1> >'< ill! i mK^^^ {■\ m /^-.<- /iiT. Till' i DivUJdri Sectiok No, PARTING MEMORIAL, Sfc. 8fc. Sfc. Dtmiclt, Piijitei, Leather Laiif, London. PARTING MEMORIAL; CONSISTING Of MISCELLANEOUS DISCOURSES, WRITTBN AND PREACHED IN CHINA; AT SINGAPORE; ON BOARD SHIP AT SEA, IN THE INDIAN OCEAN; AT THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE; AND IN ENGLAND. REMARKS ON MISSIONS, ROBERT" MORRISON, D.D.F.R.S.M.R.A.S. PRESIDENT OF THE ANGI.O-CHINESE COLLEGE; MEMBER 01' THK SOCIETE ASUTIQUE OF PARIS; AUTHOR OF A CHINESE DICTIONABY TEANSLATOR OF THE SACRED SCRIPTURES, &C. 'Behold! these shall come from afar ; And lo! these from the north and the west ; And these from the land o/Sinim."— — Isaiah. LONDON: PRINTED FOR W. SIMPKIN AND R. MARSHALL, stationers' hall court, ludgate street. 1826. TO HIS PERSONAL FRIENDS, THROUGHOUT THE UNITED KINGDOM, THE FRIENDS OF THAT CAUSE TO WHICH HE HAS DEVOTED HIS l.lfE, THE FOLLOWING MEMORIAL IS AFKECIIONATELY AND RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED, THE AUTHOli. 5, GROVE, HACKNEY, Jan. 5, 1826. l^^'• ^yy *^' .< o ^-^ v.. PREFACE. During the year of our Lord 1824, whilst tra- velling in England, Ireland, and Scotland, the Au- thor of the following Discourses received much attention, and many civilities from zealous Chris- tian Friends, in every part of the United Kingdom, to whom he had no introduction but his public character. His having resided many years in a distant heathen, populous country, for the purpose of transfusing into its language the Holy Scrip- tures, excited on his behalf an interest which, under other circumstances, could not have been felt. Having had the satisfaction, during his stay in England, to see originated a public attention to the language of China, he is now about to revisit that country; and therefore, in accordance with a prin- ciple he has often advocated, he avails himself of THE PRESS, to leave with his Friends, and the Public, this Volume, as a PARTING MEMORIAL. VIII Although he does not assume that these dis- courses possess, irrespective of the circumstances connected with them, intrinsic excellence, suffi- cient to call for their being published ; he still thinks, that they may prove instructive to some individuals, and not an unedifying memorial to many among whom he has travelled, occasionally preaching the Gospel. On the means to be employed for the propa- gation of the Christian Religion throughout the world, the same ideas will frequently recur, but perhaps in a varied connexion, that will, on the whole, strengthen the argument. He has used great plainness of speech, without effort or design, in his natural, unassumed manner; not with malevolence or intentional asperity, but with a frankness which is spontaneous ; and, if he knows his own heart, affectionate, though seem- ingly severe. He humbly prays that the Almighty Father's blessing, and the " Power of Christ," may rest on all Christian Churches ; and that the Holy Spirit's influences may be abundantly shed down from on high upon all men ; to the end that all the nations may be turned from darkness to light, and from dumb idols to the living God ; — that Truth and Righteousness, Holiness and Happiness, may fill the whole Earth. 5, GROVE, HACKNEY, Blarch 11, 1820. CONTENT DISCOURSE I. nf^tii^^<-i-*ii i-J*-. The Way of Salvation 1 DISCOURSE II. The Law is Spiritual 19 DISCOURSE III, On Death, from 1 Corinthians, xv. 60 — 58 31 DISCOURSE IV. A Spirit of Love essential to Human Duty 38 DISCOURSE V. Reconciliation 49 DISCOURSE VI. Christ exalted 57 DISCOURSE VII. Joy in Heaven over one repenting Sinner 64 DISCOURSE VIII. Mission of Barnabas and Saul 73 DISCOURSE IX. Preparation to meet God , . . . 90 c X CONTENTS. DISCOURSE X. Page The Missionary's. Rehearsal 102 DISCOURSE XI. Wisdom's Ways . . . . • 125 DISCOURSE XII. God the Supreme Jluler 135 DISCOURSE XIII. The Church Amiable 153 DISCOURSE XIV. The Kindredship of the Nations 108 DISCOURSE XV. The Nations shall renounce Lies and Vanities 183 DISCOURSE XVI. The constraining Power of the Saviours Love 201 DISCOURSE XVII. Regard to the Affairs of others 217 DISCOURSE XVIII. The Knowledge of Christ supremely excellent 231 DISCOURSE XIX. Watchfulness during the Lord's Absence 258 DISCOURSE XX. The Cares of this Life must not be excessive 269 CONTENTS. xi DISCOURSE XXI. The anticipated End of the World should induce a useful and pious Life 274 DISCOURSE XXII. Trust in the Most High, the best Defence against Fear . . 28G DISCOURSE XXIII. The Lord Christ's Command to Christianize all Nations . . 300 DISCOURSE XXIV. Man in this World is not by Right, but by Divine Permis- sion, a temporary Resident 313 DISCOURSE XXV. Sources of Consolation to the Believer 330 DISCOURSE XXVI. The Power of Christ resting on his People and Servants, the only true Cause of Glorying 339 Hints on the Means requisite to promote Christian Know- ledge throughout the World 35G Proposal for bethg-ing the Morals and Condition of Sailors in China . . . ' 367 Tract, addressed to Sailors 372 A Brief Inquiry into tvhat may reasonably be expected of Messengers or Apostles of the Churches to unevangelized Nations 379 On the Qualifications and Duties of Directors or Managing Committees of Missionary Societies 399 A Parting Word to Protestant Missionaries 405 PARTING MEMORIAL, DISCOURSE INTRODUCTION. A HE city of Canton in China is situated on the banks of a river about one hundred miles from the sea. The river is in this part of its progress called Chookeang, " The Pearl River," from the circumstance of its once having contained pearl oysters. Betw een the v^^alls of the city and the river, on the south M^est corner, is the residence of Europeans and Americans, M^ho visit China for commercial purposes. In this neighbour- hood also are situated the counting-houses, w^arehouses, and shops, of those natives who are concerned in European com- merce. These native warehouses are in Chinese called Hongs, or " Walks," from their extent. On Saturday, the ^d of Nov. 1822, a fire, which broke out the preceding night, about half a mile to the north of the British Factories, extended southward and westward, with tremendous fierceness ; and, impelled by a strong gale, over- powered all human efforts to resist its progress, till factories, hongs, and shops, were involved in flames, and consumed in one general conflagration. Thousands of houses, and millions of property were entirely destroyed. About a hundred lives were lost, partly by the fire, and partly by attacking or de- fending property. The governor of Canton, and all the local magistrates, attended. -« DISCOURSE I. On Sunday, the 3d, the first Bethel Flag ever hoisted on the rivers of China, was to have appeared at the mast-head of the Ship Pacific, of Philadelphia; and whilst preparing a discourse to the sailors, on the evening of Friday, the writer of this was called away to assist at the fire-engines. Friday night, Saturday, Saturday night, and Sunday, were all spent in sleepless anxiety, and unavailing efforts to extinguish the fire. It burnt till it arrived at the river's brink, and found no more materials to feed the flames. The following Sunday, the sermon to sailors was preached at the anchorage called Whampoa, about eleven miles from Canton ; and on Nov. 16th, the following discourse was delivered in an unconsumed native warehouse, called after its owner, Conseqna's Hong. To the end of this building the fire of Canton extended, but being saved, it became a temporary dwelling for the English whose habitations were consumed. The congregation consisted of commercial agents, British and American Captains, Officers, Surgeons and others. The service commenced by reading the Prayers of the English Church. THE WAY OF SALVATION. Acts xvi. 30. " TVhat must I do to be saved ?" Ihese words were originally spoken under very extra- ordinary circumstances. St. Paid and his companions, whilst deliberating whither they should go to preach the Gospel, having been forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word at that time in Lesser Asia ; saw a vision, which directed them to pass, for the first time, into Europe. A man of Macedonia appeared in this vision, and prayed St. Paul, saying, "Come over into Macedonia and help us." The Apostle deemed that this was a divine intima- tion, and proceeded thither accordingly. There was at that time a Roman Colony at Philippi, and the place was governed by Roman laws. The religious customs were TFIE WAY OF SALVATIOxV. 3 of course made up partly of the Paganism of Greece, and partly of that of Rome. Divinations, sorcery, and fortune- telling, were practiced. Sometimes those who pretended to sorcery, magic, &c. were impostors ; and, sometimes, there is every reason to believe, they were actuated by Satan, the father of lies and of false miracles, and of lying prophecies. At Philippi there was a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination, which brought her masters mueh gain by soothsaying. This young woman followed Paul and his companions for several days, crying out aloud, " These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation." This statement was con- sistent with the real fact ; but it is supposed the design of Satan, in suggesting this assertion, was insidiously to identify the sorceress and satanic influences with the apos- tles and the divine inspiration, which, blending the two, would hinder the truth amongst the Pagans, by leading them to say, " our religion is from the same source as yours ;" and would hinder it likewise amongst the Jews, who resided at Philippi, and who hated sorcery and divina- tion, in which they were fully justified by divine command. Paul v/as therefore grieved; and eventually, in the name of oin- Saviour, commanded the demon, or false spirit, to abandon the woman. It was done, and she was silenced. The false prophetess was struck dumb, and could no longer utter the responses, which she had been accustomed to do, for money paid to her masters. The proper effect of this would have been, for them to acknowledge the superiority of the Apostles, and that theirs was the true inspiration. They, however, actuated by a mercenary spirit, seeing that their gains were gone, seized Paul and Silas, dragged them before the magistrates, and accused them of being Jews, who exceedingly troubled their city ; teaching customs, not lawful for those who were Romans to observe. And these magistrates, to satisfy the multi- tude, tore the raiment off Paul and Silas, laid many stripes upon them, and cast them into prison. The jailer, zealous in this bad cause, thrust them into the inner prison, and b2 4 DISCOURSE I. made their feet fast in the stocks. This jailer was the man (whether a Roman or a Greek does not appear) who, that very night, came trembling, and falling prostrate before Paul and Silas, said, " Sirs, JVhat must I do to he saved ?" An earthquake, which shook the prison, opened the gates, and loosened every prisoner's bonds, alarmed him, and at the same time convinced him, that these men were indeed the servants of the most high God, who shelved the true ivoy of salvation. The jailer received no up- braidings for his gratuitous severity to the Apostle ; but was readily and kindly answered, " Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." The apostolic party further spake to the jailer the word of the Lord; he believed, was baptized, and rejoiced. His heart was changed — he was another man — a new creature. The jailer washed the prisoners' wounds, brought them into his house, and set meat before them, rejoicing and believing in God, with all his house. From this interesting portion of sacred Scripture we infer, L The necessity of salvation. IL The way of obtaining it ; and, III. The effects of being saved. — As this is a subject which, in the New Testament, is addressed to, and concerns all mankind, we shall gather our illustrations from all the nations, and not from our own country alone. L To save, and salvation, in sacred Scripture, imply deliverance from evil, whether natux-al or moral. The salvation of which we would this day speak is sal- vation from sin, and from everlasting punishment. And is there a necessity for this ? Is man a sinner, one who has violated the divine law; and is the just retribution of sin eternal death ? Is this the state of some men only ? or is it the fallen condition of all men, those in power, and those out of power ; high and low ; rich and poor ; learned and ignorant. If this be the truth, the necessity of salva- tion is self-evident. And to prove that this is the truth, THE WAY OF SALVATION. O we argue thus : The prevalence of much vice and misery in the world is universally allovved ; and that man is prone to evil, and has often sinned, is admitted by every breast ; the confessions of the penitent, and the admonitions of the moralist, and the complaints of most men, in every land, prove that man is depraved and sinful. But man's sense of moral evil is confined, chiefly, to offences against the social duties — against himself, in fact ; of the offences against high heaven, and the great God who there reigns, the perception of sinful man is blunted, or perverted, or lost. The revolt of our nature, and man's rebellion against God, the supreme Sovereign, has induced in every mind, even in the midst of abounding impiety, and practical atheism, a self-justifying spirit. Therefore man's opinion of sin is very far from being equal to the truth ; it by no means comes up to the strong delineation derived from heaven, and contained in the Holy Bible. For example, take the sin of idolatry ; that of changing the glory of the incorruptible God, into an image made like to corruptible man, or to birds, or four-footed beasts, or creeping reptiles, or stocks, or stones. Intellectual spiritual man abandons the worship of Jehovah, and falls prostrate to these. Yet in India, and China, do we Christians, who should feel the deepest regret that God is so dishonoured, and our fellow creatures in such an apostate, low, degraded state, generally look upon idolatry with the utmost in- difference ; and still more, in the face of the strongest ab> horrence against this abominable sin, expressed in the sacred page by the mouth of God's holy prophets, there are those who palliate, or excuse, or even justify it. And, which strengthens our argument, the idolater him- self, always, instead of considering his idolatry a sin, the more enthusiastic and mad he is after his idols, he deems himself by so much the more meritorious. "A deceived heart hath turned him aside," and he has not spiritual perception of the truth sufficient to detect the lie that is in his right hand. Man always finds an excuse for his be- setting, prevailing sin ; and so far is this carried, that some immoralities, which, by persons not concerned, are univer- 6 DISCOURSE I. sally condemned, are often thought excusable by the parties implicated. The pirate and the assassin, still suppose they may attain to heaven, and will keep up some forms of religion, or superstition. But is it reasonable that the opinions of sinful depraved mortals, concerning the demerits of sin, shall be more just and true than the revealed decision of the righteous and holy God ? Ought we not, in the exercise of common sense, to relinquish all apologies and excuses for sin, and receive with reve- rence the divine sentence concerning it. What saith the Scripture ? " Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things written in the book of the law to do them," (Galatians iii. 10.) "There is no man that sinneth not," (1 Kings viii. 46.) "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves," (1 John i. 8 — 10.) "If we say we have not sinned, we make God a liar;" we give the lie to heaven, from whence it is declared, "There is none righteous, no not one," (Rom, iii. 10.) "Men together have become unprofitable, destruction and misery are in their ways." The holy law considers every mouth stopped, every cavilling tongue silenced, and the whole world become guilty before God, and inexcusably so. " For the invisible things of God, from the creation of the world, are clearly seen," God having shewn them to men; but "when they knew God, they glorified him not as God ; neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish hearts were darkened :" man is self-ruined, and, if heaven may be believed, he is without excuse. Now, it is further declared that " the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all vmrighteousness and ungodliness of men. The wages of sin is death : the wicked shall be cast into hell, and all the nations that forget God ;" they shall be cast into outer darkness ; shall be immersed in a lake of fire, fire that shall never be quenched, the gnawing worm that torments shall never die ; in that place " shall be weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth ;" in that place there shall be punishment everlasting. Whatever interpretation is put on these awful declara- tions of the sacred Scriptures, they fully coiifiruj our argu- THE WAY OF SALVATION. 7 ment, that salvation is necessary to all men : for all men have sinned ; all are liable to the eternal punishment of sin ; and hence it becomes an infinitely important ques- tion, to be put by every human being, " What shall I do to be saved P" Suppose that no answer could be given to this question ; that there was no salvation — no hope j no- thing but a fearful looking for of judgment and fiery in- dignation to consume the wicked. What would be the feelings of a convinced sinner ? Oh, how indescribable the anguish ! And the day is coming, when to many this will really be the case ; when it must be said, Now there is no salvation — now all hope is for ever fled. Oh, then, that none of us may defer a satisfactory answer to this question till it be too late ; for happily it can still be said, " Now is the accepted time, noiv is the day of salvation." To every con- vinced and anxious penitent it is, by the divine word, said, *' Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." — This brings us to the second division of our dis- course, viz. II. The way of salvation. Salvation, in common use, is very generally restricted to deliverance from future misery, anticipated as the punishment of sin : but salvation, in the sense of sacred Scripture, is not confined to that, but includes also a de- liverance from the tyranny of Satan, and from the domi- nion of sinful propensities in this life. Although there be many in every country who seem to give themselves no concern about future happiness or mi- sery, there is a large proportion of our species, whose minds are ill at ease on this subject ; and there are a few, who are very anxious about it. But there are various mistaken or false ways suggested ; some more, and others less distantly removed from the true one. We sometimes suppose that, in religious matters, the false must be diametrically opposite to the true. But Satan, who goes about seeking whom he may deceive, as well as whom he may devour, like all tempters, cheats, and counterfeits, often endeavours to make the false resemble the true. On this principle it is. o DISCOURSE I. that false religion and superstition prevail so much in the world. Man's conscience is not easy \\ithout some religion, some object of worship ; and the arch-apostate gains his malicious purpose by inducing men to be satisfied with the mere form of religion for the reality ; and sometimes, to worship devils or demons, instead of God. In order to be saved, to be forgiven, and made happy hereafter, the human mind has suggested sometimes things cruelj sometimes frivolous, and sometimes, seeming to us, not altogether irrational ; but yet all different from the heaven-revealed way of salvation. It is to save himself, or to have merit to transfer for the salvation of others, that the devotee subjects himself to almost incredible austerities ; it is to save herself infallibly, and her deceased kindred, (as well as from grief and affection,) that the Hindoo widow submits to be burned to death in the fire which consumes the corpse of her deceased husband. Man's anxious mind has led him to say, " Shall I give my first- born for my transgression ; the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul !" The philosophists, both Christian and Pagan, for the most part make a mock at the idea of sin, and it would be in vain for a serious awakened sinner, to ask them what he must do to be saved. The religionists of all kinds have more humanity in this respect. Many of these, however, suggest things which cannot profit — such as the reciting of certain formularies of words, which cannot often, with any proprietor, be called prayers ; because, as in China for example, they consist of words which are unintelligible to the person pronouncing them. The incessant repetition of the name Amidah Budh ! Amidah Eudh ! is a certain means of the remission of sin ; but there is no reason, no plausible theory adduced, why it should be so. Four prostrations towards the south on the day of every new moon will procure the forgiveness of millions of sins. Others prescribe the lighting of candles, the burning of incense, the saying of masses for the salvation of the soul. These are examples of the false ways which may be deno- minated superstitious or frivolous. THE WAY OF SALVATION. 9 Those ways of obtaining salvation which appear more reasonable, are the performance of meritorious deeds, or works of righteousness, charity, or almsgiving. The Chinese have a table of vices and of virtues, stated in exact numbers, and direct that the one be balanced against the other, by the sinner himself, that he may thence calculate whether his virtues are sufficient in number to make amends for his vices : and there are many persons amongst Christians, who deem that the sicknesses and other trials of this life merit a reward in the next; and some, with seeming reason, say, repentance and amendment of life constitute the meritorious ground of salvation. But, according to the Scriptures, all these ways of being saved, pi'oceed upon the erroneous supposition that austeri- ties, ceremonies, and obedience to the law in some things, will make amends for disobedience in others; that man can atone for his own sin ; that he can be saved by his own doings; that he can save himself; that he needs no Sa- viour. Not only does man's foolish heart dream of this capability to save himself; but it, in some parts of the world, imagines, that by austerities, mortifications, abstrac- tions, &c. man can raise himself to be a divine person — a god; thereby perpetuating the foolish suggestion of the serpent in paradise, that eating the interdicted fruit would make the parents of mankind become as gods. Self-salvation is, perhaps, not more unscriptural than self-deification. The just sentence of condemnation, pro- nounced by the divine law, is not so easily removed ; de- liverance from the captivity of Satan is not so easily effected; emancipation from the slavery of sin is not so easily procured, as the above-mentioned false ways of sal- vation seem to suppose. " The redemption of the soul is precious, and would cease for ever," if left to man. He can neither save him- self, nor redeem his brother. Salvation must come to man from a power beyond himself, and greater than his own. He is a brand fit only for the burning, and cannot pluck himself out of the fire. Falling, sinking, drowning, he cannot save himself. 10 DISCOURSE I. But the sacred Scriptures reveal to us One who is mighty to save — " able to save to the uttermost all who come to him." He is more than man— more than angel. Him all the angels of God worship. He is " God manifest in the flesh." " Help was laid upon Him." He undertook to crush the serpent's head; He was, from the beginning, (before Abraham's days,) the object of the sinner's hope. God so loved the world, and compassionated guilty man, as to constitute his beloved Son our surety — our Redeemer. He suffered for us ; he gave himself to be a sacrifice ; he became a propitiation ; he died, " the just for the unjust." The Son of God is the author of salvation ; in him the Father is well pleased. The Spirit of God that strives with man, is, through him, become the regenerator ; and thus God himself, Father, Son, and Spirit, has become our sal- vation ; and in the Bible he says, " Look unto me and he ye saved, all the ejids of the earth, for I am God, and beside me there is no Saviour." Now, then, salvation is to be sought for out of ourselves, and not from works of righte- ousness that we can do. The glad tidings, the gospel of salvation, is promulgated to guilty man, and commanded to be preached to every human creature. He that avails him- self of it shall he saved; he that will not avail himself of it shall be condemned. Whosoever avails himself of this salvation shall not perish, but have eternal life. And how in the nature of things can a man avail himself of it, but by believing the testimony of God our Saviour concerning the whole of this important subject ? and hence the answer given by the Apostle to the jailer, " Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." Therefore the true ivay of salvation is hy faith in Christ; and by faith alone ; without the deeds of the law ; the works prescribed by any \a.w, either ceremonial or moral. But the act of faith is not a meritorious thing, for which salvation is granted to us as a reward. It resembles some- what the act of a beggar's stretching out his open hand to receive an alms ; only the one is a physical act, the other a mental operation. It resembles a drowning man's grasp- ing the outstretched arm of a humane friend, who is THE WAY OF SALVATION. 11 anxious to save him from death. It resembles the act of a man's running from imminent destruction to a place of refuge and of safety. But the alms are gratuitous, not given because the beggar stretched his hand out. The at- tempt to save the drowning man was generous humanity, that preceded the grasp of the sinking person ; and though the offer would have been unavailing had he not caught liold of the saving arm, still his salvation from temporal death was not the reivard of any act of his. And so of every other illustration of this subject; they all shew, that whilst salvation is by faith in God our Saviour it is not the reward of faith. Salvation is by the free grace of God ; it is perfectly gratuitous, and excludes from the creature every imaginable ground of boasting. Salvation is granted — by what law ? asks the Apostle, by the law of works ? — nay, but by the law of faith ; for if salvation be by works, it is no more of grace, but of debt : but it is by faith, that it might be by grace. Therefore, in the language of St. Paul, we conclude, that a man is justified by faith without the works of the law. Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy he saved us. To understand this subject aright, the object of faith, or things to be believed, must be particularly considered : these are not any human creed, any saint's ideas of Chris- tianity, expressed in his own words, or words attributed to him ; not any thing that people can justly call mysterious, unintelligible dogmas, for the believing of which men will be rewarded with salvation. Such a representation is a caricature, drawn by ignorance, and prejudice, or malice, of the doctrine of salvation by faith. The thing to be be- lieved is, the testimony of God, contained in the book of divine revelation, and chiefly concerning the guilt and depravity of mankind ; their just subjection to many na- tural evils now, and their just liability to punishment after death, of a nature and degree more awful than any lan- guage can describe. Human depravity and guilt form the ground- work of the whole structure of Christianity ; and it being admitted, hence follows the importance of the 12 DISCOURSE I. divine revelation of an almiglity and gracious Saviour ; belief in whom always implies belief in the preceding fun- damental truths ; and faith, or believing in the Saviour, is simply our availing ourselves of the deliverance from sin and misery, which he can and does afford ; whence follows, our duty to avail ourselves also of his instruction, his di- rection, his protection and government in this life, and of the eternal happiness he has to bestow in the next. It never can be supposed that the divine Saviour died to save men from the guilt and punishment of sin, and at the same time procured a licentious liberty for them still to go on to sin. The disciple who imagines this, does, as far as in him lies, by every reiterated transgression, crucify the Son of God afresh, and tramples the Saviour's blood under his feet. The real believer in Christ does not view sin, and its punishment, and deliverance therefrom, such light mat- ters as to trifle with them. Those who think that their rites, or ceremonies, or pe- nance, or alms, or public benevolence, or masses, or prayers for the dead, can wash away sin, may, and do make light of sin ; but not so he, who believes the awful truths ex- pressed and implied by the humiliation and crucifixion of the Son of God. No man who ever really believes God's testimony, that sin is justly punished by everlasting de- struction ; that he, as an individual, has himself deserved that punishment ; but by an amazing, never-to-be-expected effort of divine beneficence, he is now delivered from it, can make light of sin, and go on wilfully, and with a quiet conscience, to commit sin. If is therefore a mistake, or it is a calumny, that the doctrine of salvation, by faith in Christ alone tends to licentiousness. But further, the believer's mind is restored to a proper apprehension of the just authority of God ; and he obeys him because he ought — because of the excellence and bliss-conferring nature of all God's commandments, and because it is his true interest and real happiness so to do. He has high senti- ments of the infinite goodness and loving-kindness of Jehovah^ and he obeys from gratitude and love. He now, first of all, yields any proiiar abediencc, or, indeed, does THE WAY OF SALVATION. 13 any good ivork ; for love to God is the great QX\i\.Jirst com- mandment, without which there is no true, no acceptable obedience ; and further, the truly repentant believer resists and strives against sin; he crucifies the flesh, with its affections and lusts ; he denies himself, and takes up his cross and follows Christ ; and, in this sense, works out his own salvation with fear and trembling, and gives all dili- gence to " make his calling and election sure." Is not this state of mind, and these motives, then, as powerful to produce good morals, as the opinion that sal- vation is easily obtained by some doings of our own, such as that, if poor we have only to repent, and reform a little before we die, or steadily adhere to some sect or hierarchy ; or be staunch in reciting, or in contemning some prayers ; and in observing or in avoiding some festivals ; or, if we be rich, we have only to give money to the poor, or leave money to say masses, or erect an hospital, or build a temple, or make an idol-god, or an image of the Virgin, or beautify a church ; if we have power, we can persecute heretics, or infidels, or Christians, according to the country in which we live, and so defend the faith, and the national religion ; and then, as a reivard for these, and other similar good works, our sins will be forgiven, and we shall be saved ? Yes, the doctrine of the cross fui-nishes more powerful motives to live a good life than any of these ; for all these, and such-like, proceed upon the supposition that sin against God is really not a matter of much moment. But should not faith and works be united ? Assuredly ; faith is the root, good works are the fruit — they are the consequence or effect of salvation by faith ; which is the Third topic to be noticed. The humane behaviour of the jailer was subsequent to his faith in the doctrine of the Lord, Faith without works is dead, being alone ; if the fruit does not appear, the inference is, that the root of the matter is not there. In that case, the supposed faith is either unreal, or the things believed are not the truths re- vealed and taught in God's holy word; but something different or contrary. If many who say they believe the 14 DISCOURSE I. Christian religion, and who attend to its forms, and who yet live vicious lives, were asked, " And pray what is it that you do believe ?" they would not be able to give any other answer than, generally, they believed the Christian religion to be the true one ; or, they believed what the particular church, the Greek or Romish, English or Scotch, or any other church in which they were born and educated, taught. In such cases there is no distinct perception of the truths of the Bible, and there is nothing that can be properly called faith ; for a person cannot believe a proposition, the existence of which he does not know ; nor can he believe a proposition, the terms of which he does not comprehend ; although he often believes propositions which state things hey Olid his comprehension. For example, take this short proposition, " God is omniscient." An unlettered person, who did not know what " omniscient" meant, could not be said to believe the proposition, although he might repeat it as his creed, his church-going, solemn belief, all his life long ; nor would it at all influence his moral conduct. But he who does understand the terms of the proposition, and does fully believe the important truth contained therein, is, I imagine, still unable to comprehend hmv the Deity knows all things, throughout eternal duration and infinite space. Therefore, when I say that a man cannot believe what he does not comprehend, my meaning is very different from that of those persons, who sometimes use a similar phrase, to denote that they will not believe any thing is really true, the 7)xode or manner of which they cannot comprehend. A man's faith may be unproductive of good works, not only from the vagueness and indistinct perception of divine truth, commonly arising from wilful disregard of the means of better information; for how few, after all, study the Bible or religious books ; but if, instead of believing the testimony of our Lord, they believe something different from, or contrary to divine truth, their faith will not only be dead, but mischievous, St. Paul, at one time, verily believed that he ought to do many things contrary to Jesus of Nazareth. The faith of the Gospel is faith in God, and in our Lord Jesus Christ, and in what the Almighty caused THE WAY OF SALVATION. 15 to be made known to us by the mouths of all his holy prophets, and the apostles of our Lord. The different effects produced upon men's minds by their faith, is not from any metaphysical difference in the act of believing ; but solely from the different ideas or pro- positions which they do believe. For example, the Bible says, " The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all wigodlmess and unrighteousness of men." A man conscious of being ungodly and unrighteous, believes this, and he flees for refuge from divine wrath to the hope set before him in the Gospel, and henceforward he walks with God. Another person, it may be a professing Christian, laughs at the godly, and shuns every thing that can lead him to godliness, and declares his belief to be, that, as long as a man is honest and upright in his dealings, and is not worse than his neighbours, however ungodly they may be, he sees no reason to apprehend the wrath of God ; and he consequently neglects and disregards the Gospel, its refuge, its Saviour, and its hope ; he lives without God, and without Christ in the world. Again, the Bible says, " The Lord searcheth the hearts of the children of men." Many, on the contrary, believe that he is too great to regard the little concerns of men, and they say in their hearts, in reference to their wickedness, " God hath forgotten — he hideth his face ; he will never see it — he will not require it." Must not the effect be very different in the tempers and conduct of him who believes the divine testimony . and of him who, contrary to it, believes rather the sugges- tions of the devil and of his own wicked mind ; and this will account for the very little moral or religious efficacy of the faith of many, who fancy they believe Christianity ; and who, whilst impious and vicious, yet continue attached, and even bigotted, to some particular church or sect. But this lamentable fact does not prove that the faith of the Gospel of God our Saviour, by which we are saved, is unproductive of good works ; on the contrary, it may be fully proved that this faith worketh by love to God and man ; operates benevolence, and produces a virtuous 16 DISCOURSE I. life. These are some of its proper effects ; joy is another. Religion, or rather a mistaken idea concerning it, sometimes produces melancholy and gloom ; but the religion of Jesus, rightly understood and sincerely believed, is productive of joy. The jailer vi^as full of joy; he rejoiced in God his Saviour, with all his house. Hoh/ livbig and a cheerful heart are the genuine effects of faith in Christ, by which we are saved. And since the belief of any proposition, on the mind's discerning its truth clearly, is instantaneous, when the mhid actually does believe, so the effects follow at once. The jailer's was a sudden conversion, against which some people declaim. He, being concerned about his salvation, was no sooner informed of the truth, and convinced that Jesus was willing and able to save him, than he believed; and the effects immediately followed the cause. Benevolence and joy shewed themselves. Un- decided characters are those who still halt between two opinions, who really do not believe the truths of the Bible, or the doctrines of Christ crucified, although they have some conviction that Christianity, on the whole, is true. It is confessed, that to man's wicked, weak, and be- clouded mind, there are in the world many things to bewilder, and which will afford an excuse for scepticism to those who desii*e to avail themselves of them ; but, on the other hand, it is maintained that many of these difficulties are magnified by objectors ; that there is care- lessness of a most criminal nature in not searching for the truth. Truth is indeed difficult to be found in this deluded and deceitful world, but in matters that concern our salvation, it is not unattainable to the humble, industrious inquirer. When we look at all the nations of the world, we see that there are " gods many," — false gods without number ; yet still there is Otie true God. So also, as Jesus said. Many will come in my name, saying, " I am Christ." There are indeed many false Christs, false Saviours, false miracles, lying wonders ; but there is also a true Saviour and tnie miracles, and signs and wonders were performed THE WAY OF SALVATION. ]7 by Him. There are also, in different countries, and in China (this country) pretensions to miraculous concep- tions, and divine incarnations, and to revelations sent down from the gods above; some persons have hastily concluded that the proper inference from these facts is, that all these pretensions are equally false ; but this inference, which is put into the mouths of philosophers, seems as inconclusive and unphilosophical an inference as that put into the mouths of the vulgar, that these pretensions are all equally true. The fair inference, in my humble opinion, is, that one God, one Saviour, one divine revelation, one way of salvation is true, and all the rest are imitations or counterfeits. But what ! says the feeling doubting mind, shall we suppose that all the millions of human beings around us, in pagan lands, who know not the true way of salvation, cannot possibly be saved ! I affirm it not ; I deny not the possibility of salvation to any nation. The Judge of all the earth will do right; justice and judgment are the habitation of his throne, mercy and truth are ever before his face. The principle which suggests that to whom much is given, of them much will be required, is equally true conversely ; to whom little is given, of them will little be required. It is not our duty to govern and judge the world; that must be left to God. And it is unreasonable foi' any sinful man to reject the salvation of God, because he is ignorant whether God will save or condemn others ; or because he is ignorant hoiv God will convey salvation to those who have not had the same full exposition of the way of salvation that he has had. In a cavilling spirit, similar to this, probably it was, that, as is recorded in the New Testament, a man said to Jesus, " Are there many that be saved ?" to which question he received no direct answer, but one that deeply concerned himself, " Strive to enter in at the strait gate." Do thou, instead of specu- lating about the probabilities of others being saved, be in good earnest to avail thyself of the salvation which is provided for, and made known to thee. They that come to the Saviour, he will in no wise cast out. c 18 DISCOURSE I. And finally, my brethren, let me now say, " to you is the word of this salvation sent," and it is yoiu* duty to receive it with joy, to exhibit its effects in a vir- tuous and pious life, and to promulgate it to others. Yes ! promulgate it to others — Eat not your spiritual morsel alone, live not secluded from the world, study- ing only your own edification and comfort; but since you have freely received, freely give. Even Chinese moralists inculcate the duty which requires every one who loves and practices good morals, to diffuse the principles of those morals amongst their kindred, and neighbours, and mankind. And to effect this end, some of them advise and exhort people, M'hen they think them wrong ; and print, at their own expense, what they con- sider good books, and give them away. They pronounce heaven's displeasure on those who omit the diffusion of good principles. And this sentiment of theirs, suggested by the remaining light of the divine law written on man's heart, is perfectly in accordance with the second table of God's law, " Love thy neighbour as thyself," and it con- demns the selfishness of many seemingly pious Christians, whose practice evinces a regard only to their own spiritual improvement, and an almost total neglect of their neigh- bours' instruction and salvation. Oh, that while we look to Jesus alone for justification, our eyes may be fixed on the law of God as a constant rule of life ; and may we ever seek excellence and bliss in an entire conformity to that eternal rule. DISCOURSE II. DELIVERED TO AN EUROPEAN AUDIENCE, IN THE WAREHOUSE OF A PAGAN CHINESE, NOVEMBER 23, 1822. Rom. VII. 14. " The Law is Spiritual." A. LAW is a rule of action, given by power, or by a just authority. The law of which we shall to-day speak, is the law given by the great Creator to human creatures. When he formed the vast universe, he gave laws to matter and to motion, to things animate and inanimate, to the incalculable variety of organized beings which till the earth, the sea, the air; he gave laws to suns and to systems of starry worlds ; to angels and to man. The preservation of the order and harmony of the vast universe, depends on obe- dience or conformity to those laws. In the physical world, the law was impressed upon matter; and in the moral world, the law of God was written upon man's heart. But man, by transgression, fell, and the heart be- came depraved, and the letters of God's law scarcely legible ; the adversary of mankind induced a disregard of, and a disobedience to the law, with a perversion of the reasoning faculty, and beclouded the perception of truth ; in conse- quence of which, the law of God was misinterpreted, and wrested, so as to be made to sanction things it really and originally did not. To restore the knowledge of the divine law in our world, heaven was pleased, at different times, and in divers manners, to grant reiterated elucidations of the law of God to man by direct revelation ; and this re- velation, in the usual way of the diffusion of knowledge, by c 2 20 DISCOURSE II. tradition and books, has preserved that portion of acquaint- ance with the divine law, which is possessed, in different degrees, amongst the several nations of mankind. Now, reason, honestly exercised, can ascertain much of the original law, and man, having what we call the light of nature, is by no means left without law ; still no system of morality or ethics, merely reasoned out by the human mind, can ever be set up as of equal authority with the divinely revealed law, contained in the Jewish and Chris- tian Scriptures, nor does any other code of morals contain so clear and so accurate a preceptive rule of human duty. Of the right of any one to make laws, that of our Creator is most indisputable. That his laws are designed for man's happiness, is most surely inferred from the divine benignity ; God is love : His tender mercies are over all his works. That God's laws, had they been obeyed by man, would have ensured the happiness designed, is certain, from the infinite wisdom of the Law-giver. He must have made the means adequate to the end. These propositions require not any laboured proof ; it is self-evi- dent that the Almighty Creator ?ms a right to prescribe laws to his creatures, and that his laws must be " holy, just, and good." The point which our text requires us to illustrate and enforce is, that " the law is spiritual" The word spiritual denotes that which has a relation to spirit, to the Divine Being, and to the soul of man; to angels and the heavenly world. The word itself, apart from its connexion, does not denote either moral good or evil ; for bad angels, or devils, as well as good angels, are spirits; but they are unclean spirits, and their deeds constitute sjnritual wickedness. Spiritual is understood in contradistinction to what is material, the acts of the mind in contradistinction from the acts of the body. The faculties of the mind, or soul, the will, the affections, and so on, in contradistinction from the organs of the body, the senses, the touch, the taste, and so forth. Thus also spiritual and carnal, flesh and spirit, are opposite terms ; resembling which distinction is THE LAW IS SPIRITUAL. 21 the ^^ Heavenly principle and human passion" of Chinese moralists. Human laws can take cognizance only for the actions of men ; of theft, of murder, of fraud, of rebellion. When- ever they attempt to legislate for the operations of mind, they quit their proper sphere, and are ever liable to err. They cannot detect, and therefore cannot punish malice, so long as there is no overt act. An implacable enmity and desire to murder may exist in a human breast ; but so long as no attempt is made to kill, human laws cannot apply ; for spirit, or mind, is beyond their cognizance. In contradistinction from such laws, it is said in our text, that the laiv, viz. the law which God has given as the rule by which man must be judged, is spiritual. This law also indeed commands what is right in action, and forbids what is wrong; but it does much more, it is a rule for the " thoughts and intents of the heart ;" its precepts reach to the will, directing what man ought to choose, and what he ought not; to the affections, what man should love and what he should hate, what he should desire and what he should abhor, what he should reverence and what he should despise ; and it reaches to man's motives, and requires not only rectitude of conduct, but also rectitude of principle and intention; not only the honest action, but also the purely honest design ; not only the charitable deed, but likewise the benevolent heart. Moreover, one half of that law, of which we speak, refers solely to spiritual things, to spiritual vice or spiritual virtue ; to man's duty to his Maker, who is the Great Spirit, the Father of Spirits, and from whom the human spirit is derived. In this class of man's duties, merely " bodily service," the bended knee, the serious look, the solemn accents of audible prayer, profit nothing; unless the soul, the spirit, be there, the spiritual law is violated, and it condemns the transgressor. Let us take the Deca- logue, and look over its precepts, remembering that the law is spiritual, and the subject will thereby be illustrated. And to begin, take the First commandment, " Thou shalt have no other goda 22 DISCOURSE II. before me." Tliis precept does not only mean that man shall not nominate the sun, moon, or stars, or any imagi- nary beings, gods, and go and offer worship to them ; but it also denotes, that the reverence, submission, and awe — the gratitude, esteem, and admiration, which constitute worship — the affection, love, devotedness, and the trust, hope, and dependance, which are due from man to God, shall not be given to any other object whatever ; whether to the distinctions and honours of the ambitious, the pride of life, the pomps and vanities of this world, or the hoards of the covetous — riches, and all their attendant luxuries and attractions ; or inordinate affection to any human creature — such as the devotion of the impassioned lover, or a parent's excessive attachment to a favourite child ; for, in the estimation of the heart, all must be subordinated to the Great Supreme. The spiritual law says, " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and soul, and strength, and mind ; this is the first and great command- ment. He whose heart departs from the living God, who trusts in any creature, any power, instead of the Almighty arm, who does not, at all times, and in all circumstances, cherish supreme love, with all the workings of mind that the divine perfections deserve — gratitude, esteem, and adoration — has violated the spiritual law, and is condemned thereby, as a transgressor of the first commandment, first in order, and first in dignity and importance ; the great commandment, which has, indeed, been violated by the whole human race. Again, although a man does not carve a graven-image, and set it up to worship, he may set up an idol in his heart ; although he does not curse and swear, he may want that reverence for the Divine Name, which the third com- mandment implies ; and in these cases, he is convicted, by the spiritual law, of having broken the second and the third commandments. The Sabbath-day is not only a rest from bodily labour, but is designed as a spiritual rest from secular concerns and worldly pursuits, that the eternal interests of the soul may be attended to, and that man may not forget his rela- THE LvVW IS .SPIRITUAL. 23 tion to the world of spirits. Hence the law says, "Thou shalt not do thine own pleasure on my holy day, but shalt call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honour- able, and shall honour him, not doing thine own ways, not finding thine own pleasure, not speaking thine own words." '' The Lord blessed the Sabbath-day and hallowed it," as a memorial of the wonderful works of creation ; and the Lord's day, observed by Christians, is in commemora- tion of the resurrection of the Saviour, and the wonders of redemption ; on that day, therefore, the mind should be turned to the study of the divine perfections, as displayed in creation, providence, and redemption, in the public and private exercises of devotion, and in the perusal of the Bible, or of religious books, otherwise the spiritual import of the fourth commandment is violated. Further, None can ever imagine that the precept, " honour thy father and thy mother," is obeyed by merely external acts of respect. Even the Chinese, (who indeed place filial duty at the head of all the virtues,) inculcate the spiritual meaning of the law, and teach that the most complete at- tention to external forms of respect, and the most abundant supply of bodily comforts, is still not a fulfilling of the law, unless the heart of the child honour, and be deeply interested in the parent. But the)?^ err egregiously in not subordinating duly, filial piety, towards an earthly parent, to what all owe to the great Parent of mankind, our Father in heaven ; for the law requires that in the performance of the social duties we should still have a supreme reference to the Divine Being; and not only so, but whether we eat or drink, or whatever we do, we should do all to the glory of God. The same principle of spiritual obedience applies to the remaining precepts of the Decalogue, in a manner similar to the cases which have been exemplified. Actual murder is happily not often committed ; but divine revelation so expounds the law as to declare, " He that hateth his brother is a murdererJ" (1 John iii. 15.) And thus he who maliciously harbours in his breast a spirit of hatred and epmity against another man, although he may not have 24 DISCOURSE II. actually injured his person, or destroyed his life, has violated the sixth commandment. And so of the seventh, " Thou shalt not commit adul- tery/* it is so explained by the Saviour and his apostles, as to include a prohibition of every form and degree of lewdness and impurity of the mind ; and " he that looketh with licentious desire, hath committed adultery already in his heart," The sins forbidden in the eighth commandment, "Thou shalt not steal," are not only " Theft, robbery, and man- stealing, but also receiving any thing that is stolen, fraudulent dealing, false weights and measures, removing land-marks, injustice and unfaithfulness in contracts be- tween man and man, or in matters of trust, extortion, engrossing commodities to enhance the price, and all other unjust or sinful ways of taking, or withholding from our neighbour what belongs to him ; or of enriching our- selves ;" and (which is more strictly a spiritual violation of the law) all " envying at the prosperity of others, and secretly wishing their downfal." The ninth precept of the Decalogue, which forbids mali- cious falsehoods injurious to our neighbour, should not be confined to evidence given before a magistrate ; the spirit of the law is violated by all slander and defamation, or rejoicing in the disgrace and infamy of others. Discontentment with our own estate or condition in life, envying and grieving at the good of our neighbour, together with all inordinate motions and affections of the mind to any thing that is his, constitute a violation of the tenth and last precept of the Decalogue ; and the duties required, as well as sins forbidden in it, are all solely of a spiritual nature. Now the spirituality of the divine law being established, it follows of course that its penalties are spiritual, that the punishment of violations of this law are not confined to temporal and bodily calamities, but affect the immortal spirit after its separation from the body. And it should be remembered, that he who administers this law, and judges of offences against it, is the Searcher THE LAW IS SPIRITUAL. 2&' of hearts, " from whom no secret is hid," but before whom all thoughts and imaginations are naked and open ; from whose sight the darkness is no covering, and to whose all-seeing eye, night and day are the same. Now if God enter into judgment with us, and we be tried by his holy and spiritual law, who can stand ac- quitted ? even we ourselves being judges, who of us is not self-condemned ? Yes ! by the law, is only the know- ledge of sin, it can only serve to convict and to condemn ; it never can justify; we can never be acquitted if judged by it ; the obedience of the best man on earth, since the first fatal sin was committed, has not come up to its re- quirements ; and he M'ho goes about to establish his own righteousness, or to seek salvation by the works of the law, by pleading before Heaven his well-spent life, or other similar pleas, shews only his own gross ignorance of God's righteousness, and of the spirituality of the divine law. The fact is, the more we know of the law the more we shall be convinced of our own guilt ; and therefore the law is now a " Schoolmaster," (as St. Paul says,) a preceptor, to lead or point us to Christ, the surety and the Saviour of men; and the design is that we may become dead to the law, abandon it as to any idea of ever being acquitted and justified by it, and seek for salvation only by the faith of the gospel. For, even defective as our illustration has now been, it is sufficient to shew every heart, that its obedience to the spiritual law is imperfect, even when in its very best state, and how much more when in its worst. When the mind, as the Bible says, is " carnal, sold under sin," as a willing slave to a diabolical profligate master, at " enmity against God ;" and yielding the bodily members " servants to uncleanness and to iniquity," fallen man, having a hard and impenitent heart, filled with all unrigh- teousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, mali- ciousness, full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity, being haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, without natural afYection, disobedient to parents, implacable, unmerciful ; and still more, men 26 DISCOURSE II. knowing the judgment of God, that they who commit such things are worthy of death ; not only do the same, but take pleasure in those who do them. This description of human nature is drawn by St. Paul, the same inspired person who in our text stated the holy and spiritual requirements of the divine law. But some say, " Jesus died that he might mitigate the strictness of the law ;" however, of this there is no evidence ; the evidence is all on the other side. His exposition of the law increases, instead of mitigating its strictness, and exalts its sublime spiritual import. The Bible says, he died to magnify the law, and to make it honourable : but to mitigate its requirements would, by assuming its originally excessive strictness, and by consequence its injustice, degrade it and dishonour it, as well as its Author. The Scripture doctrine is, that sooner may heaven and earth pass away, than one jot or tittle of the law fail ; that ere forgiveness could be granted to sinful man, it was necessary that God, manifest in the flesh, must obey and suffer the penalty of the law, as a sub- stitute. Herein is the mystery of redemption; it honours all the divine perfections ; justice and mercy, though seemingly opposed to each other, there meet together j the law is honoured and magnified, and yet the sinner is saved. This is the wonderful subject into which the angels desire to look; for they see in the Church of Christ, in the assembly of the redeemed, the manifold wisdom of God ; they see a grand and full display of all the attributes of Deity. Thus it will appear, that the Scripture doctrine of justification by faith, or salvation only by a complete relin- quishment of all claims on account of man's righteousness, and a humble, sincere application to the Saviour, to be clothed by his righteousness, to be "found in him," so far from making void the law, in fact establishes it. For the argument runs thus : The holy spiritual law of God, framed by the divine and infinite wisdom, is a standard to which no man, since the fall, can come up. And tliis law knows nothing of THE LAW IS SPIRITUAL. 27 forgiveness ; it says, " Do this and live," if not, suffer the penalty. Nor is it judged right by Heaven to mitigate its requirements, or lower the purity, spirituality, and strictness of the standard. But then, the case being thus, man must perish, for he has not only once violated the law, not only often trans- gressed it J but it may be safely affirmed, that no man, in any instance, now fulfils the law ; he does not love God and love his neighbour to the degree that the law requires. Thus the hope of salvation by our own doings, by works of righteousness, which we think we have done or can do, is excluded. Man is " shut up" to the faith of Christ. There is no door of hope open, but the door of faith. He who knew no sin; Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God, was made a sin-offering for man. He obeyed, and suffered in our stead, and so redeemed us from the curse of the law. The law is by him honoured, its justice, and goodness, and purity, are admitted and maintained, and all its demands satisfied ; and now God is in Christ, reconciling the world to himself ; but out of Christ there is no promise of reconciliation. And the language of Heaven seems to be, " O sinnei', give up thy vain pretensions to righteousness and to merit. See the lightnings, and hear the thunders of Sinai, the awful penalty of the violated law hovers over thy head ; flee for refuge to the hope set before thee in the Gospel ; slumber not ! linger not ! Cavil no longer, but to-day, instantly, ere death cut thee down, '' Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved !" Now, is it this doctrine that makes void the law ? Cer- tainly by no means. It maintains and exalts the dignity of the law. It is the human fiction, that repentance is enough, without any atonement, to satisfy the Jaw and save us; which degrades the divine law to a level with the imprac- ticable, sleeping, unrepealed laws of human codes. This notion in fact nullifies the law of God, for it supposes that the law is neither obeyed, nor its penalty inflicted; and if so, 28 DISCOURSE II. then what is the use of it ! Ah, no ! this notion is too gross, too much calculated to bring the^divine law, and its Author, the Divine Being, (I almost tremble, when I but express the just consequence,) into utter contempt, ever to be believed, if closely investigated in the light of divine revelation. And the justness of our reasoning is fully confirmed by an appeal to facts. The doctrine of justification, by faith in the Saviour, is much more efficacious in producing good works, than the doctrine that repentance, and such good works as ours, are a sufficient ground of accep- tance with God. And the mode of operation on the mind seems to be, that the doctrine which teaches the necessity of atone- ment, is calculated to fill the soul with deep humility, seriousness, and anxiety to be saved from the M^rath to come ; and it leads the sinner to Jesus for help, and none ask him for help in vain. He gives the Holy Spirit to them that ask him, and the spirit helpeth our infirmities. The other doctrine engenders a spirit of pride, and of self-sufficiency, and little or no seriousness ; no anxiety to avoid that evil, which the man thinks it is in his own power at any time to remove. He does not feel his need of help, he does not ask it, and he does not get it; for it is M'ritten, " God resisteth the pi'oud, but giveth grace to the humble." It may be objected, that we " have sublimed and spiritualized the standard of the law, to such a degree, as to cut oft' all hope of fulfilling it, and of consequence would render all attempts or endeavours to keep it of no use ; and indeed, that it is of no use, since we are said to be saved by the righteousness of another ; and thiis man is set against the law, or made careless about it, and ^ntinomianism, that pernicious heresy, is defended." I answer, that I am not aware of having over-strained the declarations of the Bible ; but that truth may be perverted and abused, that the grace of God may be turned into licentiousness ; that man may have a true theory in his head, and yet not believe it, and so may lead a wicked life, and " hold the truth in unrighteousness :" This ia THE LAW IS SPIRITUAL. 29 admitted ; still the inference, from what we have said, that endeavours to keep the law are useless, or not I'e- quired, is denied. For we maintain not only the sublime spirituality of the divine law, but also that it is eternally in force ; that there is in it an eternal fitness, and that it will be the never- abrogated rule of right between the Creator and the crea- ture, and between creatures circumstanced as we are ; that there is an inseparable connexion between obedience to it and human happiness ; and, therefore, it is absurd to suppose it will ever cease to be requisite, or to be useful. The Saviour came not to destroy the law, but to confirm and fulfil the law ; not only to save us from the penalty of the broken law, but also to restore our desire and ability to keep it. And here comes in the necessity of the Scripture doc- trine of regeneration. To obey the spiritual law, " Ye must be born again;" if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away, behold all things are become new. The man has a new belief and perception of eternal realities, new motives hence arise, new hopes, new dependencies, new antipathies, new pleasures. He is translated out of the kingdom of Satan into the kingdom of God's dear Son ; turned from darkness to light ; from the power of Satan to God. To as many as believe the Gospel, Jesus gives the jwiver to become the sons of God ; he gives them the spirit of adoption, they look up to Je- hovah and call him Father. Now then, there is no condemnation to them that are thus in Christ Jesus, But, be it observed, they must walk, not after the flesh, but after the spirit ; must cleanse them- selves from all filthiness of the flesh, and also of the spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God; and must be on earth a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Thus fighting the good fight of faith, and laying hold on eternal life, they shall eventually finish their course with joy, and have an abundant entrance — that is, as under full sail, enter the haven of eternal purity, peace, and felicity. 30 DISCOURSE II. There the spiritual law of love shall still be their rule, and then their obedience to it ivill he jicrfect, and, partly from that very cause, their bliss will be complete. These, my brethren, are I believe, the solemn and de- lightful truths of God's Holy Book; and say now, Do wo. make void the law ? or, does our doctrine establish the law ? Is it not evident that that which magnifies the law is the Gospel ? And this Gospel, the Gospel of God our Saviour, is utterly unlike any other system of religion or morals in the world ? The Gospel never abandons the position, that the lajr is spiritual, and eternally binding, as a nde. And, it is only an ignorance of this truth, or a forgetfulness of it, or some false opinions concerning it, that allows the careless, carnal security, and lamentable indifference of so many persons, who are every hour, every moment, still liable to the awful penalty of heaven's violated law, because they will not come to Chi'ist, that they may be saved. The preacher had closed here, and were he to meet you weekly he would now have done. But, recollecting that most of us will never meet again, under similar circum- stances, he is anxious that the discourse of this day, should not be considered as a piece of matter-of-course declama- tion ; he solemnly and seriously requests that those not convinced, will " search the Scriptures, and see whether these things be so" or not ; for, if true, their importance is greater than words can express, or mind conceive. Oh, how tremendously awful the penalty of the law ! Oh, how great a salvation to be redeemed from its curse, and restored to obedience to it, which is life and peace. This is happiness ! this is heaven! Oh, that this may be the portion of us all. Look to Jesus! None but Christ, none but Christ ! Let him be all our salvation, and all our desire. If we abide in him, we shall bring forth plenteously the fruits of righteousness and holy living, which are to the praise and glory of God. DISCOURSE III. UELIVEKED TO TWO FAMILIES IN DR, LIVINGSTONE S HOUSE, AT MACAO, MAIiCII 3, 1822. INTRODUCTION. [Macao, in China, is a small island-like peninsula of a larger islet, in the bay which forms the entrance to Canton. The Chinese Government receives a ground-rent from the Portuguese residents, who are allowed a Government for the management of their ov/n people, and forts for their own pro- tection, but subject and open at all times to the Chinese authorities. Here the European Merchants, during the absence of their ships, retire from Canton, by the permission and the authority of the Chinese Government. The Por- tuguese have, in Macao, several Parish churches, and about fifty Ecclesiastics. Here, during the summers of 1818 and 1819, in conse- quence of there being no Protestant Chaplain in the settlement, I)r. Morrison felt constrained to deduct a few hours from his Chinese pursuits, and prepared Lectures for the Sabbath morn- ings, which were subsequently printed for distribution in the east. In 1819 a Chaplain for the Honourable East India Com- pany's Factory arrived in China, and Dr. Morrison disconti- nued his morning lecture. The following brief discourse was composed on a visit to Macao, during what is called the Can- ton season, when there was no public service at Macao.] 1 Cor. XV. 50 — 58. " O death, where is thy sting ? c/ravc, ichcre is ihj victory ?" Xhe death of a human being presents to the eye of an observer a shocking spectacle, and most shocking, when the deceased has been an acquaintance, a dear friend, or a beloved relative. The first cessation of life darkens the brightest eye, that it can no longer sec, and deafens the 32 DISCOURSE III. quickest ear, that it can no longer hear ; and no bodily organ will any more convey onr wishes to the spirit, which but a moment ago animated the now lifeless corpse. And but a few hours or days more, and the fairest form, although recently possessing all the health and vivacity of youth, becomes a mass of oifensive putrefaction, which makes the most affectionate friend desire, as did Abraham, to have the remains of a late beloved object interred out of sight. There is nothing that our senses can discover, but what would lead to the supposition that death is the anni- hilation of our being. When we stand around the re- opened; grave, and seeing the dead remains cast up ; ask, Can these dry bones live ? and of that which formerly constituted the life of our friend, (the soul or the spirit,) our senses can discover nothing. If we invoke the dead, we get no response. If we mentally express our love and affection to the deceased, we cannot perceive that any ear listens ; death seems, to the eye of sense, to be the destruc- tion of our existence. The unaided reason of man has sometimes acquiesced in the evidence of the senses, and has compared death to the extinguishing of a flame, which ceases for ever ; sometimes, however, reason has suggested the probability of a continued existence of the spirit, in a sepai'ate state, after the body has returned to dust; but the revelation of our blessed Saviour alone has " brought life and immortality to light." His Gospel removes all doubts on the subject ; and not only does it assure us that the separate spirit lives, but that the dead body too shall revive. They " that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to everlasting shame and contempt." Our theme this day does not, however, lead us to speak of the awful eternity of the wicked, but of the hope of the righteous. For these there is prepared an eternally happy region, and happy society, in Sacred Scripture called " The king- dom of God." There the Deity manifests the light of his countenance, and the glory of his perfections, so as to diffuse amongst the inhabitants of heaven, a felicity which ON I COR. XV. 50-;:>8. 33 is, to mortal man whilst on earth, utterly inconceivable ; there, too, angelic beings, and the glorified spirits of just men made perfect, form a society, in comparison with which, not to say the unsubstantial pleasures of the gayest society on earth, but the society of the wisest and purest of human beings, is joyless. But " This I say, brethren, flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption." Heaven is a state of existence and of happiness, of which the human body, as it is now constituted, is incapable. A change, therefore, of the present mode of existence must take place ; " We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed^ Death is the commencement of that change ; the resurrection is the consummation of it. " This corruptible must put on incor- ruption." That death is the commencement of that change, is true of all those who shall quit this world before the last day — ere the morning of the day of judg- ment dawn ; for the Christians that shall be found alive on that morning shall not die, but shall be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye ; when the last trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. Of the nature of this change, I presume not to speak, nor do I now deem it needful to answer objections to the possibility of a resurrection. That God's power can effect a resurrection of human beings, few will deny; and God's word declares he will raise the dead. St. Paul compares the dead body interred in the earth, to seed sown in the ground ; and in allusion to this idea, he says of the body, when dead — " It is sown in dishonour," but, in reference to the resurrection, " It is raised in glory ; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body." The identity of the human being is pre- served whilst the qualities of the body are changed. Dis-- honour is changed to honour ; and the natural or material body to a spiritual body; and again the Scripture saith, this vile body shall be fashioned like unto Christ's glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself. Not only will the body 34 DISCOURSE III. be purified and undecaying in its qualities, but it will also be rendered incapable of pain or suffering ; in heaven there shall be no more sickness, neither sighing, nor tears. But is not death the punishment of sin ? St. Paul, in his letter to the Romans, saith, " By one man (meaning Adam, the first parent of mankind) sin entered into the world, and death by sin ; and so death passed upon all men ; for that all have sinned." Had man never sinned who can tell but he would have undergone some change, similar to death, whereby he would have been transferred to a superior state of existence. Death in that case would have been simply a dissolution of the existing body, unaccompanied by pain, or agony, or fear ; a calmly going to sleep. But now there is in the impenitent sinner's death a dreadful sting. Sin, or a violation of God's holy law, a guilty conscience, makes death a most terrific enemy; more terrible than any other foe, and hence called the " King of Terrors," And this enemy mere human power could never have conquered, this sting human strength never could have extracted. But God the Father, seeing there was no deliverer, with his own arm brought salvation. God so loved (or compassionated) the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Jesus Christ, by his obedience and sufferings, fulfilled the law in our stead, and made atonement for us ; the law of God being sa- tisfied, sin is removed from the believer in Christ ; and with the removal of sin, the sting of death is taken away. Death is only the beginning of that change which is neces- sary to translate the Christian, from a world of suffering, to the kingdom of God in heaven ; and the resurrection of the body shall complete that change. " Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, " Death is swal- lowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting ! O grave, where is thy victory ! Thanks be to God which giveth us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ." Since, then, death is not an eternal sleep, but a resur- ON 1 COR. XV. 50—58. 85 rection and subsequent never-dying state of existence are certain ; and our Saviour, when he comes to judge the world, will award to every one according to the deeds done in the body ; and no person's labour shall be in vain in the Lord. Let us be steadfast and immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. Steadfast in the belief of the truths taught by our Saviour, and not to be moved av/ay from the hope of the Gospel ; which looks to a complete deliverance from divine wrath, and from all evil, and an eternity of inconceivable happiness, all ac- cruing to us through the finished righteousness and per- fect work of our exalted and adorable Redeemer. And the person who has this hope in him, should abound in all Christian tempers, and in all virtuous prac- tice, according to the duties of his station, holding forth the word of life, whether by a declaration of divine truth, or by an example which shall edify others. Now, as to labouring in the Lord, it is self-evident that a person must first belong to Christ ; and it is not merely having received the rite of baptism in infancy, that constitutes us Christians in the high and beneficial sense which will be finally availing. By baptism we are made members of the visible church ; but ere we can be united to Christ, we must be born again. If any man be in Christ, or be a genuine disciple, he is " a new crea- ture ;" he is converted, or turned, or changed ; he is made a new man. From the universal prevalence of death, may be argued the universal existence of sin and guilt j but Sacred Scripture is explicit in declaring that all man- kind have sinned, and come short of the glory of God ; that in consequence of sin, and alienation of mind from God, human beings are universally deserving of his displeasure. Indeed, till persons by repentance and faith return to the Lord, and become united to Christ, the Divine Being is very little in their thoughts, his displeasure is not feared, his favour is not valued, the wonders of mercy and con- descension, displayed in the work of human redemption, d2 36 DISCOURSE III. excite little or no regard j this state of mind, although accompanied with the decencies and common moralities of life, is charactei'istic of those who do not yet belotig to Christ, or who have backslidden from the good m ays of the Lord. If, indeed, we violate the moralities which are imiversally approved for the general good of society, we certainly have no claim to the Christian character ; but it is possible to observe these moralities, and still our hearts not be right with God. In a Christian mind, God is the supreme good, his revealed will is the standard of conduct, his declarations of human guilt are confessed to be true, his revelation of mercy, through Christ, is received with deep gratitude, sometimes with grateful exultation, the ordi- nances of religion, whether personal, domestic, or in the public assembly, give pleasure, because they are the means of what the Scriptures call " Communion with God ;" the taste is elevated, it becomes more intellectual, rational, and spiritual, and acquires a disrelish for many of the frivolous and time-killing amusements which are so keenly followed by a large portion of society. The mind, in this state, possesses calm and silent joys which the world knows not of, and which the world can neither give, nor yet take away. The Lord of the vmiverse permits the Christian to call him Father — his reconciled God ; and^ in adversity, so strong is the Christian's affiance in his Almighty Saviour, he can say with Job, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him 3" and when dying, death has no sting. March, 2, 1822. Those whose lot it is to visit distant countries, look naturally with longing affection to the land of their child- hood, and to the place of their fathers' sepulchres ; but it may never be their happiness to return thither, for death spares neither age nor sex. Death waits not till man attains his wishes. He arrests his victims in foreign lands, as well ^s at home. He sometimes hurries man from earth within ON 1 COR. XV. 50—58. 37 sight of the desired land ; there can therefore be no excuse for deferring a preparation for death. Heaven has not promised to ward off death till man chooses to be ready ; the compassionate Saviour does not hold out any such hopes. The stroke of death cannot be delayed; but, habi- tual preparation for it, and a heart set on heaven, makes death's stroke harmless. If we reach our heavenly Father's Home, and attain to a happy resurrection, it matters not whether our mortal remains be interred in Britain or in China. As an apology for this brief Exhortation, or Discourse, on such a subject, it may be right to state, that the Con- gregation consisted only of four grown persons ; and it is here inserted as a simple " Memorial." DISCOURSE IV. PREACHED IN THE HOUSE OF THE RESIDENT, LIEUT. COL. FARQUHAR, SINGAPORE, APRIL 5, 1823. -♦- INTRODUCTION. [After the death of the late indefatigable Missionary, the Rev. Dr. Milne, in June 1822, Dr. Morrison, having completed his Chinese Dictionary, resolved on a visit to the Anglo-Chinese College at Malacca, and repaired thither in the Spring of 1823. Having revised and put to press the then unprinted portions of the Chinese Version of the Sacred Scriptures, he visited Singapore, the newly occupied settlement, at the eastern end of the Straits of Malacca, and was most hospitably received by the Resident Authorities, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles and Lieut. Col. Farquhar. At this flourishing settlement there now reside, under the British Government, about 4,000 Chinese, 5,000 Malays, and 4,000 Bugis, Arabs, Hindoos, &c. On the top of Government Hill, which overlooks the roads. Sir Stamford lived, in a temporary bungalow, at one end of which he kindly accommodated Dr. Morrison with a room, whilst arranging the projected union of the Anglo-Chinese Col- lege with a Malayan College, to be founded by Sir Stamford. In that deal-board and mat-covered apartment, on Saturday, the 4th of April, 1823, the following Discourse was composed; and next day, after reading prayers, was delivered to the Eu- ropeans of the settlement, in Col. Farquhar the Resident's house, on the sea beach, amidst a heavy shower of rain, which beat so heavily and loudly on the Malayan covered tent, as to nearly drown the sound of the speaker's voice. Since that period, we are happy to hear that a pious clergy- man, son of the late General Burn, has been appointed Chap- Juin to Government at Singapore.] A SPIRIT OF LOVE ESSENTIAL TO HUMAN DUTY. Mark xii. 30, 31. ** Tlion shalt love the Lord thy God icith all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other com- mandment greater than these" Uo you not therefore err, because ye know not the Scriptures, nor the power of God ?" was the answer which our Saviour gave to some Jewish sceptics, who denied that there was any resurrection, in which denial the sect also included a denial of the existence of separate spirits. The reasoning from Scripture, which accompanied this remark, put to silence the cavilling opponent ; and at the same time it seemed to confirm the belief of a bye-stander, who was listening to the conversation. He was a scribe ; i. e. a man skilled in the doctrines and the precepts of the Mosaic law. Perceiving that Jesus had answered the sceptical Sadducee well, he too put a question, not with a good design, but, as St. Matthew says, " to tempt," or to try him ; thereby discovering a spirit not unfrequently found amongst pretended enquirers, who ask questions, artfully framed, in order to puzzle, and darken, and confound dis- tinctions between truth and error ; not with any design of eliciting what is favourable to piety and virtue. The question put by the Pharisee, otherwise called a scribe and a lawyer, was this — " Which is the first com- mandment of all?" or, as St. Matthew expresses it, " Which is the great commandment in the law ?" Had this question been put to ancient or to modern philosophers, or were it now put to us, as individuals, it is not likely that any would 40 DISCOURSE IV. have given, or that any would now give, the same answer that Jesus gave. I venture to form this conjecture, because I do not perceive that a breach of the first and great com- mandment, viz. a want of love to God, has been often viewed as any serious offence. Were man to originate a decalogue, I think his first and great commandment M'ould be the injunction of some relative duty between fellow-creatures, instead of that duty which man owes to his Creator. Hap- pily we liave the answer given by Him, who came down from heaven, and which we are assured is sanctioned there. Jesus answered the Pharisee by a quotation from Moses : " Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord," and " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." (Deut. iv. 4, 5.) And Jesus added, " This is the first commandment ; and the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neigh- bour as thyself." Here the first and great commandment is founded on the simple truth, that there is one Sovereign Lord of the universe ; and the inference is, that all rational creatures should love him. And the second commandment, " Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself," is founded on the same principle. Since there is one Sovereign Lord, creatures cannot in truth affirm that they are in duty bound to serve different lords, allegiance to whom requires them to oppose each other. The reasoning is conclusive when put thus — Seeing there is one God and Father of all men, therefore all men should love each othei*, for all are Bre- thren. In considering this first and great commandment, we must review the perfections and character of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as displayed in the works of creation, providence, and redemption, and as described in the Book of Divine Revelation. The natural perfections of the Deity, his incomprehensible power and wisdom, his omniscience and other attributes, challenge the esteem, admiration, and adoration of all his creatures. How won- derful, and utterly beyond the comprehension of the human mind, is that power which created the universe; which formed and arranged all the parts even of inanimate matter ; LOVE ESSENTIAL TO HUMAN DUTY, 41 which created the sun, the moon, and the stars ; which established the order and harmony that exists in all their motions, and which filled our world, the sea, and the dry land with such multifarious forms of animated being, and placed as lord over all here on earth, endued with a rational soul, his creature man. But the Divine Being does not stand only in the seemingly distant relation of Creator, he comes nearer to us as our Moral Governor, our King, and our God ; and we owe the loyal affection of dutiful subjects, to Him under whose benign government and in whose kingdom we live. And our God must also be contemplated in the character of our Saviour or Deliverer. When mankind fell under the curse, and became subject to the awful penalty of the violated law, " He (as the Prophet expresses it) saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor ; and his own arm brought salvation. Other creatures in the Great God's vast empire sinned, and were justly subjected to everlasting punishment ; then the Divine Deliverer did not take on him the nature of angels, but the nature of man in the posterity of Abraham." — Be- hold the mystery ! " God manifest in human nature," to deliver guilty man ! — " Herein is love," saith St. John, " not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and gave his Son to be the propitiation for our sins," And now, to all the penitent and obedient of the human family, the Deity is revealed as their Father and their Friend : they are his children, for whom he has prepared an everlasting inheritance, to which he will guide them in safety, and that at no distant period, by his Holy Spirit. This God (the incomprehensibly great, and infinitely just, merciful, and condescending God) is he whom the first and greatest commandment requires us to love. The word love, in this connexion, means all those dutiful affections of the mind, which the various relations in which the Deity stands to us require ; as, for example, esteem and admiration, reverence, obedience, submission, humility, acknowledgment of our dependence, resignation, gratitude, good-will, ardent attachment or devotedncss. The whole 42 DISCOURSE IV. of these sentiments and affections are summed np in the scriptural phrase, "Love to God," or in more modern phrase, " True piety ;" or as an eloquent preacher expresses it, " The spirit of godliness." And those who possess these sentiments and affections are, with striking propriety, deno- minated " The people of God." Esteem, admiration, and reverence express themselves in worship ; — secret worship, or that which the Christian daily performs as an individual ; social worship, or that performed by families ; and public worship, or that pei'formed in the assemblies of God's people. Obedience, submission, humility, resignation, shew themselves in observing the rules of strict morality, in lis- tening heedfully to the doctrines and admonitions of sacred writ, in bearing the afflictions and inscrutable dispensations of Providence without murmui'ing or repining, confiding entirely in the wisdom, justice, and goodness of God. And gratitude, good will, attachment, and devotedness, shew themselves in zealously employing every means to effectuate the declared purposes of the Deity ; as, for ex- ample, the universal diffusion of the glorious Gospel of the blessed God, in being, in this world, the steward of God's providence to relieve the distressed, to compassionate the aged, to defend the widow and the fatherless, and to diminish the natural and moral evils of this guilty and afflicted world. Love to God is farther manifested by an unsuspecting affiance or trust in him, and a constant reliance on the eventual fulfilment of his gracious promises, that he will be a father and a friend to his people, that he will never leave them, and never, never forsake them ; and hence the Christian, even when appearances are most inauspicious, is still found confiding in him. Though he slay me, (said Job,) yet will I trust in him. The first and great commandment requires all these senti- ments and affections in an intense degree — "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength." How strong this language, how vehemently intense are these expressions! LOVE ESSENTIAL TO HUMAN DUTY. 43 But can true piety be too ardent ? Is a heartless, cold assent to the truth of religion, and a frigid attendance on its forms, a keeping of the great commandment? — Ah, No ! We must all plead guilty, I fear, of habitually coming short, very far short, of what is required in this first command- ment, in all respects, and in every instance. It would be impossible to exemplify every case in which even the most pious are deficient ; but take for example the indifference with which they often view idolatry and irreligioji, which the sacred Scriptures consider so offensive to the one living and true God. I mean not that the pietist or truly religious should feel anger or dislike to his fellow men and fellow servants, but that he should feel compassion, and benig- nity, and zeal to turn men from their dumb idols, their false prophets, and their false gods ; and from the service of Satan, the god of this world, the arch-rebel against the Supreme Authority, who is the rightful Sovereign of the universe, who is the Lord our God. The obligations of the second commandment flow ne- cessarily from the doctrines and duties of the first. " Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." And who is my neigh- bour ? Thy fellow man, wherever he is found — every human being. He is not only thy neighbour, but thy brother. Dost thou say with Cain, "Am I my brother's keeper?" Yes ! Our Father in heaven has commanded thee to love him, and to love him as thyself. This is truly a " hard saying" who can hear it ! However hard it may appear, it is a reasonable saying, built on the doctrine of one God, the Creator, Preserver, and Saviour of men, and might fau-ly be inferred, even if it were not commanded. Poly- theism, which admits of gods many and lords many, also admits of hatred and strife, and wars and conflicts amongst the gods ; and if amongst the gods there be strife and hatred, why not also amongst their adherents on earth ? But we all acknowledge only one God, who is our Father, and therefore we should love each other. The lowest possible sense of this commandment must be, that we should not dislike, despise, hate, or injure each other. And if even in this negative meaning of the pre- 44 DISCOURSE IV. cept mankind obeyed it, how changed for the better would be the face of our world ! what an improvement in every society ! But it is not credible that the merely abstaining from disliking, despising, hating, and injuring our neighbour is all that is meant by God's command to love each other : it must denote positive, active good will, and good deeds exercised and performed, towards and for our neighbour ; it must include benevolence and beneficence, and these in an intense degree. " Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." The idea which is sometimes brought forward in the form of an objection to this, assumes for granted, that, if we love others as ourselves, we must have all things in common with them; but this by no means follows. A father would not shew his affection for his family by sharing amongst them the whole of his substance, that they might use it as they pleased. He shews his love by husbanding the property, and by supplying their wants as they occur. And does not a good father love his children as himself? he studies and labours for their welfare just as much as for his own ; he loves them as sincerely as he does himself. The same sort of feeling or affection ought to be cherished for all our neighbours, for all mankind, making only that dis- tinction which justice requires ; a distinction between those more nearly and more distantly related to us. For to a right understanding of a part of a subject, it is always necessary to view that part in connexion with the whole ; any particular precept must be viewed in connexion with all the precepts of revealed religion and all the fairly de- duced principles of natural religion: justice has claims as well as benevolence. But even according to the most guarded and most mo- derate exposition of this second commandment, how ele- vated and how benevolent is the morality of our blessed Saviour ! how distant (yea, infinitely removed) from the spirit of selfishness, from the hard-hearted individualism which makes one's apparent or seeming immediate self- interest the master principle. According to the doctrine of Jesus, much that is praised and lauded in the world as LOVE ESSENTIAL TO HUiMAN DUTY. 45 great generosity and meritorious benevolence, sinks down to the level of simple duty ; and if we examine ourselves by the precept of Christ's second commandment, we shall, I fear, find ourselves as much deficient as we before did in reference to the first and great commandment. Yes! who can say that he has loved his God with all his heart, and soul, and strength; and his neighbour as himself ? I be- lieve that no merely human being could in truth say so, since the day that Adam sinned. But let us not therefore think that the first and second commandments, which wc have this day considered, are not the rule of our duty. The non-attainment of the highest degrees of piety and virtue does not furnish an excuse for us, but must be con- sidered as our sin, and should lead us to the Saviour. Would we but ourselves begin to love God and love our neighbour, as Heaven has directed; and did all who approve of the principle use rational means to diffuse it, what a comparative paradise might this earth of ours still be. According to the principles taught by our Saviour Jesus Christ, those persons greatly err who place religion, or true piety, in the back ground. To love God is the first, the great, the greatest commandment : to love our neighbour is, indeed, like it ; but it must rank second. True morality is necessarily founded on true religion; but to sink reli- gion, and consider morality disconnected with it, is to put down what Jesus taught, and to elevate to a higher place our own notions of the due importance and right order of things. Our first great duty, as individuals, is to get and to cherish scriptural ideas of the Divine Being ; for he has, in the sacred Scriptures, revealed himself to men. And having attained right views of the divine character, we must reve- rence, obey, and submit to him. Good morals will follow. Make the tree good, and the fruit will be good. A pure spring will send forth pure streams. Pious and virtuous principles will ensure pious and virtuous conduct. This procedure is what enlightened self-love dictates ; and if we must love our neighbour as ourselves, it becomes our duty to employ every innocent and virtuous means withhi our 46 , DISCOURSE IV. power to diffuse the same knowledge, principles, and con- duct amongst our neighbours. I think they greatly err, who suppose that active, zea- lous benevolence, and beneficence, are all very well and very praise-worthy ; but still, as long as one is harmless, the omission of active, zealous benevolence is not to be censured, and will not be blamed nor punished by heaven at the last, the final judgment. Ah ! remember how the Saviour represents that aM'ful day : — " Depart from me, ye cursed." — And why ? I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat ; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink ; I was sick and in prison, and ye visited me not. They reply, with confidence and arrogance, " Lord, we never saw thee." Well, true! — but, inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these (my people, your neighbours), ye did it not to me. I never knew ye. " Depart fi-om me." And these shall go away into everlasting punishment ; but the righteous, who are described not only as the just, but rather as the benevolent, shall go into life eternal. I mean not now to insinuate that a man may not inno- cently withhold his aid from some plans and pursuits which other people think benevolent ; every man must judge for himself as to the channel of his benevolence. These re- marks will only apply to those who are generally in- different to the welfare of their fellow-creatures. Whilst I plead the cause of the natives here, I do not forget our native land, and our immediate relatives, and our poor kindred ; and, some of us can say — our own children. No ! let all these have their share of our re- gard, but let us not limit our regards by the circle of our kindred. I must confess I think it a fault in European Christians, to speak with but little feeling of kindness and considera- tion for those we denominate " the Natives." Things, however, are improving, and there are many exceptions to this censure ; but still I doubt if we have come up to the soberly interpreted meaning of the divine command, to love them as ourselves. There is a way of putting down all such grave ideas, by a little levity and ridicule : but the LOVE ESSENTIAL TO HUMAN DUTY. 4/ subject is too serious for that mode of dismissing it ; it in- volves eternal consequences. In comparison of the impious and the selfish man, who recognises not, nor submits to any heavenly Father ; and who, from the selfishness of his heart, feels not at any time as a friend or brother — in comparison, I say, of this man, how happy is he who loves God, and who loves his neighbour, or who is pious and benevolent. When he looks up to heaven, he is permitted to address the supreme Sovereign of the universe, the ever-merciful and the ever- blessed God, the Almighty, as his Father ; and when he looks around him in the world, he sees no human being for whom he has not cherished the kindest feelings, and whose good he has not only desired, but promoted to the utmost of his power. But till man be renewed in the spirit of his mind — whilst the mind is what the Scriptures denominate carnal — it is " enmity against God ;" and St. Paul describes unre- generated men as " haters of God." " I know you," said Jesus, to some of those around him, " that ye have not the love of God in you." This state of the heart is shewn by a distaste of serious subjects, which have a reference to God, and to the Saviour, and redemption. This distaste is often shewn by those who yet preserve attention to the proprieties of life, and who are prudent in their worldly affairs, as well as those who allow themselves to be profane and profligate. But how can we live quietly in a state of mind that is inimical to the great and good God, and the ever-merciful Saviour. The love of God and of Christ should constrain us to cherish love and dutiful affection in return; and, I say it with reverence, should induce us to be " workers together with God," in his plans of mercy to our guilty race. Alas ! how many in the world still seem to be " given over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient ; being filled (as the apostle says) with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetous- ness, maliciousness ; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity, whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to pa- 48 DISCOURSE IV. rents, without understanding, covenant breakers, witiiout natural affection, implacable, unmerciful, wlio knowing the judgment of God, that they that commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them." Now seeing the holy law is as our Saviour stated it, and the fact is as the apostle has desci'ibed, can we wonder at the afflicted condition of the world ? And how difficult is it to exercise either indi- vidual benevolence to, or a benevolent government over wicked men. Duty is seldom easy, and than these no duty is more difficult. But although difficult, duty must not be relinquished. A heaven-derived principle of love to God, and love to our neighbour, will sustain the mind under very strenuous and long-continued efforts to be and to do good. And may such a principle be implanted in every breast here present ; and in forming this neiv settle- ment, may no consideration induce the adoption of regula- tions in the remotest degree unfavourable to virtue, or that can be coiistrued into giving a license or countenance to vice. May Christians, by example and by persuasion, en- deavour to lead others to know and love God, and to love each other ; still allowing perfect liberty of conscience, and of conscientious religious usage and worship, (even to Mohammedans and Pagans ;) but g7'oss and open immo- rality has no rights,^ should not be recognized, nor meet with any support, nor furnished with any pretexts, lest ye be " partakers of other men's sins." * Said in reference to vices licensed for the sake of the revenue. Pagan China will not license gaming, nor opium-houses. When rea- soned with, in the European manner, that to make vice expensive, is the way to diminish it, they reply — No father can license vice in his house to his children, but mxx^i prohibit it altogether. DISCOURSE V. UELIVEUEn ON BOARD THE WATERLOO, IN THE CHINA SEA, ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1823. INTRODUCTION. [Dr. Morrison having served the Hon. East India Company in China, in the capacity of Chinese Secretary and Translator to the Select Committee, about fifteen years, received, in con- sideration of his services, their permission to visit England for two seasons, to recruit his health and see his friends, took a passage on board the Waterloo, Captain Alsager. On the 9th of December, 1823, the Waterloo quitted the shores of China; and, after touching at the Cape, and St. Helena, reached soundings on the British coast exactly on the hundredth day of being at sea. A thunder storm of considerable severity off the Cape, and a " fiery south-easter" on entering Table Bay, were the only cases of imminent dan- ger that occurred. For passengers, the China ships, with a cargo of tea, are universally allowed to be the most pleasant and comfortable vessels that sail the ocean. Although ex- tremely liable to the usual complaint occasioned by the giddy motion of boats and ships, Dr. Morrison was generally able to read and Mrite ; and composed, v.hilst on board ship, a " Domestic Memoir," for the perusal of his kindred ; a School- book, concerning China, consisting of " Ten Conversations be- tween a Father and his Children;"* and also a few discourses, of v/hich the following is one. When the weather permits, in the Company's ships, " a church is built," as the sailors term it, by arranging handspikes for seats on the quarter deck ; a flag is laid on the capstan, for a desk, and the Captain, or some person in his stead, reads prayers on Sundays. Captain Alsager requested Dr. Morrison to officiate as chaplain, and allowed him to add a short sermon, addressed to the officers and men. The following discourse was the first, and was preached after being five days out, in the China Sea.] * Since published in London, under the title of " China, a Dia- logue, &c. By an Anglo-Chinese." 50 DISCOURSE V. RECONCILIATION. 2 Corinthians, v. 19. " God ivas in Christ reconciling the icorld unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them." To speak of reconciling two parties, two men, two na- tions, or a servant to his master, supposes that some en- mity exists between them. But the Ahnighty God, who created the heavens, the earth, and the ocean, is not the enemy of man. Of all the creatures in the world, man is the first and the noblest. He alone possesses a soul or spirit, that can think and reason, and comprehend, in some degree, the v.'orks of the great Creator. And who made man what he originally was — a holy and a happy being ? It was the Most High God. He spread abroad the heavens, and placed there the sun, and moon, and stars. He laid the foundations of the earth, and filled the air, the ocean, and the land with living creatures ; and to man, whom God created in his own image, he gave dominion over all, requiring only man's obedience to himself, the supreme Lord of the universe. The Divine Being himself pro- nounced the whole creation " very good," and whilst man was obedient to his Maker, he was the child, the friend of God : he was not rn enemy then ; at that time there was no occasion to speak of reconciliation. But man was created a rational creature, to be governed by reason and religion. He was not like things made of mere matter, the sun, and moon, and stars, which have never gone wrong, and cannot do wrong. Man was made free to obey, and free to disobey ; but he was forewarned of the consequence of disobedience. God gave him a law, and told him what would be the consequence of his break- ing that law. And to this arrangement who can object } RECONCILfATION. 51 What could be more reasonable than that the Great Creator should give a law to his creature, man, and require him to obey it ; and so doing, be for ever the happy child and friend of God. Man, however, tempted by a disobedient and malicious Spirit, presumed to think that God's commands might be disobeyed, and no harm follow. He thought that pleasure instead of pain would be the result of his disobedience, and he trusted his own foulisli thoughts, and believed the tempter, instead of believing and obeying his Maker and Divine Benefactor. It was disobedience to God's com- mandments that made man the enemy of God. And a heart disobedient to God's commands, is Avhat is otherwise called sin and wickedness, and carnal or fleshly mindedness. And St. Paul says, " The carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject, or obedient, to the law of God. All mankind have become " enemies to God by wicked works." And could not the Almighty justly and easily destroy all his enemies ? The angels that sinned he cast out of the abodes of bliss, and has consigned them to everlasting pvmishment. In our world he has inflicted many and awful calamities, on nations, and on families, and on individuals. How manifold are the diseases which afflict humanity ; some loathsome, some painful and excruciating ; the forms of death how numerous ! and some of them how awful ! He can destroy, by the lightning's flash instantaneously, or by long protracted disease ; by the storm on land, or by the tempest at sea ; by the deluge of waters that overflows the earth, or by the rending earthquake that swallows up crowded cities. The plague, and the pestilence, and the famine, can at God's command destroy myriads in a day, or an hour. These are punishments which we read of; and some of which we have seen or have felt, which righteous Heaven sends upon the world, because it is in a state of enmity to God by wicked works. And since we see and know assuredly that God sends heavy bodily and temporal calamities, is there not every reason to believe that the K 2 52 DISCOURSE V. spiritual and eternal punishments wliich are threatened will be inflicted after death on all those whvO live and die with their hearts in a state of enmity against God ? Oh, yes ! to be so credulous as to believe our own notions, and the devil's temptations, instead of believing the Bible, which contains the revealed will of God, is the same sort of foolish and wicked proceeding that at first brought death into the world, and all our wo. And what does God require of his creatures ? In answer to this it must be declared from the Holy Scriptures, that God is good and merciful, as well as holy and just. His law did not require that which man, whom he made, was not able to perform. The law of God consists of two parts— our duty to our Maker, and our duty to our fellow- creatures. It is thus expressed by divine authority, " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and love thy neighbour as thyself." To love God means to reverence him and fear him, as a good child does a kind parent ; to desire to know his will and to obey it ; to be grateful to him for all his goodness and mercy, and to avoid whatever he forbids ; or, in one word, to be religious. To love our neighbour means not only that we should not injure any man, w^oman, or child, either in their property or person; or minds, by teaching them what is wicked, or seducing them to vice ; but also means that we should try to do them good, in all these respects, which maybe called being moral. So that, according to the divine law, religion and morality must always go together. To seem to be very re- ligious and to make long prayers, whilst we are immoral, is to deceive ourselves ; and whilst we hate religion, and never pray, to pretend that we are honest and good-hearted, is also to deceive ourselves. The truth is, that no unconverted man loves God and religion ; nor does he love his neighbour, and seek his neighbour's good. Heaven knows it : he dislikes or hates God and religion, and he loves inordinately himself, and seeks excessively his own interest ; and if he does not do positive injury to his neighbour he is careless about him. KECONCILIATION. 53 True piety to God and true benevolence to man go to- gether, as heaven's law has^joined them. If one be wanthig you may be sure the other does not exist. But are all irreligious and immoral men God's enemies ? Yes ; that is the point to which we have come, and which is fully proved, both by the declarations of Holy Scripture, and by the history of divine Providence, and by every man's own experience, if he would look into his own heart. How else can you account for a man's neglecting prayer and thanksgiving, for neglecting the Bible and religious books, for never thinking reverently and affectionately of God and religion ; but instead thereof, sometimes cursing and swearing, and blaspheming God's holy name, and ri- diculing religion, and shunning and despising religious people; and making a jest of vice, and taking pleasure in the company of wicked and immoral people ; not only dis- obeying the Almighty, and being wicked himself, but taking pleasure in those that run into the same excesses, and indulge the same vices as himself. Do not all these things shew that the heart is disaffected to our Maker ; has a dislike to, and is at enmity with God ? Now to remain at enmity with God, on whom we de- pend every moment for life itself, and without whose fa- vour happiness is utterly unattainable ; — who can, moreover, justly and easily inflict everlasting punishment upon us, evinces desperate wickedness and consummate fool-hardi- ness. Oh, man ! canst thou rush upon the thick studs of the Almighty's buckler ! Can feeble man, whose life is in the breath of his nostrils, dare and defy the eternal God ! It is absurd ! What then can man do ? How shall he be reconciled ? Our text furnishes the true answer— "God is in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses to them." But how can this be ? Rebellion against the divine law must be punished ; a spirit of enmity against the Supreme Being, the Sovereign of the universe, cannot be allowed to pass with impunity. The " discipline" of the world does not permit it; and man's trespasses, if imputed to him, will occasion his everlasting ruin. Here is the difficulty. Must 54 DISCOURSE V. Heaven's threatenings all go for nothing. No ! It pleased God the Father to appoint Christ Jesus, the Son of God, to be man's Surety, man's Saviour. He was early promised ; his coming was often foretold by ancient prophets ; all good men hoped and believed that he would come ; and when the time that Heaven thought right did arrive, Christ our Lord and Saviour actually came down from heaven, lived in our world as a poor man, obeyed the law in our stead, taught men more perfectly the will of God the Father, set an example of perfect virtue, died as a sacrifice to atone for man's sins, rose again from the dead, and as- cended to heaven to make intercession for all his followers on earth, to confer the Holy Spirit, to sanctify and guide them, and to prepare habitations of bliss for them when they die. To be told that God has done all these things for man's reconciliation, is the Gospel, the good neivs, the happy tidings. That Jesus, whom the Jews crucified, was God manifested in a human body ; and he burst the bonds of death, rose from the dead, and was exalted a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance and remission of sins. He is the way, the truth, and the life; none can be reconciled to the Father but ])y him, and by him all that \vill, may be reconciled. The least sinful, and those who have shewn least enmity, must yet submit to come by the appointed way of reconcilintion ; and the tnost sinful, he who has shewn the bitterest enmity to God, who has been most irreligious and most immoral, may be reconciled and brought to obedience through Christ. For God is in Christ reconciling the world to himself j all ranks and conditions of men are included ; the Gospel is the news of a general pardon for all who desire to submit to the rightful govern- ment of the Almighty, and to be at peace with him. And heaven is so high, and earth so low; God is so great, and man so little, that all human distinctions are lost in this divine proclamation of mercy. There is only one way of being reconciled to God for the king and for the beggar, for the rich and for the poor, for the learned and for the unlearned. St. Paul says, " The unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God — neither fornicators, nor RECONCILIATION. 55 klolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners — that is, whilst they continue such ; but that even such wicked persons may be reconciled to God, appears from what he immedi- ately adds, (1 Cor. vi. 9 — 11.) "Such were some of you, but ye are washed; but ye are sanctified; but ye are justi- fied in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." Some people may think that there was no occasion for Christ Jesus the Mediator to make an atonement, to bring about a reconciliation between God and man ; but Heaven knows best what was necessary to reconcile man to God, and Heaven has the best right to decide on that subject. It ill becomes sinful man to tell his offended Maker what is necessary or right. The proud spirit must be brought to submit to Divine Wisdom ; every lofty and self-exalting imagination must be humbled ; if not, man is still persisting in his opposition and enmity to the divine will. The tempter said at the beginning to our first parents, " If you do disobey Heaven, it is by no means sure that you will die ;" and so he says still, to deceive men, " If you do not submit to the Saviour, and only try to be good yourselves without him, you are not likely to be condemned." But in the first instance, man knows by sad experience that what Satan suggested was a lie ; and what reason is there to suppose that the suggestions of Satan and of our own foolish hearts shall prove true, in opposition to the in- spired declarations of God's Holy Spirit in the Bible ! Now submission to Christ, that man may be reconciled to God, is what is required of all; and this submission implies repentance, and faith, and obedience ; a sincere de- sire and endeavour from henceforward to perform all our duties to God and to man, so far as we know them ; and constant prayer in our hearts to God to enable us to know our duty better, and always to perform it. And all this is quite practicable, without scholarship, or learning, or riches ; so that no man need make an excuse. All must try to perform their duty according to their stations ; kings 56 DISCOURSE Y. and subjects, and magistrates and people, and parents and children, and masters and servants, and teachers and scho- lars, and poor and rich, and old and young. For all are God's creatures ; and if we fear God, and love and serve him, we shall never desire to ill use or harm any of his creatures. When men are reconciled to God, they become reconciled to each other. The love of God shed abroad in the heart does away with national hatred, family feuds, and personal animosities. Finall}'', The man who would make his peace with God must submit to the Saviour Jesus Christ, for out of Christ Heaven has not appointed any way of reconciliation ; but in Christ God is reconciling the world to himself. And oh, how condescending and how kind is the language of Heaven ! The Apostle Paul says, for himself and the other Apostles, " Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us, ive pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." Oh, wonderful ! God beseeching, and Christ entreating man to be reconciled. On Heaven's part, then, there is nothing to hinder recon- ciliation and friendship — " Wherefore," O men, " let my counsel be acceptable to you. Break off your sins by righ- teousness," and be at " peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ." Only say not to yourselves, " Peace ! peace ! when there is no peace ;" for " there is no peace, saith the Lord, to the wicked ;" that is, to him who still goeth on in his trespasses : but he that confesseth and for- saketh thein shall find mercy. DISCOURSE VI. DKLIVEKED ON BOARD THE WATERLOO, NEAR CHRISTMAS ISLAND, DECKMBF.R 25, 182^'i. INTRODUCTION. [Bethlehem, a small town, about six miles south of Jeru- salem, was called the " City of David" in consequence, pro- bably, of David, king- of Israel, having been born there : an event which occurred about a thousand years before the coming of Jesus, the Messiah. Bethlehem, or the " City of David," is a place well known, and much frequented by Christians of different countries, Latins, and Greeks, and Armenians; and it is supposed, that the very field is known where the shep- herds were watching their flocks, when the angel announced the birth of our Saviour. Mary, the mother of Jesus, lived at Nazareth, which was about seventy miles north of Jerusalem; and the occasion of her coming to Bethlehem, about eighty miles distance, was, an order issued by the Roman Emperor, Ceesar Augustus, that all persons in Judea should repair to their native place, to have a list of their names taken. Whilst Mary was at Bethlehem, Jesus was born ; and on that occasion, an angel from heaven appeared during the night to some shepherds, and speaking audibly, called upon them not to be afraid, for he brought them good tidings, which concerned all people in the world, these tidings were, that a Saviour was born — Christ, the Lord. To commemorate this event, the 25th of December has been fixed on ; it is not, however, certain that Christmas-day, as it is called, was the precise time of our Saviour's birth ; nor is the keeping of this holiday commanded in the Sacred Scriptures ; but if it be observed with decorum, and be not profaned by any excess, the observance of it may be rather useful than otherwise. The commemoration of any event ought to correspond to the nature of that event ; and what we have to-day to com- memorate, is not some domestic or national occurrence, but the birth of the Saviour of the world ; it seems, therefore, incum- bent on us to consider the nature of his salvation, and how it concerns us.] 58 DISCOURSE VI. CHRIST EXALTED. Acts, v. 30, 31. *' Jestis, hath God exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour." A. Saviour is a deliverer ; one who rescues from some evil. A man who delivers his country from foreign enemies, is sometimes called the saviour of his country; and people speak of saving a man from drowning, or from any similar calamity. Whenever men speak of a Saviour, it is under- stood that some evil is hanging over, or has actually come upon those who are to be saved. The same as when men speak of a physician, it is understood that there are sick persons to be healed. Now the evils to which men are subject, are some of them bodily evils, otherwise called natural evils; such as sickness, poverty, and so on : others are mental evils ; such' as concern the mind, or the thinking part of man — the soul ; and these are sometimes called moral, or spiritual evils. Such bodily evils terminate when the body dies — there is no sickness or poverty in the grave ; but as the soul, or spirit, never dies, the death of the body does not deliver from those evils which are of a spiritual nature, nor from the punishment which awaits the bodies of the wicked after the resurrection : hence calamities, or evils, are some temporal, or enduring only for a few years ; and some of them eternal, or never-ending. But all human calamities, whether bodily or spiritual, temporal or eternal, are, with- out exception, the consequence of sinning against God. We are taught, that man was originally made a holy, obe- dient, and a happy being. Then there was no sickness, no death, no affliction. But man sinned. He disobeyed God, and became wicked and miserable. At the beginning, the Bible assures us, man was made in the image of God ; CHRIST EXALTED. 59 he resembled the Divine Being in these three things ; — in knoivledge, in innocence, in holiness ; but by transgression he fell into a state just quite the reverse, a state of ignorance, and of guilt, and of ivickedness. Now to de- liver man from these three evils, the Saviour is appointed, and sustains a threefold character; he is a Prophet, a Priest, and a Kiiig. A Prophet, or Teacher, to teach ignorant man; a Priest, or one who offers sacrifice, to atone for man's guilt ; and a King, or Prince, to bring man into a state of willing obedience to the divine law. Since the time when man fell from his original state, he has become ignorant of the Divine Being. He knows not the living and the true God. In many parts of the world, both in ancient and in modern times, as in China for example, people have imagined that there were many gods, and that they were such beings as sinful man himself is ; hence they made images of their gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands — a bit of carved wood, or a rude stone. In other parts of the world, where idols or images are not used, as in our own country, there is still great ignorance of God prevailing ; and many false opinions, some of which set the divine perfections at variance with each other. There are people who, contrary to Scripture, think that God is so merciful he will not punish sin ; and, by this notion, his holiness and his justice are set aside altogether ; and these persons live and die without re- pentance, and never apply by faith to the Saviour. There is much ignorance also amongst men, concerning the holy and spiritual law of God. Man is very ignorant of his duty to God, and often has no desire to know the truth ; and hence it is, that many are so careless and jovial whilst living in disregard of their religious duty ; and, con- sequently, still under the wrath of God. Most of men think, that simply avoiding great crimes, is fulfilling their duty ; whereas, the Bible declares every one accursed, who continues not in all things written in the book of the law, to do them. Further, fallen man is ignorant concerning a future state ; the state after death. Some people, who think 60 DISCOURSE VI. themselves very wise, ha\e denied that there is any future state, and others have said many foolish things about it ; but Jesus Christ, the Saviour, is a divine teacher, who came down from heaven, to instruct man concerning God, and his glorious perfections, and his holy law, and man's duty, and a future state ; and therefore he is called, in the Bible, " the light of the world ; the sun of righteousness," because when the sun shines, and there is broad day-light, people can see and know what is going on ; but ignorance is like the night, and darkness, when people know not whither they go, nor at what they stumble, Christ, our Lord and Saviour, brought life and immortality to light ; he has declared plainly that there are two states after death, one of happiness, and one of misery; one of rewards, and one of punishment. A heaven, where there shall be no sorrow, no pain, no death ; but life, and peace, and joy for ever and ever ; and that there is a hell, a place of re- morse and despair, where there is nothing but weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. If men would but listen to the Saviour, they might know their real circumstances ; but alas ! most men love darkness and ignorance, rather than light and knowledge. Just like some men who are ill, and daily getting worse, but will not listen to the advice of a physician, till they get so bad that no medicine will do them good ; they put off from day to day, and, though sorry for it afterwards, it is then too late. Now, the great thing to be effected, in this case, is, first to let these people know their real danger, that they may be induced to use proper means for their recovery. So divine teaching begins by letting men see God's greatness and goodness, holiness and justice ; and their own sinfulness, and wickedness, and guilt, and misery ; and the awful condition of living in defiance of the Almighty ; and the dreadful consequences of dying whilst under the wrath of God, that they may use the means which Heaven has appointed to deliver them from impending ruin, and cause them to look by faith to Christ the Lord, w^ho is a Prince and a Saviour. n. But one may inquire, if a man be found guilty of CHRIST EXALTED. 61 breaking the law, how can he be delivered from that guilt ? If a man be guilty of wilful murder, must he not be con- demned to die ? Who can save him ? The answer to this is, that although those who break human laws often can- not be saved from the penalty, God has provided a way to save sinners. The way which heaven has been pleased to appoint for the delivery of guilty man, is the substitution of a Surety ; that is, of a person to bear the punishment due to man in his stead ; this person, otherwise called a Redeemer, and a Mediator between God and man, is Christ the Lord ; who, as on this day, was born at Bethlehem, in the land of Judea. Christ is a word in the Greek language, which means the same as 3fessiah does in the Hebreiv language, and they both mean a person anointed with oil, or one who has had oil poured on the head; which was an old custom, when prophets, priests, and kings were appointed. Therefore the names Christ, and 3Iessiah, denote that the Saviour, Jesus, was appointed to deliver man ; and whatever Jesus taught, and whatever he did, is sanctioned in heaven. Christ, the Saviour, \vas not a mere man ; that is, although he was truly man, he was not a man only, but he existed before man was made. He was from everlasting, and came down from heaven ; he was God and man in one person ; and he is therefore sometimes called the Lord ; the Lord of heaven and earth ; and the Son of man. The Bible says, " He being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, yet took upon him the form of a servant, and vv^as made in the likeness of sinful man." Though he was rich in heaven, yet for our sakes he became poor on earth. In the prophecies of Isaiah, these words refer to him (chap. ix. 6.) " For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given ; and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." — "Christ the Lord, was God manifest in the flesh." Thus we learn that the Saviour is almighty, and inlinitely able to deliver man from guilt and miserv. 62 DISCOURSE VI. This is a wonderful subject— no man could reason it out — we are told it by divine authority. The ancient Pro- phets, Jesus himself, and the Apostles, all bear witness to it. It is not revealed that man may cavil at it ; but that he may believe God's testimony and be saved. " Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and gave his Son to be the propitiation for our sins ; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." " The Saviour was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities ; the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed." To take away man's guilt, Christ died ; but he rose again from the dead, and having shewn himself alive to his disciples, he ascended to heaven in their presence ; and thus, as the text says, he is exalted a Prince, and a Saviour, to give repentance and remission of sin.— -JHe is a Prince — He is a King, to rule over his people, and to defend them. He brings them at first into subjection, and makes them obedient to the divine law ; and is to them a Saviour from sin. He gives his Holy Spirit to convince them of their sins, to help their infirmities, to teach them to pray, to be their comforter, and to be their guide ; till finally they have endured, or performed, what Divine Wisdom sees meet in this world, and then they are eventually received into the kingdom of heaven. The King of Zion, having rescued his people, will at last crush all his enemies under his feet. And who are his enemies ? All those who " will not have him to reign over them ;" that is, all those who will not be taught by him, but are self-conceited, and prefer their own notions avd speculations, to his heaven- sent instructions ; all those who will not have him to be their surety and mediator ; but are self-righteous, and think their own goodness sufficient without the Saviour ; and all those who profess to call him Lord, and say, "our Sa- viour, our Saviour," but who will not do those good works, that he commands, nor leave off the sins which he forbids. Though men may say they were baptized in his name, and were natives of a Christian country, and never renounced the Christian name ; nay, even fought, as they think, for CHRIST EXALTED. 63 the Christian religion, or preached the Christian religion; still, if they obey not Christ Jesus, as a king — if they will not submit to his laws, nor keep his commandments — he will, at the day of judgment, say, " Depart from me, for I never knew you, all ye that work iniquity." To an ignorant, guilty, and sinfiU world, the birth of the " Saviour, Christ the Lord," is truly matter of unspeak- able joy ; but the joy of those who are saved by him, will be a spiritual and holy joy; expressed, indeed, it may be, by innocent festivity, but not in revelling and excess ; for if in keeping Christmas we run to excess, that goes to prove that the Saviour is not yet our Saviour. Oh, that he may subdue us all to himself, make us listen with humility to his instructions ; remove from us the guilt of all our past sins, and reign in our hearts for ever ! DISCOURSE VII. DELIVEUED ON BOARD THE WATERLOO, JANUARY, 1824, JOY IN HEAVEN OVER ONE REPENTING SINNER. Luke, xv. 7. " Joy shall he in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance." jL o repent is to re-think ; to think differently from what one (lid before ; to change one's mind, or to come to one's senses again ; to come to one's self, as one that has been foolish or mad before : and when a man changes his opinions, and his likings, he changes his conduct. To repent, always denotes a man's changing his thoughts and his actions for the better ; and is genei'ally accompanied with sorrow and with shame for the past. There are various forms and degrees of repentance, to distinguish which is of great importance to every man. For example. If a man associate with gamblers, and lose his property, and be reduced to want, he forms a very different opinion of gambling from that which he did while he was prosper- ous and winning ; and he is vexed with himself, and sorry for his folly, and ashamed of the want to which he is re- duced. He seems to repent, but it is only for the con- sequences that he is sorry ; if he had continued to win, it is not likely that he would have repented of his gambling ; JOY IN HEAVEN. 65 and if he leave off gambling, it is not because he is con- vinced that it is a pursuit which wastes that precious time, whicli Heaven has given us for rational or useful purposes ; or because it cherishes a spirit of covetousness, and an unjust desire to obtain our neighbour's property, without giving him an equivalent. If the man's mind were changed, so as to view gambling in this light, he would then repent and leave it off, whether he lost or won. The same reasoning is applicable to any vice, which in- jures, either gradually or suddenly, our property, or our health, or our good name in the world ; such as the exces- sive use of intoxicating liquors, or the irregular, extrava- gant, or unnatural indulgence of the sensual appetite. When a man has squandered away his money, or brought upon himself some loathsome disease, or made himself slimmed and despised for his intemperance and debauchery, he may then change his opinion of these vices, because of their bad consequences, and only for that reason ; and if he leave them off, it is not because he desires to obey the will of God ; and therefore, in this case, he still loves these vices, and almost hates Divine Providence, for having made the consequence of vice to be misery. In such a state of mind as this, a man who is even sick and dying by the consequence of his own vice, however sorry, and fretted, and ashamed he may be, has not undergone that change of opinion and liking which constitutes true re- pentance. This man's anger, and vexation, and grief, is what the Apostle calls the sorrow of the world, which worketh death; a sort of atheistical sorrow, which still allows a man's heart to remain far off from God. This is the lowest form and degree of that which appears like re- pentance, for it has regard only to the natural evils which are the consequence of vicious conduct, and does not at all regard vice as a sin against God. Perhaps such a state of mind should not be called repentance, but remorse. But suppose a man's mind so far changed, as to con- sider all violations of, or deviations from, the divine law, as subjecting him to the punishment that is to be inflicted after death ', and, at the same time, this man's mind not F 66 DISCOURSE VII. so far changed and enlightened, as to perceive the excel- lence, and goodness, and amiableness of the divine charac- ter ; and the justice, and reasonableness, and happy ten- dency, of what Heaven's law requires ; although that man may be afraid of the consequences likely to follow his wicked life, or his impious thoughts, still his heart does not hate evil, but only dreads the consequences, and feels aver- sion to God who has threatened these consequences. And Avhen such a man is sorry, and seems to repent, his re- pentance has not yet assumed the form and degree that constitutes true and saving repentance. I am afraid you will say that I am refining too much, and as long as a man is sorry for his sins, it is no matter what the exact reason of it may be. However, if you consider that the first and great commandment is to love God, it will appear plain to you, that the mind v^hich thinks the Divine Being has given too strict laws, and annexed too severe punishments, must rather feel aversion or hatred to God, than love to him. And, therefore, a greater change of mind is requisite to bring a man near to God, which is the effect of true repentance. The Divine Being is a holy and righteous Sovereign. He made the universe, and he made man ; therefore his controul over man is most just. The Almighty is infinitely wise and good, therefore the laws which he prescribes, whether they regard our own persons, our behaviour to our fellow creatures, or the affections we ought to cherish to- wards our Makei', must be infinitely good, and conducive to our happiness ; but since God's laws are just and good, our obedience should be cheerful and willing; not with feelings such as a slave must have towards a tyrannical master, but such as a dutiful child should cherish towards a virtuous and kind parent. Not to be obedient to the divine law, is the most wicked rebellion against just autho- rity, and a most presumptuous pretence that we know better M'hat is good for us, than He who made us. Now, when a man's mind is so changed, that he does not consider the laws of religion and virtue as restraints upon . his pleasure or his profit, nor hindrances of his happiness, but, JOY IN HEAVEN. 67 contrarywise, he thinks "God's service perfect freedom;" he then thinks his past disobedience the result of inex- cusable ignorance, presumption, wilfulness, and ingratitude. Further, when such a man thinks, not only of the Divine Perfections — God's infinite excellence, wisdom, and good- ness, but also of the wonders of redeeming mercy, mani- fested in our Saviour ; he feels still more ashamed, and humble, and sorry for his past folly and wickedness, and for his daily sins and transgressions. There is such a change passed on his mind, that he does not wish to sin any more. It is not only the consequences of vice and irreli- gion that he dreads — he hates every false and every wicked way. He desires to confess, with " shame and confusion of face," his manifold presumptuous sins, and to use means henceforward to yield obedience, from a sense of duty and gratitude ; to return as a rebel pardoned by his king ; as a prodigal son received by a kind father. — And look at the case of the prodigal, as stated by our Saviour. The prodigal began his career in a spirit of ungrateful pride and self-sufficiency ; abandoned his father's house, and sought for happiness in jovial and riotous living, far off from his real friends and his home ; in the same manner as guilty, foolish, proud man does, who labours, as in the very fire, to attain happiness, sometimes from the accumu- lation of money, or from sensual pleasures, or the distinc- tions and honours of this life, and ever disappointed, still pursues the fleeting shadow. The prodigal's wants and misery happily humbled his proud heart, and brought him to himself, to a right under- standing of his father's kindness, and the happiness of home; then he repented; his mind was changed; and he came to this happy resolution — " I will arise and go to my Father, and will say unto him. Father ! I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son ; make me as one of thy hired servants." Here there was no design to excuse, much less to justify himself. No apology on account of his youth, no pretence about having a good heart, notwithstanding his former pride, and ingratitude, and wilfulness. No ! this f2 68 DISCOURSE VII. example of a sincere penitent represents him as resting his plea entirely on the goodness and mercy of his Father. He still retains the language of the filial relation, although he acknowledges that he has no claim to it. " Father (said he) I am unworthy to be called thy son ; but, O give me in my Father's house, a servant's place." Here is a spirit of the deepest humility and self-abasement, and an acknowledgement of his Father's goodness. Here sorrow, shame, affection, hope, all vpork together in this man's breast, and bring him back again to his duty. He did not stay in a distant country, and send apologies to his Father. No, he arose and came himself. And how was he received? With a frown ? No ! was he upbraided for the past, and put in a course of trial to see how he would behave for the future ? No ! When he was yet a great way off, his Father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and brought him to the home he had deserted, and took away his filthy ragged garments, and gave him good clothes, and shoes, and a ring; and having found alive a lost son, whom he lamented as dead, iTe made a feast, and filled his whole house with joy. And does this at all represent a lost sinner's case ? Yes ! Our blessed Saviour says, " Joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth." How different are the sentiments entertained in heaven and on earth. Alas ! who is there amongst men who much cares whether a fellow sinner repents or not ; and how many are there ever ready to despise and mock the man who seems at all concerned about his sins. This world, and wicked men and women, are like the people of the far country, where the prodigal wasted his substance with riotous living ; and when he began to be in want, none cared for him ; the brute beasts were more regarded than he was. He fain would have filled his belly with the husks which the swine did eat, and no man gave unto him. But heaven is like the prodigal's home; in that place there is still a kind concern about him. Oh, what compassion ! The Spirit of God strives with sinning man ; the Spirit is grieved by man's wickedness; the Son of God died for JOY IN HEAVEN. 69 man ; and all heaven rejoices, (there is joy in the presence of the angels of God,) when sinful man repents, i. e. when man, at first, out of his mind, and wandering far off from his heavenly Father's home 5 feeding on ashes, or trying to 11 his stomach with husks ; trying to find happiness in drunkenness, in debauchery, or in riches, or in worldly distinctions, and such like low and grovelling, or vain and unsatisfying pursuits: — When he comes to himself, is restored to his right viind, and right judgment, and arises, and goes to his heavenly Father, and confesses his follies and his sins, and forsakes them ; then there is joy in heaven on his account. There are some self-righteous, self-conceited people, such as the Pharisees were, in our Saviour's days, who, like the returning prodigal's elder brother, think there is far too much ado made about a sinner's repenting ; they do not care whether he repents or not ; and they censure those who are a little anxious to induce him to repent ; and they are angi*y because there is such a fuss made about a worthless wretch, (perhaps some poor drunken sailor,) who does actually repent, and come to his heavenly Father, penitent, sober, and in his right mind. That such self-righteous, cold-hearted people, are very wrong is very evident, unless it be pretended that they are wiser, and better, and more rational, than the all-wise God and his holy angels ; but this is too shocking and blasphemous even to be imagined. And, further, it is a very plain inference from this sub- ject, that a man's repenting, or not repenting, is a matter of great, of vast importance ; for in heaven trifling or small matters cannot cause joy or grief. And observe, it is not the repentance of a whole family, or of a whole nation, that is said to give joy, but even the repentance of one sinner causes this joy. Oh, yes ! it must be true, that real lepentance is connected with the saving of a soul, an immortal spirit, from eternal misery, and the preparing it for eternal happiness. And is not this enough to make angels glad ? is not this sufficient to cause joy in heaven ? for heaven is the land of benevolence and compassion. 70 DISCOURSE VII. It should ever be remembered that repentance, in some cases, is unavailhig ; and repentance, even in cases where it is admissible, may be deferred till it is too late. When man violates the laws of his fellow-creatures, it often happens that his repentance will not prevent his punish- ment. There is no proof that when the angels sinned, they were allowed to repent. And when a man has, by vicious excesses, ruined his health, repentance, and even reformation, will not always restore him to health. But, in reference to man's salvation, the mediatorial work of our Saviour, his death and sufferings in our stead, have made repentance admissible. He came to call sinners to repentance j his servants, the ministers of religion, are directed to go into all the world, and proclaim the good tidings, that the work of redemption is finished ; and now God " commands all men, every where, to repent." The good angels are interested about man's repentance; and when but o?ie repents, there is joy in their presence. Thus, all that are divine and good, in heaven and on earth, are moved about one man's salvation or condemna- tion. Their united admonition and entreaty, is, " Repent and believe the Gospel, and thou shalt be saved." To the returning penitent, then, there is no hindrance — none such need despair. No returning prodigal will ever be rejected: quite the contrary, he ^vill be received with demonstrations of joy. I have only one caution to suggest ; let no one defer repentance ; for death may surprise thee, and there is no repentance in the grave. The axe is laid ready at the root of the tree ; if it bring not forth good fruit, it will ere long be cut down and cast into the fire. To delay repentance is not the suggestion of a friend, but of an enemy. It is a suggestion that comes from the destroyer of men's souls — the father of lies. Take the resolution at once, and, look- ing to God's Holy Spirit for help, say, " I will arise and go to my Father ;" for you have the Saviour's word for it, that you will be welcomed with joy : the act of faith and repentance will make Heaven glad;— and then, O man ! do thou go and bring forth fruits meet for repentance. JOY IN HEAVEN. 71 ExJiortation delivered in England. And one of the meet and becoming fruits of repentance is an anxious desire to bring othei's to repentance. A sort of missionary spirit is the general result of true repentance. A gracious state in this world is sometimes said to be glory begun, or an incipient degree of the same sort of sentiments, affections, and joys as will be experienced in heaven. Now if sinless angels rejoice in the return of one human crea- ture to obedience and duty through the blessed Redeemer, is it credible that a gracious soul in this life can be indiffe- rent to the repentance of sinners ? and if not indifferent to the effect, neither can such a person be indifferent to the means. To bring sinners to repentance is to co-operate with God, who wills not the death of a sinner, but rather that he shoidd repent, return, and live. To use means to bring sinners to repentance is to co-operate with the Divine Redeemer and with the Holy Spirit 5 it is to glorify God, and to cause joy in heaven. By a missionary spirit, I mean a desire to win souls to Christ, to bring men to repentance ; to find a sacred delight, to feel (as our text suggests) a seraphic, an angelic joy in the good tidings of sinners being brought to repentance. Those Christians who take no sort of interest in the news of a sinner repenting, who will not aid in any means to bring sinners to repentance, who will neither give their personal services to call men to repent, nor join with God's people to pray that a spirit of repentance may be poured out upon the nations, nor contribute of their property to send forth the heralds of salvation — are wanting in some of the best evidences of the reality of their Christianity. Here is a work that makes heaven glad; but they are frigid and careless about it — it affords them no joy. What proof then do they give of a fitness for heaven ? Repentance and remission of sins are to be proclaimed in God's name amongst all nations ; and Heaven wills that one man should be the medium of conveying this proclama- tion to others j and yet there are professed disciples of the 72 DISCOURSE VIL Saviour who will not at all aid this divine cause. In such cases, is there not a manifest lack of real Christianity ? On the other hand, how great is the encouragement to the missionary spirit amidst apparently small results. Whole districts, tribes, and nations may not be converted ; but the repentance of one siimer causes joy in heaven. And although multitudes may not throng the road of true repentance, a solitary traveller attracts the attention of angels, and fills their hearts with joy. And since angels derive joy from the repentance of sin- ners, they must look with complacency on the use of scrip- tural means to enlighten the human mind, to convince the conscience of the evil of sin, and to bring men to repent- ance. And therefore the zealous evangelist at home, in his own town or neighbourhood, as well as the friends of Christian Missions to foreign lands, need not much regard, nor need be much discouraged by human censure, or by man's neglect. Since human affairs are known to the angels — who in- deed are ministering spirits, sent forth to minister to the heirs of salvation — and this knowledge cannot be by any powers approaching omniscience, it follows that spiritual beings must traverse the universe, and communicate know- ledge to each other. And if angels communicate the affairs of our world to each other, why may not they communicate such knowledge to the spirits of just men, that have attained the perfection of a heavenly state ? 1 see no reason to answer this question in the negative; at the same time, I do not presume to make any positive affii'mation concerning what is not expressly I'evealed. But the probability of this knowledge and intercourse, may be viseful in leading our meditations more frequently, and more impressively, to the invisible state ; and may prevent our being so much absorbed, as men too frequently are, Avith sublunary things. O, my fellow- sinners — my Christian brethren, all heaven is concerned for our eternal welfare : — forbid it, O blessed God ! that we should be stupid and un- concerned. DISCOURSE VIII. WIUTTEN IN THE INDIAN OCEAN, JAN. 2, 1824. INTRODUCTION. [It is the annual custom for two of the shins from China to carry, on their way home, stores to the Cape of Good Hope, The \yaterloo, in the season 1823 and 24, was one of those. Anticipating a short stay at the Cape, (which indeed proved to be only four days,) Dr. Morrison prepared the following- dis- course for the African Missionaries connected with the London Missionary Society. The Rev. Dr. Philip, Resident Agent at the Cape for the Missions, was then in the interior, awaiting at the difterent sta- tions, his Majesty's Commissioners, who were making a tour of the Colony. However, several Missionaries, the Rev. Mr. Mof- fat and others, were then at the Cape, residing in Dr. Philip's house, adjoining a Chapel which he had built. Mrs. Philip, a pious and amiable lady, exerted herself to the utmost, anel be- yond her strength, to render the families, then " quartered" upon her, as comfortable as possible. On the Thursday evening, Jan. 2;)th, 1B24, an accustomed service took place in the Chapel, and the strangej: from China was expected and pressed to address the Congregation. He readily assented, but the intense heat of Cape Town, and the fatigue of walking about its streets, and paying the usual re- spects to the local authorities, induced a severe head-ache, to which, from childhood, he has been in all climates constantly subject; and it was totally impossible that he could even read the discourse which he had prepared. Under these circumstances, Mr. Moffat, instead of preach- ing a Sermon of his own, read to the people the following Dis- course. And the Rev. Mr. Faure, Dutch Clergyman at the Cape, who was present, took a copy for the purpose of translat- ing it into the Dutch language. Cape Town, to an Asiatic, appears quite European ; or if not quile European, so nearly allied to Europe, as to seem European to an old Indian. The closeness of the houses, occasioned by 74 DISCOURSE VIII. the inhabitants shutting; every door and window to keep out the clouds of dust and sand, was, to people from the high seas, per- fectly intolerable. Capt. Alsager and the writer of this were, on one occasion, shewn into a room to await the appearance of the master of the house, where they could scarcely breathe, and consequently retreated to the door- way and there took their stand till some external air was admitted into the chamber.] MISSION OF BARNABAS AND SAUL. Acts, xiii. 1, 2, 3. " Now there ivere in the church that was at Antioch, certain prophets and teachers ; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrenc, and Blanaen, ivhich had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said. Se- parate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away." W HEN it is remembered, that the prophets declared the Messiah should be for a light to the Gentiles, and for salva- tion to the ends of the earth, Is. xlix. 6j that the angels at the Saviour's birth declared the Saviour's advent was good tidings to all people, Luke ii. 10; and that Jesus, when ascending to Heaven, commanded his Gospel to be taught to all nations — it is surprising how slow of apprehending this essential truth the first Jewish Christians were. Eight years elapsed before any of the Africans attended to this command to preach to the Gentiles — and then Peter re- quired an express revelation from heaven to induce him to go to a Roman militaiy officer, Cornelius — and when he did do so, the Apostles and brethren at Jerusalem censured him for it } and still no Church was formed amongst the Gentiles MISSION OF BARNABAS AND SAUL. 75 until persecution, which arose about Stephen, scattered the disciples ; and even then some of them, who came as far as Antioch, preached the word to no7ie but unto the Jews only, (xi. 19.) However, eventually some men of Cyrene, (Africans,) for Cyrene was a place in Africa, " spake unto the Grecians preaching the Lord Jesus ;" — and the " hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed" — and then a Gentile Church was formed at Antioch, and with this first Gentile Church, raised by African preachers, ori- ginated the name Christian, as a designation applied to Christ's disciples — and from this same Church the first Mission was sent out. We shall notice, I. The persons employed on this Mission, IL Their dedication to the work. in. The field of their labour. IV. Their manner of executing the work. I. TJie 2)ersons employed on this Mission were Paul and Barnabas. Of Barnabas little is recorded, Paul's history is well known. From the circumstance of the people of Lys- tra having supposed Barnabas to be their god Jupiter, and Paul to be the god Mercurius, the patron of eloquence, it is likely that Barnabas was a man of gravity and dignity in his manner, less prompt in his elocution than Paul. How- ever, these two missionaries in addition to their natural qua- lifications, possessed supernatural endowments of a spiritual nature, and also the power of working miracles for the con- firmation of the truth. Stiil they appear to have been sub- ject, occasionally, to the same bad tempers and passions as other men; for when about to go on a second Mission, they differed in opinion concerning an assistant, and contested the point so sharply, as to cause a separation. Barnabas insisted on taking his relative Mark with them, and Paul obstinately refused to allow it, because Mark had abandoned them on a former occasion. If men so eminently qualified, so richly gifted, so express- ly appointed or called by Heaven, manifested such unconcili- ating tempers, we should not expect an entire absence of 76 DISCOURSE VIII. human frailty in modern Missionaries, nor be discouraged when strifes occasionally arise, and separations take place. However, the example of the Apostles in this matter is not for imitation, but should induce watchfulness and caution? for by a sinful indulgence of temper, these two divinely se- lected servants of God were prevented from walking to- gether in love, and from labouring together for the faith of the Gospel. Paul, at the time of his wonderful conversion, when he saw a heavenly vision, was told by Jesus, that he would be sent to the Gentiles to open their eyes, and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God ; and on the present occasion, when at Antioch with other teach- ers, the Holy Ghost said, " Separate me Barnabas and Saul, for the work whereto I have called them," The divine operation on the human spirit, or communications from the Spirit of God to the soul of man, is a doctrine every where taught in the Bible from beginning to end; sometimes this influence operates in a manner known to the persons so operated on or influenced, and sometimes not; but of the Holy Spirit's work in striving Avith men, in regenerating and changing the hearts of men, in suggesting truth to the mind, and in comforting the souls of men, divine Revelation does not admit a doubt. In every age, holy men of God have spoken and acted, in many cases, as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. Not that the Holy Spirit's influences are in all places and all times alike, for in divers manners God spake in times past, by the inspired Prophets, before the ~ coming of his Son; and subsequently, seeing Jesus pro- mised to send the Comforter, and encouraged the children of God to pray for the Holy Spirit, it is manifest the Spirit's operations continue under the reign of the Messiah, that dispensation or method of divine rule under which we live. However, there is one great difference in the ministration of the Spirit in ordinary cases, and during the apostolic age; his suggestions or influences are not in later ages so certain- ly ascertainable; for our circumstances are different, the written word has long been complete, and it must be our guide. It is the rule according to, and it is the instrument MISSION OF BARNABAS AND SAUL. 77 by which the Holy Spirit works. And therefore the Holy Ghost does not now suggest to the churches the names of those M'ho are to be employed in ministering the word of life, whether that be in Christendom or in unchristianized lands, but gives the qualifications requisite, and the willing mind to which intimations the churches should attend with prayerful watchfulness, whilst to the individual concerned, the most abiding and most satisfactory evidence of being called will be a consciousness of unfeigned scriptural mo- tives, and singleness of intention, with a deep sense of gra- titude to God, and ardent benevolence to men ; a readiness to spend and be spent for the elect's sake, that they may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. II. At Antioch Barnabas and Saul were, as it is said in our text, " recommended to the grace of God." Notwith- standing the express call of the Holy Spirit, received whilst the prophets and teachers were ministering to the Lord and fasting, it was still deemed right again to observe a season of fasting and prayer, at which " they" (the prophets and teach- ers) laid their hands on the two Missionaries before sending them away. It does not appear in the Sacred Scriptures, that the Jewish Priests were ordained by any peculiar rite 3 but the Levites were dedicated by the laying on of the hands of the congregation. Num. viii. 10. Moses, at the appointment of Joshua to be his successor, received this command from the iVlmighty, " Take thee Joshua, the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thy hand upon him, and give him a charge, and put of thine honour upon him, that the congre- gation may be obedient." (Num. xxvii. 20.) In the New Tes- tament, the Bishops and Presbyters were appointed by the laying on of hands ; but '^Barnabas and Paul," (the ^jwsfles as they are called in chap. xiv. 1 4.) were not on this occa- sion first commissioned to teach and to preach Jesus Christ, and therefore the circumstance of now laying hands on them is the more remarkable. However, what is of the greatest importance here to ob- serve is, the evident anxiety, the earnest desire to obtain, by 78 DISCOURSE VIII. solemn intercession, the co-operation of the Ahnighty arm. It implies a strong conviction of the difficulty of the work to be accomplished, and a consciousness of merely human efforts being inadequate. This, indeed, has been the senti- ment, and this the feeling of all God's eminent servants, from Moses to Paul, and from his time to the present day. Moses exclaimed, " Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt! How shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircum- cised lips !" — The Prophet Jeremiah wished to decline his arduous office, and expostulated, saying, " Ah, Lord God, I cannot speak, for I am a child !" and Paul, referring to the ministry of " Christ's Gospel," exclaims, " Who is sufficient for these things." Such sentiments and feelings, when arising solely from humility and a desire to obtain divine aid, are exactly what they should be; but when mixed with timidity, the fear of man, distrust, the love of ease, and such unhallowed motives, they are so far wrong, and not to be indulged. When they are sincere and accompanied by love to God, they will not lead a man to decline his Lord's ser- vice, but will lead him to fasting and prayer for God's help. And then he may say with humility, " If thy presence go not with me, send me not up hence." And so, as in the cases above referred to, the answers from heaven will be as they were then, gracious and encouraging. The Lord replied to Moses thus, "Certainly I will be with thee — say not I am not eloquent, for who hath made man's mouth — have not I the Lord? — Now, thei'efore, go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say." Jeremiah received for answer, '* Say not I am a child ; thou shalt go, and whatever I command thee speak. Be not afraid of their faces, for I am tvith thee.'" And when Paul besought the Lord for help, the answer given him was this, " My grace is sufficient for thee." All these examples should operate as a check both to pre- sumption and to despondency, wdien men are engaged in the arduous work of the ministry. In the employment of humble, sincere, and zealous efforts, as directed by scripture precepts and examples, let the Lord's co-operation be sought MISSION OF BARNABAS AND SAUL. 79 by abstinence and prayer, and then there is every reason to hope, that God will recognize such servants, as " workers together with him." Not that they must therefore be as successful as they wish, but their labour in the Lord, shall be graciously acknowledged and accepted. III. The field of labour^ occupied by Barnabas and Saul, on this first mission, was confined to Asia Minor : they did not pass into Europe, but returned to Antioch and Jerusalem : and after Paul went forth a second time, he and Silas did not think of leaving Asia, till the vision ap- peared to them of a Macedonian Greek, calling and be- seeching them to pass over to Europe, and afford help. Judea was a province of the Roman empire, and beyond the limits of that empire they never went. Paul was a Roman citizen, and he never quitted the Roman empire ; and there was, as yet, no general law of the empire against the Christian Missionaries : the opposition they met with, was only from the prejudices and enmity of their fellow-sub- jects ; to whom, occasionally, the local magistrates listened, and lent their aid. Being permitted to travel every where, afforded them facilities, such as indeed all Missionaries who labour in the British empire enjoy, but which is not the case with those in some Pagan countries. It is observable that these two Missionaries, although so eminently furnished by heaven with qualifications for their work, and under no necessity to learn a foreign lan- guage, did not go without an assistant ; or, as he is called, a *' minister," one to serve and assist them. Moses had Joshua for his minister during his life-time, and for his suc- cessor after his death. Elijah had Elisha to minister to him, and serve him, and to succeed him ; and when the kings of Judah, Israel, and Edoni, enquired for a Prophet of the Lord, Elisha was pointed out, as he who had poured water on the hands of Elijah ;* i. e. performed for him the * In Java, and other countries of the East, it is still the usage for an attendant to "pour water on the hands" of a person when washing; under the same idea of cleanliness, as is suggested by bathing in a running stream; instead of bathing in stagnant water. 80 DISCOURSE VIIT. duties of a domestic servant. In ancient scriptural times, and in modern Asia still, the relations of Preceptor and Scholar, of elder and younger, always carried with them the idea of principal and helper ; of one who is served, and of one who ministers to the other ; in the whole of which is preserved a spirit of reciprocal affection and kind efforts, united to promote the good of both, in the pursuit of some common end. It is not the relation of lord and slave, or of a tyrannical master and an oppressed servant ; but still of one who directs, and of another who is directed. The spirit of modern Missionaries have so generally spurned at this sort of relation, although so perfectly scrip- tural, and so evidently rational, and honourable to both parties ; they have robbed themselves of the comfort, and advantage to the cause, which its adoption would have ensured ; and strifes, and divisions, have been the conse- quence of its rejection ; and, thereby, consecutive labours being intermitted, the good cause has been injured. IV. The manner in which Barnabas and Saul, with Mark for their minister, executed the mission, or fulfilled the work to which they were appointed, is stated at consi- derable length, and affords example and instruction, to all persons who have similar duties to perform, and to all churches who send forth Missionaries. With such qualifications, and such powers as they possessed, and with such an express warrant from heaven to undertake the mission, many, now-a-days, would anti- cipate that he who sent them would smooth down every rugged difficulty, and incline all hearts to give them a ready reception. But this was not the case. At Paphos, on the island of Cyprus, a fellow-countryman of their's, a false prophet, opposed them, and used all his influence with the Roman Pro-cotisul against them. At Pcrga, their assistant, John Mark, abandoned them. At Antioch, in Pisidia, their countrymen, the Jews, stirred up the religious ladies, (the devout and honourable women,) and the rulers of the city, and raised a persecution against Paul and Bar- nabas, and expelled them out of their coasts. At Iconium, MISSION OF BARNABAS AND SAUL. 81 the Gentiles and the Jews also, with their rulers, made an assault upon them, to use them despitefuUy and to stone them. Not content with this degree of enmity, these Jews followed Paul and Barnabas as far as the region about Lystra and Derbe, probably a hundred miles from Iconium, and persuaded the people to attempt the murder of the Apostles ; and they actually stoned Paul, and dragged his body out of the city, supposing he had been dead. Paul, indeed, from the time that he became a Christian, was not only in labours abundant ; but was also, at different times, in stripes above measure, scourged severely ; was frequently imprisoned, and often exposed to death; in perils from robbers, from his own countrymen, from heathens, from false Christians ; and he met difficulties hi all places, by land and by sea, in the city and in the wilderness. He suffered not only from men, but also from the elements — thrice shipwrecked ; exposed to hunger and thirst, to cold and nakedness. One inference from these things is, that opposition, and manifold sufferings endured by any servant of God, do not indicate that it is the will of Providence that he should desist from preaching the Gospel. However, although Paul persevered in his work, he did not always remain in the same place, nor did he always ad- dress the same people. When the Jews contradicted and blasphemed, he and Barnabas gave them a solemn warning ; and thenceforth, at that place, turned their attention to the Gentiles. And from Iconium, when he found out the de- sign of the Gentiles and Jews, to unite together and mur- der him, he fled, and went elsewhere. Although a perfect stranger to the fear of man, he did not think it right to throw away his life ; but obeyed the precept, " When they persecute you in one city, flee to another," and continue still to publish the Gospel. We see that Paul could not be intimidated by ill usage ; nor could he be flattered by the admiration and adulation of the populace and pagan priests. When the Apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of the intention to honour them as the gods Jupiter and Mercury, they were more earnest than ever in testifying against the vanity of idols. Chris- G 82 DISCOURSE VIII. tian Ministers and Missionaries have not in every age imi- tated tiiese eminent servants of God ; but have sometimes been silenced by the attentions, flatteries, and favours of immoral men possessing wealth or power ; they have en- tered into a sort of compromise with the world : The church shall receive contributions, and external respect, and reverence, and dignity; but on condition that the patrons of the church must not be offended by uncourteous censures for their vices, their vanities, and their idols. The world is very willing to have a religion, if it may have its vicious indulgences passed over in silence. It Avill idolize for a while even Christ's Ministers, whether Bishops, or Presbyters, or Apostles, on these terms. But neither fear, nor flattery, nor ridicule, could silence Paul. The scoffing philosophists of Athens might call him " a babbler,"* and " mock" him and his doctrine ; he bore his testimony against them, and /or the truth faithfully ; and then left them that he might go and address others on the same grand and awful subjects. May all Ministers and Missionaries be enabled to follow his example when assailed in these several ways. On this Mission Barnabas and Paul addressed all classes of people, and used a variety of means, exhortations, and arguments. They went first to the lost sheep of the house of Israel who were scattered abroad. In the Jewish Syna- gogue at Antioch, Paul reasoned out of the Scriptures, prov- ing that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah, who had in his death and resurrection perfected the work of redemption, and had sent the word of salvation to them ; and he declared that through Christ they now had preached to them the forgiveness of sins, but they who despised the work of God should perish. At Lystrahe reasoned against hero-worship and idolatry, from the principles of natural religion, and exhorted the people to turn from these vanities unto the living God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, all things that are therein. * ^ffejO^oXoyoc* " \'ulgar prater." MISSION OF BARNABAS AND SAUL. S3 At Thessalonica Paul's manner was to go every Sabbath day into a Synagogue of the Jews, and reason with them out of the Scriptures, opening and alleging that Christ must needs have suffered and risen again from the dead, and he declared that this Jesus whom he preached was the Christ. At Athens he disputed in the Synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout or religious people ; and he disputedin the market-place daily with those that met him, which rous- ed the attention of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers, who led him to Areopagus, where, in the midst of Mars' hill, he declared to them the God that made the world, who was to them unknown. He insisted on the doctrines of Provi- dence, man's accountableness, repentance, and a future judgment, to be executed by Christ Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. At Corinth, during the week-days, Paul worked at a me- chanical trade in Aquila's house*, and reasoned in the Syna- gogue every Sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks — and subsequently in a private house he remained a year and six months teaching the word of God. At Ephesus, he spake boldly in the Synagogue for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God. And here also he disputed daily in the school of one Tyrannus. These labours were not always efficacious, for many op- posed and blasphemed, and divers were hardened and be- lieved not ; but his efforts were not wholly in vain, for in almost every place there were some who believed and turned to the Lord. From the example here exhibited to us, it may be fairly inferred that the Scriptures warrant a variety of means to be employed in propagating the Gospel. One means should * The duties of a ISIinister or Missionary are generally more than enough for any man's qualifications and strength; but if Paul worked at a trade, he might with equal propriety have traded for his support; and if such secular employments were lawful in him, I know not why a Mission- ary may not attend to secular affairs for his own support ; nor can I see the principle on which the Jesuits' trading for tiie support of their mis- sions is censured, provided they traded honcstli/. g2 84 DISCOURSE VIII. not be exclusively employed, nor only one manner of ex- hibiting divine truth be used. Some Christians say that preaching is the great instrument of spreading the Gospel, and despise other means. Some have noticed the silent efficacy of the Sacred Scriptures, and do not allow weight enough to oral instruction. Some declaim against arguing and disputing, and insist that a simple declaration of, or testimony to the truth is best. Now it appears to me a mistake, to exalt one means above another, for they all have their use in different times, places, and circumstances ; and christian wisdom consists in rightly timeing the means, not relinquishing any for an exclusive adherence to one favourite method. Knowledge, and prudence, and piety, and the hand of the Lord, going together, will effect the work. Worldly wisdom consists in the employment of insincere specious means, or crafty arts, and implies the exclusion of^ divine aid. But knowledge and prudence, learning and talents, of every sort, exerted to the utmost, being accompanied with a simple-hearted sincerity, and un- intermitted reliance on the Almighty arm, should not be called " worldly wisdom." The wisdom of this world, which the Bible condemns, consists in a self-sufficient em- ployment of human means and crafty devices, accompanied by a neglect or contempt of the Holy Spirit. To employ ignorance, rashness, and a froward furious zeal, under an idea of avoiding " worldly wisdom," is a great error; and, therefore, vre conclude no means, whether consisting of oral instruction, preaching, teaching, reasoning, and dis- puting; or of written or printed communications, the Sa- cred Scriptures, essays, circular letters, and so forth, should be neglected. The modern method of teaching children, although perfectly justified on principle and by precept, is the only means that I know of which is not sanctioned by express example; for academies or colleges, where a se- lect number of persons are constantly with preceptors, are justified by the example of our Saviour himself; and also by the Apostolic Missionaries, who took young men under their care to assist, and to be instructed and fitted for the work. That these had no fixed abode, or stationary build- MISSION OF BARNABAS AND SAUL. 85 ing in which they taught, appears to me a mere circum- stance, which does not affect the principle. Modern Mis- sionaries have foreign languages to study, which the Apostles had not; and it is absolutely necessary for them to be sta- tionary whilst learning, and whilst teaching heathen youths. Translations of the Scriptures are sanctioned by the constant use made of the sacred writings, by our Lord and the Apostolic Missionaries ; and their references are gene- rally made to a translation of the Old Testament into the Greek tongue. For it is the meaning, the sense of the Scriptures, that is to be regarded as sacred, not the Hebrew or Greek words. It is the superstition of the Romish Church in China and other countries, to consider the Latin words, "Pater, Filius, Spiritus Sanctus," &c. as sacred, and not to be translated. The Budh Priests, in China, do the same with many of the Sanscrit words of their super- stition, and do not translate them. Perhaps Bishop Lowth's idea, (which is adopted in the practice of some Missionaries,) that the word Jehovah is not to be translated, partakes of the same superstition. In the New Testament, the word Jehovah is never used, but is translated as our translators in the English Bible have generally done, by a word cor- responding to Loi'd. The employment of the pen, in narratives, memoirs, letters, &c. for the diffusion of divine truth in the earth, is fully justified by the sacred writings themselves ; and these writings authorize the use of the pen and the press, as a very eminent means of preserving and diffusing the Gospel. If any comparison were to be drawn, (a proceeding which I do not advise,) I know not but writing would appear the must efficient means. How great has been the effect upon the human mind produced by the Gospels, or memoirs of cur Saviour, written by the Evangelists, and the epistles or letters M'ritten by Paul and the other vmters of the New Testament ! But although this be admitted, preaching, that is, testify- ing to men by the living voice, the gospel of the grace of God; opening and expounding the Scriptures, teaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, reasoning from 86 DISCOURSE VIII. principles of natural religion ; persuading, and if necessary, disputing with the opponents of the truth, is never to be disused. And as we have apostolic example for preaching viva voce, so we have apostolic example for publishing and defending divine truth by means of ivritten essays or letters. If we take into account the permanent utility of Paul's letters for eighteen centuries past, it would probably appear, that he converted and edified more persons by means of his letters, than he did by all his preaching, and his miracles, and his sufferings put together. If it be objected that the writings of Ministers and Missionaries, and private Chris- tians can never be compared to the inspired Gosj)els and Epistles, it is granted. No more can the preaching of un- inspired ministers be compared to the divine sermons of Jesus, and the inspired preaching of the Apostles; and, therefore, when we argue about the comparative use of means, the argument still holds good : inspired letters being compared with inspired sermons; and uninspired transla- tions and essays, compared with uninspired preaching. An induction of particular facts, as given in church history, from the days of the Apostles to the present time, would, I doubt not, confirm what has been now advanced in favour of a variety of means, viz. colleges or schools of the pro- phets, translations of the Bible and religious writings, preaching and oral teaching. The admirable Luther used all the three means: he was professor of divinity at the Wittemberg University, a preacher in the same city, and an assiduous writer of religious essays and expositions of sacred writ, by all of which means he converted many in- dividuals, and reformed the religion of nations. But there ai'e not many persons competent to employ all these means ; if a man excel in one, the churches should be satisfied. The object to be attained is the communication of truth to the human soul, that it may be enlightened, purified, and saved ; and whether this be done to children or adults, by means of a school, or hearing the word preached, or reading the Scriptures, or religious books, containing the sense and meaning of the Holy Spirit in the Scriptures — let God be praised for giving efficacy to the means, and let them be MISSION OF BARNABAS AND SAUL. 87 employed zealously and assiduously; for, since all these means are, less or more, rendered effectual, it is manifest that the Lord does not confine himself to any one, to the exclusion of the rest; and therefore it is incumbent on Christians to employ all, or such of them, as circumstances may render most practicable. In one's native country, where instruction can be conveyed to thousands in one's mother tongue, preaching should be extensively employed. Amongst unlettered tribes of men, no use can be made of books, and therefore that means is by the necessity of the case excluded; but a seminary to introduce the knowledge of letters, and to raise up native preachers, would be an important means. In some places, as China for example, it is extremely difficult to become qualified to preach ; and it is impossible, under present circumstances, to gather a congregation to preach to. Teaching a few individuals, or writing books in one's own hired house in China, or teaching in a college out of China, and the disti'ibution of Bibles and Tracts amongst Chinese colonists, are the means that can be mostly used. Happily, the Sacred Scriptures are all translated into the Chinese language, and there are a few religious essays, but much more — very much, is still required to be done in qualifying preachers and writers to expound the Scriptures, to testify the Gospel, and to reason with the heathen, to enforce even the principles of natural religion, and declare to them the God that made the heavens, who is to them generally unknown. Heaven, indeed, they speak of, but concerning Him who is higher than the heavens, they are almost totally ignorant. Oh, what a wide field ! what an abundant harvest ! is there in the regions beyond India, accessible through the medium of the Chinese lan- guage ! how few the labourers, and how difficult the work. But, blessed be God, a beginning has been made. Pro- vidence has blessed the efforts of his servants, so that the acquisition of the language is now much facilitated. In the Anglo-Chinese College, native books, teachers, and students are provided. By the Chinese Bible, divine truth is made accessible to the educated; and there is one Chinese Pro- testant set apart to the ministry amongst his countrymen. OO DISCOURSE VIII. with the Bible in his own language, for his sole guide and his instructor, under the desired influences of the Holy- Spirit. I thus briefly rehearse to you what God has done by his servants, for it was his co-operation which gave efficacy to the very limited means at first employed; and now that the means are thus far increased, it must ever be remembered, that all that men can do, when they have done their utmost, is but the use of means which cannot be effectual unless the hand of God work with them; the energy of his Holy Spirit must be prayed for and relied on, and then the labour will not be in vain. Men, and the efforts which they make, or the measures they eiTiploj'^, preaching, teaching, writing, must all be considered as instruments in the hand of God, the Father, Son, and Spirit. In the temporal deliverances and national conquests of God's ancient people, his might, and the operation of his hand were always acknowledged. In the spiritual deliverances from Satan's usurpation of the human heart, and the spiritual conquests of primitive disci pies and apostles, " The hand of the Lord" was recognized in those that believed the Gospel and turned to him, and to him they gave the glory. The churches should esteem and encourage those men who spend or hazard their lives in distant lands for the sake of the Lord Jesus, but they should be careful not to rob God of the honour that is due to his name, for this is the very principle of pagan idolatry, and of all impiety. Men sacrifice to their net and to their drag, and pay a sort of worship to the mere human instrument of good, forgetting the divine hand which wielded it. These Notes were added when the same discourse ivas read in England. Although we have not assembled to-day expressly for missionary purposes~-yet, in as much as I believe it capa- ble of demonstration, that one part of the design of Chris- MISSION OF BARNABAS AND SAUL. 89 tians forming societies or churches, is the diffusion of Gospel light throughout the world — you will not deem the discourse of this day irrelevant to the object of our meeting. I fear Christian churches still view the propagation of the Gospel, rather as an act of vohmtary benevolence than as a duty binding in all Christians, and all churches to the full extent of their means. Christians are too selfish in supposing that their own edification is the sole object of associating to- gether in church fellowship, and they do not, perhaps, con- sider sufficiently that indifference to the great object of ex- tending the Redeemer's kingdom, is rather presumptive evidence against their being subjects of his kingdom. Alas! where is the loyalty of many to Zion's king ? I speak of what comparatively ought to exist. Whilst I rejoice that in this highly privileged land, there are so many of every rank in society who are faithful servants and subjects of the most High God — may they daily increase, and may hun- dreds and thousands be raised up to spend their fortunes, and sacrifice their lives, in his spiritual and just wars against Satan's usurped dominion over the children of men. Leaf Square, May 2, 1824. And I by no means wish you to begin in distant regions, but to begin in your own neighbourhood, by teaching the rising generation those things that promote their usefulness in this life, and their happiness in the next. DI8COUR8K IX. DELIVERED ON BOARD THE WATERLOO, FEBRUARY 29, 1824. INTRODUCTION. [During the night of February 22, 1824, whilst sailing fast homeward, with a tine fair breeze, something gave way at the fore-top-mast stunsail ; a man was ordered up by the second officer, then on duty, to replace it. The evening was fine, and there was some moon-light ; but the man, having over-reached himself to pass a rope, fell; and, from the moment of his fall into the sea, was never more heard or seen. The ship was put about ; a boat lowered down ; and the officer on duty went out himself, and rowed about in every direction, hoping to find the man clinging to the life-buoy, which was instantly cut from the quarter. But every effort was unavailing. The men returned ; the boat was hoisted in ; and the ship steered her course. Poor Benjamin Hill, the unfortunate sailor who fell, thus suddenly ended his mortal career, and sunk in a watery grave. Almost every voyage such casualties occur. They produce a momentary impression of seriousness on the minds of the ship's company, but generally leave no evidence of a lasting beneficial result, for no new truths are communicated to the mind. Since the Writer left China, in the short space of two years, three persons whom he knew there, have in Europe committed suicide ; one in Paris, who returned home rich ; one in Edinburgh said to be prosperous, but disappointed in further schemes of ambition ; and the officer on duty, in this melan- choly case, who shot himself when embarking for another voyage. The Sabbath after the loss of Hill, the following exhorta- tion was delivered to the men.] PREPARATION TO MEET GOD. Amos, iv. 12. " Prepare to meet thy God." XXUMAN beings, whether nations or individuals, are in this world subject to the government of the Almighty. The world is his, and men are all his creatures, accountable to him for their conduct. This principle is applicable to all nations, and to all individuals : — to Jews and to Heathens ', to Greeks and to Barbarians ; to Mohammedans and to Hindoos ; to the rich and poor ; to the learned and ignorant. His kingdom extendeth over all, and his sceptre is a sceptre of righteousness. Justice is the habitation of his throne, and his judgment is according to truth. But nations and individuals too often cast off the fear of God, and obedience to him, and live and act as if they were ac- countable to no superior authority ; during which time the Almighty, who delights in mercy, graciously employs means to bring men to repentance. For this purpose the prophet Amos was employed and sent to Judah and Israel, to re- monstrate with them, and forewarn them of the calamities that would befal them, unless they repented and reformed. Heaven had already sent many calamities to chastise them, and bestowed many mercies to awaken their gratitude ; but they still continued their impiety and wickedness, and therefore greater calamities were denounced, when God himself should enter into judgment with them ; in the prospect of which, the words of the text were addressed to them by the Prophet, as from the Almighty himself — " Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel." To every man it is appointed once to die, and after death the judgment ; for the Scriptures testify that God hath appointed a day, in which he will judge the world in 92 DISCOURSE IX, righteousness, by that person whom he hath ordained for this purpose — Jesus Christ. St. Paul declares we must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ ; and, there- fore, to every man it may with truth and propriety be said — " Prepare to meet thy God" — prepare either to jus- tify thyself, or to contend with him — or prepare for a gracious reception, by j^vevious and iinmediate submission to mercy. If man would think seriously, and believe the truth sent down from heaven, instead of believing the lies suggested by Satan and a wicked heart, he would soon be convinced that self-justification is as impracticable as to overcome Omnipotence. No sophistry can conceal man's guilt from Him who searchetb the heart, and " declareth unto man what is his thought -" and no power can resist His who " formeth the mountains, and createth the wind ;" whose word makes the earth tremble, and sends forth the desolating tempest ; whose providence can turn the morn- ing of impious hope into darkness and bitter disappoint- ment ; and who can tread the powerful wicked, on the high places of the earth, under his feet. Resistance to the Almighty is so palpable a fallacy, it is not usually sug- gested to the human mind by the deceiver of mankind : it is his mode of destroying, rather to employ misrepre- sentation than to urge direct opposition ; to suggest that sin is not so great an evil as some people would represent it ; and that the Almighty will not require a strict account of man's thoughts, words, and actions : or he persuades men to put far away the evil day, and suggests that it is yet too soon to prepare to meet one's God ; by which delusion, persisted in day after day and year after 5'ear, many sud- denly pass to the bar of God, (it is to be feared,) wholly ii)i- prepared. The misinterpreting the mercy of God is another destructive fallacy by which many are deceived. That God is merciful, is as true as that God is just. But to whom is he merciful ? to the man v,'ho mocks at sin, and still goes on in his trespasses ? No such thing ! The Bible declares that God is angry with the wicked every day ; — against such the wrath of God is revealed from heaven ; — to such sinners God is a consuming fire. But, to him that con- PREPARATION TO MEET GOD. 93 fesseth and forsaketh his sins, the Lord sheweth mercy, and multiplies pardons. God is merciful, but he will not be mocked ; and the hypocrite cannot deceive him. He is most merciful to the man who is sincerely sorry for his sin, and who obediently submits to the Saviour as Heaven has directed : but to the man who makes light of sin, and who despises or neglects the Saviour, the Gospel does not pro- mise mercy. Now, concerning what is sin, and what is duty, man must derive his opinions from reason and from revelation. The ivill of God, as far as it can be ascer- tained, must decide what is right and what is wrong ; not man's own notions, in opposition to, or differing from the Divine Will. By looking over this book of Amos, from which the text is taken, we may see some of the sins on account of which divine judgments were threatened. The period spoken of is nearly 2,500 years ago ; about 800 years before the Romans conquered England. The first sin mentioned is cruelty. The Edomites pursued their bro- thers of the kingdom of Judah with the sword, and cast off all pity. The anger of Edom did tear pei'petually , and he " kept his wrath for ever." The inhabitants of Damascus cruelly treated those of Gilead, and threshed them, as with threshing instruments of iron. And the Ammonites, for the purpose of enlarging their borders, or extending their territories, stormed the cities of Gilead, and ripped up their women with child. The divine law requires of the dif- ferent nations of mankind charity and good will to each other, an endeavour to promote each other's welfare ; and of individuals is required a spirit of benevolence, which not only forbids hurting or injuring either man or woman, whether in their persons, their character, or their pro- perty, but also requires that they should be assisted to the utmost of any man's power. A feeling of indifference about other people begins a violation of the divine law ; and cruelty to them closes it, or carries the offence to the greatest degree. How many cruelties are still practised by the nations of Europe in their wars undertaken for trivial causes, such as a desire to enlarge their border, or to 94 DISCOURSE IX. extend their territory ! When the Almighty shall make inquisition for the blood of hundreds and thousands of those who have been unmercifully treated, or cruelly mur- dered, how will those men, who have instigated or per- petrated these cruelties, be prepared to meet their God ? Gaza is threatened because they carried away captive the whole captivity, and cruelly delivered them up to Edom as slaves, (ch. i. 6.) ; and how much displeasure must Heaven have felt against the professed Christians of Europe, who have cruelly carried away, and still carry away, from their homes, thousands of defenceless persons, and sell them as slaves. When our Saviour said, " Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy," the decla- ration implied, that the unmerciful, or cruel, were accursed. Another sin with which the people of that day were charged by the Prophet, and which the Almighty declares his determination to punish, is contempt for and disregard of the divine law, with the dissemination of false opinions in religion and morals. *' They despised the law of the Lord, and have not kept his commandments, and their lies caused them to err." In many places, in the Sacred Scrip- tures, the children of men are charged with this contempt for the divine precepts ; and this wickedness is cherished by believing lies, or false opinions. Some scornful men pique themselves on not being believers ; they would have others think that they are too knowing to believe ; whereas in fact no one is more credulous than a ivicked man. He too believes ; but he will believe a lie that promises impunity to the sinner, rather than believe the truth which threatens his punishment. As in the case of our first parents, he will believe Satan when he says, " You may sin and yet not die," rather than believe the Almighty when he declares, " In the day thou sinnest thou shalt assuredly die." The prophet Isaiah, too, describes the rulers of Jerusalem scorners and despisers of the divine law, and of his threatenings : they said, with contempt and defiance, ' When the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come near unto us; for we have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement : we have PREPARATION TO MEET GOD. 95 made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves.' False opinions make sinners feel careless and secure ; and a sort of faith in the devil, a belief in lying excuses for sin, embolden them still to go on, and to err more and more from the right way. Men know very well that the third commandment forbids making use of the name of the Almighty on trivial occasions ; and yet how frequently is the commandment despised and violated, without the least feeling of remorse, because people believe that it is a sufficient excuse that they mean no harm ! But meaning harm, or not meaning harm, is not at all noticed in the commandment. Mean harm to whom ? How could men harm the Almighty, in their sense of harm ? If it be intended that they mean no harm to their neighbour, the excuse is equally fallacious. This commandment speaks of man's duty to his Maker, not of his duty to his fellow- creatures. It commands us to reverence, in our speech, the divine name ; and we violate that precept whenever we use it M'ith irreverence. The precept is very express — " Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain." Now, the lie, or false opinion, which people commonly believe, is, that they will be held " guiltless," because they swear, or invoke the divine name, out of merriment, or from surprise, or from habit, without direct malice ; none of which excuses can be reasonably inferred from the precept as at all availing. This is but one example of many other false opinions that cause men to err, and persist in sin with an easy con- science. Men believe, or half believe, with now and then slight misgivings, such excuses for sin, and a neglect of duty towards God, as would not impose on a mere fool, if they referred to duties owing himself. Men who have a right to command, pi'operly enough insist on strict, prompt, and implicit odedience, and admit of no silly excuses ; and shall the high commands of righteous Heaven be despised and disregarded, and the divine authority insulted by silly excuses, and man yet be -*' guiltless" in direct contradiction to the divine declara- 96 DISCOURSE IX. tion ! Were it not the fact that man appears to believe such lying absurdities, it might be supposed impossible that he could so far deceive himself, or be such a dupe to the deceiver of mankind. Another false opinion very prevalent is, that young men may be vicious with impunity — that youth is an ex- cuse for vice ; but it is an opinion not at all countenanced in the Bible, any more than that it is excusable for persons, in certain situations, to disregard the divine laws : as for ex- ample, that strict morality does not apply to sailors or sol- diers, or to politicians, or to great generals and conqicerors. In some of these cases the parties would not plead for an entire exemption, but that various forms of wickedness are excusable in them, from their peculiar circumstances ; and a little sophistry may be employed to support the pretext : but when examined by the holy law revealed in the Bible, all such pretexts will prove to be a part of those lies which cause men to err. (Isa. xliv. 20.) " A deceived heart turns man aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say — is there not a lie in my right hand ?" Even the ministers of religion are not free from being the dupes of false opinions, and the defenders of them, by which they confirm others in their wicked ways, and destroy instead of saving men. Thus saith the Lord, " I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria, who have caused my people Israel to err ; for both prophet and priest are profane ; the land is full of adulterers, and because of swearing the land mourneth. I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing; they commit adultery, and walk in lies ; they strengthen also the hands of evil doers, that none doth return from his wickedness." (Jer. xxiii. 10 — 14.) And how do they strengthen the hands of evil doers ? — by bad example, and by "walking in lies," or defending false opinions. You see how impartial the Bible is. Some people have represented it as made up kingcraft and priestcraft ; but it is as severe against wicked kings and magistrates, and wicked prophets and priests, as against wicked poor men ; and therefore the accusation is not true. The Bible PREPARATION TO MEET GOD. 97 evidently contains the righteous will of the most high and heart-searching God, before whom all craft, and hypocrisy, and false excuses, are naked and open to view ; and by whom they are abhorred, and will be punished, unless men, by repentance and application to the Saviour, pre- pare to meet their God. In farther confirmation of what I have now said, con- cerning the impartiality of the Bible, the sin next pointed out, in the 2d chapter and 1st verse of Amos, is bribery and opjiression. The magistrates sold the righteous for silver, and the poor man for a pair of shoes. Then, the smallest bribe, even the value of a pair of shoes, would induce the magistrates to give up a poor man to the will of his merci- less oppressor. Of this sin, I believe British magistrates are remarkably free. The laws will not permit it ; and the poor man's cause is heard as well as the rich, and even- handed justice dispenses the same law to both. In private life wicked masters will be tyrannical; and bad servants will neglect their duty, in minute cases, which the law of man cannot well reach : but these sins are known in heaven. Lewdness, the source of so many calamities, even in this life, is next threatened with God's displeasure ; and drunkenness, that brutalizing sin, which renders man beastly, or foolish, or mad ; which unfits him for duty, destroys health, and wastes property; which makes chil- dren rob their parents, and husbands starve their families ; which makes a man a prey to vagabonds and villains, reduces him to beggary, brings him to highway robbery, or to murder, and to the gallows. Further, the Prophet charges Judah and Israel with hardhearted impenitence, in the midst of many calamities sent from heaven to chastise and to warn them. The Almighty sent famine, or a want of bread — " Yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord." — " I have withholden the rain, so that two or three cities wandered unto one city to drink water, but they were not satisfied ; yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord. I have overthrovvn some of you, and others were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning ; H 98 DISCOURSE IX. yet have you not returned unto mc, saith the Lord." This hard-hearted impenitence, notwithstanding both judgments and mercies, is a very common sin. Every deliverance from sickness or from death, or from any imminent danger, should lead us to serious reflection, to repentance and to prayer, to reformation, and to the Saviour. But a hard impe- nitent heart denies the goodness of divine Providence, and attributes mercies and blessings to good-luck, and afflictions to chance ; and, under this unhappy state of mind, man will not return to the Lord, nor submit to the hand that chastises him. In the midst of this hard-hearted ungrateful impenitence, the prophet says, " The people of that time put far away the evil day," and indulged in luxury and carelessness j they sti'etched themselves upon their magnificent couches, se- lected the best of the lambs and calves for intemperate feasts ; chanted to the sound of the viol, invented to them- selves instruments of music, drank wine in bowls, and perfumed themselves with the chief perfumes; but they were not grieved nor concerned for the affliction of their poor and oppressed brethren, who suffered from famine, pestilence, and war. And to sum up these sins, they hated the days appointed for prayer and religious instruction^ and wished them gone, that they might make more money to consume upon their lusts; to sell corn, and set forth wheat with their unjust measures, and false balances to deceive and to defraud. And after all this, they hated him that rebuked them, and ab- horred him that spoke uprightly. Yet in the midst of all this wickedness, they kept up some form of reUgion for a fair pretext; they had certain ho- lidays, and offered sacrifices, and sung anthems. The wickedness, and folly, and hypecrisy of Judah and Israel, too much resemble what is the case in our own day; and the use we should make of the prophet's censures, is, for every man to examine his own heart, to judge himself, and prepare to meet his God, The way to prepare, is not to try to cover over or hide our transgressions, for that is impossible. Nor must we PREPARATION TO MEET GOD. 99 think, that because we have wholly, or almost forgotten many of om* evil-doings, and our ways that have not been good, therefore. Heaven has forgotten them; nor should we set up the idle pretext, that we have not been " great sin- ners," that we have had " a good heart," or that we vi'ere " young," or any such-like excuses ; for there is no proof that Heaven will admit such pretexts, but abundant proof may be produced from the Sacred Scriptures, and from reason, to the contrary. If you ask me — "Then how shall we prepare?^' I answer, " Confess, and forsake your sins." Arrangements ai*e made by the divine goodness to allow of pardon to those who do so. To explain what I humbly believe the Scrip- tures teach on this solemn subject, I will make a compari- son, not as being exactly the same as the reality, but as something like it. Suppose a man who cannot swim, in the midst of the ocean, struggling to keep himself up, and to save himself from drowning; unless some one help him, it is evident he cannot struggle long, and must eventually perish. But if a life-buoy be thrown out to him, and he sees it, and gets on it till a boat comes and picks him up, he will be saved. But if, through pride or perverse folly, he will not avail himself either of the buoy or the boat, he will, by struggling, soon be exhausted, and must sink. The drowning man resembles a poor sinner ; the life- buoy resembles our Saviour. The man who feels that he is perishing, who sees Jesus, and casts himself upon his Almighty arm, will be saved, and finally taken to heaven. The man who proudly or perversely thinks he can save him- self, and will not receive the Saviour's assistance, must perish. The man who gets on the buoy, resembles the Christian who believes in Christ Jesus; and the man who will not get on the buoy, resembles him who believes he can save himself, and so neglects or rejects Jesus Christ the Saviour. The one believes the truth and is saved, the other believes a falsehood and perishes. It is difficult to suppose any h2 100 DISCOURSE IX. drowning man so obstinate and foolish ; but every sinner who will not come to Christ that he may be saved, is so obstinate and foolish. Oh men, do not suffer yourselves to be deceived by people who talk against faith and believing; that is, who talk against/aeYA in God our Sanour, and believifig the necessity and practicability of Salvation. These people pretend sometimes to be very clever, and to say with pride, they will not believe. But all that boasting is mere talk upon a subject not well understood by them. The Christian is not a credulous fool that believes every thing : there are many things that he will not believe. For example, he will not be- lieve that drunkenness, and whoredom, and adultery, and lies, and theft, and fraud and seduction, and murder, and impiety, and contempt of the Almighty's commandments, shall all go unpunished. The other people, the clever fel- lows as they think themselves, are such fools as to believe all this; and believe it, moreover, without the least shadow of proof. I should like to know who is the most credulous ! Again — The Christian'will not believe that his good works, which are, at the best, but very poor good works, can ever make amends for his manifold transgressions and neglect of duty toward his God, his kindred, and his neighbour; and there- fore he desires a Saviour. The other man, who is sometimes manifestly wicked and immoral, yet fancies himself rather good; and believes that the divine law will not require any thing of him, or is not very strict: or that he can easily make amends for his sins, by saymg the Lord's Prayer, perhaps, just w^hen he is dying — or get over the difficulty some such way; and there- fore, he does not care any thing, or if a little, he does not care much about the Saviour. Now these two people both have faith; the one has faith in his own unreasonable, impious notions; and the other has faith in God and divine Revelation. The one has faith in himself, and his own supposed goodness and great abilities; the other has faith in Jesus Christ, the divine PREPARATION TO MEET GOD. 101 Saviour, who is able to save to the uttermost, all poor sin- ners that come to God by him. The Christian's faith is, in my opinion, very rational; the wicked, or self-righteous man's faith is foolishness and the most miserable credulity. Finally, since life is so short, and the time of death so uncertain, and often sudden and unexpected, of which we in this ship had lately a melancholy example;* let these considerations, amongst better reasons and motives, induce us all to endeavour to be ready, and constantly prepared to meet our God in judgment; for we know not the day nor the hour when the summons of death may come ; nor whe- ther it will be at midnight or in the morning. By submis- sion to the divine Redeemer, exercising faith in him, and what he hath taught, cherishing love to him in our hearts and practising obedience in our lives, we shall always be " ready to meet our God" — for he rejoiceth to meet the penitent sinner; to forgive and to acquit, and to justify and sanctify, to save and bless him. * Benjamin Hill fell and was drowned at sea on the night of Feb. 22, 1824, or rather about four o'clock in the morning of the 23d, DISCOURSE X. DELIVERED IN THE SCOTCH SECEDER's CHAPEL, MILES'S LANE, LONDON, APRIL 11, 1824. INTRODUCTION. [The personal and relative duties of Christians are from Sab- bath to Sabbath, the theme of animating discourses from the pulpit; and the mercies of God our Saviour are daily exhibited to guilty men that they may be saved. I vrould this morning take a wider range, and digress a little to those duties which Christian churches owe to those still large portions of the great human family, which heretofore have remained unacquainted with revealed religion; and endeavour to ascertain our duty from a review of the past. The subject cannot be so interesting to each individual, as that which concerns his or her personal salvation ; but yet, as it concerns the salvation of others, it should not be uninteresting to any Christian.] THE MISSIONARY'S REHEARSAL. Acts, xiv. 26, 27. " And titence sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been re- commended to the grace of God for the ivork which they fd- filled. And when they loere come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gen- tiles." Jdarnabas and Paul, from Attalia sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God, for the work which they fulfilled; and when they were THE MISSIONARY'S REHEARSAL. 103 come (to Antioch) and had gathered all the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles. He was an inhabitant of Africa, Simon, of Cyrene, who bore the cross of Christ our Saviour, when led forth to cru- cifixion, and certain men of Cyrene, in Africa, first preach- ed, or told^' the good neivs, concerning the Lord Jesus, to the Grecians at Antioch. Antioch was a large town, the capital of Syria, about 200 miles north of Jerusalem, (Acts, xi. 20.) Here these African preachers founded a Helenistic,t or Greek prose- lyte church. Here the disciples were first called Christians, and from this church the first formal Christian Mission was sent forth. This church continued famous for several ages,' and produced, 300 years afterwards, the celebrated preacher Chrysostom, the bishop and patriarch. Barnabas and Saul being separated for the missionary work, to which the Holy Spirit called them, were sent forth, after fasting, prayer, and the laying on of hands. They made a missionary tour of about 1,500 miles, in that part of the then Roman empire now called Asia Minor. They themselves were subjects of the Roman empire, and beyond its limits they did not go. They did not even pass at this time into the European part of the empire. They were absent about two years, speaking, as opportunities offered, both to Jews and Gentiles, concerning the Lord Jesus, and testifying the Gospel of the grace of God. They met with much opposition, and had some success, the Lord working with them, and several Christian societies or churches were formed in different places. These things occurred about twelve or thirteen years after our Saviour's ascension, whilst Claudius L, the then Emperor of Rome, and his generals, were in Britain, waging " ^jvayyeXii^oixevoi, f EXXj/J'tTUf. 104 DISCOURSE X. war against the chief, Caractacus, and effecting the con- quest of our uncivilized pagan ancestors. An interesting and edifying narrative of the transactions and discourses of these two divinely appointed Missionaries, is contained in the 13th and 14th chapters of the Acts of the Apostles, When they returned to Antioch, they gathered the chiu-ch together, as our text says, and rehearsed all that God had done with them, and now he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles. *^ The words in which Barnabas and Saul, (or Paul as he was now called, for he seems to have changed his name during his absence,t) rehearsed their transactions, are not given us ; but by looking over the narrative, we can ascer- tain the substance of their rehearsal. At Cyprus, they had, apparently, but one convert; and at this early part of their tour, John, their assistant deserted them, and went from Perga to Jerusalem. At Antioch, in Pisidia, the Jews, their own countrymen, persecuted them, but some of the Gentiles heard the word gladly, and glorified the word of the Lord. At Iconium, both Jews and Gentiles attempted to stone them to death ; at Lystra, the Pagan priests idolized them, and called them gods ; at Derbe they preached the Gospel and taught many ; and on their return, passing through Lys- tra, Iconium, and Antioch, (at each of which places some few appear to have become disciples,) they confirmed their minds, and exhorted them to continue in the faith, and bear patiently afflictions, for these must be passed through in the Christian's way to the kingdom of God. And having {^eipTovriaavTeo) elected or appointed senior disciples, or elders to preside in the new formed societies or clmrches, they commended them to the Lord, with fasting and prayer. During this Mission the Lord not only accompanied their discourses, reasonings, and instructions, with the energies * ^Qveai. t Supposed to have been changed in compliment to Sergius Paulus, the convert at Cyprus. THE MISSIONARY'S REHEARSAL. 105 of his Holy Spirit on the minds of some of the hearers, but also enabled the Apostles to perform several miracles. Elymas, the sorcerer, was punished with temporary blind- ness, and the man at Lystra, who had been lame from his infancy, was restored to the perfect use of his limbs. It does not appear in what language these two Mission- aries usually spoke ; whether in Greek, or in the dialects peculiar to the several provinces of the empire through which they passed, but there is every reason to believe that they could make themselves understood in any of the languages or dialects wherever they came. After rehearsing the proceedings of this first Mission, to the assembled church at Antioch, Barnabas and Paul abode a long time, it is supposed about two years, in Syria, defending the proceedings of the late Mission against bi- goted Jewish brethren, who taught that the Mosaic rites were essential to salvation. With these people the Mis- sionaries had " no small dissention and disputation." At Phenice and Samaria, however, as they went south to Je- rusalem, and declared the conversion of the Gentiles, they " caused great joy to all the brethren." At Jerusalem the church received them, and heard their report; but still opinions were divided: some Pharisees who believed, insisted that the law of Moses must be ob- served by the Gentile converts, and there was " much dis- puting" at their meeting. Finally, the argument suggested by Peter, that since the Almighty put no difference between the Jew and the Gentile, but " purified the hearts" of both by the faith of the Gospel, it was not for them to impose the yoke of a ritual on the necks of the new disciples, which Heaven had not imposed. Barnabas and Paul supported this argument, by declaring the wonders which God had already wrought among the Gentiles, without any Mosaic ■ rites ; and James concurred in, and confirmed the same sentiment, by a reference to prophesies concerning the Gentiles. He gave it as his " sentence," or fixed opinion, that the Gentiles who had turned to God, should not be " troubled" with any Mosaic rites, but only be required to 106 DISCOURSE X. abstain from idolatry and vice. This motion was carried by the Apostles and Elders, with the whole church. A letter was M-ritten, couched in the terms employed by James, and sent back to Antioch by Judas and Silas, together with Barnabas and Paul. When the multitude of believers at Antioch heard the epistle from Jerusalem read to them, they rejoiced for the consolation afforded to their minds by it. The deputies from Jerusalem, Judas and Silas, deli- vered exhortations calculated to confirm the faith of the disciples, and so closed the proceedings which arose out of the Mission vmdertaken and accomplished by Barnabas and Paul. From the Sacred Scriptures we may derive general prin- ciples^ which will apply to all cases; but not particular pre- cepts for every possible case. Nor, unless we be in exactly the same circumstances as the examples recorded in Scrip- ture, would our exact imitation of them be always right. That human means, such as preaching and teaching, should be employed for the diffusion of our holy Religion, is what I would call a general principle, fairly derived from the Bible : but since modern Missionaries have not such an ex- press call by the Holy Spirit as Barnabas and Saul had, since they have not the gift of tongues, and since they have not the power of working miracles, they cannot be exact imitators of those two divinely appointed Missionaries. Although at the present day we hope ministers and mis- sionaries are moved by the Holy Ghost to undertake the work, we cannot attain to certainty on that subject, with respect to any individual. When, indeed, we see the fruits of the Spirit, the work of the Lord, prospering in the hands of his servants, and men converted and purified by the Gospel, then we know that God is working with them, and may fairly infer, that these servants were called to the work, when the churches recommended them to the grace of God and sent them forth. Barnabas and Paul rehearsed to the church all that God had done with them. In this great work the Lord himself is the prime mover, the principal agent ; he is the Head, the THE MISSIONARY'S REHEARSAL. 107 Captain, the King; men are the servants, or instruments by which he works: but still they are moral instruments; they should zealously co-operate, they should be active workers together with God, and him they must always acknowledge. And those servants that honour him, he will honour. A zealous use of suitable means, and a humble reliance on divine aid must always go together. To sit still, and do nothing, but wait till Heaven shall miraculously convert the nations, which some persons recommend, is a course as unscriptural and irrational, as to be all bustle and acti- vity, in the use of means, without any regard to the Su- preme Agent. As if man — unaided man, could overcome the God of this world, and conquer Satan's kingdom. How futile such an attempt ! and how impious to presume to take Heaven's work out of Heaven's hand ! Man, unaided, can effect no good, but the Almighty, without means, can ac- complish his purposes ; still he is pleased in carrying on the renovation of the world, to employ human means ; and he is infinitely wise, and this arrangement must be infinitely good ; it is, therefore, ours to be unwearied and abounding in the work of the Lord, employing, as experience may suggest, the most appropriate means. The Spiritual Church I consider a theocracy, adumbrat- ed by the theocracy of the Jewish nation. Jehovah is king. The kingdom is spiritual; the omniscient God, the Father of Spirits, is the sovereign Ruler. He requires no vicegerent on earth ; and there is none. The churches on earth, like the tribes of Israel, or the provinces of an empire, are equal amongst themselves, and amenable only to their Divine Head. But whilst maintaining this fundamental principle, these several tribes, or provinces, or churches, may have laws and regulations for the preservation of peace and order amongst themselves, without at all infringing upon, or casting off the supreme rule of their Divine Sovereign. Of the power and supremacy of God our Saviour we would never lose sight. Since the time when Barnabas and Paul rehearsed to the 108 DISCOURSE X. church at Antioch the result of their two year's mission in Asia Minor, how manifold have been the labours, the afflictions, the persecutions, the schisms, the heresies, the cor- ruptions, the declensions, and the revivals of the churches ; and how varied the circumstances, and the characters of those whom God has employed to extend the spiritual kingdom of the Redeemer. "To the Messiah are given dominion, and glory, and a kingdom; that all people, and nations, and languages, should serve him." This the prophet declared in these very words more than five cen- turies before the Saviour's advent ; and now, in our days (eighteen centuries subsequent), do we see the prophesy partly fulfilled, which is a pledge of its complete accom- plishment at some future day. Acting on the principles which have just now been re- cognized, and in the faith of the divine promises, the Lon- don Missionary Society, seventeen years ago, recommended the person who now addresses you,* by prayer and the laying on of hands, to the grace of God, and sent him forth to the work to be fulfilled; and through God's mercy he stands here this day to " rehearse" to this assembled church all that God has done with him. The Divine Providence has led him by a way that he knew not, and in paths which could not be by us foreseen. After so explicit a recogni- tion of the divine rule and government of the world and the church as has just now been made, it will not be necessary to refer to it in every step of our rehearsal ; for we desire to acknowledge God in all our ways, and magnify his gracious Providence, although we may not in words always refer to it. Barnabas and Saul were separated to the work by an express injunction from Heaven; Acts, xiii. 2. "The Holy Ghost said, separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work * Jan. 8th, 1807, ordained in Dr. Nichols's Chapel. THE MISSIONARY'S REHEARSAL. 109 whereunto I have called them;" but the Missionary of whom we now speak had no such call. Gratitude to the Saviour, to whom the written word led his mind, and a desire to promulgate the salvation which is in Jesus, in- duced him to offer his services to the church. Some letters of Vanderkemp, recorded in the Evangelical Magazine nearly twenty years ago, decided him to say, in reply to enquiries for Missionaries, " here am I, send me." He would readily have gone to Africa with the unfortunate traveller, Mungo Park, and Anderson, his brother-in-law, as a Missionary, in the settlement the formation of which Park contemplated. Park and Anderson soon finished their mortal career. Fi- nally, China was suggested to him as the sphere of his la- bours, and he acquiesced. In the first apostolic Mission, Barnabas and Saul were united, and they had Mark for their minister, or helper, or servant, in whatever they might require. But the first Protestant Chinese Missionary went quite alone. Barnabas and Saul did not leave their own empire, they travelled not more than two thousand miles, and were absent but two years. China is seventeen thousand miles from England, through some stormy seas and under scorching suns ; it is a land in which foreigners, and above all, European fo- reigners, are interdicted; but Providence conducted him thither in safety, and provided for him a residence and temporal support. The prophet Ezekiel, who lived about the time of the Chinese Confucius, received his commission from Heaven in these words, " Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Isi'ael, and speak with my words unto them, for thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of a hard lan- guage, but to the house of Israel." And such is now, (after innumerable difficulties have been overcome by former labourers,) the situation of ministers in England ; to them the churches say, " go with the Bible, and thousands of good books to assist you ; and speak in your mother tongue, and to your own people, a people prepared by many ad- 110 DISCOURSE X. mitted Christian truths, the words of divine revelation. But the Chinese Missionary was sent to "a people of a strange speech, and of a hard language." An ancient and copious language, entirely unlike any other language under heaven. Even with the best assistance to acquire it, the Chinese language may be justly called " a hard language," and the then difficultyof obtaining assistance, rendered the acquisi- tion of it more so. Natives in China are not allowed to teach it to foreigners, which makes it difficult to procure their aid, and when obtained, they know only their mother tongue, and for want of a medium of communicating their ideas to foreigners, they are ill qualified to teach. I would here remark, that a competent knowledge of some Asiatic lan- guages is a more difficult task, and a more rare attainment, even amongst Missionaries, both Roman Catholic and Pro- testant, than is generally supposed. And Missionary So- cieties do not, perhaps, lay stress enough on furnishing the means for a speedy and extensive acquisition of foreign languages by their Missionaries. However, By persevering labour and undivided attention, con- siderable progress was made in the Chinese language; and by many years' application and great expense,* books have been written and printed, which will render this " stx'ange speech" more easy of acquisition to those who may here- after be sent forth to teach the nations beyond the Ganges. Out of China also, from under the influence of malicious informers, and a persecuting government, books and teachers ai'e now provided at the Anglo-Chinese College, an institution originated for the furtherance of the Gospel, and to promote the temporal and spiritual well-being of the Chinese. By the aid of the lamented Milne, this institu- tion was reared and tuition commenced ; and by his help, as is well known, the whole of the canonical Scriptvu'es were translated, and have been printed and sent forth to the * The Hon. the East Indw Company expended £15,000 on print- ing Morrison's English and Ciiinese Dictionary. THE MISSIONARY'S REHEARSAL. HI world. Oral instruction has been given to many, and some Christian Tracts have been written in Chinese, and exten- sively circulated. Several individuals have their minds much influenced by the truth, and one, to whom Milne was the means of conversion, is now left amongst his country- men in China, as a teacher of Christianity, having, in his own tongue, the Bible alone, and we hope the Holy Spirit of God as his guide. This is a brief rehearsal of what God hath done by his servants in this case. Milne has been removed, we hope, to his eternal rest, but there are yet fovir or five labourers, who, since the Chinese Mission com- menced, have entered and yet remain on the field. It is now no longer a question, as it once was in Eng- land, whether the Chinese language be acquirable or not for religious purposes. We have now, in our own tongue, co- pious Chinese philological books, a Chinese Bible, a Chi- nese Christian College, and a converted native Chinese teacher; and should we not be thankful and be encou- raged. Pioneei's, who make ivaijs and apj)roaches, are thought to hold a humble place in the army, in the republic of letters, and in the churches. The conqueror, the author of genius, and the dignified prelate or popular preacher, who enter into other men's labours, are those who appear to effect great things; the pioneer is forgotten. Missionaries who Jirst enter pagan lands, are only pioneers. They may clear a little ground, make roads, plough and sow, (very neces- sary labours to be sure,) but the field is as yet unsightly. When the blade shoots up above ground, it is encouraging; but the husbandman must still exercise long patience, till the ear be formed, filled, and ripened — and the yellow waving harvest be gathered in. And ere this be efi'ected, it may be that a part of the promised crop is blasted and lost. I fear the patience of British Christians will be tried, if not exhausted, before the fruits of the Chinese Mission exhibit any striking appearance. Some of the means which we 112 DISCOURSE X. employ, (particularly the Anglo-Chinese College,*) are, I fear, not popular. And we are told we ought to preach more ; that 'preaching is the great instrument of conversion ; the divine command is, we are told, go and preach the Gos- pel to every creature. To obviate this objection, and that the truth may appear, permit me to examine briefly this subject. The modern sense of the word " preach," is to proclaim or publish in religious orations, or to address with earnest- ness and vehemence, and inculcate religious truths on a con- gregation, or an assembly of many persons. Now in our English Bible, when the word preach is used, it does not always mean what the modern use of the word implies. There are six\ different Greek words in the Acts of the Apostles that our English translators have rendered by the one word " preach" and if they had used six different Eng- lish words, the word preach Avould not have stood so pro- minent. The 1 st word, K»;|Ovo-(Tw, means, " to proclaim as a public herald, or crier." — " What ye bear in the ear, preach ye upon the house tops." (Matt. x. 27.) In St. Luke it is, "proclaim" ye upon the house tops. When this term is used, the very words of the proclamation are generally given. As (Matt. iii. 1 .) John came preaching, or jaro- claiming in the wilderness of Judea — " Repent ye, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand." Another example is in Matt xxiv. 14. " This Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached, or proclaimed, in all the world, for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come." Had this been the only term employed, the objection would have seemed to be conclusive, though not quite so, for a proclamation may be made in writing, as well as by * " A fixed residence had been formed at Siam for the French Mis- sionaries, together witii a Seminary for instructing the youth in the lan- guages of the circumjacent nations, who had all settlements, or Camps, as they were called, at the capital." About A. D. 16G3, (vide Moslieim, VoI.V. p. 16.) I should like to know the subsequent fate of this semmary. t See Campbell on the Gospels, Vol. I. THE MISSIONARY'S REHEARSAL. 113 the voice. Thus (Ezra i. 1.) Cyrus, king of Persia, made a proclamatioti throughout all his kingdom, and put it in writing. And (in Acts xv. 21.) it is said, Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him — but how ? by " being read\n the synagogue every Sabbath-day." Thus you see reading the Scriptures is called jwreacftiw^. 2d. The next word that our translators render preach is EwayyeXt^w, " To tell glad tidings or joyful news." (Acts V. 42.) " And daily in the temple and in every house, they ceased not to teach and to preach Jesus Christ." They taught the people many general truths of religion, and told them the good news concerning Jesus Christ. But this preaching was sometimes only conversation in a house, perhaps only with a single family, or only with some of the members of a family. When Philip was sitting in the Ethio- pian's chariot, and conversing with him, (Acts xiii. 35.) it is said, Philip ^'preached unto him Jesus ;" but one man speaking to another in a carriage, cannot, in the modern sense, be called "^jreacAiw^." It should be read, Philip told him the good netvs concerning Jesus. A 3d word, KarayyeWw, means, " To declare plainly, or openly, an explicit statement of a truth; but this may be not a sermon, but a single sentence. In Romans i. 8. the word is translated "spoken of," instead of preached. "Thus I thank God your faith is spoken of, or talked about ^ through- out the whole world," not your faith is preached. A 4th word, XaXfw, means, " To speak, to tell, to an- nounce, to report, to spread a report." It is sometimes rendered, ^'preaching' the word, and sometimes ^^ speak- ing" the word. The disciples, who were scattered on the persecution which arose about Stephen, went to Antioch> "preaching the word." A commentator,* who seems to think that ordinary disciples should not preach, remarks, that the original word here means only, speaking or talking about. And on the other hand, I have heard it rather ob- jected to some Missionaries, that their discourses to the heathen were more like talking to them than preaching. * Scott, in loco. I 114 DISCOURSE X. But both these remarks arise from too much stress on the modern use of the word preach. To preach the Gospel, is to tell about the Saviour, whether to an individual or to many, in a private house or in the temple — to spi^ead the report, to talk about the good news sent from heaven to all people. There are two more words translated preaching, viz. The 5th word, ^laXeyofiai, which means, "To reason, to argue, to dispute." Acts xx. 7- " Paul preached unto them, or reasoned with them." — xxlv. 25, " Paul preached or reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come." — xviii. 19. " Paul entered into the synagogue, and 2ireached, i. e. reasoned, or disputed with the Jews. Lastly, the 6th word, Trappr] 314 DISCOURSE XXIV. about the vanity and the shortness of life. Ancient and modern Pagans, Jews, Turks, and Infidels, as well as Christians, have uttered such lamentations. But there is no reason to believe that these bewailings indicate a spirit of piety; for they may exist where there is no knowledge of God, no desire to be acquainted with his ways, no sub- mission, no resignation, no repentance, no obedience, no worship; they do indeed more frequently indicate obduracy of heart, impenitence, and discontentedness. 1 shall not then merely moralize about the hardships attendant on man in his journey through life, the uncertainty of prosperous circumstances, the inevitable ills to which he is liable, and the manifold difficulties and disgusts which he must often experience in his passage to the grave. These topics are true and important, but they come not up to the Scriptural and Christian view of the case. We will then at once ' advert to the meaning of our text. There is a passage in the Book of Leviticus, (xxv. 23.) which throws much light on the phrase " strangers and sojourners." It is there said of the possessions of the several Jewish tribes, " The land shall not be sold for ever, for the land is mine, (saith Jeho- vah.) Ye are strangers and sojourners with me." Here the allusion is not to the difficulties of a journey, or to the discomfort oi -A. lodging, but to the rigid of possession. The whole earth belongs to Jehovah ; man is a stranger and a sojourner on it, and resident but for a short period, and has no just cause to assign why he should be allowed to remain. This is the sense which best suits the scope of the paragraph in which the words of our text are found. The connexion is this. King David, having attained " a good old age," chose to settle two very important aflairs before his death — the succession to the throne, and the erection of a temple to Jehovah. For these purposes the Jewish Monarch " assembled all the princes of Israel, the princes of the tribes, and the captains of the compa- nies, and the captains over thousands and over hundreds; and the officers and mighty men, and valiant men at Jerusalem." In the presence of this large assembly of the chiefs and ON MAN'S RESIDENCE IN THE WORLD, 315 states of Judea, the aged monarch " stood up upon his feet," (Chron. xxviii. 2.) and addressed them as his " brethren" and his " people ;" first concerning the house which was to be a resting-place for the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and next concerning his son, whom Jehovah had chosen to sit upon the throne of the kingdom. As the temple, or " palace," to be built, " was not for man, but for the Lord God," King David made provision from the national resources of gold, and silver, and brass, and iron, and precious stones, and marble ; and from his own proper good, or private fortune, he gave of gold and silver to the amount of twenty millions of pounds sterling ; and the princes, or chiefs of tribes, contributed nearly as much. On that high day of liberal donation the people rejoiced that their hearts were disposed to offer willingly to this good work of the Lord ; and David the king also rejoiced with great joy. To which joyous sentiments and feelings his lips gave utterance in a devout solemn prayer, or humble address to the Divine Being, of which the words of our text form a part. The topics of that prayer are these -.—first, in the style of adoration, an allusion is made to the Divine Sovereignty ; the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty belong to God. Heaven and earth are his : His is the universal kingdom j and He is exalted head above all. In the second place, God is acknowledged to be the giver of every good. Riches and honour come of him; it is his hand that makes great, and gives strength unto all. Then, in the tliird place, are ascriptions of praise and of blessing to God's silorious name, who liveth for ever and ever. Next are confessions of obligation for all the riches and the store that were possessed ; for the givers of all this wealth were only " strangers and sojourners on earth" — their days were few and transitory, ever onward moving as a fleeting shadow — their property and possessions were not their own — from God it was that all their treasure came, and to his service, as was most meet, they resigned it. 316 DISCOURSE XXIV. King David closed his prayer by interceding for his son ; and desiring that these sentiments might be kept for ever fixed on the imaginations of the thoughts of the hearts of his people. From this analysis of the context, it appears to me, that God's people being called " strangers and sojourners" has not, in this instance, a reference to trials or difficulties by the way ; but is intended to intimate, that man in this life has no right to assume a lordship over what is granted, nor any ground to hope for a permanent possession. Our dwelling on earth, with all its accommodations or comforts, whether many or few, are held by the merciful grant of a higher authority, and we have no just cause to claim here a lasting inheritance ; for we are " strangers and sojourners, as all our fathers were." In this acknowledgment there is religion and piety, and a feeling totally different from the cynical nmrmurings and infidel complainings of a dis- contented rebellious mind. This Scriptural view of the subject brings us into contact with the Divine Being as a great, and glorious, and rightful sovereign ; and leads us onward to the awfully sublime realities of the eternity which lies beyond this shadowy fleeting life. As the sun moves onward in his daily course, the dark shadow of in- tervening opaque bodies flung across the plain also moves — constantly, although imperceptibly , till the cause of sun- shine and of shadow is lost in the undistinguishing black- ness of night. The Jewish Commentators say, " Man's life resembles the shadow of a bird flying." But, perhaps, the allusion is not so much to denote the rapidity with which our days flee away, as their certain, although slow progression, gliding onward irresistibly to a close. Man's sojourn on earth is not by right, but by permission ; and only for a limited period, which no earthly power can pro- tract, any more than it could arrest the sun in its course, or stop the constantly -moving shadow, caused by the light's rays being intercepted. In prosecuting this discourse, I shall assert two general principles, and draiv some practical inferences from them as we proceed. ON MAN'S RESIDENCE IN THE W>)RLD. 31/ The First proposition is this, The Lord God is man's rightful and beneficent Sove- reign ; and The Second is, that man's sojourn on earth shall in- evitably terminate. These may seem, to many persons liere present, very common-place truisms ; but, nevertheless, they lie at the foundation of many very important duties, which are little regarded by all of us, and totally neglected by not a few. It is not necessary to attempt a formal proof, that the great and incomprehensible Being who created the universe, and gave existence to human creatures, has a right to rule over the world that he made, and the nations and indi- viduals whom he has placed upon it. The abundant supply of all that could contribute to the delight and happiness of man, in his originally innocent condition, exhibits clearly the divine benignity. The tender mercies of God, are indeed exercised towards all his works ; but towards man, so far as we know, he has exercised goodness and mercy to a degree that is unparalleled in the whole history of divine operations. He created man in his own image, possessing knowledge, and holiness, and happiness ; and to restore sinning man, he spared not his own Son, but gave him up to the death for us all. As King David, in the devout prayer from which our text is taken, acknow- ledged " both riches and honour, and all good things come from God, and that he is exalted as head above all ; and reigns over all ;" so we know that he has granted to guilty man an " unspeakable gift," far transcending in value the whole material universe. In his providence also, although he sometimes arises to punish terribly the wicked ; yet. Oh how much long-suf- fering and patience does he manifest ; not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Ye know, my brethren, the tender language of the Prophet, speaking in the name of the Lord, "Turn ye, turn ve, why will ye die ? As I live (saith the Lord) I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked." 31S DISCOURSE XXIV. In the whole of the divine character, as Creator, Pre- server, and Saviour, the Lord is gloriously manifested to be a riohtful and beneficent sovereign. And this being the case, I would that 1 could, on this occasion, lastingly im- press this truth on the imaginations of the thought»of the hearts of this assembly. Beginning at the youngest, I would pass upwards to the oldest, and suggest to self- examination the solemn question, whether or not the re- lationship of a creature, of an accountable and a guilty creature, has heretofore been, by every mind, fully recog- nised? Alas! (if we may judge by our own hearts, and by the conduct of the millions around us) how few seem to remember that they are not their own masters ; that what they possess, of bodily powers, of intellectual faculties, of riches or of honours, are not their own ; that they are but strangers and sojourners on earth, and these things are only entrusted to them for a season, and entrusted for use, not for irresponsible abuse. Oh how descriptive is that passage in the Psalmist, where the wicked are represented as saying, " Our tongue is our own — who is Lord over us?" The young men and women say, " Our strength and our time are our own — who is Lord over us V The rich say, " Our wealth is our own, and we will consume it on our lusts — who is Lord over us ?" The men in high stations, civil and ecclesias- tical, say, " Our authority and influence are our own — who is Lord over us ?" Oh deluded human beings, know ye not, that whether as creatures or as Christians, ye are not your own, but your Maker, your Preserver, your Redeemer is your rightful Lord^ is your beneticent Sovereign; and to acknowledge him, to submit to him, to devote yourselves, soul, spirit, and body to him, is your reasonable service. Ye are strangers on earth ; the place of your residence is his, his is the air you breathe; his are all the accommodations ye possess, and ye sojourn but for a while ; to him soon you must render an account. We infer then, from this principle, that it is your duty to cherish, ON MAN'S RESIDENCE IN THE WORLD. 319 1. A sp'n'it of depetidoice. It is the duly of creatures and of Christians to acknowledge continually, and to feel unceasingly, their dependence on God. It is, I fear, im- practicable, when addressing a mixed congregation, to suit one's discourse to every age and every condition of the hearers, and to every grade of knowledge and expe- rience possessed by them. This is, I fear, an insuperable defect in pulpit instruction. The attainments, and ages, and characters of the congreoations are so different, and the impatience of the better-informed is so great, if the less-informed be attended to, that the preacher too fre- quently is unintelligible to one half of his audience. Hence the necessity and utility of domestic instruction, and of ministerial catechizing of children, and religious conversa- tions with youths ; and of all the varied modes which Christian benevolence can suggest for the inter-communi- cation of scriptural knowledge ; not merely of the dry detail of catechetical facts, but of principles and their ap- plication to daily practice. However, I return from this digression to say, that I ardently desire to lead every in- dividual in this assembly to a dutiful and daily recognition of his dependence on God. Children in helpless infancy are dependent upon their parents. Every man, less or more, is dependent on his neighbours; all ranks are de- pendent reciprocally on each other ; the poor on the opulent rich, and the rich on the labouring poor ; the people on the rulers* for personal and domestic security, and the rulers on the people, for the means of carrying on government. And if men be so dependent on each other, how much more is man dependent on God. The word " independent," although a favourite term, with individuals and communities, is a term more congenial to the pride of the human heart, than to either Scripture or reason ; but when applied to a creature in reference to his Creator, it is blasphemous. Independent! on him we depend for every breath we draw, every pulse that beats. If he withhold * A Chinese once told me he was very grateful for the government of the Tartar Monarch: peace and security, under any government, were so much preferable to anarchy. 320 DISCOURSE XXIV. his support, that instant our life becomes extinct. As creatures, it is in him we live, and move, and have our being ; and as Christians we are like branches, dependent on the true vine for life and growth ; cut off from thence, we die and perish. Beside, to affect independence incurs guilt. Shall a child be independent of his parent, a ser- vant of his master, a subject of his sovereign, a creature of his Maker ? Our moral sense, and our innate perception of right and wrong, rise up against these propositions. Pride and assumed independence are the radical sins of human beings ; they sever man at once from duty and from bliss. Every where, however, there are persons, both among the young and among the aged, the poor and the rich, the ignorant and the learned, the governed and the governors, who impiously demand, as king Pharoah did — who Jehovah is, that they should hearken to him ? and who the Lord is, that they should obey him ? Oh how unreasonable ! Oh what temerity ! Oh how awful the ultimate consequences ! Oh ye young persons who hear me, I am anxious for you, that ye would deeply consider, and devoutly acknowledge, your dependence on God, who is your rightful and beneficent Sovereign, for ye are only strangers and sojourners on the earth. 2. From our state of dependence on the great Sove- reign of the Universe, we infer, in the second place, the reasonableness of obedietice. It is manifest that during man's sojourn on earth, he is left to obey or disobey without immediate reward or punishment. But to the degree that his mind is enlightened in the knowledge of his Lord's will, his disobedience makes his conscience less or more uneasy, and his life unhappy. And hence there are wicked servants^ who imagine that voluntary ignorance of the Lord's will may excuse disobedience. But how futile is this imagination: for is it not the duty of a servant to use every proper means to ascertain his master's will ? not to do so is already an act of disobedience. And, further, it is the duty of every good servant to inform, to the utmost of his power, his fellow-servants of the master's will. Some object to Christian Missions, on the fallacious sup- ON MAN'S RESIDENCE IN THE WORLD. 321 position, that by enlightening other nations in the know- ledge of the will of God, we shall make their condemnation the greater. But it is our duty to communicate to our fellow-residents in this transitory world, whatever we know of our Lord's will, and it is their duty to receive it; and instead of serving them, by keeping them in ignorance, as the supposition presumptuously and impiously supposes, we shall only, by so doing, involve ourselves in the guilt of disobedience, disloyalty, and inhumanity ; for our Lord's will is. full of mercy and of kindness to all his creatures. To seek to know his will, and yield entire obedience to the whole of it, is our most reasonable service, and the only way to be happy. 3. A third inference that we draw is, that during our sojourn on earth, contentment with tlie allotments of our gracious Lord is incumbent on us. A proper sense of his goodness and his wisdom, viewed in connexion with our own sinfulness and ignorance, will invariably lead to a spirit of contentment; not only when our concerns are prosperous, but likewise in adversity. 4. And again, in the fourth place, allied to this con- tentment is resignation ; when our afflictions are more than we think conducive to our good. There are beautiful ex- amples of this becoming temper of mind recorded in Holy Writ. You remember the exclamation of one who was greatly afflicted, " It is the Lord, (said he,) let him do what seemeth him good." And another, whilst greatly distressed, cried, " Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him." Oh how suitable and exalted were their conceptions of the goodness and the wisdom of God. These ex- perienced holy men resigned to God, with devout confi- dence, their case and their cause during the few and evil days of their earthly pilgrimage. Oh how unbecoming are the murmurings of discontent, and the aspirings of a never-satisfied ambition to be rich, or to be distinguished among men. Happy they, who from holding intercourse with Heaven, are contented in obscurity and poverty, and resigned in the midst of an afflicted sojourn on earth ! But when we reflect how the great Lord of all has provided Y 322 DISCOURSE XXIV. for this world's sojourners, a vast supply of all that con- duces to comfort and delight; and for sinful creatures has furnished all the glorious blessings of the everlasting Gos- pel ; we ask not only for a spirit of dependence, obedience, contentment, and resignation, but also of 5. Gratitude, which is our fifth particular. The unholy, the proud, the disobedient, the discontented, the rebellious murmurers and complainers, are also ungrateful and un- thankful. The mind that is convinced of its own demerits, will, in the midst of the most afflictive circumstances, see abundant reason for gratitude, to God. Humility and thankfulness, pride and ingratitude, go together. Blessed are the poor in spirit and the grateful ; but the proud and thankless sinner God knovveth afar off. You perceive, my young friends, that most of these inferences, which I draw from our condition on ea?th, being that of strangers and sojourners, refer to the duties tvhich are exercised in the mind or heart ; for unless our hearts be right with God, we are altogether wrong. The Lord looks directly at the heart. If in the heart there be a humble sense of our de- pendence on Him ; awe and reverence, and devout admi- ration and contentment, and resignation and gratitude, for all that He is to us, and has done for us, as our Creator, Preserver, and Redeemer, happy are we ! Then will our actions and external behaviour be in obedience to his holy, and righteous, and merciful commandments. 6. And, we mention, as a sixth inference, that we so- journers on earth ought to enter cheerfully and zealously into a co-operation ivith the declared intentions or designs of our great Lord, both with regard to ourselves, and to our fellow inhabitants of the world. He is the great Bene- factor of all ; and it has pleased him to constitute some persons a sort of stewards in the great family. The pos- session of justly acquired power or affluence, or superior talents, is given for the good of the whole company of so- journers, and not for the sake only of the individual pos- sessors. To do good and to communicate, is a precept binding on all, to the extent of their means ; and of course it applies both to body and to mind, to the whole man; • ON MAN'S RESIDENCE IN THE WORLD. 323 not only to food and clothing, and medicine for the sick ; but also to education, to moral culture, and to religious in- struction. There is a class of secularized and materialized professors of Christianity, who will admit the duty of doing good to men's bodies, but would neglect their minds. And there are professed philanthropists, who would teach to the young, physical science, and carry to other nations civilization ; that is, they would teach them to weigh and to measure, and to mould pieces of wood, or of stone, or of metal ; and to analyze or to compound the various ma- terial elements of our earthly residence ; and to build com- fortable houses, and plant elegant gardens, in this land of our temporary sojourn ; but concerning the great Lord and Sovereign of this our abode for a season ; of his will and pleasure concerning us ; of our obligations and duty to him ; of the everlasting dwelling to which we must soon remove ; and of the necessary preparation for it, they would teach nothing. They would cast into the shade, or exclude altogether, these greatest and most important parts of human affairs ; or, with hypocritical expressions of piety, would profess to leave these matters to the mi- raculous interference of the great Lord himself. But if they leave the greater concernments of man to the mi- raculous interference of Providence, why not act on their own principle in the less affairs of human beings ? Cannot He (to adopt their mode of reasoning) who miraculously interferes for the spiritual and immortal interests of men, also miraculously interfere for their bodily and tem- poral interests ? Why then plough or sow, or spin or weave, or establish literary schools or mechanics' insti- tutions, or scientific colleges ? Leave each individual to himself; no doubt Providence will take care of him. If the reasoning be conclusive in the one case, I see not why it should be inconclusive in the other. But in the latter case, you perceive it is absurd ; and not less absurd is it in the former. The truth, I fear, really is, that it is only a pretext, made by a mind that is disaffected to the great Lord hiisiself, or doubts his existence, or hates his moral y2 ♦ 324 DISCOURSE XXIV. government, and would have men live as atheists in the world. O ye Christians — ye loyal subjects of Zion's King — ye true worshippers of the God of the Bible ; who is the great Lord of our present, and of our eternal residence — and who declared it to be his will, that Christ's gospel should be proclaimed and taught to every creature — be it your study to co-operate in this divinely benevolent work ! And among other motives, the Second division of our discourse, which is, that II. Mans sojourn on earth shall inevitably terminate, furnishes not the least. Man is here a stranger, a so- journer, a guest, a traveller, a pilgrim. The Christian pilgrim is going indeed to a holy-place, but not on earth. Here he abides not. This description of the life of man implies another state of existence ; the belief of which, as you are well aware, is not peculiar to Christianity, or to revealed religion. The belief of a separate state of exis- tence, different from our earthly one, is found not only among the Mohammedans, who may have derived it from the Christian religion ; but it is also found among the sa- vage tribes of America, and the old civilized nations of Asia. There are, however, in different countries, indivi- duals and sects who deny it. There is nothing about it in the books left to the eastern world by the Chinese moralist Confucius; and many of his followers deny it. But, on the other hand, a great majority of the Chinese not only believe that we human beings shall exist after our bodies die, but also that we existed in another state before we were born into this world ; and on their supposition we are, in a very striking manner, only " strangers and so- journers,'^ on earth. There is, perhaps, no absurdity in this notion ; but we can only say, it wants evidence, and God's inspired servants, who wrote our Holy Scriptures, have not taught it in the Bible. We therefore reject it, as we do every other theory or supposition, which, however plausible, has no proof. But the glimmerings and antici- ON MAN'S RESIDENCE IN THE WORLD. 325 pations of the human mind, in reference to a future state, are abundantly confirmed and put beyond all doubt by the revelation of Him who came down from heaven, to give his life for the redemption of the world ; — He has brought life and immortality to light by the Gospel. Some persons have said that the Jews did not look for a future state ; and an English Bishop of the last century, (War- burton), wrote a book, on the supposition that the Jews did not expect an hereafter. But the ancient Patriarchs, and king David, when they confessed that they were " strangers and sojourners" on earth ; " declare plainly" as St. Parul observes, in his letter to the Hebrews, that they looked for another country ; and truly, if their minds referred, when they made such a declaration, to the coun- try from which they came out, they mig^ht have had oppor- tunity to have returned ; but now they desire a " better country," — " that is a heavenly." If St. Paul understood the old Testament, it is manifest the Bishop was wrong. Since, then, mankind generally, in all ages and in all nations, in the old world of Asia, and the new world of America, have believed in a future state, and the same is confirmed by the sacred writings of the Jews and of the Christians, is it wise, my young friends, to let the bold as- sertions of here and there a profligate infidel, or an irre- ligious cold-hearted sceptic, have any weight on your min ds? A very few de7iy an hereafter ; many wish there were none ; and still more live as if there were none : and even those who are " looking"" for a future state, alas] too fre- quently seem to forget that their sojourn here shall inevi- tably soon terminate. This appears, even ambng the most devout Christians, by their being too much distressed about the ills and discomforts of their present abode, and from an undue anxiety to secure earthly comforts. And of this inconsistency the aged, who have nearly finished their course, are often more guilty than the young. This state of mind is full of distrust in the gracious Lord and Master, who has in times past provided for them : it meets, indeed, with some excuse in the prevailing vice of selfish mortals — • 326 DISCOURSE XXIV. neglect of the infirm and the aged — of which, alas ! Christian communities are not guiltless. But this apology amounts not to a justification. If we trust God our Sa- viour with our immortal happiness, shall we not confide in him, for what is requisite during our temporary sojom'n? But I would observe by the way, that the doctrine of laying up treasures in heaven, instead of hoarding them on earth, does not suppose idleness, or carelessness, or extrava- gance ; but still requires industry, and economy, and care, that we may give pecuniary aid to him that needeth, when he is sick or in prison ; in helpless childhood or in feeble old age ; or that we may instruct those that are ignorant of the blessed Gospel. We should be industrious, that we may contribute to the general good during our sojourn here. We should give to the really poor, (but not foster idleness and vice,) and we should teach the un- willingly ignorant, and in this way lend to and serve the Lord; ever remembering, that all things come of him, both riches and honour, and also talent and strength ; and it is of his own that we give to him : — As the Jewish Com- mentators rendered the prayer of our text, " We only re- turn to Thee what thine own hand hath blessed us withal.'* And as the ancient Christians said, at the place of present- ing offerings, (ra o-a airo twv crwy) Ours is a gift of " Thine oivn thitigs, from thine mvn people .' ' Now, my brethren, since our sojourn on earth shall soon terminate, and its termination is not annihilation, or the destruction of our being; : but a removal to another and an eternal state, either happy or unhappy, according to our spiritual character and behaviour in the present life, it follows that a due anxiety and effort to avoid the unhappy eternity, and attain the blissful one, is the greatest and most reasonable concern of every human being. Oh let not Satan darken your minds, my fellow sinners, on this great question ! He may display to you all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory and the pomp of them ; or fascinate your imaginations with voluptuous dreanjs of pleasure and delight, or urge you on to the pursuits of a never-satiated avarice, with anticipations of the indepen- ON MAN'S RESIDENCE IN THE WORLD. 327 dence, and comfort, and security of fortune and affluence, aiming all the time to make you forget or neglect the coming eternity. But, oh fools that we are, and slow of heart to believe the truth. We are but sojourners here, and have no right to stay, no real property in the goods we accumulate ; we build houses for others to inhabit, we hoard riches for others to squander, we enlarge our barns and stock them with supplies for many years, (every one to the extent that he can,) and after wearisome days and nights of misplaced toil, ere we have sat down to enjoy, the rightful owner, having warned and exercised long patience with us, bids us at once remove. Preparation for eternity was, at the commencement of our course, enjoined upon us ; we despised the commandment, and neglected the admonition, and now further respite is impossible. Thus are the men of ambition, of sensuality, and of avarice, driven away in their wickedness. Oh that every individual who now hears me, of every age and of every condition, children and servants, and young and aged, and poor and rich, would, as in the sight of God, look solemnly and distinctly at a coming eternity, so as to retain throughout this year, and the rest of life, vivid and uniformly abiding impressions of its infinitely important concernments ; — then should we see a rational and devout preparation for it. I alarm you not with declamation about sudden and unex- pected death, events, however, very common ; but I would fix your attention on its shadow-like, sloiv and noiseless, and certain and inevitable approach, " Every beating pulse you tell Leaves but the number less." What earthly power can arrest the sun in his course, or stay the dial gnomon's shadow, as it silently and imper- cetibly moves ? None ! and equally powerless are all human efforts to protract man's sojourn on earth, beyond the period of God's good pleasure. Prepare then, oh sojourner ! to quit at thy Lord's bidding ! Prepare then, oh thou moral criminal, to meet thy Judge ! Prepare, oh Christian, to meet thy Saviour ! 328 DISCOURSE XXIV. Under these various circumstances ye know what prepara- tion is requisite. It is not so necessary on this occasion, ^ I imagine, to teach you what is right, as to stir you up to do it. Hast thou heretofore forgotten God, and Uved with- out Christ? Repent and be converted. Didst thou once ascend the mount of faith and hope, and hast now shdden back to a lower state of heavenly aspiration? to thee also would I say. Repent, and do thy first works. When we look within our own breasts, and around us in the world, how lamentably prevalent is a worldly spirit ! One periodical religious pamphlet of the high church (Christian Remembrancer) for the last month, has indeed complained that " a religious ferment" is rather too much gone forth among the people ; but, alas, how still is this fermentation, compared with the fermentation of worldly aggraiidizement ! I push not the doctrine of our text to any extravagant and impracticable degree, but only ask, for such a course of acting and thinking, as common sense requires, from the facts laid down and proved every day, by ocular demonstration, viz. that here on earth there is none abiding; and added to that, an eternal existence, a heaven of happiness, or a hell of misery, lie before us. We must come to an honest application of our Christian principles, if we would live as it becomes the Gospel.* * Oh what lamentable ignorance, misbelief, forgetfulness of God, and fear of man, must exist in the many unhappy cases of suicide that take place, in every part of the world, and not least in this highly enlightened country. Shame, and revenge, and peevish discontent, have more in- fluence than the natural fear of death, and than the fear of God, with persons of all ranks, of either sex, and of all ages. Some at the outset of their sojourn, and others when it must be near its close, impiously and presumptuously hurry themselves into eternity, instead of waiting the dismissal of their rightful Sovereign. God grant that a better under- standing of man's condition and duty, may every day increase, and so prevent such melancholy occurrences. And would to God that human governments would cease to be so lavish of men's lives for crimes which concern only property. Ah, how seemingly hypocritical, for our legis- lators to pray God to have mercy on those to whom their laws, in pecuniary matters, will shew no mercy. What a contradiction between such doings and the Lord's prayer, " Forgive us, as we forgive." Holy Scripture, indeed, commands that " He who sheddeth man's blood, by ON MAN'S RESIDENCE IN THE WORLD. 329 Finally, ye who have believed in Jesus, remember that he has gone to prepare mansions for you in his Father's house. Oh repine not at the afflictions which ye may be called to endure in this land, wherein ye are strangers and pilgrims. Be not impatient ; be not like the Budhist of China, and the pleasure-sated, wearied, profligate of Europe, to call your existence a curse. Rather up and be active to do all the good possible here. Opportunities to do and to suffer for Jesus, will sooii be over. Work therefore while it is day, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God, when ye shall attain to your eternal abode in heaven. " O God of Bethel ! by whose hand Thy people still are fed ; Who through this weary pilgrimage Hast all our fathers fed ; Our vows, our pray'rs we now present Before thy throne of grace : God of our fathers ! be the God Of their succeeding race. Thro' each perplexing path of life Our wand'ring footsteps guide ; Give us each day our daily bread, And raiment fit provide. O spread tliy cov'ring wings around, Till all our wand'rings cease, And at our Father's lov'd abode Our souls arrive in peace. Such blessings from thy gracious hand Our humble pray'rs implore; And thou shalt be our chosen God, And portion evermore." man shall his blood be shed." But beyond this we doubt the right of any earthly power to shorten man's sojourn on earth, or to remove a fellow creature into eternity before the Sovereign Lord himself shall be pleased to do it. DISCOURSE XXV. DELIVERED IN 1806, BEFORE GOING TO CHINA, The Manuscript was preserved hy an Old Friend. — The place ivhere this Discourse was preached, like many other occurrences of that period, has totally escaped from the memory of the writer. SOURCES OF CONSOLATION TO THE BELIEVER. John xiv. 1 — 3. " Let not your heart he troubled : ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions : if it were not 60, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I ivill come again, and receive yon unto myself ; that where I am, there ye may be also." At is my desire this day, my brethren, to bring to your recollection some of the consolations of the Gospel. I have chosen, as the foundation of my discourse, a portion of our Lord's consolatory address to his disciples, ere he left the world and went to the Father. We are all by nature children of wrath, and we do well to recollect it — the depraved children of our apostate first parents, and as such, exposed to the deserved punishment of the Great and Righteous Supreme. Such being our condition, it is a great mercy that the vials of wrath are not, ere now, poured out upon us. Thanks be to God for our respite from punishment ! But, Christians, our state is not merely a state of respite from punishment. No : through Jesus Christ our Lord, we have received the CONSOLATION TO BELIEVERS. 331 atonement — have passed from death to life. But yet we are not delivered from temporal evils. Our God has wisely and graciously appointed to every one his period of resi- dence in this state of trial. Ye are exposed to outward afflictions and various troubles, in common with other men ; but, in the midst of these, we can address to you, what we cannot address to them — in the words of our Lord Jesus, we say, " Let not your heart be troubled : ye be- lieve in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions : if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you ; and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." You are familiar with the occasion on which these words were spoken ; and we shall not occupy your time in going over it, but shall, with humility, examine for your comfort the sources of consolation which our Lord here suggests to his disconsolate disciples, and which are cal- culated to bear up your minds under any trial, and make you, through the whole of life, happy Christians. The sources of consolation which our Lord suggests, are these five. Confidence in himself — Mansions in his Father's house — His presence there now — His second coming — and, our everlastino- abode with him. The Lord grant that your souls may be edified and com- forted, whilst I speak, and you muse, on our dear Re- deemer's words. First, then, have confidence in Christ Jesus. " Let not your heart be troubled," said he, " ye believe in God, believe also in me." You believe in God who laid the foundation of the earth, who stretched abroad the heavens, who holdeth the sea in the hollow of his hand, and who taketh up the isles as a very little thing ; whose arm is omnipotent, whose understanding is infinite, who is the governor among the nations ; — believe also in me. Believe what I have said concerning myself, what the Father has testified concerning me, and what the works that I do bear witness of. I told you that I came forth from God. The Father testified, saying, *' This is my beloved Son, in whom 332 DISCOURSE XXV. I am well pleased, hear ye him." And if ye believe not these, believe my works. My Christian brethren, tell me, can ye gather consola- tion from a belief in God, simply considered, when you remember your own sinfulness I wish you not to form frightful ideas of God, or in your imaginations to make him a cruel tyrant. But say, when you form the most lovely ideas of God, (which are the true ones,) and when you keep in sight your own wickedness and impurity, say if ye can gather consolation. It is impossible. Unless you rob God of his perfections, and make him like yourselves, it is impossible ! The highest that we can obtain will be a pain- ful uncertainty. It will only be, at its highest, a peradven- ture — who can tell but what God may have mercy and spare us. Yours is not a painful uncertainty, if you be- lieve in Jesus Christ as Mediator betwixt God and man. When conscience told thee the truth, my brother, that God was incensed a^z-ainst thee, that everlasting^ destruction awaited thee — what couldst thou have done ? what could have eased thy troubled breast, hadst thou not discovered, hadst thou not believed that Jesus was a daysman betwixt thee and offended Deity ? Is it not the faith of this that now restores peace to thy conscience when troubled by sin? Cherish the belief. Dwell with delight upon the person, the work, the relations, and the fulness of Jesus. And who is Jesus ? Is he a great and good man ? He is more than man — he is more than angel — he is more than super-angeiic spirit — he is the Son of God. When the Father bringeth his first begotten into the world, he saith, " Let all the angels of God worship him." He maketh his angels ministers, and his spirits a flaming fire ; but to the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever ; a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom : of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hands. Jesus is over all, God blessed for ever. And what has Jesus done? — What has Jesus done! Though he was in the form of God, and thought it not robbery to be equal with God, yet for us he humbled him- CONSOLATION TO BELIEVERS. 333 self : took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the hkeness of sinful flesh, and became obedient to death, even the death of the cross. He cheerfully gave himself a sacrifice for us. He was made a curse for us, that he might redeem us from the curse of the law. He bore for us what was equivalent to everlasting perdition. I have not mentioned that he revealed to men fully the law of God — that he brought life and immortality to light; for my mind was led away to the great work of making atonement for our trangressions. For what would it have availed to have made known to us the law of God, if it only showed to us more clearly our crimes and our guilt ? What would the knowledge of immortality have availed, if we were to have been immortally miserable? But Jesus died that we might live. And what are his relations to us ? He is our Surety; he is our Shepherd to feed us, and to lead and guide us ; he is our elder Brother ; by faith in him, we are received into the family of God : Yea, we are bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh. And what is his fulness? His fulness is inexhaustible. In him there is a fulness of power, of wisdom, of good- ness, of grace, but I enumerate them not ; the Book of Inspiration has said more than the mind of man can con- ceive of his fulness ; for in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. Wherefore consider, my Christian brother, the relations in which Jesus stands to thy soul. Who he is, what he has done, and the fulness that is treasured up in him. I say, consider it, and believe it, and say if there be reason for your heart to be troubled. Is there not in the faith of Jesus enough to raise our minds far above, as far as the heavens are above the earth, and to make us move as undisturbed as the celestial orbs amidst all the convulsions that rend the solid world. Let us pass on to the Second thought that is suggested for our consolations. Our Saviour says, In my Father's house are many man- sions. I wish you, my brethren, to realize what is your state whilst in this world, viz. That of strangers and pil- 334 DISCOURSE XXV. grims. I wish you to look forward, and to gather your consolations from your future prospects. But look not to any thing on this side the grave. Lift up the eye of faith, and look beyond the gloomy vale, and tell me if you do not perceive the heavenly palaces. It is the new Jeru- salem, it is the temple of our God, it is our Father's house. Yes, our Fathers house! We claim God as our Father, and he is not ashamed to call us children, seeing he hath prepared for us a city and dwellings that are worthy of himself. Our present dwellings, my brethren, are in the dust ; we are the inhabitants of our earthly house. We meditate, sometimes, with considerable anxiety, the day when these bodies shall be assimilated to the clods of the valley. From time to time we are called to lament the ruined fabric of our near and dear relatives. But why, my brethren 1 why should we look forward with anxiety to our own dissolution, or mourn the dissolution of the earthly dwelling of our friends in Jesus? We know that when this earthly house of our tabernacle is dissolved, there is a build- ing of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Reflect on its properties. It is a building of God, from which he has excluded sin and the curse, which effected the ruin of the house we now inhabit. It is not made with hands, an expression that denotes its excellence, as being far above the power of the cre-iture. Let the most skilful workman select the choicest materials, tlie most delightful situation, and give to his building all .the charms that nature or art can furnish, or fancy herself could ever paint, thou, my Christian brother, hast a man- sion that infinitely excels in thy Father's house, and unlike the mansions built by feeble man, it is eternal. Where now are the temples and cities that once boasted immor- tality ? Where is ancient Nineveh ? Babylon the great, is fallen, is fallen ! Where is golden Thebes, her ivory palace, her hundred gates? they are buried in their own ruins, and not only so, sed etiam perire ruincE, but even their very ruins perish. We have heard their names, but can with difficulty ascertain the spot where they stood. But why do 1 mention these, though the wonder of the CONSOLATION TO BELIEVERS. 335 world and the pride of nations ; for the \Aorld itself shall pass away, and no place be found for it. Nature herself shall yield her dying groans, and all the things that are therein shall be burnt up ; but the abodes of the Redeemed of the Lord are eternal in the heavens. But say you, what assurance have we of these things? If it had not been so, said Jesus, who is the true and faith- ful witness, I would have told you. — And what security have we of entering into those blessed mansions? This leads us to the Third source of consolation which we mentioned, viz. our Lord's presence there now. He is our foreruimer, and has for us entered into the possession of the heavenly in- heritance. It is our Lord's design to bring many sons to glory. As our surety, he has put himself in our stead and borne our sins, that he might ransom us from hell ; and by his resurrection and ascension to gloi-y he prepares the way for all his followers. There would be no admission there but for Jesus. Say not, but will Jesus remember the low estate of his servants ? O when shall we cease to doubt of the love of Jesus ! How much proof do you ask of his most ardent affection ? Did he leave the bosom of his father — for us give himself to shame and spitting — to scourging and crucifixion ; and can we imagine that he now forgets us? — No, no. Christians, you are engraven on the palms of his hands, — you are ever before him. Honour the Lord by leaning much upon him, expecting much from him. Realize then, my Christian brethren, your interest in Jesus ; realize the work in which he is en- gaged for you, worthless creatures ; and the believing con- sideration of it will dispel every gloom, and afford a most powerful argument for the exhortation — '^ Let not your heart be troubled." But will Jesus return when those mansions are pre- pared ? Yes ; the words of our Lord are, " I will come again ;" and this is the Fourth source of consolation which we mention — our Lord's second coming. Now in his absence he has sent the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, to abide with us. — You 336 DISCOURSE XXV. feel, I trust, though you cannot explain, his happy influ- ences ; but still you look forward, and hasten to the coming of the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. When he will come he has not told us; but he says, " Lo! I come quickly." — He will come at the hour of our death, previous to which the time may be but very short. I do not mention five, or ten, or twenty years, which will most assuredly bring many of us to death and to the house appointed for all living; — but I mention a hundred years, which will bring us all to death, and introduce us to our Lord. But we stop not here : direct your prospect onward still to the great and notable day of the Lord, when he shall come in flaming fire in his glory — in the glory of the Father and all the holy angels with him; and by his all- creating voice, that spoke the universe into existence, shall rouse thy dust from the slumbers of death, and transform thy body; and in the audience of an assembled world shall bid thee welcome to his Father's house, and to those man- sions which were prepared for thee from the foundation of the world. But are we sure that Jesus will come again ? where is the promise of his coming ? for since the fathers slept, all things continued as they were. My young brother, suffer not Satan to whisper into thine ear such an insinuation. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness, but is long-suffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Know ye not that a thousand years are with the Lord as one day, and one day is as a thousand years ? You have seen the promises of Jesus fulfilled in other instances, and these furnish a rational evidence that this also shall be fulfilled in its time. But what shall succeed my Lord's coming ? shall I see him whom my soul loveth for a short time, and again be separated from him? No;— he will receive us to himself, that where he is, there we may be also ; we shall be ever with the Lord. And this is the Fifth and last source of consolation offered in our text. CONSOLATION TO BELIEVERS. 337 In this distant land we for a short time ascend the mount to converse with God in his ordinances, as I trust ye this day did in a pecuhar manner at his holy table ; but soon we must again descend into the world, and engage in its cares and pursuits. But when we have seen the temple of God above, and entered into the possession of those mansions in our Father's house, we shall go no more out. Jesus says, " Father, I will that those whom thou hast given me may be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory." We behold his glory now, but it is through a glass darkly ; whereas then we shall see him face to face, and know even as also we are known. The object will be the same, but the perceptive faculty will be infinitely improved, and with steady eye we shall behold the glories of God and of the Lamb ; enlarged discoveries of the love and grace of God in the person of the Son; which have been gradually unfolded to us, and exercised on our behalf to the day of our admission into glory, will fill our astonished souls with gratitude ineffable, and our tongues with never-ceasing praises. O with what delight shall we " sit on every heavenly hill," and talk of our Saviour's love to us, poor sinful mortals. The only matter of debate will be, who owes most to sovereign grace. With joy unfelt by angels, we shall join the ransomed millions round the throne, and sing the hymn of endless praise to Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in his blood, and made us kings and priests to God. O thrice happy state of all who believe in Jesus Christ ! all the perfections of God are on your side ; on the dissolution of the body there are mansions in heaven to receive you — Jesus is now preparing for your reception — Jesus will come and receive you to himself, that where he is, there shall you be also, and be ever with the Lord. Amen ! So let it be ! The Saviour says, Let not your heart with anxious thought Be troubled or dismay'd, But trust in Providence divine, Atid trust my gracious aid. 338 DISCOURSE XXV. I to my Father's house return, There numerous mansions stand, And glory manifold abounds Thro' all the happy land. I go your entrance to secure And your abode prepare ; Regions unknown are safe to you When I, your friend, am there. Thence will I come when ages close, To take you home with me : There shall we meet to part no more. And still together be. DISCOURSE XXVI. DELIVEKEB AT THE REV. J. CLAYTON, JUNIOR'S, CIIAPEI.. 1 EU. 26, 1826. ^ THE POWER OF CHRIST RESTING ON HIS PEOPLE AND SERVANTS, THE ONLY TRUE CAUSE OF GLO- RYING. 2 Cor. xii. 9. " Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." XT is recorded of the Apostle Paul, (I determine not how truly,) that he was of low stature, crooked and bald ; some add that he had an impediment in his speech, that his voice was shrill and unpleasant, and his delivery ungrace- ful." (Scott, in loco.) He himself tells us, in a paragraph of his second epistle to the Corinthians, that his enemies represented his letters as indeed weighty and powerful ; but his bodily presence as weak, and his speech contemp- tible. This accusation was probably exaggerated, but still, had he been a man of commanding appearance, and had he excelled in the eloquence of the day, they would not have brought against him such an accusation. The infirtnitj/ which he calls a "thorn in the flesh," and " a messenger of Satan sent to buffet him," some have considered to arise from his "personal defects, of which he was conscious, and which gave his enemies, especially the false apostles, a colour of reviling and derid- z 2 340 DISCOURSE XXVL ing him." But it cannot be supposed, without apparent absurdity, that St. Paul would pray for the removal of bodily defects, which could not be brought about without a miraculous mterposition of Almighty power. Beside, his bodily defects of low stature, and so forth, had been with him through life ; they were not given or sent at any par- ticular period, nor could they be removed. The Apostle, by employing figurative language on the subject of the infirmity, which occasioned him so much uneasiness, has cast a veil over it, which no industry of commentators or otliers has ever been able to remove. Nor is it at all of consequence to the complete understand- ing of the Apostle's reasoning. The circumstances of the case are these : St. Paul had been highly favoured, and treated as a man greatly beloved in the heavenly world. Jesus had in a special and unexampled manner appeared to him in the glory of his exalted human nature, witb an effulgence exceeding that of the sun shining in its strength ; and he was, at a subsequent period, "caught up to the third heaven," to the paradise of God, where he was blessed with visions and revelations of the Lord ; and " heard unspeak- able words," which it is not possible for a man to utter, in the language of mortals. But St. Paul had still to reside a little longer on earth among his fellow-men, and was liable, as other men are, to be unduly elated by the privileges conferred upon him; to prevent which it pleased God his Saviour to permit him to be assaulted by the enemy of man, in the form of some temptation or infirmity, calculated to humble him in his own estimation, a' d perhaps also to lower him in the esteem of others. To have this " thorn," which galled and annoyed him, removed, he was very anxious, and besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from him. But his prayer was not granted : what he desired was not conceded. Instead of removing his infirmity, the Lord said unto him, *^ My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness." Paul was satisfied, and formed the resolution, contained in the words of our text — " Most CHRIST THE TRUE CAUSE OF GLORYING. 341 gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my injirmities, that the poiver of Christ may rest upon me." You perceive St. Paul prayed to a person he styles the Lord ; that ^ame Z/on/ replied to his prayer; and the Lord who was prayed to, and answered, was the Lord Christ. The Lord said, " My grace" shall be with thee, and *' my strength" shall support thee ; and these the Apostle calls the " Poiver of Christ." Christ Jesus is therefore the object of prayer, and consequently truly God. By this power resting upon him must be understood its being always present with him, to assist and sustain him in the time of need. Having thus briefly traced the occasion and import of the words of our text, I shall deduce from them a few practical inferences. And, First, Infirmities, temptations, and anxieties, have been the lot of the most eminent servants of God ; of inspired Apostles, as well as of ordinary ministers and private Christians ; for so general, in all places, and in every age, have been the pernicious effects of man's first apostacy ; it has involved all mankind. Although the renewing in- fluences of God's Holy Spirit produce an extensively bene- ficial change upon the human soul, sanctification has still to progress through the whole of life, and is, we believe, never perfected whilst man remains on earth. The idea of sinless perfection whilst here below, is not a doctrine, we apprehend, according to the Scriptures ; and the idea of entire rest on the Christian's part, or a complete cessa- tion of hostilities on the part of Satan, the world, and corrupt nature, derives no proof either from Scripture or experience. But it would appear fr-om the promise made to the Apostle Paul, that some conscious weakness or inability for the performance of his great and important duties, was that which depressed him, or caused him anxiety. If he surveyed the power of spiritual enemies, and the hostility of earthly authorities, with the inveterate prejudices and cor- rupt usages which prevailed among the mass of mankind, he might naturally desire to have arrayed on the side of the 342 DISCOURSE XXVI. Ciiristian cause, more apparent sanction from Heaven, and a more visible demonstration of strength to support its interests. Whether a tendency to distrust, to unbehef, and secret misgivings as to the truth and final issue of this cause, constituted " the thorn" which galled him •, or whether it was a temptation to some corporeal sin, to which he alluded, we cannot tell. But all these, in the ex- perience of eminently good men, have been, in every age, as " messengers of Satan" sent to buffet them : and God has been pleased to cause the facts to be recorded in Holy Scripture for the consolation of those who may, in different ages, be similarly tried. I remark, secondly, that as St. Paul desired and prayed for a complete deliverance from that infirmity, temptation, or trial which harassed him; so do most Christians, in similar circumstances, desire to be completely delivered from temptation : it is a common wish, but it does not seem to be a suitable or proper one ; and when granted, it seldom proves a season of soul prosperity. Man's weak mind is soon elated. The love of ease to an undue degree is inherent in depraved nature. The desire to attain a supposed sufficiency in self is ever at work in the human mind. In the carnal mind it refers to worldly possessions ; and in the spiritual mind, it refers to spiritual gifts. Hence most men, instead of a suitable and daily reliance upon Divine Providence, labour and toil to be rich; and are discontented, and thankless, and fretful, if they succeed not in obtaining what they call an independence ; and spiritually minded men are importunate to be dehvered from temptations and trials, instead of pleading for divine help to resist them, and looking continually to the power of Christ to sustain their souls and give them the victory. Men who, like St. Paul, are called to difficult duties, are prone to look too much to self, and to desire to be made independent of heaven. Thus, Moses and Jeremiah objected to undertake the duties assigned them, till each received from the Great Lord a severe rebuke. If God bid thee go and speak to thy fellow creatures, and to deliver to them a message from him, why object to do so from thy CHRIST THE TRUE CAUSE OF GLORYING. 343 want of eloquence : for who made man's mouth ? Look to the Almighty for help, and go thou to perform his bidding. It is not a good spirit that induces a child, or a servant, to refuse to do what a father, or a master requires, on the plea of inability, and the want of sufficient means. It implies a direct charge of a defect of knowledge or wisdom in the person who gives the command ; and also a distrust of being sufficiently attended to and supported. And it indicates a lack of cheerful, willing devotedness in the person who receives the command. How opposite was the impulse of Isaiah's good feeling, when he heard the ques- tion put by the Triune Jehovah, " Who will goforws?" How prompt was his answer, although but a minute ago lamenting his unworthiness ! Being blessed by a seraphic touch, communicating- a purifying and ardent zeal to his lips, as if inflamed by a living burning coal from off God's altar, he instantly cried out, " Here am I ; send me." Oh, my brethren this ready mind, this willing cheerful devotedness, is what we should possess in all the duties God calls us to, whether in private or in public ; whether in the Ministry at home or the Ministry abroad. We should possess a cheerful alacrity to serve, and a God- honouring confidence in His goodness and faithfulness and power. For I remark, in the third place, The Lord would have his people cherish a daily and an hourly dependance on himself. It is safest and best for them. Man in his original condition, when innocent, and stronger than he is now in his guilty and fallen estate, should still, as a crea- ture, have cherished a spirit of humble and constant de- pendence on his Creator. Or if we consider that man was then entrusted with moie than he is now ; and that from the temptation of a proud desire to be independent he failed to secure and preserve the innocence he possessed ; we see the reason why the restored spirit of man must be united to Jesus ; and that it is in Him only the strength of every believer resides. He is the Head of that body, which is spiritually called the Church; 344 DISCOURSE XXVI. the members of which are known certainly only to himself. He is the vine, and believers are the branches. But can a hand live when severed from the body ; or can it move and act without influence from the head? Can a branch grow and bear fruit when cut off" from the vine? Is the dependence only annual, or is it not daily, and hourly, and momentary? Still simple and obvious as this truth is, there is perhaps no truth which, judging by the practice of God's people in every age, they have sooner disregarded and seemingly forgotten. In the season of weakness and in the hour of adversity, they cleave to the Lord ; but in the day of supposed strength, and in the time of prosperity, they forget him. They become, as the Bible represents them, like high-fed animals, turbulent, and vicious. " Jeshurun waxed fat and kicked." I dare say, in the history of your own lives, there are not a few here present, who can remember seasons in which they have been (like St. Paul, but with much less reason) exalted above measure ; and who subsequently would ac- knowledge that it was good for them that they were afflicted and humbled — it was good for them that they were reminded of their own weakness, and were made to Cease from man ; to relinquish dependence on princes, or the son of man, in whom there is no stay. Ah, how many have there been, who have really felt, as a celebrated cardinal expressed himself, " Had I served my God as faithfully as I have served my king, he would not have forsaken me in my old age." In his temporal prosperity, he forgot his God, and in his adversity he repented ; and it may be returned with acceptance — God alone knows. But the fact serves the purpose of our main argument, that it is good to be afflicted, and be made to know our 'frailty and weakness. And hence we observe, in the fourth place. Divine Wisdom sees fit in mercy, to allow of temptations, trials, and persecutions, or infirmities ; sinless infirmities, if you please ; and also temptations to sin, in thought, word, and deed. The type of the Christian life, contained in the CHRIST THE TRt3E CAUSE OF GLORYING. 345 events of God's chosen people, the posterity of Jacob, commonly called the children of Israel, represents very fully the character of real Christians, and the manner of God's dealing with them. They are not, from a state of bondage, darkness, and sorrow, at once transplanted into a paradise of rest and enjoyment ; but are brought through a dreary wilderness, and to a land good in itself, but, for the possession of every foot of which they are compelled to fight. Possession is the result of danger and conflict, and the death of some. We must, my brethren, through much tribulation enter into the kingdom. My young bro- ther, who art entering on the Christian course and the Christian warfare, thinkest thou, all at once, to gain the ascendancy over thy evil propensities? There is not, my brother, reason, if we judge by the experience of those who have preceded thee, to expect it. The enemy of God, who is still allowed an existence in the universe, will not so readily desist from whatever may be in his power to harm thee. The influence of corrupt nature, and the effects of habit, are not so easily overcome — thy resolutions made to-day ^ and broken to-morrow, do not so readily attain a fixed and determined character. There is no period, my brother, on this side the grave, at which a Christian can say, " My warfare is accomplished," much less at the beginning of his career. This representation is, we believe, the fact ; and being by Heaven's permission, it is therefore wise and good. No doubt God could make the earth bring forth spontaneously all that is necessary for man, without his effort or labour. But it was not done even in Paradise. No doubt Heaven could perfect the Christian life, and complete the Christian character at once ; but it is not done. We therefore infer, that industry and effort are better, both for the natural and spiritual man, than ease and indulgence : and hence also God is pleased to permit infirmities, temptations, trials, and persecutions, during the whole of a Christian's sojourn on earth. Is the Christian then abandoned and unsupported ? left single-handed to withstand the assaults of the devil, the world, and the flesh ? O, no ! There is a voice from heaven, 346 DISCOURSE XXVI. speaking audibly to his anxious spirit, and that voice comes from the Lord Christ, saying, ** Sufficient for thee is my grace; for my power is in (thy) weakness perfected." This supplies a^/?/'M topic, to which I respectfully solicit your attention. And we must here stop for a moment to attend to the Person speaking. At the commencement of our discourse, we adverted to the fact, that the Lord Christ, who gave the promise, tvas the Perso7i to whom the Apostle prayed. To remove the " hifirmity 1^ or weakness, or temptation, which St. Paul spoke of metaphorically, as a thorn ill thejleshy he thrice, in solemn prayer, besought the Lord. But the Being who is prayed to, must, according to the Christian Scripture, be the true God. Angels, who are of a higher nature than human creatures, in Holy Scrip- ture, refuse to be worshipped ; and they direct mistaken mortals, that worship must not be offered to them, but to God. Our text is one of many passages contained in Holy Writ, from which light incidentally falls upon the great and fundamentally important question of our Lords real character. That is, his two-fold character — very God, and very man. St. Paul speaks of the Man Christ Jesus, and St. Paul prays to the Lord Christ. Did St. Paul then worship a mere man? or a superhuman being? or, did he worship God? Admitting that Christianity is true, and that St. Paul understood and practised it ; if he worshipped either man or angel, we see no difference in this respect, between Christianity and the hero or demon worship of China, or of any other part of the world ; and their worship also, on this supposition, must be proper. But if, when he worshipped the " Lord Christ," the object of his worship was not similar to objects of worship in the pagan world, but was God ; then the Lord Christ is God. This, my brethren, as you well know, is ihefact of Divine Revela- tion : of the nature or mode of God's existence, and hoiu the divine and human natures are united, we know nothing. But, as is perfectly reasonable, we human creatures, (even if our nature were of a higher order than it is, and pos- sessed all the intelligence of innocence and perlection) CHRIST THE TRUE CAUSE OF GLORYING. 347 must believe implicitly the testimony of our Creator con- cerning himself. From Revelation we know that Jesus is Emmanuel^ which being interpreted from tlie Hebrew into the English tongue, means, " God with us." The Saviour is styled, " God manifest in the flesh," or in human na- ture. It is written, that, " Christ Jesus, being in the form of God, was made in the likeness of men." The evident scope and import of the Bible is, that Jesus Christ, tlie Saviour of the world, is God-man : that in the Person of Christ, we behold Deity-incarnate. And, according to the Scriptures, it is equally evident that the Person of Christ, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, constitute One Jehovah. For most clearly do the Sacred Writings declare the doctrine, that the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God ; yet there are not three Gods, but ONE only ; and He is the living and true God. The Je- hovah, or God of the Bible, is One — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and whichever term be used, the import still is, that this Three-one Jehovah is the only true and proper object of worship. In the practice of mankind, there is nothing more usual than to speak of the same per- son under different relations, and our Saviour, the Lord Christ, is, throughout the New Testament, also spoken of in this variety of manner. In the language of our text he is evidently spoken of in relation to his divine nature ; for, most apparent is it, that the grace or favour promised to St. Paul, is not the grace or favour either of ma7i or of angel, or super-angelic being, but the grace or favour of the Divinity. Alas, what consolation could it afford to be told by a human being, " My grace is sufficient for thee ; for tny strength is made perfect in weakness." If Jesus were a mere man, as some in our day assert, (and we fear blasj)hemously,) why should not the Apostle Paul as well trust in himself, as trust in the Prophet Jesus ; and glory in his own Apostolic power, as glory in the power of Christ? According to the heterodox opinions of Arius and of Socinus, O v/hat a meagre, miserable, system is Christianity ! and how discordant the various precepts and declarations of the Bible. In places unnumbered, we have 348 DISCOURSE XXVI. idolatry denounced, and curses heaped on the head of him who shall trust in an arm of flesh ; whilst, in the passage before us, we have St. Paul, the chief of the Apostles, (supposing Socinianism true,) praying to a creature — a mere human being. But according to the orthodox creed — the twofold na- ture of Christ, and the Trinity-in-Unity — Holy Scripture is all plain, perspicuous, and consistent. The consolations that are in Christ are divine consolations, the promise of his favour, and the presence of his poiver, secure to the Christian in the time of his infirmity or weakness, the gra- cious regards of injinite benevolence^ and the unweared support of an Ahnighty arm. Here we see sense, and significance, and propriety, and wisdom, in St. Paul's determination to glory in the power of Christ resting on him ; but, on the other supposition, neither common sense nor common propriety are at all discernible. Glorying in a deceased fellow-creature's power resting upon him ! How utterly incredible ! If this be well, they also do well who remove their confidence from God, and trust in living fellow mortals, or glory in their own wisdom, power, or skill. But " thus saith the Lord, (he whose name is Jehovah,) Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty glory in his might ; let not the rich man glory in his riches; but let him that glorieth, glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me — that I am the Lord, which exercise loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord." Well, but, Jesus Christ promises to exercise " loving-kind- ness, judgement, and righteousness, in the earth," therefore the Lord Christ is the true Jehovah. One disposed to cavil may object, " I have misrepre- sented St. Paul : he says, he will " glory in his infirmities ;" but does not say, he will " glory in the power of Christ." Li answer to this, I reply, True, St. Paul says he will " glory in his infirmities,^' but it is not in the infirmities themselves that he gloried, for he anxiously desired to have them removed. He gloried in their proving an occasion for Christ's power to rest upon him ; and, therefore, manifestly CHRIST THE TRUE CAUSE OF GLORYING. 349 it was that poiuer which was the object of his glorying. He was no longer mortified and distressed about those things which proved the means of so glorious a result. Having good reason then to conclude that the promise of the Lord Christ is the promise of the true and proper object of vv'orship, that is, of One possessing all the attri- butes and perfections of Diety — self-existence, eternity, omnipresence, omniscience, omnipotence, incomprehensi^ bleness; also wisdom, goodness, justice, mercy, holiness, and truth, all in an infinite degree ; we may see clearly the value of his promises. Oh how rich the consolation to be derived from — oh how rational the confidence to be re- posed in, a promise of Jehovah-Jesus ! whose deep and intense interest in the happiness of man has been so won- derfully displayed. For he took not on him the nature of angels, but of the children of Abraham — the nature of man. For man's sake he condescended to be born into our world, to sustain the form of a servant ; to bear poverty, insult, agony, and death, even the death of the cross — the slow and ignominous death of the accursed tree ! But it may be objected, the promise I refer to was made to Paul, not to us. An answer to this brings us to a sixth topic of discourse. It is true, that there are, in Holy Scripture, specific pro- mises on some subjects, made to particular individuals ; and we believe it is equally true, that there are very many precious promises made, not to particular individuals, but to all who sustain a given character ; as for example, to those who fear God, who trust in him, who believe in Jesus, who are humble, and pure, and peaceable ; and further, some of those promises made to individuals, may safely be applied to all, who resemble the characters of the individuals to whom the promise was originally made. The case before us, we apprehended, comes under this class ; all who, like St. Paul, are conscious of their infirmi- ties, lament them, and pray to God either for deliverance or help — either for a removal of the temptation, or a way to be opened to escape from it — may consider the Saviour's promise as justly applicable to themselves. For seeing 350 DTSCOURSE XXVI. that no polluted, guilty, helpless, miserable, perishing crea- ture of the human race, that comes to Jesus craving eternal salvation, shall in any wise be rejected : it is not suppos- able that any feeble, tempted, harassed disciple, who re- linquishes self-confidence, and trusts in him, shall not re- ceive mercy to pardon, and grace to help. For his " grace is sufiicient" for the necessities of countless mil- lions of souls ; and his strength is exhibited as perfect and complete, in supporting and assisting every faithful servant, however weak. We see, then, what is our duty. It is, not to be anxious and solicitous to possess high talents, eminent gifts, great resources, splendid establishments ; for these of themselves will be unavailing ; but it ought to be our anxiety and our solicitude, that the " power of Christ" may rest upon our souls, our Churches, our Ministers and our Missionaries, — our home Pastors and our Apostolic Evangelists. ( I speak of their office, not of their persons ; the office is Apostolic, whatever the character of some who fill it may be.) However, this is rather beside my main object — it is not any office, nor any person, that can produce the effect desired ; it is the Saviour's " power" resting (as our English translators have it) on the agents of the work. There is great emphasis on the word rest. It is not a casual visit, not a momentary stay. It is (as some would render it) an " entering in, and taking possessing of the soul;" a "taking entire possesion of, and dwelling in." For the word has an allusion to a tent in which a person dwells, or which overshadoius and protects him. And this last idea is that adopted in the Syriac, Italian, and English translations ; all expressing a wish that the Divine power of the Lord Christ should " overshadoiv," " rest upon," be permanently placed over, and protect or defend him who is weak, and conscious of his own infirmities. Now, then, if they would follow the example of Paul, how should disciples regard their infirmities? With re- pining and discontent ? With envious feelings towards more highly gifted persons? No! But with humility, and submission, and thankfulness, and even with a hyperbolical CHRIST THE TRUE CAUSE OF GLORYING. 351 or ultra feeling of satisfaction, or of glorying ; knowing that the Saviour's power is most likely to be present with the weakest of his servants — the lambs of his flock ; and the strength derived from his overshadowing power, is a better defence, a more efficient auxiliary, than the inherent strength of the strongest. " If I must needs glory, (says St. Paul,) I will glory of the things which concern my iri/irmities." And the word injirniity is of very extensive application ; it denotes weakness, sickness, bodily frailty, poverty, or indigence; ^hemgdestitute of authority , dignity y or poiver — a condition in man's eyes contemptible ; and also silverings, or afflictions, and persecutions. But had he not explained himself, as in the words of our text, how inexpli- cable would his assertions have remained ; as it is, he is perfectly intelligible : and no where does he make a secret of his imperfections. " Ye know," says he to the Galatians, " how through infirmity of the Jlesh, (i. e. bodily infir- mity,) I preached the gospel unto you at the first, and my temptation (or affliction) which was in my flesh (a Jewish expression for body,) ye despised not nor rejected," So far indeed from making a secret of his infirmities, or of repining and discontentedly grieving about them, he as- serts, that in consequence of the Lord's gracious promise, he took pleasure in them. His words are these, " That the power of Christ may rest upon me, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake ; for when I am weak, then am I strong." In this passage you perceive he gives all the latitude of meaning to the word " infirmity," which we just now noticed ; " reproaches, necessities, persecutions, distresses," are all included ; but it must be at the same time observed, that they were endured for " Christ's sake ;" which leads us to this conclusion, that, although the gracious promise of the Saviour's over-shadowing power, and all-sufficient grace, is fairly extended to every humble believer, under all circumstances, there is a special reference to private Christians and to public servants, who suffer for righteous- ness' sake. 352 DISCOURSE XXVI. I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in dis- tresses, for Christ's sake. How extraordinary the lan- o-uasre ! How intense the devotion to Christ's cause ! How completely superior to all distrust of the Saviour's aid ! The idea evidently is, the more we suffer with him, and for him, the more secure and certain are we of his constant and almighty aid. This is indeed throughout the doctrine of the Scriptures. " As thy day is, so shall thy strength be." — " For, as our sufferings on account of Christ abound, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ." — " Blessed are they that are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for their's is the kingdom of heaven." — " Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake ; rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." There is, in all these passages of God's Word, the same principle pervading them ; viz. that the faithful and devoted servant, however great his infirmity, however few his talents, however small his success ; if he do but labour and suffer in his Lord's cause, he shall be recognised, supported, honoured, and rewarded. When Heaven looks on mortal efforts, it is not the high talent alone, not the lofty perfectionist, but the sincere and devoted servant, who is honoured with approbation and divine protection. Most Christians have had the proofs and exemplifications of this, in their own experience. It has not been the most highly gifted, but the most sincerely devoted, on whom the Saviour's power has most conspicuously rested. It was, we believe, a view of the case, similar to that which has now been taken, which induced St. Paul to declare, that if he must needs glory he would glory in his in- firmities. Observe, finally, the encouragement which is afforded by this subject to engage in the Saviour's cause. To the young disciple, whose often violated resolutions dispirit, and depress, and discourage from adventuring onward in the Christian warfare, I would suggest, that however neces- sary the use of means to avoid temptation, and to resis- CHRIST THE TRUE CAUSE OF GLORYING. 353 evil, certainly is ; still it is not less necessary to look be- yond and above oneself to the Divine Saviour, and place our entire confidence and only hope of success absolutely in his power resting on us 5 ye know He has said, " With- out me ye can do nothing. Can the branch bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine? No more can ye, except ye abide in me." But, on the other hand, he also says to those who are dicouraged, on account of their weaknesses and infirmities, " My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness." Let not then your heart fail you, nor your hands hang down in remissness and inactivity ; but take courage and press onward, looking to Jesus, whose over-shadowing protection, and whose ever-present power, constitute such a stimulus and defence, as shall ensure to the feeblest Christian an ultimate and complete victory over all his enemies. To all sincere and devoted Ministers of the Word, Home Pastors and Foreign Evangelists, this subject affords the greatest encouragement. We sometimes have seen the necessary qualifications of Ministers and Mis- sionaries drawn in such a high style of natural and in- tellectual, as well as moral and religious perfection, that I am sure no modest man could ever deem himself at all fitted for the service of his Lord. But the Master himself has not thus stated the case; Paul has not so stated it. The Apostles of our Lord have not led us to suppose that they were men exempt from the passions and the infir- mities, and the wants and the imperfections of other men. As if it came by their own wisdom, or power, or goodness, that they " made men whole," converted many thousands, and radicated Christianity in the world. They too had strifes and contentions among themselves and with their fellow-disciples ; and whatever painters may represent on the canvass, or orators declaim from the rostrum, there is no reason to believe that the great Apostle of the Gentiles either possessed a fine person, or a powerful voice ; but there is reason to believe, from his own testimony, as well as from tradition, that he had unprepossessing bodily defects, and was, according to the taste of the times, an A A 354 DISCOURSE XXYI. inferior public speaker. Oh no! it was not a commanding gentlemanly * person, nor a smooth and graceful oratory, nor the absence of human imperfection in temper and conduct, that converted the nations. The vessels which bore the Gospel " Treasure' were not vessels of gold or silver, or precious stones, but " earthen vessels," that the excellent and soul-transforming 'power should manifestly appear to be of God, and not of man. It was the " Lord working tvith them" — it was the divine " 2)07ver of Christ" resting on them, which caused the primitive Evangelists always to triumph and spread the savour of Christian knowledge in every place. The false Apostles were those who preached themselves, exhibited their fine persons and their fine speeches, and practised a dishonest secret craftiness, and handled the word of God deceitfully, and by specious glosses, to please man's taste, corrupted it. But the true Apostles set up no claim to external ac- complishments ; St. Paul does not deny the truth of the allegation of his adversaries, that his bodily jjreseiice ivas WEAK, a7id his speech contemptible. " But (says he), though / be rude in speech, yet not in knowledge." "We preach not ourselves, but Christ the Lord ; as of sincerity, as of God in the sight of God, speak we in Christ." I infer, therefore, my brethren, that every one who possesses ad ue k7wiuledge of Christ's Gospel, unfeigned love to the Saviour, a sincere desire to glorify Jehovah, by receiving himself, and bearing to others the glorious Gospel of God, is justified in his endeavours to do so, and to hope that the Saviour's power will rest on him, whatever or how many soever his personal infirmities may be. In accordance with these principles, my brethren, your preacher ventured at first to undertake the work of an evangelist; on the same principles he has hitherto per- severed in it, and those alone are the principles which still encourage him to go forward in the work. Pray for * Some Patrons of Missions, in distant parts of the world, have re- quested to have " gentlemenly" Missionaries sent to them. CHRIST THE TRUE CAUSE OF GLORYING. 1)55 him that he may very gladly glory in infirmities, and may take pleasure in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, and in distresses for Christ's sake ; and that the power of Christ, in all his journeyings, may overshadow him and perpetually rest upon him. Finally, brethren, farewell ! Glory not in the supposed " dignity of human nature," but " glory in Christ." " Be perfect, (i. e. complete as a Christian church,) be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace ; and the God of love and peace shall be with you." " Let me hear my Saviour say, ' Strength shall be equal to thy day,' Then I rejoice in deep distress, Leaning on all-sufficient Grace. I glory in infirmity, That Christ's own power may rest on me ; When I am weak, then am I strong, Grace is my shield, and Christ my song." 4' A A 2 HINTS MEANS REQUISITE TO PROMOTE CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. ON TEACHING ALL NATIONS. " Then the eleven disciples went away into a mountain, and Jesus came and spake unto them saying, ' All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth ; go ye therefore and (jxaBr)- Tevcrare irarra ra £-?v)j) teach, or disciple, all nations, bap- tizing them in the name of the Fatherr and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost; {h^afTKovreg) teaching thetn to observe all things, whatsoever I have commanded you : and lo ! I am with you alicay, even unto the end of the world." — Matt, xxviii. 18—20. TO BRITISH CHRISTIANS. X HAT it is the duty of the disciples of Jesus to teach the Christian religion to the whole world, is a principle that has been felt and acted on in the United Kingdom, within a few years past, more than at any former period. But that the duty is felt by the churches, to the degree which it ought, cannot yet be affirmed; nor has the Christian intellect of this land as yet engaged in the performance of the acknow- ledged duty, in a manner that is at all suitable to the disciples of that Master whose claims are admitted to be divine. The spirit of persecution, which has so much dis- graced our common humanity, even under the Christian name, gave occasion to a strong feeling, in the minds of many, against all interference in matters of religious belief. The history of past ages in Christendom, affords a reason of the most convincing character against the appli- ON TEACHING ALL NATIONS. 357 cation of physical force, or pains and penalties, in matters of religious belief ; but no history furnishes aught against the use of intellectual weapons : such as a lucid exhibition of truth ; or even a contest for the truth, conducted by the pen and the press. There is a conflict going on in the world between truth and error, virtue and vice, piety and irreligion, the cause of the " God of heaven," and of the *' spirit of this world." It is a moral conflict — a conflict of mind, — a conflict of free agents in a rebellious world. Heaven chooses so to consider it ; for were it a conflict of power, there is an arm that could crush the wicked, and not stay till mercy reasoned M'ith them. Jesus Christ the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. He did this by the sacrifice of himself; and by teaching those truths which arise out of that great transaction, and are contained in the Gospel ; and he has made it the duty of his disciples to follow up the design, by teaching to others all those things which he taught to them. To diffuse Clnistian knowledge is the duty of all Christ's disciples, to the extent of their capabilities ; and this must be done in the way which times and circumstances may direct, in different periods, and in different places. In the apostolic age there existed no press ; and, there- fore, to convey knowledge to the multitude by printed papers or books, was not practicable ; and oral teaching was of necessity the only method that could be employed ; for manuscript letters, and books, could not be multiplied rapidly, and unexpensively enough to scatter them amongst the mass of mankind. And there are now regions where the people cannot read, and there, of course, the living voice alone can be the medium of conveying knowledge. The habits of various people also render different methods of conveying knowledge to the mind less or more appli- cable to them. In China, and the surrounding countries, where no Sabbath is observed, people will not leave their work and their secular avocations to listen to a preacher; but they will individually, or in groups, read, at their leisure, and in their own house, a tract or a book which interests 358 ON TEACHING ALL NATIONS. them. They read it, and converse about it ; or dispute or appi'ove, or mock and ridicule it, and excite the attention of the family and of the neighbourhood, to the things stated in the book, or tract; and the leaven spreads, perhaps more widely and durably than when the same truths are communicated by the living voice, for then the sounds pass away, and their meaning is forgotten. To a reading people the press is, to say the least, as efficient a method of conveying Christian knowledge, as the system of oral lecture j and in many parts of the world it is more easily employed. A few living teachers, aided by the press, can convey knowledge as widely as many times the number of living teachers, without it. Christian books form the ground-work of domestic native instruction, and of schools, and can be referred to again and again, and year after year, and generation after generation. Christian books can be carried round the world, and from region to region, and find their way into kingdoms, and the houses of the opulent, and the palaces of governors, and of monarchs, where no living teacher can obtain access. Were there a due degree of attention paid, by Christian scholars and Christian patrons, to the living languages of mankind, it is perhaps practicable to prepare Christian books for Pagan lands, without the writers quitting the metropolis of the United Kingdom. And were efforts made to cultivate the several prhicipal languages of the world, Cliristian teachers might be qualified for the work of Christian tuition before they quitted British shores. The complaint of Missionaries, from the celebrated Brainerd's day, down to the Birnian Missionary, Mr. Judson, has been, that they were for a long period but ill qualified to teach Christianity, from not being thoroughly versed in the language, and mythology, and false theories of the heathen ; and in such learning as the heathen possessed. There is not, even up to this hour, a combination of Chi'istian intellect to assail the false theories with which the deluded votaries of idolatry and superstition arc fortified. Individual zeal and solitary efforts are not to be checked nor despised, but in such a ON TEACHING ALL NATIONS. 359 cause they should not certahily be rested in ; when the Christian talent of this United Kingdom can with ease afford tluit a considerable portion should be turned exclu- sively into the channel of associated efforts, to transfuse the Gospel of God our Saviour into all the living languages of mankind. To propose the study of all the living languages of mankind, appears to some persons, on the first mention of it, as altogether Utopian. But if acquisition of these languages be Utopian, the hope of " teaching all nations" the things which Jesus has commanded must also be so, unless some mij;aculous change shall take place ; for without language it is not possible to teach. That it is jjossible to associate so much Christian talent in this land, as to cultivate all the known languages of mankind, cannot be doubted ; the question can only be whether or not the object to be gained is worth the ex- penditure of time and money ; whether these languages, when acquired, can be applied in such a manner, as to subserve the final object. That the object, viz. the spiritual illumination of mankind, is one which all sincere disciples of Jesus will acknowledge to be worthy of the greatest possible effort ; and that it can be applied with considerable effect, may be anticipated from several considerations. (1.) Amongst the reading population of mankind, a supply of suitable Christian books can be prepared, without the risk and expense of the writers taking long voyages, and residing in climates to them insalubrious. (2.) Missionaries may be prepared for actual service, and enter on their work as soon as they arrive in pagan countries, and so escape that tedious, and often injurious labour, which they must undergo, where, in hot climates, the helps of acquiring languages are not supplied. (3.) Candidates for missionary labours, who cannot acquire pagan languages, will be prevented going abroad, and so the expense of their long voyages, and their useless services, be saved. The teachers and students of the various living Ian- 300 ON TEACHING ALL NATIONS. guages of mankind, would, in this country, form a cen- trical body of efficient co-operators, in matters spiritual and intellectual, to whom, from every quarter of the world, missionaries could send information, and from whom that information could again radiate forth in every direction. In addition to the European resident linguists, native scholars, from pagan countries, could be added, for some of the principal languages, which would make the apparatus more complete. The principle that it is right, and a duty to use means to convey the knowledge of divine revelation to all man- kind, is adopted by the Missionary and Bible Societies ; but language is indispensable to the use of means of any kind, and, therefore, if the end be not Utopian, the first and essential step in the operation cannot be so. The question turns chiefly on the method of acquiring pagan languages ; whether the agents shall be sent into pagan lands, to acquire, as individuals, the languages as they can, or whether there shall be associated efforts made at home, to facilitate the acquisition of the languages. That association is strength and power, is acknow- ledged as a general truth ; and why it should not be so in this case does not appear. Human efforts, by God's bles- sing, have carried human beings all round the world, and made mankind, as to general intercourse, nearly like one family ; and were the attention of a benevolent public turned to the uniting the world by a society of universal philologists, the way would be opened for the going forth of revealed truth in every direction, and the temporal, as well as spiritual good of the human species be promoted. Some pious people argue, that the Saviour's precept is *' Go" and that persons must be " sent,'' and that ^^ jireach- ing is the divinely appointed method. And the Missiona- ries Hall and Newell have insisted on this view of the sub- ject, and required of the churches 30,000 Missionaries. The fondness of our revered English translators for the word Preach, induced them, as Dr. Campbell has shewn, to translate six different Greek words, in the Acts of the Apostles, by the one English word "/;reac/i;" and hence. ON TEACHING ALL NATIONS. 361 there is, in the English Testament, more " preaching" than in the Greek. One man sitting in a carriage with another, and speaking about Jesus, they have called " preaching ." The disciples, when scattered abroad, went every where, and talked about the Saviour, and the occurrences at Jeru- salem ; and this proceeding our translators have called preachitig ; and Greek words, that denote reasoning, argumg, and spreading a report, they have called preach- ing : and it is in the minds of some modern Christians, that a pulpit, and pews, and a church, or a chapel, are essential to preaching. Now, that such preaching is not at all essential to Chris- tianity, nay, is in fact no part of it, but is a circumstance that arose from the previous habits of the people of the Roman empire, is probably the truth. It is my opinion, that conveying the proclamation of Divine mercy to the human mind, by any means, whether by schools, colleges, the press, or the pulpit, is, virtually ^^proclaiming" the Gospel, and obeying the Divine Precept. A pertinacious adherence to a single word, instead of gathering the spirit and sense of a proposition from all the words employed on a given subject, never leads to a true understanding of it. And were St. Matthew's phraseology adhered to, which might be plausibly done, since he has given the fullest statement of our Lord's last precept, it would go to ex- clude preaching ; for St. Matthew has used only the words, " To disciple and to teach." There is no j^reaching men- tioned by St. Matthew. Messrs. Hall and Newell argue, that " there is no instance on record, of a nation being evangelized by the Bible, without the preaching of the Gospel." To this it is only necessary to ask, " Where was the experiment ever made?" It was never made, and never will. The Bible has been the instrument of converting many individuals, and they have talked about the Saviour, and so preached the Gospel. How was Moses preached every Sabbath- day? the answer is, bi/ being read* in the synagogue. * " In following the course and order of yeeres, wee find the yeere of our Lord 1450 to be famous and memorable, for the divine and mira- 362 ON TEACHING ALL NATIONS. The truth is, that in all the nations which have been evangelized, all the various means of domestic instruction, the perusal of writings or books, the public discourse or oral lecture, the charity school and the college, have all contributed to scatter the seed of the word in the human heart, and produce the harvest which is witnessed. We also want to " se7id" forth some living agents ; and would have a portion of the most eminently qualified men the churches possess to "go," and when they can, we desire that they should "preach :" but, to preach, not to say eloquently, but even intelligibly, in some pagan langviages, is more than many pious men are qualified to do. If the conduct of the Apostles be referred to, and it be said that they did not employ the press, it will prove nothing ; since, as we before observed, they had no press to employ. But as they exhorted the people, M^ho had Bibles, to read their MS. Scriptures, and wrote letters, which were to be read, they recognised the principle, that letters, and the art of reading, are to be employed in the diffusion of Christianity. And if it be right to use these means at all, it will be right to employ them as extensively as possible. But those who desire to see the press, that mighty instru- culous invention of printing^ — " Without all doubt God himselfe was the ordainer and disposer of printing, no otherwise than he was of the gift of tongues, and that for a similar purpose. And well may this gift of printing be resembled to the gift of tongues." — " Hereby tongues are knowne, knowledge groweth, judgement encreaseth, bookes are dis- persed, the Scripture is seen, the doctours be read, stories be opened, times compared, truth discerned, falsehood detected, as with finger pointed, and all through the benefit of printing. Wherefore I suppose, that either the Pope must abolish printing, or else, doubtlesse, printing will abolish him. Instead of JohnHuss and other, Godhalh opened the press to PREACH, whose voice the Fope is never able to stop with all the puissance of his triple crowne. By this printing, as by the gift of tongues, and as by the singular organe of the Holy Ghost, the doctrine of the Gos- pell soundeth to all nations and countries under heaven : and what God revealeth to one man, is dispersed to many; and what is known to one man is open to all. What the Pope iiath lost since pi-inting and lite press began to piieach, let him cast his counters. First, when Erasmus wrote, and Frobenius printed, what a blow thereby was given to all friers and monkes in the world !" !kc.—(Fo/s Acts and Monuments.) ON TEACHING ALL NATIONS. 3G3 mcnt of scattering opinions over the world, more employed by Christians, never mean that it should tie people's tongues, and that Christians should not speak about the good news to others, and preach either to individuals, like Philip to the Eunuch, or to families, from house to house, or to assembled thousands, whenever they can collect them, and are able to discourse to them. Since the time of the invention of printing, in China and Europe, it has been employed chiefly for the dissemi- nation of pagan notions and false philosophy ; and how efficiently does it support these. The god of this world ; the diabolical usurper, who opposeth himself to the right- ful dominion of the Almighty, sustains his cause in various regions, by the use of the press, without any other preachers than "profane talkers." Now is it supposable that heaven has limited the servants of truth to oral lecture ; and discountenanced what has become, in the progress of the world, the most efficient method of con- veying right opinions to the imderstandings of the whole reading portion of mankind. Alas ! that the children of this world should be so much wiser, and so much more ready to avail themselves of the growing facilities to dis- seminate wrong opinions, than the children of light do to propagate right ones. If it be admitted that the press should be more em- ployed for the dissemination of Christian opinions amongst the reading portion of mankind, it will appear evident that the cultivation of the living languages of mankind, in this country, could be made available to the diffiision of Chris- tian knowledge, Avithout it being necessary that all the students should go abroad ; and, by consequence, the utility of a Society for the introduction of all the living languages of mankind will appear. Could Missionaries be in this country qualified for their work, previously to going abroad ; could they be permitted to go abroad to some regions for a limited time, and to re- turn if they chose ; and could they, on their return, be still useful in the same department of Christian labour, viz. communicating Christian truth to certain regions of the 364 ON TEACHING ALL NATIONS. world ; a new aspect would be given to Missionary opera- tions, which would greatly increase the number of agents, and open a door for a class of labourers at present excluded. Were the home department of co-operation originated and supported with vigour, Missionaries, whose want of health compelled them to return, could be still usefully employed in reference to the same object which they pursued abroad. Native converts from foreign countries, who should visit England, would be received in this country by those who were fully competent to hold intercourse with them, and instruct them in whatever they might require, without loss of time. It is within the capability of a few Christians to make an experiment of the practicability of this mode of proceeding at home, by attending to some of the principal languages of Asia, the Chinese, Sanscrit, Malayan, &c. Should the plan succeed, it may be gradually extended, till it embraces the whole world. It would, however, be a more satisfactory trial, if the several churches or Missionary Societies would unite their efforts in making the experiment on a large scale. And as the peculiarities of theological sentiment are not to be introduced, but only that instruction in lan- guage and modern pagan opinions, which are necessary to all Missionaries, to enable them to publish divine truth, and to refute error, there does not seem any reason why all Societies, which desire the diffusion of Christian knowledge, should not co-operate. The utility of those persons, who have civil duties in India to perform, first studying the language in this country, has been proved at the Honourable Company's Home College, where young men are initiated by European Pro- fessors in the languages of the East, previously to their going abroad. Professor Lee's example and opinion, also, are both in favour of the practicability of the projected measure. It may be objected to the whole of what is here pro- posed, that it is an endeavour to introduce a new aera of Mis- sions made easy, and to dispense with the primitive spirit of devotedness and personal sacrifice which should distin- ON TEACHING ALL NATIONS. 365 guish the servants of Christ. In answer to which, a dis- tinction between tliose difficulties which are inherent in the work, and those which are of man's making will be suffi- cient. For example, that a Missionary should, on going to a pagan region, abandon his native country for life, has long been the prevailing opinion ; but neither apostolic example, nor theprecepts of the NewTestament, require any such thing. For man to make the service more difficult than Heaven and its own nature have made it, savours of the same supersti- tious spirit as the self-imp 'j«^^d riiisterities of pagan devotees. To remove the impositions of the man of sin — celibacy, vows of poverty, and so forth, might have been called, in Luther's days, a making of Christianity easy ; but all judi- cious Christians now agree, that it was only removing a human yoke, by which removal Christianity was greatly be- nefited : so also, as to the case in hand ; if Christian Mis- sions can be freed from an implied vow of poverty and per- petual exile, and similar difficulties of man's imposing, al- though doing so may be stigmatized as a worldly policy, to remove the cross, it will be, in truth, only removing the impositions of a self-righteous will- worship. A v/orldly, money-making, covetous spirit, is utterly unchristian, whe- ther found in Messengers of the Churches, or Pastors, or People. A dependence on abstract education, learning, and means, instead of a dependance on the simple unadorned Gospel of our Saviour, and the energies of the Divine Spirit, is not the thing that we advocate. But we do ad- vocate the diligent employment of proper means to convey Christian knowledge to men's minds all round the world ; and the removal of every impediment that Holy Scripture will allow to many persons engaging in this work. The world is, under God, one vast empire ; or, as the Chi- nese Sages say, it is but " one family;" and whether a Chris- tian teacher be employed in one province of this empire, or in reference to this, or to another department of the great fa- mily, cannot make such a mighty difference in the rules ap- plicable to these teachers, and the means to fit them for their work, and which they should employ, as some per- sons would suppose. 366 ON TEACHING ALL NATIONS. In the early history of the Church, the writings and apologies of the Christian Fathers were of great efficacy ; and at the Reformation, the press was productive of the greatest good. Also in the present day its effect is of the utmost service to the Christian cause. If we would have it operate on mankind, the study of all the living languages on earth must be more encouraged. Archbishop Tillotson thought that a miraculous gift of tongues was necessary for the universal propagation of the Gospel, and being neces- sary, would be granted ; (Vol. x. p. 4454 and 4527-) but till human industry has done its utmost, it is not fair to assert the necessity of miraculous aid. Would not a Society in London to encourage the study of all living languages, for the purpose of communicating Christian knowledge to all nations, be a means very likely to further greatly the uni- versal dissemination of Christian truth ? Would it not be a most important means of preparing the Messengers of the Churches to fulfil the Saviour's last command to his disci- ples, " Go and teach all nations ?" With a view to the formation of such a Society,* these thoughts are respectfully submitted to the public who take an interest in the propagation of the Gospel. * The " Language Institution, in Aid of the Propagation of Chris- tianity," established in Bartlett's Buildings, carries into effect a part of these suggestions. It still requires, as an integral part of the Institution, a Literary Committee, to call periodical meetings of pious Literati, versed in ancient and in modern languages, for the purpose of extending infor- mation, and exciting interest about the less cultivated languages of man- kind. PROPOSAL BETTERING THE MOUALS AND CONDITION OF SAILORS IN CHINA. As the spiritual condition of seamen in China, referred to in the following Paper, yet remains unattended to by the zealous Christians of England and America, the document is here inserted, to keep alive the subject, in the hope that by the blessing of Divine Providence, something may even- tually be done in that distant land for the Sailor's w^elfare. TO THE PUBLIC. Canton, December 1, 1822. The General Plan given in the following Proposal being approved of by some individuals to whom the manuscript has been shown, it is now printed, to make the subject more extensively known, that its merits or demerits, practi- cability, or impracticability, may be conversed about, and more distinctly ascertained. Dr. Morrison will be happy to receive the written opinions, or suggestions of any Gen- tleman who is resident in, or who frequents China, on either or both of the subjects proposed, for the benefit of any Com- mittee, who may hereafter meet to deliberate and report thereon. PROPOSAL. Canton, Cbina, September 2oth, 1822. At Whampoa, the anchorage of European ships which frequent China, there are annually from fifteen to twenty large Indiamen, and between twenty and forty smaller 36s PROPOSAL FOR BETTERING THE vessels from the United States. The crews of those ships make collectively from two to three thousand men, all of whom speak the English language j and therefore, under the operation of liberal and Christian sentiments, any bene- volent efforts for the good of these men, whilst in China, may include both nations. The assistance that Sailors in China require, is medical attendance for many of them ; and for all of them instruc- tion concerning their duties as moral and religious beings. Medical assistance is provided for all the Indiamen, and for some of the Ameiican ships, and therefore it only re- mains to be enquired whether the mode of communicating that assistance may not be improved, so as to make the condition of the sick and healthy men better ; and the fa- tigue of the medical attendants less : that is, whether a Floating Hospital, to which the sick men may be re- moved from their own ships, away from the noise and bustle occasioned by unloading, and other duties daily going on ; and what is perhaps of the first importance, in some complaints, (arising as it is supposed from the local circumstances of a particular ship) removing the Hospital to a more healthy part of the river. In case of infectious diseases also, the Floating Hospital would remove the sick men from those still in health. Moreover, ships do arrive frequently, (i. e. English India ships as well as Americans) and occasionally the vessels of other nations, without any medical person on board, and sometimes without any such person at Wharapoa : in those cases the Floating Hospital, always having a medical man belonging to it, would afford such relief as every humane mind would be happy to avail itself of ; and hu- manly speaking, many lives might be saved. And when death did occur, the rites of sepulture could perhaps be more decently attended to by those persons belonging to the Floating Hospital than is practicable amidst the hurry of a ship's duty. However, much is done for the seamen's health, and his bodily comfort ; and but little, or nothing for the improve- ment of his mind. In some ships, it is true prayers are MORALS, &c. OF SAILORS IN CHINA. 369 read, which is so far well ; but prayers are not for the in- struction of the ignorant ; but are the language of a person already instructed, addressed to the Deity; and hence it happens that hearing prayers, but seldom reforms indivi- duals. Without, however, discussing this question, the fact is, that the thousands of seamen, who in the course of a year stay a shorter or longer time at Whampoa, and many of whom die there (Note 1st), neither have prayers nor any kind of religious instruction : and hence the Sunday only gives them leisure to get intoxicated and quarrel with the Chinese. A Floating Chapel (Note 2), with sermons twice a day, would furnish the means of rational occupa- tion, and of religious and moral instruction to as many of the seamen as chose to avail themselves of it; many of whom would no doubt gladly do so, if a pious zealous Preacher addressed them. The benefits arising from such an Institution would not only apply to the individual sailors whose minds were improved ; but from the more moral and orderly behaviour of the sailors, which would in all proba- bility follow, the intei'ests of all who trade in China would be subserved, and the respectability of foreigners, in the eyes of the Chinese, would be promoted. The Floating Hospital, and the Floating Chapel, being perfectly unconnected with the natives, and the Bailors not having to go on shore when frequenting either, no opposition can be anticipated from the Chinese Govern- ment, nor any interruption to Divine Service, from the curiosity, or insolence of the populace. The only objection to the Plan appears to be the proba- ble expense of the vessels employed; and of the persons who shall perform the necessary duties. At London on the Thames (Note 3), at Liverpool, and at Leith, and other places, the Floating Chapel has been adopted, and been found to meet the wishes of sailors, and to be useful to them. At London a Floating Hospital has been commenced, and met with the approbation of His Majesty's Government, and many persons of distinction in the country. The expense for the Hospital would arise chiefly from B B 370 PROPOSALS FOR BETTERING THE the vessel employed ; for it may be hoped that the medical gentleman belonging to the fleet would arrange a plan by which they could attend the Hospital by turns, and so have indeed more leisure than when attending each his own ship. The expenditure of medicines would not be more in one case than the other : and those ships which were unsupplied with a surgeon, could not object to pay a sum of money, as they now do, for the visits of the Surgeons of other ships. The Chapel would of course be an entirely new source of expense, as no means have heretofore been used by the English or Americans, for the moral and religious instruc- tion of their seamen in China. Some of the continental nations, who formerly frequented China, had school- masters and chaplains on board. Whether Chinese chop-boats could be fitted up to answer the purposes intended, and other details of the sub- ject, could be ascertained by a Committee of Gentlemen, well affected to the general objects. The Honourable Company's Chapel in Canton is not of use to the sailors, for they are not allowed to visit Canton, excepting as boat's crews ;* and the few that happen to be in Canton on Sundays, never attend the Chapel; probably under an idea that it is not intended for them but for gen- tlemen. If they were disposed to go, it could not contain many.f P.S. December 1st. — On the 2d of November, the room fitted up as a Chapel at Canton was burnt down. * The sailors, in former times, had perfect liberty to go to Canton in large numbers ; but they so frequently disgraced themselves and their country, by drunkenness, and became so often involved in serious affrays and homicides, it was found necessary to confine them much to the ships. f On Sunday, the 10th of November, 1822, a Betliel flag, prepared by Mr. Oliphant, a pious American Gentleman of the Presbyterian Church at New York, was hoisted at Whampoa, at the mast-head of the ship Pacific, of Philadelphia, belonging to Mr. Ralston, a veteran foreign Director of the London Missionary Society ; and a ser- mon was preached on deck to an attentive congregation, from a passage in the Prophet Ezekiel, " They caused my name to be blasphemed amonfif the heathen," &c. MORALS, &c. OF SAILORS IN CHINA 3/1 NOTE. — I. Captain W. of the Honourable Company's Service, thinks the average number of deaths at Whampoa, amongst the English Sailors, annually is one hundred ; others think the average betvi^een one and two hundred. In the season 1820-21, a single Company's ship lost THIRTY men. II. Instead of a vessel fitted up on purpose for a Cha- pel, the deck of any ship in the harbour, may at first be borrowed on a Sunday morning, and if there were service twice a day, the deck of another ship, in a different part of the river be employed in the afternoon. It is presumed that there would always be found Commanders who would be perfectly willing to subject themselves to the slight inconvenience which this arrangement would occasion, for the sake of at least making a fair trial to improve the morals of the seamen. III. " The Port of London Society for promoting Re- ligion among Seamen," was instituted in 1818. The East India Company subscribed to it £100. Prince Leo- pold attended the Second Anniversary, in May 1820. (Highmore's View of Charitable Institutions.) B b2 TRACT, ADDRESSED TO SAILORS. China, September 22, 1822. British Sailors I Men born in Christian lands! — In consequence of your being now far off from your native islands, and from your kindred, and sojourning for awhile on the borders of a proud pagan nation, I address you as a fellow-countryman and as a friend. I desire to appeal to your understandings and to your good feelings. I desire to promote your personal respectability, the honour of our country, and your happiness, both in this life, and in that eternal state of existence, which God our Saviour has as- sured us will come after the death of the body. Your cir- cumstances as to your kindred at home are no doubt very various ; some of you have fathers and mothers yet alive, who are anxious about their sons, exposed as they deem to the perils of the ocean ; scorched by the hot rays of a ver- tical sun ; and in danger of being seduced by bad company to impiety, to drunkenness, or to debauchery ; other men and lads are fatherless or motherless, and alas ! friendless : others again, it may be, are the only support of an aged mother, of a sister, or of a v/ife and family. I address you as a man who knows the feelings of a son, of a father, of a husband, and of a friend ; and I hope on the perusal of this paper you will cherish all the kindest recollections of your homes and your kindred; that serious reflections may gain the readier access to your understandings and your hearts. Sailors! you know that, in reference to fighting his country's foes, the gallant Nelson said, " England expects TRACT ADDRESSED TO SAILORS. 3/3 every man to do his duty." This was nobly said in the day of battle, and it is not less true in the time of peace ; England expects, and I will add, Heaven expects, every man to do his duty. Now every man has certain duties to perform to himself, to his kindred and country, to mankind generally, and to his God and Saviour. And what is man ? Man is a creature composed of a body and of a soul : in his body (the flesh, and blood, and bones,) man resembles the beasts ; but in his soul, a spiritual thinking substance, he resembles the angels ; when the body dies, the soul dies not, but passes to an invisible eternal state. Man is a creature accountable for his thoughts, his words, and his actions to Almighty God, the Maker and Preserver of the Universe, which is composed of the sun, the moon, and the stars ; the earth, and all that are on it ; the ocean, and all the creatures that are in it. Every man therefore should remember daily that he is not allowed to do as he pleases ; but he must do what reason, and conscience, and God's declared will require him to do. When God Al- mighty made the first man, he taught him to know his M'ill perfectly ; and all nations, the Chinese and other heathen nations, have retained to this day some part of this knowledge ; and any man may, from studying God's works and God's providence, infer, to a considerable extent, the will of God ; but God's will is most fully made known in the books written by Moses and the Jewish Prophets ; and by the Apostles and other Disciples of Jesus Christ our Saviour ; for those men, out of mercy to all mankind, were taught by God Almighty, what was his will, and what he required of men, and what were his plans of mercy to- wards men. Now then. Reason, and Conscience, and the Bible must be your guides, and you ought to think and read ; and also take the advice of well-intentioned men, who may have had more time to think and to read than you have had. It is on this supposition, that I, although not born with a silver spoon in my mouth, may have had more time and more favourable opportunities than some of you, that I take upon me to volunteer my advice. Your duty to yourselves requires you to take due care 374 TRACT ADDRESSED TO SAILORS. both of your body and of your soul. You must work to obtain an honest supply of food and raiment; and that, if possible, you may have an overplus to help your kindred, some of whom may be old, or sick, or helpless* If a man merely eats, and drinks, and works, and sleeps, and never thinks about his family, or of improving his own mind, or of promoting the welfare of his immortal spirit, he lives as if he were all body, and not better than the beasts : and further, if a man exerts his mind as well as labours with his hands, only to pamper his animal ap- petites, he makes his soul, which is the spiritual, noble, and angelic part of his nature, a slave to the brutal part, the animal body, and so, in many cases, becomes worse than a beast ; or, as some old writers say, such a man is " half brute and half devil." A good man uses his reason and re- ligion to regulate his animal appetites, because God has forbidden excess and irregularity, and because the un- restricted indulgence of appetite and lust is injurious to man's health ; wastes the property which should enable him to do good to his kindred or to the sick and distressed ; for excess and irregularity are generally injurious to other people, either by the withdrawment of some good, or by the infliction of some positive evil. Those of you who have performed several voyages to China, know very well, that annually many men belonging to the fleet die at Whampoa; sometimes by the uaual course of God's providence, without any direct cause in- duced by themselves, and in this case they are blameless ; but also sometimes in consequence of diseases brought on by drunkenness and lewdness before coming to China ; or by indulgence in the same vices whilst in China. Now al- though it is sometimes said " such a man is only his own enemy, he hurts nobody but himself;" this is not quite true. If he have parents or sisters to take care for him, and he for them, he injures them by bringing on his own death, he grieves their hearts, and perhaps brings down a parent's grey head with sorrow to the grave. Besides, the drunkard often injures others by his quarrelling and fight- ing : and the whoremonger either reduces a poor and much- TRACT ADDRESSED TO SAILORS. 375 to-be-pitied woman to the most degraded state possible in this life, and to the most hopeless for the life to come ; or he assists in perpetuating that unhappy state. Let every man feel for a poor prostitute, as he would if his own mo- ther or his sister were in that state. It is not true that drunkenness and debauchery injure only a man's self: how- ever, if it were true, still every man, (a sailor as well as any other man,) should in duty to himself avoid making his mind the servant or slave of the merely brutal part of his person ; and should employ reason and religion to re- gulate his appetites. All a man's duties to himself and to others, are moreover sanctioned by the approbation of God, and a violation of those duties is followed by his displeasure. Providence has attached, as an usual conse- quence, disease and penury to intemperance and lewdness ; and the Bible says, " for these things' sake the wrath of God Cometh on the children of disobedience." In China the British Sailor too commonly misuses the leisure of the Sunday ; and on liberty days abandons him- self to the grossest, and most unrestrained indulgence of his beastly appetites ; even when on duty at Canton, he sometimes allows himself to get drunk in Hog-lane ; and in so doing, not only injures his health, but exposes his person, his country, and his religion to the scorn of the Pagan Chi- nese ; and he, in common with every unjust, covetous, ava- ricious, lying, drunken, debauched European, in Pagan countries, causes God our Saviour to be blasphemed amongst the heathen ; such men, whatever their station, or whatever their cloth, not only neglect their own salvation ; but also hinder the salvation of others. These are awful vi^ws of the subject, and not alone applicable to sailors in China. But to return, — British Sailors! it is allowed on all hands that you possess courage and generosity; that you can fight hard, when your commander bids ; and that you will jump overboard at the risk of your own lives to save a person drowning : still war and danger are evils ; you do not wish an eternal continuance of strife and of hurricanes. What is your character in peace ! I will tell you ; you arc 376 TRACT ADDRESSED TO SAILORS. accused in the British Parliament, and in the English news- papers, and in the conversation of some gentlemen, of bein^ ungrateful, turbulent, and riotous ; and of getting drunk, and of quarrelling, and fighting, and sometimes of causing the death of the natives ; and by such conduct, in China parti- cularly, of occasioning an immense loss of property to your employers, by involving them, through your misconduct, in discussions with the Chinese Government, to prevent your being tortured and strangled unjustly in cases of accidental homicide. The Chinese law will not excuse a man who kills another in a fight, because the other man struck him first, or insulted him by words or looks. The English law does not allow of slight pretexts for killing a man ; and the Chinese law is more strict than the English law is. If therefore you get drunk, or put yourselves in a passion, and fight and kill a native, you will not only be censured by your countrymen, but your own life may be sacrificed, should the facts be proved against you ; for nobody should screen a murderer. The sailors of other countries are com- mended as more reasonable and better behaved than you are ; and even the Chinamen are preferred before you, as an orderly sober people. Now, as a man, and a man bred up in a Christian land, every sailor in the Chinese fleet should reflect, and see how far these accusations are true in refer- ence to himself; and if his conduct has heretofore given just occasion for these censures, let him resolve to alter his con- duct. Let him think of his home, of his kindred, of his country, and of his Saviour, and no longer by his miscon- duct cause injurious reflections to be thrown on them. And let him think of his duty to himself; that he has a soul to be saved, as well as a body to be fed and clothed ; and let him resolve to be true to her who is, or whom he intends (if Heaven will) to make his wife. Thus with God's help, a general reformation in the conduct and cha- racter of British Seamen who frequent Cliina will take place, and the shameful excesses of liberty-days will be discontinued. I might here reason with seamen on their duties to man- kind generally, to Hindoos aud to Chinese, to Malays or TRACT ADDRESSED TO SAILORS. 377 to any other people, — to act justly and kindly, and to behave peaceably ; for all these men are (as the Lord's Prayer im- plies) God's creatures, nay, God's children; hence these words which begin the Prayer, and which may be used by all men, " Our Father which art in heaven,'* and so on. All na- tions, it is true, are not the same in character, any more than all the sons of a family are the same in temper and conduct. Some sons are dutiful, others are undutiful; some are clever fellows, others are great blockheads ; still they should in a family be all kind to each other. These members of the human family, the rascally Chinamen, as they are sometimes called, are shrewd fellows ; and I am sorry to say, they too often take in the honest-hearted British Sailor. They sell him bad poisonous grog or spirits, and they pretend to be friends till he is drunk, and then they rob him of his money. These fellows should be shunned and guarded against. All Chinese are not so bad. They have both good and bad men amongst them. But all of them, even when saucy, are not worth fighting with. A British seaman's courage is well known ; he need not show it in fighting with the Chinamen, but he should try to be quite as sober, and as well behaved as the best of these people are : and he should not allow himself to be taken aback by a spirit-drinking breeze, whilst the bad China- men are sipping tea with a final intention of coolly robbing poor Jack's pockets. This simplicity of the Sailor is what every body blames ; and those who most love and admire a True British Tar, still weep over his too frequent thought- lessness and folly. Wishing you, Men and Lads, health and every good, and I say it very seriously, Peace with God, by repentance and faith in the merits of our Saviour ; for then you will study to " live a godly, righteous, and sober life," wherever you go. I remain, Your's sincerely, Amicus. 3/8 TRACT ADDRESSED TO SAILORS. SAILOR'S PRAYER. Written in the Atlantic Ocean, on board the Ship Mexico. Guide us, O! thou great Jehovah, Wanderers on the mighty deep ; From the storm and raging tempest Deign our floating bark to keep ; Lord of Heaven ! Bid the breeze propitious blow. Be our safe guard thro' the night-watch, And our guardian all the day, To ourdestin'd port in safety, Give us fleet and gladsome way ; Strong Deliv'rer ! • Be thou still our strength and shield. /' And when life's short voyage is over, In the haven of the blest, May we, guided by thy Spirit, Find an everlasting rest; Father hear us ! For the great Redeemer's sake. A BRIEF INQUIRY INTO WHAT MAY REASONABLY BE EXPECTED OF (aTTOOToXot €Kt:\r](jiMy) MESSENGERS OR APOSTLES OF THE CHURCHES," TO UNEVANGELIZED NATIONS.* 1. — " The great principles of moral science require every individual firstto St udi/ and 2»'actice virtue himself , and then to communicate the hnowledge and practice of virtue to others." — (Confucius.) 2. — " Touching the preferment of the contemplative, or active life — Christianity decideth it against Aristotle." For contemplation, which should be finished in itself, without casting beams on so- ciety, assuredly (Christian) divinity knoweth it not." " There is formed in every thing a double nature of good : the one, as every thing, is a total in itself ; the other, as it is a part or mem- ber of a greater body, whereof the latter is in a degree the greater and tJie worthier, because it tendeth to the conservation of a more general form. Therefore we see the iron in particular sympathy moveth to the loadstone, but yet, if it exceed a certain quantity, • The English Version renders ATToaroXog — Apostle and Mtssenger; EiKKXrjcria — Assembly and Church ; 1 Tnjperrig — Minister, Officer and Servant ; iSiuKoyoc — Minuter; and Deacon and Servant. This, in my opinion, is a defect, because it does not afford the English Reader an opportunity of judging for himself of the use of these and such- like epithets. Jesus himself is called " The Apostle" of our profession. The difference between the Iwelve Apostles, and other Messengers, did not consist in, nor is it marked by, the term employed to designate them, but in the Person sending, and in the qualifications he bestowed upon them. The im- mediate *' Apostles of Christ," and the " Apostles of Churches," either in the primitive or any subsequent age, hold very different offices in degree, although similar in kind, for both carry God's message of mercy to perishing sinners. 380 A BRIEF INQUIRY, &c. it forsaketh the afl'ection to the loadstone, and, like a good patriot, movetli to the earth, which is the region and country of massy- bodies ; so may we go forward and see that water and massy bodies move to the centre of the earth ; but rather than to suffer a divulsion in the continuance of nature, they will move upwards from the centre of the earth, forsaking their duty to the earth, in regard of their duty to the world. — But it may be truly affirmed, that there never was any philosophy, religion, or other discipline, which did so plainly and highly exalt the good that is communi- cative, and depress the good which is private and j)cirticular, as the holy (Christian) faith ; well declaring, that it was the same God that gave the Christian law to men, who gave those laws of nature to inanimate creatures that we spake of before." — (Bacon.) 3. — " Christianity never expects that men will, of their own accord, originate that movement by which they are to come in contact with the faith of the Gospel ; and therefore, instead of waiting till they shall move towards the Gospel, it has been provided from the first that the Gospel shall move towards them. " It is no where supposed that the demand for Christianity is sponta- neously, and, in the first instance, to arise among those who are not Christians ; but it is laid upon those who are Christians, to go abroad, and, if possible, to awaken out of their spiritual lethargy those who are fast asleep in that worldliness which they love, and from which, without some external application ; there is no rational prospect of ever arousing them." — (Chalmers.) 4. — " The Lord Christ, having ascended iip far above all heavens, gave some Apostles, some Prophets, some Evangelists, and some Pastors and Teachers."—" God hath set in the church gifts of heal- ing, helps, governments, diversities of tongues," &c. — (St. Paul.) 5. — " Prophets may denote such as possessed the word of knowledge as well as the gift of prophecy."— (Boothroyd.) 6. — " The office of Apostles is acknowledged, on all hands, long since to have terminated. " Of Prophets it is only necessary to observe, that their office must terminate, of course, when inspiration terminates. " Evangelists are universally acknowledged to have been extraordi- nary officers, and to have ceased in a very early period of the church. ** There remain then only Pastors and Teachers — but the same per- son was Pastor and Teacher. " We are (thus) come to one class of permanent Ecclesiastical offi- cers, viz. that which is known by the word Pastors ." —{DyflGm .) 7. — Thus it is that some men get rid of a variety of officers, i. e. of a diversity of Labourers and Helpers in the church, in order to suit their own local wants, or their modern systems, by assuming and exaggerating the " extraordinary" character and circum- stances of the primitive churcli ; just as some others in «jur day get rid of primitive doctrines and duties on the same plea." — (Morrison.) A BRIEF INQUIRY, &c. 381 8.—" All our long conversation on the subject of religion ended in nothing. My friend was convinced he was right ; and all the texts I produced were, according to him, applicable only to the times of the Apostles."— {Ma«.t\'^.) 9.—" Evangelists .-—Under this name they are to be understood whom the Apostles used as their attendants, in performing their office ; because they were not sufficient for every thing. Of this kind were Timothy, Titus, Silvanus, ApoUos, whom Paul joined with himself in the inscription of the epistles, yet so as to call himself alone an Apostle : this office, therefore, was only tem- porary."— (Bez a .) The opinion of this venerable Reformer, in the last clause, seems not well founded. The office of " Evangelists," in the primitive times, was in most respects similar to that of Missionaries in subsequent times. They were preachers of the Gospel without full apostolical authority and without any stated charge ; going among the hea- then to found churches, visiting the churches already planted, &c. — When zeal for propagating the Gospel subsided, this office sunk into disuse ; and thus, for ages, the heathen have been in a great measure neglected: and it seems to have been one grand defect at the Reformation, that no part of the funds, which had been ap- propriated to religious purposes, was reserved for the special object of supporting Evangelists to the heathen world.— The office of Evangelist must revive along with the spirit of evange- lizing the nations."— (Scott.) 10.—" Those employed in preaching the Gospel to those who had not yet received it, the Scripture calls Evangelists."— ( Hammond.) ll._'< The motives that ought to determine a man to dedicate him- self to the ministering in the church, are a zeal for promoting the glory of God, for raising the honour of the Christian religion, for the making it to be better understood, and more submitted to. He that loves it, and feels the excellency of it i ■■ himself, that has ^ a due sense of God's goodness in it to mankind, and that is entirely possessed Avith that, will feel a zeal within himself, for communicating that to others; that so the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent, may be more universally glori- fied and served by his creatures. An