goodness andpatience of God will no longer forbear: “My spirit,”says He, in the chapter before us, “shall not always strivewith man.” It had been working in the human heart,ever since the fall; inspiring His servants to point out the wayof salvation; and struggling with the wayward inclinations, theperverse opposition of His creatures; to mortify the power ofsin, and lead them to recover the favour and happiness, whichtheir first parents by transgression had lost. Butp. 43it shall notalways strive; and the approaching termination of theirtrial was thus graciously declared to this “disobedient andgainsaying people.” God spake thus by the mouth ofNoah: “The days of man (the time which I will allow, to seeif ‘haply he will repent and seek after Me,’) shallbe a hundred and twenty years.”[43a] All this period was to elapsebetween the denunciation of the divine vengeance and itsexecution; and to this St. Peter alludes, when speaking of“the long-suffering of God, that waited in the days ofNoah, while the ark was preparing;”[43b] while Noah himself, the great“preacher of righteousness,” warned all around him ofthe certainty and the terror of this impending calamity. All entreaties, however, and warnings, and threatenings; allpresent mercies and past experiences, were vain. Theydespised the faith and rejected the preaching of the patriarch,and ridiculed his preparation of the ark; but they could notp. 44“makethe word of God of none effect;” His judgment overtook themin the midst of their rebellious career; the flood came at theappointed time; desolation was spread over the face of the earth;and all its inhabitants, with the exception of one family, wereindiscriminately involved in the wide-wasting ruin.

Let us pause for a moment, to apply the consideration of thispart of the history to ourselves. To all who are wilfullywalking in the ways of sin, the good and gracious God iscontinually addressing His warning and expostulating voice; byHis holy word, abounding with the most awakening admonitions andawful examples; by His appointed ministers, superadding theirfeeble endeavours to inculcate the doctrines and set forth theterrors of that word “by line upon line and precept uponprecept;” by various occurrences in life, by reverses andprivations and afflictions and sickness and death; by thestrivings of the Holy Spirit, and the alarms of conscience; byflashingp.45at intervals, in vivid colours, the conviction of anhereafter upon the mind and heart; and compelling the sinner tosee, whether he will heed it or not, the peril and thedreadfulness of his situation. Of all who hear me therecannot be one, but has experienced, more or less, thesemanifestations of mercy and of terror: Are there not some by whomthey have been disregarded? We have all of us beeninstructed and reminded and admonished, in a great variety ofways; have we “profited withal?” Have we beenawakened from the dreams of sensual pleasures, from the stuporand infatuation of sin? Can we now lift up our hearts insincerity to God, and thank Him that we have been brought, bythis or that warning, into nearer and holier communion with Him;to serve Him in righteousness and truth, and to seek, in rightearnest, the salvation of our souls? If it be otherwisewith us, if we have neglected the seasons of grace, or if we havereturned, after a temporary humiliation and conviction top. 46the vanity ofour former habits and pursuits, let us, if we believe the word ofGod, lay seriously to heart the solemn declarations on this head,with which that word abounds—that there is a limitprescribed even for the divine compassion and forbearance; aperiod marked out, beyond which God will not manifest His favour,“though it be sought with tears;” beyond which,“His spirit will not strive with man;” and wheneverthat spirit shall be withdrawn, the conscience will becomehardened, the understanding benighted, and the sinner“given over to a reprobate mind.” God allows,indeed He has already allowed, to every one of us, abundant spaceand opportunity for repentance, as He did of old to theante-diluvian race; and if we, like them, are negligent of Hismerciful admonitions, we must expect, like them, to go on fromone degree of wickedness to another, till the “measure ofour iniquity be filled;” till we are hurried intoeverlasting perdition.

No doubt, when the threatenings of thep. 47Almightybegan to be executed; when the mighty waters were descending fromabove, and rising in billows from the deep below; when thesepeople saw the ark, whose building and preparation they haddespised, floating in security upon the surface of the waters,gladly would they have been admitted: no longer did they questionthe power of God, or the truth of His word; or hold in contemptthe preaching of His prophets; earnest then, no doubt, was theirsupplication for mercy; and they must have wished, in thebitterness of their hearts, that they had listened to thedeclarations and instructions of that holy minister of God, whowas provided with a refuge; who was escaping unhurt amidst therolling of the waves, which threatenedthem with immediateand inevitable destruction. But their conviction came toolate; the days of reconciliation were ended; the door of the arkwas shut; never to be opened again, till the flood had wroughtits vengeance, and exterminated the sinners from the earth.

p. 48Has notthe like, the parallel of this dreadful case, been frequentlydiscovered by ourselves? Have we not seen, or at leastheard of persons, who have held out impenitently all their liveslong against every means of grace and reclaim, by which they havebeen visited, and then at last, when suddenly overtaken by asickness unto death, have distressfully desired that comfort andrefuge, which they have never appeared to find? Theirattention has been called, their eye directed to the ark ofsalvation, the gospel of the blessed Jesus; but having taken nointerest in it before, having discarded and rejected it, theyhave seemed to behold it only in dismay and despair. Man,it is true, is not an adequate judge in such a case; he could notpossibly decide, whether they were saved or not; but there wasfear all around; their friends were denied the consolation ofpersuading themselves, that the door of mercy was opened; thesinner cried in agony, but there was no visible sign, that thecryp. 49washeard; no respite to the afflicted conscience; and no repose uponthe countenance, that betokened the blessedness of peace.

Suppose not, that this is a scene pourtrayed for the merepurpose of a momentary excitement or present effect; it is a truedescription of what has too frequently occurred; and it fallsindeed, as every representation must fall, infinitely short ofthe terrible reality. Readily can we imagine the sufferingsand sorrow and distress of the people, who were drowning, withthe ark before their eyes; and must we not conclude, that theimpenitent sinner under the gospel, when he comes to die, willbehold, with even deeper feelings of anguish, the ark ofrighteousness into which he has never sought to enter; when hefinds or fears, that the overflowings of ungodliness are sinkinghis soul to ruin, can any description exaggerate, can anydescription equal, the wretchedness of his condition?

The very idea and contemplation of thesep. 50things maywell lead us, with all sincerity and fervour, to implore thegrace of God, while it is so freely offered, and to “seekHim while He may be found;” and O that it may lead usgladly and unfeignedly to embrace the covenant of safety, whichis graciously propounded to us in the gospel; and to “giveall diligence” to fulfil every condition which thatcovenant contains. We shall not, if we value our eternalwelfare, think it sufficient not to “deny the Lord thatbought us,” not to despise the means which He has providedfor our preservation and deliverance; we shall turn to Him withall our heart, grateful for the means of salvation, and anxiousto employ them all. “Lord what wilt Thou have me todo?”[50a] “Speak, Lord, for thyservant heareth;”[50b] this is thelanguage that befits a sinner, who has no hope but in God’scovenanted mercy.

“Our time is in the Lord’s hands;” we knownot, if little or much remain:p. 51Arise, defer not a day. Hisspirit is now striving within us; to purify our affections, tochange our corrupt nature, to form the christian principle andtemper in our souls; let us then, without doubt or delay, humblyand thankfully concur with His holy operations, and strive withHim, while we may: not lingering and loitering about the ark withthoughtless indifference, as if our minds were not made up,whether it be worth while to enter; but, in the full and perfectand abiding persuasion, that it is the only refuge for man, letus secure, as far as it is possible, our rest and habitationthere; and then we need not fear the overwhelming of the waters,come they ever so suddenly or ever so soon; we shall be raisedabove them all, unhurt and undismayed; we shall ride safely andtriumphantly over the foaming billows; and settle at last uponthe heavenly Ararat, the “mountain of the Lord ofHosts,” the everlasting abode of tranquillity andbliss.

p. 52But ofthis happy termination we shall have occasion to speak more atlarge, in another discourse; when we come to treat of thecharacter of Noah, and the circumstances of his wonderfulpreservation. In the mean time, let us observe, that thedeluge is a subject of most awful consideration; not merely initself, as sweeping away into perdition almost all the humanrace, and changing the very form and structure of the globe; butalso as being a resemblance and emblem of other visitations of anoffended and avenging God:—in the first place, of theoverthrow of Jerusalem, and the miserable and general destructionof its rebellious people. “As the days of Noe were,so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as inthe days that were before the flood they were eating anddrinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noeentered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came and tookthem all away; so shall also the coming of the Son ofp. 53manbe;”[53a] so unlooked for, so amazing, sodisastrous to His enemies.

This stupendous event may also be regarded as typical ofanother period, infinitely surpassing all the rest in terror andin awe;—the coming of Christ to judge the world, to executeHis final vengeance upon those who would not be reclaimed by Hismercy. The face of nature will then be destroyed by anotherprocess; by a direful and universal conflagration. “By the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earthstanding out of the water and in the water: whereby the worldthat then was, being overflowed with water, perished: but theheavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are keptin store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment andperdition of ungodly men.”[53b] “Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for newheavens and a new earth, (a new state) wherein dwellethrighteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing thatp. 54ye look forsuch things, be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace,without spot, and blameless.”[54a] All thathave ever lived shall be summoned again into existence; therighteous to be separated, and “caught up to meet the Lordin the air,”[54b] and to be conveyedinto the regions of eternal blessedness; the wicked, to perish,to die, not a bodily but a spiritual death; to be consignedtogether to a place of banishment and wretchedness and horror anddespair. The miserable unbelievers and the obstinatetransgressors, in the days of Noah, shall then return to theearth from which they were swept away; not to enjoy again theirrevelry and licentiousness; not to be favoured with another dayof grace; but to receive, with all their companions in evil, withall that have ever “followed their pernicious ways,”the full and eternal recompence of their deeds. This willindeed be a day of desolation, “of lamentation and mourningand woe,” of “weeping and wailingp. 55and gnashingof teeth;” of which awful day no words, no example, no pastevent, nor even imagination itself, can afford an adequaterepresentation.

God Almighty grant, that we may never know its terrors; thatwe may profit from the warnings and experience, which aremercifully vouchsafed unto us; may embrace, with all our hearts,the covenant of salvation into which we have professedly entered;and, amidst the wreck and ruin of the world, may be deliveredwith an everlasting deliverance, for the sake, and through themerits, of that omnipotent Saviour, who was with Noah in the ark;who has guarded, and will continue to guard, the ark of HisChurch in all ages; whose mercy and truth are pledged for thefinal preservation of His faithful people: God Almighty grantthis blessing unto us all, through the aid and operation of that“Holy Spirit, whereby we are sealed unto the day ofredemption.”[55]

p. 56SERMONIV.
THE PRESERVATION FROM THEFLOOD.

In a former discourse, yourattention was called to the execution of divine vengeance uponthe sinful race of man, by the tremendous visitation of auniversal deluge; I would now direct your contemplation toanother point of view; to a fulfilment of the gracious promisesof God made to a distinguished believer and a faithful servant;to his preservation from the general ruin; to the covenants ofmercy established with him; to the blessings and deliverancesthus proclaimed and typified to the Church of God in allages.

p. 57Noah,be it first observed, was possessed of that principle, which isthe sure and only foundation of true righteousness; and to whichthe Almighty has, in every age, manifested His especialfavour—the principle offaith; of a settled, vital,influential belief in the sovereignty, the providence, and theword of God: he doubted not the truth either of a threatening ora promise, and withheld not the obedience, which his beliefimplied or required. Of this St. Paul assures us; “Byfaith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, movedwith fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by thewhich he condemned the world, and became heir of therighteousness which is by faith;”[57] he condemned the world, inasmuch as hisexample, his preaching, and his deliverance furnished matter ofaccusation against them; he pointed out and led the way to aplace of safety; he escaped destruction, and the rest ofp. 58the peoplemight have escaped also; and thus he proved, that they justlyperished in the unbelief and obstinacy of their hearts. Hence he became the heir of those promises and that happiness, towhich the righteous believer, by God’s mercy, is entitled;he was blessed, not merely with that temporal preservation, whichthe ark afforded him in the flood; but also with that spiritualand heavenly salvation, of which the ark was an emblem and asign.

And further; Noah is described, in the verse following thetext, as “a just man and perfect in hisgenerations.” His faith, as we have alreadyintimated, was not, like that of many professors of religion, amere outward and formal assent; it resided in his heart, as wellas in his understanding; and shewed itself in his disposition,his character, and his life. Believing in the goodness ofGod, he loved Him; in the power and justice of God, he feared; inthe infallible truth and authority of God, hep. 59obeyed. With an enlightened reason and conscience, he studied the duty ofordinary life; his duty to God and man; and he performed itfaithfully. “He was perfect in hisgenerations;” not that he had attained unto absolute,positive perfection; for that is impossible to any mere man, inhis fallen condition; it was only “the man ChristJesus,” the incarnate God, that was “holy, harmless,undefiled, separate from sinners;”[59] but Noah, in the midst of a“disobedient and gainsaying people,” was sincere andupright; he lived in no wilful or habitual opposition to his God;he had that degree of perfection, which is the mark and fruit ofgenuine faith; and shews, that the frail creature is brought intoa state of acceptance with his Creator. He engaged heartilyin the cause of religion; there was nothing in the world, whichhe was not ready to renounce for it; there was no ordinance, norcommand of God, which it was not his unbendingp. 60purpose toobey; desirous was he “to serve Him, in holiness andrighteousness all the days of his life.” Andtherefore it is yet further said, that “he walked withGod;”[60a] “setting the Lord (as Davidspeaks) always before him;”[60b] living in aperpetual sense of the divine presence; acting as under thecontinual observation of that Almighty Being, who was acquaintedwith all his ways; and whose word was “a lamp unto his feetand a light unto his path.”[60c] He walked incommunion with God, by his life and conversation, as well as byfaith, and meditation, and prayer; and he preached to a“backsliding and stubborn generation,” by his exampleas well as by his word.

We cannot wonder, that such eminent holiness and obedience,shining forth in the midst of so much profligacy and corruption,were honoured with the signal favour of Almighty God. Arighteous character, which is alwaysp. 61“of great price in the sight ofGod,” is peculiarly honourable in an age overspread withimpiety and guilt. The man, who stands forth to maintainthe cause of God against a universal host of enemies; who isuntainted by the moral contagion which is every where diffusedaround him; who perseveringly opposes the mighty stream ofiniquity, which is ready to overwhelm his soul; that man is aspectacle for angels to behold with joy; and one in whom the holyGod Himself is well-pleased; he is as “a light shining in adark place,” made more conspicuous and attractive by thesurrounding gloom. Such was Noah; and God distinguished himaccordingly by especial tokens of favour and blessing: for Hesaid, “Behold I, even I, do bring a flood of waters uponthe earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life,from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shalldie. But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thoushalt come into the ark, thou,p. 62and thy sons, and thy wife, and thysons’ wives with thee.”[62a]

A question has been raised respecting the nature of thecovenant here intended; but the words themselves, taken inconnexion with the subject, would lead us to conclude, that thecovenant to be established, in the first instance, was a covenantof safety in the ark, during the flood; and this sense isabundantly confirmed by the same word being afterwards used inthe 9th chapter, when God made His promise to the patriarch, thatthe world should never again be so destroyed: “Behold, Iestablish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you, andwith every living creature that is with you—neither shallall flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neithershall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.”[62b] Yet, though this was theimmediate import of the covenant, it probably had, like the arkitself, a further and a typicalp. 63signification, which is thus veryadmirably expressed by one of the best commentators; “Iwill most certainly make good the promise I have formerly made tothee, of preserving thee and thy family from the saiddestruction; and further I will make good, in due time, to theeor thy seed after thee,all those covenants or promises,which I have made to mankind from the beginning of the world, andwhich remain to be made good; especially the grand covenantconcerning the promised seed, of Messiah: to which end, I willcertainly preserve thee and thy family from the destruction I amnow bringing on the rest of mankind.”[63]

The first covenant made by God with Adam, was a covenant ofworks, of unsinning obedience; this was broken, and thence camedeath. The second covenant made with Adam, was that ofgrace and salvation by Jesus Christ, who should “come inthe fulness of time;” this latterp. 64covenant wasconfirmed with Noah, the representative of mankind in the newworld after the flood; and the covenant, thus renewed with him,was to extend to all his posterity; to generations unborn, to allthat would become, as he was, “heirs of the righteousnesswhich is by faith.” Through him, deliverance waspreached to the people before the flood; through him, everlastingdeliverance from sin and death was promised to believers in everyfuture age. In the covenant, therefore, made with Noah, allmankind have an interest, an especial interest at this day; thepromised deliverer, whom Noah represented, is come; we“have seen the salvation of our God;” the gospel ofpeace is proclaimed; and nothing is wanting but our faithfulacceptance of it.

Proceed we now with the history of Noah’s preservation:“The waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth (a hundredand fifty days), and all the high hills, that were under thewhole heaven, were covered—and all fleshp. 65died thatmoved upon the earth, Noah only remained alive, and they thatwere with him in the ark. And the ark rested in the seventhmonth, upon the mountains of Ararat.”[65] Thus was the divine promiseliterally fulfilled, and the fidelity of the patriarch signallyacknowledged and rewarded. What must have been the emotionsof this holy man, as he was floating, through the long eventfulperiod, upon the surface of the raging waters! How deep andlively his conviction of the adorable goodness and the perfecttruth of God! How fervent his gratitude, how sublime hisjoy, at escaping unhurt amid the desolation of the world! How indescribable his feelings of horror and of awe, at thesufferings of those countless multitudes, who were perishingaround him; over whose lifeless bodies he was riding in peacefulsecurity, reserved to be the father of a new-born world! Similar to these are the impressions of every sincere believer,p. 66onbeholding both the providential and spiritual dispensations ofthe Lord. Deeply is he convinced of the “goodness andseverity of God;” of His goodness to the righteous, Hisseverity to the disobedient and evil: Every divine promise andevery denunciation of divine judgment have been fullyaccomplished in due season; “not one jot or one tittle ofthe word of God has failed.” The Christian, moreover,by his own experience, can testify the truth and loving kindnessof God: he has sought and found a refuge in the ark of salvation,in the gospel of peace; he has been taken out of a corrupt andtroubled world, and raised above it; so that, while the billowsof adversity have been rolling all around, and the overbearingsof iniquity have every where prevailed, he has felt himself in astate of security; inclosed by divine mercy “on the righthand and on the left;” protected by the power of Jehovah;all things, even the most unruly elements, “workingtogether for his good:” when “the rain descends, andp. 67the floodscome, and the winds blow,” he hears and sees it all withoutdismay; nay, with gratitude to his heavenly Preserver; hoping andbelieving, that the waves of trouble are bearing him to thecelestial Ararat, upon which he shall alight, in God’sappointed time, and “find rest unto his soul.”

But, in the midst of his satisfaction and joy, there is aconsideration, which strikes a damp upon his soul, and fills himwith grief and terror; it is, the miserable condition of thosehis fellow-creatures, who have been regardless of their salvationand have perished: the Saviour “called, but they would notanswer;” He assured them of the coming desolation, but theywould not take heed; He offered them mercy, but they turned away:and the flood came upon them unawares; and it is painful to thinkof them, where they now are, and how many they have been. And not only for those who are gone, but for numbers stillliving, does the charitable Christian also feel: it is not forhim top. 68beforward in judging, not for him to condemn; “he hopeth allthings, and believeth all things;” but when he seesmultitudes around him manifestly walking in the “broad wayof destruction,” he cannot help feeling both pity and pain;especially if any of his neighbours or friends be found in thisawful state of heedlessness and sin; especially if any who arenear and dear unto him. He cannot help grieving for them;they will have, at least, his tears and his prayers. Wouldthat such sinners might feel for themselves, what others feel forthem; would that they might turn and live! Their case isnot like the case of those who were perishing in the flood; theyare not yet consigned to destruction; would to God that theymight turn and live!

At length, “the waters were dried up from off the earth,and the face of the ground was dry.” “And Noahwent forth” out of the ark, and “builded an altarunto the Lord, and offered burntp. 69offerings upon the altar,” inthanksgiving for his miraculous preservation; “and the Lordsmelled a sweet savour;”[69] He accepted theincense of the sacrifice, approved and honoured the piety andgratitude of Noah.

In all our deliverances and escapes, in all the benefits andblessings we receive at the merciful hands of God, let us neverfail to imitate this bright example of righteousness: be it ourfirst, our immediate act, to waft unto the skies the incense ofadoration and praise. The faithful and observant Christiandoes indeed perpetually notice the interposition of divineProvidence in his behalf; and he never fails to render thetribute of his heart at least, if not of his lips, to the greatDeliverer: but besides this, there are few of us, who have not,in some striking instances, been wonderfully rescued fromimminent danger and destruction; preserved in frightful accident,or raised from a sickness which was seeminglyp. 70untodeath. Has the favour been duty remembered withgratitude? Did it bring us on our knees before the throneof mercy? Did we present our offering with that humblesense of our own unworthiness, and that devout acknowledgment ofGod’s love, which gave us just reason to believe that theoffering was accepted, through Jesus Christ our Lord? Andever since, has an altar been raised in our hearts; have ouraffections been dedicated to God, as a memorial of the pastdeliverance, and a fulfilment of the purpose for which we weremercifully spared?

And there is a deliverance greater and mightier than all, ofwhich every faithful servant in the gospel is enjoying, at once,both the hope and the benefit; a deliverance, of whichNoah’s was a type, from the bondage and penalty of sin;from eternal misery, and ruin. Are we penetrated with asense of this marvellous mercy? Do we worship our greatRedeemer in spirit and in truth? Do wep. 71love Him withall our heart and soul? Do we proclaim abroad our gratitudeand love, in the presence of a contemptuous world? Noah wasimmediately and powerfully reminded of the divine goodnessaccorded to himself, by beholding the face of nature all desolateand void: and thus, when we behold around us the dismal ravagesof sin, and contemplate, with the eye of faith, the ruin whichthey will finally bring, are there not afforded tous,exulting as we are in the hope of our own redemption, abundantmemorials of the favour of God to ourselves? “Blessthe Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holyname. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all Hisbenefits: who redeemeth thy life from destruction, and crowneththee with loving kindness and tender mercies.”[71]

My brethren, if we would find, as “Noah found, grace inthe eyes of the Lord,” we must be like him, in faith andobedience, in “faith which worketh by love.” p. 72We must beready, at the divine command, to leave the “pomps andvanity of a wicked world, and all the sinful lusts of theflesh,” and prepare the means of our deliverance, in theway which God mercifully points out. We must dare to besingular in the midst of a gainsaying and reviling people; andmaintain our integrity in the face of a backsliding age. If, in the hour of danger and destruction, we would have God forour deliverer and friend, we must seek Him and serve Him, whilstwe are in health and safety: thus will He be our portion in life,in death, in judgment, and for ever.

We are hereby led, in the last place, to consider the promiseand pledge, which God was pleased to afford to the patriarchimmediately after the flood; that “the waters would no morebecome a flood to destroy all flesh.” “I do setmy bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenantbetween me and the earth—and I will look upon it, that Imay remember the everlasting covenant between Godp. 73and everyliving creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.” Whether there had ever been a rainbow before the flood, is apoint that cannot absolutely be determined; probably not; but ifthere had been, it makes no difference; the bow was thenconsecrated to be the token of a covenant of mercy, between Godand man; and whenever the descending shower and the darkened skyrecal to mind his former vengeance on the ungodly, we may takecomfort on beholding this bright display of majesty and beauty,“this faithful witness in heaven;”[73] our hearts may then be gladdened by theremembrance and assurance of God’s everlasting love: webehold the seal of heaven, ratifying the promise of divinefavour: and the believer may justly regard it, not only as atoken of security against a future deluge, but also as a hopefulintimation of God’s mercy in all the storms of this mortallife, in every threatening flood. We may view it, withdelighted eyes, as a blessedp. 74memorial of the truth andfaithfulness of that Almighty Protector, whose word is pledgedfor the preservation of His people, at all times and under allpossible circumstances. His mercies, of providence andgrace, can never fail; and an earnest of these mercies we maydiscover, when we look upon the bow in the cloud; it is, in asecondary sense at least, emblematical of God’s everlastingcovenant with His faithful people, that He will “neverleave them nor forsake them.”

Nor is it without authority, that we are thus extending theimport of this heavenly sign: St. John in one of his beatificvisions, “looked and behold a door was opened in heaven,and behold a throne was set in heaven, and there was a rainbowround about the throne.”[75] The saints inlight are thus represented as beholding the abode of their God,encircled with the token of His covenanted mercy; an evidence tothem, that they have finally escaped the devastation of theworld;p.75that the floods and storms have for ever subsided; thatnone of the imperfections and troubles and dangers, from whichthey have been rescued, shall ever again disturb their mind ormar their happiness.

Hear then, in few words, the conclusion of the whole matter:let the destroying deluge awaken in us, by divine grace, a livingconviction of the infallibility of God’s word, of thecertain “perdition of ungodly men;” let thedeliverance of Noah and his family assure our hearts in theexpectation of the glorious redemption of every believer andservant of God.

Let us enter the ark of salvation, prepared by our greatRedeemer; enter and abide there; and we shall be carriedtriumphantly over the stormy elements of the world; and beconducted “unto the haven where we would be:” thedove will bring unto us the olive branch of peace; and thetranscendent beauty of the celestial rainbow shall appear withouta cloud, and bless our souls with the perfect assurance ofeternal safety and joy.

p. 76SERMONV.
DO THIS GREAT WICKEDNESS AND SIN AGAINSTGOD.

The history of Joseph, by whomthese memorable words were uttered, is full of interest andinstruction. He presents unto us the splendid and rareexample of a person advanced, from the lowest estate, todistinction and wealth and power; and yet preserving his pietyand integrity unimpaired. Not all the luxury andblandishments of a court of unbelievers could tempt him to forgetthat gracious almighty benefactor, by whom he had been rescuedfrom danger, and raised to prosperity andp.77greatness. We all know how apt are theunderstanding and heart of man to be captivated and corrupted bythe enjoyment of earthly pomp and pleasure, under anycircumstances; but especially when they are attained by a suddenand unexpected elevation. Joseph had been cruelly left byhis brethren in a state of utter destitution. Taken out ofthe pit into which they had inhumanly cast him, he was sold as aslave to a company of people, who were passing by, and carriedinto Egypt; by accident, as it appeared, but really under theguidance and direction of an all-wise providence, to accomplishthe wonderful purposes of His divine will.

The scriptural account of his rapid rise to favour andeminence, in this his new abode, is exceedingly striking; andshews the especial regard which the Almighty bears for Hisrighteous and faithful servants; there is no situation of lifetoo obscure for the notice of His all-seeing eye; none too lowfor Him to interpose inp. 78behalf of His people, and exalt themto usefulness and honour. “Joseph was brought down toEgypt; and Potiphar an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard,an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, whichhad brought him down thither. And the Lord was with Joseph,and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of hismaster the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord waswith him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper inhis hand. And Joseph found grace in his sight, and heserved him; and he made him overseer over his house, and all thathe had he put into his hand.”[78]

Thus favoured and advanced, this holy man never forgot, as toomany do, that gracious Being, to whose loving kindness he wasindebted; instead of growing vain of his superiority, as if hehad raised himself merely by his own talent or industry, hereferred all his blessings to God’s bountiful providence,and rendered untop.79Him the return of a grateful and faithful service.

It was not long before his fidelity was put to the trial; andthe manner in which he escaped the snare, that was laid for him,affords a remarkable proof not only of his integrity, but of hisfaith, his piety, his religion, his gratitude and love to God:the only principles upon which any dependence can be placed inthe temptation of an evil hour. Joseph, when powerfullysolicited to betray the confidence, and despoil the honour of hismaster, might have contented himself with declaring thenumberless acts of kindness which he had received atPotiphar’s hand; the recompence of faithfulness which heowed for them all; or the fear of bringing upon himself disgraceand ruin, by so atrocious a crime; considerations indeed, whichactually had no small influence and weight upon his mind. But he goes much further, and appeals to a higher authority, to anobler principle; to one which was calculated to give unto everyminor considerationp.80a tenfold effect; to secure the performance of thatduty, which reason and honour and conscience suggested; heappealed to his God, from the fountain of whose mercy he hadderived all his benefits and blessings; and to whom therefore,his sincere unswerving obedience was unreservedly due. Likeevery pious and good man, he remembers and regards the human tiesby which he is bound; and instances, in feeling language, thekindness and estimation of his earthly master; “Behold, mymaster wrotteth not (knoweth not) what is with me in the house,and he hath committed all things that he hath to my hand; thereis none greater in this house than I.”[80] But then this man of God, afterthus recounting the signal favour which had been shewn him by anearthly master, does not rest his duty upon saying, ‘howcan I abuse the unbounded confidence reposed in me; how can Iprove myself so unworthy of my lord?’ Butimmediately,p.81as if it were the habitual suggestion of his mind,elevates his thoughts and affections to his master in heaven; toHim, who had put it into the heart of Potiphar thus todistinguish and bless him; to Him, by whose grace alone he hadbeen what he had been, a faithful and dutiful servant; and bywhose gracious interposition “all things had workedtogether for his good.” For such surpassing mercypoured down upon him from heaven, he could not bear the thoughtof making so base a requital; and exclaimed in the energy of hissoul, “How can I do this great wickedness and sin againstGod?” Resting upon such a principle, the triumph ofhis virtue was complete; it enabled him to disregard whateverevil consequences might ensue; and to stand against the subtlestwiles of the tempter, and under circumstances of imminent peril,a noble monument of the power of religion; upright in his duty toGod and man.

Much edification may the Christian gather from the narrativebefore us; andp.82happy would it be for the Christian world, if theprinciple, here so splendidly illustrated, were in fulleroperation. It might indeed be thought, that with thesuperior knowledge we enjoy, of the transcendent mercy andgoodness of God, of the extent and bounty of His providence, aswell as the riches of his grace; that, with the clear revelationof the divine will, the glorious manifestation of gospel light,to us so abundantly vouchsafed; that, taught as we have been tolook upon God as our reconciled Father in Jesus Christ, as the“author and giver of every good gift” in this world,and the spring of all our blissful hopes of an inheritance in thebrighter world to come; it might have been thought, under thesesuperior advantages and means of grace, that in all the events oflife, in every temptation and trial, our affections would becertainly raised, above every earthly consideration, to the highand holy God; that, when we are pressed with the solicitations ofevil, it would immediately occur to our minds and enterp. 83into ourhearts, how abhorrent the offence must be to that perfect andglorious Being, in whose image we are professedly recreated; howgrievous to that Holy Spirit, in whom we ought to live and walk;how disgracefully and basely unworthy of those spiritualprivileges, to which we have been restored; of the great mercieswe have already received; and the still greater we are yetexpecting, from the redemption which hath been wrought for us bythe ever blessed Jesus; it might be concluded, that Christians,when tempted to injury and evil, would immediately refer thematter to the blessed word and will of their divine master, andexclaim, with a pious and grateful feeling, “how can I dothis great wickedness and sin against God?”

Yet, is it not notorious, that a great, an overwhelmingportion of the inhabitants of this enlightened land, are governedin a very small, if in any degree, by this pure sense ofspiritual and religious obligation? Commonly, when they arep. 84solicitedto sinful gratifications and pursuits, “God is not in alltheir thoughts:” whether they yield or not, depends partlyupon the strength of their natural inclination; partly upon thelight in which the sin may be regarded by the world around them;upon the extent to which it may affect their worldly reputation;upon what they may calculate to gain or lose by theirconduct. The law of custom has manifestly a greaterinfluence than the law of God; nay, what are called therulesof honour, which, in many instances, are flagrantly repugnantand opposite to the divine will, (and might rather be called therules ofdishonour,) are appealed to, in a Christiancountry, as the arbiters of right and wrong; while the“honour that cometh from God only” is totallydisregarded and forgotten. And even of those, who areunacquainted with the precise terms of these fallacious rules,what multitudes are there, whose practice and conduct aredetermined by considerations merely human; who will be guidedp. 85by a feelingof gratitude to an earthly benefactor, and yet have no sense orremembrance of the favour of an all-merciful God; who will bedeterred from evil by the dread of offending an earthly superior,that has power only over the body, and yet possess in theirhearts no fear whatever of Him, “who is able to destroyboth body and soul in hell.” Where there are nobetter guides, no higher inducements than these, “to refusethe evil and to choose the good,” we cannot be surprised atthe licentiousness and corruption, which so unhappily prevail;nor even at the flagrant and shameless commission of thatcalamitous sin, which Joseph rejected with such holydisdain. Against the impetuous desires and cravings of theflesh; the assiduous entreaties of wicked companions; and thebeguiling charms, which Satan so well knows how to spread overall the ways and works of evil; against all these combiningtogether, it cannot be expected, that any humanp. 86motives ormaxims, any earthly feelings alone, should be able successfullyto stand.

Not that such motives or maxims or feelings are to be despisedor disregarded; not that any just or lawful consideration,however trivial, should be overlooked, which may be instrumental,in any degree, to preserve us from evil. Far is it frombeing the design of the gospel, to supersede the dictates andrules of reason; the workings of conscience; or the influence ofnatural affection, of hope and joy and gratitude and love; thegospel purifies all these motives, and guides them aright, anddirects the exercise of them into the proper channel. Buteven the best of them, with the sincere Christian, are as nothingwhen compared with his religious principle, with the faith andfear and love of God: when tempted to sin, he thinks of that HolyBeing, with whom he has entered into covenant; of that graciousRedeemer, who hath endured so much for his sake, who hathp. 87brought himinto the way of salvation, by whose favour he is enjoying“the life that now is, and the promise of that which is tocome;” he thinks of the Holy Spirit, “by whom he hasbeen regenerated and made a child of grace;” he would notquench that sacred flame and energy, by which his corrupt naturehas been enlightened and purified; from which “all gooddesires, all good counsels, and all just works do proceed;”by which his soul is animated with the inspiring hope ofbeholding his God face to face, in perfect righteousness andeverlasting glory. He loves to please, he cannot bear thethought of offending, the Lord of majesty and mercy; and looks toHim for strength in the hour of trial. The constant habitof thus lifting up, in the spirit of prayer, the thoughts andaffections to God; the full and abiding persuasion of Hismanifold mercies to the faithful, of His terrible judgments to beexecuted upon the disobedient and the impenitentp. 88sinner, willalways be found the surest, the only sure, preservative fromsin.

And how can that man, who believes, with all his heart andsoul, in the glorious revelation of the Gospel; in the miserieswhich he may thereby escape, and the happiness which he mayattain; in the means ordained for his accomplishment of thesemomentous purposes; how can he fail or cease to maintain a livelyremembrance of the goodness and wisdom and power of God? Will he not “set the Lord alway before him;” andunder the countenance and protection of his Saviour, and in theawful presence of his Judge, will he not feel himself powerfullyactuated to restrain and resist every guilty inclination, and todecline from the danger and dishonour of every evil way? “How can I do this great wickedness and sin against”my Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier—the Almighty God,whose I am, and whom I serve?

This reflection is also calculated to excitep. 89our attentionto the duties of this holy season,[89a] prescribed by theChurch for our christian improvement; the duties ofself-examination and repentance. Convinced, that everywilful sin renders us unworthy of acceptance with that God,“who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity,” letus retire into our chamber and take our private hour, and cast asearching eye over our character and life, intent upondiscovering every stain and blemish; let us “see if therebe any wicked way in us,” and pray fervently to be“led into the way everlasting.”[89b] Let the sinfulness of ourcondition by nature, the sinfulness of our thoughts and words andworks, pass in review before us; nor let the soul ever restcontent, till we have made our peace with God;—by an humbleabasement under the sense of our undeservings; by unfeignedsorrow for the past; by a holy, steady, entire resolution, towatch more carefully, and walk more circumspectly; by layingasidep.90“every weight, and the sin which doth so easilybeset us.”[90a]

When we duly think of the long-suffering and forbearance ofour offended Father; of His great mercy in “sparing us whenwe deserved punishment;” sparing us to repent of our faultsand follies, to advance in holiness and righteousness, to furtherthe everlasting interest of the soul; surely we shall then bepenetrated with a deep sense of the divine compassion; and thegoodness of God “will answer its blessed purpose and leadus to repentance.”[90b] ‘Howcan I persist in abusing the patience which has borne with me solong? How shall I continue to neglect any duty, which somerciful a God has commanded, for the edification and salvationof my soul? How shall I rebelliously cherish any sinfulindulgence, which is opposed to His holy law; and thus forfeit myclaim to that heavenly inheritance, which my Saviour has died toprocure for the true believer, for the penitent and contritep. 91inheart? How can I do less than abhor the sin, which Hisblood was shed to expiate and cleanse away; less, than delightand advance in the way of righteousness which He has opened tome;’ even till “I come unto the measure of thestature of the fulness of Christ.”

Reflections, deliberations, resolutions such as these,sincerely formed and cherished, would very effectually, by divinegrace, assist us in attaining that disposition of mind and heart,which might lead us habitually to raise our thoughts to God,under every circumstance, and at every time of temptation. There would thus be cast around us a sacred wall of defence; aperpetual barrier against the inroads of Satan and of sin; and ifat times they should, when we are suddenly thrown off our guard,break in upon the heart and lay it waste, they would speedily beexpelled, and the breach would be healed without delay. Thus we shall become more jealous over ourselves, morecircumspect and watchful; we shall neverp. 92feel easy,while betraying, into the hands of the enemy, the merciful andglorious work of God. With a love for His goodness, areverence for His truth, and a fear of His judgments, abiding inthe heart, we shall fly from every approach of evil, and dwell insafety beneath the shadow of His wing: “we shall be enabledto withstand in the evil day, and having done all tostand.”[92]

It is our distinguished privilege to be enlightened by the“wisdom which is from above,” to “be strong inthe Lord, and in the power of His might:” God forbid thatwe should return to the “beggarly elements of theworld,” and seek to draw our principles and strength fromthis polluted source. Had we never been blessed with thelight of revelation, we must have been content with such means ofduty, as our dark state afforded: we must have been governed andguided like the heathen, whom we now pity. But, as we aresupremely favoured with thep. 93knowledge of the true God, as“our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son JesusChrist;” as the Holy Spirit is given to “help ourinfirmities;” let us, in every temptation, remember ourinfinite obligations to the great and merciful Jehovah, and trustin the sufficiency of His almighty power.

After thus “walking with God as friends;” having,for the sake of His friendship, struggled with our evilpropensities; having despised the vanity and folly, and renouncedthe love of the world, we shall experience more and more, thevalue of His favour, and the fulness of His grace; serving Him inhumble gratitude, we shall be acknowledged as His own peculiarpeople, and He will be our God; in all perplexities we shall findHim our guide, in all trouble our comfort and support; amid thecrooked paths of vice He will “make our way plain beforeHis face;” the “snare will be broken and we shall bedelivered;” He will honour us among men; “such honourhavep. 94allHis saints;” and this will be an earnest of our everlastinghonour in His heavenly abode, in perfect friendship and communionwith Him, in that blessed place where sin and temptation will beno more, “where nothing that defileth can enter.”

p. 95SERMONVI.
ON THE JOURNEY TO EMMAUS.

This is a portion of one of thoseaffecting and instructive pieces of history, with which thesacred scriptures every where abound.

After the resurrection of Jesus, on the very same day, two ofHis disciples were journeying together to a village calledEmmaus, a few miles distant from Jerusalem. And as theywent, “they talked together of those things which hadhappened.” p. 96And certainly never was therefurnished to disciples an occasion of more interestingconversation. They were at no loss for a subject; theirfeelings were deeply moved, their circumstances most peculiar;they had just been bereaved of their Lord; and were left, as theythought, helpless and hopeless upon the wide world: they had beenattending the sad scene of His sufferings; and doubtless had beenwitnessing his awful crucifixion; abundance of matter therefore,was afforded them for reflection and discourse. But besidesthis, they had heard the report of their Lord’sresurrection; and as they did not at all understand the purportof it, appeared indeed scarcely to believe an event soextraordinary, they were probably consulting what to expect, orwhat to do. “And it came to pass, that, while theycommuned together and reasoned, Jesus Himself drew near, and wentwith them. But their eyes were holden, that they should notknow Him.”[96] Eitherp. 97He assumed a different form, or Hesupernaturally influenced their sight, that they should not atfirst recognize Him.

Jesus, let us observe, appeared to the disciples, while theywere engaged in holy meditation and converse; and thus, though nolonger visible in the world, He may still be expected, at alltimes, to favour His true disciples in a similar manner. While they are conversing upon the things belonging to Hiskingdom, upon the wonders of His love, and the riches of Hisgrace, upon their high privileges and expectations, upon thedoctrines and precepts of His holy word, upon the duties andexperiences of their earthly pilgrimage, upon their walk with Godhere, and their hope of dwelling together with Him for everhereafter; while they are musing and discoursing of these things,the blessed Jesus will join company with them, though unknown andunseen; and will shed over their conference a holy and heavenlybenediction. A reproach it is to vast numbersp. 98of Hisprofessing disciples, that they are not more anxious to embracesuch opportunities of enjoying the favour and presence of theirLord; that many, even intimate friends and near relations, amidthe endless variety of their subjects of conversation, arescarcely ever found to exchange a sentiment or a word, upon themost interesting and important of all topics; the love of theirLord and the edification of their souls. Eagerly do theyembrace every opportunity of ministering to the passingamusement, or the temporal welfare, of each other; the onlysubject, which appears to be forbidden ground, is the subject ofan eternal life to come, their spiritual well-being here andhereafter.

But let me not be misunderstood on this point; I am notspeaking of the promiscuous intercourse of society; not ofreligious discussions or allusions amid the ordinary business oflife; not of that irreverent and dangerous habit, into which samebelievers have been incautiouslyp. 99betrayed, of detailing to one anothertheir continual and familiar experiences; I am speaking of theprivate and sober communing of christian friends, who aredwelling together, or journeying together, as the disciples toEmmaus: and truly, “with the bible in their hands and theSaviour in their hearts,” it is wonderful how they canforbear from spiritual intercourse. If the everlastingtruths of the gospel have made a deep impression upon theirminds; if, for the promises therein revealed, it is their objectto live and to die; if they have one common hope of theircalling, “one thing needful” which occupies theiraffections; if they have the same exalted view of a gloriouskingdom in heaven; if they are living together in love, andcomforting themselves, that the holy bond shall never be broken,that it shall be renewed in a happier world and last for ever;then it would be strange if their thoughts and their conversationshould never turn upon a subject of such overwhelming interest;upon a topic so abundantlyp. 100fruitful in materials for mutualedification. The idea of the Lord being present with us inour conferences is an animating and ennobling idea: but we cannotexpect His holy presence in the scenes of vanity and frivolity;nor can we expect it at any time, if the thought and desire ofHim be altogether excluded. From the cold moralist, or theworldly-minded disciple, from those who have no practical concernfor the gospel or for their souls, we need not look for a word ofspiritual communication; it is abhorrent to their feelings andinconsistent with their notions; but the sincere Christian should“think on these things.” “The world willlove its own,” and follow its own; its own friends andmaxims and ways: but “we are not of the world,” andbetter fruit is expected from us.

But to return to the history before us. Having listenedfor a time to the earnest discourse of the disciples, Jesus atlength, as if a stranger, enquired into the subject, whichengrossed their minds and rendered them so sorrowful: “Andthe one ofp.101them whose name was Cleopas, (the same, it is thought,as Alpheus, who was the father of two Apostles and nearly relatedto our Lord Himself,) answering, said unto Him, art thou only astranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things, which arecome to pass there in these days?” “And he saidunto them what things?” said it, probably, with a view ofgiving them an opportunity of declaring their opinions, upon whathad taken place, as also upon Himself and the nature of Hiskingdom: “and they said unto Him, concerning Jesus ofNazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word, before Godand all the people: and how the chief priests and our rulersdelivered Him to be condemned to death, and have crucifiedHim. But we trusted, that it had been He who should haveredeemed Israel; and beside all this, to-day is the third daysince these things were done.”[101] Theyconcluded, that their bright hopes of redemption wereextinguished, were allp. 102dead and buried with Jesus: eventhough they had heard of His rising again, according to His ownpromise, which they had just alluded to, still they had noexpectation of holding any further intercourse with Him, of anyfurther display of His power in their behalf.

“Then he said unto them, O fools (O unwise and blindedpeople) and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets havespoken; ought not Christ (ought not your Messiah prophesied ofold) to have suffered these things and enter into Hisglory?”[102] Is it not clearly foretold byyour prophets, by Isaiah especially in his 53d chapter, that theredeemer of Israel should be “despised and rejected ofmen,” should bear “their griefs and carry theirsorrows,” “should be led as a lamb to the slaughter,should be numbered with the transgressors,” should make“His grave with the wicked (should die with malefactors)and with the rich in his death,” (should be buried in thesepulchre of the rich,) andp. 103after that “prolong Hisdays,” and then that “the pleasure of the Lord shouldprosper in His hand?” According to your ownprophecies then, and in order to their fulfilment, has not Jesusdone that, as Messiah, which He was required to do? Insteadof being offended, and giving up the cause, ye ought to be fullyconvinced, that He is “the Christ, the son of the livingGod.”[103a] Then, “beginning at Mosesand all the prophets, He expounded to them in all the sacredscriptures the things concerning Himself.”[103b] How enlightening and convincingmust this discourse have been! But it is not preserved tous: with so complete a body of information and evidence, it didnot please the Almighty to favour the world. We are left togather the instruction by diligent observation and study; andthankful may we be, that there still remain most abundant sourcesof satisfactory knowledge on this head; that the prophecies andtypes of the Saviour in the Oldp. 104Testament, when compared with theirfulfilment, are sufficiently clear for the conviction of everyhonest and well-disposed mind.

After this, the disciples “drew nigh unto the villagewhither they went; and Jesus made as though He would have gonefurther. But they constrained Him, saying, Abide with us;for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And Hewent in to tarry with them.”[104a] And thusHe still favours His disciples, and will do as long as the worldstands; when they heartily desire His abiding presence, it willnever be denied; wherever the place or whatever the occasion,their Lord, if wished for and welcome, will be of their company:in the domestic circle, in the converse of friends, in the sacredhour of solitude; “when thou sittest in thine house, andwhen thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and whenthou risest up.”[104b] We haveonly to lift our thoughts to Him; “to set Himp. 105alwaysbefore us; and He will be at our right hand, that we shall not bemoved.”[105a] At all times He will be found“a present help;” but especially when we areassociated or assembled in remembrance of Him. Such is thepromise of His word: “where two or three are gatheredtogether in my name, there am I in the midst of them:”[105b] gathered together for consultation,for worship, for any holy purpose.

Jesus, when He had entered into the house with the twodisciples, acted in a manner which served to bring Him to theirknowledge: “As He sat at meat with them, He took bread andblessed it, and brake and gave to them; (though a supposedstranger, He appeared as the head of the family; blessing anddistributing, as His custom had been at their ordinary meals:)And their eyes were opened, and they knew Him: And He vanishedout of their sight;”[105c] immediately leftthem to ponder upon the amazing things which they hadheard. p.106“And they said one to another, Did not our heartburn within us, while He talked with us by the way, and while Heopened to us the Scriptures?”

Cleopas and his friend were unquestionably favoured beyond thecommon lot of disciples: to hear the sacred oracles explained byHim, who was at once the subject and fulfilment of them; by Him,through whose spirit the prophets and holy men of old all spake;to hear them perfectly explained and illustrated by the voice ofthe Son of God, might well make a vivid impression upon theirminds, and fill their bosom with fervent and rapturous delight:Yet, though we cannot be so singularly blessed, there may becommunicated to us a measure of that knowledge, which thesedisciples enjoyed; there may be imparted to us no inconsiderableportion of the same holy animation.

Our merciful Lord, on withdrawing His visible presence fromthis world, sent, according to His promise, another Comforter; aComforter, who should “guidep. 107His people into all truth;”should “give them a right judgment in all things,”and spread a holy influence over their affections anddesires. And now, when we are reading His word, when musingupon it with devout meditation, and conversing with one anotherupon its exalted truths, its heavenly purposes, its abundantpromises and blessings; and now, when we hear the word from thelips of those ministers, who, however unworthy in themselves, arecommissioned to speak in His great name, our hearts may burnwithin us, and “our eyes may be opened to behold wondrousthings out of His law;”[107] we may still bepowerfully impressed, if we have, what we are taught by ourchurch to pray for, “grace to hear meekly the word, and toreceive it with pure affection, and to bring forth the fruits ofthe Spirit.”

May I not appeal, in justification of these remarks, to someof you here present? Have not your minds, when intentp. 108upon thedoctrines of the gospel, and taking a view of heavenly things,been sometimes visited with a holy illumination, which has seemedto raise you above the world, and to make you feel more sensibly,that “you have your conversation in heaven?”[108] Have not the ties of earth beenloosened, while your soul was expatiating on the deep things ofGod, on His wisdom and power and love, on the dealings of Hisprovidence and grace, on the glories of His eternalpresence? Have you not, in some such moments, been soimpressed, as to return to the world with a degree of reluctance;and, like the disciples at the transfiguration, almost tempted tosay, of your spiritual and heavenly visions, “it is goodfor me to be here?” These are no enthusiasticimaginations; they are the sober and solid effects of therealized presence of our Redeemer; they are the burnings ofheart, of which the disciples spake; they are the foretaste ofour knowledge and joy and light andp. 109life above. Doubtless they areto be encouraged with humility and sobriety; doubtless they maydegenerate into enthusiasm; for there is no spiritual good, whichmay not be abused: but the fear of enthusiasm is not to hinder usin gathering comfort and delight from the study of scripturaltruth, from holy and exalted meditation. The world may callit weakness and folly; for it cannot be understood by the world;but the Christian knows for it a better name; and few eminentChristians have there been, who would not readily bear witness tothe truth of these things, who have not felt the inspiriting,uplifting power of divine contemplation.

And this, like all other exercises of true faith and piety, isof great practical importance; it is fruitful in righteousness toall who “think soberly;” it serves them, when theyreturn to the busy scenes of earth, as an animation to duty; itpurifies their affections and renders the world little in theireyes; it arms them for conflict, and reconciles them to trouble:in thep.110midst of trials, of disappointments and bereavements,of struggles and difficulties, of frowns and oppositions, theyremember, with thankfulness and comfort, the spiritual joys theyhave experienced, and expect to be blessed with them again: yes,in their darker hours, they remember, that the Sun ofrighteousness, has shone brightly upon them, and the beams arestill reflected; though they cannot at present perceive Him soclearly, though He seems, like Jesus with the disciples, to have“vanished out of their sight,” He has left a glorybehind, and will again visit them with the fulness of His favour;and they go on their way “not faithless, butbelieving.”

To those who have been thus in the habit of pious andscriptural meditation; of intently dwelling upon the sublimemysteries, and the gracious promises, and the noble examples, andthe striking histories of the word of God; to them it is needlessto recommend a continuance of the good work; it is a christianobligation,p.111which they can never think of declining; and besidesthis, the delight and improvement, which it affords, are its ownsufficient recommendation. But upon all, who have unhappilyneglected this their great privilege and duty, I would mostearnestly press the importance of attending to this point, as amatter of bounden necessity. It is not enough to form anacquaintance with the leading truths of the gospel, as a matterof faith and profession; there is much to be learnt upon a nearerinspection, much indeed that can never be learned without it;much to enlarge and exalt the understanding; to renew the heartand regulate the life. The necessary intercourse, whichmost of us have with the world, is of a lowering and defilingnature; estranging the heart from a love of holiness and of God:and in order to correct this evil, scriptural study and spiritualconsideration, as well as fervent prayer, are indispensable.

Let not any day pass over your headsp. 112withoutsome portion of the Bible, some subject of divine revelation,being brought distinctly to your view. The exercise willinterfere with none of your earthly duties, but will help you inthe performance of them all; will smooth whatever there be ofruggedness in your way; will strengthen you in the hour oftemptation, and comfort you in perplexity and trouble. Manyan encouraging promise and many an enlivening assurance willrecur to your memory; and “a word in season how good isit:” examples of suffering and patience, of striving andperseverance, of warfare and triumph, will kindle in your breastan emulous ardour, and you will say, ‘By the help of theLord, I will “go and do likewise.”’ Thuswill the Bible be a never-failing source of strength andconsolation all the day long; as the waters, which flowed fromthe flinty rock, accompanied and refreshed the Israelites, everand anon, in their journey through the wilderness, so will yourspiritual musings,p.113suggested by the very hardships or troubles of life, bea perpetual stream of refreshment to your souls, even “in adry land thirsty land, where no water is.”[113a]

And by this means you will be preparing and training yoursouls for a happier communion with the Saviour in another world;where all the dealings of His providence, and all the wonders ofHis grace, will be more fully and gloriously manifested. And if the heart of the Christian now burn within him, at thecontemplation of heavenly truth and redeeming love; now, in hisfrail tenement of clay; how unspeakable will be his delight, whenthese things are revealed to his pure spirit, in the realms ofperfection and bliss. Then will he know more of “thelove of Christ which passeth knowledge;” then will he seemore of “the length and breadth and depth and height”[113b] of the mystery of mercy; he will seeGod “face to face” and “know even as he isknown.”

p.114SERMON VII.
IF THEY HEAR NOT MOSES AND THEPROPHETS.

Let us advert to the occasion onwhich these words were delivered, to the parable of which theyform a part. The case there presented to us by thedescription of the rich man is unhappily of frequent occurrencein every age. Surrounded by all the luxuries that wealthcould furnish, he looked for nothing beyond them: how many fellowmortals there were near his dwelling, deprived of thenecessities, whilep.115he was revelling in the superfluities of life, was nocare, no consideration of his; the selfish enjoyment of thisworld entirely absorbed his affections, and threw a veil over allexpectation of a world to come: satisfied, that he had“goods laid by for many years,” he imagined that hehad nothing to do, but to “eat, drink, and bemerry.”

But such ignorance and insensibility did not prevent him frombeing called to account; such forgetfulness of his latter end didnot retard the evil day. He died—and was buried, wemay conclude, with costly preparation answerable to the splendourin which he had lived. This however, was the last servicewhich his riches were able to render him; and melancholy it was,when contrasted with the state, in which his soul was existing,while his treasures were employed in doing honour to the lifelessbody. He found in that state, what he might have discoveredbefore, that riches, if selfishly employed in purposes of vanityand pleasure,p.116are a deadly snare; that earthly indulgences, ifpursued with excess, to the neglect of duty towards God and man,instead of being a blessing, are paving the way to misery; hefound, “what an evil and bitter thing it is,” tosquander the favours of heaven without remembering “theauthor and giver of every good gift.”

Perceiving therefore, by sad experience, his own deplorablecondition, he is represented as being moved with a feeling ofpity for his brethren: his first anxiety, indeed, was naturallyfor himself—for some alleviation, at least, of thewretchedness of his fate; but when he was informed that suchdesire was fruitless, that even the assuagement of his pain wasimpossible, that there was no means of conveying even a drop ofwater to cool the thirst upon his tongue, that the great gulf wasfinally and irremoveably fixed, he then hoped that somethingmight be done for his brethren who were still surviving; they hadnot yet passed the boundary of life and grace;p. 117andtherefore he entreats that, while the far-spent day was shiningupon them, Lazarus might be despatched from his abode of bliss,to warn them of the untimely end to which they were hastening;and induce them effectually to repent before “the nightshould come, in which no man can work.”[117a]

Abraham’s answer is, “they have Moses and theprophets, let them hearthem.” A messengerfrom the court of heaven could tell them nothing new; they arealready acquainted with their duty and the consequences ofneglecting it: Jehovah has revealed unto them His blessed will,and clearly made known what is required of them, “to dojustly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with theirGod.”[117b] His covenant with theirfathers, and the promulgation of His law, have been attested by aseries of signal miracles, which they do not pretend to dispute;and in every page of their history are recorded God’spromised blessings top. 118the good, and the execution of Hisvengeance upon the evil; and, therefore, in as far as knowledgeis concerned, they have all the intelligence that can bedesired.

But the wretched man, in the agony of his own feelings, andthe earnest desire to preserve his family from such woe, stillpursues his request. “Nay, father Abraham;”but, though they have neglected the ordinary calls of heaven,assuredly, if so astonishing an admonition were granted to them,as that of one risen from the dead, they would be therebypersuaded to repent. Then follows the answer of the text,“If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will theybe persuaded, though one rose from the dead.” Andthus the conference ended.

From this conclusion of the parables two importantobservations may be drawnfirst, that if men fail to beconvinced and converted, to be led to their God and their duty,by those sufficient means of grace which are already vouchsafedto them, they would not be likely to yield top. 119anyextraordinary means; and,secondly, that no suchadditional means are to be expected.

1. In all cases of spiritual and practical unbelief, inall cases where the declarations of the Almighty are disregarded,the fault lies not so much in the understanding as in theheart. The revelations of heaven are at variance with thoseinterests and pursuits, which the heart is inclined and resolvedto retain; and on this account, and by this means, the mind isprejudiced and set against such revelations, and they are notfully and implicitly believed. They call men to the loveand practice of holiness, to which our degenerate nature isaverse; the pleasures of sin are preferred, and the voice of Godis unheeded: they teach us, that all earthly objects andpossessions, in themselves, are vain, and call us to prepare foran everlasting inheritance above; the sensual and worldly-mindedthink and feel, that “it is good for them to behere,” and are not disposed to place their affections uponp. 120thepromise of an hereafter. We none of us professedlydisbelieve the revelation of heaven, any more than the brethrenof the rich man did; and therefore I need not stay to argue thepoint on that ground. The doctrine before us is this, thatmen, professing to believe, to have received abundant evidence ofthe truth, and yet refusing to act upon that belief, would not beinduced so to act, by any violent appeal to their senses ornatural powers, even though it were the work of a divineinterposition in their behalf.

What do we believe? That, after this life, whichexperience tells us must soon terminate, and which may, at anymoment, be unexpectedly and suddenly brought to a close, we shallimmediately enter upon another and an eternal state of being; andthat our condition, in the endless life to come, will be happy ormiserable, according to the manner in which we have passed ourshort pilgrimage upon earth, whether in a belief of the gospel orin unbelief; in obedience orp. 121disobedience; in holiness orsin. Now, if we really and vitally believe these truths,their importance is so striking, that nothing could possiblysuggest to the mind a weightier consideration. And if thesetruths be only superficially credited, it must be owing to somecorrupt and perverted affections, which throw a veil over theunderstanding, and render it proof against all moral means ofconviction. Perhaps some strange and startling occurrence,such as the re-appearance of a friend from the dead, mightforcibly affect the imagination for a time; and, filling us withalarm and apprehension, might fill us also with vehementresolutions of amendment: but the imagination is a weak principleto build upon; the impressions it receives are commonly verytransient; they gradually wear away on the presentation of freshimages, in our commerce with the world: and if there be not asolid spiritual conviction, in the mind and heart, of the awfulrealities of an hereafter, if the conviction does notp. 122rest uponthe divine evidence accorded by the Spirit and the word of God,the effects of sudden surprise or consternation will soon vanishaway; the latent dispositions of the soul will break forth again;the old habits, of recklessness and evil, be reassumed; the worldagain victorious.

For the truth of these things, I appeal, if not to yourselves,(as in many instances, I reasonably may) but if not, to thosearound you. How many examples have occurred, within thecompass of your own experience, of extraordinary visitationshaving produced but a very short-lived influence upon the heartand character? How often have we seen the careless awakenedby an alarming sickness, by an approach of the king of terrors,(which can hardly be supposed less convincing than an angel fromheaven, or a spirit from the blest), and yet awakened only toreturn, on the removal of danger, to the slumbers ofinsensibility and sin. The solemn promises, which theterrified sinner made to his friends, his minister,p. 123and hisGod, were but the offspring of fear; the creatures ofimagination; born only for the moment; soon disappearing, whenthe crisis was past.

And when the stroke of death has actually fallen upon arelative or friend, we have sometimes seen it overwhelm the soulof a heedless survivor, and bring him to himself, to seriousthought and repentance; he began to sit loose to the remaininginterests of life; he looked with anxiety to the world unknown,and formed resolutions of devoting his years to a constantprovision for futurity; but all to no ultimate purpose; thesubject had sued for his attention before, and beenrejected. When his affections have had time to cool, hefinds that no new importance has really been given to the truth;the evidences of it rest as they did; others have lost friends aswell as he; it is the common lot of mortality; and he cannot keepalive the impression for ever; the world must be attended to; andone object after another continues to gain an ascendancy,p. 124till hisnew-born hopes and fears are extinct; till his principles andconduct and views return to their old level, from which they willin future become the more difficult to be raised.

It is unnecessary for me to insist, that this is no idealpicture, drawn for the mere occasion of placing the subject in astrong light; your own acquaintance with the world may furnishyou with living resemblances of it; and it is unhappily the lotof Christian Ministers, who have more frequent opportunity ofwitnessing such impressions, to observe, in the end, theirrepeated and lamentable failure; to perceive how far they fallshort of lasting conviction and salvation.

Well, therefore, in the affectionate and faithful discharge ofour duty, may we call upon our hearers to weigh, in thedispassioned hours of health and tranquillity, the nature and themoment of those divine truths, which the gospel clearly revealsunto man; to judge rightly and truly of their everlasting import;and top.125embrace them, from the undeniable evidence alreadypresented, with all the heart and all the soul. We call,however, upon our hearers, not as if the vital impressiondepended upon themselves alone, upon the exercise of their ownjudgment or the workings of their own conscience. We callupon them to pray for, and be guided by, the mighty operation ofthe Spirit of God: He is ever ready to enlighten and instruct andquicken and determine them; giving us His grace, “that wemay have a good will, and working with us, when we have that goodwill.”[125] Listen to His teaching; obey Hisgodly motions; follow up the convictions which He brings to themind and heart. Light enough is perpetually given, to guideyou into all truth; live in the light; walk in the light.

Thus, indeed, every additional admonition, which a graciousGod may be pleased to vouchsafe unto us, will be turned to goodaccount; our faith will be confirmed, our affections purified,our knowledge increased,p. 126our resolutions strengthened andsettled; “unto him that hath, shall more be given;”the sincere and pious believer will advance, at every call, astep nearer to his Saviour and his God; the still small voice ofheavenly warning will be heard, even amidst the ordinaryoccurrences of life; the wonderful dealings of providence and themanifold means of grace will be turned to godly account; theinstructions and examples of the living, and the contemplation ofthe saints at rest, will alike afford materials for spiritualedification. But if the great call to liberty and life behabitually neglected, to liberty from sin and shame, and life toholiness and glory, then the mind and heart are not in acondition to take advantage of occasional excitement; it strikes,but it does not overcome; it rouses, but the stupor returns.

2. Proceed we now to the second observation which may bedrawn from the text, that when men reject the abundant evidenceof truth, and the gracious invitations of heaven already given,when theyp.127have resisted the strivings of the Spirit of God, theyare not to expect Him to deviate from the ordinary rules of Hisprovidence and grace, for the sake of removing their wilfulblindness, and overcoming their perverseness and obstinacy.

It is a part of the divine economy, in the salvation of man,that he should of his own free will, by the grace of Godpreventing and assisting, “refuse the evil and choose thegood:” and therefore man is not to expect from the Almightyany such interference in his favour, as might absolutely overrulehis will, and compel him to hearken and obey. God’sinfinite mercy is sufficiently manifested in His offer andpromise to save those rebellious sinners, who listen to theteaching of His Spirit, who are willing to be saved in His ownappointed way. To save those who quench the light affordedthem, who discover no such willingness, who unthankfully turnaway and refuse the inestimable gift presented to them, would bein direct opposition to the whole tenour of the wordp. 128ofGod. And experience concurs with Scripture to inform us,that no such extraordinary interposition is generallyvouchsafed. The Jews, in our Saviour’s time, had readof the miracles of Moses and the prophets, professed to credittheir inspiration, and their mission from on High; they had seenthe astonishing miracles of Christ Himself; and might, if theywould, have perceived the fulfilment of their prophecies in Him;many of them were eyewitnesses to the signs and wonders attendantupon His crucifixion; to the earthquake, and the supernaturaldarkness, and the rending of the veil of their temple; nor couldthey deny His resurrection from the dead. Against all thisbody of evidence, against all the means of conviction, theypersevered in their rejection of Him. And the time came,when no further testimonial was to be granted; they were left“to fill up the measure of their fathers;” they diedin their sins.

In addition to all these opportunities and advantages affordedto the Jew, wep.129enjoy, at this day, the fulness of the manifestation ofthe gospel; the real nature of the Messiah’s kingdom isclearly and completely revealed unto us; the blessings of thegospel are set before us, in the most conspicuous and gloriouslight; we have all the certainty, which mortals can have, of aworld to come; all the knowledge which our imperfect facultiescould receive, of the nature of that world; and all the means ofgrace and hopes of glory. And if by all these mercies weare not convinced and persuaded, we can have no right or reasonto look for any preternatural or overpowering interposition, evenfrom the goodness and long-suffering of God. Rather may wefear that judicial infatuation, so frequently alluded to inScripture, of the closed eye, the dull ear, and the grossobdurate heart. O let the sinner, instead of flatteringhimself with the delusion, that some extraordinary thing will oneday be happening to him, which shall disengage him from earth,and fix his thoughts on heaven andp. 130eternity, O let him rather apprehendthat the time is approaching, when the measure of his iniquityshall be filled up, and God will be no longer found.

I am not asserting, that such signal interferences have neverbeen vouchsafed; that such loud awakenings have never beensuccessful: I mean, that they are not in the ordinary course ofdivine providence, and are not to be expected. I mean tosay, that where the grace of the gospel is continually resistedin the heart and life, the careless recusant is seldom reclaimedthrough the medium of any extraordinary visitation; whether ofsickness, of accident, or any terrible calamity. The man,who entrusts his soul to the hope and operation of suchoccurrences, is placing it in imminent jeopardy. Whoeverwill save his soul alive, let him, without delay, “seek theLord, while He may be found, and call upon Him while He isnear;”[130a] peradventure God may “laugh athis calamity, and mock when his fear cometh.”[130b]

p. 131Andin other ways also does the same evil principle work, the sameevil habit of “resisting the grace of God:” manypersons, who express themselves thoroughly convinced of the truthof the christian revelation, and the absolute necessity of aspiritual obedience and a holy walking with God, put off theirwork of righteousness, from year to year, in the hope, not of anygreat or appalling event, but that some new circumstances mayarise, which shall make it more convenient for them to renouncethe world, and attend, without let or hindrance, to the salvationof their souls; they will have gained a sufficiency of earthlycomforts, or they will be tired of the world; they will begrowing old and feeble, and naturally more inclined to think ofheavenly things. But this is only the same temptation asthe former, presented in another shape; the “convenientseason” is hoped for in vain; Satan never suffers us to bewithout a hindrance, real or imaginary; our attachment to theworld does not wearp. 132off; we grow older without growingmore religious, without drawing nearer to God; and we never are,it is impossible we should be,naturally disposed to“turn and seek after Him:” thus the delusion goes on;and we “will not be persuaded;” and thus, toofrequently, the “expectation cometh utterly to an end forevermore.” There is no trusting to anything, but thepresent conviction and determination, but the instant andunreserved “obedience of the heart untorighteousness;” “to-day, if ye will hear His voice,harden not your hearts.”[132]

In conclusion, I call upon you to think on the condition ofthe rich man in torment. His anxiety for a specialinterference in behalf of his brethren is represented as uselesstothem, but it may be salutary tous: It mayassure us of the wretchedness of that place, to which he wascondemned; may incline us, by the inspiration of God’s HolySpirit, to value and improve His gracious gifts, while they aremercifullyp.133bestowed; may determine us, while we have theall-sufficient light of the gospel, to be guided thereby into theway of peace; we may learn from this awful lesson, that if (Godforbid that it should be so) butif any of us should besimilarly doomed, we shall mourn for ourselves, and be anxious,that the companions we have left may be our companions no more;let us take heed for ourselves, and be anxious for one another intime, while the heed and anxiety may be crowned with success; maylead us to seek and find God’s favour and mercy, and so“escape from the wrath to come.”

p.134SERMON VIII.
PERFECT LOVE CASTETH OUT FEAR.

Of all the sources of happiness,which the merciful God has opened to us, the most pure andabundant are the feelings of affection and love. I appeal,for the truth of this, not to the understandings, but to thehearts of those that hear me; and they will at once testify,unless corrupted and perverted by selfish or vicious habits, thatsuch, even with regard to earthly happiness, is undoubtedly thefact. Persons indeed of inferior principle, ofp. 135irregularand irreligious lives, frequently draw from this source the mostconsiderable portion of their pleasure, whatever abatements itmay receive from their sin and folly: and when the passions areattempered, and the affections purified and exalted, by theinfluence of our holy religion, by the refining energy of thespirit of God, the delight naturally and necessarily becomesproportionably greater. “To love one another”is not only our first earthly duty, as injoined by the Saviour,but also our highest interest and advantage, as contributing tothe happiness of all.

If then so much enjoyment is derived by mankind from theexercise of mutual love, how much more from the love ofGod—the pure, the gracious, the ever blessed God;“who loadeth us with His benefits;” who made us whatwe are, and gave us what we have; who created us for His glory,who redeemed us from sin and death, who sanctifieth all thattrust in Him, that they may be happy for ever:p. 136in a word,whose goodness to us knows no bounds, but those which are set byour own perverseness and ingratitude. Almighty and mostmerciful Father, “whom have I in heaven but Thee? and thereis none upon earth that I desire beside Thee.”[136] “Graft in our hearts thelove of Thy name;” we cannot love Thee as Thou hast lovedus; but give us the grace to love Thee with holy sincerity; withthat devout and reverent affection, which shall render all otherobjects of desire comparatively indifferent to us, and make ussatisfied with Thy favour, whatever else we want; which shallcalm our apprehensions, when we think of an hereafter; and allaythe uneasiness which arises in our breasts, when we reflect uponThine infinite holiness, and our own degenerate condition.

Perhaps it may be imagined, that this is a state ofblessedness attainable by few, if any, upon earth: some may urgethe text against us, and say that this blessednessp. 137is promisedonly to perfect love, which mortals can never hope to attain; andthat it is inconsistent with those numerous passages ofScripture, which admonish us of the necessity of fear; that inthe admirable collect of our Church for this day,[137] we are instructed to pray for “aperpetual fear and love of God’s holy name.” How then can we possess the love which casteth out fear? Iwill endeavour to reply to these observations; and pray God thatwe may all derive, from the consideration of this subject, a moretrue and lively and abiding sense of the nature and necessity ofthat love towards Him, which, as His adopted children and theinheritors of His kingdom, we are absolutely bound toentertain.

Unquestionably true it is, that the fear of God is, and everhas been, indispensable to all His faithful servants; as wellunder the mild dispensation of the gospel, as under the severerdiscipline of the law. “The fear of the Lord is thebeginningp.138of wisdom.”[138a] “Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear Him.”[138b] “Unto you that fear myname shall the Sun of Righteousness arise, with healing in Hiswings.”[138c] And accordingly the Apostleobserves, “In every nation, he that feareth Him, andworketh righteousness, is accepted with Him.”[138d] “His mercy is on themthat fear Him, from generation to generation.”[138e] But what is the nature of thisfear? It is not a slavish principle, not a disturbing anddistressful feeling. It consists in an awful sense ofGod’s glorious perfections; of His divine Majesty,unspotted purity, infinite knowledge and power; of His presencepervading every part of the creation, even the very mind of everyintellectual being; such a sense, as to fill us with the deepesthumility, perceiving ourselves unworthy even to stand in thesight of Him, “who is of purer eyes than to beholdiniquity;” suchp. 139a sense, habitually impressed uponthe heart, as inclines and constrains us to “follow thegood” which He loves, and “depart from theevil” which He abhors.

And this principle is plainly and entirely consistent with thesincerest love: our love indeed is powerfully increased by thereflection, that our heavenly Father, of whose attributes we formconceptions so awful and sublime, should condescend to bestowsuch regard upon His frail and fallen, His disobedient andrebellious children; it may teach us to exclaim with theliveliest emotions of gratitude, as well as with humble adorationand astonishment, “Lord, what is man that Thou art mindfulof him, and the son of man that Thou visitest him?”[139] Good reason, therefore, had theframers of our Liturgy, for directing us to implore the unitedinfluence of a perpetual fear and love of God’s holyname.

But the fear spoken of in the text is of another kind; itrelates to uneasy andp. 140distressful apprehensions respectingour acceptance with God; to a feeling of doubt and distrust,whether we are, in deed and in truth, partakers of the graciouspromises of the gospel; whether we are living in a state ofreconciliation with God; whether we have within us that earnestof the Holy Spirit, which is the pledge and seal of ourredemption; whether, in a word, we are objects of God’sfavour here, and have a well-grounded hope of his mercyhereafter.

That this is the state of mind represented to us by thebeloved Apostle, is clear from his own reasoning; “forfear,” says he, “hath torment:” now the fear ofGod, as above described, has no torment at all; it makes ushumble, and fills as with reverential awe, but it tends tocomfort and peace. We could not entirely love a Being,whose manifestation inspired us with terror and dismay; and thisis the very reason why many, when they come seriously to considertheir condition, are filled with confusion and alarm; becausetheyp. 141donot love God in sincerity and truth: their affections have beenset on the world; and therefore their title to salvation, uponthe terms proposed to them in the gospel, is clearlyinsufficient; they have served other masters, and have reason totremble for their reward from the great Lord and Master inheaven; they have employed their talents for other purposes, thanthose for which they were committed, and therefore, when theythink of making up their accounts, their lord presents himself as“an austere man,” exacting more than they will beable to render: no man can heartily love God, without an entireobedience of the heart; this they have never shewn, and thereforehave never loved Him: how then can they expect His favour; howcan they reflect upon their condition with composure andcomfort?

Truly is it said, that such fear hath torment; for of all theuneasiness which the mind can suffer here, the most painful isthat, which is produced from an apprehensionp. 142of“the terrors of the Lord;” better not to have knownthe greatness of the salvation promised, than to neglect themeans of securing it; better not to have heard of an hereafter,than to have a reasonable dread upon the spirits, what thathereafter shall be. They who have greater cause for fearthan for hope, must, if they are given to meditate and lookforward, find it cast a dismal shade over every scene andprospect of life; they may contrive to drown their seriousthoughts, in the midst of worldly pursuits and intemperatepleasures; but this is only for the passing hour; they cannotpossibly think, that their condition is thus reallyimproved. But why take so much pains to mitigate or conceala misery, which it is in our power, by God’s graciousmercy, effectually to prevent? Escape from these tormentsof the conscience by a sincere devotedness to the service of yourAlmighty Father, in the gospel of His beloved Son; by cherishingin the heart that “perfect love for Him, which casteth outfear.”

p. 143Yetis this possible, it may be said, for weak and imperfectman? Is it not rather a state at which we should aim, thanone at which we can ever hope to arrive? Certainly theimperfect creature can never attain to actual perfection in anymoral or spiritual duty; but his will and desire may be perfect,though his service is not; and in this sense, the duty of perfectlove is equally binding upon all believers. It is a verycommon persuasion, and dangerous as it is common, that thestandard of christian duty is raised much higher in the gospel,than it is necessary for the generality of Christians even tothink of reaching; that some of the commands, there given, areintended only for the chosen few, more eminent than the rest ofmankind in spiritual attainments; and thus too many professingdisciples of our Lord, imagining themselves not bound by suchextensive obligations, are content with measures of obedience,infinitely less than those, which are positively required;content with a state of heart and life, farp. 144short ofthat, which the gospel recognises and injoins. But this isa mere delusion, to suit the wayward fancy and the corruptinclination of man: where do we read in the Bible of suchlimitations and exceptions? Where do we find one set ofrules for eminent Christians, and another for Christians ingeneral? Are not all its precepts, and all its principles,and all its instructions, of universal obligation? When theSaviour promised His divine blessings to “the poor inspirit,” to them that “hunger and thirst afterrighteousness,” to “the pure in heart;” werethe conditions intended only for the disciples around Him on themount? Were they not also designed for His followers inevery age? And when the Lord commanded Moses to“speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel,and say unto them, Be ye holy, for I the Lord your God, amholy,”[144] does the precept concern only thepeople of old? Is it not equally applicable toChristians? Yea, itp. 145is urged upon us all by the mouth ofan Apostle.[145] The same is true of everyspiritual doctrine, every moral command recorded in the Book ofLife: there is no means of grace, no measure of obedienceordained, which a Christian can safely neglect.

Whatever, therefore, be meant in the text byperfectlove, that love it is the bounden and necessary duty of us all toattain and to cherish. And what is really meant by thisexpression, may be most readily and fully understood from aprecept of the divine law, as confirmed and enforced by ourblessed Redeemer; “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, withall thine heart and with all thy soul and with all thystrength.” This is the love described in the text;perfect inkind, as admitting of no rival principle, of nocompetition with “the world or the things that are in theworld,” with any or all of them together; imperfect indegree, on account of the infirmity of our faith, ofp. 146theweakness and corruption of human nature.

We cannot be at a loss to understand this distinction; yet itmay be further illustrated by an example from ordinarylife. The most affectionate and dutiful child will failoccasionally to please and obey its parent; but there will be aconstant desire and endeavour to please: to have excited theparent’s displeasure, will bring uneasiness and sorrow; andtherefore the violations of duty will be neither wilful norhabitual. And this sincere affection, for a kind and goodparent, never ceases to produce delight; the child indeed,feeling so much respect and reverence, will be afraid ofoffending, afraid of the unworthiness, afraid of the dishonour;yet the service of obedience is rendered from choice, and notfrom constraint; with emotions of joy, with a grateful endearmentof soul: slavish terror there is none; it is banished by theoverpowering principle of love.

The case is similar, with respect to thep. 147love ofGod: whoever, from a sense of the relationship which he isprivileged to bear to the almighty and gracious Creator; whoever,from a contemplation of the high and holy perfections of theGodhead; whoever, from a perception of the divine goodness andmercy, does truly love the great and glorious Lord of all, willconstantly delight to serve Him; sensible indeed of his manifoldweaknesses and deficiencies, and thereby brought to grieve, andrendered the more fearful to offend; but still entertaining nodoubt, that his services, imperfect and unworthy as they are, areaccepted at the throne of grace, through the merits of hisRedeemer, and as the fruit of faith in His prevailing name. For no earthly consideration would he exchange this heavenly joyand satisfaction; and no earthly event or dispensation, howeverafflicting, can drive him even to distrust, much less todespair. Though nature feels her bereavements and hertroubles, his faith is strong; and it assures him, that the verychastisementsp.148of the Lord are inflicted in mercy. “Who,” says the Apostle, “shall separate usfrom the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, orpersecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril or sword? Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Himthat loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, norlife, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor thingspresent, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any othercreature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God,which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”[148]

In speaking, however, of the holy confidence, with which weare inspired by the sincere love of God, far would I be, as faras possible, from confounding it with that self-sufficient andpresumptuous tone into which some persons have been unbecominglybetrayed, when describing their spiritual condition. Humility is the foundation of the Christian’s confidence:he trusts, only because he is “strong in thep. 149lord, andin the power of His might;” he is sufficient, only because“all his sufficiency is of God.” And the purerhis love, and the higher his attainments, the more humbly andmodestly does he speak of them: he talks not of certainty,“as if he had already attained,” but delights himselfwith “full assurance of faith,”[149a] with “full assurance ofhope;”[149b] his is not an extravagant joy,proceeding from the arrogant assertion of an elective claim, buta holy tranquillity of soul, arising from faith in theRedeemer’s undeserved mercy; from unfeigned love to themost benevolent and perfect Being; and reposing itself upon theunchangeable promises of Jehovah.

We do not question, my brethren, the claims of Almighty God toour perfect love. Is He not our Creator? and could He haveformed us with any other design, than to make us happy? Ifreason could have doubted this truth, revelation makes itclear. And are we not preserved, everyp. 150moment ofour lives, by His infinite wisdom and mercy and power? Andthough we are forgetful of His sustaining hand, still He feeds uswith the bounties of nature; and invites us to partake of theriches of His grace. What are the greatest blessings, whicha human being, which any creature could possibly desire? Tobe delivered from evil, and to enjoy everlasting good. Anddid not the adorable Son of God take upon him the infirmities andsufferings of our mortal state, to redeem us from misery, andexalt us even to glory? And does not the Holy Spiritcondescend to dwell in our tabernacles of flesh, that He maycleanse us from every sinful defilement, “purify untoHimself a peculiar people zealous of good works,”[150a] and make us “meet to bepartakers of the inheritance of the saints in light?”[150b] Could we, even if we had beenworthy, have desired, have imagined for ourselves, blessings sogreat and favours so exalted, as those which the good andgracious Godp.151is showering down upon us? Shall we not then beinclined, from every consideration, shall we not be determined,by God’s grace, to love this heavenly benefactor with allour heart—from a principle of gratitude; from an admirationof divine perfection; from the inspiring hope and prospect of oureternal salvation? Yes, let us give unto Him, not thatdivided affection, which is the vain offering of a degenerate anddegraded world; but the full and unreserved energies of thesoul. If a portion of our heart be engrossed by any otherobject, we are not the true people of the Lord; we render Him nota reasonable or acceptable service; our love is embittered withfear; with a fear that has, and will have, torment. Lord,let our affections be altogether devoted unto Thee; pour Thyspirit of love into our hearts, for the sake of Him “wholoved us and gave Himself for us;” we cannot love Thee hereupon earth as we would do, but be pleased to accept what Thoup. 152enablest usto give, the tribute of a sincere heart; and let it be to us anever-failing source of humble confidence and holy comfort; sothat we may anticipate the joyful hour, when we shall be removed,from this imperfect state of being, to a purer and happier world;where, with affections exalted and understandings enlarged, weshall render Thee a more delightful and laudable service; withangels and archangels, and all the company of heaven.

“God is love;” and when the veil of the flesh islaid aside, and we are admitted into His glorious presence,“we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as Heis;”[152] then will our felicity be complete,complete for ever; then, in the fullest sense of the words, weshall be “made perfect in love.” Here then,without a question, our true happiness lies; here is our all: letus pray that we may never lose sight of it; that the desire, nowp. 153kindled,may never be extinguished; that every “heart may there befixed, where true joys are to be found, through Jesus Christ ourLord.”

p.154SERMON IX.
HUMBLE YOURSELVES UNDER THE MIGHTY HAND OFGOD.

There is nothing, which morepeculiarly marks the character of the faithful Christian, thanthe manner in which he submits himself to the appointments anddispensations of his God. The worldly and carnal spiriteither frets and repines under the visitations of misfortune, oris disconsolate and cast down; or, at the best, bears up with amere animal fortitude against them: it finds no comfort to fleeunto,p.155but such as is afforded by the vain world, in which ithas already met with vexation und disappointment; and if theworld is unable to secure a continuance in prosperity, still lessis it able to provide a refuge in the dismal days of sorrow.

So lamentably indeed has this truth been experienced by many,that they have been driven to the fallacious and fatal expedientof attempting at once to drown their cares in intemperance; theyhave found nothing in the world sufficient to satisfy theirreason, or to soothe their irritated feelings; and therefore havedestroyed their faculties, that they might not reflect; and cutshort the thread of that life, which they imagined themselvesunequal to support: and some indeed have had recourse to a morespeedy and awful means of delivering themselves from the burdenof mortification and grief; ill prepared as they were, their ownhand of violence has hurried them into the presence of theirJudge. And even they, who have been preserved from thesemostp.156miserable extremities, have sufficiently testified bytheir conduct, that the world has nothing satisfactory to offer,for the healing of a wounded spirit, or the removal of a load ofsorrow.

Religion, the religion of the gospel, is the only source fromwhich true comfort or support can possibly be drawn; and we seeher triumphs manifested in the most blessed and remarkable mannerwhen the faithful servant of God is overwhelmed with trouble; weperceive his mind in a state of tranquillity, under a conviction,that the Lord “doeth all things well;” andremembereth mercy, no less in chastisement, than in the time ofprosperity; his unquiet emotions are subdued into holy subjectionto the divine will; his affections are set the more earnestly onthings above; the vanities of earth have lost their hold; andthere ariseth in the heart that “peace of God, whichpasseth all understanding.”

They who have been much conversant with scenes of sickness orof sorrow, cannotp.157fail to have observed the truth of these remarks, tohave been struck with the vast difference in the behaviour ofmen, in proportion as they have imbibed the true spirit andprinciple of the gospel. Some we have seen dismayed,disturbed, and restless; with nothing in their countenance, butvexation or anguish; others, cheerfully bearing up under theevils which have befallen them; and, by their expressions ofjoyful resignation, delighting and comforting the friends, whowere shedding over them the tears of sympathy; the power of theword of God, the “joy of the Holy Ghost” has beenvisible in their very features. Those persons, who havebeheld such an example, have been favoured with an instructivelesson, which they should “grave on the tablet of theirheart;” a lesson teaching them, faithfully and forcibly,where to look for aid in the reverses and afflictions oflife.

Yet, in order to lead us more effectually to cultivate, and toreap the benefit of, this heavenly frame of mind, let usp. 158nowconsider the bearing of the apostolic charge in the text,“Humble yourselves under the mighty hand ofGod.” Here we may discover powerful reasonsintimated, why we should bring ourselves into a state of entiresubmission to the divine will, and rest satisfied and resignedunder every dispensation. The hand of God is mighty: He isthe sovereign Lord of all; has an absolute right to dispose ofHis creatures, according to His good pleasure; and is alone ableboth to know and to do, what their several necessitiesrequire. They, therefore, who profess themselves Hispeople, are bound, by that very profession, unreservedly tosubmit to His sovereign disposal: “Shall the clay say tohim that fashioneth it, what makest thou? O Lord, Thou artour Father, we are the clay, and Thou our potter; and we all arethe work of Thy hand.”[158] He whocreated, He who redeemed us, He to whom alone we can look forsanctification and life, should and will maintain the dominionp. 159over us: Hethat gave us our being, must be able, and cannot be unwilling, to“give us all things needful both for our souls andbodies.” We understand not how He formed us from thedust of the earth; so neither can we understand the methods ofHis providence; but, as “the life is more than meat,”so may we trust His goodness and His power, to preserve, in thebest and wisest manner, the being of those, who seek Hisprotection and submit to His government. A wise son yieldsto an affectionate father, even in points where he cannotcomprehend the entire wisdom of his discipline and correction;yields, not only because experience has taught him the benefit ofsubjection, but also for the sake of obedience to a father, whois entrusted with the guidance of him, and has a right to beobeyed; much more should we, the adopted children of the MostHigh, bow with meekness and reverence before an Almighty andheavenly Father, though we altogether comprehend not the purposep. 160of thetrials, which He bringeth upon us: they are chastisements ofmercy, of whatever kind they be, and moreover are ordained byHim, who has the entire undisputed right of dominion over us.

Another consideration here suggested is, that all resistanceis vain; “the mighty hand of God” isuncontrollable. Utterly weak and fruitless were all theassembled powers of the universe, combined against His wall: whatcan a frail creature do, child of the dust, akin to theworm? If God strikes, who shall stay or avoid theblow? Whatever visitation He is pleased to send, to afamily or to an individual—of sickness, of calamity, ofdeath—there is no keeping it out of the dwelling; it may besoftened by resignation, it may be removed, and even blessed, byprayer; but we cannot hinder the accomplishment of God’swill. In the language of the pious Hannah, “The Lordkilleth and maketh alive; He bringeth down to the grave andbringeth up—He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, andlifteth up thep.161beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes,and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars ofthe earth are the Lord’s, and He hath set the world uponthem. He will keep the feet of His saints, and the wickedshall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no manprevail.”[161a]

Yes truly; the afflicting hand of God is mighty in operation,both to the wicked and the good; the former are constrained tofeel, though they will not heartily or practically acknowledge,that there is no dependence to be placed on the schemes orexertions of man; no trusting, that “to-morrow will be asthis day and much more abundant.”[161b] When “riches shall havemade themselves wings and have flown away;”[161c] when the favourite or the friend havebeen cut off; when the bodily frame is under the influence ofalarming disease; then the sinner, if he be not spirituallyhumbled, will, at least be made sensible, that there is a powerwhich canp.162lay him low; the conviction is forced on his mind,though he may refuse to act upon it; his conscience is smitten,though he will not obey its emotions; it assures him of thevanity of human devices, of human dependencies and strength,though it fail to incline him to his God.

How blessedly different the effect of the mighty hand of Godupon the sincere Christian! Even the heaviest affliction,the most untoward or adverse occurrence, produces, when he comesto reflect, a salutary influence on his mind and heart. Perceiving that it is the natural tendency of a smoothuninterrupted course, to make him rest satisfied with earthlyenjoyments, and draw aside his attention from the sublimerdelights and the more substantial interest of heavenly things, heacknowledges, not only with acquiescence, but with gratitude, theseverer dispensations of providence; he knows, that his faithmust be tried and his patience made perfect; it is the veryobject for which he is placed in this transitory state ofexistence;p.163he therefore implores his gracious Father, to sanctifyto him the crosses and disappointments below, and make themminister to the completion of his happiness above; whatever theyare, they are less than his transgressions deserve; whatever theyare, they are “of God’s sending,” to lead himto reflection and repentance; and very efficacious are they forthe fulfilment of this merciful purpose; perhaps the only meansby which he could have been preserved from falling, amidst thesnares and temptations that surround him. The Christian isready to confess, and many we have heard with thankfulnessconfessing, that of all the mercies received from the hands ofGod, the most distinguished, because the most effectual for hissalvation, are the vicissitudes and troubles of life: how many asincere believer, by the discomfiture of his earthly prospects,has been led to fix his heart more intently and stedfastly, uponthe unchangeable felicity of heaven; how many, at the death of afriend, havep.164sought more earnestly and experienced more abundantly,“the power of the spirit of consolation;” and havethereby been led to transfer their affections to that blessedworld, where christian friends shall meet, and never separateagain. How many, by the infirmities of the body, have beenadmonished and persuaded to make a better provision for thehealth and well-being of the soul! The hand of God has beenmightily laid upon them, to rescue them from the tyranny of sinand Satan, to place them in the enjoyment of “the perfectlaw of liberty,” manifested in the gospel; to save theirsouls alive.

Let us not regard the various calamities that befal us, ofwhatever nature they may be, as the mere result of human designor contingency; for whether they be occasioned by our ownimprudence and neglect, or by the instrumentality of an evilworld, they are permitted and ordained by a wise and mercifulGod, to draw us nearer to Himself; to teach us the utterinsufficiency of all earthlyp. 165interests and possessions; and toraise our thoughts to the glory of an eternal kingdom. Andif we receive them in a christian spirit, they will never fail toanswer their high and holy purpose. Let us therefore watchand pray, that we may duly consider every calamitous day as asacred opportunity, as a season of grace, as the rod of ourAlmighty Father to chastise us from sin: let it call us to deepmeditation and contrition, to serious examination of heart; forit is only by the religious and spiritual observance of suchseasons, that we can ever hope to derive from them improvementand comfort.

Remark and remember the language of the text, “Humbleyourselves under the mighty hand of God;” it is notenough that we be humbled, in a worldly sense, by the stroke ofmisfortune; that is a consequence, which may of necessity ensue:the loss of possession may drive us into needy solitude; the lossof health destroy our energy and activity; the loss of reputationbring us to shame; the loss ofp. 166friends oblige us to mourn, from thevery feelings of nature; but all this while, there may be nohumility of heart, no self-abasement, no voluntary humiliationunder “any of the dispensations of heaven:” the“hand of God hath touched us;” but we may not,nevertheless, be vitally touched ourselves, with a proper senseof the trials, which He has called us to endure: we must fall lowbefore His footstool; we must bend our knees in humble ferventprayer; we must implore the aid of His Holy Spirit, to open ourunderstandings, that we may perceive the graciousness of Hisdealings with us; and to enlarge our hearts, that we may take thefull benefit of His “loving correction;” we mustunfeignedly and fully confess, on our own part, that unworthinessand iniquity, which excited God’s displeasure, and requiredHis afflicting visitation; and that mercy, on God’s part,which seeketh to reclaim us from error; to “purge ourconscience from dead works;” to make us more alive to the“things which belongp. 167unto our peace;” to lead usfrom the vanities of time to the momentous realities ofeternity.

If we thus improve the sorrowful events that await us, weshall find a happy deliverance from them all; and it is the onlypossible means, by which we can be happily delivered: this thetext implies; “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand ofGod,that He may exalt you;” that you may thus berendered meet to partake of His mercy; that He may visit andcomfort you in your low estate; and make it instrumental to yourspiritual exaltation. If you murmur or complain, or do butnaturally mourn; if you manifest only the frettings of a worldlydisposition and temper, your case thereby becomes still moregrievous and intolerable; the heart is vexed by its vain andrebellious strivings; “the sorrow of the world workethmisery and death.” You are thus preventing thebenediction of heaven from descending upon you; you are closingup the avenues, through which the grace ofp. 168God mayfind its way into the heart; you are neglecting that remedy, bywhich alone the stricken soul can be healed, by which yourtrouble may be converted into a blessing. Embrace theproffered means; humble yourself beneath the burden, with“a godly sorrow,” for the sin that has brought it;bend yourself beneath the storm of heaven, and the Sun ofrighteousness will soon shine forth, and cheer you with Hisbrightest beam; “the God of consolation,” yourRedeemer, your unchangeable friend, “the same yesterday,to-day, and for ever,” will turn your darkness into light;your “weeping will endure but for a night, and joy willcome in the morning.”[168]

Or, if it be not literally so; if deliverance come not sospeedily as you desire or expect, it will assuredly come inGod’s “due time;” He may wait, to try thestrength of your patience and your faith; may seem for a season,as though He heareth not your prayer; but rest assured,p. 169He doeshear, and the answer is preparing: the wise and benevolent authorof four blessings knows best when to bestow them; depend upon Hismercy, and trust Him for the time: the delay will be nothing, ascompared with the comfort when it arrives: the very delay willminister to the fulness of your joy: you will perceive the truthof the divine character, as drawn by the pencil of the prophet;you may apply the prophetic description to yourself; “For asmall moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will Igather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee fora moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy onthee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer.”[169]

God will exalt every humble and faithful servant, in due time,even in this world; not perhaps to earthly greatness and honour;but, what is infinitely more important, to the height of His ownblessed favour; to the delight of a peaceful reconciliation withHimself; top.170the happiness of an approving conscience; to a“hope full of immortality:” and, after death, He willcrown that hope with a glorious consummation; will exalt thatservant to the skies; far beyond the reach of change, of trouble,or of fear. The Christian, like the Captain of hisSalvation, “will be made perfect through sufferings;”like Him, when the combat is over, will receive the crown ofglory, and sit down for ever at the right hand of his Father andhis God.

He will then more fully see and admire the gracious dealingsof his merciful God and Saviour; will see, what reason he had tobe thankful for the chastisements of heaven; how they havetrained and prepared his soul for the happiness of the blest; howwonderfully they have ministered to the fulness of his joy. Bear then patiently; bear, I ought to say, thankfully, what theLord layeth upon thee; it is His hand that “worketh all inall,” His hand of might and mercy. Thou canst notalways trace His designs and operations;p. 171if thoucouldst, where would be the exercise of thy faith? But ifthou wilt believe and trust Him, if thou wilt bow and submit, Hewill thus exalt thee in due time, when thou art ready, when thytrial is completed, when thy appointed work is done. Thisis the seed-time; sow, and thou shalt see it spring up; labour,and wait for the harvest; “they that sow in tears shallreap in joy.”[171]

p.172SERMON X.
THOU ART THE MAN.

The parable, of which these wordsare a part, is admired, even for its elegance and simplicity, byevery one who is capable of appreciating its merit. Itserves also to illustrate, in the clearest manner, the advantageof this mode of instruction; which is intended, in the firstplace, by a lively representation of the productions of nature,or the incidents of common life, to convey an adequate notion ofa truth or doctrine in easy and familiar terms; and to leave amore striking impression of it upon the memory and theheart. The parable has a further advantage: the instructionp. 173itaffords is not at once unfolded to the mind; the attention andthe feelings are first awakened, by the relation of someinteresting occurrence, apparently unconnected with the object inview; by which means, an assent is gained over to the side oftruth, before the understanding has had time to be prejudiced, bythe workings of self-love, or the disinclination to religiousadmonition.

Such was precisely the case with the parable before us. Had Nathan addressed to David a direct and formal expostulation,it is probable that the king would have considered hisinterference as intrusive and impertinent; would have eitherdriven him from his presence, or have been prepared, by someplausible excuse, to cast a veil over the hideousness of hiscrimes. But the royal offender, though he could readilypalliate his own atrocity, could not bear to hear of cruelty inanother. When it was reported to him, that there were twomen in a city, the one rich and the other poor; that the richp. 174man, whenthere came a traveller unto him, spared to take of the abundanceof his own flock, and of his own herd, and took from the poor mana little ewe lamb, which was all he had in the world; took itfrom him under the most affecting circumstances; “for hehad bought and nourished it up, and it grew up together with himand with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank ofhis own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as adaughter.” When the king heard all this, his feelingswere violently excited, “his anger was greatly kindledagainst the man; and he said to Nathan, as the Lord liveth, theman that hath done this thing shall surely die.”[174] This was the moment for makingthe application: and judge of David’s shame and confusionof face, on finding that all his pity, and all his anger, and allhis condemnation, had in truth been directed against himself:“Thou art the man.” He could not helpperceiving, that greatp. 175as was the cruelty, which he hadbeen reprobating in the case laid before him, he had been guiltyof still greater himself: though he had the whole kingdom for theexercise of his legitimate choice, he would rather deprive anhumble servant of the only object of his conjugal affection,deprive him, by becoming, in the first instance, accessary to hismurder.

We may here observe, how terrible is the infatuation ofsin. It might have been thought that David, if he had notimmediately perceived the full intention of the prophet in layingthis parable before him, would at least, from an instantaneousrecollection of his own notorious guilt, have treated, with somedegree of lenity or forbearance, the barbarity of which Nathanappeared to be complaining; that he would not so soon havedenounced against a delinquent, so much less heinous thanhimself, the utmost severity of punishment. But, as if hisown conscience were clear, he immediately exclaimed against theimagined offender, as a wretchp. 176unfit to live; he does not appear tohave been awakened to a sense of his own crimes, till he heardthe overwhelming application, “Thou art the man.”

Such is generally the fascination of sin; it darkens theunderstanding, and deadens the conscience, and renders meninsensible to their real condition. It is the great objectof the enemy of our souls, an object in which he too oftenfatally succeeds, to make us blind, not only to the heinousnessand danger, but also to the very existence of guilt: so that,however acute we may be in perceiving the transgressions ofothers, and however severe in reprobating and condemning them, weare, in very frequent instances, utterly regardless of ourown. Many, it is to be feared, there are, who persist in acourse of sin day after day, and year after year, without oncefeeling any lively or serious compunction; while they havefrequently, in that time, been reproachfully animadverting uponthe mote which they have detected in their brother’seye.

p.177Perhaps of all the temporal consequences of sin, theoperation of this evil habit is one of the most calamitous; forit not only prevents us from a repentance of the past, but servesas an encouragement to our reckless perseverance in sin; itdestroys the very principle of vital religion; removing entirelyfrom our hearts the love and fear of God; and filling us with“envy, hatred, and malice and alluncharitableness.” Let David’s infatuation be awarning to us, let it induce us to take diligent heed, lest we beirreclaimably “hardened by the deceitfulness of sin;”lest the conscience be at length so entirely seared, as to becomecallous to the very perception of iniquity; as to make us“call evil good, and good evil; to put darkness for light,and light for darkness; to put bitter for sweet, and sweet forbitter.”[177]

Before, however, we further proceed to the practicalinferences which may be drawn from this subject, it may be properp. 178tonotice some irreverent and reproachful remarks, which have beenmade on the flagrant crimes of a person so distinguished asDavid. Is it possible, some have urged, that such guilt,and such hardihood in guilt, could have been found in the“man after God’s own heart?”[178] But this honourable appellation,be it observed, was given to David, not on account of his moralor spiritual purity, but on account of the excellence of hischaracter as a king; he was so named in opposition to Saul, whohad acted in wilful disobedience to the divine commands, andtherefore, in the administration of his government, was not a manafter God’s own heart; that is, he did not (as David did,in this particular,) perform God’s will.

Again, it has been said, could an inspired person possiblyfall into such a complication of evil? Miraculousinspiration, we answer, was not given to the sacred pen-men, as acertain preservative from the corruption of sin, but to enablethem top.179reveal the will of God; to guard them, in this respect,from error; and to “guide them into all truth:” theircarnal appetites and passions were not supernaturally overruled;they still had their choice between good and evil; thoughrevealing to mankind the holy law of God, they might themselvesneglect the duties which it injoined: many instances are recordedof the abuse of spiritual gifts, many examples of theirconsisting with unholiness and transgression. The verychief of the apostles intimates to us the personal care andwatchfulness and labour which were necessary, “lest, havingpreached to others, he himself should be a castaway.”[179]

Not but that David’s guilt was most deplorablyinconsistent with his high character and office, and was adishonour to religion itself; I am only shewing, that it was notincompatible with the appellation which he had received, and thehigh and holy functions which he was called to discharge. And be it remembered, top. 180David’s honour, that thoughhis sin was aggravated, his confession of it was full andunreserved; that he most humbly and religiously submitted to thepenal retribution of his offended God; that his repentance wasbitter and sincere: it was “a repentance indeed neverafterwards repented of:” continually was his harp attunedto the bewailing of his own depravity; continually was hedescending from the lofty strains of thanksgiving and joy, andpouring forth in the abasement of his soul, the doleful notes ofmourning and lamentation.

And, in truth, there was abundant cause; for the crimes ofDavid afford one of the most melancholy instances of theviolation of conscience, of a departure from the service of theMost High. Let it fill us with humility and fear. Ifso eminent a servant of God could fall into such abominations,how deeply concerned, how “instant in prayer,” howvigilant and careful should we be, lest our feet be betrayed intoevil! We see to whatp. 181criminal and dangerous excess humannature may be led, if we fail to cherish the grace of God; andare abandoned to the government of our own corrupt desires, andthe tyranny of our spiritual adversary. To the lukewarm andthe wavering I need scarcely say, that without greaterseriousness and circumspection, they will assuredly beoverthrown: but let me also admonish the faithful Christian; him,who appears to be safely pursuing the even tenour of his way; whomay be led, by the regular and habitual discharge of religiousduties, into a state of presumptuous confidence and slumberingsecurity; him I would admonish, from the instance of David,“that the heart is deceitful above all things, anddesperately wicked;”[181a] that it may,when most implicitly trusted, most dangerously betray; let Davidteach “him that thinketh he standeth to take heed lest hefall.”[181b]

Some perverse and worldly-mindedp. 182persons have made a very differentuse of the lamentable case before us; it has encouraged them inwilful transgression; it has served them as a “cloak fortheir sin.” Surely, say they, if David could soflagrantly transgress, how can we be expected to preserve ourintegrity? If he was accepted of God, indulgence wouldreadily be extended to the comparatively trifling offences ofinferior servants. True; we cannot be perfect; we may hopefor pardon; but we are not, on that account, to sinpresumptuously; not to offend, because God is merciful: this didnot David. Whoever deliberately sins from the hope ofGod’s mercy, is taking the surest was to deprive himself ofthat mercy. There is frequently great error in the notionof trifling offences: no offence is trifling in the sight of aninfinitely holy God: much less any wilful offence. Themagnitude of a fault chiefly depends upon the circumstances underwhich it is committed; much more readily could we urge an excusefor him, who is heedlessly or suddenlyp. 183borne awayby impetuous passion and carnal desire, than for him, whopresumes deliberately to trample upon the law of God, becauseanother has been forgiven. Shall we thus abuse the merciesof redeeming love? “Shall we continue in sin thatgrace may abound? God forbid. How shall we that aredead to sin, live any longer therein?”[183] Would we find the favour thatDavid did, we must seek it, like him, in the true spirit ofpenitence and devotion; we must “confess our wickedness,and be sorry for our sin:” we must hate the works andworkers of iniquity: we must imitate David, not in his crimes,but in his repentance and reformation.

Let us learn another lesson from the history before us; let itteach us the importance of being always disposed and ready toreceive spiritual counsel; of being in the habit of applying toourselves every opportunity of improvement, with which we may beblessed. Too many, likep. 184David, are extremely backward toreceive an intimation of their own errors, and to availthemselves of the benefit of reproof. They are sufficientlyquick-sighted in discovering the applicability of reproach, totheir neighbour; without even suspecting that it may suit theirown case and condition. How many have acknowledged thepropriety and force of admonitions and rebuke, which they haveheard in the house of God, without ever taking them home to theirown breasts; and this undoubtedly is one cause, why the voice ofpublic instruction produces, in general, so little effect uponthe characters and conduct of men. While they are pleasedto imagine, that the representations and censures of the preacherare suited to others rather than to themselves, no wonder thatthey retain their neglectful, sinful, unprincipled habits, indefiance of every remonstrance, and every warning. Insteadof torturing their ingenuity, to discover to what particularpersons in the congregation a discourse mayp. 185be mostfitly and beneficially applied, let them rather be anxious toinquire, how far it may be accommodated to their own case; and toall those, who presume to make a further inquiry, who are lookingaround for the delinquencies of their neighbour, we would say,restrain thy wandering eye, and look within, “Thou art theman.”

A readiness to take advantage of religious instruction, is oneof the surest evidences of a christian spirit, and one of thegreatest blessings that a Christian can enjoy. It manifestsa christian spirit, inasmuch as it shews an humble sense of ourown failings and imperfections, and an anxious desire to recoverfrom them all; to “grow in grace and in the knowledge ofour Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”[185] It is one of the greatestblessings to the Christian, because there is seldom a day, seldoman hour that passes, from which he may not derive some spiritualbenefit. While the recklessp. 186and self-conceited, who dwell withcomplacency upon their state and character, perceive not anycounsel adapted to their wants, the humble-minded are gatheringedification from every thing around them; from all they hear andall they see: doubtless, it must be so; for how can they, whothink themselves whole, discover the need of a physician, how canthey apply a remedy?

Suffer me to entreat you, in conclusion, that whenever you areseriously impressed with a conviction of evil, or the neglect ofany christian duty, you will carry home the impression, to haveits full effect upon the heart. For want of this care andthis habit, many a salutary lesson, that strikes for the moment,is afterwards thrown away, unheeded and forgotten: and thus thevery means of grace, which are ordained to recover us from sin,and enable us to “work out our salvation,” become theinstruments of confirming us in error and guilt. The mind,which is continually accustomed to receive and top. 187neglectreligious instruction, may be thereby brought into a heedless andtorpid state, from which it is well nigh impossible to beroused. Not that any thing “is impossible withGod:” but I appeal to experience, and ask, whether it isnot a notorious matter of fact, that many amongst us have foryears uniformly persevered, in the same neglect of christianduties, the same worldly principles, the same evil courses, thesame habits of intemperance and licentiousness and profaneness;and it will not be denied, that they have, in these years,frequently heard the voice of expostulation, and perceived thejustice, the force, and the importance of it. Then why arethey still unreclaimed?—because they have never followed upthe conviction of “Thou art the man.”

God grant, that this admonition may have its full effect uponus; that we may go and meditate, and pray; pray daily for theblessing of an humble and a teachable heart; pray for God’sgrace, to correct all our sinful follies, and supply allp. 188ourdeficiencies. Probably, my brethren, we have been“leaning too little upon the hope of this heavenlygrace;” we have been relying upon our own perception ofright and wrong, our own choice and decision, our own feebleresolutions; if so, no wonder that we have failed, in our work ofrepentance and spiritual change. “Turn Thou us untoThee, O Lord, and we shall be turned:”[188] here lies our hope and our strength,in the renewing influence of the Spirit of God. As we dodesire, so let us fervently pray, that we may, in our course ofpenitence, imitate the example of the royal psalmist, and letcontrition “have its perfect work;” that we may, herebelow, with heart and soul, join in the pious and repentantstrains of David’s harp, and thus may be admitted to singto other harps hereafter, in the chorus of the Redeemedabove.

p.189SERMON XI.
THE WAY OF THE LORD EQUAL.

The main purport of this chapterwas, to obviate some objections which had been groundlesslyentertained against the dealings of God with His people. They were at that time suffering in a state of captivity; and thecalamities attendant upon it had been threatened long before, asa punishment for the sins of their ancestors. The Jews,therefore, assuming that this was the only cause of divinevengeance; imagining, in the blindnessp. 190and prideof their hearts, that there were no delinquencies of their own todeserve such retribution, presumed to charge the Almighty withinjustice, for this visitation of His wrath.

The prophet, in the opening of the chapter, thus remonstrateswith them: “What mean ye, that ye use this proverbconcerning the land of Israel?” (concerning the evils withwhich it is afflicted,) that ye say, in the language ofaccusation and reproach, “the fathers have eaten sourgrapes and the children’s teeth are set onedge?”—thereby meaning, that the present generationare unjustly punished for the transgressions of theirforefathers. “As I live, saith the Lord, ye shall nothave occasion to use this proverb any more inIsrael.” I will make so visible a discriminationbetween the righteous and the wicked, between those who tread inthe steps of their wicked progenitors, and those who take warningby their examples, that you shall not have any further occasionto use this proverb amongst you.

p. 191TheJews, in this as in many other instances, misunderstood andperverted the dispensations of the Most High. God haddeclared, that He would “visit the sins of the fathers uponthe children,” and that He “would shew mercy untothousands of those that loved Him;” from which theyinferred, that worldly calamities, in the one case, andprosperity in the other, constituted the sole recompence, whichthey were severally to expect: they supposed, that when a nationwas punished, on account of the general depravity, no respect washad to the different merits of individuals, of which that nationconsisted; and that, when a people were prospered and exalted, asthe reward of righteousness, they were all, of necessity, theobjects of divine favour. Whereas, these temporal rewardsand punishments formed but a part of the dispensation, underwhich they were placed. God had far other means in store,to bless the faithful and to afflict the transgressor. Under every visitation, His unerring eye couldp. 192discernbetween the evil and the good; the one, however prosperous in aworldly point of view, He could mortify and humble; and theother, in whatever evil they might be involved, He could favourand bless.

But there was still another consideration, to which the Jews,though they practically disregarded it, were specially directed;a consideration, which might have taught them, how the seemingirregularities, of which they complained, would be completelyrectified; it was that of a final judgment, of a world tocome. Their prophet Isaiah expressly says of thetransgressors, that “their worm shall not die, neithershall their fire be quenched.”[192a] And Daniel more particularlyintimates the awful difference between the conditions of therighteous and the wicked in a future state; “many of themthat sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake: some toeverlasting life, and some to shame and everlastingcontempt.”[192b] Butp. 193theIsraelites “had eyes and saw not, ears and heardnot;”[193a] they listened only the temporalpromises of God, and excluded from their minds the prospect of afinal retribution, of a kingdom to come. The prophetawakens them to this consideration in the 4th verse,“Behold, saith the Lord, all souls are Mine:” as theyare all equally My creatures, so My dealings with them shall bewithout prejudice or partiality; “The soul that sinneth, itshall die:” this denunciation could not possibly beunderstood of temporal death; for that, they knew, must passequally upon all: it must relate to a final execution ofjudgment, to future misery and destruction. The Jews werefamiliar with this form of speech and this application of it: ofwisdom it is said, “They that hate me, lovedeath.”[193b] “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the endthereof are the ways ofdeath.”[193c] A similar mode of speech, wemay observe,p.194frequently occurs in the New Testament also; in whichwe continually find expressions and figures borrowed from theOld: “If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die; but if ye,through the spirit, do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shalllive.”[194a] And, in the book of Revelation,mention is made of thesecond death;[194b] a term which was in use among theJews themselves, though not found in their inspiredwritings. And in the same sense, we shall perceive, thefigure is repeatedly employed in the chapter before us.

The prophet therefore vindicates the justice and equity of Godon two substantial grounds: he directs his murmuring andrebellious people to consider, that they were visited withcalamity for their own transgressions, as well as for those oftheir forefathers; and he refers them to the future and finaljudgment of the Almighty, in which the prosperity of thep. 195wicked andthe sufferings of the righteous alike terminate; in which bothshall receive their just and everlasting recompence. “The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neithershall the father bear the iniquity of the son; the righteousnessof the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of thewicked shall be upon him.” “Have I any pleasureat all that the wicked should die, saith the Lord God, and notthat he should return from his ways and live?”[195]

The passages last mentioned may introduce to our notice twoconsiderations, most distinctly and forcibly stated in the latterpart of this chapter, in both of which we are very deeply andpeculiarly interested; they are these; that if the wicked repentof their evil ways and turn heartily to God, they shall beforgiven and received into His favour; but that if the righteousfall away, they shall be condemned and perish: on the one hand,there is ample encouragement to the sinner to return;p. 196on theother, an awful admonition, to the righteous, of the necessity ofperseverance unto the end. How gracious the instruction ineither point of view! If it were not for the heavenlyassurance of the offer of pardon to all, without partiality orexception, many a flagrant transgressor, when brought to a senseof his sin and shame—his conscience pierced with theremembrance of so manifold offences against a just and holy God,his soul over-burdened with the load of guilt—might sitdown disconsolate and despairing in the shadow of death: and ifit were not for a warning voice, bidding them, as they hope forsalvation, to persevere, the righteous, when assailed bytemptation, might at length be induced to yield, under apresumption, that their former obedience, that the good deedsthey had already performed, would turn the balance in theirfavour, and procure for them acceptance at the tribunal of God,though they were ultimately found in the way of evil. Intothis error the Jews had actually fallen;p. 197and do, asit is affirmed, continue unto this day; and others might“follow their pernicious ways.”

Each of the important doctrines, which we are now considering,is declared by the prophet in the most explicit and unequivocalterms. “If the wicked will turn from all his sinsthat he hath committed, and keep all My statutes, and do thatwhich is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall notdie. All his transgressions that he hath committed, theyshall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that hehath done, he shall live.”[197] None of hisformer transgressions shall exclude him from the privileges andblessings of God’s people; he shall be freely and fullyreceived, without reproach, into a gracious covenant with hisGod. This condition of acceptance manifestly implies avital belief in the sovereignty and mercy of God; for withoutthis, none would be encouraged to turn unto Him with the hope offorgiveness and favour: “Hep. 198that cometh to God must believe thatHe is, and that He is the rewarder of them that diligently seekHim.”[198a] “The just shall live byhis faith;”[198b] and the dutieswhich the prophet prescribed to his people, as the means ofsaving their souls alive, were evidently regarded by him as thefruit of that faith. Thus, therefore, they were leftwithout excuse; no longer able to say, “that the way of theLord was not equal;” for so far from having decreed toinvolve them all in the same indiscriminate punishment, He waswilling, nay desirous, of admitting into His favour even the mostdisobedient and abandoned amongst them. Although in a stateof miserable bondage, He would either “break their bondsasunder,” and provide them with a place of refuge; or Hewould make their bodily afflictions minister to the well-being oftheir souls. If the light of His countenance shone uponthem, happy was their lot in thep. 199darkest hour of suffering andprivation: and if they did not live to enjoy a restoration to theprivileges of their own land, still might they rejoice, in theprospect of being restored to their forfeited inheritance in themansions of eternal peace. Would they but forsake theidols, after which they were gone astray, and turn to “lovethe Lord their God with all their heart and soul andstrength,” “ceasing to do evil, and learning to dowell,” though “their sins were as scarlet, theyshould be as white as snow; though they were red like crimson,they should be as wool.”[199] Surely nonebut the obstinate and rebellious, none but the hardest and mostungrateful heart, could complain of the dealings of God. Wonderful indeed was the patience which had borne with them solong; adorable the mercy which was still held out for theencouragement and return of a backsliding people.

Under the gospel dispensation, the same gracious doctrine isyet more fully revealed. p. 200“If any man sin, we have anAdvocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”[200a] “If we confess our sins,He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse usfromall unrighteousness.”[200b] “The Lord islong-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish,but thatall should come to repentance.”[200c] Texts indeed there are withoutnumber of the same merciful import; and numerous also are theexamples, recorded in Holy writ, in which the Saviour vouchsafedHis loving kindness and favour to the weary and heavy-ladensinner; “seeking and saving those that were lost;”and thus affording us the most ample assurance of the truth ofHis own gracious promise, “Him that cometh to me I will inno wise cast out.”[200d] Are thereany amongst us, my brethren, who have not yet made their peacewith God; any, whom Satan hath hitherto held fast in “thegall of bitterness, and the bond of iniquity;” whop. 201feel thewretchedness of their condition here, and are alarmed at theexpectation of what may come hereafter? May “thegoodness of God lead them to repentance!” Howeverdeep and dangerous the wounds which sin has made in their hearts,there is “balm in Gilead,” if they will earnestlyseek it, and apply it to their souls: their offended Lord isstill “waiting to be gracious;” and though they havebeen prodigally wasting his bounty in riotous living, yet if theybe at length pierced to the heart by the misery to which it hasbrought them, and be truly desirous of returning to theirpeaceful home, and be ready, with all humility and contrition, toacknowledge their unworthiness, and to seek again the divinefavour, from which they have been so unhappily estranged, thenthey will be received even with welcome; if but one sinnerreturn, there “will be joy in heaven;” and the familyof the blest will hail his reception; and his wanderings shall bementioned no more. “Awake thoup. 202thatsleepest and rise from the dead, and Christ shall give theelight.”[202]

But let not this gracious offer of mercy be abused; let it notact as an encouragement to a continuance in sin, under a notionthat transgressions, however multiplied and aggravated, may be,at any future day, repented and forgiven. The grace ofrepentance, like every other good gift, cometh from God; and theproffered mercy, which is long and obstinately rejected, may be,and often is, withdrawn. If we will not hear, while theAlmighty now speaks; if we will not answer, while He is nowcalling, “the ear may become heavy that it cannothear,” and we may be left to perish in our sins. Oneword more; think of the many sudden departures; you are notwithout awakening and awful examples; your eye may be closed indeath, while it is turned away from your God; or if you should bepermitted to experience a few days’ alarm, God alone knowswhat effect it may producep. 203upon the heart. Seek Him“in health and wealth;” the work is of amazingmagnitude and everlasting importance; it demands all your vigour,all the unclouded faculties of your soul.

And let those who have embraced the blessed gospel, insincerity and truth, who are believing in the name of Jesus forsalvation, and “are fruitful in every good word andwork,” ever bear in mind the absolute necessity ofpersevering in the good and holy cause. For of what servicecan it be, to begin the race with animation, and to pursue it,for a season, with ever so great activity, if they loiter beforethe end, and relinquish their exertions “for the prize oftheir high calling?” “When the righteousturneth away from his righteousness and committeth iniquity, anddoeth according to all the abominations that the wicked mandoeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hathdone shall not be mentioned; in his trespass that he hathtrespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned,p. 204in themshall he die.” Here also we must allow, that“the way of God is equal.”[204] For surely it argues the mostdepraved and abandoned state of mind and heart, to depart fromour God and our Redeemer, after having been once convinced of thetruth and the blessedness of His holy religion; having“tasted how gracious the Lord is,” having experiencedthe guidance and comfort and support of his all-powerful spirit,having had our “hopes full of immortality,” havingenjoyed a foretaste of the happiness of heaven, after all to fallaway, and prefer to these exalted objects, the miserablepleasures, the base indulgencies, the perishable possessions ofearth! A change so disastrous must reduce the understandingand heart into the worst condition of which they arecapable. It is the evil spirit, which had been once castout, returning to his abode, with seven other spirits more wickedthan himself, and dwelling there, as in a settled home, andp. 205the laststate of that man is worse than the first.[205a] The Apostle represents thematter to us in this light: for so difficult is it for a person,in such a state, to be worked upon by any consideration, that hedescribes it, in his strong language, as an actual impossibility:“it is impossible, (he says) for those who were onceenlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were madepartakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word ofGod, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fallaway, to renew them again unto repentance;”[205b] and then he adds the reason,“seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh,and put Him to an open shame;” they maintain the horridprinciples and character of those who “crucified the Lordof glory;” they deliberately renounce his friendship, andbecome “enemies to the cross of Christ;” they cast ashameful reproach upon Him, infinitely greater than it ispossible for those enemies to do,p. 206who were never admitted into theprivilege and happiness of His favour. Fain would we hope,that this is a case of rare occurrence; but it is possible, orwhy should the prophet and Apostle have represented it? “Therefore, let him that thinketh he standeth, take heedlest he fall;”[206a] “let himgive all diligence to make his calling and election sure.”[206b] “The just shall live byhis faith: but ifthat man, (however faithful and just hehas been) draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure inhim;”[206c] this is the proper translation of thepassage. God Almighty of His infinite mercy grant, that thewords which follow this text, addressed by the Apostle to thefaithful disciples of old, may be realized by all of us here;“we, (says he,) are not of them who draw back untoperdition; but of them that believe to the saving of thesoul.” Pray to God without ceasing for grace topersevere: His Holy Spirit, if sought and cherished and used,will enable us to be faithful and to overcome,p. 207will“make us more than conquerors, through Him that lovedus.”[207a]

In conclusion then, I ask, “is not the way of the Lordequal?” And of those, who presume to arraign it, arenot the ways unequal? Equal and merciful do all the ways ofGod appear, whenever they can be traced; equal and merciful theyare, whether they can be traced or not. “O man, whoart thou that repliest against God?”[207b] “Shall not the judge ofall the earth do right?”[207c] Humblethyself, and accept His proffered mercy: Hear His words;“Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth:for I am God, and there is none else.”[207d] Salvation is all that thesinner can desire; and surely he can repose, without doubt ordistrust upon the all-wise, all-merciful, omnipotent God. Understanding and experiencing, in so many instances, the divinewisdom and mercy, we can have no difficulty in believing, thatGod “doeth all thingsp. 208well.” “He thatspared not his own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, howshall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”[208a] Most unreasonable, mostungrateful would it be to question or complain. No truebeliever does so: he is thoroughly convinced of the truth ofGod’s word, and the equity of God’s dealings anddispensations. This is his concern, this the great purposeresting in his soul, to be reconciled to God in His own appointedway; to be made an inheritor of His eternal kingdom. Heknows, and it is enough for him to know, that “the grace ofGod, which bringeth salvation, hath appeared to all men;”[208b] he believes, and he acts upon thebelief, that “the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us fromall sin;”[208c] he seeks to“wash and be clean,” and faithfully waits for thepromised blessing: “Verily there is a reward for therighteous; verily He is a God that judgeth the earth.”[208d]

p.209SERMON XII.
THE NEW MAN.

In treating of these words, itshall be my first object to explain their real nature andimport. St. Paul has been describing, in this chapter, thecharacter of the unregenerate Gentiles, who “walked in thevanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, beingalienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is inthem, because of the blindness of their heart.” Andthis description applies, with almost equal force and truth, to aconsiderable portion ofp. 210those who have “named the nameof Christ:” though they acknowledge with their lips thetruth and obligation of the christian religion, they still“walk in the vanity of their minds.” As to anysaving view of the truth, “the understanding isyetdarkened:” and though their ignorance be removed, withrespect to a revelation of the divine will, they are as far asever from “the life of God;” though the mind isenlightened with the knowledge of the fact, the blindness of theheart remains.

The Apostle proceeds to say of his Ephesian converts,“butye have not so learnedChrist”—“if so be, that ye have heardHim” (or rather, as the phrase may properly imply,forasmuch as ye have heard Him) “and have beentaught by Him as the truth is in Jesus.” And what hadthey heard, as necessary to their salvation by His name, and whatis the truth they had been taught?—“that ye put off,concerning the former conversation (the former life and conduct),the old man,p.211which is corrupt, according to the deceitfullusts” (the worldly principles and the sinful habits abovedescribed, to which you were addicted before your conversion);and “be renewed (or made new) in the spirit of your mind;and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created inrighteousness and true holiness;” the change thus producedbeing so great and important as to be compared to a new creation;the inner man being totally different from what he wasbefore. It is said, moreover, that the new man “iscreatedafter God in righteousness;” this is fullyexplained by the same Apostle, in his Epistle to the Colossians,where he is treating on the same subject; he there speaks of theconverts being renewed “after the image of Him who createdthem.”[211] At the creation of Adam, God isrepresented as saying, “Let us make man in our image, afterour likeness,” that is, in perfect innocence andpurity. Thus was Adam formed, perfectly upright andp. 212holy: bydisobedience his nature was changed; he became sinful and unholy;and this change was entailed upon all his posterity. Theobject, therefore, of the new creation is to restore in us, asfar as we are now capable of it, that image of divinerighteousness, which man lost by the fall. On considering,then, the holy nature of God, we are at once made acquainted withthat change, in the natural man, which the gospel teaches andrequires; we are brought to perceive and acknowledge that“true holiness,” which as Christians we are bound todesire and attain.

The same truth may be said to have been substantially revealedto the servants of God under the old dispensation: there is noexpress mention indeed of a new creation of the individual; butthe prophets every where assert, what is similar in effect, thatno wicked person, without hearty repentance and an entire changeof character, must expect the divine favour. To thispurpose is the language ofp. 213Isaiah: “Wash you, make youclean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes;cease to do evil, learn to do well.”[213a] The unclean and unrighteouscannot stand before God. “As I live, saith the LordGod, (by the mouth of Ezekiel) I have no pleasure in the death ofthe wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turnye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, house ofIsrael?”[213b] The prophet thereto plainlyintimating, that notwithstanding all that goodness andlong-suffering of the divine nature, which is expressed in a mostcompassionate invitation, and is confirmed even by the solemnityof an oath, yet if sinners did not “turn from their evilways,” there was no remedy, but they must die. Andthe same prophet on another occasion, uses language very similarto that of the text; “I will put anew spirit withinyou, and I will take the stony heart out of theirflesh—that they may walk in my statutes and keep minep. 214ordinances,and do them, and they shall be my people, and I will be theirGod.”[214a] Agreeably to this, the samepeople are subsequently exhorted, to “cast away from themall the transgressions whereby they had transgressed, and to makethem a new heart and a new spirit.”[214b] However therefore, the NewCovenant doth exceed the Old, with regard to the clearness of itsmanifestations, and its fuller dispensations of grace, yet arethere in both of them the same consistent terms of reconciliationand salvation for rebellious man; in both are injoined the samepurity of spirit, and integrity of character; this is the plain,uniform, infallible intimation of both, that “withoutholiness no man shall see the Lord.”[214c]

That the people of old were but partially awake and alive tothe great change required to be wrought in them, from sin torighteousness, from the love of evil to the love of good, from a“bondage untop. 215the elements of the world” tothe glorious liberty of the children of God, is too fully provedfrom the complaints of patriarchs and prophets and holy men ofevery determination. The sound of the gospel, thank God,has now gone forth into all lands, and brought “life andimmortality to light;” it has awakened many nations, wholay fast bound in the slumbers of spiritual death; but whether ithas vitally and savingly awakened a greater proportion of those,to whom the glad tidings have been revealed, is a matter ofreasonable doubt. At least, if we compare what man is bynature, with what he may be and ought to be by divine grace, itmust appear, from the life and conduct of the great majority inthe christian world, that they have by no means attained thatrenovation of spirit and principle and character, which canentitle them to the appellation of new creatures.

Of how many may it be said, (and their own consciences willbear witness to the truth of the accusation,) that their thoughtsp. 216areordinarily flowing in much the same channel, their passionsyielding to the same excitements, and their pursuits directed tothe same end, as they would have been, had the pure doctrines andprecepts of Christ never been promulgated. Vast numbers, inthe visible Church of Christ, who profess some regard forreligion, instead of raising their affections to the standard ofthe gospel, are seeking tobring down the immoveablestandard of the gospel tothem: and greater numbers still,of reckless men, bestow not so much as a thought upon thatspiritual change, which is absolutely essential to the christiancharacter. For what is the religion of thousands amongstus?—merely, if I may so call it, that traditionaryacquaintance with divine things, which is acquired in infancy;that outward assent to evangelical truths, which was handed downto them by their forefathers; a cold respect for the shadow,without any concern for the substance: they are content toobserve the forms of religion, becausep. 217they havebeen accustomed so to do, and their neighbours do the same; andto attend to what are called the decencies of life, because theywould otherwise be disreputable; to crimes and to holinessstrangers perhaps alike; satisfied to do no worse, than they seethe multitudes around them doing; and resting their claim toGod’s favour on a few moral pretensions, or even on theabsence of scandalous immorality; probably looking for exemptionfrom the penalties of the divine law, because theirtransgressions have never been such, as to expose them to thescourge of the law of man.

This, however deplorable, is a true description of noinconsiderable portion of our christian land; to none ofus, we may hope, is the description strictly applicable;but it is too probable, that there are many amongst us, whopartake more or less of the character here delineated; whopractically regard the christian religion as a system to beaccommodated to their dispositions and habits and pursuits ofp. 218life, andnot as demanding a total alteration in their views and tempersand motives of action. Though their thoughts are directedto objects, far above those of “the heathen who know notGod” and though their morality, upon the whole, be of ahigher order and a purer cast, yet are their affections willinglyled captive by the ensnaring vanities and engrossing interests ofthis lower world: heaven is the object of their settled creed,but it is not the main purpose to which their endeavours areanxiously and daily directed; in balancing between this or thatpursuit, their thoughts are intent only upon providing for“the meat that perisheth,” without any enquiry orconcern, how they may best provide for “that which endurethunto eternal life.”[218] And themorality, on which they so complacently rest, has frequently noconnexion whatever with the christian faith; referable rather tophilosophy than the gospel, to “the praise of menp. 219than thepraise of God.” Hence it follows, that their moralobedience is lamentably defective; extending only to theperformance of those duties, which least oppose their inclinationor their temporal advantage; while even such duties are butimperfectly discharged. Their self-government is wretchedlydefective; the controul of their thoughts, the mastery over theirpassions, the command over their tongue, are attainments whichthey seldom bind it upon their conscience to acquire. Andthough they be turned from idols to worship the living and thetrue God, the fruit of their service, as well as the irregularityof it, affords but too clear a proof, that they “worshiphim not in spirit and in truth.” However improved, intheir moral character, by their acquaintance with the christianreligion, they cannot possibly have imbibed its spirit; nor havearrived at that happy change of the natural man, which can bedenominated by a new creation. They are working out, orratherp.220seeking to work out, their salvation on maxims of humanexpediency, and in accommodation to human interests; not with“fear and trembling,” lest they should lose theinestimable prize; they are not evincing, that it is “Godthat worketh in them both to will and to do.”[220]

I have thus enlarged, on the presents occasion, upon theenormous deficiencies of christian character, because it is ofgreat importance for us to understand, what is not accordant withthe principles of the gospel, as well as what is: it is of vitalconsequence, that we should be thoroughly aware of theinsufficiency of that spirit and view, of those maxims andmotives of those habits and observances, which pass current forreligion in the world.

We cannot put on the new man, unless we put off the old; andwe cannot put off the old, unless we thoroughly understand inwhat it consists. The work is too commonly supposed mucheasier and much less comprehensive, than it really is:p. 221manyvicious habits may be corrected, without any essential orfundamental alteration of character. A man may become wearyof the pursuits, disgusted with the follies, worn and sated withthe profligacies of life; he may find his circumstancesimpoverished, his reputation impaired, his worldly interestobstructed: and such considerations as these may generate apurpose of moral reform. Or the sinner may feel himselfoppressed with the increasing weight of years; infirmities arecoming fast upon him; and his conscience, in many a whisper offear, tells him that something should be done, some preparationmade, for the world to which he is hastening, for the accountwhich he will speedily be called to render. The idea ofdying with those depravities, to which he has clinged throughlife, is awful and insupportable. The more flagrant of themare accordingly corrected; and the rest, which are less startlingand disquieting, are undisturbedly retained. In all thisthere is no change of principle,p. 222no vital alteration: the old mancontinues; less hideous in features and outward appearance, butthe very same in reality. With this partial renovation themind is satisfied; the conscience is becalmed; the sinnerdies.

Through the “deceivableness of unrighteousness,”through the wiles of Satan and the evil propensity of our ownhearts, we are always in danger of being too easily content withour spiritual condition; we look too much to the outward andvisible form, and too little within; to little to the habitualprinciple, the constraining motive, the cast of character: and itis in this, that the difference between the old and the new man,in the christian world essentially consists. Suffer me topoint out again a few of the broad lines of distinction. The old man, whatever of religion he may profess, livesprincipally for himself and the world; he may think of religion,and speak of it, and pray for it with the lips, but it has nodwelling place in his heart, is not thep. 223business ofhis life. However observable, in many respects, his moraldeportment may be, his character is seldom consistent. Fromsome evil pursuits he abstains, in others he wilfully andconstantly indulges; some evil passions are kept in creditableorder, others are let loose; some duties he professedly performs,and others he professedly omits. And nothing is done with atrue christian motive, or christian view; nothing from a sense ofabsolute and uncompromising obedience to the will of God. Nor is it surprising, that there should be such deficiencies andinconsistencies in his character; he has no principle or means,by which he can possibly walk uprightly with his God. Hedoes not “believe with the heart unto righteousness;”he does not seek, nor desire, to “live in the spirit andwalk in the spirit;” there is no life in his devotion, nosincerity in his prayer: he “asks not faithfully” forrepentance and holiness, and they cannot be “effectuallyreceived.” He is not disposed to bring hisunderstandingp.224and heart into subjection to the divine will. Hestudies not that holy word, which ministers the principle of adivine life, and the spirit of obedience to the soul. Helives for earth and not for heaven. He is too proud to betaught the humiliating doctrines of revelation; too full ofhimself, to bow implicitly to his Redeemer. In a word,nature is his book and not the Bible; the world is his teacherand not the Spirit of God; earthly and not spiritual subjects arethe delight of his heart; he walks not “by faith, but bysight.”

The new man is the reverse of all this; he humbles himself, asa sinner, at the foot of the cross, under a deep sense of his ownguilt and the divine mercy; desirous only to be reconciled andsaved; he constantly studies the mysteries God’s word, witha submissive understanding and an obedient heart; he rests hisonly hope on the merit of a Redeemer, whose promises and whoselaw he receives with all his mind and soul and strength;p. 225he prays“without ceasing” for the Holy Spirit, is directed byHis teaching, supported by His power, and comforted by Hisheavenly illumination. Doubtless he must livein theworld, andby the world, as well as other people; but hedoes not livefor the world; his heart is not there, hisdelight is not there; he is a redeemed pilgrim, journeying in afar country, returning to his Father’s house; and his heartis musing on the “many mansions” there, and full ofthe inspiring influential hope, that one of them is prepared forhim.

Such holy principles are continually manifested by adetermination of purpose, a decisiveness of character, a devotedspirit of uniform obedience to the revealed will of God. Asthe conscience bears witness, so does the life: “the treeis known by its fruit;” all evil affections are resolutelymortified, all sinful pleasures and pursuits utterlyabandoned. The sincere Christian, the new man, has anearnest desire and care upon his soul, to be “righteousbefore God, walking in all the commandmentsp. 226andordinances of the Lord blameless.”[226a] For this blessing he dailyprays; in this work he daily advances: “loving the Lord Godwith all his heart,” and “loving his neighbour ashimself,” he is of all men the most inclined, as he isassuredly the most bound, to “live soberly, righteously andgodly in this present world.”[226b]

These remarks suggest the necessity of further admonition onthis head. Many persons have been led to entertainenthusiastic notions on the subject of the new man, the newcreation, the new birth. They have supposed it principallyto consist in certain inward experiences or feelings, which theyhave been enabled to trace to some particular event or period:the Holy Spirit, as they believe, then beginning, for the firsttime, to work upon their understandings and hearts; and thusleaving an indelible impression, the seal of their redemption,the earnest of their certain acceptance with God. Far arewe fromp.227denying, that such sudden conversions may and do takeplace: still farther from denying that, whether sudden orgradual, a change from the old to the new man is attributable tothe aid of a divine energy and power. It is, properlyspeaking, a new creation; the imparting of a new nature: andcannot be effected without the hand of the original Creator:without the operation of that Spirit, which “moved upon theface of the waters,” which “breathed into thenostrils the breath of life, so that man became a livingsoul.”[227a] Our Liturgy has correctly andfully embodied the testimony of scripture, on this as on otherpoints: we are taught to pray, that God will “createin us new and contrite hearts.” This blessing mustproceed from that Holy Spirit, who still in His ordinarydispensations, as formerly in His miraculous gifts,“divides unto every man severally as He will;”[227b] not as it were capriciously, butaccording to His own infinite wisdomp. 228and goodness, as He judges expedientto the case of each individual. But this divine grace isnot communicated for the mere purpose of producing a glowingaffection, a familiar experience, an enraptured view of spiritualthings: nor can any inward feelings alone prove that such gracehas been administered at all: the proof must be manifested, inthe way pointed out by the text: the new man “is created,after God, inrighteousness and trueholiness.” A holy character and a righteous lifeare the proper and indispensable evidences of such a change; afaithful walking with God, a sober self-government, an uprightdealing with all mankind.

I counsel you, my brethren, in the language of truth and thespirit of affection, to be content with no other evidence:equally far be you removed from that carnal profession of thegospel, which despises or neglects the mighty change required ofevery sincere believer; and from those fanciful notions ofspiritualp.229experience, which leave the heart and the characterarrayed in the spotted garment of sin: both in the one case andthe other, you will be “grieving the spirit,” and“quenching the spirit.” In your principles andlife, as well as in your views and affections and desires,“let old things pass away, and all things becomenew;”[229a] “put off the old man with thedeceitful lusts,” and thus let the new man be put on. “Abhor that which is evil: cleave to that which isgood.”[229b] This is the method ordained ofGod, by which we are to “work out our salvation;”this our plain, this our necessary duty. Pray we fervently,strive we diligently, that we may be thus effectually turned fromsin to holiness, “from darkness to light, from the power ofSatan unto God.”[229c]

p.230SERMON XIII.
THE WEDDING GARMENT.

It is my intention, in thisdiscourse, to explain the several particulars of the parablebefore us; which may be regarded, in thefirst place, asdescriptive of the dispensation of the gospel to the people ofIsrael and the world at large; and, in thesecond place,as instructing us in that peculiar fitness necessary to all, whoshall be admitted to enjoy the privileges and happiness of thekingdom of God.

The state of the gospel, our Saviour informs us, may becompared to the conduct of a king at the marriage of his son;p. 231or rather,as the meaning is, at the marriagefeast which he gave onthat occasion: the circumstances which might, in that case, besupposed to occur, aptly represent a variety of particularsbelonging to the gospel dispensation.

Before, however, we enter upon the parable, it may beremarked, that spiritual blessings are frequently set forth inthe holy scriptures, under allusions to feasting andrefreshment. Thus Solomon of old: “Wisdom hathbuilded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars: she hathkilled her beasts; she hath mingled her wine; she hath alsofurnished her table. Come, eat of my bread, and drink ofthe wine which I have mingled. Forsake the foolish, andlive; and go in the way of understanding.”[231] And thus the prophet Isaiah, indescribing the state of the gospel: “In this mountain shallthe Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, afeast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, ofwines onp.232the lees well refined.”[232a] And thus our blessed LordHimself: “I appoint unto you a kingdom, as My Father hathappointed unto Me, that ye may eat and drink at My table in Mykingdom.”[232b]

1. Let us now proceed with the parable: “He sentforth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding(feast); and they would not come.” This probablyalludes to the first period of the promulgation of the gospel;under the preaching of John the Baptist and of the earliestdisciples; the former endeavouring to prepare the hearts of menfor the kingdom and coming of Christ; and the latter proclaimingHis glorious arrival, preaching the truth of His gospel, andconfirming the word by a display of miraculous power. Butthe Jews had been a carnal people, “holding the truth inunrighteousness;” and they refused to give ear to thoseholy instructions, which called upon them to “lay the axeto the root of all sin,” and to “bringp. 233forthfruits meet for repentance.”[233a] This itwas that prevented them, not only from a cordial acceptance ofthe gospel, but even from a fair examination and inquiry; theywould not listen to such doctrine; their heart was decidedagainst it: to this it was owing, these carnal habits and views,that when their Messiah came, they were not ready to receive Himin the way which He required. Ready enough were they toadmit Him in their own way; agreeably to their own notions anddesires, as an earthly conqueror, as the dispenser of temporalblessings and rewards; but not as the abolisher of sin; not as apreacher of righteousness; not as a herald, announcing to themthe necessity of holiness in this world, and the inheritance ofglory in the world to come. Not all His amazing miracles,not all His fulfilment of their own prophecies, not all the powerof His word, could convince their understandings; because theyhad “an evil heart of unbelief:”[233b] and therefore,p.234notwithstanding His awful warnings, His earnest andaffectionate invitations, “they would not come” untoHim, that they might find rest unto their souls.

Here we behold, as in a glass, the real ground of everyrejection of the Saviour in every age; it is not because men denyHis excellency, or His power, or His mercy, or the greatness ofHis kingdom: it is because they “love this present evilworld,” and the “god of this world hath blinded theirminds,”[234a] through the deceitfulness ofsin. Even though eternal salvation is offered them, andthey do not disbelieve it; still, awful to think! the Saviour isrejected for perishable interests and sensual indulgences. “He feedeth on ashes; a deceived heart hath turned himaside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, is there not alie in my right hand?”[234b] Men walkon in darkness because they love it; and they “lovedarkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil.”[234c]

p.2352. But the Jews were not yet cast off, withoutfurther admonition and entreaty. “Again He sent forthother servants, saying, tell them who are bidden, behold I haveprepared my dinner; my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and allthings are ready; come unto the marriage” feast. But“they made light of it,” and offered a variety ofgroundless excuses. This may chiefly refer to the fullermanifestation of the gospel, after the resurrection and ascensionof our blessed Lord; for the parable, as we shall more clearlyperceive in the sequel, is partly of a prophetic nature; andintended to represent to the Jews their persevering spirit ofobstinacy, and the punishment which would ensue; that some ofthem at least, when the fulness of the time should come, might bestruck with the force of this predictive representation, and beconverted to the “truth as it is in Jesus.”

Every thing requisite for the sumptuous feast was liberallyprovided: in the days of the apostles, abundant indeed was theconfirmation of the truth and doctrines ofp. 236the gospel;bright the manifestation of heavenly glory, that was shed abroadupon it. Then were strikingly fulfilled the words of theirprophet Joel; “I will pour out My Spirit upon allflesh—also upon the servants and the handmaids in thosedays will I pour out My Spirit.”[236] Accordingly the gifts of theHoly Ghost—were openly poured forth, and mighty were thedeeds done and the words spoken by His servants, under theoperation of His marvellous power: the old dispensation was fullybrought to bear upon the new: it was shewn how the character ofJesus corresponded, in His birth and life and death andresurrection and ascension, as well as in His offices of Priestand Mediator and King, with various prophecies and typesexhibited in the ancient scriptures. The benefits andblessings of the christian dispensation were more particularlyand largely set forth: the feast was fully displayed before them,in all its rich and magnificent abundance. Manyp. 237were theninduced to enter into the guest chamber, and partake of theheavenly repast; but many more, the Jewish nation at large, madelight of it, and went their way. And not only so: not onlywas the invitation unheeded and despised; but the remnant, thatis, some who were not content with disobeying the call,“took his servants, and entreated them spitefully and slewthem;” persecuted the disciples even unto death.

3. We now come to a part of the parable, which must ofnecessity receive a prophetic interpretation: “When theKing heard thereof, he was wroth, and he sent forth his armiesand destroyed those murderers, and burnt up theircity.” This plainly points out the Roman armiesravaging Judea, destroying Jerusalem, and putting the inhabitantsto the sword; an event, which did not take place till many yearsafter. Neither, in truth, is there mention made, in thegospel history, of the Jews having slain any of the disciples,whilst their Lord was with them. Theyp. 238weremurderers of the Son of God, and of many of His apostles anddisciples after Him; thus “filling up the measure of theiriniquity,” and drawing down upon themselves, and theirnation at large, the most tremendous visitation of divine wrath,ever inflicted in this world upon a rebellious people.

4. We are next carried forward to another period in thegospel dispensation; a period in which we ourselves are deeplyand peculiarly interested; from which we date all the spiritualmercies and advantages, all “the means of grace and hopesof glory,” which have been vouchsafed to our souls. “Then saith the king to his servants, the wedding (thewedding feast) is ready, but they which were bidden were notworthy.” The Israelites who were honoured, as thepeople of God, with the first invitation and call to the gospel,shewed themselves unworthy of it, by their ungrateful andobstinate rejection. “Go ye therefore into thehighways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to themarriage”p.239feast: go ye, as we may interpret the words of ourLord, go ye, My ministers and messengers, into the world atlarge, and carry My invitation to the Gentiles; to as many as yeshall find; and proclaim to them that My table is spread for all:since the people, who were first bidden, have “not heardwhen I spake, nor answered, when I called,” the“kingdom of heaven is now thrown open to allbelievers,” so that “whosoever shall call upon thename of the Lord shall be saved:” My kingdom shall nolonger be confined to one peculiar race; the time is come, whenthe blessedness of it shall be diffused abroad as “thewaters cover the sea:” I am ready to “make acovenant with all flesh”—a covenant of peace—ofbenefits and mercies, such as their “eyes have never seen,nor ears heard;” the universal banquet is spread; bid themall to come. “So those servants went out into thehighways, and gathered together all as many as they found, bothbad and good: and the wedding (table) was furnishedp. 240withguests:” for it was not unusual, we must observe, in thosecountries, for men of the highest rank and distinction to admitto their tables, on remarkable occasions, persons of the lowestcondition.

And this part of the parable also was representative of afuture period; for though Christ had received homage from some inthe Gentile world, and had signified His favour to others as wellas the Jews, it could not be said, that the blessings of Hisgospel were at that time distinctly offered to the world atlarge. By St. Peter, in the first instance, in the case ofCornelius, and afterwards more fully by St. Paul, the Apostle ofthe Gentiles, were the good tidings universally announced andspread. This accords with the invitation in the parable,where we find that no exceptions were to be made: the“servants gathered together all, both bad and good;”thus, to men of all characters and descriptions the gospel wasindiscriminately preached: the best greatlyp. 241needed it;and even to the worst the door of grace and repentance wasopened.

Doubtless, there are vast differences in the characters ofunregenerate men, of the very heathen “who know notGod.” Some will use, more faithfully than others, thefeebler light of natural religion; and thus arrive at a higherstate of moral rectitude and respectability. But whatevercomparative excellence any one may attain, in such a state, he isat best a polluted sinner: fallen from the favour and family ofGod; without the power to rise and return; the inheritor of sinand death, without the means of salvation. God must bereconciled, and the gate of mercy thrown open; or the sinner mustperish. And it is for the offended God alone, to appointthe means of reconciliation; and proclaim the conditions ofpardon and mercy. Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, isthe only means of deliverance; by His incarnation and sacrificehas atonement been made for man; “there is no other nameunder heavenp.242given among men, whereby we must be saved;”[242a] “other foundation can no manlay.”[242b] The moralist must lay aside hisvain pretensions, and humble himself at the foot of the cross;must come to the Saviour and learn of Him; come and be“baptised for the remission of sins;” come, that hischaracter may be essentially changed by the Spirit and the wordof God; that he may have new desires, new affections, newprinciples, new prospects: and many of “the children ofthis world,” amiable in their disposition and reputable intheir conduct, deceive themselves in this matter; perceive nottheir need of a Saviour, “trusting in themselves that theyare righteous;” good in their own eyes, good in theestimation of their neighbours, they undervalue and neglect thegospel; and therefore still continue “dead in trespassesand sins.”

But the bad as well as the good were gathered together; notonly to those, whose conduct had been honourable among men,p. 243and whosecharacters were fair; but to notorious delinquent, yea, even tothe worst of sinners, the door of the guest-chamber is open; allare invited; all, if they will comply with the conditions andrules of the feast, shall be fed; publicans and sinners,extortioners and unjust, disobedient and reprobate, all are theobjects of the Saviour’s mercy; “Come unto me, all yethat are weary and heavy laden, and I will give yourest.” The invitation is free and universal; none whorightly seek admission, shall be excluded. This exactlyagrees with the language of the evangelical prophet: “Ho,every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hathno money; come ye, buy and eat.” “Let thewicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: andlet him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him;and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.”[243a] “The fountain is openedfor sin and for cleanness;”[243b] “wash you,make youp.244clean;” laden as ye are with iniquity come but toyour Saviour, in sincerity and truth, with a contrite andrepentant heart; come, as He has invited you; look to theall-sufficiency of His sacrifice; believe in Him forjustification and life; be ready to learn of His example and toreceive His spirit and His law into your heart, and you shall beadmitted to His holy banquet, and be made welcome at His table;you shall find comfort in the presence of your Lord, and in them“that sit at meat with you.”

5. We are now led to the last and most striking part ofthis parable: the king came in to see the guests; to see whetherthey conducted themselves worthily of his entertainment, andappeared in the dress which he had provided, for such as wereunable to furnish themselves. And thus, with regard to theheavenly feast, the guests are strictly and constantlyaccountable for their behaviour. Our blessed Lord watchesthe demeanour of all who profess to accept His invitation in thegospel;p.245observes, how every one, who is “admitted intothe fellowship of His religion,” fulfils the conditionsrequired of him. Nor is it the external demeanour alone,which engages His notice and inspection; He sees through theinnermost windings of every heart, and will infallibly“judge righteous judgment.” No violation of Hiswill, in thought, or word, or deed; no insincerity or deceitfulappearance can possibly remain undetected.

“When the king came in—he saw there a man who hadnot on a wedding garment. And he said unto him, friend, howearnest thou in hither, not having a weddinggarment?” The man could not pretend to offer anexcuse: he knew the rules of the feast, and had wantonlyneglected them; he was, like many other ungrateful people,regaling himself upon a benefactor’s bounty, but shewed himno respect or regard: being therefore self-condemned, “hewas speechless.” Thus will it be with every negligentand disobedient Christian, when the Lord comesp. 246to makeenquiry into his character: to justify himself, he will feel tobe impossible; thoroughly has he known his Lord’s will, andfull often has his conscience reproved him for not performing it:there will be nothing left for him, but unavailing sorrow andspeechless remorse.

“Then said the king to the servants, bind him hand andfoot; and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness, thereshall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Cast him,from the lighted chamber, to the darkness of the night without,where he shall bitterly regret the pleasures he has so foolishlylost. Sad emblem of that state, whose sadness can be known,here upon earth, only by emblematical representation, only bysuch figures as “outer darkness,” as the “wormthat never dies,” and “the fire that never shall bequenched;” a darkness of mind, in the utter regions ofdespair, without a ray from heaven to cheer it; the worm ofanguish preying upon the soul; and a fire burning, whetherwithout or within, or both; raging yet notp.247consuming. God grant, that we may hear only ofthis wretched state “by, the hearing of the ear;”that our eyes may never behold it; that none of us may beconsigned to this abode of unredeemed and unredeemable misery:and, that we never may, let us “walk worthy of ourvocation;” of the Lord of that heavenly feast, of which weare professing to partake. Put on, my brethren, the weddinggarment of the gospel; put it on, or intrude not into thepresence-chamber of your Lord; dread the doom of the hypocriteand the despiser; pretend not to partake of the heavenly feast,to expect any of the blessings of the gospel, unless ye consentand seek to be clothed with the raiment provided by your King;with all those christian graces and virtues, which He will enableyou to obtain.

If indeed it depended upon ourselves, “miserable andpoor and naked” as we are, to provide a suitable covering;if the sinner were required to produce, from his own store, theraiment of holiness andp. 248righteousness, and thus make himselfacceptable to his Saviour and his God; then would he have muchreason to urge for his unworthiness and deficiency: for he has nomeans of making any such provision; he has not “wherewithhe shall come before the Lord:” his heart is corrupt; hischaracter is unholy; and he has no power to change them. But the provision does not depend upon ourselves; what the Lordcommands us to be clothed with, He has mercifully prepared: Hegives His Holy Spirit, to change the heart and reform thecharacter; to enable us to “put off the old man with thedeceitful lusts, and to put on the new man, which after God iscreated in righteousness and true holiness.” Thisspiritual clothing the Lord offers to all His followers; and woebe to those, who refuse or slight it: for this is a contempt ofHis divine mercy; a defiance of His authority and command: theexpectation of His favour, on such terms, is adding insult topresumption. If we do make a profession of belongingp. 249to Him, letus not thus foolishly cast away our hope; let us not deceiveourselves by imagining, that we can possibly maintain a title tothe privileges and blessings of the gospel, whilst we are livingin the neglect of those ordinances and laws, which the Lord hasgraciously appointed as the means of our acceptance withHim. They who neglect the means, will assuredly lose theend; will be numbered among the despisers of theirSaviour’s mercy.

And in order to keep alive in our minds that deep concern,which so momentous a subject demands, frequently let us bemeditating upon that awful hour, when the King shall come in tovisit and inspect His guests: His eye shall be upon every one,and every one’s eye upon Him; imagine yourself then in theguest-chamber without a wedding garment; ready and desirous tosink into the earth; but there will be nothing to cover yourguilt and shame: though you have entered in with the otherguests, and takenp.250your station at the feast, you will be called out fromamong them, and everlastingly separated from the goodlycompany. A garment you would then, no doubt, most willinglyaccept; but it will be too late; it should have been acceptedwhen offered; the season of grace will be past; the time forjudgment will be come.

My brethren, you have professedly accepted the invitation ofyour Lord; you have entered into the guest-chamber; and if you benot already clothed with the spiritual apparel, provided by Hisgrace and mercy, delay not an instant to apply for it: the Kingmay come sooner than you expect; I pray that He come not, beforeyou are ready to meet Him. And where is this garment to befound? Seek His Holy Spirit; search His Holy word: you willthen not fail to find it, and He will dispose you to put iton. Repent and believe; love and obey: “cease to doevil, learn to do well;” thus “adorn the doctrine ofGod your Saviour in allp. 251things.” And then youwill finally be admitted to the heavenly feast; to the marriagesupper of the Lamb; to the company of angels; in the courts ofuncreated light—“for the glory of God doth lightenthem, and the Lamb is the light thereof;”[251a] “In whose presence isfulness of joy, and at whose right hand there are pleasures forevermore.”[251b]

p.252SERMON XIV.
WALK WORTHY OF THE LORD, BE FRUITFUL, ANDINCREASING.

One of the great objects of St.Paul, in writing his epistles, appears to be considerablyoverlooked by the christian world at large: it was, to lead thosechurches and communities, in which the true foundation ofChristianity had been laid, to build upon it a correspondingcharacter and life. Certainly, a great portion of theepistles is occupied in the assertion and explanation ofchristian doctrine;p. 253and this, principally, with a viewto remove certain errors and prejudices, which the members ofsome churches had entertained; and upon which they had requestedthe apostle’s decision. But well knowing how apt thehuman mind is to rest satisfied with speculative views andpersuasions, he never omits to remind his converts, that muchmore was necessary than the profession of a true faith; that invain would their opinions be rectified, unless their heart wasalso changed; that though they had “all faith and allknowledge,” it would “profit them nothing,”unless the graces and virtues of their holy religion weresignally manifest in their lives.

There is scarcely an epistle, in which the apostle does notlabour, with the most intense desire, with the most full andrepeated and peremptory injunctions, to press upon them thismomentous consideration: there is not, in the word of God, a morecomplete digest and code of christian duty, than in the writingsof St.p.254Paul; and yet they are, by many, almost exclusivelyregarded as an exposition of deep and mysterious doctrines; as ifthis were the sole end and purpose for which they werecomposed. Well would it have been for the christian world,if as much attention had been paid to the practical, as to thetheoretical subjects in these divine oracles: we should not thenhave witnessed so many disputations, in which charity has beenlost sight of, nor so much of the “form of godlinesswithout the power;” so many religious terms anddenominations, of which the ignorant have understood little butthe name: we should have had less of sect, of party, of invidiousdistinctions of any kind; and more of vital religion amongstus. But it is now, as it ever was, with fallen anddegenerate man; he is fonder of exhibiting the powers of hisunderstanding, of exciting his feelings, and of displaying thepride of spiritual knowledge, than of reforming his principlesand regulating his conduct: he has therefore directed hisp. 255view to themystery of the foundation, and overlooked the directions forraising and completing the superstructure.

Not that the various revelations of doctrine, in the writingsof St. Paul, are by any means to be lightly regarded; nor thatthey do not demand the most reverential attention and profoundenquiry: it is of high importance for us to attain a “rightjudgment in all things:” yet doubtless it would tend moreto the edification of Christians in general, if they took greaterheed to the rules and precepts of the divine law, to the evidenceand fruit of their faith; and to all that neglect them, we wouldsay, “these things ought ye to have done, and not to leavethe others undone.”

The passage of scripture, from which we are now discoursing,will exemplify these remarks. St. Paul, in the very openingof his epistle, assures the Colossians, that since the day heheard of their conversion, he did “not cease to pray forthem and to desire that they might bep. 256filled with the knowledge of thewill of God, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that theymight walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitfulin every good work, and increasing in the knowledge ofGod.”

1. “That ye might walk worthy of theLord.” It is scarcely possible for the most cursoryobserver not to perceive, that the faith of the gospel cannot betruly embraced with indifference; that the christian name is nota mere honorary or professional title, independent of obligationsand of consequences. As the Bible is rich in promises, sois it also clear and necessitating, in the conditions upon whichthose promises are made: as the Redeemer has freely offered untous the benefits of His cross, so has He as plainly injoined uponus the indispensable duty of “taking up our own crossdaily,” and “following the blessed steps of His mostholy life;” as He has reconciled us unto the Father, andagain adopted us into the blessed family above, so are werequired, if wep.257have any part or lot in this matter, to be-have aschildren, who have recovered the forfeited privileges of theirglorious inheritance, and “have their conversation inheaven.” As we have been “bought at so great aprice,” we must continue the subjects and the property ofthe “Lord that bought us.”

No man, whose nature, whose principles, whose affections,whose life, remain unchanged; no man, enthralled by the pleasuresand devoted to the pursuits of a thoughtless and corrupt world,can justly consider himself as an actual partaker of thecovenanted mercies of God. He may have been admitted bybaptism into Christ’s visible church; he may hope torender, at some future day, his baptismal privilege available tosalvation; but every page of God’s revealed word wouldforbid him to regard himself as an accepted “inheritor ofthe kingdom of heaven,” while his life is palpably atvariance with the conditions upon which that inheritance isvouchsafed; while it is contradictory top. 258the laws,and totally inconsistent with the blessings, which the Saviourhas proclaimed to mankind. Every man must not only perceivefrom the gospel, but be assured by his own reason and conscience,that such divine mercies absolutely require and imply some degreeof worthiness; some correspondence in his views, his temper, andhis conduct.

Worthy indeed, in the fullest sense of the word, of suchtranscendent love and favour, of life and immortality, ofeverlasting honour in the presence of the pure and perfectCreator, the degenerate creature can never be; he has sinned; and“the wages of sin is death.” But there is afitness, which the Christian, by divine help, must attain; ahumility and contrition of heart; a sincere belief in God’smercy through Christ; a grateful sense of God’s undeservedgoodness; a desire of recovery from the ruin of his fallennature; and withal, a true spirit of acquiescence in those meansof grace, and that revealed law, ordained to bring the sinner tohisp.259Maker; and this conformity, in the character of man, isfrequently represented in scripture by the name ofworthiness: he becomes worthy in this respect, inasmuch ashe fulfils the conditions of the gospel covenant, and is therebyrendered a fit object of God’s free mercy: without thischaracter he would be unworthy, inasmuch as he would shew himselfunmoved by the marvellous loving-kindness of his Saviour; wouldshew, that he had no real value for the blessings, which thegospel places within his reach; no regard for the revelation andordinances of God. It is an observation as true as it iscommon, that the holy gospel designs not to save usin oursins, butfrom them; we must therefore be made willing anddesirous and careful, to subdue the prevalence of sin, or wecannot attain unto salvation; and if the dominion of evil besubdued, there will grow up, in our hearts and lives, themanifold fruits of righteousness.

Such was the worthiness, which the apostle prayed and labouredto producep.260in the early disciples; and if, without this, we arehoping to be accepted of the Lord, “we are deceivingourselves, and the truth is not in us.” The meetnessindeed, of which we are speaking, is not exclusively our own; itmust “be wrought in us of God;” still it is to besought by prayer, and improved with diligence: “We are notsufficient of ourselves to think any thing, as of ourselves; butour sufficiency is of God;”[260] yet God will notfail to supply us with the means, if we pray for them and usethem faithfully.

To this statement I request your especial attention; becausethere are professing Christians, who take an improper view ofthis important matter. Conscious of their own unworthinessin point ofmerit, they are apt to overlook that worthyfitness, of heart and character and life, which isnecessary for every sincere follower, of Christ. Theproclamations of their own undeservings, and theirSaviour’s free love, are sometimes so loud and frequent,p. 261as to lowerin their minds the sense of moral and spiritual obligation, as tomake them relax in their duly to God and man; as if they wereprivileged to offend, because they extolled the Saviour, anddebased themselves. This is a vain and a fanatical spirit:Christ alone is worthy to save; but we must endeavour, by Hissanctifying aid, in all things to be made more and more worthy ofthe exceeding “riches of His grace.”

2. And, in order to encourage us in the goodly work, theAlmighty, whose happiness is infinite and incapable of increase,graciously represents Himself aspleased, even with ourimperfect services: “That ye might walk worthy of the Lordunto all pleasing.” “Though the heavens are notpure in His sight,” yet does He condescend to “visitman” with His favour, and “to regard the son ofman,” who serveth Him, with an approving eye: He ispleased, because it is the fruit of the sinner’sreconciliation, by the death and sufferings of His beloved Son:for Hisp.262sake, even the feeble struggles of the Christian, inthe way of duty, if they be resolute and determined, are anacceptable service; even the spark of goodness, if it glow withsincerity in the bosom, is honoured and rewarded.

This is an animating consideration: we observe the effectnaturally produced in the mind of man, even by the approbation ofa fellow-creature, whom he regards as his superior; what holysatisfaction then, and complacency and delight, may we not derivefrom the persuasion, that our humble services are favourablyviewed by the all-wise and almighty God, who recompenses everyone according to his work: if God be pleased, whose displeasureshall we fear? If “God be for us, who shall beagainst us?” And O, that we may never forget, that itis one of the great purposes of the gospel, to render us, infirmand imperfect as we are, pleasing unto Him, through the meritsand intercession of our Redeemer; by “walking worthy of thevocation wherewith we are called.”[262]

p.2633. The apostle proceeds, in the text, to open andextend his view of evangelical righteousness. It consistsnot in that partial cultivation of spiritual affections, in thatmodified selection of particular duties, with which the christianworld is so prone to be content: it obliges the believer to“be fruitful unto every good work.” This is apoint, in which vast multitudes, in the christian church,lamentably and notoriously fail; in which many fail, who make aconsiderable profession of their zeal for religion; and comply,to a certain degree, with most of its obligations. Thereare some pleasures or pursuits, which, though they do not pretendto reconcile them with the law of God, they still perseveringlyretain. Upon the whole, they professedly adopt theordinances and requisitions of the gospel: but there are somemore unpalatable than others; some to which they feel anunconquered repugnance: and these they leave out of theirreligious system altogether; to these they never so much asresolvep.264to conform. And thus, they fail to manifest,(what is confessedly the most difficult, yet the most importantof all christian attainments,) a surrender of the heart toGod. Their own inclination, their own judgment, and not thedivine will, is the rule and standard of their conduct; and nodoubt, if they felt this strong reluctance to the duties whichthey do perform, these also would be equally neglected: in otherwords, no part of their obedience rests upon a true foundation:it proceeds not from a sincere belief in the truth and authorityof God’s word. All the injunctions, all the preceptsof the gospel are obligatory alike; all equally declarative ofthe divine will, and equally necessary to the spiritualrenovation of man. And those injunctions and precepts, withwhich we are the least disposed to comply, do in fact require ourpeculiar attention and observance; because they point out to usthe natural blemishes, which stand most in need of repair;because they shew where the greatest danger lies, of ourp. 265beingdeficient in that complete change, of principle and affection andcharacter, which the infallible word of truth has declared to beindispensable.

St. James assures us, that “whosoever shall keep thewhole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty ofall:”[265] he who reserves to himself anyparticular indulgence or pursuit, which is clearly at variancewith the will and word of God, obeys not, in any thing, from areal christian motive; and shews himself ready, if a sufficienttemptation were offered, to disobey in any and every point. It is true, that there is no “good work,” which theChristian performs with uniform unvarying obedience; but neitheris there any, in which he does not sincerely desire and endeavour“to be fruitful;” there is no act of righteousness,to which he is a stranger; no “besetting sin,” whichhe is unwilling or unmindful to cast away: though the good fruit,to his sorrow, does too frequently fail, after all hisunqualifiedp.266labour; yet the unprofitable branch is pruned again,and watered by the tears of repentance, and fructified with thedews of heaven, and bears another day. He believes, andfears, and “loves the Lord his God with all his heart andall his soul and all his strength;” and therefore, thoughthere are many imperfections, there is no reserve in hisobedience.

4. The latter clause of the text directs us to a verydistinguishing feature in the christian character:“Increasing in the knowledge of God.” Knowledgemust evidently here be taken, in a larger sense, to signify alively comprehension of religious doctrines and duties, apractical understanding of the will and ways of God. Inthis knowledge it is absolutely essential that the true believershould be continually advancing: the objects of his faith are ofsuch deep and overwhelming interest, that the longer they arestudied and pursued, the more they will, of necessity, captivatehis thoughts and strike root into his heart: the more he seeksfor thep.267treasures in God’s word, the more he will find:the more he knows of God, the more he will desire and delight toknow: feeling the comfort and happiness of a reconciliation withhis Maker, he is ever anxious to obtain a nearer and holiercommunion with Him; sensible of his absolute and entiredependence upon the Redeemer’s mercy, he is ever leaningupon Him with new satisfaction, with a growing spirit ofconfidence and complacency; the more he thinks of heaven, themore “his affections are set on things above;” themore he thinks of the wretchedness of the rejected, the furtherhe flies, in terror, from their dreadful abode. Theconsequence of all this must be, a progressive “victoryover the world, the flesh, and the devil;” a dailyimprovement “in all virtue and godliness ofliving.”

And there is yet another consideration; as we value and usethe gracious gifts of God, they are increased and multiplied untous; “whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shallhave more abundance;”[267]p. 268the lampshines brighter, that is to guide his feet; and his heart is everquickened with fresh energy and zeal, by the influence of theHoly Spirit; thus he goeth on from grace to grace, from strengthto strength, “from glory to glory.”

The apostle, therefore, in praying that the converts might beincreasing in the knowledge of God, is praying that they mighthave the invariable mark and earnest of a sincere and genuinefaith. How little does this point seem to beconsidered! How many content themselves without any regularadvancement, without any advancement at all; they cannot, afterall the flattery with which they contrive to deceive themselves,be persuaded in their minds, that they grow decidedly better asthey grow older: a year, perhaps many years ago, they were asreligious, as fruitful in piety and good works, as they are now:no increase of spiritual knowledge, no new grace, no fresh habitof obedience, no additional exertions to mark the lapse of time;no passion subdued,p. 269no unholy pursuit abandoned, no vicemortified and forsaken. Wherever this is the case, thegospel has not been sincerely received into the heart; it has notbeen felt as the “power of God unto salvation;” ithas not been, as it is designed to be, an effectual instrument ofrighteousness to the soul. To those, who remain in socareless and indifferent and unimproving a condition, we mustsay, that “our preaching has been vain, and their faith isalso vain.”

Possibly there may be some amongst us, who never yet bestowedan adequate attention on this important point; if any such therebe, I would urgently exhort them, as they tender the salvation oftheir souls, to neglect this point no longer; deeply to enquirewithout delay, whether they “are growing in grace, and inthe knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”[269] Let them enter with earnestnessupon this necessary consideration; let it be frequently repeated:Is my faith increasedp. 270and strengthened? Is mycharacter more holy, my conduct more upright? Does mytemper improve? Are my passions better regulated; mythoughts more spiritual; my devotions more pure and fervent; myaffections more detached from the world, more fixed on God andheaven? My life and conversation, are they more accordantwith the precepts and the example of my Saviour?

But the topics of enquiry are too numerous to be mentioned; Iwill only add, that the sincere believer sets the “prize ofhis high calling” continually before him; and advances toit, in holiness and righteousness, every day; keeps advancingtill his race is run; and thus, when his toil is over, receivesthe crown of victory, and “enters into the joy of hisLord.”

p.271SERMON XV.
THE WORD OF THE LORD PRECIOUS.

From Moses to Samuel, a period ofseveral hundred years, there was no prophet regularly appointed;particular revelations were made to individuals, and occasionalmessages from heaven were publicly delivered to the people; butthere was no acknowledged prophet, to whom they might at alltimes resort, to know the mind and will of God; or, as it isdescribed in the text, “there was no openvision.” The natural consequence was, that suchintimations of the divine will, as were then given, made a deeperimpression;p.272they were more highly valued and more eagerly soughtfor, than when the gift of prophecy, in after ages, became morecommon. When the word of God abounded, it was received withindifference; when rarely vouchsafed, it was intentlydesired.

Such is perpetually, and on all occasions, the perverseness ofman: blessings of every description are estimated, not accordingto their excellence, but their rarity; not according to the ease,but the difficulty, with which they are to be obtained. Andfurther, when in possession of a blessing, we are often utterlyinsensible of its value; we abuse it in thoughtless excess, andare ready to squander it away; but the moment it is departed, wediscover our blindness and folly; and would give, perhaps, all wehave, to bring the treasure back again. Meat and drink andraiment, the air we breathe, the sun and the shower, excite nospirit of gratitude, and by many are scarcely received andremembered as blessings; but in thep. 273days of famine and of pestilence,amidst the warfare and desolation of raging elements, thesebenefits and mercies are painfully acknowledged, and ardentlydesired. Again: the advantages of civil and religiousliberty make little impression upon the hearts of those, by whomthey are fully and uninterruptedly enjoyed: it is under the ironarm of intolerance and oppression; it is in the dungeon and themine, that the excellency of these privileges is learned. And thus it is of domestic happiness and comfort: the value ofhome is frequently not appreciated, until it is forsaken andlost; the worth of a friend, even of the nearest relative, issometimes but lightly considered, till he “goes hence andis no more seen.”

These observations are also illustrative of the feelings andconduct of men, in regard to their spiritual privileges andblessings. While the light of divine revelation is shiningupon their dwellings, pointing out to them the way of salvation,and opening the prospect of a glorious immortality,p. 274they shuttheir eyes, and turn away into the fatal paths of sin and misery,to the darkness of eternal death; but when their opportunitiesare lost, when “the evil days are come upon them,”and there is no instructor or counsellor or comforter to befound, they perceive the preciousness of the time and thetalents, which have been heedlessly thrown away; and would givethe world, if they possessed it, for what they were onceunwilling to make the smallest sacrifice.

We are apt to express a wonder at the obstinate indifferenceof the people of Israel to their religious advantages andinstructions; we are astonished, that they could forget theirmiraculous deliverances by the hand of Moses, and the manifoldrevelations vouchsafed through him for their knowledge andguidance; and that almost every divine communication to them, inafter ages, should have been but the forerunner of guilt andapostacy: yet in truth, the history of Israel is but too faithfula picture of the people of God in otherp. 275times andother countries; by no means excluding our own. The word ofGod has not been accounted precious, in proportion to the extentto which it has been diffused; the Bible has not been, in toomany instances, the most highly prized, where it has been mostwidely circulated; nor have the ministers of the gospel beenalways most attentively and devoutly heard, where they haveincreased and multiplied. Before the age of printing, whenthe copies of the sacred word were comparatively few, theChristian, who was so happy as to possess one, commonly regardedit as a treasure; or if he could obtain a part only, by thelabours of the pen, even a gospel or an epistle, it wasconsidered as a “pearl of great price.” Andafterwards, in the days of ignorance and persecution, when thesacred scriptures were withheld from the people by a blind andbigotted priesthood, the thirst for divine knowledge, for thesestreams of life and salvation, was inconceivably great; mensought them and treasured them atp. 276the peril of their lives. Inthese dark days, and long after, the public preachers of the wordwere few; and people flocked from distant quarters to hear thegood tidings proclaimed. Having no regular supply ofspiritual food, they sought it out with earnestness where theymight; “the word of the Lord was precious in thosedays;” and “beautiful upon the mountains were thefeet of Him,” who came to “lighten theirdarkness,” and to deliver the message of salvation to theirsouls.

How widely different from this is the case in our day. Copies of the Holy Scriptures are multiplied beyond allcalculation: not a village, scarcely a dwelling, where they arenot, or may not be procured: and, instead of any persecutingpower, forbidding the use of them, every possible encouragementis afforded, and every means devised by which they may beadequately understood. And such, under the divine blessing,has been the success of those means, that the greaterp. 277portion,even of the poorest in this favoured land, are able to discoverfor themselves the light of life; to apply it for their guidanceand comfort and eternal salvation.

And with respect to the preaching of the gospel, though it isnot yet sufficient for the demand of our extended population,still it may be truly described as general throughout theland. Although, for “the plenteous harvest, thelabourers are too few,” still are they every whereabroad. And if it be objected, that “the word oftruth is not always rightly divided,” yet are thereportions of it uniformly read, in every christian assembly, onthe Lord’s day; and in our own incomparable Liturgy, noinconsiderable part of the divine word, of its saving doctrinesand duties, is actually embodied.

So much for our holy congratulation, for the honour and gloryof our land, for the rich abundance of spiritual privileges andblessings, which, under the favour of almighty goodness, we havethe happinessp.278to enjoy. It were well, if the sequel of oursubject afforded equal ground for rejoicing; that it equallyredounded to our honour. But here there is a dark cloudresting, which casts over the scene a melancholy gloom. Thevalue set upon the word of God, its preciousness in the heart ofman, is not proportioned to the frequency and the fulness of itscommunication. It is in almost every dwelling, but not inevery dwelling esteemed and loved; not devoutly treasured, noteagerly and diligently read, as it used to be in the days ofscarcity. How many who possess it, perhaps superblyornamented, in a variety of forms, and with goodlyinterpretations, seldom open it; seldom in comparison with itshigh and everlasting importance, for their enlightenment andedification: possibly it may be read on the Lord’s day as acold customary exercise, and by vast numbers not even on theLord’s day; they are positively unmindful of the sacredtreasure, unconscious that it is so much as in theirp.279possession. No change of heart, no lively faith,no spiritual strength is derived from its exalted doctrines; nopurification of the affections from its means of grace; noregulation of the life and character from its perfect law ofrighteousness. How should there be, when it is laid by,idly, carelessly, and contemptuously.

The Bible is grievously neglected both by rich and poor. The rich too seldom spare any of their abundant leisure, instoring their minds with the riches of heavenly wisdom; otherbooks, of worldly interest or amusement, absorb almost theirwhole attention; an unimproving, nay injurious publication, thefoolish dream of fiction, will be seized and read with avidity,whilst the oracles of eternal truth are treated with anindifference, that borders on disdain. The poor, it istrue, have but little leisure; sufficient however, if that littlewere diligently used, to enable them to acquire a considerableknowledge of their Bible; but the great multitude of them seektheirp.280refreshment from other sources; from the pollutions ofearthly pleasure. We might have expected better things:having fewer worldly possessions and comforts, it might bethought, that the poor would gladly supply such deficiency by theattainment of spiritual blessings; by raising their hopes andaffections to the imperishable treasures of a brighter world tocome: but it is too often found otherwise: the enjoyments ofearth, however unsatisfactory and even debasing, are preferred tothe abundant consolations and happiness of the gospel.

Thank God, there are many bright exceptions to these remarks,both amongst the rich and the poor; the number is great, and wehope increasing, of those to whom “the word of the Lord hasbeen precious;” who have “received it withgladness;” who have “believed with the heart untorighteousness;” who “have seen the salvation of theirGod.” But still, when we cast our eyes upon the vastand reckless multitude, we are ready top. 281weep overit and to say, O that ye would know, even ye in this your day,the things that belong unto your peace; before they be hid forever from your eyes.

From this lamentable neglect of the word of God, we mayreadily account for the want of religious principle, for thedecay of religious character, for the overspreading of corruptionand vice, so notorious in the christian world. Theastonishing circulation of the Bible through this country, oflate years, might have reasonably led us to hope for a signaldiminution of irreligion and crime. And God forbid, weshould be of the number of those who maintain, thatnosuch advantage has been derived from this dissemination of theword of life. But even the most sanguine person will notcontend, that this holy exertion, this spiritual culture hasproduced a corresponding fruit: thousands of those, who have freeaccess to the Bible, are lying, if not in utter darkness, atleast in the shadow of death. And what is the cause? Thep.282scriptures are not valued in proportion to theirextended circulation; they are not read with humble reverentialattention, as the holy word of God; not understood or desired, asthe fountain of light and life; not sought as a means ofspiritual reformation and righteousness: and therefore, we mayexpect a greater prevalence of iniquity; as a judgment of thejust and offended God, for so flagrant an abuse of the knowledgeof salvation.

And thus with regard to the preaching of His word: where isthat vehement desire, that deep interest, that holy concern toprofit withal, which was observable in the days when preacherswere few? We do not say, that it is utterly extinguished;but certainly not proportioned to the opportunitiesvouchsafed. How many in this our place and neighbourhood,refuse to travel, even the shortest distance, to hear the gospel;and of those who professedly go to hear it, not a few are led bymere curiosity or custom. How do we stand condemned by manya lessp.283favoured people! There are indeed lands, at thisday, still thirsting for the knowledge of their God and Saviour;lands, to which it has but just been carried, where it is onlybeginning to be understood; andthere the people willinstantly repair at the very sound of the good tidings, and waitwith eagerness upon the footsteps of the missionary, who bears inhis hand the sacred treasure; buthere, where themessengers are in every place, where the ministers ofreconciliation abound, here are awful numbers, who never enterthe house of God, for the single purpose of hearing His word: thegift is continually offered, without trouble or risk,“without money or price;” and, therefore, it wouldseem, perversely despised.

Similar remarks may be made, concerning all those divineordinances and means of grace, with which this privileged landhas been so richly provided. The public worship of AlmightyGod, the holy sacraments of our Church, the instruction affordedto her children, the means ofp. 284private devotion and godlyadvancement, all these are pressed upon the notice and acceptanceof all; it is not enough to say, that we are invited; we areurged to the participation of these abundant blessings;yet how often are we urged in vain. At this moment, in someof our countries or dependencies abroad, where Churches aresparingly scattered, and the visits of ministers are few and longbetween, these divine ordinances are coveted with a painfulanxiety, and no opportunity is ever lost: here, in the mothercountry, is the fountain of blessings, and the “streams areever flowing withal;” but thousands esteem not these watersof life, and many never care to taste them.

It is impossible, that the truth of these observations can bedenied; and to every sincere and serious Christian the subjectmust afford a painful reflection. And well does it becomeus all, each in our several vocations, to exert our utmost powerfor the abatement of so crying and alarming an evil. Manyof us, I trust, arep. 285gratefully sensible of the goodnessand love of God, in having so liberally bestowed upon our landthe blessings of the word of life; grateful from the experienceof its inestimable benefit to our own souls: let each then in hisstation, and according to his influence and ability, recommendthe word to those around him; and assist in waking a slumberingpeople to a sense of the glorious opportunities awaitingthem. Many, from their education and rank, have it in theirpower to contribute largely to the success of this gloriouscause, to become instruments of righteousness and salvation totheir lost fellow-creatures: and the poorest may do much in thisblessed work; they may train their families in the study of theBible, may lead them to adore the God of mercy and of truth, andto save their souls alive; considerable also is the impression,which, by prudence and friendly care, they might make upon theirpoor neighbours; bringing them to join together in happy union,for the perusal of that word, which is theirp. 286commoninterest and hope; which would elevate them above the troubles ofa stormy world, would lead them to “lighten oneanother’s burdens,” and to “go on their waytogether rejoicing.” And, to say the least, every onehas the power to recommend the holy scriptures by the light ofhis own example; by shewing, on all occasions, his love for theSaviour’s marvellous goodness; by duly reverencing andreading the word of truth; and manifesting the blessednessthereof, in the decided change of his own heart and temper, inhis own character and life. And all such recommendations,let me add, the Lord is demanding at our hands, in return for Hisunspeakable mercy.

My brethren, let us suppose, that it should please God, forthe heedlessness of this nation, to deprive us of the privilegeand blessing of the Bible; and to declare, that the neglectedministry of His word should be continued no longer: we shouldundoubtedly regard this as the direst calamity, which couldpossibly befal us;p.287we should immediately and cheerfully consent to anysacrifice, by which so dreadful a token of divine wrath might beaverted. Then let us be consistent; and whilst we do enjoythis invaluable favour of heaven, let it be cherished andimproved. Let the gospel, instead of being less precious tous, on account of its universal publication, and its facility ofattainment, be therefore prized the more; and while we adore theLord of mercy for diffusing this heavenly benefit through ourdear and native land, let the treasure be laid up in our ownbosom: what is intended for the good of all, is intended for thegood of each: to bless God for giving the gospel to our country,and to undervalue or neglect it ourselves, is folly andhypocrisy; but too many individuals, amounting indeed to a largeportion of our christian community, are guilty of this folly, andthus exposing the land to judgment, thus endangering “theark of God.”

All ofus, my brethren, do I trust feelp. 288thankful toour God and Saviour, who hath honoured us, unworthy as we are,with the revelation of His word, and hath “brought life andimmortality to light:” whatever others then may do, let oursense of the gracious gift be undeniably and duly shewn: let usdaily have recourse to this holy word, as “the lamp of ourfeet and the light of our paths:” be it our constant prayerfor the spirit of God to open our eyes that we may understand,and our hearts that we may reverence, the wonders of His holylaw; that it may be the object and study of our lives, to walk inall those means of grace, which it holds forth for our redemptionfrom sin and death; for our safe passage through this transitoryworld of trial, to an eternal world of happiness and glory beyondthe grave. If we hear and read and mark and learn, in thespirit of devotion and prayer, we shall continually find newtreasures of mercy opening to our view; new and unlooked-forstores of knowledge; new affections and dispositions; new hopesand prospects,p.289in the promises of the blessed Jesus: the word will bea blessing to us through life and even to our journey’send; a sure guide amid the dangers of prosperity, a powerfulsupport in the day of trouble, an inconceivable comfort when wedie. But if we prize it not in life, how can we expectconsolation from it in death? On the contrary, our spiritswill be weighed down by the grievous remembrance of inexcusableneglect. Be wise in time; lay up in store the goodfoundation: the word, having been all along precious, will beincreasing in value to the last; even until it leads us to the“open vision” of eternal day.

p.290SERMON XVI.
DISTINCTIONS TO BE MADE ON THE DAY OFJUDGMENT.

In the chapter before us, ourblessed Lord is describing to His disciples variouscircumstances, which should attend the destruction of Jerusalem;an event, which has been generally regarded by the christianChurch, as representative of the proceedings of that more awfulday, when Christ shall appear at last to judge the universalworld, “in righteousness and truth;” and“render unto every man according unto his works.”

Many false teachers had arisen, even in those early days ofthe gospel, pretending to set forth the signs of Christ’sp. 291comingto take vengeance on His enemies; and therefore the disciples hadrequested of their Master some certain information on thismomentous topic: they “came unto Him privately, saying,Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the signof Thy coming and of the end of the world? And Jesusanswered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you:For many shall come in My name, saying, I am Christ, and shalldeceive many. And ye shall hear of wars, and rumours ofwars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must cometo pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall riseagainst nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall befamines and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.”[291]

Our Lord proceeds to detail a great variety of othercircumstances which should occur, some of them belonging top. 292thedesolations of Judea, some to the future judgment alone, and someto both these events; of which latter kind is the descriptionconnected with the text: “There shall be two in the field;the one shall be taken and the other left. Two women shallbe grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken and the otherleft:” that is, though destruction shall fall upon theJewish nation at large, for their rebellion against God, theirresistance to the clear evidence of the gospel, their shedding ofthe blood of His beloved Son, yet shall not all be equallyinvolved in the same calamity and perdition. Divineprovidence will then make a distinction between those, who haveobstinately rejected and maliciously persecuted the Saviour andHis holy religion, and those, whose hearts have been opened tothe reception “of the truth as it is in Jesus;” who,being convinced and converted, have become His faithfulfollowers.

And though the whole race be so intermingled, one amongstanother, by thep.293various offices and duties and relations of life, thatto the eye of man there may be no distinguishable differenceamongst them; yet the all-seeing God, who “is a discernerof the thoughts of the heart,” will not be misguided by anyoutward appearances; will perceive a very manifest difference incharacters seemingly alike: will infallibly know whom to punishand whom to spare. As in the overthrow of Sodom andGomorrah, He singled out, and selected for preservation, onerighteous person, (and for his sake, a portion of his familyalso,) so, in the storm of vengeance about to fall upon thedevoted city of Jerusalem, He would, in many signal instances,make the same merciful distinction. And the declaration,thus made, was calculated at once to comfort and encourage thefaithful, and to alarm the conscience and check the presumptionof the wicked.

The intimation here afforded of the perfect knowledge and thejust discrimination of the Almighty, in regard to His judgmentsp. 294upon theJewish people, applies with peculiar force and truth to Hisperfect dealings with all mankind, at the last great day. Although, when Jerusalem was destroyed, it is undoubtedly true,that the faithful disciples of Jesus were generally delivered,yet it cannot be supposed that, in so extensive an overthrow, allthe Christians, and all their innocent children, without anyexception escaped. But when Christ shall sit upon Histhrone of judgment, not one undeserved victim shall there be; andnot one, who “has sinned against the light,” shallescape with impunity. All those inequalities, which areunavoidable in the present constitution of things, shall then bemade right and recompensed. The murdered innocent shall berequited with a robe of glory; and the prosperous sinner beabased with scorn and infamy.

How necessary, how indispensable, for the assertion andexecution of divine justice, is the appointment of such atribunal! How unequally are deserts distributed inp. 295thisprobationary world!—very often in cases, of which weourselves may form an adequate opinion. Not unfrequently dowe observe the righteous, doomed to extreme poverty andaffliction and suffering; and though they be most graciouslycomforted and supported under their several burdens, we canhardly imagine, that such alleviation is all the requital theyare to receive: and in truth, what is the principal source oftheir comfort and support? Is it not the hope of a happytermination? Is it not the prospect of entering into aneverlasting rest, of being for ever delivered from sorrow andpain, in the presence of their Saviour and their God? Andcan we believe, that this blessed expectation, vouchsafed as thesolace of their woes, will end in disappointment andnothingness? Does it not point to a day, in which theirbright hopes will be more than realized in the merciful sentenceof their Judge; in their reception, at His hands and through Hismerits, of “an eternal recompense of reward?”

p. 296Andthus, on the contrary, frequently do we see the unprincipled andthe profligate enjoying the favour of the world, and rising to noinconsiderable eminence of earthly prosperity: their crosses andvexations and troubles no doubt they have, as the natural fruitof irreligion and vice; as the retributive chastisement of anoffended God; “sowing in corruption,” they docertainly more or less reap in sorrow; but still, if there wereno other state, their lot would be, comparatively at least, muchhappier than they deserve; and thereforetheir conditionalso leads us to expect, and fearfully does it betoken, a day offuller retribution; when the infinite justice and truth of Godwill be finally and perfectly vindicated.

Many cases, like these, of suffering virtue and prosperousvice, we are able clearly to discern: so broad are the lines, soprominent the features, that we can scarcely be mistaken: butperhaps there are many more cases, of which we can form noadequate opinion at all; neitherp. 297in any instance, could we pretend toaward or ascertain the exact degree of merit due to anyindividual. When we speak of merit, we do not mean tointimate that any action, in itself, is deserving of reward; weregard works of righteousness, only as the fruit of faith in acrucified Redeemer. But this fruit is much more abundant,and much more excellent, in some than others; and sometimes, whenit makes the fairest shew, the quality is inferior. Bymerit then, we here mean the faith and behaviour of a Christian;or, that behaviour by which the faith is manifested; that, towhich God has freely promised a reward, for the sake of our greatRedeemer. According to the faith, will the fruit be, bothin quality and abundance; and according to the fruit will be thegracious reward; which reward He alone can determine and bestow,who discovers the secret springs of the character and conduct ofevery man living.

The value of an action depends upon the spirit and principle,with which it isp.298performed; and of these things no one can perfectlyjudge, but the searcher of the heart. Even in the christiancommunity, many words and deeds there are, obtaining applausefrom men, which will be condemned by the omniscient God, ashaving proceeded from unworthy motives, and being but the garb ofhypocrisy; many persons there are, in whose respective demeanourwe may be able to trace no very marked lines of difference, whoyet differ most essentially, when measured by the scale ofinfinite truth and justice: all these secret distinctions will beclearly brought to light at the great inquiry on thejudgment-day; every one will then appear in his true character;the veil of deception will be for ever torn aside; and of those,who seem alike to us in the present life, we shall find that onewill be taken and another left; one taken to glory, and anotherleft to shame and wretchedness and ruin.

It may be useful to mention a few instances, in which we maybe deceivedp.299in our comparative estimate of men. Even withregard to the fundamental principles of religion, to a realbelief in the truths of the Bible, to the essentials of achristian character, it is possible that we may form verymistaken opinions concerning many around us. It is true,that insincerity and deceit are commonly, sooner or later, insome degree detected; it is difficult to be always dissimulating,and acting a part; some evil fruit, some inconsistency doesgenerally betray the hollowness of hypocritical pretensions:still however, it is not always so; and doubtless there aresome,—out of the number of those persons, whom we are inthe habit of considering as equally resting their hopes upon thetrue foundation, equally believing in Jesus Christ for pardon andsalvation, equally zealous in the maintenance of His holyreligion and attentive to the ordinances,—some there are,who differ materially from others, in the unerring judgment ofGod. They may repair to the same place of worship, perhapsp. 300with thesame degree of regularity, but with very different views andimpressions: we can judge only of the outward appearance, of theposture of the body or the moving of the lips; it is for the Lordto look upon the posture of the soul and the offering of theheart. Many, no question, come to the House of God fromvery unworthy motives and for very unworthy purposes; andfrequently they do not escape the observance ofman; butman cannot penetrate into the case of every individual; tothe eye of Jehovah alone are “all things naked andopen;” He sees and judges,who come unto Him inhumble faith; who approach His tabernacle is a pious frame andtemper, with holy affections, with integrity of heart; who“worship Him in spirit and in truth.” Mybrethren, it is an awful consideration: but from the same Church,the same christian society, the same assembly of worshippers,“one shall be taken and another left.”

Again, with respect to a discharge ofp. 301theordinary duties of life, there may be much real, though littleseeming difference, in the characters of many, with whom we aredaily acquainted. Punctuality and diligence, though alwayscommendable and useful for the public good, may be, in as far asthe person himself is concerned, of little value in the sight ofGod; our acceptableness with God, in this matter, depends uponthe principle and the view and the spirit, with which thebusiness of life is conducted: it may be carried on merely forthe sake of self-interest; of gain, reputation, and pleasure;without any religious feeling or purpose whatever, without asingle prayer offered up for heavenly assistance and blessing,without a word of thanksgiving or acknowledgment: or, on theother hand, we may proceed to our daily employments and pursuits,“strong in the Lord and in the power of His might;”imploring and depending upon His grace; “doing whatever wedo for His glory;” active and diligent and faithful, from asense of love and dutyp. 302to Him, for the sake of obeying thelaw of our blessed Redeemer, and thus bringing forth the fruit offaith unto perfection; “living soberly, righteously andgodly in thispresent world,”[302a] with the continual hope andexpectation of a glorious world to come. Now, whetherindustry be the work of religious principle, or whether it arisemerely from selfish and earthly views,we are often unableto decide: but God knoweth all the thoughts of man; and thereforecan assign, to every action and habit and pursuit, its trueorigin and its due reward; and many persons, it will be found atlast, who have gone forth together unto their labour, who havebeen engaged in the same occupations, have toiled together ascompanions in life, will be separated when the day of fullinquiry comes; the one, having “sown unto thespirit,” shall betaken to enjoy the fruit of lifeeverlasting; the other, having “sown unto the flesh,”shall beleft to “reap corruption.”[302b]

p.303Similar observations will of course hold good, withregard to the practice of particular virtues. They,“who give alms only to be seen of men;” who dispensetheir bounty from any other principle, than that of love to theirSaviour; for any other purpose, than to serve God and to benefittheir fellow-creatures; they “have theirreward” already—the only reward, which they arecaring to seek—the applause, the good will, or the esteemof mankind: and they must not expect, on the latter day, thereward which they seek not; the approval of their sovereign Lord;the praises and blessings of christian charity. Again, theywho exercise the virtues of honesty or sobriety, merely for thesake of worldly expedience or reputation, will likewise“have their reward” all the reward they are toexpect, in this life. Christian faith and christianprinciple are the only foundations, upon which a Christian cansurely and successfully build; they, who build upon them, will betaken to see the goodly fabric perfected inp. 304heaven;whilst every work, which is raised upon “otherfoundation,” will be left to desolation and devouringfire.

And even they, who have communed together, through theirearthly pilgrimage, in the bonds of familiar intimacy; who havebeen united all their lives long, by the nearest and dearest tiesof kindred; even they will be subject to the same discriminatingjudgment at the last. If they have been bound together inthe holy bonds of the gospel, as well as of family affection; ifthey have been faithful brethren in the Lord, as well as in theflesh, “walking with God as friends,” it will bewell; then, as they “were lovely and pleasant in theirlives, in their deaths they shall not be divided:”[304] together shall they go to heaven, andbe admitted to enjoy a more delightful communion with each other,in the happy paradise above. But if it be otherwise, ifsuch friends be of opposite characters; the one“carnally” the other “spirituallyminded;”p.305then, their ends must be opposite also;“death” is the portion of one, “life andpeace”[305a] of the other: their union thereforemust be dissolved. The world may regard all the members ofa family, as nearly alike in character; but the difference maynevertheless be great; and the distinction, in another world,will be great also. The wicked parent shall see itsinnocent offspring no more; the pious father shall not deliverthe undutiful child, nor the obedient child its rebelliousfather;[305b] each can save but his own soul. How feelingly and powerfully does this consideration appeal tochristian families; admonishing them, to regard not the presentonly, but the everlasting welfare of each other; to “edifyone another” in holiness and godly love; lest, after theyhave been so intimately connected together upon earth, while theone is taken to felicity and glory, the other be left to“mourning, lamentation and woe.”

p. 306Howare christian parents bound, to watch over the offspring they sotenderly love! Watch they do, with continual anxiety, forthe temporal benefit of their children, for all that can ministerto their comfort and honour and advancement in life: they rejoicein the joy of their children, and weep when their children weep:but O how infinitely more important is the provision foreternity: earthly ties will soon be broken; how important, thatwe should provide for a happy renewal of intercourse and lovehereafter! Parting now, to meet no more, were enough tobreak the heart; but the bright prospect of a re-union inparadise consoles and reconciles; forbidding us “to sorrowas those who have no hope.” See then, ye christianparents, to the nurture and training of the “olive branchesround about your table;” bestow, upon their spiritualwell-being, an especial and exceeding care; that ye may beholdthem “flourishing in the house of the Lord” above:that, whether ye be taken fromp. 307them, or they from you, there may becomfort in the parting. See, all christian relatives andfriends, by whatever name ye are endeared; see that ye live notin worldly, but heavenly affection: instructing, admonishing,animating one another in the profession of the true faith and theexercise of all godliness; that so your converse and communionmay never be embittered by the fear of eternal separation.

Lastly, let the truth, here declared by the infallible word ofGod, check the presumption of the careless and the wicked; andgive comfort and encouragement to the faithful. Theworldling may fancy, because no great distinction, between himand others, is made upon earth; because he perhaps can see nogreat reason for such distinction; that, therefore, he shallescape in the end; but in the day when “God will judge thesecrets of men by Jesus Christ,”[307] when “every one shall receivethe things done in his body, accordingp. 308to that hehath done, whether it be good or bad,”[308] he will find, that an immeasurabledistinction will be made between him “that hath served God,and him that hath served him not;” between him, whose hearthas been given to his Creator and Redeemer, and sanctified by theSpirit of grace, and him, who has only made it his object tomaintain a decent appearance in the world. If we do believein the final judgment, if we believe in the perfect truth andjustice of the Almighty, we must conclude, that this fearfuldifference will be made. And if it were so dreadful acalamity, to be left to fall in the tremendous overthrow ofJerusalem, what will it be, to be left an everlasting-prey to thetortures of Satan and of sin?

But let the true believer, the righteous servant of God inJesus Christ, take encouragement and comfort: there is noexercise of faith, no holy meditation, no fervent prayer, noreligious deed, no pious intention or design, however secret fromp. 309the eyesof men, which can escape the notice of their heavenly Father:though justice is not, cannot be, done to their characters here;though sometimes the greatest injustice and injury and wrong; yetshall they be triumphantly and gloriously vindicated at the last:though they be on earth forsaken or oppressed, though they bearthe burden of private affliction or public scorn, in a“world which is not worthy of them,” they shall bevisited and acknowledged and received at the last; shall lift uptheir heads with honour and with joy, and be admitted into akingdom, which is more than worthy of all their faith and alltheir constancy; the Redeemer has marked them for His own; Hewill single them out, on the last day, from the crowd ofcountless multitudes, as objects of his compassion and favour;will take them into the arms of His mercy, and so “theyshall be forever with the Lord.”[309]

p.310SERMON XVII.
GOD MADE MAN UPRIGHT; MAN MAKES HIMSELFMISERABLE.

In this remarkable book, Solomondiscusses the various earthly means employed by the human race,for the attainment of happiness; and he decides upon the utterinsufficiency of them all. Nor is he to be regarded asmaking the enquiry from mere matter of speculation, but asdeclaring to the world the result of his own experience, as wellas the counsels of the Most High. Exalted to the verysummit of worldly prosperity and greatness, andp. 311learned inall the arts and sciences, he possessed advantages, in thepursuit of happiness, far beyond the common lot of mortality; ifit were to be found upon earth, he would have been sure, inhimself or some of his favoured dependents, to have made thediscovery. But he declares, by many remarkable repetitions,his utter inability so to do; he gives up the matter as hopelessand impossible; “all, (even the fairest and the best ofhuman schemes,) is vanity and vexation of spirit;”“that which is crooked cannot be made straight, and thatwhich is wanting cannot be numbered.”[311]

And this conclusion corresponds with the experience of mankindin every age: happiness has always been their object;philosophers have laid down rules for its acquirement, and everyvariety of expedient has been tried; but all in vain; there is nopermanent pleasure or satisfaction upon earth: independently ofthe crosses and vexations from without, byp. 312which it isso continually disturbed, there is something in the constitutionof man, in the present state of his mind and heart andaffections, by which the attainment of happiness, from temporalmeans alone, is positively forbidden.

The royal preacher, thus convinced of this truth, turns histhoughts to a solution of the case, and sums up his observations,on the conduct and condition of man, in the words of thetext. Instead of arraigning, like some bold and impiouscavillers of our day, the wisdom or goodness of the Creator inthe introduction of evil into the world, he gives the trueaccount of the matter; and lays the blame where alone it is due,upon the disobedience and degeneracy of man. And in sodoing, he bears testimony to the truth of one of the mostimportant communications made to us in the revealed word ofGod—the original innocence and the fall of our firstparents. This fact has been daringly called in question bycertain professed believers of divine revelation, by some whoboast themselvesp.313peculiarly entitled to the christian name. Anxious to exalt the moral excellency of human nature, and todisprove the doctrine and necessity of the atonement, through theprevailing efficacy of the Saviour’s incarnation andsufferings, such vain disputers absolutely deny, in the very faceof God’s word, that any such total and dreadful change hasever taken place in the state of mankind; they contend, that ourunderstandings and affections are now the same, as when we cameoriginally from the hands of our Creator. It appears,however, that thewisest of men took a different view ofthis momentous subject; that he received the Mosaic account,recorded in the opening of the book of Genesis, according to itsplain and natural interpretation; and he has delivered to us hisjudgment, by the inspiration of that Holy Spirit, under whoseguidance it was impossible for him to err.

Solomon introduces his declaration upon this point in a veryawakening manner; in a manner frequent with the inspiredp. 314writers,when about to deliver a sentence of peculiar weight andimportance; “Lo, this only have I found;” behold,attend to this truth; this is the result of my observations, thisthe “conclusion of the whole matter,” this theexplanation of all the evil and unhappiness in the world, that“God hath made man upright, but they have sought out manyinventions;” that man was created innocent by the wise andmerciful Author of his being; formed for pure unalloyedenjoyment; and the marring and misery, which he experiences, aresolely attributable to the change induced by his own apostacy andrebellion; to his seeking out ways and means of happiness,contrary to the will and appointment of his Creator. “God saw every thing that He had made, and behold, it wasvery good;”[314] and man, the lordof creation, was not less fitted than the objects around him, toanswer the good and gracious purposes of heaven. So God“created man in His own image;p. 315in the image of God created He him;male and female created He them;”[315] in the image of holiness, andtherefore happy.

How far man has fallen from this state of uprightness, is aquestion which has caused much difference and contention in thechristian world; some persons, from a desire of exalting the freegrace of God, declare that the divine image in man was totallycorrupted and lost by the fall; that there remains, in hisunregenerate nature, no spirit or particle of excellency, noperception of what is good; that his nature is a mere chaos ofdisorder, a mass of decay, which is altogether incapable ofproducing any thing but “confusion and every evilwork.” On the other hand, it is contended, that thewreck of man’s nature was but partial; that there remains aconsiderable disposition to practice, as well as approve,“whatsoever things are pure and honest and lovely and ofgood report;” that man is still able, by his own judgmentand strength, in manyp. 316things to please God and to serveHim. It does not fall within our purpose, on the presentoccasion, to attempt any accurate adjustment of this difference;but we may observe, that it is dangerous to insist upon eitherextreme. A belief, that man can will or do nothing, is aptto lead to a persuasion that he has nothing to will or do; thathis salvation is a work totally independent of himself; a measureof grace absolutely forced upon him: and a belief, is that manable of himself to “refuse the evil and to choose thegood,” that he “knows how to walk and to pleaseGod,” creates a spirit of self-righteousness, at oncedestructive of the sinner’s hope; preventing his dependenceupon the all-sufficiency of God, and subversive of the truth ofthe gospel.

A faculty of discernment between good and evil, for the moralgovernment of man, is evidently vouchsafed to his unrenewednature; and a power, in dependence upon the divine teaching, toaccept or reject the proposals of mercy and grace, does surelyremain to us, or else the numberlessp. 317exhortations of God to the sinnerappear to be of no benefit and no meaning: and who can reasonablysuppose, that sinners would have been so frequently and severelycondemned, for refusing that grace, which they were positivelyincapable of accepting. The language of our ninth Articleon this point appears to be most temperate and unobjectionable:“Man is veryfar gone from original righteousness,and is of his own nature inclined to evil, so that the fleshlusteth always contrary to the spirit.” With thisstatement we may rest content.

One of the many bitter fruits of the fall is, that man nolonger seeks his happiness in God, where alone it can be found,but in ways of his own devising, in the crooked ways opened tohis view and imagination by the destructive enemy of his soul; nolonger in innocence and holiness and obedience, but in viciousinclinations and pursuits, “in the lust of the flesh andthe lust of the eyes, and the pride of life;”[317]p. 318in those very principles and means,which brought “death into the world and all our woe:”it is no wonder, therefore, that happiness, from a search likethis, should not be found. They, who search in this manner,are like the wicked spirit, “walking through dry places,seeking rest and finding none;” like the dove of Noah, inthe overwhelming of the waters, roving about on weary wing, andfinding no resting place for the sole of her foot. Nor isit possible for man to be blessed again with perfect peace, peacewithout any interruption or alloy, until he be altogetherrestored to “the image of Him that created him:” thenearer he approaches to that restoration, the more he willassuredly possess of true satisfaction and delight; but theblessing can never be complete, till the original defilement beutterly purged away, till his understanding is enlarged for afull knowledge of the good and great and glorious Creator; tillhe can be brought to love and serve Him without any mixture ofinfirmity; till he returns not only top. 319His favour,but into His immediate presence, in the second Eden, of eternalbliss.

Still may man enjoy, even upon earth, no inconsiderable degreeof peace and happiness. The promises and blessings of thegospel impart a “joy and gladness” to the believer,and fill him with comfort, which the world can neither give nortake away: the avoiding and abhorring of evil will prevent thosepainful reflections, which inhabit the mind of the recklesssinner: the life of faith in a merciful Saviour, the worship andservice of God, the works of piety and love, the walk ofuprightness and integrity, though accompanied with imperfections,and, therefore, with abatements of comfort, yet do infalliblyproduce a great tranquillity of soul, and unspeakable emotions ofholy joy; the sincere Christian contemplates his presentcondition with happy, though humble persuasion of acceptance withhis God; and looks forward with an animated exulting hope of theperfect consummationp. 320of his felicity, in another and abetter world. The trials and troubles of this life doindeed still continue; yet they have no power to harm, andtherefore none to distress him; he “casts his burden uponthe Lord.” But in the natural, unrenewed, unconvertedworld, there is no such redeeming principle, no qualification ofevil, no pure sources of delight: let the votaries of earthlyenjoyment seek it with what ardour and devotedness they may, itis a phantom which is ever eluding their grasp; flitting beforetheir eyes in the shape of promises and visions, but never insubstantial possession.

It is indeed sadly instructive, to consider the numberlessdevices to which men are driven, in their search after happiness,when once they have forsaken the faith and fear of God; how busythey are in the invention of new scenes and pursuits; quittingone after another, as each deceives and fails; how they arewearing and wasting away the little span of life, in vainexperiment and profitless enquiry. p. 321How are theopulent contriving their multiplied means and opportunities ofenjoyment, with all their splendour of establishment, and a trainof dependents obedient to their will! And if we could forma judgment by outward appearances, we might be inclined topronounce them happy: but under this beautiful veil, with allthis pomp of circumstance, many a corroding care, many amortified desire, many a bitter disappointment, lie constantlyconcealed.

To envy the rich, as if they were the certain possessors ofcomfort and ease, is one of the greatest of all mistakes andfollies; happiness must dwell in the mind and the heart; it mustdepend altogether upon the state of mind and heart; it is not tobe purchased with money; money, we must grant, may be made tominister to it, but this must entirely depend upon thedisposition, the spirit, the manner, in which it is used: thesmallest pittance upon earth, possessed in the faith of thegospel, in the fear and love of God, producesp. 322infinitelymore enjoyment, than the countless treasures of those, who seekor spend or save them, with a view to themselves and this worldalone.

Some are revelling in the dreams of ambition; and imagine,that if they could attain a particular eminence, they should behappy: but the road is steep and slippery, toilsome anddangerous; and the summit, if ever they reach it, is not a landof repose, not the habitation of contentment and peace;“seekest thou great things for thyself? seek themnot.”[322] Ambition is always dissatisfied;if not the most unclean, it is one of the most tormenting spiritsin the bosom of man; and yet it is fondly and generally cherishedboth by rich and poor. Be humble; be moderate; be content;if thou wouldest be happy.

In what are called the pleasurable scenes of life, it isunnecessary for me further to insist, how vainly we rove in questof substantial delight: this indeed is ap. 323truth stillmore level to the experience of us all; it is a path we haveoften trodden, but never I think with satisfaction. Witnessthe continual changing, the endless variety of amusements, whichare found necessary in order to relieve satiety and disgust,necessary even when they are innocent; and in sinful pleasures,in lust and intemperance of every kind, it is needless to tellyou, there can be no peace; health is impaired and the conscienceis burdened; they are like a two-edged sword, cutting on bothsides, destroying both body and soul.

The force of these arguments may be made to appear fromanother consideration; for whatever delusions may be practisedupon men, to induce them to reckon and build upon earth alone; totrust for happiness to their own inventions, to human schemes anddevices; yet will they never, in their serious moments, contendfor the wisdom of their choice; or say, that their expectationshave been answered; they will never, when theyp. 324come todie, recommend to their friends, assembled round their bed, thecourse which they pursued, as a sure foundation of comfort intheir lives, and peace in their latter end; the dying father willnot recommend it to his children, nor the dying brother to hisbrethren. No: it will then be seen, either by the tears ofbitter remorse or the agonies of unrepented guilt, that the wayof the world was “the broad way that leadeth untodestruction;” that the soul can never find rest, till itreturns to the forsaken paths of righteousness, to the lost imageof its God.

And thanks to the unspeakable mercy of God in Christ Jesus,the way of recovery is abundantly made known; the kingdom ofheaven, with all its joys and treasures, is opened to everybeliever. Wisdom has come down from above, to tabernaclewith sinful man; to lighten his darkness, and to rejoice hissoul; and “her ways are ways of pleasantness, andall her paths are peace”—pleasantness and peace tothose, who seek them withp. 325their whole heart, implicitly anddevotedly, as manifested in the gracious revelation of theirGod.

But unhappily, in the way of religion also, in their professedwalk of faith, men will be seeking out many inventions of theirown, instead of submitting themselves, with simplicity and godlysincerity, to the gospel of Jesus Christ. They are seekingto accommodate His divine law to their corrupt inclinations andindulgences, to the maxims and fashions and interests of anensnaring world: and thus they fail of the happiness, which theywere led to expect. No wonder, that they find not thechristian promises realised; that they fall short of the comfort,as they do of the obedience of faith. To the believing inour crucified Lord, with all the heart and soul; to “theseeking first His kingdom and His righteousness;” to the“forsaking all and following Him;” to “thespirit of God dwelling in us, and mortifying the deeds of thebody;” to the sincere desire after holiness “as Hep. 326isholy;” to “the fulfilling of the law ofrighteousness;” to a living hope of “the inheritancethat fadeth not away”—to these things, the promise oflife is made; of joy and favour here, and eternal felicityhereafter; but if we, in dependence upon our own vain inventions,seek to be blessed in any other way; with a less entire belief,and a less holy profession, and a less devoted obedience, and aless exalted hope, we must not complain or wonder, if we lose ourobject and aim; “Be not deceived, God is not mocked; forwhatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap; he that sowethunto the flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he thatsoweth unto the spirit, shall of the spirit reap lifeeverlasting.”

The merciful God, when He created man innocent and happy,graciously revealed to him the means, by which his innocence andhappiness might be preserved; and shewed thereby, that they wereinseparable, that the loss of the one would be the loss of theother. “Thep. 327Lord God commanded the man, saying,Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of thetree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it;for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surelydie.”[327a] And no sooner had Adamdisobeyed, no sooner was his innocence forfeited, than hishappiness was gone; he found to his sorrow, as he would notbelieve to his comfort, the truth of his Creator’s word:and thus miserably ended the first covenant of God with man, thecovenant of obedience and works.

Under the covenant of grace, by the blessed and eternal Son ofGod, it is revealed to us, with equal clearness, how the losthappiness of man is to be recovered; “the way weknow:” “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thoushalt be saved;”[327b] “set youraffections on things above, not on things on the earth:”[327c] this is the way, call it by what nameyou please—a condition, or a means; it is thep. 328only way:happiness, here or hereafter, is attainable in no other. For this, we have the assurance of that word, which we have seen,under the first covenant, awfully fulfilled; of that word, whichcan never fail. My brethren, I cannot doubt, that we areall of us convinced of this truth: then let us pray fervently andfaithfully, that the conviction may live in our hearts; that wemay, from this day forward, go to “the fountain of livingwaters, and not hew out for ourselves broken cisterns, that holdno water;”[328a] that we mayrenounce the vanity of all human inventions, and seek ourhappiness in God, and God alone. “Be not conformed tothis world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind;that ye may prove, what is that good and acceptable and perfectwill of God:”[328b] that ye may“have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlastinglife.”[328c]

p.329SERMON XVIII.
THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD REVEALED TO THEM THATFEAR HIM.

The secret of the Lord means, thatwhich cannot be known unless the Lord reveal it; and the phrasehere implies, an intimate knowledge of the divine perfections, ofthe dealings and dispensations of God; a holy and vital communionwith Him; an entire trust in His providential care andgovernment; together with that peace, which always dwells in thebosom of a true, penitent, pious believer. All this,p. 330including,as it does, a full acquaintance with the doctrines and duties,the privileges and comforts of the life of faith, is called“the secret of the Lord,” because it is hidden fromthe natural man, and cannot possibly be comprehended ordiscovered without divine revelation.

Such knowledge and such blessings are not the growth of earth;they are not the produce of the human intellect or the humanheart; they must come by spiritual communication, from thefountain of wisdom and truth. When man was driven from thebright abode of paradise, his understanding was darkened; losingthe favour, he lost the image of his Maker, and thus becamenaturally estranged from those holy thoughts and affections,which constitute his chief happiness and glory. Nor is itpossible for him to recover this spiritual frame of mind, theseheavenly views, this holy and happy acquaintance with God, unlessthe hand, by which the image was originally stamped, repair thep. 331wretchedruin in which it now lies. Whoever would know the ways ofGod, must be taught of God; to all, who are not so taught, theyare impenetrably secret. Thus spake the wisest of men;“The Lord giveth wisdom, out of His mouth cometh knowledgeand understanding. Then shalt thou understand righteousnessand judgment and equity; yea, every good path.”[331a] And thus the apostle,“Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have enteredinto the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for themthat love Him;”[331b] that is, man, inhis natural state, of ignorance and rebellion against God, cannotform a notion of the value of heavenly blessings; of the enlargedviews, the sublimed affections, the sustaining comforts and joys,attainable by an inheritance of the divine promises, both hereand hereafter. But, as the apostle proceeds, “Godhath revealed them unto us by His Spirit; for the Spiritsearcheth all things, yea the deep things of God. Forp. 332what manknoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of a man which is inhim; even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit ofGod;” as we exercise our thoughts and judgment upon humanmatters, by the help of human reason, by the natural powers ofthe mind, so must we attain the knowledge of divine matters, bythe aid of a divine spirit; by a holy illumination and guidance;not indeed by miraculous illapses, but still by the distinct andactual operation of heavenly grace, silently producing itseffects upon the understanding and heart.

The pride of man, the disputer of this world, does not submitto this proposition and teaching; perhaps commonly regards themin the light of enthusiasm; he has no notion, that there are anysecrets in religion, which his own skill and judgment are notsufficient to reveal; he disbelieves every thing, which he cannotcomprehend or feel; and affects to throw a shade of discredit andcontempt upon all those religious sentiments and affections, towhichp. 333heis a stranger. There are not a few such persons in thechristian world; who profess to believe all the doctrines of theBible, and to know all that need or can be known, and yet neversubmit themselves to, scarcely can be said to pray for or desire,the aid and direction of Almighty God; who imagine, that theirliberal education and their common sense entitle them to pass afull and adequate judgment upon all spiritual subjects; and toform a correct notion of all spiritual privileges andblessings.

This is a dangerous and fatal error; a most unfoundedpresumption; a gross ignorance of the very element and nature ofevangelical truth: such persons only judge of the word of God, ofthe ordinances and benefits of religion, as they would judge ofany mere human history; of any worldly occurrence or advantage:they take, what they are pleased to call, a rational view ofChristianity; but the only view, which deserves the name ofrational, is, not that which appeals top. 334reasonalone, but that which is according to truth; according to theacknowledged revelation of God’s sovereign will. Letus again hear the apostle: “Which things also we speak, notin the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which theHoly Ghost teacheth.—But the natural man receiveth not thethings of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him,neither can he know them, because they are spirituallydiscerned.”[334] The merelyrational man, therefore, is a carnal man; not indeed an absolutestranger to the word of grace, but unenlightened by it; he has notrue taste for holy and divine things; it is altogetherimpossible for him to appreciate their merits, or to know anything of their practical effects.

A familiar instance or two may serve to illustrate thistruth. How can any man, who neglects the worship of God,pretend to decide upon its importance and utility? How canhe presume to deny its comfortable and salutary influencep. 335upon thesoul, its powerful efficacy upon the character and life? Itis a matter of experience; of which he therefore is unqualifiedto judge.—He that is a stranger to the grace of God in hisheart, may despise those, that regard it and live by it, asfanatical persons, who are deluded by visionary ideas andgroundless assurances: but he is only judging others by himself;and it would be marvellous indeed, if he, who is avowedly livingwithout the influence of divine grace, should bear witness to thebenefit and happiness which it confers.—What can theintemperate man know of the blessings of temperance? Nothing: except by the want of them.—What can the covetousman know of the pleasures of benevolence andliberality?—the licentious of the excellence of purity, orthe ignorant of the treasures of wisdom?—Because thesinner, when overtaken by sickness or affliction, declares thathe derives no comfort from religion, are we therefore toconclude, that religionp. 336has no comforts at all? Couldwe think it probable, that the promises of the gospel wouldafford consolation to him, in an evil hour, when he had all alongbeen an alien to their nature, when they had been unheeded ordespised?

It is quite clear, that the benefits and blessings of our holyreligion, that the knowledge of God’s word, the power ofHis Spirit, and the effects of His ordinances, must ever remain asecret to those, who have no intercourse with these things, andset their hearts against them. And whenever the Christianhears his conduct condemned, or his hopes undervalued, by suchpersons, he may treat them, not with proud disdain, but with aholy disregard: whatever their station in society may be,whatever their learning, whatever their reputation for judgmentin worldly affairs, upon spiritual or scriptural matters theiropinion is of no weight or worth.

“The secret of the Lord is with them that fearHim.” The fear of the Lord,p. 337in thispassage, as in many others of Holy writ, denotes the sum andsubstance of religion; it implies a sincere faith and trust inGod, an awful sense of His majesty, an humble and anxious enquiryafter the knowledge of His will, with a holy determination ofobedience. And, in addressing these words to a christiancongregation, we may understand them as implying that fear andservice of God, which proceed from a vital belief in the whole ofHis revealed law, in the gospel of His ever blessed Son, oursupreme Lawgiver and King; as implying moreover an entireconcurrence in all the measures ordained for our salvation. The fear of God, though common to all believers under everydivine dispensation, will vary in its operation and extent,according to the nature and fulness of their dispensation; itwill lead them to believe and love and obey, according to theirknowledge, to their opportunities and means of grace, andtherefore the believer in the gospel shews the working of thisp. 338holyprinciple in the full bearing of evangelical fruit.

All who so believe and live, shall have the secret of the Lordabundantly revealed; “He that hath My commandments, andkeepeth them, he it is that loveth Me; and he that loveth Meshall be loved of My Father; and I will love him and willmanifest Myself unto him. The Comforter, which is the HolyGhost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach youall things.”[338] The humbledisciples of Christ are blest in all their researches afterdivine truth and knowledge: when they contemplate the perfectionsof the Godhead, their capacities are enlarged, their affectionsdevoutly engaged, their hearts disposed to profit withal. Adeep sense of the majesty and power of Jehovah leads them toreverence Him; a sense of His justice leads them to walkuprightly; of His omnipresence, to live holily; of His goodness,to serve Him with gratitude and love. Whilst the coldphilosopher,p.339whilst the worldly-minded and the sinner view thesegreat subjects only with a theoretical eye, without any moral orreligious improvement, the spiritual believer is powerfully movedand affected; and walks in the light of truth every day andhour.

In their devotional exercises, the faithful servants of theLord are peculiarly blessed; are made sensible of His presenceand His power. When they pour forth their prayers andpraises at the throne of grace; when they thus hold a nearercommunion with their reconciled God, a heavenly tranquillity anddelight are spread over their souls; they know and feel theirconnexion with “the Father of spirits,” and they risefrom their devotion with an humble confidence, that the tributeof their heart has been accepted; that their ferventsupplications will be answered, in God’s appointed time andway, through the merits and intercession of a mercifulRedeemer. To these inspiring hopes and persuasions theimpenitent sinner is anp. 340utter stranger: if he prays at all,it is but the outward service of the lips; there can be nothingof the spiritual principle of devotion, and therefore nothing ofits fruit.

Again: when the humble pious believer sits down to the studyof the Bible, with a pure desire to discover and perform the holywill of God; to be nourished with the bread of life; and to draw,from the fountain of truth, the waters of eternal salvation; thegrace of the Holy Spirit is with him, to remove the veil from hiscorrupt heart, and thus to open and enlarge his understanding: bythis means he perceives “the wondrous things” of thedivine law, and applies them for his own personal edification andcomfort. The true import of the doctrines, there contained,is progressively unfolded to his view; and the full bearing, ofevery precept and rule of life, is pressed with increasing forceand authority upon his heart. He admires and reverences theholy book; he lovesp. 341all that it contains; his soul israpt in the contemplation of the stupendous mystery of goodnessand godliness; it elevates his prospects and affections abovethis lower world; he has “tasted the good word of God, andthe powers of the world to come;”[341] he beholds, with the eye of faith, hisinheritance in the skies; and this his heavenly view brightens ashe advances.

Every sincere Christian can bear witless, that hisacquaintance with the word of life is continually improving; thatin every page, and almost in every passage, he is perpetuallydiscovering fresh truth and beauty, fresh obligations anddelights. Of all this, the carnal-minded and the sinner areprofoundly ignorant; to them the Bible is comparatively a deadletter: they see little of its harmony or its excellency; andwhere they do see, it has no lively or permanent effect upontheir heart; no more, than any other book, of history, ormorality, or amusement.

p. 342Therighteous are not free from suffering and pain, from trials andafflictions; but then they enjoy, under every visitation, asource of comfort and satisfaction, which the thoughtlessvotaries of this world cannot possibly experience. Theredwelleth, in their hearts and minds, the peace of God; and thatmust ever be the gift of God, which He will never bestow upon Hisenemies; the peace of God, which fills them with a holy calm, andreconciles them to every thing. In seasons of trouble, thetriumphs of the gospel are especially manifested; and the“secret of the Lord” especially revealed. Thesoul is in a more impressible condition; more ready to learn ofHim, who “was meek and lowly of heart;” and thereforemore capable of the enjoyment of His promised rest. “Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall becomforted.”[342]

The sensual and the proud are disappointed and mortified andrebellious underp.343the various troubles of life; the Christian receivesthem in a different spirit, as tokens of his heavenlyFather’s love; and tokens of love he finds them tobe. They, who “walk by sight,” are evercomplaining of hardships and inequalities in the world; they who“walk by faith,” can perceive in them all thesovereign and gracious hand of the Almighty, who “doeth allthings well.” They, who live upon the favour of theworld, must always be rendered unhappy by its frowns; but theChristian lives above it, and cares little for any opposition orevil report: he is fortified and comforted by a secret power, andprotected by an invisible arm: and this power shall continue withhim, if he continue faithful, even unto the end. When hisjourney through the wilderness is about to terminate, when he hasarrived at the borders of the flood, and is entering upon theshores of the heavenly Canaan, when nature sinks and the soul isdeparting, then does the Lord reveal himself, in a manner not tobe seen and notp.344to be told: there is a hidden energy, a light within, asustaining spirit, a mysterious and merciful communion with theLord of life and death. This indeed is an awful secret, andone which the guilty can never know; which none can know, who donot, with all their heart and soul, embrace the promises ofsalvation revealed to them in the gospel: the foretaste ofheavenly rest, like the rest itself, remaineth only for thepeople of God. They who have so feared and loved the Lord,as to have served Him with a good conscience and with integrity;they who have so believed and trusted in their Saviour, as tohave followed whithersoever He led, as to have sacrificed everyunholy gratification and pursuit, for the love of His name andfor the “one thing needful,” they shall find, intheir latter moments, a peace known only to themselves, a joywith which no “stranger can intermeddle.” TheLord will effectually “shew them His covenant:” theywere made by baptism “members of Christ and childrenp. 345ofGod,” and became thereby entitled, through the free mercyof God in Jesus Christ, to an “inheritance in the kingdomof heaven;” having abided in that covenant, and walkedfaithfully therein, they will never doubt, but God will assuredlyperform His part; and He will give them a full insight into theblessings, which He has covenanted to bestow; they have all alongentertained a lively apprehension of the nature and principles ofthis holy covenant, and of their own correspondent obligations;its holy promises and its gracious rewards have been through lifethe solace of their souls; and it continues, yea increases, tothe last; not indeed enjoyed in perfection here below, butenjoyed as the earnest and pledge of the fulness of their eternalfelicity.

In this manner, my brethren, “acquaint yourselves withGod,” and come to the true knowledge of His perfections andHis ways, and live in the animating ennobling hope of a brightermanifestation of His glory hereafter—in this manner, byp. 346a spirit ofhumble, faithful, entire dependence upon Him, through the mercyof Jesus Christ; by fervent importunate prayer for theillumination and aid of the Holy Ghost; by “seeking firstthe kingdom of God and His righteousness by loving Him with allthe heart and soul,” and “walking in His fear all theday long.” Thus are we to be taught of God, thus onlycan we acquire a capability and disposition to be taught; thusgrowing in grace, we grow in wisdom, in holy experience, in happycommunion with our Lord and Saviour.

Receive this instruction, “high and low, rich and poor,one with another;” it is equally necessary for all. Unless this spiritual lesson be learnt, the stores of humanscience, the treasures of human wisdom, are vain and worthless;they can impart no knowledge, no true and saving knowledge, ofthe ways and dealings of the Most High; they cannot bring thesinner to his Maker: on the contrary, they prevent and hinderhim, by ministering ap. 347spirit of pride andself-sufficiency. If thou wouldest know God, fear Him, andbe taught of His Spirit and His word; this is His own appointedmeans, and there is no other. And ye poor, unlearned as yemay be, seek the Lord in this way, and ye shall assuredly findHim: His secret shall be with you; and He will graciously teachyou more, than you can attain from all the world besides; morethan the wisest can learn in any other way.

“The way of the wicked is as darkness; they know not atwhat they stumble: but the path of the just is as the shininglight, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.”[347] The Lord revealeth Himself untothe righteous, day by day; they grow in wisdom, as in years: thenearer they approach to the completion of their hopes, to the endof their earthly pilgrimage, to their heavenly and eternalkingdom, the clearer will be their knowledge, and the moredelightful their anticipations; even until that day, when thep. 348veil of theflesh shall be utterly removed, when they shall “see theirGod face to face, and know even as also they are known.”[348]

p.349SERMON XIX.
RESIST THE BEGINNINGS OF EVILTEMPTATION.

This is one of those short,comprehensive, moral directions, with which the holy Scripturesabound, for our safe conduct in life; directions, that are seldomattended to with the earnestness, which their importancedemands. Studied such words should be, with devoutmeditation and the spirit of prayer; imprinted on the memory,fixed in the heart. Wep. 350are apt to trust too much togeneralities in religion; we do not sufficiently concernourselves with its individual precepts and practicaladmonitions. And I wish now to enlarge upon this point,before we enter into a consideration of the text; hoping that itmay induce you, by God’s help, “to take heed how yehear” such lessons of instruction.

For the attainment of a religious character, and the means ofwalking holily and uprightly in our course through life,doubtless the main thing is, to establish sound principles in theheart; and without such principles all the rules and helps in theworld will prove of little avail; never to be depended upon inthe hour of temptation and trial. Accordingly we find, inthe word of God, these mainsprings of action continually insistedon, as of the highest necessity to be settled in the soul. A true, a right faith is inculcated, as the great foundation ofall spiritual obedience; a vital faith in God, as our Creator,Redeemer, and Sanctifier;p. 351a faith in His revealed word, in allthe great doctrines of life and salvation there propounded tofallen man; a faith in the necessity of obeying all thecommandments therein delivered for the formation of our characterand the regulation of our lives; a faith in the world to come,after the death of the body; a world depending, for happiness ormisery, upon our choice and conduct here. The love of Godand the fear of God are also laid down as most powerfulprinciples of thought and action; as spreading an influence overthe whole of our behaviour.

Still however, the establishment of these first principles isnot of itself sufficient for the complete direction andgovernment of our lives. So manifold and various are thetemptations to which we are exposed; so numerous the trials weare called to bear, that particular instructions and commands arealso needful for us, in order that we may be prepared to meet thedifferent circumstances which are perpetually arising, in orderthat we may bep.352taught how to reduce our principles to practice; and toapply the declaration of God’s will to our ordinaryintercourse and experience with the world.

For this purpose, we find the old scriptures every whereabounding with rules, for the performance of every duty, and theavoidance of every sin: for the immediate service and worship ofGod, for the discharge of every honest and honourable obligationwe owe to our neighbour; for the correction of all those evilaffections and passions, to which the corrupt heart of man is solamentably prone. Nor in the new testament, where thefoundation of faith is more clearly and broadly laid down, aresuch rules less frequent, or less urgently enforced. Wemight indeed expect, what actually is the case, that as a clearerand fuller revelation, that as a higher principle and view, wouldrequire a more holy and perfect observance, a greater purity andintegrity and blamelessness of character, therefore the severalduties demanded of us, in ourp. 353walk with God, would be laid downand marked with the greater accuracy. Accordingly we dofind, for this purpose, “line upon line and precept uponprecept” repeated and urged with the greater fulness andparticularity; that we may not, by any unholiness or deficiencyin our conduct, disgrace that more glorious revelation, withwhich we have been favoured as believers in the gospel of JesusChrist. Look at His own blessed discourses, especially Hissermon on the mount; look at the epistles, which His servants,inspired by the Holy Ghost, have left for our guidance andgovernment; and see what full instructions they contain, for ourduty to God and our duty to man. It is wonderful, for howmany cases they provide; for how many instances in our dailyexperience; how they teach us, on the one hand, the practice ofevery virtue, shew all the bearings of it and the steps that leadto it; how they caution us, on the other, against every besettingsin; how they point out thep. 354manner, in which it gains aninfluence over us, and cut it up by the root.

I have embraced the present opportunity of enlarging on thispoint, with a view of awakening your attention to, and inducingyou to study and treasure up, the various scriptural rules forholy living: I have done this, because many suppose, that thefixing of a good principle—of faith, for instance,—isall that is requisite; if it were so, why should so many ruleshave been given in that holy book, in which there can be nothingunnecessary or superfluous? God, who knows the heart andall the ways of man, knew how wise and needful it was, to deliverexpress admonitions and exhortations to each individual duty;that our faith might not be vague and unprofitable, but aboundingin fruit, in the fruit of holiness unto everlasting life.

But it is time now to turn to the text, which furnishes uswith one of the most important cautions for our safe andchristian government. It might be thought,p. 355that everytrue believer in that blessed Redeemer, who came “tocleanse him from all unrighteousness,” would have such ahorror of sin, as effectually to secure him from its dominion; asto prevent us from the necessity of admonishing him against itsfascination and its power; but such unhappily is far from beingthe case. Many, who make a considerable profession of thegospel, are betrayed into grievous inconsistencies; many, who setout with promising hopes and good resolutions, are led astray andovercome; many, for want of attending to the warning given in thetext, for want of narrowly watching the beginnings of evil. Feeling a sincere and decided abhorrence of the grosser sins,they expose themselves without fear to slighter temptations;should they be, in some small matter, inveigled and led into thepath of error, it is expected that they shall instantly perceivetheir danger; that they shall repent and be forgiven, and be moreguarded and resolute for the time to come.

p. 356Butthey have not formed a proper estimate of the seducing nature ofsin; they know not how the power of the tempter increases withevery success: instead of their being alarmed and disgusted withthe first commission, they become, from the corruption of theirnature, the more captivated and seduced: it is easier for theenemy to draw them on to the second step, than it was to persuadethem to the first; their conscience becomes more easily silencedand reconciled; they begin to think, that the strictness, forwhich they once contended, is not so requisite; they becomeaccustomed to evil; make excuses for it; take delight in it; areflattered with the empty praises and congratulations of their newcompanions; and proceed by degrees to abandoned and ruinouslengths. The fact is, that they have been all the whileprovoking the Spirit of the Lord to desert them: He was grievedat their very first departure, from the path of innocence andintegrity; it shewed a carelessness of the ways of God; itargued,p.357that His fear and His love were declining in theirheart: with every renewed commission of evil, the Spirit was moreand more quenched, till at length He left them to themselves;weak, helpless, incapable of resistance; in the dominion of theenemy, slaves of sin.

What I am here describing, has been the miserable experienceof thousands of unwatchful and irresolute Christians; who havefallen into the snare, yea at last into the ruinous abyss ofevil, from which they have never afterwards escaped, because theywere too “wise in their own conceits” and tooconfident in their own strength, to take a warning against theperil of yielding to the first temptation; because they venturedinto the borders of forbidden ground, and were insensibly led onto the fatal lengths, which they once held in abomination.

How many a youth have we known, trained from his earliestinfancy in the holy principles of the gospel, the hope and thepromise of his anxious parents,p. 358the joy of his family and friends,yet, from incautiously listening, on some unsuspected occasion,to the advice of an evil counsellor, and induced to makeexperiment of some unhallowed pleasure, thereby shaken in hisintegrity and thrown off his bias; prevailed upon to repeat thepressing indulgence; thence to proceed to others; till, in theend, the character has been totally changed,—marred,corrupted, ruined. It seemed but a little matter that firstcourted his consent; what, though sinful pleasures did surroundhim in his new scene and his new company, he, poor innocentyouth, had no intention of joining in them; was determined tostand aloof. For a while he did so; and maintained thepious and virtuous and christian habits, in which he had beentrained; the habits of prayer, and holy reading, and holymeditation, and uprightness of conduct: but he began to give way,to “fall from the stedfastness of his faith inChrist;”[358] one religious observance afterp. 359another wasbroken in upon; one scruple after another overcome; till at lasthe was stripped of every portion of the garment of righteousness,and left “miserable and poor and naked,” with nothingto hide his wretchedness and shame; the dishonour of his father,the grief of his mother’s heart; disowned by his family,disowned by his God: a misery to himself; dying the death of asinner. And whence came all this load of misery uponhim?—on account of his first unguarded yielding.

This representation has been but too frequently verified: yetnot to the young only has such heedlessness proved a snare anddestruction. We may see its consequences ravaging around usalmost every day; in persons of every age and condition. How many a sabbath-breaker has contracted his dreadful habit froma very small beginning of neglect? At the first he wastempted very occasionally to absent himself from the House of hisGod; to indulge now and then, extremely seldom,p. 360in worldlypleasure; or to engage, in a thoughtless hour, in the dispatch ofworldly business; but his affection and reverence for the holyday by degrees grow colder, and the temptations became stronger:the Lord’s House was, in a great measure, forsaken; theLord’s day became his day of dissolute pleasure; or his dayof business and accounts, as best suited his condition; and hencefollowed, as it must of necessity, the total decay of religiousprinciple and religious character.

Thus it is also, in a remarkable degree, with the vice ofintemperance; no man proceeds to its abominable and fatalextremities all at once: but no man, whatever his principles mayhave been, is secure from its horrible influence, if he is oncetempted habitually to depart from the holy rules of sobriety;however seldom the habit may be at first indulged. It isindeed especially true of this awful vice, that if the enemy oncegains a footing in the heart, he seldom leaves it, till the heartis his own.

p. 361Thusit is, once again, with evil company of every description; it isensnaring beyond all suspicion, and beyond all calculation:wicked or worldly companions infuse their venom, into the mindand the bosom, gradually and insensibly: even if they have nointention so to do, as in truth they too often have, their verypresence and conversation and habits are so corrupting, that itis impossible for any one, who is familiarly acquainted withthem, to escape the contagion; in fact, whoever seeks, or whoevertolerates such company, has a lurking disposition to evil, thoughit may be unperceived and unsuspected by himself. Flee fromevery approach to this treacherous and dangerous ground, as youwould “flee from the wrath to come.”

From this statement, which indeed is but imperfect and feeblein comparison with the magnitude of the evil, against which I amseeking to warn you, my hearers; from this you may be betterprepared, by God’s grace, to receive andp. 362value andapply the important admonition of the text: you will observe howparticularly, how urgently, with what repetition, what variedforms of expression, the wise man delivers his charge; sodelivers it the more, because he speaks feelingly, fromdear-bought experience; because he himself had been lamentablyensnared, for want of attending to it in his own case.

Let us hearken to the counsel of this inspired and experiencedguide: he says, “Enter not into the path of thewicked;” never be prevailed upon to set your foot on thisforbidden ground; “go not in the way of evil men,”trust not yourself in their company or in any of their goings:further he says, “Avoid it,” avoid this ensnaringway; be at pains to keep clear of it; use your utmostwatchfulness to discover it; go in another direction, in the wayof the upright and holy. And, as if this caution wereinsufficient for his purpose, he adds, “Pass not byit;” suffer not yourself even to approach it, to lookp. 363upon it;lest you be beguiled by its false charms, and unwarily led todesire them. Not willing yet to cease from admonishing, inorder to make a yet deeper impression, he concludes, “Turnfrom it and pass away;” the instant you perceive it, turnround with the dread of danger; as you would if you discoveredyourself on the edge of a precipice, in fear of falling headlong;turn at once, and pass decidedly and quickly away.

In obedience to these rules, my brethren, consists our greatsecurity, under the guidance of infinite wisdom and the supportof almighty power: the grace of God is ever ready to be bestowed,ever at hand to “preserve us from falling;” but Godexpects and requires us, in the use of this grace, to employevery means of prudence, and to strive with a holy and unbendingresolution: this grace is afforded for the very purpose, that wemay so watch and work; and if we do not thus improve it, withcircumspection and diligence, it will be withdrawn. Neversop. 364muchas listen to any sinful proposal, to any doubtful invitation;stay not to reason upon it at all; turn away with holy jealousy;never suffer the eye to dwell upon a forbidden object, to dwelleven for a moment; through the eye it may find a passage to theheart, and inflame it with unlawful and hurtful desire: resist atonce; the first victory is the easiest, as well as thesurest. Say to the temptation, as your Lord said to thetempter, “get thee hence, Satan;” “flee fromhim and he will flee from you”—“escape for thylife.”

And here I must add an observation upon the means, by which wemay be enabled to follow this momentous advice of the wisest ofmen. We must “watch and pray, that we enter not intotemptation;”[364] we must go forthinto the world in the spirit of watchfulness and prayer; praying,not only that we may have the grace to watch, but also when thetrial actually arises, when we are watching. In thepresence of temptation,p. 365or if we do but perceive or suspectthat it is coming, let the soul be lifted up to the “Lordof all power and might;” let the language of the heart, ifnot of the lips, be poured forth in pious aspiration to God; ifit be but a word, a wish, or a thought, it will be clothed withstrength, and minister a stedfastness to the mind andheart. We are thus animated by the assurance of divinesupport, and fixed in our holy determination of resistance to allevil. Much depends, for safety and success, upon thishabitual spirit of devotion; it is our buckler and shield inevery moment of conflict; without it, we are standing, in thefeebleness of nature, before the mighty enemy of our souls; readyto “be taken captive by him at his will.”[365a] “Be ye therefore sober(that is, be serious) and watch unto prayer;”[365b] and thus “go forth conqueringand to conquer.”

p.366SERMON XX.
THE LOVE OF CHRIST FOR THOSE WHO DO THEWILL OF GOD.

From this, and one or two otherpassages in the gospels, it has been sometimes imagined, that ourblessed Lord set no value on the common relationships, thenatural ties, the tender endearments of life; and that Heintended to teach His disciples, by His own example, to neglectsuch considerations altogether; as if all Christians had an equalclaim upon our affection; as if the spiritual brotherhoodp. 367were theonly object worthy of our regard; as if parents and brothers andsisters were merely upon a footing with the rest ofmankind. This notion is entirely erroneous; it is amistaken conclusion from the words and conduct of our Lord.

His own example, on several occasions, has afforded a sanctionto the feelings of private friendship, as well as of familyaffection. How deeply was He moved at the death ofLazarus! “Jesus wept, then said the Jews, behold howHe loved him!”[367a] And of ourLord’s disciples we read, that there was one, treated withpeculiar tenderness and regard; one, “who leaned on Hisbosom;”[367b] one, distinguished by the high andhonourable name of the “beloved disciple.” Andthis disciple, the evangelist St. John, has drawn one of the moststriking pictures of an affectionate family, ever represented tothe eye and the heart of man: “There stood by the cross ofJesus, His mother, andp. 368His mother’s sister, Mary thewife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus thereforesaw His mother, and the disciple standing by whom He loved, Hesaith unto His mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith Heto the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour thatdisciple took her unto his own home.” Jesus not onlyloved and protected His mother through life, but was solicitousto provide for her future well-being, even amidst the agonies ofthe cross; commending her to His dearest personal friend; and byway of effectually securinghis regard andherconfidence, He calls John the son, and Mary the mother: Behave toeach other as mother and son; and it is all I can ask orrequire. This must be admitted as a proof, that Jesus feltmost tenderly and peculiarly for His nearest earthly relation:and it shews, that those passages, which have been supposed tofavour a contrary opinion, have been wrongly interpreted.

p. 369Letus now consider the circumstances which led to the declaration inthe text. It appears, that the earnestness and perseveranceof Jesus in teaching the people, notwithstanding the oppositionof the Pharisees, had given disquietude to His friends andbrethren, that is, to His near relations, some of whom did notbelieve in Him. They seem to have desired Him to forbearand discontinue His ministry at that particular time, supposingthat He had exceeded the bounds of prudence; and it furtherappears, that they had induced Mary, His mother, to concur inthis improper design; which conveyed a reflection upon Hiswisdom, and the perfection of His character. They came,therefore, when He was teaching the people; and, not being ableto approach Him for the multitude, they sent to speak withHim. But Jesus, aware of their intention, answered byenquiring, who His mother and brethren were; thereby intimating,that they had no right to interfere on such an occasion, nor hadany authority overp.370Him in respect of His important work; that Hisspiritual affection to His disciples, in the advancement of theireternal interests, was greater than any natural affection, whichHe bore to His relations, in a mere earthly point of view; thatHis love to men’s souls had the greatest consideration andweight with Him; that even His mother was nearer to Him as a truebeliever, than on account of her natural relationship; and thatHis brethren would derive no advantage or favour from Him, ifthey were not also believers.

Jesus then proceeded to declare, that His true disciples, eventhough they had no connexion with Him by the natural tie ofblood, would be regarded in the light of relations; would be theobjects of His sincere affection and esteem; “He lookedround on them which sat about Him, and said, Behold My mother andMy brethren, for whosoever shall do the will of God, the same isMy brother and My sister and mother.” We cannot butobserve, thatp.371these words are addressed, not merely to the disciplesof that day, but to every individual Christian throughout theworld;whosoever, of any age or nation, should do the willof His heavenly Father, by hearing, believing, obeying Hisrevealed word, by embracing the gospel of salvation, he would, inlife, in death, in judgment, and for ever, be honoured andblessed; even as the brother, sister, or mother of Him, who isthe Lord of all, and the King of glory.

How encouraging, how delightful an assurance, to be persuaded,that in all our difficulties and troubles, in all ourbereavements and desertions and afflictions, through this vale oftears, we have a friend, a relation, at the right hand of God,the omnipotent Redeemer; who is advanced, after His earthlyhumiliation, to the throne above, for the very purpose of“receiving gifts for men;” and of distributing themfor the relief and assistance of all His loving and faithfulbrethren. How fortunate do the needy children of men esteemp.372themselves, if they have a kind relative or friend in ahigh quarter; one possessed of honour and wealth and power. They feel themselves ennobled by the connexion; and are raisedabove the fear and apprehension of want, by a confidence in hisinfluence and generosity. But what are the highest andgreatest of earthly relatives, in comparison with the gloriouseverlasting Son of God; with Him who “hath put all ourenemies under His feet;” with the “high and holy onethat inhabited eternity?”

Earthly friends may and do fail, often when they are mostneeded; an untoward occurrence, a groundless displeasure arises;and all our expectations from them are suddenly swept away. But with Jesus “there is no variableness, neither shadow ofturning:” He searches our hearts; and as long as they arereally and stedfastly united with Him, no casualties, no outwardappearances can estrange us from His favour. Earthlyfriends die, one after another; and often at a time, when theyp. 373are becomemost dear and most necessary to us; but Jesus liveth forevermore; and the union, we form with Him, is in no danger ofbeing severed by any change of time or circumstance; but goes onprogressively and perpetually increasing. The verydisasters, which often tend to disunite us from our earthlyfriends and brethren, serve but to bind us the more closely tothe Saviour; in adversity, in poverty, in contempt, inpersecution, we find Him the nearer and dearer; always most readyto succour us, when most wanted and desired: always ready, andalways able. So that, if the whole world were to fail us,His abiding favour would more than counterbalance all the evilsof our lot. “When even my father or my motherforsaketh me, the Lord taketh me up;”[373] He is in the stead of parents, in thestead of all: “the Father of the fatherless, and the God ofthe widow;” the Lord of consolation, and the Lord oflove. The upholding of His Spirit will sustain ourinfirmities;p.374one beam of His gracious mercy will cheer all thedarkness, which the world casteth over our souls.

The disciples of Jesus experience His friendly comfort everyday and hour: even if there were no other world than this, theyfeel themselves abundantly blessed in their connexion with Him,by His present affection and grace; but thereis anotherworld; where their joy and love will be continued, and theirunion with Him perfected in glory. He is called, ingracious condescension, “the first-born among manybrethren;”[374a] He has sufferedand died and triumphed and risen again, risen “as the firstfruits of them that sleep;”[374b] and Hisbrethren, “who endure unto the end,” shall also risefrom the sleep of death, and “see Him as He is, and be likeHim:”[374c] they shall “be the children ofGod, being the children of the resurrection.”[374d]

And “do not our hearts burn withinp. 375us”at the representation of this blessedness? Do we not desirethe honour, the privilege, the advantage, the excellency of beingthus united, in a bond of holy endearment, to the glorious Son ofGod, to the Saviour of our souls? Undoubtedly we do: unlessour understandings be so darkened and our affections so depravedand debased, that we are incapable of choosing between good andevil, that we “put darkness for light and light fordarkness.” There cannot be one amongst us, who doesnot profess to set a value upon the favour and friendship of hisLord; upon the relationship which, as christians, we aregraciously permitted to bear to Him. Not one of us would goto rest, content and happy, with the prospect of being deprivedof this distinguished and heavenly blessing. Let us knowand remember then, that our relationship to Him is not like thatof earthly families, a mere name which we have inherited frominfancy; and which will necessarily continue without our care orconcern. Wep.376became related to Him by our baptismal covenant; butthere must be something more than baptism; something more isrequired than a mere profession, than an outward belonging to Hisvisible church, in order to our being acknowledged as Hisbrethren. Brethren by name all of us are; nay, we have beenspiritually admitted into holy connexion with Him: but Jesusregards those only, as accepted members of His family, whobelieve in Him with all their heart and soul; who look to Him,with a single, entire, and constant dependence, for life andsalvation; those, who “are daily renewed in the spirit oftheir minds;” and desire and strive to bring all theiraffections into a righteous subjection to Him and His holy law;those, in a word, “who do the will of God.”

We cannot sufficiently reprobate the practice of thosepersons, who boastfully claim the Saviour as their“familiar friend,” without an abiding concern and astrenuous endeavour to walk as He walked,p. 377in all theways of spiritual and moral integrity. Consider, I prayyou, His own clear text on this point: “If ye love Me, keepMy commandments:”[377] there can be noother evidence of our saving interest in the Lord, but that whichHe Himself has established. His true disciples and brethrenmust bear His image; and not the marred, corrupted, hideouslikeness of the author of sin and death. This it is, to bespiritually and effectually incorporated into the family of JesusChrist; thus is our relationship to be proved and cherished: hethat walketh as a brother and a friend, will be owned as such;he, that faileth so to walk, will be disowned and cast away,whatever his pretensions: “better had it been for that manif he had never been born;” better still, if he had neverbeen born “of water and the spirit;” if he had never“named the name of Christ.” Let us thenfaithfully remember, not only the joys and privileges of thebrethren of our Lord, butp. 378the means also, which are absolutelynecessary for the proof and establishment of this holy title; theconditions, the evidences, and the duties of so high and happy astate.

And from our Lord’s example in the instance before us,we may gather several particulars for our instruction in life: Hegave His relations to understand, that it was not so much thenatural tie which He valued, as the spiritual; not, as we havealready explained, that He was devoid of natural affection, butthat the spiritual bond was of so much higher importance in Hisesteem. In applying this principle for our adoption andregulation, certainly great allowance must be made, and sounddiscretion used; allowance for our mutual infirmities; anddiscretion, for the sake of preserving domestic harmony andpeace. Far be it from us, to disclaim and renounce everyone of our family, who liveth not as a faithful follower ofChrist; he has a natural hold upon us, which must not be harshlyor hastily broken.

p.379Independently of a universal feeling of benevolence forall mankind; it is evidently the will of God, that the differentmembers of each family should be especially attached together,for the sake of promoting each other’s interest andcomfort; and thus of contributing to the good of society atlarge; to the increase of the general stock of happiness, and thediminution of evil.

And this, the design of a merciful Providence, which ismanifest to our common reason and our common feelings, isabundantly verified and enforced by the holy word of God. The fifth commandment in the law distinctly recognizes andrequires the exercise of domestic affection; and it is repeatedlyconfirmed, under the gospel covenant, by the pen of an inspiredapostle. That apostle has farther declared, that “ifany provide not for his own, and specially for those of his ownhouse, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than aninfidel.”[379] And the sensep. 380of thisprecept may be properly extended, to sanction and command allthose peculiar offices, of kindness and countenance and support,which the members of a family can perform for each other. Under ordinary circumstances therefore, if there be no opposingnecessity, the natural tie is to be respected by the Christian,and bound upon his conscience and his heart.

Nor is such a connexion to be dissolved, but in cases ofextremity; for this among other reasons, that there is always ahope, of the recreant and abandoned becoming, by the mercy ofGod, at length reclaimed and converted; and of this greatblessing the pious relative may be made an instrument, by hisfervent prayer, his affectionate counsel, and the constantinfluence of his good example.

But all this hinders us not from looking, with a verydifferent eye, upon the spiritual and the worldly relation; uponthe good and the evil; though both may be objects of our kindpersonal offices, the nature and degree of our affection mayp. 381vary mostexceedingly. Our love for the truly christian relative hasa fervour, a purity, a delight, which nothing but the mutualworking and spirit of religion can possibly generate: thehappiness proceeds from that sacred, heavenly source, from whichboth of us draw our principles and hopes; from the consciousnessof our common interest in the great Redeemer, and our commonrelationship to Him: we are both “members of Christ andchildren of God;” inheritors of a better kingdom; to whichwe are journeying together, and of which we love to bediscoursing; it is a bond of union, which nothing can separate;not distance, not death: for this is the great consideration, thegreat enhancement of our joy and comfort, that the love which weare bearing for one another, in the kingdom of grace, shall berenewed and matured in the kingdom of glory. And unlessthere be this principle of attachment between relations, thiscommon faith and hope, this exercise of piety and godliness, thisinterchange of holy affection,p. 382all other attachments, howeverrequisite for this world, are but time-serving and poor: deathwill be the dreadful extinction. But when the naturalaffection is thus combined with the spiritual, and draws itsnourishment from it, they produce together a happiness, whichnone but such relations can know.

And further, we are taught by this example of Christ, thatevery sincere believer, with whom we are made acquainted, withwhom we have intercourse, is to be treated as a brother; whateverbe his situation in life, he is an object of affection far morenoble and delightful, than any human tie can possibly produce;and is entitled to our best and most benevolent services. We may not be familiarly associated; we may not dwell with him aswith an earthly relative; there may be a distance of rank betweenus; but we love and honour him, for the Lord’s sake and hisown sake, as one of God’s redeemed people, with whom wehope to dwell in love for ever; and therefore our soul delightethp.383“to communicate with him and to do himgood.” Pity that there is not, in the christianworld, more of this spirit of the blessed Jesus; more friendlysympathy and brotherly interchange; more regard for one another,as members of the same holy family; the rich for the rich, thepoor for the poor, the rich and poor for each other. Fardifferent would be our condition in this world, if all were thusregarding, thus feeling for, thus helping one another. Whyis it not so? For the want of a true christian faith andprinciple. If the tree were good, the fruit would be thusbeautiful.

My brethren, allow me affectionately to recommend this subjectto your private and most serious consideration; to your dailyprayers; as a subject, in which your own interest in the Saviouris deeply involved; as a subject, intimately connected with allyour best promises and hopes, in this life and the life tocome. And may the God of love shed His spirit abroadamongst us, and “pour into our heartsp. 384this mostexcellent gift of charity, the very bond of peace and of allvirtues.” Has Jesus, our common Lord and Master, ourheavenly and eternal King, declared, of every faithful disciple,that “the same is to Him, as a brother and sister andmother?” Then remember His example, and remember Hiswords, “as I have loved you, that ye love oneanother:” remember them, or you will be forgotten by Him:“love the brotherhood,” or you do not belong toChrist; your profession is hypocrisy. “Walk in love,as Christ hath loved you;” let it be your daily walk: thereward is great, in every point of view; great upon earth, inpresent comfort and peace and honour; greater on the latter day,in the approving declaration of your Lord; “Inasmuch as yehave done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye havedone it unto Me:”[384] greatest inheaven, where we shall be made “perfect in love;” inthe love of God, and of the holy angels, and all His redeemedpeople, for ever and ever.

p.385SERMON XXI.
ON SEEKING OUT THE WORKS OF THE LORD ANDPRAISING HIM.

One of the greatest hindrances tothe Christian life, in the true believer, is his perpetualintermixture with the world, his constant occupation with thebusiness of his daily calling, with earthly pleasures andpursuits. The world, in its very nature, in the spiritwhich it breathes, in thep. 386cares which it engenders, in thetemptations which it spreads, stands in opposition to the gospel,to the Christian’s walk with God; it unfits his mind forspiritual contemplation; it gives him a disrelish for holydelights; it calls aside his thoughts from God, from heaven, andfrom heavenly things; and makes him forget his obligation to, anddependence upon, the merciful and over-ruling providence of theMost High.

And yet it is undoubtedly our duty to live in the world; topartake, in a certain degree, of its pleasures, as well as of itslabours and cares. It is the will and decree of God, thatmankind should provide “by the sweat of their brow”for their subsistence and well-being in life: integrity andindustry in the exercise of our calling are among the appointedmeans, by which we must “Work out oursalvation.” Since therefore we are obliged to mixwith the world, our great object should be, to guard against itsengrossing and corrupting influence; to retain all ourp. 387possessionsin a spirit of humble and constant reliance upon the sovereignpower and disposal of the Almighty; to be lifting up our hearts,in the course of our daily employment, above all secularconcerns, to the author of our being, to the giver of our talentsand our time, to the judge of all our actions. And besides,some portion of each day must be distinctly set apart for holyreading, meditation, and prayer. Without such rules andobservances, the christian principle cannot possibly bemaintained; faith and zeal will grow cold, the communion with Godbe gradually impaired, the affections estranged, and theobedience destroyed.

These remarks may serve to introduce an exposition of the 2ndverse of the text. “The works of the Lord aregreat:” yet great as they are, they cannot be understoodnor perceived by those, who are absorbed in earthly ideas andpursuits. The attention will thus be entirely drawn offfrom a contemplation of the works of Jehovah; and the mind willentirely restp.388upon its own labours and objects. To our own handand our own arm, to our own skill and enterprise, to our ownadvantage and honour, we shall refer all the transactions oflife, and all the success and enjoyment with which we areblessed. The dealings of our heavenly Father, both withourselves and with the world around us, will be utterlyoverlooked; and however we may believe, as a speculative truth,that His “providence orders and governs all things both inheaven and earth,” we shall be in no way improved oraffected by that belief; in fact, we shall have no real orpractical persuasion of His providential government: we shall beblind to His manifold mercies vouchsafed to ourselves, to ourbrethren, and to the Church at large.

The works of the Lord must be “sought out;” thatis, they must be mindfully and diligently observed, in order totheir being adequately understood; nay, if we would know anything of their vastness or their excellency. We must becontinuallyp.389looking beyond human motives, human exertions, humanexperience, if we would in any measure, comprehend or perceivethe merciful interpositions and dealings of God. We must bein the constant habit of connecting the ordinary operations andoccurrences of life with a higher power, with the counsel andgovernment of heaven; a gracious promise is given, that“all things shall work together for good to them that loveGod;” and we must be always endeavouring to trace thisworking, and observe the striking manner in which this effect isproduced. We shall thus be able to perceive, howcontinually our merciful Father is watching over us, is crowningour honest designs and labours with success, and is bringing goodeven out of evil itself. We shall perceive, how wonderfullyHe directs us to the most suitable means of accomplishing ourlaudable purposes: how He over-rules those events, over which wehad no controul, for our benefit and prosperity; how He raises upto us friends and fellow-workers,p. 390when we least expected them; andprovides us comforters, where we looked for none; how, in theseason of danger, of which we are not even aware, He spreads overus the shield of safety, and we come forth unhurt; how He compelsthe designs, even of our enemies themselves, to minister in theend to our advantage; how, in the various calamities and sorrows,privations and disappointments, sicknesses and pains, which Hedoes permit to befal us, He brings us consolation under them, andmakes us to see and acknowledge, that what we lamented as agrievance, is turned into a signal blessing. And whenever,in any of our concerns or experiences, we fail to trace the mercyof God, it is, for the most part, because we do not sufficientlyseek it out; because we are resting in our own short-sightedviews; because we are “walking by sight and not byfaith,” in “the flesh and not in the spirit;”desiring benefit in our own ways, and not humbly discerning theways of the Lord; impatient underp. 391the means, and not considering theend; looking at the earthly instrument and agent, and forgettingthe prime Mover of all.

What I am seeking to recommend to you is this, not a mereprinciple or matter of belief, but the importance of a constant,daily observance of the events and transactions of life, inreference to the almighty power and goodness of God. It isa point not attended to, even by many sincere Christians, as itought to be; as to the generality, day after day passes by,without any such reference at all. Every thing proceeds, intheir notion and view, from their own will and work, from thegood or evil working of others; and they are affectedaccordingly; rejoicing or complaining, elevated or castdown. They have no consideration of the great Ruler andPreserver; they might almost be said to “live without Godin the world;” it amounts, at least, to a practicaldisowning of His providence.

But I must repeat, that even from manyp. 392sincereChristians this great influential doctrine does not receive allthe attention, which its importance demands. They areconvinced, that “the works of the Lord are great;”that His mighty operations are continually manifested, in themoral and spiritual government of mankind; but they do notsufficiently carry this conviction into their own daily walk inlife. Far would we be from implying, that such reflectionsought, in any way, to interfere with our circumspection ordiligence in worldly concerns; or that we are familiarly to mixup religious observations with ordinary business or pleasure; butwe should have a mind and heart ever open to perceive thegracious interpositions and visitations of heaven; we should bealive to every providential deliverance from accident or danger,both in ourselves and others: to the vouchsafement of everyblessing, both temporal and spiritual. And they, who arethus disposed and ready, will find many opportunities drawingthem to God: manyp.393circumstances and events, which they once regardedsomewhat in the light of chance, they will then clearly ascribeto the sure, though silent working of that invisible power, bywhich every thing in the universe is governed and sustained.

But the works of the Lord are “sought out” bythose only, “who have pleasure therein:” and thiswill explain to us the true cause, why such lamentable numbers ofprofessed believers seldom or never seek them out at all. They have nopleasure in their thoughts upon the Almighty:they love Him not, serve Him not with a devoted and delightedheart; their conscience is uneasy and self-condemning, andtherefore they reluctantly turn their thoughts to their greatSovereign and Judge; it is rather a pain than a pleasure to them,so to do. “Loving the world and the things of theworld,” they have no taste for spiritual enjoyment of anykind: in extraordinary emergencies, when the interference of anover-ruling power is irresistibly thrust upon their notice,p. 394they do notrefuse to join with their brethren in acknowledging the fact: butas for searching out His ways and dealings in their dailyexperience, they are decidedly disinclined and averse to it; theinjunction of such a practice is repugnant to their views andfeelings and desires.

Nor can any, but the pious and faithful servant of God, finddelight in this holy and profitable exercise: and the longer helives, the more clearly he perceives the hand of the Almighty inevery thing; in discomfiting the evil and blessing the good: hesees and admires the wonders of grace, as well as the wonders ofprovidence, vouchsafed to others as well as himself; to theChurch in all ages. He reads, in the word of truth, of thesignal manner, in which the Lord has delivered His people fromthe foundation of the world; not only by the miraculousinterposition of His omnipotent arm; but also in the ordinarycourse of His dealings with them. How mercifulp. 395andmanifold have been His ways of enlightening them when inignorance, and converting them when in sin. How pitifullyand patiently has He borne, not only with their infirmities, butwith their guilt and rebellion; and graciously reclaimed themfrom the path of error and ruin, by the mercies of His chastisingrod. Nor do the defeat and destruction of wicked men affordless decisive proof, than the deliverance of the righteous, ofthe greatness of the Lord’s works: the whole history of theChurch shews Him to have been great in justice, as in mercy: and,we may add, in truth also. Often indeed have the promisesof divine favour, and the denunciations of vengeance, beenfulfilled in the most unexpected and marvellous manner; byinstruments apparently altogether unequal to the momentous objectdesigned. But “the Lord worked for His people; andthere is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or byfew.”[395]

p. 396Andamongst his friends and brethren in the Lord, the christian alsobeholds many satisfactory and encouraging instances of theworking of heavenly power: he sees them advancing in theirspiritual course, steadier in principle, and improved incharacter, “growing in grace and in the knowledge of ourLord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” And wherever heobserves the increase of true religion, there he also finds, tohis heart’s delight, a correspondent increase ofcontentment and happiness; the power of the gospel is manifestbefore him, in the altered characters and lives of men; and inall this, he perceives and admires the gracious operations of amerciful God.

But the christian is best acquainted with himself; studies themost narrowly his own conduct, and life; he judges indeed, withdeep humility, of the manifestation of divine power in hisbehalf, sincerely conscious of his undeservings; still he cantruly bear witness that in his own case, his own experience also,the works of thep.397Lord have been great. Though still far, in spiritand in character, from what he ought to be and would be; he findshimself continually gaining the mastery over his evil affectionsand habits, and drawing nearer to God; perpetually advancing inholiness, as in knowledge; more “hungering and thirstingafter righteousness, and more filled;” taking more delightin spiritual ordinances, and shewing the fruit of them in hislife and conversation. And when he considers his own sinfulnature, and the powerful enemies opposed to him, he cannot butascribe this change in his heart, this improvement in hisconduct, to the mighty workings of heavenly grace. Unworthyas he is of God’s favour, he does find a well-spring ofcomfort established in his soul; comfort at all times, especiallyin the hour of tribulation; either he is provided with the meansof deliverance, or the tribulation itself is converted into ablessing. He is also made in many ways, the instrument ofbenefit to others, to his family or friends; and every doorp. 398ofusefulness that is opened to him, he gratefully acknowledges tobe opened of the Lord. In all the good he receives or does,and all the evil he escapes or prevents, he traces the power andmercy of his God; “not unto me, O Lord, not unto me, butunto Thy name be the glory and the praise.” Thus heimitates the conduct of the Psalmist, recorded in the text;“I will give thanks unto the Lord with my wholeheart:” it is not a formal service, not a partial tribute,not a reluctant offering: all the powers of his understanding andall the affections of his soul are employed in magnifying themajesty and loving-kindness of the “author and giver ofevery good gift.”

And the grateful Christian imitates the Psalmist yet farther;he does not hide the sense of God’s goodness within his ownbosom; nor confine the mention of it to the narrow boundary ofhis closet; but declares it openly as opportunity serves; firstof all “in the assembly of the upright,” or,according to the betterp. 399version of the Prayer Book,“secretly among the faithful;” in the company of hisfamily and his religious friends. When he has experiencedor observed the peculiar mercies of his almighty and mercifulFather, he delights to speak of them; though with humility, yetwith fervour and joy. Such is the natural disposition ofman, when he feels deeply the obligation of benefits conferred:if an earthly friend has enriched or favoured him, he thankfullymakes mention of the kindness: and shall he do less for theabundant, the infinite goodness of his God? Shall he notrejoice to proclaim it in the very overflowing of his heart?

There are persons, who would draw a line of distinctionbetween the two cases; and say, that our obligations to Godshould be felt only, and our obligations to man should be bothfelt and proclaimed. It is probable, that suchobservations, however sincerely made, generally proceed from thewant of spirituality of heart: there is an aversion to theintroduction ofp.400religious topics, however sober or seasonable. That they are often indiscreetly introduced, often in a spirit ofself-righteousness, and fanatical pretension, we cannot deny: butthe abuse of any holy exercise is not to prevent us from theuse. Look at the recorded lives of any pious Christians, ofthose who are held up to us as patterns of righteousness, whom infact we profess to admire; and see how ready and forward theywere, on all occasions, to speak of the manifold works which Godhad wrought for them, of the kindness which they had experiencedat His hands. The Psalms are full of such expressions andresolutions: the text is a decided instance: let it have itseffect upon us: let every one who has been favoured of the Lord,delight to be “talking of His doings:” notintrusively, not boastingly, as if he were a special favourite ofheaven; as if he would make it appear, that the Lord were kinderto him than to others: but with simplicity and singleness ofmind. The true believer abhors the two extremes,p. 401ofspiritual pride on the one hand; and of cold-heartedinsensibility on the other. He feels himself allundeserving of the bounty of the Lord, and is astonished that itshould be so bestowed uponhim, who is “not worthyto gather up the crumbs under his master’s table;”but the bountyis bestowed, and he cannot let it passunnoticed or undeclared.

Again, the Psalmist says, “in the assembly of theupright and in the congregation.” He vows, that notonly in the company of his faithful friends, but also in thegreat congregation, in the holy temple, the power and mercy ofJehovah shall be publicly proclaimed.[401] Not that any particular acts, ofprovidence or grace, could be there mentioned by name; but thatthe thankfulness, which he feelsp. 402for them, would put new life andenergy into his praises, in the House of God. And this alsowe shall do well to imitate; this we shall assuredly imitate, ifwe have the true spirit of faith and piety. At all times,the sincere worshipper has so powerful a sense of the divinegoodness in his heart, as to preserve him, in his publicthanksgivings, from indifference and languor; but there aretimes, when he is visited with peculiar favour, with signaldeliverances and blessings; and the remembrance of them willinspire him, when he next visits the temple of the Lord, withmore than ordinary ardour; “out of the abundance of theheart, the mouth speaketh;” and as his love and gratituderise, his tribute of praise will ascend, in a loftier strain, tothe fountain of mercy, to the throne of grace.

And God will hear him, and accept the free-will offering; hewill return from worship in a holier frame, and with a moreheavenly temper; the incense which he has been wafting to theskies, will leavep.403a fragrance behind, and spread to his character; and hewill be rendered meet, through the grace and intercession of hisRedeemer, for further manifestations of divine love. And Ostill better fruit, still happier effects of his devoutthanksgiving! he will be preparing his soul for more exaltedpraises in the world to come, amid the countless multitude ofworshippers, in the courts of the Lamb; where the holy-angels andthe glorified saints shall rejoice together, in seeking out andrecounting the surpassing love of God to His church and people,to His universal creation in all ages. Exulting in thelight divine, and sharing together the blessedness of theSaviour’s triumph, praise shall be their constantemployment; and the vaults of heaven shall eternally echo withthis their joyful theme, “Great and marvellous are Thyworks. Lord God Almighty; just and true are Thy ways, ThouKing of Saints.”[403]

p.404SERMON XXII.
DILIGENCE AND PERSEVERANCE IN THECHRISTIAN RACE.

From what St. Paul had said in afew verses before, he feared, lest he should have seemed to makehimself sure of salvation, without the necessity of any furtheranxiety or labour; as if he might rest quietly satisfied with hispresent views and attainments; and had nothing to do, butp. 405to wait forthe certain result. And truly, if such confidence andrelaxation could ever have been justified, it must have been inthe case of this apostle; witness the sacrifices which he hadmade for the gospel; his unswerving and invincible faith; hisholiness of character; his unparallelled labours; and the manysignal marks of divine blessing, with which he had beendistinguished.

But still, he was far from presuming in this way; and theresolution which he expresses in the text, and the account whichhe gives of his own spirit and conduct, may furnish us with avery suitable lesson, and teach us the absolute necessity ofcontinued watchfulness and diligence and perseverance unto theend; may teach us, that we are not, as the prophet Ezekielexpresses it, to “trust in our ownrighteousness;”[405] in any principleswe have formed, any views we have entertained, any holiness wehave acquired, any experiences with which we have been blessed;p. 406and thusgrow heedless and secure: but, that the further we advance, themore we must be convinced of the need of exertion; the more weshall find to do, and the more we shall be enabled to do: wholoiters, loses; loses the advantage of the ground he has goneover; loses the means of a victorious and successfulaccomplishment.

It will be improving, to those, who listen with humble andteachable hearts, who spiritually receive the word of God as theteaching of the Spirit of God, if we repeat a considerableportion of the important passage connected with the text; let usbegin then with the 7th verse. “What things were gainto me, those I counted loss for Christ, yea doubtless, and Icount all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge ofChrist Jesus my Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss of allthings, (all earthly things) and do count them but dung, (as mererefuse and worthlessness) that I may win Christ and be found inHim, not having mine own righteousness, whichp. 407is of thelaw, but that which is through the faith of Christ, therighteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know Him andthe power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of Hissufferings, being made conformable to His death, (by dying to sinthat I may live to God;) if by any means I might attain to theresurrection of the dead,” (to that perfect felicity, towhich the saints are admitted at the resurrection.) Fromthese words, it might have appeared to some, as if the apostlehad expected his great object to be already accomplished; as ifhe had arrived at a state of faith and holiness, by which he hadactually secured this felicity, independently of any furthervigilance or labour: and therefore he immediately adds, by way ofcaution and correction: “Not as though I had alreadyattained, either were already perfect; but I follow after, (keepfollowing after the object before me,) if that I may apprehendthat, (may lay hold ofthat prize,) for which alsoI am apprehended of Christ Jesus;” (for which He,p. 408as it were,has graciously laid hold of me, arresting me in my course ofblindness and obstinacy, as a malignant persecutor of Him and Hisgospel.) Then follows the text; “Brethren, I countnot myself to have apprehended;” I reckon not upon theprize as actually won; however high and fervent my hope, howeverundoubted my assurance of ultimate success, I cannot be careless,I must not diminish my anxiety or activity; my hope can only besustained in proportion to my vigour in the contest; success mustdepend upon my unbending resolution and unabating constancy: thevictory is not gained in the middle of the course, and cannot begained till it is finished.

Many of us, no doubt, are aware, that the apostles, as well asour blessed Lord, were in the habit of drawing their observationsand modes of instruction from the common transactions of dailylife; from the circumstances, by which they were surrounded; fromthe manners and customs of the people, amongst whom theyp.409sojourned. Thus, when our Lord called Peter andAndrew, who were fishermen, to be His disciples, He said,“Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” And St. Paul, on the occasion before us, alludes to certain gamesor sports, generally celebrated, and highly esteemed by thepeople, whom he was addressing. One of these games was thefoot-race, in which a number of competitors contended togetherfor the prize; and, in the result of which, they and theirfriends were deeply interested. Severe was the previoustraining, which it was necessary for them to undergo; and greatand persevering the exertion necessary, in order to gain theprize. It would readily occur to their minds, that if theracer, who was out-stripping his opponents, were so to pleasehimself by the advantage he had gained, by thinking of the groundhe had successfully gone over, as to relinquish his efforts, asto stop and look back upon his wonderful feats, and indolentlyenjoy his satisfaction, that, by such folly he would soon losehis superiority,p.410that his past endeavours would have been to little orno purpose; it would be perfectly manifest to them, that nothingcould ensure his success, but the continuance of that activity,which had placed him foremost in the trial.

Agreeably to this view and this figure, the apostle took hisresolution, and formed his principle and conduct in the christianrace. “This one thing I do;” this is theunswerving purpose of my soul, this the plan and object by whichmy whole course is constantly regulated; “forgetting thosethings which are behind, and reaching forth, (stretching out andforward all the faculties of my body and soul) to those thingswhich are before, I press toward the mark.” Great andsuccessful as his attainments already were, he did not dwell uponthem with a complacence and security, which should induce him torelax; on the contrary, he forgot them, in the comparison andprospect of the exertions which yet remained.

p. 411Andhow much less reason have we, my brethren, to be satisfied withour past character, with any thing that we have alreadyachieved. Woe to me! (may many of us say,) how large aportion of my time has been consumed in indifference andtrifling! how long was it before I earnestly set out in the raceat all! and even after it was begun, I proceeded carelessly andsupinely, as if the prize had not been worth contendingfor. How idly and insufficiently did I prepare for thecontest; expecting to gain the victory without a sacrifice or astruggle! yea, and perhaps the best of us may look rather withshame than satisfaction upon our christian attainments: how muchfurther might we have advanced, than we have done, if we hadcommenced the good work in earlier life, or been more diligent:how much more enlightened might our minds have now been, had wemore fervently sought, and more implicitly yielded to, theteaching of the Spirit of God; had we been more frequently andearnestlyp.412“searching the scriptures,” more devout inmeditation and more constant in prayer: how much more purifiedour hearts, and “cleansed from all unrighteousness,”by a more sincere and unqualified subjection to the divine will;how much higher our affections elevated, had they been moreconversant with heaven; how much more firmly and blamelessly ourfeet have been fixed in the way of God’s commandments, inall the blessed ordinances of the gospel, in the narrow path oflife eternal, had we been more zealously and faithfully walkingwith God. Nearer should we have been drawn to Him, inholier and happier communion, had we not been so long, and sooften, cold and remiss.

No, my brethren, we have no reason to be dwelling, with suchdelight and confidence, upon the progress we have already made,as to feel ourselves privileged to be content. In no case,would this be considered the evidence of a true christianprinciple or view; in no case,p. 413would it be the means of safety; noreven consistent with the hope of salvation; no, not even in anapostle; much less in us, whose faith is so weak, whose knowledgeso moderate, whose resolutions so wavering, whose attainments socomparatively poor. On the contrary, we should sorrow overour past failings; be deeply affected on considering how far wehave come short of what was required of us; and heartily desireand pray, that the grievous remembrance may stimulate us to freshendeavours, with a “new heart and a new spirit;” thatso we may be “reaching forth to those things which arebefore.” All that we have well done, and all that wehave left undone, should have, for this purpose, the same effect;experiencing the blessed consequences of our holy labour, on theone hand, we should be animated and encouraged to persevere inthe conflict, that we may gather thereby additional comfort andsuccess; and sensible of our deficiencies, on the other hand, ina work of such inconceivablep. 414and everlasting importance, weshould be anxious to repair our neglect; and thankful for ouropportunity of “redeeming the time,” and makingfurther advances.

Thank God, whatever our negligence may have been, all is notlost; the course is yet before us, and we may go onward in thespirit and strength of the Lord; the prize is yet before us, andit may be won. But it requires a full purpose of heart, afixed determination, an undaunted courage, a strenuous exerciseof every faculty and every nerve: all that we are, and have, mustbe devoted to the securing of the one great object. All thetalents of reason, with which our Creator has endued us; all theenergy of grace, with which our souls are supplied, mustincessantly be brought to bear upon our high and holycalling. We must be daily and hourly proceeding; nolingering, longing looks upon the world we are leaving behind us;no loitering amid its vanities and follies; no backsliding to itssinful pleasures andp. 415pursuits; no declining from thestrict line of duty, as if it were become wearisome, as if itwere not fully believed to be right or requisite: “the justshall live by faith, but if any man draw back, my soul shall haveno pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw backunto perdition; but of them who believe to the saving of thesoul.”[415]

St. Paul says, “I press toward the mark;” alludingto the mark, or line, drawn across the end of the course, to shewwhere it terminated. The end of our course is death; thatis the mark, to which we must constantly press; never, till wereach it, can our striving be over, can the victory begained. If we perceive ourselves languishing or weary, ifthe enemy of our souls would tempt us, as he undoubtedly will do,to indolence or repose, let us instantly pray to our AlmightyFather, for a double portion of His Holy Spirit, and he willenable us to renew our vigour, and maintain ourstedfastness. p. 416Yea, though the race be soprotracted, that our limbs may be growing feeble with age, andour vital energies decaying, still we shall be inspirited with acourage and strength, that will be found abundantly sufficient;and as we near the end, our hopes will rise, and our prospectwill brighten; the weakness of nature will be assisted andcompensated by a merciful increase of faith; and we shall pressonward, through the latter part of the trial, with holierconfidence and fuller expectation.

And all this, “for the prize of our high calling inChrist Jesus.” What was it, that led the people offormer days, to enter into the list, and engage in therace? Why were they content to undergo such previoushardships and privations, in order to qualify them for thetask? Why did they exert themselves in the contest, solaboriously and painfully, as if willing to sacrifice their livesin the struggle? It was for a little crown of witheringleaves; for the honour of their countrymen’s applause;p. 417and theapproval of their families and friends. How then do theyput to shame the negligent and indifferent christian; him thatrefuses to train and labour for the conflict of life, for thecause of salvation! What is our prize? what are ourobjects? “an incorruptible crown,” a “crown ofglory that fadeth not away;” an eternal inheritance in theheavens; the approbation of all good men; the welcome acclaim ofa “multitude of angels which no man can number;” theapproval, the everlasting reward of the Judge of our christianrace. Are not these objects worthy of our supremeregard? Is not this worth contending for? Does it notdemand all our attention, all our anxiety, all our watchfulnessand diligence and labour? Should not our whole soul bedevoted thereto? Ought it not to be, comparativelyspeaking, the sole purpose, for which we care to live and hope todie?

Especially when we consider the consequences of our failure,in this great enterprise and work. He that lost thep. 418earthlyrace, lost little; perhaps it was somewhat of an honour for himto have contended at all: but he, who loses the christian race,loses every thing; loses his own soul, his precious immortalsoul; defeat will be ruin, eternal misery and perdition. Hethat lost the earthly prize on one occasion, might run foranother on a future day: but when once the spiritual race is run,when we have arrived at the mark, at the goal, at the gate ofdeath, no further trial will then be vouchsafed; there will neverbe another opportunity. Anxiously perhaps we may desire it;and resolve, as we find ourselves approaching to the border ofeternity, that if we could be permitted to continue our race fora little season, we would “use all diligence” for asuccessful termination; to gain the great prize we appear to belosing: but the desire will be vain. We knew the nature ofthe prize before; we knew what was necessary in order to gain it;we declined and refused; we chose the broad and easy way ofidleness and sin: thep. 419night will be come, and there willbe no more working.

O that before, that long before this time shall come, all ourhearts may be thoroughly fixed upon the high calling of our God;upon that blessed revelation of the gospel, which calls us tolife and immortality. O that the heart of every hearer maybe fixed this day, so as never to be diverted from the holy andheavenly purpose; so as to be filled with a zeal and ardour, thatshall never be extinguished; with invincible courage, andirremovable confidence; so that we may never “be weary ofwell-doing,” but persevere unto the end.

The Saviour, on His lofty throne, calls us byHis word,which announces the glorious prize and the conditions of therace; byHis spirit, “which is striving withus;” by Hisheralds andmessengers, warning,animating, exhorting, persuading; He promises strength for thecontest and victory in the end, to all who will engage in thegreat cause, with earnestnessp. 420and sincerity. Awake, arise,we have nothing to fear: “the Lord is with us; who shall beagainst us?” who shall let or hinder? Listen, listento the invitation and the promise! Take them for yourgovernment and your comfort; “so run as to obtain;”so, that on arriving at the end of the christian course, you maybe calmly delighted to behold, with the eye of faith the crown ofvictory and of glory, ready to be placed upon your head. Often indeed are we permitted to behold the evident superiorityof grace, at the latter hour; the peculiar accordance of divinemercy and strength, triumphing over the weakness of expiringnature: many pious Christians have then openly exhibited the mostundoubted and convincing tokens of heavenly assurance andsupport; their Lord thus manifestly affording them ananticipation of their “crown of rejoicing,” andcheering them before their dissolution.

At this awful hour, there may be, and doubtless are,differences of spiritual experiencep. 421in different individuals: butwhatever, when we are ceasing to labour, be the foretaste of thatrest, “which remaineth for the people of God;”whatever, when we are setting our foot upon the goal, be theoutward and visible sign of approaching glory; sure we may be, iffaithful unto death, that we shall soon enter upon that rest andthat glory; but a small moment is remaining: the prize is readyat our departure: heaven will rejoice over us; the spirits ofjust men made perfect, (many whose names we have honoured, somewhom we have seen and loved) will rejoice over us; andweshall rejoice with them for ever.

FOOTNOTES.

[vii] These Sermons, though writtenfor particular Sundays, are most of them generally applicable;indeed all of them, with very slight alterations oromissions.

[401] I will make my thankfulacknowledgments to the Lord, not only with my lips, or with someslight affections of my mind, but with all my heart and soul; andthat not only in the private society of those good men, whom I ammore intimately acquainted withal, but in the public congregationof all His people.—Bishop Patrick.

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SERMON I. AWAKE THOU THAT SLEEPEST AND ARISE FROMTHE DEAD.

Ephesians v.14.—Wherefore He saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arisefrom the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. [Preached January 10th, 1830, 1st Epiph.,[vii] and at Chester Cathedral, August 1st,in the same year.]	Page1
SERMON II. THE UNSEARCHABLE RICHES OFCHRIST.
Ephesians iii.8.—The unsearchable riches of Christ. [Preached January 9th, 1831, 1st Epiph.]		20
SERMON III. THE DESTRUCTION OF THE FLOOD.
Genesis vi.7.—It repented the Lord, that He had made man upon theearth and it grieved Him at His heart; and the Lord said, I willdestroy man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth. [Preached February 6th, 1825, Sexag.]		38
p. viiiSERMONIV. THE PRESERVATION FROM THEFLOOD.
Genesis vi.8.—Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. [Preached February 13th, 1825.]		56
SERMON V. DO THIS GREAT WICKEDNESS AND SIN AGAINSTGOD,
Genesis xxxix.9.—How then can I do this great wickedness and sin againstGod? [Preached March 6th, 1825, 3rd Lent.]		76
SERMON VI. ON THE JOURNEY TO EMMAUS.
Luke xxiv.32.—And they said one to another, Did not our heart burnwithin us, while He talked with us by the way, and while Heopened to us the Scriptures? [Preached April 13th, 1828, 1st Easter, and at ChesterCathedral July 12th, 1829.]		95
SERMON VII. IF THEY HEAR NOT MOSES AND THEPROPHETS.
Luke xvi.31.—If they hear not Moses and the Prophets, neither willthey be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. [Preached June 1st, 1823, 1st Trin.]		114
SERMON VIII. PERFECT LOVE CASTETH OUT FEAR.
1John iv.18,—There is no fear in love, but perfectp. ixlove castethout fear: because fear hath torment; he that feareth is not madeperfect in love. [Preached June 16th, 1822, 2nd Trin.]		134
SERMON IX. HUMBLE YOURSELVES UNDER THE MIGHTY HAND OFGOD.
1 Peter v. 6.—Humble yourselves underthe mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time. [Preached June 19th, 1825, 3rd Trin.]		154
SERMON X. THOU ART THE MAN.
2 Samuel xii. 7.—And Nathan said toDavid, Thou art the man. [Preached July 14th, 1822, 6th Trin., and at Chester CathedralJuly 6th 1823.]		172
SERMON XI. THE WAY OF THE LORD EQUAL.
Ezekiel xviii.25.—Ye say, the way of the Lord is not equal. Hearnow, O house of Israel; is not My ways equal? are not your waysunequal? [Preached October 10th, 1824, 17th Trin.]		189
SERMON XII. THE NEW MAN.
Ephesians iv.24.—That ye put on the new man, which after God is createdin righteousness and true holiness. [Preached October 13th, 1822, 19th Trin.]		209
p. xSERMON XIII. THE WEDDING GARMENT.
Matthew xxii.2.—The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king whichmade a marriage for his son. [Preached October 31st, 1824, 20th Trin.]		230
SERMON XIV. WALK WORTHY OF THE LORD, BE FRUITFUL ANDINCREASING.
Colossians i.10.—That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto allpleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing inthe knowledge of God. [Preached November 9th, 1823, 24th Trin. and at ChesterCathedral, August 20th, 1826.]		252
SERMON XV. THE WORD OF THE LORD PRECIOUS.
1Samuel iii.1.—The word of the Lord was precious in those days; therewas no open vision. [Preached December 9th, 1827. 2nd Advent]		271
SERMON XVI. DISTINCTIONS TO BE MADE ON THE DAY OFJUDGMENT.
Matthew xxiv.40.—The one shall be taken and the other left. [Preached December 12th, 1824, 3rd Advent.]		290
p. xiSERMONXVII. GOD MADE MAN UPRIGHT; MAN MAKES HIMSELFMISERABLE.
Eccles. vii.29.—Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made manupright, but they have sought out many inventions. [Preached August, 1828, and at Chester Cathedral, June 28th,1829.]		310
SERMON XVIII. THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD REVEALED TO THEM THATFEAR HIM.
Psalm xxv.14.—The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him; andHe will shew them His covenant. [Preached November 19th, 1826, and at Chester Cathedral, July29th, 1827.]		329
SERMON XIX. RESIST THE BEGINNINGS OF EVILTEMPTATION.
Proverbs iv. 14,15.—Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not inthe way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn fromit, and pass away. [Preached October 10th, 1830.]		349
SERMON XX. THE LOVE OF CHRIST FOR THOSE WHO DO THEWILL OF GOD.
Mark iii.35.—Whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is Mybrother and My sister and mother. [Preached February 3rd, 1828.]		366
p. xiiSERMONXXI. ON SEEKING OUT THE WORKS OF THE LORD ANDPRAISING HIM.
Psalm cxi. 1,2.—I will give thanks unto the Lord with my whole heart; inthe assembly of the upright and in the congregation. The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them thathave pleasure therein. [Preached November 23rd, 1828.]		385
SERMON XXII. DILIGENCE AND PERSEVERANCE IN THECHRISTIAN RACE.
Philipp. iii. 13,14.—Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended; butthis one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind,and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I presstoward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God inChrist Jesus. [Preached March 28th, 1830, and at Chester Cathedral,September 5th, in the same year.]		404

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The Project Gutenberg eBook ofPlain Parochial Sermons, preached in the Parish Church of Bolton-le-Moors

PLAINPAROCHIAL SERMONS,

p.vADVERTISEMENT.

p.viiCONTENTS.

p. 1SERMONI.AWAKE THOU THAT SLEEPEST.

p. 20SERMONII.THE UNSEARCHABLE RICHES OFCHRIST.

p. 38SERMONIII.THE DESTRUCTION OF THE FLOOD.

p. 56SERMONIV.THE PRESERVATION FROM THEFLOOD.

p. 76SERMONV.DO THIS GREAT WICKEDNESS AND SIN AGAINSTGOD.

p. 95SERMONVI.ON THE JOURNEY TO EMMAUS.

p.114SERMON VII.IF THEY HEAR NOT MOSES AND THEPROPHETS.

p.134SERMON VIII.PERFECT LOVE CASTETH OUT FEAR.

p.154SERMON IX.HUMBLE YOURSELVES UNDER THE MIGHTY HAND OFGOD.

p.172SERMON X.THOU ART THE MAN.

p.189SERMON XI.THE WAY OF THE LORD EQUAL.

p.209SERMON XII.THE NEW MAN.

p.230SERMON XIII.THE WEDDING GARMENT.

p.252SERMON XIV.WALK WORTHY OF THE LORD, BE FRUITFUL, ANDINCREASING.

p.271SERMON XV.THE WORD OF THE LORD PRECIOUS.

p.290SERMON XVI.DISTINCTIONS TO BE MADE ON THE DAY OFJUDGMENT.

p.310SERMON XVII.GOD MADE MAN UPRIGHT; MAN MAKES HIMSELFMISERABLE.

p.329SERMON XVIII.THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD REVEALED TO THEM THATFEAR HIM.

p.349SERMON XIX.RESIST THE BEGINNINGS OF EVILTEMPTATION.

p.366SERMON XX.THE LOVE OF CHRIST FOR THOSE WHO DO THEWILL OF GOD.

p.385SERMON XXI.ON SEEKING OUT THE WORKS OF THE LORD ANDPRAISING HIM.

p.404SERMON XXII.DILIGENCE AND PERSEVERANCE IN THECHRISTIAN RACE.