o- ■^ii^ I iiii fct ^ ^:^ 5^ o^ 3;:^. «^^ i:^. ^2- l)F THK AT PRINCETON, N. -J. I> o IV ^'VT I cj :v c» IS- SAMUEL AONEW, OK PHILADELPHIA, PA. SERMONS ON VARIOUS SUBJECTS, PRACTICAL AND DOCTRINAL. BY SAMUEL WORCESTER, D. D. T.ATE SENIOR PASTOR OE THE TABERNACLE CHrRCH, SALEM, MASS. SALEM: PUBLISHED BY HENRY WHirrr.K. 1823. District of Massachusetts, to wit : DISTRICT CLKRK's OFFICE. BE it remembered, that on the first day of February, A. D. 1823, in the forty-seventh year of the Independence of the United States of America, HENRY WHIPPLE, of the said district, has deposited in this office the title of a book, the right whereof he claims as proprietor, in the words following, to vvit : — " Sermons on Various Subjects, Practical and Doctrinal. By SAMUEL WORCESTER, D. D. late Senior Pastor of the Tabernacle Church, Salem, Mass." In conformity to the act of the Congress of the United States, entitled, "■ An act for the encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of maps, charts and books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies, during the times therein mentioned :" and also to an act entitled, " An act supplemen- tary to an act, entitled. An act for the encouragement of learning, by secur- ing the copies of maps, charts, and books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies during the times therein mentioned ; and extending the benefits thereof to the arts of designing, engraving and etching historical, and other prints." txT/-. -iKT r\A\jta S ^^^^f^ of the District JNO. W. DAVIS, J „f Missachmttts. BURRILl/ AND HERSET, PRINTERS, Haverhill^ Mass. PREFACE. »©• ^V^ITH the character of the late Dr. Worcester, the christian community are already in some measure ac- quainted. His abundant labours, and his eminent ser- vices, in the cause of Missions, have greatly endeared his name to those who feel an interest in the great work of sending the gospel to the heathen, and will long be gratefully remembered. Though he was less exten- sively known, as a Preacher of the Gospel, than he was as Corresponding Secretary of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions ; yet many have listened, with lively interest, to the word of life, when published by him from his own pulpit, and in various other places where he was providentially called ; and there are already before tlie publick a number of his oc- casional discourses, which have been favourably re- ceived. . An expectation therefore, has probably been cherished, that a volume of his Sermons would be a valuable acquisition to the Church of Christ. This expectation, it is believed, the volume now offered to the publick, will not disappoint. iv PREFACE. It ought however to be understood, that the follow- ing sermons were composed by the author, and deliver- ed to the congregation under his particular care, in the ordinary discharge of his duties, probably with no ex- pectation of their ever being published from the press. They were written of course, not to be subjected to the examination of the critic, nor to entertain the learned, but for the instruction and edification of common hear- ers ; and they are precisely such as might be expected from the pen of Dr. Worcester, under such circum- stances. Though these sermons were all written out in full, and perhaps with as much correctness as is usual in similar circumstances, yet they needed careful revision and correction, in order to fit them for publication : — and though he to wliose lot it has fallen to perform this service, is conscious of having executed it with the strictest fidelity, yet the work must undoubtedly appear to much less advantage, than if it had been prepared for the press by the author. It is an age, in which no little diversity of sentiment subsists, even among the real followers of the Lord Jesus, on many Theological subjects. It is not to be expected, therefore, that all christians will find eve- ry thing contained in these sermons to harmonize ex- actly with their own views. Yet it is believed they can scarcely fail of being, generally, very acceptable to the humble believer, of whatever christian commu- nion j and that they will prove a means of strength- PREFACE. V euiog his faith, of enlivening his zeal, of securing him against the influence of temptations, of comforting Iiim under sorrows, and of preparing him for the world of glory. Nor will they be found any less calculated to awaken the careless sinner, to make him feel the im- portance of attending to the things which belong to his peace, and to guide him in the way of life eternal. In these discourses the lamented author ^^ being dead yet speaketh ;" and it is devoutly hoped it will not be in vain, as it regards the christian community, and especially the numerous members of tliat beloved congregation, to whom, while living, he ministered with the most tender solicitude for their eternal welfare : and from whom he received the most abundant expres- sions of affection and respect. CONTENTS. SERMON I. Divine glory displayed in the System of Nature. Psalm XIX. 1. — The heavens declare the glory of God. . . 17 SERMON II. The Creation of Man an important work of God. Isaiah xlv. 12. — / have made the earth, and created man upon it. ........ 32 SERMON III. A view of the Divine glory self-abasing. Isaiah vi. 5. — Then said T, Wo is me ! for I am undone ; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips : for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. ..... 44 SERMON IV. Sin exceeding Sinful. Romans vii. 13. — TTiat sin by the commandment might be- come exceeding sinful. ...... 55 viii CONTENTS. SERMON V. Progress in Sin. 2 Kings viii. 13. — But what! is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing ? . . . . 64 SERMON VI. God's thoughts and ways higher than ours. Isaiah lv. 8, 9. — For my thoxights are not your thoughts, neither are your ivays my ivays^ saith the Lord : For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my xoays higher than your ivays, and my thoughts than your thoughts. ........ 75 SERMON VII. Access to God. Hebrews x. 19 — 22. — Having, therefore, brethren, bold- ness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the vail, that is to say, his jiesh ; and having an High Priest over the house of God ; let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. ..... 86 SERMON VIII. The good Way. Jeremiah vi. 16. — Thus saith the Lord, stand ye in the loays and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for i/our souls. ........ 95 CONTENTS. ix SERMON IX. Fallow ground to be broken up and sown in Righteousness. HosEA X. 12. — Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy ; break up your fallow ground : for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you 106 SERMON X. Fallow ground to be broken up and sown in Righteousness. HosEA X. 12. — Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy ; break up your fallow ground : for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. . . . . . . . . .113 SERMON XI. The Gospel a perfect law of Liberty. James i. 25. — But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he, being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. ....... 122 SERMON XII. Sorrow, Godly and Worldly. 2 Corinthians VII. 10. — For godly sorrow worketh re- pentance to salvation, not to be repented of; but the sor- row of the world worketh death. . . . 137 SERMON XIII. Glorying only in the Cross. Galatians VI. 14. — But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesii^t Christ. . . 14f» X CONTENTS. SERMON XIV. God's house to be Reverenced. EccLEsiASTES V. 1. — Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God. ....... 163 SERMON XV. Jesus at the grave of Lazarus. John xi. 35. — Jesm Wept 179 SERMON XVI. Drawing Back. Hebrews x. 38. — But if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. . . . . . 189 SERMON XVII. The end of them that obey not the Gospel. 1 Peter iv. 17. — What shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God ? 201 SERMON XVIII. Glory of Christ in his humiliation. .ToHN I. 14. — And we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father. . . . . 213 SERMON XIX. Christ the Lamb of God. John i. 29. — Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. ...... 223 CONTENTS. ^f SERMON XX. Believers bought with a price. 1 Corinthians vii. 23. — Ye are bought with a price. 237 SERMON XXI. Demonstration that God is Love. 1 John iv. 10. — Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. ....... 24,9. SERMON XXII. Ascension of Christ. Acts i. 9. — jlnd when he had spoken these things, while they beheld he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight. ....... 261 SERMON XXIII. Nature of Repentance. Jeremiah xxxi. 18, 19. — / have surely heard Ephraim be- moaning himself thus ; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke. Turn thou me, and I shall be turned ; for thou art the Lord my God. Surely, after that I was turned, I re- pented ; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh ; 1 was ashamed, yea even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth. . , . 272 SERMON XXIV. Importance of Repentance. Mark vi. 12. — Jlnd they went out, and preached that men should repent. 283 xii eONTENTS. SERMON XXV. The goodness of God an inducement to Repentance. Romans ii. 4. — Or despisest thou the riches of his good- ness, and forbearance, and long-suffering ; not knowing thai the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance 9 295 SERMON XXVI. The Spiritual Meat and Spiritual Drink of Israel. 1 Corinthians x. 3, 4. — And did all eat the same spiritual meat ; and did all drink the same spiritual drink : for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them ; and that rock was Christ. ...... 30ft SERMON XXVII. The Temple of God. 1 Peter ii. 4, 5. — To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, hut chosen of God and precious, ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. . . . 317 SERMON XXVIII. Privileges of Believers under the Gospel. Hebrews xii. 22, 23, 24. — But ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable compaiiy 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, and to the blood of sprink- ling, that speakeih better things than that of Abel. . . 336 CONTENTS. xlii SERMON XXIX. Communion in the body and blood of Christ. 1 Corinthians x. 1G. — The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 350 SERMON XXX. Paul's benevolence towards his Nation. Romans ix. 1 — 5. — I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, that I have great heaviness, and continual sorrow in my heart : For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh ; who are Israelites, to whom pertaineth the adop- tion, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises ; lohose are the fathers, and ofivhom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. ........ 363 SERIMON XXXI. Divine glory displayed in building up Zion. Psalm cii. 16. — When the Lord shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory. ..... 375 SERMON XXXII. Abraham offering up Isaac. Hebrews xi. 17. — By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac . 389 xiv CONTENTS. SERMON XXXIIL God's feelings towards the Wicked. EzEKiEL xxxin. 11. — As Hive saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked ; but that the wick- ed turn from his way and live. . . • . 405 SERMON XXXIV. Great question of Circumcision. Acts xv. 30, 31. — So when they were dismissed, they came to Antioch ; and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle ; which ivhen they had read, they rejoiced for the consolation. . . » 422 SERMON XXXV. Importance of early Religion, t Kings xviii. 12. — But I thy servant fear the Lord from my youth. ........ 440 SERMON XXXVI. Necessity of Regeneration. John hi. 6, 7. — That which is born of the flesh is flesh ; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. . . 452 SERMON XXXVII. Our griefs and sorrows borne by Christ. It^AiAH, LiH. 4. — Surely hehath home our griefs, and car- ried our sorrows. ....... 46T CONTENTS. XV SERMON XXXVIII. Importance of being kept in the Truth. .John xvii. 1). — t^nd now lam no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine oicn name those ivhom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. . . . 478 SERIMON XXXIX. Man a Sojourner. Psalm xxxix. 12. — For I am a stranger with thee, a so- journer, as all my fathers were. .... 490 "ffv .Q; SERMON I. DIVINE GLORY DISPLAYED IN THE SYSTEM OF NATrRE. Psalm xix. 1. The heavens declare the glory of God. X HE glory of God is the highest interest of the universe, and the devout celebration of it is the noblest employment of created inteUigences. It is when they are engaged in this employment, that good men on earth are raised to a participation of the dignity and happiness of the holy inhabitants of heaven. It is in the various works of God, that his glory is seen ; and it is for the manifestation of his glory, that all his various works are performed. The principalities and powers in heaverdy places prostrate them- selves, and worship him that liveth forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honour, and power ; for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. Upon this same exalted theme, the sweet Psalmist of Israel, who has given a lead to the devotions and high praises of the church on earth, in every succeeding age, dehghted to dwell. Descants upon the divine works, as declarative of the divine glory, consti- tute a very considerable part of his inspired psalms. Of this nature, particularly, are the first six verses of the beautiful and subhme psalm, of which the text is the beginning. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament rJiowdh his hftndi/ 3 " 18 SERMON I. work. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showcth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earthy and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, which as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it, and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof. The heavens declare the glory of God. The word heaven, in the plural heavens, is used in the scriptures in different senses. Sometimes it means that part of the universe, that glorious holy place, where Jehovah has fixed his more special abode, and where angels and glorified spirits dwell, in the imperishable mansions of bliss. Sometimes it means no more than the upper regions of our atmosphere, where the clouds are formed, where the vai'ious meteors are exhibited, or even where the birds, which thence are called the birds of heaven, fly. And some- times it means those higher and immeasurable regions, where the sun and the moon, the planets, and the countless host of the stars, with all their radiant glories, are displayed. In this last sense, evidently, the word heavens is used in our text. The heavens declare the glory of God. That is, the sun, the moon, the stars, all the stupendous orbs, which stud the lofty firmament, and which move and shine throughout the unmeasured re- gions of space, proclaim the existence, and show forth the per- fections of the divine Creator. I shall attempt in the sequel, to illustrate the sentiment of the text, that THE SYSTEM OF NATURE, including the earth, which is itself but a planetary orb, and the visible heavens, i>oes really DECLARE, OR SHOW FORTH, THE GLORY OF GoD. Glory is either intrinsick, or declarative. The intrinsick or essential glory of God, consists in the adorable excellencies, at- tributes, or perfections of his nature. His declarative glory con- sists in the manifestation which he makes of his infinite attributes, or perfections, in his great and wonderful works. It is the in- trinsick or essential glory of God, which the heavens declare. The stupendous works of nature declare, or show forth the SERMON I. 19 adorable perfections of Jehovah, particularly, his infinite power, his infinite wisdom, and his infinite goodness. I. The system of nature declares, or shows forth, God's infinite power. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. That the whole system of the universe had a beginning is clear, both from the deductions of reason, and the declarations of scripture. The notion of some of the ancient, and of some of the modern philosophers, that the universe existed from eternity, is as chimerical and absurd, as it is repugnant to the oracles of divine truth. When, in the light of history sacred and profane, we look back upon past ages and generations, we cannot but see the most plenary evidence, that this world, with all it contains, the race of mankind, and the various animal tribes, had a be- ginning ; we cannot, indeed, but see evidence, that the beginning of the world could not have been earlier than what, according to the scripture chronology, it is made out to have been, that is, somewhat less than six thousand years ago. Besides, to sup- pose that this world, and all other worlds, that the race of man- kind, and all other races and orders of beings, throughout the universe, have existed from eternity, involves the greatest possi- ble absurdities and contradictions. The world, then, the earth and the heavens, and the whole system of nature, had a begin- ning. Before creation was begun, Jehovah inhabited eternity, independently and perfectly blessed in the infinite benevolence of his nature, in his unchangeable purposes, and in the contem- plation of the wonderful works, which, for the glory of his name, he would, in their due order perform. When the period arrived, at which he had determined to give being to a dependent universe, he spake, and it teas done ; he commanded, and it stood fast. At his omnifick word, the im- mense chaotick mass of matter, of which unnumbered worlds were to be made, sprang from nothing into being ; from this chaotick mass, the sun, the moon, the earth, and all the planeta- ry globes, were formed ; the sun was fixed in his place, as the common centre of the system, and the earth and all the planets, thrown forth from the plastick hand of their Creator into their 2D SERMON 1. several orbits, commenced their stupendous revolutions. God said, Let there he light, and there was light God said, Let the ivaters under the heaven be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear ; and it was so God said. Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself upon the earth ; and it was so God said. Let there he lights in the firmament of the heaven, to divide the day from the night ; and let them he for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years. And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven, to give light upon the earth ; and it was so God said. Let the waters bring forth abundantly th^ moving creature that hath life, andfoivl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven ; and it was so God said. Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind ; and it was so God said, Let us make man in our own image, after our own likeness ; and man sprang up from the dust of the earth, in the image of his Maker. Thus, by the fiat of God, were the heavens and the earth created, and all the host of them. And, what majestick displays of divine power are here ! Carry back your contemplations, my brethren, to this scene of wonders. The immensity of space an immeasurable void ; not a being, not a thing existing, besides him, who inhabiteth eternity. In a moment, at his word, the immense mass of un- formed matter starts into being. Suns, and stars, and planets, are formed, and fixed in their stations, or launched into their orbits, to run their appointed courses in perpetual circuit through the heavens. From primeval darkness, light bursts forth to cheer the new creation. The earth is enriched and adorned with all the treasures and beauties of the mineral and vegetable kingdoms. The diamond glitters in its bed ; the hills are cloth- ed with grass and the valleys with corn ; the lily and the rose unfold their beauties to the day ; and the fruit tree and the vine present their rich, their delicious products. The air, the earth, and the waters, are peopled with numberless species of animal ■and sensitive beings ; birds, insects, beasts, and fishes, of every SERMON I. 21 tlescription. Last of all, man comes forth from his Maker's hand, as lord of this lower creation ; looks round in pleasing astonishment ; surveys the shining heavens, and the beautifully variegated earth, all finished in perfection ; then turns, as by divine inspiration directed, and adores the mighty power which created and arranged the stupendous whole. Contemplate this amazing work, and say. Does not the system of nature declare the power of God ? What power, short of infinhe, could create a single particle of matter? What shall we think, then, of the creation of worlds ? What power, short of infinite, could form the meanest insect? What, then, shall we think of the formation of the whole magnificent and unmeasured universe f We arc overwhelmed, we are lost in the contemplation ! It should be considered, moreover, that, by the same divine power, by which the great fabrick of the universe was first built, it is constantly upheld in being, and its whole order and economy are preserved. Should this power fail of its wonted exertion, nature would be instantly unhinged, and the whole created sys- tem would rush into confusion and ruin. Should it be entirely suspended, the whole fabrick would drop into nonexistence. What a display of divine power do we behold, then, in the preservation of the heavens and the earth ! What a display of it, in upholding for thousands of years, such an amazing system of worlds, and of beings ! What a display of it, in so preserving the order and economy of nature, that all the heavenly orbs perform their revolutions, from period to period, with most perfect regu- larity ! What a display of it, in renewing the seasons, with all their various exhibitions, from year to year, and in perpetuating the race of mankind, and all the numberless tribes of diversified being ! Surely, the heavens declare the glorious poiver of God, and the earth is full of his wonderful works. II. The system of nature declares, or shows forth, not only the power, but also, the wisdoin of God. When we survey a piece of mechanism, of curious and com- plicated workmanship, constructed, throughout, with the most perfect contrivance, and adapted, in every part, to the useful purpose for which it was intended, we do not hesitate to pro- 22 SERMON I. noiince it a display of great ingenuity and wisdom. What, then, shall we say of the structure of the created universe t Perfectly to investigate the system of nature, minutely to sun-ey it in all its parts, and fully to comprehend its vast and diversified opera- tions, immeasurahly transcends the limited powers of the human mind. It is only a very small part of this great whole, which falls within our ohservation ; and it is but little of what we do see and observe, that we understand and comprehend. Hence, our views of the divine wisdom, as manifested in the works of creation, must fall infinitely short of the glorious extent of what is really displayed. The least instructed, however, and the least attentive observer of the system of nature, cannot but be con- vinced, that the great Author is a being of infinite wisdom ; and the more we attend to the subject, and the farther we carry our researches, the more of his infinite wisdom shall we see to admire and to praise. Upon the slightest survey of the works of crea- tion, who can fail to perceive the most striking and illustrious demonstrations of skilful contrivance, and of wise design ? Is there not a glorious display of divine wisdom in the general struc- ture of the universe ; in so disposing the vast orbs, which com- pose the great system, as that the sun shall preserve his station, and all the planets revolve around him, in the most perfect and harmonious order, and in all their revolutions, receive the im- mense benefit of his light and heat ? Had not infinite wisdom been concerned in establishing the economy of the system, the sun and the planets might have been so disposed, as to have wandered without order, through the trackless regions of space, or so to interfere, as to dash one another in pieces, and produce universal confusion and ruin. Is there not an admirable display ■of divine wisdom, in so framing and ordering the system, as to make the sun regularly to rule the day, and the moon and the stars to ride the night ? Had not wisdom been concerned in regulating the whole, this earth might have been left totally with- out light and heat, and, therefore, totally uninhabitable. Is there not an admirable display of divine wisdom, in so regulating the system, as to produce various chmates, suited to various useful productions, and regularly to exhibit the various seasons, with all SERMON I. 2S ihelr varieties for support, for happiness, and for instruction ? Had not wisdom been concerned in this, also, the disposal of the earth might have been such as to have exhibited a perpetual uniformity, and a cheerless sterility ; or else to have been so irregular in its seasons and changes, as to have rendered it im- possible for men to make any calculations in their various pur- suits, or any improvements in the arts of life. Were it not for the regular economy of nature, we should never know when ta expect light or darkness, or summer or winter, or cold or heat ;. and, therefore, should be in no situation to make any useful cal- culations, or improvements. And if divine wisdom appears in the structure and economy of nature, thus viewed upon an extensive scale ; does it not, also, appear in every part of this great whole .'' Look into the mineral kingdom ; look into the vegetable ; look into the animal. Was not infinite wisdom employed in giving to the gem its lustre ; in giving to the flower its beautiful tints ; in giving to the animal its wonderful organization ? Even in tliose parts of nature which appear to us more deformed, and the utility of which is not so readily perceived, may we not still discover some important and wise design.'' Yes ; "there is not a creature that moves, not a vegetable that grows, but, when tninutely examined, furnishes materials for the highest admira- tion- The same wisdom that placed the sun in the centre of the system, and arranged the several planets around him in their order, has no less shown itself in the provision made for the food and dwelling of every bird that roams the air, of every beast that wanders in the desart, and of every fish that swims the ocean ; equally great in the smallest, and in the most magnificent ob- jects ; in the star and in the insect ; in the elephant and in the fly ; in the beam that shines from heaven, and in the grass that clothes the ground." O Lord, hoio excellent is thy name in all the earth! How manifold are thy works ! In wisdom hast thou made them all ! III. The system of nature show^s forth, also, the goodness of Ood. This appears, I trust, with no small degree of clearness, from the rajjid view of the system, wliicli has already been pre- ^i4 SERMON I. sentecl. For what pw^jose did the infmite Creator give exist>- cnce to this majcstick monument of his ahnighty power ? For what purpose did he create the earth and the heavens, witli all their unnumbered hosts ? Was it not, evidently, that he might communicate happiness ; and does not this design appear con- spicuous on the open face of nature f What is the plain and un- equivocal indication of all those marks of infinite wisdom, and of skilful contrivance, in the general dispositions, and in all the parts of surrounding nature ? Is it not, that the Creator of all things is infinitely good ? Is there not a display of infinite good- ness, in the regular and harmonious disposition of the heavenly orbs f Instead of this beautiful order, why was there not the most horrible confusion ? Instead of this benignant harmony of the spheres, why was there not a perpetual jar, and the most disastrous concussion ? Is there not a display of infinite goodness in the grandeur and beauty of the creation, so favourably adapted to elevate, to inspire with admiration, and to fill with the purest pleasure, the devout and contemplative mind ? Why was not the whole creation so formed as only to excite amazement, terror, and despair ? Is there not a display of infinite goodness in the beautiful scenery of our globe, so agreeably diversified with con- tinents and seas, islands and lakes, mountains and plains, hills and valleys, adapted to various beneficial purposes, and abound- ing with productions, in endless variety, for the convenience, the support, and the happiness, of its diversified inhabitants ? Why was not the whole earth like the burning sands of Libya, or the rugged and frozen mountains of Zembla ? Why was it not one wide and dreary waste, producing only briers and thorns, and poisonous or bitter fruits ? Is there not a display of infinite good- ness in the grateful vicissitude of the seasons, each bearing upon its bosom its peculiar delights ; the spring arrayed in the most beautiful verdure, and decorated with flowers ; the summer abounding with delightful prospects, and teeming with luxuriance ; autumn loaded with golden harvests, and the richest variety of fruits ; and even winter supplying in social enjoyments, and the nobler pleasures of study and contemplation, what it lacks in ex- ternal charms ? Why was not the whole year one continued scene SERMON I. ^5 of dull uniformity, or so irregular in its changes as utterly to baffle all the calculations, and arrangements, and pursuits of life ? Why was not every sight a spectacle of horror, every sound a shriek of distress, every sweet a most pungent bitter, every gale a blast of pestilence ? Is it not because the Creator and Preserver of the world is a being of infinite goodness f And when we take into consideration the reference which is had, in the disposition and conduct of the natural vvorld, to the accom- modation of mankind ; a fallen rebellious race of beings, under a forfeiture of every divine favour, and deserving of nothing but tribulation and anguish, redeemed from wrath only by the blood of the cross, and reconciled to God only by a dispensation of sovereign grace ; shall we not see the most abundant and im- pressive reason to admire and to extol the displays of the divine goodness, in all the kindly influences of the heavens upon us, and in all the numberless blessings, with which the eartli abounds ? Surely, the heavens declare the glory of God, and the earth is full of his riches. IMPROVEMENT. 1. We may see the reasonableness and importance of main- taining a constant and lively sense of our owii dependence, and of the dependence of all things, upon God. Is God the Creator and the Preserver of the whole universe, and shall he not be seen and acknowledged, by his intelligent and moral creatures, in all his works ? Do the heavens declare his glory, and is the earth filled with his goodness ; are his adora- ble perfections displayed in every pai't of the surrounding crea- tion ; and shall we not be sensible of his presence, and religious- ly regard the operation of his hands ? He who created the worlds, still upholds them in being. He who fixed the sun in his place, who threw the planetary globes into their orbits, and who ap- pointed all the ordinances of heaven, still preserves the order and the economy of nature. He still bringcth forth Ma-zaroth in his season, and guideth Arcturus ivith his sons. The rising and the setting sun, the changing moon, the revolving seasons, all the vicissitudes and productions of nature, declare the con- iti SERMON I. slant presence, the unremitting agency, the ever enduring good- ness of God. How large a proportion of mankind, my brethren, are prac- tical, though not theoretical Atheists ! How large a proportion of mankind live without God in the world ; and, though daily dependent on him for hfe, and breath, and all things, are still altogether forgetful of the Rock that begat them, unmindful of his goodness, unobservant of his operations, and insensible of their constant dependence on him ! Because the course of nature proceeds on regularly, the sun rises and sets in his season, seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night, fail not of their regular returns, therefore man, foolish and sottish man, lives, and feels, and acts, as if in all this order and economy, the God of nature had no agency or concern. If any thing remarkably unusual, or alarming, occur in the natural world ; if the rain of heaven be withholden ; if the frost or the blast cut off the expectations of the year ; if the cloud surcharged with the lightning and the thunder immediately im- pend ; if the tornado sweep the desolated land j if the baleful pestilence spread through cities and villages ; if some comet show its portentous glare ; or even if the luminaries of heaven undergo an eclipse, how many will awake, and acknowledge the hand of God, who, while all things proceed on in their usual course, habitually live as though there were no God to adore, or to fear ! But, shall the hand of God be acknowledged in those occurrences, and natural phenomena, which are regarded as disastrous or unusual ; and shall his agency and his goodness be entirely overlooked in the regular and beneficent course and productions of nature ? Does vain man imagine, that the God of the universe has nothing to do with the great system of nature, only, from time to time, to inten'upt its wonted order, and dis- arrange its established economy ? Is it only in disastrous or un- usual occurrences, that the hand of the beneficent Creator and Preserver of all things is to be acknowledged and seen ? Alas, what a stupid, what an ungrateful, what an atheistical being, is fallen, depraved man ! And are we not all chargeable, in a greater or less degree, with this practical atheism ? If, in times of dis- SERMON I. 27 tress, and of alarm, we turn our thoughts towards God, do we noi strangely forget him, m times of security and peace, and un- gratefully overlook his goodness, and his care, in the unnumber- ed blessings which, in the regular course of nature and provi- dence, he daily dispenses to us ? Is it not strange, that we can thus live ? Is it not strange, that we do not constantly perceive the glory of God, which the heavens declare, and gratefully re- cognize his goodness, so richly spread abroad through all his works f Happy, happy were it for us, did nature constantly ap- pear to us as it really is, animated and enlivened by the presence of its glorious Author ! When the sun rises or sets in the heavens, when spring adorns the earth, when summer shines in its glory, when autumn pours forth its fruits, or when winter returns in its awful forms, happy were it for us, did we constantly view the great Creator and Preserver of all, continually manifesting him- self in his various works ! Happy, did we meet his presence in the smiling fields, feel his influence in the cheering beams, hear his voice even in the whispering breeze, and taste his goodness in every gift of nature and providence ! Happy did we feel our- selves every where surrounded with the glory of that universal Spirit, who fills, peiTades, and enlivens all, and did we live in the world, as in a great and august temple, where the presence of the Divinity who inhabits it, fills the mind with awe, and in- spires the heart with devotion ! 2. Our subject is calculated deeply to impress the important truth, that all things, as well in the natural as in the moral world, are ordered in the best manner for the best ends. Infinite power, directed by infinite wisdom and goodness, can do nothing wrong ; neither can it be hindered fi?om doino, all which is best to be done. All that God has done, is doing, and will to endless ages do, may be relied on with the most per- fect confidence, as being done for the highest good of his great and rising kingdom. He is the Sovereign of nature, and the Lord of providence, as well as the God of grace. As he is the universal Spirit, who sustains and actuates the whole created universe, intellectual and material ; as he rules in the heavens, and governs throughout all worlds, and aorording to hi > sovp- 2b SERMON I. reign pleasure, and in such a manner that not a sparrow can fall to the ground, nor an hair of the head perish without him, we may rest in the fullest assurance, that nothing ever does, that nothing ever will take place, which is not, on the whole, sub- servient to the highest general good, and to the furtherance of the best interests of all who love him. 3. The language of nature is in perfect consonance with the language of revelation. The heavens declare the glory of God. All nature proclaims-, from day to day, the infinite power, wisdom, and goodness of its divine Author, his universal dominion, and the absolute depend- ence of all beings and things upon him. Perfectly correspond- ent with this, is the xmifonTi language of the inspired scriptures. If such be the character of God, such his dominion, and such the dependence of the whole universe upon him, the first and plainest conclusions of reason are, that be is to be feared, loved, obeyed, worshipped, and praised, by all his intelligent offspring ; that entire submission and devotion to him are but a reasonable service ; and that rebellion against him must be attended with infinite guilt, and must expose the rebel to complete and irreme- diable destruction. Is not the God, who made the heavens and the earth, and who holds the universe in his hand ; — is not he to be reverenced and adored ? Shall a vile worm of the dust contemn his glory, disregard his authority, and rise up in rebellion against him, and not be crushed as the moth .'' Upon this momentous point, nature and scripture agree in the same declaration. But here nature stops. It declares that God is to be reverenced and obeyed with perfect devotion, and that rebellion against him must be attended with infinite guilt and danger ; but, whether sin can be pardoned, and the sinner restored to the favour of heaven ; and if so, in what way, nature says not. On the sub- ject of redemption, by the blood of the Son of God, nature is entirely silent. For all the information we have, on this most interesting subject, we are entirely indebted to the grace of God bestowed upon us in his written word. How thankful should we be for the light of nature ; how diankful, especially, should we be for the gloriously superadded SERMON I. 29 light of revelation ! And if, in contempt of both the one and tlie other, we continue in sin, how clear it is, that terrible, beyond description, must be our final condemnation ! As the heavens de- clare the glory of God, and the firmament shoivcth his handy work; us day unto day uttercth speech, and night iinto night showeth knowledge ; as there is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard ; as their line is gone out through all the earth, and their icords to the end of the world ; even the pagan nations, though favoured with the Hght of nature only, are with- out excuse for not acknowledging, loving, and serving, the God who made the heavens and the earth. How much more inex- cusable are we ; and with what infinite reason may the most abandoned of the pagan nations rise up in judgment, and con- demn us, if, notwithstanding the additional and far superior light, with which we are favoured, we continue in sin, and die without repentance towards God, and faith in his Son Jesus Christ ! If Jehovah is to be adored, when he is only known as the God of nature, how much more, when he is known as the God of nature and of grace ! If those who sin against the light of the natural sun are worthy of punishment, of how much sorer punishment shall they he thought tvorthy, who sin against the light of the glo- rious sun of righteousness ! If " an indevout astronomer is mad," what dreadful madness must there be in the heart of an indevout reader of the inspired scriptures, or hearer of the blessed gospel ! O, my hearers, let us feel, one and all, the impression of this subject. Let us look abroad upon the surrounding heavens, and the earth, and adore the sovereign of nature. Let us look upon the cross of the Redeemer, and penitently prostrate ourselves at the feet of the God, both of nature and of grace. I^et us serious- ly consider, how terrible our final condition must be, if, at last, we fall under the vengeance of this great Being ; and, on the other hand, how happy, if we be objects of his pardoning mercy, and of his parental and everlasting love. Let us remember, that magnificent as this great dome of nature is, and richly as it is stored with the fruits of divine goodness, it is not intended for our permanent abode. We are here, for a short season only, on probation for another and an eternal state. Wc shall poon be 3.0 SERMON I. gone hence, and have no more concern forever, with the com- forts or the sufferings, with the joys or the sorrows, with the hopes or the fears, of this sublunary scene. The world itself, indeed, is not to abide forever. But, the day of the Lord is coming, is hastening on, 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 burnt up. Happy, happy for us, if in that great day, we be admitted to the new heavens, or the new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Happy, if when our earthly house of this tabernacle shall be dis- solved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. But wretched, indescribably wretched, should we be without, where are dogs, and sorcerers, and whore- mongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maJceth a He. SERMON II. THE CREATION OF MAN AN IMPORTANT WORK OF GOP »®« Isaiah xlv. 12. / have made the earthy and created man upon it. i^ UMEROUS, beyond conception, is the race of mankind ; and vastly interesting and important are their actions, and their destinies. MilHons of human beings are constantly passing over this terrestrial theatre, and other millions are constantly coming forward to supply their places. But, so it has not always been. The race of mankind, like all created beings, had a beginning. Rapid as the flight of time is, six thousand years have not yet passed away, since the first human being began to exist. But, from eternity, the infinitely wise God had contemplated the heavens and the earth, and, when the predestined moment ar- rived, at which this world was to be formed, he spake, and it was done ; he commanded, and it stood fast. He made the earth. AND created MAN UPON IT. These words stand in connection with a memorable prophecy, respecting Cyrus king of Persia. About one hundred and fifty years before Cyrus was born, Jehovali called him by name, and foretold the great purposes to be accomplished by him, particu- larly in the conquest of Babylon, and deliverance of the Jews from the Babylonish captivity. Thus saith Jehovah to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden to subdue .32 SERMON II. nations hefore him; I will go before ihcc to maJce the crooked places straight ; I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron For Jafob my ser- vant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name ; I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me. In the false religion of Persia, the country of Cyrus, it was a fundamental principle, that there were two coeternal beings; the one, the author of all good, whose emblem was light : the other, the author of all evil, whose emblem was darkness. In opposition to this, the God of Israel takes occasion to say, I am Jehovah, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness ; I make peace, and create evil ; I Jehovah do all thesB~ things. Not only did the Persians need to be corrected, in re- gard to the great First Cause ; but, among the Jews, there were many, who were disposed presumptuously to arraign his provi- dence, and to find fault with his dealings towards his people. To them, in sovereign majesty, he says, TVo unto him that striveth with his Maker ! Let the potsherd strive with the pot- sherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, tvhat makest thou ? Thus saith Jehovah, the holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me — or, more properly rendered, Will ye ask me of things to come concerning my sons ; and concerning the work of my hands will ye command me ? Then, to show both Jews and Persians his sovereignty and greatness, he solemnly adds, 1 HAVE MADE THE EARTH, AND CREATED MAN UPON IT. /, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded. I have raised him vp, (that is, I have raised up Cyrus,) in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways. He shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price or reward, saith Jehovah of hosts. A principal sentiment, most impressively conveyed in this passage, is, that Jehovah made the earth, and created man upon it, for his own wise and holy purposes. Hence, we have this plain doctrine, that the creation of man was a highly im- portant WORK OF God. This doctrine I shall now endeavour to evince, illustrate, and improve. In doing this, it may be observed, SERMOxN II. 83 I. That the truth of the doctrine is evident, from the solemn manner, in which God proceeded to the work of man's creation, and from the high dignity, and the immortal nature, of the being created. Something highly interesting, concerning these things, may be learned from the concise history of the creation of man, which is given in the first chapters of the Bible. The heavens and the earth tvere finished ; the various ti'ibes of vegetables and of ani- mals Were brought forth ; and the entire work was pronounced to be vei'y good. Then, God said, Let iis make man in our image, after our likeness ; and let him have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image; in the image of God created he him ; male and female created lie them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it ; and have do- minion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and ^ver every living thing that moveth upon the earth. Again, The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. From this account, it appeal's that God proceeded to the work of creating man with great solemnity. Let rts make man. It would seem to have been a matter of high consultation and concert, with the adorable Trinity, as if it were a work of singu- lar importance. The body of man, indeed, was formed of the dust of the ground ; yet it was distinguished from all other terrestrial beings, by a form nobly erect, stampt with transcendent beauty and grandeur, and pre-eminently adapted to every useful and desira- ble purpose. And into its nostrils, the Lord God breathed the breath of life; and man became a living sovl. A spirit was in- fused into him^ and the inspiration of the Almighty gave him understanding; a spirit, immortal in its nature, allied to heaven- ly beings, and impressed with the image of God. This last is a fact eminently noticeable, and mentioned with special particularity. God sn'^K Tyct rn lyinkc man in n-.ir Imngr. 34 SERMON II. after our likeness. So God created man in his otvn image ; in the image of God created he him. The divine consultation on the subject, and the emphatical repetition here employed, t>trongly evince, that the image, or likeness of God, in which man was created, was real, and most excellent. As God is a being of infinite inteUigence, so man was made an intelligent being. As God is a being of infinite hoHness, so man was made perfectly holy. In this he bore the image of God in the highest sense. Those of our now fallen race, who are renewed by the Holy Spirit, are said to be created after God; that is, in his image, or likeness ; in righteousness and true holiness. It was thus in ' perfection with man, when he came originally from the hand of his Maker. He was holy as God is holy. Love to God, and to all good, reigned in his heart, held all his affections, and pas- sions, and appetites, in complete subordination, and filled his soul with unspeakable serenity and happiness. Male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it ; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that movcth upon the earth. Thus he was invested with high dignity, and made lord of this lower creation. The earth, with all it contained, was put under him ; and he held the dominion of the whole, in allegiance to God. Until man was created, this lower world was without a head j and had not man been created, the rest of this lower creation would have been in a manner useless. There would have been no being here wortliy of all this display of the Creator's glory, or capable of rationally contemplating his works, celebrating his praise, or enjoying and improving the treasures of his goodness, with which the world is so richly stored. Man was formed for all these purposes. He w^as formed to be lord, and proprietor, under God, of the earth, and all it should contain ; to be the head, the heart, and the tongue of the creation ; to contemplate, to enjoy, and to improve all the divine riches around him ; to connect this world with heaven ; and to combine the universe in one great plan, subservient, in all its parts, to the glory of the SERMON II. 35 Creator, and the highest good of his creatures. Siich were tlio great purposes for which man was created, and suitable to these purposes was the dignity conferred upon him. He was made but little lower than the angels, and was crowned with glory and honour. He was raised to a rank in the scale of being, far above all the terrestrial tribes ; he was endowed with the noblest powers and faculties, both of body and mind ; and, to crown the whole, his nature was stampt with immortaUty, and with the im- age of God. His creation was the beginning of an existence, an inteUigent and moral, and a happy or miserable existence, which was to have no end ; but to continue and increase to all eternity. Thousands of years have already past away, but the first human pair still exist. The heavens shall wax old like a garment, and, ere long, he rolled together as a scroll, and the earth, and the ivorks that are therein, shall he burnt up ; but man will survive the catastrophe of the universe, and exist when suns, and stars, and planets shine no more. Surely, these things must furnish abundant evidence, that the creation of man was a work of vast importance. But, II. That the creation of man was a highly important work is evident, from the display made in it of the perfections of the adorable Creator. Man was fearfully and wonderfully made. Contemplate, a moment, the human body, in its admirable structure and form. Contemplate its wonderful organization ; its dehcate contexture ; its excellence and beauty of figure and countenance ; its anima- tion, its activity, and its various senses ; its indications of wise design in every part, and its consummate adaptation to every useful and desirable purpose. This body, in its most perfect state, this little world of wonders in itself, was formed of the dust of the earth ! No wonder, then, that the before atheistical phi- losopher, when contemplating this wonderful workmanship, ex- claimed, " There must be a God !" The great fabrick of nature is an object, indeed, stupendously magnificent, and calculated to strike every beholder with wonder and awe. But, in the whole system of nature besides, there is not, perhaps, so admirable a display of the power, the wisdom, and the goodness of the diviup 3$ SERMON II. Creator, as there is in the human body. But the body, fearfully and wonderfidly made, as it is, can bear no comparison with the invisible and immortal part of man, A soid, created in the im- age of God, endued with all the powers of a rational and moral being, formed for the noblest pursuits and enjoyments, and ca- pable of endless advancement in knowledge, in goodness, and in happiness, is surely an object, which, the more we contemplate, the more we shall see cause to admire. Nothing in the material universe can bear any comparison with it ; nothing in the mate- rial universe so illustriously shows forth the glory of God. The human soul and body united, undoubtedly constituted the noblest and most wonderful of all the Creator's works, in this lower world ; and, as such, was a work of vast importance, in respect to the display of his adorable perfections. Doubtless, on be- holding this work, the morning stars, who sang together, and all the sons of God, who shouted for joy, in view of the rising crea- tion, raised their grateful notes with redoubled acclamations. III. That the creation of man was a vastly important work of God, is evident, from the countless number of rational and immortal beings in effect at the same time created. Whether the souls of all mankind were actually created, as some suppose, at the time of Adam's creation, or whether they are successively created, as the bodies designed for them are ready to receive them ; whether they are infused into their re- spective bodies immediately by the Creator, or whether they are propagated with their bodies by natural traduction ; unquestiona- bly, the existence of all their posterity was infallibly connected with the creation of the first human pair. The first parents of our race were so formed, or under such a constitution created, that all mankind were, in some sense, contained in them, and to be propagated from them ; so that, in creating them, and giving the benediction, or command, to be fruitfid and multiply, and replenish the earth, God, in effect, at the same time created the whole human family. But, how vastly numerous is the race of mankind ! Not less than eight hundred millions of human inhabi- tants the world is computed to contain at once ; and to shift its inhabitants once in from thirty to thirty five years, or three times SERMON 11. 37 in the course of each century. According to this computation, in every period of about thirty three years, eight hundred milUons, and in every period of an hundred years, twenty-four hundred millions of human beings, pass from this to the eternal world. Assuming this as an average rate, from the beginning of the world to the present age, it will give the whole number of hu- man beings, already come into existence, at upwards of fourteen miUions of millions ; and, allowing the world to continue for seven thousand years from the beginning, the same average rate would give the total number of mankind at about seventeen millions of millions. The amount of this computation, in all probability, falls short of the reahty ; yet, at the rapid rate of two hundred in a minute, day and night perpetually, the whole num- ber here given would not be counted oft' in sixteen thousand years. Amazing number ! yet this countless race of beings were all connected with the first creation of man ! Was not the creation of man, then, a work of vast importance ? Buj, I observe, IV. That the creation of mankind was a vastly important work is evident, from the great events, and the consequences to themselves, and to the universe at large, connected with their creation. As, in the creation of the first human pair, the consequent existence of all their unnumbered posterity was involved ; so, also, connected with it were all the events relating to human things, which ever have taken place, or ever will take place. All the holiness and sin, the happiness and misery of mankind ; the fatal revolt of our first parents from God, soon after their creation, and the consequent depravity of all their descendants ; all the contempt and abuse of God, his law-, and his grace ; all the hatred and envy, the violence and strife, the wars and fight- ings, before the deluge and since ; all the sickness and mortahty, the disasters and pains, the desolations and destructions by flood, and by tempest and fire from heaven, by famine and pestilence, by earthquakes, volcanoes, and general conflagration, by which the vengeance of heaven against sin ever has been, or ever will be testified. All the gracious dispensations, also, of God to i3b SERMON II. mankind ; the early promise of the Saviour, and the divine reve- lations from period to period communicated to the world ; the covenant transactions with the people and church of God, under successive economies ; the incarnation and death, the resurrec- tion and exaltation of the divine Redeemer ; the gift of the Holy Spirit ; the conversion, the faith and patience, the virtues and trials of unnumbered millions; and the eventual diffusion of divine knowledge, and ofmillenial peace and happiness, through the world : All these, and their innumerable subordinate events, were undoubtedly connected with the first creation of man. But great as the events of this world are, the events to take place at the close of the world, and the results and consequences in eternity, will be inconceivably greater. The general resur- rection of the just and of the unjust ; the passing away of the heavens and the earth with a great noise ; the dissolution, by fire, of the earth, and all that is in it ; the descent, in the clouds of heaven, of the incarnate Son of God, in all the glory of the Father, with the holy angels, and the judgment of the great day ; the everlasting perdition of the ungodly ; the ineffable and eter- nal felicity and glory of the nations of the redeemed in the celes- tial world ; and the increased and forever increasing blessedness of all holy beings, to the glory and praise of God: All these momentous events and results must be considered as connected with the first formation of the progenitors of our race. Of what h'anscendent importance, then, to the whole universe of God^ was the work of man's creation ! IMPROVEMENT. 1. We are led to consider the dependent state of mankind. About fifty eight centuries ago the race of mankind began to exist. Before that date, no human being existed in the universe. And God said, Let us make man. It rested, then, entirely, with the sovereign good pleasure of God, whether there should be such a race of beings. For, who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or, being his covnsellor, hath taught him ? It was his infinite and eternal good pleasure, that mankind should exist; and, therefore, at the appointed moment, he formed man of the SERMON II. 39 dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life ; and man became a living soid. Such was tlie origin of our being ; and the same divine hand, which first fashioned our clay, has supported our race, through all successive generations. Adam, in the moulding hand of his Maker, was no more de- pendent, than have been all his posterity. At the sovereign good pleasure of God, all the generations of men commenced their existence ; and by his preserving and all supporting provi- dence, they are continued in being. How strong is that hand, which bears up the pillars of the universe ! How wonderful that providence, which preserves and sustains unnumbered millions of beings ! Alas ! that man should dare strive with his Maker ! 2. Our subject leads us to reflect on the distinguishing good- ness of God to man, in his creation. First, a world, admirably enriched and beautified, was created and furnished for his residence and enjoyment ; then, man was created in the image of his Maker, invested with the property and dominion of the whole terrestrial creation, crowned with glory and honour, and blest with all which could render him dignified and happy. Surely, in all this, infinite beneficence was illustriously manifested. The following address of Adam to Eve, in Milton, is as just as it is beautiful. '' Sole partner, and sole part of all these joys, Dearer thyself than all ; needs must the power That made us, and for us this ample world, Be infinitely good, and of his good As liberal and free as infinite ; That rais'd us from the dust, and plac'd us here In all this happiness, who at his hand Have nothing merited, nor can perform Ought whereof he hath need." For all this goodness, the first parents of our race were cer- tainly under high and everlasting obhgations of gratitude and praise. And are not we, my brethren, and all the descendants of these parents, under similar obligations ? The infinite favour conferred upon man, in his original creation, was in a sense con- ferred upon the whole human race. And the obligations upon Adam, and upon all his posterity, for creating goodness, have 40 SERMON 11. never been cancelled. They are as really binding upon us nov\', as they would have been had Adam maintained his integrity, and transmitted the blessings of bis first happy state to all his de- scendants. A contemplation, therefore, of the original forma- tion of man should exalt our conceptions of the goodness of God, and inspire our hcai'ts with gratitude and love. 3, The first disobedience and revolt of man must have been wholly inexcusable, and exceedingly ungrateful and criminal. The infinite amiableness and worthiness of God necessarily induces upon all his rational offspring a correspondent obligation devotedly to love and obey him. Man, as well as all other be- ings, was entirely indebted to God, for his existence, for all his endowments of body and mind, for all the rich sources of enjoy- ment, with which he was surrounded, and for all his dignity and happiness. The sovereign favour of God to him was infinitely great and endearing. He had experience also of the perfect happiness to be found in the love and enjoyment of God ; and he had assurance that, if he continued obedient, he, and his whole race, would be blest with perfect and immortal felicity ; but that, if he transgressed, he would lose his bliss, and involve himself, and all his posterity, in infinite guilt and ruin. Placed in these circumstances, and under these obligations ; endued with reason in high maturity ; perfectly instructed in his duty, and warned of the evil of transgression ; what possible excuse can be found for his disobedience ? And with what infinite criminality must his revolt have been attended ? Let us never, for a moment, indulge an accusing or undutiful thought of God, with respect to our fallen condition. In all the circumstances of the creation and primeval state of man, God appears infinitely good. To impute to him, in any sense or degree, the blame of the apostacy, and consequent depravity and misery of man, must be infinitely ungrateful. Penitently, then, let us ascribe righteousness to our Maker, acknowledge before him the guilt of our parents, and of ourselves, and extol the riches of his grace, tlirough the early promised seed ! 4. It is reasonable to conclude, that the ultimate happiness and glory of the redeemed, from among men, must be trans- cendently great. SERMON II. 41 It was, undoubtedly, in the happiness and glory resulting from the work of redemption, that God foresaw the completion of his great design in creating mankind. Nothing beside this can reasonably be supposed to be the ultimate object of his work. By the Son of God, the Redeemer of men, all things were made — hy him and for him; and to his redeemed it is said, All things are your^s ; all things are for your sakes. But, my brethren, must not the happiness and glory, which are eventually to countervail the apostacy of man, and all its tremendous con- sequences, the sins and sufferings of mankind, in time and in eternity, and fully to answer the infinitely benevolent views of the Creator, be inconceivably great ? Man was originally made a little lower than the angels ; but will not the redeemed from among men eventually be raised to an elevation of dignity and happiness, far above the highest of angelick beings? The Son of the Highest, by whom and for whom all things were made, who, for the purposes of our redemption, assumed our nature and died on the cross, and who is now enthroned at the right hand of the Majesty in the heavens, is made Head over all things to the church, which he hath purchased with his own blood, and which is his body, the fulness of him whofilleth all in all. His redeem- ed are to sit down with him in his throne, and, as members of his body, made like unto him, are to reign with him in heavenly glory ; while, as represented in the Revelation, the myriads of angels will stand round about, ministering to them, admiring the boundless grace displayed in their salvation, and assisting them, with their voices and their harps, in the extatick and immortal song of Moses and the Lamb. 6. How amazing, and how criminal, are the inconsiderate- ness and stupidity of mankind. About fifty eight hundred years ago, Jehovah made the earthy and created man upon it. Though formed in perfect holiness, and placed in perfect happiness, man soon revolted from his Maker, and involved himself and his posterity in guilt and ruin. Yet God was merciful, and found out a ransom. His Son un- dertook to make atonement for sin, and to bring in everlasting righteousness. Man was put upon a gracious probation, for re- 42 SERMON 11.' • covery to God and immortal life, through repentance and faith in the Redeemer. The probationary scene, early commenced, has been continued down from generation to generation, through successive periods of time. Unnumbered millions, destined for eternity, have come, in succession, upon this mortal stage, have acted their parts, have passed their several terms of trial, and are gone to receive their eternal retributions of glory or of wo. Amazing events, in different ages, have taken place. The world has once been destroyed with a deluge of waters; populous cities have been overthrown with earthquakes and tempests of fire ; nation has been dashed against nation, and kingdom against kingdom ; and mighty empires have been swept away with the besom of destruction. The Son of God has come down from heaven, assumed our nature, and died on the cross ; he has risen from the dead, ascended to the right hand of power, and been announced as an almighty Prince and Saviour. The glad tidings of salvation, through his blood, have been published to the world ; and millions on millions, turned from darkness tw light ; and from the power of Satan to God, have been trained up for immortal glory, in his heavenly kingdom. And assurance is given, in his word of eternal truth, that his gospel shall con- tinue to spread, until all people shall be brought to the knowledge of his salvation, and the whole earth shall be full of his praise. Afterward, when all his redeemed shall have been gathered in, the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, the elements shall melt with fervent heat, and the earth, and the ivorks that are therein, shall he burnt up ; — The Son of God shall appear in the clouds, in the glory of his Father, with the holy angels ; the countless myriads of mankind, the righteous and the wicked, awakened from the slumbers of ages, shall appear before him, and be adjudged for eternity, according to their works. The wicked shall go away into everlasting punishment, hut the right- eous into life eternal. — Yet, all this notwithstanding, liow little affected, and how little concerned, do mankind in general appear to be ! Do they not live as if the world had never a beginning, and would never have an end ; as if there were no God, and no Saviour; as if there were no heaven, and no hell; as if they SERMON II. 43 liad no souls to be either saved or lost ; and nothing to hope, or to fear, beyond their present transitory state ; in a word, as if they had no other duty or care, than to seek the world, and the things of the world f — Amazing stupidity, and as crimmal as it is amazing ! If the first disobedience of Adam was inexcusable, and involved infinite guilt ; what shall we say of those of his posterity, who not only practically approve of his transgression, but, in despite of all the solemn events of ages, and under the full blaze of the gospel, five in forgetfulness of God their Maker, in contempt of Christ their Redeemer, and in neglect of the salvation offered them from heaven ? O consider this, ye that forget God, lest he tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver. SERMON III. A VIEW OF THE DIVINE GLOEY SELF-ABASING. »®« Isaiah vi. 5. Then said /, Wo is me ! for I am undone ; because I am a man of un- clean lips^ and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips : for mine eyes have seen the King^ the Lord of hosts. V-r F all the prophets before the Saviour's incarnation, Isaiah, next to Moses, appears to have been favoured with the clearest and brightest manifestations of the divine glory. Of all the visions of God, vouchsafed to him, that to which the words of our text refer, was undoubtedly the most magnificent and awful. In the year that king Uzziah died, says he, I saw Jehovah sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphim ; each one had six loings ; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another and said, Holy, holy, holy, Jehovah God of hosts ! the whole earth is full of his glory. And the pillars of the vestibule were shaken with the voice of their cry, and the temple was filled with smoke. The temple at Jerusalem, and especially that part of it, which was called the most holy place, or the holy of holies, and which was separated from the courts, and from the holy place, by a first and second vail, was an emblematical representation of heaven. There, upon the mercy seat, and between the cherubim, the SERMON m. 45 God of Israel dwelt, in a visible symbol, described as a re- splendent pillar of cloud, and called the glory of Jehovah. In this wonderful vision, as the prophet was standing near the great altar of burnt offering, in the inner court, the vails were removed, the whole temple was opened to his view, and the mysterious symbols were changed into glorious realities. The holy of holies appeared to him as the heaven of heavens. In- stead of the symbolical mercy seat, he saw a throne, high and lofty, and of unutterable magnificence. Instead of the pillai- of cloud, he saw Jehovah, apparently in human form, as God mani- fest in thefesh, sitting in awfully refulgent majesty, and in a robe of glory, the skirts of which filled the whole temple. In- stead of the golden cherubim, he saw living angels of that dis- tinguished order, which, on account of their burning devotion, are called seraphim, standing on the right hand and on the left, as the attendant ministers of the divine presence. These most exalted of created beings, severally, with two of their wings covered their faces; thereby betokening their inability steadfastly to behold, or fully to comprehend, the glory of God ; and the profound reverence and awe, with which they worshipped and adored him. Severally, also, with two of their wings thej^ cover- ed their feet ; as being consciously unworthy to stand near the throne of Jehovah, or to be employed as the messengers of his will. And with the most humble and ardent devotion, they tiried, responsively to each other. Holy, holy, holy, Jehovah God if hosts! the ivhole earth isfdl of his glory. The evangelist John, speaking of Christ, and referring to this vision, says. These things said Isaiah, when he saw his glory and spake of him. That it was especially in the person of the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, that Isaiali, on this occasion, saw the glory of Jehovah, is evident, not only from the express testi- mony of John, but also from the vision itself. It is only in the person of the Son, that Jehovali has ever appeared in human form, as he evidently did in this vision. The altar also, from •which a live coal was taken by one of the seraphim, to touch the lips of the prophet for his purification, and the smoke with which the temple was filled, both denote the great sacrifice of ■\6 SERMON III. Christ, through the medium of which the whole earth is filled with displays of the divine glory. This glory, however, though seen especially in the person of the Son, is the glory of all the adorable Trinity. This, the best commentators, ancient and modern, have supposed to be intimated by the threefold ascrip- tion of the seraphim, Holy, holy, holy, Jehovah God of hosts. Overwhelmed with the vision, the prophet exclaimed. Wo is me, for I am undone ! because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips : for mine eyes have seen Jehovah God of hosts. Isaiah was, unquestionably, an eminent saint, as well as a distinguished prophet. Before this vision, he had been employed to bear the messages of God to the people of Judah and Israel ; and he had performed his services, no doubt, with a zeal, and fidelity, and purity of intention, which have seldom been surpassed. Yet, when he saw, thus clearly, the glory of Jehovah, he was struck with a most humbling convic- tion of his own unworthiness and pollution, as well as of the deep depravity and pollution of the people, among whom he dwelt. It was so, also, with Job, who had the testimony of God himself, that he was a perfect and an upright man ; one that feared God, and eschewed evil. I have heard of thee, said he, hy the hearing of the ear ; hut now mine eye seeth thee ; wherefore, I ahhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes. We are here, then, presented with this interesting sentiment : That, in a CLEAR VIEW OF THE DIVINE GLORY, THE HOLIEST MEN ON EARTH WILL SEE CAUSE FOR THE DEEPEST HUMILITY AND SELF-ABASEMENT. With visions of the Almighty, such as the one which Isaiah had, the people of God are not now favoured. There is a sense, however, in which they see, with greater or less clearness, the glory of God. There are times when they feel themselves to be in his presence ; — when they behold him on his throne of glory, and see his infinite perfections, his transcendent beauty and majesty. And that, when it is thus with them, they will see cause, even the holiest of them, for the deepest humility and self-abasement, may appear from the following considerations. SERMON III. 47 I. God is a self-existent and independent being ; the Idgh and lofty One, who inhahiteih eternity. Before the mountaws were brought forth, or ever he had formed the earth and the loorld. even from everlasting to everlasting, he is God. In his existence, in his blessedness, In his glorious majesty, he is completely and absolutely independent. In himself he has immortality ; in him- self he is all-sufficient. In the presence of such a being, \vhat are men f What are angels ? The highest seraph of heaven must feel, that he is but a creature of yesterday ; the greatest saint on earth must confess, that his foundation is in the dust, that he is crushed before the moth. II. God is the Creator, the Upholder, and the Governour of the universe. He moulded this globe of earth, and created man upon it. He spread abroad the firmament of heaven, and form- ed the unnumbered orbs, which move and shine through the immensity of space. He gave being to all the muhitude of an- gels ; and furnished the upper and lower worlds with all their endless and wonderful varieties. The light, the life, the beauty, the grandeur of the creation, are all from God. He spake, and it was done ; He commanded, and it stood fast. The same al- mighty fiat, which gave birth to the universe, still upholds and preserves it. But for this, the pillars .of heaven would fall, — suns and planets would rush from their spheres, — angels and men would cease to exist, — the whole creation would become a blank. — The prophet saw Jehovah sitting upon a throne high and lifted up. That throne is everlasting ; and He who sits upon it is the blessed and only potentate, the Lord of lords, and King of kings. To him belong the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty ; for all that is in the heaven, and in the earth is his ; the kingdom is his, and he is ex- alted, as head above all. Both riches and honour come of him, and ^e reigneth over all ; arid in his hand is power and might ; and in his hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. He doeth according to his tuill, in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth. He guides the celestial spheres, and he gives the young ravens their food. Not a sparrow 48 SERMON III. iihall fall on the ground without him ; and, by him, the very hairs of our heads are all numbered. Look abroad, then, througli creation j survey the system of nature, and the economy of providence. Do you behold in this boundless scene of wonders rising on wonders, stupendous dis- plays of illimitable power, and wisdom, and goodness ? These are the perfections of Jehovah. The heavens declare his glory, the firmament sheweth his handy work. The earth is full of HIS riches ; and so is the great and wide sea. Well, then, might the Psalmist of Israel exclaim. When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast or- dained : what is man, that thou art mindful of him ? and the son of man, that thou visitest him I Surely, a mere glimpse of the majestick glorj^ of Jehovah is enough to make any created be- ing, any man on earth, any seraph in heaven, feel that he is nothing, and less than nothing, and vanity. III. Jehovah is infinitely holy. It was this, more especially, which impressed the adoring seraphim with awe ; it was this, which they celebrated with responsive ascription ; it was this, which prostrated the humbled prophet in the dust. Holy, holy, holy, is Jehovah God of hosts. So John, in the Revelation, heard the heavenly anthem. Great and marvellous are thy works. Lord God Almighty ; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name; for thou only art holy. The primary idea of holiness is, separa- tion from whatsoever defileth ; from all pollution, from all evil. Eliphaz, in Job, says, What is m,an, that he should be clean ? i. e. holy ? and he that is born of a woman, that he should be right- eous ? Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints : yea, the heavens are not clean, or holy, in his sight. But are not the heavens clean ? Are not the cherubim and seraphim, and all the angels of light, holy .'' In a sense, they unquestionably are ; but, in comparison of God, they are not. They are exempt, indeed, from sin ; they are separate from pollution ; but they are not, in themselves, exempt from the possibility of sinning ; they are not at an infinite remove from pollution. Some of the angels, once holy, kept not their first estate ; but passed over the line of SERMON m. 49 separation between rectitude and iniquity, and plunged into an abyss of corruption and guilt. The rest of the heavenly hosts might also have sinned, and would be still hable to fall, were it not that they are kept by the mighty power and sovereign good- ness of God. Well, then, may it be said, that he puttcth no trust in his saints ; and the heavens are not clean in his sight. But Jehovah is separated from sin, from pollution, from all evil, to an immeasurable distance. There is, in his self-existent and unchangeable nature, an utter impossibility of doing wrong, of being polluted. His unhmited perfections are eternally and im- mutably engaged for whatever is pure and good ; and arrayed in terrible majesty against whatever is impure and evil. He, therefore, he only is holy, in the same sense that he only hath immortality. This the glowing seraphim near his throne pro- foundly felt, and always must feel ; and, feehng this, no wonder that they cover their faces and their feet, in token of the deepest reverence and conscious unworthiness. But, how much more abominable and fdthy is man, who drinketh iniquity like water ! When the Lord has looked down from heaven upon the children of men, he has seen that they are all gone aside, that they are together become filthy ; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. The holiest persons on earth are ready to subscribe to this affecting description, and to apply it to themselves ; and especially so, when they are favoured with any clear view of the beauty of holiness, and the glory of Him who only is holy. They are ready, with deep consciousness, to con- fess that they themselves were by nature children of wrath, even as others; — altogether as an unclean thing. If, indeed, tiiey have been washed, and sanctified, and justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God ; still, they are far, very far, from being without sin. Much, very much, of native corruption, of pride, and carnality, of evil propensities, affections, and passions, remains in them ; often, still, they offend, and in all things come short of the glory of God. Whenever, therefore, they have a clear view of the divine glory, they cannot fail, in the bright effulgence of infinite purify, to be deeply sensible of 50 SERMON m. their own vileness, or to see cause for the profoundest humihty and self-abasement. IV. It is especially in the face of Jesus Christ, that the glory of Jehovah is to be seen by men. JVo man hath seen God at any time ; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. The Son of God came down from heaven to redeem and save our guilty and perishing world. Through the Eternal Sjpirit, he offered himself ivithout spot to God, bearing our sins in his own body on the tree. Having thus obtained eternal redemption for us, he ascended up where he was before, and sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high, a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance and remission of sins. By his mighty power and grace, he is raising up, from our ruined nature, unnumbered millions, pardoned through the merits of his sacrifice, and cleansed by the efficacy of his blood, to dwell for- ever with him, in the mansions of immortal light, and purity, and blessedness. These things the admiring and astonished angels desire to look into ; in these, they behold brighter displays of the perfections of Jehovah, than they see even in the stupendous frame and economy of nature ; and it is on account especially of these, that they cry, with responsive adoration, the whole earth is full of his glory. It is here, also, in the person and work of the Redeemer, that saints behold the glory of God. And is it possible that, in a clear view of this glory, they should not see cause for the deepest humility and self-abasement .'' They see him, who is the brightness of the Father's glory, vailed in mortal flesh — him, who was rich, for their sakes, become poor. They see him on the cross, in the depths of ignominy and distress, making his soul an offering for sin, — for their sin. They see him on the throne of heaven, at the right hand of the Father, there interceding for them ; there pleading the merits of his own bloody sacrifice for the pardon of their sins, and for their justification unto everlasting life. Can they see all this, and not be overwhelmed with a conviction of the depths of that misery, from which they could have been rescued, only by an almighty arm ; of the infinity of that guilt, which could have been expiated, only by the sacrifice SERMON III. 51 of the Son of God ; of the inbred and inveterate poUnlion of soul, which could have been cleansed away, only by blood of divine efficacy ; of that amazing unworthiness, which could have been so countervailed as to admit of their appearing with acceptance in the presence of God, only by the merits of Him who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens ! Surely, the holiest person on earth, in view of the divine glory, in the face of Jesus Christ, must feel this conviction, and be ready to adopt the words of the prophet, as rendered by Bishop Lowth : Alas forme ! I am struck dumb: for I am a man of polluted lips ; and in the midst of a people of polluted lips do I dwell : for mine eyes have seen the King, Je- hovah God of hosts. REFLECTIONS. 1. There is no good reason to wonder at the confessions of vileness, or the expressions of self-abasement, and self-abhor- rence, which ai-e heard from pious persons. Isaiah, whose affecting words we have been considering, was undoubtedly, let it again be noted, a man of distinguished piety. Of Job the Lord himself said, There is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God and escheiveth evil ; yet him we hear saying, Behold I am vile, I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee ; wherefore, I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes. David, also, the Lord calls a man after his own heart; yet David prays. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgression; and my sin is ever before me Behold I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me Create in me a clean heart, O God ; and renew a right spirit within me. And Paul, with all his attainments in grace, says. We know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. I see a law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin ivhich is in my mem- bers. O wretched man that I am ! who shall deliver me from thr body of this death. 52 SERMON 111. Such is the language of ancient saints of preeminent piety j and language similar to this, we not seldom hear from the pious of modern times. At such language, however, many are apt to wonder. Not a few, indeed, allowed themselves even to scoff, and impute all expressions of this kind to wild fanaticism, brood- ing melancholy, or detestable hypocrisy. And others, of more sober minds, think it strange, that persons of the greatest purity of life, and apparent sincerity and ardour of devotion, should ex- press such views and feelings. But the wonder, my friends, should be, that any of our sinful race can live, especially under the light of revelation, without views and feelings of this kind, deeper even than any which the pious have ever expressed. It is not because these pious persons have greater corruption of heart, or are chargeable with more or greater sins, than others ; but, because they have clearer discoveries of the infinite holiness, and glory of God ; and, in the light of these discoveries, see more of their unlikeness to him, their unholiness of heart and life, that they feel and express this sense of personal pollution. And, generally, persons of the highest attainments in grace, and of the most spiritual and heavenly minds, will have the most affecting sense of sin, and the deepest feelings of conscious vile- ness, and self-abhorrence. Hence, 2. Not to be sensible of personal pollution and vileness, must be evidence of deplorable spiritual blindness. It is spiritual blindness, my hearers, which prevents our see- ing the glory of Jehovah, in all his works around us, and, with still brighter lustre, in the face of Jesus Christ. If we saw this glory, we should certainly feel, in a measure, as the humbled Isaiah felt. Unable to abide its resplendence, and conscious of their unworthiness to behold it, the most exalted seraphim cover their faces. Alas ! how little have we felt like the adoring sera- phim ! how little like the humbled prophet ! How often have we come before Jehovah in his sacred temple, and at his holy ordi- nances, where his name is recorded and proclaimed, and his glory, especially as displayed in our redemption, is exhibited, with little or no sense of his awful purity and majesty, or of our unworthiness to appear in his presence ! While others, perhaps SEllMON III. o^ near us, have felt it to be, in truth, the house of God, and the gate of heaven, and have seen a glory, by which their mind? have been overwhelmed, and their hearts dissolved, to us it has been no other, than a common place, and a vacant scene. How deplorable, then, must have been our spiritual blindness ! And if it has always been thus with us, what must we think of our- selves .'* Have we the light of life .'' Are we not, rather, in dark^ iiess until now '^ How must the angels have been astonished; (for angels, we are not to doubt, are present in the house of God ;) how astonished, then, must they have been, to witness with what little reverence and awe, we, sinful beings, approach the presence of Him, before whom they feel themselves un- worthy to stand ! with what little feehng, with what indifference even we attend upon solemnities, in which life and death, from the infinite mercy or the infinite justice of God, are set before us.'' 3. We should be led to admire the unspeakable grace, and forbearance, and condescension of God. Deep as are our corruptions and pollutions, countless and aggravated as are our offences, deplorable and inexcusable as are our blindness and stupefaction, yet he is waiting lo be gracious ; still favours us with his sacred institutions ; and still invites us, with the importunity and pathos of infinite mercy, to draw near to him, take hold on strength, and make peace. Nor is this all : Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly. — Thus saith the High and Lofty One, that inhahiteth eternity, whose name is holy ; / dwell in the high and holy place ; with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the con- trite ones. — The bruised reed he ivill not break, the smoking fax he will not quench, until he bring forth judgment unto viciory ^ At his command one of the seraphim few to the contrite Isaiah, with a live coal from the altar, and laid it upon his mouth, and said, Lo this hath touched thy lips, and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin is purged. The altar of atoning sacrifice still remains, with unexhausted, undiminished efficacy. And be as- sured, ye humble and contrite ones, that your iniquity also shall 54 SERMON III. be taken away, and all your sin will be purged. Unworthy and polluted as you feel yourselves to be, yet, having washed your robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, you shall ere long appear with acceptance before the glorious high throne of your God, and shall worship him day and night in his heaven- ly temple forever. But, ah ! what will become of you, O ye who continue in sin ; unhumbled, unpardoned, uncleansed ? How can you, with all your pollutions upon you, appear before Him, in whose sight the heavens are not clean, and the unspotted seraphim cover their faces.'* Verily, owr God is a consuming Jire ; and the unsancti- fied can never abide his presence. Apply, then, without delay, to the blood which cleanseth from all sin, lest you be finally shut out from heaven, and be consigned, with the abominable and tmclean, to blackness and darkness forever. — Amen. SERMON IV, SIN EXCEEDING SINFUL, Romans vri. 13. That sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. X HERE is scarcely a more deplorable trait in the character of mankind, than their insensibility to the evil of sin. How often do we hear persons confess that they are sinners, with little or no emotion, compunction, or concern. How often has the faithful minister of Christ occasion to lament, with the deepest sorrow and heaviness of heart, this strange and awfully porten- tous insensibility, even in persons on the bed of sickness, on the brink of the grave, and just ready to be summoned to their last account. Yet, if there is any thing important for us, as fallen creatures, on probation for everlasting retribution, it is that iv&_^ be convinced, not only that we are sinners, but that sin is an evil and bitter thing. Until we feel this conviction, we shall see but little of the grace of God in the gospel, shall esteem but lightly the salvation which it offers, and shall not be very likely to become partakers of this salvation. ' Fooh make a mock atf sin. They make light of it. Paul himself, according to the strong ana' affecting represen- tation of his case in the context, was once, like others, in a state of dreadful ignorance and insensibility, in regard to sin. For 1 was alive, he says, without the law once : hut when the commaw^- 56 SERMON IV; me7it came, sin revived^ and I died. Though he had often heard and read the dhine law, yet he had not perceived its spirituality and extent ; and, therefore, so far from feeling himself to be in a lost condition, in a state of condemnation to eternal death, he fondly imagined that he was in the direct way to everlasting life. But when, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the commandment was set home to his conscience, he perceived and felt that he was dead in trespasses and sins. The law, he says, is holy ; and the commandment is holy, and just, and good. Was then that which is good made death unto me ? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me, by that ivhich is good ; that sin, by the commandment, might become, \. e. might be made to appear to be, exceeding sinful. The text, without comment, very naturally leads us to con- sider THE EVIL, OF SIN; and most earnestly would I solicit a very serious attention to some plain considerations, which may serve to illustrate and impress the subject. I. The evil of sin may appear, from a view of the obliga- tions which it violates. We shall all admit that every relation in which we stand to others, produces correspondent obligations, which it is wrong to ** violate. Are we children ^ We are then bound to the love of our parents. Their protection of our infancy, their support of our childhood, their care, their instruction, their urmumbered kindnesses, and their incessant sohcitude and watchfulness, claim from us the returns of obedience, submission, love, grati- tude, and reverence. Are we tlie offspring of misfortune, early bequeathed, as orphans, to the arms of charity, and indebted to the tenderness of a benefactor for all the comforts we enjoy .'' His voluntary anxiety, and unwearied benevolence, demand from us continual gratitude, and every possible proof of it, in all our conduct through life. Ai'e we members of a state, receiving benetits from its laws, authorities, and civil regulations ^ Then we are naturally required to yield back loyalty, obedience, respect, and all the returns of quiet and peaceable lives. These obligations are plain, intelligible, and acknowledged. We con- demn, without hesitation, an unduiifii) and neglectful child, an SERMON IV. 57 ungrateful offender against a disinterested benefactor, a rebel against rightful authority, a despiser of law and good order. We perceive, at once, in their characters, something unnatural, unbecoming, base, and detestable. But, my hearers, far more than all these relations involve, is contained in that, in which we stand to God. Open the Bible, and observe how Jehovah claims the titles, of a Father, of a Benefactor, of a Master, of a King. Nor can any thing be more just than these claims. The guilt, therefore, of sinning against him, of violating any of his laws, cannot be less, than the guilt of violating similar obligations in domestick, social, and civil life. Attend, for a moment, to the language of scripture. Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the Lord hath spoken; J have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. O generation, see ye the word of the Lord. Have I been a wilderness unto Israel ? a land of darkness? Wherefore say my people, We are lords ; we will come no more unto thee ? What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it. Wherefore, when Hooked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes ? Surely, as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel. Ji son honoureth his father, and a servant his master. If, then, I be a father, ivhere is mine honour ? and if I be a mas- ter, where is my fear ? saith the Lord of Hosts. These solemn appeals should cairy conviction home to every breast, that the guilt of sinning against God, of violating our obligations to him, certainly cannot be less tlian that of offending against our fellow beings, of violating domestick, social, and civil ties. But a still higher consideration demands our attention. Higher, infinitely higher, and more sacred obligations, than any which bind us to our fellow creatures, bind us to the Almighty. He is our God ; our Creator, and our Preserver. We owe tiie existence of our bodies, and of our souls, to his power and good- ness. We are completely dependent ujjon his care. We pos- sess nothing, which we have not received from him. And he is good, infinitely good, and worthy of all our love and devotion. Can words express, then, the daring ;p'>oll;o;->, whirh disobedi- 58 SERMON IV. ence to his laws implies ? It is the rising up of the clay against the potter ; of the creature, against the hand that gave and that upholds its being ; of a vile worm of the dust, against infinite majesty, and infinite goodness. Nor must we stop here. God has found a ransom for us. In the person of his Son, he has given his own blood for our redemption. Do we, then, ask the guilt of offending God .'' It is that of the blackest ingratitude ; of the most nefarious contumacy. It is that of abusing infinite kindness and compassion ; of insulting him, who unites in himself the venerable characters of Father, Sovereign, and Friend ; and who invests these characters with unimaginable interest and awe, by the addition of the adorable names of Creator, Preserver, and Redeemer. Who can meas- ure the obligations, by which we are bound to such a being ? And who, then, can measure the crime, the guilt, which a viola- tion of these obligations involves .'* If, even in the joyous service of such a being, the angels vail their faces, awed by his ineffable purity and majesty, O who can tell the nature of the deed, when a frail tenant of the dust hfts up his feeble unhallowed arm, in defiance of the will, in contempt of the authority, in despite of the mercy of his God ? II. The evil of sin may appear from the actual effects it has produced in the world. We are accustomed to measure any evil by the quantity of misery it produces. Let us use the same standard here, and learn the malignity of sin, by remarking the dreadful calamities, publick and private, which it has produced. In respect to pub- lick or national calamities, I am well aware that we are far too ready to impute them to the influence of second causes, and to look for their source in political errours, and other circumstances, which imply no guilt in ourselves ; and, therefore, instead of noticing those publick miseries and sorrows, which have come within our own experience, I would rather refer to those similar, but yet more dreadful calamities, which are recorded in scrip- ture, wilh this special comment, written with the finger of God, that they were his judgments, brought on mankind for their wickedness. SERMON IV. 59 Open, tlien, the book of God, and scarcely are we advanced in tlie history of the creation, to rejoice with the first happy pro- genitors and representatives of our race, on the glorious exist- ence to which they had been elevated, before we are compelled to bewail with them in the dust, its debasement and ruin. They transgressed the law of their Maker, and their punishment imme- diately commenced. No longer did they bear the image of God ; no longer did they behold that tree of life, which was either the source or the pledge of immortality. A dark and por- tentous cloud lowered upon the future ; and the tremendous declaration, Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return, was but too speedily verified in the murder of a beloved son, by the hand of his brother. Thus Adam's sin "brought death into the W'orld, and all our woes." Advancing in the page of scripture, we perceive that, crc long, the earth become populous ; and in proportion to its popu- lation was the prevalence of wickedness. It w'as soon Jilled with violence, and threatened with an awful destruction. Yet, for an hundred and twenty years, the divine forbearance was signally exercised ; but, alas, men went on still in their tres- passes. The warnings of Noah w^ere uttered in vain ; and in vain w^as the ark prepared, in the view of an unbelieving and scofHng world. At length, Jehovah made bare his holy arm ; the windows of heaven were opened; the fountains of the great deep ivere broken up ; the earth was overwhelmed with a flood ; and the world of the ungodly was destroyed. Yes, with the exception of a single family, the whole race of mankind was swept away ; and the awful event is held up to the universe, as an eternal monument of tlie evil of sin, and of the indignation of the Almighty against it. In the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, mark a similar lesson. The men of these cities being wicked, and sinners be- fore the Lord exceedingly, fire and brimstone were commissioned from heaven to overwhelm these daring rebels against the Most High. Trace on the subject through the succeeding history, and, in the tremendous plagues of Egypt ; in the awful tcrrours oi mount Sinai : in the destruction of Korah and his company ; in GO SERMON IV. the pangs of the people stung by fiery serpents ; in the cruel captivity and prostration of the whole nation of Israel at the feet of the king of Babylon, behold the proofs of the divine ven- geance against sin. O, how instructive, and how touching is the lesson, which the melancholy confessions of the remnant of that people imports. We all do fade as a leaf, and our iniqui- ties, like the wind, have taken us away ; for thou hast hid thy face from us, and consumed us for our iniquities. These facts are recorded for our warning ; and, guided by them, we are led to attribute the slaughter, the oppression, the slavery, the wretchedness, the wo, with which the earth is filled, to sin, as their dreadful source. Every publick calamity is the loud, though, alas, often unheard voice of God, proclaiming that iniquity is the ruin of man. If, then, from publick, we turn to the scriptural details of private and individual calamity, the same truth will meet our eye. Does Cain go out from the presence of the Lord, a fugi- tive and a vagabond in the earth ? Are Nadab and Abihu con- sumed by fire from heaven, at the very altar of God ^ Is Nebu- chadnezzar, who was exalted as the eagle, and had his nest among the stars, yet levelled with the brutes of the earth f Are Ananias and Sapphira, who united in the same impiety, instant- ly cast into the same grave ^ Is Herod struck by the hand of God, even upon the summit of his throne ? These judgments from the Lord most signally attest the evil of sin. And is not the misery, which still sinks the spirits of man to the earth ; which attacks him under the various shapes of disease, and {poverty, and dereliction, and tears, and death, equally imputa- ble to the same cause ^ Are not all these the dire effects of sin, the tremendous mai'ks of God's displeasure against the ungodli- ness of men? And even upon the penitent, though changed by a Father's kindness to the gentlest chastisements of love, do not these calamities still fall with sufficient weight to bow them to the dust, when they turn, with bitter recollections, to the true source from whence afflictions spring ? III. The evil of sin will still more fearfully appear, if we ad- vert to the misery which it will produce hereafter. SERMON IV. 61 If tlie gospel has brought Ufe and inimortality to light, it has, also, stripped hell and destruction ol' their covering. It has dis- closed the awful truth, that, striking and terrifick as are the traces of divine wrath in this world, they are as nothing, when compared with those which will be manifested in the next. The delay of vengeance ought not, therefore, to give courage to transgressors, who, could they see "The dawu of Christ's last advent, long desir'd, Would creep into the bowels of the hills, And flee for refuge to the falling rocks." The images, under which the future punishment of sin is described, are tlie strongest which could be suggested, as in- telligible to men, in the present world. They are taken from the most dreadful sources and instruments of pain and horror, with which we ai'e acquainted. The torments av/aiting the wretched offenders, who shall reject every effort of forbearance, every offer of mercy, are compared to the gnawing of the worm which dieth not, to tlie fire, which is not quenched. They that obey not the gospel shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. Their immortal souls will be forever banished from light and from hope ; will be shut out from every joy allotted to the right- eous ; Avill feel the full curse of sin, without any of its pleasures; will experience that remorse, and anguish, and enmity against God, which result from conscious guilt, and indignant despair ; that unutterable wo, which the round of eternal ages will not ex- haust nor diminish. What tongue, then, can tell, what heart can conceive, the amazing evil of sin f IV. The evil of sin is evinced by the infinite price at which provision for pardon has been procured. Turn your eyes to Calvary, and behold him who was in the bosom of the Father before the worlds were made ; him, by whom all things were created and are upheld ; him, who thought it not robbery to be equal with God, and whom all the angels of heaven honour, even as they honour the Father ; behold him clothed with human flesh, suffering, bleeding, dying ; wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, pouring out his A 62 SERMON IV. soul unto deal]), as a propitiation for sin. The sun is darkened; ibe eariii shakes to its centre ; all nature gives signs of consterna- tion and wo ! But, why this amazing scene ? It is all because of sin. Owhat should we think of transgression, when we look on this awful spectacle .'' What should be our estimate of the evil of sin, when, to the innumerable obligations which it violates, to the judgments which it has brought upon the world, and to the torments which it has yet in store for the wicked, this is added, that it could meet no pardon, but through the sacrifice and death of the Son of God ? Shall we, then, continue in sin ? — Ye, who hope that your sins ai-e pardoned ; who proiess to be reconciled to God, through the death of his Son, and to be looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life ; will you, nevertheless, turn again to sin .'' Can you tiiink lightly of indulging evil tempers, feelings, and passions .'' — of cherishing envy, hatred, prejudice, and an unforgiving spirit ^ — of evincing in conversation and con- duct a want of that charity, which is the end of the command- ment, which suffereth long and is kind, doth not behave itself un- seemly, seekcth not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil 9 — of conforming to the spirit of the world, omitting things which you ought to do, and doing things which you ought not ? — of wounding your brethren, injurmg others, bringing reproach upon religion and dishonour upon God.^ — of even violating your sacred vows, and crucifying the Son of God afresh, putting him to open shame ? O christians, what manner of persons ought you to he, in all holy conversation and godliness, hating every false way, and fleeing even the appearance of evil t And you, my dear hearers, who do not even suppose that your sins are forgiven, can you, any longer, make light of sin .'' Will you not be convinced, that it is, indeed, an evil thing and bitter ^ That, already, it has brought you into a state of con- demnation and death, and of exposure, under the displeasure of God, to everlasting despair and wo ^ Can you resolve to con- tinue in sin, and to know the full measure of infamy and an- guish, which it will assuredly bring upon the finally impenitent.^ O be entreated to pause, and reflect. Seriously apply your SERMON IV. 63 minds to the solemn considerations which have now been oiTered. Against the emjjty, dekisive pleasures of siti for a season, de- liberately weigh the substantial and immortal joys, which you will lose, and the heavy and eternal woes, which you mast en- dure, if you continue impenitent. O think of the obligations which you violate ; of the goodness and mercy which you con- temn ; of the wrong which you do to your Maker, to your Re- deemer, to your fellow men, and to your own souls. Think of the baseness, the malignity, the exceeding sinfulness of sin, until j your heads become waters, and your eyes tountains of tears ; un- til your hearts are melted to penitence, and bi'oken into contri- ' tion ; until, humbled at the feet of sovereign mercy, you receive the forgiveness of sin, and the gift of the Holy Spirit to renew \ you unto righteousness and true holiness ; that, being washed, \ and sanctified, and justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God, you may hereafter walk in newness of life and new obedience, and at last be admitted to the mansions of everlasting purity and blessedness. SERMON V, PROGRESS IN SIN. »©« 2 Kings viii. 13. But what ! is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing ? XT is generally admitted, that a true knowledge of God is to be obtained only from the scriptures. It is no less true, that the scriptures afford the best means for a correct and deep knowledge of mankind. When we look into the world, and when we look into books, we see the actions of men in false lights, and under delusive colourings and disguises. Not so, when we look into the scriptures. There, truth speaks an un- corrupted language ; and there, every thing is shewn in an un- deceptive light. Every disguise is stripped off, the heart is laid open, and human nature is displayed in its real character. Those, therefore, who would know what man is, as well as what God is, should give their days and nights to the Bible. What ! is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing ? These were the words of Hazael, a Syrian, on a memo- rable occasion. In the time of a distressing famine in Israel, Elisha the prophet went to Damascus, in Syria. Benhadad the king of Syria was then sick ; and it was told him, saying, The man of God is come hither. Benhadad had known much of Elisha, and when he heard that the prophet was at Damascus, he said unto Hazael, Take a present in thine hand, and go, meet SERMON V. ^§5 the man of God, and inquire of Jehovah, hy him, saying, Shall I recover of this disease ? So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present ivith him, even of every good thing of Damascus, forty camels burden, and came and stood before him, and said. Thy son Benhadad, king of Syria, hath sent me to thee, saying, Shall I recover of this disease ? And Elisha said unto him, go, say unto him, Thou mayest certainly recover ; howbeit, the Lord hath shewed me that he shall surely die. There was nothing hi Benhadad's disease to prevent his recovery ; therefore, Ehsha said that he might recover. At the same time, however, it was revealed to the prophet, that the king would die, not by his dis- ease, but by other means. Having given the message to be carried to the king, EUsha settled his countenance steadfastly upon Hazael, until Hazael was ashamed ; and the man of God wept. And Hazael said. Why weepeth my Lord ? And he an- swered. Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the child- ren of Israel ; their strong holds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword, and loilt dash their (ihildren, and rip up their women with child. And Hazael said, But what! is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing ? And Elisha answered. The Lord hath shewed me that thou shalt be king over Syria. At the representation of the cruelties which he was to com- mit, Hazael was shocked. He did not imagine that it was in his heart to perpetrate such enormities. The event, however, veri- fied the prediction. The very next day after this interview with the prophet, Hazael suffocated his master Benhadad, by laying a wet cloth upon his face, and immediately seated himself upon the throne. And in the course of a few years afterwards, in his wars with Israel, he actually perpetrated all the enormous cruel- ties, which the prophet had foretold. The text affords us this monitory instruction ; viz. Men are NOT AWARE TO WHAT A PITCH OF AVICKEDNESS THEIR EVIL, HEARTS MAY CARRY THEM. Hazael, unquestionably, was not a singular instance. Proba- bly there is not, in this depraved world, an abandoned sinner, who would not, at some former period of his life, have trembled 9 60 SERMON V. at the thought of such crimes as he has since committed. Sin is of an insinuating and delusive nature. It leads men on, in- sensibly, from one degree of wickedness to another, and carries them to excesses, of which once they would have thought them- selves utterly incapable. This has been noticed by moral writers, in every age and country. The way of vice, it was anciently and aptly said, lies down hill. If you take bat a few- steps, the motion is soon accelerated, and becomes almost irre- sistibly violent and impetuous. For the more particular illustration of the general sentiment now presented, it may be useful to trace, somewhat distinctly, a natural and very common progress of sin. I. Sinners begin in a course of wickedness witli comparative- ly small sins. Though in strictness no sin can be called small, as rebellion against God is in the very nature of all sin ; yet there are some sins vastly more atrocious than others. These are too alarming to the sinner, in the beginning of his career ; and he sets out in a smaller way. It is thus, perhaps invariably, in regard to every sinful course. It may not be too minute for this subject to say, that many have begun to steal with taking small things from the house, without the knowledge of their parents, thinking that in this, surely, there could be but little wickedness. Then they have pilfered small things from others, plundering fruit yards, perhaps, and taking away articles, which they supposed could be of no great consequence to the owners. And from that they have proceeded to thefts of greater magnitude, until they have ended their race upon the gallows, or upon the scaffold. Others have begun with little equivocations and collusions, and pro- ceeded to greater violations of the truth, till they have arrived at the most audacious boldness in falsehood, and even in perjury. Some have begun with levity of carriage, vanity of dress, or in- decency of speech, and ended in the excess of debauchery and prostitution. Others, from small indulgences of appetite, have increased in intemperance, until they have ruined their health and their faculties, their fortunes and tlieir characters, their fami- lies for this world, and their souls for eternity. SERMON V. 67 lAIy brethren, though we aie all born In sin, and powerfully inclined to evil, from our first entrance into the world ; yet God has given us a witness for himself in our own consciences. De- praved as we naturally are, there is, nevertheless, at first, a re- luctance, an inward misgiving and compunction, at the commis- sion of sin. " No one," said an ancient heathen, "No one be- comes all at once excessively wicked. It usually takes some time, and is attained by degrees ; though some, to be sure, very early shew an astonishing proficiency in wickedness, and make astonishing advances." Smaller sins, then, are tlie introduction and preparation for greater. Hence, II. Having familiarized himself to these smaller sins, the dinner easily advances to a liigher degree of wickedness. His courage grows with his experience ; and he gives him- self more liberty to walk in the w^ays of his own heart, and in the sight of his own eyes. Sins of a deeper die cease to startle or to shock him. Th€ reason is obvious ; or rather should I say, many reasons concur to produce this effect. Custom makes every thing familiar, even to contempt of the authority of God, and of every sacred obligation. By custom, the sinner lays waste liis conscience, and prostitutes his mind ; and then, at every step, proceeds in his course with less resistance, and with increased force of depraved inclinations. It has been well observed, that " no sin comes by itself alone ; but every sin stands in close connection witli many others." Some sins lead directly to otliers, and afford, at once, an opportunity and a temptation to commit them. Some draw others after them, as excuses or means of concealment ; and every sin renders the commission of others more easy. No person, therefore, who once breaks ov^- the limits of clear and unquestionable duty, knows how far he sliall be carried, before he turns back ; or whether, indeed, be may not be so deeply involved as never to return. This leads me to observe, III. That open sins soon throw a person into the society oi the openly ungodly and vicious. This is a natural and necessary consequence ; for, by open sins he declares his character, and shews, at once, to what class, 6& SERMON V. and to what company, he belongs. No sooner, indeed, do men begin to take hberties in their conduct, than tliey begin to shun the society of the conscientious and the good. The presence of such persons is a restraint upon them, and their example re- proaches them, and gives them uneasiness. But, in society like themselves, they are kept in countenance, and feel themselves sup}x)rted and cheered in their course. Behold the sinner, then, with his corrupt inclinations, in the midst of his corrupt compan- ions ! As sure as evil communications corrupt good manners, they make bad manners worse. As united fires burn the fiercer and the stronger ; so a sinful society increases in ungodliness, by mutually quickening and fomenting the sinful passions and propensities one of anotlier. Surely, if those who are otherwise virtuous, r^re often in danger of being led away with the error of the wicked ; when a vicious person joins himself to vicious com- panions, it is not easy to say with what dreadful celerity he may be carried away, to fill up the measure of his iniquities, for final destruction. IV. The sinner next comes to feel the force of habit, and of inveterate custom. The frequent repetition of acts of wickedness forms a habit ; and how powerful this is, and how difficult to overcome, experi- ence every day testifies. The scriptures, also, give solemn warnings of the danger of habitual wickedness. If thou hast run ivith the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses 9 And if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swell- ing of Jordan ? Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leop- ard his spots ? Then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil. Nature itself, in this, as in many other instances, is full of moral and spiritual instruction. Habits of any indifferent kind, when once estabhshed, can hardly be overcome, even by the greatest effort of resolution ; even, for instance, any motion of the body, or any particular word or phrase in discourse, which has become habitual, is not easily laid aside. But it deserves to be particularly considered, that habits of sin are not only infinite- ly more hurtful, than habits of an indifferent kind, but they are. SERMON V. (J9 also, vastly more obstinate. Falling in with the bent and dispo- sition of depraved nature, they are like a threefold cord, not easily broken. When persons have long been habituated to idle- ness, what a hopeless thing it is to attempt to bring them to in- dustry. When they have long been habituated to intemperance, or to sensuality of any kind, not only are they inclined to it ; but they are impelled to it, by the irresistible calls of appetites, which they are no longer able to control. All who observe them are so sensible of it, that they consider it almost as much in vain to speak to them, as to speak to the wind or to the stornir Nay, we may often perceive the poor unhappy wretches them- selves, sensible in some measure of their dreadful captivity, though unable to break the chains that bind them over to des- truction. V. The next stage in the sinner's course is, to lose the sense of shame, and sin openly with unblushing impudence. Sin is, in itself, a disgraceful thing; and hence, most com- monly shuns the light. But when once a sinner has attained ts a certain degree, he throws off every mask, and sins in the faco of the sun. He no longer seeks the concealment of darkness, but walks forth as the destruction that ivasteth at noon-day. Neither the eyes nor the tongues of men put any restraint upon him ; but, since the strength of inclination and habit is such, that he must indulge himself, he takes courage, and refuses to be restrained. The prophet Jeremiah pointedly noticed this stage of degeneracy, in the abandoned sinners of his day. Were they ashamed, says he, when they had committed abomination ? Aoy, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush ; therefore shall they fall among them that fall ; at the time that I visit them^ they shall be cast down, saith the Lord. Unquestionably this is a sure and affecting evidence of a most dreadful advance in wickedness. So long as the sense of shame remains, it is a check upon the wicked, in their licentious practices ; but, when this ceases to be felt, left without curb or restraint, they draw in- iquity with cords of vanity, and sin, as it were ivith a cart rope. And that sinners are naturally carried forward to this bold and Kharaeless impiety, is evident from the very nature nf the tiling. 70 SERMON V. Repealed acts of sin which must be knovvii, oirend natural modesty so frequently, and accustom a man so often and so much to shame, that, in time, he loses the sense of it altogether. Nay, as the sense of shame is troublesome to him, he will even make an effort entirely to overcome it. Examples of this kind -abound in this sinful world. VI. Having advanced so far as to sin without a sense of shame, it is but a short step further to sin without remorse of conscience. For a time, the conscience of a sinner will not cease to bear testimony against him ; and every outward indulgence costs him some inward uneasiness : but after he has given himself over to abandoned wickedness, the voice of conscience is at length silenced. This awful victory is gained in one of two ways. The easiest and speediest way is, by hearkening to loose princi- ples. These, at once, set the mind at ease, and blunt the re- proofs of conscience ; and to these refuges of lies multitudes resort. The other way is practical ; more slow indeed, but not, perhaps, less fatally sure. By the frequent repetition of crimes, conscience is stupified. In this way it is wearied out, as it were, and driven to despair, by the habitual sinner. It is, indeed, much the same with this monitor in the breast, as with a friend vrho has a concern for another : If he find that instruction, ad- monition, warning, and entreaty, are all in vain, he at length ceases his efforts, and leaves the irreclaimable offender to his course. But, alas ! my brethren, what must be the condition of the person, who has thus overcome and silenced his conscience.'* He is kept within no bounds ; but triumphs in his dreadful con- quest. The Apostle to Timothy tells us of some, who will speak lies in hypocrisy, having their consciences seared as with an hot iron. And to the Ephesians he describes an abandoned class of sinners, as being past feeling, having given themselves over to lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. Possibly, indeed, some may consider it a desirable thing to be thus freed from the reproofs and compunctions of conscience. But let it be solemnly considered, that what the sinner gains by this, is only to be further from tlie way of recovery, and nearer SERMON V. 71 10 irremediable destruction. What avails it that he has render- ed himseU' insensible to his danger ? Will this at all screen him from punishment, or make it lighter when it shall fall ? Certainly not. There is something, on the contrary, inost terrible, in the condition of that man, who is insensible of the doom that awail? him, and is never to awake from his fatal lethargy, till he shall lift up his eyes in torments, never to have an end. But, before this he has, probably, some further steps to go ; and, having finished his character, he now hastens to finish his work. Hence, • VII. The advanced sinner next comes to boast and glory iji his wickedness. It is much, indeed, to get beyond shame ; it is more, still,* to glory in wickedness, and esteem it honourable. How affecting are the words of the apostle to the Philippians. Many ivalk. dfwhom I have told you often., and now tell you, even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ ; whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame. Alas ! how many there are in the world, who have even studied to excel in different courses of vice and wickedness, and who are ready to declare their sin as Sodom, and praise them- selves for their exploits against religion and virtue, and all the laws of morality and decency ! For them there remains but one step more ; and that is, VIII. Not content with being abandoned themselves, they proceed to exert their endeavours to make others equally aban- doned. They become zealous in sinning, and eager in promot- ing the infernal cause. How often do you see those, who have no fear of God before their own eyes, exerting themselves to extinguish it also in others ; to banter down the qualms of their consciences, and to break their reluctances at running to the same excess of riot with themselves. They will almost compass sea and land to make one proselyte ; and when he is made they would make him, if possible, twofold more the child of hell than them- selves. To what, my brethren, are we to attribute this direful zeal.'' Does the abandoned sinner imagine that he has made u wise choice, and out of benevolence to others wish to make thenj. 72 SERMON V". partners in his joy t No ; for luhile lie promises them liberty^ he himself is ^^^^ ser-vani of corruption ; and is like the troubled sea, 7vhcn it cannot rest, ichose waters cast up mire and dirt. The truth rather is, that, as he resembles his father the devil in many other respects, so he resembles him also in envy and mahgnity, going about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Beginning, already, to feel something of the misery of a repro- bate state, he wishes to bring as many as possible into the sarao wretclied condition. In the last stages of this dreadful career, the sinner is given up of God to hardness of heart, and judicial blindness, to fill up his measure as a vessel of wrath fitted to de- struction, and is prepared for the utmost excesses of ungodliness. REFLECTIONS. 1. How dreadful is the depravity and corruption of our fallen nature. It is the declaration of inspired truth. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked ; who can know it ? Hazael, unquestionably, was a stranger to his own heart. At the time the prophet addressed him, he had no apprehension that he could ever commit the atrocities, which afterwards h? did commit. But he advanced, step by step, till those cruelties lost their enormity in his sight, and he could commit them with- out remorse. In like manner, thousands and thousands have advanced from one degree of degeneracy to another, until acts of impiety and wickedness, at which they would once have shuddered, become famihar to them, and are indulged in as mere sport or pastime. But why is it thus ^ It is because the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked. It is by the depraved propensities, and deceitful workings of the heart, that men are thus carried forward from stage to stage, in the downward course of sin. Were it not for these, in vain would sin present its thousand enticements, and in vain would Satan, and his emissa- ries, press their thousand solicitations. In the awful course, which has been described, we may justly view the progressive developement of the depraved heart, gradually freed from re- straints, and, strengthening in its corrupt inclinations. And wha SERMON V. rs of us, my brethren, can say to what lengths our native corrup- tions would carry us, if all restraints were removed from them, and they were allowed their full scope ? Who of us can endure to contemplate the hideous developement of our depraved na- ture, which will be made in the regions of tinal despair? What enmity, what impotent rage against heaven ! What malignity, what madness towards one another ! When men are told of their depravity, they are often as much startled, and as hard to be- lieve, as was the Syrian, in the instance before us. But be as- sured, O sinner, if you do not repent, and embrace the mercy of the Saviour, tlie time will come, when you will believe that, had you power, you would utterly demolish the throne and kingdom of God. 2. Let all be warned of the danger of giving indulgence to sin. It may be said of sin in general, as Solomon says of strife, the. beginning of it is like the letting out of water. INIankind are but too apt to consider particular sins as small ; and, tlierefore, to be indulged without much guilt, and without danger. How often do parents wink at the beginning of sin in their children, till what they were ready to call mere levities and follies, grow up into gross crimes, and flagitious enormities. How often do men allow themselves in occasional indulgences in profanity, in- temperance, and other vices, until those occasional indulgences grow into inveterate habits, and impel to the utmost excesses of blasphemy, of drunkenness, and all manner of ungodliness. Alas ! how short-sighted are mankind ! So far from looking for- ward, as they ought, to another world, they look not even to any distance before them in this. But, believe me, my hearers, even the beginnings of sin are attended with infinite danger ; and, when you allow yourselves in them, you know not to what lengths you may proceed. Fearful, beyond description, is the case of the man, who has long been accustomed to do evil ! It is not, indeed, for us to set bounds to the almighty power, and sovereign grace of God. He may, and in some instances he does, pluck the most advanced sinners as brands out of the fire. But such instances are uncomrsion ; and whcievrr on^. occurs, 10 74 SERMON V. it is a miracle of miracles. How deeply, then, does it behoove all men to take heed to themselves, and how deeply does it be- hoove parents to be watchful of their dear children, in regard even to the beginnings of sinful indulgence. Finally. We see the danger of delaying repentance. So long as repentance is delayed, sin is indulged, and is gain- ing strength. Hence, so long as any one delays repentance, he cannot promise himself that he will not become an open, hard- ened, abandoned sinner. For, the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Therefore, O sinners, as you dread to be numbered with the most flagitiously wicked, and to be subjected to the same fearful doom, be entreated to repent, without delay, and become reconciled to God. It is now a sea- son of mercy, and a day of salvation. God is waiting to be gra- cious ; but he will not always wait. Beware, then, lest he be provoked to pronounce your doom, in those fearful words, They have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations. I, also, will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them ; because when I called none did ansiver ; when I spake, they did not hear ; but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not. SERMON \I. «gd's thoughts and ways higher than oues. Isaiah lv. 8, 9. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,, saith the Lord: For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. W HO by searching can find out God 9 Who can find out the Almighty unto perfection 9 If we make the attempt, we are lost, at once, in the immensity of his being, in the infinity of his per- fections, in the grandeurs and splendours of his character and works. Always, and in regard to all things, his thoughts and ways are higher than ours, as the heavens are highej- than the earth. In our text, however, there is especial reference to his thoughts and ways, his purposes and dispensations, towards man- kind, as sinful beings. This is evident fi'ora the connection. Seek ye the Lord, while he may be found; call ye upon him, ivhile he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the un- righteous man his thoughts ; and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him ; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. It is here, and directly for the purpose of enforcing this gracious call to repentance, that the words of the text are employed. For my thoughts are not your thoughts ; neither are your ivays my ways, saith the Lord. For as the TO SERMON VI. heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher thau your icays, and my thoughts than your thoughts. TJie interest- ing sentiment here offered to our attention is plainly this : — God's thoughts and ways, in iiegabd to sinful men, immeasurably transcend their own, and all that of THEMSELVES THEY COULD CONCEIVE. — This doctrine, my brethren, is worthy of particular consideration, I. As to our destination, or the end of our being. Men think and act as if they were destined to nothing be- yond this terrestrial Hfe. If some times, indeed, they wake for a moment, and bethink themselves of another world ; yet how little do they dwell, in contemplation, or desire, upon that future and invisible scene .'* How httle does it influence their purposes or feehngs f — Look at the great majority. Is it not manifest that their thoughts and ways are little, very little, if at all, differ- ent from what they would be, had they nothing in prospect be- yond this present life ? They Hve for this world ; their plans and pursuits all have respect to their earthly state ; their desires and views are limited to sublunary objects and scenes. In this respect, also, they seem to imagine that God is al- together such an one as themselves ; — tliat, in his purposes and dispensations towards them, he has respect only, or principally, to their condition here ; and that his plans and views, like theirs, are hmited to this world. But how vastly different is the truth. Whatsoever God doth, it shall he forever. In his sovereign wisdom, he has des- tined mankind to another and an endless state of existence ; and to his mind, that future, and eternal, and to us invisible state, is always and most substantially present. His thoughts, indeed, extend to the minutest concerns of our temporal life, and the very hairs of our heads are all numbered ; yet this life is regarded by him, only as a transitory scene of probation, and discipHne, and preparation for another ; and in the endless multiplicity of his thoughts, and cares, and allotments for us, he has a view, chiefly, not to our temporal condition, but to our eternal desti- jiation. SERMON VI. ^ 77 II. As to our relations and connections, the truili of our doc- trine is equally clear, and worthy oi' serious attention. Men think much of themselves ; and their cares and labours are only, or chiefly, for their own private or particular objects. Individuals, indeed, have their little circles around them ; — their famiUes — their near connections and friends — their associates in their respective designs and pursuits. These are parts of them- selves ; and these divide and engross their affections, and their cares. All that they think, and all that they do, has reference chiefly to themselves, individually, or to the little circles, which constitute and limit their social being, interest, and happiness. Higher than these are God's thoughts and ways, as the heavens are higher than the earth. To his mind, all worlds and beings are present, with all their interests, connections, and de- pendences. In his view, mankind, individually, are constituent parts, not merely of their respective families, and little circles of alliance, friendship, and association ; but also of that immense universe of beings, which his power has created, which his goodness sustains, and which his wisdom governs. Each indi- vidual— man, woman, child — is by him regarded as connected, for eternity, with the beings of other worlds, — even whh the highest orders of created intelligences ; and, in all his thoughts and ways towards mankind, in their various conditions, he has respect, not to them individually, and their im.mediate circles, only, but also to the great system, of which, severally, they are minute constituent parts ; to its endless combinations, and its everlasting interests. — The doctrine is also worthy of our serious consideration, III. As to the good proposed and to be sought. There be many who say, Who will shew vs any good 9 Yet what are their conceptions of good ? — what their desires ? — how^ limited, and how low ! Scarcely extending their views beyond the present life, the good which they seek is terrestrial. Earth- ly riches, honours, and pleasures, are the objects of their desire and pursuits ; and for these their thoughts and ways are em- ployed. Were the great majority of mankind, from the lowest 10 the highest, actually to obtain all that they labour for — all that 7ti SERMON VI. they seek after — all that they really desire — they would still be poor, and wretched, and miserable — slill be objects over whom the heavens might weep. Hence the moving expostulation in our context : Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which satisfieth not ? Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. If men, unrenewed by divine grace, sometimes think of another world, and hope for happiness beyond the grave ; still, are not their conceptions earthly, and tlieir desires groveling ? Our own pagan ancestors expected, as their supreme felicity after death, to drink wine, with perpetual festivity out of the skulls of their enemies. If the conceptions and expectations of future jiappiness, entertained by the Hindoos, the Chinese, and otlier Pagans of our own times, are of a character less savage, they are not however more exalted, or more pure. Even the Ma- hometan Paradise is to consist in mere sensual delights. Li lands illumined by the gospel, different notions of immortality are doubtless entertained ; yet even here, do not unrenewed men form their conceptions and desires of happiness in the world to come, according to the objects, in which they delight, and for which they seek in the present life.^ Of the happiness of holy beings dwelling in the light of God, enjoying the open vision of his glory, and serving him day and night in his temple, they have no idea, and for it no desire. The good which God hath pre- pared for them that love him is higher than their most raised conceptions, as the heavens are higher than the earth. To us, my friends, to the sinful children of Adam, He who inhabiteth eternity has proposed what none but a being of infinite goodness could have proposed ; — riches, honours, felicities, as pure, exalted, and durable, as the heaven of heavens. Incline your ear, he says, and come unto me ; hear, arid your souls shall live ; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you. I mil be a Father unto you ; and ye shall be my sons and daughters. From the corruption and debasement of our fallen state, he would raise us up to more than primeval purity and dignity. From our native Avretched condition, as aliens from him our SERMON VL 79 Maker, and wanderers from the presence of his love, he would restore us to his paternal favour — would reinstate us in his fami- Jy, with all the ineffable privileges of his children — would bring us into possession of the immortal felicities of celestial beings, of the imperishable treasures of his kingdom of gloiy, of the illimi- table fulness of his own wisdom and knowledge, and goodnes? and blessedness. IV. God's thoughts and ways towards siniul mankind im- measurably transcend their own, and all that of themselves they could conceive, as to tlie expedients and means to be employed for their benefit. Look, my brethren, at the manger of Bethlehem. — Could you have imagined that He who in the heginning xvas with God, and ivas God, and by whom the worlds w"ere made, should so humble himself — thus become the Son of man, that you might become the sons of God ! Had you been present, and witnessed the scene of poverty, upon which the pride of this world would scarcely deign to cast a look, would you not have been amazed to hear it celebrated with the celestial anthem, glory to god IN THE HIGHEST ; ON EARTH PEACE : GOOD WILL TOWARDS MEN ! — Look at the cross of Calvary. — You do not wonder that the heavens should be covered with blackness — that the earth should quake to its centre — that all nature should be struck with dismay. But you are astonished, and you can never cease to be astonished, that the Lord of life and glory should thus suffer — thus expire in agonies — ^that you, and others of our guilty race, might not perish, but have eternal life. Never could you have conceived, that the sinful children of Adam might be redeemed and cleansed, by the blood of the Son of God. — Look at the spot where the disciples of the risen Jesus were assembled on the day of Pentecost; remark the sound as of a rushijig mighty ivind ; hear the illiterate and despised Galileans proclaiming, in the languages of many nations, the wonderful toorks of- God. Behold three thousand of the promiscuous multitude pricked in their hearts ; bowing at the name of that same Jesus, whom they had crucified and slain ; filled with ])eace and joy through faith io his blood ; and turning from the course of this world into the so SERMON VI. way of righteousness and true holiness, as the devoted seivants of God. This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes. Never could it have entered your hearts, that the Holy Sph'it should thus descend to dwell with men, to subdue them to the obedience of Christ, and to seal them for his kingdom of glory. — From the heights of Jerusalem, look abroad extensively upon the surrounding scene. Behold those same despised and persecuted Galileans, going forth into all the world, testifying, every where, repentance towards God, and faith in the Lord JesUs Christ. The darkness which, for ages, had covered die earth, vanishes before them. The gods of the Gentiles are cast down ; their oracles ai'e silenced ; their temples are deserted. Every where men are turned from their vanities unto the Hving God — are cleansed from their pollutions, and redeemed from their vain conversation — and, withdrawing their affections and hopes from the world, are led to seek for glory, and honour, and immortality. It was thus, after that in the wisdom of God the world hy wisdom Icnew not God, it pleased God hy the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. What sages and philoso- phers, and the mighty and noble of the world could never effect, has been achieved by instruments and means, which they have regarded with contempt ! It is by the same expedients and methods, which were thus strikingly exhibited before the universe, that God still performs his purposes of mercy towards individuals, and families, and nations. It is only by the blood of Jesus Christ, that they have redemption ; it is only by the doctrine of his cross, that they are brought to a true knowledge of themselves and of God ; it is only by the almighty grace of the Holy Spirit, that they ai"e re- newed unto holiness, and fitted for immortal glory. In all this, God's thoughts and ways are higher than ours, as the, heavens are higher than the earth. So immeasurably, in- deed, do they transcend all human conceptions, that the human understanding 's confounded by them, the pride of the human heart is offended, and the utmost efforts of human ingenuity have been employed to explode them as utterly incredible. SERMON VI. 81 In all ages, the doctrine of the gospel, which is the -power of God unto salvation, has been to the Jews a stumhling-hlock, and to the Greeks foolishness ; and, even to believers, it opens with overpowering wonders, and will be a theme of adoring and ever fresh admiration and praise for eternity. During millions after millions of ages, they \\'\\\ contemplate the wisdom and goodness of God, manifested, not only in the general expedients and methods of his redeeming grace, but also in the particular, and scarcely less marv^ellous, ways and means, by which they them- selves were severally called, and trained up for his kingdom and glory, with perpetually increasing wonder, and gratitude, and delight. Of the many important reflections suggested by the subject, I will detain you only for two or three. I. It behooves us to learn to think very humbly of ourselves. Vain man would he loise ; though man be born like a wild ass\s colt. The wisdom of the world, the pride of understand- ing, of learning, of philosophy, exalteth itself against the knowl- edge of God. But what is man, that he should be wise ! — a child of the dust — a creature of yesterday — a fallen creature, whose limited faculties are debased and perverted ; who has eyes but sees not, and ears but hears not ; whose understanding is darkened, because of the blindness of the heart. Such is the representation of scripture ; and of the truth of it no one can doubt, who is not in darkness even imtil now. The divine oracle makes no exception, in favour of the learned, and the wise, and the noble among men. It is, on the contrary, to this class, most especially and directly, that its strong declara- tions refer. It is the wisdom of the wise, and the understanding of the PRUDENT, that God will bring to nought. It is concerning men of this description, precisely, that the Spirit of truth says, When they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither ivere thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools ; and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, SERMON \I. So Lord, and JieivUl have mercy upon him ; and to our God, for he ivill abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ivnys, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your tvays, and my thoughts than ycvr thoughts. — Amen. SERMON VIL ACCESS TO GOD. ► ®9 Hebrews x. 19 — 22. Having, therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood oj" Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated, for lis, through the vail, that is to say, his flesh ; and having an High Priest over the house of God ; let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance nf faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. .AN, in his primeval state, was blessed with free access to God, and intimate communion with him. But he transgressed, lost his purity, forfeited every privilege, and was driven from Paradise, from God, and from hap])iness. By sin, all the child- ren of Adam have been separated from God, excluded from his favour, and exposed to his everlasting displeasure. God, how- ever, in his infinite mercy, has found a ransom for them, has opened a way for their return to him, and proclaimed peace on earth and good 7vill towards men. This is the message of the gospel ; the good tidings of great joy, which shall be unto all people. The import of this joyous and glorious message, the Apostle opens at large, in the former pai'ts of this epistle ; and then, beginning with the words of our text, he applies his doc- trinal instructions, in the way of most earnest exhortation to an acceptance of the offered grace ; and most solemn warning, not SERMON VII. 87 to refuse this ^reat salvation. Having then, brethren, holJness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the vail, that is to say, his flesh ; and having an High Priest over the house of God; let us draio near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure ivater. — By this divine exhortation we are naturally led to consider, I. The prescribed and consecrated way of our access to God. II. The encouragement, held out, to induce us to draw near to him in this way. And, III. The manner in which we should approach unto him. We are to consider, I. The prescribed and consecrated way of our access to God. Having then boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living ivay, which he hath consecrated for us, through the vail, that is to say. Ids flesh. On the day of the fall, the original way of man's access to God was closed, and guarded by cherubim and a flaming sword. Immediately, however, a dispensation of grace was introduced ; propitiatory sacrifices were instituted; Cain and Abel brought their respective offer- ings unto the Lord ; and unto Abel and to his offering the Lord had respect. In this way of sacrifice, typical of the great pro- pitiation, which in the fulness of the time was to be made by the promised seed, the children of Adam, for successive genera- tions, were permitted to approach unto God ; and all who, like Abel, approached with true humility and faith, were graciously- accepted. At length, divine wisdom saw fit to appoint an economy of greater formality, and more awful solemnity. The law was pro- mulgated with terrible majesty, a mysterious tabernacle was made, a special priesthood was ordained, and many ordinances of divine service were instituted. The tabernacle, besides its courts, consisted of the holy place, and the most holy. The holy place wa,s separated from thf court, in which stood the altar »6 SERMON VII. of burnt offering, by a vail ; and troni the holy place, the most holy was separated by a second vail. Iii the most holy place, called also the holy of holies, Jehovah dwelt in a visible symbol ol" his glory, between the cherubim, on the mercy seat. JVow when these things were thus ordained, says the apostle, the priests went at all times into the Jirst tabernacle, or the holy place, ac- complishing the service of God. But into the second, or the most holy place, went the high priest alone, once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errours of the people. By this an-angement, as the apostle says, the Holy Ghost, by whom it was appointed, signified, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest. The people were allowed to enter only into the courts of the tabernacle ; and were, therefore, shut out from the most holy place, where Jehovah, in a special manner, resided, by both the first and second vail. Even the ordinary priests were permitted to advance no further, than into the holy place ; and were, therefore, shut out from the most holy place, by the second vail. Within the second vail, into the most holy place, the high priest alone was allowed to enter, and that only once a year, on the great day of atonement, and even then not without sacrificial, propitiatory blood. Had any of the people, or of the ordinary priests, attempted to enter that place of the divine glory, or even to draw aside the vail and look within, instant death would have been the penalty ; and the same must have been suffered by the high priest himself, had he ventured to enter on any other than the appointed day, or in any other than the prescribed manner. These solemn appointments were all of them typically sig- nificant ; and served to shew that, by sin, mankind were placed in a state of fearful exclusion from the presence of God. The holy of holies, particularly, was an emblem of the heaven of heavens, where Jehovah dwells in his highest glory ; and its vail was a symbol of the human nature of Christ, or of that body in which, as God with us, he tabernacled among men. Accordingly, at the moment that Christ's body expired upon the cross, the vail of the temple was rent in twain from the top) to the bottom. It was at the lime of the evening sacrifice ; and the SERMON VII. 89 worshippers then assembled at the temple must have been struck with amazement, to behold the most sacred recess, the holy of holies, with all its awful emblems, laid open to their view. What was the meaning of this stupendous event? It was this ; that as, by the rending of the vail, the holy of holies was opened to the view of all the people ; so, by the rending of Christ's body, the heaven of heavens is opened to all nations ; and as the people might have entered through the rent vail into the most holy place, and approached even to the mercy seat ; so, through the rent body of Christ, all who will come unto God by him, may enter into the highest heavens, and approach near to the throne of celestial glory. The darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. The obscurities of the typical and shadowy dispensation are removed; and the way into the holiest of all is now made manifest. It was opened by the blood of Christ, by the rending of his body upon the cross ; and it is only by his blood, which was shed for many for the remission of sins ; only through his body, which wa^ wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities, that we can have access to God. This the apostle calls a new and living way. It is neio, in distinction from the original way by the first covenant in Para- dise ; it is new, in regard to its openness and clearness, in dis- tinction from that of the sacrifices of the typical economy ; and it is new, as it never waxes old, but always remains the same. And it is a living way, as, instead of incurring the penalty of death, as the people anciently would by attempting to enter into the most holy place, all who come to God in it, will assuredly obtain everlasting life ; and as the blood of Christ is of ever liv- ing, ever abiding efficacy, and his body, once dead, now lives in glory, a sure pledge of eternal life to all that beUeve on him. This new and living way, he hath consecrated ; has, in the most solemn and publick manner, authorized and set apart, as the only way given under heaven among men, for approach unto God, for the pai-don of sin, for salvation with eternal glory. It is the way of holiness, and the wayfaring man, though a fool. shall not err therein. Let us now. 12 90 SERMON VII. II. Consider the encouragement held out, to mduce us tiff draw near to God in this way. The entire view which we have taken of the wny is full of encouragement. We see here no fiery cherubim, no flaming sword, to strike us with dread, or deter our approach. We see no impassable barrier around the base of the mountain ; no blackness, or darkness, or tempest, on its awful summit. We see no vail, which shuts us out ; and which we are forbidden to pass, or to draw aside, on pain of death. But we see a way cast up, an high way to the mercy seat of heaven, to God, and to glory ; a way, open, and free, and illumined with celestial light. It was opened, too, by infinite mercy, and at infinite ex- pense. ' It was opened by the death of him, who was in the bo- som of the Father before the worlds were made; and it was consecrated by him, for the express purpose of bringing many sons and daughters unto glory. Under this head, however, it is further and more especially to be considered, that we have an High Priest, in the original a GREAT Priest, over the house of God. In preceding chapters, the apostle shews at large that, by the oath of God, Jesus Christ has been constituted an High Priest forever after the order of Melchizedeck ; that the Levitical priesthood and sacrifices were typical of his everlasting priesthood, and his one sufficient sacri- fice; that through the Eternal Spirit he offered himself without spot to God, and not loith the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, entered in once into the holy place, having obtain- ed eternal redemption for us ; and that there, at the right hand of the Father, he ever liveth to make intercession for us. It is upon this broad ground that the exhortafion in the text is found- ed : Having, therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living ivay, which he hath consecrated for us, through the vail, that is to say, his flesh ; and having a Great Priest over the house of God ; let us draw near. On the great day of atonement, under the Levitical economy, in vain was the sacrifice killed, unless the blood was carried within the vail ; and in vain was it carried thither, if it was not sprinkled before the mercy seat, and accompanied with the SERMON VII. 91 clouds of incense. Jesus, having made himself an offeiino; and sacrifice for us, has gone within the vail, has entered into the most holy place in heaven, and there sprinkled his blood before the mercy seat of glory. There, also, he abideth an High Priest forever, presiding over the house of God ; over the reh- gious services of his people ; and accompanying them with the acceptable incense of his own continual and prevalent inter- cession. What greater encouragement, then, could be offered, to in- duce us to approach unto God, to draw near to him, in the neiVy Mnd living, and consecrated way, which is opened to us ? Let us, tlien, III. Consider the manner in which we should approach unto him, in this way. It may here be premised that, as it is in his own appointed way, so it is also by his own appointed means, that we are to draw near to God ; by means of his word, of prayer and praise, of covenant vows, and of the holy sacraments. — What, then, is the manner, in which we should approach him, in this way, and by these means .'' The apostle, in the outset, intimates that we may come with boldness; not, indeed, with rashness or irreverence. The word which he uses signifies /reefZowi and confidence; and in it he has evident allusion to the case of the people, under the legal dis- pensation, who were prohibited from entering into the most holy place, and were impressed with a dread of approaching unto God. We are not prohibited from entering, but have a divine warrant to enter ; and, therefore, should draw near to God, not with a servile and depressing dread, but with humble, reveren- tial, fihal freedom and confidence. With a true heart. The Lord looketh upon the heart, and requireth truth in the inward parts ; and they that worship him. must worship in spirit and in truth. This is of the first impor- tance ; and without this all outward approaches and services are but mockery. If our confessions are without repentance and humility ; if our petitions are heartless, and our thanksgivings witliout gratitude ; if our solemn vows are without sincerity, and 92 SERMON VII. our attendance on sacred ordinances without inward devotion ; we do but lie uiUo God, and insult his holy majesty. If we draw nigh to him with our lips, while our hearts are far from him, we worship him in vain. It should be our first and unre- mitting care, that uprightness and integrity of heart preserve us in his holy sight. In full assurance of faith. He that cometh unto God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. We must believe in God ; in his infinite perfections j in what he has revealed to us of his truth and grace ; in his readiness graciously to receive us in his appointed way, and to do for us more than we can ask or think. We must believe in Christ ; in his personal dignity, as the brightness of the Father's glory, and the express image of his person ; in his mediatorial offices, as our prophet, priest, and king ; in the reality and effi- cacy of his atonement, and his intercession ; in his fulness of grace, and ability and wiUingness to save unto the uttermost, them that come unto God by him. We must have, in fine, a firm persuasion of the truth of the gospel, and of the infallible certainty of the glorious method of salvation therein set forth. Though we may doubt of our present personal interest in this great salvation ; yet, of the truth and sufficiency of the salvation itself, we must have an assured, a fully assured faith. Our hearts must he sprinkled from an evil conscience. In this figurative expression, allusion is had to the appointed sprink- lings under the law", by which those who were ceremonially de- filed, were fitted to come into the congregation of the Lord, and attend upon his holy ordinances. Those ritual sprinklings were typical of the cleansing of the heart, and purging of the con- science, by the application of the blood of Christ. Hence David, under a deep consciousness of guilt, prayed. Purge me with hyssop, i. e. with the hyssop branch which was used for sprinkling, and I shall be clean ; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. And the apostle, in the chapter preceding our con- text, says. If the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the fiesh ; how much more shall the blood of Jesus Christ, who\ SERMON VII. 93 through the Eternal Spirit, offered himself without spot to God^ purge your conscience from dead works, to serve the living God. Our consciences, my brethren, are often defiled, deeply defiled, hy the corruptions of our hearts; and they need to be purged; they must be purged, by the atoning and cleansing blood of our great High Priest, or we cannot draw nigh unto God. With an evil conscience, a conscience defiled and loaded with guilt, we can neither have confidence towards him, nor be accepted in his holy sight. Not only must our hearts be sprinkled from an evil con- science; our bodies also must be washed with pure ivater. Here, again, is allusion to the ancient ritual purifications. In sundry cases, the washing of the body in pure water was prescribed for such as were ceremonially defiled ; especially was it prescribed for the priests, before their going within the vail, to denote the purity which was required of them. The people of God, under the gospel, are described as a royal priesthood, a holy nation. They must be, pure in heart, and holy in all manner of conversa- tion. The Lord Jesus gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works — holy and without blame before God in love. Brethren, the apostolical exhortation now addresses itself to you, with all its persuasive power. You have liberty, you have a divine warrant, to enter into the holiest, hy the blood of Jesus, The vail is rent, and the glory of God upon the mercy seat is disclosed to your view. A ncv/, and living, and consecrated way, is open to you. You have a great and merciful High Priest, who has gone before, to prepare for your gracious recep- tion into the divine presence, and there to present you faultless with exceeding joy. How is it, then, vv^ith jourselvcs.'* Ai'e you in a state of preparation to draw nigh ? Have you a true heart.'' If so, then may you have confidence towards God. If not, then repentance towards him is your immediate and indispensable duty. Have you an assured faith in the mercy and faithfulness of God, and in the sacrifice, and grace, and all-sufficiency of Christ ? If so, then you have strength to approach. If not, then Ii4 SERMON VIL fix your eyes on the cross, that stupendous monument of divine mercy and truth, and he no more faithless, hut believing. — Is your heart sprinkled from an evil conscience ? If so, then you have peace with God, and may draw nigh, and sit under his shadow with dehght. If not, then apply at once to the blood of sprink" ling, which speaketh better things than the blood of Mel. — Are your bodies washed with pure water'? Have you cleansed your^ selves from all filtkincss of flesh and spirit'? If so, then are you prepared, according to the purification of the sanctuary, and may approach with holy alacrity, unmixed with confusion. If not, then penitently, and without delay, repair to ihe fountain which is opened for sin and for uncleanness, wash and be clean. My hearers, this subject is of infinite concernment to us all. It is certainly the duty of every person, a duty of the very high- est obligation, to approach unto God ; yea, to draw nigh to him jn the most sacred of his ordinances ; and nothing can excuse our want of fitness for this duty. We certainly ought, every one of us, to have an assured faith in God, in Christ, in the way which is opened for our entrance into the holiest by the blood of .Jesus. We certainly ought, every one of us, to have a true heart towards God ; a heart purified from an evil conscience ; and we ought no less certainly to have our bodies washed with pure water ; to put away all our evil doings, to abstain from every thing that defileih, to be pure in our outward deportment and conversation. To be thus fitted for approaching to God, and to draw nigh to him in his consecrated way, is a duty from which no person can be excused. It is not our duty only ; it is our highest privilege and happiness. If we are true and faithful in regard to the duty, we shall know the inestimable value of the privilege, and the exalted nature and boundless extent of the happiness. But if we neglect the duty, and despise the privi- lege, we can never taste the happiness ; but, instead of entering \\\\o fulness of joy in God's presence, and pleasures forevermore at his right hand, we shall ere long be driven far from hini, and never see good. — Amen. SERMON VIII. THE GOOD WAY. >(9« Jeremiah vi. 16. Thus saiih the Lord, Stand ye in the xvays and see, and ask for the old paths, where u the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall Jind rest for your souls. X HIS life, my brethren, is a pilgrimage. We are all travel- lers ; — we are all passing on to the abodes of eternity. How- important, then, that we travel in the way of everlasting life ! It was the lot of Jeremiali to fall on evil times. The people of his nation had forsaken the God of their fathers, and become ripe for signal judgments. All classes, from the highest to the lowest, were corrupt, and obstinately bent on pursuing their own ways. To heighten and confirm tlie evil, the priests anJ prophets, who ought to have shewn the people their transgres- sions, and warned them of their danger, encouraged and deluded them with words of flattery and errour. They have healed, says this faithful prophet, T%eij have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace ; when there is no peace. And he adds, Were they ashamed when they had com- mitted abomination ? in thus deceiving the people ; nay, they were not at all ashamed ; neither coidd they hlush. After warn- ing the people of their danger from their false guides, he solemn- ly delivers to them this memorable and wholesome counsel r 96 SERMON VIII. Thus sailh the JLord, Stand yc in the ivays and see, and ask for the old paths, ivhere is the good ivay, and walk therein, and ye shall jind rest for your souls. Like wayfaring men, in doubt which road to take, they would do well to stop, and make dili- gent inquiry. It behooved them to inquire particularly concern- ing the old paths ; that they might ascertain the good way, in which their lathers, in better times, had walked, and which had been proved to be the way of safety and peace. The plain instruction of the text is this : By suitable atten- tion, and particularly by careful inquiry respecting the old paths, people may ascertain the good way, in which rest for the soul is infallibly to be found. And my present design is, I. To illustrate the truth of this instruction ; II. To shew what the good way is ; and III. To consider the rest for the soul, which is to be found in this way. How, then, does it appear that, by suitable attention, and particularly by careful inquiry concerning the old paths, people may ascertain what is the good way? — It may appear from these plain and incontrovertible truths : That the good way has always been one and the same; that this way has been most perspicu- ously marked and distinguished from all others; and that the word of God decisively assures us that, by proper care, it may be ascertained. ]. The good way has always been one and the same. God is the same yesterday, to day, and forever. The princi- ples and ends of his government, his law and his grace, his jus- tice and his mercy, are unchangeable. Variable as the world in many respects is, yet mankind are, in nature, the same throughout all generations; their relations to God and one another the same; their general obligations and duties the same; their interests and prospects for eternity the same. The nature of mora:l good and evil, holiness and sin, are also unalterable; and their respective tendencies and consequences can be neither more nor less safe or unsafe now, than they were in ancient times. SERMON VIII. 91 These positions are not to be conti-overted ; and from them it clearly results, that the good way of safety and of rest, always has been, and always must be, one and the same. This way, then, may indubitably, by suitable attention, be well ascertained. But, 2. The good way has been very perspicuously marked, and distinguished from all other ways. For what purpose, my brethren, has God condescended to make his revelations to men.^ Is it not that the right and good way might be clearly marked out to them.'' By sin, mankind are alienated from their Maker, bewildered b darkness, and inclined to wander, to their final perdition. But God has beheld them witli compassion. From his throne of glorious mercy, he has stooped to point out to them the way in which they should go ; a way which himself has been pleased to open, to illuminate from age to age with increasing hght, and to mark with direc- tions at every stage, and with beacons at every devious path. It was for this purpose, that he revealed himself to the pati'iarchs of the first ages ; it was for this, that he gave his statutes and ordinances from Sinai; it was for this, that he sent his Son from heaven. It was to guide our feet into the way of peace. Has God, then, failed in his design .'' The thought is not to be indulged for a moment. No, my brethren; but the good way of safety has been made plain. By the directions, instruc- tions, and warnings, which God has given us in his word, it is pointed out, and marked, and distinguished from every other, with the utmost clearness. It is true, when we look around us, and survey the living world, we see mankind passing and repassing in all directions; and such is the bustle and confusion, and so much are we our- selves perplexed in the crowd, that we seem bewildered in the mazy scene, and can scarcely tell what way individuals are going, or where their several courses will end. Not so, when we siand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths. When, in the hght of sacred scripture, we look back on ancient years, we may distinctly trace the path, in which the people of God have travelled; and guided by their footstep?, may ascend to the first. to 9S SERMON Vllf. periods of time. Thence, looking down through the long track of ages, we may see a way cast np; a high way, narrow indeed, yet straight, and illumined through its whole extent, with the clear light of heaven. On both sides of it, multitudes are tra- versing in various directions, and wandering without light or guide, till, in succession, they are seen to fall into the open pit, or are lost from our sight in impervious darkness. But, in the straight and good way, the pilgrims are seen to pass on, till they successively come to the end of their pilgrimage in peace, and enter, with songs of tramiphant praise, the portals of the heaven- ly city. Surely, then, they who will stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, may ascertain the good way. 1 add, 3. This truth is decisively confirmed by express declarations of the divine word. My son, if thou idlt receive my words, and hide my cojH" mandments with thee, so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding ; yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding ; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures ; THEN SHALT THOU UNDERSTAND THE FEAR OF THE LORD, AND FIND THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD. Tliis assuraucc was given in the days of Solomon ; and if, even then, the good way might, by suitable attention, be assuredly ascertained ; how much more, since the subsequent revelations by the prophets, and es- pecially since the coming of the Son of God himself, a light to guide our feet into the way of peace. Agreeably to ancient prophecy, indeed, the way is made so plain, by the gospel reve- lation, that the way-faring man, though a fool, need not err therein; and every one, who will give suitable heed to the instructions offered him^ may certainly know of the doctrine, whether it he of God, and lead to eternal life. But I hasten, II. To shew what the good way is. But, can any of you, my hearers, be in any uncertainty, in regard to this point .^ Is there one, who does not know, that the good way is that of repentance, faith, and a pious observance of the statutes and ordinances of the Lord .'* This, unquestionably ^ • SERMON VIII. 99 is the only way, in which rest for the soul ever has been, or ever can be found. Ever since the fall in Paradise, mankind have been sinners. It is the dictate of reason, it is the injunction of natural religion, it is the high and just demand of heaven, that sinners should re- pent ; that, with ti'ue contrition of heai-t, they should turn from sin unto God. Until they do this, they can never find peace. Nor could they find peace even by repentance, had no atone- ment been made for them. It is not in the power of the sinner to expiate his own guilt, or to give unto God a ransom for his soul. But God has found a ransom. He has given his own Son to die, as a propitiation for sin ; and the atonement thus made, with the whole salvation connected with it, he has set before us in the gospel. In tliis gospel he requires us to believe. He requires us to receive his Son, as oiu- Redeemer and Sav- iour ; to acknowledg>e his atoning sacrifice as the ground of our pardon ; to trust in his righteousness for our justification ; to rely on his promises for all the purposes of salvation ; in fine, cordially to embrace his doctrines, his whole word, as everlast- ing truth. This is the faith whicJi God requires ; and it is a faith which works hy love, and purifies the heart, and thus leads to holy obedience ; to the consideration and practice of whatso- ever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things arc lovely, ivhatsoever things are of good report. Before men return to God, they wander in the ways of transgression ; but, when they truly repent and believe the gospel, then they set out in a new course, in a course of new obedience, a pious observance of all the statutes and ordinances of the Lord. And this is pre- cisely the good way, in which they find rest for their souls. My brethren, is not all this plain.'' Stand in the icays and see, and ask concerning the old paths. Is not this the way to which the whole word of God directs you.'' Is it not the way to which mankind were pointed by the first revelations from heaven, by all the rites of the Mosaic economy, by the whole succession of inspired prophets, and by the Son of God himself, and his holy apostles.'' And is it not the way, in which the people of 100 SERMON Vm. God, from Abel down through all generations, liave walked } and which, by their shining examples, they have marked and made plain, for all who would follow them to rest and to glory ? Let us, then, III. Consider the rest which those who walk in this good way will find. It is a rest from perplexities and doubts, respecting the course which they should pursue ; a rest from anxiety and dis- content, under divine providence ; and an everlasting rest in heaven. It is a rest from perplexities and doubts. — Careless and thoughtless as mankind are, yet a general conviction prevails, that they are sinners, and must, in some way, make their peace with God, or be finally miserable. Occasionally, by the pres- sure of affliction, by the force of divine truth, or by the power of the divine Spirit, this conviction is so urged upon their con- sciences as to give them great uneasiness. In this state, they naturally look around for rehef ; and they may try to find peace in some of the many delusions, with which this world is filled. This, however, is a vain attempt. Men may, indeed, suppress conviction, and silence conscience ; and, for a while, repose themselves on delusive hopes, or in refuges of lies. Yet, from time to lime, a dreadful sound is in their ears ; their minds will be disquieted with apprehensions of that day, when their cove- nant with death shall be disanmdled, and their agreement with hell shall not stand, and the hail shall sweep away the refuges oflies^ and the waters shall overflow the hiding places. They are in doubt and perplexity ; they are restless and unhappy ; and they seem not to know which way to turn, or what course to take. What, then, shall they do ? Shall they make the rash effort, but too often made, to quiet themselves in the persuasion, that one course is as good as another, and that all their uneasiness is un- necessary and unreasonable."* Divine wisdom, my hearers, directs to a more excellent way. If you are perplexed with the various and conflicting opinions of the world ; then turn from the vain imaginations of men to the sure word of revealed truth. If you have not found peace in SERMON Vm. 101 the ways of your own licarts ; then turn to that good way, to which the hght from heaven directs you. Turn, with tender contrition, from all sin, from every false way, and acquaint your- selves with God ; look unto Jesus, the Mediator, who hore your sins in his body on the tree, gratefully acknowledge his love, em- brace his truth, rely on his merits, trust in his power and grace, and henceforth live in obedience to his gospel. Do this, and your minds will be at rest, in regard to the way in which you should go. Enlightened with the light of life, sprinkled from an evil conscience, and animated with a lively hope of glory, you will find a peace of mind, a sense of reconciliation to God, a consciousness of truth and uprightness, a firmness of standing, VL substance of things hoped for, an evidence of things not seen, and a bright and cheering prospect of heaven, which will leave you n6 doubt that this is the way of immortal happiness. You will perceive a glorious harmony and excellency in the doctrines of the gospel ; and your path will be like the shining light, which shineth more and more unto the perfect day. In this good way, there is rest from disquietude under the changing aspects of divine providence. — In consequence of sin, man is horn unto trouble as the sparks fly upward. The adver- sities of life are many. Often are earthly comforts suddenly snatched aw^ay — earthly hopes cut off — earthly prospects deso- lated ; and often do men yield themselves to the fretfulness of anxiety, to the murmurings of discontent, or to the gloominess of despondency. The reason is, they have no solid foundation of happiness ; no secure refuge in trouble. It is otherwise with those who walk in the good toay. They walk with God. Even in the day of prosperity, he is their por- tion ; in the day of adversity, he is their refuge. The light of his countenance is the joy of their hearts ; his wisdom and good- ness, in all his allotments, are their solace and support; his statutes and promises are their songs in the house of their pil- grimage. If they fall, he lifts them up ; if their spirits are ready to faint, his gracious word revives and cheers them ; if danger surround them, if affliction assail them, ihey hear his voice. Fear not, for lam with thee; be not dismayed, for I ain thy God. 10:: SERMON Vlll. Thus guided, supported, and cheered in their course, their minds are kept in peace. If tlieir earthly comforts leave them, if their earthly hopes fail them, if their earthly prospects are made desolate ; yet tliey can cheerfully sing. Although the jig- tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vine ; the la- bour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat ; thcJlocJcs shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls ; yst will I rejoice in the Lord, I ivilljoy in the God of my salvation. And even at tlie last, when they shall walk through the valley of the shadow of death they need^ea;- no evil; for God will still be with them ; his rod and his staff will com- fort them. Nor will their rest end with this Hfe 5 it will be consummated in the everlasting happiness of heaven. — Yes, my brethren, the good way leads to tlie mansions of eternal joy ; and for all who walk in it there remaineth an endless rest — a city of unfailing habitation and unspeakable bliss — an inheritance incorruptible, ■and undrfiled, and, which fadeth not away. There they shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb, which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them to living fountains of waters ; ojid God shall U'ijpe away all tears from iheir eyes. REFLECTIONS. i. We may see the folly and danger of indulging a fondness for new schemes of religion. Ever since our first mother, not content with the plain decla- ration of God, thought to hav^e her eyes open, and her knowl- edge and happiness increased, by tasting the forbidden fruit, there has been in mankind a strong propensity to seek out in- ventions, and to find some new way. In the present age, this propensity is uncommonly active. The time, indeed, has been, when the mukitude were held in a state of listless ignorance, and bound in the chains of legendary tradition. But in Christendom at large, the days of superstition are past ; and the present is an age of licentious curiosity, and bold innovation. Whatever i? SERMON VIII. lOJ old in religion is stigmatized as traditional ; and people secai fondly to iinat;iue that, by embracing new doclriivjs and schemes, their eyes will be opened, and they shall become as gods. Let no one suppose that any thing is intended for the di.s- couragement of sober and free inquiry. It is devoutly to be wished that the spirit for this were more prevalent and active. The whole subject goes to recommend, that people should stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, tvhcre is the good way ; and if, hitlierto, they have been walking in ways not good, that they should be convinced of it, and walk in them no more ; that they should prove all things, by the divine standard, and hold fast that which is good ; that they should bny the truth, and sell it not. But die disposhion to despise doctrines, because they are old, and to embrace other opinions, because they are new. is highly reprehensible. God is unchangeable ; his law, his truth, and the way of peace with him, and of everlasting life in his kingdom, are unchangeable; and new schemes of religion. from the very circumstance of their being new, are strongly to be suspected. If, then, people would know what is truth, and what they must do to be saved ; they should take heed v>ha.t they hear, and how they hear, and search the scriptures daily. 2. Our subject exposes the fallacy and danger of the opinion, that men may go to heaven, in very different ways. In regard, indeed, to modes and forms, in regard also to mat- ters of a merely speculative nature, men may entertain very dif- ferent opinions, and be safe. But in regard to the main points of the gospel, it cannot be so. If, my hearers, you will stand in the ways and see, and ask concerning the old paths, you will readily perceive, that there are many ways, indeed, in which people may go to destruction; but, that there is only one good ivay ; only one, in which rest for the soul can be found. This is the way of holiness; o{ repentance toicards God, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and humble obedience to the divine precepts. Besides this, the word of God neither mentions, nor allows, any other way to heaven ; besides this, there neither is now, nor ever has been, any other way of true safety and peace. He that hr- Heveih not the Son. shall not see life. 104 SERMON VIII. 3. Wc ma}' also aee the unreasonableness of a skeptical dis- position. It is not unfVequently said, "There are many opinions in the world about religion ; who, then, can tell what is true ; or how shall we know what to behev^e, or what to do .'"' If, in the provi- dence of God, my hearers, your lot had been cast in a land where the gospel is not known; if you had been left, as miUions are, to the dim light of nature, or to the dubious opinions or vain imaginations of men ; you might, with some reason, have indulg- ed in language like this. But, for what purpose, I pray you, has God, in his mercy, put the Bible into your hands ? Is it not for this expressly, that you may know tchat is truth, and be made wise unto salvation ? Will you, then, say that the Bible is not plain, and that you cannot, even from that, know what to believe, or what to do.^ Consider, I beseech you, what a reflec- tion this would cast upon God ! What an imputation upon his wisdom and goodness! — It is not denied, indeed, that there are, in the scriptures, some things hard to be understood ; or that the honest and diligent inquirer after truth may find it difficult to settle his mind, in regard to some points. — But, in regard to the main concern of religion, in regard to the good ivay, in which rest for the soul is to be found, the scriptures are plain, and he who runs may read. If, then, the opinions of men are various and contradictory, turn, with earnestness, to the sure word of God. To the law and to the testimony ; if they speak not accord- ing to this word, it is because there is no light in them. Humbly submit yourselves to the teaching of the divine Spirit, and you shall know what is truth. For, the meek will he guide in judg- ment ; the meek will he teach his way. Finally. How much to be deplored are the prevailing negli- gence and indifference, in regard to the way of eternal Ufe ! — Is it not madness, my brethren, to be indifferent or negligent, regarding a concern of such infinite importance ! Were the pa- triarchs, the prophets, the righteous men of former times, in- different, who counted not even their lives dear unto themselves, so tiiat they might finish their courses with joy, and finally enter into rest! Has the great God been indifierent, who has conde- SERMON VIII. 105 scended to give directions and warnings to men! Is Jesus Christ indifferent, who came down from heaven, and died on tlie cross, to open the way of life, and mark it with his blood ! Can it be a matter of indifference to any person, whether he walk in the path of life, or in the ways of death ; whether he be saved or lost forever! Ah! JVhat is a man profited, if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul'? or what shall a man give in ex- change for his soul 9 Brethren, if you are in the good way, be steadfast, immovea- ble, always abounding in the work of the Lord. Forgetting those things lohich are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, press toivard the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Lay aside every weight, and the si7i which most easily besetteth you, and so run that you may obtain. Be followers of them who, through faith and patience, inherit the promises. Giving all diligence, add to your faith, virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, temperance ; and to temperance, patience ; and to patience, god- liness ; and to godliness, brotherly kindness ; and to brotherly kindness, charity. Then shall ye know if ye follow on to know the Lord ; his going forth is prepared as the morning ; and he shall come unto you as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth. He will guide you with his counsel, and after- ward receive you to glory. May every one who is out of the way, at once encoiu-aged and warned by this subject, seriously reflect, repent, come to the knowledge, and to the acknowledging of the truth, and set out in earnest for heaven. Thus saith the Lord, stand ye in the loays and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good ivay, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. — Amen. 14 SERMON IX. FALLOW GROUND TO BE BROKEN UP AND SOWN IN RIGHTEOUSNESS. HoSEA X. 12. ^ow to yourselves in righteousness,, reap in mercy ; break up your fah- low ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. jISRAEL is an crnpty vine; he bringeth forth fruit unto him- self. Such is the solemn declaration of Jehovah, by his prophet, in the beginning of this chapter. And alas, my friends, to how large a proportion of mankind, to how many of us, will this affecting and momentous declaration apply. Concerning us the God of all mercy might say, as, by the prophet Isaiah, he said of the people of Judah, What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it ? Wherefore, then, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth ivild grapes ! Is it not a fact, as manifest as it is melancholy, that not- withstanding the abundant cultivation bestowed upon us, the manifold privileges, with which we have been favoured, many of us have brought forth no fruit unto God ; but have been produc- tive only of the grapes of Sodom, and the clusters of Gomorrah ? Or, with a little variation of figure, might not Jehovah justly say to us, as, in the verse next following the text, he said to ancient Israel, Ye have ploughed ivickedness ; ye have reaped iniquity ; SERMON IX. iOT ye have eaten the fruit of lies. These are all, indeed, figurative expressions ; but the purport of them is plain, and the applica- tion most solemn. With what deep interest and solemnity, then, does it behoove us to attend to the earrvest and gracious words of the text. Soiv to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy ; break up your fallow ground : for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. The several clauses of the text, though intimately connected, yet deserve each a distinct consideration ; they will, therefore, constitute, in their order, so many distinct heads of discourse. 1. Sow to yourselves in righteousness. 2. Reap in mercy. 3. Break up your fallow ground. 4. For it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. I. Then, Sow to yourselves in righteousness. The present is our seed time for the future. The season lof youth is the seed time for old age ; and tlie term of our proba- tionaiy life in this world, is our seed time for eternity ; and it is a general law, distinctly announced in the word of God, What- soever any one soweth, that shall he also reap. By sowing, we are to understand the doing of such things as are connected with future consequences, fruits, or rewards. The scattering of seed in the field is connected with the harvest, which the husbandman afterwards gathers. This is literal sow- ing ; and this is the image, which is used in the text, and else- where in the scriptures, to represent and illustrate moral doings. Not more certainly, but even less certainly, is the scattering of seed in the earth followed by a harvest, than the moral actions of men will all be followed by correspondent consequences, fruits, or rewards. The term, moral actions, or doings, includes both the inward thoughts and exercises of men, and their out- ward words and deeds ; and all these may be considered as seeds sown for future harvest. A great portion of mankind sow to themselves only worldly seed. Though their outward characters may be reputable ; yet their thoughts, their affections, tlieir desires, their pursuits, are all directed towards worldly objects. They should, therefore, expect to have their portion in this world: to receive all their 108 SERMON IX. good things in the present hfe ; and, at death, to be stripped of all which their hearts have loved and sought, and to be consign- ed to an eternity of poverty, and wretchedness, and despaii*. Many sow to themselves seeds, which can yield only the most bitter fruits. It is thus with the dishonest, the lewd, the scoffing, the profane, the profligate, — the openly immoral and impious of every description. Their affections and thoughts, their words and deeds, are not merely worldly, but atrociously corrupt and vicious ; and the consequences of them, unless prevented by timely repentance, must certainly be infamy, remorse, and mise- ry, temporal and eternal. Others would fain sow to themselves seeds of a very different kind ; seeds which will yield them a joyful harvest, not only in this world, but also in the world to come. They think about religion, and intend to be religious ; they think about their souls, and mean not wholly to neglect them ; they think about eternity, and hope to attain to everlast- ing life. But they deceive themselves respecting the seed which they sow ; and, unless they seasonably escape from the culpable deception, they must be miserably disappointed, in regard to the harvest to be reaped. Either they trust in themselves that they are righteous, or they lay out all their zeal about an orthodox creed, or they spend their time and pains in labouring to estab- lish themselves in some favourite and quieting errour, or their religious thoughts and cares are transient, and their goodness is like the morning cloud and the early dew. But my friends, divine wisdom points out to you a more ex- cellent ivay. It directs you to sow to yourselves in righteousness. And what is the purport of this, but that you should do that which is right — right in the sight of Him who trieth the heart and reins ? What, then, is it to do that which is right in the sight of God .'' It is to yield obedience, sincere and unreseiTed obedi- ence to him. In his lav/, he requires you to love him with all the heart, and. soul, and mind, and strength, and your neighbour as yourselves ; and evermore to act, in all your conduct towards him, and towards your fellow beings, agreeably to the dictates, and under the governing influence, of this holy love. But, are you not conscious to yourselves, that you have not obeyed this SERMON IX. 109 law? Have you not loved yourselves, and loved tlie world, ir, ore than God ? Have you not, indeed, been entirely estranged from die love of God ; so alienated from him, as never to have done any thing in true obedience to him, or from a sincere regard to his honour and glory ? Have you not always acted, even in what you would esteem the best of your conduct, from other motives, and with other views. Recollect, if you can, the single day, ov hour, since you came into the world, during which supreme love to God ruled your heart, and governed your actions. Recollect, if you can, the single act of your lives, of which love to him was the only spring, or a desire to glorify him tlie only motive. But need 1 urge this inquiry.'' Are you not ready to acknowledge, that you have never loved God as he requires ; and, therefore, that all your days, hitherto, you have lived in disobedience to him, — in continual transgression of his holy law ? What, then, is the lirst thing requisite, in order that you soiv to yourselves in righteousness ? Is it not, evidently, repentance towards God'? Surely, if you have all your days been living in disobedience to him, transgressing his law, withholding from him the devotion of heart and soul, the high and sacred regards and honours, which are his due, you cannot be righteous in his sight; you cannot sow a single seed in righteousness, until you repent, and yield yourselves up, with all your affections and powers, to him. It is utterly in vain for any one to think of being righteous, so long as he lives in continual robbery of God, in unrelenting disobedience and rebellion against him. It is, therefore, with most evident reason, that the gospel first of all renuires that men should repent : Yes, my hearers, it is the high call of heaven, Repent, and he converted, every one of you. If ye will return, return unto me, says Jehovah. Wash you, make you clean ; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes ; cease to do evil ; learn to do well. All this is most clearly implied in sowing in right- eousness„ It is to turn from every evil way, and, with humble and obedient respect to all the divine commands, to do that which is lawful and right, both towards God and towards men. But, 110 SERMON IX. II. We are directed to reap in mercy. To reap is to gather the fruits of the seed which has been sown ; to partake of the consequences or rewards of the deeds which have been done. This divine direction, reajy in mercy, is of a purport as affect- ing, as it is momentous. Had we always sown in righteousness, we should have reaped, not in mercy, but in equity. Had we never sinned, but always been perfectly obedient, we should have received the reward of endless life and happiness, as a bestowment, not of sovereign grace, but of eternal justice. But now it is far otherwise. By sin, we have forfeited eternal Hfe, and incurred eternal death ; and though we repent and become obedient, yet, neither the deepest repentance, nor the most per- fect subsequent obedience, could expiate or cancel the guilt we have contracted. We can be rescued from endless wo, and raised to immortal life, only by mercy, sovereign, infinite mercy. This is a point, on which the scriptures most constantly and earnestly insist; and in regard to which sinful, impenitent men, are at most criminal and fatal disagreement with God. It is, in fact, the very point which decides the appalling question of eternal life, or eternal death. God offers salvation as the free gift of his mercy, through Jesus Christ. Impenitent sinners re- fuse this offer. Unwilling to accept the punishment of their iniquities, they spuvn at sovereign mercy; and either claim eter- nal life at the hand of justice, or neglect the momentous concern, as undeserving of their serious attention. God, however, has stated the terms of life; terms, not only perfectly equitable, but infinitely gracious ; and from them he will not recede. While he calls upon us to sow in righteousness, to repent, and do works meet for repentance, he directs us to reap in mercy ; to look for justification and life, only to that wonder- ful mercy, which has found a ransom for our souls in the blood of his Son. This direction, in the first place, seems intended to repress the native pride of our hearts, and to bring us to feel and acknowledge our guilt and /u's justice. In the second place, it gives us assurance that his mercy is abundant and free ; that with him there is forgiveness, and plenteous redemption. And in SERMON IX. Ill the third place, it calls upon us to exercise faith in this mercy ; faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, our Redeemer and Saviour ; faith in his propitiatory sacrifice for our sins, and in his willing- ness and ability to bestow upon us all the blessings of salvation. If, my friends, you comply with this gracious direction, you will begin to reap immediately. You will immediately receive, as the fruits of sovereign mercy, the forgiveness of your sins, justification unto life, peace with God, and a hope, from which will spring yoy unspeakable and full of glory. These fruits you will reap in the present world ; and in the world to come you will participate, with till the multitude of the redeemed, in the full and immortal harvest of the Paradise of God. — But another direction claims attention : III. Break up your fallow ground. What, my hearers, is the purport of this reitiarkable injunc-^ tion .'' The prophet Jeremiah will explain. In the fourth chap- ter of his prophecy, he says, Break up your falloio ground, and aow not among thorns. Circumcise yourselves unto the Lordf and take away the foreskins of your heart. Our hearts, then, are represented as being naturally like fal- low ground ; ground untilled, unploughed, hard, and overrun with thorns, and briers, and every ill and noxious weed ; and from which the skilful husbandman would never think of gather- ing a harvest, until it should be broken up, and softened, and prepared for the reception of seed. This representation, un- doubtedly, is as just as it is striking. Our Saviour himself varies it but little, when, in the parable of the sower, he speaks of those who receive seed in stony places, by the way side, and among thorns. — Yet, how commonly is the solemn fact here set forth entirely overlooked .'' Many there are, who seem to expect a harvest, even without sowing the seed, or bestowing any at- tention or labour upon the ground ; — seem to expect all the blessings of salvation, though tliey wholly neglect their souls, and all the means of grace. Others sow among the thorns, and briers, and various weeds, and fondly hope to reap in due time. They attend upon the means of grace, read the scriptures, hear the gospel preached, make themselves acquainted with divine 112 SERMON IX. truth, and talk about religion ; and hence hope for eternal life ; tliough they do not even break off from their open sins, or out- wardly reform their lives. Others still do something more — They clear the surface of the thorns and briers, and even per- haps of the smaller weeds ; but yet they sow upon the ground, still hard and unbroken, with all the noxious roots remaining in it. They break off from flagrant sins, reform their outward lives, are careful to free themselves even from the smallest vices, to be strictly moral, and regularly to attend upon the institutions of religion ; they read the scriptures, they w^ait at wisdom's gates, they hear the word gladly ; they have, also, perhaps, their sea- sons of prayer, they are concerned for their souls, they are earnest about religion ; and they either imagine that they are already in the way of life, or they fondly hope soon to be in it ; or else they wonder that they have not found peace, and are ready to despond, as if salvation was not for them. Yet, alas, they have not broken up \he\v fallow ground ; — their hearts are still unsubdued. Here lies their danger ; and upon this point, it is of the utmost importance that their attention should be fixed. My friends, unless om fallow ground be broken up, we can neither sow in righteousness, nor reap in mercy. Until, by the application of the divine law in its spirituality, of divine truth with its light and power, we are convinced of sin, — of our in- ward depravity, as well as our outward offences ; and until our hearts are broken, humbled, subdued; we shall neither exercise true repentance towards God, nor truly look for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. But, to the broken spirit, the contrite heart, God will assuredly be gracious ; and the seed sown therein, blessed with his heavenly influences, will spring,- and grow, and yield immortal fruit. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit ; a broken and a contrite heart, he will not despise. SERMON X. FALLOW GROUND TO BE BROKEN UP AND SOWN IN RIGHTEOUSNESS. »®« HOSEA X. 1 2. SOTie to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy ; break up your fal- low ground : for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you, It is true, that the language of scripture is often and highly figurative ; but it is not true, that the figures, excepting in pro- phetick passages, designedly obscure until fulfilled, are hard to be understood. They are such as the Father of lights, who mercifully condescends to instruct the ignorant children of men, has seen fit to employ, not to darken, but to elucidate his in- structions, and the more deeply to impress them on the memo- ry, and on the heai't. If, on the one hand, the figurative lan- guage of scripture is explained by the literal ; the literal, on the other hand, is illustrated by the figurative ; and, mutually re- flecting light on each other, they together make the way of truth and peace so plain, that the way-faring man, though a fool, need not essentially err therein. Our text is a sample of highly figurative scripture. Every clause of it is figured. But is not the general purport of it ex- ceedingly obvious .'* Do not the particular truths and counsels, conveyed in it, open in easv connection, and with impressive 15 114 SERMON X. clearness and force. And do not the very rigurcs, instead of producing obscurity, eminently serve to elucidate, and to pre- sent the whole instruction in a stronger light than could well have been done by a literal style ? The several clauses of the text properly constitute so many distinct heads. 1. Sow to yourselves in righteousness. 2. Reap in mercy. 3. Break up your fallow ground. 4. For it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. To the first three heads we have already attended, and now ask your attention to the other. IV. For it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. The connection between this clause and the preceding: clauses deserve notice. Sow to yourselves in righteousness^ reap in mercy ^ break up your fallow ground : for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.. There is here a striking similarity to other passages of scripture, and particularly a memorable one in the second chapter of Paul's epistle to the Philippians. Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling ; for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. In both these instances, as in many others, it is clearly represented, that in the work of our salvation, something is to be done on our part, and something on God's part ; and that the one will not be done without the other. That, in the economy of grace, human agency and di- vine agency have an important relation to each other, and are intimately connected ; so that they who would separate them are chargeable with attempting to put asunder what God hath joined together. If we are not to expect that God will come and rain righteousness upon us, unless we break up our fallow ground, and sow in righteousness ; so, neither can we break up our fallow ground, or sow in righteousness, unless he do come and rain righteousness upon us. F(«/, what are we to under- stand by his raining righteousness upon us'^ Undoubtedly it means, his sending down those showers of his heavenly grace, those influences of his Holy Spirit, which will enable us to do that which is right before him ; to exercise repentance toivards SERMON X. 115 trod, and faith totvards our Lord Jesus Christ, and to walk henceforth wi 7ietvness of life and new obedience. But what is all this, but his enabling us to break up our fallow ground, to sow in righteousness, and to reap in mercy'? These preliminary remarks may serve to open the way to a more distinct view of the import of the clause under considera- tion. For it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon ijou. Here, four principal ideas are pre- -sented. 1. That we need the divine grace. 2. That if we would obtain it, we must seek it. 3. That if we do seek it aright, we shall obtain it. 4. That no time is to be lost in ■seekmg it. I. Then, we need the grace of God. It is only by the grace of God, that salvation is brought to us, or obtained by us. It was by the grace of God, tliat a ran- som was found for us, in the blood of his Son ; that a way of life was opened to us, through the sacrifice of the cross. It is by the grace of God, that we are placed and continued in a state of hopeful probation. And it is by the grace of God, that we are endowed with the privileges of the gospel, and the various means of religion and salvation. Much, very much has his grace ah-eady done for us all. It has brought salvation near; pointed out to us the way in which we may certainly obtain it; and earnestly invited us to lay hold on the hope set before us. — Yet we need still more. We need divine grace to make us willing, and to enable us to lay hold on this glorious hope. We are required, and most reasonably required, to soiv in righteousness. But, without divine grace we cannot ; for, natu- rally, we are dead in trespasses and sins, and without power m ourselves to rise to a life of righteousness and true holiness. Without divine grace, without the converting influences of the Holy Spirit, we cannot do the first thing implied in our sowing in righteousness ; — we cannot repent and turn from sin unto God. We are required, and most compassionately required, to reap in mercy. But this we cannot do, without divine grace. Without the mighty agency of the Holy Spirit, giving us spiritual life and strength, we cannot come to the seat of mercy ; we camiot truly 116 SERMON X. even ask for pardon and life ; we cannot receive the Lord Jesu's Christ, or trust in him for salvation. We are required, and most benevolently required, io break up our fallow ground. But this, without divine grace, we can never do. Our hearts are too hard for us, of ourselves, to break into contrition. The pride of our hearts is too stubborn for us to subdue ; the enmity of our carnal mind against God, his law, and his grace, is too strong for us to overcome ; the corrupt propensities of our nature, the roots in us of all that is evil, are too deeply inwrought in the very texture of our souls for us to eradicate. We must be born again; we must be created anew ; the stony heart must be taken away, and a heart of flesh must be given. But all this can only be done by the grace of God, by the renovating influences of the Holy Spirit. Certainly, then, we need the grace of God, — his renewing, life giving, sanctifying grace, and without it can never enter into his kingdom. II. If we would obtain this grace, we must seek it. It is time to seek the Lord, — to seek him, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. On no point is the scripture more explicit, more abundant, or more urgent, than on this, that we, that all, should seek the Lord and his salvation. Seek ye the Lord, while he may be found ; call ye upon him, while he is near. Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness. Jesus Christ spake a parable to this intent, that men ought always to pray and not to faint. The Lord is said to look doivn from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there be any that un- derstand, that seek God, — as if this were their first duty. And it is said, with a peculiar emphasis, The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God; as if this were the very consummation of contumacious wickedness. Such are the abundant representations of scripture. And if the plain word of God can decide any point, it does decide this, that it is the duty, the indispensable duty of all men, of every person, to seek God ; and that no one has any right to expect his salvation, unless he do seek. But what are we to understand by seeking God, his king- dom, and his righteousness? It means, undoubtedly, praying to SERMON X. 117 him, — calling upon his name, — imploring his merey; and, with earnest desires towards him, humbly and diligently attending upon all his instituted means of grace. 111. If we do seek the grace of God aright, we certainly shall obtain it. It is time to seek the Lord, till he cojie, and rain right'- eousiiess upon you. This, my friends, most clearly imports, that if you do seek him, as you ought, he certainly will come, and bestow his grace upon you. And to this same effect the scrip- tiue, in many places, is explicit and decisive. In proof of this, hear the language of Moses to the children of Israel. If thoa shah seek the Lord thy God, thou shall find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart, and with all thy soul. To the same purpose are the words of Dav id to Solomon. And thou, Solo- mon my son, know thou the God of thy father ; if thou seek him, he will be found of thee. The same inspired servant of the Lord says again, your heart shall live, that seek Cod. The language of Jehovah himself, to his people, by the prophet Jeremiah, is, ye shall seek me, and find me, ivhen ye shall search for me tvith all your heart. By the prophet Amos, he says again, Seek ye me, and ye shall live. And our blessed Saviour says, Ask, and it shall be given you ; seek, and ye shall find ; knock, and it shall be opened unto you : for every one that askcth, receiveth ; and he that seeketh,findeth ; and to him that knockcih, it shall be opened. Language could not be more explicit or decisive ; yet our gracious Lord pursues the subject in a manner which should repress every rising doubt, and melt into filial affection and affiance every unbelieving heart. TVhat man is there of you, he says, whom if his son ask bread u'ill he give him a stone ? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent'^ -(Tve then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him! — Yes, how much more, as he ex- presses it in another place, shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? This is directly to the poh^.t in the text. It is time, says the prophet, to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness, — send down the influences of his Holy Spirit — upon you. And, says the Saviour, how much 118 SERMON X. more shall T/our heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him, than any eai'thly father will give good gifts to his children ? These passages, surely, are ahundantly sufficient to convince the most incredulous, that every one who seeks the grace of God nrighr, will certainly ohtain it. But, how should we seek ? We should seek with all our hearts, and loiih all our souls. This imports a deep, aifecting, and abiding sense of pur need of his grace ; and a humble, earnest, and persevering waiting upon him for it. It implies, in- deed, what is expressed in the preceding clauses of the text; the breaking up of the fallow ground ; the sowing in righteous- ness, and reaping in mercy ; the exercises of repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ. — But you will say, 'Is not divine grace, the influences of the Spirit, to be sought for this very effect, to break the stony heart, and to pro- duce repentance and faith ?' Certainly it is. — You will then, per- haps, inquire further, 'If we cannot ask aright, till this effect be produced in us, how then can it be said that the grace, by which it is produced, is given in answer to prayer, or is obtained by seeking .''' — What saith the scripture ? Before they call, I will answer ; and ivhile they are yet speaking, I will hear. If this is not a full and satisfactory answer to the question, it may at least serve to throw some light on the point. It may shew us that, in order of time, prayer does not necessarily precede the answer ; but the answer may be at least simultaneous with the prayer. " God's preventing grace" was a phrase much used by an- cient divines ; meaning grace going before, and producing in the heart the very desires in answer to which it is given ; pro- ducing, at once, the desire, and the experience, of the grace of a new heart, of repentance, and of faith. Whatever difficuhy there may seem to be nt this precise point ; yet the main things relating to it are sufficiently plain for every practical purpose. It is most plain, that it is the duty of all persons to seek God, to pray to him and wait upon him in his appointed ways ; that every one who does seek aright will cer- tainly obtain his grace ; and that to seek aright is to seek with humility, penitence, and faith. All this is as clear, from the SERxMON X. 119 scriptures, as the H^ht of tiie meridian sun. And this, I say, is sutiicient lor every practical purpose. It holds out to every per- son, all possible inducement to seek the Lord ; it teaches also, and adaionisiies every one not to imagine, that a heartless, im- penitent, faithless seeking will be acceptable to God ; and, at the same time, it calls upon and encourages every one not to give over, or cease from seeking, because he is conscious that, hitherto^ he has not been enabled to seek aright, and that even now he has not the requisite temper of heart. No person, whether re- generate or unregenerate, no person knows, whetlier he shall or can seek God aright or not, until he makes the attempt. The person, who is conscious that in all his seeking, in all his prayers hitherto, he has been without penitence, without faith, without true desires towards God, does not know but that, if he now at- tempt, he will have grace to offer unto God the sacrifice of a broken and contrite spirit, which he loill not despise. Stretch forth thine hand, said Jesus to the man whose hand was withered, and he stretched it forth, and found it whole. Seek ye me, says God to all in this liouse ; aiKl who of you will say, I cannot com- ply ^ But, IV. No time is to be lost, in seeking God and his grace. It is time to seek the Lord, — to seek him, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. There is a time to soiv, and a time to reap. If the husbandman neglect to break up his ground,. and to sow, in the proper season, he will find occasion to regret^ with fruitless sorrow, his improvidence, when the time of harvest shall come. Now, my friends, now is the time for us to sow for a future harvest, — to sow for eternity. JVow is the accepted time^ behold now is the day of salvation. — And deeply should we feet our obligations to the God of mercy, for affording us this season of grace. But we slwuld also remember, that we know not how soon this precious season will close. It is limited, and the limit is known to God alone. If we neglect to seek him to day, it may be too late to-morrow. This plain consideration is, of itself, sufficient to shew that no time is to be lost. Yet other- considerations might be urged to the same effect. Have we omitted to seek the Lord until now .'' Has he been holding out his mercy to us all our days, and callbg upon us to 120 SERMON X. accept il ; and have we, all our days, been refusing, or neglect- ing? With what ingratitude, then, with what perverseness, are we chargeable f How multiplied, and how great, have been our provocations ! Shall wc persist in this ingratitude, in this per- verseness ? Shall we continue to multiply these provocations? Is it not time to cease from them ? — Have any of you, from time to time, thought upon your ways, and made some essays towarda seeking the Lord ? And has your goodness been like the morn- ing cloud, and ike early dew, ivhich passcth quickly away ? Alas"! my friends, has it not been so with many of you ? How affecting the thought ? How many precious seasons and opportunities are gone ? How greatly have you dishonoured God, and abused hi& mercy, in practically saying, It is vain to serve God, and what profit is it, that toe have kept his ordinances, and have walked mournfidly before the Lord of hosts ? But why did you find it unprofitable ? Was it not because you did not sow in righteous- ness, nor reap in mercy '^ — did not break up your fallow ground^ but sowed among thorns, or in stony places f What then do you think of doing ? Will you seek the Lord no more f He will as- suredly, then, cast you off" forever. Is it not time to seek him, as you have never before sought him ? — to seek.him with all your heart, and ivith all your soid9 — to seek him, till he come and bestovv^ his grace and salvation upon you ? — Are any of your minds even now excited, and upon anxious thoughtfulness, and serious inquiry ? O, then, how interesting, how important, how critical is the season ! God is present, — his Spirit is striving, — his salvation is brought near. If you neglect the opportunity, another so favourable may never occur. O, then, seek the Lord, while he may be found ; call ye upon him, while he is near : re- pent, without delay, and lay hold on the hope set before you. My young friends, God speaks directly and most graciously to you. He says, / love them that love me, and they that SEEK ME EARLY SHALL FIND ME ? Youth is, indeed, the spring, the proper seed time of life. What time so fit as this, before your habits are fixed, — before your consciences are seared, — before your hearts arc hardened, past feeling, through the deceitfulness of sin, — before your minds are distracted with ivnvldly cares, engrossed with worldly pursuits, enslaved by SERMON X. 121 worldly opinions, or intrenched by worldly pride ? It is time, dear youth and children, it is time for you to seek the Lord, till he come and bestow the blessings of his grace upon you. My friends, and beloved contemporaries, in middle life, how is it with us ? Our spring is past. Have we sown in righteous- ness.'' Are we reaping in mercy .^ Or, having sown only iniquity, are we now reaping vanity. It is the season, in which we ought to be abundant in the fruits of righteousness ; in which we ought to be doing much, not for ourselves only, but for others, for the honour of our Saviour, for the salvation of those for whom he died, for the glory and kingdom of our God. Alas for us, if we are yet empty vines ; — if we are yet standing idle. Come, my friends, and let us return unto the Lord our God. Let us make no delay in seeking him, until he come and rain righteousness upon us; lest we soon have occasion mournfully to say, the harvest is past, the summer is ended, and loe are not saved. My respected aged hearers, the hoary head is a crown of glory, — if it be found in the way of righteousness. Happy for you if in early life, you sought the Lord and found him ; and now, in old age, are reaping the fruits of his mercy, and are joy- fully looking forward to the full haiTest of glory in his heavenly kingdom. Can it be that, even until now, you have neglected God and his salvation ; neglected your souls, and your eternal interests. If this be indeed the lamentable, the appalling fact, with a single individual, surely not a moment is to be lost. Mercy is still oflered. O let not that mercy, that long neglected, long abused mercy, be any longer refused. My hearers, one and all, we are every one of us sowing, if BOt in righteousness, then, certainly, in unrighteousness ; sowing for future harvest ; sowing for eternity. Let us hearken then to a divine admonition : Be not deceived ; God is not mocked ; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption ; hut he that soweth to the Spirit, shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing, for in dne season, we sfiall reap, if we faint not. — Amen. 16 SERMON XI. THE GOSPEL A PERFECT LAW OF LIBERTY, »®« James i. 25. Bui whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty^ and continueth there- in, he, being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. X HERE is a propensity in mankind always to be in extremes. Tliis propensity very often shows itself in matters of religion ; and a remarkable and instructive instance of it is referred to in the text. The Jews had long been accustomed to trust in their own supposed righteousness, or in their external observances of the law, for justification unto eternal life. This general and invete- rate errour was a principal hindrance to their reception of the gospel ; and to correct it, and remove it out of the way, great pains were necessary. The apostle Paul, especially, made it a subject of very particular attention. In his epistles to the gen- tile churches, he took great care to expose the errour of the judaizing teachers, and to explain and establish the doctrine of justification by faith, ivithout the deeds of the law. His epistles were powerful, and had great and extensive effect; but, by many, his doctrine was misapprehended and perverted. Many, especially, of tiie Jews, who had professed Christianity, when prevailed on to relinquish the notion of justification by the deeds SERMON XI 123 of the law, veered directly into the opposite extreme. Not un- derstanding the nature of that faith which worJceth by love, and the legitimate fruits of which will always be unto holiness ; they adopted the notion, that a merely historical faith in the gospel, a faith which has no holiness, either in its nature or in its fruits, is sufficient for justification ; and, from placing their whole reli- ance on good works, they turned to regard good works as wholly unnecessary in religion. To this perversion of the doctrine of justification by faith, i\ithout the deeds of the law, the apostle Peter seems to have reference, where he says there are some things, in the epistles of Paul, hard to be understood, which they that arc unlearned and unstable rest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. To correct this errour, the apostles of the circumcision found it necessary to exert themselves. "A wick- ed opinion," says St. Augustine, "having sprung up, even in the apostles' days, by misunderstanding Paul's arguments, 'Peter, John, James, and Jude, aimed, in their epistles, principally to this end, to vindicate the doctrine of Paul from the false conse- quences charged upon it, and to show that faith, without works, is notliing wortli. But indeed Paul does not speak of faith at large, but only of that living, fruitful, and evangelical faith, which, he himself says, worketh by love. As for that faith void of good works, which these men thought sufficient to salvation, he de- clares positively against it." After mentioning what Peter says of some passages of his brother Paul being wrested, this ancient father further observes, that "Peter calls it wres^j/io-, because Paul was, in truth, of the same opinion with the other apostles, and held eternal life impossible to be obtained by any faith, which had not the attestation of a holy fife." Augustine's view of this subject was unquestionably correct. There certainly was no difference in doctrine, on this great point, between Pr.ul and the other apostles. But Paul wrote with tlie express de- sign of exploding the erroneous notion of justification by the deeds of the law, and to establish the doctrine of justificatioii by faith. The other apostles wrote with a view to correct a mis- understanding and perversion of this doctrine ; nnd to ?\w\\ thn! 124 SERMON XL a true justifying faith is always accompanied and attested by good works. Hence tlie diflerenoe between them, in their modes of expression on this general subject, by which some, even to this day, have been led to suppose that, between James, particularly, and Paul, there was a real difference in doctrine. Writing with the view now explained, after some introductory observations, relating to the persecutions and severe trials, to which the professors of Christianity were at that time subjected, our apostle introduces, in a very skilful manner, his main subject. Do not err, my beloved brethren, he says ; every good gift, and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Fa- ther of lights, uiith whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. The gospel, therefore, which is from him, could not be designed to supersede the necessity of a holy life. Accord- ingly, of his own mil begat he us, by the ivord of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures ; that is, a pe- culiar people, zealous of good works. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath ; swift to hear instruction, advice, and reproof, slow to speak in reply to what he hears, until he has well considered it ; and slow to wrath, on account of any thing which may not agree with his own views or feelings. For the wrath of man, or that hasty and angry spirit, which is too often mistaken for the pure fervour of rehgious zeal, worketh not the righteousness of God. From these cautions of the apostle, we are led to conclude that, in regard to the subject he was thus introducing, there was much of a wrong temper, and a mistaken zeal ; much of a spirit ad- verse to a fair and candid attention to the truth. Hence, he proceeds to say, TVJierefore, lay apart all filthiness, and super- fluity of naughtiness, or overflowing of malignity, and receive with MEEKNESS, tlie ingrafted, or implanted tvord, which is able to save your souls. Having prepared the way, by this admirable introduction, the apostle comes directly to the point. But, be ye doers of the ivord, says he, and not hearers only, deceiving your- selves ; or, according to the force of the original expression, de- luding yourselves sophistically, or by false reasoning ; that is, in making yourselves beheve that the doing of the word, or a good SERMON XI. 125 life, is not necessary. For, continues the apostle, if any he a hearer of the tvord, and not a doer, he is like unto a man behold- ing his natural face in a glass ; for he beholdeth himself, and goeth his toay, and straightway forgetteth xvhat manner of man he was. But ivhoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he, being not a forgetfid hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. By the law of liberty the apostle undoubtedly means the will of God, as revealed in his word ; especially, the gospel of Christ. Elsewhere, the gospel is called the laiv of faith. Here it is called the law of liberty, probably in allusion to that freedom from the law of works, which the abusers of it supposed it to proclaim. Those who have a living faith arc here contrasted with those who have only a dead faith. The latter are like a man who just looks into a glass, but goes away, and soon forgets what he had there seen. They hear the gospel, and give their assent to it, but do not make it their concern to have their hearts and lives conformed to its holy doctrines and precepts. But, he who has a living faith, is represented as earnestly bending down, TO look into the gospel with great attention, and continuing in this posture; being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, which the gospel requires. This man, it is affirmed, is blessed in his deed ; is happy in what he does. Having taken this general view of the text, in its connection, your attention will now be directed, more particularly, to its several parts. It is proposed, therefore, to consider, I. The gospel, as ^perfect law of liberty. II. That attention to the gospel, which is described in the text. And, III. The happiness enjoyed by those who give this attention. I. Let us consider the gospel as a perfect law of liberty. According to ancient prophecy, the divine x\uthor of the gos- pel was anointed to preach good tidings unto the meek ; and was sent to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the cap- tives, and the opening of the prison to them that are hound. It is a melancholy truth, that mankind are naturally in this misera- ble condition. They are captives, prisoners, bound in chains; i2C) SERMON XI. They are in Loud age to sin, to the world, to Satan ; r.ncl they are prisoners, also, to divine justice, holden under the condemnation of the divine law. Yes, they are sinners, under the tyranny of tlieir own evil passions and lusts, enslaved to the world, led cap- tive by Satan at his will, condemned by the righteous law of God, and liable to be consigned to the woful prison of eternal darkness and despair. It is in this wretched state that the gos- pel fmds them ; and from this state it proffers complete deliver- ance. It proclaims to them, indeed, tlie most perfect liberty, even the glorious liberty of the sons of God. It offers them a plenary pardon of sin, and thus to set them free from the penalty of the divine law, and from the terrors of • eternal justice ; to reconcile them to God, to restore them to the enjoyment of his favour and love, and to give them free access to him, as his sons and his daughters. It presents to them grace, to subdue their native enmity, and their evil passic'is and lusts ; to recover them to the due exercise of their nobler faculties ; to j)urge their consciences fi-om dead works to serve the living God; and thus to give them freedom from the guilty bondage of sin. It proposes to emancipate them from the slavery of the world, and the captivity of Satan, by the power of that faith which allays the violence of fire, stops the mouths of hons, turns the edge of the sword, and quencher the fiery dai'ts of the wicked one ; which chooses rather to suffer affliction loith the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; and esteems the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of the Indies ; which scorns to purchase the world's bawblcs at the world's price, contemns the frowns and the flatteries of earth and hell, and fixes for its portion, on durable riches and righteous- ness, in the everlasting kingdom of God. In a word, so com- -plete is the libeUy, winch the gospel offers to men, that there is no condemnation, no slavery, no bondage to those who yield to its gracious proposals ; but they, lohom the Son, the glorious Au- thor of the gospel, makes free, are free indeed. The gospel, however, is not simply a proclamation ; it is, also, a laio. It is a law, because it is an expression of the will of God, which is alv/ays the siiprcme law of the universe. It is SERMON XL 12r a lam of liberiy, because it is an expression of the will of God, respecting the emancipation of our sinful, enslaved, and con- ; but Israel doth not know, my peopJe doth not consider. But not only is impenitence an evidence of deep degeneracy, and worse than brutal stupidity ; it is also attended, according to tlie scriptures, with most imminent danger. Says the voice of eternal Wisdom, to impenitent men. Because I have called, a7id ye refused ; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded ; but ye have set at nought all my counsel, and woidd none oj my reproof; I also xvill laugh at your calamity ; I will mock when your fear cometh ; when your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; ivhen distress and anguish cometh upon you. — He that being often reproved, hardeneth his neck, or continues obstinately impenitent, shall suddenly be de- stroyed, and that without remedy. — .,ind thinkest thou this, O man, says the apostle of the Gentiles, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God ? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness, and forbearance, and long-suffering, not knowing that the good- ness of God leadeth thee to repentance ? But after thy hardness and impenitent heart, treasurest up unto thyself wrath, against the day ofivrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; who will render to every man according to his deeds. Except ye repent, says the Saviour himself. Except ye repent, ye shall perish. — But if such be the hideous character of impenitence, and such the fearful danger which attends it ; what language of man can express, with adequate energy and pathos, the import- ance and necessity of repentance ^ — Once more, V. Were it needful to give further confirmation of the views which we have taken of this subject, it might be shown at large, that the call to repentance constitutes the burden of the messages which, from age to age, have been sent from heaven to mankind, God, indeed, has caused proclamations of his mercy to be made through the world ; and the gospel is good tidings of great joy to all people. But what i? the purport of lhp«e proclamations 37 290 SERMON XXIV. of mercy, and these tidings of joy ? It is this, that God, in tlie infinitude of his wisdom and goodness, has opened a way in which sinful men may be reconciled to him, and saved ; and that he is now upon a throne of grace, ready to pardon, and re- store to his favour, every sinner of our race, who will penitently return unto him. But never has a message been sent from heaven, of an import opposite to this. Never has a message come from God to men, giving the least intimation of pardon, or of life everlasting, without genuine repentance. Accordingly, the prophets of the Lord, who were sent to Israel, called upon the people, with incessant earnestness and urgency, to repent. When John, the harbinger of the Saviour, came preaching in Judea, the voice, which was heard, was, Repent ye ; for the king- dom of heaven is at hand. This was the emphatical note on which he dwelt, during his whole ministry ; and even his baptism was the baptism of repentance. Jesus himself opened his minis- try, with the same urgent and solemn call. Repent ; for the king- dom of heaven is at hand ; and to the Pharisees, on a very in- teresting occasion, he said, I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. The same was constantly the burden of apostolick preaching. Both before and after the death and resurrection of Jesus, they went out, and preached that men SHOULD REPENT. The apostle of the Gentiles, in his admirable defence before king Agrippa, declared that, in obedience to the heavenly vision, he had shoived, at Damascus, at Jerusalem, throughout all the coasts of Judea, and to the Gentiles, that they should REPENT, ajid turn to God, and do works meet for repent- ance. It was thus, my brethren, that all the apostles preached ; it was thus that Jesus Christ himself preached, and to the same effect are all the instructions, counsels, exhortations, and warn- ings, of the whole book of God. Indeed, the whole series of divine dispensations, from age to age, has held the same lan- guage ; and with one continued voice, loud, solemn, and im- pressive, has urged upon mankind the importance, and necessity of repentance. SERMON XXIV. 291 IMPROVEMENT. 1. We are led to reflect on the extreme folly and danger ol delaying repentance. Yet how common a thing, my hearers, is this. How com- mon for persons, and even for those who believe repentance to be most important and necessary, to put it off, from day to day, and from year to year. And how many excuses and pleas will they invent for this purpose. Though they have frequent con- victions of the evil of sin, and conscience often suggests to them the danger of their condition ; yet, by how many artifices do they impose on themselves, to keep themselves quiet, in the most guilty, the most unhappy, and the most hazardous condition ! For what condition, I pray, can be worse, on this side the world of eternal wo, than is theirs, who are slaves to sin, and at war with heaven ; who live under the burthen of unpardoned guilt ; who have no interest in the favour of God, and no reasonable hope of salvation by Christ, but are heirs of wrath, and every day of their lives are tending nearer and nearer to irremediable destruction ; and who, notwithstanding all this dreadful ruin, that is before them, and hourly hanging over their heads, obsti- nately refuse the overtures of mercy, and the voice that would call them back to the tvay of peace 9 If, in the nature of things, and by the unalterable appointment of God, repentance is abso- lutely necessary, that sinners may escape the wrath to come, it can be nothing less than madness to delay it for a dny, or an hour. If you are reluctant, sinners, and backward to it now, what reason have you to suppose that your reluctance will be diminished, nay, that it will not even grow stronger, the longer you continue impenitent ? Do you depend on futurity, for a more convenient season 9 Alas ! how ill-grounded, how delusive, how presumptuous, is that dependence ! Does not the constant experience of man tell you, that nothing is so absolute an uncer- tainty, as the continuance o( life ? Have you not repeated and most awful warnings, that, even in the midst of the fairest pros- pects for life, you may be suddenly overtaken by the arrest of death ? How, then, can you boast of to-morrow, when you knov:- i29i SERMON XXlV. not what a day, or even an hour, may hring forth i Does not every consideration of dutyv of safety, of happiness, urge it upon you immediately to repent, and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance 9 Especially, if you perceive in yourselves any tenderness of conscience, any convictions of guilt or of danger, any awakened sensations of the importance of repentance, how can you, how dare you, entertain any thought of delay f These Inward emotions and impressions are not to be trifled with ; they are not to be stifled, or suppressed, but at the peril of your souls. If you stifle and suppress them, it may seal your doom for eternity. The spirit of God may depart from you, and give you up to a hard heart, and a reprobate mind, that you may treasure up unto yourselves wrath, against the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. With every im- penitent person, indeed, the case is urgent, and admits of no delay. 2. The subject may be improved for the purpose of con- viction. In the presence of God, before whom I stand, let me appeal to the conscience of every one of you, whether repentance is not, most evidently, a reasonable, an important, and a most ur- gent duty .'' Why, then, do not you repent ^ Why will you delay repentance for a moment f Why not now repent, and turn to God, and accept his offered pardon f Will any of you say that, important as it may be for others, yet, for yourselves, there is no need of repentance ? Will any of you say, that you have never sinned against God ^ Even if you have not been guilty of open and flagrant vices; yet, are you not conscious that you have not lived as the holy law of God requires ? Why, then, I ask again, why do you not repent of the sins, of which you are conscious .'' Can any good reason be given ^ Can any other reason be given, only that your hearts are not right with God ; nay, that in heart you are really and utterly at variance with him ? If you loved God, would you not certainly be grieved, deeply grieved, for the sins which you have committed against him ? If you truly loved God, would you think it a light thing to offend him ; and if you were conscious of only a single sin, would you not for that SERMON XXIV. 293 sin, with deep sorrow of heart, cast yourselves at his feet, and reptat in dust and ashes 9 II", then, now, when conscious of many oftences, you do not feel this godly sorrow, but remain impenitent, what must you think of yourselves f What must you think of your hearts? Is it not most certain, from this single view of the case, that you are in fact dead in trespasses and sins, des- titute, entirely, of true love to God, in the gidl of bitterness, and bond of iniquity ? Yes, the case is exceedingly simple and plain. You know that you have offended God ; that you have sinned against him ; yet, you are not grieved for this wickedness ; you do not repent of it. It is, therefore, certain, that you have no love to God, but are totally alienated from him by w icked w-orks. Admit this simple view of the subject, I beseech you, wnth con- viction to your consciences. Never, for a moment, allow your- selves to imagine that your hearts are good, or that you need not ♦renewing grace, so long as you can live day after day, and month after month, without repentance towards God, for the sins, which you know you have committed against him. Finally, How solemn, my hearers, is the situation in which you are all now placed before God. You have all sinned, and come short of his glory ; but, in his infinite mercy, he has open- ed a way, in which you may obtain pardon, and escape deserved punishment. He has given assurances, in the gospel of his Son, that, if you will repent, you shall find forgiveness with him, and plenteous redemption ; but, if not, you must be punished with everlasting destruction from his presence, and from the glory of his power. This day, has this momentous message been deliv- ered to you, in his name ; and the importance and the necessity of repentance has been urged upon your consciences, and upon your hearts. And now, what shall be the event ? Some of you, it is hoped, have, before this day, been brought to repentance. But how is it to be with those who have not ^ Will you repent, and accept the offered pardon and salvation ; or will you refuse, and abide the tremendous consequences ? W^ill you all refuse .' Is there not one whose heart relents ? Not one, who will consent to return unto the Lord our God ? Will not all the motives which pan be drawTi from his word, ti'om the considerations of duty ^94 SERMON XXIV and of interest, of life and of death, of mercy and of wrath, of heaven and of hell, prevail on a single individual to repent ? Will you all harden your hearts, and, rather than repent and ac- cept salvation with eternal glory, resolve to pursue the way of irremediable perdition ? O my God, must it be so ? — Well, sin- ners, I can only say to you in a word, that the time will come, w^hen you w^ill feel the weight of this subject, and remember the message of this day. SERMON XXV. THE GOODNESS OF GOD AN INDUCEMENT TO REPENTANCE. »®t Romans ii. 4. Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness, and forbearance, and long, suffering ; not Jcnowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to re- pentance ? XN the first chapter of this epistle to the Romans, in order to prepare the way for the great doctrine of justification only by faith in Christ Jesus, the aposde sets forth, with his peculiar energy, the moral ruin of mankind at large, and particularly the universal depravation and corruption of the gentile world. In this second chapter, proceeding in his argument, he shows the Jews to be under the same general predicament of apostacy and condemnation with the Gentiles ; and, therefore, equally with them, shut up to the alternative of penitent submission to the gospel of sovereign grace, or of certain and everlasting destruc- tion from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. Nay, he strongly represents that the Jews, ready as they were to pass judgment against the Gentiles, as deservedly con- demned, were themselves in danger of even a more aggravated condemnation. For, if the Gentiles had sinned against the light of nature, the Jews had sinned against still clearer light ; and were, therefore, chargeable with proportionably enhanced guilt. Therefore, he says, thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thon 29o SERMON XXV. art that j udgesl ; for, ivherein thou judgcst another thou coH' demnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. But 7ve are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth, against them which commit such things. And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgcst them that do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God 2 Or despisest THOU THE RICHES OF HIS GOODNESS, AND FORBEARANCE, AND LONG-SUFFERING ; NOT KNOWING THAT THE GOODNESS OF GOD LEADETH THEE TO REPENTANCE ? The principal and most obvious sentiment of the text is this ; viz. The goodness of god ought to be improved as an in- ducement TO repentance. With a view to illustrate and impress this interesting senti- ment, I propose, I. To direct your attention to some leading instances of God's goodness to you. And then, II. To mention, for your consideration, several motives to repentance, comprised in the goodness of God thus displayed. That God is infinitely good is a generally acknowledged truth. It is a truth, indeed, which lies in the foundation of all rehgion, both natural and revealed. In our present subject, however, we are not so directly to contemplate infinite goodness, or benevolence, as a glorious attribute, inherent in the divine nature, as to consider some of its particular displays, exercises, or fruits. It was evidently by the riches of divine goodness, as displayed particularly to the Jews, that the apostle would en- force upon them the duty of repentance ; and it is, accordingly, by the goodness of God, as particularly manifested to you, my hearers, that I would now inculcate upon you the same great duty. 1 . Then, it is to the goodness of God that you owe your ex- istence. Know ye that the Lord he is God ; it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves. The hand of the Lord fashioned you throughout, and the inspiration of the Almighty gave you under- standing. By his power, also, your life, your being, and all your facuhies and powers have been preserved. Is existence.. SERMON XXV. 297 then, better than nonexistence ? Is life better than death ? Is it better to be a rational and immortal being, than to be a stone, or tree, or beast, or reptile ? Then God is to be acknowledged good in giving you existence ; in preserving you alive amidst innumer- able dangers ; and in imparting and continuing to you those no- ble capacides and faculties, which exalt you to a rank among in- telligent beings, which fit you for important action, for distin- guished happiness, and for endless improvement, and which stamp your natures for an interminable duration. Yes, it is ow- ing entirely to the goodness of God, that you hold a place, and a place, too, so important and dignified, in his vast system of creation ; and can look forward to an existence beyond the duration of the earth and the sun, even a growing existence to eternity. 2. God has shown you liis goodness, in giving his Son for your salvation. You have sinned against the God u^ho made you, and are justly condemned by his holy law. It affords you no solid plea of justification, or even of palliation, that others as well as your- selves have sinned, or that our whole race is in a fallen state. Every man stands accountable to God for himself, and must an- swer for his own sin ; nor will the sins of others be admitted as any excuse for him, or palUation of his guilt. My friends, you are just as guilty before God, for the sins which you have com- mitted, as if you only, of all his creatures, had rebelled against him, and the rest, both men and angels, had all been perfectly obedient and holy ; and be it as it would in regard to others, you might justly have been left to perish in your sins, without any Saviour, or hope of ransom. It was thus with the angels who sinned. They were cast down from heaven, into the re- gions of despair, and ai'e hopelessly reserved in everlasting chains, under darkness, unto the judgment of the great day. Nor have we any evidence that the sins, for which they were thus con- demned, were greater than what you have committed. To the goodness of God, therefore, the sovereign goodness of God to you, it is certainly to be attributed, that you were not left in a state as completely and tremendously desperate as theirs. It \?r 38 298 SERMON XXV. to be ascribed to sovereign unmeasurable goodness and grace, that the God, against whom you have sinned, has given his only begotten Son to die for yon. Say not that tliis goodness was not wholly to you, but partly to the rest of mankind. For God might have given his Son to die for all the rest of our fallen race, and not for you ; as he did give him to die for sinful men, and not for sinful angels. Besides, had you been the only sin- ners in the universe, how could you ever have been saved, how- could you ever have had the offer of salvation, otherwise than through an atonement, such as has been made by the blood of the Sork of God ? Yes, God has given his Son to die for you ; and his goodness to you in this is as great as if there had been no other sinners but yourselves to redeem. Herein, then, is love, infinite, ineffable love ; not that you loved God, hut that he loved you, and gave his Son to be a propitiation fo?- your sins. 3. God has shown you his goodness, in bringing his salvation so near, and setting it in so perspicuous and so impressive a light before you. How lai'ge a proportion of the nations, the families, and in- dividuals of mankind, have been left without the gospel. Look back upon past ages ; and extend your survey over the now living world ! Look at the millions in Asia, in Africa, in the islands of die sea, and in the wilds of America, sitting in dark- ness, and in the region and shadow of death. They know not God, nor his Son Jesus Christ. They know not the way of life, nor how to obtain the forgiveness of their sins. They have no Bibles, nor Sabbaths, nor gospel institutions. They are perish- ing for lack of knowledge. It is not so with you. Your lot has been cast in the valley of vision ; and on you the Sun of Right- eousness shines. Like them, however, you might have been left to grope in pagan darkness ; to live without light, and to die without hope ; and it is only of the sovereign goodness, the ten- der mercy of God, that not only the day spring from on high, but the meridian light from the throne of God, has visited you. To you the kingdom of heaven is brought near, widi all its im- measurable grace. In your view, the great concerns of judg- ment and of mercy are displayed, in a manner to affect, most in- SERMON XXV. 299 tensely, all the sensibilities of the soul. Heaven and hell, \vith their glorious and tremendous realities, are opened before you. The Lord Jesus Christ is evidently set forth crucified among you ; and by the most moving and the most akrming, by the most melting and the most urgent arguments and motives, you are constantly solicited and pressed to an acceptance of his sal- vation. And all this, my hearers, is to be ascribed to the sove- reign goodness, to the tender mercy of God, towards you. I add, 4. That the goodness of God is displayed towards you, in prolonging your probation, under his gracious providence and gospel. Why did he not consume you, on your first refusal of his mercy ? Why did he not swear in his wrath, that, since you had rejected his Son, and despised his salvation, you should never enter into his rest, or be again invited to the joys of his kingdom f This he might justly have done ; and, months and years ago, have consigned you to that woful dwelling, where the voice of mercy never sounds. But he has been waiting on you to be gracious ; has prolonged your probation, continued to you the offer of pardon, and called after you incessantly, to hear, repent, and live. The dispensations of his providence towards you have been so varied as most forcibly to show you how vain a thing it is to expect sohd happiness, or peace, in the ways of disobedience ; and how indispensable it is, both to your present and eternal welfare, that you become reconciled to him. And, by his word and sacred institutions, by the great truths of his gospel, presented to your minds in a thousand different ways, and in a thousand varied lights, he has most clearly and earnest- ly declared to you, from day to day, and continually, whore your true interest lies, and what must be the inevitable consequence of a final refusal of his grace. In all this he has shown you his goodness. Yes, he has shown you his goodness, in all the dis- pensations of his providence towards you ; not less in those which you have been wont to call affliction, than in those which you have regarded as merciful ; since, by the former, not less than by the latter, he has been pressing upon you a serious at- 300 SERMON XXV. tention to the things which belong to your peace. He has shown to you his goodness, certainly, in continuing to you the inestima- ble privileges of his gospel. In this, indeed, he has shown you what the apostle emphatically calls the riches of his goodness^ and forbearance, and long-suffering. Suffer me, then, 11. To call your attention to several motives to repentance, which are obviously, comprised in the goodness of God, thus variously displayed towards you. Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness, and forbearance, and long-siffering ; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance'? Here it is obvious to observe, 1. That, as a motive to repentance, the goodness of God shows, in a strong and affecting light, the turpitude of sin. What would you think, my hearers, of a child, who should wilfully and habitually disobey, and treat with contempt, a wor- thy and good father, whose unwearied care and study it had been to seek and promote his welfare .'' What would you think of the man, who should perpetually conduct himself in the most injuri- ous manner, towards his best and greatest benefactor .'' Would you not find it difficult to give such conduct a name, sufficiently expressive of your sense of its turpitude ,'' But, in judging the child, or the man, who should act the part now described, would you not condemn yourselves.'' Every sin is disobedience to God, and carries in it, therefore, a contempt of him, of his authority, and of his glory. Here, then, pause, and reflect. Is it to God that you owe your existence, with all the distinguished endow- ments of your nature ? Has God given his own Son to die for vou, that you might have a way of escape from deserved punish- ment, and of return to immortal glory .'' Has he brought his sal- vation near, and displayed it before you in all its infinite im- portance ? And have you lived all your days under his gracious providence and gospel, even upon the riches of his goodness, and forbearance, and long-svffering ? How amazing, then, is the tur- pitude of your sins ! What perverseness of heart, what ingrati- tude, what baseness have you shown, if you have lived in dis- obedience to him, in contempt of his authority, in neglect of his glory, and in abuse of his goodness ! Can any words express the SERMON XXV. 301 atrocity of your conduct ? Alas, is there not here contempt of a Father infinitely good, of a Benefactor infinitely kind ? To adopt the peculiarly significant language of the apostle, does not sin, in this view of it, appear exceeding sinful ? And should not the goodness of God, then, lead you to repentance ? When you con- sider the unspeakable kindness and mercy, which he has shown to you, ought not your hearts to dissolve with the tenderest con- trition, and should you not smite upon your breasts, and say, each one of you, with the humble and deeply affected publican, God be merciful to me a sinner 9 But, 2. As another motive to repentance, the goodness of God to- wards you affords the strongest and most persuasive evidence, that he is ready to forgive your sins, and restore you to his fa- vour, if you will but penitently return to him. Did you even know, indeed, that your sins could never be forgiven, it would still certainly be reasonable, that you should be penitently sorry for all your disobedience to God, and earn- estly desire to disobey him no more. The wretched convict, who has capitally offended against the good lav/s of his country, ought to be tenderly grieved for his crime, even though he should know that his sentence of death was not to be rev^oked. Even the miserable victims of despair, in the prison of eternal wo, ought to be penitently sorry, that they have sinned against a Being of infinite goodness. But, if there would be upon you an eternal obligation to repent, even did you know that you could never obtain pardon ; how great must be your obligations, and how strong the inducement to repentance, if assurance be given you of ready forgiveness, if you do repent ? Such assurance, however, is given. The gospel, throughout, declares to you, that there is forgiveness with God, and plenteous redemption ; that if you will penitently return unto him, he will have mercy upon you, and remove your sins from you, as far as the east is from the west. It was for this purpose, expressly, jhat Christ died and rose again, that repentance might be preached in his name, and remission of sins. And how could God confirm to you the truth of this doctrine more effectually, or more impres- sively, than by the riches of his goodness, and forhearanre, and 3UJ SERMON XX\. long-suffering, which he has so long, and so variously, shown to you ? Has he given his Son to die for you, has he displayed be- fore you all the riches of his kingdom, and been earnestly offer- ing you liis grace all your days f And can you entertain a doubt, that if you will truly repent, he will grant you, immediately, a free and full pardon ? And what motive to repentance, stronger than this, could be presented ? When you have sinned against infinite goodness ; when your sins are of an enormity reaching to the heavens, and revolting to the universe ; and yet a pardon is freely offered you, through the precious blood of God's own Son ; will you, can you harden your hearts, and remain im- [)enitent ? 3. As another motive to repentance, the goodness of God most decisively proves to you, that the highest and most perfect happiness must be enjoyed in friendship with him. To a good mind, can there be a purer source of happiness, than the love, the friendship, and the society of those, who are truly good ? If indeed there be on earth any pure fehcity, is it not that which is found in the mutual friendship of truly virtuous minds ? How pure, then, and how exalted, is the happiness which is offered to mankind, in the everlasting friendship and love of God ! Could you bring into one united whole, all that is excellent and lovely in all the virtuous and good of mankind, and add to this all the excellencies of all the myriads of holy an- gels in heaven, this aggregate whole would fall infinitely short of the excellence and loveliness of God. God is love. In his adorable nature dwells every thing excellent, every thing lovely, in infinite perfection. How happy, then, must they be, who truly love him ! How happy they, whom he loves ! How pure, how exalted, how unspeakable and full of glory, the happiness of those, who are admitted to the enjoyment of his everlasting friendship, and dwell in his presence, and at his right hand ! Surely, in his favour is life, and his loving-kindness is better than life. In his presence is fidncss of Joy ; at his right hand there are pleasures forevermore. And is there not in this a most per- suasiv'e motive to repentance f So long as you impenitently con- tinue in sin, you are oh'pnatcd from the life of God. You arc SERMON XXV. .i03 enemies to him in your minds hy wicked ivories, and must be strangers to that happiness, which is found in his favour and friendship. Yet, ahenated and enemies as you are, and deserv- ing of his everlasting displeasure, he has followed you with his goodness all your days. In this you have a most convincing proof, at once, of the ineffable happiness which is to be found in true friendship with him, and of his readiness to admit you to this happiness. If such is his goodness to you, while you con- tinue in sin against him, what would he not do for you, were you penitently to return, and become his obedient children ? If, while you were enemies, he gave his Son to die for you ; how should he not with him also freely give you all things, if you would repent, and become his friends ? If he have waited so long on you to be gracious ; how great, beyond your most ex- alted conceptions, must be the riches of that grace, which he will confer upon you, if you will humbly embrace his salvation f He will be your God ; will own you for his sons and his daugh- ters ; and will admit you to the free and everlasting enjoyment of the infinitude of his goodness. Should not his goodness, then, lead you to repentance ? But I have to observe, 4. That, as anotlier motive to repentance, the goodness of God, so richly displayed towards you, carries in it a most deci- sive evidence, that, if you do not repent, you must be consum- mately wretched and miserable forever. The goodness of God does not consist in indifference to moral character, or to the sinful and lioly actions of creatures. Such indifference would not be goodness ; it would be the ab- sence of goodness. The righteous Lord loveth righteousness, and hateth iniquity. Why was it, my hearers, that God gave his own Son to die for you .'' Was it not because he saw you to be justly obnoxious to everlasting destruction .'' Why has he brought his kingdom so near to you, waited on you so long, and ad- dressed you so constantly, and so earnestly, with his gracious invitations, warnings, expostulations, and entreaties ? Is it not because he knows that, without repentance, you can never have a part in the felicities of his kingdom ? Would a Being of infinite goodness be at all this expense and pains, if there wevf no ne- 304 SERMON XXV. cessity for it ? Or would there, indeed, be any thing of goodness to be seen in all this expense and pains, in all which God has done to call you to repentance, if, after all, you may be saved, though you should not repent ? Is it not a clear case, in fine, that the goodness of God towards sinners in this world, in providing for them a way of salvation, and in employing with diem such a variety of means, to lead them to repentance, so far from afford- ing encouragement, that he will not punish the incorrigibly im- penitent, furnishes the most conclusive proof, that he certainly will punish them ? This must be unquestionable. Accordingly, the apostle, in immediate connection with our text, says. But, after thy hardness and impenitent heart, treasurest up unto thyself wrath, against the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God ; ivho ivill render to every man according to his deeds ; to them who, by patient continuance in well doing, seek for glory, and honour, and immortality, eternal life ; but unto them ivho are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey un- righteousness, indignntinn nnd wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil ; of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile. How wretched, then, O sinner, must be your condition, if you die without repentance ! How wretched your condition, when he that made you will not have mercy on you, and he that formed you will show you no favour ! How terrible must be your misery, when separated from God forever, and without hope ; and all his infinite goodness, instead of being your delight and joy, will be to you a source of unutterable anguish and despair ! How poignant must be the reflection, in the prison of everlast- ing wo, that you suffer under the displeasure of that God, who is infinite love, in the enjoyment of whom the millions of holy an- gels and saints in heaven are now, and will be to endless ages, ineffably happy ! What an enhancement of your misery must it be, to remember all the riches of GocVs goodness, and forbear- ance, and long-suffering, which were shown to you here, in your probationary state, and which, instead of being improved for the purpose of repentance, were so abused as to be made an encour- agement to continue in sin ! O that you tvere wise, that you un- SERMON XXV. -SQo derstood this, that you would consider your latter end ! Let me entreat you to consider ; let me entreat you to ponder seriously and tenderly the considerations which have now been presented; and may the Lord give you understanding, may his Spirit set home his truth, and his goodness efiectualiy lead you to repent- ance. Christians, consider ivhat manner of love the Father hath be- stowed upon you, that ye should be called the children of God ! But, alas, how many and how great are your daily sins against him ! — If, then, the goodness of God towards sinners should lead them to repentance ; into what tenderness of contrition should your hearts be melted, by his distinguishing goodness and love to you f O let this consideration have an abiding impression on your minds, that you may keep your hearts with care, that you may dread the very appearance of evil, and that you may walk softly before the Lord, and worthy of him unto all pleasing.^^ Amen. 39 SERMON XXVI. THE SPIRITUAL MEAT AND SPIRITUAL DRINK OF ISRAEL. 1 Corinthians x. 3, 4. .Ind did all eat the same spiritual meat ; and did all drink the same spiritual drink : for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them ; and that rock was Christ. JLN all ages, the infinitely wise God has seen fit to make use of external signs, for instructing and assuring his people, in regard to the spiritual blessings of his everlasting covenant. Under the ancient economies, the signs employed were more numerous and various than those under the gospel. The Messiah, the source of all the blessings signified, was not then come, and the things pertaining to his salvation and kingdom were then revealed but in part, and understood but imperfectly ; and while it was thus, types, and sacramental symbols, shadows of good things to come, were eminently suited to engage the attention, to impress the minds, to interest the hearts, to strengthen the faith, and to raise and animate the hopes of his people. Always, however, under the old dispensations and the new^ mankind have been prone to rest in the signs, without a due ap- prehension, or a lively possession, of the things signified. Many in the Corinthian church, trusting in their outward privileges, and in the sacramental signs of their covenant relation to God, entertained an unwarrantable confidence in the security of their SERMON XXVI. 307 standi ns, and presumptuously exposed themselves to the poUu«- tions of the surrounding idolatries. To check this confidence, and to restrain this exposure, the apostle solemnly pointed them, for a monitory example, to Israel in the wilderness. Brethren, says he, I ivould not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea ; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea ; and did all eat the same spiritual meat ; and did all drink the same spiritual drink ; for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock ivas Christ. But with many of them God was not well pleased ; for they were overthrown in the ivilderness. JVoiv these things were our examples. The Israelites who came out of Egypt loere all under the cloud; under the guidance and protection of that wonderful pillar, that symbol of the divine presence, which appeared as a cloud by day, and a fire by night. They all passed through the sea ; through the Red sea, when, by the power of God, it was miraculously divided, and the waters made to stand as an heap on either hand, to give them an easy and safe passage, while pursued by Pharaoh and his host. They were all baptized unto Moses h\ the cloud and in the sea. In confiding themselves to the guidance and protection of the cloud, and thus passing through the divided sea, at llie word of Moses, they were in effect baptized unto him, as the prophet of Jehovah, and into that economy of religion, which he was appointed to introduce. The sprinkling from the cloud and from the sea, or the whole stupendous scene of their passage, was a solemn, a sacramental sign and seal of their covenant relation to God, as his visible church and people, according to the Mosaic institution. And in addition to this, they did all eat the same spiritual meat, the manna from heaven ; and did all drink the same sjnritual drink, the water from the rock. Yet after all they provoked Jehovah their God, and their carcasses fell in the wilderness.. And these things happened for ensamples to all the professed people of God ; and are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world, or the completion and substance of the Mosaic economy, have come. S08 SERMON XXVI. It may be useful then, my brethren, to consider, somewhat particularly, the meat and the drink to which our text refers. I. In their literal sense ; and then, II. In their spiritual or symbolical import. I. Then, let us briefly consider them in their literal sense. They did all eat that spiritual meat. This, unquestionably, was that which in the scriptures is called manna. In about six weeks after their passage through the Red sea, the Israelites came into the wilderness. As the provisions which they had brought with them from Egypt were spent, and no sup- ply was to be found in the wilderness, the whole congregation began to murmur for lack of food. God, however, who was not inattentive to their necessities, soon let them know that he could provide for them, even in the ivaste hoivling wilderness. He promised them a supply of bread from day to day, and this promise he was faithful to fulfil. In the morning, when the dew was exhaled, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the groundi And lohen the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another. It is manna ; for they wist not ivhat it ivas. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat. The name Manna has been variously understood. Some have erroneously supposed it to mean. What is this ? Its most probable meaning is either. This is prepared, or provided ; or,^ This is a gift, or portion. It was, indeed, in a most special sense prepared, or provided ; it was eminently a gift, or portion ; for it was something which had never before been seen or known ; it was, by the special interposition of God, provided for the daily sustenance of his people. The substance now called manna is altogether a different thing. Moses, at the close ofhis life, after he had conducted his nation to the borders of the promised land, said, The Lord fed thee with manna which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know. He rained down manna upon them, says the Psalmist, and had given them of the corn of heaven ; man did eat angels^ food. ■ It is called the corn of heaven, and angels^ food, probably because it was rained from the atmosphere in a supernatural manner ; and was not only pre- SERMON XXVI. 309 pared by the ministration of angels, but was also typical of those riches of glory in Christ, from which angels, as well as saints, derive their highest happiness. For nearly forty years, from the time it was first given till Israel came to the promised land, they had a constant supply of manna. Every morning, excepting tlie sabbath, they gathered a sufficiency for the day; and on the morning before the sabbath, a sufficiency for two days. It was like coriander seed, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. It was ground in the mortar, or in the mill, was made into cakes, and was a most pleasant and nutritive food. They did all drink the same spiritual drink ; for they drank Bf that spiritual rock that followed, them; and that rock was Christ. — From the wilderness of Sin, they removed their en- campment to Rephidim ; and there was no water for the peojjle to drink. — And they thirsted there for water, and murmured ttgainst Moses, and said, Wherefore is this, that thou hast brought vs up out of Egypt, to kill us, and our children, and our cattle, tvith thirst. And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, What shall I do unto this people ? They be almost ready to stone me. The Lord graciously hearkened ; and, by his direction, Moses con- ducted the people to Horeb, and there, in the sight of the as- sembled tribes, smote with his rod tire rock which the Lord had designated, and water instantly issued from it in abundance. It was of this rock, or of the water from this rock, that they all drank. The rock which followed them. — The rock itself did not in- deed follow them ; for it is to be seen at mount Horeb to this day. As described by travellers, it is a large rock of red mar- ble ; and its many mouths, or openings, whence the waters issu- ed, show unequivocal marks of the divine hand, and proclaim to all ages the power of God, and the truth of his word. But the stream from this rock followed the favoured tribes, in their jour- Deys, for almost forty years. He clave the rocks, in the wilder- ness, says the Psalmist, and gave them drink as out of the great depths. He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers. — He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out; they ran in the dry places like n river. — In SIO SERMON XXVI. that vast uiiwatcred desert, through which they journeyed, the whole people of Israel must have perished, had not a miraculous supply of water been aflbrded them. Nor could three millions of people, with their cattle, have been well supplied for their various purposes, during thirty eight years, unless indeed, ac- cording to the Psalmist's account, the waters had been made to run in the dry places like a river. Doubtless it was a constant- ly flowing river ; and it was probably made to take its course through the low grounds between the mountains and hills, so as to accommodate the tribes, in their circuitous journeyings, until, in the thirty ninth year, they came to the coast of the Red sea, at Eziongaber. Here it seems to have stopped j for when they departed from Eziongaber, and passed over the hill countiy to Kadesh Barnea, they again murmured for water, and another rock was smitten for t'leir supply. To the stream which thus followed Israel, there is probably an allusion in the xlvith Psalm ; There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High ; and in the xiiiid of Isaiah ; / will give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to the people, my chosen. That rock ivhich folloived them, says the apostle, and that rock was Christ. It was a type of Christ, and a sacramental sign of the blessings of salvation by him, as was also the manna, the corn of heaven. Hence, II. We may consider both the meat and the drink in their .spiritual import. The same spiritual meat — the same spiritual drink; spiritual, not in their nature, but in their import, as they were symbols, and seals, or sacramental signs of spiritual blessings. In regard to the Manna, our Saviour himself is expHcit. To the Jews he said, / am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread lohich Cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If any man cat of this bread he shall live forever ; and the bread that I wiU give is my flesh, ivhich I ivill give for the life of the vwrld. Here he expressly declares himself to be the real bread SERMON XXVI. 311 from heaven, of which the manna was a type. He d laws a parallel between the manna and himself; and shows that, as the manna was necessary to the natural life of the Israelites, so he, his Hesh and his blood, are necessary to the spiritual life of his people. In odier places, he has also evident allusion to the waters of the rock. In his discourse with the Samaritan woman at the well of Sichar he says. If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink, thouivouldst have asked of him, and he would have given thee living xvuter Whosoever drinketh of the water that I. shall give him shall never thirst ; hut the water that I shall give him shall be in him a vjell of water springing up into everlasting life. And on the great day of the feast, as they were bringing water from the well of Siloam, Jesus stood and cried, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink, plainly setting himself forth as the fountain of living water, the rock from which the streams of salvation flow. The manna, as a type of Christ, was in several respects emi- nently significant. It was provided by infinite goodness, without the labour of man, and in a way to confound all human wisdom : and Christ, the true bread from heaven, has been set ioith for the life of the world, in the sovereign wisdom and mercy of God, in a way to turn the wisdom of man into foolishness, and with- out any thing previously done by men to procure the blessing. The manna, in order to be used for food, was broken and j)ruis- ed ; and Christ, in order to become the bread of life, was broken for us ; was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities. The manna was freely offered to all, the high and the low, the rich and the poor, without distinction, or respect of persons ; and Christ is freely offered to all, and in him there is neither Greek nor Jew, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free. The manna was abundantly sufficient for all the thousands of Israel ; and Christ is sufficient for as many thousands and mill- ions as will come unto him for life. The manna must be gath- ered every day ; and for the support of the divine life, renewed applications must every day h*^ made to Christ. Thn manna 312 SERMON XXVl. was absolutely necessary to the life of the Israelites ; without it they must have perished ; and, my brethren, Christ is absolute- ly necessary to our spiritual life ; without him our souls must perish forever. His own declaration, never to be forgotten, is, Except ye eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of man, ye have no life in you. The rock also, with the water flowing from it, was a most signiiicant emblem. Christ is often, in the scriptures, called a rock. As a rock, he is the immoveable foundation of the churchy tJie living temple of the living God; he is a fortress and covert, a secure refuge from every enemy, from every storm, from eve- ry danger ; and to the disobedient and unbelieving he is a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence. But in our text, Christ is contemplated as the rock, witb reference especially to the issuing waters. As the rock at Horeb was itself a symbol of Christ, the waters which issued from it, were emblematical of the blessings which flow from him, and especially of those influences of the Holy Spirit, by which the divine life, with all its consolations, is imparted to his people, and sustained in them. In order to the flowing of the waters, the rock was smitten, and smitten by the rod of Moses ; so Christ, in order that the blessings of salvation might flow from him, was smitten to death, and thus smitten by that law which Moses promulgated, and the curse of which it behooved the Redeemer to endure. As the waters from the rock served both for cleansing and for life ; so the stream which issues from Christ is at once for spiritual cleansing and immortal hfe. The waters from the rock were not limited to the time and the people then present, but continued to flow for many years, and for the benefit of thousands, who, at the time it was smitten, were un- born ; and the streams from Christ were not confined to those who were present at the time of his death, in Jerusalem or Judea, l)ut they have flowed down from generation to generation, they follow the church at all times and in all places, and impart their benefits to every age and nation. The waters from the rock, in fine, were abundant and free ; and the streams of salvation, flow- ing from Christ, are suflicient for the cleansing and life of aJl the SERMON XXVI. SI 8 tamilies and nations of men ; and the proclamation respecting; them is, Ho, every one that thirstcth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no moneys come ye, buy and eat ; yea, come, buy wine and m,ilk without money, and without price. — Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. But the spiritual meat, and spiritual rock, of which the peo- ple in the wilderness ate and drank, were not only types and emblems, they were also sacramental seals and pledges of the blessings of eternal salvation. The sacraments of the New Tes- tament, baptism and the Lord's supper, are at once symbols of the blessings of the covenant of grace, and seals and pledges of them : and such too were the sacramental signs of the ancient dispensation. When the people of Israel were baptized unto Moses, in the cloud and in the sea, they were solemnly conse- crated to God ; and received from him a sacred pledge, that if true and faithful, they should forever enjoy the privileges of his people. And the bread and water, afterwards miraculously given, were additional pledges, to all the truly believing, of the hidden manna, and the pure river of immortal life. The spirit- ual bread which they ate, and the spiritual drink which they drank, while they symbolically represented Christ, the true bread of life, and the graces of the Holy Spirit flowing from him, sac- ramentally also sealed to all who partook of them in faith, the sure possession, and the full enjoyment, of those high and im- mortal blessings. IMPROVEMENT, 1. The church of God under the antient and under the pres- ent dispensation is one, and the covenant has been in all ages the same. The people of Israel were baptized unto Moses, who, as the servant of God, was faithful in all his house, as the professing people of God now are baptized unto Christ, the faithful Son, in his own house. They also ate of the same spiritual meat, the manna, the type of the true bread from heaven, and drank of the same spiritual rock, the symbol of the rock of salvation. As that bread and that water were svmbojs and pledges of spiiit- 40 314 SERMON XXVI. ual blessings by Christ, they must have been sacramental seals of the same covenant, of which Christ is the Mediator, and which is now the grand charter of his church. And it is upon this ground, evidently, that the apostle here refers to ancient Israel, and considers the things which happened fo them as en- samples to us, vjjon whom the ends of the world are come. Upon no other ground could his argument be coherent, or his warn- ings forcible or pertinent. 2. There is a fulness in Christ for the supply of all our wants. For almost forty years, the many thousands of Israel were supplied in the wilderness, whh the corn of heaven, and with the water from the rock ; and during that period their clothes waxed not old upon them, nor their shoes upon their feet. Christ, the true bread from heaven, and the rock from which the waters of salvation flow, is all-sufficient ; this living bread shall never fail, these living waters shall never cease to flow, and the gar- ments of salvation supplied by Christ will never wax old. The thousands and millions of his people, of different nations, have been supported by him in all ages, and his fulness is not dimin- ished. The spiritual meat and spiritual drink are still exhibited, in unhmited plenitude. They are freely offered to all people of all nations ; and the time is coming, when they shall be actually imparted to all the families of the earth ; when the bread of life shall be presented in abundance, in every place ; when the wa- ters of hfe shall be given in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, and all people shall eat, and drink, and be satisfied. And when the multitudes of the redeemed shall have passed through the wilderness, and reached the heavenly Canaan, thej shall there feast forever on the hidden manna, and be led to liv- ing fmintains of waters, and never hunger any more, neither thirst any more. 3. The ordinances of Christ's house should be esteemed most precious. In his ordinances, he is set forth with all his fulness of bless- ings ; and through his ordinances, the bread and water of life are communicated to his people. In tiiem, indeed, the manna SERMON XXVI. 315 is rained round about our tents ; in them, the rock is struck, and the waters of salvation flow : and if we come to them hungering and thirsting, we shall never be sent away empty. Who, then, shall esteem the table of the Lord contemptible ? Who should not earnestly desire to participate in the rich and immortal pro- visions of his house ? All who truly partake of these provisions, shall live forever j all who despise and neglect them must fainish and perish. 4. For all who attend upon divine ordinances, holy fear and caution are highly suitable and important. This is the instruction which the apostle, in our text and context, would especially inculcate. It is for this purpose that he refers to the example of ancient Israel. Of the two or three millions, who came out of Egypt, who were conducted by the cloud, who passed through the Red sea, who ale of the corn of heaven, and drank of the water from the rock, only two, who at the time of their leaving Egypt were twenty years old, were suffered to enter into the promised land. They provoked the high God their Redeemer, and their carcasses fell in the wilder- ness. We are not indeed to suppose, that they were all exclud- ed from heaven, and left to perish forever ; for Moses and Aaron, Hur and Miriam, and probably many others, were true believers; and though not permitted to enter the earthly Canaan, were yet graciously received to the heavenly. But the ensamples pre- sented in them altogether, are a solemn warning to all professors, to all who attend upon the ordinances of the gospel ; and show that even true believers may grievously provoke their God and Saviour ; and that unbehevers, though they may attend upon all the institutions of Christ's house, except they repent, will assur- edly perish. Kot every one, says Christ, loho shall say unto me Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven ; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many shall say unto me, in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. Then will I profess unto them, I never knew you. Let us all then, my brethren, solemnly attend to the admo- nition of the apostle, Let him that fhinketh he standeth take heed 316 SERMON XXVI. lest he fall. Let us not be high minded but fear. Whatever mercies we may have received, whatever privileges we may have enjoyed, let us remember that we are not beyond the reach of temptation. We may have escaped, for a while, the pollutions of the world, and yet be again entangled therein and overcome. Let all, then, take heed, lest a promise being left of entering into rest, they shoidd, by any means come short of it. And may God give us grace faithfully to do his will, that during our pilgrimage here we may constantly partake of bread from heaven, and wa- ter from the rock ; and in due time be brought to the place which he has prepared for his true Israel, the Canaan of immor- tal rest, and joy, and praise. Amen. SERMON XX VII. THE TEMPLE OF GOD. »®« 1 Peter ii. 4, 5. To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men. but chosen of God and precious, ye also, as lizcbj stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacri- fices, acceptable to God by Jems Christ. JlSELIEVERS sustain a twofold relation to Christ, individu- al, and collective. Individually they have a union to him, by virtue of which they become partakers of the benefits of his redemption, and heirs of the heavenly inheritance. Collec- tively they have a utiion to him, by virtue of which they be- come his fulness, or completion. In their primary relation, the apostle, in the context, considers them as new horn babes ; and exhorts them earnestly to desiTC the sincere, the unadulter- ated, milk of the word, that they may grow thereby. They have been bo7-n again, as in the former chapter he expresses it, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, even by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever; and the same living word, which was tlie means by which the divine life was first produc- ed in them, is also the food, by which that life is to be nour- ished, and by which they are to be advanced to the stature and maturity of perfect men. — In their secondary relation, he con- siders them as lively stones ; and exhorts them so to come to 31S SERMON XXVII. Christ, as to be built up on liini a spirilual house. In this re- lation, behevers are sometimes represented as constituting a body, of which Christ is the head, and they, severally, are mem- bers in particular ; and as a head without a body is not com- plete, so Christ's m3^stical body, composed of his believing people, is called his fulness, or completion. But the figure, by which this sublime subject is more commonly represented, is that of a temple. This is the figure employed in our text. Of this temple, Christ is the foundation, and his believing people constitute the superstructure ; and the apostle would have be- lievers earnestly desirous, not only to grow up to maturity as saints, but also to be built up, as materials in the divine temple. To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, hut chosen of God and precious, ye also, or, be ye also, as lively stones, built up, a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. There is here, undoubtedly, an allusion to the temple at Jerusa- lem, whose foundation was most firm, whose superstructure was most magnificent, and whose sacerdotal service was most impor- tant. That temple w^as an emblem of the church, the glorious temple which Christ is rearing, /or an habitation of God through the Spirit. Of this spiritual temple, then, let us now more dis- tinctly consider, — the foundation — the superstructure — and the holy services. I. We are to consider the foundation. The foundation is Christ ; and, as the foundation, he is de- signated as a stone, a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, hut chosen of God, and precious. The apostle here quotes, with some variation, a memorable prophetick passage in the xxviiith of Isaiah : Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone. Other foundation, says the apostle Paul, can no man lay, than that is laid, ivhich is Jesus Christ. He is the foundation of safety and happiness, to every in- dividual of his people ; the only foundation, on ^vhich any of our fallen race can safely build their hopes for eternity. "Eve- ry thing else, is sliding sand, is yielding air, is breaking bubble." SERMON XXVII. 31^ But Christ is b. rock; a rock, solid, stable, durable; a rock, whose nature is unchangeable, whose strength is unfailing, whose extent is immeasurable. Fixed on this foundation, the weakest believer may stand, unshaken and undismayed, amidst all the storms of life, amidst all the assaults of hell, amidst the menacing terrors of death, amidst the wreck of dissolving worlds, and all the tremendous scenes of the fmal day. — Fixed on this rock, the church is secure. The foundation is of sufficient strength and extent to support it, through time, and to eternity, with all its countless numbers, and all its momentous interests. On this foundation it has been rising and increasing through successive ages, ever since the days of Adam ; yet the foundation remains unmoved ; and it will remain unmoved, when all the nations of the redeemed shall be built up upon it and compacted, and the top stone shall he brought forth u'ith shoutings, Grace, grace UNTO IT. A living stone. — Christ is a living stone, as he has life in himself; hfe essential, indestructible, inexhaustible ; and as he is the fountain of life to all who are built upon him. The church is a living temple ; all who compose it are lively, or living stones ; but the life of the whole is derived from Christ the foundation. — He may, also, be fitly called a living stone, on ac- count of the lively and attractive energy, which resides in him, and by which the stones, designed for the temple of his grace, are drawn to him, and fixed upon him. Unto lohom coming, as unto a living stone ; — a mighty magnet, whose powerful attrac- tion irresistibly draws you. Such an attractive power unques- tionably resides in Christ ; is felt by his people ; and is that, by which alone any are drawn, or made to come, to him. And T, said he, if I be lifted up, be exhibited upon the cross as an aton- ing sacrifice, will draw all men unto me. — Here the whole mys- tery is disclosed. If I be lifted up, — be exhibited as a propitia- tion for sin. Christ crucified is the power of God unto salva- tion ; Christ crucified is the foundation of hope to fallen men. The rock of Horeb must be smitten, or it will yield no streams- for the life of the famishing tribes. The rock of salvation must be smitten, or the fountain v^ill not be opened for th^^ lifn of the 320 SERMON XXVll. world. /, says Christ, I am he that Uveth, and was dead ; and behold I am alive forevermore. He died for our sins; he was raised again for our justification ; he ever Uveth to make inter- session for us. Hence it is, that he is the living rock of our sah^ation. In him crucified, infinite love and grace are display- ed ; love and grace, whose powerful attractions should alone, it would seem, draw all men to him. But in addhion to this, he- cause he made his soul an offering for sin, it hath pleased the Father that in him all fulness should dwell. In him dwells the Holy Spirit without measure, hy whose quickening influences men are made alive to the attractions of his love. Drawn by these influences, and by the power of this love, they come to hhn as to a living stone ; a rock, which has life in itself, and which imparts life to all that come to it — to the whole temple of God, that is built upon it. This living stone is disallowed indeed of men. It is the stone which the builders, the proud pharisees, and priests, and rulers rejected. Christ crucified is to the Jews a stumbling block, and to the Greeks foolishness. In all ages and places, this stone has been disallowed by the unbelieving world. By multitudes it is utterly disowned and discarded ; and any other foundation is preferred to this. Many also, who call Christ Lord, and pro- fessedly own him for their Saviour, yet do not build on him as the foundation. They make their own supposed merit the basis of their hope of salvation through Christ. They hope that God will save them for Christ's sake, because they are so good as to deserve some favour from him. They hope that Christ's righteousness will supply whatever may be defective in their own. They place their own works, which their ignorance and vanity call good, at the bottom, and have recourse to Christ's merits only as supplementary. " This is to lay a foundation of stone upon a quicksand ;" it is disallowing Christ as the foun- dation, the chief corner stone. Yet, alas, what multitudes are chargeable with this. What multitudes are employed in rear- ing up houses upon the sand ; houses as frail as " the baseless fabrick of a vision;" and which the hastening tempest will as- suredly demolish. What folly, what madness is this ; when SERMON XXVIL 321 God has laid in Z ton for a foundation, a stone, a tried stoiic, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation. This rock, though rejected by men, is chosen of God. The salvation of mankind is according to the eternal purpose of God, which he purposed in Christ Jesus before the world began. The temple of his grace, which is reared up from the ruins of our fallen world, was designed by him for his own glorious habitation. He appointed the foundation ; he planned the superstructure ; the whole work is of his will. Christ crucified is the power of God, and the wisdom of God. The stone which the builders re- fused is become the head stone of the corner. This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes. I^et men think as they may ; other foundation can no one lay than that which is laid. It is such a foundation as God saw fit to lay ; such an one as he saw necessary, for the salvation of men, and for the support of his temple ; and while this consideration should warn men to beware how they reject or neglect this living stone, it should afford sti'ong consolation to all who come to it for life, and are built up in the temple which rests upon it. To them he saith, Behold my servant whom I uphold, mine elect in ivhom rny soul delighteth ; behold him as a sure foundation. He that believeth in him shall not be confounded. This foundation stone is precious — Christ is precious in him- self, as possessing all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, the sura total of all divine excellencies ; and as clothed also, in his hu- man nature, with all the virtues of man, in consummate perfec- tion. He is the select of ten thousand, altogether lovely. — He is precious to the Father ; the Son of his love, who was in his bosom before the worlds were made ; and who came from heaven, in obedience to his will, and suffered and died for the glory of his name. — He is precious to angels. They hailed his advent to our world, with the most grateful and rapturous anthem ; they look with ecstacy into the wonders of his grace ; they fly with delight to fulfil his commands respecting the heirs of salva- tion ; they honour the Son even as they honour the Father. — He is precious to them that believe : — Precious in his personal beauties and excellencies — precious in his mediatorial offices— ^ 41 322 SERMON XX VII. precious in his atoning blood and meritorious righteousness — precious in the riches of his couiniunicated grace — precious as tlie foundation of tlieir hopes, as the rock which supports tlie glorious temple of God, of which they are component parts. — Precious indeed must such a foundation be, to those who have once felt themselves to be sinking into the abyss of darkness and of wo; precious to those who see that without this rock there could have been no hope for them, or for any of mankind j precious to those who feel that, fixed upon this rock, they have nothing to fear from earth or hell, from death or the judgment, in time or in eternity ; precious to those who prefer the ten)pie of God above their chief joy, and contemplate with delight, its stability and safety, amidst all the shocks of time, and its certain consummation, as the glory of Christ and the joy of the universe. It is a tried stone. Already ten thousand times ten thousand have built their hopes upon it, and none of them have been con- founded.— It is a sure foundation. Under the pressure of the rising church, and amidst the assaults of earth and hell, for six thousand years, it has never been shaken. It is the same living stone yesterday^ and today, and forever. Surely, such a stone, such a foundation, must be precious. — Such is the foundation o( the spiritual temple of God. We are, 11. To consider the superstructure. To ivhom coming as unto a living stone, ye also, as lively stones, are BUILT UP A SPIRITUAL HOUSE. Ye also, as lively stones. — Those, to whom the aposde ad- dresses himself, are such as he calls elect, according to ihefore- knoivledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience, and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ ; such as the apostle Paul, in the viiith of Romans, says, God had predestinated to be conformed to the image of his Son ; such as he also says, in the 1st of Ephesians, God had chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, that they shoidd be holy, and without blame before him in love. The materials, then, for the superstructure of this spiritual temple are such of mankind ashy sovereign grace, and according to the purpose of everlasting love. SERMON XX VII. 323 have been created anew, after the image of God, and called unto glory and virtue. The epithet living, is often used in scripture to denote pe- cuUar excellency ; and the materials for die temple, here called living stones, are, in Isaiah, called agates, carbuncles, sapphires, and pleasant stones. The foundation is a precious stone, — super- latively, incomparably precious ; and the materials of the super- structure are precious, being made conformable to the foundation. But if the epithet living denotes peculiar excellency, it imports also something more. As Christ has life in himself, so he imports life to his people, and says to theu), Because I live, ye shall live also. As he is a living stone, so, also, by his quickening energy, they are made living stones. Naturally, indeed, they were dead ; dead, even as others, m trespasses and sins. Naturally, they lay in the great mass of human ruins ; themselves ruined, and desti- tute of spiritual life, and of spiritual beauty, like the rest. Bui, as the stones for the temple at Jerusalem were selected and taken from the quaries in their rude and rough state, and hewed, and squared, and polished, and fitted for their respective places in that magnificent edifice ; so are these materials, by the great Master Builder, selected and taken from the common mass of our ruined nature, and created anew, made living stones, trans- formed into his likeness, and fitted for their respective places in his glorious spiritual temple. Thus selected and fitted, they come to the foundation. Quickened by the life giving energy of Christ, they come volun- tarily to him ; formed to an affinity with tlie foundation stone, they spontaneously yield themselves to the powerful attraction. To whom coming, they are built rip. As they are fitted, each one for a particular place ; so, by the unerring attraction, whose influence they obey, they come, one after another, into their respective places in the stupendous building. Thus they are built \ip : built upon the sure foundation, m whom, says Paul, all the building fitly framed together, groioeth unto an holy temple in the Lord. It is fitly framed together. Every stone has its proper place, a place to which it has a particular adapt- edness ; and between each stone, and those in contact with it, 324 SERMON XXVII. there is a reciprocal affinity and correspondency. The building also GROWETH iiito an holy temple. It grows by the accession of one stone after another ; and it grows by the gradual and cor- respondent increase of all the component parts. They grow in fitness to their proper places, and they grow in dimensions. Believers are not, all at once, made perfect. Though re- newed by divine grace, after the image of Christ, they are not, at once, completely conformed to his image. While in this world indeed, they are in many respects unlike him ; they have many and great imperfections — many and great deformities. But by the means which he uses with them, and by the influen- ces of his Spirit continually operating in them, they grow in knowledge and in grace, and into a gradually increasing confor- mity to him. To resume the figure of the text, when, as ma- terials for the temple of God, they are first taken from the com- mon mass of the w^orld, though created anew, made living stones, and in some degree fitted for the building ; yet they are not wrought into perfect form and smoothness, but still have, and too many of them long continue to have, much unshapeliness and roughness. But, under the hand of the great Master Builder, they are growing into better proportion — are becoming more and move polished after the similitude of a palace, and are more and more fitted to their respective places in the building. They are, also, growing in size. As living stones, they are constantly ex- panding their dimensions, and advancing towards the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. All this, with some varia- tion of figure, is strongly and beautifidly represented by Paul to the Ephesians. He gave some, Apostles ; and some, Proph- ets ^ and some. Evangelists ; and some, Pastors and Teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying, or building, of the body of Christ : that we may grow up into him in all things ivho is the head, even Christ ; from whom the whole body fitly joined together, and compacted by that tvhich every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body, unto the edifying of itself in love. Love is the vital prin- ciple of this glorious temple, both of tlie foundation, and ol the SERMON XXVll. 325 superstructure. It is by love, that the stones are drawn to the foundation ; it is by love, that they are brought into their proper places in the building ; it is by love, that they are gradually formed to their due proportions and polish ; and it is b}^ love, that the whole edifice is compacted and cemented. By love, unceasingly emanating from the living foundation, and pervading all the lively materials built upon it, the glorious superstructure is continually growing in proportionate dimensions, in symmetry, in compactness, and in beauty ; and it will continue thus to grow, until every stone shall be perfect in its place, every defect shall be supplied, every deformity shall disappear, and this temple of God shall be the perfection of beauty, and the joy and glory of the universe. — Such is the fabrick of the temple ; and let us now, III. Consider its holy services. It is built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, accept- able to God by Jesus Christ. There is here a change of figure. The temple itself is a priesthood ; the stones of it, severally, are priests. The transi- tion is more natural and easy, tlian at first it might seem, for the temple is a spiritual house, and the materials are living stones. A temple is designed for worship ; and the whole of worship is often, and not improperly, represented by sacrifices. The tem- ple at Jerusalem, which was a type at once of Christ, and of his church, had its priesthood ; and the sacrifices oiFered by them constituted its principal worship. Christ himself is a priest, the great High Priest; and the sacrifice offered by him, when through the eternal Spirit he pre- sented himself without spot to God, to obtain eternal redemption for us, was an act of worship infinitely higher, more pleasing, and of greater honour to God, than all the worship of eartli and of heaven beside. His people are priests ; a kingdom of priests. By the merits of his sacrifice, they are redeemed from sin and from death, — are brought near to God, — have boldness to enter into the holiest, — and obtain a gracious acceptance in their sac- rifices. Of his character, or office of Priest, Christ is not divested, by becoming the foundation of the spiritual temple of God ; nor 326 SERMON XXVII. do his people cease to be jiriests, by being built up as living stones m this temple. He remaineth a j^riest forever, and ever liveth to make intercession ; — and they, as priests, are formed into a spiritual temple, that, in union with him, and with one another, they may offer up spiritual sacrifices tlie more accepta- ble to God. By him, fiist presenting their bodies a living sacri- fice, holy, and acceptable, they ofter continually the sacrifices of supplication, intercession, thanksgiving, and praise, on their own behalf, and on behalf of all men ; together with such other vari- ous acts of obedience and service, as, in their respective places, God, for the glory of his name, is pleased to receive from them. As the spiritual house advances — as the holy priesthood in- creases,— the spiritual sacrifices increase. All the holy sacrifices of all the saints, of those now in heaven and those now on parth, from that of Abel to that of the last individual built up as a lively stone in the temple, are presented togetiier by the great High Priest, with much incense, before the throne. When the temple shall be completed, its sacrifices, its whole worship will be per- formed in the highest perfection. With countless millions of voices uniting in one, all the stones of the stupendous superstruc- ture, will ofi:er the sacrifices of praise in the immortal songs : Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father^ to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. — Bless- inp-, and honour, and glory, and power, he unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, forever and ever. The temple will be perfumed with sweetest incense, and filled with the effulgence of divine glory ; and the whole universe will see its light, will hear its songs, and will admire its grandeur, its beauty, and its blessedness. REFLECTIONS. 1. How thankful should we be for the foundation which God bas laid in Zion. Without such a foundation, what should we do ? In this world, nothing is abiding, nothing is secure. Our foundation here is in the dust. The brightest earddy scenes suddeidy van- SERMON XXV II. 327 ish ; the fairest earthly prospects are desolated ; the best earthly hopes perish ; the fashion of this loorld passeth away. Our fallen nature lies in ruins ; and but for the rock of salvation, it would sink, and sink, in the abyss of darkness and of wo, with- out hope. — Brethren, we need a foundation ; a foundatioji strons:, durable, sure ; one on which we may safely fix ourselves, our interests, and our hopes, for eternity. Such a foundation is here exhibited. The stone which the builders rejected is become the head stone of the corner. This is the Lord''s doing ; it is mar- vellous in our eyes. IMost devoutly then should we say. Save now, we beseech thee, O Lord ; O Lord, tve beseech thee, send now prosperity. God is the Lord, who hath showed us light ; bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar. — O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good : for his mercy en- dureth forever. 2. We may see what every particular church should be. The people indeed, to whom the apostle addressed himself in our text, were not built up together in one visible church ; but were strangers, scattered abroad throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. Yet he speaks of their being built up a spiritual house. By this spiritual temple dien we are to understand, not a visible congregation or society of professed believers, but the invisible church of Christ ; the great body of his true people, of all nations and ages. To the scriptural rep- resentations, however, of the invisible church, every visible church should bear a resemblance. It should be built on the foundation which God hath chosen ; on Jesus Christ as the chief corner stone ; it should be composed of true believers in him ; of such as are living stones; — it should he fitly framed together and compacted, that it may increase to the edifying of itself in love, and be built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Happy for themselves, my brethren, happy for the world which lieth in wickedness, were all the churches formed upon this model, and did all the meinbers siiow themselves to be lively ■Atones, fitly framed into the holy building ! 32S SERMON XXVIl. 3. We may see in a clear light an important duty, incum- bent on all true believers. They are all living stones, and have their several places in the spiritual temple of God. But they should not rest satisfied with their present attainments. They should be constantly coining to Christ, that they may receive renewed life from him ; and may grow in knowledge, in love, in all holiness, and in fitness for their respective places in his temple. They should come to him, in all the ways of his appointment. They should join them- selves to him, and to his people in a perpetual covenant, as members of his visible church, gratefully feeling and acknowl- edging, that there is one bod}^, and one Spirit, even as they are called in one hope of their calling. This is his declared will, and a. compliance with it is of high importance. It is important for them, in order that they may feel a more lively and affec- tionate union to him, and to his people ; that they may be pol- ished after the similitude of a palace, and be fitly framed into his temple ; and that they may have the benefit of all his ordi- nances, for their edification in knowledge, and faith, and holiness. It is important for the church, that it may be strengthened, and increased with the increase of God, And it is important for the honour and the cause of Christ, that they may be promoted, by their confessing him before men, making it manifest that they are not ashamed of him, or of his words, showing their love to those whom he loves, and obediently doing whatsoever he com- mands them. And in a church state, believers should deeply feel their sacred relation to him, and to one another; bear in constant and lively remembrance their high and holy vocation ; and make it their assiduous care and endeavour to keep the unity of the spirit, that their prayers he not hindered, that they may grow up together into an holy temple in the Lord. My brethren, what and where are we ^ Are we lively stones built up in the temple of God, on the sure foundation .'' Have we come to this living stone, and fixed ourselves, with all our hopes, upon it? Do we feel its quickening influence, audits powerful attraction ? Are we fitly framed into this sacred temple, and is it our highest joy to see it increase unto the edifying of SERMON XX\1I. 329 itself in love? Do we feel a union to this holy priesthood^ and bear a part in its spiritual sacrifices, which are acceptable to Gael by Jesus Christ 9 How gracious, how glorious is the word, Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of mil God, and he shall go no more out ! — Not less solemn and dread- ful is the warning, subjoined to the words of the prophet, to which allusion is had in our text. Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation ; he that believeth shall not make haste. Judgment also will 1 lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet ; and the hail shall sweep away the refuges of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding places. — Yes, my hearers, the storm is cou)- ing ! a storm, which will sweep away every earthly foundatioa and refuge, and overwhelm this entire globe with a destruction, more terrible than that of the ancient deluge. In that dread day, while all, who are founded on the living Rock, will abide in safety ; upon all, who are not thus founded, /ear will come as desolation, and destruction as a whirlwind, and plunge them, ir- recoverably, into the abyss of perdition. He that hath an ear, let him hear. And may God command his blessing, fov Jesu<=i Christ's sake. Amen. 42 SERMON XXVIII. PRIVILEGES OF BELIEVERS UNDER THE GOSPSL. i©* Hebrews xii. 22, 23, 24. But ye are come unto mount Zion^ and unto the city of the living God^ the heavenly Jerusalem^ and to an innumerable company of angels^ to the general assembly and church of the first born., which are writ- ten 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^ and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. 1 HE church of the redeemed we are warranted to consider as the chief work of God ; designed by him to make known to the principalities and powers in Jieavenly places his manifold wisdom. In all the varied lights, therefore, in which it is pre- sented to us in the scriptures, it is an object of highly interesting and useful contemplation. Such, especially, must it be, if rightly viewed, in the light of the passage now before us. In the writings of Paul, the superiour excellency of the present, or gospel dispensation above the ancient, or legal economy, is repeatedly asserted and displayed. If, says he, in his second letter to the Corinthians, if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance, which glory was to be done away ; how shall not the ministration of the Spirit be rather glorious 9 For SERMON XXVlll. 331 if the Viinistraiion of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory which excelleth. Correspondent to this rep- resentation is tlie strikingly contrasted view which he gives us of the two dispensations, in our text and context, and by which he would enforce the duties of the christian vocation. For the character of the ancient dispensation, he refers U6 to the memo- rable and tremendous scenery of Sinai : to the mountain that might be touched, and that burned with fire — the blackness, and darkness, and tempest — the sound of a trumpet — the voice of coords — the sight so terrible as to make ./l/oses himself exceed- ingly to fear and quake. To this terribly majestick scenery behevers, under the present dispensation, are not coine. But they are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the first born, ivhich 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, and to the blood of sprinkling that speakeih better things than that of Mel. How surpassingly glorious, and yet how mild and benign is this representation of the evan- gelical economy. Each clause of the text affords a subject for high contem- plation, and requires to be distinctly considered. Under the present dispensation, believers are come unto mount Zion, tht city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem — they are come to an innumerable company of angels — they are come to the gen- eral assembly and church of the first born which are written in heaven — they are come to God the Judge of all — they are come to the spirits of just men made perfect — they are come to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Mel. Xliese several particulars will be considered in their order. I. Under the present dispensation, believers are come unto mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. These names, or descriptive phrases, are difierent designa- S32 SERMON XXVIII. lions of the same grarul object, and severally denote the church of the redeemed. But why are these names given to the church ? The ancient royal residence of David, the renowned king of Israel, and type of the Messiah, was sometimes called Zion, or mount Zion , it was also called the holy city, or the city of God ; because it was the place where God had chosen to re- cord his name, and to meet his people in the publick solemnities of his worship ; but its most common name was Jerusalem. Jerusalem, indeed, was the name of the whole place ; but Zion, properly so called, was only a part of Jerusalem, a city within a city. Zion proper, which was distinctively called the city of Da- vid, was of a circular form, and built upon a hill or mountain, one part of which was called Moriah. It was surrounded with a broad and deep trench, hewn by nature or art, out of the natural rock, and defended by a wall of great strength, built upon the edge of tlie rock, with towers at regular distances. On the centre and summit of the hill stood the royal palace, in which David dwelt. The streets of the city were some of them circular, passing regularly round the hill, one below an other, and the rest, like so many radii, proceeded from the centre, or top of the hill, down to the circular wall which enclosed the whole. As the royal palace was on the top of the hill, over- looking the whole city ; so the tabernacle of God, where the Shekinah, the visible emblem of his presence, abode be- tween the cherubim, and where the most solemn rites of his worship were performed, was placed in a large open court, in the centre of the palace. As Jerusalem at large was built upon a number of hills, of which Zion, the city of David, was one ; so the whole was sur- rounded with an amphitheatre of hills, which afforded a most grand and delightful view. Thus beautiful for situation ivas mount Zion, on the sides of the north, (or in the northern part of Jerusalem,) the city of the great king ; and God was known in her palaces for a refuge. Thus admirably chosen was the place, where Jehovah, by thft SERMON XXVIII. 333 visible symbol of his presence, condescended to dwell between the cherubim, on the mercy seat ; in the royal palace, on the summit, and in the centre of Zion, in the centre of Judea, and, in a sense, in the centre of the world. Thus saith the Lord, this is Jerusalem ; I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries round about her. Walk about Zion, and go round about her ; tell the toivers thereof. Mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces ; that ye may tell it to the genera- iions following. For this God is our God forever and ever. And out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined. Such, my brethren, was the ancient, royal and holy city, whose names have been transferred to the church of the re- deemed, the spiritual city and dwelling place of God. I say, tlie names of that holy and beautiful city have been transferred, and are now applied to the church. And in this there is a pe- ■culiar propriety. The name Zion hterally signifies a monument conspicuously erected, or raised xip; and is not the church a mon- ument— a most stupendous monument of divine love, raised up in the view of the universe, for the grateful wonder of eai'th and heaven, and for the eternal honour of our God and Redeemer ^ Jerusalem signifies the view of the perfection, or of peace ; and how applicable is this to the church, the spiritual city of God, in which perfection and peace are to reign with increasing glory forever. This is, indeed, the heavenly, the spiritual Jerusalem. Nor is it with less propriety called the city of the living God ; for, like a city, it has its charter of special privileges and im- munities, and its laws of internal police ; and it is the place in which God has recorded his name, and which he has chosen for his eternal habitation. This, says he, is my 7-est forever ; he7'c will I dwell ; for I have desired it. Was the ancient Zion founded upon a rock, and slrenglhcn- ed and defended with walls and bulwarks i The church is built on the rock of ages ; and God, the eternal Qod, is her refuge and strength. Was the ancient Zion beautiful for situ- ation— the joy of the whole earth ? The spiritual Zion, the church of the redeemed, is raised up from the ruins of the apostacy, around the throne of eternal mercy ; and God is in the midst of o34 SERMOK XXVllL Jut. He makes her windows of agates, her gates of carbuncles, and all her borders of pleasant stones ; and he has designed her for an eternal excellency, the joy of many generations. Was it m the ancient Jerusalem, tliat the most solemn rites of divine ivorship were performed j and was it thither that the tribes went tipf the tribes of the Lord, unto the testimony of Israel, to give (hanks unto the name of the Lord ? The church, tiie heavenly, the spiritual Jerusalem, is indeed the city of sacred solemnities. The tabernacle, even the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched, tind not man, is in her. In hci", all tiie ordinances of divine worship are religiously observed ; in her, prayer without ceas- {Qg, together with thanksgiving, is offered for all men, the vows of sacred dedication are made and performed, the seals of ihe everlasting covenant are administered, and the high praises of God are devoutly celebrated. Her provisions are abundant- ly blest, her priests are clothed with salvation, and her saints s^hout aloud for joy. Was It out of the ancient Zion that God shone forth, and caused his name to be known among the sur- sounding nations .^ The church is the light of the world ; in lier, all the perfections of her God are displayed ; and from her. Ms name shall not cease to be proclaimed, till tlie whole earth be filled with the knowledge of his glory. Here, then, my brethren, is not the mount that might betouch- f-d, and which burned with fire, nor blackness, nor darkness, nor tempest; but this is mdicedi mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. Here no voice of words, like sevenfold thunder forbids approach ; no sight so terrible as to laake the devout attendant exceedingly to fear and quake, is ex- Itibited ; but the language of eternal mercy is heard, and the perfections of the everlasting God are displayed, with a lustre as snild and benign, as it is majestick and glorious. And to this mount Zion, this city of the living God, this heavenly Jerusa- lem are true believers come. They arc come, not as strangers and foreigners, but as fellow citizens tvith the saints, and of the household of God They are come to enjoy the privileges, and to partake of the blessings of this spiritual and holy city. This ■:s their home, here their friends and their kindred dwell, and SERMON XXVlIf. 335 here, with them, they are to abide, with increasing perfection and joy, and glory forever. II. They are come to an innumerable company of angeh. Angels are constant attendants on the presence of God. Thousand thousands minister unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stand before him. In all the visions of God vouch- safed to men, angels have been seen ; and in all the representa- tions of his special presence and glory, angels are comprised as his splendid retinue. They were present on mount Sinai, when he descended in terrjble majesty to promulgate his lav^. The chariots of God, says the psalmist, are twenty thousand; even thousands of angels ; the Lord is among them as in Sinai, in the holy place. Under the present dispensation, also, angels attend whei-ever God is pleased to vouchsafe his special pres- ence. But God has his special residence in his church. He loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob ; and this is the place of his rest forever. In this holy city, then, this spiritual, heavenly Jerusalem, angels are constantly present. They attend the heirs of salvation, as ministering spirits ; they encamp round about all them that fear God ; they wait on the di- vine commands, and look with delight into the unfolding mys- teries of redemption ; and in all the sacred devotions of the church, both private and publick, they bear a delightful part. In coming to the church, then, the city of the living God, christians come to an innumerable company of angels. They come to have communion with them in their holy affections, services and felicities ; to partake of the benefits of their be- nevolent ministrations ; to mingle, though insensibly indeed, in their society ; and, with them, gratefully to admire the love, to adore the majesty, to rejoice in the favour, and to worsliip in the presence, of their common Creator and God. How difier- ent this from tlie awful scene exhibited at Sinai. There be- tween the angels v/hh God on the holy mount, and the trem- bling tribes below, a line of separation was solemnly drawn ; as if they were to be kept apart, without any communion or inter- course, forever ! But here, at mount Zion, the true Israel of God are admitted to the most intimate fellowship, with the *en 336 SERMON XXVllt. thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, who 3tand continually in his presence, and behold his face in glory. Saints and angels, as well on earth as in heaven, present them- selves together, before the glorious object of their holy and unit- ed adoration and worship. III. True believers are come to the general assembly and church of the first horn u'hich are written in heaven. To the general assemhiy. — At mount Sinai, the whole con- gregation of Israel was assembled, indeed, in solemn convoca- tion ; but, as already noticed, they were separated, and kept at an awful distance, from the angelick hosts with God on the holy mount. They were then assembled, to hear the law ; that law, by which they were justly condemned, which, to them, was a ministration of death, and which was intended to show them the necessity of pardon, and reconciliation to God, by means of an appointed atonement. After they were settled in Canaan, all the males of the tribes of Israel were required to appear together before the Lord, three times in a year, in the place appointed for their publick solemnities. But even then the great body of the people were separated from the priests and Levites, who, by a special divine appointment, represented the first horn of the nation, and who only were permitted to come near to the altar, and wait on the more special and solemn rites of divine worship. But, in the gospel state of the church, the scene is gloriously changed. Not only is the barrier of separation between men and angels removed ; but the true worshippers are brought into one body, and may have access together, not only to the altar, but even into the sactuary, and into the holiest of all. Here, also, the middle wall of partition between Jews and Gentiles is demolished ; those who WQxefar off are brought nigh ; and those who were aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, are vi\Zi\e fellow heirs, and of the sam.e body, and partakers of the same promise in Christ by the gospel. There is one body, and one spirit, even as they are called in 07ie hope of their calling ; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all. and in them all. SERMON XXVIII. S37 Here, then, christians are conme to the general assembly of the holy, and have communion with the whole great body of saints and angels, both on earth, and in heaven. Yes, says the apostle, ye are come to the church of the first horn. Under the ancient dispensation, all the first born of Israel were considered as belonging, in a special sense, to God, and as such were to be redeemed with a specified price. Afterwards, however, the tribe of Levi was taken, instead of the first born of all the tribes, and were brought near and consecrated to the special service of God. They were, then, the representatives of tlie first born of Israel, were admitted nearer to God than the rest of the people, and more especially typified the church under the present evangelical dispensation. In reference to them, doubt- less, it is, that the collective body of God's people are now de- nominated the church of the first born. They are all consecrated to God, and belong to him as his portion. They are heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ, who himself is the first born among many brethren. They are all a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people. Their names are also written in heaven. They are enrolled in the book of life, are registered in the archives of immortality ; and in the great day of consummation, will be acknowledged and proclaimed in the presence of the universe, ■as sons and daughters, and as kings and priests unto God and the Lamb forever. — To this general assembly and church of the first horn, all true behevers now come. They come, to enjoy the privileges, to share in the honours, and to inherit the bless- ings, of the spiritual and everlasting kingdom of God. And, IV. They are also come unto God the Judge of all. To be duly impressed with the sentiment conveyed in this part of the text, it seems necessary distinctly to recur to the scene at mount Sinai. When God first announced his purpose of descending upon the mount, he said to Moses, Lo, I comi unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee forever. — Go unto the people and sanctify them, today, and tomorroir, and let them wash their clothes, and be ready against the third day ; for the third day >Ao Lord will come down in the sight of *tU the people, upon 338 SERJVION XXVllI. mount Sinai. And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it ; whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death. — And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders, and light- nings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud ; so that all the people that ivas in the camp trembled. And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the nether part of the mount. And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, be- cause the Lord descended upon it in fire. And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Mo- ses spake, and God answered him by a voice. And the Lord came doivn upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount; and the Lord called Moses up to the top of the mount ; and Moses went up. And the Lord said unto Moses, Go doavn and chakge THE PEOPLE, LEST THEY BPiEAK THROUGH UNTO THE LORD, TO GAZE, AND 3IANY OF THEM PERISH. In the awfully majestick scenery here described, the terrors of the liOrd were most strikingly displayed. He appeared as the sovereign lawgiver and judge of the world ; and the black- ness, and darkness, and tempest around him, most solemnly tes- tified his displeasure against sin, and how fearful a thing it must be for sinners to fall into the hands of the living God. While, therefore, amidst his attendant angels, he made his tremendous exhibitions on the mount, bounds were set round about to the people below ; and no one was permitted to break through, or even to touch the mount, on pain of death. God ajopeared, in- deed, a consuming fire ; the mountain shook to its centre ; and so terrible was the sight, that even Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake. All this, my brethren, was but a just representation of the ter- rors of the Almighty, arrayed against sin ; of the utter impossi- bility of sinners coming to him by the law ; and die certain destruction, to which all are exposed, who presumptuously make the attempt. But, under the gospel, loe are not come to this mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire ; nor SERMON XXVIII. 339 unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest ; hut we arc come to mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the first horn which are written in heaven, a7id even to God the Judge of all. Yes, the same almighty God, who appeared in all that terrible majesty on the top of Horcb, now dwells in his church, as his chosen habitation, and the place of his rest forever. Here he shows a milder, though not a less excellent glory. Here he dwells between the cherubim, on the mercy seat, displays around him the emblems of infinite clem- ency, and proclaims, the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty. — Here, in his church, all true believers come unto him, in the name of his Son, their glorious Redeemer and friend, not to be destroyed with an everlasting destruction from his presence, and from the glory of his power ; not to be utterly consumed by his terrors ; but to receive the pardon of their sins, the precious pledges of peace with him, the gracious assurances of his everlasting love. Yes, they come unto God the Judge of all, to be justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus ; to be acknowledged by him as his sons and his daughters ; to wor- ship before him, in union with the whole family in heaven and on earth ; to converse and commune with him, by means of liis sacred ordinances ; and to present their bodies a living sacri- fice, holy, acceptable to him, which is their reasonable service. V. In the present evangehcal state of the church, believers come to the spirits of just men made perfect. In the preceding part of the text, they are represented as coming to an innumerable company of angels, and to the general assembly and church of the first born which are written in heaven ; and, therefore, as being joined to the whole united bpdy of holt and happy beings. Of that general and glorious body the spirits of just men made perfect are a part. The distinct mention of this part, however, conveys a sentiment, full of onoouragemenf. and of great importance, 340 SERMON XXVm. Are believers thus joined to the great society of holy be- ings, to the blessed millions of angels and saints ? The fact is certain, and the privilege is unspeakably glorious. But how shall they support themselves under this thought ? How can they think of being numbered with the sons of God, with those who behold his face in righteousness, and are to dwell forever in his presence, where there is fulness of joy, and at his right hand, ivhere there are pleasures forevermore ? They are con- scious of many and great imperfections ; they are oppressed with remaining corruptions ; they groan under the pollutions of a body of death ; and in view of the purity and glory of God, and the holiness of heaven, they are ready to exclaim. Behold we are vile ! Alas ! for us, for we are undone ! At the thought, therefore, of being numbered with pure and holy beings, and partaking of their privileges, honours and felicities, must they not be overwhelmed and covered with confusion ? Of this the apostle seems to have been aware, and with a view to this, prob' ably, he deemed it important distinctly to introduce that part of his general representation, which we have now particularly before us. Ye are come to the spirits of just men made per- fect. The saints of past ages were once in a similar state with those at present in the body. They -were deformed with imperfections, they had a law in their members warring against the law of their minds, they were polluted with the body of death, from which they groaned to be delivered. But their im- perfections are now done away, their corruptions cleave to them no longer, their robes have been washed and made clean and white, and they are now before the throne of God, with un- speakable joy. Their bodies rest in hope, their spirits are made perfect in the image of God, and, in the full vision of the divine glory, they are perfectly happy. And to these same spirits of just men made perfect, all true believers are come. They are come to their former state, to their conflicts, to their hopes, to their prospects of perfection and glory. They are following them who through faith and patience inherit the prom- ises ; even now they have fellowship with them, as members of SERMON XXVm. 341 their holy and glorious community ; and, in due time, they shall assuredly join them ia the more elevated services and joys of the celestial world. VI. Under the present dispensation, believers are come to Jesus the Mediator of the new coi'enant, and to the blood of sprinkling, which speaketh better things than that of Abel. Here, my brethren, we have the foundation and the sum of all wnicii is comprised in this wliole representation of the state and privileges of believers. The law given at Sinai was called a covenant ; and of that covenant Moses was, in a sense, the mediator. For when all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise ^f the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, they removed and stood afar off. And they said unto JMoses, Speak thou rcith us^ and we will hear ; but let not God speak with us, lest we die. Accordingly, in Deuteronomy, when rehearsing the solemn scene to the assembled tribes, Moses said to them, I stood be- tween the Lord and you, at that time, to shoiv you the word of the Lord f for ye were afraid, by reason of the fire, and went not up into the mount. And, in reference to this, speaking of this Sinai covenant, the apostle to the Galatians says, It ivas ordain- ed by angels in the hand of a mediator ; that is, in the hand of Moses. The laiv, however, or that first covenant, made nothing perfect ; nor could the mediation of Moses, faithful as he was in all things as a servant, avail to bring the people near to God. Though he stood between the Lord and them, still were they kept, by the displayed terrors of the Almighty, at an awful and trembling distance. When Moses, indeed, their mediator, was on the mount with God, they could not even come to him. But widely different from this is the scene at raount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to which be- lievers are now come. The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. In Zion, God exhibits a bet- ter covenant, established upon better promises ; and of this new covenant Jesus Christ, his own Son, is the Mediator. He saw the situation of our fallen race. He knew the demands of the law promulgated at Sinai, and all the terrors there displayetl,. 342 SERMON XX VIII. to deter the attempts and hopes of sinners, to gain access to God in tlieir own names. And he knew what alone would suffice, as a propitiation for their sins, and the ground of their justification and acceptance with the Father. Hence he said. Sacrifice and offering thou woiddst not ; but a body hast thou prepared me ; ill burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin, thou hast had no pleas- ure ; therefore, Lo I come to dothyioill, O God. Accordingly,: in the fulness of time, he appeared in our flesh, so to finish transgression and malce an end of sin, as to open the way of reconciliation. He was made a curse for us, and bare our sins in his own body on the tree; and having thus, through the eter- nal Spirit offered himself without spot to God ; for this cause he is the Mediator of the JVew Testament, that by means of death for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. And of him it is said, Behold, I lay in Zion, for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, and he that belicveth in him shall not be con- founded. . Yes, my brethren, Jesus is the Mediator of the new cove- nant ; and he is the foundation of all the blessedness of his peo- ple. He sits at the right hand of God, on the holy hill of Zion, a prince and a Saviour, able to save to the uttermost all who come unto God by him. Not only like Moses does he stand be- tween the Lord and them ; but dispelling the blackness, and darkness, and allaying the terrible tempest, he brings them up to himself on the mount, and graciously presents them with ac- ceptance to God. Conscious of their guilt, struck with the ter- rors of Sinai, and bowing to the righteousness of God, they look, they hasten to the Saviour. They come to him for life ; they believe in his name, they embrace his atonement, they trust in his grace, and receive his assurances of eternal salvation. And they come to his blood, the blood which was given for the remission of sin ; the blood of sprinkling, which spcaketh better things than that of Abel. But what is here meant by that of Abel ? Is it Abel's own blood., which was ,shed by the hand of his murderous brother ? SERMON XXVIII. 34* or is rt the blood which Abel himself shed in sacrifice, when the Lord had respect unto him, and to his offering 9 If the foimer be intended, that blood spoke nothing but terror. It cried un- to God from the ground, for vengeance upon the guilty mur- derer. Not so the blood of Christ. This speaks the language of peace, of pardon, of reconcihation to God, and of salvation with eternal glory. But the apostle is here displaying the superiour excellency of the gospel, above the legal dispensation at Sinai. And does he not also extend his views still further, and mean to assert the superiority of the present evangelical economy, at once, over the Mosaick dispensation, and that which was still more ancient, even the patriarchal ? This I believe to be the fact ; and, if so, then by that of Abel, we are to understand, not the blood of Abel himself, which was murderously shed, but that blood which he offered in sacrifice to God. That blood, indeed, being offered with faith in the atonement to be made in due time, by the promised Messiah, was accepted by God as a typical propitiation ; and, therefore, it spoke good things ; it spoke for pardon for Abel, through the great sacrifice, to which it had a typical respect. But the blood of Christ speaketh better things than even that of Abel. It speaks, not as a typical, but as a real propitiation. It speaks, with a voice to be heard through the universe, for the honour of God and the support of his law. It speaks, even louder than the thunders of Sinai, for the condemnation of sin, and the conviction of sinners. And it speaks in a language which God will always hear and approve, for the pardon and complete salvation, not of an individual only, but of millions, even of all who will penitently accept it as the ground of their justification. Unto Jesus, and to him crucified, all true believers come. Unto him, as the Mediator of the new covenant, and to his' blood, as the only atonement for sin, they come for all the pur- poses of eternal salvation. And by him it is that tJiey are ad- mitted to the privileges, honours, and felicities, of the people and children of God. It is by him, and in his name only, that, they are admitted to mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jtrusalem, to the inmm^rahlc company of angds, 344 SERMON XXVIII. to the general assembly and church of the first born, which art written in heaven, to ihe presence of God the Judge of all, and to the fellowship, the hopes, and the inheritance, of the spirits of just men made perfect. Christ, to them, in a word, is all in all ; and to him are tliey indebted for the whole blessedness of the high and holy calling. IMPROYEMEiST. 1. Our subject opens to us a view of the high importance, and the glorious results, of the mediation of Christ. Look, my brethren, again, at the tremendous scene exhibit- ed at Sinai. See the great God arrayed in terrible majesty, and surrounded with blackness, and darkness, and tempest. See the mountain altogether on a smoke, and quaking to its lowest base. Hear the trump of God, summoning attention, with a blast awfully prolonged, and waxing louder and louder. Heark- en to the voice of the Almighty, from amidst the lightnings and thunders, proclaiming that law, which denounces the most ter- rible destruction to every transgressor. See, below, the assem- bled tribes, separated from God, and from his attendant angels, solemnly barred and deterred from access, and even approach ; struck with consternation, overwhelmed with terror and dis- may, and apparently ready to perish fro7n the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. What shall they do i* How can they abide the terrors of the Almighty t or how can they flee from his presence ? How can they answer the de- mands of his holy law ? or how can they endure its tremendous penalty ? Look at this scene, consider it well, and reflect that such is even but a faint representadon of what must have been the fact, with respect to aU mankind, had not the Son of God interposed with his gracious mediation. But, from this terriflck scene, now, turn your eyes to mount Zion, tlie city of the living God, the heavenly or spiritual Jeru- salem. See the same great God, seated on a throne of mercy, with all the mild grandeur of infinite clemency and grace ; and diffusing around him the beams of ineftable glory and light. Ilear him proclaiming, in accents which swell the raptures ot SERMON XXVIII. 345 eountless millions of holy beings around him, peace on earth, and g-ood will towards men. See thousands, and thousands of thou- sands, of our sinful race, gathered from all ages and nations, reconciled, pardoned, admitted to the family of God, as his sons and daughters, and enjoying the beatitudes of his presence and love. See earth and heaven united, the most free and in- timate intercourse established between them, and saints and angels mingling their hearts and their devotions, their joys and" their praises, with holy harmony, in honour of their common Creator and God. — Delightful, extatick scene ! But to what, my brethren, shall we ascribe it ? Entirely to the effectual inter- position of the Lord Jesus Christ, the gracious Mediator of the new covenant. He is the propitiation for our sins, and he has made peace. He has magnified the law and made it honourable, has effected reconciliation for the rebellious, and opened the way for the un- bounded diffusion, from the throne of God, of light, and love, and glory. By his gracious mediation, he has harmonized the divine attributes in the salvation of all who believe in him, is gathering together in one all things in himself, both in heaven and on earth, and thus advancing the glory of God, and the holy felicities of his kingdom, on a scale transcending the high- est human or angehck conception. Such, and so important, my brethren, is the mediation of Christ ; such, and so glorious, are its conspicuous results. 2. We are led to consider the solemnity and importance of religious institutions. All religious institutions have respect to the relations sub- sisting between us and God ; and are designed as means, by which his people may approach near to him, and hold commun- ion with him and all holy beings. The publick ordinances of God's house especially, are properly the solemnities of mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem ; in which all the momentous concerns of the gospel are set forth, the perfections of God are displayed, the blood of the everlast- ing covenant is exhibited, and the amazing realities of the worlds to come are disclosed. In coming to these solemnities, thero- 44 34(i SERMON XXVIII. fore, vve come to an innumerable company of angels, to the gen- eral assembly and church of the first born, ivhich are written in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, which speaketh better things than that of Mel. In these ordinances, indeed, God is represented on the throne of grace, displaying the mildest glories of his perfections, and surrounded with ten thousand times ten thousand, and thou- • sands of thousands of angels, and of saints redeemed from our fallen race. All true believers are allowed to come near in holy fellowship, are owned as belonging to the great family of heaven, are sealed as heirs of the inheritance of the saints in light, and are indulged in a participation of the privileges and felicities of the divine presence and kingdom. Even sinners, also, who are yet aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, are invited, entreated, enjoined, by the most solemn considerations of both time and eternity, to be- come reconciled to God, sincerely to unite with his true and holy worshippers, and humbly to participate with them in all their privileges, hopes, and joys. But, at the same time that they are assured of full forgiveness and salvation, if they will J repent, come unto God through the Mediator of the new cov- enant, and cordially unite with the citizens of Zion ; they are also pointed to mount Sinai, to the blackness, and darkness, and tempest, to God arrayed in terrors as a consuming fire, and solemnly warned of the tremendous and inevitable destruction which awaits tliem, if they obstinately refuse the gracious over- tures of peace. How solemn, then, how momentous, are these sacred insti- tutions ! How blessed are they, who truly and acceptably at- tend upon them ! How amazing the guilt of those, who either refuse to attend, or whose attendance is contemptuous, or vain, or formal, or hypocritical ! God is present in the solemnities of his house, Christ is present, angels and saints are present. Should not the sinners in Zion, then be afraid, and fearfulness surprise the hypocrite "? Should not their solemn reflection be, who among us shall dwell ivith devouring fire ? loho among us SERMON XXVIII. 347 can inhabit everlasting burnings ? while the saints should he joyful in their king, and shout for joy in the rock of their sal- vation. 3. How strong are the obligations on christians, to ivalh worthy of God unto all pleasing. It was directly, my brethren, with a view to enforce the du- ties of the christian vocation, that the apostle introduced the solemn and impressive representation of our text. Wherefore, says he, lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees ; and make straight paths for your feet, lest that tvhich is lame be turned out of the way ; but let it rather be healed. Fol- low peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. Looking diligently, lest any man fail of the grace of God ; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled ; lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For, adds the apostle, ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto black- ness, and darkness, and tempest ; but ye are come unto mount Zi- on. And what, more strongly than this consideration, my chris- tian brethren, should influence you to the greatest circumspection, humility, and holiness of life ? Have you indeed come to mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem ? Are you admitted to the society and {e\\owsh\^ o^ innumerable angels, of the general assembly and church of the first born, which arc loritten in heaven, of God the Judge of all, and of the spirits of just men made perfect ? Have you been redeemed, not with cor- ruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation ; but by the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb withoxit blem- ish, and without spot ? And can you then be forgetful of your high and. holy vocation ? or can you dishonour your exahed re- lations to your God and Saviour, and to the whole family of heaven .'' Can you keep any terms with sin, or defile your- selves with the pollutions of the world .'* Will you not rather come out from among them, and be separate, and keep even your garments unspotted .'' Will you not receive the exhortations, be harmless and blameless, the chikheyi of God vithout rebuke ; 348 SERMON XXVIII. ^et your affections on things above, not on things on the earth ; as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to your former lusts in your ignorance ; but, as he who hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation ? 4. We are led to a view of the deplorable condition of those, who are trusting, not in the merits of Christ, but in their own supposed righteousness, for acceptance with God, and for eter- nal life. To mount Sinai we are to look, my hearers, for the exhi- bitions of the law ; to mount Zion, for the exhibitions of the gospel. To all who seek to be justified by the law, Christ is dead in vain. They have not come to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, or to the blood of sprinkling, which speaketh better things than that of Mel. And, therefore, they ai'e not come to mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Je- rusalem. They have no part nor lot in this holy and" happy city. They have no fellowship with the innumerable company of angels, with the general assembly and church of the first born, which are written in heaven, with God the Judge of all, or with the spirits of just men made perfect. Those who have arrived at mount Zion, which is above, are only those who have washed their rotes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. We hear of none there, who attained to that holy place by their own righteousness. There are none there, who cannot join in the song of Moses, and in the song of the Lamb ; none, who cannot ascribe salvation, glory, honour, and blessing to the gra- cious Redeemer, saying. Thou art worthy of these ascriptions, for thou ivast slain, and hast redeemed us to God, by thy blood, and hast made us unto our God kings and priests. In these ascriptions, surely, those who seek to be justified by the deeds of law can bear no part; and, therefore, they can have no part in the privileges of those who are come to mount Zion. No ; but for all their hopes, and for all their consolations, they must look to mount Sinai, the mount that might be touched, and which burned with fire. Behold them, then, at the foot of that awful mount. See the terrors of the Almighty there displayed, the blackness, and darkness, and tempest, the lightnings and the SERMON XXVIII. 349 thunders, the sound of the trumpet, and the voice ofivords. And hear the tremendous warning, Take heed to yourselves that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it ; beivare that ye approach not, lest ye perish ! Alas, for them ! What shall they do ? Verily, it is a fearful thing for them to fall into the hands of the living God ; for our God is a consuming fire. O, my hearers, take warning in season ; and flee from the terrors of mount Sinai, to the throne of mercy, erected on mount Zion. Remember that by the deeds of the law, no flesh shall be justified in the sight of God. Turn, then, to the blood of the cross ; penitently confess your sins before God ; and gratefully lay hold on the precious hope set before you in the gospel. SERMON XXIX. COMMUNION IN THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST. 1 Corinthians x. 16. 7%e cup of blessing rshich we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ ? The bread which we breakj is it not the commun' ion of the body of Christ. A. JUST conception of our being, of our moral state, of our relations, and of our destination, is an attainment as rare as it is difficult. The multitude suffer themselves to float down with the current of things, considering very little what they are, what is the end of their existence, what should be the grand object of their regard, or whither the current will ultimately carry them. This is the thoughtlessness of folly. A wise man desires to know himself, the beings with whom he is connected, and the objects with which he is concerned ; that he may see what he should seek, and what he should shun ; what he has to do, and what he has to expect. If I do not misjudge, my brethren, the subject, to which your attention is now invited, will afford some light for this important inquiry. Man is denominated a religious being. Certainly he is a being, to whose true dignity and happiness religion is indispen- sably essential. The religion for man, as all christians will ad- mit, is the religion of the Bible, or of the gospel. Of this re- ligion, the sacrament of the holy supper is the highest ordi- nance, and the most clear and comprehensively significant sym- SERMON XXIX. 351 bol. If, then, we have a right understanding of this holy sacra- ment, we shall have conceptions proportionably clear, of our most important relations, our chief duties, our highest good, and our ultimate destiny. The import of the holy supper is concisely set forth in our text. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the commun- ion of the blood of Christ ? The bread ivhich we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ ? Of the bread, our Lord himself, when instituting the supper, said, this is my body ; of the cup, this is my blood; — by which we understand, that the bread is a symbol of his body, and the cup a symbol o( his hhod, as exhibited upon the cross. And he adds, this do, as oft as ye eat it, and as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me ; that is, in sacred commemoration of my death. In sacredly commemo- rating the death of the Lord Jesus, we solemnly profess our joint concern and interest in it. We sacramentally attest and seal our communion in his body, and in his blood ; our joint participation of the spirit and purpose of their exhibition upon the cross. Our doctrine then is, that the partaking of the lord's SUPPER IS A SYMBOLICAL AND SACRAMENTAL DECLARATION OF COMMUNION, OR JOINT INTEREST AND PARTICIPATION, IN THE GREAT DESIGN OF HIS DEATH. It is symbohcal, because it is a declaration, not in words, but in significant action, or emblematical representation. It is sacramental, because it is a sacred sign, of the solemn and binding nature of an oath. And that partaking of the Lord's supper is a declaration or attestation of communion in his death, and therefore, certainly, in its design, is, I trust, sufficiently clear, without further comment, from the words of the apostle, so evidently and closely in agreement with those of our Lord himself. On this clear and high testimony, I take the doctrine as clearly and incontrovertibly true. And 1 now propose to show, I. What the design of our Lord's death was ; and II. What communion in it includes, or implies. The design of Christ's death is declared in the scriptures, with great distinctness and fulness. He himself says. The Son 352 SERMON XXIX. of man came .... to give his life a ransom tor many. ^5 they ivere eating, he took bread and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to his disciples, and said, Take, eat, this is my body WHICH IS BROKEN FOR YOU. And hc took the cup and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying. Drink ye all ofit; for this is my blood of the JVew Testament, which is shed for many for THE remission OF SINS. This is in agreement with ancient prophetick scripture. If he shall make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed. And in the same chapter, the prophet, in the way of anticipation, says, He was wounded for OUR transgressions ; he tvas bruised for our iniquities j the chastisement of our peace was upon him ; and by his stripes ive are healed. Hence the apostle says, / delivered unto you first of all, that which I also received, how that Christ died FOR OUR SINS according to the scriptures. — He was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. He was OFFERED TO BEAR THE SINS OF MANY. For 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, purge your conscience from dead works, to serve the living God. — Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation, through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that he might be just and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus. — Christ our passover was sacrificed for us. — We have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins. — He is the propitiation for OUR sins, says the apostle John, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. — Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God, and his Father ; to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. And the spirits of the just made perfect, even the general assembly and church of the first born in heaven, are said to sing a new song ; thou art worthy for thou loast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation. SERMON XXIX. 353 In these passages, we are most plainly taught, that Christ died for mankind — for all mankind ; that he gave himself to death as a ransom, a price of redemption, for many ; — as an offering to God — a sacrifice — a propitiation or atonement — for sin ; and that by or through his death, all who believe on him actually receive forgiveness of sin, are freely justified by divine grace, and obtain salvation with eternal glory. The great design, then, of our Lord's death was, to make atonement for sin, and to redeem mankind from guilt and wo to God and to happiness. This is the design in which the partak- ing of the holy supper is a symbolical and sacramental decla- ration of communion. Let us now, II. Consider what is included or implied in this sacred and high communion. The first thing which here presents itself is, a cordial acknowledgment of the truth of the doctrine. If we disbelieve or oppose this truth — if we do not heartily receive and acknowl- edge it — we can have, certainly, no communion or participation in the matter. It will be to us only as an idle fiction, or a hurt- ful error, or a matter from which we keep ourselves aloof. If we really have communion in the design of Christ's death, we must hold it as a momentous truth, dear to our hearts, that he did die as a propitiation for sin, and for the redemption of sin- ful men ; and a sacramental declaration of this communion, is a solemn and sacred acknowledgment and attestation of the truth. Another thing included in this holy communion, is an acknowl- edgment of the necessity of such an atoning sacrifice. If we hold it as a truth, that the Lord from heaven gave his life a ransom for mankind, and the feehngs of our hearts are in accordance with this truth ; we must believe and acknowledge that such a redemption was necessary : For the admission, or supposition, that God, supremely wise and good, would give his Son, or that the Son, the brightness of the Father^s glory, and the express image of his person, would give himself to die upon the cross, as a propitiation for the sins of the world, when there existed no necessity for such a sacrifice, must be everlastingly repugnant to all right reason an right feeling. 45 354 SERMON XXIX. But, from what could the necessity arise, but from the real state of mankind. For sinless beings no atonement, no pro- pitiatory sacrifice can be needed ; an atonement for such be- ings would be dishonourable to God, and injurious to them. And even for sinful beings, such a sacrifice as that of the Lord of glory, could not have been necessary, if any smaller sacri- fice, or any less expensive means, either in their own power, or in the power of God, would have been sufficient for their re- demption. It could, then, have been only for sinful beings, that Christ gave his life a ransom ; and for such, whose redemption or re- covery could not have been effected by any smaller sacrifice, or any less expensive means. Such, then, in the view of God, were all mankind, when he sent his Son to taste death for every man, and be a propitiation for the sins of the whole ivorld. So strong is the apostle when he says, We thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead ; — dead, as being in a state of moral corruption, guilt, and condemnation, from which they could neither recover themselves, nor be recovered, but by such a ransom. Such is the awfully affecting import of the death of Christ ; and such the humiliating and deep felt acknowledgment of all who have communion in the great design of his death. This holy communion includes, moreover, a cordial ap- proval of the law and of the justice of God. Sin is a transgression of the divine law ; and it is from the curse, or penalty of the law, incurred by transgression, that man- kind are redeemed by the blood of Chi'ist. If the law were unreasonable, either in its requirements or in its penalty, it could not be for good that it should be sustained and magnified by such a sacrifice. Instead of being for good, it would be an evil of most tremendous aspect, as it would be giving the highest possible sanction to injustice, and show the most inflexible de- termination to enforce what ought never to have been exacted, or enjoined. Better, it should seem, incalculably better, that the law should be annulled, or its penalty remitted, without any substitutional atonement. SERMON XXIX. S55 An acknowledgment, then, of the necessity of the death of Christ, for the redemption of mankind, carries in it an acknowl- edgment of the reasonableness and importance of maintaining the law in all its majesty and force ; and there can be no real communion in this design, without a cordial approval of the law, as holy^ and just, and good, and also of the justice of God, in refusing to remit or abate the penalty, without an equivalent sacrifice. Here the communion becomes direct and intimate. By his death, Jesus Christ has magnijied the law and made it honour- able. When he came from heaven on his great errand, and when he yielded himself up to the cross, the law of God was in his heart. He lived and he died to fulfil the law, and to give to it strength and glory. The first commandment of all is. Thou shah love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. The second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself These two commandments, in all their extent, and in all the variety of duties and offices involved in them, Jesus Christ fulfilled. His life on earth throughout, was one continued, uniform, and clear expression of love to God his Father. His death was an expression to the same effect, and of the highest possible emphasis. All that he did, and all that he suffered, was in obedience expressly to the will of his Father, from love to him, and a desire, of unmeasur- ed strength and intensity, to glorify his name. Nor less un- equivocally and emphatically, at the same time, did his life and his death evince his love to his neighbour ; — his love to men — to all mankind — in whose nature he appeared, and for whose good he laboured, and suffered unto death. Communion, then, in the great design of the Saviour's death, is, in its very nature, and feeling, and exercise, direct and inti- mate communion with him ; for including, as it does, a cordial approval of the divine law, its spirit and essence must be the love which the law requires ; the holy love to God and to fel- low beings, which ruled in his heart, and was displayed in all his doings and sufferings. All true communicants are joined to him in one spirit ; in love to the same beings, and desire for the same objects. 356 SERMON XXIX. Once more ; this high and sacred communion includes a cordial and grateful ackaovvledgment and approval of the stu- pendous exemplification given by Christ, in his death, of the affectionate and beneficent nature of holy love, and the un- measured extent to which it will go. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends ; but God hath commended his love to- ward us, in that while we were yet enemies Christ died for us. We had shown ourselves to be enemies — determined enemies. During four thousand years, the Saviour had been seeking our good, and exercising the high and gracious functions of Medi- ator, to save us from going down, the whole race together, to endless perdition ; and God, with infinite patience, forbearance, and long-suffering, had been conferring upon generation after generation unnumbered benefits and blessings; and during that long period, the world was in open and unyielding rebellion, alienated from God by wicked works, trampHng, with daring de- fiance, upon his authority and law, changing his glory into tl:e vilest images, spurning his offers of pardon and peace, perse- cuting and murdering his messengers, and fiUing the earth with every thing abominable in his sight. After all this, the Son of God came into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the "world through him might be saved. He appeared in our na- ture, in all the mildness, and benignity, and tenderness, aid loveliness, of heavenly grace and truth. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. He was despised and rejected of men. The malignity of their hearts was exerted to the utmost; and the language of their conduct towards him, as strikingly represented in his own most affecting parable, was, This is the heir ; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours. With a zeal and audacity, which might well amaze the uni- verse, they engaged in the desperate design ; — seized the Prince of Glory — insulted him with a mock trial at a bar of iniquity, — spit in his face, — scourged him, — crowned him with thorns, — and nailed him to the cross. He went as a lamb to the slaughter ; and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. All this was perfectly known to him, when he came from the bosom of the Father ; — the whole wickedness of mankind, and SERMON XXIX. 357 the whole of the sufferings which he must undergo for our re- demption, were present to his mind ; — and yet he freely came, and freely gave himself up, to die amidst all this enmity and ignominy — to die for his enemies — to die for us, and for all mankind. And this he did in obedience to the Father, and in fulfilment of tl)e law. Such, then, is the nature, and such the extent of tliat love, which is the end of the commandment. To- wards God, it is the most pure, dutilul, cheerful, intense, unre- served, and unmeasured devotion ; and towards fellow beings,, it is pure, affectionate, active, tender, and unrestrained good will, which suffereth long and is kind, and endureth all things. So it appears, as exemplified by the Son of God, and the Sa- viour of men ; and to this high and affecting exemplification all true communicants of his body and of bis blood, devoutly and sacramentally, accord their sincere, and tender, and grateful^ and admiring approval. The subject affords some interesting and important inferen- ces and reflections. 1. It appears from it that the union between Christ and his redeemed people is founded upon a basis, than which none could be more solid, or more durable. There is in it no healing of the breach between God and sin- ful men slightly ; no wrapping up of things, by which hereafter it might be disturbed ; no compromise upon unexplained or un- defined considerations. All is open and clear as the Hght of heaven. All is explicit and thorough. The high and holy pre- rogatives and claims of tlie eternal throne are, on the one part, asserted and vindicated in their utmost extent ; and on the other part, cordially, tenderly, and decisively acknowledged and ap- proved. It is distinctly asserted on the one part, and acknowl- edged on the other, that the law of God is holy, and every com- mandment holy, and jiist, and good ; that it is altogether right and fit, and essential to the well-being of the universe, that the moral creatures of God should love him, the source of all be- ing, and the sum of excellence, with all their hearts and powers ; and that, deriv^ing their existence from the same common source^ and depending for all things oa the same common munificence, ^bb SERMON XXIX. they should love one another as themselves : — That a violatiou of this law tends to evil of undefinable extent, and deserves the punishment which the law denounces : — That mankind, in their unredeemed state, are all under sin and just condemnation : — That, had not God, in his sovereign wisdom and goodness, pro- vided a ransom, the whole race, must have been forever lost : — and that the way of their recovery, through the propitiation ex- iiibited upon the cross, and by repentance towards God, and faith in the Redeemer, is most gracious on the part oi Gori, and most reasonable, and safe, and felicitous for men. All this is fully stated, explained, agreed to, settled, and sealed, in ihe presence of the universe, and by attestations and sanctions, as sacred and as solemn as the blood of the Son of God, and the powers of the world to come, could render them. Such, my brethren, are the principles, on which the union between Christ and his redeemed ones is founded. They are the principles of eternal truth, and righteousness, and goodness ; and they constitute a basis, as firm and as undecaying as that which supports the throne of Jehovah, and the happiness of heaven. 2. This union between Christ and his redeemed is such as must be full of the most pure, exalted, and undiminishing de- light. Its immovable stability, and its establishment upon princi- ples supremely excellent, must ever inspire delighttul feehngs of elevated security and dignity. But this is not all. It is a union of love ; of love in its purest nature, and in most interest- ing and endearing forms. Christ has loved them, and given himself for them, and re- deemed them from endless perdition to immortal glory, with his own blood. This was pure benevolence; it was divine com- passion in all its tenderness, and in its most wonderful and af- fecting condescension. In their state of guilty wretchedness they could have been no objects of his complacency ; they had noth- ing to render them lovely in his sight, but every thing loathsome; nothing to recommend them to his attention, but their misery, and the opportunity they aitbrded him of exerting and mani- SERMON XXIX. 350 testing the kindness of his heart, in a way to glorify God and "promote the great interests of tlie universe. But a change in them has ensued. By the mighty efforts of his grace, they have been recovered to a better mind and a better state. Mehed to tenderness by the power of his dying love, they have returned from their guihy wanderings, and alienations, and corruptions, and, at the foot of his cross, confessed their vileness, cast them- selves upon sovereign mercy through his blood, and with hearts of love, and gratitude, and affectionate confidence, committed themselves, and their interests for eternity, into his hand. At first, indeed, and so long as they are continued in this v^•orld, they struggle with evil propensities and influences, and are blem- ished with many imperfections. But the same grace which be- gun the good work in them will advance it to perfection. Mil- lions are already made complete in the image of their Saviour, and the rest are following on in the same ascending course. Now, then, they are no more enemies. Now he regards them not merely with benevolence and compassion, but with complacency and delight — with all the tender and exquisite sen- sibilities and satisfactions, which must result from what he has done for them, and from what they express and feel of the ten- derest and most grateful affections towards him. In this state, and with these feelings, he presents them to his Father ; — and, well pleased with his beloved Son, and with the fruits of his re- deeming love, the Father graciously accepts them and receives them to his bosom, as his own sons and daughters. As it is in union with himself that Christ presents his redeemed people to his Father ; and as it is in union with him that the Father re- ceives them ; so, in Christ, and as one with him, they are ad- mitted to intimate union even with the Father. To this effect was the Saviour's intercessory prayer. I pray for them that they all may be one, as thou Father art in mc, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us : / in them, anJ thou in me, that they may he made perfect in one ; and that thr world may know, that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them c-s thou hast loved me. Thus the wonderful circle is closed. It was from the bo- 360 SERMON XXIX. Som of the Father's love that the Son came to give his life a ransom for many ; and back to the bosom of his Father's love he returns, bringing with him the embodied millions of his re- deemed ; and there, in him, they dwell in the Father, and the Father, dwelling in him, dwells also in them. This union, then, comprises the n)utual love of the Father and the Son, all the affections of both the Father and the Son towards the redeemed ; and all the affections of the redeemed towards them, and towards one another. And in the varied ex- ercises and communications of these multiplied and intermingled, pure and exalted affections, and with the countless circumstan- ces of the deepest interest, and the most exquisite tenderness, to give to them a never remitting intensity, the holy union must immeasurably exceed in delight, all that eye hath seen, or ear heard, or heart of man or angel conceived. Oh, my brethren, how faint is the clearest view which I can give, or you can have, of the ultimate blessedness and gloi*y of the communion of the body and blood of Christ ! 3. It appears from our subject that, in the death of the Son of God, an exhibition was made of moral goodness, which must be of the highest interest and importance to the universe, through endless ages. The Son of God, sent from the bosom of the Father, came into our world, and died upon the cross, for the redemption of guilty, lost mankind. This, my brethren, is love ; this is moral goodness. The angels of light, indeed, and other intelligent creatures, might have had some right conceptions of the goodness of God, and of the nature of moral goodness in general, without such an exhibition. But it may well be questioned, whether, without such an exhibition, they could ever have had conceptions so elear and exalted, or impressions so profound and effective, as the death of Christ has given them. Here it is seen at once that holy love, or moral goodness, does not consist in merely admiring what is excellent, — nor in merely being pleased that others are good and happy, — nor in merely desiring that the vicious may become virtuous, and the SERMON XXIX. 3G1 miserable rise to happiness ; but, in seeking the good of others, and endeavouring, by all the means properly in our power, to promote it. The Saviour was blessed, in the glory which he had with the Father before the world was. He loved the Father, and delighted himself in the illimitable excellences of the divine character. And he was pleased with the happiness and the praises of angels, and the various and numerous orders of holy beings, whom he had created. But all this did not suffice for him. There was a world in ruins — a race of creatures in cor- ruption and wretchedness. To recover them would cost an im- mense sacrifice and an immense effort. It was the pleasure of the Father, that the sacrifice and effort should be made ; and it was tlie pleasure of the Son to make them. If the divine dis- position to do good is manifest in all the divine works; yet this instance staods out, amidst the whole, with such prominence and ■splendour, as to be seen and felt by all intelligent beings. And if it might otherwise have been known, that divine goodness would make great exertions for the promotion of happiness ; yet it could hardly have been known, or imagined, that it would make great sacrifices. It is not then without reason, that Jesus Christ is styled the Sun of Righteousness ; for in him righteousness, or true moral goodness, shines with a resplendence which enlightens the universe, and shows to all moral beings how they should feel, and how they should act. The redeemed from among men, beholding this glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, are changed into the same inw age, from glory unto glory — from one degree of conformity to another, until they are made complete in his likeness. The un- told millions of the redeemed will all be formed upon this model ; will all be raised up to this standard ; wiir all have the same mind in them that was in their Redeemer and .Lord. In them all, virtue, or moral goodness, will be an active principle, seeking not its own ; but, supremely, the glory of God, and sub- serviently, and in conformity to the will of God, the good of fellow beings, to the extent of its abilities and meflns; 4G 302 SERMON XXIX. Angels have contemplated the astonishing exhibition, and beheld the glory, until they are fired with the same spirit. Not only, indeed, does the redemption of mankind show what moral goodness is, and what efforts and sacrifices it will make ; but it affords, also, an occasion for the exercise and man- ifestation of it, by all beings in whom it exists. The atoning sacrifice has been made once for all ; but great efibrts, and gi eat sacrifices, are yet to be made, before the great design will be completed. The world still lies in wickedness ; is still covered with darkness, and immersed in corruption. Its conversion to God, its recovery to truth, to holiness, and to happiness, through the blood of the cross, is still an object of the deepest interest to the benevolent heart. God is engaged — Christ is engaged — his redeemed ones, on earth and in heaven, are engaged — angels are engaged, in the momentous design. In this design, indeed, all benevolent minds and hearts meet, and mingle, and commune. And here it is that all things, in heaven and in earth, are gather- ing together in one, even in Christ. By his death for the re- demption of men, all holy beings are brought into united action, as one body, animated by one Spirit. Hence, a mutual fellow feeling is diffused, and common interest is felt; and the spirit of grateful love to God, and affectionate kindness to his creatures, pervades his immense kingdom, with a tenderness, and liveliness, and intensity, which otherwise, so far as appears, could never have been known. Again, my brethren, I am compelled to say, how faint are our clearest views, how low our most raised conceptions, of the communion of the body and blood of the Lord Jesus ! — But enough may have been seen, to show to every mind what the spirit of the gospel is, and to bring home to every heart the im- portance of being possessed of this Spirit. Enough, surely, must have been seen, to convince every hearer, whose mind is open to conviction, that it is no small thing to be a christian — a true communicant in the great design of Christ's death. O that the Spirit of all grace would set home the conviction, with an energy to dissolve the hardest heart, and to prostrate the most unyielding mind at the foot of the cross ! SERMON XXX. PAUL S BENEVOLENCE TOWARDS HIS NATION, *&» Romans ix. 1 — 5. I say the truth in Christy I lie not, my conscience also bearing me wit- ness in the Holy Ghost, that I have great heaviness^ and continual sorrow in my heart : For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ, for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh ; who are Israelites, to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises ; whose are the fathers, and of whom, as con- cerning the flesh, Christ came, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. Jc EW passages of the holy writings have more engaged the attention, or exercised the minds of various classes of people, than this. To the commentator, it has ministered occasion for great latitude of criticism ; to theorists, for much adventurous speculation ; and to many, of dangerous stumbling, or darken- ing perplexity. It is scarcely possible for the passage to be read, or heard, without a profound impression of singular solemnity and pathos. It commences witli a strong assevera- tion, of the nature of an oath. 7 say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, that I have great heaviness, and continual sorrow in my heart. With all this awful sacredness of manner, and in terms of no or- dinary strength and intensity, it expresses an ardour — an agony 364 SERMON XXX. of concern, almost without parallel or example. I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ, for my brethren, my kins- men according to the flesh. And, to give the deeper impression, circumstances of high interest, and most affecting association, are accumulated. Who are Israelites ; to xvhom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises ; whose are the fathers, and of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, God blessed forever. Whatever difficulties, or differences of opinion, there may be, in regard to particular phrases, or points, in this passage, there can be none, in regard to its general scope, or main pur- port. It is, most clearly, a strong expression of intensely affec- tionate benevolence. It is in this light, precisely, that I would now hold it before yoiu- minds ; and my })urpose is, to consider, I. The reasons for this remarkable expression of benevo- lence. And, II. The manner and extent, in which it is to be understood. It is not to be supposed, that the apostle would lightly utter such an asseveration, or on any slight occasion thus solemnly appeal to Christ, who trieth the reins iand hearts, or to the Koly Spirit, who searcheth all things, yea even the deep things of God. What, then, were the reasons for this earnest and solemn ex-- pression of benevolent affection ? As an avowed disciple and minister of the Lord Jesus, it became the apostle at ail times, and on all occasions, to mani- fest affectionate kindness and good will towards all men. It became him to make it every where evident, that the same mind was in him, which was also in his divine Master, who commend- ed his love towards fallen mankind, in that, ivhile we ivcre yet tnemies, he died for us. And, in this respect, tlie apostle of the Gentiles was eminently distinguished. No other man ever more clearly or more constantly evinced, that the spirit of Christ, the spirit of that charity which seeketh not her own, and which suf- fereth long and is kind, dwelt and ruled in his heart. As an Hebreiv of the Hebrews, a genuine Israelite, he was connected with that nation, by the ties of affinity and of blood, SERMON XXX. 365 .strengthened by all thai nature and grace could impart to them of inierestj and tenderness, and force. Not only were they liis brethren, his kinsmen according to the flesh, and, as such, prop- erly objects of his particular attention and regard, attachment and concern ; but, to t-hem belonged many circumstances of dis- tinction, most deeply interesting to every true friend of God and man. They were Israelites ; descendants of the renowned Patriarch who had power with God, and prevailed ; who re- ceived a new name, as a perpetual memoiial of his faith, and his interest in the divine favour ; and to whom the promise, first made to Abraham, was renewed, that in his seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed. To them pertained the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises. In his wise, and holy, and gracious sovereignt}-, Jehovah had chosen that nation out of all the nations of the earth, to be a peculiar people unto himself; had adopted them, by solemnly avouching them to be his people, and himself to be their God; had condescended to dwell in the midst of them, in a visible symbol of his presence, called dis- tinctively, THE GLORY OF THE LoRD ; and entered into special engagements with them, in the form of covenants, comprising invaluable priv^ileges and endowments ; had given them his law of perfect rectitude and benignity, and his ordinances of divine service, suited most deeply to impress them with the beauties of his holiness, the condescensions of his mercy, and the riches of his grace, and to conduct them to immortaUty and glory ; and had propounded to them the great and precious promises, which comprehend all the blessings to be conferred on mankmd, in time and in eternity. Theirs luere the fathers. The patriarchs, and prophets, and righteous men, who had been the lights of successive ages, were their progenitors. And of them, as con- cerning the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for- ever. The long promised and expected Messiah,* the desire of all nations, as to his human nature, descended from their patri- archs and kings, and was one of their nation, the glory of his people Israel, and to he for salvation to the ends of the earth. 300 SERMON XXX. Surely, then, as a man, as a Hebrew, as a christian, as a de- voted friend to the kingdom of God, and the best interests of mankind, the apostle could not but regard the Hebrew nation with the most ardent sensibility ; for he found, intimately ass«- ciated with them, all that was dear to his affections, and pre- cious to his hopes. At the same time, however, there also pertained to them circumstances, facts, and prospects, which could not fail to pene- trate his heart with the keenest anguish. As a people, they had forsaken God that made them, and lightly esteemed the Rock of their salvation. They had provoked him to jealousy. They had killed his prophets, and stoned his messengers, who had been sent unto them. And, when the Son of God appeared among them, full of grace and truth, they had despised and re- jected him ; hated both him and his Fadier ; and filled up the measure of their iniquity, by nailing him to the cross, and by afterwards persecuting his followers, refusing his offered grace, and resisting the Holy Ghost, sent down with power to accom- pany the publication of his gospel. All this was laid up in store with God, and sealed up among his treasures ; to him belonged vengeance and recompense ; and the day of tremendous crisis had arrived. They who had been so long honoured with the name, and favoured with the high privileges of his people, having thus broken the everlasting covenant, forfeited their inestimable blessings, and distinctions, and incurred his righteous indignation, were now to be disown- ed and cast off. Their city was to be destroyed ; their Jioly and their beautiful house was to be razed to its foundations; and they were to be destroyed or scattered among the nations, for a bveword and a hissing to all people, far from God, from faith, and from hope, for many generations. This dreadful dereliction, with all its appalling and excruci- ating circumstances, of guilt and of misery, was present to the mind of the inspired apostle. His divine Lord and Master had before wept over the approaching scene ; and no wonder that he himself should agonize, in contemplation of its nearer ap- proach, and its thickening horrours. SERMON XXX. 307 Already, in a former part of this epistle, he had glanced up- on this distressing subject of the rejection of his nation ; and now he was about to bring it under direct and explicit discus- sion. Besides the extreme painfulness of the subject in itself, knowing as much as he did of human nature, he could not but be aware, that his unbelieving countrymen would be greatly ex- asperated by what he had to deliver upon it, and would be ready to injpute it to an uncharitable and malevolent disposition. For such an apprehension he had the greater reason, since on account of his extraordinary conversion to the christian faith, his zeal in the cause, and especially his devotedness to the ser- vice of Christ, among the Gentile nations, he was regarded, by his countrymen, with the most wakeful jealousy, and persecut- ed with the most rancorous resentment. It was, therefore, strongly to be anticipated, that his statements and representa- tions, respecting the rejection of the Jews, and the reception of the Gentiles, would be attributed, not to mere want of afl'ection and attachment to his countrymen, but even to feelings of ani- mosity and revenge. Such, my brethren, appear to have been the reasons for the apostle's singularly solemn and energetick expression of affectionate benevolence, towards the people of his nation. And these reasons, you will perceive, were of great -Strength and urgency. — Let us now, as proposed. II. Consider the manner, and extent, in which this extraor- dinary expression of benevolence is to be understood. / have great heaviness, says the apostle, with a solemn ap- peal to Christ, and to the Holy Ghost; I have great heaviness, and continual sorrow in my heart, For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ, for my brethren, my kins- men according to the flesh. The difficulty in understanding this expression lies in the phrase, accursed from Christ. This phrase has been urgently criticised, and variously interpreted ; but a recital of the differ- ent criticisms and interpretations, would not conduce much to your edification. I pray God, that, in what may now be at- tempted, no violence may be done to tb.e text, nor its meaning be perverted or obscured. 308 SERMON XXX. The vvoi'd, here rendered accursed, occurs in the New Tes- tament, only in a few instances. The word is anathema ; the primary signification of which is, a thing, or person, separated, or set apart. In sacred acceptation, it means a thing, or a per- son, separated, or set apart, from a common, to a sacred use; and, in its strongest and ultimate sense, it denotes a thing, or a per- son, not merely set apart for sacred use, hut devoted as a victim for sacrifice, or destruction. In this sense, the word was in use with the ancient Pagans. A victim, whether beast, or human person, devoted to the gods for sacrifice upon the altar, or to be slain for the good of the nation, was called anathema. In the siivth chapter of the book of Joshua, we read concern- ing Jericho, And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the Lord ; only Rahalj the harlot shall live, she, and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the mes- sengers that ive sent. And ye, in any wise, keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. The meaning here is plain. Excepting Rahab, and those in the house with her, the city, and all that were in it, were set apart from common use, and devoted to the Lord. The silver and gold, and vessels of brass and of iron, as after- wards appears, were to be brought into the treasury of the Lord, and the residue was devoted to destruction. Achan partook of the accursed thing, and became himself accursed ; and he was, accordingly, stoned to death, and then burned with fire, as a victim. The word was in use among the Jews, in the days of Christ and his apostles. Their form of excommunication from the synagogue, or from the Jewish church, began with the words- anathcma maranatha ; and the meaning was, that the excommu- nicated person was solemnly separated from the community of God's people, and was to be regarded as under a curse, and devoted to destruction, until he should repent, and make his peace. The apostle seems to use the word in a similar sense, when he says, in the close of his first epistle to the Corinthians, If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema. SERMON XXX. 309 ■aiARANATHA ; and in the first of Galatians, If any man preach any other gospel unto you, than that ye have received, let him be ACCUKSED. To be accursed, then, or made anathema, was to be set apart as a victim marked for publick vengeance. Such, in all probability, is the meaning of the word in the text. Still, there is a question, as to the extent of the meaning. Is it Umited to time ? or, does it extend to eternity .'* Achan was made accursed, and he was stoned to death ; but we do not know that he was devoted to eternal destruction. The apostle, undoubtedly, did not mean absolutely to devote to eternal destruction every person, who did not, at the time, love the Lord Jesus Christ, or every preacher of another gospel. In a word, the idea of eternal destruction was not necessarily includ- ed in the terra anathema, as used by the Pagans, by the Jews, or by the primitive christians. Is there, then, any special rea- son for supposing it is included in the word, as used in our text ? Accursed from Christ. By some, the phrase is rendered accursed after the manner, or example, of Christ. This render- ing does no violence to the original, and is adopted by some commentators of honoured and excellent name. Christ was made anathema ; was excommunicated by the Jews ; was de- voted, as the High Priest expressed it, to die for the nation ; was set apart, and marked as a victim, for publick divine vengeance. He was made a curse for us, and tasted death for every man. To have been made anathema for his brethren, his kinsmen, after the manner of Christ, the apostle must have been separat- ed, as an excommunicated person, marked as a victim for pub- lick divine vengeance, and suffered and died ignominiously for them. And, had it actually been thus with him, he might have been said to be accursed from Christ, agreeably to the render- ing in our translation ; for he would have been separated from the community of Christ, as a marked victim, and as such en- dured publick vengeance. It may deserve to be noted, also, that in this there would have been a resemblance to what was so distressing to him, in the case of his nation. Thcv were to be cast off, as not beins 47 370 SERMON XXX. of the community of Christ, or of God, to which, before, they had been considered as belonging. To be sure, all of them, vviio continued in unbelief, would perish eternally, as will all final unbehevers of every nation ; but the rejection of them, which the apostle had distinctly in view, was not, itself, an ab- solute devotement to eternal destruction. There appears, then, to be no necessity for understanding the phrase as meaning eternal destruction, or everlasting sepa- ration from Christ ; since the apostle might, in a strict and proper sense, have been made anathema, or accursed from Christ, and yet been finally saved, and admitted to the everlast- ing enjoyment of his God and Saviour, in the kingdom of glory. Unquestionably, however, the apostle did mean to express a willingness to endure very great suffering — the utmost extremity of suffering, indeed, which, in the exercise of love to God and man, he could endure ; if, by that means, the impending catas- trophe of his nation might be averted. He would willingly have suffered death ; for he counted not his life dear unto himself, when put in competition with the honour of Christ, or the sal- vation of men. He would willingly have been separated from the community of Christ, been regarded and ti'eated as an out- cast, and made a victim for publick vengeance. Nor is it to be supposed that, in the intenseness of his feelings, he was at all particular, in regard to any limitations, as to the kind, the dura- tion, or the quantity, of the sufferings to be endured, provided the end, which his benevolence ardently desired, might thereby have been attained. But, all this he might feel, without being willing to be separated from Christ, in such a sense as to be alienated in heart from him, and to become his enemy. To be willing to be a SUFFERER is one thing; to be willing to be a sinner is another. Christ, our great exemplar, was willing to suffer, and did suffer, as a curse for us, and was so separated as a victim for publick vengeance, as to cry out, in unmeasured agony, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me ? Butj all this was without sin ; without becoming the enemy of God, or of men. And who would not be filled with horrour at the impiety of the SERMON XXX. 371 thought, that, with all his benevolence towards mankind, Christ would have been willing, for their sakes, to be a sinner in their stead, alienated from God his Father, from truth, from righteous- ness, from all goodness, even for a moment ? To be an enemy of God, is to be an enemy to his kingdom ; an enemy to all the true holiness and happiness in the universe. Can a more palpable contradiction be imagined then, than to suppose that one may love, either God or men, with such purity and intensity of benevolence, as to be willing, for the glory of God, or for the happiness of men, to be eternally the enemy of both .'' Is it not the consummation of contradiction, to suppose, tliat the more purely and intensely we love God and men, the more willing we shall be to become alienated from them, and to hate them with perfect and everlasting enmity ? If still it be urged, that we ought to be willing to be any thing, and to do any thing, which would be for the gloiy oi God, or for the highest good of his kingdom ; it is admitted that, for his glory, and the good of his kingdom, we ought to be wil- ling to be, to do, and to suffer, all that he requires of us. More than this, is voluntary humility and will-worship, which he abominates. But, surely, God does not require of us absurdi- ties and contradictions. — He requires us, indeed, to love him ; but not so to love as to be willing to hate him. He requires us to seek his glory ; but not so to seek it as to be willing to de- stroy it. He requires us to love our fellow beings, and to seek their good ; but not so to love them, and seek their good, as to be willing to rage with eternal enmity against them, and all that constitutes their happiness. People are too often perplexed and misled by hypothetical propositions, in which something is assumed, which is utterly inadmissible. Of this kind is the proposition, that we ought to be wiUing to sin for the glory of God. No person ever did, or ever can, glorify God, by sinning. God may, indeed, glorify himself by means of sin ; by the instrumentality, or the ])unish- ment of sinners. But, what God does is one thing ; what we do is another. He requires us to glorify him in all things ; and this we can do only by loving, obeying, and serving hiu) with all our hearts and powers. And, with just as much truth might it hr 372 SERMON XXX. said, that we ought to be willing that God should falsify his word, break his promises, or abrogate his law, if it would be for his glory, and the good of his kingdom, as it can be said that, for these objects, a christian ought to be willing to be a sin- ner, a reprobate, an eternal enemy of all good. Nor would there be any end to hypothetical propositions of a similar kind. The memorable case of Moses is commonly coupled with this of Paul. At the command of God, and under his special guidance, Moses had conducted the chosen tribes out of Egypt, for the purpose of taking possession of the land of promise. At Horeb, the people sinned a great sin, in the matter of the golden calf. God was angry with them, and, in his righteous indigna- tion, proposed to Moses that they should be destroyed, and that of him should be made a great nation, which should be put in possession of the land. Moses was overwhelmed with distress, and prayed that, if it were possible, their sin might be forgiven ; but, if not, and they must be destroyed, that he, also, might die with them ; as he could not endure the thought of surviving, to witness their destruction, and the reproach which he supposed would consequently be brought upon Jehovah's name, among the surrounding heathen nations. This, most evidently, is the import of his prayer, And now, if thou wilt, forgive their sin ; and if not, blot me, J pray thee, out of thy book, which thou hast written ; — not the book of eternal life ; but the book, or regis- ter, for the inheritance of the promised land, from which the whole nation was then threatened to be blotted out. On the whole, neither the case of Paul, nor that of Moses, when duly considered, afford any support to the doctrine of be- ing willing to be eternal reprobates, enemies to all good, and ob- jects of just abhorrence to all holy beings, for the glory of God, or for the salvation of mankind. REFLECTIONS. 1. The holy apostle, in what has now been under our con- sideration, is an example for us. We have here an instance of genuine and ardent benevolence. According to this example, it is right that we should feel an af- fectionate attachment to our kindred, our connections, and our SERMON XXX. 37.3 nation ; that we should take a paiticulaily Hvely interest in their welfare, and especially in their spintual wcli'arc, and eternal sal- v-ation ; and that we shoidd be willing to labour and suffer for them all that we can conformably to the will of God, and our duty to him, and to others- of mankind. Nor should this affec- tionate benevolence be abated, by any ingratitude or unkind- ness, which we may experience. From the people of his na- tion, towards whom he expresses such an ardour of affectionate good will, Paul had received the most unkind and cruel treat- ment ; and, at the moment of this expression of his strong affection, he was the object of their unrelenting jealousy, and hatred, and persecution. Neither should our benevolence to- wards our connections, or others, be abated, on account of their opposition to the truth, or hostility to the cause and kingdom of the Lord Jesus ; but these very circumstances, strongly as the} should excite our disapprobation, should serve to awaken in us the more lively and affectionate concern for them, and to en- gage our more earnest desires and endeavours for their good. It was on account of their enmity to the truth, and hostility lo the Lord Jesus and his cause, especially, that Paul had such great heaviness and continual sorrow in his heart for them, and was ready to suffer, to the utmost extremity, on their behalf. But, with all our ardent attachment to our kindred, connections, and friends, we should also exercise a fervent benevolence to- wards others. Strongly as Paul was attached to his brethren, and his nation, he felt himself to be debtor also to the Greeks, and to the barbarians, and made the most astonishing efibrts for their conversion and salvation. In all this, he followed his di- vine Master, who, though he was rich, for our sakes became poor, that we, through his poverty, might be rich, and tasted death for every man. This was the mind that was in Christ Jesus. My brethren, is the same mind in us ? 2. It occurs, as an obvious reflection, that it is not incom- patible with the most perfect benevolence and affectionate at- tachment, to endeavour to convince people of their errours, plainly to declare to them the truth, or faithfully and ^olrmnlv to uaro them of their danger. o74 SERMON XXX. All this was done by Paul, towards those for whose sakes, he would willingly have offered himself a victim for publick vengeance. Wherever he went preaching the gospel, he la- boured, most earnestly, to convince the Jews of their de^tiuc- live errour, and warned them, in the plainest and most soienm manner, of the woful consequences of persisting in their unbe- lief. Even in this very epistle, which bears such decisive tes- timony to the sincerity and strength of his affection, he exposes their errours, and represents their guilt and their danger in the strongest light. 3. It deserves to be distinctly noted, that the highest out- \yard privileges are no security against final perdition. The Jews were a most highly favoured people ; lifted, in respect to their privileges, as it were even to heaven. In their privileges, too, they trusted, and of thera made their boast. We have Abraham, said they, to our father. The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are these. And they seemed to imagine that hardly were any other nation, or people, to have any share in the favour and kingdom of God, or in the attention and benevolence of his friends. But it was a vain confidence, and a boast most offensive to heaven. Ac- cording to the awful predictions of the prophets, and denunci- ations of the Saviour, they were rejected and cast off, wrath came upon them to the uttermost, and they are to this day a signal memento and warning to all people, not to trust in out- ward privileges, and to beware that they receive not the grace of God in vain. While we should feel for that unbeheving and guilty nation, in some good measure as the holy apostle felt, every individual should be concerned for himself, and for others around him, that the same, or a similar doom be not incurred. You, my beloved friends, have all, indeed, abundant cause for thankfulness, that the gospel, with all its privileges, is still continued to you ; that you are not yet cast far away from grace, and from hope. O do not let it be in vain. Do not let these precious privileges become a savour of death unto death to you ; but flee for refuge to lay hold on the hope which is set before you. Remember, too, that notv is the accepted time ; behold, now is the day of salvation. SERMON XXXI. DIVINE GLORY DISPLAYED IN BUILDING UP ZION, Psalm cli. 16. When the Lord shall build up Zioii, he shall appear in his glorij. ^(lON is dear to the heart of every friend of God. In this pathetick psalm, the sweet singer of Israel expressed his strong affection to Zion, and his tender concern for her advancement and prosperity, in a manner peculiarly striking and affecting. The psalm is entitled, " A prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the Lord ;" and a more moving description, or representation, of a state of deep affliction and distress, is, perhaps, no where to be found. Hear my prayer, O Lord, and let my cry come unto thee. Hide not thy face from me in the day when I am. in trouble ; in- cline thine ear unto me ; in the day when I call, answer me speedily. For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as an hearth. My heart is smitten and ivithered like grass ; so that I forget to eat my bread. By reason of the voice of my groaning, my bones cleave to my skin. I am like a peli- can of the wilderness ; I am tike an owl of the desert. I watch and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top. Mine enemies reproach me all the day ; and they that are mad against me are sworn against me. For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with loeeping ; because of thint indignation and thy wrath; for thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down. 376 SERMON XXXL My days are like a shadow that dccUneth, and I am withered like grass. Such is the pathetick manner in which the afflicted psahnist pours out his complaint into the bosom of his God. But mark the transition in his feelings, and the ground on which he at once takes comfort. In the midst of his affliction, and of his complaint, he turns his view from his own case, to the ever- lasting blessedness of God, and his special favour towards Zion, and is comforted. But thou, O Lord, shalt endure forever, and thy remembrance vnto all generations. Thou shalt arise and have mercy upon Zion; for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come. For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour the dust thereof. So the heathen shall fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth thy glory. When the Lord shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his 6L0Kr. Zion was the name anciently given to the city of the sacred solemaides of the church, the place where the Lord was pleased to record his name, the holy mount whither the tribes went vp, the tribes of the Lord unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the Lord. Hence, the name was very natural- ly transferred to the church, which had her principal seat there. Casually, however, as this name may seem to have come to be applied to the church, it is peculiarly significant and appro- priate. The church, which the Lord has redeemed with his own blood, is indeed, and in a preeminent sense, Zion, a monu- ment raised up. It is a monument raised up, in the view of astonished worlds, to the honour and eternal praise of her Re- deemer and God. As David, after he had conquered the fortress of Zion, and taken it from the Jebusites, enlarged and beautified it, and made it the place of his royal residence ; so the Lord, having subdued, by his all conquering grace, and taken from the kingdom of darkness, the church of his redeem- ed, has declared his determination to make this holy city the perfection of beauty, and his favoured habitation through the Spirit forever. And, when the Lord, shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory. In this discourse, I shall endeavour to show, SERMON XXXI. 377 I. "What is implied in the Lord's building up Zion. And, II. That in building up Zion he will appear in his glory. I. What is implied in the Lord's building up Zion ? It may be answered, in brief, when the Lord shall build up Zion, he will augment her numbers ; he will increase her light and her graces ; he will subdue her enemies and multiply her triumphs. In building up Zion, the Lord will augment Uer numbers. He will make additions unto her of such as shall be saved. And, my brethren, how great and how glorious a thing is this ! Mul- titudes might, indeed, be added to the visible church, while yet in a state of unrenewed nature ; and the addition, instead of being any matter of grateful wonder and joy, would be matter of deep regret, and of great lamentation. But, a single soul added to Zion, in deed and in truth, does it not imply a brand plucked from the burning ; an immortal being snatched from the jaws of eternal death ; a blind, depraved, polluted creature, en- lightened by divine influence, renewed by divine grace, washed in the blood of the Lamb, united to him by a living faith, joined to him and to his people by the most sacred and indissoluble bonds, and advanced from strength to strength, until admitted to the general assembly and church of the first born in heaven ? By additions such as this, Zion is built up, the kingdom of Satan is weakened and diminished, and the kingdom of Christ is strength- ened and enlarged. There was a time when but kw^ perhaps less than eight souls, composed the whole church on earth. Noah and his fam- ily, secured in the ark from the universal destruction of the un- godly world around them, constituted the whole of the Lord's militant church. In the days of Abraham, the visible church was small ; but, from that memorable period down to the coming of the Messiah, many were added to the church, of such as the Lord would raise to his heavenly kingdom. Even in the dark and degenerate days of Elijah, the Lord had reserved to himself seven thousand men, who bowed not the knee to the image of Baal, in the kingdom of Israel ; besides the numerous people which he had at the same time, in the kii^gdvmi of Judali, the 48 378 SERMON XXXI. fruits of the extensive and remarkable reformation, under the reign of the pious Jehoshaphat. When the Messiah made his appearance in the flesh, a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of his people Israel^ to perform the mercy promised unto the fathers, and to remember the holy covenant, the Spirit was poured out from on high, and many of the children of Israel were turned unto the Lord their God. After his resurrection from the dead, the middle wall of partition being broken down, the Lord arose upon his church, and his glory ivas seen upon her, and the Gentiles came to her light, and kings to the brightness of her rising. During the three hundred years, from the days of the apostles to the reign of Constantine the great, the converts to righteousness were numerous, and the limits of Zion were vastly extended. And if, from the time of Constantine, to the reformation in the days of Luther and Calvin, the increase of the church was comparatively small ; yet, in the time of the reformation, thousands were turned from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God. From that period down to the present day, many have been the happy and glorious revi- vals of religion, in different parts of the world, and great have been the numbers of those whom the Lord has added to his church. Thus, in ages and generations past, has the Lord been pleased to build up Zion, by augmenting her numbers. In this way, also, is he building up Zion, in different parts of the earth, and of our land, even in the present day. And in this way will he continue to build up Zion, until the kingdom, and the great- ness of the kingdom, and the dominion under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most high God, and the ivhole earth shall be filed with the knowledge of his glory. But, Li building up Zion, the Lord will not only augment her numbers ; he will also increase her light and her graces. As the light of revelation shone with a gradual increase, until the whole was completed ; so shall the path of the just shine more and more unto the perfect day. Yes, the knowledge of Zion shall increase, until the light of the moon become as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be seven fold, as ihr SERMON XXXI. 379 light of seven days. As a good man increases in knowledge, until he arrives at the heavenly world ; so the church of Christ, as a body, will increase in her knowledge, until the final con- summation. Noah had, doubtless, greater degrees of light than Abel, Abraham greater than Noah, Moses than Abraham, David than Moses, Isaiah than David, John the Baptist than Isaiah, and the apostles of Christ than John the Baptist. Light has, also, greatly increased in the church, since the days of the apostles ; and in the millennial reign of the saints, the light of the church will be inconceivably brighter than ever before it shall have been. The Lord hath said to Zion, Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice ; with the voice together shall they sing ; for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion. — They shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord ; for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them. — For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. — The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. — / toill make darkness light before them. — The temple of the Lord shall be opened in heaven, and there shall be seen the ark of his testament. So great shall be the accession of light, that heaven shall be as it were opened to the church on earth. As in building up Zion, God increases her light, so will he also increase her holiness. Certainly there is great room for an increase of holiness in the church ; and, under the mcreasing light, and the gracious influences of the divine Spirit, with which the church will be favoured, when the Lord shall build her up, her graces will undoubtedly be proportionably increased. He that is feeble among them, at that day, shall be as David, and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord before them. An increase of holiness implies an increase of Jove to God, and of love to men, of repentance, humility, faith, joy in the Lord, and every holy exercise ; and, as her holiness increases, Zion shall put on her beautiful garments, and the external de- portment of her sons shall be a glorious manifestation of ihe di- 380 SERMON XXXI. vine excellency of pure and imdefiled religion. The Lord will lay her stones with fair colours, and ivill lay her foundations with sapphires. He will make her windows of agates, and her gates of carbuncles, and all her borders of pleasant stones. Her people also shall be all righteous, and even her merchandize and her hire shall be holiness to the Lord. With the increase of holy affection, there will be an increase of unanimity of senti- ment, and the holy disciphne and order of the church will be promoted. Jerusalem shall be builded as a city that is compact together. Being no more children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every ivind of doctrine, by the sleight of man, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive ; but, speaking the truth in love, the children of Zion will grow up in- to him, in all things, which is the head, even Christ ; from ivhom the whole body fitly joined together, and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, will make increase of the body, unto the edifying of itself in love. We have to observe further, that, in building up Zion, the Lord will not only increase her numbers, her light, and her graces ; but he will subdue her enemies, and multiply her triumphs. Numerous, in every age of the world, have been the ene- mies of Zion. Satan, and all his legions of darkness, have been Tier enemies. The wicked and ungodly among men, have been her enemies. The remaining corruptions in the hearts of her sons have been her enemies. But, in proportion as Zion has been built up, her enemies have been subdued, and her tri- umphs have been extended. This will continue to be the case. As the building up of Zion proceeds, Satan, with his legions of darkness, will be defeated j the wicked and ungodly among men will be made the footstool of the Redeemer; and the re- maining corruptions in the hearts of her children will be subdu- ed. When Noah and his family were saved by water, the world of the ungodly were overwhelmed in general ruin. When, with a high hand and a stretched out arm, the chosen tribes were brought out of Egypt, from the iron furnace, Pharaoh and his SERMON XXXT. 381 hardened hosts were overthrown in the Red sea. When the church was buih up, in the days of Constantine the great, her enemies sustained a great and irreparable loss. Until that peri- od, paganism had been the established religion of the Roman empire. But, when Constantine was raised to the imperial throne, and declared himself in favour of Christ and his church, the pagan deities, throughout the empire, were cast down and destroyed, the rites of their religion were abolished, their oracles ceased, and their temples were converted into houses for the worship oi' the living God, ivho made heaven and earth. When the Lord built up Zion, in the days of Luther and Calvin, she was made to triumph gloriously. The man of sin received a blow, from which he has never recovered ; his kingdom was filled with darkness ; and the enemies of God and his church were discomfited, and gnawed their tongues for pain. When the Lord shall build up Zion, agreeably to the numerous and precious promises of his word, and introduce tlie state of her millenial glory, Satan will be bound in his prison, and all the enemies of the church will sustain a most signal defeat. I am now, IL To show that, in building up Zion, the Lord will appear in his glory. The essential glory of God consists in his adorable perfec- tions ; in other words, in his sufficiency to do great and excel- lent things. His declarative glory consists in a display of his perfections, or in a manifestation of his sufficiency to do great and excellent things. But in what do we see a more glorious display of the divine perfecfions, or a more glorious manifestation of the infinite sufficiency of God to do great and excellent things, tlian in the building up of Zion .'' Is there not, in this great work, the brightest illustration of every attribute of the divine nature ? It is especially by the church, it is especially in the building up of Zion, that the Lord makes known to the jyrincipalities and powers in heavenly places, and to all created intelligences, his manifold wisdom. In this same great work, he also makes known his almighty power. None but the omnipotent God, it is evident, could subdue the hearts of rebellious men into quiet J62 SERMON XXXI. and happy subjection to himself, control the powers of dark- ness, support such an interest as that of Zion, in this hostile world, from age to age ; and build up and extend this kingdom, in spite of all the opposition to it from earth and hell. Nor less illustriously displayed than his infinite wisdom and power, is the infinite goodness of God, in building up Zion. Under the gener- al term goodness are comprised God's infinite holiness and jus- tice, mercy and grace, faithfulness and truth, patience, tender- ness, and forbearance. All these amiable and adorable attri- butes of the divine nature are, in the building up of Zion, dis- played in the most glorious light, to the view of all beholding worlds. When the Lord makes accessions to Zion of such as shall be saved ; when he causes her to arise and shine with his glory upon her ; when he increases her light, strengthens her graces, and clothes her with the garments of salvation ; when in his majesty, with his sword girt upon his thigh, he rides jpros- perously, because of truths and meekness, and righteousness, and his right hand shows terrible things, and his arrows are sharp in the heart of his enemies ; in a word, when he subdues the ene- mies and multiplies the triumphs of Zion, he must certainly ap- pear, in the view of the universe, in all the excellency and glory of his whole divine character. Thus it has been, and thus it will ever be, in the building up of Zion. The Lord hath ap- peared, and he will appear in his glory. Thus, especially, shall it be, when the long predicted era of Zion's millenial glory shall arrive ; when she shall lift up her eyes round about, and see ; 2chcn she shall see and flow together, and her heart shall fear and be enlarged ; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto her ; and the forces of the Gentiles shall come un- to her ; the multitude of camels shall cover her, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah ; all they from Sheba shall come; they shall bri^ig gold and incense ; and they shall show forth the praises of the Lord The sons also of them that afflicted her shall come bending unto her ; and all they that despised her shall bow themselves down at the soles of her feet ; and they shall call her, The city of the Lord, The Zion, the monument raised up, of the holy one of Israel. SERMON XXXr. 383 IMPROVEMENT. 1. In the light of this subject it may be seen, that the glory of God, and the highest happiness of the created universe, are inseparably connected. The declarative glory of God consists in the display, or manifestation, of his infinite perfections. It is, also, by the dis- pl'v, or manifestation, of God's infinite perfections, that the hap- piness of the universe is promoted. It is upon the display of the divine perfections, that the happiness of heaven, and of aH holy beings throughout the universe, depends. Conceal the character of God, conceal the perfections of the divine nature from tl .; view of created intelligences, and the happiness of heaven would cease, and the whole universe would be filled wiih darkness, consternation, and despair. Or, to contemplate the subject in a different light ; the perfections of the divine na- ture are summarily comprised in infinite power, wisdom, and goodness. But, what must be the proper efl'ect of a display of infinite power, under the direction of infinite wisdom and goodness .'' Must it not be happiness ? And in proportion as infinite power, wisdom, and goodness, are more and more clearly displayed, must not the general happiness of the uni- verse be promoted ? The certainty of this is evident. The glory of God, then, and the general happiness of the universe, or of his holy kingdom, are inseparably connected. How pleas- ing, how consoling, how animafing is the thought ! God seeks his glory in all that he does ; and, therefore, in all that he does, he seeks the highest good of the universe. He will glorify him- self by all the works of his hands ; and, therefore, by all the works of his hands, he will promote the highest good of the universe. When he byilds up Zion, he will appear in his glo- ry ; and, therefore, when he builds up Zion, he will promote the highest good of the universe. All things will ultimately conspire to illustrate the divine perfections ; and, therefore, all tilings will ukimately conspire to promote the highest happpiness of all the friends of God. 2. We may see how it is that we are to seek the glory of God. 384 SERMON XXXI. We are required to glorify God in our bodies, and in our spirits, which are God^s ; and it is enjoined upon us that, whether we eat, or drink, or whatsoever we do, we should do all to the glory of God. But good people are sometimes at a loss how they are to comply with this requirement. They are at a loss how they can do any thing to promote the divine glory. But, let them duly consider, that the glory of God and the true hap- piness of the universe are inseparably connected, and the diffi- culty will be removed. For, this being the case, to seek the glory of God is to seek the good of his kingdom ; and, converse- ly, to seek the good of the divine kingdom is to seek the glory of God. When the Lord builds up Zion he appears in his glory ; and when his people do any thing to promote the inter- ests of Zion, they do so much, v/hatever it be, to promote the glory of God. If God is glorified when converts are added to his church ; then, whenever his people are in any measure in- strumental to the conversion of sinners, they are so far instru- mental to the promotion of the divine glory ; and whenever they seek the conversion of sinners, they seek the divine glory. If God is glorified when divine knowledge is increased, and when his people are made to advance in holiness ; then, when- ever any one is instrumental to the increase of divine knowledge, or to the increase of holiness and grace, either in himself or others, he is so far instrumental to the promotion of the divine glo- ry ; and whenever he seeks to promote divine knowledge, or the growth either of himself or others in hohness and grace, he seeks to promote tlie divine glory. And so, in general, what- ever any one does to promote the interests of God's kingdom, so much he does to promote the glory of God ; and in whatever way any one seeks to promote the interests of the divine king- dom, he in that way seeks to promote the divine glory. How reasonable then it is, that we should be required to seek the di- vine glory, in all that we do. How reasonable that, in all that we do, we should seek the highest and best of all interests, the highest and best good of ourselves and others. And how hap- py and how honourable must it be, as well as reasonable, to glorify God in our bodies^ and in our spirits, which are God^s. SERMON XXXI. 883 How happy and how honourable, to be co-workers with God, in promoting the great interests of his holy and rising kingdom ! 3. We may see that the friends and citizens of Zioii ought never to despond, or to be discouraged respecting her. In times of apostacy and of deep declension, when the gra- cious influences of the divine Spirit are withholden, when iniquity abounds and the love of many waxes cold, when the enemy comes in like a flood, and the ways ofZion mourn, because few come to her solemn feasts, the friends and citizens of Zion have certainly abundant reason to be deeply affected, and deeply humbled be- fore God ; and those who retain, in any good degree, their re- ligious life and sensibility, will be affected, and will be humbled. In all the afflictions of Zion they will be afflicted ; over all her desolations they will weep in secret places ; and for the revival of her peace and prosperity they will earnestly long and pray. But even in the most cloudy and dark day ; in times of the deepest declension, and of the most dreadful irruptions of the enemy, they have no reason for despondency, or discourage- ment. For, when the Lord shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory. Yes, the glory of God and the interests of Zion are inseparably connected ; and as certain as it is that God will promote his own glory, just so certain it is that he will build up Zion. As certain as it is, that he will promote his own glory, just so certain it is that he will increase the numbers, the light, and the graces of Zion, subdue her enemies, multiply her tri- umphs, and make her, at last, a name and a praise in all the earth. He has graven her upon the palms of his hands, and her walls are continually before him. He has promised that he will never forsake her, but will make her an eternal excellency, the joy of many generations. He has promised, and he will per- form it, to give unto his Son the heathen for his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession. He shall break them with a rod of iron, and dash them in ^pieces like a patterns vessel. He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and break in pieces the oppressor. He shcdl come down like rain uj)on the mown grass, as shoivers (fiat water the earth. In his days shall the righteous flourish-, 49 386 SERMON XXXI. and abundance of peace, so long as the moon cndureth. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth. They that dwell in the wilderness shall how before him, and his enemies shall lick the dust. The meek shall inherit the earth, and delight themselves in the abundance of peace. 4. We may see the propriety and importance of christians praying for the building up of Zion. If the building up of Zion were not consistent with the di- vine glory, and the highest good of the kingdom of God, there would be no propriety in praying for it ; there would be no en- couragement to pray for it ; and it would be wrong to pray for it. But, when the Lord shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory. When Zion is built up, all the perfections of the divine nature are eminently illustrated, the glory of the divine name is promoted, the best interests of the universe are advan- ced. Hence, in praying for the building up of Zion we pray that God would glorify himself, and carry into effect the great purposes of infinite benevolence ; and, surely, for prayer of this nature there is every reasonable motive, and every possible en- couragement. It has pleased the infinitely gracious Jehovah to suffer him- self to be sought unto, and to be entreated by his people ; and to bestow his blessings upon the church, and upon the \vorld, in answer to their prayers. Especially will he hear his people, his praying Israel, call upon him for the blessings of his Spirit, and for the building up of Zion. A leading and principal petition, which the divine Redeemer taught his disciples to use, was, Thy kingdom come. After having made great and precious promises, to his ancient people, of the gracious influences of his Spirit, for the building up of his church, the Lord was pleased to add, Yet for all this ivill I be inquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them. He has not said unto the seed of Ja- cob, Seek ye me, in vain. But it is the ordinary and establish- ed manner of his gracious dispensations, first to stir up his peo- ple to instant and fervent prayer ; and then, in condescending answer to their prayers, to send down his Spirit, and revive his SERMON XXXI. 587 work. Accordingly, it is written, Who hath heard such a thing 9 Who hath seen such things ? Shall the earth be made to bring , forth in one day 9 Shall a nation be born at once ? For as soon as Zion travailed she brought forth her children. Pray, then, O pray for the peace of Zion, ye that favour the dust thereof. Ye that make mention of the Lord keep not silence, and give him no rest, until he establish, and until he make Jeru- salem a praise in the earth. 5. You may see, my hearers, how important it is that you all become the friends and citizens of Zion. This is the city of our God, and this city shall stand, §hall prosper, shall increase, shall rise in beauty and in glory forever and ever. God will build up Zion ; but her enemies will he utterly destroy. Though these enemies be numerous and po- tent ; though principalities and powers, the rulers of the dark' ness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places be leagued against her, though Satan employs the whole force of his kingdom, both on earth and in hell, with a view to destroy her ; it is all in vain. Zion is built upon a rock ; and he who is stronger than the strong man armed has declared, that the gates of hell shall not prevail against her. God is in the midst of her, and has chosen her for his glorious habitation forever. Impotent and vain, then, is all the rage of men and devils. If God but speak the word, they are crushed like the moth, or consumed away hke smoke. Signal examples of divine ven- geance are on sacred record, for the admonition and warning of all succeeding ages. In avenging the cause of Zion, God has dashed nation against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, has swept away empires with the besom of destruction, and has turned the world upside doim. Let all, then, tremble to be found in opposition to Zion ; for who hath hardened himself against the Lord, and hath prospered ? His almighty action steadily moves forward the great affairs of his kingdom, like an immense and irresistible tide ; and all who stand opposed must assuredly ere long be overthrown, and borne down into destruc- tion together. Be warned, then, my hearers, O be warned in reason. From the wreck of Satan's kingdom, escape for your 388 SERMON XXXI. lives, while yet there is time for an escape. From the ruins of a fallen world, sinking under the overwhelming deluge of divine wrath, fly, O fly to the ark of safety. From the confines of eternal perdition, hasten your flight, without delay, and take your stand in this favoured kingdom of God, which shall break in pieces and consume aU opposing kingdomsy and shall stand forever. SERMON XXXIL ABRAHAM OFFERING UP ISAAC. Hebrews xi. 17. By faith Abraham, when he was trier], offered up Isaac- Jr AITH is the grand characteristick of the people of God. It distinguishes the saint from the sinner, the true disciple of the Redeemer from every false religionist, the heir of immortal glory from the child of eternal wo. It is faith which lifts the last descendant of Adam, from depravity and wretchedness, to indefectible hohness and felicity. Faith, then, is an article of inestimable importance ; and no knowledge can be more inter- esting to mankind, than a true knowledge of faith, in its nature and its operations. The nature, the excellency, and the power of faith, are very strikingly illustrated in this eleventh chapter of the epistle to the Hebrews ; and in no part of it, perhaps, more strikingly, than in our text, and its immediate connection. By faith Abraham, when he tvas tried, offered up Isaac ; and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. Account- ing that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from whence also he received him in a figure. In attending to the text, it may be useful, I. To contemplate the manner in which Abraham was tried, in respect to offering up his son. oW SERMON XXXII. II. To consider how faith was concerned in this memorable transaction. By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac. We know, indeed, that Abraham did not actually sacrifice his son. He did not slay him, and consume him upon the altar. From this the angel of the Lord withheld him. But, as it was in his heart obediently to make the offering, the Lord, who looketh on the heart, accepted the pious purpose, as if actually accomplished. In the xxiid chapter of Genesis, we have a particular ac- count of the affecting scene now in view, to which it will be suitable to give some attention. And it came to pass, after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham, and he said, Behold, here I am. In our language, at present, the word tempt, which is here used, and the word tried, which is used in our text, ordinarily convey very diiferent ideas. It is not so, however, in the original languages of the scriptures ; but, both in the Hebrew and in the Greek, to tempt, and to try, or prove, are expressed in the same manner. Every trial, in- deed, is in a sense a temptation ; and tends to make manifest the real state, or temper of the heart. In reference, however, to enticements to sin, or false and delusive representations to the mind, let no man say, when he is tempted, I am tempted of God ; for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man. He appoints, however, all our external circumstan- ces ; he gives us general and particular commandments ; and he assigns to us our several conditions and duties. In all these respects, he acts in perfect wisdom and holiness. Yet bis ap- pointments are intended to prove us, and to show what is in our hearts ; and they frequently give occasion to our evil propensi- ties to manifest themselves, and to Satan and our own lusts, to tempt us and draw us into sin. The holy law of God gives oc- casion to all manner of concupiscence ; and even the blessed gospel, to still greater malignity, when sin prevails in the heart : While the most horrid temptations only serve to illustrate the power of faith and love, in the r.oul which is under the influence of holy affections. These remarks may apply to the case now SERMON XXXII. 391 before us. The Lord saw good to put Abraham's faith and obedience to a most severe trial. He did not tempt him, as a man is tempted by his own hists, by Satan, and by his fellow sinners, by suggesting evil thoughts to his mind, or by exciting sinful passions ; but he placed him in circumstances most clear- ly to show the dispositions of his heart ; and the trial made it appear that those dispositions were most excellent. J^ow the Lord had said unto Mram, Get thee out of thy coun- try, and from thy kindred, and from thy father^ s house, unto a land that I will show thee. And I vnll make of thee a great nation ; and I will bless thee, and make thy name great ; and thou shalt he a blessing ; and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him ; and Abram was seventy and five years old, when he departed out ofHaran. It is particularly noticeable, that the promise which was thus made to Abraham, on the ground of which he left his country, and his kindred, .and his father's house, to go into a land which the Lord should show him, had particular respect to his seed. According to the promise, he was to be made a great nation, and it was through his seed, es- pecially, that in him should all the families of the earth be blessed. But, though such was the promise, when Abraham left Haran, to go into the land of Canaan, though he was then seventy-five years old, he had no son, — no child. After the battle which Abraham had with Chedorlaomer and his confederates, for the recovery of his kinsman Lot, which was about eight or ten years after his removal from Haran, the word of the Lord came unto him in a vision, saying. Fear not, Abram ; I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. Abraham was now between eighty and ninety years old, and was yet childless. Hence, up- on this occasion, he ventured humbly to expostulate with God on the subject. And Abram said. Lord God, tvhat unit thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus 9 Behold, to me, thou hast given no seed ; and, lo, one born in mine house is mine heir. The Lord heard, with complacency, the humble complaint of his afflicted servant, and renewed to him th.e promise of a numerous pos'eri- •692 SERMON XXXE. ty. The faith of the venerable patriarch was strengthened, and his hopes revived. He believed in the Lord, and he counted it to him for righteousness. Still, however, his faith is to have a further trial, in respect to the promise. Two or.three years pass away, and Abraham has yet no child. At length, Ishmael, the son of the bond-woman, is born. Abraham rejoices to re- ceive a son, although the son of a bond-woman, and supposes that now the promise of the Lord is in a way to be fultilled. But he is mistaken. Ishmael is not the son of the promise ; he is not heir to the inheritance of the father of the faithful ; but he, and his mother, are to be cast out ; and Sarah herself is to have a son. At last, when Abraham is an hundred years old, the long desired, the long expected gift is vouchsafed. Isaac, the child of the promise ; Isaac, the son of many prayers, and the object of the highest and fondest hopes ; Isaac, who is to be the consola- tion and the dehght of his parents, who is to fill their mouth with laughter, and their tongue with joy and praise ; Isaac, in whom, and in whose seed, all the nations of the earth are to be blessed, — is born. With tenderest care this pleasant plant is reared. Many and fervent are the prayers which are offered for his long life, and for his great happiness. The hfe of the parents is bound up in the life and welfare of the lad, who, as he grows in stature, grows in grace, and in favour with God and man. Happy parents ! now your hopes are realized, and your trials are at end ! — Alas ! no. Your warfare is not yet ended. The sharpest, the severest trial is still behind. " Abraham, says God. Abraham knows the voice. It is the voice of condescending goodness ; it is the voice of his shield, and his exceeding great reward. He had often heard it, with a rapture of delight. Instantly he repHes, Here I am ; — speak. Lord ; for thy servant is all attention. Hoping, no doubt, to receive some fresh manifestation of the divine good will to himself and his family, or some new discovery of the method in which the divine wisdom would perform the precious promises to \\\m and his seed." SERMON XXXII. 39S And he said, Take now thy son. — And might not Abraham reasonably expect, that, since his son was now arrived to years of maturity, some direction was about to be given respecting his settlement in the world. Take now thy son, thine only son, Isaac, whom thou lovest. — How particular and endearing are these terms. Surely such an introduction cannot fail to heighten the expectation of the venerable patriarch, of some signal favour to be conferred on the beloved youth. How startled, then, how amazed must he be, when, instead of some renewed expression of the divine favour, he receives the following orders. Take now thy son, thine only son, Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah, and offer him therefor a burlH of- fering, upon one of the mountains ivhich I will tell thee of Were ever words so affecting ^ Was ever message so distressing ? Ev- ery word in the injunction is calculated to soften and melt the parental heart, and, at the same time, to sharpen the arrow which must pierce it through and through. Take thy son, thine only son by Sarah thy wife, Isaac, whom thou lovest. Go into the land of Moriah ; — then, after that long and tedious journey, offer him there for a burnt offering — shed his blood with thine own hand, and burn him to ashes ! Ye, who know the affections and the yearnings of the parental heart, say, was ever trial like this trial, to which the father of the faithful is here called ! How many, how urgent, and how plausible might we suppose, would be the remonstrances, and pleas of Abraham, on this affecting occasion. Might he not urge the divine prohibition of murder, and say, Lord, hast thou not said, Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed ? How, then, can I do this great thing .'' How can I shed the blood of man — the blood, not of an enemy, not of a stranger, not of a neighbour, not of a domes- tick, but of my son, my only son, Isaac, whom I love ? — Might he not urge his situation, in the land of his pilgrimage, and say, Lord, at thy command, I left my native country, my kindred, and my father's house, and came to sojourn here, as a stranger in a strange land ; and shall I expose myself to the hatred, to the abhorrence, and to the vengeance, of my idolatrous neigh- bours, by committing an act. at which tltp hearts of all who hear 50 3J4 SERMON XXXll. of it must rerolt, and for which the hand of eveiy man will be turned against me ? — Might he not urge the dishonour which must be done to the divine name, and say, Lord, am I not known as professedly thy servant, a worshipper of the God who made the heavens and the earth, in the midst of these idolatrous nations, who pay their homage to those which are no gods ? Shall I, then, bring a reproach upon thy worship, and cause thy great and holy name to be abhorred, by offering to thee, and ' at thy command, the son of my prayers, of my vows, and of all my fondest hopes ?— Might he not urge the promise, the special and repeated divine promise, respecting his son, and say, Lord, hast thou not given me thy word of promise, in which thou hast caused me to hope, and to confide, that in this my son, in Isaac, shall my seed be called ? Can I, then, slay with mine own hand, this child of thy promise, this precious seed, from whom the Messiah is to spring, and in whom all the families of the earth are to be blessed ? What, then, will become of thy truth, of my confidence in thee, and of all my hopes ? — Might he not plead his affection, and the affection of Sarah his wife, and say. Lord, didst thou not give us this son, to be the joy of our hearts, the consolation and support of our declining years ? And wilt thou so soon take him away from us ? If sin lies at the door, let me, I beseech thee, expiate the guilt. Let thousands of rams, let every bullock in my stalls bleed at thine altar. Let me be stripped of all my possessions, and command me to roam as a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth, and I will bless thine holy name. Only let my child, the son of my love, be spared ! Or, if he must die, if he cannot be spared ; yet may he not, at least, expire by a natural dissolution ? May not some common disease unloose the cords of life, and lay him down gently in the tomb ? — But, if it must be so, that my beloved son must be sacrificed, if his blood must be shed, and his body consumed to ashes upon the altar, O let it not be by these hands ; but let some stranger perform the dreadful service ! Let me not sec the awful tragedy ! But, O let it be far from the sight of these eyes ! — These, and a thousand otlier pleas and remonstrances might be urged by the patriarch, on this most awful and affect- SERMON XXXII. 395 ing occasion. But, does tlie patriarch urge them ? No ; not a single remonstrance, not a single plea, not a single question es- capes from his lips. No ; he has received his orders from the Lord his God, and he thinks of nothing but to make haste and fulfil them. He rises early in the morning, and immediately prepares for his journey. He saddles his beast, cleaves the wood for the burnt offering, takes two of his young men, and Isaac his son, and sets out for the land of Moriah. All this is done with sb much regularity, composure, and serenity, that no alarm is giv- en to Sarah, no solicitude is excited in Isaac, no suspicion is awakened in the servants. Two days he travels with his son towards the place for the sacrifice. Two nights he spends, saving the time necessary for the repose of his wearied nature, in prayer, and meditation on the solemn and affecting subject. Yet his resolution is not shaken ; the composure of his mind does not forsake him. On the third day, Abraham lifts up his eyes and sees the place afar off. Memorable place. It is one of the mountains of Moriah, — in all probability, mount Calvary, the scene of the tragical sufferings of the only begotten Son of God, the great antitype of Abraham's beloved son. Yes, Isaac is to be offered on, or near, the very spot where the promised Messiah, who is to spring from his loins, is to be offered up for the sins of the xuorld ! On beholding the place, probably designated by some such appearance of glory as he had been accustomed to see, in- stead of being moved, and thrown into a state of perturbation, he appears all calmness and deliberate circumspection. Lest the two sei-vants should interrupt the solemn service, by an ill- judged, though affectionate interference, they are commanded to proceed no further. Abide ye here, says Abraham, and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it upon Isaac his son. — Look hete, my brethren, 'and behold a signal type of your suffering Redeemer. Isaac carries the wood, on which he is to be sacrificed, to the ai)pointed spot. Jesus, almost two thousand years afterwards, carries the cross. 396 SERMON XXXIL on which he is to be crucified, to the same place of execution ! — Then Abraham took the fire in his hand, and a knife ) and they two ivent on together. Moving sight ! Were ever father and son brought into a situation so solemn, and so aftecting ? The father, with the knife which is to shed the blood, and the fire which is to consume the body of his son ; and the son, with the wood, on which he is himself to be immolated, pass on together in solemn silence ! But at length the silence is broken by a very natural and pertinent question of the son. Isaac spake unto his father, and said, Mj father. And he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire, and the avood ; but where is the lamb for a burnt offering ? Most affecting ques- tion ! And what shall the father answer ? Is not his heart too full for utterance ? Does not his purpose falter ? And, letting drop the knife and the fire, does he not fall upon the neck of his son, and give vent to his inward anguish, and his afl^ectionate tenderness, in a flood of tears ? No ; the father of the faithful is not shaken in his purpose, nor is he visibly moved. But, calm and collected, he replies to the moving question, with the utmost benignity and complacence. My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering. Prophetick words, and fully verified ; though, perhaps, Ihtle understood when they were uttered. And they came to the place which God had told him of. It is a mountain, at the time of this transaction, far from the resort of men. It is an awful solitude, and solemn is the silence which prevails ! There Abraham builds an altar, and, proceeding with the utmost dehberation and regularity, lays the wood in order. Now, eveiy thing is ready for the solemn service. But, how shall it be performed ? Isaac can no longer be kept in igno- rance.— But, ah ! who shall disclose to him, what God has com- manded ^ Can Abraham ? Yes, Abraham's mind remains firm, and, no doubt, with equal fortitude and tenderness, he now addresses his son on the affecting subject. Do we not hear him say, ' Didst thou inquire concerning the lamb ? Ah, my dear son, thou thyself art the lamb provided for a burnt offering. Be not amazed. Let not thy heart fail thee. The God who SERMON XXXII. 397 bestowed thee, ift answer to my ardent prayer, is pleased to re- quire tliee at my hand. Let us bow to his sovereign, though mysterious mandate, and adore his holy name. Let us confide in his promise still, and though he slay us, let us trust in him.' Isaac, now, it is supposed, twenty-five or thirty years of age, in- stead of making that resistance which, if disposed, he might make, unresistingly yields to the will of God, and to the requirement of his venerable father. Abraham binds his son — binds him for the sacrifice — and lays him upon the altar on the wood. — Be- hold the victim ! Behold the dutiful Isaac, the joy of Abraham, the delight of Sarah, the son of united prayers and vows, the favoured heir of the promise. There he lies, bound and placed Oil the wood, all meek and resigned, expecting the fatal stroke. The moment is come. Abraham, all collected and calm, stretches forth his hand, lifts the sharpened sterl, and is even now aiming the deadly blow ! But see, his hand is stayed ; be withholds the stroke ! What, then, does his resolution fail him at the last ? No, no ; but the voice of an angel, the angel of the covenant, arrests his hand, in the very act to strike. Jlbraham Mraham, says the angel. And he answers, Here am I. And he says, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him ; for now I kncno that thou fearest God, since thou hast not withheld thy son., thine only son, from me. Turn- ing himself about, Abraham beholds a ram, caught in a thicket hy his horns ; and this ram he offers for a burnt offering, instead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah jireh — the Lord will see, or provide. As it is said to this day, In the mount the Lord will appear. Thus Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac ; and he that had received the prom- ises offered up his only begotten ; ofivhom it was said, Li Laac shall thy seed be called. We are now, II. To consider how faith was concerned in this remarkable transaction. The apostle assures us that it was by faith \hai Abraham thus offered up his son. He that cometh unto God must believe that he is. Abraham must have had a firm belief in the divine ex- istence. For, had he disbelieved this, or had he even doubted 398 SERMON XXXII. respecting it, he would never have offered up his son. Surely, he would never have offered up his son to God, had he not firm- ly believed there was a God. — Abraham believed, also, in di- vine revelation. In the days of Abraham, indeed, divine reve- lation was very limited and obscure. No part of the sacred or- acles, now contained in the books of the old and new Testa- ments, had then been committed to writing. Some things, how- ever, of the highest importance to mankind, had been revealed. God had given a summary revelation of his will to Adam ; and, after his fall, had vouchsafed him intimations of his mercy, through the Saviour, in the gracious assurance, that tl>e seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head. He had re- vealed himself to Enoch, the seventh from Adam, to whom he gave a prophetick view of great and important events to take place in the end of the world. He had, also, revealed himself to Noah, both before and after the flood, and given to him such further communications of his will, as the state of the world, in those periods, required. The several revelations, which, from time to time, God had been pleased to make, were easily hand- ed down, in those ages of great longevity, by Adam to Methu- selah, by Methuselah to Noah, and by Noah, or at least by Shem his son, to Abraham. To Abraham, moreover, before the event of his offering up Isaac, further revelations had been made, more particular and clear than any which had gone before them. All these revelations, whether made to Adam, to Enoch, to Noah, or directly to himself, Abraham undoubtedly received as divine. For, had he not had full confidence in divine revelation ; had he not firmly believed that God had, at sundry times, and in di- vers manners, made known his will to men, and particularly to him, on what ground could he have proceeded in the solemn transaction of offering up his son ? — Abraham believed, moreo- ver, in the divine perfections. He believed that God was a Being of infinite power, wisdom, hohness, justice, goodness, and truth. Had he not believed this, he coul-d not have so readily acquiesced in the divine requirement, nor so cheerfully have offered up his own son, whom he loved. — Abraham believed in the Messiah, who was to appear to put away sin by the sacrifice SERMON XXXII. 399 •f hmself, and to bring in an everlasting righteousness for llie justification of his redeemed people. He had received thi; promises of God. He had received assurances that the promis- ed Messiah, in whom all the nations of the earth should be blessed, should descend from him, and that, too, in the line of his son Isaac, in whom his seed was to be called. And on these promises, on these assurances, he firmly relied. It was, indeed, only by faith in the promised Messiah, that he could offer unto God any acceptable sacrifice. And when he conducted his own son toihe mountain of Moriah, to offer him up there — when he prepared the altar, and laid the wood in order upon it — when he bound his son, and laid him upon the wood — when he stretched forth his hand and took the knife, to slay his son — during the whole solemn and affecting transaction, feeHng that his own life, and the life of his son, and all which he had, wa? forfeited by sin, into the hands of God, he looked forward, by a steady and overcoming faith, to the great atonement for sin, which the Messiah was to make, and of which the sacrifice of Isaac was so illustrious a type. Accounting that God ivas able to raise him up even from the dead, he staggered not at the promise, but still beUeved that in Isaac his seed should be called, and that from Isaac the Messiah should spring. This faith of Abraham was a faith which wrought by love. It was a faith, in the exercise of which he cheerfully endured the severest tri- als, and cheerfully performed the most arduous services, in sub- mission and obedience to the divine will. My brethren, is not all this plain ? Is it not evident that it was by faith, a faith which wrought by love, ih^i Abraham, when he was tried, offered up his son ? If he had not had a firm be- lief in the divine existence, — if he had not had a firm belief in the divine revelation, — if he had not had a firm belief in the di- vine perfections, — if he had not had a firm belief in the promis- ed Messiah, — if he had not seen his day and been glad, — in a word, if he had not had that faith which is the hibstance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen, and which raises the soul to rest in God as the supreme good, is it con- ceivable that, with suc'i steadiness of purpose, and such com- 400 SERMON XXXII. posure and alacrity of mind, he could have gone through the trying transaction, which we have been now contemplating ? Review the affecting scene ; follow the venerable patriarch through every step, and through every act, from the time he rose early in the morning, until the tirue he stretched forth his hand to take the knife, and say what but faith, a lively, an af- fectionate, an overcoming faith, could have supported and car- ried him through a scene so trying ? IMPROVEMENT. 1. By our subject, we are led to reflect on the reasonable- ness and importance of giving up ourselves, our children, our connections, and all that we have, into the hands, and to the sovereign disposal, of God. Abraham did thus. He gave up himself, and all that he had, to the divine disposal. Hence it was, that he so readily and so cheerfully submitted to every expression of the divine will. Hence it was that, at the command of God, he left his country, and his kindred, and his father's house, and ivent forth not knowing whither he went. Hence it was that he sojourned in the land of promise as in a strange country, dwelling in tab- ernacles, with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise. Hence it was that he so readily and so cheertully sent away Hagar and Ishmael from his family, and left them entirely to the guidance and protection of Providence. And hence it was that, when divinely required, he so readily and so cheerfully offered up hi§ beloved Isaac. As he had given up all to God, he had only to follow the intimations of the divine will, respect- ing himself, and all that he had. And was it not right, my brethren, for Abraham thus to do ? You will answer. Yes ; it was reasonable ; it was important. It was the way of duty ; it was the way of happiness. Let us all, then, my brethren, go and do likewise. We, as well as Abraham, are the creatures of God ; brought into being by his power — supported entirely by his bounty — dependent, as sinners, on his sovereign grace in the Messiah, for pardon and eternal salvation — and possessed of nothing v/hich does not belong to him, as the rightful Proprietor SERMON XXXn. 401 and Lord. Like Abraham, then, it becomes us to acknowledge God in all his perfections and rights, and unreservedly to give up ourselves, and all that we have, to his wise, and righteous, and sovereign disposal. Like Abraham, it becomes us to for- sake all that God requires us to forsake, to go forth, where God directs us to go, to sojourn, where God would have us sojourn. And, like Abraham, it becomes us cheerfully, to give up the ob- jects of our tenderest affection, our connections, our children, our Isaacs, whenever God calls us to give them up. This is all reasonable, all important. It is the way of duty ; it is the way, and the only way of happiness. 2. We are led to reflect on the nature and spirit of true obe- dience to the divine requirements. Abraham obeyed God. It was in obedience to the require- ment of God, that he offered up his son. On receiving the di- vine command for this purpose, immediately he conferred not with flesh and blood. He conferred not with Sarah his wife ; he conferred not with Isaac his son ; he conferred not with any of his family or friends. He did not hesitate, on account of the difficulty of the service required. He did not hesitate, on ac- count of the apparent inconsistency of the requirement with the promises he had received, or with other divine commands. He did not hesitate, on account of any consequences, which seemed likely to follow. But, receiving it as tlie command of God, he thought of nothing but to obey, and leave the event to the divine disposal. Hence, he rose early in the morning, and, without any delay, addressed himself to the solemn service. This was true obedience — this was the obedience of the heart — this was the obedience of faith and love — this was true religion. The same is the nature, the spirit, of all true obedience. The same is the spirit which has dwelt, and which still dwells, in all the true children of God. They do not consult their own ease or convenience, their worldly inclinations or inter^ests ;, they do not consult with the world, in respect to the divine commands. The prudent children of God will not, indeed, be hasty, and rash, and presumptuous ; but will carefully inquire, and use all proper moans to know, wlmt thn cnm;v.:in'l. or the ^vill nf thf>. 102 SERMOiN XXXII. Lord is. But, when once this is known, they liavc nothing to do but to obey, be the service required ever so difficult, ever so painful. There is not a true child of God in this house, there is not a true child of God upon the earth, who would not, if called to it, visit the awful top of Moriah, and there, upon the altar of duty, sacrifice his dearest hope, offer up to God his dar- ling child, his only son. 3. We are led to reflect on the excellency and the power of true faith. It was hy faith that Abraham offered up Isaac; and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten. It was by faith that he calmly endured the sharpest of trials, and cheer- fully performed the most arduous of services. And by the same divine principle have the people of God, in all ages, been sup- ported under their trials, and been carried forward in the path of obedience and of victory. Faith hath subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, turned aside the edge of the sword, displayed strength in the midst of weakness, smiled in the midst of the most formidable dangers, vanquished the pow- ers of darkness, triumphed over death and the grave, opened the gates of heaven, and raised the fallen children of Adam from the confines of irremediable perdition, to the realms of unfading glory. Yes, my brethren, it is faith which provides the best support under trials, the best consolations in affliction, the best encouragements and aids to duty. Have faith, christians, and you may endure all things, you may enjoy all things, you may perform all things. Had Abraham the word of God, on which to rest, in the day of his trial ^ so have you. It is the word of God, Fear not, for 1 am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God. Had Abraham a divine word for his support and con- solation in the day of sorrow.'* so have you. It is the word of God, All things uwrk together for good, to them that love God. Had Abraham a divine word to encourage him in the day of arduous duty i^ so have you. It is the word of God, J\Iy grace is sufficient for thee. Yes, christian, be strong in faith, and in ^very situation in which you may be placed, you will derive sup- SERMON XXXII. 40a port and consolation from the word of God, Have faith, a lively, vigorous faith, and you will always see God worthy to be loved, worthy to be trusted, worthy to be obeyed ! you will al- ways find him your shield, and your exceeding great reward ; and, favoured with his presence, you will find every trial sup- portable, every affliction light, every service easy. In this land of your pilgrimage, you will find the need of faith. You will all have your trials. And if there be an earthly object which seems to rival God in your affections, you may expect that in that particular object, he will try the supremacy of your love, and the steadfastness of your faith. Pray, then, that your faith may be increased and confirmed, that it fail not in the try- ing day. To conclude, in the wonderful transaction before us, dis- cern one infinitely more stupendous ! What was the love of Abraham, or of Isaac to the Lord, in comparison with the love of God the Father, in giving his only begotten Son, for the salvation of mankind ; or with the love of the Son himself, in undertaking this arduous work ? The Lord had been a most liberal friend and benefactor to Abraham, before his v^ illingness to ofTer Isaac as a burnt offering was manifested. But God commendeth his love towards us, in that, while we were yet sin- ners, Christ died for us. Isaac was a sinner, born to die. But the Son of God assumed human nature, for the very purpose of dying for us. If Isaac was justly beloved by Abraham, Jesus was the beloved Son of the Father, in whom he was well pleased. Had Isaac died, it would have been whhout extraordinary pain, and with singular reputation. But Christ tasted death in all its bitterness, died with violence, overwhelmed with contempt and insult, and loaded with the weight of all our iniquities. It pleased the Lord to bruise him, to put him to grief; and he bare our sins in his own body on the tree. In this w'e perceive the love of God towards sinful men, in that he hath not withheld his Son, his only Son, from us. In this we perceive the love of Christ, in that he gave himself a sacrifice for our sins. Behold, he dies ! yet rises ! lives ! ascends, and intercedes for us ! Exalted at the right hand of the Father, from his throne 404 SERMON XXXII. of glory he calls to guilty men, and invites them to come and receive his blood-bought salvation. Let sinners, then, be warn- ed to hear his voice, and encouraged to trust in his grace. Whose heart is not affected with the scene, between Abraham and his son, on mount Moriah .'' How much more, then, should our hearts be most tenderly affected in view of the cross of Calvary, where the Son of the Highest expires in unutterable agony, to atone for our sins, and to procure salvation for our souls .'* Look here, O sinners, and Jearn the dreadful evil of sin ; and let your hearts be melted into penitential sorrow. Look here, and see what manner of love is manifested .! Be- hold, believe, and live forever ! SERMON XXXIir. GOD S FEELINGS TOWARDS THE WICKED. EzEKiEL xxxni. 1 I . .fJs I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked ; but that the wicked turn from his ^ay and live. J.N all ages of the world, very erroneous notions, respecting God, have been prevalent among mankind. Two errours, es- pecially, opposite in kind, yet tending to the same effect, have been most proHfick sources of evil, and have proved, in all probability, the ruin of many. One is, that God is in such a sense, and to such an extent, merciful, that he will not punish, in another world, any of mankind, for the sins committed in the present life. The other is, that such are his feelings towards a large portion of mankind, that he will delight in making them eternally miserable. Under the influence of the former of these errours, many regard a serious and earnest attention to religion, -and the concerns of the world to come, as unnecessary, and fearlessly walk in the way of their own hearts^ and in the sight of their own eyes. Under the influence of the latter, not a few settle into a sort of practical and querulous despondency ; as if they were probably reprobates, for whom there is no mercy, and to whom no concern for the soul, no seeking for salvation, would be of any avail. 406 SERMON XXXIII. Tliisj last appears to have been a prevalent erroiir, among the Jews, in Ezekiel's day. It was a time of abounding iniqui- ty ; and, on account of their iniquities, the people were made to feel the judgments of God, and were threatened with still heavier calamities. They were solemnly warned of their dan- ger, and earnestly called upon to repent. But, instead of hum- bly accepting the punishment of their iniquities ; instead of repenting, and talcing hold on the mercy of God ; they were ir- ritated by their sufferings, and by the warnings and expostula- tions with which they were addressed; and, regarding God as implacable towards them, they gave indulgence to an xmbeliev- ing despondency, as if even repentance would avail them nothing, and hardened themselves in sin, by rebellious murmurings and complaints. Ij\ said they, If our transgressions and our sins he upon us, and we ^?me away in them, how should ive then live ? God is already inflicting punishment upon us, and seems deter- mined to destroy us ; of what use then would our repentance be, and why are we so incessantly called upon to repent .'' It was with reference, directly, to this unreasonable and rebellious complaint, that Jehovah so solemnly uttered the momentous declaration in our text. As I live, saith the Lord God, I HAVE NO PLEASURE IN THE DEATH OF THE WICKED ; BUT THAT THE WICKED TURN FROM HIS WAY AND LIVE. The purport is, " Your complaints are unreasonable and wicked. 1 am not implacable. I have no delight in your misery ; no wish for your destruction. On the contrary, rebellious and guilty as you are, I regard you with infinite compassion ; and my warnings, and calls upon you to repent, proceed from pure and sovereign mercy. There is forgiveness with me, and plenteous redemption ; and if you will repent and turn, you shall assuredly find pardon and life." To this effect did Jehovah condescend to address himself to the rebellious people of Judah, in ancient times. To the same effect does he address himself to sinners in every place, where his word is published, at the present day. That all who have an ear to hear, and a heart to feel, might have the strongest pos- sible assurance of the truth, he has confirmed it with an oath ; anfl because he could swear by no greater, he has sworn by SERMON XXXIII. 407 himself. As i live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the uicked ; but that the wicked turn from his way and live. The everlasting God here declares with an oath, I. That he has no pleasure in the death of a sinner ; and, II. That he has pleasure in the conversion and salvation of sinners. These most interesting truths I shall consider in their ordei\ I. Then, God has no pleasure in the death of a sinner. He has no pleasure in the temporal death of any of our fallen race; for he doth not even ajffiict willingly, nor grieve the child- ren of men. But, by the death of the sinner, we are here espe- cially to understand that death which is sin's desert ; that eter- nal misery, to which every sinner is justly exposed. This is the death, in which God says he has no pleasure. Is there, then, an individual in this assembly, who is not fully persuaded of this truth, that God has no pleasure in the everlasting misery of a sinner .'* Though it is not possible to conceive of any higher proof than the word of God, confirmed by his oath, yet there are some plain facts, which are in perfect agreement with this solemn asseveration, and which ma}^ serve to impress the truth more deeply on the mind. 1, God is a being of infinite goodness. This fact is declared throughout his word, is proclaimed bv all his works, and is believed by all persons, who have any en- lightened belief in his existence. He is the uncreated and ever- lasting Fountain of all the good in the universe ; — of all the facuhies, knowledge, virtue, and happiness, of angels and men ; of all the grandeur, order, and beauty, of the heavens and earth ; of all the riches, both transitory and durable, both earthly and heavenly, with which the universe is stored. His very nature is love — infinite love. He alone is good ; absolutely, esseniially, independently good. Can he then take pleasure in the death of a sinner ? Can he take delight in the misery of any of his creatures ^ A good pa- rent takes no pleasure in the pain of the child, whom he finds it needful to jninish ; u good magistrate takes no pleasure in the 4ab SERMON XXXlII. sufferings of the culprit, whom justice requires him to consign to prison, and to death; good men, good angels, take no pleasure in the misery of their fellow beings, however deservedly they may suffer. How much less can He, whose goodness is un- bounded, whose benevolence is immeasurable, take pleasure in the eternal misery of any creature that he has made, and which dies under his hand ! 2. God has provided a ransom for sinners. He has sent his Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world, through him, might be saved. Has he, then, pleasure in the death of the wicked ? If, my hearers, there is a doubt on your minds, turn your eyes, 1 be- seech you, to Calvary. Behold the Son of God, who come down from the bosom of the Father, bearing your sins in his own body on the tree ; pouring out his soul unto death, that he might redeem you from iniquity, bring you to repentance, save you from deserved wo, and raise you to immortal glory. In all this, the love of the Father towards you was as great as the love of the Son. In the whole stupendous transaction, they were per- fectly united. The Father sent the Son, and the Son come down and died for you, and for all mankind, because they were both at an infinite remove from having any pleasure in the death of the wicked. 3. In every age of the world, the Holy Spirit has been en- gaged for the benefit of mankind. From period to period, patriarchs and prophets were in- spired by the Holy Spirit, to make known the divine will, to publish divine mercy, to unfold the scheme of divine grace, until the volume of divine instruction was completed ; — that blessed volume, which is able to make us wise unto salvation, and in which the way of life is made so plain, that he who runs may read. Besides this, the same holy and gracious Spirit has, in all generations, been striving with sinners, to engage their atten- tion, to quicken their consciences, to enlighten their minds, to renovate their hearts, and to conduct them to heaven. And, though he has been constantly despised and resisted, and often .- er sinful men were to be justified by the deeds of the law, or by the merits of Christ ; to be saved by works, or by grace. This question, after long and strenuous debate, it was determined to refer to the apostles and elders at Jerusalem. Not that they were higher in inspiration or authority than Paul ; for he was not a whit behind the chiefest of the apostles. But it was from them that the false teachers professedly come ; and, according to their doctrine, doubtless, they pretended to preach. And, though these false teachers would not yield to Paui-, who, as the principal preacher to the Gentiles, was particularly concerned in the question, and whose apostolick character they probably did not acknowledge ; it might be supposed that they would readily submit to the judgment of the apostles of the circumci- sion. Paul also says, in the passage quoted from his epistle to the Galatians, that he went up to Jerusalem, at this time, by revelation. It was, therefore, by the express direction of the Spirit of God, that the question was carried for decision there. Accordingly, Paul and Barnabas, with Titus and certain others, sat out ; and being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the con- version of the Gentiles, by their ministry in their late mission ; and they caused great joy unto all the brethren. And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders ; and they declared all things that God had done with them. Meeting widi a cordial and joyful recep- tion, in the fulness of their hearts, they related to their brethren the glorious displays of divine grace, which had attended their preaching among the Gentiles. They also related what had occurred at Antioch, the controversy which had arisen there, and the occasion of their coming to Jerusalem. They were heard with attention, and by most of the brethren, it would seem, with full approbation. But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees who be- lieved, or professed belief in the gospel, saying. That it was needful to circumcise the Gentile converts, and command them to keep the law of Moses. These, of .course, upheld the fals*" SERMON XXXIV. 42T teachers, and condemned Paul and Barnabas. In order, ilierp- fore, that the great question might be properly settled, it was found necessary to have it considered in a general meeting. 1 say, a general meeting ; for it should be noted, that not only the apostles and elders, but the multitude of the brethren were present. The question was open for free discussion ; they who op- posed themselves to Paul and Barnabas, had fair opportunity to be heard ; and the apostles reserved themselves, until others had offered their opinions and arguments. At length, however, af- ter there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them. Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my month should hear the loord of the gospel, and believe. And God, which knoio- eth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us ; and put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. JVow therefore \vhy tempt ye God, to put a yoke uj)on the neck of the disciples, which nei- ther our fathers nor we were able to bear ? But we believe that, through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be saved, even as they. The question was, whether men could be justi- fied and saved, by faith in Jesus Christ, without the deeds of the law. Peter recurred directly to the Roman centurion and his friends, at Cesarea. They were Gentiles, and had never sub- mitted to the law of Moses. Yet to them, several years before, he, by the express direction of God, had preached the gospel. They believed ; and God, who knoweth the hearts, bare them witness of his gracious acceptance of them. Having purified their hearts by faith, having purged their consciences, and cleansed their souls from the guilt and pollution of sin, not by any sacrifices or rites of the Mosaick law, but through the blood of his Son, in whom they believed ; he bestowed upon them abundant graces and gifts of the Holy Spirit, making no difier- ence between them and the circumcised believers. Thus God himself had expressly and publickly decided the question. Why, then, says Peter, do ye tempt God ? Why, in opposition to his expressly declared will, would ye pr/^ a yoke vpon ihr 42S SERMON XXXIV. neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor tve were able to bear? Why subject them to the ritual law, which has been found not only expensive and burthensome, but, in itself also, utterly unavailing as to the purposes of salvation ; which, so far from being a ground of justification, only held those who were under it in condemnation and bondage, unless they were led to believe and hope in the Messiah, to whom it constantly pointed. And besides, says Peter, " we, who observed the law, believe that we ourselves shall be saved, not by the deeds of the law, but through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, even as the be- lieving Gentiles will be." After hearing this admirable speech of Peter, all the multi- tude of the brethren kept silence, and gave audience to Barna- bas and Paul, while they declared what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them. The narration given by them of their late mission, of their success, and of the effusions and gifts of the Holy Spirit upon the Gentiles, in differ- ent countries, as it showed that God did accept the believing Gentiles, without the deeds of the law, went directly to confirm the argument delivered by Peter. When Paul and Barnabas had gone through their narrative, James, who appears to have presided in the meeting, briefly summed up the argument, and dehvered his opinion. After re- ferring to what Peter had related, how God had visited, or look- ed down upon the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name, he proceeded to show that this was agreeable to ancient prediction and promise ; and for this purpose, quoted a passage in point from the prophecy of Amos. Hence he concludes, that the conversion of the Gentiles, and their justification unto life by faith in Jesus Christ, without the observance of the ritual law, was agreeable to tlie gracious design of God ; to whom all his works are known from the beginning of the world, and who accompUshes his purposes in his own time and way. Wherefore, he says, my sentence, or judgment, is, that we trouble not them which from among the Gentiles are turned to God ; but that we write unto them, that they abstain . from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood. SERMON XXXIV. 42.9 Fornication, indeed, is a sin against the moral law ; but as it was thought lightly of in the Gentile world, it was proper that the Gentile christians should be particularly cautioned against it. And, though neither things sacrificed to idols, nor the flesh of strangled animals, nor blood, had any moral evil in them, which should make the eating of them absolutely and universally un- lawful ; yet, as the Jews had a particular aversion to them, the Gentile converts were directed to abstain from them, that they might give no needless oftence. To this judgment, delivered by James, the whole assembly consented ; and, to prevent dispute in regard to their decision, they selected Judas and Silas, chief men among the brethren, to accompany Paul and Barnabas on their return to Antioch. By them they wrote after this manner ; The apostles, and elders, and brethren, send greeting unto the brethren luhich are of the Gentiles in Antioch, and Syria, and Cilicia : For as much as we have heard that certain which went out from us have troubled you ivith ivords, subverting your souls, saying, Yc must be cir- cumcised, and keep the law ; to whom we gave no such com- mandment ; it seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you, with our beloved Barnabas and Paul ; men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth. For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things ; That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication, from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Farewell. Such, so clear and solemn was the decision of the great question respecting justification and eternal salvation. Having fulfilled their mission at Jerusalem, Paul and Barnabas, with those who accompanied them, returned to ^.^ntioch ; and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle ; which, when they had read, they rejoiced for the conso- lation. The minds of the Gentile christians were relieved and settled : they were confirmed in the faith of the gospel, and 'IJO SERMON XXXIV. established in the hope of acceptance with God, and eternal hfe in his kingdom, through the merits alone of Jesus Christ; and they were filled with joy unspeakable and full of glory. REFLECTIONS. 1. We are led to reflect on the early rise of errour, among the professed behevers of the gospel. Human nature has been the same in all ages. It has al- ways been true, that vain man would he ivise, though man he horn like the ivild ass^s colt, and would reluctantly submit his understanding to the instruction of God. This being the fact, and as the apostolick times were to transmit instruction to the people of God in every succeeding period, it was wisely permit- ted that mistakes, disputes, and divisions, should gradually take place, in the primitive church. Had it not been so, we might not only have been discouraged by the great disparity between the first christians, and those who have hved since, but, for want of rules and precedents of sufficient authority, we should have been continually at a loss how to conduct ourselves, in regard to the various difficulties perpetually arising, and how to oppose and confute the diversified errours, which have appeared and been revived, during so many centuries. Divine wisdom, there- fore, saw fit to suffer every false and dangerous notion by which the enemy of souls would at any time attempt to corrupt the simphcity of the faith, to make its first enti'ance while the apos- tles were still living, that we might have their instructions and examples to guide us in every emergency. Strange as it may seem, it is nevertheless true, that no absolutely new opinion, whether right or wrong, respecting the faith in Christ, has been started, since the close of the scriptural canon. The gospel, that good and perfect gift, which came down from the Father of lights, has received no amendment from the hands through which it has successively passed. On the other hand, the grand deceiv- er, at the very beginning, exerted all his force against the gos- pel, and so fully availed himself of all his influence on the igno- rance and wickedness of men, that he has since had no new •devices to essay, no untried resources in reserve. . Length of SERMON XXXIV. 431 time, indeed, and change of circumstances, have afforded him opportunity for placing his delusions in various lights, and giv- ing some of his schemes a seeming strength and establishment, which they had not at first ; yet, no scheme or doctrine can be mentioned, which did not appear, though in its infantile state, or with less maturity, in the first age of Christianity. In respect to errour, indeed, the proverb is most emphatically true, that there is no new thing under the sun. This consideration, while it should humble the pride of human reason, and restrain the arrogance o( philosophy falsely so called, should encourage the friends of truth, and lead them more simply and firmly to rely, in every scene of their wai'fare, on the word and grace of God. 2, Opinions and practices, which in some cases may be of an indifferent and unconsequential nature, may in other cases, be highly injurious, and even fatal. It was thus, in the first age of the gospel, with the observances of the ritual law. In the rites and ceremonies of that law, even after it became null and void, there was nothing in itself morally wrong. Tiiey might, or might not be observed, without sin. Accordingly the apostle, in the xivth of Romans, says. One he- lieveth that he may eat all things ; another, ivho is iveak, eaietli herbs. Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not ; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth ; for God hath received him One man esteemeth one day above another ; another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man he fully persuaded in his own mind. The apostle here refers to meats and days, which had been distinguished in the cere- monial law. As the law itself was then abolished, the distinc- tion which it made respecting meats and days was also abolish- ed. Hence, meats which had been ceremonially unclean, might now be eaten, or not ; and days which had been ceremonially sacred, might be observed, or not ; and generally, the rites and ceremonies of the abrogated law might be observed, or not. without offence. Inconsequential and indifferent, however, as those observan- ces in themselves were ; yet they miglit become most danger- ous and fatal. If they were mode occasions of imcharitable 432 SERMON XXXI V. feelings, or conduct; if they were pressed in a manner to pro- duce dissensions among christians, and divisions and schisms in the church ; they were no longer innocent, or indifferent. If they were held as the essentials of religion ; if they were made the ground of justification with God ; they were then of a ten- dency to subvert the faith, and sap the foundation of the gospel, and were most injurious and destructive. It was thus that they were held by the false teachers at Antioch, and it was in this view of them, that Paul and Barnabas found it necessary to set themselves so earnestly against them. The same general principle holds good to this day. An opinion or practice in itself indifferent, or of little consequence, may become the source of immense evil. If it be held to the prejudice of charity, to the interruption of christian fellowship, to the division or disturbance of christian society ; it is no lon- ger an innocent thing. If it be made essential to religion ; if it take the place of faith and the love of God, it is most criminal, most dangerous, most fatal. This consideration cannot be too seriously weighed. It infinitely concerns all, who profess the gospel of Christ, faithful- ly to examine whether they do not lay too much stress on things in themselves indifferent, or of small comparative importance ; whether they do not like the ancient Pharisees, tithe anise, mint^ and rue, to the prejudice of the weightier matters of the law ; whether they are not chargeable with walking not charitably, and of censuring and condemning their brethren, while in fact they themselves are in the fault. 3. Real errours in religion are not to be regarded as matters of indifference, nor suffered to pass without endeavours for cor- rection. It is too much the disposition of the present age to regard re- ligious opinions as of litde consequence ; and it seems to be thought, that even those who are set for the defence of the gos- pel have no right to condemn, or set themselves to explode, or oppose, any doctrine, or opinion, however erroneous it may be. It was otherwise, my bretliren, in the days of the apostles. It was then held to be the duty, not only of the ministers of Christ, SERMON XXXIV. 433 but of all christians, to be steadfast in the truth, and to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints. Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension with the Judaizing teachers at Antioch. The question in controversy there was carried up to Jerusalem, and made the subject of very serious attention, by the apostles and elders, and the brethren generally of the church. Afterwards, when the same errour was propagated in the churches of Galatia. the apostle of the Gentiles deemed it of sufficient consequence to be refuted in a solemn apostolick epistle. * But,' you will say, ' this was a great and fundamental er- rour.' True. But, in saying this, you acknowledge that there may be great and fundamental errours in religion ; and that too, even among those who profess a belief in the gospel, and are zealous in the profession. Such errours, then, ought to be firmly opposed, and faithfully exploded. Smaller errours should be estimated only according to their importance, and treated only with correspondent attention ; but all errour is in a less or greater degree evil, and should be withstood, and coun- teracted, with proportionate zeal and exertion. 4. Errour is to be put down, and difficulties in churches are to be healed, not by human authority, but by arguments and means supplied by the word of God. Paul and Barnabas did not exercise authority over the false brethren, who troubled the church of Antioch ; they did not re- quire them to submit to assertions, opinions, or judgments, au- thoritatively or dogmatically pronounced. But they disputed with them ; they reasoned and endeavoured to show them the truth, by what God had revealed. At Jerusalem, also, when the question came before the apostles, and elders, and brethren there, it was open for discussion, and made a subject of free debate ; and it was finally decided, not by apostolick or eccle- siastical authority, but by fair ai'gument from the siu-e testimony of God. This is particularly observable ; sure, if it could ever be proper, in a case of religious controversy, for any men, or body of men, to pronounce an authoritative decision, it certain- IV would have been so, in this niemorublo instance. Tlie apos- 55 434 SERMON XXXIV. ties were the highest officers in the church of Christ ; the elders at Jerusalem were eminently distinguished in character and in gifts ; and the multitude of the brethren were assembled with them on the occasion. Yet the whole business was conducted, not in the way of authority, but of persuasion. It is observable, also, that while the errour of the Judaizers was refuted and ex- ploded, and their conduct was disowned and disapproved ; yet, against them no harshness or bitterness, was shown ; no anathemas, or denunciations, were uttered. Were the spirit which reigned throughout these proceedings, generally to prevail among the ministers and professors of the gospel, how greatly would it tend happily to prevent or to heal controversies and difficulties ; and how greatly would it redound to the honour of Christianity, to the glory of its divine Author, and to the advancement of his cause. That zeal for the truth of God, and for the purity of his church, which is according to knowledge, and to the spirit of the gospel, is not, in the least incompatible with the most perfect candour and charity, or with the most amiable meekness and gentleness. And since, in the wisdom of God, things were so ordered in the apostolick age, as to afford occasion for instruction and example, suited to every case which might afterwards arise in the church ; how much better would it be for all ministers and christians sacredly to conform to them, than to adopt rules and methods of a differ- ent character, and of questionable expediency ! How much better, than to put down errour, and to silence controversy, by the authority of great names, or of high toned decisions — by violent denunciations in the unadvised recommendations of books, or in the unauthorised acts of clerical or ecclesiastical bodies ! 5. The assembly at Jerusalem affords no precedent, or war- rant, for the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of councils or synods. A difficulty arose in the church of Antioch ; and it was re- ferred to the apostles and elders at Jerusalem. The reasons for this reference are obvious. The false teachers, who raised the difficulty, came from Jerusalem, and pretended, no doubt, to teach according to the doctrine there held ; and it was important to be SERMON XXXIV. 435 fairly find distinctly ascertained, whether the doctrine held at Jerusalem were such as they taught, or not. Besides, it was a question of great consequence, between Jewish and Gentile christians ; a question, indeed, respecting an institution of God, long and justly held sacred by his people — long inade essential to communion in the privileges of the commonwealth of Israel. Not only, then, was it important that a good understanding should be had on this subject, between the churches among the Gentiles, and the church at Jerusalem ; but, as no institution of God could be set aside, without express warrant from him, it was absolutely requisite that all, who were concerned in the question, should know his will respecting it. Accordingly, Paul and Barnabas went to Jerusalem, on this occasion, not merely by the appointment of the church at Antioch ; but, as Paul expressly assures us, by special revelation. As it was from Jerusalem that the word of God had sounded forth into the Gentile world, it seemed good to divine wisdom, that the repeal of tlie Mosaick law, and the terms on which Gentile be- lievers were to be admitted as fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ by the gospel, should be solemnly promulgated from the same place. At Je- rusalem, therefore, in a full convocation of the apostles and elders, and the multitude of the brethren^ the question was con- sidered, and the will of the Holy Spirit declared. And the re- sult was promulgated, not in the way of lordly authority, but of brotherly recommendation. But what do we see in all this, my brethren, of the nature of ecclesiastical judicatory ? " The churches, in these early times," says Dr. Mosheim, " were entirely independent, none of them subject to any foreign jurisdiction, but each one governed by its own rules, and its own laws. For, though the churches founded by the apostles had this particular deference shown them, that they were con- sulted in difficult and doubtful cases, yet they had no juridical authority, no sort of supremacy over the others, nor the least right to enact laws for them. Nothing, on the contrary, is more evident, than the perfect equality which reigned among the primitive churches ; nor does there ever appear, in the first 436 SERMON XXXIV. century, the smallest trace of that association of provincial churches, from ivhich Councils and Metropolitans derived their origin. Tlie meeting of the church of Jerusalem, mentioned in the xvth of Acts, is commonly considered as the first christian council ; but this notion arises from a manifest abuse of the word council." With this account of Mosheim, not only the apostolick writings, but the records generally of the primitive times, fully agree ; and with it, also, fully agree the principles of our con- gregational churches. I pray God, that these principles may never be infringed or disregarded, by any ecclesiastical associa- tion whatever ; that they may never be abandoned or compro- mised, by the churches which have adopted them ; — that no clerical body may ever attempt here to clothe itself with the attributes of an ecclesiastical judicatory, or with the terrors of an inquisitorial tribunal ; that our churches may never under- value their divinely chartered privileges, or seek a remedy for any evils, either felt or feared, in any establishment or form not genuinely congregational. Let it not be imagined that any thing is here intended to the reproach of any other denomination. Very far be every thing of this nature from the preacher. But, as one who sincerely believes that the principles of Congregationalism are according to the gospel, he trusts he may, without offence, speak in their behalf. It is said, indeed, that these churches are in a state of an- archy ; without government, — without discipline, — without order. Nor is it to be denied, that our Zion has her waste places, and her deplorable desolations. But, were her waste places of much greater extent, and her desolations much more deplorable, still should her children take pleasure in her stones, and favour her very dust. It is not, however, to be admitted that, because we have no splendid hierarchy, and no ecclesiastical establishment of impos- ing aspect, our churches are ivithoxit form and void ; nor that, because some of them have left their first love, and sunk into a state of laxity and corruption, the glory is departed from them all. SERMON XXXIV. 437 The constitution of the primitive churches was simple ; yet these churches had the most excellent spirit of life, and beauty of form ; and, amidst all the evils which we deplore, wc might be warranted in affirming, that there are, among congregational churches in Massachusetts, not a few, which do not yield, in point of primitive form, spirit, or disciphne, to any churches in our land. Probably, in no part of our land is the spirit of in- quiry more free, or more active ; or the triumphs of truth over errour more signal, or more honourable to the gospel. These triumphs are extending, and the consummation will be glorious. There are forms of church government, there are ecclesias- tical estabHshments, which might be maintained with a very sightly exteriour, though the spirit of the gospel should be nearly extinct. Not such is the congregational form. This, like a re- publican government, can be supported only by virtue ; and in proportion as virtue, true christian virtue, declines, it will show marks of decay, of imbecility, of tendency to dissolution. But^ shall we therefore do, as the people of political republicks have often done .'* Shall we attempt to remedy the evils arising from a defect of virtue, by adopting some other and stronger form of government ? My brethren, a more excellent way is obvious. Instead of admitting, too readily, that our principles of church government are radically defective, let us make ourselves more intimately acquainted with these principles, and bring them into more uni- form and vigorous action. Instead of casting our eyes abroad^ in search of a remedy for existing evils ; let us faithfully look at home, and use the remedies which the word of God supplies. Instead of seeking for an ecclesiastical establishment of impos- ing exteriour, and compulsive energy ; let us labour, by all scriptural means, for the increase of pure and undefiled religion ; for the promotion of sound faith, of true charity, of internal dis- cipline and purity. The vital principle of true church government is the spirit of holy love, of genuine christian fellowship. Let this spirit pre- vail, and our congregational form will be found amply adequate to every legitimate purpose. Let this spirit prevail, and our in- 438 SERMON XXXIV. ternal discipline will be easy and effective, our external ordev will be unembarrassed and irreproachable, the faithful word of the gospel will be held forth in its native purity and effulgence, and our churches will become beautiful as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, and terrible as an army with banners. 6. How astonishing it is that there should still be, in the christian world, any dispute, or doubt, respecting the way of justification with God. This, indeed, is the point which was first drawn into debate, among the professed believers in the gospel ; and this is the point, which was decided with so much solemnity at Jerusalem. After that decision, it might have been expected, that the notion of justification 6?/ ^Ae deeds of the law; or otherwise than by faith in Jesus Christ, would never again be espoused, by any who should call themselves christians. This errour, however, was not to be so easily subdued. Notwithstanding this blow, it soon revived, spread itself with great activity, and infested the churches in every land. The epistle to the Galatians was writ- ten expressly against this errour ; yet it still lived and flourished ; and it has lived and flourished in all succeeding times. It lives and flourishes in the present age, and is the prolifick parent of most of the errours in the christian world. — Why is it so ? — It is because this errour is deeply rooted in the native pride of the human heart. So long as pride reigns in them, men will not submit themselves to the righteousness of God ; but will go about, in some way or other, to establish their own righteousness. Hence the prevalence of the errour, in all its various forms and branches, which opposes itself to the great evangelical doctrine of justification by faith alone ; of pardon and salvation, by the sovereign grace of God, through the atoning blood of his Fellow, his Son. — My hearers, the pride of our hearts must be subdued ; it must yield to the gospel of the grace of God ; or we shall stumble at the stumbling stone, which God has laid in Zion, un- til we fall to rise no more. It behooves Ministers of the gospel, then, to beware that they never attempt to frustrate the grace of God, and to determine not to know any thing, in their preaching, save Jesus Christ, and SERMON XXXIV. 431^ him crucified ; any thing, but that doctiine which, though to the Jews a stumbling block, and to the Greeks foolishness, is yet, to every one that believeth, the power of God, and the wisdom of God. — Christians should stand fast in the liberty loherewith Christ hath made them free, and never allow themselves to be entangled in the yoke of bondage. They should guard, most carefully, against abusing the grace of God, by which they arc saved ; but, humbly rejoicing for the consolation which it affords them, they should give the most earnest heed, that tliey mav walk worthy of him who hath called them unto glory and virtue. Let sinners, also, remember, that, by the deeds of the law shall no flesh living be justified in the sight of God ; and let them cease from the desperate attempt to establish their own right- eousness, tenderly submit themselves to the grace of God, which bringeth salvation, and lay hold on the hope which is set before them. SERMON XXXV. IMPORTANCE OF EARLY RELIGION. »©« 1 Kings xviir. 12. But I thy servant fear the Lord from my youth. X HERE is a propensity in mankind, than which there is scarcely any other more universally observable, to put off, from time to time, the concerns of religion, to a more convenient season. This propensity pleads the most powerfully, and per- haps with the most plausible pretexts, with persons in the early season of life. As they are yet young, they count upon many days and years in the world ; and they flatter themselves, that they may very well put off religion, until at least the gay and sprightly season of youth be past. But, general and strong as this propensity has ever been, the Lord has never left himself without witness, even among the young ; but has had, in every age of the world, some precious individuals, who have early devoted themselves to his service. In the midst of abounding and wide spreading defection and wickedness, Obadiah was found righteous and faithful before God. He lived in a very degenerate age, in the days of Ahab and Jezebel, when the children of Israel openly apostatized from the Lord, threw down his altars, slew his prophets, and filled the whole land with the most flagrant abominations. He was a person of fortune and of rank. He moved in the higher SERMON XXXV. 441 circles, and iield a distinguished place in the couit of Ahab. But, notwitiistanding the awful degeneracy of the times ; not- withstanding the fashionable irreligion and dissoluteness of man- ners, to the contagion of which he was exposed ; notwithstand- ing his distinguished rank, his alluring situation, and the strong temptations with which he was surrounded ; yet he had the divine testimony in his favoui', that he feared the Lord greathj. He was eminently pious, and devoted to the service of God. The words of my text were addressed, by Obadiah himself, to Elijah the prophet ; and if you read the interesting piece of sacred history, with which they are connected, you cannot fail to perceive, that the occasion was such as fully to acquit him of ostentation, or impropriety, in this declaration of his own early piety. But I thy servant fear the Lord from my youth. To fear the Lord, in the scripture sense of the phrase, is to be devoted to the service of God, in a life of true religion. And, in view of the example now before us, I shall take occa- sion, in this discourse, to call the attention of the young people of this assembly to some important considerations, as motives to early piety, or an early devotedness to the service of God. My young friends, the considerations, which I am about to offer to your minds, are of infinite weight ; they will be offered with the most affectionate concern for your highest good ; and they will have an effect upon you, either happy or unhappy, through all the periods of your future existence. May I not, then, depend on your most serious and dutiful attention .'' However unwelcome to your minds the truth may be, my young friends, it is nevertheless a truth, which it behooves you never to forget, tliat you are sinners ; and, unless you repent, and obtain pardon, must endure the displeasure of God for a miserable eternity. By nature^ like the rest of our fallen race, you are children of disobedience ; and, therefore, children of wrath. If not the subjects of true repentance, you live v.ithout God in the world, are spending your days in vanity, and ruining your immortal souls. But the Lord our God is gracious, long- suffering, and plenteous in goodness and in mercy. Through the blood of his own Son. who died uiion t!)c bill nf r-dlvarv foi- 5f) ' MJ SERMOiV XXXV. the raasom ol many, he graciously offers you pardou and eternal peace. He is calling after you every day, rennnding you of yop.r duty, representing to you the folly and madness of your conduct, in departing from him, warning you of tlie certain and tremendous ruin before you, and pressing you, by every cogent and persuasive motive, to repent and return to him. IVly pres- ent object is to impress upon your minds the reasonableness and importance of immediately hearkening to his gracious calls ; to persuade you, if possible, to remember your Creator in the days of your youth, truly to humble yourselves before him for your sins, penitently to turn from all your vanities, and from all your evil ways, and to accept the mercy which he offers you, through his Son Jesus Christ ; in a word, to give him your hearts, your supreme affections, and devote yourselves to his service, in a course of dutiful obedience to his holy requirements. Surely, my young friends, a bare statement of what I would now urge upon you must carry conviction to your minds, that it is both reasonable and important. But the reasonableness and impor- tance of it may appear in a still stronger and more impressive light, in view of the considerations which are now to be offered. I. God has sovereign claims upon you, as your Creator, your Preserver, and the Fountain of all your mercies and blessings. You are God's creatures, and all that you have you receive from him. He made your bodies and your souls ; and in him you live, and move, and have your being. You are his in the most absolute sense ; for he made you for himself, for his own pleasure and glory. You are dependent on him, not only for your existence, for the endowments of your natures, and for your continuance in being from day to day ; but, for all that you do, and for all that you have. You cannot move a limb, you <^unnot draw a breath, you cannot have a thought, or a v^olition, without him. The power by which you are enabled to act and to think is God's ; the earth, on which you tread is God's ; the air which you breathe is God's ; the food by which you are sus- tained is Cod's; the sun which shines around you, the moon and die stars, and the whole survey of nature, by which you are cheered and delighted, are God's. Every tliina; around and SERMON XXXV. 443 within vou is God's. For all things, therefore, you are drpcnd- eni on God. He gives you all things richly to enjoy, and to improve for him. — Is it not reasonable, then, is it not important, that you should remember God, and devote yourselves to his service, even in the days of your youth .'* Can you be too young for this ? Are you too young to break off your sins by righteous- ness, to hearken to the Saviour who died for you, and to love and serve the God who made you, and to whose kindness you are indebted for all that you enjoy .'' You have youthful spright- liness, spirits and vigour. But did you not certainly receive even these from God ; and will you not, then, immediately con- secrate them to his service and praise ? II. God, in himself, is worthy of all your love, and alt your service. God is a being of unlimited perfection. He is infinitely good ; the consummation of all excellence and loveliness. His requirements, too, are all perfectly right; — holy, just, and good. Angels, the most exalted of created beings, adore their Creator, who is also your Creator, as worthy of their highest love, their best service, their entire devotion. And if God is infinite in all perfection, and worthy of the entire homage and service of an- gels, and all the exalted ranks of holy beings, who surround the throne of his glory in the heavens, is he not worthy of your love, your homage, your service .'' Is there another being in the uni- verse more worthy .'' — Wliile you live w'ithout religion, without God in the world, you live in the service of Satan. You are his bond slaves, led captive by him at his will. But is Satan more worthy of your service than God ? Will you prefer the service of the worst, the most malignant being in the universe, to the service of the best, the most benevolent, tlie most glorious .'' If not, then repent immediately, and turn unto the Lord your God, with all your hearts, and with all your souls. III. Early repentance and religion would eminently conduce to your happiness. It is only in religion, it is only in the love and service of God, that true happiness is to be found. Does this seem to any of you incredible .'' Have you been accustomed to think a life of 444 SERiAION XXXV. religion a clieerless nnd comfortless life f — Tlic thought, be as- sured, is most false and delusive. Is it to be supposed that a dependent being can be less happy, in a state of peace and friendship with his infinitely benevolent and glorious Creator, than in a state of rebellion against him, and under his displeas- ure ? Do you believe the angels of light to be less happy than the demons of darkness ? How, then, can you suppose saints to be less happy than sinners ? Or how can you suppose a life of true religion to be less happy than a life of ungodliness ? Believe me, dear youth, the serious and devout christian ha? more solid happiness in a single hour of sensible communion ■with God, and consecration to his service, than you can enjoy In an age of v.-orldly and sensual pleasure. He finds, what can never be found in the objects of the world, a substantial and satisfying good. He enjoys, in a degree, the same kind of hap- piness which constitutes the blessedness of heaven. He feels an elevation of soul, which the world can never inspire, and par- takes oijoys unspeakable and full of glory. — Verily, the ways of wisdom are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. — If you are terrified with the thought of becoming religious, lest it should deprive you of happiness ; why are you not terrified at the thought of going to heaven, where all are religious, and religion is the constant business ? Or, if you believe heaven to be a place of happiness, why will you not beheve that a life of religion, even in this world, is a happy Hfe ? While destitute of religion, you cannot be happy ; you are continually like the troubled sea, tohen it cannot rest. You are restless, and in continual fluctuation. You are flying from ob- ject to object, and from scene to scene, in pursuit of happiness ; but to true happiness you never attain. You are disquieted still. Religion, my young friends, would relieve you from this disquietude, and bring you to rest on the rock of eternal salva- tion and peace. Rehgion would sweetly control the restless passions of your souls, assuage the fervour of appetite and sense, open to you sources of delight, of which, while destitute of re- ligion, you can have no conception, and bring serenity, and peace, and joy to your minds. Those moral restraints, those SERMON XXXV. 44r. duties, and self-denials, which arc now so discordant with all your inclinations and feelings, religion would render easy, agreeable, and pleasant. Were you truly pious, the thoughts of God and eternity, instead of oppressing your spirits with a dis- mal gloom, and filling your minds with horrour, would raise your spirits to the noblest elevation, and fill your minds with the purest delight. Religion would secure you from those excesses, those vices and follies, those flagrant departures from rectitude and prudence, to which thoughtless youth are so much exposed, in this evil and ensnaring world, which are often attended with the most painful mortifications and embarrassments, and which are always bitterness in the latter end ; and would kindly con- duct you along, in the narrow, but pleasant path of wisdom and safety. Religion would prepare you for all the vicissitudes of the present life, and for all the scenes of your future existence. It would prepare you to enjoy prosperity with sobriety and thankfulness, and to endure adversity with resignation and hope. It would prepare you to lie down with contentment on the bed of sickness, to meet, without dismay, the messenger of death, to bid a peaceful and smiling adieu to all the objects and scenes of this transitory state, and to enter, under the conduct of angels, within the gates of the heavenly Jerusalem, there to enjoy the perfection of blessedness forever. IV. Religion would render you more useful in the present world, and fit you for higher scenes of action in the world to come. One sinner destroyeth much good. One vicious youth by his wicked practices, by his evil communications, by his perniciour- example and influence, may disturb the peace, and destroy the happiness, of his family and connections, may occasion endless molestation and trouble in society, may spread the balcfid conta- gion of vice extensively around him, and may hurry multitudes of thoughtless and deluded wretches down, with himsclf^into the gulf of eternal perdition. One righteous person may be of incalcula- ble use in the world. One truly pious youth, by his good con- versation and deportment, by his salutary example and influence, may greatly promote the happinrc< of his family nnd immediate 416 SERMON XXXV. connections, mny render immense benefit to individuals and to society, may spread the benignant efl'ects of active goodness extensively around liim, and may be instrumental of checking the progress of vice, of errour, and of ungodliness, of promot- ing tiie cause of virtue, of truth, and religion, of turning many from the errour of their ways unto the wisdom of the just, and of leading them on, with himself, in the way of immortal glory. Delightful thought ! Your usefulness in life, my young friends, depends upon your characters. Religion would impart to your characters a stability, a consistency, a dignity, a sterling excellency and worth, which would be of immense utility to yourselves, to your connections, to society in the world, and to the church of God, to which, without religion, you can never attain. Bad as the world is, it is constrained to do homage to active goodness and virtue ; and the man of unfeigned religion, the man who ap- pears and acts in character, as the servant and friend of God, will always command respect, and will always be useful in the world. Look at young Joseph in Egypt; look at young Dan- iel, and his three young companions, in Babylon ; look at young Obadiah, in the land of Israel, in the degenerate days of Ahab. What excellency, what sublimity of character ! What extensive and lasting usefidness ! These, my young friends, were all per- sons of early piety ; and it was their early piety, it was their religion, which rendered them thus excellent in their characters, and thus useful in their generations. Religion, my young friends, would be your best, if not your only security, against those enormities and excesses, those ir- regularities and vices, by which the characters of many young persons are ruined, and by which a baleful contagion is exten- sively communicated. It would lead you to be regular in your lives, and industrious in your several occupations. It would preserve you from that vain conceit, that untowardness of dis- position, and that impetuosity of passion, which despise the in- structions of wisdom, and the coimsels of experience, and arc too often the occasion of innumerable evils. In a word, it ■"ould give you a disposition, and place you in a situation, to be SERMON XXXV. 447 useful lo yourselves, to your connections, to the church, and to society tit large. The righteous are the salt of the earth, and the light of the world. On those who fear God, and devote themselves to his service in their youth, the hopes of the church arc placed, and the welfare of future generations depends. V. Another consideration which ought to sink deeply into your hearts, is this ; you live, from day to day, on the mere sufferance and mercy of God, exercised only through the cru- cified Redeemer. While you live without religion, you live in sin, and are constantly exposed to everlasting destruction. It is of the LorcPs mercies that you are not consumed; it is because his com- passions fail not. And it is a consideration which ought most tenderly to affect you, that the long-sufferance and mercy of God, by which you are preserved from everlasting burnings, is -exercised only through the gracious mediation of Jesus Christ, your compassionate Redeemer. Christ has died for sinners ; he has died, dear youth, for you ; and were it not for his gra- cious mediation, you could have no reprieve, no respite — no, not a moment, in this state of probation, as prisoners of hope. Every circumstance of your present condition, which renders it more comfortable than a state of hopeless misery, is obtained for you by the kind mediation of Christ your Redeemer. Ev^ery moment of your probationary time, your space for re- pentance ; every comfort, every privilege which you enjoy in life, was purchased for you with his precious blood. Yes, my young friends, let it never be forgotten, let the impression of it never be effaced from your minds, you live on the mere for- bearance and mercy of God, purchased for you at the infmite price of the blood of his own Son ! And this respite from wo, which you now enjoy, was thus purchased for you, for the ex- press purpose, that you might have an opportunity to repent and devote yourselves to the service of him, who has shown you such infinite love. Will you not, then, improve the pre- cious season for this important purpose .'' Will you live on the mere sufferance of God, and despise his goodness ? Will you nngratefidly and wickedly squander away tlio short term of vour 448 SERMON XXXV. probation, wiiich the benevolent Redeemer has so dearly pur- chased lor you, and on the improvement of which your condi- tion for eternity is suspended ? In this affecting view of the subject, does it not appear at once, most reasonable, and most important, that your earliest days, and every moment of your time, should be sacredly devoted to the service of your God and Redeemer ? — I add, VI. That, for those who are young, as well as for those more advanced in years, to live without religion, and without God in the loorJd, is attended with infinite hazard, and infinite guilt. The season of youth is unquestionably the most favourable season you will ever have for beginning in the great business of religion. In this season, your minds are comparatively tender, and susceptible of impression. You are less encumbered with the cares of the world, and less under the influence of the mam- mon of unrighteousness, which so generally and so fatally blinds the minds of men, and stifles in them all sense of every thing pertaining to the kingdom of God. At this season, also, you arc less under the influence of long established habits of wick- edness, which, as strong and indissoluble cords, bind men over to the ways of eternal death. Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots 9 Then may he also loho is ac- customed to do evil, learn to do well. It is agreeable to the experience and observation of the church, for successive generations, that by far the greater part of those, who ever become distinguished for their religion, fear the Lord from their youth, or become the subjects of repent- ance, and devote themselves to the service of God, in the early periods of life. How can you flatter yourselves, my young friends, that after you have sinned away the favourable season of youth, after you have spent your best and brightest days in the service of Satan, and in disobedience to God, after you have long accustomed yourselves to turn a deaf ear to all the solemn and gracious calls of the gospel, and to steel your hearts against the kindly influences of the divine Spirit, after you have become more eagerly engaged in the bustle of life, SERMON XXXV. 449 and the cords of your sins, the bonds which liold you to the world, are made strong ; — how can you flatter yourselves that, after all this, you will find a more favourable opportunity, « more convenient season, to turn directly about, and begin a life of re- ligion, than you now have ? How preposterous, how delusive, were such self-flattery ! Even did you know, that you might, when old, find a place for repentance, and make your peace with God, would it not be exceedingly unreasonable, unwise, and criminal, to live in sin, in contempt of the God who made you, in abuse of his goodness and mercy, ungratefully trampling on the blood of his Son, which was shed for your redemption, until your best days are gone, until the season for your enjoyment and usefulness in the world is past, and you have only, as it were, the dregs of life to devote to the service of your Redeemer, and to the advancement of his kingdom. Can you endure the thought of acting a part so unreasonable and ungrateful ? Can you endure the thought of spending your days in vanity and sin, until it shall become too late for you to do any considerable good in the world.'' Can you endure the thought of thus ungrate- fully requiting the God who made you, and the Lord who bought you ? But, there is no ground on which you can rest with any rea- sonable confidence, in the expectation of becoming religious, making your peace with God, and preparing for a happy eterni- ty, after you have grown into years. You have no assurance of your fives, not even for a year, or for a day. How many, who came into the world about the same time with yourselves, and even still later, are already gone to their long home r How many of your young acquaintances, whose prospects for life were as fair and as flattering as yours, have finished their days on earth, and entered upon their state of eternal retribution ? God only knows how soon you may be called to follow them. But, should your lives be prolonged, even to old age, what gssurance can you give, that, if you neglect the season of youth, you will after- wards repent, and become the true friends and children of God ? Are you not exposed to ten thousand temptations and snares.'* Are not your hearts deceitful above all t,'ilii2;s, and desperately 57 450 SERMOiN XXXV. wicked ? Are you not in danger of falling a prey lo the great ad- versary, who, as a roaring lion, goeth ahout, seeking whom he may devour ? Are you not liable to fall into the snares of those, who lie in wait, with sleight and cunning craftiness, to deceive ? How many a hopeful youth is carried away as with a flood, and utterly lost in the pollutions of the world ? How many, in the early periods of life, are turned aside from the truth, to follow after errour and delusions, to their eternal destruction ! And how many there are who, though preserved from the excesses of vice, and the illusions of errour, yet put off religion, from pe- riod to period, under the deceptions idea of some more convenient season, until they become hardened in impenitency, their bonds are made strong, and they die without hope ? And what assur- ance can any of you give, that it will not be thus with you ? What assurance can any of you give, that you will not be carried away by the overwhelming torrent of vice and ungodliness ; or that you will not be turned aside to the most fatal delusions of errour ; or that you will not at least let your precious seasons, and your golden opportunities, pass away, until the Spirit of God shall finally leave you, until your day of grace be past, and, with a hard heart, and a bhnd mind, you lie down upon the bed of death, with no good hope to support you, with no opening pros- pects of glory to console you, without a ray of hght to pierce the dismal gloom of the grave, or to dissipate the thickening horrours of eternal darkness ? Is it not, then, all-important, that you re- pent and fear God in your youth? And is not a delay of religion attended with infiinite hazard ? My dear young friends, what heart of benevolence can but tremble for your state ? You are just rising into life. You arc just stepping upon the great theatre of the world, to act your respective parts for endless retribution. The present is, with you, certainly, a most critical and interesting period. You are now forming your characters, and shaping your destinies, for time and for eternity. Upon the choice, which you make, and upon the course which you adopt, interminable ages of bliss or of wo are suspended. Yet the most of you, I fear, have but very little serious consideration about your state. With the SERMON XXXV. 451 most painful concern it is to be observed that, in general, our young persons appear to be extremely thoughtless, given to vani- ty, and inattentive to their eternal welfare. Shall it, dear youth, continue to be thus with you? yJiW you forget God your Maker; and lightly esteem the Rock of your salvation 9 Will you con- temn his infinite grace, and rest contented in the pollutions of sin, and the servitude of Satan .'' Will you despise substantial good, and give yourselves up to mere vanity ? Will you be of the number of those, who Hve only to corrupt, and act only to destroy ? Will you abuse the Saviour who died for you, and trample his blood under your feet ? Will you utterly refuse the counsels of wisdom, and rush heedlessly on into the snares of the destroyer ? — O stop, dear youth ; stop, I conjure you, and seriously consider the end. If you despise the counsels of wis- dom, destruction and misery are before you. O turji then, at ]>er reproofs. Turn ye, turn ye ; for why ivill ye die ? SER3I0N XXXVI. NECESSITY OF REGENERATION. »©« John hi. 6, 7. That which is born ofthejlesh isjlesh ; and that which is born of tht Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. It is of primary importance, my brethren, correctly and clearly to perceive the difference between the state of nature and the state of grace. It is a difference most distinctly recog- nized, and earnestly insisted on, in the scriptures ; and, without a right perception of it, our views of the doctrines and instruc- tions of the scriptures must be very erroneous, or very obscure. In my text, this difference is presented with great clearness and precision, with a cardinal doctrine of our religion resulting from it. The discourse, of which the text is a part, is particularly memorable. ^ Pharisee, named JVicodemus, came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a Teach- er come from God ; for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. If duly considered, this memorable answer will not appear to have been so abrupt, and unconnected with what Nicodemus had said, as at first it might SERMON XXXVI. 453 seem to have been. Nicodemus with great apparent candour, declared his belief, that Jesus was a Teacher come from God; and assigns, as the reason of this belief, the miracles which Je- sus had wrought. This, for a Pharisee, and a ruler of the Jews, was certainly an important concession. Yet it fell far short of the extent to which it ousrht to have rone. Had Nicodemus been divinely enlightened, and of a spiritual mind, he would have seen and acknowledged, not only that Jesus was a Teach- er come from God ; but, also, that he was the Messiah, who was to come and set up the kingdom of heaven. Candid as he was, there was a great defect in his faith ; a great defect in his discernment of the character and dignity of Jesus. Perceiving this defect, and the reason of it, Jesus said, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see, cannot discern, the kingdom, or reign, of heaven. Nicodemus, with all his candour, and all his knowledge, did not discern it ; nor woidd he, till born anew. JYicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old ? Can he enter the second time into his inother^s womb, and be born ? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee. Except a man be born of water, and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Even if he could be born of his mother a second time, it would be of no avail. He must be born, not of the flesh only, but of the Spirit. For that which is born of the flesh is flesh ; and thai ivhich is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not, then, that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The positions, to which our attention is here called, are three. I. That which is born of the flesh is flesh. II. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit. And, hence.. III. A second birth is necessary for mankind. I. That which is born of the flesh is flesh. Born of the flesh, and born after the flesh,, sre phrases repeatedly used in the scriptures ; and the sense of them is by no means disputable, or doubtful. To be born of the flesh, or after the flesh, is to be born in the way of natural generation, or in the way that all mankind come into the world 454 SERMON XXX VI. That which is thus born, or thus produced, is here declared to he flesh. But what is here meant by flesh ? This term rightly understood, is the key to this whole subject ; it therefore re- quires very particular attention. The antithesis in the text is to be distinctly noted. That which is bom of the flesh is flesh ; that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Being born of the flesh is put in opposition to being born of the Spirit. The one, as already noticed, is the natural birth of mankind ; the other, as we shall see in its place, is a supernatural birth. That which is born naturally, and is here cnWed flesh, is also put in opposition to what is born super- naturally, and is called spirit. The body of man is indeed flesh, in contradistinction to the soul, which is spirit. But no one supposes that this is the sense, in which flesh and spirit are contrasted, in this passage. No one supposes that our divine teacher meant, that that which is born of the flesh, or by natural generation, is the body, and that which is born of the Spirit, or by supernatural generation, is the soul. Flesh and spirit, then, are here used in some figurative sense, and plainly denote dif- ferent and opposite moral characters, or properties. The term flesh, indeed, is used in the scriptures, in many different senses. It is used in two different senses, even in our text. In the fii'st instance, in the subject of the proposition, that which is born of the flesh, it is used to denote the natural generation of mankind. In the second instance, in the predicate of the proposition, is flesh, it is used to denote the moral state, character, or properties of mankind, as, by natural generation, they come into the world. What, then, is the moral state, character, or disposition, which the terra flesh, in contradistinction to the term spirit, de- notes .'' This is a question, a correct answer to which is of much importance. Man was originally created in the image of God, in right- eousness and true holiness. Being in his moral disposition and character like God, he clearly discerned the infinite beauty, and glory of his adorable Creator; and he loved God, with all his heart, and ivith all his soul. His moral aiFections then were SERMON XXXVL 456 spiritual ; tliey were placed on objects spiritual and divine ; and in them lie found his supreme happiness. In that state of inno- cence, indeed, he had various senses, appetites, and passions, whose immediate objects were animal and earthly ; yet all of them were held in complete subordination to his supreme love to God, to his affection for objects spiritual and divine. But what must have been the consequence of his losing his love to God, and divine objects .'* Plainly this, that ho would drop as from heaven to earth ; from his exalted state of spiritual purity, dignity, and happiness, down into a state of deep moral degra- dation, and corruption. From a spiritual and heavenly mind, he would sink into a carnal and earthly mind ; and instead of seeking happiness in spiritual objects and enjoyments, he would seek it only in the objects and gratifications of his earthly, car- nal, sensuaJ, and selfish dispositions, appetites, afiections, and passions. And such, my hearers, was the fact. Man did lose his love to God ; his spiritual and holy affections ; and he did fall from his exalted stale of spiritual purity, dignity, and hap- piness, down to a state of deep moral degradation and corrup- tion. He lapsed from spirit into flesh ; and having lost his spiritual and heavenly dispositions and affections, the dispositions and affections, which remained to him, were all fleshly and earthly ; such, only, as would seek their gratifications in the world, and the things of the ivorld. This simple view of the fallen state of man explains to us, at once, what we are to understand by the terms fiesh, and JlcshJy, or carnal, when used in the sense of our text; and, in this view, the scriptural representations of the subject are easy and plain. In the second chapter of the epistle to the Ephesians, tlie apos- tle, speaking of himself and other believers, both Jews and Gentiles, says, fVe all had our conversation in times past, in the lusts of the flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind. The lusts and desires of the flesh, ace the carnal dispositions, appetites, propensities, affections, and passions, which are natural to men ; and to have our conversation in these, and to fidfll them, is to be devoted to the objects and pursuits, to which they load, and in which th.ey seek their grat- 45(3 SERMON XXXVI. ifications. In the language of the apostle, it is to follow the course of this xoorld. Accordingl)^, to the Romans, the same apostle says, They that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh. What, then, are the things of the flesh '^ They are the things of this world generally, in distinction from the things of the kingdom of God, which are the things of the Spirit. If the Gentiles, says the apostle, have been made partakers of their SPIRITUAL things ; that is, the spiritual things of the saints at Jerusalem ; their duty is also to minister to them in carnal things. The term carnal, it should be remembered, is of the same signification with the term fleshly ; and here, even the good things of this world, things necessary for temporal support and comfort, are denominated carnal things, or things of the flesh. To the Corinthians also, the apostle says, If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things ? This scriptural distinction between carnal things, or the things of the flesh, and spiritual things, or the things of the Spirit, should be particularly noted. Spiritual things are the things of God and his kingdom. Carnal things are the things of this world, generally, as well those that are, in a temporal sense, good, as those that are not. Hence, when it is said, that they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh, the meaning is, that they are devoted to the world, and the things of the world. This agrees exactly with the explana- tion before given, respecting the flesh. But the apostle says further. The carnal mind is enmity against God ; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. The law of God requires that we should love him with all the heart, and with all the soul. But, as the dispo- si lions and affections, which constitute the fleshly, or carnal mind, are not towards God, but towards the world, and chain down the soul to earthly things ; it is therefore plain, that this carnal mind is not, and cannot be, subject to the law ; but must be contrary and hostile to it. Hence, also, it is enmity against God. For, though God allows some regard to the things of the present world, such as is duly subordinate to a supreme regard lo him, and the things of his kingdom ; yet, a devotedness to SERMON XXXVI. 457 the world he utterly disallows, forbids, and threatens to recom- pense with everlasting destruction. Between him, then, and the carnal mind, which is entirely devoted to the world, there is necessarily perpetual hostility ; and the carnal mind, instead of loving him, really hates him, and is enmity against him. Such, my brethren, is the carnal mind, or the flesh, in dis- tinction from the spiritual mind, or the spirit. But our divine Teacher affirms, that what comes into the world in the way of natural generation, is, in this sense, jlesh ; is the carnal mind. Accordingly, we read, that Adam begat a son in his own like- ness, after his image ; not in the likeness, and image of God, in which Adam was first created ; but in the likeness and image of Adam, in his fallen state. And is it not exceedingly mani- fest that such has been the fact, in regard to all generations of men ^ Have not all the generations of the world given awful proof, that they were flesh; that their dispositions and affections, naturally, were not spiritual, but carnal ; not set upon God, and the things of God, but upon the world, and the things of the world. Has not the carnal mind, from generation to generation, early shown itself in children .'' And, unless divine grace has interposed, has it not " grown with their growth, and strength- ened with their strength .'"' The truth is so plain, that it needs only to be correctly stated, in order to carry conviction to every mind. For, who will undertake to say, that the generations of men, or any of them, have been spiritually minded ; have had their dispositions and affections, not towards the world, and the things of the world ; but towards God, and the things of God.'' Look round the world, my hearers ; look back upon past ages ; look upon yourselves, and upon your children ; and say, is it not true that, in the sense now explained, that which is born of THE FLESH IS FLESH ? But, n. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit. What has been said under the former head, has prepared the way very easily to understand what is comprised under this. As the term flesh, in the former part of the text, is used in two senses, so is the term spirit here. Being born of the Sjnrit is put in opposition to being born of the flesh, or in the wav of nat*- 58 458 SERMON XXXVl. ural gencralion ; and here, by the Spirit, we are doubtlebs to understand the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God. But the predi- cate of this proposhion, is spirit, is put in opposition to that of the former, is flesh ; and here the term spirit denotes the spirit- ual mind, in contradistinction from the carnal mind. As, indeed, spirit is thus put in contrast vi'iih flesh; since we have seen what is meant by flesh, or the carnal mind, we can be at no loss for what is meant by spirit, or the spiritual mind. The spiritual mind is that holy disposition, that affection for God, and divine things, which man lost by the fall. It consists in dispositions and affections, which are not after the world, and the things of the world ; but after God, and the things of God ; which regard God as the supreme good, and his glory as the first and highest object of attention and pursuit ; which, in the language of Christ, Seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness ; and which, therefore, raise the soul in its de- sires, and hopes, and views, from earth to heaven. That which is produced by the Holy Spirit, when he regen- erates the soul, is the spiritual mind now described ; a new mind, or heart, consisting of dispositions and affections for spirit- ual and divine things. In clear agreement whh this, the apostle John says. Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world ; rises superiour to all worldly pleasures and objects, and seeks a heavenly portion. According to Paul, also, as they that arc after the flesh, or are born only of the flesh, do mind the things of the flesh, or are devoted to the world ; so they that are after the Spirit, or are born of the Spirit, do mind the things of the Sjiirit, or are devoted to God, and his spiritual kingdom. In regeneration, indeed, the Holy Spirit renews in men that moral image of God, whicli was lost by the fall. Hence, being born of the Spirit \s caWed a new creation ; that which is thus produced is called a new man, which, after God, or in the image of God, is created in righteousness and true holiness ; and they who are thus born again are said to be renewed in the spirit of their minds, and to be God''s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good ivorks. And even in the old Testament, God says, by the prophet Ezekiel, A new heart also will I give yov. SERMON XXXVI. 469 und a new spirit will I put loithin you ; and I tvill put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments and do them. Such, my hearers, is the spirit, or spiritual mind, in distinc- tion from the flesh, or carnal mind; and such is the clearness, and fulness, with which the scriptures assert, that that which IS BORN OF THE SPIRIT IS SPIRIT. — We may now proceed to consider our other position ; which is, III. That a second birth is necessary for mankind. Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again. If men had no higher portion to seek than what lies in this world, a second birth would not be necessary ; for they come into the world with dispositions and affections for the pursuit and enjoyment of earthly things. But this world is not our home ; nor is there any portion to be found in the things of this world, suited to the immortal mind. Here, hovvever, God, who is in- finitely good, has been pleased to set up a kingdom 5 a kingdom which is to endure forever, to rise from earth to heaven, and to be filled with immortal happiness and glory. Into this kingdom he invites us to come j here to place our hopes, and to lay up our treasure ; and all who comply are safe and happy for eter- nity ; and all who refuse, and persist in refusing, must be eter- nally poor, and xoretched, and miserable. In this kingdom, how- ever, dwelleth righteousness. It is a spiritual and holy king- dom ; and all its subjects and enjoyments are spiritual and holy. For a place and part in this kingdom, those who are destitute of spiritual and holy affections and dispositions, as all mankind naturally are, must be entirely unqualified and incapacitated. This is strongly expressed by our Saviour to Nicodemus, in the context. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man he horn again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. And, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man he born of water, and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. The meaning is, not merely that God has determined that no n^.an, without being born again, shall see, or enter into his kingdom ; but rather, that no man, without being born again, is capacitated to enter into, or even to see, this holy kingdom. Nicodemus, 46(5 SERMON XXXVI. though a teacher in Israel, or, by eminence, according to the true import of the original, the teacher of Israel, and apparently, also, very candid and seriously disposed, could not see it ; and his incapacity for seeing it, while in his natural state, was evi- dently the very thing which gave occasion for Jesus so earnestly to insist on the necessity of being born again. And, my brethren, is it not evident, that none of mankind ever can truly see this kindom, so long as they remain in their natural state, destitute of spiritual and holy dispositions and af- fections ? They may hear, indeed, that such a kingdom exists ; and they may believe it. They may, also, know something of its constitution and principles ; of its truths, and laws, and in- stitutions, and outward forms. But all this falls short of really seeing the kingdom of God. To see this kingdom, one must perceive its spiritual beauty and glory ; its holiness and its hap- piness. But this no one can ever see, who has not dispositions and affections suited to these things ; dispositions and affections truly spiritual and holy. It is impossible for any man to per- ceive the beauty of musick, who has no taste for musick. And equally impossible must it be for any one to perceive the beau- ty of holiness, who has no taste for holiness, or the excellency of spiritual happiness, without any taste for spiritual happiness. Accordingly, it is written, The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God ; for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them^ because they are spiritually discerned. Nothing, indeed, can be more certain than this, that we can never see the beauty or excellency of any object, or assem- blage of objects, however beautiful or excellent, for which we have no affection, disposition, or taste. If, without being born of the Spirit, no one can even see, truly, the kingdom of God ; surely, without this second birth, no one can enter into it. To enter into this kingdom, one must unite himself to it, choose his portion and take up his residence in it, and participate in its pursuits, enjoyments, and hopes. But how can any one do this, while destitute of spiritual and holy affections and dispositions ; while, indeed, all his propenshies and dispositions are towards the world, and the things of the SERMON XXXVI. 4t)l world ? — To enter into this kingdom, moreover, one must sub- mit to the laws of the kingdom, and become a willing and loyal subject. But the carnal mind is not subject to the law cf God, neither indeed can he. The moral law which is the fun- damental law of the kingdom, requires supreme love to God ; love to him for his infinite holiness, and love to the objects and interests generally, which his kingdom comprise, which are spiritual and holy. But in their natural state, men have no true love to God, no true love to any spiritual and holy objects or interests. This love is the very thing which was lost by the fall, and which is reproduced in men, when horn of the Spirit. The carnal and earthly propensities and affections, natural to mankind, instead of being loyal to God, and subject to his law, show themselves in enmity against him, and array themselves in hostility to him, his law, and his kingdom. Upon the moral law, the gospel is superinduced ; and there is no coming into the kingdom of God, but by submission to the gospel. Christ, even Christ crucified, is the way into this kingdom ; and no man can come into it but by faith in him — hy faith which works by love. But, as men, while in their natural state, have no true love ; so neither can they have true faith, nor true repentance, nor any of the holy dispositions, or affections, which the gospel requires. They, and they only, truly receive Christ, and believe in him, who are born — born anew — not of blood, nor of the ivill of the flesh, nor of the will of man ; hut of God. Men may, indeed, in an outward sense, enter into the king- dom of God, without a second birth. They may enter into his visible church, profess to be his subjects, swear allegiance to him, and deport themselves with all external respect to him. But all this falls far short of a real entrance into his spiritual kingdom ; and while men have only this outward membership, their hearts, their treasures, their objects of affection and delight, their pleasures, and their hopes, are not in the kingdom of God, but still in the world. What, then, will they do, and where will they be, when removed from this world i What will they do, and where will they be, when the world, and all that is in it, shall be burned up ?' In the spiritual and holy kingdom of God 46^2 SERMON XXXVI. lliey will find no place. Their treasures, their objects of affec- tion and delight, their pleasures, and their hopes, will all be gone ; and they, themselves, will be poor, and wretched, and miserable forever. And thus must it be with all, my hearers, whether professors or non-professors, who ai'e not born of the Spirit. On the whole, it is exceedingly plain that, if that which is born of the flesh is flesh ; and only that which is born of the Spirit is spirit ; then, until men have a second birth, they are ut- terly unqualified and incapacitated for entering into the kingdom of God, and even for seeing it. They have no dispositions, or affections, suited to this kingdom, to its spiritual and holy ob- jects, its pursuits, or its joys ; no preparedness to yield obedi- ence to its laws, or take a part in its interests, or engage in its concerns. And were it possible for them, without being born of the Spirit, to be admitted into heaven, they would find them- selves not at home there ; but strangers and aliens, nay, ene- mies and miserable outlaws. IMPROVEMEIST. 1. We see the reason and nature of the moral blindness and darkness of mankind. The melancholy fact of this blindness and darkness is indis- putable. It is abundantly declared in the word of God, and awfully evinced by the conduct of men. They know not, nei- ther will they understand ; they walk on in darkness. The light, even the light from heaven, shineth in darkness ; and the dark- ness comprehendeth it not. Though the reason of this has al- ready been brought into view, it deserves to be here more dis- tinctly noted. It is, that men have, naturally, no disposition, or affection, or taste, for spiritual and holy things. That ivhich is born of the flesh is flesh — is altogether carnal and earthly ; and only that which is born of the Spirit is spirit — is truly spiritual and heavenly. But men are always blind to that for which they have no disposition, affection, or taste. It is only by a mind truly spiritual, that spiritual things can be truly discerned. Men walk in the vanity of their minds, having the understanding SERMON XXXVI. 463 darkened, Jeirtg alienated from the life of God through the ig- norance that is in them, because of the blindness of theik HEARTS ; because they have no affections or dispositions, truly spiritual or holy, to enable them rightly to discern spiritual and hojy things ; and their carnal minds resolutely turn away from God, and fix upon the world, and are filled with propensities, prejudices, aud passions, which counteract the means, and resist the efforts, which would bring them to tlie light. 2. The view taken of this subject may assist us in forming right conceptions of our native depravity. By depravity we mean debasement, degeneracy, and cor- ruption. Our native depravity primarily consists in the absence of that spiritual mind, that holiness of disposition and affection, — in other words, of that love to God, and things spiritual and divine, which was lost at the fall. Naturally our minds arc only carnal. Our hearts consist of dispositions and affections, only sensual, selfish and earthly. This is our native depravity. The appetites and affections, which are natural to us, if duly subordinated to a principle of holy love, might be innocent. Some, if not all of them, were in man in his primeval innocency. Besides, them, however, man then had spiritual and holy affec- tions, which held a complete dominion in him. But now these spiritual and holy affections having been lost by the fall, the fleshly and earthly affections have in mankind the complete do- minion, and are, therefore, rebellious against God, hostile to his law and to his kingdom, and fully set to do evil. In a proper sense, then, our native depravity is total. The term total depravity, when understandingly and correctly used, does not import, that men have totally lost their powers of moral agency ; for all the powers necessary to moral agency they still possess. Nor does it mean, that they are as bad as they can be ; for who can tell to what excesses their rebelhous disposi- tions, and affections, and passions, would go, if freed from all the restraints under which, by the providence and grace of God. they are held. Nor does it mean, indeed, that they have no dispositions, or affections, which are not in themselves, and in every degree of them, sinful : for they liave dispositions and 464 SERMON XXXVI. affections which, if duly subordinated and directed to the glory of God, would be so far from being utterly sinful, that they would be innocent, and even useful. But the term imports, that naturally we have no affections, or dispositions truly spirit- ual and holy, no true love to God, or things spiritual and di- vine ; or, in the language of the aposde, that in us, that is, in our jlcsh, or in our natural state, dioelleth no good thing ; noth- ing spiritually good. And as the carnal mind is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be, so they that are in the flesh, or in their natural state, cannot please God; for none, even of their best things, are done from love to him, or with a holy regard to his glory. 3. We may see the nature of the spiritual warfare in the christian's mind. Naturally, the true people of God were carnal, even as others ; but, by the regenerating grace of God, a spiritual, or holy mind, or heart, has been produced in them. The renewal, however, is not perfect and complete. The carnal and worldly affections natural to them, are not entirely subdued, and brought into sub- ordination to the spii'itual and heavenly affections of their new nature ; but they are perpetually strugghng for indulgence, and occasionally gain an ascendancy. Hence the warfare in the christian mind. The flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh ; and these are contrary the one to the other ; and every true christian can say with the apostle, The good that I would I do not ; but the evil which I would not that I do I see a law in my members warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin ivhich is in my members. Hence it is that christians are often- times, of all men tlie most inconsistent. This conflict between the flesh and spirit is very different from that between the flesh and the conscience, which is often experienced by unrenewed men, and should never be confound- ed with it. To struggle against the motions of sin, from true love to God and his holy law, is very different from struggling against them, from mere conviction of the judgment or con- science, that they are wrong, and of dangerous tendency. SERMON XXXVI. 465 4. Our subject may assist us, individually, in forming a correct judgment of our own state and character. We have seen what we all are by nature ; and we have seen wherein consists the difference between the state of nature and the state of grace, or the regenerated state. That which is born of the Jlesh is flesh ; that, and that only, ivhich is born of the Spirit is spirit. Have we then been born of the Sjiirit ? Have we any truly spiritual and holy affections and dispositions ; any true love to God, his law, his gospel, his kingdom ? The question is not, whether we do any things which are outwardly fair and good ; nor, indeed, whether we have any dispositions and affections which are, in a social, civil, or worldly sense, ami- able and commendable ? But, are the outwardly fair and good things which we do, or any of them, done from love to God, and in the spirit of dutiful obedience to him ? Are our natural dispositions and affections, which are amiable and commend- able, in any measure sanctified, by a holy consecration to God, his service, and his glory .'' If we have any ti'ue love to God, any holy affection for spiritual and divine things, we are then born of the Spirit ; and the evidence that we are thus born, and are the children of God, is in proportion to the strength and prevalency of our love to him, and the things of his king- dom. To this point, then, our examination should be directed ; and too much care we cannot use, that we do not deceive ourselves, and mistake for dispositions truly spiritual and holy, such as have only a specious appearance. But if, upon due examination, we find that we have any of this evidence of hav- ing been born of the Spirit, we should thank God and take courage ; and henceforth, use all diligence to ivcdk, not after the flesh, but after the spirit, in neumessof life, being filled ivith the fruits of righteousness, which are, by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. For, surely, it becomes the children of God to ivalk worthy of him who hath called them to his kingdom and glory. If we have no such evidence, that we have be'en born of the Spirit, it becomes us to reflect, solemnly, on our fallen, and guilty, and wretched condition ; to feel and acknowledge that we arc dead in trespasse-'i and sins; to ndnut the convicllou Q 460 SERMON XXXVI. home to our consciences and hearts, that our carnal mind is en- mity against God, not subject to his law ; and that, therefore, so long as we are in the flesh we cannot please God ; that, unless we are born again, we cannot see, or enter into, his holy king- dom ; and that our eternal salvation absolutely depends on the grace of God, granting his Holy Spirit to renew us after his own image, in righteousness and true holiness. Blessed be his name for the assurance we have, that he is more ready to give his Holy Spirit to them that ask him, than parents are to give good gifts to their children. O may we all receive this grace ; may we all be born of the Spirit, and be the children of God in truth, for Jesus Christ's sake. — Amen. SERMON XXXVII. OUR GRIEFS AND SORROWS BORNE BY CHRIST. Isaiah, liii. 4. Surely he hath borne our griefs^ and carried our sorrows. xllS name shall be called Wonderful ! — And wonderful truly it is. Jesus Christ is the Wonder of wonders, to earth and heaven. Though, being in the form of God, he thought it not robbery to be equal with God ; yet he made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men ; and, being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Infinite disparities and incongruities are here presented in strict conjunction. The mighty God, the ever- lasting Father — a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger I God manifest in the flesh — a root out of a dry ground ; the son of a carpenter ! The blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords — a man of sorrows and ac- quainted with grief ! The Prince of life, the Lord of glory ; he who made all things, and who upholdeth all things by the ivord of his powers-one whose face is marred more than any man^s, sweating as it were great drops of blood, crowned ivith thorns, expiring on the cross ! — Well might the prophet exclaim, Who hath believed our report ? — and the apostle, Great is the mystery of godliness ! — But why, my hrethien, why this exhibition of 468 SERMON XXXVII. wonders, surpassing all ordinary credibility? The answer is comprised in one short sentence ; Though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor, that we, through his poverty, might he rich. It is comprised in a sentence still shorter; Surely he hath home our griefs, and carried our sorrows. This is the key which unlocks the whole mystery. He shall grow up before him, says the prophet, as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground ; he hath no form nor comeliness ; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despis- ed and rejected of men ; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. Anticipating the inquiry, why the adorable Messiah, the Son of the Highest, should appear in these circumstances of amazing humiliation and suffering, the prophet answers. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows. My design is, to show the import, and illustrate the truth of these memora- ble words. And this I shall attempt, under three distinct heads. Christ hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows. First, in sympathizing with us in them — Secondly, in affording us support and relief under them — Thirdly, in suffering for our complete and eternal redemption from them. I. Christ has borne our griefs, and earned our sorrows, in sympathizing with us in them. A benevolent man is compassionate and sympathetick. He is touched with the sufferings of others, and bears, in sympathy, their griefs and sorrows. The good parent, the kind relation, the affectionate friend, especially, sympathizes tenderly in the sufferings of his children, relations, and friends. Christ is per- fectly and infinitely benevolent. God is love. Christ is love. It is his very nature to be compassionate — to be tenderly touch- ed with the sufferings which he sees ; and his sympathy is great- er than that of any man, any parent, any relative, any friend on earth, in proportion as his benevolence is greater. Herein is love, — benevolence, compassion, — that God sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins, that whosoever believeth in him shoidd not perish, but have everlasting life. Nor was the love of the Son less illustriously manifested than that of the Father. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life 1 SERMON XXXVII. 46a for his friend ; hut while ive icere enemies, Christ died for us. Yes, my hearers, he beheld our miseries ; his herirt was touched ; and he came down from heaven for our help. Great- er proof of his compassion — of his sympathy — could not have been exhibited. Not only has he regarded us as objects of his general be- nevolence ; but he has been pleased to acknowledge a particular relation to us, and to take a particular interest in us. As the one Mediator between God and men, he has taken mankind under his special patronage, and charged himself with a special atten- tion to their concerns, and care for their welfare. He took not on hlin the nature of angels ; hut he took on him the seed, of Abraham ; that he might be a mercib^ul and faithful High Priest. He condescended to be born of a tcoman ; to he made in all things like unto his brethren of tl;e human family, sin excepted ; and to dwell among us. Therefore, says an apos- tle, JVe have not an High Priest who cannot be touched with a feeling of our infirmities. In him, to his infinite benevolence as God, and to his love to us as his creatures, are superadded all the pure affections which can spring from common nature and brotherhood, and all the peculiar interest, which the most entire and affectionate charge of our welfare can induce. He feels for the miseries of mankind in general, and for the sufferings of each individual in particular. The Lord is good unto ALL, and his tender mercies are over all his ivorks. This is true of the Lord Jesus Christ ; and emphatically so in regard to mankind. When he was in the world, he wept \^ itli Martha and Mary at the grave of their brother. Nor was it to his friend? only that his compassion was shown. He wept over Jerusalem, that bloody city, which was filled with his enemies. And now, though exalted to the right hand of Majesty on high, his merc\ is still the same. From his glorious high throne, he looks down upon the children of men, with the same tenderness for hi> friends, as when he wept at the grave of Lazarus ; with the same commiseration for his enemies, as when he lamented over Jen;- salem ; with the same benevolent sympathy for all mankind, as when he bled on-the cross for us. The circumsiap.ces of evcrv 4T0 SERMON XXX VII. one of us, in every stage and scene of our liv'es, have been perr fectly known to him ; and, according to the strong language of scripture, in all our affiiciions he has been afflicted. Thus he has home our griefs, and carried our sorrows. He has compas- sionately sympathized in the various and multiplied sufferings of all the millions of mankind, in every generation ; and especially with those who have believed on him, who have committed them- selves to his care, and whom he has acknowledged as his friends, and regarded as the apple of his eye. I!. Christ has home our griefs, and carried our sorrows, in afibrding us support and relief under them. His benevolence is not satisfied with kind feelings and sym- pathies, kept within himself. It is not like that feeling, too common among men, which says to the distressed children of want. Depart in peace ; he ye warmed and filled ; but does nothing for their relief. It is active, and efficient, and exuber- antly productiv-e. In consequence of the fall, the world of mankind naturally lies in ruins. They are under a consuming curse, which, if not counteracted, or mitigated, would overwhelm them with insup- portable and endless woes. Christ has undertaken for their help ; and he is mighty, as well as benevolent. The earth, he says. The earth, and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved ; I bear up the pillars of it. The entire human family, with all their sins, and wants, and maladies, and miseries, are, with his consent, and at his desire, cast upon him. He bears them up from hopeless perdition ; he sustains them all, during their sea- son, and under the various circumstances of their probation ; and he supplies every one of ihem with their multiplied sup- ports and solaces. The tender mother does not, in so absolute or so affecting a sense, bear the griefs, and carry the sorrows, of the sickly, helpless, distressed infant at her breast, to whom she assiduously and solicitously ministers support and rehef, as Christ bears the grief, and carries the sorrows of every indi- vidual of mankind. By liim, the tender mother herself, with lier helpless infant, is supported ; and by him enabled to feel all that she feels, and to do all that she does, for the dear object of SERMON XXXVII. 471 her tender solicitude. By him, too, the wife, the sister, the brother, the friend, are supported, and enabled to sympathize with the several objects of their affectionate concern, and to minister to their solace ; and by him those objects of concern, un- der their various pains and distresses, are sustained and relieved. Says the prophet, / will mention the loving kindnesses of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toioard the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them, according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his loving kind- nesses. For he said, surely they are my people, children thai will not lie ; so he was their Saviour. In all their ajfflictions he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and in his pity he redeemed them, and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old. Moses, who himself both witnessed and experienced this compassionate care, describes it in terms as beautiful as imagination can conceive. The Lord^s portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness. He led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings ; so the Lord alone did lead him. All this beautiful imagery, my brethren, may, with strict propriety, be employed to represent Christ's compassionate care towards all the families and individuals of mankind, and the affecting manner in which he bears our griefs, and carries our sorrows. True it is, that the people of Israel, perverse and rebellious as they manifested themselves to be, were in a peculiar sense his people, and under his particular providence. True, also, it is, that those of every nation, who truly believe on him, and Hve in dutiful obedience to his will, and in humble reliance on his grace, are objects of his peculiar favour, and receive from him peculiar supports and consolations. He, however, is the Saviour of all men, though especially so, of them that believe. All are dependent on him ; all are supported by him ; all are carried on, through life, in the arms of his providence ; all are sustained, under tlieir variou*^ 472 SERMON XXXVII. infirmities and calamities, griefs and sorrows, by the hand of hi^^ niercy. Matthew, in the viiith chapter of his gospel, tells us, that Christ's miracles of healing were wrought, that it might be ful- jilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, Himself took our injirmlties, and bare our sicknesses. The evangelist here quotes, with some variation of expression, the very passage of our text, and applies it to the relief which Jesus afforded to the oppressed and the sick. And often, while he was going about doing good, he was moved with compassion towards those whom he saw in distress and sorrow, and granted them relief and conso- lation. Those instances were exhibited to our senses, to give a more impressive idea of his compassion and care for us. But, my brethren, in the same sense here explained, he as really now bears our griefs, and carries our sorrows, as he did, when he tabernacled in flesh, and dwelt among us. He is now as re- ally touched with a feeling of our infirmities, as when he was moved with compassion for the multitudes around him ; he now as really heals the sicknesses, from which we are recovered, as he did those of the patients then brought to him ; as really sym- pathizes with mourners, and ministers to their support and con- solation, as when he visited Martha and Mary. Yes, my breth- ren, he now sustains us, our families, our friends, and all our fellow men, under all our weaknesses, maladies, bereavements, and sorrows, and supplies us with all our supports, reliefs, sola- ces, and joys. But, III. Christ has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows, in suffering for our complete and everlasting redemption from them. This, my brethren, is the highest sense of all ; and this sense the prophet more clearly conveys, in the verse next fol- lowing the -text. He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities ; the chastisement of our peace was upon him ; and with his stripes toe are healed. This sense is also expressed by the apostle Peter, when he says. Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree; that we, be- ing d.pnd to sin should live unto righteousness ; by whose stripes SERMON XXXVII. 473, we are healed. And by Paul, when he says, So Christ tvas once offered to bear the sins of many ; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time, without sin, unto sal- vation. Our miseries, our griefs and sorrows, my hearers, are all of them the consequences of sin. By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin ; and so death hath passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. And, as we are all sinners, we have all incurred the curse of the divine law, and rendered our- selves liable, not only to the various calamities of this world ; but, also, to indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, in the world to come. Christ, as our Redeemer and Saviour, suffered and died for us, bearing our sins in his own body on the tree, that, through this atonement, we might obtain the for- giveness of sin, be delivered from its dominion, acquitted from its guilt, and ultimately saved from all its miseries, temporal and eternal. In this most important sense, he has taken upon him all our griefs, and all our sorrows ; has borne them, and carried them ; and, under their dreadful weight, has exhibited himself a most interesting and affecting spectacle to earth and heaven. Having thus obtained eternal redemption for us, this redemption, with all its unspeakable and immortal blessings, he graciously offers to us. During our season of probation, indeed, he lets us feel, from time to time, in a greater or less degree, the miseries of sin ; that we may be convinced of its evil nature, and be in- duced to seek to him for salvation. But, under these miseries, he kindly sustains us, and affords us favourable opportunities to at- tend to the offers of his grace. If, penitently and bclievingly, we accept his grace, and commit ourselves to him, he fails not to seal to us the pardon of our sins, to give us his peace, ichich passeth all understanding, and to dispense to us the purest and richest con- solations. And all, who thus avail themselves of his salvation ; all, who truly obey his gospel, he will ere long dejiver from all their sins, infirmities, and calamities ; from all the miseries of time, and all the woes of eternity. Yes, and the griefs and sor- vows, all the multiplied and various afiliclion.- v.liich th.ey have 474 SERMON XXXVII. endured, he ^vill make to u'ork out for them a far more exceed- ing and eternal weight of glory. REFLECTIONS. I. The chcumstances of our present state aie mfinitely mer- ciful, and infinitely interesting. We are all of us, my dear hearers, sinful beings. We, and our whole race, are naturally in a fallen, guilty, and ruined con- dition ; and might justly have been left to perish, every one of us, in our sins. But we are respited from deserved destruction, and are favoured with a merciful probation. These circumstan- ces, tlien, even the most afflictive and painful of them, may be regarded as merciful. They are merciful, as they are far less woful than our iniquities deserve ; and they are merciful, as they are suited to the gracious purposes of our probation, and^ if rightly considered and improved, will all work for our highest good. This is evident from the single consideration, that Christ has home our griefs, and carried our sorrows. Our circum- stances are all ordered by Christ himself. The whole adminis- tration of our probationary scene is under his hand ; and the whole is conducted with the same benevolence, and with a view to the same gracious end, which induced him to lay down his life for us. Doubtless, in the state of final retribution, it may be consistent with infinite benevolence, to inflict misery, not for the benefit, but for the punishment of the sufferers. But this, my brethren, is not a state of retribution. It is a state, such as our benevolent Redeemer has seen fit to assign to us, with reference to that great salvation, which he has pro- cured for us, and which he graciously offers. While, therefore, he continues us here, carries us on through the scenes of life under his own care, takes the most lively interest in our welfare, and sympathizes with us in our griefs and sorrows; can we imagine that he ever appoints any afflictions for us, which he does not see to be adapted to the gracious end which he has in view in our probation. Sickness is adapted to remind us that t\'e are under the sentence of death, and that it behooves us to SERMON XXXVII. 475 jose no timo in preparing for the solemn event. Losses and disappointments, in regard to eardily riches, are adapted to teach us the vanity of the world, and the importance of laying up for ourselves treasures in heaven. Yes, my brediren, every kind of affliction, which we feel, brings along with it useful les- sons of admonition and instruction. Surely, then, we ought never, under any circumstances of life, to complain, or repine ; but always to be submissive and thankful. The consideration, tliat all our circumstances are ordered by our benevolent Re- deemer, for the best end, should also excite us to the greatest earnestness and carefulness, wisely to improve them. The thought, that he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows, should melt our hearts, and lead us humbly and gratefully to look to him for relief and salvation. Hence, 2. Our obligations to Christ are unspeakably great and af- fecting. It is generally thought, perhaps, that christians, whose sins are forgiven, and who have a good hope for heaven, are under great obhgations to Christ. But, my dear hearers, are chris- tians only under such obligations .'' Are vi^e not all ? Is not Christ the Saviour of all men ? Has he not died for us all .'' Has he not, hitherto, kept us all from death, and from that eternal wo which we deserve ? Has he not most compassion- ately sympathized with us in all our afflictions, supported us under them, and called upon us, with all the affectionate ten- derness of infinite love and mercy, to improve them for our highest good .'' Has he not offered to us all, and does he not still offer, complete salvation from sin, and all its miseries, and immortal and most exalted felicities in his kingdom of glory ? Are we not all, then, under infinite obligations to him .'' And if any of us live in forgetfulness of him, despising his love, neglect- ing his salvation, continuing in sin ; how atrocious is our in- gratitude— how amazing our guilt — how fearful the doom to which we are exposed ! But, though Christ is the Saviour of all men, he is especially so of them that believe. And what tongue can express the rich- es of the grace which he has conferred on thera ; the greatness 47G SERMON XXXVII. of the love which he bears to them ; the tenderness of the sym- pathy which he feels for them, in their griefs and sorrows ; the sweetness of the consolations which he imparts to them ; the far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory which he re- serves for them ; or the elevated joys of those songs of thanks- giving and praise to him, in which they will be employed, with ever fresh and ever increasing delight, to all eternity ! Surely, then, their obligations to Christ must be immensely great, and most deeply affecting. 3. The subject should tenderly, but powerfully, constrain us all to look to Christ for present consolation, and for everlasting life and glory. My hearers, has he home our griefs, and carried our sor- rows ? Surely, then, he is ready to bestow every blessing, every good thing. If he so tenderly compassionates the miserable condition into which sin has brought us ; if he has borne our sins in his own body on the tree ; if in all our afflictions he has been afflicted ; if, hitherto he has healed our sicknesses, and redeem- ed our lives from destruction, and crowned them with loving kindness and tender mercies ; will he not, assuredly, if we look to him, supply us with all needed grace and consolations, in this world, and confer upon us all the blessings of eternal salvation, in the world to come .'* O ye, who have lived until now estranged from Christ, be entreated no longer thus to live. Let his love constrain you j let his compassion melt your hearts ; let his salvation be all your hope, and all your desire ; and let not your sins, your griefs, and your sorrows, which he has borne, finally fall upon you with accumulated weight, and sink you the deeper in eternal wo. O repent, and believe in him. Look unto him and be saved. Christians, look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith, who for the joy that was set before him — the joy of saving millions of our race from everlasting wo — endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Look unto him, and run with patience the race that is set before you ; and never, under the pains and sorrows SERMON XXXVII. 477 of your pilgrimage, never be weary or faint in your minds. Look unto him with grateful remembrances of his grace, and his precious consolations, which you have experienced, and cast all your cares upon him who careth for you. Look unto him, and learn from his example, to sympathize with others in their afflictions, and so to fulfil his law of love. And now unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father ; to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. — Amen. SERMON XXX Vm. IMPORTANCE OF BEING KEPT IN THE TRUTH. ►®« John xvii. I ] . .ilnd now I am no more in the world^ but these arc in the world^ and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. j/5l more interesting object can scarcely be presented, than a good man in the act of intercession with God. View Job, after the customary feasting of his sons, rising up early, and offering burnt offerings in their behalf, according to the number of them all ; saying. It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. View Moses, when awakened vengeance hung over the people of Israel, on account of the golden calf, fervent- ly interceding, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin Yet now, if thou wilt, forgive their sin ; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book! View Solomon, at the dedication of the temple, kneeling in presence of the assembled tribes, and spreading forth his hands to the God of heaven, in earnest prayer for all the people of his realm, and for generations then to come. View Daniel, suspending the pleasures and cares of his high station in the Persian court, retiring to his chamber, and there setting his face unto the Lord his God, to seek by prayer and supplication, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes, for the liiUilment of the divine word, in the return of his captive nation, SERMON XXXVIII. 47^ and the re-building of their holy city and temple. Are you struck, my brethren, with the grandeur of these objects ^ It can- not be otherwise : for in view of them the stateliness of princes, and the triumphs of conquerors, appear as vanity, and all the dazzling pageants of the world lose their lustre. — What then must be your impressions, when you contemplate the scene presented in our text. Here you behold, not the father of a family, not the leader of a nation, not the first of princes or of prophets merely human ; but one greater than the greatest of them all. You behold the Lord from heaven, the Son of the Highest, the Saviour of the world, in the act of fervent prayer, in behalf, not of a family or of a nation, but of millions on mil- lions, of every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and jyeople. It was the same night in which he was betrayed — it was just be- fore his death — that, rising from the table of the holy supper, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and poured forth his heart into the bosom of his Father, in behalf of all who were to be re- deemed with his blood ! Our text is a part of his prayer, I pray, says he, not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me ; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine ; and I am glorified in them. And now i am no more in the world, but these ARE IN THE WORLD ; AND I COME TO THEE. HoLY FATHER, KEEP THROUGH THINE OWN NAME THOSE WHOM THOU HAST GIVEN ME, THAT THEY MAY BE ONE, AS WE ARE. The principal sentiments of the text are these : Christ has a peculiar people ; — his people while in this world are surrounded with dangers ; — their safety, amidst these dangers, lies in the name of God ; — and their being kept in the name of God is of high importance, as it is necessary to their union. I. Christ has a peculiar people. In a general sense, the whole world is Christ's ; for all per- sons and things tvere created by him and for him ; and to him, as Mediator, all power is given, in heaven and earth. But, in the beginning of this prayer, he says, Father, the hour is come ; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee : As thou hast given him power over all Jiesh, that he should give eferyial 480 SERMON XXXVIll. life TO AS MANY AS THOU HAST GIVEN HIM. At tlic ninth versc, he says, / pray for them : I pray not for the ivorld, but jar them that thou hast given me. And this distinction is clearly marked in our text, and throughout the whole prayer. Them that thou hast given me. — The people thus de- signated appear to have been given him by the Father, in the covenant of redemption, as his reward for his mediatorial suffer- ings. When, said the ancient oracle. When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed ; he shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied. At another time. The Lord said unto my Lord, rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power. And Christ himself says. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me ; and him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. The eleven disciples, who were present w^ith Jesus at the time of this prayer, were of this number. Thine they were, says he, and thou gavest them me / have given unto them the words which thou gavest me, and they have received them ; and they have believed that thou didst send me. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the ivorld JVeither pray I for these alone ; but for them also which shall believe on me through their loord ; that they all may be one. Christ, then, has a peculiar people — a people given to him by the Father — a people who comeJ^o him, believe in him, and keep his words ; and to whom he gives eternal life. — But, II. In this world, Christ's people are surrounded with dan- gers. And now, he says, / am no more in the world ; but these are in the world Holy Father, keep them. In the next verse, he adds. While I ivas with them in the ivorld, i kept them in thy name. Hitherto his disciples had been favoured with his personal presence, and immediate care ; but now he was about to return to his Father, and leave them, in this re- spect, alone in the world. With ineffable tenderness, therefore, he brings them to the Father, and pr^ys the Father to keep SERMON XXXVm. 481 .them. But why this, if he did not know that, while in the world, they would be surrounded with dangers ? J pray not, he afterwards says, / pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world; but that thou shouldest keep thevfifrom the evil ; that is, from the^ dangers to which they would be exposed. This prayer, however, had respect, not to the disciples then present only ; but to his people of every nation, and of every age ; and surely, my brethren, you need no proof to convince you, that for this tender concern of our gracious Redeemer there was abundant reason. His people, while here, are but strangers and pilgrims ; and are but too often treated, not merely as strangers, but even as enemies. Their principles and views, their deportment and conversation, are offensive to those among whom they sojourn ; and give them painful occasion, not seldom, to remember his monitory words ; Because ye are not of the world, hut I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. It is not, however, in the open hostility of the enemies of truth and religion, that their greatest danger lies. Hostile as the world may be, they have infinitely less to fear from its repi'oaches and frowns, than from its flatteries and blandishments. Its maxims and practices, its customs and manners, its riches and honours, its gaieties and splendours, too often insensibly gain upon their minds, steal away their hearts, and draw them to the brink of ruin. Errour, also, constantly suiTOunds them, with her thou- sand delusive and ever varying forms, and plies their faith with the most insidious arts, and the most specious pretensions. Nor have they to wrestle with flesh and blood merely, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in highjylaces. Satan, with his legions, attacks them at every point, and employs all his malice, and all his subtilty, to subvert and destroy them. Yet of all tlieir enemies, the most dangerous are llie inbred cor- ruptions of their own hearts; those unsubdued fusts within them, that war against the soul, and are ready, on every occasion, to betray them into the snares with wiiirh they are continually encompassed. 61 482 SERMON XXXVllI. Such is the situation, such the exposure of Christ's people, so long as they remain in this world. Of these multiplied dan- gers the omniscient Saviour has a view, infinitely more clear than any which we can take ; and from all these dangers, he most affectionately and earnestly prayed, that his people might be preserved. III. The safety of Christ's people, amidst the dangers of their pilgrimage, lies in the name of God. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me. Or, according to a reading preferred by some eminent criticks, Holy Father, keep them in, or through, thy own name, tvhich thou hast given me. Besides the instance in the text, the phrase, thy name, is three times used in this pray- er. I have manifested thy name unto the men which thougavesi me out of the world. — While I was with them in the world, 1 kept them in thy name. — And I have declared unto them thy NAME. It is not to be doubted that, in all these instances, the phrase has one and the same meaning. What, then, did our gracious Intercessor mean, when he said, I have manifested thy NAME unto the men whom thou gavest me ? Doubtless he meant, that he had manifested to them God's true character. He had just before said. Thou hast given the Son power over all flesh, that he might give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this, he adds, is the life eternal, to know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. The eternal life, then, which he had power to give, essentially con- sisted in a true knowledge of the Father and of himself. When, therefore, he says, / have manifested, or made known thy name unto the men whom thou hast given me, he must be understood to mean, that he had imparted to them that knoivledge of God, which is eternal life. But how did he impart to them this knowledge of God ? By means, unquestionably, of those truths, those doctrines, which he taught them. JVo man hath seen God at any time ; the only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him ; and he has declared him, by means of the truths which he has taught respecting him. Men SERMON XXXVIII. 48S indeed know nothing rightly of God, but by means of those divine truths, which have been revealed to them. Something of God, something of what is comprised in his name, had been revealed to men, under the ancient dispensa- tion; but when the Messiah came, still clearer and fuller dis- coveries of hirn were made : and it was by making known to them those truths, in which these discoveries were contained, that Christ manifested the name of God to his people. Accord- ingly, in the eighth verse of our context, he says, / have given unto them the words — the doctrines or truths — which thou gav- est me, and they have received them. And then in the text, he prays, Holy Father, keep them in thine own name, which thou hast given me ; i. e. in the truths which make thee known, and which I have declared to them. In the next verse he subjoins, While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name. Not only had he communicated to them those truths, which express the divine character, but he had kept them in those truths; and he prayed that they might still be kept in them. To the same effect he adds, in the twenty-sixth verse, / have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it. He had made discoveries of God to them, and would make still clearer dis- coveries, in the fuller revelations of divine truth, which were to be made, when the Comforter should come. In praying, then, that his people might be kept in, or through, the name of God, Christ prayed that they might be kept in, or through, the truth ; and in this their safety, amidst their various dangers, essentially lies. Christ's people are they who cordially receive his doctrine, — the truths revealed in his word, — the discoveries of God made in his gospel ; and if, according to his prayer, they are kept in the name of God, they are preserved in the belief and love of those truths and discoveries. In so far as they are tlius kept, they are safe ; secure against all the dangers'with which they are surrounded. Let the world frown or smile, reproach or flatter ; let errour beset them, with all her varied forms and enticements ; let Satan assail them with his subtlest wiles, or his 464 SERMON XXXVllI. deadliest weapons ; let the enemies within them rise, and strug- gle, and endeavour to bring them into captivity ; still their safe- ty is in the name of the Lord. If they are but kept in the be- lief and love of the truth, they may bid defiance to all the arti- fice and power of all their enemies combined. But the moment they leave the name of the Lord ; the moment they depart from the truth ; they become weak as other men, and the ene- my will prevail against them. — Such, my brethren, so impor- tant, was the reason for the Saviour's earnest prayer. If they are kept in the name of God, in the belief and love of the truth, they will, through his name, or by means of his truth, be pre- served y}*ow the evil that is in the world. IV. Being kept in the name of God, or in the belief and love of the truth, is highly important, as it is essential to chris- tian union. Holy Father, keep them in thine own name, that they may he one, as we are. The oneness of Christ with the Father, is transcendent, in- deed, and absolute. One in the essence of the Godhead, they are perfectly united in love, in will, in action, in happiness, and in glory. After this divine and majestick example, the Saviour prays that his people may be one. Union among christians is of unspeakable importance. It is important to themselves ; — to others ; — and to the honour and kingdom of their Lord. In this evil world, surrounded with dangers, and beset with troubles, christians constantly need the friendly offices, the en- couragements, and aids of one another. God, indeed, is their refuge, and the rock of their salvation ; and to him they must look for their best supports — from him receive their highest consola- tions. Next to these, which they receive directly from God, are those which are only to be derived from fervent charity among themselves. Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity ! It is like the precious ointment upon the head of Aaron ; as the dew of Her- mon, as the dew that descended on the mountains of Zion. SERMON XXXVIll. 485 Union among christians is important, not only to tliemselves, but also to others. They are the salt of the earth, and the light of the world. It belongs to them to display before men the ex- cellent spirit of the gospel ; the spirit of good will, of love, and of peace ; that the world may see and know that Christianity is most excellent in its nature, and happy in its fruits ; and be constrained to receive and obey the truth, or else be left with- out excuse. But how, in this regard, is their light so to shine before men, if they are not in concord and peace among them- selves .'' This union among christians is important, moreover, to the honour of Christ, and the advancement of his kingdom. It di- rectly concerns the honour of Christ, that his people should manifest a spirit different from that of the world ; that they should show his religion worthy of all acceptation ; that they should appear in character, as the children of the God of love and peace. But this is not all ; it is by his people, instrumen- tally, that the cause of Christ is to be maintained and promoted in the world. It is obvious, however, that for maintaining the truth, for withstanding the hosts of its assailants, and for spread- ing it extensively in the world, they are strong, only in propor- tion as they are united. As important, therefore, as is their own happiness in time, the conviction and salvation of their fellow men, and the ad- vancement of the honour and kingdom of their Lord, so impor- tant it is that tlie people of Christ should be one. This he him- self saw in all its extent, and felt with all its weight ; and this he accordingly made a very principal subject of his prayer. It was especially, indeed, in order to this ; it was that his people might be one, that he so earnestly prayed, that his Father would keep them in his own name. And to evince that their being kept in the name of God, or in the belief and love of the truth, must be eminently conducive to their union, can require no la- boured argument. So far as they are kept in the belief and love of the truth, they are kept in the love of God ; and so far as they are kept in the Jove of God, they must be united, 486 SERMON XXXVIII. or prepared to unite, in charity among themselves. He that loveth God, will love his brother also. It is, moreover, in the very nature of things, that agreement in religious belief should conduce to union in affection ; and that disagreement in religious belief should tend to disunion, and alienation. What is the testimony to this point, given by expe- rience and fact ? Why is it that the great christian community is at this moment divided into parties ? — parties arrayed in great- er or less hostility to each other ? Is it not because there is a disagreement among them in religious belief ? Every friend to the Redeemer, and to his cause, must deplore indeed, that even small differences, respecting the truths and institutions of the gos- pel, should be allowed to sever the bonds of christian charity, and create alienations among the disciples of one common Master, and the brethren of one common family. The fact, neverthe- less is not to be disputed ; and it stands in the place of a thou- sand arguments, to evince the importance of christians being kept in the truth, in order to their union in love. It shows, in the light of the meridian sun, the reason of the Saviour's prayer, that his Father would keep his people in his own name, that they might be one. IMPROVEMENT. 1 . It highly behooves christians to be watchful and prayer- ful, that they may be kept from the evils that are in the world. Are you, christian brethren, surrounded with dangers on every side ? Are you strangers and pilgrims in an enemy's country ? Are you exposed to the seductions of the world, to the enticements of errour, to the wiles and assaults of Satan, and to the treacheries of your own hearts ? And can you sleep upon your posts ? Can you fold your arms, and pass heedless- ly on, as if your way were free from every peril and annoyance ? Turn your eyes, then, to the Saviour, and view him in the act of earnest prayer for you, that you might be kept from the evils which beset you. Was his tender concern for you without SERMON XXXVIII. 487 cause ? Was there no good reason for his earnest prayer ? Or shall he be thus concerned, shall he thus pray for you, and will you feel no concern, will you not watch, will you not pray, for yourselves ? — O, with what pathetick eloquence does the gra- cious Redeemer's prayer reprove the too general heedlessness and negligence of his people. — Christians awake ! Take unto yourselves the complete armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand, then, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the prepara- tion of the gospel of peace. Over all, take up the shield of faith, whereby ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the ivicked one ; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God ; praying always with all prayer, and watching thereunto with all perseverance. 2. It is incumbent on christians to take great pains to be rooted and grounded in the truth, and to grow in divine knowl- edge. Amidst all the dangers of this evil world, their safety lies in the name of the Lord ; in the knowledge, the belief, and the k)ve of those truths, in which God has revealed himself to them in the gospel. — Your Master and Lord has prayed for you, chris- tians, that you might be kept in the name of God, that you might be kept in his truth. But, how are you to be thus kept, if you do not know his name, if you do not know his truth, and be not rooted and grounded therein ? And how are you to know the truth, and to be rooted and grounded in it, if you take no pains for this purpose .'' You must not, then, be contented with slight impressions of divine truth, or with incoherent and superficial views ; but you must labour for a clear, connected, and solid knowledge ; for such a knowledge as shall enrich and establish your minds, and have a steady, an abiding, a transforming influ- ence upon your hearts. In order to this, you must search the scriptures with dihgence, give earnest heed to what you hear, meditate often and deeply on divine subjoctS; and earnestly pray for the teachings of th& divine Spirit. 188 SERMON XXXVm. 3. It must be a great fault in christians, that they are nor more united in love. It was a very principal thing for which the Saviour prayed, that his people might be one. One great end, for which he so earnestly entreated the Father to keep them in his own name was, that they might be united in love. Agreement in regard to divine truth, as we have seen, is of great importance to union in christian affection ; and if christians, in general, took suitable pains to establish themselves in the truth, their union, unques- tionably, would be greatly increased, and their bonds of chris- tian charity would be greatly strengthened. It is obvious, how- ever, that their christian union is not always in proportion to their agreement in their speculative views of divine truth. It is but too commonly a fact, that christians, who speculatively agree in regard to the principal things of tlie gospel, are yet, on ac- count of some differences of minor importance, or some private or party considerations, in a state of great alienation from each other. And why is this ? Doubtless it is because the great truths of the gospel to which they assent, are not allowed their proper impression and influence on their minds and hearts ; and on those minor things, in respect to which they disagree, an un- due stress is laid. This, certainly, is a matter which demands the most serious attention of christians. For it cannot be a light thing for the disciples of Christ to be alienated from each other, to fall out by the way, and mutually to bite and devour. It is repugnant to the spirit of the gospel, it tends to the hin- drance of the truth, and to the destruction of the souls of men ; It opens the wounds of the Redeemer, and makes them bleed afresh. 4. How affecting is the love which Christ has for his people. He has loved them ivith an everlasting love, and therefore with loving kindness has he drawn them. Before the world was, he undertook for their redemption and salvation ; and when the fulness of the time was come, he came down, for this purpose, from the bosom of the Father, took upon him the form of a ser- vant, and appeared in the likeness of man. For their sakes, he endured the rnnfradiciion of sinners against himself; made SERMON XXXVIII. 480 himself known as the waij, the truth, and the life ; and gave full proof, lliat he was the Messiah, the Son of the living God, the Saviour of men. For them he freely devoted himself to the cross, to make his soul an offering for sin. On tlie evening before his death, after instituting the holy Supper, the sacred memorial of iiis love, knowing the dangers to which his people would be exposed in this evil world, he poured out his heart into the bosom of the Father in their behalf, and most earnestly com- mended them to his Father's gracious care. He then delivered himself up to suffer and die for them. But he arose from the dead ; he ascended to heaven ; and, amidst the acclamations of angels, he sat down on the right hand of the Father, in divine majesty and glory. There he still sits, there he ever hveth, and there he maketh continual intercession for his people. And as, while here on earth, he prayed. Father, I ivill, that they also whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory, ivhich thou hast given me ; so, around his throne in the heavens, he has prepared mansions for them, for their everlasting rest in his love. — Herein, my brethren, is love indeed ; love, which transcends our highest praises, our highest thoughts. — O christians, be constrained by this love, to walk worthy of your glorious Redeemer and Lord, unto all pleasing ; and watch, and pray, and endeavour, that you may be kept iu the name, in the truth of God, that you may be one, even as Christ and the Father are one. And will not your hearts also, O sinners, be melted with the Redeemer's love and grace. O remember, that he died for you also ; and to you his salvation is offered. Be entreated, then, by the blood of his cross, and by the worth of your own souls, to look unto him, and be saved. 62 SERMON XXXIX. man a sojourner. Psalm xxxix. 12, Fur I am a stranger with tkee^ a sojourner., as all my fathers were. J.T is our wisdom, my brethren, often, and seriously, to con- sider what we are, what is our present state, and what our pros- pects for the future. Reflections of this kind are especially proper, at a season like the present, when we are brought to the close of another year,* and are surrounded with mementoes of the transitoriness of human life, and of all terrestrial things. And to this purpose, the words of our text may give a suitable and profitable direction to our minds. Abraham, the venerable father of believers, sojourned in the land of promise as in a strange country, dwelling in taber- nacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and ivere persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. David enjoyed, with the chosen tribes, a settled possession of Canaan, and was a powerful monarch of their promised inheritance. By the times, how- * This sermon was preached in the Tabernacle, Decenibpr 31, 1820 ; an»l was the last which the author ever delivered in Salem. SERMON XXXIX. 491 ever, which successively passed over him, he was admonished of the mutability of the world, of the vanity of sublunary scenes, and of his own transient continuance in them. And, amidst all the splendour of his achievements, the profusion of his riches, and the magnificence of his royal state, he gave place to re- flections on his relations to time and eternity, and felt, and con- fessed, that he, too, was but a stranger, a sojourner, on earth, as all his fathers had been. This it becomes every one of us, my brethren, to feel and to confess. Nor is this all that we should do. The consideration that we are strangers, sojourners on earth, naturally leads to reflections of high religious importance. To some of these your attention is now requested. I. If we are but sojourners on earth, it becomes us to reflect on the purposes for which we are here. Were we to judge from the manner in which mankind but too generally live, we might conclude that they were sent into the world for no other end, than to spend their fleeting days in pursuit of earthly vanities. This, however, but ill comports with any just conceptions, either of the wisdom and goodness of our Creator, or of the capacities and faculties, with which, by him, we are endowed. Are you not conscious, my hearers, of a principle within, which lifts your nature to a high superiority over the tribes of mere animal beings around you ? Are you not conscious of a mind, which suffers most shameful degrada- tion, when chained down to earth, and eniployed only in pro- curing the gratifications of appetite and sense .'' Are you not conscious of a soul, which can never be filled, never be satisfi- ed, with all which this world can supply ; and which ought to aspire to objects more solid, more durable, more excellent, than any within the compass of sublunary things .'* Have you ever found, in your earthly enjoyments and pursuits, any thing com- mensurate with your desires, or answerable to your conceptions of the dignity of your nature, or the end of your existence .'' You, who have Hved longest in the world, and made the fairest experiment of its various objects, are you not impressed with a conviction, that you were certainly founed for some higher pin- 492 SERMON XXXlX. pose, than to seek and enjoy the best portion it can ever afford r' — Yes, my hearers, you all have this conviction. You have a per- suasion, that you do not sojourn here for purposes merely earth- ly ; that you are not to limit your desires, or views, to the fleeting shadows of time ; that the end of your being lies not below the sun. You have an irresistible conviction, tliat the Author of your being has destined you to an end infinitely more important ; that from this transient scene, you are to be remov- ed to another and very different state of existence ; that you are to dwell hereafter, where your capacities may expand, and your faculties have full employment, duration without end. This conviction, so consonant with reason, is strengthened and con- firmed by the testimony of God. He who made us, in whose hand our breath is, and whose are all our ways, has clearly de- clared to us the great purpose of our earthly sojourn. From him, we know that we are here in a course of trial and prepara- tion for an eternal state. We are fallen creatures. Our first father sinned ; and his children are all sinners ; alienated from God, and under con- demnation. But God has found a ransom. In his boundless merc)^, he has given the blood of his Son for our redemption ; granted us a reprieve, and put us on probation. This is our present condhion : Our sojourn in this world is entirely proba- tionary. Life and death are here set before us. Heaven and hell await the issue of our trial. According to our conduct here, eternal joys, or eternal woes, will be our portion hereafter. If, during this probationary scene, we penitently turn from sin unto God, humbly accept his Son as our Saviour, trust in him, and become conformed to his will, as graciously revealed in his word ; we shall be saved from sin and from wrath, be restored to the divine favour, to the bosom of everlasting love, and made partakers of an inheritance, incorruptible, and undefiled, and which fadeth not axoay. And in proportion, to our advan- ces in the knowledge of God, and conformity to his will, we shall be enriched with glory, and honour, and immortality. But, if we continue in sin, and neglect the great salvation so SERMON XXXIX. 49.3 mercifully oftered to us, we shall die under condemnation, and must lie down in sorrow forever ; and the greater, the more multiplied and aggravated our sins, the deeper must we sink in the abyss of perdition. Momentous issue ! How deeply does it concern every one of us most seriously to reflect on the end of our sojourn ! II. It behooves us to reflect on the time of our sojourning here, which is past. .The days of our years are three score years and ten; and if by reason of strength ffiey be four score years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow ; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. How much of this period, then, is already past? Are ten years — are twenty — are thirty — are forty — are fifty years gone ? Ah ! how swiftly have they passed ! and how much more swiftly will those which remain to us fleet away ! How devoutly should we prav, So teach us to number our days, that xoe may apply our hearts unto wisdom. If we duly consider our connection with eternity, it must certainly be with us a solenni thing to reflect, from year to year, how much of the time of our sojourning is gone ; how precious a part ; how great a proportion of the whole ; and how quickly the remainder will fly away. Reflections of this kind, we know, are vmwelcome ; and no doubt, my hearers, you find your minds reluctant to entertain them. The world solicits your attention ; engrosses your tlioughts ; steals away your hearts. There is also a sti'ong pro- pensity io put far away the evil day, and to shut out the thoughts of death and eternity. But this propenshy should not be indulged. To indulge it, even in youth, is criminal folly; to indulge it, in advanced age, is consummate madness. Our days will speed their flight, in spite of all our unwillingness to think of their end ; nor is death the less near, because we refuse to notice its ap- proach. Should we not, then, accustom ourselves seriously io number our days ? Is it not our wisdom so to-familiarize our- selves with death, as to disarm him of his terrors; so to ac- quaint ourselves with the grave, as to regard it as the place in which our bodies shall rest in hope ; so to entertain the thoughts of leaving the world, as to wait for the day of our departure 494 SERMON XXXIX. with cheerful expectation ; so to pass the time of our sojourning here, as constantly to keep in view our eternal abode with anti- cipations of unspeakable glory ? This would certainly be our wisdom, even did we know that the time allotted us here would be three score years and ten ; how much more, then, when we are not allowed to boast of to-morrow, and know not what a day may bring forth. 111. As sojourners on earth, it becomes us seriously to reflect how wc have lived, and what we have done hitherto. Though we sojourn as in a strange land, yet we are con- stantly under the eye of our Judge, and our conduct is all regis- tered in heaven. Our thoughts, our words^ our actions ; the subjects of our attention, and the objects of our pursuit ; the tempers we exercise, and the passions we indulge ; our treat- ment of God, his law, his truth, and his grace ; our treatment of our fellow sojourners, in the various relations we bear to them ; our whole manner of life, in regard both to this world and to the future ; all is noted in that awful, that appalling book, which will be opened before the universe, in the final day, and out of which we shall be judged for eternity. We cannot, indeed, recollect the whole. Thousands, millions of our thoughts, words, and deeds, are so gone from our memories, that we shall never think of them more, till they are declared to us from the dread tribunal. On a review of our lives, however, we may recollect much; so much as to be able to determine, with a good degree of correctness, what has been the prevailing temper of our minds, what the prhicipal objects of our pursuit; and what our general characters, in the view of him ivith whom we have to do. How, then, have we lived, and what have we been doing ^ How was it with us in the days of our youth ^ Did we remem- ber our Creator with reverence and love ; early turn from the ways of death, and choose the path of life ; and become the 2;rateful disciples of him who died to redeem and save us ^ Or did we spend our youthful days in vanity, in forgetfulness of God, in neglect of his law and his grace, and in a thoughtless j'ound of folly and sin. after ike way ofavr own hearts, an^ in SERMON XXXIX. 490 the sight of our own eyes ? — How have we lived since we came to mature age ? Have we walked with God ? Have we followed Christ ? Have we been obedient to the gospel ? Have we, bp patient continuatice in ivell doing, been seeking for glory, and honour, and immortality 7 Where have our hearts been placed ; and what have been the objects of our care and pursuit? How have we treated the precepts of the divine law ? How have we received the overtures of divine grace ? How have we regarded the interests of the divine kingdom ? How have we improved under the various instructions of the divine word and provi- dence f* What advances have we made in the knowledge of God, in holiness of heart and of life, in preparation for heaven ? What have we done for liim who made us — for him who has redeem- ed us ? What for the honour of his name — for the advancement of his cause — for the good of our fellow men, to whom, as well as to ourselves, he has shown infinite love and mercy ? Alas for us, ray brethren, if we have neglected these great concerns, for- gotten the proper business of life, and been spending the time of our sojourning here only in the pleasures, and cares, and pur- suits of this vain world ! Certainly, however, it becomes us to pause, and consider ; to bring ourselves to a strict account, at the bar of conscience, and by the word of everlasting truth ; and to know how we stand with God, and in relation to eternity. Are we afraid to do this .'' From a secret consciousness of negligence and guilt, are we inclined, like imprudent bankrupts, to let our accounts run on, unliquidated, unexamined, till the fatal hour of irretriev- able ruin .'' Is this the part of wisdom ? Can we do this, and persuade ourselves that we are acting as becomes rational and accountable beings.'' Are we not sojourners on earth, as all ovr fathers were ? Are not our days here swifter than a weaver^s shuttle 9 Are we not on the way to the judgment seat of Christ ? Is not eternity, with its amazing retributions — its majestick real- ities— before us.'' And can we pass thoughtlessly on, and refuse to consider how we stand, and what we have to expect .'' IV. As sojourners, it behooves us to consider what wo have yet to do, before we leave the world. 19G SERMOiN XXXrX. None of you, iny hearers, can regard an exchange oi' worlds as an event of little moment. None of you can think the issue of your probation unimportant. None of you can consider it a matter of little consequence, whether your eternal state be happy or miserable. If, then, you hav^e hitherto lived without God in the world, and neglected the great concerns, in which you ought to have been engaged ; it is time, that you aivake to 7-ighteovs- ness, and sin no more. For those who are advanced in years, It is certainly high time ; nor is it too soon for those who are young. Are any of you, then, slill impenitent in sin ? Have you lived all your days, until now, in alienation from God, contemn- ing his law, abusing his patience, rejecting his grace, trampling on the blood of his Son ? How solemn, how fearful is your state ! God has called, but you have refused ; he has stretched out his hand, but you have not regarded it. How many earnest calls, how many importunate entreaties, how many gracious ex- postulations, how many awful reproofs and warnings, has he ad- dressed to you, in his word, and in his providence ! How many precious privileges have you abused ! How many invaluable opportunities have you neglected ! — How astonishing have been the divine mercy and forbearance towards you ! How unspeak- able is your ingratitude ; how innumerable and how aggravated are your sins ! — Hitherto you have been spared, but you have not repented. Your peace is not yet made with God ; but you have been continually hardening your hearts, and augmenting vour guilt, in his sight. Your unnumbered offences, — all your sins of childhood, of youth, and of more advanced years, are yet unpardoned. You are still under condemnation, and have no good hope for eternity. O my fellow sojourners, in what lan- guage should the ambassador of Christ address you.'' What words can adequately express your guilt, or your danger ? Re- pent ; repent, and obey the gospel ; or, as surely as you live, there is but a step between you and everlasting destruction. Repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ, are indispensable for every one, in order to a happy exchange of worlds. — But even those of you, my hearers, who have repented ot your sins, and are believers in Christ, may find SERMON XXXIX. 497 auich which yet ought to be done, before you depart hence, to your eternal abode ; much for yourselves, for your families, for your neighbours, for the cause of God, for the good of your fellow men. Look diligently, then, into the state of your hearts ; search and try your ways ; examine your whole temper and practice. Consider the duty, which you owe to your children, to your relatives, to all within the circle of your acquaintance and influence. Remember how much you are indebted to him who has redeemed you with his blood ; consider how little you have yet done for him ; and inquire in what ways you can yet serve his cause. Are you not conscious of great omissions of duty J of great negligence, in regard to the good you might have done .'' And will you not awake to activity and zeal ; and henceforth do with your might, whatsoever your hands find to do ^ The liberal deviseth liberal things, and by liberal things shall he stand. Be steadfast, then, and unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye knoio that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. The world, my brethren, exerts a most dangerous influence upon our hearts ; an influence but too strongly felt by good men, and but too often even to the latest periods of life. But how melancholy a thing it is, to see a mere sojourner on earth devotedly attached to these transitory objects. How melan- choly, to see a poor dying creature, advancing to the last stage of his pilgrimage, and just passing the boundary of time into eternity, with a heart glued to the world, and doating upon its- vanities. " O my coevals," says Dr. Young, " O nay coevals, remnants of yourselves, Poor human ruins, tottering on the grave, Shall we, shall aged men, like aged trees, Strike deeper their vile root, and closer cling. Still more enamoured of this wretched soil ? Shall our pale wither'd hands be stretched, Trembling at once with eagerness and age I With avarice and convulsion grasping hard. Grasping at air ! For what has earth besides : Man wants but little, nor that little long. How soon must he resign his very dust, Which frugal nature hnt him for j-.n hour !"' 63 496 SERMON XXXIX. If we are but strangers here, and sojourners, what should We want of this world, more than a comfortable passage through it, and means to do good, as the Lord shall give us opportunity ? This is not our rest ; and it is madness to seek our portion here. It is our wisdom to use this world as not abusing it, and in a way to lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven^ even durable riches and righteousness. Our affections, my brethren, should be set on things above. We should habitually view this world in relation to eternity ; and ourselves as strangers and sojourners here, soon to be called to our eternal state. We should meditate much on God, and on Christ ; on the fallen state of man, and on the way of our re- covery ; on the work of redemption, and on the kingdom of grace and of glory ; on death, en judgment, and on the everlast- ing state of the righteous and the wicked. — " O eternity, with what majestick wonders art thou filled ! where Jehovah acts with his immediate hand, and displays himself, godlike and un- rivalled, in his exploits of vengeance and of grace !" — In the present state, good and ill are blended ; but, in eternity, the righteous will be separated from the wicked, and the happiness of the one, and the misery of the other, will be unmingled. O, how glorious to join the innumerable company in the realms of everlasting day ; with them to converse, with them to enjoy the fulness of God, with them to celebrate his boundless wisdom and love, in the song of Moses, and the song of the Lamb, for- ever and ever ! How dreadful to sink down into the abyss of darkness and wo, with the malignant enemies of God, where light can never gleam, where hope can never come ! My aged friends, where are those who were once your com- panions, in this changeful and eventful pilgrimage ? No longer are they sojourners here. The days of their pilgrimage are ended. And are you not astonished, that you have not your- selves, before this day, dropped into some of the many graves, which have been opening around you, and on the brink of which you have walked, or stood, or lain ? On such a brink you are now sitting. O fasten your hold on heaven ! And then, with humble triumph may you sing, even in this region of death SERMON XXXIX. 499 and field of graves, My heart is glad, and my glory rcjoiceth ; my flesh also shall rest in hope In thy presence is ful- ness of joy ; at thy right hand are pleasures forevermore. ' My brethren in middle life, how have the days of your so- journing here hitherto been spent ? How stands your account with yourselves, with your generation, and with God ? In what are you now engaged ? In laying up durable treasures in heaven ; or in grasping at the shadows of this present world ? You must do something more and better, than grasp at these delusive shadows, and do it soon, or soon you will find that they are miserable indeed — miserable for eternity — who have made this world their hope. Be admonished — be instructed- — be wise — and whatsoever your hands find to do, do it with your might. My dear young friends, you, it may be, have scarcely thought of being only sojourners on the earth. Your minds have been filled with anticipations of earthly good, with enchanting dreams of earthly felicity ! Ah, how deceitful, how vain, how estranged from God, is the heart of the loveliest, brightest youth, until renewed by divine grace, and softened and cleansed with re- deeming blood ! Your hearts must be renewed, and softened, and cleansed ; they must be filled with love to your God and Saviour, and devoted to the things that are most excellent. Yes, dear youth, your eyes must be turned off from beholding vanity, and you must live to do good in this evil world, so long as you sojourn here ; and so to secure for yourselv&s glory, and honour, and immortality. It is the voice of eternal wisdom to you, / love them, that love me ; and they that seek me early shall find me. Little children, Jesus Christ calls you to come to him. He loves, and will do you good. Hearken to him ; and he will be your Saviour, and your friend. He will guide yon safely through life, and bring you to everlasting happiness in hfeaven. Dearly beloved brethren and friends, another year is gone — and so quickly will the remaining years and days of our sojourn- ing here pass away. All fiesh is grass, and ail the goodliiiess thereof as the flower of the field. The grass withereth, the flower 500 SERMON XXXIX. faihth ; because the Sj)irit of the Lord bloweth upon it ; surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth ; but the word of our God shall stand forever. Let this word, then, I beseech you, divell in you richly, in all wisdom ; and let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ ; that lohether I come and see you, or else be absent, ye may stand fast in one spirit, with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gos- pel. In this way will you find the best reward for all your kindnesses to me, and for all that you will show to my dear As- sociate, for our work's sake ; the richest consolations in th© shifting scenes of your earthly sojourn ; and the most substan- tial and exalted felicities, in that better world, where, through infinite grace, we hope to meet, and dwell together, to be separated no more forever. And now brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them that are sanctified. Amen. u HO yo y 0 LID yo Mr » < '