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SERMONS, 
 
 ORIGINALLY COMPOSED FOR 
 
 A COUNTRY CONGREGATION. 
 
SERMONS, 
 
 ORIGINALLY COMPOSED FOR 
 
 A COUNTRY CONGREGATION 
 
 BY THE 
 
 REV. CORNELIUS IVES, M. A. 
 
 RECTOR OF BRADDEN, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE, AND 
 LATE OF EXETER COLLEGE, OXFORD. 
 
 SECOND EDITION. 
 
 OXFORD, 
 
 PRIXTEn BY S. COLLIXGWOOD, PPaXTER TO THE ITNIVEUSITY, 
 FOR THE author; 
 
 SOLD »Y J. II. PARKER ; AND MESSRS. RIVINGTOX, ST. PAl I.'s 
 CHURCHY'ARn AND WATERLOO PLACE, T,ONDON. 
 
 MDCCCXXXTII. 
 
TO THE RIGHT REVEREND 
 
 WILLIAM, 
 
 LORD BISHOP OF DURHAM, 
 
 THIS SECOND EDITION OF 
 
 THE FOLLOWING 
 
 SERMONS, 
 
 PUBLISHED UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF HIS 
 
 ENCOURAGING ADVICE AND APPROBATION, 
 
 IS INSCRIBED, 
 
 WITH RENEWED SENTIMENTS OF GRATEFUL 
 
 RESPECT AND ESTEEM, 
 
 BY 
 
 HIS LORDSHIP'S VERY DUTIFUL NEPHEW, 
 
 AND OBEDIENT SERVANT, 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 
 a3 
 

 -A. T n s L G I c A I. ,4* 
 
 TABLE OF C^rtJ^Tii^ 
 
 SERMON I. 
 The Former and the New Heavens and Earth. 
 Isaiah Ixv, i 7. 
 Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth : and the for- 
 mer shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. . . P. 1 . 
 
 SERMON II. 
 God is to be worshipped in Spirit and in Truth. 
 John iv. 23, 24. 
 The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall 
 worship the Father in spirit and in truth : for the Father 
 seeketh such to worship Him. God is a Spirit : and they 
 that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in 
 truth. p J « 
 
 SERMON III. 
 
 The Patriarchs Objects of the Divine Favour. 
 
 Hebrews xi. 16. 
 
 Wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God. P. 32. 
 
 SERMON IV. 
 The Complaint of Moses. 
 
 Exodus v. 23. 
 Neither hast Thou delivered Thy people at all P. 48. 
 
viii . CONTENTS. 
 
 SERMON V. 
 
 The Unbelief of St. Thomas. 
 
 John xx. 24. 
 
 Thomas, one of the tioelve, called Didymus, was not with them 
 
 when Jesus came P- 63. 
 
 SERMON VI. 
 On Charity. 
 
 I Corinthians xiv. i. 
 Follow after charity P. 78. 
 
 SERMON Vn. 
 On Repentance. 
 
 Luke xiii. 5. 
 Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish . P. 9,4. 
 
 SERMON VIII. 
 The Divine Wisdom exemplified and explained. 
 
 Luke vii. 35. 
 But wisdom is justified of all her children P. 1 1 i . 
 
 SERMON IX. 
 
 Christian Liberty — the abuse, and use of it. 
 
 Galatians v. 13. 
 Brethren^ ye have been called unto liberty ; only use not li- 
 berty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one 
 another P. i 27. 
 
 SERMON X. 
 
 The Agony of Jesus Christ in the Garden. 
 
 Matthew xxvi. 36, 37. 
 
 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, 
 
CONTENTS. ix 
 
 and saith unto the disciples. Sit ye here, while I go and 
 pray yonder. And He took with Him Peter and the two 
 sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very 
 heavy P. 1 43 . 
 
 SERMON XI. 
 On Justification. 
 
 Psalm xxxii, i, 2. 
 Blessed is he whose unrighteousness is forgiven, and whose sin 
 is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord im- 
 puteth no sin, and injjai^^t spirit there is no guile. P. 158. 
 
 SERMON XII. 
 
 On adopting the Righteousness of Jesus Christ. 
 
 Romans xiii. 14. 
 
 Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ P. 1 74. 
 
 SERMON XIII. 
 Jesus Christ our High Priest. 
 Hebrews iv. 15, 16. 
 We have not an High Priest tuhich cannot be touched with 
 the feeling of our infirmities ; but was in all points tempted 
 like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come 
 boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, 
 and find grace to help in time of need P. 190. 
 
 SERMON XIV. 
 Jesus Christ the Bread of Life. 
 
 John vi. 48, 49, 50. 
 Jesus said, — / am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat 
 manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread 
 which comeih down from heaven, that a man may eat there- 
 of, and not die P. 205 . 
 
\ CONTENTS. 
 
 SERMON XV. 
 
 Anxiety for the Morrow prohibited. 
 
 Matthew vi. 34. 
 
 Take therefore no thought for the morrow : for the morrow 
 
 shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto 
 
 the day is the evil thereof P. 2 2 1 . 
 
 SERMON XVL 
 
 The Christian's Hope of Spiritual Guidance and 
 
 Glory. 
 Psalm Ixxiii. 24. 
 
 Thou shall guide me with Thy counsel, and afterward receive 
 me to glory P. 236. 
 
 SERMON XVII. 
 
 The Sin of Jeroboam. 
 
 2 Kings x. 29. 
 
 Howbeit from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who 
 
 made Israel to sin, Jehu departed not from after them, to 
 
 wit, the golden calves that were in Beth-el, and that were 
 
 in Dan P. 254. 
 
 SERMON XVIIl. 
 The Contrition of Josiah. 
 
 2 Kings xxii. 1 1. 
 It came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the 
 book of the law, that he rent his clothes P. 27 i . 
 
 SERMON XIX. 
 
 The Duty of considerinc^ our Ways. 
 
 Haggai i. 7. 
 
 Thus saith the Lord of Hosts ; Consider your ways.. . P. 286. 
 
CONTENTS. xi 
 
 SERMON XX. 
 
 The Body and the Eagles spiritually interpreted. 
 
 LuKK xvii. 37. 
 
 They answered and said unto Him, Where, Lord ? And He 
 said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither icill the 
 eagles be gathered together P. 300. 
 
 SERMON XXI. 
 
 The Righteous scarcely saved. — The Ungodly and 
 
 the Sinner. 
 
 I Peter iv. 18. 
 
 If the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and 
 the sinner appear ? P. 3 15. 
 
 SERMON XXII. 
 
 The opposite Rewards of the Wicked and the 
 Righteous. 
 
 Proverbs xi. 18. 
 
 The wicked worketh a deceitful tvork ; but to him that soweth 
 righteousness shall be a sure reward P. 33 1 . 
 
 SERMON XXIII. 
 The Restoration of the Jews. 
 Jeremiah xxiii. 7, 8. 
 Therefore, behold^ the days come, saith the Lord, that they 
 shall no more say. The Lord liveth, which brought up the 
 children of Israel out of the land of Egypt ; but. The 
 Lord liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of 
 the house of Israel out of the north country, and from 
 all countries whither I had driven them ; and they shall 
 dwell in their own land P. 345. 
 
xii CONTENTS. 
 
 SERMON XXIV. 
 The Nature, generally, of the Things to come. 
 
 Daniel xii. 8, 9, 10. 
 And I heard, but I understood not : then said I, my Lord, 
 what shall be the end of these things 9 And he said. Go 
 thy icay, Daniel; for the words are closed up and sealed 
 till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, and made 
 jchite, and tried ; but the wicked shall do wickedly : and 
 none of the wicked shall understand, but the ivise shall un- 
 derstand P- 36 1 . 
 
 SERMON XXV. 
 All Saints' Day. 
 
 Psalm cxlix. 9. 
 This honour have all His saints. Praise ye the Lord. F. 377. 
 

 # 
 
 fes^ >^ ^ ^ r T v^ >v *-t -■•?* 
 
 Isaiah Ixv. 17. 
 
 Behold, I create neiv heavens ami a netv earth : and 
 the former shall not he remembered, nor come into 
 mind. 
 
 jL RULY excellent and glorious, in the begin- 
 ning, did God create the world, and its inha- 
 bitants. When " the earth was without form, 
 " and void, and darkness was upon the face 
 " of the deep," His eternal Spirit moved, or 
 brooded, thereupon ; and He sent forth His 
 word, and fashioned the shapeless mass, and 
 quickened it into life and beauty. God said, 
 " Let there be light," and there was light, 
 where all had, until then, been dark ; and 
 order and harmony succeeded to confusion. 
 The seas, and the dry land, which seem to 
 have been originally mingled together, be- 
 came distinct, and occupied the stations ap- 
 pointed to them ; after which, they were fur- 
 nished with their respective animals and plants. 
 Then the sun and the moon were set in their 
 high places, to mark our seasons, and to en- 
 liven the universe by their shining ; and fowls 
 
 13 
 
2 The New and the Former 
 
 were made to fly above the earth in the open 
 firmament of heaven. Last, and greatest, a 
 suitable habitation having been thus prepared 
 for him, man was framed in the likeness of 
 God, to represent Him amongst the inferior 
 creatures, and was inspired by Him with the 
 breath of life. And, respecting all these mighty 
 operations, the Creator is related from time to 
 time to have reviewed, and approved them in 
 His mind. At the close of each separate day, 
 or period. He saw, we are told, what had been 
 lately wrought by Him, that it was good : 
 likewise, at the conclusion of the whole, when 
 tlie evening and the morning were the sixth 
 day. He saw, or contemplated, in one compre- 
 hensive view, every thing which He had made, 
 and behold, it was very good. (Genesis i.) 
 
 Thus did the heavens and the earth, with 
 all that appertaineth to them, grow up, and 
 come forth from under the hand of God, bear- 
 ing the impress of His blessing and appro- 
 bation. Both the several parts of them were 
 admirably contrived by Him, their wise Mas- 
 ter-builder, and the universal scene appeared 
 admirably complete, fitly framed together into 
 one, as a noble temple without flaw or im- 
 l)erfection, and provided with a race of beings 
 who should speak His praise. Surely, we may 
 pronounce, of so perfect and grand a work, that 
 
Heavens and Earth. 3 
 
 it was most worthy for ever to abide, and be 
 had in remembrance. 
 
 Nevertheless saith the Lord, the Creator, 
 by Isaiah, "' Behold, I create new heavens and 
 " a new earth ; and the former shall not be 
 " remembered, nor come into mind ;" and St. 
 Peter, in his Second Epistle, after foretelling 
 the certain dissolution of the present, observes, 
 evidently referring to this, — " We, according 
 " to His promise, look for new heavens and 
 " a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteous- 
 " ness." (2 Peter iii. 13.) Also, it is written, 
 by the beloved St. John, " I saw a new hea- 
 " ven and a new earth : for the first heaven 
 ** and the first earth were passed away ; and 
 " there was no more sea :" and a little farther 
 on, it is recorded by him, " He that sat upon 
 " the throne said. Behold, I make all things 
 " new. And He said unto me. Write : for these 
 " words are true and faithful." (Revelation xxi. 
 1, 5.) Hence, our existing case, notwithstand- 
 ing its original goodness, appears to be not still 
 satisfactory, and approved. By the above Scrip- 
 tures, and especially by the text, it is signified 
 to us, that we have reason to look back on the 
 first happy condition of the universe with a feel- 
 ing chiefly of regret, and can be comforted only 
 by the prospect of such a change, as, amount- 
 ing to a new creation, shall virtually banish the 
 
 B 2 
 
4 The New and the Former 
 
 past, or the afflicting thoughts connected with 
 it, from our minds. The question, therefore, 
 here arises, — by what means hath this come to 
 be our condition ? whence, and in what parti- 
 culars, can we trace the occasion for new hea- 
 vens and a new earth to be created ; and to 
 bring about a forgetfulness of the former ; 
 since God in the beginning created them — 
 the heavens and the earth that are hitherto — 
 so very good ? 
 
 Now, concerning this, it will become us dis- 
 tinctly to acknowledge, that, had the universe 
 continued as it was made, nothing better could 
 reasonably have been desired. Had the per- 
 fect work of His hands been never marred 
 by an introduction of evil, God would not have 
 seen fit to promise that it should sometime be 
 made anew. But man, and, after him, all 
 created things, have grievously fallen from 
 their first estate. Through envy of the Devil, 
 sin came into the world, and death and misery 
 by sin. Probably within a short time from 
 their creation, did that malicious and subtle 
 adversary corrupt the innocence of our common 
 parents ; and thenceforward our condition, like 
 " the roll of the book" spread before Eze- 
 kiel, hath been naturally " written," or marked 
 " within and without, with mourning, lamenta- 
 " tion, and woe." Within, are evil and agitat- 
 
Heavens and Earth. 5 
 
 ing thoughts ; without, are disastrous accidents, 
 and a vexatious throng of inevitable discom- 
 forts. Unbelieving fears and perplexities, with 
 a host of other ungodly and uncharitable affec- 
 tions, commonly distract our minds ; and pains 
 and diseases, tending to sundry kinds of death, 
 consume our bodies. Add to which, these two 
 parts of man, designed originally for mutual en- 
 joyment and support, are apt to straiten and 
 afflict each other : an ill-ordered mind fre- 
 quently destroys the health and activity of the 
 body, and an ill-conditioned body no less fre- 
 quently very much hindereth the mind, when 
 it would fain be reasoning clearly and aright 
 on the things before it. Likewise the beasts, or 
 animals, which we esteem void of understand- 
 ing, appear to have been changed, together with 
 man, for the worse. No doubt, in the day 
 when God saw that they were good. He put 
 into them an instinct or disposition to dwell 
 together affectionately, or, at the least, in peace. 
 It is hardly on any ground to be questioned, 
 but that the all-wise and benevolent Creator 
 designed those inferior creatures to live on the 
 earth both quietly amongst themselves, and in 
 willing subjection to our suj^erior race ; where- 
 as now their prevailing habits are, to bite and 
 devour one another, and anxiously to avoid 
 the presence of man, except that certain will 
 
 B 3 
 
6 The New and the Former 
 
 resist, or rush on him as a prey. Moreover, 
 the creatures without life — the elements, for 
 instance, and the lights in the firmament, which 
 mark our days and months and years — have 
 ceased from being purely beneficial, as they 
 probably were to our first parents in Paradise. 
 So " cursed is the ground," for the sake of 
 fallen man, that, of its own accord, it chiefly 
 brings forth to him thorns and thistles, and un- 
 profitable weeds : not without the sweat of his 
 face can he eat bread ; and after his most pa- 
 tient toil, it is still subject to unfruitful seasons, 
 to the mischief of too much heat, or cold, of 
 long droughts or excessive rains. Also the 
 air, which we breathe, is apt sometimes to be- 
 come vexafiously stormy and tempestuous, at 
 others to grow putrid, and to engender plagues ; 
 the suns of summer are wont to scorch, and the 
 bright frosty moons of winter to chill our 
 frames, instead of comfortably cherishing and 
 refreshing them ; and, in short, all things, 
 though suffered hitherto to remain for our 
 preservation, and occasional comfort and de- 
 light, cannot but seem considerably disordered 
 in their course : however good enough, in their 
 ordinary way, to keep us alive our allotted 
 days on the earth, they are not sufficient to 
 satisfy and content us, or any more to afford 
 such happiness as, regarding the time of man's 
 
Heavens and Earth. 7 
 
 innocency, we are naturally moved to desire. 
 Thus, without at all imputing blame to God, 
 may we trace from its source downward the 
 occasion signified by the text for a new crea- 
 tion. Thus the state of our own souls and bo- 
 dies, and of almost whatever we can have to 
 do "v^'ith in the world, may well provoke each 
 one to exclaim after the manner of Job in his 
 special affliction, " O that 1 were as in time 
 " past, in the days when the candle of God 
 " shined upon man, and the secret of God was 
 " upon his tabernacle, when his glory was 
 " fresh in him, and he dwelt as a king under 
 **' the sun ! instead of which my path is marred, 
 " days of affliction have taken hold upon me, 
 " I am cast into the mire, and am become like 
 " dust and ashes." 
 
 After the foregoing representation of our 
 need, or of the condition and circumstances 
 into which man hath fallen by transgression, 
 you will be ready, my brethren, to contemplate 
 the promise of new heavens and a new earth, 
 which shall far surpass the very best that have 
 yet been known, both in the splendour and 
 blissfulness of their arrangement. 
 
 It is a most gracious promise, this, of God, 
 that He will create new heavens and a new 
 earth for a race of creatures who have done 
 so ill by the former. When He had seen that 
 
 B 4 
 
8 TJie Xew and the Former 
 
 they were very good, and had, as it were, 
 committed them to our keeping, whom like- 
 wise He had crowned with goodness, with 
 what a pernicious haste did we blight the 
 spring of them, and how inexcusably did we 
 pollute them by transgression. A few short 
 years, or (it may be) days, and by man's fool- 
 ish disobedience the excellent work of the Al- 
 mighty was standing defaced. Yet, He would 
 not instantly destroy it, nor doom man, who 
 had so greatly offended him, to a hopeless 
 death. On the contrary. He would create 
 anew that which Adam had corrupted, and, 
 meanwhile, appoint a fresh trial to our race, 
 by which they might, in process of time, be 
 rendered fit to inherit such His new creation, 
 or the joys of the world to come. Pursuant 
 then to this benevolent design, God moved 
 Himself, in a manner, from His rest, where- 
 with He had rested on the seventh day, and 
 began afresh to work. And, since He had 
 made the old universe by His Son and Spirit, 
 by the same divine Persons, or partakers of 
 His Godhead, the Father of Heaven deter- 
 mined to make the new one. Beginning with 
 man, who, in His fomer work, had been the 
 last-made creature, but, nevertheless, the first 
 introducer of mischief, He appointed His Son 
 to redeem, and His Spirit to sanctify him 
 
Heavens and Earth. 9 
 
 from the bands and defilement entailed by sin 
 upon his nature ; in a word, to render him a 
 new creature, and thereby a fit inhabitant of 
 the new heavens and the new earth, which He 
 had ordained. As by the Son of God the worlds 
 originally were made, and by the Spirit of 
 God condescending to hover on the turbid 
 waters — as by these the heavens and the earth 
 of old were framed, so by these, in due season, 
 are they to be renewed. The work hath long 
 ago been undertaken, and is incessantly ad- 
 vancing to its completion. Immediately after 
 the fall, the foundation of it was laid, by at 
 once putting man under a course of labour and 
 discipline adapted to subdue his rebellious 
 heart, and giving him comfortable promises to 
 excite its sinking energy. To the Patriarchs, 
 and after them to the Israelites under the Law, 
 these promises of future deliverance and con- 
 solation, and finally of a glorious rest, were 
 from time to time, and more at large, repeated, 
 by the Holy Spirit speaking through the pro- 
 phets. And then, at the predicted period, 
 came the Redeemer, "in fashion as a man," 
 to perform the larger part thereof by His min- 
 istry, and death, and triumphant resurrection 
 and ascension ; to procure for those who will 
 receive Him, an abundant supply of spiritual 
 blessing, and to assure them of all which the 
 
 B 5 
 
10 The New and the Former 
 
 prophets have spoken, that it shall eventually 
 be fulfilled, together vrith additional predictions 
 delivered by Himself and His Apostles. By such 
 means hitherto, hath God been dealing with men 
 to turn their hearts back again from disobedi- 
 ence, and to mould and create them anew after 
 His own righteous image, taking occasion, the 
 while, to utter threats of eternal vengeance, and 
 actually to inflict various terrible punishments 
 on the many, who have nevertheless hardened 
 themselves in perverseness. In this manner, 
 by a patient exercise of His exceeding mercy 
 and judgment, through the mediation of His 
 Son and Spirit, our Heavenly Father hath been 
 from of old proceeding to root out the invete- 
 rate corruption engendered in man by Adam's 
 sin, and to plant in him a conformity to His 
 will. And when He shall have effected this, 
 when He shall have " accomplished the number 
 " of His elect," or, to speak more explicitly, shall 
 have converted unto Himself in their respective 
 generations, to walk humbly with Him in faith 
 and love, all who will yield themselves to His 
 gracious counsels, when a company fit to re- 
 joice therein shall have been thus provided, 
 then at length will God visibly establish, on the 
 ruins of the present, the new heavens and new 
 earth which He is creating ; then, by His al- 
 mighty 1^0 wer, He will cause "the old things," 
 
Heavens and Earth, 11 
 
 which He formerly made, to pass away, and 
 " all things to become new," for the righteous 
 people renewed and sanctified by His grace. 
 
 This new condition is generally described to 
 us in Holy Scripture as free throughout from 
 the manifold troubles which now afflict us, and 
 full of blessings the most valuable and endless. 
 In the chapter which contains my text it is 
 written, *' Be ye glad and rejoice for ever in 
 " that which I create ; for, behold, I create Je- 
 " rusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy : the 
 " wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and 
 " the lion shall eat straw like the bullock : and 
 " dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall 
 " not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, 
 " saith the Lord." (Isaiah Ixv. 18, 25.) Also St. 
 John, to whom the new heavens and the new 
 earth were shewn beforehand in a spiritual vi- 
 sion, declares concerning them, " I heard a 
 " great voice out of heaven saying. Behold, 
 " the tabernacle of God is with men, and He 
 " will dwell with them, and they shall be His 
 " people, and God Himself shall be with them, 
 " and be their God. And God shall wipe away 
 " all tears from their eyes ; and there shall be 
 " no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying : 
 " neither shall there be any more pain : and 
 " there shall be no more curse : but the throne 
 " of God and of the Lamb shall be in it ; and 
 
 E 6 
 
12 The New and the Former 
 
 " His servants shall see His face, and His name 
 " shall be on their foreheads. And there shall 
 " be no night there ; and they need no candle, 
 " neither light of the sun ; for the Lord God 
 " giveth them light : • and they shall reign for 
 " ever and ever." (Revelation xxi. 3, 4. xxii. 3, 
 4, 5.) Besides these, there are many passages 
 to a similar effect both in the Old Testament 
 and in the New. These, however, should be 
 enough to convince us, that the new heavens 
 and the new earth, which God is creating, shall 
 prove to their inhabitants entirely blissful and 
 glorious, so as to prevent those natural feelings 
 of regret wherewith, otherwise, they might con- 
 tinue to regard the past. Considering only the 
 descriptions which have been cited, you can 
 easily imagine (what my text foretells) that the 
 former shall not be remembered, nor come into 
 mind. It were indeed an unaccountable thing, 
 if men admitted into that world of unalloyed 
 felicity should be vain enough still to dwell (in 
 memory) upon this, or even on the Paradise 
 which was early forfeited by transgression. 
 
 Yet, in drawing towards a conclusion, let me 
 state how discreetly this point should be under- 
 stood. The Lord's intention by the Prophet 
 was probably no more than to assure His peo- 
 ple, that, on having received His promise of a 
 new creation, they shall be fully satisfied with 
 
Heavens and Earth. 13 
 
 it, and unspeakably prefer it to the very best 
 condition which they can possibly have expe- 
 rienced in the old world. The final word of 
 the text might justly be rendered heart, instead 
 of mind. This difference is not an immaterial 
 one. With the mind, we ponder and compre- 
 hend a thing ; with the heart, we affect and love 
 it. Thus, " the former shall not be remem- 
 " bered nor come upon the heart," (Isaiah Ixv. 
 17. marg.) will simply mean, shall not be remem- 
 bered with affection. Neither here nor elsewhere 
 are we required utterly to forget the past, or 
 instructed that such a forgetfulness will ever 
 become us. The people of God are merely ad- 
 monished, that hereafter, provided they run 
 well unto the end, their hearts shall be so ex- 
 clusively occupied with somewhat better, as to 
 prevent them from at all grieving for the things 
 which have been, and shall then have passed 
 away. According to which, a believer may 
 easily discern the conduct which, while conver- 
 sant with them, it will behove him to pursue. 
 He will see fit to cherish a regretful sense of 
 the happiness formerly ordained for man in 
 Paradise, so long as it helps to beget in him 
 livelier conceptions of the happiness ordained 
 to come. He will think right to mind earthly 
 things, so far as to discover occasions for thank- 
 fulness in the goods which are still remaining, 
 
14 The New and the Former 
 
 and to learn, by the manifold tribulations 
 which have been let in, humility, obedience, 
 and resignation. Such habits of recollection and 
 of sober attention to our present state, appear 
 in no degree inconsistent with the words before 
 us, and are to be reckoned expedient and indis- 
 pensable towards an admission into that better 
 one in reserve. We have only to beware of 
 setting our hearts, our affections and hopes, on 
 worldly objects ; because the very best of them 
 shall sometime become naught, so surely as 
 even now they are unsatisfactory, and because 
 (not to mention the danger of being involved in 
 their destruction) in what proportion we per- 
 mit ourselves to love them here, in the same 
 we must suffer loss hereafter. 
 
 To this extent therefore, my brethren, and 
 within these limits, prepare yourselves not to 
 remember nor keep in mind the things of this 
 old world. Never, allow them to occupy the 
 place of that salvation which ought to be your 
 principal desire : nor seek after peace and hap- 
 piness chiefly by them, which turn to their own 
 decay, and are doomed to perish, so that, in the 
 morning of the resurrection, they shall be no 
 more ; but determine rather to have your por- 
 tion and your lives " hidden together with 
 " Christ in God," and thus to wait with a pa- 
 tient confidence, that in the day "when His 
 
Heavens and Earth, 15 
 
 " gloiy shall be revealed, ye may be glad also 
 " with exceeding joy." (1 Peter iv. 13.) 
 
 And, finally, in order to such a blessed con- 
 summation, " make you" (according to the ex- 
 hortation of Ezekiel) " a new heart, and a new 
 " spirit:" (Ezekiel xviii. 31.) "put off" (as the 
 apostle exhorts) " concerning the former con- 
 " versation the old man, and be renewed in the 
 " spirit of your minds." (Ephes. iv. 22, 23.) Such 
 a new creation must certainly be wrought in 
 you, previous to an entrance into the new 
 heavens and the new earth ; and it must be 
 wrought not without your own good-will and 
 sincere exertions ; for if man cannot do some- 
 thing towards making himself a new crea- 
 ture, the above exhortations to that effect are 
 merely vain words. No doubt God " worketh 
 " mightily" in His children, by the constrain- 
 ing love of Christ, and the powerful influences 
 of His Spirit, to renew them unto a conformity 
 udth His will ; still it is incumbent on them 
 gladly to second His gracious operations, and 
 especially to claim, by earnest prayer. His re- 
 peated promises, that a new heart and a new 
 spirit He will give them. (Ezek. xi. 19 ; xxxvi. 
 26.) About this there can be no question with 
 men of honest and unclouded understandings. 
 Wherefore, instead of foolishly looking for hap- 
 piness, which is not to be found by man in his 
 
16 New and Former Heavens and Earth. 
 
 old, or unrenewed state, be ruled, my brethren, 
 by the wise arrangement of God. According 
 to your desire of new or better circumstances, 
 see that yourselves be first of all made new. 
 Call without ceasing; upon Him, who giveth 
 more grace to every one that will humbly ask 
 for it ; and strive thereupon, as fellow-workers 
 with His grace, that your whole spirit and soul 
 and body may be purified from the corruption 
 that is in the world, and preserved blameless 
 unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
 Then, " as the new heavens and the new earth, 
 " which I will make, shall remain before me, 
 " saith the Lord," so shall you remain to inhe- 
 rit and enjoy them. Unto death shall succeed 
 an endless life in a kingdom which cannot be 
 removed ; and you shall walk for ever " in the 
 " light of His countenance," and be given to 
 " drink of the river of His pleasures." 
 
SERMON II. 
 
 John iv. 23, 24. 
 
 The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worship- 
 pers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: 
 for the Father seeketh such to ivorship Him. God is 
 a Spirit : and they that ivorship Him must worship 
 Him in spirit and in truth, 
 
 W ITH these words Jesus concluded His an- 
 swer to the woman of Samaria, when she had 
 inquired of Him, as of a person authorized to 
 declare the will of God, " where men ought to 
 " worship?" About this chiefly, had arisen that 
 inveterate hatred, which was subsisting between 
 the Samaritans and the Jews ; the Jews con- 
 tending zealously for the privilege which God 
 had assigned, from of old time, to their temple, 
 while the Samaritans perversely chose to wor- 
 ship Him on a mountain in their own district, 
 called Gerizim, and would scarcely allow a pas- 
 sage for persons preferring to go up to Jeru- 
 salem. Accordingly, no sooner did the woman 
 discover that she had fallen in with a prophet, 
 than she proposed to Him this highly interest- 
 ing matter, in order to obtain a decision of it 
 
18 Spiritual TForship. 
 
 from His mouth : " Our fathers," she stated, 
 " worshipped God in this mountain ; and ye 
 " say, that in Jerusalem is the place where 
 " men ought to worship." To this Jesus in 
 effect replied, that the time was fast drawing 
 on, when all respect with God to particular na- 
 tions or places should be at an end ; although 
 the Jews had hitherto been right in asserting 
 the superior sanctity of the city and temple to 
 which they resorted : "Woman," He said, " be- 
 " lieve me, the hour cometh, when ye shall nei- 
 " ther in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, 
 '' worship the Father : ye worship ye know not 
 " what ; we know what we worship : for sal- 
 " vation is of the Jews." Considering how 
 soon the temple at Jerusalem should be laid 
 in ruins, and the vail of ignorance, which had 
 long been spread over all people, destroyed, 
 Jesus deemed it more important to speak con- 
 cerning the manner, than the place, in which 
 God might be acceptably worshipped. Thus, 
 therefore, He forewarned the woman of Sama- 
 ria, even before He decided it against her, that 
 the point in dispute between her nation and 
 the Jews was already ceasing to be of conse- 
 quence, since the really peculiar holiness of 
 Jerusalem, no less than that which had been 
 falsely claimed for mount Gerizim, should soon 
 be utterly abolished, and in every place, " from^ 
 
Spiritual Worship. 19 
 
 " the rising up of the sun, even unto the going 
 " down of the same," men should offer " a pure 
 " offering" unto the Lord. (Malachi i.ll.) Also, 
 in the succeeding verses, which I have chosen 
 for my text. He uttered a like doctrine. Hav- 
 ing so far set aside the controversy referred to 
 Him, our Lord thence took occasion to declare, 
 " But the hour cometh, and now is, when the 
 " true worshippers shall worship the Father in 
 " spirit and in truth : for the Father seeketh 
 " such to worship him. God is a Spirit : and 
 " they that worship Him must worship Him in 
 " spirit and in truth." 
 
 Now, such having been so positively enjoin- 
 ed by our Divine Master, as the only acceptable 
 description of worship, especially for His dis- 
 ciples, the duty of worshipping accordingly must 
 needs appear, to all well disposed Christians, a 
 topic highly deserving consideration. 
 
 First then, God, being a Sj^irit, demands to 
 be worshipped in spirit by all who would be 
 accepted with him. 
 
 Observing God declared to be a Spirit, our 
 notion of Him thence should be, that He has 
 no bodily parts like ourselves, and that He is 
 invisible to mortal sight. However we may 
 read in Scripture of the face, and eyes, and 
 ears, and hands, and feet of God, it is not, 
 ^therefore, to be imagined, that He really pos- 
 
20 Spiritual TForship. 
 
 sesses any such members. Only out of conde- 
 scension to our capacities, and to impart a more 
 lively idea of the various counsels and opera- 
 tions of His Providence, they have been as- 
 cribed to Him by the inspired writers. The 
 face of God (for instance) is put to signify His 
 presence, the eyes and ears of God His watch- 
 ful superintendence, and the hands and feet of 
 God his active power ; but that in fact God 
 has none of these, being able, by mysterious 
 means, to exercise such His attributes without 
 them, may be alleged on the ground of his 
 many positive prohibitions to frame any image, 
 or fancied resemblance of Him. Likewise our 
 Lord declared to His disciples, " A spirit hath 
 " not flesh and bones, as ye see me have," (Luke 
 xxiv. 39;) and, " No man hath seen God at any 
 " time ; the only begotten Son, which is in the 
 " bosom of the Father, He hath revealed Him." 
 (John i. 18.) From these considerations, the 
 necessity which is laid upon us to worship God 
 in spirit, will appear sufficiently evident and 
 reasonable. Such as the nature of God is, such 
 must our service be. We are bound specially 
 to honour Him with that part of ourselves, 
 which is specially imparted to us of His es- 
 sence. Our bodies were made originally of the 
 dust of the ground, and are successively born 
 into the world of earthly parents; but our 
 
spiritual JVorship. 21 
 
 souls or spirits, there is much reason to sup- 
 pose, are derived to us more immediately from 
 God. Indeed, it is stated, concerning the first 
 man, " The Lord God breathed into his nos- 
 " trils the breath of life ; and man became a 
 " living soul." (Gen. ii. 7.) In that, therefore, 
 it appears meet and right that He should re- 
 quire to be principally worshipped. Pursuant 
 to this statement of their origin, our souls, and 
 all that is within us, are specially obliged to 
 render homage unto their Creator. 
 
 Further, or with a view to illustrate and en- 
 force the above argument, I will bid you ob- 
 serve, that even men, who have both a body 
 and a spirit, account but meanly of any act of 
 the body, from which they suspect the spirit to 
 be wanting. We set no value upon, but are 
 rather inclined to despise and reject, the strong- 
 est mere words and gestures, (whenever we can 
 discover them to be such,) whether of obedience 
 or of love. Nay, more, substantial helps and 
 services, which in all cases must prove bene- 
 ficial to us, fail to yield any adequate satisfac- 
 tion, if not apparently done with heartiness 
 and with spirit. Let our bodies be ever so 
 much advantaged by the bodily exertions of 
 others, yet, unless they shew marks of kind- 
 ness and alacrity from within, our inward man 
 cannot feel gratified or refreshed. The most 
 
22 Spiritual Worsldj). 
 
 trifling attention, proceeding clearly from bene- 
 volence, will commonly impart greater pleasure 
 to the receiver, than somewhat of a far supe- 
 rior price, accompanied by coldness and con- 
 straint. This qualification, we cannot doubt, 
 nmst be infinitely more necessary in order to 
 our acceptance with God. Since men cannot 
 be pleased with a benefit, in which the spirit 
 of the benefactor is not concerned, much less 
 can God be expected favourably to accept any 
 merely outward worship. That must be as no 
 worship before Him, who is purely and entirely 
 a Spirit, which is offered without the spirit of 
 the worshipper ; and (as our Lord's remark on 
 the widow's mite may assure us) every offer- 
 ing, both of deeds and of words, will be esteem- 
 ed by our heavenly Father, and obtain the re- 
 turn of His blessing, in proportion to the piety 
 of spirit which it may denote. 
 
 However, let me not be understood to argue, 
 as if men, having bodies which they can use, 
 may acceptably worship God without a corre- 
 sponding presentation of them. The body of 
 each one is prepared for him, that, by means 
 of it, he may second, or shew forth that homage 
 of his spirit, which is first and most indispen- 
 sably required. The slothfulness, or perhaps 
 some other corrupt propensity, of our nature, 
 is apt to suggest, that, provided we worship in 
 
Sjmitual Worship. 23 
 
 spirit, it makes no difference whether at home, 
 or at Church, whether sitting, or standing, or 
 on our knees, whether frequenting, or turning 
 away from, the Lord's table. But this doc- 
 trine, although true, and full of comfort with 
 respect to such as, by reason of sickness, or 
 necessary avocations, have not command over 
 their bodies, cannot with propriety be conceded 
 to any other description of persons. Respect- 
 ing men in general, it should not be deemed 
 uncharitable to affirm, that their spirits are not 
 right, or, at the least, will not long continue 
 so, who forsake the assembling of themselves 
 together, or neglect to pray with bended knees, 
 or to eat and drink at the table of Christ, in 
 remembrance of the sacrifice of His death. A 
 genuine spirit of devotion will not fail in every 
 possible case to evince itself by such tokens, 
 which are strongly enjoined and commended 
 to us in Scripture. The Apostles and first dis- 
 ciples lived in the habit (be it remembered) of 
 exhibiting them ; and, judging by their prac- 
 tice, we may suppose, that, as by works, faith, 
 so, by these bodily observances, spiritual wor- 
 ship is to be made perfect. It should seem 
 hardly less worthy of a Christian to say unto 
 our heavenly Father, " Hallowed be Thy name," 
 while we omit such visible methods of hallow- 
 ing it, than to say to the naked and hungry. 
 
24 Spiritual IForship. 
 
 " Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled," 
 without tendering, according to our ability, a 
 supply of such things as they require. (James 
 ii. 14, 15, 16, 22.) 
 
 And, to go even further on this point, it may 
 be proper sometimes to advance, as it were, 
 before the spirit, in the use of what I will call 
 bodily worship. Should the spirit be too weak 
 to stir the body, one may try whether the body 
 can excite the spirit. Let a man be only spi- 
 ritual enough to wish that he were so in a 
 greater degree, and such an experiment will 
 probably have a good result. For example; 
 is one sensible that he is lacking humility, or 
 a disposition to fall down and kneel before the 
 Lord his Maker? He should attempt by the 
 way of kneeling to acquire it. Does a Chris- 
 tian perceive himself not sufficiently inclined 
 to go with his brethren into God's house ? He 
 will do well nevertheless to go, hoping that the 
 place and the company, or somewhat which he 
 shall there hear, may take effect on him. Are 
 we apprehensive of not loving Christ with the 
 pious warmth which becometh Christians ? Yet 
 will it be our wisdom to draw near, and par- 
 take of the sacrament of His holy supper, to 
 the intent that we may thus be qualified to 
 love Him better. Many, no doubt, are they, 
 whose spirits have been beneficially reacted on 
 
Spiritual TForship. 25 
 
 by the suitable postures and actions of their 
 bodies. A lifting up of the hands and eyes 
 has oftentimes, ere now, been of use in lifting 
 up the heavy heart towards heaven. Nor are 
 men guilty of superstition, or hypocrisy, when 
 they adopt these practices, rather as striving 
 for, than as already possessing, the answerable 
 spirit of devotion. Provided they rest not in 
 any thing merely outward, and have no pur- 
 pose of deceiving others, they are, in fact, men 
 waiting upon God, and following after His 
 Spirit, to supply the defects, and quicken the 
 sluggishness, of their own. 
 
 But I will hence proceed directly to explain, 
 in the second place, how we must be careful to 
 worship God in truth. 
 
 This may briefly be interpreted to mean, 
 that we must worship Him in sincerity, and 
 in a manner conformable to the instructions of 
 His word. 
 
 They who would be accepted with God, 
 must worship Him in sincerity, that is to say, 
 without pretence, or reserve. Men may (as 
 above asserted) adopt outward gestures and 
 acts of homage, for the purpose of exciting an- 
 swerable feelings within ; because their desire 
 to experience such feelings proves them to be 
 already, in a certain degree, spiritual ; but they 
 must not take any methods of this sort, with 
 
 c 
 
^6 Sphitnal Pforship, > 
 
 a view to make themselves appear more devout 
 than they really are. The fairest shew of bodily 
 worship, however useful, and therefore fit to 
 be employed, towards promoting and enliven- 
 ing devotion of the spirit, becomes offensive, 
 when offered in the stead of it, — an actual 
 breach of truth before God, who searcheth the 
 hearts, and a hypocritical display before men, 
 disgusting alike to the holy and the profane, 
 whensoever it shall be detected, or seen through. 
 The Pharisees, who, for a pretence only, or to 
 cloak their unrighteousness, made long prayers, 
 were doomed, on that account, to a severer con- 
 demnation by Him who shall judge the secrets 
 of men, and, meanwhile, are a by-word until 
 this day. Nor is there any sin more difficult 
 to be thrown aside than hypocrisy. It requires 
 a strength of resolution, such as a hypocrite 
 rarely can exert, to put off his covering of de- 
 ceit, and confess himself what he really is, pre- 
 paratory to becoming what he ought to be ; 
 add to which, the hypocrite is sometimes judi- 
 cially given up by God to deceive himself, so 
 long as he lives, after that he hath been dis- 
 covered by his fellow-creatures, and hath con- 
 sequently lost his power of deceiving them. — 
 Likewise, in worshipping God, the Christian 
 should lay aside every description of reserve. 
 In confession, there must be no mind to dis- 
 
Spiritual WorsJiip. 27 
 
 semble, no attempt to cloak or excuse our sins, 
 before Him with whom we have to do. In 
 supplication and thanksgiving, we must wholly 
 submit our affairs to His discretion, and ac- 
 knowledge even chastisements to be mercies, 
 as tending, if received aright, to correct and 
 j)urify our hearts ; " in every thing," says the 
 apostle, '* giving thanks : for this is the will of 
 " God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (1 Thess. 
 V. 18.) In short, our devotion of every kind 
 must be entire, or God will surely have none 
 of it. To keep back a single sinful habit, as 
 not willing to confess and forsake it, is enough 
 to render a man's worship, though marked 
 perhaps with fervency of spirit, a worthless 
 and unacceptable offering. St. Paul writes to 
 Timothy, " I will therefore that men pray 
 " every where, lifting uj) holy hands, without 
 " wrath and doubting :" (1 Tim. ii. 8.) and the 
 Psalmist, at a much earlier period, could tes- 
 tify, " If I regard iniquity in my heart, the 
 " Lord will not hear me." (Psalm Ixvi. 18.) 
 
 That we must worship in truth, may be fur- 
 ther received to signify, that we must worship 
 conformably to the instructions of God's word. 
 Accordingly, it concerns us to avoid conten- 
 tions and divisions, especially in things per- 
 taining unto His service. Our Divine Master 
 prayed, that His disciples might be all one in 
 
 C 2! 
 
9>8 Spiritual Worship. 
 
 Himself and His Father; (John xvii. 21.) it 
 was the practice of the apostles, in agreement 
 with such His prayer, to lift up their voices 
 unto God " with one accord," as indeed it was 
 of the multitude of the early believers ; (Acts 
 iv. 24 — 32.) and St. Paul hath forcibly stated 
 the reason why believers in the Gospel should 
 be thus one, where he writes, " There is one 
 " Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and 
 " Father of all, who is above all, and through 
 " all, and in you all." (Ephes. iv. 5, 6.) Hence, 
 there must be somewhere a serious departure 
 from the truth, when Christians are to be seen 
 going divers ways, instead of coming together 
 to worship in Christ's name. It will be right 
 also here to subjoin, that though we may law- 
 fully attempt to lift up the soul by a suitable 
 disposition of the body, we may not frame for 
 that purpose any image or visible shape what- 
 soever. One may plead, that it is easier to 
 worship an image, which he can see, than a 
 spiritual Being, whom he cannot see ; yet such 
 worship is a gross offence against the truth, not 
 only of the Law, but also of the Gospel. Since 
 God hath positively revealed Himself to us by 
 His Son, as a Spirit, and hath required us, at 
 the same time, to worship Him in spirit and 
 truth, how shall any one, calling himself a 
 believer in Christ, fall down before a graven 
 
Spiritiuil TForship. 29 
 
 image ? Nothing surely can be conceived more 
 displeasing, and contrary to the Divine will, 
 than such conduct. 
 
 To conclude with briefly summing up the 
 matter. It has been argued, my brethren, that 
 God, being a Spirit, will accept nothing short 
 of a spiritual worship from His creatures, unto 
 whom spirits or souls have been imparted by 
 Him. This, however, standing as the princi- 
 pal requisite towards acceptance, He, at the 
 same time, requires bodily worship, by the 
 token that He hath provided us also with 
 bodies. And this latter worship, of the body, 
 may sometimes be used a while first, out of con- 
 descension to human infirmity, and in order to 
 produce the former worship of the spirit. Only 
 there must be no hypocrisy — no wish that 
 either God or our neighbours should suppose 
 us more in earnest than we are ; but all our 
 worship must be done in truth, i. e., with an 
 entire sincerity, and with a respect to both the 
 nature and the will of God, made known to us 
 by the Gospel of His Son. In coming before 
 Him, we must put away all pretence and dis- 
 simulation, must lay aside every sin, must be 
 at peace, or in unity and Christian fellowship, 
 one with another, and (as St. John affection- 
 ately exhorts) must " keep ourselves from 
 " idols," (1 John v. 21.) or images, with a 
 
 c 3 
 
30 Spiritual I^Forship. 
 
 determination the most scruj)ulous and firm. 
 On the whole, our resohition should be, to 
 " pray with the spirit, and to pray with the 
 " understanding also," (1 Cor. xiv. 15.) and to. 
 " glorify God both with our bodies, and with 
 " our spirits, which are God's," (1 Cor. vi. 20.) 
 redeemed unto Himself with the blood of His 
 Son ; since thus alone can we reasonably hope 
 to obtain His blessing. And if any consider this 
 too hard for them, as having tried, and found 
 by experience, how grievously the infirmities 
 of flesh and blood are apt to weigh down the 
 aspirings of the soul, let them be encouraged 
 by what is said in the text, resembling more a 
 promise or. prophecy than a command, that the 
 true worshippers shall so worship the Father ; 
 " for," it is added, " the Father seeketh such to 
 " worship Him." Hence it should seem that, 
 in these last days, God is continually looking 
 down from heaven, for j)ersons truly anxious 
 to serve Him worthily, that He may shed 
 abroad His divine Spirit of grace and suppli- 
 cation in their souls. Be we careful, then, to 
 be found of Him amongst that class. Let us 
 present ourselves with humility at His foot- 
 stool, as men heartily desirous to worship Him 
 better than by nature we can succeed in doing. 
 So we may hope that He will favourably ac- 
 knowledge us for true worshippers, to the best 
 
Spiritual Worship. 31 
 
 of our ability; and that, by His Word and 
 Spirit, He will daily act upon our minds and 
 spirits, until we both worship in spirit and in 
 truth, here in earth, and become fit to take a 
 joyful part in the yet more perfect worship of 
 heaven. 
 
 c 4 
 
SERMON III. 
 
 Hebrews xi. 16. 
 Wherefore God is not ashamed to he called their God. 
 
 J. HE persons, respecting whom principally 
 this is written, were Abraham, Isaac, and Ja- 
 cob, the great forefathers of the Jewish people. 
 Accordingly, the Hebrews, or Jews, would feel 
 naturally most interested in such a mention of 
 them, as also of the other worthies specially 
 belonging to their history, whom the Apostle 
 likewise mentions throughout the chapter. And 
 St. Paul, the probable author of this Epistle, 
 who hath somewhere described himself " a He- 
 " brew of the Hebrews," treats the subject with 
 a highly expressive eloquence. He evidently 
 experienced a peculiar warmth and elevation of 
 spirit, while thus admonishing his countrymen, 
 who had believed the Gospel, and pleasing them 
 " for their good to edification." 
 
 However, believers of every kindred should 
 feel interested, scarcely less than the Hebrew 
 Christians, in recollecting the grace of God to- 
 wards them of old time, and the conduct by 
 which they obtained His approbation. Thence, 
 
The Patriarchs y ohjects of the Divine favour. 33 
 
 from the transactions of the former days, may 
 be derived by every one many an impressive 
 example of the uniform mercy and truth of the 
 Divine counsels. Besides, of the three referred 
 to in the text, Abraham, the first and chief est, 
 is represented in the writings of the New Tes- 
 tament to have been the " father of all them 
 " that believe," (Romans iv. 11.) the father, in a 
 spiritual sense, of the whole Christian family, 
 of the Gentiles, no less than of the Jews ; pur- 
 suant to which, it will certainly behove us to 
 regard him with an extraordinary degree of in- 
 terest and veneration. I propose, therefore, on 
 the present opportunity, to state, respecting this 
 Patriarch, and the two who are commonly 
 named with him, first, the main points of ex- 
 cellency in their characters, on account of which 
 the Lord Jehovah " was not ashamed to be 
 " called their God," and, secondly, the meaning 
 and privileges of that exceedingly valuable dis- 
 tinction. 
 
 First then, their faith., comprehensively 
 speaking, was the main excellence in the cha- 
 racters of these men ; by that, in a word, they 
 obtained their good report. But faith, like 
 other inward dispositions of the mind, can 
 hardly secure praise and salvation, unless it be 
 answerably exercised, and proved. The faith- 
 ful must have a word of promise from God, on 
 
 c 5 
 
34 The Patriarchs^ objects 
 
 which to depend, and a suitable manner of life 
 marked out for them, or their faith will fail to 
 have its perfect work. Now the Lord began 
 with saying to Abraham, " Get thee out of thy 
 " country, and from thy kindred, and from thy 
 '' father's house, unto a land that I will shew 
 " thee : and I will make of thee a great na- 
 " tion, and I will bless thee, and make thy 
 " name great ; and thou shalt be a blessing : 
 " and in thee shall all families of the earth 
 " be blessed." Gen. xii. 1, 2, 3. Such were the 
 promises and directions communicated unto 
 Abraham by the God of truth, to call forth and 
 stablish the faith that was in him ; a promise 
 (observe) o^futnre good, and directions to incur 
 present trouble. 
 
 The promise was entirely one of future good, 
 such as Abraham could not then see with his 
 bodily eyes, nor expect, during his lifetime, to 
 enjoy : it signified to him, that his descendants 
 should become numerous, and an illustrious 
 people ; that his name, as the father of them, 
 should be likewise illustrious, or " remain under 
 " the sun among the posterities ;" and that from 
 him, that is, from his race, the api^ointed Sa- 
 viour of the world should, " in the fulness of 
 " the time," be born. So distant was the pro- 
 mise made to Abraham. Nevertheless, in con- 
 nection with it, no small immediate trouble Avas 
 
of the Divine favour. 35 
 
 enjoined upon him ; and that of a peculiar 
 kind. The directions given to the Patriarch, 
 which appear in fact to have preceded the pro- 
 mise, were, not merely that he should keep 
 judgment, and do justice, and shew compassion, 
 and refrain from offending the Divine Majesty, 
 after the manner of all well ordered men, nor 
 merely that he should in these respects excel 
 the best of those around him ; but he received 
 a special commandment to leave his kindred 
 and his father's house, and to go out, not know- 
 ing whither, " unto a land," said God, " which 
 " I will shew thee." The Lord Jehovah re- 
 quired him to quit his native home, and coun- 
 try, and to follow implicitly His guidance to- 
 wards another. 
 
 Hardly could one in the habit of consulting 
 chiefly with flesh and blood have consented to 
 this. A man of a selfish or a worldly mind, 
 situated like Abraham, would surely have re- 
 monstrated against the Divine injunction. Such 
 a man would long and strenuously have de- 
 clined to quit his comfortable possession, and 
 settled residence, and all which was naturally 
 dear to him, for another unknown region, and 
 a remote prospect of magnificence to his seed. 
 Instead of instantly departing, he would have 
 required some additional information concern- 
 ing the promised land ; nor would he easily 
 
 c 6 
 
36 The Pafriai'chs, objects 
 
 have been moved b}^ a hope of the great name 
 and blessing, which were to result, in the days 
 to come, from his obedience. After his carnal 
 heart he would have been apt to plead, " I 
 " have already a land, to dwell in, good enough 
 " for my reasonable wants and desires ; and as 
 " to becoming celebrated, and an object of ve- 
 " neration throughout the world, what is the 
 " profit which will thence accrue to me, while 
 " I am lying in the dust of death, that I should 
 " become for it a wanderer and an exile ? let 
 " me alone, to abide, and die, where I am." In 
 such, or other like terms, a man, not having 
 the spirit of faith, would probably have re- 
 jected the Divine calling. 
 
 But Abraham was more obediently disposed. 
 His mind was not for expostulating, or gain- 
 saying, when once the purpose and will of 
 God had been disclosed to him. No sooner had 
 he been called to "go out into the place 
 " which he should after receive for an inherit- 
 " ance," than he went out, yielding himself 
 without hesitation to the Divine guidance. Re- 
 specting the promises, although a performance 
 of them seemed contrary to nature, Abraham 
 " stae'ffered not" at them throu2:li unbelief. 
 On the contrary, having by faith seen them 
 afar off, " he was persuaded of them, and em- 
 " braced them, and confessed himself a stranger 
 
of the Divine favour . 37 
 
 " and a pilgrim" for their sake, dwelling in tents 
 with Isaac and Jacob, who sprang from him. 
 These eminently faithful three were successive- 
 ly convinced of the truth of all which had been 
 promised, even as if they had been put actually 
 in the possession of it. Also, they accepted it, 
 as worthy to be desired. Their spirits within 
 them sincerely loved, and laid hold upon, and 
 clung fast to the future blessing. At a period 
 of general corrnption and idolatry, it seemed 
 to them not a small matter, that their posterity 
 should receive to inhabit a good land and a 
 large, as a holy nation before the Lord, and that 
 themselves should be had in everlasting remem- 
 brance, and transmit the Divine blessing to all 
 the various tribes of the earth. This appeared 
 not unimportant in their eyes, although they 
 must depart hence many ages previous to its 
 accomplishment. Rather than let it slip, or 
 pass by them to another family, they con- 
 sented without a murmur to become, for their 
 own part, strangers and sojourners, or to be 
 frequently moving to and fro throughout their 
 lives, as men without a settled habitation. 
 Such being the counsel of God, to prevent 
 them from learning the works of the heathen, 
 they went up and down in a manner alone 
 amongst them, avoiding to mingle, or form 
 connexions, with any. Thus did the " elders," 
 
38 The Patriarchs^ objects 
 
 whom we are contemplating, namely, Abra- 
 ham, Isaac, and Jacob, " walk by faith," not 
 actually receiving, nor expecting to receive, the 
 promised benefit, within the period of their 
 mortal lives. Their main anxiety was, so to 
 pass the time of their sojourning here, as that 
 they might hand down the hoj)e of it unimpaired 
 to their children after them. And, when they 
 had accordingly finished their pilgrimage, they 
 died, as they had lived, in faith ; they expe- 
 rienced, in their last hours, a full conviction, 
 that God would infallibly perform His gra- 
 cious covenant to their descendants, throughout 
 all generations ; and thereupon piously com- 
 mitted their souls into His hands, to deal with 
 them after his loving-kindness. It is true, that 
 life and immortality had not then been brought 
 to light by the Gospel. Yet the Patriarchs 
 must surely have been able to suppose, that 
 God had goodness laid up with Himself, for so 
 many as would put their trust in Him, besides 
 the temporal and earthly gifts which He had 
 sworn specially to confer on their seed. In 
 fact, the Apostle in this very chapter remarks, 
 that they adopted, and so steadily pursued, 
 the above course, " looking for a city which 
 " hath foundations, whose Builder and Maker 
 " is God :" likewise again, having noticed their 
 confession, that they were " strangers and j^il- 
 
of the Divine favour. 39 
 
 " grims on the earth," he observes, " they 
 " that say such things declare plainly that they 
 " seek a country. And truly, if they had been 
 " mindful of that country from whence they 
 " came out, they might have had opportunity 
 " to have returned. But now they desire a bet- 
 " ter country, that is, an heavenly : wherefore 
 " God is not ashamed to be called their God : 
 " for He hath prepared for them a city." 
 
 As to the truth of the Apostle's statement, 
 that God, whose name is Jehovah, is not 
 ashamed to be called their God, the following 
 Scriptures will be sufficient to prove it : " The 
 " word of the Lord came unto Abraham, saying, 
 " I am thy shield, and thj^ exceeding great re- 
 " ward." " I will bless them that bless thee, 
 " and curse him that curseth thee ;" and " I 
 " will establish my covenant between me and 
 " thee, and thy seed after thee in their gene- 
 " rations, for an everlasting covenant, to be a 
 " God unto thee, and thy seed after thee," 
 (Genesis xv. 1. xii. 3. xvii. 7.) Also on a sub- 
 sequent occasion, God commissioned Moses to 
 say unto the children of Israel, " The Lord God 
 " of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the 
 " God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath 
 " sent me unto you : this is my name for ever, 
 " and this is my memorial unto all generations." 
 (Exodus iii. 15.) And St. Peter, preaching the 
 
40 The Patriarchs, objects 
 
 Gospel unto the same people, by the inspiration 
 of the Holy Ghost declared, " The God of 
 " Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of 
 " your fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus." 
 (Acts iii. 13.) Hence, therefore, let me proceed, 
 secondly, to point out the meaning and privi- 
 leges of this excellent distinction. 
 
 In consequence of the unfeigned faith, and 
 corresponding obedience to his directions, which 
 dignified the characters of those ancient patri- 
 archs, the Lord Jehovah, the Almighty God, 
 was not ashamed to be called their God. This 
 should be understood to signify, that He had 
 no apprehension of dishonouring His holy 
 Name by acknowledging them, and by accord- 
 ingly protecting and shewing mercy on them, 
 in the sight of men. 
 
 Beyond dispute, each one of the three is re- 
 corded to have occasionally done amiss. Ne- 
 vertheless, God would call Himself, and would 
 be imiversally called, their's ; for their leading 
 principle was to perform His will, and to mag- 
 nify Him, notwithstanding that they evidently 
 fell short of perfection, and were guilty of some 
 even disgraceful infirmities. He saw their con- 
 duct on the wJiole decidedly tending to the sup- 
 port and advancement of His authority in the 
 world ; and hence, although imperfect, it seemed 
 not unworthy to be encouraged by Him, and 
 
of the Divine favour. . 41 
 
 accepted. Certainly, they were actuated by a 
 sincere intention to honour Him, and He would 
 honour them in return ; yea, He would have 
 them remembered down to the latest ages, as 
 the so?'t of men with whom He could be well- 
 pleased. They had given up, depending wholly 
 on His word, their kindred, and friends, and 
 native country ; an infallible proof, that there 
 was none upon earth whom they looked to, or 
 desired, in comparison with Him ; so the Lord 
 Almighty disdained not — thought no scorn — 
 to become unto them instead of these ; He 
 openly received them to a friendly and an af- 
 fectionate intercourse with Himself, and per- 
 mitted them to make their boast in Him, and 
 to proclaim Him, " the portion of their inherit- 
 " ance and of their cup," who would surely 
 " maintain their lot." Their " glory was great 
 " in His salvation ;" and they were allowed to 
 cherish a comfortable hope, that He would fulfil 
 His merciful kindness towards them, by doing 
 good to them ever more and more. 
 
 To that end, or with a constant view to 
 fulfil it. He who was not ashamed to be called 
 their God, carefully protected them from any 
 lasting hurt. In the language of the Psalms, 
 the faithful ones, whose conduct has been sur- 
 veyed, were kept by Him " as the apple of an 
 " eye," and hidden " under the shadow of his 
 
42 The Patriarchs, ohjects 
 
 " wings from the ungodly," who were disposed 
 to trouble, or root them out : " What time as 
 " they went from one nation to another, from 
 " one kingdom to another people. He suffered 
 " no man to do them wrong : but reproved 
 " even kings for their sakes ; Touch not mine 
 " anointed, and do my prophets no harm." 
 (Psalm cv. 13, 14, 15.) The heathen, among 
 whom they pitched their tents, were admon- 
 ished, by great plagues or otherwise, that none 
 might injure them with impunity. Moreover, 
 provision was made for them against the course 
 of natural evil. When a dearth was ordained 
 to take place, one of the sons of Jacob was 
 wonderfully sent beforehand into the land of 
 Egypt, and there exalted, that he might pre- 
 serve the lives of his father and brethren, with 
 their households. And in dealing with them, 
 even on occasion of their infirmities and sins, 
 the Lord God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of 
 Jacob approved Himself to be still their God. 
 He would neither let them alone, nor go so far 
 as to destroy them in their transgressions ; but 
 His manner was, to connect with each trespass 
 which they committed, an apj)ropriate and sa- 
 lutary punishment. He chastened them, " as a 
 " man chasteneth his son," whom he desires to 
 reclaim, and to keep in the right way. We 
 find Him not at any time speaking to them as 
 
of the Divine favour, 43 
 
 in wrath, or vexing them as in sore displea- 
 sure. Their most grievous errors only moved 
 Him to inflict on them the requisite degree of 
 wholesome discipline and trouble. His prin- 
 cipal intention in all their afflictions, was to 
 render them humbly conscious of their mis- 
 deeds, and so again becoming objects of His 
 favour. As to permanently disowning or re- 
 jecting them, that would He never do, while 
 they, lamenting their transgressions, would still 
 resort to Him, and " put their trust in His 
 " mercy." 
 
 Having thus sufficiently enlarged on the 
 topics suggested by the text, I propose to con- 
 clude this discourse with briefly applying them 
 to all that are at the present called of God, 
 through Jesus Christ His Son, and the Holy 
 Ghost sent down from heaven. 
 
 To all such, and not least, my brethren, to 
 yourselves, the declaration of the apostle under 
 review may, without doing violence to it, be 
 brought home. God hath foreknown and loved 
 you, and called you, with a holy calling, to be 
 His children and people, by the ministration of 
 the Gospel of His Son. This may be said, with 
 scarcely an exception, to the whole number 
 who bear the Christian name ; and there is 
 the more need to say it, because the grace of 
 God is sometimes disclaimed by unworthy 
 
44 The Patriarchs^ objects 
 
 Christians, who would rather suppose them- 
 selves not to have received it at all, than to 
 have received it negligently, and in vain. Let 
 me repeat, therefore, that so many as have been 
 born and brought up within the sound of 
 Christ's saving word, and within the reach of 
 His sacramental ordinances, have undoubtedly 
 been called by God to be His own. And their 
 calling bears a striking resemblance to that 
 ancient one which was addressed to Abraham. 
 The following are specimens of its general 
 tenor : " Be ye not unequally yoked together 
 " with unbelievers — Come out from among 
 " them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, 
 " and touch not the unclean thing ; and I will 
 " receive you, and will be a Father to you, and 
 " ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith 
 " the Lord Almighty." (2 Cor. vi. 14, 17, 18. 
 " Love not the world, neither the things of the 
 " world." (1 John ii. 5.) " Set your affections 
 " on things above, not on things on the earth." 
 (Coloss. iii. 2.) " Be not slothful, but followers 
 " of them who through faith and patience in- 
 *' herit the promises." (Heb. vi. 12.) Hence, 
 then, should arise the solemn consideration, 
 God hath surely offered Himself to be our 
 God, and hath instructed us to walk before 
 Him, and be blessed, together with Abraham, 
 Isaac, and Jacob ; yea, and even with His Son 
 
of the Divine favour, 45 
 
 Jesus Christ, " the Author and Finisher of our 
 " faith :" and to that should succeed the im- 
 l)ortant question, — in what manner have we 
 hitherto accepted His goodness ? It might 
 seem improper to put the case, that any mem- 
 bers of a Christian congregation are wilful de- 
 spisers of the Gospel. You have all, no doubt, 
 been baptized, and are professedly choosing to 
 have God for your God, and are accustomed to 
 desire the recompense of the reward. Let me 
 advise you, however, further to examine, whe- 
 ther you have justly laid " the foundation of 
 " repentance from dead works, and of faith to- 
 " wards God, and of resurrection of the dead, 
 " and of eternal judgment." (Heb. vi. 1, 2.) 
 This foundation must be laid broad and deep 
 in " the hidden man of your hearts," or you 
 will hardly run well " towards the mark, for 
 " the prize of your high calling in Christ 
 " Jesus." You will not otherwise be prepared 
 to deny yourselves, and to mortify your cor- 
 rupt affections and lusts. Instead of readily 
 foregoing worldly conveniences, when they 
 would prevent you from better things, you 
 will be apt to grasp them with a covetous 
 spirit : you will partly, at the least, be serv- 
 ants of " mammon ;" and the name of God 
 will be blasphemed, rather than made honour- 
 able, through your conduct ; and He will be 
 
46 The Patriarchs, objects 
 
 ashamed to be called ijour God, and finally 
 deny you admission into His rest. Many there 
 be, who thus fall and perish, being disapproved 
 of by God in their generations, because they 
 will not set themselves to be followers of Him, 
 as confiding and obedient children. But they 
 who will adopt the worthier part, theij are 
 spiritually conformed to the father of the faith- 
 ful, and " shall rest, and stand in their lot, at 
 " the end of the days," (Dan. xii. 13.) with 
 Him. Having heartily repented both of their 
 inbred and acquired corruption, such are free 
 to forsake all, (if it be necessary,) in pursuit of 
 the righteousness and promises placed before 
 them : by faith they are persuaded of their ex- 
 cellency, and disposed to embrace them, as they 
 would naturally embrace any present benefit : 
 by their remembrance that the Lord will as- 
 suredly judge His people, they never cease 
 from keeping their souls in a state of watch- 
 fulness, and humble awe. Wherefore of them 
 God is not, nor ever will be, ashamed. Con- 
 trariwise, we may imagine Him saying of each 
 one that is answerable to this description, " Be- 
 *' hold my servant, whom I have chosen ; mine 
 " elect, in whom my soul is well-pleased ; I 
 " have put my Spirit upon him — that he may 
 " be to the praise of the riches of my grace : — 
 " he shall call upon mc, and I will hear him : 
 
of the Divine favour. 47 
 
 " yea, I am with liim in trouble ; I will deliver 
 " him, and bring him to honour. With long 
 " life will I satisfy him, and shew him my sal- 
 *• vation." (Isa. xlii. 1 ; Eph. ii. 7 ; Psalm xci. 
 15,16.) 
 
 So precious and distinguishing is the favour 
 continually borne by God to all that, with a 
 pure affection, will incline their hearts to love 
 and serve Him. Finally then, my brethren, 
 be exhorted to render yourselves of that holy 
 number. " Let us lay aside every weight, and 
 " the sin which doth most easily beset us, and 
 " let us run with patience the race that is set 
 " before us," (Heb. xii. 1.) after the example of 
 that " cloud of witnesses," which the apostle 
 hath recalled particularly to our view; no- 
 thing doubting but that, according to the sin- 
 cerity of our exertions, God, even our own 
 God, will abundantly recompense us with His 
 blessing. 
 
SERMON IV. 
 
 Exodus v. 23. 
 Neither hast Thou delivered Thy people at alL 
 
 A HESE words, although few in number, and 
 uttered on a special occasion, are, nevertheless, 
 adapted to suggest some important and gene- 
 rally interesting remarks. The sentiment which 
 they apparently express, and with which they 
 tend in the first instance to inspire us, is one 
 of disappointment and complaint ; as if the 
 Lord had been found unfaithful, and had de- 
 ceived His people, by not making good to them 
 the deliverance which He had promised. And 
 when we remember the speaker to have been 
 His servant Moses, it may almost occur to us, 
 that, for once at least, such a sentiment could 
 not have been totally unfounded. However, a 
 notion of this kind is on no account whatever 
 to be deliberately allowed. Suppose the text 
 to have been spoken, not in haste, nor without 
 a proper cause, a warrant for murmuring in a 
 like strain might be thence derived by large 
 numbers of each successive generation. In 
 
Th^ Complaint of Moses. 49 
 
 order, therefore, to impart right views of a 
 matter so extensively momentous, I design, on 
 the present opportunity, to explain, first, the 
 true nature of the circumstances, in which 
 ]\Ioses and the Israelites were then placed ; 
 and afterwards, to bring into comparison with 
 them our own circumstances, in this world of 
 trial. 
 
 First then, in the two preceding chapters, 
 Moses is described to us hardly consenting to 
 undertake the arduous office of deliverins: the 
 children of Israel out of Egypt, and bringing 
 them into the promised land. With his meek- 
 ness there seems to have been mingled a consi- 
 derable portion of timidity and mistrust. The 
 sight of the burning bush, and the voice of the 
 Lord, calling to him from the midst of it, 
 should have enabled him to get the better of 
 these infirmities. Yet, notwithstanding that, 
 and other miracles, w^hich were wrought ex- 
 pressly to assure his mind, Moses continued to 
 raise objections, until " the anger of the Lord 
 " was kindled," and would not suffer him any 
 longer to decline becoming the messenger of 
 redemption unto his brethren. 
 
 It is expedient previously to recollect this, 
 because the same temper which makes a man 
 slow and reluctant to enter upon any difficult 
 work, renders him quick to take discourage- 
 
 D 
 
50 The Complaint of Moses. 
 
 ment in the prosecution of it. At almost every 
 step, he looks to see, as it were, a lion in his 
 way; and considers himself not duly supported, 
 if things are permitted, though but for a mo- 
 ment, to go against him. But God is wont 
 frequently to ordain, that the affairs which are 
 to succeed best in the end, shall, in their begin- 
 ning, appear to fail, or grow worse. The case 
 proposed exemplifies both these remarks. His 
 proclamation unto Pharaoh of the message, 
 with which he had been charged — " Thus 
 " saith the Lord God of Israel, Let my people 
 " go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the 
 " wilderness," (Exod. v. 1.) — produced imme- 
 diately the opposite effect to that, which Moses 
 thought should have resulted from it. The 
 people, on whose behalf he had been commis- 
 sioned, were straightway afflicted more griev- 
 ously than before. Not only did they obtain 
 no release, but. On the contrary, an oppressive 
 addition to their labour. That they might not 
 have time so much as to think of going free, 
 Pharaoh commanded, the same day, the officers 
 of the people, and their taskmasters, saying, 
 " Ye shall no more give the people straw to 
 " make them brick, as heretofore : let them go 
 " and jrather straw for themselves. And the 
 " tale of the bricks, which they did make here- 
 " tofore, ye shall lay upon them ; ye shall not 
 
The Complaint of Moses. 51 
 
 " diminish ought thereof." And when they 
 complained of the hardship, that they Avere 
 beaten for not performing what, by this com- 
 mandment, had become an impossible task, the 
 tyrant answered them, " Go, and work ; for 
 " there shall no straw be given you, yet shall 
 " ye deliver the tale of bricks." AVherefore, 
 seeing themselves in such an evil case, and 
 meeting Moses and Aaron in the way, they 
 reproached them with having in a great mea- 
 sure occasioned it : " The Lord," they ex- 
 claimed, " look upon you, and judge ; because 
 " ye have made our savour to be abhorred in 
 " the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his 
 " servants, to put a sword in their hand to 
 " slay us." (Exod. v. 6, et seq.) Upon this, 
 Moses, being naturally dispirited by so in- 
 auspicious a commencement of his undertak- 
 ing, and finding himself an object of dislike 
 with his brethren, scarcely less than Avith Pha- 
 raoh, relapsed into fearfulness and despond- 
 ency. Forgetting that which the Lord had 
 told him before, " I am sure that the king of 
 " Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a 
 " mighty hand. And I will stretch out my 
 " hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders 
 "which I will do in the midst thereof; and 
 " after that he will let you go ;" (Exod. iii. 
 19, 20.) forgetting alike the warning and the 
 
 D 2 
 
52 The Co7n2)laint of Moses. 
 
 encouragement contained in this previous de- 
 claration, he broke forth, as one entitled to ex- 
 postulate and complain on the very first unfa- 
 vourable occurrence. " Moses returned unto 
 *' the Lord, and said, Lord, wherefore hast 
 " Thou so evil-entreated this people? why is 
 " it that Thou hast sent me ? for since I came 
 " to Pharaoh to speak in Thy name, he hath 
 " done evil to this people ; neither hast Thou 
 " delivered Thy people at all." 
 
 Such were the circumstances which, operat- 
 ing on the natural disposition of Moses, in- 
 duced him to sj)eak as recorded in the text. 
 He had the mortification to perceive, that, al- 
 though God had positively sent him to be their 
 deliverer, his brethren, the Israelites, were hi- 
 therto rather injured, than relieved, by means 
 of his interference for them. Accordingly, he 
 gave vent to his feelings in language which 
 sounds hardly becoming, when we consider to 
 whom he addressed it; but which the Lord, 
 who knoweth our infirmities, condescended gra- 
 ciously to allow, without any manifestation of 
 displeasure. Here now let us pause, and exa- 
 mine whether these complaining words might 
 not, with a nearly equal propriety, and under 
 circumstances in many points resembling the 
 above, be uttered respecting mankind in ge- 
 nera, who are by nature servants of sin. 
 
The Complaint of Moses, 53 
 
 That mankind ai^e sncli by nature, I need 
 not stay to prove. Of this truth both observa- 
 tion and experience may convince those, who 
 have failed to learn it by the word of God. 
 Regard we, then, our fallen race lying helpless 
 in the bondage of corruption, after the manner 
 of the Israelites in Egypt. As the Egyptians 
 grievously oppressed the children of Israel, in 
 like fashion does sin constrain its servants " to 
 " serve with rigour," and make " their lives 
 " bitter with hard bondage." (Exod. i. 13, 14.) 
 Regard we also " a Prophet raised up among 
 " them, like unto Moses," (Acts iii. 22.) to be 
 their Deliverer. God, who is the God not 
 more of the Jews than of the Gentiles, having 
 seen the affliction of mankind in the world, 
 serving divers lusts and passions, and under 
 subjection to the powers of darkness, hath in- 
 deed sent a greater than Moses, even His own 
 Son, to redeem them. " This man," saith the 
 Apostle to the Hebrews, " was counted worthy 
 " of more honour than Moses ;" (Heb. iii. 3.) 
 He was God manifest in the flesh, and there- 
 fore can have been likened unto Moses, only 
 from the similarity between their respective 
 missions. 
 
 What, however, were the immediate conse- 
 quences of the ministry of this more mighty 
 Deliverer? When He came, and (as the pro- 
 
 D 3 
 
54 The Complaint of Moses. 
 
 phet had foretold of Him) preached deliver- 
 ance " to the captives, and the opening of the 
 " prison to them that were bound," (Isa. Ixi. 1.) 
 did all who heard Him find themselves at once 
 enlarged, and restored to the enjoyment of 
 freedom ? Did the chains of sin instantly drop 
 off at His bidding ? and did the Prince of this 
 world, who was the tyrant that oppressed 
 them, suffer them to go in peace, and to serve 
 the Lord their God ? Such was not the general 
 case with those, unto whom Jesus Christ per- 
 sonally appeared, as the messenger of spiritual 
 liberty : nor is it now the case with the larger 
 number of mankind, unto whom that precious 
 benefit is proclaimed by His written Gospel and 
 Ministers. Rather may we observe, that, like 
 Pharaoh, when Moses spake with the Israelites 
 about forsaking his service, and called on him 
 to let them depart, the oppressor of men's souls 
 is commonly moved, by every hope which is 
 set before them of deliverance, and by every 
 desire which they evince to obtain it, to make 
 their state more grievous, and to lay on them 
 heavier burdens : he usually deals with them, 
 as with rebellious servants, when they shew a 
 mind to break his yoke from off their necks ; 
 and sets himself instantly to crush the rising 
 spirit of freedom, which would lead them forth 
 in the paths of righteousness and life. 
 
The Complaint of 3foses. 55 
 
 The question, then, here occurs — May not the 
 followers of Jesus Christ assume the liberty of 
 remonstrating, as if no deliverance had been 
 made good to them ? In answer to this, I will 
 reply, that a man can have no right to com- 
 plain, because a promise hath not been fulfilled, 
 before the time for its fulfilment shall have 
 gone by. Even Moses, after his first burst of 
 impatience, appears to have discerned the truth 
 of the matter. During the forty subsequent 
 years which intervened, ere the Israelites were 
 completely delivered, he appears not again 
 speaking reproachfully unto God, as to one 
 unmindful of His promise. Their condition, 
 while wandering in the wilderness, was per- 
 haps not outwardly better than that which 
 they had left for it in Egypt ; nay, it appears 
 on sundry occasions to have been hardly so 
 good, since the carnally-minded amongst them 
 repeatedly expressed a mind to return thither. 
 Yet, at no subsequent period is Moses described 
 to have sanctioned, or to have taken any part 
 in, their repinings. Never, except in the single 
 instance under review, can we find him adopt- 
 ing, and transmitting to the Divine Majesty, 
 the impatient murmurs continually repeated by 
 his countrymen. Having, " by faith," a better 
 land in view, he would not so much as allow a 
 thought of returning unto that whence he had 
 
 D 4 
 
56 The Complaiitt of Moses, 
 
 come out with the people. Not all the per- 
 plexities and perils of their progress towards 
 it, covild materially shake the steadfastness of 
 mind, which had succeeded in him to his pre- 
 vious mistrust. Laying aside every doubt and 
 discontent, he persevered in the race which was 
 set before him, under circumstances of the most 
 discouraging aspect, and at length, like the pa- 
 triarchs who had been gathered to their fathers 
 in the former days, was prepared to die "in 
 " faith, not having received the promises, but 
 " having only seen them afar off," (Heb. xi. 18.) 
 and conceived a satisfactory persuasion of them 
 in his mind. 
 
 No Christian, therefore, may presume to up- 
 braid the Lord God in the words, or after the 
 tenour, of my text. One who should be indis- 
 creet enough to do so, would surely betray a 
 deficient apprehension — such as Moses was then 
 probably possessing — of the general method of 
 the Divine dealings with mankind. - 
 
 Regarding principally the present world, a 
 man might, it is true, almost see reason thus 
 to complain. I have already allowed that our 
 first attempts to forsake the service of sin, and 
 to become followers of Jesus Christ, whom God 
 hath sent to deliver our souls from bondage, 
 are apt to have only the effect of making our 
 chains more galling, and our burdens heavier 
 
Tlie Complaint of Moses. 57 
 
 than before. The fact is, that, from having 
 been born with the bands of sin about us, we 
 do not feel ourselves intolerably straitened or 
 incommoded by them, so long as we use no en- 
 deavours to break them off. But when, having 
 learned to a full conviction, by the Gospel, that 
 the end of such bondage will be death, a man 
 sets about to recover his freedom, then how 
 fiercely, as it were, do they encircle and com- 
 pel him ! Every step which he takes, draws 
 them tighter ; and the corrupt principle, whence 
 they originate, exercises its most oppressive 
 severity on the revolting captive. Let us, how- 
 ever, suppose the cords of sin to have been 
 broken — as, after a while, they certainly will 
 be broken, through the power of the Spirit of 
 Christ, by all who have a hearty desire to be 
 rendered free — let us suppose this first step to 
 have been attained, and upon that, into what 
 state do men perceive themselves to have been 
 delivered ? Truly, into one, which may in many 
 respects be likened unto that of the Israelites 
 in the wilderness. Have not the redeemed of 
 the Lord still to sojourn in a land, which may 
 often seem to them spiritually desolate and 
 dreary? Is it not so, even with those who 
 have repented and believed the Gospel, that 
 the flesh yet lusteth against the Spirit, and will 
 not, without much painful discipline, be sub- 
 
 D 5 
 
58 The Comj)laint of 3Ioses, 
 
 ject to the law of God ? And, although our old 
 sins, which aforetime held us in subjection, 
 may have been cast (like Pharaoh and his 
 host) into the depths of the sea, are not new 
 ones continually besetting us on our pilgrimage, 
 (as the children of Edom and of Moab, and the 
 Amalekites, and the nations generally of Ca- 
 naan opposed the progress of the Israelites,) 
 and, at the least, grievously harassing us by 
 their attacks ? Yea, our great Deliverer Him- 
 self took occasion to forewarn His disciples, — 
 " in the world ye shall have tribulation." (John 
 xvi. 33.) Likewise, St. Paul was moved by 
 what he saw and had experience of, to declare, 
 " We know that the whole creation groaneth 
 " and travaileth in pain together until now : and 
 " not only they" — i. e. not only mankind in ge- 
 neral, who had not then been called unto salva- 
 tion through the Gospel ■ — " but ourselves also, 
 " which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even 
 " we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting 
 " for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of 
 " our body." (Rom. viii. 22, 23.) With these 
 passages for our authority, and remembering 
 moreover, that the redemption of the body, to 
 be accordingly waited for with groaning, can- 
 not otherwise than by death be enjoyed, we 
 may be strongly disposed by our natural in- 
 firmity to complain, that, as to the present 
 
The Complaint of Moses. 59 
 
 state, God has not hitherto wrought any ade- 
 quate deliverance for His people. 
 
 Nevertheless, except the apostle were doomed 
 to groan and wait in vain, or (to speak more 
 explicitly) if there hath been provided else- 
 where, beyond the grave, a blessed and an 
 eternal dwelling-place, entirely free from all 
 dangers and temptations, for those who will 
 press resolutely toward the mark ; if there be 
 a promised land of rest, after the wilderness 
 which we are at the present traversing, and if, 
 when we were lying naturally fast bound in 
 misery and iron, God mercifully regarded our 
 captivity, and brake in sunder our bonds, and 
 hath conducted us within a hopeful reach of 
 it ; in such case, though our paths were yet 
 more difficult, our troubles more perplexing, 
 and our perils more numerous than they really 
 are, still to say — " Neither hast Thou delivered 
 *' Thy people at all," were unwisely to reproach 
 the God of our salvation. We may with truth 
 remark. He has not perfectly delivered us ; but 
 He has given us a sufficient earnest of His in- 
 tention finally to do so. God has made us, not 
 indeed for the present possessors, but heirs 
 of His heavenly kingdom, and having brought 
 us forth into the right way thitherward, is daily 
 enabling us by His Holy Spirit to pursue it : 
 
 D 6 
 
60 The Complaint of Moses. 
 
 in the which we should discern a satisfactory 
 pledge of His gracious will and purpose to con- 
 fer on us at the last, if we prove not wanting 
 to ourselves, a complete and an unchangeable 
 redemption. 
 
 Wherefore, and to conclude with a practical 
 exhortation on the foregoing remarks, let me 
 adopt the words of the Apostle to the Hebrews : 
 " We desire," he writes, " that ye be not sloth- 
 " ful, but followers of them who through faith 
 " and patience inherit the promises ;" (Heb. 
 vi. 12.) and in another place he writes — " Cast 
 " not away therefore your confidence, which 
 " hath great recompence of reward." (Heb. x. 
 35.) Consider yourselves, my brethren, to be 
 indeed children and heirs of God, through 
 Christ ; and let the graces here spoken of rule 
 continually in your hearts, until you shall have 
 come by them to the rest and the inheritance, 
 which the Lord your God giveth you. St. Jude 
 reminds us, " how that the Lord, having saved 
 " the Israelites out of the land of Egypt, after- 
 " ward destroyed them that believed not;" (Jude 
 5.) likewise St. Paul mentions some among 
 them, who, when they " murmured, were de- 
 " stroyed of the destroyer." (1 Cor. x. 10.) It 
 is, in short, a fact no less true than awful, that, 
 of the vast multitude who came out of Egypt 
 
The Complaint of Moses. 61 
 
 by Moses, scarcely any were suffered to enter 
 the promised land, because of their aggravated 
 impatience and unbelief. Be we admonished 
 by their doom, to maintain the contrary dispo- 
 sitions in this house of our pilgrimage, through- 
 out all time of our tribulation : let nothing dis- 
 turb our trust in God, or incline us to cease 
 from expecting and desiring His goodness, how- 
 ever long He may choose to delay the perform- 
 ance of it. And finally, whenever the troubles 
 of this mortal state are suddenly enhanced tvith- 
 out our fault, then let us conceive an expecta- 
 tion, that some more than answerable relief is 
 surely at hand. As Pharaoh oj^pressed the 
 Israelites most severely when he apprehended 
 that they were about to leave his service, or be 
 rescued from him by the Lord their God, so is 
 Satan apt to have the greatest wrath when he 
 knoweth that his time (of tyranny) is short : 
 (Rev. xii. 12.) as the peril of the same people, 
 when the Red Sea interrupted their flight, was 
 immediately followed by their decided enlarge- 
 ment from captivity, so, when the overflow- 
 ings of corruption are seeming most formidable, 
 then is the time, if we will move onward with 
 courage, to make the most triumphant pro- 
 gress : above all, when the last enemy shall be 
 overtaking him, then may every one that is 
 
62 The Complaint of Moses. 
 
 godly, and that hath patiently endured, ex- 
 claim, after the dying patriarch, — " I have 
 " waited for Thy salvation, O Lord," (Gen. 
 xlix. 18.) and go hence rejoicing in the hojie, 
 that he shall certainly find it to the very utter- 
 most that he hath desired. 
 
SERMON V. 
 
 John xx, 24. 
 
 Thomas, one of the tivelve, called Didymus, was not 
 luith them when Jesus came. 
 
 A HE circumstance thus related, became the 
 occasion of a very remarkable passage in the 
 life of Thomas the Apostle. Neither of his 
 acts and labours, nor of his death, have we 
 any account in the Holy Scriptures. They prin- 
 cipally represent him to us as the douhting one 
 of the twelve, whom Jesus condescended spe- 
 cially to convince, and to reprove. 
 
 It may seem strange, that we should thus be 
 given to know an Apostle, chiefly by a consi- 
 derable infirmity in his character. So, how- 
 ever, it is in the present instance. And indeed, 
 generally, they who wrote the Gospels appear 
 to have been careful for nothing, but to record 
 the truth without disguise. Every observant 
 reader of those sacred histories must feel sure, 
 that not a single occurrence was either omitted 
 or set down by the Evangelists, with a view to 
 make up a fair account, or to exhibit them- 
 selves and their associates in a favourable light. 
 
64 The Unbelief of St. Thomas, 
 
 They evidently wrote, as impartial men, what- 
 ever the Spirit of Christ suggested to them, 
 scarcely stopping to think how it might be re- 
 ceived. Their persuasion was, that the Gos- 
 pel should infallibly be made to stand, not by 
 human wisdom or perfection, but by the Al- 
 mighty power of God : wherefore, nobly disre- 
 garding vain objections, they have described, 
 for our admonition, the worldly tempers of 
 James and John, the treachery of Judas, the 
 denial of Peter, and the unbelief of Thomas, 
 in a manner equally simple and open, as if 
 they were describing things of good report, or 
 of a nature to enhance their credit with man- 
 kind. 
 
 The words of my text are, " Thomas, one 
 " of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with 
 " them when Jesus came." As to the time and 
 manner of the coming of Jesus herein alluded 
 to, we have to consult some preceding verses. 
 In them it is related, that, " on the first day of 
 " the week at even, when the doors were shut 
 " where the disciples were assembled for fear 
 " of the Jews, came Jesus" (who had risen from 
 the dead early in the morning of the same day) 
 " and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, 
 " Peace be unto you. And when He had so 
 " said. He shewed them His hands and His 
 " side," the better to satisfy their minds that 
 
The Unbelief of St. Thomas. Q5 
 
 it was He Himself, (lately crucified,) and not 
 another, nor a spirit only, which was appear- 
 ing to them. On that, the disciples, being sen- 
 sible that they saw the Lord restored to life, 
 were glad ; and then, after another solemn 
 blessing and address, Jesus mysteriously went 
 out from them, or disappeared. Such was the 
 coming of Jesus to His disciples, when Thomas 
 was not with them. Why he was not with 
 them, on what account he was absent from this 
 their assembly, which was probably one of re- 
 ligious worship, we cannot by any means dis- 
 cover. However, it most concerns us to observe 
 the mind with wliich the Apostle returned. The 
 other Apostles, wishing to make him a par- 
 taker of the joy and satisfaction which they had 
 just before experienced, said unto him, "We 
 " have seen the Lord." But Thomas absolute- 
 ly, and in a manner rudely, set at naught their 
 testimony on the subject. As if he suspected 
 that they were either false or foolish, and ima- 
 gined that, in such a matter, no witness could 
 be depended on, he refused to be convinced, 
 save by the evidence of his own senses, that 
 Jesus was alive again from the dead : " Ex- 
 " cept," he returned answer to their report, " I 
 " shall see in His hands the print of the nails, 
 " and put my finger into the print of the nails, 
 " and thrust my hand into His side, I will not 
 
66 The Unbelief of St. Thomas. 
 
 " believe." Hence it appears, that, whereas his 
 fellow-disciples thought it enough to have heard 
 and seen their beloved Master, Thomas was re- 
 solved moreover to handle Him, or to remain 
 incredulous. 
 
 Perhaps the Apostle supposed himself to be 
 merely adopting the cautious wisdom of a 
 strong-minded man. Nevertheless, he surely 
 betrayed, by his resolution above cited, a con- 
 siderable weakness of understanding. That 
 one hath risen from the grave, is doubtless a 
 wonderful thing to hear, insomuch that any 
 person may, without blame, decline suddenly, 
 or all at once, to believe it. But the resur- 
 rection of Jesus was an event, which Thomas, 
 together with his companions, had been amply 
 forewarned to expect. The ancient prophets 
 had testified, that " it behoved Christ to suffer, 
 " and to rise from the dead the third day," as 
 He Himself had lately explained to them. 
 (Psalm xvi. 10. Isaiah liii. Jonah i. 17. Matth. 
 xii. 40.) Also, He had previously told the Jews 
 to destroy the temple of his body, and in three 
 days He would raise it up, (John ii. 19.) and 
 had repeatedly mentioned the decease appointed 
 for Him to accomplish at Jerusalem, always 
 with the addition of a distinct assurance to 
 His disciples, that, after so short a period, He 
 would return from the grave. (Mark viii. 31.) 
 
The Unbelief of St. Thomas. 67 
 
 Nor could they jvistly doubt His power, thus 
 to take again His life which He had laid down, 
 since they had seen Him continually doing- 
 wonders, and calling Lazarus, not long before, 
 from the tomb, although he had heenfou?^ days 
 dead. Wherefore, when in addition to these 
 preparatory circumstances, the ten distinctly 
 informed Thomas of their Lord's appearance 
 to them, he certainly ought not to have re- 
 turned the answer which he did. Besides, his 
 language, or mode of expression, carries a sound 
 with it, to us, of irreverence. He seems almost 
 to have spoken as a discontented man, who, re- 
 membering the failure of his former hopes at 
 the death of Jesus, was hardly disposed to ac- 
 knowledge His resurrection, while he could de- 
 lay to do so, and presumes, accordingly, in a 
 somewhat unbecoming style, to proclaim the 
 only conditions on which he will believe. As 
 if a man were not obliged to believe, under 
 pain of the Divine displeasure, whatever im- 
 portant matter shall in any probable way have 
 been declared to him, Thomas would not yield 
 himself to any mode of conviction but one. He 
 almost offensively rejected the word of his 
 brethren, and rashly prescribed the method in 
 which God should make known to him the re- 
 surrection of His Son : nothing short of seeing 
 with his eyes and handling with his hands the 
 
68 The Unbelief of St, Thomas. 
 
 wounds of Jesus, should (he avowed) prove suf- 
 ficient to convince him. 
 
 Yet, we must beware of putting too unfa- 
 vourable an interpretation on the behaviour 
 or language of St. ' Thomas. The Apostle's 
 mouth, no doubt, was rash, and his heart incon- 
 siderate, and the satisfaction presently granted 
 to him might have been less for his sake, than 
 for that of the generations to come ; still, had 
 he been wickedly inclined, God would surely 
 have denied him his demand, and have made 
 choice of another witness in his place. But 
 he was guilty of only an indiscretion, and the 
 merciful and gracious Lord would not for one 
 such impropriety cast off His Apostle " whom 
 " He foreknew." Accordingly, when, " after 
 " eight days, again his disciples were within, 
 " and Thomas with them, then came Jesus, 
 " and stood in the midst," and repeated His 
 salutation of peace ; immediately on which. 
 He said to Thomas, " Reach hither thy finger, 
 ' and behold my hands ; and reach hither thy 
 ' hand, and thrust it into my side : and be not 
 ' faithless, but believing. And Thomas an- 
 ' swered and said unto Him, My Lord and 
 ' my God ! Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, be- 
 ' cause thou hast seen me, thou hast believed : 
 * blessed are they that have not seen, and 
 ' yet have believed ;" (John xx. 26, 29.) and 
 
The Unbelief of St. Thomas. 69 
 
 with this mild, though somewhat deep, rebuke, 
 left the Apostle to his own reflections. 
 
 Thus did our compassionate Master conde- 
 scend to the infirmity of Thomas, instead of 
 treating him with severity or neglect ; in so 
 tender and considerate a manner did Jesus ren- 
 der him ashamed of the condition which he had 
 arrogantly prescribed, and endeavour to excite 
 in him a serious regret that he had not more 
 readily believed. When Thomas went forth 
 preaching the Gospel, how must every one, 
 who consented to accept it on his word, have 
 painfully reminded him of his own former 7^e- 
 fusal to accept it on the word of his brother- 
 apostles ! Scarcely on any occasion, through- 
 out the remainder of his life, could he have 
 required others to receive his testimony con- 
 cerning Jesus, without a feeling of conscious 
 unworthiness, because of the disregard which 
 he himself had once professed towards an 
 equally credible testimony. His calling must 
 have obliged him continually to observe, that 
 what he had said, " Except I shall see in his 
 " hands the print of the nails, and put my 
 " finger into the print of the nails, and thrust 
 " my hand into His side, I will not believe," 
 (John XX. 25.) was rashly and presumptuously 
 resolved ; that the blessings of the Gosj^el are 
 generally extended only to persons, who will 
 
70 The Unbelief of St. Thomas. 
 
 believe, without, for the present, either seeing 
 or handling the things told unto them by faith- 
 ful men ; and that, but for the willing disposi- 
 tion of many such persons, decidedly opposite 
 to the example which* he had set, the power of 
 his Lord's resurrection could not have been 
 propagated successfully in the world. Such 
 grievous recollections and self-reproaches could 
 hardly have departed from Thomas, during 
 the exercise of his apostolical office : add to 
 which, every adversary acquainted with his 
 history, might take occasion to humiliate and 
 reproach him, by offering to believe on the 
 same evidence with that which he had former- 
 ly demanded and obtained. Leaving the per- 
 verse, however, who have hearts already hard- 
 ened, to glory by themselves in this matter, 
 and to nourish their inveterate unbelief, I pro- 
 pose, my brethren, to instruct you by it, on the 
 subject of the faith or belief which, according 
 to this time, we are required to have and exer- 
 cise, in order to the Divine blessing. 
 
 Let me begin, therefore, from the text, with 
 remarking, that what is therein said of Thomas 
 may certainly be said of ourselves ; we were 
 not with the disciples when Jesus came to them 
 after His resurrection : further also, be it noted, 
 that Jesus will probably never shew Himself 
 again in the same fashion, as that in which 
 
The Unbelief ff St. Thomas. 71 
 
 He then shewed Himself to the ten, and, eight 
 days afterward, to His formerly absent apostle. 
 Truly, it is written, " every eye shall see him," 
 (Rev. i. 7.) and He will, no doubt, accordingly 
 come again ; but not for the satisfaction and 
 salvation of such as will not otherwise believe. 
 The future and final coming of the Lord Jesus 
 will be with His glorious majesty, as our Al- 
 mighty King and Judge, and to the utter con- 
 fusion of all that shall not pf^eviously have called 
 upon His name. Meanwhile, His present abid- 
 ing place is far above, out of our sight and 
 reach ; so that if there be one amongst us, who, 
 like the Apostle Thomas, will allow nothing 
 beyond what he can see and feel, verily his 
 must be reputed a hopeless case. Our calling 
 clearly is, to walk " by faith, not by sight." In 
 fact, our faith should seem praiseworthy, and 
 deserving the name, only while it is fixed on 
 truths and objects, which of our own selves we 
 camiot see and ascertain. Seeing and believ- 
 ing, so far from being (as they are proverbially 
 said to be) the same, are in a Christian sense 
 nearly opposite to each other. The faith of 
 Thomas, which prompted him, after that he 
 had obtained an interview, to cry unto Jesus, 
 "• My Lord and my God!" was replied to with 
 words scarcely amounting to an approval ; and 
 occasion was at the same time taken to pro- 
 
72 The Unbelief of St. Thomas, 
 
 nounce a superior blessing on those, who, hav- 
 ing not seen, would nevertheless believe. We 
 cannot indeed believe any thing coritrary to 
 the sight of our eyes ; nor is it, by Scripture^ 
 required of us that we should; still we must 
 believe much which for the present is beyond 
 our sight and apprehension, or live and die 
 without any comfortable hope in the " powers 
 " of the world to come." There is no promise 
 to any other faith than this, which " believeth 
 " in Him that is invisible," and in " things not 
 " seen as yet," however on that account gene- 
 rally discredited by the world. 
 
 What then, it may be asked, are our grounds 
 of belief in such things, which are no longer 
 within the range of our senses ; for instance, 
 what proof have we of the resurrection of 
 Jesus, on which event the whole truth of the 
 Gospel properly depends ? The same proof 
 which was offered to Thomas, and which, al- 
 though at the first rejected by him, he found 
 in time to have been good and true. Unto 
 him said the other disciples, when he came 
 into their assembly, "We have seen the Lord." 
 Likewise unto us, with one accord — even Tho- 
 mas having ceased to doubt — have they uttered 
 words equally decisive, and more explicit. Hear 
 the address of St. John, at the opening of his 
 first general Epistle, which may justly be taken 
 
The Unbelief of St. Thomas. 73 
 
 as proceeding from all the Apostles : " That 
 " which was from the beginning', whicli we 
 " have heard, which we have seen with our 
 " eyes, which we have looked upon, and our 
 " hands have handled, of the Word of life ; 
 " (for the life was manifested, and we have 
 " seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you 
 " that eternal life, which was with the Father, 
 " and was manifested unto us ;) that which we 
 " have seen and heard declare we unto you, 
 " that ye also may have fellowship with us : 
 " and truly our fellowship is with the Father, 
 " and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these 
 " things write we unto you, that your joy may 
 " be full." Thus have we Jesus declared to 
 us, by His beloved disciple, and, as it were, in 
 the names of the whole number, that He rose 
 from the dead, and proved Himself alive again, 
 by many infallible tokens, to those who had 
 been with Him from the beginning ; and their 
 intention in so declaring Him St. John pro- 
 fesses to be, that we, and all to whom their 
 writings shall be transmitted, may, through 
 their testimony, have fellowship with the Fa- 
 ther, and with His Son Jesus Christ, to the 
 fulfilment of their joy in the Gospel. A truly 
 pious and benevolent intention, and one which 
 it were a sin against our own souls to frus- 
 trate. 
 
74 The Unbelief of St. Thomas. 
 
 Perhaps, we would rather see Jesus with 
 our own eyes, and handle Him with our own 
 hands, than put confidence in the eyes and 
 hands of another. But this is not within our 
 choice. The great God, and our Saviour, hav- 
 ing, once for all, or out of compassion to the 
 infirmities of all, interposed to convince a faith- 
 less disciple, justly requires us to be, not faith- 
 less, but believing in the word of His chosen 
 witnesses, who saw and conversed, yea, and 
 did eat and drink with Him who had been 
 crucified, after his resurrection from the dead. 
 And we may observe abundant reason to rely 
 on their testimony, as fully persuaded that 
 hereafter we shall be made to perceive, equally 
 with Thomas, that it is no deception. One of 
 our most ordinary habits is, to give credence 
 to, and to regulate our conduct by the report 
 of worldly men, concerning such worldly things 
 as are not within our own sight and knowledge. 
 It appears necessary for us in many cases to 
 do this, and, accordingly, we are apt to do it 
 with little or no hesitation. Much more then, 
 about things pertaining unto God, should we 
 practically trust in what hath been related to 
 us by the Apostles of His Son. Occasion hath 
 already been taken to remark, that they who 
 will not receive their written word, are guilty 
 of rejecting the counsel of God, or the means 
 
The Unbelief of St, Thomas. 75 
 
 by which He would make thein wise unto sal- 
 vation, and shall find nothing surer, or more 
 convincing, on which to rest their hopes. Let 
 me here go further, and add, that no better 
 testimony can be desired by reasonable and un- 
 prejudiced minds. The Apostles generally ap- 
 pear to have been, not hasty, but slow to be- 
 lieve. Also, they must have been themselves 
 well acquainted with the remarkable events 
 which they committed to writing ; and, as to 
 the fact of their Lord's resurrection, not only 
 did they proclaim it again and again in the 
 presence of His enemies, but moreover, they 
 shewed "the power" of it, by a number of mi- 
 racles wrought expressly in His name, and by 
 daring rather to suffer death, than to cease from 
 preaching it throughout the world. Verily such 
 witnesses are most worthy of credit, inso- 
 nnich that we ought not to require further, or 
 other evidence of the saving doctrine, which 
 they have written, and left on record. And, 
 though, possibly, not on first, yet on second 
 thoughts, it should seem to have been good for 
 us, that we were not with the disciples when 
 Jesus came, nor have subsequently been given 
 to see and handle Him ; since thus, being sim- 
 ply by the force of their testimony, convinced, 
 we may look for the blessing solemnly pro- 
 
 E 2 
 
76 The Unhelief of St. Thomas. 
 
 nounced by Him on those, who, without seeing, 
 have believed. 
 
 Wherefore, on the whole, and to conclude, 
 resolve, my brethren, as not expecting nor 
 wishing for any thing stronger, at once and 
 cordially to accept the record of His Son, which 
 God hath caused to be written for us by His 
 holy Apostles, who saw and handled Him, after 
 that He was risen from the dead. Let the tem- 
 porary unbelief of Thomas, which was after- 
 ward dispelled to his entire satisfaction, serve 
 only to the more confirmation of your faith ; 
 and strive so perfectly, and without all doubt, 
 to believe in Jesus Christ, as that you may be 
 graciously approved in His, and His heavenly 
 Father's sight. Should sundry doubts spring 
 up in your minds, pray against and discou- 
 rage them, as sinful thoughts ; or, in case they 
 should seem to be really honest doubts, con- 
 verse about them with "some discreet and 
 " learned minister of God's word ;" but never 
 willingly loosen your hold on Christ's Gospel, 
 or think lightly of refusing your assent to any 
 part of it ; for assuredly therein alone is salva- 
 tion. The most frequent case is that of per- 
 sons who, while they would not object to, nor 
 deny a single particular doctrine which they 
 have been taught, are generally weak in their 
 
The Unbelief of St. Thomas. 77 
 
 faith, or conscious of not being alive enough to 
 the truth. Let every one of this character re- 
 member to adopt that most suitable petition, 
 " Lord, I believe ; help Thou mine unbelief :" 
 (Mark ix. 24.) let him be frequently reading 
 his Lord's conversation and discourses, that 
 thus his heart, like the hearts of the two who 
 went to Emmaus, may be piously kindled, and 
 burn or glow within him : above all, let him 
 approach the table of his Lord, and try to be- 
 come better, or more sensibly, acquainted with 
 Him, by the solemn breaking of bread. (Luke 
 xxiv.) His faith, if it be so lively as to put 
 him on lamenting the deadness of it, will be 
 lively enough to allow of his doing this ; and 
 while humbly doing it, as commanded, for the 
 continual remembrance of His Redeemer's body 
 and blood, he may justly expect that the God 
 of consolation will strengthen his weakness, and, 
 in due time, fill him " with all joy and peace 
 " in believing, through the power of the Holy 
 " Ghost." (Rom. xv. 13.) 
 
 E 3 
 
SERMON VI. 
 
 1 CORIXTHIANS xiv. 1. 
 
 Folloiv after charity, 
 
 J_ HE same word, which is here rendered cha- 
 rity , is, more frequently perhaps, in other pas- 
 sages of the New Testament, rendered love. 
 Accordingly, St. Paul, in the text, should be 
 understood as exhorting to follow after nothing 
 less than all which the term love will compre- 
 hend. This point it will behove us to bear in 
 mind ; otherwise, we shall be apt to pass by 
 the love of God, and to rest in that merely na- 
 tural kindness towards each other, which the 
 heathen used to enjoin, and for which philan- 
 thropy or humanity is the more proper name. 
 Such is our ordinary acceptation of the word, 
 that to propose God as an object of charity 
 would sound not a little strange and unbecom- 
 ing ; whereas we think fit to account Him an 
 object of love, however we may fail of lov- 
 ing Him worthily ourselves. Be it, therefore, 
 constantly remembered, that a hearty love of 
 God in Christ, and of our brethren that are in 
 the world for His sake, is the just amount of 
 
Folloiv after Chariti/. 79 
 
 the charity to which, as believers in the Gospel, 
 we stand obliged. 
 
 In the chapter immediately preceding my 
 text, the grace of charity is described and com- 
 mended to us by the Apostle. So ample, and 
 withal so generally known, is his description, 
 stating the manner in which charity conducts 
 herself — the habitual frame of her dispositions 
 and practice — that I will not, at the present, 
 stay to enlarge upon, or to repeat it. Let me 
 rather proceed directly to point out, first, the 
 reasons advanced in that chapter, which should 
 induce us to follow after charity, agreeably with 
 the exhortation proposed ; and, secondly, the 
 mode, or way, by which our pursuit of it may 
 probably find success. 
 
 First then, my brethren, our inducements to 
 follow after charity are chiefly these : not hav- 
 ing charity, a man is nothing ; all his doings 
 without it are nothing Avorth in the sight of 
 God. On the contrary, having this grace, we 
 have the best alleviation of all earthly troubles, 
 and moreover, the only possession which never 
 faileth — shall never cease, or vanish away. 
 
 Without charity, man is a thing of naught, 
 and all his doings, even the most signal and 
 admired of them, are utterly worthless in the 
 Divine estimation. St. Paul asserts this very 
 strikingly, by putting in his own person a 
 
 E 4 
 
80 Follow after Charity. 
 
 succession of the strongest imaginable cases : 
 " Though I sjieak with the tongues of men 
 " and of angels, and have not charity, I am 
 " become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cym- 
 " bal. And though I have the gift of j)rophecy, 
 " and understand all mysteries, and all knovr- 
 " ledge ; and though I have all faith, so that I 
 " could remove mountains, and have not cha- 
 " rity, I am nothing. And though I bestow 
 " all my goods to feed the poor, and though I 
 " give my body to be burned, and have not 
 " charity, it profiteth me nothing." God will 
 not accept me, the Apostle confesses, in con- 
 sideration of these eminent attainments and 
 works, although certain of them are specially 
 His gifts; unless they be duly qualified by cha- 
 rity. The reason we may easily discern to be, 
 because, apart from this qualification, they can- 
 not be exercised with a becoming regard to His 
 will. A person destitute of charity, or love, 
 however he may do, in many respects, the same 
 things with one who has it, cannot do them 
 with an acceptable intention. All the works 
 of an uncharitable man will be done through 
 strife, or vain-glory, or some other impulse of 
 the fleshly mind. He will principally care, not 
 to magnify God, and to please and edify his 
 neighbour, but to advance his own separate 
 reputation and interest — to serve and magnify 
 
Follow after Cliarltj/. 81 
 
 himself. His most noble talents and acquire- 
 ments will be employed by him to this unwor- 
 thy end, and his most splendid sacrifices will 
 be nothing better than mere obstinacy, or self- 
 ish calculations. Most of us, it is probable, are 
 sufficiently convinced, that superior knowledge 
 and abilities, even in religious matters, may 
 exist without charity, and so fail of com- 
 mending a man to God ; but the case last ima- 
 gined, of one giving all his goods to feed the 
 poor, and moreover his body to be burned, and 
 still being accounted as nothing, for want of 
 that indispensable grace, is somewhat more dif- 
 ficult to apprehend. Yet such may seem to be 
 not an impossible case. Suppose a man to be- 
 stow all, or a great part of his goods, upon the 
 poor, with a view (like that of Absalom, 2 Sam. 
 XV. 1 — 6.) to steal their hearts, and induce them 
 to aid him in some evil purpose, by which he 
 expects to get more again ; suppose a man ob- 
 stinate enough (which some have been) to un- 
 dergo the torment of fire, rather than submit 
 to the shame of confessing and retracting a 
 falsehood, which he hath advanced, or, to die 
 not forgiving his persecutors ; herein, certainly, 
 is no proper charity, no genuine love, nothing 
 dear or precious in the sight of heaven. " Cha- 
 " rity," says the Apostle, " rejoiceth not in ini- 
 " quity, but rejoiceth in the truth :" the cases, 
 
 E 5 
 
82 Follow after Charity. 
 
 however, which have been here supposed, are of 
 one bribing the needy to commit iniquity for 
 him, and of another sacrificing his body for a 
 lie. Assuredly characters of this description 
 cannot hope to receive a recompense from the 
 Lord. Their works are not done in charity ; 
 therefore they must either commend themselves, 
 or deceive their fellow creatures into commend- 
 ing them, for God will never award to such the 
 meed of His praise or approbation. But if the 
 expenditure of a man's whole substance, or of 
 his life, may thus be worthless, as wanting the 
 savour of charity, how shall any one easily be 
 sure of its existence within himself, or consider 
 it an ingredient which may be dispensed with, 
 in the mixture of his ordinary conduct. There 
 is clearly need then, that we follow continually 
 after charity — meaning the love of God and of 
 our neighbours — because it is the most neces- 
 sary principle of righteousness unto eternal life : 
 and, at the same time, we should always re- 
 member, that a very captivating form of the 
 grace in question may be exhibited apart from, 
 and sometimes even in opposition to, the power 
 of it. A man may do what shall be reckoned 
 exceedingly charitable, and nevertheless, while 
 his fellow creatures are admiring him, really 
 be, as wanting charity, of no proper worth or 
 goodness. 
 
Follow after Charity. 83 
 
 Further ; it will behove us to follow after 
 charity, by reason of the comfort which will 
 thence accrue to our condition. For our <rood 
 always, more than for an exercise of His just 
 authority over us, is charity so positively re- 
 quired hy Him to whom we must give account. 
 We are earnestly admonished to seek and ensue 
 this virtue, not only because without it we are 
 nothing, but because with, or possessing it, we 
 possess an efficient alleviation of all the vexa- 
 tions which can beset us in the world. Of thus 
 much every one must be convinced, on hearing 
 7101V repeated the description given of charity 
 by the Apostle : " Charity," he teacheth, " suf- 
 " fereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; 
 " charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 
 " doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not 
 " her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no 
 " evil ; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth 
 " in the truth ; beareth all things, believeth all 
 '* things, hopeth all things, endureth all things." 
 (1 Cor. xiii. 4 — 7.) A charitable man, coming 
 up to this description, is evidently better pro- 
 vided than any other against the piercings and 
 buffetings of adversity. He enjoys the blessing 
 of a mental constitution unapt either to receive, 
 or suffer by, injuries. Considering his inoffen- 
 sive conversation, nothing short of downright 
 malice can conceive a purpose to disturb, or 
 
 K 6 
 
84 Follow after Charity. 
 
 work him harm. Indeed, the malicious are soon 
 weary or ashamed of meddling with such a 
 man, who will in no wise attempt to return 
 their malignity. And however still he may 
 have to experience many troubles, yet he is not 
 greatly affected by them. Suppose him to have 
 been wounded ever so deeply and sorely, he 
 has a mind apt or disposed to heal. Let his 
 heart be cruelly lacerated, it will not thereupon 
 inflame, and rankle, and fester, like the heart 
 of an uncharitable man, but will rather pre- 
 sently cease from smarting, and become easy, 
 by virtue of the grace therein abiding. Or 
 should another and another stroke succeed, 
 under even such distressing circumstances, cha- 
 rity furnishes a never-failing relief. After the 
 manner of a healing balm, she gently assuages 
 the wounds of affliction, which come too fast 
 and thick for her to cure, and, in all time of 
 tribulation, effectually prevents the aggravated 
 pains which are sure to ensue, when a man 
 frets against the Lord, or against his neigh- 
 bours. 
 
 No one who will duly consider the descrip- 
 tion which hath been given of charity, and least 
 of all the man who in any good degree hath 
 come up to it, can deny its influences to be such 
 as above stated, on the various evils which we 
 are appointed here to undergo. Wherefore, or 
 
Folloiv after Charity, 85 
 
 simply for comfort's sake, charity is worthy of 
 all men to be followed after. But, besides this, 
 and the preceding consideration, that without 
 charity God will on no account approve of us, 
 there remains a third reason to be assigned — 
 " Charity never faileth." 
 
 Of charity alone hath this been said ; and it 
 were difficult to imagine a more satisfactory 
 recommendation. There are many necessary, 
 many praiseworthy, many ennobling objects 
 and virtues set forth, that we should follow 
 after and acquire them. Yet they are gene- 
 rally destined to perish in the using, or not to 
 continue beyond the present scene. We need 
 not stay to observe the case of mere natural, or 
 worldly goods, since the Apostle draws a com- 
 parison, on this point, between charity and 
 other spiritual, or heavenly gifts and graces. 
 God was imparting to believers, in those days, 
 sundry miraculous powers and faculties, for the 
 spreading abroad and confirmation of the Gos- 
 pel ; they were enabled, for instance, to speak 
 with tongues, i. e. in various languages, without 
 being at pains in learning them ; to prophesy, 
 or foretell future events ; and to know myste- 
 ries, by special revelation : " But," saith Paul — 
 after his declaration, " Charity never faileth" 
 — " whether there be prophecies, they shall 
 " fail ; whether there be tongues, they shall 
 
86 Follow after Cltariti/. 
 
 " cease ; whether there be knowledge, it shall 
 " vanish away." These, and the like endow- 
 ments, although conferred by the Spirit of 
 God, and highly advantageous, provided men 
 will use them aright, for the present, shall be 
 withdrawn, he signifies, in the days to come, 
 as we ourselves know them to have been : let 
 them accordingly be held inferior to charity, 
 which shall abide so long as the world en- 
 dure th. Yea, and even faith and hope, which 
 so long must abide with it — for we can no 
 more do without these, which lie at the root 
 of charity, than without charity itself, on the 
 earth — are to be held in a certain respect infe- 
 rior, since for them there shall be no occasion, 
 as for charity there always shall be, in heaven. 
 In heaven, faith and hope are to have an end, 
 or are to be succeeded by sight and enjoyment. 
 The righteous shall there see Him in whom 
 they are now believing, and eiijoy the bliss 
 which they are now hoping for ; so that it will 
 not be possible for them only to believe and 
 hope any longer. Still, however, charity, i. e. 
 a love unfeigned of God, and Christ, and of all 
 " the children of the resurrection," will survive 
 through endless ages, without material altera- 
 tion. There will scarcely, perhaps, be found a 
 difference, except in degree, between the cha- 
 rity proper for this world, and that which is 
 
Follow after Charity. 87 
 
 ordained for the next. He, " whom, not having 
 " seen, we love," will probably be loved by us 
 more worthily when we do see Him ; and 
 touching the love of our brethren, infirmities 
 of temper will hardly remain to try and check 
 it ; but there is no greater change than this to 
 be expected, unless that our love of one an- 
 other will increase in proportion with our love 
 of God, and with the happiness which we shall 
 then in common possess. 
 
 Such, my brethren, are the leading reasons 
 or considerations which should induce us to 
 " follow after charity ;" namely, the indispens- 
 able necessity of it, in order to the Divine ap- 
 probation ; its comfortable influences in time 
 of adversity ; and its never-failing use, here- 
 after, as well as here, even in that glorious and 
 eternal world which we look for, when the pre- 
 sent shall have been destroyed. Let me now, 
 in the second place, propose to your attention 
 the mode or way, by which this grace may pro- 
 bably be attained. 
 
 The way, therefore, by which to follow after, 
 and establish ourselves in charity, is, by a course 
 of serious reflection and prayer. 
 
 I will here remind you of what was stated 
 in the outset, respecting the word which, in 
 the text, and in some other places, is rendered 
 charity ; it is more significantly elsewhere ren- 
 
88 Follow after Charity. 
 
 dered love, and ought to be received as desig- 
 nating the love of God in Christ, and of our 
 neighbour for His sake. Accordingly, charity 
 is a disposition of the heart, an inward prin- 
 ciple or affection ; always watchful, it is true, 
 to shew out of an answerable conversation its 
 works in meekness of wisdom, yet, for the most 
 part, of secret growth and culture. Now, of 
 every such hidden grace, reflection and prayer 
 are decidedly, next to the holy Sacraments 
 which Christ hath ordained, the most appro- 
 priate and effectual means ; or, to speak only 
 of that which is before us, charity being an 
 affection of the heart, by these, namely, by re- 
 flection and prayer, the hearts of all who would 
 become truly charitable must be affected. Re- 
 flection — that is to say, inward and dispassion- 
 ate thought — may easily be proved both a ne- 
 cessary and a direct way to charity. Our na- 
 tural propensity is to be, if not positively hate- 
 ful, or hating God and one another, yet selfish, 
 proud, and irritable, and regardless alike of 
 Him and of our brethren, except when, by the 
 contrary behaviour, we can promote our pri- 
 vate interest or gratification. Recollect again 
 the Apostle's particular description of charity, 
 and scarcely any man can be so ignorant of 
 himself as to imagine, that his own nature will 
 prompt him to walk in the way which is there 
 
Follow after Charity. 89 
 
 marked out. Surely then, all have need to re- 
 flect, that they may apprehend, and learn to 
 rectify, or at the least to refrain, whatever 
 vi^ithin them is not conformable to those per- 
 fect lines or rules. Also, in addition to this 
 our need of it, for the restraint and correction 
 of the uncharitableness which is born with us, 
 and will hardly be prevented from springing 
 up, a habit of reflecting, or of bethinking our- 
 selves, is one of the most likely to excite un- 
 feeling hearts — such as are not entirely past 
 feeling — -and to set at work in them charitable 
 dispositions. If any thing can stir or induce a 
 man to love, the conviction that he hath been 
 dealt lovingly with, notwithstanding great ill- 
 desert on his part, may be expected to have 
 such an effect. But of this, every Christian, 
 who will reflect, must daily and evermore be 
 convinced. The free grace extended to fallen 
 man, lest he should for ever stick fast in the 
 deep mire of his own native ignorance and 
 corruption ; the astonishing mercy, that while 
 we were yet without help, yea, and even actual 
 sinners and enemies, Jesus Christ, the Son of 
 God, of His own and of His Father's will, took 
 our nature, and died for the ungodly, can never 
 long be absent from the thoughts of a believer 
 in the Gospel, who is accustomed to think at 
 all : likewise, the longsuffering of God our Sa- 
 
90 Follow after Charity. 
 
 viour, both in times past, and to us ward, not 
 willing that any should perish, but that all 
 should come to repentance, however perverse 
 and ungrateful the conduct of many has been, 
 will occur to him from day to day. Provided, 
 therefore, one be capable of conceiving love, or 
 charity, it will certainly be generated in him 
 by reflection. Instead of remaining wholly 
 selfish, or zealous for none except himself, he 
 will find dispositions arising to return in some 
 degree the love, wherewith he hath first been 
 so loved by God ; and to follow the example 
 thereby proposed to him, on all practicable op- 
 portunities, both as to bearing with, and doing 
 good to, his fellow creatures. Be the human 
 heart, in numerous cases, almost impenetrably 
 hard, the Divine love may yet act upon it, and 
 avail, when thus brought home, to mollify, and 
 implant in it some answerable feelings, some 
 warmer and kindlier sentiments than itself alone 
 might be expected to produce. 
 
 However, there are hearts harder than a 
 flint, having been hardened to such an inacces- 
 sible temper by their owners ; and even the 
 sentiments of love above mentioned will be im- 
 planted in them only to wither away, unless the 
 dew of God's Holy Spirit be invoked to nourish 
 and give them strength. Wherefore, jirayer 
 must be added to, or rather accompany reflec- 
 
Follotv after Charity. 91 
 
 tion, if we would successfully follow after cha- 
 rity. A love ill any measure of the same cha- 
 racter with the love of God towards us, can be 
 produced by nothing less than the energy of 
 that Divine agent, " the spirit of love, and of a 
 " sound mind." Reflection is of itself only able 
 to put and keep us in a proper frame for wor- 
 thily receiving such an inestimable gift. We 
 cannot render ourselves at all charitable after a 
 godly sort — in other words, we cannot become 
 followers " as dear children" of God manifest in 
 the flesh through His Son, and partakers of the 
 Divine nature, which is love — without His spe- 
 cial help for the purpose. But this, by means 
 of the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven. He 
 hath graciously promised to them who will ask 
 and seek for it, lest devout and humble-mind- 
 ed Christians should seem called to somewhat 
 more excellent than they can hope to reach. 
 Prayer, then, is evidently a course to be adopted 
 by all the followers after charity, or love. All 
 have need to pray, that they may obtain so effi- 
 cient a Guide and Helper in their pursuit of 
 it, or, to speak more properly. One who is the 
 very Author and Finisher of charity, to those 
 whom He will bless with His presence and fel- 
 lowship, in this house of their pilgrimage. If 
 the Spirit of God and of Christ come nigh to a 
 man that prayeth not, it is only to put him, in 
 
92 Follow after Charity. 
 
 the first instance, upon prayer ; for while every 
 spiritual benefit is annexed by Scripture to the 
 exercise of this duty, no person, allowing him- 
 self to neglect it, may reasonably look to receive 
 a " blessing from the Lord, and righteousness 
 " from the God of his salvation." 
 
 Upon the whole, my brethren, follow after 
 charity, as the Apostle exhorts ; and that by the 
 way which hath been set forth, namely, of ha- 
 bitual reflection on the Divine loving-kindness, 
 and of earnest calling upon God, except another 
 can be proved easier and more sure. Charity 
 has appeared to be the very bond of peace, and 
 of all virtues, without which whosoever liveth 
 is counted dead before God ; it hath also par- 
 ticularly been represented as a possession which 
 waxeth not old, " a treasure in the heavens 
 " which faileth not," though every thing be- 
 sides, even faith and hope, shall have an end. 
 Determine, therefore, respecting this grace, 
 that it is most worthy to be instantly pursued. 
 Keep in remembrance the love of God displayed 
 by the Gospel, as an urgent reason, a constrain- 
 ing motive, to be like-minded ; and further, 
 that you may become so, continually beseech 
 Him to " send His Holy Ghost, and pour into 
 " your hearts that most excellent gift of cha- 
 " rity." Desire of God, my brethren, to such 
 effect, not merely for form's sake, but earnestly, 
 
Folloiv after Charity, 93 
 
 as for a gift indispensable to your future life ; 
 and be always proving what measure of it you 
 may have received, by exercising it, both on 
 small and great occasions, to the glory and 
 honour of the Giver. They who will do thus 
 shall doubtless abide steadfast, and evermore 
 abound, being rooted and grounded in love. 
 There are enough discouragements in the world 
 to extinguish any charity, which a man of him- 
 self can light up. The spurious charity of hu- 
 man nature presently faints, on encountering 
 ingratitude and perverseness. But that from 
 God, which is thus infused, and cherished, is 
 of a kind which " many waters cannot quench, 
 " neither the floods drown." It is able to rise 
 above every trial, and, however for a time it 
 may seem of small reputation, of its beauty and 
 increase there shall be no end. 
 
SERMON VII. 
 
 Luke xlii. 5. 
 Except ye repent, ye shall all likeivise perish, 
 
 J. HESE words contain a declaration on the 
 subject of repentance, from which there should 
 seem to be no evasion, nor escape. It is too 
 positive to be argued against, or turned aside, 
 and too plain not to be clearly understood. 
 All are expressly included in it : and, lest any 
 might plead that he did not hear, it is uttered 
 a second time by Jesus in the text. 
 
 The word, likewise, "Except ye repent, ye 
 " shall all likewise perish," may serve to re- 
 mind us, that our Lord was speaking to per- 
 sons who had an example of perishing before 
 them. In fact there were two examples— which 
 moved Him twice to proclaim this doctrine — 
 then current in the mouths of men ; and it is 
 to be supposed, that the larger number of 
 ourselves are able more or less perfectly to re- 
 collect them. However, we should always de- 
 sire clearly to apprehend, and carry with us, 
 in our consideration of any doctrine, the occa- 
 
All must repent or perish. 95 
 
 sion which originally produced it. Wherefore, 
 for the better instruction, not only of the per- 
 sons who may never have known, or may al- 
 ready have forgotten those transactions, but of 
 such also as are not adequately acquainted 
 with them, let me begin with distinctly stating 
 what the circumstances were, which moved 
 Jesus thus repeatedly and comprehensively to 
 preach the indispensable necessity of repent- 
 ance. 
 
 There were present, it appears, at that sea- 
 son, " certain, who told Him of the Galileans, 
 " whose blood Pilate had mingled with their 
 " sacrifices." The case of these Galileans is 
 here mentioned, as one generally conversed 
 about, and known. They were so called pro- 
 bably for the twofold reason, that Galilee was 
 their native country, and because they had 
 been followers of Judas of Galilee, a seditious 
 leader referred to by Gamaliel in the fifth 
 chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. This 
 Judas arose, it is there said, in the days of 
 taxing, and drew away much people after him, 
 by his doctrine, that tribute should not be paid 
 to the Romans. Such doctrine not being ac- 
 cording to godliness, his end was, that he pe- 
 rished, and so many as obeyed him came to 
 naught. The Romans, however, were still ve- 
 hemently incensed against all who had taken 
 
96 All must repent or perish. 
 
 his part, and gone with him, not sparing them 
 wheresoever they might be found. To such 
 a degree were they suspected and hated by the 
 governor, that there was no safety for them, 
 even while sacrificing in the temple ; and, on 
 a late occasion, Pilate having given command- 
 ment to slay some of their number who were 
 thus employed, the blood of themselves and of 
 their victims had flowed together. At the 
 foot of God's holy altar, and in the very act of 
 propitiating His mercy, a number — we are not 
 informed how many — of the persons who have' 
 been described, had suffered the pain of a vio- 
 lent death. An occurrence this, sufficiently 
 striking in its nature and circumstances to ex- 
 cite universal interest, and, one might have 
 imagined, universal commiseration. But many 
 amongst the Jews, were more disposed to re- 
 gard it in the light of a peculiar vengeance or- 
 dained from Heaven upon the sufferers, signify- 
 ing them to have been of all men the most 
 wicked : and they who related the transaction 
 to our Lord, or at the least some of them who 
 were standing near, had adopted concerning it, 
 that uncharitable idea. Accordingly, Jesus, who 
 would always give to every subject the turn 
 most profitable to his hearers, instead of taking 
 occasion to represent in its most heinous light 
 the exceeding sinfulness of the dead, chose to 
 
All must repent or perish, 97 
 
 rebuke the self-complacency of the living. 
 " Suppose ye," He replied, — ye who are con- 
 demning the slain, and thinking good of your- 
 selves by comparison, — " suppose ye that these 
 " Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans, 
 " because they suffered such things ? I tell you, 
 " Nay ; but, except ye repent, ye shall all like- 
 " wise perish." " Or," He continued, adverting 
 of his own accord to another somewhat similar 
 instance, which had probably about that time oc- 
 curred, " or those eighteen, upon whom the tower 
 " in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that 
 " they were sinners above all men that dwelt 
 " in Jerusalem ? I tell you. Nay: but, except ye 
 " repent, ye shall all likewise perish." 
 
 So earnest did Jesus shew Himself, in press- 
 ing home their need of repentance upon the 
 Jewish people. When they had supplied Him 
 with one opportunity. He took up another, and 
 thence urged it upon them again. Nor, as the 
 event proved, was He more earnest with them 
 than their state required. His warnings proved 
 exactly, perhaps I should say prophetically, 
 true. Within about forty years from the time 
 when Jesus spake, as above cited, the Jews, 
 who neglected His admonition, were overtaken 
 by a destruction remarkably similar to that of 
 the Galileans, whom Pilate slew, and of those 
 upon whom the tower in Siloam fell. The Ro- 
 
 F 
 
98 All must repent or perish. 
 
 man armies, provoked by their repeated rebel- 
 lions, came up, not without the Lord, against 
 their city; and the people at large, after a long, 
 but unavailing defence, being pursued with a 
 very great slaughter into the Temple, either 
 fell therein by the edge of the sword, or were 
 miserably crushed to death under the ruins of 
 it. That holy place, where they had been ac- 
 customed to offer sacrifices of slain beasts, ran 
 down with their own blood, shed by the fury of 
 Pilate's countrymen ; and its towers, regarding 
 which one had said with admiration unto Jesus, 
 " Master, see what manner of stones, and what 
 " buildings are here !" were overturned upon 
 their own heads. Of all in Jerusalem, who 
 had not repented, and believed the Gospel, none, 
 there is good reason to suppose, could find de- 
 liverance in those days of retribution. 
 
 Therefore now, having distinctly in our view 
 the occasion on which Jesus spake, and having 
 further observed, or recollected, the perform- 
 ance of that which He foretold, how His words, 
 rei^eated in the text, fell not, as vain words, to 
 the ground, but were terribly fulfilled on the 
 multitudes who disregarded them ; having, I 
 say, the whole matter thus sufficiently before 
 us, let our next step, my brethren, be, to consi- 
 der the proper bearing of them, under circum- 
 stances somewhat different, on ourselves. 
 
All must repent or j^crish. 99 
 
 No doubt, for the wholesome alarm of the 
 present, and of each succeeding generation, the 
 saying of Jesus projiosed to your notice has been 
 recorded ; " Except ye repent, ye shall all like- 
 " wise perish ;" perish equally, that is to say, 
 or after the same manner with those, whom ye 
 have seen, or heard of, perishing by a terrible 
 destruction around you. It will become us, 
 however, to receive this with discretion, or we 
 shall incur the guilt of rash judging, and un- 
 charitableness. The Jews were, upon the 
 whole, authorized by their law to expect tem- 
 poral rewards and punishments ; in other 
 words, to look for worldly happiness or misery, 
 length or shortness of days, a peaceful or a vio- 
 lent death, according as they would please or 
 offend God in their generation. Allowing such 
 their expectation yet a while longer, Jesus did 
 not reprove them for supposing that the Gali- 
 leans, about whom they told Him, had been 
 destroyed because of their sins, but only for 
 supposing themselves exempt, who had been 
 perhaps not less sinful in different ways, and 
 whose punishment, though still deferred, was 
 drawing on. Our Lord permitted the congre- 
 gation of Jews who surrounded Him, to reflect 
 concerning those whom Pilate had slain in the 
 Temple, that most certainly they must have 
 been heinous sinners, or God would never have 
 
 F 2 
 
100 All must repent or perish. 
 
 suffered them to be so cut off: simply taking 
 the opportunity to teach, that all should con- 
 sider themselves to be sinners likewise, and 
 doomed to a like calamitous end, unless they 
 would avert it by a timely repentance. But, 
 together with the law, this rule of judgment is, 
 to the best of our knowledge, disannulled. Un- 
 der the Gosj)el, God repayeth not in the pre- 
 sent world after any manner within our dis- 
 cernment to ascertain. Consequently, we have 
 no warrant to think evil of a man, simply on 
 account of the evil accidents (be they ever so 
 numerous and terrible) which may have be- 
 fallen him. With respect to the most miserable 
 cases of mere bodily suifering and death, our 
 proper reflection will be, that they who repent, 
 no less than they who repent not, may some- 
 time have to experience such misery, ere they 
 can be released from the burden of the flesh. 
 The hope of a Christian's calling is beyond the 
 grave ; neither should the manner of his re- 
 moval hence, nor any bodily evils which may 
 previously have come upon him, be reckoned at 
 all significant of his future lot, which is there 
 " hidden with Christ in God." Although the case 
 appears to have been formerly somewhat dif- 
 ferent, truly in these latter days, the righteous 
 are not unfrequently snatched away by some 
 fearful and sudden stroke, while sinners are 
 
All must repent or perish. 101 
 
 left to dwell outwardly at ease, and to die, with- 
 out any such sore agony, in their beds. Hence, 
 we must determine not to judge one another, 
 at this time, by the allotment to each man of 
 temporal calamities, nor to venture on predict- 
 ing such calamities against the wicked. Only 
 with a view to that " everlasting destruction," 
 wherewith transgressors " shall be punished 
 " from the presence of the Lord, and the glory 
 " of His power," can the words of Jesus be still 
 repeated with effect. 
 
 But what examples of that destruction — 
 what lively and striking specimens of it — are 
 we able, accordingly, to adduce ? If we may 
 not account of present plagues or deaths, to 
 what conspicuous instance shall a minister of 
 Christ refer, while he enforces the declaration 
 of his Master? On whom, since on none by 
 reason of the manner in which they have been 
 taken from the world, can a man fix the views 
 of those who hear him, while he proclaims, 
 " Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise pe- 
 " rish ?" 
 
 " We walk," as saith the Apostle, " by faith, 
 " not by sight." (2 Cor. v. 7.) A Christian, then, 
 on this side the grave, must not require to see 
 with his eyes, " and behold the reward of the 
 " ungodly." Yet they who will truly walk by 
 faith, or believing the Scriptures, may there 
 
 F 3 
 
102 All must repent or jy^nsh, 
 
 find descriptions of perishing in the invisible 
 world, strong enough to work equally as any 
 visible scene of misery, on their minds. Re- 
 member " the angels, which kept not their first 
 " estate, but left their own habitation." God, 
 it is written, hath " reserved them in everlast- 
 " ing chains under darkness unto the judg- 
 " ment of the great day:" (Jude 6.) then they 
 are to be " cast into a lake of fire burning with 
 " brimstone, and to be tormented day and night, 
 " for ever and ever." (Revelation xx. 10. xxi. 8.) 
 Surely a most terrible and hopeless portion is 
 this, a lot of endless woe, at the apprehension 
 of which, notwithstanding that hitherto we see 
 it not, flesh and blood may well exceedingly be 
 alarmed. * Compared with these everlasting 
 chains and fire, prepared for the Devil and his 
 angels, the edge of the sword, and falling tow- 
 ers, and other like worldly instruments of destruc- 
 tion, should seem but little worthy to excite our 
 fears. Not more woeful, however, is the con- 
 dition of those revolted spirits, than shall here- 
 after be the condition of so many of the human 
 race as will not here repent. Man hath sinned 
 after the example of the angels. Hearkening 
 to the solicitations of their Prince, he kept not 
 his first estate, in which the Almighty created 
 and placed him, but shamefully departed from 
 innocence and bliss. Unto man therefore, unto 
 
All must repent or perish. 103 
 
 the children, throughout all their generations, 
 of fallen Adam, may it be said, respecting the 
 chains, the darkness, and the flaming fire, to 
 which *' the angels that sinned" have been 
 doomed, " Except ye repent, ye shall all like- 
 " wise perish." Seeing that God hath ordained 
 such punishments for them, who sometime 
 stood near His throne, verily the inhabitants 
 of the earth, who turn not back in time from 
 following them, have to expect things equally 
 dreadful for themselves. The only difference 
 is, that ungodly and rebellious men are per- 
 mitted to remain a while, or are suffered until 
 death and judgment, instead of being instantly 
 stricken down, and driven without delay into 
 darkness. Nor are we at the present without oc- 
 casional instances of human beings taken hence 
 in such a frame, that not even the most charitable 
 can imagine them to have been taken for good. 
 I have above sufficiently argued, that death by 
 violence, or some painful accident, is no more 
 to be reputed by us a token of the Divine dis- 
 pleasure, than death by slow degrees, and in old 
 age ; to which I will here add, that we should 
 not, under any circumstances, easily allow our- 
 selves to pass sentence on the departed. Still, as 
 St. Paul wrote to Timothy, " some men's sins 
 " are open beforehand, going before to judg- 
 " ment;" (1 Tun. v. 24.) and there is no real cha- 
 
 F 4 
 
104 All must repent or perish. 
 
 rity in being blind to such cases, which the Apo- 
 stle describes as too plain to be mistaken. When 
 a man hath lived and died notoriously in trans- 
 gression, without professing either contrition or 
 shame ; when one hath been stricken in act of 
 blasphemy or falsehood, or of any other gross 
 wickedness, or hath made an end of himself by 
 some brutal excess, there can hardly appear room 
 for hope, consistently with a due respect to the 
 threatenings of the Divine word. We seem al- 
 most compelled either to discredit " the wrath of 
 " God revealed from heaven against all ungodli- 
 " ness and unrighteousness of men," or to sup- 
 pose, of persons thus quitting their place of trial 
 and correction, that without doubt they shall 
 perish everlastingly. It appears hardly safe to 
 speak as if they might possibly be saved, lest we 
 should dangerously beguile the souls of the liv- 
 ing, and yet in no degree benefit the dead. Ac- 
 cordingly, our wisdom, touching cases of de- 
 cidedly this description, will be, to regard them 
 in the light of ensamples unto the survivors, 
 who are walking in the same wicked ways. 
 Upon observing one, who evidently hath not 
 repented, summoned hence, as in a moment, to 
 judgment, we should lay to heart the saying of 
 Jesus, " Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise 
 " perish ;" and, by the token that so it was in this 
 world with the Jews who would not rei)ent, 
 
All must repent or perish, 105 
 
 convince ourselves that so it shall be in the 
 next, with the whole multitude of impenitent 
 transgressors. 
 
 In such wise, professing ourselves to be 
 Christians, it will behove us to contemplate 
 with much trembling, by the light of Holy 
 Scripture, the numbers both of fallen angels 
 and fallen men, who have perished, or are pe- 
 rishing, by the Divine vengeance ; and there- 
 upon to remember, and take warning by the 
 text, that only through repentance can we 
 escape a like condemnation. Many, however, 
 may not hitherto have clearly learned so much 
 as the nature of repentance, and the grounds 
 on which it hath become so necessary to man. 
 With a view, therefore, to shew the justice and 
 propriety of the doctrine above stated, these 
 points shall here, in the last place, be taken 
 up, and explained. 
 
 Repentance, then, should be understood to 
 signify a change of mind, or of the inward 
 natural man — a change from that disposition 
 under which our first parents ate of the forbid- 
 den fruit, thereby corrupting both themselves 
 and their children. This disposition we may 
 remember to have been an evil heart of unbe- 
 lief and disobedience ; in other words, a will- 
 ingness to be deceived by the tempter, and to 
 follow the enticements of fleshly lusts, instead 
 
 F 5 
 
106 All must repent or perish, 
 
 of holding fast by God. Accordingly, a reso- 
 lute mortification, or putting away of such un- 
 godly propensities, and a steady adoption of 
 the contrary, are what constitute the scriptural 
 meaning of repentance. Scarcely any one can 
 have really proceeded to this, without many 
 painful thoughts and reflections, many griev- 
 ous convictions of danger, and much remorse 
 of conscience : there must be a sense of the ex- 
 ceeding sinfulness of sin, which will naturally 
 give rise to these contrite searchings of heart, 
 ere a man will set himself in good earnest to 
 cast it out. These, however, are only excite- 
 ments to repentance, not repentance itself, nor 
 so much as an essential part of repentance. 
 There may be outwardly strong crying and 
 tears — tears, not of hypocrisy, but of unfeign- 
 ed sorrow, and yet the hidden man of the heart 
 remain in a great degree unchanged ; there 
 may be visible, no stronger token of feeling 
 than a grave or serious aspect, and a change 
 be all the while inwardly going on ; indeed, the 
 most violent expressions of misery are some- 
 times mere symptoms of distress arising from 
 irresolution, and a weak reluctance to have 
 done with sin, not of a salutary concern at hav- 
 ing offended God. Wherefore repentance is to 
 be accounted distinct from these ; yea, and dis- 
 tinct lilcewise in part from confession ; for, al- 
 
All must repent or perish. 107 
 
 though there can hardly be repentance with- 
 out confession unto God, and, be it added, unto 
 man also, if he has been also sinned against, 
 yet confessions of unworthiness may be uttered 
 with a mind, on the whole, to continue unwor- 
 thy still. But in thus saying that a change 
 within — such an one as hath been described — 
 is complete repentance, without respect to the 
 beginning and progress of it, or the manner in 
 which it may have taken place, I do not mean 
 to speak without respect to its consequences. 
 An outward change of conversation must en- 
 sue, or the inward change will most certainly 
 stand for naught — a reformation, i. e. in all 
 those particulars, in which our corrupt nature 
 hath been wont to shew itself, or bear sway. 
 When John the Baptist came, specially preach^ 
 ing repentance, he gave not a single rule on 
 the subject of weeping and lamentation for the 
 past ; that he left to the various tempers of his 
 hearers ; nevertheless, he gave jjositive com- 
 mandment to " bring forth fruits meet for re- 
 " pentance." And, according to reason, no re- 
 pentance can be sufficient which fails to affect 
 our words and works, since by them we are to 
 be judged at the last day. 
 
 Such being the nature of repentance, that 
 all have need of it, may now easily be demon- 
 strated. All have received, by inheritance from 
 
 F 6 
 
108 All must repent or perish. 
 
 Adam, a strong inclination, not to righteous- 
 ness, but to sin. Not one of us hath, from the 
 beginning, a mind to believe in God, and to 
 keep His commandments, in the face of trials 
 and temptations ; on the contrary, our natural 
 way is to put them aside, at every call of world- 
 ly gain or pleasure, and to do even what we 
 lust. Clearly, therefore, all the children of Adam 
 who are thus born, after the likeness of his cor- 
 rupt nature, " of the will of the flesh, and of 
 " the will of man," must either repent, or pe- 
 rish. Who that goes hence with such his natu- 
 ral mind unchanged, and with all the trans- 
 gressions, into which, under the most favour- 
 able circumstances, it must have led him, on 
 his head; can hope by any means to stand in 
 the judgment ? The matter is undeniably plain, 
 provided only we will put our thoughts to it, 
 that repentance is indispensable to fallen man. 
 Originally, the corruption that is in the world 
 through lust, hath dominion over the whole 
 human race unto destruction ; none, then, — not 
 a single individual of our race — may justly look 
 to obtain salvation, except by breaking this 
 yoke from off his neck, and further, by being 
 changed, transformed, and renewed, so that the 
 will of God through Jesus Christ shall become 
 the governing principle of his life. Consider, 
 accordingly, my brethren, and repent. Some 
 
All must repent or perish. 109 
 
 perhaps have already, in a good measure, done 
 this — have been doing it ahnost daily from 
 their youth, or have more lately taken it in 
 hand ; they will know of their own selves what 
 has been taught — that repentance is an inward 
 change, necessary to all who would be accept- 
 ed with God — and will determine, by the 
 same grace which has begun the good work in 
 them, to go on with, and effectually perform it. 
 Aware of the infection yet remaining in their 
 nature, they will never cease to maintain habits 
 of watchfulness and self-correction, that they 
 may proceed from strength to strength, instead 
 of drawing back unto perdition. But the more 
 part, it is to be feared, have not repented hi- 
 therto, nor have been at any pains to walk 
 worthy of their Christian calling. Unto such, 
 be it finally declared, " Behold, now is the ac- 
 " cepted time !" Behold, as yet the Lord is wait- 
 ing to be gracious. However, " if a man will 
 " not turn, He will whet His sword ; He hath 
 " bent His bow, and made it ready" against all 
 who are disposed to trifle with His mercy. In 
 the parable directly following the text, only one 
 year more was allowed to the unfruitful fig- 
 tree ; and there are numerous examples of the 
 impenitent, who would not be reconciled, while 
 they might, unto God, perishing suddenly by 
 
110 All must repent or perish. 
 
 a fearful end. Within a few short years, or 
 months, everi/ tree that bringeth not forth good 
 fruit, may be hewn down, and cast into the 
 fire. 
 
SERMON VIII. 
 
 Luke vii. 35. 
 
 But wisdom is justified of all her children. 
 
 X HIS remark is not of the plainest kind, and 
 taken by itself may seem hard to be understood. 
 When connected, however, vrith what Jesus had 
 just before been saying, it will probably appear 
 in a more intelligible light. A short review of 
 the preceding verses may enable us, without 
 much difficulty, to apprehend it. And having 
 been thus introduced, it will serve to suggest a 
 few suitable reflections on the leading views 
 and principles, which we should be ready to 
 adopt, and walk by, in the world. 
 
 Be it remembered, then, that an arrival of 
 some messengers from John the Baptist, who 
 was at that time in prison, had put our Lord on 
 speaking with the people about the personal 
 habits and character of that holy man ; and He 
 had thence proceeded to affirm his high commis- 
 sion, declaring that there had been no great- 
 er merely human prophet. Yet, though both 
 
112 TFisdom justified of h er Ch ildren . 
 
 John and Jesus were from God, or certainly 
 commissioned by Him, the great body of the 
 Jews rejected both, assigning, for a reason, their 
 respective modes of conduct. But these dif- 
 fered from each other ; for Jesus lived not after 
 the manner of John, upon locusts and wild 
 honey in the wilderness, nor did He, to the best 
 of our information, afflict His flesh with rai- 
 ment of camel's hair. Accordingly, their rea- 
 son was no better than a false pretence. The 
 same people found fault with John for fasting, 
 and with Jesus for not fasting ; with John, 
 because he lived apart from the world, and 
 with Jesus, because He frequented it's society. 
 So here was an undeniable proof of their in- 
 sincerity, and that they were keeping back 
 their true reason, as one too shameful to be 
 advanced. This we may justly suppose to 
 have been, a strong dislike of the doctrine ac- 
 cording to godliness, that all men should 
 straightway repent, and be converted, j)roclaim- 
 ed almost indifferently by both. Nevertheless, 
 Jesus chose, on the present occasion, rather to 
 take them at their word, than to lay bare and 
 expose their dishonesty. Instead of reproving 
 them, as men in malice. He derided them as 
 babes in understanding — as children, too un- 
 reasonable and perverse to know their own 
 minds, or to be wrought upon by any note of 
 
Wisdom justified of her Children. 113 
 
 invitation. The Lord said, " Whereunto shall I 
 " liken the men of this generation ? and to what 
 " are they like ?" On which He proceeded, al- 
 luding to some childish sports of that period, 
 which might perhaps be taking place within 
 His sight, " They are like unto children sitting 
 " in the market-place, and calling one to an- 
 " other, and saying. We have piped unto you, 
 " and ye have not danced ; we have mourned 
 " unto you, and ye have not wept. For John 
 " the Baptist came neither eating bread nor 
 ** drinking wine ; and ye say, He hath a devil. 
 " The Son of man is come eating and drinking ; 
 " and ye say. Behold a gluttonous man, and a 
 " wine-bibber, a friend of publicans and sin- 
 " ners ! But," He then subjoined in conclusion, 
 " but wisdom is justified of all her children." 
 (Luke vii. 31.) 
 
 This, we may hence easily perceive to have 
 been spoken, as it were, on the contrary part by 
 our Lord. Having exemplified the foolish per- 
 verseness of the pharisees and lawyers, who were 
 truly " a rebellious people, lying children, chil- 
 " dren that would not hear the law of the Lord" 
 (Isaiah xxx. 9.) from any lips, but rejected the 
 counsel of God by whomsoever, and in what- 
 ever way, declared, — having held them up to 
 the derision which they were deserving. He na- 
 turally adverted to men of the opposite sort. 
 
114 Wisdom Justified of her Children. 
 
 From remarking on the children of folly, He 
 turned for a moment to the children of wisdom, 
 of whom some were then hearing Him, and 
 consoled His spirit with reflecting, that wis- 
 dom was justified of them, and of all possessing 
 a like mind. By wisdom, Jesus evidently in- 
 tended " the manifold wisdom of God" in the 
 habits and doctrine of Himself, and of John. 
 Whilst many were still offended at it, alleging 
 the most inconsistent and even contradictory 
 objections, He observed these — the children of 
 wisdom — to be frankly approving and com- 
 mending it, as worthy of universal acceptation. 
 And who were these children of wisdom ? of 
 what class or description in the land? Were 
 they men who had spent years in study, and 
 become more deeply learned than their fellows ? 
 When persons who are already, in a degree, 
 wise, will do this, they may probably make 
 great increase of their wisdom ; but true wis- 
 dom is not thus to be obtained : " the fear of 
 " the Lord," a disposition towards Him of re- 
 verence and humility, "is the beginning of 
 " wisdom" (Psalm cxi. 10.) unto man. Ac- 
 cordingly, the children of wisdom contem- 
 plated by Jesus, were generally common peo- 
 ple of such a mind, with a mixture among 
 them of publicans and sinners. These were 
 too desirous of hearing what the Lord God 
 
Wisdom justified of her Children. 115 
 
 would say concerning them, willingly to ob- 
 ject against, or thinlc evil of His messengers. 
 Seeing proofs enough as to the main point, that 
 the Baptist and Jesus Christ had both come 
 with a commission from above, and loving the 
 mercy and truth spoken to their souls, they 
 felt convinced, and held it as certain, that 
 neither of them could possibly have come in a 
 way more wisely chosen, or better adapted to 
 promote the end of his mission. With respect 
 to John, the voice of his cry had awakened 
 them, when dead in trespasses and sins ; it was 
 fit, then, they were prompt to argue, that one 
 appointed to alarm the guilty should be of an 
 austere conversation. With respect to Jesus, 
 the most gracious words were daily proceeding 
 out of His mouth, not commonly denunciations 
 of vengeance, but, persuasive calls to accept par- 
 don and salvation ; a demeanour, then, more 
 accommodating and gentle was that which best 
 became His preaching. In short, whereas the 
 one was ordained to smite, the other to heal — 
 the one to excite trembling, the other to com- 
 fort the tremblers — the aspect of severity 
 wherewith John appeared, and that of mildness 
 which Jesus usually wore, however obstinately 
 blamed by those who were on the watch to find 
 fault, were esteemed by humble men of heart, 
 who would accept the salvation thus provided 
 
116 Wisdom justified of her Children, 
 
 for them, perfectly consistent with the Divine 
 wisdom, and well adapted to their respective 
 offices amongst mankind. 
 
 Thus, my brethren, was " wisdom justified of 
 " all her children" in those early times of the 
 Gospel. Truly, they who called themselves wise 
 men — the wise in their own conceits — were 
 turned backward : they accused John of hav- 
 ing " a devil," and Jesus of being " a glutton- 
 " ous man and a wine-bibber, a friend of publi- 
 " cans and sinners." But the whole number 
 of the willing and obedient, perceived the ap- 
 pearance of both to have been ordered by God 
 in the wisest manner for their good, and for 
 bringing them by the right way unto Himself. 
 Wherefore, they justified the whole procedure, 
 making their boast in it, as one to be admired, 
 in contradiction to the multitude of scorners. 
 Also, they justified it, by framing their beha- 
 viour on a corresponding plan of mingled self- 
 denial and freedom, after that which had been 
 presented to their view. 
 
 Concerning, now, the present generation, they, 
 it is to be feared, are hitherto numerous, whom 
 our Lord, were he still conversing on the earth, 
 might justly liken to the foolish children in the 
 market-place — men who will never be pleased 
 with any, by whom righteousness and judgment 
 are proclaimed, be the fashion of their lives 
 
Wisdom justified of Iter Children. 117 
 
 what it may. However, it seems but reason- 
 able to hope, that all who resort to God's house 
 are, in some degree, of a better mind. By the 
 custom of simply coming together to worship, 
 and to hear the word of Christ, you profess to 
 be children of the wisdom which He taught, 
 disposed to think and speak well of Him 
 throughout, and ready, should any part of His 
 Gospel appear hard or strange, to continue 
 nevertheless believing, and hoping still to dis- 
 cern it just and good. Accordingly, respecting 
 the wisdom successively displayed by John the 
 Baptist, and by Jesus Christ, I design to em- 
 ploy the remainder of this discourse, in explain- 
 ing how it is most satisfactorily to be justified, 
 at once in word and in deed, by all who would 
 fain approve of, and recommend it. 
 
 If we regard, then, in a particular manner, 
 the different habits of living adopted by our 
 Lord, and His forerunner, the right conclusion 
 probably will be, that, of two modes equally 
 lawful, each chose the most expedient one for 
 himself, and for the office which he came to 
 fulfil. Both were required to walk humbly 
 and righteously with God, and to preach His 
 truth unto men ; but this might be done in 
 different ways ; so the one " came neither eat- 
 " ing bread nor drinking wine," the other " came 
 " eating and drinking." I have already pointed 
 
118 JVisdom justified of her Children. 
 
 out the suitableness of these opposite man- 
 ners to the opposite tones in which they had to 
 speak. The voice of John being generally as 
 the sound of a trumpet, to alarm, and the voice 
 of Jesus ordinarily resembling gentler music, to 
 comfort and draw the soul, there was a corre- 
 sponding variety in their demeanour. Nothing 
 could have been more evidently proper, than 
 that the former should be a person of a severer 
 aspect than the latter, in the world. But this 
 difference will appear entirely unobjectionable 
 when you remember, that neither of the two 
 positively enjoined it on his hearers, as wishing 
 to make them likewise differ, and that both 
 were free occasionally to cease from it them- 
 selves. 
 
 John came, neither eating bread, nor drink- 
 ing wine : his abode was in the wilderness, his 
 raiment of camel's hair, and his meat only lo- 
 custs and wild honey, while he proclaimed, 
 " The axe is laid unto the root of the trees : 
 " every tree therefore which bringeth not forth 
 " good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the 
 " fire ;" yet when the terrified j)eople demand- 
 ed of him, " What shall we do then ?" he did 
 not require them at all to imitate him in these 
 respects, but rather gave them rules for walk- 
 ing charitably and honestly with their fellow- 
 creatures. So far from insisting on a life of 
 
Wisdom justified of h er Cli ildren . 119 
 
 abstinence, like his own, in the wilderness, his 
 precepts to the people generally were, He that 
 hath meat and clothing, " let him impart to 
 *• him that hath none ;" and to the publicans, 
 " Exact no more than that which is appointed 
 " you ;" and to the soldiers, " Do violence to 
 " no man, neither accuse any falsely ; and be 
 " content with your wages." (Luke iii. 7, and 
 following verses.) Suppose we were quite un- 
 able to imagine a cause for the severity of 
 the Baptist towards himself, who will be vain 
 enough, after this, to blame him for it, or to 
 raise any question about his wisdom ? We may 
 well be sure that he did wisely in abstaining 
 from society and ordinary food, by the tokens 
 that he made no merit of doing so, and would 
 not forbid others to partake of them. His ac- 
 tuating principle throughout must have con- 
 sisted of sound piety and discretion, otherwise 
 he would have proposed it as a primary con- 
 dition of his baptism, that men should follow 
 the exact pattern of his life. Likewise Jesus, 
 who came, on the contrary, eating and drink- 
 ing, sitting down with almost any that would 
 invite Him, the better to persuade and win 
 them, hath left His disciples free to determine, 
 by their own prudence, whether or not they 
 shall do the same. He went to a marriage 
 feast in Cana of Galilee, and turned water into 
 
120 Wisdom justified of her Children, 
 
 wine for the guests ; also, He appears on va- 
 rious occasions to have become a partaker at 
 their tables with pharisees, and with publicans 
 and sinners ; but He never intended to oblige 
 others by such conduct. Men might believe 
 in, and have respect unto, Jesus, and still de- 
 cline being present at feasts, and keeping com- 
 pany with sinful characters, provided they would 
 beware of pride and uncharitableness. In these 
 particulars, our Divine Master only gave an ex- 
 ample, that none should be needlessly offended, 
 and that each should please his neighbour, so 
 far as he could, without incurring the danger 
 of temptation. Here, then, again, in the " Son 
 " of man," was wisdom, of a kind to be seen and 
 admired by every considerate person. Stand- 
 ing firm in the way proper for Himself, or, 
 more properly, for the full discharge of His 
 office. He allowed others to judge for them- 
 selves on points, wherein men, acting very dif- 
 ferently, may nevertheless be alike blameless. 
 
 Moreover, we may discern wisdom in the 
 characters before us, in that they refused not, 
 when there seemed occasion, to interrupt, each, 
 his accustomed habits. The Baptist exchanged 
 his sojourning in the wilderness for the royal 
 court of Herod, because that monarch had need 
 of his reproof ; and of Jesus Christ we are told, 
 that He fasted forty days and forty nights in the 
 
Wisdom justified of her Children. 121 
 
 wilderness, and separated Himself, even from 
 His intimate followers, at various times, for 
 the purpose of silent meditation and prayer. 
 Thus, each might occasionally be found in si- 
 tuations, to which the other had been more 
 used, — Jesus withdrawing into desert places, 
 and John frequenting the dwellings of men. 
 Thus, not only did they permit every one in 
 a great measure to choose for himself, how, 
 and in what line, he would serve God, but fur- 
 ther authorized a man to change his line, or to 
 adopt another course and manner, so often as 
 it should clearly seem expedient for him. Nay, 
 John spake to his hearers of Jesus, as of one 
 by whom he was to be superseded, and Jesus 
 foretold a time of such a change from their 
 present habits, to the little flock whom He had 
 called out of the world, as should bring them 
 nearer to a resemblance of John : when asked, 
 " Why do Thy disciples fast not ?" He replied, 
 " The days come, when the Bridegroom (mean- 
 " ing Himself) shall be taken from them, and 
 " then shall they fast in those days." (Mark ii. 
 18, 20.) Considering these points, every lio- 
 nest and believing heart will readily justify the 
 Divine wisdom, shewn forth in these remark- 
 able persons. If any be like-minded with the 
 ancient Jews, they may find pretences for con- 
 
 G 
 
122 Wisdom justified of her Children. 
 
 tradicting and blaspheming it ; but no one of 
 a godly disposition can fail to understand, and 
 feel thankful for the assurance thereby con- 
 veyed, that it is very possible to please God 
 both in the midst of, and apart from the 
 world ; and that His kingdom does not de- 
 pend either on mere fasting, or on eating and 
 drinking. 
 
 Yet, not only by reasoning favourably on the 
 subject, in some such way as the above, but, 
 also, by their answerable conduct, is wisdom 
 justified of all her children. It remains, there- 
 fore, still to describe the course, which, in order 
 to this, we should pursue. 
 
 And here, as Christians, we need simply look 
 unto Christ, who took into His own character 
 all of John's, which can ever be incumbent on 
 us. Notwithstanding the reproaches of His un- 
 believing countrymen, an example no less of 
 self-denial than of freedom, may be derived suf- 
 ficiently from Him alone. Though He came 
 " eating and drinking," He came besides fast- 
 ing and praying, insomuch, that He hath left us 
 by Himself a complete pattern how it will be- 
 hove us to walk, and to please God, justifying 
 His wisdom before men. Omitting, therefore, 
 any more reference to the Baptist, and revert- 
 ing henceforth only to Jesus, "the Son of man," 
 
Wisdom justified of her Children. 123 
 
 I will endeavour to state the mode of conduct, 
 by which we may best approve ourselves chil- 
 dren indeed of His heavenly wisdom. 
 
 Now, it is undeniable, that much has been 
 left by the Gospel to each man's own prudence 
 and discretion. We are not subject by it to 
 particular rules about our use of lawful things : 
 there is no scripture which exactly prescribes 
 to us when, and in what measure, we may en- 
 joy them, and when we must altogether for- 
 bear. So various, in fact, are our tempers and 
 circumstances, that one may safely take up 
 what another cannot safely touch, or look at : 
 wherefore, since no two persons are equally 
 liable to the same dangers and temptations, 
 God hath treated us in these last times, not 
 like children under a schoolmaster, but like 
 men, who may be trusted in a great measure 
 to order themselves. Accordingly, by being 
 circumspect, and continually temperate in all 
 things, we shall best justify the wisdom of His 
 treatment, and shew ourselves fit to use the 
 permissions which He hath granted us. Our 
 Lord and Master (it may be remarked) hath 
 nowhere given precise commandments on the 
 subject of meats and drinks ; nevertheless, we 
 have reason to believe, that if any overcharge 
 their hearts with surfeiting and drunkenness, 
 or only in such a degree as to disqualify them 
 
 G 2 
 
124 Wisdom justijied of her Children. 
 
 for watchfulness and prayer, they are not 
 worthy to be reputed His disciples. He hath 
 nowhere positively forbidden us to partake in 
 worldly business, and diversions ; nay, hath 
 signified to us, that we may not improperly 
 have to do with them ; yet are we no true fol- 
 lowers of Christ, if the most allowable of such 
 occupations engross our affections, or prevent 
 us from setting them on things above. Use 
 not, then, the liberty unto which you have been 
 called, " for an occasion to the flesh," — for an 
 excuse to be serving divers lusts and pleasures, 
 and fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the 
 mind : nor live as caring only for the goods, 
 which ere long must perish, or be given up, 
 because you have been left at liberty still to 
 retain them. On the contrary, study to exer- 
 cise a constant and an universal moderation. 
 Suspect danger in various pursuits and acqui- 
 sitions, which have not been absolutely forbid- 
 den, or declared unlawful ; and remember to 
 abstain, at times, especially from the things to 
 which by nature you are most strongly inclined, 
 both because they will be apt otherwise to en- 
 gender sin, and because it is necessary that you 
 should be prepared to resign them without re- 
 luctance. 
 
 In such a method, my brethren, by all so- 
 berness of conversation, and by a discreet ex- 
 
Wisdom justijied of her Children. 125 
 
 ercise of self-denial, according as every one may 
 find occasion for it, be careful practically to jus- 
 tify the wisdom of Him who hath called you 
 unto holiness. Ee not undisciplined, or un- 
 wise, in matters of religious prudence, but un- 
 derstanding what the will of the Lord is, even 
 that you should love nothing in comparison 
 with Him, and spare not resolutely to cease 
 from every thing, which is likely to separate 
 between Him and your souls. Walk thus, as 
 men superior to licentiousness, and alive to the 
 duty of ordering themselves properly before 
 God. And finally, at the same time bear in 
 mind, that no Christian should either value 
 himself, or condemn his neighbour, on account 
 of any of those things, which our common Mas- 
 ter hath referred to each one's own prudence 
 and determination. It is doubtless univer- 
 sally indispensable that the flesh be subdued 
 to the Spirit, and be kept ready to obey His 
 godly motions. This grand point, however, 
 being sufficiently cared for, whether, in order 
 to it, a man hath fasted more or less rigorous- 
 ly, and in what respects chiefly, he hath denied 
 himself, are particulars of very inferior mo- 
 ment. Let none, therefore, contemplate with 
 admiration their own peculiar scheme of self- 
 discipline, or be in haste to think evil of others, 
 who will not agree with them, and adopt it ; 
 
 G 3 
 
126 Wisdom justified of her Children. 
 
 but let all, as best they may, press towards this 
 only necessary mark. The prevailing evil de- 
 cidedly is, that Christians are not strict enough ; 
 and it should seem scarcely possible for a man 
 to be too strict, while he remains clear from 
 censoriousness and pride. There is surely no 
 just fault to be found with the strictest life, 
 unless the person be disposed to boast of it, or 
 to judge those who do not outwardly live like 
 him. Yet we ought to reckon it, on the whole, 
 a better and a safer way, to " use the world 
 " as not abusing it," than to aim at standing 
 entirely apart from its concerns. He that in 
 this way serveth Christ — i. e. by labours and 
 watchings, by pureness and by love unfeigned, 
 in the midst of worldly trials — is probably the 
 most acceptable unto God, and most worthy to 
 be had in esteem by his fellow-creatures. 
 
SERMON IX. 
 
 Galatians V. 13. 
 
 Brethren, ye have been ealled unto liberty ; only use 
 not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, hut by love 
 serve one another. 
 
 In various places of the New Testament, and 
 not least in this Epistle to the Galatians, they 
 who have been baptized into Jesus Christ are 
 evidently discoursed with, and admonished, as 
 thence entitled to liberty from bondage. And 
 under no change of circumstances should be- 
 lievers choose to forget, or overlook what is 
 written on this subject, no doubt, for the com- 
 mon edification. Christian liberty should al- 
 ways seem an interesting topic, and one which 
 it will behove us justly to consider, and to ap- 
 prehend. Taking occasion, therefore, from my 
 present text, I will proceed to shew, first, that 
 ye, my brethren, " have been called unto li- 
 " berty;" secondly, that such liberty, however, 
 ought not to be used for an occasion to the 
 flesh ; and, lastly, the opposite line of conduct, 
 which, being at liberty, we ought continually to 
 observe. 
 
 G 4 
 
128 Christimi Liberty, 
 
 First ; ye, my brethren, have been called 
 unto liberty. St. Paul, when he said this, 
 chiefly intended a liberty from the rites and 
 ceremonies of the Jewish law. One of these, 
 namely circumcision, was of a painful nature, 
 and others of them had become, even to the 
 Jews, not a little burdensome and grievous. 
 This had taken place, partly, it should be re- 
 marked, by the fault of the Jews themselves, 
 in making unauthorized and vain additions to 
 them ; yet, in their purest form, they appear 
 to have been ordained by God for a strict re- 
 straint on that stifFnecked people, or as a yoke 
 of bondage to keep them from going astray, 
 until the. time when their continuance in His 
 covenant might be dispensed with. Certainly 
 the Jewish ordinances were never designed for 
 mankind at large, nor for any people, in con- 
 junction with the Gospel of Christ. Some of 
 them could not properly be observed, except by 
 persons inhabiting the land of Judea, and, ge- 
 nerally speaking, they lost their virtue — being 
 either fulfilled or superseded — by the bringing 
 in of that " better covenant." Accordingly, it 
 is repeatedly affirmed in the New Testament, 
 that the ceremonies prescribed in the Old, have 
 been abolished. During the past time, those 
 customs of Moses had indeed been required by 
 God of the Jews, if they would retain and enjoy 
 
Christian Liberty. 129 
 
 the privilege of being His people ; but thence- 
 forth, He would have both Jews and Gentiles 
 serve Him together upon equal terms, after a 
 more simple and spiritual manner. So He in- 
 spired the Apostles, wheresoever the Gospel 
 should be preached by them, to declare, that 
 there was no longer occasion to keep up those 
 strait and narrow rules. Believers in their 
 doctrine were everywhere instructed to hold 
 themselves exempt, not only from the foolish 
 washings and fastings which the Jews had 
 added by tradition to their law, but also, from 
 all obligation to be circumcised, and to abstain 
 from the flesh of particular kinds of animals, 
 and to regard the ancient holy feasts and days ; 
 and when some, instead of thus walking at 
 liberty, would still be fond of those obsolete 
 usages, St. Paul scrupled not to denominate 
 them "weak and beggarly elements," and to 
 express a fear, that his labour on the people ad- 
 dicted to them had been bestowed in vain. (Gal. 
 iv. 9 — 11.) This then — such a liberty from the 
 rites and ceremonies of the former dispensa- 
 tion — was what the Apostle principally intend- 
 ed in my text ; respecting which, all who have 
 received the Gospel should suppose themselves, 
 equally with the first disciples, to have been 
 called to it. Since tJiey clearly were, we, no 
 less clearly, have been rendered free by Jesus 
 
 G 5 
 
130 Christian Liberty, 
 
 Christ, from the legal observances enjoined by 
 Moses on the Jews. 
 
 Besides, however, or rather subsequently to 
 the foregoing, another yoke of bondage, not of 
 God, but of man, hath been established ; from 
 the which also, ye, my brethren, have been 
 called to liberty ; and of this too, you surely 
 ought to be aware. 
 
 A long time after that the Jewish nation 
 had been broken up, and men would no longer 
 hear of living under subjection to their law, 
 since God had visibly put an end to it, a cer- 
 tain Christian bishop began ambitiously to im- 
 pose his law, or set of rules, upon believers. 
 Alleging grounds decidedly weak and insuffi- 
 cient, the bishops or popes of Rome successive- 
 ly claimed, in the name of Christ, to have do- 
 minion over the faith of the whole Church. 
 And such an unfounded dominion they would 
 exercise, not according to truth, nor with mo- 
 deration, but, in most cases, arrogantly, " and 
 " with all deceivableness of unrighteousness," 
 (2 Thess. ii. 10.) each one for his worldly au- 
 thority, or his gain. They took away the key 
 of knowledge, I mean the Book of God's Word, 
 (which, however, scarcely one in a thousand 
 could then at any rate have procured and read,) 
 and commanded prayers to be made amongst us 
 in a foreign tongue, and set up in churches, to 
 
Christian Liberty. 131 
 
 be worsliipped, images of the invisible God, 
 and of Jesus Christ, and the Virgin Mary His 
 Mother, and of the Apostles, yea, and of many 
 others, and enforced unnecessary vows, and 
 commanded at stated seasons " to abstain from 
 " meats," (1 Tim. iv. 3.) and required an un- 
 reasonable multitude of days to be kept holy, 
 and, in short — since the time would fail to tell 
 of their other manifold strange impositions — ex- 
 ercised everywhere, in a manner both ungodly 
 and oppressive, the lordship which they had 
 wrongfully obtained ; compelling and cruelly 
 punishing all who renounced their form of doc- 
 trine, although it was, in sundry particulars, 
 plainly opposite at once to the Law and to the 
 Gospel. Such a scheme, or system of slavery, 
 " such a mystery of iniquity," (2 Thess. ii. 7.) 
 as St. Paul beforehand described it, did the 
 popes, or bishops of Rome, prevail arrogantly 
 to establish, after that Christians had generally 
 asserted their freedom with respect to Jewish 
 ordinances. Wherefore, my brethren, let me 
 remind you, that from this also, " ye have been 
 " called unto liberty." When our fathers could 
 bear the yoke no longer, they resolutely brake 
 it from off their necks, declaring, that, by 
 God's help, they would hold their religion 
 exempt from any foreign interference. And 
 God gave them courage and patience so to 
 
 G 6 
 
132 Christia7i Liberty, 
 
 hold it, in the midst of even fiery trials, 
 and scattered terrible armies which were sent 
 against them, in order to bring them again 
 under bondage, and provided that the good 
 fruit of their sufferings and courage should de- 
 scend to us their children's children. From the 
 period — between two and three hundred years 
 ago — of their successful resistance, all within 
 our borders have been free (if they will) to 
 read for themselves the good Word of God, and 
 to understand and follow it to the best of their 
 discretion, and to worship God, when they 
 come together, in their mother-tongue, reject- 
 ing images and superstitious vanities. To 
 these ample privileges, which surely constitute 
 an ample liberty, as well from popish inven- 
 tions, as from Jewish ordinances — to this un- 
 deniably free condition, wrought out by our 
 ancestors in the face of exceedingly terrible per- 
 secutions, ye (I rej)eat) have, from infancy, been 
 called. By the grace of God, ye have been born 
 and bred up to a full possession of it, while a 
 larger portion of those who are called Chris- 
 tians — many nations with their kings — are hi- 
 therto more or less under subjection. 
 
 " Stand fast therefore in the liberty" — in the 
 above-described, and in every kind of liberty — 
 " wherewith Christ hath made us free." (Galat. 
 V. 1.) It is not difficult to imagine men almost 
 
Christian Liberty. 133 
 
 desiring slavery, as a less responsible and ar- 
 duous condition than that of freedom. The Is- 
 raelites regretted their redemption from Egypt, 
 and in their hearts turned back again to that 
 land of bondage, when they began to experience 
 the perplexities of their course ; and doubtless 
 there are still numbers, who would giv e up their 
 present liberty of thinking and acting account- 
 able to God alone, for the hope of being saved 
 by a set form (although in certain points an 
 austere one) of rules and precepts prescribed 
 by men. But the liberty to which God in 
 Christ hath called us, is a trust which we are 
 bound to maintain against the strongest, and 
 the craftiest, who would invade it ; and you, 
 my brethren, I will suppose, are determined to 
 do so, by the Divine aid, and to hand it down to 
 the next generation unimpaired. In order then 
 to this, let me admonish you Jiow to maintain 
 and hand it down, under the second and third 
 heads, which have been proposed : after stat- 
 ing, " ye have been called imto liberty," the 
 Apostle subjoins, " only use not liberty for an 
 "' occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one 
 " another." 
 
 Here, in the second place, we are cautioned 
 not to use liberty " for an occasion to the flesh." 
 This precept is not less necessary than compre- 
 hensive ; since it is the nature of man so to 
 
134 Christimi Liberty. 
 
 use, or rather to misuse, whatever liberty may 
 have been committed to him. A child intrusted 
 to guide and order himself, will, unless he shall 
 have been better taught, aim at nothing except 
 the gratification of his fleshly mind ; and they 
 are many, in every land of liberty, who appear 
 not to have learned better all their lives. The 
 persons whom I mean, are frequently to be met 
 with, and may without difficulty be discerned. 
 Towards God, they behave themselves disor- 
 derly, and with presumption ; towards their 
 neighbour, uncharitably, and with contempt. 
 Pretending the liberty wherewith Christ hath 
 made His disciples free, they pursue a conduct 
 woefully opposite both to the doctrine, and ex- 
 ample of Christ. His doctrine continually was, 
 that men should fear God ; His example, that 
 they should serve Him with piety and rever- 
 ence : and resj^ecting men, being " not ashamed 
 " to call them brethren," (Hebrews ii. 11.) He 
 was careful never to affront their innocent cus- 
 toms, or rudely to contradict even their mis- 
 taken notions of j)ropriety. Likewise, after 
 Christ, His Apostles were equally circumspect. 
 In matters pertaining unto God, we may re- 
 member St. Paul, the chief assertor of Chris- 
 tian liberty, to have enjoined, " Let all things 
 " (connected with His service) be done to edi- 
 " fying ;" — *" let all things be done decently 
 
Christian Liberty, 135 
 
 " and in order;" (1 Cor. xiv. 26 — 40.) and the 
 whole number, of whom we read, appear to 
 have acted uniformly on the principle, that, in 
 points of an indifferent nature, hardly can too 
 much condescension be shewn to the prejudices, 
 or weak consciences of mankind. Nevertheless, 
 the persons who are now to be described, as 
 using liberty for an occasion to the flesh, re- 
 ject such a godly fear, and brotherly forbear- 
 ance. In deeds, if not in words, they assert 
 the unchristian license of caring only to please 
 themselves, and to indulge their own froward 
 humours. Because Jewish sacraments and or- 
 dinances have been abolished, they thence take 
 occasion to set at naught those also of the 
 Christian covenant, and hold that God may 
 be acceptably worshipped in whatever place 
 and way every man's private fancy shall sug- 
 gest, not caring to preserve the unity of His 
 Church. Because men are no longer required 
 to profess a belief in such and such doctrines, 
 under pain of being cruelly put to death, they 
 will not profess any belief at all, or presume to 
 deny every doctrine which they disrelish, and, 
 perhaps, go so far as to allege that they are not 
 accountable to God Himself for unbelief. Be- 
 cause Christians are nowhere by the Gospel 
 required to fast on certain days, or to abstain 
 entirely from particular kinds of meat, they 
 
136 Christian Liberty. 
 
 will indulge their appetites to the utmost, de- 
 stroying the health of both their souls and bo- 
 dies. Because no one should unreservedly yield 
 up his judgment and conscience to the judg- 
 ment and conscience of his neighbour, but de- 
 termine to be (if possible) fully persuaded in 
 his own mind, and convinced about all import- 
 ant matters, therefore they spurn at friendly 
 advice and remonstrance, though from persons 
 necessarily better informed than themselves, 
 and are apparently careless as to doing what 
 is right, provided they can inflict a shock on 
 the ancient habits, and disturb the sincere 
 minds of the brethren. An evil use of liberty 
 surely is this — thus, and in other equally un- 
 becoming ways, " to use it for an occasion to 
 " the flesh" — for an occasion, or pretence, to 
 alloAV fleshly lusts and habits of mind, beyond 
 the limits of a religious moderation. As you 
 would still enjoy, and continually profit by the 
 liberty, to which you have been called, reflect, 
 my brethren, and be deeply sensible, that you 
 have been called to it by the Divine goodness, 
 for no such unworthy purpose. All who give 
 place to unruly wills and affections are, not- 
 withstanding that they utter great swelling 
 words of liberty, " the servants," in fact, or 
 slaves " of corruption ;" (2 Peter ii. 19.) only 
 by steadfastly subduing them, can one prove 
 
Christian Liberty. 137 
 
 himself to be free indeed, having been rendered 
 so by the true doctrine of the Son of God. 
 Wherefore, and to connect with my text an 
 exhortation nearly corresponding with it of 
 St. Peter, use not liberty " either for an occa- 
 " sion to the flesh," or " for a cloke of malicious- 
 " ness ;" (1 Peter ii. 16.) claim not, as being 
 free, a license chiefly to please yourselves ; in- 
 dulge not your carnal humours and inclina- 
 tions, at the hazard of dishonouring God, 
 (whose gift your freedom is,) or of grieving 
 the infirmities of those around you ; but, on 
 the contrary, as servants of God, " by .love, 
 " serve one another." 
 
 Having now at sufficient length exposed the 
 wrong way, I will endeavour, in the third and 
 last place, to declare the rigJit way, or method 
 of using the liberty which hath been trans- 
 mitted to us. 
 
 " By love" (St. Paul exhorts) " serve one an- 
 " other," or, to take the larger answerable counsel 
 of St. Peter, " submit yourselves to every ordi- 
 " nance of man, for the Lord's sake ; — for so is 
 " the will of God, that with well doing ye may 
 " put to silence the ignorance of foolish men : 
 " as free, and using your liberty as the servants 
 " of God. Honour all men. Love the brother- 
 " hood. Fear God. Honour the king." (1 Pet. ii. 
 13,15-17.) Such, my brethren, are the becoming 
 
138 Christian Liberty. 
 
 principles and conduct enjoined on " the Lord's 
 " freemen." (1 Cor. vii. 22.) With respect to 
 God, having " received, not the Spirit of bond- 
 " age unto a slavish fear," but " the Spirit of 
 " adoption," entitling you to cry unto Him, 
 '* Our Father," regard Him, accordingly, with 
 a feeling of duty and affection, resembling that 
 of an obedient child in the presence of his 
 earthly parent. Yet be discreet enough to 
 make some difference, not forgetting, because 
 He hath become so exceeding gracious, that 
 He is still " the High and Lofty One who in- 
 " habiteth eternity, whose name is Holy." 
 (Isaiah Ivii. 15.) Serve Him evermore, if you 
 would serve Him in a suitable and an accept- 
 able manner, " with reverence and godly fear." 
 (Heb. xii. 28.) That (be sure) is the mere va- 
 nity and forwardness of a petulant child, not a 
 worthy and a deeply-rooted love, which would 
 cast out this fear from the service of God, dur- 
 ing the present imperfect state. Prefer, therefore, 
 in all your intercourse with the Divine Majesty, 
 a tone of serious and humble adoration, to any 
 bolder expressions of familiarity ; and be cir- 
 cumspect in all your conduct. Let your words, 
 on the various ordinary occasions of confession, 
 supplication, and thanksgiving, be few, sim- 
 ple, and solemn, resembling the pattern which 
 Jesus Christ hath given us, and let the whole 
 
Christian Liberty. 139 
 
 of your religious conversation or behaviour 
 tend to prove, that you are actuated by at 
 once " a perpetual fear and love of God's Holy 
 " Name," such as the Church, in one of her ad- 
 mirable Collects, instructs us to pray for at His 
 hands. With respect to man, let " the Spirit 
 " of love and of a sound mind" render you 
 submissive, tender, and beneficent. Honour 
 kings, and rulers of every description, as or- 
 dained by Him, who is the " King of kings," 
 to bear sway, and to administer the laws ; 
 honour all men, down to the very least, as ob- 
 jects of the Divine regard ; and thence pos- 
 sessing a strong title that you likewise should 
 regard their feelings and welfare. Consider, that 
 both those above, and those below you in the 
 world, are probably of like passions with your- 
 selves, and accordingly, behave in deed, in 
 word, and even in thought, towards them, as 
 you would have them behave towards you. 
 Also, yield to customs, which need not other- 
 wise be observed, and refrain from liberties, 
 which might otherwise be taken, rather than 
 cause unnecessary divisions, or disturb the con- 
 science of but one pious brother. Such, it is true, 
 are admonished not to be censorious : St. Paul 
 demands, as holding it unjust that the scrupu- 
 lous should impute blame to the more free, 
 " Who art thou that judgest another ? Why is 
 
140 Christian Liberty. 
 
 " my liberty judged of another man's con- 
 " science?" (James iv. 12. 1 Cor. x. 29.) Ne- 
 vertheless he lays it down, " we that are strong 
 " ought to bear the infirmities of the weak ;" 
 (Ro:i ans xv. 1.) likewise he declares, "when 
 " ye sin so against the brethren," i. e. take 
 freedoms, which they erroneously suppose to be 
 unlawful, " and wound their weak consciences, 
 " ye sin against Christ ;" (1 Cor. viii. 12.) 
 whence we can infer nothing less, than that, 
 in most cases, our own mere convenience and 
 inclinations, and generally eve?^!/ thing, except 
 the cause of Christ's religion, should be made 
 subservient to the sincere scruples of those 
 around us. And if thus much is to be ad- 
 mitted, it will seem scarcely more to say, that 
 we are required by love to serve one another 
 in the way of actively doing good one to an- 
 other. In this respect, each Christian, though 
 free from all, should make himself servant unto 
 all. Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, came 
 into the world, " not to be ministered unto, but 
 " to minister," and to be amongst us " as one 
 " that serveth ;" (Matth. xx. 28. Luke xxii. 27.) 
 let His love in so doing constrain us to do 
 likewise, after our respective opportunities and 
 powers. By the love of Christ, be moved to 
 do good unto all men within your reach, 
 " especially unto them that are of the house- 
 
Christian Liberty. 141 
 
 " hold of faith." Have the interests of your 
 fellow-creatures, the welfare of both their bodies 
 and souls, continually at heart, that you may 
 be disposed, whenever you can, to give them 
 aid. Reckon a word only of comfort, or a tri- 
 fling refreshment, if it spring from a really be- 
 nevolent mind, not unworthy either to be given 
 or received ; and, touching the object, never 
 disdain to perform kind offices for the very 
 meanest, whom you may find urgently in need 
 of them. Be willing, according to the will, 
 and after the example of the Most High, to 
 " lift up the poor out of the dust, yea, and to 
 " raise up even the beggar from the dunghill," 
 (Psalm cxiii. 7.) on every promising and practi- 
 cable opportunity. 
 
 In this way, my brethren, since you have 
 been called (as above explained) unto liberty, 
 " use not your liberty for an occasion to the 
 " flesh, but by love serve one another;" and then 
 be not afraid, lest any should make you again 
 slaves and bondmen. When an enemy draw- 
 eth near " to spy out," and blame your liberty, 
 let him find you, not claiming to be exempt 
 by it from a dutiful reverence towards God, or 
 from a becoming respect, and tender regard for 
 man, not rash, not headstrong, nor selfish, as a 
 generation void of spiritual understanding ; but 
 be seen holding yourselves free, only that you 
 
142 Christian Liberty. 
 
 may the better think upon, and discern what- 
 soever things are true, and honest, and pure, 
 and lovely, and of good report, and may be 
 able the more satisfactorily to practise them ; 
 rejecting vain ceremonies and superstitious va- 
 nities, vrith a simple intention to "worship 
 " the Lord in the beauty of holiness," (Psalm 
 xcvi. 9-) by rules of decency and order ; and 
 disowning the authority of strangers, merely 
 that you may " obey them who have rule over 
 " you" (Heb. xiii. 17.) at home, conformably to 
 the Gospel of Christ, and may follow peace and 
 charity, each one to the uttermost with his 
 neighbour. Thus will you appear justly de- 
 serving of freedom, and therefore, likely to be 
 protected in it by the Almighty. That good 
 gift which He hath granted you to inherit, no 
 man shall take, or so much as attempt to take, 
 from you. The triumphant song foretold by 
 Isaiah, " We have a strong city ; salvation 
 " will God appoint for walls and bulwarks," 
 (Isaiah xxvi. 1.) may become your hymn of 
 praise, and many who have been used to de- 
 sire your hurt, as envying your liberty in 
 Christ Jesus, will probably be converted into 
 fellow-citizens and friends. 
 
SERMON X. 
 
 Matthew xxvi. 36, S7. 
 
 Then cometh Jesus ivith them imto a place called 
 Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye 
 here, while I go and pray yonder. And He took 
 with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and 
 began to be sorroivful and very heavy. 
 
 Jl HESE words are introductory to the de- 
 scription of a very interesting and important 
 scene in the life of suffering, which Jesus Christ 
 had to fulfil on the earth. It is usually called 
 His agony, and may be said, on some accounts, 
 to require our attention scarcely less than His 
 crucifixion and death. I design therefore, on 
 this occasion, to begin with stating the whole 
 transaction, as the three first Evangelists (Matt. 
 xxvi. 36, &:c. Mark xiv. 32, &c. Luke xxii. 39, 
 &c.) have recorded it ; after which my remain- 
 ing space shall be occupied with a few suitable 
 inferences and remarks. 
 
 First ; the place called Gethsemane was a 
 garden, over the brook Kedron, about the 
 Mount of Olives, to which Jesus had been in 
 the habit of resorting aforetime with His dis- 
 
144 Our Lord's Agony in the Garden. 
 
 ciples. Thither, accordingly, in the present in- 
 stance. He led them, pursuant to His custom, 
 immediately on rising from the table, where, 
 under the emblems of bread and wine. He had 
 made them spiritually partakers of His own 
 body and blood, appointed to be offered on the 
 morrow for their salvation. But it seemed not fit 
 that the whole company of His disciples should 
 be spectators of what He there had to undergo. 
 Having selected only Peter, James, and John — 
 the three who had witnessed His transfigura- 
 tion — to be near Him, He commanded the re- 
 mainder — " Sit ye here, while I go and pray 
 " yonder." Then, having arrived at the fur- 
 ther place, and being free from the restraint of 
 their presence. He began to be sorrowful, and 
 very heavy — to be sore amazed — in a state, pro- 
 bably, approaching to consternation. This He 
 shewed by evident signs (we may suppose) in 
 His countenance and gestures : also. He spake 
 with His tongue, complaining of the weight 
 of affliction which He felt coming over Him ; 
 " My soul," He said, " is exceeding sorrowful, 
 " even unto death : tarry ye here, and watch 
 " with me." Having thus spoken, as if He 
 could liardly endure to be alone, and at the 
 same time would not be closely observed by His 
 companions. He went forward still further by 
 Himself, about a stone's cast, and kneeling 
 
Our Lord's Agony in the Garden. 145 
 
 down, fell on His face, and prayed. The words 
 of His supplication, according to St. Matthew, 
 and in agreement with the other Evangelists, 
 were — " O my Father, if it be possible, let this 
 " cup pass from me : nevertheless, not as I will, 
 " but as Thou wilt." This declares what was 
 uppermost in the mind of Jesus, and was be- 
 ginning so painfully to distress Him. The 
 appointed period was now at hand, that He 
 should become the victim of Divine justice on 
 behalf of guilty man ; and the near prospect, 
 or rather foretaste, of what He must accord- 
 ingly undergo, made it seem almost too much 
 for Him to sustain. He had, a little before, 
 when looking forward to it, exclaimed — " What 
 " shall I say ? Father, save me from this hour : 
 " but for this cause came I unto this hour. Fa- 
 " ther, glorify thy name;" — words (Job. xii.27.) 
 expressive of much inward conflict, or of a strong 
 reluctance in His flesh to suffer, only to be got 
 the better of by the recollection that He had 
 come on purpose to suffer, and by a zeal for 
 His heavenly Father's glory. His prayer in 
 the garden expresses a similar frame of human 
 infirmity and unwillingness, mingled with, yet 
 still decidedly under subjection to, the prin- 
 ciples of a superior nature. Jesus there con- 
 templated the death which was approaching 
 Him, as a bitter draught, or " cup," which He 
 
 H 
 
146 Our Lord's Agony in the Gm^den. 
 
 would fain be spared from drinking, might His 
 Father's good pleasure to save mankind be ac- 
 complished in any less painful way : an image 
 this, frequently employed in the sacred writ- 
 ings, to signify a portion whether of weal or 
 woe, and one which, it is probable, we can all 
 readily apprehend. 
 
 Let us beware, however, not to associate the 
 subject in hand with any common or unworthy 
 recollections. The cup, which our Redeemer 
 had before Him, was bitter infinitely beyond 
 any other, which hath ever, hitherto, excited 
 shuddering amongst ourselves. It had been 
 mixed, not for the benefit of one only, nor for 
 the cure of an unimj)ortant disease, but for the 
 life of a perishing world ; and the terrors in- 
 fused into it bare proportion to that so vast an 
 object. Accordingly, in addition to what has 
 been above stated — in addition to the grievous 
 disturbance of spirit, the sorrow amounting to 
 heaviness and amazement, which Jesus is said 
 to have exhibited in the garden, and His anxious 
 prayer that the cup might pass from Him — 
 other, yet stronger marks of inward agitation, 
 are to be noticed in Him. Having returned, 
 after that He had prayed the first time, to His 
 disciples, from whom He had withdrawn Him- 
 self, and expostulated with them, because they 
 had fallen asleep, He went away again from 
 
Our Lord's Jgony in the Garde?}. 147 
 
 them, and prayed a second time ; and then, 
 having returned as before, and found them as 
 before, sleeping. He went away again, and prayed 
 a t/m^d time, using the same words. This con- 
 duct of Jesus, while He was waiting for those 
 whom He expected to apprehend Him — His 
 going so repeatedly backwards and forwards, 
 and His prayers thus again and again poured 
 out, should seem to betoken a threefold, or an 
 exceeding measure of distress. He could not 
 (if I may so speak) calmly wait for His ene- 
 mies, and be still ; but felt constrained to be 
 moving to and fro — a sign, which, considering 
 His generally steadfast and composed character, 
 should enable us in some degree to imagine the 
 horrible dread, which, at that time, was pos- 
 sessing Him. Also the circumstance, that He 
 used thrice the same words of supplication, 
 shews Him to have been extremely pressed, or 
 to have been compelled by an intense earnest- 
 ness of desire. The deliverance which He 
 longed for, or rather the portion which He 
 deprecated, had so much power over His feel- 
 ings, that He cared not for variety of expres- 
 sion. His thoughts were, not about the lan- 
 guage, but the matter of his address, and about 
 presenting it often enough to be accepted with 
 His Father. But more than all, the record of 
 St. Lidie, that, while He prayed, " His sweat 
 
 H 2 
 
148 Our Lord's Agony in the Garde7i. 
 
 " was as it were great drops of blood falling 
 " down to the ground," is calculated to impart 
 an affecting conception of how vehemently, 
 and surpassing human endurance, Jesus was 
 troubled. His bodily frame seems to have been, 
 in a manner, dissolved, or melted by the fer- 
 mentation of contending principles in His mind. 
 So violent was the struggle within Him, of the 
 natural against the spiritual man, (the one 
 shrinking from, the other consenting to, the 
 cross,) as to make the blood almost gush 
 through His skin, before His persecutors could 
 apply the nails and the spear. He was " pour- 
 " ed out," as saith the Psalmist, " like water," 
 (Psalm xxii. 14.) and could hardly have risen 
 to meet Judas and his band, had He not been 
 strengthened by an angel sent from heaven, for 
 an answer to his passionate supj)lications. 
 
 Such was the memorable agony of Jesus, in 
 the garden at Gethsemane, when He knew His 
 hour and His betrayer to be at hand. So vio- 
 lent, by all the accounts which have come down 
 to us, were His emotions, on seeing the potion, 
 or cup of suffering which He had to drink, full 
 mixed, and ready to be presented to Him. Shall 
 we pass by then, as if it were nothing to us, or 
 shall we look a while, and fix our attention on 
 this wonderful scene of anguish, as on one in 
 which we are deeply concerned ? No Christian 
 
Our Lord's Agony in the Garden, 149 
 
 should hesitate for a moment what to answer, 
 or which to choose. It were, surely, a most in- 
 excusable negligence to go our ways, without 
 having reviewed the above description, and 
 been induced by it to " apply our hearts unto 
 " wisdom." I will proceed, therefore, to suggest 
 the remarks and inferences, which were pro- 
 posed in the outset of this discourse. 
 
 Now, my brethren, our chief, or leading re- 
 flection on the above should be, how entirely 
 Jesus felt like a mem all the severe trials and 
 afflictions, which, pursuant to His Father's 
 counsels and His own, He came to accomplish 
 in the world. Notwithstanding His divine na- 
 ture, whereby He " was in the beginning with 
 " God, and was God," yea, and the Maker of 
 the universe, (John i. 1 — 3.) notwithstanding, 
 or besides this, by the which also He wrought 
 His miracles, and had power to raise Himself 
 from the dead, — the Word, or Son of God, when 
 He was made flesh, was evidently " made in all 
 " things like unto us," and liable to be " tempt- 
 " ed in all points like as we are, only without 
 " sin." (Heb. ii. 17 ; iv. 15.) And most evi- 
 dently did He appear to have been made this, 
 during the scene which has just been recollect- 
 ed. Though He had said, not long before, to 
 the stormy waves of the sea — " Peace, be still ; 
 " and immediately there was a great calm," 
 
 H 3 
 
150 Our Lord's Agony m the Garden. 
 
 (Mark iv. 39.) our Lord submitted on the pre- 
 sent occasion to mourn in His prayer, and be 
 vehemently agonized, and at length to be com- 
 forted by a ministering angel, as one having no 
 strength to compose the tumult of His own 
 mind. Being by nature Divine, in order never- 
 theless to suffer after the manner of a human 
 being. He passed through every allowable feel- 
 ing of human weakness, and trepidation, and 
 dismay. He tasted man's doom of anguish and 
 death, inwardly in His soul, no less than out- 
 wardly in His body, shewing Himself sorely 
 straitened, and affected with terror at the fore- 
 sight of it, in common with the sons and 
 daughters of Adam. Wherefore, in Him we 
 have an example of patience, which it is impos- 
 sible fairly to gainsay, or decline. There can 
 be offered no proper reason why those words of 
 acquiescence — " If this cup may not pass from 
 "• me except I drink it. Thy will be done," ad- 
 dressed by Jesus to His Father, should not 
 equally be our words, in time of danger and 
 tribulation. Surely, it must be vain to say that 
 He was no ordinary man, and consequently, 
 that we cannot justly be expected to imitate 
 Him, since in this whole matter of experienc- 
 ing and enduring affliction, He would not take 
 advantage of His elxtraordinary character, but 
 stood forth as a trembling mortal, in order that 
 
Our Lord's Agony in the Garden. 151 
 
 He might be imitated by us trembling mortals, 
 ill all cases of trepidation and distress. We 
 cannot, at any rate, be more horribly afraid, or 
 more severely melted away because of trouble, 
 than Jesus our Lord is described to have been. 
 Certainly, then, they are " without excuse" 
 who will not follow the example of His pa- 
 tience, submissively committing their souls 
 unto God in well doing, when fearfulness and 
 aiiffuish overtake them. Nor should we here 
 overlook the encouragement, that all who will 
 so conduct themselves, in agreement with their 
 Christian profession, have many promises of 
 support from above, answerable to that which 
 He obtained from His Father ; I mean, of His 
 Spirit, or " the Angel of His presence," to be 
 their strength. 
 
 It may strike us, however, with respect to the 
 account under consideration, that Jesus, apart 
 from His Divine nature, exhibited too much 
 dread of his approaching sufferings and death, 
 more agitation than was to have been expected 
 from one of his perfect character. The notion 
 may not impossibly have occurred to us, that 
 men, of a far inferior stamp, have encountered 
 fierce enemies, or have gone to be miserably 
 tormented and slain, without any so hard a 
 struggle, or such severe terror, as that which 
 almost dissolved, at Gethsemane, this entirely 
 
 H 4 
 
152 Our Lord's Agony in the Garden. 
 
 virtuous and innocent " Son of man." Hence, it 
 will behove us humbly to estimate the amount 
 of what Jesus had there to undergo. 
 
 Be it, therefore, recollected, that, although 
 many may have foreseen and suffered deaths 
 equally painful, with less apparent perturbation 
 of spirit, none have felt so painfully as Jesus 
 did in the garden, the burden of responsibility 
 for sin. It was that, weighing down, and ex- 
 cruciating His soul, which, far more than any 
 fear of the nails ordained presently to pierce 
 His hands, and His feet, made Him fall on His 
 face, and pray with vehemence, and caused His 
 sweat to drop on the ground from Him, as it 
 had been blood. If this seem strange to be said 
 concerning one, "who," throughout His life "did 
 " no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth," 
 and who, not only kept Himself " void of offence 
 " both towards God and towards man," so that 
 He was indeed a spotless victim, but further 
 could truly testify, " Father, I have glorified 
 " Thee on the earth, I have finished the work 
 " which Thou gavest me to do ;" (John xvii. 4.) 
 if this, namely, that the burden which I have 
 mentioned, was felt by Him 7nost severely, seem 
 strange to be said of such an excellent One, the 
 fact, and likewise the explanation of it, are re- 
 peatedly declared to us by holy Scripture. For 
 example, it is written — " Surely he hath borne 
 
Our Loi'd's Agony in the Garden. 153 
 
 " our griefs, and carried our sorrows ; — He was 
 " wounded for our transgressions ; — The chas- 
 " tisement of our peace was upon Him ; — The 
 " Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all ; 
 " — hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew 
 " no sin ; — Christ hath suffered for us in the 
 " flesh; — His own self bare our sins in His own 
 " body on the tree." (Isaiah liii. 4, 5, 6 ; 2 Cor. 
 V. 21 ; 1 Peter iv. 1 ; 1 Peter ii. 24.) According 
 to these Scriptures, Jesus Christ had on His 
 mind sins more than enough (although He ne- 
 ver committed so much as one) sorely to pierce, 
 and bruise Him. On Him singly^ it depended 
 to expiate, by an acceptable obedience unto 
 death, the guilt of a world of sinners ; no won- 
 der therefore, that, when the snares of death 
 were compassing Him round about. He found 
 trouble and heaviness ; and that pains, as of hell, 
 gat hold upon Him. No wonder, likewise, that 
 the righteous, whom He hath thereby justified, 
 should, on the contrary, with more calmness of 
 spirit, and, sometimes, even with joy, expect the 
 approach of their dissolution. Well may they 
 exclaim, for whose sakes He was so grievously 
 wounded, and who have, consequently, learned 
 to put their trust in Him, " O death, where is 
 " thy sting ? — we are more than conquerors 
 " through Him who loved us ; — thanks be to 
 " God, who giveth us the victory through our 
 
 H 5 
 
154 Our Lord's Agony in the Garden, 
 
 " Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Cor. xv. 55, 57; Rom. 
 viii. 37.) Or, in case such find more occasion, 
 to the very last, for humiliation and repentance, 
 than for triumph, still, their condition may seem 
 more tolerable than that of Christ in His day 
 of self-abasement ; since they have only the op- 
 pression of their own misdeeds to bear, and 
 have Him to flee unto, as a sure refuge. Con- 
 cerning the impenitent, who live and die in their 
 sins Vith much apparent unconcern, their minds 
 are not sufficiently alive to apprehend the sin- 
 fulness and horrible consequences of sin. But 
 Jesus was perfectly alive to apprehend them. 
 He came forth from His Father into the world, 
 fully sensible, that, either sin must be abolish- 
 ed, or mankind perish utterly because of it, 
 that God is exceedingly indignant at what 
 flesh and blood will often deny to be seriously 
 offensive, and that hell and destruction are at 
 the end of many things, which men commonly 
 practise without compunction. Hence, it is easy 
 to perceive why a grief, the like to which is not 
 generally at all felt by sinners at the prospect 
 of death, overwhelmed His righteous soul. In 
 fact. His sorrow was chiefly aggravated by such 
 as fear not, after manifold offences. It bare 
 proportion to the crowd of hard hearts and 
 light minds, who leave this world unrepenting 
 and undisturbed, to sink in the next under the 
 
Our Lord's Agony in the Garden. 155 
 
 load of their iniquities, from which there no 
 release is to be obtained. The Saviour of the 
 world, during the scene before us, was troubled 
 more than we can imagine for all ; but He was 
 troubled, no doubt, most bitterly in spirit for 
 those who will not be troubled, as becometh 
 transgressors, for themselves. 
 
 Having thus far regarded the agony of Jesus, 
 let me conclude with a brief notice of His re- 
 iterated prayer, and of the answer returned to it. 
 
 Thrice did Jesus supplicate, falling on His 
 knees in the garden — " O my Father, if it be 
 *' possible, let this cup pass from me : never- 
 " theless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt." No 
 words of supplication can be more suitable than 
 these, for evef^y son of man, at the prospect of 
 tribulation and death. The flesh begins to 
 speak in them, desiring to be exempt from 
 pain, but is refrained, by a godly spirit, from 
 indulging its desire, beyond the limits of inno- 
 cent infirmity, and is finally brought to acqui- 
 esce in the Divine will. Here, accordingly, is 
 a prayer under affliction, exactly fit for a race 
 of creatures who have been born to it, and yet 
 are always naturally shrinking from it's ap- 
 proaches. Thereby, we may give vent to the 
 feelings of our mortal nature, lest they wax 
 hot past endurance within us, and, at the same 
 time, render them subject to the better counsels 
 
 h6 
 
156 Our Lord's Agony in the Garden, 
 
 of our Father which is in heaven. Also, if 
 once be not enough to relieve the apprehen- 
 sions which distress us, we may cry repeatedly 
 unto God in these, or in such like terms, and 
 still be clear of using vain repetitions. Pro- 
 vided we utter them not with feigned lips, 
 but after the true pattern of our afflicted Lord, 
 of whom the Apostle writes to the Hebrews, 
 that, " in the days of His flesh, when He had 
 " offered up prayers and supplications with 
 " strong crying and tears, unto Him that 
 " was able to save Him from death. He was 
 " heard in that He feared," (Hebrews v. 7.) 
 —provided we utter them truly after His pat- 
 tern, God will, doubtless, hear us with favour, 
 when we call upon Him again and again, and 
 will grant our frequently-uttered j)rayer. — Ob- 
 serve, however, that He did not remove the 
 cup from His own Son, or in any wise alter 
 the contents of it, or make Him insensible to 
 its bitterness ; God did not thus answer the 
 prayer of His Son Jesus, against the cup pre- 
 sented to Him, but only by sending an angel, 
 to strengthen Him for the necessity of drink- 
 ing it. Let us, then, beware of expecting more. 
 Whatever deliverance we request of the Father 
 in His name, be we content, if He hear us as 
 He heard Him. The sorrow or suffering which 
 \^'e deprecate, may, long before and unchange- 
 
Our Lord's Agony in the Garden. 157 
 
 ably, have been ordained, so that it must needs 
 be accomplished ; but, if we have sincerely de- 
 sired the will of God, such His accomplishment 
 of it should content us, especially with sup- 
 port under it from above. Circumstances na- 
 turally the most painful, accompanied by spi- 
 ritual strength and comfort, are far better than 
 circumstances the most easy, without these 
 heavenly blessings. Be satisfied therefore, my 
 brethren, with these, whatever God shall be 
 pleased to ordain for you besides. And, finally, 
 I will say, be prepared to endure, for a time, the 
 want or failure even of these ; since that, more- 
 over, had Jesus to experience. He, the same who 
 was strengthened in the garden, had not long 
 after cause to exclaim from the cross — " My 
 " God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me ?" 
 (Matt, xxvii. 46.) Remembering this, let no 
 Christian think it strange, if darkness and deso- 
 lation of soul should sometimes follow to him 
 upon light and comfort. Unless he can trace 
 the change to sin, his jiroper reflection on it 
 will be — " The disciple is not above his master, 
 " nor the servant above his lord. It is enough 
 " for the disciple that he be as his master, and 
 ** the servant as his lord." (Matt. x. 24, 25.) 
 
SERMON XI. 
 
 -^ 
 
 Psalm xxxii. 1, 2. 
 
 Blessed is he ivhose imrigJiteousness is forgiven^ and 
 whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto 
 whom the Lord imputeth no sin, and in whose 
 sjjirit there is no guile, 
 
 X HE Psalms, more frequently, perhaps, and 
 remarkably, than any other Book of the Old 
 Testament, are framed in language suitable to 
 the New. David, and the several inspired 
 l^ersons by whom they were written, may be 
 observed in many places to have expressed them- 
 selves, not only as distinctly foreseeing, but, as 
 even enjoying by anticipation, the spiritual 
 blessings which have since, accordingly, been 
 wrought out, and declared unto all people. 
 Instructed by " the Holy Spirit of promise," 
 they spake, on various occasions, like men al- 
 ready reaping the comforts and benefits of that 
 " great salvation," which was not, during their 
 lives, nor during a number of succeeding ge- 
 nerations, to be actually introduced, and made 
 known, in order to the common acceptance of 
 it by mankind. 
 
 There is in the verses which I have chosen 
 
On Justification. 159 
 
 for my text, a very striking example of this 
 evangelical language of the Psalms. So appo- 
 site are the terms and manner of expression 
 therein adopted, to the doctrine of grace and 
 truth, which, in these last days, Jesus Christ 
 hath revealed, that St. Paul thought proper to 
 make use of them, when he would describe to 
 the disciples at Rome, the peculiar process, or 
 dispensation of their deliverance from the Divine 
 wrath, and reinstatement in the Divine favour, 
 through the Gospel. Having most unequivo- 
 cally asserted that leading feature of the new 
 covenant, the justification of man by faith, and 
 not by works, by stating, " To him that work- 
 " eth not, but believeth on Him that justifieth 
 " the ungodly, his faith is counted for right- 
 " eousness," the Apostle immediately remarks, 
 " Even as David also describeth the blessed- 
 " ness of the man, unto whom God imputeth 
 " righteousness without works, saying. Blessed 
 " are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and 
 *' whose sins are covered : blessed is the man 
 " unto whom the Lord will not impute sin." 
 (Rom. iv. 5, kc.) Nor does he let it drop after 
 this, as a place of Scripture only casually re- 
 ferred to in his argument. On the contrary, 
 he examines into it, and proceeds to prove, 
 concerning the blessedness thus described by 
 the Psalmist, that it cometh without distinction 
 
160 On Justificatioii. 
 
 upon all, Gentiles no less than Jews, who will 
 walk in faith before God, after the pattern of 
 " faithful Abraham." 
 
 These verses, then, of the royal Psalmist 
 are (it is evident) universally interesting, and 
 adapted to the good instruction of all, so many 
 as may have attained, in any hopeful degree, 
 unto spiritual life and understanding. Where- 
 fore, I design to employ the present opportu- 
 nity in setting forth by them, first, an account, 
 corresponding with the Gospel, of the import- 
 ant blessing which is usually denominated jus- 
 tificatiofi, and secondly, the character of the 
 man, unto whom that blessing may properly be 
 represented to appertain. 
 
 First ; respecting the doctrine of justification, 
 if any have not hitherto understood what is 
 signified by that important term, they cannot 
 do better than attend to the plain description 
 of it, which is given in my text. By that, the 
 most ignorant may be informed, in a manner 
 adapted to their uncultivated powers of ap- 
 prehension : thence, even " the wayfaring men, 
 " though fools," may be able to derive a correct 
 notion of the subject. When his " unright- 
 " eousness is forgiven, and his sin is covered, 
 " and the Lord imputeth to him no sin," then 
 may it be said of a man, that he is justified, or 
 hath attained unto a state of justification. We 
 
On Justification. 161 
 
 have seen these remarkable expressions thus 
 interpreted by the Apostle to the Romans ; the 
 above vrords of the Psalmist being cited by 
 him, as descriptive of a justified condition. 
 
 To declare this matter yet more succinctly, 
 the term justification may be represented, in 
 agreement with the foregoing, to signify par- 
 don and grace ; pardon, or a forge tfulness (if 
 I may so speak) of the past, according to vi^hich, 
 the " unrighteousness" of every justified per- 
 " son is forgiven, and his sin covered ;" and 
 ^race or favour for the future, v^hereby the 
 Lord impute th to such an one no sin, is not 
 extreme to mark the frailties and imperfections 
 from vrhich, in his mortal state, he cannot en- 
 tirely cleanse and keep himself. Such was 
 the covenant foretold of God by Jeremiah, 
 with a view to the Gospel dispensation ; " I 
 " will put my laws into their mind, and write 
 " them in their hearts, and I will be to them a 
 " God, and they shall be to me a people. — For 
 " I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, 
 " and their sins and iniquities will I remember 
 " no more." (Heb. viii. 8, &c.) 
 
 The perfect wisdom of this proceeding, or 
 scheme, may perhaps not be immediately appa- 
 rent. It might have seemed, at first sight, 
 most proper, that a man, if justified, or made 
 just, at all before God, should be made such by 
 
162 On Justification. 
 
 his innocency and uprightness. But, had no 
 easier way than this been provided, by which 
 to escape condemnation, the whole race of man- 
 kind must certainly have perished altogether. 
 We stand not, each man on his own foundation, 
 sinless and undefiled, like Adam previous to 
 his transgression, for so much as a single mo- 
 ment of our lives. On the contrary, all of us 
 have received by inheritance from him, a cor- 
 rupt and sinful nature, evil of itself in the sight 
 of God, and moving us to evil deeds with the 
 very earliest use of our members, before we can* 
 justly consider what things we ought to avoid, 
 or to do. It is a truth constantly asserted in 
 Holy Scripture, and therefore one, which, be it 
 ever so unpalatable to the carnal mind, we are, 
 nevertheless, bound to receive, that every child 
 of Adam is by nature " a child of wrath," and 
 liable to the judgment of God, even from his 
 mother's womb: add to which the actual trans- 
 gressions of the Divine law, which all persons 
 in any degree capable of thought and recol- 
 lection, must be conscious to themselves of hav- 
 ing frequently committed, and human right- 
 eousness becomes evidently a thing of naught, 
 or a broken reed, fit only to pierce the hand of 
 him who is vain enough to lean on it. Verily, 
 by no other way than by that of having their 
 " unrighteousness forgiven," and their " sins 
 
On Justification. 163 
 
 *• covered ;" and, through the forbearance of 
 God, not having their sins imputed to them, 
 can the most righteous of the human race be 
 qualified to stand, and to obtain a good acquit- 
 tal in the judgment. 
 
 This way, therefore, hath God wisely adopt- 
 ed, as alone suitable to the condition of His 
 creatures. Since " in Adam all die," He hath 
 sent His only-begotten Son into the world, 
 that in Him all may be made alive. (1 Cor. xv. 
 22.) Knowing whereof we are made, and gra- 
 ciously considering that, whereas Adam stood 
 not in his native uprightness, much less can the 
 offspring of his fallen nature recover themselves 
 from their native degeneracy, and stand. He 
 with whom we have to do, hath provided some- 
 what better for us to depend on than our own, 
 at the best insufficient, righteousness — even the 
 " sure mercies" of redemption. When there was 
 no help in man for either himself, or his bro- 
 ther, " the Father sent the Son to be the Sa- 
 *• viour of the world." (1 John iv. 14.) " God 
 " was in Christ reconciling the world unto Him- 
 " self, not imputing their trespasses." (2 Cor. 
 V. 19.) " He delivered Him up for us all," to 
 take our nature upon Him, and to suffer death 
 for our offences, that so He might at once " be 
 " just" — i. e. exemplify His righteous indig- 
 nation against sin — " and the justifier of him 
 
164 On Justification. 
 
 " which believeth in Jesus." (Rom. iii. 26.) 
 For the sake, and at the intercession of that 
 His beloved Son, in whom alone He is natu- 
 rally well pleased, the fault and corruption of 
 the nature, which we have inherited from our 
 first parents, are not laid by God to our charge ; 
 nor (what is more) the actual transgressions, 
 which at it's impulse we may have ignorantly 
 committed. The righteousness and mediation 
 of Christ are constituted more powerful in the 
 court of heaven to absolve, than the guilt of 
 Adam, and that even of the sinner himself, 
 provided he will heartily repent of it, to con- 
 demn. Our help hath been laid upon One that 
 is mighty^ and in every respect equal to the 
 work — upon One " able to save to the utter- 
 " most all that come unto God through Him." 
 (Heb. vii. 25.) Having " died unto sin once," 
 behold ! thenceforward, " He is alive for ever- 
 " more, and hath the keys of hell and of death." 
 (Rev. i. 18.) " There remaineth therefore no 
 " condemnation to them that are in Christ Je- 
 " sus," as concerning either the future or the 
 past ; for if, (the Apostle argues,) " if, when we 
 " were enemies, we were reconciled unto God 
 " by the death of His Son, much more, being 
 " reconciled, we shall be saved by His life." 
 (Rom. V. 10.) In " Jesus Christ tlie righteous," 
 the believer hath an abiding " Advocate with 
 
On Justification. 165 
 
 " the Father," (1 John ii. 1.) no less than a pro- 
 pitiation or atonement for the great sum of his 
 old transgressions. Thus he is justified — pre- 
 sented as just or faultless unto the Divine 
 Being, which of himself he could never be ; 
 " his unrighteousness is forgiven, and his sin 
 " is covered, and the Lord imputeth to him no 
 " sin." 
 
 So far, my brethren, the doctrine of justifi- 
 cation by faith in Christ hath been described, 
 as proposed to us by David in the text; — a 
 most necessary and comfortable doctrine, ex- 
 actly suited to our lost condition, and one, with- 
 out which no flesh could, probably, have been 
 saved. However, in proportion to the value of 
 this doctrine, it is liable to be, and, in fact, 
 often hath been, abused. Men not rightly pos- 
 sessing any part or lot therein, have intermed- 
 dled with, and turned it " into lasciviousness." 
 Some have presumed to " continue in sin, that 
 " grace may abound" towards them at the last, 
 and others, calling themselves justified persons, 
 have laid claim to the privilege of sinning, as- 
 serting that God will not see, or will overlook 
 it. For the prevention, therefore, of any such 
 errors, it will behove us, now, in the second 
 place, to observe, unto what character, accord- 
 ing to the Psalmist, the blessing of justification 
 appertains. 
 
166 On Justification. 
 
 Having, then, spoken of the blessedness of 
 the man whose unrighteousness is forgiven, and 
 whose sin is covered, and to whom the Lord 
 imputeth no sin, David immediately subjoins, 
 " and in whose spirit there is no guile." This 
 description, however insignificant it may sound, 
 expresses the groundwork of the Christian cha- 
 racter, and was used by our Saviour Himself as 
 one of the most commendatory nature ; when 
 Jesus saw Nathanael, He said of him, " Behold 
 " an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile !" 
 (John i. 47.) Let me, accordingly, declare the 
 amovmt of it for your instruction. 
 
 By the word guile is intended deceit, or dis- 
 simulation — the propensity, which is very com- 
 mon in men, to conceal what they are, and to 
 profess themselves what they are not. Many 
 give way to this propensity, until they deceive 
 even their own hearts, and pass their lives in a 
 state of continual delusion ; whereas the man 
 " in whose spirit there is no guile," though far 
 (it may be) from a perfect man, is not inclined 
 to either pretence or concealment. If he keeps 
 any thing hidden from his fellow-creatures, it 
 is not with a view to take advantage of their 
 ignorance, but simply lest they should take ad- 
 vantage of him, or make jests on his errors and 
 infirmities. At the same time, with his Maker, 
 and his own conscience, he admits no kind 
 
On Justification. 167 
 
 whatever of reserve. His unfeigned desire is 
 throughly to know himself, and to be likewise 
 known of God : insomuch that he does not he- 
 sitate to adopt the supplication of the Psalm- 
 ist — " Search me, O God, and try the ground 
 " of my heart : prove me, and examine my 
 " thoughts : look well if there be any wicked 
 " way in me, and lead me in the way ever- 
 " lasting." (Psalm cxxxix. 23, 24.) 
 
 Pursuant to this, his general principle, the 
 man " in whose spirit there is no guile," will 
 frequently and fully examine himself, by the 
 perfect rule of Holy Scripture, in order to dis- 
 cover, and make confession of, his sins. God 
 knows them, it is true, whether or not the 
 sinner will search into, and confess them ; for 
 He " is a discerner even of the thoughts and 
 " intents of the heart." (Heb. iv. 12.) Neverthe- 
 less, it is a salutary exercise to lay open all our 
 guilt before God, and an indispensable step to- 
 wards reconciliation. An appearance, merely, of 
 secrecy is too painful to be kept up, by one of a 
 guileless disposition. A man "hardened through 
 " the deceitfulness of sin," can alone bear thus 
 to treat God as an enemy, from whom he would 
 (if possible) hide his misdeeds, rather than tell 
 them with a good hope of forgiveness. A con- 
 sciousness of transgression not confessed, be- 
 comes a standing cause of enmity and separa- 
 
168 On Justification. 
 
 tion between the Divine Being and the trans- 
 gressor, tending to utter wretchedness and de- 
 spair ; whereas every act of sincere confession, 
 however grievous (which it ought to be) at the 
 time, is presently followed by a sensation of re- 
 lief and peace. In the verses immediately suc- 
 ceeding to the text, David seems to speak from 
 experience on this topic. The better to illus- 
 trate the blessedness of the man in whose spirit 
 there is no guile, he records concerning him- 
 self — "While I held my tongue, my bones con- 
 " sumed away through my daily complaining ; 
 " for Thy hand is heavy upon me day and 
 " night, and my moisture is like the drought 
 " in summer :" whereupon he avows his reso- 
 lution, " I will acknowledge my sin unto Thee, 
 " and mine unrighteousness have I not hid. I 
 " said, I will confess my sin unto the Lord, and 
 " so Thou forgavest the wickedness of my sin." 
 Having tried, and felt the misery of behaving 
 like a dissembler with God, he betook himself 
 to the contrary course, and obtained comfort. 
 Indeed, there is much reason to suppose that 
 the whole Psalm was written by David to de- 
 scribe his own conduct, and the merciful deal- 
 ing of God towards him, on some particular 
 occasion of transgression, when once he had 
 ceased from vain subterfuges, and guile. 
 
 Also, a man of the character under review 
 
On Justification. 169 
 
 will strive, with an unceasing vigilance, against 
 sin. It is plainly inconsistent with sincerity, to 
 continue in the practice of any of those things, 
 or of any other like to those, which we acknow- 
 ledge ourselves, with professions of remorse, to 
 have done amiss. Such conduct in the children 
 of Israel, is represented, in the following pas- 
 sage, as the sure token of an insincere disposi- 
 tion towards God : having remarked how they 
 remembered, and sought, and turned to inquire 
 after Him, when He visited them with afflic- 
 tion, the Psalmist adds — " Nevertheless, they 
 " did but flatter Him with their mouth, and 
 " dissembled with Him in their tongue. For 
 " their heart was not whole with Him, neither 
 " continued they steadfast in His covenant." 
 (Psalm Ixxviii. 36, 37.) Every one, therefore, 
 " in whose spirit there is no guile," when he 
 hath confessed, and obtained forgiveness of his 
 sins, will pursue the directly opposite conduct. 
 Instead of that deceitful, or double dealing, 
 whereby so many, like the Israelites, would 
 fain live at peace with God, and give place, at 
 the same time, to His enemies — the Devil, the 
 world, and the flesh, — he will take up a stead- 
 fast determination to resist, mortify, and sub- 
 due them. Having been justified freely, when 
 he desired it, through the redemption that is in 
 Christ Jesus, and having obtained remission of 
 
 I 
 
170 On Justification. 
 
 past sins through His blood, he will consider 
 himself obliged, on principles of common ho- 
 nesty and gratitude, to stand up on the Lord's 
 side without affectation or disguise, to set his 
 face, like a flint, against whatever can tend to 
 dishonour Him amongst men, and to hold no 
 sacrifice of inclination too great, no devotion of 
 body and soul too entire, for the cause of his 
 Redeemer's kingdom and glory. Any thing 
 short of thus serving the Lord in truth, with 
 all his heart, in return for the great things 
 which He hath done for him, will seem, to 
 such an one as the text describes, scarcely bet- 
 ter than insincerity and falsehood. 
 
 Hearing this, some one may have a mind to 
 ask, — what benefit is it to a person of the above 
 description (that the Lord imputeth to him no 
 sin, if to commit sin be so inconsistent with 
 his character ? But, I have not said, that the 
 man, " in whose spirit there is no guile," has, 
 or can have, no sin ; nothing more has been 
 asserted to such effect, than that he will never 
 indulge himself in sin, or willingly submit to 
 its dominion ; that he will not say, nor think, 
 in time of temptation,— surely the Lord will 
 pardon His servant in this thing, and so ven- 
 ture on some forbidden deed. To transgress, 
 thus presuming on forgiveness, is evidently 
 quite incompatible with an honest and an up- 
 
On Justification. 171 
 
 right heart, and is, accordingly, the way toTiave 
 our transgressions imputed to us. Setting aside, 
 however, such wilful trespasses, the natural 
 frailty of the most single-hearted characters 
 will, now and then, overcome them by surprise. 
 As one that has to work daily with edged tools, 
 must almost inevitably meet with occasional 
 wounds, notwithstanding the best caution which 
 he can use ; so, by reason of the weakness of his 
 flesh, and of his necessary intercourse with the 
 world, the most circumspect cannot but some- 
 times incur spiritual mischief. Hence, to every 
 one, will there exist sufficient need of healing 
 and compassion from the Lord. Let a Chris- 
 tian shrink from sin, as from a cutting instru- 
 ment, still, his hope of not being slain by it 
 must be reposed in the great Physician of 
 souls. 
 
 Upon the whole then, if any man would en- 
 joy the blessedness (as described by the Psalm- 
 ist) of justification, let him forget not what 
 manner of man he must be, " in whose spirit 
 " there is no guile." He must be free from 
 all fraud and hypocrisy, single and open-heart- 
 ed, and wishing to deceive none, either in 
 heaven or on earth ; and what things he, from 
 time to time, doeth amiss, must be done so un- 
 wittingly, and against his settled purpose, as 
 that he may venture to appeal concerning them 
 
 I 2 
 
172 On Justification, 
 
 to his Maker — " God, Thou knowest my sim- 
 " pleness ; and my faults are not hid from 
 " Thee." (Psalm Ixix. 5.) In short, " He that 
 " leadeth an uncorrupt life, and doeth the 
 " thing which is right, and speaketh the truth 
 " from his heart ; he that hath used no deceit 
 " in his tongue, and that hath not lifted up his 
 '' mind unto vanity, nor done evil to his neigh- 
 " hour ; he shall receive the blessing from the 
 " Lord, and righteousness from the God of his 
 " salvation." (Psalms xv. and xxiv.) 
 
 And great, my brethren, I vrill bid you ob- 
 serve, in conclusion, yea, exceedingly great and 
 precious, is the blessing or blessedness annexed 
 to the above guileless character. He is one of 
 God's elect, accepted, or justified before Him, 
 and thence a partaker of His Divine Spirit, and 
 an inheritor of His eternal kingdom, unless he 
 wilfully draw back unto perdition. "Whoso 
 " walketh according to the rule laid down, peace 
 " resteth on him, and mercy, as upon the Israel 
 " of God." Be it repeated, (what Jesus Himself 
 hath declared,) that every one without guile is 
 an Israelite indeed, a genuine child of Abra- 
 ham, who shall be blessed with that faithful 
 patriarch, and be carried by the angels into 
 his bosom. Surely, here are privileges and 
 prospects the most encouraging which one can 
 possibly desire. Let them prevail with you. 
 
On Justification. 173 
 
 during this your day, to confess, and forsake 
 every besetting sin, and to "draw near with 
 " a true heart, in full assurance of faith," (Heb. 
 X. 22.) unto God. 
 
 I 3 
 
SERMON XII. 
 
 Romans xiii. 14. 
 
 Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 It is somewhat remarkable, that the same 
 Apostle, who wrote thus to the Romans, hath 
 written, in his third chapter to the Galatians, 
 " As many of you as have been baptized into 
 " Christ, have put on Christ." However, St. 
 Paul probably did not intend to describe the 
 Galatians, as living more in agreement with 
 the Gospel, than the Romans ; he merely de- 
 signed to say — Having been baptized into Christ, 
 you are, of course, professing, or owning your- 
 selves obliged to have put Him on, and to be 
 walking after His example. Such ground he 
 took with them on this point, for argument's 
 sake, and to avoid breaking the thread of his 
 discourse. But, to them at Rome he chose 
 otherwise to write — " Put ye on the Lord Jesus 
 " Christ ;" since it had not escaped his notice, 
 that many, who had been baptized into Him, 
 were apt to fail of duly performing their obli- 
 gations. 
 
Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ. 175 
 
 Now, in both these ways, with an ahnost 
 equal propriety, may Christians of the present 
 day be addressed. It is, indeed, more common 
 at the present, than it was formerly, to see per- 
 sons, who have been baptized into Christ, and 
 who yet have not, in any becoming degree, put 
 Him on. In former times, it behoved no one 
 to enrol himself amongst Christians, who would 
 not follow Christ even unto prison and to death ; 
 whereas with us it is an ordinary custom, and 
 rather than not for our worldly advantage, to 
 have been baptized into Him, and to have as- 
 sumed His name. Hence, they are greatly in- 
 creased, who, after this good beginning, have 
 scarcely endeavoured, or so much as seriously 
 purposed, to adopt a suitable behaviour : and 
 consequently, a minister of Christ at this time, 
 should be most frequent in exhorting to put 
 Him on. Still however, it may be expedient 
 sometimes to address Christians at large, as 
 St. Paul addressed the Galatians, on the suppo- 
 sition that they have put on Christ. Hardly by 
 any other method, can a stronger reproof be in- 
 flicted on the negligent. They are made by it 
 to see themselves worse than one may, without 
 giving offence, declare them to be. Also, they 
 are strongly excited to set about reforming 
 their lives, while they seem to be standing fair 
 with their Christian neighbours, and still to be 
 
 I 4 
 
176 Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 regarded not as men of a decidedly negligent 
 and refuse character. 
 
 I design, my brethren, on this opportunity, 
 to explain the meaning of the exhortation in 
 my text, and the strong obligations, which we 
 all are under, to comply with it. 
 
 First then ; you can hardly be without some 
 apj)rehension, although perhaps without an ade- 
 quate one, of the Apostle's meaning. " Put ye 
 " on the Lord Jesus Christ," is a figure of 
 speech, representing to us our heavenly Mas- 
 ter's conduct in the light of a garment : it is 
 in fact to say — Let the most holy example of 
 his Saviour Christ be unto every one of you 
 *' as the cloke that he hath upon him, and as 
 " the girdle that he is alway girded withal." 
 Now, we are used, before putting on any new 
 garment, to put off our corresponding old one ; 
 or, to adopt one of our Lord's parables, spoken 
 by Him on a somewhat different topic, no dis- 
 creet person, consulting either aj)pearance or 
 utility, will insert a new piece in an old gar- 
 ment ; since it is impossible that they should 
 ever firmly be united, and assort well together. 
 Accordingly, the precept before us implies, that 
 we should first discard whatever about us is 
 inconsistent with Christ's example. " The old 
 " man" — our sinful nature inherited from Adam, 
 which is corrupt, and full of deceitful lusts — 
 
Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, 177 
 
 must in the outset be put off, or laid aside. In 
 order worthily to embrace the Gospel of the 
 Lord Jesus, you must " renounce the Devil, and 
 " all his works, the pomps and vanities of this 
 " wicked world, and all the sinful lusts of the 
 " flesh :" with a view properly to put on His cha- 
 racter, you must " put off anger, wrath, malice, 
 " blasphemy, evil speaking, inordinate affection, 
 " evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is 
 " idolatry." (Col. iii. 5, 8, 9.) All these com- 
 mon, but decidedly corrupt, habits are to be 
 cast away, and every other habit is to be chast- 
 ened, and corrected, and brought within bounds, 
 before you can properly do the thing command- 
 ed, or be fit to array yourselves in Christian 
 virtues. Assuredly, Christ will not be worn 
 as a covering over our old sins, nor will His 
 righteousness at all consist with the ungodly 
 manners, which naturally characterize, and ad- 
 here to flesh and blood. 
 
 Put off therefore (let me urge) all the above- 
 named unbecoming habits, preparatory to put- 
 ting on that which is required. Since you have 
 long ago professed to put them off, take heed 
 to such your profession, and make it good. To 
 adopt the words and method of St. Paul on this 
 point also, " seeing that ye have put off the old 
 " man with his deeds," be not still wearing, 
 nor entangled in them. But rend them from 
 
 I 5 
 
178 Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 you, and constantly reject them, lest, after hav- 
 ing been in a manner appointed unto sanctifi- 
 cation and glory, you, nevertheless, finally pe- 
 rish in your own corruption. 
 
 Having taken this- indispensable step, pro- 
 ceed thence, without loss of time, to put on, as 
 becometh new men, the clean and beautiful gar- 
 ments, which God hath provided for you in the 
 Gospel, that you should wear them to the ho- 
 nour of His name ; I mean those manifold and 
 appropriate graces, which are set forth in the 
 acceptable person of His Son. Having once 
 discarded the former worthless and offensive 
 things, make haste to assume the righteousness 
 and true holiness of Jesus Christ your Saviour: 
 aim at resembling Him in all your conversa- 
 tion — at rendering yourselves even such as He 
 was, in this present world. 
 
 The conduct of Jesus Christ, whom St. Paul 
 would have you thus resemble, appears to have 
 been uniformly suitable and pure. It is repre- 
 sented to us by the Evangelists, who have writ- 
 ten of Him, as truly excellent and full of grace 
 and goodness, without any kind of blemish or 
 imperfection. Let us therefore not be content 
 with adopting only certain parts of it, but re- 
 solve to take, and put it on whole. Yet, how- 
 ever inseparably they are connected with each 
 other, we may note distinctly some of the prin- 
 
Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ. 1 79 
 
 cipal points, which constitute our Lord's excel- 
 lency of character. Observe the humility of 
 the man Christ Jesus, and His meekness and 
 patient confidence in God ; — " He was brought 
 " as a lamb to the slaughter," innocent and unre- 
 sisting ; " when He was reviled. He reviled not 
 " again; when He suffered, He threatened not; 
 " but committed Himself to Him that judgeth 
 '* righteously." (1 Peter ii. 23.) Observe His 
 self-denial, and devotion ; — He scarcely cared 
 for meat and drink, and repose, in comparison 
 with giving Himself unto prayer, and to the 
 performance of His heavenly Father's will. Ob- 
 serve His active benevolence and compassion ; — 
 He was never weary of doing good ; but His 
 manner of life was, to go about continually heal- 
 ing the bodies of the diseased, instructing the 
 minds of the ignorant, and shewing pity on all 
 the afflicted, who came in His way. Then too. 
 His kindness was remarkable towards the many 
 unthankful and evil who surrounded Him : He 
 cared without ceasing for those, who evidently 
 deserved not, in any degree, that He should care 
 for them, and, instead of being provoked to 
 vengeance by ill usage, employed His last mo- 
 ments in praying for His enemies, who had de- 
 spitefully entreated and murdered Him. And, 
 withal. He maintained an unfaltering zeal for 
 the truth. There was in His goodness nothing 
 
 I 6 
 
180 Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 of weakness and indifference — nothing like a 
 giving way to iniquity and falsehood, or an un- 
 concern respecting error and transgression. On 
 the contrary, He set His face, like a flint, against 
 every description of- ungodliness and wrong. 
 His lively abhorrence of perverse ways was too 
 manifest to be doubted, or overlooked, although 
 tempered, as to His expression and exercise of 
 it, by unwearied love, and forbearance, and 
 longsuifering. In fact, He determined to be 
 crucified and slain by the hands of wicked men, 
 rather than consent to, or cease from testify- 
 ing against their wickedness. — Take notice, my 
 brethren, of these few chief particulars (the re- 
 mainder being entirely consistent) in the ha- 
 bitual demeanour of "the Lord Jesus Christ." 
 So holy, harmless, merciful, and undefiled, so 
 purely and resolutely devoted to His heavenly 
 Father's glory, and the common salvation, did 
 He approve Himself in the midst of a people 
 serving divers lusts and passions, and thereby 
 alienated equally from God, and from one an- 
 other. 
 
 Such, accordingly, are the disciples of Jesus 
 Christ required to be, putting Him on. In the 
 above, and in all other particulars, they are 
 called to approve themselves, like their Mas- 
 ter, " sons of God without rebuke, blameless, 
 " and harmless ;" " full of mercy, and good 
 
Put ye on the Lord Jems Christ. 181 
 
 " fruits ;" and clear of " the corruption that is 
 " in the world through lust." True indeed, the 
 larp-er number of Christians have not a min- 
 istry, resembling that of Christ, to accomplish : 
 also, none have the power, which He had, to 
 do good. Hence it follows, that, in certain re- 
 spects, you ought not, and in others, you can- 
 not exactly imitate His deeds : you ought not 
 (for instance) to undertake, without a lawful 
 appointment, any sacred office ; you cannot, by 
 a word or a touch, heal sickness and disease 
 amongst your neighbours. Yet, obviously, in 
 points of this sort, you may let the mind which 
 prompted Christ, be prompting you to an an- 
 swerable (though not a precisely similar) line 
 of behaviour. Albeit, neither apostles, nor pub- 
 lic teachers, nor workers of miracles, never- 
 theless, in your inferior stations, you may be 
 habitually actuated by the godly zeal and com- 
 passion which were in Christ, while He preach- 
 ed the Gospel, and healed the sick. You may 
 " bring up children in the nurture and admo- 
 " nition of the Lord, and to the praise of His 
 " holy name :" you may edify one another, not 
 a little, by devout and charitable conversation ; 
 and may kindly tend, and help, and sympathise 
 with the afflicted, watching if He will conde- 
 scend to make them whole. To this extent, the 
 lowest and weakest may put on Christ, in cases 
 
182 Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 
 where none can be fully qualified or able. And 
 more perfectly, or entirely, is He to be put on, 
 in cases of a less extraordinary character. Every 
 man, on finding himself made at all like, in his 
 outward circumstances and condition, to his 
 Master, and only Saviour Jesus Christ, should 
 certainly therein try, and behave like Him 
 throughout, especially when experiencing inju- 
 ries and provocations. Regarding these, the 
 author of my text explicitly admonishes — " Put 
 " on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and 
 " beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humble- 
 " ness of mind, meekness, longsuffering ; for- 
 " bearing one another, and forgiving one an- 
 " other, if any man have a quarrel against any: 
 " even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye." 
 (Coloss. iii. 12, 13.) No one, probably, will think 
 fit to call this a hard admonition, or a precept 
 beyond his range. The most reluctant must 
 needs confess, that, the habit which it enjoins 
 is truly apposite, or suitable generally to man- 
 kind, and that, in proportion to the number 
 who will heartily adopt it, peace and consola- 
 tion may be expected to ensue. 
 
 Having so far set before you the Apostle's 
 precept selected for my text, I will next, my 
 brethren, declare the strong reasons which 
 should induce you to observe it. 
 
 As you love, and would secure, your own 
 
Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ. 183 
 
 welfare and happiness, "put ye on the Lord 
 " Jesus Christ." Consider, a moment, how 
 great is the bodily refreshment, when a man, 
 heavy laden, or fatigued with labour, disencum- 
 bers, and shakes himself from the dust, and 
 changes his old and stained garments for clean 
 ones. Immediately he becomes in a great mea- 
 sure at ease from his late toil, and in a manner 
 revived to enter (if need be) on another course : 
 he is prepared to " run anew, and not be weary, 
 " to walk, and not faint." Equally great is the 
 refreshment to a man's spirit, when he hath 
 cast off the burden of his iniquity, and hath 
 exchanged his old-accustomed sinful habits, his 
 long- worn prejudices, and natural covering of 
 unrighteousness, wherein he hath been labour- 
 ing many days and years, for the " fine linen, 
 " clean and white," the purity, and holy and 
 charitable conversation, which adorned his Re- 
 deemer in the world. From being heated by 
 intemperance, or vain exertions, and agitated 
 by violent passions, and vexed and harassed 
 by tormenting anxieties and disappointments, 
 the man who hath put on Christ, is rendered 
 comparatively calm and moderate, and of a 
 sound mind. Still, indeed. He may be some- 
 times troubled, and perplexed, and afraid, but 
 not overcome, or greatly confounded, or in 
 despair. The life of Jesus, made manifest in 
 
184 Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 his flesh, imparts to him an enduring composure 
 and strength. He is thence enabled to possess 
 his soul in hope and patience, during the hard- 
 est imaginable trials, and evermore to ex- 
 perience the truth of that gracious invitation 
 and promise, which Jesus himself delivered, 
 persuading men to seek the relief which He 
 would dispense to them — " Come unto me, all 
 " ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I 
 " will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, 
 " and learn of me ; for I am meek and lowly in 
 " heart : and ye shall find rest unto your souls." 
 (Matthew xi. 28, 29.) According to this, it will 
 evidently behove us, to come unto the Lord 
 Jesus Christ, and to put Him on, for the at- 
 tainment of spiritual consolation and repose. 
 
 However, men will not always do what they 
 ought, purely for their own comfort, without 
 being in a manner constrained and compelled 
 to it. Some are of such a slothful and perverse 
 temper, that they will rather remain unadorn- 
 ed, and in their unseemly habits of a corrupt 
 life and conversation, even until death and judg- 
 ment, than set about properly to order, and re- 
 fresh themselves, and put on the new and goodly 
 raiment provided for them. Let me, therefore, 
 further prove it a duti/, to perform the injunc- 
 tion which has been explained. 
 
 Now, a duty surely it is, and a most indis- 
 
Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ. 185 
 
 pensable one, to put on the Lord Jesus Christ ; 
 since He hath condescended to do somewhat 
 the like, as concerning us. Shall not we aspire 
 to imitate His excellent goodness, who con- 
 descended for our sake to be " found in fashion 
 " as a man," being mysteriously " clothed uj)on" 
 with our suffering nature ? When He was 
 " born of the Virgin Mary" into the world, then 
 did He so greatly condescend ; then did that 
 everlasting Son of the Father, in His own free 
 love and pity, undertake the burden of our 
 manifold infirmities and pains, and bear them 
 about with Him, a number of years, going in 
 and out amongst men. Hence, we are very 
 strongly obliged (unless we would appear 
 shamefully unworthy) to adopt, and constantly 
 exhibit the righteousness and true holiness 
 which belonged to Him. And the more, be- 
 cause, in putting us on, the Lord Christ greatly 
 humbled and abased Himself; He exchanged 
 heaven for earth. He forsook the bliss of His 
 Father's bosom to become a man of sorrows, 
 and to taste the bitterness of death ; whereas, 
 in putting Him on, consists our highest glory 
 and salvation ; His nature (if we will be clothed 
 upon with it) exalts us, just as our nature, 
 which He assumed, brought Him low. Thus 
 we are bound, yea, and even a necessity is laid 
 upon us, by the marvellous condescension of 
 
186 Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ » 
 
 Jesus Christ for our great and endless benefit, 
 to do obediently, as He hath given command- 
 ment by his Apostle. Considering this, you 
 should account it a horrible ingratitude to with- 
 stand Him. — Also, Christians should reckon 
 themselves equally compelled by a considera- 
 tion of their special circumstances and pros- 
 pects ; " Ye are come," says the Apostle to the 
 Hebrews, " unto the city of the living God, and 
 " to an innumerable company of angels, to the 
 " general assembly and church of the first-born, 
 " which are written in heaven, and to God, the 
 " Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made 
 " perfect, and to Jesus the Mediator of the new 
 " covenant." (Hebrews xii. 22, 23, 24.) May any 
 one so situated — called a citizen of the hea- 
 venly Jerusalem, and consequently a member 
 of such an excellent society — refuse to put on 
 the appointed vestment ? Verily not, except he 
 would be cast out with indignation, as a pre- 
 sumptuous, and an unqualified intruder. In or- 
 der to secure his welcome there, a man must 
 neither be in his old sins, nor, having laid 
 them aside, in a state of nakedness, or un- 
 adorned ; but he must have on him the proper 
 robe. He^^iTiust have diligently watched, and 
 prayed, and endeavoured to procure and array 
 himself therein ; or he will surely find, at the 
 last, that he hath been admitted to this high 
 
Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ. 187 
 
 and goodly fellowship, only to be proclaimed 
 unworthy of it, and to be driven away " with 
 " everlasting contempt." " There shall in no 
 " wise enter into the Jerusalem which is above, 
 " to dwell there, any thing that defileth, nei- 
 " ther whatsoever worketh abomination, or 
 " maketh a lie ; but they which are written in 
 " the Lamb's book of life." (Revelation xxi. 27.) 
 And surely, of the many who profess and call 
 themselves Christians, they alone shall be 
 written in that Book, who, " in much patience, 
 " in distresses, in labours, by pureness, by long- 
 " suffering, by kindness, by love unfeigned, by 
 " the word of truth, and by the armour of 
 " righteousness," (2 Cor. vi. 7.) have followed 
 after, and in some good measure have attained, 
 even to resemble the Lamb. 
 
 Thus, my brethren, have I endeavoured to 
 explain what you should understand by putting 
 on the Lord Jesus Christ ; and how comfort- 
 able and indispensable it is, for all who name 
 His name, so to do. It only remains, in a few 
 concluding words, to mention the principal 
 way, or means, by which you may best succeed 
 in the attempt. 
 
 By no means, then, can one better prepare 
 and enable himself to fulfil the injunction above 
 explained, than by a diligent perusal of the 
 history of Jesus Christ, on the earth. The four 
 
188 Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 
 opening books of the New Testament, which 
 contain this history, and thence have been en- 
 titled, for a distinction, the four Gospels, are 
 probably the plainest, and, to simple-minded 
 persons, the most "interesting, of the whole 
 number which are included in Holy Scripture. 
 Search in them, and see, and recollect, how 
 your Lord and Saviour used to bear all things, 
 and to think, and speak, and act, while fulfill- 
 ing His course ; and be instructed to think, 
 and speak, and act likewise, making only the 
 necessary difference, on account of the differ- 
 ence of your several stations. Be frequent both 
 in reading and hearing of Christ, and in se- 
 riously pondering the manner of Him, as the 
 most effectual method to acquire His mind. 
 Keep His perfect example ever fresh in your 
 memory, with a view to imitate it on every 
 practicable occasion, and you will find such oc- 
 casions more in number, than the careless and 
 forgetful can well imagine, and will soon begin 
 to appear indeed new men. St. Paul writes, in 
 another of his Epistles, " We all beholding as 
 " in a glass, the glory of the Lord, are changed 
 " into the same image from glory to glory as 
 " by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Cor. iii. 18.) 
 Take heed therefore, and yield yourselves to be 
 so desirably changed in heart, and soul, and 
 conduct, from beholding your Redeemer s holy 
 
Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ. 189 
 
 conversation, where His Apostles and Evan- 
 gelists have described it : then, in due sea- 
 son, will He change your vile bodies also, that 
 they "may be fashioned like unto His glorious 
 " body, according to the working whereby He 
 " is able even to subdue all things unto Him- 
 " self." (Philipp. iii. 21.) 
 
SERMON XIII. 
 
 Hebrews iv. 15, 16. 
 
 We have not an High Priest which cannot he touched 
 ivith the feeling of our infirmities ; hut icas in all 
 points temj^ted like as we are, yet without sin. Let 
 us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace ^ 
 that we may obtain mercy ^ and find grace to help 
 in time of need. 
 
 JLN the verse immediately preceding, the Apo- 
 stle declares, by name, the Person whom he 
 thus describes. His words, to that effect, are — 
 " Seeing then that we have a great High Priest, 
 " that is passed into the heavens, Jesus, the 
 " Son of God, let us hold fast our profession." 
 In my text, he proceeds to state the peculiar 
 fitness of this exalted Person to exercise the 
 priestly office ; since, although naturally the 
 Son of God, He had condescended, for the pur- 
 pose, to be made man, and fully to experience 
 man's condition in every respect short of sin : 
 and thence agan, (as in the previous verse,) he 
 derives an apposite exhortation to a becoming 
 confidence and hope towards God. 
 
 I design, now, in discoursing on this pas- 
 
Jesus Christ our His^h Priest, 191 
 
 sage, first, to represent the indispensable neces- 
 sity which exists, that we should have a High 
 Priest in heaven ; secondly, to shew, respect- 
 ing Jesus the Son of God, that He is precisely 
 of the character to have been desired ; and 
 thirdly, to speak about the religious boldness, 
 which the Apostle consequently recommends. 
 
 In the beginning, therefore, let me explain 
 our occasion for a high priest, by a statement 
 of the duties belonging to that office. " Every 
 " high priest taken from among men is or- 
 " dained for men in things pertaining to God, 
 " that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices 
 " for sins ; who can have compassion on the 
 " ignorant, and on them that are out of the 
 " way ; for that he himself also is compassed 
 " with infirmity." (Heb. v. 1, 2.) Thus it is 
 written, in the chapter succeeding that from 
 which my text is taken ; and in subsequent 
 places, the Apostle briefly recounts the prin- 
 cipal duties of the office, as they stand origin- 
 ally enacted in Leviticus. (Lev. xvi.) It ap- 
 pears, generally, that the high priest was ap- 
 pointed to be the minister of the most solemn 
 transactions, between the God of Israel and 
 His people, and the people of Israel and their 
 God : to the people, he represented God, and 
 to God, he represented the people, laying, as it 
 were, before each, the other's mind. But spe- 
 
192 Jesus Christ our His:h Priest. 
 
 & 
 
 daily he had to do this, on the day called " the 
 " great day of atonement." Once every year, on 
 that solemn day, he was to enter within the 
 vail of the temple, into the holiest place, with 
 the blood of a slain victim, and there to offer it 
 before God, for all the sins of the children of 
 Israel. Also, he was the person to intercede 
 with God for the people, whenever they had 
 committed a trespass, or were needing His gra- 
 cious favour, and to pronounce His blessing on 
 their right conduct, or repentance. Altogether, 
 accordingly, the calling of the Jewish high 
 priest clearly originated in the unwortliiness of 
 the Jewish nation. The unfitness of the mem- 
 bers of tjiat ancient church to approach the 
 Divine Majesty without a mediator, or to be 
 accepted in their own persons, was the reason 
 why God gave unto them a continual succes- 
 sion of high priests. And by such provision 
 their intercourse with Him was kept up, when- 
 ever, with a faithful spirit, they would resort 
 to it. 
 
 Now, considering this to have been the ori- 
 gin of the office of high priest amongst the 
 Jews, you may at once perceive the necessity 
 to Christians, likewise, of a High Priest. Sure- 
 ly, men of all nations are conceived, and born 
 in sin ; surely all, since their birth, repeatedly 
 " have sinned, and come short of the glory of 
 
Jesus CImst our High Priest, 193 
 
 " God ;" (Romans iii. 23.) and surely, hitherto, 
 " in many things we offend all." (James iii. 2.) 
 Hence, then, all are in the predicament to re- 
 quire a high priest with God. Being hy na- 
 ture corrupt and frail, conscious of old sins 
 innumerable, and ever prone to commit new 
 ones, — how shall any man, being so unworthy, 
 approach, and obtain grace from the Most High 
 God, by his own self ? Certainly, not only the 
 children of Israel, but, the children, universal- 
 ly, of Adam, must have provided for them, and 
 acknowledge a high priest, unless they prefer 
 to live without God in the world, and to depart 
 hence into outer darkness, where the liffht of 
 His countenance shall never cheer them. In 
 order to acquaint ourselves with Him, and be 
 at peace, we must possess a mediator, a re- 
 deemer, and an intercessor, at the least equally 
 with the Jews under the Law. Such a min- 
 ister is plainly necessary to our salvation, — even 
 one qualified to present a sacrifice for sin, to 
 communicate between God and our souls, and 
 continually to propitiate His good-will towards 
 us. The proud in heart may resolve to work a 
 way by their own comparative integrity, or refor- 
 mation; nevertheless, it remaineth certain, that, 
 except by means of some such minister as the 
 high priest of the Jewish covenant, there is no 
 access for fallen man to the Father of heaven. 
 
 K 
 
194 Jesus Christ our HiqIi Priest. 
 
 Wherefore, I will go on to declare, in the 
 second place. Him whom God hath constituted 
 for us, to occupy evermore that office. " Con- 
 " sider," my brethren, (as the author of the 
 text in a previous place exhorts,) " consider the 
 " Apostle and High Priest of our profession, 
 " Christ Jesus." (Heb. iii. 1.) 
 
 Begin with considering the important point, 
 that He is not — that we have not in Him — " a 
 " High Priest who cannot be touched with the 
 " feeling of our infirmities, but one who was 
 " in all points tempted like as we are," — after 
 the similitude, and to the uttermost of our 
 temptations. 
 
 This may justly seem a wonderful case, when 
 we recollect the ancient dignity of Jesus Christ. 
 According to the first chapter of this Epistle 
 to the Hebrews, He was originally the only- 
 begotten Son of the Father Almighty — " the 
 " brightness of His glory, and the express image 
 " of His person," — an object of worship to the 
 angelic host, — the Lord, who in the beginning 
 laid the foundation of the earth, and formed 
 the heavens with His hands, — the upholder of 
 all things by the word of His power, — a Being 
 immoveable, imchangeable, and eternal, amidst 
 the decay and wreck of worlds. Thus is the 
 High Priest of our profession described to us ; 
 and thence we might suppose Him far above 
 
Jesus Christ our Hiiyh Priest. 195 
 
 '6 
 
 sympathising with our infirmities and tempta- 
 tions, or of a nature too exalted to feel any 
 hearty concern for man. But, let not such a 
 notion be admitted. That everlasting Son of 
 the Father, respecting whom so great things 
 have been proclaimed, hath rendered Himself 
 a High Priest sufficiently on a level with our 
 necessities, to answer the wishes of the most 
 feeble. For this purpose, He left the bosom 
 of His Father, and the height of heaven, and 
 took upon Him our human nature, and be- 
 came a stranger and sojourner in the world. 
 Also, He freely conversed with men of every 
 sort, as if evidently to learn their minds and 
 sentiments, and shewed Himself clearly a par- 
 taker of all the distresses which pertain to 
 flesh and blood. He endured hunger, and 
 thirst, and weariness, and the other mani- 
 f6ld varieties of mortal pain. And His suf- 
 ferings were not less of the spirit, than of the 
 body : He was sorely grieved, and straitened, 
 and troubled on sundry occasions, during His 
 ministry ; and towards the close of it, was a 
 prey to terrible apprehensions, which almost dis- 
 solved His frame. In short, there is no kind of 
 trial or temptation, besides His most remark- 
 able temptation in the wilderness, (whereof I 
 cannot here speak particularly,) which Jesus 
 did not submit to endure. Of His Father's 
 
 K 2 
 
196 Jesus Christ our Hioh Priest, 
 
 ti' 
 
 good pleasure, and of His own, He entirely 
 assumed our condition, that Christians, as well 
 as Jews, might enjoy the privilege of behold- 
 ing in their High Priest, one prepared and 
 taken from amongst themselves, — a brother- 
 man acquainted by experience with their situa- 
 tion. And, after that He had suffered thus far 
 to win our confidence. He further yielded Him- 
 self to be the atoning victim, which His office 
 required of Him to present. Instead of sacri- 
 ficing bulls and goats every year, and carrying 
 their blood into the " holy places made with 
 " hands," as appointed by the Law, Jesus sa- 
 crificed His own body, " once for all," upon the 
 cross ; and then " by His own blood entered in 
 " once — into heaven itself, there to appear in 
 " the presence of God for us," an ever-living Me- 
 diator and Intercessor. He ascended up, truly, 
 " whither he was before," and to enjoy " the 
 " glory which He had with His Father before the 
 " world was;" (John vi. 62. xvii. 5.) but His so- 
 journ here below, as Son of man, had eminently 
 qualified Him to know our souls in adversity, 
 and to do for them, with a full effect, whatever 
 shall be really conducive to their salvation. His 
 sense of the miseries of this mortal state has 
 not been at all obliterated, nor his concern for 
 those who are still groaning under them, di- 
 minished, by His removal from earth to heaven. 
 
Jesus Christ our High Priest, 197 
 
 Notwithstanding that He hath been blessed for 
 ever, and can have nothing more in His own 
 person to undergo, " He abideth a Priest con- 
 " tiniially." (Heb. vii. 3.) 
 
 Of Jesus Christ, accordingly, there is no rea- 
 son to suspect that He cannot be touched with 
 a feeling of our infirmities. In Him you have 
 a High Priest, " who was in all j3oints tempted 
 " like as we are" — " a merciful and a faithful 
 " High Priest, who can have compassion on the 
 " ignorant, and on them that are out of the 
 " way," (Heb. ii. 17. v. 2.) who hath been af- 
 flicted in all our affliction, and hath been volun- 
 tarily familiar with all our troubles, not except- 
 ing the attempts of Satan, and the violence of 
 evil-doers. Thus far, or by reason of His en- 
 tire humanity. He is exactly the character whom 
 we should have most desired, to appear before 
 God for us, and to " maintain our lot," in the 
 world above. 
 
 Yet further, observe Him to have been " with- 
 " out sin." " The Law maketh men high priests 
 " which have infirmity" — i. e. are guilty of in- 
 firmity : it was incumbent on the Jewish high 
 priest to offer sacrifice for his own sins, before he 
 could properly offer for the sins of the people : 
 he had first to propitiate God towards himself. 
 But Jesus — the great and universal High Priest, 
 whom we have over the house of God — had no 
 
 K 3 
 
198 Jesus Christ our His-h Priest. 
 
 occasion to do any such thing. That Son of 
 man, being equally the Son of God, kept Him- 
 self "holy, harmless, and undefiled," during 
 the whole time of his tribulation, insomuch 
 that the body which God had prepared for 
 Him, was more truly without spot or blemish, 
 than had ever been the body of any former vic- 
 tim. And, whereas the preceding considera- 
 tion, namely. His having been tempted in all 
 points like ourselves, has been urged in proof 
 of His commiseration^ this may no less assure 
 us, at the same time, concerning Jesus, that He 
 is an efficient High Priest. The greatness of 
 His excellency is here suggested, to shew Him 
 most worthy of our confidence. In the man 
 Christ Jesus, unsparingly tempted, "yet without 
 " sin," may be noted one able " to deliver His 
 " brother," and to " make agreement unto God 
 " for him." Yea, and that, not only to the ex- 
 tent of forgiveness, but also of conversion and 
 sanctification. Having Him, we have a High 
 Priest who can purify us inwardly, as well as 
 outwardly, — from the spiritual guilt and power, 
 no less than from the actual and bodily defile- 
 ment, of sin. It is written with a view to the 
 dispensation of His Gospel, — " This is the cove- 
 " nant that I will make with them after those 
 " days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into 
 " their hearts, and in their minds will I write 
 
Jesus Christ our High Priest. 199 
 
 " them ; and their sins and iniquities will I 
 " remember no more." (Hebrews x. 16, from 
 Jeremiah xxxi. 33.) And the Apostle strongly 
 puts it to the Hebrews, or Jews themselves, — 
 " If the blood of bulls and of goats, and the 
 " ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, 
 " sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh : how 
 " much more shall the blood of Christ, who 
 " through the eternal Spirit offered Himself 
 " without spot to God, pui'ge your conscience 
 " from dead w^orks to serve the living God ?" 
 (Hebrews ix. 13, 14.) Hardly could one ex- 
 press the matter in plainer terms than these, or 
 propose it in a more convincing manner. 
 
 On the whole, then, by reason that He was 
 both fully tempted after the temptation of a 
 man, and was nevertheless entirely without 
 sin, — because of this His tmly singular cha- 
 racter, Jesus Christ is the very High Priest 
 for our fallen race. He stands j^repared to be 
 touched with a feeling of our unhappy condi- 
 tion, and likewise to be our Helper and Refuge 
 — our Strong Hold, whereunto we may always 
 resort — our Purifier, and worthy Deliverer from 
 sin. He, most completely, is a Prince that hath 
 power to prevail both with God and man — the 
 Prince of righteousness and peace. 
 
 " Let us therefore come boldly unto the 
 " throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy 
 
 K 4 
 
200 Jesus Christ our High Priest, 
 
 " and find grace to help in time of need." Such, 
 my brethren, is the consequent exhortation of 
 the Apostle ; which I will now, in the third, 
 and last place, take up. 
 
 In case that any have learned justly to know, 
 and appreciate, the High Priest of our profes- 
 sion, above described, they will scarcely hesitate 
 to thank God, and take courage, and to adojit 
 a becoming boldness in approaching Him. I 
 say a becoming boldness ; for the Apostle cer- 
 tainly meant not that which is apt to degene- 
 rate into presumption ; nor will a right know- 
 ledge of Jesus Christ at all diminish our reve- 
 rence towards the Divine perfections and ma- 
 jesty. In short, nothing more is here designed 
 than a good hope, in opposition to a slavish 
 fear. The latter of these dispositions, although 
 it may sometimes claim kindred with humility, 
 is doubtless highly unacceptable, and even of- 
 fensive. For example ; a man is conscious of 
 being apt frequently to think and act amiss, — 
 of having committed manifold trespasses and 
 errors, and of a proneness to commit more, or 
 to repeat them. So he pleads, that he is afraid 
 to have to do with God ; that it is only pru- 
 dent in him to abstain from taking any de- 
 cidedly religious step. If he enters the house 
 of God, it is with an intention rather to hear, 
 than to pray : he supposes himself too corrupt 
 
Jesufi Christ our His:h Priest. 201 
 
 .;3 
 
 and frail to aspire at having fellowship with 
 the Most High, and positively shrinks from 
 being a partaker at the Lord's table ; that most 
 gracious and holy ordinance is not for him. 
 This fearful mode of language and behaviour 
 may often be justly suspected to result from a 
 mind disaffected towards God, and secretly glad 
 of a pretence to decline His service : a man de- 
 termines to remain "at liberty," which truly 
 means, serving the world and the flesh, and 
 with that intent alleges fearfulness, when in-* 
 vited to join himself unto the Lord. However, 
 against all such conduct, even though it should 
 seem to be springing from an unfeignedly ap- 
 prehensive spirit, the Apostle's exhortation is 
 directed. By the recollection that there is One 
 between God and us, who hath condescended 
 to experience our infirmities, and to be " tempt- 
 " ed in all points" like ourselves, " let us," he 
 admonishes, " come boldly unto the throne of 
 " grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find 
 " grace to help in time of need ;" and in an- 
 other place, he writes, " Having an High Priest 
 " over the house of God, let us draw near with a 
 " true heart, in full assurance of faith." (Heb. x. 
 21, 22.) Accordingly, be not reluctant, nor afraid 
 to think upon, and address yourselves to a 
 Being, w^ho hath made such provision for ac- 
 cepting you, by the ministry of " His dear Son." 
 
 K 5 
 
202 Jesus Christ our High Priest. 
 
 Suffer His love, therein manifested, to cast out 
 both your unwillingness and your fears. Let 
 it alike constrain, and embolden you to resolve 
 with the Psalmist — " Thy face. Lord, will we 
 " seek." (Psalm xxvii. 9-) And, as to your 
 many infirmities and temptations, let them 
 only make you more instant in applying to 
 the open fountain of salvation. Chiefly because 
 of them, should a man constantly resort unto 
 Him that sitteth on the throne, through his 
 great High Priest at the right hand of it, 
 piously pleading from time to time — -" God, 
 " Thou knowest my simpleness, and my faults 
 " are not hid from Thee." (Psalm Ixix. 5.) 
 Every well-disposed child, whenever he may 
 have felt a weakness, or have committed a 
 trespass, will naturally come, thus entreating 
 and appealing, to his earthly father, and ex- 
 pect to be suitably pardoned by him, and en- 
 couraged : in like . manner, should every Chris- 
 tian, on discovering himself to be infirm and 
 sinful, come unto God in Christ, hoping to re- 
 ceive forgiveness of his past errors, and to be 
 graciously led, and strengthened with all might, 
 by His Holy Spirit in the inner man, for the 
 present and future time. 
 
 Nevertheless, my brethren, any wilful plan 
 or habit of transgression must undeniably se- 
 parate between a Christian and his God. The 
 
Jesus Christ our High Priest. 203 
 
 sinless High Priest of our profession can have 
 no fellow-feeling with them, who are actuated 
 by a love of sin. He, who " loved righteous- 
 " ness, and hated iniquity," (Hebrews i. 9.) will 
 not present any unto His Father, as fit objects 
 of grace and mercy, unless they are following 
 after the same mind. Consequently, every man 
 should be anxious to discern his trespasses, whe- 
 ther they are mere infirmities, or something 
 worse. The surest way to do this will be, by 
 inquiring about each one which you commit, 
 whether it is opposite to, or in agreement with, 
 your ordinary course of life ; and, in case of 
 having committed one on some extraordinary 
 occasion, whether God, who can see your in- 
 most motives and intents, is probably less in- 
 dignant at it, than your fellow creatures, who 
 can see no deeper than the deed itself, or the 
 outside. If a trespass, like a sudden slip, or an 
 evil accident, awakens instant alarm and pain, 
 and the culprit's desire, to prevent judgment from 
 falling hard upon him, is, that the whole mat- 
 ter may be throughly known and understood, 
 let him reckon such a trespass only an infirmity, 
 and trust that he hath not fallen by it from 
 grace, although he hath unhappily fallen from 
 the pattern of his Redeemer's perfect innocency 
 and uprightness. But the smallest imaginable 
 transgression, if a man be guilty of it with un- 
 
 k6 
 
204 Jesus Christ our High Priest. 
 
 concern, or out of an evil heart, is enough to 
 disqualify him for coming with a proper bold- 
 ness to the throne of God, and of the Lamb. 
 One that is so guilty, hath indeed cause to be 
 sore afraid of the majesty of the Most High. 
 
 Finally, however, even such are not bidden 
 to despair, as persons irrecoverably excluded 
 from the benefit of Christ's prevailing priest- 
 hood. Provided they will deeply repent, and 
 humble their souls, after a while they shall 
 hear Him calling to them by His prophet, — 
 " Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of 
 " hope ; — though your sins be as scarlet, they 
 " shall become white as snow ; though they 
 " be red like crimson, they shall be as wool :" 
 (Zechariah ix. 12; Isaiah i. 18.) for Jesus Christ, 
 in His holy habitation, is no doubt both ready 
 and able to save even the most guilty, that, 
 with a lively faith, and with hearts truly peni- 
 tent, will come unto God by Him. 
 
SERMON XIV. 
 
 St. John vi. 48, 49, 50. 
 
 Jesus said, — I am that bread of life. Your fathers 
 did eat manna in the wilderness, a)id are dead. 
 This is the bread ivhich cometh doicn from heaven, 
 that a man may eat thereof, a7id 7iot die, 
 
 IT was a common practice with our Divine 
 Master, during the period of His intercourse 
 with men, to institute comparisons, or con- 
 trasts between earthly and heavenly things. 
 With whatever sensible objects the minds of 
 the people, who came about Him, were chiefly 
 engrossed, He, being able at all times to discern 
 their thoughts, took occasion of thence repre- 
 senting to them the excellent nature, and better 
 things, of His kingdom. In order to quicken 
 and enlighten their understandings, His man- 
 ner was, to set forth what He would have them 
 receive, under the image of something with 
 which they were already familiar, so far as a 
 resemblance could be made out between the 
 two ; and then, to draw their hearts on His 
 side. He placed the same in opposition to each 
 other, asserting the superiority of His Gospel 
 to the best and most needful worldly goods, 
 
206 Jesus Christ the Bread of Life. 
 
 which men are apt eagerly to desire and lay 
 hold on, for the benefit of their mortal lives. 
 
 There is in the chapter from which my text 
 is taken, a striking instance of such a method 
 of address pursued by Jesus to a very consider- 
 able extent. He is described, in the opening 
 of it, to have fed a great multitude with a few 
 loaves and fishes ; and in consequence, whither- 
 soever He would betake Himself, they followed 
 Him with an extraordinary perseverance. Their 
 motive for doing so He understood, and saw 
 fit in downright terms to reprove it : " Verily, 
 " verily," Jesus said unto them, " ye seek m.e, 
 " not because ye saw the miracles, but because 
 " ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled." It 
 was not so much with a disinterested desire of 
 hearing Him, as a person who, by His mighty 
 works, had proved Himself sent from God, as 
 with an unworthy hope of being again fed in 
 some marvellous way, whenever they should 
 again be in need of refreshment, that they con- 
 tinued diligently to track His steps. Where- 
 fore, He proceeded also to exhort them, " La- 
 " hour not for the meat which perisheth, but 
 " for that meat which endureth unto everlast- 
 " ing life, which the Son of man shall give 
 " unto you." Perceiving them to be chiefly 
 desirous of food for their bodies, Jesus endea- 
 voured, accordiijgly, to make them understand, 
 
Jesus Christ the Bread of Life. 207 
 
 that they should more earnestly desire that 
 food for their souls, the dispensation of which 
 had been solemnly committed to Him by His 
 Father. What His late distribution of bread 
 had been to the one, the like. He signified, or 
 rather much more beneficial, would His spirit- 
 ual ministry be to the other, provided they 
 would equally follow after, and receive it. And 
 when the Jews reminded Him of the manna 
 which had been given from heaven to their 
 fathers, as superior in its origin to the bread 
 which He had lately increased by His blessing 
 for the multitude, Jesus in no respect shrank 
 from the comparison. God, and not Moses, was 
 the person who had rained down manna on 
 the Israelites, during the years of their so- 
 journing in the desert ; only the j^^omise of it 
 had been committed to Moses, with instructions 
 how it should be collected, and used. So, that 
 ancient leader of the people had not at all 
 displayed more power in procuring food, than 
 had just been exhibited by Himself. But if 
 His adversaries meant to insinuate, that the 
 manna was better nourishment than He could 
 supply, Jesus declared that, like almost every 
 thing under the Law, to have been only an 
 earnest, or foretaste of the excellence of His 
 final covenant. " Moses," He replied, " gave 
 " you not that bread from heaven ; but my Fa- 
 
208 Jesus Christ the Bread of Life. 
 
 " ther giveth you the true bread from heaven. 
 " For the bread of God is He which cometh 
 " down from heaven, and giveth life unto 
 " the world. — I am that bread of life. Your 
 " fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and 
 " are dead. This is the bread which cometh 
 " down from heaven, that a man may eat 
 " thereof, and not die." 
 
 My design, on this occasion, is, to point out 
 the resemblance, and the contrast, herein de- 
 clared by our Lord, between Himself, or His 
 doctrine, and bread; and then to offer, on 
 the whole, a few practical inferences and ob- 
 servations. 
 
 In the first place, then, Jesus, regarding the 
 eagerness with which the people were follow- 
 ing Him for bread, took the opportunity of 
 proposing Himself to them under that interest- 
 ing title : " I," said He, " am the bread of life." 
 The resemblance,, signified by these words, be- 
 tween bread and the Saviour of the world, may 
 be traced through various particulars of a more 
 or less obvious description. Let us begin, how- 
 ever, with generally remembering, that both 
 are alike gifts of God to His creatures, not- 
 withstanding the diligence which all must use, 
 who would secure the benefit of either to them- 
 selves. 
 
 It is not wonderful, that thoughtless and 
 
Jesus Christ the Bread of Life. 209 
 
 vain-glorious persons frequently ascribe to their 
 own counsel and might, the good which fol- 
 lows on their own exertions. The man, who, 
 from seedtime until harvest, hath been watch- 
 ing and labouring in his field, naturally as- 
 sumes praise to himself for the abundance 
 which at length crowns the year : the Christ- 
 ian, who worketh out his own salvation, can 
 at times hardly refrain from accounting it his 
 own work. Yet God is equally the original 
 Author of both. And truly, prudent men will 
 see fit to exert themselves for both, because 
 God hath already, in a manner, prepared and 
 bestowed them. Whatever bread we obtain for 
 our bodily nourishment, was ordained in the 
 beginning by that declaration of the Almighty, 
 " Behold, I have given you every herb bearing 
 " seed, which is upon the face of all the earth ; 
 " to you it shall be for meat." (Genesis i. 29.) 
 Whatever saving health we receive for our 
 souls, hath been set forth ever more and more 
 distinctly, from the first promise in paradise, 
 " that the seed of the woman should bruise the 
 " serpent's head," (Genesis iii. 15.) until " the 
 " fulness of the time" arrived, and " the Father 
 " sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world." 
 (1 John iv. 14.) Accordingly, in neither case 
 have we to make the feast, but only to lay hold 
 on and possess it, in the way appointed by our 
 
210 Jesus Christ the Bread of Life. 
 
 heavenly Benefactor, who giveth us all things 
 richly to enjoy. " Every good gift, and every 
 " perfect gift is from above, and cometh down 
 " from the Father of lights." (James i. 17.) 
 From Him, the manna, which has been referred 
 to, was rained down upon the Israelites in the 
 wilderness ; (Numbers xvi.) from Him, our 
 daily bread, alike of nature and of grace, pro- 
 ceeds. Our sustenance may be less ready to 
 the hand, may require more pains and fore- 
 sight, than did that which fell new every 
 morning around the Israelitish camp. Still, 
 God surely giveth liberally enough unto us. 
 As the universal Parent of mankind. He hath 
 provided " all things that pertain to life and 
 " godliness" (2 Peter i. 3.) for His children ; 
 only, since it is good for no one to eat the 
 bread of idleness. He makes an active vigilance 
 indispensable to the acquisition and preserva- 
 tion of them. 
 
 But, besides such a general resemblance be- 
 tween the natural and the spiritual bread, as 
 that both originate in the free bounty of God, 
 there are some particular points in which the 
 comparison will hold good, to an extent not un- 
 worthy of our regard. 
 
 Consider the gradual increase, and progress 
 towards maturity, of that which eventually be- 
 comes our bread, — " first the blade" springeth 
 
Jesus Christ the Bread of Life. 211 
 
 up, " then the ear, after that, the full corn in the 
 " ear ;" consider, at the same time, the dangers, 
 to which, in each successive stage of its growth, 
 this herb of the field stands exposed, — the in- 
 juries of excessive cold and heat, of rain and 
 drought, of stormy winds, and devouring beasts 
 and birds ; and then compare with it the Di- 
 vine Author of the Gospel. As to His per son ^ 
 surely He grew up like " a tender plant," (Isa. 
 liii. 2.) in the field of our world, exposed like- 
 wise to a multitude of perils, since He had 
 not where to lay His head ; in the day, the 
 drought consumed Him, and the frost by night, 
 while Herod and the whole nation of the Jews 
 were continually seeking to destroy Him. As 
 to His doctrine^ how hardly, and by slow de- 
 grees, did that also " take root downward," amid 
 many resisting circumstances, ere it came to 
 " bear fruit upward." The doctrine of Jesus 
 Christ may be said to have existed in some 
 sort on the earth, from the day when He was 
 first promised to fallen man. From that day 
 even to this, it hath many a time been fear- 
 fully blasted, and overgrown, and trampled on, 
 but hath never been utterly rooted out. To 
 take, however, a less extensive view ; was it 
 not, as with the Person, so with the doctrine of 
 our Redeemer, during the period of His min- 
 
SI 2 Jesus Christ the Bread of Life. 
 
 istry in the flesh ? Scarcely can any one fail 
 to have remarked, how almost imperceptibly the 
 precious seed of heavenly truth, which He bare 
 and scattered in His course, increased on the 
 unkindly soil of the human heart, in the midst 
 of opposing prejudices, and a rank crop of evil 
 lusts and passions. According to the sower's 
 own description, it sprang and grew up, one 
 " knoweth not how," (Mark iv. 26 — 29.) slow- 
 ly and wonderfully, yet with steadiness, in the 
 face of surrounding adversaries. 
 
 The resemblance so far is striking ; however, 
 there is a stronger point of comparison to be 
 noticed. In the time of harvest, when our bread- 
 corn has sufficiently ripened on the ground, it 
 is not suffered naturally to die, and shed it's 
 seed, but, being cut off and bruised, is so con- 
 verted into food for man, or, to speak shortly, 
 is made his bread. Thus was it done unto 
 Jesus Christ, when He had finished His course, 
 and the appointed hour was come. Instead of 
 departing hence by a natural death. He sub- 
 mitted to a like treatment with the corn of 
 the field, even to be stricken, and cut off, and 
 bruised, that His flesh might be rendered, as it 
 were, bread, for the spiritual life and sustenance 
 of the world. We are instructed by Holy Scrip- 
 ture to believe, that this manner, or violence. 
 
Jesus Christ the Bread of Life. 213 
 
 of the death of Christ, was what specially con- 
 stituted His person and doctrine available to 
 the salvation of mankind. 
 
 I have now gone over the most remarkable 
 features of similitude between Him by whom 
 the text was spoken, and the bread derived to 
 us from the ground. It will next be proper 
 to contrast them, or to state the difference be- 
 tween our heavenly and our earthly bread. 
 Having said unto the Jews, " I am the bread 
 " of life," Jesus immediately subjoined, repre- 
 senting Himself more effectual than all other 
 bread, — " Your fathers did eat manna in the 
 " wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread 
 " which cometh down from heaven, that a man 
 " should eat thereof, and not die'' 
 
 The superiority of the bread under review 
 to every other kind of bread, is hereby suffi- 
 ciently declared ; every other preserves men 
 only for a time, this, which I am speaking 
 of, unto eternity ; the effect of it is on the 
 most worthy, or immortal part of our nature ; 
 it supplies an indestructible life and vigour 
 to the souls of all, by whom it is faithfully 
 received. In the opinion of the Jews, no 
 bread could come up to that on which their 
 fathers subsisted in the wilderness. The mira- 
 culous mode in which it was furnished, was 
 remembered by them as a standing token of 
 
214 Jesus Christ the Bread of Life. 
 
 the Divine favour towards their nation, and 
 disposed them always very highly t^ account 
 of it. Naming this, therefore, as confessedly 
 the most excellent bread which had ever been 
 provided to support the human body, Jesus 
 bade His hearers observe how little it had 
 availed the generation who partook of it ; 
 " Your fathers," said He, " did eat manna in 
 " the wilderness, and are dead." That " angels' 
 " food," (as it is emphatically termed by the 
 Psalmist, Psalm Ixxviii. 26.) profited them not 
 in the day of wrath. It kept them, no doubt, 
 from perishing by hunger, but that was the 
 utmost which it could do. No secure or per- 
 manent benefit resulted from it, in any res2:)ect, 
 to the pilgrims. Notwithstanding the manna, 
 their carcasses fell in the wilderness, because 
 they believed not ; and their souls, except they 
 found some better help and deliverance than 
 any which that could give them, passed away 
 into everlasting destruction. 
 
 It appears scarcely necessary to allege, that 
 what was declared by our Lord concerning 
 manna, may be transferred, without the least 
 abatement of its propriety, to the more ordi- 
 nary bread of men. Of a surety, the wheat 
 flour, wherewith Divine Providence feedeth us, 
 is in no degree better adapted, than was that 
 ancient food, to exempt the persons who par- 
 
Jesus Christ the Bread of Life. 215 
 
 take of it from death : " Our fathers, where 
 " are they ?" (Zechariah i. 5.) — all the preced- 
 ing generations who have been supplied with 
 it ? Perhaps we may have reason to hope con- 
 cerning many of them, that they are hitherto 
 alive unto God : not, however, because they did 
 eat bread to the full. And although we, my 
 brethren, be filled ever so abundantly with the 
 same, it is certain, that, without some better 
 resource, we must expect to perish both in body 
 and soul. 
 
 But, saith our Lord, on the contrary part, — 
 " I am the bread of life — the living bread, 
 " which Cometh down from heaven, that a 
 " man may eat thereof, and not die : — not as 
 " your fathers did eat manna, and are dead : 
 " he that eatetli of this bread shall live for 
 " ever." The proper signification of these, and 
 of many like sayings in the same chapter, will 
 be readily apprehended by us, if we remember, 
 how greatly changed, about that period, must 
 have been the aspect of death, to believers in 
 the Gospel revelation. To die, was no more 
 reputed by them the same cheerless event as 
 aforetime, since life and immortality had been 
 brought to light. Accordingly, Jesus, with a 
 view to those blessings, which it was a prin- 
 cipal part of His office to proclaim, commonly 
 
216 Jesus Christ the Bread of Life, 
 
 spake of death under the image of sleep ; He 
 said unto His disciples — " Our friend Lazarus 
 " sleepeth ;" (John xi. 11.) also, concerning the 
 ruler s daughter, He distinctly asserted, " The 
 " damsel is not dead, but sleepeth ;" (Mark v. 
 39.) though neither of them, without His in- 
 terference, would have awaked any more in 
 this world. And with the same view, through- 
 out the conversation before us. He refuses to 
 count any state as death, if a man shall arise 
 from it to eternal life. Such a state had so 
 different an appearance from what men had 
 been used to esteem death, that Jesus would 
 not call it by that name. But into no other, 
 or worse . state, could any one fall, who would 
 unfeignedly receive Him and His words. 
 Wherefore He declared — " They shall not die 
 " — they shall live for ever" — notwithstanding 
 the temporary decease which they had to un- 
 dergo ; " Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh 
 " my blood, hath eternal life ; and I will raise 
 " him up at the last day." And the Apostle 
 Paul hath likewise signified, that, "whether we 
 " wake or sleep, we should live together with 
 " Him." (1 Thess. v. 10.) 
 
 Thus may be explained the wonderful result 
 assured to us by Jesus in the text, from partak- 
 ing of Him, as the bread of life. I propose, in 
 
Jesus Christ the Bread of Life. 217 
 
 the last place, to derive from the topics which 
 have been handled, a few suitable inferences 
 and remarks. 
 
 Let me begin with the contrast which has 
 been drawn, between the bread of the field, and 
 that from heaven. Recollect, my brethren, the 
 latter, namely Jesus Christ, to be infinitely the 
 most precious, and thence infer the wisdom of 
 proportionably striving to secure a share in His 
 salvation. Of all worldly goods, it might be 
 diflficult to imagine any, for which a man has 
 more reason to give diligence, than for bread. 
 Bread has deservedly been called the staff of 
 life; it sustains and strengthens man's heart 
 for his daily work, without affording occasion 
 for wantonness or intemperance : wherefore one 
 may justly be occupied with procuring it. Yet, la- 
 bour not for that which groweth in the fields, as 
 forgetful of the bread which cometh down from 
 heaven. It will surely provoke God, if we de- 
 sire the blessings of His goodness for our bodies, 
 to a neglect of His spiritual grace and benefits. 
 No better result is to be expected from such 
 conduct, than that He will in a great measure 
 withhold both, until we shall have learned to 
 seek first the most valuable, or will indignantly 
 give us our desire, and send " leanness withal" 
 into our souls. (Psalm cvi. 15.) But, with souls 
 rendered craving and unsatisfied, it will be im- 
 
 L 
 
218 Jesus Christ the Bread of Life. 
 
 possible for us at all comfortably to eat bread, 
 or to be made happy by the largest visible 
 abundance. We shall feel the most important 
 good to be still wanting. Our years, one after 
 another, will be consumed in vanity and disap- 
 pointment — in lusting after somewhat which 
 we cannot have, and in loathing the things be- 
 fore us. And, when our corruptible bread will 
 no longer keep us alive on the earth, our only 
 portion at His hand, who would have given us 
 the living bread, will be, to " lie down in sor- 
 " row" and despair. 
 
 Evidently, then, it will behove us to be in- 
 stant in supplicating, — " Lord, evermore give 
 " us this, bread." Not least should we remem- 
 ber thus to call upon Him, in seasons when 
 He maketh the earth most plenteous ; since 
 otherwise what we thence gather may be turn- 
 ed into the bread of tears by His anger, and 
 we may become but as dead men, feeding on 
 that which is not food, or which by itself can 
 never preserve us from destruction. 
 
 By a reference now to the points of resem- 
 blance which have been described between 
 Jesus Christ and bread, the manner in which 
 He — the bread of life — is to be received, may 
 at once, for our good instruction, be discerned. 
 Indeed, we have it expressed by Himself in the 
 words — " He that eateth me, even he shall live 
 
Jesus Christ the Bread of Life. 219 
 
 " by me." As bread is appropriated to the 
 benefit of our bodies, by the natural act of re- 
 ceiving it within them, in the same way, must 
 the salvation of Christ be appropriated to the 
 benefit of our souls. Only occasionally to think 
 and talk of our Redeemer, and make empty 
 professions of esteem for Him, will prove of 
 little use ; such conduct can never answer to 
 the notion suggested of inwardly feeding upon, 
 and digesting Him as bread. It is required, 
 under the strong image of eating His flesh, 
 that we have, as it were, an appetite for the 
 righteousness which He came to impart, that 
 we spiritually accept Him as crucified and risen 
 again for our justification, and that we ponder 
 His doctrine in our hearts, and make proof of 
 it, (as men prove the goodness of their natural 
 food,) by strenuously doing Him honour and 
 service. Nothing less than this, is to eat of the 
 bread which cometh down from heaven, with a 
 l)roper degree of sincerity and truth. 
 
 Finally, therefore, my brethren, in this way 
 resolve to eat of it, and live ; for to all who 
 will thus partake of Jesus Christ, the benefit is 
 greater than can be expressed. Courageous, 
 and at the same time patient, strong at heart, 
 and prepared to endure, they encounter, with 
 a settled resolution, the trials and hardships 
 which befall them, and *' work the works of 
 
 L 2 
 
220 Jesus Christ the Bread of Life. 
 
 " God," without sinking under " the burden 
 " and heat of the day." When the floors are 
 full of wheat, so that they can eat in plenty, and 
 be satisfied, they will . indeed gladly bear wit- 
 ness to His goodness, who is replenishing their 
 bodies with good things, that they may live and 
 glorify Him in the world. But, the gratitude 
 and devotion of persons who are partakers of 
 the bread of life, depend not on fruitful seasons. 
 The man who has that bread in store, will con- 
 tinue " strong in faith, giving glory to God," no 
 less during days of dearth, than of abundance. 
 His principal hope and stay are, not from be- 
 neath, but from above. He will, accordingly, 
 always be able to determine with the Prophet, 
 " Although the fields shall yield no meat ; the 
 " flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there 
 " shall be no herd in the stalls : yet will I re- 
 " joice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my 
 " salvation." (Habakkuk iii. 17, 18.) 
 
SERMON XV. 
 
 Matthew vi. 34. 
 
 Take therefore no thought for the morrow : for the 
 morrow shall take thought for the things of itself 
 Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. 
 
 JL HE good counsel contained in these words, 
 is eminently worthy of remembrance and ob- 
 servation. It was spoken immediately by our 
 Lord himself, and on that account should be 
 kept always in our minds. But, besides that, 
 the nature and subject of the precept are such 
 as should render it universally interesting. It 
 gives direction how we should daily order our 
 minds and conduct, with a view to the morrow, 
 or succeeding day. Hence, the text appears in 
 many respects suitable to every description of 
 persons; and, in a special manner, it seems adapt- 
 ed to men of an honest and sober character, who 
 possess little, or nothing in store, for their sub- 
 sistence. None indeed, be their means and pro- 
 vision the most ample, may reckon themselves 
 absolutely secure concerning the morrow, and 
 be thus free from all temptation to take thought 
 
 L 3 
 
222 Take no Thought for the Morrow. 
 
 for it. Yet, the many who possess scarcely 
 enough for it's probable wants, are most strong- 
 ly tempted to do so, in a manner unbecoming 
 their profession. Let me, accordingly, solicit, 
 your attention to this counter injunction, or 
 advice ; and, first, while I endeavour clearly to 
 state it's legitimate meaning and extent. 
 
 " Take no thought," said Jesus, " for the mor- 
 " row." Against this commandment, in an un- 
 qualified sense, much objection, which it would 
 be difficult to remove, has been raised by men 
 of disobedient hearts. In fact, Holy Scripture 
 has many passages of a similar kind, liable to 
 be misrepresented and mistaken by such cha- 
 racters : — for example, Jesus said, in a former 
 part of His discourse, " Resist not evil : but 
 " whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, 
 " turn to him the other also. And if any man 
 " will sue thee at the law, and take away thy 
 " coat, let him have thy cloke also. Give to 
 " him that asketh thee, and from him that 
 " would borrow of thee turn not thou away." 
 (Matt. V. 39, 40, 4S.) These, perhaps even more 
 than the text, are open to the ridicule and pro- 
 fane contradiction of perverse men ; but scarce- 
 ly ever hath an honest-minded person, piously 
 disposed to walk in the truth, been misled by, 
 or offended at them. Persons thus minded, ap- 
 prehend, without much difficulty, the proper 
 
Take no Thought for the Morrow, 223 
 
 drift of such like sayings, and observe them 
 with a reasonable discretion. They consider 
 themselves, being disciples of Christ, thereby in- 
 structed, in very forcible terms, to exercise pa- 
 tience and forbearance under injuries, to over- 
 come evil with good, rather than have recourse 
 to contention, to be merciful and liberal with- 
 out a hope of receiving any thing in return, 
 and, by the passage which I am about explain- 
 ing, to abstain from fruitless cares and anxie- 
 ties, as men who can trust in Divine Providence, 
 for a sup2)ly of the necessaries of life, in time 
 of need. 
 
 However, concerning the text, I will venture 
 to remark, that it is rendered somewhat too 
 strongly and absolutely in our English version. 
 According to the original language, instead of 
 saying take no thought, Jesus said, " Be not 
 " distracted with care — do not anx'ioushj dis- 
 " turh yourselves — about the morrow." Such, 
 undoubtedly, is a more accurate signification of 
 the words addressed, by our Divine Master, to 
 His disciples, then collected around Him. And 
 the difference is far from immaterial; since thus, 
 He will seem, not to have indiscriminately pro- 
 hibited any providential thought on the part of 
 man, but only a degree of it amounting to fret- 
 fulness and mistrust. The interpretation, which 
 common sense and honesty should teach us to 
 
 L 4 
 
224 Take no Thought for the Morrow, 
 
 put on the admonition, as it now stands, is 
 thereby shewn to be neither less, nor more, 
 than what His words were originally adapted 
 to express. 
 
 Be not distracted, then, — be not anxiously 
 careful — about the morrow, is the proper mean- 
 ing of my text. Such an exhortation leaves 
 sufficient room for the necessary measure of 
 forethought, and prudent exertion. It does not 
 forbid a man to consider, one day, how he shall 
 maintain himself the next, to provide in sum- 
 mer what he shall require in winter, or to sow 
 in the present, that he may reap in the succeed- 
 ing year. A Christian is certainly permitted, 
 yea, commanded, to make these, and other like 
 preparations for his future subsistence, notwith- 
 standing the verses under consideration, and 
 some few more of a similar character. Only, 
 because the tendency of the human mind is to 
 be too thoughtful, in a temporal sense, for the 
 days to come, because men are apt to postpone, 
 or entirely to forget, amid their carefulness for 
 the morrow, things of infinitely more import- 
 ance, and to be solicitous about the future time, 
 almost in proportion as solicitude must be use- 
 less, therefore, our worldly thoughts and coun- 
 sels are, by the Gospel, placed under a salutary 
 restraint. We are advised to seek, with a due 
 sense of it's primary value, the everlasting good 
 
Take no Thought for the Morrow* 225 
 
 therein provided for our souls ; and as to tem- 
 poral things, whether, or not, we can see how 
 they may be obtained, to repose a patient con- 
 fidence in our heavenly Father's bountiful kind- 
 ness and administration. 
 
 In the verse immediately preceding the text, 
 Jesus Christ is recorded to have said, — " Seek 
 " ye first the kingdom of God, and His right- 
 " eousness." In the text itself, therefore, we 
 may reasonably understand Him to exhort, — 
 Take no thought for the morrow, which, toge- 
 ther with the things thereof, shall pass away, 
 in comparison with these, namely, the kingdom 
 of God, and his righteousness, which shall con- 
 tinue world without end; — keep your thoughts 
 for the morrow always secondary both in or- 
 der and degree, or in strict subjection to your 
 thoughts for eternity : and, lest they should 
 get the upper hand, suffer them not at all, in 
 cases where they evidently cannot be of use. 
 This rule, which is certainly nothing more than 
 the text will warrant, and is probably the pre- 
 cise intention of it, may be shewn one of no 
 small practical value. Thoughts, which can- 
 not be brought to a satisfactory determination, 
 strongly tend to perplexity and distraction. If, 
 by a calm and patient circumspection, we can 
 discover how, under the blessing of Divine Pro- 
 vidence, to procure what we shall have need of 
 
 L 5 
 
226 Take no Thought for the Morroiu. 
 
 on the morrow, such a circumspection will un- 
 doubtedly have been well bestowed : it will 
 enable us to thank God, and take courage, and 
 to go on with a good confidence in the way. 
 But, if ever we be so situated, that by no fore- 
 thought of our own, we can attain unto this 
 desirable frame of mind, — if our case be ever 
 one of such difficulty, that we can descry no 
 earthly help or refuge, — then will it be time 
 for us to cease from harassing ourselves with 
 any longer search. Under circumstances of 
 this description, our wisest and most obedient 
 course will be, to take, almost literally, " no 
 " thought for the morrow." To continue think- 
 ing, when affairs stand thus with us, or to be 
 still intent on devising a way of relief, is only 
 to aggravate our burden of fearfulness and de- 
 spair, — " to labour," as saith the Prophet, " in 
 " the very fire, and to weary ourselves for every 
 " vanity." (Habakkuk ii. 13.) Nay more, it is 
 to blind the eyes of our understanding, and to 
 confound our faculties, until we become unable 
 to perceive or apprehend it, should some help 
 be placed suddenly within our reach. Where- 
 fore, regarding only the dictates of prudence, 
 a Christian had better disengage his thoughts, 
 and quietly wait for what the morrow shall 
 bring forth. 
 
 Such, I conceive to be the meaning and extent 
 
Take no Thought for the Morroiv, 227 
 
 of the precept proposed for consideration. But 
 how, it may be asked, can flesh and blood be 
 brought to a practical adoption of such wis- 
 dom ? Who can see the morrow coming, with- 
 out any adequate provision, and abstain from 
 anxiety at the prospect ? Accordingly, my next 
 object shall be, to meet these not unreasonable 
 inquiries. 
 
 Now, independently of the fact, that Jesus 
 Christ, the Author of this precept, though wear- 
 ing our nature, and " tempted in all points like 
 " as we are," (Hebrews iv. 15.) hath left us a 
 perfect example of obedience to it ; — apart, I 
 say, from this important fact, which yet should 
 by no means be forgotten, there are suggested 
 to us, by the following words of the text, two 
 impressive considerations recommendatory of 
 the rule which has been prescribed. We are 
 advised to take no thought for the morrow, by 
 reason, that " the morrow shall take thought 
 " for the things of itself ;" and because, " suf- 
 " ficient unto the day is the evil thereof." 
 
 " The morrow shall take thought for the 
 " things of itself." This may not be quite li- 
 terally understood. The morrow, being merely 
 a period of time, can have no power at all to 
 think either on our behalf, or it's own. But 
 this saying of Jesus, seemingly attributing to 
 it some such power, was probably uttered in 
 
 l6 
 
228 Take 7io Thought for the Morrow. 
 
 the way of a proverb, which we must scarcely 
 attempt to interpret with precision. 
 
 Figuratively, however, the morrow may be 
 represented taking thought for the things of 
 itself, in that, what a man hath been quite un- 
 able to foresee, is often thrown, as it were, into 
 his way, at the point of time when he comes 
 actually to need it. Some opportunity, per- 
 haps, which he could not beforehand imagine, 
 is presented to him of obtaining what he can- 
 not do without, by means of his own honest 
 exertions ; or others, commiserating his desti- 
 tute condition, impart to him freely of their 
 abundance, or divide with him their scanty 
 store. By one of these, or by some other me- 
 thod, the morrow not unfrequently brings with 
 it a supply to one, who, the preceding day, had 
 nothing to reckon upon but want. Thus, or 
 thus, the course of events respecting the neces- 
 saries of life, will often prove favourable at the 
 moment, beyond any previous expectation. Com- 
 paratively speaking, it is a rare calamity, if the 
 morrow fails to assist those who, having no de- 
 finite means to depend on, will wait with a calm 
 and patient vigilance for it's arrival. 
 
 But, though the morrow be set forth to us 
 by a familiar figure of speech, as it's own pro- 
 vider, because of the provision, oftentimes ap- 
 parently accidental, which is placed by the 
 
Take no Thought for the Morrow. 229 
 
 course of it, within our reach, we must be care- 
 ful distinctly to remember from whom, in reality, 
 such provision is derived. Blessings come not, 
 any more than afflictions, by chance, or fate, or 
 the succession of time, but by the will of Him, 
 " who is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in 
 " working." (Isaiah xxviii. 29.) When He said, 
 " The morrow shall take thought for the things 
 " of itself," Jesus intended His disciples to un- 
 derstand, God shall provide, or take thought, 
 for you, on the morrow. This may be made 
 more evident by a reference to some preceding 
 verses of His discourse ; "Is not the life," he 
 demands, " more than meat, and the body 
 " than raiment ?" signifying, that the Almighty 
 Power, which hath given the former, will scarce- 
 ly fail, or omit, to give the latter : then He in- 
 vites attention to the birds of the air, and the 
 flowers of the field, which are respectively fed 
 and arrayed by God, and thereupon expostu- 
 lates with the doubtful, — •' Are ye not much 
 " better than they ? — Shall He not much more 
 " clothe you, O ye of little faith ?" After which 
 he proceeds to argue, — " therefore take no 
 " thought, saying, What shall we eat ? or, 
 " What shall we drink ? or. Wherewithal shall 
 " we be clothed? for your heavenly Father 
 " knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 
 " But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and 
 
230 Take no Thought for the Morrow. 
 
 " His righteousness, and all these things shall 
 " be added unto you." And to that He sub- 
 joins, as a fit conclusion of the whole, " Take 
 " therefore no thought for the morrow: for the 
 " morrow shall take thought for the things of 
 " itself." Accordingly, these words appear to 
 have been spoken by our Lord as a short repe- 
 tition of His foregoing doctrine, that God, whose 
 mercy is over all His works, will not fail His 
 children who seek Him. And surely hitherto, 
 and until the end of the world, they who will 
 trust in God, rather than give way to useless 
 anxiety, may hope, in a manner against hope, 
 that He will be ready to sustain them at need. 
 To-day, perhaps, He is hiding himself, so that 
 they cannot conjecture how He will provide for 
 them ; nevertheless He hath a knowledge of 
 their wants, and will probably be found of 
 them on the morrow, " a very present help in 
 " trouble." It is not, I will confess, to be ex- 
 pected, that He will " rend the heavens, and 
 " come down" in person to their aid ; still, the 
 children of God are entitled to look, that He 
 will providentially order the course of affairs, 
 and put into the hearts of men to preserve them 
 alive, so long as shall be truly good for them, 
 on the earth. 
 
 Yet, can a man keep himself " quiet from 
 " fear of evil," when he sees it compassing him 
 
Take no Thought for the Morrow. 231 
 
 about? Can one hope to stand clear of the 
 troubles and distresses, which are daily spring- 
 ing up around him ? Are there not seasons of 
 general tribulation, in which all must expect 
 to be involved? These questions, it may be 
 said, yet remain, or at the least, have not been 
 fully obviated. However, unless our previous 
 fears and apprehension of calamity can avail to 
 deliver us, it will surely be the best way to 
 disallow them ; for, should the morrow not 
 take thought for the things of itself in a man- 
 ner answerable to our desires, still, " sufficient 
 " unto the day is the evil thereof." 
 
 It may, Jesus here supposes, be the will of 
 God concerning His faithful ones, that worldly 
 evil shall sometime overtake them ; and the 
 same is, elsewhere, much more positively de- 
 clared by Him. But, will it become them, on 
 that account, to be always disquieted by the 
 mere sounds and glimpses of it's approach ? 
 Let those alone permit such an apprehensive 
 temper, unto whom the present day brings less 
 of vexation than they are ready to bear. If 
 there be any who do not daily experience a 
 sufficient measure of evil with their good, let 
 them look forward in search of more, and thus 
 prevent themselves from waxing wanton in 
 enjoyment. But let the far greater number, 
 on whom each revolving day imposes no light 
 
232 Take no Thought for the 3Iorrow. 
 
 burden, beware of thus needlessly aggravating 
 their lot. The plan of God apparently is, to 
 dispense unto us travail, w^hether of body or 
 mind, day by day, with a proportionate degree 
 of strength for the endurance of it. Instead of 
 laying upon us our proper allotment of tribu- 
 lation, as it were, in one mass. He considerately 
 breaks it into portions, and strews it along the 
 track of our lives, more in some places than in 
 others, according to His infinite wisdom. How 
 foolish, then, may we justly repute them to be, 
 who take upon themselves to put it together, 
 and to bear all at once, by anticipation, the 
 weight of many days and years? Hath God, 
 anywhere, promised to increase the daily mea- 
 sure of His support, under difficulties thus ac- 
 cumulated, in despite of His more tolerable ar- 
 rangement, by our own ill-ordered spirits ? If 
 not, surely a trembling heart, and failing of 
 eyes, and sorrow of mind, and amazement, even 
 unto impatience or despondency, must be ex- 
 perienced by us, at sight of the heap which we 
 have raised. And all, perhaps, without a real 
 occasion ; since men disposed to this practice 
 often imagine evils, which shall never actually 
 come to pass. Scarcely any one can have failed to 
 remark, that periods and circumstances, the most 
 dreaded beforehand, rarely prove, on their arri- 
 val, the most distressing, and very seldom in the 
 
Take no Thought for the Morrow. 233 
 
 way previously supposed. The clouds which 
 appear blackest in the distance, sometimes pass 
 almost harmlessly over our heads, or turn 
 aside in the midst of their career, or bring 
 wind only, instead of hail and rain, or, other- 
 wise, turn out less overwhelming than we had 
 expected. Should, however, the calamities 
 which threaten us, really advance, and come 
 upon us, even to the uttermost, in some future 
 day, that is no reason for beginning to suffer 
 them now in thought, before the time when 
 God will comfort us under them, and while 
 the present has sufficient evil of its own to 
 exercise our powers of endurance and resigna- 
 tion. 
 
 On the whole, therefore, my brethren, as 
 you would avoid being " swallowed up" of 
 much vexation, without any comfortable hope 
 of deliverance, receive, and obey the advice 
 contained in my text. Nothing has been said, 
 which can justly be interpreted as affording 
 countenance to that brutal maxim — " Let us 
 " eat and drink, for to-morrow we die" — which, 
 notwithstanding that life and immortality have 
 been brought to light through the Gospel, is 
 still practically adopted by not a few. Nor 
 have the words of Jesus been explained, as if 
 idle and extravagant persons, or persons deter- 
 mined at all events to gratify some present in- 
 
234 Take no Thought for the Morroiu. 
 
 clination, should not be left by God to suffer 
 the want which their imprudence may have 
 deserved. Only, the industrious and prudent 
 have been admonished, by the authority of our 
 common Lord, not to be soon troubled in mind, 
 not to be anxious, or mistrustful about the fu- 
 ture ; but, on the contrary, under all circum- 
 stances, to seek first, without distraction, the 
 kingdom of God, and His righteousness, as the 
 good which it will most behove them to obtain. 
 And His promise, if men will thus commit 
 their way unto the Lord, I have explained to 
 be, that He will generally provide for them, not 
 the luxuries, nor, perhaps, so much as we have 
 used ourselves to esteem the becoming orna- 
 ments and conveniences of life, but, simply food 
 and raiment sufficient to keep them in health, 
 until the days of their pilgrimage shall have 
 been accomplished. Trouble and difficulties 
 may, nevertheless, frequently befall them ; and 
 they may be quite unable to find relief, before 
 the very moment when they can no longer 
 abide without it. — Finally, however, let no one 
 deem the injunction hard, or the encourage- 
 ment to obey it slender. " A small thing, that 
 " the righteous hath, is better than great riches 
 " of the ungodly." (Psalm xxxvii. 16.) More- 
 over, to them who put their trust in God, and 
 habitually moderate their desires, every evil is 
 
Take no Thought for the Morroiu. 235 
 
 merely for a day. Men of this character never 
 " pierce themselves through with many sor- 
 " rows" at one time, nor collect, and invent 
 distresses, more in number than they can ob- 
 tain fortitude to bear. The changing scenes 
 of life are endured by them, one after the other, 
 with a pious composure of spirit ; and, beyond 
 all earthly things, they have an interest in that 
 better country, where there shall be neither 
 hunger nor thirst, nor any fear of evil ; but one 
 unclouded day of happiness without alloy, and 
 without end. 
 
SERMON XVI. 
 
 Psalm Ixxiii. 24. 
 
 Thou shall guide me with Thy counsel, and afterward 
 receive me to glory. 
 
 A HE Psalm from which these words are 
 taken, is one of the most interesting character. 
 It contains an account, at considerable length, 
 of a temptation, such as is still very common 
 to man, and of a happy recurrence by the 
 Psalmis.t to the Divine power and wisdom, 
 when it had almost gotten the better of his 
 constancy. This, my brethren, I will here ac- 
 cordingly describe, as an expedient introduction 
 to my text. 
 
 The author asserts, in his first verse, " Truly 
 " God is good to Israel, even to such as are of 
 " a clean heart." Not, however, without much 
 previous difficulty and mistrust, had he esta- 
 blished himself in so pious a conviction. Like 
 a traveller, who, having reached a firm and 
 comfortable resting-place in despite of many 
 obstacles, delights thence to look back upon, 
 and contemplate the toil and dangers, which 
 he hath gone through, — after the manner of one 
 
The Christian's Hope of Guidance and Glory. 237 
 
 thus landed, he recollects his past distressing 
 apprehensions, and states, for the instruction of 
 others, by what way, or process, he had sur- 
 mounted them, and attained to such an ele- 
 vated confidence. Having expressed his pre- 
 sent assurance of the lovingkindness of God 
 to Israel, who would, in heart, be His people, 
 he directly confesses, " But as for me, my feet 
 " were almost gone ; my steps had well nigh 
 " slipped. For I was envious at the foolish, 
 " when I saw the prosperity of the wicked." 
 Yea, from observing their wealth, notwithstand- 
 ing their haughty, and blasphemous language, 
 and their self-will, and the oppressive extortion 
 which they were guilty of, he had nearly fallen 
 into murmuring and unbelief. Conscious of 
 his own comparative uprightness, he had com- 
 plained, " Verily, I have cleansed my heart in 
 " vain, and washed my hands in innocency. For 
 " all the day long have I been plagued, and 
 " chastened every morning." Upon that, the 
 Psalmist calls to mind his natural foolishness 
 and ignorance, and his gross incapacity, which, 
 by speaking thus rashly, he had betrayed, to 
 order himself wisely, and to fathom the counsels 
 of the Most High, and goes on declaring the 
 place, where he had happily found light for his 
 darkness, and a foresight of deliverance from 
 the tyrannous pride which was confounding 
 
238 The Christian's Hope 
 
 him ; " When I thought to know this, it was 
 ' too painful for me ; until I went into the 
 
 * sanctuary of God ; then understood I their 
 
 * end" — the end pf those wicked boasters: 
 
 * Surely Thou didst set them in slippery 
 
 * places : Thou castedst them down into de- 
 ' struction. How are they brought into deso- 
 ' lation, as in a moment ! they are utterly con- 
 ' sumed with terrors. As a dream when one 
 ' awaketh ; so, O Lord, when Thou awakest, 
 
 * Thou shalt despise their image." 
 
 Such a just view, could the Psalmist, at 
 length, bring himself to adopt, of the tempora- 
 ry prosperity, and final destruction of the un- 
 godly. His name appears to have been Asaph ; 
 and one of that name is mentioned amongst the 
 officers of king Hezekiah. Hence, it seems 
 probable, that the Psalm was written on oc- 
 casion of the coming up of Sennacherib against 
 Jerusalem, during the reign of that pious king. 
 Certain parts of it are exactly descriptive of the 
 insulting and vain-glorious speeches uttered by 
 his messengers, whom he sent before him : also, 
 when Hezekiah had received a letter of a si- 
 milar character from Sennacherib, he went 
 into the house or smictuary of the Lord, and, 
 having there spread it before the Lord, received 
 a present answer by Isaiah, foretelling the end of 
 the men whom he was afraid of ; and truly they 
 
of Guidance and Glory. 239 
 
 became as a dream when one awaketli, since 
 they were slain by a deadly blast in one night, 
 so as to b2 all " dead corpses," when the Is- 
 raelites arose early, and looked to see them in 
 the morning. In short, nothing could easily 
 have been indited more suitable, than is the 
 .greater part of this Psalm, to the invasion of 
 Judea by the king of Assyria, and to the re- 
 markable circumstances therewith connected, 
 according to the history which we have re- 
 ceived of them. (2 Kings xviii. xix.) The lan- 
 guage of the Psalmist is, however, universally 
 memorable and instructive, while evil boasters 
 are to be met with in the world. And, not 
 only does he utter in a very natural manner, 
 the ordinary discontent of the better sort, re- 
 specting such persons, and point out whither 
 we should betake ourselves to acquire wiser 
 views, but, moreover, in drawing to a conclu- 
 sion, he speaks as one who could be content 
 that the proud blasphemers should still pros- 
 per on the earth, and resolve, for his own part, 
 to adhere to God, reposing entirely on His 
 spiritual consolation. After confessing, with 
 a proper self-abasement, his former impatience, 
 " Thus my heart was grieved, and I was 
 " pricked in my reins. So foolish was I, and 
 " ignorant : I was as a beast before Thee" — 
 he, finally, takes occasion to acknowledge, that 
 
240 The Christian's Hope 
 
 there is enough, at all events, to satisfy him in 
 
 the "sure mercies" ordained by God for his 
 
 soul : — " Nevertheless, I am continually vrith 
 
 ' Thee : Thou hast . holden me by my right 
 
 ' hand. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, 
 
 * and afterward receive me to glory. Whom 
 
 * have I in heaven but Thee ? and there is 
 ' none upon earth that I desire beside Thee. 
 ' My flesh and my heart faileth : but God is 
 ' the strength of my heart, and my portion for 
 « ever : — it is good for me to draw near to God ; 
 ' I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I 
 ' may declare all Thy works." Hardly could 
 
 he have written in a more pious strain, had it 
 been given him to know the grace since re- 
 vealed by the Gospel, and " the powers of the 
 " world to come." 
 
 I have thus gone through the whole Psalm, 
 which contains my text, and have cited the 
 most important parts of it, preparatory to con- 
 sidering the text itself, on which, henceforth, 
 I design chiefly to discourse. 
 
 " Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel, 
 " and afterward receive me to glory." If any 
 man be, like the Psalmist, heartily ashamed of 
 his own vain thoughts and perturbations, let 
 him have recourse to this assurance, as the 
 best composer and strongest anchor of his soul. 
 It touches, in their proper order, both the pre- 
 
Of Guidance and Glory. 241 
 
 sent and the future state, and in such order I 
 will proceed to set it forth. 
 
 First, the Psalmist apj^ealeth unto God, say- 
 ing, " Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel." 
 There were several promises given by the old 
 covenant, that God would condescend to guide 
 His servants. Recollect, for example, that in 
 another Psalm, — " I will instruct thee and 
 " teach thee in the way that thou shalt go : I 
 " will guide thee with mine eye :" (Psalm 
 xxxii. 8.) and that delivered by Isaiah, " Thine 
 " ears shall hear a voice behind thee, saying, 
 " This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn 
 " to the right hand, and when ye turn to the 
 " left." (Isaiah xxx. 21.) On these, or on other 
 ancient promises, the author of my text pro- 
 bably founded his expectation of guidance ; or, 
 possibly j he had received a particular assur- 
 ance to such effect, when he went into the 
 sanctuary of God. However, we, by the new 
 covenant or gospel, have, at once, more abun- 
 dant promises, and a more distinct intelligence 
 of the Person ordained to fulfil them. When 
 Jesus Christ, " the Author and Finisher of our 
 " faith," was about to return into heaven. He 
 gave His disciples to expect, that another, pro- 
 per to supply His place, should presently be 
 sent down from thence, (John xvi.7.) and abide 
 with them always until the end. This person 
 
 M 
 
242 The Christian's Hope 
 
 was to be the Holy Ghost, or Spirit, the same 
 who had spoken aforetime by the prophets ; 
 and He was appointed to enlighten, and 
 quicken, to edify, and comfort, and guide them 
 into all truth Consequently, in due time, 
 He descended wonderfully on the few who 
 were waiting for Him at Jerusalem, furnish- 
 ing them, not only with the faculty of tongues, 
 and of working signs and wonders, but, also, 
 with religious wisdom and discernment. And, 
 what St. Peter then testified to the multitudes 
 who came to witness the transaction, hath 
 surely, hitherto been made good. His address, 
 or rather a part of it, was, — " the promise is 
 " unto you, and to your children, and to all 
 " that are afar off, even as many as the Lord 
 " our God shall call." (Acts ii. 39.) Agreeably 
 with this, although tongues and miracles have 
 ceased, those other more excellent spiritual 
 gifts are still continually to be procured. The 
 entire truth, into which the Apostles were 
 guided by the Holy Spirit, they have left in 
 writing, that all may receive it equally with 
 them. And to render it effectual, to prevent 
 their instruction, which He originally inspired 
 them to utter, from falling unnoticed to the 
 ground, He is incessantly laying it home to 
 men's hearts. There be many, indeed, who 
 will not be learned, nor understand, — who see- 
 
of Guidance and Glory. 243 
 
 ing, perceive not, and hearing, apprehend not 
 to any good effect, the heavenly doctrines of 
 the Gospel of Christ. At the same time, how- 
 ever, there are not wanting some, with whom 
 the Divine Spirit is evidently of more avail, 
 who apparently obtain by Him that godly 
 mind, which, without Him, they could by no 
 means have, and so are enabled, in their sorest 
 troubles, to derive light and comfort from the 
 word of salvation, wherein He hath caused 
 them to put their trust. Now, by the token 
 that there are some of this sort, there might, 
 no doubt, be more, even to the amount of all, 
 who have been born of water, and of the Spirit, 
 or made inheritors of the Divine blessing by 
 baptism. " God is no respecter of persons ;" 
 (Acts X. 34.) what He will do for any of His 
 children. He will do likewise for every one, 
 who will require it of Him in a proper man- 
 ner. Wherefore, a Christian, who can discern 
 by observation, that certain persons are ex- 
 periencing spiritual influence, — are daily taught 
 by the Spirit of Christ and of God, through the 
 Scriptures, to think and act aright in perplex- 
 ing circumstances, — every Christian who can 
 discern this, may, thereupon, confidently sup- 
 pose himself entitled to a similar assistance of 
 the same Spirit, in a measure adequate to his 
 need. Immediately that he knows the gift of 
 
 M 2 
 
244 The Christian's Hope 
 
 God, and has sense enough to feel his occasion 
 for, and to desire it, as heartily weary of his 
 own vanity and errors, he may expect to be 
 graciously guided by His counsel, in agree- 
 ment with, or rather beyond, the godly ex- 
 pectation of the Psalmist. 
 
 But a Christian may expect this, only on 
 certain conditions, and by ordering himself in 
 a certain way. 
 
 Principally, he must go into the temple of 
 God ; — in other words, he must walk religious- 
 ly, openly professing a dependence on the Di- 
 vine power and wisdom. " Seek the Lord, 
 " and His strength, seek His face evermore," 
 (Psalm cV. 4.) is i^erhaps the best general di- 
 rection which can be given, if one would see 
 things in their just and proper light. This will 
 signify a daily calling tipon the Most High, 
 and reference unto Him in all that comes before 
 us, a regular attendance on public worship in 
 His house, and a devout use of His holy Sa- 
 craments. These particulars, at the least, should 
 seem to be signified by this precept, in the or- 
 dinary course of events. And should any ex- 
 traordinary terror, or difficulty arise, then, in- 
 stead of omitting prayer, and " forsaking the 
 " assembling of yourselves together, as the man- 
 " ner of some is," (Hebrews x. 25.) you must be 
 of the same mind with Daniel, (Daniel vi. 10.) 
 
of Guidance and Gloiy. 245 
 
 or (more according to iny present subject) with 
 Hezekiah, when he went up into the house of the 
 Lord, and spread the blasphemous letter, which 
 Sennacherib had sent him, before the Lord. 
 After that good and memorable example, every- 
 one should esteem it his first duty, to shew 
 the Almighty of his trouble, to appeal to Him 
 under unmerited oppression or reproach, and 
 to resolve, with a view to be guided by Him, and 
 uph olden in all time of rebuke and tribulation, 
 — " Thou shalt answer for me, O Lord my God." 
 Further, he that would obtain counsel from 
 God, must cultivate meekness and gentleness ; 
 for it is written, — " Them that are meek shall 
 " He guide in judgment ; and such as are 
 " gentle, them shall He learn His way." (Psalm 
 XXV. 9.) Hezekiah would not answer, either 
 by himself or his officers, the insulting re- 
 proaches of Rabshakeh, lest he should seem to 
 take the matter into his own hands. Yet, one 
 may sometimes properly reply to an insolent 
 person, in words of good temper and modera- 
 tion, calmly reproving his fury, and saying, 
 " The Lord judge between me and thee." There 
 can be nothing in this to repel God's counsel, 
 and thus far there may seem occasion to go 
 towards preventing a wrong impression on the 
 standers by. But when a Christian proceeds 
 beyond this, so as to render railing for railing, 
 
 INI 3 
 
246 The Christian'' s Hope 
 
 or to revile again the man that hath reviled 
 him, he loses at once all advantage over his 
 adversary, before the Lord, and may expect to 
 be left unsupported in his hand. The Spirit 
 of God will not abide the scene, will not stay 
 to suggest wholesome counsel, or to shew light, 
 where both are guilty of discarding gentleness 
 and meekness. They shall be abandoned to 
 decide their controversy like brute beasts which 
 have no understanding: the loudest and strong- 
 est shall of course prevail ; and the Lord will 
 hardly interpose, except to lay him too, after a 
 while, in the dust. 
 
 And, besides cultivating a religious, and a 
 g€ntle and meek conversation, a man who va- 
 lues the Divine counsel, must not freely allow 
 the influence of such as is merely human. It 
 will behove him greatly to suspect his own 
 natural notions and prejudices, and especially 
 to beware of suffering others — I mean those of 
 other men — to be engrafted on them. The 
 mind of the Spirit, or the wisdom which He 
 teacheth, is best to be learned by prayer, and 
 sober consideration. If any appear sincerely 
 studious to be guided by Him, we shall do well 
 to confer with tJiem^ and to ask for, and give 
 much weight to their advice, whenever our 
 perplexities are -' too hard" for us. Persons 
 of this description may be designed, by the 
 
of Guidance and Gloiy. 247 
 
 Spirit Himself, to administer counsel unto such 
 as will require it of them, because of their 
 respect to His influences : in the which case, 
 their fitly-spoken words will be to us " like 
 " apples of gold set in pictures of silver;" (Prov. 
 XXV. 11.) they will at once direct and encou- 
 rage us to judge aright. But a right judg- 
 ment is scarcely to be obtained, by referring 
 our painful or difficult questions to men of car- 
 nal and unrenewed minds. Their advice will 
 be only for this w^orld — how to get on best in it, 
 notwithstanding adverse circumstances. They 
 will exhort to harden the heart against trouble, 
 to adopt indifference, as the best preservative 
 from vexation, to drown distracting thoughts 
 in riotous mirth, and to try the use of cunning- 
 craftiness, or guile. Of no better than such a 
 kind, will be the best suggestions of worldly 
 men ; and if we plead an opposite suggestion 
 of the Spirit, patiently to abide alway, and to 
 put our trust in the Lord, they will be apt to 
 deride it as a miserably hopeless plan, and, un- 
 less we be strong in faith, to make us ashamed 
 of it, and half inclined to let it slip. For the 
 most part, therefore, we shall do more wisely, 
 by communing with God, and our own con- 
 sciences, than by hearkening to any advisers, 
 excepting the few who have admitted His coun- 
 sel, and are evidently, in a good degree, guided 
 
 M 4 
 
248 The Christian's Hope 
 
 by it themselves. All others will be likely to 
 direct us wrong, in respect both to our thoughts 
 and conduct, and to unsettle His influence over 
 our souls. 
 
 Next, my brethren," consider to what end one 
 should so dispose himself for being guided by 
 the Divine counsel : after that, says the Psalm- 
 ist, " Thou shalt receive me to glory." 
 
 Precious indeed, according to this, are the 
 counsels of God. A comparative peace is the 
 daily result, and eternal glory is, it appears, to 
 be the crown of them. They are the counsels of 
 our heavenly Father towards bringing us, at 
 the last, to inherit His glorious rest. He guides 
 us by them here, with an intention to glorify 
 us hereafter. This should reconcile a man to 
 every way, in the which God, by His Word and 
 Spirit, shall see fit to lead him. The ways of 
 God may not unaptly be illustrated, by those of 
 an affectionate, yet wise father, towards his chil- 
 dren. As such an one steadily restrains, and 
 admonishes, and chastens the son in whom he 
 delighteth, to the increase, rather than not, of 
 his present happiness, but chiefly, that he may 
 prosper in his future life, and worthily enjoy 
 the wealth designed for him, even so, only in a 
 far better manner, doth " the Father Almighty" 
 order His children, with a view to render them 
 " meet for the inheritance of the saints in light." 
 
of Guidance and Glory. 249 
 
 Our assurances of glory, as well as those of 
 counsel, greatly exceed any of the former days. 
 Whatever may have been the hope of the 
 Psalmist, and of other pious Israelites, under 
 the Law, all of us^ who heartily believe the 
 Gospel, have "Christ in them the hope of glory." 
 He, " who, for us men, and for our salvation, 
 " came down from heaven," hath ascended up 
 thither again, to the glory which He had with 
 His Father before the world was, professedly 
 to prepare a place for us therein ; (John xiv. 
 2, 3.) and hath promised that He will, in due 
 season, return, and receive us unto Himself. 
 Then, indeed, shall the saying of the Psalmist 
 be fulfilled to each one of His faithful followers 
 through this vale of perplexity and tears. Even 
 on the earth. He will receive them to glory, 
 appearing for that purpose " in His own glory, 
 " and the glory of His Father, with the holy 
 " angels ;" and in heaven He will glorify them 
 wholly, beyond description. There, the sons 
 of God shall see their Redeemer, all-glorious 
 as He is, and shall resemble Him, for he will 
 " change their vile bodies, that they may be 
 " fashioned like unto His glorious body, ac- 
 " cording to the working whereby He is able 
 " even to subdue all things unto Himself." 
 (Philipp. iii. 21.) Having, in this world, been 
 changed evermore into His image by His Spi- 
 
 M 5 
 
250 The Christian's Hope 
 
 rit, — in other words, having been enabled by 
 His counsel to resemble Him in righteousness, 
 they shall be advanced in the world to come, 
 so as to resemble Him in personal aspect and 
 splendour ; they shall shine like that Sun of 
 Righteousness Himself, in the kingdom of their 
 Father, and like Him, be crowned with glory 
 and honour. 
 
 You will readily imagine, that they who in- 
 herit such glory, shall experience with it an 
 equal degree of felicity. Earthly glory is, in- 
 deed, commonly a weariness, and a vexation to 
 it's possessors. Oftentimes, the head sickens, 
 and the heart faints, and the mind grows pain- 
 fully restless under it, as under a burden griev- 
 ous to be* borne. For it is conferred on other 
 accounts, not as the fruit or recompense of in- 
 ward righteousness ; a man knows himself to 
 be unfit for his glory, and considers how quick- 
 ly it will pass, or be taken from him. But the 
 glory to which the faithful shall be received in 
 heaven, can be accompanied by no such causes 
 of uneasiness. Although represented by St. 
 Paul, in comparison with his temporal afflic- 
 tions, as " a greater and a far more exceeding 
 " weight," (2 Cor. iv. 17.) it will never prove 
 at all burdensome, or any thing, except an oc- 
 casion of the purest delight and joy. The 
 brows shall ache no more which are encircled 
 
of Guidance and Gloiy. 251 
 
 with a crown of heavenly glory; for that is 
 likewise a crown of righteousness, yea, and of 
 life, which fadeth not away. No heart shall 
 ever experience heaviness or disturbance, be- 
 neath the white and glistening robes, wherein 
 the righteous shall hereafter be arrayed ; be- 
 cause their " inward parts" shall have been pre- 
 viously washed, and made white in the blood 
 of the Lamb, and suitably adorned with Chris- 
 tian graces. In the mansions of heaven, hap- 
 piness shall invariably keep pace with glory. 
 There shall be none of those painful apprehen- 
 sions and drawbacks, which prevent the case 
 from being so on the earth. There shall be 
 neither rivalry, and consequent fightings with- 
 out, nor tormenting fears and terrors of con- 
 science within, nor, in short, any thing not en- 
 tirely conducive to perpetual health, and rest, 
 and joy. 
 
 Wherefore, my brethren, in conclusion, let 
 me persuade every one of you to consider, whe- 
 ther or not he hath properly ordered himself, 
 and is guided by the Divine counsel of the Holy 
 Spirit of Christ, and of God. Resorting on all 
 occasions unto His sanctuary, do you hearken 
 diligently to what the Lord God will say, by 
 His minister, concerning you, and receive it 
 with all meekness and humility, and go forth 
 with a hearty purpose to abide by it, and to 
 
 M 6 
 
252 The Christimis Hope 
 
 walk continually by the light of His word, dis- 
 allowing the advice of the world and of the 
 flesh ? And, thus going forth, do you find a 
 good understanding and consolation (I do not 
 say a perfect assurance and satisfaction) about 
 the things which you have to witness, and to 
 undergo ? Do you experience a Spirit within 
 you, by which you can set aside, or get the 
 better of, mere earthborn distresses and dis- 
 contents? Have you minds prompt, at need, 
 to remember the " everlasting judgments" of 
 the Most High — His always righteous, though 
 for a time mysterious, dispensations ; to trust 
 in His loving mercy and faithfulness, and still 
 to hold by Him, and praise His name in adver- 
 sity ? Are you so habitually under the influ- 
 ence of His grace, that, when worldly hopes 
 are apparently at an end, you can say unto 
 Him unfeignedly with the Psalmist, — " Whom 
 " have I in heaven but Thee ? and there is 
 " none upon earth that I desire beside thee? 
 " my flesh and my heart faileth ; but God is 
 " the strength of my heart, and my portion for 
 " ever." If you have come, or are giving ear- 
 nest diligence that you mmj come, to be of this 
 description, in such case, it will surely behove 
 you to suppose yourselves " vessels of mercy," 
 whom God is preparing unto glory, and to re- 
 joice evermore, according to the progress which 
 
of Guidance and Glory. 253 
 
 you are making in the hope of so excellent a 
 blessing. Then, while many still foolishly for- 
 sake Him, and fall, and perish at the rebuke of 
 His countenance, expect, for your own part, that 
 you shall in due time " see the felicity of His 
 " chosen, and rejoice in the gladness of His 
 " people, and give Him thanks, face to face, 
 " with His inheritance." 
 
SERMON XVII. 
 
 2 Kings x. 29. 
 
 Howheit from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nehat^ 
 who made Israel to sin, Jehu departed not from 
 after them, to ivit, the golden calves that were in 
 Beth-el, and that were in Dan. 
 
 IN this verse, there is made mention, at the 
 same time, of Jeroboam, and of Jehu, as two 
 unworthy kings of Israel. The former, we are 
 told, had instituted a peculiar sin amongst his 
 subjects, and the latter would not abolish, or 
 discontinue it. 
 
 The latter king, namely Jehu, had been spe- 
 cially commissioned, and raised to the throne 
 by God, to execute His vengeance on the house 
 of Ahab, for the murder of Naboth, and their 
 many abominable idolatries. However, he is 
 represented not to have been himself of a pro- 
 perly righteous and godly character. In all 
 his proceedings, he appears to have been actu- 
 ated more by guile, and cruelty, and worldly 
 policy, than by a becoming zeal for the Lord. 
 It was undoubtedly right that Jezebel should 
 be slain, and that the worshippers of Baal 
 should be destroyed ; they suffered only the 
 
The Sin of Jeroboam. ^55 
 
 due reward of their deeds. Still, the manner 
 of Jehu towards them is surely not to be com- 
 mended. There was displayed in it, to our ap- 
 prehensions, more of cunning and fury, than of 
 justice. Jehu's spirit appears to have taken a 
 savage delight in the slaughters which it be- 
 hoved him to commit, instead of being rather 
 disposed to shrink from the awful necessity 
 which had been laid upon him. We can pro- 
 bably trace throughout his principal proceed- 
 ings, a large mixture of that " wrath of man" 
 which " worketh not the righteousness of God." 
 And in the point, which my text refers to, 
 he stands evidently convicted of insincerity ; — 
 " Jehu," it is presently afterward written, "took 
 " no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God 
 " of Israel mth all his heart ; for he departed 
 " not from the sins of Jeroboam, which made 
 " Israel to sin." 
 
 This occasions me, having said enough in a 
 cursory manner concerning Jehu, lest any should 
 be thinking too well of him, on account of his 
 special appointment to the throne, to revert 
 to the former of the two kings above named, 
 about whom I design to occupy this discourse. 
 Of all the persons mentioned in Holy Scrip- 
 ture, to none, perhaps, is dishonour so invari- 
 ably attached as to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 
 That he " made Israel to sin," is constantly an- 
 
^56 The Sin of Jeroboam. 
 
 nexed to his name, insomucli that the reproach 
 sounds quite familiar, and has become almost 
 inseparable from our idea of him. Whence 
 then, it is obvious to inquire, did Jeroboam de- 
 rive such an indelible* and preeminent disgrace? 
 Many kings of Israel did wickedly ; in what 
 respect did he exceed them all, and deserve to 
 be thus unceasingly described, from one gene- 
 ration to another ? Some may have need of in- 
 formation on this topic, since it is not declared 
 in any of our Sunday lessons from the Old Tes- 
 tament. Let me, accordingly, begin with ex- 
 tracting, and setting plainly in order, an ac- 
 count of the sin invented, and entailed on the 
 Israelites, by Jeroboam ; after which prepara- 
 tion, I shall have to propose a few generally 
 important inferences, and admonitions, — those 
 which the history to be reviewed is calculated 
 most strongly to suggest. 
 
 First, therefore ; in the twelfth chapter of 
 Deuteronomy you may find written this posi- 
 tive commandment to the Israelites ; — *' When 
 " ye go over Jordan, and dwell in the land 
 " which the Lord your God giveth you to in- 
 " herit ; then there shall be a place which the 
 " Lord your God shall choose to cause His 
 " name to dwell there ; thither shall ye bring 
 " all that I command you ; your burnt offer- 
 " ings, and your sacrifices, your tithes, and the 
 
TJie Sin of Jerohoam. 257 
 
 " heave offering of your hands, and all your 
 " choice vows which ye vow unto the Lord." 
 Now, the sin of Jeroboam consisted in leading 
 his subjects to break this Divine command- 
 ment : and it had its origin in an evil heart of 
 unbelief, or a want of trust in God. 
 
 So soon as the twelve tribes had obtained 
 rest from their enemies round about, and were 
 fully established in the land of promise, Jeru- 
 salem was chosen by God to be the place above 
 foretold, — that is to say, the place, where He 
 would set His 'name to be specially honoured 
 with burnt sacrifices and worship. " Thither," 
 accordingly, "the tribes went up, even the tribes 
 " of the Lord, unto the testimony of Israel, to 
 " give thanks unto the name of the Lord," 
 (Psalm cxxii. 4.) during the days both of David 
 and of Solomon ; and every one of you can pro- 
 bably remember to have heard, that Solomon 
 builded a house for Him therein, of surpassing 
 magnificence and beauty. In that celebrated 
 temple at Jerusalem, the Lord condescended to 
 reveal His glory, hovering between two cheru- 
 bims, or figures of gold, probably representing 
 the heavenly host, set on the lid of the ark, 
 which was denominated the mercy seat: and 
 in the various courts of the same, the priests 
 and Levites performed their appointed min- 
 istrations, and the people presented to Him 
 
258 The Sin of Jeroboam. 
 
 their vows and offerings. Solomon, it is true, 
 dishonoured the latter years of his reign by- 
 shewing respect to false gods in other places ; 
 still, however, neither he, nor the people under 
 him, appear to have frequented any other place 
 for the worship of the God of Israel, besides 
 His temple and altar in Jerusalem. 
 
 But immediately upon the death of Solo- 
 mon, this unity of Divine service was broken 
 up. Ten of the tribes, having revolted from 
 his son Rehoboam, chose Jeroboam to reign 
 over them in his stead, and were called the 
 kingdom of Isf^ael, to distinguish them from 
 the tribe of Judah, which, with Benjamin only, 
 remained faithful to the family of David. And 
 one of the first steps of Jeroboam was to intro- 
 duce a new mode of worship, among the tribes 
 of which his kingdom was composed. To pre- 
 vent the people from resorting, as they had 
 always been wont, to Jerusalem, he caused to 
 be made, and set up at Dan and Beth-el, two 
 graven images of calves — imitations, perhaps, of 
 the cherubim on the mercy-seat — before which 
 they should come on their solemn days, with 
 the accustomed ceremonies and o:ifts. More- 
 over, since no priest called of God would min- 
 ister at these unlawful altars, Jeroboam went 
 through with his sin, by making priests of the 
 lowest of the people, which were not of the 
 
The Sin of Jeroboam. 259 
 
 tribe of Levi, to which exclusively the honour 
 of the priesthood had been assigned. Wlioso- 
 ever would presume to take this honour upon 
 himself, him Jeroboam consecrated, and he be- 
 came one of the priests of the high places. 
 
 This, my brethren, is a concise account of 
 Jeroboam's sin, (1 Kings xii. 26, &c.) because 
 of which he was so continually marked with 
 infamy by the inspired writers of the Old Tes- 
 tament. It consisted, you should observe, not in 
 going after strange gods, but in establishing a 
 strange service, or mode of worship, for the 
 God of Israel, differing from that which Him- 
 self had deigned to prescribe. The origin of 
 such his sin, to which I will next briefly revert, 
 was a mistrustful, or an unbelieving heart. 
 
 While Solomon was yet alive, God had de- 
 clared, in order to punish his idolatry, that He 
 would give ten tribes of his kingdom to Jero- 
 boam : — " Behold," He had said, by the mouth 
 of Ahijah, " I will rend the kingdom out of 
 " the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes 
 " unto thee : and I will take thee, and thou 
 " shalt reign, and shalt be king over Israel, ac- 
 " cording to that thy soul desireth." Also God 
 had promised him, — " And it shall be, if thou 
 " wilt hearken unto all which I command thee, 
 " and wilt walk in my ways, and do that which 
 " is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and 
 
260 The Sin of Jeroboam. 
 
 " my commandments, as David my servant did, 
 " that I will be with thee, and will build thee 
 " a sure house, as I built for David, and will 
 " give Israel unto thee." (1 Kings xi. 31, 37, 
 38.) What stronger and more gracious encou- 
 ragement, than that which was thus offered, 
 could Jeroboam have required from God, or 
 have even imagined ? He must have repeatedly 
 seen the enemies of the people wonderfully re- 
 strained from invading their land, while all the 
 males, thrice in every year, left the borders of 
 it undefended, to appear before the Lord at 
 Jerusalem ; (Exodus xxxiv. 23, 24.) and here 
 he had a direct promise to himself, that an 
 observance of this, and other similar statutes, 
 should ensure the stability of his power : add 
 to which, his peaceable attainment of the throne 
 after the death of Solomon, might have been 
 regarded by him a satisfactory earnest of the 
 unfailing truth of God. (1 Kings xii. 21, &c.) 
 Yet, notwithstanding all which has been men- 
 tioned, the new king would not abide in the 
 right way: Jeroboam reasoned in his heart, — 
 " If this people go up to do sacrifice in the 
 " house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then shall 
 " the heart of this people turn again to Reho- 
 " boam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, 
 " and turn again to Rehoboam king of Judah." 
 Whereupon, thinking it safer to frame devices 
 
The Sin of Jet^ohoam. 261 
 
 of his own, than to rely on God's word for the 
 preservation to him of his life and crown, he 
 took counsel, and set up the golden calves at 
 Dan and Beth-el, for the purpose which I have 
 before described. And that step, by means of 
 which Jeroboam hoj)ed firmly to settle himself, 
 became sin unto his whole house, to cut it off 
 from the face of the earth. For, after that he 
 had hardened his heart against the warnings 
 and miracles of the man of God, which came 
 from Judali to cry against his altar in Beth-el, 
 and, though he had seen the altar rent, and the 
 ashes poured out, and had lost, and received 
 again, the use of his hand, still persisted in his 
 wrong invention, God spared not to pass a sen- 
 tence of destruction on Jeroboam, and all his 
 race. (1 Kings xiii. 1 — 6; 33, 34; xiv. 7 — 11.) 
 
 Such were the chief particulars and origin of 
 the sin of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat. And 
 he is constantly said to have made Israel to 
 sin, because to this unlawful practice, which 
 he thus set on foot, more than to any other, the 
 people fondly adhered, with the approbation or 
 permission of every succeeding king. What- 
 ever changes and reformations were sometimes 
 effected, the unlawful altars, which he had 
 founded, were still allowed. Truly, it was not 
 to be expected that such princes as Ahab, and 
 Ahaziah, who served false gods, would take 
 
The Sin of Jeroboam. 
 
 measures for restoring the worship of the true 
 God, apparently to the endangering of their 
 own authority, and, probably, against the ge- 
 neral mind of the people. But Jehu, who was 
 specially appointed to destroy Baal out of Is- 
 rael, and who made a boast of his zeal for the 
 Lord, might have been supposed a likely per- 
 son to exert himself on this point also. " How- 
 " beit from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Ne- 
 " bat, who made Israel to sin, Jehu departed 
 " not from after them, to wit, the golden calves 
 " that were in Beth-el, and that were in Dan." 
 This sin, to which the Israelites were first in- 
 duced by Jeroboam, continued, as it were, a 
 part of their constitution for upwards of three 
 hundred years, or until the period when they 
 were carried into captivity. Subsequently, Jo- 
 siah, king of Judah, polluted the altar at Beth- 
 el by burning men's bones upon it, according to 
 the word of the Lord. 
 
 The foregoing portion of sacred history has 
 been taken up on this occasion, and gone 
 through with, not so much for entertainment, 
 as in order to the lessons of religious wisdom 
 which it may aptly be made use of to convey. 
 These, my brethren, I will now, in the second 
 place, propose, entreating you to keep and pon- 
 der them with attention. 
 
 Let me begin, then, with inferring from what 
 
The Sin of Jeroboam. 263 
 
 you have heard respecting Jeroboam, the mis- 
 chief of devising anything not in agreement 
 with the mind of God, as pertaining to His 
 holy vrorship and service. On whatever points 
 God hath declared His will, let not man pre- 
 sume to question the reason of it, or to prefer, 
 for his own convenience, a different course. 
 Such conduct in any creature is highly offen- 
 sive, and will most likely ultimately bring him 
 who adopts it, into the pit of destruction, by 
 the righteous judgment of God. To speak 
 somewhat more particularly on this point. God 
 hath clearly made known to us by His word, 
 that men shall not worship idols, or images, 
 but shall worship Him alone, calling upon Him 
 as the invisible God. To this, however, we 
 cannot easily bring ourselves ; our thoughts 
 are apt to wander, for want of a visible object 
 to engage them ; wherefore, not a few amongst 
 Christians have made unto themselves various 
 images, intended to represent God, and Jesus 
 Christ, and departed saints, on the which they 
 fix their eyes and their attention during prayer. 
 Now here, let me say it without uncharitable- 
 ness, is a great and a very dangerous error. 
 It is unnecessary to determine which is most 
 offensive, a wandering mind, or a mind fixed 
 on objects so clearly improper and forbidden. 
 Every man, with a common share of religious 
 
264 The Sin of Jeroboam. 
 
 wisdom, should be able to perceive, that no 
 other course is left for him than to worship dili- 
 gently, the best he can, "in spirit and in truth;" 
 and, wherein he feels himself deficient, to trust 
 that God will daily enable him to worship 
 better. — Again ; although a liberty where to 
 worship, is undeniably allowed to us, beyond the 
 Jews, and " in every place," under the gospel- 
 dispensation, God will accept the " pure offer- 
 " ings" of His people, yet on this point, it is 
 not impossible to go astray. Being exempt 
 from the labour and inconvenience of journey- 
 ing to this, or that particular city, in order duly 
 to perform our vows, we should hold ourselves 
 the more inexcusable, if we neglect to take 
 " sweet counsel together" in our several neigh- 
 bourhoods, and to frequent our houses of God 
 " as friends." Having been made free from the 
 troublesome multitude of Jewish ceremonies, 
 we should consider it an exceeding shame to 
 walk disorderly, or to disobey wholesome rules 
 designed for the maintenance of religious de- 
 cency and fellowship. Doubtless Jesus Christ, 
 no less than David, accounted it " a good and 
 " joyful thing for brethren to dwell together 
 " in unity," or He would not have prayed, as 
 He did, to His Father that His disciples might 
 " be all one," even as He and His Father are 
 one. (John xvii. 20, 21.) To the same effect, 
 
The Sin of Jeroboam. ^5 
 
 it is expressly recorded concerning the Apostles, 
 when the Holy Ghost came down upon them 
 the first and second time, that they were all 
 with one accord in one place, as if that had 
 strongly conduced to attract His presence ; 
 (Acts ii. 1; iv. 24, 31.) and, consistently with 
 such a notion, exhortations to " be all of one 
 " mind," and to '* glorify God with one mouth," 
 and to " edify," or build up, " one another in 
 " love," are frequently delivered by them, in 
 their Epistles. (1 Peter iii. 8 ; Romans xv. 6 ; 
 1 Thess. V. 11.) Altogether therefore, it unde- 
 niably appears, that, almost equally in the pre- 
 sent, as in ancient times, men should beware of 
 either causing, or consenting to divisions, and 
 that nothing of an ordinary character is more 
 unbecoming, than the rash and wilful behaviour, 
 which is still prevalent in things pertaining 
 unto God. 
 
 Next to these important topics, let me derive 
 from the history of Jeroboam, a warning for 
 you against what may justly be denounced as 
 the root or origin of every sin ; — I mean an 
 evil heart of unbelief. When men once cease 
 to depend on the promises of God, and imagine 
 that they can take better care for themselves, 
 than He can, or will take for them, then are 
 they sure to fall into mischief. God will either 
 ordain some special calamity against such ])er- 
 
 N 
 
^66 The Sm of Jerohoam. 
 
 sons, or will inflict on them a j)unishment 
 equally sure, only less swift, by causing them 
 to " eat the fruit of their own ways, and to be 
 " filled with their own devices." (Proverbs i. 
 31.) The Almighty promised to confirm Jero- 
 boam in his new kingdom, provided he would 
 keep His statutes : Jeroboam, however, sup- 
 posed that he could more surely confirm him- 
 self by breaking them ; and the consequence 
 was, that he incurred destruction. Consider 
 this, my brethren, and learn prudence. Unto 
 you have been given by the word of God, 
 many great and precious promises ; for in- 
 stance, it is written — "Whoso hearkeneth unto 
 " me shalj dwell safely, and shall be quiet from 
 " fear of evil ;" (Proverbs i. 33.) also—" Seek 
 " ye first the kingdom of God, and His right- 
 " eousness ; and all" necessary " things" — meat, 
 and drink, and raiment — " shall be added unto 
 " 3^ou." (Matthew vi. 31, 32; 33.) Is it your 
 habit to observe these conditions, and to trust 
 in God for a sufficient measure of temporal 
 conveniences and comforts ? Do you constantly 
 wait on Him, in the way of His Providence, for 
 these blessings, or rather act upon the prin- 
 ciple, that you have to obtain them entirely of 
 yourselves ? In the former case, you may rea- 
 sonably hope that Pie will deign to prosper 
 3^our exertions ; in the latter, there will pro- 
 
The Sin of Jei'ohoam. 267 
 
 bably ensue increasing weariness, and vexation, 
 and ill success. Whereas, no proper good shall 
 be withholden from them who lead a godly life, 
 to the ungodly, none shall be allowed. The 
 man who will not trust in God, can have no 
 ground of confidence whatever. Such an one 
 may not unaptly be compared with a ship at 
 sea, without either an anchor, or a pilot. Like 
 a vessel thus unprovided, he may possibly float 
 a while here and there on the " waves of this 
 " troublesome world," as the course of them 
 may chance to carry him about ; but, though 
 they should remain ever so calm, nothing better 
 finally awaits him than to disappear, and find 
 destruction in the gulf beneath. 
 
 There remains to be proposed one other se- 
 rious admonition, suggested by the example un- 
 der review, which St. Paul hath plainly ex- 
 pressed, where he says — " Be not partakers of 
 " other men's sins." (1 Timothy v. 22.) Do 
 you not perceive, that from having set up the 
 golden calves, Jeroboam made himself a par- 
 taker, by anticipation, of the sins of the multi- 
 tudes who worshipped before them, the many 
 ages that they continued to stand ? He indeed 
 was presently cut off; but his sin which he in- 
 vented survived him : and accordingly, the 
 transgressions, in that particular, of successive 
 generations seem to have been heaped, like 
 
 N 2 
 
2G8 The Sin of Jeroboam. 
 
 coals of fire, upon his head. This, at the least, 
 we know, that the infamy and reproach of 
 them were continually attached, by inspiration 
 from God, to his name and memory amongst 
 mankind. Here indeed is a very awful consi- 
 deration, and one which can hardly enough be 
 laid to heart. The higher a man's station may 
 be, the further, no doubt, his corrupting in- 
 fluence will extend itself; and Jeroboam was 
 much higher than any of us. However, by 
 reason of the naturally pervading corruption, a 
 bad precept or example will always more rea- 
 dily attract followers, and more easily retain 
 its influence, than a good one. Scarcely any, 
 therefore, -are so low and insignificant, as not 
 to have some opportunities, some power, if 
 they will use it amiss, to lead astray, or settle 
 others in transgression. A profane word, or 
 an ungodly deed, not only of a king before his 
 subjects, but also of a father before his chil- 
 dren, and, I will say generally, of a man before 
 his neighbours — especially those of them who 
 are younger than himself — has not unfrequently 
 had the effect of inducing generations yet un- 
 born to sin. Whatever things one adopts from 
 another in this way, he will, oftener than not, 
 hand down to his children, or companions, and 
 they again to their's, until the corruption be- 
 comes too extensive and inveterate to be cor- 
 
The Sin of Jeroboam. ^G9 
 
 rected by ordinary means. And, though the 
 plea of bad example must not be supposed at 
 all to excuse the sin of any, who might ha\^ 
 known, or have learned, better, nevertheless, 
 the person who hath left such example, or 
 hath been the author of an evil custom, may 
 have to experience an aggravated condemna- 
 tion, bearing proportion to the number of 
 those who shall have been beguiled into fol- 
 lowing his steps. Being dead, he yet seduceth 
 men by the practices of wickedness which he 
 hath invented, and left behind him. 
 
 Wherefore, my brethren, in conclusion, flee 
 from all approaches to the evil character of 
 " Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel 
 " to sin." That you may stand decidedly clear 
 of his ungodliness and final destruction, re- 
 solve to continue steadfast in the fellowship 
 and doctrine of Christ's apostles, and in the sa- 
 craments, and holy ordinances of His church : 
 " hate the sins of unfaithfulness," determining 
 that none such shall cleave unto you ; and take 
 especial care never to come forward as the in- 
 ventors of unlawful things, or as, in the smallest 
 degree, encouraging and promoting them. Sure- 
 ly, " the curse of the Lord is in the house of 
 " the wicked : but He blesseth the habita- 
 " tion of the just." (Proverbs iii. 33.) Endea- 
 vour then, to exhibit in your conversation to- 
 
 X 3 
 
270 The Sin of Jeroboam. 
 
 wards Him, a suitable reverence and godly 
 fear. Study to adorn the doctrine of God your 
 Saviour with all good fidelity, in all things ; 
 and, instead of starting aside from the only 
 true way of His commandments, continue stead- 
 fast in it until your lives' end, with a view to 
 inherit the blessing which He hath promised — 
 even life for evermore. 
 
SERMON XVIII. 
 
 2 Kings xxii. 11. 
 
 // came to pass^ ivheii the king had heard the ivords 
 of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes. 
 
 1 HE history of those godly men — whether 
 kings, or inferior persons — whose praise is in 
 the Old Testament, should be esteemed by us 
 continually interesting and instructive. If we 
 are possessing any spiritual discernment — any 
 sense of, and pure affection towards goodness — 
 their good examples will proportion ably en- 
 liven, and refresh it. Also, in reading or hear- 
 ing of them, we should consider, that, as living 
 under a better covenant, and having inherited 
 higher privileges, we may justly be required, 
 not only to come up to, but to surpass them, 
 " in all holy conversation and godliness." Since 
 stronger motives to repentance, and more abun- 
 dant promises, and means of grace, are pre- 
 sented to us by the Gospel, than by the Law, our 
 righteousness, it must be acknowledged, ought, 
 accordingly, to exceed the righteousness of the 
 Jews, or our shame and contrition should be 
 more sincere. 
 
 N 4 
 
272 Tlie Contrition of Jodah, 
 
 However, in my text, and in the history con- 
 nected with it, we have an account of a Jew, 
 who appears to have greatly exceeded the gene- 
 rality of Christians in devotion and godly fear. 
 It is recorded of king Josiah, that, upon hear- 
 ing the words of the Book of the Law, he rent 
 his clothes ; so vehemently was he agitated by 
 the convictions, which took hold on him, both 
 of his own, and of his people's guilt. Now sin 
 hath surely become more sinful, or rather, the 
 sinfulness of it hath, in these latter days, been 
 most afFectingly declared by the sacrifice of the 
 death of Christ ; yet our prevailing habit is, 
 frequently to look into, and lay aside, the same 
 book, without any such distressing sensations. 
 In order, therefore, to explain the causes of this 
 too common indifference, and in a degree to re- 
 move, or diminish it, I design, my brethren, on 
 this occasion, to set before you, first, — the case 
 of Josiah rending his clothes ; and then, se- 
 condly, — our own comparative condition with 
 respect to the holy law of God, and His Gos- 
 pel. 
 
 First then, let me begin with stating, that 
 Josiah was only eight years old when he began 
 to reign, and that he had been born of idola- 
 trous parents, and had been brought up in 
 the midst of idolatry. Notwithstanding, how- 
 ever, such his birth and education, he began, 
 
The Contrition of Josiah. 273 
 
 while he was yet young, — i. e. in the sixteenth 
 year of his age, and the eighth of his reign — to 
 seek after the God of David his forefather ; 
 and only four years later, he began to purge 
 Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and 
 the groves, and the carved images, and the 
 molten images. And they brake down the al- 
 tars of Baalim in his presence ; and he brake 
 in pieces, and made dust of, his images, and 
 strewed it on the graves of them that had sa- 
 crificed unto them : and he burned the bones 
 of the priests upon their altars ; and cleansed 
 Judah and Jerusalem. Likewise, he cleansed a 
 number of cities of the other tribes, going 
 about, and cutting down all the idols through- 
 out all the land of Israel ; nor did he spare the 
 altar in Beth-el, which Jeroboam the son of 
 Nebat, who made Israel to sin, had made. 
 Moreover, six years afterward, he took mea- 
 sures to repair the house of the Lord his God, 
 which the former wicked kings had suffered to 
 fall into decay, to the intent that his people, 
 whom he had deprived of their idols, might 
 the better be inclined to render unto Jehovah, 
 at Jerusalem, the honour due unto His name. — 
 Thus did Josiah exert himself to do right, from 
 the early beginning of his reign. (2 Chronicles 
 xxxiv.) Still, down to this period, he could 
 have had but an imperfect apprehension of the 
 
 N 5 
 
274 The Contrition of Josiali. 
 
 general corruption, and of the proper methods 
 to be adopted for reforming his kingdom ; he 
 must have been rather seeking after the Lord, 
 by the aid of human recollection and tradi- 
 tions, than following the authority, and clear 
 directions of His word. For, besides the many 
 great offences which, under preceding kings, 
 the Jews had committed against the God of 
 their fathers, they had, as it were to crown, 
 and to perpetuate all, put His word away from 
 them. It is immaterial, whether they had 
 done this of a wilful purpose, or only of care- 
 lessness and neglect. No doubt, the word of 
 God had seemed unpleasant, and distasteful to 
 them, ere they lost it. They had probably for 
 some time regarded it with hatred, as testifying, 
 not good concerning them, but evil; (1 Kings 
 xxii. 8.) and so, at the time when Josiah 
 entered upon his reign, no true or uncorrupted 
 copies of it were to be found. 
 
 Nevertheless, that pious king had done with- 
 out delay, what he could, towards rooting out 
 idolatry from amongst his subjects, and bring- 
 ing them back to serve the Lord their God. 
 Of an honest and good heart, he had instantly 
 acted to the best of his knowledge, hoping (be it 
 supposed) that the God of all grace, who had 
 called him to reign, and in whom alone he 
 trusted, would not fail to shew him the secrets 
 
The Co)itrition of Josiah. 275 
 
 of His covenant. And most seasona])ly was 
 his hope made good. When Josiah was about 
 to restore the temple, and to renew its ap- 
 pointed services, Hilkiah, the priest, found 
 therein (what was then becoming indispen- 
 sable) the Book of the Law given by Moses. 
 This was the sincere word of God, even a per- 
 fect revelation of His will respecting the Jewisli 
 people, with nothing either added to, or di- 
 minished from it. Accordingly, perceiving 
 the value of his discovery, Hilkiah sought to 
 have it laid before the king : he gave the book, 
 which he had found, to Shaphan the scribe, 
 who took and read it before Josiah. The first 
 effect of his reading was that which my text 
 relates ; — " it came to pass, when the king had 
 " heard the words of the book of the law, that 
 " he rent his clothes." 
 
 This action, of rending the clothes, seems to 
 have been common amongst the Jews, on the 
 occurrence of any thing which vehemently af- 
 fected them. In the present instance, grief 
 and consternation were the principal emo- 
 tions which occasioned it. Josiah had, for a 
 long time, been seriously convinced respecting 
 the people committed to him, that they had 
 erred greatly from the truth. Yet it is pro- 
 bable that his convictions, hitherto, had not 
 nearly come up to the real amount of their 
 
 N 6 
 
276 The Contrition of Josiah. 
 
 guilt. He was not prepared for the discovery 
 of their state, which, then at length, was fully 
 made to him. The newly-found Book of the 
 Law caused him to see things, if not entirely 
 in a new, still in a much stronger and more 
 affecting light than before. It displayed to him 
 clearly, as in a glass, the glory of the Lord, 
 and the comparative baseness, and consequent 
 doom of His people, for all the evil which they 
 had done. Also, it imparted to him an afflict- 
 ing knowledge of himself, — that he was weak 
 and frail in the midst of his most upright in- 
 tentions, and ignorant of many particulars, 
 which he must learn and do, in order to be ac- 
 cepted with God. Justly, therefore, were sorrow 
 and amazement conceived in his heart by the 
 king, and expressed by him with the described 
 vehemence of gesture. Scarcely any tokens 
 should seem to have been unreasonably violent, 
 on occasion of meeting with such fearful disclos- 
 ures. The circumstances in which the king was 
 placed, were truly of a nature not to be con- 
 templated with unconcern. Jehoiakim, under 
 circumstances somewhat similar, cut the book, 
 or roll, in pieces, and burned it ; (Jeremiah 
 xxxvi.) but Josiah meekly yielded himself to 
 be cut by the piercing words of that, which 
 was read to him by Shaphan. He rent his 
 clothes, to denote " the dividing asunder, yea, 
 
The Contrition of Josiali. 277 
 
 " even of his soul and spirit," which it caused 
 in him, and instantly connnanded his officers, 
 saying, — " Go ye, and inquire of the Lord for 
 " me, and for them that are left in Israel and 
 " Judah, concerning the words of the book 
 " that is found ; for great is the wrath of the 
 " Lord that is poured out upon us, because our 
 " fathers have not kept the word of the Lord 
 " to do after all that is written in this book." 
 And the answer which he obtained, was fa- 
 vourable as to his own lot, although the Lord 
 would not then be entreated for the people ; — 
 " Because thine heart was tender, and thou 
 " hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when 
 " thou heardest what I spake against this 
 " place, and against the inhabitants thereof — 
 " and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before 
 " me; I also have heard thee, saith the Lord. 
 " Behold, therefore, I will gather thee unto thy 
 " fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy 
 " grave in peace ; and thine eyes shall not see 
 " all the evil which I will bring on this place." 
 (2 Kings xxii. 19, 20.) 
 
 The case of Josiah rending his clothes has 
 now sufficiently been explained. Hence there- 
 fore, I propose, secondly, to shew the proper 
 bearing of it on Christians in general, and on 
 ourselves. 
 
 Here, perhaps, it will instantly occur that 
 
278 The Contrition of Josiah, 
 
 the superior station of Josiah renders him at 
 once no example to inferior persons : some, it 
 is probable, have a mind to remark, that he 
 was afflicted as a king, for the manifest ini- 
 quities of his people; And so undoubtedly he 
 was ; although, at the same time, Josiah ap- 
 pears to have been dismayed also on his own 
 account. But, what every king should feel 
 for his subjects, every parent should feel, in at 
 the least an equal degree, for his children, 
 every elder for his younger over whom he 
 can have authority or influence, and (let me 
 add) every religious person, in no inconsider- 
 able measure, for his neighbours. Consequently, 
 the royal dignity of Josiah makes less differ- 
 ence than many at first sight would imagine. 
 A more important point to be observed is, the 
 present abundance of the word of God, com- 
 pared with the scarceness of it in those former 
 days. 
 
 This, indeed, is a contrast worthy of ob- 
 servation. In the days of Josiah, the whole 
 Jewish nation, which then alone constituted 
 the church of God, was destitute, to all ap- 
 pearance, of His written law. The priests and 
 the people, the king and his subjects, were 
 alike without, and at a loss for it. They had 
 suffered their distinguishing treasure (Psalm 
 cxlvii. 20.) to slip, and vanish from amongst 
 
The Contntion ofJosiah. 279 
 
 them. Thus much may not have been ex- 
 pressly said ; but on no other supposition, can 
 we account for the sensation which was occa- 
 sioned by the finding of it in the temple, and 
 for the care which was taken about transmit- 
 ting it to the king. What then is our predica- 
 ment with respect to this same book, having the 
 valuable addition, which has since been made to 
 it, of the New Testament ? Verily, a man need 
 not search long, nor go far, to find it, or remain 
 on any account unavoidably ignorant of its con- 
 tents. The volume of holy Scripture is now to 
 be had of every shape, and size, almost " with- 
 " out money, and without price." It is frequent 
 in the cottages of the poor, no less than in the 
 mansions of the rich, and is publicly read for 
 the common edification. Whatever other ca- 
 lamities may seem to be impending, we can 
 hardly see reason to apprehend a speedy "fa- 
 " mine of the word of the Lord." Of His gra- 
 cious bounty, it hath been distributed unspar- 
 ingly amongst us, and no power (excepting 
 His) can probably again wrest it from our 
 possession. — So striking is the difference of si- 
 tuation between ourselves and the Israelites, 
 regarding the possession by each party of the 
 Book of Life. 
 
 Ui)on this now, in what manner shall I best 
 account for the unconcern, equally different 
 
280 The Contrition of Josiah. 
 
 from the example before us, with which that 
 sacred volume is, oftener than not, received 
 amongst us. Is it the result of a well-founded 
 consciousness, that, in proportion to our free 
 enjoyment of God's" word, we have become 
 worthily obedient to it's precepts ? Have we 
 this (the only proper) reason to allege, why we 
 can hear its straitest commandments, and most 
 alarming denunciations, undisturbed ? Happy, 
 indeed, are the few that are in such a case ; 
 being exempt from the terrors of the Lord, there 
 is no inferior terror which can greatly trou- 
 ble, or confound them. Yet beware, my bre- 
 thren, of rashly claiming so high a privilege. 
 Rather stay, and consider, whether you are, as 
 becometh persons for whom Christ hath died, 
 " denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, and 
 " living righteously, soberly, and godly, in this 
 " present world?" (Titus ii. 12.) whether you 
 are walking " worthy of God, who hath called 
 " you to His kingdom and glory," (1 Thess. 
 ii. 12.) by zealously following after, and care- 
 fully maintaining good works ? Have you no 
 occasion to be afraid on finding, that the re- 
 ligion of a man who bridleth not his tongue is 
 vain; (James i. 26.) and, that "whoso keepeth 
 " the whole law, and yet oifendeth in one point, 
 " is guilty of all?" (James ii. 10.) — None for self- 
 abasement and regret, on surveying the human 
 
The Contrition of Josiah, 281 
 
 character of Jesus Christ, as the pattern by 
 which His disciples are bound to order their 
 conversation and deeds ? Are you, at the least, 
 learning to cease from evil, and to do well? 
 Have you been giving a proper diligence, that 
 " all carnal affections may die in you, and that 
 " all things belonging to the Si)irit may live 
 " and grow in you?" Unless these, and the 
 like inquiries, can be satisfactorily answered by 
 us, " without partiality and without hypocrisy," 
 it surely cannot be just and proper that we 
 should be able to hear the word of God, and 
 experience no uneasy apprehensions. 
 
 But to what may the fact be ascribed, that 
 many so evidently are able? I reply, to our 
 long established familiarity with the book in 
 question. We have " the Bible" always with 
 us. The appearance of it, and the sound of it's 
 words, and perhaps the chief of it's entertain- 
 ing histories, have been known by us from our 
 early years. For the rest, we are apt to read, 
 or to hear it read, without any due thought and 
 understanding : there seems for the present no 
 m'gent need of attending to it, since we may, 
 at our leisure, take it up again. Hence the case 
 has come to be, that the greater part of men 
 professing godliness, are wont to endure un- 
 moved the most affecting parts of Holy Scrip- 
 ture ; hence it is, that passages, the best adapt- 
 
282 The Contrition of Josiah. 
 
 ed to convince and alarm transgressors, not 
 only fail to make them rend their clothes, and 
 smite their breasts, but prove unable to pro- 
 duce such ordinary tokens of grief and appre- 
 hension as may still frequently, on less occa- 
 sions, be observed. This, undoubtedly, is the 
 true reason of our unconcern. Yet, in con- 
 firmation of it, I will remind you, that the 
 best inclined and most upright of the Jevrish 
 nation, was the man on whom the Book of the 
 Law had the most lively and sensible effect. 
 Be assured, by the example of Josiah, that 
 scarcely one can be too far advanced in right- 
 eousness to tremble at the perfect holiness of 
 the Divine law. 
 
 So it appears that God's word, — the most 
 precious of His gifts, by which He would con- 
 strain men to repentance and salvation, — is, to 
 a great extent, lightly esteemed, because of it's 
 abundance amongst us. The liberality of God 
 in giving us His word, has become with many 
 a temptation to slight it, and, consequently, an 
 occasion of falling. Surely, however, this is 
 wrong. The cause indeed is on no account to 
 be spoken against, or removed ; rather should 
 one desire it to abound more and more. Still, 
 by abounding, the Bible will only aggravate 
 the condemnation of the many who shall con- 
 tinue uninfluenced by it*s contents. Wlierefore, 
 
The Contrition of Josiah. 283 
 
 in conclusion, I will endeavour clearly to state, 
 how we should yield ourselves to be properly 
 stirred by them, and impressed. 
 
 Let, then, each man know it to have been na- 
 turally his case, and suppose it still to be so, 
 unless he can shew proof to the contrary, that 
 he has ample cause to tremble at the jmrity 
 and strictness of the word of truth ; — let each 
 man, I say, take up this conviction, and study 
 to keep it alive within him, during all his in- 
 tercourse with that sacred volume. And, in 
 order thereto, never be willing either to read 
 or hear the smallest portion of it with irreve- 
 rent and inattentive minds. Whether or not, 
 one may again take it up, the heart (originally 
 hard) will be made harder, by every such in- 
 stance of neglect : to slight a thing of import- 
 ance to-day, is the very worst preparation for 
 reverting to it with reverence to-morrow, or 
 at any future period. Accordingly, every wise 
 person will give heed, on all opj)ortunities, to 
 Holy Scripture, with a view to further by it 
 his repentance and salvation, lest he become, 
 in default of doing so, more dangerously im- 
 penitent than before. One of this description 
 will not suddenly betake himself to the Bible, 
 from any trifling employment or conversation, 
 but will previously recall his thoughts, and 
 breathe a prayer to the Divine Author of it, 
 
284 The Contrition of Josiah. 
 
 that his stony heart may be wrought upon by 
 a perusal of it's highly interesting revelations. 
 Likewise afterward, he will not directly hasten 
 into the midst of worldly occupations, if by any 
 means he can have time to pause a little, and 
 let that which he may have profitably learned 
 take root within him. — This, my brethren, is 
 the way to provide that the word of righteous- 
 ness and of life shall have a good effect. Thus 
 received and cherished, one chapter, or even 
 one verse, may prove far more touching and 
 beneficial, than all its chapters otherwise read 
 through and through. The nature and spirit 
 of the book will seem like a newly discovered 
 treasure. You will be apt to rend your hearts, 
 though not your garments, on perceiving, the 
 first time, how angry the Lord may well be at 
 your deficient obedience, in many respects, to 
 His will. You will thence proceed anxiously 
 to inquire what He hath said concerning sin- 
 ners, and will fully embrace His great salva- 
 tion, in order to your deliverance from the 
 wrath to come. All, no doubt, must die, not- 
 withstanding their best repentance and conver- 
 sion. Yet, if any, like Josiah, will humble 
 themselves, and turn unto God, through fear 
 of His judgments, He will not leave them to 
 die eternally. He will give them peace, and a 
 good hope for the present, and at their latter 
 
The Contrition of Josiali. 285 
 
 end, and having redeemed and sanctified them 
 by His Son and Spirit, will, hereafter, bless 
 them for ever in the glorious mansions of His 
 heavenly kingdom. 
 
SERMON XIX. 
 
 Haggai i. 7. 
 
 TIais saith the Lord of hosts ; Consider your ivays. 
 
 Scarcely ever hath a message from God 
 unto His people, been delivered with a greater 
 urgency of repetition, or in terms of more com- 
 manding import, than this, which I have just 
 recited. All Scripture is given by Divine in- 
 spiration, and should accordingly be received 
 throughout with an uniform obedience and re- 
 spect ; yet, lest any should be willing to let it 
 slip, the commandment before us is introduced 
 with a special declaration of it's high author- 
 ity; — " Thus saith the Lord of hosts." What- 
 ever He saith, though once only, we are bound 
 seriously to observe and to obey ; but here the 
 same words are delivered a second time by the 
 Prophet in His name. With the omission of a 
 single intervening verse, we have to read, — 
 " Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts ; 
 " Consider your ways:" — " Thus saith the Lord 
 " of hosts ; Consider your ways." 
 
 The original occasion of this injunction, re- 
 
Consider your Ways. 287 
 
 peated in such an impressive manner, was the 
 unworthy remissness of the Jews about re- 
 building the temple of the Lord, after their 
 return from Babylon. By His mercy they had 
 been suffered to go free, and again to occupy 
 their native land. Instead, however, of shew- 
 ing a zeal to do him honour, commensurate 
 with the great things which He had done for 
 them, " The time," they said, " is not come, 
 " the time that the Lord's house should be 
 " built." The building and adorning of ha- 
 bitations for themselves to dwell in, seemed, 
 in their eyes, of greater importance than the 
 raising up of His holy habitation from ifs 
 ruins. That, in consequence of some hinderances 
 which had interrupted their first exertions to 
 restore it, (Ezra iv.) they determined to leave 
 a while longer in the dust, and accordingly took 
 up a habit of asserting, one to another, that the 
 time for attempting it afresh, was not come. 
 ^Vhereupon, the word of the Lord upbraided 
 them, by the prophet Haggai, expostulating, — 
 " Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your 
 " ceiled houses, and this house lie waste ?" And 
 then he required of them, as I have stated, to 
 consider their ways, signifying that it betoken- 
 ed a wrong bent in them, thus to prefer their 
 own convenience, and was, in fact, causing ill 
 success and unfruitful seasons to be judicially 
 
288 Consider your Ways. 
 
 inflicted on them, by Him, whom they were so 
 shamefully treating with neglect. 
 
 At the same time, however, here is surely a 
 requisition well adapted for the admonition of 
 all, and one with which it will behove every 
 man to comply. Be his circumstances what 
 they may, no reasonable creature can properly 
 excuse himself from almost daily considering 
 his ways. I design, therefore, in this discourse, 
 to suppose, that the Lord of hosts hath called 
 upon us to consider our ways, — especially on 
 those who are vainly endeavouring to prosper, 
 by seeking other goods before His kingdom 
 and righteousness, and, proceeding thence, to 
 explain,-^— first, the obligation which we are 
 under, together with the motives which should 
 induce us to do this ; and, secondly, how, or 
 on what principles, we must do it, in order to 
 an advantageous result. 
 
 First then ; the Person or Being, who saith, 
 " Consider your ways," is the Lord of hosts, — 
 a name sufficiently awful to awaken an instant 
 reverence and attention. To Him — the bearer 
 of this name — are subject the principalities and 
 powers, and, in short, all the armies of heaven ; 
 much more ought the dwellers upon earth to 
 stand in awe when He speaketh, and yield a 
 ready obedience to his counsels. If any will 
 not do His bidding, what better have they to 
 
Consider your Ways. 289 
 
 expect, in the end, than judgment, and fiery 
 indignation, although He may bear long with 
 their perverseness ? However, the Lord of 
 hosts is to be obeyed, not only, nor chiefly, 
 from fear, but also, and at the least equally, 
 from love. We should observe Him to be, not 
 merely a mighty God, and a terrible, who is 
 able to consume us in a moment, but no less 
 a just and a merciful God in all His dealings 
 with mankind, and entitled to our most affec- 
 tionate regard. He is our Creator, our Pre- 
 server, and our Redeemer, — the God who made, 
 and hath hitherto kept us, both from temporal 
 and eternal death. He it is, whose " eyes did 
 " see our substance, yet being imperfect ; and 
 " in His book were all our members written, 
 " which day by day were fashioned, when as 
 " yet there were none of them." (Psalm cxxxix. 
 16.) He is the God who bringeth food out of 
 the earth, and provideth raiment for our bo- 
 dies : also, which is above all. He once deli- 
 vered His own Son to die for us, and to rise 
 again, that our souls might be absolved from 
 the guilt, and set at liberty from the bondage 
 of sin, and He hath promised to give unto us, 
 on condition that we will ask Him, a sufficient 
 measure of spiritual aid and consolation, during 
 our passage through this troublesome world. 
 Having been made partakers by Him of so 
 
 o 
 
290 Consider your Ways. 
 
 great mercies, ought we not dutifully to hear 
 His voice, in this, and in whatever else He 
 may have said concerning us? Are not they 
 inexcusably perverse and ungrateful, so many 
 as turn a deaf ear to the words of one, who is, 
 besides being Almighty, such an infinite Bene- 
 factor to His creatures ? Since He thus careth 
 for us, like a tender parent, shall not we, like 
 obedient children, incline our hearts to a per- 
 formance of His will ? Verily, we must confess 
 ourselves obliged by all the strongest ties which 
 can be imagined, to observe and do what the 
 Lord of hosts hath commanded, even in cases 
 where the reason of His commandment is not 
 directly evident to our minds. 
 
 But the present is no such case. There is 
 that in the precept itself — " Consider your 
 " ways" — which might commend it to every 
 prudent man, had it been addressed to us by 
 a mere ordinary person. Could any one post- 
 pone the regard due from him to God, a proper 
 regard to his own best interests should induce 
 him to this exercise of consideration. It is a 
 truth, which few will call in question, that, in 
 agreement with the tenour of our ways here, 
 we shall come to happiness or misery hereafter. 
 Holy Scripture continually teaches this; and our 
 belief of it may be much strengthened by ob- 
 serving, how commonly a man's condition in 
 
Consider your Ways, 291 
 
 the advanced stages of his life, turns upon the 
 conduct of his early j^ears. Accordingly, were 
 we generally disposed by nature to adopt right 
 ways, still it would be no more than wise and 
 prudent frequently to survey, or consider, how 
 far we are making progress therein, what need 
 we have to beware of stumbling, and how best 
 we may persevere in them until the end. But 
 the contrary is our general disposition, — even 
 to err or go wrong. In order at all worthily 
 to perform the perfect, and holy, and acceptable 
 will of God, revealed to us by the Gospel of 
 His Son, we have need to " put off the old 
 " man," or the corrupt nature inherited by us 
 from Adam, and to " put on the new man, 
 " which is renewed in knowledge after the 
 " image of Him that created him." (Ephes. iv. 
 22, 23^ 24.) Now, this is no easy way for flesh 
 and blood successfully to pursue. So difficult, 
 in fact, hath it been accounted by Him who 
 knoweth the hearts of the human race, that He 
 hath promised help from above to sustain the 
 steps of them who seek it, and thus to bring 
 them — whither they could never bring them- 
 selves — unto rest and peace at the last. Where- 
 fore, " for your good alway," not merely for an 
 exercise of dominion, the Lord of hosts hath 
 said, " Consider your ways." Unless we do 
 consider them, and, in consequence, " turn our 
 
 2 
 
292 Consider your Ways. 
 
 " feet unto His testimonies," it will certainly 
 avail us nothing to require His continual fur- 
 therance and blessing : unless we take heed to 
 set our steps aright, and to " run with patience 
 " the race that is set before us," it must seem 
 little better than mockery to require of the 
 Lord, that He will hold up our goings in His 
 paths, and finally receive us into His glorious 
 rest. Great is the ignorance which men betray 
 both of their own hearts, and of the path which 
 they have to walk in, when they suppose them- 
 selves to be properly keeping and pursuing it, 
 because not distinctly conscious of doing other- 
 wise. If our course seem smooth and easy, by 
 that alone we should be led to suspect ourselves 
 either of loitering in it, or of going backward, 
 or of having diverged from the right line of 
 holiness into some broader and more frequent- 
 ed road. A man walking in the prescribed 
 path, may not unaptly be likened to one rowing 
 a vessel against a downward and rapid stream. 
 The current, both of the world, and of his own 
 carnal affections, must be strongly opposed to 
 him; nor can he, except by continual efforts, 
 hope to make way against it. So great, in 
 short, is the exertion required for keeping on- 
 wards in our Christian track, that we cannot 
 be insensibly doing so ; whereas it is quite pos- 
 sible to sit at ease, or sleep, and be, the while, 
 
Consider your Ways. 293 
 
 rapidly drifting towards destruction. Conse- 
 quently, a mere unconsciousness of error will 
 be far indeed from satisfactory, to any one who 
 is truly anxious about salvation. Whenever a 
 person of this sort shall have detected himself 
 slumbering, during his ascent into the " hill of 
 " the Lord," he will see cause thereupon to 
 raise a question, whether he be really ascend- 
 ing into that holy place. He will instantly 
 arouse himself, and walk circumspectly, and 
 " consider his ways," as much because of his 
 own misgivings, as because of the command- 
 ment of the Lord of hosts, setting on foot 
 without delay a careful comparison of them 
 with the Divine word. 
 
 From the fact, therefore, that man is ever 
 prone to err, the consideration which my text 
 enjoins should be reckoned a point no less of 
 prudence, than of duty, if any would so run 
 as to obtain the prize of their high calling. 
 Hence, let me proceed to shew, in the second 
 place, after what manner, or with what views, 
 such consideration is to be undertaken and car- 
 ried on, that it may prove, at the last, to have 
 been not in vain. 
 
 Now, according to what has been said, it 
 will be obvious, that we ought to consider oiu- 
 ways, not as they may seem likely to affect 
 our present interests, but with a view chiefly 
 
 o 3 
 
294 Considey^ your Ways. 
 
 to their final tendency, or the end to which 
 hereafter they will bring us. This life may 
 be well described as a journey, at the conclu- 
 sion of which we shall have passed all the 
 limits of time, and find ourselves ordained, by 
 the righteous sentence of God, to an eternal 
 state of either happiness, or misery. In com- 
 parison, then, with that irrevocable sentence, 
 it is evidently a small thing to be condemned 
 or approved by our fellow-creatures. " So 
 " long," the Psalmist remarks, " as thou doest 
 " well unto thyself, men will speak good of 
 " thee." (Psalm xlix. 18.) This being the rule 
 by which, principally, they award commenda- 
 tion, we should not much depend on their fa- 
 vourable opinion and report. The good word 
 of men will profit nothing before His judg- 
 ment seat, whose kingdom is not of this world, 
 and who judge th by the rule of a more excellent 
 knowledge, than the sight of the eyes, or the 
 hearing of the ears can supply. (Isaiah xi. 3.) 
 It is because " every one of us must give ac- 
 " count of himself unto God," that we have 
 been commanded to consider our ways. Our 
 consideration of them should, accordingly, be 
 carried on under a strong conviction of the all- 
 seeing wisdom and perfect holiness of His na- 
 ture, as made known to us by the Gospel dis- 
 pensation ; otherwise, it will scarcely produce 
 
Co72sider your Ways, 295 
 
 any good or beneficial result. No dissimulation 
 can prove sufficient, no darkness be found thick 
 enough, no place remote enough from observa- 
 tion, to conceal us from His penetrating search; 
 consequently, we should not seek to be conceal- 
 ed, nor have recourse to vain subterfuges, as if, 
 by hiding ourselves from ourselves, and our 
 neighbours, we might also be hidden from God. 
 He is about our path, and about our bed, and 
 spieth out all our ways ; (Psalm cxxxix. 2.) 
 wherefore, let all, and each of them distinctly, 
 be reviewed by us in our own minds. Let us 
 consider, respecting those which are open to 
 human notice, whether Holy Scripture war- 
 rants the expectation, that they will hereafter 
 be commended by God, as here, perhaps to our 
 satisfaction, they are by men ; likewise, respect- 
 ing our more secret ways or practices, whether 
 they are of a kind, which we can endure to 
 have sometime made known in the presence of 
 assembled worlds, and of all the inhabitants of 
 heaven? — And when our actions shall have 
 been thus duly considered, or weighed in the 
 balance of the sanctuary, it will behove us, fur- 
 ther, to consider our words, since of them we 
 must certainly give account, and be either jus- 
 tified or condemned by them in the judgment. 
 (Matt. xii. 37.) Our every-day discourse — the 
 general tenour of our conversation — is it such, 
 
 O 4 
 
296 Consider your fVays. 
 
 we should carefully ascertain, as becometh the 
 Gospel of Christ ? Is it mild, pure, and, in a de- 
 gree, heavenly, — suitable to the mouths of per- 
 sons who are looking for a heavenly city? — not 
 only free from anger and clamour, from inde- 
 cency, folly, and profaneness, but moreover duly 
 seasoned with charity, grace, and truth? In 
 short, remembering that all we say is taken note 
 of by Him who shall come to be our Judge, do 
 we so bridle and order our tongues, that we 
 need not tremble at the idea ? Nor will it be 
 prudent for us at this point to conclude, as 
 having fully considered our ways. The word 
 of God enters deeper, than into the actions and 
 speech of .mankind, even into the heart itself, 
 from which originally they proceed ; " it is 
 " quick, and powerful, and sharper than any 
 " twoedged sword, piercing even to the divid- 
 " ing asunder of soul and spirit, and is a dis- 
 '* cerner of the thoughts and intents of the 
 " heart." (Hebrews iv. 12.) By this, we are 
 forcibly admonished to inquire respecting them 
 also, whether they are fit to abide the scrutiny 
 of One, who is infinitely holy, just, and good ; 
 to consider, how far we may hope that they 
 will be approved in the last day, when God 
 shall "judge the secrets of the hearts by Jesus 
 " Christ," (Romans ii. 16.) and discover every 
 lurking corruption which shall have been suf- 
 
Consider your JVays. 297 
 
 fered to keep a place within them : and not, 
 unless we be thus searching out our hearts, 
 which impart their character to all our words 
 and deeds, can we be at all profitably, or com- 
 pletely considering our ways, as the Lord our 
 God hath commanded us. 
 
 I cannot better close this discourse, than with 
 briefly recalling and applying the original occa- 
 sion of my text. 
 
 The Jews, remember, were thus urged to 
 consider their ways, because they shewed a 
 greater readiness, after their return from cap- 
 tivity, to raise and adorn houses for themselves, 
 than to rebuild the house or temple of God, by 
 whose gracious appointment they had been re- 
 stored : and they obeyed the voice of the Lord, 
 and the words of His prophet, and feared under 
 a conviction of their remissness, insomuch that 
 the Lord forgave them, and stirred up their 
 spirits to the work. This may figuratively be 
 transferred by every one to himself, with a view 
 to his own personal edification. The Almighty 
 hath proclaimed concerning Christians, " I will 
 " dwell in them, and walk in them ; and I will 
 " be their God, and they shall be my people ;" 
 and our bodies are accordingly declared by St. 
 Paul to be " temples of God and of the Holy 
 " Ghost." (2 Cor. vi. 16 ; 1 Cor. vi. 19.) Are 
 we, then, esteeming them as we ought, and giv- 
 
 o 5 
 
298 Consider your Ways. 
 
 ing diligence suitably to repair them ? The 
 body and soul of man were together ruined by 
 transgression. When they had been ordained 
 to bear the image, and shew forth the glory of 
 their Creator, the powers of hell got the mas- 
 tery of them, and held them a while under sub- 
 jection. In these last times, however, the Lord 
 hath signally " turned their captivity." By 
 " His dear Son" Jesus Christ, He hath sent to 
 redeem our souls from " the bondage of cor- 
 " ruption," and to instruct us, since we have 
 been so wonderfully set at liberty, in the duty 
 of cleansing and restoring our bodies from their 
 naturally polluted state, that they may be ren- 
 dered fit for His use and service. Are we pro- 
 perly sensible of this great deliverance, and there- 
 upon rendering our hearts, and all our " mem- 
 " bers as instruments of righteousness unto 
 " Him ?" — or, are we still chiefly intent on our 
 own worldly convenience, and on gratifying 
 the desires of the flesh and of the mind ? As- 
 suredly, if any be thus living unto themselves 
 more than unto their Creator and Redeemer, 
 they have reason to expect, not prosperity and 
 success, but vexations and hinderances, per- 
 plexity and confusion, in their course. The 
 God of their salvation, whom they ungrate- 
 fully slight, will probably set His face against 
 them, and presently deliver them over again 
 
Consider your Ways, 299 
 
 into the will of their spiritual adversaries, to 
 be led captive, and cruelly handled by them as 
 they please ; or if hitherto, many (unlike the 
 Israelites) be seeming* to thrive by ungodly 
 courses, no doubt, a day is coming in the which 
 the Lord, the righteous Judge, will overthrow 
 and consume them as in a moment, unless they 
 shall have previously repented. — Finally, there- 
 fore, my brethren, be induced by the awful 
 prospect of that day, and by all which at this 
 time has been set before you, habitually to con- 
 sider your ways, and to fear, and confess your- 
 selves before God, whereinsoever, by the light 
 of His word, they shall appear to have been un- 
 worthy of your profession : and desire of Him 
 to stir up your spirits, by His Spirit sent down 
 from heaven, that you may be " fitly framed, 
 " and grow, and be builded together, as a holy 
 " temple or habitation of his excellency." (Eph. 
 ii. 21, 22.) For unto every man who thus ho- 
 noureth the Divine Majesty, " not doing his 
 " own ways, nor finding his own pleasure, nor 
 " speaking his own words," — unto him the 
 promise is given, — " then shalt thou delight 
 " thyself in the Lord ;" yea, " and the pleasure 
 " of the Lord shall prosper in his hand." 
 (Isaiah Iviii. 13, 14; liii. 10.) 
 
 o 6 
 
SERMON XX. 
 
 •^— 
 
 Luke xvii. 87. 
 
 They ansivered and said unto Him, Where, Lord? 
 A7id He said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, 
 thither ivill the eagles be gathered together. 
 
 1 HE contents of this chapter, especially of 
 the latter part of it, to which my text belongs, 
 are of the most solemn and alarming kind. 
 A question put to Jesus by the Pharisees — 
 when the kingdom of God should come — was 
 the immediate occasion of such His discourse. 
 He began with telling them, that the kingdom, 
 about which they had asked Him, should not 
 presently come with observation, i. e. in a 
 manner to be gazed at, and admired, and shewn, 
 as it were with the finger, to inquirers, but 
 rather in the hidden man of the heart ; and 
 then He forewarned His disciples of much to 
 be suffered, both by Himself and them, and of 
 many terrible things which must intervene, 
 previous to the establishment of it in power 
 and glory. Days resembling those of Noah, 
 and of Lot — days of sudden and sweeping ven- 
 
The Body and the Eagles, ^c. 301 
 
 geance — should first, He gave them to know, be 
 experienced. The ungodly and sinners should 
 be visited with so swift a destruction, that the 
 righteous should be " scarcely saved." He 
 would allow time, in that fearful crisis, for 
 nothing else but flight. If one would stay to 
 collect his worldly goods, he should probably 
 perish with them. If one would look back, 
 after the example of Lot's wife, he should pro- 
 bably forfeit thereby his opportunity to escape. 
 If one would attempt to preserve his life from 
 the impending danger, by denying his profes- 
 sion, or by any unworthy means, he should 
 certainly lose it both temporally and eternally, 
 without remedy ; the only true security should 
 be found, in setting at naught this life, and 
 keeping a fast hold, by faith and hope, on the 
 next. After these awful fore warnings, Jesus 
 proceeded to declare, that of two persons in the 
 same place, or about the same occupation, one 
 should be taken, or fall a prey to the calamity, 
 and the other be left, or permitted to go free 
 from it : and when, at the conclusion of His 
 discourse, the disciples " answered and said 
 " unto Him, Where, Lord ?" His reply to them 
 only was, — " Wheresoever the body is, thither 
 " will the eagles be gathered together." 
 
 I design, now, my brethren, first, to explain 
 the verse proposed, agreeably with the fore- 
 
302 The Body and the Eagles 
 
 going introduction ; and, secondly, to apply it, 
 as written for our admonition, and for all unto 
 whom at any time it shall come. 
 
 First then; "Where, Lord ?" the disciples ask- 
 ed of Jesus, when He had brought His prophetic 
 words to a close. This information they de- 
 sired of Him, respecting, probably, the whole 
 which He had stated to them. Having heard 
 at His mouth of events and circumstances in 
 store, the sound of which might justly make 
 their ears to tingle, a natural wish possessed 
 them to ascertain the place wherein such pre- 
 dictions were to be fulfilled. So, they endea- 
 voured by a precise inquiry to draw it forth 
 from Him ; Where, Lord, they demanded, where 
 shall all these things, which Thou hast foretold, 
 come to pass ? 
 
 But, Jesus could not be thus induced to 
 make known more particulars than He had seen 
 good. He never thought well to satisfy the 
 vain curiosity of those around Him, — not even 
 of His own beloved disciples ; nor would He 
 subjoin anything, in the present instance, which 
 might prevent men of all countries and places 
 from feeling themselves interested in what He 
 had been saying. Accordingly, to their unwise 
 question — Where ? — Jesus replied not, here, in 
 this region, or there, in that, but, in terms of 
 a somewhat mysterious, and general import. 
 
spiritually interpreted. 303 
 
 His Divine wisdom prompted a mode of answer, 
 which will allow none, anywhere, when they 
 shall have heard or read of the preceding mat- 
 ters, to suppose, — these cannot at all pertain to 
 us ; we need not apprehend, or think ahout 
 them. On the contrary, it strongly signifies, 
 that there is no spot under heaven, which may 
 not, in its turn, be made a scene of those wast- 
 ing judgments. "Wheresoever," Jesus proclaim- 
 ed, " the body is, thither will the eagles be 
 " gathered together." This may have been a 
 proverb in common use at that time ; but, 
 whether or not, it is a figure of speech, which 
 may at all times readily be understood. 
 
 St. Matthew more exactly describes our Lord 
 to have said, "Wheresoever the carcass," — the 
 dead body — " is, thither will the eagles be ga- 
 " thered together." To every such spot birds of 
 prey continually come. Seldom do they fail in 
 this our land, presently to find out, and devour 
 the flesh of the few dead bodies which are suffer- 
 ed to lie abroad. But in hotter climates, where 
 birds of the above description more abound, 
 and carcasses are less carefully removed, it is 
 wonderful (travellers report) to observe, how 
 certainly and speedily they do their part. No 
 sooner has an animal fallen, and its life de- 
 parted, than they begin to appear, like scarcely 
 visible specks, in some remote quarter of the 
 
304? The Body and the Eagles 
 
 sky, and to draw with an unerring flight to- 
 wards the place, as if the Most High had spe- 
 cially instructed and sent them, to take away 
 the corrupting matter from off His earth. 
 Wlierefore, by the example of that familiar oc- 
 currence, Jesus signified to His too inquisitive 
 followers, that the devouring anger just pro- 
 claimed by Him, should descend and alight on 
 all places where it might find food, even until 
 the end of the world ; — that proper ministers 
 to execute the Divine sentence of destruction, 
 should be ever ready and forthcoming against 
 the people, wheresoever abiding, who would 
 render themselves objects of it by hardening 
 their hearts in sin, or continuing, as it were, 
 obstinately dead unto righteousness. 
 
 Doubtless, the Jews, and the land of their 
 habitation, were principally intended by Jesus 
 in my text. Them, chiefly, he spake of, as re- 
 sembling a carcass fit only to be preyed upon, 
 and consequently, the country which they were 
 dwelling in, to pollute it, as the chief mark 
 whither God's destroyers, like eagles, would 
 direct their course. The prophet Habakkuk 
 had, many ages before, described the invasion 
 of the Chaldeans, by saying, — " They shall fly 
 " as the eagle that hasteth to eat." (Habakkuk 
 i. 8.) This time the Romans were to be the 
 avengers, and they accordingly are compared 
 
spiritually interpreted, 305 
 
 with eagles by our Lord, — a comparison the 
 more appropriate and remarkable, because 
 images of eagles were carried as standards be- 
 fore the armies of that people. Nevertheless, 
 it appears certain, that He took the opportu- 
 nity to frame an universal warning, that none 
 should disregard His gracious calls to arise, 
 and shake themselves from their dust, and live. 
 Wheresoever any should be found choosing to 
 remain still corrupt, and to lie in wickedness 
 without repentance, thither, Jesus signified, 
 should the executioners of God's righteous in- 
 dignation be soon despatched, and " come with 
 " speed swiftly ;" like ravenous birds they 
 should assemble themselves together, and fall 
 to, and clear away the offensive generation. 
 
 The most cursory attempt to shew how truly, 
 in various instances and ways, this saying of 
 Jesus hath, according to the above interpreta- 
 tion of it, been accomplished, would lead me 
 into histories much too long to be undertaken. 
 I should have to give an account of the dif- 
 ferent tribes on whom the Lord hath caused 
 His fury to rest, and of the manifold destruc- 
 tions which He hath ordained against them, 
 during a period of eighteen hundred years ; 
 and each one of you might go his way from 
 hearing such an extended narrative, without 
 having received any wholesome impression, or 
 
306 The Body and the Eagles 
 
 having been at all seriously disposed by it to 
 judge and reprove himself. Also, the same 
 might in a great degree be the case, were I to 
 speak not more particularly than of our own 
 nation. Many might be ready to confess it a 
 dangerously wicked one, and yet totally over- 
 look their own individual state, though it be a 
 part of the whole which they freely blame. I 
 will therefore merely affirm in passing, that if 
 ever we become a people universally unspiritual 
 and unsound, fierce destroyers, of some kind or 
 another, will surely flock together, and fix on 
 us, as we know them to have anciently fixed 
 on the Jews, and will now proceed more closely 
 to apply the sentence in hand, or to put you 
 singly upon laying it to heart. 
 
 Let every one, therefore, see described in my 
 text, the state of an impenitent transgressor, 
 and the shocking doom which is not far from 
 overtaking him. 
 
 By the words of Jesus under review, a man 
 who will not repent and be converted, is 
 likened unto a dead body, or carcass. Sin hath 
 deceived, and slain him ; he is lying an out- 
 cast, spiritually helpless and lifeless, and hath 
 no signs in him of one inclining to be restor- 
 ed. I am not speaking of the bodily spirit or 
 breath, nor yet of the fleshly mind ; they (both 
 of them) may be, nevertheless, lively and strong. 
 
spiritually iiiterpreted. 307 
 
 A man of the sort which I would describe, is 
 wont to open his mouth and draw in his 
 breath, and to discern the course of this world, 
 and to shew prudence, and energy, and activity 
 in making provision for the flesh, to fulfil the 
 lusts thereof. He is alive, as a beast of the 
 field is alive, so far ; and farther, may be ex- 
 pected to surpass every other animal in worldly 
 sagacity, and voluntary exertion and industry. 
 But all this does not go the length of consti- 
 tuting a man alive unto God. One may even 
 obtain praise for much of this character, and 
 still be counted as dead before Him. While 
 thus doing well unto themselves in a temporal 
 sense, numbers of our fallen race may never 
 breathe so much as a single prayer ; may have 
 no eye to mark the ways of Divine grace and 
 providence ; no ear, wherewith to receive the 
 Divine word ; no understanding exercised to 
 discern, no heart affectionately disposed to em- 
 brace, no members apt, like ready instruments, 
 to perform the Divine will. Many a man, 
 lively enough, as concerning the world, and 
 the flesh, may yet be without all these, — in 
 other words, totally regardless of spiritual 
 things, and, by consequence, spiritually dead. 
 His soul may be without sense or motion, or 
 in a state of feebleness scarcely preferable, not, 
 withstanding the vigour of his carnal mind and 
 
308 The Body and the Eagles 
 
 body; if not absolutely dead, it may be in a 
 manner gasping, and ready to perish, through 
 a neglect of the bread of heaven, and the water 
 of life, beyond every human hope of recovery. 
 — Such may be, such in fact is^ the state of each 
 individual soul, which hath not repented of its 
 natural ignorance and corruption, and humbly 
 betaken itself unto God, in order to be re- 
 newed, and live, by the daily influences of His 
 Spirit. Dead, or virtually dead, in trespasses 
 and sins, a soul, without this preparation, hath 
 no power to accomplish its pilgrimage, but re- 
 sembles a carcass in some desert place, exposed 
 and abandoned to the devourers. 
 
 Nor are the devourers long in coming. The 
 prince of the power of the air, and the spirits 
 which have fallen with him from heaven, pre- 
 sently mark, and take possession of, the pros- 
 trate sinner. Those foul spirits, being always 
 watchful to glut their malice, soon discern, 
 and fly to settle, like ravenous birds of prey, 
 on every soul, which is left destitute of the. 
 life of God. And then, what is it which they 
 proceed to do ? Why, they take possession of 
 the eyes which do not see, and the ears which 
 do not hear, and the heart which does not un- 
 derstand to love it's Creator, and the tongue 
 which does not call upon, nor praise Him. To 
 speak more plainly, in case any soul of man, 
 
spirihiaUy interpreted. 309 
 
 either from the beginning, will not, or, at a 
 later period, will no longer live a spiritual life, 
 but will entirely occupy himself with the world 
 and the flesh, — from such an one his spiritual 
 powers and faculties, infused into him by the 
 Holy Ghost, shall be plucked away ; contrary, 
 and malignant influences — spirits of pride, and 
 envy, and covetousness, and lust, and impa- 
 tience, and uncharitableness — will come over 
 him, and work their way into him, and abolish, 
 as in a moment, or, perhaps, more often gra- 
 dually, all the specious and hopeful parts of his 
 character, and deface in him even his form of 
 virtue. And afterward, within a short time, 
 the last enemy, in some answerable shape, will 
 seize his body. When that which is spiritual, 
 or which ought to be spiritual, shall have been 
 so fastened on and consumed, that which is na- 
 tural shall not long siu'vive. Destruction, sent 
 from God, will approach on rapid wings, to 
 make a full and a perpetual end of such openly 
 reprobate and carnal persons ; unless they be 
 sooner wasted, and brought to the dust of 
 death, by the corroding effects of their own 
 vices. Frequently, indeed, may it be seen 
 that the drunkenness of the drunkard suffices 
 alone, to consume him, and the unhealthy 
 indolence of the slothful man, to devour him. 
 Each one's particular foolishness — I mean each 
 
310 The Body and the Eagles 
 
 transgressors inordinate affection, or unruly 
 passion — commonly wears away its owner, and 
 reduces him, ere long, to a thing of naught ; 
 yea, and even the sinner, that for a time ap- 
 parently thrives by his sin, is often, when 
 least in fear, suddenly turned upon, and de- 
 voured by it. But, besides these ordinary re- 
 sults of giving place to worldly vanities, and 
 fleshly lusts, besides also (let me subjoin in 
 passing) the various evil accidents, and at- 
 tacks, which the carnally-minded are apt to 
 draw on themselves, by the offensive selfishness 
 of their conduct, there are, according to Scrip- 
 ture, certain extraordinary occasions in reserve 
 for the birds of prey to assemble themselves, 
 and, in a manner, to banquet on sinful men. 
 There is a vision of St. John to this effect de- 
 scribed by him towards the end of his revela- 
 tion : " I saw an angel standing in the sun ; 
 '* and he cried with a loud voice, saying to 
 " all the fowls that fly in the midst of hea- 
 " ven, Come and gather yourselves together 
 " unto the supper of the great God ; that ye 
 " may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of 
 " captains, the flesh of mighty men, and the 
 " flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, 
 " and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, 
 " both small and great." (Revelation xix. 17, 
 18.) Who, (let me suggest to you the question,) 
 
spiritiially hiterpreted. e311 
 
 who, that may have survived until then, shall 
 still survive, when God doeth this, — when He 
 sendeth forth so universal an invitation, and 
 maketh so large a slaughter? It is probably 
 one of the grand transactions which are yet to 
 come, and neither the period, nor the manner 
 of it, can hitherto, with any precision, be de- 
 clared. However, be the time of this vision 
 most remote, and its exact meaning impene- 
 trably obscure, nevertheless, you must surely 
 adopt a conviction that the spiritually-minded 
 alone can expect to be saved in that day, and 
 that the horrible destruction therein portrayed, 
 is nothing more than a just emblem of some- 
 what in store, for every soul and body alike of 
 the many, who will serve the world and the 
 flesh. Having no incorruptible stay — no " life 
 " hidden with Christ in God," the crowds who 
 choose these masters, must needs turn misera- 
 bly to corruption, and perish as totally vile 
 and refuse, without any earnest of protection 
 from above, or the consolation of a good hope 
 in their deaths. 
 
 What therefore, you are ready to ask, shall 
 we do, in order not to be thus cast out, and 
 consumed ? I will answer, my brethren, with 
 a view profitably to conclude my discourse, 
 " Watch and pray," and give continual diligence, 
 that, according to the supplication made for 
 
312 The Body and the Eagles 
 
 you in your baptism, all carnal affections may 
 die in you, and all things belonging to the 
 Spirit may live and grow in you. Bear in 
 mind the Scripture .which saith, that " whoso 
 " liveth in pleasure is dead while he liveth," 
 (1 Timothy v. 6.) and consider it as fully ap- 
 plicable to every soul that liveth only unto 
 earthly cares and occupations. Be sure, that 
 every one of merely such a life, is dead in the 
 judgment of his Creator, so as that he must, 
 either presently revive, or become abominable, 
 and be doomed to perish for ever ; and, being 
 sure of this, hearken instantly to the voice 
 which crieth, — " Awake thou that sleepest, and 
 " arise from the dead, and Christ shall give 
 " thee light." (Ephesians v. 14.) And take 
 heed that ye bestir yourselves entirely to awake 
 and arise, as you are called upon, in reliance on 
 the gift of Christ. There is no safety in im- 
 perfect efforts, and half measures. Some per- 
 haps would allege — " We are not far enough 
 " gone to require such a decisive mode of ad- 
 " dress ; though fallen and sinful, and without 
 " spiritual health and strength, still we are not 
 " in a deep sleep, nor dead ; we have remain- 
 " ing in us some spiritual sense and thoughts." 
 But these may exist, and be experienced, and 
 yet have no preserving power. It is a fact, 
 which none are ignorant of, that birds of prey 
 
spiritually interpreted. 313 
 
 will cruelly begin to devour any fallen and 
 helpless animal which they can find, disregard- 
 ing its feeble struggles, and the breath of life 
 which has not left it ; in like manner, num- 
 bers of the human race are daily seized, and 
 sorely handled, by their besetting sins, and 
 kept hold of by them even unto destruction, 
 notwithstanding some better sentiments and 
 desires, because they do not attend sufficiently 
 to the good Shepherd, and use the proper 
 means to attract His aid. Let no man, then, 
 trust in his own spirit, and in the little life 
 (scarcely at the best deserving to be called life) 
 which it may be still retaining, as if that shall 
 save him from the incursions of the destroyer. 
 On the contrary, let every person, who hath 
 once stumbled and fallen, know, that he can 
 never recover himself, and defy his enemies, 
 except by calling to the Saviour of the flock 
 for His timely interference and succour. Let 
 him that is down entreat — Raise Thou me up, 
 and him that standeth — Hold Thou me up, 
 and I shall be safe ; and let all souls depend 
 without ceasing on His Spirit, to keep them 
 from those that seek their hurt, in passing 
 through the present evil world. So, may you 
 confidently hope to be always preserved, and 
 to be made joyful at the last in His salvation. 
 It is not indeed to be disguised, that you must 
 
 p 
 
314 The 'Body and the Eagles 8$c, 
 
 needs die, and be turned to corruption in the 
 grave ; such is the universal lot, which none 
 can by any means escape. Yet, if there be a 
 man who will firmly join himself unto Christ 
 through faith, and will humbly follow, and be 
 led by the Spirit which He imparts, his flesh 
 may surely rest in hope. He shall not be of 
 the number of those, who perish like beasts, 
 and "lie in the hell like sheep, with death 
 " gnawing upon them." But in his dying 
 hour, with whatever terrible circumstances it 
 may come upon him, he will be able to com- 
 fort himself with remembering, " I know that 
 " my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand 
 " at the latter day upon the earth: and though 
 " after my skin, worms destroy this body, yet 
 " in my flesh shall I see God. I shall awake 
 " up after his likeness, incorruptible, and be sa- 
 " tisfied with it more and more." (Job xix. 25, 
 26 ; Psalm xvii. 15.) 
 
SERMON XXI. 
 
 1 Peter iv. 18. 
 
 If the righteous scarcely he saved, ivhere shall the 
 ungodly and the sinner appear f 
 
 L HE Epistle from which these words are 
 taken, appears, by the general tone and matter 
 of it, to have been written under an apprehen- 
 sion of great dangers and perplexities at hand. 
 There is much in it about impending trials, 
 and many arguments to prepare the scattered 
 strangers, unto whom it is addressed, for a pa- 
 tient endurance of the things which were fore- 
 seen to be coming upon them. They were pro- 
 bably inclined to suppose, that, because of their 
 Christian profession, the Almighty would ex- 
 empt them from any share in the approaching 
 calamities. Instead, however, of permitting 
 them to cherish so unwarrantable a notion, 
 St. Peter urges various considerations, derived 
 from the example of Christ in the flesh, to put 
 them upon arming themselves with a mind 
 like unto His, of patience and submission under 
 suffering wrongfully inflicted. He admonishes 
 them on no account to deserve punishment as 
 
 r 2 
 
316 The Righteous scarcely saved. 
 
 evil doers ; and then, so far from being con- 
 founded, or thinking it strange concerning the 
 fiery trial that was about to try them, rather 
 to rejoice in bearing the reproach of Christ, as 
 trusting thus to become partakers of His joy, 
 and to glorify God in the lot ordained for them 
 by His Providence, which was more to be 
 chosen than the best estate of their adversaries, 
 " For," he goes on to say, " the time is come 
 " that judgment must begin at the house (or 
 " church) of God : and if it first begin at us, 
 " what shall the end be of them that obey not 
 " the Gospel of God? And if the righteous 
 " scarcejy be saved, where shall the ungodly 
 " and the sinner appear ? Wherefore, let them 
 " that suffer according to the will of God, com- 
 " mit their souls to Him in well-doing, as unto 
 " a faithful Creator." 
 
 Such, my brethren, is the connection of the 
 verse, which I have selected, with the chapter 
 and Epistle in which it is to be found. It 
 seems, in short, to have been originally uttered 
 with a view to some special tribulation then at 
 hand, and foreseen by the Apostle to be of a 
 nature so extremely perilous, and destined at 
 the first to fall so directly on Christ's disciples, 
 that their case, in human opinion, should ap- 
 pear desperate, or hardly admitting any good 
 deliverance. At the same time, however, the 
 
The Ungodly and the Sinner. 317 
 
 passage proposed is one, which, after the above 
 statement, may be considered, in a great mea- 
 sure, independently of the occasion which first 
 suggested it. Unchangeable as God Himself, 
 are the leading features of His dispensations to 
 us ward. Down to the judgment of the great 
 day, all His dealings with mankind are con- 
 ducted upon the same broad plan, and brought 
 to the same end. Hence, the question, or more 
 properly the appeal to man's reason, — " If the 
 " righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the 
 " ungodly and the sinner appear?" — must, while 
 that day is yet to come, be always seasonable, 
 and in place. Nor were it easy to find another 
 passage, adapted more strongly to impress men 
 with a wholesome sense of danger, and to make 
 them fully aware — both the righteous who may 
 be growing negligent, and the wicked — of what 
 is eventually in store for them. I design, ac- 
 cordingly, at this time, to hold it forth for the 
 common admonition, giving you, first, to ob- 
 serve the fact which it implies, namely, that 
 the righteous scarcely are saved ; and, upon 
 that, the desperate case of ungodly and sinful 
 persons. 
 
 First then ; let me begin with explaining, 
 what is clearly intimated by the words before 
 us, that the righteous scarcely are saved in the 
 days of vengeance and retribution ; — how the 
 
 P 3 
 
318 . The Righteous scarcely saved. 
 
 doctrine should be understood, and how it is 
 evident by many examples contained in Scrip- 
 ture. 
 
 Now, it were wrong for any to imagine, on 
 the ground of this awful declaration, that the 
 righteous have cause to doubt whether, or not, 
 they shall be saved at all. There is nothing 
 of which they can justly be mistrustful, save of 
 their own steadfastness ; for, notwithstanding 
 this which the Apostle hath said, the righteous, 
 provided they continue righteous, may be sure 
 of experiencing, in the end, a most complete and 
 satisfactory salvation. Were the case other- 
 wise — had St. Peter meant any thing contrary 
 — he would not have exhorted in the verse 
 immediately following, — " Wherefore let them 
 " that suffer acording to the will of God, com- 
 " mit their souls unto Him in well-doing, as 
 " unto a faithful Creator." So, the meaning of 
 his words can only be, that the righteous are 
 ordained to be brought nigh, together with the 
 wicked, unto destruction, — that they are suf- 
 fered previously to fall into such great troubles, 
 and difficulties, and dangers, as might well in- 
 duce a despair of salvation, but for the " faith- 
 " ful Creator" whom they have to trust in, — and 
 that, when at the last saved, they are saved by 
 His interference, or by ways and methods of 
 His providing. In short, the word scarcely 
 
The Ungodly and the Sinner, 319 
 
 should be understood of the exertions, and en- 
 durance more than human, and of the superior 
 wisdom which are put in requisition to save 
 the righteous, not of the event itself, or the 
 fact, — that they shall be saved, which standeth 
 sure and unalterable as the truth of God. All 
 who will patiently hold fast by Him in well- 
 doing, shall infallibly by some means be pre- 
 served, and find salvation, in their most perilous 
 time of need. The text makes no doubt of this, 
 but merely teaches that, for the most part, they 
 shall not find it without passing through many 
 straits, and experiencing circumstances of much 
 apparent jeopardy. 
 
 As to the reason^ — why God is wont thus to 
 deal with the righteous, even in saving them, 
 suffice it for the present to remember, that the 
 most righteous have always need of tribulation, 
 to improve and perfect their faith, and make 
 them meet for heavenly glory. As to the fact 
 — that it is such as I have described it to be, a 
 brief reference to some remarkable judgments 
 already past, will help to illustrate and confirm 
 it, with a view to the one, or more, which re- 
 main to come. 
 
 Recollect how the case was with Noah and 
 his family, the salvation of whom in the ark is 
 referred to, in the preceding chapter, by St. 
 Peter. May we not, with much propriety, 
 
 p 4 
 
320 ■ The Righteous scarcely saved. 
 
 regard him, when he came out thence after the 
 flood, as a striking example of the doctrine 
 above laid down? Many previous days and 
 years had he laboured, in the midst probably 
 of jests and reproaches, preparing his house of 
 refuge ; and then, in that naturally frail vessel, 
 he had to float up and down on the mighty 
 waters of the deluge, while the rains descend- 
 ed, and the winds blew, and all the waves and 
 storms of Divine vengeance were raging around, 
 and above, and beneath him. Surely, accord- 
 ing to the description which we have received, 
 that righteous Patriarch, having worked out 
 his salvation with fear and trembling, was yet 
 scarcely J?aved from destruction. (Genesis vi. 
 vii. viii.) Recollect also the account of Lot ; — 
 how scarcely he was saved in the day of the 
 overthrow of Sodom. When the fatal morning 
 arose, the angels hastened Lot, saying, " Arise, 
 " — lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the 
 " city. And while he lingered, they laid hold 
 " upon his hand, — and brought him forth, and 
 " set him without the city, and said. Escape 
 " for thy life ; look not behind thee, neither 
 *' stay thou in all the plain, lest thou be con- 
 " sumed :" (Genesis xix. 15, &c.) — a breach of 
 which injunction, in the single particular of 
 looking behind, proved death to the one of his 
 family who committed it. Moreover remem- 
 
The Utigodly caul t/ie Sinner. 321 
 
 ber the destruction of Jerusalem ; or rather, 
 since that terrible event is not recorded in Holy 
 Scripture, call to mind our Lord's declaration, 
 when foretelling the circumstances of it to His 
 disciples ; — " Then shall be great tribulation. 
 " And except those days should be shortened, 
 " there should no flesh be saved : but for the 
 " elect's sake those days shall be shortened." 
 (Matt. xxiv. 21, 22.) 
 
 So scarcely were the righteous saved in those 
 former periods of vengeance. But they are 
 represented to us by the Gospel as signs of the 
 vengeance to be revealed hereafter ; shall the 
 righteous, therefore, in that future day, be more 
 easily saved than those of old ? There is no 
 ground for such an expectation. St. Peter, in 
 his Second Epistle, hath forewarned us, — " The 
 " day of the Lord will so come as a thief in the 
 " night ; in the which the heavens shall pass 
 " away with a great noise, and the elements 
 " shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also, 
 '* and the works that are therein, shall be burn- 
 " ed up." (2 Peter iii. 10.)—" I saw,"— it hath 
 been written by St. John, — " a great white 
 " throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose 
 " face the heaven and the earth fled away ; 
 " and there was found no place for them." (Rev. 
 XX. 11.) Can you suppose, my brethren, that 
 flesh and blood shall be easily saved — shall seem 
 
 P 5 
 
322 The Righteous scarcely saved. 
 
 to be in no great danger, amid so extensive and 
 sudden a destruction ? Will not the most right- 
 eous be rather constrained, by the mere hearing 
 of it, to take up the parable of Balaam, and ex- 
 claim, — " Alas, who shall live when God doeth 
 " this !" (Numbers xxiv. 23.) 
 
 Yet this is in fact nothing more than the in- 
 troduction to what God hath determined then 
 to do. Hear the beloved disciple in continua- 
 tion ; — " And I saw the dead, both small and 
 " great, stand before God ; and the books were 
 " opened : — and the dead were judged out of 
 " those things that were written in the books, 
 " according to their works." (Rev. xx. 12.) 
 Where, accordingly, it is here obvious to de- 
 mand, where is that righteous person, who, 
 upon a review of his past life, will not see oc- 
 casion most earnestly to deprecate such a scru- 
 tiny ? Nothing better than ignorance and pre- 
 sumption, can induce any human creature to 
 think of standing uncondemned by virtue of 
 his own works, before the tribunal of a holy, 
 and an all-seeing Judge. "If thou, Lord, 
 " shouldest be extreme to mark what is done 
 " amiss, O Lord, who may abide it ?" " Enter 
 " not into judgment with Thy servant : for in 
 " Thy sight shall no man living be justified ;" — 
 (Psalm cxxx. 3 ; cxliii. 2.) these certainly ought 
 to be the sentiments of every humble right- 
 
The Ungodly and the Sinner. 323 
 
 eous person, while looking forward to that last 
 account. 
 
 Still, as we are repeatedly forewarned, God 
 surely will take account of His servants. None, 
 let them ever so humbly and earnestly beseech 
 Him, can be excused from appearing at His 
 judgment-seat. Also, the case may be put, 
 that an accuser will be there, to plead against 
 such as God would approve. By the beloved 
 disciple, Satan is called " the accuser of the 
 " brethren^ who accused them night and day 
 " before God," (Rev. xii. 10.) and he is de- 
 scribed to us actually doing so in the cases of 
 Job, (Job ii. 4, 5.) and of Joshua. (Zechariah 
 iii. 1, &c.) However, he is to be previously 
 cast down, and shall hardly be suffered to re- 
 sume his malignant office in the judgment of 
 the great day, when his own final doom is to 
 be awarded to him. But this we cannot doubt, 
 that the most upright will then need, as Joshua 
 did, the interposition of an advocate in his be- 
 half. Although a man's conscience be his only 
 accuser before the throne, how gladly, even in 
 such case, will he hear his Redeemer command- 
 ing to take away the remainder of his corrup- 
 tion and clothe him with garments of righteous- 
 ness, and exclaiming over him, in his changed 
 apparel, — " Is not this a brand plucked out of 
 " the fire ?" 
 
 p6 
 
324 The Righteous scarcely saved. 
 
 There can be no occasion to dwell longer on 
 this topic. You cannot, let me suppose, be need- 
 ing more to convince you, that the righteous 
 are scarcely saved in the d^y of wrath, inso- 
 much that they often seem to be within a little 
 step of destruction. Hence, then, I will pro- 
 ceed to impress upon you the fearful case of 
 the ungodly and the sinner. 
 
 Where, accordingly, in time of peril to the 
 righteous, is it reasonable to suppose that per- 
 sons of such a description shall be found ? Since 
 the righteous are scarcely saved, we must al- 
 most necessarily conclude that they shall not 
 be saved at all. This, arguing from the one 
 case to the other, might be our own not uncer- 
 tain conjecture. What, however, hath always, 
 in fact, been their portion ? and what saith the 
 Scripture concerning them ? Truly, in the ex- 
 amples to which I have referred you, it was 
 from the furiousness of the Divine anger pro- 
 voked by, and let loose against, these men, that 
 the righteous so narrowly escaped. Where ap- 
 peared the world of the ungodly, when Noah 
 had entered into the ark ? — where, when, with 
 a friendly violence, the angels had thrust Lot 
 out of Sodom ? — where, be it added, when the 
 children of Israel had come up from the deep 
 of the Red sea? — where, I repeat, on these, 
 and on other similar occasions, appeared the 
 
The Ungodly and the Sin7ier. 325 
 
 ungodly and the sinner ? Behold them always 
 in the very midst of the plague, the principal 
 marks of Almighty vengeance ! The floods 
 overwhelmed them, the flame burned them up, 
 the waves returned on them ; " not one of them 
 " escaped." And thus. Holy Scripture positively 
 testifies, shall it evermore be with all of such 
 a character, when God ariseth to judgment. 
 " Upon the ungodly He shall rain snares, fire 
 " and brimstone, storm and tempest, this shall 
 " be their portion to drink : — the wicked shall 
 " be turned into hell, and all the people that 
 " forget God." (Psalm ix. 17.) 
 
 So far, my brethren, I have shewn you the 
 answer which must be returned to the question, 
 or rather appeal of St. Peter. But further, it 
 will behove you to observe, how many, and 
 what kind of men, have to expect the portion 
 of the ungodly : and, in order to this, the pas- 
 sage last above cited may conveniently be taken 
 for a guide. 
 
 By that therefore, which the Psalmist hath 
 said, namely, " the wicked shall be turned into 
 " hell, and all the people that forget God," we 
 are given to understand, that under the term 
 ungodly all who forget God are comprised. 
 The sinner is any wilful and presumptuous 
 transgressor of God's law ; the ungodly are the 
 more numerous class, who neglect duly to ac- 
 
326 The Righteous scarcely saved, 
 
 knowledge God in their ways, who live to 
 themselves, and to the world, more than unto 
 Him, and who, whether outwardly they break, 
 or keep His commandments, have no hearty 
 and entire respect to them. For instance, the 
 men of Sodom, who compassed Lot's door, 
 were sinners in the strongest sense, and were 
 doomed irrevocably to die ; whereas his sons- 
 in-law, who might have been saved, but for 
 their neglect of the Divine warning, were the 
 ungodly. (Genesis xix.) Regarding likewise the 
 days before the flood, among the violent and 
 corrupt sinners of those days, we have de- 
 scribed a class of mere ungodly persons, who 
 were stupidly eating and drinking, marrying 
 and giving in marriage, when the fatal period 
 arrived. (Matthew xxiv. 38, 39.) And very 
 many of a similar description are to be met 
 with in every age, — men who care not enough 
 about God purposely either to please, or offend 
 Him, who resolve what to do, and what not to 
 do, without any reference to His will, and who 
 live on from year to year, just as their fallen 
 nature and temporal interests incline them, not- 
 withstanding the urgent exhortations, and the 
 constraining promises and threatenings of His 
 word. Now these men, whatever terrible judg- 
 ments may be appointed, cannot expect a good 
 deliverance. They have no reason to hope 
 
The Ungodly and the Sinner. 327 
 
 that the Divine Being, whom they forget, will 
 graciously remember, and prove a Saviour unto 
 them. " If the righteous scarcely are saved" 
 in the perilous time, verily they have none 
 other lot to expect than that which hath in- 
 variably befallen them — the same with the 
 wicked, or the sinner. It is contrary to all pro- 
 bability, that the Lord should ever shew Him- 
 self strong and active to rescue a people, who 
 have Him not either in their thoughts or 
 ways. Perdition is their native inheritance 
 from Adam ; and the Almighty, who alone is 
 able, will never undertake for such a people to 
 avert it. 
 
 Accordingly, in drawing to a conclusion, let 
 us observe for a moment, the necessity of a 
 constant circumspection, and waiting upon God, 
 in order to the attainment of salvation. Men 
 are fond of supposing that this precious and in- 
 dispensable benefit, is to be secured upon very 
 easy terms, — as it were, in the common course 
 of things, and that nothing short of some gross 
 wickedness can bring them into hazard of los- 
 ing it. But the scripture which has been just 
 considered, is, beyond dispute, to the contrary 
 effect. Thence it hath more truly been in- 
 ferred, that even the righteous shall not easily 
 abide the day of wrath ; and that, for the un- 
 godly and the sinner — meaning not only the 
 
328 . The Righteous scarcely saved, 
 
 wicked, but also the careless and irreligious — 
 there is, by consequence, no prospect of safety. 
 What doctrine, now, more than this, should 
 avail to quicken the souls of men, and excite 
 them to spiritual activity, ere they fall a prey 
 to calamity and destruction ? The sinner, un- 
 less he be quite past feeling, and given over to 
 a reprobate mind, cannot but tremble, and turn 
 from his wicked way, when he remembers the 
 vengeance which most certainly awaits him : 
 the ungodly, if he will take heed to the things 
 which have been spoken, must perceive the im- 
 portance of becoming godly, or of diligently ac- 
 quainting himself with God in Christ, while 
 the days, of grace are prolonged, lest he be 
 finally numbered with those, whom for the pre- 
 sent he would indignantly disown ; and the 
 righteous will never cease to watch and strive 
 with constant supplication, computing that, if 
 at the best he be scarcely saved, great indeed 
 must be his danger, should he, in a degree only, 
 relax his exertions. — At the same time, this 
 should not, nor will it by piously disposed 
 minds, be accounted a harsh, or a discourag- 
 ing doctrine. Recollecting that the righteous 
 scarcely are saved, let us, my brethren, finally, 
 determine to hearken to and obey the voice of 
 the Lord God, to inquire with unfeigned humi- 
 lity what He would have us to believe, and do, 
 
The Ungodly and the Sinner, 329 
 
 and never in any wise to resist His will con- 
 cerning us, or treat His declarations of it with 
 neglect. Thus implicitly submitting ourselves 
 to the Divine righteousness, we shall be kept 
 by Divine Providence, and in no case utterly 
 be cast away. Dangers may thicken around 
 him, until there seem no possibility of escape, 
 yet " the just shall live by his faith," and, pos- 
 sessing his soul in patience, shall eventually 
 rise superior to them for ever. When the 
 terror of the world is at its height, when the 
 ungodly and the sinner are seeking in vain to 
 hide themselves, then shall he begin to look up, 
 and lift up his head, being assured that his re- 
 demption is at hand. And, after all, having 
 attained the end of his faith, how delightful to 
 him, in proportion to their amount, will be his 
 remembrance of the trials which he hath under- 
 gone. On being exalted to the realms of peace 
 and glory, surely with joy will each one ex- 
 claim unto God, — " O what great troubles 
 " and adversities hast Thou shewed me, and 
 " yet didst Thou turn and refresh me, yea, and 
 " broughtest me from the deep of the earth 
 " again. I went through fire and water, and 
 " Thou broughtest me out into a wealthy 
 " place. — Thou hast brought me to great ho- 
 " nour, and comforted me on every side. There- 
 " fore shall every good man sing of Thy praise 
 
330 The Righteous scarcely saved. 
 
 " without ceasing : — O my God, I will give 
 " thanks unto Thee for ever." (Psalm Ixxi. 18. 
 XXX. 13.) 
 
SERMON XXII. 
 
 Proverbs xi. 18. 
 
 The ivicked ivorketh a deceitful work; hut to him 
 that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward. 
 
 X HIS doctrine is variously delivered by Solo- 
 mon in other verses of a nearly similar pur- 
 port. The whole chapter appears to have been 
 composed under a lively sense of the miserable 
 disappointments, and evil consequences annexed 
 to sin, and of the blessings, which may confi- 
 dently be expected to result from a persever- 
 ance in the good and right way. He that will 
 search, may find repeatedly described in it, the 
 opposite events of these opposite courses, for 
 the general warning and encouragement of man- 
 kind. 
 
 It is usual to set a high value on all sen- 
 tences which have obtained the title of jrro- 
 verhs : we are wont to esteem such sentences 
 in the light of well established truths, disco- 
 vered and confirmed by the experience of for- 
 mer generations ; and accordingly, to resort to 
 them as to sure guides or resting-places, when 
 
332 The opposite Results of 
 
 doubts and perplexities overtake us. Still, the 
 most current sayings of merely human wisdom 
 are not always, and indiscriminately, to be re- 
 ceived. Some, perhaps, there are, which would 
 teach us to do rightly, upon wrong or defec- 
 tive principles, others, which would prompt us 
 at once to think, and to act amiss, in order to 
 extricate ourselves from difficulty. The na- 
 tural man is hardly disposed to form worthy 
 notions of what is due from him to God, and 
 his neighbour. His sentences, touching these 
 two main branches of conduct, will savour, 
 oftener than not, of a culpable selfishness, and 
 of irreligion. They are, for the most part, 
 rather maxims of cold and self-interested po- 
 licy than salutary admonitions and excitements. 
 The tone and substance of them ordinarily is, 
 as if it were our prevailing practice to have a 
 regard to God and our fellow-creatures, beyond 
 prudence, and the measure necessary to be ob- 
 served. We should rejoice, therefore, that 
 some proverbs have come down to us, bearing 
 the impress of the Divine mind, and conse- 
 quently worthy of all acceptation. Those of 
 Solomon, having been suggested to him by the 
 " Spirit of wisdom and understanding," are 
 on that account most strongly claiming our 
 esteem ; among which, the one selected for my 
 text is a proverb of lasting and universal im- 
 
TVkkedness and Righteousness. 333 
 
 portance. Hence, I will proceed to shew the 
 truth of what it teaches, first, — concerning the 
 wicked, that he worketh a deceitful work; and, 
 secondly, — concerning the man who soweth 
 righteousness, that unto liim shall be a sure re- 
 ward. 
 
 First then ; " the wicked man worketh a de- 
 " ceitful work." Truly the work of the wicked 
 is answerable, in more senses than one, to this 
 very dishonourable imputation. Let me begin 
 with stating it to be a deceitful work, for that 
 it is commonly devised by him, and under- 
 taken, with an intention to deceive his neigh- 
 bour. Few of the deeds of the wicked are such 
 as he can be willing to have clearly seen : he 
 still wishes to stand fair with the world, and 
 invents some disguise for every work which he 
 supposes will otherwise destroy his character. 
 Also, in a large number of cases, he plans his 
 work deceitfully for the purpose of promoting 
 it's success. None will yield themselves to be 
 wickedly practised upon, knowing what they 
 do. Wherefore, the wicked person must needs 
 deceive his neighbour, whenever he has occa- 
 sion to make use of him. This he frequently 
 attempts, by assigning good names to his evil 
 pursuits ; and thus he too often prevails, not 
 only to escape rebidce and opposition, but even 
 to draw after him better disposed persons, who 
 
334 The opposite Results of 
 
 would abhor the idea, proposed to them in 
 plain terms, of casting in their lot with him, or 
 of consenting to his principles and ways. 
 
 But such a representation of the deceitful- 
 ness of his work, is rather likely to put others 
 on their guard, than to deter the wicked man 
 himself from persisting in it. He, perhaps, has 
 no mind to be ashamed of his cunning crafti- 
 ness, whereby he lies in wait to deceive, (Ephe- 
 sians iv. 14,) and of having taken many with 
 guile, to the great discomfort, if not the ruin, 
 of their souls. Observe therefore, my brethren, 
 further, (which Solomon appears to have chiefly 
 intended,) that the work of the wicked is de- 
 ceitful with respect to the wicked by whom it 
 is wrought, being attended by miscarriage and 
 disappointment. The event of it, will, for the 
 most part, prove directly contrary to his fond- 
 est expectations ; and, in case he can bring his 
 designs to pass, there will result to him no real 
 satisfaction, but, more frequently, confusion and 
 disgust. 
 
 Whether earthly events be considered in the 
 most common (though improper) light, as ac- 
 cidental, or be supposed " ordered in all things 
 " and sure," by the secret arrangements of Di- 
 vine Providence, — which ever of these views 
 shall be adopted, it is probable that the work 
 of the wicked man will deceive him. " The 
 
Wickedness and Righteousness. 335 
 
 " race is not always to the swift, nor the battle 
 " to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, 
 " nor yet riches to men of vmderstanding, nor 
 " yet favour to men of skill ; but time and 
 " chance happeneth to them all." (Eccles. ix. 
 11.) Accordingly, a wicked man will often- 
 times be thwarted merely in the common course 
 of affairs, and find his best concerted plans 
 brought to nought, by what are called " the 
 " changes and chances of this mortal life." But 
 when, instead of thus speaking, we more pro- 
 perly ascribe every thing which turns up, to 
 the hidden counsels of the Almighty, the con- 
 dition of the wicked becomes gloomy indeed. 
 Then his prospect is, to see all the hopes, where- 
 with he hath compassed himself about, disap- 
 pear, one after another, like mere sparks, and 
 to labour, as it were, in the very fire, and to 
 weary himself for very vanity, and to lie down, 
 at the last, in sorrow. Then he may look to 
 be taken in his own craftiness, and to expe- 
 rience something directly opposite to his most 
 favourite expectations and desires. The right- 
 eous Governor of the world not unfrequently 
 displays His power and wisdom, in thus defeat- 
 ing the schemes, and disconcerting the exer- 
 tions, of wicked men ; or if He lets them for a 
 moment seem to prosper, it is only that they 
 may climb up into a slippery place, and from 
 
336 The opjjosite llesidfs of 
 
 that the more signally be cast down. (Psalm 
 Ixxiii. 16.) 
 
 Also, it is a point to be particularly noticed, 
 how deceitful in possession are the objects, to- 
 wards which the work of the wicked man is 
 directed. Imagine him to have made them 
 fully and firmly his own, then he presently 
 finds them to be wearisome and unprofitable, 
 and begins, in time, to regard them even with 
 loathing. Such is the best recompense of wick- 
 edness. That, for which a man hath deter- 
 mined to " rise up early, and late take rest, and 
 " eat the bread of carefulness," (Psalm cxxvii. 
 ^.) and to forfeit at the same time the Divine 
 blessing, *by committing ungodliness and wrongs 
 — that, for which he hath thought fit thus to 
 wear his body, and to give his soul in exchange, 
 is rendered of no worth to him, yea, rather a 
 vexation, when he has gotten it. Strange (yet 
 true) to say, the deceitfulness of his work is, in 
 many cases, made known to the wicked, by 
 what he would have called its prosperous ter- 
 mination. As when the Israelites " required 
 " meat for their lusts," God " gave them their 
 " desire, and sent leanness withal into their 
 " souls," (Psalm cvi. 15,) so is the attainment 
 of an unlawful object, or of a lawful object by 
 unlawful means, commonly followed by dissa- 
 tisfaction and disgust. What appeared pro- 
 
JFickedness and Righteousness. 537 
 
 fitable and delightful at a distance, and not so 
 very wicked, during the hurry and eagerness 
 of striving for it, assumes a different aspect 
 when acquired, and more nearly and delibe- 
 rately surveyed. Then is the wicked man 
 soon ashamed of the thing which he hath de- 
 sired, and confounded for that which he hath 
 chosen ; remorse of conscience suddenly over- 
 takes him, and he feels himself cursed in the 
 very success, whence he had hoped to derive an 
 abundance of joy. 
 
 The case of the Jews, who crucified Jesus 
 Christ, and that of Judas, who betrayed Him to 
 them, may be cited as apposite examples of the 
 deceitful nature, which has been above ascribed 
 unto wickedness. The Jews were resolved, at 
 all hazards, in despite both of godliness and 
 charity, to make a quick end of Jesus Christ, 
 and His Gospel. Accordingly, they took coun- 
 sel against Him, and crucified him, as the 
 surest way to accomplish their resolution. But 
 most contrary was the event of their work to 
 every expectation which they had conceived. 
 By lifting Him up on the cross, they in fact 
 established what they intended to destroy ; in 
 other words, they made it evident, by thus ful- 
 filling upon Him all which the pro])hets had 
 spoken, that Jesus of Nazareth was the pro- 
 mised Saviour of the world, and prepared the 
 
338 The opposite Results of 
 
 way for Him to His kingdom and glory. (Luke 
 xxiv. 25, 26.) So completely did the wicked 
 Jews fail of their intent, and contribute to their 
 own shameful discomfiture, on that ever me- 
 morable occasion. Nor did Judas, their accom- 
 plice in wickedness, find himself less entirely 
 deceived, although in a different way. He 
 gained the wages of his iniquity, i. e. the thirty 
 pieces of silver, but they afforded him not the 
 expected gratification. Nay, however strong 
 might have been his previous desire of the 
 bribe, his hatred of it presently waxed stronger; 
 he could not bear to retain it in his possession, 
 or to think of the means by which it had been 
 acquired. The betrayer of Jesus came, and 
 threw down his reward in the temple, before 
 the persons from whom he had received it, and 
 departed, and went and hanged himself. (Matt, 
 xxvii. 3, 4, 5.) • 
 
 You will now, on the one hand, sufficiently 
 have seen that the wicked worketh a deceitful 
 work. It is time therefore, secondly, and on 
 the other hand, to set forth, that " to him who 
 " soweth righteousness shall be a sure re- 
 " ward." 
 
 The mere form of expression in this clause, 
 is calculated to infuse into our minds a lively 
 apprehension of its truth. It seems exactly 
 contrived to signify, that the work of the 
 
Wickedness and Righteousness, 339 
 
 righteous is not, like that of the wicked, de- 
 ceitful or vain in the event. But, as he that 
 casteth seed into the ground is known to find, 
 with scarcely an exception, some answerable 
 retui'n in due season, so, to him that will exer- 
 cise himself in righteousness, shall result a cor- 
 responding, and a satisfactory recompense of 
 his labour. He shall reap according to that he 
 hath sown, and his soul shall have a delight 
 therein. 
 
 According to that he hath sown, shall be 
 the harvest of the righteous man. Those acci- 
 dents, which so commonly derange the pros- 
 pects of the wicked, and by which the hopes of 
 the natural husbandman are sometimes indeed 
 grievously disappointed, can never materially 
 affect the results of his work. For, though in 
 this house of his pilgrimage, the righteous is 
 not exempt from misfortunes, yet the fruit, or 
 reward, for which he hath chosen to labour, is 
 far beyond the reach of their influence. That 
 he hath, prepared and laid up until he be ready 
 for it, in a place whither no stormy winds can 
 penetrate, neither can the heat nor sun smite it, 
 and where, throughout all the tempestuous sea- 
 sons of life, it is secured from the power of 
 evil, to be an "anchor of the soul, both sure 
 " and steadfast" against adversity. 
 
 Besides, the same Divine Providence, wliicli 
 
 q2 
 
340 The opposite Results of 
 
 is often remarkably exerted to frustrate the 
 work of the wicked, and make it produce some 
 contrary effect, appears equally ready and ac- 
 tive to prosper the pious diligence of the right- 
 eous : " The righteous Lord loveth righteous- 
 " ness :" (Psalm xi. 7.) accordingly he will see, 
 or take care, that not one, who, out of an ho- 
 nest and good heart, soweth it, shall by any 
 means lose his reward. To him, "who by 
 " patient continuance in well doing, seeketh for 
 " glory, honour, and immortality," the recom- 
 pense of eternal life is expressly promised by 
 God. (Romans ii. 7.) Not all the violence, 
 therefore, of death and hell, not evil men and 
 evil angels united, can prevail to intercept it 
 from him. As, " though hand join in hand, 
 " the wicked shall not be unpunished," neither 
 shall the righteous be unrewarded. Let him 
 only stand fast, and persevere in the way|of 
 righteousness, and his crown of life is no less 
 sure to him than " the foundation of God," who 
 is the Giver of it. (2 Timothy ii. 19.) Nothing 
 can disappoint him of that his chiefest hope, 
 provided he will continue without wavering in 
 the faith and duties of his Christian profession. 
 The wicked alone are doomed to experience 
 events, of a kind altogether different from those, 
 to which their cunning and exertions have been 
 directed. He that soweth righteousness is en- 
 
Wickedness and Rh/iteoiisness, 341 
 
 •to 
 
 titled to cherish a better ex2)ectation : that pre- 
 cious seed will, in due season, bring forth tlie 
 desired fruits of spiritual peace and joy, in- 
 creasing ever more and more to the truly 
 righteous man. 
 
 And, hereupon, let me further declare, that 
 as every such character may be certain of ulti- 
 mately obtaining his desires, so may he feel 
 likewise certain of being abundantly satisfied 
 therewith. To /ii?)i, there is no more danger 
 of disappointment in the possession of his re- 
 ward, than in the expectation of it ; for, in 
 such proportioi; as heaven is higher or better 
 than the earth, a man's experience of the hap- 
 piness reserved in that excellent place, must sur- 
 pass all his preconceived ideas. No one that 
 shall have been admitted into heaven, will find 
 himself in any degree to have come short of 
 his hope. No one, while enjoying it's glories, 
 will regret his past labour and tribulation, his 
 watchings and strivings, and habitual self-de- 
 nial, as if he had obtained by them somewhat 
 less than he had desired. Rather, will the 
 inmates of that blessed place be inclined to 
 wonder at the greatness of their salvation, as 
 strangely exceeding all their earthly anticipa- 
 tions. Rather, will they confess with joy un- 
 speakable, not only that the whole which they 
 have done and suffered in the flesh, with a view 
 
 Q 3 
 
342 The opposite Results of 
 
 to it, appears no longer worthy of being remem- 
 bered, but, moreover, that the attainment of 
 such a glorious rest would have been cheaply 
 secured, by far greater sacrifices and pains, 
 during the time of their mortal lives. Or, 
 perhaps, they will look back upon, and call to 
 mind, with a feeling of lively satisfaction, what 
 they will then indeed be ready to term the 
 " light and momentary afflictions" of their for- 
 mer state, considering, that through them, they 
 have succeeded to inherit so vast a portion of 
 solid and enduring bliss. 
 
 Deceitful, therefore, in every respect, as you 
 may have seen the work of the wicked to be, 
 equally sure, in all points, will be the reward 
 of him who soweth righteousness. It now only 
 remains for me to conclude with a few words 
 of appropriate counsel and exhortation. 
 
 You are convinced, then, I will suppose, of 
 the truth of Solomon's proverb, and of the 
 above discourse which has been framed upon 
 it. And in such case you cannot reasonably 
 hesitate, where, or amongst whom, it will be 
 best to stand, whether amongst them who sow 
 righteousness, or amongst the wicked. Truly 
 there should seem to be no room for choice, no 
 need of a moment's deliberation, between the 
 two opposite conditions which have been set 
 in view. Not one of you, my brethren, in his 
 
TVickedness and Itighleoiisness, 343 
 
 sober judgment, will hold it better to work 
 upon deceitful, than upon sure grounds ; not 
 one of you probably will reckon it tolerable, or 
 any thing much short of madness, to travail 
 continually for naught, and to feed on the bit- 
 ter ashes of disappointment, while a never-fail- 
 ing and an abundant recompense is proposed 
 by God himself, to every man who will dili- 
 gently strive for it. Wherefore, to depart from 
 every evil way, and instantly to follow after 
 righteousness, must appear, on a recollection of 
 the whole, to be the only course, which a man 
 of a commonly good understanding can adopt. 
 But, who knows not — who, that has ever seri- 
 ously made an attempt, is not aware, how much 
 easier it is to discern the path of wisdom, than 
 worthily, and with steadfastness, to pursue it ? 
 There is scarcely a man living who may not, 
 by his own experience, have learned to believe, 
 that, of the many thousands who are always 
 working a deceitful work, by far the greater 
 number have sense enough to perceive their 
 folly : nay, themselves will frequently confess 
 as much, lamenting, at the same time, their 
 inability to withstand the lusts and passions of 
 their unruly nature, which, having once gotten 
 the mastery of them, will never cease from com- 
 pelling them, with their eyes open, unto perdi- 
 tion. Hence, the final effect of such passages 
 
 Q 4 
 
344 The opposite Results S)C. 
 
 as the one before us should be, to put a man 
 upon seeking help from above. Let me, accord- 
 ingly, close with exhorting you to watch and 
 pray always for the sufficient aid of God's Holy 
 Spirit, which He hath promised, through Jesus 
 Christ, to them who will heartily desire it of 
 Him, that they may be enabled really to em- 
 brace the better part. Since you cannot plead 
 ignorance of the things which are good and 
 l^rofitable for man, daily implore the Divine 
 mercy to set you at liberty from the tyranny 
 of Satan, and the entanglements of the world 
 and the flesh, and to give you courage and 
 strength for the purpose of acceptably doing 
 such things. Thus alone may you hope, in 
 this fallen state, not only to see, but also, hap- 
 pily to eschew and escape, the deceitfulness and 
 miseries of a wicked course. Thus alone can 
 you have power, so worthily to persist in sow- 
 ing righteousness, as not to fail of reaping a 
 joyful harvest, in the day of the resurrection of 
 the just. 
 
SERMON XXIII. 
 
 Jeremiah xxiii. 7, 8. 
 
 Therefore^ behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that 
 they shall no more say, The Lord liveth, which 
 brought itp the children of Israel out of the land of 
 Egypt ; but, The Lord liveth, which brought up 
 and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of 
 the 7iorth country, and from all countries ivhither I 
 had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own 
 land. 
 
 L HIS prophetical passage from the Old Tes- 
 tament, stands appointed, on a certain occasion, 
 by the Church, instead of one from the Epistles 
 of the New. It was, probably, with a view to 
 the approaching season of Advent, that such an 
 appointment was originally made. Be the rea- 
 son, however, what it may, a prophecy of a 
 highly interesting character is thus specially 
 commended, year by year, to our attention. 
 
 During all time both of their wealth and tri- 
 bulation, it was, no doubt, a recollection full of 
 delight and comfort to believing Israelites, that 
 their only Lord God would abide continually, 
 and reign. Not least, perhaps, in time of tri- 
 bulation, we may suppose them to have been 
 
 Q 5 
 
346 The Restoration of the Seed 
 
 fond of talking about His former doings, of re- 
 peating the great deliverances which He had 
 wrought for their forefathers, and of putting 
 one another in remembrance of Him, as " the 
 " living God, and steadfast for ever, whose do- 
 " minion should be even unto the end." The 
 times, or circumstances which gave occasion to 
 my text, were clearly of this latter kind. " The 
 " Lord liveth, which brought up the children 
 " of Israel out of the land of Egypt," seems 
 to have been, at that period, a familiar saying 
 amongst the people. And this may signify the 
 general nature of their distress. Wherefore 
 should they be recurring to that ancient mercy, 
 instead of to many more recent ones, except 
 because their situation had almost come to re- 
 semble that of their ancestors under Egyptian 
 bondage, and to require an exertion of the Di- 
 vine arm, such as had brought them up out of 
 it? But, in fact, we may know this to have 
 been the case with the Jews. The destruction 
 of their city and temple by Nebuchadnezzar, 
 and the carrying away of themselves as cap- 
 tives into Babylon, were, when Jeremiah wrote, 
 events decidedly at hand ; and to derive good 
 hopes for the future, from some answerable 
 past events, which in process of time had ended 
 favourably, through the mighty power of God, 
 was their only present consolation. " There- 
 
of the House of Israel. 347 
 
 " fore," said they, "the Lord liveth, who ])rouglit 
 " up the children of Israel out of the laud of 
 " Egypt ; — the same Lord is still in being who 
 " performed that mercy for our fathers ; surely, 
 " He will not fail to bring us up also, in like 
 " manner, after that we have suffered a while, 
 " from Babylon, whither we are expecting to 
 " be led captive." 
 
 Hereupon, the prophet was commissioned to 
 confirm the Jews in their piously-founded hopes, 
 by assuring them of an excellent redemption 
 in store. Jeremiah declared to them, as from 
 the Lord, that the days were drawing on, when 
 their mention of the past shovild be superseded 
 by a yet more glorious restoration ; — when they 
 should no longer have occasion to recall that 
 ancient rescue of their tribes from Egypt, for 
 their encouragement in periods of calamity or 
 danger, but should rather take a new song, 
 even a song of thanksgiving, into their mouths, 
 for lovingkindness shewn upon themselves. In 
 those days, they should say, every man to his 
 neighbour, — " The Lord liveth, which brought 
 " up and which led the seed of the house of 
 " Israel out of the north country, and from all 
 " countries whither He had driven them ;" and 
 they should " dwell," the prophet also foretold, 
 " in their own land," — ahidc, i. e. in peace and 
 safety, unmolested by any invading adversary. 
 
 (^6 
 
348 . The Restoration of the Seed 
 
 These verses, my brethren, which have now 
 sufficiently been introduced to you, of Jeremiah, 
 may have been received by the Jews of that 
 time, simply as pertaining to their deliverance, 
 at the end of the seventy appointed years, from 
 Babylon. That, they may have imagined, 
 though not a greater, would ever after be a 
 fresher instance of mercy, and, consequently, be 
 occupying the principal place in their minds. 
 Nevertheless, I propose on the whole to argue, 
 that the place of Scripture before us must have 
 been intended to stand as a prediction of a far 
 more generally important event ; and then to 
 shew, how it may continually be applied by 
 Christians. to their own condition, in the midst 
 of the present evil world. 
 
 First, the word therefore, in the opening of 
 my text — *' Therefore, behold, the days come, 
 " saith the Lord," — directs us to look back, and 
 remark on what the coming of such days de- 
 pends. It depends, you may find, on the rais- 
 ing up of " a righteous Branch unto David," of 
 a King, i. e. of the house and lineage of David, 
 who should " reign and prosper, and execute 
 '' judgment and justice in the earth : in His 
 " days," saith the Prophet, " Judah shall be 
 " saved, and Israel shall dwell safely ;" and 
 (the more clearly to shew the King whom he 
 intended) he subjoins, — "This is His name 
 
of the House of Israel. 34^9 
 
 " whereby He shall be called, THE LORD 
 " OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS." By that title 
 was He to be known, whose noble and merci- 
 ful acts should thereafter prevail in the remem- 
 brance of the ransomed Israelites, and whose 
 praise should ever be in their mouths. 
 
 Hath, then, any person since appeared — any 
 king sprung from David — worthy to be so 
 highly entitled, and in whom the promise be- 
 fore us hath been made good ? You may have 
 read in Holy Scripture of sundry eminent and 
 righteous men — men of remarkable wisdom and 
 piety — who led up the people of God from Ba- 
 bylon, after that the term of their captivity had 
 been accomplished, to build again their city and 
 temple, and to repossess their native land. Yet 
 none of these — neither Zerubbabel, nor Ezra, 
 nor Nehemiah, — was ever called by the high 
 name above mentioned ; nor by any of these 
 heads or leaders, did God bestow that perfect 
 redemption — that fulness of prosperity — on 
 His people, which the text might have justly 
 encouraged them to expect. Many of the Is- 
 raelites never returned at all from the countries 
 whither they had been driven, and they who 
 did return, full at the first of joyful hope, could 
 scarcely establish themselves in the presence 
 of their enemies, or find a comfortably secure 
 abode. Clearly, therefore, it remains, that we 
 
S50 The Restoration of the Seed 
 
 further seek one better answering to the de- 
 scription of the Prophet : the deliverance fore- 
 told by Jeremiah, whether, or not, in a degree 
 made good at the end of the Babylonish cap- 
 tivity, must have a more satisfactory accom- 
 plishment. 
 
 Now, for the person required, let us carry on 
 our investigation to Jesus Christ ; and, for the 
 accomplishment by Him of the prophecy under 
 review, let us adopt some brief account of ages 
 still to come. 
 
 St. Paul, writing to the Corinthians of their 
 adoption in Christ Jesus, takes occasion to state 
 concerning Him, — " who of God is made unto 
 " us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctifi- 
 " cation, and redemptionr (1 Cor. i. 30.) But, 
 whatever that Divine Person hath been made 
 unto others, the same surely, in an eminent 
 degree. He hath been, or hereafter will be made 
 to His own peculiar people — the Jews. Hence, 
 you will straightway perceive the propriety of 
 assigning to Him that name, by which, accord- 
 ing to the Prophet, their Deliverer was to be 
 called amongst them — even " The Lord our 
 " Righteousness." Such a name indeed could 
 hardly, without foolishness, or something worse, 
 be ascribed to the most excellent of merely hu- 
 man beings ; whereas to Jesus Christ, the only 
 begotten Son of God, it should seem of strict 
 
of the House of Israel. 351 
 
 justice to belong. He is frequently styled 
 Jehovah, or The Lord ; He, having taken upon 
 Him our nature, hath become our righteousness, 
 by cleansing us from our sins with His own 
 blood, and shedding abroad His Holy Spirit in 
 our hearts. 
 
 Although, however, this righteous Lord 
 (whom you should moreover observe to have 
 been a branch of David) hath now of a long 
 time been very highly exalted, and hath taken 
 His seat in heaven, as a King, to " execute 
 " judgment and justice in the earth," still, hi- 
 therto, Judah is not saved, nor doth Israel 
 dwell safely. Those children (after the flesh) of 
 Abraham, are, at this time, in a dispersed, and 
 an insecure condition. Having ignorantly and 
 wickedly rejected the Lord their Righteousness, 
 they were again (more miserably than ever) 
 taken and scattered by the Roman armies, 
 whom God sent against them in His indigna- 
 tion. And so they have continued during 
 eighteen hundred years, even wanderers with- 
 out a country, and, generally, objects of bitter 
 scorn and persecution ; not otherwise able to 
 sustain themselves than by their fond remem- 
 brance of ancient days. Consequently, there is 
 yet to be expected some complete and signal 
 gathering in of the Jewish nation, by which 
 the prophecy in my text may stand fulfilled. 
 
352 The Restoration of the Seed 
 
 This being a future matter, is one on which 
 it would be rash to speak particularly. What- 
 ever God hath promised by the mouth of His 
 holy Prophets, He hath pledged His mercy 
 and truth to perform. But the times and the 
 seasons when, and the manner in which, every 
 prophecy shall be brought to pass — these He 
 " hath reserved in His own power." Most 
 jealously, perhaps, hath he taken care to reserve 
 them in the case of His people Israel. Not 
 with any thing like precision, can one conjec- 
 ture the period and mode of their final resto- 
 ration, pursuant to His many comfortable pro- 
 mises recorded in the sacred Scriptures. If we 
 take those promises in their literal and plainest 
 meaning, our expectation certainly will be, that, 
 when the set time shall have arrived, " the arm 
 " of the Lord" will again "awake, as in the an- 
 " cient days, in the generations of old," that He 
 will wonderfully gather together the dispersed 
 of Judah from the four corners of the earth, 
 to the utter confusion of every adversary, and 
 will plant them once more, with many glorious 
 tokens of His favour, in the good land which 
 He gave originally to their fathers. Thus it 
 is written in the chapter containing my text, — 
 " I will gather the remnant of my flock out of 
 " all countries whither I have driven them, and 
 " will bring them again to their folds ; — and I 
 
of the House of Israel. 353 
 
 " will set up shepherds over them, which shall 
 " feed them : and they shall fear no more, nor 
 " be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, 
 " saith the Lord." (Jeremiah xxiii. 3, 4.) Like- 
 wise in Ezekiel you may read, — " As a shep- 
 " herd seeketh out his flock, — so will I seek 
 " out my sheep, and will deliver them out of 
 " all places where they have been scattered in 
 " the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring 
 " them out from the people, and gather them 
 " from the countries, and will bring them to 
 " their own land, and feed them on the moun- 
 " tains of Israel : — there shall they lie in a good 
 " fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed, — and 
 " lie down upon the mountains of Lsrael, saith 
 " the Lord God. — And I will make with them 
 " a covenant of peace ; — and I will make them 
 " and the places round about my hill a bless- 
 " ing ; and I will cause the shower to come 
 " down in his season ; there shall be showers 
 " of blessing. — And I will raise up for them a 
 " plant of renown, — and they shall no more be 
 " a prey to the heathen ; but they shall dwell 
 " safely, and none shall make them afraid." 
 (Ezekiel xxxiv. 12, &c.) All this, with much 
 more of the same kind, appears scarcely ca- 
 pable of being interpreted so as not to signify, 
 that the Jews shall hereafter be collected, and 
 flourish together, as a highly-favoured nation. 
 
354 • The Restoration of the Seed. 
 
 before the Lord. Some, however, — eminently 
 wise and pious men, — have preferred a strictly 
 spiritual interpretation, such as shall leave the 
 Jews not more nearly interested in passages 
 like the foregoing, than believers of othei^ na- 
 tions. This, in the second place, I will here 
 proceed to set before you, with a view to the 
 common encouragement and edification. 
 
 In seasons, then, of danger and perplexity, 
 which all must expect sometime to experience, 
 when friends desert, or enemies magnify them- 
 selves against us, or the overflowings of ungodli- 
 ness make us afraid, insomuch that we are al- 
 most driven to despondency, — in such, and the 
 like seasons, with what words of comfort shall 
 we best uphold one another? Let us (as did 
 the Israelites in their emergency) recollect, and 
 suggest, every man to his neighbour, " The 
 " Lord liveth." True indeed, we cannot sub- 
 join, " who brought us up out of the land of 
 " Egypt," or any similar temporal deliverance 
 which He hath wrought for us ; yet He hath 
 given us other sufficient grounds, that we 
 should confide in Him. Does Egyptian bond- 
 age seem the greatest of all calamities, and de- 
 liverance from that bondage the greatest of all 
 mercies, which have hitherto been dispensed to 
 any people? They, who can think so, must 
 either have forgotten, or have become insensi- 
 
of the House of Israel. 355 
 
 ble to the hard service and bitter wages of sin, 
 from which a redemption hath been ])rovided 
 for us by God. The Lord — the Lord our 
 Righteousness — liveth, who died to ransom 
 our souls, which were fast bound in misery and 
 iron, and to exalt us into the kingdom of hea- 
 ven. Weak must be his faith, and unworthy, 
 or ungrateful his spirit, who hath no mind to 
 support himself under trouble by the remem- 
 brance of this exceeding benefit. Let the tem- 
 poral aspect of his affairs be ever so dark and 
 gloomy, every Christian, that shall have duly 
 considered this, will, nevertheless, be prompt to 
 confess with the Psalmist, — " The Lord liveth ; 
 " and blessed be my strong helper, and praised 
 " be the God of my salvation." (Psalm xviii. 47.) 
 But never can a true Christian be placed in 
 circumstances of such gloominess and thick 
 darkness, as shall prevent the light of " things 
 " to come" from breaking throuo'h them. He 
 has more than only a recollection of the past, 
 wherewith to cheer his afflicted soul, — even a 
 hope of future glory. Holy Scripture instructs 
 us to believe, that all which God hath already 
 done, is not worthy to be compared with what 
 He will hereafter do unto His people. It is 
 no small thing, that He hath called us unto 
 spiritual liberty, and hath brought us within 
 the borders of His sanctuary, haWng made us 
 
S56 The Restoration of the Seed 
 
 members of His earthly household or Church ; 
 but so transcendently glorious are the things 
 prepared by Him in heaven for His willing 
 and obedient children, that their thoughts, when 
 once they shall have arrived there, may well 
 entirely be absorbed by them. The grace and 
 privileges hitherto conferred by the Gospel, are 
 little more than the beginnings or pledges of 
 that eternal redemption, which assuredly is not 
 to be perfected, during this present time, in 
 any soul either of Jew or Gentile. No doubt, 
 the Lord our Righteousness hath entered upon 
 His reign, or kingdom, and the earth, with her 
 multitude of isles, may on many accounts be 
 glad thereof; still, it requires not much consi- 
 deration to perceive, that the days foretold by 
 the Prophet have, as yet, by no means been 
 fully brought to pass. Surely, both the seed of 
 Abraham, and all .the families of the earth, 
 who are to be blessed through that faithful pa- 
 triarch, have continual, and, in a considerable 
 degree, common cause to be looking forward 
 with desire unto those, or to some correspond- 
 ing days. For regard the actual condition of 
 all believers who have trusted in Christ, and 
 who, walking in the steps of the faith of Abra- 
 ham, are now the Israel or church of God. 
 Are they dwelling safely, in other words, to be 
 no more endangered by the assaults of sin, the 
 
of the House of Israel, 357 
 
 world, and the Devil? Have they anywhere 
 under the sun, a separate abiding-place and 
 pleasant country of their own, where they may 
 settle themselves in joyful fellowship, as a dis- 
 tinct and collected people, to serve the Lord 
 without distraction ? Contrariwise, the case 
 with them is, that, although one in spirit, in 
 body they are widely separated and scattered, 
 and intermingled with various adversaries, and 
 subjected to many perilous trials. Their situa- 
 tion, at best, resembles that of strangers and 
 sojourners in a foreign land. Until now, and 
 probably for a longer period, the faithful have, 
 not to sit at ease, and enjoy rest, but to go on 
 their way, (weeping, perhaps, under the pres- 
 sure of adversity,) and to " declare plainly that 
 " they seek a country," as having none, where- 
 with they can be satisfied, in possession, and 
 that, only by leaving the earth can they hope 
 to find one, of a really permanent and secure 
 description. In heaven alone is to be obtained 
 the promised safety, the blissful quietness and 
 assurance for ever, which is the proper inhe- 
 ritance of the sons of God. Thither, accord- 
 ingly, they should direct their chief desires : 
 the confidence which they should entertain is 
 this ; — that through the grave and gate of 
 death, the Lord will bring up, and lead each 
 sujcessive generation of His saints from all 
 
358 The Restoration of the Seed. 
 
 countries, in which He may have cast their 
 several lots, and they shall thenceforth dwell 
 for ever undisturbed in their own heavenly 
 land. 
 
 Thus, my brethren, have I endeavoured to 
 furnish you with an interpretation of Jere- 
 miah's prophecy, which may render it justly 
 interesting to Christians. As a people dispers- 
 ed abroad in this world to suffer affliction, and 
 instructed, the while, to hope that they shall 
 dwell together safely in the next, believers in 
 the Gospel may well consider the text which 
 has been explained, to be capable of affording 
 them edification and comfort. More imme- 
 diately, hoVrever, it was intended for the Jews, 
 who may not unreasonably understand it to be 
 a promise, that they shall recover their an- 
 cient earthly inheritance, and enjoy an abund- 
 ant prosperity therein. 
 
 But even upon such an event, the applica- 
 tion which has been proposed will hold good. 
 For what, in looking forward to it, shall our 
 conclusion be? Truly, somewhat nearly the 
 same with the foregoing. In case of the Jews 
 being again " exalted above the nations," God 
 will doubtless ordain it for the nations' good. 
 All shall partake of their felicity, and be ad- 
 mitted to rejoice in their light. The Apostle to 
 the Gentiles argues, — " If the casting away of 
 
of t lie House of Israel. 359 
 
 " them be the reconciling of the world, what 
 " shall the receiving of them be, but life from 
 " the dead?" (Romans xi. 15.) Besides, let the 
 prosperity, to which the Jews are destined in 
 their earthly Canaan be ever so great, still they 
 must always have reason to desire " a better, i. e. 
 " a heavenly country." Here they will not be 
 suffered to continue by reason of death, and the 
 most excellent country under heaven must, at 
 the last, inevitably be burned up. Here, there- 
 fore, they can have no such abiding city as 
 shall remove their occasion to seek one to come. 
 After all, admitting the brightest circumstances 
 which can be conceived consistently with the 
 unalterable facts, that man must needs die, and 
 that the place of his habitation must be de- 
 stroyed, they that are wise will never cease 
 from looking upward, to the endless peace and 
 glory reserved for the righteous in the realms 
 above. 
 
 Exalted to those everlasting habitations, 
 then, indeed, men shall no more call on the 
 name of the Lord, as their deliverer from this, 
 or that, temporal calamity. Rather, with tri- 
 umphant voices will they exclaim, — " The 
 " Lord liveth, who hath redeemed us to God 
 " by His blood out of every kindred, and 
 " tongue, and people, and nation ; and hath 
 " sent His angels, and gathered us together 
 
360 The Restoratmn of the Seed 8^c. 
 
 " from the four winds, from the one end under 
 " heaven unto the other. This shall be our 
 " rest for ever : here at length it is good eter- 
 " nally to dwell ; for in His presence is fulness 
 " of joy, and at His right hand are pleasures 
 " for evermore." (Rev. v. 9 ; Matthew xxiv. 31; 
 Psalm xvi. 11,) 
 
SERMON XXIV. 
 
 Daniel xii. 8, 9, 10. 
 
 And I heard, hut I understood not : then said I, O 
 my Lord, ivhat shalt be the end of these things f 
 And he said, Go thy ivuy, Daniel, for the ivords 
 are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 
 Many shall he imrified, and made white, and tried ; 
 but the ivicked shall do wickedly : and no7ie of the 
 ivicked shall understand, but the wise shall under- 
 stand. 
 
 1 HE former part of this book of Daniel 
 contains some highly interesting narratives of 
 transactions, which took place in the ancient 
 days. With respect to the circumstances re- 
 corded in it concerning the writer, and his cap- 
 tive companions in Babylon, so plainly and im- 
 pressively are they described, that it is scarcely 
 possible either to mistake, or to disregard them. 
 And, in fact, no part of the Old Testament is 
 probably better remembered, and aj)prehended 
 by all classes of mankind, who receive the 
 Scriptui-es. Very few, it may be presumed, of 
 those unto whom the word of God hath come, 
 are unacquahited with the histories of the three 
 
 11 
 
362 Tke Nature^ generally^ 
 
 Confessors in the burning fiery furnace, and of 
 Nebuchadnezzar, who had his dwelling seven 
 years with the beasts of the field, and of the 
 handwriting on the wall against Eelshazzar, 
 and of Daniel cast into the lions' den, because 
 he would make his prayer unto the God of Is- 
 rael, not regarding a certain contrary decree. 
 High and low, rich and poor, young and old, 
 all, in short, of any religious turn, are wont, 
 with one consent, to lay up these striking deli- 
 verances and dispensations, and occasionally to 
 revolve them in their minds. 
 
 On proceeding, however, to the latter part of 
 this same book, we are presented with scenes 
 of a less 'perspicuous character. Whereas all 
 before, generally speaking, appeared plain, now 
 jierhaps, all, or, at the least, the greater part, 
 unto the end, appears obscure, and difficult to 
 be understood. This alteration is to be ac- 
 counted for, by a transition of the subject from 
 the past to the future time. After having de- 
 clared, in his six first chapters, events which 
 had already taken place, the inspired writer 
 comes, in his six last, " to visions and revelations 
 '•' of the Lord," touching things which should 
 thereafter be. Accordingly, a vail of darkness 
 and peri)lexity seems thenceforward to envelope 
 his descrij)tions, except those which we can 
 perceive to have been since fulfilled. What he 
 
of the Things to come. 363 
 
 writes is chiefly in parables, — " the wisdom of 
 " God in a mystery," remaining strange to hu- 
 man apprehensions, notwithstanding some occa- 
 sional explanation. And the difference between 
 stating occurrences with which himself was well 
 acquainted, and events which were not at all 
 to be brought to pass during the years of many 
 succeeding generations, was felt no less sensibly 
 by the Prophet, than it is by us who read him. 
 Especially, he wished, yet was unable, to dis- 
 cover the times and the seasons, when the 
 " wonders," which he had been writing, should 
 have their accomplishment. One, indeed, told 
 them to another in his hearing, but in terms 
 which he knew not how to interpret. Daniel 
 relates in my text, — " I heard, but I under- 
 " stood not : then said I, O my Lord, what 
 " shall be the end of these things ?" Still, how- 
 ever, his curiosity was not satisfied ; the hea- 
 venly messenger only replied, — " Go thy way, 
 " Daniel ; for the words are closed up and 
 " sealed," which is to say, the meaning of them 
 is to be kept secret, " till the time of the 
 " end ;" and upon that, by way of admonition, 
 he subjoined, — " Many shall be purified, and 
 " made white, and tried ; but the wicked shall 
 " do wickedly : and none of the wicked shall 
 " understand, but the wise shall understand." 
 I design, my brethren, from this solenm pas- 
 
 K 2 
 
364 The Nature, generally, 
 
 sage, to discourse on the views which it will be- 
 hove us to take up and maintain, concerning 
 the things which are yet to come to pass : in 
 doing which, let me first mention the points be- 
 longing to them which may }iot be known, and 
 then the general turn of them, which may and 
 ought to be known and expected, by all that 
 are living in the world. 
 
 First then ; in answer to the Prophet's in- 
 quiiy — " O my Lord, what shall be the end of 
 " these things?" — the angel said unto him, — 
 " Go thy way, Daniel, for the words are closed 
 " up and sealed till the time of the end." This 
 implies, that the exact manner and period of 
 future events shall not, previous to their accom- 
 plishment, be discerned, and, consequently, that 
 we should abstain from perplexing ourselves 
 about them. 
 
 It is certainly a characteristic of the prophe- 
 tic scriptures, to be for the most part obscure 
 on these points. With respect to the passages 
 not yet fulfilled, although the efforts of many 
 learned and ingenious men have been exerted, 
 from age to age, to search them out, scarcely 
 ever hath one been able to discover, and declare 
 beforehand, how, or when a prediction shall be 
 made good. Information appears in most cases 
 to have been delivered, but not such as we can 
 previously apprehend. Nearly all the sacred 
 
of the Things to come. 365 
 
 prophecies have had assigned to them various 
 significations, both of a literal, or natural, and 
 of a figurative, or spiritual description, accord- 
 ing to the various dispositions of their inter- 
 preters. Likewise, the times which they spe- 
 cify, must remain in a great measure unknown, 
 if for no other reason, yet because we cannot 
 ascertain whence, or from what era, to com- 
 pute them. For example, in the chapter from 
 which my text is taken, Daniel mentions two 
 periods, one, of a thousand two hundred and 
 ninety days, another, of a thousand three hun- 
 dred and five and thirty days, declaring him 
 " blessed, who waiteth, and cometh unto the 
 " last :" now these days, be it granted, stand 
 for years ; but then, in what year they com- 
 menced, none, perhaps, can satisfactorily deter- 
 mine ; and by consequence, none, in what year 
 they shall be accomplished. There is indeed a 
 prophecy of Daniel, at the latter end of his 
 ninth chapter, by which the Jews were enabled 
 to compute that their IVIessiah was to be ex- 
 pected, about the time when He really was born 
 unto them ; and it might be too much abso- 
 lutely to deny, that probable conjectures may 
 be, and have been, formed by learned and pious 
 men. concerning others which are hitherto un- 
 fulfilled. However, I will venture to repeat, 
 that none should suppose themselves able by 
 
 11 3 
 
S66 The Nature^ generally, 
 
 the strongest light of prophecy, distinctly to 
 foresee the time and circumstances of the end 
 of the world. Neither by the book containing 
 the somewhat larger and more explicit revela- 
 tion of St. John, nor by that, immediately be- 
 fore us, of Daniel, nor by the books of all the 
 prophets, who have written besides them, is an 
 exact knowledge of that grand event, and of 
 the amazing transactions which shall introduce 
 it, to be . obtained. While matters compara- 
 tively less momentous are spoken about before 
 they come to pass, not (with hardly an excep- 
 tion) for our present satisfaction, but that, 
 when they do come to pass, we may believe, 
 the consummation of all things, though fre- 
 quently predicted and described in terms of the 
 most awful import, is hitherto, and shall no 
 doubt continue specially liidden from human 
 inquisitiveness, by the Almighty. If any man 
 will ask about it, whether it be nigh at hand 
 or afar off, he is simply to be answered, or 
 rather admonished, — " The day of the Lord will 
 " so come as a thief in the night." Accordingly, 
 not even the anxious prayer of the Prophet 
 could avail to procure for him information. 
 The angel commanded him, — " Go thy way, 
 " Daniel," — stand not inquiring into the se- 
 crets of the Lord, but depart, and serve Him 
 diligently in thy generation ; — " Go thou thy 
 
of the Tlivigs to come. 367 
 
 " way till the end be ; for thou shalt rest, and 
 " stand in thy lot at the end of the days." Also, 
 Jesus Christ answered His disciples in a simi- 
 lar manner, on their asking him, about the de- 
 struction of Jerusalem, — " Master, when shall 
 " these things be, and what shall be the sign 
 " of Thy coming, and of the end of the world ?" 
 (Matthew xxiv. 3.) Instead of gratifying their 
 curiosity, He advised them to watch and pray, 
 lest they should be overtaken unprepared. And, 
 unless we may imagine ourselves wiser, or more 
 highly privileged than the holy Prophets and 
 Apostles, who have lived before us, it will surely 
 behove us^ in agreement with such counsels, 
 chiefly to aim at acting the part of good and 
 faithful servants in the daily occurrences of our 
 lives, forbearing much investigation of the fu- 
 ture. Thus shall we best further the Divine 
 intentions, and in the free discharge of our or- 
 dinary duties, be always, though unconsciously, 
 promoting the advance, and providing a fa- 
 vourable issue for ourselves, of the extraordi- 
 nary events which our heavenly Father has yet 
 in store. 
 
 Nevertheless, that we may arm ourselves 
 with patience to abide the things that are com- 
 ing, and shall come, until the end, that we may 
 not be surprised, or terror-stricken at the course 
 of events, which God hath ordained, but may 
 
 11 4 
 
368 The Nature, generally, 
 
 be able, during all circumstances, to abide pa- 
 tiently His hand and will, it will behove us to 
 possess a general knowledge of what He hath 
 declared by His holy prophets concerning them. 
 We should have, laid up in our minds, some ex- 
 pectation of what hath been before appointed 
 and written, such as may qualify us, instead of 
 falling away and perishing with the men that 
 are without understanding, to profit, and be 
 made better by the progress of it. Now, in 
 order to this, there is a summary statement in 
 the text, which at once forewarns us of the 
 l)revailing lot to be experienced, throughout a 
 long succession of ages, by mankind, and of the 
 different effects, which, according to their dif- 
 ferent characters, it shall produce in them. 
 Leaving particulars closed up and sealed, not- 
 withstanding the Prophet's solicitation, "Many," 
 said the answer of the angelic messenger, 
 " many shall be purified, and made white, and 
 " tried, but the wicked shall do wickedly ; and 
 " none of the wicked shall understand, but the 
 " wise shall understand." 
 
 By this we are surely given to know, that 
 the course of human affairs shall be, generally, 
 a course of tribulation, or, that the events of it 
 shall be so ordered as to iwove men what they 
 are. Some shall be rendered apparently better, 
 and some apparently worse ; the wise, in a cer- 
 
of the Tilings to come. 369 
 
 tain measure understanding, shall be made 
 more fit for heaven, and the wicked, not under- 
 standing, sliall be made more children of hell, 
 by the operation of Avhat they are destined, pro- 
 bably almost in common, to pass through. 
 
 To speak somewhat more exjilicitly on this 
 topic ; the way designed by Providence for the 
 present, and the generations to come, is by no 
 means clear and easy, but abounding with di- 
 vers kinds of hinderances, perplexities, and 
 dangers. It is of such a sort, that the travel- 
 lers along it shall be continually thwarted, and 
 interrupted, and disappointed, and not unfre- 
 quently severely wounded by affliction. A se- 
 ries of bitter circumstances or distresses hath 
 been ordained for the children of men, whereby 
 all, with scarcely an exception, shall be pain- 
 fully handled on their pilgrimage, and their 
 plans, however seemingly well founded, of 
 worldly comfort and tranquillity, be broken up. 
 No rank, or description of human beings shall 
 be permitted to enjoy rest on the earth, with- 
 out many vexatious drawbacks and interrup- 
 tions. The rich man shall not be allowed to 
 dwell undisturbed, many days together, in his 
 riches, nor the poor man in his poverty, neither 
 the man of moderate wealth in his mediocrity. 
 There is probably made less real difference be- 
 tween men differing the most widely in tem- 
 
370 The Nature, generally^ 
 
 poral possessions and dignity, than the greater 
 number can readily imagine. All, of every de- 
 scription, are undeniably appointed to be agi- 
 tated, in their several places, by frequent and 
 ever varying perturbations. The ordinance of 
 God evidently is, that, vrhat with outward 
 troubles, and inward disquietudes and appre- 
 hensions, the stream of human life shall never 
 run peaceably and smoothly for any continu- 
 ance of time. If we be spared a while from 
 present evil, our thoughts are naturally the 
 more busy upon evils past and future. Then 
 our hearts begin to fail us for fear, and for 
 looking after those things which are drawing 
 on, in a manner effectually to prevent repose. 
 Nor are we eritirely left to form ovir own ideas 
 of them. Though it be impossible y^/Zy to ap- 
 prehend the plainest statements of Holy Scrip- 
 ture concerning the things which are hitherto 
 unaccomplished, yet in several, more than 
 enough is unequivocally set forth, to put flesh 
 and blood upon quaking, and fearing exceed- 
 ingly at the expectation of it. 
 
 Now the ultimate consequence, and, in a de- 
 gree, the daily result, of these manifold disturb- 
 ances shall be, that many, namely, " the wise," 
 shall attain unto knowledge or understanding, 
 and " shall be purified" by them, " and made 
 " white, and tried." The wise here spoken of, 
 
of the Thuigs to come. 371 
 
 as destined to attain unto understanding, are 
 simply they, who fear, or reverence the Lord ; 
 for " the fear of Him is the beginning of wis- 
 " dom" in man. (Psahn cxi. 10.) Such, being per- 
 sons of a religious character, may be likened, 
 not improperly, unto good metal, which is only 
 brightened by friction, and has comparatively 
 but a small quantity of dross to be separated 
 from it, and purged away, in the furnace. 
 When the Lord shall shake his mighty hand 
 over the earth, and the inhabitants thereof, 
 causing them far and wide to tremble, they 
 will perceive whose hand it is, and duly humble 
 themselves under it, until His righteous fury 
 shall have passed by. When He shall blow 
 with His wind, and excite troubles, like the 
 swelling waves of the great deep, they will 
 reason aright, that He is doing thus for the 
 spiritual health of man, or to disperse the in- 
 creasing vapours of his corruption, which would 
 otherwise, ere long, engender more intolerable 
 plagues. When He shall kindle the fires of 
 affliction, and ordain them to wax most griev- 
 ously hot, they will acknowledge His benevo- 
 lent purpose so to " consume" the offensive 
 " scum" still adhering to their imperfectly 
 cleansed nature. And, piously yielding them- 
 selves to His discipline, under the influence of 
 these sustaining considerations, assuredly, they 
 
 R 6 
 
372 The Nature^ generally^ 
 
 will not fail to profit by it, ever more and more. 
 All, who in this wise manner, receive whatever 
 the Lord shall bring upon them, recollecting 
 that He hath previously warned them to ex- 
 pect it, and to be ready with a faithful and a 
 patient spirit, shall not only be preserved from 
 utter ruin, but be advanced from strength to 
 strength, through His blessing, and an ample 
 supply of the Spirit of Christ to their souls. 
 They shall be " purified even as He is pure ;" 
 they shall be made white, — clean and spotless, 
 worthy to walk with Him in the heavenly places 
 of His kingdom ; and, having at length been 
 sufficiently tried, shall be crowned by Him with 
 immortal glory and honour. 
 
 But none of the wicked shall understand ; 
 and the consequence will be, that they " shall 
 " do wickedly." By the wicked, we may sup- 
 pose to be here designed men of negligent and 
 perverse minds. The many who come under 
 this description, are strongly bent upon living 
 at their ease, in spiritual indolence, and worldly 
 habits, and will not patiently endure any thing 
 which forbids them. When the Lord's hand 
 is lifted up, to carry His marvellous counsels 
 into effect, they will not discern the admirable 
 intention of it ; when His judgments are mani- 
 fest in the world, they will not be humbled, 
 and learn righteousness. On the contrary, their 
 
of the Tilings to come. 373 
 
 disposition is, in a manner, to resist, and strive 
 with the Most High. As men blinded by rage, 
 they will angrily kick against the pricks of ad- 
 versity, and so goad themselves to an unwonted 
 degree of wickedness. It will seem to them 
 a hard and an injurious dispensation, that they 
 are not let alone to serve the world and the 
 flesh in peace, — that they may not evermore 
 be getting gain, and eat, and drink, and die, 
 as they list, without any thing to molest, or 
 make them afraid, or jjut them out of their 
 natural way. And thence, the evil lurking in 
 their hearts will be provoked to break forth 
 into undisguised iniquity. Being exasperated 
 by trouble, the wicked, i. e. the irreligious, shall 
 betray their real character, or, as my text ex- 
 presses it, " shall do wickedly," instead of lead- 
 ing indifferent lives, which, perhaj^s, under 
 easier circumstances, they might still have done. 
 From not caring for the Almighty, they will 
 be urged to think unworthily of, and to hate 
 Him ; from not connnitting much harm, or 
 possibly not behaving themselves at all inju- 
 riously, they will be stirred to bitterness, and 
 furious rage against their neighbours and fel- 
 low creatures, who come across them. To this 
 effect St. John, in his Book of Revelation, de- 
 scribing the future pouring out of the vials of 
 Divine wrath upon the earth, prophetically 
 
374 The Nature^ generally, 
 
 writes, that "men blasphemed the name of 
 *^ God, which hath powei' over these plagues, — 
 " because of their pains and their sores, and 
 " gnawed their tongues for pain, and repented 
 " not of their deeds to give Him glory;" (Rev. 
 xvi. 9, 11.) they became, in short, he foresaw, 
 outrageous and desperate, and complainers, un- 
 der the sufferings which should have broken 
 their stubborn spirits, so as to render them 
 contrite, and humbly penitent before the Most 
 High. 
 
 Upon the whole, then, although we know 
 not, nor are able with any precision to conjec- 
 ture, what the events of the future time shall 
 be, yet the Holy Ghost, speaking by Daniel 
 and all the Prophets, this plainly witnesseth, 
 that there are a variety of fearful occurrences 
 and severe trials in store, which shall surely 
 come to pass in their season, and from which 
 none of us can expect entirely to remain ex- 
 empt. Doubtless, it may here truly be said, 
 that to look for, and to undergo trials, hath 
 continually, hitherto, been the lot of man be- 
 neath the sun ; but the prophetic Scriptures de- 
 cidedly instruct us to apprehend, that as time ad- 
 vances, and "the restitution of all things" draws 
 nearer, they who profess and call themselves 
 Christians, shall be put more strongly to the 
 proof, and be compelled to shew their real na- 
 
of the Tlmigs to coyne. 375 
 
 ture, or turn of mind. A severer course of dis- 
 cipline, or more alarming and difficult circum- 
 stances, are ordained, by means of which the 
 honest and true-hearted shall be wrought to a 
 higher pitch of faith and virtue, and the in- 
 sincere and unsound at heart be provoked to 
 greater excesses of wickedness. And it should 
 seem not too much to say, that there are to be 
 observed in the present days, some, not uncer- 
 tain, symptoms of the beginning, at least, of 
 such a dispensation. Undeniably, the men of 
 the existing age have a determination to know 
 more, and to think and observe more, whether 
 discreetly or not, than the men of former years ; 
 there is a spirit of restlessness and agitation 
 evidently pervading the great mass of the hu- 
 man race, the result of which, ourselves merely 
 being judges, can hardly fail to be in agreement 
 with the text. 
 
 Wherefore, my brethren, let me conclude 
 with exhorting you to remember the obliga- 
 tion, which you are under, as Christians, never 
 to be ashamed of Christ crucified, or to shrink 
 from manfully fighting under His banner against 
 sin, the world, and the Devil. Resolve that you 
 will continue, in the face of those enemies, and 
 in despite of every temptation. His faithful sol- 
 diers and servants. Bear in mind the fore- 
 warnings of Holy Scripture, and wonder not 
 
376 The Nature, generally, of Things to come. 
 
 should you be called to " endure hardness," ac- 
 cording to much which is therein written. 
 And, chiefly, be sure to watch and pray al- 
 ways, for a spirit of .righteousness and godly 
 submission, that you may patiently abide until 
 the end, and " be not of them who draw back 
 " unto perdition, but of them who believe unto 
 " the saving of the soul." — Endeavour thus to 
 understand with the wise, and to " be purified, 
 " and made white, and tried," while the wicked, 
 of their natural ignorance and impatience, are 
 falling from one wickedness to another, in time 
 of peril and tribulation. So shall every trial 
 of your faith, though it be tried with an un- 
 wonted severity, " be found unto praise, and 
 " honour, and glory, in the day of Jesus Christ." 
 (1 Peter i. 7.) So shall your lot finally be with 
 that innumerable multitude of all people, na- 
 tions, and languages, whom St. John beheld re- 
 joicing before the Divine presence in heaven, 
 " clothed with white robes, and palms in their 
 " hands :" and one told him about them, say- 
 ing, " These are they which came out of great 
 " tribulation, and have washed their robes, and 
 " made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 
 " Therefore are they before the throne of God, 
 " and serve Him day and night in His temj3le : 
 " — and God shall wipe away all tears from 
 " their eyes." (Revelation vii. 9, &c.) 
 
SERMON XXV. 
 
 Psalm cxlix. 9. 
 
 This honour have all His saints. Praise ye the Lord, 
 
 JliVERY one, it may be presumed, has ob- 
 served, that there are certain days in the Church, 
 which are called after particular Apostles and 
 Evangelists, and have suitable Collects and por- 
 tions of Scripture assigned to them. This cus- 
 tom is a very ancient one, — far too ancient to 
 be lightly despised, or set aside. It probably 
 arose, in the leading instances, almost from the 
 remote period of the deaths of the holy persons 
 who are still thus commemorated, before the 
 simplicity of Christ's Gosi:)el had been much 
 corrupted by the inventions of foolish men ; 
 and there are passages in the Epistles of the 
 New Testament, which appear strongly to sanc- 
 tion, or recommend it. That of St. James, — 
 " Take, my brethren, the Prophets, who have 
 " spoken in the name of the Lord, for an ex- 
 " ample of suffering affliction, and of patience ;" 
 (James v. 10.) and that of the Apostle to the 
 Hebrews, — " Remember them who have spoken 
 
378 All Saints' Day. 
 
 " to you the word of God : whose faith follow, 
 " considering the end of their conversation," 
 (Hebrews xiii. 7.) cannot by any way more di- 
 rectly be obeyed. 
 
 It is undeniable, however, that of this, as of 
 most other good practices, many strange abuses 
 have been admitted. Instead of continuing only 
 to remember with a grateful affection the holy 
 men of former days, and to render thanks unto 
 God alone for the abiding benefits of their doc- 
 trine and example. Christians (not a few) have 
 proceeded to invoke and worship them, and 
 to esteem them as mediators and intercessors ; 
 imagining that by their prayers and merits, 
 (who had- been frail, and in no case without 
 sin,) they might be delivered from the wrath 
 to come. Forms of supplication to departed 
 saints, or to God and Christ through them, 
 such as it were a shame barely to repeat on 
 this occasion, have been composed, and com- 
 monly adopted. Also, besides so plainly un- 
 scriptural a proceeding, the persons who intro- 
 duced or consented to it, added many of unwor- 
 thy characters to the primitive saints, and pro- 
 cured for them yearly services and days, to the 
 great injury of all pure religion. Wherefore, 
 when a reformation was providentially set on 
 foot, this whole matter had no small need of 
 being reformed. In fact, an absurd and per- 
 
All Saints' Day. 379 
 
 iiicious custom (of selling indulgences) which 
 had been thence derived, was the provocation 
 which most immediately brought it on. Ac- 
 cordingly, at that time, our saints' days, with 
 all pertaining to them, were strictly inquired 
 into, and discreetly ordered, as they hitherto 
 stand. Those which had been unwisely dedi- 
 cated to persons, who might have been better 
 forgotten than remembered with approbation, 
 were rendered common days. None but those 
 named after the twelve Apostles, and a very few 
 others, confessedly worthy, have been retained. 
 And no less was every thing done away which 
 had unwarrantably been ordained for the ob- 
 servance of them. In no part of our proper 
 services for saints' days, has a word been left 
 tending too highly to exalt the most illustrious 
 of the holy men who have gone before us. As 
 to those by whose labours and sufferings the 
 common salvation hath been transmitted, we 
 scruple not to make honourable mention of 
 them, since it would evidently be ungrateful not 
 to do so. But we regard them simply in the 
 light of elder brethren, or fathers, through 
 whom we have received a precious benefit : we 
 worship them not, nor acknowledge any " me- 
 " diator between God and man," except " the 
 " man Christ Jesus," (1 Tim. ii. 5.) nor at all 
 commemorate them as seeming to forget that 
 
380 All Saints' Day. 
 
 the Lord our God is " a jealous God," and will 
 be sore displeased if we ascribe His glory unto 
 another. 
 
 Agreeably now, my brethren, with the above^ 
 we keep a day, which is called "All Saints' Day," 
 and is of about a thousand years standing in 
 the Church. Apparently, it is designed to serve 
 for the general assembly, who, although not 
 famous enough, or too numerous, to be parti- 
 cularly distinguished, have, at sundry times, 
 lived and died as becometh saints, and so have 
 entered into rest. In the eleventh chapter to 
 the Hebrews, the Apostle, after enumerating 
 the names of many, who had obtained " a good 
 " report through faith," breaks off, in a m.an- 
 ner suddenly, with expostulating, — " And what 
 " shall I more say ? For the time would fail 
 " me to tell of" the numbers answering to that 
 description, who yet remain unmentioned. To 
 the same reason, perhaps to this very passage, 
 our All Saints' Day may with propriety be re- 
 ferred. Lest the days of the year should "fail," 
 were every departed saint to be honoured with 
 a separate day, it was judged fit thus to include 
 all in one remembrance. 
 
 Taking occasion from the words chosen for 
 my text, I propose on this opportunity to state, 
 first — who and what the saints under the Gos- 
 pel are, or the marks by which they are to be 
 
All Saints* Daij. ,381 
 
 discerned ; and then, secondly, the just honour 
 which they have or possess, from generation to 
 generation, in the church and kingdom of Christ 
 and of God. 
 
 First, therefore ; whom, and what manner of 
 persons, shall we repute, under the Gospel, to 
 be saints ? 
 
 It is undeniable, that the title of saints is 
 commonly given by the Epistles of the New 
 Testament, to all who have been baptized into 
 Jesus Christ. For example, St. Paul admo- 
 nished the Corinthians that they were holy, 
 having been so dedicated unto God, and chiefly 
 by that consideration, exhorted them to holy 
 living ; his words to such effect are, — " Know 
 " ye not that ye are the temple of God, and 
 " that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you ? If 
 " any man defile the temple of God, him shall 
 " God destroy ; for the temple of God is holy, 
 " which temple ye are:" (1 Cor. iii. 16,17.) 
 and repeatedly he may be seen taking the same 
 ground, in order to deter them from polluting 
 themselves with sin, not at any rate allowing 
 the notion, that Christians may be free from 
 their holy profession, so long as it shall please 
 them to lead unholy lives. But our concern, 
 for the present, is with saints, or holy persons, 
 who, so far from having been minded to forget 
 their adoption and calling unto holiness, that 
 
382 All Saints' Day. 
 
 they might live freely after the course of this 
 world, have, contrariwise, made it their prin- 
 cipal glory and joy, that they were sanctified 
 from their early yearsi " by the washing of re- 
 " generation," to be children (through Christ) of 
 God, and, consequently, inheritors of His hea- 
 venly kingdom. The company of saints, whom 
 I would now have you recollect, contains none, 
 who did not advance their title to be of the 
 number during the period of their mortal lives, 
 and undertake to walk accordingly, " after the 
 " Spirit :" it comprises only those faithful sol- 
 diers and servants of the Father of heaven, and 
 the Son, and the Holy Ghost, who have unre- 
 luctantly owned their obligations to watch, to 
 stand fast, to quit themselves like men, and to 
 be strong, and, at the same time, full of charity, 
 (1 Cor. xvi. 13, 14.) as persons under the con- 
 tinual influence of Divine love : respecting 
 saints of an unworthy description, let tJiem 
 have no place, for the present at least, in our 
 recollections. 
 
 Regarding, then, exclusively such saints as 
 have walked answerably to their holy calling, 
 the Church, by the Scriptures appointed for 
 the present festival, represents them to us 
 with a sufficient degree of accuracy. The les- 
 son which has been read, records them to 
 have " subdued kingdoms, wrought righteous- 
 
All Saints' Day. 383 
 
 " ness, obtained promises," and, further, to have 
 done and suffered various wonderful particu- 
 lars, " through faith," being " destitute, aflflict- 
 " ed, tormented," and in many instances barba- 
 rously slain : the Epistle, or rather the chap- 
 ter, from which the verses for the Epistle have 
 been selected, signifying more properly Chris- 
 tian saints, describes them to have endured 
 " great tribulation, and to have washed their 
 " robes, and made them white" (which means 
 pure from stain of guilt) " in the blood of the 
 " Lamb ;" and the Gospel, adopting words ut- 
 tered by Christ from the mount, most decidedly 
 teaches us to approve those, whom we can find 
 to have been poor in spirit, mournful, meek, 
 hungry and thirsty after righteousness, merci- 
 ful, pui'e in heart, peacemakers, and reviled, 
 and persecuted, and slandered for their firm 
 adherence to the holy faith which they had 
 received. Thus, if we bear in mind only these 
 scriptures, (Hebrews xi. 33, (Sec. Revelation vii. 
 14. Matthew v, 1, 2, &c.) it will not be eavSy 
 for us to err, or to ascribe to men who have 
 not deserved it, the title of saints. Some, in- 
 deed, may have had skill enough in hypocrisy 
 to deceive all, except the great Searcher of 
 hearts. Such, however, have, it is probable, 
 been few, and might in most cases have been 
 detected, had they been tried by Scripture rules. 
 
384 All Saints' Day. 
 
 Also, scarcely perhaps in one, have the several 
 dispositions and qualities becoming saints, been 
 seen to flourish, and bear fruit, with an uni- 
 form, and an equal vigour. This, or that grace 
 of a Christian life, will commonly appear more 
 conspicuous than another, according to the na- 
 tural temperament of a Christian, and the par- 
 ticular circumstances of his situation. For in- 
 stance ; not all are prompt alike, nor have been 
 laid under the same necessity, to mourn ; nor 
 have all been fitted indifferently to " endure 
 " hardness," and called to bear, for righteous- 
 ness' sake, an actual severity of persecution. 
 There is room, in this way, for a considerable 
 difference between individual saints, leaving 
 both still really acceptable and holy. But the 
 whole number, whom we so entitle, must have 
 agreed, at the least in principle, on all the main 
 points which have been laid down, and have 
 lived accordingly, so far as they could, or had 
 occasion. They must have trusted simply in 
 the sacrifice of the death of Christ for redemp- 
 tion both from their native and acquired guilt, 
 and, in token thereof, must have been baptized 
 into His death, and have partaken of His body 
 and blood at His table ; they must have gone 
 forth, making mention of His righteousness 
 only, agreeably with that confession of the Pro- 
 phet, — " O Lord, our God, Thou hast wrought 
 
All Saints' Day. 385 
 
 " all our works in us, — the desire of our souls 
 " is to Thy name ;" (Isaiah xxvi. 8, 12.) they 
 must always have been right glad to trace, and 
 to obey the sanctifying influences of the Holy 
 Ghost, the Comforter, within them ; they must 
 have acknowledged the duty of an almost con- 
 tinual repentance, by reason of their continually 
 recurring trespasses and frailties ; they must 
 have owned, and acquiesced in, the justice of 
 the Divine decree, that this world shall be a 
 state of toil, and severe exertion, and bitter 
 trial, with perhaps but small intermission, or 
 refreshment, to such as will retain their hope 
 of a better ; they must have cultivated faith 
 and patience, w^herewith openly to confess Christ 
 their Saviour before men, even (if need be) be- 
 fore His adversaries, and to abide the most for- 
 midable consequences of having made so good 
 a confession ; and, on the whole, must have 
 heartily obeyed the precepts, and followed the 
 example of Him who loved them, and gave 
 Himself for them, and, at the last, have died 
 in hope of being received to His eternal joy. 
 After this manner must Christians have con- 
 ducted themselves, in order to be reputed saints 
 indeed, by the Church of which we are mem- 
 bers. If the title be not absolutely denied to 
 men of an inferior stamp, who have been graft- 
 ed by baptism into the body of Christ, it is ex- 
 
 s 
 
386 All Saints' Day. 
 
 tended to them only as a distinction from un- 
 baptized or heathen men, and with a vieAV the 
 more forcibly to make them ashamed, and con- 
 strain them to a suitable demeanour. Our so- 
 lemn respect and veneration are still reserved 
 exclusively for those, who have lived in a great 
 measure conformably with the above descrip- 
 tion, cleansing themselves "from all filthiness 
 " of the flesh and spirit, and perfecting holiness 
 " in the fear of God." (2 Cor. vii. 1.) 
 
 From describing the character of the saints 
 whom we should remember, I will now pro- 
 ceed, in the second place, to state the just ho- 
 nour which appertains to them, making use for 
 this purpose of my text, so far as it will con- 
 duct us in the way. 
 
 Briefly, then, the Church invites to " praise 
 " the Lord," for, or because of, them, and 
 commends to us the pattern of their lives ; — 
 in other words, we are instructed to " bless 
 " God's holy name for all His servants depart- 
 " ed this life in His faith and fear ; beseeching 
 " Him to give us grace so to follow their good 
 " examples, that, with them, we may be par- 
 " takers of His heavenly kingdom." (Prayer 
 for Church Militant.) 
 
 Accordingly, the saints are all to be admired 
 to the praise of God, for that by them hath 
 been displayed the effectual power, and mani- 
 
All Saints Day. 387 
 
 fold riches of His grace. Having regard to 
 them, and keeping in mind that they " were 
 " by nature children of wrath, even as others," 
 (Eph. ii. 3.) you may well be thankful for the 
 animating review of what God, by His Son and 
 Spirit, hath wrought. " Dead in trespasses and 
 " sins," they were as " not a people" before Him ; 
 yet He called and brought them up, to be unto 
 Him as " dear children" and heirs ; instead of 
 darkness. He shewed them light ; instead of 
 recklessness or despair. He " begot them again 
 " unto a lively hope ;" and, when they were 
 still prone to go wrong, He saw fit to " convert 
 " their souls, and lead them forth in the paths 
 " of righteousness," and keep them upright 
 against temptation until the end, that they 
 might " finish their course with joy." Surely, 
 here is a strong consolation from the Lord for 
 desponding and feeble spirits. If such will give 
 heed to this which He hath done, they may per- 
 ceive that His " counsels of old are faithfulness 
 " and truth," and trust that they shall find them 
 nothing less towards themselves ; they may come 
 by degrees to be of a good courage, and to con- 
 ceive a humble expectation, that the Divine 
 strength may likewise be made perfect in their 
 weakness, and, working mightily in the inner 
 man, enable them, far better than at the })re- 
 sent, to comprehend and experience " with all 
 
 s 2 
 
388 All Saints' Day, 
 
 " saints" the surpassing " love of Christ." And 
 hence, not only is God " glorified in His saints," 
 but also, His saints are glorified in Him. Their 
 honour is made illustrious in His salvation. 
 They appear in the light of men in whom a 
 spiritual renovation hath been accomplished ; 
 vre both wonder at, and very highly esteem 
 them, as so many interesting memorials of the 
 restoring and confirming energy of the Al- 
 mighty, and would remember them scarcely 
 less than we would remember Lazarus raised 
 from the dead, and the lepers who were cleans- 
 ed, and the paralytics who received strength at 
 Jesus' word ; honouring them, year by year 
 continually, for His sake who graciously ren- 
 dered them in a manner alive again, and 
 whole. 
 
 Also, we contemplate them — all who have 
 been saints indeed — gone or taken hence, after 
 having run well, to receive a glorious crown, — 
 even the prize of their high calling in Christ 
 Jesus. There is reason, indeed, to suppose 
 that their cup of felicity is not yet full, nor 
 shall be, previously to the judgment of the 
 great day. We may not imagine any to be en- 
 joying their perfect consummation and bliss 
 both in body and soul, before that final period 
 of retribution. However, we are given almost 
 surely to understand, that the saints departed 
 
All Saints Day. 389 
 
 are already "joyful in glory." Be it, that their 
 bodies are for the present, where men have laid 
 them, in the dust of death, their souls never- 
 theless live unto God, and are kept by Him as 
 " the apple of an eye," secure from grief and 
 harm. They are exempt from the evils to 
 come upon all flesh which is left behind them 
 in this sinful world ; they have entered into 
 peace and rest, " each one walking in his up- 
 " rightness," (Isaiah Ivii. 2.) Such honour, 
 doubtless, have all the saints of God in their un- 
 seen state ; and, because of it, they should be 
 held by us honourable. Since God hath blessed 
 them for ever, ought not men in their genera- 
 tions to call them blessed ? Since " He that is 
 " mighty hath magnified" them, shall not we 
 magnify them to the praise of His name ? — 
 shall we not, frequently, and with an unceas- 
 ing interest, direct our attention towards that 
 shining " cloud of witnesses," who have tried 
 to the uttermost the Divine promises, and are 
 standing proofs to us that no part of them — 
 that no promise either of grace or glory, which 
 God in Christ hath assured unto believers — 
 shall fail. Since they have faithfully striven 
 and conquered, and have attained unto a most 
 noble recompense, will it not behove us to be 
 ever mindful of them — us, who have still to 
 strive and conquer and win our reward — look- 
 
 s 3 
 
390 All Saints' Day, 
 
 ing, nevertheless, always princijKiUy unto Jesus, 
 as the " Author and Finisher of our faith." 
 (Hebrews xii. 2.) 
 
 And, not only should we admire and con- 
 template the former integrity and present re- 
 compense of all the saints, but, moreover, we 
 should seek and implore help of God in order 
 to an imitation of their good examples. The 
 Apostle writes to the Hebrews, — " We desire 
 " that every one of you do shew the same dili- 
 " gence to the full assurance of hope unto the 
 '' end ; that ye be not slothful, but followers of 
 " them who through faith and patience inherit 
 " the promises." (Hebrews vi. 11, 12.) By ful- 
 filling such his affectionate desire, you will, my 
 brethren, at once render the honour most suit- 
 able to the saints who have gone before you, 
 and most beneficial to your own souls. If we 
 may suppose the spirits of the just to be at all 
 concerned about what passes on the earth, with 
 nothing, certainly, can they be more delighted 
 than with seeing many, in every generation, fol- 
 lowers of them, as they, in their day, were of 
 Christ, and of His holy Apostles and Prophets. 
 This, we may be sure, is the best, and the most 
 grateful honour which can be yielded to them. 
 Might their voices be heard amongst us, they 
 would doubtless strongly admonish their wor- 
 shijjpers, " See ye do it not ; we are your fellow- 
 
All Samts' Day. 391 
 
 " servants and brethren : worship God." (Re- 
 velation xxii. 8, 9.) They wonld reject such 
 honour, due to God alone, with scarcely less ab- 
 horrence than was exhibited by Paul and Bar- 
 nabas, when the people of Lystra would Iiave 
 done sacrifice to them. (Acts xiv. 11, &c.) 
 But, as to following the example of their con- 
 stancy, and treading in the steps of their holy 
 lives, — that respect the saints would earnestly 
 require, even as their " glory and crown of re- 
 " joicing." Touching that, they can be sup- 
 posed of none other mind than what is ex- 
 pressed by the beloved disciple, where he 
 writes, — " I have no greater joy than to hear 
 " that my children walk in the truth." (3 John 
 4.) 
 
 Wherefore, my brethren, in conclusion, let 
 me urge you so to walk, and to j)lease God, 
 after the pattern of all holy men who have 
 gone before you. For your own sakes be per- 
 suaded to this course, since to yourselves, 
 whether or not unto them, it will infallibly 
 produce peace and joy. Pursuing it, you will 
 come, by a well-tried and beaten way, " unto 
 " the general assembly and church of the first- 
 " born written in heaven, unto an innumerable 
 " company of angels, and to the spirits of just 
 " men made perfect, and to God, the Judge of 
 " all, and to Jesus, the Mediator of the new 
 
392 All Saints' Day. 
 
 "covenant;" (Hebrews xii. 22, 23, 24.) you 
 will be preserved from utter confusion and de- 
 struction in the day of wrath, and finally in- 
 herit a glorious rest with the saints of every 
 age and clime. St. John describes in his Re- 
 velation, — " I beheld, and lo ! a great multi- 
 " tude which no man could number, of all na- 
 " tions, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, 
 " stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, 
 " clothed with white robes, and palms in their 
 " hands ; and cried with a loud voice, saying, 
 " Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the 
 " throne, and unto the Lamb ; — blessing, and 
 " glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and 
 " honour, and power, and might, be unto our 
 " God for ever and ever." (Revelation vii. 9, 
 10, 12.) May such be our lot at the end of 
 days, even to join with this triumphant multi- 
 tude of saints in light, and with them to mag- 
 nify God, who hath made us meet to be par- 
 takers of their inheritance. In order thereto, 
 get the victory (as they have gotten it) by Di- 
 vine aid, against sin, the world, and the Devil, 
 and plant and keep yourselves, by the same 
 aid, in those holy paths, which thousands be- 
 fore you have trodden with a successful vigour 
 and perseverance. Thus shall you come be- 
 hind, or short of them, in no blessing; thus 
 shall you hereafter be admitted to speak the 
 
All Saints' Day. 393 
 
 praises of the Most High in that triumphant 
 song of Moses, and of the Lamb, — " Great and 
 " marvellous are Thy works, Lord God Al- 
 " mighty ; just and true are Thy ways, Thou, 
 " KING OF SAINTS." (Revelation xv. 3.) 
 
 THE END. 
 
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