//, ZC-.o;^ 
 
 Srom i^t feifitari^ of 
 
 (profecfior ^antuef O^tfPer 
 
 in (gXemori? of 
 
 Sub^e ^amuef (gliffer Qgrectoribge 
 
 ^reeenfeb 65 
 
 ^amuef (Bltffer (jSrecftinribge feong 
 
 to t3« £i6rarg of 
 
 (Princeton S^eofogicaf ^eminarg 
 
 
 
A SERIES 
 
 REVIVAL SERMONS 
 
 BY THE 
 
 Rev. DANIEL BAKER 
 
 FORMERLY PASTOR OF SECOND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, WASHINGTON CITY 
 NOW OF HOLLY SPRINGS, MISSISSIPPI. 
 
 APPENDIX, 
 
 PHILADELPHIA : 
 
 PUBLISHED FOR THE AUTHOR 
 
 BY WILLIAM S. MARTIEN. 
 
 1846. 
 
Entered according to Act of Congress, in tlie year 1846, 
 
 By WILLIAM S. MARTIEN. 
 
 Tn the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Eastern District 
 
 of Pennsylvania. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 SERMON I. 
 
 Truth and Excellence of the Christian Relig^ion 9 
 
 SERMON II. 
 The Greatness of God 43 
 
 SERMON III. 
 Christ the Mediator 68 
 
 SERMON IV. 
 Tlie Uses of the Law 106 
 
 SERMON V. 
 The Sinner Weiglied and found Wanting 131 
 
 SERMON VI. 
 The Character and Reward of the Earthly Minded 158 
 
 SERMON VII. 
 The Deluge 188 
 
 SERMON VIII. 
 War in Heaven 212 
 
» CONTENTS. 
 
 SERMON IX. 
 
 On Seeking the Lord 235 
 
 SERMON X. 
 
 The Duty of Coming to Christ 262 
 
 SERMON XL 
 
 Vain Excuses 286 
 
 SERMON XII. 
 
 Idleness Reproved 317 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Letter to a Christian Brother in New York 351 
 
 Interesting Recollections 360 
 
REVIVAL SEEM ON S. 
 
 SERMON I. 
 
 TRUTH AND EXCELLENCE OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 
 
 Their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being' 
 judges. — Deut. xxxii. 31. 
 
 These words form a part of what is usually 
 denominated, "■ the Song of Moses." It is a 
 poem of singular beauty; and, by the best 
 judges, is supposed to contain a specimen of 
 almost every species of excellence in compo- 
 sition. It opens with a sublime invocation 
 of the heavens and the earth; evidently de- 
 signed, to convey a strong idea of the pecu- 
 liar importance of the subject matter of the 
 poem. The sacred writer speaks sublimely 
 of Israel's God: "Ascribe ye greatness unto 
 our God," says he. "He is the Rock; his 
 work is perfect, for all his ways are judgment : 
 a God of truth, and without iniquity, just and 
 right is he." The author of the poem then 
 
 2 
 
10 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 adverts to some instances of God's providen- 
 tial care exercised over the tribes of Israel, 
 particularly in conducting them, as on the 
 wings of an eagle, towards the promised land. 
 "As an eagle," says he, " stirreth up her nest; 
 fluttereth over her young; spreadeth abroad 
 her wings ; taketh them ; beareth them on her 
 wings, so the Lord alone did lead him, and 
 there was no strange god with him." This 
 idea of the tribes of Israel beings conducted 
 out of Egypt, towards the promised land, as 
 upon the wings of an eagle, is one of great 
 sublimity, particularly, taken in connexion 
 with these words — "I kill, and I make alive; 
 I wound and I heal; neither is there any that 
 can deliver out of my hand ; for I lift my hand 
 to heaven, and say, I live for ever." In com- 
 parison with such a God, the idol gods of the 
 heathen were emphatically, "vanity and a 
 lie." No wonder, then, that Moses here in- 
 dulges in the feelings of joy and triumph; no 
 wonder that he uses the exulting^ lanoruas^e of 
 our text; "Their rock is not as our Rock, even 
 our enemies themselves being judges." Mark 
 the expression! even our enemies themselves be- 
 ing judges. Moses adverts, it seems, to some 
 w^ell known instances, in wdiich the superi- 
 ority of Israel's God was acknowledged, even 
 by those who served other gods, which indeed 
 were no gods. This acknowledgment, it will 
 be recollected, was made by the magicians of 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 11 
 
 Egypt, when, utterly unable to resist the 
 miracles wrought by Moses, the servant of the 
 true God, they exclaimed, " This is the finger 
 of God!" — that is, this miracle comes from the 
 true God ! This acknowledgment w^as also 
 made by the horsemen of Pharaoh, when, ter- 
 ror-stricken in the Red Sea, they cried out 
 one to another, saying, '' Let us flee from the 
 face of Israel, for their God fighteth for them, 
 against the Egyptians." It was, it seems, in 
 reference to these, and similar cases, that 
 Moses uses the exultins^ lanoruasre of our text: 
 '* Their rock is not as our Rock, even our ene- 
 mies themselves being judges." 
 
 And now, my brethren, permit me to apply 
 the passage before us to a class of persons not 
 entirely dissimilar. I mean to those ranged 
 under the banner of infidelity. Rejecting the 
 sacred volume, they have a system of their own, 
 (if system it may be called.) Now, in refer- 
 ence to them, and their system, I feel very free 
 to apply the language of our text : " Their 
 rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies 
 themselves being judges." It may be thought 
 by some present, that the speaker is not happy 
 in the selection of his subject this day, as 
 there is, perhaps, not an avowed infidel in this 
 assembly. But, suppose there be no avowed 
 infidel present, there may be many spiced 
 with infidelity; and amongst them, perhaps, 
 some interesting young men, who, in their 
 
12 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 reading, and travels, have had mfidel cavils 
 and objections brought before their minds, 
 which they know not how to meet, the result 
 is, they have become sceptical. This they are 
 not exactly willing to confess, lest, perchance, 
 it might reach a mother's ear, and pain a mo- 
 ther's heart! — but, the seeds of infidelity are 
 there ; and, so long as they exist in the bosom, 
 they operate as serious barriers in the way of 
 the soul's salvation. This being the case, it is 
 proper that, occasionally, at least, the evi- 
 dences of our holy religion should be laid be- 
 fore every congregation. Those ranged under 
 the banners of infidelity may plume them- 
 selves upon their wisdom, and the great supe- 
 riority of their discoveries, but, thank God ! 
 we, who are Christians, occupy better ground 
 than they do ; and may well say, with Moses, 
 in the joy and triumph of our hearts — " their 
 rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies 
 themselves being judges." 
 
 The supreme excellence, and great superi- 
 ority of the Christian religion, will appear, I 
 think, very clearly, in the three following par- 
 ticulars : 
 
 I. In the matter of evidence. 
 II. In reference to the moral influence, and 
 III. In relation to the happiness of man. 
 
 I. In the matter of evidence. Yes, my bre- 
 thren, whatever witlings and infidels may say 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 13 
 
 to the contrary, it is a stubborn fact, that this 
 blessed volume, called the Bible, comes to us 
 with credentials clear! 
 
 on every line 
 
 Marked with the seal of high divinity : 
 On every leaf bedewed with drops 
 Of love divine, and, with the eternal heraldry 
 And signature of God Almighty stamped 
 From first to last." 
 
 Yet the infidel rejects the sacred volume ! 
 and why? 0! because he is a very reason- 
 able man, and cannot, forsooth, without a pros- 
 tration of every thing like reason, embrace a 
 system so preposterous and absurd ! ! Now let 
 sound reasonings and facts be submitted to 
 this enlightened and candid assembly. 
 
 1. If there be no divine revelation, as infi- 
 dels are wont to affirm, herein is a marvellous 
 thing, that there should be none ! And why ? 
 For many reasons. One is this : There are 
 certain questions propounded by human na- 
 ture itself, weighty and important questions, 
 and, which, in the very nature of the case, 
 never can be answered without a divine reve- 
 lation. For example. Whe7^e is God, my 
 Maker! — The author of my being, who is he? 
 and what is he? It will be recollected that 
 this question was asked by Dyonisius, the 
 tyrant of Syracuse, to Simonides, one of the 
 seven wise men of Greece. The philosopher 
 requested one day to think upon the subject- 
 
14 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 at the expiration of that period he demanded 
 two days, and then four! doubhng the time. 
 When asked, why he demanded so much 
 time? he rephed, " Sire, the longer I think 
 upon this subject, the more I am lost in its dif- 
 ficulty and immensity." In the very nature of 
 the case, it is none but God that can reveal 
 God ; and yet, the infidel scouts the idea of the 
 Scriptures having been divinely inspired! and 
 he, a reasonable man ! But another question 
 propounded by human nature, is this: How 
 can a man be just with God ? How can a man, 
 who is a sinner, obtain the forgiveness of his 
 sins, and be restored to the favour of his Ma- 
 ker? This, my brethren, believe me, has for 
 ages and ages been one of the most confound- 
 ing and perplexing questions ever presented to 
 the mind of man. Heathen sages, and some of 
 the wise ones of the earth at the present day, 
 talk about penances and pilgrimages, bloody 
 sacrifices, costly offerings, repentance and re- 
 formation, and many such like things. But it 
 is all conjecture; and, in a matter of such im- 
 mense importance, I want something better 
 than conjecture. I am a sinner. I feel it, and, 
 troubled on account of my sins, I ask, with 
 trepidation — How can a man be just with 
 God? How can I, a poor, burdened sinner, 
 obtain the forgiveness of my sin, and be re- 
 stored to the favour of my God ? I listen, and 
 there is no response ! There can be none, save 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 15 
 
 from the throne of God ! — and, without it, I 
 live in darkness : I die in gloom, and, sinking 
 in the cold embrace of death, I have only to 
 say, with the dying Adrian, " Alas ! my trem- 
 bling, dear, departing soul, whither art thou 
 going?" I say, there can be no response, to 
 satisfy the troubled conscience, save from the 
 throne of God. The case is clear. Take this 
 illustration. I have injured you : upon reflec- 
 tion, I am very sorry for it, and I wish to 
 know on what terms I may be restored to 
 your favour. Shall I ask one of your ser- 
 vants? He knows nothing at all about the 
 matter. He can give nothing better than con- 
 jecture. You, my dear sir, the person injured, 
 you only can tell me on what terms I may be 
 restored to your favour. Even so, in the very 
 nature of the case, it is none but God, himself, 
 who can satisfactorily answer the question. 
 How can a man be just with God ? — and yet 
 the infidel laughs at the idea of a divine reve- 
 lation ! and plumes himself upon being a rea- 
 sonable man! Not so very reasonable after 
 all ! Mark my word — not so very reasonable 
 after all ! But, 
 
 2. If the Bible be not divinely inspired, 
 herein is another marvellous thing to be ac- 
 counted for, that some how or other this bless- 
 ed volume answers all the purposes of a divine 
 revelation. To say nothing of its giving an 
 account, and the only rational account, of the 
 
16 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 creation of the world; of the origin of sin; of 
 the division of time into weeks of seven days; 
 of the deluge; and other matters connected 
 with the early history of the globe — is it not 
 remarkable, that the Bible answers most clear- 
 ly and satisfactorily the questions propounded, 
 as we have stated, by human nature itself? 
 Take the first question, Where is God my 
 Maker? or what is God? You recollect the 
 reply of Simonides to the monarch who pro- 
 pounded to him the question, " Sire, the more 
 I think upon this subject, the more I am lost 
 in its difficulty and immensity." Now^, ask 
 the disciple whom Jesus loved the same ques- 
 tion — John, what is God? " God is Love," says 
 he. How beautiful ! how sublime ! But if you 
 wish a more extended view of the Divine char- 
 acter, according to the Scriptures, " God is a 
 Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in 
 his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, 
 goodness, and truth." Can any description of 
 the Supreme Being be nobler and more perfect 
 than this? And, being drawn from the Bible, 
 is not this "a stamp divine?" Are not these 
 "credentials clear?" And yet the infidel re- 
 jects the sacred volume! and, doubtless, he is 
 a very reasonable man. In intellect, a son of 
 Anak! head and shoulders taller than all 
 around him! " shame! where is thy blush." 
 But another question, as we have said, which 
 human nature asks w^ith well grounded solici- 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 17 
 
 tnde, is this — How can a man be just with God? 
 How can a man. w^ho is a sinner, obtain the for- 
 givness of his sins, and be restored to the favour 
 of his maker? Sages of ancient times, and wise 
 ones of the present day, will talk, as we have 
 said, about the merit of penances and pilgrim- 
 ages; and lay great stress upon the efficacy of 
 repentance and reformation; but these things 
 have no divine warrant; they are at best, 
 only matters of conjecture, and all the evidence 
 of analogy is against them. Here is a man 
 who, by a course of licentious indulgences and 
 extravagance, has lost his health and property; 
 and I find that neither penances, nor pilgrim- 
 ages, nor repentance, nor reformation, nor all 
 of them united, will remove the effects of his 
 licentiousness and extravagance; how do I 
 know, then, that they can remove the penal 
 consequences of sin? In the very nature of 
 the case, none but God can tell on what terms 
 he will pardon the sinner, and receive him to 
 favour; for none but he can tell what the hon- 
 our of the Divine government may require, or 
 how the punishment of the offender can be re- 
 mitted, without endangering the tranquilHty of 
 other worlds, and creatures which he has made. 
 Now, on the subject of forgiveness, and restora- 
 tion to the favour of God, the Bible is remark- 
 ably clear, and full, and express. Thus Paul, 
 addressing the men of Antioch, says. Be it 
 known unto you, therefore, men and brethren, 
 
18 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 that through this man, Christ Jesus, is preach- 
 ed unto 3'ou the forgiveness of sins^ and by 
 him, all that believe, are justified from all 
 things, from which ye could not be justified, 
 by the law of Moses. Again, writing to Tim- 
 othy, he says, It is a faithful saying, and 
 worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus 
 came into the world to save sinners, of w^hom I 
 am chief And again; writing to the Romans, 
 we find him using this language. Therefore, 
 being justified by faith, we have peace with 
 God, through our Lord Jesus Christ;' by 
 w^hom also we have received the atonement. 
 And again ; There is, therefore, now, no con- 
 demnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, 
 who w^alk, not after the flesh, but after the 
 Spirit. And all this beautifully harmonizing 
 with the words of the Lord Jesus Christ him- 
 self — God so loved the w^orld, that he gave his 
 only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in 
 him should not perish, but have everlasting 
 life. How delightful are these declarations! 
 wdiat light do they give to the inquiring sin- 
 ner! what sweet relief to the burdened soul! 
 
 3. If the Bible be not divinely inspired, here 
 is another marvellous thing, that it furnishes a 
 perfect code of moral precepts. In this, it is 
 perfectly unique, and stands alone in its glory ! 
 for I am bold to say, that there is no other vo- 
 lume upon the face of the earth which furnish- 
 es such a code of precepts. Those acquainted 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 19 
 
 with the writings of heathen sages and moral- 
 ists, know full well, that their ideas on the 
 subject of moral obligation, are remarkably 
 crude ; some sanctioning suicide, and some in- 
 fanticide; and, even the enlightened and com- 
 paratively virtuous Cicero, says, "It is lawful 
 to fight for glory." And what is this, but 
 sanctioning^ ambition? Ambition! the direct 
 tendency of which is to drench the earth in 
 blood, and fill the world with widows and or- 
 phans! The Bible, thank God, teaches a purer 
 and better morality than this ! We said that it 
 furnishes a perfect code of moral precepts. 
 We do not declaim, we give proof, absolute 
 demonstration. Our Saviour sums up all the 
 precepts of the sacred volume, in two great 
 commandments. First, Thou shalt love the 
 Lord thy God, witTi all thy heart, and soul, 
 and mind, and strength; and Secondly, Thou 
 shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Now, 
 these two commandments embrace every duty 
 that can be required of man. Take the first. 
 We are to love the Lord our God supremely ; 
 see how this embraces every duty which we 
 owe to our Maker. For example, am I required 
 to submit to God? How easy, and how na- 
 tural it is to submit to one wdiom we supreme- 
 ly love! Am I required to repent of my sins? 
 It is love which breaks the heart; which melts 
 it down in tender relentings for sin! Am I 
 required to choose God as the portion of my 
 
20 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 soul? If I love him supremely, I have done 
 it already. Am I required to obey all his com- 
 mandments? And who does not know that, 
 
 " 'Tis love which makes our cheerful feet, 
 In swift obedience move." 
 
 Take the second great commandment, Thou 
 shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Only let 
 this precept be acted upon, in all the length and 
 breadth of its requirement ; and, verily there 
 would be no occasion for bolts, nor bars, nor 
 jails, nor penitentiaries, nor any thing of the 
 kind. Love, says the apostle, worketh no ill 
 to his neighbour, therefore love is the fulfilling 
 of the law. Yes, only let the great law of love 
 be acted upon, in all the length and breadth 
 of its requirements, and man would become 
 ari angel, and earth a paradise! To crow^n 
 the whole, strange as it may seem, all duties 
 both toward God and man, are, in the Bible, 
 embraced in a single word! and that, how 
 simple! how well understood, by the learned 
 and the unlearned — by the civilized, by the 
 barbarian; by male and female; by the child 
 of three years of age, and the man of threescore 
 and ten ! — love ! for love says the apostle, is the 
 fulfilling of the law. Is not this a stamp di- 
 vine? Are not these credentials clear? Yet, 
 the infidel rejects the Bible! Let him write a 
 better book, if he can ! And this reminds me 
 of the case of Lord Lyttleton, who, belonging 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 21 
 
 to a club of infidels, was pitched upon to burn 
 the Bible. Taking the volume in his hand, 
 he approached the hearth, but upon second 
 thought, returned and replaced the book upon 
 the stand. When asked why he did not throw 
 it into the fire ? he made this very sensible re- 
 mark, " We will not burn this book until we 
 can get a better." Verily, "their rock is not 
 as our Rock, even our enemies themselves be- 
 ing judges." Again : 
 
 4. If the Bible be not divinely inspired, is it 
 not very strange and unaccountable that so 
 many miracles were wrought in illustration of 
 its truths ? — Miracles wrought in open day ; in 
 the presence of enemies ; and subjected to the 
 severest scrutiny. Now, either these miracles 
 were wrought, or they were not : if wrought, 
 the case is settled; for they are the clearest 
 credentials of the divine mission of those who 
 wrought them. If not wrought, how comes it 
 to pass, that we have such a particular and de- 
 tailed account of them? How comes it to pass, 
 that they were attested by so many eye-wit- 
 nesses, many of whom suffered martyrdom, in 
 attestation of the facts which they affirmed? 
 Moreover, how comes it to pass, that these 
 miracles had so powerful an influence in the 
 spreading of doctrines, so directly opposed to 
 long established systems and the passions of 
 men? And, let it not be forgotten, that, in 
 commemoration of some of these miracles, we 
 
22 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 have monuments and memorials, broiiglit down 
 even to the present time : the Sabbath, for ex- 
 ample, changed from the seventh to the first 
 day of the week, to commemorate the resurrec- 
 tion of Christ from the dead. As the annual 
 celebration of our national independence, is a 
 memorial and proof of the fact which it com- 
 memorates, even so the present observance of 
 the Christian Sabbath is a standing monument 
 of that stupendous miracle, the resurrection of 
 Christ, which it commemorates. And yet the 
 infidel wants proof ! — Once more: 
 
 5. If the blessed volume before me be not 
 divinely inspired, how shall we account for the 
 fact that it contains some five or six hundred 
 prophecies which have been most literally and 
 remarkably fulfilled? and which, I presume, no 
 one who has a regard for his reputation, as a 
 scholar, will dare to deny! Here, a wide field 
 is presented to our view — we have not time to 
 expose it very extensively — ^let me present only 
 a few prophecies, as a specimen of the rest. 
 Some three thousand years ago, it was pre- 
 dicted that the Jews should be a peculiar peo- 
 ple. Have they not been a peculiar people, for 
 niany ages past? Are they not a peculiar 
 people, at the present time ? It was predicted 
 that they should be scattered over the face of 
 the earth? And where is the kingdom, under 
 heaven, where some of this peculiar people are 
 not found ? It was predicted that they should 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 23 
 
 be oppressed and peeled; and, those who are 
 acquainted with their history know that this 
 prediction also, has been most remarkably ful- 
 filled. It was predicted that they should dwell 
 alone and not be reckoned amonor the nations ; 
 and are they not at this very day, although 
 scattered over the face of the whole earth, yet 
 really a distinct people, isolated and alone? 
 "The children of Israel," says the pi'ophet Ro- 
 sea, "shall abide many days without a king; 
 and without a prince; and without a sacrifice; 
 and without an image ; and without an ephod ; 
 and without teraphim." Hos. iii. 4. And is 
 not this their precise condition at the present 
 moment? And have they not already con- 
 tiued thus to abide, lo! these many days? By 
 estimation there are, at this time, about eight 
 millions of Jews Upon the earth; a sufficient 
 number to form a powerful empire, or more 
 glorious republic ; and yet they have no king, 
 no prince, no polity, no government of their 
 own, and this has been the case for eiirhteen 
 hundred years ! How astonishing are these 
 prophecies, and how exact their fulfilment! 
 and how certainly true are the words of the 
 apostle Peter-: " Prophecy came not in old time 
 by the will of man, but holy men of God spake 
 as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." Of 
 Ishmael it was predicted, that he should be- 
 come a great nation; that he should be a wild 
 man, -and that his hand should be against every 
 
24 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 man, and every man's hand against him; and 
 that he should dwell in the presence of all his 
 brethren; Gen. xvi. 12; that is, should never 
 be subdued, or brought into subjection. Those 
 acquainted with the Arabs, know that these 
 predictions have been fulfilled to the very let- 
 ter ; and with regard to the independence 
 which they should ever maintain, it is remark- 
 able, that, although special efforts have been 
 made by powerful monarchs, in various ages, 
 to put them down, these efforts have all, ulti- 
 mately, proved unsuccessful ! Sesostris, Cyrus, 
 Pompey, Trajan, and many other great con- 
 querors, aimed at subjugating them, but never 
 succeeded ! At the present day, the Arabs, 
 although wandering and predatory, are still an 
 independent people; like the wild ass, whose 
 home is the wilderness ; whose pasture is the 
 mountains; and who searcheth after every 
 green thing. The prophecies in relation to 
 Nineveh, Babylon, Tyre, and Egypt, have also 
 received their most exact accomplishment — 
 their present condition, according to the state- 
 ments of modern travellers, being precisely 
 what was predicted so many thousand years 
 ago With regard to Egypt, I will mention a 
 fact which may have escaped the notice of 
 some : Egypt, says the prophet Ezekiel, (xxix. 
 15,) shall never exalt itself any more over the 
 nations. This was a bold prophecy when we 
 consider when it was uttered ; but the subse- 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 25 
 
 quent history of Egypt has been in exact ac- 
 cordance with the prediction. But the particu- 
 lar point to which I refer is this : Some three 
 or four years since, Mehemet AH, the Pacha 
 of Egypt, was upon the very point of subvert- 
 ing the Turkish empire; and would have done 
 it, ha(J not the sovereigns of Russia, Prussia, 
 Austria, and Great Britain interposed. And 
 this they, did, jnark! not to accomplish the 
 prophecy, but to preserve the balance of power. 
 The prophecies w^hich relate to the Messiah 
 are about two hundred in number, which have 
 in every particular been exactly fulfilled, in 
 our blessed Redeemer. Let me mention only 
 a very few.* It was predicted of him that he 
 should be despised and rejected by his own 
 people, the Jews; that he should lift up a 
 standard to the Gentiles; to him should the 
 gathering of the Gentiles be ; and in him shall 
 the Gentiles trust. Now this is .prophecy. 
 What is history? In exact accordance with 
 the prophecy. Was Christ to be despised and 
 rejected by his own people, the Jews? He 
 came unto his own,- says John, and his own 
 received him not. And they, that is, the Jews, 
 says Luke, were instant with loud voices in 
 the temple, requiring that he might be cruci- 
 fied. Was Christ to lift up a standard to the 
 Gentiles ? and was not Saul of Tarsus con- 
 
 * Isaiah liii. 3. xlix. 22. Gen. xlix. 10. xi. 10. Mat.xii. 21. 
 
 3 
 
26 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 verted, and made the great apostle of the Gen- 
 tiles? Moreover, to him W3.s the gathering of 
 the Gentiles to be. And who are they now, 
 who profess the Christian faith ? Are they not 
 Gentiles? Few Jews, but many Gentiles! On 
 the morning of the Christian Sabbath, the 
 doors of ten thousand sanctuaries are thrown 
 open, and see the multitudes who gather around 
 the standard of the cross ! Are they Jews ? are 
 they not Gentiles ? But it is added : In him 
 shall the Gentiles trust. We are all Gentiles, 
 I suppose, who are here to-day ; and now tell 
 me, my brother, my sister — O ye precious sons 
 and daughters of Zion! tell me, in whom do 
 you trust for salvation ? Is it not in the cruci- 
 fied Nazarene? And in whom did that dear 
 mother of yours trust in a dying hour, when 
 she so sweetly smiled, and said to you, "Meet 
 me in heaven" — in whom did she trust? Was 
 it not in Him who by the Jews was despised 
 and rejected? I too am a Gentile, and I am not 
 ashamed to say, that this same blessed Saviour 
 is my only hope. Give me Christ or else I 
 die ! This day, then, have we evidence before 
 our own eyes, and in our own hearts, that the 
 prophecies are true, and the Bible is true. Yet 
 the infidel rejects the sacred volume! And 
 why? O ! because he is a reasonable man, 
 and he cannot without a prostration of every 
 thing like reason, embrace a system so prepos- 
 terous and absurd ! Ah ! if I mistake not, 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 27 
 
 when afflictions shall make him more sober, 
 and the near prospect of death shall make him 
 more thoughtful, he will then see the evidence 
 of the truth of the Bible more clearly than he 
 does now! Like Ethan Allen, who, being 
 asked by a dying daughter whether she should 
 believe what her pious mother had taught her, 
 or he? replied with tears, "My daughter, you 
 had better believe what your mother has taught 
 you." O how plain it is, and how appropriate 
 is our text : " Their rock is not as our Rock, 
 even our enemies themselves being judges." 
 
 II. The supreme excellence or decided supe- 
 riority of the Christian religion, appears also in 
 reference to its moral influence. And here, if I 
 mistake not, we have public sentiment fully on 
 our side : let a thorough-going infidel be truly 
 converted, and become a real Christian; will 
 not all persons expect to see an improvement 
 in his moral character? but, on the other hand, 
 let a real Christian (if it were possible) become 
 a thorough-going infidel, and is there a man 
 upon the face of the earth who anticipates an 
 improvement in his moral character? Would 
 there not rather be a suspicion waked up in the 
 bosoms of all that that man has become loose in 
 his morals, and, therefore, has become loose in 
 his sentiments? Even the infidel himself is 
 frequently constrained to pay homage to the 
 Christian system, in relation to its moral influ- 
 ence. For example — here is an infidel about to 
 
28 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 die : he makes his will, and, greatly desiring 
 that his children should not be defrauded, he 
 "wishes to fix upon some honest man to act as 
 executor ; would he not rather select a man that 
 he believes to be a real and consistent Christian, 
 than an open and avowed infidel ? Now these 
 things speak volumes. The fact is, the general 
 sentiment is this, that however imperfect some 
 professors of religion may be, yet Christianity 
 itself is most excellent; that it elevates the 
 standard of morals, and has a direct and power- 
 ful tendency to purify the heart and improve 
 the character of all who are really and truly 
 brought under its moral influence; and hence it 
 is expected to make better husbands and better 
 wives, better parents and better children, better 
 masters and better servants; yea, better alto- 
 gether. This is the general sentiment ; and I 
 will now show that this general sentiment is 
 w^ell based. This we would argue from the 
 character of its precepts, and the power of its 
 motives. First, from the character of its pre- 
 cepts. — It is evident, the more perfect the pre- 
 cepts, the more happy their influence upon moral 
 character. We have shown that the precepts of 
 the Bible bear the stamp of absolute perfection; 
 of course, then, so far as good precepts can influ- 
 ence the character of man, the influence of the 
 precepts of the sacred volume must be most 
 happy. But to place this in, perhaps, a stronger 
 point of light, observe, there are three principles 
 
HEVIVAL SERMONS. 29 
 
 of action — fear, interest, and love. Fear, as a 
 principle of action, is certainly very powerful ; 
 but it operates only v^■hilst the rod is extended. 
 Interest is also a very powerful principle, but 
 this principle is not strong enough to meet many 
 cases; for a man may know what is right, yet 
 do what is wrong ; he may know that a certain 
 course of conduct will promote his highest in- 
 terests, but the principle of interest fails to rule 
 him, not being strong enough. But there is one 
 principle yet remaining, love; and that we may 
 understand its true nature and power, see that 
 tender mother — she has a beloved Joseph, or 
 some dear little Benjamin, who is very, very 
 sick. See the mother of that child ! I can tell 
 you where you can find her, by night and by 
 day; — not in the store, nor in her neighbour's 
 house, nor even in the sanctuary; no ! but by 
 the couch of her suffering child ! This mother is 
 a lady, born in affluence, and delicately brought 
 up ; and yet, only see, how kind and unremit- 
 ting she is in her attentions to her suffering 
 child ! She is a lady, I say, born in affluence, 
 and tenderly brought up, and yet she even takes 
 a positive pleasure in performing the most me- 
 nial offices for her poor little darling. Now 
 what is it that binds this mother to the couch of 
 her suffering child? What is it that makes her 
 so kind and unremitting in her attentions ? Is it 
 fear ? There is no rod over her. Is it interest? 
 The idea of interest never once enters her mind. 
 
30 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 What is it then ? Why it is love ! Yes, it is 
 love which binds her to the couch of her suffer- 
 ing child. It is love which makes her take a 
 positive pleasure in performing the most menial 
 offices for the poor little sufferer. Take away 
 that mother (it will require a strong arm to do 
 this!) — reach out the arm of a Hercules, and tear 
 away that mother — substitute a hireling. Bring 
 rewards and punishments to bear upon that hire- 
 ling, to their greatest possible extent, and I will 
 venture to affirm, that there is no hireling on 
 earth that will take a mother's place ! And why ? 
 For this simple reason — the mother is under 
 the influence of the strongest feeling which can 
 animate the human bosom — ^love. Verily there 
 is no principle of action like it, so strong, so uni- 
 form, so lasting ! and, moreover, who does not 
 know that the service which love prompts, is of 
 all others the most pleasant and desirable ? Now 
 is it not remarkable that, in, our religion, this is 
 made the great principle of moral action. Yes, 
 not fear, nor interest, but love. Love, says the 
 apostle, is the fulfilling of the law. And to make 
 the matter yet more remarkable, this principle 
 being fixed upon, to wake it up and give it new 
 power and energy over the human soul, God 
 himself has set us an example of love in giving 
 his Son, his only begotten and well-beloved 
 Son, to die for our redemption. And now, 
 candid man, speak,! Does not this look like a 
 religion which comes from God ? If any reli- 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 31 
 
 gion can have a liappy influence upon moral 
 character, must it not be that religion, all the 
 precepts of which are summed up in love ? Yet 
 the infidel M^ants proof! ! 
 
 With regard, to the motives which are, in the 
 Bible, brought to bear upon the moral character 
 of man,<thej are absolutely the strongest which 
 can exist. This is no rhetorical figure, no idle 
 declamation ; it is simple, undeniable fact. Here 
 is the demonstration. Are the motives to vir- 
 tuous living drawn in the Scriptures, from God? 
 They are ; and now, is there any god in the 
 universe greater than the God w^hom the Bible 
 reveals? Are they drawn from the joys of hea- 
 ven ? They are ; and are there any joys greater 
 than the joys of heaven? Are they drawn from 
 the torments of the damned in hell? They are ; 
 and are there any torments more tormenting than 
 the torments of the damned in hell? Are they 
 drawn from the love of Christ ? They are ; and 
 is there any love so strong, so touching, so soul- 
 subduing, as the love of Christ, who, according 
 to the Scriptures, died on the cross for us ? Are 
 the motives drawn from eternity ? They are ; 
 and is there any duration longer than that of 
 eternity? Thus you perceive that the motives 
 to holy living, in the Bible, are not only drawn 
 from three worlds, heaven, earth, and hell, in 
 short, from all quarters, but they are literally 
 and absolutely the strongest which, in the very 
 nature of the case, can be brought to bear upon 
 
32 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 the moral character of man. The fact is, Chris- 
 tianity goes in advance, lays the hand of a mas- 
 ter upon every source of motive, and monopo- 
 lizes them all. And now, suppose infidelity 
 vi^ould urge motives to holy, living, (which, how- 
 ever, is not very probable,) whence will it derive 
 its motives? From God? The infidel is not 
 very certain that there is a God. Will infidelity 
 draw its motives from the joys of heaven ? These, 
 he suspects, are only the dreams of the visionary 
 enthusiast. Shall motives be drawn from the 
 torments of hell ? The infidel is quite sure that 
 there is no such place as that. Shall motives 
 be drawn from love ? Alas ! infidelity presents, 
 in its system, no dying Saviour, no cross crim- 
 soned with atoning blood ! Shall the motives 
 then be drawn from eternity?- The infidel 
 strongly suspects that death is an eternal sleep. 
 O, what a poor thing infidelity is, when seen in 
 the undress of its true character ! How lean ! 
 how haggard ! how shrivelled ! aye, and may I 
 not add, how frightful, too ! I have mentioned, 
 that if Christianity should universally prevail, 
 if its precepts were acted upon in all the length 
 and breadth of their requirements, there would 
 be no occasion for bolts, nor bars, nor jails, nor 
 penitentiaries, nor any thing of the kind, for man 
 would become as an angel, and earth as a para- 
 dise. But if, on the other hand, infidelity should 
 prevail, does any man in his senses believe that 
 there would be no occasion for bolts, nor bars, 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 33 
 
 nor jails, nor penitentiaries, nor any thing of the 
 kind ? — that man would become as an angel, or 
 earth as a. paradise? I think not. In the provi- 
 dence of God infidelity did once prevail — where? 
 In revolutionary France — when? During that 
 period so properly called " the reign of terror." 
 Yes, infidelity did then prevail, for at that time 
 the National Convention decreed that there was 
 no God. The Sabbath was abolished ; churches 
 were turned into temples of reason ; death w^as 
 declared to be an eternal sleep ; and the Bible 
 was dragged along the streets of Lyons in a way 
 of derision and contempt. Yes, I repeat it, infi- 
 delity then prevailed, and verily its fruits were 
 the fruits of Sodom, and its clusters the clusters 
 of Gomorrah. Infidelity then reigned, and most 
 frightful was its reign. Its crown w^as terror, 
 its throne, the guillotine ; its sceptre, the battle- 
 axe; its palace-yard, a field of blood; and its 
 royal robes dripped, and dripped, and dripped 
 w4th human gore. All France was, as it were, 
 one vast- slaughter-house, and the rulers of 
 France, as demons from the bottomless pit. " O, 
 my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto 
 their assembly, mine honour, be not thou 
 united." " Their rock is not as our Rock, even 
 our enemies themselves being judges." But, 
 ' III. The supreme excellence, and decided 
 superiority of the Christian religion appears 
 in reference to the happiness of man. What 
 has a favourable influence upon human charac- 
 
34 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 ter, must also have a favourable influence upon 
 human happiness, for these things are linked 
 together like the balloon and its car: the as- 
 cent of the one, necessarily leads to the eleva?- 
 tion of the other. That the Christian religion 
 is favourable to human happiness, is, I believe, 
 the secret conviction, even of many who may 
 not openly confess it; hence it is no uncommon 
 thing to hear even the openly wicked say, " I 
 believe that the real Christian is the happiest 
 man in the world:" and I recollect the remark 
 of a certain sceptic, made to myself, (it was in 
 the hour of affliction), " O sir, you Christians 
 have the advantage of ^usT " I think I may 
 venture then to affirm, that general sentiment 
 is on our side ; and I think I can show that 
 this general sentiment is well based, for what 
 does the Christian religion do? It subdues the 
 boisterous passions of the soul; converts the 
 lion into a. lamb; the vulture into a dove: 
 must not this be favourable to human happi- 
 ness? What does the Christian religion do? 
 It gives exercise to gracious affections. In- 
 stead of encouraging anger, wrath, malice, re- 
 venge, and other hateful and soul-tormenting 
 passions, it disposes its subject to be kind, 
 gentle, affectionate, and forgiving; and must 
 not this be favourable to human happiness? 
 "What does the Christian religion do? It sheds 
 abroad a Saviour's love in the heart; gives the 
 sweet assurance that our sins are all forgiven 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 35 
 
 for Jesus' sake; that the eternal God is our 
 Father; that heaven is our home; and that, if 
 the earthly house of this our tabernacle were 
 dissolved, we should have a building of God, 
 a house not made with hands, eternal, and on 
 high. O, it is a blessed thing to be a Chris- 
 tian; even ''if it be a delusion," as one remarks, 
 " it is a sweet delusion," and, " if false, no truth 
 so precious as the lie." O see the young con- 
 vert, whose evidences are bright, and clear; 
 how happy ! and see the dying Christian, who 
 leaves the world in the full hope of glory, how 
 triumphant ! The Pentecostal converts, we are 
 told, did eat their meat with gladness and 
 singleness of heart, praising God. And when 
 many believed in Samaria, we also learn, that 
 there was great joy in that city. And the 
 beauty of the thing is this, that when afflic- 
 tions come, and comforts are most needed, then 
 the consolations of religion are strongest and 
 most abundant ; for religion .teaches every child 
 of God, that afflictions are all ordered in mer- 
 cy; and are but the sterner voice of God's pa- 
 rental love. Yes ! and in the darkest hour, 
 
 "Here speaks the comforter, in God's name saying, 
 Earth has no sorrows that Heaven cannot cure." 
 
 This, my brethren, is certainly a great thing 
 for man in this vale of tears; iii this land of 
 trials, troubles, disappointments, sickness, sor- 
 row, and death. Ah ! how many sad scenes of 
 
36 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 mourning are presented in this sorrowful world 
 of ours ! Here some venerated father cries out, 
 with the patriarch of old, my Joseph is no 
 more ! and my grey hairs must go down with 
 sorrow to the grave ! There, some tender mo- 
 ther weeps over the darling of her bosom, as 
 she commits its clay cold form to its narrow 
 house. Here, some affectionate husband la- 
 ments the untimely death of the wife of his 
 bosom, the jewel of his heart; and there, some 
 devoted wife mingles bitter tears with the 
 clods which rest upon the bosom of the dear 
 man she loved, her husband. How distress- 
 ing! But perhaps this is not all, she is made 
 the widowed mother of poor fatherless children 
 who look up to her for comfort and support, 
 and look in vain. The prop, the only support 
 of the family, is taken away! and they, what 
 shall they do? The heart, bursting with grief, 
 vents its complaints, it murmurs and repines, 
 "Where is the compassion of my God? where 
 are the tender mercies of my heavenly Fa- 
 ther? my affliction is too much for my wound- 
 ed spirit! it is more than I can bear! would 
 God I had never been born ! or would God I 
 were with my beloved, sleeping with him in 
 his silent grave!" Cease mourner! cease thy 
 complaints! says our religion — It is God, why 
 wxepest thou? Remember he is a God of 
 unerring wisdom, and boundless compassion. 
 Know this; enough for thee to kno^\~ God 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 37 
 
 does not willingly afflict the children of men, 
 but chastens and rebnkes, in covenant love. 
 Cease monrner! cease thy complaints! thy 
 heavenly Father speaks to thee: " Silence my 
 child ! . what I do, thou knowest not now, but 
 thou shalt know hereafter." O how does this 
 sooth the smitten heart, and wipe away the 
 falling tears ! Verily the consolations of reli- 
 gion are sweet and strong, fulfilling the words 
 of the psalmist : "God is . our refuge and 
 strength, a very present help in time of trou- 
 ble." 
 
 " How do you find yourself this morning?" 
 said a certain pastor, to a beloved female mem- 
 ber of his church, who was near her end. 
 Grasping the hand of her pastor, she replied, 
 " I am in great pain, but ! I am happy ! very 
 happy !" How diff'erent was it with Hume's 
 mother, who, when in deep aflflietion, said to 
 her son, " My son, you have taken away my 
 religion, and now tell me something to comfort 
 me:" but no comfort could he give, and none 
 could she receive. " God of Queen Clotilda," 
 cried out the infidel Clovis I., of France, when 
 in trouble on the field of battle, "God of Queen 
 Clotilda! grant me the victory!" Why did 
 he not call upon his ow^n God ? Saunderson, 
 who was a great admirer of Sir Isaac New- 
 ton's talents, and w^ho made light of his reli- 
 gion in health, was, nevertheless, heard to say 
 in dismal accents on a dying bed, " God of Sir 
 
38 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 Isaac Newton, have mercy on me!" Why this 
 changing of gods in a dying hour ? And it is 
 a remarkable fact, if an infidel have a wife 
 who is a Christian, he is very willing in case 
 of her death, to have the minister attending 
 her funeral, to say, " My friends, here we have 
 a daughter of Zion shrouded and prepared for 
 the burying. You all knew her very well. 
 She was a Christian, she lived the life of the 
 Christian; she died the Christian's death, and 
 is gone to the Christian's rest, the pilgririi's 
 home." But, suppose this wife of his had 
 been as thorough going an infidel as himself, 
 and the minister, at her funeral, should say, 
 " My friends, here is one before us, shrouded 
 and prepared for the burying. You all knew 
 her well. She was a thorough going infidel. 
 She lived the life of an infidel, died his death, 
 and is gone to his place!" Would this please 
 him? Nay, verily, for there are certain sea- 
 sons when the mind will be sober, and the 
 voice of truth will be heard ! You have heard, 
 no doubt, of many an infidel on a dying bed, 
 wishing that he was a good Christian, but did 
 you ever hear of a single Christian on a dying 
 bed, wishing that he was a good infidel? 
 No ! never ! never ! never ! The case is clear. 
 " Their rock is not as our Rock, even our ene- 
 mies themselves being judges." Well, my 
 brethren, we must all die. We all wish to die 
 happy — certainly, at least, on the safe side. 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 39 
 
 Now let it be remembered, that whilst the bed 
 of death is most generally a terrible place for 
 the infidel, " the chamber where the Christian 
 meets his fate is privileged beyond the com- 
 mon walks of virtuous life, quite on the verge 
 of heaven." Here, we will suppose, is a dor- 
 mitory on the right, where Christians are 
 breathing their last. Here, on the left, is an- 
 other dormitory, in which infidels are giving 
 up the ghost. Let us visit, first, the dormitory 
 upon the right. Who is that who is just ex- 
 piring? It is the very pious Halyburton. 
 How serene! how calm! But, he is going to 
 speak. Hark ! . let us catch some of his last 
 words. "It is no easy thing to be a Chris- 
 tian," says he, " but, by the grace of God, I 
 have. got the victory! Now, I know, Ifeel, I 
 believe ! I rejoice ! I feed on manna ! I have 
 angel's food! Mine eyes shall see my Re- 
 deemer! O the glory! the unspeakable glory! 
 My heart is full ! my heart is full !" 
 
 I " sure the last end 
 
 or the good man, is peace! How calm his exit! 
 Night dews fall not more gently to the ground; 
 Nor weary, worn out winds expire so soft!" 
 
 " Let me die the death of the righteous, and let 
 my last end be like his!" Now, let us pass 
 over to the dormitory on the left. AVho is that 
 just expiring? It is the wretched Altamont; 
 (a fictitious name, but descriptive of a real 
 case.) O how distorted are his features! and 
 
40 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 how full of agony does lie seem to be ! The 
 clock strikes, and he exclaims, " time !. time ! 
 it is lit that thou shouldst thus strike thy mur- 
 derer to the heart ! How art thou fled for ever ! 
 A month ! a day,! I ask not for years, though 
 ,an age were too little to fit me for the w^ork 
 which I have to do !" Another groan, and he 
 cries out in anguish -unutterable : " My princi- 
 ples have poisoned my friend ! my extrava- 
 gance has beggared my boy ! my unkindness 
 has murdered my wife ! And is there another 
 hell ? O thou blasphemed, yet indulgent Lord 
 God ! hell itself is a refuge if it hide me from 
 thy frown !'' Here w^e have even on earth, the 
 first notes of the wailings of the damned in the 
 world to come ! Tell me not of the peaceful 
 death of David Hume. His nurse has told 
 some tales of horror ! but let that pass. How 
 did he die, as the most favorable account repre- 
 sents ? He died playing at cards, and jesting 
 about Charon and his boat ! Does it become 
 the dignity of man, or the solemnity of the 
 hour of dissolution, in any case, to leave .the 
 world in this W2ij ? Believe me, it was only a 
 desperatie effort to bar serious thought ! — like 
 the school-boy, passing through the grave yard 
 at night, with satchel in his hand, 
 
 " Whistling aloud to bear his courage up." 
 
 Thank God, the Christian has no occasion 
 for any artificial excitement of this kind, for, to 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS, 41 
 
 him, "to die is gain." Do you demand further 
 proof? Let us make another visit to the dor- 
 mitory *on the right. How pleasant is every 
 thing around this hallowed spot ! Who is that 
 just sinking in the arms of death? It is Ed- 
 ward Payson. O how happy he looks ! But 
 he is going to speak; what is his language? 
 *' I am going to Mount Zion," says he, "I am 
 going to the city of the living God ! the hea- 
 venly Jerusalem ! to an innumerable company 
 of angels ! to the general assembly and church 
 of the first born, whose names are written in 
 heaven. I swim in a river of pleasure ! I swim 
 in a flood of glory!" And who is that in the 
 next chamber, who is bidding his friends a 
 final adieu? It is William C. Walton, the 
 associate of my college days; and what are 
 his dying words? They are very beautiful 
 and very sweet. " The sting of death is gone," 
 says he, "the. grave is disrobed of its terrors! 
 Peace like a river flows into my soul! I am 
 now in the Jordan of death, and, blessed be 
 God, its waters do not cover me ! I shall see 
 Jesus ! — See Jesus ! what a thought that is ! 
 O glorious Saviour!" Surely, my brethren, 
 the curtains of light and glory are hung around 
 this dormitory ; but around the dormitory on 
 the left, the curtains of gloom and despair! 
 Over this waves the white banner of the Prince 
 of Peace ! Over that the black banner of Apol- 
 lyon! Here, are choirs of angels waiting to 
 
 4 
 
42 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 sing the pilgrim to his rest. There, ministers 
 of vengeance, ready to hurry the guilty soul of 
 the dying sinner, reluctantly, O how reluct- 
 antly, before thy throne, thrice holy God ! And 
 now, my dear friends, one and all, remember, 
 we must die: we cannot help it; and remember, 
 after death comes the judgment ! and once lost, 
 lost for ever ! When Death's leaden sceptre is 
 laid upon our cold bosoms, no mistakes can be 
 rectified any more ; for, so soon as the breath 
 leaves the body, the decree of an immutable 
 God rolls over the shrouded form : "He that is 
 filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is 
 holy, let him be holy still." In which dormi- 
 tory would you rather die? Immortal man! 
 take care ! great interests are at stake — see to 
 it, that you be upon the safe side ; for, I repeat 
 it, once lost, you are lost for ever! 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 43 
 
 SERMON II. 
 
 THE GREATNESS OF GOD. 
 O Lord, my God, thou art very great. — Psalm civ. 1. 
 
 One reason why many persons habitually and 
 fearlessly indulge in sin, is, that they know- 
 not God. " Thou thoughtest," says he, " that 
 I was altogether such an one as thyself." 
 Psalm 1. 21. This being the case, it is im- 
 mensely important that we seek to know 
 God — that we seek to have some proper con- 
 ceptions of his true character and dignity — of 
 his exceeding greatness and majesty. But 
 here, the words of Zophar are brought to our 
 recollection : " Canst thou by searching find 
 out God? Canst thou find out the Almighty 
 to perfection ? It is high as heaven, what canst 
 thou do ? It is deeper than hell, what canst 
 thou know? The measure thereof is longer 
 than the earth; it is broader than the sea." 
 Job xi. 7, 8, 9. We admit it; we know full 
 well that it is beyond a mortal's mind, beyond 
 an angel's power "to casta thought half-way 
 to God." Yet it is right and proper to push 
 our inquiries here, for what though we cannot 
 
44 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 "rise to the height of this great argument," 
 nor grasp the boundless theme, the effort may 
 at least serve to expand the mind, and give us 
 views of our Maker's grandeur which we ne- 
 ver had before. 
 
 The man who stands upon the shore of 
 some vast ocean, and casts his eyes over the 
 immeasurable deep before him, sees, it is 
 true, no bounds; yet the contemplation of this 
 sublime and magnificent scene greatly ele- 
 vates his mind, and gives him conceptions of 
 the immensity of the ocean, both new and 
 grand ! Who can grasp the amplitude of crea- 
 tion? who can cast his thoughts over all the 
 works of God? who can measure the great 
 temple of universal nature, and tell its height 
 and its depth, its length and its breadth ? Not 
 a human being upon the face of the earth; yet, 
 certainly, he who has studied the subject has 
 more enlarged and correct ideas of it, than he 
 who has not. Even so, what though after all 
 our researches we cannot " find out the Al- 
 mighty unto perfection," the effort may, in 
 some measure, elevate and expand the mind, 
 and enable us with feelings of more profound 
 veneration and awe, to utter the language of 
 our text : " Lord, my God, thou art very 
 great." The greatness of God appears in seve- 
 ral things : 
 
 1. In comparison with the kings of the 
 earth ; and to this the Psalmist has special re- 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 45 
 
 ference in the words connected with our text. 
 The kinofs of the earth are sometimes termed 
 great; thus we read of Alexander the Great, of 
 Constantino the Great, and Frederick the Great, 
 but, verily, in comparison with the God of hea- 
 ven, their greatness dwindles into insignifi- 
 cance — dwindles into nothing! Have they 
 thrones? Their thrones are upon the earth; 
 God's throne is in the heavens, "high above 
 all height." Have they robes? God's robes 
 are robes of light and majesty. . Have they pa- 
 vilions? He stretcheth forth the heavens as his 
 pavilions, and spreadeth them out as a tent to 
 dwell in. Have they chariots? He maketh the 
 clouds his chariot — he walketh upon the wings 
 of the wind. . Have they kingdoms? The 
 whole universe is God's kingdom, and literally 
 he ruleth over all. And whereas the mightiest 
 potentates of the earth are mortal, and must 
 die, God is in his own nature immortal, and 
 never dies, but lifts his hand to heaven and 
 says, I live for ever ! Comparing, then, the 
 God of heaven with the monarch of the earth, 
 as the Psalmist has done, we may say with 
 great emphasis, " O Lord, my God, thou art 
 very great." The greatness of God also ap- 
 pears, 
 
 2. In certain passages of Scripture which 
 speak sublimely of him. Thus, Habakkuk, 
 the prophet, says, " God came from Teman, 
 and the Holy One from Mount Paran, Selah. 
 
46 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 His glory covered the heavens, and the earth 
 was full of his praise. Before him went the 
 pestilence, and burning coals went forth at his 
 feet. He stood and measured the earth: he 
 beheld and drove asunder the nations ; the 
 everlasting mountains were scattered, the per- 
 petual hills did bow: his ways are everlast- 
 ing !" Hab. iii. 3-6. " In my distress," ' says 
 the Psalmist, " I called upon the Lord, and he 
 heard my voice out of his temple. Then the 
 earth shook and trembled ; the foundations also 
 of the hills moved and were shaken, because 
 he was wroth. He bowed the heavens also, and 
 came down, and darkness was under his feet : 
 and he rode upon a cherub, and did fly ; yea, he 
 did fly upon the wings of the wind. He made 
 darkness his secret place, his pavilion round 
 about him were dark waters and thick clouds 
 of the skies. The Lord also thundered in the 
 heavens, and the Highest gave his voice ; hail- 
 stones and coals of fire. Yea, he sent out his 
 arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out 
 lightnings and discomfited them. Then the 
 channels of waters were seen, and the founda- 
 tions of the world were discovered ; at thy re- 
 buke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of thy 
 nostrils." Psalm xviii. 6-15. And what an 
 idea of the exceeding greatness of God does 
 Isaiah give, when speaking of him be says: 
 " Who hath measured the waters in the hollow 
 of his hand ; and meted out heaven with the 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 47 
 
 span, and' comprehended the dust of the earth 
 in a measure, and weighed the. mountains in 
 scales, and the hills in a balance? Behold the 
 nations are as a drop of the bucket, and are 
 counted as the small dust of the balance ; be- 
 hold, he taketh up the isles as a very little 
 thing. And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, 
 nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt- 
 offering. All nations before him are as no- 
 thing, and they are counted to him less than 
 nothing, and vanity." Isaiah 'xl. 12. 15, 16, 17. 
 Once more : What a sublime idea of the great- 
 ness of God does the Apostle John give in 
 these words: " And I saw a great white throne, 
 and him that sat on it, from whose face the 
 heaven and the earth fled away, and there 
 was no place found for them : and I saw the 
 dead, small and great, stand before God." Rev. 
 XX. 11, 12. Here you will observe we have 
 described the appearing of the great God, as 
 final Judge, and as an effisct of his appearance, 
 the vanishing away of the heavens and the 
 earth.. As the sun, rising in full splendor, 
 with its effulgent beams scatters the shades of 
 night and the mists of the morning, even so, at 
 the coming of the great God as final Judge, 
 the heavens and the earth, substantial as they 
 are, shall be only as the shades of the night, 
 and the mists of the morning. Smitten by the 
 living and insufferable effulgence of his glory, 
 the heavens and the earth shall pass away as 
 
48 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 the shades of niorht and the mists of the morn- 
 
 » 
 
 ing, and no place be found for them! "0 
 Lord, my God, thou art very great!" But the 
 greatness of God appears, 
 
 3. In certain attributes ascribed to him in 
 the sacred volume. For example. (1.) He is 
 uncreated and eternal. What a thought this 
 is — uncreated and eternal! without beginning 
 of days or end of years ! There is something 
 absolutely overwhelming in this idea, but it is 
 clearly presented by Moses in the ninetieth 
 psalm. "Before the mountains- were brought 
 forth or ever thou hadst formed the earth and 
 the world, even from everlasting to everlasting 
 thou art God!" and we may well say, in the 
 language of the pious poet, 
 
 " Great God! how infinite art thou I . 
 
 What worthless worms are we! 
 Let the whole race of creatures bow 
 
 And pay their praise to thee : 
 Thy throne eternal ages stood, 
 
 'Ere seas or stars were made, 
 Thou art the ever living God 
 
 Were all the nations dead. 
 Eternity with all its years 
 
 Stands present in thy view, 
 To thee, there's nothing old appears, 
 - Great God, there 's nothing new !" 
 
 ! who can measure the- past eternity of 
 God? As all the nations of the earth, when 
 compared with God, are as a drop of the buck- 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 49 
 
 et, as the small dust of the balance, and even 
 as less than nothing, and vanity, even so all 
 the moments of time from the creation of the 
 world down to the present period, when com- 
 pared with the life of God, are as a drop of the 
 bucket, as the small dust of the balance, as less 
 than nothing, and vanity ! Aye, and this would 
 be equally true, if each of these moments 
 should stand for a million of years. O Lord 
 my God thou art very great! (2.) God is om- 
 niscient. The wisest men on earth, and even 
 the loftiest angels in heaven, know, compara- 
 tively, only a few things; but God literally 
 knows all things; all things in heaven, earth 
 and hell ; all things past, present and to come ! 
 and mark, not merely great things, but small 
 things. Literally, every thing ; hence the lan- 
 guage of the Psalmist, There is not a word in 
 my tongue, but lo! O Lord thou knowest it 
 altogether! No wonder he adds, Such know- 
 ledge is too wonderful for me. It is high, I 
 cannot attain unto it. 
 
 " O wondrous knowledge deep and high ! 
 Where can a creature hide? 
 Within thy circling arms I lie, 
 Beset on every side." 
 
 But this leads me to mention another stupen- 
 dous attribute nearly allied : — (3.) God is omni- 
 present. This David teaches in the following 
 very beautiful and striking language: "Whith- 
 
50 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 er shall I go from thy Spirit? or whither shall 
 I flee from thy presence?- If I ascend up into 
 heaven, thou art there: If I make my bed in 
 hell, behold thou art there. If I take the wings 
 of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost 
 parts of the sea, even there shall thine hand 
 lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me." 
 Ps. cxxxix. As the sun in its full brightness 
 shines upon an extended plain, and every 
 blade of grass, so to speak, is in the presence of 
 that sun, so is every object, great and small 
 throughout the whole universe, in the pres- 
 ence, the immediate presence of God. I hold 
 in my hand a crystal globe. It is surrounded 
 by light; it swims in light; and light pervades 
 every part. This is another illustration (im- 
 perfect indeed) of the omnipresence of God. 
 But the best representation of the matter is 
 this: according to the Scriptures, the eye of 
 God is every where: The ear of God is in every 
 place ; and his hand upon every thing. First, 
 The eye of God is every where. All things, 
 says the apostle, are naked and open unto the 
 eyes of Him with whom we have to do. Yes, 
 my brethren, there is not an angel in heaven, 
 there is not a devil in hell, there is not a man 
 on the earth, aye, and there is not a beast 
 roaming in the forest, nor a bird flying in the 
 air, nor a fish sporting in the deep, nor a worm 
 crawling upon the ground, nor an atom float- 
 ing in the breeze, which may not say with 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 51 
 
 Hagar in the wilderness — " Thou God, seest 
 me !" Walls, shades, and distance, oftentimes 
 hide objects from the view of man, but there 
 are no walls so thick, no shades so dark, nor no 
 distance so great which can hide any thing 
 from his view. Literally, all things are naked 
 and open unto the eyes of Him with whom we 
 have to do. O Lord my God, thou art very 
 great ! But not only is the eye of God every 
 where, but his ear also is in every place. As 
 God sees every thing which exists, so likewise 
 does he hear every voice which is uttered, 
 whether, if I may so speak, it be loud or soft, 
 distant or near. Many voices being uttered at 
 the same time will distract our attention. We 
 usually attend to only one voice, at one and 
 the same time, and even that is not heard when 
 swallowed up by a voice which is louder still ; 
 for 
 
 " Who can hear a shaking leaf, 
 Whenvjattling thunders round' us roar?" 
 
 But God can, at the same moment of time, 
 hear every voice, as we have said, whether it 
 be loud or soft, whether it be distant or near; 
 aye, and every voice distinct, whether it be the 
 howling of the storm, or the sighing of the 
 breeze ; the rattling of the hail, or the falling 
 of the dew ; the crushing of the thunderbolt, or 
 the music of the spheres ; the shoutings of the 
 world above, or the wailings of the world be- 
 
52 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 neath. Yes, and if all tempests were howling, 
 and all thunders roaring ; if all angels were 
 . shouting, and all devils were wailing ; and if, 
 in addition to this, millions of w^orlds were 
 dashing together in wild nproar, yet would it 
 be to God as if the pulse of nature stood still, 
 and God were listening to my voice alone. 
 What an astonishing proof is this of the fact 
 that God is every where, not only seeing every 
 thing that exists, but also hearing. But this is 
 not all. The hand of God is upon every thing. 
 If your hand is laid upon me, assuredly I am 
 in your presence; but the hand of God, ac- 
 cording to the Scriptures, is upon every thing, 
 therefore every thing is in the immediate pre- 
 sence of God, hence the language of the Psalm- 
 ist, already repeated : " If I should take the 
 wino^s of the morninor and dwell in the utter- 
 most parts of the sea, eveii there shall thy 
 hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold 
 me." Man is confined to a small spot of this 
 earth which he inhabits, and this earth itself, 
 in comparison with the universe, is but as an 
 atom or a point; but God pervades all im- 
 mensity ! What an overwhelming thought this! 
 God, by his essential presence, pervading the 
 whole universe ! Well may we exclaim, with 
 the astounded Psalmist, " O Lord, my God, 
 thou art very great !" (4.) God is omnipotent, 
 but in speaking on this subject we may say, as 
 Job said: " The thunder of his power who can 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 53 
 
 understand?" .One thing we know, "He can 
 create and' he destroy;" yea, he can dash 
 whole worlds to death and make them when 
 he please. Literally he can do all his pleasure, 
 in heaven and on earth, throughout all space, 
 and throughout all time ! If all men, if all 
 angels, if all worlds were to conspire against 
 him, it would be only as an atom magnifying 
 itself against a mountain, or a feather attempt- 
 ing to resist a whirlwind ! And, observe, this 
 omnipotent power is seated in his will; he 
 willed that innumerable angels should exist, 
 and innumerable did exist'; he willed that un- 
 numbered worlds should be formed, and un- 
 numbered worlds were formed. Yes, by his 
 almighty fiat, by the mysterious energy of his 
 will, the sun, the earth, fhe moon, the stars, yea, 
 all creation rose from the womb of unessential 
 night, and in beauty, in order, and grandeur, 
 rolled around his eternal throne ; and should he 
 now only will it, the sun, the earth, the moon, 
 the stars, yea, all creation, would immediately 
 roll back into their original nothing, and give 
 place for a new display of the all-creating and 
 omnipotent energy of his will. O, this mighty, 
 MIGHTY God ! who, by the omnipotent power of 
 his will, can bring into existence men and an- 
 gels, and worlds and systems, and then blot them 
 out for ever ; what can we say but utter the lan- 
 guage of the text, " Lord my God, thou art 
 very great!" But the greatness of God appears. 
 
54 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 4. In the mightj work of creation. We have 
 spoken of his omnipotence as an. attribute ; here 
 we have its subhme demonstration. How vast 
 is this creation, and how wonderful in all its 
 parts! How many suns, how many worlds, 
 how many systems ! How great their magni- 
 tude, and how immense the space in which they 
 move ! Light, w^e are told, moves at the rate of 
 one hundred and eighty thousand miles in a 
 second of time, and yet it will take five years 
 for a ray of light to pass from our sun to the 
 nearest star. But such facts immediately con- 
 found and overwhelm us. Let us take another 
 view. The globe which we inhabit is really a 
 great globe, being nearly eight thousand miles 
 in diameter, and twenty- five thousand in cir- 
 cumference. What towering mountains does 
 it contain, what broad rivers, what vast oceans, 
 what numerous islands, what extended conti- 
 nents, and what a vast population ! If this world 
 of ours is deemed large, what shall we say of 
 yonder sun, which is nearly thirteen hiindred 
 thousand times larger still ? If a globe of fire, 
 as some suppose, what an immense fiery globe, 
 which, if hollow, could with ease receive into 
 its bosom more than a million of such worlds 
 as ours is ! — and if habitable, like our earth, as 
 others think, then what mountains, what rivers, 
 what oceans, what islands, and continents, and 
 wh^t a population ! And, after all, what is this 
 earth, and yonder sun, and all its planets, to all 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 55 
 
 the other suns, and worlds, and systems, which 
 telescopio glass have spread out before the eye 
 of man? Only as the fringe upon the garment 
 of creation, or as a small village in some vast 
 empire; for astronomers tell us that there are 
 eighty millions, of suns discovered, around 
 which roll, by estimation, two billions four hun- 
 dred millions of worlds ; and all these may be 
 only as the outskirts of some still mightier crea- 
 tion ; and God made them all ! Not only so, 
 he made them without materials, and with infi- 
 nite ease ; he spake, and it w^as done ; he com- 
 manded, and it stood fast. Another idea is this : 
 This immense, immense universe is all in mo- 
 tion! each sun, and world, and system, rolling 
 in its appointed orbit with a velocity most aston- 
 ishing, swifter than the whirlwind passing over 
 the bosom of the deep, or the meteor streaming 
 along the archway of heaven, or the ball thrown 
 from the mouth of the thundering cannon. And 
 God iDears up all, as in the hollow of his hand ! 
 A giant would stagger under the weight of a 
 small rock, and an army of giants could not roll 
 one mountain, or heave one ocean ; but God 
 Almighty with infinite ease bears up all worlds, 
 and with infinite ease can heave and roll swiftly 
 the whole creation. Lord, my God, thou art 
 very great! But once more, the greatness of 
 God appears, 
 
 5. In the work of redemption. This presents 
 a new view of the greatness of God, exhibiting 
 
56 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 his moral grandeur ; and it is this v^•hich makes 
 him emphatically and supremely great indeed. 
 Infinitely great in goodness as he is infinitely 
 great in power ; infinitely great in all his moral 
 as in all his natural perfections; so that, in the 
 sublimest sense, it may be said of him that 
 " He is a God, all o'er consummate, absolute, 
 full orbed, in his vi^hole round of rays com- 
 plete." In the work of redemption, what did 
 God do ? He reconciled the claims of conflict- 
 ing attributes, and in the plan of saving sinful 
 man from a deserved and everlasting hell, he 
 caused each and all of his divine attributes to 
 shine out with peerless and dazzling splendour. 
 God so loved the world, that he gave his only 
 begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him 
 should not perish, but have everlasting life. 
 God could have made a greater universe than he 
 has made, but we cannot see how it is possible 
 for God, infinite as he is, to have made a greater 
 gift than he has done, so that the poet has well 
 said, 
 
 God, in the person of his Son, 
 Hath all his nnightiest works outdone. 
 
 "If in creation we see the hand of God, in 
 redemption we see his heart." If in the work 
 of creation there be a display of God's natural 
 perfections which has a height and depth we 
 cannot fathom, in the work of redemption, we 
 have, in the exhibition of his moral perfections, 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. &il 
 
 an ocean without bottom and without shore. 
 Indeed, according to the Scriptures, the work of 
 redemptipn is presented to us as that which is 
 to the Lord for a crow A of glory, and for a dia- 
 dem of beauty; the master-piece and chief w^ork 
 of the Great God : that, indeed^ for which all 
 thing-s else were brought into beinor; as it is 
 written, God hath created all things by Jesus 
 Christ, to the intent (that is, for this specific 
 purpose) that now unto the principalities and 
 powers, in heavenly places, might be known by 
 the church, (Eph. iii. 9, 10, 11,) the manifold 
 wisdom of God. If, then, creation be a casket, 
 redemption is the richest jewel in that casket ; 
 and if creation be to the Lord as we have said, 
 a crown of glory, redemption is the most resplen- 
 dent gem which glitters in that crown of glory. 
 In the sacred volume we find it written, ''Great 
 and marvellous are thy works. Lord God Al- 
 mighty;" in the same volume we also find this 
 exclamation, "How great is his goodness, and 
 how great is his beauty!" Zech. ix. 16. A being 
 then, who is infinitely good, as well as infinitely 
 powerful; who is, in short, infinite in every 
 thing that is great and glorious, how great, how 
 exceedingly great must such a Being be ! This 
 is the God whom we worship and adorej our 
 God for ever and ever. " Lord, my God, thou 
 art very, very great!" 
 
 A few inferences, and I have done. 
 
 1. How reasonable it is that we should wor- 
 5 
 
58 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 ship and serve, this only living and true God. 
 Hence the beautiful language of the Psalniist: 
 "O come let us sing unto the Lord; let us 
 make a joyful noise unto the Rock of our sal- 
 vation. Let us come before his presence v^ith 
 thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto 
 him with psalms, for the Lord is a great God, 
 and a great king above all gods. In his hand 
 are the deep places of the earth; the strength 
 of the hills is his also. The sea is his, and he 
 made it, and his hands formed the dry land. 
 come, let us worship and bow down; let us 
 kneel before the Lord Our Maker, for he is our 
 Gbd, and we are the people of his pasture, and 
 the sheep of his hand." Yes it is reasonable 
 that we, that all should worship and serve the 
 only living and true God, hence the language 
 of the Psalmist again : " O sing unto the Lord 
 a new song. Sing unto the Lord all the earth. 
 Sing unto the Lord; bless his name. Show 
 forth his salvation from day to day; declare 
 his glory among the heathen; his bonders 
 among all people, for the Lord is great, and 
 greatly to be praised; he is to be .feared above 
 all gods, for all the gods of the nations are 
 idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Honour 
 and majesty are before him, strength and 
 beauty are in his sanctuary. Give unto the 
 Lord, ye kindreds of the people, give unto 
 the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the 
 Lord the glory due unto his name; bring an 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 69 
 
 offering and come into his courts. O worship 
 the Lord in the beauty of hoHness, fear before 
 him all the earth." 
 
 "Before Jehovah's awful throne, 
 
 Ye nations bow with sacred joy, 
 Know that the Lord is God alone, . ' ' 
 
 He can create, and he destroy. 
 
 His sovereign power, without our aid. 
 Made us of clay and formed us men. 
 
 And when like wandering sheep we strayed, 
 He brought us to his fold again. 
 
 We are his people, we his care, 
 Our souls, and all our mortal frame; 
 
 What lasting honours shall we rear, : 
 
 Almighty Maker, to thy name? . 
 
 We'll crowd thy gates with thankful songs. 
 High as the heavens our voices raise, 
 
 And Earth, with her ten thousand tongues, 
 Shall fill thy courts with sounding praise. 
 
 Wide as the world is thy command — 
 
 Vast as eternity thy love — 
 Firm as a rock thy truth must stand,' 
 
 When rolling years shall cease to move." 
 
 Alleluia! The Lord God omnipotent reignethj 
 Amen, Alleluia! 
 
 2. How dreadful a thing it must be, to havfe 
 this great God for our enemy ! — a God so great 
 and powerful, who is, literally, every where 
 present, and w^ho, literally, can do all things ! 
 Who can escape his notice? or elude his grasp? 
 or escape his power? Assuredly, "He that 
 
60 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 can create, and can destroy," — "He that can 
 dash whole worlds to death, and make them 
 when he please;" assuredly, he can in a mo- 
 ment hurl the sinner down to hell, and chain 
 him there in darkness and despair ! Yea, can 
 destroy both soul and body in hell, and that 
 for ever! O my friends, the apostle says, 
 and truly does the apostle say, "It is a fear- 
 ful thinsT to fall into the hands of the livingf 
 God." Let men hate me, let men torment 
 me, let the stormy cloud rain thunderbolts 
 upon me, and the terrific whirlwind sweep me 
 away and dash me upon the ragged rocks, but, 
 let not the great God of heaven and earth be 
 mine enemy ! for in the day of his wrath who 
 shall be able tQ stand? and his wrath, once 
 kindled, burns furiously, and burns for ever. 
 O sinner! impenitent sinner! fear the God 
 who made you. "Who would not fear thee? 
 O. king of nations," says the prophet, " Avho 
 would not fear thee? for to thee -doth it apper- 
 tain." Surely it is right and proper that we 
 should fear what is a proper object of fear, and 
 if God be indeed the great God which we have 
 proved him to be, certainly it is right and pro- 
 per that he should be feared, hence the lan- 
 guage of Peter, " Fear God;" and the language 
 of the Psalmist, " Stand in awe, and sin not;" 
 and this language again, " Tremble thou earth 
 at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of 
 the God of Jacob;" and yet many fear not 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 61 
 
 God! God says, " Remember " the Sabbath 
 day to keep it holy," but they refuse to re- 
 member the Sabbath day to keep it holy, God 
 says, " Thou shalt not take the name of the 
 Lord thy God in vain;" but this command 
 also, they daily trample upon, as they do, 
 niany, many others. The fact is, many have 
 no fear of God before their eyes, and positive- 
 ly treat him as if he were a cipher and worthy 
 of no regard. They fear man, but fear not 
 God, who made man! They fear the jarring 
 elements, but- fear not God who controls the 
 jarring elements ! , Yes, the wrath of man, and 
 the viplence of conflicting elements, will make 
 them tremble and turn pale, but they fear not 
 that God in whom they live and move and 
 have their being; who can, in a moment of 
 time, raise thenx to heaven, and number them 
 with the bright and happy spirits around his 
 throne ; or, sink them down to hell, and link 
 them with spirits accursed and damned for 
 ever ! Surely there is madness fn the sinner's 
 heart. O sinner, fear God, that it may be well 
 with you in the latter end. But, do not mis- 
 understand the matter, when we call upon you 
 to fear God, we do not call upon you to exer- 
 cise a slavish, but a filial fear : and these are 
 widely different. The one may consist with 
 the deadliest enmity ; the other only with the 
 liveliest affection. The one is the fear of a 
 slave towards a cruel tyrant ; the other is the 
 
62 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 fear of a child towards an affectionate parent. 
 The one has nothing of true religion in it ; the 
 other is the very essence thereof. In short,- the 
 fear required is the fear of a Joseph, who, 
 wheii tempted to sin, said, " How can I do this 
 great wickedness, and sin against God." And 
 now, my dear impenitent friends, remember, 
 ybu, who have no Saviour, remember! you 
 have not yet made your peace with God, and 
 you and God must meet! You have sinned 
 against him, lo, these many years! and, be 
 sure, your sin will find you out ! • O what will 
 you do when God shall require your soul? 
 what will you do when; amid all the terrors 
 of the judgment day you shall hear the sound 
 depart? 
 
 " O wretched state of deep despair 
 To see my God remove. 
 And fix my doleful station where 
 I must not taste his love." 
 
 O my unconverted friends! you have slum- 
 bered over your eternal interests, too long; 
 wake up, at last, I beseech you, O wake up to 
 the high claims of God and eternity. And I 
 would now say, in the language of the Sa- 
 viour, " Agree with thine adversary quickly 
 whilst thou art in the way with him, lest at 
 any time the adversary deliver thee to the 
 judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, 
 and thou be cast into prison ; verily, I say unto 
 thee thou shalt by no means come out thence, 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 63 
 
 till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing!" O ! 
 to be lost, and lost for ever ! even for ever and 
 ever! Think upon that, and may God have 
 mercy upon your souls! 
 
 3. How blessed it is to have God upon our 
 side. If God, the great God, be for us, who 
 can be against us? He who is infinite in wis- 
 dom and in power, he who has a control over 
 all means and agents, what a powerful friend 
 and protector must he be! Hence the lan- 
 guage of the Psalmist^ " As the mountains are 
 round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round 
 about his people, from henceforth .and even 
 for ever!"- And again: "The Lord is my 
 light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? 
 the Lord is the strength of my life, of whom 
 shall I be afraid?" Ah, my brethren, if God 
 be upon our side we are safe and happy, for 
 time and for eternity ! and well may it be said 
 happy is that people who is in such a case, 
 yea, happy is that people whose God is the 
 Lord ! This happiness belongs to all the truly 
 pious of every place and every age. Yes, it is 
 the privilege' of each and all such to say with 
 the sweet singer of old, " This God is our God 
 for ever and ever ; he will be our guide even 
 unto death." And again: "The Lord liveth, 
 and blessed be my Rock;" and, in the lan- 
 guage of our text, " O Lord, my God, thou 
 art very great." There is oftentimes great 
 meaning and great sweetness in the little pro- 
 
64 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 noun my. And if it be pleasant sometimes to 
 be able to say, this is m\j house, my field, my 
 wife, my child, how much more delightful, 
 yea, infinitely more delightful, after contem- 
 plating the grandeur of the Eternal King, to 
 be able to say, "this God is our God for 
 ever and ever!" Yes, great and glorious as 
 he is, this — the Christian may say, this is 
 my Heavenly Father, the friend and por- 
 tion of my soul ; very pleasant therefore must 
 have been the feelings of the Psalmist when 
 he uttered the language of our text, " O 
 Lord, my God, thou art very great." This is 
 the language of joy, of triumph, and of com- 
 plete exultation, reminding us of the well 
 known language of Moses, " Their rock is not 
 as our Rock, even our enemies themselves 
 being judges." My brethren, I repeat it, if 
 God be for us who can be against us? He is 
 a shield and buckler to his people on earth, 
 and, afterwards he will receive them to glory. 
 He was a shield to the patriarch Jacob. You 
 recollect this man of God having been im- 
 properly treated by his father-in-law, Laban, 
 leaves him, and witTi his family and all that he 
 had, sets out on his journey to see his father 
 Isaac, wdio was still alive. When Laban 
 heard that Jacob was gone, he gathered a force 
 and pursued after him, resolved it seems to 
 bring him back. The very night however, 
 before he came up with Jacob, the Lord ap- 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 65 
 
 peared to Laban the Syrian in a dream, and 
 said unto him, Speak not a word to Jacob, 
 good or bad. The next day he overtakes Ja- 
 cob, and still wrathful he said, It is in the 
 power of my hand to do you hurt, but the 
 Lord God of your fathers appeared to me yes- 
 ternight saying. Speak not a word to Jacob, 
 good or bad. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the 
 man to. whom thou art a shield and buckler! 
 J^cob thus protected, continues his journey. 
 On his way to the- dwelling place of Isaac he 
 must needs pass by Mount Seir, the dwelling 
 place of Esau. It will be recollected that some 
 twenty years before, Esau had threatened that 
 he would slay Jacob. Drawing near to Mount 
 Seir, and remembering this, Jacob sends mes- 
 sengers to Esau, to conciliate him. Esau 
 deigned no reply, and Jacob's messengers re- 
 turned to him, saying. We came to thy bro- 
 ther Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, 
 and four hundred men with him ; then Jacob . 
 was greatly afraid, and he divided the people 
 that were with him, and the flocks and . the 
 herds, and the camels, into two bands, and 
 said. If Esati come to the one company and 
 smite it, then the other company which is left 
 shall escape. Having made this arrangement, 
 he turned aside to pray, and we may judge of 
 the feelings of his heart from the words of his 
 lips : " God of my father Abraham, and God 
 of my father Isaac, deliver me I pray thee 
 
66 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 from the hand of my brother, from the hand of 
 Esau, for I fear him, lest he come and smite 
 me, and the mother with the children." And 
 now the moment of meeting arrives; and as 
 Esau lifted up his eyes and beheld Jacob his 
 brother, the Lord touched Esau's heart, and 
 he ran to meet his brother, and embraced him, 
 and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they 
 wept! O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man 
 whom thou dost shield and protect ! The Lord 
 can hold the enemy in -check by a vision of the 
 night, or by converting a heart of enmity into 
 a heart of love ! yea, in many ways. Take 
 one case more : Jezebel, the wife of Ahab, had 
 sworn that Elijah should not live another day. 
 Elijah hears of the threat, and went a day's 
 journey into the wilderness and sat down un- 
 der a juniper tree. Methinks I see this vene- 
 rable man under the juniper tree. He is. in 
 great sadness. Methinks I hear him sigh, me- 
 thinks I see the tears trickling down his fur- 
 rowed cheeks. But now he prays, and we 
 may judge of the feelings of his heart from 
 the language of his lips. It is enough now, 
 O Lord, said he, take away my life, for I am 
 not better than my fathers. And now, my 
 brethren, see that Elijah who would willingly 
 have died under the juniper tree, without a 
 friend to close his eyes or dig his grave — only 
 see ! the heavens are opened ! the heavens are 
 opened ! and lo, a chariot of fire, and horses of 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 67 
 
 fire descend, and that good man wha would 
 fain have died under the juniper tree without 
 a friend to close his eyes or dig his grave — 
 only see how he is rapt away in triumph to 
 the bosom of his God, in glory! Of a truth, 
 " he has found a most secure abode, who has 
 made his refuge God." " The Lord is thy keep- 
 er," says the Psalmist, " the Lord is thy shade 
 upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite 
 thee by day, nor the moon by night. The 
 Lord shall preserve thee from all evil ; he shall 
 preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve 
 thy going out, and thy coming in, from this 
 time forth and even for evermore." So that we 
 may say to the humblest child of God, 
 
 '• Go and return secure from death 
 'Till God command thee home." 
 
 Then comes joy, heavenly joy; bliss, unutter- 
 able and everlasting bliss ! O think what a full 
 tide of joy an infinite God can pour into our 
 souls, through all the ages of eternity ! G, my 
 brethren, believe me, riches are nothing; hon- 
 ours are nothing; worldly pleasures are nothing ; 
 thrones and kingdoms nothing, in comparison 
 with the favour of God. Thy favour, O God, 
 is life ; thy loving kindness is better than life ; 
 for if God, the great God of heaven and earth 
 be for us, who can be ao^ainst us? O ! then seek 
 his favour, and 'may you never rest until you 
 find sweet repose in the bosom of a God recon- 
 ciled through the mediation of his Son. Amen. 
 
68 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 SERMON III. 
 
 CHRIST THE MEDIATOR. 
 
 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal 
 with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon liim 
 the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men : and 
 being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became 
 obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God 
 also hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above 
 every name ; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of 
 things in heaven, and tilings in earth, and things under the earth ; 
 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to 
 the glory of God the Father. — Phil. ii. 6-11. 
 
 In these words, my brethren, we have, 
 
 • I. The mediatorial character, work and glory 
 of Christ, and 
 
 II. The grand design of the whole. 
 I. The mediatorial character, w^ork and glory 
 of Christ. — By the mediatorial character of 
 Christ, we are to understand, not his essential, 
 but his official character — that which he, as 
 mediator, sustains in the economy of man's 
 redemption. Had man never existed; or ex- 
 isting, had never fallen; or fallen, had never 
 been redeemed, the Eternal Son of God had 
 never assumed the name of Jesus- Christ or Me- 
 diator. This is, unquestionably, that new name 
 spoken of in the book of Revelation, iii. 12, and 
 
REVIVAL SERIMONS. 69 
 
 tliat name \Vhicli is above every name, made 
 mention of in the passage now before ns. En- 
 'tering upon the glorious work of man's redemp- 
 tion, he assumes a new name, and sustains a 
 new character. This character is commonly 
 denominated his mediatorial character. The 
 scope of our text would lead us, however, to 
 speak not so much, of those offices which be- 
 long to the mediatorial character of Christ, as 
 of that uaion of the human and divine nature 
 in the person of Christ, upon which the media- 
 torial character is founded, and which indeed 
 gives to it all its dignity, and sweetness, and 
 excellence, and perfection. Here it will be 
 necessary for us, by sound scriptural argu- 
 ment, to establish this proposition, that Jesus 
 Christ, as Mediator, possesses trvo natures — the 
 divine and human, in mijstei'ioiis, yet all-harmo- 
 nious union. This is a doctrine of prime im- 
 portance. It lies at the very foundation of the 
 whole Christian system ; and with it, the most 
 precious hopes of the believer must live or die. 
 No wonder, then, if we be tenacious for this 
 doctrine; no wonder if we .cling to it as' the 
 miser clings to his gold; for "if the founda- 
 tionij be destroyed, what can the righteous 
 do?" In establishing this point, we shall 
 adduce only one argument, with some col- 
 lateral proofs — I say only one argument, but 
 that, humbly conceived to be, both clear and 
 unanswerable— it is this : In this volume, the 
 
70 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 Bible, there are certain things affirmed of Jesus 
 Christ, which can properly be affirmed only of 
 the Imman nature; and yet, in the very same 
 volume, certain other things are affirmed of 
 him which can properly be affirmed only of 
 the divine nature. Now these two classes of 
 affirmations, in the very nature of the case, 
 cannot be true, except on the principle that 
 Jesus Christ possesses, as we have said, both 
 the human and divine nature, in mysterious, 
 yet all- harmonious union. How do we prove 
 that a living man possesses both a soul and 
 body in union? Very much^ in this way. 
 Speaking of this man, for example, I say that 
 he has flesh, bones, blood, and is mortal. 
 These things, we all see, belong not to his 
 soul, but to. his body, and prove — what? cer- 
 tainly that he has a true body. Yet, speaking 
 of the very same individual, I change my lan- 
 guage, and also affirm that he has memory, 
 will, and understanding, and is immortal. Now 
 here is a new set of attributes which evidently 
 belong not to the body, but to the soul, and 
 prove — what? assuredly, that this man has 
 also a soul, a reasonable soul. The connecting 
 link between the soul and the body may be 
 unseen; the union may be absolutely inscru- 
 table. It matters not, the facts are clear, and 
 therefore the inference is irresistible : this man 
 has, in himself, mind and matter united; he 
 has both a soul and a body, in mysterious, yet 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 71 
 
 all-harmonious iinion. Now let iis bring this 
 principle of reasoning to bear upon the case in 
 hand. And first, with regard to the human 
 nature of Christ. Here we need not enlarge ; 
 the doctrine is not controverted ; we need only 
 remind you of those passages of Scripture, 
 which tell us plainly, that Jesus Christ was 
 born of a woman ; was made under the law — 
 and that he wept, hungered, thirsted, died! 
 These things we all see, appertain not to the 
 divine nature, but to the human, and prove — 
 what ? Certainly that Jesus Christ possessed the 
 human nature ; was very man, had a true body> 
 and a reasonable soul ; was as truly a man as 
 any in this assembly. This is a precious doc- 
 trine; we have never denied it — the Apostle 
 never did — his language is this : '^ Forasmuch 
 as the children were partakers of flesh and 
 blood, he also himself took part of the same." 
 
 But with regard to the second point, that. in 
 connexion with the human nature our Saviour 
 also possessed a nature, strictly speaking divine. 
 Notice the affirmations in our text: "who, be- 
 ing in the form of God, thought it not robbery to 
 be equal with God." Here are two affirmations, 
 having reference to the supreme divinity of 
 Christ. Take the first, "Who being in the form 
 of God." Here, the apostle affirms that, origi- 
 nally, Jesus Christ was in the form of God. 
 Now as God is an infinite spirit, possessed of 
 incommunicable attributes, and arrayed in 
 
72 REVIVAL Sermons. 
 
 peerless, -Tincreated glory, it is very certain 
 that no mere creature can possess the real form 
 of God, and that it is the real, and not assimi- 
 lated form of God, is evident from what the 
 apostle says in his epistle to the Hebrews, i. 8, 
 where he declares Jesus Christ to be the bright- 
 ness of the Father's glory, and the express 
 image of his person. "The brightness of the 
 Father's glory." Now as the brightness of the 
 natural sun in the heavens, is of the same na- 
 ture and date with that great luminary itself, 
 and may be distinguished, but not separated, 
 even so, in the unity of the Godhead, the Fa- 
 ther and the Son are in essence one and the 
 same, co-equal, co-eternal. They may be distin- 
 guished, but not separated. When, therefore, 
 the apostle declares that Jesus Christ was in 
 the form of God, the idea is this, that Jesus 
 Christ possesses in himself, really and substan- 
 tially, all the perfections of God the Father's 
 person. In confirmation of this, notice the fol- 
 lowing remarkable facts : 1. That the sublimest 
 works of the supreme God are ascribed to 
 Christ. — Is creation the work of God? No man 
 denies it; and yet John tells us that, "All things 
 were made by him ; and without him was not 
 any thing made that was made." John i. 3. Is 
 preservation the w^ork of. God? Who denies 
 that? And yet Paul tells us that Jesus Christ 
 upholdeth all things by the word of his power. 
 Heb. i. 3. Is the work of resurrection the work of 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 73 
 
 God? Who but an omnipotent God can wake up 
 the slumbering nations of the dead, whose ashes 
 have been scattered to the four winds of hea- 
 ven ; buried, it may be, beneath the mountain's 
 base and the ocean's wave? Yet the blessed 
 Saviour says, "/ am the resurrection and the 
 life; I will raise him up at the last day." John 
 xi. 25. Is the work of final judgment the work 
 of God? The Bible says expressly, God is judge 
 himself, and yet the apostle says, "We must all 
 appear before the judgment-seat of Christ." 
 2 Cor. V. 10. But the doctrine before us falls in 
 with another remarkable fact, that the sub- 
 limest names of the supreme God are given to 
 Jesus Christ, viz. God. Thus the Everlasting 
 Father, addressing the Son, says, " Thy throne, 
 God, is for ever and ever." Heb. i. 8. " True 
 God;" thus John says, "Jesus Christ, this is 
 the true God." 1 John v. 20. " Mighty God." 
 Is. ix. 6. "The Lord of Glory." 1 Cor. ii. 8. 
 The Prince of Life." Acts iii. 15. " The First 
 and the Last." Rev. ii. S. " The Almighty." 
 Rev. i. 8. " Over all, God blessed for ever." 
 Rom. ix. 5. Now, give these names to Peter, 
 or to Paul, to Michael, to Gabriel, to the loftiest 
 angel in heaven, and there is blasphemy in it; 
 and yet they are given to Christ, and that, too, 
 by those who spake as they were moved by the 
 Holy Ghost. This .can be accounted for only 
 by the fact stated, that Jesus Christ possesses 
 in himself, really and substantially, all the per- 
 
 6 
 
74 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 fections of God the Father's person. And no- 
 tice how this doctrine falls in with another re- 
 markable fact, that the sublimest honours of 
 the Supreme God are given to. Jesus Christ. 
 Witness the language of Thomas—" My Lord 
 and my God." Witness what is said of Ste- 
 phen, the first martyr — "And they stoned Ste- 
 phen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord 
 Jesus receive my spirit." Witness the form 
 of baptism : " Li the name of the Father, and 
 of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Now 
 whatever is to be implied in the name of the 
 Father, is of course also to be implied in the 
 name of the Son. But hark! pasans are sound- 
 ing in the world above! " Worthy is the Lamb 
 that was slain, to receive power, and riches, and 
 v^dsdom, and honour, and glory, and blessing." 
 Rev. V. 12. There is no adoration loftier than 
 this; no worship, more strictly speaking, di- 
 vine ; yet Jesus Christ is the object of it. What 
 makes this matter more remarkable is this : It 
 is written, " Thou shalt worship the Lord thy 
 God, and him only shalt thou serve." Accord- 
 ingly, we find that no good man, no good angel, 
 ever consented to receive divine honours. No 
 good man: — Paul and Barnabas were good men : 
 having wrought a stupendous miracle at Lys- 
 tra, the people cried out, in the language of 
 Lycaonia, "The gods have come down to us in 
 the likeness of men :" and the priests of Jupiter 
 brought oxen and garlands to the gates of the 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 7j5 
 
 city, and would have done sacrifice with the 
 people — would have paid Paul and Barnabas 
 divine honours. Did these good men consent? 
 They rent their clothes, and ran in amongst 
 the people, crying out and saying, " Sirs! why 
 do ye these things? we are men of like passions 
 with you." No good angel ever consented to 
 receive divine honours. You recollect a good 
 angel once appeared to John, in the Isle of 
 Patmos. John, dazzled by the effulgence of his 
 splendour, fell down at his feet to worship him. 
 Did this good angel consent to receive this 
 divine honour? He w^as in a hurry to repel it; 
 " I am thy fellow servant — w^orship God." See, 
 then, how good men and angels all point to su- 
 preme divinity as the only proper object of re- 
 ligious worship and adoration. Now, is it not 
 remarkable that the blessed Saviour himself 
 appeared to the same John, in the same Isle of 
 Patmos, and John, dazzled by the effulgence of 
 his splendour, fell down at his feet also? Did 
 the blessed Saviour give the holy apostle any 
 charge against worshipping him? Mark the 
 difference ! He laid his right hand upon him, 
 saying, "Fear not, I am the First and the Last ! 
 I am he that liveth, and was dead, and behold I 
 am alive for evermore, amen; and have the 
 keys- of hell and of death!" And this reminds 
 me of that sublime doxology uttered by the 
 same exile in Patmos, in his own name and 
 that of the whole church, militant and trium- 
 
76 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 pliant — "Unto Him that loved us, and washed 
 "US from our sins in his own blood, and hath 
 made us kings and priests unto God and his 
 Father; to him be glory and dominion, for ever 
 and ever." Mark, "to him who loved us and 
 washed us from our sins in his own blood — to 
 him be glory and dominion, for ever and ever." 
 Let any being be invested with glory and do- 
 minion for ever and ever, and he is invested 
 with the honours of supreme divinity — he as- 
 cends the throne of the universe, and he is 
 inaugurated God over all! These things, in 
 relation to Jesus Christ, are very remarkable, 
 and can be explained, as I humbly conceive, 
 only on the ground already stated, that Jesus 
 Christ possesses in himself, really and gubstan- 
 tially, all the perfections of God the Father's 
 person. In confirmation of this position, take 
 this passage of scripture: "Philip saith unto 
 him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth 
 us, Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so lonar 
 time with you, and yet hast thou not known 
 me, Philip ? he that hath seen me hath seen the 
 Father: and how sayest thou then, Show us 
 the Father? Believest thou not that I am in 
 the Father, and the Father in me?" John xiv. 
 8, 9, 10. To crown the matter, notice how the 
 apostle expresses the doctrine almost in the 
 very words which we have uttered : " In him 
 [Jesus Christ] dwelleth all the fulness of the 
 Godhead bodily." Col. ii. 9. How strong is 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 77 
 
 this language! Every word emphatic! In 
 him, Jesus Christ, dwelleth, all the fulness of 
 the Godhead, bodily. If this does not express 
 the idea of God incarnate — ^literally God incar- 
 nate — v^'hat idea does it present? And here I 
 would remark — as thought, written or uttered, 
 is thought embodied, so Christ, in human form, 
 is God made manifest in the flesh. 
 
 Having introduced the term "Godhead," 
 permit me to make a remark or two touching 
 the mysterious and sublime doctrine of the 
 Trinity. Some stumble at it, and why? — On 
 the supposed ground of its involving an ab- 
 surdity. Now, we positively affirm, that the 
 doctrine of a triune God, as we receive it, 
 does not involve even the shadow of an ab- 
 surdity ; for, when we say that there are three 
 persons in the Godhead, the Father, the Son, 
 and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one 
 God, the same in substance, equal in power 
 and glory^ — observe, we do not say thaf they 
 are three, in the same sense in which they are 
 one ; nor one in the same sense in which they 
 are three. That. would be an absurdity: we 
 simply say, in one sense three, in another 
 sense one. Is there any thing incredible in 
 this ? By no means. Rain, hail, and snow, are 
 three distinctions of one and the very same 
 element. And although I would not say, that 
 rain is hail, nor that hail is snow, yet I will 
 say, what I have a right to say, and what is 
 
78 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 certainly most true — ^in substance 07ie; in dis- 
 tinction three. Just so with regard to the 
 unity of the Godhead. Although I would not 
 say, that the Father is the Son, nor the Son 
 the Holy Ghost, yet I will say, what \ have a 
 right to say, and what is certainly a great 
 Bible truth — in essence one; in distinction 
 three. Do I introduce this illustration to ex- 
 plain the mode of the divine subsistence ? Cer- 
 tainly not. I cannot explain the mode of my own 
 existence, how then can I explain that of my 
 Maker, who is an infinite Spirit? I introduce 
 the illustration, simply to show tbat thel"e is no 
 occasion for stumbling here, particularly when 
 we remember that it is written, "Canst thou 
 by searching find out God? Canst thou find 
 out the Almighty to perfection ? It is high as 
 heaven, what canst thou do ? deeper than hell, 
 what canst thou know ? The measure thereof 
 is longer than the earth — it is broader than the 
 sea."* ' ■ 
 
 * According to, philosophers, and, what is incomparably 
 better, according to the apostle Paul, man himself, who is 
 said to have been made after the similitude of God — yes, 
 man himself consists of three distinctions : body, soul, and 
 spirit. 1 Thess. v. 23. By the body, we understand the 
 material frame; by the soul, the animal life, which we have 
 in common with the brutes that perish ; and by the spirit, 
 (usually called the sou!,) the immortal principle. Now here, 
 we perceive, even in ourselves, according to this statement, 
 a threefold existence, not only in union, but in unity. Why 
 then should we stumble at the doctrine of the Trinity as 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 79 
 
 But to resume the argument touching the 
 Supreme divinity of Christ : take the second 
 affirmation in oui* text — " Thought it not rob- 
 bery to be equal with God." Now, as a good 
 writer observes, if Jesus Christ thought it not 
 robbery to be equal with God, it was no rob- 
 bery; and if no robbery, he was equal; and if 
 equal, he must be God.' But some one may 
 say, ^'if Jesus Christ be, strictly speaking, a 
 divine person, how can he, being divine, being 
 God, be said to be equal with God ? Will not 
 this, then, imply that there are two Gods, 
 equal, separate and independent?" I answer, 
 that in a matter so far removed beyond all 
 comparison, and all similitude, illustrations are 
 rarely proper. I will however introduce one, 
 simply to show that the thing is by no means 
 incredible. Water, in a vessel, may subsist 
 under two forms; as a fluid, and as a solid; 
 
 revealed in the sacred volume? The truth is, in our cate- 
 chisms, creeds, and confessions, the doctrine of the Trinity 
 is presented, if I may so speak, in a skeleton form, and 
 therefore presented to great disadvantage, for no skeleton 
 has any charms; but in the sacred volume, it is presented 
 in living beauty, each person in the adorable Godhead 
 being there presented as sustaining some peculiar office in 
 the economy of redemption. For example: The Father 
 is represented as planning the glorious scheme of man's 
 redemption ; the Son as executing that scheme, and the 
 Holy Ghost, as applying to all believers the benefits of that 
 planned and purchased redemption, and thus exhibiting the 
 Godhead to a ruined world, in glorious, yet distinct mani- 
 festations. 
 
80 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 or as vrater and ice. They may be compared 
 witli each, other, and one may be said to be 
 equal with the other; but if you do not like 
 our interpretation, here is the passage, and 
 what will you do with it?* — "Thought it not 
 robbery to be equal with God." If Jesus Christ 
 possess not a nature, strictly speaking, divine, 
 he must of course be a mere creature— a finite 
 being! My brethren, you may compare a grain 
 of sand with the whole earth ; a drop of water 
 w^ith the mighty ocean; and even a ray of light 
 with yonder stupendous orb of day ; but, verily, 
 you may not compare a creature with the un- 
 created God; nor that which is finite, with 
 that which is infinite. In no sense whatever, 
 can there be an equality — with no propriety 
 whatever, can there be even a comparison. 
 The case then is clear, Jesus Christ is God: 
 that is, possesses in himself, really and substan- 
 tially, all the perfections of God, the Father's 
 Person. We have also shown that Jesus Christ 
 possesses also a human nature. Our great doc- 
 trine then is established, that Jesus Christ, as 
 Mediator, possesses two natures, the divine 
 and human, in mysterious, yet all-harmonious 
 union. Ah ! this mysterious union ! Some 
 
 * I am aware that those who reject our doctrine, give 
 another rendering to this passage, and indeed to every 
 passage which we have quoted, or shall yet quote, numerous 
 as they are. Strange that so many passages should have 
 been wrongly translated ! . 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 81 
 
 stumble at the mystery of the incarnation ; and 
 is not the union of sonl and body in man a 
 mystery? and yet who stumbles at this? Hav- 
 ing evidence of the fact, we believe the one; 
 why not, having evidence of the fact, believe 
 the other also ? But was the apostle Paul aware 
 of the mystery ? He was. Did he stumble at 
 it ? I give you his own words, you can judge 
 as well as I. " Without controversy," says he, 
 " great is the mystery of godliness. God was 
 manifest in the flesh." 1 Tim. 3. 6. Observe: 
 he admits it to be a mystery — he goes farther : 
 he admits it to be a great mystery; moreover, 
 he would have us to understand, that there is 
 no use to have any controversy upon this point. 
 Orhe mystery of the incarnation is not denied. 
 '* Without controversy, great is the mystery of 
 godliness. God was manifest in the flesh." 
 Now if the apostle did not stumble at the mys- 
 tery of the human and divine nature in the 
 person of Christ, neither , do I — nay, more, he 
 gloried in it; Rom. ix. 5; and therefore so 
 will I. And, indeed, well may we all ; for, as 
 I shall now show you, if it be a mystery, it is a 
 blessed mystery — full of sweetness as well as 
 full of wonder; for, observe, 
 
 1. How essential the twofold nature of 
 Christ is to the various parts of his mediato- 
 rial, work. For example : he must have a hu- 
 man nature to obey the law which man had 
 violated, and thus to magnify the law and 
 
82 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 make it honourable; but it is equally neces- 
 sary, in tliis matter, that he should have a 
 divine nature also, to give merit to his obedi- 
 ence. Suppose that Jesus Christ were a mere 
 man, what could his obedience avail? He 
 would have to say, as we do, I am an unpro- 
 fitable servant ; I have done no more than was 
 ray duty; but, according to the Scriptures, by 
 his- obedience shall many be made righteous. 
 So he must have a human nature to obey the 
 law, and the divine nature to stamp value 
 upon that obedience. Again: he must have 
 a human nature to suffer, and the divine- na- 
 ture to give efficacy to those sufferings. Yes, 
 according to the Scriptures, the Mediator must 
 suffer, as it is written, " He must suffer many 
 things of the elders, and chief priests, and 
 scribes, and be killed, arid the third day rise 
 again." Matt. xvi. 21. And again: "It be- 
 hoved Christ to suffer." Luke xxiv. 46. And 
 again: "Ought not Christ to have suffered 
 these things?" Luke xxiv. 26. Nay more, it 
 is written, " Without the shedding of blood 
 there is no remission." Heb. ix. 22. In order 
 to make an atonement then, Christ must be- 
 come a substitutionary sacrifice — must suffer ; 
 but the divine nature cannot suffer, cannot 
 be wounded for our transgressions, nor bruised 
 for our iniquities; hence, Christ must have a 
 human nature, to suffer; but here again it is 
 equally necessary that he should have a divine 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 83 
 
 nature, as we have stated, to give efficacy to 
 his sufferings ; for, suppose Jesus Christ were 
 no more than a mere man, what could his suf- 
 ferings avail? The martyrs suffered much, 
 their blood flowed in torrents ! but we never 
 hear that the blood of the martyrs availed to 
 the washing away of a single sin of their own ; 
 but with regard to this mysterious sufferer, it 
 is said, "His blood cleanseth from all sin." 
 1 John i. 7. And again : " Behold the Lamb 
 of God which taketh away the sin of the 
 world.' John i. 29. Thus you perceive it 
 is necessary that Jesus Christ, as Mediator, 
 should possess a human nature to .suffer, and 
 also a divine nature to give efficacy to those 
 sufferings. But some man may say, "Sir, 
 you have thrown some light upon this point, 
 but the point is not clear yet. You say that 
 the human nature cannot merit, nor the divine 
 nature suffer, then, after all, hpw can the suf- 
 ferings of the human nature of Christ have so 
 much efficacy?" I reply, there is no difficulty 
 here at all. Here is a clod of earth. In that 
 form you may strike it about at pleasure — no 
 harm done ; but let this clod of earth be formed 
 into the body of a man; let it be united to 
 the soul of a man, a prince, a king, a con- 
 queror ! and; verily, you may not now strike it 
 about at your pleasure ! Who does not see that 
 an injury done to that clod of earth, in its new 
 form, as united to the soul of a man, a prince, 
 
84 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 a king, a conqueror, is to all intents and pur- 
 poses, the same as an injury done to the soul 
 of that man, that prince, that king, that con- 
 queror ? The case then is simply this, although 
 the human nature .of Christ could not merit, 
 nor his divine nature suffer, yet by virtue of 
 the union of the human and divine nature in 
 the person of Christ, the sufferings of the hu- 
 man, are as if they were the sufferings of the 
 divine nature. " It is the altar which sanctifies 
 the gift." The Saviour himself furnishes the 
 illustration. The divine nature is the altar, 
 the human nature of Christ is the victim of- 
 fered upon that altar, and the altar sanctifies 
 the gift — the very illustration of Christ him- 
 self! 
 
 But again : Christ, as Mediator, must have 
 a human nature to have a brother's heart ; a 
 divine nature to have an almighty arm. You 
 recollect that when God descended, in terrible 
 majesty, upon Sinai's awful mount, the peo- 
 ple, greatly alarmed, removed and stood afar 
 off, and said unto Moses, " Speak thou with 
 us, and we will hear, but let not God speak 
 with us, lest we die." Nay, even Moses him- 
 self exclaimed, "I do exceedingly fear and 
 quake !" How natural then to wish, with the 
 man of Uz, that there were some days-man to 
 lay his hand upon both parties. In our blessed 
 Redeemer this desire is fully met; for, as we 
 have said, he has a human nature to have a 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 85 
 
 brother's heart, a divine nature to have an 
 almighty arm. Both- natures are equally ne- 
 cessary, for suppose that Christ had a human 
 nature only, then certainly he could have a 
 brother's heart, could sympathize with us, be- 
 ing- touched with a fellow feelino^ of our in- 
 firmities, and this would be soothing; but if 
 this were all, amid all his tender sympathies, 
 we might sink down in hopeless sorrow ! But 
 ! delightful truth ! our Mediator is in all 
 respects, fitted for his appointment. As a man 
 he has ml the innocent sensibilities of our na- 
 ture : 
 
 " He knows what sore temptations mean, 
 Foi' he has Telt the same." 
 
 '• We have not an High Priest," says the apos- 
 tle, " who cannot be touched with a feeUng 
 of our infirmities, but was tempted in all points 
 like as we are,, yet without sin." Yes, it is 
 even so : 
 
 " He in the days of feeble flesh, 
 Poured out his cries and tears ; 
 And in his measure feels afresh 
 
 What every member bears." ^ 
 
 This is a precious doctrine. The human na- 
 ture of Christ brings him very near to pur 
 hearts, and the idea, that, exalted a;s he is, he 
 can be touched with a fellow feeling of our 
 infirmities, is, I repeat it, very soothing; but if 
 this were all, what would it avail to the saving 
 
86 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 of our souls? No! He must have something 
 more than sympathy, he must have power. He 
 must have something more than a brother's 
 heart, he must have an almighty arm! and, 
 according to our doctrine, so it is: hence, in 
 the Scriptures, he is presented to us as one 
 able to save unto the uttermost. Heb. vii. 25. 
 O glorious Mediator ! precious Redeemer ! 
 One who has all the glories.of a God, attem- 
 pered, with the milder beauties of a perfect 
 man ! One so distant, and yet so near ! Only 
 think, my brethren, (Weet thougUr!) our 
 blessed Saviour has a human nature, to have 
 a brother's heart ! — a divine nature, to have 
 an almighty arm ! 
 
 " 'T^U God in human flesh I see, , ' . 
 
 My thoughts no comfort find ; 
 The Holy, Just and Sacred Three, 
 
 Are terrors to my mind; 
 But if Immanuel's face appear, 
 
 My hope, my joy begins; ' ' . • 
 
 His name forbids my slavish feaf , 
 
 His grace removes my siris. 
 While Jews on their own law rely, 
 
 And Greeks of wisdom toast, 
 , I love th' incarnate mystery, 
 
 And there I fix my trust." ■ ^ 
 
 If the twofold nature pf Christ be a mystery, 
 (and! deny it not,) it is a blessed mystery, full 
 of sweetness as well as full af wpnder ; for, ob- 
 serve, 
 
 2. How beautifully it falls in with the ac- 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 87 
 
 count given of our blessed Saviour, whils.t he 
 tabernacled here on earth. In this account, 
 circumstances of humility, and circumstances 
 of grandeur, are made strangely and sweetly to 
 blend togetli^r in the person of Christ; poiht- 
 ,ing out, at the same time, both his human and 
 divine nature. See the blessed Saviour, born 
 in Bethlehem ; born of a woman, and laid in a 
 manger ! Here are circumstances of humility, 
 pointing out his human nature ; but mark the 
 circumstances of grandeur proclaiming his di- 
 vine nature. A star announces his birth, and 
 angels sing his natal song ! See him at the 
 grave of Lazarus ! He weeps lihe a man; and 
 then, with authority, says, " Lazarus, come 
 forth!" likt a God. Approaching the barren 
 fig tree, he hungers like a man; and then, with 
 a word, withers the fig tree away, like a God. 
 During a raging storm on the sea of Tiberias, 
 he lay in the hinder part of the ship, with his 
 head upon a pillow ; he slept like a man. . Being 
 called upon, he arose and rebuked the winds 
 and the sea, like a God. Having wa-ought a 
 stupendous miracle, he goes into a mountain 
 apart to pray, like a man; and at the fourth 
 watch of the night, he comes to his disciples, 
 walking upon the water, like a God. As a 
 man, he pays tribute money; as a God, he 
 causes a fish of the deep to bring to him the 
 tribute money., Disciples of Christ! O see your 
 Saviour, on yonder bloody tree ! nailed to the 
 
88 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 cross, he suffers like a man; and yet, in the 
 midst of his sufferings he opens the gates of 
 Paradise to the dying thief, like a God. And 
 see, too, in yonder sepulchre, alas ! in yonder 
 sepulchre — the hope of Israel, wrapt in the 
 winding sheet, lies, pale and cold. in death, like 
 a 7nan. But' lo! in -the inorning of the third 
 day, by his own immortal energies, he burst 
 the bands of death, and arose triumphant like a 
 God. And see him, too, after his resurrection : 
 he meets with his disciples, takes a piece of a 
 broiled fish, aiid of an honey-comb, and did eat 
 with them like a man. And then he leads 
 them out to Bethany and blesses them ; and as 
 he blesses them, he ascends in a cloud in 
 radiant majesty, far above all heavens, a God 
 confessed! God is gone up with a shout ! The 
 Lord with' the sound of a trumpet ! Sing 
 . praises unto God ; sing praises ! Sing praises 
 unto our King, sing praises ! 
 
 "x\ll hail the power of Jesus' name, 
 
 Let angels prostrate fall ; 
 Bring forth the royal diadem, 
 And crown him Lord of all." 
 
 3. If the union of the human and divine 
 nature in the person of Christ be a mystery, it 
 is a bless^ mystery, for it -serves very clearly 
 and beautifully to harmoiYize many passages of 
 Scripture which on no other principle, I verily 
 believe, can be made to harmonize. For ex- 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 89 
 
 ample: In one place Jesus Christ is called a 
 man; in another place, God. Heb. i. 8. In one 
 place, David's Son, Matt. xxii. 42; in another 
 place, David's Lord. Matt. xxii. 45. In one 
 place he says, "My Father is greater than I;" 
 John X. 29; in another place, "I and my Fa- 
 ther are one." John x. 30. In one place he is 
 said to be a Lamb slain, in another place, the 
 Prince of Life, who only hath immortality.* 
 Now deny our doctrine, and I defy any man 
 on earth, or angel in heaven, to reconcile these 
 passages. Admit the doctrine and all is beau- 
 tiful and harmonious. AVith regard to his hu- 
 man nature, Jesus Christ is a man; with re- 
 gard to his divine nature, God ; with regard to 
 his human nature he is David's Son ; with re- 
 gard to his divine nature, David's Lord. Refer- 
 ring to his human nature, or official character, 
 he can say, " My Father is greater than I;" re- 
 ferring to his divine nature, or essential charac- 
 ter, he can say, " I and my Father are one." As 
 to his human nature, he is a Lamb slain; as tp 
 his divine nature, the Prince of Life, w^ho only 
 hath immortality. And now to put the beaute- 
 ous crown upon the whole, and to convince 
 you that this is indeed the true scriptural doc- 
 trine, hear the words of the Saviour himself: 
 "I am the root and offspring of David, and 
 the bright and morning Star." Now this is 
 a very remarkable passage of scripture, and 
 
 * Compare Acts iii. 15 ; Rev. xix. 16 ; 1 Tim. vi. 15, 16. 
 7 
 
90 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 should settle the doctrine of the twofold nature 
 of Christ forever ; for, observe ! if Jesus Christ 
 possessed the divine nature, and that only, he 
 could most assuredly be David's root, the 
 source of David's being; but in this case, how 
 could he be David's offspring ? On the other 
 hand, if Jesus Christ possessed the human na- 
 ture, and that only, he could then certainly be 
 David's offspring ; but here again, how, in this 
 case, could he be David's root? the source of 
 David's being ? But possessing both the hu- 
 man and divine nature, he can say, as he does 
 say, " I am the root and offspring of David, and 
 the bright and morning star;" evidently refer- 
 rinor to his mediatorial character. ''Rising-," 
 as one remarks, "in his incarnation, as the 
 bright and morning star, .he introduced the 
 gospel day ; rising as the bright and morning 
 star in the influences of his spirit, he intro- 
 duces the day of grace and comfort in the sin- 
 ner's soul ; and rising, at last, in his bright ap- 
 pearing to judge the world, he will to his saints 
 usher in the coronation-day — the day of a blest 
 eternity. Bright and morning Star! Star of 
 hope to the dying sinner! Star of hope to a 
 sinking world! shine upon this heart of 
 mine." 
 
 Having considered the mediatorial character 
 of Christ, let us next consider his mediatorial 
 work. And by this we are to understand all 
 that our blessed Saviour did, and suffered, to 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 91 
 
 achieve the redemption of man, commonly 
 termed his active and passive obedience. It 
 would very far transcend the limits of this dis- 
 course to lay before you, in detail, all the varied 
 parts of the mediatorial work of Christ ; nor is 
 it necessary on the present occasion, for, by a 
 very common figure' of speech, a part is here 
 put for the whole ; the apostle summing up the 
 whole in -the humiliation of Christ, and this, 
 with singular propriety, in the connexion of 
 our text, inasmuch as his deep humiliation on 
 earth is here presented in striking contrast 
 with the august dignity which he originally 
 had, when, being in • the form of God, he 
 thought it not robbery fo be equal with God. 
 In this astonishing humiliation there are several 
 steps. 
 
 1. "He was made in the likeness of men." 
 That is, he, who originally, " was the bright- 
 ness of the Father's glory, and the express 
 image of his person," was, in his incarnation, 
 so veiled, so clouded, that he no longer appear- 
 ed in the form of God, but in the likeness of 
 men. " Forasmuch as the children were par- 
 takers of flesh and blood," says the apostle, 
 *' he also himself took part of the same." What 
 a stoop of condescension ! The Prince of life, 
 and Lord of glory, in the likeness of men ! 
 
 " Harp ! lift thy voice on high ! 
 
 Shout angels ! shout aloud ye sons of men, 
 And burn my heart with th' eternal flame!" 
 
92 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 2. "He took upon him the form of a ser- 
 vant." Observe! this glorious One not only 
 took upon him human nature, but human na- 
 ture in a low condition : " he took upon him," 
 says our text, "the form of a servant;" not 
 the form of a prince, or a king, but the form of 
 a servant. How wonderful is this ! Nor was 
 he ashamed to take this step of humiliation for 
 the good of man, he rather gloried in it ; and 
 how touching are his allusions to this very 
 thing! "The Son of man," says he, "came 
 not to be ministered unto, but to minister;" 
 that is, to. act the part of a servant. And again 
 said he to "his disciples, " Whether is greater, 
 he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? Is 
 not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among 
 you as he that serveth." Blessed Jesus! But 
 most emphatically did our great Redeemer as- 
 sume the form of a servant, when, rising from 
 the paschal supper, he laid aside his garment, 
 and took a towel and girded himself, and hav- 
 ing poured water into a basin, he began to 
 wash his disciples* feet with the water, and to 
 wipe them with the towel wherewith he was 
 girded! And this is the Saviour that made 
 my mother sing in death! the same Jesus, 
 who, as thousands have testified, " can make a 
 dying bed feel soft as downy pillows are." 
 Sinner ! this is the Saviour whom you ne- 
 glect ! Is this thy kindness to thy friend ? 
 
 3. "He made himself of no reputation." 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 93 
 
 Even some servants have a liigh character, 
 and are greatly esteemed, but the Lord of 
 glory, in his mysterious incarnation, volunta- 
 rily places himself in those circumstances in 
 which he. received not the honours due to his 
 name. " He came unto his own," says the 
 apostle, '' and his own received him not." Al- 
 though he was the Rose of Sharon, and the 
 Lily of the Vallies, yet he was esteemed as a 
 root out of a dry ground, having no form nor 
 comeliness; nay, more, as predicted of him, 
 he was despised and rejected of men ! a man 
 of sorrows and acquainted with grief. ! tell 
 me, did not our blessed Saviour appear as one 
 without reputation when the Samaritans re- 
 fused to receive him into their villages? When 
 the Gadarenes besought him to depart out of 
 their coast? and when the men of his own 
 city, Nazareth, led him to the brow of the hill 
 upon which their city > was built, to cast him 
 down headlong, as one unfit to live? 0! tell 
 me, did not the Saviour of lost men appear as 
 one without reputation, when he was openly 
 rejected by the chief priests and pharisees, 
 and reproachfully called a gluttonous man and 
 a wine-bibber, a friend of publicans and sin- 
 ners? when he was betrayed by one disciple, 
 denied by another, and forsaken by all ? when 
 the multitude came out against him, as against 
 a thief with swords and staves, to take him? 
 See him arrested as a prisoner; bound as a 
 
94 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 culprit ; hurried to the hall of Caiaphas ; taken 
 to Pilate's judgment bar; sent to Herod; mock- 
 ed by the soldiers; crowned with thorns; ar- 
 rayed in a gorgeous robe, and then sent back 
 to Pilate again. O ! see him at Pilate's bar ! 
 False witnesses rise up against him ! — none 
 dare appear in bis behalf! The hall-^the 
 court — the very heavens ring with the cry, 
 "Crucify him! crucify him!" A prisoner 
 must needs be released at the feast, and Bar- 
 rabbas is preferred ! O ! my soul ' think upon 
 this ! — Barrabbas, a robber, was preferred to the 
 blessed Jesus! Barrabbas, a murderer, to the 
 spotless Son of God! And now, he is con- 
 demned ! not by the voice of law, , but by the 
 clamor of popular fury. Pilate, it is true, calls 
 for water, and washing his hands in the pre- 
 sence of the people, says, "I am innocent of 
 the blood of this just man," yet gives him over 
 into the hands of his enemies ! And now what 
 a scene of still d-eeper humiliation is presented ! 
 The blessed Saviour is blindfolded ! he is smit- 
 ten upon the cheek ! he is spitted upon ! he 
 is buffeted! he is scourged! — Only think, 
 scourged ! and this is the One, who, according 
 to the Scriptures, shall hereafter be seen coming 
 in the clouds of heaven, with power and great 
 glory ! O the strength of a Saviour's love ! 
 how astonishing does it appear when measured 
 by the humiliation to which he submitted for 
 our sakes ! He made himself of no reputation ! 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 95' 
 
 But there is yet another step of still deeper 
 humiliation stated in our text. 
 
 4. '' He humbled himself and became obedi- 
 ent unto death, -even the death of the cross!" 
 That the Prince of life, and Lord of glory, 
 should die any death, however easy, and hon- 
 ourable, is past all comprehension ! But, such 
 a death!— the death of the cross! — a death so 
 shameful — so ignominious, and so accursed ! — 
 so bitter, so cruel, and so bloody, too ! How 
 were the rugged nails driven into his sacred 
 hands and feet ! How did his precious blood 
 gush forth, stream down, and smoke upon the 
 ground ! sinner ! sinner ! you know not the 
 strength of a Saviour's love — you know not the 
 tenderness of the dear Redeemer's heart ! He 
 died for you ! died on the cross for you ! and 
 yet you slight him, every day — turn your back 
 upon him, and, even trample under foot his 
 precious blood! Hard-hearted, iron-hearted 
 sinner ! how could you serve your loving, dy- 
 inof Saviour so ? " Hearts of stone ! relent ! 
 relent !" — " Father forgive them, they know not 
 what they do!" — Having considered the media- 
 torial character and work of Christ, we are next 
 to contemplate his mediatorial glory. 
 
 By the mediatorial glory of Christ, we are 
 to \mderstand all that our blessed Redeemer 
 receives, in his two-fold nature, as the reward 
 of his mediatorial work. To this there is a 
 reference in the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah; 
 
96 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 and upon this the apostle deUghts to expatiate. 
 His language, here, is beautiful and sublime : 
 "Wherefore, God also" (that is the Father,) 
 "hath highly exalted him, and given him a 
 name, which is above every name, that at the 
 name of Jesus every knee should bow ; of things 
 in ^heaven, and things in earth, and things 
 under the earth ; and that every tongue should 
 confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord." Here the 
 mediatorial glory of Christ is made to consist 
 in two things, honour and dominion. 
 
 1. In Honour. — In his having a name which 
 is above every name — the name of Jesus; the 
 sweetest, the most charming name that men or 
 angels ever heard ! Verily " 'Tis music in the 
 sinner's ears, 'tis life, and joy, and peace !" ! 
 the sweetness of the name of Jesus, as it comes 
 over the young convert with the power of a 
 charm, bringing hope and comfort to his bur- 
 dened soul ! O ! the sweetness of the name of 
 Jesus, as it falls, like the music of heaven, upon 
 the ear of the dying saint, enabling him to 
 smile in death ; and, in the full hope of glory, 
 shout, " O death! where is thy sting? O grave! 
 where is thy victory?" — and, 0! who can tell 
 the unutterable sweetness of the name of Jesus, 
 as it rolls in choral symphonies from yonder 
 heavenly throng, " loud as from numbers with- 
 out number, and sweet as from blest voices 
 uttering joy." The name of Jesus ! It wakes 
 up all the harps of heaven ! it rolls a tide of 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 97 
 
 rapture all over the world of glory ! All eyes 
 are turned upon him ! whilst voices innumera- 
 ble, shout, "Worthy! worthy, is the Lamb." 
 Yes, my brethren, ' 
 
 " They praise him now, their hearts and voices praise. 
 And swell the rapture of the glorious song ! 
 Amen ! so let it be ; shout, angels, shout I 
 And loudest, ye redeemed ! Glory be to God, 
 And to the Lamb, who bought us with his blood ; 
 And washed, and sanctified, and saved our souls ; 
 And gave us robes of linen clean, and crowns of gold ; 
 And made us kings and priests to God !" - 
 
 In exact accordance with this is the language 
 of the holy Apostle, in that noble doxology, or 
 song of praise, addressed to the great Redeemer 
 in his own- name, and that of the whole church, 
 militant and triumphant : " Unto him that loved 
 us, and washed us from bur sins in his own 
 blood; and hath made us kings and priests 
 unto God, and his Father; to him be glory 
 and dominion, for ever, Amen!" Yes, and 
 every pious heart can well respond, Amen. 
 
 " O could I speak the matchless worth, 
 O could J sound the glories forth, 
 
 Which in my Saviour shine ; 
 I'd soar, and touch the heavenly strings. 
 And vie with Gabriel while he sings, 
 In notes almost divine ! 
 
 I'd sing the precious blood he spilt. 
 My ransom from the dreadful guilt. 
 Of sin and wrath divine ; 
 
98 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 I'd sing-his glorious righteousness, 
 In which all perfect, heavenly dress, 
 My SQul shall ever shine I" 
 
 But the mediatorial glory of Christ consists 
 also, 
 
 2. In Dominion. — Yes, having finished the 
 great work of atonement, and hciving ascended 
 up on high,, our great Redeemer is now, ac- 
 cording to the Scriptures, exalted "far above all 
 principality, and power, and might, and domi- 
 nion, and every name that is named, not only 
 in this world, but also in that which is to 
 come."' Eph. i. 21. " He is Lord of all." Acts, 
 X. 36. He it is, who, walking in the midst of 
 the golden candlesticks, holds the ministers as 
 stars in his right hand : he it is, who, seated in 
 the highest heavens, rules the church, and 
 rules the world : and he it is, who, hereafter, 
 "in that great day, for which all other days 
 were made," shall sit as Judge of quick and 
 dead. " Behold, he cometh with clouds," says 
 the apostle, " and every eye shall see him, and 
 they also Avhich pierced him; and all kindreds 
 of the earth shall wail because of him. Even 
 so. Amen." Yes, "hereafter" — (and mark, this 
 is his own language) — " hereafter, shall ye see 
 the Son of man coming in the clouds of hea- 
 ven, with power and great glory." Matt. xxiv. 
 30. xxvi. 64. Although he shall come as the 
 Son of man, " clothed in a body like onr own," 
 yet, verily, none shall be able to think lightly 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 99 
 
 of him then; for he shall come with great 
 power and glory — shall be revealed from hea- 
 ven, with his mighty angels, in flaming fire. 
 Lightnings shall flash from his piercing eyes ! 
 Thunders shall roll around his awful throne! 
 He shall tread out the sun as a spark! shall 
 break down the pillars of the earth ; his voice 
 shall rouse the slumbering dead, and from his 
 lips shall go forth that sentence which shall fix 
 the final doom of all mankind: and, verily, all 
 who on earth despised him, shall then wail 
 with a grievous and sore lamentation. In view 
 of this, I would now say to every impenitent 
 sinner present, in the language of the Psalmist, 
 " Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish 
 from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a 
 little ; blessed are all they who put their trust 
 in him." But it is time to consider, 
 
 II. The grand design of the whole, beauti- 
 fully and comprehensively expressed by the 
 apostle in these words — " to the glory of God 
 the Father." On this part of our subject we 
 shall be brief The heavens, in all their varied 
 beauties, in all their wide and boundless mag- 
 nificence, proclaim the glory of God — pro- 
 claim his wisdom, his grandeur, and his power ; 
 but believe me, brethren, we have something 
 here which "outshines the wonders of the 
 skies;" something which gives a development 
 of the divine character to be found nowhere 
 else, whatever. Yes, the great scheme of man's 
 
100 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 redemption is now, and ever will be, to the 
 Lord emphatically for a crown of glory and for 
 a diadem of beauty. For example, 
 
 It will be to the Lord a bright and imperish- 
 able monument of his love. " God so loved the 
 world," says the Saviour, "that he gave his 
 only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in 
 him, should not perish, but have everlasting 
 life." Yonder sun in the heavens is exceed- 
 ingly bright; but God could have made it 
 brighter still! The universe is astonishingly 
 great, but God could have made it greatet still ! 
 But is there, can there be, any greater gift 
 which the infinite God himself can bestow, 
 than the gift of his Son ? Hence the peculiar 
 language of the Saviour — "God so loved the 
 world;" and hence also the language of the 
 apostle John — "Herein is love, not that w^e 
 loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his 
 Son to be the propitiation for our sins. And 
 well may we say with one enraptured, • 
 
 " Could we with ink the ocean fill, 
 
 Were the whole earth of parchment made ; 
 Were every single stick a quill, 
 
 And every man a scribe by trade, 
 To \vnte the love of God above 
 
 Would drain the ocean dry; 
 Nor could the scroll contain the whole, 
 
 Though stretched from sky to sky." 
 
 It will be to the Lord a bright and imperisha- 
 ble monument of his power, for it will appear 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 101 
 
 that it was in this way he destroyed the works 
 of the devil, subdued the enemies of his go- 
 vernment, conquered rebelhous w^lls, softened 
 hearts of rock, and thus redeemed and disen- 
 thralled a guilty and a ruined world ! 
 
 It will be to the Lord a bright and imper- 
 ishable monument of his justice. The light- 
 nings which blasted rebel angels in heaven, 
 and awful thunders ever rolling in the prison- 
 house of the damned in hell, speak loudly this 
 lancruasre in the ears of all the creatures which 
 God has made — " Stand in awe and sin not." 
 But ! the tears, the groans, the streaming 
 blood and dying agoniesof the great Redeemer, 
 Jehovah's Equal, God's Eternal Son, will sound 
 the notes of warning louder still. If God 
 spared not his own Son, when he was found in 
 the law's place, and stead of the sinner, will he 
 spare any sinner who has to answ^er for him- 
 self? Justice of heaven! how inflexible dost 
 thou appear when tljy glittering sword is seen 
 bathed in Immanuel's blood ! in the blood of 
 an incarnate God ! Once more : 
 
 The plan of redemption will be to the Lord 
 a bright. and imperishable monument of his 
 wisdom, for here mercy and truth meet to- 
 gether, righteousness and peace embrace each 
 other. Yes, here "Justice and Mercy are both 
 made illustrious, both made triumphant; one 
 in punishing, and the other in pardoning. "An 
 infinite sacrifice satisfies divine justice, and the 
 
102 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 fruit of that sacrifice satisfies divitie mercy." 
 The fact is, in the glorious plan of man's re- 
 demption, all the divine perfections are made 
 sweetly to harmonize; this is the grand focus, so 
 to speak, in which their rays do meet and glow 
 intensely. When man sinned, methinks holy 
 angels struck their golden harps in plaintive 
 strains, and cried, ''Alas he is gone! — with 
 fallen angels, man is gone for ever !" How can 
 it be otherwise ? Will a righteous God cease 
 to be just ? Will a holy God look with indul- 
 gence upon sin ? Will the Ruler of all worlds 
 permit his laws to be broken with impunity, 
 and the honours of his government to lie 
 trampled upon in the dust?^ Perish such a 
 thought as this ! It cannot be ! Methinks it 
 is repeated from world to world, It cannot be, 
 and echoed back in dismal strains. Then man 
 is lost ! for ever lost ! 
 
 But hark ! a sweet voice is heard ! It comes 
 from Him who is the brightness of the Fa- 
 ther's glory, and the express image of his 
 person. It comes from Him, who, being in 
 the form of God, thought it not robbery to be 
 equal with God. " Lo ! I come ! In the volume 
 of the book it is written of me, I delight to do 
 thy will, O God ! a body wilt thou prepare me ! 
 I will take the sinner's place — upon me be the 
 penalty of the law ! I will bear the sins of 
 mine elect, in my own body upon the tree ! I 
 will stoop beneath the grave, to save a sinking 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 103 
 
 world!" What new mystery is this? Angels 
 stooping from their seats in bliss, desire to look 
 into this great mystery of godliness : then, 
 rising in admiration, they sweep the strings of 
 their golden harps, and swelling their loftiest 
 notes, they cry, as. with the voice of mighty 
 thunderings, " the depth of the riches, both 
 of the wisdom and knowledge of God ! How 
 unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways 
 past finding out!" My brethren, you have 
 heard' of the seven wonders of the world. 
 Here we have the one great wonder of the uni- 
 verse ! — the master-piece of the great God ! It 
 is this which shall bind all worlds to the throne 
 of the ever-blessed God ! It is this which shall 
 wake up the sweetest pseans in the heavenly 
 world ! ' It is this, which, through the mighty 
 roll of everlastinor acres, shall fill the courts of 
 God Almighty with sounding praise! — To the 
 glory of God the Father ! A few inferences, 
 and I have done. 
 
 1. Here we have aii unanswerable argument 
 for the truth of the Christian religion — a doc- 
 trine such as we have now been considering ; a 
 doctrine of such mingled sweetness and gran- 
 deur, so worthy of God, and so suited to man; 
 such a doctrine, if unrevealed, I firmly believe, 
 could never have entered the mind of man. 
 Wo to the infidel, he must meet a fiery day ! 
 
 2. How invaluable must the soul of man be! 
 To create worlds and systems required no 
 
104 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 great array of means. God spake and it was 
 done ! He commanded, and it stood fast ; but, 
 to redeem the soul of man all heaven must be 
 moved! The Lord of angels must become in- 
 carnate, must suffer, and bleed, and agonize, 
 and die. In other words, there must be a 
 mighty draft, not upon the resources of nature, 
 but upon the resources of nature's God, 
 
 " Heaven "weeps, .that man might smile. 
 Heaven bleeds, that man may never die ! 
 
 3. .How dreadful is the guilt, and how terri- 
 ble must be the doom of those who reject such 
 a Saviour! — They reject, whom? A dying Sa- 
 viour, who is God's eternal Son I They reject, 
 whom? The world's last and only hope! 
 There is salvation in none else ; and, the sin- 
 ner, dying without an interest in this Saviour, 
 is accursed for ever! He is turned over to 
 wrath and despair! He sinks down in the 
 deep grave of sorrow, and no angel voice, no 
 resurrection trump shall wake him up to hope 
 and joy, any more ! O sinner ! sinner ! You 
 have rejected this Saviour already too long. 
 O ! be entreated to reject him no more ! Sub- 
 mit now. This may be your last call, your 
 last day ! 
 
 4. How great will be the happiness of the 
 redeemed in heaven ! — After such preparation, 
 and such cost to bring them to that blessed 
 world above, how dear,, O how precious will 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 105 
 
 they be in the eyes of him who brought them 
 there ! -How will he beautify them with salva- 
 tion ! How will he pour into their souls the 
 full tide of heavenly and . never-ending joy ! 
 " Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor hath it 
 entered into the heart of man, what things God 
 hath prepared for them that love him." , 
 
 O heaven ! sweet heaven ! the dwelling place 
 of love and joy f — the purchase of a Saviour's 
 blood ! — the Christian's rest, the pilgrim's home ! 
 O heaven, sweet heaven! there rolls the river 
 of pleasure ! — there flourishes the tree of life ! 
 there saints and angels mingling their splen- 
 dors, have one continued festival, one never- 
 ending jubilee ! " Visions of glory ! how ye 
 crowd upon my aching sight !" ''Praise God 
 from the heavens ! praise him in the heights. 
 Praise ye him, all his angels, praise ye him all 
 his hosts. Praise ye him sun and moon; praise 
 him all ye stars of light. Praise ye him, ye 
 heaven of heavens, and ye waters that be 
 above the heavens. Let them praise the name 
 of the Lord. Praise the Lord from the earth, 
 ye dragons and all deeps. Fire, and hail, and 
 snow, -and vapour, and stormy wind fulfilling 
 his word. Mountains and all hills; fruitful 
 trees and all cedars ; beasts and all cattle ; creep- 
 ing things, and flying fowl: kings of the 
 earth, and all people ; princes, and all judges 
 of the earth: both young men, and maidens, 
 old men, and children, let them praise the 
 
 8 
 
106 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 Lord; for his name alone is excellent, his glory 
 is above the earth and heaven. Praise God in 
 his sanctuary ; praise him in the firmament of 
 his power: praise him for his" mighty acts; 
 praise him according to his excellent great- 
 ness : praise him with the sound of the trum- 
 pet; praise him with the psaltery and harp ; 
 praise him with the timbrel and dance; praise 
 him with strino^ed instruments and org-ans: 
 praise him upon the loud cymbals, praise him 
 upon the high-sounding cymbals. Let every 
 thing that hath breath praise the Lord !" Praise 
 the Lord, my soul ! 
 
 SERMON IV. . 
 
 THE USES OF THE LAW. 
 Wherefore then serveth the law? — Galatians iii. 19. 
 
 My brethren, the great doctrines of grace were 
 precious doctrines with the Apostle Paul. Al- 
 though he was a man of blameless morality, 
 of ardent piety, of quenchless and untiring 
 zeal; although he w^as a man who had done 
 and suffered more in the cause of his divine 
 Master than any other man, probably, that 
 ever lived, yet, when he comes to speak of 
 his acceptance with his Maker, he makes no 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 107 
 
 mention of any of these things. " Christ is all 
 his hope, and grace is all his song." He relies 
 upon the finished . righteousness of the Lord 
 Jesus Christ; imputed to him and received by- 
 faith alone. This doctrine, so humbling to 
 the pride of the ■ human heart, the apostle 
 gloried in; and, on more occasions than one, 
 he enters into an argument to show how latter- 
 ly impossible it is for the sinner to obtain 
 justification with God in any other way. In 
 the third chapter of his Epistle to the llo- 
 mans, he enters fully upon the subject, and 
 winds up in this^w^ay: "Therefore, we con- 
 clude that a man is justified by faith, without 
 the deeds of the law." In the next chapter 
 he presents the same idea, but in language 
 still stronger and more decisive: "To him that 
 worketh not, but believeth on him that justi- 
 fieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for 
 righteousness." Presenting the doctrine of 
 justification by the imputed righteousness of 
 Christ, and that alone, in a manner so clear 
 and strong, the apostle was aware that some 
 might charge him with Antinomian sentiments; 
 as if<he undervalued the law; as if he would 
 set it aside as a dead letter, and thus en- 
 courage men to continue in sin, that grace 
 might abound. How does he meet this cavil? 
 How does he repel t)iis charge? With holy 
 indignation ! " Do we then make void the law, 
 through faith?" says he: " God forbid ! yea, 
 
108 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 we establish the law," He insists upon it that 
 the doctrine of justification by faith in the 
 Redeemer, and by that alone, is a wholesome 
 doctrine, has no licentious tendency what- 
 ever, but is the very doctrine which honours 
 the law, and secures its best obedience. 
 
 And now, going in the wake of the Apostle, 
 I wish, before laying before you the uses of 
 the law, to give a bird's eye view of the doc- 
 trine of justification. In the matter of the sin- 
 ner's acceptance with God, we firmly believe 
 that good works form no part whatever — " the 
 death of Christ must still remain, sufficient 
 and alone." If the sinner were a thousand 
 times better than he is, that would be no 
 ground of hope ; if he were a thousand times 
 worse than he is, that need be no ground of 
 despair ; for, mark, if he were a thousand times 
 better than he is, he never could be saved 
 without coming to Christ'; if a thousand times 
 worse than he is, coming to Christ, in the over- 
 flowings of a penitent and believing heart, he 
 would, immediately, be encircled in the arms 
 of God's parental and forgiving love. So that, 
 (and I repeat it,) in the matter of the sinner's 
 acceptance with God, (so far as merit in the 
 sinner is concerned,) good works form no part 
 whatever. " The death of Christ must still 
 remain sufficient and alone." Do any charge 
 me with Antinomian sentiments, and say, " O, 
 sir, is not that a dangerous doctrine?" I repel 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 109 
 
 the charge, as the apostl6 did, with holy in- 
 dignation. Do we then make void the law 
 through faith ? God forbid ! Yea, we establish 
 the law : we insist upon it, that the doctrine of 
 justification, bj»the righteousness of Christ, 
 and that alone, is most wholesome, and is the ' 
 very doctrine which prompts to the best obe- 
 dience. Do you ask, how? I answer in this 
 way : — The sinner is awakened. Finding him- 
 self under the curse of God's righteous law, he 
 is alarmed, and goes about to make satisfac- 
 tion, to establish his own righteousness; in 
 other words, he tries to save himself After 
 many efforts, finding no relief in that way, he 
 comes to the conviction that he is indeed a 
 poor, lost, ruined sinner; and when he is 
 ready to give up, and thinks that there is no 
 hope for him, then Christ is revealed in his 
 heart, the hope of glory; the effect is, Christ 
 becomes precious! — love becomes the ruling 
 passion of the soul; and we all know, that 
 love willmake us do what nothing else possi- 
 bly can. Do we then make void the law, 
 through faith ? God forbid! Yea, we establish 
 the law. But some one may then say, " If 
 justification cannot come by the law, wherefore 
 then serveth the law?" Should I say that food 
 cannot clothe us, do I say that food is of no 
 use ? Should I say that clothing cannot feed 
 us, am I crying down the use of clothing ? Cer- 
 tainly not. Every thing is good~ in its own 
 
110 REVIVAL .SERMONS. 
 
 place, and for its own use. Even so in the 
 case before us. Faith serves to justify the soul 
 before God, and good works serve to justify 
 faith before men. In other words, one is the 
 fruit-bearing tree; the other the fruit itself, 
 which this good tree bears. Havinsr given this 
 brief bird's-eye view of the doctrine of justifica- 
 tion, I proceed next to lay before you some of 
 the most important uses of the law. 
 
 1. One important use of the law is to declare 
 the sovereignty of God: — to assert his supreme 
 and everlasting dominion over us. Some mi- 
 nute philosophers, after descanting upon the 
 amplitude and wonders of creation, tell us, 
 that "man is but an atom of an atom world," 
 a,nd therefore too insignificant to be noticed by 
 the great God ; but, let it be remembered, that 
 there is, so to speak, a twofold universe; a uni- 
 verse of worlds and systems, and also a universe 
 of minute existences — animalcules, for exam- 
 ple, so exceedingly minute, that it would re- 
 quire a thousand of them to occupy the space 
 of a grain of sand ! And now, if, in comparison 
 with the one universe, man dwindles into in- 
 significance and becomes "an atom of an atom 
 world ;" in comparison with the Other universe, 
 man rises into vast importance — becomes a 
 giant, a colossus, a world, a universe in him- 
 self, and therefore worthy of notice — the mi- 
 nute philosopher himself being judge. But 
 this matter apart : the law itself proves, that, 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. Ill 
 
 however insignificant man is, in comparison 
 with the immensity of the w^orks of God, he is 
 deemed of sufficient importance to be made the 
 subject of divine legislation. The very ex- 
 istence of the law proves this ; whilst its com- 
 pass makes known God's determination to em- 
 brace all men, and all their actions; and its 
 spirituality, proves the purpose of God to lay 
 his hand upon the very springs of action. 
 And, to crown the whole, the penalty of the 
 law shows the divine determination to notice 
 every violation of the law, and to suff'er it in 
 no case to be trampled upon w^ith impunity. 
 My brethren, it is a good thing to have the 
 sceptre of the God of heaven over us; but a 
 still better thing, if possible, to know that this 
 sceptre is over us. Now this law is a standing 
 memorial of the fact : it declares, that God is 
 our Sovereign ; that we are recognized as the 
 subjects of his moral government ; and that we 
 should act accordingly. Certainly this is a 
 very important and most excellent use of the 
 law. 
 
 2. A second Bnd very important use of the 
 law, is to furnish a perfect code of moral pre- 
 cepts ; and that it is perfect, we have demon- 
 strated, as we think, in our first discourse.* 
 But the evidence thereof may also be seen in 
 the very remarkable fact, that no one, so far as 
 
 * See page 18. 
 
112 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 I know, has ever suggested an amendment. 
 Our representatives in Congress, embracing 
 the collected wisdom of the nation, are annu- 
 ally engaged in making laws, and amending 
 and repealing them, and making new laws : 
 but here we have a code of laws given more 
 than three thousand years 'ago, and, if I mis- 
 take not, no enlightened, and virtuous man has 
 ever desired their amendment or repeal. In 
 this point of view, then, the moral law as 
 given in the Bible, is of great use, of immense 
 value. 
 
 3. Another important use of the law is to. curb 
 the wicked — to hold them in check. The pro- 
 hibitions of the law are as so many mountain 
 barriers placed in the way of the transgressor; 
 and when these barriers are passed, then comes 
 the penalty of the law, like some mighty angel 
 standing in the path of the transgressor, with 
 a drawn sword in his hand, threatening • to 
 cleave him down, and thunderino- in his ear at 
 every step the much needed warning — "Stand 
 in awe and sin not !" But, 
 
 4. The law is of use to convince the sinner 
 that he is a sinner, a great sinner, lost, ruined, 
 and undone. " By the law," says the apostle, 
 "is the knowledge of sin." It may be con- 
 sidered as a mirror, in which the sinner sees 
 the defects and obliquities of his own moral 
 character; or, as a kind of balance, in which 
 sinners and their actions are weighed and 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 113 
 
 found wanting'. Now, let any candid man 
 take the ten commandments — let him read 
 them all over carefully; and, reviewing his life, 
 let him say, if he can, "All these command- 
 ments I have strictly kept, from my youth up; 
 I have broken not one." No, he cannot, but 
 must rather say, with Job — " If I justify my- 
 self, mine own mouth shall condemn me : If I 
 say I am perfect, it shall also prove me per- 
 verse." But the law is of use, not only to 
 convince the sinner that he is a sinner, but 
 that he is a great sinner ; that his- sins are very 
 numerous, ^and of great magnitude ; only let 
 him take the law of the ten commandments, 
 and read it, in connexion with our Saviour's 
 sermon upon the mount, expounding its ex- 
 tent and spirituality; and, if I mistake not, he 
 will have such views of himself as he never 
 had before. Sins of omission and sins of 
 commission; sins of thought, of word, and of 
 deed, how very many ! And, ! if the Spirit 
 of God should pour light upon the mind of 
 the sinner, and set home the claims of the law 
 upon his conscience with divine power, me- 
 thinkg" he will' better understand the lanornaofe 
 of Eliphaz to Job: "Is not thy wickedness 
 great? and thine iniquities infinite?" — " I was 
 alive without the law, once," says the apostle, 
 "but when the commandment came, sin re- 
 vived, and I died." Time was, when he 
 thought himself no great sinner; "his hopes 
 
114 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 of heaven were firm and bright," but when 
 the commandment came, with a convincing 
 power and Ught, his views were changed, and 
 he had to confess himself to be a great sinner, 
 yea, even the cliief of sinners. The language 
 of the poet, I presume, many in this assembly 
 can well understand. 
 
 " My sins appeared, but small before, 
 
 'Till terribly I saw 
 How perfect, holy, just, and pure, 
 
 Was thine eternal law. 
 Then felt my soul the heavy load, 
 
 My sins revived again ; 
 I had provoked a dreadful God, ' . 
 
 And all my hopes were slain !" 
 
 But the law is of use to convince the sinner 
 that he is a great sinner, by its dreadful penal- 
 ty. In human legislation, it is deemed a mat- 
 ter of vital importance to proportion, as far as 
 possible, the punishment to the offence; and 
 if this principle be flagrantly violated, all cry 
 out against the law. For exam,ple : suppose 
 the legislature of this State should make a law 
 of this kind, that whoever shall.be convicted 
 of murder, in the first degree, shall be fined 
 one dollar, and imprisoned one hour. Would 
 not all .cry out against that law? — and why? 
 Because the proportion between the punish- 
 ment and the offence is not maintained. What! 
 the penalty for wilful murder only one dollar 
 fine, and one hour imprisonment! This will 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 115 
 
 never do. Well, suppose, at the next session 
 of the legislature this law should be repealed, 
 and a law of this kind enacted: — If a person 
 shall defraud another to the amount of five 
 dollars, upon conviction thereof, he shall suf- 
 fer death, without benefit of clergy ? Would 
 not all intelligent persons throughout the State 
 cry out against this law also? — and why? For 
 the same reason as in the other case — the 
 principle of proportioning the punishment to 
 the offence is not regarded. Now, if this prin- 
 ciple be important in human governments, 
 why may it not be in the divine ? The Ruler 
 of the universe must certainly fully under- 
 stand this matter, and be aware of its immense 
 importance. And now, what is the penalty of 
 the, divine law? " The soul that sinneth, it 
 shall die." " Indignation and wTath, tribula- 
 tion and anguish upon every soul of man that 
 sinneth." " Cursed is every one that con- 
 tinueth not in all things written in the book 
 of the law, to do them." That is, according to 
 the Scriptures, every sin deserves the wTath 
 •and curse of God, both in this life and that 
 w^hich is to come ; or, in other words, everlast- 
 ing perdition is the penalty of God's violated 
 law. This, my brethren, is an awful penalty. 
 Now, then, if the sinner be not a great sinner, 
 one of two things must be true — either that 
 God lacks understanding, or, he is a malig- 
 nant Being ! Certainly he does not lack un- 
 
116 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 derstanding, for he is the " Only Wise God." 
 He cannot lack understanding, for is he not 
 the Tinoriginat^d Source of all intelligence? 
 No ! no ! his understanding is infinite. He 
 knows precisely the true demerit of sin, and 
 he knows perfectly how to proportion the 
 punishment to the offence; this must be ad- 
 mitted by all: then, if the sinner still denies 
 that he is a great sinner, he must come to this 
 frightful and blasphemous conclusion, that 
 God, knowing full well how to proportion the 
 punishment to the offence, fixes the penalty 
 vastly beyond what he knows to be just ! O ! 
 my friends, this cannot be, for God is Love, 
 and he has . given the most affecting proof of 
 his kind regards for man, by sending his only 
 begotten and well-beloved Son to die for our 
 sinful race. God, then, being infinitely wise, 
 and knowing precisely what sin deserves — be- 
 ing infinitely good, and having no disposition 
 to make the penalty too severe, it follows ne- 
 cessarily, that, whether the sinner is convinced 
 of it or not, in the sight of God he is a great 
 sinner, an awful sinner, a hell-deserving sin- 
 ner ! 
 
 There are several reasons why the sinner 
 may not be sensible of the exceeding sinfulness 
 of sin, and consequently -of his own demerit as 
 a sinner. 1. He knows not the excellence of 
 the law which he has violated. The more ex- 
 cellent a law is, and the more intimately con- 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 117 
 
 nected it may be, with matters of vital im- 
 portance, the greater is the crime of violating 
 that law. To illustrate my meaning: In the 
 world of nature, the principle of gravitation is 
 a principle of vital importance, causing all 
 worlds and things to maintain their proper 
 stations, and move in beauteous and delightful 
 harmony. Now, suppose a blow could be 
 given to that principle of gravitation, derang- 
 ing the harmony of all worlds, and causing 
 worlds and systems to dash together in wild 
 confusion; would not that blow, thus given, 
 and thus operating, be a very serious matter ? 
 Now, let it be remembered, that what the 
 principle of gravitation is in the natural world, 
 the principle of love is in the moral world — 
 that which binds every thing in harmony with 
 each other, and all to the throne of God ; there- 
 fore, all the requirements of the law, being 
 summed up in love, as the Saviour teaches, 
 sin, which breaks the law, of course strikes a 
 blow at this principle of moral harmony; and, 
 O ! in the frightful history of human depravity, 
 and in the present sad condition of our fallen 
 world, we have an exhibition of the nature of 
 sin, showing that, of a truth, it is no light mat- 
 ter, but is an evil of unspeakable magnitude. It 
 wars against love, and against the well-being 
 and happiness of all the creatures which God 
 has made. 
 
 Another reason why the sinner may not be 
 
118. REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 duly conscious of the fact, is this, that he does 
 not reflect, as he should, upon the character of 
 that Beinof ag^ainst whom his sin is committed. 
 It is not against a man, a worm like our- 
 selves, nor an angel, but against the great God 
 of heaven and earth, to whom also we are 
 indebted for our existence, and every blessing, 
 that he has sinned; as the Psalmist says, 
 " Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and 
 done this evil in thy sight, that thou mightest 
 be justified when thou speakest ; and be clear 
 when thou judgest." If a man strike a blow at 
 another, it is a violation of law, and deserves 
 punishment; if the person who was struck was 
 a master, or a father, venerable by reason of 
 silvery locks and hoary age, the offence is 
 greater, and deserves a severer punishment. 
 But suppose the person upon whom the blow 
 was inflicted, to be a king, a lawful monarch 
 upon his throne, in robes of royalty — certainly 
 the offence would be still greater, and the 
 punishment deserved, still more condign: thus 
 the criminality of the act and its punishment 
 must be graduated by the character or the dig- 
 nity of the person against whom the offence has 
 been committed. Now, sin strikes a blow at 
 the Eternal God ! our Heavenly Father, our 
 Divine Master, the Ancient of Days, and the 
 alone Monarch of all worlds. Yes, sin strikes 
 a blow at this great and glorious Being ; pour- 
 ing contempt upon all the perfections of his 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 119 
 
 character, and doing what it can to lay his 
 sacred honours in the dust. Now, if the prin- 
 ciple of graduation be correct, (and certainly it 
 is,) then, God being an infinite being, sin against 
 him is an offence of infinite magnitude, and de- 
 serving of infinite punishment. 
 
 But, yet another reason why the sinner may 
 not understand the exceeding sinfulness of sin-, 
 and his own demerit, is this— he does not think 
 how much evil may flow from one sinful act. 
 " Behold, how great a matter a little fire kind- 
 leth !" A single spark of fire may be consid- 
 ered a small matter, but let it be struck, in a 
 magazine of gunpowder, or let it kindle upon a 
 dwelling, in a large city, and it may extend, 
 and extend, and extend, until the whole city is 
 laid in ruins ! Here is a lake, having a smooth 
 surface ; a stone is cast into that lake ; ripples 
 are formed, and their concentric circles spread, 
 and spread, and spread, until, perchance, they 
 sweep the farthest shore ! Here are a thousand 
 crystal pillars, of immense value, upon a level 
 plain, all standing in a row. An impulse is 
 given ^to the first, which tlirows it down; in fall- 
 ing, that pillar strikes a second, and that, in 
 falling, strikes a third ; and so on to the last — 
 and lo ! a thousand crystal pillars lie shattered 
 upon the ground, all traced to the single im- 
 pulse given to the first pillar ! Here is a man, 
 a father; in the presence of his little boy, he 
 utters an oath ; that little boy catches that oath 
 
120 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 from his father's lips— 'he becomes profane — 
 and, through all time profaneness is handed 
 down, it may be, from generation to generation, 
 until it leads, perchance, to the perdition of a 
 hundred thousand souls ! O ! think of the 
 frightful consequences of the first sin commit- 
 ted by the first human pair. One poet says, 
 and very correctly, 
 
 " Our mother took the poisoned fruit, 
 ' And tainted all our blood." 
 
 And another, graphically says, 
 
 " her rash hand in evil hour, 
 
 Forth reaching to the fruit, she plucked, she ate ! 
 Earth felt the wound ! and Nature, from her seat. 
 Sighing through all her works, gave signs of woe ! 
 That all was lost !" 
 
 No man knows, or can know, all the bearings 
 and ultimate effects of sin; .for the consequen- 
 ces thereof, may not only flow down the long 
 stream of- time, but, through the wide ocean of 
 eternity ! . The fact is, it is none but God who 
 knows, or can know, what a dreadful evil sin 
 is! In fixing the penalty of the law he has 
 given his estimate of it. This is his judgment, 
 and we are sure his judgment is true. Of 
 course, then, vv^hether the sinner be sensible of 
 it or not, he is a great sinner. O excellent use 
 of the law, to convince the sinner that tremen- 
 dous guilt lies upon his soul ! This conviction 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 121 
 
 is wholesome ; this conviction is necessary ; — 
 for, if not convinced of our sin, we shall never 
 feel as we should our need of a Saviour. "The 
 whole," says the Saviour, " have no need of a 
 physician, but they that are sick." " I came 
 not to call the righteous, but sinners to repent- 
 anccw" Be entreated then, my unconverted 
 friends, not to' brace yourselves up against con- 
 viction. Be willing to know the truth, how- 
 ever it may startle you, and humble you, and 
 lay your soul in the dust; — for, thank God, "it 
 is a faithful saying and worthy of all accepta- 
 tion, that Christ Jesus came into the world to 
 to save sinners" — even the chief. But, to pro- 
 ceed. In speaking of the claims and penalties 
 of the law, some may object to its severity, in 
 several things. For example, when they hear 
 the sentence denounced, " Cursed is every one 
 that continueth not in all things written in the 
 book of the law, to do them;" — perceiving that 
 the "moral man," so called, if a sinner at all, 
 is as truly brought under the curse of the law 
 as the greatest transgressor, they think that 
 this is not just. What! one single sin expos- 
 ing the soul to the penalty of the law? Yes, 
 certainly, in the very nature of the case, this 
 must be so. Here is a man who has burned 
 down the house of his neighbour. He is arrest- 
 ed, he is convicted of the crime of arson. What 
 is the penalty for arson in this commonwealth? 
 Is it imprisonment? or is it death? No matter 
 
 9 
 
122 REVIVAL SERMOI^S. 
 
 what it is, the person convicted of burning 
 down one house, is as certainly exposed to the 
 penalty, as if he had burned down a thousand. 
 Now, if this principle is admitted to be correct 
 in human law, why should it not also be deem- 
 ed correct in the divine law ? Besides, does not 
 the apostle James say, " He that offendeth in 
 one point, is guilty of all?" If one link in a 
 chain be broken, the chain as certainly falls to 
 th-e ground as if every link had been broken. 
 I do not say that the pangs of the second death 
 will be as great for one transgressor as for 
 another; but it is certain, that the second 
 death awaits every transgressor, according to 
 the provisions of the law, for we repeat dt, it 
 is written, and it must stand for ever, " Cursed 
 is every one that continueth not in all things 
 written in the book of the law to do them." 
 
 Another objection is based upon the doctrine 
 of everlasting punishment, which the law de- 
 nounces. The point of the objection is this : — 
 that a person should be everlastingly punished 
 in the world to come, for the sins committed 
 in this brief state of existence. "There is 
 no proportion," says the objector, " between 
 the time occupied in the commission of sin, 
 and the duration of the punishment." And 
 is there any reference to the time occupied in 
 human law? Here is a man who draws a 
 pistol, fires it, and, in one second of time, 
 his enemy falls dead at his feet! He is ar- 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 123 
 
 rested-— lie ' is' tried for wilful murder : — all 
 the ■\^itnesses agree that he did fire the pistol, 
 and did thus murder the man. Now, the 
 lawyer rises to plead for his client at the 
 bar, — and some of these lawyers, w^e know, 
 are very learned and ingenious — but did you 
 ever hear a sins^le lawver brincr forward an 
 argument of this kind? — "May it please the 
 court, my client stands indicted on a charge 
 of murder; I admit that my client did mur- 
 der the- deceased, but I wish your honour 
 and the gentlemen of the jury to notice, that 
 it did not take my client twenty years to 
 perpetrate the deed ; nor ten — nor even one ! 
 It was the work of a second. I hope the 
 court will perceive that the offence is a tri- 
 fling one, and that your honour, without 
 further delay, will direct the sheriff to dis- 
 miss the jury !" Did you ever hear of any 
 lawyer, learned or not, make a speech of this 
 kind? I suspect not. Well, the judge gives 
 the charge. Did you ever hear a judge give 
 a charge of this kind : — " Gentlemen of the 
 jury, you have heard the testimony and . all 
 the pleadings in- the present case; and now, 
 it only remains for me to give you the 
 charge. Gentlemen of the jury, two points 
 will engage your attention. First — matter of 
 fact. Secondly, matter of law. With regard 
 to the first point — you have heard the tes- 
 timony of the witnesses, and the case is ad- 
 
124 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 mitted, even by the counsel for the prisoner 
 to be clear; he murdered the man, and now 
 it only remains for me to instruct you, in 
 the matter of the lav^." Gentlemen of the 
 jury, you are to inquire, diligently, how 
 long it took the prisoner at the bar to mur- 
 der the deceased. If it took him twenty 
 years, it is a great -.offence against the • law, 
 and calls for a heavy punishment. If it took 
 him ten years, it is only half as great an 
 offence, and deserves only half that punish- 
 ment. If it took one year, it is only one- 
 twentieth part as serious an offence; but if 
 you find evidence to believe that the perpe- 
 tration of the deed occupied no more than 
 a second of time, it is a matter of no conse- 
 quence at all, and you will clear the pri- 
 
 soner 
 
 I" 
 
 Did you ever hear, my brethren, of any 
 learned judge giving a charge of this kind? 
 He had better not. It would be a rightful 
 ground of impeachment. Human law lays no 
 stress upon the time occupied in the violation 
 of the law, the simple question is, touching 
 the fact of violation : — that fact established, the 
 penalty follows as a matter of course, whether 
 the time occupied has been long or short. If 
 this principle be correct in human law, why 
 may it not also be correct in that law which is 
 divine? But, farther : does not the law of the 
 land also, in many cases, recognize and act 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 125 
 
 upon the principle of everlasting punishment? 
 Here is a man convicted of murder, and he is 
 sentenced to die. Do you ever see him at the 
 ballot-box any more? Do you ever see him 
 on the street, in the store, at the neighbour's 
 house, or even at his own home any more? 
 The other day he was a freeman, and in- 
 vested with all the rights and privileges of 
 a good citizen, but, by the latv of the land, 
 he is stripped of these rights and privileges, 
 and stripped of them for ever. But take 
 another case — the case of confinement for life 
 in the penitentiary. The man is there! if he 
 lives five years, he is there five years ! if he 
 lives ten years, he is thiere ten years! if he 
 lives twenty, thirty, forty, fifty years, he is 
 there still, and never comes out. The idea is 
 this : human law was made for the body. It 
 grasps the body of the offender, as it were^ 
 with an iron grasp, and never lets go so long 
 as it can retain its grasp, that is, until the 
 body dies. Even so the di\dne law, made for 
 the soul, grasps the soul, and will not let go, 
 so long as it can retain its grasp ; that is, until 
 the "soul dies : but the soul never dies, there- 
 fore the punishment is everlasting. 
 
 This is an argument which, I humbly con- 
 ceive, cannot be set aside by the wit or inge- 
 nuity of any man, especially as it falls in with 
 the solemn declaration of our blessed Saviour, 
 " Where their worm dieth not, and the fire 
 
126 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 is not quenched." Another idea connected 
 with the subject is this, that those who die 
 in an unregenerate state go to the world of 
 woe, with the carnal mind which is enmity 
 against God. They will, according to the 
 Scriptures, blaspheme the God of heaven, be- 
 cause of their pains, and repent not; that is, 
 they will continue to sin, and if they continue 
 to sin, may not God continue to punish them? 
 Kemember the closing words of the twenty- 
 fifth chapter of Matthew : " These," (the wick- 
 ed,) "shall go away into everlasting punish- 
 ment, but the righteous into life eternal." Let 
 none trifle with matters of such immense im- 
 portance. Go, careless sinner ! trifle with the 
 forked lightning ! Go, trifle with the sweep- 
 ing whirlwind ! and trifle with the raging pes- 
 tilence ! but trifle not, O trifle not, with the 
 interests of that immortal soid of yours, which 
 must be saved or lost, happy or miserable, 
 through all eternity ! 
 
 But, as w^e have said, the law is of use to 
 convince the sinner not only that he is a sin- 
 ner, and a very great sinner, but that he is 
 also a sinner lost, ruined, and undone. The 
 argument is this: the law demands perfect 
 obedience. The penalty is death. The sinner 
 has broken the law, and the law thunders out, 
 "Satisfaction or death;" but the sinner can 
 make no satisfaction. Repentance will not do. 
 Will the merchant take tears in payment for 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 127 
 
 M'hat is due him ? or will repentance release 
 the murderer, under sentence of death? Nor 
 will reformation answer. If the debtor says to 
 the merchant creditor, "If you will cancel my 
 debt I will get in your debt no more ; I will 
 turn over a new leaf, and will pay cash, in all 
 time to come?" Will that satisfy the mer- 
 chant?' Or, if the murderer condemned to die, 
 should say to the judge who has pronounced 
 the sentence, " I will commit murder no more;" 
 will this satisfy the judge, or rather the law, 
 of which he is but the organ? O no! if all 
 debtors were released, and all criminals par- 
 doned on these terms, the very foundations of 
 society would be broken up, and the most im- 
 portant affairs of human life would be thrown 
 into perfect confusion, and the consequences to 
 the community would be most alarming. No, 
 my brethren, sin is too dreadful an evil, too 
 terrible in its tendencies, for God to treat it as 
 a venial affair. For the good of the universe 
 the law must speak this language — " Satisfac- 
 tion or death." The sinner himself can make 
 no satisfaction — then the sinner stands exposed 
 to the penalty, like the culprit whose head is 
 upon the block is exposed to the axe of the 
 executioner. 
 
 But this leads me to mention yet another 
 use of the law, ^nd one which I love to men- 
 tion — it is this: — To convince the sinner that 
 he needs a saviour, and without an interest in 
 
128 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 the atoning sacrifice of the great Redeemer, 
 he must perish, without mercy and without 
 hope! "The law,'^ says the Apostle, "is a 
 schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. All its 
 precepts and all its penalties — all its lightnings 
 and all its thunders, have a direct and power- 
 ful tendency to cut the siimer off from all his 
 self-righteous plans and self-righteous depen- 
 dence, and to shut him up to the plan proposed 
 in the gospel. It may be represented thus : — 
 The law finds the sinner careless and secure in 
 his sins; setting before the sinner its claims 
 and penalties, it charges home guilt upon his 
 soul. The sinner^ waking up in alarm, pro- 
 mises repentance. "How can tears on earth 
 wash out those sins written in heaven?" says 
 the law. " Pay what thou owest ! The soul 
 that sinneth, it shall die!" "0 spare me," 
 cries the sinner, "I will not only repent of 
 my sins, but I will reform. I will becom'e a 
 better man." "All in vain," says the law, "a 
 better sacrifice is required ; without the shed- 
 ding of blood, there is no remission." " O, 
 well," says the sinner, yet more alarmed, "if 
 it must be so, I consent;-! am willing to lay 
 down my life as an atonement for my sins!" 
 " Neither will this answer," says the law. — 
 "You have sinned against an infinite^God, and 
 divine justice demands an infinite atoneinent, 
 or death. Thou canst not make this -atone- 
 ment ; then prepare for death. Now hear your 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 129 
 
 sentence — Cursed is every one that continueth 
 not in all things written in the book of the law 
 to do them!" 0, dreadful! the sinner is con- 
 demned ! is sentenced to eternal death ! What 
 is to be done? Let him cry for mercy! The 
 law knows no mercy; stern and inexorable, it 
 still rolls its thunders over the sinner's soul, 
 "Cursed is ev^ry one that continueth not in all 
 things written in the book of the law, to do 
 them." And now all the sinner's legal plans 
 and legal hopes are fled, and fled forever ! Un- 
 der the curse of God's righteous law, he is 
 sinking down — sinking down ! Despair is 
 gathering its terrors around him ! and now he 
 gives himself up for lost. But, hark! what 
 sweet voice is that? — " Poor sinner ! dying sin- 
 ner ! look from the borders of the pit to my 
 recovering grace!" — "Is this thy voice, my 
 Saviour! my loving, bleeding, dying Lord?" 
 says the sinner. "Welcome, welcome, dear Re- 
 deemer! welcome to this heart of mine. O 
 blessed Saviour, I take thee on thy terms, on 
 any terms — 
 
 'Here Lord I give myself away, 
 Tis all that I can do.'" 
 
 A stern master, as the story goes, had, by his 
 repeated corrections, embittered the life of a 
 poor slave. This poor slave sought comfort in 
 religion, and found it. Laid upon a bed of 
 death, he was very happy; ready to depart, and 
 
130 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 to be with Christ, which was' far better. At 
 this moment his stern master stepped into his 
 room, and stood near his dying bed. The 
 dying slave perceived his master, and, with 
 much emotion, grasped his master's hand, and 
 brought it to his Kps, and kissed it, saying, 
 "Blessings upon this hand! Blessings upon 
 this hand! This hand has saved my soul!" 
 So, the sinner brought to Christ by the terrors 
 of the law, may say, " Blessings upon the law ! 
 Blessings upon the law ! It was stern and 
 severe — it -humbled me, it scourged me — it 
 taught ihe that I was a sinner, a great sinner, 
 a sinner lost, ruined and undone — it made me 
 feel my need of a Saviour — it wa& a school- 
 mastet to bring me to Christ ! Blessings upon 
 the law! in this w^ay it has saved my soul!" 
 May the law do its office upon the heart of 
 every sinner in this assembly this morning. 
 Amen, and Amen ! 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 131 
 
 SERMON V. 
 
 THE SINNER WEIGHED AND FOUND WANTING. 
 
 Daniel v. 27. — Tekel ; tliou art weighed in the balances, and art 
 found wanting. 
 
 Amidst the darkness of heatlienisli ignorance 
 and superstition, there have not been wanting 
 plain and unequivocal evidences of a superin- 
 tending and retributive Providence. Pharaoh 
 was visited with memorable judgments for re- 
 fusing to let the children of Israel go; and 
 history informs us, that not only Belshazzar, 
 (to whom the words of our text immediately 
 apply,) but Antiochus Epiphanes, Galerius 
 Maximus, and many others, were signally pun- 
 ished for their daring impiety. With regard 
 to Belshazzar, he was a most dissolute monarch. 
 Neglecting the affairs of his empire, he gave 
 himself up to every excess of riot and de- 
 bauchery : but the measure of his iniquity was 
 now full. The period was at last arrived, 
 when he should reckon with his God. On 
 one of the national festivals, (supposed to be in 
 honour of the golden image which had been 
 set up by Nebuchadnezzar in the plains of 
 Dura,) Belshazzar, the king, we are tol(^, made a 
 great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank 
 
132 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 vv^ine before the thousand; and, as if it were not 
 enough that he should be a bacclianaUan, he 
 must needs add sacrilege to his intemperance. 
 In the midst of his banquetings, he orders the 
 golden vessels, which had been brought from 
 Jerusalem, and placed in the temple of Belus, 
 in Babylon — he orders, I say, these golden ves- 
 sels to be brought into the banqueting room, 
 that his princes, his wives, and his concubines 
 might drink wine therein ; thus turning to a 
 profane use those vessels which had been con- 
 secrated, and set apart for the most sacred pur- 
 poses. But there was a righteous God on high ! 
 There was an avenging angel just at hand ! 
 
 Whilst Belshazzar was thus making an os- 
 tentatious parade of his wealth and grandeur ; 
 whilst he was drinking wine to gods of gold, 
 and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of 
 stone — in the midst of his revellings, banquet- 
 ings, and abominable idolatries — in the very 
 same hour of the night, came forth fingers of a 
 man's hand, and wrote over against the candle- • 
 stick, upon the plaster of the wall of the king's 
 palace. The king saw it, and his countenance 
 was changed, and his thoughts troubled him. 
 The king saw it; and the joints of his loins 
 were loosed, and his knees smote one against 
 another. The king saw it; and he cried out 
 in alarm, and commanded to bring in the astro- 
 logers, the Chaldeans, and the sooth-sayers. — 
 They came; they saw the writing, but they 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 133 
 
 could neither read it nor give the interpretation 
 thereof. At length, by the advice of the queen 
 mother^ Daniel is called in. He read the writ- 
 ing ; he gave the interpretation thereof. The 
 words are few, but, indeed, they are full of ter- 
 ror ! — " Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin." One 
 of which we have selected for our considera- 
 tion, " Tekel ;" the meaning of which is — 
 "T1k)u art weighed in the balances, and art 
 found wanting. "How dreadful the interpreta- 
 tion ! Weighed in the balances and found 
 wanting ! Alas ! the trial is over; the decisiou 
 is made ; the sentence is gone forth ; and all 
 this announced in a manner so awful — so mys- 
 terious! Methinks it fell upon Belshazzar's 
 ear, as the sudden pealing thunder of a mid- 
 night storm! Hushed is the voice of mirth. 
 Silent the song of revelry. The king and his 
 courtiers, stupified with amazement, await in 
 awful suspense, the unseen but hovering judg- 
 ment. For a moment the palace, which had 
 been ringing with all manner of music, and 
 the songs of mirth and revelry, is wrapt in the 
 solitude and silence of the grave. Suddenly 
 the silence is broken. The voice of alarm 
 rings along the streets ! It is the clashing of 
 arms ; the shrieks of the wounded — the groans 
 of the dying, commingled with the thundering 
 shouts of a victorious foe. The Lord God 
 Almighty has opened to Cyrus the gates of 
 brass, and has broken in sunder the bars of iron. 
 
134 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 Babylon is taken ! ' Soldiers crowd into the 
 palace — Belshazzar is slain. O ! disastrous 
 night; where is Belshazzar's pomp and glory 
 now ? He \\!^as flushed with wine ; but he is 
 now icy cold in death ! His royal robes, of 
 gold and purple, are torn and rolled in his own 
 blood. The impious monarch, in the midst of 
 his bacchanalian debanch is hurried to the bar 
 of a thrice holy God. You tremble, perchance, 
 at the doom which awaits him. O sinner ! sin- 
 ner ! think of Belshazzar, and be wdse. Are 
 you shocked that I should insinuate a compari- 
 son between you and this wicked king ? Re- 
 member you live in a gospel land ; Belshazzar 
 lived not in a gospel land. You have a Bible ; 
 Belshazzar had no blessed Bible. You have 
 heard of the dear dying Saviour; Belshazzar 
 never heard of this great Legate from the skies. 
 And remember, you must be weighed in the 
 balances too, and what though you be not found 
 as much wanting as Belshazzar, if found want- 
 ing at all, in the great day of judgment, you 
 will be for ever undone. " My purpose is, not to 
 sketch the character of this impious and idola- 
 trous king — but to bring forward two classes of 
 characters, and weigh them in the balances of 
 the sanctuary. The first class of characters 
 will embrace those who are heterodox in senti- 
 ment — those who embrace some- fundamental 
 error. The second class will consist of those 
 who may be very orthodox or correct in senti- 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 135 
 
 merit, but are not so in practice. All these we 
 purpose now to weigh in the balances of the 
 sanctuary— and, let it be remembered, it does 
 not need the forms and solemnities of the judg- 
 ment day to ascertain any given character. 
 Here, in the Scriptures before me, we have the 
 balances of the sanctuary; and, if weighed in 
 these, and fcmnd wanting, you may be as sure 
 it is according to the decision of Heaven, as if 
 it w^ere actually announced, in a voice of thun- 
 der from the throne of the Great Eternal! To 
 the law and to the testimony, if it speak not 
 according to this, it is because there is no light 
 in them. 
 
 Class I. Those who are heterodox in senti- 
 ment, or those who ftubrace, fundamental error. 
 
 1. The Atheist. — When we look abroad upon 
 the heavens, and mark the garniture of the sky 
 — when w^e contemplate our own bodies, so 
 fearfully and wonderfully made ; or when we 
 look around, and observe the proofs of design 
 on every hand, it really seems astonishing that 
 any man in his senses should deny the exist- 
 ence of a God. But, as Spinoza, and Vaninni, 
 and several members of the French Convention 
 advocated atheistical sentiments, w^e are dis- 
 posed to believe that some persons, in the 
 plenitude of . their pride, may, peradventure, 
 persuade themselvfes that there is no God. 
 Now, on the supposition that there is such a 
 character, let the atheist be weighed in the 
 
136 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 balances of the sanctuary. What says the 
 Psalmist? "The fool hath said in his heart, 
 There is no God." Ps. xiv. 1. And this is 
 condemnatory;- but what is the language of 
 Paul, in his epistle to the Romans? — "The 
 invisible things of him, from the creation of 
 the world, are clearly seen, being understood 
 by the things that are made, even his eternal 
 power., and Godhead, so that they are without 
 excuse." Now, if atheists in pagan lands are 
 without excuse, certainly those who live amid 
 the splendours of gospel day are also without 
 excuse. The atheist, then, being weighed in 
 the balances, is found wanting. But, 
 
 2. Let the Deist next be placed in. the 
 balances. There have bdfen deists, no doubt, 
 in every age ; but this name was assumed by 
 certain persons in France and Italy, who, al- 
 though inclined to atheistical sentiments, chose 
 rather to be called deists. Deists differ in many 
 things, but agree in one particular, viz: in 
 rejecting the sacred Volume as a divine inspi- 
 ration. Now, to the law and to the testimony. 
 In Rev. xxii. 19, it is thus written — "If any 
 man shall take away from the words of the 
 book of this prophecy, God shall take away 
 his part out of the book of life, and out of the 
 holy city." But the deist, or infidel, takes away 
 not only a part — he takes away the whole of 
 God's blessed word. If this should meet the 
 eye of an infidel, or deist, he will, no doubt, be 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 137 
 
 disposed to smile at my simplicity — that I 
 should presume to weigh him in the balances 
 of the sanctuary. He rejects these balances, 
 which are suspended as it were from the throne 
 of Almighty God, and he would be weighed 
 in balances of his own— ^balance^ framed by 
 his own deceitful heart, and poised aloft by 
 Apollyon, the angel of the burning pit. De-r 
 luded mortal! How dost thou know that thy 
 balances are correct? What angel whispered it 
 in thine ear? To what high authority wilt 
 thou appeal ? Deluded mortal ! I ask again, 
 How dost thou know that thy balances are cor- 
 rect? Who stamped them? Now, these balances 
 of the sanctuary are divinely stamped. They 
 bear the stamp of prophecy ; the stamp of 
 miracles ; the stamp of holiness ; — they bear 
 many a clear stamp divine. If the balances of 
 the infidel be correct, how comes it to pass that 
 the champion of infidelity* recanted when he 
 was sick, and cried aloud in terror when he 
 died ? How comes it to pass that one in the 
 hour of death said — '* I am taking a leap into 
 the. dark ;t and another cried out — " O, the 
 insufferable pangs of hell and damnation."! 
 Ah ! my readers, you have heard, it may be, of 
 many an infidel recanting on a bed of death ; 
 did you ever hear of a Christian then recant- 
 ing ? You have heard, no doubt, of many an 
 
 * Voltaire. f Hobbes. ij: Francis Newport. 
 10 
 
138 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 infidel, when he was about to die, sending for 
 some Christian to comfort him. Did you ever 
 hear of a single Christian, in such circum- 
 stances, sending for some infidel to comfort 
 him? No, never! Infidels, and those asso- 
 ciated with them, are frequently seen going on, 
 right merrily, in the broad road, pointing the 
 finger of scorn at pilgrims in the narrow way ; 
 but whence is it, that when the river of death 
 heaves into sight, they are usually so desirous 
 of taking a short cut, to pass over at the Chris- 
 tian's fording place ? Why do they, generally, 
 not like their own fording place? Ah! too 
 many fearful things are there! Frequently 
 despair is there ! Remorse is there ! and heavy 
 clouds of wrath ! But, to the law and to the 
 testimony — ^hear the language of the Saviour, 
 and observe, it was uttered in his last inter- 
 view with his disciples, just as he was about to 
 ascend up into heaven — "Go ye into all the 
 world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 
 He that belie veth, and is baptized, shall be 
 saved; but he that belie veth not, shall be 
 damned." Mark xvi. 15, 16. The .case is set- 
 tled. The deist or infidel, dying in that state, 
 dies without hope ! 
 
 3. Let the Legalist be weighed next; and by 
 the legalist, I mean the self-righteous man, he 
 who, valuing himself on account of the supposed 
 excellence of his own moral character, feels no 
 need of a Saviour, and consequently, neglects 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 139 
 
 the great salvation. Doubtless there are some 
 of this class in this assembly. Let the legalist 
 then be placed in the balances. Now, " to the 
 law and to the testimony :" What has the le- 
 galist to weigh against the requirements, of the 
 law? Nothing, except it be a righteousness 
 absolutely perfect ; for it is written, " Cursed is 
 every one that continueth not in all things 
 written in the book of the law to do them." 
 And where is the man who has, strictly speak- ' 
 ing, continued in all things written in the book 
 of the law to do them ? In other words : where 
 is the individual who has .never sinned? There 
 is none upon the face of the earth, for the Bible 
 says expressly, *' There is not a just man upon 
 earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not." And 
 the apostle John says, "If we say we have no 
 sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not 
 in us." And again, in language yet more em- 
 phatic, "If we say that we have not sinned, 
 we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." 
 The legalist, then, has no perfect righteous- 
 ness of his own, and therefore has nothing to 
 weigh against the requirements of the law; 
 and what has he to weigh against the require- 
 ments of the gospel? Nothing, except it be 
 the imputed righteousness of the Lord Jesus. 
 Christ ; but this, you will observe, on his own 
 principles, he has nothing to do with. Then 
 see how the case stands. The legalist, or self- 
 righteous man, has nothing to weigh against 
 
140 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 the requirements of the law ; nor has he any- 
 thing- to weigh against the requirements of the 
 gospel. Alas ! alas ! self-righteous man ! Thou 
 art in an evil case; " thou art weighed in the 
 balances, and art found wanting." 
 
 4. Let the Universalist be next weighed in 
 the balances of the sanctuary. The Univer- 
 salist of the modern stamp believes that all, 
 no matter how wicked they may have been, 
 will go to heaven when they die. If so, why 
 did the Saviour say, " Except ye repent ye 
 shall all likewise perish." " He that belie veth 
 not shall be damned ;" and, " Except a man be 
 born ao^ain he cannot see the kingdom of 
 God." On the principles of the Universalist, 
 these solemn declarations of the Saviour have 
 no meaning at all; or, if they have, they mean 
 the very opposite of what they express, even 
 this — whether ye repent or not ye shall not 
 perish. He that believeth not, shall not be 
 damned; and, whether a man be born again 
 or not, he shall certainly see the kingdom of 
 God; aye, shall certainly reach heaven — all 
 Bible declarations to the contrary notwith- 
 standing. O! what awful trifling with the 
 Scriptures have we here ! But the Universal- 
 ist may say, the change required takes place 
 in death. Where is this doctrine taught in all 
 the Bible? Point me out the, chapter and the 
 verse, if you can ! Whilst nothing of that kind 
 can be found in all the sacred volume, we find 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 141 
 
 it thus written, " 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." Eccl. ix. 10. 
 Again, " The night cometh when no man can 
 work." Again, " He that is unjust let him be 
 unjust still, and he which is filthy. let him be 
 filthy still, and he that is righteous let him 
 be righteous still, and he that is holy let him 
 be holy still." Rev. xxii. 11. , And again, 
 " The rich man also died and was buried, and 
 in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in tor- 
 ments." Luke xvi. 23. But if these passages 
 may, by wit and ingenuity, be set aside, there 
 is one which certainly cannot, and I do think 
 it must settle the matter with modern Univer- 
 salists for ever. It is th6 language of the Sa- 
 viour, " If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall 
 die in your sins." We know that many do 
 not receive Christ as the Messiah. We know 
 that many do not believe in him at all. Now, 
 says the Saviour, " If ye believe not that I am 
 he, ye shall die in your sins;" and he that 
 xiies in sin, of course must perish. But whilst 
 there are many, very many other passages of 
 Scripture, fatal to the doctrine of universal 
 salvation, permit me to quote only two more. 
 " The hour cometh," says the Saviour, " when 
 all that are in their graves shall hear the voice 
 of the Son of God, and shall come forth; they 
 that have done good, to the resurrection of life. 
 
142 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 and they that have done evil, to the resurrec- 
 tion of damnation." John v. 29. The second 
 passage is found in Gen. vi. " And God saw 
 that the wickedness of man was great in 
 the earth, and that every imagination of the 
 thoughts of his heart was only evil continually, 
 and God said I will destroy man from the face 
 of the earth, but Noah, found grace in the eyes 
 of the Lord." Now, mark, God purposes to 
 give an awful display of his wrath and indig- 
 nation against the workers of iniquity, and, 
 at the same time, to show his special regard 
 for righteous Noah, w^ho had found grace in 
 his sight. And what does he do? Why, he 
 stretches forth the hand of his omnipotence, 
 breaks up the fountains of the ■ great deep, 
 opens. the windows of heaven, sends a mighty 
 flood of waters upon the earth, and sweeps 
 the whole world of the ungodly, right up ifito 
 heaven! Every man that was upon the face 
 of the earth is swept right up into heaven, ex- 
 cept righteous Noah! and he, poor man, who 
 had found grace in the eyes of the Lord, is 
 left to toil and struggle, and suffer affliction 
 here on earth; whilst the abominable ones, 
 who were so wicked that God could not endure 
 them on earth, are taken immediately to his 
 bosom in heaven! moreover, if the Universal- 
 ist is right, the sexton who puts the body 
 down into the grave, called hell, is more to be 
 feared than any other being in the universe. 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 143 
 
 See Luke xii. 5. Men and brethren, can you 
 believe this ? Certainly not ! No man in his 
 senses can believe it — then the case is settled. 
 The Universalist is weighed in the balances, 
 and found wanting ; and if he should have no 
 better foundation than he now has, as sure as 
 there is a God in heaven, he will perish, and 
 perish for ever! With regard to the Univer- 
 salists of former times, otherwise called hell- 
 redemptionists, the doctrine embraced is so 
 completely at war with the, doctrine of grace, 
 and the whole tenor of the sacred volume, that 
 the theory of universal salvation on that plan 
 is now exploded; and being given up pretty 
 much, even by its own former advocates, we 
 need only remind you of the great gulf, which, 
 according to the Saviour, is fixed between 
 heaven and hell, which is never to be passed ; 
 and also remind you of the language of the 
 Saviour in the twenty-fifth chapter of Mat- 
 thew, and which describes the winding up 
 scene of the great judgment-day : " And these 
 shall go away into everlasting punishment, 
 but the righteous into life eternal." Having 
 weighed in the balances of the sanctuary those 
 who embrace fundamental error, we proceed to 
 bring forward 
 
 Class 11. This embraces those who may be 
 very correct in sentiment, but are not so in 
 practice. And, 
 
 1. Let the unrighteous be weio^hed in the 
 
144 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 balances of the sanctuary ; and by the unrigh- 
 teous man, I mean the fraudulent man, the dis- 
 honest man, the intemperate man, the gambler, 
 the swindler, the man of cruelty and extortion — 
 in short, all who openly and daringly trample 
 upon the golden precept — " Whatsoever ye 
 would tliat men should do to you, do ye even 
 so to them." 0, what a long, long list of 
 crimes has the unrighteous man to answer for ! 
 crimes various and multiform — against God — 
 against man — against his own. He has not 
 only neglected the lesser duties of social life, 
 but the greater matters of the law. Against 
 such, the blessed Saviour denounces an av/ful 
 woe ; but the apostle Paul, in few words, settles 
 the matter for ever : — '' Know ye not," says he, 
 " that the unrighteous shall not inherit the 
 kingdom of God ? Be not deceived ; neither 
 fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor 
 effeminate, norabusers of themselves with man- 
 kind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, 
 nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the 
 kingdom of God." 0, unrighteous man ! open- 
 ly wicked man ! " Thou art weighed in the 
 balances, and art found wanting," 
 
 2. Let the worldling next be placed in the 
 balances. Some are worldlino^s who would not 
 and should not be esteemed unrighteous men, 
 in the common acceptation of that term. By 
 the worldling, I simply mean the person who 
 loves the world, who loves it supremely; who 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 145 
 
 is ready to say, " Give me riches, honours, 
 pleasures ; give me, moreover, health, friends, 
 and long life, and this world will do for me, I 
 desire no better," 
 
 And now let us view the worldling in his 
 threefold character — As a man of fashion, a 
 man of pleasure, and a man of business. Is he 
 a man of fashion ? He loves the praise of men 
 more than the praise of God, the very character 
 condemned in the sacred volume. John xii. 43. 
 Is he a man of pleasure ? Then, according to 
 the Prophet, he has committed two evils : " He 
 has forsaken his Maker, the Fountain, of living 
 waters, and has hewn out unto himself broken 
 cisterns which can hold no water." But is he 
 a man of business ? Mark this worldling ! The 
 morning dawns ; he rises refreshed and invigo- 
 rated by the slumbers of the night; but he 
 offers no thanksgivings to God, for the repose 
 and protection of the night. He leaves his 
 chamber without prayer. And now he goes 
 forth to the pursuits of the day. Still, mark 
 that worldling ! His head, his heart, his soul, 
 all are fastened upon the things of this world. 
 He has no interval of serious thought; never 
 once does he say, " God be merciful to me a 
 sinner !" And now, the shades of evening pre- 
 vail; he returns to his dwelling, and is there 
 greeted by an affectionate wife, and sweet, 
 rosy, lovely children — yes, the worldling, it 
 may be, is in the midst of domestic comforts. 
 
146 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 one would think, enough to melt a heart of 
 rock — enough to warm his whole soul into 
 gratitude and love — but he thinks not of his 
 heavenly Benefactor ; never once says, ''Bless 
 the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his 
 benefits." Alas! he suffers "the mercies of 
 heaven to lie forgotten in unthankfulness, and 
 without praises die!'' He is the head of a 
 family. He has servants, and he has children, 
 and it is his duty to set before them a good and 
 pious example — his bounden duty, " to allure 
 to brighter worlds, and lead the way;" but he 
 neglects his duty. Alas, the morning and the 
 evening sun shines upon a prayerless house- 
 hold. He lives as if there was no God in the 
 heavens to inspect his conduct ; as if there was 
 no judgment bar at which he must one day 
 appear. The fact is, although he may not 
 think so, he is a practical atheist. He loves 
 the world, loves it supremely ; the world is his 
 portion, his home, his all. Now, what says the 
 Bible? *' Love not the world, neither the things 
 of the world; for if any man love the world, 
 the love of the Father is not in him." O world- 
 ling, worldling, listen to me ! Thou art weighed 
 in the balances, and art found wanting- ! And 
 now, "What is a man profited, if he shall gain 
 the whole world and lose his own soul?" O 
 think upon this. If any man ever gained the 
 world, that man was Alexander the Great. And 
 now, suppose, after all, that he died in sin, and 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 147 
 
 is now in the world of woe — what does it all, 
 this moment, avail him? Come along, ye world- 
 lings, come along with me, and let us, so to 
 speak, go to the borders of the pit, and call up 
 the shade of Alexander the Great from the 
 vasty deep of hell. — Where is Alexander the 
 Great? Let him now appear! Methinks there 
 I see him — but how changed ! Is this Alexan- 
 der the Great ? I see no glittering crown upon 
 his head ! no royal robes invest his form ! — his 
 hand, too,, it grasps no sceptre! and his mighty 
 generals, where are they? I see them not! Is 
 this Alexander, the Great ? O that sepulchral 
 groan! that unearthly sound, that comes rat- 
 tling upon my ear : — " Call me not Alexander the 
 great, call me Ale:xander the lost /" Unhappy 
 shade ! and art thou indeed lost, and lost for- 
 ever ? "0, Alexander the Great, what wouldst 
 thou now give in exchange for thy soul?" 
 Another sepulchral groan ! another unearthly 
 sound! — "Give! I would give all the king- 
 doms I ever conquered ! — I would give all the 
 sceptres I ever grasped ! all the laurels I ever 
 won !— I would give the world ! — ten thousand 
 worlds, to come out of this pit of despair!" 
 But, hark! that rush of agony! that shriek of 
 despair! The lost spirit, in hell, is sinking 
 down, deeper, and deeper still ! O worldling, 
 worldling, think! Remember, you are now 
 weighed in the balances, and found wanting ; 
 and, I repeat the solemn interrogatory of the 
 
148 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 Saviour, " What is a man profited, if he shall 
 gain the whole world, and lose his ow^n soul?" 
 O think upon this, before it be too late ! 
 
 3. Let the profane .swearer next be placed in 
 the balances. Because of swearing, says the 
 prophet, the land mourneth. There were pro- 
 fane swearers in his day ; and alas ! there are 
 but too many in our times; and weighed in the 
 balances of the sanctuary, nothing can be 
 plainer than that they are found wanting — for 
 the Psalmist says, " Thine enemies, God, 
 take thy name in vain." And, what is the lan- 
 guage of the eternal God himself? " Thou 
 shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God 
 in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guilt- 
 less that taketh his name in vain." This sin 
 indicates peculiar hardihood; as it is so ex- 
 pressly forbidden; and, what makes the matter 
 worse, it is a kind of a gratuitous sin, being 
 committed without any adequate temptation. 
 And this reminds me of the remark of an old 
 writer, quaint, it is true, but very forcible. 
 ''The devil," says he, "sometimes turns fish- 
 erman, and when he fishes for ordinary sinners 
 Ke is willing to go to some expense ; he baits 
 his hook with the riches of the world ; the 
 honours of the world ; and the pleasures of the 
 world ; but, when he fishes for profane swear- 
 ers, he throws them the naked hook ! and they 
 bite at the naked hook !— cheap even in the de- 
 vil's account." Of a truth, profane swearing 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 149 
 
 is a dreadful sin, and seems, perhaps more than 
 any other, to be the bubbUng up of sheer de- 
 pravity. Thank God, some are, in mercy, 
 made to see it, and repent' before it is too late. 
 I recollect a case. It interested me much at 
 the time, and I think I shall never forget it. 
 During a protracted meeting in a certain town 
 in Kentucky, a gentleman of some considera- 
 ble note called upoii me, at my lodgings. He 
 wished to connect himself with the church, on 
 tbe following Sabbath. He had been remark- 
 ably profane, but the Lord had been merciful 
 to him, and he was. now, as he hoped, a con- 
 verted man. The case was this : He once had 
 a lovely boy, an only son ; this beloved child 
 gave' evidence of early piety. When perhaps 
 not more than nine years of age, he was laid 
 ■upon a sick and dying bed. He talked sweetly 
 about Jesus, and much about heaven. On one 
 occasion, when near his end, he called his 
 father to his bed side, and, with great respect 
 and affection, said, "Papa, I wish to make- one 
 request of you before I die." " What is it, my 
 darling?" said the weeping father, bending over 
 his beloved and now dying child. " O my dear 
 son, your father is willing to do any thing in 
 the world for you, what do you wish me to 
 do?" "Papa," said the dying child, "Dear 
 papa, if you 'please, don't swear any moreP 
 The father, as he narrated the affecting inci- 
 dent, w^ept. Tears rolling down his cheeks. 
 
150 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 " O sir," said he to me, " I never had any thing 
 to come with such power to my soul before — 
 the language of my dying boy, 'Papa, dear 
 papa, if you please, donH swear any more.'' Sir, 
 it was blessed to my poor soul." I need only 
 add, that the next day I saw that man seated at 
 the table of the Lord ; and may we not suppose 
 that when he comes to die, his cherub boy will 
 hover over his dying bed, and be the first to 
 welcome his happy spirit home to glory and 
 to God ! And now, if there be a single pro- 
 fane swearer present, let me say to him, as 
 that dear dying child did to the father whom 
 he loved, " If you ylease, donH srvear any 
 7norer 
 
 4. Let the hollow hearted professor of reli- 
 gion next be placed in the balances. Strange 
 as it may appear, Voltaire took the sacrament 
 of the Lord's supper ! Yes, that mouth of his, 
 which uttered blasphemies against the Son of 
 God — which taught treason against the Divine 
 and immaculate Jesus — that mouth received 
 the memorials of a Saviour's dying love. Can 
 such a solemn farce as this please a holy God ? 
 " Nay, verily, be not deceived, God is not 
 mocked, whatsoever a man soweth, that shall 
 he also reap." No matter what may be the 
 profession or outward show, if the heart be not 
 sincere and right in the sight of God, it is all 
 as a sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal. 
 Even if there be no wilful hypocrisy, or out- 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 151 
 
 rageous blasphemy, as in the case of Voltaire, 
 a mere profession of rehgion can avail no- 
 thing, for "a solemn sound upon a thoughtless 
 tongue," is a poor thing, and 
 
 " God abhors the sacrifice 
 Where not the heart is found." 
 
 Ah ! my brethren, believe me, sacramental 
 wine can never wash away the sins of the soul ! 
 nor can baptismal water cool the tongue of the 
 falsehearted professor of religion in hell, tor- 
 mented in penal flames ! Professor of religion ! 
 remember the parable of the ten virgins. It is 
 quite possible to have the lamp of profession 
 without the oil of grace : the form without the 
 power of godliness. And ! remember, pe- 
 culiarly deep and dreadful must be the damna- 
 tion of those who fall from the heights of Zion 
 into the flames of hell. Methinks, through all 
 eternity the thoughts of the sacramental board 
 will haunt them; and, most terrible will it be 
 to see those who once sat down with them at 
 the table of the Lord, now in heaven, whilst 
 they themselves are cast out ! 0, then, let all 
 who are in communion with the church, now 
 examine themselves, whether they be in the 
 faith — remembering the words of the apostle — 
 " Neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor 
 uncircumcision, but anew creature." Let all 
 who are professors of religion dig deep, and lay 
 a good foundation, for, according to the Scrip- 
 
152 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 tures, the mere profession of religion, without 
 the root of the matter, will not save the soul. 
 The hollow-hearted professor of religion, then, 
 having the name without the thing named — the 
 form without the power of godliness, is weighed 
 and found wanting. 
 
 And now, as I wish to benefit every soul pre- 
 sent, and as some may think the preacher has 
 not reached their case, as they do not acknow- 
 ledge themselves to belong exactly to any of the 
 characters specified, permit me to put in the 
 balances of the sanctuary one character more, 
 and sure I am, it will embrace all who are not 
 on their way to heaven. 
 
 5. The unrenewed, no matter who they are, 
 or what they are, in other respects, they too are 
 certainly wanting; for, .mark! if unrenewed, 
 they have never repented of their sins; and 
 what says the Scriptures? — " Except ye repent, 
 ye shall all likewise perish." If unrenewed, 
 they have not believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 And what says the Bible? — "He that believeth 
 not, shall be damned." And again — "If unre- 
 newed, they have not been born again." And 
 what says the glorious Son of God? — " Except 
 a man be born ag^ain, he cannot see the king"- 
 dom of God." No matter, then, my dear 
 friends, who or what you may be, I tell you the 
 truth in Christ Jesus, I lie not — if you have not 
 been renewed in the temper and disposition of 
 your souls; in other words, if you have not 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 153 
 
 experienced a change of heart, and become a 
 new creature in Christ Jesus, you are still in 
 the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity, and 
 dying in that state, will certainly be lost. I 
 have noticed that in every community there 
 are persons who seem to be near the kingdom, 
 but are not in it. They are amiable ; they are 
 interesting ; they have some fine traits of cha- 
 rapter ; but they are not converted. They re- 
 mind us of what is said of Naaman. " Now 
 Naaman, captain of the host, of the king of 
 Syria, was a great man with his master, and 
 honourable ; moreover, he was a mighty man 
 in valour, but he was a leper." So, these 
 persons have many things to recommend 
 them to the respect and affection of those 
 around, but, alas ! they are strangers to God's 
 convertinor o-race. Mark that venerable man ! 
 his locks are silvery with age; benignity 
 is seated upon his brow ; humanity lights up 
 his faded countenance : — he has a purse for the 
 needy, a shelter for the houseless, and a heart 
 to sympathize with the sons and daughters of 
 affliction. Perhaps, too, the patriot's flame 
 still burns in his aged bosom ; but is this all ? 
 Alas ! his knees have never been bent in hum- 
 ble prostration at the mercy seat ! His hands 
 have never been lifted up, in humble supplica- 
 tion, at the throne of heavenly grace ! Whilst 
 the snows of fifty, sixty, seventy winters have 
 been bleaching his locks, his heart has been 
 
 11 
 
154 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 cold, fast bound up in the ice of morality. 
 What a pity that such a venerable man should, 
 in the day of judgment, be found w^anting. 
 There goes an interesting young man! He 
 has the flush of youth, joined with the discre- 
 tion of riper years. He is admired and caressed, 
 and deservedly, too, for he has an affectionate 
 heart ! a noble and a generous spirit ! He is no 
 debauchee; he is regular in all his hours, tem- 
 perate in all his indulgences; no profane ex- 
 pressions pollute his lips ;^ the vi^orld can see no 
 stain in his moral character. He is the cham- 
 pion of morality, and «ven the advocate of re- 
 ligion. But is this all? Alas! he has entered 
 the vestibule, but he has not entered the temple 
 of religion. He has found many pearls, pre- 
 cious pearls, too, but not the " one pearl of great 
 price." He has many- things to recommend 
 him, like the young man in the gospel, but, like 
 the same young man, he lacks the one thing 
 needful; and lacking this, he lacks the key to 
 heaven. And see, too, that interesting young 
 female! her temper is sweet, her manners are 
 pleasing, her person is lovely; fair as the first 
 rose that bloomed in Paradise, and her admirers 
 say she has 
 
 "Grace in her steps ; heaven in her eye; 
 In all her gestures, dignity and love." 
 
 She is her mother's rose, her father's pride, and 
 the life of the circle in which she moves ; but 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 155 
 
 is this all ? Alas, she is no Mary ! — has not 
 chosen that good part which should not be 
 taken from her — her heart is upon the world — 
 she is a " lover of pleasures more than a lover 
 of God." Like the interesting young man just 
 mentioned, she has entered the vestibule, but 
 not the temple of religion; has found many 
 pearls, but not the " one pearl of great price" — 
 has many things to recommend her ; but, like 
 that amiable young man, (who, perchance, may 
 be her brother,) she, too, lacks the one thing 
 needful; and, lacking this, she lacks the key 
 to heaven! who will not weep when such 
 persons, who seem to be so near the kingdom, 
 refuse to come to Christ, and perish in their 
 sins ! ' But some persons may think it would 
 be unjust in God to punish such innocent per- 
 sons, and not right to send such " good-hearted" 
 ones to the world of wo ; but, let it be remem- 
 bered, the Bible recognizes no innocence on 
 earth, but that which consists in the forcrive- 
 ness of $ins ; and no good-heartedness on earth, 
 but that which consists in the washin"- of 
 regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy 
 Ghost. The fact is, according to the Scrip- 
 tures, all have sinned and come short of the 
 glory of God; and, by the deeds of the law 
 shall no flesh be justified in his sight; and 
 hence it is written : " Other foundation can no 
 man lay than is laid, which is Jesus Christ." 
 And it is true of all. " Except a man be born 
 
156 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 aofain, he cannot see the kin2:dom of God." All 
 then, who are unrenewed, are in a state of 
 wrath and condemnation ! Weighed in the 
 balances, they are found wanting. 
 
 And now, my dear brethren, in closing, per- 
 mit me to remark: I have brought forward 
 several classes of characters, and weighed them 
 in the balances of the sanctuary. Have I 
 sketched the characters correctly? Have I 
 weighed them with an even hand? Have any 
 of you, my dear hearers, been weighed and 
 found wanting ? 0, this is a serious matter! 
 Should the visible fingers of an invisible angel 
 now write tekel over against you, upon the 
 plaster of the wall, would not strange alarm 
 seize upon you ? Would you not, like Belshaz- 
 zar, cry out in terror? And now tell me, O ye 
 careless, Christless souls! tell me, what mat- 
 ters it, whether the visible fingers of an in- 
 visible angel write tekel on the wall against 
 5''ou, or the finger of inspiration wTite it here, 
 in this volume, as with a sunbeam? You, 
 then, who have been weighed, and foupd want- 
 ing, tell me, do you not believe that you must 
 die? and dying, do you not believe that you 
 must go to the judgment bar? — and, going to 
 the judgment bar, do you not believe that you 
 must be judged out of the things written in the 
 sacred volume ? And does does not this book 
 now condemn you ? and if so, believe me, there 
 is nothing wanting, this moment, to fix your 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 157 
 
 unhappy doom, but for God to fix your pre- 
 sent character. And this he may do in one 
 moment; quick as hghtning, and terrible as 
 the last trump ! 0, should the sun now be 
 turned into darkness, and the moon into blood ; 
 should the stars now fall from the heavens, and 
 the powers of the heavens be shaken; should 
 the archangel's trump, louder than ten thou- 
 sand thunders, and more awful than the hoarse 
 crash of falling worlds, now wake up the slum- 
 bering dead ! O, should you now see the Judge 
 descending, the throne erected, the books open- 
 ed, the balances, in which souls and their ac- 
 tions are to be weighed, poised aloft, and your 
 souls about to be weighed — would you not 
 tremble? Conscious that you are wanting, 
 would not overwhelming horrors seize upon 
 your soul? O, then, what a mercy that you 
 did not die last night ! or when you were last 
 sick ! O what a mercy that you are not now 
 in eternity — your character fixed, your doom 
 sealed for ever. What a mercy that you are 
 still in the land of the living — still in a state of 
 probation, and still under hope of heavenly 
 grace ! And now, what is to be done ? Fly to 
 Christ. Take refUge in his arms; for, sprinkled 
 with his atoning blood, and found in him, you 
 are safe. His blood cleanseth from all sin; and, 
 arrayed in his righteousness, your souls shall 
 find acceptance with God, and be secure amid 
 all the thunde rings and lightnings, and terrors 
 
158 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 of the judgment day ! O, sinner, fly to Christ. 
 He is your only hope; and fly, without delay. 
 Death may be near! Eternity may be just at 
 the door! and, therefore, what thou doest, do 
 quickly. 
 
 " Sinner, perhaps this very day, 
 Thy last accepted time nnay be ; 
 O shouldst thou grieve him now away, ' 
 Then hope may never beam on thee !" 
 
 SERMON VI. 
 
 THE CHARACTER AND REWARD OF THE EARTHLY 
 MINDED. 
 
 Prov, iii. 35. — Shame shall be the promotion of fools. 
 
 The proverbs of Solomon are full of instruc- 
 tion; the language may sometimes appear harsh 
 and abrupt, but the meaning is so much the 
 more striking and impressive. This is the 
 case with the passage at present under conside- 
 ration. " Shame shall be the promotion of 
 fools." Here, you will observe, the wise man 
 calls persons of a certain description fools ; and 
 let it be remembered, he did not mean those 
 void of reason, who are fools in a natural sense; 
 but those, who, in matters of religion, act as if 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 159 
 
 they were void of reason, and therefore may be 
 called fools in ^a scriptural sense. The main 
 difference between the one and the other seems 
 to be this : The one acts in opposition to sound 
 reason, through lack of a good understanding; 
 the other through lack of a right disposition. 
 It is no uncommon thing for persons of a cer- 
 tain description, proud of their own supposed 
 wisdom, to look rather contemptuously upon 
 the people of God, and to esteem them as poor, 
 weak-minded, deluded ones; and, sometimes, 
 they even hesitate not to pronounce them fools. 
 This dayj I trust, the tables will be turned, and 
 this reproach will be rolled away. Our pur- 
 pose at this time, is, by simple, common sense, 
 and scriptural argument, to establish this pro- 
 position, that all unconverted persons — that all 
 who, taken up with the things of this world, ne- 
 glect the higher interests of eternity, that they 
 are justly chargeable with folly, supreme folly. 
 And this, I think will appear in the two follow- 
 ing particulars : First, in the choice which they 
 make; and Secondly, in the conduct which 
 they pursue. 
 
 I. In the choice which they make. — We very 
 frequently, and very correctly, form an idea of 
 a person's wisdom, or folly, from what he 
 chooses and most values. If, for example, a 
 person should prefer an object of real and great 
 value, to one of little or no value ; as far as the 
 case goes we form a favourable opinion of that 
 
160 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 person's w^isdom. But suppose the case be ex- 
 actly the reverse. Suppose this man should 
 prefer rags to robes, pebbles to jewels, the sha- 
 dow to the substance, and counterfeit to genu- 
 ine bank bills, would you pronounce him wise? 
 I think not. And suppose, when this person 
 is remonstrated with, in regard to the folly of 
 his choice, he should continue, perseveringly to 
 make the same foolish choice, would you not 
 be strongly tempted to pronounce him a fool ? 
 Now why should not the principle hold, just as 
 well in spiritual as in temporal things ? I think 
 it does. And now what do sinners choose? 
 They make many a foolish choice; I will state 
 a few by way of specimen. 
 
 First — The sinner prefers the favour of man 
 to the favour of God. That he does so is mani- 
 fest, because, whilst he is tremblingly alive to 
 his character, as it stands in the eyes of his fel- 
 low creatures, he usually cares very little how 
 his character stands in the eyes of his Maker. 
 It is well known that the sinner will go to 
 much greater lengths to please man than to 
 please God. Nay, he will frequently do what 
 he knows full well is displeasing to God, and 
 that for the express purpose of securing the 
 favour of a fellow creature ! Now, what does 
 this prove? Most assuredly, that he sets a 
 greater value upon the favour of man than 
 upon the favour of God. And now, wdiich is 
 worth the most ? With regard to the favour of 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 161 
 
 man, if of the right kind, certainly it, is of 
 some value ; and I am free to say with the poet, 
 "Poor is the friendless master of a world!" 
 But after all, it is well known that the favour 
 of man is oftentimes deceitful. O how fre- 
 quently do we find that they of whose favour 
 and friendship we thought ourselves perfectly 
 sure, strangely cool off! We cannot imagine 
 what has wrought the change, but with regard 
 to the fact, that they are no longer our friends, 
 that is but too clear; and, in the moment of 
 excitement, we are ready to say, in the lan- 
 guage of Scripture, " Cursed is the man that 
 putteth his trust in man." But suppose this 
 friend is a fast and faithful friend, w^e may be 
 in a thousand different circumstances in which 
 his ■ friendship could avail us nothing. We 
 may be laid upon a bed of sickness and lan- 
 guishing, and. he know nothing at all about 
 the matter. He may be far distant; mountains 
 may tower, or oceans roll between us; or, say 
 he is near at hand, standing at our side, and 
 witnessing our distress, his tears may trickle 
 down his cheeks, and all the tenderest sym- 
 pathies of his heart may be excited ; nay, he 
 may even be willing to share our sorrows with 
 us, but in spite of all his flowing tears, and 
 the tender sympathies of his affectionate, heart, 
 we suffer, we agonize, we die, and there is 
 only a new display of the impotency of human 
 friendship. Such is the favour of man, fre- 
 
162 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 queiitly fickle, and not to be relied upon; and 
 even when of the best stamp, oftentimes of no 
 substantial value; and yet, the sinner prefers 
 the favour of man — to what ? Angels in hea- 
 ven, would ye believe it ? — the sinner prefers 
 the favour of man to the favour of God! I 
 have told you what the favour of man is 
 worth ; and now, what is the value of the fa- 
 vour of God ? O ye children of the heavenly 
 king ! ye precious sons and daughters of Zion, 
 what do you say ? I am sure the language of 
 the Psalmist is your language, " Thy favour, 
 
 God, is life; thy loving kindness is better 
 than life." Yes, if I should pour down at 
 your feet all the silver and the gold in the 
 world, and offer that in exchange for the fa- 
 vour of God, would you take it? Would you 
 not rather be ready to say, " Go and offer a 
 monarch a bubble for his crown, and if he ac- 
 cepts, yet will not I." The favour of God ! 
 Go and ask that young convert, who, for the 
 first time in his life, has tasted that the Lord is 
 good and gracious — that young convert whose 
 countenance is dressed in smiles, and whose 
 heart is now filled with a peace and joy im- 
 known before — ask that young convert what 
 he thinks of the favour of God. " O !" says he, 
 " I never knew what real happiness was until 
 
 1 had a sweet sense of God's forgiving love. 
 Truly his favour is life, and his loving kind- 
 ness better than life." The favour of God ! 
 
REVIVAL SEEMONS. 163 
 
 Go and ask that dying Christian, just on the 
 wing for glory — that dying Christian, just ut- 
 tering those beautiful lines of Watts, 
 
 " Jesus can make a dying bed 
 
 Feel soft as downy pillows are" — 
 
 Go and ask that dying Christian what he 
 thinks of the favour of God. " The favour of 
 God!" he replies, " O it is every thing now to 
 me. It is that which gives me now more com- 
 fort than tongue can express ; it is that which 
 softens my dying bed, and strews it all over 
 with the roses of paradise ! — it is that which 
 brightens the dark scenery of the grave, and 
 now raises me quite above the fear of death. 
 O .it is infinitely more valuable to me now 
 than ten thousand, thousand worlds!'* The 
 favour of God! — Go through yonder pearly 
 gates, and ask those bright and happy spirits 
 who, robed and crowned, are now circling the 
 throne, rejoicing in heaven. Go and ask them 
 what the favour of God is worth to them. 
 Methinks, with one voice, they would say: 
 "It is the favour of God which makes us 
 happy here. It is the favour of God which 
 rolls a tide of rapture all over this eternal 
 world of joy. It is the favour of God which 
 makes heaven — heaven indeed to our souls!" 
 Yes, my brethren, believe me, if the favour of 
 God were withdrawn, angels themselves would 
 be sad ; the spirits of the just would be wrapt 
 
164 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 in gloom, and the dwellings of the blessed 
 would cease to charm. The favour of God ! 
 0-! it is every thing which men on earth, or 
 angels in heaven can desire; and yet, the sin- 
 ner in his wisdom prefers the favour of man 
 to the favour of God ! That is, he prefers the 
 rags to the robes, the pebbles to. the jewels ! 
 and the shadow to the substance ! Is the sin- 
 ner a wise man? Judge ye! 
 
 The second foolish choice which the sinner 
 makes is this : — He prefers the interests of the 
 body to the interests of the soul. That he does 
 this is evident, because with him the body is 
 the favourite. It is fed, it is clothed, it is ten- 
 derly cherished; and when sick, O then no 
 pains, no expense is spared to restore it to 
 health : but the soul, alas ! with the sinner it is 
 like a poor motherless child, sadly neglected. 
 It may be sick, nigh unto death, even the bitter 
 pangs of the second and everlasting death, and 
 yet it excites no interest! no provision is made for 
 its comfort, nor even for its safety ! Yes, whilst 
 the sinner is so careful of his body, he really 
 treats his soul as if it were a thing of no value. 
 Now, let us compare one with the other — what 
 is the body, and what is the soul? What is the 
 body ? It is of the earth earthy. What is the 
 soul ? The breath of the Almighty ! What is 
 the body? It is allied to the beasts that perish. 
 What is the soul ? Allied to Him that liveth for 
 ever and ever. Whilst the body is confined to 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 165 
 
 a small- spot of earth, the soul ranges through 
 the vast fields of creation — examines the beauty 
 of the various parts — 'the amazing grandeur of 
 the mighty whole. Rising above all worlds, 
 the soul of man approach€S the throne of Him, 
 whom the heaven, and the heaven of heavens 
 cannot contain; contemplates his eternal power 
 and Godhead, and all the high, and all the lofty 
 things which belong to the Divine nature. 
 Standing, as it were, by the throne of the great 
 Creator, it looks back to the period when as yet 
 no sun had lighted up the heavens ; not a star 
 had as yet glittered upon " the mantle of unes- 
 sential night." Spreading its airy wings, it 
 shoots forward into futurity, and, outstripping 
 the roll of ten thousand, thousand ages, it there 
 hovers over the vast, the boundltfss ocean of eter- 
 nity; then climbing the immortal heights , of the 
 New Jerusalem, it revels in all the joys of the 
 paradise of God, or, cast down to fiery deeps, 
 and endless night, it converses with groans un- 
 pitied, unrespited, ages of hopeless end ! The 
 body and the soul compared together! 0, tell 
 me, what is the body? " Fragile, frail as vege- 
 tation's tender leaf, or, as the passing meteor, 
 brief! When long this miserable frame shall 
 have vanished from life's busy scene, that sun 
 shall flame, those orbs shall roll, as though this 
 dust had -■ never been!" What is the soul? 
 " Immortal mind ! by grovelling matter un- 
 confined! the same when states and empires 
 
166 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 change ! When suns have waned, and worlds 
 subUme their final revolutions told — the soul 
 shall flourish over time as though such orbs 
 had never, rolled !" And yet, the sinner prefers 
 the interests of the body to the interests of the 
 soul. Is the sinner a wise man ? Is he not a 
 fool ? I do not say that he is ; I lay the argu- 
 ment before you — you have an understanding 
 as well as the speaker — judge ye. 
 
 The third foolish choice of the sinner is this : 
 He prefers temporal pleasure to eternal happi- 
 ness; and in so doing verily he prefers the 
 rags to the robes; the pebbles to the jewels, 
 and the shadow to the substance. But that 
 the sinner does make the choice which we 
 affirm, can be known and read of all men, for 
 his incessant cty is, " Who will show me any 
 good?" And, although the objects of pursuit 
 are e^xceedingly diversified, they are all of an 
 earthly stamp. Some seek enjoyment in the 
 riches of the world, some in the honours of 
 the world, and some in the pleasures of the. 
 world. But now, tell me, my hearers, when 
 did these things ever yet make man or wo- 
 man happy ? If riches could make one happy, 
 I suppose that Haman ought to have been 
 a very happy man ; for he was so rich that 
 he could off'er king Ahasuerus no less than 
 a thousand talents for the destruction of the 
 Jews. But was Haman happy? You recol- 
 lect that on a certain occasion, he called to- 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 167 
 
 gether his friends, and Zeresh, his wife, and 
 told them of all the glory of his riches, and 
 then added, " All these things avail me nothing 
 so long as I see Mordecai, the Jew, seated at 
 king's gate!" Here was a worm at the root of 
 his happiness. If military honours could make 
 one happy, I should suppose that Alexander 
 the Great might have been a happy man ; but 
 he was not, for we are told he wept because he 
 had not another world to conquer. If sensual 
 gratifications could make one happy, I should 
 think that Colonel Gardiner might certainly 
 have been a happy man ; for lie was emphatically 
 a man of pleasure, and was even called " The 
 happy rake!" But was he happy? O no, for 
 he himself, after his conversion, testifies, that 
 once when he was in the very midst of all the 
 pleasurable indulgences of the world, a dog 
 happening to come into the room, he actually 
 sighed, and said to himself, " O that I were 
 that dog!" Ah! my brethren, believe me,, "the 
 world can never give, the bliss for which we 
 sigh." And, in truth, we can no more expect 
 to find perfect happiness in the world and the 
 things thereof, than we may expect to find, 
 
 " Mellow grapes beneath the icy pole ! 
 Blooming roses on the cheek of death; or 
 Substance in a world of unsubstantial shades." 
 
 Solomon made a full experiment of the matter, 
 for there was, it seems, no source of earthly en- 
 
168 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 joyment to which he had not repaired in his pur- 
 suit after happiness; and yet in the winding up, 
 he was constrained to say, "Vanity of vanities! 
 all is vanity !" — Yes, my brethren, it is even so. 
 In the possession of riches, in the possession of 
 honours, in the possession of all the world calls 
 good or great, " the heart distrustful asks if this 
 be joy ?" But now, suppose some man of the 
 world, in this assembly, should rise up and 
 say, " Sir, you are mistaken, I am no Chris- 
 tian ; I am a worldling, as you term it, and I 
 am happy — perfectly happy. The angel Ga- 
 briel is not happier than I am." No man, I 
 presume, can make such a remark; but if a 
 single one of the human race now upon earth 
 should be able to make such a remark, might 
 we not reply : Be it so ; but, sir, how long is 
 this happiness going to last? "The ground of 
 a certain rich man," says the Saviour, "brought 
 forth plentifully, and he thought within him- 
 self, saying. What shall I do, because I have no 
 room where to bestow my fruits? and he said, 
 This will I do : I will pull down my barns, and 
 build greater ; and there will I bestow all my 
 fruits and my goods; and I w^ill say to my soul, 
 Soul, thou hast much goods laid up in store for 
 many years — take thine ease; eat, drink, and 
 be merry ! but God said unto him, Thou fool, 
 this night shall thy soul be required of thee." 
 You see then, my dear brethren, how the 
 matter stands. No unconverted sinner can at 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 169 
 
 any given period say, I am now happy, perfect- 
 ly happy? No, no ! this happiness is always 
 in prospect. Sometimes it' may appear just at 
 hand, but some how or other it eludes the 
 grasp ; and even if the particular object desired 
 be attained, how certain is there to be some dis- 
 appointment about the matter ; and if no disap- 
 pointment, there is, as we have shown, no cer- 
 tainty of a single day's continuance. How 
 often do laurels wither whilst yet upon the 
 brow ! and how often do bubbles burst while 
 w^e are looking on ! At the very time that Ne- 
 buchadnezzar considered himself in the pleni- 
 tude of earthly glory — at the very time that 
 he was walking in the palace of the kingdom 
 of Babylon, surveying the magnificence of 
 his capital, and saying in the pride of his 
 heart, "Is not this great Babylon that I have 
 built, for the house of the kingdom, by the 
 might of my power, and for the honour of my 
 majesty." Mark! "while the words were in 
 the king's mouth, there fell a voiqe from hea- 
 ven unto him, saying, king Nebuchadnez- 
 zar, to thee it is spoken; the kingdom is de- 
 parted from thee." And so passes away all 
 earthly joy. Such is the true character of 
 all temporal pleasure, unsatisfying at the best, 
 and transitory at that. ! how can one who 
 has an immortal soul, and bound for eternity, 
 content himself with a thing so unsubstantial 
 and so evanescent? And yet the sinner values 
 
 12 
 
170 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 it highly; yea, prefers temporal pleasure, such 
 as it is, to eternal happiness. Eternal hap- 
 piness! what is it? Were I a glorified spirit, 
 I would know it ; were I an adoring seraph, I 
 would feel it — ^but were I a glorified spirit or 
 an adoring seraph, I could never, no never de- 
 scribe it: for, according to the apostle, "Eye 
 hath not seen, ear hath not heard, nor hath it 
 entered into the heart of man, what things God 
 hath prepared for them that love him." Eter- 
 nal happiness! "Beloved," says the apostle, 
 "now are we the sons of God, and it doth not 
 yet appear what we shall be, but we know that 
 when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for 
 w^e shall see him as he is." ! think of the 
 beatific vision of God and the Lamb; think 
 of the sweet society of saints and angels; think 
 of the perpetual exercise of all heavenly affec- 
 tions, the everlasting contemplation of all glo- 
 rious objects! - O think! — no sin, no sorrow 
 there! but joy, pure joy, seraphic joy, and joy 
 for ever ! O think of the soul of the Christian 
 falling asleep in Jesus ; waked up from the bed 
 of death by the music of the skies, and caught 
 up to heaven on angels' wings, it comes into 
 the presence of a smiling God — finds itself with- 
 in the precincts of eternal day ! Glory above, 
 and glory beneath, and glory around, and glory 
 within! The whole soul swimming as it were 
 in the pure element of celestial joy. think 
 of being in heaven with the blessed Jesus and 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 171 
 
 his holy angels, and the spirits of the just made 
 perfect, a thousand years ! The bare thought 
 of it is enough to make the heart of the believ- 
 er, even on earth, to leap for joy. Only think 
 of being in heaven amid all its glories and its 
 joys a thousand years ! And when that thou- 
 sand years shall have passed away, then ano- 
 ther thousand years ! and then another ! and 
 yet another ! Bless the Lord ! 
 
 " When we've been there ten thousand years, 
 Briorht shinincr as the sun : 
 We've no less days to sing God's praise 
 Than when we first begun." 
 
 What did I say? — Ten thousand years! Let 
 every leaf of the forest stand for ten thousand 
 years of celestial' joy; let every dew drop of 
 the . morning stand for ten thousand years of 
 celestial joy; let every star in yonder firma- 
 ment stand for ten thousand years of celestial 
 joy ; add all these together, and even when all 
 these ages heaped on ages shall have passed 
 away, we shall have no less days to sing God's 
 praise than when we first begun. ! who can 
 measure the millionth part of the height and 
 depth, and length and breadth, of this ocean 
 of eternal happiness — eternal joy ! and yet, the 
 sinner prefers temporal pleasure, chaffy and 
 transitory as it is, to the whole of it. Only 
 think ! he prefers temporal pleasure to eternal 
 happiness ! that is, he prefers the rags to the 
 
172 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 robes, the pebbles to the jewels, the shadow to 
 the substance! Is the sinner a wise man? 
 Men of intellect, judge ye. 
 
 But if the folly of the sinner appears in the 
 choice which he makes, it will appear with 
 equal clearness 
 
 II. In the conduct which he pursues. The 
 sinner, who, taken up with the things of time 
 and sense, puts away from him the higher 
 claims of God, and his undying soul, does 
 many very foolish things, for example : 
 
 First. — He rebels against God his Maker, 
 refusing to submit to his authority, and prac- 
 tically saying by his conduct. Who is the 
 Lord that I should obey him ? I know not the 
 Lord, neither will I obey his voice. This is 
 impious, and most foolish too. The sinner re- 
 bels against God his Maker, and what harm 
 has God his Maker done him? Was it any 
 harm in God to love the world, and give his 
 Son to die for its redemption? Was it any 
 harm in God to institute the ministry of recon- 
 ciliation, and send one servant after another to 
 persuade the sinner to ground the weapons of 
 his rebellion, that it might be well with him in 
 the latter end ? Was it any harm in God to 
 send his Holy Spirit to move upon his heart to 
 draw him to the foot of the cross, from which 
 spot alone he can ascend to glory ? Or, was it 
 any harm in God to shower down blessings 
 upon the sinner without number, and keep 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 173 
 
 him alive, when he was not prepared to die? 
 and yet the sinner rebels against him. O ! 
 what ingratitude and what folly ! and is there 
 not also madness in this folly? Who is the 
 sinner, and who is God, that the sinner should 
 rebel against his Maker? The sinner! who is 
 he? Is he not an atom of an atom world? 
 and God! who is he? Is he not that great and 
 glorious Being, who fills with his presence all 
 immensity! Who is the sinner? Is he not a 
 worm of the dust, and crushed before the 
 moth ? and who is God ? Is he not that great 
 omnipotent Being, " who can create and can 
 destroy," — who "can dash w^hole worlds to 
 death and make them when he please?" O! 
 think, the sinner is daily and hourly depen- 
 dent upon God for every mercy, and even for 
 every breath. Yes, it is in God that the sin- 
 ner " lives and moves, and has his being;" and 
 this God can, in a moment, raise him to hea- 
 ven, and make him an angel of light, or, in a 
 moment, cast him down to hell, and make him 
 a spirit for ever damned. Now, these things 
 being so, the smallest particle of common sense 
 one would think sufficient to show that the 
 first and most important thing is to secure the 
 favour of God, for if God be for us who can be 
 ao^ainst us ? and if God be against us who can 
 be for us? Now, although this principle is 
 just as clear as the sun in the heavens, or, as 
 clear as any thing can be, yet the sinner rebels 
 
174 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 against liis Maker; and, what is more, con- 
 tinues in this rebeUion; yes, obstinately con- 
 tinues in this rebellion, not for days and weeks 
 only, but for many months — many years! and 
 that too when this all-powerful and gracious 
 God, by his word, his providence, and his 
 Spirit, is kindly following him, saying, " Turn 
 ye, turn ye, for why will ye die ?" and whilst, 
 also, the remarkable words of the apostle are 
 yet sounding in his ears: " Now then, we are 
 ambassadors for Christ, as though God did be- 
 seech yoTi by us, we pray you in Christ's stead, 
 be ye reconciled unto God." In spite of all, 
 the sinner rebels agrainst his Maker. Is the 
 sinner a wise man? O no! his conduct, in 
 this matter, is certainly most foolish and un- 
 wise ; and this is not the only example, for 
 
 Second. — The sinner is going to an eternal 
 w^orld, and makes no , preparation for that eter- 
 nal world. If a person knew that he must go 
 to Oregon, or some other distant country, and 
 there spend the remnant of his life on earth, 
 would it not be right and proper for him to 
 think upon the matter, and make some prepa- 
 ration; especially if, every now and then, he 
 saw a neighbour starting for that country, and 
 knew not but he might have himself to set out 
 the very next day ? But suppose, in these cir- 
 cumstances, he should take no interest in the 
 matter, make no inquiries about the soil there, 
 nor the society there, and make no provision 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 175 
 
 for his well-being and comfort there, would not 
 this be very strange? But the sinner is going 
 to that world from whose bourne no -traveller 
 returns, and he makes no preparation whatever. 
 And, observe : it is quite possible for a person 
 to go to Oregon, or any distant country on 
 earth, and even when no preparation had been 
 made, find himself very comfortably fixed 
 w^hen arrived there; but he who enters the 
 eternal world without preparation, must be 
 miserable for ever ! and yet the sinner makes 
 no preparation. O, what an awful infatuation 
 this is! A certain nobleman, as the story 
 goes, had a rude wit in his employ, called a 
 fool. Amused with a remark of his one day, 
 the nobleman orave him his walkinor cane, with 
 this injunction : — ''Take this walking-cane, and 
 keep it until you meet w4th a greater fool than 
 yourself, and then give it to him." The man 
 kept the walking-cane for a length of time, 
 not meeting with any one whom he deemed a 
 greater fool than himself In process of time, 
 however, his lordship was laid upon a dying 
 bed, and sending for the rude wit, addressed 
 him thus : — " Farewell !" " Where is your lord- 
 ship going?" said the man. "I am going to 
 my long home," replied the nobleman. " Your 
 long home!" rejoined the man — "Your long 
 home ! How long is your lordship going to 
 stay there?" — " O," said the dying nobleman, 
 " I am never to return !" — " Never to return !" 
 
176 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 exclaimed the man, " never to return !" — " No," 
 said the nobleman, "I am going to eternity, 
 and am never to return." — " Has your lordship 
 made any preparation for that long home?" 
 "No," said he, ''I have not."— " Then," re- 
 plied the man, " your lordship will please to 
 take the walking-cane ! you are certainly a 
 greater fool than I am; — please to take the 
 walking-cane." If this be deemed a quaint 
 illustration, sure I am it is forcible, and much 
 to the point. Only think! the sinner is 
 going to an eternal world! In that eternal 
 world there is a heaven of unspeakable and 
 everlasting happiness for those who have made 
 preparation for it; and for those who have 
 made no preparation, there is a world of woe, 
 an awful hell, which must be his dwelling-place 
 to all eternity. And yet the sinner makes no 
 preparation! Regardless of his eternal inte- 
 rests, he is trifling with his undying soul. Is 
 this acting the part of a wise man ? Is it not 
 rather acting the part of a madman and a fool? 
 O ye, who, carried away by the things of this 
 world, forget that you have undying souls — 
 that you must soon be in eternity — and must 
 soon be in' heaven or in hell ! O think about 
 your need of preparation, before the season for 
 it be over and gone for ever. But 
 
 A third exhibition of the sinner's folly is this : 
 He is condemned ; a pardon is freely offered by 
 the Lord, and he rejects the offered pardon. 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 177 
 
 Now, this crowns the climax of the sinner's 
 folly, and beyond this, I see not how madness 
 and folly can go another step ! Were you, my 
 brethren, ever in a court house? Did you see 
 a man there arraigned on a charge of murder ? 
 The judge seated, the ji]ry empannelled, the 
 witnesses giving in their testimony? Were 
 you present when the jury brought in the ver- 
 dict, guilty ? Were you present when the judge 
 pronounced the sentence of death ? O what a 
 moment that was! What breathless silence! 
 What painful sympathy ! How was every eye 
 fixed upon the unhappy criminal, upon whom 
 the dreadful sentence of the law had been pro- 
 nounced ! You expected, no doubt, to see him 
 tremble and turn pale. Suppose he cared no- 
 thing about the matter — and suppose his coun- 
 sel should have come to him, and said, "0, my 
 dear client, you are condemned, and I must 
 confess, righteously condemned ; but I can't 
 bear the idea of the sentence of the law beino- 
 inflicted upon you! — I will obtain a reprieve 
 for you, if I can ; I will get up a petition ; I 
 will go to the governor ; I will leave no stone 
 unturned to obtain a pardon for you." — Sup- 
 pose, I say, in such circumstances, the prisoner 
 at the bar, condemned, should turn upon his 
 heel and reject the kind offer — would not the 
 judge, the jury, the spectators — would not all 
 pronounce him a fool? Only think: the man 
 is condemned to die, and one offers to obtain a 
 
178 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 pardon for him, and he rejects the kind offer. 
 Surely the man is not in his right mind. — Now, 
 this is a true picture of the sinner — every fea- 
 ture exact. Is not the sinner found guilty? Is 
 he not condemned? Yes, for the Bible says, 
 expressly, " He that believeth not is condemned 
 already;" aye, and according to John the Bap- 
 tist, " the wrath of God abideth upon him" — 
 hangs over his head, like the stormy cloud, 
 ready to burst at any moment ; or, like the axe 
 of the executioner, liable to fall without a mo- 
 ment's warning. Now, in these fearful cir- 
 cumstances, the blessed Saviour, the sinner's 
 friend and advocate, comes to him with tender- 
 ness and compassion, and says, " O poor sinner, 
 art thou condemned? Yes, righteously; but, 
 sinner, I bring you good news ! I am come all 
 the way from heaven to earth to seek and to 
 save that which was lost! I have made the 
 great atoning sacrifice, and now, here is a free 
 and full pardon offered to you, through faith in 
 my blood!" Take it, sinner, and your sins 
 shall all be blotted out ! Take it, sinner, and 
 you shall have peace with the God that made 
 you ! Take it, sinner, and you shall die in 
 peace, and in the world to come, heaven shall 
 be your final home ! — O take it, sinner, your 
 loving, dying Saviour bids you take it. It cost 
 him much ; even tears, and groans, and stream- 
 ing blood, and the painful death of the cross ; 
 hut, to you, it is offered " without money and 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 179 
 
 witliont price !" And now, what does the sinner 
 do ? Clinging to his lusts, he rejects the offered 
 pardon ! He does more than this — he grasps, 
 as it were, the soldier's spear, and thrusts it 
 into the Saviour's side ! He treads under foot 
 the blood of the Son of God ! " Father, for- 
 give them, they know not what they do !" Ah ! 
 my brethren, whether we consider the sinner's 
 choice, or sinner's conduct, we see that folly, 
 consummate folly, is stamped upon the whole. 
 And now, what is to be the end of these things ? 
 What says our text? *' Shame shall be the pro- 
 motion of fools." what a poor reward this 
 is ; and yet it is all that such folly deserves. As 
 he that sows to the wind can reap nothing bet- 
 ter than the w^hirlwind, so " shame shall be the 
 promotion of fools." There is, if I mistake not, 
 irony as well as truth in the language of our 
 text — " shame shall be the promotion of fools." 
 The idea is this: Pluming themselves upon 
 their own supposed wisdom, and lightly esteem- 
 ing the truly pious, they entertain high expecta- 
 tions, and promise themselves great things ; but 
 shame, everlasting, shame only, must be the 
 result of all the towering and vain expecta- 
 tions with which impenitent sinners here are 
 pleased to deceive themselves. Shame, we 
 have reason to believe, will constitute one very 
 bitter ingredient in the torment of the damned 
 in hell. Daniel has reference to this matter: 
 " Many that sleep in the dust of the earth," 
 
180 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 says he, "shall awake; some to everlasting 
 life, and some to shame and everlasting con- 
 tempt." 
 
 This shame will arise from several sources: — 
 
 1. From disappointment. Should a soldier 
 be cashiered for cowardice, when he expected 
 promotion for his supposed bravery? Should an 
 author be cried down when he expected great 
 applause ? or, should a person find that no men- 
 tion is made of him in a will, when he expected 
 to be one of the principal heirs; in all such 
 cases, disappointment w^ould be a matter of 
 shame. How much more when the sinner 
 wakes up in eternity, and finds all his fond 
 hopes of heaven blasted for ever ! But shame 
 will arise, 
 
 2. From the full development of character 
 which shall then be made. I suppose that the 
 most moral, person in this assembly would not 
 have things that he has thought, and said, and 
 done, to be revealed, even to his own domestic 
 circle, for any consideration; and if this dis- 
 closure were made, he would be overwhelmed 
 with shame. What, then, will be the amount 
 of that shame which shall come upon the sin- 
 ner when every thing which he has ever 
 thought, and said, and done, shall be revealed, 
 in the presence of God, and angels, and men, 
 in the great judgment day ? 
 
 Some years since, a certain man in one of 
 our Atlantic cities, was charged with a very 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 181 
 
 base act — was charged with opening a letter 
 which had been put into the post office, and 
 divulging some family secrets which that letter 
 contained. He denied the charge. A committee 
 was appointed to investigate the charge, and 
 make a report. I was present when the report 
 was made. In the presence of some one or two 
 hundred citizens, the chairman of the commit- 
 tee came forward and said — " We have investi- 
 gated the charge alleged against the gentle- 
 man, and find it to be tcue." I saw the man 
 the moment his character was thus blasted for 
 ever. After one frantic effort with a pistol to 
 take the life of the person who had thus ex- 
 posed him, he dropped his head ; he could not 
 bear to look upon man or woman any more; 
 and, returning to his lodgings, he laid himself 
 down upon his bed, and died of a broken heart. 
 Shame killed him. And now, if the divulfjinff 
 of one base act in such an assembly on earth 
 occasioned him such overwhelming, heart- 
 breaking shame, 0! what intolerable shame 
 must come upon the sinner when every base 
 act, when every impure thought, when every 
 unlawful deed shall be revealed, as we have 
 said, before God, and angels, and men ! Me- 
 thinks, in anguish, he will exclaim — " that I 
 had never had a being !" or, " O that I could 
 now hide me beneath the mountain's base or 
 the ocean's wave !" " Shame shall be the pro- 
 motion of fools !" 
 
182 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 3. A third source of shame will be the mani- 
 festation of the sinner's folly. If a person has 
 acted very foolishly, even in common matters, he 
 does not like it to be generally known and 
 talked about ; but his consummate folly in re- 
 lation to spiritual matters must be known and 
 read of all men — aye, and it will be seen and felt 
 by himself, in a manner never seen and felt be- 
 fore. That this matter may be presented more 
 clearly, suppose that this were the judgment 
 day — trump sounding, dead rising, God de- 
 scending, angels shouting, devils wailing, earth 
 burning ! Suppose all the solemnities and ter- 
 rors of the judgment day now before us! The 
 sinner, now stationed upon the left hand, finds 
 himself lost for ever. He looks back upon the 
 scenes of this world, and he remembers — (O, 
 he would forget every thing if he could, but 
 he cannot — " Son, remember !" says Abraham 
 to the rich man in hell) — yes, whether the 
 sinner choose it or not, he must look back upon 
 the scenes of this world — whether he choose 
 it or not, he will remember — what ? Why, the 
 choice which he made, and the conduct which 
 he pursued on earth. For example, he will 
 remember that when on earth, he preferred the 
 favour of man to the favour of God ! Now he 
 sees this great God in all his grandeur and his 
 glory ; by his almighty arm bearing up heaven, 
 earth, and hell; smiling upon the righteous 
 and frowning upon the wicked ; crowning with 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 183 
 
 bliss and glory the one, and pouring wratli and 
 ruin upon the other. And 0! to think that 
 vi'hen on earth he preferred the favour of that 
 man, that rotted in the grave, or is now, per- 
 haps, damned at his side, to the favour of this 
 great and glorious God; O, how will the sinner 
 be sensible of his folly then ! How will he cry 
 out, in the anguish of his soul,—" O, my folly, 
 my madness, when on earth ! Of a truth, I 
 preferred the rags to the robes, the pebbles to 
 the jewels, the shadow to the substance. I 
 never knew, ! I never knew that I was such a 
 fool before !" And he will remember — what? 
 Why, that when on earth he preferred the in- 
 terests of the body to the interests of the soul. 
 By that time he will have seen the body turned 
 over to corruption and the worm, and now he 
 sees the soul in all its capacity for happiness 
 and misery; — he sees the souls of the righteous 
 robed and crowned, rising, and shining, and 
 corruscating in glory unspeakable; and sees the 
 souls of the wicked shrouded in darkness and 
 despair, given over to remorse and anguish 
 which no tongue can tell ! When these things 
 are before his eyes, what must be his feelings 
 to remember, that when on earth he preferred 
 the interests of that poor dying body that had 
 to lie down in the grave, to that soul so mighty 
 to sustain an exceeding great and eternal 
 weight of glory, or an exceeding great and 
 eternal weisrht of sorrow? In this view of the 
 
184 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 grandeur and capacity of the soul for happiness 
 and misery, will he not cry out — " O, fool! O, 
 madman that I was in yonder world ! to think 
 more of my body than of my soul ! to prefer 
 the little interests of the one to the mighty in- 
 terests of the other! Of a truth, I preferred 
 the rags to the robes — the pebbles to the jewels 
 — the shadow to the substance. I never, O, I 
 never knew that I was such a fool before!" 
 And, there is heaven, too ! what a world of 
 glory and of joy? O, heaven, sweet heaven, 
 to me lost for ever! And why? Because on 
 earth I bartered it away for the poor, chaffy, 
 short-lived pleasures of time and sense ! Where 
 was reason then ? and whither had my under- 
 standing fled? Why was I so infatuated with 
 the world? O why did I prefer earth to heaven? 
 Why did I prefer temporal pleasure to eternal 
 happiness? — 0, my folly! my unspeakable folly! 
 Yes, it is true, it is but too true, I was a fool in 
 yonder world. I preferred the rags to the robes, 
 — the pebbles to the jewels — the shadow to the 
 substance! And only to think! I rebelled 
 against that great and glorious God, and al- 
 though frequently warned, I made no prepara- 
 tion for this aw^ful eternity ; and, to crown my 
 madness and my folly, although entreated, I 
 refused offered pardon. Ah ! yes — 
 
 " Yonder sits the slighted Saviour, 
 With the marks of dying love ! 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 185 
 
 O that I had sought his favour, 
 When I felt his Spirit move : 
 
 Golden rnonoents! 
 When I felt his Spirit move !'■' 
 
 4. The fourtli and last source of shame which 
 I shall mention is, the company with which 
 the sinner shall be obliged to associate — not 
 with the virtuous and the good, but with 
 the infamous and the vile. — Only think! with 
 murderers, and robbers, and thieves, and 
 drunkards, and liars, and pirates, and gam- 
 blers, and hypocrites, and extortioners, and all 
 the mean, and all the vile, and all the abomi- 
 nable that ever lived and ever died ! — and to 
 crown the whole, he must have his portion 
 with devils damned, and all the foul spirits of 
 the pit ! ! to be grouped with such charac- 
 ters ! to have no better society than, this to all 
 eternity ! how overwhelming the thought ! and 
 how overwhelming the shame ! Cut off from 
 the sweet society of the heavenly world, sin- 
 ners must be linked with the offscouring of all 
 creation; and, verily, then shall be brought 
 to pass the prediction of the Saviour, " There 
 shall be weeping and wailing, and gnashing of 
 teeth,*' when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, 
 and Jacob, and all the prophets in the king- 
 dom of God, and you yourselves cast out! 0! 
 my soul ! there must be mourning — mourning, 
 at the judgment-seat of Christ. Parents and 
 
 13 
 
186 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 children there must part; must part to meet 
 no more. Husbands and wives there must 
 part; must part to meet no more. Brothers 
 and sisters, companions and friends, there must 
 part ; must part to meet no more. O ! who can 
 bear the idea of being excluded from the dwell- 
 ings of the blessed, cut off from the society of 
 those whom we loved on earth, and cast down 
 to hell, there to associate with murderers of 
 fathers, and murderers of mothers, with rob- 
 bers, and liars, and thieves, and swindlers, and 
 pirates, and drunkards; and, as we said, with 
 all the mean, and all the vile, and all the 
 abominable ! and how will it add to the sin- 
 ner's anguish to think that by his continuance 
 in sin he had made himself unfit for a better 
 society, and a better place ! and how will con- 
 science too, torment the sinner's soul, thun- 
 dering in his ear the charge which he cannot 
 deny — " Ye knew your duty and did it not." 
 O yes, the sinner will be constrained to say, 
 " I kne\v what was right, yet did what was 
 wrong. my folly, my madness on earth! 
 and now I wake up to the full conviction of 
 my folly and my madness, when it can avail 
 me nothing. O ! it is too late now. The har- 
 vest is past, the summer is ended, and my 
 poor soul is not saved. ! that I could return 
 to the earth once more. O ! that I could live 
 my life over again. O ! that I had one hour 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 187 
 
 more to seek salvation in ; and if this cannot 
 be, ! that I had never been born, or O ! that 
 I had slumbered for ever in my grave!" 
 
 My dear unconverted friends, think, O think 
 upon these things. A vv^ant of thought has 
 ruined many — let it not ruin you. ! come 
 now, and let the subject matter of our discourse 
 bear upon your own case. What is the choice 
 which you have made? and vi^hat is the course 
 of conduct which you h^e pursued? Have 
 you chosen the favour of man in preference to 
 the favour of God? and is not this a foolish 
 choice? Then make this choice no more. 
 From this moment seek the favour of God, as 
 the object of chief desire. Have you not set a 
 greater value upon the interests of the body 
 than upon the interests of the soul? and have 
 you not chosen temporal pleasure in preference 
 to eternal happiness ? O ! be persuaded to do 
 this no more, lest your precious souls be cut 
 off from heaven, and you have none to blame 
 but yourselves. Have you rebelled against 
 your Maker? was this right? Have you ne- 
 glected to make preparation for another and 
 eternal world? would you approve of this if 
 now laid upon a dying bed? — and have you 
 rejected offered pardon? 0! think what that 
 pardon will be worth in that day which shall 
 disclose " a God in grandeur, and a world on 
 fire." Come, my impenitent friends, O listen 
 to my voice — attend to my counsel ; or ra- 
 
18S REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 ther, listen to the voice, and attend to the 
 counsel of Him, who is your Maker, and who 
 will soon sit in judgment upon your suuls. 
 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, " Consider your 
 ways : Seek ye the Lord while he may be 
 found: Call ye upon him while he is near. 
 Let the wicked forsake his ways, and the un- 
 righteous man .his thoughts; let him return 
 unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon 
 him, and to our G(?d, for he will abundantly 
 pardon." 
 
 " While God invites, how blest the day, 
 
 How sweet the gospel's charming sound f 
 Come sinners haste — O haste away, 
 
 While yet a pardoning God he's found." 
 
 SERMON VIL 
 
 THE DELUGE. 
 
 Gen. vii. 1. — And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou, and all thy 
 house, into the ark. 
 
 The five books of Moses were written more 
 than three thousand years ago, and are sup- 
 posed to be the most ancient records now upon 
 earth. They give a view of patriarchal times, 
 and carry up the history of the world to its 
 very creation ; indeed, the history opens with 
 an account of the wonder working power of 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 189 
 
 God exerted upon ^' the void immense," bring- 
 ing into existence the heavens and the earth, 
 with all their rich and varied furniture. When 
 the mighty vi^ork was done, it was all pro- 
 nounced very good. Every thing was beau- 
 tiful; every thing was perfect. The whole 
 presented one unbroken scene of beauty and 
 enchantment. It was the morning of creation, 
 and most lovely was the morning ! But, alas, 
 too soon there was a sad change; for man, 
 originally made in the moral image of his 
 Maker, sinned! This withered erv^ery thing 
 beautiful upon earth; this 
 
 " Brought death into the world, and all our woe." 
 
 From the first moment of man's apostasy, the 
 blighting influence of sin began to pass over 
 the face of this fair creation, and its direful 
 effects were seen and felt in various modes and 
 forms; chiefly in the deep depravity of human 
 nature, and in certain awful manifestations of 
 the divine displeasure against sinning man. 
 
 With regard to human depravity, conse- 
 quent upon the fall, it is remarkable, that the 
 first man ever born into the world proved a 
 murderer, and the second was the person mur- 
 dered. This was a sad beginning; and it 
 seemed to portend most terrible and disastrous 
 things in time to come. It is true, that at the 
 birth of Enos, the grandson of Adam, there 
 was a brightening of the prospect; " For," says 
 
190 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 the historian, "then began men to call npon 
 the name of the Lord ;" but, alas ! it was only as 
 the beaming of light in a dark day. It soon 
 passed away, and was succeeded by a deeper 
 gloom than ever. Yes, for not very long after 
 that period, according to the Scriptures, man 
 became exceedingly corrupt. Iniquity began to 
 abound in a most frightful manner. The earth 
 was filled with violence. " And God saw," says 
 the historian, " that the wickedness of man 
 was great in the earth, and that every imagina- 
 tion of the thoughts of his heart, was only evil, 
 continually — and the Lord said, I will destroy 
 man, whom I have created, from the face of the 
 earth; both man and beast. — But," continues 
 the historian, " Noah found grace in the eyes 
 of the Lord." Here is one faithful Abdiel amid 
 legions of apostate spirits — one righteous Noah 
 standing alone in his righteousness, in the 
 midst of a world lying in wickedness. But, 
 although solitary and alone, he was not over- 
 looked. "Noah found grace in the eyes of the 
 Lord — and the Lord said unto Noah, The end 
 of all flesh is come before me ; for the earth is 
 filled with violence. — Make thee an ark — and 
 behold I, even I, do bring a flood of waters 
 upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is 
 the breath of life, from under heaven; and 
 every thing that is in the earth shall die. But 
 with thee will I establish my covenant; and 
 thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 191 
 
 sons, and thy wife, and thy son's wives with 
 thee. And of every living thing of all flesh, 
 two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, 
 to keep them alive with thee; they shall be 
 male and female." 
 
 Never, my brethren, was there a more awful 
 communication made from heaven to earth than 
 this ; and never, it seems, was any divine com- 
 mand more promptly obeyed. " For," says an 
 Apostle, " by faith, Noah being warned of God, 
 of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, pre- 
 pared an ark to the saving of his house." Many 
 things might have tempted him to demur. The 
 work was great. The ark which he was re- 
 quired to construct, was to be three hundred 
 cubits in length; fifty cubits in breadth, and 
 thirty in height ; or, according to our measure, 
 about five hundred feet long, eighty broad, 
 and fifty high — a most gigantic structure. I 
 have calculated the tonnage, and find it equal 
 to that of some twenty merchant ships of the 
 largest class, at the present time. The great- 
 ness of the work then might have caused him 
 to hesitate in entering upon it. And another 
 thing was this : Noah must have known very 
 well, that in entering upon a w^ork of this kind, 
 so strange and unprecedented, he would most 
 certainly subject himself to derision and con* 
 tempt — would become the song of the drunk- 
 ard, the butt of ridicule with many, and by all 
 would be esteemed as a dreaming enthusiast. 
 
193 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 a fool, and a madman — but none of these things 
 moved him. He had heard the voice of God> 
 and faith was triumphant. He staggered at 
 nothing. He verily believed that it would be, 
 even as God had said; and, therefore, according 
 to all that the Lord had commanded him, so 
 did he. And now, with zeal and determina- 
 tion, he enters upon this work — this strange 
 work : — The foundation of the ark is laid ; the 
 gigantic structure rises ; and, as the work goes 
 on, he warns the world of the ungodly, of an 
 approaching deluge, and calls upon them to 
 repent and turn from their sins ; but his words 
 seem to them as idle tales which they believe 
 not, and therefore his calls to repentance are 
 disregarded. Their curiosity however is ex- 
 cited, and gathering around the ark in crowds, 
 they affect to wonder what the good man 
 means. " He says there is going to be a flood ! 
 a flood to drown the whole world ! Nonsense ! 
 Who ever heard of such a thing ? Methuselah, 
 that old man who died the other day, lived nine 
 hundred and sixty and nine years — he never 
 saw or heard of such a thing ! — A flood to 
 drown the world ! It is all nonsense ! Where 
 can so much water come from? All perfect 
 nonsense ! Poor old man ' Surely he has been 
 dreaming, and his head is turned!" Thus, me- 
 tliinks, the unbelieving multitude derided the 
 man of God, and made a mock of the whole 
 affair ! The hireling workmen, too, methinks, 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 193 
 
 made themselves merry at Noali's expense — 
 especially when, the shades of the evening 
 being come, they left their work, and, with 
 their boon companions, merry over their cups, 
 they would talk about the scenes of the day 
 gone by. what jesting and w^hat merriment 
 then ! Methinks they would tell how serious 
 and sad the old man looked; how, ever and 
 anon, he would break out in the lano^uao^e of 
 warning; and when he saw that they made 
 light of it, how he would burst into tears, and 
 w^eep aloud in the presence of them all ! " Well, 
 to be sure, it looks a little droll ; but it is all 
 nonsense — a dream, perhaps — some strange, 
 foolish dream ; but it happens very well for us, 
 for the job is a good one, and the dreamer is 
 good pay !" My brethren, I do not think that 
 I have over-coloured the picture. No doubt 
 such remarks were made, and many such trials 
 Noah was called upon to endure. But he 
 swerved not, but urged on the work, day after 
 day, and as the time appointed drew on, me- 
 thinks his warnings were yet more frequent 
 and more loud. 
 
 And now, the ark is finished : the antedilu- 
 vians have filled up the measure of their ini- 
 quit}^; the patience of God is exhausted, and 
 the day of vengeance is just at hand ! 
 
 But, as yet, all is calm and serene. There 
 is nothing alarming in heaven above, or in the 
 earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth. 
 
194 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 The shining sun, the azure sky, and the gen- 
 tle breeze, present nothing portentous. The 
 events now coming, tremendous as they are, 
 cast no shadows before them. Every thing is 
 going on in the usual way; the beasts of the 
 earth are roaming in the forest; the birds of 
 the air are flying in the heavens, and the fish 
 of the sea are sporting in the deep; still is 
 heard the lowing^ of the oxen; the bleatinsf of 
 the sheep, and the music of the groves. The 
 hum of industry too is heard on every hand, 
 and the voice of jesting, and the voice of mirth, 
 and the shout of the merry-hearted. They are 
 buying and they are selling, they are plant- 
 ing and they are building, they are marrying 
 and they are giving in marriage. I repeat it, 
 there is nothings strano;e or alarmino- in heaven 
 above, in the earth beneath, or in the waters un- 
 der the earth, but every thing going on in the 
 usual way. And now, in the very midst of 
 this scene of universal and deep security, the 
 voice of God is heard ! " And the Lord said unto 
 Noah, Come thou, and all thy house, into the 
 ark." The command is o^iven, faith is aorain 
 triumphant, and Noah leads his family into 
 the ark. Yes, in the view of a wondering 
 crowd this one righteous man leaves his dwell- 
 ing, and with all his family following, he en- 
 ters into the ark; and now, methinks, mirth 
 and merriment are at their height ; jesting and 
 ridicule are on every hand. " Well done ! the 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 195 
 
 old dreamer is gone into his ark, sure enongh ! 
 who ever thought he would carry the matter 
 so far ? Poor old man ! now we know that he 
 has been dreaming, and his head is turned, for 
 we see no sign of a flood yet ; and if he waits 
 there until it comes, he will wait long enough, 
 and if he never dies till this mighty deluge 
 comes, he will live a little longer than Methu- 
 selah, we think !" But in the midst of their 
 mirth and jesting, suddenly methinks, their 
 faces turn pale. They tremble and exclaim, 
 " Merciful God ! what is this ! The fowls of 
 heaven are flying to the ark, and birds of every 
 wing ! And see, too, the beasts of the earth are 
 coming from the forest in every direction ! 
 And only look upon the ground, how it is 
 covered with creeping insects, and reptiles of 
 every kind, all moving toward the ark, as if 
 led on by some invisible hand, or some strange 
 instinct — ominous of some cominof evil. O ! 
 what can this be?" And now the mockers are 
 held in check, and some are almost ready to 
 rush to the ark and beg Noah to let them in ; 
 but it is too late now, for Noah and his family 
 having entered in, and beasts, and birds, and 
 creeping things, two of every kind, as the 
 Lord commanded — Noah ceases to warn; the 
 door of the ark is closed, and the doom of an 
 incorrigible world is sealed for ever ! And now 
 there are strange unprecedented sights, and 
 voices inspiring terror. God frowns, and all 
 
196 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 nature trembles at the frown of its Maker. 
 The elements begin to jar, the sun is darken- 
 ed; the earth begins to reel and stagger like a 
 drunken man; the waters are troubled, there 
 is a rumbling in the deep — flying clouds are 
 seen; they pass swiftly over the face of the 
 sky — darker clouds are rising, east, west, north, 
 south; and, who ever saw clouds so frowning 
 and so dark! and what flashes of lightning, 
 and what mighty thunderings are these ! And 
 now the winds of heaven are let loose ; they 
 roar, and sweep tremendously over the earth ; 
 the rain descends in torrents, the storm rages 
 more and more, the fountains of the great deep 
 are broken up, and the windows of heaven are 
 opened- — and floods from beneath, and floods 
 from above, minolinor their waters, enlarcre the 
 dominions of the deep. The ark is afloat, and 
 the rolling billows dash upon its sides, and 
 bear it along in safety and in triumph. The 
 storm increases, its violence is most terrific; 
 there is one unbroken sheet of lightning, and 
 mighty thunders upon mighty thunders rock 
 the globe ; amid jaring and roaring elements, 
 heaven and earth seem mingling" together, as 
 if the last great day were come. The flood in- 
 creases! old ocean's barriers exist no more! 
 and where are the mockers and the jesters 
 now ? None are seen ! for fear, now, is in every 
 bosom ; and in every face dismay. The cry 
 of agony is heard, it comes from every quar- 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 197 
 
 ter, and the wild shriek of despair mingles 
 with the howlings of the storm. The terrified 
 multitudes, in wdld alarm, rush from place to 
 place seeking refuge and finding none. O! 
 how children cling to their parents, and wives 
 to their husbands, and friend to friend, all cry- 
 ing for help, and crying in vain. Some hasten 
 to the tops of their houses, but find no refuge 
 there; some plunge into the flood, and swim- 
 ming around the ark, beg Noah to take them 
 in, but the door of the ark is not opened, and 
 they struggle, and sink to rise no more. Some 
 rush to the hills, but all in vain, for the hisfh- 
 est hills are covered, and they are swept away: 
 some climb the trees of the forest, but ! the 
 swelling waters rise higher than the tallest 
 trees, and they too are swept away. And now 
 see the few that still survive — they are climb- 
 ing the sides of the mountains, the flood pur- 
 sues them ; they seek safety on the tops of the 
 highest clifts ; but O ! the relentless flood ! it 
 rises higher and higher still, and now the bil- 
 lows pass over the mountain tops, and the last 
 remnants of the human race shriek, sink down, 
 and are buried in the waters of the mighty 
 deep ! All is still now ! — all, save the dashino- of 
 the billows, and the bellowing of the storm; 
 and now nought is seen on any hand but one 
 wide boundless ocean, with its mighty billows 
 tumbling round the globe. Yes, one thing 
 more is seen — the ark ! Noah's ark ! — yonder it 
 
198 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 is seen, riding in triumph upon the bosom of 
 the troubled deep, amid floating carcasses, and 
 the wreck of a ruined world. 
 
 There are some important remarks which I 
 wish to make, bearing upon the subject before 
 us. My first remark has reference to the deluge, 
 as a matter of fact; and of this there can be no 
 reasonable doubt, for the evidences thereof are 
 found, not only in this volume, and in the tra- 
 ditions of almost all the nations of antiquity, 
 but they are found inscribed upon the very 
 face of the earth, even up to the present time. 
 Marine shells, in immense banks, are now seen 
 in Georgia, and in many other regions, in places 
 remote from the ocean ; and some years ago the 
 skeleton of a whale was found embedded in the 
 earth near the summit of one of the loftiest 
 mountains in Asia. Denying the fact of the 
 deluge, how can these things be accounted for? 
 In boring the earth, in numerous places, logs 
 have been found buried forty, fifty, and even 
 sixty feet below the surface. If there have 
 been no overflowings and mighty stirring up 
 of the waters, how can we account for so much 
 sediment, or alluvial soil? Moreover, in the 
 prairies of the south-west, lone rocks are found 
 where no quarry exists; these rocks are of the 
 same nature as those found in the Green Moun- 
 tains of Vermont, and, if torn from those moun- 
 tains, and rolled so far, how violent and mighty 
 must have been the current which detached 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 199 
 
 these rocks from the mountains, and bore them 
 with such fury on ! But some have said the 
 story of Noah's flood is all nonsense — a perfect 
 fable. There could be no such thing. And 
 why? There is not enough water in the atmo- 
 sphere and connected with the surface of the 
 globe, to submerge it in water. This has not 
 been proved ; but suppose it were so, who can 
 tell whether there may not be vast reservoirs of 
 water in the centre of the earth, which by 
 some chemical action, might have been thrown 
 upon the surface? And this idea seems to be 
 sanctioned by the Psalmist, when, speaking of 
 the creation of the earth, he says — " Thou hast 
 founded it upon the seas, and established it 
 upon the floods." Moreover, the idea falls in 
 most remarkably with these words of Moses : — 
 " The fountains of the great deep were broken 
 up." But suppose it be ascertained that there 
 are no such reservoirs of water in the heart of 
 the earth — ^liow easy would it have been for 
 Him who originally " stretched the north over 
 the empty place, and hung the earth upon 
 nothing" — I say, how easy would it have been 
 for Him to change the polarity of the globe. 
 This done, the natural consequence would be, 
 the emptying of the waters of the ocean upon 
 the land. This would account for all the facts 
 which we have stated ; and it is a remarkable 
 circumstance, and strongly corroborating this 
 position, that the great desert of Sahara appears 
 
200 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 evidently to have been the ocean's bed. But 
 we need say nothing more on this point, for 
 within my own recollection, the enemies of the 
 Bible have changed their notes, and those who 
 were wont to say that Noah's deluge was a 
 fable, now admit it to be a fact — certain geolo- 
 gical discoveries made within twenty years 
 past, having placed the matter beyond all rea- 
 sonable doubt. 
 
 The second remark touching the deluge, has 
 reference to its cause. And here we are not 
 left to conjecture, for the Scriptures are per- 
 fectly clear upon this point. And God saw 
 that the wickedness of man was great on the 
 earth ; and therefore the Lord said unto Noah, 
 " The end of all flesh is come before me. Make 
 thee an ark, and behold I, even I, do bring a 
 a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all 
 flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under 
 heaven." Observe, my brethren, it was sin 
 that occasioned the deluge. What a dreadful 
 evil then must sin be ! Some persons look 
 upon sin as a light and venial affair. They 
 have been indulging in it, for lo ! these many 
 years, and have little concern about the matter. 
 ! could they see it as it appears in the sight of 
 a holy God, methinks they would tremble and 
 cry out with the Jerusalem convicted sinners, 
 "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" It is 
 supposed that there were as many persons in 
 the time of the flood, as there are at the pre- 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 201 
 
 sent time, say eight hundred millions ; and if 
 so, what a fearful comment upon the evil of 
 sin. Eight hundred millions of human beings 
 swallowed up in one wide, yawning, terrific, 
 watery grave ! O, methinks the flashing of 
 the lightning, and the pealing of the thunder — 
 the roaring of the storm, and the dashing of 
 the waters — all, all united to send the notes of 
 warning far and wide — Stand in awe, and sin 
 not. 0, sinner, remember you have sinned 
 against the same God, that those, in the days 
 of Noah, sinned against; and, be sure, your 
 sin will find you out ; for you and God must 
 meet. And, whether you choose it or not, you 
 must give account for all the deeds done in the 
 body, whether they have been good or bad; 
 and how dreadful will it be for you, if you be 
 not prepared for the reckoning! But this 
 leads to a 
 
 Third remark. — The deluge may be con- 
 sidered a type of the judgment of the great 
 day; and the scenes then presented, as typical 
 of the scenes which will be spread before the 
 eyes of all when God shall, in the winding up 
 of all human events, come with his chariots 
 like a whirlwind to render his anger with fury, 
 and his rebukes with flames of fire. If the de- 
 luge was a tremendous aff'air, the day of judg- 
 ment will be more tremendous still. When 
 God destroyed the world by the waters of the 
 deluge, he came to reckon with the sinners of 
 
 14 
 
202 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 only one generation ; hut when he shall come, 
 in the day of final judgment, he will come to 
 reckon with the sinners of every generation. 
 Hence, in reference to it, it is said, ''The great 
 day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able 
 to stand." 
 
 " Day of judgment ! day of wonders ! 
 Hark ! the trumpet's awful sound ! 
 Louder than a thousand thunders, 
 Shakes the vast creation round !" 
 
 O ! what scenes of terror will then be presented ! 
 When the deluge came, the fountains of the 
 great deep were broken up, and the windows 
 of heaven were opened; and the rains de- 
 scended, and the floods came, and the winds 
 blew, and one vast and mighty tornado was 
 upon the face of the whole earth, striking with 
 consternation all the millions doomed to perish ! 
 But, ! how much more terrible will be the 
 scenes of the judgment ! " Great day of God 
 Almighty and of the Lamb !" 
 
 " Whence comes that darkness? Whence those yells of wo ? 
 What thunderings are these which shake the world? 
 Why fall the lamps from heaven as blasted figs ? 
 Why tremble righteous men? Why angels pale? 
 God comes ! God in his car of vengeance comes! 
 Hark ! louder on the blast come hollow shrieks 
 Of dissolution ! In the fitful scowl 
 Of night, near and more near angels of death 
 Incessant flap their deadly wings, and roar 
 Through all the fervid air ! The mountains rock ! 
 The moon is sick ! Stars cease your dancing now, 
 Your graves are dug among the dismal clouds, 
 And angels are assembling round your bier." 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 203 
 
 "And I saw," says the apostle John, "a great 
 white throne, and him that sat upon it, from 
 whose face the earth and the heavens fled 
 away; and there was found no place for them. 
 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand be- 
 fore God : and the books were opened ; and 
 another book was opened, which is the book of 
 life ; and the dead were judged out of those 
 things which were written in the books, ac- 
 cording to their works. And the sea gave up 
 the dead which were in it; and death and hell 
 delivered up the dead which were in them : 
 and they were judged, every man according to 
 their works." Nothing can be more terribly 
 sublime than this description. Notice — " And 
 I saw a great white throne, and him that sat 
 upon it, from whose face the earth and the 
 heavens fled away; and there was found no 
 place for them." Here is the appearing of the 
 final Judge, and, as an effect, the vanishing 
 away of the heavens and the earth ! As the 
 sun, rising in peerless brightness, throws its 
 splendours upon the world slumbering in dark- 
 ness, and with its eff'ulgence chases away the 
 shades of night; and the mists of the morning — 
 even so, at the coming of the final Judge, the 
 heavens and the earth, substantial as they are, 
 shall be only as the shades of the night, and 
 the mists of the morning. Smitten by the 
 living and insufferable eff'ulgence of his glory, 
 they shall vanish away as the shades of the 
 
204 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 night and the mists of the morning ! And what, 
 poor sinner, will then become of thee? Ah, 
 my brethren, believe me, the day of judgment 
 will come. It is no fiction ; it is a great Bible 
 truth. The day of judgment will come, and 
 you and I must witness all its dread solemni- 
 ties! — Aye, and then that sentence shall be 
 pronounced upon us, which will place us in 
 heaven or in hell ! which will number us with 
 angels of light or spirits damned ! and, O ! re- 
 member this sentence admits of no reversal. It 
 will be registered in the archives of heaven, 
 and registered for eternity ! Wo ! wo ! wo ! to 
 those not prepared for the judgment ! It would 
 have been better for them had they never been 
 born. But my 
 
 Fourth remark is this : — Noah's ark may be 
 considered as a type of Christ. One was of 
 divine appointment, and so is the other. The 
 one was the only refuge — the only means of 
 safety, and so is the other. All who w^ere not 
 in the ark perished, and out of Christ assuredly 
 there is no salvation. " There is salvation in 
 none other," says Peter. " Other foundation," 
 says Paul, " can no man lay than is laid, which 
 is Jesus Christ." And what says John the Bap- 
 tist? "He that believeth on the Son hath ever- 
 lasting life ; but he that believeth not the Son, 
 shall not see life, but the wTath of God abideth 
 upon him." 
 
 According to the Scriptures, God is, in 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 205 
 
 Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not 
 imputing their trespasses unto them; but out 
 of Christ, God is a consuming fire. O, my 
 brethren, believe me, the judgment is coming! 
 the day of wrath is drawing nigh, and verily 
 " None but Jesus can do helpless sinners good." 
 Let it sink down in the ears of all, and never 
 be forgotten, that when God arises to judgment, 
 Christ) our blessed Saviour, is the sinner's only 
 hope and only refuge ; for then the arrows of 
 vengeance shall fly on every hand, and strike 
 every spot not protected by the shield of a Sa- 
 viour's righteousness. 
 
 When the deluge came, those not in the ark 
 were, no doubt, filled with strange alarm, and 
 in their terror sought refuge, some in one 
 place and some in another. Doubtless, some 
 ascended the tops of their houses, but found no 
 safety there ! Some climbed the trees of the 
 forest, some the lofty hills, and some the tower- 
 ing mountains, and some, too, swam around 
 the ark, but all in vain ! 7vithin the ark was 
 peace, within was safety; but witliout was 
 wTath and ruin, desolation and death. So sin- 
 ners may seek safety — some in one thing and 
 some in another : one relying upon his own 
 righteousness, and another upon the interces- 
 sion of the saints — one upon his prayers and 
 tears, another upon his numerous and splen- 
 did charities — but all in vain ! Absolutely, 
 Christ is the sinner's only refuge — the sin- 
 
206 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 ner's only hope. In Christ the sinner is safe 
 and happy; without Christ, lost to all eter- 
 nity. 
 
 And now, these things being so, permit me 
 to make a spiritual and practical application of 
 the subject: — "And the Lord said unto Noah, 
 Come thou and all thy house into the ark." 
 If there be an unconverted father present, to 
 him I would now address myself with earnest- 
 ness and affection. 0, thou who art the head 
 of your family — thou upon whose arm leans an 
 affectionate wife, and around whom cluster be- 
 loved sons and daughters — come into the ark ! 
 You ought to have come a long time ago, for, 
 no doubt, since you have had a family, you 
 have received many calls and many warnings. 
 Where is that beloved Joseph ? that dear little 
 Benjamin ? that idol of your affections ? Alas ! 
 torn from your fond embrace by the relentless 
 hand of death, that loved one now sleeps in 
 the grave ! And was not that providence which 
 made this sad breach in your family a loud 
 call ? And perhaps another was taken, and yet 
 another ! But it may be you have had a call 
 of another kind. Some of your household 
 have been brought into the fold of Christ. 
 What ! shall the child be brought in and the 
 parent left out? As the head of your family, 
 it was your duty to "allure to brighter worlds 
 and lead the way." And shall you linger whilst 
 your own children are pressing in? O, come 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 207 
 
 into the ark! For your own sake, come in, for 
 verily the responsibiUty of a parent is great, 
 and most fearful must be the reckoning in the 
 day of judgment for those heads of famiUes 
 who have neglected to train up their children 
 in the way in which they should go. I knew" 
 an unconverted daughter once, who, dying in 
 despair, reproached her parents upon her bed 
 of death for neglecting her precious soul. " O 
 my father and my mother," said she, ''you 
 brought me up to nothing." 0, how terrible 
 is the thought of sons and daughters in the 
 world laying the blame of their damnation 
 upon their ungodly parents! O, venerated fa- 
 ther, listen to me. O thou, who art the head of 
 your family, and king of your household — I 
 repeat it — thou upon whose arm leans an affec- 
 tionate wife, and around whom cluster sons 
 and daughters, who respect and love you, come 
 into the ark — come, even if not for your own 
 sake, yet for the sake of those who are bone of 
 your bone, and flesh of your flesh. The influ- 
 ence of parents upon their children, whether 
 they desire it or not, is very great. If parents 
 are prayerless and worldly-minded, children 
 are likely to be prayerless and worldly-minded 
 too; and if they neglect the Bible and the ordi- 
 nances of God's house, their children are likely 
 to do the same. 
 
 I recollect the case of a young man whose 
 father was an unconverted man, when I urged 
 
208 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 him to attend to the great concern — " Sir," said 
 he, " it is not worth while to speak to me on 
 that subject, my father is not a Christian, and 
 I don't care about being a better man than my 
 father." Ah! me — those children whose pa- 
 rents are not pious are truly to be pitied, for 
 their prospects for heaven are dark indeed. 
 Some years since, the assertion having been 
 made, that the children of the pious were no 
 better than others, an investigation was made; 
 and the families within a certain district hav- 
 ing been divided into three classes — those in 
 which both parents were professedly pious, 
 those in which only one parent was a profes- 
 sor, and those in which neither parent made 
 any pretensions to religion — it was ascertained 
 that of the children over ten years of age, in 
 the first class, two-thirds were hopefully pious, 
 in the second class, about one- third, and in the 
 third class, not more than one-twelfth. In 
 comparing the first and third classes, it was 
 found that, of one hundred and twenty-five 
 children of the first class, where both parents 
 professed religion, eighty-four were members 
 of some church; whilst, of one hundred and 
 ninety-nine children of the third class, in 
 which neither parent professed religion, only 
 fourteen were connected with any church. 
 This speaks volumes, and makes a most pow- 
 erful appeal to parents on the score of their 
 responsibility. O ! if the venerated father who 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 209 
 
 has all along- neglected the great salvation, 
 should now, at last, make a move toward the 
 cross of Christ — should come out, and take 
 his stand openly upon the Lord's side, what 
 a powerful, what a thrilling effect it would 
 have upon all the members of the family! 
 The beloved parent setting out for heaven, the 
 children are not willing to be left behind. O ! 
 then, thou respected and most responsible head 
 of the family, come into the ark ! Yes, come, 
 and come not alone; bring your wife along 
 with you. What ! are you willing to be sepa^ 
 rated from your bosom companion ? and sepa- 
 rated for ever? Surely you cannot bear the 
 thought — then persuade her to come alone with 
 you; and will you not bring your sons also 
 with you? are they not all dear to your heart? 
 and which will you consent to leave out? the 
 eldest or the youngest? — shall it be Reuben, 
 the beginning of your strength, or Benjamin, 
 the son of your old age? And your daughters, 
 too, will you not prevail upon them also to 
 come in ? they love you much ; cast your eye 
 over their sweet faces, and say which one are 
 you willing to see go down into the pit? Is it 
 the one that is married, or the one that is at 
 home? is it Margaret, or is it Louisa? is it 
 Mary, or your dear little Susan ? O ! leave 
 none out — bring them all into the ark. Noah 
 led all his household into the ark. Why should 
 you not do the same ? ! how happy to have 
 
210 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 a family united on earth, and unbroken in hea- 
 ven ! I recollect seeing once the picture of a 
 resurrection scene. The graves were open- 
 ing — the dead arising ; there was one lovely 
 group — a family — a whole family ! father, mo- 
 ther, sons and daughters, all radiant and hap- 
 py, ascending to the skies together. Once 
 more then, I say to thee, venerated parent, as 
 the Lord said unto Noah, " Come thou, and 
 all thy house, into the ark." Come, this day. 
 O ! should you now make a move, how would 
 it rouse those around you, and especially your 
 own sons and daughters. Young man, young 
 maiden, am I wrong ? Should that dear and 
 venerated father of yours come out, and con- 
 fess Christ before the world, w^ould you be in- 
 different to your own soul's salvation ? Here 
 then, beloved parent, is a powerful appeal to 
 the best feelings of your nature; here is a 
 strong motive, a double motive, nay, a motive 
 multiplied according to the number of your 
 children. ! come then, " come thou, and all 
 thy house, into the ark." 
 
 But perhaps the parents are already in the 
 ark, and the children are not, or at least some 
 of them. O, ye children of pious parents — ye 
 children of the covenant — you upon whom bap- 
 tismal water has been poured — your parents 
 are in the ark, why linger you without? Your 
 parents are going to heaven — why should you 
 not go along with them? Are you willing to 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 211 
 
 be separated in the great day? How can you 
 bear the thought of seeing them on the right 
 hand of the Judge, w^hilst you are placed on 
 the left? Of seeing them rising and shining 
 with angels in glory, whilst you are sinking 
 down deeper and deeper in the dark realms of 
 wo! O, it seems to me that if the children of 
 the pious go down to hell, they will have no 
 common damnation. Their peculiar advanta- 
 ges, and then that terrible separation will add 
 much to their pangs, and the fearfulness of 
 their doom. Only think! suppose one of No- 
 ah's sons, when invited by his father, had re- 
 fused to OTQ with him into the ark — what would 
 have been his feelino^s when the deluo-e came ? 
 Whilst filled with alarm, and crying out in 
 terror, amid the dashing of the billows and the 
 roaring of the storm, would he not have looked 
 toward the ark in special agony, and ex- 
 claimed — " Yonder is the ark, safe upon the 
 bosom of the troubled deep ! My father is 
 there, my mother is there, my brothers are 
 there — all, all in safety there — and I am lost! 
 I too was invited, yea, urged to enter in with 
 them; why did I not? O my folly! my mad- 
 ness! I have brought this evil upon myself! 
 Why did I not enter in ? Why did I not enter 
 in? It is too late now! O, it is too late now!" 
 My dear young friends — ye children of the 
 covenant — ye who are so tenderly beloved, for 
 whom so many prayers have been offered, and 
 
212 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 over whom so many tears have been shed ! 
 be persuaded to come into the ark ! In the 
 great and dreadful day of judgment you will 
 need a Saviour; O, embrace him now. Cast 
 in your lot with your pious friends, and with 
 them be safe and happy, now and for ever- 
 more. 
 
 May the God of heaven touch your heart, 
 and incline you to do that wdiich you will wish 
 you had done in that day which shall disclose 
 "a God in grandeur and a world on fire." 
 
 SERMON VIII. 
 
 WAR IN HEAVEN. 
 
 Rev. xii. 7, 8. — And there was war in heaven : Michael and his angels 
 fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 
 and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in 
 heaven. 
 
 The visions of John in the Isle of Patmos, are, 
 in general, mysterious and sublime. But, al- 
 though their mystical and prophetic import 
 may not be fully understood, they may, never- 
 theless, suggest many useful and awakening 
 thoughts. The passage at present under con- 
 sideration is not entirely free from difficulty; 
 and commentators have different views of the 
 subject. Some suppose that by the dragon, we 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 213 
 
 are to understand the Pagan Roman Empire; 
 by Michael, the Christian Roman Empire; by 
 Heaven, the throne of the Roman Emperors; 
 and by the war in heaven is meant the different 
 and opposite counsels of Pagan and Christian 
 Roman Emperors. Without attempting to 
 settle the mystical or prophetic import of the 
 passage, I wish, at this time, to consider it as 
 pointing to an event which literally took place 
 in heaven ; an event most memorable indeed ; 
 which has awakened the attention of the uni- 
 verse, changed the face of creation, and has 
 been productive of most direful consequences 
 to angels and to men : I mean the fall of rebel 
 angels in heaven. 
 
 My brethren, God is the Creator and Sove- 
 reign of the universe. Millions of worlds roll 
 around his throne, and no doubt, all are in- 
 habited by intelligent creatures. Of these in- 
 telligent beings, only two orders are known 
 to us — angels and men ; both, originally pure 
 and upright, were, according to the Scriptures, 
 placed in a state of probation, and made free 
 to stand, yet liable to fall. The angels were 
 first created. They were a superior order, and 
 were to stand or fall, each for himself. Man, 
 to stand or fall in his federal head. Some of 
 the angels, called elect, kept their first estate, 
 and were confirmed in a state of purity and 
 happiness; others, according to the Scriptures, 
 kept not their first estate. They sinned and fell. 
 
214 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 What their sin was, we know not, for the Bible 
 has not revealed it. It is no matter. Suffice 
 it for us to know that they sinned. That mo- 
 ment the g-olden chain of love which bound 
 them to the throne of God, was broken for 
 ever! They assumed the character of sinners ; 
 of rebels against the divine majesty. What 
 daj*ing acts of opposition they attempted, we 
 know not ; but there is reason to believe, that 
 as they presumed to rebel against their Maker, 
 so they also presumed, openly and positively, 
 to resist his high authority. And, doubtless, 
 God made use of some instruments in punish- 
 ing them. This w^ould be in perfect harmony 
 with his general dealings in punishing sin ; for 
 when he would root out the Canaanites for 
 their impieties, he sent against them Joshua 
 and the tribes of Israel ; and when he would 
 punish the Jews for their rejection of the Mes- 
 siah, he raised up against them Titus and the 
 Roman army. Angels too, we find, have been 
 employed in services of a similar kind. It was 
 an angel, you recollect, that in one gloomy 
 disastrous night, slew all the first born in the 
 land of Egypt ! And was it not an angel also, 
 who entered the camp of Sennacherib, and in 
 one night laid low in death one hundred and 
 eighty-five thousand men before the walls of 
 Jerusalem ! Why then may we not suppose, 
 that when the apostate spirits were driven from 
 heaven, it was done by holy angels, led on by 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 215 
 
 Michael the archangel? So that, literally, 
 "There was war in heaven: Michael and his 
 ancrels foug^ht afjainst the draoron; and the 
 dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed 
 not; neither was their place found any more 
 in heaven." My brethren, think me not fan- 
 ciful. I have not selected this text as the 
 groundwork of any vain speculations. I have 
 no wish to amuse you with any conceits or 
 imaginations of my own. The subject I trust 
 you will find to be one of deep and solemn 
 interest, and of great practical importance. I 
 confess I like the subject, because it serves to 
 present vividly, and in a new aspect, some 
 great truths which are too little thought upon. 
 We wish now, 
 
 I. To consider the character of the war of 
 rebel angels in heaven, and 
 
 II. To compare and contrast it with the w^ar 
 of rebel men on earth. 
 
 I. The character of the war of rebel ano-els 
 in heaven. It has several features, as we may 
 gather from various parts of the sacred Scrip- 
 tures. 
 
 First. It was wilful, I mean they brouo-ht 
 it upon themselves. Certainly they came from 
 the hands of their Creator pure and happy, 
 and if originally placed in a state of probation, 
 as the Bible clearly gives us to understand, 
 then of course, they must have been free 
 airents. 
 
216 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 " Not free, what proof could they have given sincere 
 Of true allegiance, constant faith and love, 
 When what they needs must do, appeared 
 Not what they would. What praise could they receive, 
 What pleasure, God, from such obedience paid? 
 When will and reason, of freedom both despoiled, 
 Made passive both, had served Necessity, 
 Not God. They therefore as to right belonged, 
 So were created." 
 
 We dare not say that, subsequently, God ex- 
 erted any positive influence upon their will, 
 inclining them to sin. This v^^ould be an im- 
 peachment of the goodness of God, as though 
 he took pleasure in the misery of his creatures. 
 It would impugn his wisdom, as though he 
 knew not at first, how properly to create these 
 angels; nay, more, it would arraign his jus- 
 tice, for had he done it, he would have destroy- 
 ed their free agency — he would have changed 
 their original constitution ; and, in fact, would 
 have been the author of their sin ! No, no ! 
 they were made, strictly speaking, free agents, 
 and so they continued until their fall. But 
 mark ! if free agents, of course, whilst free to 
 stand, yet liable to fall. They fell ! God was 
 not the author of their fall. No, but as one 
 well expresses it — they fell " self-tempted, self- 
 depraved." 
 
 ' They themselves decreed 
 
 Their own revolt: not God. If he foreknew. 
 Foreknowledge had no influence on their fault, 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 217 
 
 Which had proved no less certain, unforeknown : 
 So, without least impulse, or shadow of fate, 
 Or aught by him, immutably foreseen, 
 They trespassed." 
 
 This view of the matter, falls in precisely 
 with the language of the Bible; for it tells us 
 that the angels sinned, that they kept not their 
 first estate, but left their habitations; all of 
 which phrases evidently imply a voluntary, 
 wilful act of their own. But this wilful apos- 
 tasy on the part of rebel angels was the pro- 
 curing cause of their expulsion, or the war in 
 heaven ; therefore, on the part of these once ex- 
 alted, now fallen spirits, it was a wilful war. 
 
 Secondly. It was an irreconcilable war — 
 and that, both on the part of God, and with re- 
 gard to rebel angels also. 1. It is irreconcila- 
 ble on the part of God. Let us for a moment 
 look at the state of the case. God is the alone 
 Monarch of all worlds. The whole creation is 
 his empire, and all intelligent creatures the 
 rightful subjects of his moral government. 
 Now, it is a matter of the last importance, that 
 the honours of the divine government be main- 
 tained, and that no attribute of God, and no 
 law which he has framed for the well-being of 
 his creatures, should be trampled upon; and 
 if trampled upon, not only does the justice and 
 the honour of God, but the tranquillity and 
 well-being of all worlds require that this act, 
 so sinful and dangerous, should not be permit- 
 15 
 
218 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 ted to pass with impunity. Now, when an 
 gels sinned, they insulted the Divine Majesty ; 
 violated the laws framed for the well-being of 
 creation, and therefore endangered the happi- 
 ness of all worlds. This act must not be per- 
 mitted to pass unpunished. Ah ! my brethren, 
 if we could only understand the full malignity 
 of sin — if we could only understand the great 
 dishonour it brings upon God, and the direful 
 consequences it would produce throughout all 
 worlds if permitted to pass with impunity, 
 we would immediately perceive that, without 
 some effectual plan, devised to satisfy the law 
 and justice of God, God could never be recon- 
 ciled to sinning angels. According to the 
 Scriptures no plan has ever been devised, nor 
 ever will be: hence, the fire prepared for th6 
 devil and his angels is an everlasting fire. 
 Moreover, 
 
 2. This war is irreconcilable on the part of 
 rebel angels also, for when they sinned, that 
 moment their natures were changed. Their 
 moral powers were broken, and their very spi- 
 rits poisoned. Love, once triumphant, was 
 succeeded by hatred, deadly and eternal hatred. 
 The passions of the soul, and the affections of 
 the heart, which once so sweetly harmonized, 
 were thrown into disorder and became as jar- 
 ring elements, or as the troubled sea that can- 
 not rest. According to the sacred Scriptures, 
 fallen angels have no tender feelings — no re- 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 219 
 
 lenting thoughts. All is maUgnant rancour, 
 and therefore, 
 
 " Never can true reconcilement grow 
 
 Where wounds of deadly hate have pierced so deep ; 
 Which would but lead them to a worse relapse, 
 And heavier fall." 
 
 To this hour Satan, or as he is here termed, 
 the dragon, and his angels, are as much op- 
 posed to their Maker as they ever were. And 
 what though we cannot see them " hurling de- 
 fiance to the vault of heaven," nor hear them 
 blaspheming the God of heaven, because of 
 their pains, yet the proof thereof is seen in the 
 faded beauties of this once fair creation, and 
 heard in the groans of the sick and the dying. 
 Satan, vanquished on the plains of heaven, has, 
 so to speak, shifted the scene of warfare. Ra- 
 ging with malice, he has come down to earth, 
 here to continue his impious struggle against 
 the Most High. Long has he been striving to 
 blast the works of God, and, alas! how has he 
 succeeded in robbing man of his primeval in- 
 nocence, and in converting a blooming Eden 
 into a vale of tears and field of blood ! Ever 
 since the fall of man, as we learn from the sa- 
 cred volume, this enemy of God and man has 
 been going about, as a roaring lion, seeking 
 whom he may devour. Rapid as lightning, 
 and insatiable as death, he stops at nothing. 
 
220 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 Lowerino- clouds of wrath alarm him not; 
 quenchless fires of vengeance impede him not. 
 It is his purpose, if he can, to defeat the coun- 
 sels of his Maker, and send the ploughshare of 
 ruin over all the worlvs of God. Having suc- 
 ceeded in tempting our first parents, he pre- 
 sumed to tempt the Messiah himself, God's 
 Eternal Son ! Signally defeated by him, he 
 still continues to stir up v^^ar against the rem- 
 nant of his seed. This is no fiction. You re- 
 collect the language of our Saviour — " Simon, 
 Simon, Satan hath desired to have thee, that 
 he might sift thee as wheat:" and the apostle 
 John, in reference to the period immediately 
 preceding the millennium, says: — "And I 
 heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is 
 come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom 
 of our God, and the power of his Christ: for 
 the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which 
 accused them before our God day and night." 
 And again this voice is uttered in heaven: 
 "Wo to the inhabiters of the earth, and of the 
 sea ! for the devil is come down unto you, having 
 great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath 
 but a short time." Rev. xii. 10. 12. Hence it 
 appears that Satan and his angels continue 
 their opposition to their Maker, and will con- 
 tinue it until the winding up of all human 
 events; when, as we are expressly told, he 
 shall be cast into the bottomless pit, where the 
 
-REVIVAL SERMONS. 221 
 
 beast and the false prophet are, and shall be 
 tormented day and night, for ever. The war, 
 then, is absolutely irreconcilable. 
 
 3. It is an unreasonable war — on the part 
 of rebel angels a most unreasonable war. It 
 must be, for God, as an infinitely wise and 
 good Being, could have given no just cause 
 or occasion. The Bible tells us that God is 
 love. This is indeed his memorial from all 
 generations, even from all eternity; and even 
 fallen angels cannot deny it — and why? God 
 was such to them until they sinned. Yes, he 
 brought them from the womb of non-existence. 
 He crowned them with glory and honour; 
 placed them near his throne, and made them 
 as happy as their natures would admit of; and 
 yet, they kept not their first habitation — they 
 rebelled ! 
 
 " Ah, wherefore? He deserved no such return 
 From them, whom he created what they were, 
 In that bright eminence; and with his good 
 Upbraided none ! Nor was his service hard ; 
 What could be less, than pay him thanks? 
 How due!" 
 
 Why, then, did they rebel? Was there any 
 thing in the character of God which they could 
 impeach ? Certainly not, for it was absolutely 
 perfect. Was there any thing in his goveiii- 
 ment which they could condemn? By no 
 means ; for it is founded on the principles of 
 infinite wisdom and eternal rectitude. Well, 
 
222 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 was there any thing in their own circumstances 
 which could reasonably create discontent? 
 no, for they were in heaven, and their cup of 
 bliss was overflowing. Why then did they 
 rebel? Although we know what tempted 
 them, yet, in the very nature of the case, it is 
 evident that the war which they waged against 
 their Maker was without cause, and therefore 
 unreasonable. It was a war of ingratitude, of 
 folly, of madness: — was a war against duty, 
 against interest, against happiness itself: a 
 war, in short, for which not only the justice 
 of God must for ever condemn them, but the 
 voice of reason, and the voice of the whole 
 intelligent creation. Certainly, then, it was an 
 unreasonable war. 
 
 Lastly: It was to rebel angels a most fatal 
 and disastrous war. They gained nothing, but 
 lost much. 1. They lost the favour of God, 
 even that favour which is life, and that loving- 
 kindness which is better than life. This they 
 once enjoyed in plenitude and perfection; but 
 noAv it is lost for ever ! Never more shall they 
 be permitted to come into the peaceful presence 
 of their Maker! Never more share in the light 
 of his countenance, or any tokens of his love ! 
 Nay more; having forfeited his favour, they 
 must endure his withering frowns for ever! 
 2. They lost their own moral loveliness. Once, 
 in the image of God, they were pure and lovely 
 indeed ! Every celestial virtue, every heavenly 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 223 
 
 grace vra.s upon them. They were fairer than 
 the roses of paradise, lovelier than the stars of 
 the morning. But, alas! when they sinned, 
 all was changed. No longer innocent, they 
 became hateful; no longer the sons of God, 
 they became demons of the pit. 3. They lost, 
 moreover, their seats in heaven ! those sweet, 
 those happy fields, where joy for ever reigns ! 
 To rebel angels they are lost for ever ! Their 
 seats are vacant now ; their harps are thrown 
 away, and "their place shall be found no more 
 in heaven!" No more shall they mingle with 
 the blessed ; nor sweep their melodious strings ; 
 nor chant their heavenly songs. No more shall 
 they climb the heights of bliss ; nor range the 
 fields of glory ; nor dwell in the sweet vales of 
 heaven! For their horrid guilt, they are in 
 everlasting exile from that happy world ! cast 
 down to hell — and what kind of a place is that ? 
 a pit that has no bottom — a lake burning with 
 fire and brimstone — 
 
 " A dungeon, horrible on all sides round, 
 As one great furnace flames ! yet from those flames, 
 No light ! but rather darkness visible ! 
 Which serves only to discover sights of wo. 
 Regions of sorrow, doleful shades, where peace 
 And rest can never dwell, hope never comes!" 
 
 My brethren, believe me, or rather believe the 
 sacred volume, it is a fearful thing to fall into 
 the hands of the livinor God. The rebel angrels, 
 in sinning against God, gained nothing but lost 
 
224 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 imich ! And so must it be with all who dare 
 rebel against their Maker, and who with the 
 Great Eternal provoke unequal war. But this 
 leads us 
 
 II. To compare and contrast the war of rebel 
 angels in heaven, with the war of rebel men on 
 earth ; and, for this purpose chiefly, have I se- 
 lected the passage of Scripture now before us. 
 The dragon and his angels gained no victories 
 in heaven ; but, shall I say it ? they have suc- 
 ceeded in gaining allies on earth ! Yes, the hu- 
 man race, seduced from their allegiance by the 
 great tempter, have made common cause with 
 fallen angels, and are now in arms against the 
 everlasting God ! Yes, awful and melancholy 
 as the thought is, it is even so ! Satan has suc- 
 ceeded in pouring much of his venom into the 
 human heart! and multitudes of the human 
 family are now ranged with him under the 
 banner of revolt! Not all! No! blessed be 
 God, some, sweetly subdued by heavenly grace, 
 have laid down the weapons of their rebel- 
 lion. Through the interposition of the great 
 Redeemer, and the powerful energies of the 
 divine spirit, they have made their peace with 
 God ; and now, ranged under his banner, they 
 are the willing subjects of his moral govern- 
 ment. But the multitude, the great mass of 
 the human family, sorry am I to say, this mo- 
 ment, leagued with the dragon and his angels, 
 are fighting against the God who made them. 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 225 
 
 Do you demand proof? Look around you, and 
 see how many are enemies to God by wicked 
 works — how many profane his sabbaths ! how 
 many blaspheme his holy name ! how many 
 slight his word ! how many reject the Son of 
 his love ! how many indulge in riot and de- 
 bauchery ! how many in theft and murder ! 
 Ah ! my brethren, the fact is but too evident — 
 the world lies in wickedness. It is now, and 
 ever since the fall has been, a rebellious 
 province of Jehovah's dominions. I have 
 nourished and brought up children, says God, 
 and they have rebelled against me. And does 
 not the apostle Paul affirm that the carnal 
 mind is enmity against God ? and does he not 
 address the unrenewed as those arrayed against 
 their Maker. Notice his language: "Now 
 then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though 
 God did beseech you by us, we pray you in 
 Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." The 
 case is clear — all unregenerate sinners — (and 
 do they not constitute the mass of the human 
 family ?) — are in a state of open opposition aiid 
 downright rebellion against their Maker ! it 
 is an impious contest, a most unholy war ! But 
 we promised to compare and contrast the war 
 of rebel men on earth, with that of rebel angels 
 in heaven. In many things the resemblance 
 is most exact and striking ; in only one thing 
 is there a difference. 
 
 First. Was the war of rebel angels a wilful 
 
226 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 war ? So also is the war of rebel men. It is 
 true the original dispensations to angels and to 
 men were not the same. The former stood or 
 fell, each for himself: the latter in their fede- 
 ral head, Adam, the head and representative 
 of his race, broke covenant with God — wilful- 
 ly sinned, and thus, so to speak, in his own 
 name and that of all his posterity, declared 
 war against his Maker, as a sovereign acting 
 in behalf of the people whom he represents. 
 " By one man's disobedience," says the Apos- 
 tle, "were many made sinners" — that is, the 
 act of Adam, in breaking covenant with God, 
 was reckoned as the act of his posterity; in 
 proof of this position, we find the consequences 
 of the fall extending to the whole human fami- 
 ly. But there is another view of the matter. 
 All mankind, it is true, by virtue of their con- 
 nexion with Adam, as their federal head, are, 
 equally with him, involved in the ruins of the 
 fall; but infinite wisdom and love have plan- 
 ned and executed a scheme, by which the 
 ruins of the fall may be restored, and man may 
 again be brought into favour with his Maker. 
 Our blessed Saviour having, by his death and 
 sufferings, made the great atonement, the gos- 
 pel of peace and reconciliation is preached, 
 and all who will, are invited to come through 
 the Mediator, and obtain peace with their 
 offended Maker, and even everlasting life, 
 through our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, those 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 227 
 
 who refuse and reject the overtures of mercy, 
 do evidently continue in wilful rebellion, and 
 in this way do, deliberately, to all intents and 
 purposes, sanction the act of their federal head, 
 and make it their own ! and, that they are 
 wilful in this matter, is evident from many 
 passages of Scripture, especially from the lan- 
 guage of our Saviour, " Ye will not come unto 
 me that ye might have life." Ah! my bre- 
 thren, it is even so. God calls, but sinners 
 will not hear. He stretches out his hand, but 
 sinners will not regard. He offers them mercy, 
 on gospel terms, and repeatedly offers it, but 
 they wilfully reject it; and, by their conduct, 
 daringly say, with Pharaoh, " Who is the 
 Lord that we should obey him ? we know not 
 the Lord, neither will we obey his voice." 
 And what is this but wilful rebellion? Besides, 
 oftentimes the Spirit of God moves upon the 
 heart of the sinner, but the sinner braces him- 
 self up against these divine influences; and 
 the charge brought by Stephen against certain 
 Jew^s in his day, may with but too much pro- 
 priety be brought against many of the uncon- 
 verted at the present time — " Ye uneircum- 
 cised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the 
 Holy Ghost, as your fathers did, so do ye." In 
 other words', in resisting the strivings of the 
 Divine Spirit, and wilfully stifling their con- 
 victions, they fight against God, and there is a 
 
228 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 wilfulness in this matter which adds greatly to 
 their sin. 
 
 Secondly. "Was the war of rebel angels an 
 irreconcilable war? Thank God, here we can 
 drop the comparison, and take up the contrast.- 
 Yes, on this theatre of war, in the midst of 
 heaven-daring rebels, our blessed Redeemer 
 has, by the shedding of his most precious 
 blood, made the great atonement. Elevated 
 upon the cross, this glorious God-man Media- 
 tor has, so to speak, laid one hand upon divi- 
 nity and the other upon humanity, and in this 
 way, has accomplished a blessed work of love 
 and reconciliation — has thus opened up a way, 
 whereby God can be just, and yet justify the 
 penitent and believing sinner — the sinner who 
 accepts of Christ as his surety and only hope, 
 as it is written, " Being justified by faith, we 
 have peace with God through our Lord Jesus 
 Christ." And again, " There is therefore now, 
 no condemnation to them which are in Christ 
 Jesus, who walk, not after the flesh, but after 
 the Spirit." Ah! my brethren, had the bless- 
 ed Jesus not interposed, the hope of heavenly 
 grace had never cheered the heart of man ! 
 This is the Good Shepherd, who, when he 
 saw a hundred worlds rolling around his Fa- 
 ther's throne, and this was lost, left the ninety- 
 and-nine in the wilderness of space, and came 
 to seek and to save this lost world! 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 229 
 
 " O love divine ! Harp, lift thy voice on high ! • 
 Shout angels ! Shout aloud ye sons of men, 
 And burn, my heart, with the eternal flame." 
 
 Millions of the human family have already 
 been reconciled to God by the death of his 
 Son, and have been made for ever happy by 
 redeeming love; and millions more, drawn 
 from the standard of revolt, and ranged under 
 the banner of the great Redeemer, shall yet 
 enter the dwellings of the blest, and take rank 
 amongst the angels of God, in glory everlast- 
 ing. O how thanldul should w^e be, that whilst 
 the war of rebel angels is irreconcilable, the 
 war of rebel men may be brought to a speedy 
 and happy termination. This is a blessed 
 truth, and I love to present it; but let it not 
 be forgotten, that the period of possible recon- 
 ciliation is a limited period. In this world sin- 
 ners may make their peace with God — but in 
 this world only. When death's leaden sceptre 
 is laid upon the cold bosom, the state of the 
 sinner is fixed forever! Ever after there is 
 no redemption, there is no hope ! 
 
 . " There are no acts of pardon passed, 
 In the cold grave to which we haste; 
 Bu~t darkness, death, and long despair, 
 Reign in eternal silence there !" 
 
 how important is it, then, that every one 
 of us diligently improve our day of grace on 
 earth; and, with all our heart, seek salvation 
 
230 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 while " pardon may be sought, and mercy may 
 be found." But, 
 
 Thirdly. Was the war of rebel angels an un- 
 reasonable war? And what shall we say of 
 the war of rebel men? O, my brethren, how 
 shall we vindicate foolish, infatuated man? 
 Angels sinned against creating goodness — man 
 aofainst redeeminof love. Angels warred under 
 black despair — man imder hope of heavenly 
 grace. The sword of justice pursued revolting 
 angels — the wings of mercy were outstretched 
 to shelter revolting man. And yet man rebels! 
 Infatuated man ! what would he have ? — Rich- 
 es? In rejecting the grace of God he rejects the 
 true riches. Honour? There is no honour like 
 that which cometh down from God only. 
 Safety? Everlasting arms are round about 
 them who put their trust in Israel's God. Hap- 
 piness? And where can happiness be found 
 but in Him who is the only true source and 
 fountain of all enjoyment ? And yet the sinner 
 rebels! how unreasonable! In rebelling 
 against God, the sinner loses much, every thing 
 that should be dear and precious to the soul. 
 And what does he gain? Nothing! literally 
 nothing ! except it be an upbraiding conscience, 
 an aching heart, and a burning hell! 0, how 
 does the sinner sin against his own judgment, 
 his own interest, and his own happiness! and 
 moreover, against all motives and considera- 
 tions which should affect him. He knows that 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 231 
 
 the way of transgressors is hard, and yet he 
 sins on ! He knows that his sins will find him 
 out, and yet he sins on! He knows that the 
 arm of God is powerful, and cannot he resisted, 
 and yet he sins on! He knows that there 
 is forgiveness for the penitent and yet he sins 
 on. And that certain damnation awaits the 
 impenitent, and yet he sins on ! Infatuated 
 man! In the view of all the glories of the 
 heavenly world — in view of all the horrors 
 of the world of wo, and, moreover, in view 
 of all the love of God, and all the agonies 
 of a dying Saviour — in short, in view of every 
 thing calculated to subdue and melt the heart, 
 he sins on! Be astonished, O heavens! and 
 earth ! earth ! earth ! hear the complaint of the 
 Eternal God — "I have nourished and brought 
 up children, and they have rebelled against 
 me." But, 
 
 Fourthly. Was the war of rebel angels fatal 
 and disastrous? So also, most assuredly, will 
 be the continued war of rebel men. Millions 
 have already fallen in the impious contest, and 
 shall rise no more. My friends, God is a God 
 of power. His throne is in the heavens, and 
 his kino^dom ruleth over all. There are none 
 that can measure swords with him, nor snatch 
 the sceptre from his hand, nor resist the power 
 of his arm! He need only speak, and worlds 
 on worlds would roll from his creative hand! 
 He need only will it, and all would again sink 
 
232 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 in fiery ruins!. It is true, according to the 
 Psalmist — "The kings of the earth set them- 
 selves, and the rulers take counsel together 
 against the Lord, and against his anointed, say- 
 ing. Let us break their bands asunder, and 
 cast away their cords from us." Shall they 
 succeed? Shall they prevail ? What says the 
 Psalmist again? — "He that sitteth in the hea- 
 vens shall laugh. The Lord shall have them 
 in derision. He shall break them with a rod 
 of iron ! he shall dash them in pieces, like a 
 potter's vessel." O, when God shall arise to 
 judge the earth, what a day will that be ! 
 Great day of God Almighty and the Lamb ! 
 0, how will sinners then quail! how will every 
 rebel's face gather blackness! For God will 
 come to reckon with sinners then, and terrible 
 will be the manner of his comino^. Liffhtninors 
 shall flash from his piercing eyes — thunders 
 shall roll around his awful throne! Yea, he 
 shall come with his chariots, like a whirlwind, 
 to render his anger with fury, and his rebukes 
 with flames of fire; and most fearful, indeed, 
 will be the condition of those who shall then, 
 as sinners, fall into the hands of the living 
 God. They will call upon the rocks and the 
 mountains to fall upon them ! They will 
 shriek in agony ! They will wish they had 
 never been born, or had slumbered for ever in 
 the silent grave. 0, my fellow sinner, think 
 upon this matter now, before it be for ever 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 233 
 
 too late. You are now contending against 
 your Maker; you have taken sides vi^ith the 
 dragon and his angels ; you are this moment 
 ranged under the black banner of Apollyon! 
 and, if the war of rebel angels was, to rebel 
 angels, fatal and disastrous, so also must be the 
 impious struggle in which you are engaged, if 
 continued in — "For," says the Scripture, 
 " who ever hardened himself against him and 
 prospered ?" Yea, when God enters into judg- 
 ment, he will overcome; yea, verily, the tri- 
 umphs of Jehovah must ever be glorious to 
 himself, but terrible to the workers of iniquity. 
 My brethren, our text this morning is an in- 
 teresting one; and, viewed in the application 
 which we have made of it, it is to us of deep 
 personal interest and importance. " There was 
 war in heaven : Michael and his angels fought 
 against the dragon ; and the dragon fought, and 
 his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their 
 place found any more in heaven." Remember, 
 the scene is changed, but the war is not ended 
 yet. Yes, here ! here on this globe of ours, the 
 warfare is going on still ! for, according to the 
 .Scriptures, Satan, fallen from heaven, has come 
 down to earth ! Here he has planted his stand- 
 ard, and, alas! man has madly taken sides with 
 this fallen spirit. This is the great battle field 
 of the universe. Many eyes are looking on, 
 and here must the battle be fought, and here 
 brought to a final close. Is the result doubt- 
 
 16 
 
234 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 ful ? No ! assuredly — for, can an atom contend 
 against a mountain ? or can the chaff resist the 
 sweeping whirlwind?— no more can the sinner 
 contend against his Maker. War in any form, 
 and against any power, is a terrible thing ; and 
 according to the might of the enemy is the ter- 
 ror of the conflict. Valour reigned in the bosom 
 of Leonidas and his Spartan band; yet, me- 
 thinks, brave and heroic as they were, they 
 must have quailed before the mighty power of 
 a Xerxes. Valour reigned in the bosom of our 
 Washington and his associate heroes, and yet, 
 no doubt, even they felt awful in the prospect 
 of meeting the power of England upon the 
 tented field. But what is the power of a 
 Xerxes, or the power of England, in compari- 
 son with the power of the great God, who can 
 ^' dash whole worlds to death, and make them 
 when he please?" Those who array them- 
 selves against an earthly power, however for- 
 midable that power may appear, may neverthe- 
 less succeed; but there is no succeedinor aofainst 
 Omnipotence. God must be victorious, and all 
 his enemies must, and will be subdued ! But 
 even suppose the patriot soldier knows that he 
 must fall before his enemy, and perish on the 
 field of battle ; yet, if his cause is a good one, 
 this animates him, and he can say, " Dulce et 
 decorum est, pro patria mori." It is sweet and 
 glorious to die for one's country ! — How sleep 
 the brave ! How delightful to have our memory 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 235 
 
 embalmed in the hearts of our grateful country- 
 men ! — but there is no such consolation for the 
 sinner, who, ranged under the black banner of 
 Apollyon, is engaged in a cause which his own 
 reason now condemns ; and perishing, he will 
 have nothing to console him in a dying hour, 
 nor through all the ages of a gloomy and un- 
 blest eternity. O, sinner! sinner! you are 
 fighting against your own interest, your own 
 happiness! You have taken sides with the 
 dragon and his angels — you are fighting with 
 fiends — against your own soul, and against the 
 God who made you! O be entreated. This 
 day lay dow^n the weapons of your rebellion — 
 this day change sides — make your peace with 
 your Maker, and when your life on earth is 
 ended, you shall have a place in heaven, and 
 there be happy for ever. 
 
 SERMON IX. 
 
 ON SEEKING THE LORD. 
 
 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while 
 he is near. — Isaiah Iv. 6. 
 
 My brethren, if a man wants wealth, he seeks 
 it; if he desires fame, he seeks it; if he has 
 set his heart upon the attainment of any tem- 
 poral object, which he deems important, he 
 
236 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 makes a diligent use of the proper means for 
 the attainment of that object. This principle 
 is correct ; and upon it is based the words of 
 our text: — " Seek ye the Lord while he may be 
 found, call ye upon him while he is near." 
 David said, " When thou saidst, Seek ye my 
 face, my heart said unto thee, thy face, Lord, 
 will I seek." Hezekiah was commended be- 
 cause he sought the Lord with all his heart; 
 and Josiah, because he sought the Lord whilst 
 he was young. The direction in our text is a 
 standing one: — "Seek ye the Lord while he 
 may be found, call ye upon him while he is 
 near." Some persons are ready to say, " You 
 ministers of the gospel are frequently urging 
 us to attend to the great concern, and warning 
 us of the danger of dying in our sins, but why 
 do you not pour a little light upon the subject? 
 Why do you not tell us plainly what we are 
 to do?" Well, now, if I tell you what is to be 
 done, will you attend to it? If I mark out the 
 way to heaven, will you walk in it? Then 
 listen! If you w^ould be saved, you must seek 
 the Lord, and if you would do this successful- 
 ly, there are three things which must be done : 
 You must take Jesus Christ for your way; 
 the Divine Spirit for your helper ; and the 
 sacred volume for your guide. To be sure, I 
 might say to the serious inquirer, as Paul did 
 to the Philipian jailor, " Believe in the Lord 
 Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved:" or, as 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 237 
 
 Peter did to certain Jerusalem sinners, when 
 awakened, " Repent ye, therefore, and be con- 
 verted, that your sins may be blotted out, 
 when the times of refreshing shall come from 
 the presence of the Lord." But you wish me 
 to be more extended in my remarks, then 
 let me call your attention to the three things 
 stated. 
 
 1. You are to take Jesus Christ as your 
 way ; and for this we have his own authority, 
 as he expressly says, " I am the way, the 
 truth, and the life," (or, as it may be rendered, 
 "the true and living way,") "and no man 
 Cometh unto the Father but by me." In the 
 economy of redemption Jesus Christ is "all 
 and in all." He is our only Advocate and Me- 
 diator. In him God is reconciling the world 
 unto himself, not imputing to them their ini- 
 quities; but, out of Christ, God is a consum- 
 ing fire. Those who are accepted, are accept- 
 ed in the Beloved, and those who are not 
 accepted in the Beloved, are not accepted at 
 all, as it is written, " Other foundation can no 
 man lay than is laid, which is Jesus Christ." 
 This is all very plain, and this in substance, is 
 taught by every true minister of Christ, on 
 every Sabbath day, and yet many persons, 
 when awakened, and when stirred up to seek 
 the salvation of their souls, make an error at 
 the very outset. They go to God the Father 
 without having any reference to Christ, as the 
 
238 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 appointed Mediator. Now, this will not an- 
 swer, for the Saviour says expressly, in lan- 
 guage" already recited, " I am the way, the 
 truth, and the life, and no man cometh unto 
 the Father, but by me." There was corn in 
 Egypt when the famine prevailed, and when 
 those who needed corn came to Pharaoh, he 
 said unto them, Go to Joseph, I have made 
 him. Lord over all Egypt, therefore go^ to 
 Joseph. Should they neglect this direction, 
 and come to Pharaoh the second time, me- 
 thinks he would say. Did I not tell you to go 
 to Joseph? he is appointed over this matter. 
 Go to Joseph ! Should they come to Pharaoh 
 the third time, without regarding his direction, 
 methinks he would say. Leave my kingdom 
 instantly! — no man who will not submit to 
 the law of the realm shall receive supplies. 
 Leave my kingdom without delay ! Even so 
 in this matter. Christ is Lord of all, and 
 without him there is no salvation, and there 
 is m) hope. But again; some persons setting 
 out to seek the salvation of their souls make 
 another blunder. Instead of comins: to Christ 
 in the exercise of love, and an appropriating 
 faith, they go to their duties. They think that 
 they are not good enough to come to Christ 
 yet, and therefore they purpose to make them- 
 selves a little better first; just like those of 
 whom Paul speaks, who, " being ignorant of 
 God's righteousness, and going about to estab- 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 239 
 
 lish their own righteousness, have not submit- 
 ted themselves unto the righteousness of God." 
 Rom. X. 3. And why this? Because this great 
 doctrine is forgotten, or not properly under- 
 stood, that " Christ is the end of the law for 
 righteousness to every one that believeth;" 
 and, as the Apostle teaches in another place, 
 that '• a man is justified by faith without the 
 deeds of the law." Rom. iii. 28. My brethren, 
 I repeat it, in the economy of redemption 
 Christ is all in all. This must be clearly un- 
 derstood and acted upon, by all who w'ould 
 seek the Lord and find him in the salvation of 
 their souls. The language of the poet is both 
 beautiful and correct : 
 
 " Jesus, lover of my soul, 
 
 Let me to thy bosom fly, 
 While the raging billows roll. 
 
 While the tempest slill is high. 
 Hide me, O my Saviour hide, 
 
 'Till the storm of life is past, 
 Safe into the haven guide, 
 
 O receive my soul at last. 
 
 Other refuge have I none ! 
 
 Hangs my helpless soul on thee ; 
 Leave, ah ! leave me not alone. 
 
 Still support and comfort me. 
 AH my trust on thee is staid, 
 
 All my help from thee I bring. 
 Cover my defenceless head 
 
 With the shadow of thy wing." 
 
 2. You must take the Divine Spirit as your 
 
240 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 helper. — Even if the sinner were pardoned by 
 virtue of the redemption which is in Christ 
 Jesus, there is still an inward work of grace 
 and sanctification to be accomplished, to fit 
 him for heaven. And, as the angel of the Lord 
 said unto Elijah, "arise and eat, because the 
 journey is too great for thee," so may we say 
 to the awakened sinner, who asks what he must 
 do to be saved — Arise and seek divine aid for 
 the work is too great for thee. — For example, 
 the sinner's heart is to be changed. As it is 
 written, "0 Jerusalem, wash thy heart from 
 wickedness that thou mayst be saved !" Jer. 
 iv. 14. And again : " Make you a new heart, 
 and a new spirit : for why will ye 'die, O house 
 of Israel?" Ezek. xviii. 31. Now the sinner, of 
 himself, can no more accomplish this great 
 work than he can roll a mountain, or heave an 
 ocean! What then? Shall he say, I cannot 
 accomplish the work. It is the work of the 
 Spirit. His influences are absolutely neces- 
 sary — I will leave it to the Spirit— ^-and I will 
 do nothing. Shall he say this ? Certainly not. 
 The showers of heaven we all know are ab- 
 solutely necessary to the production of a crop. 
 Planters ! if God should seal up the clouds of 
 heaven, and send no rain upon the earth, for 
 three years and six months, as in the time of 
 the prophet,— you might fence in your field, 
 and plough up your ground, and scatter your 
 seed; but it would be all in vain. What then? 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 241 
 
 Does the planter say, The showers of heaven 
 are absolutely necessary to the production of a 
 crop — I will do nothing — I will sit still and 
 leave it to the showers of heaven to fence in 
 my field, and plough up my ground, and 
 scatter the seed. Does he say this? We know 
 that he does not. Well, the winds of heaven, 
 also, are necessary to waft the merchant-ship 
 over the ocean. The ship master knows it full 
 well ; and does he say, I will not weigh the 
 anchor — I will not spread the canvass — I will 
 not consult the chart — the winds of heaven are 
 absolutely necessary to waft my ship over the 
 ocean, I will leave it all to the winds of heaven? 
 O no, we never hear any thing of this kind. 
 In temporal matters, sinners usually act wisely 
 and discreetly; but in spiritual matters, all 
 seems to be perverse and wrong ! There need 
 be no difficulty. As in temporal, so in spiritual 
 matters. There must be the meeting of the 
 divine and human agency. See the children 
 of Israel at Pihahiroth, they are hemmed in on 
 all sides; mountains on this side, mountains on 
 that side; behind them, Pharaoh with his 
 army pressing on; and before them, the Red 
 Sea ! — Now, are they not completely hemmed 
 in? They are unarmed, and it is clear de- 
 liverance can come only from above. But they 
 were delivered. How ? By the meeting of the 
 human and divine agency : — God directs Moses 
 to stretch his rod over the Red Sea. Moses, if 
 
242 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 perverse, might have said, Lord God, what is 
 the use of stretching the rod over the Red Sea? 
 He was not perverse. The command was 
 given : Stretch the rod over the Red Sea. He 
 obeyed — he stretched the rod. Here was the 
 putting forth of the human agency ! Imme- 
 diately the divine agency came down with 
 mighty power upon the waters of the Red Sea, 
 and lo ! they parted asunder ! and the children 
 of Israel passed through on dry ground ! Now, 
 here was the meeting of both the divine and 
 human agenOy, and yet all who looked on, 
 knew very well, that the only efficient agent 
 was God; hence, the tribes, with one accord, 
 on the other side of the banks of the Red Sea, 
 sang God's praises, not the praises of Moses. 
 Take another case. The children of Israel, in 
 the wilderness, on a certain occasion, were 
 ready to perish with thirst, 
 
 " They longed for a cooling stream, 
 And they must drink or die," 
 
 And now, who can furnish water for such a 
 multitude, in this parched, waste, and howling 
 wilderness ? Assuredly, none but God only. It 
 was furnished — How ? and in what manner? By 
 the meeting of the human and divine agency, as 
 we said before. God directs Moses to reach forth 
 his rod and smite the rock. He did so, and lo ! 
 the water gushed in great abundance from the 
 smitten rock. The children of Israel crowded 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 243 
 
 around ; drank of the cool-flowing stream, 
 slaked their thirst, and praised, not Moses, but 
 the God of Israel; for all saw plainly, that, 
 although Moses smote the rock, it was God, 
 and God only, who caused the water to gush 
 forth. I repeat it, my brethren, there need be 
 no difficulty in understanding this matter. The 
 work to be accomplished is great, utterly be- 
 yond the sinner's power; but he may obtain 
 help from on high. As it is written, "Let 
 him take hold of my strength, that he may 
 make peace with me, and he shall make 
 peace with me." Isaiah xxvii. 5. And again : 
 " Fear not, I am with thee, I will help thee, 
 I will strengthen thee, yea I will uphold thee 
 by the right hand of my righteousness."' I 
 am aware that this last passage has special 
 reference to the people of God w^ho are in 
 trouble, but certainly it may be quoted for the 
 encouragement of all, who, sensible that they 
 need help from above, are disposed to call 
 upon God in sincerity and in truth; for the 
 command given to all, is this : " Seek the Lord, 
 and his strength; seek his face evermore?" 
 Psalm cv. 4. Some persons speaking on the 
 subject of man's ability and inability, have 
 indulged in metaphysic^ speculations, and 
 have brought a vast amount of learned lore 
 to bear upon the subject, and after all have 
 only darkened counsel by w^ords without know- 
 
244 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 ledge; and I have frequently thought that their 
 account of the matter is no better than Doctor 
 Johnson's definition of the term net-work: 
 "Anything reticulated or decussated with in- 
 terstices at equal distances between the inter- 
 sections." This is a very learned definition of 
 a very simpk thing ; but, although learned and 
 rather hard to be understood, it is after all, I 
 believe, not correct; for, to constitute "net- 
 work," it is not necessary that the reticulations 
 should be at equal distances between the inter- 
 sections. But to return to the doctrine of man's 
 ability and inability, permit me to say, there is 
 one passage of Scripture which is worth whole 
 volumes of merely human composition. It is 
 this : " Work out your own salvation with fear 
 and trembling : for it is God which worketh in 
 you both to will and to do of his good plea- 
 s'ure." Phihp. ii. 12. The idea is this: that we 
 are to attend to our soul's salvation as if we 
 could by our own unaided effort, accomplish 
 the object in view, and at the same time rely 
 upon divine aid, as if we literally could do 
 nothing at all. God is ever ready to help those 
 who are disposed to bestir themselves, and look 
 to him for help. Let the cry of the sinner then 
 be the cry of the Cyi^phenician woman, " Lord, 
 help me ;" or the cry of Peter sinking in the 
 water, " Lord, save or I perish." All this falls 
 in precisely with the language of our text : 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 245 
 
 " Seek ye the Lord, while he may be found ; 
 call ye upon him while he is near." Once 
 more : 
 
 3. You must take the sacred volume for 
 your guide. It will not do to follow our own 
 fancies, nor square our conduct by the rules 
 which men may prescribe. No, we must, with 
 the simplicity of little children, find out the 
 directions which are laid down in the Scrip- 
 tures of truth, and follow them. Now in the 
 sacred volumes certain things are laid down as 
 important, indeed as indispensable, and these 
 must not be neglected. If you would seek the 
 Lord and find him in the salvation of your 
 souls, 
 
 1. You must seek him in the forsaking of 
 all your sins. — This is a direction which im- 
 mediately follows the words of our text — " Let 
 the wicked forsake his w^ay, and the unrighte- 
 ous man his thoughts : let him return unto the 
 Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and 
 to our God, who will abundantly pardon." Yes, 
 if the sinner would* be saved, he must part 
 with every sin. Though dear as a right hand, 
 he must cut it off; though dear as a right eye, 
 he must pluck it out. Some persons, when 
 awakened, are willing to part with some sins, 
 but not others. There is some darling idol; 
 some beloved lust, or what the Apostle calls 
 " besetting sin," which they are not willing to 
 give up ; but they must give it up, for Christ 
 
246 REVIVAL SERMON'S. 
 
 came not to be the minister of sin, but to 
 cleanse us from all unrighteousness. " His 
 name shall be called Jesus," said the angel, 
 " for he shall save his people from their sins," 
 Mark ! shall save his people, not m their sins, 
 but from their sins ; and this may remind us 
 of the words of the Psalmist, uttered so many 
 ages since — " If I regard iniquity in my heart, 
 the Lord will not hear me." Observe! not 
 merely, if he indulges sin in his life, but sin 
 in his heart. I repeat it, then, there can be no 
 compromise in this matter. Sin must be relin- 
 quished, every sin; yea, every sin, whether 
 open or secret; whether fashionable or un- 
 fashionable; whether gainful or the reverse; 
 whether it be in the life or only in the heart. 
 Some may think this a hard requirement, but 
 it is right, and it must stand. Some persons, 
 as we have said, are willing to part w^ith many 
 sins, but not with all, and this holds them in 
 check. They think that they are in peculiar 
 circumstances, and desire some little indul- 
 gence in certain matters. Concerning this and 
 that favourite sin they are ready to say with 
 Lot, in reference to Zoar, "0, is it not a little 
 one?" or with Naaman, in relation to a certain 
 matter, " The Lord pardon thy servant in this 
 thing " O these favourite, these besetting sins! 
 how hard is it to give them up ! I recollect 
 a certain man — pride w^as his besetting sin. 
 He seemed to be constitutionally proud and 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 247 
 
 haughty. He was under serious impressions a 
 long time, and it was only when he was laid 
 upon a hed of sickness, and brought to the bor- 
 ders of the grave, that his pride was subdued. 
 I recollect another who was intemperate. He 
 was a tavern-keej)er. Powerfully wrought 
 upon, he attended an inquiry meeting. As I 
 approached to the seat which he occupied he 
 rose up, and with much emotion took me by 
 the hand. (I give you the substance of our 
 conversation.) " sir," said he, " I feel that I 
 am a sinner; what must I do to be saved?" 
 " Sir," replied I, you must give up your bottle." 
 A little nettled, he replied, " I do not choose to 
 make rash promises." "Very well," said I, 
 " you may do as you please, but I tell you the 
 truth ; you must give up your bottle or your 
 soul." He mused awhile, and finally conclud- 
 ing, it seems, that his bottle was worth more 
 than his soul, he gathered up his hat and cane 
 and walked out, and I saw him no more. Like 
 Esau, my dear brethren, like Esau, who for 
 one morsel of meat sold his birthright ; and ye 
 know how that afterwards when he would 
 have .inherited the blessing, he was rejected, 
 for he found no place for repentance, though 
 he sought it carefully with tears. these be- 
 setting sins, they have ruined many ! Another 
 case may be mentioned. A certain individual 
 was brought under very pungent conviction. 
 He cried for mercy, but for several days re- 
 
248 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 ceived no comfort. He had had a difficulty 
 with a certain person some time before, and 
 upon examining his heart, he found that he 
 indulged in an unforgiving spirit. Certainly, 
 it is all plain now. The Saviour says — " If ye 
 forgive not men their trespasses, neither will 
 your Father which is in heaven forgive you 
 your trespasses." This man owed his Maker 
 ten thousand talents, and was crying for for- 
 giveness, and yet he himself would not forgive 
 a fellow creature who owed him fifty pence ! 
 Ah ! my brethren, we are taught to pray — 
 " Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those 
 who trespass against us." When, therefore, we 
 utter this petition, and do not forgive those who 
 have injured us, we do virtually pray that God 
 will not forgive us. Remember, God knows 
 what is within us as well as what is without 
 us, and the Psalmist says — " If I regard ini- 
 quity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me." 
 But excuse me, my brethren, and I will men- 
 tion yet another case illustrative of the point 
 before us : — In a certain town in Virginia there 
 was a revival of religion. Amongst the anxious 
 who came to the meeting for inquirers on a 
 certain day, was a talented young lawyer. He 
 appeared to be in very great distress of mind. 
 " O, sir," exclaimed he, in agony, " must I be 
 everlastingly damned?" " By no means," said 
 I, " my dear sir, by no means. It is a faithful 
 saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 249 
 
 Christ Jesus came into the world to save sin- 
 ners, even the chief. Believe in the Lord Jesus 
 Christ and thou shalt be saved." He left the 
 meeting still unrelieved. What can be the 
 matter ? The case was this : — He had just 
 commenced the practice of the law. It was, 
 with him, a favourite pursuit, and from this 
 quarter he expected M^ealth and distinction. 
 When brought under conviction, he recollected 
 a prediction uttered by an aunt of his upon her 
 dying bed, some time before, that hc' would yet 
 be converted, and become a preacher of the 
 gospel. Now, thought he, my aunt's predic- 
 tion is coming true ; I am o^oins^ now to be 
 converted, and then I shall have to give up my 
 profession as a lawyer and become a preacher. 
 This he could not consent to — would almost 
 rather be damned than become a preacher. 
 Now, my brethren, observe, I do not say it is 
 wrong for a young man to be a lawyer, but it 
 is very wrong, very sinful, to be self-willed. 
 This was the difficulty with this young man. 
 He wished to have his own way ; he did not 
 wish any one, not even the ever blessed God, 
 to cross his path ! and it was whilst in this 
 frame of mind he exclaimed — " And must I be 
 everlastingly damned?" A few days after- 
 wards, his will being sweetly subdued, he ob- 
 tained a joyful hope in Christ, and being 
 
 asked, " Mr. B , are you willing to be a 
 
 preacher now, if God shall so direct?" Clasp- 
 
 17 
 
250 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 ing his hands, and looking with eyes streaming 
 with tears, he said — "Any thing now ! Blessed 
 God, any thing now." My dear friends, you 
 that are now under awakening influences, let 
 me entreat you to look into your hearts, as 
 well as your lives, and when you are told 
 that you must seek the Lord in the forsaking 
 of all of your sins, O remember, I pray you, 
 in connexion with it the words of the Psalm- 
 ist, already more than once repeated — "If I 
 regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not 
 hear me." 
 
 2. You must seek him at the right time. 
 " Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, 
 call ye upon him whilst he is near." Those 
 guilty spirits upon whom the light of eternity 
 has dawned, cannot seek him now, for their 
 day of grace is past. By them God cannot 
 now be found; to them he is not near, nor 
 ever will be. Their glass is run, their sun is 
 set, and their souls are lost for ever. The 
 living! the living! those who are on mercy's 
 side of eternity — they are the ones who may 
 seek the Lord, and they are to do it whilst 
 yet they are in the land of hope, and whilst yet 
 permitted to enjoy the means of grace, and en- 
 tertain the hope of glory. But, as there is such 
 a tiling as seed time, and harvest time, so there 
 are certain seasons more favourable than others 
 for attending to the great concern, and seek- 
 ing the salvation of the soul. For example, 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 251 
 
 the period of youth is a golden season. It may 
 emphatically be called an accepted time, and 
 day of salvation, for as yet the heart is not 
 hardened, nor the person hackneyed in the 
 ways of sin. Moreover there are special pro- 
 mises addressed to the young: '' I love them 
 that love me, and they that seek me early shall 
 find me;" and to them a special command is 
 given, " Remember now thy Creator in the 
 days of thy youth, while the evil days come 
 not, nor the years draw nigh when thou shalt 
 say, I have no pleasure in them." Hence we 
 find that an overwhelming majority of those 
 • who are pious are brought in, in the morning 
 of life. Indeed, comparatively speaking, there 
 are few soundly converted after thirty years of 
 age. If any one passes the period of youth, a 
 stranger to regeneration, I consider that his 
 best day is over, and that his prospect for hea- 
 ven is darkening horribly ! O ! my dear young 
 friends, precious youth, you are the hope of 
 the church. Upon you many eyes are turned, 
 and for you many prayers are offered — remem- 
 ber, this is emphatically your time, and it may 
 be with you, now or never! A season of re- 
 vival is also a peculiarly favourable season for 
 seeking the salvation of the soul. Besides di- 
 vine influences coming down as copious dews, 
 and showers of rain upon a thirsty land, soft- 
 ening and mellowing the soil, there are special 
 advantages, and special means of grace en- 
 
252 REVIVAL SERJMONS. 
 
 joyed. Religions meetings are multiplied, ser- 
 mons more pungent, prayers more fervent, 
 spiritual conversation more frequent, and then 
 there is the rousing intelligence that this friend 
 is awakened, and that converted ; and who 
 does not know that young converts are, usual- 
 ly, not inactive ? Having found the one pearl 
 of great price, they greatly desire to see their 
 old companions in the possession of the same 
 blessing. Having experienced the grace of 
 God in their own hearts, they cannot but tell 
 to those aroimd, what a dear Saviour they 
 have found. With David they are inclined to 
 say to every unconverted friend, "O! taste* 
 and see that the Lord is good;" and as Moses 
 said to Hobab, his brother-in-law, so are they 
 ready to say to. every dear relative, " We are 
 journeying unto the place of which the Lord 
 said, I will give it you : come thou, with us, 
 and we will do thee good : for the Lord hath 
 spoken good concerning Israel." Here are new 
 means of grace enjoyed, new appeals made, 
 new considerations presented. In short, all the 
 scenes and circumstances of the case are emi- 
 nently calculated to wake up serious thought 
 in the bosom, and rouse the soul to an imme- 
 diate consideration of the high claims of God 
 and eternity. Surely then a season of revival 
 is a precious season — it is a golden opportu- 
 nity afforded for attending to the interests of 
 the undying soul. In the great mercy of God 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 253 
 
 this season you now enjoy, for right happy am 
 I to say, the Lord is pouring out his Spirit 
 here. Christians! the Lord has heard your 
 prayers, and in answer to them he has granted 
 you a season of refreshing from his presence. 
 You are now in the midst of a revival! How 
 delightfully does this announcement fall upon 
 the ear. Yes, I repeat it, and to God be all 
 the glory! You are now in the midst of a 
 revival! The Lord is come! — the Lord is 
 come ! " Let earth receive her king. Let every 
 heart prepare him room, and heaven and na- 
 ture sing !" ! yes, let every heart prepare 
 him room. ! sinner, will you not throw 
 open the door of your heart and let the heaven- 
 ly stranger in? Do not, I beseech you, do not 
 let this season pass unimproved. The time 
 may come when you may desire to see the 
 things which you now see, and shall not see 
 them; and to hear the things which you now 
 hear, and shall not hear them. Yes, the time 
 may come when you shall have to take up the 
 dismal lamentation — I have lost my day! — the 
 harvest is past, the summer is ended, and I am 
 not saved. 
 
 Again: when the Spirit is striving, is an- 
 other peculiarly favourable season for seeking 
 the salvation of the soul. We may not be able 
 to explain or understand how the divine Spirit 
 operates upon the mind of man, but that there 
 is such an operation there can be no doubt, for 
 
254 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 the Scriptures affirm it, and that these opera- 
 tions are more powerful at one time than an- 
 other, this fact also cannot be denied; for 
 sometimes the word of God is made to burn 
 upon the conscience in a very peculiar man- 
 ner, and a new concern in relation to spiritual 
 things, is waked up in the soul. There is a 
 more realizing sense of the vanity of the world, 
 of the importance of religion, than common; 
 moreover the person has a livelier sense of his 
 own sinfulness and need of a Saviour, than, 
 perhaps he ever had before. He begins to envy 
 the lot of the pious, and washes that he too 
 were a Christian. Now, also, he takes more 
 interest in attending upon the ordinances of 
 God's house, and feels more inclined to read 
 the Scriptures than usual. This is a blessed 
 season. Now the words of the Saviour are 
 peculiarly applicable, " Behold, I stand at the 
 door and knock, if any man hear my voice 
 and open to me, I will come in and sup with 
 him, and he with me." And now this pas- 
 sage of Scripture too is peculiarly appropriate, 
 " To-day, if ye will hear his voice, harden 
 not your heart;" and this, "Quench not the 
 Spirit." This, as we have said, is truly a 
 blessed season, but it is moreover a critical 
 time, for sins committed in these circum- 
 stances, are sins committed against more light 
 and more love than ordinary, and therefore 
 are peculiarly sinful. ! are there any in this 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 255 
 
 laro;e and solemn assembly under the strivings 
 of the Spirit ? remember you are now in pecu- 
 liarly solemn circumstances. You have now- 
 come to the place where two seas meet. You 
 may now, so to speak, be casting the die for 
 eternity. At any rate God is come down, by 
 his Spirit, to talk with you ! yea, you have 
 now a loud call from heaven — beware how you 
 turn a deaf ear to it, for it may be your last ! 
 
 " Spurn not the call to life and light, 
 Regard in time the warning kind ; 
 That call thou may'st not always slight, 
 And yet the gate of mercy find. 
 
 God's spirit will not always strive 
 With hardened, self-destroying man ; 
 
 Ye who persist his love to grieve, 
 May never hear his voice again." 
 
 With great emphasis, then, may the lan- 
 guage of our text be sounded in your ears; 
 and may it go thundering through all the 
 chambers of your souls — " Seek ye the Lord 
 while he may be found, call ye upon him while 
 he is near." Once more, 
 
 3. You must seek the Lord with all your 
 heart. *' Blessed are they that seek him with 
 the whole heart," says the Psalmist ; and says 
 the Eternal God himself— "And ye shall seek 
 me, and find me, when ye shall search for me 
 with all your heart." Jer. xxix. 13. The object 
 in view is a great object, and demands the whole 
 
256 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 soul. Some persons seek the Lord, but they 
 do it with a divided heart. Antagonistical prin- 
 ciples seem to be at work within them, and 
 they are drawn in different directions. Some- 
 times they are greatly excited; almost per- 
 suaded to be Christians, but something seems to 
 hold them. They are very much like a balloon 
 ready to ascend, but bound down to the earth by 
 a cord ; or like a tree, undermined by the tor- 
 rent, and thrown upon the bosom of the stream, 
 a current is bearing strongly upon it to sweep 
 it along ; and yet it is not swept along ! And 
 why? There are some roots binding it to the 
 bank. Cut the roots and then it will go, but 
 so long as the roots remain uncut, so long does 
 it there remain, see-sawing, notwithstanding 
 the current which bears so strongly upon it. 
 Just so, many a sinner undermined by the 
 power of divine truth, is thrown prostrate in 
 deep distress and humiliation ; a current of di- 
 vine influences is bearing strongly upon him, 
 to waft him to Christ and to glory, but there 
 are some roots binding him to the earth. Now, 
 the sinner must cut the roots. He must break 
 away from all the influences of the world. He 
 must give up every thing which interferes 
 with his duty to his Maker. He must do it, 
 or he cannot expect divine acceptance. He 
 must do it, or he must lose his soul. For no 
 man can serve two masters, and it is quite im- 
 possible to be earthly-minded and heavenly- 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 257 
 
 minded at the same time. I recollect making 
 a remark of this kind from the desk, at a cer- 
 tain place in Virginia. On coming down from 
 the pulpit, a gentleman came up to me; he 
 was a lawyer of high respectability; he came 
 Tip to me, and grasping my hand with emotion, 
 said: — " Stranger, you have described my case 
 exactly. Those roots, sir, those roots — they 
 have almost ruined me. God helping me, I '11 
 cut the roots!" I saw decision marked in his 
 countenance. His mind was made up to have 
 salvation, cost what it might. No w^onder that 
 about two days after he was rejoicing in Christ, 
 and subsequently became a much valued elder 
 of the church. Ah ! my brethren, it is a great 
 matter to have the mind made up ; and I have 
 observed that when the mind is fully made up, 
 the battle is half won. Only let a person be 
 in right down good earnest in seeking the sal- 
 vation of his soul, and the blessing is nigh, 
 even at the door. And is it not reasonable, 
 when .such great interests are at stake, that the 
 mind should be made up ? Is it not reasona- 
 ble, when nothing less than eternal life is the 
 prize, that the sinner should be in good ear- 
 nest. See how it is with the man w^ho is in 
 the pursuit of wealth : he leaves no stone un- 
 turned to increase his golden store. And see 
 the man of ambition, w^ho pants after fame, and 
 greatly desires to reach some post of honour 
 and distinction. How constantly is he thinking 
 
258 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 upon the subject; how diligent is he in the use 
 of all means for the attainment of the object in 
 view ! and if he succeed not, verily his want of 
 success is not to be ascribed either to a want of 
 resolution or lack of effort. And when life, 
 temporal life, is at stake, what struggles, 
 what determination then ! For example — 
 Roused from his slumbers at a midnight hour, 
 a man finds his house on fire ; his determina- 
 tion is to make his escape. Springing from 
 his bed without delay, he rushes to the door. 
 Does he find that locked ? He hurries to the 
 window. Is that fastened ? He cries for help, 
 again rushes to the door, again to the window. 
 No difficulties cause him to give over his ef- 
 forts to make his escape : they only rouse him 
 to still greater and more determined efforts. 
 He loses no time, puts forth all his strength, 
 strains every nerve. to break open the window, 
 to break down the door, and if he perishes, it 
 is whilst strug"srlinq^ with all his micrht — if he is 
 
 DO O O 
 
 consumed, it is because his most vigorous and 
 determined efforts have all proved unavailing. 
 O, if sinners would but be in such good ear- 
 nest in seeking the salvation of their souls, 
 how certainly would they attain everlasting 
 life ! how certainly would a crown of glory rest 
 upon their heads. But, alas ! when roused to 
 make some efforts, how frequently is it the 
 case that these efforts are not as resolute and 
 determined as they should be. They are in- 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 259 
 
 terriipted by this thing and that. There are 
 difficulties in the way, and various excuses are 
 made, at the very time that the sinner should 
 be crying for mercy and seeking help from on 
 high. Nehemiah and his associates had great 
 difficulty in building up the walls of Jerusalem, 
 which had been broken down. They wrought 
 with one hand, while they held a weapon in 
 the other, and the result was this — by the good 
 hand of God over them, they succeeded : as it 
 is written — " So built we the wall, and all the 
 wall was joined together unto the half thereof, 
 for the people had a mind to work." Notice 
 the phrase, " the people had a mind to work." 
 Here was the secret of their success — their 
 heart was in the matter : they were in good 
 earnest in the work in which they were en- 
 gaged. You have heard of the revolutionary 
 struggle. Thirteen feeble colonies contended 
 for independence against the mighty power of 
 England. That is, the eagle of the west, 
 scarcely fledged, engaged in deadly conflict 
 with the lion of the east, in his full strength 
 and vigour; and to the astonishment of the world 
 success crowned the effort, our independence 
 was achieved. How? — Under God, by the 
 power of resolution. 
 
 The great secret of success may be found in 
 the closing sentence of that immortal document, 
 denominated the Declaration of Independence. 
 It is in these words : "In defence of these prin- 
 
260 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 ciples, we pledge to each other, our hves, our 
 fortunes, and our sacred honour." O could we 
 see this spirit of fixed and settled determination 
 carried into religious matters; could we hear 
 this one, and that one, saying with the Psalmist, 
 " My heart is fixed, God, my heart is fixed ;" 
 or with Joshua, " Choose you this day whom ye 
 will serve — but as for me, and my house, we 
 will serve the Lord." — Could this spirit but 
 animate every bosom in this assembly, what 
 delightful scenes would here be presented; 
 verily, the voice of joy and gratulation would 
 be heard in every dwelling — we should truly 
 have a pentecostal time, yea — the millennium 
 in miniature — for remember the promise is, 
 Ye shall seek me, and find me when you 
 search for me with all your heart. ye who 
 wish a blessing from on high, lay. hold upon 
 this blessed promise; take God at his w^ord; 
 put him upon his honour, and eternal life is 
 sure! Eternal life ! O think what a boon, what 
 a prize this is! Eternal life ! what is it?" Were 
 I a glorified spirit, I would know it ; were I an 
 adoring seraph, I would feel it ; but were I a 
 glorified spirit or an adoring seraph, I could 
 never, no never, describe it. It is to be rescued 
 from the ruins of the fall, and restored to the fa- 
 vour of God ! It is to be delivered from the perils 
 and pangs of everlasting damnation, and to be 
 placed in possession of all the bliss and glories of 
 an eternal w^orld of glory ! — In short, it is to be 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 261 
 
 saved from sin, and all its consequences, and to 
 be made unspeakably happy, and that for ever, 
 and for ever more ! A certain ship, as we are 
 informed, was caught up by a tremendous tem- 
 pest and dashed upon the rocks. The passen- 
 gers and crew were precipitated into the deep ; 
 twelve persons succeeded in getting into the 
 life-boat ; one poor creature more, struggling in 
 the water, swam up to the boat, laid his right 
 hand upon it, and attempted to get in. But 
 one within with a sword cut oflf his hand ! (It 
 was apprehended that if another was taken in, 
 the boat would sink.) But what was the poor 
 man to do? There was no safety in the wreck; 
 he could not swim to land, it w^as far out of 
 sight — the boat! the boat! he must get into 
 the boat, or he must perish. Struggling des- 
 perately with the rolling billows, he came up 
 to the boat a second time and grasped it with 
 his left hand. That too was cut off — poor 
 creature, both hands bleeding, and death look- 
 ing him in the face, what must he do? Skin 
 for skin, all that a man hath will he give for his 
 life. He fixed his eyes again upon the boat, he 
 came up to it the third time, and grasped the 
 rudder with his teeth. Pity touched the heart 
 of those within, and rather than to cut off his 
 head, they resolved to run the risk of all perish- 
 ing together. They took him in. and his life 
 was saved. 0, sinner, you are shipwrecked — 
 you are perishing. There is no safety for you 
 
262 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 ia the wreck, and you cannot swim to land ; it 
 is far away — do you ask what is to be done? 
 There is a hfe-boat at hand ; Christ is this hfe- 
 boat — struggle, O struggle up to him — he will 
 not cut off the hand which you imploringly 
 reach out to him! no! no! "His heart is 
 made of tenderness — his bowels melt with 
 love" — Cut off your hand ! He himself reaches 
 out both of his arms to receive you ! O how 
 ready is he to save you from perishing — how 
 able and willing to save your soul ! O that this 
 day may be with you the day of decision ; the 
 birth-day of your precious souls ! Come, dear 
 friends, every thing seems now propitious ! O 
 come this day, and cast in your lot with the 
 people of God, and let us all have one lot, one 
 Jesus, one heaven, one home ! 
 
 SERMON X. 
 
 THE DUTY or COMING TO CHRIST. 
 
 John vi. 44. — No man can come to me, except the Father which hath 
 sent me draw him. 
 
 In the economy of redemption, my brethren, 
 Jesus Christ is all, and in all ! He is the hiding 
 place from the wind, and without him, there is 
 no covert from the tempest ; he is the physician 
 of souls, and without him, there is no spiritual 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 263 
 
 cure ; he is the Saviour of the lost, and without 
 him, there is no salvation. Hence the unceasiner 
 efforts made to direct all eyes, and all hearts to 
 him. John the Baptist, pointing him out to 
 his disciples, exclaims, " Behold the Lamb of 
 God which taketh away the sin of the world." 
 " We have seen and do testify," says John the 
 Apostle, " that the Father sent the Son to be 
 the Saviour of the world." — " There is salvation 
 in none other," says Peter. " Other founda- 
 tion," says Paul, " can no man lay, than is laid, 
 which is Jesus Christ." And, according to the 
 testimony of the Apostle Peter, in another place, 
 this great truth was well known to the Old 
 Testament saints; "For," says he, "to him, 
 (Jesus Christ) give all the prophets witness, 
 that through him, whosoever believeth in him, 
 shall receive remission of sins ;" and we must 
 not forget the closing testimony of John the 
 Baptist, uttered with so much solemnity, " The 
 Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things 
 into his hands: he that believeth on the Son, 
 hath everlasting life ; and he that believeth not 
 the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God 
 abideth on him." — To crown the whole, hear 
 the words of the blessed Saviour himself: "I am 
 the Way, and the Truth, and the Life, and no 
 man cometh unto the Father but by me." And 
 again : " If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall 
 die in your sins." — In the economy of redemp- 
 tion, then, Christ being all in all, permit me 
 
264 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 here to make the following remarks, which I 
 wish to be distinctly remembered : 
 
 1. It is the sinner's duty to come to Christ, 
 and by coining to Christ, I mean believing in 
 him, resting upon him as the sinner's only 
 hope. Now, we say, it is the sinner's duty to 
 come to Christ. Some persons seem to imagine 
 it is left to their own option whether they come 
 or not, but it is not so ; they are commanded to 
 come, and they cannot neglect to come without 
 incurrinor the (?uilt of wilful disobedience, and 
 we may add, the guilt of self-destruction. Here 
 is a man shut up in a house which is on fire — 
 a door is thrown open, by which he may make 
 his escape — is it not his duty, by that door, to 
 make his escape? — Here is a person who is 
 dying under the influence of poison received 
 into the system; an effectual antidote is offered 
 to him, should he reject that antidote and die, 
 is he not guilty of self-murder ? But, 
 
 2. It is the sinner's interest to come to Christ. 
 It is remarkable, how beautifully and closely 
 duty and interest are linked together in the 
 sacred volume. We are commanded to do no- 
 thing whatever which is not promotive of our 
 real and best interests. This is emphatically 
 the case in the matter now before us ; for if it 
 be the sinner's duty to come to Christ, as we 
 have shown, it is equally his interest, for there 
 is not a want in the sinner, but there is a cor- 
 responding fulness in the Saviour, as it is writ- 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 265 
 
 ten: " It pleased the Father that in him should 
 all fulness dwell." — And again : " Of his ful- 
 ness," says the Apostle, " have we all received, 
 and gracq for grace." — I repeat it, there is not 
 a want in the sinner, but there is a correspond- 
 ing fulness in our blessed Redeemer. Is the 
 sinner hungry ? Let him come to Christ, and 
 he shall be made to partake of the bread of life. 
 Is the sinner thirsty ? Let him come to Christ 
 and he shall be permitted to drink of the wells 
 of salvation. Is the sinner sick ? Let him come 
 to Christ and he shall have life and vigour in- 
 fused into his soul. Is he naked? Let him 
 come to Christ, and he shall receive a beauteous 
 robe. Is he blind ? Let him come to Christ, 
 and he shall have his eyes open to see wondrous 
 things. Is he deaf? Let him come to Christ, 
 and his ears shall be unstopped to hear the 
 voice of uncreated harmony speaking peace to 
 his happy soul. Is the sinner burdened? Let 
 him come to Christ, and his burden shall be 
 taken away. Is the sinner longing for rest? 
 Let him come to Christ, and he shall have 
 sweet repose. Is he trembling under the ap- 
 prehension of future wrath ? Let him come to 
 Christ, and he will find that there is now, there- 
 fore, no condemnation to them which are in 
 Christ; for, according to the Scriptures, " Being 
 justified by faith, he shall have peace with God, 
 through our Lord Jesus Christ." — Yes, no mat- 
 ter what may be the sinner's wants, or woes, 
 18 
 
266 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 Christ is suited to his case, in all things — only, 
 therefore, let him come to Christ, and he shall 
 be made rich and happy throughout all time, 
 and throughout all eternity. Assuredly, then, it 
 is the sinner's interest to come to Christ. But, 
 3. The sinner must come to Christ, or he 
 must perish everlastingly. There is no mis- 
 take about this matter; for if Christ, in the 
 economy of redemption, be, as we have shown, 
 our all in all, of course those who are without 
 Christ, are without hope ; hence the language 
 of the Saviour to his disciples in his last 
 charge, " Go ye into all the world, and preach 
 the gospel to every creature; he that believeth 
 and is baptized, shall be saved; but he that be- 
 lieveth not, shall be damned." This is certain- 
 ly one of the most awful declarations found in 
 all the Bible; and it assumes a character of 
 peculiar interest and solemnity, when we re- 
 member by whom this declaration was origi- 
 nally made, and in what circumstances. By 
 whom was this declaration originally made? 
 Not by an enemy, but by a friend — the tender 
 hearted Jesus — the sinner's best friend, and 
 the final Judge of all mankind. And when 
 was this declaration of the Saviour made ? In 
 his last interview with his disciples, just as he 
 was about to ascend to heaven, there to plead 
 for those for whom he had so recently shed his 
 most precious blood- — yes, in these peculiarly 
 solemn and interesting circumstances he said. 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 267 
 
 " He that believeth and is baptized, shall be 
 saved ; but he that believeth not, shall be damn- 
 ed." Ah ! my brethren, the case is clear — 
 Christ is the sinner's only hope, and the sin- 
 ner must come to him, or perish for ever. 
 
 4. Although it is the sinner's duty to come 
 to Christ — although it is his interest to come 
 to Christ, and although he must come to Christ 
 or perish everlastingly, yet such is the reign- 
 ing power of sin, and such the deep depra- 
 vity of the sinner's heart, and such the do- 
 minion of the world, the flesh, and the devil, 
 that no man can come to Christ except he be 
 divinely drawn. Some stumble at this doc- 
 trine, and even reject it, but this, surely, must 
 be from want of due consideration, for it is cer- 
 tainly both a scriptural and wholesome doc- 
 trine. Scriptural: — Besides our text, which of 
 itself is sufficient to establish the point, we 
 find in the sacred Scriptures, numerous pas- 
 sages of similar import. For example, " O 
 generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, 
 speak good things?" Mat. xii. 34. "Without 
 me," says the Saviour, " ye can do nothing." 
 John XV. 5. And, says the Apostle Paul, 
 " We are not sufficient of ourselves to think 
 any thing as of ourselves." Now here you 
 will observe, according to one passage, we are 
 not able to say, according to another we are 
 not able to do, and according to a third we are 
 not able to think, any thing truly acceptable, 
 
268 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 as of ourselves. , These passages are strongly 
 corroborative of om' doctrine; but there are 
 others equally strong, equally conclusive in 
 relation to man's helpless and ruined condi- 
 tion without divine aid. I need only remind 
 you of those well known passages which speak 
 of man's deplorable condition in an unrenewed 
 state. Thus, " And you hath he quickened, 
 who were dead in trespasses and sins." Eph. 
 ii. 1. Mark, dead in trespasses and sins. Can 
 one who is dead, of himself come forth out of 
 his grave of corruption? Again, "The carnal 
 mind is enmity against God, for it is not sub- 
 ject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." 
 Rom. viii. 7. How can the sinner of himself 
 convert a heart of enmity into a heart of love ? 
 Again, " The heart of the sons of men is fully 
 set in them to do evil." Eccl. viii. 11. The 
 current of the ocean you cannot resist, nor the 
 strong current of a dej. aved soul. But why 
 multiply passages of Scripture. The doctrine 
 of the sinner's total depravity and helplessness, 
 is taught in every part of the sacred vohirae, 
 and is taken for granted in such passages as 
 these : " O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyr 
 self." " Ye are his workmanship, created in 
 Christ Jesus :" — and, " Except a man be born 
 ag^ain he cannot see the kinofdom of God." 
 The doctrine then wliich we advocate, touch- 
 ing the helplessness of the sinner, in his unre- 
 newed state, is certainly a scriptural doctrine, 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 269 
 
 and God forbid that we should attempt to ex- 
 plain away our text, which so clearly presents 
 the doctrine. 
 
 But we said that the doctrine was not only 
 scriptural, but a wholesome doctrine. Yes, it 
 is the very one which breaks down the pride 
 of the sinner's heart — which causes him to feel 
 that he lies at the mercy of God — and the very 
 thing which, humbling the loftiness and self- 
 sufficiency of his soul, prepares him, and in- 
 clines him more earnestly to seek, and more 
 highly to prize help from on high. And I 
 have noticed that the sinner never will come 
 to Christ until he finds that he cannot save 
 himself — never will come to Christ until he 
 finds that he must, positively must, or perish. 
 This is human nature, as it may be seen illus- 
 trated in other things. 
 
 Here is a man walking along the streets, who 
 is dwelling with great complacency upon the 
 thougrht that he is worth a million of dollars. 
 One steps up to him and says — " I understand 
 that you owe Mr. A. B. a thousand dollars, and 
 he purposes to exact payment. I am very sorry 
 for you, sir, and am willing to pay the amount." 
 "What do you mean, sir," replies the million- 
 aire. " Suppose I owe a thousand dollars, I can 
 pay my own debts. Reserve your benevolence 
 jfor those who may need it." But now, sup- 
 pose this rich man were a poor man ; and sup- 
 pose, utterly unable to pay his debts, he were 
 
270 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 pressed by tlie sheriff for a claim of a thousand 
 dollars, and the amount he must pay, or be im- 
 prisoned. Now, if in these circumstances one 
 who w^as able and willing to relieve him should 
 kindly offer to pay the amount — " O, sir," me- 
 thinks he would say, " How could I expect 
 such a favour?" And when assured that it 
 was done with great cheerfulness, how thank- 
 fully would he accept the kind offer, and say — 
 " This is kindness indeed ! O, sir, I owe you a 
 thousand thanks ! I want words to express my 
 sense of the great obligations I am under to 
 you." The application you understand. Whilst 
 the sinner, in the pride of his heart, imagines 
 that he is rich, and increased in goods, and has 
 need of nothing, he undervalues the provisions 
 of gospel grace — rejects the Saviour ; but only 
 let him be brought to feel that he owes a thou- 
 sand talents and has nothing to pay ; let him be 
 made sensible that, spiritually, he is wretched 
 and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked, 
 and oh ! then, how welcome are the provisions 
 of gospel grace, and how dear is the Saviour 
 of lost sinners! This is the very idea pre- 
 sented by Christ himself: — "The whole have 
 no need of a physician," says he, "but they 
 that are sick, I came not to call the righteous, 
 but sinners to repentance. Here is a man who 
 has fallen over a precipice. By his fall he is 
 stunned, and has a limb dislocated. Coming 
 to himself, he finds that he is in an evil case. 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 271 
 
 The first thought is to rise up and walk away. 
 He accordingly makes the attempt; but a limb 
 is dislocated, and he sinks down to the earth. 
 He is more sensible of the evil of his case, but 
 the spirit of the man is in him, and he yet, it 
 may be, calls for no help. He makes another 
 effort, more vigorous than the first; his limb 
 again gives way, and down he sinks. We will 
 suppose, now, it is bitter cold ; it is snowing 
 fast, and the shades of night are drawing on. 
 It flashes upon him — if no one comes to his 
 relief, there he must perish : that spot will be 
 his grave, and the falling snow will be his 
 winding-sheet. Now, at last, iirged by the ne- 
 cessity of the case, he cries for help, aye, loudly 
 and earnestly does he now cry for help. Ob- 
 serve, whilst he thought he could help himself, 
 he called for none; but a full sense of his misera- 
 ble and helpless condition makes him now heart- 
 ily willing to accept aid from any one who can 
 relieve him. So it is with the sinner ; whilst he 
 imagines that his own arm is strong enough, 
 he is not disposed to lean upon the arm of an- 
 other, and while he thinks he can save himself, 
 he is not likely to prize a Saviour; hence the 
 doctrine which teaches him that he is a poor, 
 helpless sinner, and that he lies at the mercy 
 of God, is a wholesome doctrine. It is this 
 which humbles the pride of the sinner's heart, 
 and which best disposes him to cry with the 
 Syrophenician woman — " Lord, help me!" and 
 
272 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 with Peter, sinking in the wave, " Lord, save, 
 or I perish." 
 
 And now, let us pause and contemplate the 
 helpless and deplorable condition of the sin- 
 ner, as one lying low in the ruins of the fall. 
 He is under the reigning power of sin, and he 
 cannot break the reigning power of sin. He 
 is under the curse of God's righteous law, and 
 he cannot roll away the curse of the law. His 
 soul is unfit for heaven, and he cannot make it 
 fit ; — he is bound over to wrath, and he cannot 
 help himself Aye, he is in a state of nature 
 and of sin, and his heart must be changed or 
 he can never be saved; and of himself he can 
 no more change his own heart than he can roll 
 a mountain, or heave an ocean. Yes, I repeat 
 it, although it is the sinner's duty and interest 
 to come to Christ — and although he must come 
 or perish everlastingly, yet such is the deep 
 depravity of the sinner's heart — such the reign- 
 ing power of sin in his bosom, and such the 
 dominion of the world, the flesh, and the devil, 
 that no man can come to Christ except he be 
 divinely drawn. ! sinner, believe me, you 
 are lost, ruined, and undone ! You lie com- 
 pletely at the mercy of God ! and you had bet- 
 ter suffer the tortures of martyrdom than do 
 the slightest thing to offend your Maker. 
 Hence the language of the Apostle, " Quench 
 not the Spirit!" But some one may say. 
 The doctrine of the sinner's helplessness, as 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 273 
 
 stated, destroys all human responsibility. Not 
 so — we insist upon it, if he perishes it is his 
 own fault. I will explain myself. You are a 
 master; you write a letter, and handing it to 
 your servant, you direct him to take it to a 
 certain person on the other side of the river, 
 and bring you back an answer. After a w^hile 
 he returns, and you ask him, Did you take 
 the letter over the river as I directed you? 
 No, sir.- And why? Master, I could not. 
 And why could you not? VVhy, master, I 
 went to the river ; it was deep and rapid, and 
 there was no bridge, and I could not swim, 
 so I did not go over. Did you call for the 
 ferryman? No, sir. Then go immediately 
 back, and take the letter over, as I commanded 
 you. Now this, I think, is a correct illustra- 
 tion. There is something about the passing 
 of that river which the servant cannot do, no 
 more than he can roll a mountain, or heave an 
 ocean, and yet you do not excuse him. Even 
 so in this matter. The sinner is utterly un- 
 able to come to Christ, or change his own 
 heart of himself. There is, so to speak, a 
 broad and deep river betw^een him and heaven, 
 and the sinner cannot swim; but, thank God, 
 there is, if I may so express myself, a heaven- 
 ly ferryman on the other side. Let him call 
 upon that ferryman — as it is wTitten, " Seek ye 
 the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon 
 him while he is near." And this reminds me 
 
274 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 of a remarkable passage in Scripture, " Let 
 him take hold of my strength, that he may 
 make peace with me, and he shall make peace 
 with me." Isa. xxvii. 5. Moreover, it falls in 
 precisely with this language of the Eternal 
 God, " Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself, 
 but in me is thine help." Hos. xiii. 9. But 
 this leads to my last general remark : 
 
 5. There is a divine drawing; and, thank 
 God, the doctrine of divine drawing is as clear- 
 ly revealed as the doctrine of man's helpless 
 and ruined condition by nature. In the sacred 
 volume they are linked together, and w^haf 
 God has joined together let no man put asun- 
 der. " No man," says the Saviour, " can come 
 to me except the Father which hath sent me 
 draw him." This language clearly implies 
 that there is such a thinor as divine drawincr. 
 We may not be able to understand the opera- 
 tion fully, and I believe that a person may be 
 under this system of divine drawing without 
 being fully conscious of it, for oftentimes the 
 influences of the Spirit are as gentle as the 
 dew. There is such a thing as a still small 
 voice, as well as the strong wind which rends 
 the mountains — and the earthquake and the 
 fire. Therefore, although we may not be able 
 to explain the mode of the divine operation, 
 or even recognize it in every case, yet as a 
 fact, or doctrine taught in the Bible, there can 
 be no doubt. '^ Draw me," says the spouse, 
 in the Song of Solomon, '* Draw me, and we 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 275 
 
 will run after thee." " I have loved you with 
 an everlasting love," says God, in the book 
 of Jeremiah, "therefore with loving kindnesses 
 have I drawn thee." '' And I," says the Sa- 
 viour, " if I be lifted up from the earth, will 
 draw all men unto me;" — and in Hosea we 
 find this lano-uage, '* I drew them with cords 
 of a man, with bands of love." 
 
 There are various kinds of drawing, both 
 with God and man; and objects are usually 
 drawn in modes and forms suited to the na- 
 ture of the object drawn. When a log is to be 
 drawn to a certain place, a chain is fastened to 
 it, and by the application of physical force, it 
 is drawn to the place intended. I hold in my 
 hand a leaden ball, I let it go, and it falls to the 
 ground, drawn by the power of gravitation, 
 drawn by the operation of a certain law im- 
 pressed upon inanimate matter by the Creator. 
 Again : This earth moves round the sun once 
 in every twelve months; and how is this ac- 
 complished? It is drawn around, in its orbit, 
 by the joint action of two forces, the centripetal 
 and centrifugal. Thus, we see, that inanimate 
 objects are moved, or drawn, by the application 
 of physical force, and the operation of certain 
 general laws of nature. But man is not inani- 
 mate matter; he is a moral and intellectual 
 being; he has a mind, a will, a conscience, and 
 a heart, and he is drawn by another set of 
 means and instrumentalities ; he has an under- 
 
276 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 standing, and he can feel the power of an argu- 
 ment ; he has a conscience, and he can feel the 
 force of an appeal; moreover, he has certain 
 affections and sensibilities, and these can be 
 w^rought upon in various ways ; and hence it is 
 written, " I drew them with cords of a man, 
 with bands of love." I have seen men going 
 from one place to another, and even hastening 
 to distant and sickly climes, drawn by a love of 
 gain. I have seen wives following their hus- 
 bands, as it were, all the world over, drawn by 
 affection and a sense of duty ; and I have seen 
 persons hurrying away to the post of danger — 
 braving the fury and storm of battle, led on by 
 patriotism, and sometimes purely by ambition, 
 or a desire to twine laurels around their brow. 
 Here is a crowd gathered together in the house 
 of God this day — no physical force was applied, 
 and yet, here they are, drawn as effectually as 
 if some irresistible physical force had been 
 brought to bear upon them. Some drawn by 
 a sense of duty, to worship God. Some drawn 
 by curiosity — they heard that there was a reli- 
 gious excitement in the place, a revival of reli- 
 gion — and, moreover, that a stranger was ex- 
 pected to preach. Their curiosity was excited, 
 and it has succeeded in brino^inoc them here ! — 
 And some are present, drawn, as I hope, by a 
 secret desire to receive spiritual benefit. They 
 have been, it may be, under serious impressions 
 for a long time. They desire the salvation of 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 277 
 
 their souls, and having heard that, within a few 
 days past, several persons have been hopefully 
 converted here, they have come, if perad ven- 
 ture, they may receive the same blessing. Well, 
 they are here, and as effectually drawn as the 
 log spoken of, or the leaden ball to the surface 
 of the earth by the power of gravitation, or the 
 earth around the sun by the action of the two 
 forces already mentioned. Each object drawn, 
 according to its own nature, and in its own 
 way. There is a case of divine drawing in the 
 Scriptures which furnishes a good illustration 
 of the case before us — I refer to the case of the 
 patriarch Jacob, drawn down into Egypt. If, 
 when quietly and pleasantly settled in the land 
 of Canaan, some one.had said, Jacob, you must 
 go down into Egypt, methinks he would have 
 promptly said. Not I ! — Here are my posses- 
 sions ; my flocks and my herds ; my children 
 and my grand-children, are also with me ; and 
 here, too, is the grave of Machpelah ; here 
 will I live and die, and here will I be gathered 
 unto my fathers. And yet, after all, he went 
 down into Egypt, and sojourned there, and 
 died there— and no violence was done to his 
 will. And how was this brought about? By 
 a remarkable chain of providences. The pa- 
 triarch had twelve sons — one, named Joseph, 
 was loved more than they all ; and the patriarch 
 made him a coat of many colours, and his bre- 
 thren envied him, and could not speak peace- 
 
278 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 ably unto him; and Joseph dreamed certam 
 dreams, and told them unto his brethren, and 
 the J hated him still more on account of his 
 dreams ; — and they conspired against him, and 
 sold him to certain Midianite merchantmen, 
 who carried him down into Egypt ; and there, 
 after many wonderful events, Joseph was made 
 governor overall the land of Egypt ; — and there 
 was a famine in the land, and it spread far and 
 wide, and reached the land of Canaan where 
 Jacob was. Hearing that there was corn in 
 Egypt, he sent his sons down into Egypt to 
 obtain supplies — again he sent them, and when 
 they returned the second time, they brought 
 strange tidings to the patriarch's ears, saying, 
 " Thy son Joseph is alive, and he is governor 
 over all the land of Egypt!" And Jacob's 
 heart fainted, for he believed them not; and 
 they told him all the words of Joseph, which 
 he had said unto them ; and when he saw the 
 wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, 
 the spirit of Jacob their father revived, and 
 Israel said, It is enough, Joseph my son is yet 
 alive, I will go and see him before I die. And 
 accordingly he hastened and went down into 
 Egypt ; and sure I am, no violence was done 
 to his will. He never went to any place more 
 cheerfully in all his life ; and, verily, nothing 
 but chains, and strong chains, could have pre- 
 vented him from going down into Egypt. A 
 powerful magnet w^as there ! The patriarch's 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 279 
 
 long-lost, beloved Joseph was there, and his 
 heart yearned toward his darling child. He 
 longed to see and embrace him once more ; all 
 his reluctance to going down into Egypt is re- 
 moved, and he is fully set upon going now. 
 And Israel said, " It is enough, Joseph my son 
 is yet alive, I will go and see him before I die." 
 Thus, without any violence done to his will, he 
 was drawn down into Egypt with cords of a 
 man, with bands of love. And thus sinners are 
 drawn to Christ. They are, it may be, in the 
 midst of worldly enjoyments and possessions, 
 and are quietly settled upon their lees. They 
 have no concern about their souls, nor thought 
 of eternity. In the midst of these scenes of 
 worldly contentment, there comes a famine in 
 the land; afflictions come, heavy, grievous 
 afflictions come ; they meet with this loss, and 
 that disappointment; this darling child is taken 
 away, and that beloved companion is laid in 
 the grave. Ah ! the world now. begins to lose 
 its charm, and earthly sources of enjoyment are 
 drying up, this child of affliction is brought to 
 see the vanity of the world, the emptiness and 
 insufficiency of all things here below, and the 
 importance of securing a portion better than 
 any thing the world can give. In these cir- 
 cumstances, the soul, by the power of the 
 spirit, is waked up to the high claims of God 
 and eternity; and thus, affliction is made in- 
 strumental in drawing the soul away from the 
 
280 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 vanities of the world, and causing it to rest 
 upon Christ as the source of all consolation, 
 and all hope. O how many in this way have 
 sought comfort in religion, and in religion have 
 found it ! " It is good for me," says the Psalmist, 
 "that I have been afflicted; for, before I was 
 afflicted, I went astray, but now have I kept 
 thy law." The famine in the land of Canaan 
 was sore, but it brought about the joy of meet- 
 ing with Joseph, which joy the patriarch would 
 probably never have had on earth, had there 
 been no famine in the land. So some are by 
 affliction brought to Christ, and made happy in 
 his love, who, without such affliction, had in 
 all probability perished in their sin. O how 
 many in the bright realms of bliss, will, upon 
 reviewing the scenes of this lower state, ex- 
 claim with gratitude and joy, " Sweet afflic- 
 tion ! blessed affliction ! which weaned my 
 heart from the world, and led me to my Sa- 
 viour and my God!" 
 
 But other means are also made effectual by 
 the spirit of God in bringing about the same 
 blessed result. The sinner, perhaps by the in- 
 strumentality of some awakening sermon, or 
 some religious book, or some friendly letter, or 
 some zealous friend, or it may be, some sacra- 
 mental or death-bed scene, is brought, like the 
 Psalmist, to think upon his ways, and turn his 
 feet to the divine testimonies. His understand- 
 ing is enlightened, and he is brought to see the 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 281 
 
 reasonableness of the claims of his Maker, and 
 the value of his own soul. His conscience is 
 troubled, and he is brought to see that he is a 
 sinner, and justly condemned by God's righ- 
 teous law. Moreover, he has a heart, and ap- 
 peals have been made to it, drawn from the 
 goodness of God, shown in ten thousand things, 
 and the love of Christ in dying for our lost and 
 ruined race. And, it may be, the law has 
 spoken out its terrors in thunder to the soul. 
 In short, arguments, appeals, motives, and con- 
 siderations of various kinds, are brought to 
 bear upon the man with great power. The 
 more he thinks, the more anxious he becomes. 
 He sees that he has sinned against a holy God ; 
 that he has broken God's righteous law, and 
 has incurred its dreadful penalty ; that he can 
 make no atonement for his sins ; and that, with- 
 out a Saviour, he must perish for ever. In these 
 circumstances, Christ is held out to him, in the 
 gospel, as one who is both able and willing to 
 save all that will come unto him. Lisfht flows' 
 in upon the sinner's mind, his heart is touched 
 by the Spirit of God, his will is subdued, and 
 he is both persuaded and enabled to embrace 
 Jesus Christ as he is freely offered in the gos- 
 pel. No violence is done to the sinner's will. 
 Interest, duty, love, all lead him to the feet of 
 his blessed Saviour, whilst he cries out — 
 "Lord, save, or I perish!" — "Here, Lord, I 
 give myself away, 'tis all that I can do." Or, 
 
 19 
 
282 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 <' Welcome, welcome, dear Redeemer, 
 Welcome to this heart of mine ; 
 Lord, I make a full surrender. 
 
 Every power and thought be thine, 
 
 Thine entirely — 
 Through eternal ages thine." 
 
 Thus the sinner is drawn, sweetly, power- 
 fully, effectually drawn to Christ. And, so 
 far from any violence having been done to his 
 will, his whole heart is in the matter. He goes 
 to Christ as freely, and cheerfully, and joyfully 
 as a hungry man goes to a banquet, or a thirsty 
 man to a pool of water ; or rather, as the man- 
 slayer into the city of refuge — or he that is ex- 
 posed to the peltings of a pitiless storm enters 
 a place of shelter. 
 
 And now, my dear, unconverted friends, for- 
 get not the things w^hich you have heard this 
 evening. Remember, it is your duty to come 
 to Christ; it is your interest to come to Christ; 
 and you absolutely must come to Christ, or you 
 must perish for ever. And ! remember that 
 whilst these things are so, yet, such is the deep 
 depravity of the sinner's heart, and such the 
 reigning power of sin, and such the dominion 
 of the world, the flesh, and the devil, that no 
 man can come to Christ unless he be divinely 
 drawn. O, you wdio are now under divine in- 
 fluences — you wdio are under conviction of sin, 
 and tremble for the salvation of your souls — 
 and you who are sensible that the world can- 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 283 
 
 not make you happy, and who sigh for some- 
 thing better than the world can give, remember 
 you are now under the influence of a divine 
 drawing; beware how you fight against your 
 convictions; beware how you trifle with your 
 serious impressions; beware how you resist 
 these heavenly drawings, lest they cease, and 
 you be left to yourselves — and what then ? 
 Your case becomes hopeless, ! you are lost to 
 all eternity! O, quench not the Spirit! Be- 
 ware, lest, grieving the Spirit, he cease to 
 move upon your heart, and you become har- 
 dened. And O, think what it is to be hardened! 
 It is to have all the moral and religious sensi- 
 bilities of the soul deadened. It is to become 
 reckless and unconcerned. It is to be habitually 
 in such a frame of mind that there are no com- 
 punctions for the past — no apprehensions for 
 the future ; — deaf to all the calls of mercy, 
 stupid under all the means of grace. It is to 
 be habitually in such a frame of mind, that all 
 promises and threatenings are alike disre- 
 garded, and all motives and appeals equally 
 unavailing. As the dead man feels not the 
 burning of the coal lodged in his bosom, nor 
 the flinty rock the softening influences of the 
 showers of heaven, even so it is with him 
 whose heart is hardened. He may be in the 
 sanctuary, but the most pungent discourses 
 make no impression. He may witness sacra- 
 mental scenes, but they inspire no solemnity — 
 
284 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 even funeral rites and the burial of the dead 
 affect him not. Spread before him the glories 
 of heaven, and he is not allured; point him to 
 the torments of the damned, and he is not 
 alarmed. Lead him to Calvary, and talk to 
 him about the love of Jesus and his dying 
 ao-onies, and he is as insensible as steel. 
 Friends may entreat, but he heeds not; min- 
 isters may warn, but he repents not. Others 
 may feel, but he feels not ; others may weep, 
 but he weeps not. He is hard as rock ; or 
 say, 
 
 " Some alarming shock of fate 
 
 Strikes ihrougli his wounded heart, 
 
 The sudden dread! another moment, and alas! 
 
 where past the shaft no trace is found, 
 
 As from the wing no scar the sky retains, 
 The parted wave, no furrow from the keel." 
 
 The rock may be rived, but it is rock still. 
 It may be broken into a thousand fragments, 
 but there is no softening yet; and so it is with 
 the sinner, when the drawings of heaven re- 
 sisted, and the Spirit quenched, the sinner is 
 left to himself and becomes incorrigible and 
 hardened — past feeling and past hope! Let 
 me be poor, let me be a bondman, let me be a 
 beggar, but let me not, given up of the Spirit, 
 be a hardened sinner! O my God, cast me not 
 away from thy presence, neither take thine 
 holy Spirit from me. Fellow sinner, take care 
 what you do just now. You are in solemn cir- 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 285 
 
 cumstances, and great interests are at stake! 
 Many of you are under the influence of divine 
 drawings now, and some, perhaps, who are not 
 fully aware of it. remember 
 
 " God's Spirit will not always strive 
 With hardened self-destroying men; 
 You who persist his love to grieve 
 May never hear his voice again !" 
 
 O ! then, let me exhort you, one and all, to 
 make light of sacred things no more. They 
 are too serious to be trifled with. Heaven and 
 hell — eternal life and eternal death! What 
 more rousing themes can be presented to the 
 mind of man ? ! if any of you have never 
 yet come to Christ, let me entreat you to come 
 this day — put off the great concern no longer. 
 It is dangerous to delay. Your day of grace 
 may close when you least expect it. Only 
 one sin more, and the sentence may go forth 
 against you, " Ephraim is joined to his idols, 
 let him alone !" Yes, only one sin more and 
 divine drawings, in your case, may cease for 
 ever ! Here is a beam extending over a pre- 
 cipice, a man may take several steps upon that 
 beam, but there is one point upon which, if 
 he steps, he is gone! A cord may sustain a 
 certain weight — add one ounce to that weight 
 and the cord breaks ! ! then, beware how 
 you take another step in the road to death ! 
 beware how you add another sin to those 
 
286 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 already committed ! and beware how you slight 
 this, which may be your last — ^last call ! Fel- 
 low man, eternity is at the door. You need 
 a Saviour. There are influences now in ope- 
 ration to draw you to this Saviour. For hea- 
 ven's sake — for your dear sonls' sake, resist 
 not these influences. O ! yield, and may you 
 this day find Christ precious to your soul — 
 even the chiefest among ten thousand, and the 
 one altogether lovely. Amen. 
 
 SERMON XL 
 
 VAIN EXCUSES. 
 
 Luke xiv. 18. — And they all with one consent began to make 
 excuse. 
 
 Why, my brethren, are there so few real Chris- 
 tians amongst us? The fact I assume, for I 
 suppose it will not be denied. Should the 
 angel of death pass through the length and 
 breadth of our land, and sweep into the grave 
 all the careless, and all the prayerless, and re- 
 turn and sweep into the grave all the intempe- 
 rate and all the profane ; and return and take 
 away every scoffer, and every hypocrite — and 
 return, in short, and take away every impeni- 
 tent and unrenewed sinner, what silence would 
 reign in our streets ! what solitude would exist 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 287 
 
 in our dwellings ! and how thin would be this 
 congregation ! Why this ? — why so few real 
 Christians? Doubtless there are many reasons, 
 such as pride, worldly-mindedness, and a want 
 of thought ; but certainly one reason is this, a 
 self-justifying spirit, prompting the impenitent 
 to make vain excuses. This morning I design 
 to examine some of the excuses which are com- 
 monly urged by the unconverted, for neglecting 
 to obey the gospel call. Before I-take them up, 
 however, I would observe, that there is a gene- 
 ral evidence against their soundness, arising 
 from some remarkable circumstances : — their 
 number — their easy relinquishment — and the 
 representation which our Saviour gives of them 
 in the parable whence we have derived our 
 text. Their number: When a person is asked 
 to do a thing, which he does not choose to do, 
 and yet desires to keep up fair appearances, he 
 is very apt to make a great many excuses, as if 
 he would make up in number what is wanting 
 in the value of his excuses. Precisely so with 
 regard to the sinner : Here is an unconverted 
 man, and I say to him. My dear sir, I am aston- 
 ished that a man of your good sense, should 
 neglect the salvation of your soul. Certainly 
 you must admit it to be a matter of great im- 
 portance, why then do you neglect it? He 
 makes one excuse ; before he allows me time to 
 meet that excuse, he abandons it for another, 
 and that for another; and thus he goes on, re- 
 
288 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 treating, through the whole round of his ex- 
 cuses. This, I say, is a very suspicious cir- 
 cumstance: if that man had a single excuse, 
 which he really believed to be substantial, 
 would he not hold it fast? but not having any 
 in which he has much confidence, he adds one 
 to another, as if, as already said, he would make 
 up in number what is wanting in the value of 
 his excuses. Again : Here is another man, he 
 has twenty reasons for neglecting to obey the 
 gospel call. Let some alarming disease seize 
 upon him, and he forgets one half of them — let 
 death look him in the face, he forgets the other 
 half! O, these shadowy excuses ! If they can- 
 not stand in the presence of disease and death, 
 how can they stand in the presence of the final 
 judge of all mankind? 
 
 But the representation which our Saviour 
 gives of them, is conclusive against the sound- 
 ness of all the sinner's excuses : a certain man, 
 says he, made a great supper, and sent his ser- 
 vant, at supper time, to say to them that were 
 bidden, "Come, for all things are now ready: 
 and they all, with one consent, began to make 
 excuse." And pray, what were these excuses? 
 "The first said, I have bought a piece of ground, 
 and I must needs go and see it ; I pray thee 
 have me excused." Observe! He was invited 
 to come at supper time ! Now supper-time, I 
 should think rather an indifferent time to see the 
 ground ! and yet no time but supper-time will 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 289 
 
 suit him to see the ground ! " And another said, 
 I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to 
 prove them; I pray thee, have me excused." 
 Now, if he had bought the oxen, the bargain 
 was closed — at any rate, any planter, any man, 
 in his senses, knows full well, that supper-time 
 is not the best time to prove oxen — yet no time 
 can he fix upon to prove these oxen but supper 
 time ! " And another said, I have married a wife, 
 and therefore I cannot come." Where was the 
 man invited to go? To a funeral? No! To hear 
 a dull lecture? No ! Where then? To a feast! — 
 and where could a new-married couple go with 
 greater propriety, than to a feast? And yet 
 this is his excuse — " I have married a wife, and 
 therefore I cannot come." This is a very re- 
 markable parable. It was uttered by our Lord, 
 who knew what was in man ; and knew, full 
 well, how to represent the true character of the 
 sinner's excuses, and here he does it to the life 
 and admiration, in this truly remarkable para- 
 ble. And now, God helping me, I will en- 
 deavour this morning, to show that the excuses 
 commonly urged by the sinner for neglecting 
 to obey the gospel call, are not a whit better 
 than they are represented to be in this, as I 
 have said, truly remarkable parable. 
 
 1. The Bible is so full of mystery I can- 
 not understand it. — The Bible so full of mys- 
 tery ! Just as if the Bible was nothing in the 
 
290 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 world but a bundle of riddles ! No plain doc- 
 trine, no plain precept, no plain promise, no 
 plain threatening — nothing plain! Is this in- 
 genuous ? Is this true ? The Bible says — " Ex- 
 cept ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." 
 Is not this plain? The Bible says — " He that 
 believe th not shall be damned." Would the 
 sinner wish any thing plainer than this ? The 
 Bible says — It is a faithful saying, and wor^ 
 thy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came 
 into the world to save sinners, even the chief 
 of sinners. Now this is not only remarkably 
 beautiful, it is remarkably plain. Even the 
 child of six years of age, can understand it 
 perfectly well, and yet the man says, the Bi- 
 ble is so full of mystery I cannot understand 
 it ! Ah ! we all see it clearly. It amounts to 
 this: I have bought a piece of ground, and I 
 must needs go and see it at supper-time. But 
 another comes forward with this excuse, 
 
 2. Religion is a gloomy thing, it has no 
 charms for me. — Thank God, there are many, 
 both in heaven and earth, who think very 
 differently. I never heard that religion ever 
 abridged one's happiness in health, or sadden- 
 ed one's heart in sickness, or lay heavy upon 
 one's soul in death. But I think that I have 
 heard that the want of religion extorted a cry 
 of agony from the dying sinner. Religion a 
 gloomy thing ! — ^lias no charms for you ! Look 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 291 
 
 at the young convert, how his eyes sparkle ! 
 how every feature beams with joy! Hark, 
 how his tongue breaks out in songs of praise : 
 
 " When God revealed his gracious name, 
 And changed my mournful state. 
 My rapture seemed a pleasing dream 
 The grace appeared so great ! 
 
 Great is the work my neighbours cried. 
 
 And owned the power divine ; 
 Great is the work my heart replied, 
 
 And be the glory thine !" 
 
 But suppose there be no rapture, the young 
 convert has a sweet complacency in Christ — a 
 heavenly calm, and the peace of God, which 
 passeth all understanding, and which he would 
 not exchange for "all that the world calls good 
 or great." It must be so, for what does reli- 
 gion do for us? It gives us a scriptural as- 
 surance that , our sins are all forgiven for Je- 
 sus' sake. Is there any thing in this to sad- 
 den the heart? It gives us the scriptural 
 assurance that the great God of the universe 
 is our reconciled God and Father in Christ. 
 Is there any thing in this to damp the warm 
 feelings of the soul? It gives us, moreover, 
 the blessed assurance that heaven is our home; 
 that angels are to be our future companions; 
 nay, that we ourselves are to be as angels in 
 the world to come. I confess I can see nothing 
 in this to sink the spirits, or spread any thing 
 
292 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 like gloom over the mind. All! but you say, 
 If I become a Christian I shall have to give 
 up all the pleasures of the world. You are 
 called upon to give up no pleasures that are 
 really innocent; and can you wish to indulge 
 in those which are not? Here also it must be 
 remembered, that true religion is a renovating 
 principle. It changes the heart — the whole 
 current of the soul, so that a person even in 
 fashionable life, or in the full indulgence of sin 
 of any kind, when soundly converted, can give 
 up sinful pleasures without a sigh, and take 
 up religious duties with real joy ; for, says the 
 Saviour, " My yoke is easy and my burden is 
 light." And again, " There is no man that 
 hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or 
 wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's 
 sake, who shall not receive manifold more in 
 this present time, and in the world to come 
 life everlasting." So that, in relation to real 
 pleasure, as well as in relation to other mat- 
 ters, it may truly be said, " Godliness is pro- 
 fitable unto all things, having promise of the 
 life which now is, and of that which is to 
 come.". Yes, it is even so, and the verdict of 
 thousands and millions, is this — 
 
 " 'Tis religion that must give 
 Sweetest pleasures whilst we live : 
 'Tis religion must supply- 
 Solid comfort when we die." 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS, 293 
 
 O, worldlings! believe me, you are wrong. 
 You are seeking happiness in the world. It is 
 but a beggarly portion for an immortal soul. 
 Has it ever yet made you happy? No! and 
 it never will, it never can. And let these words 
 sink down into your ears — you will never know 
 what true happiness is until you are converted, 
 and, if never converted, you will never know 
 it, world without end. But suppose that reli- 
 gion did make one sad and gloomy on earth 
 (which we utterly deny), would it not be bet- 
 ter, after all, to be a sad and gloomy child of 
 God than a thoughtless and merry child of the 
 devil ? Would it not be better to go to heaven 
 in a thorny way, than to go hell in a waiy 
 all strewed with flowers? Then what becomes 
 of the second excuse? It amounts to this — I 
 have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to 
 prove them at supper time. 
 
 3. A third excuse is this : If I am elected to 
 be saved I shall be saved, do what I will, and 
 if not, I cannot, do what I may. This is the 
 sheet-anchor of many, their strong-hold, that 
 upon which they are disposed to rest with more 
 confidence perhaps than any other; and after 
 all, if I mistake not, it amounts to this : I have 
 married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. 
 It is but an excuse, and not good, for tw^o rea- 
 sons — (1.) Because it involves an absurdity; 
 and, (2.) Because it is not acted upon in cases 
 exactly similar. 
 
294 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 (1.) It involves an absurdity, for it amounts 
 to this : What is to come to pass will come to 
 pass, whether we have any agency in the mat- 
 ter or not. Now the absurdity lies here — it 
 supposes the accomplishment of an event, with- 
 out the very means by which the event is to be 
 accomplished. As if I should say. If I am to 
 go to London, why, certainly, I shall go to 
 London, whether I embark on board of a vessel 
 or not; or, if we are to have a pleasant day to- 
 morrow, assuredly we shall have a pleasant day 
 to-morrow, whether the sun rises or not. Ab- 
 surdity, you perceive, is stamped upon the face 
 of the thing. Those who reach London, must 
 pHss over the ocean, and if there be a pleasant 
 day to-morrow, the sun must rise. So those 
 who are elected to everlasting salvation, as the 
 end, must be prepared for it by the sanctifica- 
 tion of the Spirit, and belief of the truth as the 
 necessary means for the attainment of that end. 
 God has connected the end and the means, and 
 what God hath joined together, let not man 
 put asunder. 
 
 (2.) The excuse urged is not a good one, be- 
 cause it is not acted upon in cases very similar. 
 Does this planter say — If I am to have a crop 
 this year, I shall have a crop this year, whether 
 I cultivate my grounds or not ? I suspect he 
 does not say this. Does this other man say — 
 If I am to be rich, I shall be rich whether I 
 make any effort or not? Certainly he does 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 295 
 
 not say so. Does this sick man say — If I am 
 to get well, I shall get well whether I take any 
 medicine or not? O no! he does not say so, 
 and yet all these might say so, for I have heard 
 of grounds producing crops without any culti- 
 vation; and I have heard of persons becoming 
 rich without any effort. Aye, and I have heard 
 of sick persons getting well without any medi- 
 cine, but never have I heard of man or woman 
 finding the straight gate without seeking it, or 
 getting into the narrow way without effort. 
 And here I would remark, that there is a pass- 
 age of Scripture just in point. Job, speaking 
 of man's temporal life, or the life of his body, 
 says — "His days are determined, the number of 
 his months are with thee; thou hast appointed 
 his bounds that he cannot pass." Job xiv. 5. 
 Here we are taught that the life of man is in 
 God's hand; that according to the divine pur- 
 pose, some die young, and some are elected to 
 old age. In this matter God acts as a sovereign 
 
 CD D 
 
 God, and so also in the other case, and 
 
 " Not Gabriel asks the reason why, 
 Nor God ihe reason gives." 
 
 And what then, does the sick man say ? My 
 days are determined, I wdll send for no physi- 
 cian; the number of my months is with him; 
 I will take no medicine; he has appointed the 
 bounds of my life, that I cannot pass, I will 
 therefore do nothing; if I am to die of this 
 
296 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 disease, I must die, do what I will ; and if not, 
 I cannot, do what I may. Does he say this? 
 No ! he does not, but rather he reasons thus : 
 I know that God, as an infinite being, must 
 know all things, and of course must know the 
 day of my death ; but I know also, and I have 
 frequently observed, that there is a connexion 
 between the means and the end — I have seen 
 persons dying, evidently for want of medical 
 aid, and I have seen some persons at the point 
 of death, restored to health, evidently by medi- 
 cal skill. This is enough for me ; secret things 
 belong unto God. I see that in all things there 
 is a manifest and close connexion between the 
 means and the end. This is sufficient. — Now 
 this is all perfectly rational and right in the one 
 case, why should it not be acted upon in the 
 other. The grand reason I suspect is this : The 
 sinner had rather cavil, than repent — much 
 rather make excuse, than give up sin. But 
 while I am upon the subject of election, or the 
 decrees of God, take a Jewish story : — " Rabbi 
 Hillel sat in the chair of Moses; his fame for 
 wisdom and sanctity was spread far and wide. 
 If the Messiah were known to be upon the 
 earth. Rabbi Hillel would have been taken for 
 the Messiah ; but every man at his best estate 
 is altogether vanity. Rabbi Hillel wished to 
 understand the mystery of the divine decrees. 
 To prepare himself for meditation so deep and 
 profound, he spent two days in fasting and in 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 297 
 
 prayer; on the third, he ascended the top of 
 Mount Carmel; there his gigantic mind endea- 
 voured to grasp the mighty theme, but his 
 thoughts rolled back upon his breast like stones 
 from the top of Gerizim. At length, wearied 
 by his fruitless inquiries, by chance he turned 
 his eye toward a spot of earth where some- 
 thing appeared to be moving. It was a mole, 
 that havino^ heard that there was such a thins: 
 as light, and forgetting the weakness of its own 
 organs of vision, longed to look upon the sun in 
 all its brightness and glory. Scarcely, however, 
 had he left his subterranean abode, when, daz- 
 zled by the overwhelming effulgence of the sun, 
 he wished himself back again ; but, before he 
 could effect his retreat, an eagle hovering over, 
 flew down, seized the mole with her talons and 
 flew over the valley of the son of Hinnom. 
 ' Blessed be the God of my fathers,' exclaimed 
 Rabbi Hillel, as he beheld the scene that passed 
 before his eyes, 'Blessed be the God of my 
 fathers, w^ho by this little incident has taught 
 his servant wisdom — not to be too anxious to 
 explore mysteries which are too deep for hu- 
 man comprehension.' " 
 
 My brethren, listen ! The grand inquiry for 
 such creatures as we are is, not whether we 
 can understand all parts of the scheme of re- 
 demption, but whether there is such a scheme, 
 whereby the sinner may be saved. Not whe- 
 ther two or three doctrines in the Bible are 
 
 20 
 
298 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 hard to be understood, but whether the Bible 
 itself which contains these doctrines be the 
 word of God ? Not whether we are of the 
 elect or reprobate, but whether we are sinners, 
 and need the salvation of Christ ? for it is re- 
 markable, the very same Bible which asserts 
 the sovereignty of God, also asserts the free 
 agency of man. The very same Bible which 
 says — whom God foreknew, them he also pre- 
 destinated to be conformed to the image of 
 his Son, also says — "Whosoever will, let him 
 take of the waters of life freely." Prying into 
 deep mysteries may do us as much injury as 
 gazing upon the sun did the mole, whose or- 
 gans of vision could not bear the splendours of 
 that bright orb of day. Let us, then, never 
 perplex ourselves with those things which are 
 too deep for us to fathom ; but let us bless God 
 that, according to the Scriptures, "It is a 
 faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, 
 that Christ Jesus came ' into the world to save 
 sinners, even the chief" Yes, instead of per- 
 plexing ourselves with things too high and 
 deep for us, let us endeavour by grace divine 
 to obtain an experimental knowledge of those 
 plainer doctrines which are able to make us 
 wise unto salvation — able to bring us to the 
 Avorld of light and glory, where we shall no 
 more complain of intellectual darkness, for there 
 shall be no night there ! But another excuse 
 frequently urged is this : 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 299 
 
 4. Professors of religion are no better than 
 other persons. — Now this is either true, or it 
 is not true. If true, these professors of reh- 
 gion are not Christians; for, if Christians, 
 they must have the Spirit of Christ, and who 
 will say that a man may have the Spirit of 
 Christ and yet be no better than those who 
 have not? But even admit that professors of 
 religion are no better than other people. Sup- 
 pose they are all a set of hypocrites, not ex- 
 cepting your own mother, what of that ? Will 
 that make the doctrines of the Bible less true? 
 — the precepts less binding? — the promises less 
 encouraginsf ? — the threatenino^s less alarming? 
 Suppose they are all hypocritical, hollow- 
 hearted professors, will that blot out this pas- 
 sage of Scripture, "Except ye repent ye 
 sViall all likewise perish" ? Or this, " He that 
 believeth not shall be damned" ? Or this, " Ex- 
 cept a man be born again he cannot see the 
 kingdom of God"? You stumble at the in- 
 consistent walk of professors of religion ; and 
 alas! that you should have so much occasion! 
 but their sins cannot justify you in the day of 
 accounts. Even their righteousness cannot do 
 it — how much less their sins. You talk about 
 the inconsistent walk of professors of religion, 
 and did not the Saviour predict the very thing? 
 " Wo to the world because of offences," says 
 he, " it must needs be that offences come, but 
 wo to that man by whom the offence cometh." 
 
300 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 Leave tliem in the hands of God : he will by 
 no means suffer them to go unpunished; but, 
 if you be a sinner too — dying in that state, is 
 there not to be a reckoning with you also ? It 
 is admitted that inconsistent, hollow-hearted 
 professors of religion are stumbling blocks in 
 the way of salvation, but if there were stum- 
 bling blocks in your M^ay to a golden mine, 
 would those stumbling blocks keep you from 
 rushing to that golden mine ? And is not the 
 salvation of your precious soul worth infinitely 
 more than all the treasures of a golden mine? 
 Ah ! my friend, believe me, your excuse is not 
 a good one. It amounts to this — I have bought 
 a piece of ground, and must needs go and see 
 see it, at supper time! But a 
 
 5th Excuse is this: "There are so many 
 different denominations of Christians, I do not 
 know which is the right one." — So many dif- 
 ferent denominations ! There are, perhaps, one 
 hundred more than you ever dreamed of, unless 
 you have read largely upon the subject — and 
 what of that? Does that make your soul less 
 valuable ? or a Saviour less needful ? or heaven 
 less glorious ? or hell less terrible ? or eternity 
 less awful ? So many different denominations ! 
 And do not most of them agree in essential 
 matters ? The Apostle says, " Grace be with 
 all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in 
 sincerity." Mark, he does not say, grace be 
 with all them that think alike in every matter — 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 301 
 
 for however desirable this may be, it is by no 
 means essential to salvation — but "grace be 
 with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ 
 in sincerity." And again, says he, ** As many 
 as walk according to this rule, peace be on 
 them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God :" 
 that is, as many as bring forth the fruits of a 
 new and regenerate nature, peace be upon 
 them. So many different denominations of 
 Christians ! They are like the different colours 
 which constitute the beauteous rainbow upon 
 the body of the dark cloud — like the different 
 parts in music — the tenor and the counter, the 
 treble and the base — ^like the radii of a circle 
 of which Jesus Christ is the centre, and the 
 nearer they come to the centre, the nearer they 
 come to each other ! — or rather, may I not say, 
 that they are like the different companies which 
 compose the grand army in time of war. Sup- 
 pose the powers of Europe should combine 
 against the liberties of our beloved country — 
 and, sending over their multitudinous and well 
 disciplined troops, should threaten to sweep 
 away our republican institutions. The fact is 
 announced and war proclaimed by our federal 
 government — what a marshalling of the forces 
 for battle! On every hand you hear the sound of 
 the heart stirring drum, and the trumpet of war, 
 calling the freemen of America to the tented 
 field. What a scene is presented ! See, on yon- 
 der mountain wave, there floats the gallant navy 
 
302 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 of my country, prepared with her thunder to 
 repel the invading foe, or sink into the ocean's 
 depths ! And see, on the land, how they come ! 
 how they crowd in from all parts of this great 
 confederacy ! — Are they all horsemen? are they 
 all infantry ? are they all riflemen ? are they all 
 artillerists ? Have they all the same weapons 
 of war ? have they all the same uniform ? What 
 an endless variety prevails, and yet what unity ! 
 This great army of American patriots is com- 
 posed of many, very many, companies. Each 
 company has its own officers, its own regi- 
 mentals, its own weapons of war, and its own 
 mode of warfare — aye, and each company has 
 its own little flag, too; but see! the star 
 spangled banner of my country waves over 
 them all ! Yes, the star spangled banner of 
 my country waves over yonder gallant navy, 
 upon the mountain wave, prepared to repel 
 the invading foe, or sink into the ocean's 
 depths! The star spangled banner of my 
 country waves over the land army in all its 
 variety, prepared to repel the invading foe, or 
 bite the earth in death! Even so, what are 
 the different denominations of real Ciiristians, 
 but the different companies which compose the 
 grand army of Immanuel? — the sacramental 
 host of God's elect? Each denominatiou, so 
 to speak, may have its own officers, regi- 
 mentals, and weapons of war — aye, and each 
 may have its own little flag, too ; — but, mark ! 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 303 
 
 the blood stained banner of the cross — the bond 
 of union for every pious heart, waves over 
 them all! Let the sinner, then, do vi^hat he 
 ought to have done long time ago; let him 
 repent of his sins, and yield his heart to the 
 blessed Redeemer; and, although not falling 
 precisely into oiir ranks, I for one, (and I am 
 sure I speak the sentiments of very man}^) I 
 for one, can most cordially give him the right 
 hand of fellowship, and say, Is Christ pre- 
 cious to your soul ? Does his banner wave 
 over you? God speed thee, my brother, in thy 
 holy warfare ! God speed thee in thy journey 
 to the skies! Press on! We differ in some 
 things, but we agree in all essential matters ! — 
 we differ in some things, but we are all mem- 
 bers of the same household of faith, bought 
 with the same precious blood, sanctified by the 
 same Divine Spirit, and all passing through one 
 beauteous gate to one eternal home ! Press on, 
 my brother, we shall soon meet in heaven, and 
 there see eye to eye; shall soon meet in our 
 own Father's house above, and there salute 
 each other as fellow immortals, and as brethren 
 redeemed ! And now what has become of the 
 excuse about so many different denominations? 
 It has vanished into air — it is frivolous — it 
 amounts to this : "I have bought five yoke of 
 oxen, and I go to prove them" at supper time! 
 I pray thee have me excused. In other words, 
 it speaks this language — I don't choose to go ! 
 
304 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 But the same person, it may be, brings forward 
 this excuse, 
 
 6. ''What harm have I done? I don't 
 think that I am any great sinner. I have 
 injured no man. I have defrauded no man. 
 I have murdered no man. I am not covetous, 
 I am not profane, I am not a gambler, nor 
 a drunkard. I pay all my just debts; I am 
 kind to the poor ; I go to church ; and I sub- 
 scribe to many of the benevolent and chari- 
 table institutions of the day." — Well, be it so. 
 Suppose you are what the world calls a good 
 kind of a moral man ; and do you ask what 
 harm have you done ? and whom have you in- 
 jured ? You have failed to love the Lord your 
 God ; and is this no harm ? You have turned 
 your back upon a dying Saviour, and have 
 even trampled upon his precious blood ; and is 
 this no harm? You have grieved the Spirit of 
 God, and it may be, have broken many solemn 
 vows; and is this no harm? You hav6 not re- 
 membered the Sabbath day, to keep it holy 
 you have not improved your great privileges 
 you have wasted much of our precious time 
 you have indulged evil thoughts, harboured 
 rebellious feelings, encouraged improper de- 
 sires — and is this no harm? You have sinned 
 against light and against love : against the law 
 and against the gospel : against the admoni- 
 tions of God's word, the strivings of the Divine 
 Spirit, and against the remonstrances of your 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 305 
 
 own conscience. You are guilty of sins of 
 omission and of commission : sins of thought, 
 of word, and deed, and that times and ways 
 without number. In short, the charge brought 
 against Belshazzar, on the very night in 
 which he was slain, may be brought against 
 you: — "The God in whose hands thy breath 
 is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not 
 glorified." And now, upon thy soul the in- 
 scription is written — ^^Tekel, thou art weighed 
 in the balances and art found wanting." And 
 yet do you say, what harm have I done ? and 
 whom have I injured ? O, could you see your 
 sins as God sees them, or as they are likely to 
 come rolling over your soul in a dying hour, 
 or certainly in the great judgment day, me- 
 thinks, instead of saying. What harm have I 
 done, and whom have I injured, you would 
 say, Innumerable evils have compassed me 
 about ; my sins have gone over my head as a 
 cloud; they are a burden too heavy for me; 
 and with the publican you would cry — " God 
 be merciful to me a sinner." O, remember 
 that it is written, " Cursed is every one that 
 continueth not in all things written in the book 
 of the law to do them." And whilst you are 
 relying upon your own righteousness, remem- 
 ber also the w^ords of the holy Apostle, " Other 
 foundation can no man lay than is laid, which 
 is Jesus Christ." Your excuse, then, is a vain 
 one; it will not stand. Be assured, God, your 
 
306 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 judge, will not receive it. It is one of those 
 refuges of lies spoken of in the Scriptures which 
 the hail shall sweep away. Then give it up. 
 Why should you hold fast to an excuse which 
 you know to be not a good one ? But the excuses 
 of the sinner are not yet exhausted, for he says, 
 7. " God is too merciful to punish sinners." 
 Now^ to determine this we must have recourse 
 not to our own imaginations, but to the sacred 
 volume, for, aside from the Scriptures, we 
 wonld literally know nothing at all about such 
 matters. The Bible then — the blessed Bible! 
 "This is the judge that ends the strife, where 
 wit and reason fail." And now, to determine 
 the case before us, we need to inquire only in 
 relation to two things : (1.) What has God said? 
 and (2.) What has God done?— (1.) What has 
 God said? He has said, it is true, that he is 
 long-suffering, abundant in goodness and in 
 truth — but he has also said, that he will by no 
 means clear the guilty. He has said, it is true, 
 that he has no pleasure in the death of the 
 wicked; but he has also said, if the wicked 
 turn not, he will whet his sword, and his hand 
 will take hold on vengeance. He has said 
 many things most consoling to the penitent 
 and broken-hearted sinner, but upon all others 
 he denounces terrible things. " Wo," says he, 
 "to the wicked, it shall be ill with him." 
 And again — "Except ye repent, ye shall all 
 likewise perist^." And again — "He that be- 
 
REVIVAL SfiRMON-S. 307 
 
 ing often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall 
 suddenly be destroyed, and that without re- 
 medy." Declarations like these, you know, 
 my dear friends, are very common in the sa- 
 cred volume, and you cannot believe they were 
 intended to be mere vain words. Let the sin- 
 ner then seriously consider what God has said, 
 and what is before him. God is merciful. 
 Yes, and we &re glad to add, he is rich in 
 mercy — his mercy is over all his works, and 
 endureth for ever ; but remember also, " God 
 is not a man that he should lie, nor the son of 
 man that he should repent." " Has he said it? 
 and shall he not do it?" " For ever, O Lord, 
 thy word is settled in heaven !" (2.) But what 
 has God done? Expelling rebel angels from 
 heaven, he cast them down to hell ! Driving 
 fallen man from paradise, he subjected him to 
 death, temporal, spiritual, and eternal. The 
 antediluvians were God's creatures, and yet 
 being sinners, the flood came and swept them 
 all away. The inhabitants of Sodom and Go- 
 morrah were God's creatures, and yet on ac- 
 count of their sins, you know very well what 
 befel them. The Lord rained upon them fire 
 and brimstone out of heaven ; and, according 
 to the Apostle, they were set forth as ensam- 
 ples, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. 
 Let not the sinner then, who continues in sin, 
 expect to escape the righteous judgment of 
 Almighty God, for it is written, "Though 
 
308 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 hand join in hand yet shall not the wicked go 
 unpunished." And again — " Be not deceived, 
 God is not mocked, for whatsoever a man 
 soweth, that shall he also reap." There is a 
 way, thank God, in which salvation may come 
 to the sinner, as a flowing stream. Through 
 the great atoning sacrifice of Christ, God can 
 pardon the repenting sinner, and yet maintain 
 the honours of his throne ; but,' let the sinner 
 reject the plan of salvation proposed in the gos- 
 pel, and he rejects mercy herself — and mercy 
 thus scorned and rejected, will herself grasp 
 the sword, and turn executioner! The wrath 
 of the Lamb ! O who can bear it ! But another 
 comes forward and says, 
 
 8. " Really, sir, I have not time to attend to 
 the matter." — And w^hat was time chiefly given 
 for, but to prepare for eternity. Here is a ser- 
 vant sent upon an important errand, but, ga- 
 tliering flowers and pebbles by the way, he 
 lingers and says, I have not time to go upon 
 the errand. Here is a planter, the time for 
 putting his seed into the ground is come, but 
 his grounds are not ploughed, nor are his 
 fences up ; and, sporting with his hounds, or 
 amusing himself in his garden, he pleads he 
 has not time to sow his fields. Not time ! 
 You have time to attend to your bodies — why 
 not time to attend to your souls? '' ! Mr. 
 Ryland, I have not time to attend to such mat- 
 ters." Observe, this was the language of a 
 
REVIVAL serAions. 309 
 
 certain member of congress to the chaplain of 
 congress, at the time the man of God urged 
 him to attend to the great interests of his un- 
 dying soul. " ! sir," said he, " I have not 
 time to attend to such matters." Men of the 
 world, listen! This member of congress was 
 a lawyer. He made, as I am told, twenty 
 thousand dollars a year by his practice as a 
 lawyer. He was a senator — one of the most 
 brilliant stars which ever coruscated in the 
 senate chamber. Moreover he was an orator, 
 a finished orator, if there ever was one in this 
 land of ours. His tono^ue was the tono^ue 
 of the learned, it dropped manna; persuasion 
 dwelt upon his lips. All who heard him were 
 charmed with his silver toned voice, and the 
 heart-stirring strains of his enrapturing elo- 
 quence. When it was known that he was to 
 speak in the senate chamber, it was difficult 
 to keep a quorum in the other house; and 
 on a certain occasion, when he had made a 
 most brilliant speech on the Missouri ques- 
 tion, John Randolph, (certainly a judge of elo- 
 quence, if of nothing else,) — yes, John Ran- 
 dolph, in perfect admiration exclaimed, " I had 
 rather be the author of that speech than Em- 
 peror of all the Russias." This is the man, 
 the lawyer, the statesman — the great and bril- 
 liant man, who, when urged to take care of 
 his soul, replied, " O, Mr. Ryland, I have 
 not time to attend to such matters." Ah 
 
310 REVIVAL SERMONS. * 
 
 me ! " what shadows we are, and what sha- 
 dows we pursue !" This very man, only a 
 few weeks after, was shronded and laid in the 
 grave ! And now, as he is sinking in the cold 
 embrace of death, the same chaplain comes 
 to his bed-side, and for the last time admon- 
 ishes him to take care of his soul. What does 
 he now say? "O, Mr. Ryland, the world has 
 ruined me !" Remember, I do not draw aside 
 the curtain ; I will not pronounce concerning 
 his doom ; but on the supposition that his last 
 words were true, " the world has ruined me !" 
 On that supposition, where is he now? In the 
 dark world of wo ! And what is it to him, this 
 moment, that he was once- able to amass 
 twenty thousand dollars a year by his prac- 
 tice as a lawyer? Alas ! now he has not silver 
 and gold enough to purchtise one poor drop of 
 water to cool his tongue tormented in penal 
 flames ! And what is it to him, this moment, 
 that he was once the most brilliant star that 
 ever glittered in the senate chamber of the 
 United States ! Alas ! this star is fallen ? Its 
 brilliancy is quenched in the gloom of the pit 
 that has no bottom ! And what is it to him 
 now, that once his tongue was the tongue of 
 the learned ; that it dropped manna ; that per- 
 suasion dwelt upon his lips, and that all who 
 heard him were charmed with the strains of 
 his surpassing eloquence. Does he speak ? It 
 is ift groans of anguish, and shrieks of despair — 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 311 
 
 Metliinks he cries out in the agony of a lost 
 soul, " I have lost my day \ I have lost my soul ! 
 The harvest is passed, the summer is ended, and 
 I am not saved!" You have not time to attend 
 to your spiritual interests ! What says the 
 Saviour, " Seek ye first the kingdom of God 
 and his ris^hteousness." This is to be sou^^ht as 
 an object of the first importance, and in the first 
 place ; and for this, a good reason is assigned in 
 another place, "What is a man profited, if he 
 shall gain the Whole world, and lose his own 
 soul?" 
 
 9. " I know that religion is important : I do 
 not intend to neglect it, but there is time 
 enough yet." — You admit that religion is im- 
 portant, and yet you seem disposed to attend to 
 any thing and every thing else first ! You ad- 
 mit that religion is important — we are pleased 
 that you make this admission, but better proof 
 of your sense of its importance would give us 
 more pleasure still. But you say, you do not 
 intend to neglect it. Are you not mistaken? 
 Let us test this matter. Is it your purpose to 
 attend to it this day? to-morrow? the next 
 week? the next month? the next year? No, 
 you say, you have not exactly formed any reso- 
 lution of this kind. Then it seems you are 
 quite reconciled to the idea of neglecting it at 
 least for one day, one month, and even for one 
 year! O, there is something awful in this! 
 Something to make one shudder! It speaks 
 
312 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 this language : Terrible as the loss of the soul 
 is, I am vi^illing to expose myself to the peril of 
 it, for at least one year more ! But you say, 
 you have time enough yet — What! if you 
 should die this night? And what security have 
 you that you shall not ? — I am free to confess I 
 do not think it likely that you will die to-night, 
 but it is quite possible, and the bare possibility 
 of your dying in your present state, this night, 
 surely it is enough to take away sleep from 
 your eyes, and slumber from your eyelids ! I 
 recollect when I was yet unconverted. I was 
 sometimes afraid to go to sleep at night, lest 
 I might never wake up in this world any 
 more ! And I recollect making a remark of 
 this kind one evening at the house of a friend 
 in Texas, some years ago, and it. was blessed 
 to the hopeful conversion of one precious soul. 
 Suppose you think upon the matter; it may, 
 by grace divine, be the means of saving you 
 from going down to the pit. Remember, your 
 breath is in your nostrils, and God may stop 
 that breath any moment. But why do you 
 think that there is time enough yet ? Are you 
 young? Some younger than you are now 
 sleeping in their graves. Are you in strong 
 health ? Ah, me ! some not only in youth, but 
 in strong health, have been cut down, and that 
 without warning. O, I could mention so many 
 cases that have fallen under my own observa- 
 tion, and some, too, of a most melancholy cha- 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 313 
 
 racter. And am I wrong ? Some cases of a 
 similar kind have been known to you. " In the 
 midst of Ufe we are in death." 0, how many 
 illustrations of this fact occur every year, and 
 in every place ! And do you still say, '' there 
 is time enough yet !'' Had you seen Mr. 
 Loomis, of Bangor, ascend the pulpit on a 
 certain new year Sabbath, you would have 
 thought it probable that he would ascend his 
 pulpit many Sabbaths yet to come. Alas ? he 
 had entered it for the last time. He arose, he 
 took his text — it was this: "This year thou 
 shalt die." He made a few remarks, turned 
 pale, and sank down in his pulpit a lifeless 
 corpse. His pulpit was his death-chamber, and 
 his orown his windinj^-sheet. " Time enoug-h 
 yet!" If you had seen Judge Boling rise up 
 in the hall of the House of Representatives a 
 few years ago, and address the Speaker, you 
 might have expected him to make many more 
 speeches in that hall of legislation; but, alas! 
 he was then making his last speech. " Mr. 
 Speaker," said he ; and while addressing the 
 chair, the angel of death touched him, and he 
 fell down a dead man ! " Time enough yet !" 
 If you had seen Colonel Bowie, some eighteen 
 or twenty years since, enter a certain church in 
 the city of Washington, you would little have 
 thought that he had entered the church of God 
 for the last time; but so it was. While the 
 man of God in the pulpit was preaching to the 
 
 21 
 
314 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 people the unsearchable riches of Christ, all 
 who were present, heard a groan ! It was his 
 last. Colonel Bowie fell upon the floor and im- 
 mediately expired ! His friends gathered around 
 him and carried him out a dead man. And ! 
 who can forget the sudden death of Emmet, of 
 Harper, and of Clinton, and especially the 
 tragical and most melancholy affair on board 
 the Princeton, when two of the heads of the 
 departments of government, with several other 
 distinguished individuals, were in a moment 
 launched into eternity ? Ah ! my brethren, we 
 can compute the length of any natural day, 
 but not how long any man is going to live on 
 earth; we can tell precisely when the natural 
 sun will set, but not when the sun of life will 
 go down. Sometimes the period of man's life is 
 lengthened like a summer's day ; sometimes it 
 is made short as a day in midwinter. Some- 
 times the sun of life goes down at noon, and 
 sometimes while it is yet early ifi the morning. 
 Sometimes it fades away like the fleecy cloud 
 on the azure sky; sometimes it appears like 
 the meteor flashing and coruscating in the hea- 
 vens, and then in a moment quenched and gone 
 out. 
 
 " Our life contains a thousand springs, 
 And fails if one be gone; 
 Strange that a harp of thousand strings 
 Should keep in tune so long." 
 
 " Boast not thyself of to-morrow," said one 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 315 
 
 who uttered many wise sayings. " Boast not 
 thyself of to-morrow, for thou knowest not what 
 a day may bring forth." When such mighty 
 interests are at stake, none should presume 
 upon the future. '^ Be wise to-day, 'tis mad- 
 ness to defer." 
 
 Once more: ''I must M^ait God's time." 
 Some really seem to be waiting for miracles. 
 I know very well that Saul of Tarsus was 
 miraculously arrested on his way to Damascus, 
 but let not every sinner expect miracles on his 
 way to Damascus. But does not David say, 
 "My soul waiteth for the Lord?" Certainly 
 he said so, but did he not also add, "■ More than 
 they that watch for the morning?" How re- 
 markable the expression, " More than they 
 that watch for the morning;" that is, more than 
 the nurse in the chamber of the sick man, who 
 looks out at the window, and longs for the 
 breaking of the day ; or more than the sentinel 
 in a cold damp night looks towards the east, and 
 longs for the rising of the morning-star. Can 
 you say that you do wait for the Lord more 
 than they who do thus long for the breaking 
 of the day, and the rising of the morning-star? 
 You are waiting God's time ? Is this really 
 so? Then, be it thus; but remember, the 
 present is his time, as it is written — "Behold, 
 now is the accepted time — behold, now is the 
 day of salvation." And again: "Choose ye 
 this day whom you will serve." And again, 
 
316 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 *' To-day, if you will hear his voice, harden not 
 your hearts." 
 
 And now my friends, in closing, hear me ! O, 
 do attend to what I say ! Only a little while, 
 and we shall have done with the scenes of this 
 transitory state — only a little while, and our race 
 will have been run, our probation closed, and 
 our character and destiny sealed for ever ! Our 
 eternal all is at stake ! Let there be no trifling 
 in this matter — bring near the scenes which 
 are, certainly before us. Suppose you were 
 now upon a dying bed, how would your ex- 
 cuses appear ? — Suppose this was the very mo- 
 ment of your leaving the world — pulse quiver- 
 ing, blood freezing, heart-strings breaking, soul 
 panting, shuddering, launching away ! — how 
 would your excuses appear? But change the 
 scene. Suppose this were the great judgment 
 day, and all its tremendous scenes now passing 
 before you — trump sounding, dead rising, God 
 descending, angels shouting, devils wailing — in 
 these solemn circumstances how would your 
 excuses appear? If your excuses are good, my 
 counsel is, hold them fast ! Do not let the minis- 
 ter take them from you — do not let your mother 
 take them from you. Let no one take them from 
 you. If you are sure they are good, I repeat it, 
 hold them fast ! carry them with you all along 
 the journey of life ! carry them with you down 
 into the grave, and up to the judgment bar; 
 plead them before your Maker. If your ex- 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 317 
 
 cuses are good, God is just, and he will sustain 
 them. But, if they are not good, (and is there 
 not a misgiving in your heart, even now — aye, 
 a conviction that they are not good?) I change 
 my counsel altogether. If not good, do not hold 
 them fast; I beseech you do not carry them 
 with you through the journey of life ! Do not, 
 I entreat you, as you value your precious souls, 
 do not carry them with you down to the grave, 
 nor up- to the judgment bar, lest God look upon 
 you, and you wither away ! lest God frown 
 upon you, and you perish for ever ! 
 
 SERMON XII. 
 
 IDLENESS REPROVED. 
 
 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing' 
 idle, and saitli unto them, why stand ye here all the day idle? — 
 Matthew xx. 6. 
 
 It was foretold of our blessed Saviour, that he 
 should open his mouth in parables, and we 
 find that it was oftentimes in this way that he 
 instructed his friends and silenced his ene- 
 mies. The parable of the householder, like 
 that of the prodigal son, is of a national char- 
 acter, and was primarily designed to repre- 
 
318 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 sent the Jewish and the Gentile nations, and to 
 to exhibit the goodness and the sovereignty of 
 God. By the vineyard we are to understand 
 the church of God. By the householder the 
 head of the church. By the labourers hired 
 early in the morning, we may understand 
 those brought in, in the patriarchal age. By 
 those hired at the third, sixth, and ninth hours, 
 those brought in under the ministry of Moses, 
 Samuel, and John the Baptist; and by those 
 hired at the eleventh hour, the Gentiles are 
 evidently intended, who were brought in at 
 that period of the world comraonly denomi- 
 nated the last days. By accommodation, and 
 for important practical purposes, we may take 
 this view of the subject. By the vineyard we 
 may understand as before, the churcli of God. 
 By the householder the head of the church, 
 whilst by the day we may understand the sea- 
 son of grace allotted to us in this world, and 
 by the different hours in which the labourers 
 were hired, we may understand the different 
 periods in which sinners are converted and 
 brought into the bosom of the church. Taking 
 this view of the parable we wish 
 
 I. To point out those who are spiritually 
 idle, and 
 
 II. Mention those who have probably reach- 
 ed the eleventh hour. 
 
 I. Point out those who are spiritually idle. 
 To determine this matter, we need only inquire, 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 319 
 
 what is that o-reat business which we have to 
 attend to in this world; and then it will, of 
 course, follow as a necessary consequence, that 
 those who are netrlectinir this orrand concern, 
 are, and ought to be, numbered with those who 
 are spiritually idle. And now, my brethren, 
 what is this great concern ? Rest assured, God 
 Almighty never sent us into this w^orld merely 
 that we might plant, and build, and buy and 
 sell, and get gain, and then go and sleep an 
 everlasting sleep in the grave ! How much less 
 did he send us into this world, that we might 
 run the round of worldly pleasure, and fashion, 
 and sin, and folly, and then drop into the pit 
 which has no bottom ! no ! Man has an 
 immortal soul, and a higher destiny awaits 
 him. He is to prepare for another and a better 
 world. According to the Scriptures there is a 
 heaven. O heaven, sweet heaven! The pur- 
 chase of a Saviour's blood ! the Christian's rest! 
 the pilgrim's home ! the dwelling place of love, 
 of glory, and of God ! The patriarchs are there, 
 the prophets are there, the martyrs are there, 
 our blessed Saviour is there, aye, and all who 
 have fallen asleep in Jesus, are there ! hea- 
 ven, sweet hea-ven ! the loveliest and most de- 
 sirable place in all the empire of the great God ! 
 This he'mcr the case, our ofreat business on earth 
 is so to live, and act in such a manner, that hav- 
 ing glorified God in our day and generation, we 
 
320 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 may, when death comes, have nothing to do 
 but to die, to fall asleep in Jesus, and wake 
 up in that holy and happy world ; and there be 
 with God and his angels for ever and ever! 
 Yes, my brethren, this is our great business on 
 earth, and, in comparison with it, every thing 
 else dwindles into perfect insignificance; for 
 " what is a man profited if he gain the whole 
 world and lose his own soul?" And now, let 
 it be remarked, there are two things which 
 constitute essential parts of this business of 
 preparation for heaven, viz : repentance to- 
 ward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus 
 Christ. 
 
 1. We must repent of our sins. — This was 
 the burden of John the Baptist; with this doc- 
 trine our Saviour commenced his ministry, and 
 you recollect the language of Paul upon Mars 
 Hill, — "The times of this ignorance," says he, 
 "God winked at, "but now commandeth all 
 men every where to repent." And for this he 
 assigns a substantial reason; "for," continues 
 he, " God hath appointed a day wherein he 
 will judge the world in righteousness." And, 
 you recollect, that when some told our Saviour 
 of certain Galileans, wdiose blood Pilate had 
 mingled with their sacrifices, he replied, " Think 
 ye that these Galileans were sinners above all 
 the Galileans, because they suffered such 
 things? I tell you nay, but except ye repent. 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 321 
 
 ye shall all likewise perish." How sweeping 
 is this language! "Except ye repent, ye shall 
 all likewise perish." He comes as it were, to 
 the rich man rolling in affluence, and says: 
 Thinkest thou, rich man, that thy wealth on 
 earth will plead for thee in the day of judg- 
 ment? I tell thee nay, *' but except ye repent, ye 
 shall all likewise perish." He comes to the poor 
 man, struggling with adversity, and says: 
 Thinkest thou, poor man, that thy trials on 
 earth will exempt thee in the day of reckon- 
 ing? I tell thee nay, " but except ye repent, ye 
 shall all likewise perish." He comes also to the 
 man of silvery locks, and says : Thinkest thou, 
 aged man, that thy silvery locks will stand thee 
 instead at the bar of thy Maker ? I tell thee 
 nay, " but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise 
 perish." Aye, and he comes to the young man, 
 and the young maiden, who have the freshness 
 of youth upon them, and says : Thinkest thou, 
 vain youth, that the dew of thy youth will 
 plead for thee, in the day of final accounts ? I 
 tell thee nay, " but except ye repent, ye shall all 
 likewise perish." I repeat it, the language is 
 sweeping — all have sinned, says the Apostle, 
 and therefore all must repent, or there is no 
 such thing as entering the heavenly world. 
 The Bible settles the matter, and we see that it 
 must be so in the very nature of the case ; for, 
 suppose the sinner to enter heaven in an im- 
 penitent state, what would he do there ? Cer- 
 
322 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 tainly he would justify himself, and condemn 
 his Maker. He would plant the standard of 
 revolt " hard by the throne of God," and teach 
 lessons of rebellion to the loyal and happy ones 
 in glory. The thought is horrible. The case 
 then is doubly clear, that where God is, the im- 
 penitent sinner cannot come ; where heaven is, 
 the impenitent sinner can have no place ! These 
 things being so, repentance forming an essen- 
 tial part of the business of preparation for hea- 
 ven, it is important that we know what true 
 repentance is. It implies a conviction of sin. 
 Serious thought is not enough ; we must feel 
 that we are sinners, and great sinners, in the 
 sight of God, and that it is of his mercies that 
 we have not been consumed. Moreover, true 
 repentance implies sorrow of heart that we have 
 sinned against a Being so good and great — and 
 especially that we have so long slighted and 
 rejected a dying Saviour. Besides, in true re- 
 pentance, there is always a settled purpose to 
 forsake our sins and turn from all our evil 
 ways. Believe me, brethren, this work of repent- 
 ance is a deep work. It takes hold upon the 
 heart, and revolutionizes all the feelings of the 
 soul. We must repent, not like the hypocriti- 
 cal Ephraimites, who howled indeed upon 
 their beds, but cried not unto God in their 
 hearts — nor like the king of Egypt, who re- 
 pented whilst the mighty thunderings were 
 sounding in his ears, but who, so soon as they 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 323 
 
 were hushed, sinned on as before — nor like 
 the unhappy Judas, who legally repented, and 
 then went and hanged himself. No ! but we 
 must repent like a David, who offered to God 
 the sacrifice of a broken heart and a contrite 
 spirit. We must repent like the prodigal, who 
 said, -'I will arise and go to my father, and 
 say unto him, Father, I have sinned against 
 heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more 
 worthy to be called thy son, make me as one 
 of thy hired servants;" and who arose and 
 did accordingly. In short, we must repent 
 like the publican, who, "standing afar off, 
 would not so much as lift up his eyes to hea- 
 ven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God 
 be merciful to me a sinner." And now per- 
 mit me to ask each one in this assembly, re- 
 spectfully, have you repented? You have shed 
 many tears, it may be, but not one for your 
 sins. You have heaved many sighs, but per- 
 haps not one for your sins. And you have felt 
 many a pang, but not one for your sins. Is 
 this so? Alas! you have neglected one of the 
 essential parts of the business of preparation 
 for heaven. You are numbered with those 
 who are spiritually idle; and what if the an- 
 gel of death touch you, in your present state ? 
 Alas! you are undone! gone for ever! But 
 
 2. We must believe in the Lord Jesus 
 Christ. — This is another essential part of the 
 business of preparation for heaven. You re- 
 
324 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 collect that when certain ones asked our Sa- 
 viour what they should do to work the work 
 of God, he replied, " This is the work of God, 
 that ye believe in him whom he hath sent." 
 And so important and so essential is this, that 
 the Saviour himself says, " He that believeth 
 not shall be damned." And now, what is it 
 to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ? There 
 need be no difficulty. Understanding the way 
 of salvation, through a crucified Saviour, and 
 approving of that way, we are cordially to ac- 
 cept of it, thanking God for his unspeakable 
 gift. But as so much has been said about his- 
 torical faith, temporary faith, saving faith, and 
 the like, it may be proper for us to examine 
 the matter a little further. Faith, I would de- 
 fine to be, the belief of the testimony of God in 
 general, having special reference to Christ as 
 the sinner's only hope, or in other language, 
 it is simply to take God at his word. In the 
 eleventh chapter of Paul's Epistle to the He- 
 brews, we find numerous exemplifications of 
 the nature of faith. For example : " By faith 
 Noah, being warned of God of things not seen 
 as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to 
 the saving of his house." God had said unto 
 Noah, " The end of all flesh is come before 
 me, for the earth is filled with violence through 
 them, and behold I will destroy them with 
 the earth; make thee an ark; and behold I, 
 even I do bring a flood of waters upon the 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 325 
 
 earth, to destroy all flesh wherein is the breath 
 of life from under heaven, but with thee will 
 I establish my covenant, and thou shalt come 
 into the ark, thou and thy sons, thy wife, and 
 thy sons' wives with thee." Now Noah be- 
 lieved, in his heart, that it really would be just 
 as God had said, and he acted accordingly. 
 This was faith, in relation to this matter. Let 
 a similar faith be exercised in relation to Christ, 
 and the soul is saved. For example, it is writ- 
 ten. Behold I lay in Zion, for a foundation, 
 a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner-stone, 
 a sure foundation, and he that believeth in him 
 shall not be ashamed. *^ Now, let the sinner 
 venture his soul on this naked promise of a 
 God that cannot lie. Let him take God at his 
 word, and put him upon his honour, and he 
 exercises that faith which will assuredly land 
 the soul in glory. The illustration of Cecil is 
 in point — it is substantially this : Coming into 
 his house one day, he saw his little girl amus- 
 ing herself with some beautiful beads: wish- 
 ing to teach her the nature of faith, he said, 
 " My daughter, throw those beads into the 
 fire." ! how could the little girl throw her 
 pretty beads into the fire? And as she was 
 hesitating, her father added, " My daughter, 
 throw those beads into the fire, and you shall 
 not lose by it." The little girl looked in her 
 
 * Compare Isaiah xxviii. 16, with Romans ix. 33. 
 
326 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 father's face, to see if he was in good earnest : 
 convinced of this, she made a desperate effort, 
 and threw her beads into the fire. The next 
 day he went out and bought a number of beau- 
 tiful articles, likely to please a girl of her age, 
 and coming in, with a pleasant countenance, 
 said, " My daughter, your father makes you a 
 present this morning of this box and all it 
 contains." " What," said she, ''all these beau- 
 tiful things mine, papa?" " Yes, my dear, this 
 is your father's present this morning." "What, 
 all these beautiful thing's mine ?" — Almost too 
 good to be true! And now, whilst her eyes 
 were sparkling with delight, and her little 
 heart was dancing for joy, her father said, 
 " My daughter, do not you recollect, yester- 
 day I said, Throw those beads into the fire, 
 and you shall not lose by it?" " Yes, papa." 
 " Well, have you lost any thing by it now?" 
 " O ! no, papa," said she, " no indeed !" " Now," 
 replied he, "I have done this to show you 
 what faith is. The Bible says. Believe in the 
 Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall not lose by 
 it. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou 
 shalt be saved." 
 
 How perfectly simple faith is ! I repeat it, 
 it is just to take God at his word, and put him 
 upon his honour. A man dreamed once, (I 
 care nothing about dreams, but I like illus- 
 trations,) — a man dreamed once that he was 
 going along in the broad road, and Satan was 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 327 
 
 dragging him down to hell : alarmed, he cried 
 for help, and suddenly one appeared in a lovely 
 form, and said, "Follow me!" Immediately 
 Satan vanished ; and in his dream the man 
 thought he followed the heavenly one in a 
 straight and narrow way, unil he came to a 
 river, where he saw no bridge. Pointing in a 
 certain direction, the angel said, "Pass over 
 that bridge." — "I see no bridge," said the man. 
 " Yes there is a bridge, and you must pass over 
 it, for there is no other, and heaven is beyond." 
 Looking more narrowly, the dreamer saw what 
 appeared to be a hair extending from one bank 
 of the river to the other bank. " Pass over on 
 that," said the angel. " 0; how can I?" said 
 the man, " it is too slender, and cannot sustain 
 me." — "It will sustain you. I am from above, 
 I lie not, and I give you my word it will sus- 
 tain you." And now, whilst the man was 
 trembling and afraid to venture, he thought 
 that Satan again seized upon him to drag him 
 down to hell. Urged by necessity, he put his 
 foot upon the bridge, slender as it appeared, 
 and found it solid plank — a substantial bridge, 
 and he went over safely, and entered shouting 
 into the heavenly world. — Now the awakened 
 sinner, under divine influences, is brought, so 
 to speak, to the bank of the river. Heaven is 
 beyond. He asks how he can reach that happy 
 world. He is told he must believe in the Lord 
 Jesus Christ, and he shall be saved ; but this 
 
328 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 promise is not enough ; it appears only as the 
 hair extended from one bank of the river to 
 the other bank. The sinner wants something 
 more substantial; but this is the bridge which 
 must take him over, and there is no other. 
 And slender as the bridge of divine promise 
 may appear in his eyes, only let him venture 
 upon it, and he shall know that it is strong 
 enough to sustain millions. Some persons 
 stumble at the simplicity of the way of salva- 
 tion. There is no occasion, for every thing 
 that God does is marked with simplicity. 
 What man does is apt to be complicated ; but 
 in union with wisdom and grandeur, a beauti- 
 ful simplicity reigns throughout all the works 
 of God. Suppose, my friends, you and I had 
 the lighting up of the world — what a compli- 
 cated machinery we would have. How many 
 ten thousand lamps would we make use of! 
 and the w^orld by these would not be well 
 lighted up after all. But God proposes to 
 light up the w^orld, and only see ! One bril- 
 liant sun, like an urn of overflowing light, 
 pours day upon the world ; better, infinitely bet- 
 ter, than all our lamps. Even so, if all the 
 ministers on earth, aye, and if all the angels in 
 heaven should unite their efforts to save one 
 sinner from the damnation of hell, it would be 
 all in vain. But thank God, one loving, dear, 
 dying Christ can save millions — can save all 
 who will come unto God through him. Hence 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 329^ 
 
 this lanauao^e of the Saviour himself — " As Mo- 
 ses Ufted up the serpent in the wilderness, even 
 so must the Son of man be lifted up, that who- 
 soever believeth in him should not perish, but 
 have eternal life." And as many are apt to 
 stumble at the simplicity of this way of salva- 
 tion, the Saviour comes over the same ground 
 again, substantially, in the very next verse — 
 " For," continues he, " God so loved the world, 
 that he gave his only begotten Son, that w^ho- 
 soever believeth in him should not perish, but 
 have everlasting life." In the next verse the 
 same idea is, with some change of phraseology, 
 presented a third time, and in the following 
 verse even a fourth time. This is remarkable, 
 and it seems to speak this language : — Ye sons 
 of men, marvel not at the simplicity of thew^ay 
 of salvation. This is the way — this is the way ! 
 Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt 
 be saved. And, to crown the matter, how clear 
 and easily understood is the Saviour's illustra- 
 tion in reference to the brazen serpent. The 
 children of Israel were bitten by fiery serpents. 
 The venom was deadly. Moses could not heal 
 them; the elders of Israel could not heal them; 
 nor could they heal themselves. God alone 
 could meet the case. In the plenitude of his 
 mercy he directs Moses to prepare a brazen 
 serpent, and place it upon a pole in the midst 
 of the camp; and was pleased to pledge his 
 veracity that those who, when bitten, would 
 
 22 
 
330 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 look, should live. Here is an Israelite bitten. 
 He is in the most remote part of the camp, 
 writhing in agony upon the ground. , " O send 
 for Moses," says he, "send for the elders." 
 They come, and ask what is the matter ? "0 
 Moses," replies he, " a serpent has bitten me, 
 I am in agony, I am dying ! help me !" "I 
 can't help you," says Moses. " Elders of Is- 
 rael ! for pity's sake help a dying man !" " We 
 can 't help you," say they. " Well, what is to 
 be done, must I die ?" *' Certainly not. There 
 is no necessity," says Moses. " Yonder is the 
 brazen serpent, placed upon the pole for this 
 very purpose, that those who are bitten, on 
 looking, should live." Now the man, seeing that 
 Moses cannot cure him, nor the elders, nor can 
 he cure himself — convinced that this is the last 
 resort, the only remedy, turns his dying eyes 
 upon the brazen serpent, and springing up, ex- 
 claims — " Glory be to God, I am cured ! I am 
 a sound man!" Now, says the Saviour — "As 
 Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, 
 even so must the Son of man be lifted up, 
 that whosoever believeth in him shall not per- 
 ish, but have eternal life." And this falls in 
 with another passage of Scripture : — " Look 
 unto me and be ye saved, all ye ends of the 
 earth, for I am God, and there is none else." 
 Yes, my brethren, a crucified Saviour is the 
 sinner's only hope. One look of faith at this 
 bleeding victim, and you are converted ! One 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS". 331 
 
 look of faith, and your sins are all forgiven ! 
 Aye, one look of faith at this great atoning 
 sacrifice, and the universe is changed in rela- 
 tion to you, and over you there are shoutings 
 in the heavenly world — " The dead is alive 
 again, and the lost is found." But you say, 
 perhaps, that you do not understand what is 
 meant by this look; I will give an illustration. 
 Here is a stripling; a strong man has seized 
 upon him, and threatens to take his life. The 
 stripling cannot cope with this strong man, he 
 wants his father, who is a stronger man, to 
 come to his relief. He looks, and sees his fa- 
 ther in the distance. You can understand that 
 look. Only cast such a look toward the blessed 
 Saviour, and so sure as the Bible is true, you 
 will reach at last the heavenly world, and there 
 a crown of glory shall rest upon your head. 
 And now remember, this exercise of faith in 
 Christ is indispensably necessary. It forms 
 an essential part of -the business of preparation 
 for heaven, for the sum and substance of all that 
 the Bible says upon the subject is this — " Be- 
 lieve in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt 
 be saved; but he that believeth not shall be 
 damned." And here I would remark, if you 
 wish to know whether your faith is of the right 
 kind, you must try it by the Bible test. To 
 you that believe, says Peter, He, that is, 
 Christ, is precious. Yes, the genuine be- 
 liever has new views of Christ as a suitable 
 
332 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 and most precious Saviour. And whereas the 
 blessed Saviour was to him before as a root out 
 of a dry ground, without form or comeliness — 
 he is now the rose of Sharon and the lily of 
 the valley. Yea, the chiefest among ten thou- 
 sand, and the one altogether lovely ; and he can 
 enter into the feelings of the poet who says, 
 
 " O, could I speak the matchless worth; 
 O, could I sound thy glories forth 
 Which in my Saviour shine ! 
 I'd soar and touch the heavenly strings, 
 And vie with Gabriel, while he sings, 
 In notes almost divine !" 
 
 These things being so, if there be any who 
 love not the Lord Jesus, who have never felt 
 their need of him — in other words, who have 
 never received him in the arms of a confiding 
 and appropriating faith, let all such know that 
 they have neglected an essential part of the 
 great business which they must attend to in 
 this world, or never enter heaven. However 
 active and industrious they may be in relation 
 to the things of this world, they have neglected 
 the great concern, and must be enrolled 
 amongst the spiritually idle — and to them I 
 would say, "Why stand ye here all the day 
 idle?" But this leads me 
 
 II. To point out those who have probably 
 reached the eleventh hour. — It is well known 
 that the Jews, in ancient times, divided their 
 day into twelve hours. The third hour being 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 333 
 
 about nine o'clock; the sixth, noon; the ninth, 
 about three o'clock, p. ]\i . ; and of course the 
 eleventh hour was near the closing of the day. 
 If we may be permitted to make a correspond- 
 ing division of the day of grace, doubtless there 
 are some present who have reached the third 
 hour, some the sixth, some the ninth, and some 
 the eleventh hour. We cannot say who have 
 positively reached either of these periods, but 
 we wish to point out those who have probably 
 reached the last, the eleventh hour. 
 
 1. Those advanced in age. — This is a clear 
 case, for their hoary locks, their increasing in- 
 firmities, and the dimness passing over their 
 eyes plainly show, that with them the third hour 
 is gone, the sixth hour is passed, even the ninth 
 hour is rolled away, and the eleventh is come ! 
 Aged sinner ! your sun is near its setting, the 
 shadows of evenino^ are leng-theninor around 
 you, your eleventh hour is come ! Have you 
 never yet entered the vineyard ? O how much 
 precious time have you wasted ! How very long 
 you have been perilling the salvation of your 
 soul ! And are you still neglecting the great 
 business ? the grand concern ? how criminal 
 and dangerous is this neglect! " Why stand ye 
 here all the day idle?" But, 
 
 2. Those whose health is failing have also 
 probably reached the eleventh hour. — I know 
 very well, that diseases are not always the im- 
 mediate harbingers of death, but frequently 
 
334 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 they are. Our Saviour, it is true, said of a 
 Lazarus, when he was sick, this sickness is 
 not unto death ; but who can approach any one 
 on earth, whose health is now impaired, and 
 use that language ? Ah ! could we look into the 
 rolls of heaven, and know the number of months 
 appointed unto them, we would perhaps have 
 to say, at least of some of them, as the Prophet 
 said of Benhadad when he Avas sick : " The 
 Lord hath showed me that thou shalt surely 
 die !" There may be a fever just beginning to 
 revel in the veins, that is to land this one in 
 the house appointed for all living ! And there 
 may be a slight cold now falling upon the lungs 
 which is to wrap that one in the winding sheet 
 before many more months shall have rolled 
 away ! The healthful may die, and suddenly 
 too, but those whose health is impaired, seem 
 to be already summoned ! " Why stand ye 
 here all the day idle?" 
 
 In casting my eye over this large congrega- 
 tion, I see many who are in the morning of life, 
 and many too, who, although not young, are 
 nevertheless in strong and vigorous health, and 
 they may be flattering themselves with the idea 
 that it is quite early in the day with them yet. 
 If the third hour is gone, surely it is not be- 
 yond the sixth, or at the utmost the ninth hour ! 
 My dear brethren, be not too confident in this 
 matter. Where is your grave-yard ? Let us pay 
 it a brief visit. Ah ! what do we there see ? 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 335 
 
 Long graves and short graves ! and graves of 
 every kind ! Yes ! there hoary age and beard- 
 less youth sleep side by side ! Suppose all in 
 this sanctuary should now withdraw, and all 
 the dead in the neighbouring grave-yards 
 should rise up out of their graves, and, wrapped 
 in their wjjiding sheet, should fill this house — 
 what kind of a congreoration, in relation to 
 age, would it be? Very much I suspect like 
 the present assembly. Here we might see 
 some patriarchal man, with his locks silvery 
 with age ; there a venerable matron far ad- 
 vanced in the vale of life ; here we might see a 
 youthful husband, and there the wife of his 
 youth. In another part of the church, we 
 might see a promising son, just ripening into 
 manhood ; and there a daughter, and a lovely 
 one, just turned of sixteen ! whilst in that pew 
 we might see a child, the pride of doating pa- 
 rents; and there a sweet little babe whom 
 angels sung to rest ! And here, too, where I 
 standi we might see a Rodgers or a Wesley, 
 bending under the load of age — or a Spencer, 
 or a Lamed, vigorous in youthful days. 
 
 Ah! my brethren, the congregation of the 
 dead is very much like the congregation of the 
 living. It embraces persons of every age, and 
 every sex. Young men and maidens, old men 
 and children, they all do lie down together in 
 the dust, and the worms do cover them. Sup- 
 pose then, you are in good health, and even 
 
336 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 young, you are not sure — you cannot be, that 
 your eleventh hour has not yet come. Whilst 
 with some the period of life on earth is long 
 and extended as a summer's day, with others 
 it is short and contracted as a day in mid-win- 
 ter. Sometimes the sun of life goes down at 
 noon, and sometimes even whilst the dew is 
 yet upon the ground. And whilst in some 
 cases life gradually fades away, as the fleecy 
 cloud which imperceptibly melts away on the 
 azure sky, sometimes it vanishes like the me- 
 teor, which for a few moments plays along the 
 edge of a tempest, and then is gone. ! how 
 uncertain is life ! We may compute the length 
 of any natural day, but we cannot tell the 
 length of any day of life. We can tell the 
 very minute when yonder sun will set, but we 
 cannot tell the hour, nor the month, nor the 
 year, when the sun of life will go down, hence 
 the language of the Saviour, "Be ye also 
 ready, for in such an hour as ye think not, 
 the Son of man cometh." Then be not too 
 sure that your eleventh hour has not arrived. 
 But suppose you knew precisely when your 
 life on earth would terminate. Suppose it 
 were reduced to a certainty that you should 
 attain three-score years and ten, even in that 
 case you could not say that your eleventh hour 
 has not arrived. And here I now bring for- 
 ward one of the most awful doctrines found in 
 all the sacred volume. It is this — that the 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 337 
 
 day of grace is not always as long as the day 
 of life. " My Spirit," says God, " shall not 
 always strive with man." " Ephraim is joined 
 to his idols, let him alone." Paul speaks of 
 some who were given over to a hard heart, and 
 a reprobate mind ; and, with regard to others 
 he says, " God shall send them strong delu- 
 sion, that they should believe a lie : that they 
 all might be damned who believed not the 
 truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." 
 2 Thess. ii. 11, 12. The idea is this, that 
 some on account of their sins, are judicially 
 hardened. Having grieved the Spirit, he takes 
 his departure ; and left to themselves they be- 
 come incorrigible, past feeling, and past hope. 
 But how shall we find out when their day of 
 grace is drawing to a close? As there are cer- 
 tain symptoms which indicate the closing of 
 the natural day, even so there are certain 
 symptoms which, to say the least, seem to 
 give awful indications that the day of grace is 
 drawing to a close. We do not pretend to de- 
 cide upon any individual case. We make ge- 
 neral remarks, and we do it to sound a sea- 
 sonable alarm in the ears of those who are still 
 idle, although they have too much reason to 
 fear that their day of grace is winding up. 
 
 (1.) When the natural day is drawing to a 
 close, the heat abates, and the chilling influ- 
 .ence of approaching night is felt. — Even so, 
 when the day of grace is drawing to a close, 
 
338 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 the warmth of rehgious feeling subsides, and 
 the chilUng, freezing, deadening influence of 
 sin, comes over the soul, ! if they are any 
 present who were once excited on the subject 
 of religion ; who, at some past period, when 
 they mused upon their lost condition, had the 
 fire to burn within, but have now a cold heart, 
 and have lost all' concern about their future 
 salvation, they have awful reason to fear that 
 they have grieved the Spirit, and that he is 
 now leaving them, it may be for ever ! Yes, if 
 after havinir been blessed with awakenino- in- 
 fluences, their hearts have become cold and 
 worldly minded, they have now but too much 
 reason to fear that with them the third hour is 
 gone ! — the sixth hour is gone! — the ninth hour 
 rolled away! — and that the eleventh hour is 
 come. " Why stand ye here all the day idle?" 
 (2.) When the natural day is drawing to a 
 close, light diminishes and darkness begins to 
 steal over the face of creation. — Thus, about 
 the eleventh hour of the day of grace, spiritual 
 light grows dim, and judicial darkness thickens 
 upon the soul. The illuminations of the Di- 
 vine Spirit frequently issue in the sound con- 
 version of the soul unto God; sometimes, how- 
 ever, they do not. They make visible the 
 strait gate and narrow way, but being resisted, 
 the sinner after all is left to perish in his sin. 
 This is truly an awful case, for, according to 
 the Apostle Peter, it were better not to have 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 339 
 
 known tlie way of life, than after w^e have 
 known it to turn from the holy command- 
 ment. Yes, it were better never to have had 
 the illuminations of the Spirit, than after we 
 have had them, to have the shades of spi- 
 ritual death to fall upon the soul; for, in ad- 
 dition to other sins laid to the charge of such 
 persons, they will have to answer for quench- 
 ing the Spirit. Are there not some present 
 who can recollect the time when they had 
 comparatively clear views of the value of the 
 soul, the importance of religion, and the ne- 
 cessity of the Saviour? How is it now? Have 
 these things faded upon the view? Are they 
 in a great measure hidden from their eyes? 
 Alas! their case is an alarming one. They 
 have reason to fear that their day of grace is 
 drawing to a close! — that the third hour is 
 gone! — and the sixth hour gone! — and the 
 ninth hour is also rolled away ! — and that the 
 eleventh hour is come ! ! ye loiterers ! ye 
 who are procrastinating and putting off to 
 some future period, the claims of God and 
 eternity — you have much reason to wake up 
 and bestir yourselves, for your sun seems in- 
 deed to be going down, and the shadows of 
 evening lengthening around you. " Why 
 stand ye here all the day idle?" 
 
 (3.) Once more: — When the natural day is 
 drawing to a close, labourers are becoming 
 weary of labour, and are more disposed to 
 
340 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 sit down, lie down, and slumber and sleep, than 
 to toil and labour any more. — Just so it is with 
 the spiritual idler about the close of the day 
 of grace. Sometimes persons, during revivals, 
 and at other times too, when under awakening 
 influences, are greatly roused, take a lively in- 
 terest in religious matters — set a great value 
 upon all the means of grace — are willing, if 
 necessary, to walk many miles to church, and 
 that through rain, through mud and mire — 
 and are willing, moreover, to be personally 
 conversed with on the subject of religion. Af- 
 ter awhile, however, these persons begin to 
 lose their interest in all such matters — begin 
 to absent themselves from the house of God — 
 complain that the sermon is too long, and the 
 preacher too plain. And, like certain ones in 
 the times of Amos the prophet, are ready to 
 say of the Sabbath — " what a weariness it 
 is ! when will the Sabbath be gone, that we 
 may sell corn and set forth wheat?" Amos 
 viii. 5. Moreover, if a pious friend speaks to 
 them on the subject of religion, they have no 
 relish for such conversation, and are ready to 
 say, "Let me alone." Alas! the case is clear; 
 such have grieved the Spirit of God; he is 
 withdrawing his quickening influences, and 
 the consequence is, religion is becoming irk- 
 some, and all its duties tiresome; and having 
 lost the interest which they once felt in reli- 
 gious matters, they would now much rather 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 341 
 
 lie down in spiritual sloth, and slumber and 
 sleep in carnal security, than labour to enter 
 into the promised land. Are there any in this 
 house whom this picture suits ? I solemnly de- 
 clare I would not be in their case for a thou- 
 sand worlds, for they have aw^ful reason to fear 
 that the shades of nigrht are gatherinor around 
 them, even the shades of that "long, dark, 
 dark night, which has no morn beyond it, and 
 no star." ! it is a dreadful thing to be aban- 
 doned of the Spirit, and to be given over to a 
 hard heart and a reprobate mind ! And yet 
 there is such a thing as the day of grace 
 closing before death comes. How awful the 
 thought! Whilst the sinner is in the midst 
 of his sins, and in the midst of health, too, 
 the sentence may go forth against him — 
 "Ephraim is joined to his idols, let him alone;" 
 and then, although yet on earth, he is sealed 
 over to wrath. Passing along the road you 
 look over the fence and see an old field; the 
 trees, cut down, are lying upon the ground, 
 and rotting there. This may represent the 
 sinner, cut down by the hand of death, his 
 body laid in the grave, and his soul sunk 
 deeper than the grave. Passing along you 
 see another old field. The trees are not 
 cut down, it is true, but none are alive : 
 although standing, they are all dead. Their 
 branches are dry, and there is no fohage there. 
 How is this? The axeman has girdled them; 
 
 ^ 
 
342 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 the showers descend and the winds of heaven 
 pass over them; their branches rattle in the 
 breeze, but there is no verdure, no foUage any 
 more. O, procrastinating sinner! remember, 
 God may girdle you this day; and should he 
 do it, I tell you the truth, it will be all over 
 with you for ever. Hence this language of 
 Scripture, "Woe also to them when I depart 
 from them," saith the Lord. Hos. ix. 12. In 
 such a case, all the moral and religious sensi- 
 bilities of the soul are deadened. The heart 
 becomes like rock, like adamant. As the dead 
 man feels not the burning of the coal lodged in 
 his bosom, and as the flinty rock feels not the 
 softenino- influences of the showers of heaven, 
 so it is with the sinner when his day of grace 
 is brought to a close. He is past feeling and 
 past hope. Have any persons present, then, 
 any reason whatever to believe that the ele- 
 venth hour is come with them ? Surely it is 
 high time for them to wake up — to enter the 
 vineyard, and diligently to prepare for a better 
 world. "Why stand ye here all the day idle?" 
 Having pointed out those who are spiritually 
 idle, and those who have probably reached the 
 eleventh hour, suff'er me now to expostulate 
 and conclude. O, ye who have neglected the 
 great concern, and have suffered so much of 
 your day of grace to pass away unimproved, 
 "why stand ye here all the day idle?" What 
 reason can you give ? Have you no souls ? or is 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 343 
 
 it a matter of no consequence to you whether 
 they be happy or miserable, saved or damned, 
 in the world to come? Have you spent the 
 third, sixth, and ninth hour in idleness, and 
 will you spend in the same way the eleventh 
 also? What! this Httle remnant of the day of 
 grace, which through mercy yet remains to 
 you, will you spend that in idleness also? Will 
 you approve of this upon a dying bed ? Will 
 you justify it amid the thunders of the last 
 great day? 0, tell me, then, "Why stand ye 
 here all the day idle?" 
 
 Do you say that no one has invited you? 
 What ! no pious friend, no mother, no sister, 
 no companion, no minister, no man of God? 
 Can you say this ? My brother, beloved pastor 
 of this church, have yoa never invited them? 
 yes, I am sure you have most affectionately, 
 and most earnestly, and may I not almost add, 
 times and ways without number ! Can you not 
 recollect, my friends, how on such an occasion 
 this man of God entered the sacred desk, hav- 
 ing unusual solemnity depicted in his coun- 
 tenance. You recollect he took his text, and 
 reasoned concerning righteousness, temperance, 
 and a judgment to come; as he proceeded he 
 waxed warm. He filled his mouth with argu- 
 ments ; he brought the high claims of God and 
 eternity to bear powerfully upon the under- 
 standing, the conscience, and the heart. And 
 what was this ? It was my brother's plan of 
 
344 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 inviting you to enter into the vineyard; and 
 when he saw that you were unaffected, the 
 man of God wept ! how sacred are the tears 
 of the faithful and affectionate pastor, weeping 
 over those of his charge who refuse to attend 
 to the great concern! It is the spirit of the 
 prophet, who said, If ye will not hear, my 
 soul shall weep in secret places for your pride. 
 Yea it is the Spirit of the blessed Jesus him- 
 self, who beheld the city and wept over it, say- 
 ing, " If thou hadst known, even thou, at least 
 in this thy day, the things which make for thy 
 peace, but now they are hidden from thine 
 eyes." But to proceed : When my brother saw 
 that his reasonings were not regarded, and that 
 his arguments produced no impression, you 
 recollect he changed his voice, and, so to speak, 
 taking you by the hand, he led you to the gate 
 of the celestial city, and pointing out the glories 
 and the joys of that happy world, and that you 
 might finally have a happy entrance there, he 
 urged you to attend to the great concern. And 
 when he saw you still careless — again the man 
 of God wept ! What a loud call was this from 
 your beloved pastor, to enter into the vineyard ! 
 But this was not all : when he saw you careless 
 still, he was ready to give up and retire in des- 
 pondency; but the thought of the value of 
 your precious souls, and his own responsibility, 
 roused him to make yet another effort. In his 
 description, he led you to the borders of the pit ; 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 345 
 
 he drew aside the curtain ; he pointed out to 
 you the world of wo, and caused you to hear, 
 as it were, the waihngs of those who had lost 
 their day, and were now crying out in anguish, 
 " The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and 
 we are not saved." And what was this, but 
 another effort of my brother to rouse you, and 
 to press you to enter into the vineyard ? What ! 
 no one invited you ? Yes, methinks your pious 
 father did; and it was in a solemn hour! It 
 was on a dying bed ! Some one told you that 
 your father was very ill, and wished to see 
 you ! You trembled, and hastened to obey the 
 summons; w4th solemn feelings you entered 
 the door of his chamber. The curtains were 
 down ! the room was darkened ! Silence and 
 grief reigned there ! Silence, still as the grave, 
 except broken by the light footsteps of those 
 who passed gently over the carpeted floor ; or 
 the low whisperings of those who marked the 
 sad symptoms of approaching death, or, per- 
 chance, broken by the hard breathing of the 
 one who was now drawingr near his end ! With 
 a trembling heart, you approached the bed-side 
 of your dying parent. He saw you, and took 
 you by the hand. His hand was cold as clay, 
 and the sweat of death was upon his pale brow ! 
 He pressed your hand, and looked you in the 
 face. Can you ever forget that look ? It spoke 
 volumes ! He wished to speak, but he was very 
 feeble — again he pressed your hand, and said, 
 
 23 
 
346 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 "God bless you, my child ! Meet me in hea- 
 ven!" Then, looking up, he said, "Precious 
 Saviour, I am ready now ! Come, Lord Jesus ! 
 come quickly!" And while you were looking 
 on, he ceased to breathe, and was with his God I 
 And was this no call ? O yes, you have received 
 a call from the very threshold of heaven — aye, 
 and from one who loved you, and longed to 
 meet you in that happy world. How can you, 
 then, say that no one has invited you ? " Why 
 stand ye here all the day idle?" 
 
 Do you say that the work is too great? I 
 know it is too great for your unaided strength, 
 but you may obtain strength from on high. 
 Yes, there is a power divine, which stands 
 ready to afford all needful aid. This power 
 has sufficed for many. It may suffice for you. 
 There is not a want in the sinner but there is 
 a corresponding fulness in the blessed Saviour. 
 Fear not, says this heavenly friend to the 
 trembling soul — fear not, I will help thee, I 
 will strengthen thee, yea, I will uphold thee 
 by the right hand of my righteousness. 
 
 Perhaps you think the work is so easy it 
 may be accomplished at any time, even in 
 your last moments. To be sure it might, if 
 God should then give you grace. But are you 
 sure that he will? Is it likely? When you 
 have given the best of your days to the service 
 of the devil, is it reasonable to suppose that 
 God will accept of the dregs ? O ! how many 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 347 
 
 a poor sinner is snatched away without warn- 
 ing. How many go deUrioiis to their graves. 
 And how many, if not delirious, are racked 
 with pain. How many are stupid. How many 
 are too feeble to bear any excitement; and 
 how many are purely under the influence of 
 fear. ! how unwise, and O ! how perilous it 
 is to put off to the last moment that which 
 should engage our first and most serious con- 
 cern? I could tell you of some death-bed 
 scenes, but I spare you. " Why stand ye here 
 all the day idle ?" 
 
 Do you say that the householder is not will- 
 ing to receive you? "Say imto them, as I 
 live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure 
 in the death of the wicked, but that he turn 
 and live. Turn ye, turn ye, for why will ye 
 die, house of Israel ?" Say not then that 
 the householder is not willing to receive you • 
 at least say it not until with all your heart 
 you have entreated his favour and he has 
 frowned you away. 
 
 Do you say that the reward is not enough? 
 What! to have our sins forgiven, is this no- 
 thing? to have our peace made with heaven, 
 is this nothing? and to be adopted into the 
 family of the Great God, is this nothing? The 
 reward not enough! What! when we are 
 about to 4ie, to find ourselves under the shadow 
 of the Almighty. Is this nothing? To find 
 ourselves encircled in the arms of everlastino- 
 
348 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 love, is this nothing? To find ourselves en- 
 compassed by angels, and just on the wing for 
 glory, is this nothing? And when the soul is 
 dislodged from its earthly tenement, to be car- 
 ried by angels into Abraham's bosom — to hear 
 the plaudit, "Well done, good and faithful ser- 
 vant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord" — 
 to see the King in his beauty — to be robed and 
 crowned, and emparadised in heaven — and to 
 be associated with the spirits of the just made 
 perfect, and to live and reign with Christ in 
 glory everlasting — is all this nothing ? O ! my 
 brethren, the rewards are the rewards of grace, 
 they are the purchase of a Saviour's blood, 
 and therefore will be rich and great beyond all 
 the power of language to express, or the heart 
 of man to conceive. Immortal man! lose not 
 the prize held up before you. Be up and a-do- 
 ing! "Why stand ye here all the day idle?" 
 O ! think how much is at stake ! even your 
 own soul — your own precious soul ! ! who 
 can tell its value ! Suppose this world were a 
 globe of gold, and each star in yonder firma- 
 ment a jewel of the first order, and the moon 
 a diamond, and the sun literally a crown of 
 all created glory — one soul, in value, would 
 outweigh them all. Here is a man standing 
 on board of a vessel at sea, holding his hands 
 over the sides of the vessel, he is sporting 
 with a jewel, worth a hundred thousand dol- 
 lars, and which too is all his fortune. Play- 
 
REVIVAL SERMONS. 349 
 
 ing with his jewel, he throws it up and 
 catches it — throws it up and catches it! A 
 friend noticing the brilliancy of the jewel, 
 w^arns him of the danger of losing it, and tells 
 him that if it slip through his fingers it goes 
 down to the bottom of the deep, and can be re- 
 covered no more. " ! there is no danger," 
 says he, " I have been doing this a long time, 
 and you see I have not lost it yet." Again he 
 throws it up, and — it is gone ! past recovery — 
 gone ! O ! w^hen the man finds that his jewel 
 is indeed lost, and by his own folly lost, w^io 
 can describe his agony, as he exclaims, " I 
 have lost my jewel, my fortune, my all !" O ! 
 sinner, hear me, casketed in your bosom, you 
 have a jewel of infinitely greater value; in 
 idling away your precious time, you are in 
 danger of losing that pearl of price unknown. 
 In other w^ords, neglecting the interests of your 
 precious soul, you are in danger of being lost 
 for ever. O ! why neglect any longer the great 
 concern ? Many of your dearest friends are in 
 the vineyard, why linger you without? " "Why 
 stand ye here all the day idle ?" 
 
 Well, the evening will come when the Lord 
 of the vineyard will say to his steward, — 
 "Call the labourers and give them their hire." 
 O glorious hour! 0, sweet coronation day! 
 How will the labourers come ! From the east 
 and from the west, from the north and from 
 the south. Millions crowding upon millions! 
 
350 REVIVAL SERMONS. 
 
 Christians of every communion, and the pious 
 from out of every nation under heaven. With 
 what joy will they come around the heavenly 
 Householder, and at his hand receive the high 
 rewards of grace. Methinks with a smile he 
 will reach out to them the crown — the glitter- 
 ing crown ; and they will take the crown — the 
 glittering crown, and sing and shout, — " O to 
 grace how great a debtor !" And he will give 
 the robe — the spotless robe ; and they will take 
 the robe — the spotless robe, and sing and shout, 
 '' O to grace how great a debtor !" And now 
 all heaven rings jubilee, as the ransomed of the 
 Lord return and come to this heavenly Zion, 
 with songs and everlasting joy upon their 
 heads. But the idlers! — those who all their 
 lives long neglected the great concern ! — who 
 died without repentance and without faith ! — 
 where are they? Alas! they are far away! 
 There is no robe for them ! no crown for them ! 
 no heaven for them ! They have lost their day, 
 and they have lost their soul ! and now nothing 
 remains for them but thrilling remorse and 
 black despair. 0, my procrastinating friends ! 
 you have one call more. It may be the call of 
 the eleventh hour, and your last. Surely it is 
 high time to think about eternity. It is high 
 time to enter into the vineyard. Then, " Why 
 stand ye here all the day idle?" 
 
351 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 In the year 1835, I received a letter from a Christian 
 brother in the state of New York, requesting my sen- 
 timents on several subjects connected with protracted 
 meetings, revivals, &c. to which I replied in substance 
 as follows: 
 
 Frankfort, Kentucky, 26th May, 1835. 
 Dear Brother — Your communication of the 28th 
 "dU. came to hand in due course of mail. The subject 
 of revivals or religious reformation, is certainly one 
 of great importance, and should be well understood, 
 more especially as there are some in the bosom of the 
 Church, excellent Christians, too, who labour under 
 prejudices which have a withering influence, both 
 upon themselves and those around them. Having 
 heard that I have acted as an Evangelist, and that 
 I have been in many revivals, you wish me to state 
 something of what I have seen and heard, together 
 with the results of my experience and observation. 
 Fifteen years of my life have been devoted to the 
 duties of the pastoral office, and only about three to 
 the work of an Evangelist, so called. It was chiefly 
 whilst otiiciating in the latter capacity, that I had the 
 pleasure of witnessing the varied and rich displays of 
 the grace of God in the conversion of sinners; and 
 
352 APPENDIX. 
 
 although I am again a pastor, settled amongst an 
 affectionate people, whom I tenderly love, and to 
 whom, I humbly trust, my labours have not been in 
 vain in the Lord, yet I must confess, that I look back 
 to the period when I acted as an Evangelist, as the 
 happiest in my life, because it was the period of most 
 labour and most usefulness. My plan was, (having 
 obtained the approbation of the proper ecclesiastical 
 bodies,) to have a series of protracted meetings, spread- 
 ing over a wide extent of country, and so arranging 
 matters that I might have incessant employment. 
 I laboured chiefly in South Carolina and Virginia, 
 but attended numerous meetings also in Florida, Ala- 
 bama, Georgia, North Carolina, and Ohio. It pleased 
 God in the course of three years to make me an eye 
 witness of many interesting scenes; and I have sub- 
 sequently inquired with much solicitude about re- 
 sults, and find that there are lights and shadows — 
 matter for joy and sorrow; but, thank God, upon the 
 whole, that which is cheering, far, very far, exceeds 
 that which is of an opposite character. But you wish 
 me to be more particular on certain points. 
 
 1. Mental excitement. — You ask whether it has 
 usually been very strong? I answer, strong enough to 
 produce deep anxiety; strong enough to extort the 
 penitential cry; and, in many cases, strong enough to 
 keep the eyes wakeful through the shades of night, 
 and occasion tears, and sometimes sobbing in the 
 prayer-meeting and house of God. Generally speak- 
 ing, however, silence and solemnity reigned in our 
 public and social meetings; and cases of disorder and 
 extravagance have been very rare. In about eighty 
 revivals of religion, averaging thirty converts each, I 
 do not suppose there were more than eight or ten 
 
APPENDIX. 353 
 
 cases of outcries; and in nearly all of them order and 
 stillness were immediately restored, by simply repeat- 
 ing this beautiful passage of Scripture, " The Lord is 
 in his holy temple, let all the earth keep silence be- 
 fore him!" 
 
 2. Measures. — I must confess I have seen some 
 things practiced which I could not approve. With 
 regard to myself, I may have erred, but my rule lias 
 been to confine myself to no set of measures whatever; 
 for my opinion has been and still is, that a measure 
 which might be useful in one place, may be positively 
 injurious in another. I have therefore varied them, 
 according to times, and places, and circumstances. 
 My general plan in conducting a protracted meeting 
 has been this : After the first sermon, I come down 
 from the pulpit, and address professors of religion, who 
 are respectfully requested to occupy the seats imme- 
 diately in front. This measure, if you choose to term 
 it such, has usually had a remarkably happy effect. 
 After the second or third sermon, come down from 
 the pulpit again, and address the youth grouped in 
 the same way. Sometimes, however, it has been 
 found best to meet them in the lecture-room. At 
 some suitable time and place, an appointment is made 
 (if in town or city,) for men of business. And when 
 the religious excitement is manifestly spreading and 
 deepening, I have found it of very great service to 
 have a meeting exclusively for the unconverted, Chris- 
 tians being gathered together at the same time in an- 
 other place, praying. This meeting has usually been 
 extremely well attended, and has scarcely ever failed, 
 to be crowned with a remarkable blessing. In giving 
 out the notice, however, I have found it very impor- 
 tant to do it properly, so as to excite curiosity, but not 
 
354 APPENDIX. 
 
 awaken prejudice. I have been careful to give assu- 
 rances that there was no intention to lay snares for 
 them, but simply that they should be addressed in a 
 respectful and affectionate manner. The lawyer wishes 
 to see the jury whom he addresses. This is natural. 
 The eye affects the heart. And why should not the 
 minister have distinctly before him the characters 
 whom he wishes particularly to address? 
 
 When certain individuals are known to be under 
 serious impressions, an invitation is sometimes given, 
 on peculiarly solemn occasions, for those who are se- 
 rious, and who desire an interest in the prayers of 
 God's people, to come forward, or kneel at their seats. 
 This measure I once did not approve, but experience 
 has taught me that it has a tendency to break down 
 the pride of the heart, give decision of character, en- 
 courage ministers, and rouse the people of God to 
 more earnest and effectual prayer. I am free however 
 to confess, that in places where such an invitation is not 
 expected, in my opinion it is not expedient. The invi- 
 tation is sometimes given in the great congregation, 
 but more generally in meetings of a more select and 
 private character. Inquiry, or anxious meetings, have 
 been found much called for, and of great benefit. 
 The plan suggested by a venerable and much es- 
 teemed father in our church, of inviting the serious 
 to remain after sermon, may answer in some cases, 
 but I confess I do not much like it, and for this simple 
 reason: — when the congregation is dismissed, the cur- 
 rent sets so strongly towards the door, that it is almost 
 impossible to resist it. It is, I think, much better to 
 have the anxious gathered together in a more private 
 place, and with less observation. Before the pro- 
 tracted meeting is brought to a close, it is almost my 
 
APPENDIX. 355 
 
 invariable practice to have an appointment for chil- 
 dren, from four to twelve years of age, parents also 
 being particularly requested to attend. This meeting 
 has proved, on almost every occasion, one of special 
 interest. I have seen the attention of the dear little 
 ones fixed, chained, for nearly an hour, their eyes 
 sparkling with pleasure, and occasionally dimmed 
 with tears; and I have noticed that many parents 
 have been reached through their children, who would, 
 it seems, be reached in no other way. Simplicity will 
 please little children, and will touch parents too. I 
 confidently expect to meet in glory many parents and 
 children who will praise God for ever for meetings of 
 this kind. In all my plans, my aim has been to keep 
 divine truth in contact with the mind as long as possi- 
 ble without jading; for it is divine truth, sent home 
 by the Spirit of God, that produces the effect desired, 
 that accomplishes the change upon the sinner more 
 glorious tiian the garnishing of the heavens : and I 
 have observed, that by grouping classes, and diversi- 
 fying addresses, the attention is oftentimes renewed, 
 and the interest kept up to an extent that is really 
 wonderful. Besides holding special meetings for the 
 particular classes mentioned, I have been in the habit 
 of having a meeting for mothers, and I can truly say 
 that such meetings have proved interesting and bene- 
 ficial. 
 
 3. With regard to the "divisions which follow in 
 the churches," I am happy to say I have seen or heard 
 very little of this. My plan has been, from the com- 
 mencement of the meeting, to inculcate the great im- 
 portance of brotherly love, and to urge upon all the 
 duty of possessing and manifesting a kind regard for 
 each other's sentiments and feelings, and modes of 
 
356 APPENDIX. 
 
 worship. Harmony, I may say, has characterized all 
 our meetings, and from what I have seen and known, 
 I am persuaded that, in all ordinary circumstances, 
 there need be no difficulty, for there is something 
 beautiful and sweet in the Christian spirit; and this 
 spirit is made peculiarly manifest in seasons of re- 
 freshing from the presence of the Lord. Only let 
 ministers avoid all uncharitable and censorious re- 
 marks; let them be ever kind and conciliatory — let 
 them aim, not at building up a particular church or 
 party, but let them seek simply the glory of God in 
 the conversion of sinners, and if they existed before, 
 all jarrings will soon cease, and all prejudices soon 
 vanish away. The Spirit of God working upon the 
 unrenewed mind converts the lion into a lamb, the 
 vulture into a dove; and shall not the same spirit 
 soften down those who have already been renewed? 
 With regard to Evangelists, I think in our church 
 there is great occasion for them: but I would remark, 
 it is matter of the last importance that they be pru- 
 dent, and under the influence of a right spirit. Two 
 things are indispensable: — First, that they go only 
 where they are invited by the proper authorities of 
 the church; and secondly, that in all things they con- 
 sult the wishes, and submit to the will, of the pastor. 
 I would further observe, that it is of the last import- 
 ance that the evangelist should duly appreciate the 
 sacredness and responsibility of the pastoral office, 
 always speaking highly of the stated means of grace. 
 And one main object, I think, which he should ever 
 have in view, is to strengthen the reciprocal afl'ection 
 of pastor and people ; and to this end it is extremely 
 desirable that every evangelist should have himself 
 been a pastor. 
 
APPENDIX. 357 
 
 4. In relation to the Press, I would say, our reli- 
 gious papers render substantial aid to the cause of 
 Zion. They are of immense service, containing often- 
 times information of an extremely valuable character, 
 and circulating intelligence which comes to us, "like 
 cold water to the thirsty soul." But frequently the 
 accounts which are given of protracted meetings and 
 revivals, are too highly coloured, and sometimes there 
 is a freedom of remark indulged in, which, to say the 
 least, is not good to the use of edifying. Alas, poor 
 human nature ! Every thing is stamped with imper- 
 fection in this wo'rld. 
 
 Before I close this letter, permit me to say some- 
 thing on the subject of revivals in general, for there 
 are many groundless prejudices. Some tell us, " they 
 know not what a revival of religion means." When 
 we speak of the revival of commerce, or the revival of 
 learning, or the revival of a plant, the meaning is 
 clearly understood. Why not, with equal ease, un- 
 derstand what is meant by the revival of religion. 
 "But so many persons are converted at the same 
 time ! Is it not all sympathy ?" The work is the 
 work of God, and surely He that originally grouped 
 the stars in the firmament of heaven, can with equal 
 ease, group those who are to shine as stars for ever 
 and ever. " But is there not a great deal of extrava- 
 gance ?" No, not if the ministers are prudent, and 
 the meetings are properly conducted, and closed at 
 proper hours. " Are there no individual cases of 
 fanaticism? No excesses whatever?" Perhaps occa- 
 sionally there may be. What then ? The excesses of 
 Carlstadt, and the fanaticism of the Anabaptists of 
 Germany, did much to bring the Reformation into dis- 
 repute 5 but where is the American, where the lover 
 
358 APPENDIX. 
 
 of civil and religious liberty, who will not bless God 
 for the glorious Reformation, notwithstanding the ex- 
 cesses of Carlstadt, and the fanaticism of the Anabap- 
 tists of Germany ? " But can sinners be converted so 
 suddenly?" In every case, perhaps without excep- 
 tion, they go the round to work out their own right- 
 eousness before they submit to Christ ; but after all, 
 is not regeneration instantaneous? Is not this doc- 
 trine recognized in all our standard works ? Is it not 
 the doctrine of the Bible ? " But are there no spu- 
 rious conversions?" There may be; and are we not 
 taught to expect such things in the 13th chapter of 
 Matthew? Spurious conversions! And are all pure 
 gold who come into the church when there is no spe- 
 cial excitement? Spurious conversions! A friend 
 makes me a present of a bundle of bank bills in the 
 hour of my necessity. On examining them, I find one 
 or two counterfeit. Shall I send back the bundle and 
 despise the gift? "But does not the excitement soon 
 cease?" There is no necessity for it. I have heard 
 of a revival which lasted two years, another which 
 lasted six years, and I think the Bible tells me of one 
 which is to last a thousand years! It is our privilege 
 to have not merely a shower, but a whole day's set- 
 rain. Suppose, however, the positive excitement is 
 not lasting, may not much good fruit nevertheless re- 
 main? A refreshing shower comes in time of drought, 
 and vegetation takes a start. A few days after, the soil 
 is dry again. Did the shower therefore do no good? 
 "But do not some of the converts, so called, fall away?" 
 Be it so. Go into your orchard; your trees are in full 
 bloom. Some of those blossoms are going to fall 
 away without fruit. What then? Would you have 
 no blossoms at all; or would you have only two or 
 
APPENDIX. 359 
 
 three blossoms this year, and two or three the next? 
 According to a calculation which 1 have made, only 
 about one in fifteen or twenty of those hopefully con- 
 verted, fall away. And what then? Here is a revival, 
 and one hundred profess conversion, but only one half 
 are really converted and saved from the damnation of 
 hell, and brought home to God and to glory! Is that 
 nothing? I think I have somewhere read that there 
 is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one 
 sinner that repenteth. But you know how frivolous 
 are the objections so frequently urged, so I need say 
 nomore. 
 
 Your Brother in Christ, 
 
 Daniel Baker. 
 
360 APPENDIX. 
 
 INTERESTING RECOLLECTIONS. 
 
 Facts are beautiful things, and not unfrequently 
 they furnisli fine iUustrations of sentiments and doc- 
 trines, known and believed by all who respect the 
 sacred volume. In the Pastor's Journal, 1 have 
 noticed a variety of cases related by those who were 
 eye-witnesses of what they communicated ; and I 
 verily believe that the publication of them has proved 
 to be exceedingly useful. Having myself during 
 many revivals of religion, witnessed a number of very 
 interesting things, I thought it proper to make a 
 record of them, some of which are now laid before 
 the public, as a suitable appendage to the foregoing 
 sermons, and illustrative of certain passages of Scrip- 
 ture often quoted. 
 
 ASK AND YE SHALL RECEIVE. 
 
 1. In a certain town in Georgia, lived Mrs. M. 
 a pious widow lady. She had two sons in a distant 
 State, whom she had not seen for many years. They 
 were thoughtless young men, and avowedly infidel 
 in their sentiments. She received a letter from her 
 sons promising an early visit. About this period an 
 arrangement was made with myself, to hold a pro- 
 tracted meeting in the place of Mrs. M's residence, 
 
APPENDIX. 361 
 
 SO soon as it would suit my convenience. The pious 
 mother, exceedingly anxious for the conversion of 
 her long absent and beloved sons, made it a matter 
 of special prayer, that the Providence of God would 
 so order matters that the visit of her sons, and the 
 contemplated meeting, might take place at the same 
 time. The young men came ; remained several days, 
 and then said they must return. They fixed on Fri- 
 day night, when they must go without fail, in the 
 stage. Poor mother ! the meeting to which she looked 
 forward with so much anxiety, had not commenced. 
 The minister had not arrived. It seemed as if her 
 prayers had availed nothing. On the morning of the 
 day fixed for their departure she was told that the 
 minister was come, and the first sermon would be 
 preached that very night. How tantalizing ! But 
 mark the ingenuity of a pious mother! Having 
 ascertained that the stage would not go that evening 
 until 9 or 10 o'clock, she entreated her sons to go to 
 church, and there remain until the sounding of the 
 stage horn should summon them away. I believe 
 that most mothers would have said, I have not seen 
 my sons for a long time ; I may never see them any 
 more. I believe I will not go to church myself, this 
 evening. I will enjoy their company as long as I 
 can. But no ! Had she not offered special prayer 
 that they might be present and receive a blessing 
 at that meeting ? " Come, my sons, go with me to 
 church this evening, and hear what you can." They 
 yielded. They went; and that night God answered 
 the mother's prayers. Both were brought under 
 powerful conviction. Near the closing of the ser- 
 vices of the sanctuary, the sounding of the stage horn 
 was heard, sure enough. According to arrangement 
 
 24 
 
362 APPENDIX. 
 
 they hurried away to the office — but, behold! the 
 stage was full ! They were obliged to remain until 
 Monday following. On the Sabbath we had a most 
 solemn time. When the anxious were invited to 
 come forward, or kneel at their seat, if they desired 
 the prayers of God's people, (according to the custom 
 of that place,) several immediately knelt at their 
 seats. Two young men came forward and kneeled 
 near the desk — and only two. I saw an elderly lady 
 at some distance, rise, and leaning forward, she fast- 
 ened her tearful eyes upon them. It was the niother, 
 and these young men were her sons ! Many eyes 
 were fixed upon her, but nobody said, Madam, sit 
 down. — No ! It was a sacred sight. Heaven bless 
 the mother ! Let her stand. Let lier look on. ! 
 it was worth an angel's visit from the skies ! That 
 day both of these young men obtained a joyful hope. 
 Verily, it would have touched a heart of rock to have 
 seen the sons, both of them throwing their arms 
 around the neck of their beloved mother — now a thou- 
 sand times dearer than ever — and telling her that the 
 Lord had heard her prayers, and blessed them, as 
 they hoped, with his forgiving love ! Verily, the 
 name of Jesus, in that moment uttered by them, came 
 over her with all the sweetness and the power of a 
 charm. 
 
 I saw the happy mother. She grasped my hand. 
 She wept. The tears which rolled down her cheeks 
 were tears of religious joy. For a few moments she 
 was silent. When she spoke she blessed God, and 
 said, in the very words of Mary, " My soul doth 
 magnify tlie Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God 
 my Saviour, for he hath regarded the low estate of 
 his hand-maiden." Verily, there is a God in the hea- 
 
APPENDIX. 363 
 
 vens who heareth prayer! One of those sons, I am 
 told, is now a preacher. Take another case. 
 
 2. Whilst a meeting of much interest was going 
 on in a certain country town in Virginia, Mr. K., a 
 pious young man, selected a young lawyer who was 
 a noted scorner, and made him the subject of special 
 prayer. About two days afterwards the young law- 
 yer came to the house where the pastor was. I my- 
 self was in the same house at the time, but being par- 
 ticularly engaged, I requested the pastor to speak to 
 him. " 0," says he, " he is not serious." Yes, I re- 
 plied, he must be, or he would not come here. " I 
 know him better than you do," said the pastor, "he 
 is a scorner. There is no hope of him." The young 
 lawyer was permitted to depart, I believe, without a 
 single religious remark having been made to him. 
 My conjectures were true. He was then under awa- 
 kening influences. 
 
 Perhaps two weeks after that, this young lawyer, 
 now rejoicing in Christ, was riding along the road on 
 his way to a protracted meeting, about to be held in 
 an adjacent county. Before he reached the place, he 
 fell in with another young man, Mr. P., going to 
 the same meeting. Religious conversation was intro- 
 duced, and the awakened lawyer spoke freely of the 
 change of views and feelings which he had expe- 
 rienced, and ascribed them, under God, to the prayers 
 of his friend, Mr. K., who had selected him as the 
 subject of special prayer. " Ah !" said Mr. P., '•' I 
 had friends once who used to pray for me; but I have 
 been so careless, so wicked, they do not think it worth 
 while to pray for me now. They have all given me 
 up. There is not an individual I suppose on earth 
 who remembers me in prayer." " yes," replied 
 
364 APPENDIX. 
 
 the young lawyer, " there is one, I know." " Who 
 is it ?" quickly asked Mr. P. " The very same who 
 prayed for me has made you the subject of special 
 prayer." "Is it possible!" said Mr. P., and throw- 
 ing himself back, he had well nigh fallen from the 
 horse upon which he was riding. From that moment 
 he waked up to the claims of his undying soul. A 
 few days after, with great joy, he was telling to those 
 around what a dear Saviour he had found. Blessed 
 be God, the eifectual fervent prayer of a righteous 
 man availeth much. Take another case. 
 
 3. During a protracted meeting held in S — , Alaba- 
 ma, two daughters of Zion met every day to pray 
 together for their beloved husbands, who were highly 
 respectable, but strangers to God's converting grace. 
 One was a moralist, so called ; the other an avowed 
 infidel. Before the meeting closed, both of those were, 
 I believe, soundly converted. The latter died some 
 time after in great triumph; the former continues to 
 this day, if I mistake not, a much valued member of 
 the church of Christ with which he first united him- 
 self. 
 
 4. A meeting which led to some important and 
 
 happy results, took place some years since in , 
 
 Georgia. Religion was at a low ebb in that place. 
 There were sad jarrings amongst those who were 
 taught by their Master to love one another. The first 
 sermon was preached on Saturday evening. On the 
 Sabbath we had a pretty large congregation, and some 
 considerable interest was manifested; but right melan- 
 choly was it on Monday, to see how few came to the 
 sanctuary. Scarcely any but females. The men of 
 the place, generally, seemed to take no interest in 
 the meeting whatever; nay, some of them opposed. 
 
APPENDIX. 365 
 
 and even forbid their families attending. The meet- 
 ing, however, went on, and of a truth the Lord was 
 with us. By Wednesday morning something Uke 
 ten females were hopefully converted, but not a sin- 
 gle male, man or boy. Indeed, up to that hour we 
 saw scarcely a single unconverted man (particularly 
 during the day) in the church. We were not discour- 
 aged — we resolved to hold on. That morning, at the 
 prayer-meeting which preceded preaching, those pre- 
 sent, (and a precious band it was,) were reminded, 
 of what indeed they knew full well, that the men 
 were still uninterested. The case of Paulwas stated, 
 who went to the place where prayer was wont to be 
 made, and spake to certain women that resorted there, 
 and the glorious results were also brought to their re- 
 collection, and they were urged to offer up special and 
 incessant prayer for the men. After preaching that 
 morning there was much whispering. One said to 
 another, as they were returning to their houses, " Did 
 you see Captain H. at church this morning?" " Yes." 
 "What brought him there ?" " I don't know, but I 
 certainly saw him." In the afternoon Captain H. was 
 there again — and at night ! The next morning also ! 
 "Why what is the matter? Captain H. come three 
 times a day ! Weil, this is strange !" But who is 
 Captain H. ? Why, a man of the world — a man of 
 considerable influence, and supposed to be a skeptic. 
 Moreover, a very firm and courageous man, who a 
 few weeks before had arrested a man when the she- 
 riff, with all tlie force that he could get, could not ar- 
 rest him. This is the man who, manifestly in answer 
 to the prayers of the people of God, is brought to the 
 sanctuary, and there led to consider his latter end. 
 In the afternoon of Thursday he came again. Upon 
 
366 APPENDIX. 
 
 the close of the sermon, great seriousness being visi- 
 ble, the anxious were invited to kneel at their seats if 
 they desired to be prayed for. Immediately Captain 
 H. dropped upon his knees, and two others were at 
 his side. The thing was soon noised abroad, and the 
 men began to flock in wonderfully. " Captain H. is 
 becoming religious." "You don't say so ! Well, I 
 will go and see." Soon Divine influences began to 
 rest upon the men in a remarkable manner, and in a 
 short time we had the happiness of seeing, among 
 others, as many as eight or ten men who had pro- 
 fessed to have found the Saviour precious to their 
 souls. Captain H. has since become an active Chris- 
 tian, and a superintendent of the Sabbath School in 
 that place. 
 
 " It shan't be said that praying breath 
 Was ever spent in vain." 
 
 WHEN THE LORD TURNED AGAIN OUR CAPTIVITY, WE 
 WERE LIKE THEM THAT DREAMED. 
 
 1. During the great revival in B — , Mr. F., a talented 
 lawyer, was numbered amongst the converts. His 
 case was a very clear and delightful one. He was 
 one of several, who, brought in at that time, have de- 
 voted themselves to the gospel ministry. Already has 
 Mr. F. entered the ministry — already has he been in- 
 strumental in winning many souls to Christ. Imme- 
 diately after his conversion, I called upon him. He 
 was upon the mount! With a countenance radiant 
 with delight, he grasped my hand, and exclaimed, 
 "0, sir, I have an ocean of joy!" 
 
 2. When Mr. P. (the young man mentioned in the 
 previous article,) obtained a hope of an interest in a 
 Saviour's blood, he seemed to be one of the happiest 
 
APPENDIX. 367 
 
 creatures on earth. Every thing was new; every 
 thing deUghtfal — the trees waving in the forest, 
 the birds carolling in the groves, the sun shining in 
 the heavens, and the dew drops sparkUng with the 
 beams of the morning, — all seemed to congratulate 
 him upon his surprising and happy change. Stand- 
 ing, as it were, in a new world, he remarked, "I am 
 a happy man ! I have had more happiness in one 
 half hour since my conversion, than I thought I should 
 have even in heaven !" 
 
 3. At a meeting in Florida, Mr. A., who had been 
 a disciple of Fanny Wright, and a very profane man, 
 was happily brought to feel his need of a Saviour. 
 After very pungent convictions, he obtained a joyful 
 hope. But the transition from the gloom of infidelity 
 to the brightness of gospel day, was so great that 
 he was literally like one that dreamed. He coiild 
 scarcely believe that such a sinner as he had been, 
 could find mercy! It was almost too good to be true. 
 Surely it must be a dream! But, no — it is a blessed 
 reality! In this frame of mind, I recollect, he entered 
 the inquiry meeting, one day, and every now and then, 
 indulged in some exclamation of joy. As there were 
 a number of interesting persons present, who were 
 only a little serious, I was fearful lest they might be 
 prejudiced by such things; and in apologizing for Mr. 
 A., I made a remark of this kind, that it was not at 
 all surprising if a young convert should be almost wild 
 with joy. Was not Archimedes wild with joy, when he 
 had found out how to solve a certain problem? And, 
 continued I, when a man of the world has dra.\vn a 
 prize in the lottery — twenty-five thousand dollars, for 
 instance. — Here the converted infidel interrupted me, 
 ^' Don't say twenty-five thousand dollars," said he, 
 
368 APPENDIX. 
 
 Starting from his seat, "don't say twenty-five thousand 
 dollars, sir, — say millions, sir, say millions!" 
 
 BEHOLD HOW GOOD AND HOW PLEASANT IT IS FOR BRE- 
 THREN TO DWELL TOGETHER IN UNITY. 
 
 1. During a protracted meeting held in G — , a plea- 
 sant summer retreat, in one of our southern States, an 
 address was made to those who were professedly the 
 people of God. Amongst other things, they were 
 exhorted to cherish a spirit of brotherly love, and 
 if they had had any quarrel with another, to for- 
 give. They were afiectionately urged to pass an act 
 of forgiveness, without delay, and to seize the very 
 first opportunity to extend the hand, and to do it cor- 
 dially. In about twenty minutes after, wliile the ser- 
 vices were yet going on, an elderly lady rose up, 
 passed by me, and gave her hand to another lady. 
 I certainly did not expect the exhortation to operate 
 so soon, or at least in this way, but verily I was not 
 displeased — no one was displeased. On the contrary, 
 a wave of delicious feeling passed over the whole 
 assembly. Many eyes were filled with tears, and 
 metiiinks in that moment the God of love looked pro- 
 pitious down. Mark the sequel ! that lady at that 
 time had two sons and a daughter, all grown, and 
 all yet unconverted. Before the protracted meeting 
 closed, she had the unspeakable satisfaction of seeing 
 all three rejoicing in the hope of glory ! What is this 
 but the broad seal of heaven's approbation ? " Be- 
 loved," says John, " let us love one another, for love 
 is of God, and every one that loveth is born of God, 
 and knoweth God. He that loveth not, knoweth not 
 God, for God is love." 
 
 2. I recollect another case which occurred in Vir- 
 
APPENDIX. ' 369 
 
 ginia. Whilst addressing professors of religion, I, as 
 my custom was, urged the great duty of forgiveness, 
 and in order to give greater effect to my exhortations, 
 I stated the case already mentioned, as one pleasing 
 to God and worthy of all commendation, and then 
 made a remark of this kind : " If there are any pre- 
 sent in similar circumstances, let them go and do like- 
 wise." Whilst I was yet speaking, an elder of the 
 church reached out his hand over the benches to one 
 who sat at some distance, and with much feeling 
 said, "Neighbour, here is my hand." Another elder 
 also arose, a man of silvery locks, and hurrying to 
 another part of the house, gave his hand to an indi- 
 vidual, who grasped it, and said aloud, " This is the 
 very thing I have long wished for." Need I say that 
 a revival followed ! Of a truth we had blessed times. 
 How beautiful are the words of the Apostle, " And 
 be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving 
 one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath for- 
 given you." 
 
 3. In , State of , lived a minister of the 
 
 gospel, a man of some considerable wealth and tal- 
 ents, but in a wretchedly backslidden state. He had 
 instituted three law suits, two of them against Mr. 
 P., an amiable man, and a warm-hearted Christian. 
 Eminent lawyers were employed, and the suits were 
 of such a nature as, if brought into court, would have 
 thrown the whole community into a ferment. Whilst 
 matters were in this condition, a revival commenced 
 in the neighbourhood. Both were much interested. 
 The minister began to feel that he had indulged too 
 much of a contentious spirit. Receiving, moreover, 
 a letter at this time from a connexion of his, recently 
 converted, he wept, was completely softened down, 
 
370 APPENDIX. 
 
 and forthwith gave directions to his lawyers to drop 
 the suits. The very next morning, if I mistake not, 
 he went to a prayer meeting, where he met Mr. P., 
 offered him his hand, and told him that he should 
 prosecute his suits no further. Mr. P., much affected, 
 threw himself upon his shoulders, and wept aloud. 
 ! it was a scene of thrilling interest. Methinks 
 hovering angels looked in each other's faces, smiled, 
 and began to chant David's beautiful psalm : 
 
 "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for bre- 
 thren to dwell together in unity! It is like the pre- 
 cious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon 
 the beard, even Aaron's beard : that went down to 
 the skirts of his garments; As the dew of Hermon, 
 and as the dew that descended upon the mountains 
 of Zion : for there the Lord commanded the blessing, 
 even life for evermore," 
 
 4. I recollect yet another case. During the pro- 
 gress of a delightful meeting in a country church in 
 East Tennessee, having occasion to speak on the sub- 
 ject of forgiving injuries, I stated one or two of the 
 preceding cases, and then, in substance spoke as fol- 
 lows : " I know nothing of the state of things in this 
 church, for I am here only as a stranger, in a strange 
 land. I know not whether there has been any diffi- 
 culty or variance between any now present. Neither 
 your beloved pastor nor any other person has said a 
 word to me on the subject, but drawing a bow at a 
 venture, I will repeat a remark which I am in the 
 habit of making in many places : — Is there a person 
 in the world with whom you would not shake hands? 
 If so, I solemnly charge you now, in the presence of 
 God and his elect angels, and before Jesus Christ, 
 who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appear- 
 
APPENDIX. 371 
 
 ing and his kingdom — I solemnly charge you, pass 
 an act of forgiveness this moment, and seize the ear- 
 liest opportunity to extend the hand in token of for- 
 giveness. ' Beloved,' continued I, ' let us love one 
 another, for love is of God, and every one that loveth 
 is born of God and knoweth God ; he that loveth not, 
 knoweth not God ; for God is love.' " Saying these 
 things, in a few moments I pronounced the benedic- 
 tion, and as the congregation were beginning to dis- 
 perse, two gentlemen,* who had, it seems, been literal- 
 ly at swords' points, looked at each other, and rushed 
 into each other's embrace, weeping abundantly. ! 
 it was a lovely and touching sight ! It was the 
 triumph of grace over corrupt human nature. Surely 
 religion comes to bless and not to curse. It comes to 
 change hearts, to convert the lion into a lamb, the 
 vulture into a dove. 
 
 WHERE SIN ABOUNDED, GRACE DID MUCH MORE ABOUND. 
 
 1. Some time ago, a meeting of several days con- 
 tinuance, was held in G — , a pleasant summer retreat 
 in South Carolina. Awakening influences went 
 abroad upon the people almost from its very com- 
 mencement. To increase the solemnity, the Provi- 
 dence of God concurred with the preaching of the 
 word. Death upon the pale horse came and took 
 away a victim. A young lawyer was cut down in 
 the midst of his years ! All classes of persons now 
 seemed to be aroused to a concern for their undying 
 souls. There was one young man, however, the only 
 son of his mother, and she a widow, who took his 
 
 * One some time before had actually attempted to take the 
 life of the other. 
 
372 APPENDIX. 
 
 Stand openly on the side of opposition. He was an 
 avowed infidel. He threatened to lay the hand of 
 violence upon the ministers, and once made this 
 remark: "When I die I will go to hell, and make a 
 row there, and drive the Almighty from his throne !" 
 How impious! How daring! That evening he went 
 to church, and as usual, endeavoured to make sport 
 of what was said from the pulpit. It pleased God, 
 however, to send a word like an arrow to his heart. 
 His sins flashed upon his view. He literally trem- 
 bled upon his seat, and after the benediction was pro- 
 nounced, he came up to me, grasped my hand, and 
 with great anxiety asked what he must do to be 
 saved? It was but another case of the Philippian 
 jailor, and I could do no better than reply in the 
 words of the Apostle, "Believe in the Lord Jesus 
 Christ, and thou shalt be saved." Two days after 
 this, I saw him, all joy and peace in believing. ! it 
 would have done any one good to have seen his dear 
 mother throwing her arms around him, and saying, 
 in the joy of her heart, " This my son was dead and 
 is alive again, was lost and is found !" Subsequently 
 this young man went to the north, to prepare to 
 preach " the glorious gospel of the blessed God." 
 2. A few weeks after the meeting just mentioned, 
 
 one of a similar kind was held at , about fifty 
 
 miles distant. The first sermon was preached on 
 Tuesday night, and by Thursday afternoon the waters 
 were troubled, and a goodly number had stepped into 
 the pool. There was one man, however, who had no 
 idea of such " carryings on.'^ He was a very irre- 
 ligious man, and although he heard perhaps every 
 sermon, he liked none of them, but generally returned 
 from church in a rage. On Thursday evening I was 
 
APPENDIX. 373 
 
 invited to take tea at the house where he lodged. 
 When he heard it he was angry. When he saw me 
 coming, he, as I have been told, swore terribly. On 
 entering the house I was introduced by a friend, who 
 immediately retired. Left alone with this man, I 
 confess I felt very awkwardly fixed, and scarcely 
 knowing what to say, I made a remark of this kind : 
 " Well, sir, I think we have had a very interesting 
 meeting this afternoon." Immediately he burst into 
 tears, crying aloud, " Mercy ! mercy ! Lord have 
 mercy upon me !" " Shall I pray for you, my dear 
 sir?" said L "Most willingly, most willingly," re- 
 plied he. When I finished praying, he seemed so 
 bowed down he could scarcely rise from his knees. 
 That night there was no rest for him. The next day 
 he was found amongst the anxious — a few days after, 
 amongst the people of God ! and is now, it seems, a 
 valuable member of the church. God be praised ! 
 
 3. The case of Dr. B., brought in at the eleventh 
 hour, is yet more remarkable. Licensed by the Pres- 
 bytery of , in the year 1793, he preached a few 
 
 sermons, (he entered the ministry purely, it seems, to 
 please his parents,) then abandoned the ministry and 
 became a deist. In the year 1797, he declared him- 
 self an atheist. From that period, and for many a long 
 year afterwards, even until his locks became hoary 
 with age, he waged open war with the God of the 
 Bible. I had heard much of Dr. B. as a man of in- 
 fluence, and one who had done immense mischief I 
 confess my curiosity was excited to see the man. At 
 a protracted meeting held at M — , Dr. B. was present. 
 He was awakened — was brought under deep and 
 pungent conviction. I conversed with him. He was 
 in an awful state of mind; for, though evidently under 
 
374 APPENDIX. 
 
 Divine influences, he had a great many objections to 
 the Bible — quarrelled with Moses — did not like his 
 account of the creation of the world. "Dr. B.," said 
 I, at last, "if you will indulge such a disposition to 
 cavil, there is no need to say any thing more to you, 
 sir." I immediately changed the conversation. The 
 next morning at prayer-meeting, the Dr. requested 
 permission to make a remark. Permission was grant- 
 ed. He arose, with much emotion, and said, "My 
 friends, I have been a most flagitious sinner." He 
 went on in this strain for about ten minutes, and then 
 sat down in great distress of mind. It was a most 
 affecting sight! That day, I think it was, he was 
 brought to the very borders of despair. " There is no 
 hope," said he; "Saul of Tarsus cannot be connpared 
 whh me — I must be damned!" "0 no," said I, " the 
 blessed Jesus is both able and willing to save you." 
 "No, sir," replied he, with great emotion, "there is 
 no possibility of my salvation — I must be damned." 
 About 10 o'clock he was conducted into his chamber. 
 I slept in the same room; but there was no" sleep for 
 Dr. B. He felt that he was a lost sinner ! Tossins: 
 himself about in the bed, he sighed, and groaned, and 
 wept. All was dark and cheerless to his soul until 
 about one o'clock, when he spoke aloud, and calling 
 me by name, said, " Mr. B. are you awake ?" When 
 informed — " 0, sir," exclaimed he, " I feel a change ! 
 I can accept of the Saviour now ! If Jesus Christ does 
 not save me, I am damned for ever ! I am happy ! I 
 am happy ! I would not part with my present feel- 
 ings for ten thousand worlds." " Well," said 1, " Dr. 
 B. I suppose you can say, ^0 to grace, how great a 
 debtor.'" Clapping his hands together, he exclaimed 
 with great emphasis, "The very thing, sir, the very 
 
APPENDIX. 375 
 
 thing !" As he said this, he arose and began to dress 
 himself. No siin had yet lighted up the eastern iiori- 
 zon, but what was better still, the Star of Hope had 
 risen upon his soul ! 
 
 " Brightest star that ever rose, 
 Sweetest star that ever shone." 
 
 The next day, in the presence of the great congre- 
 gation, he presented himself as a miracle of grace, and 
 told what the Lord had done for his soul. I suspect, 
 that moment angels in heaven struck a note loud and 
 long, rich and sweet. Some ten years after this, I men- 
 tioned this case to a certain lady in conversation. — 
 "0 Sir," said she, "Dr. B. is my brother-in-law." 
 "Indeed! said I. Well, is he still alive?" "Yes," 
 said she, "he is still alive." "And, Madam," con- 
 tinued I, how does he hold on ?" " 0, very well," 
 said she, "'very well; he is a member of the church, 
 and a useful member, too." Surely grace is triumph- 
 ant, and reigns like a conqueror. 
 
 MATERNAL INFLUENCE. 
 
 Some few years since, when in Texas, I unexpect- 
 edly lighted upon a military post. The soldiers, so 
 far as their spiritual interests were concerned, had 
 been sadly neglected. No one had preached to them, 
 nor had any one, it seems, given them a single Bible 
 or tract — no man cared for their souls. Having ob- 
 tained permission of the commander, I preached seve- 
 ral times to them. On one occasion, in the midst of 
 my discourse, I observed — "Soldiers! most of you, I 
 suppose, are from the United States, and are perhaps 
 entirely regardless of the interests of your souls; but 
 I wonder if some of you have not pious mothers at 
 
376 APPENDIX. 
 
 home, who have loved you, and prayed for you, aye, 
 and have wept on your account." Having made these, 
 or very similar remarks, I cast my eyes rapidly over 
 the faces of those before me, and observed one who 
 was exceedingly wrought upon. Every muscle of 
 his face seemed to be moved, and the tears began to 
 trickle down his cheeks. Then addressing him parti- 
 cularly — "Soldier!" said I, "come here — I want to 
 talk with you." Sure enough, he immediately fol- 
 lowed me, and when we had gone a little way off — 
 "Soldier!" said I, "tell me — Have not you a pious 
 mother ?" Bursting into a flood of tears — " Yes, sir," 
 said he, " I have a very pious mother, a member of 
 the Methodist church in Pennsylvania." Here he 
 wept aloud — so loud that he might have been heard 
 a very considerable distance. After pointing out the 
 way of salvation to him, through a crucified Saviour, 
 as clearly as I could, I left him. Some two or three 
 days after I called again, and found him rejoicing in 
 the hope of glory. He had found his mother's Sa- 
 viour and his mother's God ! Heaven bless mothers, 
 pious mothers, all the world over ! and let all the an- 
 gels of God say Amen. Thank God, I too had a 
 pious mother. 
 
 THE END. 
 
Date Due 
 
 hf^. ? m 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 f)