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diff --git a/old/67036-0.txt b/old/67036-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index c3067f0..0000000 --- a/old/67036-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6684 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Plain Sermons preached at Archbishop -Tenison's Chapel, Regent Street, by James Galloway Cowan - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: Plain Sermons preached at Archbishop Tenison's Chapel, Regent Street - Second Series - - -Author: James Galloway Cowan - - - -Release Date: December 29, 2021 [eBook #67036] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PLAIN SERMONS PREACHED AT -ARCHBISHOP TENISON'S CHAPEL, REGENT STREET*** - - -Transcribed from the 1860 William Skeffington edition by David Price. -Many thanks to the British Library for making their copy available. - - - - - - PLAIN SERMONS - - - PREACHED AT - - ARCHBISHOP TENISON’S CHAPEL, - - REGENT STREET. - - * * * * * - - BY - - JAMES GALLOWAY COWAN, - - MINISTER. - - * * * * * - - * * * * * - - Second Series. - - * * * * * - - * * * * * - - LONDON: - - WILLIAM SKEFFINGTON, 163, PICCADILLY - - 1860. - - - - -_BY THE SAME AUTHOR_—_FIRST SERIES_. - - - Plain Sermons, preached at Archbishop Tenison’s Chapel, Regent Street. - Fcap. cloth, price 3s. 6d. - - - - -CONTENTS. - - PAGE - SERMON I. - DEPENDENCE UPON GOD. - - Philippians, iv., 5, 6. -The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in 1 -everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let -your requests be made known unto GOD - SERMON II. - JUDGMENT HERE AND HEREAFTER. - - Malachi, ii., 17. -Where is the God of Judgment? 16 - SERMON III. - THE WORLDLING REPROVED. - - St. James, iv., 13, 14, 15. -Go to now, ye that say, To-day or to-morrow we will go into 32 -such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, -and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the -morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that -appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For -that ye ought to say, If the LORD will, we shall live, and -do this, or that. - SERMON IV. - THE UNKNOWN GOD. - - Acts, xvii., 22, 23. -Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too 48 -superstitious. For as I passed by, and beheld your -devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE -UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, Him -declare I unto you. - SERMON V. - FAITH AND ITS BLESSEDNESS. - - St. John, xx., 29. -Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: 66 -blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. - SERMON VI. - FAULTLESSNESS BEFORE GOD. - (INNOCENTS’ DAY.) - - Revelation, xiv., 5. -They are without fault before the throne of GOD. 76 - SERMON VII. - PAST MERCIES REVIEWED. - (NEW YEAR’S EVE.) - - Genesis, xxxii., 10. -I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all 92 -the truth, which thou hast showed unto Thy servant; for -with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am -become two bands. - SERMON VIII. - WORKING FOR GOD. - - St. John, ix., 4. -I must work the works of Him that sent me, while it is day: 108 -the night cometh, when no man can work. - SERMON IX. - CHRIST’S TRUEST MANIFESTATION. - - St. John, xiv., 22. -LORD, how is it that Thou will manifest Thyself unto us, 126 -and not unto the world. - SERMON X. - BLESSING ACCORDING TO PRAYER. - - St. Matthew, viii., 13. -And JESUS said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou 146 -hast believed, so be it done unto thee. - SERMON XI. - CHRIST STILLING THE STORM. - - St. Matthew, viii., 26. -And He saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little 161 -faith? Then He arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; -and there was a great calm. - SERMON XII. - UNITY WITH PEACE. - - Ephesians, iv., 1, 2, 3. -I, therefore, the prisoner of the LORD, beseech you that ye 179 -walk worthy of the calling wherewith ye are called, With -all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing -one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the -Spirit in the bond of peace. - SERMON XIII. - THE LAW IN THE GOSPEL. - - St. Luke x., 25. -What shall I do to inherit eternal life? 193 - SERMON XIV. - PRESENT SALVATION. - - II. Corinthians, vi., 2. -Behold, now is the day of salvation. 211 - SERMON XV. - CHRIST TOUCHED. - - St. Mark, v., 30. -And JESUS, immediately knowing in Himself that virtue had 228 -gone out of Him, turned Him about in the press, and said, -Who touched my clothes? - SERMON XVI. - PREACHING PARABLES. - - Ezekiel, xx., 49. -Ah LORD GOD! they say of me, Doth he not speak parables? 245 - SERMON XVII. - LIVING AND DYING UNTO GOD. - - II. Corinthians, v., 8, 9. -We are confident and willing rather to be absent from the 264 -body, and to be present with the LORD. Wherefore we -labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted -of Him. - SERMON XVIII. - RELIGIOUS ZEAL. - - II. Kings, x., 16. -Come with me, and see my zeal for the LORD. 276 - SERMON XIX. - CHRIST’S COMING DESIRED. - - Revelation, xxii., 20. -Even so, come, LORD JESUS. 289 - SERMON XX. - TRUE PROSPERITY. - - Genesis, xxxix., 2. -The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man. 305 - - - - -SERMON I. -DEPENDENCE UPON GOD. - - - PHILIPPIANS, IV., 5, 6. - - _The Lord is at hand_. _Be careful for nothing_; _but in everything - by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be - made known unto_ God. - -“THE Lord is at hand.” It is doubtful whether this admonition is -designed to recommend the foregoing precept, “Let your moderation be -known unto all men,” or whether it introduces and enforces the -injunction, “Be careful for nothing.” It may well do both: on the one -hand, exhorting the disciples to lead (and that manifestly) an unworldly -life, seeing they were so shortly to be taken out of the world; and, on -the other hand, cheering them in their sorrows, suppressing their -anxieties and quickening their faith, by the remembrance, that comfort, -and peace, and perfect bliss would soon be theirs—“The LORD is at hand.” - -The second advent of our LORD was always in the mind of the apostles. It -is thought that they even counted upon its literal occurrence in their -lifetime, as though the prophecies of it were among the things to be -fulfilled before that generation passed away. Without subscribing to -this view, against which many objections may be taken, it may be readily -admitted that, as they were uncertain how soon it might happen, as they -had no ground for concluding that it would _not_ be in their time, so -they rightly laboured to impress upon the disciples its _possible_, if -you will its _probable_ nearness. Besides, they knew that, virtually, it -would be soon: for if CHRIST came not speedily in the flesh, speedily -they would be called out of the flesh to Him, and then would cease the -pleasures and cares of this world, and then would begin the possession -and enjoyment of things eternal. How necessary then, that they who were -but pilgrims and strangers here, living a life that was soon to be ended -and accounted for, should be warned against excess of worldliness, -against building houses where they were but permitted to pitch tents, -against turning aside out of the path of pilgrimage, and wasting or -abusing the time for journeying! How cheering, too, for those who were -perplexed, or burthened, or afflicted, to be reminded that perplexity, -and toil, and grief were only passing clouds, and mere inconveniences by -the way—that soon they should be rid of them altogether, and should only -be allowed to remember them to magnify their appreciation of attained -rest and glory! And here let me observe, that the admonition “Be careful -for nothing,” is not in this place a reproof of the worldling, coming -across him in the path of mammon worship, of earthly aggrandisement, of -forgetfulness of eternity, of GOD, of heaven, but is rather a -consolation, an encouragement, for those, who while walking, or -endeavouring to walk, in the right way, are depressed and hindered by -trials, and perplexities, and afflictions. There are cares which man -makes for himself, for which he is to be blamed, whereof he deserves to -eat the bitter fruit. There are other cares which he suffers -involuntarily, which GOD imposes upon him as discipline, which Satan -thrusts upon him as temptations. With regard to the last, the -Christian’s cares, St. Paul offers advice and consolation, saying in -effect—Sink not beneath them, poor pilgrim; groan not on account of them; -let them not distract your aims and desires from the right object of -solicitude and hope. Weigh them in the right scales against the glories -that are coming, and they will surely be found light. Measure them -beside the joys of eternity, and they will be seen to be brief and -transitory. “The LORD is at hand” to relieve you of them all, at His -second advent, by the unclothing of death, by carrying you to Paradise. -Be comforted, rejoice, rouse ye, and, without distraction, pursue your -hopeful course. “Be careful for nothing.” - -We know the force of such an exhortation in earthly things. We know by -experience how light is the labour which leads to rest, how possible it -is to smile through present tears at the prospect of coming joy; what -pains, and self-denials, and dangers, and encounters, are readily -embraced by those whom ambition prompts, and approval cheers, and reward -awaits. Nothing is too hard to bear, nothing too dear to relinquish, -nothing too formidable to meet, nothing too much to do; the hands that -hung down are lifted up, the sorrow is banished, the toil becomes -pleasure, we rush to the fight, we delight in the race, forgetting the -past, disregarding the present, hastening onward to the future, the rest, -the victory, the prize, the glory. It is easy, then—not altogether, but -comparatively—to obey the precept, “Be careful for nothing” in view of -the prospect, “The LORD is at hand.” - -But, after all, I cannot but think that something better than a prospect -is hinted at in the text. The apostle goes on to urge, “In everything by -prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known -unto GOD.” He does not say, “Make light of present cases, on account of -coming consolation.” He does not bid the downcast lift up their eyes to -the hills, whence by and by cometh their help. It is not “Bear, endure, -encounter in hope,” but, “Get rid of what burthens you, by laying it upon -Him, Who is near, by your side now, to take it. Be careful for nothing; -put every care upon GOD (the LORD who is at hand to take it), by prayer -and supplication with thanksgiving.” I say this is something better than -a prospect; better, because of its superior influence, and better, -because of the immediate relief. The teaching of Advent, all important -as it is, too often affects but little such poor creatures of the present -as we are. We are exhorted to look back to the first coming of CHRIST, -to see what He suffered and did for us, what a foundation He laid for us -to build on. We are exhorted to look forward to the second advent, to -consider what CHRIST will do, to anticipate the glorious completion of us -in Him as the building of GOD. We obey, and we are moved to faint -gratitude for the one, to faint hope of the other. The retrospect and -the prospect considered, we both see from what rock we were hewn, and -into how beautiful a fabric we shall be fashioned; and, unless we are -very incapable of feeling, in the view of past and future, we strive to -accept thankfully and to sanctify duly the present. But, oh! how little -constraining is the influence of a Saviour who _once_ visited the earth, -of a Judge who shall _by and by_ visit it! How dim is the remembrance of -long past mercies! how distant is the prospect of heavenly consolations! -Earth is now present with all its attractions and rewards. The world, -the flesh, and the devil are now assailing and afflicting us with their -many temptations. How can we resist the seen, and heard, and felt -fascinations? How can we fill up the present void, and lull the present -pain, and endure the pressing trial, by proposing to ourselves the hopes -of the future? Does the promise of food to-morrow fill the hungry -to-day? Does the sight of the physician’s prescription on the instant -stay the pain and progress of inflammation? Will a drowning man float -till by and by a rope is brought and thrown to him? Will a discomfited -army rally and conquer, because reinforcements at some future time will -reach the field? In each of these cases, the prospect will have _some_ -influence, but will it be adequate to the occasion? Must not the present -be met by the present? Do we not need, besides a Saviour of the past, -and a Judge of the future, a LORD of the present? Yes, verily, and we -are assured that we have Him in the words, “The LORD is at hand,” and -advised how to avail ourselves of Him in what follows, “Be careful for -nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving -let your requests be made known unto GOD.” - -We are too apt to have but a religion of the future; to forget that there -is _at hand_ a LORD and Helper; to act as though the first opportunity of -serving GOD were in the hour of death, as though the blessings of reward -and favour were only to be had in heaven; to treat GOD, in short, as if -He were only the GOD of a future world. Such teaching as that of the -text reproves and corrects us. As other passages of Holy Writ instruct -us to make GOD the aim of this present life, using life as an -apprentice-time to the profession of Christianity, as a season wherein to -prove ourselves and be proved, and to set forth His glory; “Whether we -live, we live unto the LORD.” “Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of -GOD;” so the text bids us make GOD the guide and supporter of this life. -“In everything by prayer, with supplication, and thanksgiving, let your -requests be made known as to GOD. And the peace of GOD, which passeth -all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through CHRIST -JESUS.” - -This is what we want to feel and act upon, that GOD is a GOD at hand, and -not a GOD afar off; that we may _now_ cast all our care upon Him, knowing -that He careth for us; that if we lay our burthen upon the LORD, He will -_now_ sustain us: that if we commit our way unto Him, He will bring it to -pass; that He waits to be gracious, not till this life is over, but only -till we make known our requests, till we pray and supplicate, and give -thanks. In proportion as we do not realise and act upon these -assurances, we are blind to many of the charms, and insensible to many of -the helps and comforts of our holy religion: we frustrate, too, the -fulfilment in ourselves of the truth, that godliness has the promise of -the life that now is: we run the risk of becoming earthly-minded, of -being swallowed up of overmuch sorrow, of being cumbered with many cares, -of being snared away and taken captive by the devil, of making shipwreck -of our faith. - -O brethren, do not suppose that GOD only dwells on the margin of the -haven, that we are left to steer our course, to buffet with the waves, to -struggle against the storm, to repair the shivered mast, to stop the -leakages, to sail into the harbour, and let down the anchor, and -disembark upon the shore before He meets us. With Him as our Captain we -are to set out. He as our pilot must guide us. He must rule the waves -and bring us through them. The way is His, as the haven is His; unless -He is with us throughout the first, we shall never reach the last. Grace -is no reserved blessing. Heaven is no distant home. Grace is ever to be -had if we will seek it. Heaven is everywhere, if we will but realise it, -for where GOD is, is heaven. - -But GOD is not manifest to all. His help is not given unsought. The eye -of faith alone can see Him, the cry of faith alone be heard. As He will -be served for reward, so will He be asked for grace: we must be alert to -see what help we want; we must be prompt to seek it. We must acknowledge -Him, or He will not guide us. We must cast our care upon Him, or He will -not take it. Unless we are careful for nothing, because we have -committed our cares to Him, we must be full of cares, harassed by them, -troubled, afflicted, distressed; or, being careless, we shall be deemed -worthless, and left to drift upon shoals and into quicksands, and to sink -in the gulf of destruction. - -Do I speak to those who are careful for many things? I do not mean those -who are concerning themselves about worldly schemes, who would increase -their wealth, their power, or their pleasure, who, regarding earth as -their home, and resolving to make the most of it, are laying themselves -out for many days, proposing to pull down their barns and build greater, -to make to themselves a name, who are intent upon what they shall eat and -drink, and wherewithal they shall be clothed, how they shall get their -full of pleasure, how they shall cull all the advantages, and avoid all -the disagreeables of life. As the minister of GOD, I have nothing to do -with these, further than to cry out upon their folly and their sin, and -to warn them that unless they repent and relinquish their cares, they -shall be consumed by them. But do I speak to those who setting before -them as the business of life, the service of GOD, as the end of life, the -glory of heaven, are yet, by personal infirmity, by peculiar exigencies, -and difficulties, and anxieties, by a frowning or fascinating world, by -the wiles of Satan or by any other means, so troubled, so distracted, so -drawn off from the pursuit of their object, and the entertaining of their -hopes, that they find themselves carnal when they would be spiritual, -standing still when they would be moving on, clinging to earth when they -would be rising to heaven, waging war when they would be enjoying peace? -Do I speak to those whose weak and carnal nature will not be enlisted in -the hearty pursuit of godliness; whose crying temporal wants distract, -and deafen, and deaden the yearnings of their better nature; whose -occupation in the world seems to contend, and too successfully, for the -best of their thoughts and aims, whose natural losses and deprivations -sadden and absorb them, creating a void which they cannot fill, taking -away a guide whom they used to look to, a support upon which they were -wont to lean; whose patient labours in well-doing have failed of success; -whose good is evil spoken of; whose many cares to train aright the -children whom GOD gave them, have been repaid by waywardness; whose -conscientious well-doing has brought upon them what should rather be the -reward of ungodliness; who, in short, have not found in religion what -they hoped for and honestly sought, and who cannot render to religion -what they would? Do I speak to these? Well! I ask, Have you sought to -get rid of care, by casting it upon the LORD? or have you rather asked -human counsel, and leant upon human support, and hewn out for yourselves -cisterns, and built for yourselves a refuge, instead of running into the -refuge of GOD? Have you animated yourselves only by the thought of -distant help, of future peace? Have you lost sight of the LORD at hand, -the GOD of Providence, knowing, causing or assenting to, and waiting to -guide, as you ask or ask not, the circumstances which try you? Have you -realised that nothing happens but by His consent, and that His consent is -given or withheld, not by what He sees of you, but by what He hears from -you? Do you pray—not simply uttering certain words put into your mouths -in Church formularies, or books of private devotion, not framing acts of -general adoration, of vague acknowledgments of dependence and prayer for -blessings, but presenting yourselves, in the utterance of your own -feelings, as in all things the servants of His will, the dependents and -petitioners of His grace? Do you supplicate? Is each ascertained want -laid before Him in all its detail? Is every hindrance, every difficulty, -every desire made known to Him as soon as perceived by yourselves? Is -your care cast upon Him? Is He besought to take it, to relieve you of -it, to tell you what to do respecting it? Can you say of all that now -tries you, that nothing is uncommunicated to Him, no relief, no guidance -unsought? And do you in everything give thanks. Ah, here, brethren, is -the test! Here doubtless will many of you, who are clear hitherto, be -obliged to plead guilty. You do not give thanks. You recognise GOD as -Him from whom you may seek all. You do not sufficiently acknowledge what -you have received. Of many special gifts, of power to bear with many -trials, of guidance in various difficulties, of blessings continued and -troubles not made worse (an important item), you make no acknowledgment. -You know of many blessings for which you ought to be grateful: you may -guess at many more, and besides there are many which you do not know, and -cannot guess at, which yet doubtless have been poured out upon you, or at -least have not been taken away from you. What of these? What of -everything good in itself, or capable of being made good? What of the -temptations, what of the afflicting providences of which you are the -objects? You do not think, perhaps, that these are things to be grateful -for: but, remember, the command is, “In everything with thanksgiving.” -Yes, the prayer, without the thanksgiving, is not prayer. It is only -part dependence. It asks, it does not acknowledge. It does not rejoice -that GOD is yet operating; that He is chastening if He is not rewarding; -that therefore, you are still the creatures of His providence, and may -hope for blessing if you do not frustrate it. - -O mend all that is amiss, quicken all that is slow, revive all that is -ready to perish. The LORD is at hand. Cast all your care upon Him. -Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not to your own -understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct -your paths. In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving -let your requests be made known to GOD. See Him by faith Who is -invisible to natural eye. Lean on Him Whom the arm of flesh cannot -touch. Speak to Him in all your circumstances of weal or woe, of trial -or blessing. Pray to Him for what you want, and acknowledge all that you -receive, of whatever kind, and ask Him what use to make of it. So rid -yourselves of your cares, and then—I do not say that you shall be left -without trials, for GOD does not promise that, rather does He lead us to -expect trials as the signs and pledges of His love, but I do say that He -will give you nothing, and leave you nothing, but what is good for your -personal happiness and your eternal interest, and that in every trial, -whether sent by Him, or allowed to be inflicted by the agents of evil, He -will give you support, and guidance, and ardent hope, and abundant -consolation; yea, He will bestow on you His peace which passeth -understanding, and which, whatever your circumstances, shall assuredly -keep your hearts and minds through CHRIST JESUS, unto eternal salvation. - - - - -SERMON II. -JUDGMENT HERE AND HEREAFTER. - - - MALACHI, II., 17. - - _Where is the God of Judgment_? - -THE prophet had been complaining of the priests for neglecting to inform -and correct the people, and of the people for disregarding GOD’S -teaching. Reasoning and remonstrating with them, and supposing them to -attempt self-justification, he tells them at last that they have wearied -the LORD with their words—by which he means their acted and thought words -rather than what they spoke—and in answer to the question, which he knows -they would put, “Wherein have we wearied Him?” he says, By presuming -licentiously that GOD is indifferent alike to good and evil, and has no -moral likings or dislikings—“When ye say every one that doeth evil is -good in the sight of the LORD, and He delighteth in them,”—or, if it were -otherwise, that at least He does not act upon His feeling—“Where is the -GOD of Judgment?” the manifestation of the discriminating, the rewarding, -or punishing LORD. I do not propose to enlarge upon the text in its -historic relation to the Jews, but, applying it to ourselves, to show, -first, that the question, “Where is the GOD of Judgment?” is one which we -Christians often ask in perverse unbelief, or in sad infirmity; and, -secondly, that the question is one which in a better sense we should -often ask (as we do not), in order to discern His operations, to become -acquainted and impressed with the truth, that there is a judgment of all, -_here_ and _hereafter_. - -“Where is the GOD of Judgment?” I say that this question is often asked -in perverse unbelief, or in sad infirmity. Practically, we too often -ignore the idea of judgment altogether. Our reason suggests to us, that -if there is a moral governor of the world, then surely good will be -approved by reward, and evil marked by punishment. The Bible plainly and -most positively assures us, that, as rational and responsible creatures -of GOD’S hand, we are subject to a judgment which His goodness, His -truth, His justice, His holiness, cannot omit to pass on our every act, -and word, and thought; that as purchased servants of CHRIST, we are set a -certain work to do, with the express understanding that we shall be -faithfully dealt with according to our treatment of that work, and are -put upon a probation whereof at the end CHRIST _must_ take account, for -He has been made LORD and Judge for that very end, and has received a -commission from the Father, which He may in no single instance depart -from. Yea, more than that, it tells us that the immediate effect on us, -of all our good and evil, is _itself_ a judgment, contributing to the -formation of the character which shall adapt us, and so consign us, to -heaven or to hell. I say reason and the Bible so instructs us; and yet -we practically ignore the judgment. Of course I do not mean that we -strike it out of our creed, that we do otherwise than assent to it in -theory, that we altogether forget it in practice, but that we do not make -it the ruling principle of our lives—the impelling or restraining -influence of every thought and deed. Am I not right? Reflect, dear -brethren, how many wrong things you do or desire, with little hesitation, -with no compunction, with no fear of judgment! Reflect, too, how many -good things you pass over or forego, or will take no trouble to attain, -through want of consideration of the reward that belongs to them, and -which therefore you are losing! How ready are you to taste each cup of -pleasure, to be engrossed with the pursuits of this world, to withhold -what you should part with, to do what is wrong, to omit what is enjoined, -in forgetfulness of the fact that for all these things GOD will bring you -unto judgment! How impatient, too, under trials, how slow in spiritual -work, how little interested in the love and attainment of godliness; as -though these things were all loss, and suffering, and uninviting toil; as -though there were no recompense of reward! Yes, there is something in -the best of us, and much in the most of us, of practical disregard of -judgment. Of course we know (and are in a measure influenced by the -knowledge) that by and by we shall stand before GOD, to be blessed or -cursed—that it is necessary, therefore, to secure a good hope of -acceptance, and to make our peace with GOD through JESUS CHRIST, and that -this is to be done by keeping all the ordinances of religion, and obeying -in spirit the whole moral code, and striving to love and serve the LORD -now; or at least by repenting of all that is amiss, and praying earnestly -for pardon and quickening of our faith, before we die. But still, it is -not a _judgment_ that we contemplate—a real scrutiny of our life’s -ways—an actual weighing of us in the heavenly balance, that we may be -rewarded or punished for those ways, and accepted or rejected according -to our actual state. We are wont to consider GOD as an arbitrary Being, -not absolutely bound by any laws, or promises, or threats, but free to -treat us as He will, and disposed, for CHRIST’S sake, to be favourable to -us—if we ask Him—without any regard to what we have been doing, and what -we actually are. I am not sure that you will admit this. But, brethren, -to help you to do so, consider how general is a vague trust to CHRIST’S -merits—and GOD’S goodness on account of those merits—to cover all -excesses and defects of duty, to accept any kind of character, as though -there were no rule of reward, and no necessary qualification for heaven! -How rare is the conviction, that while CHRIST’S merits are indeed the -only ground of our acceptance, and GOD’S mercy is exercised on account of -those merits, yet the merits and the mercy are applied to us on condition -that we do certain works, and attain to a certain character in the -strength of the Holy Spirit given to incline and enable us; that we are -to be rewarded or punished, accepted or rejected, strictly according to -the terms of that condition, and that the inquiry into its observance, in -the scrutiny of our past lives and of our present state, in the -pronouncing of them such as they were appointed to be, or the opposite, -and the bestowal of the reward or punishment, is a strict judgment, in -the passing of which the Judge has no room for arbitrary favour, no -option, if I may so speak, to do otherwise than, in view of the evidence, -to apply the fixed law—life for those whom it approves, death for those -whom it condemns. - -Oh! there is a GOD of Judgment, and to us Christians there is no other -GOD. CHRIST is full of merits. GOD accepts those merits, and is full of -mercy on account of them. We cannot magnify the merits too much, nor -rejoice too much in the mercy; provided (but provided only) that we -remember that they are applied by rule, and that we must observe the -rule, and be sure that GOD will in no wise, and in no case, depart from -it. Trust to CHRIST’S merits; hope for GOD’S mercy, but count most -surely on judgment, as you are most surely the objects of it. - -But, secondly, fully believing that there is a GOD of Judgment, the -questions arise, Where is He? In what court does He sit? When does He -judge? The common notion (and my remarks have hitherto fallen in with -it) is, that He is only in a future world, and that He will not exercise -His office till the last day. The notion is founded on a truth. CHRIST -sits on the throne of GOD now, to send down grace, to intercede with the -Father, to rule the Church. At the last day, and not before, He will -leave that throne, and come forth in His glorious majesty to judge the -quick and the dead, and to dispose of them in their appointed eternal -abodes. We have a work to do, and a day set us to do it in, and account -will not be taken of it, and the hire given us, till the day is over. -There is a character to be formed ere we can enter heaven, and space, and -opportunity, and power, are vouchsafed us for forming it. Respecting -these, then, judgment tarrieth. And even when our individual time is -over, when our work ceases, and our probation closes, there are others -left to work and fashion themselves for eternity; and GOD has appointed -that we, without them, shall not be made perfect. There is to be but one -glorious descent from the throne, one general resurrection, one great -assize, one gathering of the saints into the highest heaven, one opening, -and then one shutting for ever of the lowest hell. When our day is over, -we must, probably, as others do, sleep a night in the grave, and then on -the morning of the Resurrection shall appear the GOD of Judgment. But -surely, after all, there must be an earlier judgment! When the body is -laid down, and begins its sleep, the soul does not lie down and sleep -with it. “The body returns to the dust,” we are told, “but the spirit -goes back to GOD who gave it;” and lest we should imagine that this is -but a figurative way of describing a suspension of the spirit’s life, we -are informed in many places not only that it continues greatly alive and -awake, requiring a place of conscious abode, but that it is at once -disposed of by GOD, and in a manner which shows an immediate judgment of -it. As soon as Lazarus died, he was carried to Abraham’s bosom, and -there was comforted: as soon as Dives died, in hell (a place of misery of -some kind) he lift up his eyes, being in torments. “This day shalt thou -be with Me in Paradise,” was the promise of Him, Who could not promise -idly. To be absent from the body is, for the saint, to be present with -the LORD, and a vision showed St. John the souls of the martyrs living -and pleading beneath the altar. What does all this teach us, but that -the GOD of Judgment meets us at the gate of death, and there and then -judges and disposes of us? It is somewhat speculative to inquire what is -the nature of the judgment. It is beyond us to understand how an -immediate judgment is compatible with a future one. We know not whether -GOD at first privately intimates what He will at last publicly pronounce; -whether this is the actual, that only the formal decision; whether the -scrutiny is now made, or only rehearsed; whether the soul is actually -tried, or only committed for trial, and in the mean time so dealt with by -immediate imprisonment, or liberation on pledge to appear, as to hint, -rather than plainly declare what shall be its ultimate fate; whether it -enters at once into a state of actual, though partial, experience of joy -or misery, companying with GOD, with CHRIST, with holy angels, or with -Satan and evil spirits; or whether it is left in an antechamber where it -but anticipates the future reward, and actually receives none of it. All -this is mystery. But certain we are, brethren, that death, is in some -sense the time of judgment, and consequently that in some way, at the -very moment of departure from this life we are confronted with the GOD of -Judgment. Oh, that we could feel this! What a precious time and talent -it would make our life; what an awful antechamber of GOD’S presence! How -we should be deterred from doing evil; how stirred to do good! How -should we be watching, staff in hand; how resolutely should we do our -work, how patiently should we suffer! Could we then be at home in the -world, prone to sinful pleasures, distracted or engrossed by worldly -cares, indifferent to sin and holiness? No, it would be impossible! -Could we be idle, if we knew that our work would so soon be scrutinised? -Could we delay the cultivation of a grace necessary for heaven, if we -knew that the time for acquiring it might so soon be over? Could we -hazard the interests of eternity, if we knew that we were separated from -them, not by a wide and lasting world, not by many, many years of -forgetfulness in the grave, but only by a thin veil, through which they -might even now be albut heard and seen, which the next moment might be -rent in twain, which at the most, in a few short years, will be wholly -taken away! Oh! brethren, we can risk our eternal hopes when they seem -distant—we dare not, we could not, if we felt them close! Behold, the -judge is at the door! Watch, lest it open and reveal Him! Behold the -messenger is coming; be ready, for He may be sent to summon you to the -presence of the GOD of Judgment! - -But we have not yet the full answer to our text. GOD is everywhere. He -fills heaven and earth with His presence. And He is the same everywhere, -and at all times; the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever; and so He is -the GOD of Judgment, exercising judgment even in this life. It cannot be -otherwise. It belongs to His very essence to love righteousness and hate -iniquity. When He wills, it is done; when He feels, He acts; what He -hates, He shrinks from—and if He shrinks, is it not judgment? What He -loves, He clings to—and is not His presence favour, and support, and -blessing? Brethren, I have often exhorted you not to shut GOD out of -this present world as if He belonged only to the future. Live in the -world to Him. “Wherever we live, we live unto the LORD.” Live in the -world by Him. “The LORD is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in -everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests -be made unto GOD.” And live in the world, under Him: for “The eyes of -the LORD are over the righteous, and the face of the LORD is against them -that do evil.” Yes, the GOD of Judgment is _here_. You know it was so -in Old Testament times. The deed of righteousness then brought its -immediate reward; the deed of sin its punishment. Murmur or disregard -drove away the pillar of fire, repentance and prayer brought it back. -You think it otherwise now perhaps, but “I am the LORD, I change not.” -The children of Israel were carnal babes, GOD therefore showed Himself to -their natural eye. _We_ are men in CHRIST, and the vision, therefore, is -to our faith. It was with perishable toys that _they_ were pleased: He, -therefore, rewarded or punished them with temporal things. It is -differently, _in a measure_, that He deals with us; but not altogether -differently. It is a mistake to suppose that GOD’S favour was always -testified to the Jews by prosperity, His displeasure by adversity. Think -of Abraham, of Job, of Moses, of Joseph, of the ungodly in great -prosperity, and you will see the mistake. Temporal circumstances were -more often, then, the tokens of spiritual, but the spiritual has always -been the reality; and in comparison with it, the token, not always -afforded, is immaterial. Oh! do not suppose that when the Man CHRIST -JESUS came on earth as the messenger of grace, the GOD of Providence -departed. More real and constant is His presence now, and more -invariable His action. In respect of our service of CHRIST and -candidateship for heaven, there is a sense in which He leaves us unjudged -till the end. But, in another sense, as He must, from His very nature, -be always judging, so are we Christians the special objects of His -judgment. No winking at _our_ ignorance, no long-suffering with _our_ -sin. Enlightened and enabled, we are responsible, and immediately made -to answer, for all that is wrong; and, specially endeared to Him, we are -immediately rewarded for all that He approves. And this judgment is -visible, if we will but look for it even in our temporal circumstances. -I do not say that the righteous are always what the world calls -prosperous, and the wicked always what the world calls unfortunate, -though that is not seldom the case, much more often than, in our rash -judgment, we suppose; besides, any kinds of temporal circumstances may be -made, and often are made, the sources of temporal reward or punishment; -but temporal things are not the best or the worst that GOD can give. -They are chiefly used by Him as means; and could I describe to you the -blessings which poverty and bereavement and disappointment and affliction -have produced, and the curses which have accompanied riches and success, -and immunity from loss and trial, you would see what effectual means they -are, and would readily exclaim, “_Here_ is the GOD of Judgment!” But -there is a better and a worse judgment. You know how GOD hardened -Pharaoh’s heart, because it was not softened; how He made Saul’s -perversity his punishment; how He stiffened Jeroboam’s arm that he could -not draw it in from the deed of sin; what a sinful security He brought -upon David for transgression; how Abraham grew rich by forsaking his -home; how Job resigned much and therefore received more; how Joseph, -fleeing from Potiphar’s wife, was made to prosper in all he did. These -things are types of great realities—specimens of constant judgments. GOD -stands over every man to watch what he does, and as soon as it is done, -He judges and rewards it. Ah! let the wicked tremble at this, and let -the righteous rejoice at it. A harassed or a calmed conscience may or -may not be an accompaniment of the judgment, but a judgment there will -surely be. Do you want an illustration? Why, then, should the man who -commits a trivial sin to-day fall into a greater sin to-morrow? Why -should a little resistance qualify for a great one? You say it is -natural. If you mean by that that is _spiritual_, that it is the acting -influence of GOD’S providence, I agree with you; but not otherwise. Man -is not his own destroyer, nor his own saviour. It no more follows -naturally that a man should fall into a great sin after a little one, or -should conquer a strong temptation after overcoming a weak one, than that -he should soil his garments or his flesh much to-day, because he soiled -them a little yesterday, or that he should float in a flood because he -has turned aside from a pool! It is a judgment that makes him sin again, -and a judgment that enables him to resist again. In the one case, it is -the angry withdrawal of grace, and the giving up to a reprobate mind, and -the delivery to Satan; in the other it is the approving increase of -grace, and the sending of angels to keep off the fiends. _Where is the_ -GOD _of Judgment_! Where, brethren, is He not, and when not acting? -This world is the throne of judgment. Every moment is the trial time. -Every act, every word, every thought, brings down upon it, on the -instant, the sentence and the execution of the sentence! Think of this -and act upon it. The eyes of the LORD are over the righteous. The face -of the LORD is against them that do evil. Strive, then, each action to -approve to His all-seeing eye. Know that it is always Advent; that the -books are always open, and the judgment always set, and the sentence ever -ready, “Blessed—or Cursed,” and angels and demons looking out and waiting -for the signal of approach. The Last Judgment is the climax of the Death -Judgment, the Death Judgment of the Life Judgment. Gain GOD’S approval -here, and keep it here, and you shall not lose it hereafter. Forfeit it -here, and obtain it not again here, and you can never have it. There is -no condemnation for them that are in CHRIST JESUS. The rest are already -condemned; though the GOD of Judgment gives them yet the chance—(oh! let -them not trifle with it!)—that if they will appeal quickly, a fresh trial -may be granted; and if they have made CHRIST their Advocate, the former -sentence shall be reversed, and they, too, shall be blessed! - - - - -SERMON III. -THE WORLDLING REPROVED. - - - ST. JAMES, IV., 13, 14, 15. - - _Go to now_, _ye that say_, _To-day or to-morrow we will go into such - a city_, _and continue there a year_, _and buy and sell_, _and get - gain_: _Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow_. _For what - is your life_? _It is even a vapour_, _that appeareth for a little - time_, _and then vanisheth away_. _For that ye ought to say_, _If - the_ Lord _will_, _we shall live_, _and do this_, _or that_. - -“GO TO.” It is the language of rebuke, of remonstrance, and yet of -exhortation. “Come, come, what are you doing? cease from it, for it is -wrong. Come, let us reason together, ye that are forming worldly -schemes, and laying out plans and works for the future, counting not only -on _some_ continuance, but even on a definite time of your own marking -out, ‘We will continue there a year.’ Come, I say, be wise; consider -what your life is, how brief, how fleeting, how easily taken away—how -uncertain of continuance—and rule and consecrate every part of it, every -work, every prospective thought, with the limitation, ‘If the LORD -will.’” - -Thus is the worldling reproved and exhorted—the man who is so foolish as -to reckon surely upon what he knows is very uncertain, who is so sinful -as to forget the providence of GOD, or at least not to submit himself to -it. And, further on he is plainly told that this reckless confidence is -sin:—“Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him -it is sin.” - -Observe here, my brethren—and you will thereby see how directly this text -is addressed, not to very gross and carnal offenders, but even to such as -ourselves—that the Apostle does not cry out against the going into the -city and proposing to buy and sell and get gain there, or even against -the fixing of a particular period of sojourn; but against the doing of -all this _without reference and submission to_, _without dependence upon -the will and providence of_ GOD; without remembrance that there is no -certainty of life, and power, and opportunity. “What is our life” “If -the LORD will?” - -GOD does not forbid, rather He requires us to engage in worldly -occupations. He has sent us into the world in need of food and raiment, -which the majority of us can only get by working for them, and has -endowed us with faculties and powers which have their legitimate exercise -in worldly pursuits. There can be no question that by GOD’S appointment -man is to labour and trade, or employ himself in some way in worldly -things, for sustenance and for exercise of many of his powers. And if -this is so, then neither can there be any question, that it must be -lawful to think in some way of the morrow, to provide what we shall need -in it, to consider and plan for our employment and gain in it. It would -be quite impossible to carry on many callings—more especially those which -have distinctly the approval of GOD, as husbandry, for instance—if we -might not forecast, anticipate, provide, propose, and plan. And if all -this may be done, then we may and must mark out particular works and -places, and specific periods of time, wherein to perform what we propose. -If a husbandman may not think of the harvest, how shall he do the duties -of the seed time? If the merchant may not fix on a mart nor make -arrangements for sojourning there till he has disposed of his goods, nor -count the number of days which the ship will require for transporting -them, then how shall he know what wares to purchase? how shall he -persuade himself to have anything to do with merchandise? Surely, he -must take for granted—or at least he must act as if he took for -granted—some certainty of time and opportunity, and so he must in one -sense presume upon the future. Still, brethren, the very illustrations I -have chosen tell against counting on actual certainty. The husbandman -ploughs in hope and sows in hope; but knows all the time that the fowls -of the air may rob him of his crop, that the needful rain or sun may be -withholden from it, that the worm, and the mildew, and the blast may -destroy it. The merchant freights his vessel with full knowledge—(not -always without fear)—that fire or storm may cause it to be lost in the -sea, or that if it reaches the place of sale, there may then be no demand -for it. Each is obliged to admit contingencies; to prepare and act as if -all power and all time and circumstances were in his own hands, while he -knows and feels that it is far otherwise; that much may be uncontrollably -against him; that he may be disappointed of all his hope. Nor does he -omit altogether to provide for the contingency. He asks, “What if I -should be disappointed, if my plans should fail, if the time should be -prolonged or shortened against my expectation? What is to be done with -the gain, if anything happens to me?” So he insures his vessel, and -gives directions whither to carry, or what to do with his merchandise if -aught should render it unsaleable at the proposed mart, and he makes his -will! Wisely he takes into account what he calls “chance,” and therefore -sobers his expectations and rules his plans by the consideration of what -may happen to frustrate them! A like consideration—not of “chance,” for -he does not believe in chance, but of the possible unexpected operations -of GOD’S providence—is to sanctify the Christian’s plans and -appointments, and to prevent him from becoming a worldling. He may think -and say, what he will do on the morrow; he may set out on a long journey, -or propose to himself a week, a month’s, a year’s, a ten years’ sojourn -in some distant city; he may make ample and long preparations for buying -and selling, and getting gain; he may pull down his barns (if they are -not large enough) and build greater; he may entertain some thoughts of -possibly enjoying, after years of toil and care, an old age of ease and -happiness, and so may make provision for that happiness. He need not, -and should not, be ever saying to himself, “It is of no use my -undertaking this business, I may not live to carry it out.” “If I were -sure of life, I would remove this and alter that, but let it be now, it -must do for my poor uncertain days.” (The world would stand still, if -men were to act, or refuse to act, upon such arguments as these, -arguments not suggested by God.) No, brethren, whatever your calling, -follow it honestly and heartily; whatever your possessions, use them, and -use them so as to get the most legitimate good out of them, and do not -despise the opportunities and the goods which GOD has given you. But -consider when you propose to yourselves anything which draws by -anticipation on the future, consider, I say, “What is my life? It is -even a vapour that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away,” -and qualify your scheme by saying to yourselves, “If the LORD will, I -should live and do this or that.” Yes! and provide, as far as you can, -_lest the_ LORD _should not will_. And here, brethren, we have suggested -to us another reason for admitting an “if” into our counsels, and for -allowing it to have its say, and for heeding well what it suggests. The -Christian is allowed, and even required to follow a worldly calling, but -still he has a higher calling, which he must not neglect, which he must -most regard. Life was not given him only that he might eat and drink, -and take his pleasure, and grow rich, and build palaces, and be filled -with knowledge, and perfected in accomplishments. These are but the -lower employments of life, or its intermittent pastimes. Its business is -religion—the laying hold on salvation, and following the holy service to -which we are bound, wherein we are apprentices and probationers for -eternal glory, and whereby we are allowed and enabled to lay up treasure -in heaven—the dedication of ourselves to CHRIST our Saviour, to live -under His rule, and by His grace; to set forth His glory in all we do; to -become qualified by unlearning and renouncing what is amiss, and -acquiring new tastes, and inclinations, and powers, and fashioning -ourselves after His glorious image for the state to which He will call us -when this life is over. “If the LORD will I should live and do this or -that.” How does such a suggestion break in upon and check the presuming -worldliness of the called of GOD! “Here am I,” it makes him exclaim, -“actually laying myself out for the engrossing and long-continued pursuit -of worldly ends. Yet GOD may cut short my life in the midst of it, and -if He does, without giving me time to resume my higher calling, to repair -what is out of order, to fill up what is wanting, to make my peace with -Him, to become fit for death—oh, to what in that case will my folly and -my sin bring me! How shall I stand before Him at His awful Advent? What -account shall I render of my neglected stewardship? What will justify my -presumption in His delay? What excuse my want of the wedding garment? -Surely He will deal with me as with one who knew his Master’s will, yet -did it not; who refused the glory which he was created, and redeemed, and -sanctified to render; who has preferred Mammon to GOD, earth to heaven; -who has contracted the worldliness from which GOD shrinks, and despised -the holiness which alone He will accept!” It is an awakening, a -sobering, a solemn suggestion. It reveals to him the anomaly, the folly, -the sin, the peril of his condition, whatever the kind of worldliness -which engrosses him. He a servant of CHRIST, a votary of religion, a -worker for eternity, an heir of glory, forgetting his calling, neglecting -his best hopes and interests, perverting his time and powers, and -opportunities from their highest and most necessary use, to gratify self -with childish pleasures, to heap up gold, to make to himself a name among -the pigmies of the earth; to become admired or stared at for his -appearance or accomplishments; to excel in knowledge of languages, or -sciences, or history, or for any other earthly end; when not only what he -seeks must soon be yielded up (even if he succeeds in getting it), but -also through the seeking he must neglect all that GOD requires of him, -and forfeit all that GOD offers! Oh, how silly, how sinful, how awfully -hazardous the course he is pursuing! - -What, then? Shall he abandon it all in terror? Shall he hate the world -and flee from it? Shall he become a hermit, refusing to receive good, -and to do good in his generation? Shall he give up his earthly calling, -foregoing the temporal advantages which are held out to him; not -exercising the powers which are entrusted to him; supposing that the GOD -who put him into this world, and qualified him to fill a place in it, and -stimulated him by pressing necessities, or by indwelling desires to seek -profit or pleasure, nevertheless meant him to have nothing to do with the -world; that because presently he is to die, now he ought not to live; but -to drag a sad, inactive, solitary, impatient existence. Surely not! His -place now is in the world, his work is in the world; he refuses GOD -service in not exercising his worldly calling; he gives up the means of -probation, and the opportunities of development and improvement in the -highest powers and best graces, and disqualifies himself for heaven, if -he fulfils not his destiny on earth. Let him abide in his calling; let -him discharge its obligations; let him pursue its advantages, and cull -its pleasures, and perform all its bidding; but throughout all, let him -remember, and act upon the remembrance that he is not a mere worldling; -and to keep him from being absorbed in the world, or grovelling in its -pursuits, to quicken him in concern for higher responsibilities and -privileges, to impress upon him that all that is of the world is -temporary and fleeting, that the world is passing away from him, and he -from it, let him reflect frequently and seriously, “What is my life? It -is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth -away;” and so let him temper the lower life (and raise himself above it), -by piously resolving that its present occupations, its plans and hopes -shall all be subject to the condition, “If the LORD will I should live, -and do this or that.” - -That we all want to be influenced by such thoughts is too evident to need -proof. The very best of us are wont practically to regard this earth as -our abiding home, or the only stage upon which we shall ever act a part, -and earthly pursuits and pleasures as the only aims and rewards of our -being. We may write “D. V.,” or say, “If the LORD will,” after every -engagement, every proposed scheme. We may make our wills and set our -houses in order, and purchase a burial place, and carry about a shroud, -and yet forget that we have to die. Grey hairs, or enfeebled frames, and -the perceptible growth within us of the seeds of mortal disease, and sick -beds, and sudden deaths around us, may cause us momentary misgivings, may -make us perhaps permanently a little uneasy: but still we live on, as -though there were no end of life; we put off preparation for death, and -for another state after death, as though we could not die till we chose -to do so. Not for want of knowledge, of constant testimonies and -reminders of the contrary are we thus confident (for we all know that our -life is but a vapour which the heat may presently dispel, or the wind of -the next moment cause to vanish), but because we do not feel ourselves to -be so entirely in the hands of an Omnipotent and mysteriously exercised -Providence, as to need to be constantly depending upon it, and asking of -it, “If the LORD will;” and so presenting to ourselves, in all its force, -the consideration that perhaps “The LORD may _not_ will.” I speak to -men, and women, and children, full of present occupations and future -plans. I bid you consider your occupations and review your plans. Do -you imagine that the first may be at any moment interrupted, and the last -never begun to be carried out? Some of you are almost exclusively -pleasure seekers; others, careless creatures of the present; others -intent upon business, or profit, upon obtaining power, or knowledge, or -fame; either reaping a worldly harvest now, or sowing for a future -worldly harvest. Others are divided in care and desire between this life -and the next. Others are in theory, and in much practice, living above -this world, using it but not abusing it, in it but not of it. Put the -question to yourselves, all and each of you. Do you feel your life to be -such a vapour, that it is in momentary risk of vanishing away; that only -if the LORD will, will it appear a little time; that possibly He may not -will? You would say, “yes,” doubtless, if you were forced to answer -aloud, as you sit in church, interrogated by the messenger of CHRIST out -of the Bible, just as to a question out of the Church Catechism, you -would give an answer out of the Church Catechism. But do you _feel_ -“yes”? Is it your sure and strong conviction? Do your lives say “yes”? -I shall not be unjust to you, if I say that I stand in doubt of many of -you; that, alas! I have no doubt of some; that your hearts do not thus -respond; that your lives give a manifest contradiction. - -Brethren, I am not here to accuse, but to admonish and help. Let me -suggest, then, why you fail to realise such a palpable truth. It is, -first, because you have an idea that the Advent is far off; and, -secondly, because, as I have reminded you in so many ways lately, you -shut GOD too much out of this present world. The first disciples, as you -may see from St. Paul’s and St. Peter’s Epistles, were filled with the -conviction that the Advent was very near, that the next moment might -reveal it. This did not take them out of the world, for they believed -that CHRIST would come to them in the world. Neither did it make them -forsake their earthly calling, for they knew that it was in that calling -that they were to serve GOD, and to prepare for His coming. But it -caused them always to have regard to the end, and it sanctified every -pursuit and plan with the thought, “The LORD may come,” and so constantly -suggested the proviso, “If the LORD will.” We have no such conviction of -CHRIST’S nearness, and therefore have little reference to it, and are -faintly impressed with it. We argue, the Judgment has tarried so many -years, it may therefore tarry many more. Death has so long spared us, he -will not come to us yet. We shall have time to finish our present -occupations, we can enter upon and execute many fresh plans. We need not -raise a doubt, “If the LORD will.” - -But, secondly, we shut GOD out of this present world. We forget that He -is ever with us; that He is constantly exercising His providence over us; -that He is not ignorant, or indifferent, much less distant, when we -propose and proceed to execute; that it is by His exercised permission, -by His actual letting us go in anger, that we fall into sin; by His -inclining, and helping, and carrying us, that we think, and attempt, and -perform what is good; that thus watching and caring for us, and -surrounding us, He is at once the Witness, the Judge, the Rewarder of our -every thought and way; that consequently, when He has tried us enough, or -when we have long wearied Him, He is at hand to decide about us, and, -deciding, to execute the decision. His forbearance and interference, the -length of the probation, the numbers and kinds of trial, are different in -different cases. He knows what is right and sufficient for each, and He -applies it, and then He says, “It is enough. Thy righteousness is as -length of days. Well done, good and faithful servant;” or, “It is of no -use that thou shouldst be stricken any more. Thou wilt revolt more and -more. The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. Depart from -me!” And in either case the vapour is dispelled—it vanisheth away. - -O for the full perception and realisation of this truth; that we are in -the hands of a watching, proving, waiting, judging, visiting GOD. It -would be hard then to do or propose anything, without immediately adding, -“If the LORD will.” - -Two concluding thoughts suggest themselves. - -First, that life is of such different duration in different cases, -because we have individual capabilities and responsibilities, and some by -many trials and length of days are proved, others quickly and easily made -perfect, or wholly hardened; and because a discerning, ruling GOD is ever -at hand to close the trial at the fit moment. - -Secondly, that we are individually kept uncertain of the duration of our -life, to counteract the sad proneness which belongs to us, of putting off -eternal interests, and following our own ways to the uttermost; to give -to every moment, and every act of life, such vital importance, that we -may fear to squander or pervert it; to keep us ever mindful of our latter -end, and always intent upon doing the LORD’S work, and preparing -ourselves for heaven; that the GOD at hand may never be slighted, and the -world be always so loosely held, that we may easily and readily let go of -it whenever the LORD will. - -“Go to now, ye that say, To-day or to-morrow we will go into such a city, -and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye -know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even -a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For -that ye ought to say, If the LORD will, we shall live, and do this, or -that.” - - - - -SERMON IV. -THE UNKNOWN GOD. - - - ACTS, XVII., 22, 23. - - _Ye men of Athens_, _I perceive that in all things ye are too - superstitious_. _For as I passed by_, _and beheld your devotions_, - _I found an altar with this inscription_, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. _Whom - therefore ye ignorantly worship_, _Him declare I unto you_. - -THE city of Athens was wholly given to idolatry. It was crowded with -altars, dedicated to the supposed superior deities, to deified men, to -abstract virtues, Love, Truth, Mercy, and the like. Whatever new god was -described and recommended to them was immediately recognised, and -thenceforth worshipped; and, besides, the Athenians’ love of something -new, led them to search out for and invent gods for themselves. Hence it -came to pass, that there were more idols in that one city than in all the -rest of Greece: so that Satirist did not much exaggerate when he said -that in Athens you might more easily find a god than a man. It belongs -not to our present purpose to consider how this arose; to contemplate the -strange coexistence of so much superstition and so much cultivation of -intellect, or to strive to enter into the feelings which animated Paul, -when his spirit was stirred within him at the sight of the city wholly -given to idolatry. We pass on to the time when the Apostle stood on -Mars’s hill, in sight of many heathen altars, surrounded by Epicureans -and Stoics and disciples of many other schools of philosophy, some -striving to silence him, others intent upon hearing something new from -him—to meet the contentious gainsayings of the one, to enlist the -curiosity of the other; to make use of their various dispositions, of all -that he saw and heard, in promoting the glory of GOD, and, if it might -be, in leading them to salvation. - -It must be borne in mind that some of these news-seeking Athenians -inconsistently enough contended with him, because he taught what was -novel; while others, on that very account, were favourable to him, hoping -that he would set forth some strange gods—some additional objects of -worship to whom they might erect altars. “Ye men of Athens,” he said, “I -perceive from actual observation that you, more than other people, have -great regard for religion.” This is the right meaning of the words -translated: “In all things ye are too superstitious.” It is not likely -that the Apostle would have commenced a speech intended to conciliate and -enlighten them, with words that would at once affront them, and make them -deaf to all else he had to say. Besides, it is clear from what follows, -that he is not directly calling upon them to abandon what was false, but -to understand and accept rightly a truth which they held in ignorance. -“I say nothing to you now upon the many gods whom you worship _by name_, -but, pointing to an altar inscribed to the Unknown GOD (it was probably -in sight) I answer those who contend with me for speaking about the -unknown, and gratify those who want to hear something new, by taking that -altar as my text, and preaching to you about ‘the Unknown GOD’—about no -new god, for He is already the object of your worship; but still about -one of whom much that is new to you may be said. Give ear to me, ye that -are so full of reverence for the gods, while I describe to you an object -indeed of your present reverence, but one of whose nature and operations -and demands upon you, you know nothing.” - -Respecting the existence of such an altar, we are told that the Athenians -through the very excess of their idolatry (which led them to look for -gods in every place and circumstance, and to ascribe every event, good or -ill, to the influence of some deity) had on more than one occasion, when -an unusually severe pestilence had visited them, which they could not -connect with any of their known gods, conjectured that it must be the -doing of some god whom they did not propitiate with sacrifices, and, -failing to find out who it was, and yet fearing to neglect his worship, -had caused altars _without names_ to be erected, and offerings to be made -to the nameless being; and that in course of time these altars came to be -described, and to bear a corresponding inscription, as severally the -altars of an “unknown god.” There is no reason to suppose that they -meant to exalt that god above the others, that they had any clearly -defined ideas of the general operations of one unknown Being, much less -that they meant under that title to worship the GOD of the Jews; but with -a kind of natural instinct, a very vague feeling that something beyond -and above what they knew, existed, they had stumbled, as it were, in the -dark, upon a real truth, which was now to be revealed to them. “Whom -therefore ye ignorantly worship—Whom you are right in worshipping, but of -Whose proper worship you know nothing, Him declare I, and reveal unto -you.” You know how St. Paul went on, meeting without mentioning the -errors of the various sects of philosophers, that there was indeed a GOD -who made the world, and all things therein; that He was not a mere idol -of wood and stone (“dwelling not in temples made with hands”), that He -had no such passions, and no such needs as they ascribed to Jove and Mars -and their deified men (“Neither is worshipped with men’s hands as though -He needed anything”), that He was not a sentiment—an ideal thing—a being -bound by fate—an indifferent spectator of men’s ways. “He giveth to all -life and breath and all things.” “In Him we live and move and have our -being.” “He hath appointed a day in the which He will judge the world in -righteousness by the man whom He hath chosen;” to whom He has borne such -signal testimony in raising Him from the dead; in whose name, and at -whose command, I come to tell you of the resurrection from the dead, and -to call you out of the ignorance which GOD will no longer wink at, and to -urge upon you repentance and preparation for judgment. So he spoke of -the unknown GOD. Some mocked, and refused to understand; some were in -doubt and difficulty, and wished to hear more; others began to know Him -who had hitherto been unknown, and clave unto the Apostle, and believed. -And shortly after Paul departed from Athens, never, as far as we know, to -visit again! - -It would be interesting to consider the strange rise and spread of -ignorance which in course of time made the GOD, Who had been seen and -heard and walked with in Eden, and had never left Himself without -witness, wholly unknown to the creatures of His hand, and the objects of -His providential care; to contemplate the idolatry of ignorant heathen -man, not seeing GOD in all His works, not able to find Him even when -looking for Him and desiring to worship Him, believing in every god but -the true One, sometimes even offering sacrifices to devils; to discuss, -too, how it is the world by wisdom knows not, and never has known GOD, -that intellect cannot search Him out, that intellect has even blinded -many to whom the unknown GOD was plainly exhibited; to ask how much of -this is natural, how much unnatural, how much judicial—the punishment of -pride, the reward of loving darkness rather than light, because of evil -deeds. But interesting as would be the consideration of “GOD unknown in -the world,” there is a more important theme suggested by the text for us -to dwell on, namely, “GOD unknown in the Church.” “There standeth one -among you Whom ye know not.” Let me speak to you on this, brethren. - -Whatever may be the state and disposition of the people whom the -clergyman has to deal with in his various daily ministrations and his -intercourse with the world, once a week, at least, he addresses an -assembly in some sense given to religion. As he stands in the pulpit on -the Lord’s Day he may adopt almost the words of St. Paul on the -Areopagus: “I perceive that you (and such as you) are more than the rest -of mankind GOD-fearing, taking an interest in religion, listening to its -teaching, partaking of its ordinances, supplicating, praising, serving -GOD.” - -It may, indeed, occasionally be that some present themselves to see if -there is anything in the church for them to object to, or ridicule; that -others have come in conformity to the fashion, to hear something new, to -see and be seen; to make a show of respectability, to wile away an idle -time; and that many others, though proposing to themselves the observance -of a religious duty, are so formal, so listless, so unreal, that it -cannot be said of them that they are “given to religion.” Nevertheless, -I repeat that the clergyman, as he stands in the pulpit, has before him -the best, _i.e._, the most religious of mankind; not mockers, and -revilers, and persecutors; not gainsayers, and despisers, and forgetters; -but real worshippers—more or less reverential and earnest, more or less -enlightened—of the true GOD. But has he not in these same persons (as -St. Paul had in the Athenians) many worshippers of an unknown GOD? May -he not venture to say to almost all, “Whom ye ignorantly worship, Him -declare I unto you.” Christian worshippers, my brethren, often have many -idols, who share almost equally with GOD their interest and affections -and service. They have, many of them, their “ism,” their Paul, their -Cephas, or Apollos, their favourite dogma, their preferences and -prejudices for some particular rites, and ceremonies, and modes of -worship. In church, and out of church, their religion consists largely -in giving heed to these things: GOD is in their thoughts, but not in all -their thoughts, or not the chief, the engrossing object of their -thoughts; He is one of many objects. You find this out if you listen to -their remarks after service. “Such a chant went well or badly; the -preacher’s manner was pleasing, or the contrary; his language very -ornate, or very bald; the theme one they like, or one they do not like; -the rubric strictly observed, or strangely disregarded;” and so on. Of -course, as all these things are means to an end, and as the end is -gained, or not gained, by their suitableness, or the opposite, it is -lawful and right to give them some consideration: but I put it to you, -brethren, whether they are not too often regarded as themselves the end; -as though, provided they were satisfactory, there was nothing more -wanting; as though they were rightly as much the objects of interest as -the GOD in Whose service they are used, or, rather, as though regarding -them were regarding GOD! - -O brethren, we are too attentive to the system—too regardless of the -Centre! We want to know—(to feel, I mean, for the Christian’s knowledge -is of the heart)—that GOD is above all—that where other objects have -anything like an equal share of attention, where they hide Him from us in -His pure essence and direct influence, there He is ignorantly -worshipped—that He is a Spirit, not a chant, a voice, a figure of speech, -a rubric, a turning east or west. Through these we may reach Him; many -of them are steps and accessories to worship; but if in these we rest, -then we set them up as idols, side by side with Him, and prove that to us -He is but as the unknown god of the Athenians. - -See, dear brethren, I beseech you, if aught of this old error clings to -you, and pray GOD to clear you from it, and resolve henceforth to strive -to keep clear. Treat means as means—value them; be glad that they are -becomingly afforded you, and rejoice if they help you; but do not let the -best of them beguile you, nor the worst of them hinder you, from finding -and worshipping GOD Himself; from going away filled with thoughts of Him. -“I prayed to GOD; I praised Him; I held communion with Him; I heard the -things of GOD from His messenger, and have now to go and live by what I -have done, and received, and heard.” These are the thoughts to take away -from church with you, and to prove to you that you wisely worship the -known GOD. - -I have dwelt much on this part of the subject, because of the general -forgetfulness of it; a forgetfulness which prevents many from rendering -acceptable service to GOD, and from obtaining the full help and comfort -which religion affords to all who rightly use it. - -But there are many other kinds of ignorant worship. It is possible to -cast down all idols, and worship GOD alone, and yet err. The so-called -spiritualist does this: the man who supposes that addressing himself -directly to GOD, is sufficient, without the use of appointed forms and -ordinances; who attaches no importance to baptism and holy communion; who -thinks that no grace accompanies their use, or that he can have the grace -without the sign; who says that praying at home is a good substitute for -congregational worship; who boasts that he can read a sermon for himself, -and a better one than he can hear in church; or that the Bible is -sufficiently clear to him without an interpreter. - -Such an one ignorantly worships an unknown GOD. He dictates, instead of -obeying; he chooses, instead of submitting to what is appointed for him; -he puts reason in the place of faith; he refuses to walk in GOD’S way of -salvation; he disputes the Divine wisdom in requiring him to be baptised, -and to partake of the Cup and Bread of Blessing; in warning not to -forsake the assembling of ourselves together; in asking, “How shall they -hear without a preacher?” in appointing a standing ministry; he rebels -against GOD, when he disregards these ordinances; he makes GOD a liar -when he presumes to deem them unnecessary. Oh, he has great need that -the GOD whom he ignorantly worships, should be plainly declared unto him! - -Again, that man ignorantly worships GOD, who substitutes the forms for -the life of religion; who supposes that a sanctuary service atones for -all want of service elsewhere; who prays in church, but not in his -closet; who hears the Bible read or expounded, but does not search it -diligently for himself; who receives sacraments, but does not foster, and -use, and develop the sacramental grace, which is entrusted to him as an -awful talent to be increased and accounted for; who balances the religion -of Sunday against the worldliness of the whole week; who every seventh -day eases his conscience of its sin, by sighing out the general -confession, and forthwith takes to himself the comfort of the declaration -of forgiveness, and then goes back to his old transgressions and -omissions, till the holy day comes round again. Of course whoever does -this, or any part of it deliberately, is grossly, culpably ignorant of -the GOD whom he professes to worship; but it is not of such that I speak -now. I have in mind professing Christians, persons who busy themselves -about religion, who are regular in their attendance on means of grace, -who never wilfully desecrate the LORD’S day, who knowing that unpardoned -sin separates from GOD, and that without grace, life is unblessed, are -anxious for pardon and grace, and frequently seek them in GOD’S appointed -ways; but yet, forget, are not impressed with the danger of a relapse, -and the sin of non-improvement, and so somehow or other, fall into a -routine of formal religion on Sunday, which is not in their thoughts, -except as a matter that belongs to next Sunday all through the week. -This is to worship ignorantly an unknown GOD—a GOD Who does not accept -intermittent worship, Who bestows pardon only on repentance and amendment -of life, Who gives grace for use, Whose sacraments are meals to sustain -life and strengthen for service, Whose Sabbath is a holy rest to refresh -for holy work, in Whom we live, and move, and have our being, Whose glory -is to be our constant aim, His presence our perpetual joy. But these, -and many other ignorances—such as the disregard of particular attributes, -the picturing for oneself what GOD ought to be like, and so varying the -picture according to the fancy of him who draws it, instead of searching -how, and what manner of GOD He has declared Himself to be, and what -worship is appointed, and therefore acceptable—these, I say, are the -faults of individuals, or of certain classes only. Let me now speak of -an ignorance, a respect in which GOD is more or less unknown, which -concerns us all. And here, dear brethren, my object is not to censure, -to blame you for what you have not, but pointing out to you the GOD whom -Scripture reveals, to help you to correct what is amiss, to fill up what -is wanting in your conceptions of GOD, and so to attain to the -blessedness of knowing Him fully, and to discharge the duty of -worshipping Him in spirit and in truth. - -Observe St. Paul, while acknowledging the religious reverence of the -Athenians, evidently deals with them as men who understood not the -truths, the objects, the blessings of religion; as those who when they -had built their altars, and celebrated their holy days, and offered their -sacrifices, thought they had fulfilled all that religion required of -them, and who expected to get nothing by their religion, but exemption -from certain grievous pestilences, or help perhaps in war—mere occasional -miraculous manifestations of dreadful power—who had no conceptions of -sanctifying influence, of moral responsibility, of rewards of -righteousness. To them he declares GOD to be, One not far from them, One -whom they might find, in Whom they then lived and moved, and had their -being, Who henceforth would not wink at any ignorance, Who was at present -treating them, and regarding them with a view to a coming judgment. Now -we are better (thank GOD, who maketh us to differ!) than these Athenians; -but still we want somewhat of the heart-knowledge which Paul would have -impressed on them. We want to be more fully convinced that religion is -not a pastime, but a business; that not only duty, but interest, -momentous interest, is involved in it, especially that it is not a mere -concern and preparation and provision for the future, but a present -substantial reality; that GOD is not the object of distant worship; that -His wrath and His mercy are, not rarely, but constantly, being exercised -here; that He is not a departed LORD, Who has set us to do His work -against His return, and will take no account of us till some far off day; -that He has not left us unrewarded, unpunished, unhelped in the present, -not caring what we are, what we do, what we suffer, so as when He comes -back, we have either done what He appointed, or have assumed the position -of penitents for offence, and supplicants of compassion. - -Is it not matter of experience that we are not sufficiently influenced by -the hopes and fears of religion, that we do not adequately reverence GOD, -or seek Him, and rest on Him, because we suppose that He is afar off, and -that all that we have to expect from Him, will only begin to be realised -in the next world? GOD, as a present GOD, is too much unknown to us. We -do not feel that He is now about us; that His eye is watching us, and His -arm upraised over each of us at every moment of our lives; that He is a -guest actually in us, to be honoured and waited on now. We do not know -of His present closeness, of His immediate rewards and punishments, His -pleasure or displeasure, His instant succour, or instant withdrawal from -us, according to what He sees in us. We do all, and bear all in distant -expectation, and therefore we do negligently, and bear feebly and -impatiently. Could we realise the perpetual working, the instant -retribution, the very touching of GOD now, it would be easy to regard and -serve Him, it would be all but impossible to neglect Him. No man could -prefer dross to gold, misery to bliss, death to life, if they were both -offered him at the same moment. No one could hesitate whom to obey, whom -to trust, whom to fear, whom to love, if GOD were seen on the one side, -and fellow man on the other. It is because GOD, and the things of GOD, -are supposed to be far off, that we first prefer the other, and then -practically regard it as that which alone has real existence. - -Well, then, this is what we have to mend. I have been urging the mending -on these Sundays in Advent, in striving to show you that there is a GOD -present to superintend, and provide, and care for you in this life, and -in every event and moment of this life; that there is an actual and -immediate judgment of every deed, good and evil, and that there is a -present business of religion, and a direct service of GOD to be now -attended to. It is not head-knowledge that you want, but -heart-perception, and realisation. You want to feel what you must know -(because the Bible has told you that GOD is a GOD at hand, and not a GOD -afar off); that godliness has the promise of the life that now is, as -well as of that which is to come; that the irreligious is condemned -already. No expectation, no delay, no vision. All fulfilled, immediate, -and substantially real. You fancy, perhaps, that it cannot be so. You -urge that it is contrary to your experience; you have served GOD, and not -been rewarded; you have trusted in Him, and not been supported; you have -sinned against Him, and not been punished. Brethren, believe me, you -have not. “Experience” means that which has been ascertained by trial. -Make trial, and all will be proved. Devote yourselves now to GOD, follow -Him, give up for Him to-day, and you shall be rewarded to-day. Sin -against Him to-day, and you shall be punished to-day. Invoke His aid -to-day, and you shall surely have it. Do not prescribe your own mode of -visitation. Be sure that He will use His, and watch for it, and seek to -know it, and then you will have an experience to quote. I only repeat to -you what He has said. When you know Him, you will find that He is true. -Then wait on Him, acquaint yourselves with Him, serve Him in the present, -and look for Him in the present, and you will find Him in the present. - - - - -SERMON V. -FAITH AND ITS BLESSEDNESS. - - - ST. JOHN, XX., 29. - - _Thomas_, _because thou hast seen me_, _thou hast believed_: _blessed - are they that have not seen_, _and yet have believed_. - -DOES our LORD mean to say that there was no blessedness in the sight -which he then presented?—that it was not a precious privilege actually to -see Him, to hear Him, to be perceptibly with Him? Would He, too, -withdraw and reverse the blessing He had formerly pronounced—“Blessed are -the eyes which see the things that ye see”? Would He tell us that the -kings and prophets, who saw the promises only afar off, who fancied and -conjectured, and died in hope, were more blessed than the hearers of the -Sermon of the Mount, the spectators of the Transfiguration, the -companions of that three years’ ministry, the guests at Emmaus, the -disciple that reclined on His bosom? No, surely! The blessedness of the -Apostles, in certainly seeing, and being with CHRIST in the flesh, is, in -its peace and joy, a blessedness which stands pre-eminent and alone, and -must do till again He is seen in Heaven. But peace and joy are not the -greatest blessings. That which calms, that which gladdens, is nothing in -comparison with that which sanctifies and elevates; and there is a -blessedness which does this; and which, therefore, is greater. It is the -blessedness which faith produces. “Blessed (_i.e._, more blessed) are -they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” Belief, faith—what is -it? It may be described as the assent of the understanding, to that -which is not proved to any of our senses, but which appears credible -because of the testimony given to it. We all have this faith, in human -affairs. We all of us accept as true—are convinced of their truth, and -act upon the conviction—things which are not proved to us, but are -supported by reliable statement. If you serve for wages, or sell goods -on credit, or become surety for another, or go out to seek a new home in -a distant land, you do it in faith. You cannot see into the heart, and -be sure of the honesty of your employer, your customer, your friend; but -what appears, from what you are told by others of him, you rely on him. -And so again, you do not actually know that there is such a land as you -propose to seek, but you believe it, because of all that travellers have -said of it, of the goods you have seen, the letters you have read, which -are stated to have come from it. Of course, as the testimony varies in -its credibility, this faith is of different degrees. You have such faith -in your well-tried friend, in his integrity and his wisdom, that you -know, you say, that he will not deceive you, and that he cannot be -deceived himself. Others, of whom you know less, you believe more -slowly. Some, you think, are not qualified to give testimony; they have -the thing second-hand, or they were not competent to judge of what they -saw, and heard, and felt; or they are not truthful, and may wilfully -misrepresent: and even, in the best cases, faith is sometimes misplaced. -Therefore, your faith in human things, has always, perhaps (and should -have) a trace of doubt in it—sometimes is weak, sometimes fails -altogether. It would be wrong and injurious to have equal faith in all; -but, on the other hand, to be always doubting, to refuse to believe -without seeing, would be misery, and folly, and mockery of self. Divine -faith is different: the accepting (that is) of what is recommended to us -by the testimony of GOD, by well-proved miracles, by prophecies since -fulfilled, by any other of GOD’S witnesses. This is perfect. It admits -of no doubts and qualifications. It is as sure of what it believes, as -if it handled, and heard, and saw it: yea, surer, for its own judgment -might be deceived; but GOD knows all things and judges rightly, and GOD -cannot deceive. Therefore, when GOD reveals, we may not question the -plausibility of what is shown; we have no room for doubt as to His -opportunities of knowing, His truthfulness in communicating what is -narrated. All we may do, is to ask—Has GOD spoken, are these things His -testimony? And this we ought to do; for there is no blessing pronounced -by the text on the credulous, who take everything as from GOD, without -examination. Thomas surely would have erred, if, simply because some one -told him of CHRIST’S resurrection, he had straightway believed it. We -are exhorted not to believe every spirit, but to try the spirits whether -they be of GOD. We have to examine miracles, to see whether they are -real or pretended, and prophecies, to see that they were not written -after the professed fulfilments, and all revelations, lest they should be -spurious. Failing to do this, we might have followed Theudas, who came -to nought, or Joan of Arc: we might become Mohammedans or Mormonites. We -have to guard against this; not to be credulous; to be sure that it is -GOD that speaks: but then, being sure, whatever He describes, however -incomprehensible or improbable, whatever He commands, no matter how -apparently unreasonable, whatever He promises, against experience, -against opinion, against hope, to accept all, and rely on all, and lead -the life of reliance. Yes, brethren, this is the believing which alone -is blessed; the believing which leads to doing. Faith is the evidence by -which we see things naturally unseen; it is the substance, the very -handled reality, of things naturally only hoped for; and which, by its -revelations of beauty and bliss, by its sanctions and persuasions, and by -all that it shows us of the present, and promises or threatens in the -future, makes us fly to GOD, and cling to Him, and depend on Him, and -live for Him, and look for Him. Less than this—mere assent of the -understanding, without heart-embracing, and life-demonstrating, and -exercising—is not the belief that is blessed. Faith without works is -dead, being alone. If then, brethren, you would be partakers of the -blessedness promised in the text, you must have fully received, and be -acting upon the form of religion which GOD has given you. You must have -implicit trust in Him for help and support and peace and blessing. You -must know that whatever He has described is real, whatever He has -promised or threatened will surely be fulfilled, on the conditions He has -laid down; and you must testify and act upon your knowledge by a -corresponding life. I do not say that all this is demanded of you in -perfection; that the hope of blessing is gone, if you fail of aught of -it: but I do say that, if in anything you distrust GOD, if you question -or demand further proof of, or are indifferent to anything He has -revealed, and deliberately do not live by it, then you cannot claim the -benediction of the text. - -But it occurs to you to ask, perhaps, how it is that GOD selects -believing, rather than seeing, on any other way of reception for special -blessing. - -Now, it is not necessary that GOD should account to us for what He does -or wills. Creatures of His hand, we are made for Him; dependents on His -bounty, we must thankfully receive it in any way and form of bestowal. -But still there are reasons which may be briefly suggested for the -selection of faith. - -First, then, faith embodies the entire trustful devotion to GOD, which, -above any assent to what is proved, any following of what is seen or -heard, magnifies the honour of GOD, and so sets forth His glory. It owns -His truth, His providence, His love, and prompts to a free-will, -spiritual, glorifying service of Him. Secondly, unless there are to be -perpetual miracles, faith alone can be permanently and universally -influential. If we are to be guided by sight, or hearing, or touching, -then the revelations to one generation would have to be repeated to each -following generation, and those of one country performed again in every -other. Thus CHRIST would have had to continue on earth, to have visited -every land, and been crucified and raised from the dead in every land, or -to have gathered all nations into Judea to witness what was done; and -this would have had to be repeated over and over again to our fathers, to -us, to our children, or else some would have been without the necessary -influence to serve, and love, and depend on Him. And more than this, -since the sights we see and the sounds we hear, are soon over, and leave -but a faint remembrance behind, we should be imperfectly influenced by -them, when CHRIST ceased to speak; or when He passed into another place -we should be without our object of worship, our instructor or hope. And -even if these objections can be met, still the perpetuity of CHRIST’S -visible presence, the beholding of His miracles, and hearing of His -words, would necessarily put a stop to all worldly occupations; would -make probation little more than a name; would constrain men by natural -influences to a carnal or slavish adherence to Him, or would drive them -into reckless rebellion, and instant and irrevocable condemnation. - -But again, faith is more blessed because it has greater -privileges—because it reveals more clearly, brings nearer, than any sense -could do. If you only hear a loved one, do you not desire to see him? -If you see him, are you not unblessed unless you embrace him? And then, -is there not an influence, a way of communicating, that surpasses this—a -purer, a more spiritual influence, one which brings you together, and -keeps you together, and makes you one—love, which surpasses, which is -independent of, or only uses as accessories, the bodily senses? We are -too apt, brethren, to talk of seeing as believing; to count sense above -feeling; to exalt what belongs to the body, above what belongs to the -mind or spirit. Doubtless, the error arises from the way in which we -speak of faith giving way to sight in heaven, as though the eyes of the -body only, and not the mind and spirit, were to behold CHRIST then; as -though mental and spiritual perception were not better than bodily; as -though there were no assurance that faith is an abiding gift, and that, -therefore, while in heaven there will be much to gratify the eye of the -body, there will still be much more which faith alone can realise. My -brethren, the greatest eternal blessedness will be vouchsafed to faith, -and the greatest blessedness of this state belongs to faith, because it -is the exercise of man’s noblest and best, and most reliable faculties, -far superior in excellence, far more certain in ascertaining the truth, -than ears, or eyes, or hands. - -Once more, faith is blessed above seeing, because it grasps a set of -truths, and enjoys a class of pleasures which are different from those of -the senses, and which the senses cannot touch. GOD the Father invisible -for ever, GOD the Holy Ghost, blowing like the wind where it listeth, so -that you cannot see whence it cometh and whither it goes, ministering -angels, spiritual influences, and consolations, and helps—what can ear, -or eye, or hand know of these? But faith knows them, hears them, sees -them, handles them, and joys in them. And this, brethren, exhibits the -nature of faith’s blessedness; that to it is revealed the whole spiritual -world; that the evidence which it needs, the object of its worship, its -Saviour, its LORD, its hopes and fears, and encouragements and promises -are never absent, and never missed, (but by its own dimness or voluntary -blindness) whatever may become of the outward signs and boding presences. -Picture to yourselves, brethren, the scene of that chamber where the -raised CHRIST stood manifest, in the posture of blessing, before His -adoring disciples. Imagine what Thomas had before felt, and what he now -felt. Then hear CHRIST say—“The bliss of this moment might have been -yours before, if you had sought to attain it by faith, and not by sight; -and what you now see may be yours for ever, for in spirit I shall ever be -with you, and by faith you may ever behold Me! Blessed are they that -have not seen, and yet have believed”; and that blessing, brethren, was -for us, if we will have it. If we believe, then we are thus blessed. If -we are not blessed, we may be. O let us lay hold on this truth, let us -cultivate faith, let us pray to GOD for an increase of it, and let us -perpetually exercise it in beholding Him Who is ever with us, to pardon -our faithless sins, to restore us to His company, to breathe upon us -peace and blessing. - - - - -SERMON VI. -FAULTLESSNESS BEFORE GOD. -(INNOCENTS’ DAY.) - - - REVELATION, XIV., 5. - - _They are without fault before the throne of_ GOD. - -JOB declares that GOD puts no trust in His saints; that He charges His -angels with folly; that in His sight the very heavens are not clean. -This language is, of course, figurative, and not to be taken literally; -but it well describes to us the transcendent holiness of GOD, and His -utter abhorrence of all evil. In comparison of Him, heaven itself is not -pure, and angels, endued with wisdom, swift and constant to obey, -delighting in His will, even these are not perfect—fall far short of -perfection before Him. Job would show us the distance between GOD and -man. St. John, however, in the chapter of my text, would exhibit another -truth, not contradictory, but rather supplementary to Job’s, namely, the -nearness, through grace, of man to GOD. The Apostle is describing, for -the comfort and encouragement of the tried and persecuted, a vision which -he had seen of some of those who have passed away from this world, and, -as a kind of first-fruits, are already with GOD and the Lamb; and he -says, that “in their mouth is found no guile; for they are without fault -before the throne of GOD.” - -“Without fault,” means here, without spot or blemish; not only free from -actual transgression, but wholly untainted by corruption of sin—not -wanting in anything that belongs to the perfect character of the approved -of GOD. - -That man in his natural state is altogether faulty, that even in his -redeemed, and spiritualised, and sanctified state, while here on earth, -he has still many faults, are truths so plainly taught, so proved to our -reason and experience, that it would be idle to enforce them. How, then, -can he ever stand faultless before the throne of GOD? Now some would -answer, that for CHRIST’S sake GOD overlooks, that CHRIST, by His merits, -hides man’s faults; and so that the redeemed in heaven are not really -faultless, but that for CHRIST’S sake faultlessness is reckoned, imputed -to them. This is what may be called the popular answer to our question. -But, brethren, how utterly wrong it is seen to be, when we consider that, -in order to exalt GOD’S mercy and His wisdom in contriving justification, -it sacrifices His truth and His holiness. GOD cannot call the faulty -faultless. He Who is Truth cannot enter with His Holy Son (Who is also -Truth) into a plan of deceit, by which, to Himself, to them, to angels, -to the whole universe, sin shall be presented as holiness. GOD may agree -not to reckon with men for their sins, to forget the past, on certain -conditions to deal with the faulty as if they were actually faultless; -but He cannot—I say it advisedly, it is beyond the limits of His power, -as regulated by His truth—He cannot call evil good. And, brethren, -besides, even if it were possible that by some strange agreement with the -Son, sinful man should be passed off as holy, still his sin, while it -remained, hide it, disguise it, call it by what name you will, must -separate from GOD. Charity might forbear to punish it, or to make -mention of it. Charity might even gild it over; but Holiness deals not -with the name, but with the reality; and holiness must shrink from sin -and thrust it away. This ought to be the most readily perceived and -admitted of all Scripture truths, that GOD cannot tolerate near iniquity; -that—if I may venture reverently to use such words—even if GOD were -willing to receive to Himself an unchanged sinner, the actual reception -would be morally impossible; the same heaven could not contain holiness -and sin! No, brethren, if the sinner is to enter heaven, it must be, not -because his name is changed, but his nature; he must be actually without -fault before GOD. We see this to have been the case with those described -in the text: for it is expressly said, “In their mouth was found no -guile.” Observe, it is not, GOD mercifully overlooked their guile for -the sake of His dear Son, the Guileless One; He charitably called them -guileless; but “in their mouth was found (the testimony of truth to the -searching of holiness) no guile: yea, for they are altogether blameless, -without spot or blemish.” It is an actual, not an imputed faultlessness -that is thus described. Now, how is it to be attained by sinful men? -And here comes in a second answer of popular theology. At or after -death, CHRIST meets the departed, and by His resurrection-power quickens -that which was dead, purifies that which was corrupt, spiritualises, -sanctifies, and, as by a miracle, converts the sinner into a perfect -saint. This is an answer only second in popularity to the one we have -been considering. Those who urge it, believe that man is naturally -depraved, that, under grace, he retains much, almost all, his old nature, -that he is very faulty in deed, in will and affections. They know that -he must be faultless to gain accession to heaven and dwell with GOD and -the Lamb, and this faultlessness they hope for and pray for; but there is -no effort to acquire it; there is no concern for the absence, the -continued absence of it; it is regarded as altogether a thing of the -future; the free and perfect gift—perfect at once—to the released soul -and the raised body. Men who hold this view, are often better than their -creed requires them to be. In love of GOD and devotion to Him, they -strive to abandon sin and cultivate holiness; but they have no definite -object in view of becoming faultless here, in order to be faultless in -heaven. They seem to believe that they cannot get any nearer to -faultlessness whatever they do, and that those who have made no efforts, -ay, have even led ungodly lives, and, but for a few last sighs and -ejaculations, would have died ungodly deaths, are just as qualified, just -as fit in many cases, just as sure recipients of instantly converting and -perfecting grace in the next world! - -But if this is so, why have we such solemn warnings, to the effect that -as the tree falls, so shall it lie? “He that is righteous, then, shall -be righteous still. He that is filthy then, shall be filthy still.” Why -is it that in the representations which we have of the Judgment, men are -always dealt with according to what they were in life, “Inasmuch as ye -did it,” “Inasmuch as ye did it not”? Why is the pound taken away from -him that did not seek to increase it, and given to him who had gained ten -pounds, and the commentary subjoined, “Unto every one which hath shall be -given, and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away -from him”? Why is the boaster of his privileges—“In Thy name have I cast -out devils”—instantly dismissed with the words, “Depart from me, I never -knew you”? Why are they reproved who called CHRIST LORD, LORD, but did -not the things which He said? What did St. Peter mean when he exhorted -“Save yourselves;” and Paul, “Work out your own salvation with fear and -trembling;” “Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall;” -and CHRIST Himself, “Behold, I come quickly, and My reward is with Me, to -give to every man according as his work shall be;” “Blessed are they that -do His commandments that they may have right to the tree of life, and may -enter in through the gates into the city”? Surely all this, as with a -voice from heaven, calls on us to put away the delusion, that mortal life -is not a probation, that man has not a fitness to acquire in this life, -in order that he may be faultless in heaven. The answer of truth, -brethren, to the question, “How can man be faultless in heaven?” is, -briefly, By praying, and striving, through the blessing of GOD, the grace -of the Spirit of CHRIST, and his own self-denial, and diligence, and -cultivated holiness, to become less and less faulty here. After all, he -will never, on this side of the grave, be without spot or blemish, and -perfect in holiness. Whatever CHRIST may do for him here, he will still -have much to be purged away, much to be quickened, much to be glorified. -But, be sure, there must be a seed-time here and a growing here, if there -is to be a harvest hereafter. There must be a service, if there is to be -a reward; we must be faithful in a little, before we are made rulers over -much; there must be a fitness, a partial, a main fitness acquired here, -or no admission there to the inheritance of the Saints in light. -CHRIST’S work in us hereafter is not a transforming, but a completing, a -finishing, a perfecting work. “To him that hath”—that is, that has made -use of and improved what he hath—“to him more shall be given,” and he -shall abound. He who has traced in his soul and life the outline of the -features of the blessed JESUS, shall have the likeness filled up and -finished by the Divine artist, and be wholly conformed to His image. He -who has kept down the flesh, shall have the power of the flesh destroyed -in him. He who has sought after holiness, shall be made perfect. A -great change; much taken away, much added, but not a transformation. A -great work, which can only be done then, and only by CHRIST; but which -will fail to be done then if materials are not provided for it now; if -the foundation has not been laid, and the walls have not been raised, and -all made ready for the roof of GOD’S adding, and the capping of the tower -of glory. Yes; this is the qualification, without which you cannot be -received, but, having it, cannot be refused. Labour and pray to be -faultless here, and CHRIST shall at the end perfect your faultlessness, -and shall present you faultless before the presence of His glory with -exceeding joy. But the text seems to speak not of those who had washed -away defilements, had secured pardon of offences, had repaired faults and -made up deficiencies, in short, had been sinners, but, under the -operation of the spirit of CHRIST, were become saints; but of those who -never had been faulty, spotted, or blemished “These are they which were -not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are they which -follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth.” Of course, there must have been -the spot and blemish of original sin; but, apart from this—which CHRIST’S -applied purifying power and all-sufficient merits would entirely -remove—there seems to have been in the lives of these persons no actual -sin, no omission of righteousness. Now, as there is no man that liveth -and sinneth not, it has been conjectured that the vision here exhibits -those who were taken away to GOD in their infancy, before they had the -power or the will to do good or evil, and who, therefore, as far as -actual deeds and feelings are concerned, not by work, or grace, or -conviction, but absolutely and from the first were faultless: and -probably the selection of the description as the Gospel for this day, the -festival of the Holy Innocents, has gone far to confirm this conjecture. -But, brethren, this surely is not the meaning, at least the full meaning, -of the words. They describe freedom from defilement and following of the -Lamb as things that might have been otherwise. They hold up for the -example and encouragement of those who were tempted to lust, and to -depart from following the living LORD, the praise and happiness of those -who are without fault in these respects; and therefore they suggest to -us, I think, as the most profitable and foremost thought, the -blessedness, the superior blessedness of those who never have contracted -sin, nor failed in holiness. - -Men sometimes seem to fancy that the most glorious character in heaven, -the object of GOD’S fondest love, will be the once deep-stained and -wholly defiled, that have been washed in CHRIST’S blood till they are -become whiter than snow, the reckless, and rebellious, and blaspheming, -who have been subdued and converted; and that in comparison of these, the -mainly regular righteous life will almost pass unnoticed. It is easy to -account for the supposition. We read, without due consideration, of her -that sinned much, and was forgiven much, and therefore loved much; of the -returned prodigal rejoiced over more than the son who had remained at -home; of the joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over -ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance; of publicans and harlots -going into the kingdom of heaven before priests and scribes. We forget -that these things were said to men who were not really righteous, but -self-sufficient; that they were an accommodation to their own kind of -reasoning; that they were the justification of special works and -feelings, and peculiar demonstrations. Surely we are not to understand -by them anything more than that sinners were _at times_ more in CHRIST’S -thoughts than saints; that on the recovery of one lost sheep, the joy -over that one caused the rest for the moment to be put out of -remembrance. Surely we are not to understand that GOD has less love for, -and shows less favour to those who have uniformly served and honoured -Him, than to those whose life has been one of contempt and rebellion, who -have refused to accept Him till they had made trial of all else; that -GOD’S power and glory are more magnified in the ultimate conversion of -such a sinner, than in the steady control and improvement of a life-long -saint; that in themselves the reformed drunkards and defiled are better -than those who were always sober and pure; that their memories are more -blissful, and their themes of praise more satisfactory; that they are -even equal in favour, in bliss, in manifested honour to those who were -undefiled and consistently obedient, whom Holy Scripture distinguishes on -this very account, of whom it relates, that they sing a song which no -other can learn, signifying that they have a peculiar privilege and a -peculiar joy! Brethren, be sure it is not so. GOD is abundantly -gracious to all who call upon Him, late as well as early. No one, -whatever his past life, shall be refused who comes to Him through CHRIST. -In his late righteousness all his former sins shall be forgiven and -forgotten; they shall not once be mentioned unto him. He shall have too, -the joy of the righteous, and shall dwell with GOD in heaven; but still -He Who makes one star to differ from another in glory, Who bestows -different measures of reward upon different capacities, and different -attainments, has a special interest and a superior blessedness for those -who have never been stained, who have always stayed in their father’s -house, and have obeyed His will and loved His voice. In themselves they -are dearer to Him, as more like JESUS; and for them, He has seats closer -to the throne of CHRIST, and offices of honour near His person. - -If this is so, if “faultlessness,” in the sense of never blotted, never -imperfect, is the state that is most blessed, then, brethren, we might -perhaps be tempted to envy the fate of those whom we commemorate to-day, -who suffered so early for CHRIST’S sake, and as soon almost as they were -born, were put to death. We might judge, too, that the little ones whom -GOD so frequently takes away so soon after lending them, are summoned to -a higher blessedness than we can ever know; and therefore that not only -would it have been gain to die in infancy, but that it is positive loss -to live to years of discretion and responsibility. Let us not err -herein. We believe that the dear innocents, whose first consciousness is -of bliss in heaven, whose reason begins to develop, and their will to -exercise itself, only when sin is impossible, are not only unspeakably -blessed, but that GOD specially loves them, and folds them to His bosom -(as we did here), because of that innocence: no guile, no defilement—all -simplicity and trust. Thankful then in their sober moments are all -bereaved parents who are assured of their departed little ones’ eternal -safety, and are spared the fears and anxieties, the heartrending -realisation of self-will developed, and the world’s evil example -followed, and the devil triumphant. The LORD gave, and the LORD hath -taken away; and, in that He has taken away, from the evil to come, Oh! -blessed be the name of the LORD. - -But, brethren, it is only because we fear for the future, that we -thankfully accept such a present. Could we be sure that our little ones -would remain faultless, that they would not abuse the world, nor fall -into great error or misery, that they would grow in grace, and in the -fear of the LORD, and at length surely attain to glory; then, not from -selfishness, but for their sakes, we should covet length of days for -them. And rightly, for there is a better faultlessness, and a -correspondingly higher blessedness than that of infants, who were allowed -no opportunity (and possessed no power) to contract fault: it is the -faultlessness of those who shrink from the allowed opportunity, who -restrain the possessed power, and overcome the persuading will, who pass -through the fire without the smell of it being left on their garments, -who make manifest by a life of self-denials, and resistances to -temptations, and patience and perseverance in well-doing, their -intelligent deliberate love of GOD, and hatred of evil. These are the -tried, the eagerly accepted, the specially loved. These do the LORD’S -work, and set forth the LORD’S glory. These shall indeed be welcomed -with a “Well-done good and faithful servant,” for them shall be reserved -the best seats on the right hand of GOD; and they shall joy in GOD, and -GOD in them, with a peculiar joy, for they are likest unto CHRIST, Whose -spotlessness was preserved among so many defilements, Who with heart, and -mind, and life, consistently, unceasingly served GOD, and Who therefore -is highly exalted, and has a name which is above all other names. - -Oh it is no mean privilege, brethren, which you forego, when you leave -the ranks of the faultless, when you shrink from duty, or yield to sinful -pleasure, or contract any stain of ungodliness. Say not, “It is only for -once.” It will surely be for more than once; but if it were not, still -from being faultless that _once_ makes you blotted and blemished. Say -not, “I can repent by and by, and GOD of His mercy will accept me, and I -shall be myself again.” You may not live to repent. Sin may disincline, -the Spirit provoked may leave you; but even if you do repent—though GOD -will undoubtedly forgive, and in a sense restore you—remember, you can -never be as you were before. You may be cleansed, but not as at first -clean; admitted to heaven, but not to the band of the one hundred and -forty-four thousand of undefiled; joined to the glorious choir of the -redeemed, but not allowed, not able to sing the peculiar song of the -faultless. - -“But what,” some would say, “is the use of this preaching? We are all -already faulty; we can none of us have a place among these choice first -fruits of GOD’S harvest.” Brethren, faultlessness, pure faultlessness, -is no longer ours; but comparative faultlessness (and Bible -faultlessness, after all, is only comparative freedom from wilful sin) -may, and, I trust, does pertain to many of us; and for each degree of -nearness to faultlessness, if I understand the Bible aright, there is its -peculiar reward. I would put you on your guard against losing that -reward, by sinking to a lower level. I would urge you to hold fast what -you have, to subdue yourselves, to resist the world and the devil, to be -ever on the watch against danger, and to flee speedily from temptation, -if it is too strong to fight against, to seek strength and sanctification -in means of grace, to pray constantly (and strive constantly to make good -your prayer), that CHRIST would keep you from falling, and finally -present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding -joy. - - - - -SERMON VII. -PAST MERCIES REVIEWED. -(NEW YEAR’S EVE.) - - - GENESIS, XXXII., 10. - - _I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies_, _and of all the - truth_, _which thou hast showed unto Thy servant_; _for with my staff - I passed over this Jordan_; _and now I am become two bands_. - -THESE are Jacob’s words. They form part of the prayer which he offered -to GOD, when, on his return from Haran, he found that Esau was coming out -against him with four hundred men. - -Mingled feelings must have possessed Jacob at this time; strange -remembrances must have been his! Twenty years ago he had passed over -that Jordan—near which he now stood—in flight from an enraged brother, -meditating and preparing vengeance for an act of fraudulent injury. What -a weary pilgrimage he had since followed; what sorrows, what desolations -had possessed his aching heart; how he had toiled and suffered wrong; -even now was fleeing from it! Yet, those twenty years gone, he was -coming back, not to the prospect of peace and happiness, not to the hope -that his brother had forgotten his vengeance, or that he would easily be -reconciled to him; but to face a mindful, aggravated avenger, -strengthened by four hundred followers. Surely he had fled and been in -exile to no purpose! Surely, by deferring it, he had increased his -trouble! It must have been that Jacob now acutely remembered the cause -of Esau’s anger; that he meditated on the mean advantage that he had -taken, the base fraud to which he had been a party, the lying, the -profanity of his lips, the evil deeds which led to evil consequences. -Ah! now he felt that man cannot sin with impunity, that transgression and -punishment are bound together as cause and effect, that vengeance, though -it tarry, though it slumber, though we run from it, and hide from it -many, many days, will yet accomplish its purpose, will surely repay! -Yes; and did he not feel that vengeance had even followed him; that he -had been its victim all those twenty years; that the frauds of Laban, -from first to last, and the strifes and dissensions of his own household -were the fruits of his deceit; that GOD had allowed them, that in a way -He had caused them in retaliation, in punishment of his sin! What an -experience to him, what a proof to us, my brethren, that sin will surely -find us out! - -But Jacob must have had other and different thoughts—thoughts which -preponderated. As he called to mind his first passage over Jordan, did -not he remember the wonderful vision that was vouchsafed him of angels -descending to earth, ascending to heaven, in token of Divine providence, -of the intercourse between man and GOD? Did he not remember the Voice -which promised to be with him, to keep him in all places whither he went, -to bring him again to this land, to give it to him and to his seed after -him? Did he not look along those twenty years, and remember that GOD had -been with him, and that, by His command, he was now coming back; and did -he not hope, yes, even against hope, that GOD would be with him in the -coming struggle, that He would crown His mercy and goodness with a -present success, and with the establishment of himself and his seed in -the promised land? And one other remembrance surely he had. He -remembered the vow which in the fresh reverence of GOD’S presence, in -glad and grateful acceptance of His promises, he had solemnly made, “The -LORD shall be my GOD;” and he must have remembered how often he had -forgotten that vow, how generally he had slightly regarded it. These I -suppose to have been the feelings and remembrances which filled the -breast of Jacob, when he uttered the prayer in which our text occurs. -Observe how that prayer exhibits the right ordering of these feelings, -making prominent, putting uppermost thoughts and acknowledgments of GOD’S -goodness; and, in the moment of greatest peril, pausing to review -mercies, and to give thanks! There is no bitter lamentation of his hard -lot throughout those years of promised blessing; there is no pleading -with GOD, that if he had sinned he had surely been punished enough; there -is no mention of the merits of his contrite heart and amended life; there -is no angry feeling against Esau, no supplication that GOD would smite -and confound him. It is a godly, a model prayer. Betaking himself to -GOD in the hour of danger, as his only confidence and help, he humbly -urges no personal claim, but—that he is in the place of GOD’S commanding. -“‘Thou LORD that saidst unto me Return unto thy country and unto thy -kindred,’ I did not recklessly run into danger, I did not voluntarily -gratify the natural yearning of my poor heart. Thou broughtest me here, -O LORD protect me here;” and then having put forth himself, though but -such a little way, and coming to consider GOD, Who had shown him such -wondrous goodness, Who had fulfilled for him so truthfully all His -promises, he exclaims, “I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, -and of all the truth which thou hast showed unto Thy servant: for with my -staff—as a solitary, poor individual—I passed over this Jordan, and now I -am become two bands. Deliver me, I pray thee.” - -This seems to me, brethren, a fit theme for a sermon on New Year’s Eve. -Jacob, come back from Haran to Jordan, where he had made a covenant with -GOD, may well typify our return to-night to the sanctuary of GOD, whence -we went forth refreshed and pledged last New Year’s Eve. Jacob’s -reflections—he is the pattern of a mediator—may well provoke us to ask of -the days that are past, to remember all the way which the LORD our GOD -has led us. Jacob’s prayer shows us how to speak to GOD, what we should -feel in His presence on such an occasion as this, how to propitiate Him, -and to secure His defence and blessing in what lies before us. - -I will not attempt, brethren, to picture the circumstances through which -you have passed in the year which is now all but ended; many of them I -could only guess at, many of them, to me, would be unimaginable. Recall -them for yourselves and meditate on them. They will teach you much, and -influence you much. I will address you simply as those who have made a -halt in the journey of life, and who want now GOD’S blessing in the known -and unknown dangers, anxieties, sufferings, and labours that lie before -you in the coming year. - -Well: let your requests be made known unto GOD with prayer; above -all—yes! I mean it—_above all_, with thanksgiving. - -But, first, before you approach GOD, to speak to Him, to ask of Him, to -thank Him, be sure that you can say to Him, “I am in the way of Thy -commandments.” If at this moment you are contentedly different from what -you know He would have you to be; if you indulge, or do not resolutely -renounce any besetting sin; if you deliberately neglect any positive -duty; if in will and affections, and aims, you are worldly and selfish, -and do not seek to be otherwise; if you are planning anything, or hoping -for anything which GOD does not approve; if you are shrinking from, -desiring to avoid, what He appoints; if you have not made up your minds -to try to be holy, to walk in the way of righteousness; then, brethren, -you are disqualified to pray to GOD. He hears not such. He has made no -promises to them: they are not His. Go fashion yourselves (He will -mercifully give you grace to do it) into the character that He loves; get -you into the paths that He has marked out; turn your face towards the -Holy Land, and then come to tell Him of your felt unworthiness, to speak -His praise, to intreat Him to be with you, to defend and prosper you; and -be sure you shall be welcomed and blessed. - -But, supposing you not disqualified to come, supposing you bent on -coming, consider now your right posture and deportment before GOD. Ask -nothing of right, ask all out of felt unworthiness, and that, not simply -the unworthiness of the stranger, and alien, who want mercies which they -have never known, and speak to a GOD that has not hitherto been their -GOD, as the publican cried, “GOD be merciful to me a sinner;” but such an -unworthiness as belonged to the prodigal, such as he felt and groaned -under, when, reflecting on all the love and blessedness which he had -experienced in his father’s house, and had despised, and sinned against, -and seeing the Father coming towards him, ready to pardon, ready to -embrace, ready to lead him home again, he was humbled to the very dust -before Him, on account of his goodness, and declared himself unworthy to -be called His son. Oh, my brethren, if you do not feel unworthy, when -you approach the all-good and all-holy GOD, and if the feeling is not one -enlightened by, and full of the remembrances of blessings already -received, you are unfit to ask for further blessings. Not to have used -GOD’S blessings is great indignity; not to be thankful for them is base -ingratitude; but not to feel, that whether used or not used, appreciated -or not appreciated, they are many and undeserved—this is to deny that you -ever received them, or, claiming them as a right, to defy GOD to withhold -them! Cultivate then, I pray you, this feeling of unworthiness; and, -that you may do so the more readily, review the mercies, the promises -made true which you have received; and tell out their number, their kind, -and their magnitude to the GOD Who gave them, and would have them -acknowledged. “With my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I am -become two bands.” Now the argument of these words is, “I do not come to -Thee, professing that I am a fit person to be helped, but I claim Thee as -a GOD who are wont to help such as I am. I am not worthy of the least of -Thy mercies: but yet Thou hast shown me marvellous mercies. I possess -now the evidences and pledges of Thy goodness. Therefore I pray for, I -humbly count on further blessing, not because I am a holy man, but -because Thou art a good GOD, and My good GOD.” It is an argument which -prevails with GOD. He is pleased to see that we recognise His former -gifts, that we make _them_—and not ourselves, our love of Him, our -obedience, our prayers, and fastings, and study of His Word, and use of -His grace—the ground of application. He likes that His consistent -faithfulness should be invoked; that since He has made a beginning, just -on that very account, He should be looked to (so as it be humbly), to -continue His work, and to accomplish it. When you go to GOD to ask for -fresh blessings, you cannot take with you better and more effectual words -than those which make mention of, which exhibit as promises and pledges, -what you have already received. - -But these words are not simply an argument for further help; they are, -besides, a free acknowledgment, a pure praise of what has been given. -They may be the plea of a beseeching heart, but they are besides the -tribute of a grateful heart; and it is in this sense, brethren, that I -specially wish you to adopt them to-night, and to make them a -thanksgiving to GOD for past mercies reviewed. “With my staff I passed -over this Jordan, and now I am become two bands.” Jacob might have found -mercies enough to enlist his gratitude in any one year, or circumstance -of his exile and pilgrimage, and doubtless he reviewed each and all -particularly; but in his speech he comprehended all in a general mention -of them, and summed them up, and demonstrated them by pointing to their -effect. “Now I am become two bands.” Review your past mercies, consider -how GOD has been with you at all times, and has ever been doing you good. -Call to mind what progress you have been able to make spiritual or -temporal; what success has attended you; what friends have been given -you; what dangers you have narrowly escaped; what sicknesses recovered -from; what wounds been healed, what troubles overcome, what tears -staunched. Have they not caused you, like Jacob, to increase from the -solitariness and poverty of that passing over Jordan, to the riches and -prosperity of the two bands? Perhaps you say, you cannot trace such -progress; you are much the same outwardly and inwardly, as you have been -from the time that you can first remember. Then, brethren, you can -furnish your own testimony, that GOD has dealt better with you than He -did with Jacob, that your first state, your continued state has been all -like his last. O discern and bless GOD for those least heeded but -greatest mercies, the mercies which come to us at the beginning, and -follow us all the days of our life—the continued prosperity of our -family, the continued harmony and love, the bread always sure, the right -understanding early implanted, the fear of the LORD from our youth. -There is a way of travelling in our days which is so smooth, that often -we cannot tell that we are moving; and there is a manner of blessing, so -uninterrupted, so uniform, so without roughnesses and stoppages and ups -and downs, that if we be not on the lookout, we may fancy that we are not -blessed at all. Let not this be your case. Do not refuse to be -grateful, because all goes well with you, because there is nothing that -needs to be supplied, because nothing is taken away from you. Rather, -let the measure of your blessedness be also the measure of your praise -and the strength of your resolution. “Surely goodness and mercy have -followed me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the -LORD for ever.” - -But your object, perhaps, “Mine has not been this life of uninterrupted -prosperity, but, on the contrary, one of continued adversity. It is -Jacob’s first, not his last estate, that has been always mine.” What do -you mean? That you were not born rich, nor influential, nor of honoured -family? That you have not the wisdom of the philosopher, the dignity of -the prince, the opulence of the successful merchant, the leisure of -independent private life? That may be. Your state may be the reverse of -all this, and yet be the state of the “two bands.” External prosperity -in Jacob’s time was commonly, yet not always, the sign of spiritual -blessings; in Gospel days, with our better light, and greater power of -appreciation of the reality, the sign is not so often afforded, -frequently the most favoured are without it; yea, and often it abides -with the unblessed as the mocking substitute for true blessedness. If -you are without GOD in the world; if you do not feel Him about your bed, -and about your path; if you do not live in His fear, and hope for His -mercies, and His rewards; if the thought of Him does not moderate your -worldly joy, and direct your aims, and leaven your worldly work; if His -comfort does not dry your tears, His strength support you, His grace -sanctify you, then—no matter what your outward state, and your -possessions, your powers, your happiness—you are poor and unblessed. But -if He is thus with you in all your ways, if you have resolved, and are -keeping the resolution, “The LORD shall be my GOD,” then is yours the -state, or it is growing towards the state of the “two bands.” One more -objection somewhat akin to this last, must be answered. There are some -who say, “Mine was once the state of the two bands: it has long since -been—or it is fast becoming—solitariness and the single staff. All thing -are against me. Nothing that I put my hand to seems to prosper; I come -into misfortune; the fountains of joy are dried up; my hope, my stay, are -taken from me. When I look back upon the past, I look as it were up an -incline down which I have rolled, or towards a pinnacle whence I have -been cast down.” Now, of course, my brethren, all this may be the result -of the displeasure of GOD, consequent upon your sin, or neglect of Him. -Outward adversity is sometimes the effect of His wrath, sometimes it is -the chastisement of displeasure, and the discipline of correction. If -then in your heart, you know that you deserve such wrath, or need such -correction (even then it is a blessing, and you ought to praise GOD for -it, but still) you may be sure that it is the mark of disapprobation, -something for you to grieve over, and seek to have removed. But if the -testimony of your conscience is that you walk with GOD, then are these -so-called reverses very blessings, not declines but advances, not -hindrances but helps, tokens of GOD’S love upraisings of you towards -heaven. Oh be like Jacob; count all mercy, get rid of selfishness, and -meditate as he did, and you will prove that all is mercy, and proclaim -it! You will find, for instance, that the loss of wealth took away with -it the idol of your worship, the minister of your excessive pleasure; -that altered position broke down your pride; that worldly sorrow led you -to seek heavenly comfort; that the perfidy of so-called friends made you -cease to put your trust in man, and caused you to rely on the friend that -sticketh closer than a brother; that sickness and infirmity reminded you -of death, and stimulated you to preparation for judgment; that the loss -of those you loved, uprooted your clingings to earth, linked you to -heaven, revealed to you One whom you knew not; Whom above all you ought -to love; Who is better to you than sons and daughters; Who is the true -and abiding Father of the fatherless, and GOD of the widow. No matter -what your circumstances, how many your troubles, I tell you on the -authority of God’s Word, that if you love Him, they all work together for -your good; yea, they are all good in themselves. You will find them so, -if you rightly review them, and each of you will be able to say, as -truthfully as Jacob did, with much more meaning, because of your better -knowledge and superior blessedness in CHRIST, “I am not worthy of the -least of all the mercies and of all the truth, which Thou hast showed -unto my servant . . . I am become two bands.” - -Try to feel this, brethren, and to express it this night to GOD; to tell -out your praises for the mercies of your past life, and, in the review of -them, to pledge yourselves to Him, that you will strive henceforth to -recognise blessings more quickly, to use them better, to be more grateful -for them. Be these the thoughts and vows with which you consecrate the -last hours of a dying year. But, knowing that so soon as you set out -again, your enemy, whom sin has given the advantage over you, will come -to meet you, to smite you, to turn you back from the Holy Land, forget -not this night to cry, “Deliver me, I pray Thee, O LORD. Take away from -me the sin which exposes me to assaults, which makes me vulnerable. Give -me Thy strength: go before me with thy blessing.” Do this, brethren, -persevere in it day after day, night after night: wrestle with God, -refuse to let Him go—you shall surely prevail: GOD will yield all you -ask; and, in honour of your victory, He will change your name from Jacob -to Israel, that is, you shall no longer be remembered by the name of your -deceit and your sin. You shall be known, known to angels, known to Him, -as princes, and prevailers with GOD. - - - - -SERMON VIII. -WORKING FOR GOD. - - - ST. JOHN, IX., 4. - - _I must work the works of Him that sent me_, _while it is day_: _the - night cometh_, _when no man can work_. - -I DWELL not on these words in their relation to the context. I pause not -to consider whether their utterance was a justification of the -Sabbath-day miracle that was presently to be performed—“no opportunity -must be lost, no delay allowed of working the works of GOD”—or whether -they were but the thinking and resolving aloud (so characteristic of our -LORD), by which He kept ever in mind His great mission, by which He -continually stimulated and pressed on that human nature of His; willing -indeed, but yet weak, though not sinful; and made it vigorously -industrious in the work of GOD; or whether, once more, CHRIST here but -personified Christians, and spoke not of Himself, not to keep Himself -mindful and intent upon His work, but as their example and -representative, as though He had said, “A work of GOD will now be -manifested in the restoration of this blind man. It will not be delayed -till the Sabbath is over. See me serving GOD and serving Him now, by -instant doing of all possible work. Consider me your example. Let this -be your resolution, ‘I must work the works of Him that sent me, while it -is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.’” It matters little to -us what feeling or motive immediately prompted our LORD to speak the -text. His words at once commend themselves to us as those which we may, -which we ought to adopt, even if they belong primarily to Him; which, -rather, since they were the ruling maxim of CHRIST, must be the ruling -maxim of Christians. - -Well, then, these are our words (and CHRIST has shown us how to fulfil -them), “I must work the works of Him that sent me, while it is day: the -night cometh, when no man can work.” - -“Him that sent me.” Have we yet to learn, my brethren, that GOD sent us -into this world; that we came not here by chance, or on our own account; -that we are not independent beings, free to wander about or linger to do, -or forbear to do, as we please? By the will—for the accomplishment of -the purposes—of GOD, we are here on a mission, His messengers, His -agents, workers for Him. GOD has made all things for His own use and -glory. None of us liveth unto himself—He sent us forth. He gave us a -charge. He watches to see what we do with it. He waits for our return; -rather, He appoints, and, whensoever He will, enforces our return. And -what is the mission? What has He sent us to do? To work the works of -GOD, and make them manifest, to promote, to show forth His glory, to -become ourselves all that He would have us to be, and to light and guide -others to the same end. Work for GOD! How few ever think of such a -thing! Work for themselves (and for others like themselves) for food to -eat and raiment to put on, for money, for power, for fame, for pleasure; -men understand this; they acknowledge the necessity of it, or the -inviting, constraining desirableness of it, and they do it—do it -generally, do it well, and heartily. A really idle man, a man that works -not some works, is a rarity, an object of contempt when he is seen, a -despiser of himself. But, work for GOD! How many do that? Who does it -heartily, and does it well? Whose thoughts are full of it, whose deeds -accomplish it? What fruits come of it? There are some, not a few, thank -GOD! who can give a satisfactory answer to such questions; whose lives -continually give it, and whom GOD, for their works’ sake in CHRIST, -greatly approves. But I speak now to the many, yea, I speak to all; for -the work of GOD so generally neglected, is by none perfectly performed. -To all, then, I solemnly address the questions: “Do you work for GOD?” -and “What work do you work for Him?” You are tempted to justify -yourselves. You are not the unbelieving, and rebellious, and profane of -our race. You recognise a GOD of providence and grace, a moral ruler of -the world, a waiting Judge. To this GOD you say your prayers, His word -you read, and reverence, and receive. To Him you dedicate at least -several hours of each seventh day; by His commandments you order your -daily life. You do no wrong to your neighbour by word or deed; you -strive to purify and sanctify your very feelings and thoughts; you -believe in a Saviour; you accept His salvation; you try to love Him; you -partake of His means of grace; you rest in Him, and look to Him for final -redemption, and something you do occasionally by way of persuading -others; and something you give for the furtherance of religious works. -It is well, brethren, if you do this; if you go through the form, and do -not inwardly contradict what is outward, but rather incline to it. - -It is well, I say, because it is hopeful, it will, by grace, lead you -farther; but if in your heart and soul you recognise GOD, and believe in -a Saviour, then I am sure that you will not adduce what I have mentioned -as specimens of the works of GOD. Acknowledgments that GOD ought to be -served, pledges of service, they may be, but works they are not. And yet -some, perhaps, would urge, “When the question was put, ‘What must we do -that we may work the works of GOD?’ did not CHRIST answer, ‘This is the -work of GOD, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent”? and, say they, -“Does not this show that literal working, as we work in and for the -world, is not what GOD demands; that it is rather a mental assent, an -entertaining and exercising of feelings, a believing, a thankful, a -sanctifying remembrance of CHRIST’S work; a trust in it, a carefulness to -do nothing that will render it ineffectual for our salvation, that is -required of us? Surely, CHRIST has done the work Himself; we have but to -accept it thankfully, and wait for it faithfully and holily.” - -Now, my brethren, it may be easily shown that this is not believing in -Him whom GOD hath sent. To believe in Him is to embrace Him as the -Author, and Finisher, and Giver of Salvation; to be assured that -salvation can only be had from Him, in Him, and on His terms; to learn of -Him, therefore—and, of course, of His Apostles and Evangelists after Him, -for to them even clearer teaching was intrusted—what are the terms, and -then to fulfil them resolutely and precisely. Do you need that I should -quote the actual words, the chapter, and verse, in which CHRIST, through -the Spirit, tells us, that He has redeemed us to Himself; that He has -purchased us for a peculiar people zealous of good works; that He has -left us a definite work to do against His return; that on His return He -will judge and reward us by our works; that He will condemn as workers -against Him those who have not worked for Him; that it is vain to -acknowledge Him and not do the things that He bids; that He has left us -an example that we should follow His steps, in that He fulfilled all -righteousness, and went about doing good, and proposed to Himself, as -that which must be done, and done heartily and without delay, the works -and the manifesting of the works of GOD, and made it His meat and drink -to do the Father’s will; that He has said plainly, that whosoever would -not take up the cross and follow Him could not be His disciple. O wo to -those who dare to say this means: Sit still in worldliness, and look at -and admire Him doing the labour and pursuing the path of godliness—that -He has attached all His promises to certain deeds; that He is ever -represented as judging, not what men have thought and felt, but what they -have done and become by doing; that by the Spirit He has commanded “Work -out your own salvation with fear and trembling;” and “Whether ye eat or -drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of GOD;” and “He that -gathereth not, scattereth abroad”? Oh, my brethren, let us be honest; we -know, we dare not deny it, that a work, rather that many works are -imposed upon us by GOD, and that it will not do for us merely to think of -them, to sigh over them, to approach them carelessly, reluctantly, to -call preferred employments by their name; but that with clear -understanding with heart-devotion, with constant application and real -labour, we must do the works of Him that sent us. - -And, now, what are the works? - -The first, and most vitally important, is, to “work out our own -salvation;” not to attempt of ourselves to undo what Adam did; not by any -course of zealous doing to seek to recommend ourselves to GOD as -deserving a reward, to propose to purchase heaven, to go to GOD the -Father directly for it, and expect to get it from Him, either as a right -or as a gift of compassion: but, knowing that it is only to be had of -CHRIST, to seek it from CHRIST in appointed ways, in the measure, on the -conditions which He has prescribed for all, and to fulfil the conditions. -We are not naturally born in grace; we do not naturally inherit glory. -CHRIST, by right, the Saviour of all men, is, in fact, “specially” only -the Saviour of them that believe; of them who actually apply to Him and -depend on Him, and remain in communion with Him for grace; who serve Him -by fulfilling His commands and copying His example, who use His grace and -grow in it, and by its power transform themselves into the character -which alone can dwell in heaven. Now, all this is work—real, anxious, -laborious work; this obeying of CHRIST, this imitation of His example, -and following in His steps, this putting off of the old man and putting -on of the new man. Are you intent upon it? Do you perform it? Consider -the means of grace, prayer, praise, divine instruction, holy communion; -do you faithfully and diligently use them? Read the Decalogue with the -commentary of the Sermon on the Mount. Can you honestly say, All this I -keep and do? Study the life of CHRIST—is your life like it: like it in -humility, in self-denial, in labour, in fact, in hope, in aim? Examine -yourselves. Are you cleansed from evil propensities—are you adorned with -Christian graces—are you fit in person, in will, in desire, for a heaven -full of holiness, whose employment will be the doing of GOD’S work, as -angels do it, whose relaxation, if I may so speak, will be the -contemplation and the praise of GOD? What do you leave undone, what do -you transgress of GOD’S will? What covetousness do you root out, what -evil tempers do you subdue, what rash zeal do you curb, what indolence do -you overcome? Are you worldly, sensual, ill-natured, proud, -self-seeking? Have you any trace of these stains upon you? Are you -wanting in obedience, in patience, in holiness, in love of GOD? You -cannot enter heaven, it would close its gates against you, you would flee -from it as a place of torment, while you are in such a state. Now, what -are you doing, or attempting to appropriate CHRIST’S salvation, to secure -GOD’S approbation, to qualify yourselves in character, in taste and -desire for a purely spiritual, a gloriously holy heaven? You know what -concentrated thought, what single aim, what diligent, anxious, -persevering labour are necessary to make you good scholars, able -statesmen, accomplished members of society, successful tradesmen, apt -mechanics; or, to descend lower, ordinary earners of daily bread. You -may guess, then, what measure of these things is needed to perfect you in -saintliness, and therefore you are able to answer the question—oh, how -must you answer it?—whether you fulfil the acknowledged requirement of -the text, “I must work the works of Him that sent me.” - -But, besides this, so to speak, selfish work, you have a work to do for -and upon others. GOD Who wills to inform, and persuade, and save the -world, appoints men, appoints you to accomplish His will. Like as -CHRIST, besides qualifying Himself to be the Saviour, had also to -proclaim, and recommend, and bestow salvation, so have you, while putting -yourselves in the way of salvation, and diligently pursuing it, to be -lights, and voices, and helping hands to others. You are lights of the -world; you are ambassadors for CHRIST; you are your brothers’ keepers; -you are teachers of GOD’S Word, and advocates of His cause, and -treasurers of His gifts; you are under shepherds of CHRIST; you are -fellow workers with Him, and dispensers of His manifold grace. GOD has -given you these offices, and He has placed you where you may exercise -them. He has given you authority over your children, and servants, and -dependents. He has lent you influence over friends and associates. He -has planted you in the midst of crowds of ignorant, indifferent, ungodly, -that you may work for Him, in guiding, and persuading, and leading to -salvation, in making manifest His glory. He has put into your power to -contribute something—into the power of some to contribute much—to the -various associations (which are, in fact, your agents), for doing the -work of GOD in building and endowing additional churches, in providing -more clergymen at home, in sending missionaries to the colonist and the -heathen. You think, perhaps, that in the chief part of what I have said, -I have been describing the clergy, and not the laity. But, brethren, the -clergy are nothing but representatives, representatives, on the one hand, -of GOD, teaching, exhorting, ministering grace in His name, by and from -Him; representatives, on the other hand, of your prayers, and praises, -and your works. You know whose would be the blame, and how great the -blame, and how terrible the consequences, if the minister only confessed -to GOD and praised Him, and partook of His sacraments. It is just the -same, if he only teaches, and exhorts, and visits, and tends, and -relieves; an empty sign, a mockery, a provocation of wrath, which will -surely descend on those who cause it to be unreal, on those who do not -make it real. Ministers we are, coming from GOD to you, going to GOD -from you. Oh, you cannot suppose that if you leave two or three -clergymen to deal with thousands of people, to inform them, to persuade -them, to become acquainted with their wants, to relieve them out of their -own poor means, you cannot suppose I say that in so doing, you are -working the works of GOD, that when you have said your prayers, and -listened to the sermon, and paid your pew rents, and dropped a -superfluous coin into the plate of an occasional collection, you have -obeyed and imitated CHRIST. No, brethren, you are under no such delusion -of Satan. An awful responsibility is indeed upon the clergy. We have -sworn to give ourselves wholly to a work in which your part is to -support, and succour, and enable us. We are pledged to forego -opportunities of acquiring fame, and gaining wealth and power, and taking -pleasure. Wo to us, if we disregard the oath, if we cling to the things -which we profess to have renounced! But if we fail, that will not excuse -you; and if we are faithful without your adherence, the reward will be -ours, the blood guiltily shed, or guiltily unstaunched, will be upon your -heads. It is a solemn theme which I am discussing this morning, and I -dare not but speak plainly upon it. Our fidelity will not profit you if -you are not helpers of us. Our unfaithfulness, though we perish in it, -will be visited on you, if you do not enable us, if you do not constrain -us, by the power with which you should endow us, by the jealous concern -which you should have for our work, by the diligent co-operation which -you should exercise with us. It is easy to say, that you are not -qualified for this, that your time is all engaged in your worldly -calling, that you cannot spare from the means of your support, from the -capital of your business, the money which the Church calls for. But, -brethren, consider, that though GOD requires you to maintain yourselves -and your families, though your worldly callings are appointed for you by -GOD, though He allows you to give much time to them, to advance and -enrich yourselves by them, yet all this is on the condition that you do -not withhold from Him the direct service and offerings which constitute -the one thing needful, the reward of which is all that shall survive this -life, and this world! It was the fashion once among religionists to -despise, to pronounce unclean (unfitting for the Christian), the use of -the world, its callings, its profits, its pleasures. There is much -danger of an opposite fashion prevailing in our days. The confining of -religious service and worship to the honest, respectable, intellectual, -liberal pursuit of some worldly vocation, “the religion of common life” -as it is called, being regarded, not as the companion,—rather the -handmaid—but the substitute (and a very good one, too) for pure spiritual -religion. Both are wrong. The Christian may use the world, and in the -right use of it he may be serving GOD. But he must not abuse it; and he -does abuse it, if he allows himself to be engrossed by it; if he brings -himself to a state, if he continues willingly in a state, where he is -obliged to say, “I cannot spare any time or any money, my first thought, -and concern, and provision must be for this life.” - -You have heard, or read, perhaps, that a contented, conscientious, and -cheerful abiding in and following of our worldly occupations, that even -the housemaid’s sweeping and cleaning may be religious worship; and there -is truth in the statement, otherwise the Apostle could not have exhorted -“Whether ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of -GOD;” but, the Scriptural injunction means, “Prolong the remembrance of -your spiritual worship: testify your yearning to get back to it: keep the -face shining, when you come down from the glorious mount, so that while -the world demands your bodies, your souls, your hearts and spirits may -still be given to GOD, and even the bodily acts spiritualised by doing -them in submission, in holy observance of the will of GOD, in thankful -use of the means of support and helps to usefulness, which He thus -affords you.” Worldly occupations and worldly goods are to the Christian -what meals, and recreations, and sleep are to men generally: necessaries, -supports of the lower life, refreshments, and invigorators for something -better. Give yourselves wholly to these and you become sensualists, -idlers, sluggards; and give yourselves wholly to the world and you are -followers of Mammon and forsakers of GOD! You see the right use of the -world, as far as this life is concerned, when the son toils to support an -aged parent, when the young man struggles to get on, that he may -establish a home, when the father seeks through his profession to provide -for his family, when the lover of literature diligently tries to make his -calling afford him money for books and time to read them. This is -employing the world as a necessary means to a desired end. And so you -see the right use of the world, in regard to a better life, in him who -labours and perseveres, and advances in it with the view of getting as -much out of it as he can for GOD. - -Be sure that there are none so busy but, in the midst of their business, -they can think of what they like better; none so pressed for time, but -they can spare some of it, if they have a mind to; none so poor as to -have nothing to spend on what they covet. So use the world, and, in -using it, you will work the works of GOD, because you will often take -from it, and often come out from it, for the direct and more purely -spiritual works of GOD. - -But CHRIST, our pattern, said not merely “I must work the works of GOD,” -but I must do them “while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can -work.” We know what that meant in His case. He had taken human nature -in its weakness, and He had to bring it to its full strength, to fit it -for glory and exaltation to the throne of GOD. He had in His life to -speak the word of GOD to many people, and in many places, and each -opportunity must be seized, or others would be forfeited. He had to -relieve present sufferings, and to supply present wants; to meet -necessities while they were pressing. Soon the time would come for Him -to go to the Father: then He must be perfect; then He would have no more -opportunity in the flesh for benefitting man and glorifying GOD; then He -could make no more preparation for the setting up of His Church. - -The words have a similar meaning with regard to us; but in our cases the -necessity is more urgent, the delay more awful, because we have no fixed -time allotted us—“to-day, and to-morrow, and the third day I must be -perfected.” Our life is to be taken from us without our consent, and may -be taken at any moment; we have not power to lay it down when we will, -and power to keep it as long as we will. And, besides, we have not been -using each year, each day, each hour, to the best advantage. We have -left undone much which we ought to have done, we have done much which we -ought not to have done. We have all this to correct, and yet to give -full attention to the works yet remaining. - -Look we in at ourselves, brethren, and see what requires to be done in us -before we are fit for heaven. Listen to the cries of spiritual distress, -and consider what has to be supplied. Think of the souls that are dying, -and will soon be dead, if we do not revive them. Remember we what frail, -short-continuing, dying creatures we are; how soon at the latest, how -suddenly, it may be abruptly, without a moment’s warning, we may be -called to present ourselves, to be dealt with according to our fitness, -to give account of our works for GOD. - -Let the arrival of a new year set us reviewing the past year, with its -catalogue of offences, of neglects, of things to be wiped out, debts to -be paid, progress to be quickened. Let us heed well its injunction and -its warning, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might, -for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave -whither thou goest.” Let us look up for the opening clouds and listen -for the Advent voice, “Behold, I come quickly, and My reward is with Me -to give to every man according as his works shall be;” and let us -instantly resolve and instantly begin to perform our resolution and -persevere in it, nor dare to forget it: “I must work the works of Him -that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” - - - - -SERMON IX. -CHRIST’S TRUEST MANIFESTATION. - - - ST. JOHN, XIV., 22. - - _Lord_, _how is it that Thou wilt manifest Thyself unto us_, _and not - unto the world_. - -ON the festival of the Epiphany, and on several Sundays afterwards, we -commemorate what are called manifestations of CHRIST; revelations and -exhibitions of Him, in His nature, His person, His might, His wisdom, His -various offices. In one sense, CHRIST’S whole life, from the manger in -Bethlehem to the Mount of the Ascension, was a manifestation. It was not -possible to see or hear Him, without becoming convinced—if open to -conviction—that He was different from all other men, and superior to -them. His every deed, His every word, His every look, designedly or -undesignedly proclaimed “This is GOD manifest in the flesh!” Still, -there were some particular exhibitions of Himself, which, from the -special circumstances attending them, the preparation made for them, -their peculiar importance, their wonderful effects, or their relations to -certain classes or individuals, are entitled to be distinguished from the -rest of that life-long Epiphany, and to be called _par excellence_ the -manifestations of CHRIST. - -Of this kind, was the exhibition to the shepherds, and again, that to the -wise men of the East—prefiguring, commencing the manifestation to the -Gentiles; the declaration that He must be about His Father’s business, -the baptism by John, the show of His power in converting water into wine, -in cleansing the leper, in calming the troubled sea, in casting out -devils; the unfolding of His wisdom in speaking parables, the preaching -of judgment by the Son of Man—all of which are in turn commemorated at -this season. Of this kind, again, were the teaching on the Mount, all -the miracles, the Transfiguration, the appearances after the -Resurrection, the Ascension, the wonders of Pentecost, the light that -shone from heaven on Saul journeying to Damascus, and the voice that said -“I am JESUS whom thou persecutest.” These were all pre-eminent -manifestations, as being designedly full of significance, making special -revelations to special persons; displaying, so to speak, the chief -features of CHRIST, and teaching most important lessons. Nevertheless, -they were rather preludes and signs of CHRIST’S truest manifestation, -than that manifestation itself—faint glimmers of coming light, rustlings, -warning movements, scarcely upliftings of the curtain that hung between -things spiritual and the would-be spectators of them—parables, and -prophecies. They left not those who saw them where they were, but they -carried them not whither they would be or should be. They bade them look -and listen; but they revealed not the sight, nor spake the word. Strange -as it may seem, CHRIST was not truly manifested till the clouds of heaven -hid Him, and, in the flesh, He ceased to appear and speak till -judgment-time. The truth was, as yet, not taught, but only hinted at, -and men were not yet ready for it, and could not receive it. It is not -in what we call the Gospels, but in the Epistles, that the truth as it is -in JESUS is revealed. It is not in the miracles of His earthly ministry, -but in the spiritual wonders which, after Pentecost, the Apostles wrought -in His name; that the real power of CHRIST, the power to bless, is seen -and felt. All before was but a type, a shadow, a dream. The antitype, -the reality, the waking vision, belong to apostolic days, and to the days -after them. Then was the Gospel revealed, which before was only brought -nigh. Then was the kingdom of Heaven opened. Then did JESUS, through -the Spirit, begin to speak and show Himself openly and plainly to Jews -and Gentiles, and to draw all men to Him. Then did spiritual wisdom -begin to enlighten, and spiritual power begin to enable the hitherto -blind and helpless. Then first, even to the Apostles, and then, by them, -to the world, began to be displayed GOD manifest in the flesh. Up to -that time, though He was in the world, the world knew Him not. He stood -among them, but they did not see Him; He spoke, but they did not hear: -yea, though He had come to His own, they did not receive Him, till the -Pentecostal light made all clear, and the voice of the Spirit declared -“This is the beloved Son of the Father,” and the power of Divine grace, -enabled and constrained to believe on His name, to receive Him -intelligently and heartily, and through Him, and in a measure like Him, -to become sons of GOD. - -Then and thus was CHRIST truly manifested, as it were in these last -times. - -But there is even yet a better manifestation, one more really worthy of -the name—that, namely, which is made to the Disciples, but not to the -world. - -In a sense, all that has hitherto been described was an external -manifestation—a manifestation to the world. The Gospel was preached -openly, the credentials of its heralds were publicly exhibited, whosoever -would might hear and see; and only when they refused, and judged -themselves unworthy of eternal life, did the Apostles turn away from -them, or pass on to another place, shaking the dust off their feet as a -testimony against them. Even the inward grace, the power to see -spiritually, to believe, and to accept CHRIST, was so far manifested to -the world, that it was offered to all, and was within the reach of all. -The Apostles, who taught men their need of salvation, and exhorted them -to save themselves, both showed them the way and promised them the grace -of salvation; and thus, therefore, was CHRIST openly, and with power, -manifested to the world. But, in the chapter of the text, CHRIST makes -it a special promise to those that love Him, that He will manifest -Himself to them. Judas (not Iscariot) rightly concludes that this is a -manifestation which shall be made to none but approved disciples; and, -accepting the promise, he ventures to ask, respecting its fulfilment, -“LORD, how is it that Thou wilt manifest Thyself unto us, and not unto -the world?” - -It must be borne in mind that the Jewish notion, a notion shared by the -disciples, was that the MESSIAH would manifest Himself in all the pomp -and power of a triumphant earthly prince, exhibiting Himself to the whole -world, ruling all the nations of the earth, and demanding the homage and -adoration of all men. They waited in expectation that the kingdom of -Israel would be restored, that Jerusalem would become the capital of the -world, that CHRIST would sit visibly on a splendid throne, in the midst -of her, and that they would occupy the nearest places to Him of honour -and power. This notion was still theirs, as we know, when CHRIST led -them out to the Mount of the Ascension; and we can well understand, -therefore, that Judas, and those with him, must at this time have been -greatly perplexed by the intimation, which CHRIST’S promise conveyed, -that He was only to be manifested to those that love Him. It is out of -this perplexity—not, as I said before, questioning the fact of a partial -manifestation, but unable to understand it, and seeking -enlightenment—that Judas asks, “LORD, how is it that Thou wilt manifest -Thyself unto us, and not unto the world?” - -The words translated “How is it,” render possible a threefold -interpretation of this question. 1st. LORD, what has happened—how is it -come to pass that the original design (at least, what we suppose to be -the original design) of an universal manifestation is altered, and now -only a partial manifestation to be afforded? 2ndly. LORD, what has been -done by us, what special merits have we, whence is it that we are to be -so signally favoured, and others passed over? 3rdly. LORD, what kind of -manifestation will that be which some eyes only shall perceive? In what -way wilt Thou reveal Thy presence to us, so that the world, in the midst -of which we dwell, into the midst of which, therefore, Thou must come to -us, shall not partake with us of the vision. It is scarcely profitable, -perhaps, to consider whether or no the first interpretation is -admissible; nor need we attempt to decide between the second and the -third. Let us rather combine them; and taking the question out of -Judas’s mouth, and adopting it as our own, let us reverently and -teachably ask, as we need, of Him who giveth wisdom liberally, “LORD, how -is it, on what account, and in what way, that Thou wilt manifest Thyself -unto us, and not unto the world?” - -I. On what account is He partial? Why does He make us to differ? Not -then, for any recommendation we had to His favour—for we were all -concluded under sin, and all guilty before GOD. Not again, for any -merits or deserts in His service, for at the best, if we have done all -that He set us to do (and who has?) we are yet but unprofitable servants. -No! there was nothing which should make GOD respect and choose us before -others; and we have done no work for which we can claim reward. GOD is -no respecter of persons. It is impossible, by any mere natural deeds or -efforts to please Him. We have all sinned and come short of His glory. -We all sin, and deserve wrath every day. But CHRIST, Who would have all -men to be saved, Who has died for all, and risen again for all, and sent -down His Holy Spirit ready to justify, to sanctify, to bless all, has -nevertheless made the bestowal of His grace conditional. He requires a -certain “receptivity” for it. It is not thrust upon all, willing or -unwilling, proud or humble, GOD-fearing or GOD-despising. Men must feel -their need of it; and, feeling their need, they must express it, at least -to Him, and must go to Him in His appointed ways to obtain it. CHRIST in -sufficiency, in desire, the Saviour of all men, is, in fact, specially -only the Saviour of them that believe—believe with that impelling desire, -and that active faith, which make them flee to Him to be saved, and -earnestly ask of Him, “What must I do to be saved?” And next, having -this fitness, this receptivity for grace, and so receiving it, CHRIST -requires men to treasure up the grace with reverence and godly fear; to -use it with diligence, with zealous effort, to improve it, to grow in it; -to strengthen it constantly by all appointed means of sustenance and -exercise; to accomplish with it all that He wills and directs to be done; -to be heartily grateful to the Author, the Sustainer, the Finisher of -Salvation. “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is -that loveth Me, and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I -will love him, and will manifest Myself to him.” So then it is only to -love that the manifestation is made; and love is proved by obedience, and -obedience is the hearty faithful performance, in the spirit as well as -the letter, of the expressed will of CHRIST. - -And here, brethren, before we go further, let us see in the light of -these conditions, why it is that religious influences affect so little -the vast mass of mankind. There is a manifestation of CHRIST to the -world. He is ever speaking in their ears and showing Himself to their -eyes. His Church, with its Bible, its means of grace and ministry, its -duration and extension, besides being a standing miracle, the infallible -credential of His divine authority, the proof of His wisdom and His -power, is a very exhibition of Himself, mighty and eager to save. The -Spirit, which is with and in that Church, declares Himself to be able and -ready to enlighten, and persuade, and strengthen all, without exception, -without delay, if only they will come to Him. And yet how many, not only -of the recklessly profane, the grossly carnal, the resolutely blind and -deaf, but of the well-disposed, the moral, the albut exemplary, have no -perception whatever of CHRIST! How many so-called Christians, not only -in their business or their pleasure, when they turn away their eyes from -the manifested GOD, but even when they come up to the sanctuary, when -they read the Bible, when they kneel in prayer or stand to praise, when -they look Zionwards, when they are all attent, eyes and ears, yet see no -sight, and hear no sound of CHRIST! The world which they have left is -remembered, and stands before them in a life-like picture. The sights -they would not see, the sounds they would not hear, they cannot escape -from; but CHRIST, the object of their worship, in some sense the desire -of their eyes, they look for but cannot find; if He stands in the midst -of them, they know it not! - -Is not this, brethren, the experience of many of you? You do not, of -course, ever expect open visions, perceptions with natural eyes and ears -of a spiritually manifested Saviour; but do you not often fail to obtain -what you think (and rightly) you ought to aim at obtaining, a real, -though spiritual, a convincing, constraining, sanctifying, and cheering -manifestation of CHRIST? Do you not often, do you not almost always find -just that wanting, which should make religion real? “Oh!” you exclaim, -“would that when I kneel down in church, to make solemn confessions, to -utter supplications, to pray for pardon, for favour, for grace—oh! that -such a vision of CHRIST were afforded me, that I were possessed with such -feeling of His presence, as would prevent my turning away so readily from -the solemnity, to see who is coming into church, to admire or criticise -the dress or appearance of those beside me, to remember the worldliness -of yesterday, to anticipate the worldliness of to-morrow. Oh! that when -I sit with open Bible before me, and slight and slur over its difficult -parts, and give little heed to the personal application of its histories, -and treat albut with indifference its exhortations, its warnings, its -promises, its threats—Oh! that some voice would recall me from my -wandering, and dispel my irreverence, and concentrate my devout attention -with its heard command, ‘Thus, saith the LORD, Hear what the Spirit -saith.’ Oh! that when I go about the world, and neglect my religious -duty here, and transgress it there, yielding readily to temptation, -hankering after, following worldliness, led by the persuasions, awed by -the frowns, constrained by the demands of the world, oh! that CHRIST -would stand at least before my spiritual vision, and utter to the ears of -my soul, ‘Forbear. Take up thy cross. Follow me.’ Oh, that He would do -all this for others too: for those whom I love, who go farther out of the -way, for the carnal, for the godless, for the souls that are carelessly, -that are deliberately perishing! Oh! that for His own honour’s sake He -would openly show Himself and dispute—with the Devil, with Mammon, with -Pleasure, with Folly—the possession of the souls which He has purchased -for Himself! Why does He not give some proof, why does He not exercise -some persuasion which must be felt, which could not be disregarded? Oh! -that He would rend the heavens and come down; that He would cheer the -saint; that He would confound and convert the sinner by His manifested -presence.” - -It is thus, if I mistake not, that we sometimes think and wish. But, -brethren, the words which prompted Judas to speak, reprove our thoughts. -They show us that it is not by oversight, by defect, by mismanagement, by -any failure to accomplish what was intended, but by deliberate design, by -exact fulfilment of what GOD proposed, that the real, the strong -influences of Christianity are not brought to bear upon men generally. - -CHRIST manifests not Himself fully to the world. He never meant to do -it. He never will do it, till he comes to judgment. - -GOD, we are told, “will have mercy on whom He will have mercy, and whom -He will He hardeneth.” These awful words do not mean what some attempt -to make out of them—that there is an arbitrary election to salvation, and -so for all others an inevitable destruction. They mean rather that while -His mercy is ready to flow, and is always flowing, if you desire it, you -must go to the fountain for it. GOD is under no necessity to save all -men. We do not confer a favour on Him by consenting to be saved. His -glory will be manifested in destruction as in salvation. He desires to -save us. He will save us, and rejoice in our salvation, if we seek to be -saved: but if we are rebellious, or indifferent, if we will not comply -with the conditions on which only He will manifest His best presence to -us, then we must not complain, if He makes good His declaration, and -proves it by withholding Himself from us, that whom He wills (and in what -way He wills) on them He has mercy, and all others, though He long bears -with them, and gives them much time and opportunity for conforming to His -will, yet is He content, yea, determined to leave them in their hardness, -to confirm them in their hardness, because they will not be softened in -the way which He has chosen to prescribe. - -Oh! my brethren, do not suppose that it is the weakness, the impotence of -Christianity, the frustration of the will of GOD that is demonstrated in -the world’s ungodliness, in the perdition of so many immortal souls. No! -It is rather the power of Christianity to keep its own for its own: it is -the glorious vindication of the sovereign will of Jehovah to save whom He -will; it is the corroboration of CHRIST’S word, that none should come to -the Father but by Him; it is the terrible, deliberately-inflicted -punishment of those that will not come unto Him that they might have -life; it is the manifestation, so to speak, of His non-manifestation: “If -ye will not love me, holding my commandments and keeping them, then you -cannot be loved of My Father, and so cannot be loved of Me, and I will -not manifest myself to you.” - -It is ourselves, brethren, and not GOD that must be changed. The seed is -scattered over all the field, but it grows only in the good ground. If -CHRIST is not manifest to us, it is because we have not complied with the -conditions of manifestation. He is faithful to His promise, but we have -not closed with the promise. Realising, then, that it is not binding on -GOD to save us—excepting on the terms which He has Himself laid down—and -presenting to ourselves the momentous interests at stake, let us comply -with GOD’S terms, and let us strive to do so gratefully. Let us be at -pains to ascertain CHRIST’S will; let us diligently and scrupulously keep -it, endeavouring all the while to follow it, not as mere routine of -morality, but as active direct service of CHRIST Himself, and proposing -to ourselves, as the motive to its observance, gratitude for CHRIST’S -salvation, and as the reward of observance, the manifestation of CHRIST. -So doing, we shall soon find that there is a real, an unequalled power in -Christianity to attract and constrain us; we shall soon know how it is -that CHRIST will manifest Himself to His disciples, while He is hidden -from the world. - -II. I have left but little time for the consideration of the second form -of our question, namely, in what way CHRIST will manifest Himself only to -the chosen. There is no need of a lengthy discussion of this subject, -because, with all our spiritual short-sightedness, we are not like the -Jews, we can have no difficulty in understanding the possibility of -CHRIST’S manifestation of Himself to whom He will, and at the same time -His hiding of Himself from all others. We know that like as ghosts are -sometimes said to appear to but one of a roomful, so if it pleased -CHRIST—and in any other way which He pleased—He could stand visibly at -this moment before any one of us, and utter to that favoured ear -distinctly audible words, while the rest of us saw and heard nothing of -Him. - -And there is no use in the discussion of the nature of CHRIST’S truest -manifestation, because even if the preacher had realised it in all its -perfect blessedness, his words would fail to describe what he had felt; -yea, the best possible description would be wholly unintelligible to the -natural man who perceives not, and cannot perceive, the things of GOD, -while it would be wholly unnecessary, rather would be solemn trifling -with those who have actually partaken of the blessedness. No, brethren, -it cannot be spoken—and if it could, I believe, it might not be—how -CHRIST shows Himself to those who love Him and keep His commandments. It -is only in its realisation that you can understand what the promise -means: “We will come unto Him and make our abode with Him.” Go, fulfil -the conditions, and you shall receive the promise; and it shall disclose -to you its own wonders, and its own transcendent bliss, and its own -constraining power. - -But though we may not describe the manifestation itself, we may observe -and recount the effects it produces. The Israelites might not come up to -GOD and see Him face to face in the Mount, but they were allowed, and it -was good for them, to behold the shining of Moses’s face when he returned -from the Divine presence. Doubtless, to many, it was an additional proof -of the being of GOD; to not a few it may have been an incentive to seek -the blessing of His favour. And so, brethren, it may be with us. Taking -knowledge of those who have been with JESUS, we may see on them some -reflection of His glorious self, some marks of a bliss which we shall -covet to share, which may stimulate us both to believe better in its -reality and to strive more earnestly for its fruition. Yes! and -comparing ourselves with them very humbly, with unceasing prayer and -watching against false confidence, we may even discern on ourselves the -faint dawn, the first streaks of the Divine twilight, which tell (oh! how -unspeakable the bliss!) that the dayspring is about to mount above our -horizon; that the Sun of righteousness is about to shine into our hearts -with all His glory. - -Consider, then, such as Abraham, who, after He had seen CHRIST—for CHRIST -was often manifest before the Incarnation—could himself resolutely -destroy his best earthly hope if GOD required it; Job, who, after the -vision of perfect holiness, abhorred himself and repented; Jacob, who -felt (and felt throughout his life, we may be sure) how dreadful, how -consecrated was the place where GOD was met; Joseph, who possessed a -power to resist effectually the sin, which so many dare to say there is -no resisting (“How can I do this great wickedness and sin against GOD?”); -Daniel, who entered courageously into a den of lions; Simeon, who longed -for death, and the enjoyment of the permanent vision, after he had once -seen CHRIST; Stephen, who died, almost like his Master, “LORD JESUS -receive my spirit;” and the many others, who endured and laboured, and -resisted, and persevered, and rejoiced in tribulation, and hoped against -hope, as seeing Him who is invisible. Yes, brethren, consider these. -Think what they were, men of the same flesh and blood, of like -infirmities, and like sin with yourselves. Think how they secured the -favour of GOD, by the same simple means which are within the power of the -least of you, yea, and more within your power than theirs, at least of -most of them, because of the clearer light, and the better grace of -Gospel times. Think what a reflection they showed of the visions of -CHRIST which they enjoyed. Think how real must have been their religious -life; how enviable their peace and bliss; what a glorious light they -afforded for the example and encouragement of other men; and be no longer -content that with all your faculties and opportunities, all your -knowledge and invitations, all your proffers of Divine grace, all the -perpetual revelations of CHRIST to those who desire Him, you yet should -never see Him; but resolutely accepting His terms, hold and keep His -commandments, and pray, and meditate, and labour to love Him. - -Then plead and watch—you shall not plead in vain, nor watch very long—and -the Father, and the Son, and the Spirit will surely come unto you and -make their abode manifestly within you, cheering you with the light of -the Divine countenance, strengthening you with the strength of Divine -grace, moulding you more and more into the image of CHRIST (which must be -yours in perfection before you can partake of His fullest manifestation), -abiding with you here, and shining clearly even in the deepest darkness, -and by and by transplanting you, perfected in grace and spiritual -perception, to the place where CHRIST is always seen, with an eye that -shall never be dim, with a delight which, however it grows in desire, -shall be more than satisfied, as you behold His face in righteousness, -and are filled to overflowing with the fulness of His presence. - - - - -SERMON X. -BLESSING ACCORDING TO PRAYER. - - - ST. MATTHEW, VIII., 13. - - _And_ JESUS _said unto the centurion_, _Go thy way_; _and as thou - hast believed_, _so be it done unto thee_. - -WE must compare the narrative contained in St. Matthew’s Gospel with its -parallel in the 7th chapter of St. Luke, to obtain a clear and full idea -of the circumstances which preceded the healing of the centurion’s -servant. St. Matthew records just so much of the history as would -illustrate the teaching that the Gentiles from afar should be received, -and many of the children of the kingdom cast out: St. Luke sets forth in -order all the particulars, small and great, which he had been able to -obtain from those who were eye-witnesses and ministers of the word. - -From the harmonised accounts we gather that a certain centurion, who had -renounced the worship of the “gods many,” and become a proselyte of the -gate, hearing of the miracles of JESUS, sent certain elders of the Jews -to beseech the exercise of His healing power upon a favourite servant, -who was grievously tormented, and at the point of death. He does not -seem to have come at all himself. The deep sense which he entertained of -personal unworthiness would alone have deterred him; and, besides, he -knew that there was a middle wall of partition between Jews and Gentiles, -and that as yet JESUS was not sent but unto the house of Israel. The -elders, come to JESUS, seek to enlist His sympathy and active interest, -by pleading that the centurion, though not actually a Jew, was a friend -of Jews, and had done much for the support of the Jewish worship. “He is -worthy for whom Thou shouldst do this, for he loveth our nation, and -himself hath built us a synagogue. Come, then, and heal his servant.” -JESUS replies, “I will come and heal him;” and straightway sets out with -them. But when He was not far from the house, the centurion, alarmed at -the temerity of his former request, and shrinking instinctively from One -so high and so holy, sent some of those around him to prevent further -condescension and trouble, on behalf of one so unworthy, and to suggest -that JESUS should but express His will (which he felt must be omnipotent) -from the spot where He stood: “Say in a word and my servant shall be -healed.” The centurion had arrived at the knowledge of a great truth, -namely, that CHRIST’S power was not confined to the scene of His bodily -presence: and he described the process of reasoning by which he had -arrived at it. “I am but a man, myself under authority, yet I have but -to say, Go, come, do this, and, lo! it is done by my servants here, -there, or wherever else I appoint, while I remain still. How much more -shalt _Thou_ speak and be obeyed, Thou who art Absolute and Supreme in -authority, Whose will all the spiritual armies of heaven observe, and are -prompt and eager to perform. ‘Speak the word only, and my servant shall -be healed.’” When JESUS heard it, He marvelled and said to them that -followed, “Verily, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, -not in Israel.” Twice we read that our LORD marvelled—once at unbelief, -and once at belief. And this is no mere figurative statement. Our LORD -literally marvelled. His human nature, much as He knew of what was in -man, was taken aback by the unexpected and extraordinary display, in the -one case of perverse blindness, in the other of clear spiritual -perception. “Verily, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith.” -It is remarkable that our LORD selects the centurion’s _faith_ for -admiration. He dwells not on his care and anxiety for his slave, on his -general good will and good deeds, on his consciousness of unworthiness, -his resolute humility, “LORD, I am not worthy that thou shouldst come -under my roof.” No! it is his faith, to which JESUS gives this highest -praise. That while he walked among His own people, who were taught of -GOD, and was haughtily and indignantly treated, yea, despised; that while -Jews saw and albut felt His power, and refused to acknowledge it, a -Gentile, at a distance, should be filled with reverential awe of Him, -should assert so confidently the fulness of His power, should have such -an insight into its spiritual working, should find and adduce proofs of -that power and its working, to satisfy himself, to plead to CHRIST—this -was, indeed, worthy of note; this was, as yet, unparalleled. “I have not -found so great faith.” - -We need not, however, suppose—in fact we must not suppose—that our LORD -meant to omit the commendation of the centurion’s other good qualities: -rather as they were all the fruits of faith, were they all praised in the -praise of faith. Why did he love the Jews—why did he build them a -synagogue—why did he seek miraculous healing for his servant—why did he -employ Jewish elders as his intercessors—why did he, an important Roman -officer, feel unworthy of the company of a wandering Jewish peasant? Was -it not through faith? faith in the true GOD, faith in the laws of His -worship, faith in His awful holiness, and no less in His merciful -goodness, faith in His manifestation in JESUS of Nazareth? Yes, it was -all of faith, and it was all admired and praised when JESUS marvelled and -said, “I have not found so great faith.” But still the highest faith—the -thing most marvelled at and chiefly commended, was the spiritual -perception of a bodily unseen LORD, the belief in His unlimited, and, -under all circumstances, available power. “I have never seen Thee: yet I -know Thee who Thou art. Thou art not here, yet with a word Thou canst -cause Thy power to be here, and to accomplish here all Thy will.” -Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed: and blessed -are they precisely in the way of their own wise choice, “Go thy way; and -as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee.” It was great honour -given to CHRIST. It was the opportunity of a wondrous manifestation, and -so we read, “The servant was healed in the selfsame hour.” - -But shall we suppose that the centurion, by his humility and his faith, -deprived himself of the bliss of receiving CHRIST, that CHRIST, -_therefore_, turned away, and thought no more of him? Even in that case -he would not have been without his reward. The servant, who was dear to -him, was preserved and healed, the Jews, whom he loved, must have -honoured and loved him, when he had thus prevailed with GOD, and, -besides, what a conviction was his of the power of CHRIST, what a token -of approval, in the fact that he had, as it were, proposed his own -conditions for a miracle, and those conditions had been graciously -accepted and fulfilled! He needed no vision after this to prove to him -that JESUS was the Son of GOD; no voice from heaven to speak to him -comfort and assurance of hope. He had sought CHRIST. He had found Him -and been found of Him. Great was his reward; and his joy such as could -not be taken away. He would have been greatly blessed, then, had no more -been done for him. But did that CHRIST, Who bestows such honour on -humility, Who so loves them that love Him and His, Who has made the best -of His promises, yea, all of them to faith, did He, think you, give no -further token, no higher blessedness to that centurion? Did He not -rather prove to him, that he had made a wise choice, that he had chosen -the best kind of blessing, in asking for spiritual presence rather than -bodily presence? Did He not manifest Himself to him, in that peculiar -way of which the world knows, and can know nothing? Did He not go, He -and the Father, and make spiritual and permanent abode with him? Yes, -surely, this is all implied in the words, “Go thy way; and as thou hast -believed, so be it done unto thee.” - -This view of the subject has its evident lessons and promises for us. Be -it ours, brethren, to learn and practice the lessons, and doubt not but -GOD will fulfil to us the promises. - -In dismissing now the general subject, and attempting only to deduce -practical instruction from the words of the text, I would ask you to -notice first, the kind of answer which prayer gets; it is blessed in the -way it asks to be blessed. When the elders besought our LORD that He -would come and heal the servant, then we read, He went with them. When -presently the centurion, through his friends, urges, “Speak the word -only, and my servant shall be healed,” then CHRIST stays His own -progress, and sends on His grace. “Go thy way; and as thou hast -believed, so be it done unto thee.” - -It is thus that prayer is generally answered: what we ask for, that we -obtain. _Generally_, I say, yet not always; for our wise and good LORD, -when, in our ignorance, we prefer a wrong or a foolish request, sends us -rather what He knows us to need, than what we ask. A father does not -give his beloved son stone for bread, nor a scorpion instead of a fish. -And it may be, yea, it often is the case, that we ask GOD for what we -think would support us, or be of some other benefit to us, when its -bestowal would cause us to stumble, or, perhaps, crush our spiritual -strength, or poison our spiritual life. And then, I say, of His wisdom -and goodness, He sends us away _not empty_—oh, no! none ask of GOD and -obtain not, if they ask with right feeling—but blessed in a different way -from that we ventured to prescribe. This truth is worth a little more -thought. There are many of you, brethren, I doubt not, who have again -and again prayed to GOD (and very earnestly) to continue to you some -blessing which you were in danger of losing, or to confer upon you -something which you felt you wanted, and who yet were not answered -according to the prayer. Perhaps, you were failing in business, or your -influence was being diminished, or your health breaking down, or your -child dying. Well, you earnestly, humbly, with faith and strong tears -deprecated the calamity again and again; but still it came upon you as -though you had never prayed; or you asked to be lifted out of your -poverty or your misery, to be endowed with wisdom, to be made -influential; you loved, and prayed GOD to make you loved again; you -struggled to get a situation which was just what you needed, you prayed -continually that you might succeed. It was all without avail. “No -answer came.” - -No answer came! Say not that, brethren. Assuredly, an answer did come, -if you prayed aright. It may be that you did not get what you wanted, or -keep what was departing; for GOD knew your choice was an unwise one, and -therefore of His love would not grant it. But He gave you a -compensation, and more than a compensation. Just as when CHRIST prayed -that the cup of His last agony might pass from Him. GOD rather -strengthened Him from heaven to endure the agony, and made it His way to -glory—so, when you have deprecated, or besought, against the will of GOD -choosing for you, He has enabled you to bear the calamity, to do without -the thing coveted, and has made all to work for your good. What He does -it may be you know not now, but you shall know hereafter. And when in -heaven’s light you see that the continued or bestowed prosperity would -have made you proud and ungodly, that power or influence (though you -meant it not) would have been perverted by you to your ruin, that the -child taken away, had it remained, would have destroyed itself, and been -a curse to you, that the disappointment, and the toil, and the suffering, -which you so prayed against, were just the things that planted and -nurtured in you Christian graces, and worked out for your glory—oh! then -you will see that GOD did answer your prayers, and you will bless him -fervently for sending His own answer instead of the one you dictated. - -Meantime, in the light of this hope, remember always to add to your -prayers for specific blessings the holy proviso, “Nevertheless not as I -will, but as Thou wilt.” - -But I said that generally, whenever, that is, there is no harm to -ourselves in what we ask, GOD gives us what we pray for; and I produced -proofs, which might be multiplied manifold that it is so. “Go thy way; -and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee.” Surely this is -worth a thought; not only, or chiefly, as showing us GOD’S marvellous -condescension and the efficacy of prayer, but as admonishing us that the -height, the amount, the nature of our blessedness, depends upon -ourselves, upon what we ask in prayer. What a solemn consideration is -this! GOD sits upon His heavenly throne, with listening ear and -outstretched hands; angels wait to waft our supplications to His -presence, the Holy Spirit to make intercession for us, the blessed Son to -present our cause and plead it! It only remains for us to ask. Whatever -we ask, if we are faithful, if it is good, we shall receive. What we ask -not, that we shall not receive. Think of that, brethren! Call to mind, -as far as you can, what kind of prayers you have been wont to make. -Review your past and present state. In anything are you spiritually -unblessed? Have you only an inferior blessedness? Ah! have you not all -that you prayed for? Lack you not just that, which you never faithfully -sought? This life, and the things of this life, have been often in your -thoughts, and in your prayers, for yourselves and for others. You have -prayed that GOD would preserve you, that He would defend you from danger -and gross temptation, that He would give you health, and comfort, and -earthly blessing, that He would protect and prosper those you love. You -have not prayed much for spiritual blessings, or you have been content -with supplicating inferior spiritual blessings. A clean heart, a renewed -mind, lively faith, heavenly peace, joy in the Holy Ghost,—if these are -not yours, do you not know why? It is because you never asked for them, -or, at least, never asked with that appreciation, that earnestness which -alone prevails with GOD. GOD is willing to give them. GOD has promised -to give them. He stands ever ready to fulfil His promise. But, -nevertheless, for these things he will be inquired of. The measure of -the expressed desire is the measure of the supply. Nothing less, in most -cases nothing different, and always nothing more, may you expect from -GOD, than that which you ask. O let the knowledge of this truth kindle -in you desires, and teach you words wherewith to approach GOD. Miss not -His choicest gifts for want of asking. Prefer not for yourselves that -which is earthy, and poor, and fleeting. Thrust not away—and you do -thrust away, if you do not woo—perfect spiritual blessedness. When next -you kneel before GOD, whenever henceforth you kneel before Him, remember -that while He is the owner and ready-giver of all good gifts, it is yet -only what you ask that you will receive of Him. As thou hast believed, -so shall it be done unto thee. - -But, secondly, it is faith we see which gives force to prayer. “As thou -hast believed.” “Whatsoever ye ask, believing, ye shall receive.” “Let -him ask in faith, nothing wavering.” “Let not him that wavereth think -that he shall receive anything of the LORD.” GOD would have us wait on -Him, with confidence in His sufficiency, with sure expectation that He -will give what we ask. If we lack this confidence and this expectation; -if we make formal, rather than eager and hopeful requests; if we have any -misgivings as to the answer; if we secretly resolve what we will do, if -there is no answer; if we wait not, and watch not, for the answer, then, -brethren, we forfeit the blessing. GOD heareth not such—we virtually ask -Him not to answer us. We mock Him with the idle form of prayer. O ye -who ask GOD for guidance, at the same time questioning yourselves as to -what ye shall do—ye that pray against temptation, and forthwith yield to -it—ye that profess to cast care upon GOD, all the while being full of -cares—ye that beseech Him to help you, yet go on helping yourselves—ye -that pray, and live as though you had not prayed, that call upon GOD, but -wait not for his answer—ye that are not certain, that feel not the -certainty, and act not, or forbear from acting upon it, that what you ask -you shall obtain, be sure that you shall go empty away, and that because -of your unbelief. It is hollow formalism, it is fearful trifling, it is -blasphemous mockery, to ask without faith, without sure calculation upon -receiving. You dare not treat an earthly friend so. You shall not, with -impunity, treat GOD so! Ah! here is the explanation of unanswered -prayer—prayer for that which is desirable and right—it was not offered in -faith; the answer was not expected, and relied on; the life did not -manifest expectation and reliance! Would you indeed receive anything -from GOD? Prefer your request, in full acknowledgment of GOD’S ability, -in faithful trust in His performance of all that you ask according to His -will, and show your faith by utter renunciation of all self-guidance and -self-dependence, by patient waiting, by steadfast resistance of all that -GOD forbids, and persevering pursuit of all that He commands. Impress -this upon yourselves as the spirit of your prayer, and the rule of your -lives. Make yourselves such as GOD hears. Cleanse yourselves by the -power of His grace from sin, that you may be allowed to approach Him. -Arm yourselves with the godly resolution that, come what will, you will -serve the LORD; and seek, above all, His kingdom and the righteousness -thereof. Examine yourselves, your peculiar wants and difficulties, that -you may inform your prayers, and make them pointed and particular, -expressing what you need and desire. Then offer them, with felt -unworthiness, with holy adoration, in the certain conviction that He -hears you, that He can supply your need, that He will supply it; and take -to yourselves such just consolation and assurance, and let your life -manifest them, as if CHRIST, Who cannot lie and cannot fail, had audibly -declared to you, “Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done -unto thee.” - - - - -SERMON XI. -CHRIST STILLING THE STORM. - - - ST. MATTHEW, VIII., 26. - - _And He saith unto them_, _Why are ye fearful_, _O ye of little - faith_? _Then He arose_, _and rebuked the winds and the sea_; _and - there was a great calm_. - -IT was after a day of laborious teaching, that our LORD to escape for a -time from the crowds that thronged Him, to obtain rest and quiet, perhaps -to exercise His ministry in other places, commanded the disciples to -steer the ship, in which He had been teaching, across the sea of Galilee, -and to convey Him to the other side. Immediately, it would appear, that -they set out, He laid Himself down and fell asleep. Partaking of human -nature in its infirmity, though not in its sin, He was worn out with -labour, and absolutely required, yea, hastened to rest. He sunk into a -deep sleep, then, as soon as He assumed the posture of repose. But anon, -a storm arose. One of those squalls (which so often come down upon lakes -surrounded by mountains) suddenly filled the air with boisterous wind, -and so upraised and agitated the waves, that they dashed over the ship, -and threatened it with destruction. The disciples, many of whom were -fishermen, and others accustomed to occupy their business upon or beside -the water, must have been too familiar with storms to be easily -frightened. The darkening clouds, the howling wind, the troubled water, -would, of course, arouse them to energy, warning them that they were in -danger, and requiring them to watch and labour to save themselves; and so -we can well imagine them running hither and thither, with anxious looks, -loosing or furling the sails, as might be necessary; avoiding quicksands, -and rocks, and shallow places; lightening the ship of dangerous burthens; -directing their course by the safest way, to the haven where they would -be. But either they must have been sorry sailors, with coward hearts, -which we are not willing to believe, or their courage must have been -overcome by very unusual and imminent danger, ere they would have rushed -to their Master, and cried to Him, in terror, “LORD, save us, we perish!” -or, in rash reproach, “Carest thou not, that we perish?” Yes! I say, -there must have been unusual and imminent danger, and even something -more—some supernatural portent—thus to strike with terror, thus to fill -with despair. - -However this may be, they cried unto the LORD, and the LORD heard them. -He had slept calmly through the roar of the wind—yea, even while the -waves washed over Him; but the cry of distress entered quickly into His -ear, and He awoke to answer it. “Why are ye fearful, O ye of little -faith?” were His awakening words. This is not a rebuke for coming to -Him; they had done right therein. He would presently prove it by the -miracle He would work for them. Neither is it an assertion that there -was no real danger, that they had been too easily alarmed: for an -inspired Evangelist, St. Luke, writing long afterwards, in the light of -what CHRIST now said and did, expressly states that the vessel was filled -with water, and that they were in danger. No; it is an acknowledgment of -the danger, but it is also a pledge that it should be averted, and it is -a tender reproach for not being confident of deliverance. “Why are ye -fearful, O ye of little faith?” Am not I with you? Do not I know your -wants? Have I not power and will to relieve them? Where is your faith, -in the prophecies of what I have yet to do, that you suppose I am now to -perish? Where is the confidence which becomes my followers?—which -others, with less knowledge and encouragement, less ground of hope, have -so fully shown. “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of -death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me.” Yea, though He slay -me, yet will I trust in Him! Thus He reproves, and calms, and assures -them in their trouble, and then He proceeds to deliver them out of it. -“He arose”—we read—“and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a -great calm.” It was a wondrous manifestation of His Majesty. It was a -gracious condescension to infirmity. It was a proof, too palpable to be -resisted, too marvellous to be forgotten, that He is able to keep, and -that He will keep, in safety and in peace, those whose minds are staid on -Him, who commit themselves to His keeping. Well may the disciples, in -the awful stillness of that calm, have been filled as much with -reverential fear as with admiration. “They feared exceedingly, and said -one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the -sea obey Him?” They had witnessed several of His epiphanies: they had -tasted of the water made wine; they had seen the leper cleansed; and had, -at least, heard on reliable testimony, that the centurion’s servant was -restored—yea, in the early evening of this very day, just before they -left the shore, JESUS had been casting out evil spirits, with His word, -and had healed all the sick that were brought to Him: but in their eyes -(whether they were right or wrong concerns us not now) this was a greater -miracle, greater in extent, greater in power, greater in the suddenness, -the certainty (felt by themselves, remember, as no other had been) and -the peace and joy of its effect. Much must it have informed their -worship, much must it have increased their faith. Power did it give them -to proclaim hereafter that they knew in whom they had believed, patience -to endure for His sake, in His strength; peace in persecution, comfort in -sorrow, hope amidst otherwise confounding terrors and dismay, that they -had actually experienced CHRIST’S salvation from destruction; that the -experience had been vouchsafed them as a pledge of His constant care; -that they had been told, on its account, to trust—never henceforth to be -fearful, and of little faith! - -Of great importance, then, was that miracle of the Stilling of the Storm, -if it meant no more, and accomplished no more than this: if it only -showed, that on a large, as on a small scale, over elements, as well as -over diseases, on the sea no less than on the land, JESUS was “mighty to -save”; if it only furnished the eye-witnesses of His ministry with a -great instance of His gracious power; if it only prepared them for their -life of storms and difficulties, and supported them in their dangers and -distresses, and kept them faithful and joyful. - -But, surely, it has more meaning, and more worth, than this. - -First, it reveals to us, if I mistake not, a contention between spiritual -powers (the Son of GOD on the one side, the Devil on the other), followed -by a victory of the good, and a conspicuous defeat of the evil. That was -no accidental raging of wind and waves, that was no operation of the GOD -of providence using the elements to accomplish good purposes which was -rebuked by the voice of the Son of GOD. Rebuke would be meaningless -addressed to mere wind and wave: it would be blasphemous addressed to -GOD. It is only when speaking to the Devil, to fevers and distempers, -the effects of demoniacal possession, to Peter or others, prompted by -Satan, speaking his words, doing his work, that CHRIST uses rebuke. Here -then, surely, Satan was at work, and here he was confounded! The enemy -of souls had never ceased to watch and seek to destroy the Saviour. He -had stirred up Herod against Him in His infancy. He had personally -assailed Him in the wilderness. He was now using the elements, over -which much power is often allowed him, as we see in Job’s case, as his -agents of evil. But with all his wisdom and perception, he knew not what -was in JESUS. He thought once that he could as easily have made Him -sceptical as he did Eve, “hath GOD said,” “If Thou be the Son of Man.” -He thought now that while the Son of Man slept he was unconscious and -powerless. And so in his folly he sought to wreck the vessel, and -overwhelm Him whom it carried in the depths of the sea. Attempting this, -he did but give occasion for an additional manifestation of CHRIST’S -mission and power to destroy him and his works. On the shore, before He -started, CHRIST had cast out devils. On the shore for which He was -making He would again cast them out. On the sea He now meets them, and -confounds them. O what a mighty, what a galling conquest! Satan had let -loose all the powers of the winds, he had lashed the waves into utmost -fury, the disciples were dismayed, the Saviour was asleep, the ship was -sinking. “Only a few moments,” doubtless, he exultingly thought, “and -there shall be a second destruction of man, the kingdom shall surely -become mine, for there will be none to dispute it”—when, lo! the LORD -arose, and, with a word, made him undo the work he had done. “Peace be -still;” and the wind ceased, and there was a great calm! O signal -defeat! O earnest of the promise that the head of the serpent shall be -bruised, that Satan himself shall be bound and trodden under foot, and -cast into the lake of fire, and shall deceive and vex no more. Surely, -this is one of the chief scenes, one of the most mysterious and important -events, one of the most glorious manifestations of CHRIST’S life on -earth. - -But this is not all its significance. The miracles of our LORD were -acted parables—types of spiritual things—rather outward signs, not -themselves to be given up, but thereafter to be accompanied by inward -grace. - -The ship on the sea of Galilee represents the Christian Church, or the -individual member of it. The sea is the world; the storm, with its -adverse wind and difficult waves, figures the trials, the buffetings, the -persecutions, the fears of this mortal life; the disciples are the types -of weak yet willing human nature—both our warnings and our examples; and -CHRIST is Himself, yet, so to speak, but a figure of the true, dwelling -in His Church in each faithful member, often apparently unheeding, -unconscious, yet always our sure defence and deliverer, prompt to hear -when called upon, able to comfort, mighty to save. - -That entry into the ship, and sailing forth into the sea, represents our -first journey, and each renewed journey to CHRIST, in Baptism, in -Confirmation, in Holy Communion, in every fresh repentance, every vow, -every act of worship. Forth we go with Him. All is calm and hopeful. -We seem to have to journey over quiet waters. The shore of Heaven is -straight before us, and we are making for it. But, as soon as we set -out, our envious, deadly enemy, hating our LORD, and hating us, plots our -destruction, and assays its accomplishment. Soon trouble takes the place -of peace, winds of adversity toss and try us, hope begins to pale, terror -to dismay, the waters go even over our soul, and He who should calm us, -and sustain and cheer us, seems to have fallen asleep, to help us not, to -take no notice of us. It is the hour of GOD’S trial, of the Devil’s -temptation! What shall we do? If we are wise sailors, like as I have -supposed the disciples to have done, we shall meet the occasion with -well-directed energy; we shall keep the vessel away from the quicksands -of pleasure, the shallows of pride, the rocks of offence, and the -whirlpools of sin. We shall cast out the weight that drags us down, -sloth, indifference, besetting sin. We shall bear up against the -boisterous winds of adversity. We shall resolutely and perseveringly -pursue the straight course through the waters, making for, looking for -the shore. Unless we do all this, we have no right to hope. But we must -take care, lest in, ay, even by doing it, we lose our hope. Satan -destroys many because they make no effort to save themselves; but he -destroys quite as many because they rely on their own efforts. It is a -fact that we can do nothing by ourselves; that human wisdom, -self-reliant, is sure to be confounded, and human effort, independent, to -be paralysed. But even if for the time we see what is right, and are -successful in doing it, he will enshroud us in such horrible darkness, he -will fill our ears with such dismal sounds, he will so toss and bewilder -and overwhelm us, that presently weariness, perplexity, and despair will -cause us to give up, to consent to our own destruction. The disciples in -that storm-tossed ship seem to have been bringing themselves well nigh -into this ruin, first to have relied on themselves, and then to have -despaired of themselves, all the while forgetting Who was with them, Who -should have been their guide, Who was their sure protector, when, all at -once, before it was too late, they remembered and aroused Him, and called -Him to their aid. It was their bliss to find that “the saint’s extremity -is GOD’S opportunity;” that it is never too late, before destruction, to -call upon Him and be saved; but they were not allowed to enjoy this bliss -unmixed with reproach for self-confidence and for want of confidence in -Him. In all the storms and dangers which beset us on the sea of life, -let us take example from the disciples to call upon Him who can save us, -and let us also take warning from them, not to forget His company, or to -suppose that He forgets us. - -Such seems to be a sketch of the interpretation of the meaning and -instruction for us of this acted parable. - -And now, brethren, having learnt the general truth, let us pick out and -dwell upon some of its particulars. - -And first, in setting out with CHRIST, expect storms and dangers. We are -too apt to suppose that the war of life is to be waged only with men, -that the storms of life are only encountered in temporal things. We can -well understand that it was otherwise, that it must have been otherwise, -with the first founders of the Church, with confessors in the face of -unbelieving Jews and heathen Romans, with the Reformers, with -missionaries now: but in our own case we calculate on a smooth and safe -journey over the sea of time to the shore of eternity, ay, and after many -days, experience, we say, confirms our calculation. No sore temptations -try us; no conflict of good and evil principles tosses and tears us; no -despair threatens to drown us. We have trouble enough in the world, in -earning our daily bread, in claiming and maintaining our own, in becoming -rich, or powerful, or famous, in ruling those who rebel against our just -authority, who would gainsay our words, and frustrate our efforts. But -in spiritual things this is not the case. We find it easy (I speak that -which the manifest lives and apparent feelings of what are called -respectable men justify my speaking) to follow the course which we would -in religion—we worship in church, we read the Bible and pray at home -without opposition. It costs us no trouble to keep the letter of GOD’S -chief commandments. We know nothing of spiritual wrestling, spiritual -fear, spiritual despondency. Why should we? Our ways are mainly -upright; our consciences not afraid, our duty plain and simple; and in -CHRIST, therefore, our hope sure. I know that men think this (at least -they do not think otherwise), and in their lives they act it, even if -they dare not shape it into words. But, brethren, if it is so with you, -look to it, for the calm is more deadly than the storm. The Devil is the -inveterate enemy and the untiring assailant of CHRIST and Christians. -His whole being and energy are concentrated in the aim and effort to bury -the ark of CHRIST in the sea of eternal destruction. If, then, you pass -over that sea, and are enshrouded by no darkness, beaten by no winds, -tossed by no billows, be sure that it is because CHRIST is not in your -company. That Church has had its candlestick removed, which dwells in -security, peaceful and prosperous; and that individual has not CHRIST for -the tenant of his heart who experiences not what the storm-tossed vessel -typified. Satan is intent upon destroying every one that is CHRIST’S. -If he attempts not your destruction, it is because he does not consider -you CHRIST’S—and, remember, though he is not all-wise, he is as an angel, -and an archangel in perception—because your vessel bears not CHRIST; -because you are on no journey with CHRIST to cast out evil spirits and -drive them over steep places into the sea. O, my brethren, it is an -awful sign, a death-boding distinction, when Satan lets us alone in this -sea of life, and deems it unnecessary to keep us by violent efforts from -reaching heaven. It is the expression of his informed and deliberate -judgment that we are not going thither! O ye who dwell at ease and glide -smoothly along the journey of life, put back, take CHRIST on board, and -joy when you find in yourselves the signs of His presence, the assaults -of Satan, the warring within you of good and evil, the stirrings of -conscience, the flutterings of spiritual fear. I do not mean become -morbid, and delight in what is mournful and terrible; but suspect and -refuse the peace which Satan offers without contest, and determine to -have only that which in CHRIST’S strength you win and maintain. - -Next, consider the meaning of CHRIST’S lying asleep in the storm, and -interfering not to control it, till so earnestly called up. - -In providence and in grace GOD delights, so to speak, to hide Himself, -though He exhibits the results of His works. He is the Author of every -gift, and the Ruler and Promoter of its use; but He puts it into our -hands as His agents, and bids us with it accomplish His will. As the -heart is the fountain of the blood which flows through our members, as it -is bone and muscle that give strength to the arm, so is GOD the Source of -grace to the soul, and the prevailing Power of our efforts. Still, it is -not Himself prominently and foremost that does the work in the world, but -we from and by Him. The explanation of this economy seems to be, first, -that He would have us walk by faith—remembering Him, relying on Him, -working for Him—rather than by right, constrained, whether we will or -not, without feeling or desire, or dependence, to see, and admit, and -feel His power. And, secondly, that He would give us an individuality, a -certain dependent independence, which shall make us feel personal -responsibility, and allow us to deserve (in a sense) the recompense of -personal effort. Thus, He leaves the fool to say, There is no GOD, and -rewards the faithful by revealing Himself to belief. Thus, while there -is a GOD, while He is not far from us, while in Him we live and move and -have our being, we are required and stimulated to seek Him, to feel after -Him, and find Him. Besides, or more properly _therefore_, we have to -call upon Him before He answers. Even when He had determined, and -declared His determination, to bless the Israelites, He made the -condition, “Nevertheless, for these things I will be inquired of.” He -would have us live by spiritual dependence. He would have us communicate -to Him our wants. He would have us draw down by prayer the supply. And -this He effects by making it a law, that He will know nothing of us, at -least know nothing so as to heed for our good, but what we tell Him, and -will give us nothing but what we ask. I have so lately enlarged upon -this subject that I will add nothing upon it now, but to bid you remember -the necessity and the power of prayer. - -Lastly, consider what is taught by that remonstrance, spoken in the -interval between awaking and acting, “Why are ye fearful, O ye of little -faith?” I have already said that CHRIST did not disapprove the prayer, -but only the fear which had preceded it, the poverty of the faith which -accompanied it. Neither did He demand of the disciples the impossibility -of being undisturbed in the midst of such perturbation. It is -natural—natural even to the Christian full of grace, to be affected by -the circumstances which attend him. CHRIST was so affected Himself, as -His prayers, and shrinkings, and watchings, and open teaching assure us. -He, who wept at human misery, though He was just going to put it to -flight; He, who shrank from the trial which He had deliberately and of -choice encountered, has sanctioned and recommended (shall I say -enforced?) by His example the same feelings in His disciples. He does -not forbid us to be human, but only requires us to leaven humanity with -godliness. Trials we are to have, and trials we ought to feel. To be -stolid and callous is to be unchristian, for none ever felt trials as -CHRIST did. But in our trials, while we feel, and weep, and shrink, we -are not to be faint-hearted. We are to know in Whom we have believed. -We are, therefore, to bear them, and submit to them; but we are not to be -overpowered by them. We are not to allow them to exercise such an -influence as to make us forget that there is One greater than the storm, -Who rules it even in its wildest raging, Who will cause it to cease when -it is fitting, Who will not allow it to overwhelm us if we are dependent -on Him in its continuance, if we hope in Him to stay it. Terrible is the -darkness of the sky, powerful is the violence of the wind, drenching are -the waves, but the ship shall not sink, for CHRIST is in it. Whatever, -then, the terrors and the trouble of the present, we have hope, we have -confidence in the future. “Why art thou so cast down O my soul, and why -art thou so disquieted within me? Hope in GOD for I shall yet praise -Him, Who is the health of my countenance and my GOD.” - -Such is the teaching of CHRIST’S remonstrance. And the time of its -utterance, the delay to assuage the storm, teaches this further lesson, -that in this life CHRIST will give us comfort in trouble, but not -necessarily deliverance out of trouble. By and by He will indeed deliver -us. But the best blessing here is not immunity, but trust and support. -There is a peace in war, a joy in sorrow, a strength in weakness, with -which the world and the Devil cannot intermeddle. Seek we this, and be -sure we are wanting in what CHRIST delights to afford, if we have it not. -But having it, bear we patiently, thankfully, all outward commotion, -faithfully expecting the time, when openly, as already inwardly, CHRIST -shall arise and command “Peace be still,” and there shall be a great and -abiding calm. - - - - -SERMON XII. -UNITY WITH PEACE. - - - EPHESIANS, IV., 1, 2, 3. - - _I_, _therefore_, _the prisoner of the_ LORD, _beseech you that ye - walk worthy of the calling wherewith ye are called_, _With all - lowliness and meekness_, _with longsuffering_, _forbearing one - another in love_; _Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in - the bond of peace_. - -IT was the prayer of our Blessed LORD—what an earnest prayer it was, -delivered in what solemn and affecting circumstances—that all His -disciples might be one, even as He and the Father were one. He had -laboured to secure this oneness, by teaching them that there was the same -truth for all to receive, and the same work for all to do. Individual -fancies and theories were not to be indulged, where the whole teaching -was of GOD; pride was not to exercise itself where everything was -received, and nothing earned; ambition was checked, by being told that, -by seeking, it should lose, that he who would be first should be last. -All were equal in position, all equal in privileges. In serving one -another, in preferring one another—by this alone could they please GOD; -in this way only could they reach unto eminence. Devoted to a common -LORD, directed by a common revelation, enabled by a common grace, -exercised in a common work, cheered by a common hope, surrounded with -common trials and difficulties—what could there be within, without, past, -present, or future, which should prevent them from all thinking the same -thoughts and doing the same works, sinking the individual in the company, -clinging to one another, labouring together, knit together in a holy -bond—“One LORD, one faith, one baptism, one GOD and Father of all, Who is -above all, and through all, and in all.” To think for oneself, what was -it but to reject GOD’S truth; to act independently, but to forsake their -appointed work; not to serve and love the brethren, not to serve and love -the LORD; to separate from the Christian company, to go away from CHRIST? - -Even if the Spirit had not been given to effect this unity, if the Gospel -had not enforced it by the plainest denunciation of heresies and -schisms—crimes classed by it with the worst and lowest, and most certain -to exclude from heaven; even if CHRIST had never prayed for their union, -nor taught them that they were to be united, still, if the disciples of -religion were like the followers of any other cause, it might have been -expected—it would have seemed morally impossible that it should be -otherwise—that the remembrance and love of their Master, the cause which -they had taken up, the knowledge of the way in which alone it could be -furthered, their common relationship, and interests, and aims, and hopes, -would have kept them in one body, would have bound them fast to each -other in the bonds of peace. And, doubtless, it would have been so, but -for the influence and machinations of the evil one. There could have -been no other fruit from such seed, but that the enemy sowed tares in the -same field. In CHRIST, self had been denied and destroyed. His Church -was to be the embodiment and propagator of self-denial, self-submission, -self-devotion. Such a Church threatened antichrist with certain -destruction: for antichrist is the spirit of self—and selfishness -destroyed, where would be sin? Therefore, the Devil sought to break up -or mar and impair the Church; and, to accomplish his object, infused into -as many of its members as he could, the very spirit of self, which it was -commissioned to destroy. Alas! he was too successful in his fell work. -Soon self began to ask, “Why should I not choose what to believe—what to -do? Why should I not make to myself a name, and claim for myself -authority, and power, and reverence? Why should I not have private -views, and seek private ends? Why should I suffer, and forbear, and seek -another’s good, rather than my own?” The selfish question was father to -the selfish determination; and so, even in the Apostles’ time, the faith -was mutilated here and denied there—there were heresies, and schisms, and -strifes, and boastings of spiritual gifts, and withholding of temporal -substance from GOD, and indulgence of lusts, and hatings, and revengings, -and backbitings, and fightings, and denying of one another, among those -who were all called with one calling, enlightened and sanctified by one -Spirit, appointed to “keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” -And so it has continued to the present time. There is no such reasoning, -and questioning, and quibbling, and deciding for oneself what to believe, -about any other subject, as about the truth, which GOD has plainly taught -and has clearly defined. There are no other divisions so numerous, so -lamentable, so strife-begotten, and strife-engendering, as in the one -body of CHRIST. Pride, and ambition, and self-seeking, in all its worst -forms; evil suspicions, revilings, hatred, persecutions, have abounded, -and do abound, and boldly manifest themselves in that very community -whence self was to be expelled! Many antichrists are in the world, but -as many in the Church. The very heathen repel our attempts to convert -them, by bidding us first agree what to believe ourselves. The worst of -men say they have a right to despise us for our bitter jealousies and -disliking of one another; and the taunt is common, and has been in some -measure provoked, that religion is only a mask, a cloak to hide men’s -basest passions and worst deeds. - -It may be urged—it ought to be urged—that this is not altogether the -fault of Christians. It was the will of GOD that the goats should be -allowed to mingle with the sheep, that the tares should not be rooted out -from among the wheat, that the net should contain small as well as great, -worthless as well as good fishes. Hence they are “not all Israel, who -are of Israel.” And so the bad feelings and deeds, the things which are -an offence and a reproach in Christendom, are to be charged not -altogether to CHRIST’S true followers, but to those who only in name are -Christians—to the world, in fact, intruding into, and mixing itself up -with, the Church. - -Yes; this is so. The world has sought and found scope in the Church for -the wild exercise of its reason, for profane speculations, and whimsical -fancies; for self-indulgence, too, in all its forms; for lusts, and -strifes, and false accusations, and enmities, and wickedness, of every -hue and measure. The worst heretics and schismatics, the fiercest -persecutors, the bitterest accusers of the brethren, are evidently not -true followers, even in intention, of CHRIST; they are not rebels and -traitors, “they are not of us,” they belong to the enemy, and have stolen -into our camp; and are now mixing themselves with us, and confounding, -and harassing, and misguiding us, as part of the subtle warfare which is -being waged by Satan against us. But still, alas! we are not clear. Too -many who deserve to be called something better than nominal Christians, -too many—ay, even of the best of us—make no endeavour—that is worthy of -the name—to keep the unity of the Spirit; or, if they strive for unity, -forget the bond of peace. - -It is very common to find a man who has been at much pains to find out -for himself the doctrines and requirements of Christianity, who heartily -accepts every article of the creed, who is scrupulously exact in keeping -all the ordinances, who would think himself guilty of no ordinary sin, if -he frequented the place of worship of another sect, or contributed of his -substance to their cause, who is yet all the while utterly indifferent to -the fact that almost every article of his creed, and every ordinance of -his Church, is ignored, and even denounced by some one or other of the -many bodies of men calling themselves Christian communities. He thinks -it no business of his to defend the faith, or to vindicate the -ordinances. Let every man look to himself, is his maxim, and leave -others alone; or, perhaps, if he is momentarily interested in the matter, -if a wish springs up that it were otherwise, he soothes himself, and -spares himself further anxiety and labour, by suggesting that Christian -charity would not interfere with another’s liberty. “These others,” he -reasons, “have a religion, and follow it. It is not altogether the same -as mine, but it is in many respects like it, perhaps in all essentials. -At any rate, it is better than none; it would be presumptuous to suppose -that they may not be saved by it. Therefore, if I must help in -proselytizing any, it shall not be these mainly right, but the godless, -the followers of no religion!” - -Now, brethren, such a man is utterly in fault: he is incurring the -Apostle’s reproach of being carnal, in allowing divisions; he is -offending against the very Christian charity which he thinks he is -exercising; he is unconcerned about the due honour of GOD; he is -disobeying the injunction to endeavour “to keep the unity of the Spirit.” -The question is not, whether a man can be saved in heresy or schism, but -whether any Christian, who honours GOD and loves the brethren, ought to -wink at heresy or schism? And the answer is plain—he ought not! Is GOD -honoured, is He pleased, when the creature, to whom He reveals Himself, -says, in effect, Thus much of the Divine account I will accept; the rest -I do not like, cannot reconcile with my private pre-conceived notions, -cannot see to be reasonable, therefore, I reject it? Is GOD obeyed, when -His servant, instead of fulfilling His whole will, sets aside -capriciously, or for some selfish reason, certain positive precepts of -that will? Is any Christian in a certainly accepted and safe state, or -in the way to it, who does not use, who ignores the need of, prescribed -means of cleansing and sanctifying? And if he is not, how far is it -charitable, to let him remain as he is, without concern? My brethren, we -all recognise it as the duty of every Christian to promote the knowledge -and acceptance of the truth. Can we be said to discharge this duty, if -we care not about the mutilation or distortion of the truth? We all -acknowledge that we ought to love one another, to have fervent charity -among ourselves. Is it charitable—is it not culpably selfish—to have, as -we believe, the best, if not the only, right faith—and not to be -concerned that others have it not? Is it not, too, strangely perverse to -admit, that those in separation are brethren, fellow-pilgrims, -fellow-heirs, to hope to meet them in heaven, and to think, and feel, and -live in perfect harmony with them for ever; and yet here not to be -concerned that we never can give them the right hand of fellowship—cannot -journey with them, and help, and make for the inheritance together—can -never even meet them in prayer and communion—must let them be as utter -strangers? In earthly matters none of this would be tolerated, could -possibly be. Why, then, can it be—why is it in religion? Because we are -not jealous enough for the honour of GOD, because we do not truly love -the brethren, because we do not endeavour to keep the unity of the -Spirit! - -But it is possible to err—there are many who do err—on the other side; -who, in their zeal for the faith, insist that all shall think and do -precisely as they do, or shall forego the name of brethren: who have been -at no pains to search out the ground of their own faith, and see how much -of it is derived from GOD, and how much from man; who make no distinction -between important and unimportant misconceptions; who class together the -wilful teacher of error and the misguided learner, the originators of -schism and the inheritors of it; who blame for their faults those whom -they should rather pity for their misfortune; who would make the path of -orthodoxy as narrow as possible, and excommunicate all whom they could -detect treading on its borders; who not only see nothing right beyond -their own Church, but are impatient of much that is within it; who split -the Church up into parties, and bring about the worst of -schisms—divisions, misgivings, and oppositions, among members of the same -household, continuing in the same house; who would have undue prominence -given to certain doctrines; who fight for or against certain ceremonies -and vestments, and certain kinds of music; who are ever looking for -something to protest against, to blame, or to pity, in their -fellow-worshippers or their ministers. These men think that they do GOD -service (for I speak not now of the wilful); they are intent upon serving -Him; but it is like Saul before his conversion, with an ignorant and -persecuting zeal. They want to establish and keep, what they think, the -unity of the Spirit, but they care not for the bond of peace. If a -member of their own communion does not think as they do, they quarrel -with him, they bid him go, they would thrust him out: while, as for -members of other Christian bodies, they think worse of them, they speak -worse of them, they shun them more than they would an infidel or a -reprobate! Let not this be thought exaggeration; not always, nor very -often, let us hope, do they come to this growth; but of this kind, alas! -too nearly of this measure there are not a few among both High Churchmen -and Low Churchmen; and in this direction works all zeal that is not fully -enlightened by GOD, that is not warmed with love for CHRIST, and love for -those whom CHRIST died to save and win. Zeal is good, earnest contention -for the faith is imperatively required of every Christian, but so is -right knowledge and love. Right knowledge, I venture to say, while -condemning actual heresy and schism, would often be content with creeds -in general terms, and would make much easier, than many strict -religionists conceive, the terms of communion, so as to include as many -as were really desirous of being included; and love, Christian love, -would sigh and sorrow over differences, and yearn after separatists; and -would labour, and persuade, and spend, and be spent, and wrestle in -prayer, to cement, to convert, to bring in. O it is _self_ that is so -stern and strict in defining what is correct theology; it is antichrist -in his worst mood, that would thrust out or cut off a brother sinner! - -My brethren, understand clearly that you are most solemnly bound to -accept yourselves, and to urge upon others, the whole teaching of GOD, -nothing less and nothing more; to render yourselves, to persuade others -to render, precise and perfect obedience. You may not be indifferent -about others, but you must not be overbearing. You are keepers and -helpers of the brethren, but you are not judges and avengers. It is your -duty to honour GOD, and to maintain His honour; it is your mission to -persuade others to honour Him also. GOD is honoured in unity, in -agreement, in faith, in union, in practice, and service, and worship. -You have then to promote this unity; but, as a pre-qualification, you -must have so entered into the mind of the Spirit, as to know—specially -for GOD’S missionary work—what liberty is allowed, and to feel, after -your poor measure, what CHRIST feels of love for each individual soul. -In the prosecution of your work, the text directs you—You are called with -one calling, the Gentile is included with the Jew; the aim is union, not -separation, that all may be saved. By all means, save whom you can. Be -lowly, let not self intrude, where CHRIST should be put forward; be meek, -let not self recoil where CHRIST would suffer; be patient, enduring, -long-suffering, slow to take offence, determined not to give offence, -bent upon returning good for evil, forbearing one another in love, making -every allowance for wrong training, for natural prejudices, for -individual infirmities—ay, and even perversities. Be very zealous for -the unity of the Spirit; but be sure that you are breaking, not -promoting, that unity, wherever you sever or endanger the bond of peace. -Follow this advice—and I do not say you will root out heresy, and heal -divisions, but you will do much towards it. Argument, and censure, and -ridicule, and remonstrance, and denunciation, and persecution, have been -trying, ever since the Christian era, to establish the unity of the -Spirit, and have rather destroyed it. Try you, whether he was not -enlightened and sanctified by the Spirit, who said, and acted upon it, -“that one ounce of love could do more than many pounds of controversy.” -Men may be repelled from you, by your orthodoxy, your zeal, your -reasoning, your stout remonstrance. They will be subdued by your -forbearance, and will come after you for your love! - -To the best of you, I say, there is some indifference which you ought to -shake off. To the best of you, I say, get farther from bigotry and the -spirit of self. - - - - -SERMON XIII. -THE LAW IN THE GOSPEL. - - - ST. LUKE, X., 25. - - _What shall I do to inherit eternal life_? - -WE have here the question of a Jewish lawyer, who is said, in propounding -it, to have tempted our LORD. This does not necessarily, or even -probably, mean, that his object was simply to ensnare and entangle JESUS -in his speech: but rather that he was putting Him to the test, that he -might judge of the qualifications and orthodoxy of the New Teacher. But, -besides this, he seems, from the commendation presently passed on him, to -have had a better motive; to have been like the scribe who was not far -from the kingdom of heaven, to have felt personal anxiety about -salvation, and to have sought from our LORD, in an honest, though -somewhat professional and self-sufficient manner, the resolution of a -real doubt. “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He had listened -to the words in which JESUS reminded His hearers, that they had greater -privileges than those who lived before them (“Blessed are the eyes which -see the things that ye see. For I tell you that many prophets and kings -have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them, -and to hear those things which ye hear and have not heard them”), and -rightly concluding that they were an announcement of the arrival of -Gospel times, and the setting forth of their speaker as the Great Gospel -Teacher, he asked, what was there _new_ for him to hear and learn, and -what consequently remained for him to do, that he might inherit eternal -life. The reply of our LORD is remarkable. “What is written in the law? -how readest thou?” There is nothing new, nothing taken away, nothing -added or altered. I come, to fulfil the ceremonial law, to enforce the -moral law, what does that bind upon thee? And he answering said, with -much wisdom—much spiritual discernment, “Thou shalt love the LORD thy GOD -with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and -with all thy mind: and thy neighbour as thyself. And JESUS said unto -him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live:” _i.e._, -shalt have eternal life. Observe, throughout this lawyer’s speech, how -correct is his theology. “What shall I do to _inherit_ eternal life?” -not to gain, to purchase, to earn it, but to inherit it. “I do not claim -it as a profitable servant, I am not so foolish as to suppose that I can -procure it by any surrender, or exchange, or labour. It comes (to those -to whom it comes at all) as an inheritance, to the children of the -covenant, the heirs of faithful Abraham. And this heirship is not a -natural, but a spiritual one. I am a Jew outwardly, but I do not -therefore claim to be certainly a Jew inwardly. They are not all Israel -who are of Israel. Abraham’s child according to the flesh, I would also -be, what I am not necessarily, what indeed I am not at all of mere -natural birthright, Abraham’s child according to the promise.” And next -observe, how he seeks to secure the inheritance. “What shall I _do_?” -Eternal life is not the reward of service, it is not the fruit of labour, -it is the privilege of a spiritual relationship; but still it cannot be -enjoyed by those who are indifferent about it, or by those who only -desire it. It must be laid hold on by real active efforts; it must be -maintained by a particular course of conduct; salvation must be worked -out. “What must I do” to secure it? Truly he is an enlightened scribe! -He knows that eternal life is the free gift of a GOD, Who is no respecter -of persons; Who recognises no birthright, no personal merits; Who will -have mercy on Whom He will have mercy: but that yet grace does not fall, -as the rain from heaven, alike upon the barren and the fertile, the -thankless and the thankful, the careless and the anxious, the indolent -and the active; but is ever guided by a discerning and distinguishing -hand, is ever bestowed upon righteousness. And so he asks, What is the -righteousness that inherits grace: knowing well what was the prescribed -righteousness of the law, how men were to be saved in times past; but -expecting that under the Gospel, an additional, perhaps a different -course was to be followed. - -We have already seen that CHRIST referred him back to the law, as -revealing and enacting all that was necessary. “What is written in the -law? How readest thou?” It is in his answer to this question that we -see chiefly the perfection of his religious theory and his great -intellectual superiority to the scribes generally. For, observe, he does -not reply “We must be circumcised; we must be sprinkled with the blood of -goats and heifers; we must keep the Passover; we must wait on the -temple-services; we must give tithes of all that we possess.” Nor, -again, does he say, “We must observe all moral precepts; we must refrain -from all idolatry; we must do justice and love mercy; obeying implicitly -the commandments of the two tables.” No! in theory he is wiser than -that: he has no reliance on external rights and ceremonies: he is sure -that GOD demands something better than a servile conformity with certain -precepts and restrictions. GOD, he knows, looks to the heart, requires -the spirit rather than, _i.e._, beyond the letter. The law has taught -him this: Moses gave him from heaven ceremonies to perform, and moral -commandments to keep; but Moses told him, that mere outward conformity -with these things was not righteousness; that the law was spiritual; that -the acts done and refrained from under it were only exhibitions of a -principle which must reign within: “Thou shalt love the LORD thy GOD with -all thy heart and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with -all thy mind, and thy neighbour as thyself.” Even so, “Thou hast -answered right,” said CHRIST. “Thou hast learnt under the law, all that -the Gospel would teach. To exhibit this is the bent of My life on earth, -to enforce it will be the mission of My Church. Love is the fulfilling -of the law. This do, and thou shalt live.” - -It appears to me, brethren, that in this conversation, carefully -considered, we may find a clue to the satisfactory interpretation of -those perplexing sayings about the differences between the law and the -Gospel: “The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.” “Ye are not -under the law,” “the ministration of condemnation;” “The covenant that -was confirmed before of GOD in CHRIST, the law which was 430 years after -cannot disannul.” “The Law and the Prophets were until John.” “I am not -come to destroy the law.” “This do and thou shalt live.” - -It is a common notion that there is an essential difference, amounting -even to a contradiction between the law and the Gospel. GOD is -supposed—as if He were an imperfect Being changing His ways -capriciously—to have suspended the Covenant of Grace which He had made -with Abraham, from the time of Moses to that of CHRIST, and to have given -the Jews in its stead a Covenant of Works, which He well knew they could -not keep, and under which, therefore, they were sure to be destroyed: or, -if He accepted any of them under the law, then, it is said, that inasmuch -as their obedience was of course imperfect, He must have been content -with less than He had required, and have disregarded His own decree, “The -soul that sinneth it shall die.” Nay, more than this: that He dispensed -for a time with the merits of CHRIST’S atonement and the finding of -salvation through Him, and dealt with man on his own merits, and rewarded -him for an imperfect obedience. But now, it is urged, all this is once -more changed. The law, having served its purpose of showing men that -they could not obey GOD in the letter, having concluded them all under -sin by disallowing the things they were prone to, and requiring what they -could not do, having disappointed and balked them in their efforts to -obtain salvation by it, and so caused them to abandon its observance in -despair, and to inquire for another way of salvation—thus being a -schoolmaster to lead them to CHRIST—has now been wholly repealed; so that -we have nothing more to do with it, being brought out of bondage into -liberty, and what we find forbidden or required by it, is not forbidden -or required by us _because it is in the law_, but may be done or left -undone, notwithstanding what the law says, unless some eternally moral -principle, independent of Jewish sanctions and restrictions, would be -thereby violated! I have put this in plainer and stronger words than any -of yourselves probably would use, or are accustomed to hear: but I have -not exaggerated the matter. In proof, let me ask, Are there not many who -think the rehearsal of the Decalogue out of place in the Communion -service? who object to moral preaching as savouring of the obsolete law? -who talk about the “filthy rags” of their own righteousness, as if they -were something wrong in keeping in the law? who believe that CHRIST is -glorified most when they do least? who boast of a liberty to use or use -not ordinances and means of grace? who reproach others with being, for -instance, Sabbatarians? who speak of the GOD of the New Testament almost -as if the GOD of the Old Testament were another Being, of different -attributes, enacting different laws? And even among those who have not -distinctly set the law and the Gospel in opposition, is there not a vague -notion that somehow the Old Testament does not concern us Christians, and -that our way of salvation is different from that of the Jews, and much -easier to follow? O how do such persons reconcile with their notions -CHRIST’S teaching of the lawyer, whom He not only told to look for the -way of salvation in the law, but commended for finding it there, and -enjoined to keep it as the condition of salvation: “This do, and thou -shalt live.” - -The fact is, the way of salvation has always been the same, since man -became a sinner. Eternal life has always been a free gift in CHRIST. -Not for their merits or deservings does GOD love men; not by their own -inventions or labours do they procure acceptance. The precious blood of -CHRIST shed (in effect) before the foundation of the world, has ever been -the fountain for sin; the intercession of CHRIST has ever been the means -of reconciliation; the grace of CHRIST’S sanctified human nature applied -by the Holy Spirit has ever been the leaven of regeneration, of -conversion, of perfection in holiness and fitness for the inheritance of -the saints in light. But GOD has never been indifferent to the way in -which men receive His free gifts. He at first created man for His own -glory, and He has redeemed, and would sanctify him for His glory. He -made man to love Him, to depend on Him, to render Him the grateful homage -of a free-will service, to reflect His own glorious attributes of -holiness and love. The sin of Adam and Eve was not that they ate of a -particular fruit reserved from them, but that they frustrated the end for -which they were created; that they found not their delight in the way of -GOD’S will; that they chose for themselves out of Him; that they doubted -His truth, gave themselves over to the influence and dominion of another -lord. They would have sinned as greatly, as hatefully, had they -scrupulously refrained from the deed of sin, but in their hearts longed -after it, and in their hearts murmured against the restriction, and -disputed the importance or the justice of it. And so the holiness of -pardoned man does not consist in the mere mechanical, servile, or selfish -rendering of outward obedience, in the number of enjoined things which he -does, and the number of forbidden things which he avoids; but in the -inward love and gratitude which he feels towards GOD, in his filial -reverence of his Heavenly Father, in his delight to carry out GOD’S known -will, and his anxiety to learn more, that he may do more of it, in his -heart’s beating, so to speak, in unison with GOD’S heart, and his life’s -reflecting GOD’S light and love. - -To bring men to this state, that He may delight in them, that they may -glorify Him in all things, is the purpose and aim of GOD’S great scheme -of salvation; and, to forward that scheme, is, and has been, the object -of all His dealings with men of all times (when they have not been -judgments of wrath, because mercy was refused), whether they have been -encouragements or remonstrances, pleadings or rebukes, blessings or -chastisements, the promulgations of moral laws, the laying on or taking -off of positive or ceremonial commandments. None of these things could -in themselves have made men what GOD willed them to be, loving children -of a loving Father; yet they had, or were designed to have, their effect -in bringing them back little by little to a right mind, and a right life. -But being used by a wise and discerning GOD, though their object was -always uniform, the use of them has varied, one being employed in this -case, another in that, according to the state of those on whom they were -to operate. Thus Adam, fresh from the hand of GOD, full of knowledge and -intelligence, and holiness and love, was left, it would appear—but with -one commandment, the test of his integrity—to worship and glorify GOD as -his own heart and mind dictated; while the Jews, coming out of Egypt, -sunk in ignorance, given to idolatry, perverse in will and affections, -were dealt with as babes, albut without mind and without heart. To them -it was necessary to declare, that there was but one GOD, to command them -to worship Him, to prescribe every particular of the worship, to bid them -not blaspheme Him, to hedge them in by numerous restrictions, to write -down every item of their duty, to encourage their obedience by immediate -rewards, to check their transgressions by instant punishments! They were -treated, in fact, just as wise and fond parents treat little children: -their minds taught by pictures—brazen serpents, pillars of light and -fire, gorgeous tabernacles, sacrifices of bulls, and goats, and lambs, -burnings of incense, and the like—and their hearts and lives trained by a -course of discipline suited to their comprehension, and a system of -rewards and punishments which they could appreciate. These things were -means to an end. They impressed upon the Jews, that reverence and -obedience were due to GOD. They taught them to look to Him for reward -and punishment, to love and fear Him. But like the arbitrary discipline -we use with children, and the toys which we give or take away from them -according to their conduct, they were to be set aside (as far as they -were childish) so soon as more intelligent and better influences could be -employed, and the children be taught to use their minds and hearts, in -exercising reverence, and love, and fear, not in little observances and -restrictions, not in mere literal compliance with some particular -expressed laws, but according to the principle of love which would devote -itself entirely, and which uses all its powers to find out what is -devotion, and to practice it. - -Thus, I say, the Jews were dealt with from Moses to CHRIST, and then men -were bidden to put away childish things—the Spirit being given to raise -them above childishness—and henceforth to render enlarged, enlightened, -loving service to GOD. They were not released from reverence and -submission: very few commandments hitherto observed were repealed, save -those that were typical and ceremonial, and which, of course, gave way to -the antitype and to the new ritual of Christianity; but henceforth, they -were told, GOD would not be pleased with mere literal obedience: Do what -you did before, but do it in the spirit, and carry it farther, and search -about to see whether your own hearts and minds cannot regulate your lives -in things not prescribed. - -Indeed, all this had been told them before, as the quotation of the -lawyer from Deuteronomy alone would suffice to show; but it was not so -strictly required of them as it is of us, because allowance was made for -their childish want of spiritual comprehension, and because the -perfection of obedience was postponed till the full strength was given to -render it, as well as the enlightened mind to understand it. - -In Gospel times the law is spiritualised, the observance of the -commandments is extended beyond the outward life, to the very thoughts -and desires. To covet is to steal, to lust is to commit adultery, to -hate is to murder! Hence, while in one sense, our obedience is easier, -because we render it under the influence of enlightened minds and kindled -feelings, of love and gratitude—whereas, the Jew was perpetually crossing -and driving himself to keep a law which had no other recommendation to -him than that its observance preserved him from immediate chastisement—in -other respects, our obedience is not only more imperatively necessary, -because our privileges and responsibilities are greater, but it must be -more precise, because any wilful deviation from it—in us who are of a -mature and enlightened age—will surely indicate an unloving heart; and he -that has no love has no spiritual life! - -This, after all, is the distinction between the good works of the Jew and -those of the Christian; not that the former sought salvation on account -of them, while the latter makes them but the tribute of praise and love -for salvation—for the Jew believed that he was saved by ordinances, not -by works—but that the Jew’s was the enforced obedience of slavish fear, -while the Christian’s is the spontaneous expression of filial love. If -the Christian were perfect in moral perception, he would be a law to -himself, and would need but little of a written law; but not being thus -perfect, he finds his greatest help to glorify GOD, in the studying and -following of the Mosaic laws, which are samples and specimens furnished -by GOD, of acceptable works, and which, moreover, are a standard whereby -he may measure, not so much how near, as how far he is, from doing the -whole will of GOD. - -This purpose, then, the law serves to Christians: it points out the ways -in which love should exercise itself; and so, by confronting the -negligent or transgressing, proves to them the absence or the -imperfection of their love. The Christian is not free from the -observance of one jot or one tittle of it, though he is no longer under -the law, but under grace; but even if he has kept it all, he is not -necessarily accepted: he has not rendered service pleasing to GOD, if his -will is not better than his power, his heart larger than his deeds! This -the lawyer knew theoretically; and yet, against his knowledge, he sinned. -When asked what the law required him to do, he answered rightly, that the -law required, above and beyond particular deeds, an impelling principle -of love for GOD, and, for His sake, for man also. But then, when his -answer was commended, we are told that he, willing to justify himself -(which means, either to excuse himself for past imperfection, or to -attain presently unto the condition of the just, without becoming all -that was required of him) demanded, “And who is my neighbour?” showing -thereby, how much his heart was behind his mind; betraying the fact, that -while he professed entire devotion to GOD, he was really trying to find -out with how stinted and formal an obedience, he could win and keep his -favour. - -In review of this history, let me suggest to you, in very few words, some -important truths. - -“What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” is a momentous question for -each of you to ask of GOD, through His revealed word. For the -inheritance never shall be yours, unless you observe the conditions upon -which it was promised; and one of those conditions (a most important -one), is, that you should pursue constantly a course of righteousness, -both to glorify GOD by prescribed service, and to acquire by spiritual -exercise the necessary character for heaven, without which none can enter -it. - -To do righteousness—not simply to feel, or think, or speak righteously—is -what is plainly enjoined upon you. Still, you must remember that you are -not to propose to yourselves, as the approved course, the observance only -of particular laws, the confining of religion to special times, and -places, and objects, and deeds; the mere walking in a clearly marked out -path, as though hands, and feet, and ears, and lips, without heart or -mind, could work out salvation; as though, too, it were not practicable -or desirable, that you should offer unto GOD any free-will service, -something besides what He has asked you to do! Above all, having come to -understand, that while the fruit of religion is in the life, the germ of -it is in the heart; that without faith, and hope, and love, it is -impossible to please GOD; that the law to you is spiritualised; that you -are brought out of the bondage of servants into the glorious liberty of -sons; that not the mere letter of the law, but the spirit of it is to be -your guide; that outward deeds are not of themselves acceptable to GOD, -but only as signs of enlightened hearty feeling—things done in faith and -love; that worship in the temple is nothing, unless you worship out of -the temple likewise; that bowing the knee, and praising with the lips, -are an abomination, unless the spirit, too, is bowed and the soul -upraised; that bodily sacrifice alone is no sacrifice, that it needs the -broken and contrite heart, and the devoted spirit—while understanding, I -say, all this, and rejoicing in the reasonable, heart-sprung, spiritual -service of the Christian, beware lest you separate what GOD has joined, -or substitute free-will for commanded service, using your liberty -otherwise than as servants of GOD; carrying out, as you suppose, the -spirit of the law wholly in your own way, instead of keeping, while you -spiritualise the letter of the law. “The time is come when, neither in -Jerusalem nor in this mountain, shall ye worship the Father,” does not -mean that appointed places of worship shall not be resorted to, but that, -besides, GOD shall be worshipped everywhere. A yearly celebration of the -Passover is no longer necessary; but a continual feast is substituted for -it. GOD seeks now to be worshipped in spirit and truth—that is, not -without the body, but in addition to the body, with the spirit. The -letter by itself killeth, because it is formal, and leaves the noblest -powers and feelings of man unengaged for GOD; but the letter, as the -carrying out of the Spirit, is still so imperative, so vital, that he who -does not observe it foregoes the promise, “This do, and thou shalt live!” - - - - -SERMON XIV. -PRESENT SALVATION. - - - II. CORINTHIANS, VI., 2. - - _Behold_, _now is the day of salvation_. - -ST. PAUL, having just quoted a prophecy of Isaiah, which relates to an -accepted time and a day of salvation, in the text declares the fulfilment -of that prophecy: “Now is the accepted time; now is the day of -salvation.” That which was then promised, is now performed; that which -was formerly but anticipated, and only embraced by faith, while yet afar -off, is now realised and brought near. But the prophecy itself was -mentioned by the Apostle, to enforce an entreaty, “We then as workers -together with Him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of GOD -in vain. For He saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the -day of salvation have I succoured thee.” It is evident, then, that St. -Paul would impress upon the Corinthians that men are in danger of -receiving the grace of GOD in vain, of not benefitting by all the -merciful and bountiful provision made through CHRIST for their -redemption, and justification, and sanctification, by not recognising -that this is the day of salvation, and so, not looking and preparing for, -and receiving a present salvation. - -Salvation is, as you know, the result—possible in all cases; certain, -wherever the conditions are observed—of redemption by CHRIST. In its -perfection, it is absolute freedom from the guilt, the taint, and the -power of sin, and complete, effectual, and abiding holiness of heart and -life. It belongs not to our proposed subject to consider at any length -the destruction from which this is a salvation, nor the manner in which -it was wrought out for lost sinners by CHRIST, nor the blessedness of its -perfect possession and fruition, which can only be had in heaven. We -have rather to do with what is present, than with the past and the -future. We inquire not now, What has CHRIST done, or, What shall we -reach by and by, but, What ought we to do now? What have we, or may we -have now? In what respects, to what extent, is salvation a thing of the -present? - -First, then, it is present in the offer to bestow it, and the -exhortations and influences to lay hold on it. When CHRIST rose -victorious from the tomb, having paid the ransom for all the prisoners of -the law, and purchased the right and power of being their Saviour, He did -not immediately make all the men of His time actual partakers of the -privileges, nor did He provide that all who should thereafter be born, -should from their birth inherit the blessing, as from Adam they had -inherited the curse. No man might say, “CHRIST has died and risen again, -therefore, I am certainly saved, without any reserve or delay on His -part, without any effort, almost without any desire, on my part.” -Salvation was then provided; rather, the fountain was then opened, and -began to flow; but each man in his turn, at the call of GOD, and in the -way of GOD’S appointment, was, so to speak, to help himself to salvation. -In other words, what CHRIST did, was not to take all who were then living -into an ark, and to cause all that sprung from them to be born and -brought up in that ark; but simply to build an ark, and leave it open for -all ages, and to offer helps to reach it, and to urge an entrance into it -upon all men, by the entreaties and promises of His love, and the threats -of His wrath. - -We want to be impressed with this. We are too apt to look upon salvation -as an accomplished fact, belonging to the past; to speak of the -blessedness of being born after the atonement has been made; to take for -granted that we are actually saved, rather than that we have a present -offer of salvation; and even to regard the ordinances of religion, as -Baptism and Holy Communion, more as ceremonies of thankful faith, -acknowledgments of obligation for past favours, than as means of laying -hold on a now offered, and, as yet, unattained blessing. - -Think a moment, brethren: look into your ways and thoughts about -religion, and you will, perhaps, find that it is so with you; that, -whatever may be your theory, your practice does not assent to the truth, -that “Now is the day of salvation”; that you have now to be saved, yet to -be washed from sin, to have its power destroyed in you, to be qualified -for salvation, to lay hold on it, to work it out with fear and trembling, -as that which, though commenced, is not certain to be completed—which, -even when got, may again be lost. It may occur to you, as an objection -to this statement, that you use means of grace, and somewhat diligently; -that you exercise yourselves in prayer, and by Christian discipline; that -you depend continually upon the ever-present grace of GOD; that you count -not yourselves to have attained; that you seek to go on unto perfection. -All this may be true, and yet—I beseech you ask yourselves whether it is -not so with you—the latent feeling may be, that salvation is a thing -inherited, already, in a measure, attained; and that what religion -requires of you, and what you render, is gratitude to the Giver, and a -due appreciation of the gift, sought to be testified and developed by a -becoming life, and an enlarging of the spiritual faculties, which by and -by will have so much more to exercise themselves upon. - -But, secondly, is not this, it may be urged, a right view and feeling? -Is not this what the ministers of religion should labour to impress upon -the baptized: that they have received salvation—the grace of GOD, which -bringeth salvation? Are we not taught by the Church, and by the Bible, -that in baptism we were born again, that we then became children of -GOD—and if children, then heirs, joint heirs with CHRIST; that we are, -therefore, from that new birth as actually the inheritors of a blessing, -as naturally we were inheritors of a curse; and that, thenceforth, it is -proper for us to say, “I heartily thank my Heavenly Father that he hath -called me to this state of salvation through JESUS CHRIST”? It is even -so, brethren. “Now is the day of salvation,” may mean to us Christians, -“now we _have_ salvation,” rather than “now it is only offered to us.” -It may be intended to stir us up to a consideration of our high calling, -to an appreciation of the great gift already bestowed, to a remembrance -of what GOD has already done for us, to a sense of His abiding presence. -There is no doubt—whether this text teaches it or no is another -question—that the disciples of CHRIST have a present possession, as well -as a present offer of salvation; and what I meant in the first part, was -not to hide this truth, but to guard against the error, to correct -whatever amount you might have of the feeling, that we have already a -final gift, so complete that nothing can be added to it, so altogether of -the past, that we can do nothing in the present, but acknowledge the -goodness of GOD in bestowing it, and wait on Him patiently and holily -till He is pleased to reveal to us the full excellencies of the gift, and -to enable us to enjoy them in the eternal heaven. Above all, I meant to -protest against, to awaken from the fearful delusion, that CHRIST has -conferred absolutely on mankind, or upon any chosen number—the elect—the -salvation which, by His precious merits, He procured; that it is ours -independently of means of grace, without closing with present offers of -it, and making present exertions, and showing present appreciation of it; -that it can be ours at all, without earnest seeking and praying for it, -and strivings, and workings, and self-denials, and crucifyings of evil, -and growth in grace, and perseverance unto the end. “By grace are ye -saved, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of GOD.” Work out your -own salvation, each individual of you; make that your own which was once -procured for all that would have it; work out your own salvation with -fear and trembling. Your salvation (I speak to the baptized) is _begun_, -you have _present_ salvation—_i.e._, you are in the way which leads to -salvation. You have guaranteed to you, on conditions, the helps -necessary to attain perfect salvation. You may derive, and should be -deriving, present benefits from your salvation, and you should experience -present joy in it. - -You have, I say, present salvation. You have been made members of that -One Body, which was sanctified, and which is able to sanctify all other -bodies that are joined to it: you are branches of that glorious tree, -whose sap, pervading every healthy branch, gives it present strength and -develops its beautiful growth, and by and by will produce the fruit of -everlasting life. You have the life of CHRIST kindled in your souls. -Your bodies are the temple of the Holy Ghost. Now is the day of -salvation, and _present_ salvation, too; not merely past salvation -applied, not that you are washed in a lake whose waters _once_ flowed -from a glorious Fountain; not that you partake of a store of -sanctification, long ago laid up; but that now each individual of you is -operated upon by a present influence, deriving directly from the source, -the water of life, having sanctification produced in you by the -now-working and influencing Spirit. Creatures of the present, there is a -present salvation for you; and that does not mean merely that you have -for yourselves to seek and lay hold of a ready salvation, but that a -merciful and grace-giving GOD, a loving Saviour, an indwelling Spirit, -are present with you, and personally operating upon you for your -salvation. - -Dear brethren, try to understand and feel this. Do not suppose that -GOD’S gifts are in any way separated from the Giver by time or by -distance. Once for all, He resolved to give, but severally as each needs -and rightly seeks, He gives; and when He gives, it is not by messengers, -through long mediums, _but out of His own hand_. The bread which we -break and the cup which we bless, are the communion of the Body and Blood -of CHRIST. The bread is not the Body, nor the wine the Blood, nor is the -reception of them the way of applying to us any stored up blessings; but -when we keep the ordinance which CHRIST has appointed, then He fulfils -His promise of blessing us, and, with the sign, Himself the reality -enters into our souls. - - There present in the heart, - Not in the hands, th’ eternal Priest - Will His true self impart. - -And so of all other ordinances. They are nothing, and give nothing of -themselves. Their whole value—but what an unspeakable value it -is—consists in their being appointed ways of bringing us into direct -communication with a present GOD, our Father, our Saviour, our -Sanctifier! - -But there is another view to take of present salvation—namely, that from -its very nature, it cannot be received at any one time in perfection, in -such a state as to need no care to preserve it, no sustentation and -renewal, no constant direction and blessing from the Author, and -Regulator, and Finisher of it. It is spiritual life. Who does not know -to what hazards life may be exposed, and how, from its very nature, it -requires to be fed with proper food, and kept in health, and exercised, -and developed? It is a spiritual sap. And what a mockery of life and -support to the branch, would be one single, separated, unrenewed -imparting from the vine, of the sap, which indeed ceases to be sap when -the flow from the trunk is interrupted! The work of salvation is GOD’S -work, begun by Him, continued by Him, and to be completed by -Him—therefore, it must have His continued personal superintendence. He -must work in us to will and to do of His good pleasure. - -Thus is salvation _present_ as distinguished from the _past_. - -But in another sense it is now the day of salvation. We have not to -expect it as a thing wholly future, we must not delay to close with it as -though there were a better time and way of doing that to be afforded -hereafter. Salvation is present in its rewards and effects. - -This, again, is a truth we need to be impressed with. We are wont to -look too much to the future, to _hope_ to be with GOD hereafter, to -_long_ for salvation, to sigh for the season of sanctification. By and -by we shall be comforted. By and by we shall be strengthened. By and by -we shall be holy and happy! Thus it is that we only expect salvation, -that we persuade ourselves that we are not to receive anything here by -way of real spiritual joy and blessing, and that we are not required to -reach any high degree of spiritual excellence here! But, brethren, how -unreasonable is this persuasion. To believe that GOD is present with us -and operating upon us, and pouring out His benefits upon us all our -lives, and yet that we are none the better, that we do not derive any -blessedness from Him: or, again, to believe that GOD has given us -spiritual life, that He imparts to us, and constantly superintends, the -grace which justifies and sanctifies; and yet that we can, or at least -need make no use of this grace, not grow in it, not become purer, and -holier, that it is ineffectual, that we may consent to its being -ineffectual till life is over—O is not such a persuasion unreasonable, -are we not ashamed of it? Imagine a mother not feeding or taking care of -her infant, and yet counting on its thriving! or, fondly and diligently -tending, taking care of her infant, and continuing to do so year after -year, yet perfectly satisfied though it gained no strength, did not grow, -nor walk, nor speak, nor show the slightest sign of getting out of -babyhood! Imagine, I say, satisfaction with such a state, and hope all -the while, yea, conviction, that presently, when the usual number of -years were over the child would somehow be a man! Or, imagine the -husbandman expecting a harvest without sowing, or ploughing; or planting -his field diligently, and rejoicing in refreshing rains, and ripening -suns, yet not disappointed if the ear did not ripen, or even if the blade -did not spring up; not concerned about it, not expecting it, sure of -harvest at the usual time, even if that usual time should be next week, -and there were yet no sign of a crop! Imagine this! you say. Such -imagination is idle; it is a mockery of common sense to suppose such a -thing possible. Well, then, my brethren, what is to be said of the -spiritual nurses of the new life of GOD in the soul, of the spiritual -husbandman of the seed of grace in the heart, who do nothing towards, or -who expect nothing of present salvation? Brethren, NOW is the day of -salvation, the day in which salvation is offered, in which it is actually -conferred, in which it should be working and growing, yea, and bestowing -its joy and peace. If in aught of this it fails, be sure there is some -fault in yourselves—it is not that grace is of itself unreal, or -unproductive, but that you receive it in vain, that you do not -sufficiently heed and reverence it, that you do not sufficiently guard -it, and sustain and refresh it, that you do not sufficiently use it. - -There ought to be in every baptized Christian, a gradual, steady, and -even perceptible Christian progress. Our salvation ought to be ever -nearer and nearer than when we believed, not only in the expectation of -our complete adoption and removal to glory, but in our fitness for glory, -and desire and hope of it. If we have the same evil tendencies, are as -easily overcome by the same temptations, have the same dislike or -imperfect taste for spiritual occupations, the same poor appreciation of -religious privileges and hopes as we had a year, a month, a week ago, -then assuredly our salvation stagnates, we are not using what GOD has -given us, we are not yielding to, we are resisting His living influence! -Grace, my brethren, is an useless gift, if it is to effect nothing: a -time of probation is an idle space, if there is no trial. Faith is -little entitled to be called “the substance of things hoped for, the -evidence of things not seen,” if it produces no spiritual conviction: and -as for hope—what kind of anchor is it to the soul, if it is ever -shifting, if it grasps nothing? - -If any man is in CHRIST, he is a new creature, that is, he is becoming a -new creature, with new life, and powers, and energies, and tastes, and -aims, and hopes. He will grow in grace if he has rightly received it, -and in the knowledge and love of CHRIST. He will manifestly (at least to -himself manifestly) be putting off the old man with his affections and -lusts, and putting on the new man, which after GOD is created in -righteousness and true holiness. He will endure trials more and more -patiently, as seeing more clearly Him who is invisible. He will resist -temptations more easily, and do good more consistently and gladly, and be -more pained and more penitent after every sin. He will have a growing -love of searching GOD’S word, and speaking to Him in prayer and praise, -and receiving Him in Holy Communion. He will gradually be raised above -the world, and will soar higher in imagination and affection and hope -towards heaven. Each day will have witnessed some advance—or some more -than recovery if there has been a relapse. And when the night cometh, -the end of the day of attaining salvation, he will want but little to -complete his resemblance to CHRIST, his pattern, and to perfect his -salvation. - -If, then, brethren, you would obtain an answer to the momentous question, -Whether you shall be saved, whether there is a good hope that you are in -the way of salvation, I would bid you not so much look back to your -Baptism and Confirmation, and count the number of your attendances on -Holy Communion, of the sermons you have heard, the prayers and praises -you have offered—though these are all great things—but rather, I would -say, ascertain whether you have present salvation, for the future depends -on the present; and to ascertain this, examine well whether you are -putting off the old man and putting on the new, as I have just described. -As another test—and a very great help in godliness, to which there is no -equal in feelings and exercises—inquire into your hope of future -salvation (by which I do not mean only your expectation, but also your -eager desire), and into your joy for present salvation. - -If religion is a reality, it is a great reality. Its immediate blessings -are so precious, and its prospects so transcendently glorious, that the -man who is not filled with joy and desire on their account, has no part -or lot in them, or is strangely culpably ignorant of his privileges and -his hopes. No wonder that he easily yields to sin, that he finds -spiritual employments wearisome, that he makes no progress in salvation. -If GOD touches him and he feels not, if heaven has come down to him and -he knows it not, if glory is revealed to him, and he does not burn for -it, if CHRIST has put him in the ark and he is not comforted by the -immediate deliverance and counting on the perfect salvation—then, surely, -he has received the grace of GOD to little sanctifying, and so to little -saving purpose! - -O let him beseech GOD earnestly and perseveringly to give him spiritual -sight and feeling, to fill him with joy and peace in believing, to make -him rejoice, not only for what he has, but for what he expects of -salvation; working, like St. Paul, in view of the crown laid up, -confident that, whether absent or present, he is accepted by GOD, knowing -that to depart is to be with CHRIST. - -But, lastly, let him guard and pray against mistaking _present_ for -perfect salvation, the road and discipline and growth for heaven, for -heaven itself. The possession which he has, precious as it is, is not a -perfect one; and, moreover, he may lose it. Remember Paul’s care, lest -he should be a castaway, his caution to take heed lest we fall, his -fearful sayings about forfeited grace. O brethren, seek as the best -immediate blessing and the best stimulus to godliness, an assurance of -hope in perfect salvation. But be sure that it is founded upon the -reception and right use and evident growth of grace, upon present -salvation; and, withal, be not high-minded, but fear. You know your own -frailties, the influences of the world, the subtlety and tremendous power -of Satan’s temptations. Any of these is sufficient to make you wander -out of the right way, or stand still, or turn back, or to cause you to -faint in your spiritual course, and even to threaten the destruction of -your spiritual life. You are sure of GOD, of His favour, of His -upholding, of His preserving you unto the day of perfect redemption; but -you are not sure of your observance of the conditions on which only you -may count on Him. And if you disregard these conditions, then are you -plainly taught, by precept and example, that a neglected GOD will not -abide with you, and a resisted Spirit will not strive with you, and that -grace received in vain will be taken away. Remember this, let it keep -you from presumption, make you watchful against temptation, always -clothed in the armour of GOD, and wielding the sword of the Spirit, and -abounding in the work of the LORD; praying, too, always, that the present -may be an earnest of the future, that the Spirit will sustain, and -sanctify, and perfect you, and that GOD, Who has begun a good work in -you, will perform it until the day of JESUS CHRIST. - - - - -SERMON XV. -CHRIST TOUCHED. - - - ST. MARK, V., 30. - - _And_ JESUS, _immediately knowing in Himself that virtue had gone out - of Him_, _turned Him about in the press_, _and said_, _Who touched my - clothes_? - -A CROWD always waited on our LORD when He taught or walked openly. In -this case, there was an unusually great crowd following and thronging -Him, because it had become known that He was on His way to work the -miracle of raising up a child from the point of death. It is not hard to -guess what were the elements of this crowd. First, there were the idle, -curious multitude ever to be found where novelty or excitement is -promised. Then there were those who knew not why they were come -together, who were there because others were, who had no mind or interest -in the matter. (There are always many of these in every crowd.) Then -there were the scribes and lawyers, always talking about, listening to, -or disputing religious truths—never coming, or caring to come, to the -knowledge and practice of the truth. Then there were the seekers after -loaves and fishes, who hoped to get something by coming. Then there were -the entrappers and enemies of our LORD, seeking for witness against Him, -hoping to see some work done, to hear some word said which might form the -ground of accusation against Him. And, lastly, there were some—a few -only—whom faith impelled to seek from Him the healing of their diseases, -the relief of their burthens; and whom love drew after Him, to see Him, -to serve Him, to dwell upon the gracious words that proceeded out of His -mouth. Of the last class was a woman who had been afflicted with a -grievous malady for twelve years, who had tried all earthly means of -relief, and had grown worse under them, who was despised and shut out -from the company of mankind by reason of her visitation, who had become -destitute in seeking cure. All things were against her. Her misfortunes -were what many would describe as more than could be borne. Her case was -hopeless. Nothing seemed left to her but to succumb to helpless misery, -and wait in groans and tears for death—when, lo! a sudden gleam of -brightest hope burst upon her, there was a Physician Who could cure all -diseases, and His remedy was to be had without price! It does not appear -whether the fame of JESUS had reached her in some remote place, whence -she had dragged her poor afflicted body, sighing and groaning, wandering -many days, searching in many places; or whether, being “accidentally,” as -men say, near where the crowd passed, she had now heard, for the first -time, of the new Prophet; and, gathering from the passers-by that He was -going to restore a dying damsel, concluded that the possessor of such -power, so graciously exercised, could and would heal her too. Be that as -it may, she had full faith in His ability: “If I may but touch his -clothes I shall be whole.” And, having such faith, she resolved to act -upon it, making her way through the crowd, and doing that, through which -her faith suggested the power would be transmitted. How she came to -propose to herself, or who proposed to her, such a course, how much of -ignorance and superstition there was in it, is beside our present -consideration. Her faith, her perseverance, her humility, are rather the -things to be noted. Her faith, which was so strongly convinced of the -existence in JESUS, and the certainty of being able to obtain from Him -the grace of healing. Her perseverance, poor, feeble, tottering woman! -which was not overawed by the greatness of the crowd, and did not give up -when she was dragged hither and thither, hard pressed here, shut out -there—perhaps even thrown down and trampled on more than once. Her -humility, which—eager as she was for cure, bent, too, as she was upon -having it—made her fear the eyes of the crowd, though she cared nothing -for their thrusts and hard usage, which dared not face her Healer; which -caused her to shrink back from the first touch, and seek to hide herself, -and steal away with the blessing. - -Pausing here for a moment, brethren, to consider that this woman, in her -malady, is a type of all who are affected with the disease of sin; that -in the fruitless issue of her recourse to earthly physicians, she -allegorises the vanity, the mockery, of all human expedients to restore -or ameliorate moral distempers; showing that such “remedies” do but cause -to suffer more, and make worse—pausing, I say, to consider this, and to -reflect that herein we have a representation of ourselves as sinners, of -our helplessness but for CHRIST, of our greater suffering and sure -deterioration, through our very efforts to become better without CHRIST; -reflecting on this, realising it, and feeling it, are we able to go on -and see in her discovering of the right Healer, in her efforts to be -healed by Him, in her faith, and perseverance, and humility, what we have -discovered, what we believe, and what we do, and what we feel? O what a -pitiable sufferer is that, who hears with indifference or with lukewarm -inactive belief, that there is a Physician that can make well; who knows -that He is ready, that restoration is to be had, and yet does not seek -it; who even pleads infirmity as a reason for not striving to be cured; -who is deterred by the sight of a crowd that must be got through; who is -discouraged by the first obstacle, and gets up and goes back after the -first fall! And how blinded are the senses, and how dead the feelings of -the sinner, who does not feel the degradation of his state, but makes -open display of himself before the crowd, and with a bold front and -unshrinking touch, comes to the All-pure and All-holy to be healed! -Learn, fellow sinners, from this poor woman, what your sin is, how -defiling, how miserable, how sure to grow worse under human treatment. -Learn, too, by Whom alone it can be healed, and with what efforts, and -what feelings, you must seek the healing. For, consider how the -All-seeing eye and the All sympathising heart beheld and loved that -woman, for her deeds and feelings. _Before_ she touched Him, the virtue, -the power of healing, was made ready to flow; and, as soon as she had -touched, she was called forth, and commended, and owned, and further -blessed: “Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be -whole of thy plague.” - -Partly, no doubt, for the sake of others, this manifestation and speech -were made. JESUS generally hid His wondrous works from the gaze of the -masses, and forbade that they should even hear of them by the hearing of -the ear: just as He concealed the meaning of His speech by veiling it in -parables, hard to be understood, that mere curiosity might not be -indulged, that faith might have some privilege over want of faith, that -needless provocation of His enemies might be avoided, and witness against -Him withheld, that those who He knew would see and hear in vain, might be -spared the greater condemnation of beholding and despising. Sometimes, -however, an exception was made, and JESUS spoke and acted openly; that -those present might see, and those absent might hear of Him, and so come -unto Him and be saved. This may have been the case here. Or, more -probably, the manifestation was not so much for the multitude, it was for -the inner circle; for Jairus, whose faith needed to be prepared, for the -shock of the coming announcement—“Thy daughter is dead, why troublest -thou the Master any more?” or for better heeding of the injunction, “Be -not afraid, only believe;” for the disciples, too, whom He would thus -confirm in the faith, and prepare for their mission and sufferings, whom -He would thus enable to record for our instruction and comfort, the -things which JESUS has done, which He is ever ready to do again. But, -specially, it was for the woman herself; that she might not suppose that -she had obtained _unknown_ possession of a blessing, or that it was the -mere touch which cured her, and not the All-knowing Healer, pleased by -her faith and so making effectual an otherwise useless act; that she -might become acquainted with Him, and so learn to love Him, and -gratefully remember Him, and by and by, when she came to know his will, -might delight to do it; that she might have something more than she -sought—this is ever the rule of CHRIST’S giving—the “Go in peace,” as -well as the “Be whole of thy plague;” that she might be taught, and we, -through her, that Divine mercy is ever to be acknowledged, and open glory -to be given to GOD. - -The history is replete with profitable suggestions—lessons of faith and -practice. Let us select three for present consideration. - -First, let us observe, that we may throng and press JESUS, and yet not -touch Him. “Thou seest the multitude thronging Thee, and sayest Thou who -touched me?” Even so! The idle, curious, controversial, captious -thronging is nothing accounted of: it is the touch of eager desire and -humble faith which alone is noticed. At first, brethren, we are tempted -to think, that the most strangely indifferent, the most unblessed of men, -are those who do not join the throng, and press about the LORD JESUS. -That He is in the sanctuary, and men do not enter into His presence -there; that He is teaching the way of life, and men will not hear sermons -nor read the Bible; that He may be conversed with, and yet men will not -pray; that He may be touched, and yet sacraments are not received: this, -we think, is as strange as it is sad. And so, indeed, it is. But it is -stranger and sadder, that any should come into the Sanctuary, and not -perceive CHRIST’S presence; that they should hear and read without -learning; that they should use words of prayer and yet not be heard; that -they should press and throng JESUS in ordinances, and never touch Him; -deriving no benefit from Him, because they seek it not aright; being -beneath His eye, and yet unnoticed; crowding around Him, and upon Him, -and yet unfelt! But assuredly, as of old it was, so it is now. If mere -idleness brings men to the Sanctuary, mere observance of a decent -fashion, if they come only to hear and see something new, to wile away -the time which hangs wearily upon them, to gain themselves a good name as -respectable and pious, if they are watching to see, what may be -criticised, what may be talked about and condemned, if they are rendering -merely a formal obedience, and offering only an outward service—then, I -was going to say, CHRIST takes no more notice of them than if they were -not present; but I should rather say, He is wrathful against them for -being present. He blinds their eyes, and turns away His own. He is dumb -to them; they deaf to Him. He yields nothing to them, though they seem -like Moses to have cleft the rock. He feels them not, though they -squeeze and press! My brethren, it may be that some of you have long -been in the company of CHRIST, have missed very few opportunities of -public worship, have become very familiar with the Scriptures, have often -repeated prayers and psalms, have been frequent communicants, and yet are -none the better in feeling and desire, have experienced no spiritual -relief, have no more love or perception of the truth, than if you had -been utter strangers to CHRIST, and never been near Him nor heard of Him. -Hence it may be that religion is to you but a name: it profits you not, -it affords you no delight, it exercises no influence upon you. Would you -know why? Because you have been but thronging and pressing, because you -have had no real sense of your misery, have entertained no real desire to -be relieved and blessed, and so have made no well-directed, persevering -effort to touch CHRIST! You are, as you feel, no better, no wiser, than -if there were no CHRIST, or you had never been near Him! And you will -never be wiser and better, however much you press and throng, till you -realise your want, and are convinced that CHRIST alone can relieve it, -and come to Him faithfully, resolutely, humbly, to touch the hem of His -garment, and be healed of your plague. First, then, strive to know what -you want, and to be convinced that CHRIST can and will grant it; and, -then, feeling the desire of it, being sure from Whom alone it can be had, -and how it must be sought, draw near—with the feeling of necessity, with -the perseverance of desire, with the consciousness of unworthiness—and -effect the touch of faith. You shall not, in that case, remain -unblessed; your plague shall be stayed, your faith shall be commended, -your effort crowned, your humility exalted; you shall have more than you -sought; enlarge your desire as you will, it shall be more than satisfied: -and He whom you would but touch, and then shrink away, shall call you -forth, and own, and bless you, and give you everlasting peace and perfect -salvation. - -Next, let us observe, that nothing can keep back and nothing hide from -CHRIST. We are sometimes tempted, in the deep sense of our unworthiness, -in review of the distance between us and the Healer, of the many -obstacles which intervene, to give up in despair, and say to ourselves, -“It is of no use trying, I am not fit for such a blessing, and if I were, -I cannot reach it.” Now, consider, who could be more unfit, and who more -unable to approach CHRIST than this poor woman. There was a positive law -which forbade her coming; her touch was pollution: yet CHRIST reproached -her not with disregarding that law, nor refused her because of it; and -when she touched He did not recoil, but encouraged her. For _us_ there -is no excommunicating law. From us CHRIST is pledged not to recoil. -“Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden,” is an invitation, -a positive command. “Him that cometh unto Me I will in no wise cast -out,” is a most solemn pledge. Why, then, should we shrink? What shall -we fear? And as for difficulties and hindrances, our own infirmities, -the opposition of the world or the Devil, the sneers of despisers, the -distance, the crowd, the hurrying on, can aught compare with what -threatened this woman, and what she overcame? O are we not ashamed to -forego salvation, to keep away from CHRIST, to desist from determination -to reach Him, by any plea of personal infirmity, or of difficulty in the -way? What in ourselves is worse than the twelve years’ growing, -enfeebling, overwhelming malady of this woman? What in aught around us -is more impenetrable than the great crowd? and whenever was CHRIST as -distant from us as He was from her? And then as to the discouragement -which Satan would suggest to us, that in our age we cannot, like this -poor woman, get anything from CHRIST by stealth; that the power to heal -flows not unconsciously; that He must see, and approve, and stay for us, -and even anticipate us; and that by reason of our insignificance and the -wide extent of His dominion, it is not reasonable to suppose that we -shall be observed—brethren, are we not assured, by the fact that _she_ -was discerned, and watched for, and singled out from the great multitude, -that the gaze which is comprehensive enough to include all is particular -enough to distinguish each; that there is nothing beneath His notice; -that He can get through, and will get through, all that stands between us -and Him: that He who keeps vast globes in their orbits, takes thought -even for sparrows; that He counts the hairs of each individual’s head; -that He hears each sigh, and feels each sorrow; that the roar of the -universe is not louder in His ear than the feeblest cry of distress from -the lowest of His creatures? O it is a blessed assurance, and one for -which we should be heartily thankful, that it was always when there was -most to distract, that CHRIST was most closely attentive; that it was in -the most dazzling glare that He saw most clearly; that it was when He -seemed most absorbed in other aims, that His notice and help were most -readily secured; that in the way to raise the daughter of Jairus, He was -so easily stopped to heal and bless the woman with the issue of blood! -No sight too insignificant to escape His eye; no sound too faint to reach -His ear; no crowd so great as to hide the individual; no object so -engrossing as to exclude from notice, or to hurry on from concern for the -least, the unworthiest of other objects! - -Lastly, let us observe that power to heal was ready to flow wherever -there was a channel made for it. We are not, of course, to understand -that CHRIST healed unconsciously; that any mere formal touch secured, as -it were, without the violation of His will, the grace which He was -anointed to bestow; but we are to understand, that such is the law of -grace, that where there is a demand there is a supply; that like as the -thirsty sand surely drinks in the rising wave, like as a sponge absorbs -the water into which it is plunged, so the sensibly void heart, the -yearning desire, the faithful effort, the moral fitness, is sure of what -it wants and seeks, if it is found in the place where what it wants -exists. It is one of the most wonderful, most mysterious, and at the -same time most sure effects of CHRIST’S incarnation that human nature, -needing and desiring, put into communion with Him, possessing, -overflowing, shall have by the necessary operation of an invariable law, -the thing which it wants, and which He has to bestow. There is no -chance, no mere probability in the case: CHRIST is the ever-flowing -fountain; if you stand beneath, the water must come over you. He is the -root full of sap, if you are one of the branches joined to Him, the sap -shall flow into and permeate you. - -It is this which makes ordinances effectual signs of grace; means, not by -which grace may _perhaps_ be bestowed, but by which it is _sure_ to be -bestowed, if they are rightly used. The woman, whose history we have -been considering, might have been disappointed in her hope: for CHRIST -had not taught her, nor made her any promise, nor prescribed to her any -course; but He has so enlightened _us_ in the mystery of His Incarnation; -He has so pledged to us His grace; He has so shown us how to obtain it, -that we may most confidently say, “If I may but touch, I shall be whole.” -Grace, the manifold grace of CHRIST’S glorified body—the source of -sanctification and every blessing, is ready to flow, and will flow as -soon as He is touched. Of course, as we have seen, this touch must be -directed by right feeling; but still, observe, there must be a touch. -“Thy faith hath saved thee.” Not because it kept thee still, sighing -for, talking of, waiting for Me, but because it roused thee, and made -thee encounter so much, and do so much to come and touch Me. Faith gives -quality to the touch, but, after all, the touch secures the blessing. So -it ever is. The touch necessary, and the touch effectual. “He that -believeth _and is baptized_ shall be saved.” “Except ye eat the flesh of -the Son of man and drink His blood, ye have no life in you.” The water -of Baptism is the laver of regeneration. The bread which we break, and -the cup which we bless, are the Communion of the Body and Blood of -CHRIST. Using the outward part rightly, you do certainly receive the -inward grace: for as soon as CHRIST is rightly touched, and these are -appointed ways of touching, immediately—as it were, spontaneously—virtue -to heal goes out of Him. - -Let it not, however, be supposed, that this view of the way of healing -and sanctifying makes CHRIST a servant of grace instead of the LORD of -grace; that it directs us to a mere storehouse to help ourselves, instead -of sending us to a living, loving, discerning Saviour, of Whom we are to -crave the help and blessing which are His to give as He will. No, -brethren, it exalts ordinances, but only because they are CHRIST’S -ordinances, the clothes in which He is clad, as He walks among us, the -garments through which power to heal is transmitted from Him to us. The -use of these things without a sense of unworthiness, without humility and -faith, is like the thronging of CHRIST by the crowd, not only -unprofitable, but rude and profane; and this sense of unworthiness, this -humility and faith, together with the power and perseverance to act upon -them, are all the gifts of CHRIST, seed sown, increase given by Him -according to His will. Look, then, to the Physician, as well as to the -remedy, to the Giver of grace as well as to the Channel of grace; and, -knowing that without Him you can do nothing, and except from Him receive -nothing, beseech Him to enable you to seek grace rightly, and then to -bestow it freely, not for any worthiness, for any feeling, for any deed; -but simply because of your necessity, out of His boundless love. - - - - -SERMON XVI. -PREACHING PARABLES. - - - EZEKIEL, XX., 49. - - _Ah_ LORD GOD! _they say of me_, _Doth he not speak parables_? - -EZEKIEL had been commissioned with the utterance of a warning, in -figurative but very intelligible language, that GOD was about to bring a -great calamity upon Jerusalem and all Judah; that young and old, good and -bad, should be affected by it—“I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall -devour every green tree and every dry tree”; that the judgment should be -irresistible “the flaming flame shall not be quenched,” and the -destruction universal; “all faces from the south to the north shall be -burned therein.” According to some expositors, as soon as he received -this commission, concluding from his past experience that the Jews would -profess not to understand his message, or would say, that it was an -exaggeration, or that it did not apply to them, and so disregard it, he -entreated of GOD, in the words of the text, that such an excuse might be -taken away by the delivery instead of a plain and unmistakeable warning: -“O LORD, not a parable. Thy people will not heed parables.” Whereupon -GOD, in gracious condescension to His prophet, in determination to be -heard and understood by the people, substituted for this first message, -not indeed wholly unfigurative language, but a simpler parable, which -carried with it to all its own interpretation. But it is better, I -think, to suppose, that Ezekiel does not here anticipate the people’s -perversity, and so persuade GOD at once to withdraw His words; but that -he narrates and grieves over the actual reception which the message, -faithfully delivered, had encountered. The people would not hear it. -They said it was obscure: a parable, an enigma, a poetical exaggeration. -GOD did not speak to them by it; or, if He did, they could not tell what -He said. “Ah! LORD GOD—alas! it is the old tale—I told them Thy words, -but they would not hear; they turned away from me, saying, Surely we -cannot understand him.” - -Whichever was the case, whether Ezekiel only expected, or actually -experienced this treatment, we are sure that it was not wholly on account -of special obscurities which veiled the matters he had to declare, nor on -account of any special deafness and hardness of heart which belonged to -that people. For every Christian teacher has had reason to anticipate, -has actually endured the like from Christian congregations. - -Often and often in preparing for the pulpit, is the preacher tempted to -set aside some important theme, to withhold some wonderful truth, to -forbear even to suggest some glorious consolation, because he believes -that in uttering it, he will not have the ears, or, if he has the ears, -he will not have the minds of his hearers; that they will not understand -his saying; and so, of course, will not receive it. Often and often, -too, when having used the full liberty of a Christian prophet and -whatever ability GOD has given him, of simplifying to the utmost, and -recommending with all his energy, the Gospel message, he is constrained -to feel, he is made, perhaps, by men’s open speech to know, that he is -regarded as the setter-forth of unmeaning, extravagant, or inapplicable -words. Of course, this charge is not always unfounded. We are not -inspired: we often speak our own words; our minds may not have rightly -conceived the subject we would discuss, or we may be wanting in ability -to express clearly what we understand. Under various influences we do, -too, at times speak more or less extravagantly, and our knowledge and -discretion are not so complete, that we invariably select what is -precisely suited to our hearers. In such cases, we ought to expect, we -have no right to complain of, the rejection, the disregard, or the -fruitlessness of our preaching. But, brethren, when we are sure that the -fault lies not in the preacher, when he has taken pains to enter into and -reveal the mind of the Spirit, to teach what he knows GOD would have you -understand and believe, to urge what he knows GOD would have you do, to -describe and recommend what he knows GOD would have you love and -seek—when he has done this, and you receive not his words, excusing -yourselves by saying that he is obscure, or over-strict, or fanciful, or -enthusiastic, or anything else—oh! then has he not a right to complain to -GOD? yea; and is it not his duty to remonstrate with you? Brethren, we -charge not such as you who are here assembled with the wilfulness of -Ezekiel’s hearers. In you we do not suppose there is any actual -unbelief, or deliberate dislike of the truth. It is not forced in your -case upon unwilling ears: for you come to hear it. It is not rejected -because you hate it. Nevertheless, we have somewhat against many of you -of Ezekiel’s complaint, respecting your treatment of the read or preached -Word of GOD. - -We have to complain, brethren, that many of you are under the mistaken -notion that you have almost a right to select the preacher’s theme, at -least to dictate its mode of treatment; and that if your right is -disregarded, then you are justified in excusing yourselves for not -profiting or heeding. Bear with me, beloved. Is it not the case, that -you sometimes find fault with the subject of the sermon? You do not want -to hear so much about man’s depravity: you do not like the preacher to -make such a point of observing religious ordinances: what a high standard -of morality he sets up; how strict is the holiness he describes; why will -he discourse of the horrors of hell? So, again, of the manner of -treatment. You do not care for argument; you cannot enter upon theories; -you are weary of quotations of historical illustrations; the style is too -florid, or too bald: it is poetical; or it is commonplace; or somehow it -is not what you like; and therefore—I would not say you turn away from -it, but you do not try, as much as you ought, to heed it; and you excuse -yourselves for not improving under it by blaming the preacher. - -The fact is, there is too often a great forgetfulness of the fact, that -when the preacher speaks to you it is your part to be as listeners and -learners of GOD. It is not for you to choose the subjects, nor to -dictate the method of teaching. It is true, perhaps, that your taste and -aptitude are greater for some subjects than others: it is true that you -are more easily enlightened, and impressed, and influenced in some ways -than in others. It is natural, and I would not say it is wrong, for you -to prefer those subjects and ways; but be sure nevertheless, that it is -the very contrary of wisdom and humility, of reverence for GOD, of regard -for duty and interest, not to give the most earnest heed to whatever GOD -says to you through His servant, to dare to treat it lightly, because -either of the topic or the way of handling it. When a message comes to -you from GOD, surely it is no reason for not receiving it, that you would -prefer a message about something else! And if the diction in which that -message is clothed is hard or distasteful to you, while you may lament -it, may ask for an explanation, may solicit consideration for your taste, -or help in overcoming your distaste, you may not on any account disregard -what has been said. The word gone forth shall not return. Where the -seed has been sown, increase shall be expected. The day is coming, when -all your opportunities and means of knowing GOD’S will, and all your -incentives to serve Him, shall be taken account of by Him Who has -afforded them, and then shall the worst preacher, the most apparently -obscure and inapplicable sermon you ever heard be a witness for or -against you, to testify what regard you had for GOD’S message, what -humility, what teachableness, what readiness to receive and to do what -was clear, what anxious diligence and pains to understand what was -obscure. - -Brethren, you may choose what subjects you will hear discussed in the -secular lecture-hall, and if you do not like the entertainment you may -refuse to be entertained by it, and resolve to hear no more of it, to -dismiss it altogether from your thoughts. But you do not come to church -to be entertained; you have no option there of selecting or rejecting. -It is your misfortune (though it may be his fault) if the preacher does -not interest you, or the sermon immediately commend itself to your mind, -and to your heart; but, being there, you must hear whatever is said, and -however it is said; and having heard, be sure you must give account to -GOD of the hearing! Settle this in your minds, impress yourselves with -the solemn authority of the preacher, and with the importance and -responsibility of heeding him, and it will be very seldom that you will -object even in thought, “Doth he not speak parables?” - -But there are particular complaints, about which I would say a few words -specially. - -First, there is a complaint against the preaching of mysterious and -profound truths. If the preacher dwells upon such a subject as the -Incarnation of CHRIST, the nature of CHRIST’S presence with His Church, -of the Spirit’s indwelling, or the rationale of the efficacy of the means -of grace; or if he attempts to explain any difficult text, no matter what -pains he may take to simplify the subject, how he may labour to show its -importance and to recommend its consideration, he is met at once with the -objection that he speaks parables, and so with a tacit refusal to heed. -“Why puzzle one’s brains,” it is urged, “with such matters, when there -are so many simple themes and easy lessons in the Gospel. I cannot -understand such things. They are too profound. The preaching of them -may be clever, but it is thrown away upon me. I do not want to work and -task my mind, but to warm my feelings.” Such is the reward the preacher -often gets for taking unusual pains to edify his hearers! Such is the -wilful, the determined ignorance of many of GOD’S people respecting those -truths, the understanding of which most concerns them, and honours Him. -It ought to be sufficient to correct these unwise and unwilling, to -remind them that whatever GOD has revealed He requires to be accepted, -and that as there can be no acceptance of that which is not understood, -it is a foremost duty of the Christian preacher and the Christian learner -to employ themselves in the solution of Scripture difficulties, and the -comprehension of revealed mysteries. Such objectors do not intend it, -but they grievously slight GOD when they refuse to heed so much of His -teaching, yea, they even cast a slur upon His wisdom in striving to teach -what, according to them, cannot be learnt. And are they not unjust to -themselves? Have they really such narrow and shallow understandings, so -impossible to widen and deepen? Would they confess to such incapacity if -they were listening to a scientific lecture? would they complain if the -lecturer introduced them to new facts, showed them fresh experiments, -suggested to them explanatory theories, sought to make them wiser than -they were? Would they shut their ears at the sound of the first new -term: would they shrink back at the first invitation to tread upon -unfamiliar ground; would they protect themselves against being -enlightened, by claiming to be hopelessly ignorant? Would they not -rather make the most of the opportunity, opening ear and stretching mind -to catch all they could, finding pleasure in being carried beyond and -above themselves, resenting indignantly a hint that the thing was out of -their reach, professing, somewhat ostentatiously pretending a greater -delight and fuller understanding than they really had? O why is it the -fashion to claim to be so wise in secular matters, to boast of ignorance -in religion? It is well, indeed, that men should not sham to be wise in -GOD’S presence, but it is ill, very ill, that they sham to be ignorant, -or that they should be content to be ignorant when they might be wise, -ignoring and disowning the powers which GOD has given them! - -Take these remarks, dear brethren, into your serious consideration. -Remember that GOD has given you intelligent minds, in order that you -might think of and serve Him with understanding. Much, indeed, about Him -is absolutely incomprehensible; much has He designedly withheld; before -many mysteries, has He put up the warning, “Draw not nigh hither;” but -much has He told you plainly, and much has He propounded in sufficiently -obscure or difficult terms, to task and exercise your minds in their -necessary unravelling. With respect to these things, as it is only by -much resistance that you can withstand the temptations to which you are -exposed; as it is only by great efforts that you can acquire the holiness -without which no man shall see the LORD, so is it, only by real and often -hard study, that you can attain unto the knowledge of which GOD has made -you capable, and in which He bids you grow. The elementary, the vitally -necessary truths of the Gospel are, it may be, within the immediate -comprehension of the simplest and most uncultivated understanding; but -shall it, therefore, be said to you, shall you be allowed to say of -yourselves, that you need not be concerned about anything beyond? Would -you be satisfied if you had only so much secular education as would -enable you to spell out sign-post directions? Would it be no reproach to -you, having so many faculties and opportunities, only to be able to read -and count? Would you miss nothing of duty, of interest, of pleasure, if -your intellect were uncultivated, if you were wholly unacquainted and -totally unable to appreciate arts and sciences, poetry, music, -literature, or any facts or theories not connected with your worldly -calling, not necessary to procure your daily bread? Would not life be -irksome and intolerable, if held only on such terms? Would you not be -ashamed of attempting to hold it on these terms? Would you not consider -that you were robbing yourselves of all that was worth having? Would you -not admit that you had missed and ignored your high calling, your power -to be enlightened and wise beings, and had sunk shamelessly and guiltily -to the level, below the level—for he answers the end of his creation—of -the irrational brute? And shall you who feel such shame for worldly -ignorance, shall you who make such efforts to gain secular knowledge, who -are ever widening your minds, and storing up in them as much as they will -hold, who delight in growing wiser and more learned, who will study -unwearily, and exercise all your intellect, and consume I know not what -time, in unravelling the worthless mystery of some enigmatical line in a -poem of fiction—shall you contentedly pass over the difficulties, and -remain ignorant of the mysteries which meet you in nearly every verse of -the Word of GOD? Shall you be otherwise than glad and attentive when the -preacher draws your attention to them? Shall you even unfairly and -ungratefully charge him with _speaking_ parables, when he is really -_explaining_ parables? - -Dear brethren, it is rarely that the public preacher, who has to take -thought for the simpler ones of the flock, can enlarge upon profound -truths. When he does, take care that you make the most of the rare -occurrence, and compensate for the forbidden frequency, by diligent -private study, by ready use of that individual aid which the clergyman is -as rejoiced, as he is bound, to afford you. Acquaint yourselves now, as -far as may be, with GOD, and the things of GOD. Furnish yourselves with -the answer, the want of which was such a reproach to Nicodemus, to the -question—“How can these things be?” Show, at least, as much interest in -salvation, in sanctification, in heaven, in eternal bliss, as will lead -you to inquire what they are, and require, and promise. Get now the germ -of that knowledge, which is to expand hereafter albut to an infinite -grasp, and is to revel in spiritual science. Cast away the reproach of -knowing not; provide against the doom which awaits him that improves not -the talents entrusted him: “From him that hath not, shall be taken away -even that he seemeth to have.” - -There is another class of objectors—to another kind of preaching. Those, -namely, who resist the force of plain exhortations to repentance, -self-denial, submission, obedience, holiness, and the like; by persuading -themselves that the preacher urges these severely and unduly. Doth he -not speak parables, they say, exaggerating—describing ideal duties? -Surely, what he urges is not the thing really required of us; surely, if -we escape not with impunity, yet some allowance will be made for our want -of it. Would he bring in all guilty? Would he cross every delight and -desire of our life? Would he expect us so to subdue the spirit, so to -overcome natural impatience, as never to resent, to shrink, to murmur? -Must obedience be so uncompromising, so constant, so perfect, to be -obedience at all? Is holiness so imperatively necessary? Surely the -preacher is unreasonable, he is extravagant, he speaks parables. These -objectors are easily answered. In this matter no teaching of our own can -be more explicit, more exacting, more positive, and more unsparing, than -that of the New Testament. When we enforce these things, we are backed -by an authority which cannot be questioned; and are able to prove that -our words are those of soberness and truth. “Except ye repent, ye shall -all likewise perish.” “If any man will come after me, let him deny -himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” “Whosoever doth -not this, cannot be my disciple.” “Whosoever loveth me, keepeth my -commandments.” “If any man love not the LORD JESUS, let him be anathema -maranatha.” “Without holiness no man shall see the LORD.” Are these -words parables, are they untrue, figurative, extravagant? And if not, -what that we say, or can say, on this head, may be resisted or slighted, -under the plea, that is a parable? - -Once more. When we discourse from the pulpit, on a living and near -Saviour, an indwelling Sanctifier, a surrounding spiritual tempter, on -heaven or hell, on enduring as seeing Him who is invisible, on having our -conversation in heaven, on the evidence of things unseen, on the feeling -and grasping, so to speak, as though they were substantial and at hand, -of things hoped for—oh! then, how many there are who hear us as though we -were dreamers or narrators of fables, speakers who should be allowed some -poetic license; who, to make their speech attractive, or perhaps from the -spontaneous dictation of their enthusiasm, use figures of rhetoric and -speak parables! I do not mean that these persons wilfully take up this -position, that they are intentionally, or in desire, gainsayers of the -truth, but merely that they do not enter into its conception, and cannot -rise to its height. They lag behind, they are earthy, they see only the -visible, feel only the tangible to bodily senses. The temporal to them -is real; the spiritual, not through unbelief, nor obstinacy, nor moral -blindness, but from infirmity, and earthly-mindedness, and -unspirituality, is regarded too nearly as unreal; and, therefore, when it -is discoursed upon, they seem to be listening to empty dreams, and the -preacher to be displaying flights of fancy. - -Dear brethren—I speak to such—I know that many of you wish it were -otherwise; you would that your mind could conceive, and that your heart -could feel, these truths. In your best moments, you more than suspect -that the preacher is right after all, and you are wrong; that _you_ are -dreaming, and not he; that his words are a parable only to those who will -not see and hear. It is not in man to afford you much help, in coming to -a right state. If I refer you to the Bible, which we do but echo from -the pulpit, you will still say, Ah! but does not this, too, speak -parables? If I bid you go and exercise your reason, or consult others -who have done so, it is more than possible that you will come away from -the consultation—alas! many do—more convinced than before that we _do_ -speak parables, that each one is a GOD to himself, that there is no other -devil than a man’s own evil passions, that there is no hell but in a -remorseful conscience, that eternity does not mean “for ever!” No; there -is no help for you in man, in yourselves, or in others. You must, -indeed, purify and elevate your affections, so that they may wish for -better things; you must bring down your reason from the high seat where -it sits, and speculates, and dictates; you must try to accept the truth -that the natural man cannot receive nor judge of spiritual things; but, -then, you must go to GOD Himself, and humbly, teachably, earnestly ask -for that spiritual discernment which alone can see, and feel, and love -the things of GOD. Do this, not once, but often; not negligently or -hastily, but earnestly and perseveringly; and presently, if not all at -once, yet gradually, most surely, your spiritual eyes shall be opened, -you shall see GOD, you shall love CHRIST, you shall perceive the motions -of the Holy Spirit. The invisible world shall be unveiled, and shall be -found to contain all the beauties, all the horrors, and to hold out all -the hopes and fears, to be as real, as near, as sure to be ours, for weal -or woe, according as we are, or are not, Christians, as the preacher or -the Bible, of which he is the expounder, asserts. Thenceforth you will -not complain of spiritual teaching that it is parabolic, of strong -assertions of the obligation of Christian graces, that they are -immoderate, too exacting, too severe. No! heart and mind will testify, -and life will approve, “Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no -proverb.” Yes; and knowing somewhat of GOD, and your relation to Him, -and desiring to know more, whenever in your private reading of the Bible -a difficulty meets you, or whenever the preacher discourses, as it seems, -in parables, you will give the most earnest and interested heed, to see -if you cannot divine the mystery; and failing that, instead of remaining -in willing ignorance, you will use all the means placed within your -reach, the comparing of parallel places, your commentaries, and the -private instructions of your clergyman, pleading all the while with -CHRIST, and urgently beseeching of Him, “LORD, thou knowest all things, -declare unto me this parable.” - -Thus doing, you will soon find that to you it is given to know the -mysteries of religion; and the knowledge, sanctified by the Spirit, will -assuredly work in you a greater love of GOD, a more consistent and more -successful pursuit of holiness, a growing taste and eagerness for that -better state, whence ignorance, in all its degrees, shall be banished for -ever, and where we shall know even as now we are known. - - - - -SERMON XVII. -LIVING AND DYING UNTO GOD. - - - II. CORINTHIANS, V., 8, 9. - - _We are confident and willing rather to be absent from the body_, - _and to be present with the_ LORD. _Wherefore we labour_, _that_, - _whether present or absent_, _we may be accepted of Him_. - -THE apostle had been speaking, in the preceding chapter, of the troubles -and persecutions which he daily endured, and of the hopes and -consolations—the life by faith rather than by right—which made their -endurance easy. Having touched upon the theme, he could not but enlarge -upon it; and doing so, his ardent expectations carried him out of the -present, and made him covet and attempt to grasp the future. Before his -enlightened eye and spiritualised heart, his affliction was light and its -continuance brief; the present state was but as a tent, quickly to be -taken down, and then in its place should be digged the deep foundation -and reared the abiding edifice of a building of GOD eternal in the -heavens. Outstretched, then, were his thoughts, and desires, and earnest -were his prayers, not so much to get rid of what he had, as to attain -what he hoped for and was promised. He knew indeed that the tabernacle -must be removed; that his present state must cease—either by actual death -or by a change, which the quick at CHRIST’S coming must undergo, much the -same as death; he felt the burthen which was upon him; he yearned and -groaned to be rid of it; but looking to the end he disregarded the way; -dwelling, not upon the change but what was to come after it, he sought -not death, but life. He longed, not to be unclothed, but clothed upon. -Nay, recognising the good, and so the desirableness of this life, -shrinking too naturally from the thought of dissolution, he would keep -the present till he had the future, he would have what he wanted _added_ -to what he possessed, rather than _substituted_ for it. Present life was -in many respects dear to him; he would that the evil were purged away -from it, and the good left; and then that the good were augmented, -enfolded, absorbed by the transcendent, satisfying perfect blessedness -which GOD had promised, and for the attaining whereof He had bestowed His -effectually working Spirit. - -At this point he seems to have sobered himself, or perhaps rather to have -designedly exhibited the latent soberness and contentedness which had -guided him all along. “We are confident,” he says, that is, of good -cheer, well comforted, easily bearing what is, patiently waiting for the -future; preferring, indeed (if a preference be allowed), to be absent -from the body and fully present with the LORD; but still chiefly -animated, not by a selfish yearning for the quickest attainment of peace -and glory, but by the noble, GOD-adoring ambition, of being and doing -that which is divinely approved. “Wherefore, in view of all that is and -shall be, we make it our chief aim, we devote ourselves, not so much to -reach heaven, to gratify self, as whether on earth or in heaven, to enjoy -the approval and favour of God.” “Be silent,” he would say, “ye groans -for deliverance; check yourselves, ye eager aspirations for glory; let -principle rule rather than desire, and let the principle be, whether we -live let us live unto the LORD, whether we die let us die unto the LORD. -Let not dying or living be the engrossing thought, but that whether we -live or die we may be the LORD’S.” - -In this, as in so many other respects, our bright exemplar, Paul, shows -us both what we may allow and what we should aim at. - -And first he shows us that even the saint—the approved of GOD—may shrink -from the thought of dissolution. “We groan, being burthened, because” -(this is the right translation) “we would not be unclothed,” we would not -die. I envy not the man—there is something unnatural, yea, and -unspiritual, too, in him—who does not shrink from the first thought of -death coming to himself or to those whom he loves. For death, in its -best form, is a remembrancer of the wrath of GOD against the sinner, and -it is in a sense a triumph—no matter that it is short—it is a defiling -and withering touch—no matter that it shall soon be wiped away, and its -blasting undone—of the foul and fierce enemy of GOD and holy man. It is -that, too, which cuts asunder the ties which we are allowed and -encouraged to fasten here between ourselves and loved friends and -delightful pursuits and pleasing possessions. It is that, too, which -abruptly closes the period of probation and preparation for heaven; which -stays all cleansing and perfecting, which says imperatively to us, “No -more shall you remove, no more shall you acquire—as you are shall you -face GOD—stereotyped are you for eternity.” It is that, too, which -enthrals and deadens the one half of us, though it liberates and quickens -the other, which separates the body from GOD, while it joins the spirit -to Him, which, while it exalts the latter to Paradise, consigns the -former to the grave, to corruption, to temporary annihilation. Terrible -is death to many, awful to all—undesirable even to the saint—and only -tolerable because not so much of the soul’s immediate gain as of the -body’s future hope. For if it were proposed to us to choose for eternity -between perfect disembodied bliss, and very imperfect bliss in the body, -there is no one, I conceive, who knows the capabilities of the body, both -of rendering to GOD and receiving of Him, who would not prefer, and I -think rightly, life in the flesh to life out of it. - -The words of St. Paul exhibit in himself, and seem to allow in others, -this shrinking from dissolution, this desire to keep the body, albeit -changed, perfected, caught up into the heavens; to be spared the pulling -down of the earthly tabernacle, even to make way for the heavenly eternal -building. - -But St. Paul goes on to show that this desire was secondary to that of -exchanging faith for sight, imperfection for perfection. He would not on -any account remain earthy: he longed for the fullest and most glorious -presence of GOD, and if it needs must be that the desired change and -attainment could only be brought about by dissolution, oh, then he was -ready, he was willing rather to be absent from the body. He returned -from the shrinking; he rallied from the fear; he was confident, well -content, and desirous to die. - -And herein he is the pattern of a true Christian. He is not so in love -with death that he can see nothing in it to shrink from or fear, nothing -to disturb him. He does not so hate this life as to hurry to be quit of -it. With all its trials, and disappointments, and hindrances, and -miseries, there is much in it which is dear to him, in which he finds -delight, from which he is loth to part. GOD, too, is felt here, and seen -by faith, and bestows appreciable blessings; here GOD’S work is to be -done, here GOD’S glory to be promoted. Therefore “to live is CHRIST.” -But still there are greater and better things beyond. There is a place -where trouble never comes, where happiness is perfect, whose company, and -possessions, and pleasures, are such, that nought on earth is worth -having or thinking of in comparison of them. There is a state in which -GOD’S work may be done as angels do it, without hindrance from within or -without; in which glory to GOD is easily, and fully, and delightfully -rendered. There is a presence of GOD which is visible and palpable, -where His voice is clearly heard, where He is beheld face to face, where -the everlasting arms are substantially felt as they embrace and uphold, -where His love is perfectly realised and enjoyed, and perfectly -reciprocated. - -What can be valued, or can interest in comparison of all this? What can -content that is short of this? What can deter from the seeking of this? -what valley seem dark and uninviting at the end of which this glory -shines? what way be dreary and lonely, along which GOD’S rod and staff -are offered as supporters and comforters? This being the end and the -aim, if to attain it death must be passed through, then welcome death! -We are confident, full of cheer at the prospect, eager to set out—“To die -is gain.” - -But the best feature of the Christian, as exhibited in St. Paul, remains -for us to gaze on. After all, it is not the holiest ambition to aspire -to heaven; it is not the highest vocation to enrich and perfect self. -GOD has made us capable of heavenly bliss. He offers it to us. He would -have us seek it; He blesses and will reward the seeking. But still He -did not make and redeem us, He does not sanctify us only or chiefly for -this. The Christian’s vocation is the service of GOD. The end of his -being is the glory of GOD. And so our chief thoughts, and aspirations, -and endeavours, are not to be deliverance from troubles, perfection in -joy, getting out of the present into the future, exchanging earth for -heaven; but, being and doing what GOD approves, wherever, in whatever -circumstances, GOD appoints. “Wherefore we labour, that whether present -or absent we may be accepted of Him;” that whether it pleases GOD to come -to us while we are in the body, or to call us to Him out of the body, He -may find us prepared for what in either case awaits us; “for we must all -appear before the judgment-seat of CHRIST, that every one may receive -according to the things done in the body.” - -The Christian may shrink from the first thought of death, and wish not to -be unclothed. He ought to aspire to heaven, and that he may reach it, be -well content, willing rather, to be absent from the body. But above all -he must labour in whatever state he is, therein so to be serving GOD, as -to have His present acceptance and always to be prepared for His coming -judgment. - -We want to feel this and to act upon it. To put self with even its most -innocent instincts and best interests and noblest aspirations somewhat -aside, that GOD may be more nearly all in all; to be less filled with -groaning and coveting on our own account and more occupied in serving and -glorifying CHRIST. It is well not to love this world, to have realised -its vanity and misery, to have broken the links that would bind us to it, -to refuse to find our perfect joy in aught that belongs to it. It is -well to yearn for deliverance from all that vexes and hinders and hurts; -to desire ardently—even to pray earnestly and continually for—presence -with the LORD, and all that that presence implies, in Paradise, in -Heaven. But when by GOD’S grace we have come to this state, we are not -perfect, we have not _begun_ to be perfect. No! we have only qualified -ourselves in mind and heart for the commencement of that which is -demanded of us in life, the single, contented, glad, immediate, and -constant service of GOD in the state and circumstances in which He has -placed us. - -Brethren, we are all dwelling in tabernacles, tents that have no firm -foundation; which are to be taken down and soon. The general judgment -may tarry, CHRIST may not come in His glorious majesty, and meet us while -in the body: but if not then _death_ will surely come, and out of the -body we must go to meet CHRIST. How soon shall that be? How soon shall -we meet Him? Do you ever give these things a serious thought? Do you -ever consider that the apparently capricious last enemy is wont to take -the young and strong as often as the old and feeble, and, _as_ he -chooses, sometimes to sound the warning note from afar off, sometimes to -come silently, suddenly as a thief in the night? Do you feel—I single -out each man, each woman, each child that hears me, and in GOD’S name I -ask that individual—Do you feel that _you_ may be Death’s next victim, -that ere the day is over you may be gone to your account, or at least the -seeds of mortal disease may be beginning to grow in you? Oh, do not -resist this appeal by persuading yourselves that the thing is improbable. -Let it be enough that you know (and you do know) that it is possible, -and, if possible, that you ought to entertain the possibility. - -Well now, let me farther ask, Are you prepared, are you preparing to die? -Are you going to leave the vast concerns of an eternal state to the -consideration of a moment, a moment too which may be denied you, if not -by the instant cutting of life’s thread, by mortal fears and lingerings, -and recoilings, by the engrossing pains of the body, by the locking up of -the senses in stupor or delirium? Are you putting off concern; heedless -of thought and preparation for meeting GOD? Are you calculating upon -being able to think and feel aright when you will, to ask and obtain -pardon for all that is wrong, to be excused for all deficiencies in a -moment, to do the work of life on a sick-bed, to satisfy GOD with the -dregs of the cup of life, to become a passive recipient of the necessary -holiness which GOD bids all acquire actively? Do you suppose it will -suffice to think of these things when the doctor tells you you cannot -recover; to send for the clergyman to teach and move you when the faculty -of heeding is well nigh gone, to pray for you, if you are unable to pray -for yourself, to sigh over your body, if, alas! the soul has fled? Or -are you now more or less possessed with religious thought and feeling, -sitting loose to this world, weaning yourselves more and more from it, -nerving yourselves for the last hour, sighing over and confessing your -sins, trusting to CHRIST’S mercy, aspiring to heaven, praying for -acceptance? Whether you are indifferent to or merely postponing concern, -for self’s best interests, or whether you are already absorbed by self’s -best interests, let me remind you—without presuming to set any bounds to -GOD’S mercy, without disputing that GOD has sometimes received those who -first turned to Him on a death-bed, without caring to satisfy those who -want to know how little religion will save a man—let me remind you, I -say, and do not be weary of the repetition, that to be truly acceptable -to GOD, it is not enough that you entertain some religious thoughts, and -go through some religious forms at the last, or even that you are filled -with religious thoughts and feelings all your life long, you must be -serving GOD now, in the day of your ability, at the call of every -opportunity, in whatever state and circumstances you are placed, doing it -as so much work set you to do and presently to be scrutinised and -accounted for, rendering it as the faithful, grateful homage of a -pardoned and sanctified and loving sinner. Let this be your rule, a rule -to be observed not only in theory but in practice also; not only in the -rendering of obedience, but in the treating of all that you have, and the -accepting of all that happens to you, as from the LORD—“Whether we live, -we live unto the LORD, or whether we die, we die unto the LORD.” - - - - -SERMON XVIII. -RELIGIOUS ZEAL. - - - II. KINGS, X., 16. - - _Come with me_, _and see my zeal for the_ LORD. - -JEHU, the son of Nimshi, one of the captains of Israel, had been selected -and anointed by Divine command, to supplant King Joram, to smite the -whole house of Ahab, and to avenge the poured-out blood of GOD’S -servants, the prophets. It is easy to account for the choice of such an -agent. GOD, we believe, performs no miracle unnecessarily. When what He -wants exists already, He searches it out and uses it; instead of making a -new creation, or changing and converting what, so to speak, comes first -to hand. At this time He had need, for His purposes respecting Israel, -of a man bold, impetuous, full of vigour, prompt to undertake, resolute, -courageous, uncompromising to perform. Such an one pre-eminently, was -Jehu; and therefore, said the LORD, “I have anointed thee king over the -people of the LORD, even over Israel, and thou shalt smite the house of -Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of My servants the prophets, -and the blood of all the servants of the LORD, at the hand of Jezebel.” - -We know with what alacrity Jehu assumed his office, and set about the -discharge of its stern and bloody duties; how he drove furiously to slay -Joram, assailing him the while with loud reproaches for tolerating the -wicked doings of Jezebel; how he caused Ahaziah, king of Judah, to be -slain; how he commanded Jezebel to be thrown from the window, and trod -her under foot; how he effected the wholesale slaughter of seventy -persons of King Ahab’s sons, of all his great men, and his kinsfolks, and -his priests, until he left him none remaining; and how, too, returning -from this destruction, he met forty-two of the brethren of King Ahaziah, -and caused them all to be slain at the pit of the shearing house. The -words of the text introduce us to his last recorded deed of this kind, -namely, the destruction by subtlety of all the followers of Baal, and the -suppression of his worship throughout the land of Israel. - -In reading this narrative, the questions naturally arise, How far were -the deeds of Jehu a performance of the Divine will? Was Jehu in any -respect, and if so, in what, a holy character? Under what influence did -he act, and forbear to act? May we consider these questions rightly, and -learn from them lessons of wisdom by GOD’S grace to be carried out into -holy practice! - -There is, then, no doubt, because we may read the command for it, in -plain words, that GOD willed the destruction of Ahab’s whole house and -the extermination of the abominable idolatry of the Zidonians. Jehu -seems, indeed, to have been unnaturally ready for the executioner’s -office, to have discharged it savagely, and to have availed himself of -what is never needed or allowed in GOD’S service, of subtlety, fraud, -lying: but still, making allowance for excesses, arising from his natural -disposition, from his professional familiarity with deeds of blood, and -probably from a proud misconception of the authority under which he -acted, it must be admitted that, in the main, Jehu so far did the will of -the LORD. - -Under what influence, prompted by what feelings, he did it, is a question -less easy to answer decidedly. There are some—and not a few—who say that -his animus was altogether bad; that carnage was his delight; and that he -wickedly, and for his own pleasure and private ends, availed himself of -the Divine commission, and served himself under the pretence of serving -GOD. That Jehu was selfish there is great reason to believe, and -something shall be said on that head presently; but that he was a -hypocrite, that his principle, the motive under which he acted, was -wholly bad, is proved not to be the case by the inspired commendation of -him. GOD has made even the wicked for Himself, He uses them to -accomplish His purposes (as He did the Assyrians to punish the -Israelites, Satan to try Job, Judas to betray our LORD); but in such -cases as they do of freely devised wickedness, what He overrules for His -own good purposes, He condemns and punishes them for their offence, -though He makes use of it. Now, in Jehu’s case, He praised and rewarded, -and so there must have been something right in him: “And the LORD said -unto Jehu, Because thou hast done well in executing that which is right -in mine eyes and hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that -was in mine heart, thy children of the fourth generation shall sit on the -throne of Israel.” And the promise was fully realised. - -It seems clear, then, that Jehu’s deeds not only accomplished the Divine -will, but that they were done with that design; in obedience and in zeal. -They were a soldier’s exact observance of orders, they were the fruits of -a servant’s devotion to his master. - -We should be able to leave this statement without qualification were it -not for two passages in the chapter of the text: the one, that in which -Jehu makes such boastful mention of his doings, “Come with me, and see my -zeal for the LORD;” the other, that in which the inspired writer records, -“Howbeit from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to -sin, Jehu departed not from after them, to wit, the golden calves that -were in Bethel, and that were in Dan.” From the first of these we are -compelled to infer that there was an evil leaven pervading his best -obedience; and from the last, that other feelings often influenced him -beside zeal for GOD, and other lords had dominion over him; so that he -wilfully desisted or was deterred from doing all that was required of -him. Hence it is plain that we must revise our estimate of his -character, to account both for his zeal and want of zeal. - -The most satisfactory way of viewing him, to make him at all consistent, -is to suppose that, after all he was not a changed and converted man, and -did not act from spiritual feelings; but that he was hitherto employed in -pursuits congenial to his natural taste, and so found his own pleasure in -doing the LORD’S. In the destruction of Ahab’s race and the overthrow of -Baal, the soldier exercised the profession which he had chosen and loved. -In daring exploits and deeds of blood, he found a carnal gratification. -Moreover, he was all the while strengthening and advancing his own cause. -His throne was unsafe while any of Ahab’s posterity survived to dispute -it with him, his people’s allegiance was not sure while there was any -link with the Zidonians remaining; and the LORD’S displeasure at the -idolatry of Israel, he well knew, would show itself again, as it had done -before, in the withholding of prosperity from them, and allowing them to -be harassed by their enemies. It was, then, a congenial and politic -course which he had hitherto followed. It may have been done with -greater ardour and satisfaction, because it was the LORD’S will; Jehu may -not at the time have had any distinct perception of the workings of a -lower motive, but still he would, doubtless, have done all, and done it -as readily and effectually had he owned no allegiance to GOD, and -received no Divine command. This view of Jehu seems to be corroborated -by the fact, that when the time was come for him to serve GOD in -comparative quietness, he served Him not; and when the performance of the -Divine will in rooting out schism, threatened to break up the separation -of Israel from Judah, by restoring the worship at Jerusalem, then he not -only desisted from the work of reformation, but gave his countenance to -the old error, and encouraged the people to go after the golden calves, -that were in Bethel and that were in Dan. And so that which he would -have others consider, and which, perhaps, he even believed himself, was -zeal for GOD, was chiefly the indulgence of his own passions and the -service of self; and it came to pass, that he who had done well, even -according to all that was in GOD’S heart, henceforth took no heed to walk -in the law of the LORD GOD of Israel. - -Such was Jehu’s zeal—a natural, or mixed, is not wholly selfish zeal, the -zeal of Saul who sought to slay the Gibeonites, but spared Agag alive; -the zeal of the chief priests and Pharisees who put CHRIST to death, and -demanded Barabbas to be released; not the zeal of Phinehas, of Josiah, of -Him who was always straitened till He did His Father’s will; zeal not so -much immoderate or blind, as blemished and partial; not being always -zealously affected in a good work. - -The review of such a character may be very profitable. How many of us, -my brethren, are very warm, very exact in serving GOD, in the things to -which we are naturally inclined? How many of us, if we bid not others -(as we too often do), “Come with me, and see my zeal for the LORD,” at -least flatter, and puff up ourselves, in the contemplation of the service -which we are rendering to GOD? How many of us have only just as much -zeal as squares with our own desires or interests; and in all else, -either desist when GOD urges “Go on,” or persevere when He cries -“Forbear!” The zealous man has been advised, by a great moralist, always -to suspect that pride, or interest, or ill temper, is at the bottom of -his zeal. Provided we guard against the grave error, so prevalent in the -last century, of despising and condemning all religious zeal, it is well -to entertain this suspicion—of ourselves, I mean—till we have proved it -to be false, or by repentance and amendment have made it false. For who -does not know how much a proud, carnal, selfish, ill-tempered man or -woman may do in the service of self, which has the appearance of zeal for -GOD? What pious labours men will undertake, if they happen to be in the -path of their natural inclinations! What warfare they will wage against -sins that they have no mind to! What platform speeches they will make, -what pamphlets or letters publish, against the disciples of a religious -school to which they do not belong! They are zealously affected; they -come out and are separate; they are enthusiastic, energetic, noisy; they -put forth all their own strength; they invoke the civil power; they would -have authority from the synagogue, if it were to be had, to punish all -who do not conform; they smite with the sharp sword of a bitter -persecuting tongue or pen; they work, they speak, they give, they fight, -they endure—all, they say, in zeal for the LORD; and yet, if you follow -them into the quiet scenes of life, if you come upon them where self has -nothing to gain or enjoy, or where it has anything to lose or fear -losing, to all appearance they take no heed to walk in the law of the -LORD GOD. It is very likely that they are not communicants; that they -are irregular in their attendance at Church, or greatly wanting in proper -demeanour and devotion when there; that they aid but seldom, and -slenderly, in the spread of religion around them, and the relief of GOD’S -poor; that they are rarely seen to open the Bible; not men of prayer; -exhibiting tempers, and following ways which belong not to the holily -zealous; tolerating beneath their own roof, or within the reach of their -influence, something as hateful in the sight of GOD as the calves that -were in Bethel and that were in Dan. - -O how many who are zealous at one time, are without zeal at another! How -many who make a great show of religion, and talk much about it, and -contend in public for it, are utter strangers to its real influence, are -wholly without love for it! How many, too, who honestly consider -themselves zealous for GOD, are only serving Him in the bent of their -natural inclinations, and taking no heed to Him, where self must be -denied; like men of cold temperament, despising bodily indulgence, yet -making a god of mammon; prodigals, inveighing against covetousness; -destroyers of the temple of Baal, restorers of the calves of Bethel and -Dan; saints in some things, devils in others! - -O ye who boast of zeal, or claim to have it, take care that ye have it -towards GOD, and that ye are constant in it! Distrust the energy which -works only at times, and in some directions. Suspect the feeling which -excites and fills with ardour to-day, but is listless and dead to-morrow; -which chooses for itself what to do for GOD, what to think of GOD, what -truth to meditate on chiefly, what practice alone to follow. Zeal for -GOD is entire, regular, consistent devotion to Him. It fills the whole -man with all spiritual desires and feelings; it works out in the whole -life; albeit, it is generally calm, and sober, and quiet, not boasting -nor thrusting itself forward, not making much ado. - -Do not suppose, brethren, that in speaking thus on the subject of zeal, I -would discourage, in any degree, the entertaining of a fervent spirit, or -would allow, for a moment, that strong feeling and strong expression of -it, and manifested earnest activity, are, in the slightest degree, -incompatible with real religion. On the contrary, I would maintain that -there is no religion at all in the man or woman who is not—allowing for -the differences of temperament—stirred within by it, and impelled to -speak of and act upon it; who is afraid, or unwilling, or negligent, to -show it. Zeal, I maintain, is good—nay, is necessary; zeal, which makes -one burn with the glowing thought of immortality, which rouses one to -ardent work and holy contention; which finds, and _must have_, its vent -in the speech; which shows itself designedly, that it may impress others, -and set forth the glory of GOD. Only, I would have you judge of that -zeal in others, and find it in yourselves; not in what Jehu did, but in -what he omitted, and ought to have done; not in that which indulges -natural desires, but in that which crosses them; not in that which -secures worldly advantages, but in that which disregards, and even -sacrifices them; not in that which exists, or is quickened only in times -and places of excitement, but which burns brightest and highest, and -spreads farthest, in solitude and silence; not where there is immediate -praise, or glory, or notoriety, in the sight of men, but in that which is -seen alone by GOD. Seek to be zealous, rest not till you are zealous, -for there is no service of GOD, no acceptance with Him but through zeal: -but expect to find your zeal, know that there only GOD will find it, in -your deep conviction of sin, in the fervour of your penitence, in the -uncompromising persecution of your own lusts, in the crossing of your own -will, in the refraining from that you would naturally choose to do, and -the performance of that you shrink from through worldly motives, in the -earnestness of your prayers, in the frequency of your acts of communion, -in the diligence of your searching of the Scriptures, in the munificence -of your private charities, in the strenuousness of your efforts to do -good to others, in the secret contemplation and desire of heaven, in the -soul’s appreciation of your high calling, in faithful love of GOD in your -hearts! Have such zeal, and manifest and exercise it as often and as -consistently as the Holy Spirit enables you, and then the whole of your -life, within and without, from first to last, shall have the commendation -which Jehu’s at the beginning had; and an infinitely better promise shall -be fulfilled to you, Ye shall sit on the throne of heaven with CHRIST, -and reign with Him for ever and ever. - - - - -SERMON XIX. -CHRIST’S COMING DESIRED. - - - REVELATION, XXII., 20. - - _Even so_, _come_, LORD JESUS. - -AS it was the common belief of the early disciples that CHRIST was to -come in His glorious Majesty, to render unto every man according to his -works, so was it a common desire, a frequent prayer, that He would come -quickly. They were not content with being merely mindful of the fact -that He would come at some time, they were not merely anxious to be -prepared, lest He should come soon; but they looked for His coming, they -hasted towards it, they loved the thought of His appearing. Some of -them, expecting that they should not taste of death till He had actually -appeared to them in His fullest glory, looked ever with eager eyes for -the opening of the heavens, and the revelation of the Son of Man: others, -believing that it was through the gates of death that they should enter -into CHRIST’S presence and realise His Second Advent, wished to die, -courted death, yea, hardly resigned themselves to the Divine will, that -they should as yet continue in the flesh. - -Perhaps you may think that this was a natural rather than a spiritual -frame of mind. On earth their portion had all along been one of sorrow -and suffering, and evil reproach; and prophecy bade them look on for -aggravations of what they already endured, and for many additional and -greater troubles. What wonder, then, that they struggled to escape from -the present, that they shrunk from the future, that they prayed that -CHRIST would speedily come to them, or that He would speedily take them -to Himself! What wonder that St. Paul, for instance, amid his toils, and -perils, and sufferings, and revilings, and failures, and disappointments, -with the prospect of nothing on earth but sorer persecution and greater -trials, should desire to be absent from the body, and to be present with -the LORD! What wonder that St. John, so cruelly entreated by foes, so -disregarded by should-be friends, when in the isle of his banishment the -voice of his LORD told of His speedy coming, should promptly and ardently -respond to Him, “Even so, come, LORD JESUS.” Having nothing, and -expecting nothing that flesh could desire; enduring much, anticipating -more that was undesirable, grievous, hateful, what wonder, you would ask, -that they yearned in their hearts to be delivered from such bondage, and -to be transferred to the abode of peace and glory: that they offered -frequently and fervently those Advent prayers, “Thy kingdom come,” “LORD -JESUS receive my Spirit,” “Even so, come, LORD JESUS”! Even had they -expected no hereafter, had they supposed that the coming Judge would -annihilate them, or that the grave would bury them in eternal -forgetfulness, it would still have been natural for them to have courted -and prayed for the cessation of toil and the end of suffering. - -So some persons are wont to reason. It is natural, they say, for those -to whom this world is a blank or a sea of troubles, to set their hopes on -another world. It is natural for those whose life here is all weariness, -to be desirous to give up that life, even though they shall have no life -hereafter. - -But is it really natural? Does affliction naturally make us look -heavenwards? Does a troubled life naturally reconcile us to the thought -of speedy death, yea, and cause us to desire it, to pray for it? - -On the contrary, do we not often find persons unspiritualised by -affliction? Do not many maintain that their worldly troubles are the -hindrance of religious thought and practice? Is not death by very -instinct shrunk from by well-nigh all, and most by those whose -circumstances seem to recommend it as naturally the greatest good? - -You hear those who are vexed or thwarted, or oppressed, or wearied, -exclaim in some moment of impatience or despondency, “I am weary of my -life.” You find some so worn out, like Job, by long and accumulated -troubles, that they continually sigh, and from the heart, “Oh! that I had -given up the ghost!” You hear the thoughtless, the proud, the obstinate, -protest “I had rather die.” But let them be taken at their word, let -Death show himself to be really close at hand, to be coming to them, and -they will recoil with horror from his touch, and piteously cry to be -spared. Occasionally one is found who, lacking patience and perseverance -to extricate himself lawfully from pressing difficulties, or, mad with -vexation because he cannot accomplish some worldly scheme, or because he -has been frustrated in some wickedness: or because having done the -wickedness, he fears to face the worldly consequences of his deed, not -merely says that he wishes to die, and prays for death; but then and -there ministers it to himself. Yet even in such cases, while he would -escape from life, he does not deliberately seek death. Nay, when he -finds he is encountering death, he often desists from his half-done deed, -or, if it be too late for that, shrieks frantically for others to rescue -him. - -There are exceptions to all these rules, when men really wish to die, -when they deliberately court and procure death; but they are sufficiently -rare to vindicate the truth, that they are not natural. - -Certainly the desire and prayer of the first disciples to be removed from -this world were not natural. They did not despair in difficulties. They -were not unwilling to endure continued trials and sufferings. They were -not disgusted with life. All that CHRIST required of them they burned to -do; all that He laid upon them they rejoiced to bear; and while aught was -undone or unsuffered, they chose and desired to remain; and even then, it -was not exhausted nature asking for rest, it was not weariness or dislike -of life’s lot which prompted the prayer, “Even so, come, LORD JESUS:” -they gloried in their then vocation, they loved their appointed work; -they would not relinquish it, they would not be unclothed, but clothed -upon, advanced, and perfected: they loved CHRIST, and so yearned to see -Him; they loved His service, and so coveted a state in which it could be -more fully and uninterruptedly rendered; they loved other men, the alien -and the outcast, and so longed for the day when all the kingdoms of the -world should become the kingdoms of the LORD and of His CHRIST, when -every soul should be subject to and rejoice in His rule! They looked for -CHRIST’S coming, not because they supposed it would release them from His -service, and transfer them to an abode of luxurious immunity and rest and -glory; but because they thought it was the necessary prelude to full -usefulness, to entire submission to His will, to unremitted, glorious -service under His perceived eye, and in the perfection of His strength. -They thought death was gain, and they desired it, not as the time of -sleep, the chamber of inactivity and oblivion, but as the door, the short -passage, which led into a world wherein the kingdom of CHRIST was fully -set up, and wherein they should unceasingly experience His rule, and act -as its agents. They prayed that GOD would shortly accomplish the number -of His elect, not with the carnal desire that their enemies might be -confounded, and that those then without might be kept without: nor yet -with selfish impatience for their own promised reward; but that the work -of grace might be effectual, where now it seemed to be received in vain; -that the darkness which encompassed so many might be dispelled, that all -Israel might be saved, and might join them in glorifying GOD. - -This was the feeling which prompted their Advent prayers; this was the -feeling which they laboured to arouse in those to whom they spoke, and in -us, for whom they wrote. When St. Paul tells us, that to him to live was -CHRIST, and to die was gain, that he desired to depart and be with -CHRIST, though he was content to remain, he shows one of the many -respects in which we are to be followers of him. When St. John records, -that he replied to CHRIST’S announcement, “Behold, I come quickly,” “Even -so, come, LORD JESUS,” he personates the Church and every acceptable -member of it, and shows us the attitude and the feeling which becomes -each one of those who wait for the LORD’S appearing; even as St. Peter -does in direct appeal: “What manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy -conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of -the day of GOD?” - -Alas! brethren, how far are we below the appointed standard of acceptable -discipleship! How little is CHRIST’S Second Advent in our minds, even as -a mere doctrine, a truth of Scripture! How small is the influence which -it is allowed to exercise on our thoughts and affections, and lives! How -seldom do we suggest to ourselves the possibility of its nearness! How -faintly, if at all, in what mere words—words, which do not spring from -feelings, and are not illustrated by actions—do we pray for its speedy -arrival! - -Even those among us, who are rightly mindful, who study to be prepared at -all times, lest speedily and suddenly the Son of Man should come forth to -judgment, or should send forth the angel of death to bring them to His -bar—even these can scarcely be said to desire the coming, which they -think of and prepare for: much less to pray for it, and to do what in -them lies to hasten it. Even if we are faithful servants, able to render -a right account whenever it shall be called for, we dread rather than -hope for the day of our LORD’S return. Even if we have our lamps trimmed -and oil with us in our vessels, if instead of slumbering, we are -watching, would it not still be to us an unwelcome cry, “Behold the -bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet Him”? What would be the first -feeling of the best of us, if at this moment an angel stood revealed, and -announced “The day of the LORD is come”? which of us can honestly, -heartily say now, “I would not live always. I would not live till -to-morrow, if GOD graciously willed that I might die to-day?” - -Of course there are many reasons why we should shrink from an immediate -advent. We all of us need to cast off some works of darkness: something -is wanting in the spiritual armour of the best accoutred. We feel that -we have much work to do for GOD before the night cometh; we have many -graces to cultivate and many others to acquire, before we shall be fit -for CHRIST’S coming; and, besides, naturally, the unprovided for, the -unprotected, the unguided, that will be left behind, if we go, tempt us -to linger, with eyes earthwards; and fashion chains to bind us down. But -setting aside all this, supposing it all changed, so that we were fit in -all other respects for heaven, and nothing and no one on earth really -required us, does not conscience convince us that still we would rather -not go yet, that we shall be the better pleased the longer we are allowed -to stay, that our real prayer (that which our feelings suggest, though -our mouths dare not utter it, nor our minds dwell on it) is “LORD JESUS, -come _not_ quickly.” - -Why is this? I do not mean why is it in the case of the wilful, the -sensual, the worldly—there is no need to ask the question of them; -CHRIST’S coming will be their utter confusion, and the immediate -forerunner of their destruction. It is easy to understand why _they_ -wish him to delay. But why is it in the case of the truly penitent, the -reformed, the faithful, the holy, the comparatively ready for CHRIST’S -kingdom of glory? The foremost reason seems to be that they have never -had the courage to meditate calmly and sufficiently on death. The first -thought of death alarms them. And this is natural, for death is part of -the punishment of sin, and all that reminds of sin should alarm. But it -is only the _first_ thought that alarms. If they would give it further -consideration, they would see that death is deprived of his sting, that, -monster as he appears, to them he is harmless. “There is no condemnation -for them that are in CHRIST JESUS.” Death is not their enemy, but their -friend. In fact, he is death no longer. He is an appointed minister to -take them out of what might be more properly called death—this mortal -life—and introduce them into real life. He does not separate them from -CHRIST, but joins them more truly to Him. It is not a dark, bottomless -pit, with sides that cannot be climbed, to which he brings them, but a -short valley leading from the plain of this world to the city of glory, -which he that enters passes through in a moment, ay, and less than a -moment, and is new born for eternity. Bring yourselves, brethren, to -believe this, to feel the reality of it, to be sure that the moment your -body falls asleep in JESUS your spirit is wafted to Paradise, and begins -to rest consciously on CHRIST, and to company with the spirits of the -just departed. Then, though the nearness of death may for the moment awe -you—because it is the antechamber which leads directly into the presence -of so much holiness and glory—it will have no power to fill you with -dismay, no undesirableness to make you shrink from it. No, brethren, you -will think much of it, you will patiently hope for it, you will -anticipate it and watch for it, and when it draws nigh, you will welcome -it with joy, and hasten to be transferred by it from mortal life to -immortal! - -Another fault is, that CHRIST is not sufficiently in all our thoughts. -Our religion is too much of mere routine; our obedience is mechanical, -unintelligent; our holiness is acquired, because of an imposed necessity; -our faith is but historical. We do not feel what St. Paul felt when he -said, “To me to live is CHRIST.” By which it is clear he meant much more -than that CHRIST’S service was his one employment, CHRIST’S rewards his -one expectation, CHRIST’S grace his only strength. He did not simply -look back to a crucified Saviour, nor forward to a coming Judge, -believing himself to be made a servant, and to have by and by to render -an account, to be liable to a judgment of his service; but meanwhile to -have no LORD near and over him. No! the CHRIST that had departed in the -flesh was felt to have come back in the spirit. St. Paul saw Him by -faith, knew Him, walked side by side with Him, served Him personally, -derived constant grace from Him, loved Him, and felt His love. CHRIST -was the Alpha and Omega of his being, the beginning, the motive power of -all his thoughts, and words, and deeds, the companion of all his ways, -the object of all his aims: CHRIST the power of GOD unto salvation, -CHRIST a very present help and comfort, CHRIST the hope of glory. Life -was full of CHRIST in its experiences, its aims, its delights, and hopes. -Gladly, therefore, would he retain it as long as GOD willed; but knowing -that death was gain, that after death CHRIST would be more palpably with -him, that he would be more able to appreciate CHRIST, that heavenly joys -would then be added to the joys he had on earth, he still longed for his -departure, he desired ardently to be clothed upon, he loved the thought -of CHRIST’S final appearing, and his whole life acted the prayer which -St. John uttered, “Come, LORD JESUS.” - -Brethren, you must live as Paul did, you must appreciate life as he did, -if you would desire death as he did. You must acquaint yourselves with -CHRIST by study and meditation, by the Spirit’s invoked aid. You must -think of a living LORD as well as of a dead Saviour. You must have -reference in all your ways, not only to the first advent and to the last, -but, also, and I would even say chiefly, to the constant advent. You -must have come to perceive that the promise is fulfilled, “Lo, I am with -you alway.” You must endure as seeing Him who is invisible. You must -carry CHRIST about with you. You must do all to the glory of Him, felt -to be near, to be served and glorified. When you would go anywhither, -your first thought must be, “Will CHRIST accompany me? Except thy -presence go with me, O LORD, carry me not up hence.” When you have aught -to do or suffer, your realisation of a near and available helper must -make you begin with the prayer, “O LORD, raise up thy power and come -among us, and with great might succour us.” Gratitude for benefits -provided so long ago will never prompt you to render due Christian -service, vague expectation of inconceivable joys will never quicken your -steps Zionwards. You must know CHRIST, feel Him, converse with Him, -depend on Him, and then, while you enjoy the life here, you will yet -yearn for a place and a condition where you can have perfectly and -uninterruptedly what now for so many reasons you have but in small part, -and, “Thy kingdom come,” “Even so, come, LORD JESUS,” will be your -fervent and frequent prayers. - -I have spoken all along as if what we call “death” were the coming of -CHRIST, which you ought to desire and pray for, because we have all come -to take for granted that in our several cases death will surely precede -judgment, that CHRIST will not be revealed in our time. I need scarcely -remind you, that we do not know that; that at any moment the final advent -might take place, and so each one of us be caught up alive—and never see -death. If then, when you desire more of CHRIST, you think that through -the gate of death is the probable way of gaining it, and so look for -death, you must not forget that there is another way, and that you may -possibly first meet CHRIST face to face there. Be your desire to be more -fully with CHRIST, and submissively leave to Him to decide how that -desire shall be accomplished, through death or without death. But in -either case remember that your ultimate thought should rest upon the -final advent, and your most fervent prayers be for it. Though you gain -much by dying, being freed from many hindrances of perception of CHRIST, -being made more fit for His presence, seeing Him more clearly, feeling, -and hearing, and loving Him better, your state and privileges will still -be imperfect. You must stand before Him in glorified bodies before you -are capable of being and receiving all that He graciously designs; and -all the elect must stand there with you before His perfect gifts shall be -bestowed. God does not will that we, without them, should be made -perfect. The final advent, then, is to be the frequent subject of our -prayers; the speedy completion of all God’s preparatory measures, the -swiftest communication, far and wide, of the knowledge of His name and -will, the quick filling up of the number of the elect. - -This we are to pray for, and this we are to aid in accomplishing. CHRIST -will come when all is ready, and He has left us to make ready. First to -prepare ourselves, then to prepare others. When this work of the -forerunner has been done, the LORD Whom ye seek will come. He does but -tarry till men be told of His coming, and persuaded to look for and -desire it. When we tell them, when we persuade them, we hasten His -coming—that coming in perfect glory to bestow in perfection on us, on -all, that which, till then, at the best must be imperfect. - -Should not this quicken our own growth in spiritual things? should it not -prompt us to admonish, and persuade, and help others? should it not impel -us to give more substantial aid to, to interest ourselves more about, to -pray more frequently and really for the success of missionary enterprise, -that those who have heard of CHRIST may be found out in their -forgetfulness, and reminded of Him, that those who are as yet strangers -and aliens may be brought into His household, and made fellow heirs with -us, and expectants of His coming? - - - - -SERMON XX. -TRUE PROSPERITY. - - - GENESIS, XXXIX., 2. - - _The_ LORD _was with Joseph_, _and he was a prosperous man_. - -IF you were asked, brethren, to make a list of what you consider -prosperous men, what kind of persons what you put into it? Those, I -doubt not, with whom all goes smoothly, who come in no misfortune like -other folk, who have riches in possession, acquire fame, are exalted in -honour; whose wishes are largely gratified, whose every project succeeds; -who, in short, experience no reverse, no temporary withdrawal or -suspension of good fortune, and peace, and pleasure. What is the first -prosperous man that comes into your mind? Perhaps, a successful -speculator, who years ago made what is called a “lucky hit,” and has gone -on repeating it, till he has become a millionaire. Perhaps, a -professional man, whom fortune took by the hand as soon as he set out, -and who has been hurried along with giant strides, favoured, flattered, -well remunerated, till he has reached the summit of success. Perhaps, -some uniformly thriving, respectable, happy tradesman, whose business -prospers, who is always able to pay his way, can afford time and money -for pleasure, and has good heart and health to enjoy it; in whose -household there is no strife or division, no sickness, no vacated place; -all present success, or bright hope. Or, perhaps, you fasten on an -artisan, who is never out of work, who always meets with considerate and -liberal employers, whose sobriety and uprightness, and other good -qualities, are recognised and respected abroad, and rewarded by comfort, -and affection, and well-doing at home. - -But it is a clergyman who bids you select: so you must look about with a -religious eye. Then you pick out, perhaps, those who are naturally -endowed with good will and resolution, and are strong to perform it; who -have been early trained in the right way, so that doing good has become -habitual and comparatively easy; who have no overwhelming concern about -the support of their lower life, are not distracted by worldly cares or -by the claims of society upon them, nor much exposed to unspiritual -influence; who have no immoderate passions, encounter no sore -temptations, but _can_, without hindrance, and _do_, from desire, live -calm, and easy, and creditable lives. These, you would say, are -prosperous men, and so, in a sense, they are—very prosperous—and far be -it from me to say, wrongly, or unhappily prosperous. We know, indeed, -what snares riches bring with them, how many grave responsibilities are -imposed upon all to whom much has been given, how dizzy one becomes -through standing on a great height, and how easy and dangerous it is to -fall from it. We know, too, that constant success is apt to make us -self-reliant, forgetful of GOD, proud, imperious, uncharitable; and that -uninterrupted peace and happiness in this world too often beguile us, -softly indeed, but surely, out of all thought of heaven. And once more, -we know that an even temperament and an untempted life may easily lead to -routine-religion, to self-righteousness, to spiritual apathy and -deadness. On these accounts, we must not count them _surely_ happy who -prosper in the world; but, on the other hand, we may not judge their -state certainly unhappy; nor deem the desire to be like them necessarily -wrong or unwise. _If_ we can make sure of both worlds; _if_ we can have -the best of this, and not lose the other; _if_ no harm will happen to our -spiritual state, and no fitness for it be unattained and unkept; _if_ GOD -will be surely with us, while we _thus_ prosper—then religion does not -require, rather forbids, that we should give up our good things, that we -should forbear to seek them, to use them, and to rejoice in them. All -these various states may, or may not be, truly prosperous. Wherefore be -not rashly carried away with admiration and desire of any of them; be -slow to judge unfavourably of them, or to refuse, if you be called to any -of them. - -But what I would have you chiefly note now is that there are other kinds -of true prosperity; rather, that if you would find out who truly prosper, -and whether you yourselves are truly prosperous, you must look for other -signs than those of worldly success and happiness; you must not conclude -that the inward part, the very substance of prosperity, is wanting, -because the outward life is sorely tried, and thwarted, and deprived, and -saddened. - -The Spirit of Truth describes, in the chapter of the text, a truly -prosperous man. Three several times, in a few verses, is Joseph’s -prosperity put prominently forward. Now just think what his life had -been, and was, and was yet to be! He had been motherless from an early -age; his father’s love made him the object of his brothers’ envy and -hatred. He was thrown into a pit to die, and only escaped death to -become a slave in a foreign land to a heathen master. Ere long he was -made the victim of a foul accusation; he was thrust into prison, and -there detained many long years; and when, at last, a hope of deliverance -dawned upon him, he was cruelly disappointed by the king’s servant, whom -he had kindly tended and reassured in trouble, and another two years of -incarceration, of suspense worse than despair, had to be endured! Yet -was he _all the while_—mark that!—a prosperous man. The Scripture does -not say or mean that _by and by_ he attained to a prosperity, in which -all his former adversity was forgotten. It is of the present, not of the -future, that prosperity is predicated. Nor may we suppose that there was -but a _show_ of adversity, that Joseph was really what we call prosperous -all the while, in that he enjoyed many advantages, that he made steady -way towards greatness, that his troubles were but as the toils and -difficulties which, in a measure, the most successful have to encounter; -or the just merits of misdeeds and the correction of faults. Up to the -time of his release from prison, all through the years which Scripture -says were prosperous, every hope and aim had been frustrated. It was not -that he had difficulty in entering upon his work, that he had much to -resist and suffer from its pursuit; but that after it was done, the -reward of it was denied him: he only climbed the hill, to be rolled back, -just as he reached the summit. His child’s life commended him to the -love of his father, _therefore_ he was thrust out. He won the good-will -of his master, was diligent in his work, which prospered in his hand; was -trustworthy and trusted, rose to be overseer of the house, and _then_, -when he had good hope of his freedom and of returning to his yearned-for -home, without any fault of his, he was degraded, branded with infamy, and -cast into prison. Here, again, he deserved prosperity: the very jailor -acknowledged it, and honoured and well treated him. The door, too, -seemed to be opening for his deliverance, when a fellow-prisoner went -forth full of his praise, an eye-witness of his sorrow, to make mention -of him to Pharaoh—but alas! the most strange forgetfulness took -possession of the butler, and for two years the name of Joseph never -crossed his lips, nor thought of him entered his mind. And even when -delivered out of prison, and exalted by Pharaoh, he became but a chief -_slave_, next the throne in dignity, second to the king in power, but -still not free to return to his home, still kept ignorant whether his -father was yet alive! Was this what we can call, by any stretch or -limitation, “prosperity”? And mark, that all his trouble came upon him, -not only _in_, but _for_, his well-doing. In obedience to his father, he -went to visit his brethren, and thus afforded the occasion of selling him -into bondage; because he did his duty to Potiphar, he was put into -circumstances of danger; by refusing to sin against GOD, he incurred the -reproach and punishment of sin; by honestly asserting before Pharaoh, “It -is not in me, I am nothing but a servant,” he lost the opportunity of -obtaining what the king would have been most ready to give him, and -afraid to refuse, absolute freedom. - -My brethren, you and I can hardly bear with trials, and sufferings, and -reproaches, and ill-treatment, when we dimly suspect, or are actually -conscious, that we have deserved them. How should we murmur, and cry -out, and kick, and rebel, if we were thus treated for well-doing! With -what words should we answer him who sought to calm and comfort us in such -trouble, by assuring us that we did wrong to count it adversity, that it -was indeed prosperity! - -Yet GOD says that Joseph was a prosperous man. It is evident, therefore, -that we know not the meaning of prosperity, and must search in His -dictionary for the interpretation of it. It is soon found: the first -part of the text supplies it—“_The_ LORD _was with him_.” - -Ah! here is light from heaven. Prosperity does not mean the state of -careless independence; being what we will, having what we desire, -accomplishing what we propose: it means, the state of dependence, of -being kept and ordered by GOD’S providence, treated as He wills, used in -accomplishing His purposes. _By right_, we are GOD’S, by creation, and -redemption, and sanctification, sent into this world, reconciled and -restored after defection, enabled and commissioned to do the will of GOD. -We are as much the agents of His purposes as the elements, or any other -of His creatures; and it would be just as reasonable, were it possible, -for the sun to complain that it is sometimes covered with clouds; the -rain, that it has to descend and be absorbed in the earth, or lost in the -sea, or scattered in snow; the wind, that it must blow when and where He -pleases, as for us to say of any state into which we are brought, of any -work to which we are put, or of any calling off from it, “I like not -this; I am not prospered. All these things are against me”! We have no -right to independence; we ought not to be independent, and if we are, it -is either because we have forsaken our appointed service, or because GOD -deems us unfit for it, and, therefore, uses us not! A chief part of -Joseph’s prosperity, remember, consisted not in the advancement of -himself, but in the accomplishment of GOD’S work: “_That which he did_, -the LORD made it to prosper.” - -But _by privilege_, as well as by right, are we GOD’S. We are not mere -tools in His hand: we are living agents, intelligent to understand His -will, free to do it or decline it, capable of loving it. We are, -therefore, taken into His counsel, made fellow-workers with Him, treated -all along by Him according to our merits, finally rewarded according to -our work; not, however, in the way of our own choice, but of His. O if -we realised this, and did our part according to the belief, we should -never murmur at, or question anything that is appointed us, or befals us. -For what does such questioning amount to, but an assertion that GOD does -not make the right use of us, or that He does not treat us worthily? And -what is that, but to deny His wisdom, His justice, and His love? No man, -who is worth a thought, counts it adversity, that he is bound by the -conditions, and must accept the trials, and do the work of his chosen -earthly calling, that he is obliged, for instance, to serve in his shop, -or pore over his books, or risk storms at sea, or face the dangers of -war; that, in short, he cannot be and do what he will, but must obey the -law of circumstances—why, then, should he reverse all this in his divine -mission and heavenly calling, and demand a liberty, an immunity, a -choice, which common sense would tell him should not and could not be -granted? - -But there is another, a chief consideration, which should incline us to -be sure that the ordering of GOD’S providence is the conferring of True -Prosperity. GOD uses us, indeed, as servants, and appoints us our -individual work out of the several circumstances around us. But He -likewise makes us His friends, and uses the circumstances around us, as -ministers to us. It is in them that He speaks to us and visits us; it is -by them, that He rewards and punishes us now; it is through them that He -disciplines and trains us, and perfects us for heaven. We were not made -for them, but they for us. And what shall we be saying of the Artificer -and the Superintendent of their use if we question their general fitness, -or the special application of them to ourselves? “Sorrow is not good for -me.” “I am ruined by that disappointment.” “Through taking that stay -from me, I am become helpless.” “Removing me thither is overwhelming me -with adversity.” These, my brethren, are not only the expressions of -ingratitude, and the reasonings of unbelief, they are the dictations of -arrogant presumption dethroning the wisdom of GOD, and putting our folly -in its place. We have no right to choose for ourselves: and if we had, -how could we do it? Is not GOD wise to know what is best for us? Is not -He good to apply it? Should we not fear the fulfilment of any hope, the -accomplishment of any purpose of our own, and cry, “O LORD, not as I -will, but as Thou wilt. Except Thy presence go with me, carry me not up -hence”! Should we not accept with full resignation, with heartfelt -gratitude, any imposed condition, and say, “It is the LORD, let Him do -what seemeth Him good,” “It is good for me to be here.” - -We may reason this out, and the example of others proves it, and our own -experience confirms it. Admit the fact, that the LORD was with Joseph, -_i.e._, that He used him as His agent, that He loved him, and designed to -deliver him from evil, and to bless him to the uttermost; and then look -along his life to see whether wisdom and love did not guide all his -circumstances to this end. It was GOD’S will that Joseph should cause -Jacob to come into Egypt, and should sustain him there. How every step -of his seeming adversity helped to accomplish this will! The telling of -his dream engendered the hatred of his brethren; that hatred sold him to -the Midianites, the Midianites brought him to Potiphar, the false -accusation cast him into prison, in the prison he interpreted the king’s -butler’s dream, and therefore he was summoned to interpret the king’s -dream, and for so doing made the ruler of Egypt, and the dispenser of -corn to the famished nations. This brought the sons of Jacob to him: -this enabled him to dispose of them according to the will of GOD. Thus, -“that which he did the LORD made it to prosper.” And then of his -personal prosperity. Was not his father’s preference likely to spoil -him? Did he not run daily risks from the hatred of his brethren? Was -his best state that of an honoured slave in Potiphar’s household? Was it -well that he should daily encounter the temptations of his mistress? Was -there no good discipline in that prison-life? Did not deliverance come -at the fitting moment, rightly so late, under such circumstances? -Supposing he had chosen for himself, what else could he have chosen that -would have been better, or as good as GOD’S choice for Him? And if, -brethren, we look along _our_ lives in the light of GOD’S providence, is -it not just so with us? Supposing us to be faithful servants of GOD, has -not all that has happened to us been for our good? Was it not well for -us that we were removed from the state in which we were being spoiled, -becoming selfish and proud? Was it not good for us to be afflicted? Did -not some earthly loss make us seek to fill the void with heavenly -consolation? Are we not now better—better in fact—better in hope—because -GOD has prospered us in His own way, than if we had had what _we_ thought -prosperity? Yes, surely; and had we been wise, in the hour of our worst -trial, we should have known that we were truly prosperous, in that GOD -was with us, that His jealous love had taken us from the foolish fondness -that was spoiling us, from the bitter envy that would not rest till it -had destroyed us, from the secular prosperity that would soon have made -us forget our birthright, from the temptation that sought to defile us! - -If we have been wanting in this wisdom hitherto, let us fill ourselves -with it now. Let us accept everything that befals us in the path of -faith and obedience as true prosperity; true prosperity, not only because -it is accomplishing by us GOD’S wise purposes, not only because it is -advancing us to glory, but because, it is the felt, the immediate, wise, -loving operation on us of a present GOD, present to sustain, to comfort, -to sanctify, to bless, present under a better covenant than that with -Joseph, present more graciously, and more effectually; GOD the Father of -our LORD JESUS CHRIST, GOD the Son, who has given Himself for us, and has -promised to be with us always even to the end of the world, GOD the Holy -Ghost, proceeding from the Father and the Son, bringing near and applying -true prosperity, and fitting us for it, and enlightening us to see it, -and causing us to rejoice in it. - - * * * * * - - GLORY BE UNTO GOD. - - * * * * * - - F. 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